Weedist Women: Valeesha Noblitt of Rabbit Hole Productions

Weedists: Meet Valeesha Noblitt

“Weedists are the people who are out there fighting the good fight and these are their stories.”

I met Valeesha in 2009 at an Oregon NORML cardholder meeting. She offered to help, which was awesome. The meetings were getting pretty big – sometimes up to three hundred people – and there was a lot to do. I remember that she was willing to do any task that was assigned to her. She is pretty and sharp, so she was a huge asset right away. It’s easy to tell that she is not messing around. She jumped in to the cannabis movement with both feet.

I have reviewed their products here. You can also find them listed in the various articles written about local fund-raisers. Most recently, we have collaborated on several events for the cannabis community. Working with others, we have raised over $10,000 for our cannabis families in need. She is someone I can always count on to donate to my latest cause. The generosity and kindness of Rabbit Hole Productions is now well-known in medical cannabis circles. She is part of our ‘next generation’ of activists. I am proud to work along side her and call her my friend. I look forward to continued work together in the future. We can rest easy with women like Valeesha on our side.

She took some time to visit with me, and here is what she had to say.  Load a bowl and check it out:

I am always curious about how women become involved in the cannabis movement. What made you decide to start a medible business? What was your inspiration?

“I was six-months pregnant and unable to do my usual garden work, which was colliding with my in-laws opening the first safe access point in Oregon. No one was willing to offer medibles at a price patients could pay because of the risk. So, I baked some cookies and showed up to the first day. When they hesitated to allow me to vend, I said, ‘These people need affordable meds. I dare the police to arrest my pregnant ass for practically giving away cookies.’ And so it began.”

Rabbit Hole Productions has become a well-respected name in the medical cannabis community. Here in the Portland area, there is a lot of competition. What have you done differently to stand out? How is Rabbit Hole different from the rest?

“The reason we’re respected and different is the same. We are blessed to be donated most of the medicine we use in our goods, so we donate most of what we make. We are essentially non-profit. We deliver to one dispensary and attend the occasional farmers market. This nets us just enough to do what we love, which is to help patients. In fact I would say 90% of the people who know of Rabbit Hole tried our goods at a charity event. It doesn’t always make for good business, just good karma.”

More women are involved in the cannabis industry than ever before. What advantages and challenges have you noticed that are gender related? We keep hearing that more women need to step up. What is your perspective on that?

“The advantage and disadvantage is that I am often ignored. This is good in the way that I do what I want and practice civil disobedience whenever necessary. The disadvantage is that my voice goes mostly unheard. We women are fixers. For example, I always know what makes legislation go wrong, and I usually have ideas about how we can do it better. As women, we need to find our voice and be heard before the ballot, rather than after.”

I know that you donate a lot of your products to the community, especially for children in need. What are your plans to grow in this area?

“Our goal is to never charge a pediatric patient. We are receiving new requests every day from patients across the country for our BHO infused honey. Unfortunately, we are unable to fill all requests due to rising costs. This is unacceptable to us. We have started to look for fund-raising opportunities currently to make this happen.”

Please share your thoughts about cannabis, children and states trying to pass CBD-only bills.

“Oh please; don’t get me started. Cannabis is a useful medicine because of all its parts. THC is as necessary as CBD. Smoking, eating and juicing raw plants are all important and allow the plant to benefit us in different ways. Allowing for CBD only legislation is prolonging prohibition by allowing prohibitionists a new platform. It’s similar to hemp bills that allow you to grow cannabis as long as it doesn’t flower — impossible.”

We spoke recently about the rules being made for dispensaries here in Oregon. They can potentially shut down businesses like yours by not allowing “candy” to be sold at dispensaries. Many from the medical cannabis community have submitted comments to the committee. The rules are not final yet. In addition to what you said in our previous visit, how would you encourage people to comment themselves?

“Truthfully, we have to show the committee the economic impact their rules will have. They have no idea what we can produce fiscally. I believe if they knew the true dollar potential,  they would realize their mistakes. Besides, even if it does pass, there are ways around it, as there have always been. No candy — no problem! I’m working on medicated prune juice currently.”

Please share the “big dream” for Rabbit Hole Productions. As a mom, what legacy do you hope to leave? How does legalization fit into those dreams?

“My big dream is to be a wife and mother. Rabbit Hole is my volunteer work. I get to help my community and get my social time with my second family. My goals are simply to never turn away a person in need and to help end prohibition. That is the legacy I want left for Indica. I want her to understand how important it is to help others and stand up for what’s right.”