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Editor’s Note
420: Birth of a Stoner Notion
Former High Times editors Steven Hager (left) and Steve Bloom. Photo by G. Moses
I like to say I discovered 420, because it’s true. In 1990, I was News Editor of High Times. One of my self-appointed jobs was to cover the Grateful Dead. On Dec. 28, 1990, I attended a Dead show at the Oakland Coliseum. While walking around the tie-dyed-strewn parking lot, I was handed a flyer about “420”—a bit of stoner slang I’d never heard before. Here’s what the flyer said: “420 started somewhere in San Rafael, CA in the late ’70s. It started as the police code for Marijuana Smoking in Progress. After local heads heard of the police call, they started using the expression ‘420’ when referring to herb—‘Let’s go 420, dude!’ After a while, something magical started to happen. People began getting stoned at 4:20 a.m. and/or p.m. There’s something fantastic about getting ripped at 4:20, when you know your brothers and sisters all over the country and even the planet are lighting up and tokin’ 4 www.freedomleaf.com
up right along with you. Now there’s something even grander than getting baked at 4:20. We’re talking about the day of celebration, the real time to get high, the grand master of all holidays: 4/20, or April 20th. This is when you must get the day off work or school. We are going to meet at 4:20 on 4/20 for 420-ing in Marin County, at the Bolinas Ridge sunset spot on Mt. Tamalpais. Just go to downtown Mill Valley, find a stoner and ask where Bolinas Ridge is. If you make it to Marin, you will definitely find it. “Helpful Hints: Take extra care that nothing is going to go wrong within that minute. No heavy winds, no cops, no messed-up lighters. Get together with your friends and smoke pot hardcore.” I brought the flyer back with me and published it in the May 1991 issue of High Times. For five years, no one questioned this explanation of the origin of 420. Then a group of students, who went to San
FOUNDERS Richard C. Cowan & Clifford J. Perry PUBLISHER & CEO Clifford J. Perry EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Steve Bloom SENIOR EDITOR Chris Goldstein CREATIVE DIRECTOR Dave Azimi EDITORIAL DESIGN Jeannine Crowley NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Ron Dennis SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR Paul Armentano SCIENCE EDITOR Dr. Jahan Marcu FASHION COORDINATOR Lillian Taylor COPY EDITOR G. Moses LEGAL COUNCIL Keith Stroup MARKETING DIRECTOR Carolann Bass CHIEF ACCOUNTING OFFICER Patrick Rhea EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Felipe Menezes CONTRIBUTORS Christian Cortes, Mike Crawford, Dan Gibson, Steven Hager, Mari Kane, Ellen Komp, Beth Mann, Alec Pearce, N.A. Poe, Natalie Shmuel, Cheri Sicard, Allen St. Pierre, Drew Stromberg Content and advertisements in this magazine are for information purposes only and are not representative, in any way, as a recommendation, endorsement or verification of legitimacy of the aforementioned herein. The opinions expressed here are those of the individual writers and may not be those of the publisher or staff of Freedom Leaf Inc. Advertisers and/or their agencies assume responsibility and liability for content within their advertisement. Freedom Leaf Inc. assumes no liability for any claims or representations contained in this magazine. Reproduction, in whole or in part without written consent is prohibited. Copyright 2014. All rights reserved.
Rafael High School in the early ’70s and called themselves “the Waldos,” stepped forward and said they were the ones who created the concept and coined the term. Several years later, Steven Hager, then High Times Editor-in-Chief, flew to California to investigate their claim. He came back with the real story of 420. Now, nearly 20 years later, Hager, retells this fascinating story in the pages of Freedom Leaf (turn to page 32). Both Steve and I have long since left High Times. In this issue of Freedom Leaf, we join up again, like brethren, to share one of the enduring legends of modern marijuana culture. While 420 refers to a time of day to smoke, it also has evolved a broader meaning. The Urban Dictionary defines “420 friendly” thus: “This is a way to express the acceptance of smoking pot or accepting someone who does so, without overtly mentioning pot or marijuana.” This year, April 20 falls on a Monday, and the celebrations officially begin the Friday before (see our “4/20 Event Guide” on page 37). Whatever you do and wherever you decide to go, just remember that at 4:20 p.m. on 4/20, millions of marijuana enthusiasts will be doing the same thing in one big communal, global smoke-out. Talk about strength in numbers. So Happy 4/20 from your buds at Freedom Leaf! Steve Bloom Editor-in-Chief
Copyright © 2014 - 2015 Freedom Leaf Inc. All Rights Reserved
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Contents
10
24
39
GLASS
POLITICS
DENVER
4. Editor’s Note Steve Bloom
8. News 9. Events Calendar 13. NORML’s Legislative Fly-In Allen St. Pierre
16. SSDP CU-Boulder
24. Presidential Pot Politics Mike Crawford
28. New England Cannabis Convention N.A. Poe
32. The Story of 420 Steven Hager
38. 420 Event Guide
Drew Stromberg
19. MMJ Facts vs. Fears Paul Armentano 6 www.freedomleaf.com
39. Things to Do in Denver When You’re Stoned Alec Pearce
The Good News in Marijuana Reform
44
50
70
INTERVIEW
HEMP
FOOD
44. FL Interview: Cathy & Bob Jordan Chris Goldstein and Dr. Jahan Marcu
50. How to Build a Hemp Home
69. Mangos and Marijuana Cheri Sicard
72. Endocannibinoids and You Dr. Jahan Marcu
Lilian Taylor
54. Scenes from the ICBC Steve Bloom
60. Wine and Weed Mari Kane
64. Spring Cleaning
76. Crossword Puzzle Natalie Shmuel 79. Book Review: Mary Jane Ellen Komp
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NEWS
Jamaica Decriminalizes Ganja In yet another sign that the cannabis world is rapidly changing, in February the Jamaican Parliament voted in favor of the Cabinet’s proposal to decriminalize marijuana. The proposal to amend the island country’s Dangerous Drugs Act was launched last June. “Too many of our young people have ended up with criminal convictions after being caught with a spliff, something that has affected their ability to do things like get jobs and get visas to travel overseas,” Justice Minister Mark Golding stated when he announced that the government wanted to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of cannabis. “Cabinet approved certain changes to the law relating to ganja. These relate to possession of small quantities of ganja for personal use [two ounces], the smoking of ganja in private places and the use of ganja for medicinal purposes. Approval has been
Rastas can now smoke weed legally in Jamaica.
given also to a proposal for the decriminalization of the use of ganja for religious purposes.” The new law allows for growing up to five plants, and creates the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA), which will oversee the establishment of a medical
Berkeley Dispensary Wins in Federal Court The longest-running medical marijuana dispensary in California, Berkeley Patients Group (BPG), won a major victory in federal court in February when U.S. District Judge Jon S. Tigar granted a stay in federal prosecutor Melinda Haag’s attempt to seize all of the collective’s assets. BPG is currently involved in an ongoing case in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Haag, a Deputy U.S. Attorney in California, has also gone after other medical marijuana facilities, such as Harborside Health Center, in Oakland. The City of Berkeley and the owners of the property in question sued to stop the forfeiture action against BPG. Judge Tigar, recognizing that if the assets were taken now it would shut the business down 8 www.freedomleaf.com
EVENTS marijuana industry. American tourists with medical marijuana cards will be able to legally purchase ganja on the island. But large-scale cultivation not sanctioned by the CLA, as well as exportation, will remain illegal. “The passage of this legislation does not create a free-forall in the growing, transporting, dealing or exporting of ganja,” Security Minister Peter Bunting warned. “The security forces will continue to rigorously enforce Jamaican law consistent with our international treaty obligations.” Unlike in the past, the U.S. appears to have no intention of interfering with Jamaica’s affairs, especially now that four states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana. Nearly 40 years ago, Peter Tosh urged Jamaica and the rest of the world to “Legalize It.” That time has come. Decriminalization will ultimately lead to legalization, guaranteeing Tosh’s wishes. — Steve Bloom
entirely, stated: “If Berkeley succeeds on appeal and this forfeiture action is complete at that time, Berkeley could face the inconsistency of having succeeded on appeal only to find that it cannot vindicate its interest in the property.” Mayor Tom Bates named Oct. 31, 2014 “Berkeley Patients Group Day” in honor of their 15-year anniversary. The venerable dispensary also received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.). — Chris Goldstein
April Apr. 4:
Hash Bash, University of Michigan Diag, Ann Arbor, MI hashbash.com Apr. 14-15: The BIG Industry Show, Denver Mart, Denver, CO bigindustryshow.com Apr. 20:
The National Stoner Holiday (see “420 Event Guide” on page 38)
Apr. 20-22: Marijuana Investor Summit, Crowne Plaza, Denver, CO marijuanainvestorsummit.com
May May 2:
Global Marijuana March— taking place in more than 100 cities around the world (also on May 9) facebook.com/GlobalMarihuanaMarch
May 15-16: Blaze & Glory Festival, San Manuel Amphitheater Grounds, San Bernardino, CA - blazenglory.com May 19-21: Marijuana Business Conference & Expo, The Hilton, Chicago, IL mmjbusinessdaily. com/conference May 21-22: NORML Legislative Fly-In, Washington, DC (see page 13) norml.org/conference www.freedomleaf.com 9
Glass Games Winners at CHAMPS The Glass Games 2015 were held during the CHAMPS trade show in Las Vegas in February, with the theme of “Enlightenment.” The Top three winners are:
First Place ($10,000): AKM (Andrew Morris), AKM Glassworks, Richmond, VA
AKM's grand prize winner: Pipes in his head. All photos by Mike Melone
Second Place ($5,000): Grimm (Karl Taylor), Grimm Glassworks 10 www.freedomleaf.com
Third Place ($4,000): Justin Jenicke, Ick-E Glass, Salt Lake City, UT
Behind the Torch According to CHAMPS’ Mike Melone, “AKM’s piece had a pipe inside the skull so he had ‘pipes on the brain.’ Grimm is heavily influenced by Alice in Wonderland. Justin Jenicke said that he felt that this was the first piece he’d done at a competition that really reflected him, rather than just trying to win.” The next CHAMPS trade show will take place in the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, N.J. on May 19-21. CHAMPS returns to the Las Vegas Convention Center July 21-23. Go to: champstradeshows.com. For more info, go to “Glass Games Fire Creativity” in Issue 3.
Willie Nelson! Willie Nelson turns 82 on April 29. Nelson, who is on the NORML advisory board, has long supported the legalization of marijuana. In his new autobiography, It’s a Long Story: My Life, set for release May 5, Nelson writes: “It’s one thing to be 82, but it’s another to have the energy to keep touring the globe. That energy isn’t fueled by anything I can generate on my own. The fuel is love: love of people, places, animals, plants, water. Love of sound, love of space, love of fireflies and starfilled skies. Love of life. Love of home. To some, coming home means the end of the journey. But to me it means the start of another journey, a journey without end.”
For more on our favorite country singer, check out “On the Bus with Willie Nelson” in Issue 1. — SB www.freedomleaf.com 11
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Lobby Congress at NORML’s Legislative Fly-in Event
By Allen St. Pierre Ever want to join a group of fellow cannabis enthusiasts in lobbying Congress to end cannabis prohibition? You have the opportunity to do so on May 20 and 21 when NORML convenes a Legislative Fly-in in Washington, D.C., to lobby members of the House and Senate on pending cannabis law reform legislation before the Congress. Unlike previous NORML Legislative Fly-ins, the current political, legal and economic landscapes have radically changed in favor of reform. Buoyed by national polls indicating over 50% of the U.S. population now favors cannabis legalization—and the fact that 23 states have medical access, 16 states have decriminalized personal possession and four states have now voted in full legalization and taxation— there’s no better time in the last 50 years to be a citizen-advocate for ending cannabis prohibition.
