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january 2016
Contents 14
38
GET YOUR CLICK HERE
32 ORIGINAL ROCK
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Get a taste of Blues Traveler’s passion and dedication to its own blend of Southern rock—not to mention its pure love and support for the cannabis industry. 48
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Features 38 . THE ULTIMATE FACTOR Learn the difference between hemp derived CBD and cannabis derived CBD from experts.
40 . industry insider Irvin Rosenfeld is helping change the way the U.S. treats MMJ patients—and he even got the government to supply him with medicinal herb. 42 . IMMINENT LEGALIZATION A historic conviction in Canada shows more support for legalization. 43 . POSITIVE INFLUENCE Sammy J creates uplifting music and positivity for the masses.
On the cover: Photo courtesy of Blues Traveler
NEWS
8 . News Nuggets 11 . By the Numbers 14 . New Cannabis Breathalyzer in the Works 16 . legal corner
Departments
46 . Growing Culture 48 . Destination Unknown 49 . Profile in Courage 50 . Recipes 52 . News of the Weird
reviews
20 . Strain, Edible and
Concentrate Reviews 26 . cool stuff
Vermont Medical School Offers Cannabis Science Course
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Design Innovation Breaks Apart Open Floor Plans with HempBased Barriers
30 . Entertainment Reviews
Japan's First Lady is Completely Down for Hemp
30
SEE MORE ON OUR WEBSITE
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CULTURE // January 2016
WEB Exclusive!
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Look out for these icons to find out what website-only extras you’re missing out on!
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Vol 7 IssUE 7
Publisher Jeremy Zachary Editor-In-Chief Evan Senn associate Editor Ashley Bennett Editorial coordinator Victoria Banegas Editorial Contributors Sheryll Alexander, Marguerite Arnold, Jake Browne, Jasen T. Davis, Alex Distefano, David Downs, Natasha Guimond, Addison Herron-Wheeler, Anthony Herrold, Pamela Jayne, Heather Johnson, Joe Jatcko, David Jenison, Kevin Longrie, Emily Manke, Tyler Markwart, Meital Manzuri, Sandy Moriarty, Madison Ortiz, Denise Pollicella, Paul Rogers, Joy Shannon, Lanny Swerdlow, Simon Weedn, Zara Zhi Photographers Steve Baker, Kristopher Christensen, John Gilhooley, Joel Meaders, Duncan Rolfson, Rick Thompson Art Director Steven Myrdahl production manager Tommy LaFleur Graphic Designers Tanya Delgadillo, Jonathan Ibarra Regional Manager Beau Odom Account Executives Greg Andes,Callie Belo, Jon Bookatz, Eric Bulls, Kim Cook, Ryan Dunn, Cole Garrison, Gene Gorelik, Yolanda Imoberstag, Emily Musser, Justin Olson, Jim Saunders, Chris Thatcher, Paulina Porter-Tapia, April Tygart general Manager Iris Norsworthy Office Assistant Angelina Thompson director of digital media Brian Gingrich digital media Editor Kimberly Johnson Ctv Contributors Anna Logan,Chris Salazar Distribution Manager Cruz Bobadilla Culture速 Magazine is published every month and distributes 20,000 magazines at over 500 locations throughout San Diego. No articles, illustrations, photographs, or other matter within may be reproduced without written permission. Culture速 Magazine is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. 3047 University Ave | #202 San Diego | California | 92014 Phone 888.694.2046 Fax 888.694.2046 www.iREADCULTURE.com
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CULTURE速 Magazine is printed using post-recycled paper.
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C STATE NEWS NUGGETS
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against the city, stating that the city’s zoning laws violated their constitutional rights, but the complaint was denied.
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Studies Show That Medical Cannabis Laws are Linked to Decrease in Obesity
A study led by San Diego State University economist, Joseph Sabia, has shown that declines in obesity are linked to the use of medical cannabis and legalization, according to The San Diego Union Tribune. With the help of Cornell University in New York, researchers studied data from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and determined how medical cannabis affected body weight, physical wellness and exercise in states with enacted laws. The study revealed that states with medical cannabis laws had a two to six percent decline in obesity probability with a $58-$110 decrease in obesity-related medical costs. This doesn’t mean that cannabis will become the latest weight-loss trend, as the findings represent large groups of people. “We are certainly not arguing that medical marijuana laws are a central tool in the fight against obesity. We are arguing that there is an unintended health benefit of these laws in that regard,” Sabia notes.
Collective Fined $1.8 Million for Violating Zoning Laws in San Diego
Pacific Beach Collective, SoCal Holistic Health Inc. and its president, Ryan Murphy have been fined $1.8 million for operating their collective in violation of city zoning laws. Superior Court Judge, Timothy Taylor, made the ruling, fining Murphy and SoCal Holistic $2,500 for each of the 734 days that the collective was in operation. The offenders are also expected to reimburse the city’s Code Enforcement Division $1,065 of investigative costs, according to San Diego Community News Group. SoCal Holistic Health Inc. was supposed to close in February 2015 after the City Attorney’s Office filed an injunction and penalties against Murphy and the collective in December 2014. The offenders, in turn, filed a cross-complaint
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NATION
have legalized medical cannabis, to add intractable pain to its list of qualifying conditions. Ehlinger will be able to consider and approve other conditions throughout next year, prospectively expanding the list.
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World
Germany Embraces the Cultivation of Medical Cannabis
The German government has decided to permit the cultivation of medical cannabis within the country. This comes as a relief for the German Hemp Association (Deutscher Hanfverband - DHV), who made this demand long ago for patients to have guaranteed access to the plant, according to DHV. This new regulation will eliminate Germany’s dependence on imported medical cannabis and contribute greatly to the country’s economy. George Wurth, Spokesman for the DHV, states, “Finally, the German economy is not decoupled and can develop their own cannabis industry. We are increasingly being contacted by entrepreneurs, interested in the production of medical cannabis.” Although this is great news, the DHV still demands that the government should allow patients to grow their own cannabis, which would allow them to eliminate insurance agencies and grow strains they find more appropriate for treating their conditions. c
Intractable Pain Approved as a Qualifying Condition for MMJ in Minnesota
Minnesota has added intractable pain to its small list of conditions that qualify patients to use medical cannabis. The decision was announced by the Department of Health’s Chair, Ed Ehlinger, nearly a month before the state’s January 1 deadline, according to Lexington HeraldLeader. Intractable pain is defined by the state as “pain that can’t otherwise be treated or cured” and is common amongst those who have been in car crashes or have undergone back surgery. The state’s medical cannabis program already has 760 patients, it is unsure how much the recently added condition will add to this amount, but concerns have risen as to whether or not the state’s two approved medical cannabis providers will be able to meet the demands of patients. Minnesota was the 19th state, out of the 24 that VISIT US AT
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by the numb3rs
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The number of years worth of data that San Diego State University researchers studied to discover that legal medical cannabis is associated with decreased obesity rates: 12 (Source: The Washington Post)
16
The number of people whose lives were put in danger after consuming a synthetic cannabis in San Diego in mid-November: 16 (Source: The Orange County Register)
1.8
The amount of money, in millions of dollars, that one collective in Pacific Beach must pay for violating city zoning laws: 1.8 (Source: SDNews.com)
The number of San Diego city-approved collectives that are expected to open in the near future: 9 (Source: San Diego Union-Tribune)
99 1,081
The estimated percentage of decline in obesity in medical cannabis states, according to a study from San Diego State University: 6 (Source: The Bulletin)
The decreased percentage of cannabis possession arrests since cannabis was legalized last year, in Washington D.C.: 99 (Source: The GW Hatchet) The amount of money, in thousands of dollars, that was collected by Illinois medical cannabis businesses during the first week of the state’s medical cannabis program: 211 (Source: Daily Herald)
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The number of new medical cannabis license applications received in Maryland: 1,081 (Source: WBOC)
San Diego NORML Meetup Working with the community to repeal cannabis prohibition in California, San Diego NORML is one sector of many non-profit organizations working to legalize cannabis across the United States. Every second Saturday of each month, San Diego NORML has a general meeting to discuss cannabis regulations and any updates that signify its legalization both in California and on a national level. Members of San Diego NORML come from various walks of life, from business professionals to mothers, with one goal in common: To “prove that cannabis prohibition is wrong.” With recreational cannabis on its way to the ballot for November elections, both in California and many other states, this meeting is essential for those wanting to learn more about the benefits of cannabis medically and economically.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: San Diego NORML Meet Up. WHEN/WHERE: Sat, Jan. 9. Swami’s Café, 1506 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. INFO: Visit www. sandiegonorml.org for details.
