Northern California Kush Magazine August 2011 by Randy MALINOFF

kush

northern california’s premier cannabis lifestyle magazine

features

86 Wilfred: The Kush Experience The story behind Kush Magazine’s date with a dog and a hobbit. How and why we got involved with FX Networks’ latest work of genius.

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inside

90 Rival Sons: The Kush Interview

38 | Nocal Travel: Finding Lost Coast by Jake McGee

The blues rockers’ drummer Mike Miley talks blues n’ buds n’

44 | Strain Review: Ether OG

writing n’ recording on the fly.

48 | LEGALIZATION AND HOW CA WILL LEAD THE WORLD 54 | The Health Report: Annual Physicals by Elaine Ruggieri

96 The Haag/Ogden/Cole Memo

58 | MPP Liberty Belle Party by Jake McGee

Marijuana!?? Yes you can no you can’t unless you can’t know if

62 | Emerald Triangle: The Kush Interview by Mike Marino

you can. Can you? Maybe.

68 | Living Well: Detox by Elaine Ruggieri

100 Case Report: Fry & Schafer

74 | The Birkenstock Tour! by Mike Marino

A doctor and a lawyer go to jail. The lawyer needs a doctor. The doctor needs a lawyer. The doctor and the lawyer need marijuana.

82 | Free NoCal Festivals by Jay Evans

94 | Patients Out Of Time: William B. O’Shaughnessy by Al Byrne 104 | NoCal Concert Round Up by Dillon Zachara

116 Summer Recipes

106 | Growers Grove: The Rain Table Pt. III by Jade Kine

Chef Herb’s garden fresh recipes to kick off the dog days

112 | The CBD Revolution by Dragonfly de la Luz

of summer!

121 | The Green Pages: Dispensary Directory

from the editors

northern california’s premier cannabis lifestyle magazine

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

The risks of using cannabis were minimal; ingestion of cannabis did not jeopardize health; the use of cannabis did not lead to experimentation with other drugs; people who utilized cannabis did not participate in other criminal activity; and finally the report specifically recommended the decriminalization of marijuana for personal use. (full text available at SafeAccessNow.org) As pointed out by Americans for Safe Access (ASA), “rather than follow any of the recommendations of the Shafer Report or even commission further research, President Nixon left cannabis in Schedule I with Heroin and LSD. Since the Shafer Report, other federally funded reports have been issued by the Institute Of Medicine in 1982 and 1999, both concluding that there is sound medical and scientific basis for using cannabis to treat a variety of serious and medical conditions.” The two leading associations that regulate medicine and doctors in this country, The American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians have both reached out to Congress, strongly suggesting that a review be done to reconsider the current Schedule 1 classification of marijuana. So back to our cover message - with all of the above evidence, and without even getting into the thousands of years that the cannabis plant has been used by countless numbers of people to treat varying medical situations - can anyone (even its opponents) honestly say that marijuana has no accepted medical use? Well, it will now be up to a judge to decide the issue. On a lighter note…be sure to check out the Kush interview with blues rockers Rival Sons on page 90, where drummer Mike Miley discusses buds and the blues. And for those of you looking to milk as much of these hot summer months as possible, we have a few options: you can go and find yourself on Northern California’s Lost Coast (p.38), cruise on down to the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur for their 30th anniversary celebration (p.20), and, for those on a budget, we’ve even got an extensive list of FREE concerts and activities throughout Northern California (p.82)…so no excuses!!! Thanks again for allowing Kush to bring you the latest and greatest in medical marijuana news and culture, and, as always, medicate responsibly!

Humbly, Team Kush, www.kushmagazine.com

kush

T Ed Doctezz

A Division of Dbdotcom LLC Publishers | Dbdotcom LLC Editor in Chief | Lisa Selan Assistant Editor | Wasim Muklashy Chief Executive Officer | Bob Selan Business Development | JT Wiegman Art Director | Robb Friedman, Joe Redmond Director of International Marketing & Public Relations | Cheryl Shuman Director of No Cal Sales | Amanda Allen Advertising Sales Reps | Amy DiIullo, Ed Docter, Denise Mickelson, Charlene Moran, Jason Moran, Ken Weger Designers | Avel Culpa, Marvi Khero Traffic Managers | Alex Lamitie, Kevin Johnson Ryan Renkema, Jordan Selan, Rachel Selan Distribution Manager | Alex Lamitie Contributing Writers | Al Byrne, Chef Herb, Dragonfly de la Luz, AnnaRae Grabstein, Jade Kine, Bud Lee, Sharon Letts, Stephen M., Mike Marino, Jake McGee, Wasim Muklashy, Joe Rogoway, Elaine Ruggieri, Cheryl Shuman, Patricia Smith, Dillon Zachara Accounting | Dianna Bayhylle Internet Manager Dailybuds.com | Rachel Selan Dailybuds.com Team | JT Kilfoil & Houston Founder | Michael Lerner 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.

the LEGAL CORNER by Stephen M.

“There’s a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious—makes you so sick at heart— that you can’t take part…and you’ve got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you’re free, the machine will be prevented from working at all.” -Mario Savio

hile the passion and commitment of the 60s radicals may have dissipated with the passage of time, the power of the “machine”- that three tiered industrialgovernmental complex that determines the fate and fortunes of so many - grinds on, mindlessly chewing up the lives of those brave enough to challenge the status quo. Given recent medical cannabis political developments at the federal, state, and local levels, patients and the industry they support may be the next to suffer needlessly upon the sharp-toothed gears of the machine. While the billion dollar federal machine may be slow in ramping up to full speed, the counter-offensive launched by the Obama administration signals that it is all systems go at the federal level. The Drug Enforcement Agency, led by Bush-era holdover Michelle Leonhart, just rejected a request to remove cannabis from Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substance Act. While this allows a legal challenge to the ruling to now go forward, the Obama administration just missed a critical opportunity to end federal prohibition. Leonhart claims, “the known risks of marijuana use have not been shown to be outweighed by specific benefits in well-controlled clinical trials that scientifically evaluate safety and efficacy.” Everyone who pays half-way attention to this issue knows that she has in the past not only undermined attempts to evaluate the safety and efficacy of cannabis, but is also studiously avoiding existing evidence submitted to and supported by a ruling DEA administrative law judge that shows evidence contrary to her position. As a matter of fact, that same judge recommends policies contrary to her recent decision.

Welcome to the machine, indeed, Mr. Floyd. On the other federal front, Obama’s chief law enforcement officers have sent letters, apparently at the behest of state officials, threatening everything from prosecution of state officials for carrying out state law (a dubious legal concept but effective in giving opponents an excuse to undermine sensible cannabis legislation) to increased federal involvement in medical cannabis crackdowns. “Such conduct,” Asst. Attorney General Neronha wrote, “is contrary to federal law and thus, undermines the federal government’s efforts to regulate the possession, manufacturing and trafficking of controlled substances. Accordingly, the Department of Justice could consider civil and criminal legal remedies against those individuals and entities who set up marijuana growing facilities and dispensaries.” To counter this onslaught, Rep. Barney Frank and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, introduced a bill in Congress to remove marijuana from the list of federally controlled substances and treat cannabis like alcohol, which is the exclusive domain of the states. This bill will most likely not pass, but is an indication that some within the machine are attempting to alter the rules by which it operates. To illustrate the interrelated nature of the various government levels, recall that the explosion of collectives in Southern California was at least in part a response to a belief that the feds wouldn’t be prosecuting those in compliance with state law. But local collectives may soon have more to worry about than federal agents: Your local compliance and zoning officer might show up soon with a tape measure in one hand and a cease and desist letter in the other if recent legislation speeding through the California legislature is eventually signed by Gov. Jerry Brown

SB 847, sponsored by State Senator Correa (R-Santa Ana) and presently parked in an Assembly committee, is all but guaranteed to have the political momentum to land on the governor’s desk. SB 847 restricts any collective from being within 600 ft of a residence unless a local ordinance is already in place or a local government ordinance supersedes it. “While appearing reasonable, it is nearly impossible to find any place in San Diego that is 600 feet from a residential zone or residence,” expresses Cynara Vasquez, a political consultant familiar with the situation. Estimates show that “less than 10% of all collectives in the city would be in compliance with this new law.” The ordinance is so sweeping that it has the potential to be a complete ban on state compliant medical marijuana collectives not only in San Diego, but a host of “other cities without local ordinances across California, including Fresno, Bakersfield, Chico, Irvine and others. It would force medical marijuana collectives deep into industrial zones, eliminating safe access to patients around the state” Vasquez explains. The other bill, AB 1300 Sponsored by California Assemblyman Bob Menfield (D-Van Nuys), has already passed by the Assembly and is currently sitting on the floor of the Senate and poised for passage. AP 1300 empowers cities and counties to enforce local law related to the location, operation, or establishment of collectives. This bill is seen as a way for local governments to get around state protected rights of collectives under the Compassionate Use Act (CUA). Medical cannabis supporters argue that this is a de facto ban – and hence a law that violates the safe access provisions of the CUA. If Governor Brown signs this law, it will surely end up in litigation as well. If discussion of the parade of ABs and SBs marching through our collective minds dulls the reader’s sense of outrage at the willful abuse of a system designed to protect the people’s rights, a quick look at the unfolding fiasco in Dana Point provides a harrowing story of petty tyrants with municipal treasures at their disposal to fight collectives and their patients. As reported in the Orange County Registrar, three collectives in the beach city south of Los Angeles have been ground down by the gears of power in posh Dana Point. City officials have shut them down without due process, used the courts in an attempt to drain their resources, and now the collectives are going toe to toe with the city in court. At this point in the unfolding drama, a judge ordered The Point Alternative Care to close and says its founder must pay Dana Point $1.9 million in damages. Beach Cities Collective – the collective with the most egregious assaults on its legal rights - has sued the city, along with city officials, for $20 million, alleging violations of due process, plus defamation, and conspiracy. This past May, another judge ordered Holistic Health to close and ordered its founder to pay Dana Point $2.68 million in damages. Holistic Health fired back and sued Dana Point for $30 million, alleging violations of due process. (The entire time line of this abuse of power can be found at the O.C. Registrar’s website). So, as the Dana Point situations illustrates, the machine has kicked into high gear. The recent shifts in policy stance at the federal level, coupled with overly restrictive and muddled state legislation, only emboldens those with their hands on the levers of power to ratchet up the pressure and squeeze what they can from citizens simply exercising their rights. Apparently, the gears need oiling.

Henry Miller Memorial Library Celebrates 30th Anniversary

Of all the great American literary icons, few stand more solidified in the fabric of our society than Henry Miller. Miller redefined artistic freedom, broke barriers of expression, and in doing so, he changed the way we look at life here in America. A true Bohemian, Miller challenged the boundaries of accepted storytelling. Novels such as Tropic of Cancer defied contemporary ideas of “decency,” vividly describing true life as he saw it - the gritty, naked reality of it all. His graphic tone freaked out the early 20th century masses, which up to that point were still hesitant to publicly talk about anything even remotely sounding like sex. They called him “obscene” and “pornographic,” and went so far as to ban most of his books in the United States, but Miller flourished nonetheless. His work saw quick success in Europe, and despite it being forbidden in US stores, Miller’s books were smuggled into his homeland, and made the rounds of the American underground. It was his drive, his insistence to tell stories without the filter of restraint, that solidified Miller’s place as powerful force of American influence. Through his writing, painting and other forms of creative art, Miller held a mirror up to modern society, showing them the ugly with the beautiful, with a sense of raw purity that is rare even to this day. Miller settled for a couple decades in picturesque Big Sur, from 1944 through 1962. Long-time friend and confidant Emil White eventually moved nearby, and in 1981, White converted his house into the Henry Miller Memorial Library, a space devoted to the incalculable artistic legacy of Miller, who died in 1980. Emil died in 1989 and bequeathed the Library to the Big Sur Land Trust; in 1998 the Library became an independent 501 (c)3 organization. All the while, it stayed true to Emil’s vision, serving as a retreat and cultural center for artists, musicians, and writers from all around the world. This Library- which is more of a cultural resource and book store than a traditional, lending library- contains most of Miller’s in-print work, rare books, paintings, vinyl, and healthy doses of the old stand-bys: Beats, the classics, and so forth. It remains a mecca for the wandering and creative,

by Jake McGee

those who feel that tugging urge to share stories about real, raw, everyday yet untold life with the world. It’s also become a venue favored by musicians and other performing artists, for its serene environment, complete with a natural venue produced by the surrounding redwoods. Celebrating its 30th year, the Henry Miller Memorial Library has a grand lot of events lined up. There’s the Big Sur International Short Film Series, which is held weekly outdoors, under the natural canopy of the trees. Luminaries such as Philip Glass, Vilmos Zsigmond and Kirsten Dunst have sat on the jury for this event, which aims to screen films that, according to their site, “are bold and uncensored, films that invite us into your world, that will shock us, madden us, make us cry and laugh, films with moments that are especially lovely, serendipitous, interesting, candid or moving.” The Woodsist Festival takes place July 30-31, which will include musical performances from Real Estate, Fresh & Onlys, Woods, Ducktails, Nodzzz, Art Museums, Sun Araw, Sic Alps, and White Fence. MGMT will be playing a show August 10, and then on August 13, renowned deviant filmmaker John Waters brings his live oneman show to the Library. This leads up to “Freaks & Femmes” the following night, an evening of cabaret, burlesque, music and mayhem, which Waters will hopefully stick around for, if not perform in. On September 1, Philip Glass and the Philip Glass Ensemble will perform “Dracula: The Music and Film,” and then Explosions in the Sky drop by on September 5 for a performance. These are just a few of the events lined up over the following months, in honor and celebration of the continued spirit of exploration and American storytelling that Henry Miller championed. As Miller’s influence and mark continues to resonate through the American experience, the Henry Miller Memorial Library continues to expand its offering of eclectic performances and overall good times. www.henrymiller.org

here is only a short list of bands that I can truly say “I’m really glad to have seen them at least once.” Topping that list is arguably the greatest American Rock Band in history, the Grateful Dead. Godfathers of the Jam Band Scene, The Dead started in 1965 and officially disbanded in 1994 when their original co-founder and “face” of the band Jerome John “Jerry” Garcia passed away. For This Month in Weed History, KUSH magazine would like to not only acknowledge Jerry’s passing on August 9, 1994 - but his life, and birth on August 1, 1942. Without Jerry’s existence on the planet, the world as we know it today would have missed one of its greatest singers, songwriters, guitarists, artists, humanitarians, and icons of the peace movement. Jerry’s kind persona and gentle soul transcended beyond the stage, out into the stratosphere and beyond. His energy and aura are still alive today, through the continuation of his music, the jam band scene, and, of course, his personal and professional legacy. His status among his fans is just short of God-like, and posthumously has grown to be that of mystical legend. Few artists of any medium reach the level of adoration by any fan base the way Jerry had with loyal “Dead Heads.” This roaming pack of devotees would follow the band, from city to city, tour after tour, and year after year. Some Dead Heads never got off tour, making what was known as “Shakedown Street,” (the impromptu city that would pop up in the parking lot of each concert venue) their own viable marketplace, where everything from food, drinks, tickets, clothes, 24

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

by Patricia Smith Democratic strategists see a developing trend that could make marijuana reform a key issue in the 2012 election. Taking a page from the Republican handbook, the Democrats believe that getting liberal MMJ initiatives on the ballot will turn out the youth vote much like the Republicans used the issue of banning gay marriage in the 2004 election to bring home a win for Bush. Polls are being conducted in Colorado and Nevada, states that will be crucial to Obama’s re-election efforts, to test the power of marijuana initiatives to drive voter turnout. Ballot initiatives don’t usually affect turnout, but strategists believe that the right initiatives can target certain groups of voters enough to make a difference in close elections. Bush won Ohio by 2% which decided the election. Anna Greenberg, a Democratic pollster, surmised that MMJ initiatives could have a coattail effect for Democratic candidates. She found that voter interest jumped from 25% to 38% when marijuana initiatives were on the ballot. If a lesson was learned from the 2010 election, where the Democratic Party lost 63 seats in the House and 6 in the Senate nationwide, it was that marijuana reform draws liberal voters to the polls. Although unsuccessful, Prop 19, which would have legalized marijuana for persons 21 years or older in California, brought out the youth vote which was essential to the Democratic win. While Prop 19 was ultimately defeated by a vote of 53.6% to 46.2%, Democrats won every major race including the Governorship, Attorney General and both Senate seats although they were outspent by their opponents by margins as large as 6 to 1. MMJ Activists will likely have the support of liberal philanthropist, Peter Lewis of Progressive Insurance Companies. Mr. Lewis was quoted in The Wall Street Journal as saying, “changing marijuana laws is emerging as one of the leading national issues in the coming years...Change is inevitable and my priority is to make that change positive.” Unfortunately, it seems that California Democrats are failing to heed the advice of their own strategists as support for medical marijuana in the legislature has slipped dramatically during the past two years. In February 2009, Assembly Member Tom Ammiano (D-SF) introduced a law, AB 1176, to tax and regulate marijuana for adults over the age of 21 in the same manner as alcohol, which could have generated 1.3 billion dollars in revenue for our cash-strapped state. It passed the Senate 40-0 and the Assembly 78-0 only to be vetoed by then Governor Schwartzeneggar four days later. Fast-forward two years. The mood has changed in Sacramento to the point that Democratic legislators have introduced bills that would force many dispensaries to close and outlaw marijuana cultivation within 600’ of a residential zone. This would include many small cultivators who grow in their backyards for dispensary patients. Senate Bill 847 and AS 1300 would turn much of the democratic voting base into felons overnight - and felons can’t vote.

