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JULY 2017 | THE TRAVEL ISSUE
EDITOR’S LETTER W
hen we hear the word travel, we often think of being whisked away to a far-off land. By definition, to travel means to make a journey. In the pages of this magazine, the journey is truly in the eyes of the beholder. In this issue of DOPE Magazine, our writers and photographers explore the imperial high desert arches, spires and sandstone fins of the Moab. We dive deep into the experience of sensory deprivation float tanks in a three-part series, and literally take a trip to the Peruvian Amazon to discover the “true nature of the Universe” through ayahuasca, a traditional psychoactive brew. Our tour doesn’t end there. Our California team unveils the trimmigrant experience, a generation of cannabis entrepreneurs who travel across the globe to the hills of California to trim bud. We interview “Just Mark” of the traveling (and often unseen) world of the Rainbow Family, and jump across the ocean to Sri Lanka, where we unveil Ceylonese smoking culture. On our cover you’ll find Abdullah Saeed, a Pakistani Muslim American raised in Thailand, who not only hosts the VICELAND program Bong Appétit, but also writes, produces electronic music and once lost a big bag of weed while moving from Manhattan to Brooklyn. He’s Survivorman’s biggest fan. Seriously. This issue is rife with stunning images from our content providers’ travels. Our intention is to reveal the true nature of travel. It is not so much about going from one place to another physically, but the mental journeys we make in between. Come take a trip with us, won’t you? Stay DOPE! The Editorial Team
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T H E T R AV E L I S S U E
TABLE OF CONTENTS
JULY 2017
20 COVER FEATURE ABDULLAH SAEED’S CANNTASTIC VOYAGE
16 28 38 56 60 66 68 80
CULTURE AYAHUASCA: CONVERSING WITH THE MOTHER VINE CULTURE JUST MARK AND THE RAINBOW FAMILY EDITOR'S CHOICE HAKUNA SUPPLY STASH BOXES TRAVEL CEYLONESE SMOKING CULTURE FEATURE SENSORY DEPRIVATION FLOATS AND YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS #SCOUTEDBYDOPE GROW FAKE WEED: THE DEA APPROVES SYNTHETIC POT BUSINESS THE MARIJUANA – MMA MERGER
ABDULLAH SAEED 34
TRAVEL A PHOTOGRAPHER’S TRAVEL BAG
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CANNTASTIC VOYAGE WRITER / ANDREA LARSON
LIFESTYLE SURFING THE ROAD TO SPANNABIS 20
PHOTO / JORDAN SWENSON
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LIFESTYLE TRIMMIGRANTS
䌀夀䌀䰀伀一䔀
䌀夀䌀伀 匀唀倀䄀 匀吀䤀䬀夀
䌀夀䌀伀 䬀䰀䔀䄀一匀䔀
匀䨀 䔀渀琀攀爀瀀爀椀猀攀猀 椀猀 愀 氀攀愀搀椀渀最 䄀甀猀琀爀愀氀椀愀渀 洀愀渀甀昀愀挀琀甀爀攀爀 愀渀搀 匀甀瀀瀀氀椀攀爀 漀昀 愀 挀漀洀瀀爀攀栀攀渀猀椀瘀攀 爀愀渀最攀 漀昀 猀甀瀀攀爀椀漀爀 栀礀搀爀漀瀀漀渀椀挀 瀀爀漀搀甀挀琀猀Ⰰ 搀攀瘀攀氀漀瀀攀搀 愀渀搀 爀攀猀攀愀爀挀栀攀搀 戀礀 漀甀爀 爀攀猀椀搀攀渀琀 䌀栀攀洀椀猀琀 愀渀搀 瀀氀愀渀琀 倀栀礀猀椀漀氀漀最椀猀琀⸀ 匀䨀 䔀渀琀攀爀瀀爀椀猀攀猀 甀猀攀猀 漀渀氀礀 琀栀攀 昀椀渀攀猀琀 䈀爀椀琀椀猀栀 瀀栀愀爀洀愀挀攀甀琀椀挀愀氀 椀渀最爀攀搀椀攀渀琀猀Ⰰ 攀渀猀甀爀椀渀最 椀渀搀甀猀琀爀礀 氀攀愀搀椀渀最 瀀爀漀搀甀挀琀猀 愀渀搀 琀栀攀 栀椀最栀攀猀琀 焀甀愀氀椀琀礀 愀渀搀 挀漀渀猀椀猀琀攀渀挀礀 愀瘀愀椀氀愀戀氀攀⸀ 匀䨀 䔀渀琀攀爀瀀爀椀猀攀猀 漀昀昀攀爀 愀 瀀爀攀洀椀甀洀 爀愀渀最攀 漀昀 瀀氀愀渀琀 渀甀琀爀椀攀渀琀猀 愀渀搀 愀搀搀椀琀椀瘀攀猀 琀漀 琀栀攀 栀礀搀爀漀瀀漀渀椀挀 洀愀爀欀攀琀⸀ 䌀礀挀漀 倀氀愀琀椀渀甀洀 匀攀爀椀攀猀 瀀爀漀搀甀挀琀猀 愀爀攀 猀漀氀搀 戀礀 漀渀氀礀 琀栀攀 戀攀猀琀 ᰠ挀攀爀琀椀昀椀攀搀ᴠ 搀椀猀琀爀椀戀甀琀漀爀猀 椀渀 琀栀攀 栀礀搀爀漀瀀漀渀椀挀 椀渀搀甀猀琀爀礀 戀愀挀欀攀搀 甀瀀 戀礀 䌀礀挀漀 倀氀愀琀椀渀甀洀 匀攀爀椀攀猀 瀀爀漀搀甀挀琀 愀渀搀 洀愀爀欀攀琀椀渀最 猀甀瀀瀀漀爀琀⸀ 挀礀挀漀昀氀漀眀攀爀⸀挀漀洀
䌀夀䌀伀䘀䰀伀圀䔀刀⸀䌀伀䴀
嘀䤀匀䤀吀 吀䠀䔀 䌀夀䌀伀 䘀伀刀唀䴀匀
䄀唀匀吀刀䄀䰀䤀䄀 簀 唀一䤀吀䔀䐀 匀吀䄀吀䔀匀 簀 唀一䤀吀䔀䐀 䬀䤀一䜀䐀伀䴀 簀 䔀唀刀伀倀䔀
䌀夀䌀伀䘀䰀伀圀䔀刀⸀䌀伀䴀⼀䘀伀刀唀䴀匀
AYAHUASCA:
C U LT U R E
CONVERSING WITH THE MOTHER VINE
LIFE, DEATH AND THE LIVING UNIVERSE WRITER/ART / STUART HOLLAND
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t was one of those intense, pivotal moments in life where you think to yourself, “What the hell am I doing? How did I get here?” There I was, sitting cross-legged in a traditional Shipibo ceremony house, called a maloca, in an isolated part of the Peruvian Amazon, minutes away from partaking in my first ayahuasca ceremony. Psychedelics were no stranger to me, as I already had several LSD and psilocybin trips under my belt, but I found little peace from those previous dives into the unknown. I had done my research, read countless stories and articles about ayahuasca, the mysterious jungle brew, yet I was still quite terrified of the unknown that lay ahead. Jose and Horatio were two Shipibo men from long lineages of shamans, or curanderos, who had a combined fifty years of experience working with the jungle medicine. Despite their small frames and Horatio’s advanced age, I could tell that these men were beings of a different caliber. They emanated an aura of gentle kindness and a wisdom that spoke far beyond their years. The shamans dutifully began the rituals of establishing a protective aura around our ceremony space, and blessed the dark bottle of ayahuasca which they had brought with them. Then, one by one, we were invited to come up to the table and partake. It was my turn. I walked up nervously to the table, Jose beaming at me. He put an assuring hand on my shoulder and offered me a small ceramic cup. I quickly peered at the dark contents before the cup met my lips. I tilted back my head and was surprised at the robust complexity of the brew’s taste, a uniquely acrid blend of bitter, savory, spicy and sweet. That was it. There was no going back now. After we had all partaken, the candles were extinguished, leaving us in utter darkness. My heart was racing as I laid on my mat, and I could slowly feel energy surging through my body. I focused on holding my intention (“show me the true nature of the Universe”) at the forefront of my mind. Then Jose began to sing. His voice had a beautiful, twangy timbre as he percussively plead for guidance from Mother Ayahuasca. It was Jose’s songs, or ‘icaros,’ that would be the conductor of our visions, guiding us as we came in contact with the spirit realm.
