www.freedomleaf.com 1
2 www.freedomleaf.com
www.freedomleaf.com 3
4 www.freedomleaf.com
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 LEGAL COUNCIL Keith Stroup MARKETING DIRECTOR Carolann Bass CHIEF ACCOUNTING OFFICER Patrick Rhea EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Felipe Menezes CONTRIBUTORS Sabrina Fendrick, Dan Gibson, Beth Mann, Doug McVay, Alec Pearce, N.A. Poe, Cheri Sicard Content and advertisements in this magazine are for information purposes only and is 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. Copyright © 2014 - 2015 Freedom Leaf Inc. – All Rights Reserved www.freedomleaf.com 5
Editor’s Note
V for Valentine’s Day AND Marijuana Legalization Valentine’s Day is a moment set aside in the dearth of winter for appreciating the good people in your life. It’s a holiday that applies to spouses and lovers, but also to family and friends. As children we would often hand out little cards and lollipops to everyone in the classroom. As adults we get more discerning about who receives our attention. But it’s also an opportunity to think about the heart and health in general. We’ve created this special digital edition of Freedom Leaf for weed lovers everywhere. The article and photos in this issue will make you think, laugh and share. Philadelphia-based comedian NA Poe writes about the possibilities of a relationship between a cannabis connoisseur and a non-consumer. Dr. Jahan Marcu brings some new science on endocannabinoids in chocolate and truffles. NORML’s Paul Armentano discusses the county’s renewed love affair with hemp. Beth Mann discusses a more spiritual side of love she encountered while medicating with powerful cannabis oil. I interview two sex and relationship experts about the more intimate side of marijuana: National NORML Board of Directors chair Dr. Mitch Earleywine and Sex Pot author Lisa “Mamkind” Kirkland. Mitch is a psychology professor at State University of New York and specializes in human interactions. In addition, we review Foria, a cannabis sex lube product that’s already made some news, and movie rom-coms made with stoners in mind. Ultimately, millions of consumers will spend this holiday together, enjoying marijuana as part of their celebration. But we’re all part of a bigger community too. Marijuana is now in the mainstream, but it also remains a titillating secret to many. Valentine’s Day can be a moment for us to connect with one and other as we all move towards victory on America’s greenest social justice issue. Overall, we encourage everyone to celebrate the fellow humans in your life who bring you joy. This may be a “Hallmark holiday,” but it’s not just about cards, candy and cardboard hearts; it’s about sharing a meaningful interaction and expressing some love. It deserves a day and some special attention from you buds at Freedom Leaf. Chris Goldstein Senior Editor 6 www.freedomleaf.com
Contents
12 10 Legal Hemp
22
34
Sex on Pot
6. Editor’s Note Chris Goldstein
10. America’s Love Affair with Legal Hemp
Fantasy Romance
22. Sex and Pot Chris Goldstein
28. Endocannabinoids for the Heart Dr. Jahan Marcu
Paul Armentano
14. Fiora for You 16. My Fantasy Romance on Cannabis Oil Beth Mann
34. When Marley Met Sally N.A. Poe
41. Stoner Rom Coms Steve Bloom www.freedomleaf.com 7
8 www.freedomleaf.com
www.freedomleaf.com 9
America’s Love Affair with Legal Hemp Seventeen states now have laws allowing the cultivation of hemp, marijuana’s low-THC industrial cousin. By Paul Armentano This February marked the one-year anniversary of the return of legal hemp cultivation in America. A year ago this month members of Congress quietly approved provisions in the 2014 version of the federal Farm Bill lifting the government’s modern ban on hemp – a prohibition the Feds had steadfastly maintained since the end of World War II. The little publicized provision, now codified into law as Section 7606 of the Agricultural Act of 2014, permits state universities and/or agricultural departments to engage in industrial hemp cultivation in state-authorized programs free from federal interference. Specifically, the Act states: “[A] State department of agriculture may grow or cultivate industrial hemp if--
10 www.freedomleaf.com
(1) the
industrial hemp is grown or cultivated for purposes of research conducted under an agricultural pilot program or other agricultural or academic research; and
(2) the
growing or cultivating of industrial hemp is allowed under the laws of the State in which such institution of higher education or State department of agriculture is located and such research occurs.” (The federal legislation defines industrial hemp as cannabis varieties possessing delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of “no more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis.”)
