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LEAF F R ESEPTEMBER 2017 A D 2IVIFREEDOM SIO N OF E D OM LE AFIN C.COM (OTCQB: FR LF)
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ISSUE 27 SEPTEMBER 2017
CONTENTS
FEATURES BACK TO SCHOOL 2017
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BACK TO CANNABIS SCHOOL AT OAKSTERDAM U. BY DR. ASEEM SAPPAL
THE GREENING OF SPORTS BY STEVE BLOOM From Bill Lee to Eugene Monroe, marijuana has long played an important role in professional athletics.
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SSDP AND THE IMPACT OF STUDENT ACTIVISM BY AMANDA REIMAN
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THE ABC'S OF CBD BY DR. FRANK D’AMBROSIO Everything you need to know about this increasingly popular cannabinoid.
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SENSE AND SENSIBILITY BY SCOTT CECIL SSDP’s guide to being politically active and safe during the new school year.
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THE TOP 20 STONERFRIENDLY COLLEGES 4
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CONSERVATIVES AND CANNABIS BY ALLEN ST. PIERRE A new wave of conservatives is joining the legalization movement.
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FREEDOM LEAF INTERVIEW: JAMES COLE BY MIA DI STEFANO The author of the two “Cole memos” talks about drug policy in the Obama and Trump administrations.
“My goal is to have cannabis recognized by the American Medical Association as a viable medicine for various ailments, including Epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, MS, Cancer and who knows what else. That’s my goal.”
info@chongschoice.us shop.chongschoice.us
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ISSUE 27 SEPTEMBER 2017
CONTENTS
See Hemp paper article on page 64
NEWS
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14
COLUMNS
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PNC BANK SHUTS DOWN OHIO NORML AND MPP BANK ACCOUNTS BY KENDRICK FRANKEL
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WORD ON THE TREE BY MONA ZHANG
THE STATE OF ARIZONA BY MIKEL WEISSER
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WOMEN GROW-ING BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS I BY ELISA ALLECHANT
PAPER TRAIL: FROM PAPYRUS TO PULP TO HEMP I BY ERIN HIATT
ENGLAND IS BETTER WHEN YOU’RE HIGH I BY BETH MANN
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PIZZA FELLA I BY NEAL WARNER
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28
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FINDING YOUR PLACE IN THE CANNABIS SPACE BY JACOB PLOWDEN
AT THE 4FRONT OF LEGAL CANNABIS BY STEVE GELSI
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COOKING WITH MOTA: BAJAMED CUISINE I BY CHERI SICARD 6
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REVIEWS: DAMIAN MARLEY’S STONY HILL AND 311’S MOSAIC BY ROY TRAKIN
REVIEW: STARTING AND RUNNING A MARIJUANA BUSINESS BY ELLEN KOMP
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WHILE IT MAY be hard for some to concentrate on business as usual with the chaos happening in Washington, we’re plowing ahead with Freedom Leaf. This issue, our 27th, has two themes: “Cannabis in Sports” and “Back to School.” Both fit well into my life’s pursuits. I attended DeWitt Clinton High School and Herbert H. Lehman College, both public schools in the Bronx. They prepared for me for a life in journalism. I was sports editor at the Clinton News and editor-in-chief at Lehman’s Meridian. It was the late ’60s and the early ’70s, smack in the middle of the Vietnam War. There were constant walkouts and demonstrations. One was at the nation’s capitol in 1970, where I was part of the largest rally in my life. Two years later, at the Pentagon, I was beaten and arrested. My career as a writer, editor, activist and protester had begun. These days, students can turn to Students for Sensible Drug Policy for advice. SSDP has a direct line to our nation’s students; without its more than 300 chapters, they would have far fewer rights on campus and less knowledge about how the War on Drugs undermines their educations. Turn to page 32 for SSDP’s back-to-school guide. As far as sports, I was a Little League player and have been a lifelong Mets, Jets and Knicks fan. Probably my greatest sports claim to fame is that I coached and played for the legendary High Times softball team, the Bonghitters. Now, I’m commissioner of the New York Media Softball League, which includes High Times. So when our CEO, Cliff Perry, asked us to produce a "Cannabis in Sports” cover story, I was all over it. Where to begin? I decided on Bill Lee, baseball’s infamous Spaceman. He was one of the first athletes, if not the first, to openly talk about marijuana in the ’70s, when he played for the Red Sox. 8
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NFL star Marvin Washington at the CWCB Expo in New York.
Another key athlete is swimmer Michael Phelps, who was caught on camera smoking a bong in 2009. Though Phelps never emerged as an activist, his outing proved a point: That you can win 14 gold medals in the Olympics (his total at the time) and smoke pot, too. Football players have taken the brunt of society’s taboo about marijuana and sports. More get arrested and suspended for weed than any other athletes. Many are pressuring the National Football League to change its strict policy against pot. The NFL recently indicated that it might be willing to budge on this issue. Time will tell. For now, check out my cover story on page 38.
Steve Blo m
Editor-in-Chief
KERRI ACCARDI
EDITOR’S NOTE SCHOOL AND SPORTS: A PERFECT MATCH
FOUNDERS Richard C. Cowan & Clifford J. Perry
PUBLISHER & CEO Clifford J. Perry
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Steve Bloom
CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER Chris M. Sloan
ART DIRECTOR Joe Gurreri
VP OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Ray Medeiros
NEWS EDITOR Mona Zhang
VP OF ADVOCACY & COMMUNICATIONS Allen St. Pierre
COPY EDITOR Steven Wishnia
COMMUNITY & NONPROFIT MANAGER Chris Thompson
SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR Paul Armentano
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER Joshua M. Halford
CONTRIBUTORS: Elisa Allechant, Marguerite Arnold, Ngaio Bealum, Russ Belville, Scott Cecil, Dr. Frank D’Ambrosio, Mia Di Stefano, Kendrick Frankel, Steve Gelsi, Erin Hiatt, Ellen Komp, Mitch Mandell, Beth Mann, Amanda Reiman, Dr. Aseem Sappal, Cheri Sicard, Justin Strekal, Roy Trakin, Neal Warner, Mikel Weisser Copyright © 2017 by Freedom Leaf Inc. All rights reserved. Freedom Leaf Inc. assumes no liability for any claims or representations contained in this magazine. Reproduction, in whole or in part, without permission is prohibited.
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S
A ZHANG N O ’ M
NEW HAMPSHIRE DECRIMINALIZES POT ON JULY 18, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill decriminalizing marijuana into law, making the Granite State the 22nd in the country to eliminate jail time as a punishment for cannabis possession. It was the last New England state to do so. When the law takes effect in September, it will reduce the maximum penalty for pos10
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session of up to three-quarters of an ounce of cannabis flowers or five grams of hash to a $100 fine. Previously, that was punishable by up to one year in prison and a $2,000 fine. The bill’s sponsors said it was intended to address “social and racial inequities in the New Hampshire criminal-justice system,” noting that a cannabis offense can lead to “a lifetime of harsh consequences,” including “denial of student financial aid, housing, employment and professional licenses.” It also aims to free police and court resources to deal with more serious crimes. The state House had passed similar legislation several times, but this year was the first time the Senate approved such a measure. “New Hampshire lawmakers should continue to follow their constituents’ lead on this issue,” Matt Simon, the Marijuana Policy Project’s New England political director, stated. “Every state in New England is either implementing or strongly considering legislation to regulate marijuana for adult use. It’s time for the legislature to develop a realistic marijuana-prohibition exit strategy.” Elsewhere in the Northeast, on July 18, York, Pa.’s City Council decriminalized the possession and consumption of marijuana by a 4-1 vote, joining four other Pennsylvania municipalities (Lancaster, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and State College) that have passed decriminalization measures over the last three years.
NEW YORK’S MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROGRAM CONTINUES TO EVOLVE NEW YORK, WHOSE medical-marijuana law is one of the most restrictive in the country, has been taking steps aimed at bettering its program. In March, the state Department of Health added chronic pain as a qualifying condition. Less than five months later, the number of certified patients had increased by more than 40%, reaching 26,561 in early August. Medical cannabis has been available in New York since 2016, when the five “registered organizations” began opening dispensaries. There are now 19 dispensaries for the state’s nearly 20 million residents. In August, the DOH announced it had approved five more organizations, saying it “will improve patient access, product pricing and availability, and the geographic distribution of dispensing facilities across the state.” Each organization is licensed to operate one cultivation facility and four dispensaries. Three of the original registered organizations had tried to stop the expansion. In a lawsuit filed in April, Etain Health, Med Men, PharmaCannis and Vireo Health argued that the number of patients was too low to support additional licensees. (California's Med Men purchased Bloomfield Industries' license in February.) Etain contends that it alone has enough medical-cannabis products to serve the entire state market for 18
Columbia Care’s store on 14 St. in New York.
months. Those products are now available at Etain’s new retail location in Manhattan, which opened in July after they closed their Albany store. The state legislature has passed a bill adding post-traumatic stress disorder as a qualifying condition, with the state Senate approving it by 50-13 on June 20. As of mid-August, Gov. Andrew Cuomo had not signed the bill, despite pressure from veterans’ groups. New York’s medical law does not allow patients to receive marijuana, either as flowers for smoking or vaporizing or as edibles. The only products currently available are vape pens, tinctures, cannabis-extract oil and capsules filled with oil. On Aug. 10, the Department of Health proposed allowing lotions, ointments, patches, and chewable tablets and lozenges. The DOH also said it would shorten the training course required for doctors and nurse practitioners from four hours to two, let prospective patients enter a store without a doctor’s approval, and make it easier for ROs to advertise.
SESSIONS GETS SNUBBED ON PROHIBITION PUSH ON MAY 1, Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrote a letter to Congressional leaders opposing the federal budget provision that protects state medical-marijuana programs.
AG Jeff Sessions
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He urged them not to adopt the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment, which prohibits the Justice Department from using federal funds to enforce drug laws against state-legal medical cannabis businesses. “I believe it would be unwise for Congress to restrict the discretion of the Department to fund particular prosecutions, particularly in the midst of an historic drug epidemic and potentially long-term uptick in violent crime,” Sessions wrote. “The Department must be in a position to use all laws available to combat the transnational drug organizations and dangerous drug traffickers who threaten American lives.” The amendment, sponsored by Reps. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) has passed every year since 2014. President Donald Trump has hinted that he might respect state medicalmarijuana programs, but Sessions has repeatedly criticized state-level cannabis-law reforms and disregarded the science on marijuana. “Mr. Sessions stands against an overwhelming majority of Americans and even, sadly, against veterans and other suffering Americans who we now know conclusively are helped dramatically by medical marijuana," a spokesperson for Rohrabacher stated.
On July 27, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to extend the amendment for another year. On July 24, Sessions wrote to the governors of Colorado, Oregon and Washington, blaming increased traffic fatalities and emergency-room visits on their states’ legalization of adult use of marijuana. “Congress has determined that marijuana is a dangerous drug, and that illegal distribution and sale of marijuana is a crime,” he reminded the governors. “The Department remains committed to enforcing the Controlled Substances Act.” “Any action from the Department of Justice short of allowing our well-regulated, voter-approved system to continue is unacceptable,” Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson responded. “I will continue to defend the will of Washington voters.” Sessions’ efforts to reboot the drug war, especially against marijuana, received another rebuke on Aug. 5, when the Justice Department’s Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety failed to recommend rescinding memos, such as the 2013 Cole Memo, that prevent the Drug Enforcement Administration from interfering with statewide adult-use and medical-programs in Colorado and other states. (See the James Cole interview on page 54.)
CANNABIS ADVOCATES SUE SESSIONS AND DEA OVER SCHEDULING ON JULY 24, lawyers representing five plaintiffs filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the federal Controlled Substances Act. With Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the DEA and the federal government named as defendants, the suit argues that the central reason for marijuana’s Schedule I status under the law, “no currently accepted medical use,” can’t be valid when the government holds a patent for the medical use of certain cannabinoids. The plaintiffs are former National Football League player Marvin Washington, now a 12
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Former NFL star Marvin Washington
cannabis entrepreneur; two child patients, Alexis Bortell and Jagger Cotte; military veteran Jose Belen, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder; and the New Yorkbased Cannabis Cultural Association, which advocates for people of color in the industry (see page 22). “I’m a part of this lawsuit not as a football player, but as a member of my community,” Washington said at a press conference July 25. “The African-American community and people of color have been unfairly punished under the CSA. I believe I’m on the right side of history, and we just need our Department of Justice and the DEA to get on the right side of this fight.” The suit also delves into the racial dispari-
ties of drug enforcement and the challenges patients who must relocate to access the potentially life-saving medicine face. “No other laws demonize people of color more than cannabis laws,” said Cannabis Cultural Association cofounder Jacob Plowden. “These drug laws must change.” “I’m confident that together, we’re going to win this case against the federal government,” added Michael Hiller, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs. “Sessions is not only on the wrong side of this issue, he’s going in the wrong direction. The CSA is unconstitutional on multiple grounds.” The DEA has rejected several previous administrative rescheduling petitions, in 1988, 2002 and, most recently, last August.
