Grower Stories #102: Mitra Sticklen

If You Want to Explore the World of Cannabis Extract Products of the Highest Quality, OM Extracts Has It All

For cannabis consumers interested in the highest quality products, Om Extracts could be the place to explore as the brand has an excellent choice. Mitra Sticklen, one of the brand's owners, talked with AskGrowers about the company, its beginnings, the oils they make, and plans for the future. #growerstories

---

Mitra Sticklen : My name is Mitra Sticklen, and I'm one of the owners of OM Extracts. I'm the Central Operations Officer for our Education and Cultivation programs, and I love hearing stories of how our Cannabis extracts help people.

---

Tia (AskGrowers) : Tell us how you started OM Extracts?

Mitra : My partner Blake started OM Extracts before we met, back in the early days of Oregon's Medical Marijuana Program. His passion for cultivating Cannabis organically brought him from Eugene to Oregon's Applegate Valley, the Napa Valley of Cannabis. Our bioregion's Mediterranean climate is perfect for Cannabis: hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Blake was cultivating for medical patients who began requesting Cannabis extracts for illnesses and ailments including Cancer, AIDS, Seizure Disorders, Migraines, PTSD, pain, anxiety, and sleep issues. Blake founded OM Extracts in 2014 to serve medical patients with pure, clean Mindful Medicine.

Blake and I met in a yoga class, and we connected again at a dispensary where he was selling OM Extracts. I moved from a small urban homestead in Ashland onto OM Farms at the edge of Applegate River, and together we started a family and grew our dream together. We shifted from medical to Adult use cultivation and extraction, and from growing just Cannabis crops to cultivating dozens of medicinal herbs, flowers, and seed crops. Our baby was born during the first year of Adult-use Cannabis legalization in Oregon, and we are so grateful to be on the leading edge of positive change.

OM Extracts' THC and CBD varieties and OM Extract Ratios now serve millions of doses each year to patients and adults. Cannabis is a cornerstone of many individuals' wellness and self-care, and we are honored for the opportunity to provide this healing medicine to so many communities.

Our shared passion for Cannabis bonded us, and our shared visions for the future drive us to create a better tomorrow. Our family loves Cannabis, and we know that together we can envision and create future access so everyone may join in Right Relationship with Cannabis.

---

---

Tia : How does your brand differ from others similar to yours?

Mitra : For patients and the Cannabis community who want to be sure they only eat/smoke clean medicinals, our farm and our network of like-minded sustainable farmers ensure no pesticides or artificial ingredients used to grow or process OM Extracts. We grow in the soil and under the sunshine, growing the world's highest quality Cannabis and ensuring that the extracts preserve the plant's "profile" for the final product.

Our Applegate Valley Appellation farm is Organic, and our farm collaborators align with our commitment to Earth Care and growing Cannabis in ways that support human and planetary wellness. We love featuring strain-specific varietals grown by some of Oregon's headiest farmers. All organics, no synthetics, all soil-grown, pure high-vibe Cannabis!

As a company and as a team of individuals, we value transparency and safety. We always post full test results on our website to see for yourself that each batch is pesticide-free, residual solvent-free, and pure!

Beyond our work with Cannabis on the farm and in the lab, we also participate in regional and statewide organizations for racial justice (currently working with the Oregon Cannabis Association's Social Justice Committee on HB 3112, the Oregon Equity Investment Act), rural sustainability (A Greater Applegate), and organic farming (Organic Farmers Association and Our Family Farms).

---

Tia : How do you extract your CO2 oils? Do you have any specific approaches?

Mitra : We extract Cannabis using Carbon Dioxide at low temperatures to preserve the most terpenes and cannabinoids. Our Raw CO2 FECO (Full Extract Cannabis Oil) is the pure, high-fat, high-terpene extract ideal for eating, using topically, or taking as a capsule/suppository. Because it's alcohol-free and doesn't contain chlorophyll, the dripper looks and tastes different from an alcohol-extracts RSO (Rick Simpson Oil) or FSO (Full Spectrum Oil), and it preserves more terpenes.

We "winterize" or secondary process the Raw CO2 FECO to remove fats, and the result is our Winterized CO2 Vape Cartridges and Drippers, which are ideal for inhalation.

---

---

Tia : Can you tell more about the Winterized oils that you make? What’s the difference between the regular ones and if they are better in consumption?

Mitra : OM Extracts Raw CO2 FECO is a popular alcohol-free, potent, and affordable extract that comes in a convenient Luer-lock syringe. This Raw CO2 FECO is an alternative to alcohol-based RSO, edibles, topicals, and isolate-based extracts. It is full-spectrum and full-fat, which helps our bodies absorb Cannabinoids.

Our Winterized CO2 Vape Cartridges and Drippers are an excellent option for people who want to inhale the full flavor of a pure Cannabis plant without additives. The Winterized has most fats removed, so it's better for inhalation (vape, dab, or smoke). The Raw CO2 FECO is high-fat, so it's ideal for eating, using topically, or in a capsule/suppository.

