Mar. 2022 - Alaska Leaf

THE ENLIGHTENED VOICE

#71 | M AR. 2022

THE STRAINS ISSUE F RE E / L E A F M AGA Z I N E S . COM

INDEPENDENT CANNABIS JOURNALISM SINCE 2010

Enjoy your stay with your first 506 Merhar ave fairbanks ak

license number 20827

907-474-good www.goodtitrations.com

onsite consumption experience k next to walmart and lowe’s

Ask Your Budtender for that

Award-Winning Cannabis Wonder Woman

Black Rose

2020 Great Alaskan Cannabis Bowl WINNER!

ShnozBerry

Best Sativa Best Terps

SweetMatanuskaGreen@Gmail.com | SweetMatanuskaGreen.com Marijuana has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming and addictive. Marijuana impairs concentration, coordination, and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under its influence.

There are health risks associated with consumption of marijuana. For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of the reach of children. Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breast feeding.

ALASKA HERB GARDEN

GUIDE

MODERN BREEDING STRAINS

MAR. 2022

BREEDER PROFILE

54

COOKING WITH CANNABIS RECIPES

BRUCE WOLF

E. TUDOR SHOP REVIEW

39 MZJILL GENETICS

Uncle Herb's store manager Joe Iyahuk trims Black Cherry Lemonade.

COURTESY

18 GREAT NORTHERN CANNABIS

O'HARA SHIPE

Alaska Leaf visits the folks behind Alaska Herb Garden to learn more about how they are cultivating strains like Black Cherry Lemonade and their high-producing Harambe.

O'HARA SHIPE

24

11 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 32 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 44 46 50 52 54 58 60

44

EDITOR’S NOTE NATIONAL NEWS BUDTENDER Q&A SHOP REVIEW TOP HAT CANNABIS PROFILE MATANUSKA THUNDER FUCK ALASKA HERB GARDEN HEMP INDUSTRY HIGHLY LIKELY STRAIN OF THE MONTH STRAINS 101 GUIDE COMPOUND GENETICS RAY BAMA / RUNTZ MZJILL GENETICS SHERBINSKIS DUKE DIAMOND GOING ON A PHENO HUNT MODERN BREEDING STRAINS THE HYPE AND THE HEAT EDIBLE OF THE MONTH CONCENTRATE OF THE MONTH COOKING WITH CANNABIS CANNTHROPOLOGY STONEY BALONEY

JUSTIN MCIVOR

THE STRAINS ISSUE

garden spotlight

8

LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

#71

[

MARCH 2022

issue

OWL RETURNS F B F A E L OR A K RO S A L UN A D E H 2 T

Entry Intake POWERED BY:

AWARDS CEREMONY AND FREE EXPO THIS JUNE AT THE EGAN CENTER ENTRIES ACCEPTED FROM 4/20 TO MAY 20TH AT GREEN JAR ENTRIES $420 WITH $20 FROM EACH ENTRY GOING TO AN ALASKA WILDLIFE NONPROFIT

EXPO BOOTHS AND LIMITED SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE

SCAN THE QR CODE FOR ENTRY INSTRUCTIONS Contact leafbowls@leafmagazines.com for more information.

E S TA B L I S H E D 2 0 1 0

T H E E N L I G H T E N E D VO I C E

N O RT H W E S T L E A F / O R EG O N L E A F / A L AS KA L E A F / M A RY L A N D L E A F / CA L I F O R N I A L E A F / N O RT H E AS T L E A F

A B O U T T H E C OV E R For this month’s sticky, delicious cover, we partnered with famed macro photographer Erik “Nugshots” Christiansen of Nugshots Lab. Known for his gorgeous still photography and his ability to display a 360-degree view of the world’s finest Cannabis products, Erik provided epic photos of three strains with diverse physical properties for our Strains Issue cover: Ridgeline Farms x Humboldt Seed Company Vanilla Cream Pie, Rolen Stone White Truffle, and Good Lyfe Farms x Humboldt Seed Company Hella Jelly.

Head online to watch our moving cover come to life!

PHOTOS by ERIK NUGSHOTS @ERIK.NUGSHOTS

WES ABNEY C E O & F O U N D E R wes@leafmagazines.com

CONTRIBUTORS

MIKE RICKER OPERATING PARTNER + AD SALES ricker@leafmagazines.com

TOM BOWERS C H I E F O P E R AT I N G O F F I C E R tom@leafmagazines.com DANIEL BERMAN C R E AT I V E D I R E C T O R daniel@leafmagazines.com O'HARA SHIPE C O N T E N T D I R E C T O R + W E B ohara@leafmagazines.com MEGHAN RIDLEY C O PY E D I T O R meghan@leafmagazines.com

BOBBY BLACK, DESIGN + FEATURES JOSHUA BOULET, ILLUSTRATION TOM BOWERS, FEATURES ERIK NUGSHOTS, PHOTOS JIMI DEVINE, FEATURES EARLY, PRODUCTION EMILY EIZEN, PHOTOS STEVE ELLIOTT, NATIONAL NEWS KANDID KUSH, PHOTOS JUSTIN MCIVOR, PHOTOS BENJAMIN NEFF, PHOTOS MIKE RICKER, FEATURES MEGHAN RIDLEY, EDITING MIKE ROSATI, PHOTOS ZACK RUSKIN, FEATURES JAMIE VICTOR, DESIGN DAN VINKOVETSKY, FEATURES NATE WILLIAMS, FEATURES

CONNECT WITH ALASKA LEAF Exclusive Cannabis Journalism @NWLEAF

|

@AKLEAFMAG

@NWLEAF

ISSUU.COM/NWLEAF FREE ONLINE ARCHIVE

EDITOR'S NOTE PHOTO by OSCAR AVELLANEDA-CRUZ @OKIAVE

ABNEY

Editor’s Note Thanks for picking up the Strains Issue of the Leaf!

WE’VE COME a long way since the days of all Cannabis being weed, when the best weed ever was the pot we had in our pockets. I remember the struggle of simply trying to buy weed from a dealer who was honest and had tasty flower, which is what led me to buying and selling my own weed to friends in college. This inspired many stoned, youthful experiments to create flavors in the BC Bud we got by the pound – including dropping orange peels or apple slices into a turkey bag, along with a few tortillas to add moisture to the dried out herb.

11

In those early days, weed came in grades – not in strains – but occasionally a “flavor” profile would come along like Blueberry or Bubblegum that was the equivalent of finding gold in smokeable form. I’ll never forget when my plug handed me a couple ounces in a jar, for free, because he had accidentally spilled a bottle of artificial blueberry flavoring while intending to simply add a few drops. I tried so hard to smoke that weed and as pungent and artificial as it was, I gave up! Even back then I had standards for what I would smoke, and the blueberry experience was so bad that I avoided that flavor in candy and drinks for TODAY, THE TOP at least a year.

BREEDERS ARE It wasn’t until I began working with medical Cannabis in 2010 and publishing the Leaf that strains became a concept. The paradigm shift happened in the collectives (dispensaries) that would offer 10-20 types of Cannabis, and through smelling and feeling each bud, it became clear that strains were more than just names given to sell bud – but representative of flavor profiles, growing structure and style, and the effects that were unique to each jar. This experience was like a trip to Willy Wonka’s factory for me, and it turned me on to the amazing world of Cannabis genetics, breeders and the strains that have defined the growth of our industry.

LIKE ROCKSTARS AND THE STRAINS THEY PRODUCE ARE THE TOP HITS – WHICH CAN LEAD TO FAME AND GLORY AMONGST STONERS WORLDWIDE.

Today, the top breeders are like rockstars and the strains they produce are the top hits – which can lead to fame and glory amongst stoners worldwide. But back in the day, breeding was a risk only undertaken by the dedicated and fearless. After all, having the courage to pheno hunt when simple possession was a felony was a rare attribute to be found in the underground grow rooms and distribution networks. But innovation and a passion for flavors and the search for the best new weed has driven generations of growers, and it’s because of those early entrepreneurial plant scientists that we have a wide range of genetics being developed and grown around the planet.

In this regard, Cannabis is becoming like the wine industry, with select breeders (think labels/ vineyards) producing unique strains (like vintages/blends/varietals) that have demand around the globe – and a high value! And just like wine, Cannabis connoisseurs don’t want to smoke the same flavors every day, but instead chase new experiences and highs with unique flavors and attributes on a level that surpasses the wine or craft beer industry by far. Cannabis users love new strains and we have the breeders to thank for the countless hours and crop cycles that have led to our beautiful, diverse world of weed we enjoy today.

