MARCH 2019
The Daily Life of Cannabis
Editor Skyla Patton
Writers Bryan Dorn Josh Delzell Julio Jaquez Madie Eidam Piper McDaniels Skyla Patton
Photographers Connor Cox Madie Eidam
Art Director
Letter from the Editor
Blake Mindemann
It can be easy to fall into the trap of consumer culture and think of cannabis as the hot new trend for young stoners and cultured growers. While the rising industry and social acceptance is great, it’s important to acknowledge the varying levels of cannabis involvement in people’s day to day lives. Some consumers are loud and proud, while others don’t have the privilege to be so transparent. In this edition we’ll cover issues ranging from campus drug policies to the intricacies of being on an OLCC board, all the way to our regularly scheduled budtender spotlight. Cannabis can be found in all aspects of our society, and it’s time to shine some light on those cracks. Welcome to the Daily Life of Cannabis edition - enjoy!
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Melatonin’s Step Child
In 2009, Republican Congressman Mark Kirk of Illinois noticed the zombie-like effects it had and proposed a bill to increase criminal penalties when referencing to the infamous Kush strain — a testament to how intense it’s effects can be. Although it (probably) won’t turn you into a zombie, Purple Hindu Kush is not a strain to mess around with if something needs to be accomplished. This indica is destined to be paired with finally arriving home after a long day, unwinding and unstrapping those anxiety-induced bootstraps. So go home, find the best spot to sink in on the couch, and light up with this relaxation station: Purple Hindu Kush.
Strain of the month
purple hindu kush
Words by Julio Jaquez A cross between Hindu Kush and Purple Afghani, two infamous strains that hail from the mountainous ranges that divide Afghanistan and Pakistan, emerged the beauty we know as Purple Hindu Kush. Nearly identical to its parental lineage, Purple Hindu Kush provides a sense of relaxation that rids the body of any stressors in the mind. The dense, spongy and frosted flower is glittered with trichomes and it's orange pistils are accentuated by the lavender color that is spread throughout the bud. Reminiscent of an Oregon winery, its sour pungent aroma is paired perfectly with an earthy-like taste or rich flavors, like dark chocolate.
Recognized and well-known, the specific variety that is Kush is often associated with its roots and reputation for a heavy kick. The origins of Kush cannabis produce a kind of high that is distinct and powerful. Strains intermingled with Kush are known for their potency and play a big role in the well known “couch lock effect.” Labeled a Top 10 Kush by High Times in 2016, Purple Hindu Kush is sure to relax you beyond belief. Be prepared to be soothed and lulled into a sweet state of calm. If you tend to be anxious, this strain will help you to wave goodbye to all of your worries. With the potential to derail an entire day, Purple Hindu Kush earns our “Strain of the Month” recognition for March. GREENEUGENE.COM | 3
FOR THE LOVE OF CBD Most who smoke know the pain of being too high. But for some—and I am among them— it’s not an occasional “bad high.” It’s every time. Getting high has always been a terrible experience for me. It’s chemical. My delicate mental ecosystem is utterly disrupted by THC. The social anxiety—am I being weird? Was I just staring at that guy or was he staring at me?—spiraling into general anxiety. What am I doing with my life? Maybe I should drop out of college. The beginning of a THC episode that usually starts with blowing something innocuous out of proportion, and ends with bailing altogether to hide in between my bedsheets in the fetal position. For all of you out there who have to go hide in the bathroom at a party after one measly hit off a joint, there is good news: the rising age of weed has brought you CBD. Unlike it’s THC counterpart, CBD doesn’t get you stoned, making it a welcome alternative for those who want to imbibe, but fear the devil’s lettuce. But CBD is more than just a stand-in for THC-heavy cannabis. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a cannabis compound that offers therapeutic benefits to the mind and body. 4 | GREENEUGENE.COM
Science is diving into the health benefits of CBD, and unearthing a dearth of potential health benefits. Studies have demonstrated CBD as having therapeutic benefits for epilepsy, seizures, postcancer treatments and salves to soothe aching muscles. CBD has also been shown to calm anxiety and help you fall— and stay—asleep. While CBD doesn’t get you stoned, it does come with a “body high,” often described as a feeling of deep relaxation coupled with a physical euphoria of sorts.
