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Lion King
PAGE 98
Snoop retires his rap rep— and rises as reggae royalty On the Cover: Photo by Matt Carr/Getty Images
22 Regulators! Mount Up! Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s pushes to stabilize our industry. 26 Animal Rescue? One LA vet says MMJ can help some pets dealing with cancer. 34 Moving Screen Is it the National Basket . . . bowl Association! 40 Real Showmanship Just give Muggs two turntables—and stand back. 46 Petal to the Metal Badflower’s big ambition? Making it big! 50 Starting a Riot Sublime With Rome is still qualified to represent.
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departments 12 14
News Nuggets
Cannabis makes headlines here, there, everywhere—and we give you the scoop—PLUS our latest By the Numbers
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Profiles in Courage
Our latest feature provides insight into the life—and struggle—of a medical cannabis patient near you.
Letter from the Editor
When you’re trying to spread the message of peace—do as Marley did.
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Destination Unknown
Skip the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors, China’s Guanxi Province is the place to be.
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LEGAL CORNER
Attorney Damian Nassiri gives us an update on what’s going on in LA and the state Supreme Court.
Strain, Edible & concentrate Reviews Our ever-popular sampling of amazing strains, edibles and concentrates currently provided by your friendly neighborhood dispensary.
Healthy Living
Evidence suggests cannabis can help drug addicts kick the habit.
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Cool Stuff
97 184 190 196 GREEN SCENE
Swapping arts and crafts just got sustainable.
Recipes
From Kush Bottles’ Neon Collection to Wicked Lasers, if it’s a cutting-edge product or cool lifestyle gear, we’re all over it.
SHOOTING Gallery
Here are the green-friendly things we saw you doing around town.
For an extra special day we came up with an extra special menu.
Entertainment Reviews
The latest films, books, music and more that define our culture.
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letter from the editor
Vol 4 IssUE 10
Publisher
Jeremy Zachary
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Roberto C. Hernandez Editor-In-Chief
Editor-in-Chief
Roberto C. Hernandez
Arts & Entertainment Editor Evan Senn
Editorial Contributors
Dennis Argenzia, Ngaio Bealum, Ashley Bennett, David Burton, Grace Cayosa, Jasen T. Davis, Alex Distefano, David Downs, Carolina Duque, S.A. Hawkins, James P. Gray, Lillian Isley, David Jenison, Liquid Todd, Kevin Longrie, Dan Macintosh, Meital Manzuri, Bruce Margolin, Sandra Moriarty, Damian Nassiri, Arrissia Owen, Paul Rogers, Lanny Swerdlow, Matt Tapia, Simon Weedn
What
About
Bob?
Photographers
Steve Baker, Bettina Chavez, Kristopher Christensen, Michael Gifford, John Gilhooley, Roxanne Haynes, Amanda Holguin, Khai Le, Mark Malijan, PJ Russo
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Steven Myrdahl
When I first heard that Snoop had been “reborn,” I wasn’t surprised. Many musicians and celebrities— rappers are no exception—reach a point in their career where they reinvent or reboot their identity. And when I heard that Snoop was embracing Jamaican culture and music—the Rastafarian movement, no less— and declared himself the reincarnation of Bob Marley, again, I wasn’t really surprised. After all, Marley was arguably one of the globe’s most earnest, credible, culturally relevant and politically steadfast artists of all time. Virtually single-handedly Robert Nesta Marley was the man who “introduced the world to the mystic power of reggae” as Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner wrote in 1994. He was the man who made the world aware of the Rastafari Movement. He was the tireless artist who spread love and understanding—as well as social change and justice—to the world’s stage. If you’re going to say that you are the reincarnation of someone, Bob Marley’s a great choice. It’s easy to understand Bob’s power and legacy. First, Bob Marley taught us about the power of universal love. His own parents literally decided to “get together and feel alright,” as the Third World superstar was the result of
biracial love; his father was White, his mother was black. “Me don’t deh pon the black man’s side nor the white man’s side. Me deh pon God’s side,” is how Marley once reflected on his own identity. Marley, by any definition, was the real deal. After an assassination attempt on his life in 1976 proved unsuccessful, what did Bob do? Two days later, the injured Marley performed right on schedule at a concert aimed at (ironically enough) defusing tensions between Jamaica’s two warring political parties. Marley’s response: “The people who are trying to make this world worse aren’t taking a day off. How can I?” And lastly, Marley reveals something that Rastafarian and MMJ culture have in common: utter respect and reverence for a plant that is the “healing of the nations.” Not only can cannabis help Rastas tap into Jah, the plant is also used as natural medicine. Rastas turn to ganja to treat fevers, colds, stomach aches and pain. It is from Bob Marley’s cultural and artistic legacy that Snoop Lion arises. And so I embrace Mr. Broadus’ reinvention. Some may not. Others will decry it. That’s what happens when you try something risky, or strike out into new territory. Sometimes, little darling, you just need to stir it up. Now it’s time to celebrate—have a happy 420, everyone! c
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THE NATION THE STATE Santa Ana lawmaker pushes for a flawed “Driving Under the Influence” bill
State Sen. Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) is expected to introduce a new bill to the senate’s Public Safety Committee that would outlaw operating a motor vehicle with any trace of marijuana in the blood—without a doctor’s recommendation. Similar bills were attempted last year but failed—and faced stiff criticism from MMJ and cannabis activists, who argued that such a law would basically criminalize sober drivers who otherwise have old, trace amounts of cannabis in their systems. “This bill would effectively outlaw EVERY driver who has within recent hours or days used marijuana,” California NORML director Dale Gieringer told the East Bay Express.
Santa Ana Council: Prodispensary measure on the November 2014 ballot
A recent vote by the Santa Ana city council could be good news to patients—and dispensaries, according to the Orange County Register. The council ruled 5-0 (with two absent) to approve placing a measure on the November 2014 ballot that would allow MMJ storefronts to operate within city limits. The council passed a measure in 2007 that made cannabis dispensaries illegal in the city. Despite that, dispensaries remain open throughout the city, although enforcement efforts 14 CULTURE • APRIL 2013
threaten them. The proposed Medical Cannabis Restriction and Limitation Initiative would eliminate the ban and create a registration process, zoning restrictions and a business tax requirement for dispensaries. It would also allow at least 22 dispensaries to operate.
New York lawmaker Diane Savino pushes new MMJ bill
Drug Policy Alliance policy director defends proposed legalization bill
Amanda Reiman, California policy director for the Drug Policy Alliance, came out swinging in her op-ed piece recently published in the Los Angeles Times, defending a legalization bill by U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer. Reiman referred to an earlier editorial opposing the bill as “shortsighted,” writing that it is “virtually impossible to regulate marijuana as other prescription drugs because of the restrictions placed on researching cannabis, the very kind of research that the Food and Drug Administration requires to bring a drug to market.” Reiman said she hopes Blumenauer’s bill—which would make the federal government treat cannabis like alcohol and allow states to keep it legal or not—will promote research and safe access.
refocused on other, more serious criminal offenses,” NORML stated during the bill’s testimony. The bills aim to move the state’s MMJ program from the Department of Public Safety to the Department of Health. One bill contains amendments pertaining to confidentiality, physician requirements, plant transfers and registration requirements.
Hawaii moves forward toward a better MMJ program Paradise just got a little greener, as Hawaii continued to inch closer towards decriminalization and improvements to the state’s 13-year-old MMJ program, according to Maui Time and Hawaii Reporter. Last month, the state Senate approved SB 472 SD2, which makes possession of up to an ounce of cannabis a civil violation subject to up to a $1,000 fine, instead of a criminal misdemeanor. “Amending state law to make these offenses a fine-only, non-criminal infraction will significantly reduce state prosecutorial costs and allow law enforcement resources to be
State Sen. Diane Savino is gaining support for a new bill that could bring medical use to New York, writes the MMJ Business Daily. Savino plans to introduce the measure soon, basing the program on models currently in use in other compassionate states such as Colorado and Connecticut. She hopes it would fly through the Assembly but might meet opposition from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is not an
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advocate. “This is purely political . . . Nobody wants to be the drug governor,” he announced recently. While New York decriminalized minor possession in 1977, paradoxically, the city had the highest arrest rates for possession than any other city in the world by 2008.
cannabis for a number of medical issues before he died due to cancer.
THE WORLD
Efforts to legalize medicinal cannabis in Florida gear up
Florida may be enlisting some new medical assistance for its elderly population, according to Bay News 9. State Sen. Jeff Clemens has introduced a bill that would permit those with debilitating medical conditions to use cannabis, with a doctor’s permission. SB 1250, also known as the Cathy Jordan Medical Cannabis Act, is named after the Florida advocate who uses the treatment for her amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. The bill was introduced the day after a poll indicated the 70 percent of Floridians support the medical use of the plant. A prominent Orlando attorney, John Morgan, recently announced his efforts to spend $3.5 million to get MMJ legislation on the 2014 ballot. Morgan says his father used
Copenhagen officials say legalization will mean “decreased gang criminality”
Officials in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, are pushing to legalize cannabis by first launching a three-year trial, according to The Copenhagen Post. The idea is that “the legal sale of cannabis will result in decreased gang criminality, more prevention and a better life for average cannabis users,” according to the city. The trial may also involve importing cannabis from England as well as Colorado and Washington. “We realize, of course, that there are a lot of international conventions and regulations to deal with, but we think it is possible,” Mikkel Warming, Copenhagen’s deputy mayor for social affairs, told The Post.
by the numbers
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The distance (in feet) that a recreational-cannabis store must keep away from parks, playgrounds and sensitive areas in Washington state: 1,000 (Source: The Spokesman-Review).
1
The percentage of a proposed city sales tax on MMJ transactions in San Diego: 2 (Source: U-T San Diego).
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The estimated cost (in dollars) of operating a dispensary in a commercial/industrial area of San Diego for a year: 5,000 (Source: U-T San Diego).
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The number of patients and supporters that rallied together in Jackson, Michigan, to protest the closure of MMJ distribution centers: 200 (Source: The Compassionate Chronicles).
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The percentage of voters in Nevada who approved MMJ legislation in 2000: 65 (Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal)
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The number of registered MMJ cardholders in Nevada: 3,645. (Source: Nevada Department of Health and Human Services).
The estimated amount of money (in millions) that it would take to bankroll an MMJ constitutional amendment in Florida for the 2014 ballot: 10 (Source: Orlando Sentinel).
The percentage of registered California voters who support legalizing cannabis for medical use: 72 (Source: The Los Angeles Times).
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5
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The ratio of California voters that support legalizing the sale of marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol? 5:4 (Source: The Press-Enterprise).
The distance (in feet) that medical cannabis businesses and activities must keep away from residential districts, etc., in Westborough, Massachusetts: 500 (Source: The Westborough News).
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The percentage of registered California voters who support legalizing cannabis for recreational use: 54 (Source: The Los Angeles Times).
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The percentage of Hawaii residents who support their state’s medical cannabis program: 81 (Source: Maui Time). The percentage of Hawaii residents who feel possession of small amounts of cannabis should not be a criminal offense: 58 (Source: Maui Time).
Dark Star Orchestra in concert Hello, old aging hippies! Want to party like it’s 1969? Well, you can’t because Jerry Garcia is dead. Hate to break it to you. However, there is a substitute that works just as well. Dark Star Orchestra is considered one of the greatest tributes to one of the greatest bands ever. They’ve performed over 1,900 shows, some of them with members on the Grateful Dead alongside them. If you listen to them side by side with the original music, it synchs up with The Wizard of Oz! Okay, wrong band, but it sounds on par with the original performance. However, if you’re watching the concerts the way they were meant to be seen, it will feel like old times. In all honesty, these guys sound great no matter how focused you are on the performance. It may not be the Grateful Dead reborn, but it is above and beyond the best thing we have and Deadheads are all the more, well, grateful for their existence.
IF YOU GO
What: Dark Star Orchestra in concert. When/Where: April 5 at Fox Riverside, 3801 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside. Info: Tickets $30. Go to www.foxriversidelive.com for more info.
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FLASH
Rules
Engagement
of
AB 473: Assemblyman Tom Ammiano’s vision for standardized regulations {By Jasen T. Davis}
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measure basically treats cannabis like alcohol. It would create a “Division of Medical Cannabis Regulation” that would control how the plant is grown, delivered and sold statewide, with taxes from cannabis sales funding it all. Ammiano, who represents the 17th Assembly District, has been a strong supporter of legalizing cannabis. “Where marijuana rules
Say What?
Ever since the Compassionate Use Act became law in 1996 medical cannabis has had the potential to become a very big business in California. There are thousands of dispensaries operating throughout the state providing significant amounts of MMJ to patients every year, but, the argument goes, without standardized regulations to protect the industry it’s wide-open for abuse by local and federal authorities. Last year, dozens of cities across the Golden State attempted to ban cannabis sales with dubious city council rulings and conflicting district regulations, while raids by federal authorities like the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation closed clinics, incarcerated caregivers and left many citizens with nothing but illness, uncertainty, misery and pain. It’s possible that Assemblyman Tom Ammiano—a staunch MMJ supporter—could have an answer to this dilemma. Ammiano, a Democrat from the Bay Area, recently introduced AB 473, a measure that would enact regulations for the medical cannabis industry throughout California. Although the details are still being worked out, the
“I don’t consider weed to be any worse than having a beer.” —James Franco
Been Here Before
are concerned, California has been in chaos for way too long,” Ammiano says. With so many cities, counties and courts contradicting each other when it comes to regulation, it’s a fair argument to say the industry needs some regulations to establish order. “Cities have been looking for state guidance, dispensaries feel they are at the mercy of changing rules and patients who need medical cannabis are uncertain about how their legitimate medical needs will be filled,” Ammiano says. “This is a concrete plan that will keep medical marijuana safe. We will get it into the right hands and keep it out of the wrong hands.”
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano has attempted to pass a bill similar to AB 473 before, one that would also have established MMJ as a bone fide business. Last year, AB 2312 would have allowed cooperatives, collectives and other related businesses to cultivate, transport, sell and more. However, Ammiano withdrew the bill a week before the state Senate was to debate it; it was receiving criticism from both sides of the aisle and advocates weren’t fond of late amendments that were added on.
Of course, not everyone is going to be happy if measure AB 473 becomes law across California. Because the proposed Division of Medical Cannabis Regulation would fall under the auspices of the Department of Beverage Control, taxes will have to be paid, rules will have to be followed, and a new bureaucracy may be born. On the other side of the coin, in Colorado—where similar regulations and a similar agency have been passed—federal agencies have largely backed off of raiding growers and operators that adhere to such regulations. The strongest supporters of legalization argue that cannabis shouldn’t be any more controlled than ginseng or dandelion greens. And although medical cannabis patients can grow their own medicine under the Compassionate Use Act, there is a general feeling that regulation will only make life more difficult for an industry that’s survived for 17 years with minimal regulation. But as wild as the west has been, law and order is inevitable if patients want to have guaranteed access to their medicine, especially with a potential federal shadow overarching everything. c www.tomammiano.com
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FLASH
Dr Douglas Kramer, Photo by Vet Guru
more about the subject. “Several of my patients suggested that I try it,” he said. “I learned how to create a tincture after reading several herbal therapy books.” When it comes to medical research, modern science will routinely experiment with dogs and cats long before they get to humans. “A lot of the research materials I’ve come across on the medical benefits of cannabis are from previous clinical trials that involved animals,” he says. Dr. Kramer has since prescribed the same tincture formula for pet owners who prefer an all-natural cure to the alternatives. Does he believe that medical cannabis is better than conventional pharmaceuticals? “I wouldn’t use the word ‘superior,’ because we don’t have a complete study on the side effects of medical cannabis,” he says. Dr. Kramer believes that although mainstream medications are trustworthy because of the research that has gone into them, they are just examples of several options. “With a full spectrum of choices, including cannabis, you can treat a wider range of symptoms,” he says. Dr. Kramer has been impressed by what he’s seen in his years of recommending cannabis tinctures for the animals he treats. “The results
Creature Comfort One LA vet says MMJ can be used to treat your pet’s cancer {By Jasen T. Davis} It is normally a bad idea to give your pet medication of any kind—including cannabis—because such drugs weren’t formulated for animals. However, when a veterinarian recommends something to help your dog or cat, the professional opinion may be a good thing to follow. Consider the following: Dr. Douglas Kramer is a professional veterinarian working in the
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greater Los Angeles area. As the chief medical officer for Vet Guru, an animal veterinary center that offers all-natural, holistic treatments for pet health care, he isn’t afraid to prescribe medical cannabis to animals that need it. According to Dr. Kramer, more pet owners are doing this. When his own dog, Nikita, was suffering from cancer, Dr. Kramer decided to try using the plant to treat her symptoms after learning
have been overwhelmingly positive, especially with the oils. I’ve been studying a lot of material on how cannabis tinctures have been successfully used to treat skin cancer,” he says. “A lot of anecdotal evidence indicates that topical cannabis oil might promote necrosis in tumors.” While he believes that medical cannabis can be a good option under certain circumstances, Dr. Kramer understands that most
In Sickness and in Health
As we reported last month, if your pet isn’t sick—keep your MMJ away from them. “Serious, long-term health consequences and fatalities from marijuana intoxication are essentially unheard of,” Eric Barchas, a San Francisco veterinarian says. “But pets that are exposed to marijuana may display anxiety and are prone to ‘bad trips.’” other veterinarians would probably hesitate to opt for a treatment that is so controversial. “I’ve faced a lot of negativity,” he says. “Most vets have only seen the worst-case scenarios, when a pet gets sick from cannabis. They haven’t seen the good cases that I have.” Other professionals in the same field like what they see, and are interested in what medical cannabis can do for the pets they deal with in their own practice, Dr. Kramer says. “I’m getting a lot of emails from other veterinarians . . . I believe they might be quietly suggesting cannabis for their own patients, but they don’t want to get too vocal about it so that they can avoid potential lawsuits.” While most of his clientele are sober, middle-class individuals who would probably never try cannabis themselves, when it comes to their pets they will use anything that works, regardless of the taboo, Dr. Kramer reveals. “I just lay the options on the table. Very conservative people become open-minded when they see that their pet is sick and suffering.” c www.vetguru.com
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BUZZ Montel Williams has publicly spoken up about the benefits of medical cannabis— the former talk-show host and health advocate uses the plant to treat the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. He’s not slowing down any time soon. Williams recently spoke with The Huffington Post to discuss MMJ. “[Marijuana] is like any other plant-based medicine,” he told HuffPost Live host Ahmed Shihab-Eldin. Williams also called for the government and pharmaceutical industry to back research into cannabis compounds to come up with “quality medication.” On a related note, the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry published a report last year on how cannabis extracts can help relieve the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, such as painful muscle stiffness. Ninety percent of MS sufferers are estimated to experience this type of stiffness. A 2012 Canadian medical journal published a study that demonstrated similar results. c
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BUZZ
{By Dean Mayorga} Apparently, the NBA’s finest have a weakness for the same herb we use medicinally. Marcus Williams, a former player for the Spurs and Clippers who had most recently been playing for a Chinese league, was recently suspended for testing positive for cannabis. Also, former Chicago Bulls point guard and current ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams recently alleged that his former teammates would puff before games during the 2002-2003 season, according to a report in The New York Times. This isn’t the first time that true ballers and cannabis have crossed paths. Here are a few examples:
Kareem is a legend on and off the court, and we would be very remiss if we failed to mention that the former Lakers center has been very public about his use of the herb to tackle migraines. He was busted in 2000 for suspicion of driving while being under the influence of cannabis.
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In 2011, when Michael Beasley was playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, he was ticketed for speeding and possession of more than 16 grams of cannabis. While Beasley contests that it actually belonged to a friend, the whole incident begs the question: Where can I find some friends like Beasley’s?
