Dope Magazine - September 2016 - The Art Issue - National

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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 6 | T H E A RT I S S U E

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ANNABIS HAS BEEN AN artistic facilitator for each and every one of us at DOPE Magazine, so it only seemed appropriate to dedicate an entire issue to its muse worthy qualities.

Our editorial team sat down to brainstorm how we could do justice to the large umbrella term that is ‘art.’ It goes without saying that cannabis has allowed many to tap into a part of oneself that surpasses ego and roots them into their innate creative abilities. But as we broke it down further, we unearthed many similarities between street art and the cannabis industry.

This month’s cover features INSA, famed British graffiti artist and designer.

INSA has chosen not to show his face in his artistic career, and instead allows his persona to be recognized by his work. His work is typically produced in limited editions or is available for only short amounts of time. Like INSA, many longtime cannabis industry persons are known only by their work. The gray-area aspects of cannabis and street art have left many a face hidden to the public, but their mark on culture is constantly represented.

Our feature, Empire State of Mind, features cannabis-inspired artists from the East Coast. New York City’s subjective nature of defining art is on vivid display everywhere you look. When interviewing artist Claudia ‘Claw Money’ Gold, she was careful with her choice of words regarding the nature of graffiti and street art movements. As she remarked, “I’m going to use the term graffiti instead of street art because that’s my heritage. The two are very different and the title matters. Graffiti gives voice to the voiceless. It empowers the powerless.”

Clearly, art’s categories span as far and wide as the identities we place on them, but the baseline is continuously the same—people are creative and creativity is powerful. The novice eye sees the bloom that emerges from the surface, but to the community—whether it’s art, cannabis, or both—there is a deeply rooted system that creative people have built over generations to shift our cultural perceptions as a whole.

Welcome to DOPE Magazine’s first ‘Art Issue.’

Abigail Ross Content Director

@ D O P E M AG A Z I N E

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ADMIN

ABIGAIL ROSS @abigaileross Content Director

MEGHAN RIDLEY @miss_ridley Senior Editor

BRANDON PALMA @brandonpalma Art Director

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KINSEY LITTON @kinseymaei Corporate Office Manager

ZACHARY HOLLAND @skipthatrip Copy Editor

ANDREA LARSON @andy_l143 Copy Editor

EVAN CARTER President

KATE KELLY @k8mindset Distribution Manager

ROSIE BONDY @killaarose OR State Director

NATASHA VIEIRA @natashie OR Office Manager

JAN DOMACENA @thirdoptic NARISSA-CAMILLE PHETHEAN @narissa.camille Graphic Designers

KAMERLY TYLER @kamfucius CA State Director

ASHLEIGH CASTRO @hash_assasin NORCAL Office Manager

MICHELLE GLASSMAN CO State Director

JENA SCHLOSSER @fillyoureyes

ERICA LEONG @merrrica National Office Manager

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CO Office Manager

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JAZZ WILLIAMS @williams.jazz Digital Graphics Designer

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CHRISTINA HEINTZELMAN @Xtinagrams Executive Assistant STEVE DELIMA Financial Controller LIANE PETTET Accounting Admin

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KATIE SPIVAK KELLY VO @kevowriting KYLE HUBLY LEAH MAURER @duhanna MEGAN RUBIO MELISSA JOY NICHOLAS HAYASHI @lookingglassextracts RADIOHASH SCOTT PEARSE @dopebicycletour SESHATA @seshatasensi SHASTA NELSON S. O’ROURKE THOM HUNTERS @mrforetwenty

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CANNABIS WORLD CONGRESS BUSINESS EXPO September 7-10 Los Angeles, California

W

atch out Los Angeles, in September, the Cannabis World Congress Business Expo will be taking place at the one and only Los Angeles Convention Center. Last

year, this event had a higher than expected turnout, leaving this year with an even higher volume of anticipated attendees.

Participants from far and wide will be traveling to California to attend this phenomenal cannabis business trade show. This event offers attendees ample opportunities to network with potential business partners, investors and public relations experts. There’s a lot of positive public relation coverage that goes on here. Exposing your brand at this event is highly recommended.

LIFT CANNABIS EXPO September 17–18 Vancouver, British Columbia

B

ack for a second round, Lift Cannabis Expo will be hosting another event in Canada at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The expo will provide a healthy variety of impact-

ful exhibitors who bring fresh innovative inventions, products and ideas to the scene. As the Canadian market continues to grow with the federal government’s ongoing support for legalization,

attending this event is a must. Vancouver is positioning itself as an innovator and advocate on behalf of sensible drug policy and industry practices. Purchase your tickets today to attend the last Lift Expo event in 2016.

420 GAMES September 24 Denver, Colorado

C

olorado, are you ready for the 420 Games?! An event where cannabis users, activists and supporters are invited to advocate on behalf of athletes who use cannabis in a positive, constructive manner in their daily routine. This event will educate attendees on smart and responsible cannabis regulation, and encourages healthy and responsible cannabis use. If you believe “Marijuana Is Not A Crime” and want to help change public opinion on cannabis, then this is the event for you!

BUSINESS

HIG H- Q UA L I T Y G L A S S INVESTING IN YOUR NEXT PIECE IS A MUST WRITER / MEGAN RUBIO

BUSINESS

G

LASS BLOWING IS AN art form that has persisted since the days of the Roman Empire. Blown glass is not only commonly used as the medium of many household items such as vases, windows and jewelry, but has been the substance of choice for fantastic pieces of art such as those of glassblowers Dale Chihuly and Marvin Lipofsky. Glass blowing has evolved from an industrial career to the studio glass movement, which utilizes a small furnace to create blown glass pieces. Glassware you might find in a retail store, a dispensary or a glass shop includes pipes, bongs, bubblers or even a dab rig. When you step into a store, there’s likely to be a range from cheap, mass-produced pieces to unique, quality pieces.

Before a glass piece begins to take shape, raw materials such as sand, limestone and ash must first be melted together to create molten glass. The molten glass is then shaped into the desired creation and rods are used to introduce color. The introduction of certain metal oxides into the glass, results in the bright, vivid colors that are most sought after. Crafting these pieces requires extreme detail and attention from the craftsman. Educating the consumer about the benefits of using a high-quality glass piece is advantageous to the glassblowing industry and the cannabis consumer.

Using a high-quality glass piece to consume cannabis has the ability to not only enhance flavor and potency, but the smoking experience as a whole. For many people, a quality glass piece is essential to the smoking process. A high-quality piece is an investment, yet glassware is often an afterthought accessory in stores—a cheap impulse buy as you’re walking out the door.

In contrast, price point is used as a major de-

terminant of product quality when purchasing flower. Brands that have developed a reputation for producing superior product are able to price their merchandise higher than brands with a mediocre product. Likewise, while a cheap pipe might be appealing due to its inexpensive cost, the quality of the smoking experience and durability of the pipe may be subpar at best.

Those who smoke regularly, or frequently, should consider the pros and cons associated with both low and high-quality glass. A smaller, cheaper piece tends to leave very little distance between the product being lit and inhaled, which may result in a harsher smoke.

High-quality pieces are often designed with filtration systems in mind to reduce the physical damage inhaling smoke does on the lungs. Any dispensary or retail store selling glass should educate their budtenders or sales people on marketing glass paraphernalia.

In retail stores, you have the budtenders selling and familiarizing customers with different brands of product. Retail stores often have a few glass pieces, but not a very large selection. Glass pieces are unique in that they are a piece of art and a tool. Unlike purchasing flower products, the purpose of purchasing a glass piece is to invest right the first time, so you don’t end up paying for multiple low-quality pieces that deteriorate quickly.

A high-quality piece is also great for individuals who are social and enjoy smoking with others. A unique piece is something to be proud of and to be shared—it is a piece of art after all. A glass blower has to think not only about physical appeal, but functionality as well. No matter the quality of your smoking device, you should expect to clean and maintain your piece properly.

BUSINESS

Even if there is not a dispensary or glass shop near you, there are other options for purchasing glass paraphernalia. One avenue is through an online glass shop. These shops specialize in paraphernalia for cannabis and tobacco-related products, providing choices for those without options nearby, as well as those who are looking for alternatives from what is close to them.

Glass paraphernalia is not nearly as high in demand as flower products, and underrepresentation of glassware by the cannabis industry as a whole has likely contributed to a limited amount of sales. If stores are able to familiarize themselves with glassblowers and their product, then they will be able to better educate consumers about all of their options when considering a smoking device. There needs to be a greater acknowledgment in the cannabis industry of the benefits surrounding high-quality glass pieces in order to sustain a market where people are dedicated to producing unique, quality glassware over mass production.

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BRANDING BUD

T HE BRANDING OF ART, THE ART OF BRANDING WRITER / DAVID PALESCHUCK, MBA, CLS

“BEING GOOD IN BUSINESS IS THE MOST FASCINATING KIND OF ART.” -ANDY WARHOL

E

VER SINCE THE CATHOLIC Church commissioned its 16th century masterpiece—Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel—to market and position itself, brands have been working with artists and using art as a marketing and positioning pivot.

Corporate art now makes up a significant portion of the $64 billion art market. Walk into the lobby of the largest, global brands and you’re likely to see significantly large collections of expensive art. Why? Because art impresses; art communicates; art has impact.

Just as artists have investigated and even exploited the mechanisms of branding, commerce increasingly looks to art for ways to reinforce brand identities. The relationship is not a new one, but seemed to gather momentum in the mid-1980s, a period when contemporary art was enjoying renewed attention and ‘lifestyle’ advertising was also achieving new levels of sophistication.

Clothing labels such as Calvin Klein initiated major campaigns featuring the kind of visual imagery and art photography previously reserved for fashion magazines. Sporting a logo but otherwise devoid of text, these advertisements aligned brand with imagery alone.

Absolut Vodka by Andy Warhol Courtesy Absolut Vodka/Pernod Ricard

In 1985, Absolut Vodka initiated collaborations with contemporary artists. Beginning with Andy Warhol, the campaign went on to showcase the work of dozens of artists; a perfect example of how art can amplify and add value to a brand. The fact that Warhol was chosen to inaugurate the Absolut series makes perfect sense. The man who had given new meaning to soup cans was an obvious candidate for his perspective on a vodka bottle. As Warhol often stated, “Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art.”

SMART PSYCHOLOGY Art makes sense from a psychological perspective too. Art harnesses what Nobel prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman calls our “System 1” mind, our instinctive, intuitive and emotional mind that works by association rather than reason. We see art, and we ‘feel’ it and are moved by it. Art works by emotional association, so it stands to reason that brand-sponsored art that makes us feel good, makes us feel good about the brand as well. This System 1 marketing bypasses our logical but lazy “System 2” mind that we only haul into action when we have to deliberately consider brands, prices and benefits. By connecting with us intuitively and emotionally rather than using persuasion and reason, art represents a marketing ‘direct hit’ to the heart. And as market research continues to confirm, it is this kind of artful System 1 marketing that evokes emotional rather than rational responses and is particularly effective.

BRANDING BUD

“THE BEST WAY TO STAND OUT AS A BRAND TODAY IS TO BUILD YOUR STORY OR IDEA AROUND AN EXISTING PUBLIC ISSUE OR TENSION. IT’S ABOUT BUILDING IDEAS THAT SUPPORT AND/OR BENEFIT FROM CULTURAL CONVERSATIONS. ART HELPS US DO THIS MORE EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY”

THE WAY WE EXPERIENCE ART IS CHANGING Where is art’s place in the future? This is not only an important question for artists, but for brands and marketers as well.

The division between art and technology has dissolved to where concepts from each discipline inform new innovations. As instrumental as art has been for technology influencers, the same can be said in reverse. Technology has triggered change, disruption and evolution across the arts, transforming how we experience everything from fashion, film, music, brands and advertising.

NEW FORMS OF STORYTELLING Tapping into cultural conversations is at the heart of the arts: What makes you think?

What makes you feel? The core principles of the arts haven’t changed, nor will they in the future. What’s in flux is not just how art is experienced, but also how it’s expressed.