EXECUTIVE SHUFFLE: NEW DPA DIRECTOR NAMED, TVERT LEAVES MPP ON JAN. 27, Ethan Nadelmann announced he was stepping down as executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. The founder of one of the most influential drug policy advocacy groups in the nation official vacated his position on May 1. The DPA announced July 18 that Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno, codirector of Human Rights Watch for 13 years, would succeed him. Sánchez-Moreno, who grew up in Peru, is the first Latina to head a major drug-law-reform group. “You see so many vast problems in this country that are strongly linked to the War on Drugs,” she says. “From mass incarceration to large-scale deportations, a lot of it is people getting convicted of low-level drug offenses.” At Human Rights Watch, where she worked on issues like criminal-justice reform, immigration and the situation in Colombia, Sánchez-Moreno implored the organization to view punitive drug policies as an international human-rights issue, prompting it to call for global decriminalization. At the DPA,
Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno
however, Sánchez-Moreno plans to concentrate more on domestic issues and policies. Also in July, Mason Tvert, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project, announced he was leaving the organization to work as vice president of public relations and communications at VS Strategies, a Denver public-relations firm promoting marijuana legalization and the cannabis industry. Tvert, founder of SAFER, helped get Amendment 64 passed in Colorado in 2012, legalizing cultivation and sales of recreational marijuana. VS Strategies, helmed by Steve Fox, Brian Vicente and Christian Sederberg, also played a key role in the campaign. Mona Zhang publishes the daily cannabis newsletter Word on the Tree. Subscribe to WOTT at wordonthetree.com. SEPTEMBER 2017
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The TruMed dispensary in Phoenix
THE STATE OF ARIZONA
Medical marijuana is booming in the Copper State. BY MIKEL WEISSER THE DEFEAT OF THE Proposinia, Prop 19 lost in 2010; four years later, tion 205 marijuana-legalizaAmendment 64 won. In Oregon, Measure tion initiative last November 80 lost in 2012; two years later, Measure made Arizona the only one of the nine states 91 won. Could the same thing happen in with pro-cannabis measures on the ballot Arizona? that failed to pass. While many point to the Most people in the state’s cannabis comstate’s deeply ingrained conservative values munity think a 2018 campaign would be and Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, who “too soon” and are pulling for a 2020 effort raised millions to stop Prop 205, the truth is instead. That hasn’t stopped Safer Arizona, that Arizona’s cannabis community has a which has already filed papers for its third long, loud history of infighting. legalization ballot measure since 2014. In 2016, the community splintered into After five months, the group has collected rival factions and competing trade organiza- just 9,000 of the 150,625 petition signatures tions after local activists calling themselves needed to make the ballot, with the deadline Arizonans for Mindful Regulation rejected less than 12 months away. Meanwhile, the the Marijuana Policy Project’s MPP is mulling its options. Its reProp 205 in favor of their own cent polling for 2018 was reportmeasure. After the AZFMR initiaedly favorable. tive failed to get enough petition The biggest story in Arizona signatures to make the ballot, now, however, is the dramatic the group urged Arizonans to surge in the number of medicalvote against Prop marijuana patients. 205. Most dispenWith more than WITH MORE THAN saries tried not to 135,000 registered, get caught in the the Copper State has crossfire. In the end, the nation’s third-largProp 205 lost by est patient count, beREGISTERED, ARIZONA hind California and less than 67,000 votes out of 2.5 Michigan. In 2016, HAS THE NATION’S million cast. the program grew THIRD-LARGEST PATIENT 30%, with a stamIn states like California and Orpede of new patient COUNT, BEHIND egon, early failures applications coming CALIFORNIA AND ultimately bred in after the election. success. In CaliforThis year, 20,000 MICHIGAN.
135,000
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new patients signed on during the first six months. Those new customers are entering a market with plentiful supplies and plummeting prices. “The overabundance of product in the market is a major concern right now,” says Aari Ruben, owner of Tucson’s Desert Bloom Relief Center. Ben Myer, owner of the state's first dispensary, Arizona Organix, in Phoenix, agrees. “Wholesale prices are hovering around $1,000 a pound,” he notes. “We were getting $3,000-$3,500 a pound when we started.” Still, the price drop hasn’t wrecked industry revenues. Annual retail sales have increased sixfold since dispensaries first opened their doors in 2012, from $45 million in 2013 to $270 million in 2016. For patients, the overabundance has been a godsend; stores that once offered $400 ounces now sell them for as low as $100. In the long run, the industry is likely to bounce back from market irregularities caused by the failed election. But patients are hoping prices stay low and affordable. In May, Gov. Ducey also vetoed a bill that would have set up a licensing system for hemp farming. State Sen. Sonny Borrelli (R-Lake Havasu City), who had sponsored similar measures over the last few years, adopted the slogan, “It’s rope, not dope,” and lined up near-unanimous support from both sides of the aisle until a procedural delay gutted the bill’s funding at the end of the legislative session. Despite the legislature adding lan-
guage to work around the budget hole, the state Agriculture Department balked, which led to Ducey’s veto. Borrelli promises to introduce a refined, better-funded hemp bill. State Rep. Mark Cardenas (D-Phoenix), who introduced unsuccessful legalization and decriminalization bills this year, is now teaming up with Borrelli and a handful of other legislators to try to amend the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act, the state’s 2010 medical-marijuana law. They want to add autism as a qualifying condition, lower the cost of patient cards and mandate quality testing for cannabis. Amending the law will require a three-quarters majority in both houses. Borrelli and Cardenas are enlisting help from some of the state’s leading cannabis activists. Arizona’s Marijuana Industry Trade Association, Arizona NORML and the Arizona Dispensary Association are all rallying their membership to unite around the push. As the number of patients grows, their voices are gaining more prominence in the state’s cannabis culture. Patient consumption events, like Jim Morrison’s Errl Cup in Tempe, now attract thousands. Morrison has had a hand in drafting the proposed testing legislation. The industry, the activists and the patient community will have to come together to overcome a motivated right-wing governor and their own tendencies toward infighting. “This could be our best chance yet to make positive change,” Cardenas says. “As long as we stop fighting each other and focus on ending prohibition.” Mikel Weisser is state director of Arizona NORML and a staff writer at CannabizNews.com.
“THIS COULD BE OUR BEST CHANCE YET TO MAKE POSITIVE CHANGE AS LONG AS WE STOP FIGHTING EACH OTHER AND FOCUS ON ENDING PROHIBITION.” REP. MARK CARDENAS 16
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PNC BANK SHUTS DOWN OHIO NORML & MPP BANK ACCOUNTS BY KENDRICK FRANKEL IN JUNE, PNC BANK closed the account of the Ohio branch of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Ohio NORML founder and executive director Cher Neufer learned about it rather unceremoniously, after her card had been denied. On July 7, the bank also closed the Marijuana Policy Project’s account. PNC director of corporate relations Diane Zappas would not explain why the accounts had been terminated. “PNC does not comment on customer accounts,” she stated. “As a federally regulated financial institution, PNC complies with all applicable federal regulations.” While both medical and recreational marijuana are still very much illegal under federal law, it’s troublesome that Ohio NORML, which, Neufer says, “only educates and lobbies to change laws,” would lose its bank account because of the ideas it espouses. The organization “is not a dispensary, and we do not take money from any of that,” she adds. Many new NORML chapters have had significant difficulty getting access to banking services. While it’s particularly egregious that PNC would close bank accounts for political-advocacy groups that in no way participate in the sale of marijuana or related products, this issue is a widespread problem for the cannabis industry. Without proper access to banking, cash-only businesses are targets for criminals. They also have to pay outrageous fees to the IRS, which penalizes businesses for paying their taxes in cash. It also hinders their ability to keep the most accurate accounts and track the flow of their finances. One proposal at the national level that could remedy this banking iniquity is the Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act (SAFE Banking Act). Introduced by a biparFREEDOM SEPTEMBER 2017 18 18FREEDOM LEAFLEAF SEPTEMBER 2017
PNC Bank on Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C.
tisan coalition of more than two dozen cosponsors in Congress, HR 2215 would allow state-licensed marijuana-related businesses to engage freely in relationships with banks and other financial institutions. If it’s enacted, banks would no longer face the threat of federal money-laundering penalties for working with cannabis businesses and entrepreneurs. Until such legislation is approved, the uncertainty created by the hodgepodge of state and federal laws will inevitably result in some banks, such as PNC, erring on the side of caution, given the Trump administration’s hostile attitudes about marijuana.
NORML BASICS WEBSITE:
norml.org PHONE:
202-483-5500
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:
Erik Altieri FOUNDED:
1970, by Keith Stroup Kendrick Frankel is a NORML associate.
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WOMEN GROW-ING BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS BY ELISA ALLECHANT WOMEN GROW’S CORNERSTONE my parents’ conservative views that were members are the dynamic, successful busipassed on to me,” she explains. “Then I ness executives and entrepreneurs who are learned the history behind the stigma and leading figures in the cannabis industry. experienced the real medicinal benefits. Our ability to connect, educate and emNow my views reflect my beliefs instead of power women in the industry comes from what I was told. It’s safe, and certainly is a these cornerstone members. They’re our exbetter alternative to some of the prescription pert speakers and the people we rely on to drugs and over-the-counter medications I’ve innovate and lead in this rapidly expanding taken. I enjoy it. I’m a firm believer.” marketplace. Julie Barnes, But Womwho’s also in en Grow is so her forties, has much more been using marthan our fanijuana for the tastic cornerlast three destone members. cades. A fitness It’s also our trainer and lifeattendees, the style coach, she women (and counters fibroid sometimes even and neck pain men), who and muscle come to our soreness with Signature netcannabis. It also working events helps her reeach month. lax. “I’ve never It’s women with been into drinkexcellent reing or drugs,” Women Grow holds its networking events the first Thurssumes who are day of each month in cities around the U.S. and Canada. she says. “I preready to move fer cannabis.” their careers into a new frontier; women Women Grow Sacramento’s members with great ideas or a homemade product come to Women Grow to find and help they want to market; women who already build a community with a diverse group of run cannabis businesses and want to imwomen who all share a passion for cannaprove their brands; and women who are bis. Join us for a Women Grow Signature just curious about the industry and what networking event near you by visiting wommight be out there for them. These are the engrow.com/signature-networkingevents. women that make up our Sacramento marNo event in your area? Then form a Women ket, all of whom are standing in the light of Grow market by going to womengrow.com/ truth about the cannabis plant and its therastart-women-grow-community. Together, we peutic benefits. have more power. Fortysomething Rose Poirier has been using cannabis for seven years. “For a long Elisa Allechant is market leader for Women Grow Sacramento. time I kept it secret, probably because of 20 20
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FINDING YOUR PLACE IN THE CANNABIS SPACE BY JACOB PLOWDEN “HOW DO WE GET MORE PEOPLE in strictive medical-marijuana programs in the this room who look like me?” Kamani Jeffercountry, but a new report recently released son wondered when he was one of the only by the Drug Policy Alliance and Queens people of color at a cannabis meetup event College sociologist Dr. Harry Levine showed in New York in 2016. I’d asked that question that 86% of low-level marijuana-possession many times as I attempted to find my niche arrests in New York City between 2014 and in the emerging cannabis space as a college 2016 were of Blacks and Latinos. Whites, student and photographer. Asian and others made up a mere 14%. This is one of the reasons why last year The CCA connects a diverse community Jefferson, Sonia Espinosa, Nelson Guerreof passionate, curious and energetic people ro, Kristin Jordan and I founded the Cannafor panel discussions, interactive workshops, bis Cultural petition Association days, mov(CCA), a New ie screenYork-based ings and 501(c)(3) networking nonprofit orevents. We ganization provide a that educates safe and marginalized comfortand underable space represented for people communito discuss ties who enproblems gage in the and solulegal cannations, isbis industry. It sues, emoemphasizes Jacob Plowden (middle) flanked by Nelson Guerrero and Sonia tions and criminal-jus- Espinosa and other members of the Cannabis Cultural Association. thoughts. tice reform, We want access to medical cannabis and adultpeople of color to feel like they’re a part of use legalization. something larger, knowing that the work we The CCA shouldn’t have to exist, but do together empowers stigmatized commusince the federal prohibition of drugs benities, especially communities of color, to gan in 1914 with the Harrison Narcotics take action and get involved. Tax Act, the American citizens most affectOther groups with similar missions include ed by drug prohibition laws have largely the Minority Cannabis Business Association, been people of color. It’s a grave injustice the California Minority Alliance, Supernova that people of color can fill prison cells, but Women, the Hood Incubator, EstroHaze and not have a chance at participating in the Women.Weed.WiFi. We’re all pushing for dicannabis industry. versity, equity and education. Everyone deThe War on Drugs is still ruining the lives serves a place in the cannabis space. If you’d of people of color. In New York, we not like to get involved with CCA or donate to our only have one of the most expensive and reorganization, go to cannacultural.org. 22 FREEDOM FREEDOM LEAF LEAF 22
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BACK TO CANNABIS SCHOOL AT OAKSTERDAM U. BY DR. ASEEM SAPPAL WITH LESS THAN five months until California’s adult-use cannabis market opens for business, it’s the ideal time to enroll at Oaksterdam University. Located in Oakland, Calif., it’s the pre-eminent institution for cannabis education in the U.S. While eight states now allow the cultivation and sale of adult-use cannabis getting into the industry isn’t so simple. You need to know your way around the laws and regulations, and how to apply for permits and licenses. The best way to secure a spot in the fastest-growing industry in America is with hands-on training. Oaksterdam’s professors and faculty members include some of the nation’s leading cannabis experts, activists and business leaders, such as Debby Goldsberry (see page 76), Jeff Jones, Robert Raich and Chris Conrad. There are two main paths of study at Oaksterdam for budding ganjapreneurs, the Classic program and the Horticulture program. For securing permits and learning how to start a cannabis business, the Classic is crucial. After receiving a business certification, students will be prepared to handle the risks, responsibilities and more nuanced aspects of the industry. The Horticulture program covers everything from seed to harvest, including indoor and outdoor grows, equipment, soil, nutrients, pesticides, lights and trimming. Students get to build a greenhouse in class and work with live plants. “Ganja guru” Ed Rosenthal is among our many specialists. Both programs have semester and seminar options. Semesters are 14 weeks long. The seminar program is designed for people who live out of town or have time restrictions. Both are offered as four-day intensive programs. Tuition starts as low as $35/credit hour. In addition, Oaksterdam is also developing a histology department for students 24 FREEDOM FREEDOMLEAF LEAF 24
SEPTEMBER2017 2017 SEPTEMBER
Students get to work with live plants at OU.
to learn about cannabis on a cellular level, such as how to identify pests or how cancer cells react to the introduction of specific cannabinoids. The university also offers scholarships for African Americans (the Alice Huffman Award), Latinos (the Jim Gonzalez Award), veterans (the Bruce Scott Award) and seniors (the Gayle Tice Award). Big Rock, a cannabis-business development company in San Francisco, funds these scholarships. Applications are available at oaksterdamuniversity. com/scholarships. On Nov. 18, we're celebrating our 10th anniversary with a party, the O’dammys award show, and a graduation ceremony at the Scottish Rite Center in Oakland. The fall semester began Aug. 30. Turn over a new leaf and start your career in the cannabis industry at oaksterdam university.com. Dr. Aseem Sappal is provost and dean of Oaksterdam University.
