For years 4/20 has been celebrated as an international holiday. People often gather to commemorate, celebrate, and consume cannabis. This occurs in an array of assemblies varying from calls to decriminalize cannabis and advocating for legalization to simply enjoying the plant in an intimate setting with those we love most. But, how did 4/20 get its start? There are many stories and theories, the most common being the story of the five students from California. The term was popularized in the early 90s in High Times Magazine. It linked the phrase to these five high school students who coined the term, “4:20”. It is said that they planned to find an abandoned cannabis crop based on a map drawn up by the grower themself. These students would hang out at a “wall outside the school” eventually calling themselves, Waldos. They agreed to meet at 4:20 pm and elected the Louis Pasteur statue on the grounds of San Rafael High School as the official rallying point. It is said that after several failed attempts to find the crop, the group eventually shortened their phrase to "4:20". This developed into a codeword the teens used to refer to consuming cannabis. Steve Hager, a writer for High Times Magazine, attributed the early spread of the phrase to Grateful Dead followers. This came after "Waldo" Reddix became a roadie for the Grateful Dead's bassist, Phil Lesh. Eventually, 4:20 was decided to be the socially accepted time of day to consume cannabis, popularizing the term which created a worldwide phenomenon and ultimately smoker holiday. We can’t be certain how exactly the term was designated, but we enjoy the holiday regardless. To celebrate 4/20, we are hosting a one-day flash sale! Shop everything in our store with 42% off on April 20th only! Use code, “FS42” for amazing savings. Mark your calendars and get ready to stock up on all your Invincibowl favorites!
The core principle that motivates companies to contribute to the wellbeing of others or of society isn’t just for big corporations. Even small businesses, like ours, can play a role in giving back to causes we feel strongly about. We feel a moral duty to contribute to charities which in turn strengthens both our personal and professional values. Socially conscious business practices help us connect with our community in a way that would not be possible otherwise. To start we identify causes that are aligned with our own company’s mission. Charity efforts can vary from donating goods, to climate change, criminal justice reform, or simply sponsoring local cannabis events– taking a hands-on approach to improving our world. It is important to us to have a positive social, environmental, and economic impact. In addition to monthly charitable donations, we make it a point to work with local companies with a similar vision. One agency that has been close to our hearts is Beacon Group. They are the largest employer of people with disabilities in Southern Arizona. They provide a variety of employment opportunities, skills training, and offer high-quality services to many local businesses. We are proud to have our products packaged by a thriving organization that supports and promotes opportunities for people with disabilities. Small steps like these help us incorporate social responsibility into our purpose. We believe we can make a difference within our community. The benefits of small businesses donating their time or money are endless and there are many creative ways to partner with foundations despite company size.
Creating Change with Ashley and Nikki
Ashley and Nikki are twin sisters from Chicago, Illinois. Both with spinal cord injuries sustained in a car accident in 2019. We had an opportunity to learn more about their incredible story and how they use cannabis to manage their daily lives. Nikki is a T6 paraplegic and Ashley a C4 quadriplegic. You can visit their Instagram’s for more information about their journey!
Tell us about your Instagram accounts and, Nikki about your YouTube account.
A: Our joint page started to keep people up with our recovery and we continue it to educate people on spinal cord injuries and just our lives. My personal account I’ve always had and now that I’m disabled, I use it to advocate for the disability community, break the stigma around weed, and just show a little quad girl living her life.
N: I started my Instagram before my accident. However it wasn’t until after my injury where I thought it would be a cool idea to share our story on a platform that could be around forever or at least how long we wanted so we started our Instagram page @ashleynikkistory. Then on the other hand I still share a lot of my personal story on my personal Instagram because Ashley and I’s journey, although very parallel, are also very different. So both pages serve their purposes in sharing this journey. As for my YouTube channel I’ve been taking a little break due to technical issues and not having the equipment to get out as much content as I want. My phone couldn’t hold anymore. However my YouTube serves a similar purpose. I want to show a Chicago disabled girl living her life because I think we need more of our stories told to normalize disabled individuals in society. So subscribe to my YouTube channel and binge some videos and be ready for some videos to come hopefully next year.
I learned from you two that September is Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month- Are there other causes or organizations you'd like to mention?
A: There’s so many causes that I don’t even know about all of them. August was Disability Pride month which is pretty cool. The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation is a great resource for spinal cord injury education and advocacy. And then honestly if you use social media, find disabled creators and others that are sharing their disabled experience because we know the experience best and just hearing from us directly is the best way to learn about other causes and organizations as well.
