that the pilot program would continue past any set number of years . “ Entering this market was a significant risk ,” said O ’ Hern . “ There was a lot of skepticism and hostility around cannabis as a medicine –– with both the legislative channels and the general public — so there was a lot of education to be done to get people to understand cannabis as a medicine . It was a really tough market for the first few years in Illinois .”
Over the following few years , Nature ’ s Grace and Wellness , as well as other Illinois operators , spent countless hours doing advocacy work through cannabis education in hospitals , medical sign-up initiatives , and working with legislators to pass more qualifying pain conditions , which eventually helped spike the number of medical cards . Around the same time , the medical program went out of the pilot program , adult use passed in conjunction with the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act in 2019 and sales began in January 2020 . At that time , Nature ’ s Grace operated two dispensary licenses in Illinois with the passing of “ Adult Use ,” and it also won three dispensaries in the Missouri medical program in 2020 . Eventually , it was also awarded a cultivation license in Missouri .
The year 2020 was quite a significant year for Nature ’ s Grace and Wellness in both the Illinois and Missouri commercial cannabis industries as all its past hard work for cannabis reform was finally coming to fruition . 2020 was also O ’ Herns tenth anniversary of being diagnosed with MS and using cannabis to help maintain his near 20 / 20 vision . So , what better name to give your cannabis brand than –– Twenty Twenty .
The Twenty Twenty brand flower is grown in one of the few climate-controlled greenhouses using light deprivation and harnessing the sun ’ s power to produce its highly consistent flower with boosted terpene profiles . You can find Twenty Twenty flower at all three of the Trinity dispensaries in Missouri and many other dispensaries soon .
▲ The plants are soaking up the sun through the glass ceiling in one of the new flower rooms at the Nature ’ s Grace and Wellness cultivation facility in Marceline , MO . It ’ s one of Missouri ’ s newest cultivation facilities , and one of the few of commercial cannabis grows in the state that harnesses advanced technology that synchronizes shades and supplemental lighting with natural sunlight . ( Photo by Clayton Stallings .)
On 4 / 20 , we want to thank Twenty Twenty , O ’ Hern , his amazing team , and all the other cannabis advocates and workers who have paved the way for our right to cannabis . It ’ s clear to see that the general public ’ s perspective on marijuana has changed drastically over the past few years with well-earned cannabis reform and wider access in Missouri and the Midwest .
For more information about Twenty Twenty brands and Trinity dispensaries , visit www . naturesgraceandwellness . com , https :// trinitymissouri . com , Facebook NaturesGraceIL , Instagram @ naturesgraceil .
Clayton Stallings is the Director of Sales & Marketing for
The EVOLUTION Magazine
April 2024 33