The last time NORML held a Legislative Fly-in, in 2004, legalization was still an abstract concept in the minds of elected policymakers and their staffs. Today, because of the aforementioned positive developments, there is clear and obvious political pressure for legalization taking shape in Congress, to the point where NORML’s lobbying staff can now identify dozens of representatives and senators, who comprise a “cannabis caucus.” Not surprisingly, most of these members represent states where voters and/or state legislators have chosen to abandon some or all of the federal government’s anti-cannabis laws. Thousands of cannabis-related businesses operate in these states (i.e., licensed and regulated cultivators, sellers, infusion and edible manufacturers and quality-control testers). More pointedly, the financial data from states
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like Colorado and Washington regarding the revenue derived from taxes and licensing fees on cannabis-related products and services are hardly abstract, with over $100 million in retail sales since the beginning of 2014. In Colorado and Washington, the implementation of tax-and-regulate cannabis commerce has gone extremely smoothly, raising few public-safety concerns, according to reports issued by the Brookings Institution and Drug Policy Alliance. Most recently, because 70% of voters in Washington, D.C.’s 2014 elections favored cannabis legalization, the possession and private use of cannabis is no longer a criminal offense in the Capitol (except if one gets caught on federal property). The Legislative Fly-in will convene a day of lobby training and political messaging, followed by a day on Capitol Hill meeting with elected policymakers and their staffs. Come to the nation’s capital
to help NORML finish the job of cannabis legalization, once and for all. So please hold May 20–21, and make plans now to join us in D.C. It costs $65 to register for the Fly-In at norml.org/conference. Allen St. Pierre is the Executive Director of NORML.
Fly-in Agenda May 20: Training (10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.), Speaker (12:30 p.m.), Polling and Messaging (2–4 p.m.). Location: Jack Morton Auditorium at George Washington University. May 21: Morning Preparations (8–10 a.m.), Lobby Members of the House and Senate (10 a.m.–4 p.m.), Reconvene (4–6 p.m.), NORML Social Event (7–11 p.m.). Lobbying location: The Capitol.
MAKE REFORM A REALITY It’s California’s time to legalize cannabis. For legalization to win on the ballot in 2016, we need 6 million votes. We’re building the majority one vote at a time. Join us and let’s Reform California. REFORMCA.COM Endorsed by:
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/REFORMCA
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in Boulder:
SSDP Organizes a Symposium By Drew Stromberg Freedom Leaf readers may be familiar with the customary 4/20 celebrations at University of Colorado-Boulder, where each year students and community residents have gathered on Norlin Quad to smoke marijuana. The school typically turned somewhat of a blind eye toward the event for most of its years, allowing it to happen without much interference, but in 2011 the school made a move to shut down the event. Some have speculated that imminent legalization prompted the school to make an effort to quickly shed (at least to some extent) its “stoner reputation.” The event was expressly prohibited in 2012. In order to ensure that students do
not skirt the ban, in recent years campus security have taped off Norlin Quad, and placed security officers throughout the campus and at common entry points. For the last four years, the student body has been warned that anyone caught attempting to enter the Quad would be penalized with a citation. Reactions to the cancellation and the measures meant to discourage participation are mixed. Kara Janowsky, President of the CU Boulder chapter of SSDP, describes the range of student sentiment: “On the one hand, you have students who are genuinely concerned about CU Boulder’s reputation and are somewhat happy with the decision. On the other hand, you
Students and locals gather for the 4/20 Smokeout at CU-Boulder's Norlin Quad before the event was banned in 2012.
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have students who think this is a ridiculous and unnecessary prohibition and a huge waste of school resources.” According to the Boulder-based Daily Camera, the school spent more than $100,000 preventing the event in 2013. The shutdown is thought to have incurred similar law enforcement costs in 2012 and 2014. This 4/20 will mark the fourth year since the annual celebration has been prohibited. In the wake of the successful marijuana legalization initiative in Colorado in 2012, the school’s ban seems odd. The people of Colorado have clearly and unambiguously spoken on the topic of marijuana—they think it should be legal, and that people should have the right to use it if they so choose. But just because Colorado voted to legalize doesn’t make the CU-Boulder situation any less complicated. Amendment 64 does not allow for public consumption of marijuana (which is what the 4/20 celebration is), and CU Boulder should obviously have the right to set their own reasonable standards for
student behavior (as long as the restrictions do not cause more harm than the substances might themselves). So we’ve got a state where marijuana is legal, and a school that wants to not be viewed as a pot-smoking stronghold. The CU-Boulder SSDP chapter is sponsoring the Cannabis Symposium: A TeachIn on an Ancient Medicinal Plant and Current Drug Policy, on April 15, 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Wolf Law Building. The symposium is intended to engage the campus in a productive discussion about the future of 4/20 at the school; what, if anything, the annual celebration should look like; and whether it makes sense or is even desirable to continue the open smoking event of years past. Is there even a place for an open smoke-out in a post-legalization state? Maybe not. Marijuana access is plentiful. Adult residents and visitors to Colorado (including students 21 and older) can freely purchase and use marijuana practically whenever they want, provided that the use is in a private building and not publicly visible. If this 4/20 celebration
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Is there even a place for an open smoke-out in a post-legalization state? If the 4/20 celebration continues in a post-A64 Colorado, it may look more like a sanctioned microbrew festival than a rebellious smokefest. continues in a post-A64 Colorado, it may look more like a sanctioned microbrew festival than a rebellious smokefest. The Cannabis Symposium will examine options that might possibly replace the outdated event—and relieve the ensuing tensions resulting from the ban—with something more educational and inclusive that is supported by the school’s
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administration. The goal here isn’t so much to decide whether students should or shouldn’t be allowed to smoke on the Quad on April 20; it’s to discover what makes the most sense for the campus and community moving forward. “We want students to be able to participate in the cannabis culture without breaking any laws,” says CU’s Janowsky. One of the major victories of Amendment 64 is that marijuana consumers have come in from the fringes of society. It only makes sense that the culture surrounding cannabis, and its use at Colorado universities, should be inclusive, community-oriented and reflect a more sensible attitude toward consumption. That’s exactly what the SSDP chapter hopes to accomplish with this symposium. For more info, go to: facebook.com/ SSDPatCU. Drew Stromberg is the SSDP’s Outreach Director.
FACTS vs. FEARS Here are seven ways to shoot down the most common misconceptions about medical marijuana. By Paul Armentano Medical cannabis is a reality today for tens of millions of Americans. Nevertheless, in over half of U.S. states—and in the eyes of the federal government—medicinal pot still remains illegal. Political support for this ongoing prohibition is driven by fear, not evidence. It’s best to overcome these fears with facts.
FACT #1: Cannabis’ Safety Is Well Established Pot has an extensive history of human use dating back thousands of years, thus providing society with ample empirical evidence as to the plant’s relative safety. Unlike many pharmaceuticals, cannabinoids (the biologically active constituents unique to marijuana) are relatively nontoxic to healthy cells and organs, and are incapable of causing a lethal overdose. By contrast, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2013 there were 22,767 deaths relating to pharmaceutical overdose. Over 100,000 hospitalizations and several thousand fatalities are attributable annually to the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g., Advil, Aleve). Even the use of acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol) www.freedomleaf.com 19
compounds have nonetheless been subject to extensive study. A search on PubMed, the repository for all peerreviewed scientific papers, using the term “marijuana” yields nearly 22,000 scientific papers referencing the plant and/or its constituents, nearly half of which have been published within the past decade. By comparison, searches for “ibuprofen,” “ritalin” and “hydrocodone” find a total of 18,000 papers for all three combined. Over 100 randomized controlled studies, involving thousands of subjects, have evaluated the safety and efficacy of cannabis and/or individual cannabinoids. A 2012 review of various FDA-approved cannabis-centric trials, published in The Open Neurology Journal, concluded, “Based on evidence currently available, the Schedule I classification [for cannabis in the Controlled Substances Act] is not tenable; it is not accurate that cannabis has no medical value, or that information on safety is lacking.”
poses major risks, contributing to more than 50,000 hospitalizations and an estimated 500 fatalities yearly (attributable to acute liver failure). Though some critics have cautioned about the potential effects of cannabis smoke exposure on the lungs, such risks are readily mitigated or eliminated by the use of vaporizers or edible products. As acknowledged by no less than the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, “Aside from the risks associated with smoking, the adverse effects of marijuana use are within the range of effects tolerated for other medications.”
FACT #2: Cannabis’ Efficacy Is Well Documented Despite decades of federal pot prohibition, the marijuana plant and its 20 www.freedomleaf.com
Fact #3: Medical Marijuana Laws Are Rarely Abused Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia now allow for the physicianrecommended use of medical cannabis, and each year this total grows higher. Recently, lawmakers in Illinois, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Vermont voted to expand their existing medical marijuana programs, by allowing, for example, the operation of licensed dispensaries, or by broadening the number of qualifying conditions. In Washington, D.C., the city council recently elected to eliminate the city’s qualifying-conditions list altogether, freeing up doctors to recommend cannabis therapy for any condition they believe it will help. No state that has enacted medical cannabis legislation has ever repealed it (though Montana came close). This is
because these laws are strongly favored by voters, and have not generally led to negative consequences.
Fact #4: Medical Marijuana Laws Don’t Cause Crime, They Reduce It Contrary to critics’ claims, neither statewide medical marijuana legalization nor the establishment of dispensaries is associated with increases in violent crimes, burglary or property crimes. A federally commissioned analysis appearing in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs recently determined that there are “no observed associations between the density of medical marijuana dispensaries and either violent or property crime rates.” A 2014 report in the scientific journal PLOS One concluded that
legalizing medical marijuana access at the state level “is not predictive of higher crime rates and may be related to reductions in rates of homicide and assault.”
Fact #5: Medi-Pot States Don’t Experience a Surge in Traffic Accidents Reformers are commonly asked if legalizing medical pot will lead to increased carnage on the roadways. So far, the available data says, not a chance. According to a 2013 study published in The Journal of Law and Economics, states that have approved medical pot have experienced a nearly 10% decrease in traffic fatalities one year following the law’s implementation. Further, a just-released crash risk assessment by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that
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THC-positive drivers are no more likely to be in motor vehicle accidents than drugfree drivers. According to its authors, the NHTSA study is the largest of its kind ever conducted in the United States.
Fact #6: Medical Cannabis Laws Don’t Lead to Increased Teen Pot Use The enactment of medical marijuana laws is not predictive of upticks in overall cannabis use by young people. Writing in the Journal of Adolescent Health in April 2014, researchers at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University determined, “Our study of self-reported marijuana use by adolescents in states with a medical marijuana policy compared with a sample of geographically similar states without a policy does not demonstrate increases in marijuana use among high school students that may be attributed to the policies.” Likewise, a 2012 study by researchers at McGill University in Montreal reported, “Passing MMLs [medical marijuana laws] decreased past-month use among adolescents … and had no discernible effect on the perceived riskiness of monthly use … [These] estimates suggest that reported adolescent marijuana use may actually decrease following the passing of medical marijuana laws.”
Fact #7: Medical Pot Saves Lives Perhaps the most important fact to know is this: Legal access to medicinal cannabis doesn’t just improve patients’ quality of life; it saves lives. That was the conclusion published recently in JAMA Internal Medicine. Investigators from the University of Pennsylvania and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore conducted a time-series analysis 22 www.freedomleaf.com
of medical cannabis laws and state-level death certificate data in the U.S. from 1999 to 2010—a period during which 13 states instituted laws allowing for cannabis therapy. “States with medical cannabis laws had a 24.8% lower mean annual opioid overdose mortality rate compared with states without medical cannabis laws,” the researchers determined. Specifically, they found that overdose deaths from opioids decreased by an average of 20% one year after the law’s implementation, 25% after two years and up to 33% by years five and six. Study co-author Colleen L. Barry stated in USA Today: “[The study’s findings] suggest the potential for many lives to be saved … We can speculate … that people are completely switching or perhaps supplementing, which allows them to lower the dosage of their prescription opioids.” According to the most recent data from the CDC, opiates are now implicated in over 16,000 overdose deaths each year. The bottom line? We now have ample facts about cannabis, as well as the failures of prohibition, to compel politicians to allow patients the option to ingest a botanical product that’s safer than the myriad of pharmaceutical drugs it could replace. Paul Armentano is Deputy Director of NORML and Freedom Leaf’s Senior Policy Advisor.
