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Chin-Win Situation Jay Leno reveals what’s made him the Titan of Tonight all these years
On the cover: Photo courtesy of NBCUniversal
features 20 Paradigm Shift An effort to get cannabis reclassified picks up steam at the federal level. 22 Trial By Fire Dispensary operator Aaron Sandusky is sentenced via a miscarriage of justice. 24 A Clear Choice Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein stumps for sativa. 28 Cannabis on Aisle 4! Pop artist Ron English is a secret shopper like no other. 30 Puzzling Percentages When strains are tested for potency, what exactly does that mean? 32 Safety First If concentrates are your meds of choice, take precautions. 36 Domestic Issue The War on Drugs is a big, racist failure according to filmmaker Eugene Jarecki. 40 Droppin‘ Science Wu-Tang’s GZA name-drops Stephen Hawking as someone who matters. 42 Hard to Kill Good death metal bands never die. Ask Obituary. 44 A Heavy Subject Asking Alexandria says metal is the most honest form of music.
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departments 12
Letter from the Editor
It takes time and hard work to get to the promised land—but we’re getting there.
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News Nuggets
Cannabis makes headlines here, there, everywhere—and we give you the scoop—PLUS our latest By the Numbers
LEGAL CORNER
Attorney Meital Manzuri takes a look back at where 75 years of prohibition has gotten us.
Strain & Edible Reviews
Our ever-popular sampling of amazing strains and edibles currently provided by your friendly neighborhood dispensary.
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Profiles in Courage
Healthy Living
68
If you’re living with pain, cannabis may be the relief you’re looking for.
Cool Stuff
Explore end-of-the-world parties—the way our Mayan ancestors predicted.
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From Scrips CBD Capsules to Cloud Vapez, if it’s a cutting-edge product or cool lifestyle gear, we’re all over it.
Photo Gallery
Here are the greenfriendly things we saw you doing around town.
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Recipes
Feel patriotic with this Veterans Day-Thanksgiving menu smashup.
Entertainment Reviews
The latest films, books, music and more that define our culture—plus Kevin Longrie’s best Liner Notes ever!
90 | Events Listings 96 | News of the Weird 8 CULTURE • NOVEMBER 2012
64
Destination Unknown
Our latest feature provides insight into the life—and struggle—of a medical marijuana patient near you.
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letter from the editor
Vol 4 IssUE 5
Publisher
Jeremy Zachary
GET YOUR CLICK HERE
www.iReadCulture.com
Roberto C. Hernandez Editor-In-Chief
Editor-in-Chief
Roberto C. Hernandez
Managing Editor Lynn Lieu
Editorial Contributors
Dennis Argenzia, Ashley Bennett, David Burton, Michael Carlos, Grace Cayosa, Jasen T. Davis, Stacy Davies, Alex Distefano, David Downs, Christopher Glew, James P. Gray, Lillian Isley, David Jenison, Liquid Todd, Kevin Longrie, Dan Macintosh, Meital Manzuri, Bruce Margolin, Jane Mast, Sandra Moriarty, Assia Mortesen, Damian Nassiri, Arrissia Owen, Paul Rogers, Jeff Schwartz, Lanny Swerdlow
Inching
Toward
Sanity A news items caught my eye the other day. I heard that opening arguments had just been made before the U.S. Court of Appeal in an effort to convince the federal government— unfortunately, MMJ’s staunchest foe—to re-schedule marijuana. Americans for Safe Access, a national patients-rights advocacy group that has been leading various pro-MMJ campaigns since its formation 10 years ago, is leading this charge. So why is re-scheduling marijuana a big deal? Marijuana, in the eyes of the government, is a Schedule I drug, which is another way for the feds (via the Controlled Substances Act—thanks, Nixon) to judge cannabis as dangerous as heroin and with no medical use whatsoever. Schedule III drugs include Vicodin, Schedule IV drugs include Valium and Xanax, Schedule V drugs include cough medicine. This is the basic reason why the feds say they can trump a state’s MMJ laws any day of the week; they say federal law (marijuana is illegal for any purposes) overrides state law (marijuana is legal to use as medicine). So if ASA is successful in getting marijuana rescheduled, then that could open the door, the argument goes, to ushering in a whole new
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Photographers
era for reform across the country. Imagine that—marijuana treated the same way as Robitussin (Schedule V). Or maybe considered a legal alternative to Temazepam (Schedule IV). Gone is the federal government’s ace in the whole. Gone is the whole “no medical use” propaganda. No more raids. No more abuse. No more nonsense. It’s what they call a “game changer.” Will this happen tomorrow? Of course not. These things take time. Months. Sometimes years. And this isn’t the first time we’ve tried this. Meanwhile, at the state and local levels, activists and advocates are pushing for similar goals: to get our government officials and law enforcement officers to open their eyes and free their minds; to view cannabis on the basis of science and research, not stigma and politics. And every victory we score for cannabis rights and access is a victory won because of the backbreaking labor and energy of millions of activists (like ASA), patients, caregivers, lobbyists, professionals, doctors, lawyers and advocates. And these people need support. So, support your medical marijuana community. Support your local dispensary. Support your caregiver. Support elected leaders with common sense. Most of all, let’s support one another. As we inch towards sanity, we’re going to need all the help we can get. c
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San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis
THE STATE San Diego dispensary operator’s conviction overturned
In a major win for the compassionate-use movement, a state appeals court has overturned the conviction of San Diego dispensary operator Jovan Jackson because he was prevented from arguing his actions were legal under California law. Jovan was convicted in 2010 on felony marijuana possession and sales charges following two separate raids on San Diego cannabis dispensaries. But in an October ruling, the Fourth District Court of Appeal reversed the conviction, declaring Jackson was entitled to a medical-marijuana defense. It was not known at press time whether San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis would appeal the district court’s decision.
L.A. Council overturns its own ban on dispensaries Bowing to withering public pressure and the specter of a citizens’ referendum, the Los Angeles City Council reversed course and repealed its threemonth-old ban on medical cannabis dispensaries. The council vote came just days after organizers of a referendum effort to overturn the ban announced they had collected more than 50,000 14 CULTURE • NOVEMBER 2012
signatures. It also represented the latest in a string of embarrassing policy reversals by the council on the issue of medical cannabis: In recent years, the panel passed a moratorium barring dispensaries, enacted an ordinance regulating them, repealed the regulations and then outlawed the shops entirely. Despite—or perhaps, because of—the policy confusion, hundreds of dispensaries continue to operate in the city.
G3 Holistic owner convicted, faces long sentence
Aaron Sandusky, the popular medical cannabis activist who owned the G3 Holistic dispensary chain in the Inland Empire, was convicted in October on federal marijuana charges and now faces 10 years to life in prison. Sandusky and five others who worked at G3 were charged following raids in November 2011 on the chain’s Upland shop. The five others reached plea agreements with prosecutors earlier, but Sandusky, a 41-yearold Rancho Cucamonga resident, was found guilty on two felony counts. He had not been allowed to mount a medical marijuana defense. Sentencing is set for January. (Check our full account of the case on pg. 22)
THE NATION
200 scientific studies when it refused to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I narcotic with no medical benefits to a less stringent category. Americans for Safe Access and other pro-medical cannabis groups want the court to reconsider its classification of marijuana.
Connecticut MMJ law takes effect
U.S. appeals court considers reclassifying marijuana
In a case with enormous potential ramifications for the nation’s cannabis community, the U.S. appellate court in Washington, DC, is considering a major challenge to the federal government’s claim that marijuana is a dangerous drug with no redeeming medical value. Evidence in the challenge, stemming from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s denial of a cannabis rescheduling petition a decade ago, was presented in October to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. Joe Elford, chief counsel for Americans for Safe Access, accused the DEA of ignoring
With a tick of the clock, Connecticut became the 17th star in the union allowing residents to legally use marijuana for medicinal purposes. The Palliative Use of Marijuana Act, which the state’s Democratic governor signed into law five months ago, took effect on Oct. 1. Physicians can now recommend cannabis is a therapeutic treatment for patients with certain serious illnesses, and patients can
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obtain a medical cannabis ID card by registering with the state. The state Department of Consumer Protection must submit a set of regulations by July 1 to the General Assembly for state-licensed dispensaries. Until then, qualified patients can possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis at any one time for their medicinal needs.
regulating cannabis gardens or allow patients to grow them anywhere in the city’s borders. The City Council delayed action on the requirement for 18 months, but has at last scheduled a workshop on the proposed ordinance for Nov. 19. If approved, the ordinance would allow patients to group as many as 45 marijuana plants for medicinal use.
THE WORLD Can-Can Charity Golf Tournament
Vancouver inches closer to cannabis gardens Qualified medical cannabis patients would be allowed to grow cannabis for up to 10 people, under a proposed ordinance to be considered this month by the City Council of Vancouver, BC. A state law passed last year directed Vancouver officials to either come up with a plan for
by the numbers
5
Number of medical cannabis dispensaries currently operating in Los Angeles: 500 to 1,000 (Source: Los Angeles Daily News).
6
Number of registered Montana medical marijuana patients in September 2009: 3,921 (Source: Great Falls Tribune).
11
Number of these studies that the U.S. Justice Department admits meets federal criteria for valid studies: 15 (Source: Bloomberg Businessweek). Number of federally accepted medical uses for cannabis: 0 (Source: U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration).
1
13
Taxpayer money (in millions of dollars) the city of L.A. spent both developing various cannabis dispensary ordinances and fighting lawsuits over them: 3 (Source: SurfSantaMonica.com).
Number of registered Montana medical marijuana patients in January 2011: 28,000plus (Source: Great Falls Tribune).
3
Number of months the L.A. City Council’s ban on dispensaries was in place this year before it was overturned: 3 (Source: Los Angeles Times).
8
Number of authorized Montana medical marijuana caregivers in September 2009: 1,403 (Montana Department of Public Health).
4
9
Number of current L.A. medical marijuana ordinances either regulating dispensaries or banning them outright: 0 (Source: Los Angeles Municipal Code).
Number of scientific studies to conclude cannabis has medical benefits: 200-plus (Source: Americans for Safe Access).
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Number of years the Los Angeles City Council spent working on an ordinance regulating medical cannabis: 3 (Source: Los Angeles Times).
2
10
7
Number of authorized Montana medical marijuana caregivers in September 2011: 4,833 (Montana Department of Public Health).
Number of ex-DEA chiefs who held a conference call in October demanding President Obama denounce pot legalization measures in three states: 9 (Source: Seattle Times).
As much as we enjoy the recreational side of life, we encourage and advocate anything that emphasizes MMJ and what it can do for ailing people. So we’re very pleased to announce an event that not only creates awareness of the cause, but uses the proceeds to help those suffering and needing medicinal cannabis as an aid. The inaugural Can-Can Charity Golf Tournament, brought to us by Californians for Local and Safe Alternatives (CLSA), is an inaugural benefit that aims to raise money for organizations that treat cancer and those that are helping to reform MMJ laws. Anyone reading here can sponsor the event, or go online and register to play for a fee as a single player or in a group of four. We hope that you will go and at least consider getting on the green for the green. You’ve probably told all of your friends about the power of MMJ. Now put your money where your mouth is and help out. (Joe Martone)
IF YOU GO
What: Can-Can Charity Golf Tournament. When/Where: Nov. 3 at Upland Hills Golf Club, 1213 E. 16 St., Upland. Info: Shotgun starts at noon. Go to cancangolfevent.org.
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FLASH
Press Full Court
Reclassification: Medical Marijuana Gets Its Day in Court {By David Jenison}
Kali Culture “While it’s difficult to tell from oral arguments how the court will decide in a particular case, the order for clarification on the harm sustained by plaintiff Michael Krawitz that the court issued directly after the hearing is a good sign. If we can reasonably show that Krawitz sustained harm by being denied services as a result of federal policy on medical marijuana, we will satisfy ‘standing’ which will allow the court to rule on the merits—whether marijuana does in fact have medical value.” Marijuana is classified as Schedule I, the most restrictive drug category, placing it alongside heroin, LSD and PCP as highly addictive drugs with no medical
Say What?
After nearly two decades, marijuana is back before a federal bench. An appeals court in D.C. heard oral arguments last month in the case of Americans for Safe Access v. Drug Enforcement Administration. Patient-advocacy group ASA seeks to reclassify the drug’s controlled-substances status, and their case comes with a compelling narrative. Michael Krawitz, a 49-year-old Air Force veteran, suffered serious injuries in a 1984 car accident. He’s undergone 13 surgeries and still suffers chronic pain, and the most effective relief comes from adding cannabis to his drug regimen. When the Veterans Administration learned this, it demanded a drug test, and denied further medical treatment when Krawitz refused. As a plaintiff in the suit, this military veteran puts a respectable face to the growing argument for the drug’s medicinal use. “We feel good about our chances in the DC Circuit because we have science on our side,” says ASA spokesperson Kris Hermes.
“Regulating marijuana is simply the right thing to do. —Melissa Etheridge
Control Freak
benefits. In contrast, cocaine and crystal meth claim enough medical value for Schedule II status, while opioid-based Vicodin is Schedule III. The ASA wants cannabis moved to a Schedule III status or higher (up to Schedule V), and several medical groups support them, including the American Medical Association (AMA). The government itself appears divided on the issue considering the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes on Health (NIH), recently added cannabis to its list of Complementary Alternative Medicines. “By placing marijuana in any other schedule, the application process for conducting controlled studies on the medicinal benefits and obtaining researchgrade marijuana with which to perform the studies would not be as problematic as they currently are,” explains Hermes. “Research on Schedule I substances must undergo a stringent approval process overseen by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which prioritizes studies
We can thank Nixon for the Controlled Substances Act—the statute he pushed Congress to approve that pretty much paved the way for the War on Drugs. According to the act, a drug in the Schedule I category has a “high potential for abuse” and “has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.” No prescriptions can be written for Schedule I drugs. This is the government’s way of saying marijuana is as dangerous as heroin, Ecstasy and date-rape drug GHB.
