The Ritzville Adams County Journal - Eastern Adams County's Only Independent Voice Since 1887

SPRAGUE - Dan and Trisha Nelson opened Sapphire Cannabis on May 2, taking over where 2020 Solutions had been the previous three years.

Dan Nelson, owner of Nelson Construction out of Odessa, said the couple was looking to get into the business of cannabis farming when this opportunity opened up. He said he started to get to know people in the business when he and his daughter started a You-Tube channel called Washington Weed Reviews.

"We wanted to point out quality products worth looking for and paying for," Nelson said. He continues the tradition in Sapphire Cannabis, carrying products mostly from farmers they know.

"The quality of all the products here is definitely spot on," Nelson said. "Even items on the cheaper end of the price range are all good quality."

Products in the store range from cannabis flowers, vaporizer cartridges and pre-rolls; to lip balms and bath bombs; edibles, tinctures and deep tissue gels.

They also carry a wide variety of accessories, including custom blown glass from a local artist, and replacement parts.

"If you break something, we probably have the piece to fix it; even if you didn't buy it here," Nelson said.

Guy Swift, who worked at Solutions 2020 and now works at Sapphire Cannabis, said business has boomed since the Nelsons took over.

"We had months where we only sold $2700, and we did that much on our first day here," Swift said. "I haven't changed, the building hasn't changed. What's changed is the quality of the products."

Swift, who works as a code enforcement officer and maintenance man for the City of Sprague, said tax revenue from the business is a blessing to the community.

"As a guy who works for the city, I get to see first hand how we have more revenue for the parks, and we get to fix the pot holes," Swift said. "For a small town that doesn't have a lot of revenue, this place has been a godsend."

Owner Trisha Nelson said as a business within city limits, all quarterly taxes go to the city, and none to the county.

"These little towns need this little boost to stay alive," Trisha Nelson said.

Getting a little boost from a product in the store was Dan Nelson's mother, over 80 years old. According to Nelson, he took a jar of "Flow," a CBD-based deep tissue and joint gel home to her to try.

"She was having shoulder problems and couldn't extend her arm," Nelson said. "She doesn't want to take pharmaceuticals, and she doesn't smoke pot. But she tried this, and she was hanging curtains the next day."

Nelson, a registered medical marijuana patient with the state of Washington, said he uses cannabis for arthritis and epilepsy.

"But I fully support recreational use," Nelson said. "No matter why you use it, when you use cannabis you benefit medically from the full spectrum of the plant."

Sapphire Cannabis is located at 209 E. 4th Street, Suite B, just off Interstate 90 exit 245.