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Sen. Rand Paul
Former Gov. Jeb Bush
Presidential Pot Politics
With the 2016 campaign looming, we give you the lowdown on which candidates might be worth supporting. By Mike Crawford With presidential campaigns shaping up, marijuana reform looks to be an issue that most candidates hope to continue to avoid. Republicans, especially, are in a tough spot, with 2016 primary voters expected to be mostly opposed to reform, while general-election voters are likely to be somewhat more favorable on the issue. Being vocally opposed to the green leaf is certain to alienate many younger voters that candidates need, so perhaps that’s why some are still weighing their options and trying to please both sides. Is Sen. Rand Paul the wild card that reformers need in the GOP presidential race? Liberals may not love Paul on many issues, but with his vocal and outspoken support of marijuana reform, he’s likely to have many progressives cheering for him on this issue nonetheless. Paul has sponsored hemp legalization bills and has been working across party lines, teaming up with Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on federal marijuana decrim legislation. Paul opposes the drug war (“I 24 www.freedomleaf.com
will do everything I can to keep nonviolent criminals out of jail”), and was recently photographed wearing a hemp sports jacket. On the negative side, Paul has riled reformers with his hedging statements, such as, “If you use [cannabis] too much you will lose IQ points. I think if you use it too much you won’t show up for class, you’ll eat too many Doritos.” Expected Republican frontrunner Jeb Bush is firmly opposed to legalization, despite the fact that he admittedly smoked pot in college. This is not much of a surprise, as Bush campaigned against Florida’s 2014 medical marijuana initiative that fell just short of the 60% needed to pass, receiving support from 58% of the electorate. It’s also no surprise that Paul called him a hypocrite. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was praised by California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher at the International Cannabis Business Conference in San Francisco in February, where he reminded the mostly
Gov. Scott Walker
Democrat crowd that Walker had signed a medical marijuana bill into law, albeit one that solely allows for the use of CBD oil. However, Walker opposes changing federal marijuana laws. The rest of the GOP field is mostly a choice of bad, or worse. There’s Sen. Marco Rubio, who also campaigned against medical marijuana patients in Florida. For years, Rubio has touted his working-class roots, growing up the son of a bartender—yet he never mentions the fact that alcohol kills 88,000 people a year. Rubio routinely dodges questions about his own use of marijuana, because he says he doesn’t want children to do as he most likely did. However, he’s a supporter of states’ rights. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) touts himself as a libertarian Republican. Recently, his staff issued a statement about his teen pot use, calling it foolish and a mistake. But, surprisingly, at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, Cruz commented about legalization in Colorado and other states: “If the citizens of Colorado decide they want to go down that road, that’s their prerogative. I personally don’t agree with it, but that’s their right.”
Sen. Marco Rubio
Former Texas Governor Rick Perry also sides with states’ rights when it comes to marijuana, but, like most of his colleagues, offers no support for it federally. Perry did back sentencing reforms for nonviolent offenders in his state. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has done everything in his power to block the implementation of his state’s medical marijuana law. He’s firmly opposed to legalization, saying that it will never happen on his watch as governor. Asked how his presidential administration would deal with states that have legalized it, Christie responded, “Not well, but we’ll have to see what happens.” Christie could end up as the VP candidate on the GOP ticket. It must be pointed out that he’s the former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, and if elected (in any capacity) to the White House, there most likely would be a national crackdown by the Feds in legal marijuana states. Perhaps even worse, Christie could end up as U.S. Attorney General. On the Democratic side, the expected nominee, Hillary Clinton, has staked out a “wait and see” stance, citing the ongoing “experiments” in legal marijuana states. She’s called for making medicinal cannabis available to patients www.freedomleaf.com 25
Sen. Ted Cruz
“under appropriate circumstances,” and—favoring the time-honored “more study” tactic—would like to see more research done on the plant’s benefits. It would be very unlikely that a Clinton Justice Department would start to crack down in the legal marijuana states. When asked by Freedom Leaf (in Issue 1) if he’d support Clinton, who has visited him on his bus, Willie Nelson said he would, but wondered if she would be a friend of marijuana reform. “I’ve heard her talk about it,” he noted. “It hasn’t been negative. But it hasn’t been completely positive, either.” Clinton has said she’s never smoked pot and isn’t going to start now, which is a little hard to believe for a 1969 Wellesley grad who’s married to former President Bill “I didn’t inhale” Clinton. The former Secretary of State may face a challenge in the primaries from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who’s one of the few elected officials in Massachusetts to publicly support the Bay State’s victorious 2012 medical marijuana initiative. Warren cited her father’s battle with cancer as the reason why she backed the effort. While marijuana reform could become an issue in the campaign, don’t expect 26 www.freedomleaf.com
Hillary Clinton
Warren to take up the call to legalize: During her 2011 Senate campaign, she said she was opposed to legalization, and in 2013, Warren took a jab at Republican Senate candidate Dan Winslow for supporting legal cannabis. “He has a 100% ranking from the gun lobby and he’s for the legalization of marijuana. He wants us armed and stoned,” she joked. Also not to be ruled out is Vermont’s independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, who describes himself as a “socialist Democrat.” If he decides to run, Sanders could cause real problems for the Clinton campaign. As a congressman, in 2005 he cosponsored the States’ Rights to Medical Marijuana Act. Last year, while speaking to a reporter from Time, Sanders admitted that he tried pot a couple of times in his youth. Regarding legalizing marijuana, in the same interview he said, “I’m going to look at the issue. It’s not that I support it or don’t support it. To me, it is not one of the major issues facing this country. I’ll look at it. I think it has a lot of support, and I’ll be talking to young people and others about the issues.” Another long-shot candidate based in the Northeast is Jill Stein, who ran as the Green Party nominee in the 2012
Sen. Elizabeth Warren
presidential race, and is aiming to snare the party’s nomination again for the 2016 race. Stein has stated: “Marijuana is a drug that is dangerous because it’s illegal. It isn’t illegal because it’s dangerous. There are drugs in use that are far more harmful than marijuana, such as alcohol. Legalize marijuana and the dangers go away. Regulate it so that children can’t buy it on the street corner.” Like Stein, former Republican governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson ran for president as an independent in 2012. He may again seek the Libertarian Party nomination. Johnson is one of the leading voices for legalization in the U.S. For reformers hoping for change on a national level, the campaigns of Rand Paul, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are worth supporting, not because they’re likely to win, but simply because they could serve to push the other candidates toward being more reasonable about marijuana. Mike Crawford (a.k.a. Mike Cann) is a past president and 10-year board member of MassCann/NORML. He’s a radio host at WEMF and a weekly columnist at DigBoston.
Sen. Bernie Sanders
Jill Stein
Former Gov. Gary Johnson www.freedomleaf.com 27
Boston Tree Party Freedom Leaf visits the New England Cannabis Convention and judges a concentrate contest known as DabWarZ. By N.A. Poe My initial encounter with the New England cannabis scene was in 2013 when I was invited to speak at the Boston Freedom Rally. Walking through the Boston Common for the first time, surrounded by thousands of other stoners enjoying themselves freely, was one of the most inspiring moments in my career as an activist. Since then, acquaintances and connections with cannabis reformers in 28 www.freedomleaf.com
the region have blossomed into working friendships built on mutual respect and strong alliances. When the New England Cannabis Convention (NECC) was announced, I jumped at the opportunity to head north and check out what everyone is up to. After being rescheduled so that football diehards could enjoy yet another Patriots Super Bowl victory, NECC was
Photo by Jennifer Correia
held at the Castle at Park Plaza in downtown Boston on Feb. 21–22. A brutal winter had already dumped close to 100 inches of snow on Beantown, but it was clear that nothing could deter cannabis enthusiasts from turning out in droves, and thousands of people came through the doors over the course of two days. The weekend was filled with speakers, vendors and educators, offering an opportunity for everyone—from connoisseurs to the newly converted—to exchange ideas, meet like-minded people and enjoy the amazing flowers and concentrates the region has to offer. DigBoston journalists Chris Faraone and Mike Crawford (see his article,
“Presidential Pot Politics,” on page 24) were key organizers of the convention, and moderated panel discussions covering a myriad of cannabis-related topics. (I spoke on the Politics and Activism panel.) Crawford noted that statewide decriminalization in Massachusetts in 2008 led many consumers out of the cannabis closet. The marijuana policy-reform community in Boston has worked hard since then to create a framework in which events like this can flourish. Education was a high priority among attendees, and there was certainly no shortage of knowledge and information available at NECC. The Northeastern Institute of Cannabis (NIC), based in nearby www.freedomleaf.com 29
Natick, offered details about their curriculum to hundreds of prospective students throughout the weekend. It’s not surprising that cultivation is their most popular course. I hope to one day fulfill my dream of becoming a professor at NIC, which is building its reputation as the Harvard of weed. (For more about NIC, check out the article by Andy Gaus in Freedom Leaf Issue 4.) Innovators in the cannabis industry had the latest technology on display. Boston-based start-up First Watersign has developed the Maximizer MD, a device that delivers cannabis sublingually (under the tongue), allowing patients to get fast and precise doses without smoking, vaping or eating. “Anybody who already has a passion for cannabis is excited to learn how to use it more effectively,” company founder Shanel Lindsay explained. “Potential patients really respond to the ability to use our methods to actually get accurate control of dosing.” When the sun went down, we found ourselves exploring the city’s concentrate culture. My traveling partner, Adam Flicker, and I were asked to be semifinals judges for DabWarZ, hosted by Twisted Dreams Radio. “The New England concentrate scene is an underground phenomenon,” DabWarZ’s Matty S. Ville pointed out. “The extract artists have worked together to refine and hone their techniques to compete with the big hash makers in California and Colorado.” We were given two different shatters to try out: Strawberry Kush produced by Lady Slipper Extracts, and Moonshine Haze Live Resin from Mass Extracts. For the uninformed, here’s how Adam describes shatter: “The best shatters are very light gold in color, completely see-through with no particulates suspended within, totally solid and breakable below approx. 72°F [hence the term “shatter”] and bursting 30 www.freedomleaf.com
N.A. Poe with a dab rig.
with terpenes, the chemical compounds in cannabis (and other tasty and aromatic plants) that impart flavor characteristics. To produce a stable shatter that can hold its appearance and texture characteristics is an artisanal feat.” We rated the samples in six categories: Smell/Aroma, Texture, Appearance, Taste/Flavor, Feeling/Sensation and Potency. After that, we attempted to talk about it on-air, but I don’t recall many details of the show due to my dabinduced coma. Massachusetts continues to set the bar high for East Coast marijuana activism, and the hospitality and professionalism of the Boston reform community remains unrivaled. N.A. Poe is a comedian, activist and professional troublemaker based in Philadelphia. He was named the 2014 Activist of the Year at the Boston Freedom Rally.
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The History of 420, in Three Acts
Mark, Larry and Steve Waldo (sitting), San Rafael, 1972.
There are many theories about the origin of 420, but five guys named “Waldo” started it all. By Steven Hager
Act 1
A thread can be traced from Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady to Ken Kesey and Ken Babbs, and to Steve and Dave Waldo, who entered San Rafael High School in the late ’60s. They were rugged individualists uninspired by the social scene, which centered on athletics and the school’s top jocks, so they decided to create their own fun by embarking on a quest for adventure. Their first excursion was a visit to a Bay Area research lab that was developing the very first holographs. Soon, their friends Jeff, Larry and Mark joined the safaris, as these adventures soon became known. Every safari started with a sacramental hit of cannabis, followed by the cranking of tunes, either in the 1966 four-door Chevy Impala with the killer Craig eighttrack stereo system, or in Steve’s room, or in one of the other secret spots where they shared herb. Their favorite spot was 32 www.freedomleaf.com
underneath the statue of Louis Pasteur (created by by Benny Bufano) that overlooked the school parking lot. Sacred songs provided by New Riders of the Purple Sage, the Allman Brothers, Poco, Commander Cody, the Beatles and the Moonlighters were then employed to lift the vibration higher. This crew frequently gravitated to a wall inside the courtyard of San Rafael High, where they’d meet before class and during lunch break to make withering comments about everything around them, and this is where they obtained their name, the Waldos, as well as honed their savage wit. You couldn’t smoke pot around school unless it was a one-hitter and done extremely carefully, and even then you risked suspension and your parents’ wrath. In 1971, Steve Waldo was given a treasure map to an abandoned patch of cannabis on Point Reyes that had been planted by a member of the Coast Guard who wanted some fellow stoners to have
the patch—and everybody at San Rafael High knew the Waldos were the biggest stoners in town. “Surely this is the ultimate safari,” thought Steve. “No more adventurous nor nobler quest could be devised by the mind of man.” The Waldos prophetically agreed to meet at 4:20 p.m. at the Louis Pasteur statue to get high, then drive out to Point Reyes to search for the secret weed patch. From then on, whenever the Waldos passed each other in the halls, they spontaneously erupted in a salute with the words, “Four Twenty, Louie!” Little did they know how far this ritual would eventually travel, though “Louie” got lost along the way. For the next 10 years, the Waldos went on many amazing safaris and had many magical adventures, though sadly they never found the patch. But each year they always sponsored a big pot party on April 20, where a ceremonial toke would take place at 4:20 p.m. Eventually, they got married, started families and put down their pot pipes. However, they kept up the safaris.
