We had the good fortune of connecting with Mitch Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mitch, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
Originally, I am from California; however I moved around a lot over the years until I went into the military. While in the Army, I began working in Emergency Medical Services as an EMT before completing my schooling to become a paramedic. I moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where I ended up working for Mercy Ambulance before officially getting hired on with the Clark County Fire Department as a Firefighter/Paramedic. After 22 years on the streets of Las Vegas, I retired and moved back to California where I now reside with my wife, Christina.

My background and upbringing has definitely impacted who I am today. In 2008, I was diagnosed with Tuberculosis. I was put on multiple heavy doses of various antiviral medications for almost a year. Unfortunately, these medications have some serious side effects including nausea, body pain, loss of appetite, insomnia and severe liver damage (drug-induced liver injury.) This was when I turned to medical cannabis for help. I was able to combine the benefits of cannabis with my medical experience to significantly improve my quality of life. In 2021, I found out I have permanent liver damage (about 50% of my liver is functioning) due to those antiviral medications I took over a decade ago. Now I rely solely on cannabis and CBD as my medicine, forgoing the use of all pharmaceuticals including over-the-counter medicines like Tylenol because some medications are very harmful to the liver.

Over the past few years of using cannabis as my sole source of medicine, I have witnessed improvement in every area of my life. I believe cannabis, CBD and even hemp have so many medicinal benefits, but the stigma around this plant is keeping people from learning about its true therapeutic results. This is why I completed my Master of Cannabis Certification from the Cannabis Training University in 2023. I wanted to increase my knowledge of cannabis so I can help others learn about the benefits of this wonderful plant.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
So we are Millennial420! Millennial420 is a curated health and wellness digital website that is dedicated to providing up-to-date educational information about hemp, CBD and cannabis. My team and I originally came up with the idea for Millennial420 back in 2019 when cannabis was becoming a hot button issue. More people were using cannabis in medical and recreational states, but we noticed there was a lack of facts, information and assistance on how to use the various products available. I remember when I first used cannabis I did not have anyone telling me what worked best for pain or what worked best for sleep. I had to do the research, guess and try what strains and products worked best for me. I did not have anyone to turn to when I had questions, instead I had to figure it all out on my own (and let me tell you, that is a lot of work and frustration.) I quickly realized you can smoke it or eat it, but if you are not smoking or eating the right strain, consuming the right dosage or using the right product or delivery system, chances are you are not going to get your desired effect and you will give up, using the excuse that cannabis did not work for you. This is when I decided I wanted to educate people about this beneficial plant, so Millennial420 was born. Millennial420 is different from most brands, because we EDUCATE our clients, customers and followers. We are not selling them a product and wishing them luck with it. Instead, we walk them through the steps of how to start their cannabis journey.

In this day and age, people are stressed out, overworked, unhealthy and our endocannabinoid system can feel it. The stigma around cannabis and it’s ‘reefer madness’ has created a void of information surrounding this plant. People do not know who to turn to or whom to ask when they have questions. This is where we come in. We guide people in the right direction through our recommendations and education. At Millennial420, we believe hemp and cannabis can really help people. That is not just marketing BS – it is why we started this company. From sleep, pain and nausea to menstrual cramps and post-workout recovery, we have found cannabis can truly help enhance every aspect of your wellness routine.

At Millennial420, we offer four different services. Our first service is education around cannabis, hemp and CBD. This includes various blogs and news articles, vocabulary terms, videos and webinars, links to community activism as well social media accounts of people we follow and more. We do our best to provide only accurate, up-to-date information and all this can be found on our website – www.millennial420.com.

Our second service offered is personalized cannabis coaching sessions. This is where I work directly with clients to help them take that first step to learn everything there is to know about using cannabis as medicine. I take the time to understand what their needs are and then I create and develop a CANNABIS RECOMMENDATION, a personalized consumption plan, which helps guide them in the right direction by providing them with recommended products, various routes of consumption and information to help them understand how cannabis helps with their specific wellness complaints. We are open to working with anyone 21+, but our ideal client is someone who has never been into a legal, licensed dispensary and has no idea where to start. We want to help those people who are curious and open-minded about cannabis; those people who want to learn and are willing to try different cannabis products. This may be someone who is recently retired or is no longer threatened by drug testing at work. Or it may be someone who has medical issues and they are looking for a more holistic route, but their doctor is not willing to discuss cannabis as a medical option. Our mission is to help people achieve a positive experience using cannabis and CBD. We want to provide support for those responsible consumers looking for alternative healthcare. Right now, these sessions are FREE and we encourage you to visit our website for more information.