THE VALUE OF A BRAND The art market teaches us how valuable a brand can be. And in the world of marketing, the value of brands and branding continue to rise. Why is that so? Because as more and more products and services hit the market, consumers have less and less time to evaluate the merits of individual products. So they just go with the market leader, under the assumption the leading brand is the better product.

Today, consumers think brands instead of products. Heinz® instead of ketchup; Hellmann’s® instead of mayonnaise; Tropicana® instead of orange juice; Campbell’s® instead of canned soup.

That’s exactly what is happening in the art market. Buyers buy brands, not art. The name on the lower right-hand corner of the picture is what’s important. Not the picture itself. Observing brands in contemporary art can be instructive, especially for firms selling services or products with functional benefits that are hard to objectively value.

Other brands, particularly brands that have the potential to deliver social and self-expressive benefits, can learn from the art world. These brands need to find ways to provide reassurance to buyers that they made the right decision—because consumer confidence and loyalty is quite fragile.

“Burton and Eve” for Burton Snowboards by Billi Kid

“WE SEE THE GOODSHIP’S COMBINED MEDIA PLATFORM MORE AS A COLLECTIVE OF SORTS. WE WORK WITH LOCAL ARTISTS TO REITERATE AND REINTERPRET OUR BRAND IN AN AUTHENTIC, REFLECTIVE WAY.” - EILEEN NAMANNY , MARKETING MANAGER AT THE GOODSHIP

CANNABRANDS LEVERAGING THE ARTS A prime example of a cannabrand co-mingling and leveraging art is Seattle’s The Goodship. Founded in 2014 by Jody Hall, owner of Seattle’s most celebrated cupcake bakery and café, Cupcake Royale. Considered a ‘collective’ of sorts, The Goodship considers itself a pioneer in the wild west of legalized cannabis—believing life is beautiful and full of wonder.

Working with influencers (most likely under the influence), The Goodship wants to take heady conversations out of the garage and into a shared community experience.

That’s what inspired The Goodship Academy of Higher Education to present intimate conversations with some of our generations most brilliant minds, covering topics from space travel to re-animation to modernist cuisine.

The goal is to present innovative and revolutionary ideas happening in art, technology, science and philosophy.

The Goodship’s support and participation in the visual art community abounds with commissions to local artists including Kyler Martz; Brad Klausen; Joey Veltkamp; Rosie Edholm; Jed Dunkerley and Megumi Shauna Arai for merchandise artwork; signage artwork; iterations on the company’s logo; as well as poster series featuring lifestyle scenes/sets of stylized photography showing “Life On The Goodship.” “We see The Goodship’s combined media platform more as a collective of sorts. We work with local artists to reiterate and reinterpret our brand in an authentic, reflective way,” shared Eileen Namanny, Marketing Manager at The Goodship.

The Goodship Artwork by Kyler Martz & Brad Klausen Photos by Ben Lindbloom & Megumi Shauna Arai

BACK TO THE FUTU RE So could art become the new standard in brand marketing? Could brand marketers become new patrons of art—commissioning, sponsoring, curating, showcasing artists and using their work as marketing collateral—just as the church did?

It is a much more competitive, complex and global market than in Michelangelo’s time. Still, the concept of building a brand by leveraging art and artists is wholly relevant today. Just as “street art” used to be called “graffiti” and cannabis is now legal, corporations (and more importantly, consumers) are more accepting and keener than ever to access the promotional power of artists and their art. The future of branding is art. The future of art is branding.

David Paleschuck, MBA, CLS is a Seattle-based writer, entrepreneur and marketing expert. He has had a long career in marketing, branding, licensing, and partnership development. He has worked for world-class consumer brands, including American Express, MasterCard, Pepsi and Branding Bud: The Commercialization of Cannabis, available in late 2016. Contact him at david@newleaflicensing.com or on twitter @dpaleschuck.

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F E AT U R E

F E AT U R E

C L AW M O N E Y BILLI KID S K EW V I L L E URNY WRITER / MEGHAN RIDLEY CURATED BY / DAVID PALESCHUCK, MBA, CLS

T

HE NEW YORK CITY STREETS have long been an art gallery. While these expressions of empowerment showcase work not seeking authentication by the masses, mainstream culture now appears to be noticing the movement for its creativity over its criminality. Nonetheless, a love-hate relationship persists concerning the commercialization of these canvases. As artist and curator Billi Kid commented, “Many of these graffiti artists are all so successful now. They did it all by themselves, from the ground up, one step at a time. And now the galleries are coming to them.”

From graffiti writing to gallery walls, this is DOPE Magazine’s look at the artistry adorning the NYC landscape— and the cannabis culture that’s stoking its fire.

THE

STREET

GALLERIES

25

OF

NYC

F E AT U R E

C L AW M O N E Y

VANDAL FOR THE VOICELESS PHOTO / ALEX M. SMITH

Being vulnerable in a way that men can’t understand fueled Claw Money to vandalize by night, ultimately crafting a message of empowerment for young women and the men that love them.

Describe your evolution as a street artist.

I didn’t start writing graffiti to be an artist—even though I still considered myself one. I just wanted to vandalize. I wanted to be a strong female force in a hostile, male-dominated environment. I was bombing at night and working by day in the fashion industry.

15 years ago, I merged the two and Claw Money— the brand—was born.

What are the strongest ways you’ve witnessed street art act as a philanthropic force? What about as degradation?

I’m going to use the term graffiti instead of street art because that’s my heritage. The two are very different and the title matters. Graffiti gives voice to the voiceless. It empowers the powerless. It sends important messages about all kinds of things. Of course one could argue the “broken windows” theory—that it drags a neighborhood down—but in my view, it more so equalizes areas of privilege and adds some much needed color and character to otherwise drab backdrops.

Describe the influence of cannabis on your creative processes in general, or any particular piece of artwork.

All of my art is cannabis influenced! Literally. It’s a prerequisite in my visualization and my execution.

It opens channels of creativity, it unveils new angles and viewpoints. Do I always represent weed literally in my work? No. But it’s there. It’s there.

“I DIDN’T START WRITING GRAFFITI TO BE AN ARTIST—EVEN THOUGH I STILL CONSIDERED MYSELF ONE. I JUST WANTED TO VANDALIZE. I WANTED TO BE A STRONG FEMALE FORCE IN A HOSTILE, MALEDOMINATED ENVIRONMENT.”

F E AT U R E

BILLI KID

COLLABORATIVE GRAFFITI Billi Kid didn’t start out bombing walls or tagging trains. He cultivated his creativity in the marketing world before taking his alter ego to the streets.

Describe your evolution as a street artist.

As a KID, I always dreamed of being involved in contemporary art. I opted for a practical career as a creative in the marketing world. I never regretted that decision and even enjoyed my work, but I never let go of the hope for a second career as an artist and curator. I needed to make a transition and was pushed over the edge by two major influences at the time. The Long Tail by Chris Anderson and my love for the burgeoning graffiti and street art scene in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, over a decade ago.

A path was revealed, I created an alter ego and got to work. First, I balanced my career in marketing with my apprenticeship on the streets. But soon, my passion grew and it became a full-time Jones. I loved it and wanted more—and there still plenty of growth to aspire to. To sharpen my voice as an artist.

Do you see any parallels between cannabis and graffiti/street art cultures?

All around me. The element of danger inherent in cannabis and unsanctioned graffiti is sexy, and we all have a mischievous KID within us. Don’t We?

“HUMANS HAVE BEEN PAINTING WALLS EVER SINCE WE CONCEIVED THE IDEA OF LEAVING AN IMPRESSION OF OURSELVES. IT IS CERTAIN TO CONTINUE.”

What are your thoughts on the positive and negative connotations of the terms ‘graffiti’ and/or ‘street art’?

Humans have been painting walls ever since we conceived the idea of leaving an impression of ourselves. It is certain to continue. In terms of graffiti and street art as a current cultural anomaly, I believe its reaching its zenith. Appropriation is followed by self-parody; that’s the way the cookie crumbles. Not to fear, the talent is growing and art forms will continue to evolve. Perhaps into a new cultural anomaly.

This KID wants to be there too.

F E AT U R E

S K EW V I L L E

REALIZING THE PIPE DREAM When the DEA dropped bombs on the bong industry, twin brothers Ad and Droo of Skewville took their unapologetic artistry to the streets. DOPE had the opportunity to discuss their journey with Ad. What influence has cannabis had on your creative process, or any particular piece of work?

It’s interesting; our whole industry and our bong-making, I would consider an initial art form before it became a product line. In 1999, we approached TBDB Gallery to do an art show and they were like, ‘We can’t show this stuff.’ Then years later, the whole popart and surrealist thing with parody came about, but the whole bong thing was sort of just shunned upon.

The influence of it was that it always was this underground, secretive thing with a selective group of people. And within smoking weed, it created a sense of separating yourself from the mainstream. I think for anyone to be in a creative space, you have to sort of create ahead. The influence of cannabis—you don’t have to smoke it constantly—but I think it’s the lifestyle of that freedom that it creates in order to be creative.

We started another project in 2004, that was ‘Keep on Grass.’ We put up these plaques all around Manhattan and Queens. That was a blatantly obvious weed reference, and we were just trying to do something different on the street.

What cultural parallels do you see between street art and cannabis cultures?

There’s this sort of secret language of street art and the urban art movement, and that kind of visual language is correlated in the cannabis culture as far as being covert; being underground and sort of feeling like you’re a part of something smaller because it’s not the mainstream. Looking at it now, 20 years later, street art is way more mainstream and accepted, and my mom is okay with calling me a street artist. But I’m not sure if she’s ever going to be okay with calling me a ‘bong artist.’ But the fact that we made that kind of stuff—all of it—and feeling like I art directed the fuck out of a lot of design stuff for Skewville, I think it needs to be showcased.

“THE INFLUENCE OF CANNABIS— YOU DON’T HAVE TO SMOKE IT CONSTANTLY—BUT I THINK IT’S THE LIFESTYLE OF THAT FREEDOM THAT IT CREATES IN ORDER TO BE CREATIVE.”

F E AT U R E

URNY

YOU ARE ART

SKI and 2ESAE collectively make up the artistic unit known as URNY. Together, this tag-team exposes the essence of New York, relaying the art of self-expression to the youth along the way.

Describe the influence of cannabis on your creative processes in general, or any particular piece of artwork.

SKI: Cannabis plays a vital role in my creative process in the same way music does when you are trying to fill an empty room with a mood. It’s a spiritual process that ends in creating magic. Whether I’m in my studio or on the streets capturing what moves me through photography, I am always looking for inspiration to translate onto canvas.

2ESAE: Shiiiit good ol’ Mary Jane!! I once wrote a paper in college in which the assignment was ‘Who were your influences growing up?’ Long story short, I summed up the paper by stating, ‘Being under the influence has been my main influence’—a getaway, my stress therapy, a mind opening experience every

time. It slows down this OCD mind and helps keep this artistic mind on track! Cannabis is truly a part of almost every piece of art we create, ashes and all!

What are the strongest ways you’ve witnessed street art act as a philanthropic force?

SKI: A lot of great things are done with street art.

Neighborhoods are beautified, which attracts people and draws attention to media. Fundraisers are held to raise money for those communities. In 2013, UR New York raised over $80,000 for various youth organizations and charities.

2ESAE: Street art and graffiti are very in your face.

Intruding, yet impactful through subtlety and wit.

It’s an act in which anyone can partake! It’s an individual’s voice illegally injected into the veins of our cities—whether a relentless yell or merely a whisper— left on these streets to be digested by anyone and everyone observant enough to receive the broadcast. So whether it be for good or bad, this art form is powerful!

“I ONCE WROTE A PAPER IN COLLEGE IN WHICH THE ASSIGNMENT WAS ‘WHO WERE YOUR INFLUENCES GROWING UP?’ LONG STORY SHORT, I SUMMED UP THE PAPER BY STATING, ‘BEING UNDER THE INFLUENCE HAS BEEN MY MAIN INFLUENCE’—A GETAWAY, MY STRESS THERAPY, A MIND OPENING EXPERIENCE EVERY TIME.”