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Unlike it’s THC counterpart, CBD doesn’t get you stoned, making it a welcome alternative for those who want to imbibe, but fear the devil’s lettuce.
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Words by Piper McDaniel
Body highs also bring a heightened awareness of the body—it’s a short-cut to a similar kind of physical awareness that people spend time trying to cultivate in meditation.
For years, CBD was overlooked in an illegal cannabis underground that was focused on getting stoned. But CBD is now gaining cultural momentum—with edibles popping up in stores and coffee houses, getting noticed by social media influencers, and even the New York Times reporting on it’s ripples in pop culture. But while CBD may be a fad in national consciousness, it will likely be a mainstay in the cannabis industry. In the Pacific Northwest and other cannabis-friendly zones of the country, an above-ground industry has wed cannabis with consumerism, ushering in a new consumption-format where buyers can get their high via a bevy of products (DIY gummy edible kits exist now). There are a variety of products and strains available that have blended amounts of CBD and THC, or very little THC at all. They can be found in tinctures, flowers, chocolates, gummies and other delicious edibles. And depending on how you consume, they can calm you for your day, help you unwind or send you gently into a good night’s sleep. For the anxious, sick, busy, and the strung out insomniacs: CBD is an option for you. And for those of you who just want the health benefits, or to relax, CBD has plenty to offer.
Photo submitted by Fonald Photography, River Valley Remedies
IS YOUR FRIEND GOING THROUGH A TOUGH TIME? There are a number of signs to watch out for. But you know your friends best, so trust your gut. And if something seems wrong, ask.
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CANNABIS CHANGED MY LIFE
a journey to cannabis journalism Words by Skyla Patton
My life changed when I started experiencing pain, like real pain, when I was about 13- which, if you’ve ever been a 13 year old cis-gendered girl, is the worst time for just about everything. On a vacation to Washington to visit family, the dreaded mother nature finally visited. My periods were horrific, and I learned quickly that while they are unpleasant for everyone, I had particularly bad luck. For the next several years, I suffered through one week a month where I could barely get out of bed because of the fire in my gut or missed whole days of school because my skin was so bloated and sensitive it hurt. The worst of all, though, was my breast pain - I couldn’t sleep if I wasn’t on my back, and the pain didn’t stop when my period did. It was there, all the time, every day. I had to wear heavy-duty sports bras to dull the pain down, couldn’t participate fully in PE and had to have special permissions to carry ibuprofen around in my backpack. “You’ll be fine, sweetheart. Discomfort is normal for growing girls,” hummed my women’s doctor during one of our first appointments. This was far from the last time I heard these words. Practitioners across the board ensured me that my blistering breast pain was over-exaggerated and something I simply had to deal with, a curse of womanhood. For years of my life, I believed them; I suffered through the discomfort, I took the prescription medication and I pushed through yoga classes everyone swore would eliminate my pain. I discovered cannabis several years after mother nature wreaked havoc on my bodily happiness. Growing up in a community that was heavily immersed in cannabis culture already, even in the early 2000s, it didn’t feel like an entirely alien path, but it was absolutely considered a leisure activity. I took my first puff in a way I imagine to be similar to everyone else’s: on a 6 | GREENEUGENE.COM
camping trip, surrounded by good friends and (luckily) a lot of delicious snacks. However, that first puff changed a part of me I will never forget: my aches faded, my mind relaxed and for the first time in years, my boobs took a chill pill. I slept on my side that night on my air mattress for the first time in over four years and it felt. so. good. Weeks later, a family friend offered me a CBD/THC combination salve, Rub by Whoopi and Maya (yes, the Whoopi Goldberg and Maya Elisabeth—shout out to powerful women in business), designed specifically for menstrual pain, and I was sold. The ability to live a day of my life without continual discomfort or constant thinking about that discomfort was an overwhelming feeling of relief and gratitude. I was not interested in letting this new freedom go: I was hooked on cannabis.