Lastly, our OM Extracts Cannaceutical Tinctures are our Raw CO2 FECO blended with Organic MCT Coconut Oil. This high-fat product is an easy way to enjoy Cannabis medicinals in a familiar tincture bottle, with lines of demarcation on the bottle for precise dosing.

---

Tia : What would be your recommendation for people who never tried canna oils before? Why?

Mitra : For Canna-Curious Community members, firstly, I welcome you. The first question I would ask them is: what are your health and wellness goals, or what are your pleasure goals related to Cannabis? Like many health foods and supplements, I recommend researching more about the science and studies to familiarize yourself with the literature and recognizing that it can be a healthy part of your wellness routine as long as you're consuming clean Cannabis in a safe environment.

For most people, starting with CBD-dominant Cannabis is a great option. We offer many high-CBD options as well as high-THC options and everything in between. As you get more comfortable with Cannabis and THC, you can explore higher THC options or stick with the high-CBD extracts.

If I were struggling with sleep (falling asleep or staying asleep): I would keep a vape pen near my bed for a relaxing high-THC option, especially if I wake up in the middle of the night, and I would also take some Tincture an hour before bed to help me wind down.

When I am experiencing anxiety and PTSD symptoms, I like to take some 1:1 CBD: THC Tincture at the moment. I also like to take a low dose of CBD-dominant extracts each morning with my tea or coffee.

If I received Cancer, AIDS, Seizure Disorder, or another diagnosis: I would begin with high-THC medicinals at night and a 1:1 CBD: THC during the day. In my experience and read in the scientific literature, I've noticed that CBD blocks many psychological effects of THC like paranoia, anxiety, and altered perception. So consuming more CBD with my THC allows me to take greater doses of overall Cannabinoids (THC+CBD+many other Cannabinoids).

If I were actively fighting cancer, I would likely take very aggressive doses in whatever format gets the Cannabis extract closest to the cancer cells. For example, if I have skin cancer, I would put high-THC Raw CO2 FECO on the spot under a bandage daily after a bath and eat Raw CO2 FECO multiple times daily. If I have colorectal cancer, I would make Raw CO2 FECO suppositories and use them multiple times daily, and also eat Raw CO2 FECO numerous times daily.

When I have PMS cramps, I like to enjoy OM Extracts Cannaceutical Tincture and take a relaxing bath, then use some Tincture on my lower belly as a topical before going to bed.

Again, it all comes back to your goals. Cannabis can be an ally in so many different ways, and it's best to keep a journal to record your goals, consumption patterns, and the effects and track your progress towards those goals.

---

---

Tia : What are the three main trends in the cannabis industry in 2021 for you now?

Mitra :

1. Rule changes and leveraging the healing energy of Cannabis to heal our communities. We all must be adaptable and continue to grow and learn and roll with the changes. We can also shape change and be active in creating the Right Relationships between people and Cannabis and righting many of the wrongs of Cannabis prohibition. The war on drugs has disproportionately harmed BIPOC communities, and we all must have a role in creating a more just and equitable tomorrow.
2. Regional Appellations and Cannabis Terroir. Just like specific grape cultivars grow uniquely in California's Napa Valley vs. in the Champagne region of France, Cannabis cultivars and practices are uniquely historic in certain areas. The specific soil, climate, water, genetic varieties, and cultivation styles bring out unique terpenes, flavonoids, and immeasurable vibes of a crop grown in a particular place, and OM Extracts continues to uplift our regional Oregon Cannabis Appellations.
3. Customer education and Cannabis science resources. Because Cannabis is still so new and still so taboo for so many people, there is a huge need for Cannabis education. We put most of our "marketing" efforts into simply sharing and uplifting information and medicinals for our clients, patients, and customers. We provide free Cannabis education to everyone who reaches out to us! Knowledge is power.

---

Tia : Do you plan to expand your brand with time? If yes, what do you plan to add to your product line?

Mitra : We plan to continue steady expansion, with Organic Hemp products available to the public now. Our product lines continue to be patient-driven and customer-focused, and we love hearing feedback and suggestions from our Cannabis community about what products you'd like to see next!

---

Tia : What are your predictions on the cannabis industry for the next 5-10 years?

Mitra : I predict full federal legalization within the next decade and likely for legal commerce to begin between states before that. We can expect corporate consolidation and that Organic and sustainable Cannabis will rise. I believe the demand for clean, pure Cannabis extracts will grow along with Cannabis education: the more consumers know (how most Cannabis is grown with harmful chemicals), the more they'll demand a safe Cannabis option. OM Extracts looks forward to continuing our leadership at the regional, statewide, and national levels.

---

You can follow OM Extracts at:

Instagram

You can also join OM Extracts for free Cannabis science and consumption education. Just email [email protected] for more details.

Thank you so much, OM Extracts team, for taking the time to do the interview. To learn more about them, head on over to their website.