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Top Notch
Slightly Stoopid is on top of the world!
All Wrapped Up We cover all the basics in the latest in Colorado MMJ news.
22 Breaking the Mold
Hi-Tech Edibles Thanks to the end of cannabis prohibition, Americans demand edible ingenuity!
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A Fighting Chance The UFC relaxes its drugtest rules on our favorite plant.
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Heavy Hitters Lord Dying’s mission: making music to bang your head to.
Twice as Nice Americans For Safe Access take on the U.S. Supreme Court. Again.
Why going with lab-tested MMJ is the best way to go.
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ON THE COVER: Photo by Jeff Farsai
Photo by MichaelL Wientrob
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departments 8 Letter from the Editor
The Greeks were right about a lot of things.
News Nuggets
Cannabis makes headlines here, there, everywhere—and we give you the scoop— PLUS our latest By the Numbers.
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Siquijor in the Philippines offers visitors a taste of magical moments.
Profiles in Courage
Our latest feature provides insight into the life—and struggle—of a medical cannabis patient near you.
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healthy living
The conversation about cannabis is changing, Dr. Alan Shackelford explains—Part 2.
Strain, Edible & concentrate Reviews
Our ever-popular sampling of amazing strains, edibles and concentrates currently provided by your friendly neighborhood dispensary.
Cool Stuff
From California Finest Premium Grade Marijuana Cigarettes to T.U.K. cosmic high heels, if it’s a cutting-edge product or cool lifestyle gear, we’re all over it.
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Destination Unknown
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Recipes
Time to celebrate Kate Middleton’s new poppet! Who’s hungry for some traditional Brit vittles?
Entertainment Reviews
The latest films, books, music and more that define our culture.
let’s do this
Our wrap-up of some of Colorado’s coolest events.
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68 | NEWS OF THE WEIRD 6 CULTURE • AUGUST 2013
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letter from the editor
Vol 5 IssUE 2
rnandez e H . C o t r Rob e Ch i e f Editor-In-
CULTURE Publisher
Jeremy Zachary
Editor-in-Chief
Roberto C. Hernandez
GET YOUR CLICK HERE
www.iReadCulture.com
Managing Editor Byron Graham
Arts & Entertainment Editor Evan Senn
Editorial Contributors
Dennis Argenzia, Omar Aziz, Ngaio Bealum, Sarah Bennett, David Burton, Michael Carlos, Grace Cayosa, Jasen T. Davis, Alex Distefano, David Downs, James P. Gray, Victor Hussar, Lillian Isley, David Jenison, Robin Johnson, Carl Koslowski, Liquid Todd, Kevin Longrie, Meital Manzuri, Sandra Moriarty, Damian Nassiri, Keller O’Malley, Tommy Purvis, Paul Rogers, Jeff Schwartz, Lanny Swerdlow, Arrissia Owen, Simon Weedn
State of
Flux
Photographers
Steve Baker, Gregory Cannon, Kristopher Christensen, Michael Gifford, John Gilhooley, Khai Le, Ryan Mazrim, Kim Sidwell
Interns
Kim Johnson, Derek Obregon
E
veryone talks about change and how much it’s part of life. Bob Dylan sang about how “the times they are a-changin‘” back in 1964. In 1972, Black Sabbath proclaimed, “I’m going through changes” in the (appropriately titled) track “Changes.” And that same year, the chameleonic David Bowie drove the point home when he crooned, “Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.” The idea of change is hardly new. But before these icons of music proclaimed the nature of constant transformation, Greek philosophers led the earliest call-to-arms about the inevitability of change. If you’ve ever heard anyone say, “The only constant in the universe is change,” you can thank Greek philosopher Heraclitus for inspiring that gem. Famous for the saying, “No man ever stands in the same river twice,” Heraclitus of Ephesus (530-470BCE) challenged us with the notion that everything in nature is in a state of constant flux. Everything is shifting, changing and turning into something new. So, the only constant is change . . . and CULTURE is no different. Every publication must change from time to time if it wants to be successful. We’re all about change and new things—have been since Day 1. This magazine started out as a modest publication covering one MMJ state. Currently, we circulate in four different states, six major metro markets. Change. In the early days, we cut our editorial teeth interviewing the usual suspects for our cover
Art Director
Steven Myrdahl
Graphic Designers
Vidal Diaz, Tommy LaFleur
Director of Sales & Marketing Jim Saunders
Regional Manager Kim Cook
Account Executives
stories (Cheech & Chong, Kottonmouth Kings, Cypress Hill, et al.). Now these were great stories, but nowadays more mainstream legends and icons like Melissa Etheridge, Lily Tomlin, Roseanne Barr, Tegan & Sara and Henry Rollins show us love. Change. Four years ago, our publisher founded CULTURE on the basic idea of better informing (and entertaining) patients. Now, we’re the No. 1 (!) medical cannabis lifestyle publication in the world. Change. For those of you who have been following CULTURE for years, your favorite magazine is on the cusp of many great changes. Now, I’ve gotta keep the details under wraps . . . but those of you who read your favorite magazines on your tablet or keep up with the latest MMJ trends on your smartphone, CULTURE’s got some amazing stuff in store. The times they are definitely a-changin‘. Enjoy this issue! c
Jon Bookatz, Gene Gorelik, Justin Marsh, Beau Odom, John Parker, Paulina Porter-Tapia, Dave Ruiz, April Tygart
Office Manager Iris Norsworthy
Office Assistant Jamie Solis
Social Media Manager Evan Senn
IT Manager
Serg Muratov
Distribution Manager Cruz Bobadilla
Culture® Magazine is published every month and distributes 40,000 papers at over 1,000 locations throughout Colorado. No articles, illustrations, photographs, or other matter within may be reproduced without written permission. Culture® Magazine is a registered trademark of Southland Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. 300 Center Drive #220 Superior | Colorado | 80027 Phone 888.694.2046 | Fax 888.694.2046 www.iReadCulture.com
CULTURE® Magazine is printed using post-recycled paper.
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THE STATE Democrats asks Feds to leave Legal Cannabis alone
In late July, the California Democratic Party passed two resolutions on the topic of legal medical cannabis, according to the East Bay Express. The first resolution asks President Obama not to allow federal interference with fellow states that have legalized marijuana such as Washington and Colorado. The second resolution asks for a stop to federal raids on medical dispensaries and patients. Similarly, the federal government should respect the states’ voters’ decision and instead should appoint a commission to work towards reforming the nation’s laws on cannabis.
Medical Cannabis Regulator Retires
After 30 years of state service the director of the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division, Laura Harris is retiring. According to the Denver Post, Laura Harris previously regulated the liquor and tobacco industry in the state before being assigned to the then-called Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division, but Harris’ decision to leave came in the midst of the division’s new task of regulating the now legalized recreational cannabis industry. Harris helped tighten the 10 CULTURE • AUGUST 2013
regulations on medical-marijuana and was preparing the division for the upheaval that came with the state’s new law, but that task might prove to be too much. “I found that the personal toll of this job was too much,” Harris stated, in an email to her colleagues. “Moreover, I found that I was becoming ineffective with my colleagues at those times when it was necessary to address areas of disagreement.” The Department of Revenue will start the search for Harris’s replacement soon.
THE NATION New Jersey parents urge NJ Gov. Chris Christie to ease up safe access
In New Jersey, children with serious conditions and diseases can legally use cannabis, but current regulations make it very difficult for them to obtain it. A proposed bill that would address these regulatory issues passed the legislature last month and is currently awaiting Christie’s signature. He has until this month to act on it. In the past, The Inquirer reports, the governor has said he is “not inclined” to allow children to utilize cannabis. Two Scotch Plains parents, Meghan and Brian Wilson, have a toddler-age daughter named Vivian who was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome, a rare type of epilepsy often characterized by very violent, long-lasting seizures. The couple, who had been using prescribed pharmaceuticals such as barbiturates and benzodiazepines to stop the seizures, ended up turning to cannabis to treat their girl. Parents from other states, such as California and Colorado, have reported using medical cannabis
for young children in similar predicaments, often in the form of an edible or non-psychoactive tincture or extract. The Wilsons’ daughter has an MMJ card, but there is only one dispensary in the state, and it is not allowed to offer edibles, a form that could have been used to treat the girl. The Wilsons started a campaign, Letters for Vivian, and a website that generates a fax for each person that supports their cause.
Arizona Supreme Court: Cops must return patients’ confiscated meds If you’re an MMJ patient in Arizona and your meds were taken by police—you are entitled to get your meds back, according to a recent state Supreme Court ruling, the Arizona Daily Sun reports. The case stems from the arrest two years ago of a medical cannabis patient from California, Valerie Okun, who was arrested near Yuma by Border Patrol. Although charges were dropped and Okun was never prosecuted (Arizona MMJ law recognizes medical cannabis patients from other states), officers refused to return her medicine, citing its federal status as an illegal drug. An earlier Court of Appeals ruling concluded that Okun had the legal right under Arizona law to possess cannabis. Justices for the Arizona
Proponents of medical cannabis are flooding New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s fax machine, urging him to sign a bill that would make it easier for children to access MMJ, The Inquirer reports. Over a threeweek period, the governor’s office received about 1,500 faxes, the newspaper reported.
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Supreme Court rejected prosecutors’ claims that cannabis is strictly regulated by Washington. But Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot told reporters that he’s still not ready to hand over the cannabis and wants to make a Supreme Court case out of it.
THE WORLD
be increasing the number of doctors who are certified to prescribe cannabis. The plan is used to treat, among other conditions, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Tourette syndrome and PTSD. Some patients have also turned to cannabis to treat the PTSD-like symptoms of Holocaust survival and losing loved ones. “What saved me here was the cannabis,” Moshe Rute told Tablet, when describing how hiding from the Nazis in his native France—and the death of his wife—haunted him.
Israel $40-million medicinal cannabis industry is thriving
30th Colorado Invitational Bong-A-Thon
Medical cannabis is flourishing in the Holy Land. Despite the fact that in the U.S. cannabis has been approved for medical use in 18 states (plus Washington, D.C.), federal opposition and obstruction remain a factor. Not so in Israel, according to Tablet Magazine, a Jewish online publication. In this country, a $40-million-per-year industry is prosperous. Although it is illegal for recreational use, medical cannabis is provided to roughly 11,000 Israeli patients, according to the country’s Health Ministry. In May, Health Minister Yael German announced that the government would
by the numbers
1
Number of supporters for a marijuana farmers market in Boulder: 66 (Source: The Huffington Post).
In American dollars, the equivalent amount to 370 shekels: 103 (Source: CoinMill.com).
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The estimated annual value (in millions of dollars) of Israel’s medical cannabis industry: 40 (Source: Tablet Magazine).
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The amount of cannabis, in pounds, that Israel distributes per month: 880 (Source: Israeli Health Ministry).
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The number of Israelis who were prescribed MMJ in 2009: 1,800 (Source: Israeli Health Ministry).
The percentage of respondents (many were parents) who support medical cannabis legalization: 70 (Source: The Partnership at Drugfree.org).
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The number of dispensaries currently in operation in New Jersey: 1 (Source: The Inquirer).
3
Number of Colorado municipalities to decide whether they will allow legal recreational marijuana sales: 271 (Source: The Huffington Post).
The amount of money (in millions) expected to be raised from retail marijuana sales in Colorado Springs in one year: 3 (Source: KREX News Room).
5
The proposed tax rate percentage Denver auditor Dennis Gallagher thinks 12 CULTURE • AUGUST 2013
The amount of cannabis, in pounds, that The Netherlands distributes per month: 330 (Source: Israeli Health Ministry).
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The amount of money (in millions) put into building a computer to track marijuana batches from seed-to-sale: 1.4 (Source: The Denver Post).
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recreational marijuana should be taxed: 3.5 (Source: The Denver Post).
8
The number of Israelis who are prescribed MMJ today: 11,000 (Source: Israeli Health Ministry).