“This introduction to cannabis was also my introduction to a culture and world that was so much more complex and interesting than passing a blunt around while watching Survivor. I immersed myself in the intricacies of the growers around me, the labor of love of gardening medicinal plants, and the varying differences between recreational and cannabis users. “
I have been a declared journalism major since the age of 8, and started writing for The Emerald during my freshman year after being connected by a friend. The neurons in my brain lit up when the idea of a cannabis magazine was brought up during our weekly meeting for Emerald Essentials; and thus, Green Eugene was born. This was an opportunity for me to connect my interest with cannabis culture to my passion for journalism, and I jumped on the pitch right away. Writing stories for Green Eugene opened up my mind to new possibilities and the massive potential that a cannabis magazine could have; I want to erase the stereotype, enlighten the public and blaze the trail of cannabis journalism. When I became a regular consumer of cannabis, the stigma of cannabis use pushed back, hard. I felt the harsh connotation of being a cannabis user: suddenly I was lazy, unmotivated. The door to other “hard” drugs had somehow magically opened through the gateway of smoking pot. These stigmas confused me as they were so different from the stoners I had grown up and interacted with; business owners, loving parents, talented artists and many more. I’ve been a proud and active member of Rotary International since the 6th grade, and suddenly I was fearful of these huge, older-generation role models in my life turning mutinous because of my choice of healing. The same Rotarians who insisted that their stereotype (stale, male and pale) was inaccurate (it is) continued to believe that the stereotypes about cannabis users were fact (they’re not). This tug-o-war of stereotypes hurt me and took years to overturn in my own mindset. Stereotypes are harmful, inaccurate and oftentimes born out of a fear of the unknown, a fear of change. A huge goal of mine and many others in the cannabis industry is to push the stigma against reefer madness out of the limelight and replace it with a sentiment of healing, growth and innovation. Cannabis made me feel better, and that was a simple enough reason for me. For all of the period-havers, young or otherwise, out there who are grappling with intense pain: your pain is not something you have to live with. Your doctor should listen to you when you say you hurt and they should not dismiss it because of your time of the month. Listen to your pain, seek out your answer (cannabis related or not) and do not take no for an answer during the pursuit of relief. I live for producing this awesome publication for y’all, and it’s an honor to be able to share my story on a platform I’m so proud of. Cannabis, for me, was transformative, offering pain relief and the ability to live my life without daily discomfort. It was also a launchpad into a career that I love and truly feel I can stand behind. My hope is that other female-identifying ladies like me can learn to do the same: demand that the world believe your pain, push past stigmas that hold you back and use that same attitude to make a path for yourself. You can do it.
(Disclaimer: I was able to shrug off stereotypes and make it to where I am today due to my undeniable privilege as a white, middle class woman. Mass incarceration for cannabis possession, violence and discrimination affects people of color every day in our country and is being lost in the waves of legalization and commodification. We cannot endorse legalization without demanding decriminalization. Visit http://www.drugpolicy.org/ issues/marijuana-legalization-and-regulation for information on decriminalization and how to get involved in your area.) GREENEUGENE.COM | 7
Cannabis Consultants An OLCC Spotlight
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Words by Julio Jaquez | Design by Ellen Lyons
The passing of Oregon’s Legalized Marijuana Initiative, more commonly referred to as Measure 91, has produced a massive economic boom that has left many questioning its adolescent regulatory practices. Approved by Oregon voters on November 4, 2014, Measure 91 legalized the sale and usage of recreational marijuana for those ages 21 and older. With this massive responsibility of transforming Oregon’s historically illicit cannabis market into a legal and regulated one, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, the OLCC, was tasked with regulation: introducing the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission. Alongside the five governor-appointed citizen commissioners who set the policies for the OLCC, the Marijuana Rules Advisory Committee (RAC) was required to be established if Measure 91 was enacted. As of 2014, the RAC was birthed out of legalization of cannabis that tasked the committee with responsibilities such as assisting and advising the commission on how to properly regulate and develop Measure 91 as the industry continues to blossom. With a total of 16 members, half of the committee are dispensary owners, cannabis growers, manufactures, and processors, while the other half are state commissioners, law enforcement and members working within the state government. Members are invited to be a part of the RAC, and the range of work fields within the committee are deliberate in order to gather a diverse set of perspectives. Appointed in 2015, Ryan JD Christensen, a then smallbusiness owner with no skin in the cannabis game, was invited on to offer a neutral standpoint on the committee. Ryan JD Christensen, now Vice President of FORTUNE, a company based out of Portland, partners with the cannabis industry to strategically market and creatively package consumer goods out to the legal cannabis market. Ryan began as a creative consultant, working with brands like Red Bull, Nike, Adidas and Whole Foods with no real involvement with the cannabis industry. Ryan’s involvement with the cannabis industry initiated once the legalization of recreational marijuana was passed in Colorado and Washington. “I started freelancing and advising or just seeing if I could sit down with more cannabis companies to talk about branding and their marketing needs if and when Oregon would become a recreational state,” says Christensen, explaining how his career focus was positioned within the cannabis industry.
