ELEVATED ACTIVITY
Cannabis and Exercising
HUMBOLDT MEDICINE Embracing the Plant
JESSE VENTURA WRESTLING WITH CANNABIS POLITICS
STRAIN OF THE MONTH SLYMER SATIVA
GROW
LIGHT DEPRIVATION
CONCENTRATE
IVXX SUNSET SHERBERT WAX
CANNA-NEWS
CALIFORNIA CANNABIS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EDITOR’S NOTE
JUNE 2015 THE GROW ISSUE ISSUE 01
8 MEDICAL STRAIN OF THE MONTH SLYMER SATIVA
10 EDIBLES
GROW
LIGHT DEPRIVATION
16 CANNA-NEWS HEALTH IS WEALTH
26 PRODUCT
SUBZERO SCIENTIFIC
DISPENSARY
MEDICAL CANNABIS PEANUT BUTTER TRUFFLE
14
STEEP HILL GENKIT
GREEN SOULTIONS
20 CANNA-NEWS MICHELE LEONHART
28 PRODUCT
12
32 CANNA-NEWS DUTCH MASTERS
24 CANNA-NEWS CANNATOMY OF A WORKOUT
36 CANNA-NEWS
CLEVER TREE DELIVERIES
38 CALIFORNIA CANNABIS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
52
40 EMERALD GROWERS ASSOCIATION
42 CANNA-NEWS
SUSTAINABLE FARMING
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Our California readers will also recognize some very familiar names, including Debbie Goldsberry and Cheryl Shuman. And in the Seattle area, Steve Elliott. These staples in both cannabis and journalism are as excited to write for DOPE Magazine as we are to feature their excellent work in our publication. Of course, one thing you can always count on is that DOPE Magazine always brings some local flavor to everything that we do. Speaking of local, this is our cultivation issue, which means it’s just in time for the beginning of the outdoor grow season across the western United States. Of particular interest in this issue is the article on new approaches to greenhouse light deprivation--one of the bigger challenges for those farmers using greenhouses as their outdoor growing method of choice. Our California readers, of course, are paying close attention to the sustainability and water use implications of this summer’s outdoor cannabis grow season, and it will be very interesting to see how a new player in the commercial agriculture space fares against the lobbyists and highly organized interests of our current subsidized agricultural industry in United States. When it comes to the very sensitive and complex issue of water rights and water use in an era of not enough water to go around, we find an outlook that doesn’t look too rosy. Yes, the industry is changing very, very quickly. But fortunately many of those at the helm driving this change are rooted in the same values that kept this community together before it was able to step into and stay in the light. Many of you know these values and share them: cooperation, innovation and problemsolving, commitment to community and patients first, recognition that we are all in this together and this is our opportunity to do things right. As legislatures around the country draw their sessions to a close, many new rules and regulations governing both medical and recreational cannabis industries are going to be rolled out. Like any new industry, politicians and community leaders are working to balance both the planned and unintended consequences associated with growth. From issues of social justice to sustainability, we as a collective cannabis community are well on the right path to being part of the change we want to see.
POLITICS
BUSINESS
If you’re reading this in California today, then all of us in the DOPE Magazine family would like to officially say welcome, and thank you. DOPE Magazine is continuing its rapid expansion across the West and we’re very excited to bring our unique cannabis lifestyle magazine, with local flavor, to Northern California.
FEATURE
Here at DOPE Magazine, we will continue to be one of the voices that brings that change to you and makes it both accessible and engaging. We recognize both the responsibility and incredible honor we have to educate and inform. Stay DOPE.
JESSE VENTURA
Jonathan Teeters, MBA Operations Director
44 CONCENTRATE IVXX SUSVXX SUNSET SHERBERT WAX
58 ROAD TRIP HISTORY MADE IN HUMBOLDT
ISSUE 01 THE GROW ISSUE dopemagazine.com
64 CANNA-NEWS
HUMBOLDT MEDICINE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
JAMES ZACHODNI
SHARON LETTS R.Z.HUGHES
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
DAVID BAILEY
EVAN CARTER
DAVE HODES STATE DIRECTOR
DR. KIMBERLY FREE
SAMMY TRUJILLO
CAL GREENFIELD DEBBY GOLDSBERRY
ART DIRECTOR
KIMBERLY CARGILE
BRANDON PALMA ( 8THDAYCREATE.COM )
MELLISA N. SANCHEZ CHERYL SHUMAN
LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER
RON MULLINS
ALLIE BECKETT
STEVE ELLIOTT
DOPE DESIGN AGENCY RYAN CATABAY
ASSISTANT GRAPHIC DESIGNER NARISSA-CAMILLE PHETHEAN
ONLINE EDITOR MEGHAN RIDLEY
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
COPY EDITOR
RON MULLINS
ALISON BAIRD
CAL GREENFIELD GRANT ADAMS
CFO
DEVILS LETTUCE PHOTOGRAHPY
DAVID TRAN SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
DALLAS KEEFE
JONATHAN TEETERS
COVER PHOTO BY JEN HOBBS
REGIONAL SALES DIRECTOR NATHAN CHRYSLER
COVER DESIGN BY 8THDAYCREATE.COM
SALES MANAGER SAMMY TRUJILLO
DOPE is a free publication dedicated to providing an informative and wellnessminded 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.
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EMAIL US AT ADS@DOPEMAGAZINE.COM QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?
EMAIL US AT INFO@DOPEMAGAZINE.COM WWW.DOPEMAGAZINE.COM SPECIAL THANKS • Jeremy Dunmore • your influence has been instrumental in the success of DOPE Magazine California
DOPE Magazine and the entire contents of this magazine are copyright 2015 DOPE MAGAZINE LLC, all rights reserved and may not be reproduced in any manner, in whole or part without the written permission from Dope Magazine LLC PUBLISHED IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98109
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@DOPEMAGAZINE
STRAIN OF THE MONTH
Slymer Sativa
WRITER DEBBY GOLDSBERRY
Strong Medicine
MEDICAL BENEFITS
GENETICS SLYMER IS a Chernobyl based sativa strain, whose breeder is unknown. TGA Seeds created the original Chernobyl, a Trainwreck x Trinity x Jack the Ripper cross, famous for its lime slurpee smell and its extreme potency. This Slymer, grown by the @RawCO2 crew, fits that description well, with long dense buds and a classic sativa appearance. Only superior genetics, in the hands of master cultivators, can create cannabis like this.
MAGNOLIA WELLNESS & River
City Phoenix members rate Slymer high for treating depression, stress, and anxiety. It has a super potent uplifting effect. Don’t take this late at night, unless you want to stay engaged in thought and activity. For nausea, be sure to take the smallest possible dose, as the high THC content is counter-indicated, whereas small amounts provide relief. (Check out Magnolia’s online ratings at www.magnoliaoakland.org)
FLAVOR FLAVOR MATTERS when it comes to
the finest quality cannabis, and Slymer does not disappoint. Upon addition of flame the trichomes visibly melt off the surface, releasing a full flavored, soft citrus taste. Both the inhale and exhale are equally delicious.
EFFECT QUICK TO the head, I felt immediately
less tense and within minutes, my eyes were closed, head was tossed back, and I had a big smile going. This is a sensational sativa.
$17 GRAM
AVAILABLE AT: •Magnolia Wellness 161 Adeline Street, Oakland, CA www.magnoliaoakland.org •River City Phoenix 1508 El Camino Avenue, Sacramento, CA www.rcpsacramento.org
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PHOTOS DEVIL’S LETTUCE PHOTOS
SMELL IT SMELLS fresh, like just cut limes. It
has subtle reach that jumps out at you from the bag, but gently. Like a perfect summer day, you want to run around and soak it all up. This contains a prevalent terpine, perhaps terpineol or limonene. Limonene is known to be anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and helps with anxiety, but little is known about the medical effects of terpineol.
LOOKS THESE BUDS are covered by more trichomes than any other strain I have seen lately, both inside and out. By looks alone, this is going to be potent medicine. The red hairs are perfectly colored, and the light green color of the flowers shows that is was well grown and harvested at its peak. The cure was managed nicely, creating tight, well-trimmed buds.
EDIBLES
Medical Cannabis Peanut Butter Truffle
WRITER
PHOTOS
CAL GREENFIELD
RON MULLINS
EELING FORTUNATE to
sample the OM Truffle dipped in milk chocolate, I tried them straight out of the fridge so the chocolate was crisp, with slightly crunchy peanut butter and added puffed rice crispiness. The entourage of flavors including sweet chocolate, nutty peanuts, and mild earthy cannabis is pleasantly delectable. Their perfectly, properly tempered chocolate is quite potent at 150 mg of THC, and this surprisingly all natural gluten-free truffle won a well deserved High Times Medical Cannabis Cup in 2011. The package contains six doses, distributed between two cups, a true value for $10. Eating one half of the package, or 75 mg/three doses, I felt a nearly immediate body high, that releasing tension and redering me quite foggy headed within a short amount of time. A word of warning: These are delicious and after half you’re going to want to eat more than recommended! For me it was evening, and falling asleep at 8:30 wasn’t the end of the world. Sleeping very soundly on my 150 mg dose for eight hours, I woke up only slightly groggy. These edibles are created by OM Edibles, an all female collective, and made with organic “OM Grown” trim also grown by there.
• • • •
AVAILABLE AT: CBCB Berkeley Purple Heart Loveshack VaporRoom
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• • • • •
Phytologie Medithrive Grass Roots Barbary Coast Vallejo Organic Center
ISSUE 01 THE GROW ISSUE dopemagazine.com
$10
THC 174.26mg CBD 4.90mg • TESTED AT •
SEQUOIA ANALYTICAL LABS
DISPENSARY OF THE MONTH
Green Solutions
Downtown Dispensary with Neighborhood Vibe
“The space is small, and their well-stocked shelves give it a kind of General Store feel.”
REEN SOLUTIONS is one of the original dispensaries
that filed a special use permit from the City of Sacramento. They closed for a time, but re-opened in April 20th 2014 under new management after the city amended its grandfathering restrictions that were crippling medical cannabis in Sacramento. They’re in the same quaint location: 1404 28th Street, tucked next to the popular restaurant “INK”. Open 10 to 9 seven days a week, they are a neighborhood collective. A friendly security guard met me at the door and the equally friendly Tamera checked me in. The process is straightforward, signing the standard documents. They don’t carry that air of inflated self importance you get in some dispensaries, They didn’t make me feel rushed or intimidated as I have at some places. Ten minutes later, they buzzed me into the dispensing area.