LIFESTYLE

A H I G H E R L EV E L O F A RT EVENT RECAP OF SEATTLE ART FAIR 2016 WRITER / BRANDON PALMA, ART DIRECTOR

PHOTOS / COURTESY OF SEATTLE ART FAIR

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ANKSY. WARHOL. BASQUIAT. CHIHULY. In the art world, these names command attention and even higher prices for their one-of-a-kind work.

To view one of their works in person can lead a person to wild amazement, a frenzy of inspiration and bring forth an art collector’s mentality.

DOPE Magazine had the wonderful opportunity during the first weekend of August 2016 in Seattle to attend and enjoy the city’s largest art event, the second annual Seattle Art Fair presented by AIG. The Seattle Art Fair featured over 80 prominent, worldwide art galleries and brought them under one roof, where one not only had the opportunity to peruse through amazing artworks, but to also purchase if they so pleased.

For many in Seattle, this was the only opportunity to view such amazing pieces that would make any art collector envious.

Drawing a crowd of folks ranging all ages and backgrounds made for a highly energetic and uplifting show throughout the week. To kick off the Seattle Art Fair, we attended world-renowned artist Takashi Murakami’s (famously known for his bright, Japanese anime style work on collaborations with Louis Vuitton and Kanye West’s 2008 album Graduation) premiere exhibit, Superflat 2.0, alongside Juxtapoz Magazine at the newly opened Pivot + Arts Culture Center in Paul Allen’s new building. Opening night featured some of Seattle’s best dressed as they sipped on wine and adored the magical pieces; while both the art collector and the art lover intermingled in time and space, creating an amazing environment for everyone to enjoy.

World renowned Takashi Murakami and DOPE MAGAZINE Art Director Brandon Palma share a chat about art, hair and creativity! Photo By Jan Domacena

LIFESTYLE

James Clar, BOOM, 2015. Courtesy of Jane Lombard Gallery

Second Photo of Earth as Seen from Lunar Orbit by NASA. 1966, Silver gelatin print on matte fiber paper 17.95 x 22.17 inches

Predictive Dream XLVIX by Katsuyo Aoki. 2014, Porcelain 13.07 x 9.06 x 12.99 inches Photo Courtesy of Jason Jacques Gallery

Wander by Eric Serritella. 2016, Stoneware 31 x 28 x 23 inches Photo Courtesy of Jason Jacques Gallery

Voodoo Mossgirl by Kim Simonsson. 2015, Ceramics, naylon fibre, feathers. Photo Approx. 34 inches Photo Courtesy of Jason Jacques Gallery

Sculptures by Elisabeth Higgins O’ Connor at the Juxtapoz Magazine x Superflat exhibition at the newly opened Pivot Art + Culture in Seattle, WA.

Our most notable gallery of the show was nothing short of dope. Jason Jacques Gallery of New York blew our minds with an amazing collection of original silver gelatin printed photos from NASA (they had the original second photo of Earth from 1966) and form-defying porcelain skull sculptures by artist Katsuyo Aoki. They also had an amazing ceramic branch that was functional as a tea pot (it also looked like the most amazing bong/dab rig).

To have had the opportunity to walk amongst some of the most amazing pieces of imagination captured in time is an artist’s dream and I was truly appreciative of having this event in town.

INSA WRITER / DAVID PALESCHUCK

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PHOTOS & ARTWORK / COURTESEY OF INSA

rtist and designer, INSA, began his career as a graffiti writer, painting streets and buildings as he traveled. INSA’s trademark ‘graffiti fetish’ pattern is now held in the V&A collection, and has been presented at Tate Britain, London. Outside of the UK, INSA has left his mark in major cities around the world including; Tokyo, LA, New York, San Francisco, Luxembourg, Lisbon, Hong Kong, Warsaw, Berlin, Brussels, Montreal and Seattle.

Often touching on polemical issues, INSA’s work unpicks some of the apocryphal stories of today.

Departing from some of the symbols of modern

aspirations, INSA’s visual motifs confront the fetishization of products in modern society, as well as the commodification of success and ambition.

The paradoxical nature of his work questions both his own position as an artist in a consumerist world, and collective ideals in our society.

Also key to INSA’s output is a pervasive sense of irony and self-deprecating humor that has made his work accessible and enjoyable to all kinds of viewers, in many different contexts; from the conventional gallery space to the streets of an inner city neighborhood.

Photo above: Self Reflection Is Greater Than Self Projection

C O V E R F E AT U R E INSA’s early practice—creating high impact and ephemeral works—has undoubtedly informed his experimental approach with new media in recent years. INSA has independently built a veritable empire: encompassing furniture and clothing design, his own high heel company, custom cars and much more. From public installations to large-scale commercial projects, INSA’s works often only appear in very limited editions or for a short amount of time, showing the artist’s continued interest in confounding concepts of time and space, the way in which we process and consume, as well as the transience of objects.

Always keen to push boundaries and innovate further, INSA has gained a huge global following surrounding his work, recently expanding with experiments in social and digital media. His most recent product design—a limited edition release of digital print INSA leggings—sold out in just six minutes through the platforms of Instagram and Twitter.

Another impressive online showing came from his collaboration with Nike. As part of the artist’s ‘swapshop’ project in 2011, fans and followers were asked to propose ‘swaps’ in return for a bootleg INSA x NIKE t-shirt. The offers elicited were astounding—one U.S. citizen bid to name her first-born child after the artist, while other fans were tattooed with INSA artwork to claim their prize.

“MY ART HAS IN MANY WAYS BECOME THE THING IT QUESTIONED IN THE BEGINNING. CONTRADICTION IS KEY TO UNDERSTANDING ONE’S SELF AND THE WORK ONE CREATES.”

Custom Painted Lincoln

Downtown LA Building

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An important facet of INSA’s practice is the ‘GIF-ITI,’ a term the artist coined when he began to create the first ever GIF animations of graffiti work; a meticulous and labor-intensive process often requiring the artist to repaint an entire wall by hand several times.

INSA’s unique GIF-ITI invention has captured audiences by creating street art that paradoxically only exists online. His most recent GIF-ITI creation was a collaborative effort with Stanley Donwood for XL Records, “Hollywood Dooom”; a special commission to celebrate the release of a new album for Atoms for Peace.

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Bespoke Racing Sail

DOPE MAGAZINE: What does INSA mean?

INSA: That’s a question I’m often asked.

Everyone thinks it’s cannabis-related—IN for indica and SA for sativa. I’ve read ‘I’m No Serious Artist’ among other acronyms over the years as well. What’s ironic about that, is that for all the hype and/or desire for there to be a meaning or backstory, the truth is there is no myth, legend or lore behind the name. It’s simply something I liked graphically that had no existing meaning or connotation. I started using INSA when I was 11. Why change it after all these years?

It’s what made me who I am today.

C O V E R F E AT U R E

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DM: There are many similarities between street art and cannabis. From cultivators and artists maintaining their anonymity to the generally non-accepted and anti-establishment themes the two communities share. What parallels do you see between the two?

INSA: The experiences shared between growers and street artists are very similar.

Those that never thought they would see their activities and lifestyle become accepted, let alone legal, in their lifetime.

When I was a kid doing graffiti, no one ever thought it would turn into a real line of work; allowed or even accepted. I grew up as a criminal in a subculture where we stole our paint; our food; rode the trains for free; slept during the day just to smoke, paint or bomb at night.

And now my art is legitimized and accepted, yet I’m still doing the same thing as I’ve always done. The same activity that put me in jail for my 21st birthday now supports my family and flies me first class around the world.

I can imagine there are growers, producers and shop owners that grew, produced and/or sold as teenagers and now find their work legitimized under the new laws. In many senses, there are many direct parallels.

To press the point of acceptance further, many of my contemporaries and peers are now in a place where they can afford to purchase art. And since they grew up with graffiti and are comfortable with it, they are more likely to purchase art that is in tune with their life and generation, rather than an old oil painting that doesn’t connect to them. The acceptance has purely grown with age. The more prolific and omnipresent graffiti becomes, the more it’s appreciated, the more it becomes a [generational] celebrated art form.

DM: How has notoriety and fame changed your art?

INSA: It’s hard to tell. In some ways I’m more aware of my audience because my projects keep getting bigger. Bigger projects mean more viewers and sponsors. It has increased my output because of the demand for my work and pushes me to go harder and bigger.

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DM: How does art differ from street art?

INSA: To me it’s all the same, really. It’s just the location of where it sits and its accessibility to the public; and because of who views it, perhaps that changes its perceived value in society. I consider myself an artist that paints in the street.

In many ways I like to look at my art as ‘bondage of buildings.’ Fetishizing public space in deliberate, overt, hyper-sexualized ways creates the desire for ownership and consumerism. Much like a Louis Vuitton pattern, we’ve been taught to focus on the outer layer. So whether it’s limited edition leggings or a custom hand-painted car, my work focuses on the juxtaposition of luxury and lust and how that fits with our socialization to want and desire inanimate objects and consumer goods over deep enriching relationships.

My art has in many ways become the thing it was questioning in the beginning.

Contradiction is key to understanding one’s self and the work one creates.

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DM: Is designing for products & brands different than painting and/ or creating for yourself?

INSA: In many ways it’s not all that different because I choose my projects carefully.

Everything I create must have relevance to my life and my work. Nothing is without conceptual thinking and reasoning as to why it exists in my artistic world.

Design has guidelines and creative limitations with a specific outcome in mind. If I find myself stifled in the design, I’ll find my creativity and flow in the process. I’ve been very fortunate in that I’ve taken on projects that allow for my creative freedom, expression and satisfaction.

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DM: As a street artist, what communities do you participate in and hangout with? Who do you identify yourself with?

INSA: As much as my work is a contradiction, so too are the people I surround myself with. From international artists to close friends and family, my life is pretty compartmentalized. You could call it self-loathing, but who wants to be around people just like themselves all the time?

When I’m around people different than myself, I’m able to express my individuality more. I have my communities and circles I travel in. Some are artists; some are smokers; some are none of the above. I seek out good people; nice people.

DM: What projects have you recently worked on? What’s coming up for you?

INSA: Recently I’ve been traveling quite a bit for my work including projects for Pepsi, Netflix and Nike, among others. There’s a slight shift from my original work in some ways. I’m now looking at the relationships between the globe, space, time and the relevance of existence.

DM: What are your goals as an artist?

INSA: In my twenties, as a feminist who overtly used the female form to call out its exploitation; and an anti-capitalist with a closet full of Nikes. I’m the first to admit I’m full of contradictions.

However, as I get older and now have a family, my focus has turned toward our place and time on earth. The relevance of our existence has all of a sudden taken on new meaning—and the time continuum of infinity versus mortality plays a major role in my life and work at this time.

Aroma and Resin Enricher

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B R A N C H I N G B E YO N D I L L E GA L I T Y WRITER / DAVID BAILEY

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OOKING BEYOND ASSOCIATED STEREOTYPES and political agendas, the plant itself is purely beautiful. From the cornucopia of colors to the stacks of resin laden buds that glisten with the swaying breeze, cannabis represents so much through its simple elegance. It’s no wonder humans were attracted to it long before present-day discussions regarding seizure treatment and legality were on the table.

Growing and harvesting cannabis has existed alongside human culture almost as long as written history. Making everything from rope to medicine, the majority of our interest, traditionally, in cannabis has been in its uses not its cultivation. Until the involvement of legalities, cannabis was seen as just another plant used for purposes of agriculture.

Despite our history, cannabis quickly went from something we grew alongside our corn crops to a plant whose presence could land you in the slammer. The culture of peacefully growing at home shifted to high-security and high stakes almost overnight. Through the lens of the War on Drugs, gardeners were suddenly seen as ruthless drug kingpins. The frustrations growers endured during illegality, have ironically resulted in more successful growing practices.

GRAPHIC / JAN DOMACENA

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Forced to grow in hiding, the plant’s true potential was realized. Some of the greatest and most prolific successes and advancements in the plant’s history spawned from the treacherous environment where growers were forced to hide.

Guerilla growing marked the beginning of an adventure.

