Sarah Lee
Gossett Parrish Excellence. Efficiency. Integrity.
405/815-3434 slgparrish@slgparrishlaw.com www.sarahleegossettparrish.com
lawyer cannabis | litigation | oil & gas
What Did You Put In This?
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Strain of the Month Touch the Fire - Editorial by James Bridges
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Well Deserved by Tab Moura
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Building Foundations by Anna Ervin
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How Sustainable is the Cannabis Industry? by Brittiany Ralls
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Sowing the Seed by Chet Tucker
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Malaysian Chicken Soup by BOHO Health Coach Amy Lee
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Congree Boards the Mj Research Train by Sarah Lee Gossett Parrish
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Anthony Bruno Magic Cover Artist by James Bridges
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Hicksford Farms by Anna Ervin
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CannaBanana & Mom Green Chile Black Bean Enchaladas
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Congrats! Welcome 2021 by Amy Lee
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From the Front Lines by Chip Paul
Herbage Magazine Owner and Publisher James Bridges james@herbagemag.com Producer and Traffic Coordinator Anna Ervin anna@herbagemag.com Photography Jeff CASEDGOD Brittianey Ralls Anna Ervin Contributors Sarah Lee Gossett Parrish Brittianey Ralls Tab Moura Amy Lee Josh Leone Chet Tucker Cassie Alexander
scan that For information on advertising please contact stuff@herbagemag.com or visit HerbageMag.com and click on our “info” section
STRAIN OF THE MONTH: Skywalker OG
Genetics: Mazar x Blueberry and OG Kush Terps: Limonene, Myrcene, Caryophyllene Drift away from pain and anxiety with this super mellow cross between Skywalker and OG Kush. Skywalker OG is a heavy indica-dominant hybrid that can leave you with an other-worldly body high.
Why is this strain perfect for January? Because it’s great for treating a case of winter blues.. or any kind of blues for that matter. Look for Skywalker OG at your dispensary any time you need a pick me up, or at the end of a stressful week. It can also help treat those cold weather aches and pains, as well as insomnia. Cooking with cannabis? The spicy, herbal, and citrusy aromas this strain offers make it perfect for sweet and savory recipes like a winter vegetable salad or spicy stir-fry. Enoy!
Did You Know, if the USA descheduled marijuana, we would finally allow for safe access for Veterans as a proven strategy for TBI, PTSD, neuropathic pain? Veterans would no longer risk their healthcare, GI Bill, and federal benefits for choosing cannabis as medicine in a state that does not allow it. Additionally, removing marijuana from Schedule 1 would promote Veteran business ownership. Vets are also concerned with national security and safety. We will fight wars of the future over water and resources. Sustainability and ecological responsibility to impede climate change through hemp farming and substitution of cannabis in other industries like cigarettes will reduce our dependence upon many harmful behaviors, industrialization results, and mono-cropping. Descheduling is vital to the advancement of an ethical and ecologically sustainable cannabis economy. The twelve-year climate crisis countdown demands outdoor cultivation and hemp as a sustainable alternative to many plastics and consumables.
Touch the fire by James Bridges Owner/Publisher Herbage Magazine
It’s hot because it’s a fire. Within the fire is an experience. You have to feel the heat... Watching an old movie for the two thousand eighty fourth time, but his time was different. There was a scene depicting people inside of sensory dopamine activation chambers. Not a simple sensory deprivation chamber. One that integrated a few drugs. What got to me this time was that I finally noticed the scene was depicting a group of members that actually enjoyed this sensation rather than being forced into this situation. I turned the movie off… My brain dives deeper and I think of the evil control of whoever or whatever it must take to wield the capacity to manipulate a group of society to do something by convincing them that it’s something they want without ever really doing anything other than introducing a new way of thought. It really frightens me. However, I am learning to control my fear by facing it little by little. In this situation I accept the fact that there is a portion of our society which believes it would be better for human existence if we were to become or “are currently” simply avatars inside of an alternate reality. I accept that some believe our collective unconscious minds are plugged into the same mainframe and we just need to splice ourselves into that daisy chain of energy and ride it into the depths of alternate realities. I accept the fact that there is a culture that promotes the ability to go into such a deprived state of perception that causes such things like hallucinations. Not to say that all hallucinations are terrible, but have you ever heard of the Ganzfeld effect? Simply put...we have something that’s been happening for a very long time that is continuing to build. It’s this need to be nonexistent. We have something creeping into our world that is delivering a message of escape and balance. It scares the hell out of me.
present and touch, smell, taste, hear, see, whatever senses you have to journey through that experience and share. Yes. It is based on sensory integration. Our elders had this figured out. Gather by the fire to tell stories. Dangle shiny things and ring bells to tell the public. Huddle around the TV to watch scary movies....