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on the supposed negative effects of marijuana.” In essence, a new schedule allows for more in-depth medical research, and doctors would be able to prescribe marijuana in the 17 states that allow for medical use without fear of federal reprisal. In 2010, a national ABC News/ Washington Post poll found that 81 percent of the country supports legalizing medical use, yet the government stubbornly resists. “Part of the resistance is to maintain and increase law enforcement budgets; part of it is the stated role of the so-called drug czar; and part of it is the moral righteousness that drives much of the federal policy on marijuana and obstructs the development of a sensible public health policy,” Hermes adds. A three-judge panel heard the case, and the decision will be issued in the coming months. Regardless, the case could ultimately land in the Supreme Court. c
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BUZZ
Aaron Sandusky Trial
Keep Hope
Alive
The former dispensary operator never had a chance to defend himself or cite California’s MMJ laws {By Jasen T. Davis} On Friday, Oct. 12 at 7:45 am, Aaron Sandusky quietly stood on the steps of the Los Angeles court building while friends, family and members of the press gathered around him. Under a strict gag order by Judge Percy Anderson, Sandusky was unable to comment on his own future, hours before a jury would decide if he would go to jail for the rest of his life. Eight months ago Aaron Sandusky owned and operated three “G3 Holistic, Inc.” medical cannabis cooperatives Upland, Colton and Moreno Valley (plus a grow house in Ontario). Last June Sandusky, his brother and several other members of his company were arrested and indicted on federal charges related to cannabis including drug-trafficking, conspiracy to manufacture and possession with intent to distribute. Inside the court building Sandusky, friends and family waited 22 CULTURE • NOVEMBER 2012
for the jury’s decision. Many of them felt that Judge Anderson’s gag order had kept Sandusky from properly defending himself in a court of law. “If you take away what a man says, and then take away what a man writes,” one activist said, “what does he have left to defend himself with?” Sandusky had often stated (prior to the gag order) that he would not have tried operating a medical cannabis collective if President Obama had not promised that he wouldn’t raid collectives operating legally within state law. Even so, the judge would not permit the jury to hear it. At one point the jury asked Judge Anderson if half of them couldn’t come to a unanimous decision, would Sandusky be found not guilty. Without any further explanation about the other options, which could include either a mistrial or even the option of jury
nullification, the judge bluntly told the jury members, “No.” Shortly before passing sentence the jury asked if they could once again hear Sandusky’s testimony. Judge Anderson agreed, but would not permit them to hear any part that described Obama’s promise not to raid medical cannabis collectives that were operating within state law. Another crucial piece of evidence was that apparently before Sandusky was raided he was actually visited by federal agents, who told the business owner that since he was complying with state law he had nothing to fear. “He had a videotape of the FBI agents asking questions and telling him he had nothing to worry about,” says Joe Grumbine, a friend of Sandusky and social activist for The Human Solution (www. the-human-solution.org) who was a witness to the trial. The jury was never allowed to hear it.”
Sandusky is currently in federal custody in Alameda. Sandusky will soon be able to communicate with the outside world. “I’ll be able to email him soon,” friend and fellow activist Joe Grumbine says. “We’re setting up an address at The Human Solution website so people can write letters to him and send food, money and other items to help him out.”
Sandusky’s defense counsel wanted the jury to hear the entire statement, arguing that it might change their minds before they issued a verdict, but Sandusky’s words were stricken from the official court record. After the jury listened to the heavily redacted version of Sandusky’s opening statement, they reconvened, obviously confused by what they had just heard. Later on that afternoon they came back with a verdict. Sandusky was found guilty of, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, “one count of conspiracy to manufacture marijuana plants, to possess with intent to distribute marijuana plants, and to maintain a drug-involved premises; and one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana plants.” The jury could not decide on four other charges. Sandusky’s sentencing hearing has been set for Jan. 7, 2013. c
Photo by Kayleigh Ashworth
The
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FLASH
The True “Green”Candidate
Green Party nominee Jill Stein stumps for sensible cannabis policy {By Tommy Purvis} Dr. Jill Stein, the Green Party nominee for President of the United States, says, if elected, her administration would reverse President Obama’s escalation of the cannabis war and quickly legalize the medical use of marijuana—a move already pioneered by 17 states (plus Washington, D.C.). Her administration would also move to permit general sales under a suitable regulatory framework. “Marijuana is a substance that’s dangerous because it’s illegal, it’s not illegal because it’s dangerous.” Stein told CULTURE in an exclusive interview on the campaign trail. The Harvard Medical School graduate and relentless public health advocate—who serves on the board of the greater Boston area Physicians for Social
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Responsibility—says her administration would end this ineffective and costly prohibition. Stein also said that her progressive policies would regulate marijuana in a similar way to alcohol, and begin to treat drug use as a public health problem, not a criminal problem.
Legalization would prevent billions of dollars in profits from pouring into the black market, Stein says. It would also greatly reduce violence associated with illegal sales, and reduce underage marijuana use. She says allowing commercial operations to pay appropriate marijuana taxes
Bush Strokes Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein doesn’t hold back when faulting our current president: “President Obama promised to use a science-based approach to public policy,” she said. “But when it comes to marijuana, he has continued the unscientific policies of George Bush, and has even gone far beyond Bush in his attacks upon medical marijuana clinics. He supports the irrational classification of marijuana in the most dangerous drug category, and he supports the ban on commercial hemp growing. This is mania-based policy, not science-based policy.”
can balance budgets and fund programs to reduce drug abuse. Stein says it is offensive that taxpayers are paying up to $50,000 a year to incarcerate non-violent recreational drug users. “It’s just shocking how Obama has abandoned good sense, common sense and decency on this, and sought to criminalize people who are doing the right thing by serving an urgent medical need,” she says. In order to offer relief to hundreds of thousands of patients suffering from chronic pain and cancer who benefit from the availability of medical marijuana under state laws, Stein says that her administration would order the DEA and the Justice Department to immediately cease and desist all harrassment and prosecution of state-recognized medical marijuana dispensaries or other legitimate marijuanarelated operations. Stein says she would instruct the DEA to do something else even more “radical”—base the scheduling of drugs on science. There’s no reason for marijuana to be classified as a Schedule I substance, which essentially says it is considered as dangerous and without medical value like LSD and heroin, she says Stein says her administration’s policies would reflect marijuana’s standing is an important and critical resource that would also liberate hemp for commercial use. In a speech this past April to tens of thousands of marijuana reform advocates at a 420 rally in Denver, the environmental health pioneer took the Obama administration to task for raids on dispensaries and caregivers. The presidential hopeful also criticizes Obama for promoting a George W. Bush appointee (and rabid drug warrior), Michele Leonhart, as head of the DEA. “This crazy, racist, failed war on drugs starting with the criminalization of marijuana would be over. It would be over,” Stein says if she were to be elected. “The minute you legalize marijuana, and you stop the prohibition against it, then the danger goes out of it.” c
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BUZZ
Ron English is a famed New York artist with a fierce eye for blistering corporate parody. The general public might know English from his “Fat Ronald” images in Super Size Me or his recent guest spot (likeness and voice) on The Simpsons. Art fans know English as a prolific painter with a colorful history of pirated billboards (google “Ron English John McCain” and “Think Different Charles Manson” for classic examples), culture-jamming pranks and socially relevant toys. Noted street-art magazine Juxtapoz made him the guest editor for the upcoming November issue, which is the same month English debuts his new art show at the Opera Gallery in Manhattan. CULTURE readers, however, will be most interested in the artist’s latest act of culture jamming. Imitating brand-name packaging, English created alternate cannabiscuisine labeling and attached it to actual products on the supermarket shelves. Goodbye Duncan Hines; hello Duncan High’s “wake and bake” brownies!
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What inspired you to make these cannabis-food labels? I wanted to imagine, “What would the world look like if pot was legal?” I wanted to give people that image, so we did labels like Aunt Jamaica’s hash oil, made them into fake products and put them in the stores. People bought the products and took them home, though of course they didn’t get high. The point is, “How different will your life be if marijuana was legal?” It also shows that American companies will be able to make money off it, and it doesn’t seem that evil if it’s in the store. There’s Budweiser, and there’s Aunt Jamaica’s hash oil, and the world is still rolling along. How did people respond? When we did it, people got excited thinking they finally legalized pot. One guy said he bought it and wanted to see the clerk’s reaction. The clerk looked at it and said, “Huh? Who knew?” It would be Duncan Hines normal brownie mix, but we just changed the label. We would buy them, take them back to the gallery or wherever, put the labels on and then return them to the stores. We got them into maybe 10 supermarkets. It’s usually when I travel. When I was in L.A., I put them in L.A. and Santa Monica markets. We are planning to do it as an open source. We put the files on our website, you can download your favorite label, go to your supermarket and do whatever you want to do with it. Any problems? I was a little concerned because you are tampering with food products, but it gets people right where they are at. That is the issue I have with Dread Scott (the controversial artist whose 1989 American flag art earned national scorn from President George H.W. Bush and others). He does all his art in galleries. It’s a small group of people who go to galleries, and they are all liberals anyway. Whose minds are you going to change there? Sometimes you have to go out to where the people are. What do you think of the medical marijuana movement? I just think people are realizing that marijuana is supposed to be legal. It would be beneficial to everyone if it was legal, but what is the process to make that happen? If you want to deny some farmer in California the ability to grow and sell marijuana and give that power to armed-to-the-teeth drug cartels, um, okay. Maybe you want to take marijuana away from Ron the artist to make sure he doesn’t have any more creative ideas, but would you be willing to take it away from a guy dying of cancer even though it helps alleviate his pain? Are you that much of an asshole? I don’t smoke pot, I don’t like it, and I generally don’t like people who smoke because they tend to talk about a lot of ideas and never follow through with them. Still, people are perfectly okay with alcohol being legal. No one says, “I don’t like beer, so Ron can’t have a beer,” and yet alcohol is a lot more detrimental to society. Your upcoming NYC show is titled “Crucial Fiction.” Tell me about it. This year I seem to be obsessed with my childhood. I remember being 7 years old digging a hole in the backyard, and there was a whole layer of imagination on top of everything. I made art then, but I was incompetent at it. I thought, what if I went to work for that 7-year-old and used all the skills I have developed over the last 40 or 50 years? What was he imagining? What was he seeing? I essentially revisited my old self and asked, “What would you like me to paint?” c www.popaganda.com
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BUZZ
What’s Your Number? What potency and percentages mean for patients {By Rev. Dr. Kymron deCesare} Potency applies to all cannabinoids and terpenoids in the plant, yet for most folks, potency means the concentration of marijuana’s main active ingredient, THC. Potency is most commonly reported as a percentage of the total weight of cannabis. In edible forms of cannabis therapy, potency is measured in either milligrams/gram (solids), or milligrams/milliliter (liquids). A flower with 10 percent THC would contain 100 milligrams (or mg) of THC per gram of flower. Cannabis naturally produces THCa (THC acid), which when heated is converted into THC. Even under ideal heating conditions, at most only 62 percent of the THCa is converted to THC, and under poor conditions, less than 50 percent. Most high quality flowers analyzed have a potency range
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of 18 to 25 percent THCa, which yields between 11 to 16 percent THC. However plants measuring as high as 32 to 33 percent THCa (20 percent THC) are reported. This means the maximum potency of THC available in flowers is about 20 percent, with the average being between 10 and 15 percent. This also means that claims of THC potency at or above 20 percent are questionable, even if reported by laboratory testing: either what’s being reported is in fact THCa or the testing method is in error. Back in the late 1960s the potency range was only 1 to 3 percent. Like many medicinal remedies and pharmaceuticals, different amounts of THC have different effects on the body. As an example, low dosages of THC improve appetite, whereas high doses do not. As a result, when a patient begins getting
high, they feel hungry, with appetite decreasing with increased psycho activity, and again later as the high decreases, they feel hungry again. In another words, if a patient wants to improve appetite, they need to maintain a low dosage of THC. The amount of THC needed depends on frequency of usage and the amount of tolerance built up by the patient’s body. Inhaling cannabis brings on rapid, obvious effects, allowing the patient to easily
and quickly self titrate their needed dosage. Ingested cannabis has an initial delay of onset of about 35 to 45 minutes, with full effects noted within 2 hours. This means selecting initial dosages requires more careful planning to avoid over dosing. For the average patient eating cannabis, 15mg (10mg to 25mg) is considered an average single dose. For a patient new to cannabis therapy, 2.5mg to 5mg is a more appropriate dose, whereas for intensive therapy (cancer or AIDS, for example), 35 to 60mg may be needed. Eventually the cannabinoid (CB) receptors in the brain get worn out from overload, tolerance in the body builds up and more THC is required to get the same psychoactive effect. To reduce tolerance, the body must be purged of THC. The half-life of THC in the body is about 11 hours, which is why it takes days to excrete all the THC in the body. Potency is most often determined using either liquid chromatography or gas chromatography (lc-ms, gc-ms). The chromagraphic column of the instrument first separates the individual cannabinoids in the sample. Different cannabinoids are either more or less attracted to the column, allowing them to travel through the column at different rates, thereby separating them. After being separated, each compound is passed before a detector to determine what it is and how much is present in the sample. c Rev. Dr. Kymron deCesare manages and operates the general chemistry laboratory courses at UC Davis and is the lab manager at Halent Laboratories in Sacramento. You can find out more at www. halent.com. Halent safety tests all samples it receives.
Method to the Gladness
Potency also depends on the method of consumption. Depending on whether the cannabis is inhaled or eaten, it’s absorbed and used by the body in different ways. This is why people sometimes become sick with nausea and vomiting from eating cannabis, but only very rarely from smoking it.
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BUZZ
{By David Downs}
Fresh squeezed or concentrate? The choice has come to the world of herb. Over the last two years, concentrates (concentrated forms of cannabis such as hash, “wax,” “oil,” etc.) have emerged as a huge trend in medical marijuana states, industry experts say. Whether it’s by dry-screening, coldwater sieving or other means, concentrating the therapeutic molecules in marijuana has opened up new treatment vistas for patients. But it’s bringing along it’s own set of baggage. CULTURE stands ready to hash this out.
