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EDITOR’S LETTER FEBRUARY 2017 | THE ENTERTAINMENT ISSUE

t’s about funkin’ time we have some fun this year and DOPE is kicking it off with the Entertainment Issue! Amid a season dedicated to warm fires and couch cuddling, there could be no better topic to keep your mind active and conversations alive.

In a flash from the past, the Prime Minister of Funk himself, George Clinton, joined us for an exclusive interview discussing his legacy, his life and his new direction. Known for “We Want The Funk” and “Flash Light,” this superstar has transcended the airwaves and generations in ways many don’t realize. Crossing borders, we jump abroad to tour the high lifestyle in the mountains of Switzerland and explore the underground cannabis clubs of Spain. The global cannabis fight is gaining steam fast and we’re right on its heels.

Normalizing our plant has never been more fun. We’re sitting front and center of one of the largest and fastest growing markets and we can only imagine what’s to come. The Future of Cannabis Clubs brings the social cannabis world to fruition while Chef Fred breaks molds where we stand today. Our dreams of acceptance are finally coming true.

Keeping an ever-watching eye on politics, DOPE is staying focused toward the lifestyle publication we are committed to while educating and fighting for the normalization we all deserve. We know this is an interesting year ahead but we will make the most of it together.

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DOPE MAGAZINE is a free monthly publication dedicated to providing an informative and wellness-minded voice to the cannabis movement. While our foundation is the medical cannabis industry, it is our intent to provide ethical and research-based articles that address the many facets of the war on drugs, from politics to lifestyle and beyond. We believe that through education and honest discourse, accurate policy and understanding can emerge. DOPE MAGAZINE is focused on defending both our patients and our plant, and to being an unceasing force for revolutionary change.

T H E E N T E R TA I N M E N T I S S U E

TABLE OF CONTENTS FEBRUARY 2017

28

COVER FEATURE GEORGE CLINTON: DR. FUNKENSTEIN’S NEW PRESCRIPTION

22

INTERVIEW SHANGO: ON AN ISLAND WITH A MICROPHONE

34 LIFESTYLE THE FUTURE OF CANNABIS CLUBS 42 PRODUCTS WE LOVE 44 SCIENCE PLANT PROPAGATION: THE APPEAL OF PLANT TISSUE CULTURING 46 MUSIC MARCUS SHARPE AKA B-BOY FIDGET: FROM SEA TO ATL AND BACK 52

NEWS #END420SHAME THE CANNA-CAREER

MEDIA 54 SOCIAL TAG @DOPEMAGAZINE

56 LIFESTYLE DATA AND ANALYTICS 62 WEED WEEK 66 NEWS CANNA-CULTURE AROUND THE GLOBE 70 INTERVIEW IN FOCUS: CHEF FRED 74 14

COMIC JOSH BOULET

ENTERTAINMENT PUSSY WEED?: THE EVOLUTION OF CANNABIS ON TV

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E N T E R TA I N M E N T

PUSSY WEED? THE EVOLUTION OF CANNABIS ON TV WRITER / JENN LAUDER

W

hen I was a kid, if you saw cannabis consumption portrayed on TV you were probably watching an afterschool special with a moral at the end about how drugs are bad. A few family sitcoms took on the issue with more nuance but similar messages. Fast forward thirty years, and marijuana has assumed a much more prominent – and much more positive – role on the small screen. Whether it’s providing guaranteed-to-get-a-laugh gags or compelling storytelling technique, cannabis has become a darling of the modern television industry. And with several more shows currently in development, the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down.

Nancy Reagan’s Just Say No campaign found a mouthpiece and an audience in the network television of the 80s, with memorable mentions on Diff’rent Strokes and Punky Brewster, among others. Made-for-television movies such as 1980’s Stoned and 1986’s Shattered…If Your Kid’s on Drugs depicted

pot as a gateway to harder drugs. Parallel plotlines persisted into the early 90s on programs geared toward adolescents, like the time Zach refused to smoke weed on Saved by the Bell or when Blossom and Six got busted before they could try a joint.

Only rarely did television show cannabis as an option for responsible adults. Roseanne came close with their nostalgic “A Stash from the Past” episode in 1993, as did the Dinosaurs’ 1992, “A New Leaf,” in which they decide to regulate their own consumption because it’s more dangerous to wage “war on happy plants.”

Cannabis broke out as a comedic strategy on television later in the 90s, both an easy way to earn a quick laugh and a subversive tactic for normalization. Perhaps most beloved was That 70s Show, which never shied away from the topic and featured “the circle,” an obvious nod to a basement smoke session, in nearly every episode. Teens and adults, including Tommy Chong, took part in

1980

1983

1985

1986

1991

1992

1993

ABC Afterschool Special Stoner starring Scott Baio

Diff’rent Strokes, “The Reporter”

Punky Brewster, “Just Say No”

Made for TV Movie, Shattered…

If Your Kid’s on Drugs starring Burt Reynolds & Judd Nelson

Saved by the Bell, “No Hope with Dope”

Dinosaurs, “A New Leaf”

Roseanne, “A Stash from the Past”

14

“TODAY’S AUDIENCES ARE SAVVY, AND WE EXPECT CANNABIS-THEMED TELEVISION TO RESPECT OUR INTELLIGENCE...”

“the circle” and generated some of the shows funniest moments. In the new millennium, Weeds garnered a lot of attention for its frank rendering of the illicit cannabis market, but not before comedy staple The Simpsons paved the way with its own take on the marijuana movement. “Weekend at Burnsie’s,” in which Homer is prescribed medical cannabis, spawned many hilarious one-liners and didn’t miss the opportunity to satirize current laws and societal norms. Carl tells Homer, “Yeah, we were planning an intervention, but I got alcohol poisoning that night.”

Now, cannabis has risen to a position of privilege on the air, with numerous reality and scripted programs devoted to its consumption and culture. It’s almost a given that Ilana and/or Abbi will hit the Pax in Broad City, whose representation of female tokers flips the script of traditional gender roles in the cannabis community. (“Pussy Weed” has my vote for best cannabis episode ever). High Maintenance takes another tactic, using a bicycle pot delivery guy as a plot device to tell diverse and intimate stories about the people he interacts with in his unconventional job.

This new approach serves to destigmatize by essentially ignoring the stigma. These shows transcend the clichéd, moralistic conversation and taboo by presenting cannabis as what it is: a part of many people’s everyday lives that needs no further validation.

What’s on the horizon for cannabis on the mainstream small screen? Will entertainment continue to evolve in its representation of marijuana or revert to a hackneyed tool for propagandists? With a slew of dispensary-set comedies in development for NBC, Amazon, and Netflix, it looks like the momentum is on our side. But those show – “Buds,” “Highland,” and “Disjointed,” respectively – won’t be able to rely on antiquated weed jokes if they want to succeed.

Today’s audiences are savvy, and we expect cannabis-themed television to respect our intelligence and our connection to the plant.

Why Pussy Weed? In Episode 105 of Broad City, Abbi makes the adult decision to finally buy her own weed while Ilana takes charge of her life and does her own taxes.

1998 That 70s Show

2002 The Simpsons, “Weekend at Burnsie’s”

2005

2009

Weeds starring Mary-Louise Parker

Broad City starring Ilana Glazer & Abbi Jacobson

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2012 High Maintenance, starring Ben Sinclair

2015

2016

“Buds” starring Adam Scott, to take place in a Denver dispensary

“Disjointed,” from network veteran Chuck Lorre, starring Kathy Bates as an LA dispensary owner

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INTERVIEW

ON AN ISLAND WITH A MICROPHONE

GANJAPRENEUR PODCAST HOST TRANSITIONS TO NEW SHOW WRITER / MEGAN CAMPBELL

PHOTO / AANDPPHOTOGRAPHY

22

H

old on—the cows are getting into the flowering cannabis plants.

“ No, really,” says Shango Los, host of the podcast Ganjapreneur. He’s recording the show in his home studio on a rural island southwest of Seattle, Washington. And his neighbor’s cows have wandered over yet again for shade, bird bath water and delicious flowers, though this is the first time they’ve gone after the marijuana.

At this point, Los is midcareer with Ganjapreneur, a cannabis industry news and information company with more than 68,000 likes on Facebook. Los, the original host for the Ganjapreneur. com podcast, pulls tens of thousands of listeners to the show every week. He’s interviewed people like Ethan Russo, Steve DeAngelo and Jonah Tacoma.

He’s seen entrepreneurs in this space—fighting to exist. But these are no ordinary entrepreneurs. These are cannabis lovers, and if there’s one thing those in the cannabis industry all have in common, it’s passion and perseverance.

“The industry chews people up and spits them out, and the only way to get back in is to have that passion,” he said.

And while Los loved working with Ganjapreneur, after 54 episodes he decided to start his own podcast called Shaping Fire.

“It was hard walking away from the audience,” he said.

“Luckily a lot of that audience followed me to my new show. It’s picked up right away.”

The new show focuses on cannabis innovation and disruption, something Los has been particularly passionate about and has followed since the early days of Washington’s legal recreational market.

“Every time we think we have a status quo in cannabis it changes,” he said. “So cannabis is going to be driven by active learners who are learning old techniques and updating them with new technologies and approaches. Cannabis, for the foreseeable future, is going to be constantly renewing itself, which will cause innovation and therefore disruption to the industry.”

This puts many businesses at risk, he said.

“So many cannabis companies’ business models are based on the status quo staying the same,” he said. “As somebody with 30 years of start-up experience, I can just see how it’s one tsunami after another in the cannabis industry. It makes it super high risk for entrepreneurs. But it also makes it super delicious for learning about and participating in.”