With a stable four year membership within the committee, Ryan explains that the committee connects frequently via email, phone call or even in-person at the OLCC office and offers advice about a plethora of subjects pertaining to cannabis. Another part of being on the committee is being an advocate and allowing yourself to be tapped on the shoulder to help inform those interested about the cannabis industry. “Our answers are not gold. Our answers do not represent the state of Oregon. Our answers are not representative of the OLCC,” says Christensen, expressing that his role within the committee is simply to advise and inform. Considering the committee meets about four times a year, his interaction with others on the committee is limited, but Ryan explains that his willingness to connect members of the cannabis community to previous members of the RAC helps dry the cement within the industry in Oregon. A previous member on the RAC, Mowgli Holmes, CEO and co-founder of Phylos Bioscience, created an agricultural genomics company whose mission is to map out the evolutionary process of the cannabis plant. Alongside his team, Mowgli is focused on extracting and sequencing DNA from every cannabis sample collected. These findings have been placed into visualization by using the 3D map identified as the “Phylos Galaxy” that illustrates the cannabis family tree in order to create a better understanding of traits of each individual strain. With reports from 2016 indicating that Mowgli and his team have documented a total of 1,000 strains, Mowgli claims that currently they have now mapped out a total of 3,000 strains, which the company shares on their website. Although Holmes is no longer on the committee, his role as a plant scientist is to continue educating and developing the cannabis industry using big data collection, technology and expertise in order to properly categorize and evaluate various strains. With members like Mowgli and Ryan, who come from diverse fields of work, the OLCC utilizes the committee’s wide array of perspectives to review and offer advice on proposed regulations. The committee’s advice generally adds significant weight in rule making, but the overall mission of the Marijuana Rules Advisory Committee is to keep the Oregon cannabis industry thriving.
From February to October 2018, Ryan worked with HiFi Farms, nicknamed the “The Coolest Cannabis Farm in Oregon” by Esquire Magazine. He strategically began to introduce a variety of new products like shatter, pre-rolls and other forms of cannabis infused products to the consumer market.
For more information regarding the OLCC and everything else that entailed with the passing of Measure 91, visit www.oregon.gov/olcc
BUD TEN DER
SPOTLIGHT
KATRINA JOHNSON
OF NEXT LEVEL WELLNESS
Words and Photos by Madie Eidam
HOW AND WHEN DID YOU BECOME A BUDTENDER?
WHAT WAS IT LIKE THE FIRST TIME YOU GOT HIGH?
I was in between a rock and a hard place, I was working mediocre jobs, and I realized, “Oh shoot, cannabis has been legal for almost a year now, what am I doing?” I got really ambitious from there. I called every single store in Eugene and asked who was hiring, but initially I did not get the job at Next Level. I was trained at The Greener Side, which is the oldest dispensary in Eugene, and the way that I was taught, numbers weren’t the focus. I was learning all about the growth process. I would spend hours cruising the computer, reading articles and talking to customers and vendors. When the industry was developing and there were so many unknowns, every day was a challenge because you had to learn how to package properly, how to hand it out and understand what weights were. But since cannabis law is always changing, there are new changes happening every 3 to 7 days, you don’t what law you might break so you have to be careful.
