Elevate may 2018 by Elevate Nevada Magazine

MAY 2018

BREAKING FREE FROM THE TEARIFYING GRIP OF OPIOIDS Could the answer be staring us right in the face?

Marijuana for mom? Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s asked about it, we've found products just for her Yes, Nevada, there is door-to-door cannabis delivery for everyone

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from the editor

Publisher Guy Bertuzzi, guy@elevatenv.com

Editor-In-Chief Beth Schwartz, beth@elevatenv.com

Creative Director Brooke Bertuzzi, brooke@finetheagency.com

Contributing Writers: Justin Alexander, Josh Bell, Derek J. Connor , Riana Durrett, Richard Gubbe, Mike Richardson,

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Account Coordinator Kimberly Chang, kim@finetheagency.com elevate nevada magazine makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors, false data or omissions. elevate nevada assumes no responsibility for any claims or representations contained in this publication or in any advertisement. elevate nevada magazine does not encourage the illegal use of any of the products or advertisements within. Reproduction in whole or in part strictly prohibited. All rights reserved. To subscribe to elevate nevada, visit elevatenv.com/subscribe/. 7120 Rafael Ridge Way, Las Vegas, NV 89119 Phone: 702.855.3843 | Email: info@elevatenv.com

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You know your mom would walk across water for you, so it only seems fitting that you should give her the gift of floating on air this Mother’s Day. There are endless ways to show mom just how much she means to you on May 13, but I have ferreted out the ultimate pampering experience. One that involves coddling those biomechanical marvels that get her through her daily routine, so she can continue to do her mom thing. This otherworldly treat involves babying her tootsies with the fruits of another mother. Mother Nature has given us a gift called cannabidiol (CBD). It’s a little-known plant-based elixir that offers a host of healing properties, acting as an anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, antioxidant, antiemetic, anxiolytic and antipsychotic agent while combating inflammation, pain, anxiety, spasms, arthritis and fibromyalgia. CBD brings its star healing power to the ‘Walking on Air’ pedicure offered at Totally Tiffany Nails, totallytifnails.com. Named for her clients’ reaction to the luxuriant CBD pedicure, Tiffany Kambouris started offering the popular pedi at her Las Vegas nail salon about six months ago. “All my clients say we are just walking on air after getting a CBD pedicure,” explains Kambouris, who discovered the beneficial properties of CBD following a car accident a year ago. No longer interested in continuing to take opioids and using a heating pad, Kambouris was searching for an alternative when a friend told her about CBD. She tried it and became a true believer in its medical benefits. This discovery led Kambouris to toy around with the idea of putting a CBD pedicure on her salon menu of services and it has proven popular with her clientele.

Totally Tiffany Nails’ signature 50-minute ‘Walking on Air’ pedicure begins with a satisfying sugar scrub to exfoliate skin and prepare it to receive Photo: Sandra Louise all that rich and healing CBD that’s soon to come. To follow is the cooling sensation of a soothing mint hydration mask slathered over your legs and feet. The next step is when CBD makes its grand appearance. Choosing from two Apothecanna CBD lotions, pedicure recipients can either select the brand’s Circulating leg and foot cream which Apothecanna describes as a warming formula that causes blood flow to instantly energize and activate your body. Or they can choose the brand’s Relieving body cream which is made with anti-inflammatory plant extracts for cooling and invigorating and is encouraged for use on sore muscles, swollen joints and distressed skin. The pedicure’s grand finale is an entrancing hot rock massage before your toenails receive a pretty coat of color. Although it’s a proven commodity at her salon, Tiffany still occasionally meets objections from clients who fear they will test or “pop” for marijuana on a drug test. There is no THC or tetrahydrocannabinol in either CBD or Apothecanna products and when you take a drug test, the aim is to detect THC in your body, not cannabis. I can attest you will be walking on air for the rest of the day and into the next after one of these pedicures -making it the ideal gift not only for mom, but also for yourself. So, relax and let the pampering (with a side of floating) commence.

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DIS

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Sh sh e’s ou ask ld e ge d, h t h er er e’s

26 MA

CO O

CONTENTS

SH E sp new ’S B M otli ed A ay gh st A 5 L t o ar AC as n R stat K Re

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BR E TH AKIN ET G ERR FRE IFY E F Co ul ING ROM d th O ea F GR us ns OP rig we I IP ht r be OI in s D th tar S

Br he oth OT e H m mp rs d ER ot p e he ro ve LO r ’s du lo DE pa ct t p C in o e BD as e t rich he ir

Ve os us ga ean pu sp n ts er e B co fo ar m rm r d ed an ur y ce ing

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with

Cooking Cannabis MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU: PRINCESS LEIA’S FRUIT SKEWERS AND LUKE SKYWALKER’S LAMB CHOP “LOLLI-POPS” By chef Mike Richardson of Exclusive Chefs Cut to the Star Wars cantina. The scene mirrors today’s human race even more now than when it first emerged in the 1977 movie. Luke and Leia Skywalker were magnetic dynamos who drew all races of people to them. The diversity found in that classic cantina scene is the philosophy of Exclusive Chefs and their parties. Whether you meet “Luke” the security guard or “Leia” the lunch lady, everyone is a friend. Live the philosophy of Exclusive Chefs and open yourself up to new friends and different cuisines all while taking yourself to new heights. Start “skywalking” with some of Luke and Leia’s favorite cantina bites and may the fourth be with you!

LUKE SKYWALKER’S LAMB CHOP “LOLLI-POPS” WITH POMEGRANATE MOLASSES AND THC MACADAMIA OIL 1 “Frenched” rack of lamb (the term “Frenched” refers to fat trimmed off the bone so clean you can hold it like a lollipop, most stores sell them “Frenched”) 1 Tbsp. Macadamia nut sativa oil* 1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning 1 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses (backstrap molasses and pomegranate seeds boiled for 1 minute)

PRINCESS LEIA’S FRUIT SKEWERS WITH SPICY JAMAICAN JERK “SOUR LEMON SATIVA GUMMY” HONEY 2 cups water 1 cup sugar 1 Tbsp. Jamaican jerk spice 5 each, Sour Lemon Sativa Gummies* (any flavor will do)

(*To make your own Macadamia nut sativa oil, cook .5 gram of sativa shake, 5 macadamia nuts, and 1 cup peanut oil on low in crockpot for 4 hours.)

(*Most dispensaries provide organic, tested products. These gummies tend to be .10 mg each, one batch will make a syrup of about .50 mg, use as tolerance allows)

DIRECTIONS

Brush lamb with THC cold-pressed Macadamia nut oil, add Cajun seasoning liberally and bake at 350° for 30 minutes or desired doneness (120° rare, 130° medium rare, lamb tends to be more “gamey” the longer you cook it so Exclusive Chefs suggest medium rare). Cut chops and drizzle with pomegranate molasses and pomegranate seeds. Now you are a Jedi!

Bring all ingredients to a boil and stir for five minutes, gummies will dissolve into a syrup. Skewer fruit of choice, stick skewers into pineapple or watermelon for display purposes and drizzle with honey or use as a dipping sauce.

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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THINGS ARE JUST GETTING SPROUTED.

ADULT USE MARIJUANA IS LEGAL FOR EVERYONE 21 AND OLDER. NO PERSCRIPTION NEEDED.

NEVADA MADE MARIJUANA LAUGHLIN: 1975 S Casino Dr, Laughlin, NV 89029 | Open 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week! HENDERSON: 3195 St Rose Pkwy #212, Henderson, NV 89052 | Open 8am - 11pm Daily www.nevadamademarijuana.com | 702-737-7777 *Legal marijuana laws vary widely in states, especially in Nevada, Arizona, and California. Keep Out of Reach of Children. For Use Only by Adults 21 Years of Age

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THC are relaxation, euphoria, increased perception and increased appetite. Use Responsibly.

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She’s Baaack Renewed star status puts comedy spotlight on Roseanne Barr during May 5 performance at The Orleans By Josh Bell

ne of the storylines on the new revival season of the ABC sitcom Roseanne follows main character Roseanne Conner (played by Roseanne Barr) as she struggles with what is obviously an opioid addiction, thanks to a knee injury that she can’t treat because she can’t afford the surgery. In its initial run on ABC (from 1988 to 1997), Roseanne frequently tackled relevant issues via its portrayal of a working-class family in Lanford, Illinois, and the show’s new season has been similarly interested in social commentary, albeit in a slightly more awkward way, thanks in part to Barr’s real-life fondness for conspiracy theories and the alt-right. Although marijuana usage hasn’t come up yet on the show’s new season, Barr’s longtime cannabis support (which remains undiminished) will almost certainly have an influence on future storylines, even if that isn’t until next season. The episode airing May 15 begins delving into Roseanne Conner’s dependence on pain pills, but with the season finale the following week, there may not be enough time to explore all of the character’s options until the show returns next year. And it definitely will return—Roseanne has been one of the highest-rated shows on TV since the revival premiered in March, and ABC almost immediately picked up the show for another 13-episode season (this season runs only nine episodes). Why, after 21 years away, is Roseanne so popular now? It’s part of a huge current nostalgia boom on TV, which also includes