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Oaksterdam University has been cultivating leaders since 2007, and is celebrating ten years of quality trainin g f o r t h e cannabis industry! At OU, you’ll learn from the very first dispensary owners in the United States, the first attorneys to ever take cannabis cases to the Supreme Court and authors of America’s 1st cannabis legalization—Proposition 215 & Senate Bill 420—and, more recently, California’s MCRSA & AUMA.
• Over 30,000 students from over 30 countries • Over 150 faculty members • Indoor & outdoor horticulture training • Business, medical & legal courses available • Only hands-on cultivation lab and testing facility in the world • Our faculty is the most recognized in the industry • Network with professionals & establish roots in the industry • OU also trains local, state & international government agencies
Learn more at oaksterdamuniversity.com @oaksterdamuniversity OAKSTERDAM.COM • (510) 251-1544 • 1734 Telegraph Ave. • Oakland, CA 94612 SEPTEMBER 2017
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SSDP AND THE IMPACT OF STUDENT ACTIVISM The organization has become an incubator for a new kind of American industry. BY AMANDA REIMAN
AS AN UNDERGRADUATE studying psychology, I often opted to write about drug-related topics. Although I had personal feelings about the drug war, I still was afraid to voice them in an academic setting. In 1998, when the Higher Education Act amendment passed, resulting in the denial of federal funds for college for people convicted of drug offenses, a group of East Coast students decided to mobilize and form an activist organization. They called themselves Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP). At the first SSDP conference in Washington, D.C. in 1998, the focus was on issues that affect young people in the context of the drug war, such as mandatory minimum sentencing, harm reduction on college campuses, and the negative impact of drug laws on young people and people of color. There was no talk of an industry, or even what we would do if cannabis became a commercial product some day. A big component of the conference was training us how to work with our legislators, talk to the public and lobby for what we wanted. One of SSDP’s first projects was the SAFER campaign led by Mason Tvert and Steve Fox, which lobbied for college campuses to equate the penalties for underage drinking and cannabis use. The argument was (and remains) that, between the two behaviors, cannabis is much safer than alcohol. SAFER made inroads at University of Colorado’s Boulder campus several years before the state became the first to legalize cannabis for adult use in 2012. As more states passed medical cannabis laws, an industry began to grow to meet the needs of patients. All early cannabis businesses were heavily involved in activism because raids were common and patients were vulnerable. Those of us trained by SSDP in 26
26 FREEDOM LEAF SEPTEMBER 2017 FREEDOM LEAF SEPTEMBER 2017
Proud SSDP alumnus Amanda Reiman
the policies impacting these businesses and the steps to protect them and patients created natural leaders for this new industry. SSDP became an incubator for future social justice warriors and those determined to see a cannabis industry built on the values: social justice, dignity and worth of a person, the importance of human relationships, service and integrity. American industry might not be known for these values; in fact, the opposite might be true. But Students for Sensible Drug Policy served as, and continues to serve as, a vocational school for social change. I’m proud to be one its graduates. Amanda Reiman is vice president of community relations at Flow Kana in Northern California.
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FREEDOM LEAF 27
AT THE 4FRONT OF LEGAL CANNABIS
Boston firm is gobbling up dispensary licenses. BY STEVE GELSI
KRIS KRANE, co-founder of 4Front Ventures, started out as a leading cannabis activist at Students for a Sensible Drug Policy as well as NORML. He made the switch from executive director of SSDP to a budding cannabis entrepreneur eight years ago, and is now a veteran in the burgeoning industry. “I’ve always seen my role in the industry as an extension of my advocacy work,” Krane, 38, tells Freedom Leaf, “not an alternative to it.” The Boston-based 4Front Ventures advises other prospective dispensaries on licensing and business practices while branching out into its own cultivation and retail stores under the Mission Partners brand. Its consulting arm is helping dispensaries in several states win approvals from local governments eager to fill empty storefronts and willing to consider green businesses. Over the next six months, 4Front consulting clients plan dispensary openings in Amherst, Boston, Chicopee, Fairhaven, Framingham, Gloucester and Worcester, Massachusetts; Baltimore, Baltimore County, St. Mary’s County, Prince George’s County and Montgomery County in Maryland; and Allentown, Pennsylvania. 4Front’s dispensary and cultivation arm has a dispensary and cultivation facility in Chicago, a license to operate three dispensaries in northeastern Pennsylvania, a dispensary in Baltimore and two more in Massachusetts, which allows licensed medical suppliers one cultivation facility and three dispensaries. The company now employs about 30 people, and plans to add another 60 in the coming months. Winning state, city and town approvals for dispensaries isn’t easy. But Krane believes support is building on the local level. “The opioid crisis has fueled interest, but there’s still a lot of misinformation about dispensaries,” he says. “Most of the concerns from towns center on security—that the dis28
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Former SSDP executive director Kris Krane now runs 4Front Ventures with Josh Rosen.
pensaries could be magnets for crime. We emphasize that stores that use security partners are very professional. The stores help bring in tax revenue.” To counteract lack of knowledge about the industry, Krane and 4Front managers share lessons learned from securing 51 licenses and setting up professional operations all over the U.S. “We show up not looking like pot dealers,” he notes. “Once we sit down and dispel the stereotypes, towns are more receptive.” For Krane, 4Front reflects a lifetime of positive thinking about cannabis. His father, who died from a rare form of emphysema when he was eight, used it medically. “The CBD in cannabis helped his lungs open up,” he explains. “I wasn’t a DARE kid.” Krane was associate director of NORML from 2000-2005 before moving on to SSDP from 2006–2009, where he tried to overturn Clinton-era measures denying financial
WallStreet Research
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FREEDOM LEAF™ AND WALLSTREET RESEARCH™ JOIN FORCES TO ATTRACT INVESTORS TO PUBLIC COMPANIES IN THE CANNABIS SECTOR Freedom Leaf Inc. (OTCQB: FRLF) has entered into a Joint Venture with WallStreet Research™ (WSR) to be the Financial Go-To organizations for public companies. The joint venture will offer Financial Research Reports and produce Marijuana/ Hemp Investment Forums in LA, San Francisco, Boca Raton, FL and NYC throughout the year. WSR has conducting Investment Forums for 20+ years all with vetted investors. WallStreet Research™ (WSR) is a top ranked independent research firm with a history spanning over three decades. WSR provides the global investment community with independent analyst research reports, corporate profiles and newsletters of selected quality emerging growth companies. Freedom Leaf, Inc. (OTCQB: FRLF) is one of the leading go-to resources in the cannabis, medical marijuana, and industrial hemp industry. The company is involved in mergers and acquisitions in the marijuana industry, including incubation, acceleration and spin offs of new cannabis and hemp industry related companies. Freedom Leaf Inc.’s flagship publication is Freedom Leaf Magazine, “The Good News in Marijuana Reform”. The company produces a portfolio of news, print and digital multi-media verticals, websites, blogs and web advertising, for the ever changing emerging cannabis sector. SEPTEMBER 2017
FREEDOM LEAF 29
4Front's Mission Illinois dispensary in Chicago
aid to students with drug convictions. At the same time, Krane was keeping an eye on the medical-marijuana industry, primarily Northern California dispensaries like Berkeley Patients Group, Harborside Health Center and Peace in Medicine. “It became clear to me that these dispensaries were playing a large role in shifting public perception,” he says. When Krane left SSDP, he and Harborside’s Steve DeAngelo launched CannBe to replicate the Harborside operating model with other dispensaries. “They were doing much the same work as activists but running a business at the same time,” he says. “I saw that as really exciting.” CannBe lasted two years. Then in 2011, John Sperling, founder of the University of Phoenix, backed the launch of 4Front Ventures as a new management consulting company, with Krane and CEO Josh Rosen at the helm. After building up the business by helping clients secure dispensary licenses in some of the country’s most competitive jurisdictions, 4Front shifted its focus to directly controlling and running licensed cannabis operations in 2015. The firm is currently applying for licenses in Arkansas, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Rhode Island, West Virginia, North Dakota and Texas. Krane frames it all as a way to help end cannabis prohibition. “By demonstrating to the public that marijuana could be distributed in a way that’s professional and community-focused,” he says, “it changes the 30
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public stereotypes of cannabis distribution from a street-corner drug deal or a couple of burnouts in a basement to a beautiful and well-run retail store.”
YOU CAN BANK ON IT
By working with local banks in Massachusetts and Illinois, 4Front Ventures and other legal cannabis operations have managed to avoid doing business in cash. In Massachusetts, the family-owned Century Bank provides accounts for most license holders in the commonwealth, according to Krane. In Illinois, 4Front has been using the Bank of Springfield, which handles accounts for many legal cannabis providers. These bank accounts were made possible partly by federal guidelines laid down during the Obama administration. Larger banks have mostly avoided cannabis businesses because of federal money-laundering laws.
4FRONT VENTURES FOUNDER:
Kris Krane CEO:
Josh Rosen LOCATION:
Boston, Mass. WEBSITES:
4frontventures.com, missionpartners.co
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SENSE AND
SENSIBILITY SSDP’S BACK-TO-SCHOOL GUIDE
BY SCOTT CECIL
M
illions of students have returned to high school and college to begin the new school year. On more than 300 campuses in 27 countries, Students for a Sensible Drug Policy organizers and activists will be among them. SSDP staffers have been working hard to develop new resources and launch new campaigns for the benefit of our network and their communities. This year, we redesigned ssdp.org, which features resources intended to help students combat the Drug War on campuses and beyond. We offer an online webinar series to equip students with skills to help them organize and activate fellow students, and expanded our “Just Say Know” Peer Education Program (see below). We also continue to devote more time, energy and resources to the growth of our global network, and encourage students to attend the International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Atlanta on Oct. 11-14. We’re expecting to have more impact in 2017-18 than in any previous school year.
SENSIBLE DRUG EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS SSDP’s “Just Say Know” program began a year ago. With the help of our students, alumni and supporters, it’s been getting 32
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noticed far and wide. Recently, we were contacted by educators in Denver who want to bring the program to their grade school, instead of DARE and the other fear-based tactics that all too often pass for educating our nation’s youth about drugs. The second edition of the training curriculum is currently being reformatted to make it more accessible and easier to complete for all of our students.
SENSIBILITY FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS
Many high-school students experience tremendous pressure to consume alcohol and drugs when offered to them by peers. Combined with inexperience with altered states of consciousness, this can be a harmful combination for their health and safety. Therefore, many SSDP high schoolers focus on educating their peers about the effects and potential harms of various intoxicants they might encounter, giving them solid information and encouraging them to make safer decisions. Students may be more likely to abstain when they know the risks. A second area of focus for most SSDPers is student drug-testing. An alarming number of high schools randomly drugtest their students. More and more high schools and middle schools expel students from extracurricular activities (including non-athletic activities) if they test positive for any banned substances. Some schools will even bar students
Executive director Betty Aldworth (green shirt) with her SSDP staff.
from participating in extracurricular activities if they’ve posted depictions of the use of alcohol and drugs on their social-media accounts. One of our more courageous students, Matthew Aragon, who attends Volcano Vista High School in Albuquerque, N.M., is challenging his school board to jettison this policy, and support students rather than punish them. “High school has turned out to be an ideal atmosphere for me to teach my peers about harm reduction and drug policy,” he says. “We’re at an age when curiosity easily becomes experimentation, and I want to make sure that none of my peers are unnecessarily placing themselves in dangerous situations. I want my fellow classmates to recognize and think critically about the War on Drugs, and I believe SSDP is one of the best ways to accomplish this.”
SENSIBILITY ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES
The cultural pressure to consume intoxicants in college is immense—especially alcohol. As has been the case for decades, binge drinking and alcohol use are nearly ubiquitous on most university and college campuses. Whether at a large state school, a community college or a smaller private institution, this pressure to consume is rarely accompanied by proper information and education designed to reduce the harm associated with use. Our collegiate network addressed this by par-
ticipating in the International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31. While many SSDP chapters are focusing on the
FIVE SSDP FACTS •Students for Sensible Drug Policy was founded by Shea Gunther, Shawn Heller, Kris Krane and Kris Lotikar in 1998. •The first five chapters were at American University, George Washington University, Hampshire College, Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Wisconsin at Madison. •Betty Aldworth is SSDP’s current director. •Eric Gudz is the current chair of the 16-member board of directors. •The 26-member Advisory Council includes Noam Chomsky, Dr. Lester Grinspoon and Dr. Carl Hart. current public-health crisis with opioids, our Just Say Know peer educators are prepared to give fellow students the information to make decisions that protect their health and safety, whether they choose to consume or not.
