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66 Double Identity
On the Cover: Photo by Lindsey Byrnes
Indie rock stars Tegan and Sara open up about musical maturity.
20 In the Balance The state Supreme Court weighs the legality of dispensary bans. 22 Legislative Action Several MMJ-friendly members of Congress set out to help patients. 26 Upset the Cart Santa Ana activists continue efforts to end the city’s dispensary ban 30 Solar Flair? We break down the spring grow forecast—it’s going to be amazing! 34 A Reinvention The Artist Formerly Known as Snoop uncovers his Rasta side 36 Thor the Love of the Plant New evidence suggests Vikings were cultivating hemp. 44 Suspended Animation How Kevin Smith got his groove back. 56 Breath of Life Imagine Dragons clawed its way to platinum success. 58 Space Cadets Intronaut—and its unclassifiable sound—has paid its dues. 60 Friends With Benefits Los Amigos Invisibles decide to get downright repetitive.
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departments 12 14 62
News Nuggets
Cannabis makes headlines here, there, everywhere—and we give you the scoop—PLUS our latest By the Numbers
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When the cannabis cause strikes close to home—hearts and minds can change.
These days, the green smell of freedom is everywhere in Prague.
Strain & Edible Reviews
Our ever-popular sampling of amazing strains and edibles currently provided by your friendly neighborhood dispensary.
Our latest feature provides insight into the life—and struggle—of a medical cannabis patient near you.
Healthy Living
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Cool Stuff
From Bubble Bowls to the Puzzlebox Orbit, if it’s a cuttingedge product or cool lifestyle gear, we’re all over it.
SHOOTING Gallery
Here are the green-friendly things we saw you doing around town.
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Destination Unknown
Profiles in Courage
Marijuana is bad for the brain?!? Don’t believe the hype.
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Letter from the Editor
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86 90 96 Entertainment Reviews
The latest films, books, music and more that define our culture—plus Kevin Longrie’s best Liner Notes ever!
LEGAL CORNER
Attorney Meital Manzuri dissects the question of why federal policy hasn’t shifted . . . yet.
GREEN SCENE
Hold off on buying that Kindle—how about some old-school books?
Recipes
Embrace your inner Irish heritage and sample a St. Patrick’s Day menu that’s twice as green.
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letter from the editor
Vol 4 IssUE 9
Publisher
Jeremy Zachary
GET YOUR CLICK HERE
www.iReadCulture.com
Roberto C. Hernandez Editor-In-Chief
Editor-in-Chief
Roberto C. Hernandez
Arts & Entertainment Editor Evan Senn
Editorial Contributors
Dennis Argenzia, Ashley Bennett, David Burton, Michael Carlos, Grace Cayosa, Jasen T. Davis, Alex Distefano, David Downs, Jesse B. Gill, 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, Jeff Schwartz, Lanny Swerdlow, Matt Tapia, Simon Weedn
Change of
Heart
I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying, “Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer.” Here’s a new one: Sometimes your worst enemies can end up your best friends. Or at least a staunch ally. That’s the case with Melvin McDonald, a Mormon Republican and former U.S. Attorney whose job during the ’80s was being one of Reagan’s War on Drugs foot soldiers. You know those raids, indictments and prosecutions that we hear about all the time? Chances are, the guys handing out these marching orders are people just like McDonald: federal prosecutors who have made it a point to go after people like us: those of us who provide or utilize a god-given plant to benefit our health and the quality of our lives. It seems that McDonald is no longer wearing the jackboots. He had a change of heart. Not surprisingly, it was because a close family member, McDonald’s son, suffered a catastrophic traffic accident . . . and it turned out that medical cannabis was the only thing that could help him recuperate. The accident, which caused brain damage to his son, happened in 1996. By 1997 the son had developed seizures, seizures that spanned the past 14 years. This condition made it difficult for McDonald’s son to eat because of nausea and complications from prescription meds. “Without marijuana he cannot eat and he cannot hold the food down,” he told The Huffington Post. “So I’ve come full circle from being on the crimefighting end, to seeing it within my own home, having my wife have to go and obtain marijuana illegally to . . . keep him alive.” How often have we heard these stories, these experiences; everyday Americans who never cross paths with medical cannabis—until it strikes close to home. The father diagnosed with cancer who later discovers that cannabis can keep him from wasting
Photographers
Steve Baker, Tony Catalan, Bettina Chavez, Kristopher Christensen, Michael Gifford, John Gilhooley, Fausto Gonzales, Roxanne Haynes, Amanda Holguin, Khai Le, Mark Malijan, PJ Russo
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Joe Martone, Dean Mayorga, Derek Obregon
away. The Crohn’s disease sufferer who realizes a plant can help keep his condition in check. The veteran stricken by neuropathic pain who learns that the dried flowers he enjoyed for kicks as a teenager can deliver analgesic relief. McDonald has made the same journey. He’s become a believer. Talk about a change of heart. “There are people out there that have legitimate, genuine medical needs,” he said. “Marijuana is the one plant out there that solves enormous problems for people with—not only seizures like my son—but also cancer and other ailments.” Wild stuff, eh? Never would I have guessed that such earnest words of advocacy would come from someone whose 9-to-5 was busting purported pot perps. Now, I’ve got some concluding remarks . . . but I think I’ll use McDonald’s words speak for themselves about why medical cannabis is so important and why all levels of governments (Hey, Congress—I’m talking to you!) need to address the politics of prohibition. “This is a critical need for sick people. It is like taking away diabetic drugs from diabetics because of some policy decision. We’ve got to set up priorities in this country so that people that need marijuana for these medical needs— legitimate needs—can get it.” Well said, Mel. c
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THE STATE Julio César Chávez fined nearly $1 million for testing positive for cannabis
Mexican national and boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. has been suspended for nine months and fined nearly $1 million dollars after testing positive for cannabis, the Los Angeles Times reports. He was suspended and fined $900,000 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after he was tested following his September 2012 middleweight fight against Sergio Martinez. In 2009, Chavez tested positive for another banned substance after his fight with Troy Rowland. In that case, he was suspended for seven months. Chavez told the Times that he was sorry for his actions and only ingested the plant to curb his stress before a fight. Chavez’s cannabis fine is the second largest in the sport—second only to Mike Tyson’s $3 million fine for biting off part of Evander Holyfield’s ear in 1997.
sold with age limits and other restrictions similar to those placed on alcohol. Support is strongest in the Bay Area, especially among young, single men. The poll also showed strong opposition to the recent medical marijuana dispensaries federal crackdown. Sixty-seven percent of voters in the poll were against the federal actions, and 72 percent are in favor of the state’s current medical cannabis law. Some findings in the results of the field poll also show favor allowing medical marijuana dispensaries to operate in the community they live in. The poll shows the highest level of support for cannabis legalization in four decades.
Former Cudahy City Council member sentenced for trying to extort a “dispensary”
Osvaldo Conde, a former member of the Cudahy City Council, was sentenced to three years in federal prison last month in a case involving bribery of a dispensary, according to 89.3KPCC. Two other former Cudahy city officials—including former Mayor David Silva—were sentenced for their role in the extortion case, but got lesser sentences. The three men were caught planning to accept a total of $17,000 in bribe money from on an informant who was posing as someone who wanted to open up a dispensary in the city. “We sought a higher sentence for [Conde] because he was the
leader of the criminal activity in which all defendants were involved,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Akrotirianakis said.
THE NATION Oregon’s SB 281 could add PTSD to list of qualifying conditions
Medical cannabis advocates met last month in Oregon to aid those who are suffering from PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), according to a recent Cannabis Culture bulletin. The advocates are backing SB 281, which would add PTSD to the list of conditions allowed by the Oregon Medical Marijuana Act. Currently, veterans who suffer from PTSD cannot acquire medical cannabis through the program unless they have other qualifying conditions. However, Oregon’s laws do allow patients to acquire the plant for pain caused by PTSD.
saries to sell to patients via past legislation, Alexander’s Bill 84 is receiving more acceptance given that state residents are becoming more accepting of MMJ. The bill would allow patients to grow their own cannabis and let them possess up to 24 ounces. Alexander is a funeral director who has drawn on his personal experiences of “meeting the families of people who could have benefitted from medical cannabis.”
“Compassion centers” might be in West Virginia’s future West Virginia is looking to join the medical cannabis club. The Panhandle State is considering a bill that would allow patients with certain medical conditions to use cannabis with a doctor’s recommendation, according to the Coal Valley News. In the past, similar bills have failed. HB 2230, or The Compassionate Use Act For Medical Cannabis,
North Carolina medical cannabis bill introduced
State Rep. Kelly Alexander introduced a bill last month that could potentially lead to the legalization of medical cannabis in the state, according to News 14 Carolina. While North Carolina has had the opportunity to allow dispen-
February poll: The Golden State continues to support legalization and dispensaries More and more California residents support legalizing cannabis in record-breaking numbers, according to a February field poll, the Los Angeles Times reports. Fifty-four percent said cannabis should be 14 CULTURE • MARCH 2013
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would allow patients to possess up to six ounces and establish five “compassion centers” across the state. Patients would also be allowed to grow up to 12 plants in their homes. “A majority of West Virginia voters want to see the state take a more sensible and compassionate approach to medical marijuana,” Matt Simon, a legislative analyst for the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project told the News. “We sincerely hope the state’s representatives recognize that many of the voters who support medical marijuana are the same voters who elected them to office.”
THE WORLD Czech Republic lawmakers approve medical cannabis
After a decisive victory of an 83 percent approval vote in the upper Parliament of the Czech Republic,
President Vaclav Klaus is expected to sign a bill that allows for the partial legalization of medical cannabis use, according to the Associated Press. The law is creating some controversy, as for the first year the law is in effect the country will only import cannabis. Though there are plans to give licenses to in-state farmers, critics are speculating that users will turn to a black market for their supply of MMJ. Those who wish to use medical cannabis must receive a prescription.
by the numbers
7
The maximum size (in feet) of “total garden canopy” allowed for home grows, according to HB 84: 24 (Source: General Assembly of North Carolina).
1
The percentage of Los Angeles County residents estimated to support legalization: 52 (Source: February Field Poll).
8
The number of dispensaries that have opened in Massachusetts over the years: 8 (Source: 90.9WBUR).
2
The percentage of Los Angeles County residents estimated to oppose legalization: 45 (Source: February Field Poll).
3
The percentage of California residents estimated to support medical marijuana: 72 (Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
4
The number of estimated dispensaries in Garden Grove: 60 (Source: Orange County Register).
5
The number of dispensaries in Laguna Niguel: 1 (Source: Orange County Register).
6
The amount of cannabis (in ounces) that North Carolina’s HB 84 would allow patients to possess: 24 (Source: General Assembly of North Carolina).
ounces: 500 (Source: Vermont State Legislature).
12
The total number of products that make up the global hemp market: 25,000 (Source: Congressional Research Service).
13
The total retail value (in millions of dollars) of products containing hemp in the United States: 400 (Source: The New York Times)
14 9
The number of dispensaries that Massachusetts’ new MMJ law would allow to open up: 35 (Source: 90.9WBUR).
10
The maximum amount (in dollars) of the civil fine for possession of up to two ounces in Vermont, according to a proposed decriminalization bill, SB 48: 100 (Source: Vermont State Legislature).
11
The amount (in dollars) of the current fine for possession of less than two
The total value of hemp raw materials (in millions of dollars) imported into the United States last year: 11.5 (Source: The New York Times)
Loni Love
Need a shot of reality (and not brown liquor) in your life? Say no more—the sagacious and fantastic Loni Love has come to SoCal. This woman, while not necessarily the most down-to-earth, relishes the opportunity to calls it like she sees it and will even correct reality if it steps out of line. She has every reason to—she’s seen people waste away back when she worked as an electrical engineer for Xerox and now finds herself changing the world through comedy. No one is safe from her wiles—be it the pop star du jour or even Barack Obama himself. Despite multiple appearances on Dr. Oz, Chelsea Lately, I Love the ’80s and more, Loni loves to appeal to a live crowd and can work a room like no other. Long story short: she’s hilarious and you’re a damn fool if you don’t see her live in action.
IF YOU GO
What: Loni Love. When/Where: March 2224, various show times at the Ontario Improv, 4555 Mills Cir., Ontario. Info: Tickets $20. Go to www.ontario.improv. com.
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FLASH
Decisions, Decisions {By David Downs} The fate of medical cannabis access for hundreds of thousands of California patients suffering from cancer, AIDS and chronic pain hangs in the balance of the California Supreme Court. In a special public session at the University of San Francisco, the California Supreme Court last month began hearing oral arguments in case of City of Riverside vs. Inland Empire Patients Health and Wellness Center. While a verdict isn’t expected until at least early April, the case is expected to decide if California cities and counties can ban dispensaries, with huge ramifications for the state. “This is a watershed case,” says former Sonoma County Public
Defender and practicing cannabis attorney Joe Rogoway. The Supreme Court hearing is the latest in a 17 year-long struggle to clarify state MMJ law, attorneys say. In 1996, Californians used Proposition 215 to grant patients and caregivers immunity to certain state pot laws. In 2003, the legislature expanded those immunities to cover collectives of patients and caregivers, but those collectives must abide by guidelines set out by the California Attorney General in 2008. The entire process has been contentious, though. About half the state—especially Inland and Southern California—has resisted the rise of MMJ. Opponents have
Say What?
Can cities and counties ban dispensaries? The California Supreme Court is expected to decide soon . . .
worked to make medical pot laws vague and give law enforcement the broadest discretion possible. “Now, what happening is the courts are writing the law—legislating one case at a time. It’s a very inefficient way to write law,” says Santa Rosa attorney Scott Cantrell, who got a case against a Vallejo dispensary dismissed in December. “The grey area just makes more people go to court, it gives District Attorneys and police too much discretion to waste a bunch of time and money.”