The difference is that this, my dark little emo wannabe potatoes, is an experience of the human kind. Many humans may fare poorly within your little book, however there are more good than bad. It just takes the good ones to point your asses out when no That hot experience by the fire is exactly that. It’s an experience. one else will. One that you would tell someone about. One that you must be
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Well deserved by Tab Moura I was up late last week, medicating before heading to bed, when I asked myself a question that was more loaded than I realized. “I wonder if my children will remember the days before cannabis.” While I watched the smoke swirls dance with the light above the kitchen sink, I drifted... I imagined a world where my kids and I had never become cannabis patients— and I had to shake that imagery off fast. To give context, like many of you, I have a history with cannabis that extends beyond the timeframe that it has been legalized in Oklahoma. We were blessed, because before we knew what we were doing, wiser men and women helped us understand this amazing medicine. But what if they hadn’t? Cannabis found me when I was taking a heart medication. I was told I had a condition called POTS, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia syndrome, which caused me to black out and faint if I stood too quickly, or for too long. Now, back then I hadn’t even tried CBD yet. The heart medicine was causing me to faint less, but I was having arrhythmias and migraines as a trade. (Yes, my doctor was aware of this, calling it “unavoidable.”) I had a lot of skepticism around doctors and medicines by that point. I hadn’t yet learned that I was allergic to most medication formulations. So coming from a world where the experts were comfortable with me having painful side effects, I needed what western medicine had never offered me: peace of mind. I’ve shared a lot about my kids’ patient journeys, but to be honest their process has been a lot simpler than mine. With my history of being sensitive to every pharmaceutical I’ve tried, I decided to attend the Cannacian training courses with Dr Nelson. I attended my first course before OK passed SQ788, and I’ve now completed every training to become a trainer myself. Back then I didn’t care that so and so’s cousin’s, dad’s, friend’s boss had cured their cancer with cannabis. It was probably not 100% true, or so I thought. People around me celebrated how functional they were because of western medicine... and I was happy for them, but soon we learned I was not only having arrhythmias, I was having seizures. After carefully tracking my diet and medicine routine, we realized I was allergic to corn and many key ingredients in pharmaceuticals. (Before you ask, no, my insurance didn’t approve compounding pharmacies.) I learned to approach cannabis with a healthy level of skepticism. I needed to monitor my intake carefully so I knew what side effects there would be. Eventually I learned to process my medicine myself, I now have long conversations with budtenders about their growers, terpenes, and the quality of the Bud. I believe medicine should be safe. I believe medicine doesn’t leave you worse off than it found you. I’m thankful that not everyone lives with as much sensitivity as I do, but maybe you’re reading this and you’ve been down a similar road. You don’t have to trade symptoms for symptoms. Wellness is a deep well to draw from, there is so much more to know... you deserve peace of mind and body.
Did You Know, if the USA
descheduled marijuana, we would finally end geographic-based persecution of qualified medical patients? Families forced to choose; become a medical migrant and move to a medical state (leaving behind family, friends, and their support network) to save their child; or risk getting caught; losing their child, freedom, savings by betting on an illegal and illicit market. 07
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Building Foundations by Anna Ervin Herbage Magazine
Before I had even the slightest clue what 2020 would hold for us, I was preaching that based on numerology the year would be a four (2+0+2+0=4), which represents foundations. I told everyone I knew that “this will be a year of stability and growth.” I’ve been laughing at myself ever since. However, as I reflect on the last 12 months, I can’t help but feel that maybe everything that happened to us (or is still currently happening) as both individuals and a collective has forced us to make some necessary shifts in our lives. Maybe some of those shifts have even helped us tear down old structures that no longer serve us and build new foundations that support our future. I’m in no way trying to make light of what has been a painful year for so many, but I can’t look at challenges (or in some cases, tragedies) without trying to at least learn something from them. So, if 2020 was all about building foundations and finding stability (even in the most unstable circumstances), what does that mean for the coming year? Numerology would call 2021 a five (2+0+2+1=5), which represents change. Though many of us have faced changes in the previous year, we were simply taking note of the things that no longer serve us, and solidifying the grounds we stand on in preparation for the major shifts that are about to take place. This year will be a great time to listen to your curiosity and explore new things. Allow yourself to be open to opportunities as you work through the next 12 months. Change can be scary but trying to avoid it only prolongs the drama. Learn to embrace new beginnings and give yourself room to grow. I don’t know about you, but this past year has shown me that I’m a lot more resilient than I used to think. I think that finding that confidence in myself to try new things without fear of failure was a huge part of the foundation that will carry me into whatever lies ahead. What did you learn about yourself this year? What foundations are you building to support your goals for the future? Numerology is an ancient belief that numbers can have a divinatory influence over who we are and the things that happen in our lives. The study closely examines the effects numbers have on people and events. You can find out your life path number, or the number for any specific date by adding the day, month and year together, than reducing that number to a single digit.
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Photography Jeff CASEDGOD
Ex: if the date is 04/20/2021, 04+20+2021=2045 | 2+0+4+5=11 | 1+1=2. You can find more information about the meaning of each number on numerology.com
How Sustainable is the Cannabis Industry by Brittiany Ralls In the last piece we chatted about how cannabis sustainability is hindered in part to laws that restrict the ability of businesses to be able to be more sustainable. Huge bummer, I know. But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to participate in programs or come up with ways to be more helpful in the aspect of sustainability. What are some of the steps your business can take to make your cannabis business more sustainable and eco-friendly? There are quite a fews ways, depending on the kind of cannabis business you have. We will start with simple solutions that most cannabis businesses can focus on at the moment to help get you going in the direction of sustainability. These are small things that could be implemented within your cannabis business quickly and easily thus getting you and your employees in the mindset of sustainability. There are few ways to get started with this and I suggest starting with paper. There are quite a few ways to eliminate the use of paper as much within your cannabis business. Now I know that some cannabis businesses can’t do this completely, especially with programs like METRC that require you to print manifests to carry when transporting cannabis. But, you can eliminate some paper waste by using programs for your employees to clock in and out, dispensaries can use online loyalty systems for their patients instead of paper cards for the patients to keep track of, processors and cultivators can create documents for their testing accessible through QR Codes instead of printing testing papers to go along with the sales they make. Plastic packaging is a huge contributor to the amount of waste generated by the cannabis industry. Currently using plastics that are more eco-friendly will also mean a higher price tag. To keep from having to pass that cost along to the patient most companies opted for what is affordable vs. sustainable. But, with the ability to influence the laws created for this industry we can also create plastic buy back programs for recycling. Implementing recycling procedures for employees will help the entire company in its efforts to be more sustainable in the long run. If your business is a processing company you can use energy efficient equipment to help cut energy costs, as well as, implement systems that help employees reduce waste during production by using automated systems or make sure that your SOP’s are made with sustainability in mind.