The third service we offer is EXCLUSIVE discounts and savings on premium, high quality CBD, hemp and cannabis-related products including CBD edibles and oils, hemp shoes and clothing as well as smoking devices and growing supplies. We work with partners to help deliver the best deal possible to our clients. PLUS if you are a veteran/active military, healthcare worker, first responder, teacher, student, are disabled, on low income or unemployed, you may qualify for special savings from various CBD, hemp and cannabis-related brands. Reach out to us to start saving today!

And lastly, we sell fun specialized merchandise and souvenirs including coffee mugs, tote bags, t-shirts, throw pillows, post-it notes, face masks and more! As a thank you for reading this article, use coupon code: MILLENNIAL420MAGAZINE to save 20% off your entire order!

I have witnessed these issues around cannabis first hand and have been on both sides – I have been both the medic and the patient; I have been both sick and healthy; I have been both the novice with no idea where to start and the teacher with lots of information. My team members and I want this plant to become normalized and for people to recognize the benefits it offers. Our team has decades of customer service and business experience including running non-profits, holding multiple degrees and certifications, continually taking classes and attending seminars as well as reading books. We are a wealth of knowledge and want anyone and everyone, regardless of race, gender and income, to have access to and use this up-to-date information. This is why many of our services are donation-based. We are not doing this for money; we are doing this to help people.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Southern California is such an amazing place to live with so many great places to visit including Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa. First up we would explore Corona del Mar, a small area of Newport Beach, right on the coastline. We would grab a drink at our favorite coffee shop – Reborn Coffee – before heading down to Pirate’s Cove and walking along the beach. There we would climb all the fun rocks and discover the hidden tide pools before having a picnic on the sand. Later on we would stop by one of our favorite dispensaries – Off the Charts – browsing their amazing selection of cannabis products before grabbing dinner at one of our favorite vegan restaurants in Huntington Beach – Loving Hut – who serves up delicious banh mi sandwiches and gourmet cuisine made with wholesome vegan ingredients!

The next day, we would drive up to Fashion Island in Newport Beach and spend the afternoon walking around the mall. This place is so much fun including a beautiful koi pond, lots of stores to shop at and of course, delicious foods. On our way home, we would swing by one of the largest dispensaries in Orange County – Planet 13 – and shop from their selection of cannabis products. That night, we would drive up to our favorite local jazz spot – Campus JAX. They have local jazz artists who play here nightly and they even serve some vegan dishes. It’s a great excuse to dress up, listen to some great music and have fun.

We have realized that the best way to sightsee through Huntington Beach and Newport Beach is on bikes, so the following day we would rent beach bikes and ride along the boardwalk next to the ocean. You can cover so much area on a bike, plus you really get a nice workout in. We would spend some time at the beach, playing in the water and enjoying the sunshine. Afterwards, we would drive up to Costa Mesa to a yummy little plant-based spot called Seabirds Kitchen and then stop by Mr. Nice Guy dispensary before heading home. That evening, we would all cook a delicious cannabis-infused plant-based dinner before calling it a night.

The next morning, after sleeping in late, we would grab some vegan donuts from Good Town Doughnuts in Costa Mesa, before heading to Newport Beach to rent some paddleboards and ocean kayaks. We would spend the afternoon on the water looking at all the sea creatures below and doing our best to not fall in the water. For lunch, we would drive up to one of the oldest vegan-vegetarian restaurants in Huntington Beach – Mitasie – where they serve top-rated Asian fusion dishes. On our way home, we would stop by Farmacy Cannabis Dispensary in Santa Ana to browse their high-quality products. Later that evening, we would roll up some homemade joints before having our last picnic on the beach while watching the sun set over the ocean.

On our last day together, we would start the morning off by heading to meet my wife for Yoga with Christina Lynne on the beach! (If you have never take a beach yoga class, you are missing out! There is nothing more calming than watching and listening to the ocean waves while breathing and moving your body.) After our beautiful morning yoga session, we would say goodbye to the beach and meet up for brunch at another vegan favorite – Vibe Organic Kitchen – in Newport Beach. This cute place has the best vibe and offers a variety of organic, gluten-free, plant-based foods that are fresh and nutritious for you and the planet! The perfect send off for a fantastic week spent in Southern California!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this shout out to my wife, Christina. We have been together for 13 years and she has been the one who has supported me through all of it. Whether it’s been crazy business ideas or moving halfway across the country, health issues or wild adventures, she always has my back. Every day she encourages me to follow my dreams, to take risks, to step outside of my comfort zone. Christina is dedicated, putting her heart and soul into everything she does. She has always loved me for who I am and believes in me. I appreciate her being my business partner, my wife and my friend. There is no one I would rather be with in this crazy thing called life! Thank you Christina for always inspiring me. I love you so much!

Website: https://www.millennial420.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/millennial420team/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/millennial420team

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Millennial420/

Image Credits
Christina Smith, Joy Organics, Papa & Barkley, 8000 Kicks & cbdMD

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSouthCarolina is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.