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34 CULTURE • NOVEMBER 2012
Two major, active ingredients in pot—THC and CBD—have been shown in a number of studies to treat nausea, vomiting and cancer pain, as well as slow the progression of AIDS. Cannabis also treats muscle spasticity, chronic pain, depression and anxiety, and the list of indications for the molecules in cannabis seems to grow yearly. Concentrating cannabis boosts the presence of pot’s active ingredients. Where flowers may test at 15 percent THC by dry weight, a strong concentrate can push 70 percent THC. “When done right, it’s the purest form of medical marijuana, and way stronger than bud,” California cancer survivor and activist Angel
Raich says. “We know it helps.” Patients sprinkle hash atop flowers in pipes, or vaporize waxes and oils using a variety of methods. Concentrate users inhale less smoke, or none at all. “It’s a lot healthier,” Raich adds. Electric vaporizers shrunk to the size of a pen (often called “pen vapes”) now offer completely innocuous medicating. “It gives you the ability to basically go anywhere and have your meds,” she says. Concentrated cannabis, combined with micro-vaporizers “are one of the more medically promising things to come out,” says Josh Wurzer, co-founder of SC Laboratory—a cannabis lab in Capitola.
But when manufacturers concentrate cannabis, they can concentrate both the good and the bad. Contamination, residual solvents and becoming overly medicated (too high) are all reasons to exercise caution, says Jeffrey C. Raber, head of The Werc Shop, a cannabis lab serving Southern California. Spider mites and other critters can colonize marijuana grown indoors. Fly-by-night producers may douse colonized plants in pesticides to save an infected crop and thousands of dollars in profit. Mold, fungi and bacteria present in the raw plant can become concentrated through dry sieving, or wet screening. Pathogens can also grow on wet “bubble hash,” or afterward. Buyers get such microbes on their hands and paraphernalia, and can inhale their spores. “It has not been pretty,” Raber says. “We’ve seen a considerable amount of bacteria, mold and pesticides. About 25 to 30 percent of stuff fails.”
“Contamination is a serious issue,” he says. “I am concerned.” Making concentrates using solvents (such as butane, used to make Butane Hash Oil, or BHO) has also increased over the last two years, Wurzer, Raber and Raich all say. About 10 to 15 percent of concentrates tested at SC Labs fail inspection, due to the presence of detectable levels of butane, Wurzer said. Butane is by far the most common culprit, but amateurs are making concentrates with hexane and consumer-grade propane, which contains sulfur compound mercaptan. “That’s bad for you,” Wurzer says. “A lot of this stuff is made in garages,” Raber adds. Even pure, clean concentrates can be problematic, simply because patients can end up too medicated. THC tolerance varies, but high doses can lead to feelings of nausea, a racing pulse and anxiety. In such cases, keep calm, it’ll pass shortly. Unlike alcohol, you can’t die from eating or inhaling too much THC.
Experts say practicing safe concentrate use is a matter of using one’s brain, enforcing personal standards and pushing for industry standards. Know the sources of your concentrates. If feasible, grow and process the material yourself. For those too busy or sick, purchase flowers and concentrates from growers and clubs that participate in voluntary certification programs like “Clean Green.” Patronize licensed, regulated dispensaries that test all their products. Read online reviews, and think twice about unregulated clubs. Raber says, “patients think, ‘I’ll just try this new place.’ [But] some of the places I’ve seen in L.A.—it’s not clean. Some of our tests confirmed that.” Self-screen concentrates for microbes, and other contamination. Cold-water extracts shouldn’t smell or look moldy. Hash oils, waxes and taffy shouldn’t crackle when heated. “If it crackles, it’s got butane in it.
Dump it,” Raich says. Seek out advanced concentrates made using carbon dioxide or nitrogen as the solvent. Both elements evaporate to form air, and are inert. Lobby local, state and federal representatives for sensible regulations, activists say. Pot’s quasi-legality slows down adoption of basic quality control standards. “It makes everybody hesitant to do anything,” Raber says. “The lack of regulations is more dangerous than butane extraction done right,” Wurzer adds. And share information. “People say, ‘I never thought of it.’ They just assume it might never even be in there,” Raber says. A patient himself, he won’t touch anything that hasn’t passed inspection. “I say, ‘Nope. Thanks.’ It’s definitely changed our perspective. When you see that much? Man, no way. You can keep it.” c
NOVEMBER 2012 • CULTURE 35
BUZZ
War Home
The at
Eugene Jarecki’s THE House I Live In paints the War on DRUGS as a costly failure {By Logan Nakyanzi Pollard}
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stand how we’ve gotten to the place where nationwide the country has a trail of stories of young blacks killed by cops or those in authority. The deaths of Kendrec McDade, Treyvon Martin, Derek Williams and Chavis Carter are just the latest in this sad story. Jarecki is known for asking tough questions, and his latest film is no exception. As the film aptly quotes, “40 years, $1 trillion, 45 million arrests.” “How did we get here?” said Jarecki when asked about the driving question behind making this film. “The problem I face is people don’t know—so few people have it on their radar.” When I met with Jarecki, he referred to the Drug War as, “immoral,” something that “yielded no public good.” It’s an ironic turn of phrase, given this nation’s historical preoccupation with morality. Prohibition, for example was deeply rooted in moral concerns. Even the War on Drugs has connections to a moral impulse. President Richard Nixon, after all, declared a war
Say What?
I was reminded of Eugene Jarecki’s The House I Live In while driving home to Pasadena recently. The latest film by the New York-based author and documentary filmmaker, whose works include Why We Fight, The Trials of Henry Kissinger, Reagan and Freakonomics, is a condemnation of America’s failed “War on Drugs.” Not because the war hasn’t made arrests or jailed people. It has—disproportionate numbers of people of color. But precisely because it’s been so successful at that, all the while the demand for and the trade of drugs has grown. These social realities became more apparent than ever to me when I watched from my car as a cop car pulled up alongside a trio of white teens on foot. The car stopped so the cop could eye the kids suspiciously. The boys looked back and then sauntered off. From firsthand experience, I know young black teens would probably not have been so blasé—or lucky—in a similar situation. More than likely, they all would have been detained and one or all of them would have been arrested for something, anything, even if they weren’t holding illegal drugs. From where I sit as a black woman, it’s not hard to under-
“My mother is from Amsterdam, so marijuana is definitely something my brother and I were exposed to growing up.” —Neve Campbell
on drug abuse in the early 1970s. There was a concern for those plagued by addiction in that statement, even if it went haywire. With the help of the leadership of successive presidents, Nixon’s war would morph into a situation in which today the nation’s prison population has grown by 705 percent, with 1 in 100 adults behind bars. Marijuana, in particular, has become a kind of cause célèbre these days. The failed Drug War is repeated often in the same breath as the terms “medical marijuana” or “pot dispensaries.” Is the Drug War a failure? Of course it is. And this punitive war has only served to ensnare working poor and minori-
ties, particularly blacks, in a cycle of self-destruction, as men and women get lost to incarceration. While Jarecki supports changing current drugs laws, he says “the public cannot look to a potential leader to change this.” Change rests with us. c
Homeland
Insecurity
The House I Live In takes us through the history of drug use in the U.S. and how historically the recreational use of drugs was tolerated among the affluent, but punished among the poor— from immigrant Chinese workers using opium, to Mexican laborers smoking marijuana. Jarecki’s film seeks to chronicle the inconsistent and discriminatory history behind drug policy. It shows how the poor and people of color have been unequally treated under the law. It suggests that we need better laws and treatment alternatives for those impacted.
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BUZZ
Medical cannabis patients have some tough choices to make in the ballot booth this month. Should they cast their vote for a presidential candidate who best represents their views on marijuana or for one who has a hope in hell of winning? Nevertheless, your vote does matter. Regardless of whether it’s not enough to push pro-MMJ candidates over the top, every ballot cast in favor of a candidate with enlightened views on cannabis sends a message to the political powers that be, and, believe it or not, they really do pay attention to these things. So let’s take a look at the records and statements of the 2012 candidates begging for your vote. For the congressional races, we’ll focus only on the ones that are both of particular interest to the MMJ community and remain toss-ups as of press time.
Flip-flopper. But you already knew that, right?
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“I’m sorry, I don’t support medical marijuana being legal,” he once said. The prosecution rests.
Few can say former Republican governor of New Mexico-turned-Libertarian Party standard-bearer Gary Johnson doesn’t speak the language of the medical cannabis community. Not only has he declared the War on Drugs a colossal failure and promised to end it by lifting prohibition on all drugs and industrial hemp, but he chose retired Orange County judge Jim Gray as his running mate—and no one can honestly say Gray is anything but a champion and hero to the MMJ community. In an interview with CULTURE, Gray promises his boss would repeal the Controlled Substances Act, regulate cannabis like alcohol, withdraw from its anti-drug treaty obligations and even institute a commission to review the sentences of federal inmates convicted of nonviolent drug crimes. “If anyone is interested in having medical marijuana dispensaries in our country, their only hope for survival is to elect Gov. Johnson,” Gray says. Then again, Libertarian Johnson also promises to cut Medicare and Social Security by 40 percent and “scale back” U.S. involvement in the United Nations. So there’s that.
The Greens have long called for an end to the prohibition on cannabis, and their 2012 presidential candidate, Jill Stein, is as green as they come. Stein reiterated her fiercely anti-prohibition views in an interview with CULTURE, promising—if elected—to fully legalize pot; instruct the DEA to base its drug scheduling policies on science, rather than, well, whatever they currently base it on; withdraw from the anti-pot Single Convention on Narcotics; and end the Obama-era raids on dispensaries, which as a practice she described as “unfortunate and inhumane.” Her views on industrial hemp are particularly revealing: She would not only legalize it, but do so with an eye toward small hemp growers and operations, ensuring “it not be legalized in a way that makes it subject to monopolization by large growers.” In other words, drug reform done smart—how refreshing. That said, Stein is polling in the low, low single digits. No matter how much we love her, she’s no election-spoiling Ralph Nader à la 2000.
Attempts to reach the longtime incumbent senator were met by blankfaced stone-walling, and, over the years, that’s exactly what the MMJ community has come to expect from Dianne Feinstein. Raise your hand if you, too, have received one of her patented form letters expressing compassion for the plight of medical cannabis patients and her continued unwillingness to address that plight because “marijuana remains illegal under federal law.” Compassionate detachment—that’s the good senator’s policy when it comes to her patient constituents’ need for safe access to their cannabis medicine. It’s also why a vote for Feinstein is a vote contrary to the interests of the medical cannabis community.
The Republican Party’s 2012 sacrificial lamb, I mean California Senate candidate has much to say about gay marriage being bad and abortion being worse and Obama being the worst of all possible worseness, but she apparently has nothing to say—zip, zero, a big empty nada—about medical cannabis issues. When submitted lists of questions on the subject by the Drug Policy Forum of California, Project Vote Smart and Vote CA, Emken responded with the political equivalent of “A dog ate my homework.” Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe it’s bad: Why knows? But one thing we do know is Emken ain’t gonna win on the 6th, so it’s kind of a moot point, anyway.
Ami Bera (Democrat) and Dan Lungren (Republican) are locked in a deathstruggle for this seat, so close in the polls that a barbershop quartet could put one or the other over the top. So, Sacramento medical marijuana fans, now’s the time to get some sweet payback for Lungren busting Dennis Peron’s pot club back when he was attorney general. Bera has been kind of iffy on the question of MMJ, but he’s not Lungren. Go, Ami!
Let’s get serious, folks—Rep. Pete Stark, a longtime ally of medical cannabis patients, is in the fight of his political life against challenger and fellow Democrat Eric Swalwell due to redistricting. No disrespect to Swalwell, who says he also supports medical marijuana, but let’s dance with the one who brung us: Stark has an impressive record of pushing forward and supporting legislation of great importance to the MMJ community. Swalwell, meanwhile, is an ex-prosecutor beloved of law enforcement. With fellow stalwarts Barney Frank and Ron Paul retiring from Congress, we can’t afford to lose Pete or take a chance on an unknown. c NOVEMBER 2012 • CULTURE 39
TUNES
Ties That Bind
Space
Baller
Photo by Kai Reagan/ALLDAYEVERYDAY
Solo tours aside, GZA says the bond between him and the rest of Wu-Tang’s members is unbreakable. He brushes off the subject of infighting. “We’re family,” he says. “There’s no separation. Of course every group is going to have problems. And there’s been stuff in the air. There’s been stuff online. It happens, man. Sometimes you just gotta go through it and deal with it.”
Wu-Tang lyrical swordsman GZA prepares a “galactic adventure” {By Liquid Todd} With a spacy new album set to drop early next year, Wu-Tang Clan founding member GZA is looking towards the future, but on his current tour The Genius is performing songs that came out when most of the people in the club were still learning to crawl. “I’ve been doing the Liquid Swords, mostly,” he explains. “Promoters are hiring me to do that album. The interesting thing about it is the album is 17 years old, and a lot of the times most of the audience is 17 years old. And knowing every word.” When it was released in late 1995, GZA’s second solo album shot
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up the Billboard Hot 100 chart— peaking at No. 9—and was certified gold a few months later. Universal recently reissued a two-CD box set version of Liquid Swords, complete with a mini chess set and an instrumental version of the album. “One of the good things about performing the Liquid Swords album I have every single (Wu-Tang) Clan member on that album, but when I perform it they’re not really missed even if they’re not there because off that album I have nine solos.” As his fans are well aware, besides the occasional WuTang member GZA shuns guest appearances on his solo albums, and his forthcoming release, Dark Matter, is no exception. “I’m used to that,” he says. “Knocking out albums. I come from that era. Nowadays artists have so many guest features that it doesn’t really even seem like it’s their album.” According to GZA, Dark Matter isn’t designed to be performed in clubs—but is instead more of a “listening album.” “It’s a cosmic journey through the universe,” he says. “A galactic adventure. A real interesting story.” But GZA explains that his new album is inspired more by Stephen Hawking than Luke Skywalker.