If you yourself have ever started a grow or read the first few chapters of a grow bible, you have some appreciation for what it takes. Though this was the first step out of backyards, growing in random, low access locations doesn’t result in the dank of today. Some of today’s famed growers got their start with low risk, minimal maintenance gardens. These hidden gems were one step on the path towards the legal grow operations we have today.

Improvements in indoor climate control and lighting technology opened up new opportunities for indoor growers. While NASA was trying to grow food in space, cannabis growers saw an opportunity to keep the grow close to home and protected from outsiders. Mastering an indoor climate is a completely different ball game and even the most minute details cannot be overlooked. Controlling temperature, humidity and even wind direction are in the hands of the growers. The ability to optimize the environment offers exponential opportunities that simply can’t be found in a natural environment. Feeding regimens, soil and soilless mediums, lighting cycles, and best of all, controlled breeding saw vast improvements during the 40-year history of clandestine growing.

Where tomato and potato growers attempt to minimize any nutrient use to maximize their already slim margins, illegal cannabis offered seemingly endless margins that could be heftily reinvested. Pushing the boundaries of nutritional uptake through bacterial and fungal inoculants, faster draining soils and heavy air circulation changed the game. What was discovered? Shockingly, cannabis can consume a considerably larger amount of nutrients than most vegetables and its growth excels at a comparable rate. Bigger, healthier plants in the same time not only boosted larger yields, but also increased profits!

I like to think the drug kingpin stereotype that surrounds cannabis growers is on its way out, even in states where it isn’t legal yet. Focusing on growing the plant we all know and love is where our inventions and successes have been incubating.

We’re just learning the true medicinal potential surrounding cannabis and who knows what growing gaps we have yet to unearth. The potential for knowledge is huge and we have only just begun the legal journey.

Don’t get left behind.

Go cashless. Pay with Hypur.

@gethypur

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ROLLING PAPERS ART, TYPOGRAPHY AND CULTU RAL INFLUENCE WRITER / ANDREA LARSON

PHOTO / COURTESY OF PAUL ELLIS & MARK NELSON OF CIGPAPERS.CO.UK

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La Joconda Rolling Papers, Made In Brazil

OLLING PAPERS HAVE A long and complicated history, as many coveted and historically sought after luxuries often do. You don’t have to look far to unearth a debate on the origin of rolling papers or how rolling paper booklets came to be. A quest to unearth the truth has been a treasure hunt littered with roadblocks. Rolling paper booklets, the contents designed to carefully cradle your tobacco or flower, showcase incredibly colorful, beautiful and notably historic illustrations and typography. While consensus on some historical aspects of rolling paper remain dubious, one thing can be said for sure—the rolling paper industry, and the artists and craftsmen behind the scenes, have been a powerful force in shaping illustrative branding as we know it today.

Canela Rolling Papers, Made In Spain

FRO M C U BA TO T H E ROLLING PAP E R B O O K L E T –A B R IEF HISTORY A certain explorer known for traveling in a trifecta of ships brought cigars, and many of the favorable aspects of smoking them, back to Spain. Cigars were coveted and rare in Europe—only elite groups were able to luxuriate in the thick, encompassing smoke. Despite the high cost and demand of imported cigars, the less fortunate found ways to partake.

Discarded cigar butts, rolled in leafy foliage, were plucked from the streets, taken apart and re-rolled within tiny newspaper scraps. At this time in Europe, the ink used in newspaper printing processes was crafted from materials such as heavy metals, lamp soot, turpentine, walnut oil, etc.—surely not

the healthiest of ingredients for inhalation.

This was really the first step in the need and desire for the production of rolling papers.

When these re-rolled cigar innards, which came to be known as cigarettes, made their way to Alcoy, Spain, paper artisans were quick to produce paper sheets designed for rolling up the tobacco. Initially large, these paper sheets had to be inconveniently torn or cut to size by the smokers themselves. The tear-to-size sheets persisted for nearly two hundred years through the end of the 1700s until a Dominican Priest, Father Jaime Villanueva Estingo, designed the first rolling paper booklets—a single serving design.

“DISCARDED CIGAR BUTTS, ROLLED IN LEAFY FOLIAGE, WERE PLUCKED FROM THE STREETS, TAKEN APART AND RE-ROLLED WITHIN TINY NEWSPAPER SCRAPS.”

Leon Victory Rolling Papers, Manila, Phillipines, Made In Spain

Competit io n Births Branding – th e Rolling Pa per Race Factories in Alcoy and Barcelona attempted to outpace one another in a rolling paper rivalry. This often fierce competition launched brands still seen today. Bambú, an Alcoy-based product, is very much alive and well in the 21st century, having received notable cultural references—think Notorious B.I.G.’s Juicy lyrics, Method Man’s lyrics, “All praise is due: I’m big like Easy: And Big Bambú” or Cheech and Chong’s second album, Big Bambú. The reality, as any branding expert may well agree, is that making a quality product isn’t enough when competition is fierce.

You have to separate your product from the herd—give the consumer reason to select your offerings over that of your competitors.

Many rolling paper brands who found pride in smart marketing through typography or printing methods persist today, and you don’t have to look very far to find them.

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“Basrawi No 32 ” Rolling Papers from Iraq.

“Fabrica de Alcoy” Rolling Papers, Made in Spain

A n Industry C atapulted by Artistry

Graphics , Illustrat io n & Com m erce

A quick search online of rolling paper booklets leads to a myriad of new, old, rare and interesting collections. There is no denying the illustrative and typographical beauty of these works of art.

Graphics and design have played a momentous role in the rolling paper industry. Artists gave rolling paper booklets identity and consumers found themselves aligned with brands whose booklet resonated on a personal level. The iconography alone is representative of the time in which the booklet was born.

Promotional illustrations depicting images of far off lands, exotic women, dapper men dressed in suits and liquor brands were used to capture the attention of the consumer. A brand using an artist’s work to drive home sales, this day and age, is old hat; however, harnessing this power in the 1800s was quite the feat as reproducing art wasn’t as accessible and manageable.

Don’ t u n dere stim ate t he power of t ypography “Clac” Long Folder Style Booklet

“Heutsz” Colorful Square Style Booklet, 1920’s, Penang & Singapore. Made in Nederland India

Rolling paper typography, old and new, is as integral to the booklet as the colors and vivid illustrations. The skills of the dedicated typographer have been a necessary aspect of both the printing process and advertising for centuries. Typography’s role in the consumer’s decision reaches deeper than most of us are aware. Communicating messages through the “visual language” of typography has allowed artists to give “characters significance by carefully selected typography,” suggests Cal Swan, author of Language and Typography. Used to convey tone, personality, mood and gender, typography has the ability to evoke emotions in consumers that they themselves may be unaware of. Those responsible for designing the lettering used on historic rolling paper booklets can be credited as typographers who truly understood the power of communicating messages through visual language.

“Vogue” Brand, Canada

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J◊B , Rolling Papers Poster By Alphonse Mucha

A B r a nd Harne sse s t h e A l lure of an Artist Subscribers of, and the artists behind, the Art Nouveau era, attempting to modernize design, influenced the industry in exceptional ways. Alphonse Maria Mucha, a Czech painter, celebrated femininity through his work.

His most famous image, while not on a rolling paper booklet, was a poster for J◊B rolling papers commissioned in 1896. A woman with flowing locks pinned up by a crimson beaded ornamental hair comb casually rests her elbow atop her knee. With eyes closed, her face exudes pleasure as plum-tinted smoke floats in the background. At the time, this poster was suggestively risqué—women of the time, especially those who were well off, were not

often seen smoking in public nor did they get away with the hairstyle depicted in this poster. The golden-wheat hued mosaic-inspired edge work is reminiscent of the Byzantine era.

This beautiful woman was Mucha’s attempt to cater a luxury good to a wide audience.

It worked.

The next time you pull a crisp sheet of your favorite rolling paper from its tiny cardboard home, take a moment to reflect on its origins.

As consumers in the 21st century, we have a tendency to forget that the simple luxuries we have come to enjoy were not always so simple or readily available. So sit back, relax, smoke and don’t forget to appreciate the journey.

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O PHE L IA C HONG:

PHOTOGRAPHY, RACE AND ART IN TH E CANNABIS INDUSTRY WRITER / ANDREA LARSON

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N INSTRUCTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, Co-founder of Asian Americans for Cannabis Education and Founder of StockPot Images, Ophelia Chong offers DOPE Magazine valuable insight into what it means to create and advocate on behalf of cannabis art in 2016. Her diligent advocacy in the realm of art and cannabis aren’t going unnoticed. DOPE Magazine was fortunate enough to discuss the often perplexing and stigmatized relationship between cannabis and art, as our discussion tapped into topics such as race, gender and public perception.

PHOTO / © JOSH FOGEL / STOCKPOT IMAGES

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PHOTOGRAPHY…

Photo by Linka A. Odom

RACE IN TH E CANNABIS INDUSTRY… Ophelia Chong has opened up new lines of communication regarding race and the normalization of cannabis. When I asked her why Asian Americans were under or misrepresented in the cannabis industry, she offered me a comparison between Latinos, African and Asian Americans.

Latinos have been at the epicenter of the drug war as long as it’s taken place. There is the issue of Latino deaths related to the War on Drugs and issues surrounding its legalization. You’ll find similar atrocities in many communities of color where drug culture persists. Shootings, high numbers of arrests and incarceration—these have been the historical and modern day outcomes of the relationships between people of color and illegal substances. Asian Americans typically land quietly on the other end of the spectrum—often raised as the ‘model’ ethnic group. They are the quiet group, “they don’t make too much noise,” they go to school and live under an umbrella of expectations.

Within the cannabis industry, Asian Americans typically play ancillary roles. Take David Hua, one of the founders of a San Francisco tech startup company called Meadow. Meadow allows medical card carriers in the Bay Area to peruse local dispensaries and place orders for delivery through Meadow. The business sits in an ancillary position to the actual production of cannabis. Meadow is a tech company—it doesn’t actually have its hands in the process of growing or selling cannabis. To state that Asian Americans play auxiliary roles is not a rule, of course, and like any large-scale observation, there are exceptions to the rule. Hua’s relationship with cannabis is not under wraps and he’s been very open about it.

Hua attended an Oakland-based cannabis college, Oaksterdam University, during which time his desire to begin a cannabis-related business was further developed.

“There are few Asian Americans, especially women, who have made themselves visible in the [cannabis] industry,” Ophelia added. Krystal Kitahara, a Women Grow member, is one exception. As the CEO of Yummi Karma, Kitahara has expressed a keen interest in bringing edibles to the forefront of everyday dining. Yummi Karma features chips, sauces and salad dressings to canna-consumers. She attributes the success of Yummi Karma to its female-centered appeal and design.

I asked Ophelia if any of her students were willing to associate their name with their cannabis-inspired photography. It is often times the case that photographers who capture cannabis in their work will use a pen name, just as a writer would, in an effort to keep their cannabis-related work on the down low. Anonymity remains a very common practice as the majority of artists fear revealing their identity may keep them from obtaining work outside of the cannabis industry. Ophelia was quick to share the names of artists who proudly associate themselves with their cannabis-inspired photographs.

Ezekiel Williams, a former student, shares pictures of his parents in their home. His mom reading on her bed with the family dog, casually puffing on a joint. Images of his dad smoking outside his garage, a hard hat and extension cords in the background, are also featured in Ezekiel’s collection. Linus Shentu captures his gleeful grandmother tending to her garden—the forefront speckled with cannabis plants; in the background ripe oranges weigh down gargantuan tree limbs.

When I asked Ophelia what aspect of cannabis-related photography was missing from the industry, her response revolved around women, empowerment and authenticity. She referenced Nike, the Winged Goddess of Victory. Representing victory, strength and speed, Nike has held a quiet but strong presence in mythology. Chong’s desire to see more images of empowered women was palpable. Her creation of StockPot photography came after a disappointing search online of cannabis-related images.

The images of women that surfaced were not necessarily representative of female cannabis users and, in fact, were most often images that only perpetuate long-held, stereotypical beliefs. There is nothing wrong with a beautiful, half-dressed woman blowing smoke from her perfectly painted mouth, but when these are the only images that are made available, that’s a problem. Less white-washing and a greater need for more authentic images were common themes during our conversation as well.