N: I think it’s important to mention that we should be amplifying disabled voices every month, not just the months dedicated to them because disability is more normal than people think and the more we share that, the more we normalize it.
What was your first introduction to cannabis as a medicine?
A: I started using cannabis medically after getting injured. Before my injury, I had tried it a few times but never really felt the effects. I started medicating with edibles and was noticing an effect on my quality of life. One day I decided to try flower and have been medicating with it ever since.
N: I first experienced cannabis before my injury however it wasn’t until after where I began to use it medically. Long story short in the hospital and some of the rehab I was on strong pain meds. I honestly felt like I couldn’t function without them. My pain was and still is very uncomfortable and painful. One day I decided I didn’t want to be on all these pills anymore. I told my doctor I wanted to get off all the meds cold turkey, he wasn’t too for it but I was pretty stern on where I stood and didn’t take pain medicine since then. It wasn’t until I got home from the hospital when I wondered if marijuana would be beneficial for pain. I started smoking usually before bed to help me sleep and then I saw how much it helped with my pain so I started to incorporate it into my routine as medicine and it’s been beneficial since!
How does cannabis help you?
A: Cannabis helps me live a more comfortable life as a disabled woman. It helps with my appetite and anxiety the most. Ever since becoming injured, I never have an appetite and my anxiety is much worse, but with cannabis I find that it will get me hungry and also help me to manage my anxiety especially when being around people or going to events. It also helps with my pain especially my nerve pain which can feel so uncomfortable and my neck and shoulder pain (basically all the chronic pain I feel) - a nice sesh definitely helps with that. I also will occasionally use it to help me sleep if I feel anxious before bed. Cannabis helps me a lot obviously and I love it.
N: Cannabis helps me a lot. Like I mentioned it helps me with sleeping because I do struggle a lot to sleep now and it’s not fun at all so cannabis helps tremendously! I also find that cannabis helps me with my anxiety which is really bad after my accident. It also helps me get an appetite but usually edibles are more effective for me personally to give me an appetite. Then the biggest game changer with cannabis is it helps me function with pain. My pain is really bad every single day all over my body and cannabis doesn’t get rid of it but it makes the pain more manageable to just be able to get stuff done or else I’d be miserable and hurting!
What is your favorite way to consume cannabis?
A: My favorite way to medicate is with a nice bong rip for sure. I love using my invincible pieces with my bongs too!
N: My favorite way to consume cannabis recently is honestly dabbing! I’ve found dabbing for me personally requires less and is more effective. Then on the other hand I love a king palm or joint to medicate with as well.
What does disability pride mean to you?
A: Disability Pride to me means loving all of your disability experiences and honoring those experiences and feelings they bring. It’s living your best disabled life however that looks and it’s knowing you’re worthy of a beautiful life!
N: Disability pride to me is loving yourself fully inside and out, and with that comes your disability. Having disability pride is recognizing and accepting your disability and being proud of it!
Define ableism and internalized ableism.
A: Ableism is all the messed up things we’re taught about disability and internalized ableism is the ableism we deal with when looking within. Ableism is the lack of accessibility and inclusivity. Ableism is ignoring or belittling disabled people and disability rights. If you can, educate yourself on ableism and how it affects disabled people and society in general.
N: Ableism is the discrimination in favor of able-bodied individuals. Then internalized ableism is ableism within the disabled person. A short explanation is a lot of people become disabled later on in life and as a society we are so accustomed to these thoughts and discrimination against disabled people that when we become disabled ourselves we internalize that and struggle with relearning our ableist thoughts.
Does internalized ableism affect your disability pride?
A: It doesn’t affect my pride necessarily. I’ve reached a place where I love who I am now and I wouldn’t change this me and that means taking pride in my disability because it’s a huge part of me. I think where my internalized ableism is affected the most is in knowing I won’t receive or get the same opportunities because of my disability and that can bring me down when I’m thinking about it.
N: internalized ableism does not affect my disability pride. Don’t get me wrong I have my days where I am so over this life however I think I’ve done a good job at realizing I’m worth it with or without the chair.
Has your disability made you view everyday situations differently?
A: My disability has made me appreciate the little things more and has made me appreciate all that my body does for me. As for everyday situations, I’ve learned to not spend too much time worrying about things I cannot control and to also make sure I’m doing at least one thing for me daily that makes me happy because this could all be gone tomorrow and I learned that the hard way so just appreciate life forreal.