A cannabis patient’s journey is something that many of us need help understanding. Learn along side the show’s hosts Josh Leone and James Bridges as they hope to shed light and bring options for those in need.
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These are some quick and easy ideas that can help get you started to becoming a sustainable cannabis business. Putting you ahead of the curve and allowing you to be prepared for the future of what cannabis will be. Cannabis will have the ability to help usher in a new mindset of creating a world that is sustainable and eco-friendly, so long as those within the industry put an emphasis on these factors and ensure that they matter. Which they do and will even more in the future.
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Sowing the Seed by Chet Tucker
Last month we started with the importance of genetics, the seed. This month we move to triggering the birth of the seed and what most growers use to feed the budding seed outside of water, soil. Every farmer is different and some might mention that water is required next but we’ll dive into feeding the seed and it’s sprouting roots. We’ll hit the critical pieces of water next month, along with hydroponics. I set out to learn and share some of the basics of soil mediums and what it needs to thrive for the budding cannabis plant. And just like the plant needs to be fed, the soil too must have its appetite fulfilled. So, I started by asking a few growers and asked them what their approach to soil is and why they prefer it over other growing mediums. Dreamleaf Farms’ head grower, Cal Milliron, shared, “I prefer soil because I think it brings out the flavor of the bud more. I feed with Botanicare Kind Nutrients mainly but I also add dry amendments when needed.” Cal is responsible for more than 10,000 square feet of indoor grow space and Dreamleaf ’s flower is mostly pre-sold which is a testament to quality flower in a crowded marketplace.
Next, I reigned in an all women’s grow in the SW part of Oklahoma, CanOkie Buds, to learn their boutique success using soil. They shared that they use organic soil free of chemicals or pesticides. Further delving into the fact that Holly Mills says, “Organic soil is rich in nutrients and minerals which leads stronger cellular walls and helps build a plant that’s resistant to disease and pests.” Finally, I reached out to Chase Morris with Chimney Hill which is in southeastern Oklahoma. Chase not only prefers soil over all mediums but goes with the organic method of living soil. He prefers to feed the soil with worms and surround the plants with companion plants that help ward off pests and pesky insects. When asked why he prefers soil, and specifically, living soil, he confidently riffed, “I feel like there’s body with soil but there’s an added soul with living soil.” We appreciate the time these growers spent and for the time in their grow businesses. We have some great facilities and farms in Oklahoma and the quality is shining through. Next month we will get into water and hydroponics and then we’ll get into roots, light, and managing the growth stages of the flower before the curing and processing elements that come before the end medicinal product makes it to a dispensary shelf.
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in research. The subpar quality of the University-grown marijuana renders it almost useless in conducting serious studies that might yield reliable, usable data leading researchers to significant conclusions about marijuana’s health benefits. Additionally, studies have shown that this marijuana has lower levels of THC and CBD as compared to commercial grade cannabis products and is, in fact, genetically closer to hemp than the marijuana varieties sold at dispensaries in states where marijuana is legal. Given that marijuana and hemp are genetically distinct, reliance upon the low-grade marijuana cultivated at the University of Mississippi for research about its health benefits is problematic. Participants in studies who consume the varieties cultivated at the University may experience vastly different effects than patients and adult-use consumers that obtain their marijuana product from dispensaries, yielding unreliable results and faulty conclusions. However, efforts by the DEA to expand the number of federally authorized marijuana cultivators for research purposes are underway, and passage of the above pieces of legislation will likely ensure that higher quality marijuana becomes available for research purposes.
Medical Marijuana Research Act
The MMRA achieves four main goals. It addresses the poor quality and inadequate supply of medical-grade marijuana available for use in research; provides a clear path for researchers to study cannabis products used by patients and adult-use consumers pursuant to state-legal programs; streamlines the unduly burdensome, redundant process that researchers must navigate before obtaining a license to conduct marijuana research while guarding against misuse and abuse; and requires that the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provide a report on the status and results of new research concerning the health benefits of marijuana.
Congress Boards The Mj Research Train by Sarah Lee Gossett Parrish, Cannabis Lawyer
In the wake of passing the MORE Act, which I wrote about in my December 2020 column, two other Acts related to marijuana were passed by Congress at the end of 2020. The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Medical Marijuana Research Act (“MMRA”) on December 9, 2020. MMRA is bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Andy Harris (R-MD) that addresses the burdensome impediments to legitimate medical research. Subsequently, on December 15, 2020, the U.S. Senate approved its own bipartisan bill, the Cannabidiol and Marihuana Research Expansion Act (CMREA). The CMREA also promotes cannabis studies and addresses current impediments. A 2017 report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found that “research on the health effects of cannabis and cannabinoids has been limited in the United States, leaving patients, health care professionals, and policy makers without the evidence they need to make sound decisions regarding the use of cannabis and cannabinoids.” Thus, passage by the House and Senate of MMRA and CMREA is good news moving into 2021. It appears that Congress finally recognizes the value of cannabis research, and plans to encourage studies by removing antiquated federal roadblocks. The caveat is that, in order for federal legislation to become law, it must be passed by the House and the Senate, and signed by the President. Hopefully, Congress will reach an agreement on a unified version of these two bills during the early months of 2021.
