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departments 6 Letter from the Editor Concentrates might be the latest trend . . . but they’ve been around for centuries.
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Punk to the Core
Hardscrabble icon Henry Rollins tells it like it is. Just stand back. Photo by Heidi May
10 News Nuggets Cannabis makes headlines here, there, everywhere— and we give you the scoop—PLUS our latest By the Numbers. 20 Strain, Edible & Concentrate Reviews Our ever-popular sampling of amazing strains, edibles & concentrates currently provided by your friendly neighborhood dispensary. 23 Legal Corner Michigan needs to get with the times, declares attorney Denise Policella. 36 Destination Unknown Morocco’s magic includes the (in)famous “Hippie Trail.”
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features 16 Frontiers of Science A federal cannabis researcher reveals the “pot patch.” 18 Under the Skin “Bad ass’ doesn’t begin to describe Kid Ink’s rap credentials.
37 Profiles in Courage Our latest feature provides insight into the life—and struggle—of a medical cannabis patient near you. 38 Cool Stuff From the O.Pen Portable Vaporizer to the Blade Runner Style LED Umbrella, if it’s a cutting-edge product or cool lifestyle gear, we’re all over it. 40 Recipes Whether you rock the gas, the charcoal, the electric (George Foreman, anyone?) or the portable, fire that grill up! 43 Entertainment Reviews The latest films, books, music and more that define our culture.
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JULY 2013 • CULTURE 5
letter from the editor
Vol 5 IssUE 1
CULTURE Publisher
Jeremy Zachary
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Roberto C. Hernandez Editor-In-Chief
Editor-in-Chief
Roberto C. Hernandez
Arts & Entertainment Editor Evan Senn
Editorial Contributors
Ancient Medicine One of the things that strikes me about medical cannabis is that it is—to quote an old song—“a manysplendored thing.” No matter what your condition, no matter what your ailment, no matter what symptom or disease is affecting your quality of life, there’s a form of cannabis for it. For many patients, smoking flowers is the go-to medicating method. For others who can’t or don’t want to inhale smoke there are edibles. Those who want to keep cannabis’ psychoactive properties at bay can turn to topical creams or perhaps CBD-rich strains that are high in body relief, low in head change. But what about patients who are seriously suffering from heavy-duty ills and conditions, such as neuropathic pain or that down-to-thebone pain from cancer and/or chemo? What then? Patients who need to reach for the big guns also have something to turn to, something that, when all is said and done, has been around for centuries actually: concentrates, glorious concentrates. You see, while budder, wax, oil, shatter and other forms of concentrates seem to have exploded in popularity in our community over the past couple of years . . . really, they are all just new forms of ancient medicine. Hash (or hashish) is the original concentrate . . . or to put it another way, concentrates are the refined, new-school versions of the stuff Nepalese workers have been hand rubbing for centuries. Yes, I said “centuries.” We started with temple balls . . . now we have globs and dabs. In fact, the history of hash being used for medicinal (as well as recreational) use goes back to at least the 3rd millennium BC, according to some scholars. Don’t assume that the popularity of concentrates is something new—it’s not. Consider this: During the 1840s in Paris, a group of writers, aesthetes, poets and similar types would gather to experiment with hashish. And the group was far from shy when it named itself— what else—The Club of Hashish-Eaters (these guys were ingesting edibles!). French writer Charles Baudelaire wrote a book in 1860 that
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detailed his experiences with hashish. American writer Fitz Hugh Ludlow, in 1857, wrote The Hasheesh Eater. In the U.S., roughly between the 1860s and early 1900s, legal hashish smoking parlors (a Turkish influence) became the rage. At one point, hashish was so revered in Arab lands, that one poet lavishly praised its fabulous properties: . . . its intoxicating aroma conveying to you by way of your nostrils its exhilarating effect. No wine or tonic could generate Such a heavenly sensation. “Heavenly sensation.” I like that. We’ve come a long way, concentrates . . . but in a sense, we’re right back where it all started, no? For patients, concentrates (which are just another form of MMJ, remember), offers us relief, healing and the quality of life that no wine or tonic could generate. Enjoy our 710 Issue!!!! c
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THE NATION
THE WORLD France takes the first step in clearing the way for cannabis-based medicines
THE STATE
Cooper Township passed six-month moratorium on MMJ operations
Still waiting for more clarity from state officials, Cooper Township officials have continue to put Battle Creek club opts for the brakes on new providers of new business model to medical cannabis for the next avoid legal issues If the state Supreme Court throws six months, MLive reports. But one official says the moratorium up a roadblock, drive around it. Attempting to work with a recent extension, passed June 10, on storefronts is not an anti-patient court ruling that has essentially move. “We really aren’t concerned outlawed storefronts, one Battle with what people do on their Creek compassion club is trying own time if they have a card out a new business model that has been deemed to be legal and and approval from their doctor,” Cooper Township Supervisor Jeff not violate the judicial decision, according to a recent report in the Sorensen told MLive. Township officials say they Battle Creek Enquirer. The set-up that Higher Expectations Medical had been waiting for the state Partnership (HEMP) has launched to weigh in on the legality of involves providing a safe, physical storefront providers of MMJ—in light of a recent state Supreme space where a caregiver and a Court decision—but with no patient can meet for transfers input, they opted to extend an of meds. No cannabis is stored existing ban on permits, licenses on site. The model also allows patients to find new caregivers, if or approvals for MMJ cultivation, sale and storage within town they so choose. Under this model, a caregiver limits. The six-month moratorium gives the township time to can be charged a one-time fee “monitor pending litigation and ($100) and a monthly fee ($100) legislation that may affect the to use the facility as a place of legality of medical marihuana.” transfer. Patients do not pay any fees. “Nobody wants to meet in parking lots,” HEMP owner Brock Korreck told the Enquirer. In February, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that patientto-patient transfers of medical cannabis were illegal—hence the impetus for new legal ways to connect patients, caregivers and meds. 10 CULTURE • JULY 2013
Viva le France! The country that gave us the Statue of Liberty and saved our butts during the Revolutionary War has found its compassionate side. France recently modified its public health ACLU: Cannabis-related arrests and enforcement is code to allow the use of cannabisbased medicines, including racially biased the plant itself. Up until now, Arresting people for having non-industrial uses of cannabis cannabis wastes billions in taxpayer money and discriminates had been prohibited. However, against African Americans—even cannabis-based medicines must still be approved by the though blacks and whites use country’s National Medical Safety cannabis at roughly the same Agency. The changes allow “the rate, according original research by the ACLU. More than half of all production, transport, export, possession, offering, acquisition or drug arrests in this country are use of specialty pharmaceuticals related to cannabis, according to that contains one of these the group’s research. Of the 8.2 million arrests between 2001 and (cannabis-derivative) substances.” But even with these changes, 2010, nearly 90 percent of them were for simply possession. The research also indicates that, despite the roughly same rate of usage, blacks are nearly four times more likely than whites to be arrested for cannabis. In Iowa, Washington, D.C., Minnesota and Illinois, African Americans were 7.5 to 8.5 times more likely than whites to be arrested. The ACLU estimates that about $3.6 billion was spent on enforcing cannabis laws.
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observers and cannabis medicine proponents expect it will be some time before such medicines made their way into the hands of patients and the sick. “The law allows us above all to unblock the process of launching research into cannabinoids,” Philippe Gaertner, a spokesman for a French pharmacists union, told English-language French news site The Local. “I’m not sure we’ll have these medicines on the market quickly.”
Minimally Invasive
Former Mexican president Vicente Fox supports legalization, regulation
Mexico’s former president (and former Coca-Cola executive), Vicente Fox, publicly announced his support for legalizing and regulating cannabis, arguing that it would deal a blow to violent drug cartels by taking away their profits. The former head of state even suggested he would consider cultivating once the plant was legalized. “I am a farmer,” Fox told reporters at his Fox Center in central Mexico’s Guanajuato state. “Once marijuana is legitimate and legal, I can do it.”