Former Nugget Carmelo Anthony revealed to TSA how he stays so “mellow” when he was cited for possessing less than an ounce of cannabis in 2004 while boarding a plane at Denver International Airport. Once again, the cannabis was claimed to belong to a friend (probably Michael Beasley) and the case was dismissed.
Maybe Corie Blunt—excuse me, Blount—felt underpaid? In 2009, the former power forward (he retired in 2004 from the Raptors) was caught receiving 11 pounds of cannabis by Cincinnati police. Authorities eventually found a total of 29 bags full of green. Who needs lock-outs?
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BUZZ
When you start getting up there in age, pain and illness sometimes come along for the ride. Joint, neck and back pain are common, the threat of diabetes may loom and dementia is one of those diseases that older folks need to monitor. And while there are various medical options out there . . . one of them is medical cannabis. And it seems that more older Americans are utilizing the blessed plant then in previous years, according to The New York Times and statistics from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Some of the use is medical—the Times spoke to a Crohn’s disease sufferer—but some of it is for social (read: recreational) purposes. In 2002, about 2.7 percent of adults ages 50 to 59 reported using cannabis, according to the National Survey. In 2011, that number rose to 6.3 percent. Some older cannabis even speak about organizing “Grannies for Grass” groups in several states. Visiting grandma this summer suddenly got very interesting. c
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TUNES
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Bass Head Culture gets down and dirty with one of LA’s most notorious DJs {By Liquid Todd} He may not be “hardest working man in show business” but after producing a steady stream of music— both for himself and an impressively long list of music industry A-listers—Muggs is certainly one of them. And with a new dubstep inspired album, Bass For Your Face, the original DJ for Cypress Hill and leader of LA art collective Soul Assassins has fully embraced the latest in electronic dance music sounds and styles.
new ideas to incorporate. Dubstep is the sound of the moment so why not make an album with some of those sounds on them? But it’s hard for a guy like Muggs to stray too far from his hip-hop roots. “This record has dubstep, there’s dub, there’s hip-hop. There’s glitch. Just different musical elements,” Muggs says. “I’m not putting any barriers on the music. But with this particular record instead of going real dance with it I kept it more hip-hop. It was more for
“One hundred percent,” Muggs agrees. “Coming out of the late ’80s with guys like Mantronik—the stuff he was doing on the fucking drum machine, you know, was like, damn.” When Muggs looks back on the early days of Cypress Hill he remembers a chaotic whirlwind of continuous live performances punctuated by short studio interludes. “You know it went from being in the studio every day to being on tour for two years non-stop,” he says. “The first album took us three years—it was our whole lives on there. The second album we did in two months. And you know, looking back, we was just young f*@king angry kids, man. We was just doing it. We were on autopi-
came from inside or out. Muggs took his own route, using his selftaught—and suddenly very much in demand—studio skills to launch his production career. “Right after that first Cypress Hill album I guess we had the sound of the moment and everybody wanted some of that sound,” Muggs says. “So I started working with everybody and I really got more into production at that point. I was DJing parties making $100 a night. “But then I started producing and they started giving me $5,000 checks to be in the studio for fucking eight hours and I was like—are you f@*king kidding me?” Muggs has an impressive list of production credits—by any measure. The Beastie Boys, Depeche Mode, Goodie Mob, U2, Dr. Dre, Wu-Tang Clan, but when you ask him to name a track he’s produced for someone else—something he’s really proud of creating—he comes back to the infamous track he did with House of Pain. “I really liked ‘Jump Around,’” Muggs admits. “That shit won’t
Viccenial Victory
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Cypress Hill’s massive second album, Black Sunday, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and went on to go triple platinum. The first single, “Insane in the Brain,” was one of those songs you just couldn’t avoid—even if you wanted to—and nobody did. To celebrate, the Hill—who continue to play together to this day—is re-releasing the album on vinyl. “Cypress can be on tour with anybody because we harness that rock and roll energy,y so the touring don’t stop,” Muggs says. “And we started production on a new album as well.” “I travel a lot and I DJ a lot, and I’m always looking for new music to play and different stuff to put in my sets,” Muggs explains. “I play a lot of instrumental music from all over the world. And I got to the point where I was like, f*@k, I’m playing a lot of electronic tracks and I want to be able to play my stuff instead of just remixes I made. That inspired me to start the process.” “There are a lot of production techniques that I never even bothered learning because I don’t need it for what I do,” Muggs admits. “So in the process of making this album I picked up some new tricks—learned some new stuff, which was fun. It definitely stimulated the brain, man. When you’ve been making music as long as me it starts to get boring so I’m always looking for new challenges,
the hip-hop heads to make them open their ears to electronic music where a lot of them still won’t give it a chance. So this record was really targeted for that audience, as opposed to a dance crowd.” The hip-hop audience is a notoriously tough crowd to get into new sounds. But it didn’t used to be that way. For a while back in the early ’90s hip-hop was arguably the most innovative form of EDM. “Back in the day, when I was coming up in the game, a lot of hip-hoppers had a house track on their album,” says Muggs. “It was kind of mandatory. In ’88 . . .’89.” The ’90s have come to be remembered as the “golden age” of hip-hop. It was the sound you heard booming out of everyone’s cars. It was exciting and innovative and everybody was trying out new sounds.
lot. I don’t think we came up for a breath from ’90 to ’96.” Muggs points out that touring back in the pre-Internet, cellphone-less early 1990s wasn’t as cushy as it has become today. And there are always a swarm of opportunists ready to pounce on a hot new artist. “We didn’t have the best managers,” Muggs says. “We didn’t have the best people around us. We didn’t have any good role models. We had managers and lawyers that looked at us like a money-making machine and they were saying, You can’t stop now.” We had managers making bad deals so they could get as much money up front as they could—not expecting us to have a long career.” But Cypress Hill survived the fame, the industry jackals and the pressure of it all—whether it
go away.” Through all the tours, the radio shows, the promotional junkets and endless hours in the studio, Muggs keeps on spinnin‘. But when it comes to putting the “DJ” in Muggs, he prefers to keep it simple on stage. “Two turntables, a couple of effects boxes and a lot of skill,” he says. “I bring my turntablist background, my battle background. You know, if you see Jimi Hendrix you’re gonna want to see him do some tricks on his guitar.” But he’s been around long enough to know what’s really important. “You want to see some showmanship,” he says. “Bring the energy, bring the music, read the crowd . . . take chances.” www.djmuggs.com APRIL 2013 • CULTURE 41
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TUNES
Flower Power
Comin’ Up
Roses
California’s state flower is the poppy, a beautiful flower that grows in dozens of colors, covering the hills of our California landscape. The California poppy, however, also has medicinal properties and has been used traditionally for hundreds of years to treat ailments—it was mainly used as a remedy for toothaches, headaches, anxiety and insomnia. The opium poppy, a relative of the California poppy has been harvested for its strong medicinal traits, and is one of the most cultivated medicinal herbs in existence. Today, derivatives of opium poppies are strictly controlled by the government because of their addictive properties. These include morphine, heroin and codeine, among others.
Badflower is growing momentum in a field of dreams {By Dan MacIntosh} “It’s actually sad at times,” confesses Badflower vocalist Josh Katz while describing his tunnel vision over making it big. “There are absolutely no other ambitions,” Katz continues. “All of our eggs are in this one basket.” Every member of this four-piece is from Southern California, and if you grow up in the Los Angeles area, a region where so much popular music is created and recorded, you’re nearly destined to have eclectic musical tastes. The band describes its sound as 80s music, with some classic rock inspiration. “We’re influenced heavily by 60s, 70s and 80s rock,” Katz explains, “but it’s still modern and current.” One particular modern influence many pick up on when they first hear Badflower
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songs is Maroon 5. And this band has absolutely no problem with that comparison. “We’re like The White Stripes, with Adam Levine on vocals,” Katz juxtaposes oddly. While Katz always knew he wanted to make music for a living, belting out rock & roll was not actually his first choice. “Singing was never a part my plan as a musician when I was growing up,” he admits. “I personally was into classical music and movie scores and stuff like that because that’s the kind of stuff I liked to listen to. When I was younger, that’s all I did—play the piano. I never even thought to play the guitar.” That is, of course, until he fell into what he describes as “the wrong crowd;” one that introduced him to the much wilder world of rock. “Then I picked up the guitar,” he recalls,
“and I never really looked back.” The group figured out its unusual moniker nearly by chance. “The way that we came up with the name,” says Katz, “was so unorthodox. It was so random. It was literally something that was said in conversation that was kind of a mistake. But when we heard the two words together, ‘bad’ and ‘flower,’ our guitarist Joey and I just loved the way it sounded. We just immediately looked at each other and said, ‘That’s a cool band name!’ You put the two words together and it becomes a word that really doesn’t exist. Our goal is to kind of brand it and push it hard enough as our band name so when you hear ‘Badflower,’ you don’t associate it with flowers or bad things; you immediately associate it with the sound of our music, with our band.”
Just as Badflower isn’t a putdown of petals, Katz has nothing negative to say about another plant, marijuana. “I personally don’t smoke pot,” he explains, “but I’m 100 percent for medical marijuana and the legalization of marijuana. We’re all for legalization.” He may not use the stuff, but he has some personal experience to base his opinions on. “When I was growing up, my aunt had cancer. And there were no other pills that she could take that would numb the pain. So she smoked medicinal marijuana.” Badflower is currently promoting its 5-song EP, About a Girl. However the group is just itching to get back into the studio again. The act will soon be in various studios, with multiple producers. “We’re fortunate to have a couple of producers that are interested in us, and want to help out,” Katz says. “We get to browse around and try different things and take our pick and see what we like.” With so much current upward career momentum, you might say everything is coming up roses for Badflower. c www.facebook.com/ wearebadflower
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TUNES
What
They Got
ON June STAGE Que 7 at th en e Lon Mary i g Be n ach.
Sublime With Rome start a musical rioT {By David Jenison} Before Sublime with Rome performs at the Ink-N-Iron Festival in Long Beach in June, the sun-soaked band will headline the Spring Back to Vail party this month in Colorado. The World Pond Skimming Championship is part of the three-day event, and it challenges skiers to launch themselves from a ramp and hydroplane across a frigid pond without sinking. SWR frontman Rome Ramirez is pondering the challenge. “That is pretty bad-ass, and I have never even skied before, so this would even be funnier [for people] to watch,” laughs Ramirez before sending out some local love. “Colorado is one of the states where the most fans come out and interact with us, so it is always a blast.” Drummer Bud Gaugh left the group in late 2011, so bassist Eric Wilson is the only original member, but all SWR current set lists feature the band’s standard mix of Sublime classics and new material from 2011’s Yours Truly. After frontman Bradley Nowell passed away in 1996, Gaugh and Wilson continued playing Sublime songs as the Long Beach Dub Allstars for another five years. In 2009, the duo joined forces with Ramirez, then 20 years old, and started playing the songs again under the Sublime name. Using the original moniker caused a stir, prompting the name change to Sublime with
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Rome, but most fans welcomed the band. Nearly four years later, the nostalgia has turned into an escalating fanbase. “We plan on taking the band as far as we can take it,” says Ramirez, adding that they will start recording a new album by the year’s end. “We will always, always, always retain the roots of the band, play their classic music and stay within the vein on new songs, but we will also challenge ourselves as artists to grow.” Ramirez grew up with Sublime posters on his wall, so the music naturally influenced his style, but he claims he isn’t trying to channel Nowell when writing new material. “I feel like that would be 100 percent unoriginal of me, so I just try to write the best music I can with these guys,” he explains. “I try not to take in all the criticism and the comparisons when I am in the studio because I don’t think it helps me write any better.”
Given to the chance to showcase his talents with SWR, Ramirez is now penning tunes for other artists like Enrique Iglesias, and he expresses gratitude for the chance to escape what he calls a string of “shitty jobs.” Ramirez is disappointed, however, that this will be the first year in which SWR is not playing a 420 show. “If we are not playing, I
am probably going to stay at my house and medicate,” says Ramirez, then changing topics to medical marijuana. “I am a huge advocate. I have friends who used to be asthmatic who started smoking marijuana, and now they don’t have to go buy inhalers.” c sublimewithrome.com
Walmart . . . Weed? Sublime with Rome guitarist/vocalist Rome Ramirez says he prefers a
middle ground between cannabis’ sometimes conflicting status here in Colorado and beyond. “I like the median where it is legal but not legal; you can get busted but it’s just a slap on the hand,” he explains. “What I don’t want is to see it get mass produced by Philip Morris and put inside a carton and sold at liquor stores. Then there would be Pepsi Marijuana, and I could see a Hannah Montana brand sold only in Walmart. That would just be the worst shit in the world.”
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Illustrations by Vidal Diaz
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destination unknown
Czech
Tranquility Now China’s southeastern Guanxi Province offers natural, serene attractions—but avoid the tourists! Imagine a classic, serene Chinese landscape. What does it look like? If your answer includes Shaolin monks fighting in Snake Style or the Five Deadly Venoms, you are completely AWESOME, but clearly distracted by popular culture. If, however, you imagine a tranquil river running through unusually pointy, fog-draped hills, then you are actually thinking about the city of Guilin, in China’s southeastern Guanxi Province. Guilin and its section of the Li River rank as one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, right up there with the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors. In fact, those oddly angled green hills— made of limestone, and called karsts. The karst topography is the city’s MVP; without it, Guilin is just a medium-sized Chinese city filled with osmanthus trees and really good chili sauce. Elephant Trunk Hill and Camel Hill are limestone hills that—surprise—look like an elephant and a camel, while Solitary Beauty
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Peak has amazing panoramic views from its summit. Inside the karst terrain, Seven Star Cave and Reed Flute Cave were both formed by dissolving limestone, the latter a Vegas-worthy spectacle of neon-lit stalactites and stalagmites. Not far from Guilin is another area attraction: the Longji rice terraces, also known by its more kickass name, “The Dragon’s Backbone.” These terraces are an engineering feat and are seriously
PHOTOs & story by Dennis Argenzia & Edengrace Cayosa gorgeous, especially when filled with water in spring or with young green rice plants in summer. After a visit to the rice terraces, tourists often take the extremely popular boat ride down Li River to nearby Yangshuo. It is this stretch of river that is commemorated on Chinese currency: clear calm water framed by majestic karsts and shrouded in mist. Water buffalo play at the river’s edge. Fisherman fish in contemplative silence, interrupted only by the sound of . . . megaphones on a passing 50-person boat. Word of advice: choose the slower, smaller 6-person “bamboo” rafts (and by “bamboo,” we mean PVC pipe); their lack of speed means that you are eventually left behind to enjoy the amazing scenery and take pictures without being photobombed by a boat hull. Boat (and bus) passengers disembark at Yangshuo, a formerly quaint town whose center is now transformed into a tourist cliché. If the presence of McDonald’s is highly offensive to you, take the initiative and rent a bicycle, or just walk. Yangshuo is blessed with the same beautiful terrain as Guilin, and dirt paths will quickly take you out of the West Street tourist crush and into the serenity of rice paddies, charming farming villages and, eventually, the Yulong River, a small tributary of the Li River. At the photogenic Yulong River, you can opt to either rent a [real] bamboo raft and join the domestic tourists in raft-to-raft water fights, or just stand on the Dragon Bridge, watching newlyweds float by during their raft photo shoot. The more adventurous will push on to Moon Hill, where a steep climb by stone steps or by scaling the rock face is rewarded with stunning views of the Yulong River valley. You can enjoy these views with a bit of cannabis that is peddled in Yangshuo. Strangely, most dealers are not taxi or rickshaw drivers, but little old women who really want to sell you something! As always, please practice common sense and remember that China has some very harsh consequences if you are caught. c
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profiles in courage Patient:
Robyn Bollay
AGE: 51
Condition/ Illness:
Uses a pacemaker, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, stroke/coma survivor, chronic pain, in remission from Addison’s disease.
Using medical cannabis since: 2001
Photos by Kristopher Christensen
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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.
Why did you start using medical cannabis? I started using cannabis when, [at] 15 years old, [I was] directed by [a] doctor to use edibles for asthma. Then I stopped at 23 years old, started again at 40 years old. Did you try other methods or treatments before cannabis? I had gotten eight pre-cancerous polyps in [my] colon due to narcotics and other medications. Now I am off 15 medications due to cannabis. I tried epidural steroid injections, radio frequency therapy, medications prescribed by doctors—the whole medical gambit with seven doctors. What’s the most important issue or problem facing medical cannabis patients? I think that the FDA rescheduling cannabis is one of the most important things, and for the patients to be active in our community, standing for our rights . . . educating those who are in the dark about medical marijuana laws and the benefits of this natural herb’s reality. What do you say to folks who are skeptical about cannabis as medicine? I’d like to explain to them that medical cannabis isn’t just for smoking. Cannabis can be ingested orally in cannabutter, sprayed under tongue, vaporized or delivered topically into the skin directly. c
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By Damian Nassiri
MMJ Update: The Latest from
Say What?
legal corner
“. . . [T]here is no rational basis for classifying marijuana with the ‘hard narcotics,’ . . . there is not even a rational basis for treating marijuana as a more dangerous drug than alcohol.” —Michigan Supreme Court, 1972
LA and the State Supreme Court LA Citizens To Vote On Medical Marijuana Ordinance in May
There are now three medical marijuana measures that will likely be on the May 21st ballot for the citizens of Los Angeles to vote on. Two of these measures are “Pre-ICO” ordinances, which means only those collectives who were open before September 2007 will be allowed a chance to register for a business license. In order to qualify, the collective must pay city taxes, pass annual background checks, keep away from residential zones (these distances have not been clarified as of yet), maintain certain distances from schools, parks, child care facilities, other designated places and other collectives, and meet other requirements and operational standards. The third measure will allow any collective to operate so long as it meets certain requirements. Under this measure, collectives cannot be within 1,000 feet of a school, which is defined as a place that offers instruction to children in kindergarten or grades 1-12. In addition, collectives cannot be within 500 feet of a public park, public library, licensed child care facility, youth center, substance abuse rehabilitation center, religious institution or any other collective. Under this measure, priority registration will be given to collectives that have been operating in the city before October 2012. Then after nine months, the registration will be open to any other collec-
tive that wants to apply. Lastly, this measure would impose a 6-percent tax on collectives.
California Supreme Court to Rule on Whether Cities Can Ban or Not
Those in the industry are now eagerly awaiting the Supreme Court of California’s ruling on whether cities and counties can or cannot ban collectives from operating. The court heard oral arguments on Feb. 5 and now has 90 days to issue its ruling—and typically they do wait until the 90th day. So sometime before May 5 we should know the answer. If the Court says that cities cannot ban collectives, then you will likely see many cities open up to collectives by enacting ordinances that regulate collectives. Many cities will be reluctant to do this, however, so it could take them many months to get something passed. Those cities that do not want collectives may end up passing overly restrictive, back-door ban-type ordinances. In other words they will create an ordinance that is very difficult to comply with or that only leaves very limited places to operate. That could lead to years of more litigation as to whether or not the city’s regulations violate the stated purpose of the Compassionate Use Act and Medical Marijuana
Program Act, which is to provide “safe access” to the medicine. If, on the other hand, the Supreme Court rules that cities and counties can ban collectives, you could see more cities ban collectives and others that were not previously enforcing their ban could now start to sue collectives to shut them down. But all will not be lost. Just because the Supreme Court says cities can ban, it does not mean that they have to ban. Some cities that were anti-medical marijuana are now starting to discuss having an ordinance that allows collectives. One such city is San Diego—there is a new mayor in town and he is pushing the city council to allow collectives to operate. This is something we would not have expected even six months ago as San Diego used the feds to shut down all collectives in the county. Also, even if a city does ban, the citizens can still gather enough signatures to put a measure on the ballot—similar to what the patients in Los Angeles, Long Beach and Santa Ana have recently done. Also, the state legislature can step in and amend the law to state specifically that cities cannot ban collectives— there is some talk that this could be in the works. And then don’t forget delivery services. So far, they have been relatively untouched by cities and counties with bans. c
Attorney Damian Nassiri is the founding partner of the Cannabis Law Group, a law firm dedicated to the rights of patients, collectives and growers. His firm offers consultations and nonprofit incorporations to those who are interested in starting their own medical marijuana collective. You can reach Cannabis Law Group at (714) 937-2050 or visit the law firm’s website at www.cannabislawgroup.com.
