Michael Scherr is Making Strides in the World of Cannabis

Michael Scherr is an entertainer-turned-entrepreneur with 12 years of experience in the cannabis industry, where he has established expertise in branding, packaging, cannabis, gifting, and product development. 

Scherr spent the past three years further developing his understanding of the complex, inner workings of the cannabis industry before launching Aria Brands, of which Scheer is the acting CEO. Aria Brands is a holding company with two wholly owned subsidiaries, including Higher Celebrations International, a novelty gifting product line for adults, and Arbor Grove, a hemp-derived-CBD consumer product line for simplified and mindful living. 

In May 2019, Higher Celebrations launched BirthJays, the world’s first pre-rolled joint birthday candle, with the simple goal of making adult birthday parties more fun. After a chaotic year with the COVID-19 pandemic, we all need some joy in our lives. The BirthJay has been a hot seller within the cannabis market, and Scherr has even partnered up with iconic legends like Snoop Dogg and Tommy Chong, who are not only known for smoking the green, but advocating for its use. 

OFM caught up with Scherr to talk more about the BirthJay, why he is passionate about cannabis, and his work with local, Denver dispensaries. 

What can you tell us about BirthJays?
Cannabis is one of my passions, and I have been in this space on and off for many years. I came up with the idea for a celebratory joint. Like, what if I put a candle on a joint? Before going into the industry, I spent most of my life on stage entertaining, traveling the world on cruise lines, and making music globally. When I decided to leave the stage and cut my hair, I still have entertainer in my mind and body. So, all my products come out as extensions of me. I am a punny person, and Higher Celebrations is my company, so I thought about giftable cannabis. BirthJays was the first thing I came up with because, of course, everybody has a birthday.

I did a bunch of research, and it took me years to learn how to make injection-molded pieces and blister molds. The little piece for the top of the candlesticks took me months of engineering because it was too tight, and if it was too loose, it fell right off. I had to build a little moat in there to catch the wax because otherwise it will drip onto your joint. I made this product because my goal is to create joy and bring happiness to events. We have single BirthJays that are sold either empty at head shops or filled in some dispensaries here in Colorado. We also have the five-packs that are now branded with Tommy Chong because he is working with us.

Yes, how exciting has it been to work with Tommy and other celebrities?
It has been great! I did a panel with Clubhouse, and they asked what it was like to connect with celebrities. It’s funny because in the industry, celebrities are not just the ones who are famous, but we also have scientists and researchers. The whole industry is wild, but it has been amazing to hang out with some of these celebrities. I would never have been able to chat with Tommy Chong or Snoop Dogg by being a musician. Being in cannabis, you get to address these folks and be in the presence of legends.

How has the BirthJay been received by consumers?
Great. I am bringing on a new marketing person, and the first she did was go to our Amazon. She was like, you have amazing reviews! Like, really? Cool! I am not a data or digital person. I have a marketing team to help me because I like to make products, very tangible things. I think the videos we have of people’s faces when they find out what the BirthJay is, it is one of those aha moments and gives me that inner feeling of yes, we are succeeding here. 

It is hard when you are in a pandemic and most of the head shops and tobacco stores are closed, so that took a hit. I just launched four months prior to the pandemic, so it was a momentum that was rising, but then plummeted. We are gaining it back now. We are getting more promo and press, and Tommy has been helping with that for sure. The BirthJay is gimmicky, but I love the fact that it can create joy. It is not revolutionary, it will not change the world, but it is a lot of fun. People get a lot of joy out of it. 

What made you want to work in the cannabis industry, and why is it so important to you?
Great question. As a touring musician, I had long hair, big beard, piercings, lived with the band, and tried to make ends meet. People looked at us as stoners, and the police were always pulling us over and assuming we had weed on us. I tore my cartilage in a ski accident, so I got a prescription from a doctor for cannabis. This was around 2008. I was one of the first 10,000 patients. Prior to that, I was fascinated by the product. I had friends who are growers in California, and I was making tinctures, hashes and doing all this crazy stuff. This was 15-16 years ago. Then I was like, well, I might as well get my license.

So, when the police would bother us, I would whip out my bag. I had like five kinds of weed, different kinds of pipes, and I would show my license. The police were always like, who’s smoking weed? Like, it’s me, officer! I would walk up in ripped jeans and some silly T-shirt with something that made no sense on it, and I would explain to them what cannabis was and what this strain was. We did not really know terpenes back then, but that was my entrance into the legal market that started growing for dispensaries and patients. 

