phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES MARCH 24TH– MARCH 30TH, 2022 State Licensed Dispensaries & Doctor Certifications | CANNABIS | Soap Opera Marvina Thomas brings love and healing. BY CYRUS GUCCIONE E ntrepreneur. Soapmaker. Cannabis-inspired fashionista. These are only a few words that describe Marvina Thomas, the cannabis exec- utive who runs Fourtwenty Collections. Nationally recognized for her cannabis-infused soaps, Marvina Thomas is making waves in the cannabis industry. “I’m a doer. I put something in my head and I just go for it,” Thomas says. “If I fall, that’s fine. I get myself back up, wipe my knees off and start over.” That’s been her attitude for the last six years while running her various businesses. Thomas is the owner of 420 SkinCare and 420 Medibles, which specialize in all- natural THC- and CBD-infused soaps, skincare, and edibles. She also runs Trinity Care Services, a rehabili- tation clinic in Glendale that is opening its newest location in Yuma. “It all started with one bar of soap,” says Thomas, who began making her own soaps to support her business. “I’ve been blessed to be able to open up companies and create jobs for people graduating from my program.” Trinity Care Services’ mission is to help underrepresented communities recover from addiction and successfully reenter society. The program is in collaboration with Start Living Inc., a nonprofit recovery operation that encompasses 15 group homes throughout Arizona. A nurse by trade, Thomas saw firsthand the effects of drug addiction and wanted to provide more lasting care than her patients were receiving. One patient in particular — whose face had been badly burned from an accident involving drugs — left quite an impression on Thomas. “She told me that the pipe blew up in her face,” says Thomas, who was experi- menting with her soap business on the side. “I gave her one of my bars of soap, and in about two weeks you could start seeing her skin healing.” The transformation in that one client began Thomas’ journey from a nurse into a full-time cannabis enthusiast. Calling her new venture Vina Soaps, Thomas quit her job as a nurse and focused on her soap business, experimenting with new ingredients and trying out other skin- care products. Interest from friends and family quickly took off, and her business transformed into Sadie Thompson, Proven Media Marvina Thomas at Arizona’s first cannabis-inspired women’s fashion show at FABRIC in Tempe. what is now called Fourtwenty Collections. “Now we don’t just have skincare [prod- ucts] — we have edibles and even a clothing line,” says Thomas. Most of her patients use her skincare and “medibles” to treat conditions like chronic pain, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, while others use her products to simply enhance their self-care routines. “They had a very enjoyable experi- ence,” says Jared Holland of Peoria, who gifted two sets of Thomas’ CBD bath bombs to his family members. Holland says that because of Fourtwenty Collections, he now has an endless supply of gift ideas for birthdays and holidays. The CBD bath bombs include 200 mg of CBD each, and claim to provide a detoxi- fying effect on the body. “I’ve always had it in my heart to help others, and that’s why we’re on this Earth,” Thomas says. Through her “Buy & Give” program, part of the proceeds from each purchase at 420 SkinCare is channeled into Thomas’ nonprofit to help individuals with resources like health care, substance abuse education, and access to medical marijuana cards. “That’s not that common,” says Demitri Downing, founder of the Marijuana Industry Trade Association in Arizona (MITA-AZ). “Everyone has some sort of charitable component, but >> p 45 43