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Innocent or Impaired:
That is The Question
O by Pamela Jayne
Operating out of Oakland in conjunction with scientists from the University of California at Berkeley, Hound Labs Inc. has set its sights on sniffing out drivers who may have recently smoked cannabis with a new device that tests your breath. Citing proprietary science, and thus unable to explain to the public exactly how the device actually works, Hound Labs claims to be able to detect and accurately measure THC in human breath. What sets apart this new technology is the fact that it is small and portable, making it easy for roadside use (or abuse) by law enforcement. Older technology relies on urine, saliva or blood tests that cannot distinguish between recent and chronic cannabis use. This new device also holds the dual purpose of being a cannabis and alcohol breathalyzer. Hound Labs CEO and founder, Dr. Mike Lynn, is an emergency room doctor in Oakland, as well as a reserve deputy sheriff for Alameda County, and a former venture capitalist. He describes the current standards for cannabis impairment as “sketchy,” and hopes that the handheld breathalyzers that he is marketing to law enforcement agencies at less than $1,000 each, will shift the national dialogue from being focused on whether or not THC is present in the body, to a broader discussion about creating standards that reflect actual impairment. Dr. Lynn stated, “When I started the company, it was my intention of finding a way to measure this stuff in breath. Every single death or injury from an impaired driver is preventable and there aren’t many things in life like that that are preventable.” The company plans to also offer a less costly version that will be available to the public.
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Possibly accurate cannabis breathalyzer coming soon to a city near you
“[Dr. Lynn] hopes that the handheld breathalyzers . . . will shift the national dialogue from being focused on whether or not THC is present in the body, to a broader discussion about creating standards that reflect actual impairment.” Hound Labs plans to begin testing in early 2016, beginning with the city of San Francisco. Hound Labs Inc. is not alone in its quest. Other inventors and companies have been perfecting their own versions of the breathalyzer for a couple years now, with Washington State, Canada and the U.K. in first-running. The trouble in creating the perfect breathalyzer lies in the difficulty to tell whether a person is impaired from cannabis or just has cannabis in their system. But, with the competition becoming steeper in this technology and industry, the positive influence of the proper kind of technology and investment in these devices, with the cooperation of the police and highway patrol will hopefully mean less innocent people being wrongfully given a cannabis DUI in the very near future. c VISIT US AT
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C r e n r co l a g le by Kimberly Simms
Cannabis on the Rise
I
n 1996, California citizens voted to approve medical cannabis and put the state at the forefront of cannabis politics and policy. Sadly, since then, California has taken a major backseat while other states have passed comprehensive adult use cannabis laws. To date, four states and D.C. have passed laws permitting recreational cannabis. States like Colorado and Washington have experienced increased tax revenue, a decrease in incarceration rates and helped to shift public opinion about cannabis on a national level. By now, it’s no secret that California will take another swing at legalizing cannabis in November 2016. The recent passage of the Medical Marijuana Regulation & Safety Act has laid the groundwork that demonstrates that California is ready to reclaim the cannabis industry spotlight. First, however, California’s cannabis industry must consolidate their efforts in support of one ballot initiative. To date, there are approximately 10 different proposals that have been filed with state regulators for inclusion on the ballot. However, one proposal is the clear frontrunner. California’s leading legalization initiative is the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA). The proposal is backed by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Marijuana Policy Project and the Drug Policy Alliance and has the financial backing of former Facebook President and Napster founder, Sean Parker. AUMA would enact a 15 percent excise tax on retail sales of cannabis and allow for the possession
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of up to one ounce of cannabis and six cannabis plants. The Act would only grant licenses to Californian residents and give existing licensees priority. AUMA picked up some serious steam in early December when it formally amended the initiative to instill safeguards to protect children and discourage teen use, enforce stronger worker and labor protections, shield small businesses with antimonopoly provisions and maintain local government control over commercial cannabis activity. The amendments are said to reflect a collaborative process, which included input from hundreds of stakeholders. Perhaps of greatest note, these amendments helped to consolidate support. AUMA’s main competitor was an initiative filed by ReformCA. Six ReformCA Board members have formally endorsed AUMA and it is likely that ReformCA will formally withdraw the measure from the ballot qualification process. This united front will be critical in 2016. While it appears that key industry players are coalescing around AUMA, California legalization in 2016 is far from a slamdunk. The initiative will face attacks from the right as well as from cannabis activists who are more concerned with social justice than advancing business interests. Beyond that, a new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), finds that cannabis legalization is not really a burning issue for California voters. Just 30 percent of likely voters consider cannabis legalization “a very important issue,” and about 32 percent of estimated California voters say legalizing cannabis in
California “is not at all important.” This poll demonstrates that the support is weaker than originally anticipated. PPIC also found that lack of support among Latinos could cause major problems for California’s efforts. Almost four out of five California Latinos do not consider legalization “very important,” which could be a huge liability if Latinos turn out to vote against a Republican like Donald Trump. The fact remains that there is a tremendous amount of work to be done in 2016. Hundreds of thousands of signatures need to be gathered to get AUMA on the ballot. Once that is achieved, the real campaigning will begin. Based on PPIC’s findings, that will be an uphill battle, made even more challenging by the fact that many people already see cannabis as legal under the state medical cannabis program. Furthermore, California is massive and each region has its own set of concerns. Political analysts will have to educate voters and carefully craft their messages to appeal to the many different types of voters throughout the state. Simply because AUMA has the financial backing does not mean victory is a sure thing. The road ahead is long and windy. One thing remains certain; the California cannabis community needs to unite behind one effort and ensure that a well thought out campaign is run throughout the entire state. The last thing we want is for another election year to pass with a failed legalization effort, leaving California behind once again. c VISIT US AT
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STRAIN + concentrate Available THROUGH: Alternative Patient Care Delivery.
HazelBerry
This gorgeous nug from Alternative Patient Care is a prime example of medical cannabis, sporting lime green coloring and frosty pistils along with nice tight buds with thick orange hairs. Its aroma is both sweet and clean, with a very berry like scent. Its flavor is also sweet and berry tasting, like an incredible Blue Dream phenotype with a touch of pine. Expect a largely cerebral effect that also encompasses the body, allowing for total relaxation along with a noticeable spurt of creative energy.
Available AT: Point Loma Patients Consumer Cooperative in Point Loma.
Kushy Punch Strawberry Sativa Gummy
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Gorilla Glue
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The Kushy Punch Strawberry Sativa Gummy from Point Loma Patients Consumer Cooperative is delightfully sweet and sour, with a natural medicinal flavor that really comes through towards the end. Its cerebrally uplifting and creative effects are everything that sativa lovers long for, and because it is in edible form, those effects lasts for several hours. The gummy comes in a square of four 25mg doses that makes it easy to medicate properly. Kushy Punch also offers indica and CBD products to suit every patient’s needs. Available THROUGH: California’s Kindest Delivery.
A striking specimen with impressive structure and light-green coloring, this strain is coated with so many trichromes that is almost appears to be white when held under a light. The Gorilla Glue provided by California’s Kindest also has that unique “glue” aroma that can only be described as new car smell crossed with the aroma of sweet ripe fruit. The Gorilla Glue scent is unmistakable. It offers a nice compressive hit and great expansion, without being at all harsh. Its flavor is also very clean and fruity, with a hint of earthiness. This strain is a heavy-hitter that knocks out pain almost instantly. It’s no wonder that it has become a modern classic.
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Mega Wellness
Available AT: Empire Collective in Spring Valley.
The shades of olive and emerald on this dense nug perfectly highlight the bright orange pistils that peek through the greenery. The aroma is wonderfully pungent, making it sour and greasy in a very good way. Mega Wellness tested at 29 percent THC and offers an incredibly expansive hit with a rich Sour OG Kush flavor that is pleasing to the palette and instantly followed by a euphoric, cerebral effect that also creeps throughout the body providing physical relaxation. This sativa-dominant strain from Empire Collective took first place at the 2015 SoCal Medical Cup, and deservedly so. It is ideal for nearly all patients, as it is both physically and mentally relaxing, yet still functional.