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strain & edible reviews GET YOUR CLICK HERE
www.iReadCulture.com
Jolly Rancher The jolly in this 100-percent pure indica out of The Collective Center in Los Angeles could refer to its supercharged effect—a soaring, roaring-between-the-ears sensation that lifts the spirits even as it numbs the pain. But the name is of course a nod to its fruity-tart taste—sour cherry and wild berry and lemon-lime all rolled into one. Jolly Rancher is by far the flavorful variety to come around in a great while. It’s also the prettiest, with perfectly trimmed, strawberry-shaped buds, each about the size of a half-dollar. Jolly Rancher buds are turquoise with a dark purplish hue. This is a dense and weighty strain, with trichome-rich nugs that stick to your fingers when you break them off. We found it burns very hot, so you may want to use a pipe or vaporizer. It’s an outstanding medicine for treating AIDS-related pain, anorexia, anxiety, muscle and nerve damage and arthritis.
The Bite Medicinal Cannabis Chewy Chocolate Truffle Say hello to my little friend: The Bite. They say one must never judge something by its size . . . and that advice bodes well for any patients who sample The Bite Medicinal Cannabis Chewy Chocolate Truffle, available at Zen OC in Garden Grove. Brought to you by the makers of Bhang Medicinal Chocolate, this truffle is labeled “Triple Strength”—and, man, they ain’t kidding. Even with a high tolerance, treat this very seriously and very carefully. We sampled a mere one-fourth of this edible and felt its heavy-heavy body and head effects 45 minutes into things. The Bite—sporting an impressive 180 mg of THC—is very potent. Inexperienced patients run the risk of being couch/chair/bed-locked if they’re not prudent. Taste-wise, this is very delectable. It’s got that faint, hash-y bite . . . but that barely-there taste is overwhelmed by the rich, decadent sweetness of the chewy chocolate. Very sweet and very strong, reach for this when deep-rooted pain, the symptoms of MS or other forms of spasticity need to be tackled.
Van Nuys OG It’s been said that the only good thing to come out of Van Nuys was American Graffiti. You can add to the list this sick house variety from Van Nuys Collective—a 100-percent indica and one of the dankest strains to roil the Valley. It’s also one of the most eccentric, with loosely packed buds that are more bronze than green, and a cheesy bouquet and taste with notes of plum. An unadulterated strain, Van Nuys OG is an excellent example of what you can produce when you keep the growth chemicals out of the equation. The strain packs a hard right hook of a buzz without telegraphing its moves, coming on so fast and sneakily that you’ll find yourself astonished by the realization you’re thoroughly medicated to the bone. It’s an excellent treatment for heavy-duty pain, such as that associated with HIV/AIDS, cancer, MS and chronic muscle spasms.
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Kim Chi Kimchi is a Korean pickled vegetable dish—it comes in dozens of varieties, but pretty much all of them will clear out your sinuses. This 90-percent indica hybrid from Best Holistic Care in Garden Grove won’t set your mouth on fire like its namesake, but its extreme skunky smell will definitely make your eyes water. For all that pungency, it’s the sweetest of smokes, with a lush aftertaste reminiscent of dark cherries and just a touch of cinnamon. Kim Chi’s densely packed buds are verdant green with a dusky shade of blue. It burns hot and fast, producing an expansive stone that sets in the moment you exhale. One hit is enough to leave you knee-wobblingly medicated. That potency—right up there with the most powerful varieties on the market—makes Kim Chi an outstanding nighttime medicine for dealing with insomnia, anxiety disorders, PMS, and pain associated with cancer therapy and MS.
Dr. Feelgood Stoned Hot Puffs Last year, after Colorado voters passed a measure that decriminalized the possession and sale of cannabis for adults 21+, Gov. John Hickenlooper joked about the law’s passage, saying, “This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through. That said, federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug so don’t break out the Cheetos or Goldfish [crackers] too quickly.” Well, we’ve come up with something far better than Cheetos: Dr. Feelgood Stoned Hot Puffs from Heavenly Herbal Collective in Panorama City. Packed with 2.5g of dried cannabis, these spicy little devils are snack-friendly, seasoned with onion powder, paprika and spices and are the crunchiest way to handle an array of body aches and pains. These are strong and smooth; patients suffering from arthritis, migraines and muscle spasms will be well served by this crunchy, wellcrafted edible. I sure hope you like red fingers.
Platinum Green Crack Everything about Platinum Green Crack, an 80-percent sativa hybrid we picked up at Healing OC in Santa Ana, is big. An 80-percent sativa hybrid, the buds are huge—we’re looking at one right now that had to be broken in half to fit into the medicine bottle. Its colors are big, bold and beautiful—a tangle of primary greens, blues and golden amber all competing for the eye’s attention. Even its genetics are big—it’s reportedly the offspring of the powerhouse Blue Dream and Green Crack varieties. But the biggest thing by far is the effect, which sets in the moment the sugary-sweet smoke (strongly suggestive of green apples) finishes expanding the lungs. Far from a couch-potato strain, Platinum Green Crack is invigorating to the senses—colors are brighter and even the most mundane tasks more interesting to contemplate. This is first-rate workday medicine for patients with severe arthritis, PTSD, chronic back pain and glaucoma.
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strain & edible reviews GET YOUR CLICK HERE
www.iReadCulture.com
Platinum OG From The Flower Shop in Riverside, Platinum OG is a kind of Frankenstein’s monster of pure indica—its power and beauty comes from all the different parts that went into it. Reputedly a cross between Purp and Master Kush and OG Kush, it boasts the best of each of its parents’ natural blessings. Like Master Kush, the buds are dark and dense and shot through with frosty resin. Like OG Kush and Purp, it’s incredibly sweet-tasting and mellow, with a menthol finish like honey-lemon cough drops. But after all that, Platinum OG stands solidly on its own merits. The effects is deeply sedative, producing a full-body numbing sensation that’s perfect for treating sore muscles and nerve pain. We strongly suggest you don’t use it while on the road. But if you’re looking for fast and long-lasting pain relief from such diseases as cancer, fibromyalgia, endometriosis and MS, this is the stuff you’ll want to have on hand.
The Venice Cookie Company The 4.20 Bar Patients seeking a truly unique (and powerful) edible need to look no further than The Venice Cookie Company’s The 4.20 Bar line of triplestrength delights. These cannabis-infused bars come available in four tempered-chocolate varieties—Dark Chocolate + Sea Salt, Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate + Popping Candy, Milk Chocolate + Toffee—and each is an utter delight to sample. For a truly refreshing experience, sample the bar with Popping Candy— yup, that popping sensation will remind you of Pop Rocks(!) Consider yourself an edible canna-sseur? Try the one with Sea Salt, which sports just a bit of a salty bite to offset the earthy sweetness of the 64-percent cacao dark chocolate. With 180 mg of delta-9 THC (plus less than 10 mg CBD, less than 5 mg CBN), these are good and strong—but not mentally overwhelming or couch-lock inducing; smooth and reassuring for head-to-toe relief. We suggest sampling no more than one or two segments the first time out. Also available in a 65mg strength (The 4:20 Bar).
Triple Crown OG Unlimited Health Solutions in San Bernardino continues to impress with this ingenious house specialty—a 100-percent indica that’s as complex in aroma and flavor as it is relaxing in its effect. A lifelong connoisseur of strain would be challenged to identify the parent strains at work here based on its appearance: The frosted-green and blood-orange buds are elongated and slightly corkscrew-shaped, resembling, of all things, a double helix. But it’s the flavor and effects that really grab your attention. Triple Crown OG’s toasted, citrusy-sweet smoke gives way to a silky smooth sensation of peace and well-being—it would be very difficult, indeed, to remain in a bad mood after sampling this strain. We found the duration of the buzz lasting about two hours on just one hit, making it a solid medicine for treating nagging illnesses during the workday. Patients with severe arthritis, bone injuries and irritable bowel syndrome will find it particularly valuable.
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Super Girl Scout Cookies The “original” Girl Scout Cookies strain is what you get when you cross OG Kush, Cherry Kush and Durban Poison. We don’t know what was added to that recipe to produce Super Girl Scout Cookies, a 100-percent indica from Alternative Health Services in Moreno Valley, but it was inspired. The mushroom-shaped buds are denser and stickier than the original variety, and the colors— once muted—are a vivid forest green nested amid lush orange hairs. While still among the fruitier of Kush strains, Super Girl Scout Cookies has an earthy spiciness to its raspberry and grape notes. But it’s in potency that this strain really shows its uber-powers. With a THC count in the upper 20s, Super Girl Scout Cookies produces a relaxed, full-body effect, characteristic of the best indica strains. It’s perfect relief when dealing with chemotherapy, sore joints, PMS cramps and stomach upset.
Kiva Confections Mint Irish Cream I love after dinner mints. They’re refreshing and come in just the perfect portion—just enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, not enough to get your dentist (or dietician) worked up. So it was a complete and utter delight to sample Kiva Confections Mint Irish Cream chocolate, available from Access OC in Santa Ana. Lab-tested by CS Analytical, this medible (a 2013 High Times Medical Cannabis Cup LA 1st place winner) provides suffering patients with 180 mg of mild chocolate-sheathed relief. The “born on” date (ours was good until Sept. 25, 2013) is a definite plus for patients that want to make sure their medibles are tip-top fresh. Those who are judicious about what they bring into the body temple, rest assured, the ingredients (vanilla beans, full cream milk, cocoa butter, etc.) are all natural—and all delicious. But this is strong stuff—each bar is scored into 45mg segments. Newbies: start gradually (5mg at a time is recommended) and slowly and feel the elevated potency wash away roughed-up muscles and frayed nerves. Night-night.
NoHo Private Reserve OG For its house reserve, the herb that would bear not only its reputation but its name, NoHo Organics in North Hollywood chose this 100-percent indica. The plum-sized buds of NoHo Private Reserve OG are loosely packed, with leaves so sticky that the nugs tear off instead of break—this is a medicine you’ll want to use in a pipe. The colors are muted hues of brown similar to Caribbean tobacco. At 25-percent THC, the intensity of the cerebral effects is such that novice smokers should take care in how much they partake. The buzz is sublimely indica, syrupy and euphoric without a hint of stress. Keep NoHo Private Reserve OG on hand for nights when arthritis or aches related to HIV or AIDS keep you up, alleviating migraines or insomnia or and for reducing nausea associated with cancer therapy.
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concentrate reviews Lemon Wreck Shatter A top-shelf concentrate should pay homage to the strain from which it was made, and that’s exactly what we found in Lemon Wreck Shatter from Galaxy High Extracts. Exhale the perfectly white vapor, experience the rush of citrus and dank Kush aftertaste and you’ve ingested nothing less than Lemon Wreck distilled. Neither this reviewer’ nose nor an official-sounding device called a flame ionization detector detected anything out of place—it’s the real thing, pure and simple. Lemon Wreck Shatter is gold and translucent as liquid caramel (other reviewers have described it as resembling a melted Jolly Rancher candy). The effects are unworldly, as any substance that’s 56 percent THC will be.
Blue Sky Kush Just to clear up any misconceptions, this madhouse budder isn’t some generic concentrate that Blue Sky Caregivers in Sun Valley decided to lend its name. It’s the distilled essence of the hugely popular house variety known as Blue Sky Kush, a 100-percent indica that’s been compared in potency and aesthetics to the great Master Kush. Your first clue that you’re dealing with something truly remarkable should be its super-piney, earthy aroma. Golden amber and with a crumbly consistency not unlike slightly melted brown sugar, Blue Sky Kush vaporizes into a light, lung-expanding smoke while leaving behind almost no plant matter. The cerebral effects are immediate and, if you’re not careful, devastating—the slightest dab will leave you feeling very, very medicated. Whether that’s what you’re looking for in a medicine is up to you.
Flying Brains Honey Comb Crumbly as kief and sticky as pine resin, Flying Brains Honey Comb from Better Health Treatment Options in Riverside has the undeniably sharp tang of a sativa until heated. Then it melts into liquid gold before vaporizing into white indica heaven. The smoke is fairly harsh, so we recommend using it in very small doses—its potency is such that just a little dab will do you. The effects from Flying Brains Honey Comb reaches its peak within minutes of ingestion and lingers for several hours. It can only be described as having a gooey effect on the body, unwinding taut muscles and turning achy bones into jelly. You could spend $300 for a session with a skilled masseuse, or you could use this concentrate—the choice is yours. Legal Disclaimer
Publishers of this publication are not making any representations with respect to the safety or legality of the use of medical cannabis concentrates. The reviews listed here are for general entertainment purposes only, and are intended for use only when medical cannabis is not a violation of state law. Please consume responsibly. Concentrates are legal and covered under Prop. 215 and SB 420, and they are considered a form of medical cannabis (H&S 11018). Without a doctor’s recommendation for medical cannabis, the possession of concentrates in California can be a felony (PC 1170).
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Last summer, the artist formerly known as Snoop Dogg held a press conference at a Caribbean restaurant in New York City. The lanky superstar, who would turn 41 a few months later, reintroduced himself as Snoop Lion and declared, “I have always said I was Bob Marley reincarnated.” Had another artist made this declaration, the Marley family might’ve been up in arms, but that isn’t the case with the reggae icon’s sons. Rohan Marley appeared at the press conference in support, and Damian appears in the Reincarnated documentary about Snoop’s transformation. Even the eldest son, Ziggy, recently said the Dogg-to-Lion change “could be good” on the Grammy red carpet. “I feel I have always been a Rastafari,” Snoop continued. “I just didn’t have my third eye open, but it’s wide open right now.” The documentary hit theaters last month in limited release, and the Reincarnated album debuts April 23, arguably three days later than it should. The reggae project is a creative left turn for the multiplatinum-selling artist, and it begs several questions that Snoop answered for CULTURE last month over the course of an exclusive album-listening party, a documentary screening and interview sessions. 78 78 CULTURE CULTURE •• APRIL APRIL 2013 2013
“Ready to Come Home”
Snoop Lion arrives fashionably late to a West Hollywood recording studio not far from the medical marijuana dispensary he recently made famous (more on that later). In person, the man born Calvin Broadus embodies everything his fans would expect. He has a friendly energy and chill vibe and smokes cannabis faster than Bukowski downed whiskey. As wisps of smoke fill the studio like a fog machine gone awry, Snoop takes CULTURE back to the journey’s genesis and his reason for rolling cameras. “[It’s] because my fans have always been right on my side and always been there with me through the good, the bad and the ugly,” explains Snoop, who reportedly shelled out $200,000 to document the expe-
riences in Reincarnated. “What I wanted to do was, I found a great spot in my life where I was at and I wanted to take them along with me. I wanted them to be a part of this journey with me so they wouldn’t feel left behind when everything begins to change and it feels a little different. So that way whether they do or they don’t, they know the backlight will be on so that whenever they’re ready to come home, they can come on in.” In 1972, Marley traveled to London and sought help from Island Records founder Chris Blackwell.
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Photos by Willie Toledo
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Forty years later Snoop traveled to Jamaica to record the Reincarnated album in a studio owned by Blackwell, who also dropped by the recordings. Diplo’s Major Lazer team produced the album, and Snoop says the former Philadelphia schoolteacher nailed the sound. “Diplo brought funk,” the Lion roars. “He brought beats that was banging. He brought writers, arrangers, soul. He brought a spirit that could match mine. I could throw ideas off of him that would eventually work. He brought a sense of urgency to create something that I was looking for—not to clash but to complement. A lot of times when you bring somebody in on a project and you tell them to do the whole project from top to bottom, then you start to add your influences and what you feel, it becomes a clash. We never had a clashing moment. We always saw eye-to-eye. I feel like that’s why we got the best out of the project.”
Welcome to the Jungle
The Reincarnated documentary looks at the music-making process, but deeper themes emerge as Snoop explores Rastafarian ideologies, visits the musically significant Trenchtown and joins a holy ceremony at a Nyabinghi temple. He was given the Ethiopian name Berhane, meaning “light,” but that is not the name Snoop ultimately embraced. Bunny Wailer, the 65-year-old core member of the Wailers (with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh), endorsed the “Snoop Lion” name, which made it a lock. “This is the Snoop Lion. Take it two times and pass it around,” says Snoop. “Love is love.” Getting more serious, Snoop adds, “I feel like it is a growth, transformation into a full-grown artist/man/entrepreneur. The Dogg has had his run for 20 years. In a dog’s life, I’d probably be 140 years old now . . . I had my run with the Dogg for a long time to where the Lion is definitely necessary right now for what we’re going through. I feel like we’re living in a jungle and the only way to deal with the jungle is bring out the King of the Jungle— which is the Lion—who is willing to address every situation and still keep the party flowing. But at the same time, [we should] address some real issues that we really have before us that we don’t pay attention to. We as rappers that have a lot of power should use our power in the righteous way to create some awareness; to bring some attention to some things that need to be fixed.”
Staying Creative
In a separate interview, Reincarnated film director Andy Capper tells CULTURE, “The most compelling things about the transition were what prompted it. People forget how much Snoop has gone through in his life. There’s been a lot of pain and drama and strife, and I think Reincarnated is him putting out positive vibrations into the world rather than his old gangsta stuff, which is generally perceived as quite negative. The Dogg will always be there, but the Lion is a way of promoting peace, love and unity in a world full of hate. That’s what this film is—Snoop’s life story transposed with making a new album.” Snoop foresees a return to hip-hop, but today’s tough times call for something else. Every artist is making a party record, he explains, but the world currently looks nothing like a party, so he wanted to pause the party long enough to address the suffering. Likewise, switching musical platforms is an ideal way to highlight his overall change from Long Beach gangbanger to youth football-coaching family man living in the suburbs of Southern California. “I started to hear myself saying the same things. Repetition. I’ve never done that,” says Snoop. “I’ve always been one to stay creative. I always come with something new and different and original and authentic. It felt like I got to the point where it’s not that I couldn’t, but it wasn’t relevant. I wasn’t that guy anymore to be rapping about standing on the corner selling drugs, having a gun in my pocket, getting into gang activities because I don’t
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The Most Powerful Shit
While the documentary traces Snoop’s artistic change, the film has another side that can only be described as cannabis cinema. On several occasions, participants broke out nugs so big they looked like props from a Peter Jackson film, and Snoop even hiked into the mountains to pick fresh cannabis like a Birkenstock-wearing granola cruncher. The locals lined up to share homegrown goodness, while the Lion doled out California green like the West Coast ambassador he’s always been. “The main issue with cannabis use was trying to function as a human being after smoking Snoop’s weed,” says Capper about his challenges as director. “It’s the most powerful shit out there.” Still, Capper believes the film shows the spiritual and productive side of medicating. “We just showed the film in Mexico City, and a lot of the kids in the crowd told me they thought it was a great political statement in regards to the legalization of marijuana,” Capper continues. “The issue is definitely getting more attention.” Snoop, who claims to have a “platinum” MMJ card, has been an active medical marijuana proponent on the media circuit. In an early 2010 Lopez Tonight appearance, he said, “I feel like [MMJ legalization] is a great situation. I feel like the whole world would be a better place if the whole world would just open up and do that.” Snoop rejoined George Lopez later that year and remarked, “I really believe it would take California to another level . . . it is the best piece of medicine that they’ve ever created. I used to go to the store and buy Anacin and Bufferin and
Bayer, but it is nothing like this medical marijuana, man.” The rapper also appeared on Chelsea Lately and explained his medicinal needs: “I was having migraine pains and my vision was getting blurry.” In early 2012, he even gave Congressman Ron Paul a quasi-endorsement on Facebook.