Deputy U.S. Attorney General James Cole issued a controversial memo earlier this month in an attempt to clarify federal policy toward MMJ. The memo threatened enforcement against “Persons who are in the business of cultivating, selling or distributing marijuana and those who facilitate such activities” including local and state officials. The memo went on to say, “State laws or local ordinances are not a defense to civil or criminal enforcement of federal law.” Banks and landlords have also been warned that they face fines, sanctions and prosecution if they engage with businesses involved with marijuana. Cynergy Data, who processes a substantial amount of credit card transactions for MMJ businesses, announced that effective midnight, July 6, they will cease to provide service to the industry due to the pressure being exerted on them by this administration. Other banks and credit card processors are bailing out of the industry in mass exodus out of fear or duress from the feds. Every move by our government seems to be designed to force the industry underground. Large cash transactions invite crime and corruption. It seems more productive to have a transparent paper trail. Legislators need to craft a clear and comprehensive plan that allows dispensaries and cultivators to function like any other business throughout the state. The message is loud and clear. If Democrats want to turn out their base in 2012, they would be well advised to get aboard the train. Medical marijuana could be the uniting issue for Democrats much like God, Gays & Guns has become for the Republicans. Otherwise, we may see a replay of the “shellacking” they got in 2010. -Patricia Smith is the Administrator of GrassRootsSolutions, a MMJ advocacy group. You can reach her at grassrootssol@yahoo.com or visit their website at www.GrassRootsSolutions.org

E T VO

Have you ever surfed

...on hemmmpppp? by Jake McGee

Summer is in full swing here in sunny California, and the swells of the Pacific are far too tempting to ignore. The waves are irresistible this time of the year, and while die-hard surfers hit the water all year, summertime remains the friendliest time of the year to play in the ocean. Surfing isn’t just a sport, it’s a way of life. To some, it’s even a religion. Not only is it exciting and invigorating, it’s one of the purest forms of active meditation one can embrace, connecting with the massive sea and being practically forced into harmony with the tide. You become part of the ocean, one with nature as the modern world quickly fades away back on dry land. Yes, surfing takes skill and practice, and even the most seasoned surfer can get hurt or even killed by the pounding water...but that’s the nature of dealing with an untamed sea. You are not in control- she is. This very abandon is what makes surfing so alluring, because while you have to master the sport to fully appreciate it, no matter how good at surfing you get, you’re nevertheless at the will of the ocean. Up until recently, surfing was done on boards made from either wood or some kind of polymerbased foam (polyurethane or polystyrene), and covered with fiberglass. This provides a weird dichotomy for people so deeply in touch with nature, surfing on boards made from materials not so friendly to the environment. But that was then, and now it’s 2011. People have options! Just as some rich executive can tool around the streets of Los Angeles in a gas/ electric hybrid car, surfers now have the choice of using hemp surfboards to ride the tides on.

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Hemp Surfboards are built with one form of biofoam or another, coated with hemp fiber. Not only is this move eco-friendly, hemp fiber is stronger and gives a better flex than fiberglass. We could go on and on about how this reduces global warming and what not...and maybe we should, but surf’s up! This leaves little time to preach to the choir. While it’s still a small part of the surfboard market, hemp surfboard makers represents a growing supplement to the longstanding industry. Here are a couple of makers to choose from:

Hemp Surf

hempsurfboards.com Hemp Surf offers the Kaimanu Shapeshifter, hand-built to any size, style and design you want. The basic Eco board is hand-shaped from Greenfoam, hand grassed with hemp cloth (fibergrass) and epoxy, Kaimanu Grass on fins. The Kaimanu Fin is a handmade recycled redwood fin and performs with the integrity of a thousand years of slow growth in the coastal redwood forests of California, the tallest trees in the world. Get the board made specifically for you!

U.S. Hemp Co.

tellthechildrenthetruth.org/Surf Get a 100% Hemp Grassed board with your choice of 50% Sugar Cane blend or EPS core. They sell a wide range of boards for all skill sets, from the classic “Funshape” to thrusters to longboards. The skin is made from 100% hemp fiber, delivering a true bio-based product from renewable agricultural resources, in many stylish varieties.

There may be close to 40 million people in the state of California, but there are still plenty of pristin e areas untouched by mankind’s grimy mitts to explore in this glorious state we proudly call home. A world apart from the traffic and smog and madness of city life, the Lost Coast - found in Humboldt and Mendocino Counties - is a remote getaway perfect for an escape into untamed nature. Roughly spanning the 35-mile region between Rockport and Ferndale, the Lost Coast is a mountainous landscape covered by redwoods, with only a few small roads giving it access to the civilized world. Dominated by the King Range, this area of northern coast is too rugged for even the most creative urban sprawl. In fact, when the engineers building State Route 1 got to this area back in 1936, they were blown away by how treacherous the land was. Because of this, they brought the road inland, leaving the Lost Coast the longest undeveloped stretch of coast in the state. Granted, there are a few ways to penetrate this fortress of natural solitude, and those lucky enough to do so get to experience a California unscathed by modern progress. Just north of Rockport, Usal Road cuts off SR1, wiggling through the slopes of Douglas-fir and Redwoods. A little north of that is Wheeler, where the Sinkyone Wilderness State Park can be found...if you can even find that. Indeed, most roads in these areas are best negotiated on a 4-wheel drive vehicle, and if it’s raining, you might want to avoid driving in this area altogether. It’s important to note that, because this area is so remote, there are plenty of bears and even Sasquatch running around these parts, so hikers and explorers need to take extra caution not to upset any large beasts that could rip off your face or steal your food. At the south end of Sinkyone Park you’ll find Usal Beach, which has a small yet lovely camping ground. It’s primitive, but then again,

this is not the part of town you come to for Skype and Halo. There are some great mountain bike runs in this area, and of course endless hiking. Keep heading north, and you’ll find the small fishing community at Shelter Cove, which provides one of the only proofs that people actually live anywhere near the area. There’s even a small airport at the end of the cove, as well as several delicious diners. And while sharks like to frolic in the area, Shelter Cove also has the Lost Coast’s most accessible surfing. Though the water is characteristically cold, there are several solid breaks in the area. Once you’re north of Shelter Cove, you’re back in the lovely wilderness. Kings Peak Road is pretty much the only route going through these parts, wiggling through the mountains up to Petrolia. As you cross over Mattole River, you’ll occasionally catch breathtaking glimpses of the dramatic bluffs shooting down into the surf, the kind of things city folk only see in paintings. Once you get on Mattole Road, you’re brought back to the coast, which you can follow a few more miles up to Capetown. But then that pesky terrain forces the road inland again, and before you know it, you’ll find yourself in Ferndale. It’s funny to think that a town of 1,371 will feel like a metropolis after a journey through isolation but that’s the allure to the Lost Coast. If you want to see pretty people, plastic faces and expensive bodies, stick to Newport Beach. If you want to see what California was like before people flocked here and bastardized much of its natural beauty with unnatural lusts, take a weekend to explore Lost Coast. You’ll find something much more valuable than wifi and a Starbucks… you’ll find part of yourself (and if you’re lucky…a Sasquatch).

Ether OG is one of those rare strains you run across that not only does what it’s billed to do, but exceed its own hype. Back in the day, before modern medicine, doctors had to use something to sedate their patients…and they didn’t have propofol and benzos…no…they had ether. After laughing hysterically for many minutes (hell, there was even a cleaning solvent widely known as Dr.Giggles that was subsequently pulled from store shelves everywhere) the patient would mumble incoherencies (remember that part in ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’? Hunter’s flailing entrance into Circus Circus!??) and soon after, he or she would be out cold. The doctor was free to pierce and plunder their internal organs and the patient would have no recollection. Well, nowadays, we no longer need to revert to the damaging effects of toxic fumes and hysteria inducing substances to help cure our ailments. Now, all we need is a weed, an innocent weed. And in this case, that innocent weed is Ether OG. A cross between Blue Nebula, New York Sour Diesel, and handy dandy good ol’ trusty OG Kush, Ether OG is one of those rare strains you run across that not only do what they’re billed to do, but exceed it’s own hype. The vibrant green spongey buds, covered in sun-bright orange hairs, are a visual treat in themselves. It’s hard to come to terms with the idea of breaking them up, but once you do and take that first sweet citrus-infused hit, you’ll quickly get over that initial hesitation. The pungent lemon/orange sensation followed with a strong sour odor of OG Kush will leave you pondering the heavenly mix of sweet and sour for more than a few hours.

This sativa dominant hybrid (courtesy the New York Sour Diesel and Blue Nebula) provides a bit of the best of both worlds. While the sativa sides of the SD and Blue Nebula provide the expected uplifting euphoria and initial burst of energy, they are quickly and effectively overtaken with a potent and heavy sedating effect that seemed to come in stages, thanks to the ever-present Indica properties provided by the Blue Nebula. You can almost feel the two tugging at each other, but soon after medicating, they reach a very peaceful and pleasing happy medium. You may feel your eyes slowly getting heavier and simultaneously your entire body becoming loose and relaxed. You may feel like sinking into the couch and inhaling the box of soft batch cookies on the coffeetable next to you, and perhaps you’ll pick up the Playstation controller and forget to push a single button, instead remember 12 minutes later that you’ve been staring at the same pixel on the screen, but hot damn, you’ll feel quite good doing it. And with it, you’ll find that your stress and anxiety will have quietly and effectively dissipated. Once your stimulated appetite has been suppressed by that last chewy chocolate chip morsel, you’ll realize that any of the pain you were experiencing before medicating will have disappeared, clearing the way for a nice long restful night’s sleep. And best of all, when you wake up, all your organs will be in tact. So forgo the huffing and commence with the puffing…Ether OG to the rescue…

Legalization and How California Will Lead the World in Cannabis Centric Innovation By:AnnaRae Grabstein, CEO Steep Hill Lab, Member; Cannabis Law Institute Think Tank Advisory Board; NORML Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alliance Steering Committee Joe Rogoway, Esq., Co-Founder Cannabis Law Institute; Member, Drafting Advisory Committee CCPR 2012

The legalization of cannabis in California will be the most significant event in the history of the cannabis plant. The possibility for scientific innovation in a fertile legal environment will have dramatic implications across the state. Advances in science, research, and the development of cannabis will be advanced through the creation of free flowing capital into this emerging and promising market. This market, in turn, will inspire economic growth beyond the backdrop of social justice. To reap these massive benefits, we must all work tirelessly to repeal cannabis prohibition.

California is not only one of the most diverse ecological regions on earth, but it is also the global hub of scientific and technological innovation. Because of this, we are uniquely situated to accomplish things that may have been inconceivable a generation ago. In the last decade, the great experiment of legitimized medical marijuana has yielded profound and astonishing results for the cannabis plant and those who consume it. Today, a medical cannabis patient can go to a dispensary, examine different varieties of cannabis, and determine which variety is best suited for their individual needs. This decision is based on the labeling information that

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is generated through laboratories that test cannabis. Still, there is an enormous amount of scientific innovation to come. Imagine the possibilities that will exist in a world of total legalization and regulation. Cannabis testing laboratories can already accurately test for microbiological contaminants, pesticides, and levels of various compounds including THC and CBD. They are also working with breeders to develop cannabis strains with specific therapeutic applications through genetic hybridization. Because of these improvements, patient consumers are able to select varieties based not just on odor and appearance, but also based upon the levels of various cannabinoids, terpenes, and other compounds which the consumer finds desirable. But this has occurred in a system of only partial legitimization bringing great risks to the people involved in this movement. While the progress made thus far has been game-changing, legalization will open the door to a new level of advancement in cannabis development which will likely carry over into the cultivation of other crops. It is the scientific data produced through testing that many of the innovations we hope to realize will come to fruition. The development of cannabis strains with specific therapeutic applications will require scientific experimentation. This will necessitate data that is confirmed and refuted through the scientific process. After rigorous scrutiny, the genetics of the cannabis plant will be sufficiently hybridized to create strains that serve a specific purpose. At the heart of this is the clinical testing that produces the objective data underlying nearly all innovation. Californiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legal cannabis model will set the world standard for this type of experimentation. Cannabis legalization will aid scientific and technological innovation that will spur a cycle where capital investment funds the innovation and innovation justifies later investments. It is through processes such as this that markets boom and economies revitalize. A favorable environment for research and development will encourage ancillary businesses and ultimately have far reaching economic benefits. Entrepreneurship is a central tenet of American society but the financial crisis paired with a hostile prosecutorial environment has substantially impaired business formation. Legalization will empower a new generation of visionary entrepreneurship contributing to an entirely new prosperous market sector.

With the cannabis market flourishing, a variety of other social improvements are possible. Aside from the clear economic advantages gained through the addition of a new sector of the green economy, the collection of taxes and fees associated with the regulation of cannabis will also be immense. These new sources of revenue will fund our schools, our infrastructure, our parks, and even our government for generations to come. There will also be the tens of millions of dollars that are currently diverted into the machinations of cannabis prohibition going back into state coffers to pay for better things. As all of these very exciting societal benefits are happening, something even more monumental will occur; Californians will no longer face the horrors of the criminal justice system because of cannabis. Members of law enforcement will no longer be able to go into their homes, rifle through their possessions, or seize their person or property. Probation departments will no longer be able to search for the presence of cannabis metabolites in a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bodily fluids as a means for sanction. Courts and prosecutors will cease imprisoning people based on cannabis. When this happens, Californians will no longer fear the negative legal srepercussions of cannabis. In so many ways, the vote to legalize cannabis will be more than merely a referendum on a single issue. It will represent a watershed moment in our democracy and a catalyst for positive social change and scientific innovation. It can be everything that California needs it to be. We can lead the world by example. But it is not guaranteed. It is easy to sit back and wait for this bright future to unfold. It is much harder to work towards assuring this great outcome. Infighting and lack of vision doomed earlier attempts at legalization. We failed to convince others of the righteousness of our cause because, in part, we first failed to convince ourselves. This is a mistake that cannot be repeated going forward. If you are still reading this, then you probably already believe that the path towards legalization and regulation is the right path for California. It is now your duty to ensure that others share that ideal and vote in favor of cannabis policy reform. The time is finally ours to make this Golden State green.

Many of us take that annual physical examination that we probably should be getting for granted. We feel healthy so the thought of taking an afternoon off of work and sitting in a waiting room for an hour and a half makes it easy to pass up. There is also the issue of insurance coverage and affordability. But how important is it really and who benefits the most? Considering a physical gives your doctor the ability to examine your body for possible signs of diseases, it is safe to say they are extremely important for some people. With today’s medical technology, detecting health problems early enough while treatment is still an option can make all the difference in the world - it can even be life-saving. About 70 million adults feel the need to check in with their doctor yearly, but not everyone agrees that a yearly physical is necessary. There is an ongoing debate and some people would argue that it is somewhat of an antiquated thought and that the average, healthy person can skip a few exams. Isn’t there value in just checking in with your doctor even just to motivate yourself to eat better, exercise and stay informed? In fact, at the very least, you could use the time to discuss your risk factors. With that in mind, here are a few indications that it might be time to book that appointment: • Hereditary Considerations: If you have family members who have had a heart attack or certain types of cancer, for ex ample, you may be at a higher risk for these diseases. The health of your parents and grandparents can reveal a lot. • Medical History: If you have had medical problems in the past or if you have been taking medication for a long period of time, you should be evaluated. • Age: Most people in their 20s are likely to come up clean during an exam. Unfortunately, as we age, so do our body parts. • Lifestyle: If you are someone who eats poorly, smokes, never exercises or has a weight problem, you may be more prone to disease.