As soon as the Waldos retired from staging 420 ceremonies, however, the younger classmen of San Rafael High picked up on the magic of numerology and began using the code as a way to evade detection, and some of them started a ritual of congregating at the top of Mount Tamalpais in Marin County on April 20 in order to get high at exactly 4:20 p.m. as a way to honor the spirit of cannabis. This ritual began with only a few souls, but soon grew to dozens. And that’s when someone got the idea of making a flyer inviting stoners from all over the Bay Area to the ceremony. Nobody outside Marin knew that 420 signified pot. Even those gathered at the top of Mount Tam didn’t have any idea how it started—they thought 420 had something to do with the police code for “marijuana smoking in progress.”
Act 2 I’m often knee-deep before I realize what I stepped into, and that’s how it was with the Cannabis Cup. The idea came to me on the plane while flying back
The Waldos during an interview with G4TV in 2008. www.freedomleaf.com 33
from the Netherlands, after interviewing the founder of the first marijuana seed company, Neville Schoenmakers. The night before, West Coast grower Dave Watson had regaled me with tantalizing tales of California harvest festivals, before C.A.M.P. helicopters forced that scene underground. Soon I was back in the Netherlands with a photographer and grow expert, organizing the first Cannabis Cup in 1988. Three seed companies entered, and one of them didn’t even cure their entries, but plucked them fresh off the vine. When I returned home after that first event, I couldn’t shake a feeling of responsibility. My event demanded a ceremonial framework respecting the true spirit of cannabis and its historical
Nobody outside Marin knew that “420” signified pot. Even those gathered at the top of Mount Tamalpais didn’t have any idea how it started— they thought 420 had something to do with the police code for “marijuana smoking in progress.” importance and influence. And that’s how I ended up buying a paperback edition of the Rig Veda. Imagine my surprise when I came across the description of the primary sacrament shared during all ceremonies, a drink called Soma: “The blind see, the lame walk… he clothes the naked. Soma is a sage and seer inspired by poetry… King of the healing plants.” I knew Soma was supposed to be a mushroom, something accepted as 34 www.freedomleaf.com
gospel by the academic community, but in my heart I instantly realized this had to be a description of cannabis, and there had to be some incredible cover-up going on that dwarfed the cover-up Jack Herer was pushing in his book, The Emperor Wears No Clothes, concerning the industrial uses and environmental benefits of hemp. One afternoon in 1991, I stepped out of my office at High Times to smoke a joint and reflect on these matters, something I had been doing in my office but had recently abandoned, necessitated by a crackdown on smoking. I had moved to a former warehouse in the back of the building, but the crackdown had just been extended to the warehouse, as well, so I sought refuge in the stairwell. Steve Bloom, the recently appointed news editor, was there, along with some hippie dude I didn’t know, who proceeded to pull out a stash of whippets and inhale them in rapid succession. I fired my joint, and Bloom showed me a flyer he’d been handed while attending a Grateful Dead show in Oakland during the New Year’s run in 1990. “Check this out,” he said. I don’t have immense satori moments often, but I’d been time-traveling through the Vedas for hours and still had a foot in the distant past, so when I saw that crude flyer asking people to come to the top of Mount Tam at 4:20 p.m. on April 20, it assumed Biblical proportions in my mind, and I expressed these feelings instantly—because this was a sign, and something that could be employed to give meaning to my Cannabis Cup ceremony and also help make marijuana legal. But for those not into numerology or the study of secret societies, these epiphanies seemed overblown. In these early days, some people “got” 420 and employed the magic to enhance their cannabis experience and help legitimize pot in ceremony. For others, it remained meaningless.
Steven Hager with the Freedom Fighters in 1990.
Certainly Chef RA, Jack Herer, Rodger Belknap, Thom Harris, Linda Noel and Debby Goldsberry “got” 420. They were the shock troops in the hemp legalization movement who helped me found the Freedom Fighters, the first national hemp legalization group. For many years we drove to rallies in a psychedelic bus (a new one each year, as they were always breaking down). We hosted free campgrounds with free kitchens, and published a free newsletter. Back then, the rallies were all held at precisely High Noon, a trend that would continue for well over a decade. The Freedom Fighters held council at 4:20 p.m., passed the feather to each speaker and plotted how to best legalize in our lifetime. Goldsberry became the most dedicated member of this crew, and quickly broke off to create her own organization, Cannabis Action Network. The half-dozen rallies we attended during the year were not enough to keep her occupied, and she created her own tour (christened “Hemp Tour”) and hit every college town in the Midwest, while we concentrated on Ann Arbor, Madison, Boston and the Rainbow Family Gatherings. On April 1, 1990 in Ann Arbor at 4:20 p.m., we assembled to elect a Freedom Fighter of the Year, who would receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Amsterdam to be a judge at the Cannabis Cup. Michigan activist Harris was the first selected,
followed in successive years by West Virginia grower Belknap, federal medicalmarijuana patient Elvy Musikka, Kentucky attorney Gatewood Galbraith and the aforementioned Herer. The first 420 council at the Cannabis Cup was epic. Most of the chiefs of cannabis you’ll find in Amsterdam today attended and spoke from their hearts. The late Eagle Bill was a major force behind those councils. I ran into him on my way to open the Pax Party House on opening day of the Cup, and noticed he carried a hand-carved staff. I asked if he would like to be the ceremonial high priest and use his staff in place of a feather. The impact of this request on Eagle Bill was profound. To say Eagle Bill “got” 420 would be a vast understatement, as he rapidly elevated to become the primary guiding spirit of the event. I was arranging everything around the afternoon 4:20 ceremony, but the crew was so devoted that they began doing 4:20 a.m. ceremonies at the Quentin Hotel. These rapidly became the most legendary parties at the Cup, and everyone captured and collected photos of themselves under the clock at exactly 4:20.
Act 3
Even though High Times became the magazine success story of the ’90s, and the Freedom Fighters spearheaded the return of the rallies that helped reignite the then-dormant marijuana movement, these successes also seemed to bring problems for me. I was soon forced to disband the Freedom Fighters, and there were constant pressures to shut down the Cannabis Cup, or at least remove my supervision. However, I felt there was something important in these 420 ceremonies that was manifesting. I’d been trying for years to get Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters over to the Cannabis Cup, and had successfully lured Mountain Girl, but at a certain www.freedomleaf.com 35
point I realized that if I wanted to do a ceremony with Kesey, it was going to have to happen in his backyard. So I created WHEE!, a three-day music festival in Harrisburg, OR. The first year, 1997, we had over 300 vendors and 20,000 attendees. Of course, the Pranksters “got” 420 immediately, and the reason the code suddenly began skyrocketing through the Grateful Dead scene was threefold: first, the Rainbow Family and Deadheads were basically the same thing, and the Freedom Fighters and 420 had developed a big presence at the Rainbow Gatherings; second, Jack Herer and Chef Ra— two of the leaders of the hemp legalization movement—“got” 420, and became influential figures who spread the code; and third, and probably most important, the Pranksters “got” 420, and began actively pushing it. Kesey was, in fact, the most influential person in the Dead scene after Jerry Garcia. One day, I got an email from Mike Esterson, the travel agent of the Cannabis Cup, who’d been made producer of the event, with me directing the ceremonies. He forwarded a message from a guy
in San Francisco calling himself Steve Waldo, who claimed to have started 420 with his friends in 1971. Steve wasn’t seeking money, he just wanted 420Tours. com to know the real story. He had written to Mike’s website because Mike had put up a forum for posting 420 Cannabis Cup stories, which drew the attention of the Waldos, who’d been following the spread of 420 across America with much mirth and amazement. By 1997, head shops in the Bay Area were stuffed with 420 T-shirts, buttons, hats, posters and various other merchandise. The code had become a well-known secret within the cannabis culture and been written about in High Times, and celebrated as the central ceremony of the Cannabis Cup and WHEE!, the two biggest and most influential cannabisthemed events at the time (if you don’t count Kumbh Mela in India). Still, however, outside the Bay Area, the code remained an enigma, even to most stoners. I ended up flying out to San Francisco, meeting the Waldos and holding epic ceremonies with them for days, all of which was captured on video, as were
(From left) Ken Babbs and Ken Kesey with Steven Hager at WHEE! in Oregon in 1997. Photo by G. Moses
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my 420 ceremonies with the Pranksters and the elders of the Rainbow Family. In fact, whenever I get together with the Pranksters, the Waldos or Rainbow elders, the same magic improvisational energy always emerges, as well as an overwhelming desire to have fun. I never doubted the Waldos’ story, and read the truth in their hearts before I examined their documents. But the powers-that-be at High Times never trusted me, and the publisher at the time spread the story that I was suppressing competing tales of the origin of 420 because the Waldos were my friends, implying it all was a massive hoodwink on my part. And that’s the way this story still appears on Wikipedia today. Around this time, I began a college lecture tour called Heads vs. Feds, debating Bob Stutman, the former head of the New York DEA, on legalization. For 14 years we traveled to more than 300
colleges and universities, and I ended every single debate with a plea for the creation of a local student-run legalization group, and urged every student body to hold an annual event on April 20, and have local bands play to raise money for the chapter. That line about April 20 always got a huge laugh, and, about half the time, I was able to get volunteers to have a sign-up sheet to start a chapter of SSDP. Some of these sheets garnered several dozen names before I departed the lecture hall, and many chapters actually got off the ground—enough for SSDP to follow the tour remotely as it moved around the country. One of the earliest schools we traveled to was Colorado University in Boulder, which soon started a 4/20 ceremony that got so big the university decided to shut it down (see “420 in Boulder” on page 16). I think that’s one reason why Denver ultimately became the nexus for 420. continued on page 48
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4/20 Event Guide This year April 20 falls on a Monday. All the events listed below take place over the 4/20 weekend. Trade Shows Apr. 20:
Method Man & Redman, Cypress Hill, Collie Buddz and more; Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, Denver, CO
Apr. 18-20: High Times Cannabis Cup; Denver Mart, Denver, CO
Apr. 20:
Kottonmouth Kings; Senator Theater, Chico, CA
Festivals
Apr. 20:
Berner; The Catalyst, Santa Cruz, CA
Apr. 20:
Infected Mushroom; Revolution Concert House, Garden City, ID
Apr. 20:
Waka Flocka Flame; Webster Hall, NY
Apr. 17-19: Hempcon; Cow Palace, Daly City, CA Apr. 17-19: Immersion 420 Business Conference; McNichols Event Center, Denver, CO
Apr. 17:
Cannabliss Music Festival; Melbourne, FL
Apr. 18-19: 420 Rally; Civic Center, Denver, CO Apr. 19:
Festival 64; The 1upColfax, Denver, CO
Apr. 18-20: Sweetwater 420 Fest; Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, GA Music Apr. 18:
SOJA, Nas and JBoog; Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
Apr. 20:
Snoop Dogg’s 2nd Annual Wellness Retreat, featuring 2 Chainz and A$AP Rocky; Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, Englewood, CO
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Comedy Apr. 17:
Joe Rogan; Manhattan Center, New York, NY
Apr. 18:
Bill Maher; Hult Center, Eugene, OR
Apr. 18-19: Doug Benson; Cobb’s Comedy Club, San Francisco, CA Apr. 19:
Bill Maher; Civic Auditorium, Santa Cruz, CA
Apr. 20
Doug Benson; Comedy Works, Denver, CO
Things to Do in Denver When You’re Stoned
Story and photos by Alec Pearce So you’ve arrived in the “Promised Land” of legal cannabis, the Mile High City, Denver. What to do, where to go? With so many options and dispensaries in Denver, sorting things out on a weed-oriented vacation can be daunting, especially after toking Colorado’s finest. Here are some suggestions to help you navigate through the smoke.