Barriers to Cannabis Research
Federal law severely limits studies concerning health benefits of cannabis. There is a burdensome registration procedure, protocol reviews are redundant in many instances, security requirements are onerous and unnecessary, especially given that approximately ninety-nine percent of Americans now live in a state where marijuana is legal in some form, and there is just a complete lack of significant research. Limitations also apply to where marijuana for research can be obtained and unfortunately, the quality of that marijuana has been poor—a recognized fact now—which has inevitably hampered accurate results of any significant research studies concerning its health benefits Source Limitations for Marijuana Used in Research Since “marihuana” remains a Schedule I substance under the federal 1970 Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”), the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) regulates its cultivation for research purposes. The DEA controls registration requirements and establishes annual aggregate production quotas under the authority of the CSA. Unbelievably, the DEA has issued only one registration for research marijuana cultivation—to the University of Mississippi. Thus, only the University of Mississippi has been authorized to grow marijuana for use in research studies. Every few years, the University designates the land where marijuana crops are grown based on current and expected demand. Then, the marijuana is grown, harvested, stored, and made available in bulk or as particular elements of the plant, for use
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The full text of the MMRA can be found at https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20201207/BILLS-116hr3797-SUSv1.pdf.
Cannabidiol and Marihuana Research Expansion Act
The CMREA, passed by the Senate, is primarily intended to streamline the application process for researchers to study marijuana and to encourage the Food and Drug Administration to develop cannabis-derived medicines. The congressional summary of the Act states that it allows “accredited medical and osteopathic schools, practitioners, research institutions, and manufacturers with a Schedule I registration” to cultivate their own cannabis for research purposes. This provision would insulate researchers from the requirement of using the poor quality marijuana cultivated at the University of Mississippi. The Act also specifies that physicians can discuss the risks and benefits of marijuana with patients, and, in similarity to the required report under the MMRA, requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to submit a report concerning the potential health benefits of marijuana and addressing barriers to cannabis research and how best to overcome those barriers. The CMREA has been endorsed by mainstream medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association and the American Society of Addiction Medicine. The full text of the CMREA can be found at https://www.congress.gov/ bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/2032/. Differences in MMRA and CMREA One major difference in the MMRA and the CMREA is that the House bill (MMRA) allows scientists to obtain marijuana from dispensaries in legal states for research purposes, whereas the CMREA allows them to cultivate their own marijuana for such purposes. Both provisions are clearly designed to circumvent current federal requirements that marijuana used for research purposes must be cultivated at the University of Mississippi. Another difference in the two pieces of legislation is the provision in the CMREA protecting physicians from penalties under the CSA, to allow discussion of risks and benefits of marijuana products with patients. Will we see more federally-approved marijuana research projects in 2021? Stay tuned. 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.
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Showcasing love through a pandemic by James Bridges
All of the “make 2020 disappear” jokes aside, I was on a mission to find some magic. As with many, I am ready to move on and find something wonderful to experience. On a very routine basis I find myself in the bottom of a well looking up at no ladder and realizing that I was actually the one who removed the ground which created the well to begin with. I then step back and recall a voice of wisdom that once told me to just let the universe guide you. “Who the hell do you think you are. Do you really believe you are incredible enough to guide the universe?” That’s usually when the magic starts to happen. I allowed the universe to take control. Anthony Bruno was now in my car talking about... Magic. “Magic is something that I’ve always had a love for, but I’ve never really had a chance to showcase it.” Anthony seemed a little out of place at first. Could have been the microphone being shoved in his face. Who knows? But once he started actually talking about his talent he lit up.
er level it’s all about entertainment I just want to entertain. I want to put a smile on people’s faces, especially for you know covid-19 that’s going. People have so many bad things going on in their life. If I can just offer five, ten, or fifteen minutes of happiness then to me it’s worth it.” Another interesting practice of Anthony’s is performing under a character. “So actually switch over. It’s still me and still Anthony but it’s like a different extension of myself. I’m able to be me but more. I’m able to express myself a little bit more than I normally would normally. I’m a little bit more introverted and kind of held back, but when I shoot into my performance mode I mean I’m just an extroverted. I’m wild. Out there. You know? I’m making jokes and so yeah it does it really brings out I would say probably the best in me for sure.” Cannabis has become a part of Anthony’s performance as well. “I have one video where I have a poker chip and I change the poker chip into a joint but I am going to be working on giving some more cannabis influenced magic for sure in 2021. It’s going to be a fun year for me.”