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I suddenly had the incredible sensation of an external presence investigating me with great intensity. Conventional language is a crude tool to articulate such an experience, but I felt as though I was having an MRI scan that was assessing my physical, mental and spiritual being. I could sense its beams of energy as it began at my heart and passed over every inch of my body. Intuitively, I understood that whatever this presence was, it understood me far more than I knew myself. I was utterly bewildered that I could encounter something which so closely resembled what I perceived as omniscience, b u t t h e s e n s a t i o n u l t i m a t e l y b ro u g h t me comfor t. At that point, the energy in my body had begun to vibrate with such intensity that I experienced the dissolution of my physical body into the surrounding landscape. As I felt the bounds
of my body merge with the jungle air, my dark world erupted into a sky cast full of stars, as if I was being integrated into the body of the Universe itself. The sky which opened above me was changing. Spectacular forms of monolithic scale, hewn from technological crystals, coalesced in a new celestial dimension. I was moving, soaring through some atmosphere populated by wispy, white clouds and mysterious, suspended structures of deep azure and radiant gold. Hurtling on, I saw that not only were there more of these structures, but that some of them were slowly changing, taking on new shapes. Suddenly I discovered myself in the presence of a vast new form. A seemingly boundless mechanical device, comprised of an incalculable number of interconnected gold components, tirelessly engaging with
one another. The overwhelming sense that the Universe is just as much a puzzle-solving apparatus as it is a cosmic clock pervaded my mind; it is a living system with no singular captain at the helm. This system was entirely self-sufficient, creating an infinite number of puzzles for itself as it simultaneously creates an infinite number of solutions, seeking balance and harmony. These puzzles and solutions could be considered similar to the omniscience of the ‘God’ I had been told of many times, but this consciousness was far more beautiful, and just shy of perfect. The imperfection of this consciousness came from authoring the puzzles and the solutions, but not always knowing the circumstances of when, where and exactly which components bring about the harmony that the Universe so desperately tries to cultivate.
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ARTICLE TITLE
The only universal constant is change, an endless cycle of life, growth, death and rebirth, as circumstantial constraints are in constant flux, and each manifestation of matter and energy is integral to the eternallyexpanding body of experiential consciousness of the Universe. Godly ‘perfection’ is a false destination, stifling and inert; the real beauty lies in the infinite journey, and pursuit of growth where there is no end. The interconnectedness of all things had never been made as clear to me as it did in the presence of such an aweinspiring entity. It inspired a humbling gratitude to sweep over my being. I realized the need to acknowledge how indebted I am to all the things that came before, and things that will come after me. The Universe depends
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on us all. Consciousness is ‘God,’ a term that seems incredibly inadequate to describe what I was witnessing. ‘God’ is found within in each of us in the form of consciousness, and each consciousness is a part of the collective consciousness of the Universe. As products of the Universe, we are not only individually whole, but also part of an infinite whole. As quickly as the mechanical Universe appeared, it dissipated into black. And in the darkness that followed, I felt the Universe ‘wink’ at me, as if cheekily reassuring: “This was a mere glimpse, there is still much more to learn.” Someone had lit the candle in the middle of the room, and the warm glow called me back to the physical world. After several minutes of contemplation and reintegration, I managed
to collect my belongings and was ready to return to my bungalow. As I left the shelter of the maloca, my gaze was drawn upward, where it met the most immaculate night sky my eyes had ever seen. How lucky was I to witness such a spectacle? Dazzled by the symphony of the nocturnal jungle, I found sleep that night feeling overwhelmingly loved by all that surrounded me. And I found that I loved it all in return. Stuart Holland is a visual artist based in Boise, Idaho. More unabridged accounts of his ayahuasca experiences and art can be found at his website, www.stuarthollandart.com, and you can follow his work on IG @_grave_witness_
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ABDULLAH SAEED’S CANNTASTIC VOYAGE WRITER / ANDREA LARSON
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PHOTO / JORDAN SWENSON
D
OPE Magazine arrives in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn. We knock on the door of a somewhat inconspicuous building off Clifton Place and are greeted out front by Abdullah Saeed. He answers the door wearing jeans and a basic black tee, hair slightly disheveled, donning a smile that is immediately inviting. Without delay, he offers to help the video team with their gear —a reminder that TV celebs are normalass, courteous people, too. We walk up a long staircase into a spacious loft apartment, where evidence of a recent smoke sesh plumes around the room. Abdullah washes a few drinking glasses by hand in the kitchen while the team sets up their gear for our interview and photoshoot. Abdullah’s demeanor is that of an old friend who wasn’t
expecting a drop-in visit. He happily welcomes us into his personal space. Abdullah was born in New Hampshire, but spent most of his youth in Thailand on the college campus where his father worked. From a first generation Pakistani family, he spoke English at school and Urdu at home. “My family is pretty liberal and open minded,” posited Abdullah when asked about his family dynamic. “My family members are all very aware of the creativity that cannabis inspires.” Abdullah is the host of a VICELAND program called Bong Appétit. With the help of his on-camera team, Vanessa Lavorato and Ry Prichard, they throw laborious and elaborate dinner events with chefs from around the globe. The THC, CBD and terpene-infused dishes are then served to eager guests.
The team’s moms were guests on the Marijuana Mother’s Day Feast episode. While Abdullah’s mom abstained from ingesting THC (she works as a nurse), Ry’s mom smoked weed with the team on—and off—camera. “There are all types of moms out there. Ry’s mom is a head. She’s chill. She gets down. My mom didn’t want to get high, but she understands that CBD is good for you. CBD is good for your parents.” Abdullah states that while he watches some of his family members age, he wants them to be open to the benefits that CBD can have on prevalent diseases such as Alzheimer’s. “Weed isn’t just my goofy thing. It’s a medicine that can help my family. You can benefit without getting high.”