On that note, it is an honor to highlight the world of breeding and strains in this issue of the Leaf.

I hope it inspires you to try new strains and appreciate the breeders behind the scenes who put their blood, sweat and money on the line for our enjoyment.

-Wes Abney MAR. 2022

leafmagazines.com

We are creators of targeted, independent Cannabis journalism.

Please email us to discuss advertising in the next issue of Alaska Leaf Magazine. We do not sell stories or coverage. We can offer design services and guidance on promoting your company’s medicinal, recreational, commercial or industrial Cannabis business, product or event within our magazine and on our website, LeafMagazines.com. Email ricker@leafmagazines.com to start advertising with Alaska Leaf!

WES

A la s k a C a n n a b is E x ch a n g e

national news

weird

normalization

UNIFORMED COP CAUGHT SELLING WEED ON DUTY

COLORADO COULD PROHIBIT FIRING EMPLOYEES FOR CANNABIS USE

IF

a measure introduced at the statehouse in February by two Democratic lawmakers passes, Colorado would soon prohibit employers from firing workers because of their off-the-clock Cannabis use.

House Bill 1152 also requires employers to let their workers consume medicinal Cannabis while on the job.

The bill includes exceptions for workers whose jobs are in dangerous fields or require fine motor skills, such as operating heavy machinery.

“Marijuana is legal in Colorado,” said State Rep. Brianna Titone, a Democrat and sponsor of the bill. “And what people do in their spare time that doesn’t impact their work shouldn’t really be a problem for them. They should be able to enjoy the legal things that we have here in Colorado and not be penalized for it.”Titone is pitching the measure as a way for employers to find workers more easily in Colorado’s tight labor market.

G

14

eorgia Bureau of Investigation has arrested a Georgia police officer who they say sold marijuana while on duty, in uniform. Leon Mitchell, 32, worked for the Warwick Police Department near the southwest Georgia city of Albany. The GBI’S Southwestern Regional Drug Enforcement Office claimed undercover agents were able to buy weed from Mitchell in Worth and Lee counties. In what must have been a regular Kodak moment, drug agents arrested Officer Mitchell January 28 at the Police Department. Agents arrested Mitchell on two counts of sale/distribution AGENTS SAID THEY of marijuana and one count of posFOUND MARIJUANA, session with intent to distribute. For SCALES AND PLASTIC BAGS RIGHT INSIDE good measure, they piled on four THE CAR WHEN THEY counts of possession of a firearm SEARCHED HIS VEHICLE. during the commission of a felony, three counts of violation of oath of office and two counts of use of a communication device during the commission of a felony. Officers booked Mitchell into the Worth County Jail, where he remained after a judge denied him bail.

the south

MISSISSIPPI LEGALIZES MEDICAL CANNABIS

M

ississippi has legalized medical marijuana for people with debilitating conditions, NPR reports. The change comes 15 months after a healthy majority of voters approved a stronger version of the law on Election Day 2020. The National Conference of State Legislatures says 36 states and four territories already allow the medical use of Cannabis, making Mississippi the 37th state to do so as of Gov. Tate Reeves’ February signature. While it became law immediately, it could be months before the first Cannabis dispensaries open.

global

politics

THAILAND IS FIRST IN ASIA TO DECRIM WEED

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER RENEWS FEDERAL LEGALIZATION PUSH

LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

T

hailand has become the first country in Asia to approve the de facto decriminalization of marijuana. Unfortunately, law enforcement authorities have left a “gray area” around adult recreational use. Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced that the Narcotics Control Board had approved dropping Cannabis from the list of controlled drugs. The delisting will take effect 120 days after its publication in the government gazette. Thailand removed Cannabis – a plant species to which both marijuana and hemp belong – last December from the list of illegal drugs under the nation’s Narcotics Law. Police and lawyers said it was unclear if possession of Cannabis will still be an offense subject to arrest. Related laws mean production and possession of marijuana remain “regulated” for now. That, unfortunately, leaves the legal status of adult-use marijuana somewhat murky.

13

marijuana-related bills were filed in the Indiana Legislature’s 2022 session.

MAR. 2022

90% 400

of its Cannabis buyers come from Idaho, claims the city of Ontario, Ore.

untaxed marijuana greenhouses were recently busted in San Bernardino County, Calif.

S

enate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer renewed his calls for the federal legalization of marijuana, reports the New York Daily News. “Change has been urgently needed for a long time,” Schumer said, referencing the disproportionate impact Cannabis laws have had on Black communities. “The good news is we’re on the edge of getting change, because the opinions throughout America are changing. All across the country, states are legalizing,” Schumer “ AS MAJORITY LEADER, said. “All across the country, I CAN SET PRIORITIES. minds are changing.” He said he plans to introduce the bill in April.

THIS IS A PRIORITY.”

7.6k $2.22b $27b

pounds of untaxed, processed weed was recently seized in a Lake County, Calif. investigation.

worth of Cannabis was sold in Colorado in 2021, the 3rd-most in the nation.

is the estimated size of the legal U.S. marijuana market by 2026.

STORIES by STEVE ELLIOTT, AUTHOR OF THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF MARIJUANA

interview

ALASKA LEAF BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH

JONATHAN LOVELACE NOT ONLY DO YOU BUDTEND AT THE GREAT GREEN JAR, BUT YOU’RE ALSO EMPLOYED AT MATANUSKA MEDICINE WOMAN. YOU’RE A BUSY GUY. Yeah, I love being able to work for my two buddies at the cultivation and really dive into the many facets of operations. I get to take a lot of the knowledge they’ve learned from their grandmother, the medicine woman herself, Vanessa Liston. I get to do just about everything there is to do in a cultivation like pruning the plants, trimming, applying natural amendments into the soil, top-dressing the plants, watering – the works.

16

I WOULD IMAGINE THAT REALLY GIVES YOU A LOT OF EXPERIENCE TO ELEVATE YOUR ABILITY TO TEND BUD… 100%. People want an educated budtender who knows how quality weed is grown.

LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

DO YOU EVER SEE YOURSELF HAVING YOUR OWN ENTERPRISE ONE DAY IN THE CANNABIS SPACE? Potentially. MMW is a place where I love to be and I love Green Jar as well, so I’m in no hurry to go anywhere currently.

Being able to grow, manufacture and sell Cannabis with my friends is the ultimate goal – so whether it’s mine or someone else’s business isn’t as important as just doing what I love.

YOU’VE GROWN UP WITH THE TWO FELLAS YOU WORK FOR AT MMW SINCE THE 6TH GRADE. WHAT’S ONE OF THE MOST CLASSIC STORIES YOU CAN PROVIDE FROM THOSE EARLY DAYS? I’d say just being caught smoking weed at a young age and getting a spanking for it from Mom.

"BEING ABLE TO GROW, MANUFACTURE AND SELL CANNABIS WITH MY FRIENDS IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL."

W

WOULD MOM STILL SPANK YOU FOR SMOKING WEED? Not as long as it isn’t in public. But she’s coming around.

HEN HE’S not behind the counter slinging heaven's medicine, you can generally catch him in the mountains shredding the gnarliest powder line, or on the local ice rink wheeling benders. He loves a good walk in the park and ice cream at the beach, but nothing butters him up more than a puff of some good hashish and quality vibes from live music at the local dive bar. Follow him on Instagram @jlovelace7

MAR. 2022

GREEN JAR

4901 E BLUE LUPINE DR. E, WASILLA THEGREENJARAK.COM (907) 631-3800 OPEN 9AM-9PM DAILY

STORY by ALASKA LEAF STAFF @AKLEAFMAG | PHOTO by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS

shop review

THE OPEN-CONCEPT LAYOUT IS REFRESHINGLY NAVIGABLE AND FEELS PERFECT FOR PERUSING.

ENVIRONMENT & VIBE Hands down, the coolest part of GNC’s E Tudor location is the fact that it was built compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Ample handicapped parking spots line the front of the building, while the entrance’s double doors make it easily accessible. Inside, there is a mix of counter heights to accommodate wheelchairs. The menu is prominently displayed throughout the store in different sized, easy-toread fonts – a thoughtful touch to enhance the experience of someone with a visual impairment. Additionally, the open-concept layout is refreshingly navigable and feels perfect for perusing.

