Colorado Kush Magazine August 2011 by Randy MALINOFF

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colorado’s premier cannabis lifestyle magazine

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features

inside

Time to get away while the summer is still upon us, go to

16 | Housing Crunched by Lannette Johnson 20 | This Month in Weed History: Jerry Garcia by Bud Lee

38 Strawberry Hot Springs Strawberry Hot Springs you’ll be glad you did!

60 Mear One Legendary graffiti-artist-turned-global-muralist/artist/graphic designer/political satirist Mear One grins all and bears all in a no-holds barred excerpt from his forthcoming book.

66 Patients Out Of Time Meet Cathy, who has been suffering with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) for 25 years, but whose use of cannabis has kept her alive.

76 Ken Babbs Ken Kesey’s longtime sidekick, co-conspirator, and co-author talks everything from The Merry Pranksters to ‘Nam to why he refuses to renew his MMJ card.

80 Breakfast in Boulder One of the most beautiful college towns in the country serves up some of the best breakfasts in the world! 6

10 | Living Well: Organics by Elaine Ruggieri

26 | Global Ganja Report by Bill Weinberg

54 | Fertile Ground: Stop the Arrests by Josh Kappel & Mahlon Wigton 56 | Making History in Colorado by Mason Tvert 58 | Rob’s Corner by Robert J. Corry 64 | Is Chronic Fatigue A Syndrome by Elaine Ruggieri

from the editors

erhaps you can remember (or if you’re too young you can ask your parents or your grandparents) President Nixon, aka Tricky Dick, aka the-scandal-ridden-leader-of-the-freeworld-that-resigned-because-he-was-about-to-be-impeached. The same guy who was basically behind classifying marijuana the same way the federal government classifies Heroin and LSD - a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). This is all part of the failed War on Drugs that has done nothing more than perpetuate the conspiracy of marijuana prohibition. Let’s not forget about the millions of medical marijuana patients in this country that rely on cannabis as their primary choice of medicine for treating numerous illnesses and related symptoms. The latest battle, but certainly not the end of the “war” against prohibition, came July 8th when the DEA formally rejected a petition to reschedule marijuana to a lower classification, a petition that had been filed eight years prior. The request to reschedule came from the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis, which also included patient advocacy groups, ASA and Patients Out of Time. But surprisingly (or maybe not), also sitting on the sidelines were the big pharmaceutical companies…waiting to jump on the bandwagon and profit from the cannabis plant. Can we assume that it was also a coincidence that right on the heels of the denial of rescheduling of cannabis came threats from federal prosecutors to enforce federal law and trump state medical marijuana laws passed by their voters? Is this all part of the federal, dare we say…conspiracy, to keep states from passing laws that their citizens support? Cocaine, amphetamines and oxycontin all have a lower classification under the CSA than marijuana. Who’s kidding who? Not only has research been conducted by UC San Diego and a myriad of major universities in this country (as well as around the world), concluding what others have been aware of for thousands of years - the positive therapeutic benefits of marijuana - but even big pharma has already introduced artificial versions of marijuana for treatment of certain medical conditions. Can the voters in all of the 16 states and the District of Columbia that have recognized marijuana’s medical use and the considerable scientific research confirming its medical benefits all be wrong? This takes us right back to Nixon and the Controlled Substance Act of 1970, which prompted the administration to commission a study on marijuana, the results of which were dubbed the Shafer Report, entitled Marijuana, a Signal of Misunderstanding. It was represented to Congress and the findings were clear:

The risks of using cannabis were minimal; ingestion of cannabis did not jeopardize health; the use of cannabis did not lead to experimentation with other drugs; people who utilized cannabis did not participate in other criminal activity; and finally the report specifically recommended the decriminalization of marijuana for personal use. (full text available at SafeAccessNow.org) As pointed out by Americans for Safe Access (ASA), “rather than follow any of the recommendations of the Shafer Report or even commission further research, President Nixon left cannabis in Schedule I with Heroin and LSD. Since the Shafer Report, other federally funded reports have been issued by the Institute Of Medicine in 1982 and 1999, both concluding that there is sound medical and scientific basis for using cannabis to treat a variety of serious and medical conditions.” The two leading associations that regulate medicine and doctors in this country, The American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians have both reached out to Congress, strongly suggesting that a review be done to reconsider the current Schedule 1 classification of marijuana. So back to our cover message - with all of the above evidence, and without even getting into the thousands of years that the cannabis plant has been used by countless numbers of people to treat varying medical situations - can anyone (even its opponents) honestly say that marijuana has no medical accepted medical use? Well, it will now be up to a judge to decide the issue. On a lighter note…we have taken over the interwebs!! Be sure to check out KushMagazine. com - our NEW all-in-one cannabis lifestyle resource offering up-to-the-minute information about the cannabis movement and industry, articles both from Kush Magazine and online sources, comprehensive dispensary listings, menus, maps and coupons, our Dailybuds.com social network with blogs and forums, and of course, every issue of Kush Magazine from every region with printable pages, advertiser listings and coupons. Sign up for our mailing list and keep informed on everything from contests to events to the news that matters to you! So thanks again for allowing Kush to bring you the latest and greatest in medical marijuana news and culture, and, as always, medicate responsibly!

Humbly, Team Kush. | Kush Editorial Board, www.kushmagazine.com

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colorado’s premier cannabis lifestyle magazine

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SUBSCRIPTIONS KUSH Magazine is also available by individual subscription at the following rates: in the United States, one year 12 issues $89.00 surface mail (US Dollars only). To Subscribe mail a check for $89.00 (include your mailing address) to : DB DOT COM 24011 Ventura Blvd. Suite 200 Calabasas, CA 91302 877-623-KUSH (5874) Fax 818-223-8088 KUSH Magazine and www.dailybuds.com are Tradenames of Dbdotcom LLC. Dbbotcom LLC 24011 Ventura Blvd. Suite 200 Calabasas, CA 91302 877-623-KUSH (5874) Fax 818-223-8088 To advertise or for more information Please contact info@dailybuds.com or call 877-623-5874 Printed in the United States of America. Copyright ©2011. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without the written written permission of Dbdotcom LLC.

e s o o h C u o Y d l u o Sh by Elain e Rugg ieri There was a time when eating an apple a day could actually keep the doctor away. These days an apple a day could land you right in his office. In order to keep up with the growing population, food is produced at a rapid rate, often with the use of pesticides, antibiotics and hormones. Most of the food we buy today is processed, which eliminates most vitamins, minerals and fiber that our bodies need. Because we are not getting a sufficient supply of nutrients from our food, our bodies turn to our organs to supplement, placing a burden on them. Over time, all this can lead to health problems, disease, infertility and birth defects. Maintaining a youthful body has everything to do with staying healthy. And staying healthy has everything to do with what we consume, so is it possible to enhance the quality of your life simply by choosing the right foods to eat? Most Americans have diets that consist of foods high in sugar, fat, cholesterol, preservatives and even hormones and pesticides among other toxins. It’s an unfortunate fact that fruits, vegetables and meat are not what they used to be.

One could make an argument that we are moving in a positive direction. Bioengineered food is said to be more resistant to insects, cutting back on the amount of pesticides farmers have to use. That’s great news for the environment. Bioengineering also allows for adding nutrients or vitamins that may not have been included otherwise. But one could also argue that foods that are genetically engineered still have lower nutritional value and may cause allergies and other health issues, particularly with children.

So what makes food organic and should you swing that way?

This is a mud like substance that is made up of water and industrial waste that has been treated at a plant. If that doesn’t sound bad enough, human waste isn’t the only thing found in sewers. Many toxic household and commercial products end up down the drain as well. This could add a few extra ingredients to your dinner such as heavy metals and other harmful agents.

Whether a food is organic or not has to do with the way it is grown and processed. An organic farm takes the quality of our food as well as the environment into consideration to assure high nutritional value with minimal damage to our planet. Organic livestock, for example, is raised without the use of hormones or antibiotics. The animals are fed with organic feed and must be raised in an environment where they are free to move and behave naturally. Organic produce is grown without the use of pesticides, bioengineering, food coloring or sewage sludge.

So what exactly are some of these added staples? Pesticides Pesticides are used to prevent the infestation of insects, weeds and rodents that affect the quality and quantity of our crops. Unfortunately we are trading one problem for another. Our food can be exposed to up to 400 chemicals known to be associated with Parkinson’s Disease, chronic fatigue syndrome and infertility.

Bioengineering Bioengineered foods have had a gene from a different organism or plant introduced to create a particular characteristic. The idea behind the concept is to create a plant that is superior to what is naturally grown.

Food Coloring Food coloring is used to change the appearance of our produce so it looks more appealing. New studies show that food coloring may aggravate ADD or ADHD symptoms. This issue continues to be debated, however, parents have confirmed that they see a difference in their child’s performance and overall behavior since their schools eliminated food coloring from school lunches.

Sewage Sludge. Yes….Sewage Sludge!

The Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) was introduced in 1990 and establishes national standards for foods that are labeled “organic.” The standards are set by the federal government and the National Organic Standards Board develops guidelines to regulate organic crops. Those who meet the standards have the privelege of legally labeling their products “USDA Certified Organic.” Many people will continue to question whether or not organic food is really better for you. The obvious known facts about producing and eating organics are: • • • •

You don’t consume toxic chemicals The quality of our soil is preserved You support local farmers You protect your children who are most affected by the hormones, antibiotics and toxins.

And while taste may be a matter of opinion, you can’t deny that food grown in natural, nourished soil, like the good old days, is likely to taste better. -Elaine is the former host of “The Shape Fitness Show” on 97.1FM and 980AM in Los Angeles. Check out her site at GodaiFit.com

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by Lannette Johnson

There are very few things in the world that actually scare me – my son being kidnapped is a big one, as is the threat of a strong tornado hitting the northwest Denver neighborhood where I live. I don’t fear strangers, or the dark, or public speaking, or flying on a commercial airline. However, I now find myself feeling frightened inside my own home. Fearful of eviction. This is not something I’ve ever experienced before, and I’m not sure how to handle it. Let me explain. A couple of weeks ago, with our regular monthly rent statement, we received an amendment to our landlord/tenant lease. It stated, in part, that: “The possession, consumption, or cultivation of marijuana is prohibited in the community. It shall not be a defense to this provision that the resident, his guests, invitees or caregivers are authorized by law to use, possess, cultivate, transport or provide medical marijuana pursuant to Section 14 of Article 18 of the Colorado Constitution or any laws enacted thereunder.” What does this mean in laymen’s terms? Simply, that if you’re a legal red card holder in the State of Colorado, my mobile home park will discriminate against you based solely on your choice to use cannabis. Period. In addition, it sets current tenants up to be spied on and reported on by their neighbors. This lease amendment also tries to bully current tenants by stating that they cannot use Colorado’s Amendment 20 as a defense against eviction. This, in the simplest terms, violates state law. I own the mobile home that I live in. I lease the property it sits on from my landlord. However, at no time does my landlord have the right to come into my home, as it’s my private property. I don’t know how my landlord, or his attorneys, intend to enforce this new amendment. Frankly, there’s no way that they can, under the landlord/tenant laws of our State.

This so-called amendment was added to Section 5 of our lease, “Safety, Security and Harmony of the Community.” How is discriminating against disabled people (and those who use medicinal cannabis are disabled by definition) promoting safety, security or harmony? It’s done nothing but increase my anxiety to a level it hasn’t reached in years, and has made me feel paranoid in my home. You must understand that I’m not a problem tenant. I don’t disturb my neighbors with loud music or wild parties. My son doesn’t bring crazy teenagers home with him. I take my rights and responsibilities under Amendment 20 very seriously. I do not cultivate cannabis – I have a caregiver for that in Denver – but even if I did, that would be my right, under our Colorado Constitution. I don’t medicate in public. I don’t use and drive. I keep my medication and all related paraphernalia out of sight of my child, and any house guests. Other than a somewhat messy lawn (chalk it up to my physical disability that I can’t keep my lawn up to par), and a few late payments, we’ve been ideal tenants for the last eight or so years. I’ve contacted a couple of MMJ-friendly attorneys about this issue, and one told me I had a valid case of outright discrimination, while the other told me I had no rights at all, because a mobile home park is a private entity, and can make its own rules. So which is it? According to our landlord, we have until October 1st to comply with this sham of an amendment. According to my attorney, I have thirty days to respond and disagree with the amendment and refuse to comply with it. Either way, I’m under attack by my own landlord, simply because of my choice to alleviate my chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, and major clinical depression with a plant that Mother Nature put here for just that purpose. And either way, come October, I will have to find another place to live; one that doesn’t discriminate against physically and emotionally disabled Coloradans.

here is only a short list of bands that I can truly say “I’m really glad to have seen them at least once.” Topping that list is arguably the greatest American Rock Band in history, the Grateful Dead. Godfathers of the Jam Band Scene, The Dead started in 1965 and officially disbanded in 1994 when their original co-founder and “face” of the band Jerome John “Jerry” Garcia passed away. For This Month in Weed History, KUSH magazine would like to not only acknowledge Jerry’s passing on August 9, 1994 - but his life, and birth on August 1, 1942. Without Jerry’s existence on the planet, the world as we know it today would have missed one of its greatest singers, songwriters, guitarists, artists, humanitarians, and icons of the peace movement. Jerry’s kind persona and gentle soul transcended beyond the stage, out into the stratosphere and beyond. His energy and aura are still alive today, through the continuation of his music, the jam band scene, and, of course, his personal and professional legacy. His status among his fans is just short of God-like, and posthumously has grown to be that of mystical legend. Few artists of any medium reach the level of adoration by any fan base the way Jerry had with loyal “Dead Heads.” This roaming pack of devotees would follow the band, from city to city, tour after tour, and year after year. Some Dead Heads never got off tour, making what was known as “Shakedown Street,” (the impromptu city that would pop up in the parking lot of each concert venue) their own viable marketplace, where everything from food, drinks, tickets, clothes, 20

art, jewelry, novelties, and substances of all kinds could be bought, sold, traded, or even given away. For as far back as I, or anyone alive today, can re member, the Grateful Dead’s “Steal Your Face” logo (a red, white and blue skull, dissected by a lightning bolt) has become an iconic symbol that has permeated the very thread of our entire country. The Dead’s heavy presence on FM radio, with songs like “Truckin’,” “Uncle John’s Band,” and “U.S. Blues,” made it easy to maintain a peripheral ear on the pulse of this down-home-rhythm and blues-band of characters. And while Jerry always repelled the leadership role as the bands spokesman, it just so happened that he was possibly the most interesting, engaging, and thoughtful of the band members, often free flowing in interviews, jumping from one thought to another, yet somehow being totally cohesive in some creative way. His thirst for musical knowledge has lead him through almost every genre, working with the best in each field, from Dylan, to Merle Saunders, to Willie Nelson, and countless others. It took me years to immerse myself in this amazing band’s catalog, to understand how lucky I was to see the Grateful Dead. Now that there’s a satellite radio station devoted to the band, I can go 100% Grateful Dead when I want to (and have for months at a time), or just pop in for a song or two. There’s not a day that goes by that someone’s not thinking of you Jerry. We may miss your physical presence, but your spirit lives on…forever.

