Northern California Kush Magazine by Randy MALINOFF

kush 52

34 34 Prestige Pipes

Artistic glass pieces for the 21st Century -- giving a new meaning to “An Apple a Day”.

52 Cheryl Shuman Kush Magazine features one of our own -- The Nation’s premier medical marijuana activist, survivor and passionate warrior fighting for the cause.

64 Ice Cream America’s favorite dessert, be sure to visit one of these great ice cream shops. You’ll be glad you did!

82 Amsterdamit! KUSH’s Mike Marino Amsterdams it Dam it! Wooded shoes, whips and chains, and Bohemian ways!

96 Atmosphere: The Kush Interview 6

features

Slug discusses how an Atmosphere can create its own sustainable orbit.

northern california’s premier cannabis lifestyle magazine

96 inside

12 | The Health Report: Blood Pressure by J.T. Gold 20 | This Month in Weed History by Josh Kaplan 29 | NoCal Travel: Bodega Bay by Charlotte Cruz 42 | Cheap Mission Eats by Austin Plumb

46 | From Black Market to Free Market by Dan Downey 58 | Living Well: Jogging by Charlotte Cruz 60 | Strain Review: The Godfather by Michael Corleone 67 | Fresh n’ Fresher Vapes n’ Jars by Cyree Jarelle Johnson & Lisa Faye 70 | Steep Hill: Social Media Experiment by AnnaRae Grabstein 72 | POT: Grandma Marijuana by Mary Lynn Mathre 74 | Growers Grove by Jade Kine 80 | Organics by Tyler C. Davidson 86 | Cocobolo Bills Exotic Pipes by Wasim Muklashy 88 | Jim Squatter: The Kush Interview by Bill Weinberg 90 | The Tetracan Patch by Jake McGee 92 | Medicinal Cannabis and its Health Imapct 94 | Connoisseurs of Consciousness by Austin Hill Shaw 96 | NoCal Music Preview by Dillon Zachara 100 | Spring Recipes by Chef Herb

105 | Dailybuds.com Dispensary Directory

from the editors

kush

T Ed Doctezz

northern california’s premier cannabis lifestyle magazine ush Magazine has decided to declare the month of April as Weed History Month.

After all, not only is it the month of 420, but it’s also the month that Kush celebrates the second anniversary of our Southern California publication and the first anniversary of our San Diego publication. Not only that, but Kush is going stronger than ever. With five monthly magazines

A Division of Dbdotcom LLC Publishers | Dbdotcom LLC Founder | Michael Lerner Editor in Chief | Lisa Selan

and plans to move into several more markets this year, Kush Magazine is proud to be involved

Assistant Editor | Wasim Muklashy

in the cannabis industry. We want to thank each and every reader, advertiser, advocate and

Chief Executive Officer | Bob Selan

contributor that has helped make Kush Magazine the premiere cannabis lifestyle magazine. We

Business Development | JT Wiegman

ask for your continued support, as there is still a lot of work to be done.

Art Director | Robb Friedman

To many, 420 is a day to celebrate cannabis, gather with friends and enjoy the herb that we know possesses medicinal qualities that still to this day is refuted by naysayers. As long as the Federal government continues the misclassification of marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, the stigma

Director of International Marketing & Public Relations | Cheryl Shuman Director of No Cal Sales | Amanda Allen

work daily to educate the public and who help assure safe access for those who rely on cannabis

Advertising Sales Reps | Ed Docter, Christianna Lewis, Denise Mickelson, Quinn Micklewright, Charlene Moran, Jason Moran, Fred Rhoades

for their medical ailments. Kush is extremely fortunate to have Cheryl Shuman, considered one

Designers | Avel Culpa, Marvi Khero, Joe Redmond

attached to marijuana will perpetuate. Kush has continued to support advocacy groups who

of the top 5 women in the cannabis industry to be part of the Kush family. Be sure to read about Cheryl’s medical cannabis journey on page 52. And for the Godfather of all strains, check out the strain of the month The Godfather (page 60). It’s a strain that you can’t refuse! Kush was also

Kush has continued to support advocacy groups who work daily to educate the public and who help assure safe access for those who rely on cannabis for their medical ailments.

Traffic Managers | Alex Lamitie, Kevin Johnson Ryan Renkema, Jordan Selan, Rachel Selan Distribution Manager | Alex Lamitie Contributing Writers Chef Herb, Julie Cole, Michael Corleone, Charlotte Cruz, Tyler C. Davidson, Dan Downey, Lisa Faye, J.T. Gold, AnnaRae Grabstein, Cyree Jarelle Johnson, Josh Kaplan, Jade Kine, Mike Marino, Mary Lynn Mathre, Jake McGee, Wasim Muklashy, Austin Hill Shaw, Bill Weinberg, Dillion Zachara Accounting | Dianna Bayhylle

lucky enough to get an interview with Atmosphere (page 96) who will be performing May 7th at the Greek Theater in Berkeley. With spring in the air, concert season begins…highlighted by Paul Simon in San Francisco on April 25th and Oakland on April 26th , the Kills at the Fillmore on May 11, and many others (check out the Kush list of additional performances in and around the Bay area on page 98.) So as we complete Weed History Month and venture into spring, make sure you check out all the advertisers featured in this month’s issue and as you visit your favorite dispensary, get extra karma points for telling them that Kush Magazine sent you! And remember…medicate responsibly!

Kush Editorial Board, www.dailybuds.com

Internet Manager Dailybuds.com | Rachel Selan Dailybuds.com Team | JT Kilfoil & Houston 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.

first thing that usually happens when you visit any health practioner is the taking of your vital signs, including blood pressure. They strap the cuff on your arm and listen with their stethoscopes as the tension lessens from the cuff and air pressure is released. Unless your blood pressure is abnormal, the nurse or other person administering your test may just spout out the number and say something like, “it’s fine.” Those two words are not to be taken for granted. Blood pressure is the gauge that keeps the body’s central nervous system on track and affects everything and every way our body functions and performs. So if it’s been a while since you have thought about your blood pressure, let’s take a crash course. By Definition Blood pressure pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of blood vessels, and is one of the principal vital signs. During each heartbeat, bp varies between a maximum and a minimum pressure. The mean bp, due to pumping by the heart and resistance to flow in blood vessels, decreases as the circulating blood moves away from the heart through arteries. The Numbers The blood pressure test monitors the systolic and diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure is the pressure of the blood flow when the heart beats and diastolic pressure is the pressure between heartbeats. Written like a fraction, the top number represents systolic pressure and the bottom number represents diastolic. Normal range for adults is 120/80 or below. Prehypertension begins when blood pressure reaches 120-139 over 80-89. Stage 1 hypertension ranges are 140159 over 90-99. Prehypertension Prehypertension is the precursor to high blood pressure and most people who fall in this range can and will develop high blood pressure unless they adopt healthier lifestyles. When your doctor tells you it’s time to eat better, get more exercise and stop smoking, this is why. High blood pressure is known as the “silent killer” so it’s important to stay as far away from prehypertension as possible and get regular readings. Hypertension (high blood pressure) High blood pressure is a common condition and affects most people eventually but can be controlled with medication. Maintaining healthy and normal blood pressure throughout your life is one of the best things you can do to stay healthy. High blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart disease and heart failure and can go undetected without symptoms for years - another reason to check your bp regularly. Staying in the Safety Zone Essentially, we control our own destiny when it comes to blood pressure. The most important factors are diet, exercise and stress. A diet full of greens and healthy grains is a good start and you should get at least 45 minutes of exercise 3-4 times a week where you get your heart rate up and break a sweat. Go easy on rich dairy and fatty meats! Meditation is an excellent way to maintain blood pressure. Learning to breathe and focus while relaxing the mind and letting go of anxieties is key to staying clam and keeping your heart beating and blood lowing smoothly. Even if you aren’t a practicing meditator, 20 minutes of silent or quiet, calming relaxation can help. As counter-intuitive as it may sound, you should find the discipline to chill on a daily basis. Blood pressure is serious business and it’s never too soon or too late to take care. Be well.

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This Month in Weed History By Josh Kaplan

To celebrate April, KUSH magazine would like to pass on the obvious celebration of 4/20, and the numerous different theories on how that special number came to be: whether it’s the amount of chemical compounds in Marijuana, or the time in between classes that was designated to the very needed midday session - we don’t care! It’s always 4:20 around here, so we’ve decided to celebrate a man whose work supersedes all Marijuana folklore. A man who has conquered the world of music, books, film, political activism, and entrepreneurism, along the way becoming a spokesman and icon for the legalization and understanding of our beloved plant - Willie Nelson, born April 30, 1933. Willie Nelson started his musical career at the young age of seven, writing songs, and eventually performing them by nine. While early success would propel him to the fast track, Willie refused to get stuck in any rut. As a high school student, he excelled in baseball, football, and basketball. With the Korean War starting, Willie devoted nine months to the Air Force, only to be released due to a chronic back problem. His musical capabilities would prevail though. Songwriting was his true forte, and allowed Willie to write for and/or collaborate with the very best musicians from all genres. With his roots resting in country music, he worked with all the greats including Roy Orbison, Patsy Cline, Neil Young, and Toby Keith and even joined Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash to form The Highwaymen in the mid-80s. Having great crossover appeal has also allowed Willie to play with the likes of The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Ringo Starr, Al Green, Keith Richards, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ben Harper, Kid Rock, and even, most recently, fellow Marijuana torchbearer, Snoop Dogg. He even landed himself a coveted spot at 2007’s Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, alongside a lineup that included Rage Against the

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Machine, Bjork, and The Roots. Currently touring as Willie Nelson & Family, Willie surrounds himself with family and friends, both on stage and off, as part of his rolling circus. Since his tax evasion issues in 1990, due to the poor financial management and investments, Willie has been on tour ever since. Taking just three years to pay off his $6,000,000 settlement, Willie has been busing his way through “most” checkpoints across the United States, playing everywhere from stadiums with luxury suites to the mom and pop diners dotting the American landscape to just about every state fair in the land. Turning seventy-eight this month doesn’t seem to slow down this musical genius. Of the many times I’ve seen Willie in concert, he has always been entertaining, and sharp. His band of many years has learned to follow his lead - on their toes, and ready to jump. With a cache of hundreds of songs to choose from, he has his hands on the wheel, and will often take a sharp turn musically, really challenging those sharing the stage to follow accordingly. Willie’s off the cuff style often includes taking requests from the audience, or daisy chaining songs together thematically, just because. His sharpness, and ability to story tell through his scraggily voice and chewed up acoustic guitar (named Trigger after Roy Rogers’ horse) is a truly American sound, possibly above and beyond any other, and his branding as an “American Icon” doesn’t fall short. His philanthropic work forming Farm Aid (along with Neil Young and John Mellencamp) has brought a huge awareness along with financial help to the farmers who need assistance. Since 1985, these concerts have brought together musicians, actors, and politicians, all to help this growing issue. His work doesn’t stop on the road, or in the farmers’ fields. He is also the co-chair on the NORML advisory board. His run-ins with the law over Marijuana possession have become notorious. Willie’s outspoken stance, and admittance to being a pot smoker has brought a lot of welcomed attention. His notoriety has even led him to the White House, where as friends with then President Jimmy Carter, he was admittedly spotted on the roof by the Secret Service smoking what he called a “big fat Austin torpedo.” Is there anyone else that can get away with smoking a joint on the roof of the White House? This man’s life has seen so many miles, met so many people, played so many tunes, and has accomplished too many awards and recording accomplishments to mention. What’s more noteworthy is Willie’s passion for life. He hasn’t slowed down in his elder years, and continues to challenge himself almost nightly onstage. Though he has cut his iconic long braids recently, his power still remains. He captivates every crowd he plays for, and never leaves anything behind. His closeness with his fans leads him to sign anything from posters to guitars at the end of every show. He will literally bend down from the stage to his fans and sign their memorabilia. This is the sign of someone who appreciates his position in life. He is as thankful for his fans, as we are of him. If you haven’t yet, give yourself the gift of experiencing him live. Do it now, while you still can.

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Bodega Bay is a tiny little town on the Sonoma Coast that is home to about a thousand residents and has enough culture in it to satisfy a weeklong stay. The town was made famous in Alfred Hitchcock’s film, The Birds (1963), starring Tippi Hedren. If you have never seen it, rent it immediately. It is a classic horror flick that has gained cult status and Bodega Bay does a wonderful job remembering the classic with a birds-themed visitors center. St. Theresa’s chapel alone is worth taking a hundred or so photographs of, especially if you have seen the film. The Sonoma Coast includes the tiny coastal towns Sea Ranch, Jenner, Bodega Bay, and Valley Ford. Each of the towns is a tiny blip on a very pretty map and Bodega Bay might be the most interesting and beautiful with its small fishing harbor and wild coastline. Fishing is a part of Bodega Bay’s very fabric. The sport fishing charter industry thrives and fishing enthusiasts can catch salmon, rock cod, halibut, crab, squid, shark, kokanee and trout. Surfing is big in Bodega Bay and as the beaches offer conditions that are for the serious big wave rider. Salmon Creek is a heavy wave and not necessarily all that easy to get to. Salmon Creek can hold big swells: 10 to 12 feet on Buoy 13. The currents and undertow are legendary. Doran Beach, about a mile south is a great springtime spot and is popular with less experienced riders or those who don’t want to play Russian roulette with the huge breaks farther north. Visitors can also enjoy kayaking on the bay, full scuba lessons and diving, horseback riding, hiking, biking and sailing. The peaceful little town with the big views is a natural location for some world-class spas. If you need to get away from it all and are ready to splurge on a little pampering, the Bodega Bay Lodge is a slice of luxury heaven. With handmade Italian sandals and a complimentary juice bar, this is the kind of place you won’t want to leave. Finally, and yes, I am saving the best for last, is the wine tasting. The Russian River is one of the most outstanding wine regions for Pinot Noir and no trip to Bodega Bay would be complete without heading inland for a cruise down the Olivet Road Wine Trail. Try some of the most outstanding boutique wineries you will ever have the pleasure of visiting. Tastings are modestly priced or free and you are usually greeted by the winemaker (and perhaps a family dog or a few cousins). Off the beaten path, this road of excellent wineries makes for a perfect afternoon and a great way to meet the locals. Try Hook & Ladder and Harvest Moon. You’ll thank me forever. Bodega Bay is a place you won’t ever forget and it doesn’t matter if it’s foggy (it often is) or if the sun is shining brightly. It doesn’t matter if you spend all day outside exploring the rugged coast or if you stay inside and watch the boats argue with the changing currents of this (angrier) part of the Pacific. Bodega Bay has a distinct vibe. Time and space feel different here. Once you’re there, you will forget all about your daily routine, your to-do list. Even deciding on dinner seems inconsequential, although there are many good choices in the area (Seafood? Yes!). Bodega Bay is a great place to get away to and an even better place to return…again and again.

When a box gets delivered to your office and the first thing you pull out is an apple pipe, you have to wonder…how did no one think of this before? I’m not talking about taking a plastic lunchline knife and a paperclip and cleverly fashioning a pipe out of a stale cafeteria granny apple behind the gym locker room…because yes, I know, we’ve all been there before. I’m talking about the grown-up sophisticated version…the kind of apple that rests in the teacher’s desk, not on it. The kind of apple that doesn’t attempt to offer any nutritional value, but rather focuses on medicinal value. I’m talking about, of course, the glass blown apple pipe.