IEPHWC launched in 2009 in the battleground of Riverside. The city quickly moved to shut them down. Local law bans all storefronts, Riverside told IEPHWC. The two sides went to court and a California Superior Court judge, as well as an Appeals Court sided with Riverside. But other Appeals Court decisions have rejected blanket bans on dispensaries. IEPHWC filed for an appeal to the California Supreme Court, which granted review and will conduct oral arguments in a rare, televised hearing at USF. According to briefs filed by IEPHWC, their position boils down to the argument that Riverside can’t ban dispensaries, because such a ban would contravene state law. Conversely, the City of Riverside’s position boils down to the argument that the Legislature has never specifically said cities can’t ban pot clubs, so cities can. MMJ patient Angel Raich from Albany said patients in cities with dispensary bans “suffer the most.” Eliminating clubs leads to negative patient outcomes including death, she said, not to mention decreased public safety. “Law enforcement closing down dispensaries [is] forcing patients to buy it from drug dealers that are getting it from cartels,” she says. c “Marijuana helps a great number of illnesses or discomforts and doesn’t have the extraordinary side effects pharmaceuticals do.” —Grace Slick
Big Deal
The ramifications of this state Supreme Court case will be profound, most agree. If the court upholds Riverside’s ban, it means the 170 or so city dispensary bans in California are lawful. Hundreds of thousands of current patients will continue to be denied medical access via local dispensaries, and more dispensary operators will be jailed. Dispensary law won’t change in the 50 or so cities that permit clubs, but perhaps dozens of California cities and counties—San Jose for example—have temporary moratoriums on dispensaries. A verdict either way will push them to either enact bans or reconsider them.
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FLASH
Our
Saving
Grace? MMJ-Friendly members of Congress are pushing bills to protect patients nationwide {By Jasen T. Davis} The greatest obstacle to any sort of legal reform when it comes to the issue of cannabis is that no matter how many laws states pass, to the federal government cannabis is still classified as a Schedule I drug right next to PCP, morphine and LSD. As long as this is so, the Drug Enforcement Agency can raid anyone they wish anywhere in America because federal law says they can. In what can best be described as a refreshing blast of sanity, politicians from both sides of the aisle are sponsoring H.R. 689, the States’ Medical Marijuana Protection Act, which would reclassify cannabis for medical use and allow states to regulate the issue without federal interference. This would be a giant leap ahead for advocates who have been trying to reform the law for decades. U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) is the author of this historic piece of legislation. Why does he believe that the time is now for a bill like this? “We are in a situation now where the developments around the country have taken an already archaic federal framework and basically rendered it inoperable,” he says. Widespread support for medi-
cal cannabis across the country is at record levels, and the congressman agrees with a vast majority of the country that believes the federal government should back off of the issue. “Right now at least a quarter of Americans have access to medical marijuana throughout the states and Washington, D.C. ever since California legalized cannabis for medical use in 1996,” he says. “Our federal laws have become antiquated.” Sponsors of the bill comprise Republicans and Democrats from both sides of the aisle, including Rep. Mike Honda (D-San Jose) and Rep. Sam Farr (D-Carmel). Farr has authored another bill, H.R. 6134, the Truth in Trials Act, which would allow patients to use a medical defense for using cannabis in a federal court of law. Without this new law to protect them, patients are fair game for federal prosecutors and a system that hands out dozens of years for possessing cannabis, medical or otherwise. Blumenauer believes that both bills will help clear up the confusion in regards to medical cannabis and federal law. “The government is in a tough spot. Cannabis is still a Schedule I substance. Yes, many states have taken action to legalize medical
marijuana, but 31 have not,” he says. “Obama has to obey the law.” Farr’s proposed bill also includes provisions would allow doctors and scientists to research the medicinal properties of cannabis without federal government interference. “Right now because it is a Schedule I controlled substance it is extraordinarily difficult for people to get access to marijuana for research purposes,” Blumenauer says. With the new law in effect qualified, professional medical researchers could fully explore the issue without having to deliver the same government-mandated message. “We would make sure that state doctors and private businesses would have the same legal right to research marijuana for potential medicinal purposes,” he says. “Otherwise, the federal government will continue to prevent any independent study of the therapeutic aspects of medical marijuana.” “We currently have a situation where the federal government limits the research to just the addictive properties of marijuana,” Blumenauer says. “It has to be reclassified as a Schedule I drug because otherwise it will continue to be compared to addictive drugs that have no medicinal value.” c
TheVote’sIn! Rep. Earl Blumenauer is truly optimistic about the bill’s chance to become law, and he isn’t alone. “There are a dozen bipartisan members of Congress who are all working together on some aspect of this issue. They are looking into the industrial uses of hemp, and how we can regulate it and tax it like alcohol.” The elected official believes that change is finally possible on a federal level for the first time. “I anticipate that there is a real chance that we can reform our laws on a federal level within this decade . . . More than twothirds of Americans say the federal government shouldn’t interfere with medical marijuana. Voters across the country have spoken. Why would anyone who is conservative or liberal try to stand in the way of states’ rights over this?”
U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer
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FLASH
Ray of
Hope
Initiative to quash Santa Ana dispensary ban is headed for the 2014 ballot {By Jasen T. Davis}
If Santa Ana’s ban on dispensaries is the problem . . . a grassroots committee says the nearly 11,000 signatures it gathered could be the cure. A proposed measure that aims to repeal the city’s existing ban on cannabis storefronts has qualified for the November 2014 election, according to Voice of OC, a news site, and The Orange Juice Blog. The Committee to Support Medical Marijuana Ballot Initiative submitted 10,948 signatures to city officials in January. Kandice Hawes, the committee’s principal officer and the founder and president for OC NORML—says she’s positive about the future of the initiative—the Santa Ana City Council underestimates the will of the electorate. “I don’t think the city council is concerned about stopping the initiative,” she says. “They don’t think people are going to actu-
Safety Measure
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ally vote for it.” The council passed a measure in 2007 that made cannabis dispensaries illegal in the city. Despite that, there are still dozens of dispensaries open throughout the city, although enforcement efforts continue to threaten—and in some cases, close—them. “That’s the first thing our initiative does—it repeals the ban,” Hawes says. “The City Council measure defines a collective as anyplace where two or more people are transferring medical cannabis,” she continues. “That means that, technically, two patients living in the same house who share cannabis with each other are doing something illegal. It’s a bad law. It’s unconstitutional.” The measure, entitled the Medical Cannabis Restriction and Limitation Initiative, would allow at least 22 approved dispensaries to operate throughout Santa Ana, providing they are located
within authorized boundaries and have been open since before 2011. They would also pay a 2-percent tax. “There’s a group of collectives that want to follow the law,” Hawes says. “They want to pay taxes.” However, some places still like being in the grey area. “There are some collectives that don’t want this passed because they want things to stay the same,” she says. There’s always the chance, however, that the measure could get foiled by a competing one, if the city wanted to gum up the works. “When it comes closer [to Election Day], they might try to run their own initiative against ours, like in the City of Los Angeles,” she says, referring to two competing measures—one originating from City Hall and the other endorsed by an alliance of collectives and co-opts, the Greater Los Angeles Collec-
tive Alliance. Considering the state of the local economy, Hawes says she does not believe that will happen. “I think that the City Council wants this to pass. They need the money,” she says. Because of her work with OC NORML, Hawes has attended many public meetings, and the constant complaint is a lack of funds. “I hear a lot of conversations about how Santa Ana is broke. This initiative can help that.” “We are only doing what we can on a local level,” Hawes says. “If I could do something on a federal level, I would. I hope things will change. Someone needs to decide that the states deserve to pass their own laws without federal interference, but it’s not going to happen right away.” c santaanammj.com www.ci.santa-ana.ca.us/coc/ medical_cannabis.asp
While the proposed Medical Cannabis Restriction and Limitation Initiative is Santa Ana-focused, it does address some other very real concerns: the federal government. While city officials wouldn’t be required to violate federal law (U.S. Attorneys once obliquely threatened Oakland city officials with arrest for moving forward with approving large-scale MMJ grows), it does forbid them “from cooperating with Federal Officials with an intention of interfering with the operation of the cooperatives/collectives listed in this Initiative.”
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FLASH
Spring forward, indeed! California’s patients have already begun another banner year of outdoor cannabis cultivation this month, preparing seedlings of Girl Scout Cookies, as well as even more greenhouses, and in certain instances, fresh lawsuits to protect growers’ rights. The first day of Spring is March 20, and Rick Pfrommer— manager for Oakland dispensary Harborside Health Center—says it’s a very big time for outdoor cultivators across the state. Clones are moving swiftly out of dispensary doors, while back on the farm, seedlings germinated in January and February are catching up to clones inside indoor nurseries. Conversely, indoor growers may be winding down their operations before the summer heats sets in, says Kali Smith, a cultivation expert affiliated with the Inland Empire Patients Health and Wellness Center Collective. “Heat is our biggest enemy in the IE,” she says. 30 CULTURE • MARCH 2013
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Firsties This year, farmers will start sungrown crops earlier than ever, several experts say. Traditionally, growers planted outdoor cannabis after the last spring rains and harvested before the first fall showers. But growers are using a process called “light deprivation” to finish earlier and earlier each year. “Light dep” growers will germinate seeds indoors in January, vegetate under indoor lights for 18 hours a day and transfer the bushy plants to greenhouses to soak up the summer rays. Growers then black out the greenhouses with tarps, which kicks off flowering. Producers using light dep in greenhouses can finish their sungrown as early as July, Pfrommer says. But solar energy peaks in California on Aug. 10, says master cultivator, author and speaker Ed Rosenthal. So a second wave of greenhouse light dep finishes soon after, says Pfrommer. Both light dep harvests beat the traditional fall harvest, when a supply glut bottoms out annual prices. “Five years ago we saw a little bit of light dep stuff. Now, we’re seeing a significant amount of it,” Pfrommer says. Forecasting what strains will be hot—get ready for Cookies mania in 2013, watchers say. The hybrid strain Girl Scout Cookies took first place in the 2013 High Times Medical Cannabis Cup Los Angeles, and customers cannot get enough of the flavorful, complex mix of OG Kush, Cherry Pie and Durban Poison.
More Green—Houses Since sungrown is here to stay, greenhousesungrown cannabis has become “the wave of the future,” says Pfrommer. It can sparkle like indoor, which is critical in city markets that demand bling, but greenhouse-grown is also much cheaper as electricity bills rise. And not only do greenhouses facilitate light dep, greenhouses boost security and reduce odor. Many may love the sweet smell of skunk, but it’s become an excuse for cities and counties to ban pot grows. Pending and enacted restrictions or total bans on outdoor pot growing will lead to a year of lawsuits, watchers forecast. Last year, Lake County tried to tightly restrict pot cultivation in the middle of the growing season, and growers defeated the ordinance. But this February, a California court upheld similar restrictions in Tehama County. Butte County has enacted similar limits, and Sacramento now mandates outdoor cultivation be done in greenhouses. Elements in Concord, Redding and Lakeport all want to ban outdoor growing. Americans for Safe Access chief counsel Joe Elford says cultivation rights are spelled out in state law, but “the courts have not always enforced that right.” After dozens of major legal victories over 17 years, harassing medical growers is one of the few avenues left for MMJ foes, he says. “It’s another way to attack patients,” he says. “It’s going to mean the uprooting of crops, and people will be denied medications or will have to turn to the black market to get it.” “I do fear there will be other localities that will pass these bans and we don’t exactly know what the courts are going to do with them.”
Successful Harvests “The GSC!!!,” says Smith. “I don’t see the popularity of ‘The Cookies’ waning any time soon.” Marijuana is one of the easiest plants in nature to breed, says Rosenthal. So expect “a whole plethora of cookies crosses in 2013,” says Pfrommer. New, CBD-rich strains grown in 2013 will increasingly find their way into lotions and balms as well, Pfrommer says. Smokers haven’t fallen in love with the non-euphoric molecule’s presence in flowers, but seniors love the anti-inflammatory in arthritis creams. California’s thriving industry will celebrate more strain diversity than ever this year, Pfrommer says. “More and more people are realizing there’s a wide world of cannabis choices out there,” he says. And whatever people grow, feminized and auto-flowering seeds have ushered in a new era of successful harvests, says Rosenthal.