GLOBAL GANJA REPORT by Bill Weinberg

S: ROCKY MOUNTAINS Colorado activists gather signatures for legalization initiative

In Colorado, signature gatherers have already hit the streets to get the "Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act" on the 2012 ballot. Despite the failure of California's Proposition 19 last year, activists think that Colorado may have a better shot of becoming the first state to legalize cannabis. "I think why it would be seen as a better investment here in Colorado is based on how things are going with medical marijuana regulations," Mason Tvert, a Colorado organizer, told San Francisco’s Bay Citizen. "Also the size of the state is just smaller. Everything about California is far more expensive."

Colorado enacts restrictive new rules for caregivers

allowed to take effect July 1, but Helena District Judge James Reynolds issued an injunction that temporarily blocked the restrictive measures. One such measure would bar medical marijuana “providers” (formerly called caregivers) from charging patients. Another would limit to three the number of patients (known as cardholders) a provider may grow for. The injunction was granted after the court-heard testimony from the seriously ill. Flathead County District Court Judge Stewart Stadler ruled July 21 that the new Medical Marijuana Act does not allow for cannabis transactions between caregivers. Ruling in a civil lawsuit brought against the Flathead County Attorney, Stadler said state law limits registered caregivers to providing marijuana only to "qualifying patients." The plaintiffs were identified in court documents as the Medical Marijuana Growers Association, two anonymous couriers and three anonymous caregivers. Stadler granted the county attorney’s motion for summary judgment. Montana's Gov. Brian Schweitzer let the restrictive law take effect without his signature. With the Spring legislative session about to end, procedure allowed unsigned bills to take effect until the new session in 2013. "So I will hold my nose and allow this to be law until the Legislature gets back to session," Schweitzer said at the time. "I'm not going to sign it." The issue followed federal raids against some 25 cannabis dispensaries and grow sites across the state in March. The raids involved the DEA, FBI, ATF and other agencies.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Unprecedented raids across Mendocino National Forest The Colorado Board of Health on June 15 adopted new rules for the state's small-scale medical marijuana providers, over the objections of cannabis advocates who say the rules are too harsh. The rules require that caregivers—medical marijuana providers who by law must serve five or fewer patients—do more than just provide cannabis. They must now do something extra, such as help patients with shopping, cooking or getting to doctors' appointments. Medical marijuana advocates fear the added responsibilities will severely limit the number of caregivers, which today stands at 16,000 by official figures.

Judge reins in restrictive new Montana medical law Montana’s new, more restrictive medical marijuana law was

A massive, six-county cannabis eradication operation targeting Northern California's Mendocino National Forest was carried out in late July, with a multi-agency task force of hundreds of state, federal and county officers claiming seizures of some 292,000 plants and 77 arrests. Raids were carried out simultaneously in Mendocino, Lake, Colusa, Glenn, Tehama, and Trinity counties, which all contain portions of the Mendocino National Forest. The raid came as part of "Operation Full Court Press," which has sent hundreds of agents combing the mountains for illegal growers who authorities say have set up "huge plantations" deep in the woods, some reportedly numbering tens of thousands of plants. Law enforcement contends that many of the illegal growers are

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Mexican nationals who are linked to large drug-trafficking cartels. As evidence of a strong Mexico connection, prosecutors point to hundreds of Mexican nationals arrested in recent years at illegal outdoor grows in the Golden State. Authorities on July 8 busted a major grow operation in the Trinity National Forest of California's far north. The Red Bluff Daily News reports that several law enforcement agencies eradicated more than 22,000 plants near Pattymocus Butte in Tehama County.

New Oakland ordinance doubles dispensaries

The Oakland City Council on July 26 passed an ordinance that will double the number of medical marijuana dispensaries in the city, to eight from the current four—the Oakland Patient Center, the Purple Heart Patient Center, Coffeeshop Blue Sky, and the Harborside Health Center. The new ordinance was passed with an amendment that provides the city with access to all the dispensaries' financial information. And accompanying legislation imposes a $5,000 application fee and a $60,000 annual regulatory fee on each dispensary. The Council put off discussion of amending the city's cultivation ordinance, which would regulate large-scale cannabis farms, until the Public Safety Committee reconvenes in the fall.

Oakland's Harborside Health Center gets reality TV show

The Discovery Channel has announced a "docu-soap reality show" entitled “Weed Wars” and set in Oakland's Harborside Health Center, the country’s largest medicinal cannabis distributorship. Set to air this fall, Weed Wars will follow the day-to-day dealings of Steve DeAngelo, owner of the establishment, which serves some 80,000 clients.

International Cannabis & Hemp Expo goes to Oakland Organizers expect 30,000 to pack the plaza at Oakland City Hall Sept 3-4 for the International Cannabis and Hemp Expo 2011. INTCHE was denied a permit for its usual Cow Palace venue in Daly City due to plans to have a "215 area" for medicinal users.

seizure of cannabis plants in their jurisdiction; from an outdoor grow operation in the Pine Mountain area of Los Padres National Forest. The raid in the rugged mountains north of Ojai netted 68,500 plants valued at $205.46 million, according to a sheriff 's statement. No suspects were arrested. The season total for seized cannabis in Ventura County is over 100,000 plants.

LA passes medical cannabis tax hike

Los Angeles voters approved a new medical marijuana tax in March that proponents say could raise millions of dollars for the city— although advocates and opponents of medicinal cannabis alike opposed the measure. Measure M, which passed with 59% of the vote, allows Los Angeles to collect $50 in taxes for every thousand dollars collected by medical marijuana clinics. Patient advocates called on the city to find other sources of revenue and remove the tax burden from medicinal users.

San Diego repeals restrictive medical ordinance

On July 25, following extensive testimony from medical cannabis advocates, the San Diego City Council voted to repeal an ordinance passed in April that would have restricted dispensaries to a few remote industrial areas of the city. Only a couple of collectives would have been allowed to open after they came into compliance with one of the most strict ordinances in the state of California. The City Council must now consider the recommendations of its own Medical Marijuana Task Force, which came up with a less restrictive set of rules—although still keeping dispensaries 1,000 feet away from schools, playgrounds, libraries, childcare facilities. Before the April ordinance took effect, medical cannabis advocates Patient Care Association and California Cannabis Coalition successfully gathered enough signatures to force a referendum on the new law. The signatures were submitted to the City Clerk for verification, and on July 18 were officially confirmed as valid. The City Council chose to repeal the law rather than hold a costly referendum.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Unprecedented raids in Southern California forests

NATIONAL NEWS Patient advocates appeal denial of rescheduling petition

The country's leading medical marijuana advocacy group, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), with the Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis (CRC), on July 21 appealed a decision by the federal government to keep marijuana classified as a dangerous drug with no medical value. The appeal to the DC Circuit comes two weeks after the DEA denied a 2002 petition to reschedule cannabis. ASA argues that the federal government erred by keeping cannabis out of reach for millions of patients throughout the US. Under the UN Single Convention treaty, cannabis is a “Schedule 1” drug, the most restrictive category. The 1970 Controlled Substances Act adopted the schedule system as US law.

Ohio medical advocates pass first step towards ballot initiative

Park rangers announced the seizure in late July of more than 3,500 cannabis plants over a nine-acre swath in the heart of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The National Park Service said the plots were scattered across an area near Zuma and Trancas canyons, south of Mulholland Highway. Earlier in the month, Ventura County Sheriff 's officials announced the largest single

The Ohio Patient Network on July 28 turned over of a petition with 2,143 signatures in the first step toward putting medical marijuana before voters. The proposed "Ohio Alternative Treatment Amendment" would amend the state constitution to allow patients with qualifying ailments to possess up to 3.5 ounces of cannabis, or up to 12 plants. If 1,000 signatures are validated and the language of the proposed amendment is approved, it will be before Buckeye voters on the November 2012 ballot.

in cities across Bolivia in support of the government’s decision to formally dissent from the Single Convention. Coca users earlier this year held a “chew-in” for legalization of the leaf in the central square of Cochabamba.

Bolivia: Evo fears US plot to frame him for drugs

Speaking before a conference of campesina women in Cochabamba July 25, Bolivia's President Evo Morales said he fears a US plot to frame him for a drug offense: "Do you know what? I think they have to be preparing something. So much that I'm afraid to go with our airplane to the United States. Surely when we arrive, they can plant something and detain the presidential plane."

NAACP approves resolution to end the "War on Drugs"

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) passed a resolution July 26 calling for an end to the “War on Drugs” during the venerable civil rights organization's 102th annual convention in Los Angeles. "Today the NAACP has taken a major step towards equity, justice and effective law enforcement," said NAACP president Benjamin Jealous. "These flawed drug policies that have been mostly enforced in African American communities must be stopped and replaced with evidenced-based practices that address the root causes of drug use and abuse in America." The resolution, titled "A Call to End the War on Drugs, Allocate Funding to Investigate Substance Abuse Treatment, Education, and Opportunities in Communities of Color for A Better Tomorrow" emphasizes that the United States spends $40 billion each year fighting the drug war—and that African Americans are 13 times more likely to end up behind bars for drug-related crimes than their white counterparts. Once the NAACP board of directors ratifies the resolution in October, the NAACP and its chapters pledge to mount a national campaign to end the "War on Drugs."

INTERNATIONAL NEWS Israeli Health Ministry to grow medical cannabis

The Israeli Health Ministry announced July 28 that it will establish a unit to produce and oversee the supply of medicinal cannabis. The unit will begin operating in January 2012, to meet an anticipated exploding demand without resorting to imports. Currently, medical cannabis is supplied exclusively by local growers to some 6,000 authorized patients, but the number is expected to reach 40,000 in 2016.

Mexican troops find record-breaking 300-acre plantation in Baja California

Mexican soldiers patrolling a remote desert area of Ensenada municipality in Baja California discovered a massive cannabis plantation July 14, which authorities say is the largest yet found in the country. The plantation, full of rows of 8-foot plants, was being tended by dozens of men, who were operating an irrigation system, pumping water through hoses from a well they had dug. Most of them escaped, with six being caught later at a military checkpoint. "This marijuana field represents one of the largest found and due to be destroyed in Mexico," said the commander of the Second Military Region in Tijuana, Gen. Alfonso Duarte. The largest up to now was the 105-hectare plantation discovered at Rancho de Búfalo in Jiménez, Chihuahua, in November 1984. The Ensenada plantation is 120 hectares, or some 300 acres.

Mexico: the economy is down and the cartels are hiring

The average income of Mexican households fell by 12.3% between 2008 and 2010, the government's National Statistics and Geography Institute (INEGI) reported on July 15. The long-term economic situation is no better, according to José Luis Calva Téllez, a member of the Economic Investigations Institute at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). The main source of new job growth in Mexico, according to Calva, is narcotrafficking, which he says has created 600,000 jobs. For further details and updates on these stories, please see Global Ganja Report (globalganjareport.com) --Veteran journalist Bill Weinberg is the former news editor of High Times magazine and now producer of the websites Global Ganja Report (globalganjareport.com), monitoring the global war on cannabis, and World War 4 Report, monitoring the global “war on terrorism.” His books include Homage to Chiapas: The New Indigenous Struggles in Mexico (Verso, 2000) and Cannabis Trips: A Global Guide that Leaves No Turn Unstoned (Ivy Group, 2010).

Bolivia withdraws from UN Single Convention

The government of Bolivia formally notified the UN Secretary General of its withdrawal from the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs on June 30. The withdrawal will enter into effect on Jan. 1, 2012. At that time, Bolivia will re-accede to the Convention with a reservation on the coca leaf and its traditional uses. Bolivia's step—the first of its kind in the history of the UN drug control treaty—comes after the rejection earlier this year of its proposal to delete the Single Convention's Article 49 obligation that "coca leaf chewing must be abolished." A number of countries, including the United States, objected. Bolivia’s 2009 constitution recognizes traditional use of coca leaf as a part of the nation’s “cultural patrimony.” Coca growers gathered

Dr. Bronners by John Green Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps produces a wide range of high-quality organic products, from their classic liquid soap to hair rinses and shaving gels, all certified under the USDA National Organic Program…the same program that certifies organic foods. Built on the experience of 150 years and five generations of soap making, Dr. Bronners have perfected their products, especially those using their unique blend of organic hemp oil and other oils. Magic Soaps are crafted with old-world quality and time-honored simplicity that can be traced back through the families soap making tradition. Born in 1908, Emanuel Bronner became certified as a master soap maker under the guild system of the old days. As a third generation master soap maker in a family that had been making soap since 1858, Bronner brought his time-tested formulas for high-quality liquid and bar soaps to America in 1929. Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps began selling products in its current form in 1948, building a small but loyal following. Soap sales took off in the late 1960s due to the unmatched ecological quality combined with Dr. Bronner’s message of obtaining transcendent unity, which made Dr. Bronner’s the iconic soap of the era. Gaining strong recognition through word-of-mouth, his soaps soon spread into health food stores and the mainstream U.S., quickly becoming the number-one-selling natural brand of soap in North America. Today the company is run by the current generations of the Bronner family who continue to make unsurpassed soaps and strive to honor family heritage with progressive business practices, while devoting profits to worthwhile causes and charities worldwide. Their products encourage users to wash, shave, shampoo, and also moisturize with a clean conscience. Dr Bronner’s line up of products includes classic bar and liquid soaps, organic hand and body soaps, hair conditioning rinses and creams, lip balms, body balms, lotions, and shaving creams, as well as an assortment of other items from oils to snacks to books and DVDs. Their classic soap, which the company was founded on and remains their staple product, combines organic extra virgin coconut, olive, jojoba, and hemp oils with pure essential oils to create soap that cleans effectively but is not harsh and does not dry out the skin. The soap comes in a variety of fragrances and yields the desired result of a velvety lather that rinses away to leave skin feeling refreshed, soft and smooth. Hemp oil is a significant component in making Dr Bronner’s soaps and other products. Industrial hemp, which is grown as non-psychoactive varieties of the Cannabis plant for fiber and seed, improves their soaps because it contains a high amount of fatty acids which make the soap milder and less drying. Going along with their focus on staying true to sustainable principles and practices, the Bronner family is committed to helping major industries transition to cleaner methods and materials. Beyond soap, hemp possesses great potential to transform markets such as paper, glass fibers, textiles, bio-fuels and bio-plastics. The Bronners use profits from their business in part to support Hemp initiatives aimed at changing perception and policy. Check out Dr Bronner’s Magic Soap website to get more information on their different products, shop at their online store, read the history and philosophy behind Dr Bronner’s, and learn about their ecological impact and activism. Help hemp…buy Bronners. www.drbronner.com

elax - take a minute to soak in the natural surroundings, the mountainous backdrop, the sound of birds chirping in the trees, and the calming sound of running water. Now step into the 104-degree body of water, and let all the stress and aggravation exit your body, mind, and soul. Breath deep - now exhale. Now repeat. Let the clean, crisp air and the warm soothing vapors fill your lungs, and cleanse you. Allow your mind to travel to a place where the daily grind, and rat race seem a million miles away - a place where stress is the enemy and you have defeated it – a place where the only things on your “to-do list” are, well, nothing! These natural mineral springs are some of the most spectacular in the world, and can be enjoyed all season long, and they’re right here in our own backyard. We’re talking about one of the country’s bestkept secrets…the Strawberry Park Hot Springs, nestled just outside of Steamboat Springs. Whether you are a local, just looking for a relaxing day trip, or visiting from afar, and planning a full meditation getaway, Strawberry Park Hot Springs has you in mind. With accommodations for all, this beautiful facility will leave you breathless. With its natural setting, and unique use of masonry, it’s as though the springs were God’s gift, only to be perfected by man. The surrounding areas are so serene and tranquil that it’s hard not to leave feeling this place is magical. In the winter, Steamboat Springs is a hotspot for winter sports. Nothing could be better after a long day of skiing or snowboarding than to relax your sore muscles in these natural Jacuzzis. Steamboat’s famous Champagne powder gently collects in the surrounding forest, while your joints rejuvenate, and your aches and pains wash away. This picturesque setting is incomparable. It’s something you just have to experience. 38

But now that we’re enjoying the summer months, these are prime times, whether by bike or by hike, to explore the miles of vistas and trails. And once you’re done meandering about in the bountiful beauty of this botanical bosom, what’s more rewarding than a long massage from one of the professional masseuses on staff. These therapists will do more than just rub your shoulders. You have your choice, or choices, of Deep Tissue, Soft Tissue, Bio Sonic Repatterning, Neuromuscular Therapy, Therapeutic Touch, Reiki, Rain Drop Treatment, Body Center Therapy, Lymphatic Drainage, Watsu, and Shiatsu Massage. With all the wellness, cleansing, soaking, burning, and exfoliating going on, you should return from this retreat feeling and looking like a billion bucks. Planning on staying overnight? Longer? If not, you should. Accommodations ranging from tent spaces, to unique rustic cabins are available to suit any budget. There is even a restored Covered Wagon, and a real train Caboose that can be rented. But even these sought after rentals don’t have many amenities, so bring your sleeping bags and flashlights kids. This isn’t a bourgeois resort, this is more like upscale summer camp for adults, just a bit quainter and quieter… shhhhhhh… So, if work (or lack of work) has got you stressed out, then maybe it’s time to go chill. Get away. Take a breather. Recharge your batteries. Go to the mountains, and take a dip. Roll a few, and think about positive things. This may seem hokey, but if you try it, you’ll understand. And at the very least, we can guarantee that you will not regret it. Isn’t that reason enough? For info on how to start planning your self-imposed sabbatical, visit www.StrawberryHotSprings.com.