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continuations of popular ’90s series Will & Grace and The X-Files, and upcoming revivals of Mad About You and Murphy Brown. Those are in contrast to reboots like the current versions of Hawaii Five-0 or MacGyver, which take the concepts and characters from old series and update them with new casts, new storylines and sometimes new premises, starting from scratch. In the case of Roseanne and its fellow revivals, the shows are returning as if they never left, with the same cast playing the same characters and continuing storylines from decades in the past. On Roseanne, that means that Barr has returned along with her original co-stars John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson and Michael Fishman, plus a few new additions. The later years of Roseanne’s original run were a bit of a bumpy ride, and the final season strayed so far from the show’s blue-collar roots (with the Conners winning millions in the lottery) that it was almost unrecognizable. The infamous final episode posits that the entire show was a novel written by Roseanne Conner, with grim fates for multiple characters dashed off in voiceover narration from Barr. Thankfully, the new season (the show’s 10th overall) throws out pretty much all of the disastrous ninth season, while continuing on from a more grounded position, with the Conners as average people struggling to make ends meet. The new season got a lot of media attention for the first episode’s clash between Roseanne, a Donald Trump supporter (just like the woman who portrays her), and her sister Jackie (Metcalf), a liberal who ended up voting for Jill Stein. But that somewhat overblown and cartoonish confrontation ended rather quickly, and since then the show has dealt with other issues in a more subdued manner. The second episode has a sensitive storyline about Roseanne’s gender non-conforming grandson Mark (Ames McNamara), which finds Roseanne supporting Mark’s choice to wear bright, sparkly, traditionally feminine outfits, in what feels like a pointed rebuke to anyone accusing her of being socially conservative. In later episodes, Roseanne and husband Dan (Goodman) argue for stricter discipline for their grandkids, putting them at odds with daughter Darlene (Gilbert), and Darlene’s sister Becky (Goranson) struggles with infertility. While Roseanne the show has been walking a fine line to represent a balance of political views (thanks to writers and producers including Gilbert and comedy powerhouses Whitney Cummings, Wanda Sykes and Norm Macdonald), Barr has no such restrictions in (continued on page 35)

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OP-ED

HELPING OUR VETERANS RECEIVE ACCESS TO SAFE MEDICAL ALTERNATIVES By U.S. Congresswoman Jacky Rosen (NV-03)

fter serving our nation, many Nevada veterans re-enter civilian life with difficult and sometimes lifelong medical issues that need attention. With more than 56,000 veterans calling my congressional district home, improving their access to quality healthcare is one of my top priorities in Congress. It’s the least we can do for those who have sacrificed so much to protect us. Unfortunately, too many of our veterans do not receive the treatment and care they need. Many have chronic pain and medical issues that require strong prescription drug medications. Over half of the servicemembers returning from the Middle East, as well as older veterans suffer from chronic pain, and many of those veterans are prescribed opioids to help them cope. Federal research has found that veterans are twice as likely to die from accidental painkiller overdoses compared to civilians. In 2013, the Veterans Administration enacted a new policy to help veterans deal with opioid addiction. The Opioid Safety Initiative cut the number of veterans prescribed opioids by almost a third, but it ultimately failed to make headway on transitioning the over 500,000 veterans already on opioids to safer alternatives. Medical research has shown marijuana is a safe alternative to help with opioid addiction that could change lives for the better, but current VA officials do not support the use of medical marijuana for our veterans.

Even in states like Nevada where marijuana is legal under state law, veterans who receive their healthcare from the VA are unable to get the treatment they need because the federally-managed VA facility in Las Vegas is barred from prescribing medical marijuana. Recently, the agency has taken the small step of allowing doctors to discuss medical marijuana with their patients, but this does not go as far as officially prescribing marijuana as a treatment option. Federal policy is causing this hold-up, and many veterans are suffering because of it. In the House, I’ve co-sponsored a bill called the Marijuana Effective Drug Studies Act. This legislation would improve the process for conducting scientific research on marijuana as a form of safe and effective medical treatment. By understanding marijuana’s medical benefits, the federal government may be more open to changing its policy and giving our veterans treatment they deserve. Another bill I’m supporting is the Veterans Equal Access Act, which is endorsed by several veterans’ groups. This legislation would give VA healthcare providers the green light to recommend medical marijuana to veterans. Preventing veterans from accessing marijuana for medical purposes because of outdated and debunked claims is wrong. Our veterans deserve the best treatment possible, and I will continue to be an advocate for their long-term health and well-being.

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BREAKING FREE FROM THE TERRIFYING GRIP OF OPIOIDS Could the answer be staring us right in the face? by Beth Schwartz 14

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“We lose one Nevadan every day to opioid overdose — a mother, father, son, daughter, grandparent or close friend,” stated Governor Brian Sandoval during his 2017 State of the State address. “This has been a growing problem for over a decade and has now reached levels of epidemic proportion.” In fact, 387 Nevada residents died from opioid use in 2016. Fifty-nine percent of Nevada’s opioid-related overdose deaths were caused by natural and semisynthetic opioids, 20 percent were caused by heroin, 13 percent were from methadone, 13 percent result from synthetic opioids, and the remaining 7 percent were unspecified opioids, according to 2016 data released by the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health. “Las Vegas was one of the worst in the country for these so-called pill mills,” said Dr. Scott Jacobson, who isn’t surprised by the numbers of Nevadans falling prey to opioid abuse. “Any patient could walk in off the street, say I am in pain, and get a prescription. So basically, they were like illegal drug operations.” Dr. Jacobson’s assertion that the state is rife with pill mills is confirmed by 2012 data from the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health which reports that clinicians wrote 94 painkiller prescriptions for every 100 Nevada residents. That was in 2012, before opioid-related hospitalizations spiked more than 150 percent from 2013 to 2015, according to the state health department’s data. Although Nevada has had a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), where physicians and pharmacists can check for prescriptions written for a controlled substance prior to issuing one, for more than two decades it hasn’t helped curb abuse. That Nevada’s PDMP hasn’t helped get the state’s painkiller crisis under control also isn’t a surprise to Dr. Jacobson who has been practicing medicine in Las Vegas for the last eight years. “A new patient came into my office and needed a refill on her Percocet. I looked in the prescription monitoring program and she had been prescribed 1,000 pills of Percocet in a single month at numerous pharmacies by different doctors,” recalled Dr. Jacobson. “Not one person had checked [the program] or if they did, they didn’t do anything about it. It just shows the ease at which people had access to pretty much as many pills as they wanted.”

LEGISLATE IT AWAY During the 2017 Nevada Legislative Session, Governor Sandoval introduced the Controlled Substance Abuse Prevention Act, Assembly Bill 474, which was drafted to provide more training and reporting, and heightened protocols for medical professionals. It unanimously passed both the Assembly and Senate last year and became effective January 1 of this year.

The Controlled Substance Abuse Prevention Act establishes a standard of care for prescribers but, most importantly, it reduces the amount of inappropriate prescribing and prioritizes patient safety and responsibility. It also endeavors to prevent addiction to prescription drugs through monitoring and by attempting to mitigate risk. Under the new law, doctors must limit initial prescriptions to two weeks and perform a patient risk assessment before writing a script. If prescriptions are extended to one month, doctors must enter into a written patient agreement, in which the patient consents to random drug testing and provides a list of other drug use or states where they’ve received a controlled substance prescription. Dr. Jacobson has already seen effects from the newly implemented Controlled Substance Abuse Prevention Act. “They put such strict rules in place that most primary care doctors don’t even want to write these prescriptions

“So many patients are falling through the cracks because they initially were getting medicine from their primary care physicians, but when the new law went into place on January 1st the primary care doctors weren’t interested in spending all the time it takes to comply by these laws,” said Dr. Jacobson. anymore,” he said. “They are giving physicians five strikes and they are out. You can lose your license if you don’t follow these rules. They are just so strict and laborious and take so much time -- these are no longer patients that are easy money.” Although the law is in place, penalties for not complying with AB 474 are to be established by medical licensing boards. The proposed penalities for doctors who issue “fraudulent, illegal, unauthorized or otherwise inappropriate” controlled substance prescriptions range from requiring doctors to complete two hours of continuing education for the first offense to revoking a doctor’s license for a fifth offense. This has created a chill across the medical community as physicians decide whether to completely opt out of writing prescriptions for pain pills rather than risk their licenses. “So many patients are falling through the cracks because they initially were getting medicine from their primary care physicians, but when the new law went into place on January 1st the primary care doctors weren’t interested in spending all the time it takes to comply by these laws,” said Dr. Jacobson. Because Nevada’s doctors have found the new

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legislative requirements laborious and question some of the regulatory language, the Division of Public and Behavioral Health will hold a public hearing on May 4 to consider amendments to the Nevada Administrative Code relating to reporting requirements for certain health care providers.

THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC'S DIRTY LITTLE SECRET While Nevada’s Controlled Substance Abuse Prevention Act is being reviewed and tweaked, there is still the matter of people who are already deep in the throes of opioid addiction. In 2017 alone, there were 7,125 emergency room encounters and 8,661 in-patient admissions of Nevada residents with opioid related issues, which can range from bowel obstructions and ulcers to renal failure and overdose. Registered nurse Jen Shepherd outlines some of the lesser known complications patients who have become dependent on painkillers encounter. There’s the elderly who “get really hopped up on those things and fall,” she offered. Then Shepherd went on to reveal the dirty little secret of the opioid epidemic that you probably haven’t heard about: bowel obstructions. “What nobody is talking about are the amount of people who have colon obstruction surgery because of their use of opiates. It makes them constipated to the point where they can’t move their bowels and then they have to go in and have a bowel obstruction removed and put themselves at risk for sepsis and all of the other complications that result from this type of surgery.” Shepherd recalled a patient she worked with at a Trauma Center who was under hospital care for about four months with an obstruction resulting from opioids. “She wasn’t allowed to eat. I walked this woman every day and I was only allowed to give her ice chips. Until we wake your bowels back up because they just go to sleep, there’s nothing that can be done,” related Shepherd.