“Absolutely Stellar” And none should dismiss the new, 3,000-pound gorilla in the room: two states have legalized cannabis for adults over 21, and the Colorado constitution has enshrined home-growing as a right. “What are the feds going to do?” says Elford. The only thing harder to predict than cannabis law may be the weather, he says. Everyone’s bracing for a let-down after the hot, sunny, dry 2012, which was the best year in many growers’ lifetimes, says Pfrommer. “It’s going to be hard to beat last year,” he says. “It was absolutely stellar.” According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac Annual Weather Summary issued in February, 2013 is shaping up to have generally normal temperatures and near-normal rainfall, depending on location. c
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BUZZ
Nuthin‘ But A
Thang
Snoop reveals his spiritual awakening into Rastafarian culture
One of the most successful—and beloved— players in the rap game is once again shocking (and exciting) fans worldwide—Snoop Dogg recently announced that he’s gotten closer to the Rastafarian language of love. Now dubbed Snoop Lion—the irie version of his aforementioned self—the now-former rapper recently teamed up with director Andy Capper to document the artist’s life and personal journey of creating his new reggae album and documentary, both titled Reincarnated. The film goes deeper than your typical compilation of behindthe-scenes clips featuring a musician recording just another hit album. This documentary provides exclusive insight into Snoop’s spiritual awakening as he travels to Jamaica and communes with the Rastafarian faithful. While Snoop says he wants to drop the violence, sexism and materialism that were so characteristic of his musical body of work (one of the songs on his new album is called “No Guns Allowed”)—he’s not ditching the badboy image. Rather, the Snoop Lion persona embodies his movement forward into an enlightened state where positive energy and family hold the highest importance. According to Capper, “The Dogg will always be there, but the Lion is a way of promoting peace, love and unity in a world full of hate.” Throughout the film, Snoop and his crew are greeted with open arms and make inroads with Jamaican’s culturally rich (but materialistically poor) people. Reincarnated is set to premier in Los Angeles on March 15. The new album drops April 23. c
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BUZZ
Horns O Plenty Evidence suggests that hemp cultivation was part of Viking culture {By Victor Hussar} The Vikings were warriors, pirates, explorers, traders and sailors that terrorized medieval Europe between the 6th and 11th centuries. These fearsome, well-armed and violent men sailed on craft known as longships from as far as Sweden, Norway and Scandinavia to assault monasteries, villages and castles all throughout France, Ireland, Britain and beyond. Apparently, they also grew their own hemp. Because Viking culture survived and thrived for as long as it had, archaeologists have gone to great lengths to study them. Rune stones inscribed with the names and deeds of famous warriors in the language of the “Norsemen,” another term for these adventurous people, can be found in Russia, the Middle East and Germany. However, archaeological digs reveal a people more complicated than the usual horn-helmeted stereotype. New evidence indicates that, just like a lot of other cultures, Vikings cultivated the hemp plant. Vest-Agder County is a cold, harsh, rocky region located in the
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southern part of Norway long known to be a place once inhabited by the Vikings. Many remains of settlements have been found there, including one known as the Sosteli farmstead. While evidence that Vikings were familiar with cannabis has been found before, the remains here indicate that Vikings planted it, too. Seeds and leaves have been found in graves where the bodies of Vikings were buried, but researchers weren’t sure if hemp was merely an agricultural product for these practical, barbaric people—or if it was used for its psychoactive or medicinal properties. “The other instances were just individual finds of pollen grains. Much has been found here,” says Frans-Arne Stylegar, an archaeologist and curator for Vest-Agder County. Much like the ancient Chinese, Vikings living in Vest-Adger Country probably grew hemp for its fibers. They probably didn’t grow it for smoking. “We don’t know if hemp could have been used as a drug. Most of it was probably used in textile production,” reports archaeologist Marianne Vedeler, who
works at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo, Norway. In any case, what is significant is that evidence taken from the peat moss surrounding the farmlands around Sosteli showed intentional signs of planting, which proves that these Vikings didn’t trade for their hemp—they grew their own. Catherine Jessen, a geologist who specializes in the study of pollen, works at the National Museum of Denmark where the peat soil study took place. She confirmed the presence of cannabis by examining findings left over from a dig that had been performed in the 1950s. “The samples had been forgotten, so it was really exciting to discover them,” says Jessen. After hemp seeds had been found in the soil sample, Jessen and Stylegar published their findings in the science journal Viking for peer review. While we don’t know if the Vikings ingested cannabis for medicinal effects, we do know that they grew the plant for the same reasons other cultures did. Cannabis has been with us since the dawn of civilization. c
Made in
China
The Vikings were certainly not the first and oldest human civilization to grow cannabis for use and/or consumption. That credit might possibly go to the Yang-shao, a Neolithic culture that existed around the Yellow River in China 6,500 years ago. Just like the people living in the Chou Dynasty 3,000 years later, the ancient Chinese grew hemp for rope, clothing, fishing nets and other, similar uses. It is certainly ironic that today possession of just a few grams of cannabis will get you the death penalty in the city of Beijing.
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BUZZ
Toni Braxton: singer, actress . . . cannabis smoker? Yup, Ms. Braxton is for real when she recently discussed her 1996 hit “You’re Makin’ Me High” during a VH1 presentation of Behind the Song. Braxton said she wanted to go “buck-wild” for the single, and incorporated events from her real life for the first time into the song. “A week before [recording the song] I was introduced to marijuana and I got high for the first time,” she told VHI. “And so I kinda added that in song.” Admittedly, we should have anticipated her response from the title alone. Unlike other megastars (looking at you Bieber), Braxton can talk about this with little impunity. She’s a six-time Grammy award winning singer with her own reality TV show, a Lifetime Original Movie and enough cash to upset a Third World country. Time for another hit, Toni? Not talking about the music. c
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In Reel Time
BUZZ
In the
Groove
As with 2011’s Red State, Kevin Smith is taking the movie on tour, and each screening will be followed by a live Jay and Silent Bob podcast. After the 420 premiere in Atlanta, the tour stops in places like the Crest Theater in Sacramento (Apr. 30), the Warfield Theater in San Francisco (May 2) and The Wiltern in Los Angeles (May 5) .
Jay and Silent Bob Reunite—and Get Downright Cartoonish with Super Groovy
{By David Jenison}
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“[Stark] started animating stories from Kevin’s SModCast, and I thought he was really funny,” Mewes continues. “He really knows how to make characters’ faces move and wink and do stuff even if it’s not written [in the script]. I knew I couldn’t produce this with Little Mermaid type of animation. It will be too expensive, and it will take a
long, long time. My wife and I got together with the animator with penny out of pocket, and I got the first 10 minutes animated. I showed Kevin, and he got super stoked about it. He thought I was just going to sit on it or that it wouldn’t be this good. He got all excited, and next thing you know he’s like, ‘We are going to get this person to do
this and this person to do this. Let’s try to get it done by April and tour it.’ We just got the trailer done, and I literally watched it 20 times because I am so excited about the movie.” Most of Smith’s movies are stoner classics, but the writerdirector didn’t become a regular cannabis user until working with Seth Rogen on Zack and Miri Make a Porno. This means Groovy Movie is the first Jay and Silent Bob story written by a true stoner. “In the last Jay and Silent Bob appearance in a movie,” explains Smith, “there is not a lot of weed references. Jay and Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie, however, is just riddled with weed references. You can clearly tell Kevin Smith wrote this after he started smoking weed.” c seesmod.com/groovymovie
Say What?
Jay and Silent Bob only costar in one movie, 2006’s Clerks II, since they headlined their own film 12 years ago. Jason Mewes and filmmaker Kevin Smith, who play Jay and Silent Bob respectively, have kept the characters going with a live podcast series, but the Jersey duo will return to the big screen next month in animated form. Made for a meager $69,000, Jay and Silent Bob’s Groovy Cartoon Movie will premiere at the Center Stage Theater in Atlanta on a well-timed date: April 20. “I am very, very excited about the movie,” says Mewes. “Kevin wrote it a few years back, and I told him I wanted to produce something. I wanted to do something different than acting. He said he had this sitting on the shelf for a couple years now, and he gave it to me. I ran around and called this animator that was doing stuff on our YouTube channel.” That animator is Torontobased Steve Stark. He originally introduced himself with a YouTube cartoon based on an episode from Smith’s online SModCast Network. Stark continued to work with Smith and ultimately landed the director’s chair for Groovy Movie, which features the voices of Eliza Dushku, Tara Strong, Ralph Garman, Neil Gaiman, Ben Gleib and Jon Lovitz.
“Most of the players in the league use marijuana, and I have and do partake in smoking weed in the offseason sometimes.” —Former Dallas Maverick forward Josh Howard
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We all know Chris Brown’s rep went downhill after he mistook Rihanna for a punching bag. That being said, it’s worth mentioning that Rihanna isn’t the only one in the relationship that is in the cannabis spotlight. Sure, the “Diamonds” singer isn’t shy about displaying her love for the spiky leaf . . . but Brown—who last month announced he will begin recording a new album—is no stranger to cannabis. Last year, after testing positive for the plant (under the terms of his probation for beating Rihanna), it was revealed that he was an MMJ patient. Then, of course, there were those pesky Instagram shots (three joints, Chris—really?) he posted late last year. Oh, yeah, and his girlfriend is Rihanna. The same Rihanna that dressed like a cannabis plant last Halloween. Alright—these two were made for each other. c
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Photo by Gomillion and Leupold
BUZZ
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BUZZ
The
Champ
Insight into the life of
Danny
Trejo
Danny Trejo, who has turned himself into a movie icon by playing bad-ass bad guys (along with a few family-friendly roles in the Spy Kids franchise), seems to often cross paths with cannabis—either creatively or philosophically. In a 2011 interview with Prison Legal News, Trejo criticized the War on Drugs and said he supported legalizing the plant. “But the reality is, and I’m not an advocate of legalizing drugs, I wish they’d legalize marijuana. It’s like, f@*k it, it’s OK.” In the interview, Trejo shares the same sentiments that many of us feel: no one should be thrown in jail for a plant. On the creative front, cannabis figures in Trejo’s filmography. His production company, Trejo 4.0 Productions, recently completed High Hopes, which was acquired by Maple Pictures/Lionsgate Canada. The film tells the story of a group of Hollywood hopefuls that decide to steal cannabis from the FBI in an effort to finance a movie. One film to definitely check out if you want to know the full struggle of this thug-turneddrug-counselor-turned-actor, is Champion: the documentary of the life of Danny Trejo. c
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BUZZ
Photo by Kevin Morra
Chalk one up for the green team! Musician, blogger, punk rock icon Henry Rollins has come clean about his advocacy for medical cannabis. The former Black Flag frontman has been a weekly columnist for LA Weekly and, following the legalizations in Washington and Colorado, Rollins felt it was his obligation to let his readers know where he stood. He wrote, “Like millions of Americans, I have no interest in smoking marijuana but can’t see any reason to keep someone of age from lighting up. I don’t think it is a ‘gateway’ drug any more than alcohol . . . The president and the attorney general could turn over a new leaf in America and leave all matters Mary Jane to the states as they see fit.” Rollins further went on to voice his disapproval for the DEA, and joked about the incoming economic boom for pizza places. Rollins has been open about his opinions in the past, supporting LGBT rights, hunger relief and pacifism. (Joe Martone) c
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BUZZ
Product Placement In the 21st century it seems that deconstruction, not imitation, is the sincerest form of flattery. Remember our old friend Ron English from our November issue? In case you don’t, he’s the one responsible for creating a wave of pop culture images that savaged some of the biggest, most familiar names in capitalism. Let’s put it this way—because of him you’ll never look at Disney and Kellogg mascots the same way again. But English is not a selfish man; he wants you in on the act as well. Many of his fanciful and demented anti-ads—such as “Duncan High Hash Brownies”—were recently made available online for you to do download and print. Apply them if you can, they’re designed to be placed over the real products! Hypothetically, one could sneak them onto these products and turn one’s local grocery store into an anti-consumerist haven. Try not to get caught though, neither English (nor CULTURE) is going to bail you out, and we are not responsible for you being an idiot. c www.popaganda.com
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TUNES
SIN WIN
Imagine Dragons axe-man Wayne Sermon can’t seem to stop gushing about Las Vegas: Even though the guitarist declined to offer up his personal views on medical-grade cannabis (“You know, I don’t’ really have an opinion on that,” Sermon tells CULTURE.), the guitarist sure isn’t shy about how Sin City inspires bands. “I know Vegas has definitely had an effect on us and who we are as a band,” Sermon told Diffuser.fm last year.
ON STAGE
Photo by Reid Rolls
Right Where They
Appearing March 19 at House of Blues in Anaheim, March 20 at The Wiltern in Los Angeles.
Want to Be
Imagine Dragons on Writing Songs, Ass-Kicking Pink Puppets and Their Rise to Top {By Liquid Todd} After a few years of grinding out lives as working musicians, i.e. playing covers in Las Vegas casino lounges—the members of Imagine Dragons were seriously considering hanging it up. Then they wrote a song that perfectly described what was happening in their lives and careers, which resonated with others struggling to make it. “It’s Time” may have been written about a moment in the life of Imagine Dragons but it described what was going on with a whole lot of other artistic folks in this age of austerity. When the world is kicking your ass, an anthem about clawing your way back from the edge of the abyss turned out to be a timely soundtrack for
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a beaten up planet, yearning for a comeback. “That song was started on Dan’s laptop,” says guitarist Wayne Sermon. “I think he was just at his kitchen table. It was late one night and he just started stomping and clapping and singing a simple melody. And that was really the birth of it.” Now that “It’s Time” has gone platinum, its debut album Night Visions has been released and the band has embarked on its first headlining tour (supported by Atlas Genius), success seems like it was only a matter of time for Imagine Dragons. But early on, the band wasn’t confident about the inevitability of their ascension. “I think he [Dan Reynolds] was going through some tough times
on a personal level and the band had been together for a couple years. And we were sort of at a crossroads,” Sermon explains. “Do we keep doing this or do we try something else? And ultimately the decision was made to keep going and to keep writing and to keep playing as a band. And that song was written right at that time.” “Radioactive,” the second single from Night Visions—anchored by a dark, analog-textured synth bassline—is already getting solid airplay on modern rock radio stations. The video for “Radioactive” is far more lighthearted than their first but describing it would take a whole other article. A longer article too. All I’ll say is that at one
point Lou Diamond Phillips gets his ass kicked by a pink puppet with glowing eyes and a killer left hook. “We sort of wanted to do something a little off-the-wall with the video,” says Sermon. “I think everyone was sort of expecting another post-apocalyptic thing but we didn’t want people to think we take ourselves so seriously all the time, and it kind seemed like a fun idea.” Following the lead of other bands who find success in Sin City, Imagine Dragons have decamped to Los Angeles. “I have some friends there and I’ve been there sporadically throughout my life and I actually haven’t spent that much time there yet,” Sermon says. “But living there has been pretty incredible. I love it. Despite his enthusiasm for the many wonders that await him back in the Golden State, Sermon says the band is right where they want to be right now—on tour and loving every minute of it. “To be in the headlining spot—there’s nothing like it,” he says. “It’s what we’ve been waiting for, for years. And it’s everything it’s cracked up to be. It’s incredible.” c www.imaginedragonsmusic.com
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Progressive
Evolution The gracious and grateful Intronaut Grows with Habitual Levitations {By Alex Distefano} Los Angeles based “progressive” metal band Intronaut has spent the last seven years making a name for itself among the metal community, touring as much as possible, including numerous treks across North America, once in Europe and even a music festival in India. The band’s hard work ethic, precise, hypnotizing studio albums and dedication to an atmospheric, thunderous live set have paid off. The band is now beginning to see success, having toured with acts such as Mastodon, High On Fire, Helmet and even Tool.