9
The amount (in shekels) that Israeli MMJ patients pay each month for a monthly allowance of medical cannabis: 370 (Source: Tablet Magazine).
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The number of pro-MMJ faxes received recently by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s office: 1,500 (Source: The Inquirer).
Finally, a competition made for serious cannabis lovers where everyone is a winner because everyone gets to smoke! If you want to be in the most prestigious event, sign up for the individual competition . . . but hurry because it costs a fee and space is extremely limited. This is strictly for the professionals. The open competition is more relaxed and available to everyone with a bong (CULTURE’s old fashioned and we still cling to terms like “water pipe”— but that’s us), 3.5 grams of cannabis and a loader. If your friends complain you burn through greens too fast then see if you really do smoke the fastest gram. Feel like sharing? Then grab a team of five friends and try to be the first to smoke an ounce through a custom hookah or join the relay where seven friends try and smoke a gram each before everyone else does. Non smokers can get in on the action by having the best campsite or by making the best bong (the only rules there is that it must hold water, bubble when you hit it and be smokeable). Let the games begin.
If You Go
What: Bong-A-Thon Invitational When/Where: Sat. Aug. 3. Near South Park, Colorado. Info: Go to bong-a-thon. com or call (720) 432-6188.
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FLASH
The Power of
Now
Colorado’s latest reforms, rules and restlessness By Byron Graham
A
fter several turbulent years that saw the number of operational dispensaries diminish by more than half, the medical cannabis industry seems to have achieved some degree of stability. Colorado is home to approximately 532 operational medical cannabis centers, most of which are survivors of the torrent of ever-changing legislations, local bans and economic hardship that drove many dispensaries out of business. For the foreseeable future, these numbers will likely remain the same, although the passage of Amendment 64 has called the future of the medical cannabis industry into question. While dispensary owners contemplate re-opening as recreational stores, the number of patients in the state’s medical cannabis registry has begun to shrink for the first time. Presumably, patients are opting not to renew their red cards in hopes of buying their cannabis legally at stores that will be open to anybody over 21. Patients might want to reconsider making a renewal appointment, however, because state legislators are fumbling their attempts to implement a workable solution for regulating Amendment 64. Colorado Springs, where the economy for medical cannabis— among the largest and most active in the state—is thriving, has voted to effectively ban recreational cannabis sales. The ban passed with
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a 5-4 vote in city council, which makes the state’s second largest city just the most recent of the over 24 cities and counties who have banned recreational cannabis sales outright, despite the fact that a majority of El Paso county voters approved Amendment 64. Mayor Steve Bach has insisted that he would oppose recreational cannabis sales with a veto vote even if the ban did not pass. Bach, who justifies subverting the will of the El Paso county electorate with his illogical contention that creating a regulatory system for hundreds of new, tax-paying small businesses would be a “job killer” for Colorado Springs. Bach is likely referring to staffing concerns from the massive military installations in the area, which includes Ft. Carson and several US Air Force bases, which currently comprise the city’s 4 top employers. The decision is just another instance of short-sighted politicians favoring entrenched business and political interests over the democratic process, but what makes this decision particularly frustrating is that it strangles new economic growth in addition to ignoring the will of voters. Worse still, it is all too likely that these bans will continue to tacitly subsidize black market drug traffickers. Moving on to Denver, like many young people who live in Colorado Springs long to do, more hopeful news emerged early last
month. On July 1, the Colorado Department of Revenue and the Cannabis Enforcement Division cobbled together a bill containing a tentative regulatory framework for retail cannabis sales, which outline everything from license application fees (which are considerably lower for Medical Cannabis Centers looking to shift toward a recreational business model) to setting a quarter ounce limit on sales to tourists. Some provisions make less sense than others, for example, prohibiting
internet sales is a logical control measure at this nascent stage, but insisting that retailers cannot provide anything besides cannabis to their customers is a ridiculous measure that prohibits coffee pots and water coolers, seemingly motivated by little else than alarmist fears of turning Denver into Amsterdam. Cannabis retail shops are on schedule to open up in January, barring an effort by Denver Mayor Michael Hancock to place a two year moratorium on Amendment 64 legislation. c
He’s Got Hart
On a lighter note, Justin Hartfield, a Boulder-based ganjapreneur, has proposed a business plan to open up a cannabis farmer’s market, where recreational cannabis business owners (who, it bears mentioning, are only theoretical at this point) could buy plants directly from the cultivators, to guarantee their potential customers have access to a wider variety of fresh, high quality plant matter. While Hartfield’s idea would likely go over like gangbusters in Boulder, a liberal mecca and home of the state’s foodiest foodies, the legislative reality means that a cannabis farmer’s market will remain little more than a pipe dream.
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f l a sh
Cutting-Edge Edibles Targeted tinctures, supercritical capsules, “Beast”-strength brownies and a food-grade LavaTrap are just a few examples of post-prohibition By David Downs
American ingenuity
Medical cannabis patients who can’t or don’t want to smoke the therapeutic plant have more high-tech edible options than ever before this fall. Thanks to the historic end of cannabis prohibition and good old American ingenuity, dispensaries in compassionate states are increasingly stocked with the safest, most reliable and purest cannabis edibles in the history of mankind. Humans have been eating cannabis for centuries for pain relief—and mood alteration—and the ancient tradition thrives in places like India, where an infused drink, bhang lassi is legal. Here in the States, cannabis tinctures—an edible, liquid distillation of the plant— dominated the medical cannabis market until the ’30s. Snuffed out by prohibition, tinctures have returned in the 21st century where modern technology is solving age-old problems.
UNPRECEDENTED CONSISTENCY Tinctures were once plagued by inconsistency in strength. A 1930s medical cannabis elixir might contain zero active cannabinoids, or contain way too many, doctors once lamented. Today, the most cuttingedge tinctures use standardized recipes in combination with high-performance liquid chromatography to ensure unprecedented consistency. In California, Alta Tincture can be found in better Bay Area dispensaries in three varieties: “Euphoria,” “Healing” and “Tranquility.” Alta’s Euphoria tincture contains 90 percent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive molecule in cannabis. The Healing tincture
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contains 80 percent cannabidiol (CBD), a highly anti-inflammatory, antipain molecule. Balance contains a 50-50 blend of THC and CBD. Alta founder Albert Coles Jr. says the 3-year-old North Bay Area company ensures consistency by lab-testing each batch of Safe Cannabiscertified flowers for potency and pesticides. Alta’s process of organic reflux extraction uses heating and distillation to transfer all of the plant’s 66 cannabinoids into an ethanol solution. Blind batch testing of the final product by two labs in the Bay Area—Steep Hill and Halent—also ensures consistency, he says. Coles says the company had to use trial and error to arrive at its current method, first experimenting with gas chromatography (GC) testing
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ANIMAL STRENGTH
on a glycerin-based tincture. GC wasn’t sensitive enough, he says, and glycerin (which is liquid sugar) proved unsuitable for a tincture due to its consistency, cannabinoid compatibility and metabolic reactions in the human body. Federal law prevents Alta from expanding, or investing even more in research and development, Coles says. “We got one hand tied behind our back,” he says. “We’re state of the art, but that art needs to get even better.”
SUPERCRITICAL PURITY In Michigan, medical cannabis capsule and edible-makers Special FX are taking state-of-the art to the next level with the company’s CO2 Caps— a 25mg or 10mg whole plant cannabis capsule derived from carbon dioxide solvent hash. The result is “the farthest thing from a recreational product you can think of,” says company founder Danny. “You can’t smoke it, you can’t dab it. You have to really want to be someone who’s replacing something you’re already swallowing—like pharmaceuticals—with something that is healthier for you.” Six year-old Special FX uses vertical integration to ensure excellent starter plant material, then it concentrates the plant’s cannabinoids with a $115,000, room-sized, supercritical CO2 extractor. Super-cold, superpressurized liquid carbon dioxide strips cannabinoids off the plant matter, along with any aromatic molecules called terpenes and the fats and waxes of the plant. These rare machines are the only devices that are FDA-approved for food-grade extractions, Danny says, and are typically used to decaffeinate coffee beans, or make herb oils like basil oil. A lawyer and contractor by trade, Special FX’s founders taught themselves CO2 extraction by extensive trial and error, Danny says. The group partnered with a major, 30-year-old Michigan lab and conducted its own clinical trials with Michigan patients to arrive at a product line: two types of gelatin capsules, a 50mg and 100 mg tincture, a lip balm and a “Quad Chunk” chocolate in 60mg or 120mg dose. Michigan doctors in pain clinics as well as psychologists who treat anxiety are specifically writing recommendations for Special FX products, Danny says. And Michigan patients are substituting Special FX gold caps for pharmaceutical like Percocet and Ambien, which pose potential side effects.
Some patients need very high levels of cannabinoids for serious issues—levels so high that smoking the plant isn’t really healthy. Patients trying to detoxify themselves from methamphetamine, or deal with the chronic pain of a double amputation are turning to Cap’n Cosmics in the state of Washington, whose award-winning “Beast Brownie” contains 670 mg of THC and 19 mg of CBD. Cap’n Cosmics founder and self-taught cannabis cook Kevin says Cap’n Cosmics’ strength comes from using non-solvent cannabis concentrates infused into organic, extra-virgin coconut oil. The company buys lab-tested trim—the non-bud parts of the plant—and hashes it out using dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) and a single screen system. The frozen CO2 is mixed with trim and shaken vigorously, causing the cannabinoid-containing trichomes of the plant to break off and fall through the tiny screen. The method keeps out foul-tasting chlorophyll—a plant pigment that turns your average pot brownies green. Cap’n Cosmics uses a rigorously followed method plus batch testing by Analytical 360 to ensure all cannabinoids are activated (as opposed to their inactive acid form). With 12 products, the company is moving into THC-infused gelatin and alcohol to create medicated hard candies or trail mix. “We’re seeing a real evolution in sophistication in Washington’s edibles market, really over the last seven months or so,” Kevin says.
CUSTOM CONTROL Frustrated by some unsophisticated edibles scenes, some analytical chemists in Redondo Beach, have come up with a way for consumers to dial in their own potency. The group’s LavaTrap—available for sale nationally online since April—attaches to a Volcano Vaporizer and infuses sugar with your choice of strain. The $145 LavaTrap starter kit comes with a Volcano adapter, one cup of specially modified sugar and two traps. Fill your Volcano chamber with flowers, attach the adapter and sugar-filled trap, then press “on.” The Volcano’s heated, forced-air system vaporizes the cannabinoids and pushes the vapor through the LavaTrap where the cannabinoids attach to the sugar. A typical run can infuse 200 mg of THC (about 10 doses) into one ounce of sugar, which patients then put in protein shakes, coffee, lemonade, cereal or anything else and consume. Co-founder and chemist Art says LavaTrap maximizes patient control over the type of cannabis and strength in their edibles. “You really are controlling your own medication,” he says. c
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FLASH
The Fight Continues . . . Americans for Safe Access files a new appeal to get cannabis reclassified
“Harmful Policy” In 2002, the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis—which included Americans for Safe Access—filed a petition to get cannabis reclassified for medical use. In July 2011—the wheels of government move slowly, eh?—the DEA denied the petition. The appeal to the D.C. Circuit court, ASA says, is significant because it marks the first time in nearly 20 years that a federal court has reviewed the issue of whether or not there is adequate scientific evidence to reclassify cannabis. “It’s long past time for the federal government to change our country’s harmful policy on medical marijuana, and if it must be compelled to do so by the courts then so be it,” ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford says.
