Missouri cannabis company calls out big pharma
The campaign challenges pharma execs to Taste Your Own Medicine
As pharmacy owners, Jess and LeAnne Dickerson watched America’s opioid epidemic unfold before their eyes. Now as dispensary owners, the Dickersons espouse the potential for cannabis as an opioid replacement.
Their company—Show-Me Organics—released a campaign chronicling the family’s transformation from staunchly opposing cannabis as pharmacy owners in rural Missouri, to ardent supporters and owners of one of Missouri’s most successful cannabis companies. Show-Me Organics operates leading Missouri cannabis brands Vivid, Buoyant Bob, Missouri’s Own and a growing chain of dispensaries branded Blue Sage Cannabis Deli.
“The reason we started our pharmacy was the same reason we got into cannabis: we want to improve the lives of people in our community,” said LeAnne Dickerson, President of Show-Me Organics. “Cannabis still isn’t widely discussed as a safe alternative to opioids despite the ever growing body of evidence.”
The video, released by Show-Me Organics on Linkedin, tagged CEOs from the largest pharmaceutical companies and culminates in a direct challenge to “get a taste of their own medicine.”
In conjunction with the video release, Show-Me Organics announced plans to provide veterans with free medicinal cannabis on Veteran’s Day at their Blue Sage dispensaries.
“We’ve learned that people tend to keep their opioids beyond their prescribed use, and will pull them out the next time they have an ailment or simply can’t sleep,” said Dickerson. “We want people to swap those pills for cannabis, and are providing our most medicinal product—Full Extract Cannabis Oil (FECO)—to veterans at essentially no cost.” State law prevents dispensaries from giving away products, so Blue Sage will charge veterans one cent for FECO (a $45 value).
The campaign was created by the New York ad agency, Bandits & Friends, that bills itself on a keen ability to steal attention in partnership with production company, Strike Anywhere.
“The opioid epidemic is something personal for me,” said Matt Sklar, Director at Strike Anywhere. “I’ve lost several friends and family members to overdoses over the years. That said, I couldn’t be more proud to work on a project that takes on big pharma in a loud and meaningful way. Looking at the cannabis industry through the eyes of Jess and LeAnne, and hearing their personal stories was truly inspiring.”
ABOUT SHOW-ME ORGANICS
Founded in 2019, Show-Me Organics is a Missouri owned and operated cannabis company on a mission to set the bar for world class cannabis by innovating on behalf of patients. The vertically integrated company operates a house of leading Missouri cannabis brands including Vivid, Missouri’s Own, Buoyant Bob and Blue Sage Cannabis Deli.
ABOUT BANDITS & FRIENDS
Bandits & Friends is a full service creative agency that specializes in stealing consumer attention for brands and treating clients with the respect of a friend. Headquartered in New York City, the agency is female and minority founded and owned. Bandits & Friends works with a number of established and new-to-market consumer brands including Liberty Mutual Insurance, Angi, The Weather Company, Dream Games and Show-Me Organics. www.banditsandfriends.com
Strike Anywhere started as an independent film company, making narrative and documentary features that ignite emotion in audiences worldwide. Ten years later, we’re a diverse creative studio with a production arm made up of filmmakers, thinkers, and producers. Our directors are accomplished visual storytellers who garner praise and audience intrigue for their work in comedy, narrative, and documentary. Strike Anywhere talent works on campaigns for influential brands, including Meta, US Army, Linkedin, Miller, Square, EOS, Tubi, and Starbucks. Film and television distributors include Disney+, ESPN, HBO, Netflix, Paramount+, and Sundance Channel.