During your physical, your doctor will listen to your heart with a stethoscope to detect any irregular heartbeats or any other signs of heart disease such as Aortic Valve Stenosis (AS). AS is the narrowing of the aortic valve opening. Your doctor should also listen to your lungs for crackles, wheezing or any other unusual breathing sounds, which could be indicative of lung disease. And by just tapping the abdominal area or listening for bowel sounds, your doctor can detect abdominal fluid and liver size. A routine visit could also involve a cholesterol and colon cancer screening, as well as an evaluation of your vital signs - blood pressure, heart rate, respiration rate and temperature. • Blood Pressure: 120 (systolic) over 80 (diastolic) is normal. This is your maximum and minimum pressure during each heartbeat. Anything greater than 140 over 90 is considered high blood pressure or hypertension. • Heart Rate: This is the number of heart-beats per minute (bpm). A healthy resting heart rate is 60-80 bpm. However, it would not be unusual for an athlete to have a resting heart rate far below 60. • Respiration Rate (also known as Pulmonary Ventilation Rate): This is the number of breaths a person takes per minute. The average respiration rate for an adult is 12-20 breaths per minute. • Temperature: This is the measure of your body’s ability to generate and release heat. When you are hot, your blood vessels expand carrying excess heat to the skin’s surface. When you are cold, your blood vessels narrow, reducing the blood flow to your skin. Your body temperature changes throughout the day but the average “normal” is 98.6 °F. A woman’s check-up should include a gynecological and breast examination. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in this country, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women. And starting at the age of 40, men should have their prostate checked every year. Every three minutes, a man is diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States. How often you should see your doctor for a physical is a personal decision. But it is important to see your doctor at some point. After all, if mammograms, pap smears, cholesterol screenings, colon cancer screenings and prostate cancer screenings are all known to save lives… -Elaine is the former host of “The Shape Fitness Show” on 97.1FM and 980AM in Los Angeles. Check out her site at GodaiFit.com

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

the best party of the year, with their Liberty Belle Ball at the iconic Playboy Mansion. Sadly, Hugh Hefner was not in attendance, nor were there any orgies in the Grotto during the party. There were, however, tons of industry leaders and other luminaries in the battle to legalize marijuana, enjoying live music from Fishbone and various DJs, amazing food spreads, and overall having a great time. MPP Executive Director Rob Kampia made the rounds, celebrating with friends new and old. According to Kampia, “Tonight’s celebration brings together people from all over the country- patients, activists, celebrities, canna-business owners, investors, and marijuana aficionados. We’re united by a firm belief that our government’s draconian marijuana laws are far more harmful than the use of marijuana.This is our fifth party at the Playboy Mansion, and I think it’s probably the best of our five, in terms of attendance, energy level, profit margin, lack of logistical nightmares, etc.,” Kampia said. Indeed, an impressive lot of notables turned up to celebrate MPP’s progress including Jason Gann - from the Australian (and now FX) smash hit “Wilfred”- who accompanied Kush Magazine’s very own Cheryl Shuman. Bob Selan, CEO of Kush and Board member of NCIA, the first cannabis industry trade association, was also in attendance. Additional notables in attendance included Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Reed Diamond, and Breckin Meyer from TNT’s “Franklin & Bash.” Guests were very interested in talking to people from the cannabis industry, including the main sponsor of the event GreenLife Medical Systems LLC, as well as The 420 Times, Canna Bank, Vapor Room, Bhang Chocolates, Berkeley Patients Group, WeGrow and LA Weekly. “We got invited to this party because MPP said because our brand has become so powerful,” said Mike Garcia from WeGrow. “We’re very involved with the movement. We just got our 1,000th application for a franchise,” and according to Garcia, WeGrow is the only cannabis related business that has been given the permission 58 58

to start franchising throughout the country. Garcia said his business is flourishing because they have the moxie to stand tall and proud, as they offer a grand superstore for everything one needs to grow medical marijuana. “Everyone else (other hydro shops) is hiding, and we’re the ones saying, ‘step out.’ Somebody has to step out there, and take the risk ahead of everybody else. We’re doing that thing; we’re taking the risk.” Thanks to organizations like MPP, the movement to abolish marijuana prohibition has gained more and more energy over the years, and the past year was no different. “I think it’s going really well right now,” Kampia noted. “We’ve had four significant state victories in just seven months: Arizona, Delaware, Maryland, and Vermont. We’ve had this explosion of state-level victories, which would have been unheard of a couple years ago. “So I think we’re doing really well, in terms of laws changing on the state level. On the federal level, it’s a give and take. You know, we have obviously our best legislation ever in Congress, but it’s not so clear on the federal level that things are going in the right direction. It’s not a disaster and it’s not a dream, it’s somewhere in the middle.” Randy Welty from San Diego, and one of the board members of the newly formed Patient Care Association of California (PCAC) also had good news to share. “The PCAC successfully executed on a referendum to stop the ban against collectives as a result of an onerous City of San Diego medical marijuana ordinance. Over 46,000 signatures were gathered in less than 30 days.” Welty exclaimed, “We’re very happy to report that it is going to end up passing as a referendum.” The next steps according to Welty are to prepare and initiative that will instruct the City Council as to how the medical marijuana community can partner with the city to allow for straight forward regulations that will also assure that patients will have safe access. Welty stated that, “hopefully before it gets to the next initiative stage we will have the opportunity to sit down with the city council and negotiate an acceptable resolution.”

The struggles that are facing San Diego are not unique but are commonplace among many cities and states where MPP has been proactive in. To this end, Kampia and the MPP are showing no signs of slowing down. As Kampia continued - during breaks between performances by the hypnotizing Fire Groove - “Our flagship project over the next year and a half is the legalize marijuana initiative that is being promoted in Colorado, to end marijuana prohibition entirely, and to tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol. That’s the #1 most important project for November 2012.” Kampia further stated that, “In addition, we will continue to work on lobbying in Illinois, New York, Maryland and a couple of other states. We will of course assist in California and the state of Washington, with their two ballot initiatives. But we can’t do everything everywhere. One of the things that we pride ourselves on at MPP for the past 16 1/2 years is picking and choosing our battles. This means saying ‘yes,’ but also saying ‘no.’ We can’t say ‘yes’ to everything. In the next year and a half, we are saying ‘yes’ to Colorado, and then we’re going to help everywhere else that we can.” As the party dwindled down, and guests were shuttled out of the Mansion grounds, a sense of true victory hovered over the area. We are winning this silly yet dreadful war. 59

The Emerald Triangle Interview:

We’re off to see the growers... the wonderful growers of ours... The Emerald Triangle is not a place found in Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz,” overflowing with oversaturated imagery of a young Dorothy Gale being blown away during a Kansas twister and landing in the Land of Oz, left to navigate her way to the Emerald City alongside a three man motley crew of misfits. In this Emerald Triangle, the “Kush” version of the tale, the group steps behind the Redwood Curtain on the Pacific Left Coast, where even Munchkins get the munchies, and realize soon, that they ain’t in Kansas anymore! So, get ready to click your ruby red slippers, and be transported to our very own homegrown wizards… we’re off to see the growers, the wonderful growers of Oz...

by Mike Marino

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The following interview was with Joey Burger of the Humboldt Growers Association (HGA), “ a membership based medical cannabis business association formed to address a myriad of public policy issues facing Humboldt County and to support the successful establishment of a Humboldt County Medical Cannabis Ordinance. As Humboldt’s medical cannabis growers’ association, the HGA is dedicated to working with local law enforcement, policy-makers, business leaders, and community members to create jobs, advance public safety, and promote the medical cannabis industry in Humboldt County and state-wide.” Kush: What factors make Humb oldt such a prime c annabis grow ing area? Joey Burger: There are several factors that have led to Humboldt being a leader in cannabis production for the last four decades. The back to the land movement of the seventies brought open-minded “hippies” from the cities looking for a simpler life and a way of living more in line with their natural values. Humboldt is a very rural county with beautiful redwoods, flowing rivers, and rolling hills. Many homesteaded on 40-acre parcels that they were able to buy for a $25 down payment and a $25 a month mortgage payment. They didn’t come looking to grow cannabis but many old timers say it was the plant that found them. The hot days and cool summer nights of this region turned out to be the perfect climate for high quality cannabis production. Seeds were brought from around the globe and many of the building blocks of today’s commercial strains were bred under the hot Humboldt sun. K. What is the primary difference between cannabis being grown outdoors versus indoors? J. During the early years of federal eradication in the Emerald Triangle many farmers moved their operations indoors to avoid the watchful eyes of the CAMP (campaign against marijuana planting) helicopters. A whole new way of cultivating was born. With it came diesel generators, chemical fertilizers, and toxic pesticides. After the passage of Prop 215 in 1996 many farmers were able to return their plants to the full sun gardens they had enjoyed prior to Federal and State eradication efforts. With the emergence of medical cannabis testing laboratories we are seeing that outdoor grown cannabis is testing just as high in THC cannabinoids as indoor grown, as well as producing a whole range of medicinal cannabinoids that can not be replicated from the limited light spectrum of indoor grow lights. K. Does the HGA utilize “organic” methods in cultivation? A. The HGA promotes sustainable cultivation techniques to set our medicine apart from much of the medical cannabis being produced for collectives today. Humboldt county, besides having a reputation for great cannabis, is also known for it’s environmental activism and natural beauty. By promoting sustainable cultivation techniques such as water conservation, appropriate land use, and non-synthetic farming inputs, we set a health and safety standard for patients and other producing communities to follow.

K. Who are the core players in the organization besides cannabis growers? A. The HGA’s membership is made up of medical cannabis growers, patients, advocates, environmentalists, activists, businesses, dispensaries, landowners, hippies, rednecks and more. The HGA is getting a lot of support from businesses locally as well as statewide, and by offering

discounts to our members, they show they understand the importance of this industry to our community. We are also getting support from members of our local government who understand that cannabis cultivation must remain a vital part of our economy and our culture. K. How important is cannabis growing to maintaining the economic growth of the region? A. Cannabis production is the life-blood of this community. Many farmers see the black market as a very unsustainable model that makes them compete with Cartels stateside and from out of the country. With it brings the risk of jail time and a loss of assets. We want to encourage the black market farmers to make the transition into the legal medical market and embrace all of the legal opportunities that it offers. Humboldt must secure its position in the medical cannabis market so it can be a leader when we transition into a legal, commercial market post legalization. K. Does cannabis cultivation create other jobs in the retail sector? A. Cannabis cultivation has created many jobs in this community and many businesses wouldn’t exist without this industry. With the emergence of a medical cannabis industry, many workers from farm laborers, to trimmers, to dispensary workers, to drivers will have an opportunity to make a legal legitimate living and not have to look over their shoulders while they carry out their chosen profession. K. Are there any ongoing legal problems between the cannabis industry in Humboldt with the Federal government? A. The federal government is still raiding black market growers who engage in large-scale cultivation and interstate trafficking. Some medical growers can get wrapped up in these raids because though they may be following California’s state law our county does not currently have an ordinance on the books that recognizes and regulates collective cultivation. The HGA is working hard with the county to make sure that collective grows get to see the legitimacy and safety that the voters of Prop 215 intended. K. Do you foresee a time when full legalization will take effect, and if so how far down the road do you feel that is? A. I personally think that before we see federal legalization we will see reciprocity with other medical states. We would love to have Humboldt’s outdoor grown medicine on the shelves of dispensing collectives in Vermont, Maine, New Jersey, Arizona and all other medical states. We would also like to see medical patients from around the country able to come to California to consume our medicine and enjoy our cannabis tourism. K. How does the local government work with or against you? A. We have found our local officials very open minded throughout this ordinance writing process. They understand it is their job to uphold the laws of California and its voters and want to foster the growth of this crucially important industry. They are thankful to have a resource of professionals who are willing to work with them, not against them, on sensible policy that works for patients, collectives, farmers, and the community. Our thanks to Joey Burger for participating in this interview. To find out more about the Humboldt Growers Association, visit their website at www.humboldtgrowers.org

You may be one of those people who have developed a need for caffeine to get your day going. Or maybe you are starting to notice you get sick more than your friends and co-workers. You may even look in the mirror and find your skin doesn’t quite look as good as it should for your age. These are pretty good signs that it may be time for a cleanse. The toxins we accumulate just by living our lives day to day contribute to low energy, poor health and premature aging. Let’s face it, we all need to get the trash out of our bodies every now and then. A toxin is a chemical or poison known to be harmful to your body. Unfortunately, they are everywhere including in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. Your body will process toxins and release them through the lungs, skin, kidneys and gastro-intestinal tract. But they continue to add up from the toxic metals in the water we shower and cook with to the pesticides used to protect fruits and vegetables from insects to the antibiotics and hormones used to plump chickens and get more milk from cows. More than 100,000 toxic chemicals are found in the environment these days. They enter the body and are usually stored in the fat deposits. All this puts a tremendous burden on the body, which was never really designed to handle today’s lifestyle challenges. When the body is burdened with too many toxins your organs are unable to do their job such as filtering waste, absorbing nutrients or resisting infection. Men and women are also at risk that exposure to toxic chemicals in the environment can create a hormonal imbalance. Chemicals can mimic estrogen (known as xeno, or foreign, estrogenic compounds) and cause reproductive disorders. So what can we do to help our bodies release these problem-causing toxins? Detoxification

There are many simple ways to detox or cleanse your body in your everyday life. Juice Fasting: Juicing is one of the best ways to detox because it

enables you to get all the nutrients you need without consuming too much, therefore, your body can focus on releasing toxins and not digesting heavy foods. This is a realistic and comfortable way to detox for anyone.

Raw or Vegetarian Diet: Raw foods such as fruit and vegetables are

easily digested and minimize any burden on the body also allowing it to focus on eliminating toxins and healing. (see our previous article on the Vegan Cleanse in the May edition of Kush magazine).

Fasting: Fasting has been practiced by many cultures. Taking a day periodically and drinking only water gives your body a break from working hard and will promote elimination. This may be more difficult for some as it is a more aggressive approach. You may want to check

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with your doctor before fasting if you are taking medication or are in the middle of any kind of treatment.

Sauna: Sweating is a great way to eliminate toxins. Most people have

access to a sauna at a local gym. If you are healthy, you can sit in a sauna a couple of times a week for about 30 minutes. You may need to ease into this as it can take time to build up a tolerance to the heat. Be sure to drink at least 8 ounces of water an hour before you go in and replenish when you get out.

Colonic: A colonic flushes the colon using water. This is a very gentle process that provides a way for your body to eliminate toxic bile.

Exercise: Walking, running, yoga and even dancing can help rid the body of toxins. When you exercise, you actually clean your internal organs. Because you breathe deeply, you take in more oxygen which helps your cells to perform optimally and that includes detoxing.

Dry-Skin Brushing: Dry brushing with strokes toward the heart promotes healthy blood flow, which contributes to the release of toxins. You can purchase a dry brush at most health food stores. You can also find many detox programs available at health food stores and online. These can be very intense for the average person. Many experts feel that it is better to make detoxification a part of your lifestyle rather than participating in a program a couple of times a year.

There are many advantages to detoxing: • Cleaning your kidney, liver and blood • Lose weight • Increased energy • Eliminate excess waste • Younger looking skin • Relieve acne problems • Enhance your immune system Everyone is exposed to toxins. Depending on geography and lifestyle, some people may be exposed to more than others. A few changes in your routine can make a tremendous difference in how you look and feel. And the benefits of detoxification as a preventative measure are priceless. -Elaine is the former host of "The Shape Fitness Show" on 97.1FM and 980AM in Los Angeles. Check out her site at GodaiFit.com

San Francisco exerts a gravitational pull that is a bait trap for the writer, the artist, the curious, and the rambling restless since it’s undulating hills were first spotted by Spanish explorers. In their wake, pirates took up position intent on plunder and good old-fashioned pillaging. Eventually they came fresh faced from the prairies and plains of America, the great expanse of China, and the icy Steppes of Mother Russia. This diverse cacophony blended into a homogenous mixture of gold seekers and adventurers, known as ‘49ers’ who came to sift and pan financial nirvana from the region’s riverbeds. A new explorer set sail on San Francisco’s quirky waters in the 1950s. The Kerouacs, the Ginsbergs, the Cassidys…these were the Beats, and they came to San Francisco to be “down” and “beat” followed by yet another invasion of wanderers and seekers of truth. In the 1960s the rucksack flotsam and jetsam of the nation’s young ran away just to go into orbit around the city, with the intent to get “high and hip” in the Haight. San Francisco is a sexy muse that attracted the cool and the uncool, the sinner and the saint and, at times, the downright scary, to her waiting bosom. Today, the new adventurers come from around the planet, armed not with musket and gold pan, but video recorder and traveler checks. They speak a multitude of dialects from Mandarin to Minnesotan, Bavarian to Bronxian, as they scour the city for palate pleasing restaurants...credit-card-to-the-max shop until you drop sprees in Union Square and, of course, to hit the high tourist spots of Fisherman’s Wharf and the multitude of culturally rich neighborhoods. On this Roadhead Tour du Jour, we’ll leave the trolley cars and souvenir shops far behind and discover the “green” riches of The Bay Area from The Golden Golden Gate Bridge to Golden Gate Park. Your Birkenstocks will walk quietly on silent paths in Muir Woods, and you’ll stand in stoney silence as you gaze down through the fog at the City by the Bay from the awe inspiring heights of Mt. Tamalpais. Now, grab that cheap bottle of port and let’s hit the road! The undisputed signature structure of San Francisco is the Golden Gate Bridge. It labors day in and day out, handling the chaotic volume of commuter traffic that pours into the city on a daily basis, but on a more serene note, you can also walk the expanse and marvel

at the sights and sounds that surround the senses. As structures go, The Golden Gate Bridge is stately, sophisticated and shrouded in a mysterious foggy elegance…it is truly the Katherine Hepburn of bridges. That being the perception, The Bay Bridge, by contrast, is the undisputed heavy metal monster of machismo!! Grey and steely, it not only spans the gap between Oakland and San Francisco, but has an interesting side journey if you exit about midway to Treasure Island!! Named for Robert Louis Stevenson’s famed novel, the island was part of the San Francisco Exposition in the 1930s, and ultimately a port for Yankee Clippers plying the Pacific in the spirit of Bogartian mystery and suspense. Today there is a museum on the grounds, and is the site of the yearly Polynesian Festival, complete with flowered drinks and Hula dancers. It also offers one of the most spectacular dead-on, head-on sea otter views of San Francisco from sea level, and by driving around the back of the former naval base, you’ll find Nash Bridge’s floating office made famous by Don Johnson and Cheech Marin (sorry..couldn’t find the ‘Cuda!)! In “the City” itself you’ll want to take in the “green space” of all “green spaces” on the West Coast by making tracks with your Birkenstocks to Golden Gate Park. As America’s pastoral past gave way to industrialization, a zombie like mechanization gained a strangle hold on urban society and a need for “green” was realized. San Francisco was on the forefront of this movement and a thrifty green thumbed Scotsman, named John McClaren, had by 1890 transformed enough of the area’s sand dunes into a West Coast Garden of Eden, minus the serpent and the apple, and it was the birth of Golden Gate Park. Today Golden Gate Park is home to a cornucopia of activities and attractions from bocce, baseball and basketball to arboreteums, art and aquatic wonders. THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES is home to THE MORRISON PLANETARIUM with it’s one of a kind projector system that brings the heaven’s up close and personal, to it’s Ozzy Osbourne super sized, mindblowing 12 speaker sound system. THE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY is pure Jurassic, complete with dino displays, bones, and a giant bang-a-gong T-Rex! THE AFRICAN HALL will transport you to the savannahs a