The Power (and Limits)

of Genetics by Tyler C. Davidson

Another month has gone by already and I notice I have been getting a lot of questions about genetics. Questions like ‘which strain is the best?’, ‘is genetics or environment more important?’, and my favorite, ‘why is the guy I got my clones from getting better results than I am with the same strain?’ To help make sense of how genetics fit into the big picture of cultivating prime medicine, I thought I’d go back to basics and straighten out a few common misconceptions. Cannabis as a general rule reproduces ‘true to type’, meaning that unlike say, apples, you can plant some seeds and get a reasonably close reproduction of the characteristics of the parents. That said, you still get a mix of the traits of each parent. On the other hand, when you take a cutting you are cloning the original plant and thereby all but guaranteed to get the original’s traits, good or bad. Think of it as the raw material of your end product. How well you grow the strain, including the mix and quality of techniques used to bring that strain to maturity and harvest, is the other critical component that determines how good your results will be and what characteristics they will have. Modern strains have been carefully selected and bred many, many times over until not only can you be reasonably sure of the potential of the strain, but also what growing environment will be most productive. As an example, many people tell me that many of the top strains grow best in an indoor, artificial environment. That’s right, give them REAL soil and sunshine and they don’t do as well! Why? Because part of what the breeders were selecting for is how well the strain does in its intended environment - indoor grow rooms! It’s no mystery why such strains do so well inside - they’ve literally been bred to! Therefore, the way to maximize output is to provide the strain with the mix of conditions that are best for that particular strain - and the differences can be pretty big. Some want more light, some are less tolerant of high concentrations of nutrients, still others are very sensitive to the exact length of the light/dark cycle, and so on. Pick a few different strains with characteristics you like,

and then stick to them for several growing cycles, long enough to tune your growing style and conditions to the strains you’ve chosen. Then if you want to go for even more productivity, pick the one strain that responds the best to your individual circumstances and keep it. By now it’s clear that genes and environment mix in some interesting ways, so which is more important? In short, both. It’s a weakest-link-in-the-chain thing, where the quality and quantity of your harvest are limited only by the weakest part of your growing situation, and how well the strains you pick respond to it. I tell my clients two more things, too; one, use the tips I just mentioned above, and two, keep doing it. Even after dozens of iterations, you will still learn new details about the strains you’re growing, the conditions you’re growing them under, and the impact of your growing style on the quantity and quality of your results. A good starting place is the recommendations of the original breeder, and then it’s trial and error time; try different approaches with part of your crop and see for yourself which approach is best. Some of your ideas might end up leading you down blind alleys, others may direct you to a goldmine. That’s how I discovered how to trim and train plants for big productivity gains when limited by the number of plants in a given grow. Who knows what you might find? Just remember to back up your results by repeating them, and to share your finds with others, so we all can enjoy the benefits of everyone’s discoveries! There’s no better way to give back! Well, that’s it for this month. I love hearing from everyone out there, so keep those emails coming! -Feel free to send any comments or questions to me at indoorcultivationconsulting@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to answer them!

know your meds

BLUE DREAM GENERAL INFORMATION Type: Sativa-dominant hybrid Genetics: DJ Short’s Blueberry x Santa Cruz Haze Geographic Origin: California, USA Seed Company/Clone: Clone only DESCRIPTION A big-yielding and rangy Blueberry cross, Blue Dream has a wonderful Sativa-dominant effects package and retains much of the Blueberry taste from its mother, but with a zesty citrus-influenced contribution from the Haze father. Developed in the Northern California medical scene, it is becoming very popular in other medical states for its potency and high production. HISTORY Story: The Haze used in this cross is a very special Green House Seeds Super Silver Haze that was selected in Santa Cruz, California. DJ Short’s Blueberry is probably the most popular version of Blueberry in the world, and was picked as a mother for its uplifting effect which still retains body relaxation of its Afghani roots. GROWING INFORMATION Flowering Time: 60-70 days Preferred Growing Medium: Grows bigger in hydro, but gets the best flavor in soil. It tends to grow as a single cola unless trained, so low-stress training is a good option. Some foxtailing late in flowering is common, showing its Haze lineage. PATIENT EXPECTATIONS Scent: Sweet and floral berry, often with a hint of citrus-kissed sharpness from the Haze. Flavor: Much like the smell, its floral berry with some almost ‘purple’ notes at times (grape, flowers) thanks to the spicy Haze influence.. Effects: Very uplifting and cerebral, it takes mostly after its Haze father — but in the background exists a strong sense of body relaxation and quality pain relief. Blue Dream is a wonderful strain for medical users, helping to relieve anxiety and depression while also relaxing the muscles and stimulating appetite.

When the MMJ community pushed for legalization for patients, one was left to wonder if they envisioned the delicious confections of tongue tantalizing pleasure that would follow. Gaia’s Garden is here to make sure those delights are never far to find. Gaia’s Garden, smack dab in the middle of Denver, makes some of the most delicious medicated candy bars in the country, including, but not limited to flavors you are most likely already familiar with - the Cloud 9, Zonkey Bar and the Razzle Dazzle. One of their newest creations is the Mystery Bar, a level 5 dose with over 55mg of activated THC. However it’s not the dosage that will leave you wanting more. The mixture of tasty macadamia nuts, almonds, Oreo cookies and oats is a wonderful balance of sweet and salty. The nuts hit the back of the palate, in turn stimulating the taste buds and preparing them for the sweet and savory finish. Another one of Gaia’s wonderful bars is the TKO Bar. The TKO bar comes in full size as well as in a smaller ‘fun’ size called the TKO Ball. The mixture of marshmallows, honey, milk and vanilla which perfectly complement the peanuts and pretzels, all held together with a milk chocolate coating would make Willy Wonka cry. The great thing about Gaia’s Garden is that they don’t limit themselves to just chocolate and candy bars. In fact, one of the most interesting products is the Kettle Chips from Granny T’s. The wonderful chip is firm and thick like most kettle chips, but the flavor is heavy on the pepper with zing of barbeque at the end. Additionally, Gaia’s Garden also offers a wide range of hard candy from Sweet Earth Palliatives - tasty treats like Karma Kandie, a hard level 7 candy made with cinnamon, sour apple flavor and caramel, and products like the Lozenges, which come in flavors like blue raspberry, lemon and strawberry. The most delightful treat one may encounter during a trip to Gaia’s Garden is the delicate Medicated Baklava. Like most Baklava, the dish is rich and sweet with layer upon layer of canna-buttery dough. The flaky crust melts in the mouth while the creamy oils coat the palate. The final product? Find out for yourself. You won’t regret it.

TAKING CUTTINGS Brad C (Temperance, MI): I just got my license for medical use. We are allowed to have 12 plants in any stage of growth and 1 ½ ounces of dried medicine. I am thinking of starting 12 seedlings of two different varieties. I will be using feminized seeds so I will have 12 plants. I will select the best for cloning until I have 6 cuttings growing vegetatively until the next batch is ready. When should I take the cuttings? Ed: Take the cuttings just as the plants go into flowering. If you took a cutting from each of the 12 plants you would be double the limit. If you took 6 cuttings you would have to discard 6 of the plants that are growing. Neither is a wonderful prospect. One idea is to set up two separate sections in your garden, the cloning/vegetative section and the flowering space. Start all 12 plants in the vegetative section. After a month place one of the plants in the flowering room. Then each week place an additional plant in the room. Approximately 8 weeks after placing the first plant in the flowering section you will be harvesting it. At the same time you would be taking your first cutting. The problem is that to stay within the limits you would have to take the cutting before you know how good the plant is, and if you have an exceptional plant among the first eight, which went into the flowering room without having a cutting taken. Instead, after you harvest the plant use regeneration to bring it back into vegetative growth. This takes about three weeks. Meanwhile you have a chance to evaluate the bud and yield. If you like the plant, let it continue in regenerate, if not destroy it. Do this for each plant as it matures. Eventually you will eliminate all but the best plants. The regenerated plants can be placed back into flowering once they have grown a bit. Most varieties grow extensive branching when they are regenerated. Prune off the smaller weaker ones so the plant puts its energy into growing the remaining ones larger.

Once the plants regenerate, you can take clones from them to build up the numbers to replace plants that were eliminated. Once the population has stabilized, take a cutting for cloning from each plant as it goes into flowering. If clones are available at dispensaries or patient self-help centers you may be able to purchase clones. This is a lot easier than maintaining your own clone center for several reasons. You don’t have to worry whether your clone has rooted, you are able to try pre-selected plants of varieties that you are interested in trying, and it speeds up your garden. REGENERATION Jordan (Internet): A friend of mine just recently gave me 4 plants that needed a home. They flowered them earlier than they wanted to (when they were about 10-16 inches tall) in an attempt to get some buds before they were kicked out of their house. I’ve set up a grow area for them and would like to know the best practices for reverting a plant back to vegetative growth. I’ve already got them under a 24-hour light cycle, but is there anything else I can do to help speed up the process and stress the plants as least as possible? Ed: To regenerate a plant, leave some vegetation and parts of buds on the plant when you are harvesting it and then place it back in vegetative under 20-24 hours of light daily and give them grow, rather than flowering formula fertilizer. Within a few weeks the plant will start growing vegetatively again. Once it has fully re-vegetated it can be re-flowered. SEEDED BUD Lee (Italy): I own a farm near Rome. I planted all my stash seeds so there are hundreds of plants of all sizes and styles growing on the property. I picked a few plants and found most of the buds were seeded. Some of the buds are ready, others still have unripe seeds. What should I do? Ed: Pick the buds as the seeds mature. Dry them. If the buds are all different and they can’t be identified by variety you may wish to process them in bulk. However if you can keep the plants or at least groups of plants separated, you will have (continued on page 50)

varietals. Separate the seeds from the buds. This is done by getting the buds crispy dry and then rubbing them so the seeds fall out. Another method is to rub the buds against a mesh screen that is held tight using a frame. The holes are large enough for the vegetation to fall through, but not the seeds. Keep each group of seeds separate and mark them. Marijuana produces THC to protect the buds from predators and disease. As the plant becomes more invested in reproduction it invests more energy into THC production so the ripening seed is most protected part of the plant. Marijuana from seeded bud has more trichomes on it when it’s growing than sinsemilla. You might notice that the seed cover, before it is disturbed, is covered with trichomes. It’s just that when you process it, many of the glands are lost. Other problems with seeded bud are that it produces much less usable material than sinsemilla and that it is often, although not always, contaminated with bits of broken or immature seed. If the now ground bud is seed bit free, it is suitable for smoking. If not, it should be processed into kief, water-hash or used for edibles. LIGHTING A CLOSET Sergio R. (Portugal): I have a 400-watt metal halide (MH) lamp lighting a closet that measures 2 ½ x 5 ft. Is this enough light? Should I add another lamp during flowering? Ed: The 400-watt lamp provides enough light to grow the plants vegetatively. It will also produce nice buds in a garden filled with indica varieties. However, more light is required to flower indica-sativa and sativa-indica hybrids. This light might be supplied most easily using four 4ft. T-5 fluorescents placed on either side of the garden. They will produce the extra light that these varieties need to produce abundant tight, potent buds.

WATER STRATEGY FOR HYDRO UNIT Kanux: I have a 12 plant hydro garden using expanded clay pellets and a pump to trickle the nutrient solution. Do I need to let the nutrients trickle 24 hours a day? Ed: Yes. Trickle the water almost continuously. The roots metabolize and absorb water continuously since the plant continues life processes and growth both during the light and dark period. They absorb oxygen (O) from, and release carbon dioxide (CO2) into the water. When water trickles over the pebbles they become covered in a thin film of water that has a high surface to volume ratio; a high proportion of the water has contact with air. The high surface/volume ratio facilitates the transfer of CO2 to the air and dissolving O2 from the air to the water. The large air spaces between the pebbles allow a lot of air movement so the roots always have access to O2. When water is pulsed so the stream ends and the water drains, a vacuum is created, which draws new air into the container. Then the stream begins again and creates a venturi effect, pulling air out, and of course, drawing new air in. I had a system in which the pebbles received a stream of water from spaghetti tubing without drippers attached. The water was on for 5 minutes and then off for 1 minute. The containers were placed in a tray that that had a drain that was

PREMATURE HARVEST Adam M. (Internet): Can you harvest plants before the hairs change to colors from all white? Will you still get high from the buds? Ed: The plants are weeks away from being ripe. There are some trichomes, the glands that contain THC on the flowers, but their caps are only partially filled with the THC resin and the terpenes, which supply marijuana its odor and personality. These flowers are immature and not ready to be picked. They have not reached their potential. They will be loose and will get you somewhat high but won’t provide you with the satisfying high you receive using fully mature bud. Would you eat a green peach?

Air cooling misters and mister fans (pictured) are used to lower the temperature of an outdoor space. Both produce micro particles of water, which quickly evaporates, cooling the air as much as 18 degrees.