Available AT: House of Dank in San Diego.
Shatter STX
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The Shatter STX from House of Dank is a pure 100 percent organic, solvent free concentrate that comes in pre-filled cartridges. Because it is solvent free, and CO2 extracted with no additives, it has an incredibly clean flavor. It has a very unique and satisfying taste that is both buttery and citrus. In appearance, it is a golden amber color, with a vibrant reddish hue that is also very unique. The hit is velvety smooth. Just a few puffs will lead to a floaty, cerebral, creative effect that is felt throughout the entire body. Testing in at well over 70 percent THC, if Shatter STX could only be described using two words, those two words would be “focused relaxation.” Available AT: Left Coast Collective in La Mesa.
Tangie
Tangie from Left Coast Collective is simply phenomenal in all aspects. It sports amazing nug structure with bright lime-green coloring, plenty of orange hairs, and a plethora of trichromes. It smells exactly like the zest of ripe tangerine—fresh, crisp and fruity. It has a nice and smooth clean hit that tastes a lot like an Orange Julius, very citrus-like and a little bit sweet. The effect of the Tangie is cerebrally uplifting and physically soothing, making it perfect for daytime medicating. A prime example of top shelf cannabis!
Xtractology Black Label Holy Grail Kush Live Resin
Available AT: California Coastal Collective in Pacific Beach.
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Xtractology’s Black Label Holy Grail Kush live resin from California Coastal Collective sets the gold standard for shatter. It has the appearance of amber-stained glass, being remarkably clear and shiny. It packs an extremely explosive, flavorful punch that tastes of lemon-lime with a gassy fuel flavor that lingers on the tongue as the effects quickly settle in. Patients can expect an incredibly sedative, couch-lock inducing effect. SC labs certified at 79.15 percent THC, this live resin a truly a dabber’s delight. It is worth noting that Xtractology goes above and beyond to provide every detail of the product clearly on the package.
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Available AT: Torrey Holistics in San Diego.
NL #5
Provided for review by Torrey Holistics, San Diego’s fourth legally operating collective, NL #5 is a prime example of an old school, legendary strain. It sports multiple shades of green with long deep red pistils and tons of glistening trichromes. Its aroma is intensely piney, with a touch of earthiness. It almost literally smells like a bottle of Pine-Sol. It gives a hearty hit of mouth-watering Northern Lights goodness, with lots of robust piney flavor that thoroughly coats the tongue, which is why the NL #5 is such a legend. The effects of this sample, which tested at an impressive 29.2 percent THC, are quickly felt and provides deep muscle relaxation along with a cerebrally calming sensation. This heavy indica is ideal for pain relief, sleep and anxiety management.
Available AT: Yummy Farms in Pacific Beach.
Kosher Kush
This is one beautiful bud! The structure is absolutely perfectnice and tight with multiple shades of green and lots of orange hairs peering through. The growers really did a great job with this one. The aroma is amazing, a very nice OG nose with a hint of sweet citrus. It tastes earthy, like a true OG, with the tiniest bit of sweetness, and hits very clean with major expansion followed by an immediate head change and relaxation from head to toe. This Kosher Kush from Yummy Farms is an indica that also offers a heavy cerebral effect with sedative qualities, making it the perfect strain for most any patient.
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cool stuff Phantom Open D.E. System
The Commercial DE Open Lighting System is state-of-the-art doubleended technology that uniformly delivers optimum photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) value over a broad footprint. With the unique ability to remove its ballast, this product allows you to eliminate heat generated by the ballast, making it convenient for controlling temperatures. Designed with a high-precision microprocessor, the ballast is totally silent, lightweight, highly efficient and extremely reliable. Aside from its innovative design, Phantom Ballasts Commercial DE is equipped with an efficient reflector that dissipates heat and elongates lamp life.
miVape
GET YOUR CLICK HERE PRICE: $259.99
Utilizing high-quality quartz crystal glass components, including a glass heating element, heat chamber, airway and mouthpiece, the miVape delivers the truest tasting, full-flavored vapor of any portable vaporizers. The uniquely designed and patented spiraling glass airway cools the vapor long before it gets to the mouthpiece, so there’s no burning in your throat. Its long battery life is just as important as its clean and discreet ergonomic design. The miVape is also dual voltage and can charge on 110/220V.
Holmes Smart Wifi-Enabled WeMo TrueHEPA Premium Air Purifier
Thanks to this bad boy, you can keep the air in your home clean and pure for you and your loved ones, no matter where you are. The Holmes® Smart Air Purifier with WeMo® can be controlled from anywhere using your smart phone or device. Set a weekly schedule, receive air quality status and be informed when to adjust settings. This air purifier operates quietly and reduces common odors and allergens without any annoying buzz or hum. True HEPA filtration captures up to 99.97 percent of airborne particles like pollen, dust, mold, pet dander and smoke. Seriously clean air at the touch of your finger.
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PRICE: $589 MORE INFORMATION: hydrofarm.com
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PRICE: $19.99 MORE INFORMATION: makingyoubetterbrands.com
Xternal Cream
PRICE: $199.99 MORE INFORMATION: holmesproducts.com
The wondrous aspects of cannabinoids and their capacity for cell rejuvenation are infused into this amazing facial grade, all natural Xternal Cream for full body relief. Simply massage onto an area that hurts! This amazing cream is cited in Ed Rosenthal’s book, Beyond Buds, and is great for sprains, stiffness, joint pain, arthritis, muscle aches and even skin irritation! Because the main ingredient in this cream is THCA, which is an anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective, people are using the cream as a beauty aid showing impressive results. This cream is used by professional and weekend athletes alike to deter pain in 60 seconds before and after their sporting activities too!
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entertainment Release Date: January 26 Available on: PS4
Cannabis Regeneration: A Multiple Harvest Method for Greater Yields J.B. Haze Green Candy Press
The Witness Dev. Thekla, Inc. Pub. Thekla, Inc.
Coming from the mastermind behind the unique platformer, Braid, comes a new game about discovery. The Witness is a puzzle game set in first-person view with a simple goal: Complete the puzzles in all 10 sections of the island in order to reach the top of the mountain. There’s a total of 650 puzzles to seek out and complete, which will allow players to explore the vastly different genomes of the island and pick up clues about the its previous inhabitants who have long since disappeared. (Nicole Potter)
Archy Marshall A New Place 2 Drown True Panther Sounds
King Krule took the world by storm in 2013 with his genre bending debut full-length, 6 Feet Beneath The Moon, and just two years later he returns, this time under his real name, Archy Marshall, with his follow up, A New Place 2 Drown. His beats never get too outrageous or hard to follow, instead they seem to flow perfectly to stay brilliantly dusky, and bring to mind images of cool, dimly lit basements, shadowy alleyways or city streets on moonless nights. Marshall’s new album shows that he’s an artist of incredible, diverse talent, and one to continue watching in years to come. (Simon Weedn)
“The Art of Music”
This is a great new book for cannabis growers, large and small. Written specifically for the intermediate cannabis grower, this book focuses on showing exactly how to get multiple harvests from one single plant. Including info about the basics of growing as well as expert tips, the author goes into great detail about his revolutionary grow method that increases plant production at home, and saves time and money. Utilizing the whole plant for multiple harvests using regeneration, this author shows us how easy it can be to use the same plant for as many harvests as possible, without compromising the quality of your buds. (Alex Bradley)
Cooties Lionsgate Dir. Jonathan Milott, Cary Murnion
Over the last few years, the zombie genre has undergone something of a renaissance. New directors Jonathan Millot and Cary Murnion put a new twist on some classic horror monsters with their debut film, Cooties. The film follows the harrowing struggles of a group of elementary school teachers, lead by Elijah Wood (Lord Of The Rings, Wilfred) and Rainn Wilson (The Office, Super), as they battle their way through ever growing hordes of zombie children and attempt to escape their infested school. For those with a particularly dark sense of humor, Cooties is one to watch immediately. (Simon Weedn)
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+
Celebrating the centennial of Balboa Park, “The Art of Music” pays homage to the year-long Panama-California Exposition in 1915, where musical performances were held regularly. The exhibit includes various paintings, sculptures and instruments covering three central themes; The musician as a motif, social intersections of art and music and formal connections of art and music. With an array of works from the museum’s permanent collection as well as borrowed pieces from personal collections, “The Art of Music” displays the influence music has had on various cultures throughout the history of the world, as well as providing insight on the meaning of imagery associates with musicians and the representation of sound. Featuring the works of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, this is a blockbuster exhibit that is not to be missed.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: “The Art of Music” exhibit. WHEN/WHERE: On view through Feb. 7. The San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. INFO: Visit www.sdmart.com for details.