By Jasen T. Davis
A
mericans for Safe Access (ASA), a national medical cannabis patient advocacy organization, has filed an Appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court in order to reverse a decision last January with a D.C. Circuit Court which reaffirmed the plant’s status—in the eyes of the federal government—is a Schedule I drug with no medicinal value. Last January the D.C. Circuit Court made it possible for plaintiffs to sue the federal government in order to reclassify cannabis. Although patients had hoped that ASA v. Drug Enforcement Administration would be successful, the Circuit Court ended denying the appeal, claiming that the evidence that cannabis did have medicinal value was insufficient. “To deny that sufficient evidence is lacking on the medical efficacy of marijuana is to ignore a mountain of well-documented studies that conclude otherwise,” says ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford, who argued the appeal before the D.C. Circuit in October of last year. “The Court has unreasonably raised the bar for what qualifies as an ‘adequate and well-controlled’ study, thereby continuing the government’s game of ‘Gotcha.’” Kris Hermes, media liaison for ASA, points out that if the D.C. Court has its way, big corporations
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will win and patients will lose. “We’re filing the appeal because our ultimate goal is to reclassify cannabis for medicinal use. We didn’t get that when it was denied in 2011 [by the DEA], but now the stakes are higher. The court has set an unreasonable standard for proving the efficacy of medical marijuana,” he says. The big problems is that the D.C. Circuit court is insisting on very expensive, extremely unnecessary phase II and III clinical trials to prove the medical efficacy of cannabis. Since those trials are usually reserved only for the largest pharmaceutical companies, anyone else is out of luck. “They said that only studies normally conducted for achieving a patent can prove the medical efficacy of cannabis, and that’s a dangerous precedent because those drugs that are not conducive to being patented or manufactured by drug companies and may never reach that precedent,” Hermes says. “That’s why we are trying to overturn the decision. We believe that more than 200 peer-reviewed studies proving efficacy are more than sufficient,” he says. Why is the federal govern-
ment so afraid of seeing cannabis reclassified? Hermes explains: “I’ll just say it’s extremely difficult to understand the motivations of the federal government. They are not forthright on why they have held this classification for four decades. It can be speculated that keeping marijuana as a federal I substance to carry out a War on Drugs . . . is really just a war on people,” he says. “We lock more people up for marijuana offences than anyone else in the world. So while it hurts the American taxpayer, there are economic benefits for the prison industry and the corporations that exist to sustain it,” says Hermes. As long as something that
is so obviously a medicine to the rest of us is still considered as bad as heroin the eyes of the federal government, cannabis will remain illegal. But if the plant finally becomes legal, some bad guys will be out of business. Without a bogeyman to scare the country with, monolithic, outdated law enforcement agencies will lose funding, especially with austerity measures threatening everything from the U.S. Postal Service to food stamps. c
www.safeaccessnow.org V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
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buzz
www.nprusa.com
This is a Test . . . Making sure patients get the most out of their By Jasen T. Davis
T
he importance of analyzing the food we eat, the medicine we need and the beverages we drink is paramount in today’s modern society. The whiskey Jack Daniel’s makes goes through rigorous safety standards just like Bayer’s Aspirin and Cheerios breakfast cereal. Even a Hershey’s chocolate bar must undergo strict quality-control protocols by qualified, trained professionals to make sure the customer gets what they
medicine
are paying for instead of a mouthful of mold. Howard Lutz, CFO and managing partner of Iron Labs, LLC, a medical cannabis testing facility in Michigan, tells CULTURE he believes that testing medical cannabis is a matter of common sense. “I have had several people close to me who had serious, debilitating illnesses that are affecting their immune systems,” he says. “If you end up smoking products
Lab Lingo
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that had mold on it, that could be life-threatening. I knew of an HIV patient that had to be airlifted to a hospital for respiratory stress because he had smoked cannabis that had been infected by mold.” Iron Labs employs cuttingedge, calibrated machines to measure cannabis for a variety of properties using traditional scientific tools and techniques. “We mostly use gas chromatography, liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to test cannabis for problems like mites, mold, etc.” Lutz understands that different cannabis products require different techniques if they are to be properly measured. This requires more than just looking at cannabis under a microscope while shining a light on it. “Cannabis products such as edibles, tinctures and candies are best tested using liquid chromatography,” Lutz says. “Our best machine is a mass spectrometer, which we use to test for things like pesticides. Each of our machines measure different standards. Some labs only use one machine,” he says. “We also perform moisture analysis, which is a real problem up here in Michigan because so many caregivers employ indoor hydroponics to obtain medicine for their patients,” he says. And it isn’t about the money. “If we didn’t care we’d be selling out,” he says. “The best way to help everyone is to press for sensible legislation.” Lutz isn’t afraid to get political. “I’ll stand in front
of any legislative body that will listen to me, if it helps patients and caregivers,” he says. Robin Schneider, legislative liaison for National Patients Rights Association, also believes that testing medical cannabis is very important. “I have had several people close to me who had serious, debilitating illnesses that [were] affecting their immune systems. If you end up smoking products that had mold on it, that could be life-threatening,” she says. At one point, she visited a dispensary that had visible mold growing within a jar of cannabis they were offering to patients. “When I told the woman working there about the mold, she just reached inside the jar, scooped out the mold with her bare hand, and put the jar back on the shelf,” she says. Michigan state legislators have spoken with Schneider and the NPRA about the subject on many different occasions. “They are very interested in regular safety standards,” she says. “But forcing dispensaries to test their cannabis through laws and regulations can open a whole can of worms.” Schneider believes that testing cannabis is crucial, but she isn’t militant about it. “We want testing to be available and legal, but we don’t advocate for absolute, mandatory testing. There are people who grow their own medicine, so they are familiar with it already. Our position is just that testing should be available and convenient,” she says. c
Gas chromatography is a common type of laboratory techniques for the separation of mixtures, used in analytical chemistry for separating and analyzing compounds that can be vaporized without decomposition. Liquid chromatography is an analytical chromatographic technique that is useful for separating ions or molecules that are dissolved in a solvent. Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique that produces spectra (singular spectrum) of the masses of the molecules comprising a sample of material. The spectra are used to determine the elemental composition of a sample, the masses of particles and of molecules, and to elucidate the chemical structures of molecules, such as peptides and other chemical compounds. Mass spectrometry works by ionizing chemical compounds to generate charged molecules or molecule fragments and measuring their mass-to-charge ratios.
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B U ZZ
Fighting
Chance The Ultimate Fighting Championship
Changes the Rules By Jasen T. Davis
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hen Nick Delpopolo, an American judoka, found himself kicked out of the London Olympic Games in 2012 for ingesting a cannabis brownie, he was in good company. Some of the finest athletes in America have suffered for their personal use of cannabis, including swimming champion Michael Phelps, a multiple-gold medalist who was publically excoriated for holding a water pipe in 2009, or boxer Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., who was suspended for nine months and fined $900,000 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission in September 2012 after testing positive before a fight in Las Vegas. Thanks to President John Fahey of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), using anything on their list of banned substances (which includes items like cannabis, bloodboosting EPO, and testosterone injections), before a competition can prevent you from playing for two years or more. This stance has been an evil curse for many competitors, even if they employ cannabis for medicinal purposes. In June 2013, Marc Ratner, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) vice president of Regulatory Affairs, announced that the UFC will no longer disqualify competitors that imbibe cannabis days, weeks or months before a fight, although fighters still can’t utilize
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it the night before. Under the new UFC guidelines, testing thresholds for cannabis metabolites will now be 150 ng/ml, as opposed to the old thresholds, which were only 50 ng/ml. “Society is changing,” Ratner says. “It’s a different world now than when I was on the commission. States are legalizing marijuana, and it’s becoming more and more of a problem with fighters testing positive (for marijuana) and the metabolites.” “Right now, I just cannot believe that a performanceenhancing drug and marijuana can be treated the same,” Ratner says. “It just doesn’t make sense to the world anymore, and it’s something that I think has to be brought up.” This isn’t going to help out athletes like Chavez, Jr. or UFC featherweight Robbie Peralta, who was suspended for six months and forced to attend drug rehabilitation classes after beating Akira Corasanni at the Fuel TV 9 event, only to test positive for cannabis metabolites in a post-game drug test. The new attitude expressed by Ratner and the UFC reflect a growing discontent for the continual prejudice people who partake in cannabis medication face each day, despite the fact alcohol kills thousands of people (some of
whom die, ironically enough, in drunk-driving accidents on their way to football or boxing games) every year. Just recently the Comissao Atetica Brasileira de MMA (CABMMA), a group that regulates UFC events in South America, agreed to the same standards, making it easier for athletes that utilize cannabis and compete in both countries. It isn’t like that in other sports. Cannabis is still cool to the National Football League (NFL). Despite the fact that teams like the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks play in states where it’s legal, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello once told USA Today, “The NFL’s policy is collectively bargained and will continue to apply in the same manner it has for decades. Marijuana remains prohibited under the NFL substance abuse program. The Colorado and Washington laws will have no impact on the operation of the policy.” But like Ratner said, society is changing. As players look past corrosive toxins and harmful poisons to heal their bodies and relax their minds, demand will go up for more reasonable regulations across the wide world of sports. Until then, at least fighters in the UFC are free to be healthy in a way many of their fellow athletes are not. c
Phelps
Helps
Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps lost his deal with Kellogg’s over the smokin‘ photo published in a British tabloid. But his endorsement deal with Subway was affected minimally. Subway execs say they’re sticking with Phelps, but a new TV ad campaign for the sandwich chain was purposefully delayed. Phelps also held other endorsement deals with Omega watches, Speedo, PureSport and Visa that were not affected. Phelps was snatched up by General Mills for cereal endorsements in 2012 though, showing the continuing evolution and broader acceptance of cannabis.
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tunes
lorddying.bandcamp.com
Metal Mastery The head-banging life of Lord Dying By Joy Shannon
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he new masters of heavy doom metal riffs are coming your way, emerging from the gloom of Portland, Oregon: Lord Dying. On tour with the fellow doom metal act Howl, Lord Dying is set to take its place amongst the heavy hitters in this scene. I recently spoke with Lord Dying bassist Don Capuano about Lord Dying’s upcoming tour and debut album Summon the Faithless, the follow up to its promising 2012 EP. A relatively new band, Lord Dying formed in 2010 and played its first show with heavy metal veterans Red Fang. While Lord Dying only had written two songs when they were asked to play this first show, Red Fang’s request drove them to write more. Lord Dying bassist Capuano described Red Fang as pivotal in helping its band reach the level of success they are currently at, “They pushed us to get going and they’ve been noth26 CULTURE • AUGUST 2013
ing but totally awesome to us from the beginning,” Capuano says. Since then, the band has been playing live and writing new material constantly. Already having toured with other progressive, sludge, thrash and stoner metal acts including Black Tusk, Red Fang, Lecherous Gaze and Danava, Lord Dying has made a promising
debut on the heavy metal scene. Bassist Capuano described that the band’s ultimate musical goal since forming has been to make music that “makes us bang our heads and hopefully everybody else’s.” While every member of the band “comes from different backgrounds and different musical tastes,” what brought the band together was the love of “heavy riffs and rocking out.” Capuano elaborates, “What got me playing music when I was a kid was Metallica’s ‘Master of Puppets.’ All I ever wanted to play was the first four chords of that song. Once I figured
those out, it led to other things . . . (like) Slayer and Iron Maiden.” Lord Dying’s new album Summon the Faithless seems to have evolved as quickly as the band itself. With metal producer Sanford Parker, known for his work with Nachtmystium, Minsk, Yob, Rwake, and Twilight, among many others in the metal genre, Lord Dying recorded the 10 songs for this album in 10 days at Jackpot Recording Studios in Portland. Capuano described producer Parker’s approach to recording the album as particularly unique: “What he likes to do was take two songs a day (and) do everything on the songs each day… I think it’s a great way to record. You don’t get bored. Everybody has to be active and involved.” Summon the Faithless is being released on CD, digitally and in special vinyl editions from Relapse Records available in hot pink, black and pink/green colored vinyl records. Lord Dying loved the album art that visual artist Orion Landau created for the cover because it was “a lot different from (the art of) a lot of bands that you’d see in this genre. (It has) a lot more bright colors … it stands out,” according to Capuano. As Lord Dying prepares for a long tour, bassist Capuano reflected on why they love to do what they do as a band, “We all enjoy doing (music) because of the emotional release of it . . . Not only playing the stuff you think is cool, but also . . . the reactions we get from people we’ve never met before who are locking in with you and loving it just as much as we are.” c
Stoner Metal
Lord Dying is associated with heavy metal acts often called “stoner metal” and when asked about the band’s opinion of medical marijuana, bassist Capuano expressed full support, “I think everybody should be allowed to live a pain-free, productive life and if adults feel that smoking marijuana is what will help them do that, they should be allowed to do it,” he said. “Stoner metal” is a musical subgenre which combines elements of traditional heavy metal, psychedelic rock, blues rock, acid rock and doom metal. “Stoner metal” is typically slow-tomid-tempo and features a bass-heavy sound, melodic vocals and “retro” production. The genre emerged during the early ‘90s and was pioneered foremost by the Californian bands Kyuss and Sleep.
