Written by Emily Hobelmann
Many local cannabis producers that are vying for a place in both the medicinal cannabis market and the impending outright legal market are establishing business identities and products that people can rely on.
The Paradigm Cannabis Group is the perfect example of a Humboldt-based organization that is effectively branding and marketing locally produced cannabis products in the Bay Area, including concentrates and flowers. One of their products in particular — a strain they call “Sexxpot” — has received attention at both the local and national level. Case in point: Both Sexxpot and Paradigm Cannabis Collective founder and director Karen Wagner were featured in a June 4th New York Magazine article called “Meet the Woman Making Aphrodisiac Weed.”
The Sexxpot marketing campaign is geared toward women. Sexxpot is packaged with a sensual label that features lipsticked lips exhaling smoke. Here’s why: According to a Sexxpot FAQ document provided by Wagner, consuming the Sexxpot strain is an effective way to enhance the female libido: “Female libido is a serious medical issue especially as women age. While there are many products to enhance male libido, there are very few if any that assist women.”
Cannabis is a well-known sexual stimulant for both men and women. But the Paradigm Cannabis Group is aiming their Sexxpot marketing campaign at women because, according to their website:
“Women are poised to become the dominant cannabis purchasers. Women are not only more likely to be treated for a chronic illness, their rates of compliance far exceed those for men. Many women are frustrated by traditional therapies that promise but fail to produce consistent or lasting pain relief. They are receptive to alternate approaches; they’ll stick to a treatment regimen and stay loyal to a product that works.”
Wagner, who refers to herself as the Chief Culture Evangelist of Paradigm Cannabis Group, provided me with a sample of Sexxpot to review for this column. The Sexxpot sample I received was actually straight up Mr. Nice, although the Sexxpot website says the strain is the “favorite child of the legendary Mr. Nice.”
She clarified for me: “This season the product is indeed straight up Mr. Nice. We are doing some variations for next season, but with the same idea — lower THC works best for women as it does not antagonize our hormones.”
Sexxpot is grown right here in Humboldt County, outdoors in full sunlight, from seed, with organic amendments and no pesticides. Paradigm Cannabis Group has been marketing their Sexxpot product since Dec 2014, and Wagner says that many women have raved about the product. “One gal in particular gave me a full report of a wonderful evening… TMI!!!”
Well, I won’t “TMI” you in this column, but I will say that after sharing a joint of Sexxpot with my partner, we did in fact tangle in a new and different, very satisfying way. Afterwards, he enthusiastically credited the Sexxpot.
The nugs in my sample of Sexxpot were a melange of army green and violet with pale orange hairs (potpourri). The nugs were small, lightweight and borderline fluffy. Although the color was muted on the outside, when broken open, the nugs were nice and sparkly with crystals on the inside.
The cannabis has a sweet mint smell — borderline limey, with pungent musky overtones. It’s a rustic aroma, even sort of dusty smelling. The taste is similar — a dank mint flavor carries over in a dry hit off a joint. When smoked, the Sexxpot has an earthy sweet flavor, like the smell of fresh wood shavings, toasted bread and mint.
I found the high to be instantly soothing and relaxing, but uplifting — I jumped into doing laundry and cleaning after I smoked some on my own. The Sexxpot (Mr. Nice) is an indica-dominant strain, but it definitely did not induce couch-lock or the under water feeling I often get when smoking heady Emerald Triangle kush varieties. Overall, the effect was strong but not overwhelming.
As a woman in the cannabis industry, I have to say it’s nice to see a collective marketing to women, even if it is with a sexual angle. Women are an under-acknowledged yet undeniable force in the cannabis world. And I think cannabis businesses should be working to not just market to women, but they should also be striving to incorporate more women both in the workforce and in cannabis media coverage.
Thank you to Karen Wagner with the Paradigm Cannabis Group for providing me with a sample of Sexxpot. Bay Area medicinal cannabis consumers can find Sexxpot at the Cannabis Buyers Club of Berkeley (CBCB) and at Phytologie in Oakland. And you can learn more about Sexxpot and Paradigm online at paradigmcannabis.com.
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