The bottom branches have been removed to increase air circulation and decrease humidity. The lower portions were not receiving any light so they were not producing sugars and were costing the plant energy.

raised 2 inches, so they sat in a pool of water that was always moving and draining into the reservoir below. This served two purposes: It created a redundancy- if the pump should stop unexpectedly, there was enough water in the reservoir to keep the plants unstressed for at least a day. The other is that the roots grew out of the containers and slurped water directly from the reservoir. The roots that grew into the water looked different than the roots in the clay pebbles. They were thicker and did not have the fuzzy root-hairs that grew from the roots in the container. They looked very healthy because they were growing in oxygenated nutrient-rich water. These roots spurred canopy growth. REMOVE FAN LEAVES DJ Dickter (Internet): I recently read an article that recommended removing most of the fan leaves during the last half of flowering to enhance the size of the buds. It said that once flowering starts the large fan leaves have served their purpose. Is this true? Just about everyone else says don’t cut them. Ed: Everyone else is right. The leaves, which cost the plant energy and material to construct, are factories, which use light energy to convert CO2 and H2O (water) into sugar. The sugar is used as the core for building new tissue as well and for energy. When you snip leaves, you remove energy sources that are used to help the buds grow and for them to ripen. The only time leaves should be removed from plants with developing buds is when the fan leaves shade the buds. Although the leaves provide energy it is more important for the buds to get direct light.

SEEDS FROM HERMAPHRODITIC PLANTS Roger (Internet): I had one plant in my garden that was a hermaphrodite. She mostly pollinated herself, although the buds on the other plants were very slightly seeded. Are seeds from hermaphroditic plants viable? Will the seeds from the hermaphrodite x female be hermaphrodites? Are any of the seeds worth starting? Ed: The seeds are viable. The seeds from the hermaphroditic plant are likely to be mostly hermaphroditic. They will yield lower quality, seeded buds. The seeds from the hermaphroditic x female crosses will result in some female and some hermaphroditic plants. It will be hard to differentiate the true females from the hermaphrodites until the plants start to flower. By that time you will have placed a lot of time and energy into growing those plants. Trying to “work” with hermaphroditic plants by removing flowers as they appear is usually a futile effort. It’s easier to start with regular seeds and sex them, feminized seeds or clones rather than seeds that produce plants that will be suspect during their entire flowering cycle. So, the seeds are not worth sowing. --------------------------

Readers can submit questions to: Ask Ed 4096 Piedmont Ave, Suite 268 Piedmont, CA 94611 USA. You can also Email Ed: asked420@gmail.com All questions featured in the Ask Ed column will be rewarded with a copy of Ed’s book, Best of Ask Ed: Your Marijuana Questions Answered. Sorry, Ed cannot send personal replies to your questions.

Fertile Ground highlights the hottest state and national issues surrounding marijuana reform. This column is brought to you by Brian Vicente, the Executive Director of the advocacy group Sensible Colorado, and a partner at Vicente Consulting LLC, a full service medical marijuana law firm.

s t s e r r A e h t p Let’s Sto lorado

gton, Law Clerk, Sensible Co

hlon Wi By Josh Kappel, Esq. and Ma

On a wintery day in February 2009, Dylan was alone at his home in Summit County, sitting on his couch smoking marijuana. He heard a knock and got up to answer the door. Waiting for him was a Summit County Deputy eager to ask him questions about his possible involvement in an automobile accident. “It’s a little early to be smoking weed this morning,” the deputy said, and gave him a criminal citation. Later that day, the deputy found out Dylan had no connection to the automobile accident. Despite local efforts to legalize the possession of marijuana in places like Denver, Breckenridge, and Nederland, marijuana-related arrests continue to rise in Colorado. From 2002 to 2007, marijuana arrests in Colorado increased from 10,058 to 12,358 per year. Of those 12,000-plus arrests in 2007, more than 95% were for simple possession. (Marijuana sale and cultivation accounted for the remaining arrests.) How do arrests for other illegal drugs compare? Surprisingly, marijuana arrests accounted for 62% of all Colorado drug arrests in 2007. Unfortunately, young people take the brunt of these police encounters— males under 25 accounted for over half of all the marijuana arrests in 2007. A conviction for marijuana possession, which is a petty offense for two ounces or less, will still appear on a person’s criminal record, and forever hinder ones opportunities in obtaining employment. Although the fine for marijuana possession cannot exceed $100 ($200 with court costs), the costs are much higher, especially for young and poor people. For example, this petty criminal offense threatens a person’s chance of receiving financial aid for college, which for many potential students means the end of their higher education goals. What can you do to stop these injustices? Dozens of Coloradans a day are joining the 2012 Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol and helping to put an end to these unnecessary arrests. The Campaign’s first goal is to collect roughly 85,000 valid signatures of registered Colorado voters, which are needed to qualify the initiative for next year’s election. Circulators are already collecting signatures, so be sure to register to vote and sign a petition. Once the signatures are gathered, the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act will appear on the statewide ballot in November 2012. This law will make the adult use of marijuana legal, establish a system in which marijuana is regulated and taxed similarly to alcohol, and allow for the cultivation of industrial hemp. The entire text of the initiative is available on the website at www.regulatemarijuana.org, as well as updates on upcoming events and places to sign-up for those interested in donating or volunteering with the campaign.

Let’s stop arresting and start regulating! 54

The campaign is up and running to pass a statewide ballot initiative that will end marijuana prohibition in Colorado in 2012. All the polls show public support at a record high and suggest this might in fact be the best opportunity yet to pass such a measure. Although California is also likely to have a legalization initiative on the 2012 ballot, all eyes are on Colorado thanks to its accelerated growth in public support for reform - perhaps the result of its current state-regulated medical marijuana system - and its smaller geographic size, which translates to a less expensive campaign. In summary, the proposed constitutional amendment, titled the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Initiative, will: - remove all penalties for private adult possession and limited home growing, - establish a system similar to alcohol in which there are licensed retail stores, cultivation facilities, product manufacturing, and testing, - allows for the cultivation, processing, and sales of industrial hemp. The driving force behind the initiative, the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, is being spearheaded by a broad coalition of activists, organizations, businesses, and professionals. Among its initial members are Colorado’s two largest marijuana reform organizations, Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) and Sensible Colorado, as well as several of the nation’s largest and most widely recognized reform organizations, including the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), the Drug Policy Alliance, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), and the Just Say Now campaign.

The campaign is about one month and 20,000 signatures into the petition drive, and it will need approximately 86,000 valid signatures of registered Colorado voters to qualify for the November 2012 ballot. Since many signatures end up being invalidated, the goal is to collect at least 140,000 total signatures to ensure it makes the cut. Qualifying for the ballot is no easy process, so the campaign is recruiting, training, and mobilizing an army of volunteers from around the state to get involved and help get the job done. Significant grassroots organizing, public education, and coalitionbuilding efforts are also in the works. Like all of the marijuana reform efforts in Colorado over the past several years, this will be an aggressive, volunteerpowered, grassroots campaign. And, as in the past, its success will be driven by the support of the hundreds of thousands of people in Colorado – and millions nationwide – who want to bring about an end to marijuana prohibition. The success of this initiative will be historic, making Colorado the first state in the country - and the first geographic region in the world -- to bring about an end to marijuana prohibition and establish a legal marijuana market for adults. As a result, it won’t only have a major impact on Colorado; it will set off a major chain reaction that forces other states, as well as the federal government, to begin strongly reconsidering their approaches to marijuana policy. After all, they will be directly confronted with the realization at which many of us have already arrived – legalization is no longer a question of “if,” but “when.” The answer is 2012. And the “how?” With your support. Visit www.RegulateMarijuana.org to find out more about the initiative, the campaign, and how you can get involved.

Q: Rob, I am a patient and sometimes drive while medicated. Is that legal? What should I do if stopped by a police officer? –Grandma Ganja, Denver, Colorado

A: Grandma, unfortunately, this question is becoming all-too-relevant, as Colorado’s Drug War-Industrial Complex becomes increasingly hostile to the concept of sick and suffering patients finding relief from the medical use of marijuana. Criminally charging a patient with a DUI is easy for the stormtroopers whose paychecks depend on the continuation of the Drug War Industrial Complex. Defending against a DUI is difficult and expensive for a patient, even though the Colorado Legislature wisely rejected the “Driving While Patient” per se 5 nanogram limit that was unsuccessfully sold by snake-oil scientists, who stood to personally profit off the cottage industry of blood testing Colorado’s 200,000 patients every time we climb behind the wheel. These fake scientists testified in the legislature about how a “one size fits all” nanogram standard should apply to all patients, even though we are all different people who have personally different experiences and effects from medical marijuana. Listening to this pseudo-science reminded me of the tobacco industry-funded scientists from the past, testifying before Congress that tobacco was good for you. However, even with the rejection of the per se 5 nanogram bill, it was, and still is, illegal in Colorado to drive a vehicle while “under the influence” of drugs (Driving Under the Influence (“DUI”)), or the even looser standard of driving a vehicle while “ability impaired” “to the slightest degree (Driving While Ability Impaired (“DWAI”)). As always, the practical standard is much more stringent for medical marijuana patients than for patients who use opiates and other more serious and dangerous medications. Simple politics; the sooner we realize we are still second-class citizens and deal with that while simultaneously trying to change it, the better. No where is this second-class citizenship more evident than in driving. The loose standard of DWAI makes it perilous to drive with any amount of active THC in your system. The safest option is to wait many hours after medicating to get behind the wheel. Easy to say, harder to do. For many chronic patients, it is impossible to eliminate active THC from the blood, and remain functional. If that is not possible, then follow these steps to minimize the risk, although nothing can completely eliminate it.

First, drive carefully, obeying traffic laws, and within the speed limit. No swerving, no weaving, no loud stereos, no speeding, running red lights, rolling stops, etc. Second, keep your license plates current and fix any burnt out lights, including the notorious license plate light that police use as a made-up pretext to pull people over. No large cracks on the windshield. Some even advise minimizing night driving, as police attention is heightened for DUI targets after dark. If possible, have license, registration, and insurance handy. If possible, carry no marijuana that would emit a smell, or keep it in the trunk or rear if you must carry it. If pulled over, be nice, be polite, but not too chatty. If the police ask permission to search, politely refuse, although they may search anyway. You get no credit for allowing the search. If asked to perform roadside tests, politely refuse, explaining that you have an unspecified medical condition that would make the test worthless for any purpose. Roadside tests are voluntary and cannot help you, and only hurt you. It is a subjective judgment of a police officer who has no medical knowledge, and I have never seen a person actually “pass” roadsides. Already, with THC the government will need amorphous subjective evidence to convict you and a roadside gives them just that. If asked to take a blood test, understand that refusal can result in a license revocation. At the time you take the blood test, that is the time to show or explain your medical marijuana registry card, unless the police find marijuana, then that would be the time. Do not initiate the contact by claiming that you are a medical marijuana patient. That is your confidential personal business, and need only be asserted if marijuana is found or if a blood test is taken. None of this guarantees success, but may decrease your chance of being charged with DUI. Good luck.

Robert J. Corry, Jr. is an Attorney licensed to practice in Colorado, California, and the District of Columbia. This column does not constitute formal legal advice, and should not relied upon as such. Please submit comments or questions to www.RobCorry.com.

Los Angeles based painter Mear One first gained fame for a Guns’n’Roses logo he drew when he was 19 years old. Around the same time, his prolific tagging with the now famous CBS graffiti crew placed his name among the most talked about writers of the late 80s and early 90s. After the 1992 Riots he became politicized and started painting large canvasses dealing with current events and most notably, social justice. He outgrew street art and began to receive invitations to show his paintings in international galleries throughout Germany, France, Spain, Japan, the East Coast and beyond. With the relentless explosion of graffiti art into the mainstream, occupying everything from the Museum Of Contemporary Art (MOCA) to Sotheby’s auction floors, Mear One’s somewhat stinging, yet brutally frank, perspective makes the following dialogue more relevant than ever before. The words below are an excerpt from Mear One’s forthcoming book on art.

everything involving me. This made me claustrophobic and rebellious. Truthfully if school wasn’t so bad I might not have enjoyed art so much. I started writing graffiti around my local neighborhood back in 1986. This was a life changing experience to me because it caused me to UN-define myself and the world surrounding me. I was a lost youth, a rebel with cause but not quite sure why yet. Youths in Los Angeles go through a grinding in its early stages then return the favor at an appropriate age, say 9-16 years old. Growing up in Central back lot Hollywood was as bizarre as watching one of its movies.

who is an artist? The meaning of an artist and what art is has always been a deep question in my mind. I have a current conception of the idea that has helped me in my quest to achieve a more meaningful relationship that also reminds me of what art is. Art is the ability to conceive of an idea, patterns, and waves, that make a picture and through the hands, the artist constructs this image from the mind’s eye into the world for others to appreciate. Something from nothing, the Magi or the illusionist. This can take place in dance, poetry, cinema, etc. With that said I don’t always consider myself an artist. I am so interested in so many subjects it leaves me completely uninterested in the world of art politics and games. I find myself buried in ancient culture and technology, the Apocalypse, Philosophy and Physics, Astrology, Astronomy, World Politics and Religion. Information and ideas have been my inspiration. This inspiring information charges me up with an energy motivating me to react in the sense that there is something I want to bring attention to. My whole life I wanted to participate only to realize without a PH.D in some field your voice can fall silent. So my interests have fueled an artist in me that is hungry and excited to paint this subject matter in hope that it may attract the very people I’ve always wanted to have these conversations with in the first place. Through this process I have also found myself in true form and have developed a narrative visual dialogue I offer to people to see. I am fusing a level of activism, artistry and philosophical thought to the work I do so that it will have a more penetrating reception and communicate the intended thoughts. Drawing has always been the way I made friends and made folks laugh. School was all about the authority figures having a say in

Young vandals would hunt the streets at night to score the biggest and best visible spot, plot an escape in case of an emergency like the cops, and drop the bomb. The next morning we would race out to get photos before the buffers came to erase the Graff. This was a constant battle we engaged in and it was part of the rush, to defy the authorities and reclaim the public space. It is a battle I struggle with daily and continue to step aside from the norm and venture into the unknown to remain indefinable. To me remaining indefinable is so important, the whole concept of authorities depicting your actions and giving a label to the expressions we exuberate is part of the purpose of graffiti - it says f**k you I won’t do what you tell me. And so I won’t allow anyone to define me. Running the streets at night takes you so far from the regular life of everyone else that I sometimes see the purpose of art and life in a very survivalist type of way. Graffiti teaches you to protect your own and participate while staying somewhat unknown. Participation has always been

such an important part of being a true graffiti writer. Communicating in the language of the rebellious street kids was learning from the teachers of the art. This teaching was passed down from writer to writer. Basically it consisted of respect, heart, originality, and purpose. If these ideals could be expressed through time you could become accepted as a writer then an artist. Somewhere in the 90s art school students had become fascinated with graffiti in a large scale, roughly the entire design in the advertisement field followed along with major corporations learning guerilla marketing from us writers. This began to blur the art of graffiti, I mean if Sprite and art school students can do graffiti, who else can do it? Well thanks to postering and snickering, vandalism has been made more accessible to everyone. Your average t-shirt company (which I’ll mention use graffiti to sell their product which half the time has nothing to do with graffiti) makes stickers for young buyers to do their dirty work of slappin up stickers for them. Graffiti in my opinion is the world’s largest art movement in history simply because of its fast growth (similar to an epidemic) and sheer numbers, including those that do Graff, those who just like to hang around Graff, those who collect photos, art, latitude, of Graff, those artists who don’t participate yet find their inspiration in Graff and girls who date Graff writers or guys who date girl writers. Everyone sees graffiti and has to deal with it in some way whether they are buffing it off their business or taking a photo of the urban experience. The other day I hit a mailbox on the street corner and drew a naked character. As I walked away a man yelled, “Why

did you do that!”? I turned to him, walked back, and said, “It is art, free for your enjoyment”. The man said, “I’m a cop and I should arrest you, you f**k!” I wasn’t sure if I believed him or not so I said, “Then why don’t you?” This really pissed him off, he began to turn red and front like he was gonna punch me, so I asked him if art has always given him such a bad experience. He continued to yell some ‘tear your ass up motherf***r’ s**t to me, so I had to point out that children were present and he wasn’t setting a good example. He stormed off. To me that is true art and that is a beautiful thing. My life is worth more to me now than it was to me when I was younger. The art I make is conceptually, figuratively, subliminally more important to me - especially the language detail and clarity in the message I’m trying to express. I’ve always felt uneasiness in life and in a strange way it feels like an elevator. Elevators are an uneasy place to meet new people and I usually like to speak on things of importance with new people, so I have entered elevators with my paintings and an air of ease is present and people will usually ask me a question about the painting like, “why does the white man in the closet got a gun in his mouth?” And this opens a wonderful opportunity to dialogue on a philosophical level where it’s not necessarily me confronting or critiqued by them. We can stand together and critique the piece together. This is how I like to affect people; through creative means and dialogue a message is conveyed. Art is the first language of the human race and I want to contribute to the development of that language.