SSDP’S CAT SYSTEM
Two years ago, we built and launched a brand-new system to track our chapters’ activism: the Chapter Activity Tracker (CAT). Its points-based system creates incentives for the activities most valuable SEPTEMBER 2017
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to student learning outcomes, affecting change and building strong chapters. CAT energizes students to take greater action and removes financial barriers to SSDP engagement (its points are worth money to our students). It’s now opensourced, so other organizations can game-ify their members’ experiences.
MENTORS GIVE SENSIBLE ADVICE
The personal connections between SSDP- ers have always been the glue that keeps the organization together. With an ever-growing population of SSDP alumni (see “Famous SSDP Alumni” sidebar), there’s never been a better time to formalize those relationships. Through our alumni mentorship program, we connect current SSDP students with graduates. As a result, our students are more prepared for life after graduation, and our alumni stay better connected to student drug-policy activism while providing mentorship and guidance to their younger peers. The SSDP Mentors program, now entering its second year, has nurtured and developed meaningful relationships that further the cause of sensible drug-policy reform and aid in students’ professional development.
JOIN THE SENSIBLE SOCIETY For the 2017-2018 school year, we’re happy to announce that our Sensible Society of recurring monthly donors is now 300 strong. Please visit ssdp.org/donate and make a one-time gift or become a recurring monthly donor. We can’t do our work without your support. Scott Cecil is SSDP’s outreach coordinator. 34
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“I WANT MY FELLOW CLASSMATES TO RECOGNIZE AND THINK CRITICALLY ABOUT THE WAR ON DRUGS.” MATTHEW ARAGON FAMOUS SSDP ALUMNI •Stacia Cosner – current deputy director, longest serving staffer (since 2009)
•Troy Dayton – cofounded SSDP, now CEO of ArcView Group
•Shea Gunther – cofounded SSDP, now producer of “MJ Today Podcast”
•Kris Krane – former executive di-
rector (2006-2009), now runs 4Front Ventures (see page 28)
•Alex Kreit – SSDP grad, now a law
professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law
•Andrew Livingston – SSDP grad, now lead policy analyst at Vicente Sederberg LLC in Denver
•Amanda Reiman – SSDP grad, for-
mer California policy manager at the DPA, now vice president of community relations at Flow Cana (see page 26)
• Danielle Schumacher and
Shaleen Title – SDDP grads, now run THC Staffing Group
THE DRUG THEFAILED. DRUG WAR Start making sense™ WAR FAILED. Start making sense™
Start a chapter, join the Sensible Society, and learn more at Start a chapter, join the ssdp.org Sensible Society, and learn more at SEPTEMBER 2017
FREEDOM LEAF 35
ssdp.org
THE TOP 20 STONER-FRIENDLY COLLEGES
Every August, The Princeton Review releases its survey of the Best 382 Colleges in America. One of its many categories is “Reefer Madness” schools, which essentially means campuses with a strong affinity for marijuana. Here’s their latest Top 20. UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT
1 Burlington, VT
Enrollment:11,159 2016: 4 ITHACA COLLEGE
2 Ithaca, NY
Enrollment: 6,221 2016:1 BARD COLLEGE
3 Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Enrollment:1,995 2016: 11 ECKERD COLLEGE St. Petersburg, FL Enrollment:1,844 2016: 6
4
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO Boulder, CO Enrollment: 27,846 2016: 10
5
UNIVERSITY OF MAINE
6 Orono, ME
Enrollment: 9,323 2016: 17 UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND Kingston, RI Enrollment: 14,801 2016: 9
7
UNIVERSITY OF
8 CALIFORNIA
Santa Cruz, CA Enrollment: 16,962 2016: 2 SKIDMORE COLLEGE
9 Saratoga Springs, NY
Enrollment: 2,680 2016: 3 UNIVERSITY OF
10 WISCONSIN
Madison, WI Enrollment: 31,710 2016:15 36 36
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SEPTEMBER 2017 2017 SEPTEMBER
WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY
11 Middletown, CT
Enrollment: 2,971 2016: 13 UNIVERSITY OF
12 CALIFORNIA
Santa Barbara, CA Enrollment: 21,574 2016: 16 REED COLLEGE
13 Portland, OR
Enrollment: 1,410 2016: 12 PITZER COLLEGE
14 Claremont, CA
Enrollment: 1,089 2016: WARREN WILSON
15 COLLEGE
Asheville, NC Enrollment: 650 2016:18 CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE
16Burlington, VT
Enrollment: 3,912 2016: GOUCHER COLLEGE
17 Baltimore, MD
Enrollment: 1,473 2016: ST. LAWRENCE
18 UNIVERSITY
Canton, NY Enrollment: 2,377 2016: 20 COLORADO COLLEGE
19 Colorado Springs, CO
Enrollment: 2,101 2016: BENNINGTON
20 COLLEGE
Bennington, VT Enrollment: 711 2016:19
SEPTEMBER 2017
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OO oO XXXXXX
THE GREENING OF SPORTS Athletes are at the cutting edge of a battle with professional leagues over marijuana use.
M
BY STEVE BLOOM
arijuana has always been one of the greatest taboos in sports. Players use it, the professional leagues try to stop it through punishments and bans, and the cycle goes on. This has been happening ever since pot became popular in the ’60s. Baseball players were the first open users. Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Bill Lee was nicknamed “The Spaceman” for good reason. He started smoking pot when he attended the University of Southern California in the mid-’60s. “I roomed with a bunch of long-distance runners that smoked marijuana,” Lee recalls. “That was the first time I partook. It just seemed really good to me.” The Red Sox drafted Lee in 1968. He ended up starting two World Series games against the Cincinnati Reds in 1975. In 1979, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn fined him $250 for telling a reporter he’d used marijuana. 38
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In a 1980 interview with High Times, Lee explained that he said he used, but didn’t smoke marijuana. So he told Kuhn’s representative, “I sprinkled it on organic buckwheat panctakes.” “What would happen if Bowie Kuhn levied a $250 fine against every player in baseball who smoked dope?” the interviewer inquired. “He’d be a rich man,” Lee retorted. “Smoking’s a way to let you slowly down after a ballgame. It makes people better in the way they act towards society. Everybody’s nicer. It’s hard to be mean when you’re stoned.” Lee is baseball’s Willie Nelson. He’s always asked about pot. These days, Lee’s into hemp. “I want to grow hemp,” he recently said. “I want to start a hemp uniform company, make all the kids’ Little League clothes, so they don’t get epilepsy.” Whereas Lee brought levity to the subject when most people didn’t get the joke, others in baseball faced more seri-
ous repercussions. In 1975, retired slugger Orlando Cepeda, who’d played with the San Francisco Giants and five other teams from 1958-1974, was arrested in Puerto Rico with five pounds of pot he’d smuggled in from Colombia. He’d been a user for the previous 10 years—including the 1967 season, when he was voted the National League’s most valuable player and won the World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals. Cepeda amassed 379 home runs, 2,351 hits and a .297 batting average during his 17-year career. It took three years for Cepeda's case to come to trial. He was found guilty in 1978, sentenced to five years in prison, served just 10 months and spent the rest of the sentence on parole. He was a likely candidate for the Baseball Hall of Fame, but the voters (baseball writers) refused to induct him, due to his conviction. However, the Veterans’ Committee voted Cepeda into the Hall in 1999. A similar thing happened to Ferguson Jenkins, who won 284 games in his 19-year career with the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers and four other teams. In 1980, while he was pitching for Texas, Jenkins was stopped at Customs in Toronto; they found small amounts of marijuana, hashish and cocaine stashed in his bag. Commissioner Kuhn immediately suspended him, but after two weeks, an arbitrator rescinded it. The baseball writers inducted Jenkins into the Hall of Fame in 1991, in his third year of eligibility. Some think his pot arrest prevented him from being inducted sooner. By the ’80s, marijuana was making its way into other sports. Some of the greatest basketball players from the ’70s and ’80s were major users and advocates. This included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the National Basketball Association’s all-time points leader (38,387); Bill Walton, who’s probably best known to fans these days as a TV commentator and Deadhead; and Robert Parish, who played the most games in league history (1,611). All three are in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Parish’s career is especially worth noting. He played 22 years while using marijuana. This became public in 1993
“SMOKING’S A WAY TO LET YOU SLOWLY DOWN AFTER A BALLGAME.” BILL LEE when he was arrested after police intercepted a FedEx package containing two ounces that was addressed to him. Thirty-nine years old at the time, Parish was the league’s oldest player. He’d won three championships (1981, 1984, 1986) as part of the Boston Celtics teams that included Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, and made the All-Star team nine times. The charge was ultimately dismissed. While Abdul-Jabbar was never arrested for pot, he’s long endorsed its use. The six-time NBA champion (he won five with the Los Angeles Lakers in the ’80s) and six-time MVP wrote in his 1983 autoSEPTEMBER 2017
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JOE GURRERI Bill Walton with fellow Deadheads in 2015.
biography, Giant Steps: “When an athlete gets caught doing drugs, all hell breaks loose. Athletes are supposed to be America’s heroes. This is nonsense… I’ve certainly smoked my quota of weed.” Abdul-Jabbar began toking before he changed his name from Lew Alcindor, when he was 17. “After that, I’d get high on the occasional weekend or at a parties every chance I could,” he explained. “For a while there at UCLA [where his team won three NCAA titles], I didn’t want to hang out with anyone who didn’t smoke reefer.” Walton followed Abdul-Jabbar at the University of California at Los Angeles, where he also won three National Collegiate Athletic Association titles. Portland selected him as the No. 1 overall pick of the 1974 draft; three years later, he led the Trail Blazers to their only NBA title. In 1978, Walton went with the Grateful Dead to Egypt, where the band performed at the Pyramids. He’s attended more than 800 shows and is often seen towering above the crowd at Dead and Company shows. In 2015, Walton criticized the NCAA on-air for suspending a University of Washington player for testing positive for marijuana. “This whole War on Drugs has been an absolute failure across the board,” he told ESPN followers. “Why are we punishing people for things that are 40
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"THIS WHOLE WAR ON DRUGS HAS BEEN AN ABSOLUTE FAILURE ACROSS THE BOARD.” BILL WALTON legal? Why are people languishing in jail for things that are legal?” Walton was well aware that Washington State voters had legalized marijuana in 2012. Olympic athletes, who are heavily drug-tested, have to be especially careful. Even being around secondhand cannabis smoke can get you in trouble, as Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati discovered during the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. His men’s snowboarding gold medal was rescinded after his blood test came back positive for THC, but Rebagliati was able to convince the officials that he hadn’t actually smoked but was only around it; they accepted his explanation and returned the medal. Since then, Rebagliati has been one of Canada’s leading cannabis advocates. In 2013, he founded Ross’ Gold, which merged with Green & Hill in 2014. His line of glass bongs and pipes, and CBD edibles is currently available in shops across Canada. In 2009, Michael Phelps also got caught up in a cannabis controversy when a photo of him taking a bong hit at a frat house in Columbia, S.C. went viral. Phelps was quick to call his marijuana use “bad judgment” and a “mistake.” He was suspended for three months by USA Swimming and lost his Kellogg’s sponsorship. Prior to this, Phelps had won 14 gold medals at the Summer Games in Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008). He took four more gold medals in London (2012) and five in Rio de Janeiro (2016); including silver and bronze, he collected 28 medals in his career. While some criticized him for his marijuana use, Phelps’ problem had been alcohol. He was arrested for driving
under the influence twice, in 2004 and 2014, and sentenced to 18 months of probation each time. After the second conviction, Phelps was suspended again by USA Swimming (this time for six months) and entered a treatment program. Following the Rio Games, he retired from competitive swimming. By the first decade of the 21st century, arrests and suspensions of athletes began to reach all-time highs. Most of them involved National Football League and college football players. During the off-season in 2004, Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams tested positive for marijuana. After the NFL suspended him for four games, he decided to retire from football. He spent the rest of the year in India studying Ayurvedic medicine and practicing yoga, not the usual pursuits of an NFL pile-driver. After a year off, a refreshed Williams returned for the 2005 season and completed his suspension. But shortly after Super Bowl XL, he failed another drug test, and was banned again, this time for the entire 2006 season. Williams went north, signing a contract with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. In 2007, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reinstated him. After several injury-plagued seasons, he finished his career with the Baltimore Ravens without further incident. “When I played and I smoked, my body would relax,” Williams reflected in 2014. “I’d go in my room and stretch a little bit and do some yoga. Relaxing would help my body recover. Everyone knows if your muscles relax, the blood is going to flow, which means more blood, more oxygen and more nutrients, which decreases healing time.” Williams was onto something. Since then, football players have been increasingly turning to cannabis as an alternative to prescription drugs, which are handed out like candy by team trainers. During and after their careers, many players get addicted to opioids to deal with the pain from all the crushing hits they’ve taken and delivered on the gridiron. In his 2016 Freedom Leaf interview, former All-Pro lineman Kyle Turley contended, “Cannabis will save football.” Turley suffered numerous concussions and serious injuries during his 10 years with the New Orleans Saints and two other teams.
NFL player Ricky Williams retired from football after failing a drug test.
“I need a cane every now and then,” he admitted. “At any moment I can throw my back out, which I’ve done multiple times. Cannabis is allowing me to get my life back. I’m back in the gym now. My emotional state is so much more positive. I don’t take any painkillers and muscle relaxers anymore. Cannabis kept me from all those things.” Fellow lineman Eugene Monroe, unlike most players, didn’t wait for his career to gradually come to an end. Released by the Ravens in May 2006, he hung up his helmet and uniform for good six weeks later. A medical-marijuana advocate and user, he donated $80,000 to CW Botanicals and Realm for Caring in Colorado Springs last year. “I plan to continue to be a vocal ad-
CAUGHT ON CAMERA The photo of Michael
Phelps smoking a bong went viral in 2009.
