Sarah Lee
Gossett Parrish Excellence. Efficiency. Integrity.
405/820-6205 slgparrish@mac.com www.sarahleegossettparrish.com
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Issue No 4 Of Oklahoma’s Cannabis Lifestyle/News Magazine
contents FEATURES
James Bridges CEO/Publisher james@herbagemag.com Marise Boehs Design/Creative Scroll3 Media Sales/Marketing james@scroll3.com Contributors Kayla Johnson Levi Parham Brittany Graham Sarah Lee Gossett Parrish Chip Paul Sleepy Advertising 405-487-9728 james@scroll3.com Albany Anderson 405-638-5542 Alissa Selby 918-407-0240
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monthly feature
Strainology Combsy
special feature
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Yoga and Cannabis
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monthly feature
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Half Baked News
#Okla57 COVER STORY
Friendly Market
EVERY ISSUE 20
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Cooking with grass Chip Paul Sleepy’s Garden
Sarah Lee Gossett Parrish
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Strainology Aries: Your glowing mind will cut the misty haze of doubts like a bright flash light this month Aries. Fasten your seat belt! Need some help with that creative energy? Grab some Cinex! This Sativa provides a wired euphoria that feeds creativity.
Your February 2019 horoscope and what Cannabis strain will help you get through it!
Taurus: Thanks to the past, you know who you truly are today, Taurus. This month is a great time for you to admit that you are more assertive than before. Grab some CBD dominant Harlequin so that you can stay focused in February.
by Brittney Graham Scorpio: Your sharp eye this month Scorpio will catch on to anything and everything going on around you real or fake. Get the mid-level hybrid Dutch Treat so you are relaxed enough not to call everyone out and so you can still appreciate the beauty around you.
Gemini: This Valentine’s month Gemini will reveal to you the fragility or strength of your relationships. Have the love child of Trainwreck and Hawaiian, Pineapple Express on hand in case things do not go the way you expect. This hard-hitting sativa dominant hybrid will have you in a happy and energetic mood in no time. Cancer: You will get the chance to relieve the pain of those around you this month Cancer. Wash the stress of your days away with the famous Northern Lights. This Indica will for sure have you couch locked after a long day.
Sagittarius: Keep an eye on your nerves this month as staying calm is the leading theme for February Sagittarius. Grabbing some Jack Herer will help you feel uplifted, inspire happiness, and give you creative insight to fight off the anger you might be experiencing.
Leo: Your luck in all kinds of markets and business this month Leo is simply guaranteed. Make sure you leave time to relax your body with some Master Kush. This Indica won’t have your brain in the clouds so you can still focus on your business.
Capricorn: This month you are completing something big Capricorn, therefore you must choose another thing to create! Chemdawg will give you the boost of creativity that you need to pick your next big project or goal.
Virgo: TPutting in the ground work for a new hobby or project is highly favorable to you right now Virgo. Make sure to grab the Indica dominant Blue Cookies to help you wind down after all that hard work! Euphoria will hit your head right away followed by a relaxing effect on your body.!
Aquarius: This month will remind you that it is better to be thankful for what we do have rather than be jealous for what we do not have Aquarius. Harsh realities are headed your way. Purple Haze will lend you energy and positivity in your mindset. This Sativa also knocks down bad moods and lethargy, BOOM! Pisces: Thinking that some of your problems could simply be creased like paper and thrown in a basket Pisces will have them bouncing back at you like a rubber ball this month. Time to face problem solving. Grab a Sativa like Chocolope that is fiercely cerebral and will have you flying high with the problem-solving motivation you need.
Libra: This month you have a unique opportunity to restructure your life Libra. Grab some Allen Wrench before you start on your plans. This Sativa will bring clarity to your mind and give you more energy for all that physical and mental junk removal.
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Combsy by Levi Parham
“Does anyone wanna hit this vape?” I solicit the room as I walk into a converted garage rehearsal space on the northeast side of downtown Tulsa occupied by the band Combsy. Combsy is a new music project from Chris Combs, a multifaceted Oklahoma musician, composer, and producer widely renowned for his work with Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey. “Yeah, I’ll hit that vape”, speaks up Aaron Boehler, bass player and one fourth of the group, along with violinist and singer Olivia McGraw, drummer Josh Ramus, and instrumentalist Chris Combs. I funnel through the melange of keyboards, synthesizers, guitar amps, and drums to a small seating area in the center of theroom where the band has gathered in a circle with a pre-roll the size of my thumb. Combs lights it up and passes it to me as I pass the vape to Boehler. This motley crew of talented musicians - whose music fuses Jazz, Funk, Hip-Hop, Roots, Rock, and Experimental Noise into a jammy atmospheric, sometimes improvisational, feat of musicianship - only recently settled into the four piece they are now. Combs says, “The first year, year and a half or so there really wasn’t a band. It was just me booking dates first, then scrambling to see who I could get to play. Being in Tulsa, there’s a lot of really good musicians. And the great musicians, there’s a few of them. They’re all working all the time, so it’s a tricky dance. It comes down to you can either not play shows, or play shows and just do whatever you can to figure it out when it’s a little unrehearsed. So that’s kind of how it started, and then over the last eight months or so it solidified into a serious thing, where there are
invested identities involved with each member and stuff like that.” “Do you feel like now that you have that core group that you can do more, that you can push farther and develop ideas more?” “Oh yeah, absolutely. Up until this last tour we did really, I felt like the best shows we had were when we
New Orleans music scene. “I’ve done some residencies in New Orleans and have connections down there. There have been just a few Combsy-oriented shows down there before, but these upcoming shows are going to be, I feel like, the first real shows as Combsy.