The photographer, Linus Shentu, captures his grandmother in her garden.

I N T E RV I EW

BUILDING AN LGBTQ STOCKPOT GALLERY…

WOMEN IN TH E CANNABIS INDUSTRY…

People are quick to compare the struggles of LGBTQ communities with those fighting for the normalization of cannabis. This may very well be attributable to the fact that the LGBTQ community was one of the first to fight tooth-and-nail for the right to medicate with cannabis. Discussing the challenges of building this library for StockPot with Ophelia was eye-opening. One of the hurdles that has surfaced relates to privacy and acceptance. “As a photographer, asking a cannabis user to pose as a cannabis user is, well, difficult in and of itself. Asking a cannabis user who identifies as LGBTQ is, in many ways, asking that individual to come out to the public in two ways,” she shared. You can find photographs on StockPot Images of Jay Jackson, who you may know as LaGANJA Estranja—a cannabis advocate, musician and drag queen who competed in the seventh season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Ophelia stated that she has been diligent in her efforts to keep images of the LGBTQ community in the hands of editorial clients. She is very strict on where the images go, how they can be used and under which light they are placed.

The cannabis industry has allowed women to spearhead many well-deserved leadership roles. Women hold more executive positions in the business than what is the norm for other comparable industries. Ophelia and I threw our ideas back and forth as to what we thought attributed to these numbers. The plant itself is female and this mere fact, while maybe just a remarkable concurrence, feels to Ophelia slightly serendipitous.

“As gatherers, collectors, nurturers and tenders of the garden, women have often found pride and a sense of self in feeding, medicating and caring for the people they love through food. Cannabis, in this sense, is no different,” she expressed. It sends a little tingle down my arm and makes the hairs stand on end when she makes note of this during our phone call. Women, have a tendency to take on the role of caregiver—this is not to say that other genders do not. Many of us can think of remarkable people who, despite whatever gender with which they may identify, act as praise-worthy caregivers. Women maintain a sense of softness in this industry, making it one in which people feel welcome, loved and proud to be a part of.

CHANGING PUBLIC PERCEPTION… I asked Ophelia which industry she felt had the most power to steer public perception. Her quick response was mainstream media. She referenced Dr. Sanjay Gupta and his attempts to bring cannabis-related information to the masses. In the summer of 2013, Gupta and CNN released WEED, a documentary featuring weed research, its medicinal uses and effects on the brain. There is no doubt that Gupta faced criticism for his stance, but in embarking upon the journey, he shed light on many of the serious questions related to the study of the plant. “It will take powerful media influencers in unison with collective, consistent and accurate research and development to alter many of the long-held falsities and shame often associated with cannabis,” Ophelia explained.

TH E VALUE OF PHOTOGRAPHY IN TH E DIGITAL AGE… Our ability to share information effortlessly through online resources has in many ways been detrimental to artists like photographers. While the number of people who see and share an artist’s work has likely increased, compensation has been slowly declining for the last two decades. In a time where many aspects of our lives are disposable, the value of art has seen its hardships. StockPot Images offers its featured photographers fair compensation for their work, and strives to give value to the process, skill and passion that lives behind the camera. Ophelia and I ended our discussion talking about cannabis art. Whether your art directly involves images of cannabis or whether you use the plant as a source of inspiration is dependent upon the individual—and as you’ll read in this issue, there are many artists who opt to abstain.

NEWS

DO P E S P E A K S O U T WRITER / KELLY VO

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HY DO WE LOVE CANNABIS? The stories speak for themselves. You don’t have to search far or wide to find a cannabis patient that can tell an amazing testimony of a life changed by the plant. For the last year, we’ve been sharing these stories through our #End420Shame campaign.

Since September 2015, we’ve talked to dozens of individuals who’ve found a new lease on life thanks to cannabis. Our conversation with Ray Mirzabegian, a desperate father who watched his young daughter endure thousands of seizures before cannabis saved her and our chat with Jake Scallan, a disabled Air Force vet who suffered from severe PTSD until cannabis gave him his life back. Both testimonies offer up evidence of the power of the plant.

We’ve been astounded by the stories of real people using cannabis to live and lead better lives.

Now, it’s our turn!

At DOPE, we’re not just writers, photographers, editors, advertisers or business people. We’re cannabis lovers who are working on the front lines to shed light on this powerful industry, one story and one person at a time. We’ve seen it all, and it’s time to share our thoughts.

We’ve been campaigning against discrimination since the beginning. Everyday people still face criminal charges and negative attention because they choose to use cannabis, and DOPE employees aren’t exempt.

NEWS

“I was strip searched during an attempt to travel to Canada in 2012,” shared Meghan Ridley, DOPE’s Lead Writer. “I repeatedly assured the Border Patrol agents that I had no cannabis on my person, but that I was an MMJ patient and worked for DOPE Magazine. They proceeded to go through all of my belongings, including my electronics. Following their search, they informed me that they had, ‘Reason enough to believe that I was trafficking drugs,’ and that my entrance into their country would require a strip search. Their strip search went so far as to require removal of my tampon. Ultimately, they found no drugs. However, I was still denied entrance into Canada, due to my statement that, ‘I may consume cannabis while in their country.’”

As for James Zachodni, a Partner and Chief Branding Officer at DOPE, he hasn’t witnessed discrimination first hand, but he often ends up consuming alone because his inner circle of friends prefers alcohol to cannabis. However, “I believe once people have a better understanding of it, along with the stigma of it dissipating, we will have a truly general acceptance like a glass of wine.”

There’s no doubt that we still need to #End420Shame and the first step is education. Take a look at what DOPE employees have to say about cannabis and legalization.

“PEOPLE IN THIS INDUSTRY ARE NOT EVIL AND CORRUPT, THEY ARE FIGHTING FOR A PEACE MOVEMENT THAT GOES WELL BEYOND THE PLANT— INCLUSION AND TOGETHERNESS IN MAINSTREAM MEDIA, NOT CHAOS AND WAR.” —MICHELLE GLASSMAN, COLORADO STATE DIRECTOR

Q

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What’s the most important thing you want someone to know about cannabis?

“It’s just a plant.”

—Ashleigh Castro, Photographer, Content Coordinator and Office Manager

Q

A

Q

A Q

A

How have you seen cannabis help someone?

“When I was younger a family friend used cannabis to help her cancer recovery.”

—Glace Bondeson, Digital Director “I have a ton of stories: friends who’ve used cannabis after pregnancy to help with postpartum and even elderly family members who have been on prescription drugs that can now say they finally have a sense of relief.”

—Michelle Glassman, Colorado State Director “I have, and it ranges from medical issues to anxiety. I think that’s the beautiful thing about cannabis, it’s a unique experience for each person. Everyone has their own rhyme or reason behind using it, and I know the way it helps me isn’t the same as other people. It’s such an individualized thing, but with so many potential positives; from aiding pain relief and anxiety to promoting creativity and new perspectives.”

—Kinsey Litton, Corporate Office Manager

“Cannabis is without a doubt one of the most significant medical and economic milestones of our generation and legitimizing it means bringing credibility to an industry that has been thriving for generations. We need to recognize the plants benefits as a united front to bring patients and consumers a product that is safe, and has had as much medical research, as current pharmaceuticals on the market. Cannabis becoming legal is also important to other social movement conversations. Our country as used the plant as a scape goat to perpetuate racism and stereotypes for too long. Let’s remove the excuses so we can ask the real questions!”

—Abigail Ross, Content Director “Cannabis, like many other natural herbs has healing effects and benefits when consumed (smoked, vaped, applied topically or ingested). Most think that ‘anything cannabis’ is psychotropic (causing a ‘high’). That’s simply NOT true. Cannabis has many components and isolates (CBD for example) that are beneficial to humans and cause no psychotropic effects. It’s time we looked to science for answers and served those patients that require medicine, breaking stoner stereotypes. Cannabis, when used responsibly, has great healing and mind-opening effects. Take care of the plant and it will take care of you.”

—David Paleschuck, VP of Licensing & Brand Partnerships

“People in this industry are not evil and corrupt, they are fighting for a peace movement that goes well beyond the plant—inclusion and togetherness in mainstream media, not chaos and war.”

—Michelle Glassman, Colorado State Director “Cannabis’ value to the world as an eco-friendly resource and raw material is endless.

—Zachary Holland, Editor

Why do you think cannabis should be legalized?

What is the most ridiculous reason for cannabis’ classification as illegal?

“The failure to properly educate the public on cannabis has allowed decade old stigmas, based on irrational fears, to persist.”

—Andrea Larson, Editor “Big business and money have always dictated modern society’s acceptance of things. It’s sad that political agendas can make something as harmless as cannabis and hemp illegal for no reason. Textile and agriculture industries were the reason hemp was made illegal originally. Big-pharma, along with other large corporations that will feel a financial hit from cannabis becoming legal, are currently the main opponents of legalization.”

—James Zachodni, Partner and Chief Branding Officer

If you have an #End420Shame story to share, we’d love to hear from you! Contact us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or Snapchat (DOPE_Magazine) or send an email to kellyv@ dopemagazine.com.

E D I TO R ’ S C H O I C E

A R E A L PAGE B U R N E R C AN N AB IS D E LIV E RY R EWR ITTEN WITH THE MBOX WRITER / ABIGAIL ROSS, CONTENT DIRECTOR

PHOTO / MARK COFFIN

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ARGE BOOKS CAN BE INTIMIDATING in their thickness, the big ideas within them can be hard to swallow. Don’t let the MBox fool you though—it’s more of a page burner than a page turner.

We didn’t know what the MBox was when it first arrived. Impeccably wrapped and stamped with a wax seal, the packaging wasn’t indicative of a cannabis product at first glance. Removing the paper and opening what appeared to be a book, however, the MBox revealed a cornucopia of exactly that.

Make no mistake, the assortment of goods is not your weekly stash or monthly supply. By moving away from a consumption model, MBox is able to curate a complete cannabis experience for their customers—rather than simply send them chronic.

Each month has a theme for which their talented team carefully chooses the finest plants and products for, leaving MBox to rewrite the books that’ve long defined cannabis.

Learn more @ joinclubm.com

An investigation and other emergency measures ensued after authorities in the tiny town of Hugo, Colorado said they had found THC in the drinking water.

Cannabis activists quickly called the findings unlikely since THC would be immediately visible in the water.

Screening stations were set up for residents and clean water was trucked in. Hugo has no marijuana businesses and the state was unable to confirm the finding.

WRITER / ALEX HALPERIN OF WEED WEEK ILLUSTRATOR / JOSHUA BOULET

Marijuana didn’t make much of an appearance at the Democratic or Republican conventions. While criminal justice reform was a constant refrain among Democrats, the plant was not mentioned by any major speaker. Even pro-cannabis politicians like Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, didn’t bring it up.

The Dems’ platform supports a “reasoned pathway” legalization while the GOP’s does not support MED, a position at odds with many in the party. Cannabis reform activists had an active presence in Philly

In November, California will vote on the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, which would legalize cannabis in one of the world’s ten largest economies and pressure Washington D.C. to reform cannabis policy. Despite the huge milestone this would mark, it remains unpopular with some in the industry.

Hezekiah Allen, executive director of the California Growers Association, explained his ambivalence, “The initiative is decidedly more friendly to big business and will lead to rapid consolidation of the industry.”

In Colorado, a study found the number of young children exposed to marijuana, mostly through edibles, is up 150 % since 2014.

Legalization opponents seized on the figure, but journalists pointed out that the risks associated with children ingesting marijuana remain small: “Of every 1,000 poison control cases for kids under 10 in the state, only 2.3 are marijuana related, less than for energy drinks, toothpaste and diaper cream.”

Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential choice, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, agrees with her that he wants to wait and see how state REC experiments go before making up his mind. He’s also an advocate of criminal justice reform. Donald Trump’s veep pick, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, is a social conservative who has shown interest in increasing punishments for cannabis-related offenses and escalating the War on Drugs in Mexico.