Fox was president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006 for the conservative National Action Party. Roughly three years ago, he joined several other former Latin American leaders to advocate for cannabis decriminalization. “Marijuana with adequate controls and with legalization can perfectly well be an operating, legal industry [in Mexico] that would take millions of dollars away from the criminals,” Fox said.
by the numbers violence: 70,000 (Source: The Huffington Post).
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The amount of money (in millions) that former Microsoft manager Jamen Shively raised to create a cannabis business and brand in Washington state: 10 (Source: CBS News).
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The length of time (in days) that a proposed Ypsilanti “emergency” moratorium on cannabis related storefronts would have lasted: 60 (Source: The Ypsilanti Courier).
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The amount of monthly profit (in dollars) Shively’s business plan says each of his “pot stores” would generate: 120,000 (Source: CBS News).
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The typical length of time (in days) for a short moratorium on cannabis operations: 60 (AnnArbor.com).
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The amount of money (in millions of dollars) that Michigan officials received in fees from the state’s medical cannabis program: 9.9 (Source: The Oakland Press).
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The amount of money (in millions) that Michigan’s medical cannabis program costs: 3.6 (Source: The Oakland Press).
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The amount of money that a Michigan patient pays the state to process an MMJ application: 100 (Source: Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs).
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The estimated amount of money (in billions of dollars) that U.S. states spend every year on enforcing cannabis laws: 3.6 (Source: Yahoo News).
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The amount of money (in billions) spent on raciallybiased cannabis arrests: 3.6 (Source: Sacramento Observer)
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The percentage of drug arrests in 2010 that were for cannabis: 52 (Source: ACLU).
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The number of people (in millions) arrested for cannabis between 2001 and 2010: 7+ (Source: ACLU).
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The number of lives lost in Mexico due to drug cartel
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The length (in months) of the relationship that a qualified patient from New Hampshire would need to have with a physician before being approved for MMJ: 3 (Source: ConcordPatch).
Detroit Institute of Arts Museum has a rare and interesting partnership and new body of work to exhibit. American artist Ellsworth Kelly is universally recognized as one of the most important purveyors of American abstraction. Originally a more realisticstyle painter but a minimalist at heart, Kelly abandoned figuration and easel painting, choosing instead to develop a vocabulary of simple geometric shapes and swatches of pure, vibrant color. This is the first retrospective of the artist’s prolific printmaking career since the late 1980s. The exhibition coincides with the publication of the updated Catalogue Raisonné of Kelly’s work. As a thorough overview of his printmaking activity, it presents the consistency that is characteristic of his neverending interest in exploring the effects of pure color and form through the now familiar curves, contrasts and grids that became his preferred motifs.. An amazing retrospective of original prints from a groundbreaking historical artist.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: “Ellsworth Kelly: Prints” art exhibition. WHERE/WHEN: Up through Sept 8. Detroit Institute of Arts Museum, 5200 Woodward Ave. Detroit. INFO: Free to the public. For more information visit www.dia.org
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BUZZ
Strain For Pain University of Mississippi researchers are zeroing in on new ways to administer cannabis medicine {By Jasen T. Davis} nabinoids are the chemical compounds largely responsible for the plant’s beneficial effects. But while some rely on smoking for the relief of pain, nausea, anxiety, depression and insomnia, the doctor believes that such methods aren’t advisable. “There’s an inherent problem with the smoking of marijuana as a delivery system,” Dr. ElSohly says. “There are so many variables in the smoking process,” he adds. “It’s ludicrous to think you could come up with a dosage. The problem with smoking marijuana is that when you take even a single puff, you absorb so much all at once, which rushes into the brain and causes the side effects of smoking marijuana. If the high is too high, then you actually end up with the opposite activity of the high, which is the paranoia, the dysphoria and the problems associated with that.” So while patients across America might be puffing to ease
the pain, researchers at the UMMP are studying cannabis in order to isolate the precise compounds that have beneficial properties so that people don’t have to light up. For scientists like Dr. ElSohly, the question of whether or not cannabis is beneficial isn’t an issue. “Does it lower intraocular pressure
Say What?
You can say that Dr. Mahmoud ElSohly has a unique job. He is the director of the University of Mississippi’s Marijuana Project (UMMP), a research laboratory dedicated to growing and studying cannabis for the purposes of scientific research. And, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, this heavily-guarded, incredibly secure installation is also the one place in the entire country where federally-funded officials can obtain cannabis at all. Dr. ElSohly’s current work involves studying tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its effects on the human body, particularly its propensity for pain relief. “There are many indications for which THC would be a good medicine if you have the right formulations and dosing,” says Dr. ElSohly. THC and other can-
“[E]verybody should be able to smoke pot.” —Susan Sarandon
Formula For Success
Dr. ElSohly has not only been the director of the UMMP since 1981, he is also the principal investigator for ElSohly Laboratories, Inc., a private organization currently working on patented formulas for various other THC delivery systems. In 2010, the doctor was awarded more than $200,000 in federal funds for his cannabis research.
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for glaucoma patients? Yes it does. Does it reduce anxiety? Yes it does,” he says. One recent breakthrough developed by Dr. ElSohly and his UMMP team is a THC patch (similar to a nicotine patch) that can be placed in your mouth, along the gum line, to administer a dose. Because the UMMP’s formula for the patch is much less synthetic than drugs like Marinol (a synthesized form of THC), it is a more reliable way to deliver the medicine. “We’re not really introducing anything strange to the body, other than the THC itself,” he says. “Because of the way it is absorbed it’s almost like it’s absorbed through the lungs, like the smoke. When you smoke, it goes to the lungs, to the whole, entire body before going to the liver. Unlike the oral [which] goes to the liver first and then goes to the rest of the body,” That means that MMJ patients may have another option in finding measurable relief without lighting up. “It looks like we have a successful product with good bioavailability and blood levels,” ElSohly says. “We have observed absorption for up to 10 hours.” For a lot of patients—especially asthma sufferers—that’s a great way to manage the pain without having to go up in smoke. c www.mpp.org/states/mississippi
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Perfor July 1 ming 4 Co at the Grou mmon nd in La Festival nsing .
TUNES
A Brain and a
Heart
In His Skin
Kid Ink is hardcore—about animal rights! The rapper recently put his hip-hop weight behind PETA’s “Mink, Not Ink” anti-fur campaign (“Be comfortable in your own skin, and let animals keep theirs”). “As much as I just love my pets and animals, I could never think of my dog getting skinned or anything happening to him,” Ink told PETA. “Why wouldn’t I compare that to a rabbit or a fox or any other animal with a brain and a heart?”