Los hasn’t always been in the cannabis industry. He used to live in the bustling city of Seattle until he was injured in a car accident in 2011.

Per his doctor’s orders, he needed to destress. He got a medical marijuana card—medical marijuana has been legal in the state since the late ‘90s—and moved to Vashon Island to “chill out.”

There, he discovered extremely high quality cannabis products for sale for ridiculously low prices. Come to find out, all the island growers were competing against each other. So, Los had an idea to help these small mom and pop farmers branch out onto the mainland—he just had to find them first.

“I had to gently put out the word that I was looking to meet these farmers who had been underground on Vashon for 10, 20, 30 years,” he said. “People were still very wary.”

So he wrote a “heartfelt letter” and passed it around to people who he thought had connections to the marijuana farmers. He explained that he wanted to create the Vashon Island Marijuana Entrepreneurs Alliance with the goal of expanding the reach of Vashon producers so

“I GET TO DELVE DEEP IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME WITH THESE EXPERTS AND FOR THAT I AM EXCEPTIONALLY GRATEFUL.”

23

ADVICE TO CANNABIS BUSINESSES FROM SHANGO LOS Build your company in a modular way so you can close down and expand other aspects as the laws expand. Don’t be a single-product company. Diversify.

Build a team of people who are not averse to risk. If your employees don’t embrace risk and change, they’ll be too stressed out and they’ll burn out. “The best cannabis entrepreneurs I’ve met and interviewed are all friends with risk,” Los said. “And a lot of that is just knowing who you are—because cannabis is not for everybody. Everybody wants to get into cannabis because they see it as the ‘green rush’ and as ‘easy money,’ but there is nothing easy about this money.”

they could expect more competitive prices for their quality products.

Slowly, people came out of the shadows and began to trust Los. The Alliance, now called the Vashon Island Marijuana Enthusiasts Alliance, morphed over time, especially with the passage of Washington’s Initiative-502, which effectively legalized recreational marijuana on July 1, 2015, and then the Cannabis Patient Protection Act, which folded medical into the regulated recreational market effective July 1, 2016.

“There were a lot of good people who lost during the transition from medical to 502,” he said. “There were a lot of people who trusted in the state that they would have a future and so they started their mom and pop businesses, they invested their time, they invested their money, they came out of the shadows and started paying taxes and they choose to become legitimate business people because they thought that Washington was going to create this place for them.”

But there wasn’t a place for a majority of them.

“CANNABIS, FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE, IS GOING TO BE CONSTANTLY RENEWING ITSELF, WHICH WILL CAUSE INNOVATION AND THEREFORE DISRUPTION TO THE INDUSTRY.”

Another problem: Washington’s recreational market called for capital.

“These were not the kind of people who were going to raise a quarter of a million dollars and move into the 502 market,” he said. “They didn’t have the access to that kind of capital.”

Even still, the Alliance provided a space, as it continues to, for the cannabis community to gather and hear from notable speakers.

It was during this time of transition that Ganjapreneur reached out to Los to host its new podcast. “Since medical was dying,” he was already looking at what else he might be able to do.

“It’s hard to stay focused on anything in cannabis, because it’s all so exciting,” he said. “I can’t do it all, but by having a podcast I can have a taste of that in my life. I get to delve deep in with these experts and for that I am exceptionally grateful.”

So it was the perfect opportunity and it ended up being a “huge success,” he said.

His last show with Ganjapreneur aired in April 2016.

“Hopefully they will soon say it’s ‘Shango from Shaping Fire’ like they used to say it’s ‘Shango from Ganjapreneur,’” he said.

“Most of these folks were just small cottage businesses—you know, the family made cookies or the family grew medical cannabis or they made RSO—it was a cottage industry, but the quality was exceptionally high,” he said. “It was very challenging to me, to watch these people who I had interviewed and helped become small business owners and to go through all the trials and tribulations of that, just get cast aside for the new regime.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SHAPING FIRE, VISIT: WWW.SHAPINGFIRE.COM/PODCAST/

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DR. FUNKENSTEIN’S NEW PRESCRIPTION

F E AT U R E

28

WRITER / NATE JACKSON

PHOTO / BRIDGET ARIAS

D

ecades after the Mothership landed on Earth, opening its shiny metallic hatch to reveal the smoky silhouette of the man nicknamed Dr. Funkenstein, George Clinton continues to be a man ahead of his time. The extraterrestrial groovemaster of Parliament Funkadelic drafted the musical blueprint for generations of musicians, rappers and producers that followed him. But not even Clinton himself could’ve imagined the everlasting glory of the house that funk built, or that he’d still be around to see it over 40 years later.

29

ARTICLE TITLE

On a recent evening in West LA, the thick fingers of Clinton’s left hand glinting with gold rings grasp the crystal stem of a wine glass. Wearing a sharp, caramel checkered suit, bug eyed glasses and a Panama hat poked with a pink feather, he swirls a splash of cabernet at the dinner table of his hotel room before taking a sip. A light haze of smoke clouds the air, remnants of a recent smoke session. Back when the psychedelic shaman sported a head full of his trademark rainbow dreads, Clinton spent plenty of nights like these bathed in the toxic fumes of a crack pipe. A lifelong addict, there’s no drug he wouldn’t pay to get his hands on. It wasn’t until a bad batch of crack cut with baking soda sent him to the hospital in LA several years ago that he decided it was finally time to stop chasing an impossible high.

“Once that happened...I had an inside joke with myself, like I’m gonna change and nobody’s even gonna know I’m changing. I’m gonna be so far gone away from my old self before anybody even notices,” Clinton says.

“I told people around me that’s the mission.”

Today, the 75 year-old clean-cut funkmaster only basks in the aromatic cloud of fresh bud or his stylish cannabis vape pen. Having kicked all other substances to the curb, he says he’s able to see the future clearer than he ever has before. With the help of his wife and manager Stephanie, who also used cannabis to successfully wean herself off of medication for ADD, Clinton cut off his multi-colored locks, got sober and prepared to enter a brand new chapter of his career.

“Once I got off the drug itself, that was the easy part,” Clinton says. “The thing was to get off of a habit. You still got a habit. I’ve smoked weed ever since I started, I had to start appreciating that again and it served the purpose of the habit.” Clinton also says that it wasn’t until he switched primarily to cannabis that he really got high for the first time in years. “Cuz I wasn’t getting high on the drugs. It took up my time more than anything else. I’d be up all hours of the night chasing shit,” Clinton says. “Between what I need to do for the music, with some good weed and [my wife] taking care of me, I was able to get my health back together.”

30

It’s not often that we hear stories of a star who used cannabis to get off of hard drugs.

But it’s hard to deny the positive effect it’s had on Clinton, who is riding the wave of a productivity while grand marshalling the full-fledged funk renaissance. In 2014, he produced a whopping 33-song album (First Ya Gotta Shake the Gate), and had a Louie Vega remix of his single “Ain’t That Funkin Kinda Hard on You?” Nominated for a Grammy in 2016. He’s a co-authored a popular biography (Brother Be, Yo Like George, Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard on You?), producing two more albums—one for Parliament (titled Medicated Broad Dog) and another solo record. The latter will be released on Brainfeeder, the LA label owned by beat scene king Flying Lotus, who he’s recently shared the stage with at the Hollywood Bowl, along with other young jazz and hip-hop revolutionaries like Thundercat and Shabazz Palaces. He even got to see a recreated piece of Parliament’s famous giant Mothership, which used to land on stage during their concerts back in the late ‘70s, exhibited in the Smithsonian.

“WITH SOME GOOD FOOD, WEED AND MY WIFE TAKING CARE OF ME, I WAS ABLE TO GET MY HEALTH BACK TOGETHER.”

31

That amount of activity in the past few years alone would be enough to fill any artist’s plate. But for the man sampled and celebrated by every West Coast rapper in existence (including Kendrick Lamar, who included him on his Grammy-winning album To Pimp a Butterfly), it was only the beginning. The swell of activity was also able to prime the pump for his latest untitled documentary project. Sometime this year, Clinton plans to release a film detailing his legal battles with various record companies over the royalties he says he’s owed for an endless amount of his sampled works.

“And ain’t no way people are gonna pay attention to that story unless I’m relevant again,” Clinton says. “It’s too much for them to want to dig into. It’s a big story with all the sampling and what the record companies have done, to do a documentary which is what we’re working on now. We’ve got all the legal side compiled and put together.”

Clinton’s lengthy groove-tastic jams have been sampled well over 400 times by dozens of artists, second only to the Godfather of Soul James Brown. With songs from Parliament and Funkadelic combined, it’s nearly double that amount. Yet Clinton says he never received the amount of compensation from various record companies that made money off the artists who used his music on their recordings.

In the ‘90s alone, Clinton’s iconic 1982 track “Atomic Dog” was sampled in a number of classic West Coast hip-hop records, including Snoop Dogg’s “Who I Am (What’s My Name)” and Ice Cube’s “Friday.” The fact that today’s most popular artists like Kendrick Lamar continue to re-create and sample his psychedelic funk sound proves that when it comes to Clinton’s music, people really do want the funk. In the end, the strength of his albums, not just the hits, are what have sustained his career.

“Funkadelic made it a point to not be in a bag, Clinton says. “After the song “ Testify” in ‘67, I never wanted to have to follow up with another single. You’re outta the game quick if that’s where your head is at. Make a record that lasts as a record even if it doesn’t sell at first. The endurance of that record will pay off.”

At a time when iconic musicians like Prince, Maurice White of Earth Wind and Fire, Parliament keyboardist Bernie Worrell and David Bowie have passed away, Clinton’s ability to carry the torch for funkateers is all the more important.