“CBD IS GOOD FOR YOUR PARENTS.”
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HOSPITABLE CANNABIS CITIES Abdullah has lived and traveled the globe. The most cannabis-friendly and hospitable place he’s ever visited was a tiny Nepalese city in the foothills of the Annapurna Mountain Range, filming a documentary on the Gurung people. They collect “Mad Honey,” a psychoactive honey created from the grayanotoxin of the Rhododendron flower. One of the porters on the trip, Durga Gurung, offered Abdullah finger hash while trekking up to the bee hives. “This is the Himalayas, weed is everywhere. It’s very close to, if not, the birthplace of cannabis,” Abdullah explains. “Durga blazed me out the rest of the time that we were in this remote village…everybody was really hospitable, the sweetest people.” He described their kindness, saying quite matter-of-factly, “There is no city in America or the modern world that is going to have the level of hospitality that a tiny place in the middle of nowhere will have.”
WORKING ALONGSIDE RY AND VANESSA— BONG APPÉTIT WORK CULTURE The Bong Appétit team works long-ass hours. More often than not, filming lasts 14 hours a day for five days a week, sometimes more. “There is a lot of down time, too. Vanessa grinds super hard in the kitchen. She is literally in the kitchen the entire time, keeping the chef’s energy up.” Ry and Abdullah spend a lot of time on set smoking weed together and talking about cannabis. “We [me and Ry] are waiting for set-up, he’s doing infusions and I am with the guests, waiting for stand-ups and checking in on the kitchen.” While the team smokes a lot of flower on set, due to its plentiful availability, Ry is a dab dude. Abdullah asks Ry a ton of questions about dabbing “like a kid,” Abdullah laughs. “I like dabbing with him, ‘cause he knows everything about every strain, so I am always like, ‘What do I taste? What’s that? What’s this?’” After filming the show, many of the chefs and guests reach out to the crew to say it’s “the most ridiculous, fun, awesome thing [they’ve] ever done.” At the end of the day, Bong Appétit doesn’t have “all the bells and whistles of bigger fancier food shows, but we have a good vibe on set, and we have a lot of fun throughout.”
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“...ALL WE HAVE IS WEED AND LES STROUD. THAT WOULD BE AMAZING!”
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GETTING HIS FOOT IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY DOOR After graduating from college, Abdullah came to the realization that landing a job in the saturated marketing industry was futile. “I was living with my mom in north Philly during fucking recession time…and I found an ad in a bathroom at Temple University for a hip-hop mag that was starting. I took the ad, started writing reviews of mix tapes [for free], and eventually they started giving me a few dollars for each review.” He later landed a job as the Reviews Editor for the mag, and Abdullah was able to scratch out a living. “At that time the cost of living in Philly was pretty low, thankfully,” says Abdullah. “I was able to make a living writing freelance. I don’t know if that’s possible in New York anymore. At that time, online journalism was starting to pop off, before it hit a fever pitch.” Between freelance work and DJing twice a week, he made it work. Abdullah’s guiding credo throughout his writing career has been, “Do something that you can do every day that you don’t mind getting up for. Make sure it’s something that inspires you, ‘cause shit can get boring—even shit that you like, and always give a shit about what you do.” After a thoughtful pause, he adds, laughing, “You can’t just write about buttons. No one cares about buttons, even if you care about them, and they inspire you.” Abdullah grew up in a Muslim household that wasn’t super religious, but they still didn’t eat pork. “It was cultural, not so much religious,” he clarifies, which gave him the idea for his blog series, Adventures in Pork. “I started eating only pork when I was 25. I wrote about everything
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that I ate. I grew up in three distinct cultures and have a fairly developed pallet. I am not a fucking taste master, but I can eat, make and understand all different types of food.” The blog was controversial enough that it caught steam. The Philadelphia Weekly reached out to Abdullah to write the cover story for their food issue and it ignited his career, eventually landing him a job with MTV in NYC. After six months, he got fired—turns out him and the Editor didn’t see eye to eye. “Right after I got fired, I had to hustle.” It was about this time that the equipment needed to make electronic music at home proliferated. From L.A. to Berlin, kids were producing their own music in their parent’s garages. SoundCloud, Bandcamp and Mixcloud popped up, making distribution easy. Abdullah has produced electronic music his entire life, and saw this as an opportunity to write. “When Noisey launched, I started doing stuff for them.” Then when The Creators Project dropped, Abdullah started writing for them, too. On a whim, Abdullah wrote a piece called, “I Just Want My Big Bag of Weed Back,” a comical lament to a bag of weed he lost while moving to a new neighborhood. VICE’s Wilbert Cooper thought it was a riot and wanted to publish it. “It got a response, and Krishna Andavolu (the then Weekend Editor for VICE.com) was like ‘I’m looking for a new franchise. Do you wanna do this every week?’” And that was the birth of VICELAND’s Weediquette.
ABDULLAH’S DREAM CHEF ON BONG APPÉTIT Putting his head down and thinking for a moment, Abdullah suddenly blurts out, “Martin Yan! He would be epic and legendary to have on the show.” Of course he mentions famous chef and friend, Mario Batali. Abdullah’s eyes get wide, and he shouts, “Les Stroud! I love Survivorman. Les is one of Abdullah’s greatest inspirations. “I would love to do an episode with him. Me, Ry and Vanessa surviving with Les Stroud. All we have is weed and Les Stroud. That would be AMAZING!” FOR AN EXTENDED INTERVIEW WITH ABDULLAH VISIT DOPEMAGAZINE.COM/ABDULLAH-SAEED/
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C U LT U R E
JUST MARK AND THE RAINBOW FAMILY WRITER / WILL KERSTEN
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PHOTO / JUST MARK AND THE RAINBOW FAMILY
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hen the blue bus with the boat on top rumbled down the levee and parked by the gate of the boatyard, I was flabbergasted. I’d been reading Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, about the psychedelic adventures of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, and this thing looked like it had jumped right out of my book. I approached the vehicle from behind and read the sign on the back: “Disguise the Limit.” The side door opened with a hiss, and a raspy voice invited me in. He stood next to the driver’s seat—tall and lanky, shirtless, with long, straight hair and a hand-rolled, lit cigarette between his fingers. “Welcome aboard,” he said. “I’m Just Mark. This is the Sailbus.” Trinkets and artwork were ever ywhere. Grateful Dead music played through the speakers, and a woman wearing glasses and a long dress stood at a counter, stirring a pot of something. “Hi Mark,” I said, and introduced myself. A young man with a dreadlocked mohawk said, “No, it’s Just Mark. Just. Mark.” “That’s Never,” said Just Mark. They all laughed, then joked about kidnapping me and taking me to San Francisco. But I wanted to go, and so I took them up on it. That was the start of my three months on the road—on the bus—a brief introduction to the traveler’s life, and ultimately, to the Rainbow Family of Living Light. We journeyed from San Francisco to Slab City, California, then to High Creek, Arizona, where hundreds of people were gathered in the national forest to experience nature— and each other—away from the norms of mainstream society. Eventually, I left Just Mark and the Sailbus to go my own way, but I never forgot him or the experiences we shared. I always wondered who he really was. And what in life led him to become “Just Mark.” Twenty years later, I caught up with him again and learned that the adventure started back in his childhood, during a social—and personal—revolution.