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Photos courtesy of Blues Traveler and Brandon Hill
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Blues Traveler won our hearts with its original rock music, but its dedication and passion keeps us comin’ back for more by Paul Rogers The true success of a rock band is measured by decades of experience in musical creation and performances—but a band can only truly be honored when it manages to both, innovate and maintain its core sound over the course of a long career. Blues Traveler, for instance, didn’t win a multi-platinum Grammy Award for lack of hard work—its strides in the blues rock genre have transformed the category into the scene that you see today. Many believe that the “jam band” scene of the 1990s blossomed because of Blues Traveler. Others praise its unique approach to improvisation during live shows or uniquely segueing one song to the next. But everyone can agree that Blues Traveler has approached its Southern rock sound in a way that few can emulate. Blues Traveler, like many great rock bands, began as a simple garage band made of up high school students John Popper, Brendan Hill, Chan Kinchala and Bobby Sheenan living in New Jersey in the mid-1980s. However, it wasn’t until the group moved into a shared apartment in New York City following graduation that Blues Traveler began to gain notoriety at local venues. Soon enough, the band signed to its very first record label, and began touring the East coast following the release of its first self-titled album. Later on, following the group’s founding of the H.O.R.D.E. festival and its release of the next album, four, famous tunes such as “Run-Around” and “Hook” were conceived. One could say that the rest is history, but Blues Traveler’s rise to mainstream success was only the beginning. The band’s movement across the blues rock board has been steadily climbing, leading up to its newest album release, Blow Up the Moon, early last year. CULTURE caught up with the band’s drummer, Brendan Hill, at a tour-stop in Minneapolis to discuss the current progress and future of Blues Traveler’s music, what he thinks about medical cannabis, and his own personal venture into the cannabis industry. >>
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of the culture. So I think it hasn’t really changed that much from my perspective! I think we’re seeing it become more mainstream. I love the shift that I have seen [away] from the ecstasy and cocaine which was kind of in my lifetime, in the ‘90s, and heroine and those kinds of much harder substances that were highly addictive and destroyed peoples’ lives. My prediction is, a few years from now, you’re going to see there’s going to be a huge artistic blossoming from those places like Washington, Oregon and Alaska because these artists and people that have been hiding or not using [cannabis] openly being able to say “this is my artwork that was inspired when I was able to consume legally.” I think it’s just a wonderful time to be in the forefront of this industry and it’s a great opportunity to do some good as well as to be a part of this exciting venture.
Blues Traveler released its 12th studio album, Blow Up the Moon, in April and will celebrate its 30th anniversary in a couple of years. What are the secrets of this rare longevity? We’ve been through pretty much everything together and I think we’ve stayed friends, which is a very important part of making music together. You want to be able to trust the other people you’re playing with. This latest record reflects even a new approach to that trust, in which we’ve brought outside people [including 3OH!3, Plain White T’s, The Dirty Heads and Thompson Square] in to collaborate . . . I
think it’s one of the most innovative [albums] for us, in our career, just because it spans so many different styles, musically. Blues Traveler was associated with the 1990s jam band scene, which was somewhat synonymous with cannabis use. How have you seen attitudes to cannabis shift over the course of your music career? It was just part and parcel of being in the scene back in the day. We were in the New York club scene and it was very prevalent. Most of the groups that we played with in the early days were jam band music that we all listened to–Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, even The Beatles–and all those groups sort of had that same acceptance of cannabis and it was just kind of part
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You’ve been a professional musician for the great majority of your adult life. Is your dispensary, Paper & Leaf, your first business venture outside of the music industry? I’ve done production, producing of records and I’ve done a lot of [recording] engineering. I’ve been in other music groups. But outside of the music industry, yes. [My partner had] never done anything like this before either . . . and we had a shared vision, so I think for us both this was a really exciting adventure to do but we kind of needed somebody else to bounce ideas off of that we kind of spoke the same language with. Washington is one of only four U.S. states where recreational cannabis has been legalized. How does so-
called “pot tourism” factor into the Paper & Leaf business model? We’ve seen . . . people coming in from other states and even from Canada and other countries who are interested in just seeing what [cannabis] looks like. I think before Washington and Colorado legalized that Amsterdam was possibly the only place where you could actually go into a store and look at a menu and order something and feel like you weren’t doing something wrong. It’s a really good thing for people to see that the stores can be done in a way which is very friendly, very artistically done and very welcoming, so when they go back to their home state they’ll be more likely to encourage their friends and family to vote in the positive for initiatives that might come on the ballots in the future. >> VISIT US AT
iReadCulture.com
January 2016 // CULTURE
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How have the (non-regulated) medical and (regulated) recreational cannabis industries coexisted in Washington since the state’s first recreational licenses were issued last July? And how could the overhaul of Initiative 502 earlier this year help to effectively merge the two? It’s been a fine line. There have been some excellent dispensaries that have been open for years and years and perhaps started on the underground but had been serving and doing everything correctly–basically serving as a coop and a collective garden for medical patients that really do need the product. I think the dispensaries that have followed the rules and have paid their taxes and had business licenses, I think with Initiative 5052, these will be the first ones to actually receive the next set of licenses . . . And I think that’s a really great way to do it. I think the state’s doing it basically merit-wise, which I think is a really good next phase. I think there’s going to be quite a few more medicinal/recreational stores opening up–it could be in the hundreds, maybe even the thousands, but I do see that there is a big move for the medicinal market to be kind of rolled into the recreational, because now it’s kind of this slightly grey line. I think the state’s just saying that if you kind of lump it all together and you’re able to tax the medicinal customers slightly less but increase the amount that they can buy . . . it’s a little more easily governed. That will also dissuade the
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black market and the other various elements which have given cannabis a bad name. Is the integration of medical and recreational going to become the new model for legal access to cannabis nationwide? I believe that there are many states now that have medicinal marijuana on their ballots and the way Washington did it and Colorado was perhaps different than other states are going to do. I think recreational first and then kind of putting the medicinal into the recreational was just how it happened in Washington, but in states like Michigan, I think even Florida and New York State have medicinal initiatives coming up on the ballot [and] actually it might be better to start that way because those are the people that really kind of feel like they’re being persecuted for something which they believe is medicine, which I think is very accurate. [Cannabis] should be accessible by everybody who needs it and then I think the recreational part is something that will follow hopefully quicker after that, because people will see that it’s not, in my opinion, as dangerous as alcohol—you can’t overdose on it. There are so many reasons why cannabis should be legal recreationally for people over 21. What could be the social and medical ramifications of such a proliferation of legalized recreational cannabis? So many people are clamoring for it–there’s
got to be a reason why. Let’s start studying [cannabis] and I think that will kind of force the hand of the federal government to deschedule it as a Schedule III, I’m hoping, so doctors and pharmacists and chemists can actually start doing the research. There’s so many unofficial studies about the effects of [cannabis on] chemotherapy, easing stomach pain and increasing appetite; and glaucoma, reducing stress on the backs of the eyes; to muscle aches . . . I think it would be so wonderful if we could finally say, OK, this does help treat X. It just baffles me that we’re not doing research on a plant which seems like it has so many wonderful medicinal benefits and we need to change this–declassify it so that the researchers can actually start looking at this and not fear prosecution. Finally, what does the near future hold for you–both with Blues Traveler and Paper & Leaf? Very busy, I think! I’m a player, so I love being on stage, I love playing my instrument, I love recording–I love those aspects, which I don’t think will ever go away. There’s a kind of adrenaline you get when you’re performing on stage–it’s hard to replace that with anything else, so I think music will always be a part of my life and Blues Traveler is a wonderful thing that I helped to create and so it’s always going to be a part of my life. c
bluestraveler.com VISIT US AT iReadCulture.com
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Hemp Derived CBD vs. Cannabis Derived CBD
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CULTURE // January 2016
Where’s the
Difference?