TAKING UP THE SLACK WITH CANNABIS “So what happens to all of these patients?” asked Dr. Jacobson, referring to people who find themselves without access to painkillers due to the tighter regulations implemented earlier this year. “They have nowhere to go. I think that’s an opportunity for cannabis to certainly take up some of that slack.” He’s not the only one in the medical community who thinks cannabis has its merits. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), cannabis, much like opioids, has been shown to be effective in treating chronic

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pain. NIDA’s research suggests the cannabinoid and opioid receptor systems rely on common signaling pathways in the brain, including the dopamine reward system that is central to drug tolerance, dependence, and addiction. In his latest documentary “Weed 4: Pot vs. Pills” which premiered April 29, CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta references a 2017 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine study that finds opioids target the breathing centers in the brain, putting their users at real risk of dying from overdose. Dr. Gupta noted in an April 24th letter to U.S. Attorney General Sessions, prior to the documentary's airing, that “in stark contrast, with cannabis, there is virtually no risk of overdose or sudden death. Even more remarkable, cannabis treats pain in a way opioids cannot. Though both drugs target receptors that interfere with pain signals to the brain, cannabis does something more: It targets another receptor that decreases inflammation -- and does it fast.” Data shows more and more people are finding their way to cannabis from opioids. New research published in April from two U.S. universities has shown states with legalized medical marijuana have lower issues of opioid abuse. JAMA Internal Medicine journal published the studies which compared opioid prescription patterns in states that have enacted medical cannabis laws with those that have not. One of

the studies looked at opioid prescriptions covered by Medicare Part D between 2010 and 2015, while the other looked at opioid prescriptions covered by Medicaid between 2011 and 2016. In those studies researchers found that states allowing the use of cannabis for medical purposes had 2.21 million fewer daily doses of opioids prescribed per year under Medicare Part D, compared with those states without

“Cannabis is a wonderful alternative to opiate medications not only because it does provide pain relief, but it is a much healthier alternative to using opioids. It’s so much safer but I would also talk to them about all the risks there are in continuing to use opioids like the bowel obstructions, addiction, death,” explained Shepherd medical cannabis laws. Opioid prescriptions under Medicaid also dropped by 5.88 percent in states with medical cannabis laws compared with states without such laws, according to the studies. The studies also showed that states that permitted recreational use saw an additional 6.38 percent reduction in opioid prescriptions under Medicaid compared with

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The Scope of Opioid Use in Nevada , 2016 Opioid-Related Hospitalizations, Nevada Residents, 2010-2016

The % change of ED encounters in this time was +136% and for IP

admission was +84%. (2010 – 2016)

10,000 9,000

9% of the IP admissions had a length

8,621

of stay 15 days or longer. (2016)

8,000 7,022 7,000

Over 26% of ED encounters and

7,495

5,517

34% of IP admissions were among

patients aged 55 years and

6,000 5,000

4,362

4,755

5,067

5,042

4,000

4,122

3,000 2,963

3,188

older. (2016)

5,695

Medicaid paid for 48% of ED

4,543

encounters and 38% of IP admissions. (2016)

3,473

2,000

Of the opioid poisonings (965.0 ICD-9, T40.0-T40.4, and T40.6 ICD-10), 38%

1,000

were Heroin, 3% were Methadone,

and 60% were other Opioids or Narcotics. (2016)

0 2010

2011

2012

2013

Emergency Room Encounters (ED)

2014

2015

2016

Inpatient Admissions (IP)

Naloxone was administered by the hospital on 20.7% of the ED patients with opioid poisoning. (2016)

In October 2015, ICD-10-CM codes were implemented. Previous to October 2015, ICD-9-CM codes were used for medical billing. Therefore, 2015 data consists of two distinct coding schemes, ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM respectively. Due to this change in coding schemes, hospital billing data from October 2015 forward may not be directly comparable to previous data.

Opioid-Related Overdose Deaths, Nevada Residents, 2010-2016*

500 400 300

436

460

2010*

2011*

436

395

366

2013*

2014*

200

409

387

100 0 2012*

2015*

2016* *Data are preliminary

Roughly 85% of all The opioid-related deaths benzodiazepine-related overdose in Nevada have decreased by 12%. deaths also involve opioids. The greatest number of deaths each year occur among those aged 45 to 54 years. (2010 – 2016)

Roughly 30% of all opioidrelated overdose deaths also involve benzodiazepines. (2010 – 2016)

59% of the opioid-related overdose deaths were caused by natural and semisynthetic opioids, 20% were caused by

Of the opioid-related deaths in Nevada,

85% were deemed accidents and 13%

heroin, 13% by methadone, 13% synthetic opioids, and the remaining 7% were unspeciﬁed opioids. (2016)

were deemed suicide. (2010 – 2016)

Nevada clinicians wrote 94 painkiller prescriptions for every 100 Nevada residents. (2012)

Based on Nevada’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), for opioid prescriptions in 2016: Total Prescriptions = 2,538,885 Total 2016 population = 2,902,853

Per Capita = 87/100 residents Prepared by the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, October 18, 2017

those states that permitted marijuana only for medical use, according to Hefei Wen, assistant professor of health management and policy at the University of Kentucky and a lead author on the Medicaid study. "We found that there was about a 14.5 percent reduction in any opiate use when dispensaries were turned on -- and that was statistically significant. So dispensaries are much more powerful in terms of shifting people away from the use of opiates,” said David Bradford, professor of public administration and policy at the University of Georgia and a lead author of the Medicare study, in a CNN article. Additionally, the impact of cannabis laws also differed based on the class of opioid prescribed. Specifically, states with medical cannabis laws saw 20.7 percent fewer morphine prescriptions and 17.4 percent fewer hydrocodone prescriptions compared with states that did not have these laws, according to Bradford. Though it is premature to draw a definitive causeeffect relationship between medical marijuana and opioid overdose, data from a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine in October 2014 suggests that medicinal marijuana could save up to 10,000 lives every year. As multiple studies cited in this story illustrate, cannabis has become an obvious alternative for those who are addicted to turn to if it’s legally available because of it anti-inflammatory properties. Cannabis not only helps

treat pain, reducing the initial need for opioids, but it is also effective at easing opioid withdrawal symptoms. “Cannabis is a wonderful alternative to opiate medications not only because it does provide pain relief, but it is a much healthier alternative to using opioids. It’s so much safer but I would also talk to them (patients) about all the risks there are in continuing to use opioids like the bowel obstructions, addiction, death,” explained Shepherd, who once watched a woman spit in a doctor’s face over one Percocet. “I think these pills are the gateway drug for heroin because that’s what people turn to when physicians take them off their opiates. I have seen nurses steal mediations. It’s sad that this is legal and this is how our government runs.”

BREAKING THE CYCLE OF ADDICTION Breaking free from the opioid cycle of addiction is not easy. “You have to want to wean yourself off because you are going to puke, you are going to poop, you are going to feel shitty, you are really going to have to really want it. A lot of people addicted to these opiates who are trying to come off them will sneak them and hide them because they are so sick. People can lose their lives trying to withdraw,” said Shepherd. Dr. Jacobson agreed, “It’s really hard especially if you have been on them for a really long time. These are really hard medications to get off of for a number of reasons. The

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way the medicines work, you develop an increase in the pain receptors in your body and you become very, very sensitive to pain. And getting off them can be torture for a lot of people and cannabis can be really helpful for easing that transition.” Shepherd tells the story of an older patient she worked with who really wanted to stop taking morphine and started by using edibles in the form of chocolate chip cookies. “Three days after buying the cookies she came back and said she had lost 10 lbs. and stopped 30 mgs of her morphine and she had been on 60 mg a day. I told her

“You can’t see yourself ever living without pain pills again. That’s the scary part. They become so intrinsic to the way you live your life. I still do have anxiety about giving them up to an extent,” said Gregoire, who has cut his use of hydrocodone in half since he started vaping CBD-dominant cannabis and no longer takes sleep aid Ambien or Flexeril, a muscle relaxant. to taper down a little bit slower. The next time I saw her she told me she had thrown the morphine in the trash and she

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didn’t have the walker, and her gait was better too. This was in the space of a month, it was insane. It took her a month to come off morphine, but she really wanted it badly,” said Shepherd. Both Dr. Jacobson and Shepherd are emphatic that every case is different. “It’s all situational. I had a lady who wanted to get off Tramadol. She is just using the topicals right now because she doesn’t like to get high,” explained Shepherd. “Other people want to be high because it helps the pain. It’s all situational and it depends on the person. If you want to do quick pain relief, you smoke. If you have got localized pain and want to be able to still function, you do topicals. If you are in an extreme amount of pain, you do edibles and vaping and topicals -- use it all, it won’t kill you like opiates,” said Shepherd. “It’s a psychological addiction as well as a physical one. You have to overcome both addictions, and sometimes emotional too, if you are that attached to them.” That has proven true for 66-year-old Kent Gregoire who started using cannabis three years ago to cut down on the pharmaceuticals he has been taking since 1985 to treat chronic pain resulting from two car accidents. “You can’t see yourself ever living without pain pills again. That’s the scary part. They become so intrinsic to the way you live your life. I still do have anxiety about giving them

up to an extent,” said Gregoire, who has cut his use of hydrocodone in half since he started vaping CBD-dominant cannabis and no longer takes sleep aid Ambien or Flexeril, a muscle relaxant. Charlo Crossley, 66, a dancer who injured her knee while performing in a Broadway show in 2004, agreed. “There’s a psychology behind Norco and Vicodin that not only does it take away your pain, but it gives you an upbeat feeling. The only thing I can compare it to is Quaaludes. It makes people very loose and upbeat. It was like drinking a bunch of tequila,” relayed Crossley, who started using cannabis last year and has been able to cut her Vicodin use in half. “Pain causes anxiety. It’s just upsetting, it slows you down and you want to be able to keep going. When I take the cannabis oil in the morning it definitely helps me feel better and it does lift my mood. It’s definitely making a difference in my world.”

IS CANNABIS THE ANSWER? Dr. Jacobson prefers a holistic approach and generally recommends CBD topicals, liposomal or sublingual products, and low temperature vaping to his patients. “For someone with chronic pain, I try to get them off smoking. I try to get them on a topical or a tincture, or a sublingual

that’s going to be a standard dose. You take it four times a day and start with a set amount, whether its 10 milligrams four times a day, depending on what their tolerance is and kind of slowly go up on it until they get the desired effect. I usually like to help people at least be on equal amounts of THC/CBD,” he suggested. But Dr. Jacobson asserts that there are downsides to cannabis too. “There’s lots of potential harms. Do we know all the harms yet? We certainly don’t know for sure. My feeling is it’s pretty safe and the evidence is that it’s pretty safe,” he said. “There is certainly some concern over increasing risk of heart attack, increasing the risk of developing psychosis, increased panic attacks and anxiety in certain people. All of these are potential harms. I think people need to be aware of those,” stated Dr. Jacobson, who then asked, “What are the benefits of cannabis? Can we get them off opiates?” As for addiction to cannabis, Dr. Jacobson concedes it’s absolutely a possibility. Because I work in a holistic fashion, I always want people to get off cannabis if possible. I want to get them off all the herbs and supplements that I prescribe. That should be the goal. They shouldn’t be dependent on anything. But if they need to stay on it, I am a lot happier that they are on cannabis than opiates. It’s not even a close call when you weigh the risks and benefits.”