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Guitarist Dave Timnick, recently spoke with CULTURE, during the band’s current cross-country tour with Meshuggah and Animals as Leaders. According to Timnick, the band—which also includes guitarist/vocalist Sacha Dunable, bass player Joe Lester and drummer Danny Walker—is having a blast, and this tour has been a humbling experience. “It’s just good to see over the years more people getting into our music coming to our shows and buying our merch,” Timnick says. “With the last few tours, Mastodon, Tool and now
Meshuggah, we’ve been spoiled.” But, Timnick assures fans that Intronaut has not forgotten its roots. “For years we’ve been used to playing shitty shows in dive bars, Thai restaurant kitchens, basements and places without monitors or a stage. But now, it’s very humbling and rewarding to have sound checks, big stage production, and a lot of people in the crowd when we play, even if we are the first band; we couldn’t be happier.” With Intronaut’s fourth studio album, Habitual Levitations (due out on March 19 on Century Media), Timnick says it was a collaborative effort between all band members, to write and record, this time around. “It was just all of our individual ideas; then we got together, practiced tons, jammed whatever worked and took out whatever didn’t,” he says. Timnick says that the Intronaut is not influenced or concerned with being labeled or categorized into any genre or subgenre and instead just focusing on the music. “We really don’t pay much mind when people ask us what type of music we are, we just say we’re a progressive rock band,” he says. “There are so many different genres and sub genres, I don’t even know what half of them mean anymore. Within the band there are strong backgrounds in jazz, classical, and we all love prog rock from the ’70s, like King Crimson, Rush, Yes. We spent a lot of hard work hammering out songs for this latest album; and we hope the fans like it and hope that it shows our evolution as musicians as song writers.” With a sound that many consider to be abstract, one has to wonder if the band is 420-friendly and up to date on current cannabis-related legislation. “Joe and I are the heavier smokers in the band,” Timnick says. “. . . We know about Washington and Colorado’s recent decriminalization and we couldn’t be happier, but we haven’t been there since the laws were passed.” c
The 1970s British band, King Crimson is thought of to be one of the founding fathers of progressive rock, influencing bands like Mars Volta and the Mystery Jets, as well as Intronaut. The recent revival of interest in King Crimson is partly due to the popularity of online file-sharing; however, King Crimson has also been featured in many popular television and movie soundtracks as well. Christina Ricci strangely dances to the song “Moonchild” in Buffalo 66 (1998), “The Court of the Crimson King” appears in Children of Men (2006), “Starless” shows up in TV series The Eight (2006-2007), “21st Century Schizoid Man” makes an appearance in Guitar Hero 5 and in The Brain Man (2013).
TheReignof theRed Royalty
TUNES
www.facebook.com/Intronaut
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TUNES
They
Love the ON STAGE Performing April 26 at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles.
Still inspired by retro sounds LOS Amigos Invisibles isn’t afraid of pushing its music {By David Jenison} During the ’70s energy crises, Venezuela was a cosmopolitan country riding high on inflated oil revenues, but the 1980s oil glut crippled the economy and set the stage for the Bolivarian Revolution. This dramatic shift changed the country’s place in the world, but for a group of Venezuelan teens, it sparked an artistic renaissance that inspired Los Amigos Invisibles. “We were such a rich country in the ’70s that artists like the Police, Queen and Michael Jackson all came here, and people preferred to see them than a Venezuelan band,” recalls Los Amigos guitarist and songwriter Cheo. “In the ’80s, the country couldn’t afford to bring as many artists, so people started doing stuff in Venezuela. There was a huge boom of singers, movies and productions, and we suddenly had all these musicians we loved.” Inspired by the ’80s music
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boom, Los Amigos Invisibles emerged in the early ’90s with a street-party sound grounded in acid jazz, disco and funk. Discovered in the states by David Byrne (Talking Heads), the band soon went global performing in over 60 countries and relocating to NYC in 2001. Two decades after their Caracas-based launch, Los Amigos continue to innovate with their new album, Repeat After Me. “We don’t fear anything sound wise,” says Cheo, born Jose Luis Pardo. “We play cumbia, drum ‘n’ bass, house, funk, dance. We don’t have any fears of where we push the music.” Though steeped in the band’s signature disco-funk sound, Repeat After Me expands the musical palate to appeal more to international audiences. The romantic “La Que Me Gusta” is certainly accessible even in Spanish, but nearly the half the tracks are in English. The band even channeled Duran Duran and
Human League on the electrodance “Hopeless Romance.” Band members tracked Repeat After Me during stops in New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Caracas. “We spend the whole year playing live,” explains Cheo. “For us, that is more important than radio singles so the songs need to work in the live show, on the dance floor. For example, there is a build up in the middle of the song ‘Sexappeal,’ and we made it longer because it really worked live.”
Whether in concert or on record, Los Amigos masterfully creates a party music vibe, so it’s fitting that Cheo supports medical marijuana. He concludes, “I support it, definitely. People should be able to do whatever they do, and if you are allowed to drink alcohol, you should be allowed to smoke marijuana. I don’t see the difference at all.” c beta.amigosinvisibles.com
Not Commercial Sounding
“When we did Commercial, it was our attempt to do the most pop album we could do,” says Cheo of Los Amigos Invisibles’ Latin Grammy-winning 2009 album. “It worked well in Latin America, but it didn’t really work in the U.S. On [Repeat After Me], we tried to do music that sounds more like the stuff we listen to. We weren’t trying to do Commercial [again], but we did want to reach a more Anglo crowd, which is one of the reasons we wrote more in English. We have lived here for 12 years, and most of us live our daily lives in English, so it feels more natural than it did 10 years ago.”
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strain & edible reviews
Canna Confections Rx Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Brownie CULTURE is always a fan of creative, exciting new edibles—and the Canna Confections RX Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Brownie does not disappoint, down to its dark chocolate chips and white chocolate drizzles. Lovingly made using Canna Canola Oil (from cannabis organically grown in the Coachella Valley), this edible from PS Organica in Palm Springs is high potency and delicious flavor taken to an artisanal level. Not too moist, not too dry; not too dense, not too fluffy; not overly sweet—these brownies are just right in taste and texture. The effects are smooth and gradual—not at all jarring—and envelop more body than mind. No catastrophic mind-wreck here, the body effects ease in like a comfy, warm blanket solidly encasing your pain-stricken limbs and nerves. Each brownie totals four doses, but for review purposes we tried double doses to test out potency and strength—to the tune of four-plus hours of relief. Excellent for neuropathic and chronic pain, as well as severe back ache and other discomforts.
GET YOUR CLICK HERE
www.iReadCulture.com
Raskal White Fire OG Informed connoisseurs will know they’re looking at something special just by the name of this insane 100-percent indica from Positive Healthcare in Rancho Cucamonga. For everyone else, a quick primer: OG Raskal Genetics produces some of the best seeds in California, and the feminized White Fire OG is among Raskal’s proudest creations. Its qualities are many, but the greatest is undoubtedly its cerebral effects. One hit yields a dizzyingly fast-acting sensation that comes on like a sledgehammer to the head. It’s also a gorgeous strain—sticky, lemony-dank, and with elongated buds so enormous they have to be broken up to fit in a standard medicine bottle. The “white” comes from its fine dusting of trichomes, while the “fire” is the result of a super-abundance of rust-colored hairs. Its strength makes it great for treating truly serious pain and discomfort, such as that associated with cancer, MS and nerve damage.
Sour OG From The Dispensary Store in Santa Ana, this super-charged variety sets a new high standard in skunk by crossing the mighty Sour Diesel and OG Kush strains. The result are highly pungent, cauliflower-shaped buds with shades of green so deep it almost crosses the line into blue, and so dense that each nug goes a long, long way. The flavor combines the best of its parent donors, tart and acrid out the gate but with a smooth, earthy finish. Reportedly tested at 24.5-percent THC, Sour OG is a medicine you want to consume wisely. While effects may vary, our experience was the effect comes on like a head rush, peaks at about the two-hour mark and lingers hard for four. Sour OG is an indica-heavy (as in 80-20) hybrid, providing a deeply relaxing buzz with just a hint of stress. Its long-lasting intensity makes it great for migraines, PMS and chronic pain.
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Zombie OG The world is full of zombies—slow ones, fast ones, smart ones, stupid ones, the ones who work at the DMV. This particular Zombie, a 60-40 sativa hybrid from Kelly’s Collective in Los Angeles, is the kind that throws you down and eats your brain. If that doesn’t sound like a good time, consider that Zombie OG has been a house favorite at Kelly’s for four years running—fans just keep coming back for more. Zombie OG buds are frosted light green with amber highlights. It aroma (sharp and citrusy) is dramatically different than its flavor (dry and smoky, like toasted rice). The buzz, starting off light and tingly at the nerve endings of the skin and then works its way in with full-body effects before it plateaus by entering your head. This strain is good for treating anxiety disorders, and excellent for insomnia and nagging muscle pain.
P.J. Budders Belgian Milk Chocolate Sometimes patients need serious medicine for serious needs. A phenomenally strong edible from Kush Collective in Los Angeles, the P.J. Budders Belgian Milk Chocolate bar we recently sampled stood head and shoulders above many of the infused products we’ve reviewed over the years. The edible’s silken texture, its earthy taste of cacao liquor (excellent to offset the indica taste) and intense potency (300mg of cannabis per bar!) makes this tailor-made to tackle DEFCON-4 level arthritis, anxiety, insomnia, migraines, PMS, muscle spasms and chronic pain. DO NOT EAT THE ENTIRE BAR. Clocking in with 27.32mg of 9-THC, 4.94mg of CBD and 2.11mg of CBN, reach for this when no other form of cannabis medicine can do the job. Exercise extreme care and caution.
Hells Angel OG We’re not sure where the “Hell” comes from in this delicious indicadominant hybrid from Express Collective in Garden Grove—to this lucky sampler, it was pure heaven. Perhaps it’s the presence of all those fiery amber hairs, or the jagged, pointy-tipped nugs pressed together in a riot of pale-green hues. Whatever the case, Hells Angel OG is an extraordinarily satisfying smoke, clean and smooth and with a deeply citrus bouquet and taste, like blood oranges. The effects are, well, highly eccentric. For a strain that, at 60-percent indica, should be on the sedative side of the coin, we found Hells Angel OG an excellent “get-up-and-go” strain. The full-body syrupy effects are definitely there (it tests at 28-percent THC), but this reviewer had trouble sitting still after ingesting just two hits. That suggests a great medicine for patients with no time for couch-lock, including sufferers of severe arthritis, PMS, back pain and PTSD.