“I’m not really into science fiction, but I’m into science. I’ve always been fascinated with science. Since I was young,” he says. “On this album I’m not studying it. I’m not coming at you like I’m an astrophysicist. It’s just like me telling cold world stories. It’s just very descriptive.” As you’d expect from an artist often called the “spiritual head” of the Wu-Tang Clan, GZA has an enlightened view on medical marijuana. “Keep hope alive. That’s what’s up. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with marijuana. Even if you smoke too much all it does is make you lazy and laid-back. From what I hear it helps people—as far as medical purposes,” he says. Although he’s currently on sabbatical from the herb (“Every now and then I take breaks.”) he is clearly a man who enjoys the medicine. And when the subject of edibles comes up GZA gets animated. “Man they got brownies and lemonades and teas and velvet cakes! All kinds of stuff,” he says. “And when it kicks in . . . it kicks in. You won’t know it until you’re putting the remote control in the refrigerator. It may not even be anything that extreme. You may just be using the remote from the TV to turn on the radio.” c
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TUNES
Nitty Kitty Dirt Band So what does a heavy metal drummer do besides practicing the art of the blastbeat? How about rescuing kitties? Obituary metronome Donald Tardy founded MetalMeowlisha, an up-and-coming organization in Tampa that cares for abandoned, homeless cats. “Overpopulation among cats is a big problem,“ he says. ” What we do is find colonies of feral cats and take care of them. We neuter them, vaccinate them and release them back into the wild. We also provide food and water for them on a regular basis. Some people don’t understand this. By just putting animals to sleep, we are not stopping the breeding cycle; this will make a difference by fixing these animals.”
Night of the
Living Shred Obituary breathes new life into its death metal ways {By Alex Distefano}
Ask anyone into death metal about the genre’s best albums, and Obituary’s Slowly We Rot is bound to come up in the conversation. Released in 1989 by the Tampa, Florida-based band, this landmark record reinvigorated a sound, and continues to influence extreme music worldwide. With a musical style that varied in tempo compared to the other big acts in death
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metal from Florida—including Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel and Deicide—Obituary is just as successful over 20 years later. Obituary’s current line includes vocalist John Tardy and drummer (and brother) Donald Tardy, bassist Terry Butler and guitarist Trevor Peres. Donald Tardy spoke with CULTURE about the band’s first U.S. tour in three years, Obituary’s legacy and its early marijuana use.
“I can’t say we invented metal—or even death metal,” Tardy says. “There were others before us and [there] will be others after us. I’m proud of what we’ve done as a band. The albums speak for themselves, especially our first records. Obituary is one of the godfathers of the death metal movement.” Obituary last month kicked off its first U.S. tour since 2009. “It’s been 20 years since our first four albums, so we decided to do something special, so we created the Carnival of Death tour package,” says Tardy. The tour will feature headliner Obituary alongside reunited Chicago death metal band Broken Hope, Jungle Rot, Decrepit Birth and Encrust. The band is performing songs only from its first three albums: Slowly We Rot, Cause of Death and The End Complete. “Some of these songs we have never played live, so this is going to be sick!” the band declared on its website. “We hope the fans will dig it,” Tardy says. “We know it will be
special. We reached out to all of our fans on our social networking sites, and this is what they wanted.” Tardy admits band members used to be “stoners” when they were younger. But nowadays, Obituary is more focused on bringing death metal to the masses. “We don’t smoke as much weed as we used to,” Tardy admits. “We’re all in our 40s now. But back in the day there was nothing better than burning joints and listening to Slayer. That’s why we are a band. There is still something to the creative side of it, and, yeah, once in a while we take hits and write songs and get into the music.” Being a musician requires some professionalism, he says. “It is a business and most people think it’s all about partying, but it’s not. To be a successful band it’s about putting in the hard work and how much you get to tour and play shows throughout the year.” c www.obituary.cc
NOVEMBER 2012 • CULTURE 43
TUNES
Eternally Tough {By Dan MacIntosh} Asking Alexandria is billed as one of the top headliners for California Metalfest VI, a multiact celebration (also featuring Killswitch Engage) of heavy music scheduled to pulverize San Bernardino Nov. 24. But don’t expect the same old rehashed heavy metal riffs from this adventurous British act. For instance, a song like “Closure,” from 2011’s Reckless & Relentless, stealthily mixes electronic musical elements into a solid metal foundation, and creates something unique, yet still strangely familiar. “I think music is something you can’t limit,” guitarist Ben Bruce explains, “whether it’s metal or blues or jazz or electronic music. It got to the point where metal, in particular, was getting stale to me. But you’ve got to overstep some boundaries and make some leaps, like when the Scorpions or Metallica did shows with a full orchestra. That was awesome! It was inspiring. It was thinking outside the box. And I think adding electronic elements to music—to metal music in particular—is another step in the right direction to creating a sort of
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new sound in metal again.” Asking Alexandria will be making its own musical leaps at Metalfest, a huge, all-day festival that goes far to prove metal’s enduring popularity. While the struggling American economy has stunted the growth, and even forced cancellation of some touring festivals, metal at times appears to be impervious to economic woes. Much like the steel it’s named after, metal is simply time-tested and eternally tough—perhaps even recession-proof? “I think, honestly, that metal is one of the most honest genres out there at the moment, in terms of mainstream appeal” Bruce says, when asked to comment on metal’s continuing popularity. “You can listen to pop songs, and they can be good songs, real catchy and make you feel good and you may want to sing along for a while. But they don’t really bear much substance a lot of the time. When you look at the genre of rock or metal, it really resonates with people. There are a lot of pissed-off, angry people out there that are struggling, and this metal provides them with a raw energy and an aggression and an outlet.
for Asking Alexandria
You can go to a rock concert, and honestly let your hair down and anything goes. You just go for a good time. You can just thrash around, jump around. Everyone’s there for the same reason and there’s just a really cool energy that a lot of the other genres don’t get. Whether it’s heavy metal, where’s there [are] circle pits and
mosh pits, or even if it’s, like, a classic rock band, everyone’s wailing lyrics at the top of their lungs and the whole aura of a show like that is just incredible.”
IN CONCERT
Appearing Nov. 24 at the National Orange Show Events Center in San Bernardino.
Rock
Freedom
Real-deal metal never gets old
While Asking Alexandria vocalist Ben Bruce admits that Asking Alexandria has allowed its partying inclinations to get a little out of hand now and again, he doesn’t believe marijuana should be restricted, whether it’s being used for medical or recreational purposes. “I don’t smoke weed personally, I never really have gotten into weed,” Bruce says, “but I never would have made it illegal in the first place . . . I think it should be legalized and people should just be able to smoke it. For a lot of people, it does calm them down and help them with anxiety and stress. And some people just like to do it recreationally to calm down and chill out for a little bit. I don’t see why it’s such a big deal.”
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Patients come from all walks of life—and suffer from all kinds of ailments. But we all come together at our local dispensary or access point to get our relief-providing meds. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to act. Here are some pointers about what you should and shouldn’t do when it comes time to secure medical cannabis from a caregiver.
Be prepared. Have your doctor’s recommendation, paperwork, ID, cash, etc. ready. Don’t be that guy.
Be discreet and respectful in the waiting room as well as the medicine room. Remember, this is a place where patients secure their medicine—not a club house or kick-it spot.
Never consume medicine on-site. Never. Ever.
Don’t open your container or bag of medicine (or edibles) in the parking lot or on the property. Put your medicine in your trunk and drive straight to your destination.
Illustration by Vidal Diaz
NOVEMBER 2012 • CULTURE 47
75
By Meital Manzuri
Say What?
legal corner
“Smoking [marijuana] helped put me in touch with the realm of the senses.” —Hugh Hefner
Years of Prohibition—
Is the End Really in Sight?
Although Nixon’s War on Drugs began in the 1970s, on Oct. 1, 1937 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Marihuana Tax, which criminally outlawed the possession and cultivation of cannabis—setting in motion the federal government’s foray into the criminal enforcement of marijuana laws which continues unabated today. As a result, there are approximately 850,000 arrests a year and there have been more than 20 million arrests since 1965 (See FBI annual Uniform Crime Report). Not only is the human cost high for this failed war, but so is the financial one. In California alone, experts conservatively estimate marijuana is approximately a $4-$6 billion dollar industry. Nationally, marijuana is the fourth or fifth largest cash crop. Furthermore, enforcement of marijuana related crimes cost approximately $10-$15 billion dollars a year. Therefore, considering the cost of enforcement, the United States would enjoy a boost of approximately $30-$40 billion dollars a year if marijuana were legalized. In this economy, who can ignore those numbers?
regulation. Seventeen states have enacted medical marijuana laws and 14 have decriminalized it. That means that nearly one-third of Americans live in a city or state where marijuana is either decriminalized or medicalized. Most exciting, though, is that on Nov. 6, voters in Colorado, Oregon and Washington will decide whether to allow for the limited legalization of cannabis for adults. According to the latest polls, voters in Colorado and Washington appear ready to take this historic step, while Oregonians remain closely divided on the issue.
For the first time ever, the majority of American people favor replacing the failed war on marijuana with legalization and
er exciting landmark on the federal level. For the first time in decades, a federal appeals court agreed to hear arguments surrounding the reclassification of marijuana. Under federal law, marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 narcotic—a drug without medical use and with a high potential for abuse. As a Schedule 1, its high classification puts marijuana in the same category as heroin and in a more restrictive category than cocaine, morphine or methamphetamine. During oral arguments, the DEA argued that not enough science exists to demonstrate a medical benefit and that marijuana is the most highly used drug in the U.S., and thus its potential for
Thankfully, Americans are finally wising up.
Progress In Federal Court. Last month marked anoth-
abuse is self-evident. ASA countered by presenting hundreds and hundreds of scientific studies to the contrary. News reports indicate that the judges and the audience appeared unmoved by the DEA’s excuses that the science is lacking to demonstrate a medical benefit. Although the appellate court will probably not rule on removing marijuana from the restrictive Schedule I status. It could, however, order the DEA to take a more in-depth look at the available evidence. If this happens, marijuana could be classified as a potentially useful drug that can be safely used under medical supervision.
The Feds Refuse Reform. Amidst all of this progress,
the U.S. Attorney General has been clear that even if voters legalize marijuana in one of these three states, the Obama administration will continue to enforce federal law. Similarly frustrating, the federal government is cracking down on dispensaries in Southern California. It gave 71 dispensaries in L.A. until late October to close their doors, “or else.” So here we are, two steps forward and one step back. To ensure we continue this battle forward, get involved today and we will see the end of prohibition.
Attorney Meital Manzuri is a medical marijuana expert, collective consultant and experienced criminal defense attorney. Those with questions about starting a collective or interested in scheduling a free consultation can call (310) 601-3140 or go to manzurilaw.com.
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NOVEMBER 2012 • CULTURE 49
strain & edible reviews GET YOUR CLICK HERE
www.iReadCulture.com
Blue Dream Reputedly bred from Blueberry and Haze, Blue Dream is one of those temperamental strains in which the quality is super-dependent on the talent of the grower. This particular sativa-dominant hybrid variety, from 7411 Lankershim in North Hollywood, was clearly produced by a gifted cultivist. Sea-foam green with touches of blood-orange hairs and with that bluish tinge from which the name is derived, Blue Dream buds are sticky to the touch and surprisingly light for a strain that packs such a punch. The aroma is sour with a nutty finish, while the flavor has almost bitter sweetness to it, like candied ginger. Blue Dream has a wellearned reputation for being a “workday” weed, and this iteration is no exception: The stone hits fast and goes deep, soothing sore muscles and relaxing jangled nerves like a talented masseuse, but it does all this without leaving you stupid and off-balance in the process. Considering all these qualities together, Blue Dream is perfect for patients who need to medicate before work: Sufferers of chronic arthritis, migraines and back injuries will find it especially helpful.
Hi-Pops I guess you can call this a hybrid. Someone took the Push-Up Pop concept and crossed it with an edible. Hi-Pops, available at Terra Holistics in Garden Grove, is the party responsible for this four-layer marvel that consists of various samples of sweet confection, each one with its own different potency level (courtesy of indica-fueled canna butter). Our advice: starting nibbling and work your way down . . . carefully. Start with the brown sugary-goodness of AmsterCake (59.8 mg of THC) on top. Next up is Bombastic Brownie (59 mg), then follow that up with semi-sweet chocolate goodness of Firework Fudge (32.5 mg). Last, but definitely not least is Yumchip Cookie (95 mg!). Since this edible is so strong, definitely consume one level at a time and judge the effects judiciously and carefully. Only the very seriously ill should consider eating the entire Hi-Pop. One more thing: Hi-Pops are so strong they’re insanely pungent. Store in an air-tight container for the sake of discretion.
Zen Skywalker OG We have to admit to feeling a bit biased in favor of this variety out the gate. CULTURE has long urged the MMJ community to show better judgment when naming strains, and Zen Skywalker OG is an especially beautiful name. That’s fortunate for us, because even if this particular strain had been named AssKissing Baby Monkey, we’d still have to praise it for its quality. An indica-dominant hybrid from Zen Collective in Garden Grove, it makes you sit up and say “howdy” the moment you smell it. The bouquet—what can only be described as a mix of exotic herbs and French perfume—is in itself a thing of beauty. The buds are gorgeous: pale green and amber, with big, diamond-shaped nugs radiating out from the center like leaves from a clover. While the strain, of course, is named for the dispensary promoting it, it might easily have been derived from the high it produces: A sensation of Zen-like tranquility and oneness with everything, not the least of which being the couch. We don’t know the THC count in this baby, but Zen Skywalker OG will lay you out flat and keep you there with a smile on your face for hours. It’s a great remedy for serious pain, and outstanding as a treatment for nausea, appetite suppression and vertigo.
