Malibu, California — Cannabis, the healing arts, travel, music, meditation, and education met on a perfumed lemon, grapefruit, and orange farm high in hills of Malibu to celebrate 4/20. Forty-five minutes up a road snaking under soaring vineyards, the gates opened to reveal a tranquil garden punctuated with tents, a cannabis brands bazaar, stage, a quaint infinity pool, and a nest of white cottages.
Hundreds of cannabis troubadours happily plunked down good money to attend Cannabliss Retreats, a six-day mountain soiree attended by like-minded people in an intimate setting of sheer beauty. The brainchild of Sari Gabbay, aka “MissCannabiz,” the long weekend offered attendees the opportunity to bathe in all aspects of the plant via workshops, cannabis ceremonies, and networking one-on-one with experts.
Celebrating its third incarnation, Cannabliss Retreats is no longer just a local event but a destination in the cannabis travel/tourism sector, attended by people of all ages coming from towns across the nation to learn about the plant’s spiritual and medicinal qualities. “This is really good living,” said the better half of a couple in their late-sixties hailing from the East Coast. “We found out through our daughter, who works at a dispensary, and figured it was a bucket-list thing to do. And it’s a way to incorporate the plant into our lives at lots of levels. This is all new to us.”
Another couple from the “sticks” appeared suddenly from the orchards, arms full of plump grapefruits. “We came to learn about the plant,” said one. “We don’t know much but we want to learn. So far, we’re learning a lot and having great fun and meeting really good people.”
A late-afternoon ceremonial sound and sun bath on the cool garden grass was followed by an informative panel that included Len May of EndoCanna Health, Anya Cravitz of Olive Kind Agency, attorney Ariel Clark, Gabbay, and former NFL offensive lineman Eben Britton. After a brief but spirited Q&A, guests flitted from one booth to another like honey bees. Brands exhibiting included Fiddler’s Greens, Mondo, Buz Meraki, Kare, Erbanna, Redefining Cannabis, Tori Labs, Synergy Health Services, TSTY, Nano CBD Water, Medicine Box, and many more.
Medicine Box founder Brian Martello Chaplin, who moderated the panel, was excited to see old friends, talk shop, and visit local dispensaries to drop off samples of his smart-looking medical tinctures.
“I’m down for the whole week and very happy about it and honored to be here.” said Chaplin. “Our cannabis is handmade in Lake Tahoe and I am trying to visit and educate many shops and talk to as many people as I can.”
After a California-style BBQ dinner and as the sun dipped behind the forests of palm and pine trees, the first hypnotic, haunting notes of Stellamara began to trickle through the garden, ancient hymns and love ballads mixed with a cocktail of ambient music. Shadows rose from the grass and began gyrating. Sweet-smelling clouds of cannabis perfumed the lemon grove. In a second, the Arabic, otherworldly scene turned the Malibu event into a Marrakesh cannabis garden party rave.
4/20. You never know what you’ll find.
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