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HEALING THE POWER OF MEDICINAL CANNABIS WITH THE HELP OF CBD, GRANDMOTHER CELEBRATES BEING CANCER-FREE THIS MOTHER’S DAY

N By Richard S. Gubbe

Now you see ‘em, now you don’t. Mary Lee Miller had cancer, but doctors say the Las Vegan is now free of the disease. A fairly common outcome these days for those in the oncology world. But Mary Lee and her doctors say two rounds of chemotherapy she received last June had nothing to do with eliminating tumors in her breast. In fact, the pair of chemo outings made her too sick to continue with any oncology treatments. However, as most “miracle” stories have a twist, this one contains just three letters – CBD. When the diagnosis of breast cancer came with little hope attached, Mary Lee’s grandson, John Miller, 25, stepped forward with a plea of desperation. “I told her you need to start consuming CBD,” John said of cannabidiol, a cannabis compound that has significant medical benefits including being anti-tumoral. “I told her she should start taking this now.” Smoking cannabis was out of the question, as was THC in any form at first. The younger Miller should know of what he speaks about cannabis products, he has been employed at local dispensary Shango Las Vegas for the past year. But convincing a conservative Catholic who was raised to believe that reefer meant madness was no easy task. Then again, she had nothing to lose. “I started with a candy bar after

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I found out I had stage two cancer in June, and John asked if I would eat a piece every day for him. I credit John and CBD for saving my life and so do the doctors, but they can’t say that,” she said. “I had a doctor’s assistant tell me they can’t give the credit to CBD but they know that’s what did it. The physician’s assistant said, ‘he won’t tell you this, but CBD is the reason you were cured.’” Doctors at Southern Hills Hospital thought they had sent Mary Lee home to die. She said she was told any more

The prospects for living any longer than the age of 77 seemed bleak. The last resort started with some Shango Premium CBD Chocolate bars using CBD from the very grow rooms where John cultivated cannabis for Shango. Nothing else. No holistic remedies of any kind. “In the beginning of July, I was

“I had a doctor’s assistant tell me they can’t give the credit to CBD but they know that’s what did it. The physician’s assistant said, ‘he won’t tell you this, but CBD is the reason you were cured." chemo would only end her life more quickly. “I had two chemo treatments and found I was highly allergic with it,” she said. “It was like I drank acid every day and I got ulcers in my throat and on my esophagus. I was in the hospital five days and picked up an infection. I said I didn’t want any more.”

so sick from chemo, but toward the end of July they started shrinking,” Mary Lee said of the two tumors in her right breast. “I started with a candy bar not thinking it was going to do anything and soon the tumors were gone.” When she went in for a reexamination in October of last year, her

claim of no more tumors was met with skepticism. “I told the doctors the lumps are gone and he examined my breast and he was shocked. They found nothing. I had a mammogram on the right breast and there was nothing there. The doctor admitted the first two chemo treatments wasn’t enough to do anything,” said Mary Lee. “They cut her open and couldn’t find the tumor anymore. The doctors told her it wasn’t the chemo and this was after the doctors thought she was at the end of her rope,” John said, who noted, “Her hair has grown back and she has color in her face. It’s pretty remarkable.” Once Mary Lee began to feel better she added a Hope Relief vape pen with a 3:1 CBD to THC ratio to her regimen. How much the small amount of THC had to do with healing, no one can be sure. Whether the results stemmed from the entourage effect of a little THC and terpenes with CBD, or whether CBD was the driving force we will never know until cases like Mary Lee’s are documented and studied. Mary Lee later went through with a mastectomy for prevention because “they warn the kind I have will come back in two to three years.” However, her mastectomy and being cancer-free has not stopped her from using CBD. She now uses a CBD topical from Mary’s Medicinals and says

it helps with the neuropathy that came with the chemo. “I think the CBD stuff is fantastic. I’m going to take them the rest of my life as a preventative measure,” she said of adhering to a regimen of two vape pen hits in the morning and two at night. And, of course, the chocolate bars. “People think you’re tweaking or whatever you call it,” she joked. “They are not going to tell me what I can and I can’t do. Everybody was the same way when we grew up. They thought marijuana was evil. I smoked (cigarettes) until I was 50. I smoked even when I was pregnant, and no one thought anything of it, but you didn’t smoke marijuana.” Her enjoyment of five grandchildren who all live in the area makes each day a treasured one. And she is an advocate for anyone who will listen. “I really believe in it,” she enthused. “They can’t give me a reason why the tumors disappeared. I didn’t do anything but eat a little piece of candy every day.” (Editor’s Note: Just as there are different types of breast cancer requiring specialized treatment, there are various strains of medicinal cannabis that have varying healing compounds. Studies have shown breast cancers that involve estrogen may spread in response to large amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).)

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MARIJUANA FOR MOM? She’s asked, here’s what you should get her By Justin Alexander

t’s a very popular question for those of us in the cannabis industry: My mom wants to try cannabis, what do you suggest? Of course, it’s not a one size fits all answer, but any discussion should begin with some education. “Having an open dialogue about cannabis is the first step. Many moms, especially older moms, grew up with the Reefer Madness concept of cannabis and have been grossly misinformed by antimarijuana propaganda,” explained Jillian Nelson of Evergreen Organix. “It is very important to educate them about the truth and medical value of cannabis so that they can warm up to the idea first, before proposing any form of consumption.” Next, bring up key medical points such as cannabis’ relationship with the body’s endocannabinoid system. “We like to think of cannabis as the health supplement of the future. Cannabis helps manage insomnia and pain, not to mention stress and anxiety,” said Christie Strong, marketing communications manager at edible company Kiva. “Small doses of cannabis also augment our body's endogenous cannabinoids. Using cannabis as a supplement opens up a new understanding of the ways that this plant can help balance our body, and helps our internal systems maintain homeostasis.” While your mother may not have health problems, cannabis’ role as an alternative to alcohol and pharmaceuticals may be of interest to her. “I believe as more mothers begin their relationship with cannabis, they will be lessening their

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consumption of alcohol,” added Chris Welch, cultivation director at Remedy. “The moms that I've watched start trying cannabis have definitely cut back on their wine intake. And I've watched CBD products replace pharmaceuticals for ADHD, anxiety, epilepsy—even autism.” No matter if it’s for pain relief, anxiety, insomnia or even utilized as a beauty aid, Nevada’s dispensaries have an array of lotions, salves, edibles, vapes and pre-rolls that make finding the gift she wants easy this Mother’s Day.

EVERGREEN ORGANIX HERBAL RELIEF SALVE Every-“body” loves a good lotion. If mom wants relief from sore muscles, stiff joints and minor aches without ingestion, topical salves are the perfect solution and experts say they hold the most medicinal value of any cannabis genre. “Many people are trying to find ways to help their aging parents cope with chronic pain, joint stiffness or arthritis. We almost always recommend they try topical cannabis products. This is especially true for older moms who are unfamiliar with cannabis and are a little unsure about the idea of cannabis in

general. Topicals are a nice starting point for many elderly people who are new to cannabis and tend to be easily received by first-timers,” Evergreen Organix Jillian Nelson suggested of EO’s Herbal Relief Salve which contains 98.7 mg THC, .450 mg CBD, 2.22 mg eucalyptol, 1.47 mg pinene, and 1.00 mg limonene. “Our salve is crafted with all-natural ingredients, many of which are grown locally in Las Vegas. It is infused with menthol, camphor, arnica and cannabis to create a soothing balm that eases sore muscles and joint stiffness.” Evergreen Organix also has products that are specifically made for women including Menstrual Relief Oil which can help with PMS cramps and pain. “It works wonders and has changed the lives of many women dealing with debilitating menstrual pain,” said Nelson.

O.PENVAPE ISH BAVARIAN CREAM CARTRIDGE For the mom who is interested in a discreet cannabis experience, O.penVAPE’s ISH Bavarian Cream cartridge is just the ticket — especially if she loves a sweet chocolate flavor rolling over her senses while relaxing throughout the day. It is one of the best tasting vapes we have ever tried, true to its intended rich notes with terpenes of B-caryophyllene (.55 mg) and linalool (1.93 mg). “The ISH cartridge is mom’s best friend. It looks like an e-cig, smells like a body spray, and the sweet Bavarian Cream flavor will satiate that naughty late-night sweet tooth. Not only is it delicious, but it’s a very high-potency distillate, meaning it’s been highly refined from any plant material not contributing to the cannabinoid content,” said Margaux Hansberry, Nevada sales manager at TGIG, LLC, of ISH Bavarian Cream, which contains 82.64 percent D9THC, 1.69 percent CBC, and 3.71 percent THCA. “My mom loves how she can get away with using her ISH pen anywhere without being obvious about what she’s consuming. The high potency helps relieve her pain from fibromyalgia quickly.” Hansberry recommends three eight-second puffs of the 500 mg cartridge and suggests O.penVAPE is perhaps a healthier way to medicate. “We use cannabis-derived strainspecific terpene reintroduction in our cartridges as opposed to botanically derived terpenes or synthetic flavoring and less harmful cutting agents like propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin and MCT oil,” Hansberry explains. “Vaporizing vegetable-derived oils may cause lipid lung, a mild form of pneumonia that can be permanent.”