Young buck Kid Ink steels up to make major moves {By Dean Mayorga}
Imagine your life going from boring to bad-ass practically overnight. That’s exactly what Brian Todd Collins, a.k.a. Kid Ink, did when he signed to major label RCA Records. If you’ve been keeping up, you might’ve seen his video “Bad Ass” with Meek Mill and Wale that features women dressed as firefighters who are more concerned with throwing water on each other (it’s a rap video, people). But the bottom line is, this kid who was once a darling of the independents’ is now making major moves. On the cusp of his next album and reaching for a wider fan base, Kid Ink is focused. “I’m just working and recording in the studio,” he tells CULTURE. “That’s the biggest thing is getting the music right.” And so far, that strategy has worked. His
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independent release, Up & Away, debuted at No. 20 on the Billboard 200. His host of singles, such as “Time of Your Life,” made an impression on fans and labels alike. It’s hard to believe he almost chose to stay behind the scenes. As a producer-turned-rapper, Collins’ music places a heavy emphasis on the overall structure of a song. He can write a great verse and a great hook, too. “It, of course, gives me more of a range than some who are just hip-hop artists who are only focused on rapping and aren’t concerned with writing hooks because a lot of the melodies are written for them and given to them,” he says in regards to his producing skills. The No. 1 goal, according to Ink, is to refrain from being repetitive and to maintain originality. “I hon-
estly feel like I haven’t had much of a chance that I can get out the variety in everything that I can do musically and as a producer.” Variety as an artist from the hip-hop world can be tough because it means a break with longstanding traditions. However, Ink isn’t sweating the gangster rap paradigm much. “I think it’s not the regular stereotypes from the old West Coast,” he says. “It’s something brand new . . . I don’t really have a concern to make a West Coast sound more than make good music.” But there is one rapper stereotype even Kid Ink can’t refuse. According to his estimate, he buys about an ounce of cannabis every day and a half or so. “It just depends on the situation,” he says. “Sometimes you
have a party night, studio night, and you run through more than a regular day. An ounce I feel comfortable with.” And why not? The man works hard. Despite his songs becoming the pre-game soundtrack for everybody on their way to the club, Kid Ink isn’t really ’bout that life. Or at least not recently. “Honestly, I haven’t been to the clubs lately,” he said. “I’ve been out of town, on the road or in the studio. I don’t know what’s really the most poppin‘ clubs right now.” For the sake of his next release, let’s hope his work ethic stays that way. Until then, expect Kid Ink to stay grounded on what will surely be a huge year. Up . . . and away. c kidinkmusic.com
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strain, edible & concentrate reviews
Best Edibles Ever Medicated Pretzels This was my first medicated pretzel, and I’m glad I didn’t give in to the temptation to eat two rather than one pretzel rod. One was just right for serious pain and serious relaxing. I’ve often thought it would be smart to offer one non-medicated product with the medicated ones, since the Michigan company that bakes these is making such tasty stuff. These crunchy, salty pretzel sticks, found exclusively at Om of Medicine in Ann Arbor, are made only with butter, flour, yeast, egg, salt and sugar—and a strain called “Fruity Chronic Juice” that’s touted as “strong medicine.” I couldn’t detect any cannabis by smell, and only a hint when eating it, but this was the perfect strength (250mg of THC) to knock out a migraine and relax the body. Good for arthritis, multiple sclerosis, migraines, insomnia, nausea, anorexia, muscle spasms, cancer and chronic pain.
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Grand Daddy Urkel Grand Daddy Urkel gives me a sunny day, feel good, happy-happy experience. It relieves pain and motivates me in the nicest way—definitely worth the drive to Ann Arbor Wellness. Three fat buds smell like skunky berries and look like they’ve been rolled in sugar. It’s hard to see through the trichomes to the colors of the bud. We even had to take the grinder to it to release the color and appreciate the deep purple buds. Like jewels. The draw is clean and fruity with a skunky aftertaste, and immediately brightens in the head and chest. It’s uplifting, and dissipates depression so that not only is everything, like, totally cool, but you also get your stuff done. All of it. And do so with a smile. GDU is a 60-percent indica/40-percent sativa hybrid, with Big Bud and Urkel parents. Good for nausea, pain and insomnia.
OG Kief Blast What looks like honey, comes in a syringe and makes everything all better? True Labs’ Med. E. Oil OG Kief Blast. This long-lasting, organic, high potency, OG strain CO2 oil takes about five minutes for the full effects to kick in. This oil brings clarity of mind, releases chronic pain, is uplifting and invigorating and saves everyone else from PMS. And, used in the vape pen, it is ridiculously discreet. Can also be dropped on a hot stone. Less seasoned patients should use with optimistic caution considering its minimum 50-percent active cannabinoids. Good for arthritis, anxiety, migraines, nausea, anorexia, PMS, muscle spasms, cancer, glaucoma and chronic pain.
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SFX Co2 Caps SFX Labs’ supercritical CO2 plant extract is suspended in coconut oil, packed into gelatin capsules and then packaged in tamper-evident little flip-top boxes. It’s a relief to see professionally labeled, durable packaging. Michigan deserves it. I only sampled the 10mg capsules (available in 25mg, too), as that dosage sufficiently alleviated severe pain and gifted me with 10 uninterrupted hours of sleep. I’ll save the 25mg caps for extreme conditions, like unyielding pain flare-ups or a full weekend without the kids. If you’re suffering with endometriosis, cancer, MS or other severe pain conditions, these convenient oral caps should live in your medicine chest. Independently thirdparty tested by Iron Labs. Found at various locations throughout Michigan.
Oaktown Crippler Organic Budder This whipped budder is made from organic Oaktown Crippler—a powerful strain with Blue Moonshine and Trainwreck parents—and has a spicy, Trainwreck citrus, fresh-bud smell. This concentrate, available at Hemphill Wellness in Burton, is yellow in color with a tinge of green. I smoked this first in a vape pen and it was a very smooth draw; no coughing. Then I dabbed using a small oil rig, which preserved the flavor better than the pen and absolutely blew my mind. There’s a reason why most cannabis cup winners for concentrates have been budders. Just one hit of Oaktown Crippler Organic Budder lightens up the head and sets things spinning a bit, followed by long-lasting pain relief and relaxation.
Trash Can OG Formerly known as “Trashcan” with a lineage of Bubba Kush, Sour Diesel and Goldie (special cross of Purple Kush and Acapulco Gold), Trash Can OG is an 80-percent indica/20-percent sativa, connoisseur-grade medicine that took a few years to develop. This strain (tested at 22 percent THC) was so dense and so thickly crystallized that my friend insisted he check it under a scope. Trash Can OG—available exclusively at Ant Farm Compassion Club in Detroit—is just ridiculously crystallized on every visible surface of the plant material. Lots of forest green coloring, spotted with purple. Grinding it releases more of the purple color and a distinct OG pine smell. Smoked rolled in paper, it has a bit of a creeper effect—so be careful. I would use this exclusive strain exclusively at night. Great for relieving pain, insomnia, and it leads a patient to deep state of relaxation.
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By Denise Pollicella, Esq.
Say What?
legal corner
“There are so many reasons to end the prohibition on marijuana.” —Rick Steves
To Illinois, With Love
For half a century Michigan has been educating young minds at its most excellent universities, only to watch them move out of state after graduation. It’s called “brain drain.” Last year, according to the Detroit Regional Chamber, the drain was roughly 23,000 people, and most of them moved to Chicago. Now, thanks to Illinois’ new dispensary law, you can add Michigan’s medical marihuana community to the exodus. Last month, Illinois passed what I will generously call a comprehensive bill, a 211-page monster addressing everything from dispensaries to discrimination in housing. Back in Lansing, where HB 4271 languishes in committee, it was barely a blip on the radar. Those of our elected officials who oppose all things cannabis are not mourning the loss of what they see as a few pot heads and drug dealers. Those who do not have no sense of urgency. And there, my friends, is our problem.