E
by Lanny Swerdlow, RN LNC
ven though most people who experience the cannabis high produced by THC find it to be pleasant and stimulating, for some reason medicine that makes you feel good while getting you well is frowned upon. Enter cannabidiol, commonly referred to as CBD, as a way to obtain the medicinal benefits of cannabis without the THC psychoactive effects making CBD an acceptable gateway drug to the world of cannabis. CBD is a powerful cannabinoid with research showing it to be effective in reducing cancer cell growth, minimizing seizures and convulsions in children, decreasing inflammation, mitigating pain and providing therapeutic relief for many other ailments. This newfound interest in CBD has led to an explosion of CBD oils made from industrial hemp. In terms of its molecular structure CBD is CBD is CBD—it’s the same molecule whether the CBD comes from hemp, cannabis or a test tube. Hemp generally has a CBD concentration around 3.5 percent CBD which is pretty low but the concentration of THC is even lower, usually less than 1 percent. Hemp meets the criteria of being low in THC, but its level of CBD is relatively low especially in comparison to certain cannabis strains, which have significantly higher amount of CBD than industrial hemp. Whether the CBD comes from hemp or cannabis flowers is not the ultimate factor. The key factor is the process by which the CBD is extracted, concentrated and formulated. Cannabis strains such as Charlotte’s Web, Avidekel and ACDC are low in THC but high in CBD with up to a 20 percent CBD concentration level. By comparison, hemp’s typical 3.5 percent CBD concentration level is rather paltry. Since the concentration of CBD is low in hemp, it requires large amounts of hemp to produce a small amount of CBD oil. The most efficient and least expensive way to extract the CBD oil is to use solvents, but dangerous solvent residues can remain in the CBD oil. In 2014, Project CBD, a California-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting and publicizing research into the medical uses VISIT VISIT USUS ATATiReadCulture.com iReadCulture.com
“The whole effort to harness CBD from industrial hemp is fraught with challenges that are made more difficult by the fact that fiber hemp plants with high amounts of CBD by dry weight—like the ACDC cannabis strain—are not yet available for industrial grows.”
of CBD, tested several CBD hemp oil products available to the public over the Internet and found significant levels of toxic solvent residues in random samples. CBD oil extracted from industrial hemp is a thick tar-like substance that needs to be thinned with a compound such as propylene glycol. A widespread additive found in CBD vape oil cartridges, propylene glycol may convert to formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, when heated and inhaled. Hexane, a solvent frequently used to extract CBDs from hemp, has been found by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be neurotoxic producing numbness in the extremities, muscular weakness, blurred vision, headache and fatigue, according to a official statement by the EPA. Even if it is possible to produce solvent-free CBD oil from hemp, there is another problem in that industrial hemp is a bio-accumulator that naturally absorbs toxic substances from the soil. Hemp is such an efficient
bio-accumulator that it was used at the Chernobyl Nuclear power plant after the meltdown because it is excellent at sucking up heavy metals and radiation, according to McGraw Hill Education. Great for healing the earth, but not for healing humans. Martin Lee, co-founder and Director of Project CBD, summarizes the problems of obtaining CBD from hemp. “The whole effort to harness CBD from industrial hemp is fraught with challenges that are made more difficult by the fact that fiber hemp plants with high amounts of CBD by dry weight—like the ACDC cannabis strain—are not yet available for industrial grows.” There are other considerations as well. One of the most important is that CBD by itself does not work as well as CBD in conjunction with THC. In what is known as the entourage effect, the medical efficacy of CBD is enhanced in the presence of THC. The proper ratio of CBD to THC varies from person to person, but as Martin Lee points
out “the best ratio of THC to CBD is often the most THC a person can comfortably handle.” The bottom line is since hemp is so low in THC and other cannabis components, you don’t get much of an entourage effect when you use hemp oil as when you are using oil derived from a CBD-rich cannabis plant. If certain cannabis flowers are so much better for producing CBD, then why all this fuss over industrial hemp? Rather than anything to do with medical science, it has everything to do with the illegal status of cannabis. The manufacturers of CBD oil from hemp claim that it is legal to market their products as a dietary supplement even though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has refused to recognize hemp-derived CBD oil as a dietary supplement. The FDA singled out for criticism CBD oil producers for making unsubstantiated medical claims about treating pain, spasms, cancer and other ailments. The
FDA has never approved CBD as a supplement for any kind of medical use. Under current state medical marijuana laws, the only way a CBD-infused oil product—derived from hemp or cannabis—can be used legally for therapeutic purposes would be for it to be grown, harvested, processed and consumed by a certified patient in a state that has legalized medical cannabis. That is not the case with products made from CBD hemp oil imported from abroad which remain illegal under both federal and state laws. For many reasons, CBD-rich cannabis is a better source of CBD than industrial hemp. The only reason CBD derived from hemp is gaining any notoriety is as an attempted end-run around federal law. When cannabis prohibition is ended and cannabis is treated like any other agricultural product, CBD will be extracted from the best source of cannabidiol—CBD-rich cannabis. The need to derive CBD from industrial hemp will end. c
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Irvin Rosenfeld
is the longest surviving federal medical cannabis patient in the United States by R. Scott Rappold
Once a month, a tin case of 300 joints arrives at Irvin Rosenfeld’s pharmacy in Florida. Some people roll their own. Rosenfeld’s are rolled and shipped by Uncle Sam. Yep, that same Uncle Sam that considers cannabis a Schedule 1 drug with no medical benefits and locks up its own citizens for using it. It’s ironic that Rosenfeld has been living for more than three decades, as one of just a handful of people to receive government-grown cannabis for a medical condition. The
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CULTURE // January 2016
VISIT US AT
Photos by FatCat305
Stockbroker and advocate
10 joints he smokes a day ease his pain from a rare bone tumor disorder and let him live a normal life. “I’ve not had a tumor grow develop since I was 21, and the doctors don’t know why, but I know why they haven’t developed. It’s cannabis,” said Rosenfeld, 62, a stockbroker. “Cannabis has saved my life.” Today 23 states allow some form of medical cannabis, but those two words had rarely been used in the same sentence in the 1970s, when he discovered how much it could alleviate the pain and grant him mobility. He fought to become only the second person to receive government cannabis under the Compassionate Investigational New Drug program. That program never reached more than a dozen patients, and only two are left, including Rosenfeld. But Rosenfeld believes the program, and the efforts of patients like himself to tell the American people about it, helped set the stage for cannabis law reform sweeping the nation. “It helped launch the whole national movement. When we could stand up and say, ‘We are using this. We are legally using it and doing very well,’ people stood up and took notice,” said Rosenfeld, author of My Medicine, a book about how he “forced” the government to provide his medicine. The government had only negative things to say for cannabis, but, Rosenfeld said, “If all that is true, if it’s so bad for you, explain me.” >> iReadCulture.com
Another 28 were approved but awaiting final enrollment when President George H.W. Bush ended the program. The 13 patients were grandfathered in but no new ones would be accepted. Despite a campaign promise, President Bill Clinton never reopened the program, which might have vanished into obscurity but for the efforts of patients like Randall and Rosenfeld to tell the world about it.
Taking the fight to the states
Discovered by accident
Rosenfeld was 10 years old when, after throwing for the final out in a baseball game, he suddenly couldn’t move his arm. Movement returned shortly thereafter but he was eventually diagnosed with multiple congenital cartilaginous exostoses, which causes painful bone tumors. He survived four major surgeries by the age of 18 to remove the tumors, but doctors said the possibility of death from internal bleeding related to a jagged tumor was real. He couldn’t attend school or play sports and took a cocktail of medications and painkillers that left him in a fog. He moved to Miami for college and because he thought the warm climate would
all, he did some research that showed cannabis was used in many medications between 1850 and when it was outlawed in 1937. So he kept smoking and noticed his pharmaceutical use dropped by 80 percent. His sleep, appetite and movement all improved. He started playing sports again. But questions nagged at him. Why did he have to go to a drug dealer to get this medication? And why did using it make him a criminal?