The IRS is auditing 30 Colorado pot companies, mainly related to large cash deposits. (Cannabis companies still struggle to find bank accounts.) Criminal charges may follow. “State cannabis statutes do not have any impact on federal tax law when determining allowable expenses for income tax purposes,” the agency’s director of collections policy said. One accountant told Inc. Magazine that he believes the IRS is trying to squeeze as much as it can from the industry while it’s still federally illegal.

Research coming out of Germany suggests that Bronze Age Yamnaya tribespeople were transporting cannabis across Asia 5,000 years ago. The Yamnaya were horse-riding, cattle-herding nomads who traveled along what later became the Silk Road. As they expanded westward into Europe, evidence suggests that they spread information about growing the plant and potentially knowledge about its psychoactive and medicinal properties. One journalist wrote that the cannabis trade may have been an, “Important factor in broadening Bronze-Age horizons and laying the foundations for European civilization.”

T R AV E L

T H E T R A D I T I O NA L H AS H I S H S O N G S O F GR E E C E WRITER & PHOTOS / SESHATA

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ANY OF US HAVE visited the ancient and beautiful land of Greece, and most visitors will at some point have treated themselves to live performances by traditional musicians in bars and tavernas.

Many will have heard the sounds of εμπέτικο (rebetiko), which is a particularly beautiful musical tradition—but very few know its history, and fewer still know of its deep association with hashish use.

So I’ve come to Greece’s ancient capital city, Athens, to find out more about this unique phenomenon.

It’s eight in the evening and still well over 95 degrees as we take our table, in a taverna hidden in one of the myriad, winding alleyways that surround Monastiraki Square. The air is thick and the aroma of meat and spices fills my nostrils as the first plaintive notes of the bouzouki, an ancient stringed instrument similar to a lyre, shimmer through the darkness.

Vanessa, my guide for the evening, begins to relate the story of rebetiko to me, the ululating voices of the two singers providing a harmonious backdrop to her softly-accented speech.

Rebetiko originated in the coastal cities of Greece and Asia Minor during the time of the Ottoman Empire. Throughout Ottoman times, large numbers of Greeks inhabited the region of Western Anatolia, particularly in the city of Smyrna (now known as Izmir) and its surrounding area.

For centuries, Christian Orthodox Greeks and Ottoman Muslims lived side-by-side in relative harmony in Western Anatolia—and in Greece itself, which also had a sizeable population of resident Ottomans. The Greeks in Anatolia were by many accounts well-integrated, and important contributors to the economy.

Intermarriage between the two faiths was not uncommon, and while differences certainly existed, there was a great degree of cultural admixture—one ancient Ottoman tradition certainly enjoyed by many was that of the smoking of hashish. It was in this environment that rebetiko first developed, and its sound is fundamentally influenced by both Greek and Turkish traditions.

However, the region was to suffer devastating turbulence throughout the first World War, and in the subsequent years, the defeated Ottoman Empire, an ally of Germany, collapsed entirely. From its ashes was to emerge a new, secular Turkish state, with the legendary Mustafa Kemal Ataturk at the helm.

The Ottoman Empire had controlled vast swathes of territory with millions of subjects of vastly different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and while it maintained relative peace between its subjects during its exis-

T R AV E L tence, harmony was never total. Many poor rural Ottomans resented the Christian Greeks in Anatolia, who were generally better-educated and more prosperous. Elsewhere in the Empire, the Christian Armenian and Assyrian populations had long complained of discrimination and rough treatment at the hands of the ruling Ottomans.

In 1914, as the first World War broke out, the Ottoman government began a systematic attempt to ethnically cleanse the Empire of all potential “threats” to national security.

Newly-created “Special Organization Units” attacked Greek villages, forcing the residents out of their homes and leaving them with little option but to flee Ottoman territory for the eastern Greek Islands.

As the Empire collapsed, law and order began to break down entirely, and religious and political violence intensified. Then, in 1919, Greece launched an invasion into Anatolia, beginning three years of brutal, bloody war between the two nations. The new Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was not unprepared however, and had been hard at work—stabilizing what remained of the armed forces, and arming citizen militias under the banner of Turkish nationalism.

The armed forces on both sides swept through the Anatolian countryside, destroying countless villages, setting fire to crops,

“SOME OF THE EARLY GREAT REBETIKO MUSICIANS, SUCH AS MARCOS VAMVAKARIS, ACTUALLY OWNED AND OPERATED THEIR OWN HASHISH CAFÉS, AND IN THESE SMOKY, DARK ROOMS, SOME OF THE MOST LEGENDARY SONGS OF THE GENRE WERE COMPOSED.”

raping and murdering villagers and townsfolk as they went. At this point, many of the remaining Greeks of Asia Minor had fled, desperate and destitute, or been killed either in their homes or during the attempt to flee.

Eventually, after countless atrocities on both sides, an armistice was reached in 1922.

In 1923, the governments of Greece and the new nation of Turkey agreed to collectively perpetrate yet another atrocity – the forced expulsion of up to 1.5 million Christians from Turkey, and up to 500,000 Muslims from Greece.

The Christians that were sent to Greece settled en masse in the coastal cities of Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Volos and elsewhere. Although stripped of their possessions and property, they nonetheless brought their Turkish language, culture and traditions with them—and those traditions included both the smoking of hashish and the playing and singing of rebetiko.

At that time, Greece was a significant exporter of hashish (mainly produced in the southern Peloponnese region), so the new arrivals were certainly able to access it—which no doubt served as an important reminder of their homeland, and as some consolation in being torn from it.

Over the following decades, the newcomers

established themselves in these poor, overcrowded port cities. Having arrived with no wealth or property, and faced with discrimination from native Greeks, they were destined to lives of poverty and hardship. Use of drugs—primarily hashish, but also opium and cocaine—became endemic, along with prostitution and violent crime.

The musical styles of rebetiko began to symbolize the struggle of these urban, poverty-stricken populations. The image of the μάγκας (mangas) began to emerge—a working class male, an outlaw or rebel with a belligerent attitude and a characteristic style of dress, ready for a fight, a drink or to smoke a hashish-filled hookah. This mangas character remains closely associated with rebetiko music to this day.

Some of the early great rebetiko musicians, such as Marcos Vamvakaris, actually owned and operated their own hashish cafés, and in these smoky, dark rooms, some of the most legendary songs of the genre were composed.

Groups of musicians would get together and compose lyrics and melodies on-the-spot, giving the songs a rough, raw quality and undeniable emotional depth.

T R AV E L This is perhaps one of the most beautiful and haunting of the classic hashish songs of rebetiko, along with the English translation:

Ο μαστούρας (Σαν μαστουριάσω) – Markos Vamavakaris, 1934 Σαν μαστουριάσω και γίνω λειώμ’ από τη μαστούρα, ξεχν’ όλα μου τα βάσανα κι όλη μου τη σκοτούρα. Με πίκρες και με βάσανα με προίκισεν η φύση, κι όλα περνούν και χάνονται μόνο με το χασίσι. Κι έτσι ησυχάζω και περνώ κι ευφραίνω το κορμί μου απ’ τη μαστούρα την πολλή που `χω στη κεφαλή μου. Εγώ μάγκας γεννήθηκα και μάγκας θα πεθάνω, και ας φυτρώσουν χασισιές στον τάφο μ’ από πάνω Ο μαστούρας (Σαν μαστουριάσω) – “The Pothead (When I Get High)“ Markos Vamavakaris, 1934 When I get high and become Drunk from the hashish buzz, I forget all my hardships And all of my cares.

With my sorrows and suffering Borne of nature, All passes and is lost Only with hashish.

So I soothe and calm myself And bring joy to my body From the high of the hash When I’m stoned in my head.

I was born a mangas And a mangas I shall die, And may the hashish trees grow Over my grave.

However, this lively culture was soon to be cruelly compromised. Just 13 years after the population exchanges, Greece became subject to the right-wing, authoritarian dictatorship of Ioannis Metaxas—a politician with a military background and a strong desire to clean up Greece’s image. Metaxas cracked down heavily on hashish smoking, and in order for rebetiko musicians to stay out of trouble, they had to remove all overt references to it and any other “undesirable” activities in their songs.

Today, Greece has some of the most restrictive drug laws in Europe, so a visitor will not find any overt connection to hashish at a rebetiko show. It certainly isn’t common to see it smoked openly anywhere in Greece, al-

though when walking through the streets of Athens, occasional groups of local youths can be seen clearly enjoying a shared joint.

Rebetiko singers can sing about hashish with relative freedom in today’s Greece, but they are still not free to partake in a tradition that has existed in both Turkey and Greece for centuries, as possession of even tiny amounts of cannabis can result in up to five months’ imprisonment. Supply, even of relatively minor quantities, is punishable by at least eight years’ imprisonment.

Despite this, the rebellious spirit embodied by rebetiko has never been extinguished from the heart of the Greek people, and the same resentments towards the injustices of society have never been resolved.

LOCAL LEADERS. NATIONAL IMPACT. LET’S BUILD A SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY - TOGETHER. NCIA is the only national association bringing the voice of the responsible cannabis professional to Capitol Hill.

Invest in your future - and the future of America’s next great industry - by joining our network today.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT at TheCannabisIndustry.org

@NCIAorg

LIFESTYLE

RO C K YO U R WOR L D U NCOVERING THE ENERGY OF ROCKS AND GEMS WRITER / BRANDON PALMA, ART DIRECTOR

T

HE CONCEPT OF GETTING stoned can mean a variety of things.

Beyond rock-throwing and weed-smoking lies the opportunity of getting hit with a heavy dose of gem education. Without further adieu, we present to you a handful of favorites that get our chakras buzzing.

QUARTZ ORIGIN: The word quartz is thought to come from the German word “quarz,” but the origin of that word is not known. The word crystal, however, comes from the Greek word “krystallos” which means ice.

PHYSICAL: It is a component of a huge variety of rock types, and comes in an extensive range of colors and varieties such as agate and jasper. Many colors of quartz or formations have their own names, such as amethyst for purple quartz.

SPIRITUAL: Quartz is a stone of clarity, which dispels negativity and clears away negative energy. It can be used to purify and clarify on the spiritual, mental and physical planes.

It is powerfully protective because of these properties.

AMAZONITE

TIGER’S EYE

ORIGIN: Don’t let the name fool you, as Amazonite is not found in the Amazon region. This hard to find gem has been found in high-quality form in Russia, Colorado and Ethiopia.

ORIGIN: Typically found in South Africa and parts of Asia, it is often found in metamorphic form and is a member of the quartz family.

PHYSICAL: Amazonite is known for its colorings ranging from mint green to aqua. It is exceptionally bright green when polished, and the specific origins of its rare color continue to be debated.

PHYSICAL: These silky appearing gems are usually featured in colors ranging from reddish-brown to gold, highlighting the lustrous appearance.

SPIRITUAL: Tiger’s eye brings a special boost to one’s personal power. It is a stone of protection that is also very stabilizing and grounding, enhancing integrity, willpower, self-confidence, practicality and the correct use of power.

visit 8thdaycreate.com to view Brandon Palma’s design and curation

SPIRITUAL: Often associated with the throat and third-eye chakras, Amazonite is said to enhance intuition, psychic powers, creativity and intellect. It is also believed to be beneficial in the healing of emotional traumas.

MOLDAVITE ORIGIN: Moldavite is a tektite and is the only ‘hextraterrestrial’ gemstone, which is found only in the Moldau Valley of what was formerly Czechoslovakia, and believed to be formed by a meteorite impact.

PHYSICAL: Oftentimes noticed for its bottle green glass color. Lately there have been other green tektites or imitations that are called “moldavite,” but only the Czech moldavite is the “real thing.”

SPIRITUAL: Moldavite is associated with the heart and third-eye (brow) chakras, as well as the crown chakra.

Also associated with the Star card of the Tarot, it strengthens and enhances inner journeys, channeling cosmic consciousness, crystal consciousness, expansion and contact with interdimensional or extraterrestrial forces.

HEMATITE ORIGIN: Hematite gets its name from Latin meaning “blood stone.” In modern times we’re more familiar with polished, silvery gray-black hematite, so the name blood stone seems strange.