Grow Big Supply 4501 Wynkoop St. growbigsupply.com, 303-719-4492 This 24-hour cavernous store near I-70 offers a myriad of lights, gear and nutrients, in addition to lots of used equipment. Even better, Grow Big hosts a raging and free Thursday night party. Enjoy people-watching as go-go dancers, hula hoopers and others do their thing, then hit the Dab Lounge in the adjacent shipping container. www.freedomleaf.com 39
Adagio Bed + Breakfast 1430 Race St. adagiobb.com, 303-370-6911 This beautiful six-room B&B located in the Wyman Historic District offers a safe and private place to consume cannabis and educate yourself about the nuances of dabbing and concentrates. Owners Joel and Lisa Schneider, who hail from Long Island, New York, opened the Adagio last April. Rooms (named after classical composers—the Vivaldi, the Brahms) range from $179 to $399 per night. Breakfast is, of course, their specialty. Get high and enjoy the relaxed and well-furnished atmosphere. The hotel is close to many dispensaries and a bus ride or short walk to Downtown Denver.
Grassroots California 2209 Lawrence St. grasssrootscalifornia.com, 720-440-9480
There's more than breakfast at the Adagio in Denver. Photo courtesy of Adagio Bed + Breakfast
One of the coolest boutiques in town, Grassroots California offers a large variety of hats in the phattest designs, ranging in price from $40 to $400. Their selection also includes shirts, pot-leaf socks and a $420 “Smokin Snowboards x Shatter Board Collab” snowboard. Be sure to ask the hash-a-dabbers about the “break room,” actually a bring-your-own smoking lounge. It’s a safe, friendly place to burn one or dab off, and commune with fellow stoners.
Dab Bus 1445 Stout St. 720-319-7695 Take a tour around Denver in a custommade bus complete with E-nails and dab stations. This inexpensive excursion ($30 for the tour) makes stops at grow operations, dispensaries and the Dab 40 www.freedomleaf.com
Grassroots California's Adam DeYoung.
Lab, all the while dabbing your brains out. This is a BYOD (bring your own dab) operation, but if you’ve just arrived, there’s always someone willing to share. “Either you’re on the bus or you’re off the bus,” Merry Prankster Ken Kesey liked to say, so get on the Dab Bus!
Puff, Pass & Paint 1250 31st St. puffpassandpaint.com Feeling a little artsy from the enhancement of cannabis? Have the Dab Bus drop you off at Heidi Keyes’ stony art class held on Friday and Saturday nights at the Green Labs co-working space. Come puff and paint with a cross-section of like-minded people—weed tourists, couples, international visitors and returning students. This renowned event is limited to 25 painters, at $50 per twohour class. The cannabis vibe helps it all flow onto the canvas. It’s “all about the process and not the final product,” Keyes notes. A special monthly class is targeted at veterans suffering from PTSD.
Cheeba Hut 1531 Champa St. chebahut.com, 720-974-1880
Puff, Pass & Paint's Heidi Keyes.
This gastronomical palace of delight just off the 16th Street Mall has a wide selection of “toasted” sub sandwiches named after cannabis strains, like Thai Stick, White Widow, Panama Red and Kali Mist. There are plenty of vegetarian options, such as the salad-on-a-sandwich, Humboldt and Magic Mushroom (portabella, not psilocybin). Top off the meal with sweet homemade treats (brownies, goo balls and chocolate chip cookies). The $6 lunch special is a great deal for the Downtown crowd. Sorry, no puffing on the premises. Also, check out the Cheeba Hut at 1313 College Ave. in Boulder. www.freedomleaf.com 41
710 Hat Pin Social Club
Glass man “Lunchbox” shows off his dab rigs at the 710 Hat Pin Social Club in Aurora, CO.
This private event is held at a secret location in nearby Aurora only for those in the know, although directions are easy to find on social media. Special 710 hat pins are available for $25 to help support the event. (For those not in the know, 710 is OIL upside-down and backwards.) There’s a special feeling of community among fellow cannabistos and stoner dabbers, and a potluck dinner. The event begins with small groups of dab snobs on several large pit-type couches brandishing torches, and various expensive custom rigs crafted by the innovative local glass artist known only as “Lunchbox.” Triple-vacuumed wax samples— clear and translucent with a sweet golden glow (each one is carefully wrapped in special white paper)—provide some astoundingly fragrant hits. The club’s hat pins on sale relate to different seed strains, wax and dabbing, like “BuTane” (pronounced like WuTang). At the 710 Cup on July 10 in Denver, a “heavy hat” contest takes place, where hats are weighed and the ones most laden with weed-related pins win all the glory.
Rockies Games at Coors Field 2001 Blake St. colorado.rockies.mlb.com/col/ ballpark Even though marijuana smoking is officially forbidden at Coors Field—signs around the stadium read, “No Smoking, Marijuana Prohibited”—any baseball fan knows you can find a discrete spot to light up in a massive ballpark like Coors. It’s probably best to vape, so bring a fully loaded pen. The Rockies home season begins on April 10; then they’re on the road for a week and return to Coors for a series with the Padres on 4/20. (The closest section to 420 that you can get is Section 402 in the centerfield bleachers.) Tickets cost just $5. They should knock it down to $4.20, just because it’s Denver. Photo by Nick Lamb/Shutterstock.com
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Freedom Leaf contributor Alec Pearce is a writer and photographer based in Denver.
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The Freedom Leaf Interview: Cathy and Bob Jordan By Chris Goldstein and Dr. Jahan Marcu Cathy Jordan has ALS: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. But after 30 years with the degenerative disease—which only 10% of affected individuals survive for more than 10 years—she attributes her survival to cannabis. Also known as baseball legend Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS robs a person of the ability to move, speak and, eventually, even breathe. Yet, as more and more of the body shuts down, the brain can remain fully intact and aware. Another face of ALS is the subject of the Oscar-nominated film The Theory of Everything, world-renowned scientist Stephen Hawking. Bound to a wheelchair and only able to communicate through a special computer, Hawking’s mind has stayed sharp as he tries to solve the mysteries of the Universe. Cathy, 65, and her husband, Bob, 67, are from Delaware. Before Cathy got sick, Bob, a U.S. Army veteran, worked at a 44 www.freedomleaf.com
steel mill. Cathy was a professional hairdresser by day and a bartender by night. They lived a quiet, middle-class life in New Castle, working hard to raise their two boys. For hobbies, the Jordans bred Chesapeake Bay retrievers and went on outings in their small boat. But everything changed in 1985, when Cathy’s hands started to hurt. They’d always been so steady and strong when she cut and colored hair. Then, she couldn’t keep up the steady gait needed at the dog shows at which she competed. It took two years for doctors and specialists to confirm that she had ALS. For most people that would’ve been a death sentence, but not for Cathy Jordan. In 1991, the Jordan family moved to Parrish, Fla., near St. Petersburg. A few years earlier, Cathy had started using marijuana instead of conventional medicines. Unwilling to buy pot on the black market, Bob began growing their own in
a small plot behind their modest home. On Feb. 25, 2013, the same day the Cathy Jordan Medical Cannabis Act for Florida was introduced in the state legislature, the home was raided and Bob was charged with cultivation. Florida marijuana attorney Michael C. Minardi took the case, and NORML attorney Norm Kent filed a motion for declaratory judgment. The case was dropped April 2, 2013 by the Florida Attorney General’s office, which anticipated a successful medical-necessity defense. The Jordans are currently the only people who are semi-legally allowed to grow pot in the Sunshine State. We spoke with the courageous couple about their astounding success with cannabis therapy, the bust and the landmark case. Cathy’s speech is labored, but her personality shines through. Her dedicated husband helps follow up on thoughts and fills in details.
“So many people decline. Cathy stays the same.” — Bob Jordan Can you describe how cannabis affects the symptoms of ALS, and how you use it? Cathy: In the morning I need to have two cups of coffee. Then I smoke, usually one, sometimes two joints. It clears my lungs out in the morning. With ALS, many patients suffocate in their own fluid and die. Bob: Some patients have to wear this device—it almost looks like a life jacket— that makes you cough. But her lungs are clear based on medical tests, thanks to cannabis. There’s a lot of science that says cannabis has no long-term negative affects on the lungs. So have the doctors told you to smoke?
Bob Jordan smells a young cannabis plant growing in their backyard. www.freedomleaf.com 45
Cathy Jordan surrounded by pot plants at home in Florida. Photo by Jodi James
Cathy: Well, not one doctor has told me not to smoke! Thirty-four neurologists. We stopped counting. Bob: Some don’t agree with cannabis, but they will say to keep up whatever is working. Cathy: They have said, “No one has a better medicine than you.” I do have a very good cannabis-friendly doctor now, who allows me to discuss it. Most times, they did not want me to discuss it in the office or with other patients. Do you talk about marijuana with other patients? Cathy: Yes. But I had to stop going to the [ALS] support group. The people are all terminal, but I could not discuss what I wanted to discuss until after the official meeting. Bob: Every time we went, someone else wasn’t there, someone else passed away. They die. So many people decline. Cathy stays the same. We never say stop taking your other meds. But it’s heartbreaking. Doctors’ hands are tied on marijuana. When were you first told that you have ALS? 46 www.freedomleaf.com
Cathy: It was verified in 1987 at the University of Pennsylvania. Bob: They did all of these tests. Test after test. It was so intense. They want to make sure before they tell you. They said she had three to five years to live. Cathy: So I decided to live my life and went to Florida. I smoked a joint. That was in February of 1989. Why did you decide to move to Florida? Bob: We lived in Delaware and it was so brutally cold in the winter there. We sent her down on a sort of vacation. She got some Acapulco Gold, smoked it and felt her disease get better. There was this hum in her body that stopped. She called on the phone and said, “I’m hungry.” Then when I picked her up at the airport, she had this tube filled with pot. I said, “Jesus, you’re going to get arrested!” At that time she started getting better. Cathy: My arms and hands were already not working. I went from being a hairdresser and using a straight razor to not being able to cut a tomato. All of a sudden I would start choking on my saliva. My son would be there and raise my arms above my head. I thought I was going to die.