That was my foray into cannabis, and it was important to us from a musician’s standpoint. We always had it, and it led to creativity. Then when I went to business school, I got back into it around 2014-2015. I discovered the research coming out of Israel on cannabis, and most folks do not realize that Israel discovered THC molecules in 1964. They have over 20,000 patents on it, and there is so much research and clinical studies going on there. I have such a passion for the plant. BirthJays is my gimmicky fun side, and that is who I am as an entertainer, but my undergrad in environmental geology and geochemistry, the science part is so fascinating too. The association I started four years ago, the America Israel Cannabis Association, takes people to Israel when there is not a pandemic, and we lead trips to labs and teach folks about the research, terpene analysis, and the data coming out. 

I decided 4-5 years ago that this is what I am dedicating my life to. I still play music and do some projects in other industries, but I am very passionate about cannabis, CBD, and the research side. I want to be respected in the industry as someone who can speak to doctors and budtenders and be able to have educated conversations. Know exactly what they are talking about. I am not going to be an expert, I am not going to be a PhD in one area, but I like to understand this industry more because it is so fascinating and there is so much opportunity. 

You also launched a company called Aria Brands?
Yes, Aria launched a year a half ago because of the CBD line and all the gorgeous products coming out. I wanted to be able to put all my products under one holding company that people could invest in. Right now, we are separating out Higher Celebrations because people really are more excited about BirthJays, and there are so many CBD companies. I am doing CBD myself as a side thing while we are funneling all the education, time, energy, and money into BirthJays and Higher Celebrations.

Can you talk more about the work you do with local, Denver dispensaries?
I do a mix of things. It is much easier to sell a product empty, and several dispensaries do sell them empty so people can pick what they want to use, but there are about 20 to 30 dispensaries that do carry BirthJays. We also have a filling partner. So, I will go in and connect with them, see how they are selling, and talk with the budtenders. Budtenders are oftentimes making lower wages, and they are the gatekeepers. We know it is not the easiest or the most rewarding job, but they hold a key in letting people know which products are good. I definitely want to do more with dispensaries this year and kind of focus on our sales and marketing efforts. 

What have you gained by working in the cannabis industry?
Family, network, education, growth, and self-confidence. When we go to some of these industry shows, it is nice to see familiar faces, people I met four to six years ago. I am glad more folks are entering. Competition is healthy, but I also want people to destigmatize cannabis by having more people want to get in the industry. There is a yoga retreat I go to with 30-plus people I have known for a handful of years, and it is like a reunion where we get to spend a few days decompressing. 

Working in this industry is hard, and you do not make a lot of money. You have the government against you, people’s parents are against you, and there is an upside potential where a lot of profit can happen, but a lot of folks, including myself, have not seen that. It is nice to have a camaraderie of people who have been in the game and doing it for many years from different angles. I have met some awesome folks in this space. 

Do you think the country is on its way to fully legalize recreational and medicinal cannabis?
Honestly, I don’t know. If you asked me years ago the same questions, I would have thought medical would have gone before adult use. Now, I am not so sure. I think the tax revenue and the research coming out showing that cannabis is not a gateway drug is helping. You are not going to a dispensary being like, I’ll have a joint, some gummies, and some heroin please [laughs]. I wish I knew where this is headed. If you look at the Biden Administration, and I believe Kamala was anti-drug back in the day, people have changed. People do change perspectives on it. Cannabis is also being legalized from a hemp perspective. With help, you would be creating billions of dollars of revenue and thousands of jobs. I hope that this administration has some sort of insight, but they do have bigger fish to fry right now. 

What do you have to say to those who do believe cannabis is a gateway drug that will lead to harder choices like heroin and cocaine?
I understand the theory, and there is also the reefer madness mentality and the racism surrounding cannabis use. I do not use the term marijuana. Some people in the industry do, but others say the term is inherently linked to a racial connotation for what the government was calling it to make it sound like it was coming across the border and drug dealers were going to knock up your white daughters. That was the whole fear factor. 

Getting drunk and getting high are two different things. They go hand in hand a lot of times depending on the case. When you say gateway, it makes you think alcohol, cocaine and these other drugs do not make you challenge society and challenge norms. When you smoke cannabis, it makes you challenge reality a little bit. It goes back to the point of having a dispensary and having a legalized industry. It is really about the stigma, education, having third party testing, and having regulations around it. Do I want a 15- or 13-year-old smoking weed? No, and I do not want them drinking either. If they try it, sure, but do not make cannabis a demon like other hard drugs. 

Before we wrap up, is there anything else you would like to mention or plug?
We are looking at some fun giveaways for 420, and we are joining some partnerships for some more products in the works. We are even working with a catnip company called Meowijuana. Just stay tuned to our social media. The whole point of Higher Celebrations is creating a great gifting experience. Creating joy and taking events to a high level.

For more information and to stay up-to-date, visit birthjays.com, or follow @Birthjays on Facebook and Instagram.