TRAVEL PORTLAND: Safe spaces for cannabis consumption in Portland By Ellen Freeman

Explore Portland’s cannabis culture at these three local event series

There’s no shortage of places to enjoy beer, wine or spirits in Portland — but what about when you want to puff, puff, pass? Cannabis consumption in Portland is banned in public spaces, but luckily, there’s another way. Local cannabis-positive events, like crafting collective Make & Mary, infused-dinner series Arcane Revelry and women’s space Tokeativity are creating new venues for getting high with a little help from your friends.

Editor’s note: The events listed here are legal to the best of our knowledge; however, there’s a legal gray area around cannabis consumption and visitors should proceed with caution.

Tokeativity

Normalizing cannabis and supporting safe exploration is a goal shared by Samantha Montanaro and Lisa Snyder, co-founders of Tokeativity. Their online and IRL (“in real life”) cannabis community is specifically for women, and aims to nurture connection, education and creativity. “If women are still in their bedrooms smoking by themselves, that doesn’t facilitate the forward growth of the cannabis movement,” says Snyder.

At Tokeativity meet-ups, first-time tokers and longtime activists alike discuss everything, from sexuality to spirituality. The pair also runs Canna Mamas, a monthly panel on motherhood, and a career empowerment workshop they call “Get That F*cking Job.”

“I’ve been witness to the power of women’s spaces for a long time,” says Snyder. “And cannabis helps people open up even more,” adds Montanaro. “The energy that comes with it is so exciting, especially for the older women who’ve been fighting for women’s rights and cannabis rights since the ‘60s.”

Montanaro is moved by the friendships and business relationships that have come out of Tokeativity — but not surprised, because “cannabis is such a connector.” So much so that women have traveled from as far as Kentucky and Arkansas to participate.

For that, Snyder credits “the creative energy that this city emanates. Alternative lifestyles are supported here — you can do anything weird, and you’ll have somebody who’s like, ‘That’s amazing.’”

With groups like Make & Mary, Arcane Revelry and Tokeativity creating stigma-shifting communities, the city is setting a new standard for legal cannabis consumption.

Read the full article, here.