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ARTICLE TITLE Mark Gentr y was a thir teen-year -old runaway from Kansas when, in 1967, he found himself at the epicenter of the peace and love movement in San Francisco. “You couldn't get a car down the Haight,” he says. “It was all hippies. Everybody was there. The first time I saw the [Grateful] Dead was by accident—I was in Golden Gate Park at a funeral party for this Hell's Angel, Chocolate George. Fuck, it was crazy. The Dead was there, playing with Janis Joplin and Big Brother.” This started a lifelong love of the Grateful Dead, and eventually Mark would follow the band around the country full-time. But he was just a kid, so his parents found him and brought him back to Kansas. And he ran away again. And again. “I probably hold the world’s record for running away to San Francisco,” says Mark. “But that's what you did in the sixties.” He spent most of his teen years running away to be a street kid in Haight Ashbury, making friends with the Grateful Dead, Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Joan Baez and other poets and artists in the flower power scene.
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I n t h e ‘ 70 s a n d ‘ 8 0 s , M a r k w o r ke d construction, traveling the country from job to job—a hippy biker living in a thirty-foot school bus with a Harley Davidson mounted to the back. “I had to make a living, had to figure something out. I was welding. Back in the ‘80s, that was good money—really good money. The freedom to have my own place with the bus was the way to go.” He caught Dead shows whenever possible, and soon met and became close friends with Ken Kesey and the Pranksters, who had been some of his biggest inspirations. Eventually, Mark was able to retire early, and in 1989 went on tour full-time, following the Grateful Dead everywhere, immersing himself in the nomadic life of the Deadheads. He would fill the Sailbus with rag-tag riders, and they would travel the country, sometimes in caravans, sometimes solo, and always with plenty of mind-altering substances. M a r k ’s p e a c e f u l s p i r i t , a n a r c h i s t i c tendencies and love of the road coalesced during Christmas of 1991, when he joined a group of hippies across the street from the White House to send a message to
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the President. “They called it ‘Beat Around the Bush,’” Mark remembers. “It was a drum circle in Lafayette Park to see if we could get George Bush to bring us turkey sandwiches. I met a bunch of the old Rainbow—Phillipe, and Mojo, and some of the old activists there, and they invited me to their place in Gainesville, Florida, where I spent a lot of time and got more and more involved.” The Rainbow Family calls itself “the largest non-organization of non-members in the world.” They gather by the hundreds, and sometimes thousands, in national forests to form temporary communal villages and appreciate the Earth. Every year there’s a big national gathering that culminates with a prayer for peace on the Fourth of July. “We put it all together and feed the masses, do it all for free or magic, then pray for peace on the Fourth. Then, we clean up our mess. It's worked out for 42, 43 years,” he says, adding, “the people I hang out with, the people that have been my long-time friends and consider Family—I met them all in the woods.” In 1995, a friend gave Mark a twentythree-foot Clipper Sailboat, and convinced him to cut the bottom out and attach it to the top of the bus. They did, creating an icon of the underground “road-dog” subculture, known as the Sailbus. But, later that year, with Jerry Garcia’s passing and the Grateful Dead calling it quits, Mark had fewer reasons to be out on the road. So, he slowed things down, and took the Sailbus to Eugene, Oregon, where he settled for a while and grew medical marijuana with some of the old Pranksters. “I’m proud of the medical pot I grew in Oregon,” says Mark. “I grew excellent top-
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drawer medicine for fifteen years there, until my home got invaded four times. Nothing was worth my life or my friends’ lives, so back onto the bus I’ve had for 34 years, and drove it away to find a new life and adventure.” With help from the Family, Mark and some partners purchased a thirteen-acre ranch west of Tucson, near the Saguaro National Forest, to be a Rainbow-friendly rest stop for old road-dogs, as well as the new generation of travelers. “We're on the road-dog map.” says Mark. “Anybody that's going through Tuscon, they now know they can swing in here and get a shower and a meal, get repairs on their vehicle if they need it. We've got a gal here, and we're putting a new radiator in her van today. She's a full-time road-dog who's been staying here with us, helping out quite a bit. We're getting her van ready so it'll make it to Oregon safely.” This year’s gathering is in Oregon, and Just Mark will be there, as will—hopefully— record numbers of Rainbow Family and friends praying for peace. They live outside the bounds of mainstream culture, away from the cacophony of endless headlines and arguments, to do the important work: communing with nature, and riding the wave of spontaneous magic that is this precious life. People like Just Mark, Ken Kesey and the Pranksters, and so many modernday poets and road-dogs make humanity exciting, mysterious and beautiful. Just Mark, thank you for the long, strange trip! For an extended interview with Just Mark, visit dopemagazine.com/rainbow-family
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A PHOTOG’S TRAVEL BAG
T R AV E L
WRITER / LUNA REYNA
PHOTO / TREVOR BOONE
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1 SUNGLASSES P rotect those ojos. Nobody wants to have to squint through the sunshine to see the beauty of their destination. Pro Tip: Don’t bring your most expensive pair with you, so if they get lost it’s no biggie.
2 WATCH epending on where you’re headed, there D may not always be cell service. Keep a watch handy so that you don’t miss a second, especially those of you who like schedules. Pro Tip: It’s probably best you leave your Rolex at home. Get something that is sturdy, can undergo wear and tear and doesn’t scream “Rob me!”
3 CELL AND WALLET CASE E asy access to all the necessities. Pro Tip: Make sure that this is always put away tightly in your pack, not your pocket or side bag. Pickpocketing is very real.
4 CORDLESS PHONE CHARGER P lug-ins are not universal, so charging your phone the typical way isn’t always a possibility. This is a fast and efficient way to charge your phone.
5 PASSPORT T he most important piece of artillery you can pack! This little blue book is the key to all your new adventures.
6 WATER BOTTLE Extremely necessary. Water is life.
7 DOPEN S econd only to your passport, make sure to pack your handy dandy DOPEn for a smar t and discreet on-the-go vaping experience.
8 MEMORY CARDS ou can never have too many memories Y to look back on. Bring extra memory cards so you don’t miss a moment.
9 HEADPHONES Perfect for a long plane ride.
10 LENS CLEANER Keep those lenses squeaky clean.
11 CAMERA W/EXTRA LENS hether you plan to create a photo W journal of your trip or simply want to capture a few special moments on film, a camera is a must. Pro Tip: A camera screams “tourist,” so be sure to stay aware
of your surroundings when you’re out photographing the beauty of the area, and when you’re not using it, put it away.
