By Jelena Grove
Before cannabis became recreationally legal in California, co-ops could give free weed to those in need.
Who would have imagined that legalizing the plant would undermine the fundamental premise that the industry as we know it is based on: compassionate access to life-saving medicine. But when recreational Adult Use went online in California, that’s exactly what happened.
Proposition 215, also known as the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, was the US’s first-ever medical cannabis ballot initiative. On paper, it allowed patients with certain qualifying conditions to grow and possess cannabis, but it did much more than that. It allowed for the flourishing of the compassionate care model – the thread that legacy operators have been fighting for decades to preserve.
As legacy operators know all too well, Adult-Use (Prop 64) effectively brought free medicine to an end in California.1 Though the bill shepherded needed changes, it also brought a tidal wave of greed. Yet cannabis OG, Michelle Mendoza, has still found ways to give back to the community while helping grow successful cannabis retail boutiques and staying true to her values of education and equal opportunity despite this new landscape.
In this interview, OUR DREAM founder Hilary L. Yu speaks with Michelle Mendoza, Sweet Flower’s Senior Product Buyer who is keeping the dream alive for the compassionate provision of cannabis.
While the architecture of Michelle’s life has changed, the foundation has remained: a dedication to improving the lives of others.
As a lifelong learner, artist, and educator, Michelle found her way to the cannabis space in the Prop 215 days. It was a time when cooperatives could hold gatherings for patients, provide free cannabis, and actually support folks who needed a lifeline.
M – I grew up in central California, in a small town called Hanford.
From early on in life, growing up in a small-town led me to look outward and see what else was around us. I was really into sports growing up, and that was always an outlet for me. I was very fortunate when I was younger that my parents sent me on an eye-opening trip to Europe with my middle school Spanish class. For me, that was kind of the beginning of the curiosity train – to know what was going on outside of our little town. That said, I was always interested in creating things but also making money as a young child. Not as an entrepreneur, but I was always wanting to have a job. My first job was actually as a lifeguard in town. That was in high school.
M – Education was always a part of my life growing up. I came from a long line of educators: my father was a teacher, and then became principal, then made his way into the district office. I also had two aunts that were both teachers, so education was always a really important part of growing up. They stressed the importance of learning, the value of it, and really modeled the teaching end of things for me. I think that’s really where sports came into play for me. Being part of a team, I was often team captain, and for me that was very much about a leadership role and being able to teach things that maybe my skill set is better at learning, or helping someone who was in need. I think that quality was always ingrained in me, and in those days, the seeds were being planted.
Shortly after high school I moved to Los Angeles and went to college at UCLA. That was the boom outside my small little town.
After college I was the lost child, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do with my education, and eventually made my way to Europe again at an older age. I really found this kind of awakening there of self, this renaissance that I was in the middle of.
I always thought I was going to be a teacher – I thought this is my lifelong calling. When I came back to LA I spent some time working as a substitute [teacher]… And I got into the classroom and I thought “nope, this is not it” [laughs]. I loved kids, I loved teens, I think it’s always been very attractive to me the way they see the world in a very curious kind of way, but managing a classroom of 30 young minds was not for me.
I loved kids, I loved teens, I think it’s always been very attractive to me the way they see the world in a very curious kind of way, but managing a classroom of 30 young minds was not for me.
M – I have great respect for the teaching profession, and I had this foundation of wanting to teach and help people learn things. I’m also somebody who learns by doing and learns by teaching, so for me, it also cemented a lot of things that I thought I knew growing up, and changed those for me along the way.
An opportunity arose for me to work as a behavioral specialist with teens, young adults, and children on the spectrum for autism. I did that for about 6 years. That was probably the most rewarding and hardest job I’ve ever had in my life. At the time, I was coming back to my roots of wanting to teach and helping people learn, but what I realized was that I was learning more than I was teaching. I realized I needed to elevate my skill set.
…what I realized was that I was learning more than I was teaching. I realized I needed to elevate my skill set.
M – It just so happened that at that time, I had a friend who was working in cannabis who reached out to me and asked “this is a crazy proposition but would you be interested in coming and running a dispensary with me?” And of course, I thought, “well that’s crazy, I don’t know anything about cannabis.” But that sense of curiosity in me took over, and I met with her.
I didn’t know it yet, but there were a lot of things happening at that moment in that time that were parallel to this next step into cannabis. While I was working as a behavioral specialist, some parents of my older clients were asking me to investigate why these kids were turning to cannabis – they wanted it to stop. As I was asking my clients questions about it, I understood they were using cannabis for medicinal purposes. They had been on pharmaceutical drugs most of their adult lives, and the same answer I kept hearing across the board was, “I don’t like the way I feel on this. When I use cannabis, it allows me to feel a sense of normalcy and it also addresses the issues that I take these pharmaceutical drugs for.”
That was the first lightbulb that made the transition into cannabis make sense for me. From there, I decided to make the leap and I made it my mission as a student, as a lifelong learner to learn everything I could about cannabis.
