When Zachary Rowe noticed cannabis laws begin to loosen state-by-state, he knew it would be just a matter of time before Wisconsin finally jumped on board. Before Wisconsin legalized hemp in 2017, Rowe moved to Michigan, where medical marijuana had been legal since 2008 (our neighbors across the pond had also legalized recreational marijuana last year) and got acclimated to the hemp industry. With a business plan in place, Rowe, who’s just 21, returned to Wisconsin to open Hazy Dayz (3133 S. 92nd St.), a cannabidiol (CBD) shop offering tinctures, oils, flower, CBD cigarettes and more.

“I knew the industry in Wisconsin would get there eventually, so I wanted to get a head start and hit the ground running here,” he said. Medical or recreational marijuana isn’t legal in Wisconsin (yet), but he’s confident that public demand can overcome any legislative roadblocks toward legalization. “Some politicians still have that stigma against it and don’t see all the medical properties, but the general public has put it out there as to what they want, so legislation can’t really suppress that anymore. The momentum is too fast now to stop it.”

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Rowe’s mother, Jill, helps him operate Hazy Dayz. Zachary said they have their hemp processor’s license and industrial growers license from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection for the 2019 season. They plan to start extracting and making their own line of CBD products.

There are three display counters in Hazy Dayz, along with a semi-private lounge area partitioned off by a dividing screen where Zachary or Jill consult people on which CBD product is best suited for their needs. “I like to carry a little bit of everything because people prefer to take their CBD all different ways,” he said.

That “little bit of everything” includes CBD tinctures such as Green Crown Extracts, out of Dousman, Wis.; JustCBD gummies; CBD-infused honey; Purp Surp organically produced CBD syrup; Select brand transdermal pain relief patches, pet products and vape pens; Montel Williams’ line of hemp extract capsules; pain relief lotion; and Wild Hemp CBD cigarettes, which have the look and feel of a tobacco cigarette and are menthol flavored. Zachary wanted to keep the price point at $9.99 per pack, similar to commercial tobacco cigarettes, to provide an alternative for people who smoke cigarettes.

They also carry CBD flower and CBD Axis pre-rolls. When they first opened in February, Jill said they had CBD flower grown in northern Wisconsin, but that quickly sold out. Now, they work with Star Buds, a company in Menomonee Falls that gets pharmacist-formulated CBD from Florida and California.

Zachary and Jill observed how almost everyone who has ventured into hemp entrepreneurial opportunities—be it retail, agricultural or lab/processing sectors—want to help each other progress and advance cannabis in Wisconsin. But challenges based on misconceptions about CBD still abound; since opening, the Rowes already had to switch banks because they were flagged and given 30 days to close their account because that bank stated that “they don’t deal with marijuana businesses.”

Facebook temporarily took down the Hazy Dayz page for “promoting the use of illegal drugs.” Zachary applied for an appeal with Facebook, and he found that other CBD businesses throughout the country had also experienced the same issue. Their page has since been reinstated.

Despite a few bumps in the road since opening, Zachary is on his way to opening a second Hazy Dayz location at 1203 Milwaukee Ave., in South Milwaukee. He saw a need on the South Shore due to a lack of CBD shops in the area.

He and Jill stay inspired by hearing stories from customers about how CBD has helped them. “We’re family owned and operated, and we want to welcome our customers and make them feel like part of the family, too,” Jill added.

For more information, visit hazy-dayz.business.site.