OUR STORY
OUR STORY
In 2020, I lost my Dad to alcohol at age 58. After years of declining any sort of professional help, I had convinced him to come out to California and stay with me as my own version of a makeshift “rehab.”
In an attempt to break him free from his reliance on alcohol & pharmaceuticals, I started cooking up homemade “mocktails” with a tiny bit of THC as an alcohol replacement. After just a few days — he had little to no desire for alcohol & was the happiest I had seen him in years… as long as I kept one of these drinks in his hand. I will always remember how skeptical he was about this idea of cannabis as an effective alternative and how quickly his suspicion was squashed after having these drinks. I still hear his exact words in my head.
“If I could have one of these every day by three o-clock I wouldn’t even need a cocktail. These things are like Magic.”
My dad eventually went back to his day-to day life living in our hometown of Omaha, Nebraska - a place like many others in our country where dispensaries are illegal but a liter of hard alcohol and a refill on those addictive prescription drugs are both just one Walgreens away.
With no legal access to safer alternatives, my dad fell back to his old ways. And about a year after that California trip - I received the call that he had passed away in his home in Omaha.
In 2020, I lost my Dad to alcohol at age 58. After years of declining any sort of professional help, I had convinced him to come out to California and stay with me as my own version of a makeshift “rehab.”
In an attempt to break him free from his reliance on alcohol & pharmaceuticals, I started cooking up homemade “mocktails” with a tiny bit of THC as an alcohol replacement. After just a few days — he had little to no desire for alcohol & was the happiest I had seen him in years… as long as I kept one of these drinks in his hand. I will always remember how skeptical he was about this idea of cannabis as an effective alternative and how quickly his suspicion was squashed after having these drinks. I still hear his exact words in my head.
“If I could have one of these every day by three o-clock I wouldn’t even need a cocktail. These things are like Magic.”
My dad eventually went back to his day-to day life living in our hometown of Omaha, Nebraska - a place like many others in our country where dispensaries are illegal but a liter of hard alcohol and a refill on those addictive prescription drugs are both just one Walgreens away.
With no legal access to safer alternatives, my dad fell back to his old ways. And about a year after that California trip - I received the call that he had passed away in his home in Omaha.
As someone who was naive to how addiction works - this shook me. I was oblivious to how quickly a substance like this can take control of one’s life. What felt like overnight, my dad went from the fun guy at the party who loved to drink socially, to borderline mentally ill with zero control.
I was frustrated because we had found the "magic" but because of the politics in the state that he lived in, he couldn’t access such products. I couldn’t wrap my mind around how backwards it is that our society and lawmakers embrace and encourage fatal substances so strongly while demonizing a 5mg gummy as a sleep aid.
Between 2020 and 2022 I felt an overwhelming responsibility to focus 100% of my efforts towards a solution: an alternative that that can truly stand in the place of alcohol, AND is available in as many places as possible (legally).And then we discovered the opportunity to extract cannabinoids from low-THC hemp instead of cannabis, which, if certain standards are met, is federally legal under the United States Farm Bill.
As someone who was naive to how addiction works - this shook me. I was oblivious to how quickly a substance like this can take control of one’s life. What felt like overnight, my dad went from the fun guy at the party who loved to drink socially, to borderline mentally ill with zero control.
I was frustrated because we had found the "magic" but because of the politics in the state that he lived in, he couldn’t access such products. I couldn’t wrap my mind around how backwards it is that our society and lawmakers embrace and encourage fatal substances so strongly while demonizing a 5mg gummy as a sleep aid.
Between 2020 and 2022 I felt an overwhelming responsibility to focus 100% of my efforts towards a solution: an alternative that that can truly stand in the place of alcohol, AND is available in as many places as possible (legally).And then we discovered the opportunity to extract cannabinoids from low-THC hemp instead of cannabis, which, if certain standards are met, is federally legal under the United States Farm Bill.
In 2023, Magic Cactus is born. A ready-to-drink functional beverage with a trio of cannabinoids that provides an approachable, session-able drinking experience that takes the edge off. The functional ingredients and cannabinoid ratio are designed to provide an experience that mirrors what we love about having an alcoholic beverage - but without the brain fog during consumption and the morning after. And from Day 1, 10% of all profits go to organizations treating substance abuse.
Consequence-free drinking has arrived for those who are curious about dropping alcohol - whether that’s for the night or for life.
Cheers To Tomorrow
- Jonny Locarni, Founder
In 2023, Magic Cactus is born. A ready-to-drink functional beverage with a trio of cannabinoids that provides an approachable, session-able drinking experience that takes the edge off. The functional ingredients and cannabinoid ratio are designed to provide an experience that mirrors what we love about having an alcoholic beverage - but without the brain fog during consumption and the morning after. And from Day 1, 10% of all profits go to organizations treating substance abuse.
Consequence-free drinking has arrived for those who are curious about dropping alcohol - whether that’s for the night or for life.
Cheers To Tomorrow
- Jonny Locarni, Founder