While the provision doesn’t remove hemp from the federal Controlled
Substances Act (CSA), it does provide an end-run for states to license hemp farming without running afoul of federal law. Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, now Senate Majority Leader, was one of the leading proponents for the amendment. Not surprisingly, his home state was among the first to license hemp farmers under the new Act. Several state universities, including Western Kentucky University and the University of Louisville, licensed hemp farmers in the spring of 2014 and even more applicants are expected to be approved to grow the crop this year. But Kentucky’s first foray into modern hemp farming wasn’t without some growing pains. Last May, DEA officials initially seized 250 pounds of hemp seeds bound for the Bluegrass State. (Apparently the DEA didn’t get the memo.) Kentucky regulators had ordered the seeds from Italy (industrial hemp is legal throughout most of the European Union, where its commercial production is federally subsidized) and state officials promptly sued the DEA for their return. Following two federal hearings and a faceto-face meeting between DEA officials and Sen. McConnell, the federal anti-drug agency backed down and allowed Kentucky’s hemp pilot project to move forward
The U.S. remains the only developed nation that fails to regulate retail hemp cultivation, despite the rapidly changing domestic landscape.
www.freedomleaf.com 11
unimpeded. (However, in June the agency once again seized a shipment of Canadian hemp seeds bound for Colorado.) Several other states – Hawaii, Indiana, Nebraska, South Carolina and Tennessee – quickly followed Kentucky’s lead, overwhelmingly approving legislation in 2014 that reclassified hemp as an agricultural product and allowed for the states to license its cultivation. At press time, 17 states had enacted some form of hemp legalization. Once again reaffirming the plant’s status as one of the most versatile crops, newly planned statewide hemp research projects include not only assessing the evaluating the plant’s economic potential as a fiber crop, but also evaluating its use as a biofuel and a phytomediator (a plant capable of removing toxins from the soil) as well as its therapeutic qualities as a potential source of cannabidiol extracts for patients with severe forms of pediatric epilepsy. In 2015, several additional states, such as Pennsylvania and Virginia, are anticipated to consider similar changes in state law. Yet even as the Congressional Research Service (CRS) acknowledges that “a commercial hemp industry in the United States could provide opportunities as an economically viable alternative crop for some U.S. growers,” the federal government is still not ready to embrace commercial hemp production and sales nationwide. According to a CRS analysis, the U.S. remains the only developed nation that fails to regulate retail hemp cultivation and, despite the rapidly changing domestic landscape, the DEA continues to maintain that all marijuana, including extremely low THC varieties, are “properly categorized” under Schedule I of the CSA.
12 www.freedomleaf.com
Paul Armentano is the Deputy Director of the National Organization for the reform of Marijuana Laws and also serves as a Senior Policy Advisor for Freedom Leaf. He’s co-author of Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?
www.freedomleaf.com 13
FORIA FOR YOU Spice up Valentine’s Day with this sexy spray.