Snoop’s Journey Continues
Snoop’s biggest MMJ endorsement, however, came earlier this year when a GQ magazine writer
joined him joined him at a local collective in West Hollywood. “Dr. Dina,” the MMJ pioneer who inspired the Nancy Botwin character on Weeds, runs the dispensary and customized the sativa-dominant strain Snoop Lion Executive Branch just for the rapper. Having known each other since the Doggystyle days, Snoop gave her the “Dr. Dina” nickname, and she gave him his first MMJ recommendation letter in 2005 (and again every year since). While the documentary reinforces Snoop’s status as a leading cannabis advocate, the film lacks a verbalized defense that the Lion reboot isn’t merely a marketing gimmick. Snoop does not act defensive in any way, but dissent has emerged from none other than Bunny Wailer. In a recent demand letter, Wailer called the transformation a fraud, while the Rastafari Millennium Council wrote the stinger, “Smoking weed and loving Bob Marley and reggae music is not what defines the Rastafari Indigenous Culture.” In Snoop’s defense, Wailer and the Council both say they are so deeply wounded that only American greenbacks can ease their pain. Combined with Wailer’s whole-hearted on-screen embrace, the righteous indignation
Snoop isn’t the only musical artist to re-tool his/her sound or public persona in response to some new cultural, religious or artistic inspiration. While Bob Marley’s Rasta ways made quite an impression on the now-former rapper, the newly-minted Snoop Lion wasn’t the first to re-imagine himself. Check out these two other switch-ups:
From Prince to The Artist
Fans of His Purple Majesty likely did a double-take when the Man From Minneapolis ventured into unpronounceable realms. Fonts hated Prince.
From Cat Stevens to Yusuf Islam
Islam came calling and the singer-songwriter went back to his roots and, for a while, discontinued his pop career.
is suspect at best. Rohan Marley weighed in on the charges last January telling Eagle 106.3 radio, “I am more than pleased with Snoop’s reincarnation . . . We do and will continue to support him on his journey.”
A Better Person, A Better Musician
The movie allows people to make up their own minds, but when it comes to discussing Bunny Wailer, Snoop keeps the Dogg tied up and opts for the Lion’s path. “I felt his blessing was necessary because he was the last remaining Wailer,” says Snoop. “To me, the Wailers were the group that was most similar to [my early hip-hop group] 213 [which also included Warren G and the deceased Nate Dogg]. In parallel to that, it’s a journey. You feel like these are two different groups, but they feel and walk and talk the same way. They’re just speaking a different language. Once they get on the same communication wavelength, everything is love. That’s what it was about. It was about an overdue meeting or relationship that was overdue. He had been following me like I’d been following him and following the Wailers. It was a matter of us finally meeting and blessing each other with presence and love and kind words as far as where we should go and where [we] want to take this thing to.” As demonstrated by his positive response, Snoop seems to value his new perspective as much as his new album. “That’s what it was all about,” the Lion concludes. “That’s what it is to this day—trying to live and learn and trying to become a better person and a better musician. So when I’m making my music, the music that I made I’m proud of in the past. But I want to make music that can get me on stage at the Essence Awards, at the Oscars and possibly in the White House.” President Obama, the ball’s in your court. The Lion awaits. snooplion.com APRIL 2013 • CULTURE 87
CULTURE Editor in Chief Roberto C. Hernandez and contributor Jamie Solis contributed to this article.
live that life anymore. From a third person it sounds awesome, but at the same time I’m not living like that anymore. And then I got kids. I got a football league. I got lives that I deal with. I look at life. I look at my grandparents and my grandmother and my mother and how proud they are of me from what I’ve done, and they still haven’t been able to see me perform in a manner that I can perform without cussing.”
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The woman they now call “Dr. Dina” is a mover and a shaker in the medical cannabis movement and a consultant to the stars, most famously to Snoop Lion (formerly Snoop Dogg), who is credited with bestowing the medically-inspired nickname upon her. She’s worked alongside multiple nonprofit dispensaries in three different states, and even inspired the Nancy Botwin character from Showtime’s Weeds. Ironically, Dr. Dina (Editor’s note: Dr. Dina is not a boardcertified physician) was originally staunchly skeptical about the benefits of medical cannabis. That was the case until she saw the good this plant could do—with her very own eyes. Her personal transformation was initialized by an ex-boyfriend that knew a Northern California woman working at a dispensary; one that had convinced him of cannabis’ medicinal value. “You listen to the Grateful Dead,” she ribbed him back then. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” She went from being a
skeptic to being a believer a few years later, however, when she witnessed how MMJ improved the life of a friend tragically struck with testicular cancer. That friend asked Dr. Dina to put him in touch with her Northern California dispensary because the nausea prevented him from even keeping down his pharmaceutical meds. Dr. Dina and her friend ended up paying a visit to a Northern California doctor—the friend nauseous and vomiting the whole drive there. “There was a line around the block to see this doctor,” Dr. Dina recalls, describing this memorable journey. “[My friend] couldn’t stand, so we had to buy an office chair down the street at an Office Depot to roll him in because we didn’t have a wheelchair. “ Finally, they got in to see the doctor, obtained a recommendation for MMJ and purchased some at a dispensary. What she saw next, amazed her. “After smoking a joint, instantaneously—within five minutes—color came back to his face. He stopped dry heaving. He
looked at me and he said, ‘Oh my god. Give me the pills. Let me try to take the pill.’ He kept smoking and took the pills, and it was the first time that had happened. So, right there, in front of my, eyes I said, ‘Wow, this is really amazing!’ Here’s someone that’s dying of cancer. There’s no way he should be turned away for this. Right off the bat, I realized that medical marijuana is great for people that are really, really sick. That’s when I realized that people who are
really, really sick shouldn’t have to get in a car and drive to San Francisco to see a doctor so they wouldn’t go to jail.” This experience prompted Dr. Dina to take action. “That’s what inspired me in 2003 to open the first doctor’s office [that could recommend medical cannabis],” she says. “And once we got that open, it was like every patient that came in had a different incredible story that blew me away.” c
Dr. Dina wants to see the Obama administration do more to loosen federal restrictions on cannabis use. “I believe that he absolutely could do more,” she states. “I think that it’s time that we stop taking people to jail for weed. I think that is the No. 1 biggest issue with our country. If we look at the jails, they’re overcrowded with people that you’re making criminals out of because they had a little bit of pot . . . they refuse to admit that there’s any benefit to marijuana.” APRIL 2013 • CULTURE 89
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healthy living
By Lanny Swerdlow, RN, LNC
An
Alternative While some studies have found that a small percentage of the general population that uses cannabis may develop a dependence on this substance, a growing body of research on cannabis-related substitution suggests that for many patients cannabis is not only an effective medicine, but also a potential exit drug to problematic substance use. For those still accepting of reefer madness based science, this conclusion undermines both their veracity and claimed compassion. The study, Cannabis Is A Potential Exit Drug To Problematic Substance Use was published in the November 2009 journal Addiction Research and Theory by seven addiction treatment specialists. Note the use of the words “exit drug” in the title and the highlighted words in the conclusion of the article. For the millions of people who have drug addiction problems, whether it is a legal drug like alcohol or Valium or an illegal drug like cocaine or meth, cannabis is indeed an “exit drug” successfully helping them overcome the drug use that is destroying their life. The study notes there are a few people that shouldn’t be using cannabis, but the important and critical conclusion of the study is that a significantly larger number of people should be using cannabis. Famed Harvard School of Medicine researcher Dr. Lester Grinspoon has promoted the idea that “treating addiction to substances such as heroin, methadone, alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs with a non-addictive, nontoxic alternative is an effective therapy for some recovering addicts.” The non-toxic alternative, i.e. exit drug Dr. Grinspoon is referring to is marijuana. 92 CULTURE • APRIL 2013
Exit The myth that marijuana is a gateway drug and leads to the use of other debilitating substances is par for the course for the scare fabrications of the 1930s era male prohibitionist claque of rich industrialists and power hungry cops. Before then no one saw it as a gateway drug. Although cannabis wasn’t seen as an exit drug then, that’s exactly what it was used for by hundreds of thousands of Americans every day.
Marijuana as an “exit drug” is not a new concept. In his groundbreaking 1969 book Marijuana in Medicine, Dr. Tod Mikuriya wrote of earlier research on the use of marijuana to treat drug addictions. Because cannabis did not lead to physical dependence, it was found to be superior to the opiates for a number of therapeutic purposes. Birch, in 1889, reported success in treating opiate and chloral addiction with cannabis, and Mattison in 1891 recommended its use to the young physician, comparing it favorably with the opiates. In 1902, pioneer researcher Thomas Crothers wrote in his treatise Morphinism and Narocomanias from other Drugs that for treating morphinism (morphine addiction) “Cannabis indica can often be used with very good effect especially for the temporary removal of the worst systems.” There are a plethora of recent studies documenting the use of cannabis for the treatment of addiction, Marijuana Users in
Substance Abuse Treatment,” a 2010 study published in the Harm Reduction Journal found cannabis use does not interfere with success in drug treatment programs and may actually aid in the success. Cannabis as a substitute for alcohol and other drugs by Amanda Reiman of the School of Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley and published in the December 2009 issue of Harm Reduction investigated the use of marijuana by patients of a San Francisco based medical marijuana collective. The not-so-startling finding was that “Medical cannabis patients have been engaging in substitution by using cannabis as an alternative to alcohol, prescription and illicit drugs.” Addiction to one drug or another is a major calamity to this nation costing hundreds of billions of dollars in health care costs alone. The use of cannabis as an Exit Drug may plausibly be argued as its most important use not just for the individual but for the health of the entire community. Along with its documented stress reducing, cancer suppressing and sleep inducing properties, cannabis is not only a benign substitute for alcohol and other drugs, it is an enjoyable health restoring alternative. c Subscribe to Lanny Swerdlow’s free email newsletter by sending an email to lanny@marijuananews.org.
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GreenScene
The Makery’s Inaugural Earth Day Craft Swap {By NANCY POWELL}
This year marks the 43rd anniversary of Earth Day, a festival now celebrated in 184 countries by over 500 million people. While many cities in Southern California will be celebrating with environmental art exhibits and activities, one Southern California artisan will hold a first for sustainable crafters. Lisa Rios, co-owner of the Makery and the artiste behind a line of hip flasks featured on Real Simple’s 2010 Holiday Gift Guide, Bride’s Magazine and MSN.com, will host the Southern California’s first ever Earth Day Craft Swap and Celebration. The idea behind the swap is simple: crafters bring in unwanted, outgrown or unused craft items to the swap and trade it for items that they do want. Each item up for the trade qualifies for a certain number of “tickets” which could be applied towards the “purchase” of other swappable items. “It’s a clever use of materials that otherwise would be thrown away,” says Rios. “It’s also a way to bring people together and promote sustainability.” Lisa’s adventures in sustainable crafting came as a pleasant surprise. She was approached by beverage company IZZE, who would be exhibiting at Natural Product Expo West and needed a crafter to repurpose the company’s bottles and bottle caps. “I was familiar with the concept, but I wasn’t completely in love with I had seen because you could tell things had been upcycled,” says Lisa. “I wanted to use these components in a surprising way so that after the project, it could be done or widely accepted and isn’t so obvious at first glance. That’s usually the first trick in introducing something to a wider audience— they’re proud of upcycling, but not everyone wants to know that they used upcycled materials. So the trick is to use them in tasteful and modern ways.” From Lisa’s nimble hands came a rosette brooch fashioned out of fabric and IZZE bottle caps; a notepad made of paper, cardboard drink container and glue; embellished fabric wrist cuffs from wool, IZZE caps and beading; faux milk glass vases and glass planters created from IZZE bottles. This project, coupled with spring cleaning and a neighbor’s upcoming Earth Day event inspired Lisa’s swap, and it would be the venue to turn empty glass bottles, cereal boxes and cardboard carriers into succulent planters, brooches and journals—useful, economically and environmentally-viable goods that make great gifts too. c www.lamakerysocal.com
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edical cannabis patients and their allies celebrate an especially hope-filled April 20 this year: two states have legalized cannabis for adults over 21; there are now 18 compassionate states plus Washington D.C.; and nine states have pending MMJ bills in their legislatures. Arrests for cannabis in California have plummeted to their lowest on record, and the tide of the Drug War appears to be receding. But how exactly we got to this point is probably unknown to most 420 revelers, experts say. “We forget our history,” Proposition 215 founder Dennis Peron says. “And when you don’t know, you might repeat it somehow.” Broadly speaking, California upended a century-old international drug control order with Proposition 215 in 1996, followed by SB 420 in 2003, as well as a string of hard-fought victories in court from 1996 until today. California has always been a land of firsts—first banning cannabis in 1913 before the United States followed suit in 1937. In 1971 President Nixon declared an all-out War on Drugs, while in the Bay Area the Hippie movement preached peace, love and mind expansion. Peron got a taste of the Summer of Love while shipping out to Vietnam. Drafted by the Army, he had joined the Air Force and survived the Tet Offensive in Saigon. Refusing to kill Vietnamese, Peron was assigned morgue duty for a month. “I’m 20 years old, I’ve never seen a dead person. That month I saw 25,000 dead people. I came out of my closet and found out who I was,” Peron said. Peron returned to San Francisco to the nascent gay community in The Castro and that community grew during Reagan’s “Just Say No” ’80s as the Hippies became Bay Area establishment. When AIDS began ravaging The Castro, the counter-culture’s old friend cannabis lifted spirits and slowed wasting due to AIDS. Nurse “Brownie” Mary Jane Rathburn became a global cause célèbre— getting repeatedly arrested for delivering medical cannabis— sometimes in the form of infused brownies, hence the nickname— to AIDS patients. “She let people know providers weren’t crazies running through the streets selling drugs; they were grandmothers, nurses, family members, and caregivers,” said Debby Goldsberry, founder of the Cannabis Action Network. In 1991, Peron pushed San Francisco to pass Proposition P, a symbolic legalization of medical cannabis that other California cities copied. Peron opened the San Francisco Cannabis Buyer’s 102 CULTURE • APRIL 2013
Collective and got raided and jailed for it. The California legislature passed two MMJ bills, only to see Gov. Pete Wilson veto both of them. When Peron lost his lover, Jonathan West, to AIDS, he dedicated the historic initiative to him. “I did it all for him. I loved that guy. He died so fast. We were going to be together forever. I missed him so much. Dedicating Prop 215 to him gave me life, and gave me something to not be so miserable about and it gave me hope,” Peron says. The Compassionate Use Act passed Nov. 5, 1996 with 55.6 percent of the vote: essentially saying that patients and caregivers have a medical defense in court against prosecution for certain crimes like possession and cultivation. Part of Prop 215 passing was reform efforts, but part of it was a cultural change, said historian and author Martin Lee, who wrote the 2012 title Smoke Signals – A Social History of Marijuana. Reefer Madness propaganda had begun to ring hollow, and Drug War fatigue had set in, he said. “Generally, political change happens after cultural change, not vice versa, and marijuana is a prime example of that,” Lee says. Law enforcement opposition to Prop 215 was light, Goldsberry said, but the cops’ response to its passing was severe. The last 16 years has been an uphill battle for every inch of rights that cannabis users enjoy, Goldsberry says. In 2003, state Sen. Mark Leno’s SB 420 extended legal protections from patients and caregivers to collectives and cooperatives, giving rise to modern storefront dispensaries. Ongoing court victories have affirmed that doctors have a First Amendment right to recommend cannabis, that patients can lawfully transport the plant, and avoid arrest with a state MMJ ID card, that seized plants must be returned to lawful patients. Dispensaries have affirmed their right to exist, and take cash payments. In 2008, President Obama’s “Ogden Memo” was interpreted as a federal truce with medical cannabis, and California dispensaries bloomed. But by Oct. 2011 that truce was over, and federal prosecutors have shut down hundreds of access points since then. The federal crackdown continues to this day, but it’s on shakier ground than ever as two states move forward to implement full legalization. “The hippies had an agenda in the ’60s and all of our agenda was met,” Peron says. “We wanted to end discrimination against minorities. We wanted women’s rights. All those things came to pass. But we didn’t forget about marijuana. I feel like there’s hope. For me, this is as far as we’ve ever been. I see the light at the end of the tunnel and I think it’s going to happen in my lifetime.” c V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
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Springtime is here again, and that could only mean one very special day is around the corner. Let’s be real here, this is the day that goes beyond getting medicated. Cannabis activists work so hard all year, so 420 is our day to relax and enjoy this plant the way Mother Nature intended. To help you celebrate, here are “Sarah Diesel’s Top 10 Dos and Don’ts for 420” (and every day, really): Do make sure you have your current driver’s license and original medical cannabis recommendation with you at all times. (Note: Ask your doctor for two original recommendations next time you renew. It may cost a fee, but this way you have one at home and one with you. Some cops can be meanies and ripping up your recommendation has been known to happen.)
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Don’t bring your favorite intricate bubbler or pipe to a 420 party. It’s a recipe for disaster. There’s always that one person who gets drunk, smokes a bunch of cannabis and when they attempt to walk to the bathroom, they clumsily bump into the coffee table sending your piece flying and breaking. Plus, the dirty water is worse when it’s not in your pipe. Do bring medicine for yourself and to share with your friends. Now I’m not saying to give them all of your best stuff, I’m talking about the free med-stick or gram that you may be given for becoming a new patient at a collective or as a free gift on 420. Cannabis is the plant that keeps on giving, and if you are given some, it should be shared with others as well. On the other hand, that special strain you love so much is yours to keep and enjoy on this joyous day.
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Don’t eat an entire edible unless you have eaten it before or made it with the same recipe, dose and strain. I know how edibles can taste so yummy and halfway through you think; ‘I might as well finish it’ . . . Bad idea . . . Trust me, don’t do it, unless you want to be praying to the porcelain gods on the happiest day of the year. To insure proper ingestion I recommend you titrate when eating an edible. This means you eat a small low dose such as a one-quarter of an edible, then wait an hour before you consume anymore because edibles take longer to take effect. Repeat as necessary.
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Do respect the etiquette of a smoking circle: If you pack your medicine you can choose to consume first (a.k.a. hit it first) or pass it to the host of the party. The host can then choose to offer it back to you or smoke it him/herself. If they decide to smoke it first then they would pass it back to the person who packed it. From there it is passed to the left until the bowl is “dust” as we say. Don’t Bogart that med-stick! Humphrey Bogart was known for holding lit cigarettes while talking when he was on the big screen. But this is real life. If you find yourself in a smoking circle, follow the rules according to Smokey from the movie Friday: Puff, Puff, Give.” Seems simple enough, right? Yet, for some reason most people will hold onto a med-stick and start telling a story like they are in a play. Stop it; pass the med-stick already! You’re messing up the rotation!
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Do enjoy nature and art by taking advantage of the free and affordable places (parks, museums, etc.) your city has to offer.
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Don’t torch the bowl. Need I say more? Tip: Think of a bowl of cannabis like a pie with four slices for four people. That means one bowl should provide four hits for four people. Genius!
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Do bring a lighter, but personalize it. Like the missing sock in the laundry basket, our lighters seem to disappear even when it’s just you and your friend smoking a bowl. Add some stickers, glitter and/or your initials—get creative.