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continent away, and WILD CALIFORNIA is a flora and fauna romp through California’s natural past. If you’re in your Capn’ Ahab mode, leave your harpoon at the door, because you won’t find the Great White Whale at the STEINHART AQUARIUM, but you can mix and mingle with 165 tanks containing an aquatically astounding array of 600 species of fish, reptiles and amphibians...alligators, pythons and sharks...oh my! If your tastes favor the artsy over the aquatic, then get in with the art crowd at the M. H. de YOUNG MUSEUM. Built in 1919, it’s a repository of Tiffany glass, El Greco and the famed Laurence Rockefeller Collection. If your aesthetic engine starts redlining on all this art and culture, and the need to touch base with your inner self proves overwhelming, take a kharmic cappuccino break at The Pool of Enchantment...it’s mocha, meditation and mantra, Starbucks style! Gardens not only bloom, but abound throughout the park. Irony can be found in the Japanese Tea Garden, downright Asian, it was designed by a Down Under Aussie in 1894. Paths, ponds and a teahouse accent this foral palette of Asian plants. In 1895 a Japanese gardner, named Makato Hagiwara and family took over the gardens, and somewhere between bonsais and haikus invented the fortune cookie!! Thespians with a floral bent will marvel at the roar of the crowd and the smell of the greasepaint at the Lair of the Bard.... THE GARDEN OF SHAKESPEARE. It is here that Bill’s fans try to “name the work” by identifying 150 plus species of plants and flowers mentioned in his works. If you have trouble identifying them, alas, Poor Yorick knows them well! The Eco-Junkie will get their eco-ecstacy fix by visiting THE CONSERVATORY OF FLOWERS and STRYBING ARBORETEUM. The Conservatory is the architectural twin of London’s Kew Gardens and one of the primo examples of pure Victorian architecture in all of Ess Eff. It’s soaring dome is a hot house home to palm trees, orchids and an assortment of micro-climates from around the world. Strybing Arboreteum began in 1937 as a WPA project and today is 70 acres of 6,000 plant species including cacti and succulents. You can also treat your sense of smell at The Garden of Fragrance where great smelling plants just make good scents! Wanna feel like Ernie Hemmingway? STOW LAKE in the park is a fly fisherman’s paradiso sharing it’s pristine waters with the placid paddle boat and row boat enthusiasts, and you can enjoy an eco-friendly hike 428 feet up to the summit of STRAWBERRY HILL located on an island in the lake that affords a panoramic view of the park, lake

and foliage surrounding the area. You’ll also treat the senses to the natural sounds of water cascading from a quite un-natural artificial waterfall on the Hill. Flashback to the Sixties when you enter THE PANHANDLE. Located at the eastern end of Golden Gate Park and forming somewhat of a northern border to the Haight Ashbury district, this green ribbon was the tie-dyed hangout for free feeds of beans and rice during the Summer of Love. Flatbed trucks would act as portable stages and you could wolf down your styrofoam feast while listening to the music of such notables as the Quicksilver Messenger Service. After you’ve been “peaced” and “loved” to a grateful death by the locals, head on over to THE POLO GROUNDS site of the 1967 spaced out Human Be-In. This cosmic gathering of the spaceship earth featured a high decibel vortex of music, supplied and amplified by The Grateful Dead and The Jefferson Airplane, all punctuated by readings by literate luminaries and other icons such as Jerry Rubin, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and the Captain Kirk of the altered states spaceship, Timothy Leary. Beam us up, Scottie!!! Peaceful calm in San Francisco was shattered in 1906 when a high scale Richter rock and roller of an earthquake shattered buildings, lives and dreams. The terror, noise and screams of the living drowned out by the overwhelming silence of the dead. The city lay in ruins, but not her soul or her spirit. Today, the only official memorial to that historic day of “When Faultlines Attack” is in Golden Gate Park at Lloyd Lake between JFK Drive and Crossover Drive. It’s called THE PORTALS OF THE PAST, but don’t expect too much...it’s a front porch standing alone without a house attached to it!! The park also has a Buffalo Paddock, that is the lone survivor of what was a turn of the century free ranging zoo and there’s also a Don Quioxte like windmill if you feel like doing “the Impossible”!! According to Simon and Garfunkle, “it’s all happening at the zoo,” and in San Francisco that’s certainly the case. Zoos began as an offshoot of the traveling circus that amazed and delighted Victorian and Edwardian audiences alike. The parasol and carriage crowd “ooohed” and “aahhed” at the sight of elephants and the roar of notso-cowardly lions. Soon the big top would pack it up and move on to, say, Peoria and it would be a year until they returned once again. Eventually someone came up the idea of a permanent setting in the urban environs where these exotic creatures could be on display year round and be viewed in a somewhat natural setting. San Fran-

cisco opened it’s zoo’s gates with a star resident named “Monarch,” a rather imposing grizzly bear. Today, it is one of the most “animal friendly” examples of zoos in the world with over 250 species roaming in simulated wild environments. It is also Northern California’s largest zoological park and conservation center. Along with the usual zoo “in-crowd” of lions, giraffes, elephants and chimps, you can be dumbstruck with awe at the antics at the Lipman Lemur Forest and the expanded children’s zoo. The African Savannah Exhibit where animals indigenous to that region mix, mingle and network like a group of stockbrokers at happy hour. Eco-mania and animalia can be pretty heady stuff, so when you want a break, you can contemplate the chimpanzees over a latte at The Leaping Lemur Cafe. San Francisco, being as culturally aware as few other places on earth, has found a way to combine monkeys and Monet with a full fledged art display at the zoo as well as the beautifully restored Dentzel Carousel, a work of art in it’s own right. The zoo itself and its close proximity to the magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean make this one of the definite “must sees” in Ess Eff. Muir Woods stands tall and proud as the undisputed coniferous crown jewel of the Redwood Empire. Magnificent and majestic, these towering giants dwarf miniscule mankind in their mystical shadow. Their leafy crowns and canopies seem to penetrate the heavens as they stand erect and proud as rulers of their particular realm. The Miwok Indians who originally dwelled in these forests must have marveled much as we do today at the sheer size of these botanical creations. Miwoks, Spanish explorers and 49ers....there goes the neighborhood!! Combine all that growth with the advent of the automobile and by 1908, an already crowded region would be visited by the first motorized tourista!! The forest itself was not restricted in those days and the autos raced through the trees with the reckless abandon of a go-kart track. Much damage was being done and finally, in 1924, the infernal internal combustion engine was banned from the forest free for all, along with picnicking, and rock and plant collecting. Today Muir Woods has ample parking for the throngs of tree-curious who visit from around the globe. The cacophony of accents blending melodiously with the symphony of the stellar jays and warblers that inhabit this serene setting seem straight from ”the Shire.” Asphalt pathways meander through the forest cathedral of giants, crossing streams, cool and clear, where at any moment you could stand face

to face with one of the many black tail deer that inhabit the woodland. The redwood eco-system also gives nourishment and shelter to a variety of owls, bats, reptilia and amphibia. Bootjack Trail is off the beaten path and is an opportunity to leave the tourist far behind as you ascend the pathway along crystalline waterfalls and make your way on foot towards Mt. Tamalpais. Muir Woods is more than a golden grove of giant growth...it’s a fitting monument and tribute to the father of modern conservation, John Muir. In Marin County, eco-tourism is a true double feature. After looking up to the lofty crowns of giant redwoods, you can look down for a spectacular view of the Golden City from the 2,571-foot summit of Tamalpais. On a clear day even the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevadas can be seen from this ring side seat to the heavens. San Francisco grew in size following the Gold Rush. As overcrowding became unbearable residents of the Bay Area sought escape by getting away from it all on Mt. Tam. Wagons breaking down on the way up was the norm and it was not a pleasant journey on the whole. Eventually, a small scale railway was built to carry the locals to the top of Tam, and in time, the twisting, serpentine route became known as the “crookedest railroad in the world.” The railway was abandoned after a devastating fire in 1930. Today it’s a low gear cruise to the top, and Mt. Tam is tops with the multi-gear mountain bike crowd, who ascend and descend the mountain with the fervor and excitement of sailors rounding Cape Horn for the first time. Hikers will find a 6,300 acre walkers paradise with over 50 miles of trails...each with a view!! Hang gliders soar silently enjoying their eagles view of the Bay Area...urban architecture and Pacific fog covering the canvas to create a one of a kind work of art. The park also has a picnic area for the less rustically minded and you’ll find the Visitor Center at the East Summit. The Birkenstock Kingdom has it’s fair share of hiking and hangliding opportunities as well as mountain biking and rollerblading. Vistas and views dot the landscape from Coit Tower to Twin Peaks and nothing can match the ambiance of sitting silently on the wind kissed cliffs and watching the sun set and the fog roll in like soft silk. Birkenstock warriors will find that the Golden Gate is pretty green after all.

Have you been called a “99er” lately (Google it…)? Have you found yourself picking through trashcans to get recycling money? Maybe you’ve applied for an EBT card recently, just so you can eat? Man, times are definitely tough, and seem to be getting tougher. They’ve got us in the habit of paying close to $4.00 per gallon, and before you know it, it will be $5.00. The price of everyday necessities have skyrocketed, and if you’re fortunate enough to have health care, you should thank your lucky stars. 9.2% of Californians are not working - college tuition is at an all-time high - and let’s face it, getting by in today’s day and age isn’t getting any easier. If any of these recent hardships have fallen upon you, then spending a night out (or any amount of money frivolously) on entertainment and good times may be well outside of your comfort zone. Well, KUSH magazine (aside from still being free) is thinking of you and your ailing pocketbook. We have comprised a comprehensive list of FREE concerts and events in the Bay Area and Northern California region, specifically with you (well, and some of us) in mind. And hey, who knows, by getting out and off the couch, you might just meet someone, make a connection, get a lead, land a job, or at least socialize in your local area. Remember…networking is half the battle, so spark one up and relax… we got you covered:

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1. People in Plazas

According to their website, “Our mission is to activate urban open spaces through events which generate social congregation. Our aim is to bring these spaces to the status of ‘everybody’s neighborhood.’” And they’re doing it! People in Plazas is now providing over 500 paid gigs to local musicians covering everything from jazz to blues to salsa, swing, R&B and beyond at various venues throughout the city. The best part, they’re scheudeld around your lunch break. For a full lineup and schedule, head over to PeopleInPlazas.org

2. The Golden Gate Park Band

Their free summer concerts have been a staple of the park and the Bay Area for years. Catch them every Sunday afternoon, beginning at 1pm, at the Bandstand in the Music Concourse. This years program, which runs through October 9 is centered around various nationalities and cultures, and includes special performances by dancers, singers, and performers from across the board. Sunshine, parks, grass, picnics, and free live music - a pretty Kush way to spend a Sunday afternoon. (Golden Gate Park, Spreckles Temple of Music, Music Concourse at Ninth Ave and Lincoln Way, San Francisco; GoldenGateParkBand.org)

3. Stern Grove Festival

Now in its 74th season, The Stern Grove Festival has proven to be one of the city’s favorite annual events! The admission-free performing arts series, located in Sigmund Stern Grove, the beautiful eucalyptus tree walled outdoor venue, has seen everyone from Roberta Flack and Joan Baez to Tabla Beat Science grace it’s stage. This year has already seen Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings as well as Neko Case, and among those still slated to perform are Aaron Neville, Luisa Maita, and the San Francisco Opera. So grab your folding chairs and beach umbrellas, check the full schedule and information at the site, and we’ll see you on Sunday at the Grove. (Sundays through August in Sigmund Stern Grove, 19th Ave and Sloat Blvd, San Francisco; SternGrove.org)

4. The Music on The Square Summer Concert Series

If you live in or around Redwood City, then you may have attended one of these great shows already. If not, get hip to this FREE weekly concert series running throughout the summer. With twenty-three free shows on the list, this Friday night staple makes it really easy to plan your weekend. With top-notch tribute bands covering everyone from Johnny Cash to Santana to Michael Jackson, Tower of Power, and beyond, it’s hard to find an excuse NOT to attend. (Fridays 6-8pm through October 7; Courthouse Square, 2200 Broadway Street, Redwood City; RedwoodCity.org)

5. The Waterfront at Suisun City

With its touch of Cape Cod charm, restaurants, shopping, and activities, the Waterfront makes for a great day, or weekend trip. Lunch by the bay, and free music, movies, and drinks by night. The ‘Friday Nights At The Waterfront’ series, which throws down a little bit of everything from rock to dance to disco to country, runs through the end of August. Additionally, the same location offers Free Movie Saturdays, every Saturday night, and cap off the weekend with the ‘Waterfront Jazz Series’ on Sunday afternoons. (The Waterfront at Main Street and Solano Street, Suisun City, CA; SuisunWaterfront.com). -We at KUSH magazine understand that in these hard times, while we must help each other and stay informed, we must also balance that out with some rest and relaxation. We hope these events help you get through the hard times, so get out there, enjoy the rest of your summer, and remember…the best things in life are free!

Ray Mickshaw/FX

by Cheryl Shuman and Wasim Muklashy

Ok…the secret is out…product placement has become an almost integral piece of the ever-evolving marketing puzzle that our great country’s entire economic standing has very consciously propped itself up upon. There’s no getting around it and there’s no longer even an attempt at hiding it. From the ever-present GMCs in Michael Bay’s Transformers dynasty and the blatant Coca-Cola vending machines in the final shoot-em-up sequence in Zombieland (not to mention Woody Harrelson’s shameless search for Hostess Twinkies) to the Dodge Chargers in the wildly popular Grand Theft Auto video games and EA Sports’ all too obvious affairs with everyone from Snickers to Casio and beyond. While the practice itself isn’t all that new, and the idea isn’t exactly revolutionary (heck, some of the earliest examples date back to the publication of Jules Vernes’ 1873 classic “Around The World In 80 Days” in which he craftily named various shipping companies throughout the prose, as well as 1927’s Academy Award Winner for Best Picture, the silent film ‘Wings,’ which included a plug for Hershey’s), it has certainly become a much more present, almost vital, part of the machine for every venture from films to video games to publications and beyond. Everything from funding to promotional tieins…the whole nine… Marketing, advertising, repetition, exposure, and repetition. We’ve seen soft drinks (American Idol’s carefully placed Coke cups), tech companies (“The Social Network’s” not-so-subtle Sony Vaio fetish), fast food restaurants (The “Need for Speed” video game franchise’s obsession with Burger King), clothing and sporting goods manufacturers (Marty McFly’s Nike fascination anyone?), alcohol (Red Stripe in “The Firm,” Finlandia Vodka in Bond’s “Die Another Day”).

Or so we thought. One thing that has remained taboo enough to carry a ‘promote at your own risk’ tag almost wherever it popped up, was our beloved mary jane. Granted, we’ve seen countless stoner flicks and shows that make absolutely no attempt to hide the fact that they’re, well, stoner flicks and shows… everything from Dave Chappelle’s “Half-Baked” to “Pineapple Express,” and the weed-centric Showtime hit “Weeds,” but we have yet to see conscious brand product placement of cannabis related products, companies, and organizations come anywhere near the mainstream media. This, however, is beginning to change, keeping in line with the evolving perceptions of the medicine across our great land.

Ray Mickshaw/FX

Heck, we’ve seen it all!

There’s no point, other than re-affirmation (and context), in pointing out that these United States have, in recent decades, become the hotbed of marijuana reform and, in a sense, re-branding. It takes a lot of work to unravel decades of misinformation and propaganda, but as evidenced by 17 states, and many more following suit in coming elections, the prevailing attitudes towards marijuana, especially on the medical side, are shifting. The pendulum is in mid-swing from the confines of a prohibition, fear based norm, to more open and medically sanctioned prairies. Seeing as how the acceptance of medical marijuana and the brands and products associated with it is becoming more and more mainstream by the state, so is the idea of promoting it through both conventional and non-conventional channels. And as the nation’s premier cannabis lifestyle magazine, Kush magazine recently proudly found itself at the throes of this quiet, yet powerful revolution… Enter David Zuckerman…Hollywood uber-producer/writer who possesses a resume that includes Family Guy, King of the Hill, and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Last summer, Cheryl Shuman, Kush Magazine’s Director of Celebrity, Media,

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and Public Relations, received a call from old friend Zuckerman, asking if he could “borrow” several large live cannabis plants from her personal garden for a new television pilot he was shooting. He went on to explain: FX Networks had approached Zuckerman to adapt a critically acclaimed Australian series for American eyes. This was no small task. Wilfred is a half-hour, live-action comedy about ‘Ryan,’ a young man played by Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Happy Feet) struggling unsuccessfully to make his way in the world until he forms a unique friendship with "Wilfred," his neighbor’s canine pet, played by Jason Gann, who co-created and starred in the original Australian series. The premise goes a bit like this - everyone else sees Wilfred as just a dog, but Ryan sees a crude and somewhat surly, yet irrepressibly brave and honest Australian bloke in a cheap dog suit. While leading him through a series of comedic and existential adventures, Wilfred the dog shows Ryan the man how to overcome his fears and joyfully embrace the unpredictability and insanity of the world around him. While absolutely intrigued by the story, Zuckerman had to wonder how he was going to take an overseas success and make it America’s own - especially considering an underlying storyline that we have yet to mention…Wilfred smokes marijuana. A lot of it. Yes, Wilfred, the dog… eh…person, smokes pot. So, based on this story vein, he figured why not use the country’s burgeoning medical marijuana movement’s accolades as a fresh angle to the American version of the show. And this, our loyal readers, is where Kush came into play. While the network’s legal department shot down the idea of using real plants for the pilot, Cheryl’s integral role was only just about to be discovered. David’s sister and Cheryl’s close friend Dori gave her a call. “Remember when you did the product placement for my Karma Dolls? I have a huge project for you and we need this done yesterday! You’re the only person for the job!” “Wilfred” needed an entire “medical marijuana patient collective” built from the ground up within the next 48 hours - complete with medicine, accessories, edibles, publications, wall decorations…basically, the whole enchilada! Cheryl was none too happy to jump back into the entertainment community that had provided her with so much success before her harrowing and welldocumented battle with cancer led her to become a full-time activist for

medical marijuana. She was feeling better…and she was back! This was the perfect opportunity to combine her two passions into one united project. Needless to say, Cheryl immediately jumped into action. After consulting with the Kush team, a plan was hatched. A cross-section of Kush Magazine’s advertisers and clients and KushCon exhibitors were contacted, ideas and products were gathered, and the doors to an opportunity to prominently display medical marijuana in its fully glory were wide open before us. The movers and shakers behind this 1.7 billion dollar industry, which is still, in many a sense, at its infancy, are getting their first real micro-taste of mainstream media advertising. CaliVapor and Vortex water pipes (who had already experienced an appetizer of TV success in Showtime’s “Weeds,”) filled the accessories category, Bhang Chocolates took care of the edibles, Dope on a Roap Soap, Doob Tubes, and Green Clean & Gack Attack provided ancillary products, Greta Gaines CDs provided the music, and even Henry Hemp’s infamous foam leaf hat was on display. And, of course, prominently spattered about the space were copies of Kush Magazine and numerous framed iconic Kush Centerfolds. “This green revolution is happening all over the country,” explains Davyd Field, owner of Vortex Water Pipes. “TV shows like Wilfred carry the movement into the living rooms of people across the country.” And it’s because of the efforts of deeply impassioned and dedicated activists like Cheryl Shuman that these opportunities are becoming more readily available. “Her deep passion for the medical marijuana industry is evident in every aspect of her professional life.” “Cheryl has been an absolute pleasure to work with. Her knowledge and passion is electric and contagious,” expresses Chris Boden, President of CaliVapor. “When Cheryl first asked us to get involved with FX’s ‘Wilfred’ we were ecstatic.” “She has been able to open the doors to great marketing opportunities, but also helped shed light on using that marketing to help promote and further the MMJ cause,” adds Bhang Chocolate’s Scott J. Van Rixel. “This raised bar has opened new doors.” Who would have thought…words like sativa, indica, Kush...would be part of everyday dinner conversation? A household name? A legitimate brand? A prime-time television show? What next? How about decriminalization… Now, there’s a thought...

