issuu 16 by Meridith Major

Living the High Life I have been so fortunate to be a part of the medical cannabis movement for so long. I have been invited to travel around with the high Times Staff for several years now and this has been the best year yet! Thank You to so many! I am not going to name names for fear of leaving someone out, and you know who you are: any and all supporters, readers, and contributers to the cause. Thanks a million, DJ stone

GET OUT AND VOTE!

4 boston freedom rally 2012 6 strain review PCJS 7 Kush VS Shwagg 8 OP hemp with Todd McCormick 10 Caregiver of the Month 12 Canna Test Case 8 VOTE 22 Seedbanks 29 toons 30 cannacook 31 medible market 32 Curing Medicine 35 1000watts approved Directory 36 HTMCC Seattle 39 Lets make contact

he Freedom Rally was, for lack of a better term, awesome. There were so many people, young and old, rich and poor, with a plethora of backgrounds and experiences, all gathered to support medical cannabis. A few were even dressed in costumes, adding to the carnival-like atmosphere. I spoke to a wizard, as well as a real-live superhero called Hemp Boy. The people who came by the booth were so great and appreciative for the free shwag we were handing out. Even with the massive crowd, I did not witness any fights. No one got angry or hostile. Two tents down, the Hare Krishna group maintained a relentless flow of techno-type music inflected with traditional Hindu instruments. I remember seeing a random kid walking by with a set of bongos around his neck join-in with the Krishnas in perfect synchronicity. This epitomizes the day: everyone different, yet everyone together in harmony.

Hemp Boy, Jodie Emery and Couch Lock (photos mjwatts)

iven to James Loud in 2004 by a Sonoma grower (genetics unknown), the strain produces quality medicine in as little as 45 days of flowering time. It rarely gets taller than 30 inches and yields more if topped or super-cropped once. The flowers typically develop a purple color within the first three weeks of the cycle. Depending on when you pull the PCJS, typically you will get either a dominant, strong, skunky aroma, or a generally skunky plant with lavender and floral notes on the backwind. Although not a heavy yielder, it can produce up to 120 grams per plant when grown indoors, and up to 200 outdoors. The high is typical of strong indicas, and is a great evening medicine.

Since I started dabbing I have had considerable better breathing and overall more efficient medicating. This PCJS wax was a nice mello medicine perfect for after yoga or for those in pain.

-MJwatts

oncerning test results, most growers assume that what looks good is good. However, this is not always the case. Looking at the results of the recentlytested Kandy Kush versus the Shwagg sample, it becomes clear that looks arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t everything, and can be deceiving. The Kandy Kush was poorly grown and had such a low percentage of CBD and CBN that the results were not significant enough to record. Under-watering, heat-stress, and early harvesting are the main causes of such results. The Shwagg sample likely started off as a decently-grown Southern Sativa that was degraded by rough handling/packaging and transporting across the country. Despite being compared to a well-known, quality strain, we see the effects of the grower on the cannabinoid content of the final product. Herbalsynergyllc.com

Each August, well over 200,000 people converge on Myrtle Edwards Park in Seattle, Washington to smokeout pot prohibition. Seattle Hempfest (www.hempfest. org) has been a cornerstone of the movement to legalize cannabis for over 21 years. What started off as the 1991 Hemp Expo has turned into the world’s largest annual protest regarding cannabis/hemp. Vivian McPeak, one of the founders of this amazing event, recently released a book about his journey with Hempfest titled: Protestival! A 20 Year Retrospective – I was fortunate enough to have helped with the production of the book and really cannot recommend it enough.

As a fellow activist, I have always been entirely impressed with Seattle Hemp Fest. Spread out over a waterside park that is 1.6 miles long, with over 1000 volunteers, 300 vendors and literally over 100,000 people per day smoking out in the park, Hempfest has to be experienced, as it is almost impossible to describe. But what is easy to describe is what Hemp Fest represents: tenacity, resilience, and sincerity in their mission to educate people about the wrongs of cannabis prohibition. In the 21 years that Hempfest has been hosting the world’s largest smoke out, they have seen some incredible changes; not just in the cannabis community, but also within their own community, as well. From 1994 to 2000,

Seattle’s chief-of-police was Norm Stamper. He presided over the activities of Hempfest year after year. Years after his retirement, and in what has to be one of the greatest achievements of Hempfest, Norm Stamper came back as the featured speaker and addressed the Hempfest crowd in 2006 as a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, or LEAP, as they are known in the movement. (www.leap.cc) So I urge everybody to pick up a copy of PROTESTIVAL and host your own city’s protest! You never know whose mind you may help change! Todd McCormick www.HEMP.xxx

fact, also be applied to the growing and nurturing of a plant or flower. Or cannabis, which, with any luck, will be both of these. While Matt was developing his latest and most exciting sativa strain in the far north of Washington State, the instrumental musical score for the first film in director Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Fellowship of the Ring”, was on constant rotation on his stereo. Composed by Howard Shore, the score conveys a wide spectrum of emotions, with a musical palette that is at times whimsical, at others mysterious, frequently epic, and always involving. And such is the fruit of that womb: Old Toby, affectionately named for the hobbit Bilbo Baggins’ favorite smoking weed.