14 www.freedomleaf.com
One of the newest products in the cannabis market is Foria, a spray that’s intended to enhance women’s sexual pleasure. Made from coconut oil and carbon dioxide-extracted THC massage oil, it’s supposed to be used as a pre-lube. Foria was developed in California by Mathew Gerson of Sir Richard’s condom fame with help from Dr. Rebecca Kraft. Company spokesperson Brittney Confer says the product – which is now being sold, manufactured and distributed by Native Roots Extracts in
Colorado – is stronger then the one initially released in California. “It’s best used closer to the menstruation cycle,” she says. “The first time I tried it I had a normal orgasm. The second I time, and closer to my period, the orgasm came from my soul.” One hundred bottles of Foria were recently given out during the X Games in Aspen. – Alec Pearce Price: $44-$88 per bottle Website: ForiaPleasure.com
www.freedomleaf.com 15
Or how I conjured the perfect lover. By Beth Mann I’ve been a user of cannabis oil for over a year while contending with a health issue. Most of the experiences have been pleasant and offered insight. But occasionally I took too much (which is easy to do – it’s difficult to measure). Then, all bets were off. My mind-opening little odysseys made a sharp turn into
16 www.freedomleaf.com
fist-clenching, half-lucid nightmares, often lasting hours. How do you explain an extreme oil experience? Imagine an anxiety attack and lace it with a little acid. Your heart races, breathing becomes shallow. You feel dehydrated no matter how much you drink. There’s a bed spin effect, making
even the smallest task seem daunting. I didn’t experience hallucinations per se, but it was easily the step right before it. One particular evening, I had an extreme oil experience right before going out with friends. I had a half hour to get ready and couldn’t figure out how to put on my pants. The act of it seemed comically difficult. Then, the room started to close in on me a little – a now familiar sign. I managed to call my friends, cancel and try to explain why – not the easiest thing to understand. So even with a circle of friends and a boyfriend at the time, it seemed like a long night I ultimately had to go through alone. What could anybody do anyway?
As I crawled into bed that cold winter night, I wondered what to do for the rest of the evening in this state. How could I take care of myself? Apparently my runaway mind had a plan. In bed, eyes closed, I imagined someone or something entering my room. This wasn’t new. Often during the worst moments on this stuff, I felt like I could sense the spirit world more acutely, which often made me more anxious. But this time I wasn’t scared. I could almost see him in my mind’s eye. Sexy…definitely sexy. He looked like a combination of a cute Scottish actor I like combined with my hot English teacher from high school. I could feel him move toward me. He sat down next to me and petted my hair, whispering indecipherable words into my ears, calming me into a luxuriously deep sleep. When I woke up hours later, strangely I could still feel him there, but not for long. In my hazy state, I could sense he was preparing to leave. I managed to utter a “thank you, sexy angel” before he was completely gone.
It’s no surprise I’d conjure up dark, sexy astral playmates to escort me on my trip. www.freedomleaf.com 17
18 www.freedomleaf.com
Other romantic guides would visit me in the future. No two were ever the same. Each brought a certain erotic, tender and nurturing quality with them. Each seemed to take care of me deeply, completely. In hindsight, my logical mind knew what was happening. I was searching for a calming solution to an unmanageable high. My imagination created a team of amorous astral helpers, designed especially for a straight girl like me, as a way of self-soothing. I haven’t had any extreme oil experiences in a while. But the strange oilinspired lesson I learned remains: my imagination can heal me. I can envision what I need and if I do it thoroughly enough, it’s as if it really happened. When my friend confided how lonely she’s been lately, I told her to imagine, just as she’s going to sleep, the most perfect romantic partner ever. Look at his
face. Notice what he says to you. Visualize every detail. Then invite him into your world, real or otherwise. Does this technique cure loneliness? Who knows? Maybe your internal visions spur a flesh and blood entity to enter your life. Or maybe you’re meeting your own needs by imagining this perfect partner doing the same. At the very least, you’ve drawn a beautiful picture of what you want romantically so you know what to look for in the future. Or maybe, just maybe, there really are packs of ravishing and romantic angelic ghosts roaming around, guiding lost souls who took too much cannabis oil. I prefer to think the latter. It’s sexier.