12 TRAVEL JOURNAL & GUIDE BOOK travel journal isn’t just for those with A the gift of prose. It’s also a great place to keep track of the shops, people and eateries you discover along the way; you can return to your favorites (or know what to avoid) next time you travel through.
13 JACKET ain or shine, you will need some sort R o f j a c ke t . To o m u c h s u n o n t h o s e shoulders can be painful after a few days, so something light and non-restrictive is ideal. If your destination is rainy or cold, obviously bring something more heavy duty!
14 CBD LOTION/TOPICAL BD topicals are great for everything from C bug bites and sunburns to minor aches and pains or cramping. This is a great all-in-one product for the smart packer. Pro tip: Check the legality of CBD where you’re traveling, it just might be worth the wait home.
ARTICLE TITLE
2017
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Serving the Cannabis Industry from Coast to Coast.
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EDITOR'S CHOICE
HAKUNA SUPPLY STASH BOXES RESPONSIBILITY, SUSTAINABILITY, EQUALITY, INTEGRITY WRITER / LUNA REYNA
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esponsibility, sustainability, equality, integrity. As consumers, we should demand these four pillars of social responsibility from our manufacturers. The cannabis community is fighting an uphill battle to normalize its use, and similarly obtain proper recognition in business, health and politics when it comes to medicinal and recreational use of the flower. While our aim is to continue to illuminate the facts and advocate for those who can benefit from the plant, defenders must also acknowledge criticisms and concerns from anti-cannabis groups. One such concern is the proper storage of one’s cannabis supply, ensuring small children and pets have zero access to cannabis products. Hakuna Supply has solved this issue in a beautiful, discreet stash box. Responsibility, sustainability, equality and integrity are the four core pillars of the company, and it shows in the care and craftsmanship of each box. Their “No More Worries” tagline perfectly encapsulates their mission to create quality products that help many to rest easy, knowing their stash is locked away. The wooden book boxes are a discreet and elegant addition to any book shelf, and can be placed anywhere from the coffee table to your bedside. They are more than stash boxes; they are creative decor that allows for safe storage—something those on both sides of the debate can agree on. WEBSITE: HAKUNASUPPLY.COM INSTAGRAM: @HAKUNASUPPLY
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SURFING LIFESTYLE
THE ROAD
TO SPANNABIS RIDE THE WEED MAPS BUS THROUGH PORTUGAL AND SPAIN WITH PRO SURFER BRUCE IRONS WRITER / SCOTT PEARSE
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PHOTO / BRIAN BIELMANN
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urfing and cannabis have had a long association, but in recent years the connection between weed and waves has become strained. After the professional arm of sur fing, the World Sur f League, adopted global anti-doping rules, cannabis suddenly became a prohibited substance for professional surfers. The Spannabis Cup is one of Europe’s most notable cannabis culture festivals, and Weedmaps Sports director Eric Sorensen saw it as a good excuse to combine the two in an unprecedented journey. “Europe is one of the best places for surfing and skateboarding,” notes Sorensen, “so we chose to do a tour through Portugal and Spain and ended with the Spannabis Cup.” The plan was to take in some of the most renowned surfing spots on the Portuguese Coast, including Nazaré, famed big wave locale. But the nature of travel means that plans change, especially when you find what you’re looking for. Pro sur fer Bruce Irons told DOPE: “We actually weren’t able to go to Nazaré, the waves were too good at Supertubos in Peniche, so we spent our time there while we were in Portugal. When I see waves like that, I’m waiting it out. I’m not going to go back in until I can get the perfect wave.” A native Hawaiian, Irons was not accustomed to the icy Portuguese water: “It was cold out, and it was hard to get used to how cold the water was. I had to wear booties for the first time in a long while.” The Road to Spannabis tour combined Weedmap’s skate and surf teams, resulting in an extraordinarily unique experience. “It was sick checking out how skaters find their spots,” Bruce recalls, “seeing things from their points of view. It’s a different element, but at the same time it’s very similar to what surfers look for when we’re catching waves. In the end, it’s cool to see the other sides of extreme sports and what the different athletes look for.”
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Chasing waves and experiencing culture in a foreign country often means the things that come easy at home take on a new, more difficult, dimension. “We had a long drive,” remembers Irons, “and every two hours it was supposedly mandatory that the bus driver took a break. We were in the middle of nowhere in Spain during one of those breaks, stopped at a gas station where they had a barber. My hair was really shot, so I was just like, ‘Fix my hair, please,’ but the barber didn’t speak English. So then I pointed to one of the hairstyle pictures on the wall and he just went whack with it—kind of butchered it, really.” Weedmaps is the first cannabis brand to sponsor pro surfers, and DOPE asked Eric Sorensen why the company sought out a surf partnership. “It really comes down to this: Our athletes aren’t just ambassadors for the Weedmaps brand, they are pioneering a whole new way to look and think about marijuana. Sur fers are typically holistic and have a deep appreciation for the natural world. They’re bringing awareness to all the benefits of the cannabis plant, and a whole new way of looking at marijuana as medical treatment.” While pro surfing’s governing body, the WSL, continues to ban cannabis use among its athletes, the public rift between surfing and cannabis will continue. For Sorensen, the real issue is that competitors don’t have access to beneficial medicines. “Sur fers have stories to tell about knee injuries, ankle injuries and severe problems with their lower back,” he explains. “Their pain is real and often excruciating. For too long, opioids were seen as the only answer. Cannabis is a serious alternative for a serious problem.”
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“EUROPE IS ONE OF THE BEST PLACES FOR SURFING AND SKATEBOARDING...” – ERIC SORENSEN
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A R TLI ICF LE ES TTYI TL EL E
TRIMMIGRANTS
THE NEW RUSH FOR QUICK CASH—AND FREEDOM WRITER / SHASTA NELSON PHOTO / ASHLEIGH CASTRO
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T
he boom of the Green Rush has drawn people from all over the world to legalized states, hoping to strike it green. The result? An influx of a new class of immigrant: the trimmigrant. These modernday nomads come from the four corners of the world, pairing with growers to help tackle the mass amount of processing now required for an excess of cannabis crop, especially in California. I spoke to some trimmigrants and cannabis farmers to gain an insider’s perspective of this new—and sometimes illegal—occupation that has many returning season after season in mass migration. Why the need for such a workforce? Simply put: hand-trimmed cannabis is considered superior to machine-trimmed. Even farms that utilize the latest in trimming technology still have someone performing manual quality control. Cannabis is a delicate plant, and a solid trimming process is the final step in achieving top-shelf flower. When the so-called Green Rush began, the demand for nimble fingers and sharp eyes skyrocketed. Trimmigrants come from all over. They need places to stay, food to eat—and jobs. Trimming is the new ‘traveling with your favorite band’; trimmigrants follow jobs wherever they may be, living a nomadic lifestyle reminiscent of 1960s summers. This freedom has tempted many to follow the green gold, but at what cost? Communities that usually harbor small, rural populations are being inundated with world travelers, big city escapees and vagabond nationals looking for a thrill. One trimmigrant I spoke with hailed from South America, and explained how she began her now yearly pilgrimage to Humboldt County: “I came to California because, among these many [trimmigrant] trips, we met a grower in Brazil who invited me [and] my friend to come. I think he trusted us, and he simply likes us. I liked the idea that it was a quick-cash job for me, and of course it has to do with the weed.” She went on to tell me she was paid well, and I gleaned from others that trimmigrants make around $150 per pound of completed work.