PRODUCTS

18

Expectedly, much of the store’s supply comes from the company’s cultivation – but with three Alaska Leaf Bowl titles to their name – that’s not a bad thing. Although they carry a hearty supply of flower, their pre-rolls are truly their bread and butter and we’re huge fans of Grape Kush, Mimosa and Chernobyl. For a relaxing at-home spa experience, try GNC’s THC and CBD-infused bath bombs, hand lotions and full-spectrum essential oils. From MoMo’s to Fire Eaters, edible connoisseurs will find all of their favorite brands here. Even your pets can indulge with GNC’s well-stocked Pet CBD products.

BUDTENDERS With three Anchorage stores to cover, GNC budtenders make the rounds at each location – meaning you can expect the same level of expertise at each shop, including the newly opened E Tudor. Store manager Rodney Devenger describes his staff as educated and friendly, and we couldn’t agree more. Each budtender was able to field a variety of questions and did not hesitate to ask a colleague if they didn’t know the answer. It was abundantly clear that every budtender not only loves the plant, but they also love their job.

leafmagazines.com

SPECIAL PERKS GNC’s E Tudor location opened in October 2021 and is aimed at serving locals. Located next to Taco Bell, Subway, McDonald’s, Golden Gate and Namaste Shangri-La, it’s the perfect post-work stop for those Netflix and chill nights. The store is also stocked with every candy imaginable and the hard-to-find Jones Soda. In short, this dispensary is a stoner sanctuary packed with all the snacks and supplies you could ever need.

QUICK HIT Great Northern Cannabis’ third Anchorage location on E Tudor Road is a real head-turner. From a prim exterior to a brightly-lit, well-decorated interior, the dispensary is a joy to shop. There might be a short wait at peak times between 3:00 and 9:00 p.m., but there are plenty of quirky displays to keep you occupied.

MAR. 2022

GREAT NORTHERN CANNABIS E. TUDOR

GREAT NORTHERN CANNABIS E. TUDOR

2600 E TUDOR RD., ANCHORAGE, AK 9AM-MIDNIGHT DAILY GREATNORTHERNCANNABIS.COM @GREATNORTHERNALASKA

EACH BUDTENDER WAS ABLE TO FIELD A VARIETY OF QUESTIONS AND DID NOT HESITATE TO ASK A COLLEAGUE IF THEY DIDN’T KNOW THE ANSWER.

REVIEW by ALASKA LEAF STAFF @AKLEAFMAG | PHOTOS by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS

cultivator profile

"I have never met a plant that could not be cultivated indoors with the right amount of love and attention."

NAOMI HAMB TOP HAT CANNABIS | LEAD CULTIVATOR

20

A HUMBOLDT COUNTY NATIVE, Naomi Hamb developed her love of Cannabis at a young age. By the time she was 18 years old, California was pioneering the medicinal Cannabis movement via the passage of Prop 215 – making it easy for Quintessence Hamb to find employment in the industry trimming.

She began Farms GM Cameron supplementing her resume with work from both small-scale Erickson climbs a indoor grows and large outdoor gardens, where working inthe ladder to survey the California sun with organic materials ultimately stole her garden's canopy. heart and influenced the growing style that she uses today as Top Hat Cannabis' Lead Cultivator.

We understand you have a few nicknames? My business card says

Head Cultivator, but within the facility I have many names – Dirt Witch and Empress of Dank being a couple of them.

LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

Better trademark those ASAP! [laughs]

Are there any strains you'd love to see on the Alaskan market?

California is world-renowned for its growing environment. What made you leave paradise for indoor growing in Alaska? I moved

Honestly, I am just excited to see what Alaskan breeders do. There is so much energy, passion and joy in what folks are producing up here, and those feelings are contagious.

Does Alaska's inability to grow outdoors limit the success of certain strains? Not at all. Although some strains do express themselves in a

What top three strains would make your hotlist and why? I have a

up to Juneau shortly after Alaska voted to legalize recreationSome people are number chasers and always lookal Cannabis in 2017. Although I didn't come here to become ing for the highest THC percentage. What are those involved in the Alaskan industry … I had lived in the interior of THCALASKA.COM consumers missing out on? I feel like growers have been Alaska for a few years before moving to Juneau and knew I wanted @THCALASKA preaching this since I started the industry, although we have to spend more time in the state. At the time, I wanted a change of a different language for it now: Entourage Effect. There are pace and a bit of a break from outdoor cultivation projects. But my many compounds within the Cannabis plant aside from heart will always be in sungrown organic Cannabis, which is one of THC. How those compounds act synergistically affects your overall experience the many reasons I feel privileged to head the grow at Top Hat. They fully or high. Most everyone is familiar with THC and CBD, but there are hundreds support me growing Cannabis in a way that aligns with my ethics. of botanical compounds that show up in different quantities from strain to strain. And honestly, in different phenotypes of the same strain. We have barely Demand has a significant influence on what's being grown. Have scratched the surface of understanding how these cannabinoids and terpenes you noticed that Alaskan cultivators tend to gravitate to certain affect both the psychoactive and medical sides of the plant. I would tell constrains? From what I see, there is a huge diversity in what is being prosumers to give a lower THC strain a chance – you may be surprised by how duced in the state. much you enjoy it! way that is more conducive to the large amount of space being outdoors affords you, I have never met a plant that could not be cultivated indoors with the right amount of love and attention. I believe there are some successful outdoor, greenhouse and light deprivation grows in Alaska. It is definitely not feasible for us in the Southeast, but it is possible in other regions, and folks are out there doing a stellar job of it.

MAR. 2022

huge bias in answering this question because I gravitate towards what we produce in our facility. My top three at the moment are Sweet Zombie, which is a low THC strain but has an absolutely superb high – it puts me in a great mood and smells like a fresh fruit smoothie. Sugar Candy is a nice balanced hybrid that always gives me a case of the giggles. And Black D.O.G. is a staple for our company because it is a hard-hitting indica, and who doesn't want better sleep?

STORY & PHOTO by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS/ALASKA LEAF

@greenjar_ak

r a J n e e Gr h it 20 w

/ 4 e t a Celebr pril 20th from 9am - 9pm A

Don’t miss our Killer

Deals!

Specials on Flower, Prerolls, and Concentrates

Have edible infusion questions?

Celebrity Chef

Bombshell

will be available for answers to your questions!

907-631-3800

Open 7 days a Week from 9am-9pm www.GreenJarAk.com 4901 E. Blue Lupine Dr. Ste. E Wasilla, Alaska 99654 MARIJUANA HAS INTOXICATING EFFECTS AND MAY BE HABIT FORMING. MARIJUANA IMPAIRS CONCENTRATION, COORDINATION, AND JUDGEMENT. DO NOT OPERATE A VEHICLE OR MACHINERY UNDER ITS INFLUENCE. FOR USE BY ADULTS TWENTY-ONE AND OLDER. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. THERE ARE HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONSUMPTION OF MARIJUANA. MARIJUANA SHOULD NOT BE USED BY WOMEN WHO ARE PREGNANT OR BREASTFEEDING

feature

SPOTLIGHT ON MTF

leafmagazines.com

22

"In recent years, there has been a resurgence of the infamous MTF, but its origins are no less shrouded in mystery."

Nothing draws ire from an Alaskan cultivator quite like the topic of Matanuska Thunder Fuck (MTF). While some claim they have smoked "real" MTF, those people are actually few and far between. "Look, there was never an MTF strain," Green Go LLC Owner Fuzzy Millhouse explained with exasperation on a garden tour in 2020. "It was just something made up by people sitting in a garage trying to find a way to sell it on the black market."

According to Millhouse, in the ‘70s and ‘80s, everything coming out of Alaska was called MTF – regardless of its genetics. But for a strain that put Alaskan Cannabis on the international map, why is there so much contention about the legitimacy of the strain?

And perhaps more importantly, why does it matter?

MAR. 2022

THE FODDER for the legend that would become MTF actually began 2,000 miles away from the Mat-Su Valley in 1974 when High Times first mentioned it in print. Within months, the price of MTF shot up to $70 an ounce and everyone wanted skin in the game.