N: My disability has made me view everyday situations differently in that in short, cheesy terms I’m so thankful to just be here. I know that sounds cheesy. You know my sister and I have gone through a lot after this injury. We lack support and don’t have the best home environment so it’s been a struggle and I think with the mindset of just being happy to be here has really gotten me through my darkest days. So I guess my disability has made me view everyday situations less stressful and more just it is what it is!
How has your mindset contributed to the growth of an awesome community?
A: I would say that my mindset has contributed to the growth of an awesome community because I’m much more comfortable in who I am now and because of that I’ve been able to connect with some amazing people in the disability community and be a part of making disability more normalized and less ‘ableized’ in society.
N: My mindset has contributed to the growth of an awesome community by being open to it! When I first got injured for a couple months I was like I don’t want to meet no one in a wheelchair like me. I quickly realized how helpful it would be to have people in the community to confide in and learn from. This community has helped grow my mindset honestly. It just took me being open to being involved in the community to start growing. My sister and I have become a part of such a beautiful, welcoming community. I started my YouTube channel after being told our story was interesting and should be told. We became a part of a live YouTube show once a month that contributes to the community. We both have been able to become ambassadors for brands we really enjoy like Invincibowl. Changing my mindset really opened doors and hopefully my sister and I can get to do more within the community and out of it as well.
Hey Dudes! ????????Today we get to share an interview with two awesome individuals. The Houkals came together to create "The last bowl you'll ever need". Introducing the creators of the Invincibowl; a stainless-steel bowl PERFECT for those of with disabilities that affect our hands. So, without further ado ... Tell us about yourselves!
Jeff & Gloria: We are Jeff and Gloria Houkal. Invincibowl was created by Jeff, a mechanical engineer with years of experience in product development- inventor of 7 patents. After I, Gloria, broke three glass bowls in the span of 3-4 weeks, he decided he’d had enough so, Jeff set out to create a bowl that did not break and had a captured screen that does not clog easily or burn to a crisp.
*Image description: Three photos of an orange metallic herb bowl. The background is a flower garden.
Jeff & Gloria: The concept quickly went from prototype to launching an actual business. He became a CEO while still working full-time as a mechanical engineer, doing part-time engineering consulting work, and while still working in the entertainment industry as an actor, producer, and visionary jet setter. I became CMO and we've been running ever since. We have found an amazing support system within the cannabis community and I believe we can change the industry standard.
A&A: We were sold the moment you said "unbreakable" and "orange". Amanda breaks bowls all the time because she has neuropathy in both their hands. It makes it even better that it is family created and owned.
You said you've broken your fair share of glass bowls. How did you first discover cannabis?
J&G: I discovered cannabis almost a decade ago when I first began to struggle with my own health. I quickly fell in love with how many diverse medicinal and recreational uses cannabis has. When Jeff asked if he could also indulge- I was thrilled to open him up to the experience. Jeff says, "I use cannabis to better my mental health. I am more present, creative, and simply enjoy the high." I love that we marvel together at its versatility.
A&A: We are the same way. We are always reading and learning new things about cannabis. We marvel at its versatility too! Can you explain what the InvinciBOWL™ is?
*Image description: Orange metallic herb bowl. This is a view from above to show the insert, screen, and handle with thermal covering.
J&G: Invincibowl is a direct replacement to traditional glass bowls and will fit snugly into your existing 14mm setup. The Invincibowl is crafted from aerospace grade aluminum and surgical stainless steel. It also comes equipped with a silicone grip guard to further protect the bowl handler. A 1/4 turn counterclockwise of the screw will release the stainless steel insert and the biomedical grade screen it holds in place. I love the fact that I can finish a bowl and simply tap out the ash without having to stick my pinky in to readjust the screen or replace it. Every unit comes with spare screens to allow the user to really test the durability, easy operation, and cleaner smoking experience.
A&A: We have tried it a good TEN times now, and we can safely say ... it is easy to use, clean, AND IT DOESN'T BREAK! What do you hope to do in the next 5 years?
J&G: We hope to continue to stay innovative and responsive to the cannabis community and its needs- always bringing our very best!
We know you will be! Hit them up on Instagram with anymore questions @Invincibowlofficial or at invincibowl.com
Later dudes! ✌
What’s in Your Stash? Jeff Houkal, CEO, Invincibowl
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