DECEMBER 2016
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from the editor Publisher Guy Bertuzzi, guy@elevatenv.com
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Over the last several months I had the opportunity to attend many community events and forums related to ballot question #2 and the legalization of cannabis for adult use. During those many events one of the most pervasive objections to legalizing adult use marijuana that always came up -- without fail -- was the idea that cannabis is a gateway drug. I was falsely under the impression that this particular piece of fiction had been identified as such and put to bed a while ago. But, alas, it still follows marijuana around today and it will continue to follow the plant until we start to educate people differently. The genesis of cannabis as a gateway drug began in the ‘70s when Dr. Denise Kandel received money from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to study marijuana as a possible gateway drug. Dr. Kandel decided to expand her research to also include alcohol and tobacco. During an interview with NPR in April 2015, Dr. Kandel said, “When I did the analysis, I found that there was a certain sequence that young people seem to be following when they got involved in drugs. They did not start with marijuana, but they started with drugs that are legal for adults in the society, such as beer and wine and cigarettes, other forms of alcohol.” Her study also concluded that the nicotine in tobacco was the gateway drug as it primed the brain for addiction. So from the beginning the idea of cannabis as a gateway drug was never even true, yet, in spite of that it has been perpetuated as such for the last 40 years. If you do not believe science or that Dr. Kandel’s study has been twisted
into sheer fantasy for the last four decades as a crutch for legalization opponents, consider the more practical thoughts of policy expert John Hudak of the Brookings Institution. “This idea that marijuana is a gateway drug has been proven absolutely false. Here’s how there is a gateway effect with marijuana. It’s not something chemical, it’s not something biological, it has nothing to do with the plant. It has to do with the black market,” Hudak explained during an interview with C-SPAN on October 31. “When an individual is going to a drug dealer to access marijuana, he is also being exposed to other harder drugs, and drug dealers have a very useful and hard bargaining way to drive someone away from marijuana where they get a much lower profit margin toward something much more addictive and much harder with a much higher profit margin. “That social effect is the gateway effect – it is not the drug itself. If you stop selling marijuana off of the streets and in controlled dispensaries where you only have access to one product, that should resolve this gateway effect that is a myth that is constantly perpetuated in this country.” And so, perhaps, with the legalization of adult use cannabis last month in Nevada, this long-running fabrication will finally be eradicated along with the black market.
With an open mind,
CONTENTS
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12
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20
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HEALING: The Power of Cannabis
Cooking with Cannabis
A Taste Sensation
Patient trades 10 pharmaceuticals for CBD oil to treat mental illness
12 Dispensary Spotlight
JardĂn Premium Cannabis Dispensary
A collection of holiday recipes
24 BAKED
Evergreen Organix chef Jamie Lockwood finds purpose in making edibles
14 From Gateway Drug to Exit Drug
New research suggests cannabis is a stepping stone to aid addicts in exiting substance abuse
26 BAKED
Vert Chef Melissa Parks is on a mission to help people nibble their way to relief
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From granola to cakepops, local dispensaries offer a tasty array of incredible edibles
32 Legalease
Marijuana-infused Edibles: How are Nevada’s children being protected?
36 Looking ahead to 2017
When will Nevada residents be able to partake in adult use cannabis? december | elevatenv.com
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@ElevateNV
from the publisher
Elevate Nevada Facebook/Elevate NV
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” -- John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35th President of the United States The future is here! This past Election Day, Nevada voters made their feelings known at the ballot box and passed Question #2 by 54.47 percent to regulate adult usage of cannabis. I always want to be honest with our readers, and have to admit I thought I would never see the day in this country when states would make medical and recreational cannabis legal. One of the most optimal benefits of legalizing cannabis for adult use is that our veterans will now have safe access to lab-tested cannabis without the fear of losing their VA benefits. It also allows us the freedom as Americans to make our own educated choices to decide whether or not we want to use cannabis. I would like to remind our readers that no one has ever died as a direct result of using cannabis, unlike alcohol which has 88,000 deaths attributed annually to excessive use, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
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The best part of legalizing cannabis is that the state of Nevada requires dispensaries to provide education to its patients and customers. So if THE you choose to try cannabis for POLITICS the first time, please ask the OF POT WILL specialists at the dispensaries NEVADA’S MEDICAL MARIJUANA for advice on the different forms PROGRAM SURVIVE IF of consumption, dosing, and the QUESTION #2 FAILS? strain or medicine that would be best for you. Also please remember passing A MOTHER’S PERSPECTIVE ‘YESon2’ does not give users the ON LEGALIZING CANNABIS right to utilize it in hotels, public areas, and other private property. It does allow adults 21 and over to carry up to an ounce of flower, or one-eighth of an ounce of concentrate. It also allows people to grow up to six plants if they do not have their medical card. And the new law will allow people to purchase at dispensaries in the near future once the regulations for adult use are in place. Please keep it going and change the world! Finally, this is my last note to readers in 2016 and I want to take a moment to thank you for both your support and feedback during this past year. We have published many features throughout 2016 which have had an impact on and even changed some of our readers’ lives, which is the most humbling feeling for a publisher but, more importantly, as a person to feel. From our team to you and your family, I would like to wish you the happiest of holidays and the most prosperous of New Years. Together we can change the future and make it a little better each day! OCTOBER 2016
Salute,
december | elevatenv.com 5
ELEVATE YOUR STATE
Medical cannabis updates from across the United States
NORTH DAKOTA: On November 8th, 64 percent of North Dakota voters approved Measure 5, a medical marijuana initiative called the North Dakota Compassionate Care Act. Measure 5 will allow patients with a qualifying condition and a doctor’s recommendation to receive medical marijuana through a statelicensed dispensary. Patients will be able to possess up to 3 ounces of medical marijuana for the treatment of up to nearly a dozen medical conditions. Patients living more than 40 miles from a dispensary will be able to cultivate up to eight plants. The law will go into effect on December 8, when the Department of Health will begin the process to develop regulations to implement the program, including the processes for licensing businesses and enrolling patients.
MONTANA: Montana voters approved a compassionate medical marijuana ballot measure on Election Day by 55 percent. This is the second time Montana’s voters moved marijuana policy forward. In 2004, Montana became the tenth state to adopt a medical marijuana measure. In 2011, lawmakers replaced it with an unworkable system. On November 8th, the state’s voters restored patients’ medical cannabis access. This vote comes after years of court battles over the state’s 2011 law which limited providers to three patients and required the state to initiate an investigation ARKANSAS: The first state in the Bible Belt has voted to into any doctor that legalize medical marijuana. With the approval of Issue 6 on November recommended medical 8th, the people of Arkansas have voted to allow patients with a variety marijuana to 25 or more of medical conditions and a doctor’s recommendation to buy marijuana patients per year. Ballot from dispensaries. Patients won’t be allowed to grow their own. The measure I-182 not only rolls measure allows people who have any of 18 qualifying conditions — such as back those restrictive provisions, but cancer, glaucoma, Tourette's syndrome, Alzheimer's disease and hepatitis C — to it creates new regulations that include access dispensaries. testing, protections for workers, and licensing for businesses.
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MAINE: By a razor-thin margin, Maine became the eighth state to legalize recreational marijuana after Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Massachusetts, Nevada and California. The Maine Marijuana Legalization Measure, known as Question 1, which will legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis, passed with a reported 51 percent in favor. Question 1 is arguably more progressive than any of the legalization programs currently in effect. Residents will be allowed to grow twice as many plants as in Colorado and three times as many as Oregon. Maine’s visitors will be able to consume cannabis in social clubs, but public consumption will remain illegal.
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FLORIDA: Last month an estimated 71 percent of Florida voters overwhelming approved a state constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana, broadening access beyond the limited therapeutic uses approved by the legislature two years ago. Currently, the law allows nonsmoked, low-THC pot for patients with cancer or ailments that cause chronic seizures or severe spasms. The ballot measure, Amendment 2, formally legalizes medical marijuana, and broadens access for diseases with symptoms other than seizures or spasms. Amendment 2 also allows for the creation of medical marijuana treatment centers where medicinal marijuana will be cultivated and dispensed to patients and caregivers with doctor certification.
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Gifts for
THE CANNABIS CONNOISSEUR
FOR THE HOROLOGIST Blue&Cream’s 420 Limited Edition time piece features a cannabis leaf at the 4:20 time on the dial, a 41cm face, Japanese movement, and milgauss lightning bolt on the seconds’ hand. blueandcream.com
FOR THE TASTEMAKER Cannabis Santal Candle by Fresh offers a rich blend of patchouli, chocolate, and a cannabis accord for an air of tenderness.