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Royal OG Not that we could ever know, but this is probably the strain the Queen of England would smoke if Her Majesty moved to Southern California and registered as a patient. Bold, noble in appearance and commanding in intensity, Royal OG from Jade Lotus Society in Garden Grove is an outstanding example of what you can do by adding just a touch of sativa to fine-quality indica. The sharp-edged, deep-green and milk chocolate buds are big as walnuts and give off a heady aroma slightly reminiscent of rosemary. The smoke is cherry-sweet and clean, billowing in the pure whiteness one almost always sees from top-shelf marijuana. It burns hotter than what you may be used to, making it an excellent for pipe use. The stone distinguishes itself from other high-potency strains in its heaviness—like a weight gently pressing on your forehead and eyelids. This reviewer has sampled a lot of strains over the years, but Royal OG was the one that made this reviewer forget where he left his pants. The intensity of the stone is such that you’d wise to “use responsibly,” especially if you’re a patient with such serious illnesses as cancer, MS or HIV/ AIDS, or experience the painful effects of severe neuropathy, endometriosis or chronic migraines.
THT Edibles Mad Love Rice Krispies Treat Wow. Here’s a twist: A medible that doesn’t taste like, well, a medible. Patients will be abundantly surprised when they see the amazing line of THT Edibles currently available at The Healing Touch in Encino. Made by Royal Highness Chocolatiers, the THT Edibles currently in stock include bon bons, chocolate bars (“King Bar”) plus a very delightful item called Mad Love, which has got to be hands-down one of the best medicated Rice Krispies treat this CULTURE staffer has ever had the pleasure of sampling. To put it simply, this is one sweet, delicious treat that gets a sugary boost from the thick, rich chocolate coating. Also, many Rice Krispies treats are a pain to chew because the marshmallow that holds everything together is too tough and thick. Mad Love poses no such problems—it’s like buddah. THT Edibles come tested at 97.4 percent THC and 33.3 CBD, so you are getting top-of-the line potency and relief. Effects include that “warm glow” feeling, a pain-slaying body stone and some mild heaviness in the eyelids. Serious medicine for serious patients.
R1 Bubba Kush The masters in the service of the Chronic Pain Management Center in San Bernardino hit the sweet spot when they crossed The Pit with Crippled Rhino, producing a 100-percent indica with many of the cerebral properties of a sativa. The oval buds, fat as Concord grapes, have an unusual light motif to them—pale green leaves and golden blond hairs finely dusted with resin. The bouquet and taste is also quite unique—it took a while to figure out that the flavor at work here is akin to white wine: crisp and dry, with a sweet finish. R1 Bubba Kush comes on fast, producing a giddy, drifting sensation that, again, harkens to wine in all but the stumbling around part. Its heavy indica component settles deep into the bones, while the dash of sativa keeps you energized enough to really appreciate what’s happening. This is a very nuanced medicine, meaning that if you’re pain is severe—as with muscle injuries or PTSD—but you still have things to do, it’s a good remedy to have around.
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Photo courtesy of NBCUniversal
by Liquid Todd
Jay Leno has had a long history with late night television. Beginning in 1987, Leno was only substitute hosting for Johnny Carson on the show that would become synonymous with Leno’s name. Five years later, Leno began his reign over The Tonight Show sparking up controversy with David Letterman, then host of Late Night with David Letterman. This story would then forever be embedded in television history through a book and movie. In 2009, Leno’s contract with NBC for The Tonight Show expired and he was succeeded by Conan O’Brien, former host of the Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Leno went on to host a new show The Jay Leno Show, which debuted later that year. Then when
ratings weren’t as expected for both shows NBC began changing timeslots, which prompt O’Brien to issue a press release stating, “I believe that delaying The Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting.” In January 2010, O’Brien left The Tonight Show and Leno once again took the throne. Despite this long—sometimes convoluted—relationship with late night television . . . it was always his love of the stage that kept him going. In 2008, Leno was quoted saying that he was living solely off of his income as a stand-up comic. Now, he’s hitting the road once again and, just kicked off a series of standup gigs in Las Vegas, part of The Mirage Hotel Casino’s “Aces of Comedy” events through November 2013. CULTURE got a chance to talk to Jay about performing live, his love of standup and how it all relates to rebuilding automobile engines . . .
How are you? Tell a few jokes. Try to make a living. You spend a lot of time on the road and I noticed that most of your gigs are in casinos. I’m on the road about 160 dates a year and probably about 100 of them are in casinos. Well, that’s where the shows are; that’s where the theaters are. Are there any special challenges to doing casino shows? Are the crowds any different? Actually the great things usually about casinos is they have the best sound, the best lights. You
“You know, when I started out I was never dirty enough to be a ‘dirty comic.’”
know a lot of times when you do—you know—the function room at the local Holiday Inn you walk out there and say “Hi [feedback noise] my name is [feedback noise]. Hey, can we fix this mic? [feedback noise]. They have terrible sound. You know when you play theaters—that’s what they do. They’re usually union guys. They know what they’re doing. They got sound. They got lights. That’s the best. The nightmares are the outdoor shows. You know you’re in the half shell someplace and it’s windy and some people can’t hear . . . so you look forward to casinos. They’re the best. Considering you also host The Tonight Show, doing 160 dates a year isn’t exactly a light schedule . . . It’s not hard. I mean . . . when you’re trying to carry a couple hours of material in your head you have to do it, like you can’t just run a marathon once a year. If you’re going to run a marathon you gotta run every week. Sure, but isn’t being the host of The Tonight Show and doing that famous monologue every NOVEMBER 2012 • CULTURE 55
weeknight to an audience of millions of people practice enough? The stage is not a normal place to be. The more you’re on stage and the more you’re in front of people the more normal it seems. Like I always read these studies that say most people would rather swim in shark-infested waters than stand in front of a crowd or whatever . . . you always hear those things. And that always sounds so bizarre to me because it seems like the easiest thing in the world. But if you’re not on stage for two to three weeks at a time and suddenly you walk out there it seems very foreign. You get thrown by someone coughing or someone heckling . . . but when you do it every day it becomes second nature. That’s why you do it every day. But no matter how much experience you have you still must have nights when you go out there and have a tough time. Nights when you’re timing is off and nothing comes easy. Well you know what it is? You reach a point where your wife, your friends; they go, “Hey, you seemed a little off.” I mean if you do this long enough you become professional enough to get the job done. There are obviously days when you do the job better. Like a lot of times people say, “What if you go out there for 90 minutes and don’t get one laugh?” Well that doesn’t really happen. It’s not that I’m being snobby. It doesn’t happen to any professional person. You know what you have to do. There are jobs that are fun and there are jobs that can be work, you know? So do you think you’ll ever hang it up and stop doing standup or are you gonna keep going out there right up until the end? No, that’s what I’ve always done. You can stop doing TV, you can stop being in movies—you can stop doing all those things—but you really don’t stop doing . . . I mean I started out as a standup and that’s what I’m going to end up as. Okay so it’s 2022 or whatever and you’ve decided to step down as the host of The Tonight 56 CULTURE • NOVEMBER 2012
Show. What—besides doing standup comedy, of course— will you do? Anything you’ve always wanted to try? I’ll just go back out on the road. What I’ve always done. Okay, so who’s the funniest comedian in the world right now in your opinion? You know it’s hard to say who the funniest comedian alive is. I mean comedy is such a subjective thing. Seinfeld is one of my favorites. Jerry always makes me laugh. Louie CK is really funny. Comedians like Cathleen Madigan. There’s a lot of comics out there who are really good. It’s hard to say. Do you like watching other comics perform because I’ve talked to a few guys who just won’t do it. Well, I do. You just have to be careful because as a comic you don’t want to watch too much because if something gets in your head it’s hard to get it out. So if you’re on stage and you’re ad-libbing and someone throws a subject at you, you quickly ad-lib something and hopefully it’ll be funny. But if you’ve just seen a comedian do something on that subject and you think it’s the funniest thing you’ve ever heard you don’t want to repeat it. So, actually you’re trying to not become too influenced. I was going to ask you about audience participation. How much of your act is interacting with the crowd. You know—adlibbing, improv. I would say about 20 percent really. Ever had a show where you went completely off script and improv’d the whole thing? Yeah, I’ve had that happen. Look, if you have something that works in Boston and Oklahoma City and Los Angeles . . . chances are it’ll work in Chicago. And if for some reason it doesn’t then you’ll do something else. But whatever you come up with probably won’t be as good as what you’ve honed and practiced your whole life, you know what I mean? Do you feel like you have a responsibility to keep it clean
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and family-friendly when you do stand-up because of your position? I’m sort of a big-tent performer. My attitude has always been I try to appeal to the most people possible. And sometimes it works to your benefit, sometimes it doesn’t. You know, when I started out I was never dirty enough to be a “dirty comic.” So why have “f@#k” and “sh*&” in your act when it doesn’t add that much to it. Because if you just take it out you’ll appeal to another whole side of the audience. You mentioned Jerry Seinfeld earlier and he’s a great example of a comic who has always been very funny without getting dirty. Well, that’s the thing because to me—I have nothing against comics who work dirty—it’s fine with me; all it has to be is funny—but a lot of times people use it as a crutch and the end of a joke is “f@#k you.” Well, that’s not really a punch line. People are just reacting to the shock of the word and after a while the word loses its shock value. Do you have anything special planned for your live shows coming up? Dancing girls? Pyrotechnics? Jungle cats? Or are you going to do it old school— just you and a microphone? Me and a microphone. Yeah that’s pretty much what it is. You know it’s just sort of pure standup. That’s what I like. When I go see performers that’s what I like: one-man shows . . . you know there’s so much gimmickry in movies and stuff. I know all these big action films are exciting, but to me they’re not as good as a tight little movie where it’s two people just . . . just acting. And when I see a comedian I like to see . . . you know we very rarely use our human one-on-one skills anymore. Everything now seems to be involving the Internet or texting or whatever it might be. And the idea of having one-on-one communication with people in a room where it’s very intimate . . . I like that. There’s definitely something magical about seeing someone perform live—like seeing a band create music out of thin air. Yes, that’s right. You know looking 58 CULTURE • NOVEMBER 2012
“The stage is not a normal place to be. The more you’re on stage and the more you’re in front of people the more normal it seems.” in the window of a nightclub and seeing a band and hearing it through the window is totally different that being on the other side of the window and being in the room and absorbing it. In both instances you’re hearing the music—you’re just hearing more when you’re on the other side of the glass because you’re sharing it with other people. And that’s basically, hopefully, what comedy is. You’re a legendary car and motorcycle collector. Do you have any favorites? Well if I had a favorite I wouldn’t have so many cars. I like restoring cars—fixing them up—and I enjoy the mechanical process. You know when you’re a comedian somebody thinks you’re funny, and somebody doesn’t. And they’re both right because it’s subjective. But when something’s broken . . . when an engine is apart and you put it together and you make it run people can’t say it’s not running. ’Cause, look it’s right there. It’s running. It’s a clearcut, yes or no answer. ’Cause they are people who say, “Oh, I love Jay Leno,” and there are other people who say, “Oh, I can’t stand that guy, he sucks.” Well okay, I can’t argue with either one of them. You both have your own opinion and you’re both correct. But the guy who says I suck can’t say the car isn’t running, you know? So you can actually rebuild car engines? You know how to do that kind of stuff? Well yeah, that’s what we do. That’s pretty amazing. No it’s not. Americans used to be able to do all kinds of stuff like that.
We have gotten a little soft, I guess. Which reminds me: I like the bit you do on The Tonight Show where you ask people fairly simple historical and geographical questions that they can’t seem to answer. Exactly. Does it ever amaze you how much the average American doesn’t know about basic subjects like the solar system? But that’s sort of the fun of it. And we never pick on anybody that’s sort of like, obviously looks like they have a problem or seems handicapped mentally in some way. We ask them, “Are you a college student? Great, can we talk to you a few minutes?” The best are the people who go, “Oh the people on your show are so stupid!” and I go, “Yeah, I know, I know. So who was the first president of the United States?” And they say, “Abraham Lincoln.” Let me ask you a few current events questions. What do you think the biggest news story of the year has been so far for comedians? Hmm. There’s not just one, you know. The story changes every day. The gay rights thing is pretty good. You can [get] a lot out of that. Obviously conservative vs. liberal is really funny. There’s a lot of material there with Romney and Obama. It’s hard to pick one because yesterday’s jokes are just gone. They’re not funny at all because you did them yesterday. But anything involving men behaving badly. Everybody knows a brilliant, yet fatally flawed progressive congressman? Most people don’t know anyone who has nuclear weapons in their backyard or anything like that, but everybody knows a guy who behaves badly. The guy’s in a position of authority—it’s even better. IN CONCERT Appearing at The Mirage Hotel Casino Nov. 23, and Feb. 8, April 12-13, June 14, Aug. 13 and Sept. 20, all 2013 dates.
Lighting Up A
Jay
In this interview, Jay Leno seemed pretty noncommittal to the medical cannabis cause (When pressed on the issue, he said, “Ah, I don’t care one way or the other. I mean anybody who wants marijuana can get it, so it’s not an issue I have any interest in.”), but that hasn’t always been the case. Just two years ago, with pro-pot pundit Bill Maher (the cover boy for our January 2012 issue, by the way) as a guest, Leno did opine about efforts to legalize marijuana “Here’s my thing on the issue,” Leno told Maher in March 2010. “I’ve nothing against legalization.” Leno went on to say, “I say decriminalize it,” he told Maher. “But once you bring in Philip Morris, once it become a business, and advertising and all that nonsense starts . . . If you want to grow it in your backyard and you want to smoke it, you get it from your friend, that’s fine. I just don’t want to see it in stores and don’t want to see the guy saying [mimicking a television commercial pitchman], ‘This is the best high you’ll ever have.’”
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Jay Leno’s career is storied and star-studded. Here are some highlights—and a few low points—in the life of the king of late-night TV.
1993
Leno broadcasts The Tonight Show live from the bar in Boston where Cheers commemorates its final episode. The idea flops as the cast gets sloppy drunk!