“I struggled with social issues all my life and Cannabis helps me with that. When I got out of the military I went straight to Colorado. I was going to get in the industry. I started off wherever I fit in. Whatever I needed to do and here I am in the industry for around four years now.” Anthony said as if he had one last chance to say something. “It’s definitely a “I’ve always done tricks or magic for my friends. I consider career that I love and I’m super passionate about and enjoy. myself pretty good at it. So I needed an outlet. The pan- It helps me a lot especially with anxiety and with performing demic actually helped me with that.” Anthony spoke care- and everything. Oh yeah it does 100%!” fully. “I’m not saying it’s a good thing. But it actually helped me focus on what I needed to do next for myself and my Anthony Bruno Magic can be found on Facebook @anthopassion.” nybrunomagic and Instagram @anthonybrunomagic Booking Info: ☎️ 719-491-8687 “I saw David BlainI do his first street magic special back in 1996 and I was hooked. I was probably about 5 or 6-years old and I just kind of fell in love with it. Then I picked up a deck of cards. I started teaching myself card tricks. I’ve always been a lover of magic. Off and on throughout my life I’ve had the opportunity to dabble. So I would say yeah, probably about 20 years so far and I do not see myself stopping.” Anthony glowed. He described magic as if it were simply an everyday part of his life. Tricks, magic, illusions… whatever you call it it was fun and uplifting for Anthony and those that have experienced his craft. “My first little magic set it was a little deck of cards that if you went through them one way they all looked like different cards but if you went through them a different way they were all the same. That’s my first one that I remember performing it for my family. Obviously I didn’t perform very well but they acted like they were amazed. Seeing them react to it kind of got me hooked. Countless numbers of talented people like Anthony are met throughout their struggle with authenticity with resistance. That can come from anywhere, especially from oneself. Anthony was and will continue to be at a fork or a decision point with his talents. Listen to the resistance and chalk this up to a need for attention? See past the attention and get to the core. You see...the attention is merely the conduite to which you can achieve your goal. “I really did like attention at some level but really on a deep-
That Good Life by Anna Ervin
Pura Vida
When Jason and Jennifer Hicks packed up their family and moved to Costa Rica for a few years, they learned to embrace the Pura Vida lifestyle. I recently had a chance to visit their facilities in Durant, Oklahoma, and found that Hicksford Farms is the perfect representation of “the pure life.” But what does that mean? HIcksford Farms is owned and operated by the Hicks and Crawford families. I wanted to learn more about how these families were bringing Pura Vida to Oklahoma medical cannabis, so I took the opportunity to sit down with some of the crew; including Lead Cultivators Jory Hicks and Kory Bailey, Media Manager Brett Hicks, as well as two of the owners, Jason and Jennifer Hicks. Jory explained that Pura Vida “is a part of Costa Rica’s culture. They don’t mean pure life when they say it. It literally translates to ‘pure life,’ but they use it in many situations as ‘it’s all good,’ or as a way to keep going and keep grinding through the hard times and the hard work.” “It shows in their attitudes towards each other,” he continued, “and that spoke to us because we’re coming from a different culture where people aren’t necessarily that caring with each other. There’s nothing in our language that’s really deep in our culture like that. There, you’re going to hear it every two seconds. So it permeates. You’re saying it, and it becomes how people are.” Jennifer added that “we feel like the cannabis culture has really adopted that for us here in Oklahoma. So that is where we tie that in, it helps us come together as a community. We’re reaching for something natural, helpful, and pure.” Pura Vida is appropriately the name of Hicksford’s new CO2 extracted, full-spectrum oil, but we’ll dive more into that later.
A Day in the Life
As I toured their facilities, I couldn’t help but wonder what a typical day in such a large operation might look like. When I asked Jory, he informed me that the job involves a lot more plumbing and electrical work than actually getting to work with the plants.
“There are 20-30 HVAC units in all the rooms, so at any given point one of them is doing something weird,” Jory said, “so we’ll tinker with that, get our water made, record our temperatures and get all of our data recorded, then we set out and make a plan for the day. As far as taking care of the gardens, the building, there’s a lot of stuff going on.” Hicksford Farms is currently working with over 3,000 plants in their 7,000 square foot operation. They offer 14 commercial strains at their CannaMed dispensary, with over 30 currently in testing. With that many different plants under their roof, I had to know if they play favorites. Which strain is their pride and joy? Brett explained that picking a favorite is harder than it looks. “It’s so cool to be vertically integrated because the way that we sell it is actually a huge indicator of how we grow it. Our budtenders and our staff at our dispensary are always talking about the medical side of it, the terpenes. What are you trying to solve with this plant? What is this plant giving to you that you want more of ? It then educates our grow that this is what’s missing. This is what’s missing from our lab, what’s missing from the market. “So it’s hard for me to say which is my favorite,” she continued. “I mean, I have different ones that taste amazing one week or something that I use for pain at certain times... But all of them are so intentionally picked, that there aren’t any that we get bored of. They are all here for a really good reason. Everyone who grows it and sells it knows that reason.” “Acai Gelato is my favorite thing right now because we’re about to harvest it, and when we’re about to harvest a plant it’s just so gorgeous. This is our first time getting to harvest a strain-specific room.” Making a room strain-specific allows lead cultivators Jory Hicks and Kory Bailey to truly hone-in on the needs of that individual strain. Jory tells me that having more than one strain in a room makes it quite difficult to make adjustments between cycles. “The more rooms we get, the better the current strains we have will get because the more space they’ll have. Eventually, maybe it’ll just be two strains in a room.”