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1404 28th St, Sacramento, CA 95816 (916) 469-9182 www.greensolutionssac.com
WRITER
PHOTOS
CAL GREENFIELD
RON MULLINS
GRANT ADAMS
The space is small, and their well stocked shelves give it a kind of “General Store” feel. Everything you need is visible at a glance. Over 20 strains on the board, at prices ranging from $30 to $60 per 1/8th ounce, and over 10 concentrates including wax, shatter, oil and good ole fashioned hash. Their inventory of Heavenly Sweet Edibles is vast, including exotic items like Cereal, and Ice Cream. They also carry an infused syrup I’ve never seen anywhere else called Kaneh Syrup; a liquid edible with flavors like Lemon, Grapefruit and Apple with a 1200 mg bottle selling for $80. Their clones are plentiful with strains like Black Cherry Soda and Rascal OG, and they have 8 strains to choose from, for a great price of $15 for regular and $50 for larger plants. The manager and budtender is Justin, a laid-back, self-proclaimed “nerd” with extensive knowledge about all of his products. He held his own in an in-depth discussion about Doctor Who. If you’re looking for a local dispensary with a personal touch, you should check out Green Solutions. I think you’ll enjoy the experience and get some high quality meds.
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GROW
Light Deprivation
Achieve Larger Harvests with Minimal Loss WRITER DAVID BAILEY
HAT COULD
be better than an enormous fall harvest after a sublime summer of sun? -Three healthier harvests within the same time frame. As most know, cannabis plants don’t typically flower outdoors until early fall. This is because they are getting too many hours of sunlight. A light deprivation system can change that game however, allowing the usage of potent summer sun during optimal windows of time during the day for faster harvests earlier, avoiding mold and frost. I love growing and ten feet of swaying resinous colas glistening in the cool redness of the autumn sun is an unforgettable sight. Witnessing all of your hard work from April to September standing as a proud representation of your achievements is hard to beat. The downside of the fall harvest is dealing with all that glory at once! The massive leaf pruning, the building of the dry space, and of course hiring your buddy’s buddies to come trim because there’s no way you can get through it all by yourself! Unfortunately, this part of the gig is also where people experience losses due to mold, or others helping themselves. After you’ve pumped all
GRAPHICS 8THDAYCREATE .COM
that energy into your babies, it’s hard to see even a little bit be lost or stolen. A light deprivation system sounds pretty fancy, but it’s really nothing more than a cloth blocking out daylight, and such a simple idea can have pretty astounding benefits. Rather than giant outdoor plants flowering through August and September, the same amount of summer sun can produce three separate smaller flowering crops using light dep. Imagine harvesting at the beginning of June, August and October and being able to manage the work load! Here in the Northwest, avoiding the intense mold causing humidity of the fall through two harvests is pretty spectacular. The first frost killing everything gave outdoor growers the same gut wrenching fear when I lived in Colorado too. This way, whatever loss you may inevitably endure in your fall harvest doesn’t matter as much when you already have a back stock. As with any outdoor grow, the biggest beauty is getting to use the sun, but what’s crazy is the sun isn’t the same throughout the summer. The intensity of light changes throughout the season giving many different spectrums, so harvests of the same strain are each unique in color and calyx structure.
The perks of light deprivation speak volumes but in comparison with an indoor set up, your costs are minimal and your electric usage even lower! While the big fancy auto systems can cost an arm and a leg, they aren’t designed for home growers. Luckily, cannabis has kept growers creative for years and these dedicated canna-engineers come up with numerous ways to achieve a light deprivation system without the dough. Sometimes the most successful kept it simple. Hoop houses make a nice structure for covering and uncovering easily. Guide wires are useful to drape the covering over, allowing it to be pulled back and forth easily. Some favorite coverings are simply tall fence like structures, providing just enough shade in the morning or evening to kick plants into an early flower. While the fence may not procure three harvests, a grower can finish a harvest before frost or mold become a concern. Feeling like now is the time to build? We absolutely agree, and with the early start to the grow season this year, it’s definitely set to be a great season. So if you’re not able to get your hands dirty, at least get out there and toke up your share of some sunshine! Happy growing!
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Health is Wealth
CANNA-NEWS
Growing With the Industry
ANNABIS IS one of the fastest growing industries in the United States, as reported by the Huffington Post. A good sign for growers, demand is on the rise and laws are changing in their favor. Moving into the future the differences between medical grow techniques and recreational will continue to lessen, as all consumers will expect a variety of strains grown in a clean, quality controlled environments. This fast growing market for cannabis in the U.S. was built on the foundation of the medical cannabis movement in California. When I spoke with the movement’s godfather and co-author of Proposition 215, Dennis Peron, he stated, “All use of cannabis is medical.” As he went on to explain why, I realized, I agree. Whether a recreational user is unwinding with a joint after a long day or gearing up for a night on the town, their use is based on stress reduction, anxiety relief and mood elevation. So, all cannabis grown should be grown as if it were medical cannabis. What should a grower focus on when developing demand for their product? Dispensaries are looking for a variety of quality controlled, clean and attractive cannabis strains. To be successful in growing cannabis, you should consider the following. First, grow a variety of strains. Second, grow it in a clean way with food grade fertilizers. Third, take care of the product with proper processing and storage. If you have a variety of cannabinoid profiles to offer the dispensaries, you will be ahead of the game. We all know that the physiological effects of cannabis vary strain to strain. This is based on the science of strain’s varying cannabinoid and terpene profiles. The future of cannabis cultivation will be focused on growing strains high in CBD, CBC, THCV and CBN with terpenes to complement. For example we will most likely see a high CBN
WRITER KIMBERLY CARGILE
GRAPHICS 8THDAYCREATE .COM
strain with high myrcene and linalool levels providing a relaxing, sedative, sleepy effect for the user. Or a high THC strain with high limonene and pinene levels to produce a mood elevating and pain relieving effect. We all need to remember that herb we are growing will be ingested by people with a variety of illnesses, disorders and sensitivities. Some of these people may have compromised immune systems due to AIDS or cancer, and they need the highest quality cannabis available. A quality product can be achieved by growing with organic or food grade nutrients, and using natural pest, mold and mildew control measures. I was extremely honored to speak recently with Jane Klein, Ed Rosenthal’s wife, regarding cannabis cultivation. She says, “Always use food grade products, if it says it is for ornamental use, put it down!” Processing, packaging and storing the finished product is just as important as grow procedures when it comes to quality control. Terpenes are extremely volatile compounds. The scent molecules in cannabis they also provide physical effects on the body. Cannabinoids are not as volatile as terpenes; however, they are also broken down by heat, light and oxygen. Keeping the dried herb in sealed containers in a cool dark place is best for preserving the active ingredients. From talking with Jeff Hately, CEO of Sequoia Analytical Labs, I hear that most contamination happens in the processing stage. Making sure hands, trimmers, surfaces and containers are sanitized is of the utmost importance. When herbs are tested at the lab, they are tested for not just the cannabinoid and terpene profiles, but for: molds, mildews, hair, fungi and bacteria. Consumers want clean medicine. Making sure that your product is free from contamination during processing is the bottom line in determining if you have a viable product for the marketplace.”
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The Lion Sleeps Tonight: The Infamous Career of DEA Chief Michele Leonhart
CANNA-NEWS
OP COPS at the DEA have blown a lot of smoke over the
years, but few did it with the deer in the headlights style of Michele Leonhart. Her elementary admonition during testimony before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security became a viral sensation--pushing 600,000 views on Congressman Jared Polis’ (D-Co) YouTube channel. She may forever be remembered for her enlightening statement “All illegal drugs are bad. I don’t think any illegal drug is good.” That statement was during official testimony on whether crack, methamphetamines, or heroin pose a greater threat to people than cannabis. Raising eyebrows across the nation, the response pushed Polis to further pursue Leonhart, pointing out “you should know this” and “this is your area of expertise”. In the end, he got nowhere with her, but the hearing spotlighted an era of ignorance which could finally be coming to an end, ushering in a new way to think about how we view “illegal drugs” in America. While the falling out between her fellow feds could have brought the heat in her direction, it was a different scandal that most likely led to
WRITER
PHOTO
MEGHAN RIDLEY
Courtesey of www.usdoj.gov
her retirement. A report outlining a prostitute-filled sex party arranged by Colombian drug traffickers for DEA agents surfaced. A lack of disciplinary action towards the agents brought on a whole new glare to the eyes already dissecting Leonhart’s every move. The slap on the wrist suspensions of 2-10 days were widely questioned, and Leonhart claimed she didn’t have authority to fire agents or revoke security clearances. Regardless of why she’s stepping down, advocates in the cannabis movement quickly took notice. In the words of Americans for Safe Access’ Executive Director, Steph Sherer, “Michelle Leonhart, a Bush Administration holdover, has been out of line with this administration’s policies on medical marijuana and has consistently been a roadblock to the rescheduling of marijuana. We encourage the President to pick an administrator that better reflects his stated desire to design policies reflecting the science on medical marijuana rather than outdated ideologies.” As pot policies continue their rapid evolution, we can only hope that our next top drug cop blows the right kind of smoke and injects a heavy dose of common sense into a very sick conversation.
FACTS ABOUT MICHELE LEONHART • She was the first female to hold the position of DEA Administrator. • She was in charge during the Operation Black Gold Rush bust, where nearly 50 pounds of Mexican black tar heroin and $500,000 in cash were seized in 2006. • She had to return industrial hemp seeds to Kentucky when the state sued the feds over their wrongful confiscation by DEA agents. • In response to the high levels of children dying in drug wars, she said, “It may seem contradictory, but the unfortunate level of violence is a sign of success in the fight against drugs.” • She was in charge during Project Synergy, a bust of synthetic drug manufacturers such as spice and bath salts. Hundreds of thousands of drug packages and over twenty million in assets were seized, as well as 150 arrested.
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Democracy Wins In The Wild Wild East N WASHINGTON D.C. on April 20th, at the Mall
just a few hundred feet from the capitol, a group of about 30 protestors led by the city’s marijuana activist Adam Eidinger smoked joints and discussed politics at a five-day “Democracy Vigil” that was winding up on this day.
Eidinger, the very vocal and very public guy who created the
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WRITER DAVID HODES
GRAPHICS 8THDAYCREATE .COM
D.C. Cannabis Campaign driving Initiative 71 to legalize recreational marijuana in Washington, D.C., worked his way up to a leadership position in the community group, DCMJ, that has worked on the marijuana agenda in the city. He developed an angle to his protests that would get the city council to play ball with the issue, becoming a politico noise-maker instead of the kind of whiney stoner officials expected.
CANNA-NEWS
And that angle was democracy - freedom from excessive incarceration, freedom from wrongful arrest, freedom from targeting groups with no probable cause. And, the real kicker, freedom for the district to become a state and vote for its own representation – something that has never happened in this area, because here, as in no other place in the country, Congress has the final say on all rules and regulations that the district voters vote on.
non-partisan organization that works on public policy problems in the district, says that the D.C. city council has not moved forward with regulating and taxing marijuana sales in the district for a couple of reasons. “I think that is what the city council and the people want to do,” he says. “But the attorney general in the city (Karl Racine) has advised the council that they don’t even have the authority to hold a hearing about taking further steps, much less enacting a regulatory regime.”