Beth Mann is president of Hot Buttered Media and a regular contributor to Freedom Leaf.
www.freedomleaf.com 19
MARIJUANA POLITICS.com THE NEWS SOURCE FOR AN INFORMED CITIZENRY
Learn More 20 www.freedomleaf.com
888.920.6076 InternationalCBC.com
www.freedomleaf.com 21
Sex and Pot:
22 www.freedomleaf.com
The Buds, the Birds and the Bees Some basics on how marijuana can both help and hurt your libido. By Chris Goldstein Many marijuana consumers have long credited the weed with being a natural aphrodisiac. Pop culture’s star-making machinery has taken notice. Witness superstars like Rihanna and Lady Gaga unabashedly turning themselves into pot pinups. So, with tens of millions of Americans enjoying a golden age of domestic cannabis (legal or not), it’s important to get the facts about sex, marijuana and the a new kind of American media icon: The Sexy Stoner. “I get turned on by a hot bud or toking pic and if a gorgeous stoner is also in the picture,” says Lisa “Mamakind” Kirkman, author of Sex Pot: The Marijuana Lover’s Guide to Gettin’ It On. “There’s not much better than that, save enjoying that bud in person with that gorgeous stoner.” Akin to hotrod car publications, cannabis mags and websites often feature cover girls puffing joints and holding spectacular pot plants. The accompanying advertisements are also heavy on the skimpy bikinis. This trend, sometimes labeled “Boobs & Buds,” has caused some controversy. While not as old as
sex, photos of stoner starlets have been around awhile, too. “The sexy stoner woman image has gone completely mainstream, with both Rihanna and Lady Gaga dressing up as very kinky versions of the herb itself for Halloween,” Kirkman adds. With marijuana now legal in four states and efforts to decriminalize gathering steam in many others, the topic of sex and pot is more commonly discussed. But it’s been a slow ride. “There was a time when my own brand of stoner sexuality was frowned upon by mainstream publications as mixing too many taboos at once.” Humans have long felt this common flowery amour. We asked Dr. Mitch Earleywine, a professor of psychiatry at State University of New York Albany, his opinion on the subject of pot and sex. Freedom Leaf: Many cannabis consumers, even scientist Carl Sagan, report that their best sexual experiences are when they smoke pot. So does marijuana affect a person’s sex drive? Mitch Earleywine: It turns out we don’t have a whole lot of data addressing actual
Mitch Earleywine: ‘If I had a client who was having fertility issues, then I’d recommend them stopping (using marijuana), just to have that extra chance. But it’s nowhere near birth control.’ www.freedomleaf.com 23
desire and we do have are tons and tons of sort of informal clinical reports where people say that sex is certainly enhanced during or right after marijuana use… and so it’s hard to even entertain the idea that somehow your sex drive would drop with long term use. So when you talk about those anecdotal reports, are people saying their sexual experience is enhanced or their sex drive is better? We’ve got data from as early as the 1980s suggesting that the experience is better. Men report seeing themselves as more giving and that people are more sensitive to touch. In part, because time is distorted after smoking marijuana, people at least seem think they’re spending more time engaged in the sex act. There’s a lot of enhanced orgasm reports both in Charlie Tart’s data from 1971 all the way back to ancient Chinese medicine in 200 A.D. So I think this is a pretty consistent effect and one that folks like to talk about. I do want to caution that cannabis is not a lubricant. I recommend that people keep that in mind if they’re planning sexual contact after using marijuana. Can smoking or eating cannabis affect sperm count in men? There was one study of men living in a hospital who smoked eight joints per day for eights days and their sperm count was lower, but certainly not down to the point of sterility. Their sperm count did go back up after they stopped smoking completely. So it’s a short-term drop and
24 www.freedomleaf.com
I guess if I had a client who was having fertility issues, then I’d recommend them stopping, just to have that extra chance. But it’s nowhere near birth control and that’s my fear – that there are some people out there who think heavy cannabis use is a form of contraception and that’s just not the case at all. What about women? Is there anything pointing to marijuana use making it tougher to conceive? The only data we have are from studies of women who are having fertility problems. They have some women in those samples that used cannabis - and they don’t show any difference in an ability to conceive, but ironically they do seem to be having more sex than the other women in the study. What about smoking pot every time you have sex - good idea? I wouldn’t say so. The cool thing about sex and relationships is variety in that something as simple as laying on your bed another direction or going into another room of your house can make all this difference. And then really making sure that you get the opportunity to talk about it, to praise to your partner for the things you like. Sometimes it can be just as simple as grunting and groaning a little bit more just to get the message across that “Yes, this feels good.” And suddenly you find you like this person more and you’re willing to talk about positive and negative things more. The bottom line is if you do it every time it’s not special anymore.