Yup. This, our loyal readers, is just one of the quirky takes on 21st century canna-tools that Prestige Pipes is carefully sending out from their warehouses one-at-a-handblown time. A quick scroll through their site and you’ll see everything from sexy bubblers to tattoo spoons to springtime chillums, lizard-like sherlocks, volcano vaporizers, and wide stemmed zongs (yes, Zongs). Kush felt compelled enough to reach out to Robert Owsley, the company’s owner, to talk to him about his inspiration, motivation, and, well, whatever other madness we might be able to get our hands on. “The reason I call it Prestige is because I don’t have the talents to make the

products,” tells us Owsley, “but I have a lot of respect and admiration for the glass blowers that do. I would like to give more recognition to these glassblowers in the United States that are trying to make a living.” The inspiration came when he was out shopping for a new piece and realized that everything he was finding was “that same sort of psychedelic 70s, Cheech & Chong era stuff,” he tells us. “And I thought, well, aren’t we in the 21st century? Haven’t we moved on yet?” So he did a little research and “I was talking to more and more glass blowers that were of the new generation and they were frustrated by the fact that they had too few venues to sell their products.” Being in the warehouse business of shipping and receiving products already, he figured he had enough of the infrastructure and experience to take on the role of filling that void, “so, in May of 2009, I thought, well, this would be something that could be easy to buy and sell and ship.” Robert figured all he really had to do was play the middle-man between the glass blowers and the public, and furthermore, he’d do it all through a website. “Basically what I wanted to do for Prestige was to sell products that weren’t normally found in head shops or in brick and mortar stores.” But don’t be fooled, he’s not playing the role of a distributor – as a matter of fact, he refused to take bulk orders. “I don’t want to do bulk,” he states emphatically. “I can be more exclusive this way, and also, it’s less of a strain on the glassblower.”

you’re purchasing,” Robert recognizes. “People respond to being taught something…being given the gift of knowledge.” So on PrestigePipes.com, you’ll find a full section detailing how to use each and every piece and product Prestige carries, from the vaporizer to the bubbler to the spoon. “If you’re a 60 or 70 year old baby boomer who’s sick of prescription pills and their side effects and recently turned to medical marijuana as a means of helping with your insomnia, glaucoma, pain or the effects of chemotherapy,” Prestige Pipes provides “a great tool to use in the privacy of their own home,” Owsley empathizes. “I didn’t want Prestige to just be another site to make money, where I’d buy a bunch of product and flip it,” he expresses. “I wanted something more.”

Lucky for us, he’s given it all. To upgrade your collection to the 21st century, or simply to learn how to use the pieces you are sure to soon have, visit PrestigePipes.com (and tell ‘em Kush sent you…)

Through statements such as that one, it was quite refreshingly apparent that for Robert, it’s all about the art and the goodwill of the medical cannabis culture. “I certainly believe that smoking is a way of curing ailments medically and I think the more educated someone is about it, the more comfortable they’d feel about doing it and can make better choices for themselves,” he told us. So in addition to a virtual store with a uniquely personal experience, he created the site as a way to increase awareness and education. “It could be intimidating for a 60 year old to walk into a head shop full of twentysomethings and ask them how to use a bubbler or a vaporizer, but if you’re on a website, you can look at it whenever you want, and feel much better about what

By Austin Plumb

Finding one’s self with a major case of the snack attacks can be a debilitating scenario for most munchie enthusiasts. We in San Francisco are blessed with an endless array of gourmet top-notch food joints and eateries. The Mission district, with it’s great weather and easy accessibility from almost any neighbor-

Gestalt Haus located on 16th Street, between Valencia and Guerrero, may not seem like a go-to destination for a solid meal due to its loud music and dark décor, but many have changed their tune about this place after trying one of their inexpensive and delicious sausages. Served on a toasted bun, sauerkraut, and the usual other condiments, Gestalt offers a variety of sausages to choose from including veal and pork, Thai chicken or vegan options. With a great beer selection and tasty warm German style potato salad, Gestalt may seem like a dream come true for any sausage enthusiast in The Mission. Their only drawback is their cash only policy, so be sure to leave the credit card at home. (Gestalt Haus, 3159 16th St., San Francisco, CA 94110, (415) 560-0137)

Arinell Pizza

on Valencia between 16th and 17th streets is widely known for it’s thin, as close as you can get on The West Coast, New York style slices for a cheap price. The cheese slices are fully satisfactory but Arinell really shines with the amount of toppings they load on to their specialty slices. One will have to be responsible about your munching Sunday through Wednesday, due to the early closing time of 10:00 PM but Friday through Saturday your pizza needs can be fulfilled at any time before 3:00 AM. Bonus fact: Arinell is one of the few places in SF that can proudly say they had a kink.com porn segment filmed on their premises. (Arinell Pizza, 509 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94110, 415-255-1303)

hood, is chock full of places to quench your stoney yearnings at modest prices to ensure you will have still enough to pick up a new sack after your meal. Here are some top shops around the 16th street & Mission area that will leave you satisfied with a humbly happy tummy.

Los Coyotes Taqueria

right on the other side of 16th Street

While many would assume Pancho Villas is the best place to grab a burrito on 16th Street due to the endless line of hungry hipsters that can be seen at all hours inside the place. offers a sizable, tasty burrito for a cheaper price. With a wide variety of tortilla chips to choose from and a flavorful diverse salsa bar, your munchies can get a head start to being fulfilled before you chow down on your main course. The carne asada California burrito is heavenly with golden crisp French fries mingling well with fresh avocado and steak complementing the usual other burrito fillers. With a varied selection of meats to pick from, their dinner plates or super nachos are also prime selections. Catch yourself their at the right time Monday through Wednesday and take advantage of the epic free additional burrito special when you purchase one burrito and two drinks. (Los Coyotes Taqueria, 3036 16th St., San Francisco, CA 94103, (415) 861-3708)

Alhamra Indian/Pakistani restaurant stands out from the many

same-menued establishments around the 16th Street area for their large savory portions and modest pricing. Alhamra, located on 16th between Mission and Valencia, offers a wide variety of naan bread and curry combinations that will have your mouth watering before you even take your first bite. For a little over ten dollars, an order of Chicken Tikka Masala, garlic naan bread, and side of rice can conquer all hunger pangs great and small. Even more convenient is the ability to order the food online and have it delivered straight to your place with no hassle. (Alhamra Indian/Pakistani, 3083 16th St., San Francisco, CA 94103, (415) 621-3935)

hen one has an immense case of the late night munchies, nothing can compare to the greasy dankness that is the Mexican hotdog. Once the sun goes down, these street vendors in the 16th Street area bust their carts out and serve up bacon wrapped hotdogs topped off with grilled onions and mayo. The aroma that these tasty heart stoppers emits will have your tummy rumbling from blocks away and the first bite leaves your taste buds in a near orgasmic state. Best, and possibly last, three dollars you’ll ever spend.

Cannabis industry professionals work to increase the legitimacy of medical marijuana businesses and transform the sale and production of a federally controlled substance into an emerging economic engine. Marijuana is a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. This is a fact. It’s also a unique challenge for businesses in the cannabis industry. So, how do businesses successfully navigate the production, sale and use of a federally controlled substance? Many in the medical cannabis industry are finding out, often by costly trial and error. But trials and errors do not a viable business make, particularly when a business is just starting out, or considering an expansion. Investors aren’t going to place money into half-baked businesses operating in direct opposition to Federal laws. Furthermore, navigating legal gray areas can be treacherous and devastating for any sized business. The cannabis industry changes every day. The insight and expertise earned through experience in the industry is indispensible. Legislation, municipal guidelines, national leadership all impact the industry as a whole, probably more so than any other industry in history. In order to address inherent and emerging issues confronting cannabis business owners, a handful of professional services firms have joined together to develop a reliable resource for the cannabis industry, The Business Park. The Business Park partners found that what businesses need are agencies and organizations that understand the intricacies of the industry, professionals who can appreciate the unique challenges cultivators, dispensary operators, product manufacturers and suppliers face in the community and the industry at large. Guardian Data Systems, a founding partner says: “Our clients constantly ask us who to trust for taxes and accounting services. Some even ask who we should use to advertise our business. The Business Park provides that portal, the professional resources our clients are asking for.” So, while common business acumen does not condone a purely “trial and error” approach, State legislation, compassionate use laws and a general acceptance of medical marijuana as a viable alternative medicine, have prompted massive growth in the cannabis industry over the last several years; this in an industry which, according to Federal guidelines, is trafficking in contraband. How, then, does an industry go from black market to free market? How do dispensaries, cultivators, caregivers and manufacturers comply with state and local medical cannabis guidelines and operate businesses free of constraint and criminality? They employ the help of industry supporters and experienced service professionals. They look towards The Business Park. The medical cannabis industry is exploding. The massive influx of entrepreneurs and investors flooding the medical marijuana industry might not be unlike the flood of fortune seekers heading West in the middle of the nine-

teenth century. And, not unlike the Gold Rush of the 1850s, there are more than a few speculators, carpetbaggers and snake oil dealers setting up shop in states across the nation. The Medical Cannabis industry yields tremendous opportunity, both for success as well as for failure. Smart business owners and entrepreneurs do their homework, they work with professionals who know their industry and in an industry like medical cannabis, with so many gray areas and legal issues, business owners can’t be too careful. “When dealing with our advertisers on many occasions,” says KUSH Magazine, “we are asked about basic business necessities such as who provides insurance, merchant services, security systems, or other professional services. The Business Park has proven to be a good source of quick and thorough answers to many of these questions.” Every Business Park partner and affiliate maintains a standing client base in the cannabis community and understand the changing guidelines and business needs of this burgeoning industry. They also know the inherent dangers. And what better way to combat shortfalls, missteps and potentially catastrophic mistakes than by enlisting the expert advice of those experienced in the industry. According to Mike Aberle, a founding partner, “each member of The Business Park has been qualified and proven to uphold select standards, and partners frequently utilize each other to fulfill their own needs.” Flashfog, a commercial burglary protection company and founding member, has been working with companies from The Business Park for some time. “The professional services offered were just what our clients needed.” Specialists in their own fields, The Business Park partners understand the markets, the vendors and the mutability of this burgeoning industry. As the cannabis industry continues its trajectory towards legalization and decriminalization nationally, and as investors, entrepreneurs and opportunists continue the Green Rush into the medical marijuana industry, one group will continue its support of this legitimacy and work to maintain integrity and honesty in the community. The Business Park will continue to promote the legitimacy and support the viability of the industry and will work to move medical cannabis cultivation, sale and distribution from a black market trend to a legal economic engine. More information about The Business Park and links to Business Park partners is available at www.thebusinesspark.org

Cheryl Shuman:

The grass keeps getting greener

Cheryl and Tommy Chong

Cheryl with ASA Executive Director Steph Sherer

Cheryl with NORML Women’s Alliance Sabrina Fendrick

She was 3 years old when her parents divorced and separated. And it might have been the best thing that ever happened to her. Cheryl Shuman, mother of two, successful optician to the stars, Forbes Magazine featured selfmade entrepreneur, never saw it coming. Cheryl’s parents, who had separated under un-amicable terms, announced they were getting back together and getting married on Valentines Day 2006, more than 4 decades after they had split. Cheryl, who was working in Los Angeles at the time, immediately packed up her stuff and drove cross-country back to her home in Scioto County, Ohio. “I was going to have a family again!!” she remembers excitedly. But this excitement did not last long. Reality has a funny way of slapping you in the face in the most unexpected of ways. In Cheryl’s case, it happened as soon as she walked up to the door. One of the first things her mother said to her was “Something about your color doesn’t look right,” Cheryl clearly remembers. Her uncle had just recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died just three weeks earlier. While she brushed it off as stress and exhaustion from her demanding workload back in Los Angeles, mother’s instinct won the battle and insisted Cheryl go see a doctor. “So I did,” Cheryl remembers clearly. “Just to be safe make mom happy.” But this didn’t make anyone happy. Rather, Cheryl’s entire world was about to be turned upside down. All it took was one ultrasound to immediately determine that tumors had spread throughout her ovaries, bladder, colon, and uterus. “I was rushed into emergency surgery, and the doctors told me I probably wouldn’t live through the rest of the year.” After spending the next several months preparing for her own passing, all the way down to the brutal task of setting up her own cremation, she came to a point where she was getting sick of being, in effect, a dead body. After all, she was still alive. And in a testament to the power of the mind, she made the switch: Cheryl decided that she was going to live.

Cheryl with Melissa Etheridge

Around this same time, through a chance meeting she ran across an old high school friend, Frederic Rhoades. Rhoades happened to be an organic farmer who was growing produce for clients that included Whole Foods and Kroger, as well as his own Rhoadeside Organic Market. As fate would have it, in addition to produce, he happened to have expert experience as a cannabis cultivator from a previous stint in California so, naturally, he suggested marijuana. At first she was extremely skeptical, for “I had never had a drug in my system. I’ve never even had a cigarette.” But as she began to take stock of the cornucopia of pharmaceuticals she was

by wasim muklashy

ingesting daily “just to stay alive,” and as she thought of the morphine drip that she was depending on to numb her pain, she decided, “it couldn’t hurt. At the very least, I’ll die with a smile on my face.” Over the course of the next couple of months, her use of cannabis helped wean her off the more than 2-dozen pharmaceuticals prescribed to her. Within less than 6 weeks, her outlook began to improve, her activity level was beginning to return to normal, and she began to regain some of the weight she lost through the treatments. While she began to feel and look better, and evidence in the form of CAT Scans and MRIs had shown that the tumors from the initial prognosis hadn’t gotten any worse, her battle had, in a sense, only just begun. The new tests had shown tumors that were not seen before… tumors that had metastasized to her liver. Once again, there was a timestamp on her life. The clock was again ticking…this time, quicker than ever. By this time, The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) had caught onto Cheryl’s story and invited her to the NORML Conference in San Francisco in 2009. This laid the foundation for what would eventually bloom into one of the most prominent and tireless activists in the nation. She had found what she was looking for...a respected community dedicated specifically to the ordeals that she had been facing. Cheryl Shuman was invigorated. She soon found herself as the Director of the Beverly Hills chapter of NORML, which, under her direction, grew bigger and quicker than any chapter in the organizations 30year history. “Cheryl Shuman is without question one of the most proficient public relations people I have ever had the pleasure of working with,” expresses Keith Stroup, founder and legal counsel of NORML. “She is a delight to work with and always exceeds expectations.” However, all was still far from rosy. In April of 2010, Cheryl suffered a transient ischemic attack (TIA), in essence, a mini-stroke. More often than not, TSIs are soon followed by a full stroke. While going through the list of medications with her doctor, she was cornered into admitting that she is a legal medical cannabis patient. This was the moment that changed everything. “There’s no way you’re going to ever get a liver transplant Cheryl,” expressed her doctor. “Cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug.” On top of it all, she was informed that her insurance would also be cancelled. Not exactly what a stroke patient wants to hear. Before he could finish what he was saying, she looked over at Frederic, “we need to get out of here. NOW!” That very afternoon, there was a city council meeting in Los Angeles that was hearing the case

