I took two terms of American Sign Language (ASL) when I was in college. That in no way makes me fluent in ASL, especially since it was so many years ago. I think I can introduce family members, tell you what my favorite color is, and I know all of the signs that go with the hip hop song It’s Tricky by RUN DMC (I did it for a class project, plus the song is a jam). But despite my lack of personal ASL fluency, I do know about, and have a deep respect for, Deaf culture.
I am not shy about which Portland, Oregon dispensary is my favorite. Whenever people say they are coming to Portland and looking for a dispensary to frequent, I always offer up Panacea which is located on Sandy Blvd. I wrote an article about the dispensary, their staff, and their vision, which can be read at this link here. I have a few staffers at the dispensary, and all of them are absolutely wonderful people. They help patients and recreational consumer, they have an in depth knowledge of cannabis and they love what they do.
Panacea recently hired a budtender that is also an ASL interpreter. Her name is Megan, and she is available for ASL interpretation from 11-5 on Sundays and Mondays. Yet again, Panacea has impressed me. I have friends that are Deaf or hard of hearing, and I know that they struggle when they go into dispensaries. You think that you have a hard time picking out a strain? Imagine if there was a huge communication barrier involved with your purchase.
If you are Deaf or hard of hearing, or know someone that is, and they would prefer to communicate via ASL with a budtender, make sure to send them to Panacea. Panacea believes in compassion and social justice, which is why they donate 10% of all profits to worthy causes that support compassion and social justice. And on top of embracing diversity and supporting worthy causes, they also have some AMAZING flower, concentrates, edibles, and other consumables. If you frequent Panacea, make sure to leave them a favorable review on Leafly!