FOR THE GOURMAND “Herb: Mastering the Art of Cooking With Cannabis” is a 200-page collection of cannabis recipes that provides detailed dosage and infusion directions.
FOR THE PET LOVER True Hemp Health protects pets from naturally occurring cellular damage with omega 3s from salmon and hemp, polyphenols, and DHA to support cognitive function. trueleafpet.com
FOR THE BIBLIOPHILE John Hudak of the Brookings Institution has penned “Marijuana: A Short History,” profiling how cannabis emerged from the shadows of counterculture and illegality to become a serious, public policy issue and source of legal revenue. FOR THE FASHIONISTA AnnaBís has unveiled its latest crossbody bag, the LadyG, which features an airtight Aroma-Bloc compartment that tames cannabis’ pungently telltale odor. annabisstyle.com
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“I like the way I am when I take this,” says Kathy Grip, 55, of the CBD capsules she takes daily to combat mental health issues that include bi-polar disorder, OCD and major depression. It took over a year for all of Grip’s mental health issues to be diagnosed. During that time Grip says, “I was not myself for like a year. I was really depressed. I was constantly crying and unhappy. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong.” Both her psychiatrist and primary care doctor prescribed multiple medications to help her. “They kept trying different medications while they were trying to figure out what was wrong with me, mentally. Doctors don’t talk to you to find
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out the inner core of your problems. They just want to prescribe this medication and that medication,” says Grip, who was taking a total of 10 medications to manage her illnesses. “Once I learned what was in most of the medications and thought about the things I was going through, it started making sense and I stopped taking them one by one,” says Grip, who started replacing them with CBD capsules. “Now I am down to taking none. I take a valium once in a while because I will have a bad moment, but that’s it.” Grip started taking CBD or cannabidiol, the nonpsychoactive part of the cannabis plant, three months ago. “I started taking them and within less than a month, I was remembering things, I was happier, my mind was clearer. It was like I had been living in a fog with all the different medications.” Not only did multiple pharmaceuticals leave her in a fog, but it was financially unsustainable. “If I didn’t have insurance, my medication would be nearly $3,000 a month. One pill alone was $400 per month. It costs a fortune. I was on 10 different medications at one time. But if somebody doesn’t have insurance, the cost of the medicine they have to pay for would cause them to go broke. You have to decide if you want to take your medicine or deal with your mental problems on your own and eat -- it’s one of the two.” For those who are unsure about breaking from pharmaceutical medications to try cannabis-based medicine, Grip says, “I don’t think it can harm you any worse than drinking a beer. A lot of people think you are going to walk round high all the time. That was one thing I was worried about, that I would be stoned all the time, but I am not.” But more importantly, Grip says, “I don’t want to quit taking it because I am happy most of the time.”
december | elevatenv.com 11
DISPENSARY SPOTLIGHT Jardín Premium Cannabis Dispensary www.jardincannabis.com 2900 East Desert Inn Road, Las Vegas, NV 89121 702.331.6511
TOP SELLING STRAIN(S) | Jardín’s exclusive Fuego strains by Moxie: Snake Venom and Phatt Fruity TOP SELLING CONCENTRATE(S) CBD-dominant concentrate Live Sugar TOP SELLING EDIBLE(S) Cannavative’s Gummies TOPICAL(S ) | A new luxury topical called Good MISSION STATEMENT | Jardín breaks down its mission into three parts: Amor, Familia, and Bueno. Amor applies to their guests, who, they believe, are at the heart of their organization. Familia means patients are always welcome in their garden, and, Bueno stands for how a guest or patient feels when they experience Jardín. RANGE OF PRODUCTS | Flower, extracts, topicals, tinctures, and edibles ON-SITE PHYSICIAN | Dr. Kathy Smith of Ultimate “U” Medical is located within the same building as Jardín and is available to help those
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who need assistance obtaining medical marijuana patient cards. SOURCE OF MEDICINE | Jardín carries quality strains from Nevada’s premium grows. UNIQUE ATTRIBUTE | Jardín intends to elevate the dispensary experience for its guests by creating a luxury experience in terms of the physical dispensary as well as product offerings. CUSTOMER SERVICE PHILOSOPHY Jardín’s philosophy revolves around not only a first-class experience, but also accessible and quality product for every guest. They have tailored their product offerings to suit every guest’s particular needs, from its Clásico line to its exclusive top shelf Fuego offerings. Jardín believes its guests are the heart of its organization and strive to treat them that way. STAFF EDUCATION | An educated staff is the best point of contact for guests when making choices about medication. The staff at Jardín has taken cultivation tours so they can better understand the
lifecycle of cannabis as a medication and the variety of medicinal options available to guests. In addition to grow tours, the dispensary’s vendors have helped to educate staff members so they can become experts in the field. PATIENT EDUCATION PROGRAM Every guest who visits Jardín is set up with a customized new patient guide to start them on their path to wellness. Jardín not only has a well-educated staff available to help every guest, but the brand firmly believes in a strong online and community presence. From blogs to newsletters, and social content to celebrity promoted charity events, Jardín is poising itself as a leader in the industry with regard to cannabis knowledge and culture. CHARITABLE ENDEAVORS | One of Jardín’s founding principles is to give back to the community. For Veterans Day, the dispensary brought in Snoop Dogg to help raise funds for the Phoenix Patriot Foundation. Noting that this special veterans event was the first of many, Jardín encourages patients to stay tuned for more celebrity-driven events.
december | elevatenv.com
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FROM GATEWAY DRUG TO EXIT DRUG Dispelling the myth of cannabis as a gateway drug, new research suggests it’s, ironically, a stepping stone to aid addicts in exiting substance abuse. By Richard S. Gubbe
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Medical researcher Philippe Lucas employed the use of cannabis as a tool to beat addiction long ago. But not like you might think. While attending college in Ottawa, Canada, Lucas swapped alcohol and tobacco for smoking marijuana after being diagnosed with hepatitis C. Today, the cutting edge researcher is proving he was ahead of his time by investigating medical cannabis as a way to beat harmful addictions. Through his research Lucas has found that Americans and Canadians are using the pain-killing properties of cannabinoids to suppress a growing crisis -- the opiate addiction epidemic. Once considered an evil gateway drug, many are finding the opposite to be true -- cannabis is now being studied as a formidable means to halt the use of alcohol, tobacco, opioids, and illegal illicit drugs. That’s a discovery with big implications because alcohol, illicit and prescription drugs contribute to the deaths of more than 90,000 Americans every year, while tobacco is linked to an estimated 480,000 deaths per year. “We seemed to flip the script -- from being promoted as
a stepping stone drug by our government through the kind of drug war propaganda that was being perpetrated,” said Lucas. “I was finding not only a gateway, but it had proven to be an exit drug from substance abuse and addiction. That got me more interested in studying the phenomenon more closely over the years. I’ve put a number of surveys into the field to track patient use to examine the impact of cannabis use on the use of other substances.”
FROM GATEWAY TO HELL TO GATEWAY TO HEALING The term gateway drug was coined over 40 years ago, but, surprisingly, not with regard to marijuana. In the early 1970s, the National Institute on Drug Abuse gave money to Dr. Denise Kandel to research marijuana as a possible gateway drug. Dr. Kandel’s research suggested it was actually nicotine, not marijuana, that was most likely to lead to the use of harder drugs because nicotine primes the brain for addiction. “When I did the analysis, I found that there was a certain sequence that young people seem to be following when they got involved in drugs. They did not start with
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marijuana, but they started with drugs that are legal for adults in the society, such as beer and wine and cigarettes, other forms of alcohol,” Kandel recalled during an NPR interview in April 2015. Over the years, Kandel’s research was twisted and marijuana became maligned as a stepping stone to heroin and other illegal substances. To this day, marijuana is and continues to be promoted as a one-way path toward selfdestruction. Once viewed as a Hummer speeding down the highway to hell, cannabis, legal or not, has put the vehicle in reverse. Recent survey statistics point to a change in direction for cannabis, and researchers are starting to see it as a way out of the jungle of addiction that puts a stranglehold on the quality of human life. Studies are showing that marijuana may not be the bad guy after all, instead, ironically, offering a way out of addiction instead of into it. Kick-starting the effort are the changes in criminal possession laws and the adoption of medical marijuana to treat illness. With access easing, addicts and those suffering from mental illnesses may now have a tool to replace harsher medications. Substituting cannabis for a harsher substance has been termed everything from risky to logical. But while doctors and researchers debate the use of what has been derogatorily labeled a “gateway” drug in reverse, a research movement has emerged to study the use of cannabis to ease or even eliminate addictions especially with regard to the opiate scourge.