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Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has used marijuana for back pain.
vocate of medical-marijuana research, particularly as it relates to CTE,” explained Monroe, whose NFL career lasted just seven years. “More steps need to be taken to curb the overuse of opioids in NFL locker rooms. I won’t rest until something is done.” Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a degenerative brain disease that can only be detected after death in autopsies. It’s caused by multiple concussions and cumulative severe blows to the head. “The last 18 years have been full of traumatic injuries to both my head and body. Do I have CTE?” Monroe wondered. “I hope I don’t, but more than 90% of the brains of former NFL players that have been examined shows signs of the disease. I’m terrified.” In a recent study by neurologist Dr. Ann McKee, the brains of 202 deceased players were tested. Of the 111 NFL veterans’ brains examined, 110 had CTE. Linemen like Turley and Monroe, who knock heads on every play, were the most likely to have the disease. Other former players who’ve taken a stance in favor of cannabis over opioids and encouraged the NFL to allow players to use medical marijuana include Jim McMahon, quarterback for the Super Bowl XVIII champion Chicago Bears; Marvin Washington, a lineman for the Super Bowl XXXII champion Denver Broncos; quarterback Jake Plummer; tight end Nate Jackson; defensive lineman Leonard Marshall; cornerback Clayton Holmes; and offensive lineman Mark Stepnoski, who’s been on NORML’s advisory board for the last 15 years. Former NBA players like three-time champion John Salley and former Blaz42
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er Cliff Robinson are also at the forefront of this movement. Both have cannabis businesses: Robinson has a line of Uncle Cliffy products available at Oregon pot shops, and Salley and his daughter Tyla are working on their own cannabis line as well. And Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has been known to use marijuana for back pain. “I don’t think there’s any question that pot is better for your body than Vicodin,” says Kerr, winner of five NBA titles as a player with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, and two more as coach of the Warriors. “And yet, athletes everywhere are prescribed Vicodin like it’s Vitamin C, like it’s no big deal. The conversation is really about pain relief in sports… You get handed prescriptions for Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet. That’s what NFL players are given. The stuff is awful and dangerous. The issue that’s really important is how do we do what’s best for players?” Many athletes have decided that cannabis is best for them. Now it’s up to the leagues to put an end to one of the world's greatest taboos.
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The
ABC’s of CBD
THC’s cousin CBD has become a hot catchword. Here’s everything you need to know about this popular cannabinoid.
BY DR. FRANK D’AMBROSIO CBD, WHICH STANDS FOR “cannabidiol,” is all the rage in the marijuana industry. It’s widely believed to play a key role in the plant’s healing properties. Despite its confusing legal status, CBD is currently available in dispensaries, adult-use shops and even grocery stores around the country. But does CBD work, and how can it benefit patients and general users? 44
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A WHAT IS CBD?
Cannabidiol is the second most abundant phytocannabinoid found in cannabis, after tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). It accounts for up to 40% of the plant’s extract. CBD is insoluble in water, but soluble in organic solvents. The precursor to CBD is cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), which is found in the resin glands of raw cannabis plants. Aging and decarboxylating (removing carboxyl ions, COOH, by heating) CBDA turns it into CBD. CBDA also has a precursor, cannabigerolic acid (CBGA). It’s a precursor to tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) and cannabichromene acid (CBCA). CBGA turns into CBDA with the help of the cannabis plant enzyme CBDA synthase. Catalysis from CBGA to CBDA occurs through the same metabolic pathway as THCA, with the only difference being that there is another enzyme, THCA synthase, acting as a catalyst.
B HOW DOES CBD WORK?
Studies have shown that CBD has a low affinity for the body’s CB1 and CB2 receptors. Indeed, CBD seems to work as a receptor agonist, meaning that it blocks or dampens a biological response by binding to a receptor, as opposed to provoking a response like an agonist, which is what THC does. This explains why CBD can help “smooth out” the effects of THC, as well as extend the duration of THC’s effects by increasing CB1 receptor density. There’s also a gene in the human body that produces a protein known as “GPR55” or “G-protein coupled receptor 55,” GPR55 is activated by both THC and CBD, as well as the body’s own endocannabinoids, anandamide (which THC mimics), 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG, found in breast milk) and noladin ether. GPR55 is mostly found in the caudate nucleus and putamen of the brain. When CBD is consumed, it activates 2-AG, slowing the deterioration of anandamide. CBD also inhibits fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), which increases the levels of endocannabinoids in the body as well as the body’s own natural THC. CBD also acts as a 5-HT1A receptor partial agonist—a subtype of 5-HT recep-
tor that binds the neurotransmitter serotonin. This helps explain why CBD works as an antidepressant, anxiolytic (decreasing anxiety) and neuroprotective. 5-HT1A receptors are found mostly in the brain. Interestingly, CBD indirectly influences μ-opioid and δ-opioid receptors, which may help explain why cannabis can help replace opioid-based painkillers.
C WHAT EFFECT DOES CONSUMING CBD HAVE?
CBD is not psychoactive (for most people) or toxic. Though it doesn’t have euphoric effects like THC, it definitely can help induce relaxation and reduce stress. Some sense a slight jolt of energy; the brain isn’t clouded, and people tend to feel “clear-headed” when using CBD. But there are definitely some physiological effects, a sort of “stoned without being stoned” response.
D WHAT ARE THE MEDICAL BENEFITS OF CBD?
There are varying amounts of evidence regarding a number of conditions that CBD can help: • It acts as an anticonvulsant. GW Pharmaceuticals is seeking FDA approval to market its high-CBD Epidiolex as a medication for epilepsy, Dravet syndrome and seizures in general. • It acts as an antipsychotic. CBD can be used instead of antipsychotics prescribed for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), severe depression, eating disorders and schizophrenia. • It’s neuroprotective. CBD protects brain cells from the toxicity of glutamate, which builds up when oxygen fails to reach the brain. This means CBD can be useful for Parkinson’s disease, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and a variety of neurological disorders and problems. CBD also induces the growth of new brain cells (neurogenesis). • It’s anti-inflammatory. Several studies have shown that cannabinoids reduce inSEPTEMBER 2017
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flammation by downregulating cytokine and chemokine production, and upregulating T-regulatory cells. • It acts as an antidepressant. CBD works on the serotonin receptor 5-HT1A. Chronic antidepressant treatment also modifies and causes changes in the endocannabinoid system. The main benefit of CBD is that it can work for a multitude of conditions. It’s also faster-acting than many antidepressants, which can take months to work effectively.
E WHAT’S THE BEST DELIVERY METHOD FOR CBD?
Joints, tinctures, oils, pens, topicals or edibles? Quite simply, try them all and pick whichever one works best for you. With smoking and vaping, CBD directly enters the bloodstream. Edibles are metabolized more slowly, by the liver. People often find that varying their methods of ingestion works. Why this is, nobody precisely knows, but the simple answer is “everyone’s different.” Though CBD is generally safe, it may interact with other drugs, since it inhibits the activity of the liver enzyme cytochrome P450, which contributes to the metabolism of drugs by oxidizing them. While there aren’t many known negative drug interactions, the fact that cannabis works on cytochrome P450 suggests that it can have an effect on benzodiazepine and barbiturate absorption. Indeed, CBD can be used to taper people off benzos and barbs, but it may also have negative effects if both are used in high amounts. To determine the best delivery method, ask your local budtenders and fellow patients for their opinions. Do some trial-and-error research and decide which ones work for you. Doctors can’t recommend one specific product, but I do suggest using ones that are lab-tested. 46
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F CBD-ONLY OR COMBINED WITH THC?
The phrase “a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down” applies to cannabis as well. A little bit of THC helps CBD do its job better. Many people prefer a 1:1 ratio of THC to CBD. A 2016 study of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients showed a generally positive response to the therapeutic effects of a 1:1 THC:CBD oromucosal spray. However, the ideal ratio of THC:CBD is very much a personal matter, and it also depends on the condition one suffers from. Many people will likely need different cannabinoid ratios for different times of the day and for different conditions. For example, a THC-laden tincture would likely be a poor choice for a schizophrenic (who probably ought to stick to CBD-only), but terrific for a MS sufferer. The “entourage effect” suggests that CBD works better when it’s paired with THC. However, these aren’t the only cannabinoids. There are more than 100 others that also have health benefits that can relax the body and induce sleep, fight pain and work as an appetite stimulant, such as cannabigerol (CBG)— which is a neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agent—and cannabinol (CBN). Whole-plant extracts and cannabis flowers may be the best way to go when it comes to getting the full spectrum of health benefits from marijuana. By separating THC and CBD, you’re receiving half of the benefit that you could be getting. Stripping away the other cannabinoids and terpinoids also makes the plant less effective as a medicine. Sadly, those substances are missing from many CBD-only products, making them less effective or even ineffective.
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WHOLE-PLANT EXTRACTS AND CANNABIS FLOWERS may be the best way to go when it comes to getting the full spectrum of health benefits from marijuana. By separating THC and CBD, you’re receiving half of the benefit that you could be getting. G WHAT ABOUT CBD PRODUCTS MADE FROM HEMP, AND SOURCED FROM EUROPE AND OTHER COUNTRIES?
Hemp plants and marijuana plants are both the same species, Cannabis sativa, but they have distinct phytochemical compositions. Hemp is low in THC and high in CBD; marijuana is generally high in THC and low in CBD. Hemp grows tall, fast and with plenty of stalk; marijuana has been modified to be more of a shrub that produces buds. Yet, there may well be a difference in the quality of the extracts. This has more to do with the plant’s growing conditions than the plant itself. Industrial hemp is often grown in countries where safety standards aren’t strictly adhered to, such as Romania and China. If cultivation and 48
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extraction aren’t done safely, heavy metals, pollutants and even pathogenic bacteria and fungi can find their way into hemp-derived CBD products. For now, it’s probably best to look for products made from organically cultivated hemp from North America (the U.S., Canada) or the European Union (the Netherlands, Spain), from countries that regulate and test their CBD products. CBD derived from stalks and seeds may not be as effective as CBD derived from cannabis flowers. Medical marijuana, grown in controlled conditions where fewer industrial chemicals and pesticides are used, is clearly safer then its hemp counterpart. If you’re a patient and live in a legal medical-marijuana state, get a card and look for marijuana-derived CBD oils, edibles, topicals and tinctures.
H IS CBD LEGAL?
Both CBD and hemp are illegal under federal law in the United States. However, this ban has openings depending on where the CBD is sourced from. CBD derived from marijuana flowers is illegal, whereas CBD derived from the mature stalks of hemp plants is legal—and a 2014 federal law allows states to create pilot programs for hemp cultivation. Thus, you might be able to get CBD products made in one of the 33 states that allow hemp cultivation in some form. In general, though, this legal situation has had the effect of flooding the U.S. market with cheap hemp oil from countries where safety standards are lax. Last December, the DEA created a new code for “marihuana extracts,” which are defined under the Controlled Substances Act as “containing one or more cannabinoids that has been derived from any plant of the genus Cannabis, other than the separated resin.” With that ruling, CBD remains in a complex gray area of the law, one that continues to heavily affect the hemp, marijuana and cannabis industries. Dr. Frank D’Ambrosio hosts the weekly podcast, “Elevate the Conversation.”
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CONSERVATIVES AND
CANNABIS Can Roger Stone and other Trump acolytes convince the president to hold off on a renewed War on Marijuana?
