Capital City Chronic

It’s early, before sunrise, and Clyde Stephenson Jr. moves silently through the house to begin his day. In the dark morning hours, he makes his way out the door, careful to not disturb his sleeping wife and two daughters. Like many American farmers, Clyde works long hours. He knows a lot about his crop, soil needs and nutrition, and pests. But there is something that sets Clyde apart from other farmers. In fact, most people don’t call Clyde a farmer at all. They call him a grower.

Gypsy Greens Variety

Gypsy Greens offers many varieties of cannabis, including this variety called Skunk Berry which is kief coated, meaning it is rolled in excess crystals that contain psychoactive cannabinoids. Photo credit: Holly Reed

Clyde grows cannabis.

While average American farmers head off to massive fields of corn, wheat, or other food crops, Clyde heads to a warehouse district just off of highway 101. The inside of the warehouse is divided into different rooms, which allow the growing, processing, and packaging of Capital City Chronic’s cannabis products. Unlike food crops, cannabis is strictly regulated.

There are many things that make working in the cannabis industry different than working in other industries around Washington. However, for all the differences, there are quite a few similarities.

Capital City Chronic is a family business. That is similar to the traditional American small-scale farm, and pretty common among many other small businesses. Clyde, the owner of Capital City Chronic, employs family members and trusted friends. In order to spend time with his wife and children, he goes to work very early in the morning. “It was a promise I made to myself and my family,” he says, “that I would be there for my kids when they got home from school every day.”