“It gives me a good excuse to stay around. Whenever I hear a hot record, like Childish Gambino’s new one (Awaken, My Love)...they went through the same thing we went through, trying to impress Smokey Robinson or the people at Motown back in the day. We wanted to be around them so bad because we wanted to be a part of that. We did everything we could to learn the Motown theory. They did the same thing with funk.”

Staying healthy with the help of cannabis allows him to continue on the road and produce new music. Most importantly, the endurance of his work is a testimonial not only to the power of the funk, but the power of the man who finds the strength to keep it going and continuing to keep his finger on the pulse of the future.

“A lotta people go ‘ain’t [Parliament] gone? Ain’t they dead?’ No, we ain’t dead,” Clinton says with a laugh.

“We makin’ music you’ve been listening to the whole time, but you just didn’t know we was involved.”

32

LIFESTYLE

THE FUTURE OF CANNABIS CLUBS

2027 REVEALED

WRITER / ANDREA LARSON / MATT CRISCIONE

ILLUSTRATION / NICO LISA

34

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rohibition has been on the lips of many American progressives for almost a century. Election night 2016 for many turned out to be one of the highlights of our country’s battle with cannabis prohibition. In early November last year President Obama sat down with Bill Mahr. Their conversation waxed and waned on topics ranging from the GMO debate to the rise of Trump. Cannabis, as expected from a Mahr interview, also made its way into the conversation. So, we’re talking about cannabis again. It’s not shocking. What is new however is cannabis’ place in the public space. ‘Where can I smoke?’ is a question on the lips of almost anyone after purchasing legal cannabis from a dispensary or recreational shop.

Colorado voted on Initiative 300 in the 2016 election and it passed. Although some Colorado cities have allowed certain clubs to exist as a BYOP establishment, this new measure permits the consumption of cannabis in permitted spaces like restaurants and bars for patrons of legal age. As with all good things, there are a few catches. Colorado has strict clean air acts that protect customers and employees, so smoking inside will be a big no-no. Vaping and edibles are no-holds-barred indoors, but the blunt my friends is going to have to be passed around outside. And establishments must possess support from a local association—a registered neighborhood or restaurant association for example.

Colorado’s forethought in regards to cannabis consumption and the canna-tourism industry has caught our attention and we can’t help but wonder what this means for the future of cannabis clubs. Whether you’re a Portlandian, Seattleite, Anchorage native or Vegas nightlife enthusiast, one thing is for certain – cannabis clubs, large and small, are coming to a neighborhood near you.

We’ve dusted off our crystal ball and dared to look into the future of cannabis clubs.

We’re covering it all. From the bright lights of Las Vegas, to your local neighborhood pubs and leaving no rock unturned. We’ll be diving into the secret nooks of the Smokeasy where lingering prohibition might force like-minded people to congregate in secret to enjoy their cannabis.

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SIN CITY THE CANNABIS NIGHT CLUB

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in City is always pushing the threshold of what’s new and next level in the nightlife scene. If you want to be seen and heard Vegas is the place to be.

Vegas is the mecca of food, entertainment, music, beverages, mega resorts, gangsters and mob bosses—cannabis will be no exception.

Vegas and exclusivity go hand-and-hand, it’s what visitors from near and far have come to expect. Long lines, VIP shortcuts and best-dressed lists remain the norm. Club owners will pull out all the stops. You’d be silly not to spend your evening with them.

LET ’S SET THE SCENE. After making your way through security, a striking tuxedo-clad gentleman who introduces himself as Captain Kush escorts you and yours to the third level of an open-air club.

Captain Kush is your guide for the evening and you’re told that despite being a holographic projection, he is very much at your every beck and call. At first glance, Captain Kush appears as real as the gorgeous drag queen that checked your coat. Stepping from the elevator you’re greeted with a birds-eye view of the club. You make your way past private glass-walled rooms labeled, “Super Lemon Haze,” “Jack Herer,” “Grape Ape” and “Agent Orange.” The Captain nods at the rooms and says, “these rooms are designed for those looking to use their imagination.”

The club is cylindrical in shape and three stories tall sporting a rooftop bar and pool.

You reach your table—plush, gemtoned pillows line a velvet emerald couch.

A SmartTable sits adjacent to the seating area allowing you to review strain information, the beverage and food menu as well as upcoming DJ and live entertainment sets with the swipe of a finger. Waiting on the table and propped up by the edge of a gold ashtray is a finely rolled cannagar cradled in a crimson band.

From where you sit at roughly 11 o’clock on Tier III, you see it all.

The rooftop bar is where you’ll find the world’s most celebrated mixologists.

Cannabis infused cocktails, tincture and fruit simple syrups, cannabis infused cask aged blended scotch whiskies are up for grabs.

These blended masterpieces will be concocted from the finest cannabis and ingredients on the market. Strong in flavor, but responsible in dosage, your beverage will enhance your high, not ruin your evening. Expect to sip on undiscovered flavors while relaxing poolside under the stars.

Once back inside, peering from the comforts of your cozy, velvet armchair you make out the shapes and shadows of club-goers on Tier II. Their bodies pulse and flow freely to whatever electric music the DJ is spinning.

Most nights, live bands play between DJ sets.

This club is never short on entertainment and the people who come to dance never hold back.

Tier II also houses three “Come Down” kiosks.

This is where extraordinary science breathes new life into a less-than-desirable situation.

If you started your night too quickly or are simply looking to alter your high your first order of business is to step up to one of the CD kiosks. Registered nurses offer attendees beverages and sublingual quick dissolving tablets formulated to dissipate the effects of cannabis in mere minutes.

On Tier I, swanky bartenders muddle fresh squeezed juices with cannabis-infused tinctures. Vendors snake their way through the crowd holding silver trays flooded with the most enticing options. Exotic fruit, piping hot miniature pastries, luscious trichomeladen buds sitting atop gold-rimmed crystal saucers and loose leaf teas from around the world wait to be plucked from the trays by patrons looking to relax and sip on something hot in the comforts of their private booths. Women and men in fantastic wardrobes offer their expertise on cannabis products to curious groups looking to try something new. Celebrity strains and rare OG landrace strains are never far from reach.

And for a price anything is attainable.

MUSIC In between live sets highlighting the most coveted artists a DJ spins records with live instrument accompaniments.

Musicians intermingle with the crowd offering a unique and rare experience for club goers.

FOOD Exceptional and renowned James Beard Award Winning chefs from around the globe will offer tapas worthy of recognition by the most prestigious of foodies. Flaky beignets, tarts, fig toasties and thyme Gougères crafted from the freshest ingredients are up for grabs. Light, flavorful fare keeps club goers sustained and satisfied without feeling like they’ve overdone it.

Two-ounce fresh pressed juices are offered in a variety of nutritional and exceptional ingredients.

TECHNOLOGY SmartTables abound leaving no club goer in the dark. Want to know which set is playing next on Tier II or which Hors d’oeuvres are being crafted in the kitchen? Simply tap on the nearest SmartTable and find out. Curious as to which terpenes are present in the strain you’re consuming? That’s right, the nearest SmartTable will give you all of the information you desire.

“COME DOWN” KIOSKS A decade of scientific research out of Israel’s finest research lab has unearthed a remedy for over-consumption.

A natural compound presented in tablet form is placed under the tongue and within minutes the unfavorable effects of over-consumption slip away.

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ARTICLE TITLE

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SMOKEASY

LOCAL BAR

THE CRAFT CANNABIS BAR

NEIGHBORHOOD PUB

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hese places are going to be the microbrewery pubs of the future.

Never lacking in style or panache, the Smokeasy is regionallythemed and representative of the neighborhood in which it’s situated. Exclusive and often out-of-reach strains, concentrates and edibles will be up for grabs. After making your way through the dimly lit entrance, you post up on solid African Blackwood stools. Handcrafted woodwork throughout the club, live hemp plants, unparalleled service and exclusive strains found nowhere else make the Smokeasy a must for any cannabis connoisseur. Craft beers brewed and flavored by cannabis hops hybrids are a must have. The citrus flavor and scent of Durban Poison blended into the sharp citrusy bite of an IPA is the Smokeasy favorite!

The flowers and concentrates offered here will be focused on the craft of perfection. Flavor will be the biggest selling point, and potency is never far behind. We’re talking very limited runs on rare local strains.

Local growers show up on site to answer questions and mingle with the crowd. Growing techniques and genetics are a hot topic.

If you’ve ever geeked out over a posted beer list or a chance to speak to the brewer at your favorite beer hall, then the Smokeasy will be your nirvana.

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e ol’ neighborhood watering hole. Pop in on your way home from work or swing by on game day. This bar won’t disappoint and you’ll always see a familiar face.

A convenient and small refuge between work and home that allows a complete unwind. Fancy and pretentious do not describe this establishment.

LET ’S SET THE SCENE. Paying homage to dive bars of the 90s and 2000s, neon lights buzz and glint in the moonlight. Your feet shuffle on the pavement towards the entrance and you feel immediately at home. Upon opening the swinging saloon-like doors, a few recognizable faces smile back at you and a small cheer erupts.

Everyone is happy to see you. To your left, virtual pool tables shimmer like free standing swimming pools, the people around them bantering while passing around a hand rolled joint.

You make your way towards the bar where you know your regular tender will have a most delectable cannabis recommendation.

FOOD

FOOD

The menu is exquisite with fresh takes on classic plates.

Cannabis cured bacon- wrapped dates are the house hit. The bacon is brined in cannabis-infused salt and smoked for 18 hours atop terpenesoaked woodchips. A delectable experience unique to the Smokeasy.

Marionberry Kush and Juicy Fruit strains are used to smoke rare meats and cheeses for seasonal charcuterie plates.