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Don’t be the person who shows up asking, “Dude, where’s the weed?!?” That’s just not cool. c
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Many a patient will tell you that the government has been against cannabis from day one, but this has not necessarily been the case. Ask the four people left in the Compassionate Investigational New Drug program (CIND), a government-run program established in the ’70s (not surprisingly, the program was prompted by a lawsuit) that gives its patients cannabis grown at the University of Mississippi. Don’t try to apply to the program now—after a huge wave of incoming patients during the AIDS epidemic, the program was closed to new applicants by the first Bush Administration (not surprised). However, four patients remain and still receive the tins, containing 300 joints taken at a rate of 10 a day. Here’s a look at the last recipients of government-sponsored cannabis. Name: George McMahon Time in the program: 23 years. Original condition: Lifelong pain, spasms and nausea, resultant of nail-patella syndrome. “The more [regular doctors] treated me, the worse I got,” McMahon says. How you got into the program: “An employee at the University of Iowa said I was dying and told me to go home. I went home to my wife and she was reading an article about [MMJ patient] Elvy Musikka and that’s how my quest started.” Condition today: “My health continues to deteriorate, but my quality of life does not . . . It’s improved marvelously.” McMahon has been an advocate and has traveled, speaking to people and politicians about cannabis. “I’ve been out on the road; been all over the world, talked to people I’d never be able to talk to under different circumstances. It did marvelous things for my world.” McMahon currently resides in Humboldt, Iowa with his wife of 43 years. He has three kids and seven grandchildren. Your opinion on current MMJ issues and rights: “If not for the treatment, I would have been dead 23 years ago.” McMahon has seen “the pendulum swing” over the past 20 years and believes that young people need to keep fighting for legalization.
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Name: Barbara May Douglass Original condition: Multiple sclerosis and glaucoma. Time in the program: 22 years. How you got into the program: “It came down to the point of ‘something must work,’ and marijuana did.” Douglass knew George McMahon as an acquaintance, and he helped her get into the program. “George would just take care of things . . . [he] was always there for me with the marijuana thing. We have marijuana in common.” Condition today: Douglass is legally blind and crippled. “I get by,” she says. “I’m still here. Time just speaks for itself. I’m 90 pounds. I’m a rowdy little person. It could be a lot worse, that’s the way I see it.” She worked as a men’s clothier in a family business for some time, but is now content to do “absolutely nothing. I’m so good at that. I’ve been doing nothing for years!” She currently lives in Storm Lake, Iowa, running Camp Barbara for Christians and Muslims. Your opinion on current MMJ issues and rights: “Everybody knows that little Barbie Douglass wouldn’t be smoking pot if wasn’t good for her . . . I believe that they should make the marijuana available for patients. If you’ve got something wrong with you and the joint helps? Ay-yi-yi, just go with it!” Name: Elvy Musikka Original condition: Cataracts, glaucoma. Time in the program: 25 years. How you got into the program: “My doctor said if I didn’t start smoking marijuana I would go blind. Of course, I needed a strong drink and a pack of cigarettes to think about what I was going to do next. ” Condition today: Musikka is very active, and currently spends her time between Sacramento and Florida speaking about medical cannabis. When it comes to her glaucoma, “Marijuana is the only thing that works for me. I know too many people like myself who have tried and cannot go through the approved procedures. What have you been up to? Musikka is a vocal advocate, speaking wherever she is needed and asked for. “It’s all within the scope of my reality. It’s definitely an interesting life, it’s taken me to every state in this country, and allowed me establish a medical defense in the state of Florida. ” Your opinion on current MMJ issues and rights: Concerning the state of MMJ in Florida, “It’s really needed here. I know so many people here who are tired of being adults and told not to put something in their body that is totally harmless and needed for everyday use.” Musikka considers the fight for MMJ use a modern day prohibition, and hopes to see it end soon. Name: Irvin Rosenfeld Original condition: Exostosis and “bone tumors at the end of most of the bones on my body.” Time in the program: 30 years. How you got into the program: Rosenfeld had been conducting his own research on the benefits of MMJ until he met Robert Randall, who had been working on the CIND program with the feds. “He was able to accomplish . . . a supposedly compassionate use. That was the definition but that wasn’t how it was going to work. So we turned it around into a compassionate care program and then our work began!” Rosenfeld was the second person to be added into the program. Condition today: “I am a very healthy disabled person.” What have you been up to? Irvin wrote a book in 2010 entitled My Medicine, which detailed his medical history, his discovery of cannabis’ medicinal properties, the history of the MMJ struggle in America, and his work with legal and medical programs to get the CIND running. Your opinion on current MMJ issues and rights: “If didn’t have the medicine I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in. I wouldn’t be a stockbroker, I wouldn’t be working. I’d be most likely on disability and I’d likely be hung out! And I’m wondering, how many people in this country are in that situation because they don’t have the right medicine? If they had the right medicine like I do, they could be a productive member of society instead of a drain on society.” c APRIL 2013 • CULTURE 109
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here is an urban legend that Ben & Jerry’s sold cannabis Green Tea ice cream at California music festivals in the ’60s and ’70s. Heat, flavor and texture issues make this unlikely, but the rumors probably started with the same satirist types who recently claimed Compassion Crunch and Patients & Pralines were the company’s new MMJ flavors. Still, where there is smoke, there is usually fire, and founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield certainly give hints that they enjoy 420. In poll after poll, Ben & Jerry’s is the favorite ice cream of medical cannabis users, and the Vermont-based company comes up with ideal flavors for the MMJ demographic. For example, Bonnaroo Buzz, made for the famous Tennessee music festival, debuted in scoop shops a few years ago on April 20. To quote VH1. com, “Ya coulda just dropped the pretense and called it Eat This, Potty McPotpot (Pot).” The name is being changed to Coffee Carmel Buzz, which suggests the Buzz is more important than the Bonnaroo. According to the Rutland Herald, Vermont leads the nation in marijuana use with nearly half of all young adults smoking at least once a year. The point is that a Vermont-based company doesn’t name flavors Half Baked and Magic Brownies without grasping the larger implications. Plus, consider some of the entertainers the company honored with their own flavors: Phish, Willie Nelson, Jerry Garcia, Wavy Gravy and the Dave Matthews Band. What’s next, Dr. Dre’s Chronic Chocolate? 112 CULTURE • APRIL 2013
In an interview with High Times, B&J spokesperson Sean Greenwood admitted that “Ben and Jerry are hippie guys [that] grew up in that peace love kind of time,” but stated that celeb flavors are based on the person’s humanitarian activism. Maybe Bonnaroo Buzz was supposed to be Bono Buzz, but it is true that Stephen Colbert donates all the profits from his AmeriCone Dream flavor to charitable causes. Cohen and Greenfield typically speak out on their political views. They introduced the Peace Pop in 1991 in protest of nuclear arms spending, and the Chubby Hubby flavor was briefly renamed Hubby Hubby in support of gay marriage. This begs the question, if they are pro-420, why would the founders be secret cannabis activists? Last December, in a conference call hosted by the nonprofit Bolder Giving, Cohen explained: “I actually deliberately stayed out of that issue when I was working on trying to reduce the Pentagon budget because I thought that would be used against me. [Legalization] is an incredibly important thing to do. From a point of view of racial justice, it’s [essential].” Cohen also noted, “I thought that, after the election, things were going in a great direction with the two states legalizing recreational marijuana, but then I heard the Obama administration is fighting. All I can say is that I am a big supporter.” The duo will hopefully be more active in the future, but in the meantime, watch for B&J’s annual Free Cone Day, which happens each year around the middle of April. The timing is certainly curious. c V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
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“Marriage equality and marijuana laws passed?” tweeted Star Trek actor George Takei last November on election night. “Now we know what Leviticus really meant by, ‘A man who layeth with another man must be stoned.’” Takei is a reliable supporter of liberal causes, which is fitting for a man who entered this world on April 20. Much like being born on Christmas, 420 babies can have twice the birthday fun, and “Mr. Sulu” is not the only celeb with added spark to beam up on his birthday. Oscar-hoarding actress Jessica Lange is the most prestigious 420 star, though Edie Sedgwick is the most appropriate having inspired the likes of Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan. Carmen Electra probably thought every day was April 20 during her marriages to Dennis Rodman and Dave Navarro, while Crispin Glover (Back to the Future) played “Roach” on Happy Days around the time the 420 tradition first began. While it is unlikely that Joey Lawrence’s birthday inspired his music single “Rolled,” 420 could have motivated Andy Serkis to demand “the precious” in the Lord of the Rings series. Latin music legend Tito Puente and romantic crooner Luther Vandross would have turned 90 and 116 CULTURE • APRIL 2013
62, respectively, on April 20, while Swedish House Mafia member Sebastian Ingrosso will turn 30. Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Randy Moss, Michael Vick, Santonio Holmes, Ricky Williams and Olympic gold medalists Ross Rebagliati and Michael Phelps should have been born on April 20, but basketball stars Danny Granger and Allan Houston were. Other 420 pros include Dodgers manager Don “The Hit Man” Mattingly and cosmic daredevil Felix Baumgartner. Since Michele Bachmann missed by two weeks, the most notable 420 politician is Robert F. Wagner, the three-term NYC mayor who famously broke with Tammany Hall (once run by “Boss” Tweed) in the late ’50s. Burmese President Thein Sein, who enacted surprising reforms since becoming the President of Myanmar in 2011, also claims a 420 birthdate. Victoria’s Secret Angel Miranda Kerr, Catalan painter Joan Miro and college heir William DeVry also celebrate April 20 birthdays, but only one 420 kid topped Leonardo DiCaprio in People Magazine’s 1998 “Most Beautiful People” online poll. Though coming off Titanic, Leo got sunk by the late, great Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf. We can thank The Howard Stern Show for that one. c V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
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For all of California’s cannabis law reformists, advocacy groups and activists, it is ultimately elected legislators who initiate and enact meaningful changes to the legal status of the plant here in the Golden State. With input from Kris Hermes, spokesperson for Americans for Safe Access, and Dale Gieringer, director of Cal NORML, CULTURE took a look at some of Cali’s most green-friendly politicians and what each has done to improve compassion.
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Dana Rohrabacher
U.S. Representative, California’s 48th congressional district In contrast to most of his Republican colleagues, Rohrabacher has been an outspoken critic of federal prohibition. A member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 1989 (previously for California’s 42nd, 45th and 46th districts), he currently represents a district that includes Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa. “Rohrabacher has been the most vocal Republican critic of federal marijuana prohibition in the California Congressional delegation,” says Gieringer. “Last year, he sponsored an amendment to withhold funding from the Department of Justice for interfering in state medical marijuana laws.”
Tom Ammiano
California State Assembly, 13th district San Francisco Democrat Ammiano introduced the Marijuana Control, Regulation and Education Act in 2009, in the midst of the California’s budget crisis. “This legislation would generate much needed revenue for the state, restrict access to only those over 21, end the environmental damage to our public lands from illicit crops and improve public safety by redirecting law enforcement efforts to more serious crimes,” he said at the time. Though this first-ever bill fell short of passing the legislature, Ammiano appears undaunted. “Tom has a long history of support for marijuana reform,” Gieringer says. Ammiano, at press time, introduced a new bill calling for statewide MMJ regulations.
Bob Filner
Mayor of San Diego Democrat Filner was a staunch MMJ supporter while serving as the U.S. Representative for California’s 50th and 51st districts (1993–2012), but really stepped this up since becoming mayor of San Diego in December. “As a Congressman, he posted a perfect pro-reform record on marijuana issues.” Gieringer says. “Since becoming mayor, Filner has reversed the city’s long-standing hostility to medical marijuana by supporting the establishment of regulated dispensaries.”
Mark Leno
California State Senate, 11th district A former California Assembly member (2002–2008), Senate Democrat Leno helped create America’s first medical cannabis identification card program in San Francisco, which became a model for similar programs across California. “Leno co-authored SB 420, the Medical Marijuana Program Act, which was passed in 2003,” Hermes says. “Since becoming a senator, Mr. Leno has spearheaded legislation to protect patients against employment discrimination and he has strongly supported efforts to regulate distribution.”
Barbara Lee
U.S. Representative, California’s 13th congressional district Lee, a Democratic Congresswoman representing East Bay, has consistently co-sponsored cannabis reform legislation. “Rep. Lee endorsed Oakland’s path-breaking Measure Z ‘Tax and Regulate’ initiative in 2004, and has co-sponsored bills to end federal marijuana prohibition, medical and otherwise,” says Gieringer. Last year, along with eight co-sponsors, she introduced H.B. 6335, the Medical Marijuana Property Rights Protection Act, which seeks to “exempt real property from civil forfeiture due to medical-marijuana-related conduct that is authorized by State law.”
Mike Honda
U.S. Representative, California’s 17th congressional district Democrat Honda has represented a district which includes Santa Clara County and Silicon Valley in Congress since 2001. He co-sponsored (alongside Rohrabacher, Lee and North Coast Democrat Jared Huffman) perhaps the strongest federal marijuana reform bill to date, H.R. 499, the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2013. “Both Mike Honda and Barbara Lee have been strong supporters of medical marijuana, co-sponsoring legislation, signing on to key letters to government officials and pushing back against federal attacks in California,” says Hermes.
Bill Rosendahl
Los Angeles City Council, 11th district Diagnosed with cancer last July, Democrat L.A. City Councilman Rosendahl turned to medical marijuana for relief from crippling pain. Having already carried an MMJ card for a decade to treat neuropathy, in October Rosendahl successfully pleaded before the City Council to have its ban on marijuana dispensaries in the city repealed. “Where does anybody go, even a councilman go, to get his medical marijuana?” he asked of his colleagues, according to the Los Angeles Times. c APRIL 2013 • CULTURE 119
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Medical defenses to criminal penalties for certain cannabis crimes like possession and cultivation now exist in 18 states (welcome, Massachusetts!) and Washington D.C. Though laws vary widely from state to state, generally a doctor must recommend cannabis, and the most common conditions for which it is recommended are: cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, wasting, severe pain, nausea, vomiting, seizures, muscle spasms and multiple sclerosis; though many more exist. State ID cards are often mandatory, but not always. Below, CULTURE outlines the law in all existing MMJ states, from the liberal to the very strict.
California
Can possess and grow as much cannabis as is medically necessary (though SB 420 guidelines are set at six mature and 12 immature plants, and eight ounces of plant material). No mandatory registration with the state required. Hundreds of private dispensaries are subject to local laws restricting location and operation.
Colorado
May possess two ounces and grow six plants. State-regulated dispensaries/access points number in the hundreds; mandatory state registration; over-the-counter (adult-use, or recreational) sales to any adult over 21 begins next year.
Washington
Can possess up to 24 ounces and 15 plants. Dispensaries/access points are largely illegal, though some operate under the “collective gardenâ€? concept which allows a coop to serve 10 patients. Possession of under an ounce of cannabis for by adults 21 and older was legalized last year. Retail (adult-use) sales are slated for 2014. 122 CULTURE • APRIL 2013
Oregon
Can possess up to 24 ounces and homegrow up to six mature plants. No dispensaries/access points allowed.
Arizona
Can homegrow 12 plants if 25 miles from a dispensary. Dispensaries are state-run and have not opened . . . yet.
Michigan
May possess 2.5 ounces and grow up to 12 mature plants. A recent state Supreme Court ruling essentially determine that dispensaries/access points were illegal (though a bill has been filed that would allow sales).
Hawaii
Can possess up to three ounces and four immature plants. No dispensaries/access points allowed.
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Alaska
Delaware
Nevada
Connecticut
May grow six plants and lawfully possess one ounce. No dispensaries/access points allowed. A full-scale legalization bill has been filed in the legislature.
May possess up to six ounces; no cultivation allowed. State-run dispensaries/access points are on-hold.
Can homegrow and possess up to one ounce, and three mature plants. Caregivers can have 24 ounces, six mature plants. No dispensaries/access points allowed.
Can possess up to 2.5 ounces; no homegrowing. State-regulated dispensaries/access points are currently delayed.
Montana
May possess a “60-day supply” and can only homegrow if they prove hardship. State-run dispensaries/access points are set to open in 2014.
Can possess one ounce and homegrow four mature plants. Dispensaries/access points and advertising are not allowed.
Massachusetts
New Jersey Maine
May possess 2.5 ounces and six mature plants. The state operates a handful of dispensaries and grows.
Can possess two ounces; no homegrowing, State-run dispensaries/access points report delays opening and severe medicine shortages.
Washington D.C. Vermont
Can possess up to two ounces and grow two mature plants. Four state-run dispensaries/ access points are open.
May possess two ounces; no homegrowing. The opening of dispensaries/access points has been delayed. c
Rhode Island
May possess up to 2.5 ounces and 12 plants; a handful of staterun dispensaries/access points are also open.
New Mexico
Can possess up to six ounces, and homegrow four plants with state approval. A few state-run dispensaries/access points vastly under-serve New Mexico’s patients, critics report.
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Missouri
Longtime medical cannabis champ Rep. Mike Colona reintroduced a bill in the state legislature in March that would allow patients with HIV/ AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis and other debilitating conditions to use and possess cannabis for medical purposes if their doctors recommend it. Homegrowing, caregivers and stateregistered dispensaries would provide the plant. The bill would put the question to voters on the November 2014 general election ballot.
Those suffering from severe pain, nausea, wasting, depression, anxiety and numerous other serious medical conditions may see relief yet in a handful of the 32 states where medical cannabis remains illegal. At least nine state bills could alter existing medical cannabis language in states where it is legal, or green light the plant in new states altogether. Below CULTURE highlights pending medical marijuana legislation in the U.S. 126 CULTURE • APRIL 2013
Hawaii
The Hawaiian House passed two medical marijuana bills, House Bills 667 and 668, that could improve the state’s existing medical marijuana program, setting possession limits of five ounces and seven plants.
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Minnesota
A recent Public Policy Polling survey found that 65 percent of state voters support medical cannabis. State lawmakers are preparing a bipartisan bill legalize the plant for residents with cancer, multiple sclerosis and HIV/AIDS, and should be introduced in the coming weeks, though a vote is not expected until 2014.
Maryland
Michigan
Thanks to a new bill—HB 4271, the Medical Marijuana Provisioning Center Regulation Act, introduced in the House in February—the situation for patients and dispensaries could change for the better should the measure move forward.
Maryland’s governor’s office suggested it would support a pending medical marijuana bill sponsored by Del. Dan K. Morhaim (D), a Baltimore County doctor, to allow academic medical centers in the state to operate “compassionate use programs” beginning in 2016.
Illinois
Sixty-three percent of Illinois voters support medical cannabis, and in March a medical marijuana bill won a House committee vote. House Bill 1 would allow qualified patients to obtain marijuana from one of up to 60 dispensaries, and license 22 cultivation centers.
Arkansas
Activists are trying to run a medical cannabis ballot initiative in Arkansas this spring, with a vote in 2014. In March, the Attorney General refused to certify the initiative, citing vagueness, and activists responded by suing. A 2012 Arkansas MMJ initiative garnered 49 percent of the vote.
New Hampshire
Twice vetoed by the governor there, activists hope the third time is the charm as the New Hampshire House advanced a medical cannabis bill in March that would allow up to five dispensaries, possession of up to two ounces, as well as homegrowing of up to three mature plants, in a minimum 50 square-foot area.
Florida
Florida defends its reputation as a medical cannabis backwater this spring. Hours after Sen. Jeff Clemens (D-Lake Worth) filed medical cannabis bill SB 1250, Florida cops raided the patient advocate the bill was named after, one Cathy Jordan, who illegally grows and uses cannabis to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease—a condition for which a number of states approve the plant for. SB 1250 would exempt seriously ill Floridians from criminal penalties for using cannabis, allow them to possess up to four ounces and grow up to eight plants, as well as license and regulate medical marijuana dispensaries and cultivation facilities. Seventy percent of Floridians support MMJ.