MearOne.com

It’s not uncommon to experience fatigue from time to time especially if you maintain a busy schedule. But what happens if it’s a little too often and begins to affect your lifestyle? At least a million people in the United States suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Although it’s not fatal, it can be very debilitating for those who live with it. CFS seems to affect primarily younger people particularly in their mid-thirties who may have otherwise been considered healthy. The condition was recognized in the 1980s when a large number of cases were reported throughout the country. The Center for Disease Control finally validated it and gave CFS its name in 1988. CFS is overwhelming fatigue that makes day to day tasks very difficult. Simple activities such as getting out of bed or eating can be very challenging. The severity of this type of fatigue doesn’t compare to the typical fatigue you may feel after a full day at work or chasing the kids all day or even an intense athletic competition. It’s a complicated disorder where the patient feels extreme exhaustion for no reason that does not resolve itself with rest. It often becomes even worse after physical or mental activity.

you have CFS is if you experience persistent fatigue that does not improve with sleep and causes a reduction in your daily activities by 50% for at least 6 months. What Causes Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? While it’s still a topic on the table, some medical experts believe it has to do with a breakdown in the immune system enabling infections such as Epstein-Barr, herpes or candida. This theory is based on the fact that many people who suffer from CFS seem to have high levels of EBV antibodies in their blood and they notice the first signs of CFS after experiencing a viral infection. Hereditary factors, stress and environmental issues may play a role as well. There is no cure for CFS and the best you can do is to treat or minimize the symptoms. Though it can recur at any time particularly after an illness or high levels of stress, there are things you can do to relieve CFS symptoms: • Eat a well-balanced diet made mostly of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Avoid fried or processed foods. • Drink plenty of water. • Exercise daily even though it may seem difficult at first. Aerobic exercise can boost your body’s energy. Find your level of tolerance. • Detox your body. Release toxins and other poisons that may be affecting your health. (See our Living Well column about detoxification in the July issue). • Avoid caffeine, dairy products and meat. • Avoid stress and find time to relax. Consider meditation or breathing exercises twice a day for twenty minutes.

We still do not have a single medical test that is used to confirm CFS. Usually doctors will run a series of tests to rule out other medical problems. Determining whether or not you have CFS is not easy and many people who suffer from it have been accused of being hypochondriacs. Not all doctors are quick to diagnose a patient with CFS. This can be very discouraging for those who suffer on a regular basis and cause them to withdraw from society and feel alone. Indicators that you may have or be in the early stages of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Flu-Like Symptoms Irritability Sore Throat Weakness Muscle Pain Depression Enlarged Lymph Nodes in your neck or armpits Unusual Headaches (differ from past headaches) Diarrhea Memory Loss Confusion Anxiety Loss of Appetite

The symptoms are similar to viral infections and can often be misdiagnosed. The major determining factor as to whether or not

If you believe you may have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, it’s important to research doctors and find one who truly understands what you are experiencing and can offer help. If changing some of your lifestyle habits doesn’t seem to offer any relief, your doctor may recommend antidepressants, sleeping pills, psychological counseling and maybe even physical therapy to help ease you into an exercise routine that is suitable for you. Whatever form of treatment you choose to alleviate your symptoms, consider meeting other people with CFS, even if it’s just online. Talking to people who actually understand what you are going through can give you the ultimate boost of energy. -Elaine is the former host of “The Shape Fitness Show” on 97.1FM and 980AM in Los Angeles. Check out her site at GodaiFit.com

I spent two days in Florida in March of 2011 with Cathy and other colleagues supporting Congressman Clemen’s (D-Lake Worth) medical cannabis bill, the first ever introduced in Florida. While wheelchair-bound and under the supervision of a caregiver, she was quoted at the Congressman’s press conference saying, “Cannabis is a neuro-protector, an antioxidant, and an anti-inflammatory...I am here today to help patients and the families of patients with neuromuscular diseases and brain disorders to educate themselves on cannabis.” Over fifty years earlier, Lou Gehrig spoke to a sell out crowd of fans before his last appearance as the NY Yankee’s sterling and remarkable “Iron Man” first baseman, and told the crowd, clear through the stadium speaker’s echo, that he was “the luckiest man alive.” This was quite a statement coming from a man who, diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, knew he would soon die. He spoke of his past not of his future.

His future was grim and short.

ALS (a.k.a. Lou Gehrig’s disease) is one tough way to live and die. ALS is a degenerative neuromuscular progressive disease that

destroys motor neurons. As the motor neurons are destroyed, the muscles atrophy and become spastic and patients become weaker and unable to care for themselves. Patients soon depend on a wheelchair. ALS patients have difficulty speaking and swallowing and many patients die from choking. It is fatal for most patients within 2-5 years from onset.

Cathy should have been dead by now - she has lived with ALS for 25 years.

Cathy medicates with cannabis every day, but since it is illegal in Florida, she is forced to live as a criminal in order to live at all. This is what the war on ‘drugs’ has done to countless individuals all over this country. This inane pogrom on the sick also reduces, eliminates, confounds and delays any medical science-based advancements from being realized. It hampers the powers that be from admitting the US federal policy on therapeutic cannabis has been wrong for decades, and from lifting the prohibition in an effort to turn our collective talents loose to do better for Cathy and hundreds, thousands of others, ill, dying.

It also creates other criminals. No, not the low-level street dealers nor the drug barons who have more money than most countries, we’re talking about the ‘criminals’ that are people of compassion. After all, somebody supplies cannabis to Cathy. Bob, Cathy’s husband and proud Vietnam Veteran, has to sit and fret and wonder if her supplier will come through again – if he will succeed in overcoming the hazards of growing and delivering a prohibited substance – one that has saved his wife’s life. Can you feel his frustration? Bob risked his young life to preserve freedom to the very country that, by law, is keeping his own wife from freely choosing to elect her own quality of life, her own treatment protocol - the one that has been effective. Cannabis helps Cathy, and others with this terrible disease, by doing what every cannabis user experiences; it causes dry mouth. Among cannabis patients, one of the side effects is the drying of oral secretions – dry mouth, or cottonmouth. In the case of ALS human patients, it is that very drying of the membranes, the reduction of saliva and mucous, that proves to be the lifesaver. A build up of saliva for an ALS patient, which frequently causes chocking, can mean death. A reduction of secretions means life. It’s as simple as that. As I write this, Cathy is, in a sense, attacking the ALS medical community challenging them to recognize her survival through a series of meetings and interviews she and her Florida supporters have arranged with key medical and political personalities. Up to now ALS ‘specialists’ have retreated from her, effectively undervaluing her experience with cannabis. “They are terrified by me it seems,” she said on the phone two days prior. Cathy is pressing the ALS medical community to recognize her treatment of her disease, a method that has worked. No silver bullet, no pharmaceutical chemistry, no surgery, no western medicine - no wonder “they” are terrified. What would you do if you were Cathy? After all, as your dutiful contribution to our nation, what you would do does matter. Would you hide, hope that the local cops would look the other way? Would you not use cannabis and die? Would you tell your MD or RN what was keeping you going? How much could you afford to pay for a medicine which is produced by the federal government at a cost of a few bucks an ounce, when you have to pay $500 an ounce on the black market? Would you stand in public next to a Congressman and admit to using illegal plant compounds daily? Would you, as a layperson, have the audacity to question the teachings of a realm of medicine by telling those ‘experts’ that

cannabis is doing what they said it couldn’t? Cathy is an anomaly in our US society these days. Why? Because she is brave - unafraid of doing and saying what is the right thing to say and do. She works from experience and empirical knowledge rather than from the sound bites of foolish pundits who make a public career of continually exposing their limited understanding of medical cannabis - seemingly unembarrassed by their ignorance or duplicity. And, perhaps most importantly, Cathy cares about others with her plight and feels an innate responsibility to inform.

In short, Cathy is one of my heroes.

Cannabis has not cured Cathy, but it has provided her with two decades of life that modern western medicine could not. The simple fact that she is alive is testimony to that fact. As I learn more about cannabis and it’s coupling with our own endocannabinoid system, and as I study the reports of patient use for a wide variety of symptoms, from sickle cell anemia to pain control, I am in a constant state of frustration. Up against the reality of a modern miracle of medicine case study called Cathy, there are those who hold a theory… A theory that Cathy and those that support her, groups like Patients Out of Time and the dozens of health care organizations, as well as individual doctors and nurses, that have added their names to the demand for medicinal cannabis, are wrong… misinformed…duped by the hoards of axe wielding reefer madness types running through our streets who just “want to get stoned.” A theory as illogical as the federal cannabis prohibition that turned a sick and dying patient named Cathy into a criminal.

So please do something.

At the very least, be aware, and make those around you aware as well. For what you do is important for the present day and future of those you love and care about. Help Cathy and the thousands of others who need it, obtain legal medical cannabis. In time, you may find you have helped yourself. Humbly, Al Byrne for Patients Out of Time

he world has changed, and the way of our high school pasts are no more. Nowadays the word geek is synonymous with chic. Being a nerd is no longer something to be scoffed at, but a social status many avidly seek. With this drastic change of role reversals, the nerd population is being invaded from all sides. The word ‘posers’ comes to mind, although that’s probably a bit harsh. Truth is a lot of people are just claiming the nerd status as a means of making themselves seem...cooler. (Who ever saw that one coming?) But just for the record, owning a PlayStation 3 and casually gaming doesn’t make you a nerd. Now I’m not trying to call anyone out specifically; in fact, I’d like to help those of you who are worried I am referring to you. And it just happens that Colorado, specifically Denver, is the perfect place to start. Denver boasts an active nerd scene, perfect for geekifying you wannabes. It’s especially known as a major stop on many of the convention tours. Large anime, comic, manga, gaming, and media conventions are held here each year, attracting nerds of all varieties from far and wide. For those of you who just started cringing at the thought of possibly standing in line around a group of Trekkies, you’re the poser nerds I was talking about. I understand that conventions are as nerdy as it gets, but that’s really the point. Conventions are where you are going to find true fans, and dedicated nerds alike. And for those of you who haven’t tried one, I recommend giving it a shot. For a small-ish fee, you can spend your weekend having fun while geeking out, and not be judged for it. (Not to mention you’ll get you’re monies worth in awesome swag...not schwag.) There are two notable conventions coming right up in the mile high city: TactiCon 2011 and Nan Desu Kan (NDK).

Tacticon 2011 is the first up being held from September 1-5, at the Red Lion Hotel in Aurora. Hosted by the Denver Gaming Association, this gaming convention hosts an impressive schedule of board games and pen and paper RPGs. Games spanning from Munchkin to Warhammer, from Settlers of Catan to Lord of the Rings, and hundreds of games in between are included in the event schedule. (Not to mention some all day sessions of Dungeons & Dragons are tossed in there.) A few option are available for registering for the event. The preregistration for a full weekend pass runs $24, while a full weekend at the door will cost $33. One day passes are also available for $20 each, as well as $5 visitor passes. Each event has a nominal fee for playing, prices ranging for $2 -$20 on individual games. Full details can be found at www.denvergamers.org. If pen and paper gaming is a little to nerdy for you, NDK might be more your speed. NDK is a fan run anime convention hosted the following weekend, September 9-11 at the Marriott. The con has a ton of events including video showings, artist works, dances, auctions, and of course cosplay. If anime is your thing, this is the place for you. And for those of you who are still a bit skeptical, it might be worth it to stop by for the all-day DDR room, and the Battle of the Rock Bands. The event has been known to host 7,000 people a day, making it one of the largest anime conventions in the US. Weekend badges run $50 at the door, or you can grab an all day pass for $30. More information can be found at www.ndkdenver.org. If neither of these conventions strikes your interest, just wait patiently. Denver hosts a smorgasbord of nerdy events you can attend, everything from the occasional gaming charity auctions to big events like StarFest in April. There is entertainment for every kind of nerd in Denver. Keep checking The Nerd Strain for more nerdy happenings in Denver. And for Cthuhu’s sake, if you see something you like, stop by and give them support; wave your nerd flag high, and show your not just another imposter in our ranks.

