YANA Wellness Becomes First Women-Owned and Operated THC Drink Line in All Virginia Total Wine Locations

YANA Wellness, a women-owned and operated cannabis brand with a licensed
dispensary in Washington, DC, officially makes history as the first
hemp-derived THC beverage line in all Total Wine retail locations across
Virginia. Their e-commerce platform also reaches consumers with their
plant-based alternative drinks nationwide. This marks a major milestone not
only for YANA as a small, women-owned business, but for all women
pioneering plant-based wellness products for nationwide distribution.

The Founder and CEO of YANA, Ariana Fleishman, has made a blueprint for
minority small business owners to create accessible, compliant and
community-driven products. Fleishman utilizes her social media platforms to
educate consumers and business owners alike.

“YANA stands for You Are Not Alone, and it is also the nickname my mom gave
me as a kid. I’ve always wanted to create a community around this mission.
Mental health issues are at an all-time with everything going on in the
world today. I truly believe you can’t change the world until you change
your own community,” Fleishman says. “Adderall and alcohol—these are so
normalized in today’s society. My doctor would prescribe me Adderall for
the workday to combat my ADHD. Then at night, bars and restaurants only
have alcohol on the menu, which completely impairs my memory and makes me
feel so sick the next day. Why is this lifestyle still so normalized? Why
do we have to be so quiet when we choose to consume plants over poison?”

“Cannabis and Mushrooms are already clinically proven to be an effective
medicine and provide so many life-changing benefits when purchased from
lab-tested and credible sources,” she continues. “But still, the norm is to
take highly addictive drugs prescribed by doctors and to drink alcohol to
socialize with friends. My goal is to change this stigma by providing
plant-based alternatives in mainstream settings.”
*Breaking Down Prohibition Barriers and Entering the Mainstream Market*

With cannabis still under federal prohibition, Fleishman purposely
developed a variety of plant-based alternative blends so that at least one
of their drinks on the product line would meet all jurisdictional
regulations in every state. This was her strategy for expanding the brand
and the plant-based alternatives culture into new markets while cannabis
legalization is still uncertain nationwide.

Consumers can now find YANA drinks on restaurant menus in the DMV area and
can explore the benefits of cannabinoids, functional mushrooms and
adaptogens without fear of the negative stigma. YANA’s Rizzi Mushroom Elixir
is a consumer favorite that contains no THC or CBD—just a federally legal
blend of nootropic and adaptogenic mushrooms. Rizzi Elixir is featured at
premiere social clubs in DC, like Ciel Rooftop at Marriott’s Downtown Hotel
and Spark Social, DC’s first non-alcoholic social club for the LGBTQ+
community. These mainstream venues showcase how plant-based alternative
drinks can be part of a holistic social wellness lifestyle—and it’s only
the beginning. Virginia can now legally sell hemp-derived THC drinks in
bars and restaurants with a hemp license as well. Learn more about their
full product line and check out where you can buy YANA drinks near you here.
*Women Leading the Future of Cannabis*

YANA’s success story symbolizes the perseverance of women who have
navigated the cannabis industry’s challenging transition from prohibition
to legitimacy. Fleishman and her team have emerged from the “gray market”
era in DC after five years in the industry to now operating a fully legal,
women-run cannabis dispensary. The Chief Strategy Officer of YANA Wellness
Brands, Hannah Clarke, a longtime cannabis lobbyist and consultant,
emphasizes the significance of their achievements: “Women are not just
participating in the industry anymore—we’re building it,” Clarke says.
“This is about changing perceptions, policy and the path forward for future
generations of women in cannabis.”

YANA prioritizes education, research and inclusion, integrating science,
advocacy and entrepreneurship opportunities for their team of young women
entering the workforce. Through wellness program collaborations with
clinical psychologist Dr.Vivid and university internship programs with
American University and the University of Maryland, YANA Wellness offers
students the rare opportunity to study the psychological effects of
cannabis and mushrooms to properly sell and promote these alternative
medicines to conscious consumers.

“I’ve been interested in psychology for a while, but I never imagined I’d
find an internship that focuses on the psychological effects of cannabis
and mushrooms, at least not so early in my career,” said Lucrezia Brody, a
YANA psychology intern and student at American University. “The research we
conduct isn’t just filed away—it directly informs our patients and wellness
consultants to help improve our community.”
*Expanding While Stimulating the Local Economy*

YANA is operated by a small team of 10 women, but their strategic
partnerships with local, family-owned businesses in Virginia are how YANA
is scaling effectively and stimulating the local economy. Fleishman knows
that the cannabis market is already dominated by MSOs (multi-state
operators) in healthcare, largely owned by publicly traded companies and
pharmaceutical businesses, so she has devoted herself to working with local
small businesses in all parts of the supply chain.

Pure Shenandoah is a family-owned hemp manufacturing business that provides
high-quality cannabis extractions, and Brothers Craft Brewery is a
family-owned brewery that YANA uses for canning their drinks. “It was very
important to me to stimulate the local economy that I grew up in and keep
my mission of building community through plant medicine alternatives,”
Fleishman states.

YANA also just signed with Specialty Beverage, a family-owned beverage
distribution company known for its large-scale deliveries to mainstream
businesses. This partnership increases the accessibility of hemp-derived
THC beverages to reach retail locations and restaurant menus that want to
provide plant-based alternatives to alcohol.
*The Evolution of YANA*

In 2019, Ariana Fleishman, also known as “Ari Tokes” on social media,
founded YANA Wellness as Cannabis Creatives Collectives for the DC
metropolitan area to connect with others through curated social
experiences. As the laws changed in DC, YANA evolved into a Holistic
Wellness Center and Licensed Cannabis Dispensary.

Fleishman simultaneously spent two years developing the YANA drink line
while opening the retail location so she could reach people nationwide with
a variety of plant-based alternative blends. Through their social media
platforms, YANA continues to advocate for responsible, inclusive and
research-backed cannabis culture nationwide. Stay tuned in on their social
media for updates on community events, cannabis news, and the culture here.

The post YANA Wellness Becomes First Women-Owned and Operated THC Drink
Line in All Virginia Total Wine Locations appeared first on Cannabis Now.