Fighting the power In 1976, glaucoma sufferer Robert Randall defeated the federal government in court and won access to marijuana for his condition, which helped save his eyesight. The story
“My disorder had caused me lots of problems. I was able to take that disorder and make something good come out of it. I was able to help millions of people nationwide to help understand medical cannabis.” help his condition. A law-abiding citizen, he’d never smoked cannabis and once, he even kicked out a girlfriend for bringing a joint over. But cannabis was everywhere in Miami in 1971, and he gave into peer pressure, not feeling a thing until the tenth attempt. Though not feeling sedated or euphoric, he noticed that he had been sitting still for a half hour; normally stiff joints forced him to get up every 10 minutes or so. And then he realized he hadn’t taken a pain pill in six hours—also unusual. Maybe there was something to this. After
inspired Rosenfeld, who had been conducting a scientific study with his orthopedic surgeon on himself and how cannabis improved his condition. He met Randall, who suggested he apply to the Compassionate IND program. After years of stonewalling , the Food and Drug Administration gave him a hearing before a panel of doctors. Much to his surprise, the panel approved and in 1982 Rosenfeld began receiving government cannabis. The little-known drug program survived the anti-drug furor of the ‘80s and expanded to 13 patients, many of them AIDS patients.
Rosenfeld insists he doesn’t get high. Maybe it’s tolerance, a side effect of his bone condition or the low THC content of the government cannabis, but he is able to take his medicine and live his normal life without being impaired. Supervisors and clients took some convincing, but they accept a stockholder smoking joints while working. His tumors haven’t returned and he hasn’t taken a narcotic for pain since 1990. Cannabis has improved his life so much he has spent much of it fighting to help others gain access. When California voters went to the polls in 1996 to become the first state to allow medical cannabis, Rosenfeld estimates he did some 50 radio shows in support of the measure. It’s one thing to tell people how medical cannabis can help people. It’s another to show them. Medical cannabis passed in one state after another, with the help of patients like Rosenfeld. “I felt exonerated. Here I’ve been saying for years that it’s medicine. Bob (Randall) and I had educated people to the point that the largest state in the country had recognized the use of medical cannabis and approved it,” Rosenfeld said. He self-published his book (available at his website Irvinrosenfeld.com and on Kindle) in 2010 to spread awareness and has watched with pleasure as many states have approved recreational cannabis. His utopia is a world where anyone can grow as much cannabis as they want without fear of prosecution. And he’ll keep supporting legalization efforts, because while some states have relaxed laws, most of the country has not. He remains the only legal cannabis smoker in the state of Florida, though activists hope to change that in the 2016 election cycle. For Rosenfeld, it’s a very personal fight. “My disorder had caused me lots of problems. I was able to take that disorder and make something good come out of it. I was able to help millions of people nationwide to help understand medical cannabis,” he said. “It’s like me giving the middle finger to my bone disease. F*ck you, look what I’ve done because of you.” c
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Historic Conviction in Canada May be One of Many Steps Towards Legalization by Victoria Banegas
A
recent conviction set forth by a Canadian judge reveals the gradual changes the country is making towards the acceptance of cannabis culture. Judge Pierre Chevalier of Quebec, made history one day in late November when he charged, 46-year-old cannabis patient, Mario Larouche $1.30 for cultivating 30 cannabis plants. Larouche, who suffers from pain as a result of a 2000 car accident, tried many times to get certification for medical cannabis, but was denied. Taking matters into his own hands, Larouche cultivated plants for personal use, which were seized from his truck by police in late June. When Chevalier announced Larouche was guilty, no one expected the verdict that he was to follow. “We are in a society where people are accused of possession and use of marijuana while more than half the population has already consumed. These are laws that are obsolete and ridiculous,” Chevalier said in support of his decision. So far, 600,000 Canadians have criminal records for possession of small amounts of cannabis, while statistics show that cannabis use amongst Canadians 15 to 24 is the highest amongst the developed world, according to the Washington Post. With the government spending 500
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CULTURE // January 2016
million in Canadian dollars annually on drug reformation, roughly 50 million of that goes towards regulating cannabis as police forces conduct massive sweeps of cannabis grow sites each year. Although the country has shown indifference towards cannabis, recently instated Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau promised to make it legal as early as 2016, according to Yahoo News. Trudeau, like Chevalier, believes that cannabis prohibition is outdated and unjustified. So far, there is no specific information as to how Trudeau and the liberal party plan to begin this journey, but they have revealed plans to regulate cannabis similar to Colorado and Washington. Support from Canadians is evident as cannabis support is at its highest rate in three decades. A recent poll conducted by Forum Research revealed that 59 percent of those who participated were in support of the Liberal Party’s plans to legalize cannabis recreationally. Although things seem to be changing for the better, there are still those who are clinging onto cannabis prohibition for dear life. CULTURE got in touch with Larouche’s lawyer, Catherine Barriére Gratton, who informed us that the Crown’s office is appealing the sentence. Gratton went on to state in an email, “Legal precedents in similar cases were
“We are in a society where people are accused of possession and use of marijuana while more than half the population has already consumed. These are laws that are obsolete and ridiculous.” presented before the Court and have shown the Court’s clemency in such situations. Fines are sometimes presented as joint submissions and given in our district for similar cases.” Let’s hope the Court’s clemency allows Larouche to receive the medical attention he needs and is convicted fairly for his actions. c VISIT VISIT US US AT AT iReadCulture.com iReadCulture.com
The Healing Power of Music Sammy J uses his gift of music for good by Pamela Jayne
“Being a musician, you have a platform to say a lot of things and speak life into a lot of people, so I just use it as another form of therapy, really.”
W
ith a charming Australian accent,
industry ripe with bad influences is due in large
and endless passion for his craft,
part to his strong Christian upbringing and past
singer and songwriter, Sammy J has
experiences as a social worker who spent six years
recently brought his unique brand
counseling at risk kids in his native Australia. While
of soul, jazz and island reggae from
music is now Sammy’s full-time career, he still
“Down Under” to eager audiences in the United
sees it as a form of therapy that can be used to
States. Now living in Los Angeles, Sammy has
better the world. That is why, off the stage Sammy
toured extensively playing to sold out crowds,
remains true to his calling by mentoring troubled
and yet remains as humble as he was before being
youth and offering a positive outlet to focus their
plucked from relative obscurity into the spotlight.
energy on via a music therapy program. CULTURE
He proudly embraces his Maori and Polynesian
recently caught up with Sammy for a quick chat
roots to create uplifting music that can be enjoyed
with the rising star, as he solidifies his sound and
by all. His desire to remain a positive force in an
his place in the music industry. >>
January 2016 // CULTURE
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How did you get started in the music industry? I was a backup singer for about six years. After that, a lot of us, we used to make YouTube videos. From the videos—that’s how I got found on my first label. Basically one thing led to another. I am very lucky, I guess. You were a social worker at the time, right? Do you still do that? Yeah! So when I was doing backup, it was a hobby that, I guess being from Australia and New Zealand you always dream that you can do something cool like music, but being
realistic, you never think it will ever really happen . . . So. I come from a very strong Christian background. My parents were very adamant about having a proper education and a proper job, so I did social work for about six years. I still do it, but it’s a little different now. Then, I was working for the (Australian) government, working specifically with Polynesian young people. Basically, I was working in the homeless sector. Now, we go around to schools and we do workshops and stuff like that. Is music as rewarding to you as social work? I think it’s one in the
same. It’s just a different form of social work. Being a musician, you have a platform to say a lot of things and speak life into a lot of people, so I just use it as another form of therapy, really. That’s why in my music you’ll never really hear any swearing or anything like that. It’s just positive and fun, because I would never want anyone to question the work I did before. If your music had a mission statement, what would it be? I just want to sing about things that are real. The concept of love, you just don’t hear about it
anymore. It’s very hard to turn on the radio these days and hear someone singing about love. Can you describe the sound and vibe of your music? It’s a mixture because I come from a soul background and somehow I got pushed into the reggae scene! So it’s an infusion of reggae and soul, and a little touch of jazz. It’s ever evolving and changing. I’m about to drop another EP in March, and I’m still learning who I am as an artist and what my sound is, because it all
happened very quickly. I’ve never had time to solidify my sound. So I’ve just been learning and creating as I go. It’s exciting! If I had to break it down, yeah . . . it’s reggae and soul. What are your thoughts on cannabis? I feel like, if you can use it and it makes you feel better . . . why not? There are a lot of drugs from the medical pharmacy that have so many side effects, but people can use cannabis and there are no side effects. Well, you may get a bit hungry! I think it is definitely positive. c
“I feel like, if you can use [cannabis] and it makes you feel better . . . why not? There are a lot of drugs from the medical pharmacy that have so many side effects, but people can use cannabis and there are no side effects.” 44
CULTURE // January 2016
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January 2016 // CULTURE
45
by Ed Rosenthal
growing culture
1 Plants are basking in the greenhouse. They will be cut to dry in a few minutes. I recently purchased another four clones from a local dispensary. They are now about 30 days into flowering.