A neighborhood bar wouldn’t be reliable without a grilled cheese on the menu. Customizable, these golden beauties will be crisped to perfection, ooey-gooey and fried in your choice of cannabis infused butter or oil. Pick your terpene, pick your THC:CBD ratio, sit back, relax and enjoy the melted goodness.

MUSIC

Jukeboxes capable of a “Music Cloud” experience wait patiently for you and your friends to arrive. Technology has flown to new heights and with the push of a button you can now dance, sing and karaoke in your own music bubble. Maybe you wanna jam out to TLC’s “Creep?” Who are we to stop ya?

A Virtual Live Music Experience known simply as VLME is all the rage.

The biggest bands play virtually for the crowd, offering a unique experience every night. Big brass bands to classic rock superstars make the set list, Smokeasy music sessions are intimate and exclusive to any day of the week.

CANNABIS OFFERINGS Craft style cannabis is up for grabs and “hard to reach” OG landrace strains are on limited release menus. Quarterly coveted crops are displayed in small quantities for purchase. Smokeasy Club Members will have first pick of the rarest and most highly prized strains. Get them while you can; once they’re gone they’re gone.

EXCLUSIVITY Reservations for select seating are made weeks in advance.

Memberships are auctioned off on April 20th of each calendar year allowing the Smokeasy VIPs access to reserve strains and invitations to epic seasonal events.

SERVICE The Smokeasy is staffed with Cannabis Virtuosos offering their expertise to guests at no cost. What you would expect from a Napa Valley Sommelier is what you’ll get from a Smokeasy CV. Truly, an enhanced consumption experience.

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MUSIC

BEVERAGES Terpene-infused flights offer two ounces of expertly matched cannabis to regional hops. It doesn’t get more intimate than the craft brewer. Everyone thought craft breweries would weed themselves out and it turns out that they did.

INTERIOR Repurposed grow lamps, stools crafted from hemp and pipes from the earliest grows make up the interior of the bar.

Paying homage to the early generations is done well.

OLFACTORY OOOhhh that smell. The fumes of uncorrupted strains flume about. As you snake your way from the bar to the bathroom you recognize that the ventilation system is doing work.

Smoke no longer lingers, but the scent of rare and scrumptious terpenes stimulate your senses.

PRODUCTS WE LOVE WRITER / DAVID BAILEY & MEGAN CAMPBELL PHOTO / MARK COFFIN

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1 LINX Linx introduces the Gaia Vaporizer for loose leaf vaping and the Ares Honey Straw Vaporizer for vaping extract. The Gaia features an all-quartz heating chamber that heats the flower evenly.

The Ares requires little effort at all, simply dip one end into your extract and then inhale! linxvapor.com Prices vary

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2 SPARKSLIDE Ever find yourself without a light? This polycarbonate phone case has a built-in, windproof lighter, built for cigarettes, that’s making lighters obsolete. It also comes with a stainless steel beer bottle opener. sparkslide.com Prices vary

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3 VPUF It’s simple and it’s convenient.

But above all, it’s clever marketing. The Vpuf transforms business cards into portable pipes you can carry in your wallet. It’s sturdy enough to be used a couple of times— and you better believe people will remember your business if they smoked through your business card. vpufpipe.com Prices vary

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5

CFV AROMATHERAPY

AIRSCAPE GLASS

Not your ordinary vaporizer, the CFV is built for reliability and consistent controlled flavor. Featuring interchangeable heat retention rings made of African rosewood and quartz alongside impeccable temperature controls, you can count on this piece day after day.

Bndlstech.com $219.99

Looking to keep your bud as fresh as possible? Look no further than an Airscape Glass canister. Its inner lid that allows the user to push air out of the container assures a fresh product. They even have a variety of sizes and lids that can fit 3.5, 5 and 7 gallon buckets. planetarydesign.com Prices vary

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8

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5

WINK Wink celebrates the progre s s wo m e n a re m a k i n g world-wide and offers a sleek and discreet therapeutic experience for her.

B y o n l y e x t ra c t i n g f ro m pesticide-free cannabis, and donating a portion of proceeds to breast cancer research, Wink is dedicated to health and positivity.

Prices and availability vary

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7 THE COUGH PEN

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The Cough Pen has achieved the same massive hits you desire with all the portability and discreet functionality of a pen. The dual quartz or donut ceramic coils are easily loaded with the build in dab tool that sits atop the spill-proof chamber cap. It even has a secret silicone stash jar!

Coughpens.com $79.95

8 POT POCKET Rather than contributing to more plastic doob tubes, try the Pot Pocket! A reusable all natural solution to carrying your joints without the risk, these self-sealing containers can last years and slide in your pocket or purse with discreet ease.

Potpockets.us Prices may vary

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PAPA AND BARKLEY

SUICIDE GIRLS

Want to keep working but an old injury is keeping you down? Focusing on topical applications of skin care and pain management, Papa and Barkley’s line of all natural cannabis infused products is sure to meet your needs.

Prices and availability may vary papaandbarkley.com

Suicide Girls introduces its own line of cannabis products designed for vaping. The three types, “Chill,” “Hustle,” and “Zero,” are packed with flavor. Check out their website to find availability near you. Battery not included Chill.suicidegirls.com

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SCIENCE

PLANT PROPAGATION THE APPEAL OF PLANT TISSUE CULTURING WRITER / MEGAN RUBIO

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or many who grow cannabis in a commercial setting, cloning is the go-to technique for plant propagation. Cloning consists of designating mother plants—plants that will be isolated and grown with the sole purpose of providing plant cuttings—which will be grown in a vegetative state, and eventually, become flowering plants.

While cloning is an effective method of plant propagation, there are numerous drawbacks. Plant tissue culturing, on the other hand, is a method of plant propagation that is becoming the go-to method in the agricultural community.

Tissue culturing is a method of plant propagation that removes the guesswork. Plant tissue culturing utilizes a sterile environment to ensure that, if done correctly, resulting plants are pest and pathogen free. The plant starts off as a leaf cutting placed into a petri dish.

Plant hormones are then used to induce cell division. Plants are able to differentiate between different cell types, so they are able to form their own stem, root and leaf cells. As the cells divide, the plant continues to grow. As it grows, you can split the culture into another petri dish, which allows both cultures to continue growing.

Benefits of plant tissue culturing is that genetic drift does not occur.

Cloning is a labor-intensive task and a high risk for loss exists if environmental systems aren’t perfected.

The process requires regular maintenance and a sterile lab environment, but it doesn’t have to be done within your facility. There are numerous companies that provide plant tissue culturing services.

There are also companies that can provide the tools necessary for a successful lab as well as guidance on the required steps if you’d rather do the tissue culturing in house. There are also workshops available for personal growers on how to do tissue culturing at home, including how to repurpose common items for the task.

One of the benefits of plant tissue culturing is that genetic drift does not occur—the degeneration of the genetic line. Another pro is that tissue culturing takes up significantly less space than cloning and allows genetics to be kept and maintained on a small scale, which results in more space for the genetics that are regularly flowered. There is also a higher likelihood of the resulting plants being pest and pathogen free, whereas clones are exposed to numerous vectors for such issues.

Cloning is a labor-intensive task and a high risk for loss exists if environmental systems aren’t perfected. Quite a lot of time and effort are required to take clone cuttings, clean up the cuts and plug them.

The mother plants must also be regularly maintained to ensure that cuts are available. But mother plants should be cycled through occasionally and can often be

the best hosts for pests or pathogens as they’re not rotated into flowering like vegetative plants. With plant tissue culturing, the only thing that could set back a crop is a contaminated environment. Sterile lab conditions are essential. Once that condition is met and the cultures are given growth hormones, they are basically in charge of their own healthy growth.

The bottom line is that tissue culturing is already an industry standard for numerous agricultural products, including blueberries and strawberries. There are some recreational and medicinal cannabis producers that are beginning to utilize this process, in lieu of cloning.

It is a more scientific method of plant propagation, whereas with cloning the loss percentages can fluctuate unpredictably. Overall, plant tissue culturing could be a solution to genetic drift, pests and pathogen resistance as well as an aid in maximizing your growing space as you branch further into this cannabis market.

Tissue culturing is a method that removes the guesswork.

“THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT TISSUE CULTURING IS ALREADY AN INDUSTRY STANDARD FOR NUMEROUS AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, INCLUDING BLUEBERRIES AND STRAWBERRIES.” 45

E N T E R TA I N M E N T

FROM SEA TO ATL AND BACK B-BOY FIDGET COMES HOME WRITER / ALEX JULIANO

PHOTO / TREVOR BOONE

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fter a decade-long hiatus from the rainy city, I sat down and caught up with a unique, home-grown talent. Marcus Sharpe – also known as B-boy Fidget – is a true NW artist with roots in breaking and funk style, hailing from the veteran Seattle b-boy crew, Fraggle Rock. After interviewing the man himself, one thing is clear: he has had a lot more than dancing on his plate since moving to the south.

Fidget began his rap career in Atlanta around 12 years ago, and hasn’t called Seattle home again until now. With his partner, Seattle-based Tim “Chips” Uomoto, Fidget co-founded F-Rock, a multi-faceted hip-hop collective. This collective is not to be confused with their crew, Fraggle Rock, despite the similarity. Fidget elaborated on the reason for a separation as the crew’s business aspirations became an object, “We needed F-Rock to be separate from the crew, mostly because of Jim Henson… but we wanted to stay true to our original name.”

“I FEEL LIKE GEORGIA IS THE LAST PLACE THAT SLAVES AREN’T FREE. THE RACISM IS STILL THERE, IT’S COMMON FOR HOMIES TO GET LOCKED UP FOR WEED-RELATED CRIMES.” Besides the occasional grooving and his own personal projects, Fidget has been leaving his mark all over the hip-hop scene in Atlanta under the name F-Rock Entertainment.