From inspiring South Park episodes to entire television networks dedicated to the topic, the recent food obsession that has come on over the past few years has gotten slightly out of hand, and, understandably, I can’t think of anywhere that it has hit harder than the pothead community. I mean it’s almost like torture for those of us sitting around with the bong in one hand and the remote in the other, flipping through aimlessly for something worth watching, when all of a sudden...there it is…the Food Network (or cooking channel, or travel channel, or whatever) beckoning you in, and it always does. It’s virtually impossible to not want to stop for at least a second (which turns into 2 hours) and stick around long enough to see what exactly Giada plans to do with that Italian Chocolate Cake and freshly made whipped cream. Now I know I’m not the only one out there who feels this way about food. We pay for an HD television with twelve hundred channels and end up watching ESPN, Food Network, and maybe a few others that are aesthetically pleasing. In my opinion, Comcast should develop the “pothead package” where I only have to pay for the six channels that I actually end up watching instead of the countless repeats of Real Housewives or whatever other senseless mind-numbing nonsense the good people of VH1 have conjured up. But I’m not here to badmouth network executives or tell you what to watch when you are at home burning a joint on your couch. I am here, however, to tell you where in Colorado that you can get out (yes off of your couch) and find the food that you are salivating over in Paula Dean’s kitchen…in real life! You might have to drive an extra couple of miles outside of downtown Denver and no, most likely they aren’t going to bring it to your doorstep, but it is all there and ready for the taking. You just have to put

forth the effort. Having said that, I invite you to come with me on an average day of good food and good smoke here in lovely Denver, Colorado. I began my dinnertime ritual like I do any other day, by calling my friends and seeing who is trying to find something off-the-beaten path to eat. While sometimes it’s hard to motivate this group, this time it was easy, so I jumped on my bike and headed over to my buddy’s house - tonight’s comrade-in-arms. Then came phase two of the plan: the all important sitting-on-his-couch-nursing-abowl and discussing where we planned to eat that night. So my friend, being the hospitable guy that he is (and because I asked him) wedged up a freshly cleaned glass bong full of the “Blue-D,” which, as I understand it, is a cross of DJ Short’s now legendary Blueberry and a Fort Collins Sour Diesel strain. This is a strain that I am somewhat familiar with and truly enjoy smoking because you’re never sure which phenotype you are going to get, but you know that is always going to taste fantastic. Sometimes it ends up being a heavy blast of Diesel to the dome, which is a very uplifting and talkative high (permanent smile included). Just as often though, it ends up being much more Blueberry-ish, which I am certainly not complaining about, but the effect tends to be a little more heavy-headed and Indica fueled. This time was no exception, the herb tasted of lemons and blueberries on the inhale and almost a motor oil type of taste that only a legit Diesel strain can provide on the exhale. The high was uplifting and definitely got my mind (and my stomach) in the place it needed to be to make the delicate dinner decision. We both decided that we wanted something Asian, but not your typical Japanese sushi joint or crab cheese wonton

type of Chinese spot. Chinese; however, did sound good so after a surprisingly short deliberation, we decided to make the trek into Aurora to check out China Jade, a kind of hidden gem tucked away in a strip mall off of Iliff. Upon arrival it was clear that we were in a prime spot. The restaurant was completely full (on a Wednesday night) and we just happened to be the only two people in there who weren’t actually Chinese. It smelled fantastic, kind of a heavy garlic scent, and the sound of fresh vegetables being tossed into an incredibly hot wok. Needless to say, the hunger pangs were growing restless by this point. We waited no more than 4 minutes for our table and after sitting down our waiter inquired, “Would you like the regular menu or Chinese Menu?” I have never eaten somewhere with 2 completely separate styles of menu, but fearing that we might come off like amateurs, we decided to check out the strictly Chinese menu. After poring over the menu (half off which is actually written in Chinese) for a few minutes and covertly glancing at what all the other patrons had ordered, we decided to get a few different things and taste them all. We ordered the pan fried green beans, twice cooked pork (at our waiter’s suggestion), and the Szechuan Shrimp. It wasn’t until later that I found out that China Jade specialized in Szechuan style cooking, which is typically extremely spicy and permeates bold flavors. The food came out in about 15-20 minutes and it wasn’t a minute too soon, seeing as I was about 2 seconds from putting Sriracha on my napkin and eating the whole thing. Everything came out piping hot and giving off amazing aromas that were until then fairly foreign to me. The green beans were hands down the best tasting green beans I’ve

possibly ever eaten in my life (sorry mom) and the twicecooked pork was almost indescribable. The green beans were topped in a kind of soy sauce with perfectly crisped garlic and red pepper flakes on top. They were crispy without being overly fried, truly amazing. The twice cooked pork dish is made using strictly the pork belly, offering an almost bacon-like consistency. (Thank god we split everything, as much as I would have loved to, I’m not sure I could exactly stomach a pack and a half of bacon). But the flavor was incredible, spicy and bold. The pork was handled perfectly. Imagine a cut of pork so tender that it literally melts in your mouth. The Szechuan shrimp were equally flavorful, but definitely wayyy more on the spicy side. That could have also been because I ate one of the peppers that were clearly meant for decoration right out of the gate, which was a little hard to come back from. Regardless, we both ate in a stoner frenzy until it was regrettably physically impossible to force down another green bean or chunk of delicious pork belly (yes, we had to take the rest hom). All in all, China Jade proved to be the best Chinese food I have had since living in Colorado and possibly anywhere in my life, and I can’t wait to indulge again (which I assume will be in about an hour or so after round 2 of that Blue-D…). Won’t you join me? -Vince Diesel is a 26-year old currently living in Denver, CO. He has a strong passion for good food and good herb. Join him as he eats and smokes his way through Colorado.

On Thursday, July 7, 2011, the Marijuana Policy Project threw

the best party of the year, with their Liberty Belle Ball at the iconic Playboy Mansion. Sadly, Hugh Hefner was not in attendance, nor were there any orgies in the Grotto during the party. There were, however, tons of industry leaders and other luminaries in the battle to legalize marijuana, enjoying live music from Fishbone and various DJs, amazing food spreads, and overall having a great time. Indeed, an impressive lot of notables turned up to celebrate MPP’s progress including Jason Gann - from the Australian (and now FX) smash hit “Wilfred”- who accompanied Kush Magazine’s very own Cheryl Shuman. Bob Selan, CEO of Kush and Board member of NCIA, the first cannabis industry trade association, was also in attendance. Additional notables in attendance included Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Reed Diamond, and Breckin Meyer from TNT’s “Franklin & Bash.” Guests were very interested in talking to people from the cannabis industry including The 420 Times, Canna Bank, Vapor Room, Bhang Chocolates, Berkeley Patients Group, WeGrow, LA Weekly, and the main sponsor of the event, GreenLife Medical Systems LLC. Greenlife Medical Systems is the largest provider of verification services for medical cannabis recommendations across the United States and, after just 4 years since its founding, finds itself in a unique and coveted position. “4 years ago, we found Rob Kampia and MPP and talked about what we were trying to do, bring more standardization and accountability to this emerging market, which fell right in line with what they were trying to promote,” explains Greenlife’s Alain Gazaui. With over half a million patients being serviced in California alone, Greenlife has managed to fill a very necessary void in the continually emerging medical marijuana industry, helping to break taboo and allow doctors to feel more comfortable in recommending a medicine they are confident can help their patients. Not only does Greenlife provide the most advanced verification services in the industry, forcing a necessary accountability noticeably absent before their arrival, but, according to Gazaui, they also provide “protection from law enforcement agents 24 hours a day.” Plain and simple, “We’re here to make sure patients get the medicine that they need.” Playing 74

testament to their increasing influence in the medical marijuana community, Greenlife finds itself as the title sponsor of this year’s event. Additional sponsors, including WeGrow, have also seen monumental strides in recent years. “We just got our 1,000th application for a franchise,” glows WeGrow’s Mike Garcia. According to him, WeGrow is the only cannabis related business that has been given the permission to start franchising throughout the country. Garcia said his business is flourishing because they have the moxie to stand tall and proud, as they offer a grand superstore for everything one needs to grow medical marijuana. “Everyone else (other hydro shops) is hiding, and we’re the ones saying, ‘step out.’ Somebody has to step out there, and take the risk ahead of everybody else. We’re doing that thing; we’re taking the risk.” Thanks to organizations like MPP, the movement to abolish marijuana prohibition has gained more and more energy over the years, and the past year was no different. “I think it’s going really well right now,” Kampia noted. “We’ve had four significant state victories in just seven months: Arizona, Delaware, Maryland, and Vermont. We’ve had this explosion of state-level victories, which would have been unheard of a couple years ago. “So I think we’re doing really well, in terms of laws changing on the state level. On the federal level, it’s a give and take. You know, we have obviously our best legislation ever in Congress, but it’s not so clear on the federal level that things are going in the right direction. It’s not a disaster and it’s not a dream, it’s somewhere in the middle.” Randy Welty from San Diego, and one of the board members of the newly formed Patient Care Association of California (PCAC) also had good news to share. “The PCAC successfully executed on a referendum to stop the ban against collectives as a result of an onerous City of San Diego medical marijuana ordinance. Over 46,000 signatures were gathered in less than 30 days.” Welty exclaimed, “We’re very happy to report that it is going to end up passing as a referendum.” The next steps according to Welty are to prepare and initiative that will instruct the City Council as to how the medical marijuana

community can partner with the city to allow for straight forward regulations that will also assure that patients will have safe access. Welty stated that, “hopefully before it gets to the next initiative stage we will have the opportunity to sit down with the city council and negotiate an acceptable resolution.”* The struggles that are facing San Diego are not unique but are commonplace among many cities and states where MPP has been proactive in. To this end, Kampia and the MPP are showing no signs of slowing down. As Kampia continued - during breaks between performances by the hypnotizing Fire Groove - “Our flagship project over the next year and a half is the legalize marijuana initiative that is being promoted in Colorado, to end marijuana prohibition entirely, and to tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol. That’s the #1 most imvportant project for November 2012.” Kampia further stated that, “In addition, we will continue to work on lobbying in Illinois, New York, Maryland and a couple of other states. We will of course assist in California and the state of Washington, with their two ballot initiatives. But we can’t do everything everywhere. One of the things that we pride ourselves on at MPP for the past 16 1/2 years is picking and choosing our battles. This means saying ‘yes,’ but also saying ‘no.’ We can’t say ‘yes’ to everything. In the next year and a half, we are saying ‘yes’ to Colorado, and then we’re going to help everywhere else that we can.” As the party dwindled down, and guests were shuttled out of the Mansion grounds, a sense of true victory hovered over the area. We are winning this silly yet dreadful war. *At press time, the San Diego City Council voted to repeal the medical marijuana ordinance.

With some of my children attending college here, I have traveled to Boulder dozens of times in the past decade, and I must say, some of my fondest memories from this wonderful college town have been the hearty home-style breakfasts served up at several of the area’s restaurants…spots I have since considered the greatest breakfast restaurants ever! So join me as I make my way from Le Peep to The Buff, then after an eyes-glazed-over nap, we’ll mosey on down to The Walnut Café and Lucille’s before finally calling it quits at Qs in the Boulderado Hotel.

Le Peep

Lucile’s Creole Café

Located next to McGuckin’s and the Marriot, Le Peep has been a standard for breakfast in Boulder for well over a decade. Open daily (for breakfast and lunch only), Le Peep serves up generous and hearty meals that, while not exactly right away, you’ll certainly start the day off the right way. Be sure to order a cinnamon roll for the table (yes, one will the table jussssssstt fine), and then one of their French toast creations, pancakes, eggs Benedict, omelets or pan handled skillet dishes for your entre. My favorite is the Bacon and Avocado Omelet served with sliced avocado, bacon, red onion and cheese and smothered with their tomatillo avocado sauce and a splash of sour cream. For those craving something lighter, their fruit smoothies, Dutch apple oatmeal or low fat granola are great jump starts. They even have gluten-free choices! Additionally, an espresso, latte or just a delicious cup of coffee or tea to complete your meal is all served up in Le Peeps’ warm, cozy, homey atmosphere…all without breaking the bank.

Located on 14th Street between Spruce and Pine in a charming old house in the heart of Boulder, Lucile’s Creole Café is as close as it gets to New Orleans Creole food. Open for breakfast, lunch and brunch, Lucile’s serves an array of gourmet dishes including their signature Eggs Jennifer, a vegetarian Benedict, Pain Perdu (a New Orleans style French toast), homemade Buttermilk biscuits and, of course, the Cajun Breakfast, which consists of red beans, meat, poached eggs and hollandaise served with grits and a buttermilk biscuit. Their powdered sugar dusted beignets (a New Orleans version of the donut) are as good as the ones served up at Café Du Monde in the French Quarter of New Orleans. With daily specials, fresh brewed Chicory coffee, fresh squeezed juices and entrées that range from $6 to $10, Lucile’s is definitely able to boast that it serves one of “The Best Breakfasts in Boulder.” Zydeco, jazz or Cajun music is constantly floating through the dining room, creating the New Orleans ambiance that sets Lucile’s apart from the rest. If you can’t make it out to Boulder, be sure to visit the Lucile’s nearest you in Longmont, Fort Collins, Littleton or Denver.

2525 Arapahoe Ave. Boulder, CO 80302 303-444-5119 www.lepeep.com

The Buff

2124 14th Street Boulder, CO 80302 303-442-4743 www.luciles.com

1725 28th St Boulder, CO 80301 www.buffrestaurant.com

The Walnut Café

Located at 28th and Canyon in the parking lot of the Best Western Golden Buff Lodge, The Buff, owned by Christopher Meyer and Jacquelyn Sproul (who purchased what used to be the Golden Buff Grill back in 1995) has been serving up breakfast, lunch and brunch ever since. “Our philosophy is based on a genuine desire to please the people who walk in the door. Everything on the menu is fresh and hot-off-the-grill.” With piles of silverware wrapped in gingham checked cloth napkins on each table, the country-style, welcoming atmosphere is a Boulder favorite among students and residents alike. Jelly jars are used as water glasses, with giant iced vanilla lattes and warm steamy cappuccinos brewed up to order. Affordable Mimosas, Bloody Marys and delicious breakfast and lunch dishes insure that the weekend wait is well worth it. Start off the morning with a delicious Fruit bowl for the table consisting of fresh melon, mixed fruit, yogurt and granola. Some of my favorite breakfast dishes are the Veggie Omelet served with a mixture of veggies and cheddar cheese, or if you’re having that South-ofthe-Border yearning, try the Ole Homestead Skillet with chorizo, green chilies, onions, potatoes and cheddar cheese topped with yummy con queso or pork green chili. Or perhaps the very filling Breakfast Tacos made with scrambled eggs, chilies, cheese and either been, chicken or chorizo in flour tortillas are more your thing? Either way, trust me, you won’t be disappointed. With many choices and great griddle and egg options, The Buff makes breakfast the most important, and enjoyable, meal of the day!

Located in a strip mall off of 30th, boasting the best view of the Flatirons from a strip mall in Boulder, the Walnut Café opens daily from 7am til 3:30pm and has been serving Boulder breakfast and lunch for more than a quarter century…A QUARTER CENTURY!! With some of the nicest staff in town, The Walnut Café has a great menu with lots of options covering the gamut from eggs to omelets, French toast, waffles, and pancakes. The Walnut Café also offers its patrons a delicious choice of sides that include everything from fresh fruit to breakfast potatoes, grits, toast, blueberry corn bread, banana nut bread or a buttermilk biscuit. Some favorites include Eggs Marcos made with scrambled eggs, cream cheese and melted cheddar or the Big Dill Eggs served on an English muffin with a creamy dill sauce, and the Breakfast Potatoes served with melted cheddar, sour cream and salsa or the Quiche of the Day (made fresh of course). Make sure to save room for one of owner Dana Derichswieler’s famous pies. Tuesday is Pie Day, with $1.00 off of each slice. While pie selection changes daily, some of the awesome homemade pies available include strawberry rhubarb, strawberry blueberry, banana cream, Samoa coconut cream, chocolate silk, pecan, apple, pumpkin, peanut butter dosido, Momofuko’s crack pie and many more mouth watering selections.

3073 Walnut Street Boulder, CO 80301 303-447-2315

So the next time you crave a great breakfast be sure to visit one of these amazing restaurants in Boulder…and tell ‘em Kush sent you!

Dr. Quinn, Marijuana Medicine Woman! by Mike Marino Colorado Springs has been called many things, by many people, including myself when living the life there, and I can honestly say, it’s rustic roots certainly brings out the cowboy in you, and the cowgirl too for that matter for those of you of that gender. It’s probably most familiar to the legions of television addicts as the setting for the TV show, “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” starring Jane Seymour. Although they never came right out and said it, I have speculated in my deranged reasoning, that whether she ran a wild west compassion center or not, rest assured, that there was at least one, if not two Chinese opium dens that would have pleased the other Dr. Quinn, the Eskimo. Remember now, the Dr. Quinn character studied natural/ herbal medicine and their pioneer high plains uses from the local native peoples, (weed had to be in that little medicine pouch of hers somewhere) so, if you stretch your imagination to the infinite edge of it’s outer limits, Dr. Quinn could have been the first Medical Marijuana Western TV show in the history of American pop culture!