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MardiGrass (Australia)
Held annually since the early ’90s, MardiGrass takes place in the Australian town of Nimbin and features events like the Bong Throw, Pot Poetry and the Million Marijuana March. This year’s event (May 4-5) features music acts like Anarchist Duck and the Rusty Datsons as well as the first-ever “Let’s pretend we’re in Colorado minute.” Purchase a Golden Bud wristband for entrance to exclusive areas like the Hemp Bar and Mullaways Magic Medicine Tent.
High Times Cannabis Cup (Amsterdam)
Cannafest (Prague)
Last month, we highlighted the Czech capital as the “Amsterdam of the East,” and the city lives up to its rep with Cannafest. Celebrating its third year last November, the event features Dutch seed vendors, art, concerts and workshops. There is even cannabis cinema, which last year included Stoned in Suburbia, Strain Hunters: India Expedition and the acclaimed Super High Me. Thanks to Prague’s more lenient laws, Cannafest draws an international crowd from eastern countries like Ukraine, Slovakia and Poland.
Celebrating its 26th year this November, the Cannabis Cup is the ultimate tasting party. Events happen around the city during the five-day fest, and the Judge’s Pass allows regular folk to assist in picking the best buds. Barney’s and Green House won the most awards as of late, though Wiz Khalifa’s “Daytoday” videos suggest he personally likes The Bulldog.
Full Moon Party (Kho Phangan)
Spannabis (Barcelona)
World Hemp Congress (Slovenia)
Expocannabis (Madrid)
Potential Big Newcomer: High Times U.S. High Times US Cannabis Cup (Denver)
Portugal may have decriminalized cannabis, but neighboring Spain has the parties. Celebrating its 10th year last February, the three-day Spannabis event featured the Cannabis Champions Cup and sciencedriven lectures like “Protocol for the Preparation of Medical Cannabis” and “Latest Biomedical Research on Cannabinoids.”
Apparently one cannabis event is not enough for the Spaniards. Each fall, Expocannabis comes to the capital city with vendors, speakers, workshops and nighttime partying. A second event, Expocannabis Sur, takes place in the early summer (May 31 to June 2) in Picasso’s hometown, Malaga, on the shores of the Mediterranean. No, U.S. citizens don’t need a visa to visit Spain. 130 CULTURE • APRIL 2013
Most backpackers know the Thai island for its infamous Full Moon Party, though Kho Phangan throws equally wild parties throughout most of the month. Mushrooms are popular during the night of the werewolves, but the island is always packed with cannabis-loving Australians.
Per the Slovenia Times, cannabis is widely used and tolerated in Slovenia, making this an ideal country to host the World Hemp Congress. The annual event primarily focuses on hemp, though 2012 workshops like “Medical Marijuana” and “Cannabis in Agriculture and Industry” demonstrate its inclusivity. The Congress is held in Lendava near the border of Hungary and returns this summer on August 24 - 28.
April 20 will mark the first-ever US Cannabis Cup! The two-day event, held at the EXDO Event Center in Denver, will feature outdoor medicating areas. The opening night features a Cypress Hill and Slightly Stoopid concert at Red Rocks, while the second night is the awards show. c
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Ferris Bueller’s legendary day off can’t hold a candle to April 20 in Southern California. Hot off legalization in two states, the homeland for cannabis reform celebrates the fruits of its labors, and girds up for the challenges to come. Here’s just a smattering of the ways CULTURE readers will be celebrating.
April 19-20 KDay Krush Groove
A show so nice they did it twice? Yeah, this radio-sponsored two-day event was so loved they had to add another to accommodate ticket sales. The scene is proudly hip-hop with Bone, Thugs-N-Harmony, Compton’s Most Wanted and more taking the stage. To say that this place will be jumping is an understatement. Gibson Amphitheatre, Los Angeles 935kday.com
April 20
Fab Four: The Ultimate Tribute We have to give a shout out to the most talented and enduring act to ever use. These guys cover the bands’ various phases almost seamlessly as you travel through The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour of life. Fun fact: “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” is not as relevant as you think it is, we swear. City National Grove of Anaheim, Anaheim www.citynationalgroveofanaheim.com
Coyle Condenser
If anyone has ever told you that art and the MMJ lifestyle aren’t connected,
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they couldn’t be more ridiculously wrong. The Goosefire Gallery is all about experimental modern and glass art, so it makes a lot of sense that they would have a 420 party with a special gallery. The event lasts all day, enough time to let the culture soak in. Goosefire Gallery, Long Beach goosefiregallery.com
The 420 Festival
They moved! Yes, this festival is typically held in San Bernardino but this year they’ve relocated for the sake of offering a better show. This night will have you raving with joy as the lights flash to the sounds of Lange, Psyko Punkz, Organ Donors and more. Unless that’s your thing, try not to get lost in the crowd. The Belasco, Los Angeles www.the420festival.com
Desert Daze
This may not be a trip to the literal Mecca, but there a fair chance you’ll have a serious experience here. Out in the desert surrounded by music, art, crazy campers and who knows what else. There’s an adventure in here and it could be your own. Sunset Ranch Oasis, Mecca desertdaze.org
April 21 420 Hangover Fest
Ever heard of the phrase “hair of the dog?” Well, we think that should apply to 420 as well; there’s no better cure for a party than with another party. The lineup is spectacular and massive: Seedless, Fortunate Youth, Simpkin Project, Solution and True Press. Recovery has never been more fun. The Observatory, Santa Ana www.observatoryoc.com
All American Healing 420 Party
At press time few details were released, but All American Healing has assured us this party will be a can’t miss. We can expect musical acts and a lot of love for the green. allamericanhealing.com
420 Blaze Fest
An event to commemorate our favorite holiday? It’s a 420 miracle! This traveling show will inlcude acts such as BLU, TiRon & Ayomari and Eddie G. Fans of underground beats and rhymes, get your tickets early. The Roxy, West Hollywood www.theroxyonsunset.com
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Wife Carrying Championship
The wife or female companion attaches herself to the runner, typically with legs wrapped around his head, and the duo race other couples to win the woman’s weight in beer. Started in Finland, the race is apparently inspired by 19th-century marauders who kidnapped female villagers, which might explain why Dennis Rodman is a former participant.
Tough Mudder Launching an obstacle course craze, this global company does insane challenges like the Arctic Enema, Walk the Plank, Dirty Ballerina and the Ball Shrinker. If you plan to participate, you might want to medicate after the event.
Extreme Ironing World Championships From mountaintops to underwater, competitors gather to de-wrinkle clothes. Medication might be required to understand this competition, though we’re guessing a cunning wife finally got her husband to iron by making it a damn sport.
World Beard and Moustache Championship
While not exactly a sport, this facial hair fest is one hell of a competition. Just don’t go rockin‘ a Chad Kroeger goatee.
National Pororcoa Surfing Championship
Tidal bores appear on the Amazon River each year and create the longest waves in the world, some reaching 13 feet in height. At one championship, Brazilian surfer Picuruta Salazar road a single wave for 37 minutes covering nearly eight miles of river. Just beware of the dreaded candiru (Google it).
La Tomatina Each summer, people flood the Spanish town of Buñol to pelt each other with approximately 150,000 overripe tomatoes. Considered the world’s biggest food fight, participants usually wear white for maximum effect, though some dress in ninja outfits, watermelon helmets and other festive gear. 136 CULTURE • APRIL 2013
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World Pooh Sticks Championship
Inspired by a Winnie-the-Pooh book, this British sport involves racing sticks down a river, though fear the man who came thinking it was an eating contest.
US Air Guitar Championships
You don’t need a real guitar to be a rock star! The national champs head to Finland to battle Japan, Russia, Romania and other air guitar powerhouses for the world title.
Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest
Millions turn to ESPN each Independence Day to watch competitive eaters liberate their belts and eat as many hot dogs as possible in 10 minutes. The current record is 68.
World Championship Punkin Chunkin
“We’re Gonna Hurl!” is the tagline for this Delaware-based contest that chucks pumpkins from cannons, slingshots and catapults. The record is nearly 5,000 feet. And you thought Joe Biden was the craziest thing from Delaware.
World Toe Wrestling Championship
Leave it to the Brits to make playing footsie a sport. Competitors must lock toes and force the other foot to the ground, and the league unsuccessfully made a bid for Olympic inclusion.
Chessboxing World Championship
Surely the GZA’s fave sport, this event unites the skills of Bobby Fischer and Muhammad Ali with alternating rounds of chess and boxing. As taught in Wu-Tang’s “Da Mystery of Chessboxin’,” make sure to think first before you move.
Cooper’s Hill Cheese Roll
The eight-pound cheese wheel can reach speeds of 70mph in this British sport, which inspires Benny Hill-like blunders as wheel pushers run, tumble and slide down the hill in pursuit.
The Running of the Nudes
This self-explanatory race occurs in Pamplona, Spain as a humorous protest against the Running of the Bulls. Thank you, PETA.
World Gurning Contest
Possibly over 700 years old, this contest involves pulling the skin to create the ugliest possible face. As this is a British sport, make sure the person is actually gurning before declaring him the winner.
Buzkashi
Saving the most offensive for last, Buzkashi is a polo-like game in which competitors ride biting horses and attempt to get “the ball”—a headless goat carcass—across the goal line. Ladies and gentlemen, we introduce you to the national sport of Afghanistan!
Tuna Throwing
122 feet. That’s how far one competitor threw a frozen tuna by whirling it on a rope and flinging it like an Olympic hammer. This is an Australian sport, which is ironic since an Aussie famously caught a 600 pounder last fall. c
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hotographer Roxanne Haynes recently visited Jamaican, where the globe-trotting journalist had time to get up close and personal with the island nation’s culturally rich people. “The 20th Anniversary of Tony Rebel’s Rebel Salute Festival was a great start to my 30-day journey in Priory, St. Ann, Jamaica,” Haynes writes. “I could feel the presence of the legendary Bob Marley everywhere as several reggae artists were hitting us with music. Celebrations of Bob Marley’s birthday were taking place all over the island. I spent his birthday at his home in Kingston surrounded by people that loved him as they shared stories remembering the history of Bob. Music was going on at Emancipation Park, Culture Yard and a stage show in Trenchtown.
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I met some incredible women, children, Rastas and musicians as they danced, sang and played the music of Bob. I tried to be a wallflower but was so moved by the ambiance I kept clicking my shutter to capture the spirit of the people and the heart of Jamaica. I walked the streets of Trenchtown, hanging out with my friends and the people in da yard. Then my last week I trekked over to Port Antonio where I took a beautiful 8-mile ride down the Rio Grande on a bamboo raft. Enjoyed Somerset Falls and swimming and in the sea in the mystical waters of the blue lagoon. Everyone should experience Jamaica and pick up on the island’s irie vibes.” c
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Half Baked (1998) Dave Chapelle stars and cowrote the script, Mike D’s wife directed and the list of cameos include Jon Stewart, Snoop Dogg, Tommy Chong and Willie Nelson. This flick needs to headline your 420 movie night.
1
Dazed and Confused (1993) Cannabis abounds on the last day of school in 1976 Austin. A perved-out Matthew McConaughey and bullying Ben Affleck provide the pre-fame smirks, but Rory Cochrane steals the show as Slater the philosphizing stoner.
2
Up in Smoke (1978) The original stoner classic follows the misadventures of Cheech & Chong, which start with the pair smoking the biggest joint ever seen in theaters.
3
Bongwater (1997) Like D&C, this film features several pre-fame stars, including a potdealing Luke Wilson, a hippie Jack Black, an overly artsy Alicia Witt, a naughty Brittany Murphy and the Adam-and-Steve couple Andy Dick and Jeremy Sisto.
4
Grandma’s Boy (2006) Cannabis smoking, video games and grandma boinking all come together in this Adam Sandlerproduced film that won the top movie prize at the High Times Stoney Awards.
5
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Friday (1995) Gangsta rapper Ice Cube showed his comic side when he co-wrote and co-starred in this comedy classic that spawned two sequels and turned Chris Tucker into a star.
6
Super Troopers (2001) The Broken Lizard crew nail it in this irreverant tale of deviant northeastern patrolmen. The opening scene, in which the officers mess with a trio of stoned teens, is absolutely hilarious.
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Smiley Face (2007) Canna comedies tend to be male dominated, but Anna Faris breaks the mold after devouring a plate of cannabis cupcakes. Supporting stars include Jane Lynch and Happy Daze, er, Days mom Marion Ross.
8
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) Filmmaker Kevin Smith is to cannabis what Martin Scorsese is to Italian meatballs, and making Jay and Bob the lead is a stoner’s delight right from the opening rap.
9
Head (1968) Hey, hey, we’re the Monkees, and we’re stoned. The cleancut popsters put a dent in their wholesome image by starring in this psychedelic, stream-of-consciousness comedy co-written by Jack Nicholson. c
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Medical marijuana helps cancer and HIV patients by increasing appetite, but there are some foods that not even the munchies can make appealing. This includes an item you definitely have in your garden: dirt. Leave it to the French to create a dirt restaurant in another country. Ne Quittez pas restaurant in Tokyo offers a dirt-tasting menu with items like a potato starch and dirt soup, salad with dirt dressing, sedimenttopped oriental clams, dirt risotto, dirt ice cream and a dirt mint tea. The cost of the tasting is a pricey $110, so diners shouldn’t, um, shovel down their food. Still, this restaurant is not alone. ClayRemedies.com sells edible clay, calling it a wonder food. Staying in the East, Snake Village in Hanoi, Vietnam prepares snake in several different ways, but the slithery reptiles taste best when they’re cooked fresh. For a swift end, the chef cuts the underside and quickly removes the heart. Guests are then invited to swallow the still-beating heart and wash it down with snake blood. “I ate the snake heart,” says 25-year-old Mark Gaylor from Milton Keynes, England. “I swallowed the heart without chewing so I could still feel it beating. It felt like it was fighting to keep from going down my throat!” Heading over to Latin America, Nicasi Tours in Leon, Nicaragua offers iguana soup cooking classes, while eating live termites is also a local custom. Termites actually taste like carrots, and if traveling to southeast Venezuela, make sure to ask for kumachi con hormigas, which is a hot sauce made with termites and ants. Speaking of ants, the Colombian town of Bucaramanga has eaten giant fat-bottomed ants for centuries. For those visiting Bogota, head to the bar La Destileria in Zona T for the Hormiga Culona martini, which features cognac, brandy, peach liquor, champagne and amaretto spiked with six-legged crunchies. In the Ukrainian city of Lviv, the Masoch Cafe is named after the man behind masochism, so the menu naturally includes fried sliced bull testicles. In Lima, try giant Amazonian river snails at Malabar restaurant, which also serves pigeon. Argentina is famous for steaks, but those who order the parrilla at places like La Leñita in Salta should prepare for crunchy intestines and grilled cow udders. Eating crickets and roaches is famous in Southeast Asia, but a lesser-known shocker is the Chinese dessert hama with the dried fallopian tubes of frogs. Italians purposely fill cheese with maggots to create casu marzu, while Scotland’s national dish, haggis, is a sheep stomach filled with the animal’s minced entrails. “I love haggis,” says 33-year-old Simon Small of Glasgow. “Most people do, too, until you tell them what it actually is, and then they lose their shit. Who knew that heart, liver and lungs could taste so good?” Still, the nastiest of nasty can be found at Iceland’s midwinter Thorrablot festival, which honors ancestral foods like ram’s scrotum, rotten shark, liver sausage and jellied sheep’s head. Interestingly, cannabis consumption in Iceland has exploded in recent years, setting a new Scandinavian record for use. Still, how many hits does it take to crave seal flippers cured in lactic acid? Probably far too many. c 146 CULTURE • APRIL 2013
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ARTIST
TRACK NAME
1
Brewer & Shipley
One Toke Over the Line
The folk duo landed a 1970 hit with the catchiest pop song ever to pair “toke” and “sweet Jesus” in the same lyric.
2
Bob Dylan
Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
The band supposedly got high, switched instruments and tracked this song which the Gavin Report condemned for its call to “get stoned.” (P.S. Multiply 12 x 35.)
3
Mario Bauzá
Tanga
This 1943 tune, named after an African word for cannabis, is considered the first Latin jazz song ever.
4
People Under the Stairs
Acid Raindrops
This brilliant West Coast rap crew offers up what could be the first medical marijuana anthem.
5
Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen
Seeds & Stems (Again)
Kenny Rogers released his first hits album the same year, but this 1971 country music tearjerker blows “Lucille” away.
6
Peter Tosh
Legalize It
On the first song from his solo debut, the former Wailer gets political.
7
D’Angelo
Brown Sugar
This Grammy-nominated breakthrough hit sounds like a romantic ballad, but it’s not a person tempting the singer’s sweet tooth.
8
Stuff Smith
If You’re a Viper
Released the same year as Reefer Madness, this 1936 jazz tune is equally famous for Fats Waller’s 1943 remake as “The Reefer Song.”
9
Fraternity of Man
Don’t Bogart Me
This 1968 blues classic about marijuana etiquette became famous in the movie Easy Rider.
I Can’t Wake Up
On his first solo outing, the Boogie Down rapper narrates a hip-hop smoking circle from the blunt’s perspective.
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DESCRIPTION
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ARTIST
TRACK NAME
DESCRIPTION
11
Rita Marley
One Draw
Written by husband Bob, this reggae hit shows the ladies also know how to blaze.
12
Cab Calloway
Reefer Man
The Cotton Club regular epitomizes Harlem hipness on this 1930 big band classic.
13
Bob Marley
Kaya
Among all the Marley classics, the title track from his Exodus follow-up soars the highest.
14
Ray Charles
Let’s Go Get Stoned
The Pope Smokes Dope
15
David Peel’
Seeds & Stems (Again)
Produced by John Lennon, this 1972 rarity pissed off more Catholics than Bill Maher.
16
De La Soul
Peer Pressure
B-Real exchanges weed banter with De La on this J. Dillaproduced track.
17
Steppenwolf
Don’t Step on the Grass, Sam
This 1968 political rocker has some tough words for our overbearing Uncle.
18
Afroman
Because I Got High
The ultimate one-hit wonder!
19
Black Sabbath
Sweet Leaf
The Gods of Metal opened 1971’s Master of Reality on what could be called a high note.
20
Sublime
Smoke Two Joints
Sublime nailed it on this hit remake of The Toyes’ 1983 original.
21
Bone Thugs-NHarmony
Weed Song
With a video claiming it’s 420, the song highlights many of marijuana’s medicinal benefits.
22
Redman
How to Roll a Blunt
From his 1992 debut, Redman delivers a rap music version of Blunt Rollin‘ for Dummies.
23
Standard
La Cucaracha
The theme song to the Mexican Revolution includes a call to “marijuana que fumar.”
24
Nirvana
Moist Vagina
Check out this “Rape Me” b-side to hear Kurt Cobain repeatedly scream “marijuana.”
25
Louis Armstrong
Muggles
Named after a jazz slang term for cannabis, this 1928 instrumental is one of the earliest recorded songs to pay tribute.