I fully made the leap to LAPCG, they’re one of the oldest operating dispensaries in LA to date. I’m very proud to be a part of that legacy. I started at a time when northern California had passed Prop 215 and the founder of LAPCG Dawn Duncan saw a need in LA, in West Hollywood specifically, to open up the medical market there. West Hollywood was (and still is) home to a large population of men who were affected by HIV/AIDS and at that point in time, the LGBTQ community living in this area didn’t have access to medical cannabis.
West Hollywood was (and still is) home to a large population of men who were affected by HIV/AIDS and at that point in time, the LGBTQ community living in this area didn’t have access to medical cannabis.
So all of those factors together are how I ended up at LAPCG at the beginning of my cannabis career. That’s the beginning.
M – When I came to the scene with LAPCG, we had a very robust Compassionate Care program. And that meant anyone who is under a certain amount of income, and/or had a terminal illness such as cancer, HIV, or AIDS, we would give free medicine to. There was no question about it. It was never a function of can we afford to do this, it was just part of who we are, this is what we’re doing, this is the right thing to do- this is why this medical market was founded.
As we segued into this new era of legalization, the new regulations [Prop 64] unfortunately wiped all of that off the table. Giving free anything was no longer an option.
As we segued into this new era of legalization, the new regulations [Prop 64] unfortunately wiped all of that off the table. Giving free anything was no longer an option. They’re still actively rewriting these regulations, and there still is not a Compassionate Care program presently on the market. I’ve spoken to several pre-Prop 64 brands who had robust giveback programs, and unfortunately, the regulations don’t allow for that to be a reality right now.
[Cannabis] was always a boys’ club, so I think it was refreshing for me to see a woman running a collective. Soon another woman joined, and then a third woman joined us as an assistant manager. So this scope was very empowering to women wanting to be in cannabis, and at that time, that wasn’t a reality. The functions we were invited to were all men, and we really had nothing in common with them aside from the fact that we worked in cannabis together.
The friend who brought me into cannabis left, and then I ended up running it [LAPCG] with Jen [Seo]. Jen and I aligned on so many levels from a visual aesthetic to our sense of compassion and understanding of representing and wanting to build a community. And keeping the legacy, really, because the landscape was changing rapidly.
In the days that I joined, we were still buying pounds of flower in turkey bags from people with fake names. Then there was the first emergence of branding in cannabis, which, for better or worse was starting to become a thing.
And obviously, living in Los Angeles it’s a very brand-focused environment. Visuals and aesthetics account for everything. I think the thing that kept us grounded was that, yes, those visuals count but we understand that we’re offering more than just a service here.
We’re a community, and we’re a team. We were maybe the only people that our customers would see throughout their day, who would be happy to have those conversations with them and make those connections. We weren’t just turning numbers for profit, we provided a sense of community that I think mattered to people. And it mattered to us well. For as much as we made a difference in other people’s lives, they also made a difference in my life.
We weren’t just turning numbers for profit, we provided a sense of community that I think mattered to people. And it mattered to us well.
There are a lot of moments where we had a few of our long-term customers come in and say their final goodbyes – their battles were coming to an end. That was really hard for me. It was touching, it was humbling, and I think it was a testament to the reason why I made the leap into cannabis. I’m not just selling something, I’m actually cultivating a community that does good and is good in other peoples’ lives.
There are a lot of moments where we had a few of our long-term customers come in and say their final goodbyes – their battles were coming to an end. That was really hard for me. It was touching, it was humbling, and I think it was a testament to the reason why I made the leap into cannabis. I’m not just selling something, I’m actually cultivating a community that does good and is good in other peoples’ lives.
M – With the passing of 64, things started to change. We didn’t have as much leeway with the kinds of creative events we were running, and obviously, those events came to a stop.
Our last hurrah was a very beautiful women’s dinner that we threw honoring women in and around the cannabis industry. It was up at a beautiful house in Silverlake with Sunday Goods, and it was just a really beautiful experience.
But we understood that these days were done. No longer could you give the free weed, could you have the elaborate dinners, and have free reign without fear of “are we going to lose our license because we’re doing this particular event?” and so for me, Sweet Flower came at a time when I think I was feeling a little burnt out. I really wish we could have Compassionate Care in today’s market as it stands, especially in the midst of COVID.
M – When I left LAPCG I wouldn’t have just gone anywhere. It had to be the perfect fit for me, and for me, the ethos lined up, so it was an easy segue from this legacy company I was working with [LAPCG] to this new company [Sweet Flower].
I loved the creative aspect of what we were doing [at LAPCG], but those moments were fewer and farther between as we got further into Prop 64.
I had a chance conversation with a rep from another brand that we carried, and he mentioned that Sweet Flower was maybe looking for a buyer. He asked if I would be interested in a conversation about it… I thought sure, a conversation is fine with me- there’s no harm in that. And so I went and had a conversation with Teri, Sweet Flower’s COO at the time, and I fell in love with the way she spoke about Sweet Flower, their branding ethos, the entire vibe and aesthetic of it was right in line with the things I gravitate towards.