THE REAL GATEWAY DRUG IS IN YOUR MEDICINE CABINET Oxycontin, Percocet, fentanyl, codeine, Vicodin, morphine...we have all heard of or taken any one of these opioids at some point. In 2012, 259 million prescriptions were written for opioids, which is more than enough to give every American adult their own bottle of pills. Despite their ubiquity, the National Institute of Health (NIH) acknowledges that existing opioid medications have a range of side effects that make them “problematic” as pain treatments. NIH goes on to note someone who is physically dependent on a medication will experience withdrawals when the drug is abruptly reduced or stopped. Opioids attach to specific proteins called opioid receptors, which are found in the brain, spinal cord, gastrointestinal tract and other organs. When these drugs attach, they reduce the perception of pain. Opioids can also produce drowsiness, mental confusion, nausea, constipation and impede respiration. With an estimated 4.3 million Americans engaged in non-medical use of prescription painkillers in the last
month, the skyrocketing number of opiate addictions has health officials and researchers scurrying to find alternatives to opioids. However, step-down treatments, synthetics and rehab centers using the standard addiction protocols have not stemmed the outbreak. New synthetics are on the way but with any drug, side effects are often worse than the opiate itself. Researching synthetics as an alternative to opiates, NIH recently reported that “teams of researchers synthesized a compound unrelated to known opioids that relieved pain in mice for nearly three hours -- much longer than the relief produced by morphine -- and with minimal side effects, including reward. The compound, PZM21, selectively relieves central nervous systemmediated pain by activating the mu-opioid receptor via a G-protein coupled receptor pathway. This breakthrough highlights the power of computer-based drug design. The unique chemical activity of PZM21 makes it a valuable tool to study opioid receptor biology, and is an important step toward the development of safer pain medications.”
CANNABIS AS A SUBSTITION SOLUTION “Medical cannabis is overwhelmingly being used to treat pain and mental health conditions,” Lucas told elevate. “Neuropathic pain responds better to cannabinoids than opioids. We have an endogenous cannabinoid system just as we have an endogenous opioid system. And the cannabinoids and the number of terpenes that has recently been discovered binds specifically to the endocannabinoid receptors.” The cannabinoids and terpenes “work synergistically” and lead to better appetite, memory and sleep with a “multitude of cannabinoids and terpenes.” The evolution of cannabis’ healing properties has given rise to a wave of new applications for “substitution therapy.” Substitution effect happens when the use of one product or substance is influenced by the use or availability of another and leading the way is cannabis. A scholar at the Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia, Lucas has spent the last 10 years proving his theory that the benefits of medical cannabis are many and now include substitution. He was the Primary Investigator in a four-site survey protocol examining “substitution effect” and associated harm reduction in medical cannabis users in British Columbia. “I’m a big believer in harm reduction,” Lucas explained. “You’re substituting a far more benign, safer substance for a substance that is not only dangerous as far as overdose, but also far more addictive.” Lucas has seen a trend in his own studies and those of others in the field. His most recent survey
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december | elevatenv.com 17
published earlier this year, “Cannabis as a substitute for alcohol and other drugs: A dispensary-based survey of substitution effect in Canadian medical cannabis patients,” confirms medical cannabis is being used as a substitute for prescription drugs for chronic pain and mental health conditions. Researchers teamed with staff from four medical cannabis dispensaries located in British Columbia to gather demographic data of patient-participants as well as information on their past and present cannabis, alcohol and substance use. A 44-question survey was used to anonymously gather data on the impact of medical cannabis on the use of other substances. Over 41 percent state that they use cannabis as a substitute for alcohol, 36.1 percent use cannabis as a substitute for illicit substances, and 67.8 percent use cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs, the survey revealed. “The three main reasons cited for cannabisrelated substitution are ‘less withdrawal’ (67.7%), ‘fewer side-effects’ (60.4%), and ‘better symptom management.’ This data suggests that many patients may have already identified cannabis as an effective and potentially safer adjunct or alternative to their prescription drug regimen.” The study concluded, “With 75.5 percent of respondents
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citing that they substitute cannabis for at least one other substance, and in consideration of the growing number of studies with similar findings and the credible biological mechanisms behind these results, randomized clinical trials on cannabis substitution for problematic substance use appear justified.”
NOT SO FAST -- CANNABIS AS AN EXIT DRUG? Studies aside, don’t expect an onslaught of doctors telling patients under their care for addiction to heroin to jump on the bandwagon. Treating an addiction with an addictive substance may sound unstable, if not crazy. Dr. Mel Pohl, M.D., of the Las Vegas Recovery Center, is certainly skeptical. He believes cannabinoids as a substitute are risky. “We haven’t studied it well enough and which components are appropriate,” Dr. Pohl said. “We have legislated no real control or production standards. We have no idea what people are ingesting. My concern is safety for the patient. The other concern is the risk of going back is high.” Dr. Pohl said any substitute should be “a product low in THC and high in CBD” and noted that medical cannabis (continued on page 34)
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A collection of holiday recipes
Cooking Cannabis
CHEWY DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP PEPPERMINT CANDY CANNACOOKIES BY CHEF MELISSA PARKS, VERT EDIBLES
INGREDIENTS: 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened 2 Tbsp. unsalted cannabutter*, softened ¾ cup granulated sugar 1 whole large egg (room temp) ¼ tsp. peppermint oil (or natural peppermint extract) 1¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
1/3 cup cocoa powder ¼ tsp. salt ½ tsp. baking soda ¼ tsp. baking powder 1 candy cane, finely crushed (or 2 if you want to add more candy) 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
*Chef’s note: You may need to adjust the levels of unmedicated butter to medicated butter depending on the strength of your butter and desired dosage per cookie.
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, cream the two butters and sugar together for about 1-2 minutes. Add egg, peppermint oil or extract and beat until light and fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides as you go to ensure even mixing. Add flour, salt, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder to a sifter and sift together. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and mix until well combined. Add chocolate chips and gently mix in dough. Cover finished dough and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes while oven finishes heating. Form the dough into small balls (heaping 1 Tbsp.), and place 1-1/2 inches apart on an ungreased (or parchment lined) cookie sheet. Press down the tops of the cookies, and top with a few more chocolate chips. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges start to dry but the tops are slightly soft looking. Every oven temperature is different, so check for doneness at 10 minutes. Let set on cookie sheet for a few minutes more but sprinkle crushed candy cane on immediately. Transfer to a cooling rack to rest until completely cooled. Store in an airtight container to keep fresh for up to a few days or freeze for several weeks. Please remember when cooking with medicinal cannabis you are cooking with a medicine and the medicine amount and portions of the food ingested should always be taken into consideration. Always start out with small portions or doses and wait 30 minutes to an hour before eating any additional portions of food that has been medicated.
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EGGNOG CHEESECAKE WITH GINGERSNAP CRUST BLOODY MARY CANNACOMPOUND BUTTER
BY CHEF MELISSA PARKS, VERT EDIBLES
INGREDIENTS: ½ pound unsalted butter, softened ½ pound unsalted cannabutter, softened 1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes 2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish 2 Tablespoons Tabasco 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons salt 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper 1 teaspoon celery seed, slightly ground
DIRECTIONS: In a large glass bowl, bring ½ pound cannabutter and ½ pound unmedicated unsalted butter to room temperature. This will help with the blending of ingredients. Puree all ingredients except cannabutter and
unsalted butter. Add pureed ingredients to bowl of softened butters, fold all ingredients together. Make sure all ingredients are completely blended together. This may take a few minutes of mixing, but the extra time is worth it. The butter will have a better overall flavor profile as well as a more consistent THC mg dose per serving. Once all ingredients have been well blended, place butter in food storage tub, and place in refrigerator to set. Make sure to label and date the butter.