We have not adequately segregated recreational cannabis use from the urgent need for medical cannabis regulation in our messaging. For that reason, advocacy for dispensary legislation inevitably ends up tangled in a rehashing of the old, irrelevant, gateway-drug–teen-use–neighborhood-crime arguments that have nothing at all to do with providing safe access to a safe form of medication. In the meantime, Michigan is watching its medical cannabis industry go underground while states like Illinois, Nevada and Delaware are embracing this $1.7 billion industry that is expected to quadruple over the next five years. It is hard, as a Michigan resident and business owner, to watch other states embrace economic and regulatory common sense. Just as we did for so long with the small business tax, and more recently with our reversal on movie studio credits, Michigan seems incapable of making decisions that support economic development at a community level. In the span of five years, Michigan has gone from a would-
be leader in medical cannabis to behind the times, and the innovators and pioneers are moving on to states where they will raise children, pay taxes and build communities of the future. You’re welcome, Illinois. Again. For those of you brave enough, stubborn enough or—if you’re like me—tethered to family enough to stay in Michigan, what is the answer? I hope you will join me in continuing to maintain a sense of urgency in Lansing. To put the need for safe access to medical cannabis front and center for our legislators. To call their offices, sit down with them for coffee over the summer break and tell them your stories. Continue to educate your friends, neighbors and colleagues. Run for local elected office and support politicians that support safe access. Stay involved and keep fighting. I remain optimistic that, despite our state’s apparent perpetual fear of progress, common sense will eventually prevail and just maybe, we’ll manage to plug that brain drain. But if you do go to Chicago, can you send me back some Giordano’s? c
Denise Pollicella, founder of Cannabis Attorneys of Mid-Michigan and a graduate of Wayne State University Law School, practices corporate law, business transactions and medical marihuana law in Livingston County. She can be reached via email at dpbusinesslaw@yahoo.com.
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Ever since the death of Mark Twain in 1910, the country has been in constant need of homegrown, brutally honest authors to gaze upon our world with X-ray perception and tell us the real truth of how we are doing things right or wrong, regardless of who we are or the extent of the backlash. Henry Rollins is a musician, performer and writer that has been doing just that with his regular journalistic contributions to magazines such as Details, LA Weekly, Vanity Fair and The Huffington Post. Along with his stand up comedy, spoken word performances and YouTube series, “WordswithMeaning!” Rollins’ critical observations have been the perfect vehicle for a sustained, uncompromising assault on hypocrites, idiots and pundits on both the left and the right at a time when everyone else seems to be lining up to kiss a large amount of corporate and/or government ass to make a buck. Although the term has been used so many times it is nearly a cliché, “Renaissance Man” is the best way to describe the modern American philosopher known to the world as Henry Rollins. He’s been the lead singer of the legendary hardcore punk band Black Flag, and was the frontman for the critically acclaimed, commercially successful Rollins Band. He’s also performed alongside Robert DeNiro in Heat, played a cop hunting down Charlie Sheen in The Chase, appeared on David Lynch’s cult classic Lost Highway, and held his own as a central antagonist on the cable TV epic outlaw biker series Sons of Anarchy. While Rollins was doing all of that he also won a Grammy for Get in the Van: On the Road with Black Flag, and authored the spoken-word classics Black Coffee Blues and Think Tank. After getting his start in radio in 2004, Rollins had been heard many times over the airwaves, where he combines knife-sharp analysis with cutting-edge music for the massively perceptive. What’s next for a man with a career as intricate, illustrious and revolutionary as Henry Rollins?
I am sure you have a lot going on right now. What projects are keeping you busy? The super boring job of proofreading and editing a lot of material. One of the books I have coming out is easy to wrap up, but the others will take a lot of surgery. Editing books takes a lot of time in between working, meetings and auditions. That’s what I do when I’m not touring. I’m also looking for employment. It’s hard to imagine a person as prolific as yourself looking for a job. It’s a non-tour year. Last year I did nearly 190 shows. It gets to the point where shows are still coming in, but the tour is booked so your calendar gets pretty marked up. Now it’s a non-tour year, I’m in this interesting position of having some solid jobs, I have a lot of contract stuff to do, but I still have to look for employment.
That necessitates pitch meetings and auditions. Yesterday I was in a line 30 people long auditioning just for a microscopic role on a television show. We’ve mostly been pitching ideas for shows that I might be plugged into. It is an interesting position, one year you are the guy, you are on the billboard, the marquee and the next year you are in line hoping some casting person who doesn’t know you will throw you a bone. It’s good, though. That it keeps you humble. What kind of show would you want to do? I could easily imagine you as the History Channel equivalent of Anthony Bourdain. I’d like to do a show that tells you where and how the history books got it wrong—just an entire series where we point out the facts and reveal how history is written by the winners, so of course the winJULY 2013 • CULTURE 27
white area. It’s always in the grey. That’s obviously the case in a lot of places. Since we are already there, why not just legalize it? It’s stupid how someone with cancer pain has to worry about being arrested. If marijuana can help, why wouldn’t you want them to feel better? Why would you be okay with them being in pain? If you can help someone, right now, why won’t you? We are supposed to promote the general welfare; it says so in the Preamble to the Constitution.
ners give themselves a white hat. For example, if you tell a person in rural American that we lost the Vietnam War, you’ll be eating your dinner through a straw in your neck because he’ll break your jaw. But if you go over to Vietnam today, the Vietnamese have moved on. They are very sure they won that war, because they survived it. That’s how they think. “We are still alive, so you didn’t beat us.” What I mean is . . . there are a lot of ways to look at any historical event. You don’t touch cannabis, but you support its legalization. What is your honest opinion about this controversial topic? Smoking marijuana, in my opinion, is a monumental waste of time, but I’m not going to slap it out of your hand. But I not only want it legalized, I want it decriminalized. At least then you won’t go to jail for smoking it. I see marijuana as just another stimulant. I fear alcohol. It fuels a guy up so he punches his wife and drives his car into a tree. I’m afraid of a person buying two AR-15s and shooting up a shopping mall . . . that guy should get marijuana. I fear stupidity in America more than I fear someone buying weed. My question is: Will the states 28 CULTURE • JULY 2013
have the intestinal fortitude to retroactively free the black prisoners who are unfairly incarcerated for using marijuana if it’s legalized? Why is it that cannabis is still illegal in America? Because brown-skinned people grow, sell and use it. A lot of those Fox News assholes smoked it in college, but now they use coffee and martinis, so it’s only for faggot hippies. “I’m a responsible chemical dependent. I use booze. It’s just five martinis.” Pot, by comparison, is messy. You are buying a plant from someone that is not in a vacuum sealed, federally-approved package at the local 7-11. Besides, everyone out there is buying weed right now, anyway. Why not just legalize it? What is the cannabis legalization movement doing wrong? [T]he reason why the legalization movement is such a clusterf#@k is because there is no clear political plan. The first time I saw medical marijuana, I was at a friend’s house. His mother would smoke these government-approved medical marijuana cigarettes. My friend would steal them. Medical marijuana is never in a black or
What is your best advice for proponents of cannabis legalization? As a non-smoking, marijuana decriminalization proponent, I would go at in as sensibly and legally as I could. Take into account the people who oppose you. They count on you to be unkempt, sloppy, illegal and high. Don’t go into an intellection battle high. Go in with your facts and figures and stats tattooed on your brain pan. When you do that, an opponent will still have to respect you for it. Fortunately, the world is changing. The President actually mentioned the word “gay.” That set a precedent. In 100 years they will talk about Barack Obama and how he said, “Gay brothers and sisters.” That took a lot of brass. In a political world, if you say that you smoke cannabis you might as well be say you like to make it with little kids and sheep. All the other side has to say is,
“My opponent wants your son to get high at school.” Why can’t someone say, “My opponent likes wine so he wants your son to get drunk at school.”? But they are elected officials. They are in a very precarious position. I get a second chance, if I screw up. They don’t. If someone loses an election, he doesn’t get to come back. You can say you back gay marriage, but that is as red hot as you get. Saying yes to marijuana has to no longer be seen as “He said what!?” Your country is changing very rapidly, though. If I was writing for a cannabis-based magazine, I would be showing that marijuana smokers are not the funny characters the media always depicts, but that they are doctors and lawyers . . . professional, responsible people, just like the people who drink four beers and watch the game after working at the office all day. In this transition to a weed economy, there is going to be a drunken sailor syndrome. When you take a sailor off the boat he’s going to drink his paycheck. There’s going to be a transition. As Joseph Stalin said, “When you cut wood, chips fly.” Someone will abuse weed. It’s going to happen. They are going to drive recklessly, have THC in their blood, and a bunch of people will overreact because of it. But let’s face it, cannabis is already out there. Legalizing it will not change it too much. c henryrollins.com
Henry Rollins activism knows no bounds. Whether it’s championing for gay rights—he once hosted a “WedRock” benefit concert in support of same-sex marriage—to helping out with veterans causes, Rollins is passionate straight down the line. The writer/performer took up the cause of the “Memphis Three”—a case involving the unjust imprisonment of three young men accused of murder. The “Three” were finally released in 2011, after 18 years in prison, with Rollins saying, “My joy at hearing the news is however tinged with frustration that it took so long and that there is a person or persons who still need to be brought to justice.” 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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Simply Dab-ulous
One of the fortunate things about the world of medical cannabis is that there is something there for everyone: flowers, edibles, tinctures, topicals . . . and concentrates, glorious concentrates! In honor of this potent, centuriesold form of medicine that patients are turning to in droves, CULTURE presents our inaugural “710 Issue.” While the names, consistencies and types vary, let us never lose sight of one critical fact: concentrates are medicine. Enjoy.