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She said also that her experiences were largely positive. “In my seasons I have not seen anything unethical,” she recalled, “but I know that they do not have good hygienic conditions, few foods, or cases of trimmers [in] which they are not paid.” Currently she’s getting ready to come back for her fifth season, and seems excited and optimistic. It could be said she’s been very lucky with her experiences, as many other trimmigrant stories detail poor working conditions, unethical farmers, poverty and even sexual assault. It’s heartening to hear her hopeful and positive words, but certainly not a typical experience, or reason to believe being a trimmigrant is a wholly safe occupation. I also spoke with a grower from Northern California who has employed trimmigrants for years. A laid back, genuine man, he seemed guarded (after all, this is grey-area city), but happy to share what he could with me. He had some darker experiences to share regarding the safety of trimmigrants, unfortunately. When the topic of sexual assault came up, his voice dropped to a serious tone: “It [has come] to light more lately, and I hear stories from friends of mine that are gals, and it’s like, ‘wow that really happened?’” Hearing even such a vague comment makes my skin crawl. I a s ke d a b o u t h i s d e c i s i o n t o e m p l oy trimmigrants, as the job seems to come with a good deal of risk. “I’ve found it so much easier to deal with them,” he told me, “because for one they’re used to traveling and camping, and for two they have a way better cleanliness, and they seem to drink way less than Americans. Also, because they’re here specifically for trimming.” His farm has high safety standards, he mentions, with limited alcohol and a strict ‘no drugs’ policy. He’s confident that knowing your employees well is the most effective tool in preventing dangerous activities. It was during his years at university, the grower told me, that he traveled internationally and met a group of people he then invited to spend some time trimming with him. “My brother did the same, and his long-time girlfriend and all her friends started coming; it was basically word of mouth, and we would have thirty to forty people for two months.” Soon they had trimmers from Canada, Spain, the UK, Italy, Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico, Morocco, Thailand, Chile, the Czech Republic, France and Finland, among others.
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ARTICLE TITLE
“THE BEAUTIFUL STORIES ARE THE MOMENTS SHARED, SMOKING, BEAUTIFUL PLACES, MEETING FRIENDS . . . I WOULD LIKE TO DO IT AGAIN, WHENEVER I CAN.”
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And that’s just one farm. The hills of Northern California have been flooded with trimmigrants, and unlike the aforementioned travelers, some come without a plan and eventually end up on the streets searching for work. This vulnerable position often leads them more susceptible to an increased risk of crime, drug abuse or sexual assault; many are working illegally, in a country they’re unfamiliar with, and it’s unfortunately all too common to be preyed upon. There’s also the strain put on small communities that balloon by the thousands each summer, with no means of predicting what resources will be needed to manage the influx of residents. And it isn’t slowing down anytime soon. With the passage of Prop 64 in California, cannabis production will continue to increase, and with it, amass continued international visibility. With new work continually available, trimmigrants are arriving in droves, and as one farmer told me, they are still the preference of local producers.
We haven’t seen the last of the trimmigrant. This underground migration is a creature all its own, and continues to grow in both size and complexity. Communities will need to pull together, both the farmers and trimmers, to keep everyone as safe and legal as possible. After speaking with both groups, I feel hopeful. There’s a lot of love there. The more established trimmigrants are like family to their cannabis cohorts. The cannabis industry is known for its inclusive and accepting nature; everyone just wants to enjoy the medicine, meet new people and make some money while they’re at it. “The beautiful stories are the moments shared, smoking, beautiful places, meeting friends,” one trimmigrant tells me. “I would like to do it again, whenever I can.” I hope that spirit of adventure and camaraderie can help the trimmigrant trend become a more stable, legal and thriving new branch of the international cannabis community.
(This article was written from a handful of interviews with trimmigrants. It is not meant to depict the overall trimmigrant experience, culture surrounding trimming or any specific grows.)
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T R AV E L
CEYLONESE SMOKING CULTURE
SRI LANKAN CLUB MAKES ANCIENT CANNABIS TRADE ACCESSIBLE WRITER & PHOTO / SESHATA
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or a country that has produced and used cannabis for thousands of years, it’s surprisingly hard to find high-quality cannabis in Sri Lanka. During my stay, I hunted down weed from various sources on several occasions—with mixed results. I paid anything from five hundred to three thousand rupees for the same quantity (about 0.7g) of brown, seeded cannabis from three local “street” dealers. Much of the time, the price seemed to vary depending on how many tuk-tuk drivers were needed to go pick it up!
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From its tiny seeds and racy, cerebral effect, KG is clearly of a “tropical sativa” strain. However, it’s worth noting that some of the effects could, in fact, arise from a cocktail of potentially toxic chemicals that are reportedly sprayed onto the weed prior to sale! I was unfortunately not informed of this possibility until I’d smoked a few grams of the stuff. There doesn’t seem to be any scientific data regarding potential toxicity, and I didn’t retain any traces that could be tested. But in general, given the risk, it’s certainly better to try and find a trustworthy local source in Sri Lanka if you’re looking to obtain cannabis, and avoid KG like the plague. That’s where having good friends like the guys at the Ceylonese Smoking Culture can serve you well. They are not suppliers of cannabis, but if you happen to have one of the crew with you while you hunt down something local, they will happily let you know if what you’re buying looks sketchy or is unreasonably priced. The Ceylonese Smoking Culture is a unique concept. Devised by marketing whiz kid Viocean Fernando, it is simultaneously a club, community and company devoted to promoting and safeguarding the cannabis culture of the island. They currently offer an online space for cannabis enthusiasts to get together and discuss cannabis culture in Sri Lanka, as well as a range of Sri Lankan-made smoking products and accessories. Fernando tells me: “We’re working on taking care of the smoker’s health side of the story, by holding awareness and self-care projects, and by creating body cleansing juices, herbal toothpaste formulations and a whole lot more.” I met Fernando on my last day on the island, a fact I bitterly regretted once I saw the quality of his herb (and his high-grade Moroccan hash—certainly a luxury on this remote South Asian island)!
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Fernando confirms that good quality cannabis and hashish can be easily found here, although it is relatively expensive. A tola (ten grams) of Indian charas should cost around twelve to fifteen thousand rupees ($80-100), while a tola of local cannabis from a good source should cost around four thousand rupees (about $26). Special cannabis strains like Kush, which is grown from seed brought from India, may cost four thousand rupees for just one gram. Of course, these high prices are largely a result of prohibition. “As an entrepreneur, I see a lot of benefits our country could gain through opening proper channels to cultivate the plant,” Fernando muses.
