July 13th–July 19th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times State Licensed Dispensaries & Doctor Cer tifications 28 banks and ask for loans, and usually banks have dedicated funds for women and minorities, and that doesn’t exist because banks don’t exist in our industry.” Over time, Power closed the wellness center but kept the dispensary and added a grow house and production facility for a vertically integrated seed-to-sale experi- ence that guarantees quality. Power owns the brands Kindred, Revelry and Sneakers. She’s also the president of the Arizona Dispensaries Association, which repre- sents 85 percent of the cannabis market in the state and helps the industry navigate constantly changing waters. It lobbies for the industry, creates marketing and adver- tising campaigns, keeps members updated on the law and holds meetings to discuss compliance, cultivation and more. “We have to be united,” Power said. “We have to make sure we understand what’s coming our way and that we’re going the right way… We have to be resilient; we have to talk to each other.” ‘There was a risk of going to jail’ Since opening a decade ago, Power has faced challenges as well as opportunities. When Arizona voters approved medical marijuana in 2010, a stigma surrounded dispensaries that made it difficult to attract customers, employees and places to operate. “There was a risk of going to jail,” Power said. “People still thought we were crimi- nals. I did not see it progressing so quickly.” Power’s first location was in a “creepy industrial area,” she said, and she saw it was intimidating to women coming alone, especially after dark. Cities gradually relaxed zoning prohibi- tions for cannabis businesses, and in 2021, Power moved Giving Tree to 701 W. Union Hills Drive in a former Circle K. She kept all the windows from the convenience store to make people — women in partic- ular — feel comfortable. “I wanted people to drive by and look in and not be afraid of opening that door,” Power recalled. Another way Power used her perspec- tive as a woman to succeed is by creating clean products like capsules for consumers who don’t want to consume so much sugar in gummies or don’t like vaping. Also, Power developed Revelry specifically for menopausal women who are routinely ignored in many facets of medicine and society. The products help with ailments such as anxiety, irritability and difficulty sleeping. One of the most popular items is a CBD lube. Those products are one of the ways in which Power leans into using being a female to her advantage. “People sometimes didn’t take me as a threat and didn’t take me seriously,” she said. “You learn as a woman to have your actions speak for themselves.” Evolving with the industry Looking ahead, Power sees the industry growing in new ways. For instance, she envisions a future with online ordering and shipping. With growth comes innovation, and Power sees the potential for focused product lines for specific needs, such as reducing anxiety before flying or giving a presentation. One way to do this, she explained, is combining medicinal supple- ments, such as ashwagandha root, with cannabis into one product. “Being very comfortable with change helped me here because this industry changes all the time and you have to pivot quickly, and I’m good with that,” she stated. Of course, challenges remain. The lack of access to banking and the frustration of ever-changing regulations persist. An oversupply in the cannabis market has caused prices to fall 35 percent over the past 18 months. Growing marijuana is not easy, either. “This plant is very finicky,” Power said. “If you haven’t been humbled by this plant you haven’t been doing this long enough. It’s farming, it’s agriculture, and you’re going to have issues.” But Power, who said she is a “100 percent believer in the cannabis plant and what it can do,” is confident that the industry will continue to bloom thanks to less stigma and more interesting products. “I’m always amazed at the many ways cannabis can improve people’s lives,” Power noted. “I’m always thinking about the next brand and the next product and how it can help people.” Giving Tree Dispensary 701 W. Union Hills Drive 623-242-9080 Kevin Brost Lilach Mazor Power, Giving Tree’s owner, also created product lines Sneakers, Kindred and Revelry. Woman-Owned Weed from p 27