Clean & Simple
In addition to Hicksford Farms, Good Oil Boys processing and CannaMed dispensary are also licensed by the Hicks and Crawford families. Add a second dispensary expected to open in 2021, and an additional 35,000 square feet of grow facilities to build upon, and I think it’s safe to say that we can all expect to see big things coming from this crew in the next year. But before we dive into that, I wanted to find out more about some of the advancements they had made since Herbage last visited the farms in 2018. According to Jory, creating the perfect full-spectrum oil has been at the top of their to-do list, but they weren’t always 100% sure if they should go with full-spectrum over what appeared to be the more popular alternative at the time, distillate. “The full spectrum oil was a divide at a certain point because it was new,” he said. “We were all on different pages of, should we go with this darker colored oil? It’s all distillate right now.” Brett added that “everything on the market was telling us that’s where the money was, distillate cartridges with terpenes added. So, it was a huge leap to say okay, it’s not the color, or taste, or the smell that anyone is used to, but if we put our heart in it and tell people about our heart for it, it will sell. We’ve seen people’s lives change completely. 100% different lives, 100% different medical routines, everything about it.” So what makes the Good Oil Boys’ CO2 extracted full-spectrum oils so special? “It all stems from the flower,” Jason tells me. “At the end of the day the plants just need the bare minimum to stay happy,” Jory added. ”What you feed them, it doesn’t matter what color the bag or the barrel is... There’s way too much in the industry, it’s overdone with nutrients, products, and additives.” “It kind of goes back to our lifestyle and how we feel about how we take care of our bodies. Simple, like in Costa Rica,” he said. “They don’t have Whole Foods for you to go buy all these different supplements. But you’re going to find all these happy, healthy people with just the bare minimum inputs going in. And then the nice environment, their lifestyle. “It’s just like the plant,” Jory continued, “their environment, the light, everything is tuned in so all they need is just the right amount of nutrients.” Brett took me into their lab to show me the process. “We do super cold CO2 extraction. It’s one of the cleanest ways to get the product that we’re looking for.” “We do strain specific pulls every single time, then we do native terpene pulls and reintroduction as well. So, the taste, the smell, the cannabinoids, the terpenes, everything from the plant is put back into the cartridge. Nothing is taken out, nothing’s added that doesn’t need to be added.” “We’re passionate about it because we understand that the endocannabinoid system doesn’t just need one thing,” Brett said. “Your body has places for every little bit of what our full spectrum oil has to offer.” Hicksford Farms will be introducing their full-spectrum oil early this year, but you can also purchase their strain-specific boom sticks or moon rocks, both infused with Pura Vida oil at CannaMed dispensary.
No Challenges, Only Solutions
At this point in the interview, I can’t help but admire the collective positive attitude shared by this group of canna-preneurs. While touring the facility, Jason had told me that “what makes Hicksford so special here as a team is that we have 13 family members, and each of us have a specific skill set. The greatest thing is that we all have the same passion in mind. With that, we’re moving mountains.” Curious to find out how they resolved things as such a large group when faced with obstacles, I asked the crew what challenges they’ve faced in the last couple of years.
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Kory’s response, “no challenges, we rock.” We all had a good laugh, but when the dust settled the rest of the group agreed. “I think that the general attitude is that we don’t have a lot of challenges,” Jennifer added. “We just have solutions. We like to have that sort of attitude, that way we don’t get bogged down.” Brett suggested that this attitude was a reflection of how the owners operate. “Jen, Jason, Kristin and James are not only the leaders of two families, but of the three businesses. When you have people who don’t back away from challenges, there’s no such thing as no, really.” “If just any person on our staff has an idea,” she continued, “it has ears, it goes through people and we all discuss it. I feel like that collective, solution-based culture of our grow, dispensary and processing makes it to where looking back on the challenges you’re like, that was cool figuring that out. We all put our heads together and now it’s way better.” “With commercial growing, there are a lot of challenges and if you bow down to every single one of them or you quit every single time, there are a lot of things you can miss out on. I think that the way this grow works is more-so about what makes the plants happy. Our growers are looking at the plant, not necessarily the highest yield they can possibly get out of it, or how they can get it to look best for Instagram clout or whatever. It’s more so, is this plant happy?” Though a solution-based approach to problem-solving has helped this crew achieve great heights in their career, Jory pointed out that there is in fact a learning curve to growing indoor. “We’re playing God with this, doing the whole indoor thing,” he said. “It’s a whole different animal from outdoor, and that’s something I think people underestimate greatly. The electrical load, the square foot is in the realm of 200x that of a regular residential electric and HVAC load. I would say, that’s probably one of the biggest challenges, to constantly be looking in the corners and crevasses at what’s really going on.”
Patient Testimony
With minimal studies and research on the effects of cannabis, I learned that the Hicksford family values the feedback they receive from patients. “We let our patients tell us what is working, mostly. That’s kind of how we learn,” Jen told me. Brett added that, “in a world where people are caring more and more about where things came from, we are in a good position to tell them where it came from. The same people who work at our dispensary work alongside the growers, and all of the trim staff know the processing staff.” “We are the same family, the same team,” she continued. “So if someone ever has a question about the way it was grown or how it was made, we’re never going to be stumped. We have the answer because we are a part of the creation process. Any person who is anywhere in any of the companies has the confidence of feeling good about who they work for because we stand behind one thing, which is clean medicine.” I stopped by CannaMed to chat with the team’s Sales Manager, Tristan Hicks. “It’s rare that you can actually come into a place and know the family that grows this flower, and that the crumble is coming from this flower.” “It’s all about the experience here. We wouldn’t be here without the patients. There’s not enough love in the world, so we’re just trying to love people the way we love these plants.”
Transparency and Education
It’s that same level of transparency that helped Hicksford build social media platforms that keep patients informed. When I asked what drives their passion to help educate the public, Jason responded that “these days, it seems to be getting harder and harder to find the authenticity of these companies, or the people that are running them.” “So as a medical cannabis leader, we’re taking over, and want to get the medicine to the masses. Not just here in Oklahoma, but abroad. And that means sticking to high expectation and standards.”
Brett, who manages the company’s social media, added that “The education part is just fun. Breaking people’s mind open about their endocannabinoid system or the different ways they could be using the plant or the different way they could heal some spot on their skin. Seeing people’s mindset change and open up to more self-care, that is a cool transition to watch.” Brett occasionally budtends at the CannaMed shop, where she always assures her patients that the products she sells are products the family consumes. ”I will never tell you about product that I have not personally tried, or that hasn’t been vetted by not only our family but also testing labs.” She continued, “it matters what you put in your body, and if it doesn’t matter to you yet, we need to talk to you about why it should matter. There is so much stuff on the market that is not created or thought of as a healer at all. If it’s not meant to heal, or the intentions of the person growing it or making it weren’t to heal, that could make it harder for you to heal using that product. Or harmful.”