"I've been growing here since the '80s, and in my opinion, there really was no MTF. We were all growing and mixing variations of Northern Lights #5 and Maui Wowie. It all came down to good marketing," said long-time valley cultivator and owner of Karma Grown, Tom Holohan.

But High Times' involvement in the legend's development wasn't over yet. When the landmark Alaska Supreme Court decision Ravin v.

State was decided, High Times writer Blair Sachs-Benedict was there to The Aug. 1975 issue of High Times featured cover it. In August a cover story on MTF. 1975, Alaska and MTF were the cover story.

"MTF buds are the size of a malamute's paw … the weed burns slowly, evenly, showing its good breeding, and the taste is smooth and full, with an authoritative bite," wrote Sachs-Benedict, who said he had never tried better weed.

With a blessing from the preeminent authority on Cannabis, demand for MTF reached a fever pitch. So, it was only natural that Alaskans claimed the strain as their own to reap the benefits of all the free press. The downside was that it muddied the waters and made it nearly impossible to find the original strain that caused so much commotion. Moreover, a grower's bust of the purported strain originator, a man simply known as Nordhoff, also called into doubt whether the original genetics were saved – that is, if they existed in the first place.

In recent years, there has been a resurgence of the infamous MTF, but its origins are no less shrouded in mystery.

"We get people trying to sell us MTF all the time, but when we ask about the genetics, they get sketchy and defensive," said a local buyer who preferred to remain anonymous.

MTF is the perfect anecdote for what is happening in much of the industry right now. Classic strains are being phased out in favor of flashier, well-marketed offshoots. Maybe constant pheno hunting is the new name of the game in Cannabis.

Still, as an Alaskan who grew up feeling proud of our state’s contribution to the global Cannabis market, I can't help but wonder what we're losing in our pursuit of the next best thing.

STORY & PHOTO by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS/ALASKA LEAF

We have CBDs!

Frontier CBD * Hemp Bomb * Honey Root * Alaskan Healing Center

224 N Yenlo St, Wasilla, AK | 907-373-2839 | M-F 8a-10p, Sat 10a-10p, Sun 11a-7p

SUNDAYS 15% Off Cartridges TUESDAYS Two for Tuesdays Two Grams of Concentrates for $90 (Exclusions Apply)

WEDNESDAYS $40 1/8ths on All Strains THURSDAYS 1/2gm Pre-Rolls for $5 + All CBD & Merchandise 25% off FRIDAYS Buy 3 Edibles, Get a 4th for a Penny SATURDAYS 10% Off All Silver Plate Concentrates

Now Open at TWO

Anchorage Locations!

Southside

9900 Old Seward Hwy

&

Eastside

317 Muldoon Rd

garden spotlight leafmagazines.com

24

ALASKA HERB GARDEN

EVERY GARDEN HAS ITS OWN PERSONALITY that's shaped by a multitude of factors – the attitudes of the ownership and the enthusiasm of the employees being the most important.

Uncle Herb's Store Manager Joe Iyahuk trims Black Cherry Lemonade.

GM Aaron Stiassny

MAR. 2022

Tori Collins waters growing flowers.

The company has also sponsored events for Challenge Alaska and Special Olympics Alaska.

"We want to be leaders in the industry, and taking care of the community is a big part of that. So I think it's important to all of us that we do things the right way," says Boushell.

Naturally, the company's caring culture also translates into growing some of the state's best Cannabis.

"As we've continually improved our infrastructure, we've been able to Cherry really focus on narrowing in on our signature strains," says Stiassny.

Gorilla "It takes years to figure out what you want to grow. We've already cycled out more than a dozen strains, and we'll keep doing that to get the best out there." alking into Alaska Herb Garden from the February cold, there's a Stiassny and Boushell have already had their share of successful warmth that envelops you, and it isn't just from the temperature. harvests with Black Cherry Lemonade and It's the same feeling of happiness you the high-producing Harambe. However, get when visiting any of Uncle Herb's they have their eyes set on breeding the three dispensaries. next great strain.

"I think there is something to be said about the "We have to give a shoutout to Chris vibe that we have, and it's not just that we want to Jacques of Stone Cold Cannabis because have high standards – no pun intended," says General he's been such a great partner in terms of Manager Aaron Stiassny. bringing new genetics into the facility. My The vibe that Stiassny is referring to is the combidad's original genetics were Hawaiian, nation of Alaskan optimism and work ethic with East but now we're getting to experiment with Coast know-how. Nowhere is this winning formula our genetic lineup a little bit more," says more evident than in Stiassny himself. The son of Stiassny.

Connecticut-born Lloyd Stiassny, Aaron grew up on With a bit of help, Stiassny hopes to conthe slopes of Alyeska surrounded by what he calls tinue to grow the family business enough his dad's "cherished hash." With a smile, he recounts to license a second, smaller garden for stories of his dad being caught smuggling Hawaiian "We want to be leaders in the industry, and research and development. genetics on Alaska Airlines flights in the ‘70s. taking care of the community is a big part of "I think we had originally been super "The airport security would urge him to say that that. So I think it's important to all of us that we focused on the retail side of Uncle Herb's. the bag could have been out of his possession at do things the right way" – Garden Manager Bryan Boushell But now, I feel like we are getting close to some point, to save him from being detained. There being able to develop and produce more product," says Stiassny. was just a different vibe to things back then," says Stiassny.

For now, Stiassny is undergoing licensing for a fourth store with an In many ways, the industry's Wild West days are long gone, but for those accompanying limited grow. In true Uncle Herb's fashion, the grow's like Stiassny who grew up loving and respecting the plant, the next big thing in primary focus will be producing clones for consumer purchase.

Cannabis is going to be widespread acceptance.

"People really want clones, and we haven't had enough space to "We've tried to be thoughtful about all aspects of branding for Uncle Herb's produce them for purchase. I think it's great when consumers want to dispensaries and the garden. We want to have logos that don't scream Cannagrow their own because it means more education about the plant," bis, so we can be out in the business community without feeling like a pariah. If says Stiassny. "You can't change a stigma unless you have buy-in. This we want to normalize it, to make it more accepted, then it has to be palatable," is one way to start that conversation." explains Stiassny.

But Stiassny isn't just worried about perceptions – he and his team are highly active philanthropists. Garden Manager Bryan Boushell recently completed a UNCLEHERBS.COM fundraising campaign for the Polar Bear Plunge, while Stiassny has participated @UNCLEHERBS_AK in the Covenant House Sleep Out.

W

REVIEW by ALASKA LEAF STAFF | PHOTO by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS

EXPERT OPINION

HEMP INDUSTRY

SLIPSTREAMING HEMP INTO YOUR DIET

PLANT-BASED FOODS are the rage today. From grocery stores to fast food restaurants, Americans are embracing non-meat meals. The success of Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods is proof positive that people are rethinking what they eat. This is by no means limited to existing vegans or vegetarians. The dairy and meat industries are nervous about the redefinition of “milk” and “meat.” Some want to reserve those terms exclusively for animal products, but plant-based milks are a given in coffeehouses large and small. Heck, most offer two or more alternatives to cow milk.

PHOTO BY ADOBE

LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

26

I’M

a big advocate for hemp as a food, however, I’m not advocating throwing out everything in your refrigerator and pantry and starting all over again.

That would be foolish, as well as expensive. But how can you start shifting your shopping and eating?

Think slipstreaming.

MAR. 2022

Jerry Whiting

for bread that has hemp in it for a new take on your morning toast or tuna sandwich. No big shift – just a lateral move to hemp foods.

Dehulled hemp seeds, also called hemp hearts, are protein-rich, glutenfree and a healthy source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Most of the hemp hearts sold in this country are from Manitoba Harvest, with some sold under their label and others repackaged by other companies.

Hint: Flip the package over to see where it’s grown. Canada? Probably Manitoba Harvest.

Hemp hearts are one of the easiest ways to slipstream hemp into your family’s diet. Not only are they nutritious, they don’t have a distinct flavor of their own.

Sprinkle a spoonful in your oatmeal or breakfast cereal. Baking cookies or edibles (infused or otherwise)? Toss in a quarter cup. Hemp hearts can be a salad topping just like croutons.

Recipe call for breadcrumbs or panko? Add hemp hearts to either one. Bored with your favorite yogurt?

Add hemp hearts for a change.

Should you do all of the above right now? No. Take your time. Change at your own speed.