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Buenos Aires Pizzeria Buenos Aires Pizzeria is just a couple of blocks from Coors Field, right in the shadow of the ballpark. In that land of ten dollar beers and nine dollar hot dogs, its relaxed environment is a welcome change. A two-pronged operation, consisting of the main restaurant and a neighboring take out window, Buenos Aires serves pizzas, incredible empanadas and delicious sandwiches. Really, the empanadas are the main event. A traditionally beloved South-American delicacy, they’re made from a flaky pastry painstakingly shaped around your choice of fillings, like spinach and cheese, chicken pesto, or bacon and fig—they are by far the best thing on the menu. As far as the pizza is concerned, there are a great many interesting options for your pie, such as pear, prosciutto, mint, or heart of palm and blue cheese. The pizza isn’t bad, but it really pales when compared with the rest of the menu. The empanadas are transcendent, and you’ll feel the urge to eat them to the point of excess. And for less than three bucks a piece, you really can’t go wrong. (Aaron Urist)
bapizza.com
Vietnam Grill
There is an essential law of living in Denver. If you want to experience the best example of a particular nation’s food, you take a trip out to Federal Blvd. It’s a rule—a fact of life in the mile high city. Vietnam Grill, another bafflingly secret gem inside an unassuming South Federal strip mall, proves this point. First of all, it’s the best pho in the city. Granted, there are a lot of other great options, especially in this part of town. It’s easy to head to federal and satisfy your urge for piping hot noodle soup at any number of places. Vietnam Grill isn’t a place you’d stumble upon. It’s a place you’re taken by a friend who loves you and wants the best for you. But without a doubt, this is the best pho around, and if you’re a pho-natic, (sorry) you’re going to leave happy. But here’s the amazing thing—after you get there, the pho quickly becomes an afterthought. The menu is enormous, and everything on it is something you’ll want. There are grilled meats, fire pots, incredible soups, pho, noodles and the buttergarlic quail is potentially the best dish in Denver. You’ll want it all. Wrap it all up with an invigorating and delicious cup of Vietnamese coffee. In closing, go here. Eat the food. Thank me later. (Aaron Urist)
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destination unknown
Story & photos by Dennis Argenzia and Edengrace Cayosa
Black &
White Head to Siquijor in the Phillipines for a magical mystery tour
The business card read:
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TOUR GUIDE MASSAGE COLOR WIZARD
e looked up, and the man who had pressed the card into Dennis’ palm smiled a toothy grin. “Welcome to Siquijor!” As one of 7000+ islands in the sweeping archipelago of the Philippines, tiny Siquijor is easily overshadowed by its larger, swankier siblings in the central Visayan region. But Siquijor’s wee size— just 163 square miles of land that can be circumnavigated in four hours—belies its heavy reputation as a seat of black magic inside a devoutly Catholic country. The Spaniards who first laid eyes on Siquijor named it the “Island of Fire.” Although non-Siquijodnon Filipinos love to tell tourists that this catchy moniker was based on the residents’ devil magic, the truth is more science than occult: the Spaniards had simply witnessed the strange nighttime glow cast by Siquijor’s massive firefly colonies. So why does this island get such a bad rap? More on that later. Siquijor can be accessed by puddle-
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jumper airplane or, more commonly, by fast ferry boat. Once you’ve landed, there’s a wide range of lodgings to choose from: on one end are the increasingly popular backpacker dorms, while the other end gets you full-service, luxury resorts. You can opt to rent a car or motorbike for transport, or just grab a passing “trike” (tuktuk-like vehicle powered by a motorcycle) or a “jeepney” (an open-back minibus that you can hop on/off of, like a giddy lemur). Time for a bit of sightseeing! Despite its reputation (yes, we’ll get back to that), Siquijor holds religious festivals throughout the year. You can also visit Catholic landmarks, including the San Isidro Labrador Convent, possibly the country’s oldest and largest convent. If you like your tourism more natural than religious, Siquijor has falls and caves. Cambugahay Falls is a threetiered waterfall with large pools that are popular swimming holes. For spelunking, Cantabon Cave is a must. You are required to pay an entry fee as well as hire guides and rent hardhats plus torches, but the stalactites, stalagmites and other gorgeous mineral formations are worth the cost of entry. Be warned: there are several passages with waist-deep water, so avoid wearing anything you don’t want soaked. For those who prefer white sand and
blue water, Siquijor and nearby environs do not disappoint. Here’s just a sampling of activities: jumping off old concrete waterslides into the turquoise waters of Saladoong beach; snorkeling in the protected marine sanctuary near Coco Grove Resort; scuba dive at adjacent Apo Island. You could also just point your beach towel at the nearest empty stretch of coast, and happily roast your skin in privacy… …or you could watch a cockfight in a creaky wooden arena. Cockfighting has a long, bloody history in the Philippines, but despite animal activist efforts, it is still a huge draw on Sundays. Each match is preceded by a loud, mostly unintelligible betting phase, where the crowd itself determines the odds. Then the birds, sporting 5-inch long blades on their left claw, are set upon each other. There can only be one winner; the loser is chopped into quarters and distributed to the winner’s human owner. Now, let’s get to the heart of Siquijor’s infamy. Is there magic? Absolutely! To this day, there are two kinds of practitioners: mambabarangs, or black magic shamans/witches/sorcerers who claim to provide love potions, poisonous spells and accidental deaths for a fee; and then there are mananambals, faith/folk healers/wizards who offer healing through herbal remedies, massage or white magic rituals (like blowing bubbles in “magic” water). Once a year—ironically, during Catholic Lent—mambabarangs and mananambals from all over the Visayan region gather in Siquijor to collect the herbs, roots, cemetery dirt and coconut oil that will become their year’s supply of pampahid, or magical oil. This annual gathering contributes to Siquijor’s dark mystique, although in light of the popularity of this event, Siquijor’s tourism board is pushing a new name: “Island of Healing.” In addition to the shamans’ magical herbs, you can definitely find cannabis or “smokes” on Siquijor. It’s easily grown in the island’s tropical climate, and is casually offered up. However, care should be taken to be subtle, as the Philippines’ Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 promises anything from rehab to jail for nabbed buyers. c V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
profiles in courage
Are you an MMJ patient from Colorado with a compelling story to tell? If so, we want to hear from you. Email your name, contact information and details about your experiences with medical cannabis to courage@ireadculture.com.
Why did you start using medical cannabis?
Patient: Bennett Davison AGE: 48 Condition/ Illness:
Paraplegic, arthritis, carpal tunnel
Using medical cannabis since:
Photo by Kristopher Christensen
1984
I started using cannabis to help ease the nerve pain that I have after suffering a gunshot wound in my spine due to a hunting accident.
Did you try other methods or treatments before cannabis? I have tried almost every kind of pain medication that my doctors have prescribed, and I still rely on medical cannabis.
What’s the most important issue or problem facing medical cannabis patients? I think the cost is still too high, and insurance companies should consider covering some of the expense.
What do you say to folks who are skeptical about cannabis as medicine? Everybody who suffers from pain should at least consider trying it once to see if it helps. From my experience, I really do believe people would get positive results c Our “Profiles in Courage” features are intended to highlight the problems—and solutions—that medical marijuana patients face every day.
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HEALTHY LIVING By Alan Shackelford, M.D. Research? Yes please . . .
Part 2 T
here have been no formal clinical studies of cannabis in ALS in the US. In the September, 1975 edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, S.E. Munson and colleagues showed that substances found in cannabis could reduce the size of tumors in animals and kill cancer cells in cell culture. Again, no subsequent clinical trials were carried out. In 2007, a team of researchers at California Pacific University found that cannabidiol, a compound found in marijuana, could inhibit a gene that promotes the spread of breast cancer cells. Although their 2007 study was conducted in cell cultures, the results were replicated in animals and reported in 2012. As exciting as those findings are, it appears that no clinical studies are being conducted on those results. And there are many other examples of similarly compelling observations that should have led to a great many formal scientific studies, and would have for any other substance. Bear in mind that between its introduction to the western world as a medical treatment by Dr. William Brook O’Shaughnessy in 1838 and its banning in the United States in 1937, as many as 1/3 of all prescriptions written in the US included cannabis extracts as one of the major components. And although the American Medical Association opposed the ban, larger financial and business interests, such as the burgeoning chemical and pharmaceutical industries were able to enlist the machinery of government to eliminate a competitor. With the exception of World War II, when around 1 million acres were under cultivation growing hemp for fiber, no cannabis has been grown legally in the United States since 1937--for any purpose. And the situation hasn’t changed much since then. Despite the mounting evidence,
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both anecdotal and experimental, that cannabis has significant medical benefits, research on it can’t be easily conducted in the United States. Conducting clinical trials on marijuana requires the approval of three Federal agencies: the FDA, the DEA and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIDA. It’s difficult enough to get approval from one agency, let alone three, but in the New York Times article of January 19, 2010 entitled “Researchers Find Medical Study of Marijuana Discouraged”, NIDA spokeswoman Shirley Simson spelled out quite clearly why it is so difficult to get permission from NIDA, saying: “As the National Institute on Drug Abuse, our focus is primarily on the negative consequences of marijuana use. We generally do not fund research focused on the potential beneficial medical effects of marijuana.” Unfortunately for patients everywhere, neither do any of the other traditional government sources of funding for medical research
such as the National Institutes of Health. There is one country that does not have the kind of institutional bias against conducting research on cannabis we have here, and that is Israel. Research on cannabis has been conducted in Israel since at least 1963, when Prof. Raphael Mechoulam first synthesized cannabidiol, and then in 1964 discovered the structure of THC using confiscated Lebanese hashish provided to his laboratory by the police. Israel has had a national medical cannabis program since the late 1990s, and is increasingly focused on studying cannabis as a medical treatment. In fact, the Israeli Ministry of Health has expressed an interest in making clinical trials even easier by further reducing administrative hurdles. Israel has many prominent professors and highly skilled researchers and technicians who are interested in studying cannabis and developing sophisticated cannabis-based treatments. And the Ministry of Health has issued a formal invitation to Dr. Alan Shackelford to oversee studies there when he is not seeing patients in Colorado. The need for such studies is becoming ever more obvious and urgent, as mounting evidence of the benefits of cannabis as a treatment option accumulates. In our practice at Amarimed of Colorado we have seen patients with ALS benefit from using marijuana. We see patients reduce and even eliminate their narcotic pain medicines with cannabis. We see wounded veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan deal successfully with the pain of their injuries and the PTSD they experience from combat. We see people go back to work and provide for their families. We think these cases make it obvious that cannabis should immediately be removed from DEA Schedule 1 because they so completely refute the claim that marijuana has no medical benefit. And every day, we see the compelling need for research to more completely understand how cannabis achieves those often miraculous results. c
Alan Shackelford, M.D., graduated from the University of Heidelberg School of Medicine and trained at major teaching hospitals of Harvard Medical School in internal medicine, nutritional medicine and hyperalimentation and behavioral medicine. He is principle physician of Intermedical Consulting, LLC, and Amarimed of Colorado, LLC. He can be contacted at amarimed.com.