I
BY ALLEN ST. PIERRE
n a political duopoly, such as there is in the U.S. between Democrats and Republicans—the former “liberal,” the latter “conservative”—it takes two parties to tango. Since at least 2005, Democratic voters have increasingly supported ending or, at minimum, lessening cannabis prohibition. Democrats generally “get it”; Republicans generally don’t. Since President Richard Nixon, elected on a “law and order” platform in 1968, declared “war on drugs,” Republican voters, elected officials and policymakers have largely opposed any reforms of cannabis laws. In many cases, they’ve sought increased enforcement and harsher penalties, with young blacks and Latinos often the target. With this in mind, you’d be surprised to learn how many genuine political conservatives have opposed marijuana prohibition over the last 45 years. In 1972, William F. Buckley’s National Review published a cover story by Young Americans 50
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for Freedom cofounder Richard Cowan titled, “Why Conservatives Should Support Marijuana Law Reform.” The magazine’s cover line read, “The Time Has Come to Abolish the Pot Laws.” Buckley, who had smoked marijuana, agreed with Cowan. This was the first major intellectual discussion in conservative ranks about whether state and federal governments should amend their Reefer Madness-era laws. The call by Buckley, YAF and Cowan (who went on to cofound Freedom Leaf) for conservatives to champion, not oppose, cannabis-law reforms would eventually expose a far larger rift on the right. In the 1970s and ’80s, notably after the election of Ronald “Just Say No” Reagan in 1980, the moralist wing of the Republican party, led by Bible-thumpers and abortion opponents, clearly came to the fore over their more libertarian-leaning brethren. GOP moralists equated marijuana use with moral turpitude, lack of productivity and social deviancy. John
largely unbound by either a political philosophy or party loyalty. Cannabis is no exception. Trump told a campaign crowd in 2015 that he thinks “marijuana and legalization… should be a state issue.” But he’s also celebrated police brutality, telling police on Long Island July 28 that they shouldn’t “be too nice” when throwing suspects into a paddy wagon. What we do know is that his clearest action on the issue has been nominating former Alabama senator Jeff Sessions, a longtime cannabis foe, as Attorney General, the nation’s top law-enforcement official. So far, the Justice Department, which includes the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Marshals, has largely not interfered with the thousands of licensed cannabis businesses in the eight states that have legal marijuana and the 22 others that allow medical access. While the Justice Department is studying revamping its marijuana-law enforcement policies, and Sessions in May told federal prosecutors to seek “the most serious” charges against low-level drug offenders, he has not yet rescinded the 2013 “Cole memo,” which recommended that prosecutors should not use their finite resources to go after cannabis businesses that are complying with state laws. (For more on James Cole, turn to page 54.) Could this be due to the influence of some of Trump’s significant advisors? • Donor and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel has a large financial stake in the cannabis companies owned by Seattle-based Privateer Holdings. • Political consultant Roger Stone, a longtime Republican political operative (and dirty-tricks specialist) came out of his smoky closet a few BARBARA NITKE / NETFLIX
Walters, who would go on to become President George W. Bush’s drug czar, declared that the drug war of 1977-92 was “a conservative cultural revolution.” During this period, however, libertarian-conservative writers consistently questioned the absurdity, costs and immorality of cannabis prohibition far more than traditional liberal newspapers and magazines did. Conservative intellectuals such as Buckley, Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams and Milton Friedman, as well as George Shultz, the Reagan administration’s Secretary of State, all railed against prohibition in print. In fact, Buckley was the first well-known conservative to “recommend the legalization of the sale of most drugs, except to minors.” Conservative, libertarian and centerright newspapers such as the Orange County Register, the Washington Times and the Chicago Tribune, along with magazines like Reason, National Review and The Economist, joined the outcry against continuing the War on Marijuana and other illicit drugs, as did think tanks including the Cato Institute, the American Enterprise Institute, the Hoover Institute, the Heartland Institute and the Mackinac Center. When businessman Gary Johnson was elected governor of New Mexico in 1994, libertarian-conservatives had their man in office. After two terms, during which he openly supported marijuana legalization, Johnson ran for president twice as the Libertarian Party’s candidate. In the 2016 election, the Johnson/ William Weld ticket garnered nearly 4.5 million votes, 3.3% of the total. The same Nov. 8 vote elected Donald Trump as President. Neither an ideological conservative nor a lifelong Republican, Trump’s a self-aggrandizing opportunist who often takes wildly contradictory positions,
“A crackdown on marijuana is not going to make America great again economically.” ROGER STONE SEPTEMBER 2017
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years ago and admitted he enjoys cannabis. He and former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura recently launched a political-action group called the United States Cannabis Coalition. Similar to many propot Trump supporters, Stone contends that “Donald Trump’s skepticism about the War on Drugs goes back many years.” Like Trump (but for different reasons), Stone has been taking aim at Sessions recently, calling him “shifty” and “nefarious.” “A crackdown on marijuana is not going to make America great again economically,” he wrote on July 30 at Stone ColdTruth.com. “Sessions’ plan directly contradicts the expressed position of the president while a candidate… Even more appalling, drug warriors like Sessions, John Kelly and Chris Christie refuse to admit that the War on Drugs has failed… The effects of legalization, on the other hand, have proven to be most beneficial.” Who knows? Without Thiel and Stone peeping in the president’s ear, it’s distinctly possible that the Trump administration would have already started a sustained campaign against America’s state-sanctioned cannabis industry. Other current conservative Trump backers who support cannabis-law reforms include GOP mega-donors the Koch Brothers, antitax activist Grover Norquist, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, National Review editor
Richard Lowry and former MTV VJ Kennedy. The goal for drug-law-reform activists and cannabis businesspeople working to bring federal prohibition to a quick end is to flip Republicans from anti-weed to pro-pot by making them adhere to traditional GOP rhetoric about states’ rights, economic freedom and good social order (which prohibition does not at all engender). Republican support for reefer reform is essential, since there’s a yawning gap between Democrats, of whom nearly 60% support legalization, and Republicans, of whom only 35% do. (Democrats’ level of support comports almost exactly with the general population’s.) Thankfully, there are some forwardthinking individuals and organizations that have recognized this crucial need. One is Ann Lee, the 90-year-old mother of Richard Lee, the visionary founder of Oaksterdam (and its university). She formed Republicans Against Marijuana Prohibition in 2010 with a singular focus on educating and cajoling Republicans to live up to their rhetoric of respect for the Constitution by no longer supporting the failed policy of cannabis prohibition. It would also be politically prudent for advocacy groups like the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and Americans for Safe Access (ASA) to make effective efforts to reach the Republican party and its voters at the local, state and fedFormer Minnesota eral levels. governor, Libertarian Unless Democrats take Party supporter and pro control of the Presidency and wrestler Jesse Ventura both houses of Congress— joined Roger Stone to form which has only occurred the United States Cannabis twice since 1981, in 1993-94 Coalition. They oppose and 2009-2010—federal cannabis prohibition will likely a Trump White House drag on for at least another demarijuana backlash. cade, until the time that Republicans’ opposition to it falls in line with the rest of the nation. Allen St. Pierre is Freedom Leaf’s VP of Advocacy & Communications.
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FREEDOM LEAF INTERVIEW
JAMES COLE BY MIA DI STEFANO
JAMES COLE, a deputy attorney general in the Obama administration, is renowned in the cannabis world for writing the two short memoranda that so far have spared legal marijuana states from federal drug-law enforcement. The first, written in 2011 (a year after he joined the department), stated that targeting seriously ill patients and their individual caregivers was “not an efficient use of federal resources.” The four-page 2013 Cole Memorandum, written in response to the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado and Washington in 2012, listed eight priorities for federal law enforcement, such as preventing sales to minors and organized-crime involvement—and recommended that federal prosecutors had better things to do than go after states and cannabis businesses who weren’t violating those rules. Cole, now a partner at the Sidley Austin LLP corporate-law firm in Washington, spoke publicly on the future of cannabis law and federal enforcement for the first time since leaving the Justice Depart-
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ment May 25, when he was a panelist at the New York City Bar Association’s event, “The Trump Administration and Drug Policy.” Paul DeRienzo, who hosts “TrumpWatch” on WBAI-FM, moderated the panel. This is an abridged version of Cole’s comments. Refresh us on how your 2013 memorandum came about. When we dealt with it in the Justice Department, one of the things that really struck us was that there were two problems: a health problem and a law-enforcement problem. You have to make sure that you separate those two in order to try to deal with this in any sort of successful way. In 2010, one-third of the Justice Department’s $27 billion budget was for the Bureau of Prisons. The vast majority of people in prison are there for drugs. Some of them in for drugs make their living killing people; they’re dangerous and present a serious public safety issue. But a lot of people are in there for nonviolent minor drug offenses, sometimes first-time offenses. We were dealing with drug addiction as a crime, when it’s a health issue. When you have people who are addicted,
this may drive them to be a part of drug organization just to feed their own addiction in one way or another. You start asking yourself, “Why are these people in the criminal-justice system? What brought them there? Are they bad, are they evil, are they killing people? Or are they ill, and they need some sort of treatment instead of punishment?” Literally, the day after Colorado and Washington passed recreational-marijuana initiatives in 2012, [Washington Gov.] Christine Gregoire told me, “Well, this is what’s going on in our state. Are you now going to prosecute our simple-possession cases?” I said, “Governor, I don’t prosecute my simple-possession cases. Why should I prosecute your simple-possession cases? Nobody does that, it’s not worth it.” How did medical marijuana, which was legal in a number of states at the time, fit into the equation? Their regulatory systems weren’t very good, robust or careful. They were very permissive and not really achieving the results they were aiming for. If you preempt the regulatory scheme, people are going to get it from the cartels. Now you’re feeding a lot of money to the cartels, which is not a good idea. The marijuana the cartels send up into our country is filled with pesticides. You don’t know what’s in it or how it’s grown. What’s the sense in trying to take down the regulatory scheme, when we could basically wag our finger at the states and say you need to actually have a good regulatory scheme, and here are the eight things we think are public-safety issues that, if you take care of them, then we’re not going to prosecute marijuana cases in your state. And in the same breath, we’re saying you can make a whole lot of tax revenue off this, and really benefit your state in a bunch of ways. All the money that would have gone into the cartels will go into the state tax coffers. So this is the genesis of how we came up with this policy. It wasn’t that we were saying, “Boy, isn’t marijuana great? We want to just get rid of all the marijuana laws in place.” It wasn’t that. It was very much an analysis of “what’s the public-
“SOME PEOPLE SHOULD GO TO JAIL FOR A LONG TIME, OTHERS SHOULD NOT. LET’S GIVE THE DISCRETION BACK TO OUR PROSECUTORS.” safety interest?” How can we make our communities safer now that we’re in this dilemma? This had a great deal to do with how to put this policy into effect. Did you receive any pushback from prosecutors and legislators who were charged with enforcing the memo? Right after Colorado and Washington passed their resolutions, I got called up to the Hill often by politicians, some saying you have to stop enforcing the law, and others saying you have to really enforce the law against marijuana now. And I would look at them and say, “Last I checked you were the Congress. You pass a law and we enforce it. Give me the directions by passing a law.” They didn’t. The DEA didn’t like it, but that was probably the biggest pushback we got. As you understand it, so long as an individual or company is abiding by your 2013 memo, Department of Justice enforcement will not occur? Under the current policy, that is correct, if they are in compliance. My memo starts out by saying that this is illegal under federal law. We’re not changing that, but it’s saying if you comply with and do not SEPTEMBER 2017
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MIA DI STEFANO
“IF I WANTED TO STOP THIS, I’D PROBABLY GO AFTER SOME BIG BUSINESS THAT’S SUPPORTING THE MARIJUANA INDUSTRY AND SHUT IT DOWN.” violate these public-safety issues we have, we’re not going to do anything about it, unless there is some other compelling interest that we can’t even think of. Do you expect Attorney General Jeff Sessions to scrap the 2013 memo? 56
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I know there’s been talk about this, whether or not it’s going to be withdrawn. I don’t know, but I’ve been hearing some things from Sessions that indicate that he thinks it’s not that far away from good policy or that there’s a lot of valuable stuff in the memo.
go after them and that becomes the thing that shuts the industry down. Many cannabis businesses are cashbased because they can’t use banks. The federal government has the power to disrupt legal cannabis by preventing the exchange of money. How do you address that? The second Cole Memo says you can bank with this money, and if your clients who you’re banking for are in compliance with the Cole Memo, you will not be charged with money-laundering. There’s another public-safety issue out there when you’re dealing with that much cash, and that public-safety issue is someone is going to try and steal it from you, and most of the time they’re going to use a weapon to do it.
James Cole (middle) at the New York City Bar Association's panel discussion on May 25.
In California, some dispensaries have begun selling recreationally to people without medical recommendations. Is this where federal enforcement is going to happen? That’s very difficult to predict. That kind of trade should be left to the state of California. If I wanted to stop this, I’d probably go after some big business that’s supporting the marijuana industry, and shut it down. This will make every other business that’s supporting the marijuana industry afraid, as opposed to going after the marijuana industry [itself]. You stop the business that’s part of the infrastructure that you know gives them the ATM machines that are there that are not connected to a bank, that gives them the packaging, that gives them the scientific equipment they need for growing—the lights, the fertilizer, whatever it is. You
In Colorado, while juvenile marijuana use is dropping, there’s actually been an increase in prosecution of youth of color. How do you think regulatory changes can be made to attempt to reduce these racial biases in law enforcement? I’m not sure it’s a regulatory change; I think it’s a societal change. It’s about who your public officials are, and who’s being given the discretion in those prosecutors’ offices to decide what the policies are. The prosecutor gets to decide who gets prosecuted and who doesn’t. Even if someone committed a crime, the prosecutor gets to say, “I will or will not prosecute you.” There’s nobody who can second-guess that, other than the voters, by voting the prosecutor out. As a Schedule I drug, marijuana has no accepted medicinal value under federal law, yet many sick children have experienced successful recovery with cannabidiol. How do you reconcile this? Rescheduling is a very complicated issue, because it can be done one of two ways: either through the FDA and the DEA, which have been delegated the Attorney General’s power to reschedule, or through legislation in Congress. The DEA and Attorney General can do a study that talks about a), is there any known mediSEPTEMBER 2017
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“A SIMPLE-POSSESSION CASE FOR SOMEONE WHO’S USING MEDICAL MARIJUANA? WHO CARES?” cal use? and b), what is the potential for abuse? Because it’s a Schedule I drug, the ability to test it is incredibly difficult. When I was at the Justice Department, a lot of parents asked us why we wouldn’t let rescheduling happen. Obviously, it’s a tough issue. Do you want to test a drug on your child that has not been approved by the FDA? These parents are desperate, there’s nothing else that even comes close to giving relief to their children, so I think we owe it to them to try to get some actual testing of this drug done, to find out if it’s going to help somebody. Let’s put it through the normal FDA process and get it out, so it can help people. The president has no power to reschedule drugs? As I recall under the statute, the president doesn’t have the authority to reschedule. The Attorney General does, and has delegated that authority to the DEA and the FDA. The president can’t instruct the Attorney General to reschedule a drug? No, the president should not be instructing the Attorney General. Can you speak briefly about the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment, which protects patients and businesses in states where medical marijuana is legal? There’s a little bit of controversy about what it means. It’s a rider on the Justice Department’s appropriations bill and it’s been on for several years now. It says none of the money appropriated to the Justice Department can be used [to enforce federal laws against marijuana] in states that have passed medical-marijuana laws. The Justice Department currently contends all that means is the 58
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state [can take] action to implement their laws, while others have said, “No, it means if someone’s using medical marijuana you can’t prosecute them.” That’s the controversy. At this point, to me, why are we really worried about that so much if it’s a simple-possession case for someone who’s using medical marijuana? Who cares? It doesn’t seem to me to be an all-encompassing or a compelling law-enforcement point of view. Sessions has made comments such as “I used to like the Ku Klux Klan until I learned that they smoke marijuana,” and is telling his prosecutors that they should go for the maximum sentence instead of minimum sentences. How seriously should we take his comments? You can’t always take a quip as policy. Lots of people make quips, and what ends up coming out in policy, hopefully, is something that’s done through some thoughtful discussion. The criminal-justice system is something different. We prosecute people, charge them with the most serious offense we can and give them the most serious sentence we can get. This was something that Attorney General [Eric] Holder and I tried to pull back on by saying, "No, let's be thoughtful about this.” Some people should go to jail for a long time, others should not. Let’s give the discretion back to our prosecutors, who are on the street and know better what’s going on, and allow them to have the discretion that only they can have because they’re familiar with the cases. I can’t sit in Washington and say, “Here’s a specific case in New York City, do this to it.” Mia Di Stefano consults on marketing and digital strategy for cannabis companies under her brand High Growth NYC, and programs events for Women Grow NYC.