BY CHEF JAMIE LOCKWOOD, EVERGREEN ORGANIX
INGREDIENTS FOR THE CRUST:
1 1/3 cups finely ground gingersnaps 2 Tablespoons melted non-infused butter
FOR THE CHEESECAKE:
24 ounces (three 8-ounce packs) cream cheese 2 Tablespoons melted butter and/or cannabutter, dosed to your liking 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs 1/2 cup eggnog 1 teaspoon dark rum 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS: For the crust, spray a nine-inch springform pan with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and butter. Press onto bottom of pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes. Cool. In a standup mixer with a paddle attachment, whip cream cheese until light and fluffy, and there are no lumps. Slowly add melted cannabutter while mixing on low speed. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again. Add sugar, flour, salt and nutmeg. Mix well, scrape the sides of the bowl and mix again. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, eggnog, rum and vanilla. Slowly add to the cream cheese mixture while mixer is running on low speed. Scrape the sides of the bowl and continue mixing on medium speed until all ingredients are evenly incorporated. Pour and spread evenly over crust. I like to bake cheesecakes in a hot water bath, this prevents overcooking. You can easily make one by using a large baking pan. Fill it up with an inch of boiling water. Then cut a large piece of foil, lay the springform cake pan on top of it and fold the edges up around the side of the pan to prevent water getting into your crust. Gently place your cheesecake pan into the larger baking pan filled with water. Bake for 50-60 minutes in a preheated 325° oven. Refrigerate overnight. Cut into 12 servings, serve with whipped cream.
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EVERGREEN ORGANIX CHEF JAMIE LOCKWOOD FINDS PURPOSE IN MAKING EDIBLES “I love to bake, but now it's about baking with a purpose,” Jamie Lockwood, 41, says of her job as Pastry Chef/Production Supervisor at Evergreen Organix. Lockwood has been baking with a purpose since 2010 when a friend asked her to make some edibles for her 80-year-old grandmother who had cancer. “I made her a huge box of infused carrot cake cupcakes, and she would eat one every day. After a few weeks she had gained 10 pounds and was doing much better overall. That's when I realized that making edibles was what I really wanted to do with my life,” explains Lockwood, adding, “It’s become my passion.” Although she has always loved spending time in the kitchen baking for family and friends, it wasn’t until Lockwood says, “my husband suggested I should go to culinary school because he loved my pies and thought I should bake professionally that I pursued it. When I applied to culinary school, I knew it was meant to be.” A 2005 graduate of Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, Lockwood has been baking with cannabis since 2007, when she first got her medical card in California. “Back then edibles were not always available in dispensaries, so you had to make your own. My selftaught journey began through trial and error, with a little help from the internet,” Lockwood explains of her experience, which was more than enough for her to run the kitchen at Evergreen. “After I met with the Evergreen team, things just fell into place. I loved their vision -- homemade products with high quality ingredients,” Lockwood says of her one-year tenure at the Las Vegasbased cultivation and production facility. One of Lockwood’s secrets to cooking with cannabis is understanding decarboxylation. “When making cannabutter, decarboxylation is a very important step,” she offers, emphasizing that you must not skip it. “The cannabis must be spread on a baking sheet, covered and baked for one hour in a 240° oven to activate the THC. Then you can cook it in a pot with butter.” She also emphasizes the need for home cooks to be vigilant about ensuring even distribution every step of the way to accurately dose the food you are preparing. “When incorporating cannabutter, it’s very important that your butter is evenly distributed into your dough. At Evergreen, we take extra care to make sure the butter is completely homogenized into the recipe. This includes scraping down the sides of the bowl and giving it an extra mix every time you add an ingredient. Another point is to be careful of high temperatures. You should avoid cooking with cannabis at temperatures over 300º degrees because you can actually burn off the THC.” For Lockwood, “The best part about baking with cannabis is to know your food is also medicine, and medicine can taste great.”
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VERT CHEF MELISSA PARKS IS ON A MISSION TO HELP PEOPLE NIBBLE THEIR WAY TO RELIEF “For me, it’s about helping people,” explains chef Melissa Parks. “It’s this beautiful harmonious kind of coming together of science and food. They really balance each other out because you can add a certain herb to a certain extraction at a certain potency and it will be consumed by a patient to enhance or combat a symptom.” Parks, who is the executive chef for local edibles company Vert, found her interest piqued by cannabis after being approached by friends to make cannabisinfused edibles to treat health issues including various lymphomas, breast cancer, and PTSD. “I had no experience with it,” the 36-year-old Le Cordon Bleu graduate says of cannabis when her friends approached her about it. “I decided to dive in head first because I love helping people and I also love producing good food.” Diving in head first for Parks meant attending every conference or seminar on the subject she could find and joining as many groups as she could that were related to cannabis as well as eventually giving up her lucrative business as a private chef. During that time period she started working for an edibles company where she learned the ropes. “I Googled one of the top edible companies in Colorado and I walked in there with 12 un-medicated samples of baked goods with my pink chef coat on and offered to work for free because I didn’t really know what I was doing or where I was going with this.” A week later she was hired and the company taught Parks everything there was to know about cannabis. “They gave me a base from which to learn about the plant, to learn about the science of, or the beginning of how many scientific methodologies there are to understanding this plant,” explains Parks whose work history has included everything from R&D at General Mills to working on an organic farm in Colorado. As easy as it was for Parks to find her way into the cannabis industry, it was a different story when she had to tell her parents about her career shift. “I shouldn’t have been, but I was nervous,” she said of phoning them with the news. “I told them, ‘I took a job as an edible chef.’ And my mom asked, ‘Isn’t all of your food edible?’ I said, ‘Well this is a little different, let me explain.’”
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Although her parents were a little skeptical at first they came around. “With my dad being a doctor and my mom being a registered dietician, they both understood why I was doing it and my drive behind it, medically speaking, and they supported me.” Not only did they support her, Parks’ father helped her. “My father has a Ph.D. in chemical engineering so I worked with him specifically on dosing. When you have this wildly educated father who can help you through some of the chemistry, and the distribution and breakdown of molecules, it’s nice.” Translating all of that chemistry to cannabis and cooking is simpler than you might think. “The secret to cooking, to baking, to understanding it is practice, practice, practice as much as you can and understanding that failure is a part of that process and success is a part of that process. With each thing you have to recognize that it’s all an opportunity to learn and to grow and get to know the science of this and that becomes something that you can own and share with others.” As for tips she would share with home cooks, Parks focuses on the different methods of cooking with cannabis. “In any recipe you make at home, you can replace fat with a canna-butter or a canna-vegetable oil. You can do an in-home extraction where you are working with cannabis vegetable oil, cannabis olive oil or cannabutter. You can also work with a CO2 extracted cannabis oil. Those two styles of infusion make for different results, they also make for different flavor profiles,” offers Parks. “You also have to know at which point you have a burn off of your THC. It’s up to the chef to keep their cookies or breads or pasta at that certain temperature and if you go above that, you have to recognize that there is going to be a burn off rate of THC, meaning you could burn off some of the milligrams in there.” Parks also warns of understanding dosing and being aware of altering the flavor, texture and overall outcome of what you are making but, most importantly, reminds home cooks just to have fun. “I take this stuff so seriously and probably to a fault because I am very stringent on my recipe development and dosages,” concludes Parks. “I have to remember to find the find fun in the industry as well, and keep a beautiful vibe in the kitchen.”
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A TASTE SENSATION FROM GRANOLA TO CAKEPOPS, LOCAL DISPENSARIES OFFER A TASTY ARRAY OF INCREDIBLE EDIBLES By Justin Alexander
With the explosion of the craft cuisine movement, the medical-marijuana edibles industry has taken on the same momentum, with patients preferring this discreet and tasty way of consuming their medicine. A new breed of chefs specializing in edibles use the same preparation methods associated with the highest levels of culinary expertise -- creating options that go well beyond the standard cookies and brownies. According to chef Melissa Parks, the way the powerful medicinal compounds enter the stomach and are then metabolized through the liver—THC converts to 11-hydroxy-THC—is completely different than when the herb is smoked or vaped. “The onset of your high is roughly 30 to 40 times longer for eaten versus smoked cannabis, and can take anywhere from 30 minutes to four hours, or, in some cases, as late as the next day to set in,” Parks says. “Edibles can result in a high that lasts between six and ten hours, depending on how much is consumed and one’s tolerance level. This is three to five times the duration of the herb’s high when smoked.” As the edible market expands, take a big bite out of this trend and incorporate feel-good food into your daily routine without the smoke but all the taste.