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strain, edible & concentrate reviews GET YOUR CLICK HERE
www.iReadCulture.com
Joyful Walnut Bite Joyful Walnut Bite won the 3rd Place award in the Cannabis Cup’s edibles category, and it’s not difficult to see why when you bite into a Bite. Though the name would imply a certain degree of walnuttiness, the walnuts themselves are more of a garnish to a decadent little bon bon, filled with shredded coconut and marshmallow cream enrobed in semisweet chocolate. Despite containing 224mg of active cannabinoids, the slight medicinal flavor barely registers among this orgy of sweets. If it weren’t for the formidable potency contained within the incongruously cute Walnut Bite, I would endorse eating the whole thing in a single sitting, but as always with medibles, it’s wise to start with half. Painstakingly hand made by Mountain Medicine, the Joyful Walnut Bite is available at Good Chemistry, a stalwart medical cannabis center in Denver.
Grape God This godly strain carries the distinct flavor notes of its parent strains, Grapefruit and God Bud. This strain is simply delicious and best enjoyed in a vaporizer that will both unlock its taste and allow the happy patient to savor it. Its sweet pungency is unlocked when broken apart, either in a grinder or your sticky fingers. While the wispy, pop-corn sized nuggets may be less photogenic than bigger bud clusters offered by other strains, the quality of Grape God’s medicine more than atones for its shortcomings as a centerfold. Indeed, this 70 percent indica, 30 percent sativa hybrid offers the pain relief of heavy indica strains without the attendant sleepiness, which makes it ideal for treating muscle spasms, chronic pain, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and symptoms of cancer. Grape God is available on the shelves of Wellness Center of Denver.
Herer Hog Wax Mahatma Extreme Concentrates, a boutique extraction company whose Gucci OG Wax took home a Best Concentrate trophy at the 2013 High Times Cannabis Cup. The quality of Mahatma’s line of concentrates is apparent from their eye-catching packaging, which is essentially the company’s classy business card with a container of mind-blowing hash affixed to its surface. Processed from sativa dominant parent strains Hogg and Jack Herer, the wax offers relaxing yet pleasantly psychoactive benefits. Mahatma concentrates are an n-butane mix, crafted in small batches from Mahatma-grown plant material (although they do offer trim processing for other MMCs) and heat vacuum purged. A concentrate this classy calls for the proper methods and paraphernalia. It seems wasteful to crumble Herer Hog Wax over a bowl of flowers. Wax this good deserves the individual focus only the finest rigs and vaporizer pens can provide. 34 CULTURE • AUGUST 2013
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Keef Cola Extreme
Alien Napalm OG #6
Patients who express skepticism about the efficacy of cannabis edibles would do well to try taking their medication via drink. The popularity of Keef Cola, an enduring player in the constantly-changing medibles game, is not only a testament to the faster onset and greater intensity of drinkable cannabis compared to its food-born brethren, but also the clear excellence of the product. Derived from Co2 Hash Oil, a method preferred by many purists, Keef Cola contains 100mg of active cannabinoids. While other medicated drinks have a dingy and metallic flavor, the Blue Razz Keef Cola Extreme has the nostalgic sweetness of the blue raspberry flavored sweets enjoyed by many children of the 90s. While the Razz is the best-selling Cola, 4 other flavors including orange, lemon-lime, root beer, and my personal favorite, cherry cola are also available. Keef Cola can be found at several dispensaries including the Globeville Meds, which is located in Denver.
Kindly furnished by Fox Street Wellness in Denver, the Alien Napalm OG won’t abduct you or burn your rice fields, but it will lay back in the cut like a real OG. Cultivated from Napalm OG crossed with Tahoe Alien, the indica-dominant Alien Napalm OG takes on the soothing medical benefits of its parent strains, which makes it ideal for treating insomnia and arthritic pain while providing relief from some of the harshest symptoms of cancer and alleviating the damage caused by some of the side-effects of treatment. With its slightly tart flavor and tingly mouth feel, the Alien Napalm OG seems like it was tailor-made to grind up and enjoy in a dense, slow-burning blunt. Fox Street Wellness prides itself on the meticulous cultivation of their cannabis, which means each plant in their grow room is watered and trimmed by hand and grown organically according to vegan dietary specifications. The tender love and care is clear in this strain, like a true Denver spirit.
Grape Kush Caviar Caviar, like its namesake cuisine, is a decadent delicacy, an indulgence to be reserved only for special occasions. Fortunately enough, the Grape Kush Caviar from Denver’s Flavored Essentials, tastes nothing like fish eggs, though its hash speckled nuggets do bear a slight resemblance to a fine beluga. The cannabis version of caviar is made by dipping buds into honey hash oil and then rolling the sticky bud around in a bed of kief, and the effects are exactly as potent as one would imagine from such a combo. Each component of this caviar was derived and processed from the Grape Kush strain. I don’t know how the food version of caviar is made, and I’m certain I don’t want to know. The Grape Kush Caviar makes for a fine indulgence, particularly when carefully smoked in a glass pipe. Try to avoid direct contact between the caviar and the flame of your lighter as too much heat will burn away the gooey goodness before you can fully enjoy its effects.
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Cinderella 99 Hot off the shelves of Herban Medicinals in Denver, the Cinderella 99 provides patients with an enchanting evening without the risk of turning into a pumpkin at midnight. Commonly abbreviated to Cindy 99, this 70 percent sativa 30 percent indica hybrid combines the best aspects of its parent strains, Princess Chiba Skunk and Jack Herer, a strain named after the legendary cannabis grower. With a zippy psycho-activity that slips on as comfortably as a glass shoe cradled by a handsome prince, the Cindy 99 strain is always a good bet for patients in the market for a strong, characteristic sativa. With wispy buds that cling to stringy stems, which are the common nugget structure of many sativa strains, the Cindy 99 is best enjoyed when finely ground and rolled up into tight joints. Also like most sativas, the Cinderella 99 is ideal for stimulating appetites and creativity, which makes it the strain of choice for morning smokers.
Buddha’s Sister Medical marijuana patients have an entirely different concept of what the word earwax means. While heretofore known as a gross bodily secretion best addressed with a q-tip, medical earwax is a highly potent cannabis concentrate that just so happens to resemble waxy ear gunk—in appearance; thankfully not taste or smell. The Buddha’s Sister is everything a wax should be. Blended from Cindy Kush and Cali Hash, the Buddha’s Sister achieves a wonderful hybrid equilibrium, with pleasant notes of its indica and sativa composition evident. That balance makes the wax ideal for treating chronic pain, anxiety and loss of appetite. Unlike other concentrates, earwax can be smoked, vaporized and mixed into food without significantly diminishing its potency. Available from New Horizons, a fine dispensary in Colorado Springs
KC Jones Generously provided by Denver’s Ivita Wellness, the KC Jones strain is presumably named after either the beloved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles character or the former center for the Denver Broncos. KC Jones follows through on the heft of potency implied by its name, while saying it’ll hit you like a baseball bat to the face is overstating it, this 50/50 hybrid—cultivated from Sour Diesel crossed with Oriental Express—is strong stuff, whose effects arrive like a sativa and fade out gently like an indica. The dense, clumpy nuggets smell strongly of their diesel phenotype and are sticky enough to clog up a grinder. Ivita, whose Black Rain buds were celebrated in CULTURE’s June issue, may have painted over the cool elf-lady mural I associate with their dispensary, but the high-quality of their medicine has remained consistent through any cosmetic changes they might have made. Legal Disclaimer
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The publishers of this publication are not making any representations with respect to the safety or legality of the use of medical cannabis concentrates. The reviews listed here are for general entertainment purposes only, and are intended for use only when medical cannabis is not a violation of state law. Please consume responsibly. Concentrates are legal and covered under Washington’s State Medical Use of Cannabis Act (Measure 692), SB 6032 and SB 5798, and are considered a form of medical cannabis (WRC 69.50.101). Without a medical professional’s recommendation, possession of concentrates can be a felony (WRC 69.50.204).
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Photo by Stephen Lashbrook
Few other independent acts have had nearly the same amount of success or made the same level of musical transition than reggae-rock fusion act Slightly Stoopid has had in its nearly two decades as a band. Formed in 1995 and signed to Bradley Nowell’s record label, Skunk Records, shortly before the frontman’s death, Slightly Stoopid has moved on from walking the ska/punk trail—blazed by bands like Operation Ivy and Sublime— to cutting its own path into musical territory. Throughout its journey, the band has found time to record and release five studio albums, two live records (one of which is acoustic), a compilation of rarities and studio outtakes, and the group has garnered legions of fans all over the world. Most recently, the band released fifth studio album Top of the World (plus a live DVD, Slightly Stoopid & Friends: Live at Roberto’s TRI Studios), which continues Slightly Stoopid’s journey of expanding its style and exploring more musical ground. Most notably, the record includes a number of collaborations with everyone from raucous Fishbone frontman Angelo Moore, to legendary reggae and dancehall singer Barrington Levy. Never one to rest on its laurels, Slightly Stoopid hit the road this summer to headline its very own Kickin‘ Up Dust Summer Tour. The cross-country trek will see the band being supported by the likes of Minneapolis hip-hop legend Atmosphere, New York classic funk/soul master The Budos Band, roots rock /reggae group Tribal Seeds and former Living Legends members Eligh & The Grouch. CULTURE recently caught with Slightly Stoopid—right after a blistering set at the Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas—and spoke with band co-founder and guitarist/bassist/vocalist Kyle McDonald for some insight into the life of this legendary band.
the way around, you know? . . . It’s So you guys just started up the Kickin‘ all just definitely nice to, you know . . . have different styles of music in the Up Dust Summer Tour. How did the concert. A lot of people don’t first couple shows go? Are you hoping same really do that. that with Atmosphere in tow that you guys are going to attract an even wider You guys reference cannabis a lot in array of people out to your shows? both your music and your imagery. They went good; it was a packed house, killer crowds—it’s just nice to How do you feel about the medical be back out with the boys. We were cannabis movement that’s going on talking to them about it and that’s exactly what we were saying; we’re obthese days? viously two different types of music but it’s kind of like, just a big melting pot at the show because everyone is there to have a good time, and that’s what everyone’s main objective is to come out and have a good time; you know. It’s just definitely a wider variety of people. Atmosphere fans get a taste of the Slightly Stoopid, and the Slightly Stoopid fans get a taste of Atmosphere, so it’s just good
It’s going in a good direction, I mean, there’s a kind of just singling out all of the people that are living in the past, you know? I mean, it’s 2013 if anyone didn’t get the f*#kin‘ memo already! It’s 2013, you know what I mean?! It’s like, anyone that’s anti “herb” is either, just has a stick up their butt or they’re just old. Or, I can’t really say old but . . . they’ll eventually get singled out AUGUST 2013 • CULTURE 43
Photo by Doug Hac
through time because the next generation is coming up and I don’t think too many in this day and age—too many people, don’t think of it as a bad thing or even think of it as a drug. And it helps so many people these days with so many different ailments, no matter how big or small. Whether you have an illness or diseases or just even if it’s asthma or stress or you can’t sleep or you’ve had a bad day . . . it’s there for the
of recession first of all and it’s like, there’s so many ways the herb can help society in all ways. But then when it comes down to it, people rely on it, you know? And it’s like I was saying; if you have some trouble sleeping, if you want to get some sleep, puff it before you go to bed. There are so many things that doctors prescribe that kill people, you know? I’ve had friends that have passed away from prescription drugs, and friends that have just gone off the deep end or turned into a totally different person because of prescription pills that these doctors are prescribing. But now-a-days we’re in a time where, a day in age where, doctors will actually [recommend] marijuana as the last straw
we’ll just skate, play Xbox, and hang out with the boys and get some, you know, grinds, eat and hang out and play music. So it’s not like a thing where we set out—I don’t ever try to set out and make a record or make a song because it seems when we try to do anything these days it just doesn’t work. But, when you’re having a good time and you’re surrounded by good people and your friends and people you love, just having fun, that’s where all the good stuff comes from and people can definitely hear it in the music.
