The Hempiricist Hits the Road, Day 1: Fort Collins, CO to Reno, NV

The Hempiricist has made it to Utah.

Writing a book – especially writing one\’s first book – can be overwhelming at times. Thus, it is always encouraging when one can call on and receive much-needed support from his or her friends, acquaintances, and colleagues.

Over the last month or so I have been fortunate to receive that support from many people I know. Thanks to those many generous individuals, this morning I was able to embark on a six-day road trip across the American West to do research for my book, Grass Roots: An Environmental History of Cannabis in the American West. To all who gave – thank you. Your support means more than I can say or write, but I am certainly indebted to each of you and will do my best to write a book that is well-researched, accessibly written, and most importantly – doesn\’t suck.

It might be more than a little ironic that I began a cannabis research trip at 4:20 AM, but that\’s the time I left Fort Collins, Colorado this morning. I\’m writing this post from a coffee shop in Salt Lake City, taking some time to rest and have lunch. My final destination today is Reno, Nevada.

Thanks to some last-minute research and correspondence, in a few minutes I will hopefully be talking to Aron Swan, General Manager of Silver State Relief, the first medical cannabis dispensary to open in Nevada.

Sixty-five percent of Nevada voters approved medical cannabis in 2000; Swan\’s dispensary opened last Friday. I haven\’t read much on Nevada\’s cannabis history; I\’m hoping Swan can tell me why it took the state legislature fifteen years to enact the will of its voters.

As a parting gift, enjoy these photos of some impressive landscapes in Wyoming and Utah.