And don’t be afraid to reject what you don’t like … eating is supposed to be one of life’s little pleasures. Is a carton of hemp milk or a bag of hemp hearts more than your budget or sense of adventure will allow?

Split it with someone else who wants to experiment. Seek out friends and relatives who are already eating hemp and ask for suggestions.

If you find a product you like, look at the company’s website for related products, recipes and other resources. Share your feedback with them. Ask questions. Follow them on social media.

Once you’re well-versed, share your information and your food with those around you.

Eating can be a social event and you shouldn’t keep new discoveries to yourself. Put it on your table…

THE NEXT TIME YOU GO SHOPPING, NOTICE THE NUMBER OF HEMP PRODUCTS YOU FIND ON THE SHELF.

Take hemp milk for example. It is not, I repeat not, a one for one replacement for cow milk. It doesn’t taste the same, nor should it. Dip your toe in the water by ordering a hemp milk latte the next time you order coffee. Better yet, order a half hemp/half cow milk coffee drink. Added bonus: hemp milk is almost always organic, unlike dairy products.

The next time you go shopping, notice the number of hemp products you find on the shelf.

Most stores intermingle hemp foods with what they already sell. Take breakfast cereal and bread: Most of us buy one or both during our regular shopping forays. Some cereals, especially granola, have hemp as an ingredient. Also look

EXCLUSIVE COLUMN by JERRY WHITING for LEAF NATION // LeBlancCNE.com/podcast

highly likely

MERLE HAGGARD COUNTRY MUSIC STAR

Highly Likely highlights Cannabis pioneers who have paved the way to greater herbal acceptance.

WHEN MERLE HAGGARD passed away in 2016, music fans around the globe said farewell to one of the most genuine artists to ever walk the earth. Haggard was what they call a ‘straight shooter’ – someone that would give their opinion without thought of consequence. And, at times, those consequences were great. He was incarcerated in and escaped from a juvenile detention center by age 14 to ride the rails, only to be caught again and sent back to detention. By the time he was an adult, he was jailed again for robbery and sent to the infamous San Quentin Prison – where he was present for Johnny Cash’s legendary 1958 performance there.

I

AF ARCHIVE/ ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

28

nspired by the Cash Haggard was in no way right wing. performance, when he was Later in the ‘70s he declared, “I released from San Quentin have more culture now. I was dumb in 1960, Haggard set out on as a rock when I wrote ‘Okie From his own to make it in the world of Muskogee.’ That's being honest with country music. He, along with others you at the moment, and a lot of like Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash things that I said [then] I sing with a and Waylon Jennings, would go different intention now. My views on on to be the progenitors of what is marijuana have totally changed.” now known as ‘outlaw country’ – a Perhaps this change of heart is country sound that thumbs its nose what prompted the 2015 Cannabis at the clean-living social mores that anthem that Haggard co-wrote dominate the country music scene in and performed with Willie Nelson.

Nashville to this day.

The song “It’s All And that’s why Going To Pot” is an Haggard’s biggest hit is anthem that takes such a head-scratcher. jabs at big pharma, “I’m an Okie From big alcohol and the Muskogee” begins with waning conservative the lyrics, “We don't views surrounding the smoke marijuana in legalization debate Muskogee; We don't in the United States. take no trips on LSD.” In the video, Haggard Haggard's 31st album, The song became and Nelson can be seen Back To The Barrooms. a runaway hit for sharing a joint.

Haggard in the mainly conservative Haggard, ever the straightcountry music scene because it shooter, never backed down was seen, not as satire, but as from his stance on the benefits of an embodiment of a call for the Cannabis. "I think it's silly to put return to conservative values in the someone in jail for [marijuana counterculture-heavy late 1960s. possession],” he told the Bakersfield Over the years, Haggard gave Californian in 2010. varying accounts of the song’s “I think it's a threat to the message and meaning: In the pharmaceutical industry that you conservative country scene he was can go to the garden to grow seen as a right-wing hero, however, something that might keep you from time would demonstrate that having to use Lipitor."

THE SONG “IT’S ALL GOING TO POT” IS AN ANTHEM THAT TAKES JABS AT BIG PHARMA, BIG ALCOHOL AND THE WANING CONSERVATIVE VIEWS SURROUNDING THE LEGALIZATION DEBATE IN THE UNITED STATES. MAR. 2022

STORY by PACER STACKTRAIN for LEAF NATION

All Things Cannabis For All People beardedlorax rickerdj stashleylynn

PODCAST

maaryjwhite leaflifepodcast

#156

MEDITATION & CANNABIS ( ) Taking Your Buzz to a New Level

w/ @MELANIEMCCULLEY Licensed Spiritual Therapist

THIS MONTH: #157 CANNABIS & GAMES (From Beer Pong to Pass the Bong) #158 FITNESS & CANNABIS (Cannabis as a Catalyst) #159 THE POLITICS OF PESTICIDES (Why is it Controversial?)

LISTEN ON

WATCH ON LEAF LIFE PODCAST V2

LEAFMAGAZINES.COM THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

Marijuana products may be purchased or possessed only by persons 21 or older. This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit-forming. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination and judgment.

Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of reach of children.

STRAIN OF THE MONTH

GR BU

LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

32

H

ave you ever attempted to change your car’s oil by yourself and ended up ruining your clothes (and your pride) as you failed miserably? Yeah, us neither.

We actually bought our white shirt prestained to be on trend for the spring. Joking aside, we’re hoping that Denali Farms’ iteration of Grease Bucket will stick around as long as a grease stain.

Grease Bucket has some rather famous parents – Garlic Cookies and Banana Punch – and their “opposite side of the olfactory tracks” relationship yields an indica-dominant hybrid with a seriously weedy flavor.

The massive buds are loosely packed but frostier than your ex’s heart. Rubbing the firm buds in our fingers, we immediately noticed the sweet scent of brown sugar momentarily cutting through the bitter diesel.

MAR. 2022

The sharp flavor we were expecting never came as we took our first toke. Instead, we were left with a fine coating of syrupy sweet sugar on our tongues.

Within seconds, our heads filled with a spacey high that was too intense for our Halo session – but perfect for Mario Kart.

As the high intensified, so did our mental focus and before long we were dodging turtle shells with the deftness of an overweight house cat.

Eventually, the tail end of the high reached our toes and put us in a pleasant state of couchlock without ever having to re-toke.

Currently only available at Denali Dispensaries in Anchorage, High Rise in Kodiak, Kusko Kush in Bethel, and Nome Grown in Nome, Grease Bucket can be a slippery strain to track down. But if you can get your hands on it … you’re in for a serious treat.

REVIEW by ALASKA LEAF STAFF | PHOTO by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS

REASE UCKET DENALI FARMS

DENALIDISPENSARIES.COM @DENALI.FARMS 23.12% THC | 0.1% CBD

GROWN BY

DENALI FARMS WITHIN SECONDS, OUR HEADS FILLED WITH A SPACEY HIGH THAT WAS TOO INTENSE FOR OUR HALO SESSION – BUT PERFECT FOR MARIO KART.

LEAF MAGAZINES IS HIRING! THE ENL IGHTENED VOICE

#70 | FEB. 2022

E XC L U S I V E I N T E R V I E W !

BERNER

THE ENLIGHTENED VOICE

#67 | NOV. 2021

How the rapper, mogul and iconic face of the Cookies brand is diving into new markets and elevating the Cannabis community.

THE ENLIGHTENED VOICE

CANNTHROPOLOGY

BOB MARLEY HERBAN LEGEND FEATURES

CANNABIS COUPLES SHARE THEIR STORIES TRIXIE GARCIA AND GARCIA HAND PICKED RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE STAR LAGANJA ESTRANJA CANNABIS FASHION TRENDS AND DESIGNS F RE E / L E A F M AGA Z I N E S . COM

#60 | APR. 2021

THE CULTURE ISSUE INDEPENDENT CANNABIS JOURNALISM SINCE 2010

THE HARVEST iSSUE EXPLORING CANNABIS ACROSS THE LAST FRONTIER F RE E / L E A F M AGA Z I N E S . COM

Glacier Grease grown by RockHardNugz in the Mat-Su.