2005
After testifying in Michael Jackson’s child-molestation trial, Leno is prohibited from mentioning the Gloved One in his monologue. Exploiting a loophole, Leno has guest comedians Brad Garrett and Roseanne Barr tell his jokes about the pop-star defendant in his place.
1994
Leno receives a little “heat” from Bobcat Goldthwait, (the guy with the irritating voice from all those Police Academy films) who appears as a guest and deliberately sets his chair on fire!
2006
Leno has two very special guests on his couch—hunky actor Colin Farrell and Farrell’s “very first” stalker, Dessarae Bradford. Bradford leaves her seat during the show’s taping to confront Farrell for failing to show up for their “sex date.” Leno has her removed from the set.
1995
Leno finally beats CBS rival David Letterman by asking Hugh Grant—who’d just been arrested for soliciting a prostitute—“What were you thinking?” Grant replied, “I think you know in life what’s a good thing to do and what’s a bad thing, and I did a bad thing. And there you have it.” And there you have it—the simplest public apology ever.
2003
After manning the hot seat for 17 years, Leno does the unthinkable: he swaps spots with Katie Couric trading tonight for Today. Couric interviews guests Mike Myers and Simon Cowell, while Leno chats with the crowd after thrilling them with his stunt driving.
Compiled by Gabriela Mungarro
2008
Even though the Writers Guild is still on strike, The Tonight Show must go on! Returning to air, Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee appears as a guest on the show—leaving audiences wishing the strike was over.
2009
President Barack Obama spends some time on Jay’s couch, making him the first sitting president to appear on a late night talk show—with a record number of undercover Secret Service agents in the audience.
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profiles in courage
WHY DID YOU START USING MEDICAL MARIJUANA? I started using MMJ because it minimizes the amount of pain killers and muscle relaxers that I’m usually supposed to take. My doctor’s prescribed daily dose is four hydrocodone/Norco, four tizanidine, one Norflex and one omeperazole, along with on Xanax and other psych meds.
Patient:
Majli Escobar
AGE: 29
Condition/ Illness:
DID YOU TRY OTHER METHODS OR TREATMENTS BEFORE MARIJUANA? I have tried treating my extreme anxiety with relaxation therapy upon request from my psychiatrist. I was also given numerous physical therapy and chiropractic sessions, which only took the edge off for the time being.
2009
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Photo by Kristopher Christensen
Sprained neck and lower back, gastrointestinal problems, herniated discs, anxiety and depression
Using medical cannabis since:
Are you an MMJ patient from SoCal 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.
WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE OR PROBLEM FACING MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS? The biggest issue we can face as MMJ patients is that somehow, even in the 21st century, we are still frowned upon for choosing to medicate naturally. WHAT DO YOU SAY TO FOLKS WHO ARE SKEPTICAL ABOUT MARIJUANA AS MEDICINE? All I can say to those that are skeptical about using MMJ as a form of medication is, “Don’t knock it till you try it!” c
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destination unknown
By David Jenison
Final Countdown? Over 3,000 years before cannabis probably helped inspire the Book of Revelation, the Mayan calendar began its long count to the 21st of December 2012. On that day, the calendar ends . . . some say so does the world. If you enjoyed partying like it’s 1999, imagine the Mundo Maya parties as the 5,125year calendar counts down its final hours. Sure, anthropologists say the local governments are whoring out their sacred sites to irreverent tourists, but if the Mayans didn’t want a party, why did they schedule doomsday for a Friday night? If you’re prime to act like a Mayaniac, here are the five best places to do it. Palenque, Mexico
Do you save your old Phish ticket stubs or remember when Burning Man was free? If so, Palenque should be your new second home. This jungle-clad town boasts magic mushrooms in the fields and locals who smoke scorpion tails. Early birds can board the Space Mother Ship: Popul Vuh party (Dec. 14-16), but everyone else can turn on, tune out and drop fungi at the Mayan temples.
Copán Ruinas, Honduras
As early as last year, the Honduran government promoted Copán as the place to be in 2012. At present, the tourist-hungry locals are unhappy with the lack of largescale events, but that certainly makes the city more appealing to culture seekers. The so-called “Athens of the Maya world” is rich in architectural splendor, and local attractions include the Mayan-themed Luna Jaguar Spa Resort.
Riviera Maya, Mexico
The tourist mobs invading Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Tulum will probably make the locals hope this really is the end. Spring
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A Mayan Party 5,125 Years in the Making
break is about to look tame on the Yucatán Peninsula! With beautiful beachfront ruins, Tulum will host the Mayan Holidaze party and the 48hour Time and Space Festival, while Cancún can expect frat-house beer bonging by dudes in Quetzalcoatl tees. In Playa del Carmen, the UK’s Crosstown Rebels will host the Day Zero party with 24 straight hours of dance music at a lakeside Mayan temple. Break out the glow sticks!
Photos courtesy of the Mexico Tourism Board
San Ignacio, Belize
The Cayo District in Western Belize offers a celebration amidst vast forest, canoe-ready rivers, thunderous waterfalls and stunning caves. A special event is planned at the Xunantunich ruins, and jungle lodges like duPlooy’s offer Apocalypto specials. San Ignacio is also the reason why Guatemala didn’t make our list. Tourists visit the country’s breathtaking Tikal temples on daytrips from Flores, but San Ignacio also offers daytrips, and the Cayo is a more beautiful place to stay. In fact, the area has been called “a slice of Eden,” so why not end it all in a place reminiscent of where it all began.
Chichén Itzá, Mexico
In 2007, the towering El Castillo temple was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, and it is the birthplace of the Mayan calendar. Make no mistake, this place is going to be NYE-in-NYC packed. Guatemalans and Salvadorans
might complain that Mexico landed three spots on this list while their countries got none, but Mexico simply produces better tourist-fleecing events. Speaking of which, the Synthesis 2012 party is a hippie-yuppie mashup with DJs, folk music, drum circles, a yoga village and a Friday night party at the temple. The event costs $500 a pop, but don’t be jealous if you can’t go. Chichén Itzá should be ground zero for a Mayan apocalypse, so take comfort in knowing these partiers will get lit up first. c
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healthy living
By Lanny Swerdlow, RN, LNC
Pain Relief
Naturally Everyone experiences pain. It is a constant companion to life and is important to our survival as pain is usually a warning that something is going terribly wrong. As such pain cries out for relief, the treatment depends on what type of pain is being felt. Nociceptive pain is usually caused by damage to the body—burns, bruises, fractures, infections and so on. Visceral pain is also a type of nociceptive pain but involves internal organs. When the body experiences trauma, nerve cell endings called nociceptors become agitated and transmit signals to the brain which responds with the feeling of pain. As the tissue recovers from the injury the pain lessens and eventually goes away. Opioids such as Vicodin and Norco are a common form of treatment for nociceptive pain. Neuropathic pain results from damage to or problems associated with the peripheral or central nervous system and can occur following viral infection, trauma, medications, cancers or metabolic problems. Neuropathic pain may last for years and in some patients never cease. Peripheral neuropathy, commonly associated with diabetes, is a common example of neuropathic pain. Other examples are an amputee’s phantom pain, pain following surgeries and pain resulting from herpes or shingles. Treatment involves a wide spectrum of medications, surgeries and implants, but only about half of all neuropathic pain patients achieve even partial relief. The serious and even life-threatening consequences of opioids and the inability of much of anything else to successfully treat neuropathic pain requires a more effective and less debilitating remedy for both nociceptive and neuropathic pain. Cannabis is just such a remedy. Five-thousand-year-old manuscripts
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written by Chinese physicians document the ancient use of cannabis for treating pain. Until 75 years ago, cannabis was used for pain relief around the world and was found in medicine cabinets throughout the United States. Whether it is pain with neuropathic origins such as diabetes or nociceptive pain from a broken bone, the cannabinoids found in cannabis can effectively and safely ameliorate the pain. It does this through a variety of mechanisms, many of which, due to the difficulty of conducting cannabinoid research, are not fully understood. One of the major ways cannabis can treat pain is through its powerful antiinflammatory properties. Inflammation is at the root of much pain and by reducing inflammation, cannabis reduces pain Opioids do not alleviate pain—they suppress the perception of pain. By reducing inflammation, cannabis gets to the root of the pain rather than just treating the symptoms. Recent research has found another intriguing mechanism of how the cannabinoids found in cannabis provide pain relief. In his ground breaking paper “Harm Reduction – The Cannabis Paradox (Harm Reduction Journal, September 2005) Dr. Robert Melamede discussed research showing that cannabinoids “seem to function in a pathway parallel to the opioid pathway and are thought to exert anti-nociceptic activity at the level of the spinal cord and the brain.” The ability of cannabinoids to mitigate pain is supported by research demonstrating an increase in the number of surface CB1 receptors in rats following nerve
damage. It is the CB1 receptors that are responsible for many of the analgesic effects resulting from cannabis ingestion. Cannabis can help reduce and even eliminate pain in many other ways and the only significant side-effect of cannabis intake is that it makes the person taking it feel better. However, feeling better from using cannabis is labeled a negative and debilitating side effect by law enforcement, pharmaceutical company executives, alcohol purveyors and Puritans. People who have pain and are taking manufactured pharmaceuticals will find that with easy and affordable access to sufficient quantities of cannabis they can significantly reduce, if not totally eliminate, their use of these debilitating prescription painkillers, anti-psychotics and other medications used to mitigate pain. Like Dr. McCoy from countless Star Trek episodes exclaiming what “barbarians” doctors were in the past, doctors in the not-too-distant future will also exclaim what “barbarians” doctors were in the 20th century for only providing manufactured pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pain and refusing to provide safe and effective cannabis. c Receive Lanny’s free marijuana email newsletter by sending your email address to lanny@marijuananews.org.
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cool stuff Irie Nation T-Shirts Ever since Irie Nation Radio launched with a mission to expose any and all people to conscious reggae music, the positive vibrations have been echoing in the dancehall ever since. Show your pride by wearing one of these beefy Irie Nation T-shirts. They’re colorful, comfy and ital to your fashion sense. ($14.20-$20) www.irie.fm/shop
Scrips Concentrated Hemp CBD Extract Capsules Call it medical marijuana . . . like you’ve never seen it before. Made from CBD oil extracted naturally from the hemp plant, Scrips CBD capsules deliver powerful relief from anxiety, spasms, nausea and other ailments—but without any psychoactive effects (they’re THC-free). New and older patients, as well as those that want to skip the head change, have a new groundbreaking choice. ($22 for 2-pack, $230 for 30-pack, $420 for 60-pack) dixieelixirs.com
Cloud Vapez With all the vape pens flooding the market, Cloud made sure to design a vaporizer that stands head and shoulders above the rest. It’s advantages—besides being discrete and travel-friendly—include its ease of use (you’ll be medicating in 10 seconds flat) and—this is the dealmaker—you can refill it with your own medicine. Vape technology just underwent a major paradigm shift. ($75) cloudvapez.com
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By Aunt Sandy
With Veterans Day and Thanksgiving nearly upon us, CULTURE decided to give these holidays a special twist this month. Inspired by classic military grub (“chipped beef” or “shizzle on a shingle”) and opting for a creative use of Turkey Day leftovers, Aunt Sandy has come up with this innovative menu to share with our loved ones as the holidays approach.
Menu:
Beef Bourguignon Stew Sweet Pear Tamales Beer Nuts à la Cannabis Waldorf Salad Apple Cider Beer
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 co-founder of Oaksterdam’s Bakery.
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Beef Bourguignon Stew MAKES 6 servings Families love to cook together for the holidays. Here is a yummy recipe they can make together and also give as an appetizing gift for Christmas! 3 cups Canna Butter* 12 small onions 2 lbs. of lean boneless stewing beef, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 1/2 tablespoons flour 1 teaspoon salt 4 pepper corns 1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon thyme Red wine 1/2 cup water 1 cup sliced carrots 1 cup cubed potatoes 1 cup sliced mushrooms Chopped parsley
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Add 2 cups of Canna Butter to sauté pan. Peel and add onions. Remove onions and set aside. Add the stewing beef and sauté until light brown. Sprinkle meat with flour. Place all ingredients, including onions, in an ovenproof baking dish. Add salt, pepper corns, the bay leaf, garlic and thyme. Add enough liquid to cover the meat, using a 3:4 ratio of red wine to water. Cover and simmer for about two hours. To make the stew liquid, add water, 1 cup of Canna Butter, carrots, potatoes and mushrooms during the last hour of cooking.
Sweet Pear Tamales Makes 8 servings 8 large dried corn husks 1/2 cup Canna Butter* softened 2 cups masa flour 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon allspice 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 2 cups pear nectar 2 firm but ripe pears, peeled, pitted and diced Place corn husks in a large bowl of hot water. Place a plate on top to keep them submerged. Let stand for at least 15 minutes. Beat all remaining ingredients, except pear nectar and pears, in a large mixer bowl. Slowly beat in pear nectar, adding enough to make a fluffy masa dough, stir in pears. Drain husks and pat dry. Spread equal amounts of the masa dough down the center of each. Fold in the sides, then the pointed end of each husk. Place open side up in a large pot fitted with a steamer basket. Cover and steam for 1 hour. Best served immediately. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of brown sugar.
Waldorf Salad Makes 6 servings 1 cup diced celery 1 cup diced apples 1 cup grapes, halved and seeded
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans 3/4 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup Cannabis-Infused Olive Oil**
Combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve NOVEMBER 2012 • CULTURE 73
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Apple Cider Beer
1 ounce of Cannabis Infused Simple Syrup***, chilled 2 ounces of apple cider, chilled 5 ounces of your favorite beer, chilled In an 8-ounce glass, pour and mix all ingredients. Thirst quenching!
Beer Nuts à la Cannabis 1 can beer nuts 1/2 cup Canna Butter* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour beer nuts onto a cookie sheet. Using a pastry brush, brush Canna Butter all over nuts. Place in the oven for 4 minutes. Remove and repeat process a second time. Cool and serve as an appetizer.