This day, 4/20, was a kind of celebration of achievement and a fist in the air that the fight would continue. Democracy would prevail.
DC Appleseed has proposed a way for the city to move forward on creating a regulatory structure using something called the contingency reserve fund, which congress put into place in 1996 to help states in economic distress. Those funds were used to keep the D.C. city government functioning during the federal government shutdown in October, 2013. “No one in congress objected to that or criticized the district for doing that back then, and I think the same would and should be applied here if the city essentially vindicates the vote of the people who obviously wanted a well-thought out regulatory regime to legalize the use of marijuana in the city. But so far we have not been able to do that.”
“No one talked about legalization of recreational marijuana as a business because there is no business model,” he says. “This is about people going to jail. And when we talked about it from that perspective, the numbers went through the roof.” Over 70 percent of voters in the district approved the initiative on November 4, 2014, and it became law on 12:01 a.m. Thursday, February 26th 2015. But the fight was not over. Congress did their usual review of the law and tried to stop it. Hours before the law went into effect, two Republican congressmen, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) threatened to arrest Mayor Muriel Bowser, who stood her ground. Her constituents had voted, overwhelmingly, to legalize recreational marijuana, she said. The people had spoken. The congressmen backed down – for now. Now, after much celebration of a victory legalizing recreational possession and use of a DEA schedule 1 drug in the heart of the federal government, here’s the deal: Any adult 21 or over in the district can possess up to two ounces of cannabis for personal use, and grow no more than six cannabis plants in their principal residence. Since the issue of growing and using pot legally is settled, albeit still not regulated for sale, and still somewhat unclear to the average D.C. resident, adult residents of the district quickly turned to other questions: Where can I get pot in the district, and where can I smoke pot? The answers: nobody can sell it (unless you have a medical card and get it from a dispensary), but you can get it free if someone wants to give it away. And you can only smoke at home, generally speaking. “I am for commercial sales,” Eidinger says. “But I am happy it’s not happening overnight. And I think some people on the business side of this have really done themselves a disservice by showing that their main priority is greed and not human rights and civil rights. We put civil rights before the sale of marijuana.” Walter Smith, executive director of DC Appleseed, an independent,
While the city council and congress tussle about this issue, confusion reigns in the district. From an informal survey of various bars and restaurants in the district, I found that saying the “m” word gets two responses: nervous laughter and a quick end of the discussion, or knowing grins and a few observations. “Just cause it’s possible doesn’t mean you should do it,” a bartender at a well-known Capitol Hill drinking establishment, Hawk and Dove told me about the prospect of marijuana use in their establishment. “Ha,” a bartender said at The Hamilton, which is an upscale bar/ dining establishment just two blocks from the White House. Then he quickly changed the subject. “What? I never heard of edibles,” a bartender at the National Press Club across the street from The Hamilton said, when asked why not have an edibles night for dues-paying members or as a special night for new members. It was clear that changing the perception of pot, or even talking outloud about a legal, recreational substance while sitting within arm’s length of gallons of poisons that could kill anyone sitting at a bar, will take time in a city not known for embracing this sort of game-changing move. “Ultimately I think this is a decision for the mayor and the council and the attorney general to come together on, and I think that will eventually happen,” Smith says. “I think it will take some time for the dust to settle for people to realize that the current situation is probably not the best. And that it’s not what the voters intended,” he says. “When will it (regulation and sale) happen? When Congress gets out of the way,” Eidinger says.
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CANNA-NEWS
Cannatomy of a Workout: Is cannabis the athlete’s best friend? HEN THE most decorated olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, got busted for bong hits, some wanted to strip him of his 22 medals, while others couldn’t resist cracking jokes about lung capacity. Beyond all the outrage, giggling and coughing, many wonder- could cannabis be a legitimate aide to an athlete’s regimen? While this is in no way a doctor’s recommendation to dab and pump iron, check out this DOPE food for thought, outlining the parts of an athlete’s anatomy that could potentially benefit from cannabis.
MIND
The competitive nature of athletics can leave your mind spinning. While that may be the nature of the game in many cases, a stressreducing cannabis can calm the nerves, while helping to keep your head in the game.
LUNGS
In 2012, a 20-year study sponsored by University of California San Francisco and the National Institute on Drug Abuse published research that concluded smoking the equivalent of one joint daily for seven years will leave you with a lung capacity 1.6x higher than a non-smoker.
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WRITER
GRAPHICS
MEGHAN RIDLEY
8THDAYCREATE .COM
JOINTS
Should you roll a joint when yours are giving you trouble? The well-documented analgesic properties of cannabis suggest it’s very effective for treating arthritis, both alone and as a therapy that enhances the effectiveness of opiod pain medications.
MUSCLES
Any good workout will leave you with muscle aches and pains, but deep and lasting pain relief can certainly be found through cannabis edibles and capsules, and the antiinflammatory properties of cannabis are well known.
SKIN
Sweating and chafing, yes it’s gross, but this side effect of exercise can leave people with significant post-workout discomfort. Cannabis health and beauty products are naturally anti-bacterial, and can provide tremendous relief from skin pain.
FUN FACT:
A 2011 French study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, people who smoke cannabis three times a week are roughly half as likely to be obese than non-smokers. dopemagazine.com ISSUE 01 THE GROW ISSUE
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PRODUCT
Subzero Scientific
Coldest Closed-Loop Extracts
WRITER R.Z. HUGHES
PHOTOS DEVIN PORTER
OR THOSE of you wondering where to buy your next hash oil extractor, look no further than Subzero Scientific. Their botanical extractors are state-certified, lab-grade, and produce higher yields than other extractors available on the market. The reason that one is able to achieve such quality product and high yields using this product is the patented dry ice sleeve that sits around the column filled with plant material and solvent. This allows the cannabis to freeze, preserving terpenes and essential oils, as well as solidifying the fats and waxes that are undesirable in the final product. Extracting oils between -70F and -40F also causes the solvent to become denser which leads to a deeper penetration of the plant. It also makes it possible for a longer soak time thus extracting the maximal concentration of cannabinoids. Located in Gresham, Oregon, Subzero Scientific is committed to helping people learn how to extract efficiently and safely. They offer monthly seminars of a full extraction, start-to-finish, and currently work with many successful oil companies. The Oil Hunters out of Madrid have won many awards in Europe using the Subzero Scientific extractors and Oregon’s Looking Glass Oil is another company using their products.
starting at $10,000 with financing available
Their extractors are certified for use in a lab but should not be used in a house. Subzero Scientific offers a line of extractors that run half pound batches of plant material all the way up to ten pounds at a time. An impressive piece of machinery that makes the process of extracting hash oil far easier and much more efficient.
WWW.SUBZEROSCIENTIFIC.COM (503)666-3342
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Steep Hill GenKit: Sexing Made Simple
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PHOTO
R.Z. HUGHES
ALLIE BECKETT
A Scientific Approach to Breeding LANTING A garden from
seed is nothing like starting from clone. Seeds will never be exactly alike, and will differ in color, size, potency and terpene profile. The one thing for certain is there will always be some males in the mix that need to be properly dealt with. Cannabis is dioecious, meaning that its female flowers are on entirely different plants from the males. Unlike most flowers which contain the male and female sex organs within the same bloom, cannabis requires separate male and female plants to
reproduce. Removing the males, reduces risk of pollination, leaving the seedless buds of sensimillia we are all familiar with. Steep Hill Labs simplifies this tedious process with their GenKit, a system for sexing plants weeks before they show signs naturally. Collect a leaf in a sample envelope, label, and send to their lab for analysis. Steep Hill sequences the sample’s DNA , determining sex, and numerous other genetic traits and specimens that can be as little as a week old. Anonymous results can be tracked in real-time online.
The GenKit is a invaluable service for cannabis growers needing to save time, space, and energy while propagating from seed, but this is only the beginning. Steep Hill is spearheading research into cannabis genetics, and they are developing tools to identify early genetic markers. This could reveal a seedling might grow up to be a low performer, produce high CBD, resist spider mites or more, saving much effort during the selective breeding process. Currently only available in California, labs are set to expand, offering services to growers in Colorado, Washington, and Nevada.
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WEED AROUND THE WORLD WRITER R.Z. HUGHES
INDIA
ILLINOIS USA
GERMANY
PAKISTAN
Hashish on the High Seas
Pakistani Coast Guard officials seized three tons of hash concealed in an oil tanker bound for the Middle East. Valued at over $50 million, the Coast Guard said this was their biggest bust ever. The raid took place in the coastal town of Pasni and along with the hash, also netted the Pakistani government one of the most wanted smugglers in the country.
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Surf’s Up
Tropical Storm Ana may be to blame for some lost cargo. This month, packages containing more than ten pounds of weed washed ashore on beaches in Alabama and North Carolina. While it’s not unheard of for traffickers to ditch their stash on the high seas, it’s a rarity for the bags to reach solid land unscathed. Beachcombing is beginning to look like a lucrative hobby.
Germany’s Not-SoSecret Garden
A street cleaner in Berlin has seriously ruined someone’s day. After discovering around 700 plants growing on a traffic island in the Kreuzberg district, police were alerted and promptly disposed of the mini plantation. Known as an accepting and tolerant city, Berliners generally don’t take issue with cannabis, which may explain how it was possible to grow a large field of pot in plain sight in one of the busiest intersections in the city. The authorities, however, weren’t so understanding.
India Starts the Conversation on Medical Cannabis
Initially held in the southern city of Bangalore, the Medical Cannabis Conference is spreading awareness to the public as well as medical professionals about an herbal remedy that was legal in their country up until the 1980’s. Rick Simpson spoke to the audience about his successes treating cancer patients with CBD cannabis oils. Considered a sacred herb in the Hindu religion, cannabis is widely used across the country but with little access to CBD extracts and methods for quality control.
It’s All About the Kids
Troubled teens in Bloomington, Illinois may be working for medical cannabis businesses this summer. Curative Health Inc., a New York based medical marijuana company, donated $20,000 for a labor creation program aimed at helping youth get off the streets and become productive citizens. Curative Health Inc. runs a dispensary in Chicago and is using the opportunity to connect with their community, as well as the local government, building ties that help to better society as a whole.