for and against closing the city’s dispensaries. Cheryl and Frederic literally left the hospital and headed directly to the meeting. “I had never spoken in front of city council,” remembers Cheryl. “I had to fight back tears and emotions, but when my name was called, I tried to condense a lifetime of experiences into 60 seconds of testimony. I was terrified and intimidated, but felt like I had to say something.” “I had no idea that video cameras were capturing my testimony and I certainly had no idea that the video would be spread virally throughout the Internet and make it to other news outlets.” This, in effect, played a huge role in saving her as well as helping to put a precedent in motion for patients to come. Because of the pressure the media was putting on the insurance giant, Aetna, rather than cancel her policy, helped push her through the red tape and got her into the UC Davis Oncology Treatment program. But Aetna’s ‘goodwill’ only lasted until the media frenzy died down. Once her premiums were raised to almost 3000 a month, Cheryl was forced to drop it…at a time she was requiring 24hour care. Around this very time, Michigan’s 420 University approached her. She was introduced to various cannabis-based treatments spearheaded by Dr. Robert Melamede, prominent University of Colorado biologist and premiere researcher of endocannabinoids, especially relating to their medical uses in combating cancer. “They told me about all these uses of cannabis I had never heard of including cannabis oil capsules, the juicing, and eating the raw leaves, and all these different diseases that had been cured by employing some of these methods,” Cheryl remembers. “So when he asked me if I would be willing to be a guinea pig for some of his experimental methods, I said certainly.” Once again, she began seeing immediate results. Her strength was regained, her appetite began to come back, her nausea decreased, and she was able to live a semi-normal life again. Kush Magazine was so intrigued by her story, they felt compelled to bring her in and offer her a job. They figured, who better than Cheryl and what better than the success of Cheryl’s story to help propel the movement of medical cannabis to the next level? Her newfound energy and life has quickly catapulted her into the position of being one of the most influential medical cannabis activists alive today. “It appears that people are responding and I’m happy to try to make a difference,” she expresses. “Now I realize that we need to educate the mainstream as to how these laws are truly impacting patients, families, and the community as a whole. The legal system is confusing at best. We need to clarify concise, and consistent legislation.” So, in addition to her full-time work as the Director of International Marketing & Public Relations with Kush, Cheryl is a member of the Steering Committee and Board of Directors for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), she’s a National Ambassador for Americans for Safe Access (ASA), and has volunteered alongside Sarah Lovering for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), and way too many other accolades to list here. “I don’t know how it works, I don’t know why

it works, but I know that it seems to be working and I’ve literally dedicated each and every minute of the rest of my life to educating people about the benefits of this plant and how it’s worked for me,” she manages to squeeze out between tears. “I feel it’s my moral and ethical obligation to do so.” And she’s doing it with a fierce determination reserved for someone who’s life literally depends on it, the very fierce determination that could save other people the harrowing experiences she has been through. As a matter of fact, her case could be the first case in U.S. history to be accepted for FDA clinical trials, leading to legalization, decriminalization, or, at the very least, reclassifying it from a Schedule 1 drug, which says it has no medicinal benefits, to at least a Schedule 2, that states there is at least currently accepted medical uses in the States. “When we have full legalization, with a tax and regulate business model, the world will see the true benefits of this miraculous plant,” Cheryl expresses. “We will see health improved for millions not only through cannabis medicines, but through the funding of educational programs, mental health programs, support for our veterans suffering from PTSD and other health issues.” Until that point, Cheryl will not slow down. In addition to all her activist work, Cheryl Shuman, along with her business partner Frederic Rhoades, have started a small farm in Northern California, where they grow fully organic medicinal cannabis that they provide through their private non-profit medical marijuana collective, “Shaman Therapeutics.” Also, Kevin Booth, director of Showtime’s wildly popular documentary “American Drug War,” has deemed her story so vital to the movement, he decided to prominently feature Cheryl in the upcoming follow-up, “American Drug Wars II – Fight For Your Life.” “We’re really setting out to expose the professional side and look of this industry, and I think Cheryl is a really good spokesperson for this,” explains Booth. “She’s someone that people will take seriously.” Needless to say, Kush Magazine is absolutely honored to have such a fierce and tireless warrior on their side. “Her work ethic is incredible, and it’s a pleasure to have her affiliated with Kush magazine,” expresses Editor-in-Chief Lisa Selan. “She fills a void that the industry desperately needs; genuine passion mixed with a professionalism seldom seen these days.” “She’s an absolute go-getter and is the perfect bridge between us and the community,” adds Kush CEO Bob Selan. “Cheryl brings extreme value and legitimacy to the movement and her positive and energetic disposition about life, especially considering her own personal experiences, continues to awe and inspire us on a daily basis.” With films such as “Medical Cannabis and Its Impact on Human Health,” and Len Richmond’s “What if Cannabis Cured Cancer,” along with high quality research becoming more readily pursuable and available, the minds (and pockets) of influential medical, political, & culturally influential forces are opening up, all due in no small part to warriors like Cheryl Shuman, who seems to have taken pleasure in leading the charge.

Cheryl and Joe Rogan

Cheryl and Danny Glover

Cheryl and Governor Gary Johnson

Keith Stroup and Cheryl Shuman

by Charlotte Cruz

Living Well: Jogging Starting the Engine As with any exercise, you have got to get the blood flowing and the muscles loose to prevent injury. Weekend warriors are often injured by jumping into an activity without properly warming up the body. If you are new to jogging, it’s a good idea to stretch longer than you normally would since the muscles you use while jogging may have been asleep for a while. The benefits of a stretch are maximized when the circulation is good and the muscles are warm, so it’s advised to start stretching after a 5-10 minute brisk walk. A jogger’s cool down should be very similar or exactly like the warm up and is equally important.

Form is Everything

ome people love it and others would rather swim 14 miles to not have to do it for 10 minutes: Jogging - the

cheapest, easiest way to stay fit (and the trickiest of sports). It seems so simple enough.

While form is vital to staying injury-free, that doesn’t mean that everyone jogs the same, but the basic rules apply. According to running and exercise gospel, a jogger’s foot should make contact in the middle as they stride. Since you’re absorbing all of that shock to your feet, it’s best to try to keep it evenly distributed and mimic how you naturally walk. Jogging is not about lifting the knees; it’s about continual, fluid motion at a comfortable pace (the norm for measuring correct pace is breathing deeply and steadily but still able to maintain a conversation) for a prolonged amount of time. Taking big strides or kicking backwards can cause injury to the joints and leg muscles, so avoid these common mistakes.

We all did it as kids and millions of people continue to strap on their running shoes for a 4-miler before breakfast and actually enjoy it. The tricky part is knowing your body well enough to detect injury, maintain proper technique and have the proper equipment to perform the arduous task of literally pounding the pavement. The basic rules to live by are to properly warm up, keep your form, and, of course, don’t forget to breathe.

Don’t Skimp on Shoes If jogging is, or you want it to be, a part of your regular exercise routine, you have got to take care of your feet. While other sports require bulky and expensive equipment, all you really need to jog is a place to do it. Proper footwear, however, can make all the difference in the world and should be considered a worthwhile investment. Go to a runner’s shoe store and let the staff help you determine what shoe is best for your foot. It’s so worth it.

Jogging is free and anyone in good health can do it. It’s a great workout, can be a very social activity and the more you do it, the stronger and better you get. So get off the couch and you’ll be signing up for your first 5K in no time…and completing it just as quickly! 58

“There are many things my father taught me here in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your weed closer.” When I hear the name The Godfather, it brings back memories of Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and one of the greatest familias to ever grace the silver screen. Winning numerous awards, the name alone conjures up memories of film imitating art imitating life imitating film at its finest, so its only appropriate that the Godfather strain of cannabis is also worthy of equally great praise for its potency, aroma and looks. A hybrid consisting of a cross between OG Kush and Granddaddy Purple, the true granddaddy of all purples, The Godfather boasts a classic spicy kush aroma, with the sweet fruity undertone of a grape or purple strain. The flowers have true purple hues and the buds’ trichomes are crystalline beauties with delicate reddish hairs. After rolling some of this slightly sticky and spicy sweet bud into a joint, I immediately took a few hits. The taste is quite typical of a purple with the hint of grape predominant. The initial buzz is more akin to a sativa buzz that eventually morphs into a body high that lasts close to two hours. For an indica, this certainly was a surprisingly alert, clear-headed, and energetic high rather than a typical sedating effect. Perfect for anytime, because it leaves you clearheaded, and mostly absent of the classic couch-lock, Godfather is great for getting some chores done or getting outside. Medicinally, this strain is great for relieving stress, anxiety and joint pain relief. I also noticed that it relieved my work-induced migraines (you tend to get a lot of those in my line of work…). The Godfather’s genetics are also well known to provide relief to cancer and chemotherapy patients. Its superior medicinal properties are also responsible for appetite stimulation, and relieving the effects of insomnia and nausea. So finally…for once, I don’t smell a rat…I smell dank stank Godfather purples.

MICHAEL CORLEONE

When you are craving ice cream, nothing else will do. Ice cream isn’t something you think of when you need something sweet, or craving something creamy; when the ice cream cravings hit, it’s got to be cold, delicious ice cream and that’s it. A smoothie is nice when you’re kind of hungry and a yogurt takes the edge off when you want something light and maybe a little sweet but when it’s time for ice cream, look out. Not even Ben and Jerry could come between a craving between me and mocha almond fudge. If the ice cream man shows up on my street and there are kids between me and the parked truck of goodness, all bets are off. I’m faster and they are merely height-challenged obstacles. Fortunately for the neighborhood, I have been off on a mission for ice cream greatness and I come back victorious and needing to perhaps think about jogging more. From the East Bay to San Jose, here are my picks for the best scoop in town.

East Bay • Tara’s Organic Ice Cream 3173 College Avenue Berkeley, CA 94705 (510) 655-5014 TarasOrganic.com

I love it when fine dining people decide to get out from the hot kitchen and dedicate their lives to ice cream. Tara’s could easily be the most gourmet ice cream experience of my life and that’s saying a lot because I fancy myself an ice cream connoisseur (I’ve been known to ditch the Rite-Aid line even when it’s not that long, but I still use my own impatience as an excuse). Tara and her cohorts have taken their deep food knowledge and love for organic ingredients and turned around an ice cream shop with flavors and textures that I couldn’t think of own my own but wish I had. Try the blueberry mint for something refreshing or if you’re feeling like something with more punch, try the Fig and Port. 104 flavors to try so plan a weekly outing.

San Francisco • Humphrey Slocombe Ice Cream

2790 Harrison Street San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 550-6971 HumphrySlocombe.com

Some places receive a ton of hype because they have a good press agent and some places receive a lot of hype because they are just damned good. Humphrey Slocombe’s has a big reputation for a big reason - its ice cream is out of this world. The flavors are wacky but make so much sense once you try them. The ice cream is the real heart of the goodness - creamy, not too sweet, rich without being too filling, perfect. The creative infusions turn into flavors like Secret Breakfast (bourbon and cornflakes), Honey Thyme and Browned Butter. To. Die. For. Don’t mind the wait because the people watching is pretty good, too.

South Bay • Treat Ice Cream Co

11 South 19th Street San Jose, CA 95116-2202 (408) 292-9321 TreatIceCream.com Walking into Treat is like stepping into a secret room in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. The people are hard at work packaging homemade deliciousness into brown cartons and there are buckets of fresh chocolate sitting on the floor. It’s like buying directly from the ice cream farm and if I had a bigger freezer, I would fill it with nothing but Treat‘s treats. Mango ice cream (not sorbet) was made just for me by the Oompa Loompas hidden in the back. Fresh ingredients, inexpensive and a five-star product - Treat yourself. 64

Smaller than most cell phones, the IoLite provides a powerful vaporizer with a discreet, funky exterior. The IoLite is available in over nine colors for all of your moods and its lightweight, sleek look goes well with any outfit. Powerful enough for all of your vaporizing needs and rechargeable, the IoLite is a greener alternative to battery operated portable vapes. Weighing in at just under three ounces, the IoLite is a lightweight, sleek, and popular way to get your dose of girly green. The IoLite is produced by Oglesby & Butler Ltd, an Irish company renowned for its gas products, which makes it a great mix of quality and sex appeal. In addition to its good looks, the IoLite also provides friendly customer service through its American and European help-lines. The IoLite promises a full two hours of vaporizing before recharging and upgrades are available, so for those who can afford the price tag the IoLite is the epitome of usability and taste. (Cyree Jarelle Johnson)

With storage containers available for both businesses as well as patients, CannaFresh provides quality glass containers to assure your cannabis will stay fresh. “Our containers will keep your product fresher and more flavorful. We use only the highest quality materials, so when it has to be fresh think CannaFresh™.” With glass jars ranging in size from 4 ounces up to 2.5 gallons, they easily service the needs of both patients as well as dispensaries. CannaFresh also offers unique branding options and customization of jars. This provides store owners the opportunity to brand their shop, create promotions and provide gifts for their patients all with their logo branded onto the jars. CannaFresh also provides custom collections (checking out their Cheech and Chong series is an absolute must!). So for those patients and businesses seeking a great storage option for their product, check out Cannafresh. (Lisa Faye)

NCIAkushad3_v.4 3/18/11 4:30 PM Page 1

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

by AnnaRae Grabstein

Steep Hill Lab A Social Media Experiment in the Cannabis Industry It is 2011 so I am going to assume that you are familiar with Facebook and Twitter. If you are not, picture an infinite universe full of digital versions of curious people. In a deliberate attempt to reach out to these masses, my team at Steep Hill Lab and I began increasing our utilization of social media to connect with the thousands of medical cannabis patients, advocates and stakeholders on the World Wide Web. The mission of our business is to assure the quality and safety of medical cannabis through laboratory analysis while actively legitimizing the cannabis industry by implementing independent standards for quality control. One of the most important ways for us to gauge whether or not people are hearing and understanding our message is to directly communicate through the various social media outlets. While we have been employing social media since 2008 I wanted to learn specifically how to best utilize this fast emerging communication tool and since we are science people here at the lab, I decided to create a structured experiment using Facebook and Twitter. The desired outcome? To increase overall interaction with stakeholders. This process reinforced what an amazing tool social media can be. For the purpose of documenting and controlling the results of the experiment I made sure that for 10 days every post fell into one of the following 9 categories: events, cannabis news, pointed questions, testimonials, unique cannabis factoids, quotes, personal peaks into our lives, promotions, or casual banter. My team and I posted often, sometimes as much as 15 times in one day. By focusing on these specific categories I learned about the individual interests and passions of our friends and followers. From a qualitative perspective our friends and followers responded most to personal peaks into the lives of the people here at Steep Hill Lab and the instances when we engaged specifically by asking questions. An example of personal peak that garnered a lot of attention was “Even though the sun is out we are inside testing your medical cannabis for potency, mold and pesticide because we love what we do.” Then, later we prompted, “Tell us your story. Why do you think safe high quality cannabis is awesome?” This post inspired numerous comments such as, “it shows we’re serious and legitimate,” and, “This movement is FOR the patients, and sometimes we lose sight of that. Safe Cannabis is the

future.” These comments and others express that Steep Hill Lab is making a difference to patients and helping validate the medical cannabis industry - such great feedback. Surprisingly though, the news links and quotations we posted in our feed an on our wall stimulated much less dialogue than expected. Overall it seems that our friends and followers are much more enthusiastic to have a direct outlet to interact and discuss medical cannabis with us. A deeper look at the numbers shows that improved engagement with the public through social media translates into new friends and followers. Since we increased our utilization of Twitter and Facebook the amount of followers and friends has grown by 34% in under a month. But who are the people behind the online profiles? From what we can infer, they are medical cannabis patients, businesses, and sympathizers. They are the readers of this magazine. They are from all over the world. The internet is so far-reaching that we cannot make broad sweeping generalizations because through the mechanism of social media, Steep Hill Lab has gotten to spread our message about safe, high quality, laboratory-tested cannabis medicine beyond where our traditional outreach and marketing ever could. The conclusion is clear; using social media is becoming more important for modern businesses, both large and small. Going forward Steep Hill Lab will continue to utilize social media through Facebook and Twitter but will also reach out through other social media outlets such as YouTube, Flickr and Scribd. Social media will never be our sole strategy for communicating with the public. We love all of the personal time we have with people who stop in to meet with us at our lab, attend conferences, and track us down at public events but because it is impossible to personally connect with everyone, social media, has now become integrated into our overall company culture. Become our friend on facebook, www.facebook.com/steephilllab or follow us on twitter, www. twitter.com/steephilllab. We want to bring you into our conversation about the future of medical grade cannabis. ----AnnaRae Grabstein is CEO of Steep Hill Lab and is on the NORML Women’s Alliance Steering Committee. For more information about cannabis analysis visit steephilllab.com or facebook.com/steephilllab

