(via True North Extracts)

According to the Global Drug Survey, vaping now accounts for 41% of all cannabis consumption, it could be the answer for the plethora of us smokers on the go. Some of the benefits that come with vaping are healthy lungs, and the ability to consume cannabis discreetly. There are different ways to vape: concentrates or flower, and different products you can use: pens/hand held devices, and table top devices. The most discreet way to vape? To me, it’s definitely with a vape pen.

Back in July when I attended the Best Of Potland Party, I became familiar with a company called, True North Extracts, a Portland based producer of c02 cannabis oil. I wound up scoring a free cartridge of their Ghost OG, and lucky for me it fit the battery of my SToK R vape pen. I’d only been smoking shatter in my pen, so being able to try oil was a nice surprise and dare I say a lot better? The cartridge lasted me a few weeks, and I brought it with me everywhere! Instead of bringing weed with me before work, I brought my pen. My car didn’t smell like weed, and the high left me feeling clearer than when I smoke herb, and that’s what you want if you’re a before-work-smoker.

I reached out to True North Extracts after spending some time with the cartridge of Ghost OG, and they were nice enough to sit down and talk with me for a bit. In advance I want to apologize for maybe not asking the right questions at the time, as I am perusing my notes, new questions popped up and I am hoping that they’d be kind enough to answer those for a future post. I met with Drew and his fiancee Rachel a couple Sundays ago at the Bye and Bye for a drink, as I approached the table in the outside patio my stomach was in knots! I’ve been blogging for about a year now, but I try my hardest not to make a fool out of myself. We exchanged pleasantries, and as soon as we sat down I got down to business and asked Drew how he got his start.

Drew’s been into the culture of cannabis since he was 14, ironically, the first time he knew he loved weed was in a D.A.R.E. program. He saw a bag of weed, and after growing up on a farm, knew he could grow something that was way better than what he saw in that picture. He mentioned how back where he’s from he knew people who used to grow their own supply, and I mentioned how funny it is, that now with cannabis being more accepted, I am finding out that some of my elders have been smoking forever, maybe even growing, it was just something that wasn’t really talked about. Since joining the industry and the fight to legalize cannabis, Rachel said it’s been nice to see cannabis users that come from all walks of life, and the fact that people feel more comfortable sharing the fact that they do use cannabis. She thinks it’s really helped normalize the thought of it being legal, and accepted. I must admit that it is nice, I’ve been able to be honest with my parents about my use and they’ve been supportive of my blogging. It’s even nice to hear what they think about cannabis, and the ways they they may or may not use it to medicate.

True North uses a “proprietary c02 process that removes all solvents while mainting a flavorful terpene profile“, two things that are important to Drew when he gets high, he looks for flavor and a clear high. After asking why he chose the lane he’s in, Drew said that the first time he smoked oil, he knew how he could make it better. Both Rachel and Drew are trying to make things their products more accessible for patients and they feel that their cartridges can do that. Aside from being more discreet and convenient, their vape pen and cartridges are easy to use. Recently they received a message from a patient who’s blind, letting them know how much she appreciates their products because of this. The True North vape pen batteries come pre-charged and ready to use out of the package, pop on the cartridge and all you have to do is inhale. No rolling, loading a bowl, or trying to find a lighter, something that can be obtrusive to someone who can’t see. I hadn’t thought about how beneficial some of these products are for the people out there with conditions far worse than mine.

True North has about 20 strains getting ready to hit stores, they use some of their own flower to make their oil, but there are so many growers out there doing great things, they want their product(s) too. “It’s a great way for me to get with all the growers who know their shit, to turn something they’ve done that’s incredible, and to make an offshoot of it.” They’d like to work with craft grown, cannabis farms who are using pure organic methods to grow good weed. They’re in a lot of shops around Oregon, and are pretty selective about who they do business with. Since legalization, a lot of shops have popped up throughout and it’s hard to know who will stay open. It’s important that while you’re doing business with others, that both of you have similar goals and views, so being selective is important. They visit each store they do business with, and speak with the owners and their employees to see if they have passion for this industry, and changing the sigma.

One of the things I’ve noticed that’s common among every business in this industry, are all the struggles they have to deal with. Every single day is a new challenge for them, one after the other. Hopefully some laws change, easing some of the burdens that are placed on these business owners. They also hope that soon something changes so that people have a place to smoke, which was kind of funny, there we were sitting outside in an area that allowed smoking cigarettes, but somehow smoking weed would be more disruptive? Psssh. So what does the future hold for True North? Soon they’ll have a new machine, so they hope to be in more shops, and they’ve begun working with different marketing firms to get their brand out there. Drew and Rachel both mentioned that True North will soon be moving into c02 dabs, drippers for their sustainable cartridges, edibles, and tinctures.

Keep an eye out for a review of the Orange Kush c02 cartridge & the True North Extracts vape pen.

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Twitter: @truenorthx

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