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ISSUE
Concentrates 101 By Charmie Gholson As “dabbing” builds in popularity, concentrates have become more widely available. Many patients find high potency medical cannabis concentrates particularly effective in treating chronic and debilitating conditions. One “dab”—or small glob of concentrate— vaporized in the morning can alleviate the symptoms of Crohn’s disease or multiple sclerosis, for example, for a good part of the day; whereas smoking flowers would be required much more frequently to achieve levels of relief. Throw in the added benefit of a delivery method that offers folks fast, powerful relief without having to combust plant matter and it’s no wonder patients across the country are turning to these highly potent cannabis extracts instead of smoking flowers. Concentrates are produced by separating the active ingredients, trichomes and resins, from the cannabis plant. Three common methods for doing so are dry sift, solvents and solvent-less methods.
+ TYPES
Dry sift methods have been used for thousands of years. Trichomes are extracted by filtering cannabis through silkscreens and collecting the crystals. This substance is called kief, which can be pressed together to form hash. Bubble Hash (a solvent-less method) is made by churning or blending flowers, trimmings and leaves in a large container with ice and water. The cold temperature and vigorous mixing separates the cannabis resin from the plant. Then it’s filtered out, collected, dried and cured. Bubble hash can be vaporized, rolled into a joint or smoked out of a pipe. Solvent extracts: Use of solvents such as alcohol, CO2 and butane to chemically extract cannabinoids. Butane Honey Oil or BHO is one of the more widely available and popular solvent extracted concentrates. According to Dablife.com, BHO is a “concentrated cannabis extract made by pushing liquid butane (which liquefies easily) through a tube packed with frosty buds. The resulting solution is a mix of oils, waxes, cannabinoids, terpenes, and sometimes chlorophyll.” (Note: this procedure is complex and we’re very much over simplifying, so please don’t try this at home without proper instruction and ventilation. Also, in some MMJ states, BHO is illegal to make, but not to possess) BHO can be dried and whipped into “budder,” which is waxy and dry. Wax is made using butane gas as the extraction solvent. Texture and
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color are key factors in determining the quality of the wax—the more golden and crumbly, the better. Wax that’s dark and contains liquid may contain leftover solvent and plant matter. In CO2 extraction or Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) the solvent is pushed through the plant matter at a high pressure and separates the matter precisely, which isolates only the purest essence of the cannabis. The result is pure, transparent, amber oil.
+ DABBA DO
Once the concentrate is made, you can now “dab” which is the term used for dropping or dabbing small amounts of the concentrate onto an astronomically heated surface, and then inhaling the vapors. The special glass pipes used for dabbing are known as oil rigs. The oil is dropped onto a nail (typically made of titanium) heated with a blow torch until it reaches the perfect temperature, then the concentrate is vaporized and smoked. You may also use a vaporizer pen (or vape pen) which is more convenient and easy to use than an oil rig, although both methods produce roughly the same effect. Concentrates do carry some concerns such as: safety during processing; ensuring the product is tested and free of solvents; legality issues, but by taking proper precautions with ventilation while producing the concentrates, as well as ensuring the solvents are all removed from the material, the use of concentrates can provide health benefits and relief to the folks who need it most.
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ISSUE The Traits of a Good Concentrate A Patient’s Guide to Hash, Wax, Budder and Beyond By David Downs
Hundreds of thousands of patients across the country are using more and more hash, kief, “wax,” “shatter” and other forms of concentrated medicine. The explosion of concentrates’ popularity is only equaled by how unregulated the market is. As a service to CULTURE readers, we consulted experienced concentrate buyers from leading dispensaries nationwide—as well as the best hash makers and lab managers testing the stuff—to develop a “Patient’s Guide” for determining the traits of a good ‘trate.
+ ANCIENT FUTURE
Hand-rolled hash (charas) as well as dry-screened (kief) and watersieved (bubble hash) concentrates have existed for millennia, historians note. But over the last three years hash-makers have adapted for cannabis industrial processes similar to those used to extract vegetable oil, as well as vanilla or essential oils found in coffee and other food items. These methods all use some medium (a solvent, cold water, C02, etc.) to strip off cannabis’ external glands—called trichomes. Trichomes contain the plant’s psychoactive and therapeutic molecules, like THC and CBD, plus aromatic molecules called terpenes. Terpenes give OG Kush and Grand Daddy Purple their distinctive smell. Concentrates are divided into non-solvent (kief, bubble hash) and solvent. The names of solvent types of concentrates come from their consistency (and, to an extent, appearance): wax, budder, shatter and oil. Patients add concentrates to joints or bowls, or vaporize them on a health stone, nail, skillet or in a vape pen. Ideally, trained chemists in a lab-grade setting are using safe, Class 3 edible solvents like n-butane or isopropyl alcohol to strip trichomes from the plant. Then, controlled heat and atmospheric pressure is used to purge all residual solvent from the concentrate. But the field is unregulated, so in reality, “this stuff is so all over the place,” says Dave Hodges, owner of All American Cannabis Club in San Jose. Hodges buys hash for the 3-year-old collective and uses about a gram of wax a day. “The best concentrates start with the best herb,” notes Rhett Jordan, owner of Native Roots Apothecary, as well as Rasta Bubble and Native Roots Extracts in Denver, Colorado. That means fresh trim or bud that is free of pesticides, fungicides and other contaminants. 34 CULTURE • JULY 2013
+ FLAME TEST
Most club buyers use a flame test to see how a concentrate reacts. The best solvent hash vaporizes in a “smooth boil,” says Jordan. Sizzles, pops and crackles indicate water, residual solvent or other issues. Concentrates should not catch fire—or spark. “I call it fireworks,” says Moore. “That is a bad sign,” Jordan adds. V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
+ SKUNK FUNK
+ FOLLOW THE LIGHT
Even with a great strain, shoddy hash-making can lead to mold. It’s a plague on bubble hash, says Josh Wurzer, owner of SC Laboratories, which tests thousands of California concentrates per month. Mold on hash is often white, furry and appears in a main patch. The smell is a dead giveaway. “It smells like sour milk,” says Paul Moore, manager for The Healing Leaf Collective Garden in Lake Stevens, Washington. Solvent-based concentrates don’t have the same mold problems as bubble hash, says Wurzer, but wax, budder, shatter and oil can come with their own special baggage. “Light color, dry texture and good smell,” is Hodges’ short-hand for good solvent hash.
Pure THC-A is a crystalline solid that is translucent white, amber or cream, and crumbly—and the best waxes are just that. Wax and budder should be as light as possible, and semi-translucent. “Lighter is better,” says Hodges. Strain type and the trichome color can influence a concentrate’s hue, experts say, but if it’s a “dark, black blob,” Wurzer says, something is off. The color may be plant pigment, leaf, dirt, the effect of excess temperature or—worse—mold. Shatter should be as clear as stained glass and have “no bubbles,” says Jordan. “No bubbles, definitely not in shatter,” says Moore. Bubbles mean water or residual solvent, experts say. “And water equals mold,” says Hodges.