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CITY CAPS RISE 4:1 Perhaps mom is new to cannabis and needs some gentle help with aging’s telltale signs but is not quite ready to hit a vape. CBD capsules are the perfect starter product for such a patient. “People are curious about whether their mom should incorporate cannabis for her health,” explained Kawehi Galuteria, City Trees account representative. “People recognize the medicinal benefits from cannabinoids like CBD and now that we know what the science behind the entourage effect does, it means having an even more in-depth conversation with our families. In short, [the entourage effect] means that there is strength in numbers, and the more cannabinoids or terpenes present, the stronger the effects can be.” Galuteria continued, “Because they have a very low tolerance, oftentimes, smoking a joint or even eating an edible can feel like too much for a newcomer to cannabis, I recommend micro-dosing CBD. You don’t get any psychoactive effects, although CBD is much more effective with small amounts of THC present. Beginners can start with CBD and slowly bring other cannabinoids to the party to see the differences between them.” The ultimate in discreet dosing, City Caps RISE 4:1 capsules are portable, flavorless—even vegan and offer a ratio of one-part THC to four parts CBD. “These ingestible capsules come in a pack of 10. Their subtle effects don’t give users a hazy high but instead a clear-headed and focused feeling without any psychoactivity despite having 5 mg of THC. This small amount of THC acts like a microphone for CBD, amplifying the effects,” offered Galuteria.

8FOLD LAVENBERRY DIESEL HYBRID DISPOSABLE PEN There are so many vapes out there, it sometimes makes it difficult to pick the best one for mom. But if you’re looking for great taste, high potency, and elevated pain relief wrapped in a stylish design, check out 8Fold’s Lavenberry Diesel cartridge. “My customer base loves them,” says Booker Reid, lead patient advisor at The+Source dispensary in Las Vegas. “They’re

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everything you need without the hassle or worry — no buttons, chargers, oil cartridges. The fact that they are discreet and come with very little smell is a plus as well.” The soothing, subtle hints of lavender will lull mom into a dreamscape with help from cancer-fighting, immuneboosting and pain-relieving compounds like CBC (1.95 percent), beta-caryophyllene (3.82 mg) and alpha-humulene (1.02 mg). “At 74.8 percent THC, there are some good amounts of CBG (2.21 percent), which has been shown to be an effective antibacterial agent,” Reid relayed. “It’s a heavy hybrid indica blend that will leave mom feeling relaxed.” Grab an 8Fold Lavenberry vape and help mom puff her way into an anti-inflammatory heavenly state.

REMEDY’S ANTIDOTE TINCTURE, JBO CAPSULES AND CBD EXTRASTRENGTH PAIN LOTION Think of Remedy as a onestop shop for mom’s pain relief no matter what format you are looking for. Remedy creates several amazing medicinal products that will soothe, relax and rejuvenate mom without her becoming stoned. Every mom will appreciate the relief provided by Remedy’s product line, starting with their 20:1 Antidote Tincture. “I love a tincture for starters and heavy users. Because of the controlled dosing, you can take as much or as little as your body requires, and 20:1 is just enough THC to help with the synergistic effects, but not enough that you would get high from it,” said Chris Welch, cultivation director at Remedy. “It's a great product you can use any time of day.” Tinctures are administered sublingually, placed under the tongue for maximum absorption. They can provide pain relief in as little as 15 minutes and can even be added to food or drinks. Remedy also offers 2:1 JBO Capsules, which are low-dose CBD/THC pills that can be discreetly taken whenever mom needs quick pain relief. Remedy’s CBD Extra-Strength Pain Lotion provides perfect topical relief — and its scent of honey cinnamon doesn’t hurt, either. Topicals work by binding to the CB2 receptors in the skin. The human body has CB2 receptors throughout that are activated by cannabis compounds such as THC and CBD. But even topicals high in THC won’t create psychoactive effects — they’ll just heal sore joints and muscles, and soothe headaches.

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MEDIZIN’S CHLOE VAPE CARTRIDGE At 77.82 percent THC, Medizin’s Chloe vaporizer, a luxuriously packaged pen that comes in an origami-style box, will knock mom’s comfy slippers off and then some. “Mothers want elegance and quality, and we have taken notice of that. We believe it is important to have a memorable experience when seeing and opening our packaging. Taking the extra step to quality is always important to us,” explained Medizin’s David Farris. Medizin goes the extra mile with their pens, creating a quality product that is a cut above your average cannabis experience. “We took our time bringing this world-class cartridge to market. We developed a state-of-the-art process to remove all the terpenes from freshly harvested cannabis plants prior to extraction. We then extract the THC and other cannabinoids from the flower, followed by the removal of all impurities by filtration and distillation. The original terpenes are reintroduced to the ultra-pure activated cannabis oil to create a vaping experience as close to tasting the live plant as possible,” said Farris. “We then finish the process by loading the oil into the finest cartridge available on the market, an allglass and stainless housing with a ceramic coil for the most accurate flavor transmission possible.” Beyond its chic packaging and innovative extraction process, the Chloe strain is a sativa-dominant hybrid that is ultra-relaxing and gives immediate pain relief, boosting appetite and alleviating pain. Mom will be creative, uplifted and happy with a terpene profile of B-myrcene (28.9 mg), D-limonene (28.34 mg), linalool (5.02 mg), and B-caryophyllene (2.84 mg).

KIVA CONFECTIONS’ TERRA DARK CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO BEANS & TERRA MILK CHOCOLATE BLUEBERRIES Making mom happy is always a top priority and much can be said of introducing her to the benefits of cannabis to make her feel healthier and more relaxed. With the gift of Kiva’s Terra Bites, you will treat mom right with the ultimate in portable potency that tastes great too. Many agree that the future of cannabis edibles lies in micro-dosing and Terra Bites are a great example of that. “There will always be high tolerance recreational users, but millions more will use subtle doses of cannabis to stay

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healthy, enhance their mood, and boost their creativity,” said Christie Strong, marketing communications manager at Kiva. “I'm sure we're going to see new convenient formats in the future, and precise formulations that create very specific experiences for users.” Packaged in a discreetly slim container, Kiva Blueberry Terra Bites are 20 milk chocolate-covered blueberries that “contain 5 mg of THC each, a light dose that can be integrated into your daily routine to help mitigate stress and anxiety,” said Strong, who notes Blueberry Terra Bites are very popular with insomniacs. “These are the perfect entry point for mothers who are more interested in the subtle relaxing properties of cannabis rather than a strong psychoactive experience.”

For coffee lovers who enjoy a good kick, Kiva’s Espresso Beans are micro-roasted Tanzanian coffee beans. “The synergies of cannabis and chocolate are incredible, so those Bites have a focusing and energizing effect making them ideal for long hours of detailed work,” said Strong. According to Strong, the best way to set mom up for success with edibles starts with 5 mg or less of edible THC. “Start her there then wait two hours for the full effects to be felt before raising her dose. This will ensure that the first experience is a positive one, and that the user feels in control.” Set and setting are also important, noted Strong. 'Set' refers to a person’s mindset, including their expectations and beliefs about cannabis. 'Setting' refers to the environment— which includes not only actual location, but also the relative safety, comfort, and even legality of where you're consuming. “You really want to minimize any chance for paranoia or anxiety by making sure you're in a relaxed environment,” recommended Strong. “Finally, have your mom set an intention for her experience. Is she looking for pain relief? Is she looking to relax after a stressful day? Having clarity about why she is using the plant will help her to harness it as a medicine and optimize her experience with it.”

Kabunky may have a funky name, but their pre-rolls are anything but. The company offers a variety of classic strains grown to their impeccable standards. Guaranteed one of these will tickle mom’s fancy. Take your pick of a indica, sativa or hybrid strain, or gift mom a well-curated selection of all three. On the heavy couchlock indica side, the tasty, earthy notes of Kosher Kush (THC: 21.47 percent and limonene: 1.2 mg) will have mom deeply relaxed after you treat her to brunch and a pedicure. On the peppy sativa

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Don’t let the name fool you, CBD Shark from Kynd isn’t an aggressive strain. Instead, it’s a mild but effective indica with a 1:1 ratio of CBD (34.58 percent) to THC (19.33 percent). “It's very popular because it has the healing, medicinal benefits of CBD paired with a nice relaxing high,” said Stacy Castillo, Kynd’s COO. “It’s enough to calm one down after a stressful day without too heavy of a couchlock effect.” Each Kynd CBD Shark cartridge contains 250 mg, enough for plenty of soothing relaxation and pain relief for moms on the go as well as a terpene profile of myrcene (.83 mg), caryophyllene (2.3 mg), and bisabolol (.83 mg). “Women are turning to cannabis to help ease the symptoms of their monthly cycle, menopause, aches and pains to supplement their workout regimes,” said Castillo. “We have had multiple success stories from mothers who deal with stress, depression and anxiety from their busy day-to-day lives, and many of them are now reaping the benefits of cannabis whereas they used to medicate with more harmful drugs.”

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side, uplifting and sweet Cherry Diesel (THC: 14.71 percent, limonene: .34 mg, and myrcene: .38 mg) will have mom pumped up to hit her to-do list in the most efficient way. In the hybrid arena, Mom will get the best of both worlds with Tropic Berry OG, an indica-dominant cross of the classic OG Kush and lip-smacking Blueberry strains (THC: 18.48 percent, limonene: 1.34 mg, and myrcene: .31 mg). If mom is not a smoker, you can’t go wrong with Kabunky’s body cream. Made with extracted cannabis lipids, it is best to only use small amounts of Kabunky Kreme during each application as it is high in THC unlike many of the CBD-rich creams on the market. Kabunky Kreme has 763 mg of THC per bottle and 310 mg of CBD. While Kabunky does not call out the genetics that go into this delightfully effective elixir—the biproducts from various plants are used for healing to create a soothing effect. It has a wide array of uses and applications and is recommended for burns, cuts, muscle aches, back pain, arthritis and more, as well as for those who suffer from lower back pain. A balm that mom can slather on to take it all away? This one is a no-brainer for the woman who at the very least deserves a daily anointment of magic bestowed upon her skin.