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g with Mota n i k o Co
D E C U M I S A I J N A E B
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H C T I M ICARD • PHOTOS BY
WHEN I VISITED MEXICO’S Baja California peninsula in my youth, the most notable “cuisine” consisted of fish tacos and cerveza. No more. Baja Mediterranean is now a hot culinary trend that’s gaining worldwide recognition. The explosion in popularity of Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe wine country has undoubtedly helped put “Baja Med” on the map. Besides wines that are racking up international medals, visitors will find world-class olive oils and farm-to-table fare all the way from casual to haute cuisine.
AH-MAZING AHI TUNA TOSTADAS Sushi bar meets taqueria in this delicious, easy-to-make recipe. • ¼ pound sushi-grade Ahi tuna, diced • ¼ cup seeded cucumber, diced • ½ small avocado, diced • 1 tbsp. jalapeno pepper, minced • ½ tsp. garlic, minced • 2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped • 1 tbsp. cannabis-infused olive oil • 1 tsp. sesame oil 60
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• 1 tbsp. soy sauce • 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice • ½ tsp. lime zest • ½ tsp. hot sauce (more to taste) • 1 tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted • 2 tostada shells Mix all ingredients, except tostada shells and sesame seeds, in medium bowl until well combined. Divide tuna mixture between two tostada shells and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings.
Mexi-Fusion, Baja Med-Style Three elements define the Baja Med diet: • Mexican influences such as cheeses, chicharrones, chilies and masa. • Mediterranean influences such as olives and olive oil, and herbs and spices.
CANNABIS CAESAR SALAD Many people are under the misconception that the Caesar salad is a classic Italian dish. Actually, Caesar Cardini invented the dish in 1924 in Tijuana.
SALAD: • 4 corn tortillas • ¼ cup pumpkin seeds, hulled • 24 romaine lettuce leaves • 2 tsp. vegetable oil • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, shaved • Salt
DRESSING: • 4 oil-packed anchovy fillets • 2 small garlic cloves • 1 large egg yolk • 1 tbsp. lemon juice • ¾ tsp. Dijon mustard • 1½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce • 2 tbsp. cannabis olive oil • ¼ cup olive oil • Salt and pepper to taste Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut tortillas into thin strips and spread on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking oil. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Do the same with the pumpkin seeds. Set aside. Combine all dressing ingredients, except oil, in blender or food processer, and process. Add oil and process until mixture is emulsified. Assemble salad by arranging romaine leaves on plates. Drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle tortilla strips, toasted pumpkin seeds and shaved cheese on top, and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.
• Parts of Baja have large Asian populations, so their ingredients and culinary styles have been assimilated into the local cooking.
JAMAICA ORANGE AGUA FRESCA Tart hibiscus flowers (called jamaica, pronounced ha-my-ka, in Spanish) are used for popular drinks in Mexico. Like cannabis, jamaica is antioxidant-rich and carries many health benefits. It can be found in Latin grocery stores or healthfood markets. • ¾ cup hibiscus flowers, dried • 4 cups water • 1/3 cup honey or agave sweetener • 1 cup orange juice • 12-16 drops cannabis alcohol or glycerin tincture • Ice • 4 orange slices for garnish Place hibiscus flowers in colander and quickly rinse with cold water. Add flowers and water to a pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, strain flowers from liquid. Stir in honey or agave. Let cool slightly, stir in orange juice and tincture. Fill 4 large glasses with ice and divide the mixture between the glasses. Garnish with an orange slice and serve. Makes 4 servings. SEPTEMBER 2017
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RIPPED BAJA RICE Fire-grilled veggies and green olives add complex flavors to this fabulous side dish. • 2 cups brown rice, cooked • ¾ cup black beans, cooked • 1 medium onion, cut into chunks • 2 fresh tomatoes • 1 large ear of corn • 1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced • ½ cup green olives, chopped • 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice • 2 tbsp. cannabis-infused olive oil • 1 tbsp. vegetable oil • ½ tsp. hot sauce (more to taste) • ½ tsp. salt • 1 tsp. black pepper Thread onion chunks onto wooden or metal skewers. Brush onions, whole tomatoes and peeled ear of corn with vegetable oil, and grill over medium-hot fire until slightly blackened. When cooled, chop onions and tomato, and cut corn off cob. Mix grilled veggies into the cooked rice along with jalapeno, olives and beans. Whisk together lime juice, cannabis oil, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Pour over rice-and-veggie mixture and toss to coat. Makes 4 servings.
PESTO PASTA MEXICANO WITH GRILLED SHRIMP Classic Italian pesto takes on a distinct Mexican accent in this versatile recipe. The grilled shrimp is optional.
PESTO: • 1 cup cilantro, loosely packed • 2 tsp. garlic, minced • ¼ cup + 2 tsp. pumpkin seeds, hulled • 1 large chipotle chile pepper in adobo sauce • ½ cup crumbled Mexican cotija cheese • 2 tsp. fresh lime juice • 2 tbsp. cannabis-infused olive oil • 3 tbsp. olive oil • ½ tsp. salt • 1 tsp. black pepper 62
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PASTA:
GANJA GRILLED BANANAS
• 6 oz. regular or whole-wheat spaghetti or angel hair pasta • 1 small avocado, diced for garnish
Make this simple dessert after the meal when the grill fire has died down to medium or low.
SHRIMP:
• 2 large bananas • 1 cup mixed berries • 2 tbsp. butter • 1 tbsp. cannabis-infused butter • ½ cup Mexican crema or sour cream • ½ cup pecan or walnut pieces, chopped • 2 tbsp. honey or agave sweetener • 1 tbsp. Kahlua • ¼ tsp. salt
• 6 jumbo shrimp (with tail) • 2 tsp. olive oil • 1 tsp. garlic, minced Place pumpkin seeds on baking tray and toast for 10 minutes at 400°F. Put aside. Prepare pesto by combining ¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds, cilantro, chipotle, 1 tsp. garlic, ¼ cup cotija, lime juice and cannabis oil in a blender or food processor, and process. Add olive oil, salt and pepper until mixture emulsifies. Boil large pot of salted water. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. While water is heating, mix 2 tsp. olive oil with 1 tsp. minced garlic in small bowl, add shrimp and toss to coat. Cook shrimp either over medium-hot grill fire or in cast-iron pan coated with oil, about 2 minutes per side or until pink and cooked through. Drain pasta and toss with pesto. Divide between 2 plates and top each with 3 cooked shrimp. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds, crumbled cotija and diced avocado. Serve immediately. Serves 2.
Melt butter and cannabutter over medium heat in large, preferably cast-iron, skillet. Stir in the honey or agave, and nuts. Reduce heat to low and cook, about 2 minutes. Cut bananas in half lengthwise, but leave peel on. Grill face down, about 3 minutes. Use tongs to turn bananas. Cook the peel side, about 3-4 more minutes or until tender. Remove from grill, peel bananas and place two halves on each plate. Divide warm nut sauce between the two plates and surround with berries. Place dollop of crema in the center and serve immediately. Makes 2 servings. Cheri Sicard is author of The Cannabis Gourmet Cookbook and Mary Jane: The Complete Cannabis Handbook for Women. SEPTEMBER 2017
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PAPER TRAIL: FROM PAPYRUS TO PULP TO HEMP BY ERIN HIATT
PAPER HAS BEEN AROUND for millennia. The Egyptians made flat sheets used for writing from papyrus-reed fibers at least as far back as 2900 BCE, with the oldest known written document from 2500 BCE. The oldest known actual paper, found in China, is believed to date from between 179 and 141 BCE. In 105 CE, Cai Lun, a Chinese government official, made paper by breaking open a mulberry tree and pounding its inner fibers into sheets, adding fish nets, rags and hemp to improve its quality. He’s credited with creating the first paper industry. Before the invention of modern woodpulp paper in 1843, papermaking was environmentally sustainable, with paper generally made from old linens, hemp and cotton. The English Magna Carta in 1215 and the U.S. Declaration of Independence in 1776 were both printed on hemp paper. Now, most paper is derived from timber pulp. This has environmental ramifications far beyond the cutting of trees. To make that perfect piece of crisp paper, toxic dyes, bleaches and chemicals are added, with the residue often polluting land and water resources. The paper and pulp industry uses 6% of the world’s total energy consumption, although its use of biomass for fuel lowers its share of global carbon-dioxide emissions to 3%. On the back end, it’s estimated that 35% of all discarded materials in the U.S. are made of paper. The late Jack Herer and other activists
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Morris Beegle, president of Tree Free Hemp
touted hemp extensively in the 1980s and ’90s as an alternative source for paper and other products. “Rag paper containing hemp fiber is the highest quality and longest lasting paper ever made,” Herer declared. “It can torn when it’s wet, but returns to full strength when dry.” A number of hemp-paper companies now have products on the market. “It’s a small industry,” says Morris Beegle, president and founder of We Are For Better Alternatives (WAFBA), parent company of Colorado’s NOCO Hemp Expo and Tree Free Hemp, based in Loveland. “But it’s only going to grow in every single area.” For now, hemp is a specialty paper. But
A postcard depicting a hemp field in Kentucky in the 1800s.
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“Rag paper containing hemp fiber is the highest quality and longest lasting paper ever made.” JACK HERER Beegle believes that as the barriers to growing hemp come down, the market for his paper will only go up. “The vision is to go from a small cottage industry to a larger cottage industry that’s servicing and providing paper to a lot of markets,” he tells Freedom Leaf. “Five years from now, there will be a lot more craft-industry penetration.” Rawganique, a small company based on Denman Island off the coast of Washington State, takes environmental stewardship very seriously. Klaus Wallner, its cofounder, owner and CEO, makes hemp paper from waste scraps of hemp fiber and fabrics. “It’s a brilliant ecological solution and a perfect good use of waste materials,” he says. “No need at all to cut down trees.” Making paper from a natural fiber like hemp requires fewer toxic chemicals. “It’s chlorine-free," Beegle notes. “It’s not bleached, it’s not a nice bright white. It’s got a texture and you can see hemp fibers.” Tree Free Hemp’s paper is 25% hemp fiber and 75% post-consumer recycled paper. Tree Free currently imports its hemp from Europe. While Beegle anticipates that Kentucky will soon become the first domestic hemp source, he’s frustrated about the barriers facing hemp-paper production in the U.S. For instance, the majority of the paper industry has equipment designed to work with timber. “The timber industry has been subsidized and everything has been built on doing it around wood, not hemp or flax,” he explains. “When it comes down to it, hemp pulp is six to eight times the price of wood pulp.” Tree Free provides printing services—business cards, flyers, banners—and also sells 66
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reams of hemp paper that come in a wide range of prices, from $20 to $850, depending on volume. The Romanian hemp used in Rawganique’s paper products is “acid free,” says Wallner, “which is a crucial environmental advantage. The texture is much better, it lasts far longer and is very special.” Stringent European Union laws protect workers, and ensure that hemp is organically grown and processed without toxic chemicals. Its hemp paper feels like very thin, soft fabric with an eggshell-like color and visible pieces of hemp fibers throughout. “It’s great for special occasions like wedding invitations,” Wallner continues. “It’s far better than tree papers.” Despite the paper’s artisanal look and feel, Beegle says it can be used in copy machines and printers, just like ordinary paper. Rawganique works on a small scale, producing paper, business cards, sketchbooks and notecards; prices start at $3.95 per sheet. Beegle believes hemp paper is only one aspect of the greater cannabis battle, but since it's a fast-growing, renewable source of biomass, it can be a tool to help repair the Earth’s environment. “Using hemp saves trees, which are slow-growing,” he exclaims. “With shrinking forest cover worldwide, it’s a huge problem for the environment. Hemp can help.”
TREE FREE PAPER
treefreehemp.com RAWGANIQUE
rawganique.com Erin Hiatt writes about cannabis for Freedom Leaf and THC Magazine.
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ENGLAND IS BETTER WHEN YOU’RE HIGH BY BETH MANN IF YOU READ MY last two articles in Freedom Leaf ("How Not to Get Stoned in England" and "Budless in Britain"), you're aware of my travails trying to find pot in the UK. But happily, dear friends, my geographically enforced sobriety has finally come to an end. At my wits’ end in the northern city of Sheffield, I called a friend in California and asked her for ideas on how to score weed. She suggested a much-overlooked avenue: college students. Rather than ask my British friends, she said, I should ask their kids instead. So I reached out to a friend’s son who was “home from uni” and, voila, he pulled out his phone and gave me a number with specific instructions: “Tell ’em Nigel from Totley Hill sent you.” I’ve never called a courier service in my life. In America, pot falls in my lap, sometimes literally. Back home, I don’t have to contact strangers using secret codes and the like. I just say “pot” and it magically appears. So, frankly, this new procedure made me a bit nervous. I finally mustered up the courage to call and a young man answered. I mentioned Nigel from Totley Hill.