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CANNA-NEWS
Advances In Cannabis Cultivation WRITER COMMERICAL GROWER SERVICES
GRAPHICS 8THDAYCREATE .COM
REETINGS, DOPE readers! The theme this month
is the evolution of cannabis cultivation and, as you know, a ton of new technology is flooding this industry weekly – but how new and advanced is it really? The cannabis industry, including medical and recreational, is becoming the biggest moneymaker since .com and liquor, and everyone wants a piece of the pie. So how do growers and business owners decide which property to rent, lights to buy, systems to run, nutrients to feed, strains to harvest or which processing methods to use? Decisions to be made can seem endless. This new column will run monthly, written by the scientists and canna-business professionals at Commercial Grower Services. We’d like to separate the facts from the hype using science, numbers and results. Let’s weed out the urban myths and arrive to conclusions based on sideby-side results that we share with you. Our passion is the growth of cannabis and the technological advancements that surround it. Being a cannabis consulting firm, our primary focus is to stay up on the latest in cannabis cultivation, processing techniques, and consumption options. In the past, growers relied mostly on clandestine online forums, manufacturer’s claims, or simple word of mouth to select their gear. And now that we are approaching the end of prohibition, cannabis cultivation data is coming out of the woodwork on a daily basis. Often the most compelling advances in cannabis cultivation don’t see the light of day because people are afraid of that scary word ‘change’. Take LED lighting for example. There’s probably no single topic that provokes such a negative reaction between most growers. The first run of LED lighting did lack the necessary punch to stand up to the high Photosynthetically Active Radiation (“PAR”) demand that top-shelf cannabis requires. Nearly a decade has passed since that initial release. Even though many current LED grow lights can outperform any HID watt-for-watt while staying cooler, a doubtful stigma still follows them. Although the initial investment to fit a grow with LED can still prove prohibitive for some, the savings in lack of globe replacements, decreased power draw, and reduced HVAC easily pays for units within two harvests. That’s not to say that LED is perfect for every grow style. We are currently conducting non-
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bias, scientifically based side-by-side lighting comparison studies, and look forward to publishing our results in future issues. Another perfect example of cultivation evolution is the utilization of vertical farming for indoor applications. Japan was first to pioneer vertical farming systems, which are vertically stacked, multi-level hydroponic systems. These have the capability to triple indoor production within a warehouse environment and cut square foot costs dramatically. For the most part the current mentality remains unchanged, with many growers still insisting preferred methods of cultivation should involve extended vegetative growth cycles to promote massive per-plant yields. In some cases these systems could be necessary, depending on plant number or canopy size regulations.
However, there is an added cost and risk associated with prolonged growth for larger plants, and we do expect that maximizing cubic production efficiency via vertical farming will become an increasingly popular method of commercial cultivation. For example, we are currently consulting with a recreational producer in Washington State to utilize a system that allows them to grow a 21,000 ft2 plant canopy in an 11,000 ft2 warehouse. Now that’s the way of the future. In our opinion, the evolution of Cannabis cultivation is no longer being restricted to your garage; It is utilizing scalable methods that promote cost effectiveness, space use efficiency and high quality product.
The CGS team
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CANNA-NEWS WRITER CAL GREENFIELD
GRAPHICS
PHOTOS
8THDAYCREATE .COM
RON MULLINS
Clever Tree Deliveries As Simple as Ordering a Pizza URFING INSTAGRAM I discovered Clever Tree Delivery’s photos. Drawn in by sparkly colas dancing on my smartphone I checked their Yelp rating next, which was five stars, and decided to sign up!
We followed all the protocols as if I were a new patient. I presented my California ID and doctor’s recommendation. He compared them to the information I provided during the sign-up process, then he handed me a paper pharmacy bag containing my meds.
After clicking “Join the club” and filling out a short questionnaire with my name, recommendation and ID snapshot, I received a text informing me I was member in less than twenty minutes.
Pedro stayed for an interview while I sampled the medicine. I gave him a $100.00 bill and told him to keep the change. I did that before I smoked, because I could already tell from the sugary buds that I might become forgetful soon!
The first option allows users to choose their delivery driver, showing who is available and who is already fulfilling other orders. A scrolling menu lists genetic lineage, taste, smell, and a tempting photograph of each strain. Select product weight, and the price displays below the photo, and a shaded screen appears at the bottom with shopping cart info. I selected Berner’s Blue Cookies (from San Francisco), which was listed as $50.00 for 1/8th oz, and The White (2009 IC420 Cup winner) $45.00 for 1/8th oz, the total was a $95.00 donation, tax and delivery included.
I was impressed to learn that Pedro had cultivated both strains personally. I took the dense, sticky, nug - trimmed to perfection - from the bottle and inhaled it’s skunky scent. The taste of the bud was phenomenal, in line with any other top shelf I have ever smoked. After two hits of his Blue Cookies, a 60% Sativa, I was feeling very relaxed, and pain and anxiety free, which said a lot considering I had been having a very stressful day. The White was bursting with auburn pistols that contrasted with the green, tight leaves that looked pale under its crystalline coating. It had a sharp, earthy, savory flavor, and I could feel the powerful indica effects calming me.
The confirmation screen let me know my order would be delivered in 14 minutes - No “stoner time” for these guys! The screen counted down the minutes, so I just watched the screen on my phone, which told me exactly how long was left. Amazingly, they were at my door with 1/8th of Blue Cookies and 1/8th of The White in exactly 14 minutes! The driver is the co-founder of clevertreedelivery.com, who is also an activist I’ve seen at many patient’s rights groups. Pedro is a clean cut, knowledgeable 27-year-old who I’ve always found to be charming and friendly.
“Clever Tree is about providing fast, secure, and easy medicine straight from the farmer to your front door.” Pedro explained. Their meds are tested by Sequoia Labs for potency, pesticides and other contaminants. Their Blue Cookies tested at 26% THC. As he left, Pedro wanted me to inform our readers: If you enter the words “Dope Cookies” into the “referral code” portion of the app you can try these Blue Cookies for yourself for a reduced price of $35.00 an 1/8th (30% off!)”
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POLITICS
WRITER
GRAPHICS
STEVE ELLIOTT
8THDAYCREATE .COM
PHOTOS CAL GREENFIELD
California Cannabis Industry Association URRENTLY THERE is much history-making
legislation underway to define the future of cannabis that could affect all of us as Americans and as patients. One group combating the legislation attempting to negatively impact cannabis users is the California Cannabis Industry Association (CCIA). With Nate Bradley at the helm, they are a fifteen member Board of Directors, and nearly one hundred members strong. Their goal: provide a unified, coherent voice that directly lobbies Senators and Assembly members in California’s Capitol. A former cop in the Wheatland CA Police Department, Bradley began to use cannabis as medicine for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after leaving the force. It wasn’t long before he became a proponent for medical cannabis and began to advocate for patients’ rights. Bradley joined Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) in 2010, which is an organization of former Law Enforcement officers working to reform ‘Drug War’ policy. Bradley was recruited as a spokesman for Proposition 19 by LEAP. After Proposition 19 failed, he founded his own group, Lawmen Protecting Patients (LPP). The group’s focus: coordinating retired and disabled law enforcement persons in advocating for patients. After helping pass an ordinance in Yuba City in 2012, Bradley was approached by attorney Lance Rogers. He had clients all over the state that were in need of representation in the Capitol. Bradley responded, “What your clients need is a trade association.” There were already existing consumer organizations like Americans for Safe Access (ASA) and The National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Law (NORML), but no industry representation like The Grocers Association or the Craft
Nate Bradley in office
Brewers. It was after that phone call that CCIA was formed. Bradley found a downtown office near the capitol where they’ve been working to build relationships with California state senators and assembly members and their staff. CCIA lobbies on behalf of the cannabis industry - not an easy job considering how many in our industry are mistrustful politicians or lobbyists. The truth is, most politicians have no clue what cultivators, patients, and distributors need. When they write legislation that has restrictions on transportation, it’s not intended to marginalize small growers. It may be because they perceive a public risk. CCIA makes it their business to educate the bureaucrats, helping them understand the impact of what their bills could do. “Cultivation is one of the biggest issues we work on,” Bradley stated in our interview. “Legislators will try and restrict the amount people can transport and cultivate because they don’t really understand what actually goes on in the industry. It is our job [CCIA] to be their voice and bring a rational discussion to the California state capitol. Cultivation is the foundation of this industry. I’ve worked with groups [like] the Emerald Growers Association, California Cannabis Voice, California NORML and others to retain cultivation rights.” Recent bills attempting to regulate cultivation are AB243 and AB34 that would regulate every aspect of growing, and SB165 that increases fines for cannabis farmers who illegally divert water. There are numerous concerns brought to Bradley’s attention on these and other issues in his discussions with members; which, in turn, helps CCIA to better represent industry in the state capitol. California Cannabis Industry Association - Cultivating Relationships in the Capitol
Ben Bradley in office
Emerald Growers Association Standing Up for Family Farms
Photo by HappyDays Farm, courtesy of TheGanjier.com - Mendocino mixed farm with cannabis and veggies.
HE EMERALD Growers Association (EGA) is poised to lead cultivators to victory. But, after both Mendocino and Humboldt counties failed to pass Proposition 19, it will take a determined effort to gain the votes, and trust, of existing small-scale cultivators. EGA’s cofounder and Vice Chair, Kristin Nevedal, is working to activate its 150 farmer members and 700 contributing members, to make sure their voices are heard in the process of creating new laws. California’s long-standing cannabis industry has been feeding families in these northern counties since the 1960’s. Small family farms and businesses make up a large percentage of the medical cannabis industry in California now. EGA’s goal is to protect this increasingly fragile lifestyle and the environment in which it exists. According to Kristin, concerns about “big marijuana,” are all too real.
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“We have seen legislation make a lot of references to caps on licenses, which means only a limited number of people will be awarded permits to cultivate. This moves the application system to a merit based process, which is expensive for applicants. So, if it is expensive, and if the system is made harder [to enter] by setting incredible standards to apply, it makes people nervous,” she says. EGA members are also worried about staying competitive if larger businesses flood the region, as many small farmers only have a couple thousand feet of cultivation space. With law enforcement groups lobbying to have 100 or fewer licenses statewide, small farms could be driven out of business. EGA intends to combat this by insisting that any new laws have a tiered system for cultivation licenses, ensuring fair and equal access for specialty and small farms.
CANNA-NEWS
WRITER DEBBY GOLDSBERRY
“The campaign to legalize cannabis in California is fired up, as cultivators take the lead in promoting sensible, sustainable regulations.”
Photo by Allison Edrington, courtesy of TheGanjier.com Cultivator director Kevin Jodrey inspecting the moms in the greenhouse.