+ NOSE KNOWS
The best-made concentrates will “capture the essence of the flower,” says Wurzer. Waxes and budders are the most aromatic and shatter is the least, but will smell like its source strain when vaporized. Shoddy solvent hash makers use cheap butane or propane contaminated with sulfur, mercaptan and other chemicals whose telltale smell is a dead giveaway. “It just stinks like a leaky heater,” Wurzer says. “That smell is an indication that it’s toxic.”
+ GHOST OF THE FLOWER
Great hash should taste “strictly like the strain it came from—whether it be an OG or a Haze, you can tell,” says Moore. Sub-par product can taste stale, bitter, burnt or chemical-laden. And solvent hash should never be stored on wax paper, Hodges notes. “It’ll taste like a f*#@ing candle.”
+ MORE THAN A FEELING
Wax should be dry and crumbly, experts state. Gooeyness or wetness in a wax, budder or shatter indicates the presence of something other than trichomes. Shatter should generally behave like glass at room temperature and shatter or snap. The consistency of different types of oil varies widely. Hodges examines oils by smearing a dab out on a piece of white paper, looking for light color and zero particulates. The best oil is Clear Concentrate, says Rick Pfrommer, manager of Harborside Health Center in Oakland. Totally seethrough with zero residual solvent, “Clear is just phenomenal,” he says.
+ WHERE AND HOW TO GET
Read online reviews of concentrate sellers on Yelp, WeedMaps, StickyGuide and elsewhere, Pfrommer says (CULTURE’s concentrate reviews are also an excellent source of information). Patronize established businesses that test for residual solvents like Harborside Health Center does. And grill your budtender, says Moore. “If you’re asking a lot of questions and your budtender doesn’t know, maybe they should,” says Pfrommer.
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destination unknown
By David Jenison
Blazing a Trail The “Hippie Trail” and Rif Mountains are just a few examples of Morocco’s magic Back in the day, Paul Bowles, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Tennessee Williams and the Rolling Stones all spent time in Morocco, a popular stop on the infamous 1960s Hippie Trail. William S. Burroughs, who heavily indulged in the ancient cannabis confection majoun while living in Tangiers, even made the Moroccan city a main setting in his epic novel Naked Lunch. Instability during the so-called Years of Lead caused setbacks, but the African country regained its footing in the ’90s, and the New York Times declared “A ‘Hippie Trail’ Stop Goes Mainstream in Morocco” in 2006. The country’s popularity is on the rise, and cannabis culture is a major attraction. Lonely Planet: Morocco writes that the U.S. is the only country to produce more cannabis, and the United Nations says Afghanistan only recently surpassed Morocco as the largest producer of hashish. Today, travelers walking Morocco’s magical streets will repeatedly hear offers of kif or kief, which is local slang for cannabis and hashish. Those who medicate often head to Chefchaouen in the northeastern Rif Mountains, which is where the bulk of the cannabis is grown. Hikers can trek past enormous kif fields, though the response from cannabis cultivators can range from 36 CULTURE • JULY 2013
direct sales to throwing rocks. Production in the Rif region dates back to the 15th century and was tolerated up through King Mohammed V, who took the throne following independence from France and Spain in 1956. Cannabis became illegal in the 1970s, and the U.S. and European Union continue to put pressure on the government to eradicate fields and punish offenders. In 2003, the U.K. Guardian claimed that cannabis is unofficially Morocco’s top foreign-currency earner, so that annoying Starbucks hipster will probably shave his crusty beard before the Moroccan government seriously cracks down on kif. Still, what crackdown does exist can adversely affect careless tourists. Here are the kif-related rules for tourists: Absolutely do not try to take cannabis out of the country, even on boats to Spain, as the international pushback from border seizures forces Morocco to punish “smuggling” with severity. Inside the country, only carry enough that can be easily tossed at the first sign of risk. Police officers tend to excuse tourists with a fine, but jail time is a possibility. Try to avoid buying from city street vendors as they often overcharge or inform the police, and do not buy while already medicated because hustlers like to take advantage of the potentially paranoid. Instead, be proactive in connecting with
like-minded locals (taxi drivers do not count) who can provide assistance in purchases or invites to partake in safe settings. Cannabis culture is huge in Morocco, and locals might even smoke publically in bars, but tourists should always exercise caution and common sense. The Rif Mountains will be high on many readers’ list, but where else should an erstwhile traveler visit? Film buffs might enjoy Rick’s Café in Casablanca, while fans of the Beat Generation should hit Tangiers. Riad-filled Marrakesh is the country’s international tourism calling card and the inspiration for Crosby, Stills and Nash’s “Marrakesh Express,” while the rock archways of Legzira make it the country’s most beautiful beach. Several national parks also dot the Atlantic coastline, but those willing to get really sandy can head south to experience the Western Sahara desert by camelback. Just as Turkey straddles Europe and Asia, Morocco is a gateway country for Europe and Africa, and its resurgence continues to attract Western tourists. Moreover, it is an excellent place to experience the kif that inspired many of the 20th-century’s most brilliant literary and musical minds. c www.visitmorocco.com
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profiles in courage Patient:
Gina Garcia
AGE: 39
Condition/ Illness:
Anorexia, chronic pain and severe nausea, panic/anxiety disorder
Using medical cannabis since:
Photo by Kristopher Christensen
April 2007
Are you an MMJ patient from Michigan 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?
First and foremost, I’m not someone who wants to take pharmaceutical drugs for my issues. I feel more comfortable using Mother Nature’s gifts of herbs to aid me in my illnesses. I feel grateful to have this alternative to prescription medications, and it has wonders for me and my health.
Did you try other methods or treatments before cannabis?
Yes. For many years I was taking prescription medications for my illnesses. I had a negative reaction and horrible side effects to all of them. Twentyseven medications later—and feeling like a guinea pig—it was suggested by my psychiatrist to become a patient. So glad I did!
What’s the most important issue or problem facing medical cannabis patients? I would have to say the federal government and [its] regulations.
What do you say to folks who are skeptical about cannabis as medicine?
I always go back to my teenage years when my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I watched her in so much pain and agony as this disease slowly took her life. With all the meds she was put on, the cannabis was the only thing that allowed her to hold down her food and help her to sleep a little more comfortable. I am grateful cannabis was available to her while she was here. c
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cool stuff Blade Runner Style LED Umbrella Finally—the only time it’s good luck to open an umbrella indoors! Ripped straight from Ridley Scott’s existential-sci-fi flick , these futuristic umbrellas are just the thing to keep you dry on the way to the noodle shop. Comes white or blue LED shaft. Say, you look rather Replicant-y . . . ($9.99-$24.99) www.thinkgeek.com
O.Pen Vape Portable Vaporizer What a convenient tool. No buttons to push, no scraping or having to carefully drop material onto a coil. After fully charging your O. Pen with a USB charger, screw the preloaded cartridge into the pen and just inhale. The O.Pen does all the work, and the charge is good for 500 uses. Discreet, sleek and delightful. www.vapeotech.com
High Altitude Executive Vaporizer Pen The High Altitude Executive Vaporizer Pen is one classy piece of hardware. Resembling the type of fancy plume used to sign high-dollar contracts, patients can mix their hash oil with its fruit flavored emulsifiers (for discrete medicating) or use the interchangeable earwax attachment (if you like your concentrates cannabis flavored). A more efficient way to medicate, and a great way to get the most out of your wax.