PHYSICAL: When found naturally, most hematite-an iron oxide ore-is red with rust. Silvery gray-black hematite remains the type most people are familiar with.

SPIRITUAL: Hematite is a stone that is most commonly, and most strongly, used to ground or stabilize and for protection. It is an excellent stone to help keep yourself connected to the Earth plane so that your spiritual learnings and travels can be done safely, and things learned can be brought back to daily life more easily.

LAPIS LA ZULI ORIGIN: Primarily composed of calcite, lazurite and pyrite, it’s name means “blue stone” in Latin, Persian and Arabic.

PHYSICAL: This metamorphic rock is known for being extremely bright blue, sometimes referred to as ultramarine.

SPIRITUAL: Traditionally a stone of royalty, it is believed to enhance communication through truthfulness, openness and mental clarity. It is used to help you say just the right thing—as if by magic.

LARIMAR ORIGIN: Larimar is found only in the Dominican Republic and is referred to as a stone of “answers from the sea of consciousness.”

PHYSICAL: Known for its rare blue hues, the coloration can range from deep blue to a white-ish light blue.

SPIRITUAL: Particularly believed to enhance communication with dolphins, Larimar is also known for dimensional and cellular work that stimulates the heart and higher chakras.

SOCIAL MEDIA

C

ANNABIS PHOTOGRAPHY is an undeniable art form. For the Art Issue of DOPE Magazine, we canvased our world of social networking to bring you the most glistening of trichomes, frostiest of buds and most candid of cannabis moments. Thanks to those that captured these very chronic displays of art—and keep the tags coming @dopemagazine!

@absoluteganja

@advantagehealing

@_loudpck

@4rare420rx

@bloomingdelsdank

@cannacruzcollective

@ak_oil_refinery

@ganjabroslive

@dab_smog

@disciplesofdank

@cannaestheticphoto

@cmm__growermax

@ganjabrosworld

@greenislandgrowers

@mace_mcdabb

@konsistantly_kronic_gardens

@magnifeye13

@shesmokesjoints

@oregonbreedersgroup

@releafsocietyllc

@maryjanewines

@positive_vibes_photography

@thirdoptic

@gentry20

@speakeasyliveshow

@thirteenshots

@jaxon13_13

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I N T E RV I EW

IN FOCUS STEVE BERG WRITER / DAVID HODES

PHOTO / COURTESY OF O.PEN VAPE

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ALL STREET MAVEN STEVE BERG blends his passion for the plant with a deep background in financial structure. He is widely acknowledged as a pioneer in helping bring together investors, cannabis owners and growers to create and secure the fundamentals of a new industry on the path to the next wave of business growth.

Berg is steeped in business acumen. He is a former managing director of Wells Fargo’s capital markets group, where he was known as an innovator of structured funding and investing solutions in credit, equity and commodity markets.

He was also a co-founder of the ArcView Investor Network, and the editor of the second edition of the ArcView Market Research publication, The State of Legal Marijuana Markets.

Berg is currently the CFO of O.penVAPE, a popular, well-known brand of cannabis oil-filled cartridges, vaporizer devices and other related products.

DOPE sat down with Berg during a recent visit to the Washington, D.C. area to talk about the current state of the industry, how it got there and where it goes from here.

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Q

DOPE MAGAZINE: Your bio reads like that of a buttoned-down Wall Street guy. Why did you get involved in the cannabis business?

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STEVE BERG: I had a sort of epiphany, and that came about as a result of going to Burning Man in 2004. I went to the festival and it was just overwhelming. Months later, I was examining my value system and whether or not the life I was living was congruent with that. The epiphany was that I really enjoy business and finance and markets and economics and all of that great stuff. I wasn’t applying it towards something I believed in passionately though.

As I like to put it, while my bank account was doing great, my soul felt impoverished. I reasoned that I am not going to be able to sustain this path. So I did the unthinkable, which was resign my commission as managing director for Wells Fargo and set out to chart my own course.

I began to network in the field.

Q

DOPE MAGAZINE: Who did you seek out?

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SB: I met Steve DeAngelo at Harborside Health Center and had a very candid conversation with him. I asked him is there any place for a fellow like me to work in this space. And he looked at me dead-on and said, “Oh my God yes. You have to meet my colleague Troy Dayton.” Steve and Troy had launched ArcView and wanted to incubate young businesses. They wanted to solve the puzzle that they saw when investors approached them, because the investors saw that something was going on in the cannabis business and wanted to help with the movement of the industry and make money. But they didn’t know or understand the business.

So I said what we need to do is form an investor network; emulate what is going on south of San Francisco in these angel investor venture technology groups; carefully vet who we invite in from the investor side and the entrepreneurial side; and prep them in terms of how to deal with each other. We started with six accredited investors and a couple of companies pitching.

The last time we counted, I think ArcView had in the order of 500 accredited investors and literally dozens and dozens of companies vying for the chance to pitch.

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DOPE MAGAZINE: There is more chatter these days about the convergence of big business and cannabis, and how that could be a bad thing for the industry. What is your take on that?

SB: First and foremost, I would view the tidal wave of new entrants of all shapes and sizes and colors as a positive thing. Generally, what it means is that the early business models are proving to be successful, and that the public acceptance of cannabis and the cannabis business has risen very sharply. Now it seems like a virtual inevitability that cannabis will be going mainstream. So I don’t want to characterize new entrants to the field, whether they are on the business operator side or the investor side, as being negative. I think it’s a sign of success that is healthy and will help secure the future growth which will be beneficial to all—including my company.

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DOPE MAGAZINE: Are we seeing a sort of first correction of the industry?

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SB: I think that is a fair characterization.

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DOPE MAGAZINE: What do you look at when analyzing the industry today?

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SB: One interesting barometer is the wholesale price of cannabis. This is the feedstock for all of the other products. On balance, if you look at the trend in wholesale pricing, it’s declining and that is because you are seeing a change in the scale of grows. As the scale of grows increase and become more efficient, these operators can require less of a wholesale price and still do very well.

LEGAL CANNABIS MARKET SIZE

DOPE MAGAZINE: Most economists agree that the “green rush” on cannabis investing is over. Now what?

National legal sales in 2015 grew to $5.7 billion—up from $4.6 billion in 2014. National sales were fueled by explosive growth in adult-use market sales, which grew from $373.8 million in 2014 to $1.2 billion by the end of 2015, representing an increase of 232 percent. Demand is expected to remain strong in 2016, with legal markets projected to grow to $7.1 billion, a 26 percent increase over 2015.

SB: Here is the issue. In any emerging industry, it’s rife with speculation, it’s rife with operators that may be unscrupulous and may be opportunistic. You had that going on with public marijuana stocks. It was a craze, and it has its parallel to the early days of high tech stocks. It’s the same movie that is being replayed in a different cinema. Now the challenge, or the opportunity depending on how you see it, is to be able to put aside the smoke and mirrors, and ultimately try to figure out if there really is a there, there. There are now more professional stock analysts looking at the space, and some lessons have been learned. But let’s think about the arc of the investment over the entire timeline of the industry and we can see that we are absolutely at the infancy. What we experienced in the last three or four years really does not tell us a whole lot about what we are going to see going forward, other than there are some valuable lessons that are still being learned.

STATE ADULT-USE PROJECTIONS Among the states where adult-use is currently legal, Washington is projected to have the largest adult-use market by 2020 at $2.6 billion, followed by Colorado at $2 billion and Oregon at just under $1 billion.

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BUSINESS

YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS LEADING THE WAY IN EDIBLES DEDICATED TO MEDICINE, EDUCATION AND SCIENCE WRITER / MEGAN RUBIO

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IGHT YEARS AGO, NADEEM Al-Hasan and Thomas Rimbach crossed paths by chance. Neither knew that their 2008 chance meeting would eventually result in the creation of their top tier edible company, Baked Bros. Both Thomas and Nadeem were drawn to Arizona, a state on the horizon of passing medical cannabis legislature.

While they met through a mutual friend, they soon parted ways to focus on their own personal endeavors. Nadeem moved to Washington to build up his cannabis knowledge, while Thomas served four years in the Navy.

Independent of each other, the two both made their way back to Arizona. When asked if they had planned to eventually work together after their serendipitous meeting in 2008, Nadeem and Thomas both admitted that timing had everything to do with it. Neither had any business experience prior to entering the cannabis industry, but armed with Nadeem’s knowledge of the inner workings of the cannabis plant and Thomas’ education in chemistry, the two were able to build a company dedicated to educating patients and providing a consistent, reliable product.

Thomas and Nadeem were both around 24 when they began building their brand in 2014. They quickly received notoriety when they attended the first recreational marijuana High Times event in Denver in 2014. They carefully selected which of their products to enter into the competition, expecting positive results. To their surprise, their choice did not win, but another one of their products—Sour Kush Kids—ended up winning the People’s Choice Award for Best Product, voted on by the event’s attendees. It was one of many accolades the Baked Bros have received in the few years that they’ve been operating.

When they first entered the medical industry, both men were astounded at the products on the market—edibles claiming to have 1000mg of THC. Patients were constantly perplexed by the potency of the Baked Bro’s product, at 100 or 200mg in comparison to other products on the market claiming to be 5–10 times stronger, but not delivering the same results. Within their business, Thomas explained that he tends to take on the role of chemist; so he went to work to come up with a solution.

Thomas explained that when he and Nadeem recognized the current issues within the market, they decided they wanted to build their products based on scientifically valid measurements in dosing. If you don’t know whether the dose marketed on the product is accurate, you have no

PHOTO / CARL SCHULTZ

way of properly dosing for yourself.

Following their success in Denver, the Baked Bros also decided they wanted to bring, “A real medicine to the market…a product that isn’t candy or full of sugar.” They initially started out attending farmer’s markets in an effort to sell their products. However, as their reputation and brand has grown, they’ve progressed towards working with dispensaries.

They’re currently engaged in an educational campaign, #DedicationToMedication, aimed at informing patients, budtenders and dispensaries on the proper dosing of edibles.

Their Pourable THC Syrup is the main product highlighted within their pamphlet, which also includes medicated gummies. While previously referred to as Dank Drank, the Pourable THC Syrup can either be consumed as standalone syrup, or can be added to any food or beverage.

Their syrups currently come in five flavors: Cherry, Grape, Mango, Strawberry Kiwi and Watermelon—flavors that would compliment a cold summer drink. Besides offering a variety of flavors, the syrup is also vegan, containing zero animal byproducts. But what makes this syrup different from other edible options?

In understanding the scientific process behind activating THC, the Baked Bros are able to produce syrup that is formulated to offer patients consistent and reliable dosing. Thomas explained how often times, the THC in syrups lingers at the top of the bottle because glycerin and THC don’t bond well. The Pourable THC Syrup is formulated consistently throughout and said to take effect quickly—in little as 30–45 minutes.

While Thomas focused on developing a high-quality product, Nadeem focused on marketing—becoming the face of the business.

The Baked Bros are motivated by their mutual desire to produce consistent, reliable edibles with accurate dosages. It’s apparent when speaking with Nadeem and Thomas that they care not only about their business, but about meeting the needs of their patients. Both men are passionate about their business and have a vision for helping others. Neither acknowledge that their dynamic partnership is likely the catalyst for their success. Still, the Baked Bros continue on in pursuit of their vision— to change people’s lives.

BUSINESS

F E AT U R E

C H E ECH M A RIN ART ACTIVIST AT HEART WRITER / BIANCA FOX

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ITH A FACE FAMOUS for comedy, he has represented the world of cannabis with style. It is also true that Cheech Marin is an activist at heart.

The dated stereotype of a lazy cannabis connoisseur is just that—a stereotype. Cheech proves that one can live the life of a legendary toker and attain many successful career routes while paving the way for increased acceptance of others.

Cheech has been a little busy. Three published books; hosted art exhibitions; the launch of a new, full line of cannabis products, Cheech’s Private Stash (available sometime this year); a recently penned memoir, Cheech is Not My Real Name, But Don’t Call Me Chong, set for release in 2017; and a beverage brand, Tres Papalote Mezcal, currently available in California, New York and Texas. He is also shooting a Cheech and Chong documentary.