Canna Butter* 1 cup unsalted butter 1 ounce low to average quality dried leaf marijuana or 1/2 ounce average dried bud 4 cups water Bring water and butter to boil in a small pot, lower heat to simmer. Simmer gently for about 1 1/2 hours. Mash and stir frequently to extract all THC from the plant material. After cooking, use cheesecloth to strain the butter/water mixture. Pour about 2 cups clean boiling water over the leaves in the strainer to extract every last drop of butter. Squeeze plant material well to remove as much liquid as possible. Chill the butter/water mixture in the refrigerator until the butter has solidified (1 to 2 hours). Separate butter from water and keep butter in the refrigerator (or freezer for longer storage) until needed.
Cannabis Simple Syrup*** 1/2 oz cannabis buds 1 cup sugar 1 cup water In a saucepan, sauté the buds in sugar and water over medium heat for 20 minutes. Strain the buds. Pour the remaining green-colored syrup into a glass container. Let it cool and refrigerate. Pour over fruit or fruit salad and let the syrup fully absorb.
Cannabis-Infused Olive Oil** 1 cup olive oil 1 1/4 ounces low to average quality dried leaf marijuana or 3/4 ounce average dried bud Place cannabis in a slow cooker. Add oil. If necessary, add a little extra oil in order to just cover the cannabis. Cook on low for six to eight hours, stirring often. Strain through cheesecloth to remove plant material. For further purity, strain through a coffee filter. Store in the refrigerator for up to three months.
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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Shooting Gallery GET YOUR CLICK HERE
Kush Expo
www.iReadCulture.com
(Photos by Kristopher Christensen)
2012 NORML Conference (Photos by Steve Baker)
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Shooting Gallery GET YOUR CLICK HERE
Nocturnal Wonderland
www.iReadCulture.com
(Photos by Kristopher Christensen)
Should Grandma Smoke Pot? documentary screening (Photos by Kristopher Christensen)
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Shooting Gallery OC NORML 9th Anniversary Party (Photos by Steve Baker)
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Shooting Gallery Huntington Beach Protest (Photos by Steve Baker)
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GET YOUR CLICK HERE
www.iReadCulture.com
NOVEMBER 2012 • CULTURE 83
entertainment reviews Until the Quiet Comes Flying Lotus Warp Records Until the Quiet Comes is an electronic jazz journey that confirms the literal Coltrane DNA running through FlyLo’s veins. On his followup to 2010’s Cosmogramma, the artist-producer imagines musical dreamscapes with cascades of irregular drumbeats, fuzzy basslines and atmospheric tones. The album paints an ethereal setting yet embraces motion, tension and texture. Psychedelic touches move the music between a dream and a trip, but the shifts are smooth and emotive. Guest vocalists—Erykah Badu and Thom Yorke— add fragile nuance to tracks without overpowering them or trying to create a radio single. More jazz than hip-hop, Until the Quiet Comes could be the score to Inception if it were a silent film. Critics, hipsters and yoga gurus gush over FlyLo like tween girlies at a One Direction concert, but don’t hold it against him. His freeform expressions are more urban-Paris chic than Starbucks-barista crusty. (David Jenison)
Cannabis Indica Vol. 2: The Essential Guide to the World’s Finest Marijuana Strains S.T. Oner Green Candy Press Once again, the bud brainiacs behind Cannabis Indica and Cannabis Sativa have ushered in a whole new reference work that’s worth its weight in Acapulco Gold (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun). Cannabis Indica Vol. 2 comes jam-packed with detailed descriptions of some of the most lung-expanding, visually stunning examples of God’s perfect plant. Offering tidbits of advice for growers (Cherry Hemingway can explode with 10 feet of growth if cultivated outside), but also providing helpful suggestions to the medically infirm (Cripit is excellent for strong pain relief and fighting nausea), this is a well-rounded book whose cumulative info is only surpassed by its stunning full-page photography. Whether you’re patient or just a cannasseur, let’s hope this witty reference book lands on your coffee table soon. Highly recommended. (Matt Tapia).
Clearing the Smoke: The Science of Cannabis Montana PBS Dir. Anna Rau Governor Romney put the bull’s eye on Sesame Street, but Big Bird wouldn’t be the only casualty of a defunded Public Broadcasting Service. Last year, PBS Montana produced Clearing the Smoke, arguably one of the best modern documentaries on cannabis science. Many people roll their eyes when longhaired hippies talk about medicinal benefits, but this documentary looks to the doctors, researchers and scientists doing the actual lab tests on how cannabis’s unique chemical compounds affect the brain and body. The latest studies show potential to treat some of the worst diseases, including cancer, yet the government inexplicably goes out of its way to hinder further research. The documentary also shares personal stories of cannabis-related relief, which reminds viewers of all the suffering that takes place while Capitol Hill plays political games. This is the perfect DVD for that skeptic in your life. (David Jenison)
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Brian Posehn Pretty much anyone that Sarah Silverman likes, we like too—and vice versa. Enter Brian Posehn, the actor, musician, writer and stand-up dude who regularly appeared on Silverman’s hilarious yet short-lived, self-titled Comedy Central program. But before he was one-half of Silverman’s gay neighbor couple, Posehn appeared in bit parts on dozens of mainstream TV, including Friends, Seinfeld and Just Shoot Me!—but don’t hold any of that against him. An equally, if not more talented writer, Posehn has penned episodes of the cult favorites Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, The Daily Show and the most recent and brutally awesome Comedy Central roast of Roseanne Barr. Posehn takes a few nights off from his rigorous schedule of bit TV parts in which he is cast as people like “Editor Guy,” “Clerk,” “Businessman #1,” “Scooter Man,” “Ride Guy,” “Dog Cop #2” and “Various,” to bring you some very special comedic wisdom on life, love and low-paying Hollywood jobs. There’s a reason he’s known as “that guy from Just Shoot Me!” of course, but it’s not because he isn’t funnier than the rest of them. Indeed he is. (Stacy Davies)
IF YOU GO
What: Brian Posehn. When/Where: Nov. 1-4 at the Irvine Improv, 71 Fortune Dr. #841, Irvine Spectrum, Irvine. Info: For ticket info call (949) 8545455 or go to irvine.improv.com
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liner notes There was a time when gangster rap scared America. You could even argue that in certain sections of the country, ones that are mostly white and mostly wealthy, still worry about what that music is “doing to their kids.” Now, though, with so many of the former heavyweights become more concerned with entrepreneurial endeavors and commercial opportunities, gangster rap seems to have settled into a pacified middle age. Jon Stewart even asked Snoop Dogg during a recent appearance on The Daily Show “remember when white people were afraid of you?” Snoop laughed it off with the audience; and while rappers from that generation still struggle to assert their credibility (something much harder to do after one has become a comfortable millionaire), Snoop seems to be embracing the softer image. Recent evidence of this commercial shift is so bizarre and frankly funny that it sounds like it came from an extended Jim Gaffigan bit: Snoop has rewritten one of his classic songs for a Hot Pocket advertisement. “Pocket Like It’s Hot” also has a full-length music video featuring DeStorm, Andy Milonakis and a man in a giant, dancing Hot Pocket costume (with sunglasses). It also contains images of taggers stenciling “Hot Pockets” on a wall with spray-paint. There is nothing more subversive than reworking a successful song in order to sell microwaveable “food.” So when “your munchies get a attitude [sic],” Snoop Dogg (or, as he has more recently asked to be called, Snoop Lion) has given you adequate directions as to how to solve that problem. It was recently reported by NME that Lady Gaga is on the market for some of Edith Piaf’s toenail clippings. The news might’ve shocked people more if it wasn’t coming from Gaga, who is not only a massive fan of the French
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By Kevin Longrie singer, but also pretty, well, weird. The toenails are not the only Piaf memorabilia that Madame MeatDress is looking to buy, but they are the stand-out item. Since there are not enough toenails to make a dress, we can assume that they will be handled in one of the following ways: 1. Gaga will crush them into a fine powder and snort it, therefore gaining the powers of the French chanteuse. 2. Gaga will make some smaller clothing item or accessory out of the toenails. This will most likely be some kind of dance-thong. 3. Gaga will go all Jurassic Park on us and create a theme park called MFM (Monsters for Monsters). It will have exhibits of cloned singers and celebrities remade from toenail DNA. Bruce Springsteen has decided, after initial reluctance, to get back out on the campaign trail for Obama and spread the word that the incumbent president needs another four years to get the job done. In a statement, Obama for America’s campaign manager Jim Messina said, “Bruce Springsteen’s values echo what the President and Vice President stand for: hard
work, fairness, integrity.” The Boss has long been a champion of the underdog; and even though Obama seems to be way out in front, Bruce wants to show his support for the guy if for no other reason than that the American public craves a strange reimagining of “Born to Run.” The Sierra Blanca checkpoint in Texas has been busy. In recent years, the officers and the keenly-nosed canines at Sierra Blanca have busted Snoop Dogg, Willie Nelson and recently Fiona Apple for having illegal substances on their tour buses. The latest bust involved rapper Nelly, who reportedly had .64 ounces of heroin, a .45-caliber pistol and 10 pounds—yes, pounds—of marijuana on his bus. Of course none of this belonged to Nelly, oh no! Brian Keith Jones nobly stepped forward and admitted that all of that stuff, including the 10 pounds of marijuana, was his and that he alone would face the consequences for what Nelly and the rest of the entourage could not have known about in a space as large and as expansive as a bus. In other, more shocking news, Nelly still tours and people listen to his music. c
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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.
marijuana considered as 1Isdangerous as heroin by the federal government?
Name the Green Party’s
2 presidential candidate.
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there any evidence that 3 Are suggests smoking cannabis
does not cause lung cancer or lung disease?
4 What is “wax?” signed the Marihuana 5 Who Tax Act, which ushered in
prohibition?
1. Sadly, yes. 2. Jill Stein. 3. Most definitely. 4. A form of concentrated marijuana, comparable to hash. 5. Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
?
?
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?
ANSWERS
CULTURE Quiz
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event listings
Our picks for the coolest things to see and do around town. Lakers vs. Clippers, Nov. 2
Do you smell that? That bittersweet scent of crosstown rivalry? Well, it’s on its way to hit L.A. early as the Lakers take on the Clippers on each others’ home court. It’ll be Dwight vs. Blake—the ball don’t lie. Staples Center, Los Angeles www.staplescenter.com
Empire Tattoo Studios Dia De Los Muertos Art Show, Nov 2.
There aren’t many things better than art and tattoos. If you agree—or even if you don’t—check out Empire Tattoo Studios’ Dia De Los Muertos art show. It’s a chance to get some culture under your skin. Empire Tattoo Studios, Fontana empiretattoostudios.com
Orange County Chocolate Festival, Nov. 2-3 It’s dark, it’s rich—it’s better than sex: chocolate. Join tons of other choco-philes as they invade Orange County for a taste of 70 chocolatiers, bakers, candy makers and other purveyors of decadent deliciousness. Don’t forget to lick your fingers. Hyatt Regency Orange County, Garden Grove www.occhocolatefestival.com
HARD Haunted Mansion Presents Day of the Dead, Nov 3. Now that you’re too old to go trick or treating, it’s time you
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branch out and enjoy some other Halloween festivities— like boo-tay-shaking beats from Justice and Major Lazer. Los Angeles State Historic Park, Los Angeles www.hardfest.com
Long Beach Comic and Horror Con, Nov. 3-4
Who says San Diego gets to have all the four-color fun? Head down for a celebration of comic books and pop culture in a showcase of the exceptional works of talented writers, artists, illustrators and creators. Oh yeah—and costumes. Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach www.longbeachcomiccon. com
Saul Williams, Nov 7.
The inspirational Saul Williams has many titles. Poet, singer, musician, writer, actor—he is above all an artist. Visit The Barn at UC Riverside to hear words of wisdom from an ordinary man with an extraordinary mind. The Barn at UC Riverside rside.ucr.edu/barnseries
48th Annual Automobile Club of Southern California National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Finals, Nov.8-11.
If nothing beats the smell of burning rubber in the morning, then this race event in Pomona should get your
motor throbbing big-time. Whether your taste is more Top Fuel than Pro Stock, there’s no excuse not to pull back the throttle on this one. www.nhra.com Auto Club Raceway, Pomona
America in concert, Nov. 9
You know I need you, America, like Riverside needs rain. With hits like “A Horse With No Name,” America skyrocketed in fame during the 1970s, even earning a Grammy in ’72 for Best New Artist. An oldie . . . but a goodie. Fox Performing Arts Center, Riverside foxriversidelive.com
Rob Schneider standup, Nov 9–11
Yes, you read that correctly. Mr. Bigalow himself will be doing standup in Irvine and it will probably be as awesome as it sounds. Jokes included. Embarrassment separate. Improv, Irvine irvine.improv.com
Lovely Bad Things, Nov 10.
If you find yourself looking to for a drink and a pit on Saturday then look no further than this show. With thick bass lines, drum lines that bite and post-punk guitar riffs, Lovely Bad Things will have no difficulty getting things rowdy. Check out the Cosmonauts for an out-of-
body experience to top things off. Detroit Bar, Costa Mesa detroitbar.com
Minus The Bear, Nov. 10
Indie rock classic Minus The Bear hits Pomona with a fresh progressive rock sound that characterizes recent album Infinity Overhead. Don’t let this show minus you! The Glass House, Pomona. www.theglasshouse.us
Chalk Art Festival, Nov 10.