Besides the production work he does in the rap community, he is also working on tracks for commercials, and has even delved into the EDM scene. “It’s a different language,” he shared regarding his work in other scenes, “but I try to see the good in all hip-hop, and in all art.”

He recently completed his latest album, No Compromise, under F-Rock Entertainment.

No Compromise reflects his taste for true school hip-hop and a conscious approach, something that stands out in the south.

“In ATL, people said I spoke proper and asked me, “Where you from?” kind of funny. I felt the need to let them know: Seattle is dope,” he remarked.

That Seattle flavor hits hard in his latest album. This latest work of B-boy Fidget features conscious, hard-hitting lyrics over tracks that range from Seattle, a straight turnup track, to Clap Kidz (Legal), which discusses cannabis legalization. Fidget pointed out that there is a clear difference between how cannabis is viewed in Seattle versus Atlanta.

“I feel like Georgia is the last place slaves

aren’t free. The racism is still there, it’s common for homies to get locked up for weed-related crimes… and the cops are no help either.”

He shared while shaking his head. In Georgia, holding anything more than an ounce of marijuana is a felony. It wasn’t long ago when Washington State was also subject to drastic laws on cannabis possession, even though it now seems like a safe haven for smokers.

The move back wasn’t just to get away from the negativity, however. Fidget’s mission is to develop F-Rock’s clothing line. “In ATL I was building my network and connections, but now, it’s time to get back and put our heads together,” he reflected while he and his partner Tim showcased a prototype for me: a trucker hat reading Make Hip-Hop Great Again.

I took to the hat, especially in light of recent politics, and Fidget replied, “That’s what we want you to think: “I would wanna wear a hat like that.” But F-Rock isn’t all Fidget is working on. Quikflip is a hustle-and-streetculture inspired line also incepted by the Seattle hip-hop artist. “I want to start the new year out strong,” he told me as we wrapped up. Be on the lookout for Fidget’s music and new line – this Seattle hip-hop aficionado has a lot on the horizon.

You can check Fidget’s music out on his Facebook page, or the F-Rock line at F-Rock’s website: www.frockclothing.com

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T R AV E L

SWITZERLAND THE HIGHEST PLACE IN EUROPE WRITER / SESHATA

BASEL

S

witzerland, land of the high Alps, cheese with holes and wildly expensive timepieces. What is less wellknown, however, is that Switzerland has a rich history and subculture of cannabis and hemp use.

I took a short trip to Zurich to find out what the scene is like in one of Switzerland’s largest and most vibrant cities. I also arranged to visit Lucerne, a small city one hour from Zurich that sits at the edge of a vast glacial lake, surrounded by Alpine peaks of staggering beauty.

My aim is to discover what Switzerland has to offer to today’s discerning cannabis tourist, and hopefully to get higher than I’ve ever been before – by medicating at the top of Mount Titlis, a stunning 10,000 foot peak just outside Lucerne.

Switzerland doesn’t actually make the

$ Kilo= 7500 CHF Gram= 10 CHF Kilo= 6500 £ Gram= 10 £

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cut for the highest elevation in Europe. That prize goes to Mount Elbrus in Russia, at a staggering 18,506 feet! Nor does Switzerland hold the crown for the highest rate of cannabis consumption – that’s Iceland, with a massive 18.3% prevalence. But given that you can’t climb as high in Iceland, and getting high in the other sense can land you in some serious trouble in Russia, Switzerland surely deserves the compromise prize.

In Zurich, I have arranged to meet Marco Cadisch, owner of Highlife Media, a cannabis-focused news agency, and part-owner of SwissXtracts, a company specializing in 99.6% CBD crystals. SwissXtracts is a joint venture with Bio Can, a prominent Swiss producer and researcher of industrial and medicinal cannabis strains.

Cadisch fills me in on the necessary details. First off, I ask him if it will be possible to medicate up a mountain – could it land

“SWITZERLAND IS A WONDERFUL PLACE TO ENJOY A CANNABISFRIENDLY HOLIDAY, AS LONG AS THE ASTRONOMICALLY HIGH PRICES DONT PUT YOU OFF.”

ZURICH

me in trouble? If so, how much? He gives me a placid, Swiss smile and tells me, “I don’t think it would be much of a problem. We’re quite liberal here so I don’t think anyone would mind.” In fact, the worst that could happen is that an individual caught smoking cannabis would be given a 100 CHF fine. I’m prepared to take that risk just for the experience!

We discuss the Swiss scene in a little more detail, and Cadisch describes how the medicinal scene is beginning to take shape.

Over the last few decades, cannabis policy in Switzerland has shifted several times. During the 1990s, a legal loophole that did not specify upper limits for THC in hemp meant that growing high-THC strains was effectively legal. In the peak years, hundreds of head shops sold packets of cannabis ostensibly to be used as “scent pillows,” tea or pot-pourri.

This loophole has been stitched up, but cannabis is still widely available and there are plenty of growers in Switzerland.

This makes cannabis relatively cheap at the retail level compared to wholesale. In general, a kilo of cannabis goes for around 7500 CHF, while a gram costs 10 CHF at retail level.

Compare that to the UK, where a kilo costs around £6500 and a gram retails at up to £15 – a country with much harsher laws for growers, where profit margins are

Pro-Cannabis Parties: Social Democratic Party (PSS) The Liberals (PLR)

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therefore higher. In Switzerland, jail time for small grows is practically unheard of, and it’s now decriminalized to possess up to 10g for any adult.

Furthermore, it’s still legal to cultivate strains with up to one percent THC – far higher than the 0.2-0.3 percent limit imposed by much of the world. Now, the Swiss are producing high-quality, low-THC strains with up to 17 percent CBD, and selling them as legal tobacco alternatives in head shops and tobacconists! As well as this, the market in CBD extracts and crystals in starting to take shape, and Switzerland is putting itself on the map as a ‘centre’ of research.

For the high-CBD, low-THC cannabis available in headshops, it’s not necessary to have a prescription. However, those that need high-THC cannabis have just one physician, Doctor Fankhauser, who has permission to prescribe it. But high-quality cannabis is widely available, and potential patients can grow their own for relatively cheap.

Before we part ways, Cadisch presents me with a 10g pouch of CPure, Bio Can’s proprietary brand of high-CBD, low-THC “Fedtonic” cannabis. The Fedtonic strain is a cross between Fedora hemp and Cannatonic, a 1:1-2 THC:CBD strain produced by Spanish seed bank Resin Seeds. Later, when sampling it, I’m pleasantly surprised by its Cheese-like aroma and subtle flavor.

In one Zurich head shop I found during

T R AV E L

GENEVA

BERN

CITIES WITH CANNABIS CLUBS

my wanderings, the assistant informed me that the CPure was out of stock – but then she offered me an alternative, in a plain, unlabeled package, with none of the official appearance of the CPure packets. Unfortunately language barriers prevented us from conversing in great detail, but I got the impression that the product she was offering was produced “in-house” or very close to home!

With Zurich checked off my list, I’m keen to get to Lucerne, where I’ll be staying in a fairytale castle on a hill overlooking the city, and going on a tour up the beautiful Mount Titlis the following day.

In Lucerne, I barely have time to find an overpriced meal before every food purveyor shuts down for the night. It’s Saturday night and 11pm; clearly it’s not a 24-hour city. At least the hotel is warm and inviting, having plenty of Swiss beer and peanuts in the refrigerator. With temperatures outside dropping down to 27°F, I decide that once I’m in, I’m not venturing back out.

The next day dawns bright and clear, and I make my way to the meeting point to join the tour group. It’s a mixed bunch of families, couples and gap year students. I make a few friends, but I’m keen to get off on my own and explore. As soon as we’re

Legal to cultivate strains up to one percent THC

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up the mountain, whisked up by a series of cable cars and a rotating gondola, I slip off and do my own thing.

As Marco Cadisch promised, I have no problem discreetly medicating. At the summit of Mount Titlis I see a few dozen skiers and hikers, but it’s far from crowded. The snow is too wet and thin for this time of year – another sign that climate change is continuing apace, as this trend has been developing over the decades.Mount Titlis lays claim to Europe’s highest suspension bridge – a delicate 500 foot span crossing the Titlis glacier at an elevation of 10,000 feet (the absolute summit of the mountain sits as 10,630 feet). A session of vaping and photography looking down upon the glacier made for a very rewarding experience!

Another serene and beautiful place, perfect to enjoy a few minutes of cannabinoids and contemplation, was the glacier cave – a stunning walkway carved 65 feet below the surface of the glacier, lit by an ethereal bluish glow. Very few people came through during my time there, and the feeling of stillness and tranquility was incomparable!

All-in-all, Switzerland is a wonderful place to enjoy a cannabis-friendly holiday, as long as the astronomically high prices don’t put you off.

NEWS

#END420SHAME THE CANNA-CAREER MAKING IT WURK WRITER / KELLY VO

“People who smoke pot are lazy, dumb and unemployable!”

I’ve heard some version of that statement a thousand times. There’s a stigma about what a cannabis user looks like and that outlook only gets darker when it’s transferred to employees and business owners

in the budding cannabis industry. According to some people, dispensaries and growers are nothing more than glorified drug dealers. These accusations couldn’t be further from the truth.

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To understand what a career in cannabis actually looks like, you need the facts.

Lazy?

The cannabis industry created more than 18,000 new jobs in Colorado last year, according to the Marijuana Policy Group. And those jobs were created because cannabis spending creates more output and employment per dollar spent than 90 percent of Colorado industries.