INDEPENDENT CANNABIS JOURNALISM SINCE 2010

THE GLASS ISSUE MOTHERSHIP GLASS

F RE E / L E A F M AGA Z I N E S . COM

Come cultivate the future with our growing Cannabis media family! info@leafmagazines.com

INDEPENDENT CANNABIS JOURNALISM SINCE 2010

Sales Reps Content Creators Project Coordinators

Looking to fill full-time, part-time, and contract sales, content and operations positions.

THE STRAINS ISSUE

A BREEDING GLOSSARY

STRAINS 101 Making new strains in the world today takes everything you’ve got … or at least some good genetics and a proper understanding of the breeding terms and techniques for expanding and improving the Cannabis gene pool.

AUTO-FLOWERING

INDICA

A plant that flowers automatically when it reaches a certain size regardless of photoperiod. Breeders created these types of strains using Cannabis Ruderalis genetics from higher altitudes with short flowering seasons.

Indica-dominant plants grow short and stocky with wide leaves and shorter flowering times.

LANDRACE

Domesticated plants that have adapted to the conditions of their place of origin over many generations. These are used by breeders to create new hybrids by crossing them with distinctly different varieties (e.g., African sativa landrace x Indian indica landrace).

BACKCROSSING

36

This is a breeding practice in which hybrids are crossed with one of their parents in order to try to stabilize chosen traits to discover a unique genotype.

MOTHERPLANT

BREEDING

A female plant kept in the vegetative stage to produce identical clones (or cuttings) to root and flower out. A motherplant can be a source of clones for many years.

Applying pollen from male plants onto female flowers to produce seeds. This is done around the third or fourth week of flowering in order to give the seeds enough time to mature properly.

PHENOTYPE

A plant’s observable expression of its genetic material within its environment.

DIOECIOUS

Any plant with different and separate male and female specimens. Cannabis is a dioecious plant.

POLLEN

Fine grains released by male flowers to pollinate female flowers and produce seeds. Male pollen is carefully collected by breeders from flowering males and then brushed or dusted onto flowering females.

FEMINIZED

A type of seed that grows only female plants.

Breeders use “male” pollen from hermaphroditic plants to produce feminized seeds for growers that don’t want to grow out any males.

leafmagazines.com

GENOTYPE

The stored genetic footprint held within a plant’s DNA.

HERMAPHRODITE

A plant with both male and female flowers.

This can be a genetic trait or a response to stress. Either way, growers should discard hermaphroditic plants to avoid seeding their crops.

HYBRID

A combination of two genetically distinct varieties e.g., Sativa x Indica F1 Hybrid - The first filial cross.

F2 Hybrid, etc. - Each successive cross.

S1 Hybrid - The result of selfing (using pollen from a hermaphroditic plant on itself).

MAR. 2022

POLY HYBRID

The genetic result of crossing unstabilized hybrids with each other. The resulting plants can differ vastly in their characteristics.

SATIVA

Sativa-dominant plants tend to have thin long leaves and a longer flowering time.

SINSEMILLA

“Without seeds” in Spanish. These are the unpollinated female flowers we call buds or nuggets that don’t contain any seeds.

VIGOR

Some hybrids created from distinctly genetically different parents express quicker growth and increased hardiness and yields in their first generation (F1). This hybrid vigor, also known as heterosis, is how new varieties are created and discovered.

STORY by DAN VINKOVETSKY @DANNYDANKOHT/LEAF NATION P H O T O B Y E R I K C H R I ST I A N S E N @ E R I K . N U G S H O T S

“I honestly never focus on THC at all.

I focus on the terps and the experience the plant could potentially produce.”

same year he did his first cross: a pairing of Fort Collins Cough with a Chemdog DD male (Chemdog x Sour Diesel IBL).

While he felt like his pedigree was strong out the gate thanks to the people that helped him out in the first place, he did have to teach himself to be more selective in the breeding process.

But he’d already been to Amsterdam Eventually, he realized less is more. years earlier in 2004 to link up with some “I was lucky to have access to the best friends he’d traded music with online, cuts from the get-go,” Lynch said. “Back where his friend Akko gave him a place then it was kind of more about who you to crash and an introduction to Holland. knew.”

Many days Lynch would find himself at In the coming years, Lynch made the Amnesia – one of Ammove south to take Compound Genetics sterdam’s most famed to the next level, teaming up with Node coffeeshops and Labs and bringing in some folks to help on known for good Haze the business side, so he could focus on his – where he talked quest to keep finding the heat! And these to travellers from days – after bouncing around the cultivaaround the world as tion circles of Oregon to having people he enjoyed strains lined up for his latest creation down the like Lavender, MK block outside of Cookies – the trajectory Ultra, Cheese and remains solidly upward. the sorely-missed “It’s wild, wild,” Lynch said with a laugh.

Nothern Lights Specifically on Cookies, he noted Bern#5 x Haze. er’s support was huge in helping to take Lynch notes Compound to the level it’s hit over the those cofpandemic. feeshops were Lynch went on to speak of his selection his first insight process these days, as the market contininto how professional weed ues to evolve. While many are very focused could be. The people running those shops on THC percentages, he’ll hear none of it. seemed like legitimate business people to “I honestly never focus on THC at all,” him. Eventually, he’d travel back to OreLynch said in his firmest reply of the chat. “I gon only further bit by the bug. focus on the terps and experience the plant The following years featured a could potentially produce. I’m worried significant step up in his collection about total potency – THC is important, of high-end genetics. He acquired a COMPOUND-GENETICS.COM but there is so much more going on in solid OG in 2007, which was also the @COMPOUND_GENETICS the terps.”

37

CHRIS LYNCH | COMPOUND GENETICS In recent Cannabis times, few breeders have captured the imagination of the community like Compound Genetics’ founder Chris Lynch.

STORY by JIMI DEVINE @THEJIMIDEVINE for LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by MICHAEL ROSATI @ROSATIPHOTOS

leafMAGAZINES.com

Time after time since 2017, when discussing where the best Cannabis on the planet got its start, Compound Genetics would be a name synonymous with those conversations. But behind all the hype cuts and ‘next big thing’ is a guy who loves Cannabis.

Lynch has spent much of the decades prior chasing down the world’s finest Cannabis flavors. Like many, his dealer taught him to grow – first dialing in his cultivation skills in Oregon at a house his dealer bought and built out. As the scene matured into dispensaries and warehouses in the early 2010s, Lynch was along for the ride.

The warehouses of Portland were also the first places Lynch came to understand what exclusivity in Cannabis meant when chasing top dollar. “It was the power of genetics,” Lynch told Leaf Mag during our interview at his San Francisco basecamp.

A lot of the cuts he was working with were the classics of the moment sourced from Humboldt County, Calif. – including Headband, a solid OG pheno he worked, plus some Afgooey and Super Skunk cuts in the mix, too.

THE STRAINS ISSUE

FIVE YEARS AGO, Runts was still just a candy spelled with an “s” – until Ray Bama and his partners sprouted an epiphany that sparked the kind of hype marketing managers only dream of. And from that time on, Bama’s partners Yung LB and Nick would be called the Runtz Crew. Leaf Nation’s Tom Bowers connected with Bama about the birth of the phenomenon that is Runtz, his thoughts on the future, and his word on what it takes to succeed in the strain game.

LET’S GET RIGHT TO IT. TELL ME THE RUNTZ SUPERHERO ORIGIN STORY. My partner, Nick, he’s the head grower. Pre 2017, our claim to fame was having indoor Zkittlez. At that point, people didn’t have indoor Zkittlez – it was a unicorn.

Everyone was looking for what was next. Having packs of it was unheard of … Nick asked me, ‘What should I cross it with?’ Gelato was the biggest thing at that time, Young Dolph had just dropped the album called Gelato … I was like, ‘Let’s cross the Gelato with the indoor Zkittlez.’ Nick dropped two phenos, it was a #7 and a #3. We had them in the car and we were like, ‘This is the thing.’ It was like a 15-minute drive and by the end, we had Runtz with a ‘z.’

Emerald Cup was coming up and we had three pounds of it. Me and LB stayed up all night trimming three pounds before the Cup. Berner was there at the booth, looking at us like, ‘What are you guys doing? You have all these people at the booth!’ We showed up with five girls, the Runtz and 1,000 t-shirts. Literally, that shit sold so fast – everyone at the Cup was like, ‘You’ve got something going.’

“To make a legendary strain, it has to be something new.”