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r th nd No g arou nald’s,” says in ll e v o t ra g M cD pirit a va n a eatin have that s een ic r e m b ’t A e n v o I’ . d e I .“ or Tegan f me anym nally for 14 o inside his professio k up; I want t g in to loo e I want to do I wa nt r els years— ve more; o ent.” ie er h c iff a d to hing t e m o do s a
is; fe cris , midli e k li , it ’s ?” where e we doing Sara’s previr ly d a n t in a a a , t h n r w thood Tega hey ce While , 2009’s Sain eceived ting, t ontinuing it u q sed dc lease well-r ers for sidere discus ous re n critically rtlisted for ly con and produc tourg s e o e u in h b s d io r a se had ers as a eing ize), it ar le ted ye cord,” says ngwrit rather than ding b ris Music Pr they a o c lu s li c s p a in ( a com y the re artists . t s than 10 Pola “It was e making of New York Cit other themselves lked abou the 20 fewer unit g at No. 21 h a t t t m ld t in c o o o n u k t ly a g ite up op ing fr ding out o had s ed to (pea . re in “ We defin t we want t into , chatt s 0) u 0 e 2 r d c e Tegan s before hea b. “There we d w ly at a lboar proje on the roa o y il r a r a B h e d t e is t v o r o h n h s lute not 22 ly t a r t o b e a g tw c n a is H e o e in y e s d r e ten ehin isarm ays a d “ We w e it ’s like ‘I’m be in tour b eavy, very in re of Tegan 250 d e almost d “ We star te t to er u h t . h fh s e t s o w fu ” ju it w t t e wa nt l? t lo m a stil poin , we’d n ad out th oth felt tha don’t n a I b a ; g a e e e s r T n m o tely we b y our own satio l—I f ra n k anym absolu ra and b b e re a and Sa n held back at we would o just 0; we were oment t e h dm d3 had be ies about w lishing.” turne that cliché p rit u m g d c o in e n c s v c a a a in f h he able o says s be cap ugh Tegan ver actually e o n h T l twin entica her id 66 CULTURE • MARCH 2013
eated r C t “I nster” Neil Young’s ent Molly signed toan independ Initia ecords— R Vapor
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Photos by Lindsey Byrnes
g ot goin ou’re n lls. “And y — y od eca dead b re’,” Tegan r oment, e s], h tm a a w w e y r really l n g e a really d that they that he lab edible; t a [ s d a n cr it w ve ?’ A alize you’re single se I re d belie radio ll, because ome and becau ve in us an there’s e e s d lie like, ‘W you’re awe nd you hav do be do more. An owing that d, a n use kn e us.” e ve r e a a v t c c n u e im lo e e o y emb la y v w b c erall y ha ing a us that reall lly-ac g.’” h a t e e ic r it hey lit n s a y s t h e o, c re m r t e t c in so in orpora follow le elieve I.” Te g a w h a t t o d ve r n—in a cult ed, when c ros. a coup they b d Sara and g the Koolnor e l ibutio s r l, d t l e o is b e t B d f a a d e l r d r n r o in v r e In e e k o ir e jo o n r hat e r e w a c in m p b a r o h e p at W hink t in so ’re d ase r or ap , by t ed with m “ They hey really t be on uffling ack resulted gan says t ive l y in d e m o s f a l b u m . label &S now rele Bros.- own h a s r an T d , Te rs b like, t ould Warne 1999, ner ’s h a n d e re c o rd in g t l y t h e y of yea being let go suggested Aid— nd Sara sh o gh the he U.S. War f the n y t u a s ll n e r m t o a a c n c r o r u e io r a a t h r r f o t t p il k ac tf its Teg ning o bel in d, u nt depar edbac d Sara Sire la ss champio tral to both I n d e e r y l it t l e fe . she an y gracefully radio.” . n le e s y e t e r v t a c h u is t k w h o n s t s o r e a a e o relen in e e r t f v th has b nster in e, s h e n d the bel. e said, ‘O sisters ngevity an manifest o a nyo n reated a mo point wher s indie la ey basically c n lo d a r h “It “T their f inspiratio ot to ’t our reco e we g o ecaus e, ‘Why aren ’t we have a ibly w ave r o b . B d e r c in on th , lik Hear t always felt thuses. it was old?’ ‘Why d en g n “ We g r a in u g o o Te g s.] are r ted,” e suppo Warner [Bro way. It ’s lik k e “I thin in a strang ts MARCH 2013 • CULTURE 67 paren
A Poppier-Sounding Record
When T&S started discussing its hopes and fears for a prospective new album with senior Warner Bros. executives and Heartthrob’s eventual producers (Greg Kurstin, Mike Elizondo and Justin Meldal-Johnsen), the duo’s confidence and sense of sonic adventure continued to snowball. “Everybody just kept encouraging us,” says Tegan. “They were just, like, ‘Stop being afraid; stop being so worried—just make the record you want to make. Reflect the music you’re interested in and rip back the layers and tell us something that you’re afraid of. Sing about all the things that you’re afraid to sing about and people will love it.’” “It was after that point that we started writing the bulk of the music that made Heartthrob. And we just decided that we wanted to make a record that we’d never made before . . . in every area: We wanted to make a poppier-sounding record; we wanted better production; and we wanted a short record.” (Heartthrob’s 10 tracks clock-in under 37 minutes total) Make no mistake, Heartthrob is an outand-out, big and shiny pop record. In the four years since Sainthood the twins have been busy collaborating with dance artists including house music producer/DJ David Guetta, electro house maven Morgan Page and alternative hip-hopper Astronautalis. This informed Tegan and Sara’s move away from indie rock guitars and towards writing on keyboards (which, as classicallytrained pianists they had always done to an extent) and recording with primarily electronic rather than organic instruments. “We were definitely more embedded than ever before in what was happening in the pop, alternative dance, electronic world,” says Tegan. “I like the production and the instrumental storytelling that was happening in electronic music, but I still really missed [lyrical] storytelling, so when we got off the road and started to write Heartthrob I had been challenged by Sara and a few other people to try to write outside of where I usually write and not to write self-depreciating, self-loathing shoegazer music.”
A Sense of Nostalgia
Yet Heartthrob is as much about substance as it is style. In fact, Tegan and Sara were so keen to elevate their songwriting that they sought-out producers who are also proven writers: Kurstin, who produced most of the record, is a former member of hit alternative trio Geggy Tah and co-wrote Heartthrob’s first single, “Closer;” Elizondo has co-written songs for the likes of Eminem, 68 CULTURE • MARCH 2013
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Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg; and Meldal-Johnsen has co-written with Macy Gray and has been Gnarls Barkley’s music director Heartthrob’s abiding sense of nostalgia—it’s a record staring off into space in the middle of the party—comes not just from its tales of lost, incomplete or unrequited love, but also from sounds evocative of another era in both music and in the sisters’ young lives. “I kind of went back to a time before I had any of those issues—before I’d been rejected; before I’d experienced any loss or heartache—and specifically went back to the music I was listening to then. That was sort of mid- to late-’90s, so I was listening to a lot of Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys and Duran Duran and Erasure and Ace of Bass.” Delving back even further into their parents’ love of Bruce Springsteen, Kate Bush and Tom Petty, Tegan says she aimed for a best-of-both-worlds combo of the storytelling skills of these artists with the fun and pure pleasure and their own ’90s influences while writing the songs for Heartthrob. “Heartthrob is almost like two sides of a record,” explains Tegan of both the album’s sound and its title. “My songs are sort of romantic and nostalgic . . . And Sara’s side of the record is more about rejection and sadness and sort of heartbreak that she’s suffered, but also it’s like a very reflective tone—so she’s basically singing about being well past that. “The commonality there is that we’re both singing about people that we were interested in and we both have this awful tendency to idolize the people that we like, and so I kind of love the idea of heartthrob . . . because I love the idea that we are not the heartthrobs; we are the ones pining for our heartthrobs.”
An “Everyone Band”
So deep is Tegan and Sara’s immersion in the world of dance music that this association is now perhaps partially eclipsing their actual songwriting and
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performance talents in the same way that their being twins and LGBT has in the past. “For a lot of years when people didn’t talk about us being gay— back in 1999 through maybe 2003 . . . I felt like being twins overshadowed our music,” say Tegan. “Then from 2003 to like 2010, it felt like being gay overshadowed our music. And now all that anyone talks about is our production style and all the pop and dance collaborations that we do.” Tegan is hoping that the release of Heartthrob, which was preceded by classically roof-raisin‘ yet oddly wistful “Closer” last September, will belatedly shatter the stereotype of Tegan and Sara as being just a “girl band” or “gay band.” “Everybody’s looking for an angle,” she mulls. In fact, Tegan hopes that Heartthrob will make Tegan and Sara an “everyone band.” “We’ve spent a lot of our career opening for huge acts, and I like being on a big stage; I like looking out at 10,000 faces singing along—and I have never seen that as something we could do [as headliners],” she explains. “But all of a sudden I was like ‘Why can’t we have that—and be credible?’” c
Tegan and Sara spoke very openly with CULTURE about medical cannabis and cannabis rights. The sisters acknowledged they smoked the plant when they were younger. “Sara and I have made no effort to hide the fact that when we were teenagers we smoked a lot of pot. We were ambitious teenagers—we wrote a lot of music; we did well in school; we volunteered on a youth teen-line; we had jobs; we took piano lessons. We were busy, but we also smoked a lot of pot.” And even though Tegan and Sara no longer use cannabis, it’s something they continually joke about with fans during live shows—as any simple YouTube search using “Tegan and Sara” and “marijuana” will reveal. “[I]t’s definitely an icebreaker [on stage] . . . We always joke that we’re kind of like Phish, but for our generation,” Tegan says. “We have a lot of diehard fans who follow us around, and I swear to God people smoke so much pot at our shows!” But when it comes to the medical use of cannabis, the artist-siblings regard it very seriously—Tegan even describes the plant’s illegal status as “kind of ridiculous.” “I know multiple people right now who are struggling through Stage 4 cancers, and the fact is that cannabis is just a massive support and help in those situations,” she says. 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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Stage 0 is when a cell becomes cancerous. It can join with other cells and produce a tumor, but this is not always the case. It’s not life-threatening and is referred to as in situ (in one location) or “precancer.” Some cancers never go beyond this stage and they can be easily removed.
Stage IV is the worst-case scenario. Cells from the lump may spread and enter the blood stream. Once there, they can spread and form new colonies. This is when the cancer becomes malignant. There is a slight possibility of recovery with treatment, surgery, and lots of medication, but the outlook is not promising.
Stage I is where the cancer takes root. It invades neighboring tissue. The cancer is growing and may take the form of a lump. This lump is localized and benign. At this stage, it can be easily treated and removed.
Stage III is closely connected to Stage II. In Stage II, a body has a chance of producing an immune response which destroys the cancer cells. It advances to this stage when this fails and the lymph nodes are completely taken. A lump is formed on the nodes. Treatment is a must at this stage.
Stage II is where things begin to get complicated. When a cancer cell has reproduced enough, the newly infected cells can spread. They will head for the lymph nodes, which may become partially infected. The lymph nodes are a huge parts of your body’s immune system, and this is not a good sign.
When Tegan and Sara discussed knowing people with Stage IV cancer who used cannabis to ease their pain and suffering—it underscored the plant’s ability to help people even under the most dire of medical circumstances. And cancer can be dire indeed. Cancer is, in simplest terms, when a cell refuses to die. One ray of hope is how cannabis can help brief relief to cancer patients undergoing radiation and chemo, or stimulate the appetite of those who would otherwise waste away. Above is a basic explanation about cancer’s various stages. The overall staging system uses Roman numerals to rank the severity of cancer MARCH 2013 • CULTURE 75
While a twin is one of two offspring from two parents, a clone is derived from a single “parent.” And thus science has given sciencefiction plenty of fodder to play around with. Here are some of our picks for the best examples of fiction based on the idea of a twin or clone. There might be some spoilers here, so watch out!
An obvious choice, if not the best written one. The clones in question are replicas of Boba Fett’s dad and later became Stormtroopers, and that alone may be the best part of the prequels.
A Michael Bay movie that makes an attempt at plot? All too true, as the clones are the heroes here struggling to keep their organs from being harvested.
Another sci-fi film with huge spoilers—Sam Rockwell gives the performance of a lifetime as a pair of degenerative clones left to rot on a moon base. Disturbing, unforgettable, a must-watch.
Fans lament the infamous Clone Saga of the original comics. Gwen Stacy was cloned, Peter Parker was cloned (but was convinced he was the clone), Aunt May died (but was revealed to be a clone) and Mary Jane had a miscarriage . . . yikes. Initial sales prompted Marvel Comics to drag out the story arc for over two years, and now clones are all but taboo for superhero comics.
Spoilers ahoy here—cloning is a major plot twist in this Christopher Nolan classic about dueling magicians. You could alternatively read it as Wolverine vs. Batman with David Bowie, which is just as awesome.
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Illustrations by Vidal Diaz
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is serious. According to one study, PTSD affects nearly 8 million Americans in any given year. When the disorder strikes a military veteran or someone else who has suffered a severe trauma, a number of things can be done to treat it, including desensitization, support groups and mental health professionals. And instead of opting for anti-anxiety or sleep-inducing pharmaceuticals (with their laundry lists of side effects), some patients opt for the soothing relief that cannabis can bring. New Mexico even considers PTSD a qualifying condition for its state MMJ program. Here are some of PTSD’s common symptoms:
Reliving a traumatic event, such as wartime experiences or an accident. These can take the form of flashbacks or nightmares.
Self-destructive behavior, such as drinking too much alcohol.
Irritability or angry outbursts.
Dizziness, fainting, headaches and “survivor guilt.”
