Grower Stories #136: Levi Strom

Tia Moskalenko
Tia Moskalenko

Tia Moskalenko, author of the AskGrowers blog, brings a unique blend of content to her readers. She is known for conducting insightful interviews with key figures in the cannabis industry, including brand representatives, manufacturers, and experts. In addition to her interview skills, Tia has a keen focus on CBD. She expertly curates product selections and reviews, offering her readers detailed insights into the various effects and benefits of CBD. Tia's ability to combine in-depth interviews with comprehensive CBD analysis makes her a valuable asset to the cannabis community, offering a well-rounded perspective on the industry.

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Grower Stories #136: Levi Strom

Awakened Is Known for Its Cannabis Wellness and Health Products

The AskGrowers team sits down with Levi Strom from Awakened to talk about the brand’s history and future directions. Levi sheds light on the brand’s unique ingredients and ancient extraction techniques as well as how they use the power of raw cannabis. He also mentions the brand’s best-selling products, the favorite strains to smoke, and also talks about industry trends and investment opportunities for those interested. #growerstories


Tia (AskGrowers) : Tell us how you started Awakened Topicals?

Levi Strom : Awakened was started by accident, literally. I broke my neck in 2010 while surfing and underwent emergency reconstructive spinal surgery. I developed the formulas for our balms and oils during my recovery and officially launched the brand in the summer of 2014 to share the power of the plant with the world.


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

Levi : Awakened is truly unique within the cannabis industry for a couple of reasons. First, we prioritize the acidic cannabinoids, mainly THCA and CBDA in our formulas, whereas most brands decarboxylate the molecules into their neutral counterparts - THC and CBD. While we do include both THC and CBD in our formulas, as well as other cannabinoids like CBG, CBGA, CBC, etc., we choose to highlight the incredible power of raw cannabis in our products because of its superior potency and non-intoxicating effects.

Secondly, we do not use solvents to extract our plant medicine. Instead, we use an ancient technique called “solar infusion” to gently and completely remove the whole plant compounds from the cannabis plant into our carrier oil - which is organic, extra virgin olive oil. This method is the same method described in the Bible for how the Holy Anointing Oil was made, so we feel we are keeping pretty good company.


Awakened products picture
Tia : Tell us how you make your products? Do you have any specific approaches? What’s your best-selling product now?

Levi : We make our products by hand and from the highest quality ingredients we can source. We start with sun-grown cannabis grown by small, family farmers in California’s prestigious Emerald Triangle who subscribe to regenerative farming practices. From there, we infuse the flowers into olive oil using our proprietary Solar Infusion Technology™ and then formulate all our products from this rich, healing infused oil. We have been doing things this way from day one and believe that we should allow the plant to speak without interruption. Our best-selling product is our revolutionary Raw Cannabis Pain Stick. Based on our award-winning balm formula, our Pain Stick comes in a 100% biodegradable and compostable paperboard push tube that can fit in your purse, your pocket, and your gym bag.


Tia : Tell more about your raw hemp products. What are the specifics of them and how do you make them?

Levi : Our newest product line is our hemp-derived raw hemp topicals and sublingual tinctures. What’s special about this product line is that it is rich in CBDA - the raw, acidic precursor to CBD found only in raw cannabis and hemp. We use the same infusion process and formula for our raw hemp products as we do for our raw cannabis products, but with less than 0.3% THC. We sell our raw hemp products from our awakened.shop website and ship nationwide.


Tia : What’s the highest THC % in your products? Do you think people should thrive for a particularly high THC % in cannabis products?

Levi : Because our products are raw, we do not have a high THC % in any of our products. Typically, we like to have between 1-2 mg of delta-9-THC per mL of our product along with THCA, CBDA, CBD. We find that this “micro-dose” of THC is the perfect amount to benefit from the medical properties of THC (of which there are many) but without the intoxicating effects. As a cannabis consumer myself, and a daily smoker, I find that chasing THC % in flowers and products can be very misleading. I’m often very disappointed when I buy a 30% THC flower, but come to find that it has a very low and bland terpene profile, usually less than 2%, and the high can be very linear and non-expansive.

On the other side of the equation, you have true full-spectrum and whole-plant products that have a proper balance of Phyto-cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, and the medicinal effects and the high can be very rewarding. I suggest people stop chasing THC and start considering the overall formula for edibles, topicals, and tinctures and the terpene profile for flowers and extracts. Budtenders and buyers need to be educated about the entourage effect and consider the whole plant, not just the single molecule.


Tia : Are there any brands in your state you appreciate and follow? And in the USA in general?