While famous for his comedic talents, Cheech’s heart resides in the arts, specifically the world of Chicano paintings. “To me, being Chicano is an experience more than anything,” Cheech explained. “Coming from the inner city, the kids grew up and became ‘Chicano’—blue collar working class inner city.”

Cheech met with DOPE Magazine to discuss his life, discovery of art at church while growing up in South Central LA and his love for Chicano art. Since 2005, Cheech has toured over 50 museums in the United States and France that have featured ten separate exhibits with his personal art collections on display.

“I was raised Catholic and so the first time I was in awe of art was sit-

PHOTO / JACKSON COZAD

ting in church looking up at the paintings,” Cheech said. “I had this group of academic cousins who created a studying group. I got art. I learned about Picasso, Rembrandt and Vermeer, who became my inspirations.”

“Later, I was married to a painter. We toured galleries and found no art by Chicanos. My mantra became, ‘You can’t love or hate Chicano art unless you see it.’ So my goal and mission were to get everyone to see it.”

“Discovering Chicano art to me was like uncovering this new school of music that no one ever heard of, but these artists could play! I really love Carlos Almaraz, John Valadez, Patssi Valdez and Frank Romero.”

While most collectors keep their pieces private, Cheech has turned his passion into selfless service. The idea of assisting Chicano artists by featuring their work in books and galleries was sparked in the late 90s and reached fruition in 2001 with the publication of his first book, Chicano Visions–American Painters on the Verge. He then published Papel Chicano: Works on Paper from the Collection of Cheech Marin and Chicanitas: Small Paintings from the Cheech Marin Collection.

Cheech’s newest publication, set for release later this summer, is Papel Chicano Dos: Works on Paper from the Collection of Cheech Marin. This collection of works will occupy an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) through November 27 of this year. The tour will continue on to other various locations.

Through his efforts, artists once hidden in the shadows have been unveiled. Cheech’s impact shattered the glass ceiling of the museum world.

He brought them into the light for the world to see their art of activism— and the results have been magical.

F E AT U R E

“These Chicano artists’ work went unconsidered at first, due to non-inclusion,” Cheech explained, “It was a fight up until I started the first Chicano Visions show. The biggest problem I had with others was they didn’t like me using the word ‘Chicano.’ At the time, it was a very inflammatory word to the museum establishment. They thought, ‘Here comes a doper comedian trying to tell us what’s up.’ But once they started unloading the crates, they changed their minds.”

Meanwhile, he’s got a steady eye on the industry. Cheech said that for every state that has legalized the plant, there is another state fighting against it. “Even though those who oppose legalization try to lay bricks in our way on the path, we are slowly moving in the right direction,” Cheech told DOPE in closing. “The main goal is to get it off of Schedule I. I have not yet heard the argument for medical beer!”

“…THEY THOUGHT, ‘HERE COMES A DOPER COMEDIAN TRYING TO TELL US WHAT’S UP.’ BUT ONCE THEY STARTED UNLOADING THE CRATES, THEY CHANGED THEIR MINDS.”-CHEECH MARIN

H E A LT H

HERE’S WHAT PET OWNERS SAY WRITER / JADE GREEN

PHOTO / JAN DOMACENA

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HC AND CBD ARE the generally well-known cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant.

THC is the psychoactive cannabinoid that affects the human brain and causes a ‘high,’ while CBD is the non-psychoactive cannabinoid that is known to treat a long list of ailments in humans.

Can the cannabis plant be used to help our furry friends too?

Currently, there are pet treats on the market that contain different types of cannabinoids. As CBD derived from hemp oil is legal across the United States, these types of ‘infused’ treats are available even in states without MMJ-friendly laws. CBD derived from hemp oil is extracted from processed hemp, and contains no THC. Currently, no scientific evidence supports the theory that THC and CBD work harmoniously together to treat ailments in household pets. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence and many pet owners are prepared to discuss their experience using CBD and THC to treat their pets. In fact, most cannabis-using pet owners I talked to raved about the benefits of combining THC and CBD to benefit the health and wellness of their pet.

CBD is considered safe in animals (and in humans) because over consumption poses no risk of overdose or even change in mood. The effect of CBD on a human and animal is presumed to be similar, given what pet owners report. Consuming CBD is different for all humans and pets, but common effects include feeling alert and clear-headed, and relaxed—not sedated. CBD has been known to act as an anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, antioxidant, antiemetic, anxiolytic and antipsychotic in humans.

In humans, CBD can counteract the effect of THC. Research continues into whether this is the case for animals, but a dose of CBD is recommended to assist anxiety brought on by THC in humans.

There is anecdotal evidence that show some pet owners thoroughly support low doses of THC combined with CBD, and in the legal cannabis market

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Treatibles are an infused dog treat, and are safe for cats and other pets to eat too. Containing CBD derived from clean hemp, these treats are tested three times to ensure no contaminants are present.

These gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan, whole food treats are certified organic in California.

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of Washington state, there are products available to assist those pet owners.

One pet and canna-business owner that I spoke to told me she was happy to see more coverage on the topic of pets and cannabis, “They benefit just as much as we do!” she declared. Chelsea, owner of Sweet Freak Bakery in Toronto, Ontario, has used cannabis to treat three of her pets. Chang was a tough pug who lived to be 17 years of age, and he suffered from cataracts, arthritis and eventually seizures as he moved into old age. Chelsea found that using a variety of different mediums was best to treat different ailments in her pets. Chang’s cataracts were noticeably improved following a higher dose of THC, while this same dose and consumption method did not relieve Chang’s arthritis. Chelsea also treats her chocolate lab, Ludo, using cannabis.

Ludo is currently 13, and he too has cataracts and arthritis. To treat Ludo’s arthritic symptoms, Chelsea uses cannabis with a high level of CBD and CBN (cannabinol). Her 17-month-old pup, Lucy, loves the cannabis-infused treats too, and takes great pleasure in stealing them from Ludo. Chelsea has trialed products from Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) to cannabis trim to help her pups out, but she doesn’t stop there. “I also incorporate hemp into their diets.

It is pretty much completely raw; I make it at home.

They get oil, hemp hearts and sometimes, hemp protein powder.”

The ASPCA and PETA have yet to support cannabis as medication for pets due to lack of sufficient scientific evidence. A market for medicated pet cannabis products is emerging in medical cannabis states throughout the United States despite the lack of evidence, and offers pet owners some natural solutions to combat common health problems.

Fairwinds Companion Tincture is designed for furry friends and contains a 5:1 ratio of CBD to THC. It is important to keep dosages of THC low to avoid creating anxiety or discomfort in your pet.

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LIVING WITH DISABILITY A RE N OIR R ETROSPEC TIVE WRITER / JOHNNY HALFHAND

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HEY SAY TORTURED SOULS make the best artists…a conventional wisdom I have come to doubt recently. Writers with jaded pasts are considered to have a lot to write about; painters with depression or schizophrenia are supposed to be able to produce stunning, thought-provoking works of art; and so on. Here at DOPE Magazine, I have tried my best to channel my degenerative rheumatoid arthritis into a kernel of wisdom I can give to you, the reader, whether disabled or not. Honestly, sometimes it feels forced, put on or insincere. I can’t count how many days my joint pain has prevented me from sitting down and trying to write something thoughtful. My chronic illness turned into a chronic case of writer’s block.

So in the interest of this month’s Art Issue, I set out to find out if there were any renowned artists in history that suffered from an ailment such as mine, that offer artistic insight into living with health problems.

Within five minutes of my search, I discovered that one of history’s greatest artistic talents suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for decades: Pierre-Auguste Renoir, the renowned French Impressionist painter.

“THE PAIN PASSES, BUT THE BEAUTY REMAINS.” -PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR

HIS LIFE Renoir was born in 1841 in Limoges, France, to working-class parents. In his youth, he worked as an apprentice painter in a porcelain factory until it became mechanized. He painted constantly, and became acquainted with other artists such as Frederic Bazille and Claude Monet. The Franco-Prussian War interrupted his studies though, killing his dear friend Bazille and over 100,000 other Frenchmen in the process.

After this period of war and instability, Renoir turned his interest toward portraiture and developing a new, daring style called Impressionism which clashed with many French aesthetic norms of the time. This style relied on a wholly new method of small brush strokes and highly dramatic lighting achieved over time through painstaking effort. Despite the time they required, many salons considered these works messy or ‘half-completed.’ Indeed, the name Impressionism comes from this critique, that these works were not qualified paintings but half-done “impressions.”

In the 1880s, Renoir traveled extensively throughout Europe to

study other artists’ works and discover new landscapes. His focus remained on painting portraits and busy, urban scenes full of people and movement. He loved painting children and young women, as well as fellow artists. In 1890, he married one of his earlier models with whom he had a child, Aline Victorine Charigot. He painted many domestic scenes using his wife and children as inspiration.

All three of his children grew up to be artists in their own right.

Soon thereafter, Renoir was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. This, quite notably, did not stop his impressive drive to create—Renoir continued to go about his work at an ever-fervent pace. As his arthritis worsened, he relied upon his family to help move him to his studio, to change brushes and so on—abilities he lost due to joint limitation. He and his family eventually moved to Provence with hopes that the warmer climate would ease his suffering. Renoir died in 1919, having produced an astounding number of works while keeping up his craft faithfully through 27 years of pain.

HIS COURAGE Renoir’s courage impresses me most. In his youth, he bucked dominant trends in the art community, daring to try something new while art elites obsessed over traditional conventions.

Renoir never cut corners—in fact, his years of training taught him the basics first, which then enabled him to try these new methods. The painstaking practice of layering small brushstroke over small brushstroke allowed the injection of warm colors to balance composed and classical norms with mystique, movement and hope in everyday life. Despite criticism, Renoir painstakingly carried on his craft.

In his old age he continued building on his work. While his hands degenerated, the very instruments he relied upon for creating his masterpieces, he refused to let up. This was his life, and that singular determination was and remains ever-present and obvious.

HIS MESSAGE Other than the remarkable legacy he left on the art world (a huge topic beyond the scope of this article), what does Renoir’s example mean to us here and now? What would he say to us if he could have tea with us this afternoon?

No doubt this: Use this life well. Use every day. In pain, there is beauty, which you can share with the world. Suffering is ubiquitous in this world and through that lens which we all know so deeply, we can find meaningful gems to give to those around us. Enjoy the world, but do not languish; take note of the small things and build from there. Transform that which weighs you down into that which lets you fly. In short, to quote him directly, “The pain passes, but the beauty remains.”

PIECE

B I G J G L AS S : B L U E K L E I N R E C YC L E R FRE E FORM DE S IGN MEETS TEC HNIC AL STYLE WRITER / KATIE SPIVAK

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PHOTO / PROVIDED BY BIG J GLASS

ESSE SCHAEFER FROM OMAHA, Nebraska took a small glimpse into the creative development of glassblowing over ten years ago. Inspired by his local glass shop, he was instantly intrigued. From there, Jesse built a small studio in his garage—and he immediately became hooked on the artistry. He speaks of his desire to blow glass as “addictive.” Fascinated by the process of the art form, this humble artist knew it was a suitable career path.

Although Jesse is mostly self-taught, he picked up some tricks and tips from the Boro Farm Family, learning from famed blowers like Joel Halen and Big Z. While Jesse has spent the bulk of his career hand-blowing, about two years ago, he entered the realm of lathe work. When he’s not on the torch, you might find Jesse fishing with his friends, or relaxing with his girlfriend, Meghan, and dog, Boro. Jesse is most known for his Roadie Rig designs. However, with his rapid progression on the lathe and newly acquired sandblast cabinet, he’s shifted to a more technical, function-oriented style—as noticed in his blasted perc Straight Fabs and Fab Jammers.

Two heads are better than one: Jesse’s girlfriend, Meghan, assists him with creating facets, marbles in boro and sandblasting work.

Jesse has spent most of his life in Nebraska, but is currently interested in relocating to Denver, in search of more inspiration and people to work with.

Jesse creates tons of Fab Jammer rigs, which allow him to experiment with his form while paying respects to the groundbreaking Faberge Egg rig design

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