From left to right: Wilfred (Jason Gann), Cheryl Shuman, Elijah Wood, and David Zuckerman

Since forming in 2008, Rival Sons has busted through the gate, blasting their fresh take on blues to audiences across the globe. They have the fever of a strong, young band of this contemporary era, with the soul and gritty depth of Muddy Waters. More than any other genre or classification of music, blues-heavy rock has maintained its sound through the generations. While you could trace its origins as far back as you want (even cavemen sang the blues), once Muddy Waters helped pioneer the modern sound of the blues in the 60s, those most successful blues acts have typically kept the same basic format...one that has held up over time. The good modern blues acts play it well, and keep the tonic feeling like new every time they pass it around. Rolling Stones and Credence Clearwater Revival made blues even cooler; Clutch pioneered a harder edge to the blues; now we have Black Keys and Jack White bringing a New Millennium sensibility to the arena. This is where Rival Sons have stepped in, to take the reigns with the best blues record of the year, Pressure & Time. Indeed, Rival Sons sounds a lot like the hard, rockin’ blues of old, but with a modern flavor. The SOUL of their music resonates powerfully through the 10 tracks, and while on the surface you could imagine this being played live in some Chicago bar in 1963, the spirit of the music is sheer 2011.

“I think what remains the same is the blues,” says drummer Mike Miley. “The sounds change by the people who play the instruments, and what amps they're playing through. The Black Keys are playing through old gear; Jack White is playing through old gear. It's those tones from the 50s and 60s that are the best.” To maintain the raw, urgent feel necessary for a good blues record, Rival Sons recorded Pressure & Time in 20 days, from scratch. “We wrote, recorded, mixed, mastered it in 20 days,” Miley tells us. “We wrote a song a day, recorded it.” However, unlike similar experiments in the past - like when Neil Young and Crazy Horse went into the studio in 1973 to record Tonight's The Night, with no practice and tons of booze and weed - Rival Sons took a more calculated approach to this record. As Miley puts it, “We really didn't really coop ourselves up. We went in fresh. We wanted it to be visceral; we intentionally went into the studio without any put-together songs, to keep that kind of fresh, alive quality to it. To us, that's kind of the backbone to rock & roll, it's loose and from the gut.”

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Of course, this is not to say they didn't party a little bit while making the record. They're rockstars! Of COURSE there was that delicate balance! Miley laughs in agreement, “I'd say every night, probably was nightcapped with a joint or five.” Miley points out the realities and joys marijuana brings to music. Marijuana “opened up my entire brain a whole new world. My first year in college, I had a roommate in college, one of my best friends, who turned me on to Yes, Jimi Hendrix, Grateful Dead, all these psychedelic bands that I had heard before, but never with the ears I had after I started smoking weed. Music comes alive on weed, man! “People just have to admit it: music sounds a lot better, from a piano concerto to Grateful Dead live at Hampton Theater in 1979, to Topographic Oceans by Yes. They all come alive when you've smoked a bowl. “Weed - or intoxication in general - has been attached to music since the inception of western music, which was around in the 15th Century. I know Beethoven and Mozart and all those guys were taking something. The idea of being high and listening, writing, composing, playing music high, is a godsend. It's definitely a gift from nature…I mean, I'm all for it. We could make aspirin out of it, it's the strongest fiber on the planet, we can make paper (and end deforestation). There's so much we can do with weed, so I'm all for legalization.” Miley adds that it's the propaganda that has kept cannabis illegal for so long. “Initially it was propaganda, and it was pounded into the American psyche, leading up to the illegalization in 1937. With William Randolph Hearst, all the Chicago banks and those people that were lobbying for it...that was the main thing. And it just got ingrained into the American psyche, kind of like the Russians, we're all still kind of afraid of the Russians, even after the Cold War's over for like 20 years. “Propaganda is a really powerful tool. If you're a part of NORML or any of these organizations that are for the legalization, you're just some dumb hippie. There are some really smart people that are behind the marijuana legalization movement, but they don't get the voice because of the propaganda machine, FOX News, Republicans, all of them.

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“What's funny, though, is I know so many people that are Republican, and they smoke weed. But the Republicans that are in office are really against it. And even the Democrats too, they're a bunch of pu***s, they can't get behind it. “I think Dennis Kucinich is like one of the only politicians that's cool with it. He's rad: he's vegan, he's got a hot model wife, he's a rad dude, man. I love Kucinich; every time he's in the primaries, I vote for him.” As the band is currently touring Europe, Miley's access to marijuana is somewhat limited...but not devastated. “There's somebody in every town, every city, every place, every festival or whatever, somebody’s got weed. It's funny to see the different kinds of weed. You meet connoisseurs, and then you meet some dude who just has shake in a bag and wants to roll a joint for you. We'll be in the Netherlands on Friday...but so far, in Europe, I haven't seen really great, great weed.” While they're enjoying playing gigs on the other side of the pond, Miley already has plans for his return to Southern California. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything better than California…first, I'm going to get a New York Sour Diesel and a Master Kush, so that I have a daytime and a nighttime. Maybe some Blue Dream, but New York Sour Diesel has never done me wrong, and it's a great, creative high. I want to write poetry, I want to practice my drums, I want to vacuum the house. “The Master/OG Kush are great for when you're winding down your day. But I can't talk when I'm on indicas, my speech goes out the window pretty much, so I reserve that for nighttime. Or after a show, a good indica gives a good body high after a show, it kind of helps the body unwind. With my arms- being the drummer - I'm really wound up after playing.” Then he nods, “You always gotta have some good Kush in your stash.” __ Jake McGee is the editor in chief of Kotori Magazine (www. kotorimagazine.com), an online arts/culture/politics venue. His work has appeared in sundry outlets, from Associated Press to Village Voice to Modern Dog Magazine, and everything in between.

At a time in human history when the “British Empire” existed, part of the land grab was India. The British occupied the country, massed thousands of regular Army troops on Indian soil and installed a form of governance titled the British Raj. The British ran India, all of it. The Medical College of Calcutta was no exception. Supplementing and administering Indian trained doctors were physicians sent from the British Isles to care for British subjects and, as doctors anywhere do, also care for their local, in this case, Indian “subjects.” One physician so detailed to Calcutta was a young Irish doctor, William B. O’Shaughnessy (1808-1889). His tour of duty was to change what was then modern medicine and ultimately he will have changed our modern medical approach to health as well. He was educated at the University of Edinburgh, graduating with an MD degree in 1829. O’Shaughnessy may have been young but he was smart and inquisitive and a man of many talents. In 1831 he discovered the fluid electrolyte treatment for cholera. Eight years later, he discovered for the European world therapeutic cannabis. Cholera kills by dehydrating the patient by the processes of vomiting and diarrhea until fatal. The electrolyte treatment was a major step in overcoming the dehydration but many patients still died. In India he observed that local physicians, both Hindu and Mohammedan scholars, used a cannabis product to halt the dehydration and increase survival. His past research experience he put into play again. Ever cautious he experimented with a variety of hemp preparations on various animals and

concluded that cannabis was not toxic to them. From this, he theorized that it would not be toxic to humans either. He was right. In 1973 Dr. Tod Mikuriya wrote, “O’Shaughnessy successfully relieved the pain of rheumatism and stilled the convulsions of an infant with this strange new drug. His most spectacular success came, however, when he quelled the wrenching muscle spasms of tetanus and rabies with the fragrant resin.” When word reached London in 1840 that a drug had been found that could save a cholera victim from death the island rejoiced. The London Times proclaimed cannabis a “miracle drug.” It was now understood that cannabis was an antiemetic in Europe while other parts of the world had understood that action of the cannabis plant for centuries. Today the antiemetic (deters vomiting) properties of cannabis are well understood by oncology nurses, physicians and patients who are involved in chemotherapy treatment. The knowledge of cannabis then seems much like today. Parts of humanity knew about and used cannabis for a variety of ailments in the 1800s while others either ignored or simply were unaware of its healing traits. In 2011, under federal U.S. law, cannabis is prohibited for any purpose, including, by default, the elimination of human suffering. As of this writing, a whole tincture of the cannabis plant is used in 23 countries around the globe. The product is called Sativex ® and has been developed and produced in – Britain. In the U.S., cannabis has been declared by government ideologues at both the state and federal levels as having no medical value. None. The rest of the world is wrong and the US is right. It’s sort of like saying my god is the right one and your god sucks. But there is irony on display.

Aidan Hampson was the lead author on a U.S. patent, “Cannabinoids as Antioxidants and Neuroprotectants.” The assignee on the patent was Hampson’s employer, “The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services.” Between 1840 and 1900 in Europe and North America, over 100 articles about the therapeutic value of cannabis were published. In the U.S. major pharmaceutical companies, Parke-Davis and Eli Lilly among them, produced medicinal “Cannabis Americana” for men, women and children. Cannabis became a staple for animals suffering from colic. Then came the 1930s. And with the 1930s came “Reefer Madness.” Cannabis was kidnapped, held hostage, and renamed marijuana and marijuana became prohibited. All a deception, all a lie and all based on ignorance stemming from the powerful Hearst and DuPont lobbies against hemp production, which was beginning to be more and more efficient, in effect threatening their own business empires. Now, cannabis researchers around the world are disparaged by pundits and U.S. federal government propagandists. The unenlightened talking heads, placed on your TV screen by the funds that paid for advertisements of pharmaceuticals that kill your liver or make your nose fall off, never talk of O’Shaughnessy and the thousands he saved giving them cannabis; of the research he spawned that led to the discovery of cannabinoid receptors in all animals; and the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) that world-wide science has recently discovered. Far from being maligned as a quack, O’Shaughnessy would later be knighted by Queen Victoria for yet another major accomplishment, the establishment of a telegraph system in India. Yesterday I listened to our President say that as far as decisions about same sex marriage, the states should decide. I can’t quote him but he left the room with me believing that the President thought that decisions that are totally personal, like who you can love, should be a decision made by citizens that are not elected to the federal level of authority and that these “same sex” folks should enjoy freedom of choice and the equal benefits of citizenry. I agree. So why are the states and DC, which have reinstalled cannabis into their medical pharmacopeia, being harassed, their citizens jailed, their patients denied a medicine? Why aren’t the people of our states and territories able to decide about their personal health as they can with whom love and marry, Mr. President? Doctors and nurses in the U.S., Israel, Spain, Canada and more have and are leading patients and their health care peers into the 1840s again. An excellent source of the current medical findings about medicinal cannabis use is “O’Shaughnessy’s” The Journal of Cannabis in Clinical Practice, a newspaper that is published in California as necessary to update current cannabis research from all countries. The journal began in 2003 and should be required reading for every employee of every cannabis dispensary in the US. It summarizes in detail the numerous advancements in therapeutic cannabis knowledge with experts commenting on and explaining results from around the world.

neuroprotective, analgesic, appetite stimulant, relaxant, anxiolytic, antipsychotic, and more. The historical medical texts of multiple cultures, some far richer in community and altruism than our present society, ages old and spread over four continents all found cannabis a reliable, gentle, medicine. Aspirin, derived from another plant, the willow tree, only made its appearance in the 1880s. Before the age of pharmaceuticals, humans used cannabis and other natural herbs exclusively. I have a hard time imagining what the naysayers of herbal medicine are thinking when they decry herbal treatment. How do they think the human race got here? What do they think our fore-bearers used to survive the diseases and traumas of the past? In the early 1900s U.S., cannabis was the most prescribed medicine. The tinctures, salves, cigarettes and patches containing cannabis were available in every pharmacy in the country dispensed by doctors without worry of overdose or toxicity. Medical school courses on therapeutic cannabis use were as prevalent as instruction on washing your hands for cleanliness. Nursing manuals emphasized cannabis safety and it’s far ranging usefulness. I may have missed it but some 20 years after the discovery of receptors in the human body for cannabis compounds, some 15 years after the discovery of the endocannabinoid system that is responsible for homeostasis, there is not a medical school or nursing school in the US that even mentions the ECS in its educational curricula. For nurses that’s four years of school, for MDs about 8. Not a word about cannabis. Instead they learn about marijuana as a drug of abuse. Did W. B. O’Shaughnessy, MD make an error? Did the British troops he saved just get lucky? Were his Indian medical cohorts delusional? Did humans survive in India for centuries before the British showed up using “bhang” because their physiological make up is different from ours now? No. What is delusional is the current debate flowing through our political class about using cannabis medically that bases its “talking points” not on validated science and clinical success, but rather the warped and avaricious greed of pharmaceutical companies, law enforcement cabals sustained by a pogrom on cannabis patients and recreational users, and other drug companies such as Seagram’s and Coors. Dr. O’Shaughnessy would be appalled I think by the behavior of his peers in medicine in this modern era. He did the work, he found an answer, he told the world that he lived in and that world felt relief and hope from a relentless list of killers. Most of his modern medical peers stand dumb to that knowledge and those results. The US government can continue to try to change history and censor old knowledge but the world is waking up to the new science that supports cannabis as medicine. We need to build on the old knowledge of O’Shaughnessy and allow the “wonder drug” to do it’s healing. Al Byrne for Patients Out of Time

Why cannabis worked on hydrophobia or stilled tetanus was not a concern on 1840 London. It worked and did no harm. A wonder drug indeed. In 21st century medicine, with the discovery of the endocannabinoid system, it once again looks like cannabis is a wonder drug. The cannabinoids found in the plant have an assortment of therapeutic properties such as: anti-inflammatory, antiemetic, antioxidant, antibiotic,

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ix months after the Haag Memo caused widespread confusion regarding the Obama administration’s stance on medical marijuana and initiated a wave of dispensary raids across the country, the long-awaited clarification memo has finally been handed down from the Justice Department. And it isn’t good news. Not only does the clarification memo fail to protect state-compliant, non-profit dispensaries that grow medicine on behalf of their patients, it makes dispensaries fair game for prosecutors by categorizing them as commercial enterprises and disavowing their non-profit status. From 2009 until the beginning of this year, the medical marijuana industry had been operating under the guidance of the Ogden Memo, which, as evidenced by the explosion of dispensaries that popped up soon after its release, many in the movement interpreted as a “handsoff” policy on the part of the Obama administration. But contrary to popular assumption, while the Ogden Memo explicitly condemned for-profit commercial enterprises, it never actually protected or even mentioned non-profit commercial enterprises, which dispensaries whose prices are often listed as donations - are generally considered to be. Still, the Ogden Memo stated that “prosecution of individuals with cancer or other serious illnesses who use marijuana as part of a recommended treatment regimen consistent with applicable state law, or those caregivers in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state law who provide such individuals with marijuana, is unlikely to be an efficient use of limited federal resources” (italics added). This caregiver clause left the door open for implicit acceptance of dispensaries - particularly since states typically grant dispensary owners the right to grow medicine on behalf of their patients - and an air of federal legitimacy was created in the grey area in which dispensaries have long survived. With the release of this policy-setting clarification memo, however, caregivers are defined as individuals, not commercial operations. Dispensaries are thus definitively excluded as caregivers, meaning the grey area just became more black and white, and providing medicine to patients has reverted to a federally intolerable act. In so doing, and by omitting the non-profit aspect of commercial distribution, the clarification memo lumps dispensaries in the same category as industrial, for-profit mega grows, and insinuates that such mega grows - and, by extension, medical marijuana dispensaries - are operating under a false pretext of medical marijuana (which, in most states, is required to be non-profit). “There has been an increase in the scope of commercial cultivation, sale, distribution and use of marijuana for purported medical purposes,” the clarification memo states. “For example… multiple large-scale, privately-operated industrial marijuana cultivation centers. Some of these planned facilities have revenue projections of millions of dollars based on the planned cultivation of tens of thousands of cannabis plants. The Ogden Memorandum was never intended to shield such activities from federal enforcement action and prosecution, even where those activities purport to comply with state law. Persons who are in the business of cultivating, selling or distributing marijuana, and those who knowingly facilitate such activities, are in violation of the Controlled Substances Act, regardless of state law,” the new memo says (italics added). But every state-compliant, non-profit medical marijuana dispensary is, by definition, in the business of distributing marijuana; the ramifications of this federal clarification are therefore grave. Contradicting the Ogden Memo, the clarification memo states that these groups will not be tolerated, even if they are in compliance with state law. And since most patients rely on dispensaries to grow and distribute their medicine, this shift in federal policy equates to patients’ safe access being severely jeopardized.