The first time I got high, I smoked a homemade gravity bong, and I got blasted. I wasn’t scared at all, I was like this is cool — I was a much happier person. As a seasoned Oregonian, I also remember the first time I hit oil, we called it honey oil, and I could not talk for 2 hours after that. When you’re young, you have all these other emotions going on and when you’re high on top of that and it can be a lot. I was young, but I was one of those people who had anxiety as a kid. I switched high schools and was having panic attacks every morning, and I ended up doing better in school after I found cannabis. It’s funny because I was an above and beyond student and I was so high a lot of the time. Cannabis is such a diverse product, that it’s not one size fits all. I’m one of those people who can do their coffee and their cannabis and then plow through shit.
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HOW DO YOU APPROACH RECOMMENDING A PRODUCT TO A CUSTOMER?
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS SPECIAL ABOUT NEXT LEVEL WELLNESS?
That can be a really fun adventure simply because it’s an opportunity to learn. You ask yourself, what is this person like, and why might something work for them. You instantly go through your mind and think about every customer that’s been similar, so it’s like, cool, I’m in to learn something and they’re in to learn something. And it’s a win-win. We are experts simply because of our customers or else we would have nothing to gain. I have learned so many things about the world of cannabis through talking to people. I always want customers to come back and tell me how a product worked for them.
Next Level Wellness is the best company I have worked with, and I’ve worked with plenty of other dispensaries. I wanted to work in a place where I had room to grow and Next Level is this diverse place that allows me to do that. They’re really involved in the community, they do all sorts of cool events that I get to be a part of.
WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A STRAIN? It’s weird the different kinds of smells you look for depending on where you’re at in your life. Currently I absolutely love indicas. I’m looking for the body high, I’m looking to get out of my head. But I am a non-discriminate user because I believe more in the genetics effects rather than whether it’s an indica, sativa, or hybrid. Because there are so many different things going on with a plant, you can’t base your preferences off those categories because sometimes a super purple indica has me cleaning my entire fucking house. These are classification and scales that legal states have created, but there’s no universal measure, and that’s when budtending becomes really difficult.
BEST PART ABOUT BUDTENDING? WORST PART? Getting that real personal connection with a customer, whether it be enlightening someone who hasn’t done this before, finding something that works, or just finding someone who you connect with who wants to learn and have an open mind. And the downfall can be that so many people don’t take selling weed seriously. But learning acceptance in yourself and others is what has helped me not worry about that. Either you let it run you or you run it.
Next Level Wellness 2837 Willamette St. A 541.515.6514
FAVORITE WAY TO CONSUME? If I didn’t have asthma, I prefer flower all day every day. The effects of a flower are just so pure that when you do all these other things with it, it gets lost. Right now, my favorite way to consume is edibles. I’ve been digging macarons.
WHAT'S ONE STEREOTYPE ABOUT CANNABIS USERS THAT ISN'T TRUE? Who uses cannabis. We’re having a lot of the elderly community come in, who grew up with reefer madness, asking what they can take in place of opioids for many reasons. It’s really amazing to be a part of that because you’ve opened somebody’s eyes to something that they would have never ever considered and it can help them. Selling weed is really fun, but working with people you know you’re helping is the whole fun.
WHEN YOU'RE NOT HERE, WHAT MIGHT YOU BE DOING? There’s nothing more that I enjoy in this world than making a meal for a group of people. I bake very well, and I also like cooking. Cannabis bring people together and so do meals. You’re required to just sit and enjoy your food and nobody strays away from that moment. You talk about life and you get to enjoy a meal.