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“I believe that it will contribute towards our country’s economic development targets to a massive extent.” Over a delicious lunch of ferociously spicy crayfish tails and a mercifully cold beer at a beachside hut in Mount Lavinia, he tells me of his plans to put Sri Lanka on the world map of cannabis culture. Via his side company, The Art Of Chilling, he intends to offer custom package tours for smokers, which will include scuba diving, surfing, safaris, Ayurvedic massages, beach parties and a whole lot more—as well as visits to local farms and smoking hotspots. “Tours are tailor-made, and serendipity encounters are guaranteed!” Fernando informs me. “Through The Art of Chilling
concept, we have many bungalows and secret spots around Lanka that will treat our members with extra care. And if the time is right, visits to fields in Thanamalwila and other undisclosed locations will be provided as well.” If you are a cannabis enthusiast thinking of heading to Sri Lanka for a holiday, it is highly advisable to get in touch with the guys from the Ceylonese Smoking Culture. They can recommend what to do, what not to do, and where to go—and without some reliable local information, you may very well find Sri Lanka’s smoking scene as impenetrable as the thick jungle that blankets the island.
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ARTICLE TITLE
SENSORY DEPRIVATION FLOATS AND YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS WRITER / ERIC ERLANDSEN
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ll I have to do is float in the tank? Is it completely dark in there? Is the water warm? What if I start to freak out? All of these questions ran through my mind as I embarked on an excursion into sensory deprivation. Traveling can mean many things: de-stressing, seeing old friends, or simply enjoying the scenery of a foreign region. This particular mode of travel wouldn’t be quite so literal. This was a journey into the mind, far more influential than any road trip or vacation could ever be. Traveling through my subconscious, floating, would send me down paths I didn’t even know existed. Thank you for joining me on this journey.
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FLOAT #1 The subtle smell of incense in the air immediately struck me as I walked through the door. The Float Seattle staff greeted me quietly, and I quickly discovered the entire environment was meant to be a place of tranquility. I was led back into room #1, given some guidance and instruction, and left to begin my float. Stepping feet first into the compact, rectangular tank, I slowly shut the door and submerged into the warm water. I floated effortlessly to the top; the water was intensely salted. Although I was anxious about how I might feel in this minuscule tank in the pitch black, I was soon overcome with relaxation. My entire body discerned its weightlessness in the buoyant water. Focusing on my breathing, I could sense my body rising and sinking with every breath‌in and out‌in and out. White and purple light began to gently shine through the roof of the tank. Vibrant purple cascaded down through my peripherals. A small circle appeared to form. Within that circle, it was as if smoke was moving in different patterns, eventually meeting in the middle, at the top, like two cells fusing into one. Focusing on this ever-changing pattern of light, time flew by. Before I knew it, music softly played, a signal that my first float had come to an end.
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ARTICLE TITLE
FLOAT #2 In a slightly larger tank, I was eager to return and see the light show I witnessed in my first float. Again, focusing on my breathing, I sought out this show of light, and grew frustrated when I could not reproduce it. I decided to let go of this search, and allow the float to take the wheel. As I began to relax, I craned my back and felt it crack! loudly. With both my ears and spine completely submerged, I could feel vibrations pulsing through the water. I will never forget how distinct this crack! sounded. Drifting further into a tranquil state, a small air bubble trickled up my neck, tempting me to scratch it. Tilting my neck further back, I felt it line up in perfect symmetry with the rest of my spine; each vertebra stacking one on top of the other as my spine elongated and released pressure. Gently floating side to side, only a slight bump into the tank wall reminded me of my true location.
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FLOAT #3 After two successful floats, I was feeling confident and prepared for my final conquest. Attempting to keep my breath calm and quiet, I quickly drifted off. Experiencing tunnel vision, and a subsequent cerebral haze, I felt incredible. Heavily sedated, but incredible. This float was a place for self-reflection and internal connection. Letting my mind wander, I jumped from thought to thought, eventually spiraling down the road of a distant memory I had tucked away from years past. As my tranquil state intensified, I started to recognize a flashing light—similar to what you would see after gazing into a bright light, or from rubbing your eyes too vigorously. The light danced across my line of sight. Not making any particular shapes, simply existing. I found myself wishing the float wouldn’t end, as I felt much more comfortable in the water after my previous experiences. Floating is for the deep thinkers, the overanalyzers, and anyone who’s looking to explore their mind. Let your thoughts go, don’t steer them in any direction. You never know where your mind might travel.
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THANKS TO FLOAT SEATTLE WHO PROVIDED OUR WRITER WITH THIS EXPERIENCE! IG: @FLOATSEATTLE WEB: FLOATSEATTLE.COM
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#SCOUTEDBYDOPE WRITER / LUNA REYNA
PHOTO / JAY SCHOBER
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BULLY BITS For many of us, our pets (or fur babies) are as much a part of our family as that kid sister we had no say in. We love our pets unconditionally, so why not treat them with the best. These doggy treats are made with 100% fair trade organic ingredients and are gluten, grain and soy-free. They are also infused with solvent-free CBD, which may help relieve inflammation, high blood pressure, arthritic pains and even anxiety in our aging and anxious furry family members. Price: $25 Web: canna9wellness.com
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NORTHWEST WONDERLAND SPRAYS Invite in adventure with Tweedle-dee THC and Cheshire Cat CBD sprays. Seattle native Avi Taylor created her magical offerings to spread “magic and joy into the inner and outer reaches of our lands, through the magical plant of cannabis.” Each contains 3mg of your choice (CBD or THC) per spray, making for an easily-customizable high. W hether you want a 1:1 ratio, a 3:1 ratio, mix up a little Love Potion #420 with Electric Coffee, or just take it easy. Whatever you choose, be sure to “journey down the rabbit hole, & experience all the wonders of our lands” with Northwest Wonderland Sprays. Price: Varies FB: @northwestwonderland Web: northwestwonderland.com
FIXED STITCHES Not your grandma’s embroidery. These fun pieces of art are all handstitched and made with love. With quotes like “Home is where the weed is” and “Don’t be a prick,” complete with a hand-stitched cacti, there’s something for anyone who loves a good pun. A nice little statement piece that will bring a smile to your face when you walk in the room. Price: Varies IG: @fixedstitches Web: etsy.com/shop/Fixedstitches
QUARTZ CASTLE This sweet little kit comes complete with a quartz domeless nail, as well as a quartz ‘Shatter Stabber Carb Cap’ with adapters to fit male and female joints. Hand-crafted in beautiful Olympia, Washington, by artist Chris Schuler, who has created a varied assortment of glass works for over 20 years, the quality craftsmanship is bound to make every quartz groupie as giddy as their ganja. Price: $100 Web: quartzcastle.net
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A R TGI CR LOEWT I T L E
FAKE WEED
THE DEA JUST APPROVED AN ANTI-MARIJUANA COMPANY’S POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SYNTHETIC POT WRITER / JAKE UITTI
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espite an increasing number of states approving measures to legalize marijuana, the Federal Government has not budged from its stance on the flower. Their party line, of course, is that weed is dangerous and should remain illegal. Yet, in March 2017, the Federal Government’s Drug Enforcement Agency approved a synthetic drug which many call a “fake weed,” created b y a c o m p a ny t h a t s t a u n c h l y o p p o s e d marijuana legalization in Arizona last year. This is our collective surprised face. The pharmaceutical company Insys Therapeutics gave $500,000 in 2016 to a group called Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy, which led the fight against marijuana legalization in the sunset state. According to the Washington Post, Insys was the sole pharmaceutical company to donate funds toward the opposition of marijuana legalization. We may now know their motive: they wanted to make their own weed, and patent it for commercial sale! The drug Insys created—and which the DEA recently approved—is called Syndros. It bears similar effects to THC, the psychoactive part of the cannabis plant that gets you stoned and
affects your appetite and stomach behavior. The DEA approved the drug to treat afflictions that many doctors already use pot to alleviate: nausea, weight loss and vomiting—especially when related to AIDS and cancer treatment. The DEA placed Syndros in what’s known as “Schedule II” of the Controlled Substances Act, implying it has a high potential for abuse, whereas marijuana is placed in “Schedule I,” effectively labelling it as more dangerous than Syndros. Insys bills themselves as a “commercialstage specialty pharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes innovative supportive care and therapeutic products.” Their recently approved product, Syndros, is administered orally in a liquid form. It’s part of the pharmaceutical family known as “cannabinoid dronabinol,” meaning it is a laboratory-born THC product. Their hope, one might imagine, is to sell the idea that a drug created in a lab is better than one grown from the ground. During the vote, Insys said it opposed the measure because it didn’t “protect the safety of Arizona’s citizens, and particularly its children.” Ah, yes, that familiar argument. Won’t somebody think of the children?