Reality Rocks! While cannabis can influence all kinds of music, the subgenre often referred as “stoner rock” gets name-dropped more often than others. According to pop critic Jim DeRogatis, stoner rock bands—Kyuss, Sleep, Bongzilla and Electric Wizard are often cited—can trace their influences to Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality and Deep Purple’s Machine Head, among others. APRIL 2013 • CULTURE 151
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ince opening its first shop in 1998, Cheba Hut has expanded to 16 restaurants in seven states with annual double-digit sales growth. What is the secret to their success? It’s the timely convergence of surf and cannabis cultures. Cheba Hut’s line of “toasted” subs include Kush (BLT), Silver Haze (hummus), Chronic (BBQ roast beef ), Skunk (egg salad), Endo (Reuben) and Panama Red (chicken marinara), among others, served as a 4-inch Nug, 8-inch Pinner or 12-inch Blunt. The menu lists Shwag as “out of stock,” but the non-existent sub is merely stoner humor. The restaurant also serves a line of liquid Cotton Mouth Cures and Incredible Munchies like toasted hemp brownies. Even the Cheba name is derived from “cheeba,” a slang term for cannabis. Surprisingly, the franchise experiences little push back on its theme. “When you come into a Cheba Hut, you either know what is going on or you don’t,” says COO Matt Trethewey. “If you know, there is nothing offensive. You read names like White Widow and Sticky Icky, and you get a kick out of it. If you don’t know what is going on, those words mean nothing to you.” The key is choosing the right locations, which is why Cheba Hut stores are almost always near a college campus. “College areas are usually more open-minded and freethinking,” 154 CULTURE • APRIL 2013
he continues. “We certainly don’t want soccer moms protesting us, but we don’t draw that kind of attention because we don’t put ourselves in those areas.” Colorado and Arizona have the most shops, though Oregon, California, Iowa, Wisconsin and New Mexico each have at least one. For college students, these shops will be the place to grub on April 20. “Our 420 party is our customer appreciation day,” explains Trethewey. “If you look at all the people who came through our doors over the last two years, we have the nation’s largest 420 party. We literally have a line out the door wrapped around the sidewalk all day long at every location. Some stores close the parking lot down and do festival-style parties. It’s a scene. People have told us they got fired from their jobs because they came to a party and didn’t want to go back to work.” This year, an estimated 21,000 people will come to a Cheba Hut party and take advantage of their annual 420 deal: a Nug sandwich, a bag of chips and a drink served on a dated, commemorative Cheba Hut Frisbee for $4.20. As far as the politics of cannabis, Trethewey says they consider themselves realists, not activists, but the theme itself is a form of passive activism. “It’s a weed, and people get so uptight about it,” he remarks. “Bottom line, we are just out here conducting business, and it is part of our culture, who we are as individuals and how we grew up.” c www.chebahut.com
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7:10
4:20 for hash oil aficionados. 7:10 is “oil” upside down and backwards. Upside down and backwards is usually what happens to someone when they smoke a lot of hash oil. Some people like to combine 7:10 and 4:20 by smoking cannabis and hash oil at 11:30.
BHO Contrary to popular belief,
BHO does not stand for Barack Hussein Obama. It stands for Butane Hash Oil. BHO is made by filling a large glass tube with plant material and shooting butane gas through the tube. The butane freezes the glands on the cannabis and creates a kind of goo. BHO contains a very high amount of THC compared to regular cannabis or cold water hash. However, it is illegal to make BHO in some MMJ states, although it is not illegal to possess. Also, making BHO is more than a little dangerous.
Bubble bags Gear used to make cold water hash. Usually a set of bags with different-sized screens at the bottom of each bag. Place some cannabis and some extremely cold water in the bags and stir it up a bit. The cold water freezes the THC molecules and they fall off of the buds. Strain the cold water through the bubble bags, and you get cold water hash. This is a very easy (and safe) method for creating concentrates. Bubble hash Generally any
kind of really good concentrate. So 158 CULTURE • APRIL 2013
called because it “bubbles” when subjected to flame. Hashish that isn’t composed of pure THC glands may catch fire or even crackle when lit.
Budder A form of hash oil. Called budder because it looks a little like crystallized butter. Butane hash
Same as BHO.
CO2 Carbon Dioxide can also be used to make concentrates similar to BHO. Coals One way to smoke concentrates is to heat a coal (usually it’s the kind of coal used to light hookahs) and place a dab directly onto it, using a “whip,” or any kind of tube, really, to inhale the smoke. Cold water hash A form of hash typically made by using bubble bags, although it is possible to make cold water hash using two mason jars, a strainer and a coffee filter. Concentrate Any kind of hashish.
Dabber The tool, usually metal, used to scoop a “dab” of concentrate onto on the coal or the nail. Dab (or Dabs) A glob of errl. Also known as “dunk.”
Dome The glass sphere that sits
around the nail and keeps the smoke from escaping.
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Earwax A kind of concentrate. It’s called “earwax” because it looks like earwax and some cannabis aficionados love gross names.
Rig A metal device that enables a water pipe user to smoke hash oil without a nail.
Errl What the Tin Man needs. Or hash oil. As in: “Ermagarhd! Errl Dabs!”
Full Melt Very pure concentrate.
Called “full melt” because when burned it leaves no residue.
Shatter A thin sheet of BHO. Called shatter because it is very brittle. Skillet The metal, flat thingy that goes on your rig or swing. Heat it, dab it . . . yeah. Swing Attached to your rig or water pipe. Called a swing because you can swivel it.
Hashish/Hash The THC-filled resin glands of the cannabis plant. There are many different ways to make hash. People usually put a modifier in front of the word “hash” to give an indication of what method was used in the making of said hashish: Finger hash, scissor hash, cold water hash, et. cetera.
Tain Short for Butane. Torch Flame source for heating
nails.
Honey Oil Another term for
hash oil.
Kief The THC glands of the cannabis
plant. Kief is usually made using a dry sifting method. Good for sprinkling on bowls and joints. When kief is compressed and the resin glands pop and coagulate, it’s called hashish.
Nail A water pipe attachment. A nail is usually made out of glass or titanium. The nail is heated until it is red hot, then a dab is placed on the nail and the smoke is inhaled.
Vape pen A portable vaporizer
similar to an e-cigarette. Vape pens usually contain some sort of electronic heating system and a cartridge holding hash oil. Vapor pens are a very unobtrusive and virtually smoke-free way to consume concentrates.
Wax Hash oil that has a waxy consistency. Whip Flexible tube used to inhale vapors. Usually from a coal. c
Phoenix Tears
(a.k.a. Rick Simpson oil) A cannabis concentrate.
Rick Simpson has a very specific method for creating this concoction. You can find it online.
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Lenore Knaster was an American painter and conceptual artist who used the title of Lee Lozano to take on the modern art world with performances that redefined the term. In 1969 she created Grass Piece Performance Art, which involved smoking cannabis all day for six weeks straight while keeping handwritten notes about the experience in a 16-page journal which was displayed as a work of art.
Another innovator who helped define pop art, Warhol began as a commercial illustrator whose designs could be found in magazines and even on Campbell’s Soup cans. When asked about cannabis, he is quoted as saying, “I think pot should be legal. I don’t smoke it, but I like the smell of it.” If he did imbibe, it would certainly explain his success…his 1963 painting Eight Elvises once sold for $100 million dollars. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Basquiat was a graffiti artist in New York City whose neo-expressionist images were fusions of poetry, illustration and paint created during his cannabis-induced creative sprees. Once his 1981 painting The Radiant Child appeared in Artforummagazine his legendary status was secured. He often signed his paintings “SAMO,” a title which referred to the strain he often enjoyed in Brooklyn, which stands for “Same Old Sh*t.” 162 162CULTURE CULTURE• •APRIL APRIL2013 2013
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Pollock defied conventions by placing canvas on the ground and using techniques such as “drip painting” and “action painting” to produce chaotic, splattered linear designs including Full Fathom Five, Summertime and Number thirty-two. His revolutionary approach has been attributed to his use of certain substances, including cannabis. In 1949 an article in Life magazine about Pollock asked the question, “Is he the greatest living painter in the United States?”
A Spanish painter, sculptor and stage designer, Picasso was a bohemian artist who employed wine and cannabis to erase preconceived notions of perspective and technique to develop concepts such as Cubism and collage. He painted Three Musicians and Guernica, a harsh condemnation of the Spanish Civil War. “We must not discriminate between things,” he wrote. “Where things are concerned there are no class distinctions. We must pick out what is good for us where we find it.”
Dali was an illustrator, painter and designer who produced surreal, “Dadaistic” paintings that intrigue and disturb viewers to this day. Some include The Persistence of Memory, Swans Reflecting Elephants and Christ of Saint John of the Cross. His paintings featured warped, melting solids which certainly drew inspiration from cannabis. He didn’t dispute it, saying, “I don’t do drugs, I am drugs” and that he himself was “hallucinogenic.”
Like most artists of his time, the legendary Van Gogh literally painted with cannabis—the canvas and paint that he worked with were largely composed of hemp paper and oil. His post-impressionist masterpieces were unappreciated during his lifetime, and he grappled with mental demons that hindered his work. While creating Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette, Courtesan and Bedroom in Aries he often imbibed wine, absinthe and cannabis to help, and art today is richer for it.
Blevins has a Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Texas, Houston Medical School, but that hasn’t stopped her from using her character, a buxom, pink-haired virago named Medical Marijuana Barbie, from drawing attention to the cause with cunning displays of performance art. As the star of the “Medical Marijuana Traveling Circus Sideshow,” Blevins once posed completely nude with a cannabis leaf for modesty during a demonstration in London, UK.
“I have always loved marijuana,” Thompson wrote. “It has been a source of joy and comfort to me for many years.” As one of modern America’s greatest writers and journalists, he created works of literature such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,The Rum Diary and The Great Shark Hunt. c 164CULTURE 164 CULTURE• •APRIL APRIL2013 2013
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lass is an amazing material, whether it is the cup that we drink our morning coffee out of or the windows that protect us from the cold nights. Glass is one material that refuses to be categorized, transitioning seamlessly from art object to utilitarian item. It provokes our interest and intrigue with its malleable nature, allowing our creativity to determine what we can do with it. In contemporary glass art, one of the most intriguing artists is a hot young designer by the name of Joe Cariati. Just as with his primary material of choice, Cariati refuses to be categorized. You may not instantly link Los Angeles based artist and designer Joe Cariati to his glass creations, but if you begin to look around, it is hard to miss Cariati’s designs. This amazingly hip and charismatic young artist is sought after for creating functional glass art that is clean, beautiful, contemporary and classic all rolled into one. Have you stumbled across a small website called apple.com recently? Cariati is currently the poster-boy for the new iCloud campaign, showing the same screen shot of his gorgeous glasswork across a Macbook, iPad, and iPhone. His glass can be seen on screen in the set of movies such as Sex and the City 2, and has been featured in magazines such as Dwell, People Magazine, Martha Stewart Living, O Magazine, and US Weekly. I could go on and on about all the places you can find Cariati’s glass, but that is simply the point—it is everywhere! Cariati’s glass designs are graceful, elegant and simple. They are uber-refined versions of classic glass objects: bottles, decanters, pastry domes, etc. These objects are crafted to exacting standards and are made in a minimal design that allows their inherent beauty to show through, clear as day. Walking into 141 Penn Studios—Cariati’s new state-of-the-art 4500 sq. foot hot glass shop, studio, and gallery —something
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become quickly evident…there is an unmistakable energy in the air. There is the bustle of excitement and growth in this space, positivity and confidence. Simply put, this is a man on a mission. A quick tour around the studio shows three glassblowers working at different stages of completion for Cariati’s “Angelic Bottles Collection” heading to a Neiman Marcus near you and a studio assistant packing up a box heading across the ocean to one of Cariati’s clients overseas. While speaking of his initial exposure to glass Cariati says “Every since I was a small child, my reality has been in three dimensions; I just leapt into the art department [in college] on blind faith.” Outside of the university system Cariati focused on street art, but inside the system he was traditionally trained in classical painting, drawing, sculpture, as well as his notorious glassblowing. “Before glass, the thing that I was probably linked to the most was graffiti,” says Cariati. “There wasn’t a “beautiful losers” movement—we were the movement... Barry Mcgee, Margaret Kilgallen, Craig Costello, myself and others.” Through experimentation and hard work, glass became his sole medium of choice. Cariati also guest lectures at some of the top tier art and design schools in the country, letting him train dozens of glass-blowers the innovative techniques and stylesv. It is hard to know if Joe’s cool demeanor and hip style is a product of a California upbringing, the years spent in the outsider art environment, or just something inherent to his being. So what’s in store for Cariati in the future? Cariati’s functional glass lines will always continue to be expanded and refined, but he also hopes to involve wood, ceramic and metal in future design projects. This seems to be a logical transition for Cariati, as what makes his current glass line so successful is his simple, clean, timeless aesthetic. Joe Cariati is definitely a name to watch for. c
Photo by Jeff Berting
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eanut butter and jelly. Ham and burger. Music and marijuana. There are some things that just seem like they were always meant to be together. Luckily for music fans everywhere, the ultimate day of our sativa sacrament—420—also happens to be date when the vinyl frontier reaches to invade your ear holes. April 20 this year will also double as Record Store Day (RSD), a celebration of indie record store culture and the music that sustains them. The day is usually marked by promotions and issuing of special CD and vinyl releases. Worldwide, around 1,700 independent stores from every continent (except for Antarctica) are expected to celebrate the 6th annual event. Musician and record connoisseur Jack White will serve as the official RSD Ambassador, promoting the wonders of records—heck, he might even make an in-store appearance. Some notable RSD releases include, Live: Volume 1 – Selections from Adrenaline, a compilation of songs handpicked by the Deftones; Closer Remixed by Tegan and Sara (who graced the cover of CULTURE’s March issue); and a strictly 172 CULTURE • APRIL 2013
experimental album, Zaireeka, that needs four disks to be played simultaneously by The Flaming Lips. Zaireeka’s songs talk about a pilot that commits suicide mid-flight, uses high/ low frequencies that may cause premonitions—and what album wouldn’t be complete without cartoons about demented vegetables? All in all, more than 350 unique and limited-edition records will be made available, including releases from Mumford & Sons, Imagine Dragons, REM, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Iron & Wine, Garbage, Linkin Park and more. Although RSD co-founder Michael Kurtz, insists that the event just so happened to fall on April 20 this year (the day traditionally falls on the third Saturday in April) he tells CULTURE, “Willie Nelson’s Record Store Day release is called ‘Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die.’ Somehow I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Willie is releasing this record on 420.” c
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cool stuff Wicked Laser There are laser pointers . . . and there are Wicked Lasers so cutting-edge, even George Lucas got jealous. These are the most powerful handheld lasers commercially available; cool enough to fuel Star Wars fanboy fantasies from here to Episode VII . . . and powerful enough to ignite your favorite medicine. (from $299.95) www.wickedlasers.com
Kush Bottles Neon Collection Keeping your medicine safe and sound is important. Lucky for us, Kush Bottles’ new exclusive Neon Collection offers just the thing to store your flowers with pop-top containers (BPA-free, medical-grade plastic) available in eight different colors. Taste the rainbow. www.kushbottles.com
Vans x Metallica Signature Shoes Be the master of your feet with this shoe collab brought to you by Vans and Metallica. These kicks here were inspired by bassist Robert Trujillo and his easy-going, hard-rockin‘ lifestyle. ($80) www.vans.com/metallica.
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cool stuff Waffle-Making Typewriter Typewriters may be retro . . . but waffles never go out of style! Enter Chris Dimino’s Waffle-Making Typewriter—made with the body of an actual Smith-Corona Coronamatic typewriter. It started off as a one-off and will soon be mass-produced. Would you like some maple syrup to go with your QWERTY? www.chrisdimino.com
O.penVape Vaping just doesn’t get easier—or Earth conscious—than this! With minimal packaging (you’re welcome, landfills) and a disposable cartridge, this pen vaporizer’s “green” credentials are twice as nice. Speaking of green, we sampled the 250mg Premium Cartridge (CO2 oil, LA Confidential infusion) and found it delivered pleasing puffing and a citrus-cool taste that cleared the mind and soothed the body. ($25 battery, $30 cartridge) openvape.com
Sena Bluetooth Bluetooth headsets are a safe bet when it comes to keeping in touch on the road. Now motorcycle enthusiasts have something that works for their lifestyle in the form of this Sena Bluetooth Headset that allows hands-free phone use and a built-in FM tuner. You can even keep in touch with other riders with a built-in intercom system. ($239) www.senabluetooth.com
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Menu:
By Aunt Sandy
Chicken Cordon Bleu w/Mushroom Sauce Garlic Mashed Potatoes Green Bean Bundles Chocolate Chip Cookies
If we’re going to be celebrating the greenest day of the year, let’s kick it up a notch with this fabulously rich and fulfilling menu. Treat yourself right . . . after all, 420 is a special occasion . . . and only comes once a year.
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. 184 CULTURE • APRIL 2013
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Chicken Cordon Bleu Serves eight 8 chicken breast halves, skinned and boned 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon white pepper 2 eggs, beaten 1 cup milk 4 (1-ounce) slices cooked deli ham, cut in half 4 (1-ounce) slices Swiss cheese, cut in half 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/3 cups fine dry breadcrumbs 4 teaspoon Dijon mustard 4 teaspoon softened Canna Butter* Vegetable oil Place each piece of chicken between two sheets of wax paper. Flatten each breast to quarterinch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine eggs, salt, pepper and milk mixture. Spread 1/2 teaspoon of Dijon mustard and 1/2 teaspoon softened Canna Butter over each breast. Place a ham slice and cheese slice in center of each piece. Fold short ends of chicken over ham and cheese and roll up, beginning with the unfolded side. Secure with wooden picks. Dredge chicken in flour, dip in milk-egg mixture and coat well with breadcrumbs. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Fill a heavy skillet with about a half-inch of vegetable oil and heat. Add rolled-up chicken and pan fry over medium heat. Drain well and place in a baking dish in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with Mushroom Sauce if desired.
Mushroom Sauce 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can mushroom sauce 1 (8-ounce) carton sour cream 1/2 cup Canna Butter* 1 cup sliced mushrooms 1/3 cup dry sherry Combine all ingredients, cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until thoroughly heated. Serve with Chicken Cordon Bleu.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes Serves eight 5 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 head of garlic 1/2 cup Canna Butter* 1 tablespoon Cannabis Infused Oil** 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened Salt to taste Place potatoes in a pot and cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are tender. Drain and set aside. Cut garlic horizontally and place in a baking pan. Drizzle with Cannabis Infused Oil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until tender. Using a fork, remove skin and mash garlic. Mash potatoes. Add garlic, Canna Butter, cream cheese, sour cream and salt, blending well. Spoon into a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish. When ready to serve, heat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes. APRIL 2013 • CULTURE 185
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Green Bean Bundles Serves eight 3 14 1/2-oz. cans of whole green beans, drained 8 slices bacon 6 tablespoon Canna Butter*, melted 1/2 cup brown sugar 3 cloves garlic, minced
Gather beans in bundles of 10 and wrap each bundle with a half slice of bacon. Arrange bundles in a lightly greased 13-inch by 9-inch baking pan. Mix melted Canna Butter, brown sugar and garlic in a small bowl and spoon over bundles. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 more minutes.
Chocolate Chip Cookies Makes two to three dozen depending on the size. If you want to make an extra special treat, use these cookies and a few scoops of vanilla ice cream to make ice cream sandwiches! 1 cup Canna Butter*, softened 1/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 5 1-ounce packages instant vanilla pudding mix 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 12-oz. package semi sweet chocolate chips
Beat Canna Butter and sugars until light and fluffy, blend in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, pudding mix and baking soda. Add to butter mixture, blending well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls on to ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Place on wire racks to cool.
Cannabis Infused Oil** 1 cup cooking oil 1 1/4 ounces low to average quality dried leaf cannabis 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. 188 CULTURE • APRIL 2013
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.