HOURS: Monday - Saturday 10 am - 9:50 pm Sunday 10 am- 8 pm
GREENEUGENE.COM | 11
Flush It! CANNABIS ON CAMPUS
Words and Photo by Bryan Dorn | Illustrations by Ellen Lyons
Cannabis rules at the University of Oregon are outlined in the code of conduct as a zero tolerance policy; however, with the growing popularization of recreational cannabis and the recent requirement for first year students to live on campus, keeping cannabis off campus can prove to be difficult. During the fall of 2017 over 150 cannabis related incident reports were issued in resident halls and on campus, according to Assistant Director of Resident Life Shelby Wieners. This begs the question, what happens when students get caught with cannabis on campus? This academic year, the residence halls have updated their policies to be less punitive and more centralized around education following cannabis related incident reports, Wieners says. “Looking at how cannabis is handled on campus was very different than how we handled alcohol— when in the state of Oregon the laws are pretty similar,” says Wieners. “But the way that we approached it just wasn’t similar and I felt that was inequitable to students.” Resident advisors are now requiring students, who are found with a ‘personal amount’ of cannabis, to flush the product and hand over their paraphernalia without getting the University of Oregon Police Department involved. In previous years, UOPD would be called to initiate contact with residents and confiscate the cannabis and paraphernalia themselves. Now, the pariphanilia is put in a lock box for UOPD to confiscate at a later time. “Our conduct process is educationally designed and is not the criminal process,” Wieners says. “So having RAs facilitate this and not having UOPD go to every single cannabis call realigns our response to how we say we educate students.” Depending on the severity, context and frequency of the incidents, students who are found responsible for policy violations, like possession of cannabis in the dormitories, can expect a range of sanctions from community involvement to expulsion, according to Wieners. Between fall 2017 and fall 2018 there was a 23% reduction in cannabis related incident report submissions through University Housing. According to Wieners, this could be due to students receiving more in depth information on community expectations and curriculum or shifting attitudes between graduating classes. While the new policy on campus may seem straightforward, there are some grey areas. The amount of cannabis that is deemed personal possession is based on a “flushable amount,” according to Wieners. If RAs find what they deem an excessive amount they call professional staff with University Housing and take the incident from there.
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The policy also does not include non-THC cannabinoids such as CBD. Medical students are still forbidden from having their medicine on campus due to federal regulations, Wieners says. Students who need access to medical cannabis and are required to live on campus are encouraged to contact the Accessible Education Center and the University Counseling Center to find a solution with the University. “Students aren’t a mass of beings right? Everyone is an individual and so looking at each individual case is really important,” Wieners says. “We would rather process a situation and talk about it than make a decision in a vacuum. Because every case is different.” This shift in policy has inevitably lead to more University Housing involvement with cannabis incidents on campus and less UOPD involvement. Most cases of cannabis on campus are now being logged as conduct violations rather than criminal violations. According to Kelly McIver, Public Information Officer for UOPD, the police department does not want students to incur hefty fines or deal with long term legal trouble due to small issues that can be addressed with education. Because the university is federally funded, cannabis use and possession is strictly forbidden on all university affiliated properties, according to McIver. However, officers are not going out of their way to sniff out stoners.
“Looking at how cannabis is handled on campus was very different than how we handled alcohol— when in the state of Oregon the laws are pretty similar... But the way that we approached it just wasn’t similar and I felt that was inequitable to students.”
“I think it’s better for everybody because it allows police to focus on not only addressing more serious crimes that may be occurring, but also spend more time out on patrol where their visibility and presence can be a deterrent to more serious crime,” McIver says. In the future, students who are found with a personal amount of cannabis on campus can rest easy knowing the university is not looking to take legal action or derail their education. If students who are breaking the rules on campus comply with the Residence Halls, then the new rules on campus can foster a safer and more educational learning environment.
As policies change, dorm signage fuels confusion GREENEUGENE.COM | 13
Words by Josh Delzell | Photos by Connor Cox
RUNNER’S HIGH Lazy, dull and careless; all stereotypes to describe stoners. While it can be nice to give in to couch lock and watch a movie, not all “potheads” are lazy, despite what cultural stigmas may have you believe. Many stay active, and while the science is still murky on whether or not cannabis is beneficial to an active lifestyle, many swear by it. Active runners have said that it helps them push through the pain of a workout because of the high. Former NBA player, Matt Barnes, swears by cannabis use. Barnes said “All my best games I was medicated,” in an interview by Bleacher Report for their B/R x 4/20 piece. While most professional athletes are still hesitant to discuss their cannabis use, recreational athletes can talk more candidly about their consumption. Take Ruben Estrada for instance. Estrada, a senior at the University of Oregon, has been active for most of his life. “Running has been a hobby of mine for a while,” he said. “I’ve played soccer since I was kid.” Estrada tries to get in a strenuous workout at least three days a week, and he does this all while utilizing cannabis. He declared that he smokes every day — following up with 14 | GREENEUGENE.COM
a clarification that he typically doesn’t smoke before classes, but occasionally indulges in the classic wake and bake on weekends.
