Photo: The Stoner’s Cookbook
Drinking for a cause – Grammy award winning singer-songwriter and breast cancer survivor Melissa Etheridge does it with her cannabis infused wine.
An outspoken medical marijuana advocate and supporter of women in the cannabis industry, Etheridge launched her own cannabusiness of pot-infused wines.
“We’re changing the paradigm. Cannabis is the thing that’s going to push the whole conversation about health,” she told Celebstoner.com.
Etheridge’s pot-wine is federally illegal and really hard to make, the concoction known as “Know Label” wine tincture is available through Greenway Compassionate Relief, a California medical marijuana dispensary and only sold to Californians with a medicinal marijuana card. Ethridge began her cannabis advocacy after using the plant to relieve her pain and discomfort from her chemotherapy.
It’s not as easy as dropping a bud from the cannabis plant into some wine, according to the The Stoner’s Cookbook. Winemakers must ferment the cannabis in the wine to draw out the THC and then it will marry the two. Typically, Pinot Noirs, Syrahs, Cabernets, Grenaches and Chardonnays are used and sativa strains are recommended. “Cannabis strains have different flavours and effects, and it’s common to use hybrid strains because pure sativas and indicas in concert with alcohol can make drinkers either anxious or groggy,” warns The Cookbook.
It’s a novel idea, but not new. Vinepair.com dives into the history behind the ancient tincture:
“Records of the marijuana plant being utilized for medicinal purposes date back to the 28th century B.C. In China during the second century A.D., archeologists found records showing that the founder of Chinese surgery, Hua T’o, used wine fortified with cannabis resin to reduce pain during surgery.”
UPDATE: Green Flower Media announced exclusive access to Etheridge’s keynote speech on women and cannabis at the Women Grow Leadership Summit held in Denver a few months ago. All you have to do is enter your name and email here.
Chloe Sommers is the Executive Editor of the Never Daunted Radio Network. You can reach her on Twitter @ChloePalma