The belief that in-utero exposure to classical music aids in the development and maturation of a human fetus’s brain is a commonly-held one, derived from the theory that the complex tonalities and frequently sublime melodies found in the many compositions of some of the most venerated names in the tradition -- Beethoven, Mozart, Vivaldi -- inspire and invigorate the cerebral synapses, creating a sort of symphony of cells that will, hopefully, result in a more intelligent, well-adjusted, perhaps even more preternaturally “gifted” child. Of course, one cannot be snobbish and say that classical music is the only genre that could prove positively influential on an unborn mind. Perhaps a little Led Zeppelin will make a soulful, wise youth; a precocious, culturally-curious kid might’ve been reared on Serge Gainsbourg and Bob Marley; and God only knows how much Dashboard Confessional was blasted into that whiny, cries-on-a-dime brat’s womb. Logical forward-thinking leads one to believe that the same thesis about the effectiveness of music could, in

Matt, 45, is licensed by the state of Washington to grow up-to fifteen plants of cannabis at a time, as are his best friend and live-in girlfriend, all of whom share the same indoor growing space. He does not grow for fun or fame or for any financial gain. Matt began growing cannabis in an attempt to alleviate his short-term memory loss, an unfortunate aftereffect of his battle with Hepatitis C in his early twenties. (In his early thirties, he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and given three years to live. After smoking cannabis to sooth his physical pain, the disease inexplicably went into remission.) Before Old Toby, the figure of an 87-100% loss of memory was, needless to say, not in his mental or physical favor. He would look at the clock twenty or thirty times in an hour and never know what the time was. Carrying on conversation for any length of time was difficult, and his isolation brought with it depression and anxiety. For a long time, smoking cannabis, though it had seemed to aid him in defeating cirrhosis, intensified his cognitive ailments, until he realized that the shwag he’d been obtaining was dirt. Beginning with an unidentified purple

strain (which he quite humorously explained was known to him only as “that purple stuff”) that had finally eased his condition (however slightly), a trial-and-error process ensued over the course of the next four years in order to maximize each successive generation’s therapeutic attributes, almostserendipitously culminating in a pear sativa strain that has tested at 22.98% THC and .23% CBD, abnormally high figures for a plant that is only ten percent indica, the other ninety percent being a Thai-based sativa. What’s more shocking than the fact that those percentages refer to samples obtained from a batch of thirty-day quick-dry Old Toby, is that Matt frequently refers to himself as “the world’s worst gardener.” Taking organic agricultural tips from years of reading High Times, and swearing by Dr. Earth’s Homegrown Potting Soil and Method Seven Sunglasses (which not only protect is eyes from bright grow lights, but also allow him to see his plants as if under natural sunlight), by the many laws of probability he probably shouldn’t have succeeded so admirably in breeding this potential “super strain”. He admits his amateurish gardening skills have resulted in nutrient lock, mold-ridden crops, and destructive pollination cycles, but as any novice is apt and encouraged to do, Matt learned from each mistake, and ended up with a thumb greener than even his prized plant. After a grow cycle of approximately eighty days in temperatures ranging from sixty to seventy degrees Fahrenheit, the tips of the plant had become purple, radiating outward from a deep violet center. Within days, they had turned nearly black, emitting an aroma reminiscent of Pine-Sol with airs of bleach, and being so sticky the residue left by a fleeting brush with a flowering Toby could only be described as “glue stick-y”. More impressive than its exquisite appearance was the pleasantly liberating high that coursed through Matt’s consciousness mere moments

after first sparking up. “It cured my panic attacks, entirely,” he said, the tone of wonderment rising in his voice. “My memory was like night and day. Not permanently, unfortunately, but it was the craziest thing. My short-term memory was so many times better. I wasn’t anxious. I used to get panic attacks all the time, but I smoked this and could finally relax. I felt new. I told myself I’d never smoke anything but this again.” Matt went on to describe Old Toby as “the opposite of weed”, in that many of the culturally-stigmatized effects of cannabis usage -- couch-lock, mental cloudiness, intense munchies -- are entirely absent in his strain. Energy and lucidity is increased, and the appetite is static. What is ironic, however, is that as much as Matt champions Old Toby for these qualities, which are usually unseen in plants of such high THC content, he also admits that they, quite magically, don’t inhibit their opposites. “If I want or need to eat, I can. It doesn’t kill the appetite, but it doesn’t increase it either. I even use it as a night smoke. It depends what I need at that time, whether it be to wake up or fall asleep or do whatever it is I need to do…There’s no ceiling. And there’s never a tolerance built up. Every hit gets you high.” (Strangely enough, such a pot paradox I’m not unfamiliar with. I will never forget a particularly delicious bit of Purple Haze I tried years back that was most memorable for the unusually multi-faceted high that accompanied it. However, I have no qualms in believing the intensity of Old Toby would undoubtedly dwarf that other purple stuff.) “And I can finally remember things. There are one hundred-thousand people in the U.S. with up to one-hundred percent shortterm memory loss in some cases, as a result of Hep C treatments [Interferonbased therapies common in treatment of the disease]. It made me think how they and anybody with cognitive disabilities might react to Old Toby.” In the grand scheme of things, he believes Old Toby to be a perfect candidate