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. V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
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Shooting Gallery iREADCULTURE.com GET YOUR HITS HERE
Spring 2013 Can-Can Golf Tournament (Photos by Kristopher Christensen)
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Shooting Gallery iREADCULTURE.com GET YOUR HITS HERE
Heat Music Festival (Photos by Kristopher Christensen)
One Night With Janis Joplin musical (Photos by Steve Baker)
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entertainment reviews Iron & Wine Ghost on Ghost Nonesuch Records
Ghost on Ghost, Iron & Wine’s fifth studio outing, is a noticeable contrast to Beam’s last two albums. As Iron & Wine’s last album, 2011’s Kiss Each Other Clean, was essentially Sam Beam’s attempt at what might be considered a mainstream pop album, it’s no surprise that the release might have been an anxious endeavor to create. However, Ghost on Ghost may succeed where Kiss Each Other Clean failed, by creating a highly produced and well polished Iron & Wine album that still sounds as relaxing and unintimidating as Beam’s first two acoustic records. The one true constant through all of Beam’s work that is just as present as ever on Ghost on Ghost is the man’s beautiful—at times ethereal—warm wind on an autumn day voice that appears just as strong and majestically now as it did at the beginning of his career. Additionally, the new record sees Beam still experimenting with his sound by incorporating jazzier influences. All in all, Ghost on Ghost seems to show Beam having a good, fun time on this record. Ghost on Ghost is what Beam described as a “reward” to himself after his experiences with making his last two albums, and that feeling of relaxation and relief certainly shines through. If anyone was concerned about the direction Beam was headed, this release should put those worries to rest. (Simon Weedn)
Rastafarian Children of Solomon: The Legacy of the Kebra Nagast and the Path to Peace and Understanding By Gerald Hausman Bear & Co. If your knowledge of Rastas begins and ends with your worn copy of Bob Marley’s Legend . . . then, my friends, you need a culture bomb thrown at your front door. No, dear friends, the ideas and concepts behind the Rastafarian movement that took root in Jamaica during the 1930s go way beyond reggae music and giant spliffs—though they are connected. Here, author and storyteller Gerald Hausman tells the stories of Rastas, or the “Children of Solomon,” in his and their words. From farmers to healers, to Rasta elders and fisherman, Hausman uses colorful words and first-hand experience to powerfully describe his subjects: “Mackie [McDonough] knows his history, his story; and his face is a finely carved mask of inscrutable character. He can stare down a stump, as the expression is, and he fears no man or woman . . .” Or in the case of Horace “Winston” Churchill: “His twinkle-eye and easy smile could charm a snake, and probably have.” Hausman’s Rastas leap beyond the confines of any mere album cover. Even Bob’s. (Matt Tapia)
Alanis Morissette Live at Montreux 2012 Eagle Rock
Alanis Morissette’s debut international album, 1995’s Jagged Little Pill, was commercially gargantuan (selling over 33 million copies) to the point of overshadowing the thoughtful Canadian-American singer’s very robust career since. Filmed in high-def at Switzerland’s famed Montreux Jazz Festival last July, this 17-song set serves as a reminder both of Pill’s potency (including album standouts “Ironic,” “Head Over Feet” and breakthrough single “You Oughta Know”) and Morissette’s rare staying power (featuring songs from her most recent album, 2012’s Havoc and Bright Lights). Though her very worthy backing instrumentalists can evoke one of those safely “rockin‘” suburban church bands, and the Montreux crowd is more polite than impassioned, this competently-shot concert finds the inner-peace-exuding Morissette in fine, sometimes snarledflecked voice and versatile mood, from a furrowed-brow take on “Oughta Know” to a positively beaming “You Learn.” Choosing to document a performance at a revered jazz fest suggests an ongoing quest for credibility in the lingering wake of a blockbuster pop hit. (Paul Rogers) 196 CULTURE • APRIL 2013
Green Day in concert Do you want to be the minority? The group of people who are stuck at home with nothing to do because they didn’t buy tickets to see Green Day? We understand your concerns—some of you out there might think the band has gone soft ever since American Idiot was played on every radio station in the world. Our advice to you is three-fold: one, stop being such a damn hipster; two, they’ve always had greener interests at heart (pun intended, where do you think the name came from?) and three; Green Day is more hardcore than ever. They’ve just released a trilogy of albums taking them back to their punkrock roots—no concept album BS that came with AI or 21st Century Breakdown. Plus, Billy Joe just got out of rehab, which is the ultimate status symbol for any rocker. Green Day is more hardcore than ever- an impressive feat considering that the bands’ collective age averages at 40. You thought April 20 was the only “green” day?
IF YOU GO
What: Green Day in concert. When/Where: April 18 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 3939 S. Figueroa, Los Angeles. Info: Tickets $60. Visit tickets.berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-9988.
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CULTURE Quiz 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.
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pro-MMJ bill, and is the governor for it?
4
Copenhagen may import American cannabis for a trial program—true or false? many MMJ measures 5 How will Los Angeles voters be
asked to consider in May?
ANSWERS
1 old is Hawaii’s MMJ 2 How program?
New York state 3 Which senator wants to introduce a
1. Nesta. 2. 13 years old. 3. Diane Savino and, sadly, no. 4. True. 5. Three.
?
What’s Bob Marley’s middle name?
?
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?
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Chuck Shepherd
News of the
Weird LEAD STORY—HOLY HANDGUNS
; One of the many decisions greeting Pope Francis, as Salon. com pointed out, is whether to officially recognize a Patron Saint of Handgunners—as urged by a U.S. organization of activists for more than 20 years. According to legend, St. Gabriel Possenti rescued an Italian village from a small band of pillagers (and perhaps rapists) in the 19th century by shooting at a lizard in the road, killing it with one shot, which supposedly so terrified the bandits that they fled. No humans were harmed, activists now
point out, signifying the handgun was obviously a force for good. The head of the St. Gabriel Possenti Society has noted that, however far-fetched the “lizard incident” may be, it was rarely questioned until U.S. anti-gun activists gained strength in the 1980s.
CAN’T POSSIBLY BE TRUE
; Though Americans may feel safe that the Food and Drug Administration approves a drug only for certain specific uses, the U.S. Court of Appeals in New York ruled in December that drug company salespeople have a First Amend-
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ment right to claim that drugs approved for only one use can be marketed for nonapproved uses, as well. Doctors and bioethicists seemed outraged, according to the Los Angeles Times, generally agreeing with a University of Minnesota professor who called the decision “a complete disgrace. What this basically does is destroy drug regulation in the United States.” ; Denials of disability allowances in the town of Basildon, England, near London, are handled at the Acorn House courthouse, on the fourth floor, where afflicted people who believe they were wrongly rejected for benefits must present their appeals. However, in November, zealous government safety wardens, concerned about fire-escape dangers, closed off the fourth floor to wheelchairusing people. Asked one woman, turned away in early February, “Why are they holding disability tribunals in a building disabled people aren’t allowed in?” (In February, full access resumed.) ; Among the helpful civic classes the city government in Oakland,
Calif., set up earlier this year for its residents was one on how to pick locks (supposedly to assist people who had accidentally locked themselves out of their homes), and lock-picking kits were even offered for sale after class. Some residents were aghast, as the city had seen burglaries increase by 40 percent in 2012. Asked one complainer, “What’s next? The fundamentals of armed robbery?” (In February, Mayor Jean Quan apologized and canceled the class.) ; We Must Kill This Legislation Because Too Many People Are for It: In February, the North Carolina House of Representatives Rules Committee took the unusual step of pre-emptively burying a bill to legalize prescription marijuana (which 18 states so far have embraced). WRAL-TV (Raleigh-Durham) reported Rep. Paul Stam’s explanation: Committee members were hearing from so many patients and other constituents (via phone calls and emails) about the importance of medical marijuana to them that the representatives were feeling “harassed.”
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INEXPLICABLE
; Two teachers and three student teachers at a Windsor, Ontario, elementary school somehow thought it would be a neat prank on their eighth-graders to make them think their class trip would be to Florida’s Disney World, and they created a video and PowerPoint presentation previewing the excursion. The kids’ exhilaration lasted only a few days, when they were informed that plans had changed and that they would instead be visiting a local bowling alley. Furthermore, the teachers captured the students’ shock on video, presumably to repeatedly re-enjoy their prank. (When the principal found out, she apologized, disciplined the teachers, and arranged a class trip to Niagara Falls.) ; Solutions to Non-Problems: (1) Illinois state Rep. Luis Arroyo introduced a bill in March that would ban the state’s restaurants from serving lion meat. (2) Georgia state Rep. Jay Neal introduced legislation in February to ban the
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implantation of a human embryo into a nonhuman. Rep. Neal told the Associated Press that this has been a hot issue in “other states.”
UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT
; Imprisoned British computer hacker Nicholas Webber, 21, serving time for computer fraud, hacked into the mainframe at his London prison after officials allowed him to take a computer class. Like most prisons, the Isis facility attempts to rehabilitate inmates with classes to inspire new careers, but apparently no one made the connection between the class and Webber’s crime. (One prison staff member involved in the class was fired.) ; Dustin Coyle, 34, was charged with domestic abuse in Oklahoma City in January, but it was hardly his fault, he told police. His exgirlfriend accused him (after she broke up with him) of swiping her cat and then roughing it up, punching her, elbowing her and sexually assaulting her. Coyle later lamented to police that she
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and he were supposed to get married, but for some reason she changed her mind. “If she would just marry me, that would solve everything,” but, according to the police report, he would settle for her being his girlfriend again—or a one-night stand.
THE REDNECK CHRONICLES
; Gary Ericcson, 46, was distraught in January at being charged with animal cruelty in shooting to death his beloved pet snake. He told the Charlotte Observer that he is not guilty, as the dear thing had already passed away and that he shot it only “to get the gas out” so that other animals would not dig it up after he buried it. He said he was so despondent (fearing that a conviction will prevent him from being allowed to have even dogs and cats) that in frustration he had shot up and destroyed a large cabinet that housed his Dale Earnhardt collectibles.
PERSPECTIVE
; First-World Products: The DogTread Treadmill is a modification
of the familiar exercise machine in homes and health clubs, with special features for dog safety—a helpful invention in a nation in which over half of all pet dogs are too fat. (A somewhat higher percentage of cats is overweight, but it is unlikely that marketing a cat treadmill has ever been considered.) The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention points out that pets can develop type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and osteoarthritis, and that the problem stems from insufficient exercise and overindulgent owners. (The DogTread Treadmills sell for $499 to $899.)
READERS’ CHOICE
; (1) Teri James, 29, filed a lawsuit recently in San Diego against San Diego Christian College because it fired her for being pregnant and unmarried— a violation of specific employee rules. She said the firing was obviously illegal gender discrimination because her job was quickly offered to the next-most-qualified candidate—James’ fiance, who was openly cohabiting with James
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all along and is the baby’s father. (2) In a Philadelphia courtroom in February, alleged assault victim John Huttick was on the witness stand tearfully describing how miserable his life has become since he lost his left eye in a barroom fight with the defendant. Right then, however, his prosthetic eye fell out. The judge, certain that it was an accident, quickly declared a mistrial (especially since two jurors, seated a few feet away, appeared sickened).
DOPING ON ICE
; Leaders of the ice-fishing community, aiming for official Olympics recognition as a sport, have begun the process by asking the World Anti-Doping Agency to randomly test its “athletes” for performance-enhancing drugs, according to a February New York Times report. However, said the chairman of the U.S. Freshwater Fishing Association, “We do not test for beer,” because, he added, “Everyone would fail.” Ice-fishing is a lonely, frigid endeavor rarely employing strength but mostly requiring guile and strategy, as
competitors who discover advantageous spots in the lake must surreptitiously upload the hauls lest competitors rush over to drill their own holes. Urine tests have also been run in recent years on competitors in darts, miniature golf, chess and tug-of-war, and in 2011, one chess player, two minigolfers and one tugger tested positive.
CULTURAL DIVERSITY
; A frequent sight on Soweto, South Africa, streets recently is crowds of 12-to-15-year-old boys known as “izikhotane” (“boasters”) who hang out in their designer jeans, “shimmering silk shirts, bright pink and blue shoes, and white-straw, narrow-brimmed fedoras,” according to a February BBC News dispatch. Flashing wads of cash begged from beleaguered parents, hundreds may amass, playing loud music and sometimes even trashing their fancy clothes as if to feign an indifference to wealth. Since many izikhotanes’ families are working-class survivors of apartheid, they are mostly
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ashamed of their kids’ behavior. “This isn’t what we struggled for,” lamented one parent. But, protested a peer-pressured boaster, “(Y)ou must dress like this, even if you live in a shack.” ; India’s annual “Rural Olympics” might be the cultural equivalent of several Southern U.S. “Redneck Olympics” but taken somewhat more seriously, in that this year, corporate sponsorships (Nokia and Suzuki) helped fund the equivalent of about $66,000 in prize money for such events as competitive pulling using only one’s ears or teeth. “We do this for money, trophies, fame and respect,” one ear-puller told The Wall Street Journal in February. This year, in the four-day event in Punjab state, the 50,000 spectators could watch a teeth-lifter pull a 110-pound sack upward for about eight seconds and an earpuller ease a car about 15 feet. ; Weird Japan: (1) A generous local businessman recently graced the city of Okuizumo with funding for replicas of two Renais-
sance statues (Venus de Milo and Michelangelo’s David) for a public park. Agence France-Presse reported in February that many residents, receiving little advance warning, expressed shock at the unveiling of “David” and demanded that he at least be given underpants. (2) Fax machines, almost obsolete in the U.S., are still central to many tech-savvy Japanese families and companies (who bought 1.7 million units last year alone), reported The New York Times in February. Families prefer faxes’ superiority to e-mail for warmly expressing Japan’s complex written language, and bureaucrats favor faxes’ preserving the imperative of paper flow.
LATEST RELIGIOUS MESSAGES
; The 14 guests at a jewelry party in Lake City, Fla., were initially incredulous that home-invader Derek Lee, 24, meant to rob them, but when they saw that he was serious (by putting his gun to the head of one woman), the hostess went into action. “In the name of Jesus,” she shouted, “get out of my house now!” Then the guests chanted in unison,
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“Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!” over and over. Lee, frightened or bewildered, sprinted out the door empty-handed and was later arrested. ; The president of the National Black Church Initiative told the Associated Press in January that its pastors are generally free to ordain new pastors as they wish, and that consequently Bishop Wayne Jackson of Detroit did nothing wrong in his ordination ceremony (which was surreptitiously video-recorded and uploaded to YouTube), even though it consisted of Jackson in robes, praying while lying on top of the new bishops, who were also praying. (The AP noted that Bishop Jackson had been the target of that’s-so-gay YouTube comments.) ; Yet Another Fatwa: Saudi cleric Sheikh Abdullah Daoud, in an interview in February on al-Majd TV, decreed that female babies should wear full-face veils (burkas) to help shield them from sexual advances. (According to a former judge at the Saudi Board of Grievances, Saudi authorities have issued standards for fatwas, thus urging people to ignore “unregulated” ones such as Skeikh Daoud’s.) ; In January, Lhokseumawe City, Indonesia, drafted new ordinances, including one that prohibits women from riding motorcycles with their legs straddling male drivers, since that would tend to “provoke” them. A proponent said the ban “honor(ed)” women “because they are delicate creatures.” Immediately, some authorities denounced the legislation, pointing out that riding “side saddle” is much more dangerous in cases of sudden swerves and collisions. As of press time, the mayor had not decided whether to implement the ordinance.
QUESTIONABLE JUDGMENTS
; In February, an off-duty Tampa police officer and an off-duty sheriff’s detective from nearby Hernando County were awarded the sheriff’s office’s highest honor, the Medal of Valor, for exemplary bravery in an October incident in which a 42-year-old naked woman was shot to death by the 212 CULTURE • APRIL 2013
officers. The woman was holding a gun and had made threats, and a 5-year-old boy was inside a truck that she wanted to steal. However, even though a neighbor had simply wrestled the woman down earlier, the officers still thought their only move was to shoot to kill. Said the woman’s brother, “They shot a mentally disturbed, naked woman. Is that valor?” ; In 2011, Julian Pellegrino pleaded guilty to DUI involving serious bodily injury to Mark Costa in Chicopee, Mass., and was sentenced to serve 18 months in jail, but that did not deter Pellegrino from filing a lawsuit in December, demanding $1.1 million for Costa’s somehow “caus(ing)” his car to collide with Pellegrino’s. Pellegrino (with a broken neck) was actually more seriously injured than Costa, who sued back, asking nearly $200,000. (In 2010, while Pellegrino was awaiting disposition of the case with Costa, he pleaded guilty to another DUI.)
FETISHES ON PARADE
; Paul Jamrozik, 63, was arrested in Upper Darby, Pa., in January and charged as the man who lured a 12-year-old boy into his home and, under the guise of pretend-podiatry, spritzed his feet with athlete’sfoot spray and tickled them before performing an exam of his ears and nose with medical equipment. When the kid asked to leave, according to the police report, Jamrozik withheld his shoes until he promised to bring his friends by the next day to be examined.
LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS
; Lee Wildman, 35, and Adrian Stanton, 32, pleaded guilty in connection with a burglary at Durham (England) University’s Oriental Museum, in which they heisted artwork worth the equivalent of about $2.7 million and hid it in a field in April 2012. However, they have been unable to help authorities locate the bounty (even with the reward of sentence-reduction)—because they have forgotten exactly where they stashed it. Eventually, hikers unconnected with the case discovered it and notified police. V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
Said Judge Christopher Prince, “This is not an offense that can be described as sophisticated.”
READERS’ CHOICE
; (1) Two brothers, celebrating a winning lottery ticket in Wichita, Kan., in February, bought a stash of marijuana, but then, attempting to light a bong using butane lighter fluid, one accidentally blew up the family home. That brother was hospitalized with second-degree burns, and the other was arrested for marijuana possession. (2) Megan Thode, 27, went to trial in February in Easton, Pa., suing Lehigh University, accusing a professor of illegally discriminating against her with a C-plus grade in a class in 2009 in the school’s graduate counseling program, in which a B was the minimum required to continue. Thode demanded $1.3 million for future damage to her career (but not a tuition refund—as she had matriculated for free because her father is a Lehigh professor). Four days after the trial began, the judge ruled against her.
MAKING OUTSOURCING WORK FOR YOU
; A Verizon risk team, looking for data breaches on a client’s computers, discovered that one company software developer was basically idle for many months, yet remained productive—because he had outsourced his projects to a Chinese software developer who would do all the work and send it back. The employee earned several hundred thousand dollars a year, according to a January Los Angeles Times report, but paid the Chinese worker only about $50,000. The risk team eventually learned that sensitive company information was flowing to and from Chinese terminals, leading the company to suspect hackers, but that traffic was merely the U.S. employee (obviously, “ex-employee” now) sending and receiving his workload. The U.S. man showed up for work every day, but spent his time leisurely web-surfing.
THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
; One of Britain’s most famous “madams” announced in Janu-
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ary that she was coming out of retirement to set up a brothel exclusively catering to disabled people and the terminally ill. An ordinary brothel would be illegal in the town of Milton Keynes (45 miles from London), but Becky Adams insists that the government could not shut hers down without illegally discriminating against the disabled. ; Advances in the Service Sector: (1) In January, the Japanese marketing firm Wit Inc. began hiring “popular” young women (judged by the extent of their “social network” contacts), at the equivalent of $121 a day, to walk around with advertising stickers on their thighs. (The stickers would be placed on the erotic “zettai ryouiki”—the Japanese mystical area between the hem of a short skirt and the top of long socks.) The women must be prepared to endure men hovering closely to read the ads. (2) According to news reports in November, New York City physician Jack Berdy was doing a brisk business administering Botox injections (at up to
$800) to poker players who were hoping to prevent facial expressions that might tip their hands. ; Ingenious: (1) London’s The Independent reported in January that Dean Kamen (who famously invented the Segway, a standing, battery-powered scooter) had developed, along with a Pennsylvania medical team, what appears to work as a “reverse feeding tube” that will vacuum out up to 30 percent of any food in the stomach before it is digested and converted into calories. After installation of the stomach “port,” the diner could operate the device without daily medical help. (2) The Polish cosmetics company Inglot announced in January a nail polish ideal for Muslim women, in that it can withstand the five-timesdaily hand-washing required for prayers. (Normally, devout women wear nail polish only during their menstrual periods, when the hand-washing is not required, but polish thus signals menstruation and therefore embarrasses modest women.)
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