Dumb?

Wurk is a human resources software that helps cannabis companies with their dayto-day operations. Currently, nearly 30,000 employees are moving through their system and the company recently received $1 million in seed funding to expand their offerings. Visit http://www.enjoywurk.com/ to learn more.

“The amount of knowledge that the average bud tender has compared to an employee at a typical retail establishment blows me away,” Keegan Peterson, Founder and CEO of Wurk, said. “They have to know the 50 different cannabis strands that their company carries including all of their effects. And even more impressive, their inventory changes almost every single day and they have to keep up.”

Unemployable?

The cannabis industry employs an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 full- and part-time workers, according to Marijuana Business Daily.

And those jobs aren’t just for retail sales. “There are a lot of hightech jobs in cannabis,” said Keegan. “When you post a job online, immediately, you have 150 highly-qualified applicants.”

“The other thing that is really fascinating about the cannabis industry is that it happens to employ a lot of veterans,” explained Keegan. “So, not only is cannabis used to treat PTSD, but as a whole, the industry has embraced veterans by also providing jobs.”

It’s clear that a career in cannabis isn’t what most people expect, so what is it like? It’s a brand-new industry, and that means there are a lot of opportunities. For most people, working in cannabis means working with the plant, but that’s not always the case.

There are thousands of jobs that sit ancillary to the plant—jobs with companies like Wurk.

Wurk is a full-service payroll and human resources provider designed with cannabis companies in mind. Their technology helps dispensaries and growers stay compliant with the cannabis regulatory bodies within their state while also ensuring they pay everyone correctly. It’s a tech company that only exists because of medical and recreational cannabis, and Wurk is part of the fastest growing side of cannabis—infrastructure.

Unlike other well-developed industries such as the alcohol or agriculture industry, cannabis is starting from the ground up. “There’s a lot of infrastructure work required to make cannabis a legal industry. It’s work that most people take for granted,” explains Keegan. “Cannabis businesses need to be able to distribute product, bank, run HR, etc. This infrastructure is currently what the industry lacks the most, and where, I believe, we’ll see the most growth over the next five to ten years. In five years, the cannabis industry will

look just like the retail and manufacturing world, but it will take time and support.”

The growing infrastructure side of cannabis is one of the reasons why I always laugh at the stigma of cannabis workers. As a writer for DOPE Magazine, I’m employed by the cannabis industry, and yet I don’t resemble any sort of stereotype, and I’m not alone by any means.

Unlike other industries, cannabis businesses also face a lot of unique challenges. “A lack of bank accounts for canna-businesses is one of the most pressing problems,” said Keegan. “An inability to open a bank account not only makes payroll very difficult, but it also causes trouble with the government.”

For example, let’s pretend that you run a cannabis business with more than fifty employees. Head into any bank and try to set up a bank account and you’ll most likely be turned down. That’s a problem. The Affordable Care Act requires you to provide healthcare benefits, but healthcare providers won’t offer insurance to companies without a bank account. It’s a Catch-22.

And that takes us right back to the need for infrastructure and the value that tech-companies such as Wurk provide. Not only does Wurk’s software help with payroll, but they’ve also developed relationships with state banks and credit unions that are permitted to finance cannabis companies. DOPE Magazine not only provide reviews on cannabis products and advertisements, but also provide insight into the cannabis world for non-users.

The key to the cannabis industry is breaking down stigmas and busting stereotypes. As Keegan said, “There are many different types of people that make up the cannabis culture. The industry embraces everyone.”

“THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE THAT MAKE UP THE CANNABIS CULTURE. THE INDUSTRY EMBRACES EVERYONE.” 53

SOCIAL MEDIA

@DOPEMAGAZINE

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earning for the warmth of spring is the hardest part of winter.

To warm up the mind we’ve lined out some of the juiciest cannabis pictures available. There’s always business going on in the cannabis space and it’s important to sit back and enjoy the view at times. Be sure to share your best shots with us every month @dopemagazine and don’t forget to include #dopemagazine!

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LIFESTYLE

KEEP CANNABIS DATA OPEN AND FREE FOR ALL WRITER / DAVID HODES

PHOTO / JENA SCHLOSSER

M

ore and more cannabis trade shows feature companies that provide analytics for the industry.

Coming about as a result of the steady growth of the industry and the curiosity of technologists, analytics companies are interested in studying canna-businesses while simultaneously sorting out complex issues related to the science and business behind the plant.

This big swath of complexities creates a huge spread of opportunities and ideas to explore using the collected data. Not surprisingly, most of the analytical companies in this space choose to focus on the cultivator, the dispensary, the grower, the security operations, the retail sales operations, etc.

Leafly, for example, is one of the earliest and well-known players in the cannabis analytics business, providing data on the strains of cannabis, dispensaries and more. It’s considered the go-to resource guide for people dipping their toes in the cannabis business space.

While some analytic companies like Leafly position themselves as the one-shop data stop, many in the industry believe that no one should be the exclusive data gatekeeper.

The desire for data to be made available to the public for free is not a belief exclusive to the cannabis space. The notion that open data is a public good is a tenet of many branches of thinking. The belief that cannabis data should be free, shared and open sourced to fire up the engine of technology and the imaginations of technologists to advance the industry is a relevant and vital topic.

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Nevertheless, according to David Drake, CEO of Cannabis Reports, an information resource for the cannabis industry, getting and using that data is problematic, because too many people are claiming or trying to claim ownership without seeing the big picture of what the industry needs.

“We as technologists have to come together and figure out a way to let our systems talk to each other,” he said.

He sees a very open future where it doesn’t matter if someone owns a wholesale company or a delivery company or a lab testing company or any related business down the chain. “We should have one way to talk about this particular Blue Dream strain, cultivated on this particular date by this particular person, and we can communicate on that all the way from beginning to end,” he said.

“That is the future that I want to see. Better access to information and more safety around cannabis, and just a better experience for all of us.”

Drake sees this as a great time in the industry to truly bring everyone together in the data analytics space. So much data is being collected from so many sources. “But one thing that they are not doing is giving open access to it,” he said.

“So while they are giving information to some of the big decision makers in a lot of these businesses, as far as the people that are trying to develop software and trying to create what is going to be the infrastructure and architecture for this global cannabis industry, nobody is stepping in to do that.” He believes “Developers are not getting those good tools. They are starting from scratch every single time, over and over again. People really want some place to get data from to build their software.”

He sees the advertising-free Cannabis Reports site as a better, safer place for resource collection and use, free and open to everyone.

Drake has called out the popular data analytics sites like WeedMaps and Leafly because he says those sites are not safe. When people search Google for information about cannabis, for example, they likely are directed to sites like Leafly.

“But there are 28 different services that are tracking your movements when you are on the Leafly site,” he said. “All of your data is being sold to corporations. And that is not OK with me and not OK for the cannabis industry,” he said.

“Sites like these are what people have decided is what technology should look like for the industry. And it’s really shitty, because you need to make sure your information is private because you are talking about your medical experiences.”

He said that there are currently 20,000 developers building off the open information available on his site. “There is a demand for this.

“THAT IS THE FUTURE THAT I WANT TO SEE. BETTER ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND MORE SAFETY AROUND CANNABIS, AND JUST A BETTER EXPERIENCE FOR ALL OF US.”

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“WE LIVE IN A SOFTWARE WORLD.”

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They want good, structured info about cannabis and it is out there.”

Some of the reason for the push back by governments regarding cannabis legalization is related to a lack of data about cannabis. “You hear the American Medical Association and the American Cancer Society agree that cannabis is medically effective,” he said. “But I think it’s less about proving that it’s medically effective and more about giving government and law enforcement the tools to feel comfortable about what is on the shelves and what is out there. I think that open data and open standards is a much easier way forward than trying to have companies come up with their own standardization over and over and over again in every single state in a different way.”

Drake said that, as the legalization continues across the country, the cannabis industry is in a critical stage to define what it is and where it is going. The Open Cannabis Project, where a group of scientists, members of academia and lawyers are building an archive of the genetic information about cannabis strains that is free to use, is a great step forward in using analytics and a good example of what Drake believes the industry needs. “We live in a software world,” he said. “And we have this revolution of ideas and this great medical stuff going on. But technologically speaking, we haven’t caught up yet.”

With Cannabis Reports, he says, he is just trying to enable a transition for different arms of the industry to speak with one another, instead of everyone coming up with their own codes or schemes.

As of now, institutions like the Berkeley Institute for Data Science have downloaded and parsed the Cannabis Reports data, along with a number of doctors who have accessed the medical studies on the site. “Cannabis belongs to the people and the information about it should also belong to the people,” Drake said. “So by creating a separate organization to house this data and hold this data helps to ensure that it doesn’t fall into the hands of corporate or advertising interests.

We want this information to be out there for economists and bio informatics folks and all of these different folks so that we can all come together on what we are actually talking about.

And that is a powerful and cool thing.”

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GROW

BIG OR LITTLE? UNDERSTANDING YOUR ROOTS WRITER / DAVID BAILEY

Trees are the only way to get weight,” has been a common belief that’s led many an indoor grower outdoors, but is this true?

There’s no doubt that a plant’s ability to absorb nutrients and deliver them appropriately is directly proportionate to the health and mass of the root zone. That being said, how tall or big a plant is doesn’t necessarily relate to the size and health of its root zone. With the legal market in full swing, we know that there are multiple grow operations harvesting three-plus pounds of flower per indoor lamp…with mid-sized plants. But how?

Root health is the crux of a grow’s success. While most growers are keenly tuned into the visual status of the leaves and stems, it’s easy to forget about the importance of your rhizosphere. Just as nutrient and pH imbalances lead to discoloration and slowed growth, the roots have been injured and slowed as well, and this influences performance.