KRISTIN NEVEDAL is a member of the venerated Blue Ribbon Panel, convened by California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, to comprehensively study various policy questions in anticipation of a 2016 citizens legalization initiative. She represented Americans for Safe Access on the panel, bringing her knowledge base about cultivation to the table. She said, “conversations were interesting and helpful, but more time needed to be spend on cultivation.” The panel’s misunderstandings about water usage were alarming, including attempting to apply a high 6 gallon per day, per plant allotment for water resources. The informal Blue Ribbon Commission will be in Garberville soon, and they will be having conversations with the community. Find at information at www.safeandsmartpolicy.org
EGA believes “cannabis cultivation is agriculture, and cannabis growers are farmers.” Legislation is still needed at the state level, directing the Secretary of Agriculture to declare cannabis a crop being grown in CA for human consumption. Without this designation, Kristin points out that cultivators are being asked to comply with regulations that are exponentially more difficult than any other farmer in the state, but with no legal protections. Without specific regulations for cannabis, the penalties can be 5x more than that those faced by other farmers for violations. As Kristin says, it is “comply, comply, comply, but no legal protections.” Getting state guidance on environmental issues is a key for EGA, along with promoting sensible, sustainable practices. The top issues are water use and agricultural discharge. There are strict environmental regulations already in place for these, and this is where cultivators face stiff fines. According to Kristin, the legislature keeps piling on the regulations and fines, and cultivators are getting hit hard. To encourage cultivator compliance with these environmental regulations, stiff fines are not enough. She says, “they need a “carrot” to be incentivized to comply,” and the state regulations and legal protections that come with them are essential.
California cultivators are not anti-legalization. They have been heavily persecuted, and want things to improve. But cultivators want sensible policies that allow them to be farmers, medical or otherwise. Kristin Nevedal, Executive Director Hezekiah Allen, and the other hard working volunteers at EGA will keep pushing for statewide regulations. After all, like all of America’s small farmers and business owners, cultivators just want to work. Find out more about Emerald Growers Association at www.emeraldgrowers.org.
Photo by Allison Edrington, courtesy of TheGanjier.com” -Photo of Wonderland Nursery crew cleaning the moms.
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CANNA-NEWS
Sustainable Farming
How a Focus on Sustainability and Compliance Helps Farmers
HY SHOULD medical cannabis farmers be focused on environmental sustainability and compliance? As an attorney whose practice focuses primarily on state and local legal compliance for medical cannabis farmers, I have expanded my advocacy in the last year to include environmental compliance. This development was prompted by a meeting I had with an affable California Fish and Wildlife warden at a client’s farm. It was clear that compliance with environmental laws by medical cannabis farmers was going to come under increased scrutiny. Being compliant with environmental laws and adopting sustainable cultivation practices has a broad range of valuable benefits for farmers, patients and, of course, the environment at large. By “environmental sustainability,” I mean the cultivation of cannabis, at best, which improves the eco-system in which it grows, or, at the very least, minimizes any negative impact on the environment. Sustainability has economic benefits as well. Environmentally friendly practices save farmers money (and therefore patients money) in at least two ways. First, civil fines for environmental violations are substantial. Under just one code section, violations are up to $40,000 per violation per day. Matt Carr, Deputy District Attorney and Circuit Prosecutor with the California District Attorneys Association, stated that penalties at cultivation sites run in the hundreds of thousands of dollars because law enforcement usually identifies several violations per property. By stopping any runoff of noxious substances to waterways, planning compliant water usage, and storing pesticides correctly, farmers can avoid violations of Fish and Game, Water, Penal and other codes. Registering water rights with the State Water Resources Control Board is also an important step to take. Secondly, both indoor and outdoor farmers can save money
WRITER MELISSA N. SANCHEZ
GRAPHICS 8THDAYCREATE .COM
on supplies by transitioning to a permaculture approach. According to Matt Davenport, Owner/Founder of Permalos Consulting, permaculture is an ecological design science that “models nature’s life cycles and ecosystems, offering a unique set of solutions to growers of indoor and sun grown cannabis. Using the ethics and principles of permaculture as tools, farmers can dramatically reduce their costs and increase the quality, health and safety of their cannabis, all while minimizing their ecological footprint.” Growers adopting permaculture report cost reductions from 50-80%. Permaculture also provides methods to reuse soil, which not only reduces cost but also prevents the depletion of the natural resources used to produce soil. With so few regulations for medical cannabis farmers, using environmental sustainability and compliance as lodestones will help ease the transition to a regulated system. According to Hezekiah Allen, Executive Director of the Emerald Growers Association (a trade group for small cannabis farmers), “Adopting sustainable practices is the key to the long-term prosperity of the small farmer in this industry. This will ensure economic competitiveness while limiting environmental impacts.” As to greater good, the more medical cannabis farmers take initiative in complying with environmental laws and adopting sustainable practices, the more the Department of Fish and Wildlife can focus on eradicating illegal grows on public lands, which can be devastating to the environment. In summary, sustainability is essential to cultivation in the short and long-term. Water is scarce and will almost certainly become scarcer; hence adopting cultivation techniques that conserve water is good planning for the future. Taking even a small step in the right direction promotes the best interests of farmers, patients and the environment.
Melissa is a medical cannabis compliance attorney in Sacramento. She is also co-founder of The Harvest Group, which promotes environmental, economic and social sustainability in the cannabis industry.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal advice. dopemagazine.com ISSUE 01 THE GROW ISSUE
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CONCENTRATE
IVXX Sunset Sherbert Wax By the Original Cookie Fam
WRITER
PHOTOS
CAL GREENFIELD
RON MULLINS
FLAVOR VERY CLEAN and mild upon inhale, the
exhale is pleasantly pungent, with a slightly sweet berry aftertaste. Terpenes linger with a delicious citrus flavor, and most impressive is what is NOT tasted - solvent residue.
LOOKS LIKE TINY pieces of fresh orange rind at
a glance, sugary, glistening trichomes reveal themselves upon closer inspection. Having a sugar cube texture, the brilliant orange wax dissolves clean and clear like salt to water on the nail.
THCA: 74%
• TESTED AT •
STEEP HILL LABORATORIES
MEDICAL BENEFITS THIS MOOD elevating indica-dominant shimmer-wax had me out of pain and stress free in short order. Indica genetics come through within about an hour, showing potential benefits for insomnia and stress. GENETICS
EFFECT A FULL-BODY high quickly led to a deep relaxation effect. Although feeling mentally alert, my body felt a bit like I was in an elevator going up. Enjoying it for hours as the day’s tensions slipped away, I even went for a bicycle ride before the indica effects induced a restful naptime.
“THE COOKIE FAM”, known for creating Girl Scout Cookies has created another winner with Sunset Sherbert in their San Francisco lavs. A descendant of Girl Scout Cookies, Durban Poison, Cherry Pie, OG Kush, and Pink Panties, Sunset Sherbert is an indica-dominant hybrid earning its place among its famous relatives, who now require a hologram label to stave off imitators.
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AROMA CLEAN AND fresh like nature intended. Subtle berry mixes with earthy musk and hints of citrus. The clean, sweet scent dissipates quickly in the air.
MAGNOLIA WELLNESS 161 Adeline St Oakland, CA 94607
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LIANA LIMITED 201 Spear Street Suite 1100, San Francisco CA 94105 415-528-7050
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MILLENIUM SMOKE SHOP 1000 Melody Ln #100, Roseville, CA 95678
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MILLENIUM SMOKE SHOP 2033 Arden Way, Sacramento, CA (916) 646-0420
ALPINE ALTERNATIVE 8112 Alpine Ave. Sacramento CA 95326 916-739-6337
TWO RIVERS SACRAMENTO WELLNESS 315 North 10th Street Sacramento, CA 916-804-8975
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MILLENIUM SMOKE SHOP YUBA CITY 102 E Main St, Grass Valley, CA 95945
MILLENIUM SMOKE SHOP 13466 Lincoln Way, Auburn, CA 95603
NOT ON MAP
BUSINESS
WRITER
Liana Limited
Elevating Cannabis Businesses Since 2009
HERE IS a new paradigm in canna-business, where having an innovative idea is no longer enough to succeed. Corporate compliance, accounting, marketing, and careful management of your human resources is now essential. Liana Limited exists filling these knowledge gaps and helping companies turn good plans into great businesses.
DEBBY GOLDBERRY
so, leaving most cannabis businesses to exist with no license, underground. Yet, they are oddly still required to pay business taxes, and to properly manage their employees. It is a confusing labyrinth that few businesses can traverse without assistance, so Liana developed a comprehensive “compliance checklist,” which her staff and consultants use to guide their clients.
Joe Chambers, one of the Liana Limited consultants, has managed Founder of Liana Limited, Liana Held, joined the cannabis movement human resources for large several institutions. Working in the while still in high school, volunteering at the historic Cannabis cannabis industry presents many similar challenges, including dealing Action Network booth on Berkeley’s Telegraph Avenue back in the with unions, tough regulations, and stressful workplaces. Joe is in 1990s. Soon after graduating, she started managing the phones for high demand, as modern cannabis businesses need hiring, retention Oaksterdam’s first business, the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Club and termination processes, comprehensive employee manuals, and (OCBC). She helped turn this bicycle delivery service into a brick and help navigating vast and complicated rules mortar dispensary, along side long time cannabis and regulations. His ultimate goal is to strike advocate, Jeff Jones. When the feds closed them “Only the strongest a proper balance between the needs of an down, and OCBC lost its appeal to the Supreme cannabis businesses organization and those of its employees. Court, Liana took refuge at Berkeley Patients will survive the Group. Putting her love of numbers to work as Amber E. Senter recently joined Liana Limited their bookkeeper after training for accounting, coming legalization.” as a consultant, and is quickly becoming one she became the Finance Director of this of the industries best-known branding experts. venerated dispensary. Throughout this time, still Amber comes from a corporate background, with fifteen years of sticking to her advocacy roots, she’s managed a successful recount agency and print house experience. Having worked for companies campaign for Berkeley’s Measure R cannabis initiative, and presided like Whole Foods, Home Depot, and the American Cancer Society as treasurer for two local cannabis initiative campaigns. she states, “I am a cannabis expert first, and branding and marketing expert second. Understanding this new marketplace clearly is the first After leaving BPG, Liana branched out into consulting, applying her step to helping our clients succeed, and cannabis users can see right knowledge of cash management and accounting to assist a variety of through a fake approach.” clients in the cannabis industry. Doing this, she was quickly able to quickly identify growing pains facing the industry, and she created a 2015 is the sixth year anniversary of Liana Limited, and Liana has team of certified experts to respond. no intention of slowing down now. A sought after public speaker on topics of cash management and accounting, she has plans to host “For companies to succeed, they need business licenses,” Liana says. Women Grow events at her San Francisco offices in June as she However, this is not easy for cannabis businesses. Business licenses continues to work hard for her client’s long-term success in this new require land use permits, and those require local governments working environment. to create zoning regulations. Few cities in California have done
TO REACH LIANA LIMITED visit their website at www.lianaltd.com
(Please note: The author of this article, Debby Goldsberry, is a business management consultant for Liana Limited.)