Indoor-Outdoor
WINTER GARDEN II
T
wo months ago a friend delivered two well-branched, two-foot tall plants of “3x Crazy.” Since then, the plants have been in a flowering routine in a small greenhouse. At this time of year, dawn takes place around 7 a.m. Then at 8 a.m. a 400-watt HPS lamp hung from a light mover goes on and starts moving back and forth about 2 feet. It covers the length of the garden with light. During most of November it was sunny and warm enough for the plants to go outdoors for some natural sunlight between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. When they returned to the greenhouse they received another two hours of light from the HPS lamp. Towards the end of the month, the weather turned cloudy and chilly. The plants have been enjoying the cozy greenhouse, which is kept at a minimum temperature of 60 degrees day and night. The two plants were about halfway through flowering when I reported on them last month. Now, another 30 days have passed and the plants are ready to harvest. The buds are small but are covered with trichomes and have an intense floral/pineapple/diesel odor. I have picked them and hung them to dry and cure. I am using an unheated indoor space.
At this time of the year, the temperature here varies between the low 50s and high 60s. The humidity varies between 43-54 percent with an average at just about 50 percent. These are ideal conditions for a long, slow dry and cure. The low temperature keeps the terpenes from evaporating. Terpenes, the odor molecules that give all marijuana varieties their particular “personalities” are essential oils. Many of them are volatile at room temperature so they are often lost in the dry, transport or storage phases. The low temperature in the drying space keeps them from evaporating and they will lend their odor and activity to the smoke or vapor. Rather than mess with cutting these small plants into branches I’m hanging them uncut with all of their leaves on. They will be cured, that is, aged for several weeks after they dry in continued cool temperature and 50 percent humidity condition. During this time they lose some of their harshness, becoming a smoother smoke. Then I’ll manicure them and place them in a glass or metal container. I’ll keep some buds in a small bar for easy access. The rest will be stored in a steel metal container made for that purpose, which comes with a pad that stabilizes moisture, keeping the buds fresh. c
TIP OF THE MONTH FROM ASK ED®
2 The Cut. The plants are being cut using a clipper on the first plant.
3
The bend and snap on the second plant, which was finished off with a clipper.
4
The Hang. The two plants will now begin the month-long drying-curing process. They will be manicured after that.
The Problem With Zip-Lock Bags
D
id you ever notice the sides of a Ziplock bag that has been holding grass? They are covered with gland heads that were pulled from the bud and have attached to the plastic, especially if you were carrying
it in a pocket and continually opening and closing it. The plastic’s electrical charge attracts them. If you tried to scratch them off you were largely unsuccessful, they were already locked in. Those glands were removed electrostatically,
and lost to your use. Glass, most hard plastics, metal and wood don’t have electrical charges that attract trichomes. Use containers composed of these materials and place them in a cool-tocold dark place for storage.
Copyright by Ed Rosenthal. All rights are reserved. First North American Magazine rights only are assigned to culture Magazine. No other reproduction of this material is permitted without the specific written permission of the author/copyright holder.
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CULTURE // January 2016
5 The greenhouse is heated by a gas burner, often called a CO2 generator that is controlled by a thermostat set at 60 degrees.
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January 2016 // CULTURE
47
by Sheryll Alexander
SEE MORE ON OUR WEBSITE
destination unknown
Nevada is Full of C Winter Fun and Frolic if you go: Yes, you really can fly or drive into Las Vegas and then buy your buds and edibles—if you remember to bring a government-issued form of identification that shows you are 21 and older and your up-to-date medical cannabis license. The Vegas area has five dispensaries including Euphoria Wellness, Nevada Wellness Center, Las Vegas Releaf, Inyo Fine Cannabis Dispensary and Nevada Pure. Sparks and Reno have one dispensary each in Silver State Relief and Sierra Wellness Connection, respectively. Nevada’s medical cannabis program is regulated by the state’s Division of Public & Behavioral Health and recognizes the following conditions for a MMJ license: AIDS, cachexia, cancer, glaucoma, PTSD, muscle spasms or seizures and severe nausea or pain. Plus, Nevada’s cannabis states “other conditions are subject to approval,” which opens the door for just about everyone with a chronic health problem. Inside a dispensary, cannabis patients can purchase a maximum 2.5 oz. of flower buds and a rather ambiguous “allowable” quantity of edibles and other THC-infused products. Time to Go: Spring or Winter. Weather: Mild with cool breezes in Spring; cold with some snow in Winter. Budget: $$$$$
Fun-Filled Facts
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CULTURE // January 2016
The small Southern Nevada town of Sparks was the first city in Nevada to open a dispensary (Silver State Relief). While that may sound strange, it makes perfect sense when you realize the infamous Mustang Ranch brothel is located on the town’s east end. 1
Want to hit The Strip and ski in the same day? In-theknow locals go to Lee Canyon. Only an hour’s drive from Vegas proper, Lee Canyon is located just north of Mount Charleston. Although Lee Canyon has a rather small ski facility, this resort sits higher than any other ski resort in the state at 8,510 feet—giving it some of the best “dry” powder in the state. 2
annabis patients may be overjoyed to hear Nevada is one of the few states to allow out-of-state medical cannabis licenses at its five Vegas-area and two Northern Nevada dispensaries. Most travelers think of the glitz of Las Vegas and its surrounding desert towns when considering hitting Nevada for some down time. In winter, however, Nevada’s mountain cities such as Lake Tahoe, Reno and Sparks are the places to be for skiing, snowboarding and winter’s many other recreational activities. Nevada’s mountain towns celebrate January in grand style. Don’t miss the Fire & Ice Show in Ely. This snow and ice sculpture competition runs this year from January 15-17 and includes lots of food and drink, an ice fishing derby, rides on a historic “ghost trains,” sledding and ice skating. The weekendlong festivities are capped by a grand fireworks display set against the town’s snowy wonderland. Although the Lake Tahoe side of Nevada (only a 45-minute drive from Reno) does not have a cannabis dispensary, the city’s ski resorts are brimming with the best of winter fun and frolic. For example, Tahoe’s Diamond Peak Ski Resort celebrates every Saturday in January (and through April) with “last tracks.” Guests start at the resort’s mid-mountain Snowflake Lodge—which has an incredibly scenic view of Lake Tahoe—and sip on fine wines and craft brews paired with delicious appetizers at sunset. After drinks and apps, skiers then hit the slopes for the final run of the day down the resort’s perfectly-groomed trails. Wherever you decide to medicate in Nevada, winter’s chill seems just a little more exciting. c
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Clarissa profile in courage
Age: 37 Condition/ Illness: Ovarian cancer, depression, anxiety. When did you start using medical cannabis? 2011
Are you an MMJ patient with a compelling story to tell? If so, we want to hear from you. Email your name, contact information and details about your experiences with medical cannabis to courage@ireadculture.com.