Patients Out Out of of Time: Time: Patients Introduces you to: Introduces you to:

The Legendary Grandma Marijuana

Mae Nutt by Mary Lynn Mathre

Some say that Mae Nutt started the compassion club idea. We say that Mae was a true pioneer in the medical marijuana/cannabis movement. Mae and Arnold Nutt lived in Beaverton, Michigan and had 3 sons - Keith, Dana and Mark. Their middle son, Dana developed lung cancer around the age of 6 and died a few years later in the late 60s. In 1978 Keith was diagnosed with testicular cancer while at college. Keith returned home following his initial surgery because he was too ill to continue with his studies. He soon began the dreadful chemotherapy and became violently ill with nausea and vomiting to the point that he couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even stand the smell of food. Mae had just read a small article in the Bay City Times newspaper about marijuana being used to treat nausea and vomiting.

Her sons had grown up knowing that marijuana would not be tolerated while under the watchful eyes of their parents. But Mae was desperate now and suggested to Keith that he try it. He tried it and it worked. No nausea and vomiting following the chemo and Keith was eating again. Mae was now angry and a bit confused because she had always been taught that marijuana was a dangerous drug, but she could see that it helped Keith. Mae was a mother first and she was willing to try anything to help her son. She set out to find a supply of this medicine for Keith and her first stop was with her minister, who responded with a home delivery that evening. Mae then reported the situation to the local newspapers that ran stories about Keith. As a result of some of this press, Mae stated, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had marijuana rain on our house. We had marijuana on the front Mae, Arnold, Keith and Mark Nutt

the age of 83, Mae was a huge hit at our 3rd conference when she sat on steps, on the back steps, in the mail box.” Mae was gaining notoriety on another panel, Mothers Know Best. See video: http://www.youtube.com/ the issue at the same time a medical marijuana bill was being considered. watch?v=KcMAX72exUkst. Mae’s health began to decline and in 2005 Keith was able to testify and the bill was finally passed on October 26, she moved to California to be near her remaining son Mark. Grandma 1979 while Keith was back in the hospital for more chemotherapy. Keith Marijuana died a few years later on New Year’s Day in 2008. died that same night, but at least he knew he helped other patients in Today we have 15 states and Washington DC with medical mariMichigan with his testimony. juana (cannabis) laws as the struggle continues to end the cannabis Mae found herself with an overwhelming supply of cannabis and prohibition. But imagine the U.S. back in the late 1970s when Mae, like thought it should be shared with others who could benefit from its meall Americans, was brought up in the midst of ‘reefer madness.’ There dicinal use. She had been volunteering on the oncology unit at Midland were no cell phones then and certainly no internet. It was very difficult Hospital, where Keith was treated. Mae’s next step was to tell the staff that to find any information on the positive cannabis really helped her son and effects of cannabis. But Mae was a strong she would like to share her supply woman who saw for herself that cannabis with other patients who could benefit was therapeutic. Rather than discreetly from it. Since no one specifically care for Keith, Mae brought attention to agreed or disagreed with her plan, medicinal cannabis that helped start the she took their response as a yes. Mae grassroots movement to fight for the end would visit with the patients and the cannabis prohibition. their families. She would hear about The federal government continues to the nausea and vomiting most of the forbid the use of cannabis and maintains patients experienced when receiving it has no therapeutic value. How ironic chemotherapy and discreetly pull that dronabinol (Marinol®), synthetic a parent aside and suggest they try THC, has been available in pill form cannabis. She would supply them since 1985. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabithe medicine. In light of the fact that nol or “THC” is the primary psychoacsome patients or parents of patients tive cannabinoid in cannabis - it’s the were concerned about smoking, and chemical that causes the “high.” Patients many were too sick to keep a pill who are suffering from nausea and vomdown, Mae learned how to make caniting find it difficult to keep a pill down. nabis suppositories. Mae Nutt became In addition, many patients have a hard affectionately known as “Grandma time with dosing because of the delayed Marijuana.” onset of the effects with the oral route. Mae was not to be stopped or When inhaling cannabis (by smoking silenced. During one of the hearings, or vaporizing) a patient can easily titrate the family met Robert Randall, who to get an appropriate dose. Cannabidiol was the first patient allowed into the (CBD) is a non-psychoactive cannabiCompassionate IND program in Mae & Keith Nutt noid that also works as an anti-emetic which the federal government supand when consumed in whole cannaplied him with medicinal cannabis. bis it helps to dampen down the psychoactive effects of THC. There is She became a board member of the Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics absolutely no logic in forbidding the use of the safe and effective herbal (ACT), along with Robert Randall and Alice O’Leary. Mae made numermedicine, claiming that it is a drug of abuse, while allowing the primary ous appearances on local and national television and was featured in nupsychoactive substance in the plant as a legal medicine. merous local and national papers and was becoming quite famous. Mae Patients Out of Time urges all Americans to learn more about this testified at the NORML & ACT vs DEA hearing in which the DEA was wonderful plant and fight back against the reefer madness myths and lies. challenged by petition to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule II. Grandma Marijuana was a pioneer in this fight. We all need to follow her Now in her late sixties, her elderly persona won over the DEA’s Adminislead to end the cruel and unjust cannabis prohibition. trative Law judge. She was the epitome of a wise and loving grandmother. Wanting to remain active, Mae joined Patients Out of Time as one of For more information on Mae and Patients Out Of Time, visit the founding board members in 1995. In 1997, Arnold suffered a major MedicalCannabis.com• stroke and Mae devoted her time in caring for him until his death in 1999. In 2000, Patients Out of Time held The First National Clinical ConMary Lynn Mathre, RN, MSN, CARN is President and Co-founder ference on Cannabis Therapeutics in Iowa City that was co-sponsored of Patients Out of Time. She is a qualified cannabis expert and the by the University of Iowa’s College of Nursing and College of Medicine. editor of Cannabis in Medical Practice: A Legal, Historical, and Mae sat on a panel presentation - The Voices and Experiences of Families Pharmacological Overview of the Therapeutic Use of Cannabis and coand Care Providers. In 2002, Mae shared her and Keith’s story during editor of Women and Cannabis: Medicine, Science and Sociology. our benefit dinner at our 2nd conference in Portland, OR. In 2004, at

GROWERS GROVE

The Green Rush Bubble Most people without previous experience don’t dive into a new business in a new industry just because they heard the industry was doing well. If graphic design or welding suddenly became the rage, people who had never used a computer or an arc welder probably wouldn’t think of starting a business in those trades even if the price of the commodity was rising (which it’s not in this industry). But for some reason, the medical Cannabis industry is viewed differently. I don’t know why, but right now everyone is riding high on the idea that even if they have no previous experience or background in Cannabis whatsoever, it’s a perfect time to open up a Cannabis business. Don’t worry if you have no knowledge of the skilled trade itself, if you’ve never grown a plant or if you’ve never even worked as a budtender in a dispensary, “The Green Rush” is on and everyone in the Cannabis industry is wealthy, so go for it and assume it’ll all work out. Yeah, here’s a history lesson for the business majors. Most people who flocked to California for the Gold Rush didn’t actually make any money. In fact, most of them sank everything they had into land that never produced any gold. Far more people found bankruptcy than wealth. The only people that had financial security were the ones selling shovels. So, for all the Cannabis industry professionals that are encouraging people with no experience to invest whatever they have into an industry based on a skilled trade that they have no previous knowledge of, you should really think about the ramifications of inexperienced individuals getting in over their head in an industry that still has many risks associated with it. As someone who spends a great deal of time educating struggling growers and cleaning up the potential disasters created by people getting in over their heads, I can tell you that selling the idea of starting a Cannabusiness is a very dangerous thing to do. I’ve seen several examples of dispensaries that opened after taking a weekend class on the Cannabis industry. Completely naïve but very eager, these businesses crumbled shortly after opening simply from lack of experience in the industry. In one very sad case, a poorly secured dispensary (that literally opened because they took a weekend class hyping the Green Rush) was robbed and the overnight security guard was beaten severely. Not only did the owner lose everything and all the employees were suddenly out of work 74

(one in the hospital), but all the product in the store was on consignment and now the growers operating on less and less of a margin all found themselves out of much needed income. In another case, a couple invested their retirement money in a dispensary only to lose everything in less than a year. Sometimes I think the only people making money in the Green Rush are the people selling the idea of the Green Rush to people who are just seeking financial security in a bad economy. There are occasionally finances in the Cannabis industry, but there is very little security in them even when you do find them. The idea of the Green Rush is by far the single biggest factor influencing the market now. It’s responsible for the massive outbreak of both ignorant consumers and inexperienced growers. The amount of superlative Cannabis is roughly the same now as it was 10 years ago, but it’s been diluted in an ocean of ho-hum buds. To find real chronic, discerning consumers have to wade through lots of “pretendicas” - pot that passes inspection at a glance but is terrible once smoked. In the exceedingly flooded market, some Cannabis Stores that are unable to compete by turning over lots of high quality Cannabis, try to survive by focusing on increasing their margin. Many consumers assume that Cannabis Stores always carry the best, but in the current market many of them just stock whatever they paid the least for. There are so many new patients every day who have no memory of better Cannabis days that the shift in market quality is overlooked by many patients. Cannabis Stores that focus on quality and turnover and who pay their growers top dollar for premium Cannabis, always have better medicine than stores that do not. Many dispensaries are so focused on asking the question of “How little can I pay for this product?” that they forget to ask the more important question of “Will my competition pay the grower’s asking price to have this product?” If it is an outstanding product, consumers will travel to stores outside their usual shopping area in order to get it, so dispensaries that hold a hard line on a high quality standard will draw in more customers even if they have to pay a little more for the product. Instead of advertising how cheap their eighths are, they should advertise that they pay their growers top dollar. I bet the quality of herb in their store goes through the roof as growers with outstanding products start showing up again (along with the customers that follow outstanding products). (continued on page 76)

Another Lawyer Joke Recently, I was speaking with a few folks that represent the current cutting edge of medical marijuana policy for their local area (ironically, none of them were growers). During a discussion of local rules and regulations, one cooperative operator told me that his lawyer calculated the expenses of growing Cannabis and told him that he shouldn’t pay more than $3000 per pound of Cannabis because the expense “couldn’t be justified”. I told the cooperative operator that I’ve spent many years analyzing the economics of how much lawyers make versus how often their clients get screwed and I can’t find any justification to pay lawyers more than minimum wage. Besides clearly highlighting himself as an individual who has never grown a single Cannabis plant, this lawyer expressed a belief that many people who have never grown Cannabis believe – it’s soooooooo easy to grow. I mean, seriously, “it’s a weed”, right? Well, that might be so in some areas and you might enjoy smoking your moldy, untended, ditch weed; but fine medical Cannabis is something different altogether, or at least it certainly should be. I’ve never been out hiking and stumbled across a bunch of super chronic buds completely free of pests or diseases just sitting there by the side of the trail growing without care. Outstanding medical Cannabis doesn’t just happen – it’s a labor of love. (Emphasis on the labor.) It almost always comes from controlled environments that require some expensive hardware. Maybe I should find this lawyer and ask him where he goes hiking. Or maybe it’s slightly more complicated than simply adding up a spreadsheet of items you imagine constitute a complete Cannabis garden (“Let’s see. Pots, dirt, lights – what else could there be?). Maybe fine medical Cannabis is a skilled trade with many facets, just like carpentry or welding or graphic design and requires a period of dedicated apprenticeship along with the financial resources to build an excellent environment for cultivating fine Cannabis. Maybe the people who have spent many years dedicating themselves to the craft of Cannabis production are typically better at it, producing a higher quality standard that should be met with a market price that reflects an appreciation of everything that goes into producing fine medical Cannabis. Only those who’ve actually grown Cannabis know what it really costs to produce it. So what all goes into this “Premium Medical Cannabis”, anyway? Oh, nothing really. Except for the countless hours of labor, a controlled environment, tons of expensive electricity (or an expensive greenhouse), water, rent, nutrients, additives, pumps, fans, filters, meters, trays, pots, medium, inoculants, irrigation equipment, more labor, security, constant monitoring for pests and diseases, 50 trips to the hydro store, 100 trips to Home Depot, lots of sleepless nights and frayed nerves, more labor, blood, sweat, tears, dedication, experience, diligence, trial, error, waking up early, going to sleep late, air conditioning, dehumidification, climate management, cloning, re-potting, pruning, staking, trimming, trimming, trimming, trimming..... hopefully it’s an easy variety to trim or else that part of the list would continue. Plus, you have to say goodbye to having a normal life. Suddenly unknown guests aren’t welcome, it influences whom you date, vacations become impossible because 76

the plants can’t take a vacation, etc. Now that’s a tough thing to put a price on and probably wasn’t on the lawyer’s itemized list of garden necessities. Even though the odds of getting arrested are somewhat lower now, you still have to cope with risks like armed robbery and burglary. Even without that, it takes a lot of labor and resources to produce. At any rate, it’s a lot more than most people give growers credit for. The idea that Cannabis is “free” for growers is an illusion, like the idea that the drinks in Vegas are free. If you lose $100 at roulette over the course of 2 “free” beers, weren’t those actually the most expensive beers of your life? Similarly, the growers that still hang on to excellent, harder to grow, lower yielding strains only grow them only for their own head stash – they’re too expensive to grow if you’re not getting wholesale prices that justify it. They know all too well the high cost of producing fine Cannabis. The bottom line is this. We’re currently in an era that is defined by a huge surplus of mediocre pot. As strains slowly disappear, and our genetic diversity dwindles in the wake of whatever is left getting crossed with the same few dozen common strains, we risk losing a lot of good medicine in the process. There’s a lot of herb out there and while competition in the market is fierce, new gardens that lack both the experience and the hardware to produce truly fine Cannabis need to be differentiated from older, established gardens with extensive climate controls that have been finetuned for success over many years. If you look closely at the products out there, you’ll find that they speak for themselves when sampled with a careful eye and an experienced palette. Growers that have rare, outstanding products will eventually find it a good home – either at fine cooperatives that pay for quality or elsewhere with a little extra hustle. It’s simple economics. - 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, 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 at JadeKine.com)