The Springs, as it is affectionately called by locals is a geological rock and roll heaven, especially an area called Garden of the Gods, perfecto for quiet contemplation, hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing and scaling. It’s also a favorite spot for photographers who have the spirit of Ansel Adams residing in their souls. The restaurant and gift shop offer spectacular views of nearby Pikes Peak and the Garden itself while you dine and relax. It’s a labyrinth of magnificent red rocks that seem to tower to the highest reaches of a polarized blue sky, a mysterious stairway to heaven. The most memorable trip to the Gardens I experienced was on a Rocky Mountain Christmas Day. Expecting not another soul to be out and about, I was pleasantly surprised to find others who had the same idea. The interesting part is that none of them were Americans who were still ripping presents open from under the tree, but a battalion of international visitors from mostly Japan and Germany. I struck up a conversation with one Japanese family, and from there we commenced to putting together

snowmen and women on a miniature scale so the kids could also mass produce them. All the miniatures were appropriately dubbed Bonsai Snow People, and the legend began. The Germans by the way jumped in too, and with typical Germanic precision created snowmen and women built to last ten laps on the Autobahn! Not far away is the Seven Falls, tucked into a box canyon, and is so magnificent, it’s on National Geographic’s list of international waterfalls, which is like being chosen for baseballs All-Star game! The best view is from the top of the falls, and there is an elevator built into the cliff that takes you to nature’s version of the top floor. For the healthy heart approach you can hike up the 224-step stairway, or take one of the two hiking trails to Inspiration Point for a view of Colorado spread out as a Rocky Mountain tapestry. Hiking and biking are ways of life in Colorado, and both Garden of the Gods and Seven Falls offer a cornucopia of options for both, however, green tech has arrived on the scene for the green crowd who prefers their touring on environmentally friendly wheels other than a mountain bike. We are talking about the beloved Segway PT, the personal transportation device that entered the market a few years back, causing a green tech storm of acceptance. It’s a silent, battery powered gizmo that can go for 22 miles at 12 mph, not exactly “Born to be Wild” speed, but, enough to give your hair a tossing as you defy gravity. These wheeled wonders are popular around the world and now you can Segway into… The most dominant feature in the Colorado Springs area however is Pikes Peak. It can be hiked, biked, or as I have done, driven up in a car on the same road that hosts the Pikes Peak Car Rally that tests the pedal to the metal stamina of would be road rally challengers. One of the most enjoyable ways is to take the Pikes Peak Cog Railway up to the summit, and round trip it back down. It’s an enjoyable ride up the side of one of America’s most famous and most inspirational mountainsides. Got Rustic? Take the Cog Railway to Mountain View, then hike one mile or so (at 10,000 feet!) to Barr Camp. It’s a rustic experience on the face of a mountain where you can roll out the back to earth red carpet for a cabin experience, or in a lean-to shelter. My way is to pitch your own tent. Remember...little to no cell phone service, wireless computer service, and no television. You will have to rely completely on your inner spiritual self, and that is the best part of the whole experience. Colorado Springs has arts, culture, entertainment, and the Air Force Academy for those who want to get eight miles high on the wings of Boeing. Wining and dining goes without saying in Colorado Springs, but my favorite haunt and hideaway is the Old Colorado City section of the Springs. It screams culture and arts louder than a B-movie horror scream queen. Founded in 1859, I found it to be, historically, a lawbreakers delight. Outlaws filled the two dozen or so saloons, whore houses and of course, the jail. The town was the definitive description of the Wild West on six-shooter steroids. Most of the buildings in existence today date from this period of renewed growth. Today Old Colorado City represents the best in shopping, dining, and entertainment while keeping the friendly, homespun flavor of the west. You can browse the more than 120 shops, galleries and restaurants along the main drag, and marvel at giant pottery displays by local artisans, paintings and sculptures in galleries, Mexican art (one shop owner goes to Mexico and Central America each year on buying trips for one of a kind finds and offers them for sale to the discriminating shopper). Day of the Dead items also abound, my particular favorite collectable, along with my Freda Kahlo collection. You can hoof it or ride it in a carriage tour of the old city. -For more information on visiting Colorado Springs, annual events, and things to do, visit their website at www.coloradospringschamber.org

Part 3:

Advanced Applications and Reservoir Automation

By mimicking nature’s irrigation and fertilization methods, the Rain Table design focuses on innovation through simplicity. The use of “rain” in this system allows growers to irrigate more evenly and fertilize more efficiently. But what about the rain itself? In order to keep the water stable, this design also incorporates modern hydroponic technologies to engineer a better rain – a rain whose pH, EC and dissolved oxygen levels automatically stay within the desired parameters even under changing conditions. In this final installment of my Rain Table series, we’re going to (finally) examine the Milwaukee SMS122 - a relatively inexpensive device for automatic pH control. We’ll also look at my new Rain Table where I’ve adapted the design to a very different application. I’ve (creatively) dubbed it “Rain Table 2.0” and it features an internal grid to support tall, one-gallon tree pots. Using the same irrigation style of the first Rain Table, this 2.0 version grows “Tree-Trees” - foot tall starter plants with foot long root systems. Although the considerations vary greatly between the two Rain Tables, the irrigation design performs well despite different plant sizes, plant numbers, root zone depths and pot spacing. On the day this article was submitted, the original Rain Table started day 1 of flowering on its 3rd crop and, thus far, the automatic pH control unit has been performing like a champ. Although the whole table design was new when I started to build it, my biggest concern was whether or not the automatic pH control would work. As much as I (and every other grower)

want to forget about adjusting the pH in a hydroponic system each day, I also know how automating anything can be disastrous. At the CannAcademy, I always encourage my students to avoid automating any process (watering, pH, etc.) that they haven’t done manually for at least 3 crops, if not more. If you’re not intimately familiar with the process on a

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manual level, the odds of miscalculating on your automated settings is very good. So, for those of you who are halfway through your first crop and already looking up where to get automatic pH control: good luck, and don’t say I didn’t warn you. But for growers with a good amount of previous experience at pH-adjusting reservoirs, (you know: adjust, check, adjust, check, adjust, curse at yourself for adding too much, pH-up adjustment, check, repeat, etc.) let me tell you about my favorite new toy. The Milwaukee SMS122 is a constant-read pH monitor that incorporates a set- point alarm and a regular 110-outlet trigger. When the pH of the reservoir drifts above the grower’s desired set point, the SMS122 turns on the attached trigger outlet. Growers can have a separate bucket of very acidic solution with a small (see: very small) pump in it. When the SMS122 turns on, the outlet turns on the pump and the acidic solution is pumped into the reservoir (hopefully very slowly, hence the intentionally small pump) to lower the pH. The most important note to consider when using the SMS122 is that the tubing that supplies the acidic solution has to be mounted very close to the probe that’s measuring the pH. This way, each little squirt is immediately registered by the probe and subsequently turns off the pump. Don’t worry if the pH temporarily falls below your intended set point after the pump is triggered, that acidic solution will dilute into the reservoir. The point here is to add your adjuster slowly (presumably pH down, since most hydroponic reservoirs tend to drift from slightly acidic toward neutral/alkaline). If the inlet for pH-down solution is too far away from the probe and/or if the pump is too big, then the device has the potential to unload too much pH down before the probe registers the acid, thereby leaving the reservoir at too low a pH. Overall, the crux of the SMS122 is its ability to provide a great deal of control to growers who know what to do with it. However, that control is a double-edged sword. I think one of the primary reasons that the SMS122 has proven reliable thus far is that it’s design is simplistic – it’s just a solid pH meter with one dial and a trigger cord outlet for a pump. Calibrating the meter is also easy and uses one recessed screw for adjustment. However, calibrating the size of the pump to the reservoir, or the size of the tubing for pumping the water in, or the amount of pH down to put in the “prereservoir” is all up to the grower to figure out according to their needs. That having been said, the device itself is, at least in my experience so far - f*%#ing awesome. This garden uses a 15 gallon reservoir, a fountain pump (super tiny – 60 GPM) and a ¼’ hose inlet to supply very small amounts of acidic solution to the reservoir. Even with a large reservoir, I wouldn’t want a larger inlet hose or pump since the drift of pH from slightly acidic toward alkaline happens very slowly anyhow and only small but regular

amounts of acid are necessary. So long as the delivery system for the acidic solution is kept very small (in both pump and tubing) and the inlet for acidic solution is close to where the probe hangs, then the SMS122 seems to be a very nice addition to an experienced grower’s hydroponic garden. Now, I probably wouldn’t put a large garden on one giant reservoir and trust it all to a single device worth of automation when it comes to something as fundamental as pH. But if you are a care provider for several patients and manage larger gardens, you could consider using more reservoirs, then automate each one so as to not put all your eggs in one basket. In this little garden, the acidic solution is pretty strong so I still have to add water to the reservoir (every 3 – 5 days in this case). In theory however, a grower with precise calculations and a stable cropping situation could probably fine tune a ratio of pH down to water that would add acidic solution at the same general rate as the crop drank water out of the reservoir, thereby keeping the reservoirs “topped off ” for longer periods of time. To avoid adding too much water, reservoirs can also be equipped with a drain hole near the top edge (like a sink) so that excess water into the reservoir can be drained away via tubing to a drain or overflow bucket. Alternatively, growers can simply use a second reservoir of water connected via float valve to the first one in order to keep the solution level constant. If you’re topping off the reservoir manually, then the water level will change over time. In order to keep the probe constantly submerged in water, I built a simple “buoy” out of reused Styrofoam and stuck the probe through so it sticks out the bottom an inch. Two pieces of plastic coated wire serve as guides on the float buoy to keep it in line with the acidic solution inlet instead of just floating to the far side of the reservoir. The continuous aeration supplied by a commercial air pump through a ¼ inch soaker tubing manifold (as discussed in last month’s Rain Table Part 2 article) keeps the reservoir highly oxygenated to maintain freshness. Ideally, reservoirs would be covered as much as possible, but with little clearance and lots of equipment going in and out of it, this res needs to stay open although you may notice the mesh propagation tray that has been mounted across the front in order to keep the shop dog from drinking the nutrient solution. (Yes, he has fresh water, he’s just.... not the sharpest tool in the shed. Sorry, Tank.) Still, despite the intimidating amount of hardware mounted onto the reservoir, this system (once built) is the archetype of a user-friendly garden. Besides the occasional addition of a bucket of water or a quick top dressing with some fertilizer, I do almost nothing to the garden between the first and last day of flowering. Not that this level of automation ever replaces the grower or the importance of them inspecting the garden daily, it just makes the daily tasks associated with the garden easier and faster.

The Rain Table 2.0 was developed to produce what have been dubbed “Tree-Trees”. This Rain Table can also be seen in action at my CannAcademy San Jose Campus located inside MedMar Healing Center at 170 S. Autumn st. in San Jose. This 2 x 4 tray was first fitted with a custom support grid to hold 14” tall “Tree Pots”. These pots are specifically designed to produce tree transplants for forestry applications. These pots feature internal ribs down the length of the pot to prevent root circling (and for Mary Jane’s enhanced pleasure....sorry, I can’t resist a bad joke). Instead of circling, roots hit the sides of the pot and are forced downward creating a deep root system. This allows transplants to have a better success rate and take off faster because the roots can be planted deeper where the soil is cooler and moister. This is especially important in hot areas or when transplanting mid-season when it is drier. Due to the significant pot height of the crop being produced, much taller sidewalls were built onto the tray. In order to keep the system easy to maintain, these sidewalls are slightly recessed into an acrylic guide track that holds it in place while still allowing it to be lifted off for easy cleaning and maintenance. Because the Rain Table 2.0 uses many planting sites stacked very close together, it takes full advantage of the fact that the water is being supplied without any physical attachments to the pots themselves, as this would be entirely impractical in this application. Being able to just grab, shuffle and organize plants without touching the irrigation system is fantastically convenient for a system that is still essentially a hybridized top feed drip system. The first crop grew very nicely and growers reported excellent success when transplanting despite a recent heat wave. From production to propagation, the Rain Table design of using micro sprayers to create a flat layer of rain above the planting sites has proven itself to be efficient, convenient, flexible and reliable. The fact that anyone can build it out of ordinary landscape irrigation materials and some plastic is just icing on the cake. For more pictures of the Rain Table as well as the previous 2 parts to the article series, check out my wonderful new website (Thank you, Brandon!) at www. JadeKine.com With a little biomimicry and some plastic, you too can turn your garden into a “Rainforest”. — Jade Kine Growers Grove writer Jade Kine is a former greenhouse manager for the medical Cannabis industry with over a million plants worth of experience. He is also the founder of CannAcademy (www.CannAcademy.com), a trade school dedicated solely to horticultural training for growers. Got a grow question for Jade? Drop him a line at JadeKine@gmail. com Complete bio and previous articles at www.JadeKine. com Facebook/Twitter: @JadeKine

Colorado Concert Calendar

Live Music Preview July/August

Aesop Rock, Kimya Dawson, Rob Sonic, DJ Big Wiz

8/20/11 @ Aggie Theater, Fort Collins

Aesop Rock is one funky dude. His brand of hip hop has revolutionized what “indie” means to that world, bringing a muchneeded independent approach to the realm, which revitalized the organic feel to the genre that once made hip hop feel like it was from the streets, as opposed to a lush studio. He’s currently touring the nation with his new project - Hail Mary Mallon - as well as a harem of other dope beatmasters like Kimya Dawson, Rob Sonic and DJ Big Wiz. myspace.com/aesoprockwins

Unity Tour 2011: 311 and Sublime with Rome 8/16/11 @ Red Rocks Amphitheater

We all know that Red Rocks is one of the most majestic places in the mountains (aside from Telluride) to see live music - so what better place to rock out to beach bum favorites 311 and Sublime with Rome? 311 isn’t actually from any beach - rather, Omaha, Nebraska - but during the early and mid-90s, you couldn’t walk more than 100 feet in a beachfront community without hearing 311 rocking out of somebody’s speakers. They were part of a new era of sky punk/funk rock, and have continued to kick ass.At the same time 311 was turning heads, Sublime was dominating the same fans, as their timeless records, such as 40oz to Freedom and Robbin the Hood are credited with reviving widespread interest not just in funk music, but also punk...which is a weird thing to say, since Sublime is such a far cry from the likes of Sid Vicious, Iggy Pop and other real punk rockers. At any rate, Sublime is back as Sublime with Rome, playing old favorites along with new material, and they’re touring the country with 311 and a few other guests, bringing the carefree atmosphere of the beach to the mountains and beyond. 311.com ; SublimeWithRome.com

Afroman

8/22/11 @ Larimer Lounge

Dude may have let getting high hold him back from cleaning his room or making love to his woman, but Afroman never let weed get in the way of putting on a good show! His performances are part hip hop, part soul, part stand up comedy...sort of like if Muddy Waters joked about getting high all the time. AfromanMusic.com

Reggae on the Rocks

8/27/11 @ Red Rocks Amphitheater

Rastas worldwide come to this legendary event, which showcases the best of the international well-known and upcoming reggae artists available. This year’s lineup includes Judge Roughneck, Dubskin, Groundation, Collie Buddz, Mystic Roots Band, Marty Dread, Inner Circle, and Mykal Rose. To make this even better, 100% of the proceeds go to non-kill animal shelters in Colorado, Utah and Texas. RedRocksOnline.com