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This Mother’s Day, treat the top woman in your life to something magically delicious. Give her a Blue Magic strawberry-flavored pre-roll for its yumminess alone. But the health benefits can’t be overlooked. According to Jessica Woo, director of marketing for CW Nevada, their budtenders get asked daily for recommendations on how to treat “mom ailments” such as pain and insomnia. “There is a rise in catering to the female market,” Woo said. “A gentle high and relaxation are the key factors in appealing to mothers — something that will keep them alert but with just enough medicine to shrug the day’s weight off their shoulders.” These distillate-infused joints contain a whopping 300+ mg of THC making Blue Magic pre-rolls “great to pass around at parties. No one expects the super-potent punch. These always get high praise from friends. One pre-roll goes a long way,” Woo said. Blue Magic pre-rolls are also available in grape, apple and fruit punch. “With more women coming out as being open cannabis users, it has increased the acceptance of cannabis within women's health,” concluded Woo.

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(continued from page 11) her stand-up comedy. When she returns to Las Vegas at the Orleans Showroom on May 5, she’ll come with renewed superstar status, but it’s unlikely that she’ll tone down her abrasive, outspoken style. That’s, of course, what people will come to see, and part of Barr’s appeal as a performer and as a media personality is her unpredictability, her willingness to say whatever she thinks, no matter how crass or shocking or misguided. That unfiltered quality naturally led Barr to political activism, and she’s been a proponent of medical marijuana for years. Part of the platform of her 2012 presidential campaign (chronicled in the 2015 documentary Roseanne for President!) was the legalization of marijuana, and at one time she was set to open her own dispensary in Southern California. “I smoke a lot of it,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2016. “It’s ganja, God made it, it’s awesome.” Some may have viewed her presidential campaign as a joke (she came in sixth, with 0.05 percent of the popular vote), but she’s remained politically active since then, even if her views may come across as erratic. These days, Barr is just as likely to support traditionally

liberal causes like feminism and gay rights as she is to praise Donald Trump and promote questionable right-wing conspiracy theories. Really, though, her political outbursts are a continuation of her longstanding dedication to being provocative, and if alt-right views are what shock people these days, then it’s no surprise she’s embracing aspects of those. The more outrage she generates, the more people pay attention. Between her hit TV show and her controversial politics, Barr is bound to bring in plenty of curious onlookers, but once the audience shows up, she’ll be focused on making them laugh. As a stand-up comedian, Barr is a Vegas veteran, with regular performances in town over the years (and at least one extended residency). She knows how to work a crowd, how to get them on her side, how to make herself relatable. During her 2013 mini-residency at the Tropicana, she joked about being a has-been with a dwindling fan base, but even now that she’s back on top, she can still be self-deprecating and sarcastic. She’s made a career out of being the underdog who never gives up, and there’s no reason to think that she’ll stop now.

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THE MOTHER LODE Two brothers were so bullish on the healing power of CBD-rich hemp they decided to develop a product to ease their mother’s pain. By Beth Schwartz

“We believe in the power of nature and the power of the relationship we have with our body,” explains Eyal Kotler, CEO/president of Honest Globe, manufacturer and developer of health and beauty products including hempbased Elixicure. “That’s one of our founding principles, we wanted to put a better product out there that’s powered by nature.” So bullish in his belief of that power and specifically cannabidiol or CBD, the hemp/cannabis compound that offers relief from inflammation, pain, anxiety, psychosis, seizures, and spasms, Kotler left his career in the financial services industry, working for companies that included JPMorgan and Chase, to create a line of cannabisbased products.

THIS ONE’S FOR MOM Although Kotler’s initial start in the cannabis industry began with producing a breath spray and a vape pen line, it was the idea of an infused pain reliever that he and his brother, Yaniv, decided was going to

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go the distance. They were interested in creating it for their mother who has carpel tunnel syndrome and has undergone multiple fusion surgeries on her neck, wrists and back. “We created the topicals for my mom because there weren’t really many good pain creams. A lot of the other companies out there were developing products that were really heavily chemicallyridden and we really couldn’t find quality products consistently,” details Kotler of the product that eventually became Elixicure, a CBD-rich hemp-based roll-on. “My brother and I were looking at my mom’s pain cream bottle and we were like let’s try to infuse pain cream with cannabis. That’s when the lightbulb kind of went off and we started mixing different formulas and started doing more and more research and finding that a lot of things work synergistically. We just didn’t trust any of the manufacturers

two locations. one marketplace.

out there, so we started doing it ourselves and infusing products.” Because Kotler and his brother are vegans and very conscious about what they put in their bodies, they wanted the product they were developing to be created with those core beliefs in mind. “We found that we didn’t have to use only CBD. We found we could put other natural ingredients in to make a cocktail that is effective,” says Kotler, who lists camphor, willow bark, CBD, salicylic acid, and wintergreen as ingredients in Elixicure. “Our product is more of a cocktail of plantbased compounds that have been proven and have research behind them to work for pain management.” Once the formula for Elixicure was perfected, next came the challenge of making a CBD hemp product at an affordable price. “At the time, CBD was much more expensive than it is today. We made hundreds of different formulas before we came up with this one which was pretty much unanimous in its effectiveness among the people who put it on their aches and pains because they forgot about their aches and their pains,” Kotler recalls with a laugh, who started his company Honest Globe in Nov. 2015.

BETTING ON CBD With an eye to the future and potential changes to legalization, Kotler began researching FDA guidelines on toxicology. “There are a lot of guidelines we follow to make sure it would be considered an unadulterated product. You’ve got to research what’s the maximum amount of this ingredient and that ingredient. So, there is a lot of compliance we must adhere to before we just put out a product. We spent a full year perfecting our

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product as far as its formula before we even put it out there. The rest is history.” As for tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the psychoactive compound in cannabis, Kotler recognizes its value but

We created the topicals for my mom because there weren’t really many good pain creams. A lot of the other companies out there were developing products that were really heavily chemically-ridden and we really couldn’t find quality products consistently,” details Kotler of Elixicure, a hemp CBD roll-on. decided to bet on CBD instead for a few reasons. The first being President Trump. “The uncertainly of the Trump Administration is the first reason we are diving deeper into CBD because the foundation is a little bit more stable right now,” notes Kotler. “In the future, the THC floodgates will open but right now with the whole hemp movement and being able to process under the Farm Bill, I think it has paved the way for CBD and hemp products,” Kolter says, noting,

“We do have a version that has THC in it, however, we knew CBD was going to be better for the market and have a bigger appeal. When you look at all the research behind CBD, it really helps with a lot of ailments and we knew the market viability is really primed for CBD right now.” The other reason Kotler alludes to is the aforementioned 2014 Farm Bill, which included a section that allowed for universities and state departments of agriculture to begin cultivating industrial hemp for purposes of agricultural research. “To me, that Farm Bill is the leak in the dam. It’s gonna burst open because CBD is instrumental in showing that cannabis is medicinal. Especially because it’s legal and now all this research is coming out on it,” explains Kotler, who calls the Farm Bill the industry’s bible. “It protects us and as long as we stick to that, we believe we have federally compliant CBD. We are creating a good product out of it and doing the research to show that CBD is very beneficial to health and recovery.” Not only a bible, the 2014 Farm Bill has been a jumpstart for cannabis entrepreneurs to do research. “We have the opportunity to start doing that and submit this research and I truly believe it will eventually pave the way for everything else, especially when you start to look at the efficacy of CBD when you introduce THC.”

COMPLIANCE, COMPLIANCE, COMPLIANCE The next stage in Honest Globe’s development of Elixicure is where Kotler’s experience in the financial industry comes in handy. During his tenure in banking, Kotler learned about the relationships between every department in a corporation. “It was the whole gearbox, you learn every gear and how every gear spins together. The workflow between shipping, receiving, production -- every person has their spot in the gearbox and you are only as strong as your weakest link. I learned about getting that organization tight and managed properly. That’s really what kind of separates us from a lot of cannabis manufacturers is that they are not taking it to that next level of organizational compliance and accountability on every level,” points out Kotler. “My viewpoint is that I am not reinventing the wheel over here, just applying the same principles that I learned in that world. It just so happens the industry is so new that a lot of people don’t have the knowledge of how to do that. So that gives us a major competitive advantage.” Kotler believes this puts his company way ahead of the curve with regards to FDA compliance. “My professional career in the banking world was all compliance, compliance, compliance. So, when I came over to this side, I see the bigger picture that we can totally apply those principles.”

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LEGALEASE CONFLICT BETWEEN STATE AND FEDERAL CANNABIS LAWS CREATE TENSION FOR CANNABIS PATIENTS AND THEIR EMPLOYERS By Derek J. Connor, Esquire

lthough medical and recreational use of marijuana is legal under Nevada state law now, it still remains illegal under federal law and the laws of several other jurisdictions. For those who use marijuana, the conflict between state and federal law can lead to legal problems in several areas, including employment. Current Nevada law states that an employer (public or private) can maintain, enact, and enforce policies that prohibit or restrict marijuana use in the workplace, regardless of its legality at the state level. Simply put: your boss does not have to allow marijuana use in the workplace and is within his or her rights to enforce such policies, even if it means terminating an employee. But, what if you have a Nevada medical marijuana patient card? Can your boss still fire you? The answer to that question is not so clear-cut. The Nevada Revised Statutes do not require employers to allow medical marijuana in the workplace, however, an attempt must be made on the employer’s end to make “reasonable accommodations” for employees who hold a valid identification card. Such accommodations should not endanger any person or property, interfere with employees’ work responsibilities, or prohibit law enforcement officials from doing their jobs. Recreational users do not enjoy any such protections. Based solely on these regulations, it appears that if you hold a valid Nevada medical marijuana patient card, then you are entitled to reasonable accommodations from your boss and would therefore be safe from termination (within reason). Unfortunately, as an ongoing lawsuit involving Sunrise Hospital illustrates, it’s not that simple. Nurse Scott Nellis was

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fired from his position at Sunrise Hospital after a routine drug test revealed he had marijuana in his system. As reported by the Nevada Independent on February 22, hospital officials believed Nellis was working while under the influence (a violation of hospital policy) and subsequently fired him. At the time, Nellis possessed a valid Nevada medical marijuana patient card due to injuries incurred while on the job after being attacked by a patient. Additionally, Nellis argued that he was never impaired while working and that “marijuana shows up in tests as long as a month after the substance is ingested,” which could explain the drug test results. By firing him, Nellis’ lawsuit claims that Sunrise Hospital violated Nevada law by failing to provide “reasonable accommodations” for an employee who had a valid medical marijuana patient card. Recently, Sunrise Hospital attempted to file a motion to dismiss Nellis’ lawsuit, however, Clark County District Court Judge Mark Bailus rejected it. As the lawsuit moves forward, several questions regarding medical marijuana use and the workplace will take center stage: • When is firing an employee for medical marijuana use appropriate? • What constitutes “reasonable accommodations”? • How can employers accurately test for marijuana impairment? The result of this lawsuit could finally provide a definitive answer to these questions and more. Unfortunately, until we have a clear answer from the courts, medical marijuana patients still run the risk of being terminated from their jobs.