Welcome back! Last month, I touched on some of the basics surrounding using organic growing methods and using beneficial bacteria to your advantage when growing in soil. Since I knew the next question was coming, I am using this month’s column to talk about organics in hydroponic systems. There’s a debate currently raging out there about whether it’s best to go sterile in your hydro system or use bennies - and what, if any, advantages the beneficials might provide. Another part of this debate is what to do with which kind of hydro system. Well, relax, I’ve done the homework and I am here to give it to you straight! First, a little background about hydro systems - there are several types, and most of them have some sort of interruption in their water delivery specifically to help combat the problem of root rot. That’s why ebb and flow, top drip and nutrient film type systems all have an off period long enough to let the roots dry a bit. The extreme case is deep water culture, where the roots are submerged all the time without any breaks. Because of this, many people shy away from DWC systems, thinking they’re prone to problems. The basics are important here; keep your water cool – 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit is best, well oxygenated with airstones, bubblers or waterfalls, and pH balanced within about 5.3 to 6.3, depending on what medium you’re using. Also, remember that with nutrients in hydroponics, less is more, so start with your nutes at half strength and work your way up to what your plants can handle. With these basic parameters in place, you’re going to have fewer problems no matter what. Second, let me say that people

have had great results both ways. Sterile systems work fine, as long as you stay ahead of the critters and never let them gain a foothold in your water system. Therein lies the rub, however - it doesn’t take long for an infestation to go from barely noticeable to killing your precious plants, and that’s a surprise no one wants! The other problem I’ve heard with this approach is the accidental breeding of superbugs - just like prolonged exposure to herbicides eventually creates resistant disease strains that are much tougher to eradicate, the same thing can happen in your hydro system, leaving you with the scary prospect of superbugs that can tolerate more hydrogen peroxide than your plants can! Alas, there is another way. From the time we’re born until long after we’re gone, we humans are a teeming community of literally thousands of different varieties of bacteria, fungi and viruses. So many, in fact, current estimates are that there are 200 times as many microbes living on and in your body than there are cells OF your body! An emerging school of thought in medicine says that it’s not whether we have bugs that cause illness, it’s more about the balance and as long as we maintain that balance, we’re healthy. It’s the same in soil - the hugely diverse micro-ecosystem of microbes in the soil not only act to feed one another and the plant, they also act to control one another, so that unless things are out of whack the disease causing bugs never get the upper hand. So if this is the way things have always been, then maybe there is a way to put the power of bugs to good use in our nutrient solution?

It turns out that people are having great success with doing just that. It seems that making teas out of compost and earthworm castings and then inoculating your hydroponic system with them works to ward off an invasion of disease causing pathogens by both supporting the plant’s own immune system and, in some cases, even by eating them directly! I won’t go into recipes here, they’re easy to find if you look around. They all cover a few points; first, brew your tea for a day or two to build up the numbers of beneficial microbes, and second, do not feed your microbes in your reservoir, rather, brew fresh tea (or keep the batch you whipped up in the refrigerator for up to a week or so) and re-inoculate your system every few days. This saves on buying lots of product and makes the additives more effective. Keep in mind that heavy doses of some chemically based nutes will work against an ongoing colony of anything in your water, and that the jury is still out on exactly how much beneficial microbes will improve the growth of your plants. On the other hand, just keeping the nasty bugs at bay should be reason enough! So, if you’re concerned about taking the hydro plunge because of the horror stories you’ve heard about things going horribly wrong, follow these steps and you’ll be well on your way to productivity levels and yields that will blow your mind! That’s it for this month, and happy growing! Feel free to send any comments or questions to me at indoorcultivationconsulting@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to answer them!

Tinkerbell, pixie dust and pirates

made Peter Pans day as he flew around in tights in the fictional paradise lost of Neverland. Today, you too can have a fairy tale journey as a Bohemian Lost Boy or a Lost Goth Girl in the underground and undercurrent sub-culture of the Netherlands. Lets face it, those daring, dauntless Dutch have given us more than delf, dikes, wooden shoes and windmills. Amsterdam is a steaming compost rich in history, art, culture, and a William Burroughs subterranean narco nightlife to die for.

Amsterdam is also the penultimate Euro-industrial showcase and

mecca for the severely perverse sub-culture vulture. It’s a narcissistic syringe laced with enough creativity to induce a paralyzing and fatal art attack in the truly art addicted! Galaxies of galleries orbit in perfect harmony around its solar system, planets of art, of all types and tastes circle its sun and proliferate like tulips on steroids. One gallery alone is devoted to over 500 works of the invincible Vincent Van Gogh.

History is kept alive with museums highlighting Hollands color-

ful and sometimes somber past, including the Anne Frank Museum. Anne was the young girl who not only kept a diary of her families trials and tribulations under German occupation, but who also fell victim to Nazi atrocities in Hitler’s drive for world domination. Virulently antiNazi, it was the brave Dutch who used to toss wooden shoes, called sabots into the industrial machinery of the Third and thankfully final Reich, and gave us the word…sabotage! On the lighter side of the fence is a museum for devotees of the history of red light district sex, a museum of torture, and what would hemp happy Holland be without its museum of Hemp and Cannabis.

This beautiful old world city of Hans Brinker fame is graced by a geo-

metric, winding labyrinth of canals where you can enjoy a pleasurable cruise that steadily builds into a massive urban architectural bricks and mortar orgasm. The Dutch, always eco-minded, have provided an array of public transportation alternatives to renting a car, but the best way to enjoy and absorb all Amsterdam has to offer is by bicycle, and they can be rented at any number of conveyance establishments.

Amsterdam is also the most hemp tolerant city in the world, and al-

though not officially ‘legal,’ the cannabis culture of cabal is alive and well at numerous “coffeeshops” where you can get the most bang for your bong. If the Indy 500 is one of the pre-eminent auto events in the world, then Amsterdam can lay claim as the home of the Grand Prix of Cannabis. Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines!

Prostitution, on the other hand, is legal in Amsterdam

and the Red Light District is a fertile ground for the sexual imagination. Walk down the streets and the windows attractively display flesh and fantasy in equal amounts. You can ménage a trois, giddy up with a pony girl, and all can be had for a price and sound spanking by a Dutch Dom that’ll make your bottom tingle with delight.

The city of bikes and

dikes pushes the cultural envelope, proving that life is indeed a cannabis and carnal cabaret old chum. More than that, it is truly a delicious

and

somewhat delightfully decadent garden

history, art, cannabis culture and a cornucopia of consensual sex. So, hop aboard the Canna-Bus Tourbus, grab your Zig-Zags and your Trojans, and lets Amsterdam it!

SEEDS AND STEMS

Those damn Amsterdam coffeeshops kick some highly serious grass glass! Dutch doobies have been firing up since Dutch society started lightening up and stopped bashing the hash in the 1970s. Prior to that, the 1960s were a time of societal upheaval and reefer revolution, and the Dutch Provos were in the avant vanguard for all the other guerilla street politicos to come. This melting pot of protest led to the eventual relaxation of restrictive smoking pot penalization. As the Sixties began to wither on the vine, the great global ganja culture of “wasted” youth began to bloom, bud and blossom in the Garden of Hedon. The Age of Aquarius made room for the Age of Cannabis, and the Dutch coffeehouse culture had finally reached a full climax and officially unofficially came of age. The Acid Tests of Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters and the Digger free-feed/ free-store culture of Haight Ashbury in the Psychedelic Sixties can directly trace their DNA to the result of the social intercourse already

banging

away

full tilt boogie in the humping

hempster

bedrooms of Holland. One by one, the first coffeeshops began to open their experimental doors of perception. Names like “Mellow Yellow” and “Acapulco

Most

Amster-

dam’s psychedelic and colorful emporiums of euphoria are within walking distance of Centraal Station and Dam Square, and conveniently

lo-

cated on top of the Red Light District. So if you’re 18 or older, you can get a drink and a smoke and socialize in a convivial carnival of cannabis without Big Brother’s heavy-handed retribution. Hash and pot are sold over the counter or at windows, and some offer free rolling papers and cardboard ‘filters.’ A few shops offer bongs, pipes and vaporizers so if you don’t carry your own you can count on the house to pass the glass.

Seeds n’ stems rules of social etiquette apply in Amsterdam, and will

go a long way in keeping your trip flying high, and not go up in smoke! First, leave the mask of the Ugly American at home. Americans have an overseas reputation as being embarrassingly brash and overbearing to some Europeans, so the red, white and rude act won’t win you any brownie points. Patience is also a virtue here, so pace yourself, slow down, and smell the tulips.

Gold” are living monuments to Mary Jane and Co. that still exists to this day. To put it into pop culture perspective, they are the Lincoln Memorials of Marijuana! Four Scored and Seven Joints Ago!

THE RED THREAD TOUR

MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES

Amsterdam, but there’s also a lively panoramic pavement of prostitu-

antiquities. The country has over 400 museums that delve into a variety

tion in a vibratory marketplace chock full of sex and goodies. The Red

of cultural corners of the Dutch. The glutton for art galleries will certainly

Light District is symbolic of “de rode draad” or the red thread of prosti-

satiate his or her hunger at a myriad of renowned art enclaves highlight-

tution that runs rampant through society. Prostitution is not only legal

ing the works of Van Gogh

in Holland, but a highly respected profession in this erotic enclave of

and Rembrandt to lesser-

Dutch dildos and delightful decadence. In addition to the promiscuous

known painters and other

leg spreading vicariousness of the area, there are numerous merchants of

artists and art forms, includ-

mastabatoria that will salivate with capitalistic glee, as the cash register

ing photography and film.

rings while catering to any and all of your machinations and fascinations.

Cobblestones and cannabis may pave the counter cultural streets of

Amsterdam is also the Netherlands never ending haven for art and

Among the museums of

Shops sell everything from bottom pleasing riding crops to bridles

the more sedate and serious

and saddles. Absolute Danny is a orgasmic must see on your genital tour

nature you’ll find the Anne

of Amsterdam. It’s the Fort Knox of vaginal weaponry and includes the

Frank House and Museum

atomic bomb of self gratification, the amazing Tarzan Dildo. Condom-

as well as the Dutch Resis-

erie, one of the oldest and largest erection emporiums in town has every

tance Museum. Both focus on a dark

conceivable size, shape and style of penis wear finery to be found in Eu-

period of world history and the bravery it evoked in a whole populace as

rope. The artsy fartsy crowd can also get their rocks off as they stare in

well as the heart of one young girl who found her inner strength through

amazement at a concrete erectus eroticus steeped in Viagra Falls! Amster-

her beliefs. There are also a variety of science and natural history muse-

dam’s Red Light District is not just an area set aside as a garden of Eden for

ums, including a children’s hands on experience to explore the mysteries

sexual nirvana, but also a refined cathedral of worship of this, the oldest

of the world of science in more digestible bites.

of professions...top or bottom, soft or hard, sub or dom, you choose the

dream and she’ll drive the train to it’s

final destina-

Dutch Shipping Museum there’s even a small Houseboat Museum. You

tion.

can even get a peek under Marilyn Monroe’s skirt at Madame Tussauds

Nautical and tropical themed museums exist, and in addition to a

Wax Museum, and the Brew Happy Lager Heads will be overjoyed to A few rules

learn of the Heineken Experience and brewery tour.

of decorum

for the un-

through the world of torture and pain at the famed Torture Museum

i n it i ate d :

where you’ll find all the tools for extracting a witch’s confession along with

Treat

the

a variety of restraints and cages on display. The cannabis cannibal crowd

prostitutes

will enjoy a tokin’ tour through the Hemp Marijuana Museum and find

with

all

it a truly enlightening experience. There is also a Tattoo Museum for that

the

re-

crowd and from tats to tattas, it’s the Sex Museum and the Erotic Museum

spect

in the heart of the Red Light District. Like a matching pair of breasts, the

y o u

museums highlight the history of the district as well as including erotic

The more macabre sensibilities will be tickled pink with a jaunt

would your own sis-

art, paintings and objects from around the world. If you’re on the art and

ter or your own mother. Not only are they unionized working girls,

culture side of the coin and want to maximize your museum clout, you

they are ladies and are to be treated as such. Also, photographs are not al-

can purchase a Museum Card that, for a small price, allows you one year

lowed. These are not Polaroid Prostitutes, so keep the digitals out of reach.

of unlimited access to over 400 museums in the Netherlands, 30 of which

are in Amsterdam alone.

While the red-light district plays host to happy hookers and hempy

hookahs, it’s also a repository of some of the finest damned architecture in

the Netherlands. Walk down the winding streets and you’ll swear you’ve

bikes and dikes, cannabis and sex, culture and counter culture. No matter

stumbled into a fairy tale. The District is also home to a bustling and mys-

what you’re looking for, the Dutch do it right. So when you’re trying to

terious Chinatown, a Jewish quarter with the some of the best pastrami

figure out where to go off the beaten path...just do what I do...and Amster-

this side of the Wailing Wall, and a daily flea market that is a must for the

dam It, damn it!

rummager and collector of trash as treasure.

Amsterdam has it all. Houseboats, canal cruises, pedal boat tours,

I’m a ...are you a

too?

