Jane West came into the cannabis space in 2014, via her past company, Edible Events & Co., offering up a 420-friendly space with gourmet appetizers and fine wine in a high end gallery in Denver’s art district. She lost her lucrative mainstream day job after she sported a vape pen on national television, in an attempt to educate the masses on the normalcy of cannabis use.
Her name became her brand overnight after the incident, forcing her into the cannabis space full-time. Shortly thereafter she partnered with Jazmin Hupp, and together they gave women in the cannabis industry a place and a voice, founding Women Grow, in the male-dominated industry.
Not officially a cannabis patient, West refers to her cannabis use as a “healthy habit.”
‘I don’t have a list of symptoms I medicate for, but I also don’t feel the term ‘recreational user’ fits me either,” she explained. “That language downplays the wide ranging ripple effect of benefits the plant brings to my life.”
West feels her cannabis use promotes wellness, prevents against illness, and gives her a general overall feeling of well-being to her often hectic life of wife, mother, and CEO of her lifestyle brand, Jane West, Inc.
“I typically take just one or two hits at a time to help me focus if I have a big day ahead of me,” she shared. “I’ll take a puff of a mellow indica or an uplifting sativa – depending on the mood I’m looking for. If I have a big project in front of me that requires more focus, I’ll definitely use a sativa to uplift and clear my head. If I’m doing morning yoga, it will always be an indica.”
West gave up alcohol for cannabis a few years ago, sharing, “When the kids go to bed, mommy no longer has a glass of wine. I’ll be hitting on an indica for bedtime, and sleep better now smoking from glass than when I was tipping the wine glass,” she laughed. “Cannabis helps me turn off the noise in my head. Some say that cannabis makes you forgetful, but sometimes forgetting can be as important as remembering.”
In 2018 West added a wellness line, formulated by Can-Tek Labs, based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The line is comprised of daytime and nighttime full-spectrum CBD capsules, with a mix of other beneficial plants, including moringa for daytime use, helping to combat fatigue. Moringa is another superfood, like cannabis, fighting infection, reducing inflammation, while strengthening the immune system.
She also has a line of CBD coffee, adding, “I used to drink coffee all day long, until I became shaky from nerves. Now, I have a cup of CBD coffee and it mellows my morning and day like nothing else. It was definitely a game-changer for this chronic coffee partaker.”
While her own stash includes pieces from her high-end line of smoking glass designed by Grav Labs, she also has favorites from other brands – some sentimental.
“My tray is from the Container Store and is large enough to fit everything I need,” she shared. “The porcelain dish with the red lips is by artist, Jonathan Adler. Lauren Rudick – one of the most amazing cannabis lawyers I know – gifted it to me. The borosilicate glass Taster piece holds the perfect amount of flower for a solo session.”
Johnathan Adler is a renowned designer of fine household accessories, recently instated at Barney’s of New York’s new cannabis shop, The High End, in Beverly Hills, with pieces also found at Cannabis Now’s shop at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles.
The Taster piece is from the Jane West, Inc. line of glass smoking accessories. Borosilicate glass, more commonly known under the brand, Pyrex, is made with silica and boron trioxide, known for its strength and resistance to shock and heat changes.
West uses the cigar cutter for pre-rolled, one gram joints. She uses them to cut off the charred end before lighting up multiple times, stating, “Cutting the end off makes the rest of the joint far more enjoyable and better tasting.”
“I acquired the heavy metal Clipper brand lighter on a recent trip to Barcelona,” she said. “While it’s slightly annoying, in that it requires re-filling with lighter fluid, I love the flame it gets and the feel of it in my hand.”
Her go-to for topicals has been Mary Jane’s Medicinals of Telluride, Colorado, but she’s always trying out new products.
“Right now I’m into Cannabliss by KymB,” she shared. “I put the eye cream on my smoke session tray and gently massage it into my eye area and temples. This has become one of my session rituals. I’m actually more likely to apply it daily using this habit from my tray than I would using it at night before bed – I always forget! If it’s on the tray, it gets used.”
Her own line may include a launch of cannabis-infused teas soon, but until then she’s enjoying a blend by her own brand’s CBD coffee maker, Steepfuze.
“I bought this fun little silicone tea holder at Herbal Equipment in Altoona, Pennsylvania,” she continued. “It’s a fabulous female owned headshop – I love seeing more of these shops pop up. Herbal Equipment was one of the first boutique shops to carry our entire line. The tea holder really brightens up every cup of tea.”
Her grinder is made by Grav Labs, the designer of her glass line. West expounds on the necessity of grinding bud before smoking, releasing all of the essential oils or terpenes and flavors from the flower, for what she calls a “premium smoking experience.”
Though West has been in the space for some years now, with many product launches, she never tires of bringing something new to the table.
“The amount of flower lost if you don’t grind the bud all the way down is not cost effective,” she said. “My new flower packs have just hit the market and I’m so excited about them for this reason. Each pack contains the perfect bowl size amount of pure bud perfectly ground and ready for use. It’s changed my life to have these little sealed, air-tight containers in my stash or purse. I love how fresh the material stays from the moment it leaves our hands.”
West’s stash is a perfect reflection of her own products and pieces, combined with those she admires; but one thing is constant, her love of the plant and her desire to raise the ritual for everyone in the space.
“We’ve come a long way from hiding out in alley ways, smoking flower from a plastic baggie,” she laughed. “I’m proud to be a little part of a higher calling for design and beauty in the space. If I can upgrade just one item in anyone’s stash, it’s a plus. I came out in a big way on national television – it changed everything for me, but I’m happy to be a part of the movement to bring cannabis to the next level – normalized in a beautiful and sophisticated way.”