Bob: In the beginning, the ALS was very aggressive. Everything they said would happen, happened. When Cathy went to Florida she was dying, but when she came back she was living. When you were diagnosed, and they gave you five years to live, were you given an expiration date for medical care? Cathy: I was supposed to pass away in 1991. In 1994, we got a note in the mail from Social Security. I had to go down to their office to prove I was alive. Later on, I got a letter from MetLife that I could be insured. If you are terminal for 21 years, you can get insurance. But then I said I use cannabis, and they said they couldn’t insure me because I use illegal drugs. After you moved from Delaware to Florida, you started growing cannabis on your own. How do you get away with it? Bob: I’ve now been growing pot for 20 years, after we found that the plant works best for her. Then, in 2013, I got up one morning and two cops came up the driveway with their hands on their weapons. They said, “We have probable cause.” I said, “Unless you have a warrant, get out of here.” They said this is a crime scene, and that we couldn’t go back in our house or yard. One cop went in the back where the plants were. He said, “Get outta my way.” I said, “Lock me up, you SOB, or get off my property.” Thank God Cathy was across the street. Then the Manatee County Narcotics Squad came. When I saw the cops in ski masks, I asked, “Is this a joke? A disabled woman and a Vietnam vet is what you came here for?” I had 23 plants. Three of them were two feet tall, and 20 of them were just tiny cuttings. They pulled out the plants and took the stuff out of the shed, and took the light bulb from the grow lamp. They charged me with cultivation. They turned it over to the local prosecutor. Norm Kent, a lawyer from NORML,
took the case pro bono. Kent called and said they wanted me to take a plea and pre-trial diversion. But I wanted a jury trial. We went back and forth for some time. Then, on April 2, 2013, a reporter called from Tallahassee saying that the State Attorney’s office had dropped the case. That’s how we found out what happened. And that was it? Bob: Yes. So we have cannabis in our backyard growing right now. We have medical necessity in the 12th District of Florida. Cathy: It’s the only semi-legal garden in Florida. There are a lot of things in that lawsuit that can be used for other people. You grow your own because you need a specific strain, and need to know the quality? Cathy: Absolutely. I know the strengths of it and the quality of it. My muscles relax and it helps me breathe. It also allows me to be alert. The plants are 50/50 sativa and indica. I use a little more of it in the evening, but it really doesn’t get me high. Bob: Trying to grow medicine is actually a very difficult thing to do. That’s what was so tough when they took away those plants. How is your quality of life now, after all the years using cannabis? Bob: The ALS has slowed down to a trickle. And she’s also a cancer survivor. Cathy: We’ll never be without it. Do you have any advice for people living with ALS? Cathy: As soon as you get diagnosed with ALS, get as much cannabis in your body as you can handle. Find a really good high grade. Eat it, smoke it, use a tincture. Get as much in your system as you can. www.freedomleaf.com 47
Potential Therapeutic Use of Cannabis with ALS Amytrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease are characterized by neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. The hallmark of neurodegeneration is the irreversible death of neurons and progressive dysfunction. Plant-derived cannabinoids can decrease neuroinflammation by inhibiting the recruitment, proliferation and differentiation of immune cells. Stimulation of cannabinoid receptors can also have a pro-survival effect in neurons. Neurodegenerative disorders are often treated with a multi-drug regimen that could involve: glutamate antagonists, antioxidants, a CNS anti-inflammatory agent, microglial cell modulators including TNFalpha inhibitors, an antiapoptotic agent, one or more neurotrophic growth factors and a mitochondrial function-enhancing agent. Cannabis-based medicine appears to have at least some activity in each category. In particular, cannabinoids have a notable antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and protective neuromodulatory effect. More than 30 controlled human studies have examined the effect of a
The Story of 420 continued from page 37 I’ve long supported the view that 420 should be used to help ritualize and legitimize cannabis as a sacrament. I’m not in favor of students doing breakfast dabs and going off to take their calculus exams, but on the other hand, I don’t believe anyone should go to jail, lose a student loan or have their children taken away over cannabis. So I suggest using 4:20 p.m. as a guide for an appropriate hour for the adult population to hold a cannabis ceremony, although this certainly doesn’t apply to those with a medical need. I’m hoping many who read this will 48 www.freedomleaf.com
variety of cannabis-based medicines (including whole-plant inhaled cannabis, oral capsules and oral extracts) for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. Reviews of the clinical trials suggest that these medicines can result in improvement in spasticity, muscle spasms, pain, sleep quality, tremors and the patient’s overall condition. The therapeutic rationale for combining THC and CBD, and other cannabis plant components, is established. While the trials suggest THC is the primary therapeutic ingredient, the presence of a higher ratio of CBD to THC may result in a decrease in unwanted side effects and an enhancement of benefits. — Dr. Jahan Marcu “get” 420, and consider consistently lifting the ceremony to a higher level, something more meaningful than just an excuse to get high. Only then will we be able to help forge a spiritual cannabis culture worthy of being handed down to future generations. One thing I learned after 30 years at High Times: The less you imbibe, the higher you get. If you want to treat this plant with respect, there is magic. Steven Hager is author of 11 books, the most recent being Killing Lincoln. Visit the Waldos at 420waldos.com.
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How to Build a Hemp Home All it takes is a little ingenuity, and the knowledge that industrial hemp is more sustainable than traditional materials. By Lillian Taylor Well over $100 billion is spent each year on green building projects worldwide. This burgeoning increase is evident in the February launch of Hemp Today, an EU-based coalition “dedicated to the rediscovery of an ancient European tradition—the use of hemp to create living and work spaces.” As noted by Hemp Today, “51% of architects, engineers, contractors, owners and consultants surveyed by info and data service McGraw Hill Construction projected that more than 60% of their work will be green by 2015, up from 28% of firms in 2012.” At HempToday.eu, you’ll find videos featuring diverse hemp houses from Arizona to Latvia, and a source index of growers, processors, architects and builders, plus a listing of consultancies, and building research and information. Building your own hemp structure is a smart call. When you construct with hemp, not only do you lower your carbon footprint, you significantly decrease building costs and your energy bill, as well. For example, in Asheville, N.C., Hemp Technologies built a house using
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hempcrete, which they describe on their website as “fire-resistant, termite-resistant, prevents molds and dry rot”; hempcrete structures provide energy savings of as much as 70% over traditional materials and construction. And in Noordhoek, South Africa, builder Tony Budden constructed a hemp home using hempcrete, hempboard, hemp insulation and other sustainable materials, such as cork flooring, zero-VOC eco-paints and LED lighting. (Because South Africa doesn’t allow hemp cultivation, most of the materials had to be imported.) Do you want a structure that is more earthy and has an organic look—or a sleeker, polished finish? Retting is the process of removing seeds and the outer hull of the hemp stalk, to utilize only the inner woody core, or “shiv.” If shiv is used,
stains and uneven color appearance can be avoided. Start with hempcrete, which can be made with “rendered,” or sealed and finished, stock prior to conversion into blocks or walls. Hempcrete is a mixture of hemp hurds (shiv) and lime, from which blocks are made that are less brittle than cement, weigh considerably less and can be used without expansion joints. Hemp foundations are resistant to stress cracks—a plus in earthquake-prone areas—and hempcrete is a good insulator, absorbs sound effectively and is resistant to rotting, rodents and insects, and fire and water. Whereas cement production accounts for 5% of the world’s CO2 greenhouse gas emissions, hemp masonry products require no kiln and actually sequester, or capture, carbon. Like concrete, hempcrete has a high thermal mass, allowing it to absorb and hold heat during the day, and release it at night, reducing the need for both air-conditioning and heating. It’s especially beneficial in colder climates. After raising your structure, hemp shiv can be mixed with lime to make wall and
Hempcrete is a mixture of hemp hurds and lime.
roof insulation. Since hemp insulation is breathable, it self-regulates humidity levels, a plus for a product that’s already naturally mold-retardant. In hotter climates, be certain to plant appropriate shade trees, and implement systems to deal with unwanted output of stored heat at night. Excess thermal mass in summer months can be a source of great discomfort. Next, layer on hemp floor screeds, finish walls and cabinets with hemp
Various views of Tony Budden's hemp house in Noordhoek, South Africa. Erwin van der Weerd created the architectural design.
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Red hemp-based Eco-Heritage paint, manufactured by Valley Bio in Ontario.
chipboard and plaster and protect wood surfaces with solvent-free hemp oil finishes. Hemp Shield Wood Finish and Deck Sealer is an effective protectant for decks, fences, stairs, siding and shutters. According to the manufacturer, it outperformed all competitors, including Thompson’s Water Seal and Cabot’s Deck Stain, in an accelerated weathering chamber test. The Oregon-based company says its product, made from 100% hemp oil,
contains no volatile organic compounds (VOC) or air pollutants, and is non-toxic. Hemp seed oil is great for quick-drying paints; much like linseed oil, it has rapid drying qualities. One paint on the market—Valley Bio’s Eco-Heritage red ochre made from hemp oil, chalk, lime and clay—is perfect for a barn or to accent recessed walls in the dining room. It’s non-toxic, biodegradable, zero-VOC and doesn’t fade or peel. The company,
Hemp Shield, manufactured in Oregon, is great for decks and log cabins (see next page).
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When you construct with hemp, not only do you lower your carbon footprint, but you significantly decrease building costs and your energy bill by as much as 70%. based in Ontario, sells gallons for $40 Canadian. Prior to 1937, the U.S. imported an average of 64 million pounds of hemp seed a year, primarily for paint manufacturing and machine lubrication. Congressional action at the time effectively prohibited domestic cultivation of hemp. In the not-too-distant future, we may again be growing hemp domestically. Introduced in January, the Senate’s Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2015, and its counterpart in the House, would remove hemp from the Controlled Substances Act—and help green both our homesteads and the U.S. economy. Several states have begun
to grow hemp (see “Hemp in the U.S.A.” in Freedom Leaf Issue 3). More information about how to build a hemp home is available at hempbuilder. com, a valuable resource both for the layman who’s ready to get his or her hands dirty, and for professional builders. Additional information can be found at the International Hemp Building Association (IHBA), a non-profit with bioregionally sensitive building objectives that operates in 25 countries. The fifth annual IHBA Building Symposium—where industry heavyweights share valuable technical information regarding industrial uses of hemp—is tentatively scheduled for this fall. Last year’s symposium in Wales delved into fine hemp hurd additives; load capacity; the thermal and moisture properties of various hemp building materials; and the particular vulnerabilities of hempcrete, and various solutions. Someday, many of us will experience the joy of sitting in the living room of our sustainable home. Now that would be a hemp dream come true. Lillian Taylor is Freedom Leaf’s resident hemp expert and Fashion Coordinator.
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Scenes from the ICBC Two days of thought-provoking speeches and networking in the cradle of California marijuana activism.
Freedom Leaf’s Steve Bloom (right) interviews Harborside Health Center’s Steve DeAngelo.
Story by Steve Bloom, Photos by Matt Emrich The International Cannabis Business Conference, held at San Francisco’s spectacular Hyatt Regency hotel on Feb. 15 and 16, merged activism and commerce like no other seminar-style cannabis event seen before. Keynote speeches by Rick Steves, Ethan Nadelmann, Dr. Carl Hart and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher and diverse panel discussions provided plenty of food for thought, and over 800 attendees filled
the main ballroom and expo area. Though no smoking was allowed, all attendees had to do was step outside, or repair to one of the rooms with a window that opened (a major plus for those so lucky). One of the highlights was an unscheduled appearance by San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, who described himself as “the one elected sheriff in the U.S. that supports marijuana legalization.”
Columbia University Professor Dr. Carl Hart.
San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi.
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Rep. Dana Rohrabacher at the opening party.
Travel writer Rick Steves.
Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher called it “a freedom issue,” and said, “We are in this together. We will win this fight.” Drug Policy Alliance Executive Director Ethan Nadelmann, who flew in from New York (as did Dr. Carl Hart and this writer), admitted, “I don’t have a green thumb, but I get it,” and concluded, “We’re in a historic struggle.” Sensi Seeds founder Ben Dronkers beamed in via Skype to accept an
achievement award. “If you think marijuana is a moneymaker, I don’t think you’re on the right track,” the Dutch cannabis magnate commented. “Go work in a bank.” There was a distinct anti-big-business sentiment at this confab. Many speakers worried that the coming recreational legalization in California (a measure will most likely appear on the 2016 ballot) will be a windfall for big-money interests. “It must be a public-safety law,” travel writer Rick
DPA’s Ethan Nadelmann speaks to a crowded ICBC house. www.freedomleaf.com 55
San Francisco attorney Henry Wykowski.
NORML board member Kyndra Miller.
Steves advised, “not a pro-pot law. It has to be pragmatic. Make it palatable and less scary.” Attorney Henry Wykowski cautioned, “Scammers and hustlers will harm what we’ve worked so hard to cultivate.” Sebastopol Councilman Robert Jacob added, “We must stay unified, and protect patients and mom-and-pop businesses.” ArcView Group CEO Troy Dayton took a shot at the emerging legal cannabis industry for not ponying up dollars to advance legalization efforts around the
Aundre Speciale, Director of CBCBerkeley.
Freedom Leaf at ICBC: Publisher Cliff Perry, Editor-in-Chief Steve Bloom and Ray Medeiros.
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(From left) Anthony Johnson, Ethan Nadelmann, George Zimmer and Alex Rogers.
nation. “We’re at a bit of a crux right now. Seventy-five to 90% of public companies in the cannabis space are not reputable. Angel investors are the best.” He also predicted that “the price of cannabis is going to drop precipitously. The value is in brands.” Regarding the stock market, NORML board member Kyndra Miller advised: “Beware of pump-and-dump schemes. And stay away from penny stocks.” Freedom Leaf was among the exhibitors, providing free magazines and wristbands.
ArcView CEO Troy Dayton.
Author Doug Fine, Vice’s David Bienenstock and The Cannabist’s Ricardo Baca.
Debby Goldsberry of Magnolia Wellness.
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Dale Gieringer of California NORML.