“Yeah, so what do you want?” he responded curtly. Being trained in the art of not using the word “marijuana” on the phone, my tongue became tied. “I’d like some, um, hippie lettuce.” “What?” “Kind bud? Combustible herbage?” “Come again?” Then I made a sharp inhaling sound while gesticulating wildly. “You want weed, lady?” “Yes, please,” I said sheepishly. “Text me your address. Red car in front, 20 minutes.” Twenty minutes later, the red car arrived in front of my house. It reeked of pungent marijuana. I hopped in and a friendly dude with blue dreadlocks offered me a variety of fragrant choices. I selected the Blueberry. With weed in pocket (sung to the Pretenders’ “Brass in Pocket”), I walked to the local park and smoked my first British fatty. Since then, I've learned that Sheffield has a lot of pot to offer. Like Denver in legalization’s infancy, there are growers, sellers and merchandisers quietly doing business with little hassle from the law. Let’s hope the weed I have lasts me until the end of my trip. I couldn’t bear the embarrassment and awkwardness of another courier call. Beth Mann is president of Hot Buttered Media.
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DAMIAN MARLEY, 311 CELEBRATE SURVIVAL TO A REGGAE BEAT BY ROY TRAKIN
REGGAE’S BEEN AROUND since the ’60s ska and rock-steady movements in Jamaica, but it took until The Harder They Come movie and soundtrack starring Jimmy Cliff in 1972 for it to penetrate the U.S. market. This opened the door for Bob Marley, who brought reggae to the masses until his untimely death in 1981. Over the last four decades, it’s crept into the vernacular via rock, R&B and hip-hop. In today’s tremulous, apocalyptic times, reggae is most welcome, with its Armaged72
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don prophecies and opposition to “Babylon.” It’s a combination battle cry and hopeful hymn that employs rhythms and messages to move the body and stir the soul, both spiritually and politically. It’s all brought together with the communal power of ganja. For Damian Marley and 311, reggae rallies the faithful by mobilizing their audiences with shared ideals. Marley (a.k.a. Jr. Gong) was three years old when his father died. He’s taken the whole of Bob’s legacy—the raging fury, pleas for peace, Biblical doomsaying and love of the herbal sacrament— and created a new dancehall-friendly sound. Stony Hill, named for the outskirts of Kingston where he was born, is Marley’s fourth solo album, his first since the Grammywinning Welcome to Jamrock in 2005. Marley is now also part of the marijuana industry. In July, he purchased a stake of High Times. Last year, he opened Stony Hill, a adult-use store in Denver, and joined Ocean Grown in an effort to convert a California prison into a grow facility. Plus, his family
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311's lead singer NIck Hexum
uries of modern life, just as 311’s rousing “’Til the City’s on Fire” echoes Marley’s “Slave Mill” in its desire to rise above the 9-to-5 grind of everyday life. Just as Marley counsels his audience on the album-closing “Speak Life” to “Keep your head up and stay up/Never giving up ’til it’s game up/Keep your aim up,” 311 express virtually the same sentiment on Mosaic’s final track, “On a Roll”: “Still we are and by far it’s the best that it’s been/For a long, long time now,” lead singer Nick Hexum croons. “Many moons writing tunes, find a way to connect/Staying strong all along for whatever’s next.” While 311 is known for weed classics like “Who’s Got the Herb,” “My Stoney Baby” and “Hydroponic," the best they can offer on Mosaic is the tepid lyric, “I want to get high/ And you’re keeping me low,” on the single “Too Much to Think.” Reggae is more than just a musical style for true believers. It’s a culture that transcends in its goal to unify, so that performer and audience can join together as one. With backgrounds that couldn’t be more different, Damian Marley and 311 prove music can be the common ground. Roy Trakin writes for Variety and other publications.
JOE GURRERI
operates Marley Natural, a line of cannabis products currently available in California, Oregon and Washington. “No punk can finish what Bob Marley started,” he proclaims on Stony Hill’s opener, “Here We Go.” “First Grammy at 23, tell me which one a dem do that/Another tour at 27, add it up and do the maths.” On “Medication,” Marley and his brother Stephen praise the prodigious plant: “You’re the prettiest of flower, girl me can’t complain/ When I’m with you I feel so high, I rise above the rain/And you no do people damage, like that bitch cocaine.” Jr. Gong shows how far reggae has come stylistically with the silky R&B of “Living It Up”; the sweeping, cinematic strings on “Autumn Leaves”; the Drake-ish pillow talk of “Grown & Sexy”; the flamenco guitars on the sensual “Perfect Picture”; and the righteous anger of “Caution” with its ominous warning, “Well a wah dem wudda do if hunger belly stop fear/An decide ti tek from all who nah share.” Mosaic, 311’s 14th album since the band formed in Omaha in 1988, also takes issue with a world on the precipice of destruction. It’s their 10th consecutive Top 20 album, dating back to 1995. Without any lineup changes over the years, they're one of the most consistent DAMIAN bands in rock. MARLEY’S Like Marley, “MEDICATION” the quintet shows how reggae has Medication Your medication mutated into other genres, like thrash makes me high (“Too Late,” “Days Just be patient of ’88”), funk-rock I’m like a patient (“Perfect Mistake”) and pop-punk trying to find (“Syntax Error”). Inna fields of The latter computmarijuana that is er-phobic satire my playground shares the subject I love you, of Marley’s “Time Travel,” which Mary Jane pokes fun at the lux-
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STARTING AND RUNNING A MARIJUANA BUSINESS CONSIDERING THE labyrinthine and ever-changing state and local laws and regulations, operating a cannabis business is no job for an idiot. Still, Debby Goldsberry’s book, Starting and Running a Marijuana Business, is titled an “Idiot’s Guide” to doing just that—and its publication is certainly welcome for both people already in the industry and those looking for a way in. Goldsberry, a marijuana-law-reform activist for more than 30 years, cofounded Berkeley Patients Group, the nation's oldest medical-cannabis dispensary, in 1999. These days, Goldsberry runs Magnolia Wellness in Oakland, where she teaches weekly classes on all aspects of cannabis businesses. She’s also part of the team that recently won a license to open a dispensary at Amoeba Records in Berkeley. The book opens with a brief history of the marijuana movement. “If I was going to write this,” she tells Freedom Leaf, “I wanted people to understand that yes, they can make money in cannabis, but they need to be activists too.” Goldsberry covers everything from the chemical components of cannabis and types of products available to the legal aspects of the business, securing investment, designing a grow space or dispensary, working with vendors, building a menu, human resources, and marketing. Definitions and “High Points” or “High Alerts” break up the easy-to-read text with helpful asides that explain interesting facts or pitfalls. “Hashing It Out” sidebars offer business pointers. Much of the advice in the guide is applicable to any business, but there are many key elements unique to cannabis enterprises. One is the limited number of licenses available; another is that all business owners and workers must be willing to face federal criminal charges or forfeiture. The book also discusses how to deal with the cash-only nature of such businesses; why reforming 76
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Debby Goldsberry at a book signing.
banking and tax laws and regulations would help them operate smoother; security issues; negotiating with a landlord; selecting and using seed-to-sale tracking software; and dealing with shrinkage, mold and the limited shelf life of edible products. Starting and Running a Marijuana Business should also be useful to public officials, regulators, investors and others who need to understand what a professional cannabis operation looks like, where the pitfalls lie and how to maximize the benefits of legalized marijuana. Goldsberry has thought of pretty much everything and condensed it well. A glossary and resource list for activists, including links to all states’ marijuana programs, are included, as well as sample standard operating procedures. Since it’s a little skimpy on growing advice, particularly for outdoor cultivation, readers looking for an “Idiot’s Guide” to that side of the business may also want to purchase last year’s Growing Marijuana, by Kevin Oliver of Washington NORML. Ellen Komp is deputy director of California NORML.
MIKE ROSATI PHOTOGRAPHY
BY ELLEN KOMP
“Cheech Marin is one of the biggest influences on my comedy and my marijuana advocacy. Whatever you do, do not smoke this book, read it!” —DOUG BENSON, COMEDIAN
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Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio
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MJAC 2107 INVESTORS HUB CONFERENCE JW Marriott L.A. Los Angeles, CA mjac2017.com Freedom Leaf attending
HEMP INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE Lexington Convention Center Lexington, KY thehia.org NORML LOBBY DAYS Capitol Hilton and U.S. Capitol Washington, DC norml.org/conference Freedom Leaf attending
MONTANA STATE HEMP & CANNABIS FESTIVAL Lolo Hot Springs Resort Lolo Hot Springs, MT montanastatehemp fest.com CWCBEXPO Los Angeles Convention Center Los Angeles, CA cwcbexpo.com/overviewlos-angeles-2017 Freedom Leaf attending BOSTON FREEDOM RALLY Boston Common Boston, MA facebook.com/ bostonfreedomrally Freedom Leaf attending
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19-21
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ARCVIEW INVESTOR FORUM Location by invitation only West Palm Beach, FL arcviewgroup.com/ investors
CHAMPS Colorado Convention Center Denver, CO champstradeshows.com
CALIFORNIA CANNABIS BUSINESS CONFERENCE Anaheim Marriott Anaheim, CA californiacannabisbusiness conference.com
28-29
THE STATE OF CANNABIS Grand Long Beach Events Center Long Beach, CA facebook.com/ TheStateofCanna
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KING CANNABIS EXPO Spokane Convention Center Spokane, WA kingcannabisexpo.com
30-1
GROWX CONFERENCE & EXPO Cobo Center Detroit, MI mygrowx.com/detroit
DECEMBER 1,2,3 Hawaii has a vast potential for investors looking to increase their interest in medical cannabis, and the market is wide open. Join us this December for the best cannabis business event you will ever attend, with networking opportunities at our VIP Reception, After Party, and our very own Kauai Classic Golf Tourney!
Looking ahead to 2018 we have San Francisco Feb. 1,2 and Berlin April 11,12,13
TICKETS ON SALE NOW! INTERNATIONALCBC.COM SEPTEMBER 2017
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The Future of Cannabis Media. Will mainstream media capitalize on the growth of the cannabis industry?
The Cannabis Industry is exploding as its legalization continues to sweep the country, open new markets and generate the creation of new cannabis products and services. Investors and consumers are eager to participate, but companies face a problem getting the word out. Mainstream media has limited and, in some cases, banned any cannabis related products or services from being promoted. Media companies and ad agencies are scrambling to catch up with the rapid development of an entirely new product sector, trying to differentiate the legalized areas of the country from those who have yet to embrace the movement. The ability for mainstream media to capitalize on the growth of the cannabis industry is a key component for the acceptance of the movement, and will be highly profitable in terms of opening up traditional media for the cannabis industry. One marijuana company has solved this issue: the Canna Broadcasting Media Company. Canna Consumer Goods, Inc./DBA Canna Broadcast Media provides access to mainstream media for cannabis companies through developed relationships with mainstream media properties. By placing commitments with these properties, cannabis companies are able to promote themselves through traditional broadcast television networks, radio stations as well as digital and print media. CBMJ provides direct access to national television and radio programming and has recently purchased LoudMouth 80
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News. LoudMouth News is the first syndicated terrestrial radio news program that focuses on news in the marijuana industry. LoudMouth News uses a neutral manner to highlight the most current news in politics, products, sociological issues and the ever-changing perceptions of marijuana usage. They are currently cleared to air on over 700 radio stations throughout the country. CBMJ has already become the go-to media company for the elite of cannabis investor companies, including InvestorsHub. The unique capabilities for CBMJ to provide coverage for cannabis companies caused InvestorsHub to partner with CBMJ to bring mainstream media attention to its International Cannabis Investors Conference, MJAC 2017. The future of the legal cannabis industry is bright with new businesses, products and investment opportunities appearing daily. Although mainstream media is still struggling with acceptance of cannabis topics, one public company has solved the initial challenge of broadcasting on a national level. Another company providing print and digital media for companies in the cannabis/hemp industry is Freedom Leaf Inc. It was founded by passionate executives with over 200 years of experience in the cannabis industry. They distribute their magazine, Freedom Leaf, to over 40 states and recently acquired La Marihauna.com. Using media platforms to broker deals across the industry, Freedom Leaf continues to be a loud voice for the industry.
MJAC2017 Los Angeles September 1st - 2nd JW Marriott L.A. MJAC2017.com
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CHAMPS brings you the best glass artists in the country to compete in a variety of games created from the mind of our Master of the Games, Matty White. This Year’s Events: ☆ Cap It - Make the best carb cap! ☆ Win, Lose, or Draw - We want to see you draw on glass! ☆ Bug Out - Make a bug, draw a bug, put a bug on it! ☆ SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS! - Make the baddest shot glass you can! ☆ Old School - Looking for sherlocks, hammers, & sidecars ONLY! ☆ Smoke & Float - We’ll be looking for the most unique smoke and float! ☆ Best Whip - Any vehicle your mind can create! ☆ So Cute - The simplest way to say it is the cutest 3 pieces win! ☆ Happy Meal - Best food wins! ☆ ON / OFF - Team competition. Two blowers get 15 minute intervals behind the torch.
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2017
4th Annual
SEE YOU IN LA & BOSTON! Stay up to date by following us on social media.
@CWCBEXPO #CWCBEXPO #CANNABISMEANSBUSINESS For all sales inquiries, contact cwcbe@cwcbexpo.com or call 201-580-2050
Serving the Cannabis Industry from Coast to Coast.
LOS ANGELES CONVENTION CENTER
JOHN B. HYNES CONVENTION CENTER
LOS ANGELES • Sept 13 - 15
BOSTON • Oct 4 - 6
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