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contents Vol 8 IssUE 11
05.17
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MASTER OF MMA
Revered for his talent in the realm of Mixed Martial Arts, Frank Shamrock dishes about his career, his aspirations and his love for cannabis.
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On the COVER:
p h o t o b y J o h n G i l h oole y
contents
inside
5.2017
24 12
features 14
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Mother Knows Best Moms who turn to cannabis in order to treat their children’s illnesses are true heroes.
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Industry Insider Attorney Todd Winter expands on his long career in cannabis law and his motivations to advocate for the plant.
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Center Stage From supporting cannabis to seeing his name up in lights, comedian Jo Koy tells all about his current projects.
32 26 departments news
Online Exclusive!
8 News Nuggets 9 By the Numbers 10 Local News
reviews
11 Dispensary
Highlight 12 Strain & Edible Reviews 14 Cool Stuff 16 Entertainment Reviews
issue
30 Destination Unknown 32 Recipes
38 Shooting Gallery
39 News of the Weird
Vol 8 IssUE 11
in every
35 Growing Culture 36 Profile in Courage
d Berlin, Germany Researchers
Recruit Cannabis Consumers For Study d Switzerland Initiative Proposes
Cannabis Legalization
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CULTURE M
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Publisher Jeremy Zachary Editor-In-Chief Jamie Solis associate Editor Ashley Bennett creative consultant Evan Senn Editorial coordinator Benjamin Adams Editorial Contributors Matthew Abel, Sheryll Alexander, Marguerite Arnold, Jake Browne, Cole Garrison, Jasen T. Davis, Alex Distefano, David Downs, Keira Fae, Natasha Guimond, Addison Herron-Wheeler, Pamela Jayne, M. Jay, Heather Johnson, Kevin Longrie, Emily Manke, Meital Manzuri, Madison Ortiz, Denise Pollicella, R. Scott Rappold, Paul Rogers, Ed Rosenthal, Lanny Swerdlow, Jefferson Van Billiard, Simon Weedn, Laurie Wolf, Zara Zhi Photographers Kristen Angelo, Steve Baker, Kristopher Christensen, John Gilhooley, Joel Meaders, Tonya Perme, Josué Rivas, Eric Stoner Art Director Steven Myrdahl production manager Tommy LaFleur Graphic Designer Tanya Delgadillo sales director Justin Olson Account Executives Jon Bookatz, Alex Brizicky, Eric Bulls, Kim Cook, Cole Garrison, Beau Odom, Gloria Santiago, Garry Stalling, Ryan Tripp, Chris Walker, Vic Zaragoza general Manager Iris Norsworthy Office Assistant Angelina Thompson digital media Editor David Edmundson Intern Kiara Manns Distribution Manager Cruz Bobadilla
Culture® Magazine is published every month and distributes magazines at over 500 locations throughout Oregon. No articles, illustrations, photographs, or other matter within may be reproduced without written permission. Culture® Magazine is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. Phone / Fax 888.694.2046 www.iReadCulture.com
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NEWS
nuggetS Bill Would Redirect Tax Funds from Schools to Mental Health and Addiction Services
One of the key selling points of Measure 91, which legalized recreational cannabis in Oregon, could soon disappear with the implementation of new legislation. School funding that was originally promised to voters is being funneled into other areas. A bill was introduced that would redistribute funds from the Common School Fund to mental health and addiction treatment services. Senate Bill 845 would direct much less money to schools and their students. Oregon currently imposes a sales tax on recreational cannabis at 17 percent. Local governments are able to increase the tax up to three percent. According to the Oregon School Boards Association, $20 million per year would be diverted from school funding; "Twenty percent must be transferred to the Mental Health Alcoholism and Drug Services Account established under ORS 430.380; fifteen percent must be transferred to the State Police Account established under ORS 181.175,” the SB-845 proposal text states. School advocates have called the change “unacceptable.”
Medical Cannabis Expansion Bill Makes Progress in Iowa Iowa’s Senate approved an expanded measure on April 17 that would allow medical cannabis to be manufactured and dispensed throughout the state. Senate File 506 would permit patients 18 and older to consume medical cannabis if they’ve been certified by a medical practitioner. The bill would vastly expand Iowa’s cannabis oil law, and it would allow the state to license up to four manufacturers and up to 12 licensed dispensaries by July 2018. “We are interested in making law,” Sen. Charles Schneider stated. “This is not just a ‘statement’ bill. This is something that we would like to get through the House and down to the governor’s desk.” The state of Iowa allows CBD-only oil for those with intractable epilepsy, but currently imposes a three percent THC limit, and the oil must be approved by a licensed neurologist. House Speaker Linda Upmeyer said that she hopes the legislature at least lifts the July 1 deadline on Iowa’s CBD-oil law and allows access to Epidiolex®. The bill proposal also includes a reciprocity arrangement, which would allow patients to access medical cannabis from Minnesota.
Oregon State Bar Now Includes Cannabis Legal Specialty The Oregon State Bar has finally added a Cannabis Law Section that will assist attorneys who are involved with the cannabis industry. The section already boasts 71 members, according to the state bar and exists to assist lawyers in navigating this growing sector of state and federal law. The agency will help individuals currently involved in law practices who are wary of the risks that are associated with providing legal services to cannabis businesses. Like any other type of business, cannabis businesses need to navigate land-use laws, stay in compliance and maintain a solid business framework. With an established source for cannabis laws in Oregon, lawyers like Leland Berger, who is also the new section’s founding chairman, believe that the growing support for an organized source of local cannabis laws has made all lawyers more comfortable practicing local law. The Cannabis Law Section lists 17 separate topics of interest while the bar manages 42 other sections that are dedicated to other specialties.
Argentina Legalizes Medical Cannabis Oil Argentina received its final approval to legalize medical cannabis in the forms of oil or concentrate. Argentina’s Senate approved the bill unanimously with 58 votes in favor of the bill. The new law also creates a medical cannabis research program under the Health Ministry. Free access to cannabis oil will be available for those who join the research program. The bill was supported by medical cannabis groups like Mamá Cultiva Argentina, a nonprofit made up of mothers with children who suffer from refractory epilepsy. “It is a historic day in the struggle for rights in our country, a substantial improvement over legislation until yesterday [where medical cannabis consumers and their families were] persecuted, harassed and criminalized to seek relief from their suffering through this plant that helps us have more dignified lives free of disease, suffering and pain,” read a translated post from Mamá Cultiva Argentina’s Facebook page. The organization is already working on expanding the law further by allowing families of patients to grow cannabis as well. 8
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The current number of members who make up the “Cannabis Law Section” of the Oregon State Bar, which will help local lawyers navigate state and federal cannabis laws: (Source: The Bend Bulletin)
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The amount of cannabis, in grams, that residents of Portland purchased between January 4, 2016 and March 31, 2016: (Source: The
3,039,000
Oregonian) The amount of cannabis, in grams, that residents in the entire state of Oregon with the exception of Portland purchased between January 4, 2016 and March 31, 2016: (Source: The Oregonian)
1,958,000
The approximate amount of money, in millions of dollars, that was collected in recreational cannabis sales in Oregon during the month of January: (Source: The RegisterGuard)
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The number of votes, out of 58, that were presented by Oregon Senate representatives in favor of approving Senate Bill 863, which keeps cannabis consumers’ personal information private:
53
(Source: The Washington Times)
The number of votes, out of 15, that were presented by the Dallas City Council in Texas in favor of removing jail time for a person who is found in possession of four ounces of cannabis or less: (Source: DMagazine)
The percentage of medical cannabis facility owners who must be state residents, according to the recently approved rules from the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission: (Source: The Washington Times)
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60
The percentage of Kansas City, Missouri residents who voted to approve a proposal that will decrease the maximum fine for possession of cannabis and eliminate jail time: (Source: The Kansas City Star)
71
The amount of cannabis, in grams, that Canadian adults would be allowed to possess in public, according to the country’s recently introduced legislation to legalize (Source: ABC News) cannabis by July 1, 2018:
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NCIA’s 7th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days WHAT: NCIA’s 7th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days. WHEN/WHERE: Tues, May 16-Wed, May 17. First St. and East Capitol St. NE, Washington, D.C. INFO: Visit thecannabisindustry.org for details. Be a part of the groundbreaking event that promotes change and makes a difference at Lobby Days with the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA). This will be the organization’s seventh year lobbying for political progression in the industry. Taking place in the nation’s capital, participants come together at Capitol Hill to share their personal experiences working in the cannabis industry with their representatives, in hopes of creating fair taxes and policy reform. In recent years, the cannabis
industry has seen some incredible progress, but much more work still needs to be done. This year proves especially unique as it is operating in conjunction with the Spring 2017 Marijuana Business Conference and Expo from May 17-May 19. Those who attend the lobby will be offered a $100 discount on conference registration. In order to witness and take part in this influential event, NCIA membership is required. Sign up and register at the organization’s website before it’s too late! (Kiara Manns) iReadCULTURE.com
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NEWS
LOCAL
Cannabis Health Class Basics
Identity Protection
Oregon legislature approves bill to keep recreational cannabis consumer identities private
by Heather Johnson
I
f you’ve purchased cannabis in Oregon’s legal market, you can rest easy knowing that your personal identity won’t be handed off to the federal government. Oregon representatives recently voted in favor of a measure that would protect the identities of those who buy recreational cannabis in Oregon from being given to the federal government. The proposal aims to do away with the practice of cannabis business owners keeping a log of their customers’ personal information. Until now, dispensaries and other cannabisrelated businesses have kept records of who comes into their store and what they buy. When consumers enter into a dispensary, the first thing that happens is somebody takes a copy of their driver’s license. They keep these on file, along with their purchase history. Because cannabis is still illegal at the federal level, a release of this type of personal information could be bad news for thousands of consumers of Oregon’s legalized cannabis. A bipartisan group of lawmakers proposed this new legislation that will force cannabis businesses to destroy their customers' personal information within 48 hours. The new measure protects Oregon recreational cannabis consumers' identities and other information from being passed on to federal agencies. Even though over half the states in the country have passed laws to legalize cannabis, either medically or recreationally, there continues to be a huge disconnect between state and federal laws. “Oregon voters have spoken, and recreational cannabis is legal in our state,” Oregon Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici
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told CULTURE. “I’m committed to working at the federal level to support the implementation of Oregon’s law. Statements made by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions suggesting repercussions for states like Oregon are deeply concerning. Any attempt to crack down on law-abiding recreational users in states that have legalized marijuana use will be met with strong resistance, and I’ll join a bipartisan group of colleagues in the fight against such a waste of taxpayer dollars.” With fear of the federal government cracking down on recreational cannabis businesses, consumers have expressed that this new proposal has given them some reassurance. Gov. Kate Brown is expected to sign the new measure protecting the identities of legal cannabis consumers into law very soon. Oregon will be jumping on board with states like Colorado and Alaska, who already have similar protections in place. Oregonians are legally able to purchase cannabis, and they have a right to know that their personal information is protected from federal agencies. However, medical cannabis patients will still be required to give their personal information to receive the benefits of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program. Some recreational cannabis businesses are considering the fact that it might be wise to reclassify their businesses as medical. This way they can avoid losing revenue, or even their business, should the federal government interfere. In Colorado, for instance, lawmakers are working to make it easier for businesses to switch over to a medical classification in expectation of a federal crackdown on recreational cannabis sales. Federal government agencies have not been able to use funds to interfere with state cannabis laws since 2014. That could soon change with the unknown future of an amendment that blocks the federal government from channeling funds into state cannabis prohibition. Fortunately, we have representatives in Oregon that will continue to fight for the laws that our citizens have voted into place, and this new identity protection measure brings the state just one step closer to making sure the federal government stays away from Oregon state cannabis businesses. c
This cannabis health class is geared toward instructing patients who are curious in learning about medical cannabis as an option for treatment. The class is perfect for anyone who may have questions about how medical cannabis works, the ways it can be used and the types of health ailments cannabis can relieve the symptoms of. Receive enlightening education and dispel some of the common misconceptions that surround cannabis as a medical treatment. Caregivers, family members and providers of patients are all encouraged to attend as well. Nicole Baker-Warner serves as the instructor, and she carries over 10 years of experience in the public health field working with both adults and families. Participants must be at least 21 years old. Tickets are available for purchase to cover both class sessions with discounts offered to those who receive aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as well as for veterans or active duty citizens. WHAT: Cannabis Health Class Basics. WHEN: Thurs, May 18 and Thurs, May 24. Friendly House, 1737 Northwest 26th Ave., Portland. MORE INFO: Visit friendlyhouseinc. org for details.
dispensary highlight
Top Hat Express 11916 SE 22nd Ave. Ste. B, Milwaukie | (971) 272-2219 How and when did your dispensary start up? In 2015, out of our own medical needs and desire to help others to access this wonderful product. What’s the story behind the name of your dispensary? We have a very large family. About 25 years ago some uncles of ours flew into East Grand Forks, North Dakota where our family was living at the time, to visit our dad. Nightly, when everyone was getting ready for bed, dad would ask the uncles if they would like to go wear a “top hat.” I remember this time vaguely, but the older us kids got, the more often it would happen. Relatives would visit, and they would go “wear a top hat” at the end of the night with dad. When us kids grew up we
were invited to do an expert hike through hell’s canyon with our dad and uncles one summer. We went out through this canyon and the very first night the meaning of the “top hat” was discovered. It meant smoke a joint! Coming from such a inconspicuous code word growing up, the cat was now out of the bag. The rest is history, and Top Hat Express was born. What does your dispensary offer patients that they can’t find anywhere else? The best, caring family experience. How has the cannabis industry changed since you have been in the business? Where would you like to see it go? It has changed from a hidden
Interviewed: Nancy Hunter, Co-Owner
commodity to access for all aged 21 and over. I would like to see retail cannabis businesses under same regulations as other retail business so that we, too, may pay our bills and put food on the table for our families. What are the biggest challenges you face in this industry as a dispensary? Biggest joys? The biggest challenge is the time-consuming day-to-day struggle to keep up with ever-changing regulations and immense amount of compliance “paperwork.” The biggest joy is being able to provide jobs and access to a natural medicine that doesn’t have the side effects of pharmaceuticals. What is the one thing you want patients to know about your dispensary? We work with integrity.
REVIEWs
Top-Selling Strain: Super Lemon Haze Top-Selling Concentrate: WHO? Cartridges Top-Selling Edible: WANA Sour Gummies
If someone wanted to open a dispensary and get their feet wet in the industry, what advice or counsel would you give them? Be prepared to need a great deal of financial backup and an ongoing huge amount of time investment. What is the most important thing you hope to accomplish while in the cannabis community? Provide knowledge and access to a natural medicine without pharmaceutical side-effects. Even purely recreational customers receive medicinal advantages. For example, relaxation after a stressful day, aid with sleeping and eating, aid with focus and motivation and so much more. c
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REVIEWs
strains & edible Available at: Stoney Only in Portland.
Cassius This mostly sativa hybrid strain is a great to smoke in the daytime. Its potent buds will relax you, but not so much that you can't continue to function. It is a smooth strain, and although it can sting like a bee, it will most definitely have you floating like a butterfly after about 20 minutes. Great for treating depression and anxiety, Cassius is also a wonderful appetite stimulant and works wonders for treating nausea as well. The bud itself has a very sweet flavor, reminiscent of apple-flavored cereal, with a fruity aroma and hints of cinnamon. With 26 percent THC, this strain isn't just good for medical patients, but will bring a classic sativa euphoria that is great for recreational smoking as well.
FlavRx Lemon White Chocolate Bar
Available wherever: FlavRx products are carried.
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This delectable confection pairs creamy white chocolate with tart, tangy lemon flavors. With 180mg of cannabinoid content, you’re going to feel the effects. With the CBD bar, the ratio is 50/50 and each bite-sized piece contains 5mg of THC and 5mg of CBD. This balance helps you the best of both worlds from cannabis. The bars are made with 29 percent chocolate and real lemon zest for a rich flavor. They also contain lemon oil, cocoa butter and active oil. The FlavRx lemon white chocolate bar is perfect for getting medicated when you want the full flavor as well. FlavRx bars come in flavors of tangerine, blackberry, toffee, blueberry and lemon.
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REVIEWs
For More Products Go To iReadCulture.com
1.
Cone Artist Joint Roller This helpful Swedish device, the Cone Artist, is a godsend to cannasseurs everywhere. This little tool is an all-in-one cone roller, filler and stuffer! A simple device and a handy design make this Cone Artist perfect for people who prefer cones over joints, and everybody can use a little help with the rolling and filling of these delicate and tricky beasts. Grab one, and see for yourself! PRICE: $10.69 MORE INFORMATION: coneartist.com
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JENNY Crackle by Erbanna From the Odor Loc technology to strategically-placed features, every detail of Erbanna’s Jenny Crackle bag has been intentionally executed, making it a safe cannabis storage device, especially for parents. A lockable zipper will keep the little ones from getting inside this trendy bag, and there’s a convenient and removable wristlet, which is stylish and practical when you’re in a rush. The zipper is also waterproof and smell-proof. Inside there is extra padding that’s perfect for protecting glass pieces. An interior zipper compartment is an ideal storage spot for accessories, such as a lighter or a grinder. Overall, Erbanna bags make for a great gift that every cannabis consuming mother would love to receive. These luxurious bags are available in seven styles and offer leather or vegan options. PRICE: $39.99-$49.99 MORE INFORMATION: erbanna.com
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Tafl Table At first glance it appears to be an ordinary side table, but this beautifully designed, fourlegged wooden and circular stone top accent table is in fact, far from ordinary. The Tafl table is fully biofabricated, which means it is grown in just a few days using Mushroom® Materials, agriculture waste and microorganisms. Yep! That’s right! It’s made from living organisms! It is toxin-free and sustainably manufactured, and come on—it’s gorgeous, modern and sleek too! Mushroom accent table? Yes please! PRICE: $299 MORE INFORMATION: ecovativedesign.com
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Ombré Pipe Experience the pastel satin glazes of fine ceramic art. You’ve seen the ombré fade in fashion, and the trend continues with ceramic stoneware. The airbrushed ombré fade on the Ombré Pipe by Haciendaware is designed to evoke the breathtaking and smogenhanced sunsets of smoggy metropolitan cities. The Ombré Pipe is cast stoneware that’s durable and square-shaped, so it won’t roll over. Choose from chic pastel color gradients like mint, salmon, periwinkle or mauve. All pieces are handmade and have the subtle defects of original art. At just under four inches long, the Ombré Pipe will easily fit in your pocket. PRICE: $90 MORE INFORMATION: haciendaware.bigcartel.com
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REVIEWs
entertainment
BOOK
Cannabis for Seniors Beverly A. Potter, Ph.D Robin Publishing Senior citizens often face many obstacles when it comes to finding the best treatment options available for the many ailments that are synonymous with aging. Cannabis for Seniors was written by Dr. Beverly A. Potter, and it gives those of a certain age who are considering cannabis medicine insight into how consuming the plant has the potential to provide a higher quality of living and health. By debunking myths that surround cannabis medicine to discussing the countless options of cannabis treatments and more, this new book contains all the evidence and information senior citizens look toward when considering cannabis to treat their medical conditions. (Jacob Cannon)
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Available on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC Release Date: May 5
MOVIE
Hidden Figures
GAME
Dir. Theodore Melfi
Prey
20th Century Fox
Dev. Arkane Studios Pub. Bethesda Softworks Prey is a re-imagined sequel to the 2006 title of the same name, and an upcoming first-person action adventure title that melds the best thrilling categories—space and hostile aliens. Players control Morgan Yu who is performing research on the local moon while living on a large space station, where he encounters the Typhone—a group of various violent alien species that hunt players down. Explore the interior and exterior of a vast space station in an open world, collecting essential items and fighting off wave-afterwave of aliens. (Nicole Potter)
Throughout history, celebrity and mainstream recognition are generally only given to a select few individuals when grand achievements and giant leaps in progress are made. Hidden Figures does well telling the story of three behind-thescenes individuals who helped make some grand achievements in American history possible. The film profiles three female African-American mathematicians, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, who overcame both racial and gender discrimination while working at NASA in the midst of the space race and became integral parts of the institution’s success in the 1960s. (Simon Weedn)
MUSIC
DAMN. Kendrick Lamar Top Dawg Entertainment Almost two years exactly since the release of one of the biggest records of hip-hop’s modern era, To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar returns with yet another incredible masterclass in lyricism and production with DAMN., his fourth studio album. While Lamar’s previous material has always showcased the rapper’s stunning lyrical abilities and flow, DAMN. might be the first of his albums that truly hinges entirely on those talents with a nearly flawless production from some of the truly greatest producers of this era. (Simon Weedn)
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Fighting Chance
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photos by John Gilhooley
MMA Champion Frank Shamrock opens up on life, fighting and cannabis By Paul Rogers Frank Shamrock quite literally wrote the book on Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), as the author of 2006’s Mixed Martial Arts For Dummies. Born Frank Juarez, he was a troubled California street kid who bounced around
foster and group homes before finding redemption in the ring. Taken in by Bob Shamrock at his boys ranch in Susanville, California, Frank soon gravitated toward a similarly rebellious teen called Ken Kilpatrick, who would go on to become Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Famer, Ken Shamrock.
Officially adopted by Bob at age 21, the now Frank Shamrock joined his fosterbrother Ken’s famously-tough Lion’s Den MMA training school and, just days after turning 22, announced his professional arrival with a shock defeat of top Dutch fighter Bas Rutten at Japan’s King of Pancrase Tournament. Three years later, an underdog Shamrock armbarred Kevin Jackson into submission in just seconds to win the UFC Middleweight Championship (later renamed the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship)—a title he would successfully defend four times before retiring from the UFC, undefeated, in 1999. Now, at age 44, Shamrock is focusing his love for performing and proven entrepreneurial acumen on cannabis, which he’s been consuming recreationally since his adolescence and medicinally, for pain management, since his 30s. His educational and hugely entertaining cannabis talk show, The BakeOut, premiered on BakeOut.tv in January. Co-hosted by celebrity nutritionist Robert Ferguson, it’s a lively, debate-style production that deliberately presents and challenges diverse cannabis-related points of view. CULTURE chatted with Shamrock about The BakeOut, the gargantuan prospects for cannabis business, beating drug tests—and eating out of trash cans. >>
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Frank Shamrock and CoHost Robert Ferguson on the set of The BakeOut.
What’s the story behind The BakeOut? How did the show come about? It really was a continuing conversation about how we impact education and awareness for cannabis and cannabis usage . . . and then it became, like, “wow, we should do a show about this!” Do you mean it was a conversation between you and your co-host, Robert Ferguson? Yeah. I mean, he has a Ph.D. and is an educated nutritionist, and he’s what I think Middle America kind of knows and understands. And I was born and raised in California and have been using cannabis for 25-plus years, as a super-athlete and businessman. There are very opposing views of it—from experience, from education, from 20
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consumption. And we have an open discussion about it. How would you describe The BakeOut? It’s a bit of The Tonight Show meets The View—but with two guys. And we talk about everything— business, science, law, sex, consumption, ideas, spirituality. To me, this is a journey that we’re going on, socially—we’re all kind of learning together. And then we’re backing it up with science. How do you select your BakeOut guests? So far, we’ve been looking for compelling stories that we think will open peoples’ eyes. Our first interviewee was [a Stage IV cancer survivor] Tahnee Shah—I mean, just a miracle! The doctors sent her home to
die—and she didn’t. The only thing she changed was cannabis and the usage of it. And then the second episode was NFL-based, [because] the Super Bowl [was] coming up [and] we’re watching this happening in society with brain injuries, with drug addiction, with [athletes’] efforts to kill the pain from the sport. And it’s just terribly damaging to these athletes, and no one knows about it and that there really are safe alternatives out there. You’ve said that you and your co-host “may not agree on cannabis as medicine.” Can you expand upon that? Robert comes from the world of addiction, meaning that he works very heavily in the nutritional side, in
the psychological side, and then also in the spiritual side of battling addiction. So, from his perspective, he learned what I learned when I was a kid—that [cannabis] is a gateway drug; it leads to addiction. So, the fact that science is butting up against with him is his journey, and he’s willing to go in that journey with us. Did you always see yourself going into broadcasting after you retired from fighting? Yes. I always knew that I’d do this, and I always had the plan that I would become a broadcaster. I thought I would become a movie star, and the broadcasting would just be a very short run, but I found out that [more time was required] to get us to network television. >>
“There’s still this old Cheech & Chong, hang out, smoke-it-up generation, and it’s colliding with the new culture, which is medicinaland businessthinking.”
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“[But] I didn’t even think about [cannabis for pain management] until I was into my 30s and then I’m literally struggling with addiction from the pain pills.” Compared with life in the ring and cage, what are the challenges of your professional life today? They’re very similar fears . . . they’re very primal, someone’sgoing-to-see-inside-of-me type fears. But it’s so much better being in front of the camera. It’s so much easier! It’s a skill you can sustain for a long, long time. And, you know, performing anything is amazing, and once I realized my body was wearing out, my focus became my next level of performance, which is my ability to speak, my ability to present [and] to act. So it’s a natural evolution as an entertainer. While still fighting, did you ever fear that you’d feel unfulfilled once you retired? One-thousand percent. Y’know, I set these Guinness World Records and I was, like, [defeating] everybody . . . And when you pull yourself out of that limelight and you try to get on the PTA or be a normal person, it’s really challenging; it’s really hard to re-integrate. What were the highlights of your fighting career? Definitely beating Kevin Jackson, the Olympic medalist in 1992, in 14 seconds, in Japan. That was the absolute highlight of my beginning career, because it [was a] World Champion—all the dreams came true. And then the last few fights, where I was older, I had so many hats on to build companies. I was doing things like when my knee was blown out, and I was still fighting; my shoulder was blown, [and] I was still performing at the 22
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highest level and was really proud of my ability to maintain focus. Aside from The BakeOut, what are you up to these days? I’m mainly doing just charity work. We have an initiative to help at-risk youth, and that comes from us through scholarships for martial arts and scholarships for arts and entertainment programs. And these are kids that are in at-risk communities like I was, where there’s a lack of education, lack of funds and lack of parental guidance. How do you remember your childhood? Was it a struggle? Yeah. It wasn’t good. You know, my mom—we didn’t have money, we didn’t have an education, we were on welfare and it wasn’t pleasant. So I left home when I was 11 years old; I became a ward of state because I had been in that much trouble by then that, to protect me and everybody else, they took me away. You mean trouble with law enforcement? Yeah, trouble with the law. Well, I never knew that you’re not supposed to lock your kids in closets and all this other stuff that was happening to me. I didn’t know that it was not normal. And it was through getting in trouble that I got into situations where I was talking to counselors, and I was talking to people and was realizing what was happening wasn’t right. But the only way that I was getting to those people and getting the help was by breaking the law. >>
Frank Shamrock: A look back in time 1972 Frank Alisio Juarez III was born in Santa Monica, California on December 8. 1980s
Young Frank Juarez bounced around between foster homes, crisis centers and jail.
1998
Shamrock was named “Best Full Contact Fighter” by Black Belt Magazine. In October, he fought Lober again and defeated him in seven minutes.
1999
September 24, Shamrock defeated Tito Ortiz at UFC 22. The fight has been considered the “best fight in UFC history.” It would be Shamrock’s last appearance in the UFC.
1993
At 21 years old, Frank Juarez was officially adopted by Bob Shamrock, who helped wayward teens learn to fight. He would later change his last name to honor the relationship. Also this was the year of the firstever Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event, where Royce Gracie defeated Frank’s brother Ken Shamrock.
1994 Ken Shamrock taught submission fighting to his brother Frank. On December 16, Shamrock surprised everyone and defeated the legendary Bas Rutten. 1997 On January 17, Frank lost to John Lober at SuperBrawl III in Honolulu, Hawaii. Shamrock shifted his focus to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). On December 21, Frank Shamrock became the first-ever UFC Middleweight Champion.
2000
Shamrock defeated Elivis Sinosic on December 10 at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 Final.
2001
On August 11, Shamrock broke former student Shannon “The Cannon” Ritch’s arm at K-1 Kickboxing with a roundhouse kick.
2005 The acclaimed fighter opens the Shamrock Martial Arts Academy to teach MMA in San Jose in December. 2008
Shamrock’s daughter, Nicolette, was born on April 24.
2009
Shamrock was defeated by Nick Diaz by a technical KO on April 11.
Is that, in part, what drove you to seek out and achieve such success? For sure. I don’t want my children, my family or anybody I know to have to grow up like that . . . I used to eat out of trash cans; I used to sleep at the park. I remember it like it was yesterday. I want people who experience that to know that there’s somewhere, something they can do that will help them make it. And that’s kind of my attraction to cannabis. I’m seeing it like I was seeing Mixed Martial Arts. I was, like, “listen you guys, [MMA] is going to be insanely big, because this is in peoples’ hearts; this is what people want, they just don’t know it yet.” And it’s the same thing with this medicine, and I feel like we’re in that same position, only this medicine’s so much bigger than the martial arts thing. Can you describe your personal journey with cannabis? It started recreationally. It wasn’t until I got into sports that I started experiencing real levels of pain and needing to deal with them. [But] I didn’t even think about [cannabis for pain management] until I was into my 30s and then I’m literally struggling with addiction from the pain pills. At that time I started consuming edibles and the salves had started coming out, [and] I never took pain pills again. I switched entirely to cannabis for my pain management. It saved me, because my biggest fear, and I’m certain it would’ve happened, that at the end of all this I’d be a drug addict. I think it prolonged my career; allowed me to perform at the highest level, and even today I have to consume it. Otherwise I’m not sleeping, I can’t sit down, and I’m in the most horrible pain. How have you seen attitudes toward cannabis change
amongst professional athletes? All athletes are talking about it, and they’re also beginning to realize [that] what they give you to kill the pain is killing everything—and it’s also addictive. Everybody’s seeing the opportunities here and what [cannabis is] doing. When you were you using cannabis during your fighting career, was there an issue with detection? One-hundred percent, and [there was a] tremendous fear about it, because if it was a championship fight, you had to pass a clean test. So there was three weeks of agony and pain and discomfort, where I could not take my medicine because of fear that it would be caught and my brand image would be ruined.
2010 Frank and Ken Shamrock’s adoptive father, Bob, passed away on January 14. He announced his retirement from fighting on June 26 at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum. 2012
Shamrock released his autobiography Uncaged: My Life as a Champion MMA Fighter, on October 1.
2015
On February 19, Frank ended his decades-long public feud with his brother Ken by joining him in the corner during his fight against Royce Gracie.
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The first episode of Frank’s new cannabis education TV show, The BakeOut, premiered on January 25.
2013
He was featured in the award-winning documentary on MMA titled Fight Life, which won “Best Documentary” at the United Film Festival.
Do professional athletes, who are synonymous with fitness, health and success, have a special role to play in cannabis advocacy? I absolutely think they do. Because we put ‘em on pedestals, and we follow their leads. I felt tremendous angst that I was taking this medicine and couldn’t share it or talk about it. And I felt terrible that I was doing this in secret. What are some of the biggest misunderstandings about cannabis in America today? That we’re all “getting high,” that we’re “smoking weed.” There’s still this old Cheech & Chong, hang out, smoke-it-up generation, and it’s colliding with the new culture, which is medicinal- and businessthinking. We need to get a line here, because “Big Pharma’s” coming, big money’s coming, big business is coming. And this [cannabis] community is a really nice group of caretakers and supporters and medicine users and activists. If they could get on the same page, that’s a powerful, powerful voice. c
www.frankshamrock.com iReadCULTURE.com
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Motherhood and Miraculous Medicine
Courageous mothers all over the country turn to cannabis to help their children by Addison Herron-Wheeler
I
t’s that time of year when we celebrate mothers. From pregnancy and childbirth to a lifetime of personal sacrifice, unconditional love and support, every mother should be honored for what she does for her children. But there are some mothers who are asked to bear a much heavier burden than others. Those whose children fall ill from serious conditions are forced to go through experiences and
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make decisions that most of us can’t even imagine, such as accepting the reality of their child’s struggles, the horrible effects that pharmaceutical medications can have on a child or the staggering cost of medical bills. Fortunately, not all of these mothers have to face an unhappy ending when it comes to their children. Many find relief in what some would consider an unusual place—cannabis. However, the mothers who are brave enough to try anything to make their children well often do so at a cost, be it the criticism they face for
their decision, the lengths they have to go through to get cannabis medically or the trial-and-error process in administering cannabis to their children, due to cannabis still being a Schedule I substance. For Beth Collins, mother of medical cannabis patient Jennifer Collins, cannabis treatment wasn’t something that she was judged for pursuing, but it did cause her entire life to change. Epilepsy can develop in a person at any age, and Jennifer started having epileptic seizures as a young teen. >>
“I left a quite comfortable corporate career to try and help get sensible medical cannabis laws passed on the state and federal levels,” Beth explained to CULTURE. “It’s incredibly stressful work, but satisfying to know I’m helping to get access to safe medicine to patients in need.” Additionally, Beth has watched her daughter Jennifer overcome the difficulty of living with epilepsy. Jennifer has taken her experiences and bravely spoken about them in public, giving a voice to people living with epilepsy. “She’s been very brave to be so public about her experiences but she’s wanted to speak for those who can’t,” Beth said. “It’s given her a much different outlook than a lot of [other] teenagers have.” Jessica Hooker, mother of Addison “Addi” Hooker, has experienced a similar struggle. Her daughter Addi, age 11, suffers from a severe form of epilepsy and has only found relief with cannabis oil. Addi has been taking Charlotte’s Web oil for relief since December 2016. She has
the medicines did provide was far outweighed by the endless side effects. These children deserve a happy, healthy childhood, plain and simple.” Many mothers in the United States have struggled to get cannabis medicine in their particular location, often uprooting their lives or traveling thousands of miles just to get access to cannabis. However, for Charlotte Caldwell, mother of Billy Caldwell, getting access was even more of a struggle. Because she lived in Northern Ireland, she didn’t even learn about the treatment until she visited Los Angeles to see a pediatric epilepsy specialist and encountered the alternative treatment. Since she discovered medical cannabis, she first administered CBD to Billy, followed by a trial using THC. He is now more than 70 days seizure-free. Upon their return to Ireland, Charlotte and Billy marched 150 miles to a meeting to demand access to a prescription for the medication, seeing that it is the only
children with epilepsy. However cannabis has proven effective at combating many other conditions as well. In the case of Meiko Hester-Perez and her son Joey, cannabis is being used to treat severe autism, and the results are astounding. The oil helps Joey to relax, maintain eye contact and calm down from tantrums. It also has helped him gain weight; previous to the cannabis oil Joey was suffering malnutrition and was diagnosed with anorexia. “I think a lot of people don’t realize that Joey has been diagnosed as terminal,” Hester-Perez told CULTURE. Hester-Perez also shared how her journey administering Joey with lifesaving cannabis medicine has not only benefited her son, but it’s helped her evolve into a pivotal advocate in the cannabis industry. “In 2009 I was just a mom,” stated Hester-Perez. “In 2017, I’m a scientific advisor; I sit on the board of NORML; I work on companies with cannabis safety, I intervene in Child Protective Services cases to make sure
We have followed doctors’ orders, filled the prescriptions, tried the diets and all of those things failed these kids. For some, what little relief the medicines did provide was far outweighed by the endless side effects. These children deserve a happy, healthy childhood, plain and simple. experienced cognitive, communicative and memory improvement since beginning her treatment. Even though the Hooker family received criticism for considering cannabis medicine, they persevered and got Addi the medicine she needed. Jessica now shares her family’s cannabis success story in hopes of helping other families in a similar predicament. “For so many children this is the last option, but it should be the first,” Hooker explained to CULTURE. “We have followed doctors’ orders, filled the prescriptions, tried the diets and all of those things failed these kids. For some, what little relief
medication that has been effective in treating Billy’s condition. “I think what is really important, because Billy’s epilepsy was so drug-resistant, is that medical cannabis should be available as an alternative treatment,” Charlotte told CULTURE. “I would never, ever say or declare that it has cured Billy of his epilepsy, but I would definitely advise parents to give it a try if they are in a situation like I was in where the medicine wasn’t working.” When most people think of children using cannabis as medicine, it is becoming more common to hear about parents utilizing CBD oils to reduce seizures for
that parents choosing this treatment option have the navigation that goes along with it.” While each of these mothers has had a unique experience ensuring the well-being of their children and the use of medical cannabis, they all have a few key similarities. These mothers have all fought against the odds to gain access for someone they love. Whether they dealt with criticism, struggled to get safe access to cannabis or had to overcome monetary or geographic hurdles, they all preserved—making their children’s lives better because of it. c
iReadCULTURE.com
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Industry Insider
Cannabis law attorney Todd Winter’s courageous spirit continues to benefit the industry by R. Scott Rappold
There were just a handful of us [cannabis] attorneys at that time, and we really wrote the book for how things progressed for the next eight years.
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T
odd Winter didn’t set out to become a cannabis attorney. Like many in this industry, he kind of fell into it through “pure coincidence and happenstance.” In the nine years since he began fighting for cannabis clients, he has become one of the nation’s leading legal advocates, with some of the biggest names in his dossier, including Bhang and Eureka Vapor. Yet he’s rarely had to advertise the fact. You’ll have to dig deep in his website to even find a mention of cannabis. He earned his reputation the old-fashioned way—through word of mouth. “The proudest thing for me is that I [have] held [the trust of] some of the biggest cannabis companies in the world over the years, and they’ve continued to spread my name to other clients to call and retain us, which to me is the greatest compliment you can get,” said Winter, 47, of Costa Mesa, California. >>
photos by Eric Stoner
It completely changes my frame of mind and allows me to relax from the day, and it just changes everything. Instead of being uptight and worrying about everything in the house, I get down on the floor and play with the kids and it’s an important component of my life.
F.
From Corporate to Cannabis
Winter also took the circuitous route to becoming an attorney. After working for seven years in sales and marketing, he decided to go to night school to earn his law degree. After a stint abroad he landed at a large company, Kittrich Corporation, overseeing real estate transactions, as well as patent and trademark filings. However, it wasn’t the kind of work Winter had imagined doing, so he started his own firm. Around this time, in 2008, he began speaking with a guy he’d met at a coffee shop who just happened to grow cannabis. These were days of uncertainty in California’s nascent medical cannabis industry, a time of police raids and threatening closure letters, when nobody knew what the federal government might do with the plant it had been fighting for 70 years. Many attorneys wouldn’t even touch these cases. Winter decided his training and experience would be a good fit for the industry, so he took the guy on as a client. The next week, two more growers called. Then four. Then eight. “There were just a handful of us [cannabis] attorneys at that time, and we really wrote the book for how things progressed for the next eight years,” said Winter. “A lot of my colleagues almost looked down their noses at us, almost as if we were personal-injury, ambulancechasing attorneys, and now everyone wants in.”
T.
“One of the things we’ve pioneered . . . We call it the ‘circle the wagons approach,’ where you try to brand a significant amount of services surrounding the cannabis plant itself,” he said. Winter sees plenty of complex issues on the horizon for cannabis, especially as California moves toward regulating what is projected to become the largest legal cannabis market in the world. The lack of banking, for one, remains a thorn in the industry’s side, and the jury is still out on what President Donald Trump’s administration may do about state-level legalization. For his part, he isn’t worried about a federal crackdown. “Cannabis is too big to fail,” he said. He’s motivated in part by a love of the plant. A medium, 10mg dose is his preferred evening cool-down after a day fighting the good fight. “It completely changes my frame of mind and allows me to relax from the day, and it just changes everything,” Winter said. “Instead of being uptight and worrying about everything in the house, I get down on the floor and play with the kids. It’s an important component of my life.” Another factor of motivation for Winter is loyalty to the clients, many of whom he’s had from the get-go. “I’m proud of the fact we still have most of the clients who have started with us,” he said. “It was always about our clients. Our clients are some of the best human beings in the world. They genuinely care about the plant. They genuinely care about people and it’s been an absolutely amazing journey to be on with our clients over the past eight years, to watch them grow and succeed.” c
Trademarks, Banking and More
From the outset of his entry into the hazy world of cannabis law, Winter had a strong belief that trademarks and brands would be the future of the industry. “I was one of the few, back in 2008, who was jumping up and down and telling clients the branding was going to be huge,” he said. In a crowded industry where everyone was basically selling the same base product—cannabis—those who could give consumers a brand to relate to would thrive. Of course, you can’t trademark cannabis or cannabisinfused products, since they’re still federally illegal, so much of Winter’s work has involved trademarks on brands and accessories.
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I hope federal [cannabis] legalization happens soon; I don’t even know why it’s illegal. I can count 10 drugs off the top of my head that should be illegal . . .
Bright Lights Jo Koy opens up to CULTURE about his successful comedy career and latest endeavors
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by Heather Johnson
C
omedian Jo Koy grew up looking at the bright lights of the Las Vegas strip. He imagined one day performing his stand-up comedy to huge crowds and selling out shows. This dream became a reality this past year when Koy’s comedy tour brought him right back to the city he called home, and every seat in the house was filled. His career really started to take off in 2005, when he
photos by Robyn Von Swank
performed for the world on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and received a coveted standing ovation. Koy has appeared on over 100 episodes of Chelsea Lately, and he is also a regular guest on The Adam Corolla Show. He is currently touring the country, and he just released his third live comedy special and Netflix debut Jo Koy: Live from Seattle. Koy also hosts the weekly podcast, “The Koy Pond,” with new episodes every Thursday on Podcast One. We had a chance to sit down with Koy and chat about his explosive career, his family, and of course, cannabis. >>
What was your role on Chelsea Lately, and what was it like working with her crew? To this day, people still think that show is on. People call into my show and they’re like, “I watch you every night on Chelsea Lately,” and I say, “That show hasn’t been on in years.” That thing was a daily show, it wasn’t a weekly show, and people watched it every single day. It was being viewed by everyone. That show had so much power and impact in my career, that it really did change everything. It changed the game for me. It just kind of blew up in front of everyone’s faces—I don’t even think Chelsea expected it to do what it did. We would love to hear about your current comedy tour, are you enjoying yourself? I love it. We are hoping to be international next year. I’ve already done Australia, the Philippines and Guam. This year we are staying right here in the states, and it’s been great. I’ve been nonstop; I just did Vegas, my hometown. I played the Mystere Theater at Treasure Island, and I sold out every single seat, which was unbelievable. Imagine just living there and looking at the strip and thinking, “Someday I’ll perform there.” And when it actually happened, I sold the place out. I pinch myself every time I think about it. It’s just one of those things where you pinch yourself and you say, “Is this really happening?” Nevada recently legalized recreational cannabis; what are your thoughts on the growing number of states with legal cannabis? I hope federal legalization happens soon; I don’t even know why it’s illegal. I can count 10 drugs off the top of my head that should be illegal, but for some reason they’re A-OK to have, you know? I think the reason why it’s illegal is obvious. I think that the government can’t control it and capitalize on it the way they really want to. Once you legalize it then, boom, everyone is growing it in their backyard. If your 13-year-old son asked you about smoking cannabis, what would you say? Things are going to happen. I think I’ve done a very good job of showing what drugs can do. And I’m not saying anything bad about cannabis
I think that the government can’t control it, and capitalize on it the way they really want to. Once you legalize it then, boom, everyone is growing it in their backyard.
or anything, but it’s your environment, it’s the people you surround yourself with. It’s your responsibility, as long as he can be responsible and make sure little things are alright, then I’m fine. You talk about your mom a lot in your stand-up. Can you tell us about the influence she has had on your career? My mom indirectly got me into comedy. She was the one who got us onstage in these Filipino talent shows. She was just fulfilling her responsibilities as the entertainment person with the Filipino Association. I don’t think she really saw talent in us, or thought that she was going to make us stars. She had to fill the stage at these events that the association would have. She would say, “Oh my daughter can sing, and my son can dance.” Then when my sister and I both wanted to pursue it, she said, “Well there’s not really any money in it.” She was just like any other mom, trying to get us to go to college and get a job with benefits. But then when stuff kind of started taking off for me and my sister, she was like, “Oh it was my idea, I knew you guys were going to make it.” Your third comedy special and Netflix debut released on March 28, were you excited? Yes! Netflix, baby. My first comedy specials were with Comedy Central and now this one is with Netflix. I’m just so happy to be a part of this family. Man, they are just changing the game, and I’m just happy to be a part of it. They are so good at what they do. Tell us about your weekly podcast “The Koy Pond.” You know what I love about “The Koy Pond”? I like to sit on my improv skills. So when I have a guest come on the show, they will tell their stories. I like to just dig right in and recreate the stories that they just told. Like if they are talking about their mom and dad, I’ll create the character where I become the mom and just start improvising with my guest. We just go with it and see where it takes us. That’s more fun to me, and that’s the kind of podcast I like to listen to, so that’s why I like to do it that way. Anything can happen. c jokoy.com iReadCULTURE.com
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culture growing
Time to Go: May Weather: Low 80s, periodic rainfall Budget: $$$$$
Mexico City Flowers in May by Sheryll Alexander
Mexico City has always attracted cannabis enthusiasts, as this ancientmeets-modern city of approximately ninemillion people was literally built from the ground up atop a pre-Aztec Empire temple for a Mayan female called Divinity, who was literally worshipped for her miracle plant medicines. So, when it comes to cannabis travel south of the border and—in particular to Mexico City—there’s always been an underground reverence for the cannabis plant. Mexico has made several preliminary legal moves in the last few years to create the foundation for what may eventually become a medicinal cannabis haven and possibly a future as a recreational country such as South America’s Uruguay. What does this mean to Mexico City’s millions of annual visitors? Firstly, carrying a small personal amount of cannabis flower is
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if you go:
now legal. This decriminalization has happily eased tensions between local authorities and cannabis enthusiasts who now feel free to casually light up (albeit discreetly) in public. Secondly, public and political opinion toward cannabis as both medicine and a “soft drug” akin to tobacco and alcohol is becoming so commonplace that a Barcelona-style private cannabis club with 2,000 members infamously opened last year. As the political (city, state and federal government all collide here) and financial capital of all Mexico, Mexico City is a whirlwind of “global congress,” finance and corporate conferences as a seemingly never-ending metropolitan mega-wasteland. It is this frenzy of leisure and business activity—plus the city’s millions of diverse residents—that makes Mexico City a vibrant, buzzing hive of cultural treasures now built atop beloved neighborhood districts. c
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Fun-Filled Facts Distrito Federal, aka Mexico City, is the largest city in North America—even bigger than New York City.
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1
Mexico City was built thousands of years ago on what used to be a lake, and it sinks nearly 10 inches per year as a result. 2
Mexico essentially shuts down for three national holidays in May including Labor Day (May 1), The Battle of Puebla (May 5) and the Feast of San Isidro (May 15). 3
Yes, it is still illegal to grow, sell and distribute cannabis in Mexico. However, a 2009 Mexican law decriminalized cannabis possession in small amounts (no more than five grams), which has made Mexico City more of a cannabis-friendly destination than ever before. But even before the new law, Mexico City’s millions of mota enthusiasts made this a relaxed place where nobody trips when someone lights up in public parks, nightclubs and, of course, outside while taking a sun-filled siesta on a bougainvilleacovered hacienda’s terraza. As is always suggested when going global, the best way to find cannabinoid medication while in any country is to plan ahead. Sign up for a cannabis-friendly tour or seek out a local who can safely guide you. Still, it is Mexico and there are many choices. Interestingly, the most premium (and most expensive) cannabis flowers in Mexico are now imported from Europe or North America. If you do end up being “shaken down” by local police, stay calm. Politely explain to the officer that you understand the legal cannabis possession law.
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culture growing
A May to Remember Menu:
Bacon & Vegetable Quiche
The Bloody Pearl
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Classic French Toast Sticks
Makes
6
servings
Bacon & Vegetable Quiche Directions:
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The month of May is synonymous with hearty brunches, not only because of Mother’s Day, but because the weather alone is perfect for gathering loved ones together to dine and enjoy each other’s company. Embark upon the journey of exploring decadent brunch recipes that are sure to result in a late morning filled with harmonious food and great conversation. We’ve gathered our favorite recipes that offer bold flavors that pay respect to the replenishing gifts of springtime. These fresh recipes utilize colorful fruits and vegetables that are seasonal in May, but also offer savory blends of bacon to create brunch dishes that everyone can enjoy. Grab an armful of cauliflower, raspberries, blueberries and broccoli—it’s a bonus if you find locally-sourced bacon. With these seasonal ingredients, loving company and perfect weather considered, this will be a glorious way to honor mothers everywhere.
1 unbaked, unfrozen pastry shell (9 inches)
6 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup chopped fresh broccoli
1 2/3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup chopped fresh cauliflower
1 1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups fresh baby spinach 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheese 4 eggs, lightly beaten MAY 2017 iReadCULTURE.com
1 1/2 teaspoons cannabisinfused olive oil t 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Preheat your over to 400°. Line the crust in heavyduty aluminum foil. Bake until the edges of your pie crust begin to turn golden, approximately 10 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for an additional five minutes. Lower the oven heat to 350°. Heat cannabis-infused olive oil and non-infused olive oil in a large skillet at medium high. Cook the cauliflower, broccoli and onion in the skillet under tender. Add baby spinach, and cook until wilted. Whisk eggs, rosemary, cream, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add cooked vegetables, cheese and bacon to your mixture and pour into your crust. Cover the edges of your crust with foil, and bake the quiche for 35-40 minutes. Continue cooking until a knife that is inserted into the middle of the quiche comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. t Additional recipe can be found at iReadCulture.com
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culture
Classic French Toast Sticks
growing
Ingredients: 4 eggs, whisked
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of milk
8 slices whole wheat bread
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
1/4 cup cannabutter
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
Powdered sugar
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Instructions:
Makes
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servings
The Bloody Pearl Bloody Pearl Mix
6 ounces gin
1 gallon tomato juice
4 cups Bloody Pearl Mix
4 cups Chinese black vinegar
2 full droppers of aromatic cannabis bitters t
1 cup lemon juice
Cilantro for garnish
Instructions:
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Whisk eggs in a medium bowl, then add vanilla and milk until the mixture is blended. Pre-heat a non-stick pan or griddle to medium heat. Dip your bread, one slice at a time, into the mixture, and place bread onto your pan or griddle. Cook each side of the bread until it is golden brown in color. Spread butter onto each slice of bread, and cut the French toast into strips. Garnish your French toast with fresh raspberries and blueberries and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with maple syrup.
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Makes
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servings
1/3 cup Sriacha 1 cup horseradish 1/2 cup celery salt 1/2 cup toasted ground caraway seeds Salt and black pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice to fill and lightly shake. Pour into highball and garnish with cilantro.
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.
MAY 2017 iReadCULTURE.com
culture growing
2017 WINTER GARDEN 4
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by Ed Rosenthal
O
ne month ago, I cut the Shark Shock plant in its 50th day of flowering. The plant spread over a nine-square-foot canopy but was less than 24” tall. Once the plant was cut, I hung it upside-down in an unused grow tent in a room that stays between 650-720 with a relative humidity (RH) of 45-55 percent. The room stayed within ideal range of temperature and humidity. Rather than separating the drying and curing stages with clear delineation, I just let the plant hang and slowly reach maturity. A month has gone by and now it’s time to take down the plant and manicure it. Manicuring was easy. First, the colas were removed from the branches using a pair of garden clippers, then the buds were manicured while remaining on the cola. Finally, they were
The plant hung in the tent for almost a month.
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.
Buds were trimmed of leaves and removed from the cola.
Specially designed commercial silkscreen was placed over bucket.
removed from the cola. Then a joint was rolled and a small group gathered for subjective testing. Everyone was pleased with the uplifting nature of Shark Shock’s effects and noticed the fine white ash, indicating few excess nutrients in the bud. After the brief respite for testing purposes, the work continued. The next step was to use the trim to make dry ice hash. This is a very fast, simple process and results in some very fine hash, as well as material that can be used for further processing. The trim was placed in a clean fivegallon bucket that already contained about 8-10 pounds of crushed dry ice. Dry ice is frozen CO2 and is very cold negative 109.3˚ Fahrenheit. If you’re replicating this method at home, never mess with it with bare hands. Instead, wear work gloves. Mix the grass into the crushed ice using a wooden spoon. Let it sit for a few minutes waiting for the grass to get cold. Place a dry ice screen over the bucket. Turn it upside down and start shaking it as you slowly move the bucket along an absolutely dry, clean and uncluttered surface such as a table-top. The bucket moves as it is shaken along the surface and the color of the powder falling through the screen gradually changes from the palest creamy yellow to green. The green is powdered vegetation, indicating that a higher proportion of the powder is screened vegetation. Finally, the blonde was separated from the green kief. c
Pile of buds.
Bucket was turned upside down and shaken.
Close-up of bud covered with trichomes.
Glands pour out of the bucket covering the table.
TIP OF THE MONTH It’s time for spring clean-up. Whether you are a connoisseur or grower, you probably have some trimmings from buds lying around as well as “emergency” cannabis, or stuff that wasn’t quite up to par. Instead, gather it all up to transform it into something useful. You can soak it in high-proof alcohol for use as a hi-cocktail, sift it through a screen to make kief, make dry ice hash, soak in butter or oil for cooking or grind it up and add it to skin cream. It’s a double win. Your tray and paraphernalia are cleaned up and you have something to show for your efforts.
Enjoying the harvest.
The kief color changed as the shaking continued.
Trim leaf was placed in clean bucket filled with dry ice and stirred.
Pile of AA dry ice kief.
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culture RECIPES
growing
Sheryll Alexander
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Age: 54
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Condition/Illness: Severe scalp psoriasis, skin cancer and chronic pain.
When did you start using medical cannabis? I started “smoking pot” at 21 recreationally, and because of the lack of medical knowledge, I did not realize it was my pain medicine until years later. For decades, I had to buy my meds on the black market and—as a single mother—worry about having my child taken away because of my “drug” use. I am thankful for California’s and L.A.’s now easy access to premium cannabis products for my pain management and transdermal products. Did you try other methods or treatments before cannabis? No. I made a commitment to myself when I was 17 years old to never use
pharmaceutical drugs for pain or my skin conditions. What’s the most important issue or problem facing medical cannabis patients? Well, it unfortunately still depends on where you live. For some, it is still illegal and access is their big challenge. For others like me, it usually comes down to not being able to afford high-quality organic indica flowers for pain and a lot of top-notch transdermal products. But mostly, I think medical doctors should be prescribing cannabis medicine, not budtenders. What do you say to folks who are skeptical about cannabis as medicine? Firstly, I just state the obvious—cannabis has never killed anyone. Then I go into a long-winded explanation about the endocannabinoid system. By the end, they are usually convinced. c
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.
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SHOOTING GALLERY
new england cannabis convention Boston, Massachusetts
photos courtesy of NECANN
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MAY 2017 iReadCULTURE.com
Chuck Shepherd's
News of the
Weird
LEAD STORY—TP GOES HIGH TECH u China’s public park restrooms have for years suffered toiletpaper theft by local residents who raid dispensers for their own homes (a cultural habit, wrote Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, expressing taxpayer feelings of “owning” public facilities), but the government recently fought back with technology. At Beijing’s popular Temple of Heaven park, dispensers now have facial-recognition scanners beside the six toilets, with precut paper (about 24 inches long) issued only to users who pose for a picture. (Just one slug of paper can be dispensed to the same face in a 9-minute period, catastrophic for the diarrhea-stricken and it requires calling an attendant to override the machine.) LATEST RELIGIOUS MESSAGES u The church-state “wall” leaks badly in Spindale, North Carolina, according to former members of the Word of Faith Fellowship (reported in February by the Associated Press). Two state prosecutors (one a relative of the church’s founder), in nearby Burke and Rutherford counties, allegedly coached Fellowship members and leaders how to neutralize government investigations into church “abuse”—coaching that would violate state law and attorney ethical standards. Fellowship officials have been accused of beating “misbehaving” congregants, including children, in order to repel their demons. (Among the Fellowship’s edicts revealed in the AP report: All dating, marriages and procreation subject to approval;
no wedding-night intimacy beyond a “godly” cheek kiss; subsequent marital sex limited to 30 minutes, no foreplay, lights off, missionary position.) THE BEDROOM OF TOMORROW u In March, vibrator customers were awarded up to $10,000 each in their class-action “invasion of privacy” lawsuit against the company Standard Innovation, whose We-Vibe model’s smartphone app collected intimate data (vibrator temperature and motor intensity) that could be associated with particular customers—and which were easily hackable, and controllable, by anyone nearby with a Bluetooth connection. The Illinois federal court limited the award to $199 for anyone who bought the vibrator but did not activate the app. PERSPECTIVE u The U.S. House of Representatives, demonstrating particular concern for military veterans, enhanced vets’ civil rights in March by removing a source of delay in gun purchases. A 2007 law had required all federal agencies to enter any mentally-ill clients into the National Instant Criminal Background Check database for gun purchases, but the new bill exempts veterans (including, per VA estimates, 19,000 schizophrenics and 15,000 with “severe” post-traumatic stress disorder). (An average of a dozen veterans a day in recent times have committed suicide with guns.) FINE POINTS OF THE LAW u Police and prosecutors in Williamsburg, Virginia, are absolutely certain that Oswaldo Martinez raped and killed a teenage girl in 2005, but, though he was quickly arrested, they have—12 years later—not even put him on trial. Martinez, then 33, is still apparently, genuinely (i.e., not faking) deaf, illiterate and almost mute, and besides that, the undocumented Salvadoran
immigrant has such limited intelligence that test after test has shown him incapable of understanding his legal rights, and therefore “incompetent” to stand trial. (Police made multiple “slam dunk” findings of Martinez’s DNA on the victim’s body and also linked Martinez via a store camera to the very bottle of juice left at the crime scene.) EYEWITNESS NEWS u On the morning of March 20 in Winter Park, Florida, Charles Howard, standing outside his home being interviewed live by a WFTV reporter, denied he had committed a crime in a widely reported series of voicemail messages to a U.S. Congressman, containing threats to “wrap a rope around your neck and hang you from a lamp post.” He boasted that “proof” of his having done nothing wrong was that if he had, he would have already been arrested. “Three minutes later,” according to the reporter, agents drove up and arrested Howard. PEOPLE DIFFERENT FROM US u Hey, How About a Little “Remorse”: (1) Royce Atkins, 23, told the judge in Northampton County (Pennsylvania) in March that he was so sorry he did not stop his car in 2015 and help that 9-year-old boy he had just hit and killed. However, Atkins had earlier been jailhouse-recorded viciously trash-talking the boy’s family for “reacting like they’re the victims. What about my family? My family is the victim, too.” (Atkins got a four-year sentence.) (2) In February, in a Wayne County (Michigan) court during sentencing for a DUI driver who had killed a man and severely injured his fiancee, Judge Qiana Lillard kicked the driver’s mother out of the courtroom for laughing at the victim’s sister who was tearfully addressing the judge. (Lillard sentenced the mother to 93 days for contempt, but later reduced it to one day.)
THE ARISTOCRATS! u Among the facts revealed in the ongoing criminal proceedings against U.S. Navy officials and defense contractor Leonard (“Fat Leonard”) Francis, who is charged with arranging kickbacks: In 2007, Francis staged a party for the officials at the Shangri-La Hotel in the Philippines during which (according to an indictment unsealed in March) “historical memorabilia related to General Douglas MacArthur were used by the participants in sexual acts.” THE PASSING PARADE u (1) A 23-year-old Albuquerque woman performed cartwheels instead of a standard field sobriety test at a DUI stop in February, but she did poorly and was charged anyway. On the other hand, student Blayk Puckett, stopped by University of Central Arkansas police, helped shield himself from a DUI by juggling for the officer. (2) Oreos fans sampling the limited-edition Peeps Oreos in February expressed alarm that not only their tongues and saliva turned pink, but also their stools (and leaving a pink ring in the bowl). A gastroenterologist told Live Science it was nothing to worry about. A NEWS OF THE WEIRD CLASSIC (JULY 2013) u Yasuomi Hirai, 26, was arrested in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, in June (2013) after being identified in news reports as the man who had crawled “dozens of meters” in an underground gutter solely to gain access to a particular sidewalk grate near Konan Women’s University—so that he could look up at skirtwearers passing over the grate. After one pedestrian, noting the pair of eyes below, summoned a police officer, Hirai scurried down the gutter and escaped, but since he had been detained several months earlier on a similar complaint, police soon arrested him. iReadCULTURE.com
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