WHAT MAKES A LEGENDARY STRAIN OR PHENOTYPE? WHERE DOES THE MAGIC COME FROM? It has to be something new, right? First and foremost. You gotta go back to pre-Runtz, you know? Pre-Runtz, there weren’t that many strains – now there are a million. To make a legendary strain, it has to be something new. You have to have innovation. You have to dial it in. You have to check all the boxes. It’s gotta have flavor, the power. It has to be different, man – some type of characteristic that makes it different. Gelato is like hazelnut gas, you know what I mean? I feel like Runtz took it to a whole ‘nother level of candy – now you have people who go only for that candy, you know? At the end of the day, we’re probably looking at another five to 10 years of the market being dominated by Runtz and Runtz crosses, Runtz sisters and stepchildren.

38

leafmagazines.com

WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW THAT HAVE YOU THE MOST EXCITED? We’re doing collabs with clothing lines, record labels, artists – anything you can think of, really. We’re doing a collab with a comedian.

We’re doing tastings with chefs. We have a breeding project with Seed Junky Genetics. We took the original Runtz and crossed it with some of the favorites of his line, like the Jealousy … He was like, ‘Hey, give me some cuts,” and he’s going to pollinate. His genetics library is crazy. We have a collab coming with Doja … we’re doing a breeding project as well with that. We’ll definitely have some merch and some media behind it as well.

RUNTZ.COM | @RUNTZ

RAY BAMA

RUNTZ MAR. 2022

DO YOU HAVE ANY PREDICTIONS FOR WHERE THE STRAIN MARKET MIGHT GO? I think we’re going to get a whole lot more Zkittlez crosses right now. I think that OGs are going to come back and we’re going to see a lot more green weed coming back. I think the market’s going back to a place where the end user is less trusting, so they’re going to want to see these breeding projects and how they do shit. I think that having real genetics and crosses is going to be important, rather than just ‘throw my name on the bag’ type of stuff.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO SUCCEED IN THE STRAIN GAME? Everyone tries to copy what the next person does. To a certain extent, you can – but you have to be unique. You have to see what you can do to shake the industry. … With Runtz, we brought the power back to our group of people. We gave everyone the strain. … Build on that and continue to innovate and create … do new things with it.

STORY by TOM BOWERS @CANNABOMBTOM/LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by MIKE ROSATI @ROSATIPHOTOS

GENETICS

In an industry dominated almost entirely by men, MzJill stands out as a Cannabis breeder with integrity, longevity and some of the tastiest, unique and potent strains on Earth.

J I L LY B E A N B L A C K C H E R RY

PHOTO BY @NATIVE_CULTIVATOR

39

“MzJill’s work with TGA created some iconic Cannabis strains such as Agent Orange, Brian Berry Cough, Orange Velvet, Ace of Spades and her flagship – the multiple awardwinning, Jilly Bean.”

She’s working on bringing back some of the original classic TGA strains such as Vortex, Dairy Queen, Chernobyl and Time Wreck. She’s also particularly excited about her new line of stabilized Jilly Bean crosses including Cherry, Orange, Lime and Grape flavors.

MZJILL.COM @MZJILL420

STORY by DAN VINKOVETSKY @DANNYDANKOHT/LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by MZJILL GENETICS

leafMAGAZINES.com

methods – building her own bubble buckets because she didn’t want to dispose of conspicuous bags of soil.

Eventually, her medicinal needs and those of her patients drew MzJill to MzJill’s journey, like many pioneers breeding original strains and along of pot, began as a medical patient. with her partner, the late Subcool, She was born with scoliosis and only MzJill co-founded TGA (Team Green found real relief when she Avenger) in 2003. finally discovered CannaAlong with providing an bis. But that didn’t solve immense amount of free all of the problems for a cultivation information single mother of three young via online forums such as daughters during the throes overgrow.com, MzJill’s of pot prohibition, so she work with TGA created decided to homeschool her some iconic Cannabis kids and start growing her strains such as Agent Orown to avoid extra scrutiny ange, Brian Berry Cough, from buying medicine in the J I L LY B E A N Orange Velvet, Ace of @DIS_GREENROOM underground market.

Spades and her flagship – She set up a discreetly the multiple award-winning, Jilly Bean. camouflaged, free-standing room in TGA became one of the first Amerithe garage and employed hydroponic can seed companies to provide beans

JOKER’S WILD

PHOTO BY @SHE_WHISPERS_TO_PLANTS

MZJILL

for purchase online and MzJill was certainly the first female from the U.S. openly breeding strains available in the marketplace. I inducted them into the High Times Seed Bank Hall of Fame and chose Jilly Bean as one of the Top 10 Strains of 2007.

Together with Sub and the rest of the TGA team, they worked to breed potent and flavorful new varieties until a devastating fire destroyed everything they owned in 2017.

MzJill decided to move on—parting ways with Subcool, starting up her own company (MzJill Genetics) and retaining the rights to use the TGA name and many of the strains she had helped to develop.

“Thankfully, we had shared many of our mother plants with friends and I was able to recover the genetics,” she said.

“CSI Humboldt was very helpful with strains such as Purple Urkle, which was a parent of our Querkle strain and now my Jilly Bean Grape as well.”

MzJill also founded the charity MzJill’s People Helping People. Their work includes organizing holiday food, clothing and toy drives across Oregon and Northern California, fundraising for Veterans and children with disabilities, and empowering women in the Cannabis ecosystem.

Even after decades of growing and breeding, MzJill still finds joy in cultivation and strain creation.

Her advice to new growers? “Plant some seeds, keep everything clean and healthy to avoid pests. Mixing up a good soil is better than using bottled nutrients.”

As for breeding, she emphasizes that it’s not just about crossing two elite strains. “Learn to grow well first.

So many people have a room go hermaphroditic and suddenly, they’re a seed company. Make sure that you grow out and test your seeds before you release them. Take notes and keep track of everything.”

As the owner and head breeder of MzJill Genetics, MzJill feels her journey is only just beginning.

THE STRAINS ISSUE

MARIO GUZMAN S HERBIN S K IS WHAT LED TO YOUR RECENT REALIZATION AROUND THE UNIQUE PROPERTIES OF THE CLASSIC ‘SKUNK’ PROFILE? I think being a dreamer and kind of a visionary, I bumped into some SoCal surf brothers who are also visionaries and we had dinner out one night and … we just formed a friendship. I liked what they were doing in terms of studying terpenes, but they were also investing heavily with their own money into licensed facilities – specifically to research terpene profiles and different cannabinoids.

With federal laws prohibiting funding and creating a lot of barriers for research, it’s people like Max, Kevin and Jack that had the vision to put their money where their mouth is and know that there’s magic inside. They wanted to be part of the first ones to discover that and so did I.

leafmagazines.com

40

Mario Guzman is the legendary breeder behind some of the industry’s most groundbreaking strains, including the game-changing Sunset Sherbert, plus Gelato and its signature variants Bacio, Mochi and Acai Berry Gelato.

We caught up with the man behind the Sherbinskis brand to learn more about his longtime passion for the plant.

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU GET INTO THE CANNABIS GAME? I was living in San Francisco in the early 2000s and SB420 was introduced in 2004 – it created a legal framework for guys like me to start growing in their garages.

AT WHAT POINT DID YOUR FOCUS SHIFT TO BREEDING AND GENETICS? It kind of went hand in hand. From the very beginning I was playing with pollen and had been popping seeds, and I didn’t know anything about it really. I just learned quickly through trial and error. I never considered myself, or, even now really … the

MAR. 2022

WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT FOR THE Sherbinski’s FUTURE? I’ve been worksignature ing for the last four years strains include just learning. I haven’t been WHAT’S THE MOST DIFFICULT out trying to make money Pink Panties, PART OF CREATING A NEW in seeds or clones or anySunset Sherbert STRAIN? I would say time. It thing. I’m just learning from and the Gelato line takes a lot of time and patience. people in Spain and different Nothing happens fast in this countries, and breeders and - Bacio, Mochi, game. From popping the seed to just people that get down and Acaiberry and Gello. letting that grow out, to cutting make seeds. We’ve got about the clone to flowering out that 100 moms of different geplant … drying it, trying it, netics that I’ve already tested sharing it, getting feedback … The people I’m two or three times. I’m confident that I’ve put in partnering with and seeking out are just looking to the work and I know what’s what, and I’m excited get back to the quality. It’s not about the biggest about starting to share some of the work I know buds or the biggest yields – it’s more about the I can stand behind that’s a lot more diverse than different medicinal effects of these different genetics what we’re seeing out there in the market. and opening up that gene pool a little more, rathSHERBINKIS.COM er than some of the narrow offerings that we’re @SHERBINSKI415 seeing. term breeder … I just learned to accept it. I just enjoy working with plants and experimenting.

