Spending an afternoon in Detroit with my good friend John Sinclair is always a treat. No GPS required with Mr. Sinclair when traveling in the “D”. He always directs us down one backstreet after another, reminiscing about the old days before medical marijuana, when all marijuana consumers were just common criminals. After running a few errands, John and I found our cannabis supply low and decided to take a stop at one of my favorite provisioning centers, the Green Room on Mack Avenue.
As you may remember from our November issue, The Green Room is owned by Dan Van Lacken, who sees the benefits of medical marijuana and how it can help his patients. Sadly, Dan lost his wife to cancer, but witnessed firsthand the easing of suffering his wife got out of hash oil capsules. As a result, The Green Room is equipped with a knowledgeable staff that truly cares about patients and their needs. They carry an impressive selection of medication to meet the unique requirements of the various patients they help each day.
Spencer Faycurry and Jessica, AKA Ms. BerryKush were working the counter in the Green Room that afternoon. After going over our credentials, I made the introductions. Although Ms. BerryKush and Spencer are fairly young, they are both aware of who the legendary John Sinclair is. Talk turned to the upcoming Hash Bash festival. It was gratifying for me to watch this special moment as the translove bridged generations. Spencer explained he had attended the last three Hash Bashes, whereas John was at the original back in 1972, and for Jessica, this year will be her first. Everyone was excited and a very good energy filled the Green Room while sipping on rich coffee and discussing the upcoming event, which will be attended by Mr. Sinclair as well as Tommy Chong and the MMM Report.
As John and I smelled the sweet aroma from the apothecary jars brimming full of Michigan’s finest nugs, the young budtenders described the different strains of cannabis with robust knowledge. Sinclair chose some very impressive White Fire OG, comparing it to some of his favorite brands in Amsterdam. Having been High Priest of High Times, and smoking the best of the best for generations, John takes his official status as a connoisseur seriously.
The purveyors of the Green Room believe in quality and it is nice to be able to show John a shop that rivals the Dutch masters. Feeling in the spirit, we decided to enjoy the smoke we scored, then ate some delicious sushi with his granddaughter Beyoncé. We finished the evening with an espresso nightcap and our star beatnik recanted many more great stories. I love April. John always comes back to my hometown, it’s spring, and Hash Bash is here. John deserves the tributes that The Green Room served him up. If it weren’t for his work the Green Room would not exist and thank the gods that it does.