for hybridization with high-potency indicas, dramatically benefiting THC levels and various mentallyenlightening effects of a generation, in the resulting plant. One could see it as “the missing link”, the super strain that fills in the blanks of cannabis DNA. In today’s dismal economic climate, more and more we come across people in all walks of life jiving to make a buck, to make ends meet, to excel and prosper, no matter who may be trampled upon and robbed in the process. Matt, barely living off his Social Security Disability, would be a fool if he didn’t want to make something for his troubles, for the many man-hours of practice and care that were put into Old Toby’s cultivation. But first and foremost, his original intention was to help himself, and his current desire to legally and efficiently expose the medical cannabis community to this plant and share its marvelous effects which he feels blessed to offer, is the engine driving him forward. “I really feel that this will revolutionize medical marijuana. Think about people with Alzheimer’s, early-onset dementia, even anybody who doesn’t want the ‘stoned’ effect from weed, they just want to feel better, elevate their mood. It’s cerebral, a ‘super high’. What if they had access to Old Toby regularly through a dispensary? If it helps me like it does, it could help them, too.” His plans are concrete but the methods by which he will accomplish them he leaves vague, for reasons of both indecision and the protection of himself, his partners, and the beautiful buds they have born. Further lab testing is currently underway on samples from the same batch of Matt’s treasure trees, properly and sensitively cured, which will hopefully shed even more light on the properties of this fascinating crop. Next month, the results of those tests. And more about Matt the man; the medicine behind the magic; and some good friends in high places.

he library card unlocked the doors to troves of pages and centuries of written knowledge. The credit card made it easy to spend beyond one’s means. The debit card made checks obsolete, and nowadays nearly every purveyor of goods issues gift cards that can be loaded with any amount of money the purchaser desires. The size of all of these but comparable to none of them, is the grinder card. A convenient and concealable tool for the cannabis connoisseur, you can keep this bad boy nestled behind your

American Express. Think of a cheese grater, only paper-thin and made from a feather-light yet durable alloy that is surprisingly not as sharp to the touch as one might expect. Available in a myriad of designs and colors, the circular grate of the specific piece which I have the pleasure of reviewing here, resembles an intricately-designed yin-yang. It is pleasing to the eye as well as to the touch, the metal always retaining an odd coolness (ironically enough, much like the Amex Black Card, the epitome of consumerist opulence). It’s trendy and, frankly, pretty cute, a conversation piece if ever there was one. It’s an easy

process to perform. Like a block of aged sharp cheddar, a bulbous bud is rubbed vigorously back-and-forth across the grate. Through the other side falls your ground up grass. Simple pimple, except that, when a certain point is reached and the bud becomes too small to comfortably grip and grind, you are left with a small chunk that must be broken up by fingertips. However, it’s a small price to pay considering the convenience of the product. One of my initial concerns prior to unwrapping my first grinder card, was that the grate would quickly and inevitably dull. However, upon close inspection and a few uses, I’m almost positive it’s not the sharpness of it, but merely the use of friction against the grate that produces the desired effect. Stickier cannabis tends to be a little more difficult to grind, but not impossible. I recommend soaking the card in isopropyl alcohol frequently to keep it clean and remove any residue. Should keep it quite shiny too. (Another advertised use for the grinder card is as an edible-slicer, zester, and/or strainer, functions which I never took advantage of. But it must be mentioned, if only to emphasize this product’s versatility.) hI recommend the grinder card for those among us who enjoy a little something different in our routines, and perhaps a trendy bit of accoutrement every now and then to flaunt to friends. (see ad on page 34)

Since starting here @1000wattsmagazine, I have been thoroughly entranced by trichome pictures. Perhaps it’s my love of abstract beauty, or just the canna-nerd in me, that likes seeing how incredibly complex the cannabis flower really is. The cannabis flower is so complex, in fact, that it’s a completely different, magical world at 60x magnification. Now with Kindstacks iSPY scope attachment, I'm able to take pictures of this on my iPhone (printable pictures, at that). This was the highlight of my High Times Medical Cannabis Cup in Seattle. The guys at Kindstack hooked me up upon my arrival at the HTMCC, and I used it on every Cup entry I could get my fingers on. The scope works very well with the Iphone camera.

Some tips I found helpful:   First, always make sure you’re using clean lenses. Iphones get manhandled, and on that magnification there will be smudges, which make focus useless. I’ve found that placing a small sample on the scope head and holding your phone upside down, stabilized the sample. Basically, for best results, the smaller the sample, the better. And you need to be able to be still. Also, they mentioned not over-screwing-in the thread to the iPhone.   All in all, I loved this product and have been using it on instagram #kindscope. Check it out and tag some pics!   iPhone 4&4s $49.99  kindstack.com

t’s election season again and the nation is joined in mutual annoyance at the constant barrage of “I am [Insert Name Here] and I approve this message.” Although I abhor the two-party system, this article focuses only on Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. By now, most of you should know whom you are voting for. Nevertheless, take a moment to reflect on the differences between these two contenders. The policies of the next president will have lasting effects on our society. Early in 2008, our economy was crippled by the exploitation of an unregulated derivatives market, which nearly dismantled the global economy. Before leaving office, George W. Bush