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START THE DAY RIGHT The breakfast of champions, Shango Granola not only relieves pain and insomnia, but is also richly filling and healthy for diabetics because honey is a key ingredient. “My main focus was the diabetic patients that we were unable to reach due to a lack of healthy options. Honey is a natural sugar, making it an acceptable option," explains Maria Collazo, Executive Chef of Shango Las Vegas. She recommends beginning with a one tablespoon serving. "Dosing depends on the patient, however, I feel that it is a great way to start the day and keep you going throughout the day as well," says Collazo. "I like to eat the granola two ways: I take three tablespoons layered in a parfait for breakfast that will give me the energy I need to get me going and keep away the pain from bodily aches due to standing 12 hours a day for years as a line chef. I also love to eat it with almond milk, blueberries, and bananas. Adding a tablespoon to your smoothie is a good way too." Easy to consume and digest, the flavor profile matches that of store-bought granola and is a complement to acai bowls, yogurt and fruit. The rule of thumb: start low and go slow, as results manifest anywhere between one and up to four hours after consumption. A single dose equals around 10 mg, so always be sure to measure before digging in.
DRINK UP Thanks to tea and hot chocolate, cannabis is now appearing in gourmet beverages that promote wellness, relieve pain, energize, medicate and stimulate. Cannabis and caffeine creates a blissful synergistic balance that will change the way you think of your morning cuppa. Sold at The+Source, Jane’s Brew comes in Sativa, Indica and CBD strains that are fat-free, sugar-free and gluten-free and
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have no weedy aftertaste. Effects begin within 15 minutes and last three to five hours. “Research suggests that the dynamic duo of tea and cannabis creates a natural healing ‘co-action’ resulting in healthful therapies and treatment for a growing number of health-related issues and conditions,” says Chris Vickers, general manager of The+Source. “If you love hot chocolate or hot cocoa, the House of Jane has created a flavorful combination of rich, velvety hot cocoa and high-grade cannabis you’ve got to try. Sweet and chocolaty, each cup of Jane’s Brew Hot Chocolate is filled with warm, yummy goodness and therapeutic pain relief.” Although doses can go as high as 200 mg, Vickers recommends starting with 10 to 20 mg. “Edibles are [best] for patients with insomnia, Crohn’s, irritable bowel syndrome, or even those looking for the anti-cancerous effects directly on the liver or digestive tract,” Vickers says. “For anxiety, depression, spasms and pediatric seizure disorders, you may do better with a moderate dose of a CBD-dominant remedy. Look for a CBD:THC ratio of more than 14:1. For cancer or pain, you may need more THC, for instance, a 1:1 ratio.”
producing a high-quality cookie, but a treat that tastes just as good as it is good for you.” In terms of dosing, she recommends paying close attention to what your body tells you. “It is best to do your homework, ask questions and work with a doctor or caregiver who can assist you through the process,” says the Vert chef, who coauthored the book “HERB: Mastering the Art of Cooking with Cannabis.” “It is best to start with a low-dose edible and take your time getting to know how it affects your body. Everyone will have a different experience.”
JUST DESSERTS It is hard to eat just one Evergreen Organix cakepop. In response to patient demand for a cupcake and due to the constraints of sealing such a product in protective packaging,
THE RIGHT BITE Twenty-year food industry veteran Melissa Parks departed from designing wedding cakes and heading up research and development at General Mills with the advent of Vert Edibles, a line of cannabis-infused treats that feature familiar flavors. “My aim was to create a product that was not currently on the market, was appealing to a wide range of patients, and provided health benefits from the cookie ingredients as well as the activated CO₂-extracted cannabis oil infused throughout the cookies,” Parks says. Her top priority is great taste—making things she would like to eat—and that is reflected in the sublime Key Lime Bites. “I tried to include as many organic ingredients as I could,” she says. “The Berry Bomb and PB&J bites both have organic freeze-dried strawberries in the dough. The Key Lime cookies have real Key Lime juice, which came from Key West, Florida, and the mint cookies have organic mint leaves blended throughout. We also color and flavor all of our chocolate in-house. We take a lot of pride in not only
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a brainstorm session led to: “let's give cakepops a try.” From there, the team headed into the kitchen, making several un-infused batches first. “We will have the team try four or five recipes before making small tweaks and getting the final product,” says Jillian Nelson, operations manager for Evergreen Organix. Each is dosed between 30 and 150 mg, providing a range of strengths, and, of course, portioning them out from there is also an option. Flavors include red velvet, funfetti, chocolate and the seasonally popular pumpkin spice. On the horizon, Evergreen will be unveiling strawberry, s’mores and cookie dough. “Our cakepops are made from different flavors of cake mixed with either buttercream frosting or cream cheese,” Nelson says. “The mixture is then rolled into bite-size dough balls, dipped in a chocolate coating and garnished with different sprinkles, depending on the flavor.” The strains used vary and alternate between flower—yielding better-quality oil—and sugar leaf. “Strains don’t really have too much of a specific effect because terpenes are often destroyed in the baking process,” Nelson says. “Since terpenes are not present in the final products, effects come only from the cannabinoids at that point.”
As with all edibles, when it hits you depends on your metabolism, so start slow and wait until the effects—which can take anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes—begin before taking more. “When a patient smokes, cannabinoids are absorbed via the lungs and have a quicker route to the bloodstream,” Nelson says. “Edibles have to first be digested in the stomach before traveling through the digestive track, where cannabinoids are eventually absorbed through the liver. This process takes a bit longer.”
A SPOONFUL OF SYRUP... The Apothecary Shoppe not only offers your typical edibles such as its crispy rice treat which has some added flair this holiday season with red and green candies and a festive drizzle of glaze, but they also have a signature product line developed specifically for pain and cancer patients. Dr. Nick Spirtos, one of five doctors who own the Apothecary Shoppe, created Soothing Remedies watermelon syrup for patients who are suffering from the side effects of chemotherapy as well as those treating pain. “The idea is for it to help with people’s appetite after chemotherapy. What tends to happen is the CBD has an anti-inflammatory effect and the THC helps with the appetite and aids the patient’s immune system because typically after chemotherapy most people have a loss of appetite, they don’t really eat, they start to lose the weight, and their immune system is what actually attacks them. Whereas, this helps with food intake and their hunger and they are able retain those nutrients from the food,” the Apothecary Shoppe’s Jennifer McClaning says of the medicated syrup that comes in three varieties: CBD, THC, and a 50/50 ratio of both. The recommended starting dose of Soothing Remedies syrup is 12 ml or about 2 teaspoons. Made from original recipes formulated in-house, both the crispy rice treats and medicated syrup are rich in CO2 extracted cannabis oil and winterized so you get a lot of what you need and nothing you don’t. “Our chefs are constantly seeking to improve flavors so you can barely taste the THC, even though both products pack a potent dose,” McClaning says of the dispensary’s exclusive edible products.
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LEGALEASE MARIJUANA-INFUSED EDIBLES: HOW ARE NEVADA’S CHILDREN BEING PROTECTED? By Amanda Connor
Q
uestion 2, which allows for the adult use of marijuana in Nevada, including marijuana-infused products and edibles, passed last month. Leading up to Election Day on November 8th, there was a television and direct mail campaign against Question 2 that focused on edible safety. One such commercial claimed that children who went trick or treating next Halloween may be given marijuana-infused edibles in place of regular candy. So the question must be asked, do current medical marijuana laws and regulations protect Nevada’s children from ingestion of edibles? Will there be protection for children when adult-use marijuana stores open? Is there something more Nevada should do? Under state regulations, all edible medical marijuana products must be packaged and labeled in a manner clearly
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indicating that the product contains marijuana and to keep it away from children. For instance, any product sold at a dispensary must still be packaged in child-resistant packaging, which includes marijuana-infused products, concentrated cannabis, and everything in between. Also, the product must clearly be labeled and such label indicates the product contains marijuana. The label contains various warnings including that the effect of the THC may be delayed by several hours. Therefore, if someone decided to hand out an edible marijuana product to a child at Halloween (which would be expensive and illegal), the child and/or an adult should be able to easily identify that the product contains marijuana. The Medical Marijuana Program, which is overseen by Nevada’s Division of Public and Behavioral Health, regulates all advertising, logos, labeling and packaging. No advertising, logo, label or package can be appealing to minors or utilize cartoons. The intent here is to avoid the “Joe Camel effect” where children will identify with
the product because of the cartoon or packaging. It is anticipated that similar restrictions will be in effect under the adult-use market. Furthermore, the industry has already taken steps to protect children from accidental ingestion of marijuana edibles. The Nevada Dispensary Association and its members have agreed to not carry edible products that are in the shapes of animals, cartoons or characters that may be more attractive to children. This means items such as marijuana-infused gummy bears are no longer available in most dispensaries as the industry is imposing restrictions upon itself. In addition to all the current restrictions that are in place to protect children from accidental ingestion of edibles, some legislators are calling for even stricter requirements and perhaps even barring some products altogether. At the upcoming 2017 Nevada Legislative Session, the packaging, shape and markings of edibles, as well as the prohibition of certain types of edibles and education on edibles will most likely be discussed. Nevada may look to states such as Colorado for guidance. Colorado now requires all edibles to be marked with a symbol that indicates the product contains marijuana. Also, Colorado has put into place a restriction on certain types of edibles
-- those that are in the shape of animals or people. Finally, Colorado has implemented an educational program on edibles and edible safety. In my opinion, such an education program is critical for Nevada. Ultimately, it is the job of adults -- including parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, etc. -- to keep their children safe. Nevadans, both adults and children, need to be educated on edible safety. If a universal symbol is adopted, like in Colorado, children need to know what that symbol means. Children also need to be taught that if a package is labelled a certain way, it is unsafe for them to consume. In addition, adults need to be educated on the proper usage and storage of edible marijuana products. Such an education program, in conjunction with the restrictions Nevada already has in place, will go a long way in protecting Nevada’s youth from accidental ingestion of marijuana edibles. Thus, while there are additional measures that can be taken, under the current regulations, it is unlikely that our children will unknowingly consume edible marijuana products next Halloween.
