The first time I visited Portland I was working for a newspaper on the other coast. There was a major political upheaval here, I’m sure you remember it, and I was given the story to cover for the news. I expected to find chaos on the streets of Portland, and was shocked to instead find a quiet, charming community. Portland may be a big city, but it still has that small-town feel that reminds me of my youth. Several years later I got a job opportunity out west, and was delighted to be able to make a new home in Portland, Oregon. I am still a writer, but now I write copy for the largest chain of cannabis dispensaries in Portland, and the rest of Oregon. My old colleagues are surprised I went from writing news stories to writing cannabis content. I enjoy being a writer, but it’s also my job, and I make a lot more at the cannabis dispensary corporation than I ever made writing for the newspaper. They set me up with a great rental house in downtown Portland, I have a company car and full medical benefits, so this is the best job I’ve ever had! Portland is a very progressive city in terms of worker’s rights, and my bosses take very good care of me. In return, I have embraced Portland as my new home, and try my best to write a copy that glorifies the city, its people, and its cannabis. If you’ve never smoked authentic Portland cannabis, you don’t know what you’re missing.