signed a stimulus package to sustain the banks. Ironically, Barack Obama was criticized for this and for his own stimulus. There is considerable contention as to whether Obama’s stimulus package (the second one to be produced for the same economic crisis) was a success or a failure. The fact remains that, after being sworn in, Barack Obama had to immediately deal with a nation in crisis. The question that lingers on everyone’s mind is “Are we better off now than we were four years ago?” Technically, yes we are. The job market is unstable at best. Wages are in decline. Inflation is on the rise. Banks and creditors are becoming more aggressive than

ever. Many people face foreclosures and escalating debt. The future looks bleak from our current perspective. Nevertheless, things are better. In 2008, we faced an economic collapse that affected every country in the world and, if mismanaged, would have destroyed all global economic systems. We faced oblivion then, and now we face difficult times, a cynical improvement but progress nonetheless. The nation is not yet out of the woods. Many of us are unemployed or underemployed. Government subsidies are constantly given to companies that produce weapons, militias, and surveillance apparatuses, instead of toward those that seek to provide affordable food

and housing for everyone. The icing on the cake is that these candidates are forcing us to reconsider our needs with barely enough useful information to make any informed decisions. The United States (US) is spending more than it earns. Many factors contribute to this, one of which is the lower taxes that CEOs and hedge-fund managers pay. According to PolitiFact, “The bulk of hedge-fund managers’ income is typically considered ‘carried interest’ -- that is, their share of profits from the funds they manage. When a fund has capital gains and those gains flow to the manager, they are taxed as a capital gain, not as ordinary income. From a taxation perspective, the difference is significant -- taxation can be as low as 15 percent, rather than the 35 percent paid by everyone else (including other types of Wall Street managers)” (Jacobson, 2011). The savings do not stop there. The typical marginal effective tax rate hovers around 35 percent. Companies in every industry are required to pay this rate. After some creative accounting sessions, most businesses end up paying far less. “In moving from Dallas to the U.K. in 2009...Ensco’s tax rate has declined. In the second quarter, the company said its ‘effective tax rate’ was 10.5%, down from 19% in 2009” (McKinnon & Thurm, 2012). Even the Wall Street Journal admits that corporations already pay a much lower rate than 35 percent. The IRS ignores these companies, while the workers are forced to pay all Federal, State, and local payroll taxes. Imagine the change in your life if payroll taxes were cut in half. Consider the possibilities if everyone paid 35 percent income/payroll tax regardless of how it was earned. One can make the statements that Obama is “not doing enough” or is “taking the country in the wrong direction”. However, consider where we would be if John McCain had won the presidency in 2008. McCain’s answer to the

economic crisis was to cut taxes and deregulate (sound familiar?). “I want to cut that business tax. I want to cut it so that businesses will remain in -in the United States of America and create jobs” (McCain, 2008). However, when in the history of post-Nixon America has trickle-down economics worked? The only result we see from cutting taxes and deregulation is a hearty serving of corporate greed. This is a moot point. How can we possibly balance the national budget if we eliminate a huge portion of our income? If you lost your job, would you tell your landlord or the bank to lower your rent/mortgage so you can afford cable? These policies beg the question, “Are we at the mercy of these multinational corporations?” The real issue is not whether trickledown economics is a viable policy. Our biggest obstacle is to regain representation in the House and Senate. Lower taxes and repealing regulations do not create jobs. Actually, most Americans compete with outsourcing, prison labor, and guest workers. “Under current practice -governed by intricate laws, regulations and policies -- an agency must buy prisoner-made goods if the company offers an item that is comparable in price, quality and time of delivery to that of the private sector, with certain exceptions. The company’s prices are not always the lowest, but it frequently has been able to underbid private companies, Congressional aides say” (Cardwell, 2012). Consider that for a moment. Federal Prison Industries (UNICOR) is government-owned. Government contracts, which can stimulate the economy, are given to prisoner-made goods as a no-bid contract. This means, that even if you petitioned for that contract, you would not even be considered. This also means that the taxpayers’ money is transferred from one government agency to another. Yet, we cannot afford universal healthcare? Remember this

when Obama and Romney talk about protecting jobs for small businesses. It is time to reconsider our priorities. Legalizing medical cannabis is a step in the right direction. Several states have already made that step. Aside from the moral enhancements of caring for the sick with natural holistic medicine, communities are also building muchneeded revenue. “The city has raised taxes on marijuana dispensaries several times in the past few years, and last year it collected $1.4 million in taxes from them — nearly 3 percent of all the business taxes it collected. Now Oakland (California) plans to double the number of dispensaries it licenses, to eight from the current four, in the hopes that it can collect even more revenue” (Cooper, 2012). Anyone who understands economics can see this is basic supply and demand. Imagine the potential for the country if the Federal government were to acknowledge what the individual states are recognizing as common sense solutions. Cannabis has hundreds of therapeutic compounds that work naturally with the human body on a cellular level. Why should pharmaceutical companies be allowed to profit from individual synthesized compounds that can cause more harmful side effects in people who are already sick? All of the natural compounds in cannabis work together in order to cure and prevent disease. Cannabis can be ingested in a number of ways, including as a part of one’s diet. Although smoking cannabis is the typical way to ingest it, edibles, such as cannabis butter, can be used in meal preparation. In addition, cannabis oil can also be vaporized as a cleaner way to consume the medicine. hBy allowing this natural treatment to be used, America can transform how we think about health. We can also rejuvenate the economy.Cannabis sales are a guaranteed market. Taxing the sale of cannabis, edibles, and paraphernalia, will increase local and