So, I do think there’s some strange similarities between what’s going on in Tulsa and in New Orleans. Chris Combs could just pull it off. Like, ‘Oh shit, we made it through it! Wow!’ So now, this is like the very first time we can say, ‘Okay now we can actually play the songs. So how do we catch up to the potential that we have?’ It’s really exciting.” In one way the band is utilizing their potential by connecting the long admired, yet growing Tulsa music scene with the deep history of the
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But yeah, we’re sort of on the front end of that whole New Orleans thing. Takes a little to break into it.” “Is the New Orleans scene more traditional, Jazz and Blues oriented stuff, or is it the more experimental fusion type stuff that is kind of in the vein of Combsy?” “Strangely, New Orleans is like one of the last places where like the traditional shit and the really experi-
mental, ground-breaking shit are like literally side by side. And it’s like that in Tulsa a lot. I mean, for real. There are things that happen at like The Colony in Tulsa on Sunday nights, and then Spotted Cat on Frenchmen St. in New Orleans, where it’s like a lot of really traditional stuff in the beginning of the evening, and then it gets crazier as the night goes on. So, I do think there’s some strange similarities between what’s going on in Tulsa and in New Orleans. In Tulsa, we have our roots but everyone is still reaching and writing new shit and goin’ for it and kind of swingin’ for the fences, while still grounded at the same time. That’s a big part of what’s going on in New Orleans too, where like one musician will play on a trad gig, then a blues gig, and then like a noise gig. They’re all over the place playing everything.” Keeping his roots in tradition, Combs says, is what gives him the intention he needs when experimenting with tonality and noise to build a musical landscape that - as Combs stated in one past interview - ‘swirls’ into a finished product. “It definitely starts with intention. As broad as that might seem, but just doing something for a reason. I’ve had some people come up and be like ‘Oh that shit you guys are playing is so weird’ or like ‘Oh man that’s some weird shit’. Which it can be strange, I’ll admit, but it’s never weird for the sake of being weird. It’s not off the wall or purposely chaotic.” “Oh there’s some structure there”, chimes in Aaron Boehler. Boehler is an accomplished bass player and has worked for many highly regarded artists, such as John Moreland - with whom he performed on the daytime television show CBS Sunday Morning. Boehler says “This is my shit” when speaking of performing in Combsy. “Now that the members of the band have been established, and we’re hitting the sets, we’re comfortable. It’s just nice to get to that point to where you’re not worried about
what you’re playing, you’re just playing. It’s eyes up, worry free. That’s when it gets dope.” “I think that’s great, that’s really great, I mean….Umm… I got so high I forgot what we were talking about.” As Boehler finishes describing getting lost in song, I confess to the group I’m lost in the conversation. We all laugh. “It’s some good stuff, huh?” giggles Olivia McGraw, whose mystic lyrics, unearthly singing, and spacious violin add a whole new layer of depth to the band’s new cache of songs. Their newest single, Fell Through - available on Spotify, features this latest
do you want that extra four hours? When you’re performing and you’re feeling spent, it can really get you through and keep you in the music. It’s what our musical heroes all did for the past hundred years. But then, to me at least, it never feels essential, like it’s this cornerstone to the music or anything, but it is still like a big part of the process.” says Combs. “Like a protein bar, specifically made for music.” jokes Olivia. For a group that experiments a lot live with improvisation, using Cannabis can be a great tool for keeping up
“Like a protein bar, specifically made for music.” arrangement of the band’s sound, though the songs on their first record [self-titled] featured a much different mix and were all instrumental. “Man, it’s been so long since I’ve had any “parts” it seems like, in terms of the old songs. It’s been so open to interpretation now for so long that it feels like I’ve created my own parts to them. But it changes a little bit every time. Every performance is like a snowflake, I think.” As the joint makes its way to the ashtray, I pull myself together to ask the band my next question. “Where does Cannabis come into play for making music in Combsy?” “Yeah, a lot of times, it gets the gears turning.” says Combs. Olivia agrees, “It definitely gets the creativity flowing.” “It KEEPS the gears turning.” grins Boehler. “It does man. I mean, creatively, it is really like a performance enhancing drug in a lot of ways. It’s like, dude
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Olivia McGraw
their musical stamina. Still, I’m curious where the core of the songs come from and where that process starts. Combs explains, “I think it depends on what we’re feeling at the moment. There’s a lot of stuff that comes together during rehearsal. There’s a lot of stuff that comes together from what I’m currently bored with. Which is like, sometimes it’s fun to play guitar, sometimes it’s fun to play with computer stuff, sometimes it’s fun to play with synthesizers. There’s definitely a selfishness in my personal process where’s it’s like, what do I want to do today? I’m recording all of it all of the time, so luckily some of those things can fall together to be something meaningful. But I think part of it is maybe a bit selfish.” “It doesn’t seem selfish, it just seems like you’re waking up every day just like ‘What’s the dopest thing I can make right now?’ reassures Olivia. Combs continues, “I guess it’s kind of tricky because the most important
part to anything is like the last 10% of what happens. It’s pretty easy to get 80% where you’re going on anything. But the shit that takes it to the next level really does happen in that last 10% during rehearsal.” As the band puts the icing on the cake during the final stages of songwriting in the rehearsal room, it’s Combs’ industry savvy and motivation that has brought the band to the next stages of their careers. Recently, the band signed with Hoplite Booking Agency based out of Vermont. The agency caters to bands like Combsy and have a long history of working with top names in the genre. “I was aware of Hoplite through bands on their roster who I’ve liked. The guy who runs it is this guy named Tom Baggott. He’s been in the industry for like 30 years and he’s been a major player for a lot of these bands in the earlier parts of their careers.