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By Aunt Sandy
Menu:
Grilled Shrimp Cheesy Polenta Barbecue Broccoli Barbecue Pound Cake Barbecue Peaches
Gas or charcoal, sauce or dry rub—no matter what your preference, it’s always a good time to fire up the ol‘ barbecue this time of year. If it’s grillin, expect your weekend get-together to be thrillin‘. Try out this scrumptious, backyardfriendly smorgasbord of delish dishes, courtesy of your neighborhood friendly briquette.
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. 40 CULTURE • JULY 2013
V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
Grilled Shrimp Makes 4 servings 25 large uncooked shrimp, unshelled, slit and deveined 3 cups dry white wine Juice of two lemons Black pepper to taste 6 shallots, chopped 4 garlic cloves, crushed 1/4 cup Cannabis Infused Olive Oil* 6 skewers, soaked in water for two hours Combine all the ingredients (except for skewers) in a medium-size bowl. Stir to coat the shrimp thoroughly. Let marinate at room temperature for about three hours. Skewer about four shrimp per skewer. Place on the grill, over medium heat. Turn when sides are pink. Baste with the remaining liquid (marinade) to keep shrimp moist. They are cooked when firm and pink in color.
Barbeque Peaches
Cheesy Polenta
Makes 4 servings 4 ripe peaches, cut in half with pit removed 1/4 cup melted Canna Butter** Coat each peach half in Canna Butter and place on a medium grill. Grill until there are grill marks on the flat side.
VARIATION
Barbeque Peach Cake Place the Barbecue Peaches on top of the Barbecue Pound Cake and garnish with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Makes 6 servings 6 cups water 2 teaspoons salt 1 3/4 cups yellow corn meal 3 tablespoons Canna Butter** 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add salt and gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender. Stir often for about 15 minutes and turn off the heat. Add the butter and cheese and stir until melted. Serve immediately.
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Barbeque Broccoli Makes 6 servings 3 heads of broccoli 1/3 cup Cannabis Infused Olive Oil* 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1/4 onion, finely chopped Juice of 1 lemon Cut off broccoli stems 1 inch below the florets. Starting at the stem end, slice each broccoli head lengthwise into 3 slabs. In a large baking dish, whisk together the Infused Oil, garlic clove, onion and lemon juice. Coat the broccoli on both sides with the mixture. Let marinate at room temperature for one hour. Preheat the grill to medium heat. Remove broccoli from the marinade, shaking off excess liquid. Grill covered for about 3 minutes on each side, until lightly charred and crispy-tender.
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.
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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Barbecue Pound Cake 1 9-inch tube cake pan 1 cup softened Canna Butter** 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar 5 eggs 2 cups sifted cake flou In a bowl, mix softened butter with salt, sugar and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Blend in the flour and mix well. Pour the mixture into a well greased, lightly floured tube cake pan. Place in a cold oven and set the controls to 300 degrees. Bake for two hours and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn it out on a wire rack to finish cooling. When totally cool, slice a 1-inch thick piece and spread Canna Butter on each side. Place it on a grill at medium heat and cook on each side until slightly crunchy and grill marks appear.
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. V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
entertainment reviews The Transplants In A Warzone Epitaph After eight long years, punk rockers Tim Armstrong, Travis Barker and Rob “Skinhead Rob” Aston return with their long awaited third Transplants record, In A Warzone. While the project has always been characterized by a blending of punk rock, hip-hop and at times, dub and reggae, In A Warzone sees the band making more of an attempt at a straight forward punk album by the trio. While the band’s self-titled debut and follow up Haunted Cities could at times be a little heavy-handed with conventional hip-hop’s topics of excess and the high life, Transplants seem to have little time for that on In A Warzone. The record’s style and delivery are more urgent and each song seems to be more about the group’s worried views on society and world events than the guns, girls and drugs that were common themes on previous releases. The music itself is heavy-hitting, insistent and at times a bit abrasive, easily bringing to mind the wars—both literal and metaphorical—that the band sings about. All in all, this is a record that will most definitely appeal more to the fan of the punk rock side of The Transplants’ music. However, fans of its hip-hop flavor need not be disappointed, there are still several tracks that incorporate their brand of rack, just a bit on the heavier end of things. (Simon Weedn)
Protect Your Garden: Eco-friendly Solutions for Healthy Plants By Ed Rosenthal Quick American Publishing When Ed Rosenthal talks, people listen. And when Ed writes a book, naturally, growers sure as hell pay attention. And they should. Rosenthal’s been schooling the masses on how to grow the best cannabis and his latest tome, Protect Your Garden, offers novice green-thumbers an effective tool to keep pests, diseases and environmental stresses from mucking up your lovely crops. As scientifically grounded as a biology textbook, yet easy to follow due to its airy layout, large print and an abundance of photos, protecting your green without harming Mother Nature just got ridiculously easy. Moles messing with you? Try predator urine or castor oil. Want to keep your plants free of the tobacco mosaic virus? Keep cigarette butts far, far away. Say “later days” to toxic pesticides and “hi” to natural solutions for your indoor, outdoor or greenhouse grow. (Matt Tapia)
Swimming to Cambodia Cinecom Pictures Dir. Jonathan Demme Finally, after many years of waiting, Shout!Factory have made writer, actor and monologist Spalding Gray’s masterpiece Swimming to Cambodia, available on DVD. Directed by Jonathan Demme (Philadelphia, Silence Of The Lambs), the film version of one of Gray’s most famous monologues was originally shot in 1987 and features an interesting score by renowned experimental performance artist and musician Laurie Anderson. The monologue itself revolves around Gray’s stories and observations about his experience acting in the role of U.S. Ambassador’s Aide in the 80’s masterpiece, The Killing Fields. The stories see-saw between humorous adventures with a zany film crew, Thai marijuana, prostitutes and deep, heavy, emotional observations and history lessons about the bombing of Cambodia, the rise of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, and the ensuing Cambodian Genocide. At times, the film can get a bit tedious and confusing with Gray’s delivery of this material which comes in his slightly manic, East Coast, mile-a-minute talking style. However, Gray manages to always hold it together, giving breaks and beats at appropriate times to allow the audience to soak in the massive amounts of information he puts out. For the average person that has never seen a one-man show, Swimming to Cambodia might take a bit of getting used to. However, for the patient viewer, one is rewarded with a gripping, captivating story delivered with unparalleled craftsmanship by one of the world’s great monologists. (Simon Weedn)
Meaty Goodness In his first solo exhibition, famed street artist Nychos reveals a large body of new work to the Detroit area. Compiling his anatomic knowledge with sliced cross sections, x-ray peek-ins and thorough dissections “I’d Like To Meat You!” is a bright and creative adventure through works on paper, canvas and wood, highlighting Nychos’ skilled range across graffiti, illustration and street art. The new work from Nychos touches on his recent experience in the city of Detroit just last year, when he collaborated with Flying Fortress on a large mural in Eastern Market, on Orleans Street. Influenced by the historic meatpacking and produce center of Detroit, Nychos incorporates the city’s meat-fetish legacy into his new body of work that will shock and entice you. “I’d Like to Meat You!” at Inner State Gallery will showcase influence and interpretation of all the things the painter has been familiarized with in his native country of Austria—meat and market. While staying in Detroit for more than a month finalizing his show, Nychos was immersed in local culture, and specifically Eastern Market area as he painted several murals throughout the neighborhood. This exhibition is not only an amazing creative project for Inner State Gallery, but has also helped to change the artistic landscape of the city. IF YOU GO: WHAT: “I’d Like To Meat You!” solo exhibition of artwork by Nychos. WHEN/WHERE: Open through July 18. Inner State Gallery, 1410 Gratiot Ave., Detroit. INFO: Free to the public. For more info visit www.innerstategallery.com.