state revenues. In addition to economic growth, legalization will create jobs. The market will require growers, distribution centers, and producers of edibles, oils, and equipment. State regulations should require inspections for quality control, yet another job that can be created. Furthermore, legalization would eliminate costly court and prison sentences for drug offenses involving cannabis. “Police arrested an estimated 786,545 people on marijuana charges in 2005. Among those arrested, about 88 percent -- some 696,074 Americans -- were charged with possession only. The remaining 90,471 individuals were charged with ‘sale/manufacture,’ a category that includes all cultivation offenses, even those where the marijuana was being grown for personal or medical use” (Armentano, 2007). These figures increase each year. Proponents of the Border Wars constantly point to the transportation of Cannabis from Mexico as a major concern. Drug cartels are infamous for their violent tactics. Legalization of medical or recreational cannabis would alleviate this issue. More exactly, a complete reform of drug and immigration law would be required to resolve the difficulties seen at the nation’s borders. However, I digress; the point is that with cannabis legalization, law enforcement could focus their resources on emergency response and violent crimes, the issues that actually matter. What are the views of the candidates on legalizing cannabis? Mitt Romney has claimed that cannabis is a gateway drug, with no evidence to support that notion. I posit that the true gateway drugs are beer and cigarettes. After all, what other drugs are universal among teenage experimenters? I am willing to bet folding money that more juveniles have smoked cigarettes and drank beer than those who have tried cannabis. That said, Romney also stated on several occasions that he would repeal all legalized cannabis. “‘Know there

are some on the Democratic side of the aisle that’d be happy to get in your campaign,’ he said. ‘But I’m opposed to it, and if you elect me president, you’re not going to see legalized marijuana. I’m going to fight it tooth and nail’” (Romney, 2012). Electing Mitt Romney will guarantee a legal battle between the state and federal governments on medical cannabis. Worse, the means to legally defend State rights to allow decriminalization of possession and use of medical cannabis may be removed. Where does Barack Obama stand on this issue? “It will not be a priority to use federal resources to prosecute patients with serious illnesses or their caregivers who are complying with state laws on medical marijuana, but we will not tolerate drug traffickers who hide behind claims of compliance with state law to mask activities that are clearly illegal” (Holder, 2009). Obama campaigned in 2008, announcing that prosecuting patients and caregivers in states that legalize medical cannabis was an inefficient use of resources. Obama was a constitutional professor and, like many Americans, smoked cannabis as a youth. Nevertheless, The Drug Enforcement Agency and Department of Justice have raided legal dispensaries and arrested patients. These agencies, along with the Internal Revenue Service, have also threatened to prosecute banks and equipment suppliers who do business with growers, as well as the state employees who issue licenses, with federal criminal charges. This defies the will of the people. Several states have voted on and passed legislation that either decriminalized possession of cannabis or legalized its usage. In this matter, whom does the federal government represent? Even in the face of these facts, my opinion is that the States still have a fighting chance to overcome these overzealous drug warriors through Supreme Court decisions. It is clear that Mitt Romney

will do everything in his power to reverse these decisions and thwart any efforts to pursue legal ratification. It is possible, and therefore unclear, that Obama will not stop the states from arguing the constitutionality of Federal drug policies through the Supreme Court. In either case, the state Attorney Generals, dispensaries, patients, caregivers, academics, and concerned citizens, should join on this issue. Although Congress has the power to dictate interstate commerce, this does not mean that every state that has legalized or decriminalized cannabis cannot create a unified front. Take the time before the election to contact your State and Congressional representatives. Find out who will support your efforts. Talk to your neighbors, coworkers, family, and friends. Reach out to the ACLU and organizations like NORML. Organized and united, we can change the course of history. We can overcome the laws and policies that drive pharmaceutical corporations, and instead provide the right medicines for patients, based on need not greed. We can make Congress recognize the hypocrisy of classifying cannabis as a Schedule I drug, while selling cigarettes and alcohol openly to anyone over the age of 18. Consider all of this on November 4th. It’s your informed decision.

References Armentano, P. (2007, February 09). Pot prisoners cost americans $1 billion a year. AlterNet. Retrieved from http://www.alternet.org/story/47815/pot_prisoners_cost_ americans_$1_billion_a_year Cardwell, D. (2012, March 15). Competing with prison labor. The New York Times, p. B1. Cooper, M. (2012, February 11). Struggling cities turn to a crop for cash. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/us/cities-turn-to-acrop-for-cash-medical-marijuana.html Holder, E. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. (2009). Attorney general announces formal medical marijuana guidelines (09-1119). Retrieved from website: http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2009/October/09-ag-1119.htmlJacobson, L. (2012, June 29). Barack obama says tax rates are lowest since 1950s for ceos, hedge fund managers. Retrieved from http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/ statements/2011/jun/29/barack-obama/barack-obama-says-tax- rates-arelowest-1950s-ceos-/McCain, J. (2008, September 26). The first presidential debate. Retrieved from http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/president/debates/transcripts/ first-presidential-debate.htmlMcKinnon, J. D., & Thurm, S. (2012, August 28). U.s. firms move abroad to cut taxes. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved fromRomney, M. (2012, September 07). Paul ryan on medical marijuana legalization: ‘let the states decide’. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/07/ paul-ryan-marijuana-legalization_n_1866180.html

Currently, seventeen states and the District of Columbia have legalized medicinal use of cannabis. Seven more, including Massachusetts, have medical marijuana legalization on their ballots this year. As legitimate use of cannabis becomes more accepted, the necessity for farmers or “caregivers” is increasing. Consequently, there is a demand for reliable strains of marijuana that will produce the desired results. With the numerous choices of seeds and companies that sell them, how can a new grower identify which strains of hybrids are stable? One should first consider the recent developments in marijuana hybridization, as well as the key players who changed the industry. A grower must know what type(s) of cannabis he or she wants to cultivate. Therefore, we will start by identifying the types of strains available.   Landrace strains are breeds that have traits brought on by the climate, conditions of growth, and the isolation of the gene pool. This segregation took years, and stabilized the breed through the Law of Independent Assortment. These established strains exist all around the world and include indicas: Afghani, Arab, Chinese, Iranian, Lebanese, Moroccan, Indian, New Zealand, Pakistani, Tajikistani, Turkish, & Uzbekistani; as well as sativas: African, Brazilian, Burmese, Cambodian, Colombian, France, Indian, Japan, Laotian, Mexican, Nepalese, Panama, Paraguayan, Swaziland, Thai, Vietnamese, Pakistani, and Paraguayan. There is also Ruderalis, which is a strain with low THC but a 90-day growth cycle that is often used for crossbreeding.   The science of hybridization was realized by Gregor Mendel in the nineteenth century. A hybrid is created when a male and female from separate isolated strains are crossed in order to bring out a certain characteristic, like pest deterrence, hearty flowers, taste, or potency. Crossing the initial mother and father produces offspring called the first filial generation or F1. When the F1 hybrid male is crossed with a F1 female, the offspring is known as F2. This procedure is continued up to F4, disregarding all undesired traits, and then backcrossed with the parent

in order to stabilize the preferred characteristics. The process does not always work, and may take several generations to achieve the sought-after qualities. This technique is now known as “Mendel’s Law of Segregation”. Hybridization can give mathematically predictable results through Mendel’s Law. However, there are no industry standards or finite classifications of which strains should have what characteristics. If you consider only one or two of the characteristics during breeding, then it is easier to have a successful F1 generation. Many seed companies will cut corners like this for quick results. The consumer is the one who pays for it. When you get to a stage in growth where you notice a problem, you would have already had a considerable expense buying the seeds, germinating them and adding nutrients, as well as running lights and air-conditioning units if you are an indoor grower. Even worse would be growing them all the way to flowering and finding that they were hermaphrodites.   In the early 1980s, an Australian man named Neville Schoenmaker started The Greenhouse Coffee Shop. He had selectively collected many landrace strains from around the world and started a mail-order seed catalog. The seeds were produced in a mansion named “The Cannabis Castle”. By 1989, Schoenmaker’s seed bank won the High Times (HT) Cannabis Cup across all five categories with the hybrids that he had created. His ad in HT got larger. Schoenmaker was arrested while visiting relatives in Australia in 1990. He later escaped and went into hiding. He currently collaborates with Mr. Nice Seed, and is responsible for many hybrids such as Neville’s Haze, White Widow, and Black Widow.   In 1995, two men named Shantibaba and Howard Marks, alternatively known as Mr. Nice, met in Holland and collaborated on different seed projects. Due to mutual business interests in The Greenhouse companies, Schoenmaker and Shantibaba collaborated with the intention of winning the 1998 Cannabis Cup. Both men were already accomplished and had won awards

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-RON PAUL-

at previous competitions. In the 1998 Cup, they won across the board, with the exception of the fiber awards. Afterward, Shantibaba and his partners had a falling out. Shantibaba sold his portion of the “Greenhouse Seed Co.” companies. He then established Gene Bank Technologies with 40 parent plants. Other companies were using established names for his different sub-species. This drove Shantibaba to change the names for many of the varieties. The plants collectively held by Schoenmaker and Shantibaba have the ability to produce every strain currently available.

6:04 PM

ly 2011

The Dutch Gedogen Law (DGL) was put in place in 1999. This ruling made it illegal to sell cannabis seeds unless they were imported. To solve the problem, the parent plants were moved to the Switzerland canton of Ticino and the company was renamed Gene Bank Technologies (GBT). Swiss authorities reinterpreted the drug laws in 2003. The result was the seizure of GBT and the arrest of many of its employees. Nevertheless, Shantibaba retained all of the parent plants. He is currently

working with Mr. Nice Seedbank and Research. Howard Marks is now an author and advocate for the legalization of cannabis in the United Kingdom.   For people who are new to growing cannabis and do not know what seed catalog to trust, due diligence is key. For this reason, it is recommended that one finds a company with a customer feedback support system. Seeds can be purchased from the Internet. Mr. Greenman monitors Seedbanks and gives them ratings on his site http:// www.seedbankupdate.com/. One must be cautious; many seed companies have inferior products. When buying from a broker or auction on the Internet, research the breeder of the seeds beforehand. The lack of industry standards has allowed some companies to embrace “profit maximization.” These firms do not care about the quality of their product. However, some seed companies will help customers with any problems and will guide client research to ensure quality harvests. If you know another grower with consistently healthy plants with desired attributes, ask him or her about

acquiring a clone. Alternatively, one can ask said friend where his or her seeds were purchased. Another path would be to try the landrace strains, which are stable and have well-documented growing needs.    There is a growing demand for cannabis as it comes to the forefront of medicine. This market share requires that hybridization become more reliable. Many strains have been created specifically for the exact blend of CBC that is needed to treat certain illnesses. An excessive need exists for safe peer-networking without fear of prosecution. A peer network on the Internet would be an excellent way for caregivers to find reliable seed companies, as well as an outlet for sharing their individual research and growing techniques. Collaboration inspires innovation, and the next generation of Schoenmakers, Marks, and Shantibabas, might be out there, lacking the platform or legal safety net to share their knowledge.

Trichome Tim

/24/11 12:35 PM

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Nothing better than medicating after a long and enjoyable dinner. Well how ‘bout medicating your pies this holiday season and skipping the joint for a slice of Amsterdam Apple Pie (inspired by the Dutch Apple Pie).  Really, you can make this easy canna-pie dough and use it for an array of items: quiches, tarts, cream pies…the possibilities are only limited to your imagination.

Canna Crust   11/4 cups flour 1/2 tablespoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 stick of canna-butter, the colder the better  Fill a one cup liquid measuring 1/2 cup with water, and drop in a few ice cubes; set it aside. In a large bowl whisk together 1 1/4cups flour, 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Dice canna butter into 1/2inch pieces. Get out your pastry blender. Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour and begin working them in with the pastry blender, using it to scoop and redistribute the mixture as needed, so all parts are worked evenly. When all of the butter pieces are the size of pearls, stop. Start by drizzling 1/4 of the ice-cold water (but not the cubes, if there are any left!) over the butter and flour

mixture. Using a rubber or silicon spatula, gather the dough together. Gather clumps together into one mound, kneading them gently together. Place dough ball on a large piece of plastic wrap. I like to use the sides to pull in the dough and shape it into a disk. Let the dough chill in the fridge for one hour, but preferably at least two, before rolling it out.

Amsterdam Apple Pie 1 Canna Crisp Pie crust 51/2 cups peeled cored sliced cooking apples 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed 3 tablespoons flour 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmegTopping 3/4 cup flour 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed 1/3 cup Canna butter Preheat oven to 375°F. Fit pie crust into pie plate. In a large bowl, mix sliced apples, lemon juice, both sugars, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Fill pie bowl with the Apple mixture. Prepare topping in a medium bowl, with a pastry blender or a fork. Mix flour, both sugars, and butter until coarsely crumbled. Sprinkle topping evenly over apple mixture. Bake @ 375°F for 50 minutes

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Not too strong but very tasty, this was awesome. After thirty minutes to kick in, the feeling was energetic, but only lasted about an hour. Had to eat an entire bag.

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How to Cure your Cannabis

s fall approaches, those of us with outdoor crops will start thinking of the ways to cure the flowers from our beautiful medicine. Some of you with auto-flower breeds should be considering harvesting your second outdoor crop. Naturally, those with indoor grow rooms have to think about curing every 90 days. Well, what are the different ways a care giver can cure their precious crop? And what differences do you have in your final product? Which curing methods are the safest? And is there a cost-effective way for us to use these curing methods? What is curing? And what does it do for the medicine? Curing dries the flowers so that they can easily be smoked. But it has a more important chemical reaction called decarboxylization. This occurs when the cannibinoid acids, like THC-A and others produced by the plant, convert into THC, a usable cannabinoid. The THC-A is an acid from the carboxyl group (COOH). As decarboxylization happens, it releases carbon dioxide and water vapor from the acid chain, leaving only THC. This process happens during curing, when the plant reaches about one-third of its original moisture content. This also happens if the cannabis is burned or heated past 400 degrees Fahrenheit. However, this would cause a patient to ingest extra carbon dioxide as well as chlorophyll, the naturally-occurring chemical with which plants perform photosynthesis. The sugars in the plant need to break down as well, so your smoke is smooth rather than harsh. The plants

will continue converting sugars into starches for some time after being cut. Straight water and no fertilizers or nutrients for two weeks before the harvest will help with cutting down this conversion time. How do you know when it is time to harvest your plant? Trichromes can tell you. When using a 60X by 100X illuminated pocket microscope, the trichromes will go from clear to milky and then amber. You can also take a high-resolution digital photograph and enlarge it until the trichromes are visible. Some digital cameras have a macro setting, which would do the trick. You can harvest when 50% or more of the trichromes are milky or translucent. Some people like to wait until the trichromes become amber in color. Some sativas are better if harvested when at the milky stage; it has more of a heady effect than a physical one. If you wait until the glands turn amber, it will have more of a sedate, physical high. This could make a sativa lose some of its qualities. Some of the blueberry and blackberry strains have purple glands, but mostly they will be amber in the last stage. You would want a mostly amber hue on Indicas or Sativa/Indica hybrids. Flavors can be added to the plant before and during curing. However, I would not suggest this. Some of the appeal of the medicine lies in its aromatherapy. The pleasant bouquet of a nice strain always makes me happy, and most likely will make your patients happy, as well. Adding flavor during your grow cycle would not

incorporate the flavor as effectively; the flavor is best if added just before harvest. Just let the soil dry out. Mix a light amount of your flavor in some water and apply to the soil. The plants will suck up the flavor and are ready to be harvested the next day. If you are flavoring hydroponic plants, add a light amount of flavor to your water a couple of days before you harvest. Flavoring will be pointless if you intend to water cure; the process would leach the flavor out of the bud. Harvesting is very labor-intensive work. Most of the work is manicuring the bud, so you may want to get some help. To harvest the plant, cut at the bottom of the stalk. Some growers hang the whole plant before or after manicuring, while others cut off the individual branches and hang those. It is important to trim-off the leaves. It is far easier to trim the leaves with a fresh plant than it is with a dry plant. Trimming can be done by hand with scissors or with a trimming machine. Make sure to get as many of the sugar leaves as possible. The leaves do not contain much THC and will lower the potency of your final product. The trimmings can be used in cooking, making tinctures, hash and hash oils. There are many methods for extracting from the trimmings, depending on what you intend to do with them. What are the different ways you can cure your medicine? The two basic methods for curing are air-curing and water-curing. Each one has many variations as to how it can be performed. If you care about taste, yield,

LOUD SEEDS

or appearance, then air curing will be the preferred method. If potency and cleanliness are your main concerns, then water-curing is going to be the way to go. Both methods will decarboxylate the buds effectively. Air-curing is the standard method that many care givers use when harvesting their crops. Indoor growers could just stop watering and harvest when the soil has dried-out some but not completely. Outdoor growers need to pay heed to the environment. Bad weather, bugs, and/or a lack of rain, could have adverse effects on your harvest, after manicuring or before, depending on the technique used. The flowers need to hang from the bottom of the stem in a well-ventilated room that is 50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, for three to six weeks. THC will decompose under light, so keep the room dark. Going below 50 degrees could cause the bud to take longer to cure. Above 70 degrees could cause bacteria, mold, and rot, to over-dry and effectively destroy the buds. Reduce the ventilation after the stems have become crisp. Try to cure them slowly. If they dry too quickly, a leafy taste of chlorophyll will remain. Larger colas will take longer to cure. When the bud is dry and crisp on the outside, but moist on the inside, it can be jarred to even-out its moisture level. Water-curing is much safer for patients with lung ailments, cancer, or immune deficiencies. THC is not water-soluble and water-curing will not decrease the potency. However, it does not look as pretty as the air-cured buds. Yet it remains the safest way to cure, and is much faster than traditional air-curing. You can use a variety of water to accomplish the cure. The best would be reverse-osmosis water. While osmosis occurs, it will drain the nutrients faster. Another cheaper alternative would be to use distilled water, and if that is unavailable, spring water will work. Do not use tap water, it has many contaminates. When water-curing, you will need to submerge the bud completely in water for 3 to 14 days. Keep it dark, as well, perhaps in a large cooler with something like a piece of glass to keep the colas submerged. Change the water daily. After curing for a number of days, you can take them out and hang the plant as you would if you were air-curing. When it dries, it is ready for the jar. You can tell curing is complete when the stem almost snaps in half. If the stem snaps, the bud is too dry and needs to be re-moisturized. Over-drying can happen easily. When a bud drops below 10% moisture, it can crumble into dust. The stem should feel like it will snap but still maintains some flexibility. In the event you do over-dry the bud, just put it in a jar with some fresh bud, an apple or an orange peel. The flower will remoisten and be smooth to smoke again. Be careful, because this method of moisturizing your bud may

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introduce bacteria or molds. Do not do this for too long, just long enough for the bud to feel fresh. When the bud is stored with a moisture level above 15%, it may promote bacteria and molds to grow on the colas, ruining your crop. Short- and long-term storage can be done in a couple of ways. Glass mason jars are the industry standard. Do not use any plastics! Plastics do not react well with the phenols. Buds should be placed in jars, burped and laid out once a day. The process should be slowed down over time, until the aroma starts to mellow. When the aroma mellows, the medicine is ready for consumption or further storage. Extended storage can be done in vacuum jars or bags. Again, I do not suggest plastics. A cheaper solution for vacuum-packing exists. Poke a small hole in the top of your mason jar and place a band aid over it. Place a vacuum cleaner hose over the top of the band aid for a few seconds. Take it off and place some duct tape over the band aid. This process will vacuum-seal the jar, keeping the bud fresh for extended periods of time. The vacuum will also keep any pathogens from growing in the jar. I have kept some in this fashion for up to a year, and the jar still burped when I opened it, fresh as the day I put it in there. No matter what way you cure your product, please make sure to listen to your patient needs and desires. Their opinions are more important than your own. Happy Gardening, Trichome Tim

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