Who’s a connoisseur? Show your good taste and order now at...

bludreamscc com 85

by Wasim Muklashy

What do you do when you’re an accomplished war vet and the government forces you to piss on your medical benefits, a truck blows through a stop sign and smashes your wife’s car with your daughter in it, permanently injuring both of them, you lose much of the functionality in both of your legs, relegating you to a wheelchair, and you’re forced to sell your 10 acre family hobby farm to pay for it all and simply stay alive? Well…make pipes of course! Or at least that’s what Bill Edming did. On the surface, Bill is your good ol’ American boy. “I’m a native of Wisconsin and grew up on a dairy farm. I’m a hunter, fisher, a veteran and a businessman,” he proudly proclaims. Beneath the surface, he’s even more so. You see, as a result of his combat and post-combat days, he now suffers from panic attacks attributed to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, not to mention the 4 herniated discs in his back. Due to these conditions, he was relying heavily on a cocktail of pills that

86 86

would make a bartender gag. “I was taking quite a few pain pills, about 180 a month,” he expresses non-chalantly. 180 A MONTH!!! On top of that, just about 3 years ago, “my wife was on the way to see the doctor and a Seneca Foods truck blew through a stop sign and t-boned her little Pontiac Sunfire. That pretty much damaged both my wife and my daughter for the rest of their lives.” As if that wasn’t enough, it was soon after this that “my doctor retired, and my new doctor urine tested me for marijuana. She then tells me that she has to notify the police and cut my medical benefits.” With his wife out of work after the accident, and he was out of his benefits due to the test, they fell behind on the mortgage to the farm and had to sell it. At this point he began seriously considering fleeing his home state to a place where he wouldn’t be treated like an outcast or a criminal. “Wisconsin has taken the Nazi Germany stance,” he says. “They go

to the kids ‘tell on everybody. It’s better if you tell on ‘em.’ It’s the same thing Hitler did!” At the same time, “Michigan had just become legal, and I have a daughter in California and my wife’s sister in Colorado Springs, so I went on a year’s search to see what was the best state to move.” The verdict? Colorado. Now that he’s in a state where he doesn’t have to limit or hide his medical use of marijuana, “my panic attack medicine, which is Lorazepam, I don’t take anymore. I also used to take Cyclobenzaprine, which was for muscle spasms, and since being out here and using medical marijuana freely, I haven’t had to take those either. I don’t have to take any pills anymore whatsoever. Medical marijuana is alleviating all the symptoms the pills were supposed to be taking care of.” “Hopefully stories like mine will help inspire other people. Just go ahead and make that sacrifice. The quality of your life is just going to be so much better. Yeah it’s hard to leave your home, but come try it, give it a chance. You can always go back. But if you never leave, you’re never going to know the difference.” After all, knowing, and living, the difference has proved a huge relief to Edming; finally being able to come out from the shadows and use his extraordinary wood working skills to build a legitimate growing business. “I’m a full believer in let’s pay our taxes on this thing because the government can’t say no when they’re getting money in their hands.” Coming from a background where his grandparents owned a wood factory in which he spent a lot of time, Bill figured the next logical step would be to turn his talents (after all, he did once make spring loaded knives in which everything, including the springs, were made from wood) into his new work, and a new stream of income. He was going to make and sell pipes made out of wood.

Wood? Yes! But don’t knock it til you knock on it! “When I first got here (to Colorado Springs) everybody was like nobody wants wood, everybody wants glass,” Edming admits. “But now that people are seeing these and I’ve been educating the city as I sell them, I’m seeing a pick up in them. People are tired of spending 60, 70 dollars on a pipe… it’s in their lap and the bowl is full, they get out of the car and smash, on the road it goes. You can take one of my pipes, throw that sucker under a truck and do a donut on it, pick it up and still smoke it.” Is that a claim from experience we ask? “Oh yes it is!!” he responds with his burly contagious laugh. You see, the wood he uses isn’t the wood you would think or know. Chances are you’ve never even heard of them...exotic woods like snakewood, pink ivory, and ziricote, imported from places as far away as Africa and South America. “In the old hippie days,” he reminds us, “the pipes were made out of basswoods and soft woods, so when you smoke them they would burn out and you would get the taste of the woods.” But the woods Bill uses are hard to find and relatively expensive exotics. The reason? “These woods are so hard and so dense that they don’t burn up,” he explains. “It’s just like a gavel, you pass that pipe down to the next generation of family.” And they really are quite spectacular. We were surprised when they arrived to the KUSH offices and the staff was found swooning over wooden pipes. They’re unbelievably smooth and just as tough as he described. As a matter of fact, the snakewood one I managed to pry from the discerning sideways glares of the office staff has quickly become my favorite piece. Time to put aside the glass for a while. Who would have thought? If you’re interested in carrying Bill’s pipes or purchasing for yourself, call 715-630-5885, or check out thc.servebeer.com

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Tell me about your work with Americans for Safe Access. Since I started, my goal has been to build dispensaries, train people how to grow, and give them legal training. ASA went around to virtually every early dispensary and gave trainings on what we termed “Know Your Rights” - which is really just, when the arrest happens, shut up, don’t say a goddamn thing until you’ve seen your attorney.

fter campaigns to shut down the Livermore nuclear weapons lab and the Energy Department’s Nevada Test Site, he found himself working with the Cannabis Buyers Cooperative of Berkeley or CBC - Berkeley’s first cannabis dispensary - and the advocacy group Americans for Safe Access (ASA). Told by doctors he would be confined to a wheelchair for life, he is today walking freely - a testament to the human spirit, and the curative powers of cannabis. Reporter Bill Weinberg spoke with him at a coffeeshop near his home in downtown Berkeley.

I heard you were also dispatched to Montana to try to get things going there. Yeah, well I dispatched myself, basically. I have friends who live up there. The [2004 state medical marijuana] law had passed, but nobody had done anything for two and a half years. So I told my friends in Missoula, “OK, I’ll come up.” I started working to build up the scene in Missoula. And I guess Missoula hadn’t had a radical for a while. I got there and set up a table with literature about medical marijuana, and the cops said, “No, no, you can’t do that, we’ll arrest you for that.” And I went, “Well, I’m not really prepared for an arrest today. Hey, I’ll tell you what. We’re going to do this again at both our convenience. I’m going to call you, and say I’m going to be at this corner at a specific time. You can count on that.” So I got in touch with the Wobblies. I’m an old Wobbly, and the first free speech fight ever in the United States started in Montana, with the Wobblies, in 1909! I was like, “That was almost exactly a hundred years ago! This is gonna be great!” So I just put out a blast, I said, “I need freight-train riders, Wobblies, anybody - to Missoula! There’s going to be a free speech fight!” I organized and I talked around town. And we set up a table. The cops saw us from around a hundred feet away. It was only me and another guy, but they had gotten some intelligence about who I was and what I was about, and how bad it would be to (mess) with me on this. So they just decided, “No, no, we’re not going to do anything. It’s now legal.” Do you want to tell me how you became a medicinal user? I broke my neck in December of 1994 and was instantly paralyzed from the neck down. It was a diving accident in Central America. I was in Belize. And I’ll tell you, it did not look good. I was taken to a jungle clinic, where a doctor eventually showed up and poked and prodded me and said, “Can you feel this, can you move that?” I said no. “You’re paralyzed.” He was really smart, I could tell. [Laughs.]

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So you were rescued and taken to a clinic... After I got hypothermic from being in the river, they knew I had to get out. So they went into the village and dismantled the altar from the church - the only large flat board in the village! So they put the board from the altar underneath me and raised me up. Now one of the side effects in males of a broken neck is priapism... like guys who get hanged. It turns out it’s true! So I was raised from the river on the church altar with a raging hard-on! Wouldn’t wanna embarrass ‘em! [Laughs.]

Eventually you were medevaced to Florida. How did that happen? They decided I was stabilized enough that they were going to transport me into Belize City. And when I got there, they took an X-ray and showed it to me. I was missing one of my vertebrae. It was gone. You could see spinal chord naked, like a string, and my head was the f’n balloon! Fortunately, my friends in the states went to work and got my ass out of there. I wound up in Bayfront Medical Center, in St. Petersburg. I got decompression surgery and then they put me in a medical coma. When I came to, I was in a mini ICU. My friends had started to fly in. The first one to arrive, every time I saw him for the first two days I was like, “It’s so good to see you! When did you get here?” It was like the first time I’d seen him. Then I started encoding memory. But I was contorting uncontrollably. I was on the maximum dosage of Baclofen, the pharmaceutical anti-spastic. My friends had taken me out of the hospital into this courtyard. And they wanted me to smoke pot. I was completely skeptical. I had just rehabed my lungs so I could breathe on my own. But they were like, “Dude, you’ve smoked pot before. It’s no big deal.” So I was like, “OK, I’ll humor these bastards.” They held the pipe to my lips, and I inhaled. And as I’m exhaling, my body starts to relax. I’d been tense and contorting, and my whole body relaxed— for the first time since I’d broke my neck. All the muscle contortions stopped. And I was like, “OK. So... I’m a believer.” Later, I began to regain function. I started to slowly build back the ability to move and to walk. It took two and a half years, all the way. And this was contrary to the original prognosis...

Yeah. The original prognosis had been that I would never move a thing. I was supposed to be in an electric wheelchair for life. To what do you attribute the fact that you’re now walking? You know, it’s complex. Some of it is physical, and some of is...maybe spiritual, even. I think the fact that I dove into a river and stayed in until I was hypothermic helped cut down swelling. That was helpful. The fact that I’d smoked pot twenty minutes before I’d broke my neck - that was probably helpful. Oh? Yes. I do believe there are neuroprotective properties of marijuana. How far do those neuroprotective properties go? They don’t really know. That’s why researchers are interested in me. And you’d say that cannabis played a significant role in your recovery? It at least enabled me to deal with the spasms. You see, when you’re muscles are all firing simultaneously, you can’t really move at will. That’s part of the problem with a spinal injury - for the brain to get a message to the proper muscle. Marijuana helped me do that. I kept taking pharmaceuticals—looking for ways to knock out the pain - Baclofen, Dantrium, Carbamazepine - but the problem with being on those drugs is that you don’t get to use your brain for anything like...thought. About two or three years post-accident, I finally got rid of all the pharmaceutical drugs. Now, I just smoke pot. When I wake up the morning, I still contort around. I have to organize the muscles to get out of bed, stumble over and do a bong hit, and then... [sighs] OK, now I can function again. Tell me a little bit about your life before the accident. I’m originally from outside of Detroit. I was adopted. And I had some serious difficulties with my family...to the point that I started living on my own at the age of twelve. And I spent the next year and a half incarcerated. I closed the institution down. That’s where I learned organizing. When did you get to the Bay Area? I got here when I was 22. I’d been squatting in Detroit, and decided that

freezing my balls off in an abandoned building sucked, and it was time to leave. So you started squatting in San Francisco and got involved in the Livermore Action Group... Right. They felt that non-violence involved praying, sitting down, and waiting to be hauled away. But I was like, “What about mobile tactics? Keeping this place closed as long as we can!” They were like, “That’s violence.” I said, “No, violence is violence. This is just having a good time!” This was the mid-80s and your accident was in the mid-90s. What happened in those intervening ten years? Well, we shut down the Nevada Test Site. Seeds of Peace was formed as a logistical group that helped other organizations do really big public events. We provided portable kitchens, shitters, water, trailers. We could set up a city for ten thousand anywhere. And at the Test Site, we worked with American Peace Test. And we were successful—we took control of the test site. We disrupted their last test in ‘92. By this time, glasnost was happening, so some Soviet generals came over to witness one of our tests - and they got to see us dancing on Ground Zero rather than a test! And the Soviets’ test site in Kazakhstan had already been shut down by fifty-thousand people storming it which we helped inspire. So now you’re living in Berkeley... Uh-huh. Causing trouble here. Although I might be moving to Washington soon, to start a new dispensary, on a different model. The economy’s for shit. People are desperate for work. So everybody’s growing pot, and the price keeps going down. All agricultural commodities have gone through a cycle of boom and bust. So you’re anticipating a bust. Yeah. It will become so not profitable that people will start leaving - and then we’ll go back into another boom cycle. The federal government is looking for a model as a way out of prohibition. If the only model they see out there is the alcohol model, which guarantees that somebody is going to profit and somebody is going to be a consumer, that’s what they’re going to go for. I don’t want to see another big industry. There’s got to be an alternative.

Bill Weinberg is a freelance writer in New York City. His websites are GlobalGanjaReport.com and WorldWar4Report.com

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When Jim Alekson looks at the medical marijuana industry, he sees a promising yet scattered landscape. He explains, “I think the issue at hand really is that no one, when they originally started approving marijuana legislation, ever gave any thought about just how large the industry is as a whole. I’m talking about the industry, not only the medical marijuana side, but obviously the entire industry of marijuana.” Alekson doesn’t use marijuana, yet he still sees the benefits it gives to society at large. “We believe that there is a place in American society for the medical therapies that are available through the use of medical marijuana. We find that there’s a lot of compelling evidence that it helps. And I know a lot of people that are currently in various states that have medical marijuana cards, and that they use it for pain control, arthritis, and other joint ailments, and it works very well as an augment to synthetic drugs.” With this in mind, Alekson set out with his business partnerChester Soliz- to figure out how to give the industry some consistent organization. This led to them developing the Medicine Wheel Project. “We’re looking at it from a much more business-like approach,” he says, “as opposed to what you normally find in the industry at the moment. There are a lot of excellent business people, there are a lot of entrepreneurial individuals, but they’re not all working together, they seem to be somewhat fragmented. We’re hoping that we’re gonna be able to create a sort of central location, if you will, as a clearing house for all information. We’re wanting to bring it all together under one roof, and then begin to see how the industry can be vertically expanded at the same time that it continues to grow horizontally.”

Their first offering to the industry comes from his other company, Medical Marijuana Delivery Systems, in the form of Tetracan, a skin patch that transcutaneously delivers THC at a certain dosage level over a set period of time. Developed in 2000 by Walter Cristobal, Alekson see it as “a clear departure from the age-old delivery method of smoking. It really begins to move it into a whole different realm. For example, young people who are going through chemotherapy, you can’t very well feed them marijuana in its traditional way. But if you put a patch on, then now they’re starting to feel better, the nausea begins to dissipate, as we all know that happens when using marijuana in its typical modality of delivery. “Or patients who have lung cancer, they can’t very well smoke, and the patch allows them to be able to gain the therapeutic benefits of medical marijuana without having to smoke the product. “I just think that there’s a real opportunity for the patch. Not to take over the industry, but certainly to be an augment to the industry, because not everybody likes to smoke.” While the Tetracan patch is still months away from being available in stores, Alekson says they’ve been inundated by dispensaries across the country, wanting to sell the new form of delivery. “For example,” Alekson prides, “in Colorado, we’ve been approached by one particular distribution group that can get it into 300 dispensaries across the state. “We’ve been talking with two major pharmaceutical companies, who are interested in potentially coming with us, and manufacturing the patch for distribution within each of the states that have approved medical marijuana legislation.” Medical Marijuana Delivery Systems expects to have Tetracan ready by year’s end. In the meantime, they’re hoping the Medicine Wheel Project takes off. “I think that it’s time that the industry as a whole began to organize itself. Again, I emphasize that there’s a lot of very well-meaning organizations and very well-meaning people that are involved in the industry, but there doesn’t seem to be any overall organization of all the participants. “Where we see ourselves coming into picture is, we’re brand new to the business. We look at this as an opportunity to be able to take something that’s very fragmented, and begin to give it some organization. “Are we gonna do it right? You know, we’re gonna make some mistakes along the way, but we’re eventually going to accomplish this. One thing about Chester and I is, there is no ‘Plan B’ in our lexicon, so therefore we will prevail as time goes on. It’s just a matter of working hard and getting the right people involved.” http://www.themedicinewheelproject.blogspot.com

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Medicinal Cannabis

and its Impact on Human Health Medicinal Cannabis and its Impact on Human Health follows the research of over 15,000 scientific and medical trials and takes a look at specifically what conditions have been proven to benefit from medical marijuana. This game-changing documentary presents the most comprehensive synopsis to date of the medical science surrounding the world’s most controversial plant. In this myth shattering, information packed documentary, physicians and leading researchers present modern scientific findings regarding the demonstrated effects of medicinal cannabis use for treating many kinds of cancers, auto-immune illnesses, neurological issues, chronic pain, and more…effectively illustrating the remarkable evolution of cannabis’ historical use as medicine, a history dating back over 5300 years. Executive Producer James Schmachtenberger, a medical cannabis advocate and one of the founders of San Diego Herbal Alternatives (SDHA), a medical marijuana collective, sat down to discuss his film.

