Liz Grow, Co-Founder and CEO of Grow House Media – Interview Series

Since 2018, Liz Grow has been running Grow House Media with her husband Patrick and an equally dedicated team of cannabis professionals and advocates. With Grow House Media, they’ve showcased events across America, including the prestigious as the Emerald Cup and have consistently interviewed and profiled some of the strongest groups of cannabis advocates, such as our country’s brave veterans. Along with that, Liz is also a cannabis/hemp-related event planner, having organized The Taste of Texas Hemp Cup and assisting in the production of other similar events too.

Because you and I are both very much from the prohibitionist stronghold of Texas, I especially wanted to ask how you first got into cannabis?

It’s more like how did cannabis get into me.

I was (am) a proud Texan & Army Brat, high-achiever, and serious athlete who would never even think about touching drugs. Weed was a drug in my opinion and they put people in jail for it! But God had a plan for me that I could never have guessed.

In 2011 I moved to San Francisco to help launch a tech start-up. The work was 24-7 and after about 3 months of the tech grind, being away from my family, and only seeing my precious young daughter every few weeks, I slipped into a deep depression. Fake-it-til-you-make-it game strong, I put on a brave face for everyone around me and kept grinding, pushing my feelings of sadness and loss deep down so I could “finish the mission” and get back to my daughter as a “success”.

This denial caused me to sink deeper into depression and gave way to suicidal thoughts, for the first time in my life. I visited a doctor, and she prescribed an SSRI to help, but for some reason, I was afraid of the prescription! I was unwell, and feel like maybe I was hanging on to my depression and suicidal thoughts as self-punishment. I felt so much shame and guilt over leaving my family, albeit temporarily, for my own career advancement that I believed that I was a total piece of shit. I was a mess.

Shortly after my doctor’s appointment, one of my co-workers found me crying in the bathroom stall and asked me to take a ride with her after work. Heidi was a 6ft tall, blonde goddess with piercing blue eyes and a warm smile. She played volleyball in college at Brown, and she was perfect. It was almost 9pm before we unchained ourselves from our desks, and I assumed we were going for a drink. I followed her onto a cable car without a word. As it pulled us up Mission and into the Castro, a massive Pride flag came into view, and I was sure that she was taking me to a wild new club with dangerously delicious new cocktails and that I’d probably (thankfully) black out at the end of the night.

We got out and walked a block to a dark storefront. She slipped a key in the door and the owner of the business was waiting for me inside behind a counter. A strange, earthy, and comforting smell filled my nostrils and as my eyes adjusted in the low-light, I realized that I was surrounded by jars and jars of WEED. I was frozen. I had never seen this much weed in my life, not even on TV. Then I was frightened – was this an illicit drug den?! Are we going to be busted?! I relaxed once Heidi and her husband Ryan assured me we were in their legal dispensary. The Apothecarium was one of the top dispensaries in San Francisco and I was in the BEST hands. Safety and love flooded my heart in that moment, and I knew that whatever I was about to embark on, change was coming.

Heidi and Ryan spent 3 hours with me that night in their award-winning dispensary, teaching me about all about cannabis and why it’s God’s gift to us. I smoked flower, premium hash, and they taught me how to use a bong. I had never felt more loved and cared for by non-family members, and that night, I knew that I must pay it forward and serve humans through this miracle plant for the rest of my life.

How did Grow House Media come into creation and what do you feel that the channel is doing differently than other cannabis-related media channels/platforms? Did you have a background in media previously?

In 2017, I was heading to Las Vegas and excited that I’d be in a legal state! It had been 6 years since my awakening and I knew that cannabis was my medicine, and I couldn’t wait to try some new strains. But when I landed and googled “cannabis dispensary” the results were a confusing mess, and offered no attractive visuals or videos to bring me in to spend my money. So, I called my boyfriend Patrick, a video producer of 15 years, and asked him to look into cannabis content. Surely, there was someone or some agency creating media content that was appealing to a mainstream consumer and not all scary or gross…. right? Wrong.

So together, 6 months before we got married, Patrick and I started Grow House Media in 2018. Cannabis had a major PR problem, and any cannabis content at that time was not helping the cause. The cannabis content that existed at that time was poorly-lit, edgy, with a “IYKYK and if you don’t, you’re an idiot” vibe. Some so-called weed influencers would get online and smoke until they drooled, which was disgusting and frightening. While reckless cannabis content was getting a lot of views, it cast the plant and lifestyle in a horrible light and scared regular folk like me off. Grow House Media serves cannabis by creating positive, high-quality, educational, and entertaining content about the plant and the people who grow it, make things from it, and use it to live more balanced and productive lives.

Of the many videos and series that Grow House have produced, which do you feel was the most thought-provoking, powerful and/or important and why?

Our videos that focus on the people serving the plant will always be our most powerful and impactful work. One piece that comes to mind is a video we produced for High Times where we brought 3 Texas Veterans across state lines to Oklahoma so that they could legally use their medicine. The crew could not keep tears from coming when we watched these men, 2 former Army and 1 Marine, fall to their knees upon entering the flower room at Red River Pharms in Ardmore, Oklahoma. It was as if the mere presence of the plant peeled away layers of pain and suffering, and they were safe.

Additionally, we offer our media services free of charge for Texas organizations who are putting in the work to educate Texans and change the archaic and unjust War-on-Drugs Texas cannabis policy. By uplifting the voices of our community organizers and showing how their efforts are galvanizing entire regions of Texas and forcing change, more Texans are waking up, and we’re closer than ever to cannabis freedom.