Estrada even used to actively run after a smoke sesh. “It depends on the strain,” he said. “But with a sativa, a two hour plus run, even when the high was coming down, I still felt a little boost to add onto the runner’s high.” Estrada reflected on competing in the last Eugene Marathon. “My parents kind of made me do it. They didn’t force me or anything, but they started to really get into fitness by the end of my high school career.” Estrada felt as if he was getting ‘lazy’ while his parents were whipping themselves into shape. “My dad ran the Portland marathon, and my mom ran the half. I was like ‘dang, they’re in their 40’s, I can do this too!’” Estrada also wanted to challenge the ‘pothead’ stereotype in a way. “It was fun taking a bong rip and following up with a two and half hour run, and thinking, ‘most people won’t do this.’” Estrada wanted to push back against the stigma of cannabis being detrimental
to an active lifestyle, when in reality, it’s more common than you’d think. “There are so many people that use it, that are professionals and are active on a daily basis.” Despite connotations, some people use cannabis and still go for a run or hit the gym. “I ran a marathon, and there are a lot of people who don’t smoke cannabis that didn’t. So, you can laugh your way to the bank knowing you’re doing stuff others aren’t even when they doubt your lifestyle.”
Estrada unfortunately suffered a knee injury during the marathon. “It was the classic, ‘mile 22 will get ya’,” he said. He suffered an LCL injury, and is currently doing rehabilitation for his knee, but unfortunately doesn’t run as much as he used to. However, Estrada continues to use cannabis as a pain reliever for his knee. “It’s a great pain reliever, it relaxes the pain.” THC and CBD have many antiinflammatory properties, which makes it an effective pain reliever for active lifestyles. THC also relaxes the nervous system which can help with muscle spasms. “I work for UO Concessions, so I worked all the football games, and I would end up running around 10 to 12
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. . .even when the [cannabis] high was coming down, I still felt a little boost to add onto the runner’s high.
Despite the benefits that cannabis provides to athletic lifestyles, it is still banned in most high profile athletic events. The Olympics and the U.S. AntiDoping Agency (USADA) lists cannabis as a performance enhancing drug, due to “having the potential to enhance sport performance” and “representing an actual or potential health risk to the athlete,” according to the USADA Marijuana FAQ page. However, according to a study done by the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, no evidence was found of cannabis being a performance enhancing drug. They even touched on the potential cannabis could have to help with traumatic brain injury after further research. “There is no science that says it’s a performance enhancing substance in the context that it gives you an unfair
advantage,” said Estrada. “There are ex-NBA players that have come out saying they used it, and it was their saving grace [for their injuries]. I would like to see a time where people start to understand and empathize with the medical benefits from it, because I see it as a really therapeutic substance.” With evidence that indicates cannabis can help athletes, it remains banned by high level athletic competitions. Many stigmas about cannabis come from a lack of knowledge and experience. People like Estrada challenge old stigmas and show that cannabis doesn’t make one lazy; how you use cannabis is up to you and your personal lifestyle. While reflecting on his experience in the Eugene Marathon, Estrada left with an anecdote that sums up what it’s like being an athlete that uses cannabis: “I was wearing a t-shirt that had a pot leaf on it, and at mile 20 when I was feeling it a little, there was a group of people and one of the guys yells ‘Yeah! Powered by weed!’ and that was a motivator!”
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miles a game,” he said. “So at the end of the day, my knee was pretty sore… cannabis made it easier to go to sleep without a nagging injury keeping me up.” Estrada uses cannabis infused topical cream for his knee. He likens these topicals to Icy Hot. “You can slap it on your knee, back, shoulders or anything. It’s a great soother and relaxer,” he said.
Photo submitted by Ruben Estrada GREENEUGENE.COM | 15
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