Purity Ring

8/27/11 @ Larimer Lounge

As hilariously ridiculous as their name sounds, Purity Ring is a very cool synth pop group worth checking out. Their electric wiggling and club friendly beats juxtaposed with Megan James’ ethereal voice makes Purity Ring sound futuristic yet immediate, and then when they break out the guitars, they’re suddenly a kick ass band. Purity Ring are a great reminder that sometimes Pop Music can be totally worth the attention. myspace.com/PurityRing

This Page: Afroman Right From Top: Willie Nelson, Atmosphere, Gillian Welch, 311 92

Gillian Welch

9/6/11 @ Boulder Chautauqua Auditorium

Gillian Welch swims in the same waters as Bob Dylan; her songwriting is boundless and practically always profound while at the same time accessible. Her brand of folk/bluegrass/blues rocks the house, her sultry voice, and her remarkable talent at storytelling rivals any modern songwriter. Boulder, watch out! GillianWelch.com

Atmosphere

8.19.11 @ Red Rocks Ampitheater

They’re baaaacccckkkk…fresh off the heels of the first leg of the “Family Vacation Tour,” Slug and Ant and company have not had enough…they’ve just announced a second leg, joined by Rhymesayers’ labelmates Blueprint and Evidence. And yes, they’re coming back to Colorado! Working together since 1993, Slug and Ant still bring the heat with a live show that includes live drums, keys, and guitar. Solid hip hop with lyrics that hit you emotionally and really make you think. Should be a fun show, make it out to Red Rocks...you know you want to. facebook.com/atmosphere

Telluride Blues & Brews Festival

9/16/11 – 9/18/11 Telluride Town Park, Telluride

This was already one of the best festivals in the country: camping in Telluride’s gorgeous box canyon, with live blues playing all day, as you roam around and drink some of the region’s best beers. They historically focused on traditional blues like Buddy Guy, BB King, and Etta James, with the farthest deviations being ZZ Top and Black Crowes. But then the festival organizers went stone genius, and while headliner Willie Nelson fits the mold, FLAMING LIPS is also on the bill. By no means a standard blues band, Flaming Lips live in this setting is very possibly the most exciting event of the year, particularly when you consider that their last album (2009’s Embryonic) is a very modern form of blues. Also playing are The Robert Cray Band, Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa, moe., and tons more. Oh yeah, and the BREWS: while there’s plenty of delicious beer throughout the festival (Sierra Nevada is the official beer sponsor), on Saturday there’s the Grand Tasting where, for three hours, the audience is given a tasting glass, and free to drink as much beer as they can, from 53 different microbreweries. TellurideBlues.com

More Great Shows! Thievery Corporation: 8/14/11 @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre Bowling for Soup: 8/17/11 @ Bluebird Theater Aesop Rock & Kimya Dawson: 8/21/11 @ The Summit Music Hall ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra): 8/27/11 @ Bluebird Theater Alison Krauss And Union Station: 9/2/11 @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre The Beach Boys: 9/3/11 @ Colorado State Fairground Bass Invasion 3: 9/16/11 @ Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom

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Cannabis industry leaders from across the country have recently come together to form the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), the first cannabis trade association in the U.S. NCIA is already working in Congress to address problems facing the cannabis businesses community â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from banking to reforming unfair tax laws to eliminating unreasonable Drug Paraphernalia statutes. NCIA is the only organization representing the cannabis industry on the national stage and we need your help. For as little as $100 a month or $1,000 a year, your business can be part of the growing list of industry leaders that make up the National Cannabis Industry Association. Membership also includes member discounts, access to exclusive industry events, and a listing in our industry directory. Contact us to join or receive more information today. National Cannabis Industry Association Phone: (202) 379-4861 E-mail: info@TheCannabisIndustry.org P.O. Box 78062 Washington, DC 20013

NCIA Board of Directors: Tristan Blackett

Wanda James

420 Science, HI

Simply Pure Medicinal Edibles, CO

Cheryl Brown

Dale Sky Jones

MMBA, CO

Oaksterdam University, CA

Brian Cook

Rob Kampia

Altitude Organics Corporation, CO

Marijuana Policy Project, DC

Troy Dayton

Ken Kulow

The ArcView Group, CA

Chameleon Glass, AZ

Steve DeAngelo

Jill Lamoureux

Harborside Health Center, CA

Colorado Dispensary Services, CO

Becky DeKeuster

Michael McAuliffe

Northeast Patients Group, ME

Sensible Nevada, NV

Adam Eidinger

Erich Pearson

Capitol Hemp, DC

SPARC, CA

Etienne Fontan

Bob Selan

Berkeley Patients Group, CA

Kush Magazine, CA

Jim Gingery

Brian Vicente

Montana Medical Growers Assoc., MT

Sensible Colorado, CO

Len Goodman

Bob Winnicki

New MexiCann Natural Medicine, NM

Full Spectrum Labs

Justin Hartfield

Joe Yuhas

Weedmaps.com, CA

Arizona Medical Marijuana Assoc., AZ

Chef Herb has created some of his favorite recipes for his classic days of summer time fun. Check out cookwithherb.com to see how he can help you learn to cook with, and make, THC oils and butter. And for more

Chef Herb cook with herb

go to www.cookwithherb.com

Shrimp Cocktail

If you are using frozen shrimp, the safest way to defrost them is in a bowl of ice water in the refrigerator. I like to buy tail-on, shell-on, deveined shrimp. Of course, use what you can find at the markets. Ingredients For the shrimp: - 2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning - 1 teaspoon granulated garlic - 1/2 teaspoon chili powder - 1 teaspoon salt - 24 extra large tail-on raw shrimp (more if you are using smaller shrimp) For the cocktail sauce: - 1/2 cup chili sauce - 1 cup ketchup - ¼ cup THC olive oil - 1 tablespoon horseradish - 1 dash Worcestershire sauce - Juice of 1/2 lemon - 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco - 1/2 clove garlic, finely minced - 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped * The chef specifically recommends Heinz chili sauce – it’s not very spicy and has a nice sweet taste. If you use other type of hot chili sauce, just start with a couple tablespoons first, then taste and adjust.

Preparation 1. To prepare the cocktail sauce, mix all the cocktail sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. 2. Have a large bowl of ice water ready and set near the sink. Add the Old Bay, lemon, granulated garlic, garlic, chili powder, and salt to an 8-quart pot of water. Bring to a boil. Add the shrimp to the pot and when the water returns to a boil, the shrimp should be done! The shrimp should be bright pink. 3. Immediately drain and place the shrimp into the ice bath to cool for 2 minutes. Peel the shrimp (leaving the tail-on.) Drain and serve with the cocktail sauce.

Traditional Ceviche Ingredients - 2 lbs of firm, fresh red snapper fillets (or other firm-fleshed fish), cut into 1/2 inch pieces, completely deboned - 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice - 1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice - ¼ cup THC olive oil - 1/2 red onion, finely diced - 1 cup of chopped fresh seeded tomatoes - 1 serrano chili, seeded and finely diced - 2 teaspoons of salt - Dash of ground oregano - Dash of Tabasco or a light pinch of cayenne pepper - Cilantro - Avocado -Tortillas or tortilla chips Preparation 1. In a non-reactive casserole dish, place the fish, the onion, the tomatoes, the chili, the salt, the Tabasco, and the oregano. Cover with THC olive oil, lime and lemon juice. Let it sit covered in the refrigerator for about an hour, stir occasionally, making sure all the fish gets exposed to the acidic lime and lemon juices. Let sit for several hours, giving time for the flavors to blend.

2. During the marinating process the fish will change from pinkish grey and translucent to whiter in color and opaque. 3. Serve with the chopped cilantro and the slices of avocado with heated tortillas for ceviche tacos or with tortilla chips

Crab Claws with a Classic Cajun Romulade Ingredients - 1 qt Mayonnaise; (not salad - 4 Eggs; hard boiled - 3 tb Creole or dark mustard - ½ cup THC olive oil - 4 tb White vinegar - 4 tb Fresh parsley; chopped - 2 tb Worcestershire sauce - 3 tb Horseradish sauce - 4 Cloves garlic; chopped - Salt and pepper; to taste

mix, cover, and refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the cilantro and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

Moms Picnic Chicken Salad Ingredients - 3 peaches - 1/4 Cup THC olive oil - 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar - 1 lb cooked chicken - 2/3 cup hazelnuts - 1/2 cup cilantro - salt - pepper - 8 cups spinach leaves Preparation 1. Peel the peaches: this is easier if you blanch them first by putting them in a pan of simmering water for a minute. (If you use nectarines, it is unnecessary to peel them).

Preparation Whirl all the ingredients in blender or processor; add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate 12 hours before using. Will keep several weeks in refrigerator. This sauce is basically for use with Crab Claws, as a cocktail, but can be used for many other things.

2. In a medium salad bowl, whisk together the THC olive oil and vinegar. Add the chicken, peaches, hazelnuts and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Add the spinach leaves and toss again. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to a day; it gets better as it sits. Remove from the fridge half an hour before eating.

Asian Tomato Cucumber and Onion Salad

Pineapple and Jicama Salad

Ingredients - 1 large cucumber - 2 tomatoes, seeded and cut into wedges - ¼ red onion, thinly sliced - ¼ THC olive oil - 1/4 cup rice vinegar - 2 tablespoons lime juice - 1 teaspoon white sugar, or to taste - 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro - 3 tablespoons chopped peanuts (optional) Preparation Peel the cucumber in stripes lengthwise with a vegetable peeler, alternating skinned stripes with peel for a decorative effect. Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise, and then thinly slice. Place the cucumber in a salad bowl with the tomato and red onion, and mix together. Pour the rice vinegar, THC olive oil, and limejuice into a separate bowl, and stir in the sugar until dissolved. Pour the dressing over the salad;

Ingredients - 1 fresh pineapple - 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips - 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips - 3/4 cup finely diced jicama - 2 scallions, thinly sliced - 1/2 teaspoon salt - 1/4 teaspoon pepper - ¼ cup THC vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons rice vinegar Preparation 1. Peel pineapple and cut away core. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Place in a large bowl. 2. Add green and red pepper strips, jicama and scallions. 3. In a small jar, shake together salt, pepper, vinegar and THC vegetable oil. Add to salad and toss to coat. 4. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad Ingredients - 1/2 c. dry white wine - 1/4 c. THC olive oil - 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard - 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice - 8 oz. fusilli (corkscrew) pasta - 1 head radicchio, torn into bite sized pieces - 3/4 lb. smoked salmon, cut julienne - 1/4 c. raspberry vinegar - 2 eggs - 1 shallot, minced - Salt and pepper - 2 heads curly endive, torn into bite sized pieces - 10 Italian olives, pitted - 1 tbsp. snipped fresh chives Preparation Mix wine, vinegar, THC olive oil, eggs, mustard, shallot and lemon juice in blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Drain in colander. Cool completely under running water. Drain. Mix pasta with endive and radicchio in large bowl. Add tomatoes, olives and dressing to taste; toss well. Divide salad among plates. Sprinkle with salmon and chives. 6 servings

Extreme Medicated Blondies Ingredients - 4 cups all-purpose flour - 2 teaspoons baking powder - 1-1/2 teaspoons salt - 1-1/3 cups (2-1/3 sticks) unsalted THC butter at room temperature - 3 cups packed light-brown sugar - 4 teaspoons vanilla - 4 eggs - 2-1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts - 1-1/4 cups white chocolate chips Preparation 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 9 x 9 x 2-inch square baking pans with foil, extending over two sides. 2. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat THC

butter, sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. On low, beat in flour mixture. Stir in 2 cups walnuts and 1 cup chips. Divide batter into pans. Divide remaining nuts in half; sprinkle over each pan. 3. Bake in 350 degrees F oven 40 minutes, until toothpick tests clean. Remove pans from oven. Sprinkle tops with remaining chips; lightly press down chips with spatula to melt slightly. Cool in pan on rack. Cut in squares

Blueberry Cupcakes Ingredients - 1 1/4 cups flour - 2 cup sugar - 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder - 1/4 teaspoon salt - 1/3 cup THC butter - 1 egg, beaten - 3/4 cup milk - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla - 2/3 cup blueberries - 1/3 cup chopped unblanched almonds, toasted Preparation Sift dry ingredients together to mix well. Cut in the THC butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk egg vigorously to incorporate air and make the eggs light. Stir in egg, milk and vanilla and combine thoroughly. Add to dry mixture and stir together (some lumps should remain) and add the blueberries. Fill well greased muffin tins with batter until two thirds full. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 20 minutes or until done. Makes 18 large muffins.

Make sure to check out CannabisCookoffChallenge.com, where some of the top cannabis chefs, including our own Chef Herb, will compete for the title of ‘Best Medicinal Chef.’ Event will take place in Los Angeles, California on August 25 2011.

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List of Advertisers 3-D Denver’s Discreet Dispensary LLC p 30 & 31

z420 Bargains.com z

Levity Wellness p 18 p 14

Alive Herbal Medicine p 111 Altermeds p 4 Alternative Wellness Center p 27 ASA p 90 At Home Remedies p 99 B*Goods p 9

Little Pub Company p 112 Local Product of Colorado p 45 Mad Hatter’s Smokeshop p 13 Medicine Man p 49 MMARP p 94 MMD of Colorado p 13 MMJ America p 114 & 115

Beleaf In Nature Clothing p 24

Natural Remedies p 12

Broadway Wellness p 5 & centerfold

Natural Remedies MMJ p 57

Bud Cellar p 55

Natural Selection p 22

Canna Mart p 7

OrganaLabs p 4

Cannacopia p 45

NCIA p 95

Cheba Hut p 99

Patient’s Choice p 18

Cheeba Chews p 11

Preferred Organic p 4

Chef Herb p 85

Rob Corry, Esq. p 110

Chronic Wellness p 2

Rocky Mountain Marijuana Dispensary p 37

Connect 2 Cannabis p 25

Safer p 91

Custer Roberson p 17

Sense of Healing p 15

Denver Dam p 100

Sensible Colorado p 95

Denver Kush Club p 24

Serenity Moon p 35

Doctors Orders Co Springs p 22

Silver Lizard p 71

Doctors Orders p 53

Southwest Alternative Care p 59

Ed Rosenthal p 87

Spot Bar & Grill p 112

Evergreen Apothecary p 4

SweetLeaf Compassion Center p 24

EZ Natural Alternatives p 99

Tastee Yummies p 113

EZ Trim p 85

The Clone Store p 99

Gaia’s Garden p 47

The Hemp Center p 22

Gibby’s Sports Saloon p 112

The Old Man Bar p 112

Golden Alternative Care Inc. p 18

The Releaf Center p 36

Green Mountain Care p 3

The Trim Shop p 65

Green Solutions p 41

Today’s Health Care p 33

Heartland Pharmacy p 42 & 43

Urban Dispensary p 27

Herbal Wellness p 32

VIP Wellness (Backcover)

Herban Medicinals p 19

Well Doc p 36

Higher Ground p 21

White Mountain p 5 & centerfold

Irish Hound Restaurant p 112 iVita p 23

110

LA Container p 36

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