Levi : Of course. I have a tremendous amount of respect for what Papa & Barkley has done for the wellness market here in California. They also use an infusion process and promote a whole plant philosophy. I truly appreciate the farmers who are committed to sustainability and growing the dank! Shout out to Greenshock Farms in Mendocino County who grow the finest sun-grown flowers on the compliant market. Nationally, I’m a big fan of Kush Queen who also has a cannabis product line here in California and makes some incredible handmade topical products you can purchase online at kushqueen.shop.


Tia : What is your personal cannabis consumption routine? Does it affect your work/ life?

Levi : Haha! Well, TBH there are days when smoking THC flowers is not the best idea, like when I’m doing accounting (LOL) but typically I smoke every day. I use my topicals every day because I am a chronic pain patient myself and I ingest my tinctures as needed. Mostly, my cannabis consumption has been a positive experience in my life and has brought me closer to nature, my creative side, and my curiosity.

But for better or worse, the plant has taken me down a path far away from where I anticipated my life going. In college, I dreamed of being an attorney and after graduating from the University of Oregon in 2003 with a Political Science degree, I took a road trip to Big Sur, drank mushroom tea, and never went back to school again! I’m incredibly grateful for what this plant has done for me personally and the people and community it has brought into my life.


Awakened interview quote
Tia : Your top strains to smoke? Why?

Levi : I love a good ol’ fashioned Kush varietal. Strains that are b-caryophyllene dominant are some of my favorites to relax with. It’s hard to pick but if I had to, here goes:

Currently:

  1. Orange Terpentine (Greenshock Farms, Sun Grown)
  2. Cereal Milk (Cannabiotix, Indoor)
  3. Sherbhead (Local Cannabis, Mixed Ligh GH)
  4. Animal Mints (Fig Farms, Indoor)

All Time:

  1. Trinity (rare cultivar from Eugene Oregon, straight ? ?)
  2. OG Kush (the king of kings and the lord of lords, ⛽, ?, ?)
  3. Blueberry (Yup I’m that old)
  4. Purple Sleigh Ride (Greenshock Farms, got that original Blue Dream in it which is actually incredible before it got watered down).

Tia : What are the 3 main trends in the cannabis industry in 2021 for you now?

Levi : Hmmm, minor cannabinoids like CBN, CBDA, Delta-8-THC are gaining popularity. I love the live hash rosin movement and the solventless hash movement overall and hope that continues to grow. And gummies, gummies, gummies!


Tia : If you could have a chance to smoke with anyone on this planet, who’d that be and why?

Levi : I’d like to smoke with Owen Wilson so I can come home and shout, “Home honey I’m high.”


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

Levi : Yes. I see Awakened becoming a global cannabinoid wellness brand someday. We are adding a full-spectrum CBD gummies line to our catalog this summer. The first flavor on the menu is POG (passion, orange, guava).


Tia : In your opinion, what’s the current situation with cannabis stocks in the USA?

Levi : Fuck corporate cannabis! Is that enough of an opinion LOL! But seriously, I think more harm is being done by large multi-state operators in creating the race-to-the-bottom approach that has driven most of the industry’s best and brightest back into the traditional market. Capitalism has failed us. We now have crony capitalism with big government and big business colluding to stomp out the competition before it even has a chance, with draconian regulations and unfair taxation. Hang in there my cannabis people, we will reclaim this industry - for the plant!


Awakened interview quote
Tia : Do you think people should invest in the cannabis stock market at all? Why?

Levi : No (see above). However, for full disclosure, I do own stock in Jazz Pharma which purchased GW Pharma this year - which owns the only FDA-approved cannabinoid product, EPIDIOLEX®. It helps legitimize the industry to have products like this out there. When people see children with terrible epilepsy healed with cannabis, it becomes hard to continue to support the prohibition of such a healing and safe plant. I don’t recommend people buy recreational cannabis stocks yet, but please buy Jazz Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ - JAZZ) if you want ?.


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

Levi : Well, I see things separating and fragmenting into a few different camps. We will have a separation between pharmaceutical products like EPIDIOLEX® and everything else. We will see many many more cannabinoid-based pharmaceuticals coming out over the next 5-10 years.

As for everything else, there will be your recreational-minded industry with a focus on high THC products and then, generally speaking, your wellness CBD products that will increasingly be available at every grocery store in America as well as online. I think the industry will mature and older demographics will embrace it more and more, and the cream will begin to rise to the top as the green rushers and hype brands fade away and the real medicine makers and caretakers of the plant will emerge as the true tastemakers of the marketplace.


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

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