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(continued from page 18) puts the patient “at high risk for other addictions. You can say the same thing about all the drugs that hit the dopamine system in the mid-brain,” he explained. “It puts the brain at risk because it can’t tell where the drug is coming from. “I’m not a fan of opioids but I don’t think turning away without good studies is the right thing to do,” said Pohl, whose Las Vegas Recovery Center uses holistic approaches to treat pain management with options that include a 12-step program, cognitive behavioral therapies, mindfulness therapy, acupuncture, massage therapy, yoga, gigong, Reiki, and exercise.
CANNABIS OFFERS HOPE AND HEALING When you take something dangerous away from an infant, it should be replaced with something less dangerous. The laws, many of which are changing, and
costs pose the main obstacles to finding something less dangerous. “The cost continues to be an obstacle to access,” Lucas said of the biggest socio-economic factor facing cannabis. Specific socio factors, he noted, when cannabis was legalized in U.S. states included a reported decline in DUI-
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related deaths, domestic violence, homicides and suicides, and other violent crime. But “the goal is in sight,” he forecasted, pointing to Netherlands and Germany as models. “Insurers find that the patients have fewer visits, they use less prescription drugs and have better health outcomes overall. From an economic perspective, it makes sense for insurance companies to cover the cost. Private insurers are always interested in finding ways to save money.” It’s not just Lucas, other researchers are also seeing health benefits as a result of decreased use of opiates stemming from legal access to marijuana. Dr. Marcus Bachhuber, who is a medical doctor with a master’s of science in health policy research from the University of Pennsylvania, conducted research focusing on approaches to addressing prescription drug misuse. He found a 25 percent lower rate of opioid mortality in states with medical marijuana than in neighboring states. The team of Bradford and Bradford found in a 2016 survey that prescription drug counts dropped for seniors in medical marijuana states compared to neighboring states. Lucas’ 2012 study “Cannabis as an Adjunct to or Substitute for Opiates in the Treatment of Chronic Pain” published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs found
that “cannabis was substituted for all three classes of substances, suggesting that the medical use of cannabis may play a harm reduction role in the context of use of these substances.” In combining all the studies, Lucas concluded, “There is a growing body of evidence to support the use of medical cannabis as an adjunct to or substitute for prescription opiates in the treatment of chronic pain. When used in conjunction with opiates, cannabinoids lead to a greater cumulative relief of pain, resulting in a reduction in the use of opiates (and associated side effects) by patients in a clinical setting. “Additionally, cannabinoids can prevent the development of tolerance to and withdrawal from opiates, and can even rekindle opiate analgesia after a prior dosage has become ineffective. Novel research suggests that cannabis may be useful in the treatment of problematic substance use.” Noting opioids are the leading cause of accidental death in North America and that four of five people who inject heroin start out using prescription opioids, Lucas concluded, “Give physicians a tool other than an opioid to deal with chronic pain, I think it would save a lot of lives and reduce a lot of suffering.”
New patients receive a FREE gram, FREE vape pen battery or a FREE Cookie. Plus, learn about cannabis at our New Patient Orientation held monthly by our Director of Medical Education, Dr. William Troutt. See the schedule at thesourcenv.com/events
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NEVADA GOES ALL IN ON CANNABIS WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? Last month Nevada voters legalized adult use marijuana -- passing the ballot measure known as Question #2 by a margin of 54 percent. This means starting January 1, adults 21 and older can legally possess up to 1 ounce of cannabis or one-eighth ounce of cannabis concentrate in the state of Nevada. However, even though adult-use goes into effect next month, there will be no place to legally purchase cannabis. There are several scenarios in the works as to exactly when Nevada residents will be able to buy cannabis from a legal dispensary. The state’s medical marijuana dispensaries are overseen by Nevada’s Division of Public and Behavioral Health, but a different department, the Nevada Department of Taxation, will be regulating adult use cannabis. Although this means a new agency has to get its bearings on the cannabis industry, they aren’t wasting any time getting to work. “The Department is already working to develop temporary regulations,” said Deonne Contine, executive director of the Nevada Department of Taxation, with regard to developing a task force to provide guidance on issues related to the passage
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of question 2. “We intend to hold a public workshop very early in 2017 and then have our temporary regulations adopted so we can begin issuing licenses.” The temporary regulations will allow the department to begin issuing licenses while they complete the lengthier process of developing permanent regulations, which ultimately need to be reviewed by the Legislative Counsel Bureau. In addition to workshops, the Department of Taxation plans to leapfrog off of the state’s existing medical marijuana program. “Because the medical (marijuana) program is up and running, the framework is already there,” department spokeswoman Stephanie Klapstein told the Las Vegas ReviewJournal. “It’s just a matter of getting the regulations going.” Contine is confident moving forward. “With the medical marijuana program in place in Nevada since 2014, we have expertise in the state on how to establish and carry out the regulations,” she said. “We’ve also consulted with the industry in Nevada and looked closely at the regulation model in Colorado. We have a good foundation to do this right.” If everything goes according to schedule, the Department of Taxation could issue its first temporary licenses by summer 2017, Klapstein said. State Senator Tick Segerblom also has a plan. With the 2017 session of the Nevada Legislature set to begin on February 6, Senator Segerblom is considering a bill draft that is similar to what Oregon did after its residents voted to legalize adult use cannabis in 2014. Oregon’s medical marijuana dispensaries received waivers from the state to sell recreational products temporarily until retailers could be licensed giving lawmakers time to complete the full regulations. Segerblom believes such legislation could grandfather medical marijuana dispensaries in quickly so residents have immediate access to lab tested and state regulated cannabis rather than turning to the black market. A final scenario to consider involves the Paiutes. The Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, in partnership with New Mexico-based medical marijuana company Ultra Health, has licenses for cultivation, production and two dispensaries and is scheduled to begin selling medical marijuana in January. While the Paiutes and Ultra Health will be operating in Southern Nevada, they won’t necessarily have to follow the same set of guidelines laid out by the state and local jurisdictions because they are a sovereign state that governs itself. In turn, they could begin selling adult use cannabis on their own timeline.
KEY DATES FOR ADULT-USE OF CANNABIS January 1, 2017: Adults 21 and older can possess up to 1 ounce of cannabis or one-eighth ounce of cannabis concentrate. January 1, 2018: Deadline for Nevada’s Department of Taxation to have adult-use regulations in place.