Although one would be remiss to suggest that the Ogden memo represented a “hands-off” policy on medical marijuana, it certainly seems that we are now witnessing something akin to a “gloves are off” policy. Granted, federal prosecution of medical marijuana dispensaries never ceased even with the release of the Ogden Memo. In fact, the number of raids carried out in just the first two years of Obama’s presidency amounts to double the raids executed under the entire eight-year Bush administration. Nevertheless, since February, threats and raids have been dramatically on the rise. If the Ogden Memo reflected a somewhat sympathetic stance of the Justice Department in 2009, what prompted the current shift in policy, and what’s behind the recent spate of federal raids on medical marijuana dispensaries across the country? Over the past few months, several federal prosecutors have sent threatening letters to officials in eight medical marijuana states - Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Washington - prompting at least one of them - Washington’s Governor Chris Gregoire - to veto a voter initiative that would have allowed dispensaries for the first time since the state legalized medicinal use of the plant in 1998. What provoked this new wave of hostility? The answer is shockingly ironic. The 2009 Ogden Memo, which set official federal policy, came directly from the US Attorney General’s office, and was sent to federal prosecutors in all 50 states. Although the Memo essentially called for respect of state medical marijuana laws, it could not demand it, because ever since 9/11, federal prosecutors have been given the broadest discretion in the exercise of their authority. Still, more than a year passed in relative calm, until February of this year. That’s when a letter that became known as the Haag Memo was released, not directly from the Obama administration’s Department of Justice, as the Ogden Memo was, but from the San Francisco office of Melinda Haag, US Attorney for the Northern California district. Vowing to “enforce the CSA [Controlled Substances Act] vigorously against individuals and organizations that participate in unlawful manufacturing and distribution activity involving marijuana, even if such activities are permitted under state law,” the Haag Memo was widely, though not necessarily correctly, considered to clarify the Ogden Memo. It has since emboldened federal prosecutors throughout the nation to compose similarly threatening letters directed at state officials in fully half the country’s medical marijuana states, causing many to reconsider or even change their medical marijuana laws. Only four days after the Haag Memo was released, the DEA raided several dispensaries in California, followed by more than two-dozen raids in Montana. But after the long period of the Justice Department’s tacit acceptance of medical marijuana, what prompted the Haag Memo? This is where the irony sets in. The Haag Memo was not an unsolicited threat to a state that was quietly complying with its medical marijuana laws. On the contrary, it was a very directly solicited threat, to a city that was blatantly attempting to contravene state medical marijuana law. A little-publicized fact is that the Haag Memo was issued in response to a letter written by John A. Russo, Esq., Oakland’s City Attorney, on behalf of the Oakland City Council. In his letter, Russo informed the US Attorney that Oakland had approved a licensing scheme that would allow for the creation of four industrial, corporate marijuana “mega grows,” and essentially asked Haag for clarification on the law surrounding this idea. The Haag Memo—which served as a template for other federal prosecutors to send similar pugnacious letters to state officials, and which prompted the call for federal clarification that is poised to prove detrimental to the medical marijuana movement—is her response.

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Mega grows came into public consciousness with last year’s Prop. 19 initiative to tax and regulate recreational cannabis. Jeff Wilcox, retired businessman who sat on the steering committee for the failed initiative, had a very ambitious plan to supply a large segment of the California population with recreational and medical marijuana if Prop. 19 were to pass. Whereas the state’s medical marijuana industry is mandated to be non-profit, Wilcox was repeatedly quoted in major media sources as acknowledging that he intended to bring some “corporate structure” to the marijuana industry, and that his mega grow’s expected profit margin was “extremely high.” Furthermore, this venture into the corporatization of cannabis was projected to make $59 million a year off producing a mind-boggling 58 pounds of marijuana per day. When the clarification memo denounces “large-scale, privately-operated industrial marijuana cultivation centers… [that] have revenue projections of millions of dollars based on the planned cultivation of tens of thousands of cannabis plants,” it’s referring to Oakland’s proposed mega grows. This industrial marijuana scheme was a clear departure from medical marijuana’s non-profit—and thus, tolerated—roots, and, as we will see later, it was also a flagrant violation of the Ogden Memo’s fragile truce. According to Wilcox, he landed a seat on the Prop. 19 steering committee when he approached Richard Lee, bankroller and mastermind behind the initiative, with “a check for $10,000 and said, ‘I want in on anything I can do.’” (Some news sources say he later doubled that donation.) He hired a lobbyist, made some strategic political donations, and won over City Council in spite of strong resistance from statecompliant medical marijuana growers whose livelihood depended on supplying the Oakland market. Marijuana activists perceived the ordinance - which prohibited any other collective indoor grows over 96 square feet and was adopted alongside a resolution that demanded a crackdown on “unregulated” (not “illegal”) small grows - as creating a monopoly. The entire Prop. 19 team - which mostly consisted of millionaire Richard Lee (co-author), Jeff Jones (co-author), and Dale Sky Claire Jones (official spokesperson and Jones’s wife) - loudly endorsed for-profit mega grows, with Jeff Jones telling the New York Times, “It’s big business; you’re talking about manufacturing gold.”

marijuana law. Still, City Council insisted that Russo write a letter detailing Oakland’s plans to California US Attorney Haag, asking for guidance on how to proceed with what was very obviously a plan to industrialize, corporatize, and capitalize on cannabis under the false pretext of a non-profit medical marijuana model. And they roused a sleeping dragon. The letter that Haag wrote in response was in some ways a definite departure from the Ogden Memo. But, as regards for-profit grow operations masquerading as non-profit medical organizations, it actually echoed what the Ogden Memo said in 2009: “[N]othing herein precludes investigation or prosecution where there is a reasonable basis to believe that compliance with state law is being invoked as a pretext for the production or distribution of marijuana for purposes not authorized by state law.” Since California does not authorize for-profit marijuana manufacture and distribution, and since Oakland’s mega-grow scheme was clearly intended to be a for-profit venture, Haag’s response on that point was not inconsistent with the Ogden Memo. The Ogden Memo further reinforces its stance against for-profit marijuana dispensaries in its principle statement: “[P]rosecution of individuals with cancer or other serious illnesses who use marijuana as part of a recommended treatment regimen consistent with applicable state law, or those caregivers in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state law who provide such individuals with marijuana, is unlikely to be an efficient use of limited federal resources. On the other hand, prosecution of commercial enterprises that unlawfully market and sell marijuana for profit continues to be an enforcement priority of the Department” (italics added). The Ogden Memo even clarifies that one characteristic of conduct that is not in clear and unambiguous compliance with state law would be “financial gains or excessive amounts of cash inconsistent with purported compliance with state or local law”—a category that Wilcox’s proposed $59 million mega grow unquestionably falls under.

Four months before Prop. 19 would fail, when the Oakland City Council approved his mega grow proposal, a cocksure Wilcox boasted, “In essence, you could say big business is here… Look at me. The only thing I was, was a fan of the plant, really, a year and a half ago. And now I’m probably one of the top ten guys in California in this business. And you know why? Because I know how to move a little policy.” But he wasn’t able to move enough people to vote for Prop. 19, many of whom were leery about the prospect of corporatizing cannabis.

The City of Oakland presenting Haag with such a proposition might well have been interpreted as a deliberate act of dishonesty that undermined the federal government’s tenuous truce with medical marijuana. Russo seems to have been sensitive to this; just days after the Haag Memo was released, when the City Council insisted on redrafting the initiative to allay federal concerns, he abruptly withdrew his legal advice and told the them to find a new attorney. Although Russo did not specify which section of Rule 3-700 he was using to terminate his relationship with the City Council, section C (1) states that an attorney may withdraw legal representation if “the client seeks to pursue an illegal course of conduct.”

Although Oakland approved the plan for mega grows when the city was at the epicenter of a legalization effort that they assumed would succeed, even after Prop. 19 was defeated, City Council was still seeing the dollar signs they had hoped taxing recreational marijuana would bring. So instead of putting the idea of industrial mega grows to rest along with the failed initiative, the city persisted in its efforts to create a corporate licensing scheme, now under the guise of medical marijuana, from which they still intended to gain millions in tax revenue. The ordinance was altered to require that Wilcox open a medical marijuana dispensary in order to operate his mega grow, and that he re-registered his corporation as a non-profit. But all of his media appearances flaunting his projected earnings and corporate aspirations had already revealed his for-profit intentions.

The effects of the Haag Memo reverberated swiftly into the halls of the Department of Justice. Shortly after it was released, Justice Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler said in a statement that prosecutors will not look the other way while “drug-traffickers” try to shield their illegal activities through the pretext that they are medical dispensaries. And what would make the DOJ think that organizations might be trying to illegally profit from cannabis under the pretense that they are medical dispensaries? How about a mega grow originally conceived of to provide recreational cannabis, that plans to pocket $59 million a year off of 58 pounds a day? If anyone doubts that Oakland’s Prop. 19-inspired mega-grow concept is entirely to blame for this federal backlash, the Haag Memo states very plainly that it is:

Oakland City Attorney John Russo himself acknowledged that the venture was intended to be for-profit in his post-Prop. 19 statement to the City Council: “Because Proposition 19 failed, you can’t do things that you might have done. And that is certainly the case with for-profit licensing of the production of cannabis.” He also reportedly advised them that their proposal was incompatible with California medical

“The Department is concerned about the Oakland Ordinance’s creation of a licensing scheme that permits large-scale industrial marijuana cultivation and manufacturing as it authorizes conduct contrary to federal law and threatens the federal government’s efforts to regulate the possession, manufacturing, and trafficking of controlled substances. Accordingly, the Department is carefully considering civil and criminal legal remedies regarding those who seek to set up industrial

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...the mega grows ignited a brutal federal backlash, and now that the corporate aspirations behind them have gone up in flames, patients in all medical marijuana states are getting burned.

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marijuana growing warehouses in Oakland pursuant to licenses issued by the City of Oakland. Individuals who elect to operate ‘industrial cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facilities’ will be doing so in violation of federal law. Others who knowingly facilitate the actions of the licensees, including property owners, landlords, and financiers should also know that their conduct violates federal law.”

Now, due entirely to Oakland’s mega-grow attempt to cultivate illegal for-profit marijuana under the pretext of non-profit medical marijuana, the lines have been blurred with regard to which dispensaries are genuinely operating as legal medical marijuana collectives and which are merely pretending to be. The Ogden Memo sought to stop prosecution of individuals operating in “clear and unambiguous compliance” with state law. But an industrial-scale corporate mega grow with projected earnings of $59 million annually is not so obviously compliant, and is causing the legitimacy of medical marijuana dispensaries everywhere to be called into question. Federal prosecutors have therefore been roused like never before to crack down on medical marijuana dispensaries. It is worth pointing out that the Haag Memo was never intended to be construed as setting federal policy, like the Ogden Memo—to the extent that it was sent down from a federal department to all federal attorneys beneath it—was. The Haag Memo was CC’d to no one outside of California, and was written in response to a question of the legality of a city ordinance, not state law—and an ordinance that flies in the face of state law and is in clear violation of the Ogden Memo’s conditions, at that. Nevertheless, since its release in February, Haag’s response has set off an ominous trend among federal prosecutors in medical marijuana states. Colorado’s US Attorney sent out a similar memo saying that the DOJ maintains “full authority to vigorously enforce federal law against individuals and organizations that participate in unlawful manufacturing and distribution activity involving marijuana, regardless of state law”—and the italics, it should be noted, are in the original letter; not added by me for emphasis, but added by the Colorado federal prosecutor to highlight the fact that it is a direct quote from Haag. The letters from US Attorneys in Hawai’i, Montana, Rhode Island, and Washington also directly quote large segments of the Haag Memo. In fact, every single letter that followed the Haag Memo is not only similar, but virtually identical to the Haag Memo, excerpting and repeating entire paragraphs. And they have culminated in an unprecedented attack on medical marijuana dispensaries throughout the country. Oakland’s actions blatantly opposed the Ogden Memo, which encouraged federal law enforcement to go after groups like the ones Oakland was trying to create, because such groups claim compliance with state law although their operations are actually inconsistent with the terms of those laws. A corporate, industrial mega grow designed for massive profits operating under the guise of the non-profit medical marijuana model is a clear example of a “claim of compliance” that actually “mask[s] operations inconsistent with” state law. And the Oakland City Council essentially wrote a letter to Northern California’s US Attorney to tell her so. Now Haag’s response, which was never intended to set federal policy, has been misconstrued as doing just that, giving federal prosecutors a fresh excuse to come down hard on medical marijuana states.

that effectively disavows the one morsel of perceived protection that medical marijuana patients and dispensaries had been relying on since 2009. Whereas the Ogden Memo states: “As a general matter, pursuit of these priorities should not focus federal resources in your States on  individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana”(italics added)—which could include the use, cultivation, and distribution of state-compliant, non-profit medical marijuana—the Haag Memo makes a very different and distressing declaration: “[W] hile the Department does not focus its limited resources on seriously ill individuals who use marijuana as part of a medically recommended treatment regimen in compliance with state law as stated in the October 2009 Ogden Memorandum, we will enforce the CSA vigorously against individuals and organizations that participate in unlawful manufacturing and distribution activity involving marijuana, even if such activities are permitted under state law (italics added).” This distinction—“even if such activities are permitted under state law”—is a critical one, and is the single phrase that is seen to reverse the Ogden Memo. While the Ogden Memo deliberately made an effort to acknowledge and respect state marijuana laws, Haag patently ignores them, at least where cultivation and distribution are concerned. It appears that the disregard for state law initiated by the Haag Memo is a direct attempt to undercut Oakland’s legislation that itself undermined state law and clearly contradicted the Ogden Memo. Never mind that Haag herself apparently does not grasp the fact that it is inconsistent to condone the “use” of marijuana medicinally while simultaneously condemning the manufacture and distribution of it, when in reality the three components are inextricably linked. Her lack of faith in the notion that medical marijuana dispensaries can distribute medicine without turning a profit or perverting the spirit of state law has only been reinforced by Oakland’s insistence that a $59-million-ayear corporate industrial grow intended for recreational use is actually non-profit and for medical use. Now that it is understood how the medical marijuana movement landed in this quandary, it is worth noticing the stark difference in the way the feds respond to medical marijuana versus perceived recreational commercial activity. Life for patients has never been worry-free since medical marijuana has been legal, but until the prospect of recreational marijuana loomed, the Department of Justice at least encouraged that state laws be respected and federal resources be directed away from innocent patients and those who supply them, toward groups out to illegally profit from cannabis. But now that the Haag Memo has forced the Obama administration to take a more decisive stance on the matter, the grey area in which the overwhelming majority of the medical marijuana industry operates is now more clearly defined—as fertile ground for federal prosecution. For a controversy that has relied so heavily on the phrase “clear and unambiguous,” so far, the only piece of the puzzle that truly is “clear and unambiguous” is that the mega grows ignited a brutal federal backlash, and now that the corporate aspirations behind them have gone up in flames, patients in all medical marijuana states are getting burned.

*Dragonfly de la Luz is a ganja critic/chronnoisseur and medical marijuana activist. When not following Radiohead on tour, she chases solar eclipses and endless summer around the world*

While much of the Haag Memo is in fact not a departure from the Ogden Memo, there is one critical phrase which Haag introduces

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When a raid goes down on a Medical Marijuana operation, photos depicting bales of bud are linked to staggering dollar amounts served up as street value. But, more often than not, that bud is medicine, and the people thrown down on the ground and handcuffed are patients with real ailments, now facing months to years of neglect and suffering in an unsympathetic and unbalanced legal system. Voters gave Californiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Proposition 215 a nod in 1996, making Medical Marijuana, or MMJ, legal to grow and use medicinally in the state. However, Federal prohibition laws trump Caliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s compassionate care laws, and the couple was denied a medical defense. 100

Trial and appeals

lasted more than six years after arrest, stemming from a 2001 FBI sting and subsequent raid of the family home in 2005. “This was the best undercover operation I ever had,” El Dorado County Sheriff Robert Ashworth told the Sacramento Bee after three years of failed appeals. “I never had to hide the fact that I was a policeman.” It’s on record; the couple never grew more than 40 plants a year - well below the State mandate of 99. Federal laws mandated a minimum of 100 plants in a five year period. “The jury could not hear I had cancer, or I had both my breasts removed,” Fry said, running her hands over her chest. “They weren’t allowed to hear I was a doctor, that I helped patients, or that in California we can do this, we can use this plant, it’s alright. We had no defense.” Fry discovered MMJ while suffering through a double mastectomy and matching chemotherapy treatments in 1998. She and Dale began growing cannabis initially to get her through the grueling chemotherapy treatments that came with each diagnosis. Already a respected attorney in the community, Dale learned everything he could about the medicine that saved his wife’s life. The two became experts, testifying to MMJ’s benefits at California cannabis trials, and Dale, assisting Fry’s patients with legal issues stemming from MMJ use. While Fry is doing as well as can be expected in the Dublin Federal Correctional Institution, Schafer is suffering at the hands of a system that, according to family, is seemingly bent on torture. “We thought all doctors shared the same oath,” Fry said recently in an e-mail from prison. “We thought they would do the right thing and care for us here.” Updates for both Schafer and Fry are posted by the couple’s daughter Heather Schafer (www. mindbodyandsoul.com). A recent entry suggests neglect of her father by prison authorities. “He did not receive any medications today!” she blogged. “The doctor in charge of the Sacramento County Jail’s Medical Ward disagreed with the treating physician and decreased his pain medications by more than one third. He was placed in a cell with no pillow and a blanket incapable of covering even a small amount of his body.”

The “treating physician” referred to is Jerry Powell, the leading hematologist

and oncologist in the country and head of both Oncology and Hemotology at U.C. Davis.