Bands that have a similar trajectory as ours. And that’s the thing that he’s really into is finding developing bands. Some of the bands that he’s worked with in the past that are now filling 3k cap rooms, we would be a perfect opener for them. I mean, I probably hit up like 50 other agencies before landing with this one, and it’s really a great fit for us right now.” “So does that mean full time on the road for you guys?” “Yeah, I mean, we’re not going to start doing like 20 dates a month right away. Our whole thing is we want to do intentional, smart shit. We want to do the right thing, make the right move over and over again for as long as we can. I’ve done the thing where I’m out on the road for eight months of the year, and it’s hard to keep that up for more than five years. I know there are
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bands out there that do it, but we’re really trying to find that balance of keeping ourselves healthy, keeping ourselves happy, and making sure we’re moving forward and upward.” “And keeping that excitement ” adds Boehler. The band is poised for plenty of forward movement this year, with a full calendar and plenty of Oklahoma grown cannabis to keep the gears and wheels turning.
To see the band live or to hear their latest music go to combsymusic.com
Yoga and cannabis - Relief and release by Kayla Johnson
As legalization, medical or recreational, begins to really build momentum and spread across the country, cannabis is beginning to find its way into more and more aspects of life. There’s cannabis beer for happy hour in some states, cannabis cafes and coffee shops are popping up in others, and it’s even started to branch out (badum-tssst) into the health and fitness world. Cannabis consumers are turning to their favorite strains before they hit the gym or the pavement, and afterwards to help with their recovery. For those who hike - a packed vape or edible can be a great way to help you wind down and relax as you enjoy nature. For the yoga practitioners, it’s a match made in heaven. Kendra Guthrie has been practicing yoga for seven years, and teaching for almost five of those years. The Tulsa-area resident, like many of us throughout the country, grew up in the era of heavy, nationalized campaigns like ‘Just say No’ and ‘D.A.R.E.’. “These campaigns had convinced me that cannabis was evil long before I had the ability to reason, or the data to make an informed decision,” she says. An opinion that, given the limited and biased information available to her, could have been strengthened by the loss of her mother in 2008 from an opioid overdose, after a lifetime of struggle with prescription drug addiction and mental illness. However, in 1998, her father suffered a traumatic brain injury, or TBI. His journey to recover took over a decade and when he stayed
with family in Colorado while undergoing progressive treatments he had access to cannabis for the first time. “Every time he lit up, he was my dad again,” she says,” It was cannabis that offered him the gift of neurogenesis, and watching my dad regain his personality as he regained his memories created a paradigm shift in my relationship with cannabis.” Guthrie describes it as a ‘beautiful experience’. “Partaking and communicating allowed my dad to process and tell his story naturally.” By reconnecting the pieces of memory, she says, he progressively healed those lost pathways in his mind. As with most things that have unwarranted stigma attached, the enemy of stigma is knowledge, especially since the reefer madness mind frame continues to linger heavily, even in states with legalization in place. “We fear what we don’t understand.” When she turned her attention to her education, she made sure to select the coursework that “aligned academics with my personal pursuit of truth, “ from criminal justice courses to philosophy. She made every effort to understand cannabis. The final blinder that fell away came from her forty page thesis over An Evaluation of The War on Drugs, after which she graduated with her degree. “Learning about the history of drug laws and mass incarceration for a personal choice sent me on a journey that smashed all perceptions of what I’d been misled to believe.” Diving so deeply and fully into cannabis in her studies has giv10
en her a significant perk, especially considering today’s epidemic of false information. “I don’t just feel this way about cannabis. I’ve arrived to a well-informed and deeply studied conclusion about this healing plant.” While in the middle of her degree, she also began noticing a change in her yoga practice. Yoga assisted in bringing memories to the surface. In Guthrie’s case, anxiety, PTSD and pain bubbled up, stemming from traumatic abuse as a child, and her first marriage to an alcoholic. These emotions can be paralyzing, but Guthrie credits cannabis with helping her face it head on. “It never bypassed the healing that was happening; it was more like a trumpet mute - it just turned the volume down, and tamed the trauma to a manageable level.” Beyond the benefits for her mental health as she worked to release those past traumas are the improvements physically. “Movement comes fluidly when I consume before I work out, and it alleviates the nerve, muscle and joint pain I live with.” Fibromyalgia, IBD, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and other nervous system disorders plague Guthrie’s family, and she views yoga as preventative healthcare,. Guthrie hopes to keep pain reduced or managed as she ages. With cannabis, that freedom to move comes even easier, meaning poses can be deeper, and the benefits richer. Realizing the benefits of cannabis combined with yoga, Guthrie founded Elevate, offering practices at different locations in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow area,
and in addition to leading traditional sessions, she now offers sessions with the option to medicate in a safe space, allowing others to find the same freedom and focus from cannabis to improve their own wellness as she did. “Ganja Yoga classes create an accepting community and it’s a vital component to countering negative stereotypes.” To ensure all attendees of the classes are at ease and comfortable, Guthrie keeps water, CBD and hot tea on hand, helping to promote an environment of discovery and healing. “Combining yoga with cannabis offers enhanced relaxation and pain relief to those who find discomfort or unease in their physical or public practices, and offers stillness to the restless individuals who struggle to
relax.” Though there remains opposition to the legalization and use of marijuana, medical or otherwise, as people continue to use cannabis before their physical activity, they’re beginning to build up the positive association of cannabis being a ‘healthy habit’, rather than something to avoid for health concerns. “When we offer practices that enhance the benefits of cannabis in a positive way, we all win.” Cannabis isn’t just for those who fit into the ‘stoner stereotype’ any longer, and by continuing with incorporating cannabis with our healthy lifestyles and habits, we can overcome that stereotype with our actions. “Being a productive, successful and grounded human being is one of the easiest ways to overcome any 11
negative stereotype.” Despite being practiced for thousands of years in different parts of the world, there’s always someone somewhere who’s trying yoga for the first time, just like there’s always someone who’s trying cannabis for the first time. “Whether it’s cannabis or yoga, start low and slow,” Guthrie suggests,” For cannabis, explore the method of consumption that appeals to you most, and start from there, and it’s a good idea to have an established relationship with cannabis before consuming and combining with another activity.” As for yoga, it’s important that you walk in with no expectations. “Yoga isn’t a competition, it’s YOUR personal space. Don’t focus on how the people around you
are doing, focus on showing up, breathing, and trying. The more you practice, the more the benefits begin to multiply, both on and off the mat.” For the yoga beginners, Guthrie suggested a few tips to help your first few classes go smoothly until you’re more acclimated and comfortable with yourself and your limits. Just breathe. Bring water and a mat Wear comfortable clothing, nothing tight enough to slide up, and nothing too baggy, so your instructor can see your form and alignment. Know that everyone else in the
Inhale the good, exhale the bad, and let yourself let it go. Kendra Guthrie room is feeling self-conscious or like the least flexible person there. Keep breathing. The combination of cannabis with yoga is the perfect marriage of wellness and health with a dash of spirituality. Both enhance your self-awareness, and both help you release, rather than hold on to, what’s hurting you, physically or mentally. One of the most important building blocks of a yoga practice is
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your breath, and even more when cannabis is involved. Inhale the good, exhale the bad, and let yourself let it go. For more information about Elevate, visit www.kendraguthrie.com for details about class information and more.