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DISPENSARY MAP
A Patients’ Guide to Medical Cannabis in Southern Nevada 1. Apothecarium apothecariumlv.com 7885 W. Sahara Ave Las Vegas, NV 89117 702.778.7987
7. Euphoria Wellness euphoriawellnessnv.com 7780 S. Jones Blvd Ste #105 Las Vegas, NV 89139 702.960.7200
16. Pisos Dispensary pisoslv.com 4110 S. Maryland Pkwy Ste #A Las Vegas, NV 89119 702.367.9333
24b. The Dispensary thedispensarynv.com 50 N. Gibson Rd Henderson, NV 89104 702.476.0420
2. Blackjack Collective blackjackcollective.com 1860 Western Ave Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.545.0026
8. Inyo Fine Cannabis Dispensary inyolasvegas.com 2520 S. Maryland Pkwy Ste #2 Las Vegas, NV 89109 702.707.8888
17a. Reef Dispensaries reefdispensaries.com 3400 Western Ave Las Vegas, NV 89109 702.475.6520
25a. The Grove TheGroveNV.com 1541 E. Basin Ave Pahrump, NV 89048 775.556.0100
3a. Blüm LetsBlum.com 1921 Western Ave Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.476.2262
9. Jardin jardincannabis.com 2900 E. Desert Inn Rd Ste #102 Las Vegas, NV 89121
17b. Reef Dispensaries reefdispensaries.com 1366 W. Cheyenne Ave North Las Vegas, NV 89030 702.410.8032
25b. The Grove TheGroveNV.com 4647 Swenson St Las Vegas, NV 89119 702.463.5777
18. Sahara Wellness 420sahara.com 420 E. Sahara Ave Las Vegas , NV 89104 702.478.5533
26a. The Source thesourcenv.com 2550 S. Rainbow Blvd Ste #8 Las Vegas, NV 89146 702.708.2000
19. Shango Las Vegas goshango.com 4380 Boulder Highway Las Vegas, NV 89121 702.444.4824
26b. The Source thesourcenv.com 9480 S Eastern Ave Ste #185 Henderson, NV 89052 702.708.2222
20. Showgrow showgrowlv.com 4850 S. Fort Apache Rd Ste #100 Las Vegas NV 89147 702.227.0511
27. Thrive Cannabis Marketplace thrivenevada.com 2755 W. Cheyenne Ave Ste #103 North Las Vegas, NV 89032 702.776.4144
21. Silver Sage Wellness sswlv.com 4626 W. Charleston Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.802.3757
28. Top Notch THC topnotchthc.com 5630 Stephanie St Las Vegas, NV 89122 702.418.0420
3b. Blüm LetsBlum.com 3650 S. Decatur Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89103 702.627.Blum 3c. Blüm LetsBlum.com 1130 E Desert Inn Rd Las Vegas, NV 89109 702.536.Blum 4. CannaCopia cannacopialv.com 6332 S. Rainbow Blvd Ste #105 Las Vegas, NV 89118 702.487.6776 5a. Canopi OPEN NOW 6540 Blue Diamond Rd Las Vegas, NV 89139 702.420.7301 5b. Canopi OPEN NOW 1324 S. 3rd St Las Vegas, NV 89104 702.420.7301
10. Jenny’s Dispensary Jennysdispensary.com 5530 N. Decatur Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89030 702.718.0420 11. Las Vegas ReLeaf lasvegasreleaf.com 2244 Paradise Rd Las Vegas, NV 89104 702.209.2400 12. Medizin medizinlv.com 4850 W. Sunset Rd Ste #130 Las Vegas, NV 89118 702.206.1313 13a. Nevada Medical Marijuana nevadamedicalmarijuana.com 3195 St. Rose Pkwy Ste #212 Henderson, NV 89052 702.737.7777 13b. Nevada Medical Marijuana nevadamedicalmarijuana.com 1975 S. Casino Dr Laughlin, NV 89029 702.737.7777
5c. Canopi 2113 N. Las Vegas Blvd North Las Vegas, NV 89030 702.420.7301
14. Nevada Wellness Center nvwellnessctr.com 3200 S. Valley View Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.470.2077
6. Deep Roots Harvest deeprootsharvest.com 195 Willis Carrier Canyon Mesquite, NV 89027 702-345-2854
15. Oasis Medical Cannabis oasismedicalcannabis.com 1800 S. Industrial Rd Ste #180 Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.420.2405
22. The Apothecary Shoppe theapothecaryshoppe.com 4240 W. Flamingo Rd Ste #100 Las Vegas, NV 89103 702.740.4372 23. The Clinic theclinicnevada.com 4310 W. Flamingo Rd Las Vegas, NV 89103 702.447.1250 24a. The Dispensary thedispensarynv.com 5347 S. Decatur Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89118 702.476.0420
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Buehler Dr Strong Dr
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Eastern Ave
Maryland Pkwy
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Gibson Rd
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Cactus Ave
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CANOPI
24b
Wigwam Pkwy
Blue Diamond Rd
Mts Edge Pkwy
St. Louis Ave
Sahara Ave
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Windmill Pkwy
Silverado Ranch
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Warm Springs Rd
15
Oakey Blvd
515
Sunset Rd
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Flamingo Rd
Las Vegas
McCarran Int. Airport
Sirus Ave
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adis
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Sunset Rd
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Sahara Ave
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Russell Rd
Stewart Ave
St Louis Ave
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Tropicana Ave
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Flamingo Rd
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rial
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Charleston Blvd
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ust
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Desert Inn Rd
Valley View
Jones Blvd
Sahara Ave
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3a
26a
Durango Dr
Hualapai Way
Town Center Dr
1
Bonanza Rd
515
5b
Charleston Blvd
Oakey Blvd
Washington Ave
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Cahlan Dr
CANOPI
21 2 15
Nellis Blvd
Lamb Blvd
5c
Vegas Dr
Charleston Blvd
lvd
sB
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Lake Mead Blvd Summerlin Pkwy
Pecos Rd
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Carey Ave
GREEN DISTRICT
We s
Dr
North Las Vegas Airport
Craig Rd
Nellis Blvd
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Mesquite
Pecos Rd
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Camino Al Norte/MLK
N 5th
Allen Ln
nc
Rampart Blvd
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Cheyenne Ave
Buffalo Dr
Lone Mountain Rd
Simmons St
215
Ann Rd
Decatur Blvd
Jones Blvd
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Losee Rd
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Alexander Rd
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215
Reno
Henderson
k Pw
Laughlin
Boulder City
CONNECT
INDUSTRY R ESOURCE GUIDE
EVERGREEN ORGANIX Edibles and flowers available. (702) 550.4855
GIDDYUP
VERT EDIBLES
KABUNKY
Extracts and hash giddyuphash.com
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Edibles, extraction and flower. kabunky.com
evergreenorganix.com
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KYND
GETTING LEGAL 2619 W Charleston Blvd #100 Las Vegas, NV 89102 (702) 979.9999 Gettinglegal.com
Flower. Pre-Rolls. CO2 Oil Cartridges. Tinctures. Capsules. Sap. Wax www.kynd.com
DB LABS
NEOS
liveneos.com info@liveneos.com
4439 S. Polaris Ave. Las Vegas, NV 89103 844.5.TESTIN | (702) 296.6929 dblabslv.com
40
NEW HEIGHTS LABORATORY
LP INSURANCE SERVICES
702.879.8698 newheightslaboratory.com
Las Vegas • Reno • Elko • Phoenix Sacramento • Truckee/Tahoe (702) 365.9800 | LPIns.net
KIVA
O.PENVAPE
Edibles (510) 780.0777 kivaconfections.com
(702) 629.2075 openvape.com
ASHCRAFT AND BARR
CONNOR & CONNOR PLLC
(702) 631.7555 ashcraftbarr.com
710 Coronado Center Drive, Suite 121 Henderson, NV 89052 (702) 750.9139
RELEAF WELLNESS
MOXIE
ReleafWellness.com
Concentrates and Extracts moxie710.com info@moxie710.com
G3 LABS, LLC.
TERPX
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CW
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Shatter, Wax, Live Resin, and Solventless Extracts (760) 636.9551
7120 Rafael Ridge Las Vegas, NV 89119
Full Line of CBD Products
elevatenv.com | december
(702) 737.8464 stingalarm.com
702) 857.8516
OPEN FOR BUSINESS DIXIE BRANDS LAUNCHES IN NEVADA
One of the biggest brands in the cannabis industry now has products lining the shelves of Nevada’s dispensaries. With operations in Colorado, California, Arizona, Washington, and Oregon, Dixie is now selling its mints, chocolate bars, tinctures and topicals throughout the state. Tripp Keber, CEO of Dixie Brands, and his team choose Nevada to set up shop for two reasons. One was the likelihood that adult-use would pass in November and the other has to do with Nevada’s tourism base. “I fundamentally believe that it is likely Nevada could be the epicenter of adult-use tourism associated with cannabis. That, coupled with the fact that we found an amazing partnership with Silver State Wellness, is why we came here,” explained Keber. “Certainly, we fundamentally believe that just like a Gucci or Louis Vuitton or José Andrés that it is important to have your brand represented in a state like Nevada. This is clearly one of our flagship facilities.” With 15,000 square feet of operating facility, Dixie will be introducing products into the Nevada market in two phases. During the second phase, Dixie will be rolling out its flagship elixir product and a line of higher dose chocolates. Noting that one of the founding principles of Dixie is testing, Keber said, “In the state of Colorado, for example, and certainly in Nevada and even in California, all of our products are tested typically no less than three times. In many cases, like Colorado, it’s five times because we are testing for microbials, pesticides, etc. Testing, for us, is incredibly important. It’s a commitment we have made from day one -- even prior to the testing requirement that was being implemented in a state like Colorado. So, for us, it was just business as usual.”
harvested in October. The 43-acre hemp crop in Tonopah, Nevada was grown by Agri-Tech Farms with support from Hemp, Inc. "This was an experimental grow in an area not commonly known for farming, so this was a very unique situation. To our surprise, it did really well to be grown in high desert climate and it appears a significant amount of seed can be yielded from it, and as you know, the seed can be of great value," said Bruce Perlowin, CEO of Hemp, Inc. "Growing hemp is part of our strategic business model and with the success of this first groundbreaking industrial hemp grow, we're really excited to grow more, especially for CBDs." "I think Agri-Tech Farms will get a lot of demand for the seed. Right now, there's a lot of experimentation with hemp farming going on. Factors such as seed shortages, poor germination rates and just plain inexperience have prohibited many of the farmers from yielding a full crop," said William Billings, CEO and founder of Colorado Hemp Project. “You have to remember, hemp farming is a new business area, a relatively new adventure for farmers.”