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destination unknown
Story By David Jenison photos courtesy of Prague Information Service
Czech
Yourself These days, the smell of freedom cannabis—is everywhere in Prague
“My generation, faced as it grew with a choice between religious belief and existential despair, chose marijuana.” So wrote Prague’s most celebrated author Franz Kafka. Ninety years after his death, the revered scribe appears prophetic as the Czech Republic has one of the highest European cannabis usage rates and a capital city described as the Amsterdam of the East. Of course, the Czech green streak fits nicely into the country’s recent narrative. In 1968, a series of liberal reforms ushered in what history calls the Prague Spring. The Czech government initiated a return of personal liberties, including freedom of speech and press, sparking a Soviet invasion to stop them. Years later, John Lennon’s death inspired Prague locals to create a graffiti tribute wall at a time when Western music was still outlawed. It became a symbol of the political youth movement, and every time the secret police whitewashed the wall, new Beatles art would quickly take its place. Finally, when the Velvet Revolution helped crack the Iron Curtain in 1989, the so-called “imperial scourge” of the West—that would be marijuana—became the smell of freedom. These days, the smell of freedom is everywhere in Prague. Jiri X. Dolezal, a.k.a. the Czech Hunter S. Thompson, is famous for books like Marijuana and Stoned Country,
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and he started the annual Reflex Cannabis Cup competition to honor the most beautiful cannabis plants. Likewise, the three-day Cannafest fair just celebrated its third year with more than 130 exhibitors, including Dutch seed banks. Legislatively, the government made cannabis possession a misdemeanor, and people can grow their own plants, so most cannabis is locally grown from plants and seeds imported from the Netherlands. Prague has become a popular destination for green-friendly tourists, who can often find providers at popular expat bars. The only black mark is all the cabbies, street sellers and train station con artists peddling fake cannabis. Prague, of course, is about more than smokin‘ weed and smokin‘ ladies. The Czech capital, barely damaged during World War II, once served as the capital of historic Bohemia. According to Guinness World Records, the 9th-century Prague Castle exceeds seven football fields in size as the world’s largest ancient castle. Mozart debuted his Don Giovanni opera at the Estates Theatre, which appears in the Oscar-winning film Amadeus, and Frank
Gehry fans will enjoy the Dancing House buildings originally known as Fred and Ginger. There is also the glorious 14th-century Charles Bridge, the Eiffel-cloning Petrin Lookout Tower and the Milo Rambaldi-like Astronomical Clock. Those with a taste for the bizarre should explore the works of famed Prague sculptor David Cerny, whose urinating mechanical statues are considered high art. Speaking of Cerny, those are his faceless baby sculptures crawling across the 700-foot Zizkov Television Tower. The sci-fi structure, which geekishly graces the cover of the Star Wars novel Lost Tribe of the Sith: Savior, features a Michelin-starred chef dishing out enigmatic fare like “roasted rolled neck of lamb on wine.” Those who roll like Romney will enjoy the tower’s sole hotel room, a five-star affair at 216 feet up. Among its many luxuries, the room features a horsehair-stuffed bed that has Rafalca wishing she showed better in Olympic dressage. Lastly, do not forget to try the country’s other bud: Budweiser beer. Igniting the granddaddy of all copyright disputes, Anheuser-Busch named its beer after Budweis, the Czech town that produces European Budweiser. Labeled Budvar or Czechvar in other countries, the Czech version would win every Bud Bowl ever, and it’s a choice local remedy for cottonmouth. c
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profiles in courage Patient:
Howard Hollenbeck
AGE: 32
Condition/ Illness:
Type 1 diabetes, bipolar, depression, panic attacks
Using medical cannabis since: 2010
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? To calm my nerves and balance my mood swings. Did you try other methods or treatments before cannabis? Yes, many meds with horrible side effects. I have found a nice balance now with a good doctor who recommends medical cannabis as a combined treatment. What’s the most important issue or problem facing medical cannabis patients? In my opinion, public [outlook] and employment issues. What do you say to folks who are skeptical about cannabis as medicine? To most I know that are of the opinion that it’s just a way to get [high], I try to inform them that the amount of people taking prescription meds and are addicted [is] 100 times greater than [for] medical cannabis, and as far as I have read cannabis is not addictive. I know that to be true for me. I don’t crave it and can go weeks without using it if need be. c
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By Meital Manzuri
As discussed below, the three branches of government are stuck: Federal judges and the Obama administration claim their hands are tied because of the legislature, and Congress has, thus far, not been able to pass anything. As the American system is set up for each branch to rely on each other, and each branch is impotent as it relates to medical cannabis, change has remained stale at the federal level. Funny enough, since May 1978, a federal compassionate use program has been distributing medical cannabis to seriously ill Americans. This program distributes to four surviving patients. A website, procon.org, was able to contact several to discover they were receiving 9 ounces of cured cannabis, or 360 joints monthly! 1. Federal Judges Rely on Technical Rules to Deny Progress Time and again, we are seeing judges side with the federal government. Their decisions are replete with statements of deference and a lack of judicial responsibility. Here in California, Oakland filed a lawsuit against the federal government on behalf of its biggest dispensary—arguing that closing the dispensary down would cause residents undue harm. Despite Oakland attorneys’ efforts, U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria-Elena James ruled
Say What?
legal corner Why Hasn’t Federal Change Occurred?
“If marijuana makes him feel better, stimulates his appetite, reduces his nausea from chemo, who am I to take it away from him?” —Dr. Mehmet Oz
there was no appropriate legal avenue for Oakland’s intervention. That means she did not even hear the merits of the case. Similarly, in Washington, D.C., federal judges deferred to the DEA, using technical legal standards, and refused to classify cannabis. The court acknowledged that there is a serious debate in the United States over the efficacy of cannabis for medicinal uses, but using some serious double-negative language, said, “We find nothing in the record that could move us to conclude that the agency failed to prove by substantial evidence that such studies confirming cannabis’s medical efficacy do not exist.” Yeah, what does that mean? It basically means, we trust the DEA and they haven’t given us a reason not to trust them. Boom. Done. Not our problem. 2. The Executive Branch is Evasive and Passed the Buck Further Since he took office, President Obama has been responsible for nearly 100 medical cannabisrelated prosecutions, despite establishing a Justice Department policy that indicated he would do otherwise. In 2008, Obama made us believe that he wouldn’t go after the medical cannabis community, but used carefully chosen words so that he could not be called a liar when the DEA continued to raid dispensaries and
collectives. In 2012, he similarly chose his words to tell the American people that he wouldn’t go after Washington and Colorado’s recreational users. He said, “We’ve got bigger fish to fry. It would not make sense for us to see a top priority as going after recreational users in states that have determined that it’s legal.” In a recent interview, though, the administration’s Drug Czar clarified that, just like with medical cannabis, the DEA would target the producers or distributers of recreational cannabis in those states. 3. Small Hope in Sight—Members of Congress Are Making Renewed Efforts Last month, more than a dozen members of Congress co-introduced two pieces of legislation that would 1) reclassify cannabis for medical use and 2) provide federal defendants the right to introduce medical evidence at trial—a right they are currently denied. Although I want to be optimistic, these measures—or ones like them—have been introduced to Congress before, only to die before a vote. This is where we, the American people can make a difference! Get in touch with your local representative and member of Congress to make sure your medical cannabis story is heard and represented! c
Attorney Meital Manzuri is a medical cannabis expert, collective consultant and experienced criminal defense attorney. Those with questions about starting a collective or interested in scheduling a free consultation can call (310) 601-3140 or go to manzurilaw.com.
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healthy living
By Lanny Swerdlow, RN, LNC
It Ain’t Necessarily So Ever notice whenever a study finds something negative about marijuana how it gets played up in the media with most of them quoting some medical researcher warning of the horrible dangers of marijuana. The most recent one was a study released in New Zealand claiming that teens who smoke marijuana heavily will have lower IQ when they reach their mid-30s. This study followed over 1,000 subjects from age 13 to age 38 in the town of Dunedin, New Zealand. Given IQ tests and interviews that included questions about marijuana use, the study concluded that the heavy use of marijuana by teens resulted in an IQ that was on average 8 points lower than those who had not consumed marijuana. So shocking was this drop in IQ that Dr. Harris Stratyner, vice president of Caron Treatment Centers’ New York Clinical Regional Services, stated “It’s much more dangerous than we’ve ever given it credit for.” Before distraught parents rush their marijuana using children along with substantial sums of money to the Caron Treatment Center to save them from becoming imbeciles, they should take a breath and count to 10. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Ole Rogeberg, an economist at the Frisch Centre for Economics Research in Oslo, concluded that the fall in IQ reported in the study may be more closely correlated with socio-economic status than marijuana use. The New Zealand study assumed that cannabis use is the only significant difference between the groups tested whereas Oleg showed that the methods used and analyses presented in the original research were insufficient to rule out other explanations for lower IQ. His study determined that young
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people from lower status families tended to end up in less intellectually demanding environments and that is what caused the difference in IQ rather than marijuana use. Marijuana makes kids stupid? It ain’t necessarily so! Another oft-quoted study of the dangers of marijuana is one that was published in 2001 in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston concluded that the risk of a heart attack jumps nearly five-fold during the first hour after smoking marijuana. This media-hyped threat to the longevity prospects of middl-aged marijuana consumers was used by hysteriagenerating drug warriors to justify their claims about the dangers of marijuana. This report continues to be cited as prima fascia evidence of why smoking marijuana is not good for you. Whenever the study is quoted, the fact that the researchers stated that the heightened risk from marijuana was roughly equivalent to vigorous exercise for someone of average fitness is always omitted. Since doctors encourage vigorous physical exercise, it would seem that doctors might be putting their patients at risks. More likely, a doctor has determined that the increased risk of heart attack pales in comparison to the benefit s of regular vigorous exercise. Conversely, with all the benefits that marijuana can provide, it would seem prudent that the slight risk of a heart attack would be minimal compared to the far more significant risks associated with
prescription pain killers, anti-psychotics and sleep-inducing medications. This may seem like common sense but when it comes to marijuana common sense is always in short supply. But it may not even be necessary for doctors to decide whether the risk of marijuana use need even be considered as the study claiming an association between recent marijuana use and the likelihood of a heart attack is just not there. In a recently published article the authors of the original study have now concluded that although the earlier study had concluded that there was an increased mortality rate in marijuana consumers, the reported increase “did not reach nominal statistical significance.” Although the authors admitted the connection between marijuana use and having a heart attack is not there, hope springs eternal within a grant-seeking scientist’s breast as they called for studies to determine “whether there are adverse cardiovascular consequences of smoking marijuana” but this time adding a new caveat “among patients with established coronary heart disease.” Maybe—but when all is said and done—it ain’t necessarily so. c Subscribe to Lanny Swerdlow’s free email newsletter by sending an email to lanny@marijuananews.org.
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GreenScene
Paying It Forward {By NANCY POWELL}
Jesse Pelayo makes reading affordable and accessible to the masses There used to be a time when more used bookstores peppered the Southern California landscape. But like all worthy businesses that rise and fall with the economic tide, books became expendable and sales petered out. Friends of the Library used bookstores have arisen to take over this niche while maintaining dwindling public library budgets, only to see the best $1 bargains snatched up by dealers who turn around and sell the exact same books at eight times the purchase price. Literacy in our world comes at a significant price if you don’t use public libraries, and while publishers can bitch and moan about the profits they lose out when people sell their clients’ wares secondhand, many times it’s the only way we can afford to keep up with literacy trends, which makes Jesse Pelayo’s story even more remarkable, and one would hope, sustainable, in this economic climate. Back in 2006, this technology advisor for the Los Angeles Unified School District who ran the “No Child Left Behind” program at his high school campus looked around and discovered that inner city kids had limited access to affordable books. So the enterprising schoolteacher got up and took action. Jesse opened a small chain of used bookstores hawking clean, gently read books (some which are current Top 10 bestsellers selling for cover price at retail stores) for $1 to $2 a pop. What’s more, when you finished this book you could pay the favor forward by donating it back to the store for ongoing sales, whose profits Jesse pumps back into the community through book fairs and straightup donations to the kids. Walk into any of Jesse’s five Southern California strip mall locations and what you’ll find are clean and brightly lit spaces with titles organized neatly on shelves, not dingy or moldy-smelling pages. Part-time employees lovingly stock shelves and encourage browsing customers. Some stores even offer comfortable couches you can kick back on and relax. As the defunct Crown Books saying goes, “Why pay full price?” That’s not to say that you’ll find everything you possibly wanted on Jesse’s recycled shelves. But if you wanted your hard-earned dollars to count to do something good while helping sustain Jesse’s future, leaving no child behind on the literacy charts would qualify as a worthy endeavor. c The Dollar Book Fair, locations in Cerritos, Buena Park, Montebello, Laguna Hills and Moreno Valley; www.dollarbookfair.com.
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cool stuff Bedol Water Clock The phrase “just add water” takes on another dimension with the Bedol Water Clock. No electricity, no batteries—no problem! Just add tap water (replace it every six months or so) and you’ll be keeping perfect time. Available in green, charcoal, pink and purple. Now that’s being water wise! ($29.99) www.bedolwhatsnext.com
Sky Glass Z-7 The Jimmy It’s all about the journey not the destination, right? Fortunately for us, Sky Glass has just the thing to help us on our journey from debilitating pain to blissful relief. With the Z-7 The Jimmy—part of the company’s golden-hued Classic Sky line—you benefit from 15 years of experience in perfecting hand-blown glass, beautiful lines and that glass-on-glass touch that means so much to patients. (MSRP $64) www.sky-tubes.com
Bubble Bowls Interested in making your own concentrates? Bubble Bowls and its Dri-Shake System says it’s easy to do. Just place your plant material in the bowl, add dry ice, cover with the form-fitting lid, use a salad bowl as a catch basin and shake-shake-shake your way to golden glands through the 160-micron fused-in screen. Bowled over? ($59.95) bubblebowlkits.com
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cool stuff Sketch Board Back Case If you’re iPhone 5 ever wanted to hook up with an Etch A Sketch, you’d have something that looks like this. Snap this on your phone, then you’re ready to write a note, draw a sketch or just doddle your heart out. ($12) shop.brando.com
Puzzlebox Orbit You’ll buy this toy just for the nerdy pleasure of telling all your friends, “I just bought a braincontrolled helicopter.” That’s what the Orbit is—a cool little toy that flies that can either be controlled with a tablet or smartphone . . . or via a NeuroSky MindWave Mobile EEG headset (hey, the name of this sounds cool, too!) that allows the brain-computer interface. MSRP TBD, available May 2014 orbit.puzzlebox.info
Blunt Slider This might be one-trick pony—but what a trick! Forget your rolling papers—simply load up this little handmade slider with a pinch of your favorite strain and it’s time to medicate. Gently push down the slider as the ash accumulates and disposing of those little white flecks becomes easy-peasy. It’s a powerful one-hitter, too. www.slidersystem.com
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By Aunt Sandy
Menu:
Irish Corned Beef Melon Salad Refreshing Mint Punch Chocolate Chess Pie
Despite its deeply religious roots, Saint Patrick’s Day over the years has become a celebration of Irish culture, a celebration open to anyone and everyone—not just those with roots in the Emerald Isle. Since green has special significance to our community as well, CULTURE has cooked up this Irish-inspired menu that will surely get your eyes smiling. 96 CULTURE • MARCH 2013
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. V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
Irish Corned Beef Makes six servings. 3 lbs. corned beef brisket 6 large potatoes, peeled and quartered 1 lb. carrots, peeled, halved and cut into sticks 1 head cabbage, cut into wedges 2 onions, quartered 12-ounce can of beer 1 bay leaf 1/4 cup Cannabis Infused Oil* 1 tablespoon Canna Butter** 3 cups water Rye bread, sliced Place corned beef in a slow cooker. Arrange vegetables around beef and add beer, bay leaf, Cannabis Infused Oil and water to cover. Cover and cook on high setting for four hours. Discard bay leaf. To serve, arrange vegetables on a large serving platter and garnish with a tablespoon of Canna Butter, salt and pepper to taste. Slice corned beef and arrange on platter. Serve with rye bread.