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Half Baked News Cannabis News and Trending Topics Brittney Graham
The Green Grow Expo
If you have not heard, with the buzz around here that is highly unlikely, the Green Grow Expo is happening NEXT MONTH! Here at Half Baked news, it is our opinion that the entire Oklahoma Cannabis Community could not be more excited about this event. Taking place at the Oklahoma City State Fair Park on March 2nd through 3rd, over 90 exclusive vendors and sponsors as well as over 30 expert speakers will be ready to share their cannabis industry knowledge, technology, ideas, and so much more. Tickets are being sold online for $21.00 (one day pass) or a VIP double day pass for $42.00. As a VIP you get to attend one expert class as well as receive other fun goodies and prizes so keep that in mind! The expert classes range from cannabis cultivation to the four stages of cannabis business owners. Did we mention there will be online streaming to over 450k industry enthusiasts? No pressure or anything.
Not a resident? Not a problem.
It is no secret that Oklahoma Medical Marijuana market came on the scene a lot faster than other states that have implemented their medical laws way before us. Say, Arkansas for instance, who’s cannabis cultivation just started at the end of January. In the air of kindness, because that is just our way, we have extended a helping hand to our neighbors having growing pains. Now, the state of Oklahoma is allowing people who don’t live in the state to apply for temporary medical marijuana licenses. This temporary license offers people with a valid marijuana license from another state to buy, use and even grow medical marijuana in Oklahoma. Now, just don’t bring up our Cowboys, Sooners, or the Thunder while you are visiting from out of state and we will get along just fine!
One Last Rule To Sign...
Although Mary Fallin is no longer the Governor of this newly green state, we learned last month that she signed new medical marijuana emergency rules before she left her office. Officials say the rules were developed by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs and signed by Fallin on Jan. 4. According to the Associated Press, the rules mostly require security controls, like a monitored alarm system and self-locking doors, for growers and dispensary operators to prevent theft. They also outline guidelines for record keeping, labeling and chemical testing. Many residents state that they were caught off guard by this news and a member of Oklahomans For Health, Chip Paul, stated that new restrictions on the industry should be made by the Legislature and not state agencies. All we are saying here at Half Baked News is that this is not the first time this has happened, cough...cough...
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We all know that 57% of us voted to approve medical marijuana in SQ 788. And now, the 57th Oklahoma State Legislature has been sworn in and a flurry of new bills are being proposed already. The GreenGrow EXPO and non-profit organization, Oklahomans for Health have launched a patient success initiative called Okla57. It’s a proactive campaign to encourage us to share our stories and testimonials, it’s stories and video clips of Oklahoma medical card holders who also represent the 57% of us who voted for and worked for access to medical cannabis… Tens of thousands of our friends and neighbors in Oklahoman are already benefiting from having safe, legal access to this multifaceted plant and its’ derivatives. Learn more on GreenGrow EXPO’s Facebook page, by contacting Oklahomans for Health, or check out at www. Okla57.com - where you can also submit your story online. “To everyone that voted for us to have legal access: you uplifted the lives of those that truly need this plant medicine for their overall wellness,” Niki Weed-Gosset, an patient and advocate of medical cannabis.
The intention behind the event is to provide a fun, informative and dynamic space to connect and engage this industry in a way that prioritizes patients and uplifts the new entrepreneurs who are serving patients and each other with innovative products, services and solutions. Even those that did not support
medical marijuana at the ballot box in Oklahoma may be benefitting from the fact that the majority of us did. • Many patients are experiencing positive health results, including getting off of other pharmaceutical medications and experiencing relief from conditions and symptoms. • Thousands of empty retail and
warehouse buildings, as well as land and office suites have been quietly leased up or purchased and are being improved… producing new sales tax, tax stamps, new utility customers & increased rental revenues for property owners. • Millions of dollars are now flowing into state agencies budgets instead of being in the black market and never being taxed or regulated. “Oklahoma patients and adults who are considering getting their patient card are hungry for accurate education about the plant and its uses... and thousands of entrepreneurs and experts in this industry are eager to share their knowledge and solutions. This event will bring all those pieces of the puzzle together - and it’s at a critical time in our states implementation of the new law,” said GreenGrow EXPO organizer, Jay Wright. For more information visit GreenGrowEXPO.com, email us or call our offices at 405-600-7837. You can also email info@OklahomansForHealth.com for more information about the organization or the #Okla57 initiative.