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Amber E. Senter
Liana Held
FEATURE WRITER
GRAPHICS
STEVE ELLIOTT
8THDAYCREATE .COM
PHOTOS JEN HOBBS
Jesse Ventura: Wrestling With Cannabis Politics
HEN YOU want to hear the unvarnished truth – no b.s. allowed – you go to a plain talker. And there’s no more honest man in politics than the outspoken Jesse Ventura, former governor of Minnesota, who took the time to sit down with DOPE Magazine’s Steve Elliott. Just as he usually is on other subjects, the Governor is completely forthcoming when it comes to the rollout of marijuana legalization in Washington State. The patients of Washington should “stand up” to efforts threatening to shut down the medical marijuana community, calling the taxation scheme of recreational legalization measure I-502 “unfair and unworkable.” I-502’s heavy taxation, under which marijuana is taxed 25% at each stage of the process (growing, processing, and retail), plus regular sales taxes, particularly incensed the liberty-loving Ventura. “It’s ridiculous to have a special marijuana tax,” said Ventura. “Marijuana should be taxed the same as anything else you buy.” The fact that the heavy taxation and onerous bureaucracy imposed in Washington under I-502 results in prices roughly double (or even triple) black market street prices highlights the absurdity of over-regulation.
“If people can get marijuana cheaper from the guy down the street where they’ve always gotten it, maybe that’s where they should go to get it,” Ventura said. “There’s no reason to pay insanely high taxes to give greedy politicians more spending money.” According to Ventura, any legalization scheme which doesn’t include the right to grow your own cannabis at home is little more than a money grab by politicians and their rich friends. “That’s nonsense. You cannot let these people become the only source of marijuana; that’s not legalization,” Ventura said. “Politicians enjoy spending your money, and you’re being taken for a ride. Look at Colorado; that’s how it should be. They are allowing home growing.” “Marijuana won’t be legalized because it’s the ‘right thing to do’; it’ll be legalized because of the vast amount of money that can be made,” Ventura said explaining, “When enough politicians and the general public realize how much money is on the table, marijuana will become legal very quickly.” Ventura is definitely the happiest guy I’ve seen in awhile. Appearing tan and relaxed in a sleeveless, tie-dyed t-shirt at his place in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (he splits his time between there and his home in Minnesota), Ventura said he didn’t expect any real leadership in the 2016 Presidential race from either the Republicans or the Democrats when it comes to the marijuana issue.
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Jesse Ventura with the First Lady of Minnesota on inauguration day in the governor’s office.
Jesse Ventura meeting with Bill Clinton.
“You’re not going to have either the Dem or the Repub nominee making a stand for marijuana legalization in 2016,” Ventura flatly predicted. “If you want that, I think you’re going to have to look elsewhere.” Does that mean that Ventura himself, at age 63, may not be tired of politics? “Well, there’s not really a place for me in any state Legislature,” he told me with a rueful chuckle. “I’m a little too outspoken to ever be in that position. I’ve been Mayor [of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota], and I’ve been Governor, so really the only place left for me to run for at this point, is President.” And is that a possibility, Governor Ventura? “Well, I’ve really been enjoying the peace and quiet,” Ventura said with a laugh. “But something keeps telling me that big changes are about to happen in American politics, and I wouldn’t mind being a part of that.”
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Barbara Walters interviews Jesse Ventura
Al Gore and Jesse Ventura
Should Ventura, the 38th governor of Minnesota (from 1999-2003) decide to be part of the 2016 Presidential race, he’ll wait until mid-2016 to throw his hat into the ring as a third-party candidate. “I’m going to wait until the little guys are out of the race,” he said. “I only want to have to run against the top two guys.” “My question to you, and to the cannabis community, is would you guys support my candidacy financially if I decide to run for President?” said Ventura, currently the host of a TV show called Off The Grid. The possible candidate then mentioned the physical toll being President has on anyone taking the job. “Bill Clinton’s hair turned white while he was President,” Ventura pointed out. “Barack Obama will be completely white-haired before his term is up. What effect is that going to have on me? I don’t have hair!” Ventura said with a big laugh.
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Elvy Musika
The First Federally Recognized Female Medical MJ Patient LVY MUSIKA is certainly not your typical 75 year old
patient. She proudly tells me this year she celebrates fourty years as a medical marijuana patient, and she is doing great! Elvy has had glaucoma a since she was a small child. In 1953 she had her first eye surgery on the right side, to treat congenital cataracts. The surgeries where followed by 21 shots into her eye which worsened her condition, leading to her total blindness in that eye. She retained the vision in her left eye by refusing the surgeries and shots, but that later changed when the federal government gave her the wrong kind of cannabis. Yes, the Federal Government supplies Elvy Musika with medical cannabis- to the tune of 300 joints per month! She has been in a federal medical marijuana patient program, called the Compassionate Investigational New Drug Program, for over 26 years. In 1988 she was tried for possession and cultivation of four medical cannabis plants that she was using to treat her condition in the state of Florida. Taking her story to the press instead of hiding in shame, she decided it was time she took a stand. Elvy became Florida’s first patient to succeed at creating a medical nectessity defense in court. She then went on to sue the Federal Government for safe access to her medicine. “Before any patient could join the program they had to have reliable doctors which they would approve. The FDA, DEA, and NIDA had to be satisfied that marijuana was the safest, most reliable, most efficient, part of our treatment.” She was federally approved after joining the lawsuit against the Federal Government for safe access to medicinal cannabis, and is one of four patients remaining in the nearly defunct program. She
is deeply faithful and grateful, saying “Thank God for God and Marijuana because both are very powerful.” The cannabis used for the federal program is grown in one of the most conservative parts of the country, at the University of Mississippi. It grows there legally, and has been provided to out-of-state patients since 1968. In 2012 the program decided to provide her with high CBD joints, instead of the 11-12%THC joints she needs to treat her condition. The glaucoma progressed, stealing more vision from her healthier eye, leaving her almost totally blind. She was placed back on her THC joints, but not before irreversible damage was done, causing her to lose part of her optic nerve. Speaking of cannabis prohibition she says, “To arrest an adult for choosing a wiser bud is the epitome of hypocrisy and stupidity. To arrest a patient for choosing The Creator’s work is blasphemy, blasphemy, blasphemy.” Meanwhile, she’s helping the fight for medical cannabis in Oregon, speaking all around the country about her story and the federal MMJ program. She was been presented with the High Times Freedom Fighter of The Year Award in 1992, the Drug Policy Alliance’s (DPA) Citizen Action Award, and NORML’s Outstanding Citizen Activism Award in 2003. Elvy is very much a family lady who is just exasperated with the war on drugs, “We have arrested over 25 million people, how does that promote family values!?” Lori Duckworth, a fellow Oregon activist, is also Elvy’s assistant. Mentioning Elvy she says,“She’s been overlooked in this rise from prohibition, and I want her to have her rightful place in history as the first woman federal patient, a mother, and a grandmother.”
THE ELVY PROJECT
is a campaign to make a movie about Elvy’s story. At the time of this writing she is in Florida raising funds for the film’s production and attending the Patients Out of Time Conference. The soundtrack is written and performed by Elvy, and an indiegogo account has been established where people can go to help fund the film. www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-elvy-project
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ROAD TRIP
History Made In Humboldt
WRITER & PHOTOS SHARON LETTS
First-time celebrations of the plant where it’s grown, for all to see ARKETING COMPANIES pay millions to brand a company and its product – putting it in the public’s eye purposefully with a catchy name and (hopefully) memorable logo. Being a good, reliable product really doesn’t matter in the land of advertising, but it never hurts. Humboldt County is both envied and blessed with an internationally known brand spread merely via word of mouth, based on one damn consistently good product. And while the raising of THC levels for recreation of said product over the past 40 years has also (and ironically) increased the product’s branding strength; bringing the levels back down again has proven to
Celebrating The Plant
Legalization is looming for California in 2016, and farmers are coming out of the woods, so to speak, getting business permits, having their longtime lands checked for compliance, setting-up rainwater catchment systems, and coming together in town hall meetings across the counties, talking about what’s next. The top of the conversation is conservation – following in the footsteps of stewards of the land before them, with an eye on preserving what we have for future generations. With this newfound networking, locals are feeling more secure and public celebrations of the plant are being openly held for the first time, via a “Medical Cannabis Conference,” hosting physicians, herbalists, and others well versed in good medicine for the first time on Humboldt soil. The first-ever “Cannabis Film Festival” (CFF) was held in the tiny town of Garberville, hub of the Southern Humboldt grow-in-the-sun empire, with films surrounding the herb sent in from around the country. Albeit, smoke outs on 420 (April 20) have been quelled for several years, with Arcata’s Community Forest (formerly hosting hundreds on the blessed day) literally closed and locked on 420, the firstever CannaFest was flawlessly pulled off this past April in the more conservative town of Eureka – Humboldt’s county seat.
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be a surprise marketing trend – and boost to the product’s desirability. Yet, with all this activity, Humboldt with neighboring Trinity and Mendocino Counties – making up what’s referred to as the “Emerald Triangle” (a brand in itself) has remained purposefully and covertly hidden from mainstream culture for just as long. While others have covertly acquired Humboldt’s strains, taking them home to their own states and marketing and branding them, with praises and celebrity given, Northern California growers have been hesitant to take credit – until now. And while they won’t out their Stateline-crossing neighbors just yet, they would like to get credit where credit is due – for growing some of the finest medicine in the world.
CannaFest was the perfect end to the more traditional “Humboldt Green Week,” where environmentally friendly events have been organized throughout the county for some time, with the festival held at the equally historic Redwood Acres Fairgrounds – another first for the venue. The event mirrored typical cannabis events found in metropolitan areas, with a twist, as cannabis farmers mimicked county fair fodder, hosting “Grow Games,” which are relay races with participants competing in repotting races, adding a bit of normalcy to cannabis growing. Event organizer Steve Geider said the “Grower Olympics” had been an idea for more than ten years, stating, “Our committee is excited to produce the “Humboldt Grow Games” for many years to come, and it will eventually be a full day of activities in a full-scale production.”
Yes We Cann!
The day began with the County’s first ever “Yes We Cann!” community parade to the fairgrounds, led by rope smoking, hemp loving Benjamin Franklin himself in horse and buggy, played by Thomas Hummel, father of fest co-organizer, Lori Cosgrove. Amazingly, Hummel hails from the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, and travels three thousand miles to play the man who encouraged the country to plant Hemp. The parade was another huge first, with hydroponic grow shop trucks boldly pulling flatbeds decked out in green-glitter pot leaves. Rock bands echoed through the town of Eureka, with participants carrying signs and sporting green t-shirts proclaiming,
Got Medicine?