Just to round things off, do you see the band heading any place in particular in the next five years? Do you guys have any type of long-term goals? I don’t think too far into the future
Whether you have an il ness or diseases or just even if it’s asthma or stress or you can’t sleep or you’ve had a bad day . . . [cannabis is] there for the people . . . people and it’s really, you know, good. It’s a really good thing to have, you know? I don’t know, it’s not necessarily for everyone but I know when I’m having a tough day it definitely helps me relax.
because they’re like well “You know we’ve tried this, that, and the other thing, A, B, C and D and now we’re just going to [recommend] you marijuana when actually that’s what they should have [recommended] them in the first place.”
Do you think that legalization is near or So to kind of tie back around to the right around the corner? There are some states that it probband again, On Top Of The World is ably will be a while or it might not obviously your most recent release, even happen for a long time just because they’re kind of stuck in the did you have any specific goals for the ’80s and they’re just, I don’t know, record when you guys set out for it? I don’t want to say nothing bad, I don’t want to be negative but I will say there are people that are kind of stuck in the past in certain zerotolerance states, but I think those will probably be the last states to legalize it. But every other one seems to be kind of in a mutual agreement where, it’s like, it can help us get out 44 CULTURE • AUGUST 2013
When we do records, we kind of just are in the studio and we record two to three albums’ worth of songs and then we just kind of pick and choose. So it’s more of like a just kind of like a “hanging with the homies,” “hanging with the boys” process, and sometimes we’ll go in there and
about things, I kind of just live in the now and take it as it comes, but, you know, it’s definitely nice to do stuff for different causes and we’re doing stuff for different things. Music is an outlet that gives you the opportunity to help people and, you know, uplift them through music as well as, you know, do certain things for different people that need help. So it’s, you know, it’s an opportunity that you have to take, that you have to use, and it’s there to help people so we feel like we’re, like, almost—I don’t want to say “obligated”—but you are kind of obligated to, you know, when you have an opportunity to help people, to do that—so that’s my favorite reason to play music; is to be able to do it for different causes and help, you know? It’s always nice to play music but when you’re doing it to make a difference for something it is definitely the best feeling. c
Going the Right Way “We’re going to do the United States for this run with Atmosphere, Tribal Seeds and Eli & The Grouch and then I think we’re gonna go to Hawaii and do some island hopping in October with Danny Way, the skateboarder,” Slightly Stoopid guitarist/bassist/vocalist Kyle McDonald tells CULTURE about the band’s future plans. “He’s putting together skate parks in Kauai and he’s doing all these cool skate parks because they don’t really have many skate parks . . . and maybe do a show to help raise money for the skate parks, and then do some island hopping throughout Maui, Kona, Oahu and Kauai.” Way is a professional skateboarder and skateboarding company Plan B co-owner, who has been awarded Thrasher magazine’s Skater of the Year award twice, has won numerous X Games gold medals, multiple world record holder and he was the first person to jump the Great Wall of China (non-motorized jump). Way was also featured in a documentary film about his life, released in 2012 called Waiting for Lightning. V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
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Not many people can say they’ve loved their job since high school, but being Slightly Stoopid helps. They’ve played with the best and continue to cruise along . . .
1995
2013
Sublime frontman and Skunk Records owner Bradley Nowell notices the raw talents of Slightly Stoopid founding members Miles Doughty and Kyle McDonald, signing them to his label while they are still in high school.
AXS TV teams up with the band and Cypress Hill to release a live broadcast on the one day every stoner looks forward to: 420. Thus is born 420 Hot Box at Red Rocks.
1996
2012
Slightly $toopid, the band’s debut album, is released on Skunk. The album features an appearance from Nowell on the track “The Prophet.” The song was later covered and released on Sublime’s Everything Under the Sun box set.
Slightly Stoopid’s seventh studio album, Top of the World, is released, reaching a career high at No. 13 on the Billboard Top 200 songs and No. 4 on Billboard’s Best Rock Albums.
2009
2000
The band hits the road on the Blazed and Confused Tour alongside Snoop Dogg and Stephen Marley. My eyes got read just typing this.
What do you do when you want to really play by your own rules? Form your own label of course. Thus, Stoopid Records is born.
2004 Acoustic Roots: Live & Direct is the first live album released by the band. It was done in one take and contains nothing but vocals by McDonald and Doughty as well as some acoustic guitar. 48 CULTURE • AUGUST 2013
2006 A decade after the release of the band’s debut album, Slightly Stoopid drops its very first DVD, Live in San Diego, November 25 & 26 2005.
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cool stuff Jyarz CULTURE has seen a lot of med jars over the years. A lot. But none were as unique as Jyarz. Made to protect your herbal remedies inside an air-tight, glass-lined container, Jyarz will satisfy the other green in your soul— they’re made out of recycled milk jugs. Portable and shock-resistant, these come very recommended. ($12.95 each) www.jyarz.com
California Finest Premium Grade Marijuana Cigarettes Remember when we used to dream about the day when cannabis was legalized in this country, and how we imagined being able to purchase a box of joints from the corner store as easily as a pack of Marlboros? That daydream is reality. California Finest has achieved greatness on the strength of its “finest hand rolled California bud.” Each box comes with five 1-gram cigarettes in indica (OG Kush, Grand Daddy Purple), hybrid (Blue Dream) and sativa (Train Wreck) varieties. Talk about California dreamin‘ . . . www.californiafinest420.com
T.U.K. Shoes T.U.K. is a well known shoe company for the punks, goths and creeper-loving fashionistas. Though their hey day may have been in the ’80s and ’90s, T.U.K. has stepped up their game a bit to keep up with the modern day hipster nation. Check out these amazing “Galaxy Sublimation Print Anti-Pop Heels” by T.U.K.—they are bright, feminine and truly out of this world. ($65) www.tukshoes.com
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By Aunt Sandy
Sandy Moriarty is the author of Aunt’ Sandy’s Medical Marijuana Cookbook: Comfort Food for Body & Mind and a Professor of Culinary Arts at Oaksterdam University. She is also the cofounder of Oaksterdam’s Bakery.
Menu:
Traditional English Style Roast Beef Groovy Gravy Yorkshire Pudding Best Mince Pie Devon Scones English Tea Pimm’s Traditional Cocktail
Legal Disclaimer
Publishers of this publication are not making any representations with respect to the safety or legality of the use of medical marijuana. The recipes listed here are for general entertainment purposes only, and are intended for use only where medical marijuana is not a violation of state law. Edibles can vary in potency while a consumers’ weight, metabolism and eating habits may affect effectiveness and safety. Ingredient management is important when cooking with cannabis for proper dosage. Please consume responsibly and check with your doctor before consumption to make sure that it is safe to do so.
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In lieu of the beautiful new Brit-mom Kate Middleton, we thought it would only be appropriate to celebrate the birth of the new Mountbatten-Windsor. Helping to perpetuate the royal blood line, Middleton has been a busy bee in the last stages of her pregnancy, shuttling between London and her family’s Berkshire home to escape the awful hot weather. The Duchess of Cambridge got to feast in her last stage of pregnancy—but then it was over! Back to lean meals and no more decadent treats, for this pretty Brit. So this month, we’re feasting for her—and her new baby. Enjoy the traditional British grub, with flavors that will take you back to The Big Smoke and make you miss the sounds of that beautiful Big Ben. V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
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Traditional English Style Roast Beef 4 lbs sirloin tip roast 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 cup Canna Butter Salt to taste Preheat oven to 350° Trim the fat from the meat and score remaining fat. Rub the surface of the meat with the mixed spices. Heat the Canna Butter to a liquid. Place meat fat side down in melted Canna Butter, and brown all sides. Place meat in baking dish fat side up and pour drippings over the top. Insert meat thermometer and bake 20 minutes per pound until thermometer reads 140° for rare or 170° for well-done
Groovy Gravy 3/4 cup beef stock 3/4 cup water 1 tablespoon cornstarch, stirred together with 1 tablespoon water 1/2 cup Canna Butter Salt and pepper to taste Transfer the juices from the baking pan to a sauce pan. Put baking pan on a burner over medium heat, add Canna Butter, stock and water and deglaze the pan by boiling over moderate heat, stirring and scraping up the brown bits for 1 minute. Add stock mixture to pan juices and bring to a boil. Stir in cornstarch mixture and whisk into pan mixture, then boil while whisking until slightly thickened, about 1minute. Remove from heat and salt and pepper to taste. Serve over the roast and yorkshire pudding.
English Tea The afternoon is tea time in England! Earl Grey or English Tea is the local favorite Add a teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon Canna Milk and enjoy!
Best Mince Pie Canna Butter Pastry Dough* Mincemeat: 100g seedless raisins 100g dried cherries 100g dried blueberries 100g dried cranberries 65g citrus peel (1/2 orange and lemon peel) 250g cooking apples peeled and finely chopped 125g softened Canna Butter** Grated zest of half of a lemon Grated zest of half an orange 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon Pinch of nutmeg Pinch of all spice 250g dark brown sugar 250 ml tincture (cannabis infused dark rum)
Make sure all of the dried fruits are finely chopped to around the same size. In a large bowl mix all the fruit, apples, Canna Butter, zest and spices together till well combined Dissolve the sugar in the brandy and pour over the mixture. Cover and let stand overnight. The next day stir mixture again then place in a sterile dry jar for 4 weeks before using in your favorite recipe. Preheat oven to 350°
Take filling out of the refrigerator and let come to room temperature. Prepare pastry and cut out circles to line a pastry tin. Stir filling well and pour into base. Top with pastry and make slits or make a star shape on top. Crimp edges. Bake in a preheated oven on low shelf for 40 minutes or until golden brown AUGUST 2013 • CULTURE 55
Devon Scones Makes 8 servings 9 ounces all-purpose flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoons salt 2 ounces butter 1 ounce sugar 150 ml milk 1 medium egg Preheat oven to 450° and lightly grease a baking sheet. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl an cut in the butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in sugar. Add all the milk and mix lightly into soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a flowered board and knead briefly. Do not overwork the dough or your scones will be tough. Roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thick and cut rounds. Place on a greased baking sheet. Brush the tops with a beaten egg and bake 7-10 minutes or until well risen and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Currently served on British Airways! It will go particularly well with a spread of canna butter and strawberry jam! Traditionally the Brits use clotted cream with the strawberry jam.
Yorkshire Pudding Makes 4 servings 3 ounces milk 2 ounces water 1 egg 3 ounces flour Salt and pepper to taste
The Royal family will be celebrating with the Queen’s favorite cocktail! Owner of a London Oyster Bar James Pimm invented the gin sling in 1840. In a tall glass, muddle a slice of orange, lemon, cucumber and mint. Fill half with ice and add one part Pimm’s liquor to two parts lemonade. 56 CULTURE • AUGUST 2013
*Canna Butter Pastry Dough 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 2 teaspoons sugar 3/4 teaspoons salt 1/2 pound of cold Canna Butter cut into cubes 1/2 cup plus 1-4 tablespoon cold water Whisk together flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Blend in Canna Butter with a pastry blender just until most of the mixture resembles coarse meal with small lumps. Drizzle 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork until mixed, Squeeze a small handful of dough, if it doesn’t hold together add more ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until just incorporated, then test again. Do not overwork mixture or dough will be tuff. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 portions. With the heel of your hand smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute the fat. Gather the dough together with a pastry scraper if you have one and press into a ball. Divide in half and shape into 2 disks to make a pie. Wrap in plastic and place in a refrigerator until firm—at least one hour. V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
For our complete recipes go to ireadculture.com.