How did the idea first come about to film a documentary on Medical Cannabis and its Impact on Human Health? The idea came about in November of 2009, a few months after we opened the collective in San Diego. We met many patients who had never used cannabis until their primary care physician recommended it for them, and many of these patients were running into repercussions in their personal and professional lives, associated with the stigma and myths surrounding marijuana. Although it was clear that medical cannabis was tremendously helpful to people with a wide range of medical conditions, there was still so much misinformation and false propaganda out there about it and very little presenting the real scientific information and evidence on the topic to help educate people. I wanted to create a clear, authoritative video that could help better inform people who were not already well educated about the benefits of appropriate medical cannabis use and might still hold misinformed, negative views on the topic, (and I wanted to achieve this) by having the leading scientific experts in the field address the common myths and misconceptions, and present the real data on these topics, data that has emerged from a huge body of wellconducted, unbiased scientific trials.

How do you intend on using this documentary, and how do you hope that people use it? The film will be distributed freely under the “creative commons license.” As filming went on and we interviewed more doctors, we realized that it had a much greater scope. We found that it could help educate families, friends, and coworkers of people who use this medicine and hopefully create a paradigm shift in their views. My hope is that people across the nation can use this film for education and to affect policy change. We showed portions of this film to the San Diego Planning Commission and have actually been asked to provide transcripts of some of the doctors’ interviews as expert evidence at criminal trials. People are welcome to reshow it, cut it, and use it to make as much of an impact as possible.

What did you learn from making this documentary? I learned a lot! The most significant thing was from Dr. Tashkin in

understanding how cannabis’ anti-tumor properties work. Most of us in the medical marijuana field know that the plant has tremendous healing properties but a lot of us don’t understand the actual science behind it. In the documentary Dr. Tashkin explains in depth exactly why THC suppresses tumor growth.

Any plans for a sequel or part 2? If so what would you cover in it? We already have a few other documentaries in mind. The most likely one that we will focus on next is specifically how cannabis affects different types of cancers, as well detailed information on how to most effectively use cannabis as a treatment. In the future we definitely want to focus on industrial hemp, our country’s failed drug war and the problem of prohibition, as well as full hemp legalization.

What are your plans in promoting or screening the documentary? Will you be holding screenings? We are coordinating multiple screenings across the country and are teaming up with individuals and organizations to screen the film. In January of this year we held the first screening of the documentary in Hilo, Hawaii with almost 200 people in attendance. On March 16, 2011 we will be holding a screening in San Diego at the Landmark, Hillcrest Theater at 7pm. Tickets will be $10 with the proceeds going to pay for the rental of the theater. If anyone is interested in finding out information about hosting a screening, all the details can be found at www.MarijuanaMovie.org,” where a trailer and the complete film are also available for free.

in a wide, stepped river valley several hundred thousand years ago. Before nightfall, someone or something wedged its way into a crevasse in a rock outcropping near the summit, instinctively settling there for a bit of warmth and protection, sleeping fitfully during the long, cold night. It’s unclear whether this creature is a man or woman, or perhaps a newborn birthed during the night. It’s unclear whether or not the creature ate something unusual before going to bed or was injured by one of the many predators that roam these lands. It’s unclear if the creature dreamt of something significant during the night, or if the creature even possessed the capacity to dream in the first place. It’s also unclear whether the creature is of sound health - a model example of their own species - or some sort of strange mutation rejected by their own brethren but destined to change the world. What is for certain is that the outlook of one who bears witness to the dawn on this particular morning is remarkably different than the outlook of the one who went to sleep in the evening. Not only is the creature aware of its surroundings, but it is also aware of being aware of its surroundings. This creature awakes not only to the feel of the cold morning air and the visual contrasts of light and darkness, but to an new umbrella awareness that includes an abstract sense of time, the desire

to be warmer and the capacity to do something about it, and a profound recognition of staggering beauty of the coming of day. For the first time on the history of the planet, not only is it the dawn of the day, it’s the dawn of consciousness itself, a newly emergent awareness with incredible capacities and awesome potentials, an awareness that you and I have inherited from our ancestors, an awareness we continue to utilize and wrestle with today. Consciousness is perhaps the single most exciting aspect of our capacities as human beings. More than any of our other qualities, our consciousness - our awareness of being aware - adds an entire universe to our experience, granting us a cognitive freedom that was unheard of anywhere in the pre-human world. Unlike two chemicals that are condemned to interact in a certain way by the natural laws, or a rooted plant at the mercy of the elements, or an animal whose predictable behavior is governed by instincts, consciousness grants us the ability to assess a situation, recognize patterns, think abstractly, remember ourselves in the past, project ourselves into the future, ask others what they think and ultimately, make real choices. No other living organism, no plant, no reptile, no dinosaur, or mammal ever possessed such a capacity. In our daily life, consciousness acts as a sort airport control tower, noticing the myriad of stimuli that enter into our fly space, skillfully monitoring them to see how they might affect us, choosing which sensations, thoughts, and emotions we want to land on our runway and which ones we choose to let fly right on by. In this way, consciousness allows us to fully enter into an experience, or to keep our distance, the former allowing us to feel the world deeply, which fosters creative insight, rapture, and joy, the later allowing us to plan for the future and to carry out those plans without being constantly distracted, ultimately allowing us to make our insights realities. It’s clear that consciousness is incredibly important and something that we use all the time. But what might it mean to be a connoisseur of consciousness? What might it look like to cultivate not just our awareness - our thoughts, emotions, and sensations - but our awareness of our awareness, an intimate understanding of the ways we are processing all those experiences? In other words, instead of fixating on the various objects and events we see unfolding through the window of consciousness, how might it serve us to shift our attention to the window itself? And where might we even begin? Since consciousness is so all encompassing, it is challenging to see. Like the water surrounding a fish deep in the open ocean, it is hard to gain perspective on its vastness and all pervasive nature. As a starting point, however, we can begin to get a sense of it by watching how it changes.

It is readily apparent that the objects of our experience - thoughts, emotions, sensations - are constantly changing. We are hungry one moment, goal oriented in the next, then distracted by a memory of our childhood home or the attractiveness of a coworker. What is less apparent, however, is that our awareness of being aware, the ways in which we are processing information, is also changing. We can see this by looking at the remarkable changes in consciousness we go through in just one 24 hour period, changes occurring as we cycle through the various states of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. Our waking consciousness, which is presided over by a distinct sense of self sometimes known as the ego, allows us to tend to our basic needs, communicate with others, and to actively engage the world around us. Dreaming cuts us off from the physical world but brings important awareness to all the unprocessed stimuli that ends up in that vast repository known as the subconscious, stimuli that we had neither the time nor the capacity to process fully during the day. Deep dreamless sleep is like

consciousness’s daily reset button. During this time all input from both the outside world and from the inner psyche cease, allowing, in a sense, awareness itself to rest, replenish, and wipe the slate clean. Revisiting our airport analogy, waking consciousness describe those times we choose what planes to take off and land, dreaming consciousness addresses other planes we avoided looking at or failed to notice at all, and in deep sleep we allow the control tower, the runways, and all the planes to fall away into oblivion, only to rebuild itself entirely anew when we start dreaming again or wake up in the morning. Taking a closer look at our waking consciousness, we notice that whether we are aware of it or not, we are constantly tweaking it to meet our various needs. When we drag ourselves out of bed, for example, many of us hop in the shower, not because we are particularly unclean, but because the water running over our skin enlivens us, allowing us to feel more present, helping consciousness itself to transition from one state to another. Once in the kitchen we continue the process, eating something to fuel our metabolic functions and, for many of us, choosing a hot, caffienated drink furthers our process of waking up. Then and only then are we willing and able to charge into the tasks of the day. Our behaviors on the other end of the time card are similar. As the work day draws to a close, we grow weary of being productive and begin craving other experiences, either to relax, wind down, or to open up other, more playful parts of our consciousness that aren’t always appropriate in our work environments. Some of us go to the gym, thereby cutting through our headiness and accumulated stress by vigorously activating the body. Some of us go the bar for a beer or a glass of wine, the alcohol loosening the reigns of our task oriented minds. Some of us eat

our biggest meal of the day at that time, the flood of carbohydrates and proteins also altering our mood. And some of us dive into the television or the internet, our awareness drawn into and delighted by the convolutions of scripted dialogues and virtual worlds. In other words, we reverse the process we started in the morning, using a variety of methods to let our waking consciousness unwind and move in the direction of a more dreamlike conscious reality, or to check out all together. These examples bring up another aspect of consciousness: it is linked to all aspects of our being - our physical bodies, our five senses, our emotions, and to our minds - but cannot be fully reduced to any one of these things. Still, we can use any one of these alone or in combination to begin exploring consciousness directly. We can, and do, manipulate the shape of our window of consciousness by using the molecules found in food and other substances, by using sensations, by using the movement of our bodies, and by using thinking itself to alter our conscious states. If you have any doubts, watch carefully what happens when you eat a piece of chocolate, or receive a massage, or walk outside after sitting at a desk all day, or read a poem that moves you. The way in which each of these experiences enters your field of awareness is very different, but all of them alter your consciousness in one way or another. Even more dramatically, notice how your consciousness shifts during trauma, orgasm, the birth of a child, or the death of a loved one. These later experiences pry at the very foundations of our sense of existence, and like the sky, and the space, and the entire cosmos dwarfing our egoic control tower, reveals the vastness of consciousness that is always available, if only we are able to let go. As the salmon was meant to swim and the meadowlark was meant to sing, our consciousness is our most defining feature, a feature worthy of celebration. By deepening our own experiential understanding of the awareness consciousness affords us, we begin to fully claim the rarity and preciousness of our human lives. By better understanding the vehicle through which we experience the world, we better understand the world itself. Cultivating a relationship with consciousness allows for greater perspective and depth of experience. In effect, we lessen the influences of our own hidden fears, idiosyncrasies, and habitual patterns, and begin to engage the world more directly, more intimately, more compassionately, and more creatively. Next month, I’ll begin outlining more specific steps you can take to become your own connoisseur of consciousness. In the meantime, ask yourself how you experience 1) your awareness, 2) your awareness of your awareness, and 3) your awareness of your awareness of being aware. Go deep and we’ll check in next month! Austin Hill Shaw is a writer, architectural designer, and mapmaker of creativity across art, science, and religion. He specializes in helping others tap into and utilize the creative life force in everything they do. He can be reached at austin@austinhillshaw.com

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How a guy with his level of respect and success can attribute it to luck rather than undeniable talent, an insanely grueling schedule and work ethic to match, I’ll never understand. But that simple quote just plays testament to his character…full of humility, tenacity, and an unwavering commitment to his craft almost impossible to find in our ADHDay and age. Hell, when I called him, he answered the phone while it was balancing between his shoulder and chin at the same time he was loading up his truck to go to work. Just another day in the life of you and me. Just another day in the life of Sean Daley. As he prepares for the drop of his outfit’s 12th release, “The Family Sign,” the Atmosphere front man, who we all know and have grown to love as Slug, reflects on the evolution of his style, his lexicon, his views, and his psyche in this revealing interview with Kush Magazine. “To me it’s all a matter of continuing to write music and set moods to reflect how I think, how I feel, how I live,” he tells us. And it’s an evolutionary process that may not please all his fans at once, but pleases different age groups in a Darwinian manner…eventually catching up with everyone through the process of maturity. As for the ones that have grown with him, they get it completely, but because of his cross-generational appeal, you still have “a lot of people, when I read the little comments underneath the YouTubes and this and that, who bring up that we should go back to rapping like we did on ‘Overcast,’ the first record. Then we got a couple that are like, ‘nah, go back to (second album) Lucy Ford,’ then there’s the (third album) ‘God Loves Ugly’ crowd. It goes on with each album and I understand why…but I think that it’s like, don’t you get it? The reason I keep changing is to be who I am that year that I made it.” And he doesn’t get angry or irritated, or even bothered, by these comments and criticisms, but rather embraces them…for he knows where they stem from…he knows the truth. “And the truth is, there is not a 39 year old man commenting on YouTube that ‘Overcast is the illest shit.’ The kid that wrote that was between the age of 17-24 and it makes sense that he’s going to connect to those words because he’s going through some of the same shit right now. And I love that!” What he’s essentially telling us is that, just like everything in life, it’s all a matter of perspective, something, in this case, he possesses through circumstance. “I got a teenage son and I see what he’s feeling and it’s more aggressive music than what I listen to,” Slug admits, “but it makes sense…that’s what you’re supposed to be peeping out when you’re younger and figuring out how to fight the world. So I get it, you know?” And that’s why your Lil’ Jons and Romeos will come and go, while Sean Daley and Anthony Davis have been here the whole time. At the beginning of their recent long and productive 14-year day, Sean Daley was just another man with a dream. A dream that he interpreted through his own words, interpretations that have become realities, realities that have culminated in a successful career as one of underground hip-hop’s most formidable, and steadfast, forces. And it all started with a chance meeting with Anthony Davis, or Ant…the man behind the beats. They’ve managed to create their own time zones, their own galaxies, and their own seemingly indestructible orbit…and it all started because of weed. As a matter of fact, if it wasn’t for our beloved plant, Atmosphere may never have even existed.

Well, at least that’s the way we see it.