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OPEN FOR BUSINESS MEDMEN OPENS 45,000-SQUARE-FOOT IN NORTHERN NEVADA A year and a half after breaking ground, MedMen cut the ribbon at its 45,000-square-foot, $15 million cultivation 10 miles outside of Reno/Sparks in mid-April. The facility has a 26,000-square-foot greenhouse from the Netherlands which is augmented with specialized LED lighting as well as houses a tissue culture lab and extraction area. The flowering room can house up to 25,000 marijuana plants. The facility is expected to produce close to 10,000 pounds per year. The Nevada factory is the first of three MedMen facilities slated for completion. The other factories will be located in Desert Hot Springs, California, and Utica, New York, and will be based on the same blueprint and design used in the Nevada facility. MedMen operations are split between the northern and the southern part of the state. The facility in Washoe County is not open to the public and is only for growing plants and producing products. Las Vegas is home to MedMen’s dispensary as well as the company’s future Nevada headquarters

HEROGROWN FOUNDATION TO HOST SPRING GOLF CLASSIC ON MAY 24 The inaugural HeroGrown Foundation Spring Golf Classic is being held on Thursday, May 24 at Siena Golf Club in Las Vegas. All proceeds from the tournament will help support HeroGrown Foundation’s efforts to save the more than 20,000 American heroes who die each year from prescription drug overdose and suicide. HeroGrown Foundation’s newest project, CBD AirDrop, will supply free CBD products to veterans and first responders in all 50 states. To participate in golf tournament, visit https://herogrown.golf. CANNABITION MUSEUM TO OPEN AT DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS’ NEONOPOLIS IN JULY A museum centered around cannabis and featuring a 360-degree theater will open in July in downtown Las Vegas, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Cannabition will open in Neonopolis at 450 Fremont St., according to the museum’s website. The museum also will house the world’s largest blown-glass bong at 22 feet. While at the museum, visitors are not allowed to smoke cannabis or use products with cannabis’ psychoactive ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, according to the website. Tickets start at $4.20. Visitors must be 21 or older. cannabition.com

Learn More at www.HeroGrown.golf

Over 50 Veterans and First Responders die everyday from suicide and prescription drug overdose. HeroGrown’s mission is to raise awareness, advocate, and assist veterans, first responders and their families with the use of cannabis as a safe alternative to deadly prescription drugs.

HIT THE LINKS IN SUPPORT OF OUR LIFE-SAVING MISSION

The HeroGrown Foundation Spring Golf Classic is fast-paced, golfer friendly, and fun. At the conclusion of play, rub elbows with the brightest minds in the cannabis industry at the Titans of Cannabis Banquet -featuring food, entertainment, and a live auction with celebrity auctioneer Jeff Manning.

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DISPENSARY MAP A Guide to Cannabis in Southern Nevada

RENO

PECOS RD

JONES BLVD

CACTUS AVE

O .R

ST HENDERSON MUNICIPAL AIRPORT

PARADISE RD

VEG LAS Y RACETRACK RD

PKW AD E ME LAK

HORIZON RIDGE PKWY

HORIZON DR

515

GE SUNRSIDPKWY HEIGHT

16b

MARYLAND PKWY

D BLV AS

L RD

29b

6TH ST

COMMERCE ST MAIN ST 3RD ST

TER WES

AVE

RIA

HIG

UST

HLA

12b

215

GIBSON RD

STEPHANIE ST

WARM SPRINGS RD

HENDERSON WIGWAM PKWY 16a

RANCHO DR

LAMB BLVD

PECOS RD

SET

PKWY

DECATUR BLVD

HIG SO HL UTH AN ER DS N PK W

SUN

31b

SILVERADO RANCH BLVD

18 AVE

SAM BOYD STADIUM

WINDMILL LN

PEBBLE RD

AMO

E DI

BLU

515

4c DESERT INN RD

D RD

LLY

KAREN AVE

WINDMILL LN

SUNSET COUNTY PARK

SAHARA AVE

RUSSELL RD SUNSET RD

23a

OAKEY BLVD

8a 13 24 ST. LOUIS AVE

E TWAIN

GREEN VALLEY

MCCARRAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

GREEN DISTRICT

FLAMINGO RD PECOS RD

VEG

LAS VEGAS TROPICANA AVE

DESERT INN RD

22 SANDHILL RD

AS B

30b

SAHARA AVE

STR

23a

215

WARM SPRINGS RD

THE

NELLIS BLVD

EASTERN AVE

8c 29a

RUSSELL RD

SUNSET RD

CHARLESTON BLVD

MARYLAND PKWY

IND

MAI

TROPICANA AVE

9 28

JONES BLVD

RAINBOW BLVD

BUFFALO DR

FLAMINGO RD

NELLIS BLVD

N 5TH

EE R LOS

N ST

32b 5b 3 20

3 20

SAHARA AVE

BONANZA RD

4b DESERT INN RD

OAKEY BLVD

32b

CHARLESTON BLVD

OWENS AVE

BERMUDA RD

DURANGO DR

FT APACHE RD

TOWN CENTER DR

HUALAPAI WAY

SAHARA AVE

VEG

WASHINGTON AVE

31a

RTH NO LVD NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE

B AS

LAKE MEAD BLVD

LVD

ALTA DR

PAHRUMP

MARYLAND PKWY

CHARLESTON BLVD

30a

LAS

WASHINGTON AVE

215

160

23b CAMINO AL NORTE / MLK

SIMMONS ST

VEGAS DR

159

DECATUR BLVD

CAREY AVE BLVD

LAS

LIN

NORTH LAS VEGAS AIRPORT

LAS VEGAS BLVD SOUTH

CRAIG RD

32a

DECATUR BLVD

NORTH LAS VEGAS

MESQUITE

CENTENNIAL PKWY

WASHBURN RD

OD CH

BUFFALO DR

ALEXANDER RD

ANN RD

N RA

RAINBOW BLVD

LONE MOUNTAIN RD

CHEYENNE AVE

12a

JONES BLVD

GRAND CANYON DR

DURANGO DR

LAKE ME AD

215

BOULDER CITY AND LAUGHLIN

1. Acres Cannabis acrescannabis.com 2320 Western Ave Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.399.4200

8b. Essence Cannabis Dispensary essencevegas.com 4300 E Sunset Rd Ste #A3 Henderson, NV 89014 702.978.7687

17. Nevada Wellness Center nvwellnessctr.com 3200 S Valley View Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.470.2077

28. The Apothecary Shoppe theapothecaryshoppe.com 4240 W Flamingo Rd Ste #100 Las Vegas, NV 89103 702.740.4372

2. Apothecarium apothecariumlv.com 7885 W Sahara Ave Las Vegas, NV 89117 702.778.7987

8c. Essence Cannabis Dispensary essencevegas.com 5765 W Tropicana Ave Las Vegas, NV 89103 702.500.1714

18. NuLeaf www.nuleafnv.com 430 E Twain Ave Las Vegas, NV 89169 702.297.5323

29a. The Dispensary thedispensarynv.com 5347 S Decatur Blvd Ste #100 Las Vegas, NV 89118 702.476.0420

3. Blackjack Collective blackjackcollective.com 1860 Western Ave Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.545.0026

9. Exhale Nevada www.exhalenevada.com 4310 W Flamingo Rd Las Vegas, NV 89103 702.447.1250

19. NuWu Cannabis Marketplace Nuwucannabis.com 1235 Paiute Circle Las Vegas, NV 89106 702.844.2707

29b. The Dispensary thedispensarynv.com 50 N Gibson Rd Ste #170 Henderson, NV 89104 702.476.0420

4a. Blüm LetsBlum.com 1921 Western Ave Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.718.Blum

10. Inyo Fine Cannabis Dispensary inyolasvegas.com 2520 S Maryland Pkwy Ste #2 Las Vegas, NV 89109 702.707.8888

20. Oasis Medical Cannabis oasismedicalcannabis.com 1800 S Industrial Rd Ste #180 Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.420.2405

30a. The Grove TheGroveNV.com 1541 E Basin Ave Pahrump, NV 89048 775.556.0100

4b. Blüm LetsBlum.com 3650 S Decatur Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89103 702.627.Blum

11. Jardin jardincannabis.com 2900 E Desert Inn Rd Ste #102 Las Vegas, NV 89121 702.331.6511

21. Panacea Quality Cannabis lvpanacea.com 4235 Arctic Spring Ave Las Vegas, NV 89115 702.405.8597

30b. The Grove TheGroveNV.com 4647 Swenson St Las Vegas, NV 89119 702.463.5777

4c. Blüm LetsBlum.com 1130 E Desert Inn Rd Las Vegas, NV 89109 702.536.Blum

12a. Jenny’s Dispensary Jennysdispensary.com 5530 N Decatur Blvd North Las Vegas, NV 89030 702.718.0420

22. Pisos Dispensary pisoslv.com 4110 S Maryland Pkwy Ste #1 Las Vegas, NV 89119 702.367.9333

31a. The Source thesourcenv.com 2550 S Rainbow Blvd Ste #8 Las Vegas, NV 89146 702.708.2000