Pimm’s Traditional Cocktail
Preheat the oven for 425°. Then get a baking pan and coat it thoroughly with oil. Place baking pan in the oven (with the meat if you’re making it at the same time). Then, place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk, making sure plenty of air is introduced into the mixture. When the baking pan and the oil in it is hot, pour the whisked batter into the pan and place in the oven. Leave it to cook for 30 minutes. Serve with rich cannabis infused gravy as an accompaniment to a roast beef or any traditional Sunday dinner.
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entertainment reviews Franz Ferdinand Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action Domino Records It’s been nearly four years since Scotland’s indie rock princes in Franz Ferdinand have given the world a new record to appreciate. However, the band’s forthcoming fourth record Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, scheduled to release on Aug. 26 shows that these Scots haven’t missed a beat in the intervening years. Drawing on the hard driving rhythms and dynamic guitar riffs that the band built its solid reputation on, Right Thoughts is loaded with an assortment of footstompers that’ll make cutting some rug with a beautiful stranger or lovely date easy. Although the record—production wise—continues in the more polished, poppy trajectory of the band’s previous releases, Right Thoughts contains a bit of the fuzzier, garage-y-er elements of the band’s beginnings as well. The band has kept a low profile while recording this record over the last few years as it felt that the hype and misinformation surrounding their last effort injured its release. The secrecy seems to have paid off as what you get seems to be the perfect marriage of the band’s past and its future that will over joy old fans of the band as well as be the perfect introduction to the band’s sound for new listeners. (Simon Weedn)
Baked Italian: Over 50 Mediterranean Marijuana Meals By Yzabaetta Sativa Green Candy Press “When the moon hits your eye/Like a big pizza pie, that’s amore . . . When the stars make you drool/Just like pasta fazool, that’s amore.” Ah, the praises of Italian cuisine has always plucked the heart strings, eh? Why should patients go without the gourmet, traditional recipes that have made the boot-shaped country famous the world over? Enter Baked Italian. Described as “a high-end marijuana cookbook for the Jamie Oliver generation,” this softcover volume is indispensable for providing proven extraction techniques and tasteful, rich recipes that will make Giada De Laurentiis green (pun, definitely intended) with envy. Sure, there’s a recipe for infused butter here, but you also get the how-to for ‘Oregano’ Oil, Cannabis Campari and Vector Vodka. And with the rich photography highlighting such medicated versions of classics such as Eggplant Parmesan, Capellini with Anchovies and Lemon Sauce and the sinfully sweet Genoise Cake, Jamie Oliver will be just a faded memory. Grab an apron, get the cucina ready and cook—that’s amore. (Matt Tapia)
Arrested Development Season 4 Netflix, Inc. Dir. Mitchell Hurwitz Seven years after its cancellation, a great many of us were thrilled to watch Arrested Development rise from its ashes like a mythical phoenix and soar in the air for an amazing Season 4, thanks to the awesome folks at Netflix. While there has been some criticism that the newest season is not the “same” as the previous three, the only answer to that could be how—after so much time had passed—anybody could have expected it to not have changed some. However, although the feel of the show might be a little different, the returning writers, directors and cast did an amazing job of recreating the humor and atmosphere of the original series while moving it forward to its ultimate goal, the upcoming movie. Diehard fans will enjoy the working in of almost all previous reoccurring guest characters, including Liza Minelli as “Lucille 2,” Henry Winkler as family attorney Barry Zuckercorn and, of course, Scott Baio as lawyer Bob Loblaw, as well as the effortless working in of all repeating sight gags and sound effects. Most of all, Arrested Development Season 4 succeeds where many in the past have failed, they revived an old and beloved franchise, added amazing new twists, turns and characters, and still kept the original spirit of the show which made it addictive and endearing in the first place. (Simon Weedn) 58 CULTURE • AUGUST 2013
“Beauty Does” Denver-based artist John McEnroe explores a caveinspired creation for the MCAD. A site-specific work for the Fries Family Atrium as well as an exhibition of sculpture and other works on exhibit in the Mary Caulkins and Karl Kister Gallery and the Joseph Crescenti Family Gallery. To create the insanely awesome dripping mess of a sculpture, which will fill the Fries Family Atrium, McEnroe manipulates polymer to resemble monumental drips of paint. Sheer and light, this large-scale installation includes stalactite forms that course through the open spaces of the museum. The installation will be complemented by other sculptural works in the Mary Caulkins and Karl Kister Gallery and the Joseph Crescenti Family Gallery. These dripping stalactite creations inspire the most dreamy of dreams.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: “Beauty Does” exhibit by artist John McEnroe. WHEN/WHERE: On view thru September 29. Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, 1485 Delgany St., Denver. INFO: Admission is $8. mcadenver.org
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liner notes
T
By Kevin Longrie
he Hova is Present: Jay-Z took up residence recently at the Pace Gallery in New York for a six-hour performance art piece in which the Brooklynbased rapper sang his “Picasso Baby” the entire time. Fans and the generally curious alike watched from a comfortable distance as Jay stood up on a small white raised platform. Of course, it’s not as impressive in its relentlessness or pointlessness as it seems: he hopped off stage a number of times to talk with fans, get closer to them, take pictures with them and generally interact with his audience. He also let other amateur performers take the stage and have what can only be described as an audience with the king. He was joined, as well, by other important artists such as Marina Abramovic. Abramovic is a performance artist whose career spans 40 years and over 50 works. For over two months in 2010, she sat in silence for several hours a day in the Museum of Modern Art across from thousands of visitors. According to the MoMA, it was “an endeavor to transmit the presence of the artist and make her historical performances accessible to a larger audience.” It seems that Jay-Z, someone who nowadays only plays stadiums and massive concert halls, had this same idea in mind. (He also got a music video out of it.) One such stadium concert is the upcoming sold out Rose Bowl Stadium concert with Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake, which will take place on July 28. Part of their “Legends of the Summer” series, the concert is going to be so packed that venue officials are rolling out a campaign to get people to buy advanced
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parking on Ticketmaster and show up hours early to enjoy a “Picnic in the Park” or just tailgate. If you’ve ever had to justify to your friends why you’re willing to pay nearly 10 dollars for a burrito, you know two things: Chipotle is delicious and your friends are terrible. But there are some things that you love that might not go with that burrito: tuna salad, Legos or the music of Radiohead. The last one is, according to Christopher Golub, the man who programs the music playlists for Chipotles nationwide, makes perfect sense. “You know that if you go into a store, you’ve got the small, hard surfaces, Golub said in an interview with Denver Westwood Dining. “You’ve got concrete floors, a lot of windows, hard walls and a lot of cooking gear and tile. “Golub says that it just doesn’t work with certain songs or sounds, citing Radiohead—particularly Thom Yorke’s voice—as an example. The Golub interview does offer some interesting insights into how music at stores like Chipotle is programmed, though, including revealing that the BPM—beats per minute—of the songs changes throughout the day based on
how busy the restaurant is projected to be. For example, during a lunch rush, they songs would be faster than they would between lunch and dinner when business (and music) slows down. When, though, does Chipotle deem it necessary to play dubstep? Photos surfaced recently on the Internet of special Daft Punk condoms that encouraged sexually active fans to, well, “Get Lucky.” Unfortunately, like with most promotional materials, they aren’t available to just anyone with a few bucks and access to a CVS. Sony Music Belgium posted a photo of a pile of the condom packages, with an image of Pharrell WILLIAMS and Daft Punk in front of a blood-orange sun, on Instagram and they were apparently distributed to several DJs at the festival, including Diplo. The condoms are not official Durex products, as was previously believed, but a representative of that company did not seem displeased at the comparison. In an interview with MTV, the rep told fans and musicians to “continue to make sweet music together and have great sex!” Daft Punk groupies can confirm hat the French duo is capable of great sex, but are their robotic hearts capable of love? c
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CULTURE
Where There’s Smoke . . .
If you’re living in a compassionate state—congratulations! You’re one of the lucky few. But even if you reside in one of the 18 states (and Washington, D.C.) that saw the light of day and enacted a measure or law that protects our rights, it’s always a good idea to be discrete and exercise caution at all times. For example, avoid medicating in public places or anywhere were you are not 100 percent sure that cannabis is allowed—even if you have your rec or MMJ card. Here are a few other situations to avoid (with thanks to United Patients Group):
1
Illustrations by Vidal Diaz
Stay as far away from schools, day cares, youth or recreation centers, public parks or playgrounds— anywhere there might be children around. You’re asking for trouble. At the very least, make sure you’re at least 1,000 feet away (that’s the distance limit that the feds commonly cite).
2
Never medicate inside a vehicle, whether or not you are the driver, and regardless of whether it is moving or not. Again, this is asking for trouble.
4
3
Never medicate inside a boat, aircraft or, really, any kind of motorized vehicle. See No. 2 above.
Stay away from federal grounds or property. This includes national parks, such as Yosemite and Yellowstone. This also applies to federal buildings, courts and offices. Want to stay out of trouble? Avoid these places if you have cannabis on your person or are planning to ingest it. AUGUST 2013 • CULTURE 61
let’s do this Our picks for the coolest things to do around town Dream Girls Cabaret Show, 1st, 3rd, and 4th Friday Monthly
You can’t tell me that all that glitters ain’t gold—this is drag honey! If it’s gleaming you can bet it will be worked like a piece of vintage Chanel. Hamburger Mary’s, Denver www.hamburgermarys.com/denver/
Boulder Outdoor Cinema, July 6- Aug 31 Any event that includes projecting The Big Lebowski on the side of a building is purely righteous. The Dude would surely approve. Behind the Museum of Contemporary Arts, Boulder www.boulderoutdoorcinema.com
4th Annual Dinner in White, Aug 3
Everyone loves exclusivity. Simply conjure up a few bucks, your absolute best all white attire, and wait for the address of the festivities the day of. You’ll be set for one of the most strangely exclusive, yet accessible events of the year. TBA www.dinnerinwhite.com
The Plain White T’s, Aug 6
Hey there Delilah, The Plain White T’s are in your city/If you miss them while they’re out here, boy that would be a pity, yes it would. . . I’d see them twice if I just could. . . The Summit Music Hall, Denver www.thesummitmusichall.com
Steely Dan, August 8
I really didn’t know a Steely Dan show required any form of coercion or persuasion to attend—I mean it’s Steely Dan. . . Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison www.amphitheatremorrison.com
Boulder Asian Festival, Aug 10-11
If you’re adventurous and interested in indulging in one of our greatest continent’s history, food, music, and more, you should probably follow the colorful décor downtown to a night of Asian inspired festivities. In Front of the Boulder Courthouse, Boulder www.boulderdowntown.com
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Pickin’ on Hippies, Aug 15
Full on Bluegrass tribute to Phish, The Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers and more? My mom is pulling out her old Woodstock daisy flower crown and sundress for this one. Cervante’s Masterpiece, Denver www.cervantesmasterpiece.com
A Very Special Intimate Evening w/ Blackalicious, Aug 23
Well, for the most part, the title of the event does a pretty darn good job at describing what you should expect. I’m going to say my work here is done on this one. Cervante’s Masterpiece, Denver www.cervantesmasterpiece.com
Dead in Five Heartbeats, Aug 31
A little culture never killed anyone. However, we can probably expect the fictional motorcycle club, The Infidelz, played by real Hell’s Angels members, to do the killing in this movie adaptation of Sonny Barger’s novel American Legend. The Oriental Theater, Denver www.theorientaltheater.com
Colorado State Fair, Aug 23- Sept 2 They’re promising livestock, country concerts, a fiesta, parades and a horse show among a slew of other very true blue Colorado festivities? I know for a fact your inner cowboy is tingling. Colorado Fair Grounds, Pueblo www.coloradostatefair.com
Sublime with Rome, Aug 11 Makesure your Bic lighter is fully functioning, you’re gonna need it held high in the sky when those body swaying songs by Sublime with Rome kick in. Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison amphitheatremorrison.com
Charlie Murphey, Aug 15 I’d go just to see him make fun of hecklers to be quite honest. That should be more than my money’s worth. Larimer Square, Denver www.larimersquare.com
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Now Rate Yourself: 5 points: A few classes at Oaksterdam University won’t even help you. 10 points: Are you even a patient? 15 points: Keep medicating. 20 points: Impressive. Almost ready for the big leagues. 25 points: What do you want—a prize?