Fry later conferred in an e-mail from Dublin, her husband was being treated inhumanly. Begging for help, Fry said it was the equivalency of torture. Schafer was going through opiate withdrawl from a drastic reduction of medication, had lost forty pounds, and hadn’t slept in days. (continued on page 102) Schafer was born with classic Hemophilia A in 1954. He almost bled to death during a tonsillectomy at six years of age. In his youth he fell and bled through to his left hip, leaving him with 101

degenerative arthritis. Other injuries followed, leaving him arthritic in not just his hip, but both knees and left shoulder. Treatment wasn’t developed until the 1960s and 70s, but entailed using plasma from donors, fraught with the threat of disease, as blood pools weren’t checked until 1985 with the threat of AIDS. Despite his condition Schafer was drafted in 1975. The military removed all his wisdom teeth the next year, causing a severe bleed. The blood used was tainted, giving him Hepatitis C and an honorable discharge. “He became an attorney to use his mind and save his body,” Fry said from prison. “He learned to take care of himself and avoid situations where he might bleed. Dale is one of the oldest Hemophiliacs in the world.” His luck ran out in 1994 and a disabling disk injury led to back surgery. Weakened, and re-injured in 2002, Fry said by then she had discovered Medical Marijuana. “We developed a serious cannabis pain treatment,” Fry explained. “He needed extremely high oral doses. So, we chose Kief from high grade buds and he ate one quarter to half a cup in the morning and the same dose at night.” Fry said Schafer was not only able to control his lifelong pain, he kicked the highly addictive pharmaceuticals he had needed for years. “His daily pain level was six. On his worst days it was nine out of 10,” Fry added. “Cannabis provided him with an acceptable pain level of two to three with no side effects. The only time he needed narcotics at all was as needed, at night for sleep.” After the arrest, cannabis was taboo. Fry said Schafer was forced to go back on prescription drugs. Powell testified to the necessity of Marinol use in lieu of morphine for Schafer’s pain. The U.S. Attorney’s rebuttal included, not a doctor or specialist for cross examination, but an article published in a 1999 issue of Playboy magazine, which revealed marijuana users may abuse Marinol prescriptions as a cover for Cannabis use, since there was no difference in the results of a drug test. President of the El Dorado County patient advocacy group, American Alliance for Medical Cannabis, or AAMC, Mitch Fadel said the irony was that most of the Playboy article favored a situation such as Dale’s, sighting the substitute is legal, accepted by public opinion, and prescribed in all 50 States. “The Government’s argument stated that Dale had an ‘almost impossible burden’ in proving he should be treated differently than ‘every other drug dealing defendant who comes before the Court.’ In that statement they referred to Dale as a drug dealer! I thought we were innocent until proven guilty?” Fadel said with disbelief. The “drug dealer” reference didn’t go away the entire length of the trial. In fact, Sacramento Bee reporter Peter Hecht raised the question in a pre-surrender article titled, “Martyrs or Drug Dealers?” 102

“I wouldn’t use those two words when talking about Medical Marijuana in a million years,” Fadel continued. “Heroin, cocaine, and meth? Yes. Cannabis? No. This has nothing to do with drug dealers.” At the day of surrender, Schafer’s pain management system included 600 milligrams of morphine in divided doses. “My husband had to take 22 milligrams of Dilaudid every three hours for breakthrough pain, 15 milligrams of Dexedrine to get him out of bed, and other pills to control the side effects of nausea, depression, and muscle spasms,” Fry explained. At last word, Schafer was being held in Honolulu, Hawaii in a special housing unit for his own safety, while awaiting the delivery of Hemophiliac medications. Daughter Heather reports his pain is back up to a level 10, with prison authorities continuing to cut his meds. At this writing, Schafer was receiving Tylenol with Codeine, further threatening his already weakened liver from Hepatitis C. Due to confidentiality, Powell is forbidden to discuss his patient’s medical situation. And, though he is the leading expert in the country on Dale’s condition, the Federal prison authorities have reported its own doctors will evaluate Schafer to see if he really needs pain medication at all. Stephanie Landa spent 41 months in the Dublin Federal Correctional Institution, where Fry is now. Run over by a car in 1999, Landa said she is in constant pain. She said she screamed when Federal agents attempted to handcuff her from behind, when a State sanctioned collective she ran with a partner in San Francisco was raided in 2003. She created the Landa Prison Outreach Press, or LPOP, as a lifeline to MMJ prisoners. Through her newsletter she reports about the conditions of life inside, and rally’s others to write letters and send books and magazines to inmates. “You are totally helpless in there,” Landa shared. “No one gets medical care. They completely disregarded my medical records and put me on a work team. It took two years for them to send in a surgeon to evaluate me, and this was after weeks and months of filling out forms, and them telling me one excuse after another.” Landa said the surgeon that came after two years said she needed a great surgeon, and it wasn’t him, so subsequently, she received no medical attention. “There were lines three times a day for psychiatric medications, but I was given aspirin for my pain that reached a level 10 everyday,” Landa added.

Desperate for relief, Landa said she smoked marijuana smuggled in by visitors, a common practice. When she was caught, they added another year to her stay. San Francisco Criminal Defense Attorney Kali S. Grech of Pier 5 Law Offices in San Francisco has offered to file a petition under 42 USCS 1983 on Schafer’s behalf. “We will need to show that Dale has a ‘sufficiently serious’ condition and that the prison has exhibited ‘deliberate indifference,’” she explained. This means, they are aware of his serious condition and are still refusing him acceptable medical treatment.” With the national debate currently raging over Federal laws crushing compassionate growers in every state where MMJ is legal, all Grech can do is log more probono hours on Schafer’s behalf, file yet another motion for “acceptable” medical treatment, and hope while a Presidential Pardon is requested. Tony Serra has been defending the rights of cannabis growers since the 1960s, logging more hours than Grech will dream of, long before Prop. 215 became an option, stating Schafer’s case “resonates with martyrdom to bad law and ignorance.” “The case is a shocking disgrace with respect to the discretion of the federal government in charging matters,” Serra said. “It is contra bonos mores; it alters the landscape in terms of state rights versus federal dominance. It is a victory of ignorance over medical reality.” Serra refers to MMJ as a “miracle drug,” and Schafer’s “life-blood, bringing relief from gross pain.” “There is no legal right to ‘adequate’ or ‘competent’ medical care in the FCI system, according to most commentators,” he continued. “The civilian doctors don’t count; drugs that were previously prescribed don’t count. The federal system is autonomous and self-protective.” July 17 of this year marked the fortieth anniversary of the War on Drugs. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter penned an Op-ed for the New York Times, reporting that the Global Commission on Drug Policy has made what he called “profoundly important recommendations” in a report declaring the campaign a “total failure.” “Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself,” Carter wrote. “Not only has this excessive punishment destroyed the lives of millions of young people and their families (disproportionately minorities), but it is wreaking havoc on state and local budgets.”

Quoting former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carter continued, “In 1980, 10 percent of [his] state’s budget went to high education and three percent to prisons; in 2010, almost 11 percent went to prisons and only 7.5 percent to higher education.” From prison, Schafer recently wrote that the majority of inmates were minorities, and to him, were just kids, with nearly all of the crimes perpetrated traced back to drugs. “It is difficult to describe the horror of a young man who if facing at least ten years behind bars because of the failed drug war,” he informed. “That doesn’t even account for the families that are ruined by all of this,” he said, knowingly. “I have come to the conclusion that drug crimes should be treated as a medical issue rather than a law enforcement issue.”

Updates on Dale Schafer and Mollie Fry, as well as an option to make a donation and receive a “Doc Fry” t-shirt can be found on the couple’s Web site, www.mindbodysoul.com. Those wishing to advocate, please write your State Senators, copying both the Federal Bureau of Prisons, CCM Sacramento Community Corrections Office, 501 I St., Suite 9-400, Sacramento, CA 95814. Please copy Obama’s Pardon Attorney - Ronald L. Rodgers, as follows: U.S. Department of Justice, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20530-0001

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Kush Concert Calendar

Northern California’s Live Music Preview: August HARD Summer w/ Digitalism

8.05.11 @ Fox Theater (Oakland)

Digitalism, the German electro duo founded in 2004 and signed to French label Kitsuné Music, joins the HARD Summer Tour and is coming to Fox Theater in Oakland for what should be a splendid night of electronic tunes. Digitalism likens their songs to simple chapters in a complex novel about social interaction and attraction, with distorted baselines and thumping rhythms comprising the punctuation. They’ve remixed tracks for Tom Vek, The Futureheads, Daft Punk, Tiga, Klaxons, White Stripes, Monk, Depeche Mode, Cut Copy and many others, including a re-edit of “Fire in Cairo” by The Cure (entitled “Digitalism in Cairo”). Pioneers in the electro-punk and indie dance movements, Digitalism seems the perfect fit for a HARD event here in the Bay Area. Their latest full length, I Love You Dude, was released in June, and this is a live electronic act that will blow your mind, melt your face, etc etc. Get there. thedigitalism.com

Katy Perry

8.12.11 @ HP Pavilion (San Jose)

Katy Perry, the world’s current Queen of Pop, is on fire and hasn’t slowed down one little bit. Her latest #1 single, “Last Friday Night,” has only added to her short career that has skyrocketed her to the top of popular music fame. Many see her music as a “guilty pleasure” and reserve listening to the car and headphones. But that’s silly, this is a talented woman with a tremendous voice and catchy, fun songs. Celebrate her awesomeness with fellow fans at HP Pavilion in San Jose this August. It’ll be a true musical production, leaving you singing along and dancing in your seat. If you didn’t manage to snag tickets to this show, be persistent and look around; there are sure to be a few of those silly fair weather fans too embarrassed to go, that you can buy tickets from at a reasonable price. katyperry.com

FASHAWN + Javelin + Pictureplane 8.13.11 @ The Cellar Door (Visalia)

Here’s a sweet little lineup with a trio of acts at The Cellar Door in Visalia, some you may know about and some you may have never heard of. Fashawn is fresh rapper from Fresno that’s worth some considerable attention. Javelin comes to us from New York with an indie-electro-pop sound that is fun and upbeat, yet still very mellow. Finally, Pictureplace joins the party from Denver with a soft, ethereal sound that is closer to Javelin’s sound that Fashawn...indi-electro, bordering on that whole chill-wave scene, but not quite there. This is sort of an awkward line-up, but a good one nonetheless, with the USA well represented. fashawn.ca; dollarbinsofthefuture.com; soundcloud.com/pictureplane

311 + Sublime with Rome

8.23.11 @ Shoreline Amphitheatre (Mountain View)

Here are two acts that have been inspiring marijuana enthusiasts through song for years. Sublime and 311 just seem like the perfect pairing for an outdoor summer concert with a joint in one hand and beer in the other. 311’s latest album, Universal Pulse, was released on July 19th, proving that they’re not going anywhere just yet. Sublime with Rome is the same group of guys from back in the 90’s, minus lead-singer and heart of the band Bradley Nowles. His “replacement,” although it’s hard to really say he’ll ever be replaced, is Rome Ramirez, a young guy with a voice that sounds eerily similar to Brad’s. They still play all the hits that made you fall in love with them, and it’ll be a great show. Get to Shoreline on August 23rd! 311.com; sublimewithrome.com

Atmosphere

8.24.11 @ MontBleu Resort Casino (Stateline) 8.25.11 @ Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium

Fresh off the heels of their brand new album, The Family Sign, Atmosphere hits the road again on their “Family Vacation Tour,” with label-mates Evidence and DJ Babu (of Dilated Peoples), Blueprint, and Prof. The tightly knit crew will bring a multifaceted set of performances MontBleu Resort and the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, delivering both new music and timetested favorites. Although the Minneapolis based guys have been working on a lot of side projects lately, they are continuously 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 it out to one of these dates if you have a chance. www.facebook.com/atmosphere

Ben Harper

8.25.11 @ The Warfield (San Francisco)

International folk-rock superstar, Ben Harper has seen his fair share of fame and success, including two Grammy Awards in 2005 and so many releases you’ll lose count if you try to tally them up (I just tried.) The recent past has certainly seen Harper at a creative peak though, juggling several highprofile, far-flung projects. Yet, somewhere amidst all

This Page: Ben Harper Right From Top: FASHAWN, Digitalism, Katy Perry, 311 104 104

this activity, he found the time and the focus to write a new set of songs that represents the most personal and diverse collection in his career - Give Till It’s Gone. Released in May of this year, Give Till It’s Gone is a miraculous, heart-warming collection of songs that any true lover of music or poetry will fall for. Come to The Warfield in San Fran on this late August night to hear both his new and old songs, a night of music that will stay in your head and heart forever. benharper.com

Sade + John Legend

8.25.11 @ HP Pavilion (San Jose) 8.26.11, 8.27.11 @ Oracle Arena (Oakland)

Sade is no new kid on the block, with her smooth, soulful, jazz, R&B stylings first released back in the 80s. The British legend joins up with a man of a similar name, John Legend, for a string of concerts this summer. This is the type of show that you just close your eyes and listen to the music for several hours, ideally with a little THC running through your veins. Plenty of hits will be played at this show, and it will be a joyous event for music enthusiasts of all ages. Three chances to catch this billing in the Bay Area, don’t miss out! sade.com; johnlegend.com

Rock The Bells

8.27.11 @ Shoreline Amphitheatre (Mountain View)

Rock The Bells is back! I could go on and on about how great it is to cap off the summer with a beautiful outdoor setting in Mountain View, but I’d rather just let this year’s lineup speak for itself. Rock The Bells 2011 features legends such as: Ms. Lauren Hill, Nas, Erykah Badu, Raekwon & Ghostface, Cypress Hill, Black Star (Mos Def + Talib Kweli), Common, Mobb Deep, Immortal Technique, Macklemore, Doom, and many many more. This will be an amazing event, with amazing beats n rhymes, well worthy of the $55-$120 you have to spend on it. rockthebells.net

More Great Shows! Matisyahu : 8.01.11 @ Grand Sierra Resort (Reno); 8.02.11 @ The Regency Ballroom (San Francisco) Kfox Kihncert: Yes + Styx + Kansas : 8.03.11 @ Shoreline Amphitheatre (Mountain View) The Doobie Brothers + Peter Frampton : 8.05.11; 8.06.11 @ Thunder Valley Casino Resort (Lincoln) All Shook Down Festival feat. Crystal Castles : 8.06.11 @ The Regency Center !!! (Chk Chk Chk) : 8.12.11 @ The Cellar Door (Visalia) Public Enemy : 8.19.11 @ The Regency Ballroom (San Francisco) Adele : 8.14.11 @ Greek Theatre (UC Berkeley) & The Warfield (San Francisco) Z-Trip : 8.20.11 @ The Regency Ballroom (San Francisco) Devo : 8.27.11 @ Mountain Winery (Saratoga) The Butthole Surfers : 8.30.11 @ The Regency Ballroom Michael Bolton + Kenny G : 8.30.11 @ Wente Vineyards (Livermore) Dam-Funk : 8.30.11 @ The Cellar Door (Visalia)

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Part 3:

Advanced Applications and Reservoir Automation

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

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

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

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

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

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By Dragon fly de la Luz

Ever wish you could take advantage of the countless therapeutic benefits of cannabis - like pain relief, stress reduction, appetite stimulation, or alleviating nausea and anxiety - without getting blasted into the stratosphere as a side effect? We all have days that demand too much responsibility to allow ourselves to get totally wasted. Likewise, many of us experience certain secondary effects of getting high that we find less than desirable - such as inability to focus, forgetting everything that just happened, paranoia, or being rendered unable to function outside of the couch. But thanks to the recent introduction of strains high in cannabidiol (CBD) - renowned for its non-psychoactive medicinal benefits and promising as a way to counteract some of the negative psychoactive effects of THC - now you can have your pot and smoke it, too. Harlequin is one of the most alluring new strains to hit the market, primarily because of its high CBD content. CBD, like THC, is one of the 80-plus cannabinoids that have so far been identified in cannabis. Of those, THC and CBD are the most abundant, with THC being psychoactive and CBD being non-psychoactive. Because most marijuana is cultivated for high THC content, CBD has been all but bred out of existence. Less than 2% of the strains tested in labs worldwide contain over 1% CBD - although to be considered CBD-rich, strains must test at 4% or higher. In California, Oakland’s Steep Hill Laboratory reports that only 12 in 14,000 strains tested as of October have turned out to be rich in CBD. But now high-CBD strains are on the rise, bred to meet the demand for highly therapeutic cannabis without the often-overwhelming psychoactive effects THC produces. Created from three sativas—an early-‘70s Colombian Gold male, a Thai from the mountains near Laos, and a Swiss native land race—combined with an indica from Nepal’s Mustang State, Harlequin was initially bred to be a hashproducer. Its creator, Mr. Green, of the House of David Collective, was prompted to have its CBD levels tested when some of his friends reported that while they loved the smell, taste, and frosty appearance of the strain, it didn’t get them very high. Harlequin tested at a surprising 7% CBD and 7% THC (though it is worth noting that the specific phenotype reviewed for this article tested at an astounding 11% CBD). A different phenotype of the same plant tested at less than 1% CBD, highlighting the unusual find that Harlequin is. In fact, Harlequin is one of the rarest strains on the planet—and it’s poised to revolutionize the medical marijuana industry.

The smell: On the live plant, Harlequin smells reminiscent of musky, sweet,

sugar loaf pineapple. Mango-esque, tropical fruit fluffs up the melon and cantaloupe scents. The cured bud brings out deep currents of slightly-mentholated, overripe plum.

The dry hit: The soft scent of mentholated dried mango swirls around the tongue, punctuated by the flavor of overripe peaches. Mild, floral undertones balance out the deep richness. The flavor: Harlequin coats the mouth with a thick, rich, almost Nepalese

blond hash-like taste. Its dominant flavor is nonetheless fruity and sweet, like berry bubblegum, with candied ginger highlights. A faint tinge of organic nonsulfur dried mangos rounds out the bottom end, and a delicate touch of liliquoi lingers in the aftertaste.