That conversation with Teri turned into an interview, and so I thought, if I’m gonna do this I might as well do it. So I interviewed with Tim, the CEO, and again really enjoyed the way he spoke about the company and his vision. And when I asked him about his vision, he was very clear about it. That’s actually not something I’ve experienced a lot of in cannabis.
M – I think all these things come together as the perfect formula for what works and what doesn’t work. I think for me, design, curation, story, these are all elements that I’ve always kind of gravitated towards in my life in general.
I think for me, design, curation, story, these are all elements that I’ve always kind of gravitated towards in my life in general.
First and foremost, is the product quality? That has to be the basis for it. What is the brand’s story? Who are the hands that touched this product, are they good actors in the space? What is that reputation? It’s very much like an interview. And then from there, what is this product wrapped in? Is the packaging attractive, is there a design aesthetic that meets what my eye sees, and what my mind understands, when I look at Sweet Flower? It has to line up on all those metrics.
M – Of course, there are some exceptions that we make. Sometimes a brand will come in and they’ll just win you over with their story and their product, and maybe they don’t have the money to put out that beautiful packaging. And to me, that’s irrelevant – I’m willing to take a chance on that because I understand that there is value in the quality of the story, the quality of product, and the quality of people behind it. I think that’s the artist in me. It’s seeing things differently than other people, maybe. Understanding things in a different way visually, understanding things in a different way emotionally. How does that translate to a connection with someone else who is walking through the door? These are all things that I really think about, day in and day out when I look at products.
I’m willing to take a chance [smaller brands] because I understand that there is value in the quality of the story, the quality of product, and the quality of people behind it. I think that’s the artist in me. It’s seeing things differently than other people, maybe. Understanding things in a different way visually, understanding things in a different way emotionally. How does that translate to a connection with someone else who is walking through the door? These are all things that I really think about, day in and day out when I look at products.
M – Yeah, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my friend who brought me into cannabis, Susanna De La Rionda. She was running LAPCG when I came in, and she’s still in cannabis to this day. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her.
And under the umbrella of the LAPCG family is one of our sister stores, CBCB from Berkeley, and Andre Special, the founder [of CBCB]. She’s paid her dues in cannabis operating as far back as thirty, forty years in a space where women just weren’t in the mix. She’s an OG and I have tremendous respect for her.
M – So the cannabis kits were born before the giveback kit was evolved. But basically, curation is part of what I love, it’s part of what Kiana loves, and staying ahead of the curve.
What we started to see was this gravitation towards need-state: sleep, calm, fun, relief- these are all common themes that we hear from people coming in. So we thought, let’s put together kits that sum this up in three or four products and offer that at a discounted rate to the consumer, and let’s make it easy for them to make a decision. This really is meant to grab the attention of people new to cannabis, because there’s a lot to learn about it coming in. You can get lost. Strains are one thing, but a strain is not necessarily the strain name anymore. Everything is kind of a hybrid. And so for people who are brand new to cannabis, they don’t know what Green Crack is versus Skywalker. They have no idea. So let’s break it down for them by effect.
So we curated some of my favorite products, grouped them together by need-state, and we put them on the market. Then, the giveback kit was really the next evolution for us.
What we understand is that the way to make a difference immediately is to start by strengthening the community around you. Making donations and contributing monetarily or with our time is something that has always been important to Sweet Flower, and that’s something that Tim [our CEO] has modeled.
We can’t overlook the fact that we’re in cannabis and there are great injustices that have built this industry.
We can’t overlook the fact that we’re in cannabis and there are great injustices that have built this industry. So that’s our way of addressing that as well. The Giveback Kit is three items, and all the proceeds are split between the BCIF and the Equity First Alliance (we pay the excise tax). It’s been a slow road, but for us, the highlight is that our highest selling kit right now is the Giveback Kit. So that’s proof that people really do wanna make a difference. And we’re gonna continue to do this, we’ll spin different iterations of it, but the giveback will always be to the BCIF and the Equity First Alliance.
M – I really want people to understand that this industry is not like anything else. You can’t compare it to alcohol, you can’t deal with cannabis as the same thing. It’s not. The regulations are one thing, but there’s such a long, living story of what this industry was built on. I think people coming in need to understand that. I’m still trying to understand it fully.
I really want people to understand that this industry is not like anything else. You can’t compare it to alcohol, you can’t deal with cannabis as the same thing. It’s not. The regulations are one thing, but there’s such a long, living story of what this industry was built on. I think people coming in need to understand that. I’m still trying to understand it fully.
There’s a tremendous amount of respect owed to the people that were doing this under fear of being put in jail for the rest of their lives. That needs to be something that is recognized.
And second, there really is a lot of science to understand about cannabis. It’s not just a commodity – it’s such a unique thing that exists. People should also understand that plant medicine has a different effect for every person. I think we haven’t fully realized the magic of what cannabis can bring…And I hope we get some answers soon. But I think just having tremendous respect for the science, and understanding and learning everything you can about it before you come into the industry.