www.freedomleaf.com 25
26 www.freedomleaf.com
www.freedomleaf.com 27
Endocannabinoids for the Heart
Chocolate is the standard Valentine’s Day gift, but hemp seed and black pepper will have a stronger effect on your endocannabinoid system. By Dr. Jahan Marcu, PhD Recently, a major discovery added greatly to understanding the evolution of the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Researchers in Italy discovered that truffles, also known as “the diamond of the kitchen,” produce the endocannabinoid called anandamide. The presence of anandamide in fungi suggests that the proteins that make endcannabinoids evolved before the cannabinoid receptor (CB). This ability to produce anandamide was preserved because lots of living things evolved to have cannabinoid receptors in useful places. 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, 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.” 28 www.freedomleaf.com
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 CB receptors? The researchers speculate it promotes a food reward pathway, similar to the endocannabinoids in mammalian breast milk. The mechanism of food reward does extend 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. THC and anandamide do not produce a smell per se. Perhaps we can speculate that if a molecule or two of a cannabinoid floated 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 smelly cannabinoid betacaryophyllene (BCP), which stimulate CB2 receptors (not CB1) and decrease 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 found nearly everywhere, produced in abundance across the kingdoms and species of nearly all living things on earth. Cannabis may be the only plant that produces THC naturally,
The feeling in your head and body after eating chocolate is more affected by the person who gave it to you rather than its endocannabinoid content. www.freedomleaf.com 29
but many other plants produce 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 (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 the CB1 receptors help regulate the heart. Many studies have shown that cannabinoids can be protective in various experiments related to heart health, such as recovery after a stroke. In one study, rats given HU-210 (a cannabinoid about 1,000 times more potent than THC) showed 77% less brain damage and improved motor disability after a stroke,
30 www.freedomleaf.com
than animals without HU-210. THC and other endocannabinoids have also demonstrated protective effects in scientific studies of stroke and ischemia. Cannabinoid receptor stimulation can have a bi-phasic effect on the heart. Often in naïve 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. Truffle oil may have been the confounding factor. 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 its endocannabinoid content. There’s a healthier, less romantic way to alter the endocannabinoid system: Fish oils supplements. They’re associated with heart health and can significantly
alter the levels of circulating endocannabinoids in the blood. Hemp seeds also contain the right omega fatty acids to indirectly modulate the ECS. Seeds and fish products are readily available. But consuming enough naturally occurring anandamide is difficult; 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.