THE WORLD’S FIRST REAL INTERNET TELEVISION NETWORK,
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The Wine-Weed Connection Grapes and cannabis are both agricultural products that can produce a high. As Melissa Etheridge and others have discovered: Put them together and you’ve got something really special. By Mari Kane When you think about pot smokers and their alcoholic beverage of choice, wine doesn’t immediately come to mind. A frothy beer more easily fits the common stereotype. But demographics have shifted and wine appreciation is spiking among smokers who are interested in enjoying wine with weed. Now, there’s more than one way to combine the grape with the ganjaby putting one inside the other. Ball of Infusion Liquid infusions go way back in the cannabis pharmacopeia. Old-time cannabis tinctures infused the plant matter in grain alcohol that leached out the THC and CBD to create an elixir. This is what Queen Victoria was known to have taken to ease her menstrual cramps. Dispensing cannabis products at the Greenway Compassionate Relief cannabis club in Santa Cruz, CA got Lisa Molyneux thinking about using wine to create a tasty infusion she could offer patients. She began sourcing barrels of freshpressed Santa Cruz Mountains grape juice, and added locally grown cannabis 60 www.freedomleaf.com
to be absorbed by the fermenting wine’s acids and tannins. Her wines are so good they caught the nose of rock star Melissa Etheridge, who asked her to create a private bottling. Currently, Etheridge is waiting for state laws or federal policy to change before going commercial with an eponymous label; each bottle will be hand-signed by Etheridge with a metallic marker. Until then, patients who are Greenway club members may buy the wine and even have it delivered. “Grapes are similar to cannabis in the cycle they grow,” says Molyneux, who, like Etheridge, is a cancer survivor. She times her outdoor-grown, organic cannabis harvest with the grape harvest so they’re from the same vintage. “And the way you feed grapes and cannabis is very similar. So it’s a natural pairing. It’s not a heated extract, so the THC and CBDs are not activated—it’s a cold extract and takes longer because the alcohol is so low. I let my wines age and I don’t rack until it’s ready to drink. I bottle right out of the barrel, with no filtering or fining—except for the whites, which I want to look clean.”
Molyneux begins with the freshpressed juice and “does it all at once” by dumping the cannabis in as the wine is fermenting. “It actually starts fermenting on the way home in the open trailer of my truck,” she continues. “I let the heat and sun start the process during my threehour drive.” She first started using Granache and Marsanne grapes, then moved onto Syrah, Chardonnay and Tempranillo varieties. This year, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir are on the menu. For the intrepid canna-vintner, Molyneux recommends one pound of cannabis per wine barrel. Use less for white wines, more for reds—between .5 and 1.5 pounds of loose plant matter per barrel. Most patients consume two to three ounces of her canna-wine per day. And as a patient herself, she loves drinking it; she says the effects can last up to four days—but not in an inebriated way. “What I like is how the wine is so much more subtle,” Molyneux observes. “You don’t feel more intoxicated. It doesn’t
make you euphoric like an edible. You just sleep really well and your pain level is down. Wine is just a softer way for your body to absorb the cannabinoids.” How to Pair Wine with Weed What are some good rules of thumb for matching strains with vintages? Since everyone’s metabolism reacts differently to the chemicals in both plant-based aperitifs, it’s important to distinguish the most common effects and enhance—or avoid—them. “Headband is really good with red wine,” says Molyneux. “And Sour Diesel is nice with whites, like Marsanne.” Here are a few tips to help you enjoy both buzzes: ◆ Don’t drink, then smoke: Unless you’re a regular toker with lots of THC in your system, it’s a bad idea to smoke after a long wine-drinking session, even after dinner. There’s no faster way to experience a spinning room than to toke up after a lot of drinking. It’s better to toke before drinking, as a sort of cocktail, or smoke and sip at the same time to
Greenway Compassion Relief's Melissa Etheridge brand of custom-made canna-wine. www.freedomleaf.com 61
give both intoxicants equal time to be absorbed into your bloodstream. ◆ Seek freshness: The most common physical effect of smoking pot is cottonmouth—that parched, sticky feeling on the tongue that makes you reach for water. After smoking, the natural inclination is to drink something clean, refreshing and preferably cold. The best wines to pair with weed are bright, crisp, quaffable, lower-alcohol wines, preferably ones that can be served chilled. Look for wines with high acidity and little or no oak. Acidity is the element in wine that makes your tongue tingle. The reason wines with “good acidity” are considered food-friendly is because the acid cleanses the palate and freshens it for the next bite. Acid-driven wines, known as “racy,” are good for cottonmouth. Racy wines come from cooler growing climates. In the wine store, look for these white wines: un-oaked Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Chablis, Riesling, Sancerre, Vouvray, almost any white from Northern Italy, Verdejo and Verdello from Spain and Vinho Verde from Portugal. And don’t forget the sparkling options, such as Brut Champagne, California Brut sparkling wine, Italian Asti and Prosecco, Spanish Cava, and French Cremant and Mousseux. If the acidity doesn’t cleanse your palette, the bubbles will. Among red wines, go for lighter and fruitier varietals, like a medium-priced Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Chianti, Sangiovese, French Gamay or Beaujolais, and maybe a low-alcohol Grenache/Garnacha. Also consider an “off-dry” rosé. ◆ Avoid heavy reds: If you’re having a pot party, don’t whip out your favorite Merlot or any Bordeaux varietal like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec or Petit Verdot—these wines have a high 62 www.freedomleaf.com
“Wine is just a softer way for your body to absorb the cannabinoids.” amount of tannins, which make them dry and chalky, to the point of potentially inducing a headache. Wines with more tannins and less acidity are called “soft.” Other red wines to avoid while enjoying cannabis are any with high alcohol content, like Zinfandel, Syrah/ Shiraz, Tempranillo, Petite Sirah, Pinotage, Super-Tuscans and anything from Southern Italy, Sicily or the Douro Valley in Spain. In short, avoid drinking a red wine you can’t see through. And to control your buzz, stay away from wines containing over 14% alcohol. ◆ Spend in the middle: When smoking and sipping, it’s important not to spend too little or too much on wine. If you spend too little, you generally get what you pay for: an unbalanced, badly made wine that can lead to a big headache, or worse. Paying too much is also a mistake. Unless you’re both a consistent smoker and wine connoisseur, an expensive wine’s amazing depth of flavor and spectacularly unfolding finish might be lost on you. Even if you appreciate it, your friends may not. So unless you’re rich, it makes no sense to open that rare $70 Napa Cabernet while you’re puffing on your buds. It’s better to go with an easy-drinking, averagepriced everyday wine you’re not financially invested in. Wines in the $10 to $18 range are the best bet for nearly guaranteed wine enjoyment with your weed. Mari Kane is a writer, blogger and WordPress consultant. She lives in Vancouver, B.C.
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Spring-Cleaning for Stoners Nine tips to help you transition from winter to spring. By Beth Mann Long, cold winters are tough on the average stoner. And this was one of the worst. It’s all too easy for the 420-friendly to fall into a sloth-like cycle of overeating, hair-growing, unnaturally long naps, Netflix marathons and bong solitude. But not to worry: I’m here to give you some spring-cleaning tips:
1. Wake up… then stay awake. The hibernating stoner is nearly impossible to rouse, so it’s important to make the most of our waking hours. Now that the days are longer, try hard to stay awake the whole day. It might also be time to change your strain. Smoking indica is more likely to make you sleepy or “couch-locked,” whereas sativa is known to be more energizing. Remember: sativa = spring.
2. Stop eating all the food all the time. If it’s gooey and delicious, it’s probably not good for you. So while you might have to pass on the pizza wrapped in three feet of bacon, your pudgy winter body will thank you for it. Try doing other things with your mouth, like blowing kisses to strangers or sucking your thumb.
3. Get your hair cut… professionally. That’s right, like spend money on it. Don’t let another stoner do the job. Pluck those 64 www.freedomleaf.com
eyebrows while you’re at it. Or brush them so they don’t look like angry caterpillars. Bottom line: If something is overgrown, trim it down.
4. Do something with those clothes of yours. That old moth-eaten Metallica T-shirt saw you through another winter. Now pass it on to a less fortunate metal-loving stoner. Toss out the clothes that make you feel a little too comfortable (yes, I’m even saying goodbye to a fuzzy robe that my grandmother wouldn’t deign to wear). Put something new on your feet too; anything from hemp sandals to sneakers will lighten your step. Dress to impress, not to depress.
furniture is a little weird. Take some slow, deep breaths of fresh air. Enter the wild world again. Sure, it can be ugly and annoying out there, but it’s important that you join the masses sometimes. I’m not sure why, but there has to be a reason… oh yeah, to get laid.
6. Breathe in non-gross ways. If you’re a torch-wielding oil dabber with a chronic cough, it might be time to give your lungs a break. Vaping is better for your health than smoking or dabbing from a red-hot metal nail. How about cleaning out that nasty bowl/pipe/bong of yours? Dirty equipment means dirty smoke, which is not good for you.
5. Force yourself outdoors.
7. Go for the lazy person’s cleanse.
Sure, that couch loves you and you love the couch, but life is short and loving
Have you considered juicing marijuana leaves or buds? They’re loaded with
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cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory nutrient compound, which is capable of preventing and reversing a host of illnesses. If you don’t want to drink your beloved weed, try the easiest cleanse ever: start every day with a glass of water and a dash of lemon. Drink it before coffee or breakfast.
8. Get high with a purpose. After partaking, find a relaxing spot outdoors. Sit and breathe deeply (yoga-style, not hyperventilating). Reflect on people or things or attitudes that seem to be occupying too much space in your mental attic, then as you exhale, just release the thought like a feather blowing in the breeze. Or visualize a person or situation you’d like to manifest in your life. Mentally draw out every detail. Visualizing while high is a targeted method to use your imagination instead of simply zoning out.
9. Believe in the Easter Bunny again. What holiday character best represents stoners like the Easter Bunny? It’s trippy, light-hearted and brings free chocolate in a basket. Is that a friend or what? Also, the Easter Bunny hops. Santa doesn’t hop. The point is, people who get high are in touch with their imaginations. Allow yours to run wild this spring. Note that the spring-cleaning suggested here requires little to no actual cleaning. So be thankful for that. Rejuvenate yourself instead, and clean out the nasty resin that clogs the glass pipe called Life. Find the bounce in your step again. Drop your shoulders. Smile for no particular reason. It’s spring. It’s time to be reborn again, whether you want to be or not. Beth Mann is President of Hot Buttered Rum Media and a regular contributor to Freedom Leaf. 66 www.freedomleaf.com
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Stoner Fruit Cocktail: MANGOS, MARIJUANA and MYRCENE Does eating a mango before consuming cannabis help lengthen and intensify the high? By Cheri Sicard A tremendous variety of terpenes—the class of organic compounds that give plants flavor and aroma—are present in cannabis. Mangos and marijuana share the terpene myrcene, which naturally makes them a good botanical match, but is there really anything to the claim of mango’s magical power over marijuana? According to Dr. Jeffrey Raber, CEO of The Werc Shop testing lab in Los Angeles, there actually is some merit to this idea, although he stresses that a lot of the information available about mangos and marijuana is speculative, since the
effects of combining the two haven’t been adequately tested. It’s also difficult to generalize because mangos and cannabis contain different overall terpene profiles. Widely used in both the perfume and brewing industries, myrcene is an aromatic hydrocarbon that can be found in the essential oils of a large number of plants, including black pepper, hops, bay leaves, basil, lemongrass, mangos and marijuana. It has many therapeutic benefits—antibacterial, analgesic and sedative. It thus may enhance the intensity and length of marijuana’s high, as the terpene helps THC cross the bloodbrain barrier faster, and aids in the body’s absorption of cannabinoids. There are hundreds of mango varieties, each containing different levels of myrcene, just as there are hundreds of varieties of cannabis, each with varying amounts of both myrcene and THC. Those who feel the effects of this plant combination attest to its effectiveness: One friend claims he can get by with less weed in lean financial times by supplementing his stash with mangos. Others think the effect is mostly psychological, or that the combination affects some people, but not others. It doesn’t quite work for me—I have a huge tolerance to marijuana—but it might for you. www.freedomleaf.com 69
Test the Mango-Marijuana Connection Yourself Dr. Raber recommends eating mangos 45 to 90 minutes before consuming cannabis in order to give your body enough time to absorb the fruit’s myrcene. Be sure to use raw mangos, not dried or cooked. Also, Dr. Raber says feeling the effects of the mango-marijuana combination may depend on whether you smoke or vape. Without lab testing, it’s difficult to determine the levels of myrcene present in your mangos and marijuana, but these tips can increase your chances of identifying high-myrcene strains of both: ● The
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perfume industry uses myrcene for a reason—so if you have a particularly aromatic mango or marijuana strain, chances are better it will have high myrcene levels. Myrcene aromas can include notes of peaches, grapes, vanilla, pepper and herbaceous greens. Higher-quality cannabis has higher myrcene levels. One of myrcene’s therapeutic benefits is its sedative effect. Indica strains are thus most likely to be high in myrcene. The riper the mango, the better. High-myrcene mango varieties include Cavalo, Rosa, Espada and Paulista.