Melon Salad Makes four servings. 1 cantaloupe melon, peeled and seeded 1 honeydew melon, peeled and seeded 3 tablespoons lime juice 3 tablespoons Cannabis Infused Oil* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons honey 2 cups baby Bibb lettuce leaves, torn 2 cups arugula Cut melons into chunks. In a small bowl combine Cannabis Infused Oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar and honey. Pour over melon and toss. Place lettuce and arugula on salad plates. Spoon the fruit mixture onto lettuce and drizzle dressing over top.
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Chocolate Chess Pie Refreshing Mint Punch Makes six servings. 1/2 cup Canna Butter** 1 1/2 1-ounce squares unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped 1 cup brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup sugar 2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 9-inch refrigerated pie crust Whipped cream
Melt Canna Butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat and set aside. Combine sugars, eggs, milk, flour and vanilla in a medium bowl. Gradually add chocolate mixture, beating constantly. Fit pie crust into 9-inch pie plate according to package directions. Pour pie filling into crust and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Let cool before serving. Garnish with whipped cream.
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.
Cannabis Simple Syrup*** 1/2 oz cannabis buds 1 cup sugar 1 cup water In a saucepan, sauté the buds in sugar and water over medium heat for 20 minutes. Strain the buds. Pour the remaining green-colored syrup into a glass container. Let it cool and refrigerate. Pour over fruit or fruit salad and let the syrup fully absorb.
Makes six servings. 2 cups fresh mint leaves 2 Cups Cannabis Infused Simple Syrup*** 12-ounce can of frozen lemonade 1 quart ginger ale Bring mint and Cannabis Infused Simple Syrup to a boil and mash the mint with a fork. Set aside overnight, then strain the mixture and discard leaves. Add lemonade, 3 lemonade cans of water and ginger ale to the mint mixture. Mix well and serve over ice.
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.
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Shooting Gallery iREADCULTURE.com GET YOUR HITS HERE
High Times Medical Cannabis Cup: Los Angeles (Photos by Kristopher Christensen)
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Shooting Gallery iREADCULTURE.com GET YOUR HITS HERE
7th Annual Doesha Cup (Photos by Steve Baker)
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Shooting Gallery iREADCULTURE.com GET YOUR HITS HERE
Los Angeles NORML Meeting & Afterparty (Photos by Steve Baker)
Joe Rogan live (Photos by Khai Le)
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Shooting Gallery iREADCULTURE.com GET YOUR HITS HERE
Big Industry Show (Photos by Michael Carlos)
2013 San Bernardino HempCon (Photos by Michael Carlos)
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entertainment reviews Mala Devendra Banhart Nonesuch Records
Most hipsters know the inspiring thin, wiry, acoustic folk sounds of Devendra Banhart, from his 2002 debut album, Oh Me Oh My; yet, here we are almost ten years later, and he is putting that album to shame with his new work in Mala, scheduled to release on March 12. Banhart’s recent albums have been more full-bodied than the first, with noticeably higher quality production. This record continues on that larger-sounding trajectory but still keeps to his analogue, lo-fi roots by tracking the album entirely on a vintage Tascam recorder. The new pieces feature dreamy, textural synth beds for Banhart’s mellow, reverb-laced guitars, vocals, and sparse percussion. Mala’s new experimentation seems to share influences with the recent sounds of John Frusciante and Grizzly Bear. A blending of classic, warm and earthy analogue sounds with contemporary electro-folk details; Mala shows Banhart’s continued development without damaging what made his music attractive and interesting in the first place. A great addition to the already impressive body of work of Banhart, and creates great anticipation for his future endeavors. (Simon Weedn)
The Ganja Kitchen Revolution: The Bible of Cannabis Cuisine By Jessica Catalano Green Candy Press Buy this for the photos—they’re that good. The Ganja Kitchen Revolution turns a canna-cookbook into gorgeous eye candy with its rich colors, sublime sharpness and visible textures that leap right off the proverbial page. Don’t believe me—check out the photo of East African Spice Pea Soup on page 142. Hungry yet? Chock full of clear, concise recipes and mouthwatering pix, one nice section that is particularly helpful is the Strain Flavor Profiles and Alternative Strains section. It lists strains (such as HeadBand or NYC Diesel), gives their genetics, spells out the flavor profile (a must-know for canna-cooks, right?) and provides alternative strains. So, for instance, you’re looking for Strawberry Cough (a sativa-dominant strain with notes of sweet strawberry and hints of rose petals), but just can’t find any at your local access point. No problem—Strawberry Skunk, Strawberry Haze or Chem Crème should do the trick. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous—that’s all I gotta say about this book. Gotta run—gonna make some of that Pea Soup. (Matt Tapia)
Weeds: The Final Season Lionsgate One of the most awkward things to do is to come into a show late in the game, and reviewing the last season of Weeds without seeing the rest of it is no exception. I consistently had to background check the characters and info to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. But inexperience aside, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was a genuinely funny, entertaining and heartfelt show. When the humor is there, it comes at a rapid fire pace that’s truly enjoyable. Some of the drama is incredibly awkward and the situations come across as a beyond preposterous (all the affairs and drama verge on soap opera levels), but leads like Mary Louise Parker and Hunter Parrish give strong enough performances that it can mostly be forgiven. The special features are fun diversions (especially the live session with Guru Doug) that are a good bonus for the fans. Newbies like me should go back to Season 1 for the full picture, but it’s not a bad rental for fans who have stuck with the show this long. (Joe Martone)
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Nile
How many death metal bands do you know who can rock their way through the Book of the Dead? Meet Nile, whose set lists are typically inspired by grindcore-like insanity, Egyptology-inspired brutality and Lovecraftian cosmology. The band’s music is a labor of love and isn’t shy about digging up the research—Nile usually has to include notes in its albums so you can follow the material. However, don’t be turned off by these guys just because you may be averse to some extra reading (hieroglyphics, anyone?) or the stench of the sarcophagus. This band really knows how to thrash, with heavy riffs and fingers that flay across the instruments like the wrath of Osiris (were Egyptian deities wrathful?) before your eyes. Will you be headbanging to Nefertiti? Or moshing to Horus? Only Nile—and your friendly neighborhood Indiana Jones—will know for sure.
IF YOU GO
What: Nile in concert. When/Where: March 27, at City National Grove, 2200 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim. Info: Tickets $20. Go to www. citynationalgroveofanaheim. com or call (714) 712-2700.
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liner notes Did you see those people playing football at the BEYONCÉ concert? Millions of people tuned in last month to watch the Super Bowl. A team won. Most people will forget which one got football’s highest honor in about a year or two, but what will last forever in the hearts and minds of children everywhere are the hilarious photos of Beyoncé mid-dance, mid-shout or mid-thrust. Bey, considered by many to be one of the most beautiful people our nation has produced, proves that if you use high speed, high definition cameras, you can catch anyone making an awkward face. Beyoncé looks, in the photos, like some kind of vascular, angry character from an anime series, an Amazon bellowing out a war cry. Now normally these would just float around the Internet and people would laugh at them, make memes of them, and then just go back to cranking “Single Ladies” in the car on their drive to work. But Beyoncé’s publicist was not happy about the unflattering pictures. He said he would pursue action to have the photos “taken off the Internet.” The publicist has obviously never seen the Internet nor comprehended that such a phrase is absurd. If you’re like me, you appreciate a good musical documentary. Now I’m not talking about Never Say Never, the JUSTIN BIEBER story. I’m talking about Gimme Shelter or The Monterey Pop Festival. Stephen Kijak, director of the recent ROLLING STONES documentary Stones in Exile as well as the great SCOTT WALKER doc 30th Century Man, is planning his next target. Will he set his sights on another legendary group or reclusive genius? Well, not exactly. He’s decided to make a documentary about the BACKSTREET BOYS. He’s collaborating with Pulse, the producers of Shut Up and Play the Hits, the excellent documentary about LCD SOUNDSYSTEM and its final moments. The question to consider now is: What happens if a compelling, engrossing musical documentary is made about The Backstreet Boys? Are we ready? I, for one, am hopeful. I want it that way. There is an urban legend that relates a man’s shoe size to his . . . well . . . other
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By Kevin Longrie size. This is the basis for a new app called Chubby Checker, which predicts a man’s penis size based on his shoe size and other factors. The only problem, other than the app’s hap-hazard pre-dick-tions is that there already was a CHUBBY CHECKER. What a twist! That’s right, the famous singer is not too happy about his nickname being used to test measurements. Maybe he’s appalled at the app’s function or maybe he just wants a slice of the penis-prediction-app market. He is suing the parent company responsible for making the app, citing that there was “irreparable damage” to his character, name or likeness. He’s seeking $500 million, even though the app was only downloaded 84 times. That’s about 6 million dollars per download, a steep shot up from the 99 cents that people paid for it on PalmOS. Lady Gaga has had to cancel the rest of her tour in order to undergo surgery and give herself time to recover. Now, anyone following Gaga news knows that she hurt her hip early last month
and had to cancel four shows to see if the swelling would go down. But what I suggest is that this is not an injury related accident. What if, instead, Gaga was going to get a sex change operation unlike any the world has ever seen before. She would not become a man, but some third gender that would, from that time forward, put an end to the frankly exhausting dichotomy we’ve got now. The rapper 2 Chainz, known for being very clear about the number of chains he has and possible his music career, was arrested on Valentine’s Day for possession of marijuana. He could spend up to a year in jail. If this happens, it has been speculated that he will change his stage name to Several Bars. c
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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.
the federal government for its cannabis policies? pop-punk band 4 Though Green Day’s name was
cannabis inspired, the group’s frontman, Billie Joe Armstrong, recently admitted abusing what?
1 are banned in cannabis help cancer 2 Dispensaries Santa Ana—true or false? 5 Can patients?
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ANSWERS
the theoretical 3 Name physicist who has criticized
1. Yes. 2. Unfortunately, true. 3. Dr. John Schwarz. 4. Alcohol and pills. 5. Yes. It can stimulate the appetite and relieve the pain and suffering caused by either the cancer—or the chemo and radiation.
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Did Toni Braxton ever admit to smoking cannabis?
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Now Rate Yourself: 5 points: A few classes at Oaksterdam University won’t even help you. 10 points: Are you even a patient? 15 points: Keep medicating. 20 points: Impressive. Almost ready for the big leagues. 25 points: What do you want—a prize?
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John Schw arz
If you can only say one thing in the battle for medicinal rights, you can say proudly that science is on your side. Cal Tech physicist John Schwarz—who just a few weeks ago spoke at the National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference in Washington, D.C.— unleashed some strong fighting words already, according to ThinkProgress.org. The Harvard graduate and pioneer of string theory verbally attacked the federal government on its lack of marijuana research at the conference, stating, “Consider what American science might look like if all research were run like marijuana research is being run now. Suppose the Institute for Creation Science were put in charge of approving paleontology digs and the science of human evolution. Imagine what would happen to the environment if we gave coal and oil companies the power to block any climate research they didn’t like.” He furthered backed his claims with medical experiments which indicated conclusive and positive results about the benefits of MMJ. Science don’t lie. c
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let’s do this Our picks for the coolest things to do around town Flogging Molly, March 8
Sketches from the National Lampoon, thru March 17
March Madness, March 9
St. Patrick’s Day Festival, March 17
One of the best things to come out of Ireland since Guinness, Flogging Molly kicks all kinds of ass. Whatever Pomona did, they need to keep doing it. This is the third year in a row they’ve come here and the city is all the better for it. Fox Theater, Pomona www.foxpomona.com Nope, not related to basketball in any way. This night is going to give you a leg up on your hipster friends by hosting some of the awesome but lesser known bands from within the city. Because you can only replay Taylor Swift’s new album so many times. Tribal Café, Los Angeles tribalcafe.com
Truckit Fest, March 14
Food, glorious food! Gourmet food trucks are hauling themselves to Downtown Los Angeles to spice up the traditional arts walk. Art of all shapes and sizes, designs unlike anything you’ve seen—and did we mention the amazing delicious meals on wheels? It’s a good night to be cultured. Downtown Los Angeles truckitfest.com
Wine Tasting Singles Mixer, March 15
Were you alone on Valentine’s Day? Yeah, us too. Well, there’s still hope for you at least. This place has free appetizers and an unlimited offering of six different kinds of wine. And there will, naturally, be single people there as well. Dating potential plus limitless alcohol? We’ll let you do the math. 9 Olives Chaplin House, Los Angeles www.ctownpros.com
2013 Pacific Pole Championships, March 15-16
This is a competition like no other. Contestants combine poise, athleticism, flexibility, charisma and rhythm all for the sake of victory . . . and titillation. Okay, this is a pole dancing competition, but the tricks they pull are really mind blowing. Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles www.polesportorganization.com
ZDay 2013, March 17
Looking for meaning in this crazy world? We can’t help you there, but the Zeitgeist Movement is hosting its big yearly event right in the heart of LA. Learn a thing or two about global sustainability; meet some nice people, save the world! Good way to spend a day. Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, Los Angeles www.zdayglobal.org
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You cannot say no to the team that brought you Animal House and the early career of Chevy Chase. It’s staging its first live show in over 25 years, and they will shoot a puppy if you don’t show. No, seriously. Hayworth Theatre, Los Angeles nationallampoon.com
Yeah, we couldn’t go too far in this without mentioning St. Patty’s. But it is a free event with all the expected touches: corned hash and cabbage, beer and live Irish rock. Nokia Plaza, Los Angeles lalive.com/play/nokia-plaza
Hubble 3D
See the stars like never before. Several years ago, NASA attempted a routine maintenance and repair mission for the Hubble telescope. The result . . . was a little less than smooth. Luckily, someone filmed everything and put it in IMAX3D so you can have all of space in your face. California Science Center, Los Angeles www.imax.com/hubble
The Freedom and Fashion Ceremony Runway Show, March 22
Downtown art never ceases to amaze. Freedom and Fashion is taking on oppression the best way it knows how . . . with style. Attendees to the show will have the opportunity to purchase the fair trade items presented with the funds going directly toward the cause of ending human trafficking and other human rights violations. Fierce. Freedom and Fashion Headquarters, Los Angeles www.freedomandfashion.com/ceremony
SoCal Blues and Magic Club Fundraiser, March 23
Do you like deep, soulful music? Do you like magic? Do you like blending them together for a good cause? We can’t imagine you’ve done so before, but you should have a mighty need to see this. Blues legend Oklahoma Ollie will be performing alongside magicians who have toured the world. In addition, all of this is benefiting the LA Food Bank. Awesome night for charity? Everybody wins here. Redondo Beach Castle, Redondo Beach socalevent.net
Amazing Urban Scavenger Hunt, thru March 26
As if you needed an excuse to go sprawling like a madman throughout the city. All you need is a group of friends and a smart phone and you’re off on an adventure. Try not to get lost . . . or do. Your call. Los Angeles urbanadventurequest.com
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Chuck Shepherd
News of the
Weird LEAD STORY—ONE FOR THE ROAD
; Cliche Come to Life: The Kerry, Ireland, county council voted in January to let some people drive drunk. The councillors reasoned that in the county’s isolated regions, some seniors live alone and need the camaraderie of the pub, but fear a DUI arrest on the way home. The councillors thus empowered police to issue DUI permits to those targeted drivers. Besides, reasoned the councillors, the area is so sparsely populated that such drivers never encounter anyone else on the road at night. (The councillors’ beneficence might also have been influenced, reported BBC News, by the fact that “several” of the five voting “yea” own pubs.)
