Nurit Raphael is paving a new culture for the responsible use of cannabis
Nurit Raphael is the CEO + co-founder of ONA.Life, a cannabis concierge/delivery service based out of Marin County. ONA is expertly crafted, locally harvested cannabis from Northern California whose refined medicine, united with their premier delivery service is paving a new culture for the responsible use of cannabis. Nurit spoke with the SHACK15 Journal about her inspiration, how cannabis has entered the mainstream and debunked the stoner stereotype, and what women are doing to shape the industry.
SHACK15: Can you tell us about your background and how you got involved in cannabis?
Raphael: Before launching ONA.life, I studied merchandise marketing. I went straight into post-production visual effects on feature films, and had credits on Game of Thrones, Deadpool, and a long list of others that I truly didn't care for. Fast forward to 2014, Colorado had just legalized cannabis. I was turning 30 and I knew I couldn't waste one more day of my life doing something I didn't care about.
I took a leap of faith, left my career, attended a cannabis women's networking event, and never looked back. My first job in cannabis was assisting a cannabis IP lawyer. While working with the firm, I was creating ONA.life on the side with my older brother, Aviv Raphael.
SHACK15: What is ONA.LIFE and how do you choose the brands you want to work with?
Raphael: ONA.Life is a cannabis concierge, we deliver the highest quality cannabis products to suit one's needs and are paving a new culture for the responsible use of cannabis. ONA helps curious cannabis consumers understand each product available through education. ONA also hosts different events throughout the year from yoga retreats, private cannabis bars, and cannabis advocacy events.
I am the buyer at ONA, and I have a check list for the brands that become an ONA Proud Partner. The secret sauce for picking new brands is where/how is the product grown? Does the brand give back/ are they socially responsible? We want to represent brands that are health conscious, have a real heart and are helping our industry destigmatize cannabis.
SHACK15: How have you seen the industry evolve since legalization?
Raphael: The industry has changed so much. When we started in 2015, the law was called Prop 215 which meant you could "trade" cannabis between collectives. In today's world, you have to be state and locally licensed (ONA is licensed through the state of California and locally through San Rafael). Legalization came with over taxation and over regulation. The regulations that are currently in place have required all packaging to be child proof, all products must be tested for pesticides, and THC content to make sure that all of our medicine is safe to be consumed.
On the more fun side of cannabis evolution, we have seen so many new consumption methods emerge. Transdermal patches, topicals for body pain, little mints, skin care, and one I'm very passionate about are beverages. With these new products, the marketing has become so easy to understand – “calm, sleep, relief, bliss, uplift. You basically get to pick how you want to feel. We are truly seeing cannabis become a health and wellness category. I'm so pleased to say we are eliminating the stoner stereotype.
SHACK15: A large proportion of cannabis consumers are women, and you have built an amazing community of women in the space. Why and how did that happen?
Raphael: I always say I built ONA.life how Sara Blakey created Spanx. I created ONA.life for myself, as there wasn't a place to shop for cannabis that gave me the experience I truly wanted, so I created it. I desired products that I could leave out on my dinning room table and not be judged for, instead people would ask “Wow what is that? It's so beautiful!” While I was creating something for myself, ONA.life began to speak to the discreet cannabis consumers. ONA.life was creating a safe and vibrant environment for women like me who preferred cannabis over alcohol.