5a. CANOPI canopi.com 6540 Blue Diamond Rd Las Vegas, NV 89139 702.420.7338

12b. Jenny’s Dispensary Jennysdispensary.com 10420 S Eastern Ave Henderson, NV 89052 702.718.0420

23a. Reef Dispensaries reefdispensaries.com 3400 Western Ave Las Vegas, NV 89109 702.475.6520

31b. The Source thesourcenv.com 9480 S Eastern Ave Ste #185 Henderson, NV 89123 702.708.2222

5b. CANOPI canopi.com 1324 S 3rd St Las Vegas, NV 89104 702.420.2902

13. Las Vegas ReLeaf lasvegasreleaf.com 2244 Paradise Rd Las Vegas, NV 89104 702.209.2400

23b. Reef Dispensaries reefdispensaries.com 1366 W Cheyenne Ave North Las Vegas, NV 89030 702.410.8032

32a. Thrive Cannabis Markeplace thrivenevada.com 2755 W Cheyenne Ave Ste #103 North Las Vegas, NV 89032 702.776.4144

5c. CANOPI canopi.com 2113 Las Vegas Blvd North North Las Vegas, NV 89030 702.420.2113

14. Medizin medizinlv.com 4850 W Sunset Rd Ste #130 Las Vegas, NV 89118 702.206.1313

24. Sahara Wellness 420sahara.com 420 E Sahara Ave Las Vegas, NV 89104 702.478.5533

32b.Thrive Cannabis Marketplace thrivenevada.com 1112 S Commerce St. Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.776.4144

6. Deep Roots Harvest deeprootsharvest.com 195 Willis Carrier Canyon Mesquite, NV 89034 702.345.2854

15. MMJ America mmjamerica.com 4660 S Decatur Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89109 702.565.9333

25. Shango Las Vegas goshango.com 4380 Boulder Highway Las Vegas, NV 89121 702.444.4824

33. Top Notch THC topnotchthc.com 5630 Stephanie St Las Vegas, NV 89122 702.418.0420

7. Euphoria Wellness euphoriawellnessnv.com 7780 S Jones Blvd Ste #105 Las Vegas, NV 89139 702.960.7200

16a. Nevada Made Marijuana nevadamademarijuana.com 3195 St. Rose Pkwy Ste #212 Henderson, NV 89052 702.737.7777

26. ShowGrow showgrowlv.com 4850 S Fort Apache Rd Ste #100 Las Vegas, NV 89147 702.227.0511

34. Zen Leaf zenleafvegas.com 9120 W Post Rd Ste #103 Las Vegas, NV 89148 702.462.6706

8a. Essence Cannabis Dispensary essencevegas.com 2307 S Las Vegas Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89104 702.978.7591

16b. Nevada Made Marijuana nevadamademarijuana.com 1975 S Casino Dr Laughlin, NV 89029 702.737.7777

27. Silver Sage Wellness sswlv.com 4626 W Charleston Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89102 702.802.3757

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Believe it!

Yes, Nevada, there is door-to-door marijuana delivery for everyone By Riana Durrett, Esq.

Do you ever wish you could phone your neighborhood dispensary, order your favorite edible and never leave the house? You can. Just one caveat -- make sure the company delivering to you is legally allowed to do so before you place an order. That part is simple. Cannabis deliveries must be conducted through Nevada’s legal cannabis retail stores. For a list of legal medical and adult-use cannabis retail stores, go to marijuana.nv.gov or nvdispense.com. So, why is delivery allowed? Let’s look at the background and benefits of allowing delivery.

MEDICAL DELIVERY ● Nevada legalized medical marijuana sales in 2013. ● The first legal sale of medical marijuana occurred in July 2015. ● From the beginning, Nevada’s medical marijuana program allowed delivery to patients and patient caregivers. ● Local governments imposed some limitations, such as requiring identification that matched delivery location, and one jurisdiction even banned delivery (but later allowed it).

THE BACKGROUND ON ADULT-USE ● In November 2016, Question Two, the ballot initiative to “Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol,” passed. ● In 2017, prior to any sales of adult-use cannabis, Governor Brian Sandoval convened a Task Force to discuss adult-use laws and regulations among Nevada’s various stakeholders. ● The Governor’s Task Force included legislators from both political parties; the State’s Chief Medical Officer; and representatives from law enforcement agencies, the Governor’s Office, local government, the Department of Taxation, the marijuana industry, drug abuse and youth use prevention organizations, and the Nevada Department of Health. ● Delivery appeared to be allowed under Question Two, but to clear up any uncertainty, the Governor’s Task Force voted to adopt a recommendation that the State allow delivery of adultuse marijuana.

SUPPLANTING THE BLACK MARKET There are two main reasons Nevada’s legal dispensaries are allowed to deliver adult-use cannabis to persons over 21 years of age. The first has to do with the black market. The purpose of legalizing adult-use sales of cannabis in Nevada was to regulate

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sales and be able to collect taxes on the sales. To successfully collect taxes, the legal market must be able to compete with the illegal market. The illegal market operates primarily online and through deliveries. It is important for the legal market to develop and maintain an online presence and perform legal deliveries to have any chance at competing with and supplanting the illegal market. One of the most significant benefits of ordering a delivery from a legal store rather than from an illegal service is that legal cannabis is thoroughly tested. That means there are strict security measures in place to protect everyone’s safety, including yours. The second reason for delivery is related to the mobility of the consumer. Many cannabis consumers buy adult-use cannabis for the same reasons medical cannabis patients consume cannabis. Dispensary operators often comment that many of their adult-use customers use cannabis for medical reasons, including avoiding the use of opiates, but have not obtained a patient card to purchase medical marijuana for various personal reasons. As such, many consumers, much like medical marijuana patients, need access to delivery because traveling to a retail store is difficult for them as they may be sick, elderly, or have other issues with mobility.

BE AWARE OF THE RULES There are just a few regulations to be aware of when going the delivery route. First, delivery is only legal through a licensed dispensary, so make sure you’re ordering from one of the retail stores listed at marijuana.nv.gov or nvdispense.com. Second, deliveries of adult-use marijuana are only allowed to residences, not commercial businesses. Third, local governments may impose further restrictions on retail stores. For example, Clark County prohibits delivery to the city’s gaming corridor, otherwise known as The Strip. If you are ordering from a legal establishment, they will be aware of and follow these rules. Finally, purchase and possession limits are the same for delivery purchases as they are for in-store purchases. Subject to the above rules, Nevadans and tourists can order delivery of medical and adult-use marijuana. So, order away, but be sure you’re ordering through a legal retail store to ensure that your purchase has been lab tested, and everything is on the up and up.

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Elevating the Conversation with Maureen McNamara

Founder & Chief Facilitator, Cannabis Trainers

aureen McNamara founded Cannabis Trainers in 2014 to provide professional training services for the burgeoning cannabis industry. Her compliance solutions have proved so sought after she will be featured at this month’s MJBizCon in New Orleans and is currently customizing training for the Canadian market which will transition to recreational sales later this year.

How did you become involved in the cannabis industry? In 2013 I was teaching a food safety class, something I have been doing since the late ‘90s, and as I was getting a gauge of who was in the room and this one woman was being a little shy with where she worked. She finally said she didn’t work at a restaurant and whispered that she made pot brownies. It was a lightbulb moment for me of being delighted that somebody in the cannabis industry was committed to their professional development and taking a food safety certification class to make sure the products they were making would be good and wholesome. That was the spark and where the idea came from to start Cannabis Trainers in 2014. Since each state/jurisdiction has its own fiefdom of regulations, what are the challenges? When we customize our course to each state’s local rules, I would say about half of our content is translatable nationwide. Checking an ID is the same on the West Coast as the East Coast. Yet, which IDs are acceptable varies from state to state. Limits on sales varies state by state. We spend a chunk of time reviewing the regulations, talking to locals, and ensuring that our content is accurate and up to date. We are super attentive to even our language choices. For instance, I would never refer to anybody working in Nevada as a budtender, it’s an agent; so, we endeavor to always use what’s most relatable and current. If the federal government lifted prohibition, what effect would that have on Cannabis Trainers? When that occurs, it will absolutely expand the states that would need professional development and training. Yet I don’t think it would create any more ease because although alcohol is federally legal, every state has its own rules. Ending federal prohibition would create an even more expansive need for our services, yet our workload would be customizing and making sure everyone is following all the local rules. Even in Canada, with prohibition ending there later this summer, local provinces, cities and municipalities are creating rules within the federal system.

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With marijuana becoming legal in Canada, what impact will that have on the U.S. cannabis industry? My hunch is with the ending of prohibition in Canada, the ease with which they can do more research will spur a competitive edge for us. The fact that Canada can send cannabis to other places in the world and that currently cannot occur for the U.S., I am hopeful that our leaders will step up more quickly to make changes here as well. What has been the most surprising thing you have discovered about cannabis? When I became a part of the cannabis industry I did not know a fraction of what I know now. One of the most surprising things is that our bodies are designed to receive the hundreds of cannabinoids prominent in the cannabis plant. That we have an endocannabinoid system and that our body is designed to work in sync with this plant. I have also been shocked, surprised, and delighted by the extraordinary medical benefits. That was just not on my radar. What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the cannabis industry right now? It’s to get it right. There is too much riding on us, and the spotlight of how we are doing what we are doing is intense. There is little to no room for error and carelessness. In few other industries can a frontline employee dismantle an entire business with a mistake and, by that, I mean if there is a compliance issue, such as if an ID isn’t checked properly. With a minor permitted entry or, god forbid, sold to, that could cause a license to be revoked or suspended. The ripple effect of that, not only for that business and all the employees that work there, but as a black eye on the industry is something that must be avoided. The biggest challenges are to make sure that we are committed to playing by the rules and having a voice at the table while the rules are created. To read our entire interview with Maureen McNamara, visit elevatenv.com/Elevating_the_Conversation