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We all know roots absorb nutrients and water but it’s a common misconception that what you put in is exactly what’s taken up. This mentality has caused many growers to place far less priority on the balance of nutrients they are providing and even less attention on basics like pH balancing and enzymatic interactions. The roots of a plant are very similar to our stomachs. While some compounds are immediately absorbed, similar to sugar-water to humans, the majority of nutrients are reliant upon ideal proportions, pH and living organisms to antagonize the plants’ uptake.

A common mistake, for example, is the use of reverse osmosis water without the minor addition of Calcium, Magnesium and silica. This gap drastically effects root growth and causes the plants to remain slightly yellow throughout the vegetative cycle because Nitrogen cannot be absorbed without sufficient ratios of both Calcium and Magnesium. Growers frequently overlook this issue because in the first two weeks of flowering the nutrients are typically much higher in Cal:Mag causing plants to regain color and overall health leading to successful harvests. These successful harvest don’t yield three pounds a light though—generally, half that weight if their lucky.

In opposition to the Sea of Green model, the Screen of Green model has proven itself as queen in the cannabis industry. Pushing the plants growth horizontal aids in root growth while simultaneously maximizing light penetration. A larger root base is capable of supporting heavier feeding and ultimately larger yields. Where a Sea of Green model may have up to 36 plants in a 5’x5’ light footprint, Screen of Green is typically four to ten plants per 5’x5’. Clearly a lot more veg time.

Root health can take on another level of security for your crop when cared for correctly as well. With the addition and nurturing of beneficial microbes, your rhizosphere can help to balance gardening errors. A bioculturally diverse soil helps to insulate the plant against minor pH changes, small periods of drought and even nutrient lock out. There are, of course, thousands of brands on the market all touting their own unique solution. Ultimately, all you need is a diverse blend of endo-mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria which can be achieved natively by brewing aerated compost teas or by purchasing a prepacked product. Even occasional use in potted plants can have extraordinary results.

Regardless of how small or big you choose to grow your cannabis, consistent love to your root zone will always produce a happier, healthier plant. Three pounds a lamp is a tough feat for any grower but its understanding that every part of the process plays an integral role in the final product that gets you there. If you start from the roots up, you’re sure to be on top. Happy growing!

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ARTICLE TITLE

Ahead of his confirmation hearing for Attorney General, a public relations campaign is trying to depict Sen. Jeff Sessions as not a racist. He has long been dogged by such accusations, due in part to a statement that he was ok with the Ku Klux Klan, until he heard that they smoke pot. In 1986, he was not confirmed for a federal judgeship due to testimony on how he had addressed blacks.

WEED WEEK WRITER / ALEX HALPERIN ILLUSTRATOR / JOSH BOULET

There have been no major developments in the most important story for cannabis: the nomination of prohibitionist Republican Senator Jeff Sessions being nominated to attorney general. The largest cannabis lobby, the National Cannabis Industry Association, decided not to protest the nomination, a move I called cowardly, hypocritical and stupid in Slate. While Sessions has opponents on the left, and to a much lesser extent on the right, he is still widely expected to win Senate approval.

President-elect Donald Trump selected Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt (R) to run the Environmental Protection Agency.

As AG, Pruitt sued the EPA to block antipollution laws. While this might be seen as support for states’ rights -- and by extension the marijuana industry, Pruitt opposes states right on cannabis. Under him, Oklahoma, joined Nebraska in suing Colorado over the state’s REC industry. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case.

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Meanwhile, at the state level, marijuana laws continue to be a crazy quilt. Amid protests, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) delayed implementation of the state’s REC law by six months. During the election, Baker vocally opposed legalization. Anti-pot activists in Maine, at press time, have abandoned their push for a recount but want the laws to be delayed as well.

Steve Kerr, coach of the Golden State Warriors, said he tried MED for his back pain. While he didn’t find it beneficial he took a strong stand in favor of it for athletes, especially when compared to opiate painkillers. Kerr said the NBA should explore MED for pain relief. New York Knicks president and celebrated coach Phil Jackson said he’d also used MED for pain adding that cannabis “is still a part of the culture in the NBA.”

A study found that the dangers of secondhand pot smoke to children, are real. “Get it out of the house and away from your baby,” a pulmonologist says. “Not in the car, not in the home. If someone wants to smoke marijuana, they need to do it outside, far away from your baby or your child, because at this point we believe the adverse health effects are probably as bad as secondhand cigarette smoke.”

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NEWS

CANNABIS CULTURE AROUND THE WORLD SMOKING IN SPAIN WRITER / ERIC SKA AR

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Recently I had the opportunity to go to Barcelona Spain to check out the cannabis scene. It all started over a year ago when I was drinking tequila late into the twilight hours with a recent acquaintance and kindred spirit. He had been doing an immense amount of recent traveling while working on a YouTube TV show about global cannabis culture. As fate would have it on that early morning, we made the decision that we would smoke together in a foreign land.

When we met at the airport in the early afternoon of Nov. 3, we hardly recognized one another. I had just returned from New Orleans and he had just returned from the Philippines, and there we were standing face-to-face at SeaTac airport in Washington State, about to board a 12-hour flight to spend a week smoking hash in one of the world’s most developed cannabis markets.

Upon arrival, we immediately went in search of Barcelona’s social clubs. The city does not recognize medical marijuana, it is strictly recreational. Residents are allowed to grow a few plants at home. The bustling city’s head shops sell a combination of paraphernalia, grow equipment and seeds, though ironically, most of the seeds we came across were from California-based companies. Cannabis can be legally grown and ingested at home or in a social club, but it is illegal to consume or possess in public. Immense fines and jail time can result in possession of cannabis while on public property.

There are over 400 social clubs in Barcelona alone but getting in can be tricky. They were usually behind an unassuming door

on a side street. You have to either be with someone who has been before, or be invited by the club via Facebook. This voyage had placed luck on our side and we were able to gain entry. Entry with a ‘chaperone’ was best as we didn’t have to spend time looking for the entrance and often the door fee was waived.

By and large, we got in by reaching out to the clubs over Facebook directly. They would give us a code to enter and tell us to bring the code and €20. Usually the address made available on Facebook was a decoy, and we would wander the blocks aimlessly for some vague sign of the club. Once you enter, you are escorted into a waiting room. A person behind a desk will ask for an access code and you’ll find yourself pen in hand scribbling on some paperwork while simultaneously forking over some cash.

You are then let into a second, much larger room. It was exactly how I imagined a modern speakeasy would look, except with cannabis instead of hooch.

In each place we visited cannabis wasn’t alone on the menu. Often times, liquor, coffee and food found a place on the menu. Try the crepes smothered in infused Hazetella— cannabis infused Nutella. To die for. Each club had some form of entertainment as well. Magazines fanned out on the tabletop were offered as legitimate entertainment in some locales, while chess boards and stages designed for live music and performance art were offered as amusement in others.

In each place we visited we were greeted with ten strains of cannabis and ten types of hash. Prefilled cartridges and edibles could

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be ordered and picked up a day or two later. The flower was better than I expected, but the hash was extraordinary. Full melt or bubble hash of that quality has never made its way into my regular rotation—I was blown away. Once we discovered the quality of the hash we found ourselves pushing the flower to the side with our noses in the air and had ourselves a smorgasbord of hash. That trippy acid scene in Charlotte’s Web in which Templeton the rat feasts on carnival leftovers should adequately paint a picture in your mind.

It was something I have never experienced. People from all over the world were gathering in these clubs to smoke and socialize. No one was too concerned with the quality, it was either good or it wasn’t. People of all ages came together to talk, smoke and try their hand at chess or pool.

After a week of smoking and filming we caught a flight home. My buddy was off to Rome but I had to get back to work.

I plopped down in the Frankfurt airport drank a liter of beer (yes you can get beer by the liter in the Frankfurt airport) and dreamt about my next destination. I had heard the Berlin scene was crazy energetic albeit dangerous. In comparison to the Philippines where even suspected cannabis use can lead to death, I would say it may be less intense. South Korean hair follicle testing is on another level. Often performed on the street, word is that a positive follicle test may lead to jail time, even if consumption occurred abroad. Considering my alternatives, I think the open air hash markets of Freetown Christiana will be my next stop!

AI NRTT EI C RV L EI E TWI T L E

CHEF FRED WRITER / DAVID HODES

PHOTO / JESSE URRUTIA

C

hef Fred Nesbitt – known to many simply as Chef Fred, is a sort of renaissance man in the cannabis business. He has his own cannabis events TV show, is a well-known cannabis chef, a graduate of California Culinary Academy and a personal chef to celebrities and athletes; and he is a DJ for cannabis-friendly parties.

In 2016, Chef Fred performed and taught at three High Times Cups, two Hempcon events, the Las Vegas HempFest, the Indo Expo Portland, two NCIA events, the Secret Cup, Chalice, Coachella and many pop-up sessions in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada and Michigan.

Chef Fred recently created a line of edibles, revealing some of those in his booth at the 2016 Emerald Cup – which sat alongside the area where he cooked all-day, every-day at the Cup, eventually preparing 3,000 meals.

He says that he is planning to open a cannabis-friendly restaurant in the near future, to be named after both his daughter (Zola) and his mother (Victoria). But that’s down the road a bit.

DOPE Magazine caught up with Chef Fred right after the Emerald Cup, where he could be found working as the official corporate chef.

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DOPE MAGAZINE: You’ve seen 10 foot joints and a giant five pound joint made of roaches, plus some interesting infused cannabis products at these outdoor cannabis events. What is the craziest thing you have seen?