Happy Plants, Happy Patients
As much as this team advocates for the quality of their medicine, I needed to find out just how they implemented that extra level of care into their operation. In Jason’s opinion, time and intention are key ingredients. Hicksford claims their plants as part of the family, and quality family time is important. “I think it’s just spending the time that these guys do with our plants is everything,” he said. “You know, if you’re not spending time with the ones that you love, you’re just not going to have a relationship at the end of the day. So that’s really what it boils down to. We love our girls and we spend a lot of time with them.” Everything at Hicksford is done by hand with a lot of careful intention and love. Brett pointed out that it’s actually really cool to see growers work with plants in this way. “The way that we move plants, the way that we move leaves, I mean you saw Jason doing it earlier, we’re gentle.” “These are our baby girls, she continued. So every single person who touches it has terpene retention and end product in mind. Those girls and guys in the trim room have a certain finesse. This comes from a lot of training and intention.” “We don’t do things sloppy at all. We don’t do things half-hearted. Any time we’re interacting with the plant at all it is super intentional. The littlest things can change the entire structure of the plant.” Jory added, “You’re asking a lot from that plant. And it’s a weed, so anyone can grow it and people have that mindset coming out of the black market.” “You’re literally stressing it, trying to get it to produce the medical product that we need before it ends it’s life. It’s kind of a sacred relationship between what we’re asking of it and what it’s giving us before it dies. It’s a special dance all the way through to the end of the cycle.” “I can sleep good at night,” he continued, “knowing that those products will show themselves to the people. Once it’s done and we did what we did, we can know that patients are going to experience it that way when they consume it every time. The employees here have so much passion for it, the growers are just super into it.” Hicksford Farms has big plans in store for 2021. Keep an eye out for their new strain, Banana Mac, that will drop early March exclusively at CannaMed. You can also be on the look out for a new CannaMed dispensary opening later in the year. But for now, this crew has some serious work to do. Jason tells me “We’re currently experimenting with a lot of genetics and we’re so close to having this place built to where we can breed our own, and that’s where it’s at.” “We’re at a point where before we do more flower rooms, we need to expand our veg room and expand our offices,” Jory added. “We need to get people set up, set up the front line so we can handle all of this growth.” He continued, “there’s been a lot of boot-strapping it that’s got us here. But we don’t want to go crazy providing this medicine for people, so we’re going to try to build out the front, get the veg room expanded so we can bring more genetics without going crazy as well.” After having the chance to witness the intention and love that this family puts into everything they do, I have to say that I’m looking forward to watching them continue to grow in the Oklahoma cannabis industry. Hicksford Farms is raising the bar when it comes to growing, processing, and selling medical marijuana in our state. And if you care even a little bit about the quality of your medicine, you should keep this crew on your radar.
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Green Chile
Black Bean Enchiladas
Cannabanana & Mom When I first made the switch to a vegan diet, the one meal that I craved more than anything else was my mom’s Green Chile Enchiladas. I talked about them all the time, to the point that she finally asked me how we could change up her recipe to meet my dietary needs. We swapped the chicken for black beans, Greek yogurt for coconut milk, and cheese for well, vegan cheese.
Instructions 1) Preheat oven to 400. Add jar of enchilada sauce and one can of green chiles to a small sauce pan over low-medium heat. Open your jar of coconut milk, if chilled it should have separated. Scoop the solid part into your sauce and discard the liquid. Stir until sauce comes to a low simmer and remove from heat. 2) Heat infused oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add peppers, broccoli and onion, and sauté for 5 minutes, or until soft and fragrant. Season with cumin and chili powder, then add black beans and two cans of green chiles. Stir until combined and remove from heat. 3) Add about ½ cup of sauce to the bottom of a large baking dish, just enough to leave a thin layer. Spoon about 2-3 tablespoons of black bean filling into a tortilla, roll it up and place it in the pan. Repeat until you fill the pan. If you have leftover filling, throw it in the fridge to use later for leftover burrito bowls, breakfast scrambles, or even tacos. 4) Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas, sprinkle cheese over the top and bake for 10-15 minutes, making sure that the tortillas don’t get too crispy. 5) Remove from oven, garnish with avocado, cilantro, and diced tomato. Serve warm and store in fridge for up to 3 days.
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I think a lot of times people get hung up on the idea that eating plant-based has to be difficult. The fact is, I’ve found that most of my old favorite recipes (particularly the ones my mom frequently cooked) were actually really easy to replicate using nothing but plants. All I needed to do was shift my focus toward the countless vegan options that are available to me. I hope you enjoy this veggie packed, cannabis-infused take on one of my favorite childhood recipes!