Who seriously doesn’t like playing with chalk? Head down to Thomas Plaza in Downtown Pomona to experience the once grey, plain sidewalks transform into a colorful explosion of art and creativity. Downtown Pomona www.downtownpomona. org
“Rock ’n‘ Roll Billboards of the Sunset Strip,” Nov. 10 Photographer Robert Landau, infamous for his photographs of rock ’n‘ roll billboards along Sunset Strip, is showcasing his work in Long Beach. Get a glimpse of a crumbling brick wall reminiscent of Pink Floyd, or take a walk with the Beatles. inretrospect, Long Beach www.inretrospect.co
Compiled by Kevin Keckeisen
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Road Work Alright, this one is a treat for our older readers and those that have some taste. Name someone who redefined a decade and created a literary movement unlike anything else before or since. Yep, Jack Kerouac is right at the top of the list when it comes to recent examples. He’s the progenitor of the Beat movement, challenged preconceived notions of spirituality and was a big fan of the bud. Yes, it comes as no shock that the man at least partially responsible for hippies smoked with both Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs (and if you don’t know who either of them are, please drop everything and Google the day away). But as is the case with most prolific artists, Kerouac died young at 47 with so much left unsaid about his autobiographical works, especially what had yet to be published. However, a new documentary, Whatever Happened to Kerouac?, is attempting to put the pieces together. The documentary aims to put viewers into Kerouac’s mindset to explore who the man truly was before his passing. It comes complete with interview footage of not only the man himself, but of Ginsberg, Burroughs, Timothy Leary, Abbie Hoffman and more. A must-have for counterculture lovers exploring a movement’s literary roots. (Joe Martone) c
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L.A.-born rapper Dom Kennedy recently announced he will be performing at Club Nokia on Nov. 23, part of his world tour to support upcoming release The Yellow Album. A smoke sesh favorite, the Leimart Park-reared rapper has performed on Snoop Dogg’s/Lion’s GGN (Double G News Network), where tha Doggfather dropped some canna-sseurship. Kennedy’s no stranger to herb—he once spit, “You gotta hit the weed once” on his song “Lately.” Wise advice, Mr. Kennedy. (Kevin Keckeisen) c
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Morrissey w/ Iggy & the Stooges Legendary Brit indie pop meets iconic American punk rock in this incredible double-header soon to descend upon L.A. As a member of one of the most influential UK bands of the 80s, Morrissey captured the hearts of millions both there and across the pond with his dark, cynical lyrics awash in melodrama. On the flipside of that emotionally self-absorbed pathos, Iggy Pop and his Stooges enticed punkers, rockers and everyone in between with their hard-edged, primordial, repetitive beats and explicit sexuality, turning the often-drug-rehabbing skeletal genius into a metrophonic messiah. It doesn’t even matter that they both now qualify for a Denny’s Senior Discount (okay, Morrissey has a few more years), because genuine artistry never fades and never folds. Relive your own younger years, or get educated, counter-culture cretin, and put on your reckless sleaze for Pop’s “Lust for Life,” “The Passenger,” “Cry for Love,” and “Nightclubbing”; then swoon with sickening sentimentality for Morrissey’s tragic-tales, “Everyday is Like Sunday,” “You Have Killed Me,” “Suedehead,” and “Bigmouth Strikes Again.” (Stacy Davies)
IF YOU GO
What: Morrissey w/Iggy & the Stooges in concert. When/Where: Nov. 24 at Staples Center, 1111 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles. Info: Tickets $29-$129.50. Go to www.staplescenter.com
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Chuck Shepherd
News of the
Weird LEAD STORY— INTRUDER (NOT) ALERT
; For September’s Digital Design Weekend at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, artists Michiko Nitta and Michael Burton commissioned soprano Louise Ashcroft to sing, altering pitch and volume while wearing a face mask made of algae. According to the artists, since algae’s growth changes with the amount and quality of carbon dioxide it receives, Ashcroft’s voice, blowing CO2 against the algae, should vary the growth’s “taste” as to bitterness or sweetness. After the performance, the audience sampled the algae at various stages and apparently agreed. The artists said they were demonstrating how biotechnology could transform organisms. ; Modern Warfare: China, Japan and Taiwan each claim ownership of the uninhabited South China Sea islands of Senkaku or Diaoyu, and the controversy heightened in September when Japan announced that it had formally “purchased” the islands from a private company that reputedly owned them. China countered by “launching” its first-ever aircraft carrier (a vessel junked in 1998 by Ukraine), which it hopes will intimidate its neighbors even though it is useless to planes. Days later, patrol boats from Taiwan and Japan had a confrontation near the islands—drenching each other in a military-grade squirt-gun fight. (Japan won.) ; For some reason, South Korea (with about one-sixth the men that America has) is the world’s largest consumer of male cosmet96 CULTURE • NOVEMBER 2012
ics, with its leading company approaching $1 billion a year in sales. According to a September Bloomberg Business Week dispatch, South Korean males became fascinated with the country’s 2002 World Cup soccer team’s “flower men,” who had smooth, flawless skin, and the craze took off from there. Said a male college student, “Having a clean, neat face makes you look sophisticated and creates an image that you can handle yourself well.” Makeup routines include drawing “thicker, bolder” eyebrows and, of course, expert application of lipstick. Said one admiring woman, “I feel like I have more to talk about with guys who use makeup.”
THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
; Jordan and Bryan Silverman’s start-up venture, Star Toilet Paper, distributes rolls to public restrooms in restaurants, stadiums and other locations absolutely free—because the brothers have sold ads on each sheet. (Company slogan: “Don’t rush. Look before you flush.”) Jordan, with 50 advertisers enlisted so far, told the Detroit Free Press in August that he came up with the idea, of course, while sitting on the can at the University of Michigan library. ; First-World Problems: After an international trade association reported that women bought 548 million pairs of shoes in 2011 (not even counting those used exclusively for sports), the manufacturer Nine West has decided to start its own cable TV channel with programming on “various aspects of footwear,” according to an August New York Times report. Programs will feature celebrities rhapsodizing about their favorite
pair, women who hoard shoes (purchasing many more than they know they’ll ever wear even one time), tips on developing one’s stiletto-walking skills and shoe closet designs. It’s about a “conversation,” said a Nine West executive, “not about a shoe.” ; Habersham Funding of Georgia and its competitors make their money by buying terminally ill clients’ life insurance policies for lump sums, then continuing to pay the policies’ premiums so that they collect as beneficiaries upon death. The companies’ business model therefore depends on those clients dying quickly; a client who outlives expectations turns the investment sour. Thus, according to an August report by The New York Times, the companies run extensive background checks on the illnesses and lifestyles of potential clients and employ sophisticated computer algorithms that predict, better than doctors can, how long a client will live. Supposedly, according to the report, the companies are nonchalant about erroneous predictions. No company, they claim, has an official policy of hoping for early death.
LEADING ECONOMIC INDICATORS
; Scorpion antivenom made in Mexico sells in Mexico for about $100 a dose, but for a while over the last year, the going rate in the emergency room of the Chandler (Ariz.) Regional Medical Center was $39,652 a dose, charged to Marcie Edmonds, who was stung while opening a box of air-conditioner filters in June. She received two doses by IV and was released after three hours, to later find a co-pay bill of $25,537 awaiting her (with her Humana plan picking up $57,509), according to the Arizona Republic newspaper. The Republic found that Arizona hospitals retailed it for between $7,900 and $12,467 per dose—except for Chandler. Following the newspaper’s report, Chandler decided to re-price the venom at $8,000 a dose, thus eating a $31,652 “loss.” ; Among the least-important effects of last summer’s drought in the Midwest: Officials oversee-
ing the annual Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw said there would be fewer high-quality cow patties. Said chairperson Ellen Paulson: “When it’s hot, the cows don’t eat as much. And what was produced, they just dried up too quick.” A few patties had been saved from the 2011 competition, but, she said, “It’s not like you can go out and buy them.”
THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
; The ongoing feud between two Warwick, R.I., households has intensified, according to an August complaint. Kathy Melker and Craig Fontaine charged that not only has neighbor Lynne Taylor been harassing them with verbal insults and threats, but that Taylor has now taught her cockatoo to call Melker, on sight, a nasty epithet (which rhymes with “clucking bore”). ; At least two teams of Swiss researchers are developing tools that can improve farmers’ efficiency and reduce the need for shepherds. The research group Kora has begun outfitting sheep with heart rate monitors that, when predators approach, register blood-pressure spikes that are texted to the shepherd, summoning him to the scene. Another inefficiency is cow farmers’ frequent needs to locate and examine cows that might be in heat, but professors at a Bern technical college are testing placing thermometers in cows’ genitals, with text messages alerting the farmer that a specific cow is ready for mating. (Since most insemination is done artificially, farmers can reduce the supply of bull semen they need to keep in inventory.) ; Researchers writing in the journal Animal Behaviour in July hypothesized why male pandas have sometimes been seen performing handstands near trees. They are urinating, the scientists observed, and doing handstands streams the urine higher on the tree, presumably signaling their mating superiority. A San Diego Zoo researcher involved in the study noted that an accompanying gland secretion gives off even more “personal” informaNOVEMBER 2012 • CULTURE 97
tion to other pandas than the urine alone. ; Spending on health care for pets is rising, of course, as companion animals are given almost equal status as family members. In Australia, veterinarians who provide dental services told Queensland’s Sunday Mail in August that they have even begun to see clients demanding cosmetic dental work—including orthodontic braces and other mouth work to give dogs “kissable breath” and smiles improved by removing the gap-tooth look.
QUESTIONABLE JUDGMENTS
; Endangering the “Presumption of Innocence”: (1) Roy Mullen, posing for his most recent photo to be posted on the Tennessee sex offender registry in September, showed up wearing a t-shirt reading “Love Sucks / True Love Swallows.” (2) Hubert Leverich, 40, was arrested in Danville, Va., in September and charged with sexual abuse of an underage girl. Leverich’s permanently tattooed
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forehead reads “Felon Thoughts” and (in English gothic lettering) “Insane.”
LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS
; Pathetic: (1) Kalpeshkumar Patel, 40, failed in June to carry out his longstanding threat to burn down the Chevron station in High Springs, Fla. After dousing his car with gasoline in front of the store, he realized he had no lighter or matches and had to ask several customers, without success, to help him out. He was arrested before he could do any damage. (2) Ignatius “Michael” Pollara, 46, and his mother, 70, were arrested following what police said was a 10-year shoplifting spree that might have spanned 50 states. They were nabbed in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., because, said sheriff’s Sgt. Rich Rossman, Pollara could not resist using a “rewards” card traced to him, which he used to get credit for some of the purchases he had switched for more expensive items. (3) Dakoda Garren, 19, was arrested in Vancouver, Wash., in September on
suspicion of stealing an antique coin collection in May that was estimated to be worth $100,000. Garren and his girlfriend were identified after spending some of the coins at a movie theater and a pizza restaurant, using rare Liberty Head quarters (worth from $5 to $18,500) at their face value.
THE JESUS AND MARY WORLD TOUR (LATEST PLAYDATES)
; Recent, apparently dramatic public appearances of Jesus: Beeville, Tex.; August (Jesus in a breakfast taco). Belfast, Northern Ireland; August (Jesus on a tree stump in the Belfast City Cemetery). Sunderland, England; June (Jesus among the peeling paint on the door of a Chinese-food takeout stand). Port St. Lucie, Fla.; May (Jesus on the television show “The Bachelor”—at least as per a woman’s photo of the TV screen during the show). Splendora, Tex.; May (mold on a bathroom wall). New Orleans; April (Jesus in a shadow cast through a chandelier in the Ursuline Academy Chapel). Charleston, S.C.; April (Jesus on the back of a dead stingray). Clermont, Fla.; March (Jesus on an electric company meter at the Torchlite RV Park).
COMPELLING EXPLANATIONS
; A 14-year-old boy was hospitalized in critical condition in Churchill, Pa., in August after allegedly swiping a Jeep Grand Cherokee and leading the owner’s boyfriend on a brief high-speed chase before rolling the Cherokee over on Interstate 376. The boy’s mother, according to WTAE-TV, blamed the Cherokee’s owner: A vehicle with the keys in it, she said, “was an opportunity that, in a 14-year-old’s eyes, was . . . the perfect moment.” Also, she said, the boyfriend “had no right to chase my son.” The boy “could have just (wanted) a joyride down the street. Maybe he (merely) wanted to go farther than he felt like walking.” ; Irresistible: (1) David Thompson, 27, was arrested in August and charged with stealing a bag of marijuana from the Charleroi (Pa.) Regional police station. While talking to an officer about an unrelated
case, Thompson noticed an evidence bag on a counter and swiped it. Caught moments later, Thompson profusely apologized, telling the officer, “I just couldn’t help myself. That bud smelled so good.” (2) Aaron Morris was charged in August with battery in North Lauderdale, Fla., for groping the buttocks of a woman at a Walmart. According to the arresting officer, Morris explained, “Her booty looked so good, I just couldn’t resist touching it.”
PERSPECTIVE
First-World Problems: (1) Ohio death-row inmate Ronald Post, 53, asked a federal court in September to cancel his January date with destiny on the grounds that, despite almost 30 years of prison food, he’s still too fat to execute. At 480 pounds, “vein access” and other issues would cause his lethal injection to be “torturous.” (2) British murderer-sadist Graham Fisher, 39, is locked up in a highsecurity hospital in Berkshire, England, but he, too, has been eating well (at about 325 pounds). In August, he was approved for gastric-band surgery paid for by Britain’s National Health Service at an estimated cost, including a private room for post-op recuperation, of about $25,000).
IRONIES
; Iranian cleric Hojatoleslam Ali Beheshti was hospitalized in the town of Shahmirzad in September, allegedly after being roughed up by a woman. According to Iran’s Mehr news agency, the cleric was merely performing his “duty,” warning an allegedly immodestly dressed woman to cover herself better. She suggested, instead, that he should “cover (his) eyes,” and when he continued admonishing her, she, unladylike, pushed him away and kicked him. ; Arrested in September and charged with aggravated indecent exposure (making continued obscene gestures to female kayakers on Michigan’s Pinnebog River while nude): 60-year-old TV producer William H. Masters III—the son of pioneer 1960s sex researcher William Masters (who, with Virginia Johnson, wrote the landmark books “Human Sexual Response” and “Human Sexual Inadequacy”). NOVEMBER 2012 • CULTURE 99
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