CAN’T POSSIBLY BE TRUE
; Spare the Waterboard, Spoil the Child: William Province, 42, was arrested in Jefferson County, Mont., in December and charged with waterboarding four boys, two of whom were his own sons, at his home in December. (Also in January, Kirill Bartashevitch, 52, was charged with making “terroristic” threats to his high-school-age daughter after he allegedly pointed his new AK-47 at her because her report card showed 2 B’s instead of all A’s. He said he had recently purchased the gun because he feared that President Obama intended to ban them.) ; Emma Whittington, of Hutchinson, Kan., rushed
her daughter to the ER in December when the girl, 7 months old, developed a golf-ball-sized lump on her neck. Two days later, at a hospital in Wichita, a doctor gently pulled a feather out of the lump and hypothesized that it had been in the midst of emerging from her throat. Doctors said the girl probably swallowed the feather accidentally, that it got stuck in throat tissue, and that her body was trying to eject it through the skin. ; As if 9/11 and the resultant air travel restrictions had never happened, travelers for some reason continue to keep Transportation Security Administration agents busy at passengers’ carry-on bag searches. From a TSA weekly summary of confiscations in January: 33 handguns, eight stun guns and a serrated wire garrote. Among highlights from 2012: a live 40mm grenade, a live blasting cap, “seal bombs” and six pounds of black power (with detonation cords and a timing fuse). ; A man with admittedly limited English skills went to a courthouse in Springfield, Mass., in December to address a traffic ticket, but somehow wound up on a jury trying Donald Campbell on two counts of assault. Officials said the man simply got in the wrong line and followed jurors into a room while the real sixth juror had mistakenly gone to another room. The jury, including the accidental juror, found Campbell guilty, but he was awarded a new MARCH 2013 • CULTURE 117
trial when the mistake was discovered.
THE REDNECK CHRONICLES (TENNESSEE EDITION)
; (1) Timothy Crabtree, 45, of Rogersville, was arrested in October and charged with stabbing his son, Brandon, 21, in an argument over who would get the last beer in the house. (2) Tricia Moody, 26, was charged with DUI in Knoxville in January after a 10-minute police chase. The officer’s report noted that Moody was still holding a cup of beer and apparently had not spilled any during the chase. (3) Jerry Poe, 62, was charged in a road-rage incident in Clinton on Black Friday after firing his handgun at a driver in front of him “to scare her into moving” faster, he said. (Poe said he had started at midnight at one Wal-Mart, waited in line unsuccessfully for five hours for a sale-priced stereo, and was on his way to another Wal-Mart.
SOUNDS LIKE A JOKE
; Twin brothers Aric Hale and Sean Hale, 28, were both arrested on New Year’s Eve in Manchester, Conn., after fighting each other at a hotel and later at a residence. Police said a 27-year-old woman was openly dating the two men, and that Sean thought it was his turn and asked Aric for privacy. Aric begged to differ about whose turn it was.
UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT
; Voted in December as vice presidents of the U.N. Human Rights Council for 2013 were the nations of Mauritania and the Maldives, both of which permit the death penalty for renouncing Islam. In Mauritania, a person so charged has three days to repent for a lesser sentence. (An August 2012 dispatch in London’s The Guardian reported widespread acceptance of slavery conditions in Mauritania, affecting as many as 800,000 118 CULTURE • MARCH 2013
of the 3.5 million population. Said one abolitionist leader, “Today we have the slavery (that) American plantation owners dreamed of (in that the slaves) believe their condition is necessary to get to paradise.”) ; Non-medical employees of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center have been campaigning for union representation, suggesting that their current wages leave many workers dangerously close to poverty. Though raises have not materialized, UPMC (according to a November Pittsburgh City Paper report) has now shown sympathy for its employees’ sad plight. In a November UPMC newsletter, it announced that it was setting up “UPMC Cares” food banks. Employees (presumably the better-paid ones) are urged to “donate nonperishable food items to stock employee food pantries that will established on both (UPMC campuse).” One astonished worker’s response: “I started to cry.” ; In December, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch revealed, through a public records check, that the appointed Collector of Revenue for St. Louis County has failed since 2008 to pay personal property taxes. Stacy Bailey and her husband owe taxes on three cars and in fact filed for bankruptcy in 2011. Bailey’s boss, Director of Revenue Eugene Leung, told the Dispatch that he had checked Bailey’s real-estate tax status but not personal property taxes. Nonetheless, he said, “Knowing what I know now, she’s still the most qualified person for the job,” among the 155 applicants.
PERSPECTIVE
; First-World Problems: Before “cellulite” appeared in popular culture around 1972, almost no one believed the condition especially remarkable, wrote London’s The Guardian in December. V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
Similarly, the new concern about “wobbly” arms—flesh dangling loosely when a woman’s arm is raised horizontally—seems entirely made-up. However, Marks & Spencer and other upscale British retailers now sell “arm corsets” to fashionably hold the skin tighter for sleeveless tops. Wrote the Guardian columnist, “I wish I didn’t know that my arms weren’t meant to wobble. I’d be happier.”
PEOPLE DIFFERENT FROM US
; Julie Griffiths, 43, of Newcastle-Under-Lyme, England, received her first Anti-Social Behavior Order in 1999 for too loudly berating her husband, Norman (who one neighbor told the Daily Telegraph is “the sweetest man you could ever meet”). After many complaints (from neighbors, never from Norman), Griffiths was fined the equivalent of about $700 in 2010 and vowed to be quieter. The complaints hardly slowed, and in July 2012, environmental-health officials installed monitoring equipment next door and caught Griffiths venting at Norman 47 times in three months. However, the Stoke-on-Trent Magistrates Court merely issued a new, five-year ASBO.
READERS’ CHOICE
; (1) Recently, a 67-yearold woman set out to drive to a train station in Brussels, Belgium, 38 miles from her home to pick up a friend, but her GPS was broken, and she wound up three countries away, in Zagreb, Croatia, before she sought help. Drivers older than her have been similarly lost, but not to the extent of crossing five borders and passing road signs in three languages while traveling 900 miles. (She said only that she was “distracted.”) (2) In January, a 68-year-old Florida man got out of a van to open a garage door so that his friend could back in, but he left the van door open, and the driver’s dog leaped excitedly into the vehicle and landed on
the gas pedal. The man was fatally crushed against the garage door.
CRAZY KIDS
; An estimated 3.2 million kids aged 5 to 12 take mixedmartial arts classes, training to administer beatdowns modeled after the adults’ Ultimate Fighting Championships, according to a January report in ESPN magazine, which profiled the swaggering, Mohawked Derek “Crazy” Rayfield, 11, and the meek, doll-clutching fighting machine, Regina “The Black Widow” Awana, 7. Kids under age 12 fight each other without regard to gender, and blows above the collarbone are always prohibited (along with attacks on the groin, kidneys and back). “Crazy” was described delivering merciless forearm chest smashes to a foe before the referee intervened, and the Black Widow won her match in less than a minute via arm-bar submission. Parental involvement appears to be of two types: either fear of their child’s getting hurt or encouragement to be meaner.
THE CONTINUING CRISIS
; Breaking Bad (and Quickly!): Tyrone Harris, 26, reported for his first shift at Dunkin’ Donuts in Morristown, N.J., in January and received his name tag. Seven minutes later, according to police, he was on his way out the door with $2,100 from his supervisor’s desk. (Apparently, the supervisor had opened his drawer a little too far when reaching for the name tag, giving Harris a glimpse of the cash.) ; In a January submission to India’s Supreme Court, an association of the country’s caste councils begged for greater sympathy for men who commit “honor killings” of wayward females. The councils denied encouraging such killings, but emphasized that fathers or brothers who murder a daughter or sister are usually MARCH 2013 • CULTURE 119
“law-abiding, educated and respectable people” who must protect their reputations after a female has had a “forbidden” relationship—especially a female who intends to marry within her sub-caste, which the councils believe leads to deformed babies. ; Aubrey Ireland, 21, a dean’slist senior at the University of Cincinnati’s prestigious college of music, went to court in December to protect herself from two stalkers—her mother and father, who, she said, had been paranoiacally meddling in her life. David and Julie Ireland put tracking devices on Aubrey’s computer and telephone and showed up unannounced on campus (600 miles from their home), telling officials that Aubrey was promiscuous and mentally imbalanced. A Common Pleas Court judge ordered the parents to keep their distance. ; Medium-Tech Warfare: (1) The mostly rag-tag army
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of Syrian rebels fighting the Assad regime unveiled its first jerry-built armored vehicle in December. The “Sham II” is an old diesel car with cameras for navigation, a machine gun mounted on a turret with a driver looking at one flat-screen TV and a gunner another, aiming the machine gun via a Sony PlayStation controller. (2) Video transmissions from drone aircraft rose stiflingly to more than 300,000 hours last year (compared to 4,800 in 2001). With input expected to grow even more, Air Force officials acknowledged in December seeking advice from a privatesector company experienced in handling massive amounts of video: ESPN. ; Dog trainer Mark Vette showed off his best work in Auckland, New Zealand, in December: dogs driving a Cooper Mini on a closed course. Using knobs fitted to the dogs’ reach, Vette taught mixedbreed rescue dogs “Monty” and
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“Porter” 10 discrete actions, including handling the starter, steering wheel, gearshift, and brake and gas pedals, and then put them behind the wheel on live television. Monty handled the straightaway flawlessly, but Porter, assigned to steer around a bend, ran off the road.
BRIGHT IDEAS
; Stress Relief for Students: (1) In November, students at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, ordered three therapy dogs and set up a room for “super stressed” final-exam studiers. The dogs typically are loaned to hospital patients and senior citizens. (2) In December, Cornell University staff installed a patch of grass inside the Olin Library (trucked in from the Adirondack mountains) because, said an employee, the sight of it has a “cognitive relaxing effect.”
THE ARISTOCRATS! ; Gregory Bruni, 21, was arrested in North Fort Myers,
Fla., in January after allegedly breaking into a residence at about 7 p.m. (first scurrying across the roof and jumping on one resident who came to investigate). According to police, Bruni was naked, ran maniacally around screaming in gibberish, failed to be intimidated when the female resident fired three “warning shots” with a handgun, fell to the floor after the third shot and began masturbating, and defecated near the front door and in a hallway. Police soon arrived and Tasered him.
PERSPECTIVE
; The issue of “background checks” for gun purchases occupies center stage in the current gun-regulation debate, even though, ironically, current federal law on such checks is apparently half-heartedly enforced. In the latest data available (from 2010), nearly 80,000 Americans were denied the right to purchase guns because their applications contained false information
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(even though applicants swear, under penalty of law, that all information is true). However, The New York Times reported in January that of the nearly 80,000 applicants, only 44 were prosecuted for lying, and federal officials said the practice, well-known among applicants with shaky backgrounds, is known as “lie and try.”
PEOPLE WITH ISSUES
; Lawrence Adamczyk, 49, was arrested in Riverside, Ill., in January after reports that he was loitering at Riverside Brookfield High School during a swim meet. Police said he was quite talkative in custody, admitting that he was at the school to leer at boys (after being tipped off via “brainwave” messages from the singer Justin Bieber) and that moments before police arrived, he had been engaged in a solo sex act while ogling the swimmers. Amazingly, police found that Adamczyk was not on any sex offenders’ registry
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even though he had been arrested (with at least one conviction) for similar incidents in 2005, 2009 and 2011, and was on parole at the time of the Riverside arrest.
UNDIGNIFIED DEATHS
; (1) After a 51-year-old man was found dead in Everett, Wash., in January with his heavier girlfriend (192 pounds) lying face down on top of him, sheriff’s deputies attributed cause of death as his having been smothered by the 50-year-old woman’s breasts. Neighbors said they had heard the man screaming for the woman to get off of him. (2) In January, New York City police, arriving to check out an altercation and a death on the tracks at the East 125th Street subway station, found that the two incidents were unrelated. The man who was killed had actually fallen off of a train near the station while he was squatting between cars, defecating.
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