Ingredients
• 3 7oz cans diced green chiles (two for the filling, one for the sauce) • 16oz jar green chile enchilada sauce • 14oz can coconut milk, full fat and chilled • 2 Tbsp infused olive oil (or mix in regular oil to adjust your dosage) • 1 bell pepper (any color) • 2-3 jalepenos • 1 head broccoli • ½ red or yellow onion • 1 tsp cumin • ½ tsp chili powder • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed • ½ cup shredded vegan mozzarella or vegan cheddar cheese (I use Follow Your Heart) • 9-12 six-inch flour tortillas • Optional toppings: • 1 ripe avocado, sliced • handful cilantro leaves, chopped • 1 diced tomato
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Congratulations! Welcome to 2021! by Amy Lee
You made it through one of the craziest, toughest years in history, thus far. Whether you felt it physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, or spiritually, you’re still here and for that I am grateful. While 2020 may not have been your year, 2021 is your response. How will you bounce back from the beating that is commonly known as 2020? Currently, do you find yourself struggling with the weight of home life? Are you burnt out? Do you feel like you are merely surviving day in and day out? Or maybe you have that feeling that something is off but can’t figure it out or don’t know how to change it? You are not alone. Millions of Americans are feeling the same way but there is hope. You can choose to create change in your life through intentional living and goal setting. Intentional living is the practice of living the life you desire most each day by responding to each scenario intentionally. By choosing to live intentionally, you can conquer anything! Creating intentional daily habits and goals assist in combating the auto-pilot mode many of us are stuck in currently. One aspect of my job that I love is helping my clients clear their minds to create a vision for their future. With this vision in place, simple daily steps are created to reach that goal. Setting intentions paired with a simple goal-focused plan is key to living a more meaningful, balanced life. Setting intentions for your life does not mean you are creating a grandiose plan to implement immediate massive change. Instead, intentional living creates a massive change slowly with each baby step in your wellness journey. Here are my four tips on creating an intentional life. •
Get clear on a positive focus or goal (must be something you desire) Example: Make bed every morning
•
Commit to a period where you are intentionally working towards this focus I recommend 3 to 4 weeks
•
Recommit to your intention every day by stating it aloud, I recommend writing it on your mirror and repeating it daily Example: I make the bed daily because I am neat and tidy.
•
Let your intention be your teacher, are your thoughts and actions in line with your intention Example: When tempted to avoid making the bed, what am I really saying?
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These four basic steps for intentional living can help in creating a better way of life in 2021, imagine the life you desire most. Start small, like the example above, with attainable focuses and goals, basic needs, small cleaning chores or focused mindfulness on positive thoughts. Whatever it is you desire most in 2021, pick a focus and work towards it, I am cheering you on!
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Did You Know, if the USA descheduled marijuana, we would legalize research in America, for Americans? Researchers’ limitations are crippling and designed to fail under DEA supervision, which has a legal monopoly on poor-quality samples. How does the safety profile of cannabis, with established clinical benefits, compared to those of other conventional medications? A popular falsehood is that we don’t yet know enough about the safety and efficacy of cannabis as a medicine. Classified under the US Controlled Substances Act as a Schedule I controlled substance, cannabis has yet to be subjected to adequate scientific study. “The problem with medical marijuana is …. (that) we haven’t done any research.” – Hillary Clinton November 7, 2015 A cursory review of the available scientific evidence finds this position to be either woefully or willfully ignorant. A keyword search on the PubMed database, the repository for all peer-reviewed scientific research published worldwide, identifies over 30,000 peer-reviewed papers specific to the cannabis plant (or active constituents) and its effects. This totality of evidence is far greater than the total number of studies dedicated to many conventional medications, including Tylenol, ibuprofen, Ritalin, hydrocodone, or Adderall. Further, unlike many conventional medications, cannabis possesses an extensive history of human use dating back thousands of years, thus providing us with ample empirical evidence as to the plant’s relative safety and efficacy. Moreover, scientists are continuing to study cannabis in various patient populations. A keyword search on the website ClinicalTrials.gov, a repository of all FDA-approved trials worldwide, identifies several hundred human studies involving the cannabis plant in various recruitment stages. Descheduling allows 29for research to provide a basis for the potential use of cannabis-based therapies.
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From the Front Lines by Chip Paul
like the lives we had been working so hard to build for ourselves had been stripped from us.
Forensic Researcher & Endocannabinoid Health Science
At this writing 2020 is coming to an end. Perhaps the craziest year of my lifetime.
In recent years, our society has put a lot of emphasis on finding ways to have inner peace. Uncomfortable emotions are often dealt with by ignoring them, or searching for ways to make them go away.
In addition to not knowing the truth about a mask, we cannot even conclude a Presidential election. We are beginning to learn about numerous foreign influences in our politics and major institutions. I would wager there will be accountability and justice soon. Let’s just hope this doesn’t hit too close to home. Our cannabis industry was thankfully and necessarily declared an “essential” business that needed to stay open even during the worst of the china flu. Man have we come a long way since this all kicked off in 2014. So what will happen with cannabis in Oklahoma in 2021? Here are my predictions: • we will increase our patient count to 15% of our overall population • the number of active and open cannabis commercial business will decrease • an adult use bill will be considered by the Oklahoma State Legislature • the OMMA will greatly increase inspections • the OMMA will partner with industry groups and trade organizations to help educate patients • Oklahoma will continue to lead the cannabis market with new innovations • TRUE marijuana research will begin in Oklahoma -education will continue to be a huge issue in the gap between medicine and cannabis Happy new year everyone! Good bye and good riddance to 2020! Let’s make 2021 a rebuilding and renewing year.
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But, discomfort challenges us to evaluate what we will and won’t accept. If one of the things we accept is that it is ok to be uncomfortable, we could change our perspective and see that 2020 was a difficult year, yet we persevered. It could be perceived as the year that you learned which by Cassie Alexander parts of life you find to be the most important, or it could be that your I think it’s pretty safe to say that we discomfort led you to an emotional are all happy that 2020 is behind us awareness you’ve been missing. now. It was definitely a year to remember, and for most of us, we won’t Whatever the case, as the new year remember it fondly. begins, I encourage you to lean in to the discomfort that 2020 brought When the pandemic hit, so much of and absorb what you have learned our lives changed. We worked from from it. Maybe none of us would ever home, the kids did virtual school, choose to live 2020 all over again, but concerts were cancelled, theaters we can look back on it as the year closed, sports seasons ended early, discomfort made us better. and we were told to isolate. It felt
Lessons Learned
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