The cloud: Exhaling Harlequin produces a dense fog of sweet incense, with a soothing, soft and spicy sandalwood scent.

The high: Perhaps more than any strain I’ve encountered, Harlequin has vast

applications and affects people in very diverse ways. Some of the most seasoned chronnoisseurs I know have been blown away by it—often for its therapeutic benefits. For those who wake up frequently in the night and rely on bedside bong-hits to get back to sleep, Harlequin may be just what you need to sleep peacefully. Still, others say that HQ wakes them up too much to be useful as a sleeping aid. Research confirms that CBD can both increase alertness as well as have sedative effects. Harlequin is also known as a pain reliever, among countless other things. But it doesn’t simply make the pain go away; it kicks the pain out with ease and in style. One Harlequin fan, who uses cannabis for back pain, reported that when he smoked a joint of HQ before a shower, he found himself inspired to dance in the hot water and steam, which loosened his body, relaxed his muscles, and popped his back into place. Few over-the-counter pain relievers can lay claim to that! Mr. Green told me in an interview that, to him, Harlequin is “like a sunny day.” He likens the sensation to the “warm, glowy feeling that radiates from within” after a hot bath. It gives him an endorphin rush akin to that which results from lovemaking and exercise. It is not a psychoactive high; he just “feels gooooood,” he gushed. He’s also noticed that HQ’s subtle effects produce big results - just a few tokes and he instantly feels the tension in his shoulder, jaw, and brow dissipate. At 7%, Harlequin’s THC content is not enough to slay you. This has tremendous advantages for those who want to hang out and light up, but simply don’t have the leisure to get totally wasted. Harlequin won’t cause a pot-hangover the morning after, either, making it a convenient choice for a late-night session. People with jobs that require them to be alert and on their game might find Harlequin a workable option, as may those who want to have a toke yet remain fully present for school, workouts, or family functions. Furthermore, research is underway to see if the combined effect of consuming a high-THC strain with a high-CBD strain might result in a more functional high, because CBD actually fits better in cannabinoid receptors than THC, thus potentially either displacing THC, or winning out over THC that vies for the same receptor sites. Acting as something of an antidote to excessive highness, HQ can dissolve some of THC’s psychoactive effects if you find that you have become “too high.” Tokers overwhelmingly report that they experience no paranoia or anxiety when they smoke Harlequin, and some say it even cures anxiety and paranoia brought on by other, more THC-rich strains. If you’re one of those that think THC is too strong these days, and are prone to nervousness, paranoia, anxiety, and lethargy when you smoke, Harlequin is your girl. And I almost forgot - CBD has been shown to actually prevent shortterm memory loss associated with THC. Put that in your pipe and smoke it! Meanwhile, other heads maintain that whatever psychoactive effect Harlequin may have is eclipsed by its medicinal qualities. Perhaps the groups that will derive the most benefit from Harlequin are those using cannabis mainly for medicinal purposes. If your primary goal is just to get rid of your headache, relieve pain and stress, treat your chronic illness, or keep your nausea at bay without the side effect of getting completely baked, Harlequin is your cure.

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Harlequin’s clear-headed, functional high complements its tingly, mild body stone. But in spite of the fact that Harlequin is a sativa-dominant hybrid, many stoners define the high as neither indica nor sativa. They say it deserves its own classification—even apart from other CBD strains: mildly opiate-like and slightly dreamy, that simultaneously makes your body relaxed and your mind more alert. The medicinal uses: [Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor. I’m a stoner. Talk to your doctor before changing your medication or self-medicating.] Harlequin was only discovered to be rich in CBD in the spring of last year, but already it’s been determined to have more medical applications than just about any strain studied so far. And not only for serious diseases. Harlequin is the perfect strain to keep in your medicine cabinet. I have personally found it very effective at treating headaches, as well as neck and shoulder pain, plus it’s way more sociable and fun to smoke a joint of Harlequin than to pop a pain pill. According to Project CBD, a not-for-profit educational outfit spearheaded by Martin Lee and dedicated to promoting CBD research, “Scientific and clinical studies indicate that CBD could be effective in easing symptoms of a wide range of difficult-to-control conditions, including: diabetes, alcoholism, PTSD, epilepsy, antibiotic-resistant infections and neurological disorders.” CBD also has demonstrated neuroprotective effects, and has been shown to relieve convulsion, inflammation, anxiety, dystonia, and rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis? That’s right, Harlequin is a strain even Grandma can enjoy. High CBD strains are also reportedly effective for people who suffer from mental disorders. While some research has shown THC to trigger schizophrenia in people who are predisposed to the disorder, the UK’s Institute of Psychiatry reports that CBD has actually been demonstrated to help patients with schizophrenia. Their research indicates that CBD acts as an anti-psychotic and may counteract the potential effects of THC on individuals with latent schizophrenia. CBD also appears to protect against “binge” alcohol-induced neurodegeneration, and has been shown to be an anti-depressant and effective treatment for bipolar disorder. All that, and it doesn’t lead to tolerance. Perhaps most intriguingly, CBD has incredible cancer treatment potential, begging the question, is there anything that Harlequan’t? CBD has been proven to inhibit cancer cell growth and even kill cancer cells. This is worth repeating:

CBD has been proven to inhibit cancer cell growth and even kill cancer cells. Thus serving the same purpose as chemotherapy - and is promising as a treatment for breast cancer. In November 2007, the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute reported that CBD reduces the growth of aggressive human breast cancer cells in vitro and weakens their invasiveness. “The anti-cancer potential of CBD is currently being explored at several academic research centers in the U.S. and around the world,” Project CBD reports.

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The grow: Harlequin is a fabulously frosty, clone-only strain that flowers quickly and requires about 60 to 70 days to finish indoors. Although with most strains, the longer you let it roll, the more fully developed it becomes, in the case of Harlequin, extending its flowering time can actually diminish its CBD levels. At 10 weeks indoors, Harlequin generally tests at around 7% CBD. However, taking it earlier, at 8 weeks, CBD can test as high as 11.9%. Since it’s covered in crystals, HQ will probably need cola support during the last few weeks, because the trichomes add so much weight to the flowering tops. A medium-yielder with countless medicinal uses, Harlequin is a medical marijuana patient’s miracle strain.

Be a Part of CBD Research: Having contributed strains like Harlequin, Lemon Kush, and Alchemize to the cornucopia of cannabis, Mr. Green is no longer a grower (although he is working on perfecting a highly-concentrated Harlequin tincture to help those in medical need). These days he focuses his energy on Project CBD, with a goal to wake people up to the potential of CBD for its plethora of untapped medical applications. Although many growers who have created high-CBD strains guard their plants carefully, Mr. Green takes a much more generous approach. “I decided a long time ago that my work is for everybody. Anyone with legitimate medical need has been able to get cuttings.” He wants people to have access to high-CBD strains, and to be able to grow their medicine at home. That’s why he’s given it away from the very beginning, “and why I continue to give it away… I believe the plant revealed itself to me so that people could find healing.” His hope is that the big pharmaceutical companies don’t come in and try to rip it out of the hands of the people, but he is quick to note that big pharma is already developing CBD medications. Mr. Green expects that in five or ten years, we will discover that CBD possesses the same wide variety of effects that THC does in different strains. But making that discovery requires rigorous research. And you can help. Currently, there are at least seven labs testing for cannabinoid content, and more than a dozen CBD-rich strains have been identified. Although CBD is classified as a Schedule 1 drug, its effects continue to be explored. A confidential survey developed by the Society of Cannabis Clinicians asks patients to report the effects of high-CBD strains compared to the strain they’re currently using. They hope to present the data in peer-reviewed medical journals. To participate in the survey, and to learn more about CBD, visit ProjectCBD.org __ Dragonfly de la Luz is a ganja critic/chronnoisseur and medical marijuana activist. When not following Radiohead on tour, she chases solar eclipses and endless summer around the world

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Backya rd BBQ & Summer Pa rty Host your own Chef Herb-style summer party and backyard BBQ!

And for more

Green bean and Pecan Salad

cook with herb

Ingredients For the pecans: 2 tablespoons corn oil 2 cups shelled pecan halves

Chef Herb &

go to www.cookwithherb.com

Fresh and Tasty Broccoli Salad

Ingredients 2 heads fresh broccoli 1 red onion 1/2 pound bacon 3/4 cup raisins 3/4 cup sliced almonds 1 cup mayonnaise 1/3 cup THC olive oil 1/2 cup white sugar 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Directions Place bacon in a deep skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Cool and crumble. Cut the broccoli into bite-size pieces and cut the onion into thin bite-size slices. Combine with the bacon, raisins, and your favorite nuts and mix well. To prepare the dressing, mix the mayonnaise, THC olive oil, sugar and vinegar together until smooth. Stir into the salad, let chill and serve.

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Lemon Vinaigrette: 1/2 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed (2 to 3 whole lemons) 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar 1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 cup grape seed oil 1/3 cup THC olive oil Salt & pepper to taste 2 pounds green beans Directions Heat peanut oil over medium heat. Add pecans and salt to taste. Toast lightly, stirring constantly. (Nuts cook quickly, be careful not to burn them.) Whisk lemon juice, sugar, and mustard together, then slowly drizzle in Grape seed and THC olive oil until emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Or, use a hand-blender to make the whole thing go quicker and emulsify better.) Trim beans and cut into 3-inch lengths. Place in a microwavable serving bowl and cover with plastic wrap, leaving a slight space for steam to escape. Steam until crisply tender. (You may also use a regular steamer.) Rinse with water to arrest the cooking process. Drain thoroughly. Lightly coat the beans with the dressing, adding only as much dressing as you need, and toss in the nuts. Adjust the salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.

Herbâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hero Sandwich

Ingredients 1/2 cup THC olive oil 1 tablespoon lemon juice 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 2 teaspoons dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 cup black olives, chopped 1 cup mushrooms, chopped 1 (1 pound) loaf round, crusty Italian bread 1/2 pound sliced deli smoked turkey meat 1/2 pound sliced Italian ham 1/4 pound sliced salami 1/2 pound sliced mozzarella cheese 6 leaves lettuce 1 tomato, sliced

Directions In a medium bowl, combine THC olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and garlic. Season with parsley, oregano and pepper. Stir in olives and mushrooms. Set aside. Cut off the top half of the bread. Scoop out the inside, and leave a 1/2 inch outside wall. Spoon 2/3 of the olive mixture into the bottom. Layer with turkey, ham, salami, mozzarella, lettuce and tomato. Pour remaining olive mixture on top, and replace the top half of bread. Wrap securely in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

Grilled Shrimp and Tequila Salsa Ingredients Salsa: 1 cup chopped red onion 1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped 1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped 1/4 cup yellow bell pepper 4 cups tomatoes, chopped 1/4 cup jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped 1/4 cup garlic, minced 1/4 cup limejuice 1/2 cup THC olive oil 1/4 cup tequila

1/4 cilantro, finely chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano 1/4 cup white wine vinegar Salt and pepper to taste Shrimp: 1 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined 1/4 cup butter, melted 2 tablespoons garlic, minced 1 lemon juiced Directions In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together limejuice, THC olive oil and tequila. Stir in all salsa ingredients to blend well, then set aside. Heat grill to medium high. Whisk together butter, garlic and lemon juice in a small pan over low heat until well blended. Place 4 shrimp on each skewer then brush with lemon mixture, and place shrimp on grill, basting with mixture. Grill each side 2-3 minutes. Remove from grill; stir salsa and drain any liquids. Set shrimp on plate with 1 cup salsa on the side. Garnish with twisted lime slices. Serve with crusty bread.

Grilled Portabella Mushroom Pizza (For My Veggie Friends) Ingredients 2 large Portobello caps, cleaned 4 tbsp THC olive oil 1 tsp of Italian seasoning 1 tsp of garlic powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp fresh black pepper Crushed red pepper, optional 2 tbsp of marinara sauce 2-3 tbsp shredded mozzarella Directions Preheat your grill. Place Portobello caps, gill side up, on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle each with a small amount of THC olive oil and spread around with your fingers or the backside of a small spoon. Next, sprinkle on Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add crushed red pepper to your liking of heat level. Place on the grill and roast for about 30 minutes or until fork tender. Remove mushrooms from grill and place a tablespoon of marinara on each and spread evenly. Top with mozzarella and place back in the grill on a top shelf until cheese begins to brown.

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Grilled romaine Hearts with Olive Dressing Ingredients 1/2 cup pitted black olives, not too salty 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped Zest and juice of 1 lemon 1/4 cup THC olive oil + more for brushing 4 pieces rustic bread 4 romaine lettuce hearts, halved lengthwise 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced 1 ripe tomato, sliced A few thin slices of red onion or shallot A few shavings of parmigiano-reggiano Fresh ground black pepper Directions In a mini-food processor, thoroughly puree the olives and garlic. Add the lemon zest and juice and process for 20 seconds. Add the 1/4 cup of THC olive oil, 2 teaspoons at a time, processing for 15 seconds after each addition to emulsify. Let rest and then taste and adjust acid and salt before serving. You want it at room temperature for serving. Heat a grill pan over a medium-high flame. Brush the bread with THC olive oil and toast on each side until nicely browned and marked by the grill. Push down a little to get nice marks. Brush the cut side of the romaine and grill for about 30 seconds, pushing down gently. To serve, put each piece of bread on a plate. Top with two romaine halves, some of the cucumber, tomato, red onion, and the parmigiano. Drizzle on the dressing and finish with a grind of black pepper.

Healthy Sweet Treat Gluten Free Ingredients 3/4 sweet rice flour 3/4 gluten-free flour blend 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 3/4 cane sugar 1/3 cup THC oil 1 cup water 1 tbsp vanilla extract 3/4 teaspoon sea salt 1 tbsp baking powder Directions Preheat oven to 350F. Spoon flours into measuring cup, level off. Add cocoa powder to flour. Stir in sugar, THC oil, water, vanilla, salt and baking powder. Pour into oiled 8x8” glass baking dish.

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Bake for 30-35 minutes. Frost with butter cream frosting or sprinkle with powdered sugar for fast brownies! Notes: Frost with vegan butter-cream frosting, or just dust with powdered sugar for fast, super-moist brownies. Sweet rice flour can be found in the Asian section of the grocery store.

Peanut Butter Chocolate cake Ingredients 1 low sugar cake mix 3/4 cup sugar free chunky peanut butter 2 tsp vanilla 1 tbsp sugar free caramel syrup 3 eggs 1 cup water 1/3 cup THC oil Frosting: 2 tbsp butter 3/4 cup no sugar chunky peanut butter, 4 tbsp skim milk 2 tbsp sugar free caramel syrup 1 tbsp vanilla 1 lb powdered sugar Peanuts to sprinkle on top, optional Directions Place peanut butter in a bowl, add THC oil and eggs then beat well. Add cake mix and water, beat well, then add flavorings and mix. Pour into sprayed cake pans, bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, or until cake tests done. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes then place on racks to finish cooling. To prepare frosting, place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat until creamy and thick enough to spread on cooled cake.

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

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

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The Green Pages

List of Advertisers 408 Collective p 89

Med Mar Healing Center p 33

420 Evaluations p 15 A2C2 p 40

McGee & Thielen Isurance brokers Inc p 40

ASA p 111

Med Ex p 131

A Therapeutic Alternative p 37

Midtown Collective p 60

All About Wellness p 17

Mystical Healing Collective p 52

All Bay CoOp p 42

Natural Herbal Pain Relief p 3

All Natural Solutions p 37

Natural Solutions Collective p 4

Alternative Medical Source p 51

NCIA p 119

Americone p 29 Angels Care p 18 Antelope Alternative p 5 Arc Healing Center p 9 Auburn Health & Organics p 70 Blue Sky Care Center p 22 Buddies Cannabis p 47 California Collective Care p 11 Cann Academy p 107 Canna Care p 26 & 71 Capital City Health & Wellness p 39 Cheeba Chews p 12

P St. Wellness Health Care Group p 60 Palliative Health Center p 7 Paradigm Compassionate Care p 18 Peace In Medicine p 43 Priceless Evaluations p 41 Pure Analytics p 30 Purple Lotus Patient Center p 79

Choice Health Mutual p 65

Relax Lounge p 130

Citizen p 19

Remedy Living Solutions p 83

Collective 50 p 57

River City Wellness Collective p 73

Connoisseur Cup p 110

Santa Cruz Naturally p 30

District 215 p 61

Sacramento 420 Evaluations p 45

East Bay Custom Collective p 53

Sequoia Lab Testing p 78

El Camino Wellness Center p 66

SCVCS p 75

Florin Wellness Center p 63 Fruitridge Health & Wellness Collective p 127

SJ Patients Group p 21 Solace Wellness Collective p 75 South Bay CRC p 31 South Bay Healing Center p 25

Garden House Remedies p 73

Steep Hill Lab p 36

Gold Caps p 46

Sunny Fields p 23

Greenway p 18

The Green Door p 85

Greenwell p 81

The Green Temple p 13

Happy lil Trees p 128 & 129

The Hemp Center p 31

Harborside p 56 Hercules Health Center p 52

The Portal Herbal Health Collective p 79

High Standards Medical p 27

The Reserve (backcover)

Hugs Alternative Care LLC p 22

Tiva-Indi p 80

Igzactly 420 p 14

Tree House Co Op (centerfold)

International Cannabis & Hemp Expo p 115

Unity Non-Profit Collective p 67

LA Container p 40

Valley Health Options p 75

Law Offices of Omar Figueroa p 126

Vapor Room Coop p 2

Leaf Lab Inc p 52

Yerba Buena Collective p 10

Life Enhancement Services p 69

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Organic Solution p 120

Red Dog Green p 49

Elixir p 42

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Nor Cali Creations p 73

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