www.freedomleaf.com 31
Speakers include: Dr. Carl Hart, PhD • Rick Steves • Hilary Bricken Congressman Dana Rohrabacher • Amanda Reiman • Ethan Nadelmann …and many more
Exhibitors include: Smell the Truth • Magnolia Wellness Drug Policy Alliance • Oaksterdam University • Tellermate Sensi Seeds • California NORML • Hemp Flax • CelebStoner NW Alternative Health • Apeks Supercritical • 420Radio The CO2 Company • Kiefbot Extraction Systems XY Organix • ArcView Group • Ashland Alternative Health
Learn More 32 www.freedomleaf.com
888.920.6076 InternationalCBC.com
www.freedomleaf.com 33
By NA Poe It’s an all-too-familiar tale for stoners looking for love: You finally meet someone you really dig, you hit it off and then you find out they, tragically, don’t smoke weed. So, what’s your next move? Is it possible to make it work with a romantic companion that doesn’t consume marijuana? Does this sound like an article in Cosmo? After looking at some evidence and a few case studies, it seems that cannabis culture, like any other, offers a lot of common ground for singles ready
34 www.freedomleaf.com
to mingle. But there’s a definite cultural barrier between people who use marijuana on a regular basis and those who don’t. Most stoners have their own values, customs and sense of community distinct from people who choose to socialize in other ways. We’ve been cave dwellers for so long, confined to our houses taking bong hits and buying our buds from a friend-of-a-friend, the idea of a world where one could publicly socialize over a joint always seemed like a pipe dream, but the times, they are a-changin’. Now that more and more people are tiptoeing – or bounding proudly – out of the cannabis closet, businesses are starting to develop ways to engage with stoners’ more personal needs socially and romantically. Let’s face it: most marijuana users would dread the idea of spending a Friday night at a club packed shoulder-to-shoulder with spray-tanned girls and bros reeking of cologne just to meet someone new. Nor should they have to endure it any longer. Legalization and the subsequent normalization of cannabis culture are allowing stoners to have more lifestyle options and feel less alienated by mainstream society.
Pro-marijuana rallies are always a great place to make friends and scope out potential love interests, but people don’t usually come to these gatherings to get hit on. Then there are new venues like stoner dating sites, “Bud and Breakfast” hotels or cannabis-enhanced fine dining. The legalization of recreational marijuana has finally given dedicated consumers the opportunity to meet like-minded people without having to spend their days scrolling through the Phish message boards or their nights in the snack aisle in 7-Eleven. As pot becomes more commonplace across all age, social and economic groups, the days of the cliché stoner fade into our rear view mirror. With opportunities to socialize around legal cannabis happening in states like Colorado and Washington, we’ll soon see a shift in how people celebrate birthdays and other
milestones. Imagine turning 21 in a legal state, and instead of drinking Jagermeister till you puke in a strip club parking lot, the new rite of passage comes with a marijuana-infused ice cream cake and a beautiful selection of strains at a cannabis café. But what if you meet someone who seems to have a lot of common interests, just not the THC-related ones? Is it really so different from dating an avid football fan when you don’t know the difference between a touchdown and a field goal? Everyone has seen that “non-sports” friend who started rocking jerseys and following playoffs as soon as they began dating a sports fan, like some sort of socially acceptable Stockholm syndrome. So would it really be much of a stretch to imagine even the most reggaelistening, Netflix binge-watching, laid-back www.freedomleaf.com 35
The real sign of prohibition ending is tokers and drinkers walking hand-in-hand in slow motion on a tropical beach somewhere.
stoner slowly start to absorb the habits of their cannabis-free significant other? Alarmingly, there have been recent reports of self-described potheads seen wearing anything other than Bob Marley tees and sweatpants now purchasing khakis and golf shirts at their captor’s bidding. Furthermore, “scientific” studies have also found that people who don’t get high have shitty taste in both music and movies, causing an even deeper riff between smoker and non-smoker. But I digress. When it comes to a new love interest who doesn’t partake in marijuana, there’s and all-too-common outcome. At 36 www.freedomleaf.com
the beginning of a relationship, they’ll act like they’re cool with it, but over time they’ll impose their weed-free lifestyle on you. Consciously or not, they’ll erode your freedom to consume cannabis until you’re huddling in your own garage, smoking out of an apple while they’re fast asleep upstairs. Then again, maybe not. Conceivably the real sign of prohibition ending is tokers and drinkers walking hand-in-hand in slow motion on a tropical beach somewhere. Perhaps love can overcome all obstacles – even piles of fragrant, sticky cannabis buds.
www.freedomleaf.com 37
38 www.freedomleaf.com
www.freedomleaf.com 39
THE WORLD’S FIRST REAL INTERNET TELEVISION NETWORK,
EVER...