What have been some reactions you’ve received from cannabis advocates and professionals? Did you receive any negative attention or criticism from the strict prohibitionists still heavily in Texas?

Our fellow cannabis advocates across the US have welcomed us with open arms and appreciate the work we’re doing! It’s not about the team producing the work, it’s about the work itself. It’s not self-promotional, it’s plant and plant people promotional.

It must be a Texas thing, for which we are grateful, or because we are both professionals and clearly adults, but we haven’t gotten any real negative reactions from our very conservative community or so-called prohibitionists. These folks are always the first to pull us aside and ask questions about cannabis, or share their vacation THC gummy experience. You’d be surprised to learn who “from the other side” is a secret supporter, but feeling bound by their party or community’s outdated stance on cannabis reform.

We find that people who present as staunchly opposed to cannabis have experienced extreme trauma in their lives stemming from drugs and the war on drugs, and so they paint all substances with the same brush as self-preservation mechanism. Some of those folks are too proud to admit to themselves that they’ve been lied to. We must love them through it and don’t dismiss them as “prohibitionists”, but pre-advocates.

Of all the places and large-scale events that your Grow House Media adventures have taken you to, where have been some of the most fascinating or crucial to visit?

I’d say that the Emerald Cup is a can’t miss event for anyone interested in learning more about cannabis and American cannabis history. We covered the event for Thrillist in 2019 and we had no idea what to expect, but it was awesome! It’s where the science, spirit, and history of cannabis are celebrated, and the “Who’s Who” of cannabis are readily accessible and happy to connect. You never know who might pass you a pipe. For me, it was Swami Chaitanya and Nikki of Swami Selects, and it was a HIGHLY spiritual experience.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention The Taste of Texas Hemp Cup! We modeled the TTHC after the Emerald Cup, and this year, we’re partnering with SC Labs, the same lab that created the Emerald Cup judging rubric in 2012 to reduce terpene bias, which is fascinating stuff. If you want to know what’s new and next with Texas flower, please be our guest. It will be held on October 18th and 19th in Austin, Texas.

As a Texan, I wanted to ask why you believe that virtually any form of cannabis remains illegal in Texas. Is it only the stubbornness of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick or AG Ken Paxton or is there something at play entirely? If it’s the first choice, then it’s downright absurd that 2 people are holding legal cannabis and all its economic opportunities back from 30 million people.

As with most things in life, it’s much more complicated than placing the blame on two people. These are my beliefs based on years of keen observation, interviews, and common sense. Dan & Ken are just puppets for their masters behind the scenes; our prison system, and the big pharma and booze industries.

Texas has one of the largest prison populations in the United States, and the state uses private companies to help manage this population and offset the financial obligations. Despite only about 10% of the Texas prison population being housed in private facilities, private prisons are in the business of making money, and as a result, they’re a powerful force and seemingly speak for the entire Texas prison infrastructure.

The prison pipeline is swift. With cannabis flower still technically illegal in Texas (despite 80% of Texans calling for change), “smelling weed” is the easiest way for law enforcement to gain entry into cars, homes, RVs, business establishment, basically, anywhere they want. This makes it easier to lock people up, especially the Black and Brown populations, so illegality is the fastest way to trap humans in the prison pipeline, and profit.

Interestingly, in 2021 during the 87th Legislative Session, another HB 1802 was introduced. This new bill focused on studying the medical use of psychedelics, particularly for treating PTSD in veterans. With surprisingly enthusiastic support from Governor Abbott and other conservative lawmakers (maybe they were sampling the goods?), HB 1802 passed with flying colors and in less than 60 days and signed into law 22 days later. What’s even more remarkable about this victory for psychedelics is that the research will be funded by Texas taxpayers, and the bill’s language has been adopted by other prominent states like New York.

Finally, let’s address the elephant in the room, which is booze! Texas is a major player on the national scene when it comes to alcohol, placing in the top 5 producers nationally for beer, wine and spirits. Tito’s Vodka, which was created and made in Austin, Texas, is the top selling vodka brand in the world! (fun fact: Tito’s last name is Beveridge) We love our alcohol in Texas, and as such, the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission (TABC) and several influential lobby groups have a massive presence at every legislative session to keep it that way.

Do you see cannabis ever being legalized in Texas on par with Nevada and California?

Texans are strong, resilient, and don’t take too kindly to big government and over-regulation of anything. If and when Texans are appropriately educated about the benign and miraculous nature of the cannabis plant, they will begin to demand more of their lawmakers, or help them find a new job. In Texas, the people can’t change the laws without our legislators, so we must ensure that those we send to the capitol do what we say. Period.

It brings tears to my eyes to think about Texas with a robust and thriving cannabis industry! I know it will happen! And when it does, Texas will be the top cannabis producer in the world. Just hold our beer and watch.

With federal rescheduling on the horizon, how would that change what type of content that Grow House produces?

I don’t think that rescheduling will change the type of content we produce, but hopefully, it will change how digital platforms control our content so that we can reach a wider audience without shadow bans and rampant censorship. One thing is certain: we’re here to stay, and we’re becoming louder, bolder, and even more dedicated to championing our growers, manufacturers, retail businesses, and pro-cannabis media outlets. Furthermore, with rescheduling in sight, you might see top shelf Grow House Cannabis products at a store near you.