A show about people working in a dispensary, which captures the full essence of cannabis. The silly side as well as the deeper, introspective, and sometimes darker side.
I love Disjointed. It is serious yet funny. It is able to embody the whole spectrum of tackling true, deep, dark issues as well as the lighter, hilarious side of cannabis.
They touch on cannabis as it relates to PTSD with a character who is Iraq war veteran, to another character who is Chinese and dropped out of medical school to work at the dispensary. It also touches on interpersonal relationships, and it also features a stay-at-home mother who cannot take her home life anymore and undergoes transformation with cannabis.
There is a wide array of cannabis users, plus cannabis of course, on display at Ruth’s Alternative Care (the dispensary the show takes place at).
Disjointed has depth.
It showcases the whole spectrum of the journey cannabis can take you on, its users, and even addresses stigmas that others hold against it.
Ruth Whitefeather Feldman is our hero-healer-goddess star of the show, played by Kathy Bates. She is a former cannabis lawyer and activist, now the owner of Ruth’s Alternative Care. She says, “How may I healp you?” as a combination of heal and help.
It also shows off another side of the cannabis industry, with Ruth’s son Travis being her business partner who just returned from business school. The characters often rag on Travis, but he truly has an incredible business sense.
Through the lens of a cannabis dispensary as a small, growing business, Travis’s initiatives show off the modern day way to expand a local business’s outreach through social media marketing.
He starts them off with building an Internet presence, creating a YouTube video introducing the staff and the store. And each episode features “Strain of the Day”, which offers a lighthearted way to break up the show as well as a genius consistent video series that is easy to repeat while continuing to build their Internet presence.
They team up with Dank and Dabby, local stoners and YouTube sensations, to harness the power of their influence. This completely reflects the modern age of digital marketing, collaborating with influencers.
It noticeably builds buzz and brings people into the store.
While Travis works on expanding the reach, Ruth stays true to her authentic self, wishing to and succeeding at healping each person who walks through the door.
The show is truly inspiring for anyone who takes the cannabis world seriously, as it grows with legality. It gives a real glimpse while throwing in some light-hearted funny moments.
I found this show wildly relatable. And comforting. And deep.
It inspires me to want to dive deeper into the cannabis industry as it’s on the cusp of legality. It inspires me to be like Ruth, standing up for what I believe in, and not bullshitting anyone. And it inspires me to be unapologetically high as often as I need to in order to heal myself.
It inspires me to be my authentic true self, cannabis user and all.
And plus, what else are you gonna do while you’re at home this holiday season with your families? It’s binge-watching season after all, hooray!
Stephanie Zhu is a freelance writer covering the sectors of health & wellness, cannabis, and sustainability. She is also a healer, a massage therapist, and Reiki practitioner. Learn more about her at themysticdreamer.com, and on Instagram as @themysticdreamer.