About the GreenGrow EXPO * OKC: Quick Facts www.GreenGrowEvents.com tickets available now!March 2-3rd 2019 Oklahoma EXPO Hall, State Fair Park
90-100 Top Brands B2B VIP Zone Top-Tier Networking Expert Classes for Both Business Owners and Patients
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Tickets are $21 for Full Day or $42 for Two-Day VIP Pass One Free Class Per VIP Pass Medical Recommendation Drive
Let’s be friends by Kayla Johnson
It’s been a struggle to get medical marijuana legalized here in the state. Even as the support for cannabis in Oklahoma has grown louder over the years, the opposition has grown just as staunch and stubborn in their views. These biases, from law enforcement or even our friends and neighbors who are anti-cannabis, have had a crippling effect in the past, especially for businesses like head shops and glass shops, both places that market their products for tobacco or legal herbal supplements. For businesses like The Friendly Market in Norman, which once suffered to the point of being forced to close its original location, legalization in the state not only gives them a boost to their business by being able to sell to cannabis patients but it also gives them much needed protection. It’s a story that gained national attention that many Oklahomans followed closely, as it set a standard of sorts for the rest of the state to gauge from until legalization swept through. For Stephen Holman and the other employees of The Friendly Market, though, it was reality. In 2015, Holman, along with the Market’s owner, Robert Cox, and two clerks, Cody Franklin and James Walters, were all brought up on legal charges following raids to the store’s original location due to the Norman Police Department’s stance on glass pipes as drug paraphernalia. The Friendly Market, which opened its doors on October 4, 2014, was originally a head shop. “Glass pipes are what drew the attention of the Norman police, definitely,” said Holman,” Anytime
the picture. a business would open in Norman “The owner ended up stopping the that would sell glass pipes, the police department would inform them sale of glass pipes for almost three months, and as you can expect, it that in their eyes, glass pipes were illegal, as they only had one use and had a significant impact on business and sales. Holman was able to arthat was for smoking cannabis.” Store owners were told they need to range a meeting between the owner and the police department. Howstop selling the pipes immediately, ever, after going back and forth for but in some cases, the police conover an hour, they could only agree ducted undercover investigations to disagree, despite Robert Cox into the businesses to shut them down. When another Norman glass having spoken to attorneys before shop, McCloudz, was raided by police in April of 2015 for selling glass pipes after being in business for two years, the owner called the police department directly to get clarification on what was going on regarding head shops in Norman. The police and owner of Mc301 S. Porter Ave Ste 1 Cloudz strongly Norman, OK 73071 disagreed as to (405) 701-7017 whether or not glass pipes were 2222 W. Hefner Rd Ste paraphernalia. Oklahoma City, OK 731 The police stated (405) 608-8871 that they were, Freedom in fact, parapherThrough https://friendlymarke Personal nalia without a Responsibility. doubt, and the owner was inopening his store and having been formed that criminal charges could informed him that it was legal, as follow if he continued to sell them. he wasn’t selling illegal substances. Following the discussion with police, the owner made the decision The police were steadfast in their belief that there was only one use to pull all of the glass off of the for a glass pipe - cannabis, and it shelves. Holman, who was electwas absolutely considered paraed to the Norman City Council in phernalia. 2013, says this is where he entered
Cannabis + CBD
ert both a glimmer of hope. This silver lining was strengthened even further by another story just a week later out of McAlester where The Funky Munky was raided by police and had their glass pipes and funds seized by police during a raid on suspicion that they were selling synthetic marijuana. Despite the fact that illegal substance were not sold at the business, they threatened criminal charges and essentially filed an asset forfeiture, even though, again, no criminal charges were ever filed. The shop’s owners hired a law firm from McAlester, Wagner and Lynch, and, without even having to go to court, were able to get all of their items and money back from the police by essentially calling their bluff as to whether or not charges would be filed. Holman sent both stories to the owner of The te 130 Friendly Mar“Now, my friend, ket. “We saw let us smoke that they never together so that had charges filed there may only be Ste D against them, and good between us.” 73120 so, to us, clearly, it meant that glass Black Elk pipes were not Black Elk Speaks drug paraphernarket.net lia on their own.” According to Holman, the owner of The Friendly harassing him despite a lack of Market asked the law firm to hold a wrongdoing. public forum of sorts for the comA federal judge sided with the munity in the store, where the legalbusiness owner and ordered the ity of the pipes could be discussed. police to allow Ziggy’s to conduct The lawyer explained exactly what their business in peace. Seeing that would make them illegal and why a judge had taken the side of the the pipes in the store are not. Holshop, it gave Holman and RobAs the months went by, Cox was beginning to get desperate and wondered if he would be forced to close the business down. By chance one day, however, Holman read about the case in Oklahoma City involving Ziggy’s Cannabis Co., a well known head shop established throughout the city. The original business owner was caught selling illegal substances, and, while the law was broken in that case, the new owner who purchased the company after the arrest of the original owner had done nothing wrong, a fact overlooked by police that were
CBD + Kratom + Glass Pipes
man stated that “Cox put the pipes back out on the shelves the next day.” A few weeks later, Holman was offered a position at the Market by Cox, and, after meeting with the city attorney to discuss it, accepted, as the attorney found no legal reason or conflict of interest as to why he could not take the job. Holman’s first day at The Friendly Market was September 8th of 2015, and the police were made aware that Cox had placed the glass pipes back on his shelves in October of that year. By mid-November, officers were conducting their first undercover investigation at The Friendly Market, and even going so far as to survey the store from across the street and photographing those who went in and out of the business. “They were very upset that Robert had defied them.” On December 1, 2015, Holman had opened the store alone and, after an hour of doors opening, the police came in with a search warrant. “The first thing they asked was to get into the cash register. They took all of the money out of the register and my bank bag. They took all the glass pipes, rolling papers, anything they considered to be drug paraphernalia, though, they didn’t take hookahs or wooden pipes.” Criminal charges followed just over a week later - one felony, concealment of illegal funds, and six misdemeanors for the possession of drug paraphernalia filed against both the owner and Holman on December 9. The day after the first raid, at the advice of their attorneys to keep business going as usual, Holman flew to Texas and drove a rental van to two of their distributors to stock up on pipes and supplies. He drove