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Insys vigorously opposed the legalization of marijuana in their home state—a measure that failed by a margin of only 52 to 48—effectively depriving patients of muchneeded medical cannabis assistance. The very same assistance Insys presumably hopes to provide if and when Syndros is approved for commercial use. The $500,000 the company donated presumably affected those four percentage points of the vote, and the money amounted to 10% of the entire budget for Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy. (Let’s try to imagine how fun their victory party was for a second. Was it one sad piñata, some Swiss cheese and a bunch of people gleefully imagining a state where no one smoked weed? Quick, someone get these people some Syndros!). It seems like a good time to reiterate that if you are found in possession of under
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two pounds of marijuana in Arizona—whether that’s a dime bag, or 1.99 pounds—you can face four months to two years in jail, and a fine of up to $150,000. Who wants to go to the Grand Canyon?! The DEA’s approval of Syndros will inevitably lead to the company commercially producing the stuff sooner rather than later. And the new synthetic, weed-like substance will join similar—though perhaps more commercially available—products like K2 and Spice, which are sold in head shops and corner stores around the country. According to The New York Times, 33 people were suspected of overdosing on synthetic weed in Brooklyn in 2016. To date, no one has ever reported an overdose from organic marijuana.
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BUSINESS
THE MARIJUANA-MMA MERGER WRITER / DAVID BAILEY
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PHOTO / ADAM III @BREAL TV
hen did the spor ts created in our backyards become such a corporate shit show? Athletes have become just another commodity for the all-too-cocky sports managers and marketers to get rich off of. We’ve all seen the guy—the suited-up big talker, boisterously bragging about his endless contacts and overflowing bank accounts. He’s the dude no one wants to know, but somehow holds the key to a
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kingdom of top athletes. Thankfully, the Jerry Maguire-esque sports agent cliché is rapidly fading, as well as the antiquated rules and roles companies like the NFL have perpetuated for far too long. But it takes rebels to make the change. Ever heard of UFC legends Nick and Nate Diaz? Or how about world-renowned Muay Thai kickboxer Joe Schilling? Notice how these athletes are constantly fighting for what they
believe in, both in and out of the ring? Not surprisingly, the systems that try to keep these guys quiet, to hold them back from the public eye. But not this time. Edgy and colorful entrepreneur “Mighty” Matt Staudt redefines marketing and PR by supporting who these athletes already are, not creating someone new. Simply put, his “mission is to help athletes authentically brand themselves while finding financial support to do so.” A surprisingly difficult task, considering all the money flying at the mainstreamers. Choosing to focus on their clients’ passions opened up a whole new level of relatability— and a popular one, too. No longer only pushing what’s thrown at them, artists and athletes alike have found value in simply being themselves, and having the guidance to support their endeavors. How else does a company come to work with the likes of Orange County Choppers, Jean-Claude Van Damme and the Diaz brothers? While each client has their own passion, Matt has recently—and most notably—helped the Diaz brothers swing full speed ahead into the cannabis industry, establishing deals with FlavRx, California Finest and Futurola, as well as setting up dispensary signings and hosting the SoCal Cannabis Cup. Matt’s work was recently recognized with a 1st Place Best Product HT Cannabis Cup Award for the creation of the Nick & Nate Diaz Sativa & Indica Pre-Roll Packs, made in collaboration with California Finest. Energy & Recovery, pre and post-workout strains, respectively, are geared toward educating customers of the benefits of cannabis as a fitness supplement. The success of this business model is undeniable. Mighty Matt offers a new alternative for athletes and influencers. In March of this year Matt partnered with Janus Sports & Entertainment, assuming the position of 3rd owner and CMO, where he currently represents 20 clients between the UFC and Bellator MMA. A glance at Matt’s Instagram (@anchorsocial) shows just how unique this sports agent is—one who doesn’t take breaks or follow rules. Routinely seen with the likes of B Real of Cypress Hill, Snoop Dogg and a rotating list of today’s biggest MMA stars, he clearly lives a life filled with colorful characters and constant adventure. By pairing this starstudded lifestyle with a mission to normalize and de-stigmatize the plant through various media outlets, including High Times, the sky is the limit for Mighty Matt. Want to keep up with Mighty Matt? Check out @anchorsocial on Instagram to see some of the GOATs (Greatest of All Times) this guy runs around with, and how they’re changing the game!
A HYBRID OF STYLE AND DISCRETION
To carry the Dopen in your store email
To purchase the Dopen visit
INFO@WEWANTDOPE.COM
WWW.WEWANTDOPE.COM
@WEWANTDOPE This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Smoking is hazardous to your health. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. This product should not be used by women that are pregnant or breastfeeding. For use of adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of reach of children. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the inuence of this drug.
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FRESHER IN THE CAN. PAT E N T E D N I T R O G E N PA C K A G I N G
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Nitrogen 14.007
Why Nitrogen? Nitrogen keeps flowers fresh by preventing oxidation – the degradation that occurs when perishable products are exposed to oxygen. Replacing harmful oxygen with protective nitrogen when packaged ensures your flowers stay fresher longer. Don’t worry, there’s nothing unsafe about it. Nitrogen is an inert gas that’s widely used in organic food and beverage packaging because it’s clean, safe, and environmentally friendly.
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