Our Best Buds features Chris Walsh, Co-Founder of FishWhistle. Chris combined his two lifelong passions — cannabis and fishing — to provide pre-rolls that “Enhance the Chance” and create the proper mindset of connecting those of us above the surface with the creatures below. Read on to discover the man behind the brand.
What inspired you to enter the cannabis industry, and how has your journey been so far?
I have always been interested in plant-based medicines. I lived in Jamaica for several years and learned about Rastafarian herbal medicines and tinctures, including the medicinal and sacramental use of cannabis and psilocybin mushrooms. I created a CBD brand in Vermont and nothing felt better than having customers on a weekly basis thank me for the relief that my CBD products provided them.
What are some key challenges you’ve faced while operating in the cannabis sector, and how have you overcome them?
The rigid Indica/Sativa characterization that most cannabis users base all their buying decisions on. The cannabis sector needs to start characterizing cannabis by dominant terpenes.
The other big challenge is persuading customers that the highest THC does not equate to the best cannabis. I find it very challenging to convince someone that a strain with 17% Delta 9 THC and 4.5% total terpenes is going to be a much more enjoyable psychoactive experience (due to a diverse entourage effect) than a strain that has 31% Delta 9 THC and 1% total terpenes.
The cannabis plant is stingy and if it allocates excessive cannabinoids, it will then hold back on terpenes. We need to change the cannabis consumer’s perspective that a strain with 17% Delta 9 is “low” and therefore subpar. Consumers need to understand that you need an equilibrium between cannabinoids and terpenes to truly experience the entourage effect….i.e., benefitting from the plant the way it is supposed to be experienced.
What has surprised you, in a good way, about the cannabis industry?
What surprises me is that just as many people are in the cannabis industry for the right reasons as there are posers that are in it just because it is the “new Gold Rush”. The majority of people that I have worked with over the past 8 years have a personal connection with the plant.
When I work with a new team I always start off the first meeting with a round table discussion of everyone’s personal story with cannabis, and I usually walk away from those meetings with a little more faith in humanity!
What sets your cannabis products/services apart from your peers in the industry?
FishWhistle is a lifestyle brand that is at the crossroads of fishing and enjoying cannabis in the outdoors. We understand that people that fish and people that use cannabis are equally passionate about both. Also the cannabis community can learn a few lessons from the fishing community regarding unity, support, collaboration, and taking care of the planet! FishWhistle is mission-based and we give 2% of our pre-tax profits to Trout Unlimited in Vermont.
How do you prioritize sustainability and social responsibility in your cannabis business practices?
People in the fishing community are obviously all about sustainability, social and environmental responsibility. FishWhistle has been inspired by the fishing community to emulate their attitudes towards the planet and its occupants.
How do you approach building strategic partnerships within the cannabis industry?
Finding good partners has always come naturally to me. I look for like-minded people and brands that are mission based and consider if “ the whole is greater than the sum of the parts”….to quote Aristotle!
In what ways do you envision the future of the cannabis industry evolving in the coming year? What big changes are you hoping to see?
The DEA recategorizing cannabis to Schedule 3 is finally going to move the needle. I see 280E going away soon, a commitment to ease stringent cannabis banking laws and multi state initiatives towards segmented interstate commerce. However, I do not think true federal cannabis legalization is going to happen anytime soon. You can thank special interest groups and lobbyists for that.
Anything you’d like to add, but we haven’t asked *just* the right question?
As much as I believe cannabis is a panacea for all humans, I firmly believe that psychedelics have the potential to rapidly save the world and her inhabitants. Let’s elevate humanity one mushroom at a time!