PERIOD.
WWW.HEAVYMETALTELEVISION.COM 40 www.freedomleaf.com
Marijuana plays a major role in many relationship movies, both pro and con. By Steve Bloom Relationships are a big part of stoner comedies, right up there with weed and dick jokes, and the common theme is the friction between men and women regarding pot use. As marijuana use in America continues to come out into the open, a slew of movies has examined this romantic dynamic, shaping popular discourse and entertaining stoners and non-stoners alike. In Half Baked (1998), Dave Chappelle’s love interest, Mary Jane (played by Rachel True), doesn’t approve of his ganja smoking, which forces him to choose between his two lady loves. The unsatisfying ending has long been viewed as cop-out. In contrast, Woody Allen’s Alvy Singer questions Annie’s “need” to get high before they have sex in Annie Hall (1978). “Grass—the illusion that it will make a white woman more like Billie Holiday,” he needles. In How High (2001), Method Man hooks up with the dean’s daughter (Lark Voorhies). She likes to smoke weed, so that’s not the problem. Her straight-arrow boyfriend is. Amy Smart’s characters in Outside Providence (1999) and Road Trip (2000) are pot-friendly. Her relationship with Shawn Hatosy in the former—a high school movie by the Farrelly brothers—is stoner-sweet. (He gives her dental roach clips for her birthday!) In
www.freedomleaf.com 41
Road Trip, Smart is the sexy co-ed who gets in between Breckin Meyer and his out-of-state girlfriend. In Something About Mary (1998), Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller bond over a beachside joint. Almost an identical scene plays out with Stiller and Michelle Monaghan in the Farrellys’ remake of The Heartbreak Kid (2007). The second Harold and Kumar flick (Escape from Guantanamo Bay, 2008) finds the guys pairing off with girlfriends, instead of going on a madcap munchie adventure, as in the original. Kumar (Kal Penn) is so crazy about Vanessa (Danneel Harris) that he sabotages her wedding, à la The Graduate (1967). In the third film (A Very 3D Christmas, 2011), Harold (John Cho) is happily married to his crush, Maria (Paula Garcés). The more mature the movie, the more likely marijuana is there to create tension between the characters. In order to appeal to Katherine Heigl’s Alison in Knocked Up (2007), Seth Rogen’s Ben Stone has to distance himself from his stoner friends. Similarly, Mila Kunis’ Lori drives a wedge between her boyfriend John (Mark Wahlberg) and his foul-mouthed, pot-smoking stuffed bear in Ted (2012). Other films where pot plays a leading role include Van Wilder (2002), where Ryan Reynolds’ campus party animal character woos Tara Reid, and American Beauty (1999), where Kevin Spacey’s Lester rediscovers pot, to the consternation of his adulterous wife Carolyn (Annette Bening). More recently, marijuana has a negative effect on Lyle (Amari Cheatom) and Nina (Trae Harris) in the Brooklyn indie Newlyweeds (2013). When Lyle gets busted and Nina mistakenly brings pot brownies to work, their young marriage is severely tested. Sometimes it’s better when weed plays a neutral role in movies. One of the top-grossing stoner films of all time, We’re the Millers (2013), features Jason Sudeikis as a Denver pot dealer who gets ripped off and has to pay his connection by smuggling an RV stuffed with mota from Mexico into the U.S. Jennifer Aniston’s stripper character Rose comes along for the ride. They gradually fall for each other in typical romantic-comedy style, as weed brings them together, even if they never smoke together. By the end, the Millers have a little pot patch growing in their backyard. Nice. Freedom Leaf Editor Steve Bloom is also co-author of Reefer Movie Madness: The Ultimate Stoner Film Guide.
42 www.freedomleaf.com
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:
/REFORMCA
www.freedomleaf.com 43
44 www.freedomleaf.com