The way Slug tells it, “Me and (fellow rapper) Musab (then known as Beyond) met through another rapper and it just so happens Musab was an ‘environmentalist.’ Upon realizing that, you have a few choices of who to call, but I’d rather support another rapper, especially if he’s a cool dude, so I started hitting him up and we became good friends. From there he was like ‘I want to do a song with you’ so I went over to his producer’s house and his producer was Anthony.” You would assume, after listening to the pairing’s work over the past decade and a half, that they immediately clicked and the rest was history…but it was a bit more complicated than that. A sort of courtship first had to ensue. “I think that Anthony saw the potential in me, but I don’t think he was necessarily trying to work with me. It was me that was like ‘yo, can I start coming to you for beats?’ Now he might tell the story different because in his heart of hearts he was trying to work with me and it was all a mind game to get me to come over there, but from my perspective, whether or not I was coerced into it, I was gravitating towards his beats.” Once they began spending a bit more time together, they fed off of each other’s incredible work ethic. “Everybody else I knew who was rapping was going to parties and kicking it and chasing ass and doing all this other shit. I was in my mid 20s, had a kid already, and was working a full time job that was manual labor, so I was just like ‘man, my time away from my responsibilities, I’d rather come over here and make songs.’ I think he was attracted to my work ethic as well, so we just started banging out shit, right out the gate. None of it was good, but it didn’t matter, it was all about the art of learning how to make.” And make they did. Since those fateful days almost 15 years ago, it’s been 12 albums, all of which have done nothing other than increase their fan-base and showcase their timeless never-ending talents and abilities, year in and year out, performance after performance, verse after verse, kick after kick. His role as one of the co-founders of Rhymesayers Entertainment (along with Ant, Brent Sayers, and Musab Saad) certainly didn’t hurt things. The label, credited with launching some of underground hip-hop’s most formidable careers, including MF Doom, Brother Ali, and Eyedea & Abilities, continues to thrive, even in this seemingly post-apocalyptic music-business decade. “One half of me wants to stay away from (talking about) that because I don’t want to jinx it…you never really know what’s around the corner. Now there’s the other side of me that’s proud of what I’ve accomplished and wants to say that it’s based off of good people working with each

other towards good goals, and that’s probably the most arrogant thing I’ll say to you…I don’t want to work for assholes. Even if you’re the dopest rapper in the world, if you’re an asshole, I don’t really want to deal with you.” Imagine that…integrity lives and works…even in show business. And as you would imagine, it carries over into “The Family Sign,” out April 12 on Rhymesayers Entertainment. Upon first listen, it’s immediately apparent that we’re in for a much more introspective and almost buddha-esque journey than some of the more aggressive behavior of days and years past. There is a much more sophisticated take, lacking an impending sense of urgency, and replaced with thoughtful, patient, calculated analyzation of the world they live in and the world around them. They’re not recording or releasing this record to impress anyone or prove their skills…they’re long past that. At least for Sean, Slug is doing this one for Slug. “The Family Sign” is Atmosphere all grows up, an embrace of growth and maturity and lack of fear of any retribution for it. And as far as the herb? Is that still playing the part now that it did back in the early days? “Not to say that sometimes it’s not involved in the creative process,” he explains, “but I use it more for after I’m done…for studying the stuff afterwards, looking for the flaws and the holes in the story.” But as a father, recently a husband, and, whether he cares to admit it or not, a full grown role model, he prefaces his answer with a caveat: “It can be limiting for artists too. I know plenty of artists that can’t have it anywhere near them. I’d hate for some 15-year old to be like ‘this is what I gotta do’ and the end result being the 15-year old does nothing but play video games and smoke weed on the couch. It’s different for everybody,” he emphasizes. “Do me a favor…put that disclaimer in there…” Duly noted. Check out “The Family Sign” (April 12/Rhymesayers Entertainment) and rhymesayers.com/atmosphere for tour dates and everything else Atmosphere.

Kush Concert Calendar Northern California’s

Live Music Preview: April/May

Paul Simon

4.25.11 @ Davies Hall (SF) 4.26.11 @ Fox Theater (Oakland)

Paul Simon, the R&R Hall of Fame singer-songwriter best known as a part of Simon & Garfunkel starting in 1965, comes to the Bay Area to play two glorious concerts for us. Simon wrote most Simon & Garfunkel songs, including three classics that hit number one on the US singles chart “The Sound of Silence,” “Mrs. Robinson,” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Through both his solo and collaborative work, Simon has earned 13 Grammys, including the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2006, he was selected by Time magazine as one of the “100 People Who Shaped the World.” A classic rock musician who has made a difference to so many people across the world, you’d be wise to see Simon on one of these late April evenings. paulsimon.com

Fleet Foxes

5.05.11 @ Fox Theater (Oakland)

Fleet Foxes, the Seattle based folk band signed to Sub Pop and Bella Union, is one of the better folk rock groups around right now. They rose to prominence in 2008, with the release of their second EP, Sun Giant, and their debut, self-titled full length. Both albums received vast critical praise and they’re often noted for their use of refined lyrics and smooth vocal harmonies. Self described as “baroque harmonic pop jams,” Fleet Foxes will be around for a while and are worth checking out at Fox Theater on this night. fleetfoxes.com

Atmosphere

5.07.11 @ Greek Theatre (UC Berkeley)

Atmosphere is on the road with their “The Family Tour,” which features Blueprint, Grieves w/ Budo, and some other notable artists. They come to the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on May 7th, and it’s a concert not to miss this month. Atmosphere’s latest album, The Family Sign, was released April 10th, with two previously released singles - ‘Just For Show’ and ‘She’s Enough’. Although the Minneapolis based guys have been working on a lot of side projects lately, they are still producing great new hip-hop under the Atmosphere name. 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 sure to check out the interview with Slug just a few pages back…) www.facebook.com/atmosphere

The Kills

5.11.11 @ The Fillmore (SF)

The Kills are a UK rock group composed of American singer Alison Mosshart and British guitarist Jamie Hince (VV & Hotel). Their three albums, Keep On Your Mean Side, No Wow, and Midnight Boom are all full of the same kind of rocking energy you can expect from their live set. In a great setting like the Fillmore, this is a no-brainer concert in May. thekills.tv

Of Montreal

5.13.11 @ The Fillmore (SF)

Georgia’s Of Montreal come back to San Francisco on May 13th, and as they are a Kush favorite, you should definitely try to hit this show at the Fillmore. The Kevin Barnes led group is one of the best indierock bands around right now, although it’s tough to pigeon-hole them into ‘indie-rock’ (funky psych-pop?). They’ve been around for quite a while and their most recent albums are really top notch productions with amazing sound quality and clarity. The Of Montreal live set is quite impressive as well, and they certainly won’t disappoint. You might even feel a little bit lucky on this often doomed Friday the 13th. ofmontreal.net

Yelle

5.18.11 @ Rio Theatre (Santa Cruz) 5.19.11 @ The Regency Ballroom (SF)

This French electro-pop darling, Yelle, is a sweet little singer with a band by the same name. They’ve put together a really nice live set for

This Page: Yelle Right From Top: Paul Simon, Fleet Foxes, The Kills, Kylie Minogue, Of Montreal 98

songs that many would expect to just exist electronically, not in a live performance. So far, she’s become pretty huge in France, and is finally seeing some significant recognition in the States with her recent release, Safari Disco Club (released March 29th in the US). Here’re two chances to see her in the Northern Cali area, either in Santa Cruz on May 18th, or San Fran on May 19th. yelle.fr

Kylie Minogue

5.21.11 @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (SF)

Kylie Minogue comes to NoCal as one of the bigger shows of the year at the legendary Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. The Australian pop singer, songwriter, and actress began her career as a child actress on Australian television, but has focused solely on music since the late 80s. Her 11th and latest studio album, Aphrodite, was released back in July of 2010, with some superb dancy, uplifting songs. Just a rad concert overall, and a great opportunity to see an international pop icon. Get there! kylie.com

Fitz and the Tantrums

5.24.11 @ Blank Club (San Jose)

One day back in the beginning, Fitz’s ex-girlfriend called him with an old church organ that her neighbor was selling for 50 dollars. ‘Breakin’ the Chains of Love’ was written that same night, and the beginning of a promising career was born. Using the pain of his split with that ex as inspiration, along with the organ, he created their debut EP, Songs For A Break-Up Vol. 1. They’ve since signed with LA’s Dangerbird Records, which released their debut full-length album, Pickin’ Up the Pieces. Their sound is a little 60s Soul, a little Motown, and a little bit of early Hall & Oates. Really enjoyable music, with a fantastic live set that should get you dancing in no time at all. www.fitzandthetantrums.com

Yeasayer

5.25.11 @ The Fillmore (SF)

With their second album, Odd One (2010), Brooklyn based Yeasayer met, and possibly exceeded, expectations following their semi-successful 2007 debut. It reached #63 in the US, #64 in the UK, and #66 in Australia...not too bad for the young psychedelic indie pop/rock group. With more uptempo singles like “O.N.E.” and “Ambling Up,” they have gained a whole new wave of less indie fans that surge to their shows with the enthusiasm of a Justin Beiber crowd. They put on a real solid live set, and are worth the hassle. www.yeasayer.net

More Great Shows! DJ Quik : 4.25.11 @ Senator Theater (Chico); 4.25.11 @ The Alley (Sparks, NV) Explosions In the Sky : 5.01.11 @ Fox Theater (Oakland) Mogwai : 5.09.11 @ The Regency Ballroom (SF) Ghostland Observatory : 5.10.11 @ The Regency Ballroom (SF)

Echo & The Bunnymen : 5.19.11 @ The Warfield (SF) The Cool Kids : 5.22.11 @ The New Parish (Oakland)

Spring is a time when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find some of the most tender and juicy fruits and vegetables in our markets. To celebrate, I have compiled some great spring recipes for all to enjoy!

To learn more about

Chef Herb cook with herb

go to www.cookwithherb.com

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Strawberry and Spinach Salad

Herbed Fish Wrapped in Lettuce

Ingredients 2 bunches spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces 4 cups sliced strawberries 1/2 cup THC olive oil 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 1/2 cup white sugar 1/4 teaspoon paprika 2 tablespoons sesame seeds 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Ingredients: 3 tablespoons THC butter, softened 2 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh tarragon and/or parsley 1 tablespoon chopped shallots 4 6-ounce white fish fillets, such as flounder, sole or tilapia 4 large green or red leaf lettuce leaves, center rib discarded

Directions In a large bowl, toss together the spinach and strawberries. In a medium bowl, whisk together the THC olive oil, vinegar, sugar, paprika, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds. Pour over the spinach and strawberries, and toss to coat.

Mixed Greens with Grapes & Feta Ingredients 1/4 cup THC olive oil 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste Freshly ground pepper to taste 8 cups mesclun salad greens (5 ounces) 1 head radicchio, thinly sliced 2 cups halved seedless grapes (about 1 pound), preferably red and green 3/4 cup crumbled feta or blue cheese Directions To prepare dressing: Whisk THC olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl (or jar) until blended. To prepare salad: Just before serving, toss greens and radicchio in a large bowl. Drizzle the dressing on top and toss to coat. Divide the salad among 8 plates. Scatter grapes and cheese over each salad; serve immediately.

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Directions Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside. In a large shallow bowl, mix together the cheese, herbs, and pepper. Dip each chicken wing into the THC butter and then dip into the cheese mixture and roll to coat. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, then flip over. Bake for an additional 1015 minutes, or until golden.

Garlic Asparagus with Lime Ingredients: 1 teaspoon THC butter 1 tablespoon THC olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1 medium shallot, minced 1 bunch fresh asparagus spears, trimmed 1/4 lime, juiced salt and pepper to taste Directions Melt THC butter with THC olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and shallots, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in asparagus spears; cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Squeeze lime over hot asparagus, and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving plate, and garnish with lime wedges.

Spring Garden SautĂŠ Ingredients 2 pound(s) asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces 8 ounce(s) sugar snap peas, strings removed 3 tablespoons THC butter 1 pound(s) radishes, each cut into quarters Salt and pepper 4 tablespoon(s) snipped fresh chives Directions Heat large covered saucepot of salted water to boiling on high. Fill large bowl with ice water; set aside. To saucepot, add asparagus and snap peas; cook 4 minutes. Drain vegetables; cool in bowl of ice water. Drain vegetables well. Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, heat THC butter on medium until melted. Add radishes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; cook 10 minutes or until tender-crisp. Transfer to bowl; keep warm. To same skillet, add asparagus, snap peas, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; cook 5 minutes or until tender-crisp, stirring occasionally. Stir in 2 tablespoons chives. Transfer to serving bowl; arrange radishes around edge. Sprinkle with remaining chives

Walnut Pot Butter Cookies Ingredients 1 pound of THC butter, softened 4 cups of all purpose flour 3/4 cup of powdered sugar 2 tsps of vanilla 2 Tbls of water 1/2 tsp of salt 8 to 12oz of chopped walnuts Extra powdered sugar for dusting

Diabetic Peanut Butter Cookies Ingredients 1/4 cup THC butter, softened 1 cup creamy style peanut butter 1/4 cup egg substitute 2 tablespoons honey 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup Splenda Granular 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt Directions Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat THC butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer until creamy, approximately 1 minute. Add egg substitute, honey and vanilla extract. Beat on high speed for approximately 1 1/2 minutes. Add Splenda and beat on medium speed until well blended, approximately 30 seconds. In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture, beating on low speed until well blended, about 1 1/2 minutes. Mixture may be crumbly. Roll level teaspoons of dough into balls and drop onto a lined sheet pan, about 2 inches apart. Flatten each ball with a fork, pressing a crisscross pattern into each cookie. Bake 7-9 minutes or until light brown around the edges. Cool on wire rack.

Directions Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a wooden spoon, mix together the THC butter, flour, powdered sugar, vanilla, water and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix together until the mixture forms a doughy consistency. If the dough if too sticky to handle just add a little more flour. Add the walnuts. Pinch the dough and roll it in a long shape about the size of your finger. Curve into a crescent shape and place on a buttered cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Let the cookies cool before dusting them with powdered sugar.

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(650) 349-2283

List of Advertisers 101 North p 16

Leaf Lab Inc. p 22

408 Collective p 48

Magnolia Wellness p 24 & 25

420 Evaluations p 5 420 Medical Doctor p 45 A2C2 p 47 A Better Way Collective p 44

Med Ex p 11 MED Rxc p 14

All About Wellness p 59

Med Mar Healing Center p 31

All Bay CoOp p 62

Natural Herbal Pain Relief p 10

All Natural p 41

NCIA p 68

Alternative Medical Center p 62 Alternative Medical Source p 61 Alternative Medicine Physician Evaluations p 41 American’s for Safe Access p 78

Nor Cal Bail Bonds p 30 NORML Women’s Alliance p 91 Ocean View Organics p 30

Americone p 65

Palliative Health Center p 114

Arc Healing Center p 3

Paradigm Compassionate Care p 75

Auburn Health & Organics p 39

Pure Analytics p 22

Bay Area Safe Alternatives p 41

Red Dog Green p 49

Bhang Chocolates p 63 BluDreams Connoisseur Collectibles p 85 Blue Sky Care Center p 44

Remedy Living Solutions p 36 River City Wellness Collective p 37

Busy Bees Delivery p 27

Sanctuary Health Center p 14

California Holistic Collective p 27

Sanctuary p 43

Cann Academy p 101

Sacramento 420 Evaluations p 21

Canna Care p 17, 69, 104

San Jose Medicinal Group p 18

Cann- Medical p 32 Chef Herb p 68 Choice Health Mutual p 23

SBCPA p 113 SCVCS p 44

Citizen Collective p 38

South Bay CRC p 56

Collective 50 p 29

South Bay Healing Center p 79

East Bay Custom Collective p 40

South Bay Natural Remedies Dispensary p 75

Eko Fresh p 18

Speedy Weedy Rx Delivery p 47

El Camino Wellness Center p 115 Elemental Wellness p 16 Elixir p 26

Steep Hill Lab p 71 Sticky Guide p 50

Emerald Crossings p 36

Sunny Fields p 81

Florin Wellness Center p 55

The Green Door p 13

Fruitridge Health & Wellness Collective (centerfold)

The Green Temple (backcover)

Garden House Remedies p 26 Green Harmony p 32

The Hemp Center p 81 The Reserve p 2

Greenway p 16

Triple C Collective p 54

Greenwell p 19

Tri Valley Wellness p 33

Happy lil Trees p 112

Unity Non-Profit Collective p 66

High Standards Medical p 22 Holistic Herbal Healers p 15 Hugs Alternative Care LLC p 54 Igzactly 420 p 7

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Mary Jane’s Wellness p 51

University Ave Wellness p 40 Valley Health Options p 37 Vapor Room Coop p 4

LA Container p 47

We Grow p 57

Law Offices of Omar Figueroa p 85

Yerba Buena Collective p 9 & 111

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