Mango Buying and Storing Tips When shopping for mangos, gently squeeze the fruit and look for one that’s slightly soft, like a ripe peach or avocado. Sniff the stem end; if it has a fruity aroma, the mango is ready for purchase. Don’t refrigerate. The fruit will become softer and sweeter at room temperature. 70 www.freedomleaf.com
How to Cut Up a Mango Mangos have a thick skin and contain a large, flat oblong pit you’ll need to cut around. Place the fruit on a cutting board and slice about 1/2-inch off each of the two flat sides. This will leave you with two mango “cheeks.” Score the fruit into strips or cubes, taking care not to cut all the way through the skin. Scoop out the mango slices or cubes with a spoon—or just eat them right off the skin. Peel and carve around the pit to remove the rest of the fruit.
Mango Lassi India’s version of the smoothie. 1 cup
large ripe mango, chopped and frozen 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt 1/2 cup whole milk or buttermilk 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom Place frozen mango, yogurt, milk or buttermilk and cardamom in blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. If it’s too thick, add additional milk or buttermilk as needed. Yield: 2 cups - Serving Size: 1 cup
Mango and Almond Quinoa Salad Quinoa is a nutritious, protein-filled pseudograin that forms the base of this hearty vegan salad. 1 cup 1 cup 1/4 cup 1 cup 3/4 cup 1/2 cup
1/3 1/4 2 1/8 1/2 1/2
cup cup tsp. tsp. tsp.
quinoa sliced almonds olive oil diced mango diced red bell pepper thinly sliced green onions (scallions), using both white and green parts finely chopped cilantro cider vinegar garlic cloves - minced cayenne pepper salt black pepper
Cook quinoa according to package
directions. Toast almonds by placing in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until they start to brown, about five minutes. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine mango, red pepper, onions, cilantro and the cooked almonds and quinoa. In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper. Toss salad with dressing of your choice. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days. Yield: 4 cups - Servings: 4 Cheri Sicard is the author of Mary Jane: The Complete Marijuana Handbook for Women. See Ellen Komp’s review on page 79. www.freedomleaf.com 71
Endocannabinoids and You Likes pigs in a truffle patch, humans connect to cannabinoids in such food products as fish oil, hemp seed and even black pepper. By Dr. Jahan Marcu, PhD Recently, a major discovery added greatly to understanding the evolution of the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Researchers in Italy found that truffles, known as “the diamond of the kitchen,” produce the endocannabinoid anandamide. The presence of anandamide in fungi suggests that the proteins that make endocannabinoids evolved before the cannabinoid receptor did. This ability to produce anandamide was preserved because lots of living things evolved to have useful cannabinoid receptors. The Italian researchers stated, “Therefore, it can be proposed that the presence of anandamide in truffles might represent a nutritional reward to truffle eaters, like long-footed potoroo, meerkat, chacma baboon and grizzly bear. Remarkably,
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these animals are all mammals that are well equipped with eCBs-binding receptor… Accumulated evidence supports an involvement of eCBs in the initiation of the suckling response and in appetitive and consumption processes.” The concentration of anandamide found in the researchers’ truffle samples was 300–400 nanomolar or approximately 0.00010–0.00013 grams per liter. In layman’s terms, this is a very small amount, less than a grain of salt in a liter of water. Still, the researchers speculate that this could be enough to attract and have an effect on an organism. So why is anandamide produced in truffles when these fungi have no cannabinoid (CB) receptors? The researchers speculate that it promotes a food reward
pathway, similar to the endocannabinoids in mammalian breast milk. The mechanism of food reward extends beyond the gut and brain to our periphery. In other words, fungi produce anandamide in their fruiting bodies in hopes of attracting something with CB receptors to eat it. And CB receptors are also found in olfactory neurons, suggesting, for example, that the nose of a pig could tip you off to the presence of cannabinoids. The stimulation of a CB receptor in the pig’s nose may ring a bell in the pig’s brain— an alarm signaling the presence of something good to eat. THC and anandamide do not produce a smell per se, but we can speculate that if a molecule or two of a cannabinoid floats into a nostril, it may encounter a CB receptor shortly after entering the nasal canal. At some level, this could indicate to the organism that comfort food is nearby. Humans can be somewhat efficient at recognizing the presence of cannabinoids, based on smell. Black pepper and cloves produce the cannabinoid betacaryophyllene (BCP), which stimulates CB2 receptors and decreases inflammation while having a general cell-protective effect in mammals. The next time you dine (at least with a bunch of scientists), reach for the black pepper, or as one of my friends likes to say, “Pass the betacaryophyllene.” Cannabinoids are produced in abundance across the kingdoms and species
Truffles
of nearly all living things on Earth. Cannabis may be the only plant that produces THC naturally, but many plants produce other cannabinoids, such as BCP. If your heart is pounding from learning about these discoveries, know that your CB receptors are working to modulate and protect your cardiovascular system (your heart and blood). Activating CB2 receptors can be quite therapeutic, because this receptor initiates anti-inflammatory and other protective effects. CB1 receptors may not protect the heart as well as CB2 receptors; but CB1 receptors help regulate the heart. Many studies have shown that cannabinoids can be protective in heart health, such as during recovery after a stroke. In
Cannabinoids are produced in abundance across the kingdoms and species of nearly all living things on Earth. www.freedomleaf.com 73
Hemp Seeds
Fish Oil
one study, rats given HU-210 (a synthetic cannabinoid about 1,000 times more potent than THC) showed 77% less brain damage and improved motor ability after a stroke than animals not given HU-210. THC and other endocannabinoids have also demonstrated protective effects in scientific studies of stroke and ischemia (restricted blood flow due to blockage). Cannabinoid receptor stimulation can have a biphasic effect on the heart. Often in naive users, THC dosing can lead to a short but quick increase in heart rate. However, over time, cannabinoid receptor stimulation ultimately leads to hypotension, or relaxed blood flow, through dilated vasculature. Back in the ’90s, chocolate was reported to contain endocannabinoids. This discovery turned out to be difficult to reproduce, and subsequent attempts to replicate the findings were unsuccessful. The variation and inconsistency across different truffle oil products may have been a confounding factor; perhaps the type of truffle oil used in some chocolate may be responsible for the presence of anandamide reportedly found in chocolate. Not all chocolate contains truffle oil, though, and this may be why subsequent research has failed to replicate this result in chocolate.
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Black Pepper
Consuming rich, chocolaty foods to stimulate the CB receptors is tempting. However, the feeling in your head and body after eating chocolate is more affected by the person who gave it to you, rather than by its endocannabinoid content. There’s a healthier, less romantic way to alter the endocannabinoid system: fish oil supplements. They’re associated with heart health and can significantly alter the levels of circulating endocannabinoids in the blood, and fish oil’s omega-3 fatty acids support healthy endocannabinoid production and receptor activity. Hemp seeds also contain the right omega fatty acids to indirectly modulate the ECS. Truffle oil may contain anandamide; but consuming enough of the right type of truffle oil for the naturally occurring anandamide is difficult, and it’s unclear how much anandamide would survive in our acidic stomachs before reaching the blood. CB2 receptor stimulation is known to decrease inflammation and have a general cell-protective effect. So skipping the salt and dashing on the pepper might be a healthier choice. Dr. Jahan Marcu is the Director of R&D for Green Standard Diagnostics and Freedom Leaf’s Science Editor.
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44.
ACROSS 4. First word in title of 1942 U.S. propaganda film discovered by Jack Herer (see 6 Down) 6. Smokeless method 8. Vitamin-C fruit that boosts high 11. ___ Weed Street, activists 12. National non-profit org for legalization 13. Popular hemp rolling papers 15. Sticky dark-colored resin 16. “Weed with Willie” by ___ Keith 19. “___ Hemp!” 21. CNN doctor, with 25 Across 23. Grand Master of the Jedi Order 24. Dr. Carl Hart’s memoir, High ___ 25. See 21 Across
26. It gives cannabis its aroma 27. Original home of Global Cannabis March 31. 1963 Kurosawa film High and __ 32. Smoking in tight, closed spaces 33. U.S. President who declared War on Drugs 36. Preferred medical component of cannabis, initials 38. High Times Cannabis ___ 39. Ethan ___, founder of Drug Policy Alliance 40. Whoopi Goldberg: “I took ___ ___. It was beautiful.” 42. Hawaiian strain ___ Wowie 44. BC ___ 45. THC, scientifically
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22 Panic attacks and phobias
4. Sativa effect 5. Popular Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor 6. Last word in title of 1942 U.S. propaganda film (see 4 Across) 7. First word in title of 1969 counterculture classic (see 3 Down) 8. Former talk show host turned spokesperson for medicinal cannabis ___ Williams
24 Olympic gold winner toker 27. Turns 82 on April 29 28. Comedian ___ Silverman 29. Jazz legend called marijuana “muggles” 30. NORML advisory board member ___ Ehrenreich 33. 1952 Gary Cooper film High ___ 34. Weed the People documentary producer ___ Lake
9. 710 equals ___
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41. Required for medical access
17. NBA athlete suspended for cannabis (2 words)
43. Tray leftover
18. May Day is ___ ___
42. Doctor, initials 44. Founder of Sensi Seeds in Amsterdam ___ Dronkers answers on page 78 www.freedomleaf.com 77
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Book Review
Mary Jane: The Complete Marijuana Handbook for Women By Ellen Komp A former circus acrobat and chef, NORML Women’s Alliance member and Freedom Leaf contributor Cheri Sicard is also an accomplished writer. She is the author of U.S. Citizenship for Dummies, The Cannabis Gourmet Cookbook and now, Mary Jane: The Complete Marijuana Handbook for Women (Seal Press). All imaginable pot topics—from how to procure, grow, harvest, trim and ingest cannabis to cooking tips and recipes—are covered in this nicely designed 228-page book. The 14 chapters range from legal advice on handling police encounters (“Weed the People”) medical marijuana from a female perspective (“Paging Dr. Mary Jane”) and parenting (“Marijuana Mamas”) to traveling (“Hop on the Cannabus”), healthy-living tips (“Yoganja!”) and pot culture (“Starring Mary Jane”). There’s even information on where to find bargain vaporizer bags, and the joys of roach-paper art images. Though it’s packed with pertinent information, this isn’t a weighty tome but rather a fresh and easy read that can be sampled in bite-sized morsels. Much of the well-organized text is bulleted or presented in “how-to” sidebars.” The chapter on careers in the cannabis industry (“Kushy Jobs”) includes information on related vocations, like trade-show organizing and financial and technology services. Those who wish to become educated about the industry will appreciate the information about what to look for in a school or training program. The book wraps with chapters on how to be an advocate (“Yes We Cannabis!”) and win arguments with your friends about
marijuana legalization (“Get On Your High Horse”). American marijuana culture and industry has historically been dominated by men, although this is changing. Only an estimated 20% of customers at medical marijuana dispensaries are women; and High Times’ readership is primarily comprised of young men. Women are perhaps turned off by the “booth babe” culture, sexist strain names like “God’s Pussy” and the very real fear of losing their children to the authorities for being who they’d like to be. As groups like Women GROW emerge, women are moving toward the forefront of the cannabis industry. Mary Jane is hitting the shelves at the right time to gain support from females of all stripes as we head toward full legalization in more and more states. It’s the perfect companion for the woman who seeks a broad introduction to this topic, or an affirmation of her lifestyle choices. Ellen Komp is the Deputy Director of California NORML. She blogs at TokingWoman. blogspot.com and manages VeryImportantPotheads.com. www.freedomleaf.com 79
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IT’S 4:20 SOMEWHERE
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Berkeley Patients Group
Proudly serving the San Francisco Bay Area medical cannabis community for over 15 years. 2366 San Pablo Avenue Berkeley, CA 94702 510.540.6013 84 www.freedomleaf.com
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