straight back that night, and by morning, the store was restocked. After seeing a newspaper story about The Friendly Market restocking, the police reopened their investigation. On December 20, when no one was answering the phone at the business, Holman drove to the location to find a white paper on the door and police inside questioning the employee inside. Despite two police raids in the same month, business was better than ever and the community was extremely supportive. “It was overwhelming from day one. Everyone thought the police were way out of line.” Following the second raid, the store owner chose not to restock, but the business remained open to run as normally as possible, though the loss of their product was obviously a blow. In the middle of January 2016, the attorneys for Holman and the owner of The Friendly Market were contacted by the DKT Liberty Project, a nonprofit that has a focus on civil asset forfeitures that base out of Virginia, and they strive to help people defend themselves against the power of the government. “They had seen headlines about the city councilman from Norman who’s opposed to civil asset forfeiture and had his store raided by police, and they wanted to pay for the costs of the defense of this case, which was a huge deal for us and a big blow to the strategy of the police. They’re not used to going up against defendants with unlimited funding.” After rejecting the plea deal offered by the district attorney, additional charges were filed against Holman and Cox - six more misdemeanors, a second felony against Cox, and one charge each of possession of drug paraphernalia against
two clerks, Franklin and Walters. “It seemed extremely vindictive, since it had been three months since the first raid, and within 48 hours of us rejecting their plea deal, they piled on more charges, and even went so far as to try to arrest one of the clerks to hold over the weekend to try and apply pressure to him for information.” The first trial, for Walters, was in October of 2016, and resulted in a mistrial due to a hung jury. “They may have tried him first because, as our youngest employee, they may have thought he would be an easy target, but the jury was 5-1 not guilty, and the judge had no choice but to declare a mistrial. Franklin’s trial followed in February
tion.” After the votes were counted, Holman won his seat again by 80% of the vote, and a week afterwards, he was voted Best Elected Official by the Norman Transcript Reader’s Choice award. The public and media support was overwhelming but by the end of April, Holman and Cox received word that the District Attorney wanted to go to trial. While their attorneys tried to have the men tried separately, the judge didn’t allow it, and so they moved forward with preparing for a joint trial. On May 1, 2017, the trial for Holman and Cox began, a full twelve-man jury trial because there were felony charges. It lasted for
There a whole bunch of people waiting to see us and congratulate us. It was a great feeling.” Stephen Holman of 2017, with no witnesses submitted by the defense while, as they had with Walters’ trial, the prosecution brought in law enforcement officials, including a DEA agent, to testify as to whether or not the pipes were paraphernalia. Holman says the jury deliberated for only half an hour before finding Franklin not guilty by a vote of 6-0. “At the time, I was running for re-election for my council seat. The election was February 14, so for Cody to have been found not guilty on the sixth was a really big deal. We’ve got two trials so far with zero convictions, and we really thought surely, now they’re going to drop this because their case doesn’t seem strong enough to get a convic-
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six days, during which the prosecution presented testimony from law enforcement, and in a move that shocked the District Attorney, the defense brought a water pipe from the Funky Munky in McAlester, to show the jury exactly what they were referring to. Though the jury deliberated past the closing time for the Cleveland County Courthouse, they found Cox and and Holman not guilty 12-0. “When we walked outside, there were a whole bunch of people waiting to see us and congratulate us. It was a great feeling.” The remaining charges filed from the second raid were dropped June 12, 2017 after an uproar, with people writing to the editor of the paper
in support of The Friendly Market. While the liberation of not facing criminal charges was welcome, there was still the issue of their product and the money that had been seized, especially when the DA stated that he was not going to return their property, even though Cox had been forced to close down the business due to the entire ordeal. “He said those pipes ARE drug paraphernalia, regardless of what the jury said, and the law clearly states that they can’t give them back or they’d be aiding and abetting criminal activity, and they will NOT do it unless a court orders them to.” On July 5, 2017, a hearing was held in Cleveland County about returning the property, and ‘lo and behold, it’s determined that Robert Cox is, indeed, the owner of the glass pipes in police possession. “The state’s argument was that they don’t need to prove that it IS paraphernalia since this is a civil case now, we need to prove that it’s NOT if we wants it back.” While the judge overseeing the case was the same one who’d been at the first trial for Walters, he stated that the state supreme court or legislator would have to make the determination as to whether or not it’s paraphernalia. He stated that “his reading of the state law says that when in doubt to return property to the rightful owner, and that, based on the hearing today, there was no evidence that the pipes are paraphernalia, and that he would have to look at each and every item and examine the circumstances to decide if they were or not, so he ordered the property returned.” From that hearing, the district attorney had ten days to file an appeal, and they waited until the very last moment to do so, filing
the appeal with the Oklahoma State Supreme Court, and arguing that, because the judge did not make a determination, he was derelict of duty, and so they asked that the Supreme Court to compel the lower courts to make a ruling. “They really stuck by their statement that they needed emergency release to return the property to Cox, or they felt they’d be committing a crime.” After a hearing with the Oklahoma State Supreme Court, they finally got a phone call on September 10th from their attorneys that the Supreme Court had unanimously upheld the lower court ruling and ordered all property be returned to Mr. Cox. “As soon as we heard that order, we were driving around town looking for retail space for rent. We looked everywhere, but we really wanted to open as close to downtown Norman as possible. It took a whole month to get our products back and we spent that month looking for the right space, until finding it here on Porter. Now, we can be a part of the events downtown.” On October 10, 2017, Judge Stice signed the order. Holman and Cox took the order to the police department with their attorneys to load up over twenty boxes, marked “paraphernalia.” Almost 22 months after the original Friendly Market closed down on October 21, 2017, The Friendly Market opened its doors once again. “It was pretty amazing to have gone through all that, and to come out on top with a nicer, new location and more support and publicity than we could have ever paid for,” said Holman,” and to be able to get all of those items back, it was a good feeling. All we wanted was to hold the police accountable and to get our property back to reopen our
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store and go about our business, being a positive, sales-tax-generating influence on the city that’s locally owned.” Now, in 2019, it’s a new day for the state of Oklahoma. The legal medical cannabis industry is starting to really build up and take off, people are getting access to the medicine that they need, and businesses that follow the law are able to conduct their business in peace, without fear of unwarranted persecution by law enforcement. Like with anything in history, however, it’s important not to forget the trials endured to get somewhere better than we started, and The Friendly Market keeps what they call the State’s Exhibit, where they have framed articles about the trials, and a framed copy of the order to return the pipes to Cox’s possession, along with the items used as evidence against them in trial. “It’s important for us to show what we’ve fought through to get to where we are now.” Holman said, “and it’s a really amazing feeling, to see what they tried to use against us back here in our store.” For those who are curious about The Friendly Market’s offerings, now that the business has established itself as both a dispensary and a head shop, don’t be afraid to come in and say hello. Franklin, one of the clerks who had faced charges, said that this is exactly why they fought to come back. “The whole point of everything we endured was to create a safe place, even if you just want to come hang out.” Do yourself a favor, go hang out and see the wall of victory for yourself.