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Shooting Gallery GET YOUR CLICK HERE
www.iReadCulture.com
Metro Detroit Compassion Club Members Cup/Burnz1 Cup 2013 (Photos by Rick Thompson)
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V I S I T U S AT i R e a d C u l t u r e . c o m
Chuck Shepherd
News of the
Weird
LEAD STORY— EYE OPENER
; Chengdu, China, barber Liu Deyuan, 53, is one of the few who still provide traditional “eye-shaving,” in which he holds the eye open and runs a razor across the lids’ inner surfaces. Then, using a thin metal rod with a round tip, he gently massages the inside of each lid. Liu told a reporter for the Chengdu Business Daily in April that he had never had an accident (though the reporter apparently could not be enticed to experience the treatment himself, preferring merely to observe), and a highly satisfied customer reported afterward that his eyes felt “moist” and his vision “clearer.” A local hospital official said eye-shaving can scrape away scar tissue and stimulate the eyes to lubricate the eye sockets.
CULTURAL DIVERSITY
; Michinoku Farm of Tokyo finally agreed in May to withdraw its whale meat dog chews, but only after angering environmentalists for having favored the country’s pampered canines over endangered North Atlantic fin whales, which were the source of the chews. The meat was purchased from Iceland, which openly defies the international moratorium on whale meat. (Japan officially disagrees with world consensus on which species are endangered.)
LATEST RELIGIOUS MESSAGES
; Recurring Theme (People Purporting to Speak for Islam): (1) A Saudi judge ruled in April that it was finally time for Ali al-Kha-
wahir, 24, to suffer for stabbing another boy in the back when Ali was 14. The victim was paralyzed, and under Saudi justice, Ali must also be struck with paralysis or else raise the equivalent of about $260,000 to compensate the victim. (2) Saudi cleric Abdullah Mohamed al-Daoud in May urged his 100,000 Twitter followers to “sexually harass female cashiers” to discourage them from working outside the home. (He is the one who urged in February that babies be veiled to protect them from sexual harassment.)
; Closer to God Than You Are: (1) Crystal McVea, author of a recent book chronicling her near-death experience, told a Fox & Friends TV host in April that among her most vivid memories of the incident was getting so close to God that she could “smell” him. (2) In May, Anna Pierre, a candidate for mayor of North Miami, Fla., announced on her Facebook page that she had secured the endorsement of Jesus Christ. That would be doubly fortunate for her since a month earlier, she had complained that unknown people had been leaving bad-luck Vodou-ritual feathers, food scraps and candles on her doorstep. (Jesus’ stroke is apparently not what it used to be: She finished seventh in the race.) ; Religious Messages From All Over: (1) A catering company in Leicestershire, England, became a holy site in May after the Hindu owner found an eggplant that resembles the elephant-headed Lord Ganesh. He said that he prays to it now twice daily and has so far welcomed about 80 visiting worshippers. (2) As part of his recent U.S. tour, the Dalai Lama, introduced to a University of Maryland audience by Maryland JULY 2013 • CULTURE 45
Gov. Martin O’Malley, greeted the governor on stage by rubbing noses with him.
QUESTIONABLE JUDGMENTS
; Expectant North Carolina parents Adam and Heather Barrington (who is due in July) have disclosed that they will accept underwater midwifing from the Sirius Institute of Pahoa, Hawaii, which arranges for the mother to swim with dolphins pre- and post-natally. “It is about reconnecting as humans with the dolphins so we can . . . learn from one another,” said Heather. Said Adam: “Dolphins are very intelligent and healing, which . . . calms mother and baby . . . “ Biologists writing for the Discovery Channel, however, reminded readers that underwater births are extraordinarily dangerous and that dolphins are “wild animals” that gang-rape female dolphins and “toss, beat and kill small porpoises.” Said another, the Barringtons’ plan is “possibly the worst idea ever.” ; Local Governments at Work: (1)
Washington, D.C., began registering its dogs this year by their primary breeds and, faced with many owners who claimed not to know their dog’s heritage, quixotically settled on the Mexican hairless dog, or “xoloitzcuintli” (pronounced “showlow-eats-QUEENT-lee,” according to The Washington Post) as the breed that will be listed in city records for those dogs. An official said the decision might encourage owners to learn more about their dog’s breed. (2) Of all the businesses that could fall out of favor with a local government, it was the restaurant Bacon Bacon that was shut down in May by the city of San Francisco— because of neighbors’ complaints about the smell! (The fragrance of bacon is widely experienced as entrancing all across America.) A petition to overturn the ruling was underway at press time.
PERSPECTIVE
; Congress established the Interagency Working Group in 2009 to set guidelines on advertising healthy foods to children, and public comments on the guidelines are now being posted.
General Mills appeared among the most alarmed by the IWG proposals, according to its comments on the Federal Trade Commission website (as disclosed by Scientific American in May). Of the 100 most commonly consumed foods and beverages in America, GM asserted, 88 would fail the IWG standards, and if everyone in America started following the health recommendations, General Mills would lose $503 billion per year in sales—unless, of course, it altered part of its product line.
LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINALS
; Dennis Gholston, 45, with outstanding traffic warrants in Pennsylvania, decided in May that, even though alone in his car, he could not resist using a high-occupancy vehicle lane (HOV) on the New Jersey Turnpike near Carteret. His decision was even more unsound because, according to the officer who stopped him for the HOV violation, Gholston was hauling about $4,000 worth of heroin in the car, and he was charged with intent to distribute.
A NEWS OF THE WEIRD CLASSIC (DECEMBER 2009)
; But What If the Device Falls Into the Wrong Hands? A 55-year-old British man whose bowel was ruptured in a nearly catastrophic traffic accident has been fitted with a bionic sphincter that opens and closes with a remote controller. Ged Galvin had originally endured 13 surgeries in a 13-week hospital stay and had grown frustrated with using a colostomy bag until surgeon Norman Williams of the Royal London Hospital proposed the imaginative operation. Dr. Williams, who was interviewed along with Galvin for a November 2009 feature in London’s Daily Mail, wrapped a muscle transplanted from Galvin’s leg around the sphincter and attached electrodes to tighten or loosen its grip.
VERY PERSONAL HYGIENE ; Orestes De La Paz’s exhibit at the Frost Art Museum in Miami in May recalled Chuck 46 CULTURE • JULY 2013
Palahniuk’s novel and film Fight Club, in which lead character Tyler Durden’s principal income source was making upscale soap using discarded liposuctioned fat fetched from the garbage of cosmetic surgeons (thus closing the loop of fat from rich ladies recycled back to rich ladies). De La Paz told his mentor at Florida International University that he wanted only to display his own liposuctioned fat provocatively, but decided to make soap when he realized that the fat would otherwise quickly rot. Some visitors to the exhibit were able to wash their hands with the engineered soap, which De La Paz offered for sale at $1,000 a bar.
THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
; As recently as mid-May, people with disabilities had been earning hefty black-market fees by taking strangers into Disneyland and Disney World using the parks’ own liberal “disability” passes (which allow for up to five relatives or guests at a time to accompany the disabled person in skipping the sometimeshours-long lines and having immediate access to the rides). The pass-holding “guide,” according to NBC’s “Today” show, could charge as much as $200 through advertising on CraigsList and via word-of-mouth to some travel agents. Following reports in the New York Post and other outlets, Disney was said in late May to be warning disabled permit-holders not to abuse the privilege. ; After setting out to create a protective garment for mixed martial arts fighters, Jeremiah Raber of High Ridge, Mo., realized that his “groin protection device” could also help police, athletes and military contractors. Armored Nutshellz underwear, now selling for $125 each, has multiple layers of Kevlar plus another fabric called Dyneema, which Raber said can “resist” multiple shots from 9 mm and .22-caliber handguns. He said the Army will be testing Nutshellz in August, hoping it can reduce the number of servicemen who come home with devastating groin injuries. 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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