Grower Stories #52: Lawrence Perrigo

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.

Published

Jan 14 2021

Updated

Nov 19 2023

Interviews

630

5 min

Music to My Ears: How West Coast Cannabis Brand Saint Joints Takes a Unique Approach to the Cannabis Business

It can be brutally difficult establishing yourself apart in the ultra-crowded West Coast cannabis market. Saints Joints, however, has been able to do so. Starting in a medical cannabis patient’s basement and headed by former music industry veterans, the brand has a unique perspective that sets its products apart from the rest.

I started in my basement, way back in the medical days. That’s where I learned to grow cannabis. Then when legalization came in Washington, I made the leap into the legal side! That’s when I quit my day job and started Saint’s Joints. That was about five and a half years ago now!

Tia (AskGrowers) : What unique skills did you utilize when it came to getting your brand off the ground? What helped you get where you are today?

Lawrence Perrigo : I struggled with branding for a while. I had a background in music, so then I decided that Saints should be like a record label cannabis company. Just instead of selling records, I’m selling weed. And it turns out weed sells a lot better than music!

I was in touring bands, running record labels for twenty years. I understood the marketing, so I just merged the two. Just put those skills together with the weed business and one plus one make two, right?

Tia : What’s the brand’s view on using chemicals during growth and extraction?

Lawrence : We have a unique method for our growing process. The way we’ve grown since the beginning has been no-till gardening, all organic. We feed the soil using all-organic methods, and the soil feeds our plants.

Tia : Do you grow all of your own cannabis? Or do you work with third-party growers/distributors?

Lawrence : In Washington, we have two indoor farms. In Oklahoma, we try to source the highest quality cannabis we can from local growers. In California, we partnered with Emerald Exchange in Humboldt County to provide organic cannabis for us.

Generally, we try to keep our product as organic as possible. But in some markets it’s impossible.

Tia : Give us some tips and tricks to growing good cannabis? What’s your secret?

Lawrence : For beginner growers, you just need to make sure your temperature and humidity are on point. If those things are off, your bud just doesn’t look right. If it’s too humid, your buds will mold.

Tia : How does your brand maintain transparency from seed to sale? What steps to do take from harvest to sale?

Lawrence : In the U.S., every state has its own laws. In Washington, for example, no cannabis companies are allowed to be vertically integrated. In California, however, vertical integration is allowed. So companies can grow, harvest, and source their own cannabis in-house. We get our testing results from a third-party testing company as well!

Tia : Do you personally use cannabis? If so, what are your favorite strains at the moment?

Lawrence : I smoke THC every single day! I’m constantly testing out the 35 strains we grow ourselves, the ones we get from our friends, or seeds that we’ve popped. My favorites at the moment are probably Lavender, Gorilla Glue, all the cookie strains are good!

Tia : If you had a chance to smoke with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Lawrence : That’s a good question. I’d definitely want to with [tooltip title="David Khari Webber Chappelle" content="Known stand-up comedian, actor, writer."]Dave Chappelle[/tooltip]. Maybe [tooltip title="Jordan Michael Houston" content="US rapper, songwriter and record producer"]Juicy J.[/tooltip] [tooltip title="Kurt Donald Cobain" content="Nirvana's frontman, guitarist and primary songwriter"]Kurt Cobain[/tooltip] and [tooltip title="James Adam 'Jim' Belushi " content="US actor, comedian, singer and musician. He owns a cannabis farm in Oregon"]Jim Belushi[/tooltip] too!

Tia : Are there any brands, growers, or farms that you really follow and appreciate?

Lawrence : In Washington state, I’d say Goldleaf Gardens and Fire Bros are great.

Tia : Where do you see the cannabis industry heading in the next few years?

Lawrence : Hopefully fully legalized so we can operate as normal businesses. So we can take the tax cuts and loans that other businesses can take advantage of.

Legalization really is key. That’s the only thing that will make the plant acceptable for everyone, even people who had gotten in trouble in the past or have been doing so in secret. Eliminating the racism of it all is of massive importance.

Tia : What are your thoughts on edibles?

Lawrence : I love them when I eat the right amount and hate them as soon as I take too much. I prefer to start small, get to know the brand, then work my way up to figuring out the right dosage. As a general rule, however, I very rarely eat cannabis.

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