Why did you start using medical cannabis? When I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, I was 31, and at the time I had open abdomen surgery to remove my tumor, and then I underwent chemo. Marijuana was kind of this miraculous way to counteract the side effects of chemo, due to a lot of not sleeping, not eating and nausea. The edibles really helped me to sleep—more than the other pharmaceuticals that were prescribed to me at the time. Did you try other methods or treatments before cannabis? Oh yeah, they give you a pharmaceuticals to counteract every symptom. I just couldn’t sleep, and Ambien, which they prescribed to me actually, acted very weird on me. So I was like, Ambien is not working and I have to sleep, so that’s how that came about. What’s the most important issue or problem facing medical cannabis patients? I think the stigma, because marijuana is considered a “drug,” you know. We also don’t have enough data, so I guess the best thing is to encourage skeptics
to research CBD because it doesn’t have the stigma with the “high” that comes with cannabis anyway. So I think the miseducation in the market in general about the differences between non-psychoactive components of the cannabis plant, which have an amazing potential for medicine, and those that have traditionally been more recreational because they have a psychoactive effect. What do you say to folks who are skeptical about cannabis as a medicine? When I was undergoing conditional treatment for chemotherapy, marijuana helped me tremendously to survive. Cannabidiol (CBD) was not even available yet. Five years later now, I’m out of remission and was only recently pronounced cured, but CBD hemp oil now is becoming more well-known. Now, it’s is available in all 50 states. There are people I’ve seen that it has helped with epilepsy, glaucoma and PTSD, to name a few. I’d also like to mention projectCBD. org to skeptics—it’s a nonprofit group that is putting out really legit, impartial information on CBD and they’re not selling anything. It’s a really cool resource and I think people might be surprised. c
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Starting the New Year Off Right recipes
Menu:
Scallops with Cannabis-Infused Pesto Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Hemp Seed Parmesan
With January comes the arrival of a fresh new start. New Year’s resolutions have been made, and often not kept throughout the year, but if there’s one thing you can count on, it’s the blossoming innovation of cannabis and hemp foods. This year, more than ever, will be a time of great transformation for medical patients who choose to utilize cannabis and hemp in their daily meals. Coming far from the origins of the cannabisinfused brownies and cookies of yesteryear, this year we propose a culinary cannabis revolution. Make your own hemp seed parmesan and sprinkle it over a zesty roasted asparagus, or embrace cannabis in fine dining with scallops and a unique cannabis-infused pesto sauce. Embrace that hungering appetite and make this year a great one!
Roasted Asparagus with Lemon and Hemp Seed Parmesan Ingredients 1 pound asparagus spears (thick spears are best for roasting) 1-2 tablespoon cannabisinfused olive oil t 2 cloves garlic, minced kosher salt freshly ground black pepper lemon juice
Directions
Preheat your oven to 400°. Rinse the asparagus spears. If the ends are tough, break them off and either discard or save for stock. In a large mixing bowl, toss the asparagus spears in the infused oil. Line a roasting pan with foil (or silpat), and drizzle some of the infused oil on the foil-lined pan. Arrange the asparagus spears in a single layer on the lined roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and minced garlic. Roast for 10 minutes or until the asparagus are just lightly browned and tender when you pierce them with a fork. To serve, drizzle with fresh lemon juice and sprinkle with hemp seed parmesan.
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Hemp Seed Parmesan Ingredients 1/2 cup hemp seeds 3/4 tsp garlic powder 2 tbsp nutritional yeast Heaping 1/4 tsp sea salt
Directions
Pulse all hemp seed parmesan ingredients together in a food processor until combined and crumbly. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Legal Disclaimer Publishers of this publication are not making any representations with respect to the safety or legality of the use of medical marijuana. The recipes listed here are for general entertainment purposes only, and are intended for use only where medical marijuana is not a violation of state law. Edibles can vary in potency while a consumers’ weight, metabolism and eating habits may affect effectiveness and safety. Ingredient management is important when cooking with cannabis for proper dosage. Please consume responsibly and check with your doctor before consumption to make sure that it is safe to do so.
VISIT USatATiReadCulture.com iReadCulture.com t Additional recipe can be found
Scallops
with CannabisInfused Pesto
SEE MORE ON OUR WEBSITE
Ingredients 24 large sea scallops, muscles removed 2 tablespoons cannabutter t salt freshly ground black pepper Cannabis-Infused Pesto
Directions
Season scallops with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, then add butter. When butter begins to brown, add scallops and sear until golden, 1 1⁄2-2 minutes. Turn scallops and cook until opaque, 1 1⁄2-2 minutes more. Spoon pesto onto your choice of serving material, then set scallops in pesto for each serving.
Cannabis-Infused Pesto Ingredients 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves ½ cup cannabis-infused olive oil t 3 garlic cloves, peeled 3 tablespoons pine nuts ¼ cup parmigiano-reggiano salt freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Pulse pine nuts and 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt together in a food processor until finely ground. Add garlic and basil and, with the motor running, drizzle in cannabis-infused olive oil. Add parmigiano-reggiano and process into a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Chuck Shepherd's
News of the
Weird
LEAD STORY—THE PATIENT WILL SEE YOU NOW u Professional patients now
help train would-be doctors, especially in the most delicate and dreaded of exams (gynecological and prostate), where a becalming technique improves outcomes. One “teaching associate” of Eastern Virginia Medical School told The Washington Post in September that the helpers act as “enthusiastic surgical dummies” to 65 medical colleges, guiding rookie fingers through the trainer’s own private parts. The prostate associate might helpfully caution, “No need for speed here,” especially since he will be bending over for as many as nine
probings a day. A gynecological teaching associate, mentoring the nervous speculum-wielder, might wittily congratulate pupils on having a front-row sight line the “GTA” will never witness: an upclose view of her own cervix.
LATEST RELIGIOUS MESSAGES u American Sharia: (1) U.S.
parents have a right to homeschool their kids, but are subject to varying degrees of regulation, with Texas the most lax, and one El Paso family will have a day before the Texas Supreme Court after one of its kids was reported declining to study because education was useless since he was waiting to be “raptured” (as
described in the Bible’s Book of Revelation). (2) U.S. courts increasingly allow customers to sign away state and federal rights by agreeing to contracts providing private arbitration for disputes rather than access to courts—even if the contract explicitly requires only religious resolutions rather than secular, constitutional ones. A November New York Times investigation examined contracts ranging from Scientology’s requirement that fraud claims by members be resolved only by Scientologists—to various consumer issues from home repairs to real estate sales limited to dockets of Christian clerics.
LEADING ECONOMIC INDICATORS u At a ceremony in Kabul in
November, prominent Afghan developer Khalilullah Frozi signed a $95 million contract to build an 8,800-unit township and was, according to a New York Times dispatch, toasted for his role in the country’s economic rebirth. However, at nightfall, Frozi headed back to prison to resume his 15-year sentence for defrauding Kabul Bank of nearly $1 billion in depositors’ money. Because he remains one of Afghanistan’s elite, arrangements were made for him to work days but spend his nights in prison (in comfortable quarters). Said one Western official, laconically, “(I) f you have stolen enough money, you can get away with it.”
CULTURAL DIVERSITY u Before the terrorist murders
gripped Paris, President Francois Hollande and Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani had been trying to arrange a formal dinner during Rouhani’s planned visit to the city to celebrate the two countries’ role in the recent accord limiting Iran’s nuclear development. France’s RTL radio news reported that “dinner” is apparently more vexing than “nuclear weaponry”— as Rouhani demanded an alcoholfree meal, which was nixed by Hollande, who insisted that the French never dine without wine.
COMPELLING EXPLANATIONS u Skeptics feared it was just a
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matter of time, anyway, until the “political correctness” movement turned its attention to dignity for thieves. San Francisco’s SFGate. com reported in November on a discussion in an upscale neighborhood about whether someone committing petty, nonviolent theft should be referred to by the “offensive” term “criminal” (rather than as, for example, “the person who stole my bicycle,” since “criminal” implies a harsher level of evil and fails to acknowledge factors that might have caused momentary desperation by a person in severe need).
u Reginald Gildersleeve, 55 and free on bond with an extensive rap sheet, was waving a gun as he threatened a clerk and tried to rob a store in Chicago on Halloween night—until a customer (licensed to carry) drew his own gun and, with multiple shots, killed Gildersleeve. Closer inspection revealed Gildersleeve’s weapon to be merely a paintball gun, leading the deceased man’s stepson to complain later that “Some people (the licensed shooter) don’t actually know how to use guns. They go to firing ranges, but it’s not the same . . . as a bullet going into flesh . . . Someone’s got to answer for that.” THE CONTINUING CRISIS u U.S. and European
entrepreneurs offer extreme “games” in which liabilitywaiving “players” volunteer for hours of kidnapping, pain and death threats, but the cult-like, under-the-radar “McKamey Manor” in Southern California (said to have a waiting list of 27,000) is notable for the starkness of its threats of brutality—and the absence of any “safe word” with which a suddenly reluctant player can beg off. (Only Russ McKamey himself decides if a player has had enough). The “product” is “100 percent fear,” he said. “We’re good at it,” he told London’s The Guardian in an October dispatch from San Diego (whose reporter overheard one of McKamey’s thugs promise, “I’m going to tear that girl (player) apart” and “No one is leaving with eyebrows today”). VISIT US AT
iReadCulture.com
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VISIT US AT
iReadCulture.com
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