Humboldt medicine maker Sunshine Johnston’s table holds bottles of tincture under her “Sun Boldt Grown” brand, offering plenty of healing information along with her quality products. “After living in the cannabis farming culture of Humboldt for more than thirty years – seeing the evolution of the craft and artisanship that has not been able to be shared for fear of retribution – it was so cool that the idea that cannabis is medicine could be delivered fresh to patients!” Over her table, Johnston said she was able to share “dietary supplements”, like freshly juiced buds,
Hi-Tech Futures
Vendors provided the usual fare, supplying various medicating and smoking opportunities, and a rainbow of gadgets. Humboldt’s own retail trimming shop “Trim Scene Solutions” displayed hi-tech machines for making effective medicine. A trimming production line system said it’s capable of snipping five pounds per hour without humans ever touching the bud from start to finish. A shining stainless steel “Dab Genius” cooker makes clean oil production safe at the low price of around $10K.
“I am a Farmer,” and “I love Farmers.” Yes, with the new attitude “farmers” are reclaiming their heritage in growing the herb, not the stale semantics of the past. Growers are farming and “dealers” are “healers” in the new world of weed in America and beyond. Of the many firsts, there was a medicating area set-up outside on the fairgrounds, jam-packed with 215 card carrying patients, featuring product and dab stations aplenty. Being Humboldt, medicine was out in full force in the form of tinctures, oils, and medibles by some of the areas finest organic farmers and producers.
CBD cookies, CBD chai tea with homemade hemp milk, and a signature brand of “Loopy Fruit” to smoke. Johnston said the flowers were grown on the farm with reverence, representative of the small farmers of Humboldt. She is one of the many small farmers working to come into compliance, so she can have an above the board, legal business with an eye on the future. “Navigating the pathways of legalization is confusing,” Johnston shared. “We are following the advice of legislators and others as we try to form a co-operative that truly serves our community, and we are leading by example as we come out of the shadows. For example, we ‘re working on a land use ordinance that would protect small farmers and the fish in our watershed. Our goal is that Humboldt’s cannabis heritage, and our role as stewards of the land, is preserved. It’s a bit scary and it is truly liberating!”
Along the line of conservation, there were organizations tabling information on water conservation and other environmental concerns plaguing the region, like large grows with big equipment that are altering watersheds, draining creeks, and bringing in generators and diesel fuel to the mix. Companies consulting on soil and water testing and land use are coming out of the woodwork now for farmers, and they are all ears with their eyes on the future of sustainable cannabis production. dopemagazine.com ISSUE 01 THE GROW ISSUE
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“Weed, the Game”
Ancillary cannabis products are getting more common and varied, now including clothing, jewelry, art, and games. Jim and Erin Gray of McKinleyville are having a ton of fun with Humboldt’s largest cash crop and have created a board game. “Weed the game,” takes players on a wild ride of weed mishaps, inspired in-part by the historic C.A.M.P (Campaign Against Marijuana Planting) began in 1983. “We met in Arcata thirty years ago,” Jim said. “The area was very much like it is now, economically depressed and lots of people working for minimum wage, lots of homeless and plenty of young people trying to grow cannabis – then a felony.” Jim said the couple left Humboldt for some years, but recently came back to the region they love. The game is a reflection of struggles that have occurred in the region, featuring helicopter raids, jail time, and the occasional “good year.” “Erin made the proto-type board game where you could take different routes to grow – greenhouses, back yards, Forestry Service land, illegal trespassing onto private property – and each one had its pitfalls,” Jim explained. “Many of the playing cards are based on real experiences like ‘your neighbor destroys ten plants because they are over the property line’, or ‘a cop knocks on your door to return your wallet and you flush 50 seeds down the toilet’.” The game launched at the Seattle HempFest in 2013 and is currently distributed on their website, and at Humboldt shops and festivals (who say they can’t keep them stocked).
Fest with a Green Heart Festival organizer Geider has been in the ancillary side of the cannabis industry for over ten years founding Northcoast Horticulture Supply (NHS), a chain of stores in the county offering a plethora of supplies for indoor and outdoor grows. The industry has been good to him so he decided to give back, organizing the county’s first fest under the shingle, “Humboldt Green” after nine years of organizing “Humboldt Green Week”. “I’ve always enjoyed bringing different folks together,” Geider said. “Cannifest was the culmination of many years of planning and eleven weeks of jumping through hoops to make this work for the city of Eureka, the county, and at the state levels – with the fire marshalls being the most intense. The 2,200 attendees and 250 people working together made the fest a success in its first year.”
In true “Humboldt Green” tradition, the event left a green foot print – something other events at the historic venue have never done. “We greened the event while it was happening,” Geider shared proudly. “With help from other community members and groups, we were able to leave behind a rain catchment system that can catch 67,000 gallons from one 2,000 square foot rooftop in a normal rain year.” The venue also says it’s one of the “calmest” events they’ve ever held. Festival goers attribute the lack of violence to an herb that is making history by lowering crime rates in legal states – Colorado, for one, is down 25% in its first legal year. They also broke garbage records at the fairgrounds, with just one trash container hauled away at the event’s end, where other past events there have used three or more.
“All food waste was composted on site and compost bins were built using cardboard from the event to make worm binds” Geider added. “Redwood Acres told us we had one-fifth of the waste that usually comes from a crowd of that size.” When asked if he’ll bring the fest back next year, it was met with a resounding, “Yes, we CANN!” mirroring the theme. “This event could be produced nationally and internationally, in time,” Geider added. “Humboldt County is the worldwide leader in all things cannabis, so the world should prepare as we embrace this change together, and look to the leaders to guide our path.” Education via games, festivals, and educational activities to enlighten the public regarding cannabis as medicine, is what legalization can bring to a state, and those in the industry in Humboldt are ready to play.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WEED THE GAME www.stonerbrothers.com TRIM SCENE SOLUTIONS www.trimscene.com DAB GENIUS www.dabgenius.com
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Where There’s Smoke There’s Marijuana Tourism
XSW ATTENDEES were ‘a buzz’ as they encountered a new green-themed billboard touting “World Cannabis Week” in Austin, Texas. Representative David Simpson (R-Longview) called for legalization in the Lone Star State to give the people what they demand. That demand for a vision of legal cannabis takes Texas and tourists from around the world to Denver. While cannabis remains illegal in some states, the sign touts a conference, concerts, and cannabis in Colorado during
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“4/20 week” -- a date when cannabis enthusiasts typically get together to get high. The team at World Cannabis Week has been avalanched with celebrities and media requests from around the world. Colorado tourism companies are growing like weeds offering the “Cannabis Experience of a Lifetime” as touted by My420Tours.com. At SXSW, like everyone else, I saw the billboard. Everything is bigger in Texas, including the pot ads. How could I resist offers of cannabisfriendly limos, accommodating hotels offering
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CHERYL SHUMAN
PHOTO MY420TOURS .COM
cannabis with breakfast, smoking equipment, and “therapeutic” cannabis-infused massages? Colorado legalized recreational marijuana a year and a half ago, and experts say the industry is already showing huge dividends in cannabis-friendly tourism. A survey by www.Hotels.com found that cannabis legalization has boosted tourism interest in Colorado and Washington. The study found many people now looking to Portland, as the state embarks on its recreational marijuana program.
Business Insider just named Colorado the fastest growing economy in the country. Colorado had one of the best tourism years of all time in 2014 with an estimated 14million visitors, bringing in $4 billion in revenue. Pot shop owners claim they not only see people coming in from the rest of the country, but from all around the world. My420Tours, travel partner of World Cannabis Week, is experiencing a 4000% increase in its attendance from worldwide travelers wanting a taste of pot legalization. “Denver has become the international epicenter of all things cannabis. We were first to market with our concept, and we are proud to set the standard of service for the emerging cannabis tourism industry,” states J.J. Walker, C.E.O. But what about other states? Take Nevada for example. Some experts claim Nevada could dominate the cannabis tourism market because of their full reciprocity laws, presently allowing legal medical cannabis patients to purchase and consume cannabis in the state. Nevada is perfectly poised with votes to legalize responsible adult use of cannabis in 2016. Most industry experts foresee a legal cannabis economy featuring pot-friendly destination resorts. A variety of companies are contemplating expansion plans, and casinos are considering designating “pot-friendly” floors to test the market. The city of Las Vegas sees approximately 40 million visitors each year. Could “Sin City” divert cannabis tourist traffic from Colorado, Washington and other states with their adoption of fully-legalized recreational cannabis legislation? The April 10th edition of USA Today reported Denver was bracing for another rush of cannabis related tourism to celebrate April 20, thanks in part to the annual Cannabis Cup event hosted by High Times magazine. An envoy of Nevada politicians set course for Denver recently to investigate. Senator Patricia Farley states, “I see it as a huge industry we need to cash in on. The people of the state have spoken and said they want medical marijuana and this trip gives us an idea of what’s involved with that industry and perhaps eventually with recreational marijuana as well.” According to Hotels.com, in 2014 Denver saw a 73% increase in hotel searches for arrivals during the April 20th weekend, which featured a number of organized marijuana events and music festivals, but also coincided with the Easter holiday. This year, April 20th fell on a Monday, and hotel searches for arrival-dates between April
ABOUT CHERYL SHUMAN INC. Cheryl Shuman’s TV reality started by age seventeen, she had made several television appearances and was offered to appear regularly on The Bob Braun Show on WLWT-TV in Cincinnati, which led to a nationally recurring segment on PM Magazine. At age twenty-three, Cheryl relocated to Los Angeles to become know as the “Optician to the Stars” and created a new business, Starry Eyes. As CEO of Starry Eyes, Cheryl worked on some of the biggest films, TV, and music properties generating multi-million dollar revenues. This success led to her own show on the QVC network and a mutually rewarding seven-year relationship that included product placement, production and branded entertainment divisions.
FRIENDLY TOP 10 CANNABIS TOURIST HOTPOTS 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
Portland New York Las Vegas Denver San Francisco Seattle Los Angeles Miami Chicago Boston
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3
4
9
7
8
(www.hotels.com survey)
17-20 rose yet again, more than 60 percent up from a year ago. Washington, which legalized recreational marijuana in July 2014, has also seen an increase in travel interest, according to the website. Seattle, the 18th most popular domestic destination on the Hotels.com index, saw a 61% boost in searches within the second half of 2014, after the marijuana law took effect. Even though Oregon’s recreational marijuana doesn’t become legal until July 1, Hotels.com’s survey found that travel interest to Portland has increased about 25 percent during the three-months following full legalization. Interest in Portland in general has increased about 64 percent, according to the website survey. Colorado Businesswoman, Wanda James has been exploring cannabis tourism in Jamaica. Senator Terrence “Positive” Nelson from beautiful St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, has also become a brand ambassador interested in cannabis tourism for his district. With the recent decriminalization of cannabis for under two ounces, Jamaica stands to benefit from those who seek a sun-drenched Caribbean cannabis retreat. “The bottom line is this movement is bigger than any one state or business,” notes JJ Walker of My420Tours. “People will always love coming to Denver for the mountains, the museums, the nightlife, and now they get to enjoy all of those things with legal marijuana. We are proud to represent excellence with the adventure of a lifetime in 420 tourism, celebrating our national expansion.” In 2006, Shuman was diagnosed with cancer. After years of following failed allopathic medicine treatments, she opted for medical cannabis in the form of raw juice and oils as an alternative. Her success using medical cannabis led her to found the Beverly Hills Cannabis Club. Today, Cheryl is the most visible and recognizable woman in the medical marijuana reform movement, recently receiving the 2013 Activist of the Year Award at Seattle Hempfest. Together Cheryl and Aimee, her daughter and EVP of Cheryl Shuman, Inc., have reached over 100 million viewers worldwide while appearing on such mainstream shows as CNN’s Piers Morgan Live, The Katie Couric Show, The View, ABC’s 20/20, Good Morning America, Fox Business News and many other media outlets. Cheryl Shuman is represented by the prestigious William Morris Endeavor Agency in Beverly Hills. For more information, please visit www.CherylShuman.com. dopemagazine.com ISSUE 01 THE GROW ISSUE
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CANNA-NEWS WRITER & PHOTOS SHARON LETTS
Humboldt Medicine
From recreation to healing Humboldt embraces the plant Arcata Community Center with Humboldt Bay in the background
MONG MANY firsts in Humboldt County this past year
surrounding the once covert cannabis plant was the firstever Medical Cannabis Conference, held this spring at the Arcata Community Center and sponsored by the Dandelion Healing Center of Northern Humboldt.