HEAD COUNT Time to rev up your brain cells, folks. Take this official CULTURE quiz and test yourself to see how much you know about cannabis. For each question you answer correctly, give yourself 5 points.
Can cannabis effectively treat Crohn’s disease?
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Name a well-known Canadian activist and political prisoner who is being transferred to his home country?
5
What is Sativex?
ANSWERS
Twelve years after passing an MMJ law, whish state is finally allowing dispensaries to open?
3 4
1. Yes, according to a recent study. 2. True, according to Vice. 3. Nevada. 4. Marc Emery. 5. A patented mouth spray containing cannabinoids developed to treat MS.
QUESTIONS 1 2
Tony Hawks’ son uses cannabis. True or false?
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Safe & Secure T
his is a common scenario: You run into a fellow patient at a social gathering, and she or he tells you that their local dispensary just shut down or raided and they are nervous? Nervous, you ask? Yes, aren’t the cops or the feds gonna get their hands on my personal info, they ask? Not unless law enforcement officers plan on breaking the law. That’s what the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is all about. Under this law, all medical patient (this includes MMJ patients) information is confidential, protected and cannot be released without the patient’s signature, according to many lawyers and Americans for Safe Access. If police or other law enforcement agents wanted to get their hands on this information, they’d need to request a subpoena from a court. c
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Chuck Shepherd's
Newsof the
Weird LEAD STORY—PRIORITIES ; At a June hearing, a Philadelphia judge became so exasperated at defendant Robert Williams’ seeming cluelessness about his need to keep his probation appointments that she ordered him to take “etiquette” classes before returning to court. Williams, a rap singer and budding music mogul still under court supervision on gun and drug charges from 2008, cavalierly defended his inability to find time for his probation officer by explaining that he was a busy man, work-
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ing with seven “artists,” with a demanding travel schedule, and uninhibitedly using social media (creating posts that, allegedly, led to threats against the probation officer). (Williams, of course, was accompanied to court by a several-man entourage.)
to believe in a supreme being. Such “churches” (reported The New York Times and Washington Post in coincidental stories the same day in June) can help soothe the “biological” needs for survival and avoidance of loneliness by congregational rituals (such as celebrating a sabbath) and in helping find meaning “in something other than (oneself).” For example, atheist Sigfried Gold praised a “rigorous prayer routine” (beseeching a “vivid goddess he created”) in overcoming his weight problem.
IRONIES
; War Endangers War Relics: In June, fighting in the Syrian civil war spread to its west, threatening archaeological digs and already recovered artifacts near the ancient city of Hamoukar— which is the site of history’s earliest known urban warfare (about 5,500 years ago).
; An atheist “church” in Lake Charles, La., run by lapsed Pentecostal Jerry DeWitt, conducts periodic services with many of the trappings expected by the pious—except for the need
; The business website Quartz reported in June that a popular consumer item in North Korea’s perhaps-improving economy is the refrigerator, made in China
and increasingly available as a reward to stellar performers among civil servants and other elites. The appliances, however, cannot reliably store food because the country’s electric grid is so frequently offline and are mostly just status symbols. One item Quartz says often gets displayed in the refrigerator: books. ; Robert Dugan, 47, a full-time patrolman for the Delaware County (Pa.) Park Police, was charged in June with illegally impersonating a police officer. According to authorities in Brookhaven, Pa., Dugan had accosted a woman doubleparked outside her home to pressure her into moving the car, but she refused. Dugan allegedly claimed he was an Upland Borough police officer (with authority to write parking citations and make arrests, which he did not actually have).
THE LITIGIOUS SOCIETY ; Shower rooms in health clubs are slippery enough, but Marc
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Moskowitz, 66, cited the one at the Bally Total Fitness gym on E. 55th St. in New York City as especially dangerous, according to his recent lawsuit to recover expenses for a broken shoulder suffered in a fall. Moskowitz claimed that so much gay male sex was occurring in the shower and locker-room area (unsupervised by Bally) that he had probably slipped on semen.
firing a warning shot during an altercation with her estranged husband. The man, Rico Gray, is a serial domestic abuser and admitted that he was threatening Alexander that night and that she never actually pointed her gun directly at him. However, the judge denied Alexander use of the “stand your ground” defense because she had declined to simply walk away from Gray.
COMPELLING EXPLANATIONS
FETISHES ON PARADE
; Lame: (1) Rodger Kelly was arrested in St. George, Utah, in June for rape of a female neighbor, but he told police that he committed the act only to “save” her, since he had discovered her “cold” and unconscious. He had violated her body only “to try and get her temperature up,” according to the police report. (2) The low-price air carrier GoAir of New Delhi announced in June that in the future it would hire only females for the cabin crew—because they weigh less than men (and expects eventually to save the equivalent of $4 million annually in fuel based on average weights).
; (1) According to Chicago police, Gerardo Perez, 50, broke away while on a tour in May of the Chicago Animal Care and Control Facility because he had been struck with a sexual attraction. He was discovered minutes later on his hands and knees beside a pit bull, “appearing to have just had sex with the animal,” according to a report on WMAQ-TV. (2) Shaun Orris, 41, was charged with disorderly conduct in Waukesha, Wis., in June after raising a ruckus outside the Montecito Ristorante Lounge, harassing passersby by loudly expressing his “constitutional right” to have sex with goats.
; In May, former schoolteacher Kathleen Cawthorne, 33, of Rustburg, Va., successfully negotiated a reduction in her 11-year sentence for having sex with an underage student. Cawthorne’s punishment was set at only four months in prison when she presented the judge with a clinical diagnosis of “hypersexuality,” supposedly showing that she had little ability to control her desire to seduce the boy.
; Not Well-Thought-Out: (1) A 64-year-old man was arrested in Geelong, Australia (near Melbourne) in June after carjacking a 22-year-old woman’s vehicle. He was still on-scene when police arrived, as it took him time to load his walker into the car, along with several bags he had nearby when he decided to commandeer the vehicle. (2) A well-dressed, 5-foot-10 man bailed out of an attempted robbery in May of a New York City Bank of America when, after handing a teller his holdup note, the woman panicked, began screaming “Oh my God!” and ran to the other side of the bank, diving under a counter. According to a witness, the robber stood in silence for a few seconds before fleeing.
PERSPECTIVE ; Floridians Standing Their Ground: In May, a jury in Tampa decided that Ralph Wald, 70, was not guilty of murdering a 32-yearold man he had shot in the back three times. He said he had caught the man having sex with his wife (successfully claiming that he thought the man was a dangerous intruder in his home). However, Marissa Alexander, 34, of Jacksonville, was sentenced last year to 20 years in prison for “aggravated assault” for merely
LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS
UPDATE ; When last we checked on Wesley Warren Jr., 49, of Las Vegas, he was delaying his AUGUST 2013 • CULTURE 71
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inevitable surgery to repair his permanently inflamed, 140-pound scrotum (“scrotal lymphedema”). He said at the time that he was enjoying the many television and radio appearances discussing his plight and that he feared becoming a nobody again after the surgery. He has now had the 13-hour operation, done pro bono by Dr. Joel Gelman of University of California, Irvine, and will soon be walking without hindrance, but his latest dissatisfaction, he told a British TV show in June (reported by The Sun), is that the surgery left him with a penis about 1 inch long.
A NEWS OF THE WEIRD CLASSIC (AUGUST 2009) ; Lonely Japanese men (and a few women) with rich imaginations have created a thriving subculture (“otaku”) in which they have all-consuming relationships with figurines that are based on popular anime characters. “The less extreme,” reported a New York Times writer in July, obsessively collect the dolls. The hardcore otaku “actually believes that a lumpy pillow with a drawing of a (teenage character) is his girlfriend,” and takes her out in public on romantic dates. “She has really changed my life,” said “Nisan,” 37, referring to his gal, Nemutan. (The otaku dolls are not to be confused with the life-size, anatomically correct dolls that other lonely men use for sex.) One forlorn “2-D” (so named for preferring relationships with two-dimensionals) said he would like to marry a real, 3-D woman, “(b)ut look at me. How can someone who carries this (doll) around get married?”
COMMUNITY ACTIVISM ; Despite Chicago’s recent crisis of gang-related street murders, the Roseland Community Hospital in a tough south-side neighborhood is on the verge of closing because of finances, and community groups have been energetically campaigning to keep it open. Joining civic leaders in
the quest is the Black Disciples street gang, whose co-founder Don Acklin begged in June for the hospital to remain open, explaining, “It’s bad enough we’re out here harming each other.” Besides wounded gang members needing emergency care, said Acklin, closing would amount to “genocide” because of all the innocent people exposed to crossfire.
GOVERNMENT IN ACTION ; Suspicions Confirmed: A warehouse in Landover, Md., maintained by a company working on contract for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, contained “secret rooms” of furniture and equipment described as “man caves” for company employees. The EPA inspector general announced the discovery in May, and the government confiscated TVs, refrigerators, couches, personal photos, pin-ups, magazines and videos that the contractor’s personnel brought in while ostensibly “working” on agency business. ; Scotland’s Parliament was revealed in May to be considering, as part of its Children and Young People Bill, guaranteeing that specific, named persons would be appointed for every Scottish child at birth, charged with overseeing that child’s welfare until adulthood. A Daily Telegraph story acknowledged that the bill is “remarkably vague” about the duties and powers of the designated persons and thus it is unclear how the law might affect typical parent-child relationships. ; Update: “(Supermodels) is the one exception (to U.S. immigration policy) that we all scratch our heads about,” said a Brookings Institution policy analyst, speaking to Bloomberg Businessweek in May. Foreignborn sports stars and entertainers are fast-tracked with American work permits under one system, but supermodels were excluded from that and must thus compete (successfully, it turns out) with physicists and nuclear engineers to earn AUGUST 2013 • CULTURE 73
visas among the 65,000 slots available only to “skilled workers with college degrees.” As such, around 250 beauties are admitted every year. (The most recent attempt to get supermodels their own visa category was championed in 2005 and 2007 by, appropriately, thenU.S.-Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York.)
POLICE REPORT ; Rewarding the Breast Disguises: (1) An April crime report in San Francisco, noting that a female driver had rammed another car in a parking-space dispute, noted that the victim gave officers little help. The man could not tell officers the model car that hit him, and certainly not a license plate number, but he “was able to give a detailed description of the suspect’s cleavage.” No arrest was reported. (2) Colombian prisoner Giovanni Rebolledo was serving a 60-year sentence (as a member of the “Los Topos” gang charged with extortion, kidnapping and torture) when
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he escaped and decided on an extreme identity change in order to move about in the country. He became “Rosalinda,” complete with, according to Colombia Reports news service, “impressive” breast implants, but nonetheless was identified in May in a routine traffic stop and arrested. ; More Time Needed on the Firing Range: In May, an Orlando Sentinel columnist demanded a federal investigation into the 2010 police killing of Torey Breedlove in Orlando’s Pine Hills neighborhood, noting that killing the unarmed Breedlove somehow required 137 shots, with cops missing on at least 115. The columnist added that the Justice Department is currently investigating a Cleveland, Ohio, case in which local police killed two unarmed men but coincidentally also required 137 shots. (In both cases, the officers were exonerated after local investigators determined the officers believed the suspects were armed.)
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