NEW DISPENSARIES OPEN THROUGHOUT SILVER STATE
Top Notch THC is now open at 5630 Stephanie Street in Henderson, topnotchthc.com. The Clinic, theclinicnevada. com, has opened across from the Palms at 4310 W. Flamingo Avenue. Shango Las Vegas officially opened its doors last month and is located at 4380 Boulder Highway, goshango. com. Jardín Premium Cannabis Dispensary is now open at 2900 East Desert Inn Road. In Northern Nevada, Rise dispensary has opened in Carson City at 135 East Clearview Drive, risedispensaries.com.
INDUSTRIAL HEMP TAKES ROOT IN TONOPAH
One of the first hemp crops to be grown in Nevada since the cultivation of hemp became legal on January 1st was
december | elevatenv.com
41
Congratulations
to the great state of Nevada on passing the adult usage of cannabis. The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol, Marijuana Policy Project, Nevada Dispensary Association and many advocates worked diligently for years to make sure it passed. Show your love to the state’s medical marijuana establishments and thank them for the swift progress Nevada has made.
Coming in 2017 LAS VEGAS’ 1st DISPENSARY
to downtown Las Vegas
GO WITH THE ORIGINAL! ®
DISPENSARY
1225 N. Main St. Las Vegas, NV 89101
CULTIVATION
702.960.7200
@EuphoriaWellnessNV
42
7780 South Jones Blvd. | Las Vegas, NV 89139
@LVMarijuana
elevatenv.com | december
www.EuphoriaWellnessNV.com
11525 Nu-W av Kaiv Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89124
december | elevatenv.com
43
Elevating the Conversation
A
with Dale Sky Jones, Executive Chancellor, Oaksterdam University
s head honcho of Oakland, California-based Oaksterdam University (OU), a business and horticulture college that educates patients, professionals, growers, elected officials and regulators on every aspect of the cannabis industry, Dale Sky Jones is in charge of a 150-member faculty and eight academic departments. Jones took over as President & CEO in 2012, carrying on the legacy of progressive cannabis education that began when OU was founded in 2007, educating more than 25,000 students in the process.
WHAT DID YOU TELL PEOPLE WHEN YOU STARTED WORKING IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY? Nobody knew when I left my corporate job what I was going to do. I took the slow roll into this industry, I didn’t even talk about it for the first year. I told no one that I managed a doctors’ practice. I didn’t even want to talk about the fact that the doctors I worked for did cannabis recommendations, that’s how in the closet I was. I was keeping it quiet because I hadn’t figured out how to talk about it. But now, for me, it’s a moral imperative. I get it. Now I know how to talk about it. That is what I think I inspire in other people, I give them a way to talk about it. They are able to give voice to my words in the way that they own them. So I get where other people are coming from and I can authentically meet them where they are because I have been there -- I was that gal. HOW DID THE IDEA OF OAKSTERDAM COME TO BE? (Oaksterdam founder) Richard Lee kind of did this on a whim, almost as a joke at first. We were all talking about training but nobody was stepping up to do training in the form of a school. So he floats this ad in a few papers that basically says I will teach you how to grow pot, but first you have to learn politics and history and show up to city council meetings. It was a deal that was struck that was basically this: I will teach you what you want to know but what I need is political support to move this issue forward and for you to become a freedom fighter. WHAT WORK ARE YOU DOING AT OAKSTERDAM THAT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF? We just finished training 41 agents and auditors from the Board of Equalization. We are training the trainers on how to audit the cannabis industry through a two-day intensive program. To be contracted with the largest tax collection agency in the nation was exciting. We have also trained the
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elevatenv.com | december
Florida Department of Health, the Maryland Department of Health and the city of Oakland. I just hosted Uruguay's Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis (IRCCA) and that was a pretty big deal. TELL ME ABOUT THE VETERAN SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM YOU STARTED IN 2012. Who better to help than the veterans who have lost their reason for living, they came back after being a part of something bigger than themselves to nothing. Losing purpose is one of the biggest reasons we are losing veterans to suicide. I saw a symbiotic opportunity for us to help each other and ourselves. We started giving free classes to veterans who couldn’t afford to pay. We gave them purpose again. This past Veterans Day, we gave away 30 free seats for veterans as part of the Freedom Fighter Scholarship fund. DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS TO LAUNCH A CAMPUS IN NEVADA? Yes, we are opening a campus there in spring 2017. They are working furiously on it and I know we are going to be attached to a museum. It’s on Highland, off the I-15 in the old Goodyear Factory. We wanted to be here because Las Vegas is a very forward moving jurisdiction and they know how to manage their vices and sins. So while it’s not easy to do business in Las Vegas, it is reasonable to do business in Vegas. WHAT IS YOUR PHILOSOPHY WITH REGARD TO ADVOCACY? You have to advocate down. Don’t forget the patients that got us here. This is not for fun. This is their life. We have to make sure we are developing programs that are going to help patients and poor people, and make these communities better than when we found them because you must have a good neighbor policy. You leave it better than you found it. That’s how you get support of your neighborhood, the church, the soccer moms, the school, your community. That’s the type of stuff that changes the world and that’s what I expect of my students and I tell them so.
“Amanda Connor is an excellent Nevada attorney who has immersed herself in understanding the marijuana industry. She has excellent judgment and the highest in personal and moral values. She has local, state and regulatory knowledge surpassed by none. The industry is thankful and grateful that we have such a qualified woman who demonstrates the finest legal mind coupled with the jurisprudence that the entire bar association in our community should aspire to.� --Phillip C. Peckman
Connor & Connor PLLC is a boutique law firm focusing on business formation, transactions, litigation, licensing, and permitting. The attorneys at Connor & Connor PLLC understand cannabis law and its intricacies.
www.connorpllc.com | 702.750.9139 45
/ConnorConnorPllc
elevatenv.com | december
@Connor_pllc
Connor & Connor Pllc
RANGE ROVER SPORT
STEP UP TO A RANGE ROVER SPORT
AND LOWER YOUR TAX LIABILITY The extraordinary capability and premium luxury of a Range Rover Sport or Range Rover not only gives you a new perspective on driving, but also helps your company’s bottom line. Unlike similarly priced luxury cars, these Land Rover vehicles qualify for an accelerated tax depreciation schedule.* Visit Jaguar Land Rover Las Vegas to find out more.
$64,000 RANGE ROVER SPORT VS. $64,000 LUXURY CAR Total allowable depreciation, years 1 through 4
95% $60,630 FOR RANGE ROVER SPORT1
33% $21,185 FOR LUXURY
CAR 2 Jaguar Land Rover Reno
9150 S. Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89511 775.332.4000 www.jlrreno.com Vehicle shown: 2016 Range Rover Sport HSE. * Individual tax situations may vary. The information presented was accurate at time of publishing. Federal rules and tax guidelines are subject to change. Consult your tax advisor for complete details on rules applicable to your business. ** Comparisons based on Section 179 and 168(k) of the Internal Revenue Code, which allows for additional first year depreciation for eligible vehicles and reflects figures for owners who purchase vehicles for 50 percent or greater business use and place vehicles in service by December 31, 2016. 1. Range Rover Sport depreciation can continue at $2,246 in Year Five, and $1,123 in Year Six, at which point it is fully depreciated. 2. Luxury car depreciation can continue at $1,875 per year for each succeeding year until the vehicle is fully depreciated or sold. Š 2016 Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC