Bellingham Alive | Cannabis Feature by K & L Media

hree years after Washington state’s first legal cannabis sale — by Bellingham’s Top Shelf, by the way — the giddy early days of legalized recreational pot have settled into a quieter, blissful state. Still, this brave new world has a “can-youbelieve-this?” feel as storefronts sprout and I-5 billboards in the North Sound promote stores like they do tourist attractions. “I love when somebody comes from Kansas, somebody from Australia,” says Bellingham attorney Michael Hiestand, cofounder of the Center for Mindful Use. “There’s kind of a Willy Wonka feel to it.” Come with me, and you’ll be In a world of pure imagination… In the following pages, we look at cannabis through the stories of locals in an industry that has altered the state’s economic landscape. And it’s just getting started. It has been a bumpy road. One of the biggest battles is, predictably, over revenue. Of the excise tax revenue Bellingham generated in

Cannabis in the North Sound

2016, for instance, the city gets only about 2 percent — just $88,000 last year — due to a formula that diverts most revenue to the state. Little surprise that Bellingham is responsible for the bulk of pot revenue in Whatcom County. Since 2014, a total $72.9 million of $94.5 million in sales happened here, and the county is sixth among the state’s leaders in processing pot (into flowers, edibles, oils, balms, etc.), according to 502data.com. Whatcom has 33 stores (eight pending) and 69 legal grow operations (13 pending), according to the state. Skagit County has 24 stores and 38 growers. The San Juans, with a small population already known for a laid-back vibe, has four retailers, nine producers. Pot growers in Whatcom and Skagit counties are turning fields and warehouses into grow operations. But don’t worry — cannabis won’t come close to overtaking the wellestablished fruit industry here. Your raspberries are safe. You just now have the option to enjoy them in an enhanced state. Willy Wonka would agree: These are sweet times, indeed.

The Advocate: Rick Steves Written by MERI-JO BORZILLERI

ou know Rick Steves, the Edmonds-based travel guru. But you might not know him like this. For years, Steves has been one of the leading advocates of cannabis and drug policy reform in the U.S. And not in a typical celebrity, photo-op kind of way. While most people were covering their eyes at the slowmotion train wreck unfolding before our November presidential election, Steves and others traveled to places like Maine and Massachusetts to advocate for cannabis legalization. They were largely successful, winning four of five states (California, Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada). Steves also barnstormed during successful campaigns in Washington (2012) and Oregon (2014). He has been an open advocate of pot for years and is a board member at NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) and devotes a section of his travel website to the cause. We caught up with him earlier this year to talk pot. Here’s what he had to say:

What I was trying to explain to the political establishment and nervous populace in those (2016) states was…now the numbers are in. And teen use does not go up, DUIs don’t go up, crime doesn’t go up. The only thing that goes up is tax revenue.

Jay Inslee recently told me he’s just thankful that he’s not

arresting 8,000 people a year and that he’s getting more than $100 million in tax revenue each year.

market that once rivaled Apple in this state and turning it into a (legal) market. It’s amazing when you think about that.

I go to any place that will let me talk. Went to Western Washington in Bellingham, I go to chamber of commerce meetings, I’ll go to Rotary Club meetings, I’ll go to city meetings, I’ll go to libraries, I’ll go to churches. I’ve given talks, a sermon almost, at several Unitarian churches.

We were really happy… but what trumps that enormously

If I ever feel like giving a talk is not going to accomplish anything, it’s Bellingham, because it’s just classic preaching to the choir.

It’s more complicated than a “Let’s be hard on drugs.” What

I like to go to conservative communities…I went down to Medford, Ore. The conservative newspaper in that town came out with an editorial supporting it. They saw the wisdom of it. To me, that’s the real accomplishment. That’s what challenges me and makes me feel gratified (in) my work.

was the election of our new president, who was going to be not recognizing the whole civil liberties argument case for stopping the war on marijuana.

we’re doing is so smart on drugs. I’m so proud of it.

A lot of people are all excited about pot tourism and this

kind of stuff, people making money on it. I’m more interested in racial justice when it comes to incarcerating people, and I’m interested in not empowering black market gangs and organized crime through black markets. I’m interested in civil liberties, I’m interested in respect for law enforcement and safety for families.

Our government is designed in a way where states are

Even now in the United States there are 70,000 people in jail

on drug offenses and they’re not rich white guys like me. They’re poor people and black people.

to teachers and cops teaching about the dangers of hard drugs… It’s just a matter of people understanding that this is not propot, this is smart drug policy.

It’s not because more people are smoking pot. It was a black-

That’s one of the beautiful things about travel and that’s

market industry that was enriching and empowering gangs and organized crime. And now it’s become a highly regulated, highly taxed legal industry, so it’s just taking away a black

considered incubators of change. If you want to overthrow a long-minded prohibition, the federal government’s not going to say, “Oh, I’m sorry, it was not a good idea.”

I just think that when you take the crime out of the equation, you have more credibility when it comes for parents

one of the beautiful things about taking common sense answers to solutions people on both sides of the Atlantic are struggling with and sharing them back home. To me, that’s just a joy.

August 2017

The Proprietor: Trove Owner Written by MERI-JO BORZILLERI | Photographed by SHANNON FINN

f there’s any doubt that the once counter-culture cannabis industry has gone mainstream, consider what Yin-Ho Lai, owner of Trove cannabis shop, uses as inspiration for customer service. “We try to model ourselves after Nordstrom,” he said during an interview at the store. Yin grew up near Seattle shopping at Nordstrom. He patterned his philosophy for cannabis customer service on the upscale clothing icon’s non-aggressive approach. Instead of being pushy, help the customer figure out what they want — education is a needed service in the brave new world of legal weed. Yin is a youthful 28, a Western Washington University graduate who ditched a well-paid but grinding job as a

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certified public accountant in Bellevue (he maintains his CPA license) to open a pot store on Samish Way in Bellingham, a few minutes from Western’s campus. Before becoming a CPA, he worked on developing a successful business model with several startups, including a home security service while still a student and a residential cleaning company. Yin co-owns the business and newly constructed building with a silent partner and is backed by investors, including his father. He got a retail license through the state lottery in 2014, after Washington and Colorado became the first states to legalize marijuana in 2012. With the uncertainty of the industry — the federal government promising roadblocks and the possibility of the state issuing more licenses — Yin is diversifying by opening up a coffee shop in the vacant office next door. At Trove in late May, sounds of construction could be heard through the walls. Plans for Trove Coffee — yes, the conventional kind — have it opening this month. The shop anticipates selling local beer, baked goods, and sandwiches. Trove is doing well. Since opening, Yin has expanded the parking lot and more than doubled his staff. Yin and Trove chief operating officer Caroline Rosenquist, 33, lead a decidedly young group of 15 or so employees, four or five of them full-timers. “I’m the oldest person,” Rosenquist said. Most “budtenders,” those who work the shop’s counter, start by earning around $11 an hour, but generous tips can mean up to $7 more per hour. After a 90-day trial period, employees usually get a raise of at least $1 per hour or more, said Rosenquist. The company also offers benefits, with a 401k plan available to full- and part-timers, and comes with a 3 percent match. Full-time workers get health insurance, with the company paying half of their premiums. “We’ve all been in jobs where we’re not treated well,” Yin said. “If we don’t take care of them, nobody’s happy.” Social responsibility seems to be a guiding principle here as the first generation of legal pot entrepreneurs lay the groundwork for a new era. “It just makes sense to us,” said Rosenquist. “We are pioneers in this industry. We are blazing our own trail. And it better be good.”

The Grower: Danielle Rosellison Written by MERI-JO BORZILLERI | Photographed by DIANE PADYS

anielle Rosellison and husband Juddy walk through the door and plunk down keys and bags just before the kids, 7-year-old Radler and Coolidge, 5, come running. It’s the end of another long day at the couple’s cannabis grow operation, Trail Blazin’ Productions, just outside Bellingham. When their kids aren’t in school, they spend most days here at the home of Danielle’s mom, a former flight attendant with the living room sign reading: “What Happens at Grandma’s House Never Happened.” “There’s no way. I don’t know how we’d be able to do it,” said Juddy, 44, of his mother-in-law’s childcare as he and Danielle work 11- or 12-hour days during the week at the indoor grow. Meet the fresh faces of a new industry. Legal-weed growers like the Rosellisons don’t fit pot’s stereotype as partying stoners, a good thing for a maligned plant just now coming out from underground. They are like any family of four with a young business on the brink of turning a profit after three hardworking years. Their worries are familiar — making payroll, Mom guilt, fatigue. A perfect night out is a movie so they can go to bed early. Danielle, by nature, is a nurturer. Certified as a teacher at Western Washington University, she wound up working at a mortgage company, where learning to document has helped in the cannabis industry. Across town in their 17,000-square foot warehouse, she leads visitors to a room on the top floor: The Mom Room, where mature, first-generation cannabis

GLOSSARY: PART 1 THC — Tetrahydrocannabinol. It’s what provides the high. CBD — Cannabidiol. If you don’t want the high, CBD is the ticket. Has been found to help with a variety of medical issues, including nausea, arthritis, seizures, pain, insomnia. Cannabinoids — Chemical compounds found in cannabis.

plants — 34 of them, all female — live to be cloned into the crop thriving under all-LED lights on floors below. “This is the headwaters of the whole operation,” she says of their pesticidefree, hand-trimmed business. “These moms are my babies.” Danielle, 36, spends almost half her working hours as an industry advocate, traveling to Olympia for regulatory and policy issues. Dope Magazine named her its 2016 Activist of the Year. She missed the banquet because it was Radler’s birthday. “Some things you don’t miss,” she said. She and Juddy, a former bike and ski shop owner, are painfully aware of the price they pay making pot the family business. Laws prevent their kids from helping them affix stickers, or from accompanying them on long delivery trips around the state that they could combine with family vacations. Because the federal government still considers pot an illegal substance, they have trouble getting a mortgage (they rent) or even a checking account. So why not open a restaurant instead? Because the bigger picture, for them at least, is not all about the dollar signs. “The founders of 502 were focused on ending mass incarceration; that is their North Star,” Danielle said in an email. “When you know that, and you think of all the social implications of legalizing cannabis — mass incarceration, addressing racism and social injustice, taking a chink out of the war on drugs, expanding people's minds — this is bigger than just us. This is a cause that's really worth fighting for and seeing it through to the end.”

Shatter — A form of concentrated THC or CBD oil, ingested with a dab rig and heated nail. Dank — High-quality or high-level THC marijuana. Baked — The state of being high. Not advisable to bake while you’re baked. Sativa — The opposite of indica, it pushes the high to your head. You’ll feel motivated, light, and happy.

Hybrid — A blend of indica and sativa — you get a body and mind high. Dabbing — The practice of using a glass bong fitted with a heated nail used to vaporize THC oil, producing a cleaner smoke and high. Just like cooking your meals in a clean pan, rather than on your barbecue grill. Resin — The black residue in pipes, bongs, and the back ends of joints, similar to the left-over black char on your cooking grill. August 2017

The Budtender Written by MERI-JO BORZILLERI

Photographed by ROBERT DUDZIK

aramie Thomas’s job is to sell you cannabis. But his passion — his higher calling, if you will — is to help people who are sick, ailing, even dying. Thomas, unlike recreational-only budtenders prohibited from giving medical advice, is a statelicensed medical marijuana consultant at Satori Bellingham, one of 14 Whatcom County stores with at least one consultant. Thomas is also a cancer survivor. He endured chemotherapy twice for prostate cancer before it went into remission after he turned to cannabis in the form of a daily CBD supplement. Thomas is a lifeline — and something of local hero — for his work with patients who, he says, have been shoved aside in the state’s rush to rake in taxes and licensing fees in the recreational cannabis industry. When Washington legalized cannabis in 2012, the mostly unregulated medical dispensaries were folded into the recreational industry. But stricter rules make it more difficult and expensive — sometimes nearly impossible — to provide pot potent enough and affordable for people with serious conditions. “I’ve seen (cannabis) replace anything from Tylenol to morphine,” Thomas said. “It got people off of heroin.”

The federal government still considers marijuana illegal, officially listing it a Schedule I drug in the same class as heroin, declaring it to have no medical usefulness. This, despite findings published on its own website, drugabuse.gov, that show lower rates of opioid death and dependency in states with marijuana dispensaries (29 states and growing). Pot has helped people with PTSD, cancer, epilepsy, arthritis, pain relief, nausea, insomnia, and other conditions. Thomas, onetime owner of Bellingham medical marijuana dispensary Grassroots Collective, said the state has promised help to the sick but has yet to deliver, driving people — including some former patients of his store — to a growing black market for medical marijuana. Thomas stood up for his patients when he refused to close his shop for weeks after the state’s July 1, 2016 shutdown for medical dispensaries, shuttering the store only when police showed up. “He is just brave,” said Mike Hiestand, a local attorney, Satori colleague and founder of the non-profit Center for Mindful Use, a gathering place for cannabis informational sessions and activities (p. 54). A parent recently sought Thomas’s aid for their child with cancer, he said. “It cost $1,000 for two weeks,” Thomas said. “When medical marijuana was here, we could have treated the child for a full treatment for $600.” Thomas can also help patients sign up for the state’s controversial new medical marijuana registry. Some patients won’t register, fearing a privacy breach. Registering also can complicate your ability to legally obtain a concealed weapons permit. But it gives patients a tax break and, Thomas says, allows for “collective gardening,” where four people can pool resources and grow their own pot that better suits their medicinal needs. “I am opening a medical marijuana consulting company soon,” he said. “Unfortunately, people will have to get on the registry. But I can teach them to build their own grow and their own grow room, teach them how to make their medicine.”

THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON THC

Experiences a euphoric and possibly psychoactive feel due to THC locking into receptors in the brain that releases dopamine, the brain’s main “reward system.”

THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON CBD

Benefits from CBD’s wide range of receptors that can “fit” with large numbers of neurotransmitters in your brain, allowing the CBD molecules to block pain receptors and help with the treatment of depression, anxiety and even epilepsy in children, according to Leafly.com and the American Epilepsy Society, while not providing the same “high” feeling.

WHATʼS IN YOUR PIPE? POT NICKNAMES Reefer  Dope  Grass  Mary Jane  Ganja  Bud  Chronic  Pakalolo  Devil’s Lettuce  Wacky Tobaccy  Airplane  Moon Cabbage  The Magic Fancy  Sticky Icky  Left-Handed Cigarettes  Skunk  The GoodGood  Aunt Mary  Cheeba  Alligator Cigarette  Stinkweed  Astro Turf 50

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The Stigma O

ne woman parks her car blocks away from the store where she buys edibles because she doesn’t want it to be recognized. Another’s husband doesn’t want her using the pot store’s ATM for fear their last name might be traced. Another keeps her pot-smoking habits on the down-low because her property-management company drug-tests. Sure, pot’s legal now. But old beliefs die hard. Two women, aged 50 and over, agreed to talk for this story on the condition they would not be named. A number of people, including elected officials, heath care workers, teachers and others, turned down interview requests, even if promised anonymity, citing fear they’d lose their professional licenses or community reputations. Just goes to show you that the swipe of a legislative pen can’t wipe out generations of pot stereotypes that say users are lazy, Cheetos-munching n’er-do-wells or drug addicts. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said, “Good people don’t smoke marijuana.” But two of the women interviewed for this story, one a longtime nurse and another working in property management, are nowhere near that stereotype. They are highly educated professionals. We don’t know if they live on Cheetos. But we’re guessing no.

Written by MERI-JO BORZILLERI

PROJECTED SPENDING OF MARIJUANA REVENUES FOR 2017–19 BIENNIUM:

$730.4 MILLION

$447.2 M

Health Care & Social Service Funds

“I think people are still afraid of it.” One 70-year-old, Joan (not her real name), said she was part of San Francisco’s 1970s drug culture and is tickled to buy cannabis off the shelf in Bellingham. When she interviewed for her property management job, she said she scrambled to do a juice fast to flush the cannabis from her system. Fifty-something “Janice” (not her real name) never consumed pot before it was legal. She doesn’t smoke it due to health concerns, but enjoys it more than wine because it’s hangoverfree and she likes that it brings out her extroverted side. Janice might consume an edible before socializing or a night of playing cards with friends. At first, she tried to hide it from her kids (one almost 21, another a teenager), but they were quickly onto her. “They don’t seem to have a problem with it,” she said. But she can’t bring herself to tell her doctor or dentist when they ask about drug use. She sees her doctor at parties. “I still think you get judged,” she said. “I think people are still afraid of it.” Janice volunteers at a North Sound area hospital. She doesn’t want co-workers thinking, “I wonder if she’s high.” She is annoyed she has to hide her cannabis use, even though there’s nothing wrong with it. She also understands. Last year, her father was dying of cancer and she offered him cannabis to help with nausea. He refused because, “it was (an illegal) drug,” she said. Joan said stereotyping misses the point, and an opportunity. “From a spiritual point of view, all these beautiful plants… (and) psychoactive substances are here for a reason, here for us to use them,” she said. “They expand our consciousness. Whatever it takes for us to open our minds to newer possibilities…we should check it out.”

$241.9 M

State Funds

$41.3 M

Cannabis Research, Education, & Regulation

From 502data.com

PROJECTED STATE BUDGET

2017–19

$730.4 M Marijuana Revenues

$41.3 B Total

August 2017

The Moms M

ary (not her real name) is a mother of three who dreads the meltdown her eldest child might have in public. Her intelligent, highfunctioning son is 8, considered too old for meltdowns, but has been diagnosed with neurological problems. “I get a lot of looks…`Why can’t you get your kid in line?’ He looks like a normal kid.” She started giving him cannabis in February after Ritalin’s side effects — weight loss, moodiness, insomnia — became worrisome. “He’s very impulsive, quick to be protective,” said the mom, who did not want to be identified. “He’s super smart, but has a fine-motor disability. On top of that he has ADHD. Transitions can be very difficult. You get a lot of tantrums, a lot of fights.”

“I get a lot of looks…`Why can’t you get your kid in line?’ He looks like a normal kid.” At the end of her rope, she first heard about using cannabis on a Facebook support group for moms of kids with similar disorders. A certified nutrition coach, she did a lot of her own research, supplemented with advice from the Facebook group. It has more than 200 members. “A lot of these parents have tried everything,” she said. “They’re working, getting called into the schools” when their child has a meltdown or attacks another student. “It’s really hard to find child care for these kids.” But the cannabis seems to be working. Since they started with CBD (the calming version) in pill or oil form in February, weekly tantrums tapered to just one or two. “That’s unheard of,” said his mom. He sleeps and eats better and has gained weight. She hasn’t seen any adverse side effects. Before Ritalin, the Adderall that cost them about $400 every three months had tripled in price, 52

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Written by MERI-JO BORZILLERI

even with insurance, she said. Cannabis costs them about $50 per month. Washington state’s rules and restrictions on medical marijuana have driven some moms to seek help outside the medical establishment because doctors won’t help or parents are afraid to ask. Mary doesn’t know if it’s legal to give her under-21 son cannabis, so won’t tell their pediatrician. Plus, “it’s not something I would mention to people. It’s stigmatized,” said Mary, who doesn’t trust the statewide registry to keep her son’s name private and undisclosed to federal regulators. Another youngster, Jaden, has a rare neurological disorder and epilepsy, requiring round-the-clock care. He is 13 but is 12–16 months developmentally, said his mom, Brooke, who renews his medical marijuana card annually. Since the state closed its medical dispensaries, she makes her own cannabis oil in the family crock pot. It takes days. “It’s hard to find the right combination for him, but I definitely could not imagine not having it for him,” she said. At first, Brooke got little help from doctors. Their neurologist supported the decision to use cannabis, but said there wasn’t enough data for him to help. In the years since, “he has lots of patients in Seattle that are on it. He definitely has come full-circle. It’s pretty cool.” Jaden still takes six seizure medications, but, said Brooke, “we’re thankful for a natural plant that is able to give some relief to his epilepsy, that doesn’t have side effects, that doesn’t do horrible things to his body like the other things have done. I would be afraid to take him off it.” Despite the effort and uncertainty, Mary is relieved. Cannabis helps her son be his best self, and gives her family — they also have a 4- and 2-year-old — optimism for the future. “I want to see more of my special child now. He’s an amazing person… It’s hard when everything is devoted to managing their symptoms.”

GLOSSARY: PART 2 Edibles — Food infused with cannabis product, usually oil or butter (see below). Examples: cake, cookies, pastries, brownies, suckers, taffy, etc. Can be 30 minutes to an hour before taking effect. Bong — Made of glass, acrylic, plastic, wood or even fruit (think apples, a pineapple), it’s a device filled with water that cools marijuana smoke when it’s drawn through liquid. The water also helps filter some of the less-than-desirable resin. Blunt — Created by dumping the tobacco out of a store-bought cigar (the most popular are Swishers) and refilling the wrapper with ground marijuana. Indica — The type of marijuana that produces relaxed muscles, a “body high.” Think “in da couch.” And in the refrig — you might get the munchies. Vaping — One of the least harmful ways to ingest marijuana, popular because it is virtually aroma-free and does not involve a flame. Vape devices can include pens, which are discreet. Vaping uses high heat to turn the THC oil into vapor rather than smoke. Shake — The leftovers after the marijuana flower has been trimmed and prepped for sale. Sold in marijuana stores at reduced prices. Hash oil — THC or CBD oil made from the marijuana plant crystals, known for their potency and a consistent/effective burn. BHO (butane hash oil) — A highly potent concentrate, BHO is made by dissolving THC crystals in a solvent, usually butane. Weed butter — Made by mixing ground-up cannabis into a pot of coconut or other high-fat oil, simmering for a few hours, then straining out the plant material. Once it cools, get your mixing bowls ready. It’s time to cook! Tincture — A sweetener like glycerin or alcohol mixed with THC or CBD oil usually ingested under the tongue, allowing for quicker absorption.

CANINES & CANNABIS Written by EMILY BYLIN

arijuana can have the same medicinal benefits and calming effects for canines as it does for humans. That’s just the CBD talking — the anti-psychotic, medicinal compound found in cannabis and hemp. THC, the psychoactive compound, will make them very scared and very sick. Many companies now make pet-friendly, hemp-based CBD treats to help dogs with issues like anxiety, chronic pain and seizures without the harmful effects of THC. For dogs, last month’s fireworks are the stuff of nightmares. Could cannabis help your frightened friend get through the evening easier? The short answer is yes, but only if administered properly with the right products. Humans can only be affected by THC once it is activated with heat (smoking or cooking). If you ate a bud of pot, it wouldn’t do much except give you a stomachache. Dogs are more sensitive to THC and will feel the effects in all forms if ingested — bud, shake, kief, oil, shatter, butter, brownies — you name it, your dog will eat it, and regret it. In Bellingham, Northshore Veterinary Hospital’s Brita Kiffney has been a vet for 22 years. While the clinic was seeing some cases of marijuana toxicity before legalization in Washington state, they’ve seen a notable spike since. The classic symptoms of marijuana toxicity include stumbling or acting drunk, being easily startled, and dribbling urine. Since THC is

a fat-soluble compound, dogs can stay inebriated for one to three days after ingestion. “The first thing you should do is call your vet,” says Kiffney, if you suspect your dog has gotten into your goodies. If they’re not showing symptoms yet, the vet may induce vomiting safely. If they are showing symptoms, some vets can provide an intralipid injection that pulls THC out of their fat stores to be passed through the digestive system. As always, prevention is the best medicine. Be sure to keep your green secured tightly and well out of reach of your curious canine. Don’t leave it on the kitchen table, don’t leave it in the car, don’t leave it anywhere their wandering nose might find it. We all know dogs can manage to get into just about anything. The future of cannabis for health and wellness looks bright for both man and man’s best friend. CBD might be just what your pup needs to relax, ease pain, and naturally treat many types of health problems, just as it does for humans. Just remember to keep your stashes separate.

CANNABIS 101 Q: Where are you allowed to use/smoke?

Can you smoke or vape in public?

A: It’s illegal to consume marijuana in “public view” — on streets, sidewalks, or in public parks. You can consume in a residence if the property owner allows it. Same for a hotel: You need permission. Q: Are there “open container” laws for

your car, like for alcohol?

A: It’s a traffic infraction to have pot in a motor vehicle on a highway, unless it’s in the trunk or somewhere not directly accessible by the driver or passengers, or in a package or container that hasn’t been opened. It’s also an infraction to consume it while on the public highway. If you are parked and consuming cannabis, you can get a DUI. Q: I like to imbibe when I boat, hike, and ski. Is that OK? A: Possession of marijuana is still a federal crime. If you are in

navigable waters (used for business or transportation), the U.S. Coast Guard will enforce federal law. Same is true in national parks. It is never OK to operate a boat while impaired. And the “public view” law applies to state parks, public hiking trails, and ski resorts. Q: Can I grow at home? A: If you are just a "normal" person looking to grow for home use, sorry. It’s illegal in Washington state. Q: What if I qualify for medical marijuana? A: To be a "qualifying patient" you need to have a doctor’s record of certain qualifying conditions (see website at doh.wa.gov) to grow up to four plants. To get the sales tax exemption, you must sign up for the state registry with a retail store medical marijuana consultant. Check before you do: doing so comes with consequences for gun ownership and HIPPA privacy protection. August 2017

The Promoter Written by MERI-JO BORZILLERI

es, pot tourism is a real thing. Just ask Michael Gordon, co-founder of Kush Tourism, a leading national company based in Seattle. In 2016, cannabis sales totaled $696 million in Washington. Gordon’s estimate is 20 percent of those sales — more than $135 million — came from out-of-state visitors. That sounds like a lot, until you consider Colorado, which Gordon estimates has pulled in 30 to 35 percent from pot tourism. (Alas, our 2012 brethren seems to have its act together more than we do when it comes to the marijuana industry in general.) Gordon, 30, founded the company in late July of 2012, four months before both Washington and Colorado legalized marijuana. “We knew people would travel so that they can smoke pot and have fun,” he said. “Everyone knows somebody who has been to Amsterdam. It’s not because of windmills and bicycles.” With cannabis’s legalization here, pot has cleaned up its act. “One of the interesting, fun things to do when you get an out-of-state guest in Washington is to take them to one of these marijuana shops, because they’re about as sleazy as an Apple store,” said worldwide travel expert Rick Steves, a drug policy reform advocate (p. 47). “They’re really slick.” While Kush Tourism doesn’t do actual tours outside Seattle, it has a presence statewide through maps, brochures and educational materials. The company distributes to 2,000 places in the state, but “our busiest distribution point is in Bellingham,” he says, where Kush materials can be found in dispensaries, hotels, visitor centers and rest stops. In Seattle, the most popular Kush tour takes between three and four hours, costs $150, and brings you to the Emerald City’s high-end retail shop, Diego Pellicer; a glassblowing factory; a grow operation; a cannabis oil producer, and finishes with stops in multiple retail shops.

CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE Written by MIKAYLA NICHOLSON

MOVIES ABOUT POT

Smiley Face — This is the kind of movie you might catch on Comedy Central during a hazy, lazy summer afternoon. Jane (Anna Faris, University of Washington alumni and wife of fellow Seattleite Chris Pratt), goes through the most difficult day of her life after accidentally eating an entire plate of cannabis-laced cupcakes. Faris carries Gregg Araki’s dreamy, absurdist black comedy, and dedicates herself to the performance of being way, way too stoned. The Big Lebowski — The Coen Brother’s cult classic so

impactful it created an annual convention and semi-organized religion, The Big Lebowski is a classic stoner film. The story is a loosely structured adaptation of multiple Raymond Chandler

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The Teacher

Written by MERI-JO BORZILLERI

ellingham attorney Mike Hiestand is a national expert in freedom of speech, specifically the field of First Amendment and media law. Much of his life’s work has been spent providing legal help to thousands of high school and college student journalists and advisors. Outside Hiestand’s day job, freedom takes a different shape these days. He’s the co-founder and volunteer director of the nonprofit Center for Mindful Use, a gathering place for people to freely talk and learn about cannabis use. Pot isn’t for everyone, and all drugs carry risk. But “if it’s going to be legal, we might as well talk about it in a mindful way,” he said, sitting at his shared desk in the sparsely furnished center, formerly the charter school Anything Grows (coincidence duly noted, he says). The building’s lease prohibits getting high here, but cannabis users, naturally, are welcome at events from yoga and hula-hooping to a Drug Policy Alliance researcher’s

“…if it’s going to be legal, we might as well talk about it in a mindful way,” talk about cannabis’s promising potential in curbing opioid addiction. All are free to the public. CMU co-founder Quinn Sharpe, owner of retail pot store Satori, donated space in the historic Bellingham Foundry Building they share. Hiestand started using cannabis eight years ago after longago depression resurfaced. One surprise has been the center’s unburdening effect. “There’s such guilt involved,” Hiestand said. “Sometimes I feel like I’m a priest or a confessor. People come in and just want to talk about what they’ve been through. The relief…they just want to come in and unload.”

novels (The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye). What’s important here is the attitude of The Dude: a mix of levelheaded coolness and befuddled perplexity, a man unperturbed by the chaos around him, and who just wants to go bowling. Inherent Vice — This stoner detective story and a spiritual

sequel to The Big Lebowski is adapted from Thomas Pynchon’s novel of the same name. Confusing, absurd, and covered in layers of reefer, it has a plot that makes less sense the more it’s unpacked. It’s set against a dreamy 1960s-California seaside. Critic Matt Singer wrote: “Every ticket to Inherent Vice should come with the choice of a joint or a second ticket to Inherent Vice. You will need one or the other.”

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas — An adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s novel, Fear and Loathing is a road movie laced with an abundant amount of psychedelic drugs. Journalist

CANNABIS RECIPES Written by BEN JOHNSON

orget brownies. As the cannabis industry evolves, chefs are using marijuana in cooking like never before. Syrups and oils infused with THC — the stuff that gets you high — allow chefs to pair cannabis with classic eats like salads, pasta, and

sandwiches. Marijuana can be blended into almost any dish by adding THC-infused butter, resulting in a high that hits about an hour or two after your meal. Those of us who can’t cook have options too. Craft Elixirs in Seattle makes syrup that can be poured over drinks or desserts, turning any dish into an edible. Here are a couple recipes that should enhance your gastronomic experience. Happy consuming.

VEGAN MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE

INGREDIENTS  2 cups non-dairy milk

 ¼ tsp cayenne

 3 heaping Tbsp cocoa powder

 ½ tsp vanilla extract

 2 Tbsp sugar

 1 pinch sea salt

 ½ tsp cinnamon

 1 drizzle cannabis-infused chocolate syrup

 ¼ tsp nutmeg

 coconut whipped cream

DIRECTIONS

In a small saucepan, bring non-dairy milk to a simmer over low heat. Add cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, vanilla, and a pinch of sea salt into the saucepan and whisk vigorously. Serve with coconut whipped cream and a generous drizzle of cannabis-infused chocolate syrup.

FRESH MOZZARELLA MELT INGREDIENTS  2 slices bread  olive oil  roasted tomato  fresh mozzarella  1–2 Tbsp cannabis-infused

Capitol Hill Heat syrup

Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) and Dr. Gonzo (Benicio del Toro), are on their way to Vegas under the guise of a journalistic assignment. Hindered by all kinds of influences, including cannabis, the pair encounters blurry, disjointed, and hallucinatory situations. Frantic and full of energy and delirium, this film is a fun place to spend some time in an altered state.

MOVIES TO EXPAND YOUR MIND

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — Marijuana

can often get you lost in your mind, so why not dive into someone else’s? Joel Barish (Jim Carrey), is heartbroken over being dumped by his girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet). When Joel finds out Clementine has undergone a procedure to erase all traces of him from her memory, he decides to do the same. A mix of romance, drama, and science fiction from the mind of Charlie Kaufman, this is a multi-layered, emotional

DIRECTIONS

Coat 2 thick organic bread slices with olive oil. Add roasted tomato slices, fresh mozzarella and drizzle 1–2 Tbsp of cannabis-infused Capitol Hill Heat syrup. Place sammy in toaster oven until bread is toasted. Then, your turn.

film, making it the perfect pair with night of pot and tapping into your own forgotten memories. Dazed and Confused — The ultimate hang-out movie:

meandering, mundane, and kind of heartwarming. Richard Linklater’s classic 1993 film gazes upon several groups of students on their last day of high school. The film features several classic quasi-philosophical musings, including, “Have you ever thought about why we play football?”

Upstream Color — More of a tone poem than a conventional

film, this film is seemingly science-fiction embellished with a beautiful score. Best experienced in an elevated state, the plot here is unimportant: two strangers are infected by the same parasite, and pigs and orchids may be involved. It’s somewhat of a fragmented love story, with an air of terror and melancholy hanging overhead.

August 2017