Executive Director and Founder, Herbalist, Jane Bothwell says she felt it was time the beneficial herb was recognized in the place from whence it came, so to speak. Being a novice to the medicinal applications of the plant, she said she gathered national and international experts in the field to present. While many outside the area might believe Humboldtians are well versed in the medicine of the plant, being covert for decades has not exactly helped spread the good word of healing throughout the land. “As an herbal educator I thought it essential that my students begin to learn of the healing qualities of cannabis,” Bothwell explained. “As the idea progressed I realized the potency of this topic, for not only
STONED VS. WELL
Amanda Reiman Manager of Marijuana Law and Policy, Drug Policy Alliance
Amanda Reiman is Manager of Marijuana Law and Policy at the Drug Policy Alliance. She’s conducted many studies on dispensaries, patient’s use of them, cannabis use as addiction treatment therapy, and the perceptions thereof. Cannabis is thought to have potential as a suitable replacement therapy for harmful addictions like prescription meds, street drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
Among some of the impressive and surprising statistics Reiman offered – out of 80% of hardcore drug users, just 20% ended up being truly addicted. Not the overwhelming and societal damaging numbers the powers that be would have us believing – and surely not serious enough
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my herbal students, but for health care providers, patients and those growing, manufacturing, and dispensing marijuana as medicine.” Presenters spoke to full rooms of eager participants that included doctors, nurses, patients, herbalists and everyone in between. A young man from the military was there, only to learn about cannabis as medicine benefitting Post Traumatic Stress Disorder sufferers, or PTSD, and nothing more, but it was a start. A concerning divide is arising between herbalists and those who make concentrated cannabis medicines, as some believe the plant concentrates should not be ingested daily due to a proposed toxicity. While this factor is yet to be fully debated with trials pending, Bothwell feels both parties can come together in unity. “Marijuana is just another plant,” Bothwell offered. “The same principals apply. The herbalist’s approach is to study a plant with the tools they have acquired as plant healers, learn about it thoroughly, and then apply it in therapeutic situations. To me this is a collaborative situation.”
numbers to continue the failed “War on Drugs,” in my mind. Reiman also rattled off some stigmas still surrounding dispensaries as safe access points, namely that 30-something able-bodied males line up for recreational pot, calling it their medicine. “Changing the perception of cannabis patients is something we need to take a look at if we want to understand how the plant is being used as medicine,” Reiman said. “By the time a male laborer is in his 30s he’s already worked ten years or more of physically challenging work and it’s safe to say they might have pain issues clearly helped with cannabis.” Replacing pharmaceutical meds used for pain with cannabis is one of the most amazing implications for the plant, while stronger concentrates can bring relief and remission to more serious illnesses.
CANNABIS & KIDS
Recently a workshop of particular interest is “Pediatric Epilepsy,” although this writer will not expose lecture content, or the families involved. The group of roughly thirty families came together four years ago in the Emerald Triangle (Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino counties) and they have been going through lengthy trial and error making the right oil to put seizures at bay for the kids.
popular with epilepsy patients, “Harly-Tsu,” continues to heal.
While Charlotte’s Web garnered fame in the Rocky Mountain for its CBD only properties, a little known fact is the original CBD strains were developed in Southern Humboldt County by longtime hybridizer Lawrence Ringo. Though “Ringo” (as he was known) passed away last year, his strains, “AC/DC,” “Harlequin,” and the strain
The thing about coming out of the smoky closet of prohibition with an above the board medical conference, is that it allows the community an opportunity to come together. The proverbial medicine wheel doesn’t need to be reinvented, and the cannabis community is there to help when the window opens.
The workshop presenter shared their trials and tribulations of making oil with the right balance of CBD to THC, to keep the kids from seizing. So far, so good, they report, as medicine makers from the county came forward to offer further expertise and help.
TRUE SELF VIA MEDICATING Humboldt physician Dr. Ken Miller discussed his patients’ use of cannabis to deal with mental disorders – especially those dealing with trauma that may be reached in a counseling office. Workshop about using Cannabis with mental disorders with Humboldt Dr. Ken Miller
“I tell my patients to go for a walk in the woods to do this particular therapy,” Miller advised. The type of self-reflection found by smoking one joint in the woods can’t be underestimated. Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” and Dr. Miller has brought that old adage out and dusted it off. Cannabis, he said, causes the blood pressure to lower, anxiety to diminish, and the third eye to open, allowing us to examine our deepest and truest self. A walk in the woods seems like the perfect prescription.
Dandelion Herbal Center, Executive Director, Jane Bothwell
One of his male patients shared he had been though many treatments over the years, including “Primal Scream” therapy in the early 70s. Though his many practices have come and gone, using cannabis to heal himself has been a constant for more than fourty years, stating “feelings don’t live separately; feelings are a bowl holding emotions.”
“Cannabis can lead us to a deeply satisfying emotional life,” he continued. “Before I use cannabis I am a walking, talking putdown machine. The voices in my head are negative, but after one hour of smoking and being alone, there is nothing on the table in front of me but my own heart.” Another patient in her 50s shared that she had stopped smoking cannabis in her 20s, because it caused her social anxiety. Yet, after ten years of traditional therapy all she felt was hopelessness and frustration. “Dr. Miller suggested I have faith in myself,” she explained. “One hour after I eat a brownie I can relate to myself more easily.” The patient’s background of abuse included being bullied for “being a girl” by five older brothers. She says her family was emotional abusers – loud and foul mouthed. “Cursing is how my family expressed themselves,” she said. “Their words in my head feel like my flesh tearing. When I medicate I can speak truth to my father, and things soften between us. I can see his insecurity and I can deal with our truth.”
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KNOWLEDGE GROWS Other speakers included herbalists, growers and medicine makers all sharing a years’ worth of expertise and healing.
Author and “Project CBD” founder Martin Lee was on hand discussing the incredible benefits of CBD, or the Cannabinoid, compounds and of cannabis. Lee is no stranger to the politics of the plant, as his foundation outs bad medicine makers, while enlightening patients to the differences between CBD found in hemp, and medicinal grade found only when the cannabis plant is hybridized, with the THC bred down to medicinal levels. Samantha Miller, Chief Scientist of “Pure Analytical” laboratory spoke on high CBD strain isolation and plant physiology with Kevin Spelman, giving an overview of our Endocannabinoid system and what that means to our healing with the plant. For me the highlight of the event was meeting Dr. Donald Abrams, Chief of Oncology and Hematology San Francisco General Hospital, as well as a cancer and integrative medicine specialist at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Mount Zion.
Dr. Abrams was at the forefront for testing with AIDS patients in San Francisco at the height of the epidemic in the 1980s. He conducted real studies on pain management and nausea with cannabis that are still respected today. When he flashed Tommy Chong’s story on his overhead presentation, then said he couldn’t get next to the oil just yet, my heart sank. Without real trials, he just can’t fully support cannabis use publically being a scientist and doctor, plus all the anecdotal stories just don’t fly with him. He also reiterated that he is an oncologist and prescribes chemotherapy, radiation and other traditionally damaging treatments for cancer. He posed the question, “If the oil works, why aren’t I seeing more success stories?” The answer may lie in the treatments used in conjunction with the oil. After his lecture I approached him asking for details, because in my world I see success stories with the oil every single day. It’s the world of weed I travel in. Perhaps healing doesn’t happen as often in his world of chemo. Perhaps I see more success of the oil being used alone with great success.
Author & Project CBD Founder Martin Lee Dr. Abrams let me know he felt my writing, alerting people to the benefits of the strong oil – especially where cancer is concerned - is irresponsible. I respectfully agreed to disagree, and there we stand. Nothing but respect for the good doctor, but until the U.S. Government admits this is good medicine and starts handing out pamphlets, I’ll continue to alert the masses to the good work being done outside the cancer clinics.
SENIORS MEDICATING
One of the more enlightened physicians was Dr. Jeffrey Hergenrather, who is Head of the Society for Cannabis Clinicians, and in-house doc for a senior center in Santa Rosa, California, that is incorporating cannabis in its therapies. After witnessing Dr. Abram’s sober lecture (or lack there of) on the use of the oil, Dr. Hergenrather’s talk was nothing short of inspiring, praising the herb in all its glory as a magnificent healer. His “Society for Cannabis Clinicians” is a platform where cannabis patients can document their stories of healing, so that doctors like Abrams can see the healing being done and learn. Some weeks ago a woman posted on a social media page that she began giving her father cannabis oil as he faded from life at a retirement home for the demented. After two and a half weeks, she reported her father had “come back,” with the care home asking her to take him home.
Dr. Hergenrather confirmed the successful use of ingesting cannabis to aid in calming the muscle spasms and shaking from neurological ailments stemming from diseases associated with aging like Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, and other central nervous system based disorders typically brought about by toxins. He’s also confirmed he personally knows of several cases of cancer, and other serious ailments, that have gone into remission from ingesting the strong oil – albeit, via anecdotal stories only, backed up by a physician’s observance. Knowledge regarding the plant will continue grow, and hopefully, historic conferences such as this one on Humboldt soil are the first of many to come. Albeit, two steps forward and one step back has been the norm for this movement, and today as always, the emphasis is on forward.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON: • Dandelion Herbal Center, visit www.dandelionherb.com • Project CBD, visit www.projectcbd.org • Dr. Donald Abrams, visit www.ucsfhealth.org/donald.abrams • Dr. Jeffrey Hergenrather, M.D., visit www.medicaljane.com/directory/professional/dr-jeffrey-hergenrather/
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