CHEF FRED: You know, a lot of it is not really crazy to me because I am trying to make stuff myself. What I am trying to do is make the next crazy thing that is not so crazy that it’s going to be excessive.

The hardest thing for me at the Emerald Cup was cooking for Damian Marley who had a specific meal of fish and vegetables listed on his contract rider. But my contract said I couldn’t cook any seafood because the person who hired me had a bad allergic reaction to fish. So I had to actually step outside the building next to a dumpster to cook Damian’s meal.

Many cannabis chefs rely solely on cannabis butter. But you use cannabis salt and add in bits of tincture and shatter. Why? The trick with my food is that I use all kinds of different applications for different infusions. As I got more developed into extract making, I realized that I can make my own designed and flavored extracts by pulling terpenes out then reintroducing them. My dishes are silent deadlies. You won’t even taste the cannabis in there because I use fractionally distilled extracts. The majority of the people, when they taste a cookie or a brownie or piece of chocolate, and it’s overpowered by the cannabinoids, you really lose the element of what you’re actually eating. It becomes a question of am I eating a cannabis thing or am I trying to eat a nice piece of chocolate.

What is the most or difficult cannabis have prepared?

interesting dish you

I just did a High Times cooking contest, and I did a chicken roulade, which is basically stuffed chicken that I sliced on a bias and then put on a piece of elderwood that had been kiln dried and cured.

That was my plate. So I had this really cool presentation.

Do you consult with other chefs about your cooking?

Share is a better word. I am all about education. I get calls every day “How do I do this?” or “How do I do that?”

All I do is answer questions, because if I teach them how to do it the right way, it’s going to be one less patient that is going to be sick. I want to give other people the opportunity to help other people.

How do you select the music you decide to play as a DJ? I am sort of specific. I don’t take requests.

I play what I want, which is techno.

You want me to play some Tupac or some other shit, you need to find some other dude. I cook and DJ at the same time, so I want to have an energy and an ambience, a feeling.

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What is your life philosophy?

My biggest thing is philanthropy, education and integrity. So I try to live by those three things. That means that your work is good, your work ethic is good, your relationship with people around you is good. Because all you are constantly trying to do is positive things for people.

That is all I try to do, is help people that are down. It really has changed my life. Finding meds for people.

Helping little babies. Anything I can do to change people’s lives and make them have a better day makes my life the best I can possibly have.

If you had a chance to serve the new president elect, what dish would you cook for him?

I love this question. I remember a visual from the campaign of Trump that showed him as half pig and half man. So I would love to cook a whole big old fat pig, with an apple in its mouth, and roast it.

A whole pig.

EDITORS CHOICE

SCIENTIFIC INHALATIONS A BETTER WAY TO SMOKE WRITER / MEGAN CAMPBELL

PHOTO / MARK COFFIN

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ven the harshest bud hits smoothly with one of Scientific Inhalations creations. Using a combination of carbon, water and cotton, Scientific Inhalations brings its customers a high-quality and healthy smoking experience with its Triple Filtered Bubblers.

“A healthier, cleaner smoke means the reduction or elimination of deadly carcinogens and pesticides entering your body,” according to its website. “We are the creators of the industry’s first, and only, premium filtration device designed to do just that.”

That smooth, clean hit begins when smoke passes through Scientific Inhalations’ 100 percent Virgin Coconut Carbon. The smoke is further diffused when it enters the water where additional impurities are removed before passing through a final stop gap: 100 percent organic cotton. This triple filtration process eliminates

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between 75-100 percent of the pesticides and carcinogens present, according to Scientific Inhalations.

Not only is it the purest hit, the piece stays remarkably clean, as very little particulate makes it past the carbon filter. After smoking through the piece regularly, it’s clear the filtration system works as advertised. The cotton should be replaced after about three bowls, and, with regular use, the carbon should be replaced daily. This may seem like a lot, but we don’t mind it: It’s just another testament that the filtration system is working.

For more information, visit www.sipipes.com. The company, which was founded in 2009 by veterans in the glass-blowing industry, also sells various pieces and accessories like carbon filter adapters. Styles and prices vary.

CENTRAL PHOENIX

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nake Eyes is a private reserve shelf, indica dominant hybrid strain that is exclusively bred by Clade9 Genetics and grown by Herbal Wellness Center. I could taste every bit of love and respect that went in to that plant from the beginning of my session, to the very end. I took a moment to examine and smell the pungent buds. As its intense aroma of pine needles and fresh squeezed lime juice leapt out at me, the sweet, woody scent filled my nose and had me sweating a bit under my eyelids, like a good hot sauce.

The dense, popcorn sized nugs look like whimsical pine cones in all different shades of deep green, with licks of fire orange hairs and freckled with glittering crystals. Despite being sticky to the touch, Snake Eyes had no problem in the grinder and shredded nicely, releasing more of that intoxicating aroma.

The citrusy, earthy smoke was full but kept me coming back for more and had me feeling lifted in no time. It gave me a full body buzz before settling in my hands and behind my eyes, making for a unique experience. It’s no wonder Snake Eyes is a signature strain. With so many favorable effects, this is an excellent choice for the quality consumer.

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This potent, top-shelf indica dominant strain is a descendant of OG Kush and takes its name from the 17th Century French Monarch. Traditionally recognized by its overly pungent aroma and piney profile, Louie came on strong and left me in a forest of flavonoids.

Served up in a glass syringe and packaged in its own cushion case tin, this solvent-free clear concentrate is a ‘clear’ standout. Its rich, honey-hue had my mouth watering as my rig heated up, giving me time to truly admire the transparent amber nectar I held in my hand.

710…here we go.

With no need for a tool, I dripped it like syrup from the syringe directly on my e-nail, it

dissolved completely, leaving nothing behind and filled my lungs with a huge plume of skunky smoke. Instantly I was transported to fluffy cloud of euphoria. My monkey mind stopped whirling, my aching muscles stopped screaming and my anxiety evaporated. It was like being in the eye of the storm, perfectly calm.

Long after the deep, earthy terpenes had stopped dancing on my tongue, Louie was still taking me for a ride. Four, five, six hours later and I still felt totally relaxed and stress free. This hard-hitting indica is an ideal night time concentrate and a perfect option for patients suffering from stress, anxiety and depression. I know one thing, if VAPEN is on the menu, the choice is clear.

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GOING VIP IN PHOENIX FLOURISHING IN THE DESERT WRITER / JESSE PERRY

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hen I got the invite to attend the Flourish Release Party at the Clarendon Hotel on the evening of Nov. 19, I could barely contain my excitement.

Clarendon owner, Ben Bethel has spent years developing an independent, alternative hotel in the heart of Downtown Phoenix that delivers a uniquely fabulous experience. It was no surprise to discover that Flourish had taken over the entire hotel to host its fully medicated event extravaganza, signifying the realization of four years worth of hard work and dedication to medication.

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Flourish founder and Executive Chef, Payton Curry is well known in the cannabis community for his progressive ideals and his passionate approach to revealing the magic of cannabis. With more than 20 years in the kitchen and a degree from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu, Exec Chef Curry is more than qualified to be the one behind the recipes of this brand-new edibles line that is dedicated to consistent, healthy dosing.

After a long journey of weeding through potential partners, Curry came across the like-minded crew at VAPEN Extracts and he knew he had found friends to ‘flourish’ with.

After checking in at the front desk and being greeted with a medicated brownie, VAPEN handed me a swag bag full of goodies like Paris OG Clear Concentrate, a bottle of Grand Daddy Purp THC Syrup and an OG Kush cartridge. I could only anticipate what was to come as I stepped onto the elevator with the evenings host Scott, manager of Phoenix’s Herbal Wellness Center, who also moonlights as drag queen, Pandora DeStrange. I couldn’t wait to see what the evening had in store.

Stepping off the elevator onto the rooftop terrace that overlooked the dazzling lights of downtown, I was greeted by three beautiful VAPEN girls who escorted me to the THC cocktail bar. Eric was whipping up some flavorful flavonoid infusions like the Fresh Squeezed Blackberry Sparkling Lemonade or the refreshing Honey Ginger Spritzer made with organic grapefruit and my favorite, Pot Apple Cider. Dosed at 20mg a piece, these cannabis cocktails were tasty and toasty. Next was the Flourish line cannabis buffet that offered up a crudité with Forbidden Valley Ranch, Brat Haus Pretzels with Funny Mustard, French Macaroons, toasted Smores with Salted Caramel Chameleon Sauce and so much more. With each of them being dosed between 10-40mg and factoring in seconds, thirds and then some the numbers added up quick. I didn’t waste any time because next was the VIP dab bar serving up the finest VAPEN Clear concentrates featuring some of their best strains like Grand Daddy Purp, Green Apple, Bubble Gum, Paris OG and Super Lemon Haze. My favorite was the Paris OG/Green Apple double dab combo. You read that right, straight up next level.

After kicking back VIP style, I wanted to get closer to the entertainment so I headed downstairs where the pool deck featured a DJ spinning some fresh beats, three more dab stations, a fully loaded non-medicated buffet, photo booth, sexy synchronized swimming mermaids, poolside pole dancers and to top the evening off, entertainer Pyrrha Sutra put on an acrobatic pyro technique display in leather and lace that climaxed with flames shooting from her breasts. She even used the flames to light up a blunt…impressive! It was an amazing night that was absolutely off the charts and will go down in the history books of memorable events.

There’s no doubt that the flourishing market in Phoenix is quickly setting the standard in a variety of areas throughout the cannabis community and with events like this, I can’t wait to see what’s next. Check out www.flourishcannabis.com to host your cannabis catered event and contact www.goclarendon. com if your event is in Phoenix.

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