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Maur Stringer was 13 years old when he started smoking cannabis. About a year later, he was arrested for selling to a minor and tried as an adult. His juvenile record includes two additional arrests, but he's never spent more than five days in jail despite a 2015 arrest for selling to an undercover cop.
After several years in the black market and multiple brushes with the law, Stringer saw an opportunity to create a mainstream product line as states began legalizing cannabis. He wanted to create something viable that added value to the cannabis space and was unique. So he came up with Shakti Green Lit, a THC energy shot similar to 5-hour Energy drinks.
Shakti Green Lit comes in a 1.93 fluid ounce package and is effective for four to seven hours, but with cleaner ingredients, according to Stringer. For example, the drink doesn't include any sugars or flavorings because Stringer wanted to keep it natural, including amino acids, caffeine and B vitamins, among other ingredients. Stringer says it has a mild onset and offset.
Looking around the legal market, Stringer had white-label opportunities. But rather than rebranding another manufacturer's product, he wanted to make something new; he wanted to be a first in the industry with a potential "blue ocean idea." A lifetime athlete, his instinct led him to energy drinks. Stringer has been a wrestler since he was 12, and cannabis has always been a part of the journey.
He enlisted an old wrestling teammate with experience in the supplement industry, as well as a few other friends, to help get his fledgling business off the ground. His hope is to remain at the forefront of the cannabis supplement category for years to come.
Produced in partnership with Revolutionary Clinics, Shakti Green Lit was under development for about a year. Fortunately, because THC energy shots are a new product category, Stringer hasn't had much trouble finding shelf space in dispensaries.
The energy shot has been on the market for about eight weeks. Stringer says the product sold more than 3,000 units in the first six weeks. Dispensaries seem to like it as an upsell item at the front counter.
For now, the product is only available in Massachusetts, but Stringer is in talks with manufacturers to make his energy shots available in other states.
Stringer and his wife, Cynthia Mompoint, created Shakti to build a legacy for their children — Stringer has five children, four with Mompoint. Cannabis has played an essential role in the family's life, including the births of two children. After a pair of cesarean deliveries, Cynthia had two natural home births without painkillers, using only topical cannabis.
The family has an opportunity to build a new legacy in legal cannabis, and Stringer plans to continue innovating and launching new products to try and make that dream a reality.
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