Cooking with grass By Kayla Johnson
Winter in Oklahoma is often a mixed bag, but when those cold days finally blow in, few things are as comforting as soup or chili on a cold night, especially with cornbread. Ahh, cornbread. A comfort food classic, as sweet or savory as you prefer, and if you’ve got cannabutter on hand, it can be a good-for-the-soul dose of your favorite medication strain. While sweet yellow cornbread will always be
a staple, especially in the southern part of the country, this recipe packs quite a punch, both from the bud and from the spice of the peppers.
Spicy Cannacornbread Ingredients: 3 tablespoons cannabutter 1 tsp garlic powder 1 1⁄2 tsp onion powder 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (about 3⁄4 cups) 1 jalapeno, seeded and finally chopped 1 cup fresh (or frozen) corn 1 tsp salt 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup yellow cornmeal 2 tsp baking powder 1⁄2 tsp sugar 3⁄4 Monterey Jack cheese 2 large eggs 1 cup buttermilk
Directions: Place rack in the center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Melt 1⁄2 tablespoon of the cannabutter in a skillet over medium heat, and saute peppers until softened. Remove from heat and cool. Grease 9 inch cast iron skillet or 9 inch baking dish, and place in the oven to preheat for ten minutes. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt.
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Add the cheese, cooled veggies, eggs, buttermilk, and remaining cannabutter. Whisk until just combined. Don’t overmix! Using pot holders, remove the hot skillet carefully from the oven. Pour the batter into the skillet, and return the skillet to the oven Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and cooked throughout. Remove from oven and allow it to sit for a few minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.
From the Front Lines
The Oklahoma Medical Cannabis Movement Perhaps they might have learned from Attorney General Mike Hunter’s stern letter advising them of their over reach and the blatant attempt to “stomp” on what WE THE PEOPLE decided on June 26th of last year.
By Chip Paul You would think with all the hoopla about “overreach” by the Oklahoma State Department of Health’s Board of Directors last summer would have had an impact on other state agencies.
Apparently this lesson was lost on the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics. Where do THEY show up in SQ788? Any mention of them with any “powers”? Nope. They are given NO powers under SQ788 and have NOTHING to do with any rulemaking under the law. In fact, the legislature, or the OMMA food board, would be the only two bodies that could change regulations.
So, very quietly, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics made changes to their medical marijuana rules (which they have no authority to even develop) and submitted those to the Governor. As one of her final acts, Governor Fallin signed the OBN’s suggested rules into the emergency rules for the program. Of course these faux rules will be beaten back, once again, by WE THE PEOPLE. However, this only happens when folks step up to do the work. The movement owes a big tip of the hat to folks like Ron Durbin who have taken up the legal task of fighting these over reaches.
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Sleepy’s Garden bcompiled by sleepy himself Be sure to use chlorine free water. Chlorine is in tap water to kill microorganisms. We’re trying to Last month I talked about reproduce microorganisms so we making your own compost. This don’t want chlorine in our water. month I’m going to talk about Compost teas should be brewed using that compost to make a with an air pump for 24 hours in nutrient rich solution called compost tea. Besides stimulating plant warm water for best reproduction. By the end of the brew there growth, compost and compost tea should a nice foam layer on the can also help fight off diseases by surface of the tea and it should inoculating plants with beneficial microorganisms. I call compost tea smell sweet and earthy. the drink of the gods and think it How to make compost tea should be applied weekly. Compost tea can be diluted 1:1 with chlorine free water. DependWhat is compost tea? ing on how much water you need It’s called tea because you put will determine how much tea compost in a “tea bag” and susyou will brew. So, get a barrel or pend it in water. Using water and bucket and fill it up with chlorine aeration to extract the microorfree water. Next, throw a couple ganisms off the compost surface. handfuls of compost into a burlap We’ll add other food sources to sack or tea bag. the water to feed the bacteria and After that you can add some fungi to get them growing rapidly.
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extra food sources: kelp, fish hydrolysate, oats, and molasses. Although recently Dr. Elaine Ingham said that you don’t need to add molasses because it’s a quick sugar source that feeds the bad bacteria. She says you should focus more on fungal dominant teas and carbohydrates that get converted to sugars. After brewing the tea for 24 hours it is ready to use. Unfortunately compost tea must be used immediately after brewing or else the tea will go bad hours after the aeration stops. This is way companies can’t bottle and sell this stuff. So, set yourself apart and create your own nutrients. When you are ready to apply you can soil drench the tea or foliar feed. I usually do both but the foliar spray has a lot
of benefits for helping strengthen the immune system and fighting diseases on the plant leaves. Here are two recipes from compostjunkie.com both of these have molasses in them so try it out and decide for yourself.
thousands of bacteria in each field of view, 1 strand of fungal hyphae in each 5 fields, 1 flagellate or amoebae in each 5 to 10 fields of view and 1 beneficial nematode per drop. I added a few picture of microorganisms so you can see what they look like.
Get a microscope and give up the bottled nutrients! The only way to truly check the quality of your tea is to inspect it under a microscope.
It will blow your mind the first time you see good quality organic soil under a microscope and see all the microorganisms moving around. In 1 tsp. of organic soil there is more microorganisms then there are people on this planet. Conventional agriculture doesn’t take in consideration the microorganisms and in fact bottled nutrients kill them. There isn’t a piece of ground on this earth that doesn’t have the right nutrients to grow plants. What’s really lacking is the microorganisms there to convert the nutrients to plant available food.
Elaine Ingham says to assess the compost you use pre brew: Using a 1:5 dilution of compost, 400X total magnification, there should be a MINIMUM of
So, go out and make your own compost and compost teas. Organics is definitely more labor intensive at the start but after a couple of years of building soil you begin seeing an ease in your workday. Once you have good quality soil you can feed nothing but water and crush it!
Compost Tea Simple recipe
Advanced recipe
5 gallon chlorine free water
5 gal chlorine free water
1.5 pounds of compost
1/4 cup vermicompost (worm castings)
1.6 ounces of humic acids
1/4 cup fungal-dominated compost
1 ounce of liquid kelp
1/4 cup garden soil
1 ounce of soluble unsulphured
1/4 cup forest soil
black-strap molasses
1.5 ounce of soluble unsulphured black-
strap molasses
1 ounce of soluble kelp 1 ounce humic acids 1 ounce fish hydrolysate 3 tablespoons rock dust
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2018 FARM BILL LEGALIZES CBD…RIGHT?! BY: SARAH LEE GOSSETT PARRISH, CANNABIS BUSINESS LAWYER*
When President Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill (“Farm Bill”) in December 2018, the cultivation of industrial hemp—an agricultural commodity grown by at least three early American presidents and widely cultivated as a cash crop until the federal government made all forms of marijuana illegal almost a century ago—again became legal, and with it, hemp-derived CBD products with less than 0.03% THC.
What is CBD? CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid valued in treating many conditions and ailments, including anxiety, chronic pain, inflammation, nausea, seizures, and the opioid crisis. We likely will see federally-funded studies on CBD’s health benefits proliferate in the wake of the Farm Bill’s passage. This is a good thing. All CBD products contain THC, but those derived from the industrial hemp plant (a cannabis cousin to marijuana), generally contain less than 0.03%. Before passage of the Farm Bill, most states turned a blind eye to such products; thus, the proliferation of CBD shops nationwide. Now that Congress has passed the Farm Bill, signed, symbolically, with a hemp pen by Senate Majority Leader, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), all cannabinoids derived from hemp (except THC) have been removed from the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”). This makes the question of whether CBD is legal one of origin and production— is it derived from federally-defined hemp or from marijuana? If the former, it is now legal and has been placed under the FDA’s oversight. How Is CBD Regulated Now? The FDA is already taking steps to regulate the CBD industry, sending cease and desist letters to companies who allegedly have made claims about the medicinal value of their CBD without FDA approval. Expect the FDA to enact specific regulations targeting cannabinoids and specifically, CBD, and expect to see litigation challenging those regulations, all in the near future. This will not be the FDA’s first foray into CBD regulation. In June 2018, the FDA approved Epidiolex, a CBD-based pharmaceutical manufactured by GW Pharmaceutials for the treatment
of seizures associated with two rare, severe forms of epilepsy. The FDA’s approval of Epidiolex forced the DEA to reconsider CBD’s status as a Schedule I substance, but ultimately, in September 2018, the DEA rescheduled Epidiolex only, and not CBD. 1. Information contained herein provides general information related to the law and does not provide legal advice. It is recommended that readers consult their personal lawyer if they want legal advice. No attorney-client or confidential relationship exists or is formed between you and Ms. Parrish as a result of this article. 2. While the final language in the 2018 Farm Bill repealed Section 7606 of the Agricultural Act within the 2014 Farm Bill, which had mandated hemp be grown under the direction of a state agricultural pilot program or institution of higher education, the 2018 Farm Bill leaves states the option to regulate hemp, including hemp-derived CBD, thus encouraging a potential patchwork of states’ legislation. What About Oklahoma? Here in Oklahoma, former Governor Mary Fallin signed industrial hemp legislation in April 2018, that created the Oklahoma Industrial Hemp Agricultural Pilot Program. This Program allows Oklahoma universities and farmers contracting with those universities to harvest certified hemp crops to be used for research and development, making Oklahoma one of nearly 40 other states with industrialized hemp programs. Even before the 2018 Farm Bill’s passage, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, Mark Woodward, indicated in an interview with an Oklahoma City television station, that, if CBD sold here contains less than 0.03% THC, such products should not pose an issue. For Oklahoma hemp-derived CBD businesses, it is important to test the THC content of your product and to monitor and comply with applicable FDA regulations that will be implemented, to avoid potential cease and desist letters, fines, and sanctions for noncompliance. For Oklahoma hemp-derived CBD consumers, you can likely relax. And shop.
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