STORY by NATE WILLIAMS @NATEW415/LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by @VISITHOLLYWEED

DUKE DIAMOND Duke’s advice to new growers is to first dial in your environment – and go low and slow with the nutrients.

Duke Diamond’s Cannabis career started early, when at around the age of 12, he decided to grow his own after the first time he blazed on a joint.

Even in the dark days of prohibition in Virginia, he felt safer growing it than buying it. He tells me, “I thought my chances of getting popped would be lower from laying low and not associ-

ating with a bunch of people. I planted some seeds and, luckily, my older cousins caught me, took me under their wings and pointed me in the right direction.”

“I ordered a bunch of seeds from Amsterdam, specifically Afghani, Skunk and Northern Lights x Skunk, and they performed so well. Real ass-stomping stuff! The Hash Plants were big, heavy yielders that finished up before the fall rains came in. It was all received very well and we felt we could compete with California or anywhere else. We started making hybrids, doing our farmer shit to speed up flowering time, boost yields and make the best selections. Potency was always most important.”

Duke was active on the online Cannabis growing forums, sharing valuable information and helping many people learn to grow and breed

DOMINION G

41

P U R P L E DA H L I A

SCREAMING EAGLE

SEEDSHERENOW.COM @THEREALDUKEDIAMOND

STORY by DAN VINKOVETSKY @DANNYDANKOHT/LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by DOMINION SEED COMPANY

leafMAGAZINES.com

The South isn’t the first region people think of when talking about strains, yet many of the legendary varieties of the 1970s and ‘80s hailed from places like Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama and Virginia. To this day, tales of the Roadkill Skunk, Afghan, G-13 and Hash Plant strains light up the eyes of older tokers who swear it was the strongest they’ve ever smoked. A combination of proper climate, good genetics and outlaw gumption contributed to literally tons of marijuana growing in the hills each year.

their own. Eventually, in 2007, he was ratted on by an associate and busted by the DEA for growing, ultimately serving time in the Federal penitentiary.

He ended up having to return to prison in 2019 over an unfortunate bust for possession of a firearm as a felon and was released in 2022 – now placing his focus on reviving Dominion Seed Company and releasing new genetics to the public.

Varieties such as Figure Four, Screaming Eagle, Dominion Skunk, Skunkband, Burnout Chem, Sangria Punch, Polecat BX, Stashplant and more are now available for purchase.

Duke’s advice to new growers is to first dial in your environment. Also, go low and slow with the nutrients.

“When it comes to weed, everybody overdoes shit,” he says. “Don’t overwater. Even with organics – think of the microbes in your soil as your workers – they break the nutrients down into usable form, eating them and pooping them out. Focus on keeping them happy with proper moisture and temperature levels. Avoid using alfalfa and kelp after day 21 of flowering to keep your plants from tasting like grass clippings and burning improperly.”

In addition to growing and breeding new strains, Duke has a few other projects in the works, including starting a podcast, putting out some YouTube videos to help growers learn organic cultivation and finishing writing his book – so you can look forward to consuming Duke’s work in more than just smokeable form.

THE STRAINS ISSUE leafmagazines.com

42

GOING ON A PHENO HUNT COMPOUND GENETICS’ CHRIS LYNCH, THE COMPANY’S SELF-PROCLAIMED CHIEF EXECUTIVE WIZARD, TAKES US THROUGH GROWING AND SELECTING FOR THE BEST CANNABIS TRAITS.

MAR. 2022

After a monster 2021 where Compound Genetics picked up more steam than arguably anybody in Cannabis, 2022 looks to be even crazier. Last December saw one of its biggest seed drops at The Emerald Cup with the Apples and Bananas line. It was also the premiere of the flowers they’d been working to get to market after years of development.

The star of the show for the flower launch was Jokerz #31.

With all the heat they’ve found over the years and dynamic varying flavor profiles, the White Runtz x Jet Fuel Gelato pairing reigned supreme. It was first hunted down at one of the grows Compound works with to do big propagations they don’t have room for in San Francisco. In the two years since the pheno hunt that found Jokerz #31, it has been tested and retested – always continuing to be wildly exotic Cannabis.

THE WORK currently going into 2022 started long before the calendar hit January. Compound Genetics’ Founder Chris Lynch noted he has a lot of strains that are doing well in the market right now and he’s planning to work those Jokerz, Pave, and Apples and Bananas lines even further. “[We’re] incorporating new tricks, new profiles,” Lynch told the Leaf. “And then having the collaboration with Berner will help get those out there. He sees strength in the building blocks we’re working with too.”

These efforts will require large scale pheno hunts to find the best versions of whatever Lynch comes up with. But what is a pheno hunt? Not all plants are the same, and a pheno hunt is about finding the best expressions of the seeds from the particular pairing of genetics. First, Compound will pop the seeds at a larger partner facility. In the process, they’ll take cuttings so they’ll have whatever ends up winning at the end. The second round will feature all the ones that are still in the running. In some cases, that number could be a few … in other instances, it might be 80 plants from 10 strains. That will whittle the number down further and they’ll run them again to make sure the first two weren’t a mistake.

Maybe a little bit under a year from when the first seeds were popped, just how commercially viable the end results are should be evident.

Just like parents can have a child that can slam dunk and one that can’t walk straight, not all the seeds are going to be a home run. The ultimate hope is finding a true outlier of the plant’s expression. Most of the seeds in the pheno hunt will lean towards one of the parents, but in the middle where it’s harder to decipher the characteristics, you can find the real magic and flavors you’ve never seen before. Outliers have the most differentiation from the expressions of the parents people are most familiar with.

Compound Genetics works with a few partners to try and hunt down that magic – to the extent that Lynch’s title is Chief Executive Wizard. As for what he’s looking for, Lynch noted advice he received from MAC breeder, Capulator: “He told me, ‘Just do what you think is going to be hot and just follow your taste. And if people like it, they like it. And if they don’t, they don’t.’”

One plan for the breeding work of 2022 is to move away from Gelatos. It’s not that it isn’t timeless, Lynch just wants to offer consumers new flavor profiles. When asked if he was ever concerned about the way hype moves certain strains, and how it could lead to narrowing down the genome, Lynch agreed. “We need to open it up,” he said.

Another change for 2022 and the Compound Genetics team is their exposure to a higher level of scrutiny. The seeds have been heat for years and many have had success with the line, but with the flower they’ll have access to a much larger consumer base.

“Where we’re at, we’re trying to move methodically, strategically,” Lynch said.

JOKERZ 99 #2

Just like parents can have a child that can slam dunk and one that can’t walk straight, not all the seeds are going to be a home run.

The ultimate hope is finding a true outlier of the plant’s expression.

“Make sure everything is tested thoroughly in multiple runs and checks all the boxes. I anticipate the scrutiny, it comes with the game … take it slow, as long as you stay true to your core values and the things that got you where you are … don’t forget those things.”

With the new flower line dropping, we mentioned that Lynch might have to tell some of the A-list rappers he’s been collaborating with like Berner from Cookies, Wiz Khalifa, and Quavo from Migos that he’s keeping the new family jewels. Lynch laughed at the sentiment, but didn’t deny it.

Lynch currently has a few major projects in the works, on top of three planned seed drops this year. The first is California’s Wine Country – where one of the farms Compound works with is hunting down new males to help Lynch freshen thing up. Solid studs are a critical part of any genetics company and plenty have been built off of one good male over the years. Lynch hopes to collect a few rockstars with the traits he’s wanting to carry on into future generations of heaters.

Back in San Francisco, the pollen is flying right now. This includes some Zkittlez crosses sure to get the universe excited. Lynch also plans on tapping into the genetics he fell in love with during his adventures in Amsterdam. This effort will feature a variety of Cheese crosses to keep an eye out for.

2022 will also see the Compound show hit the road. While people are already growing Lynch’s gear in every legal market, the plan is to personally bring the Jokerz #31 into a few new states – the first two markets being Florida and Michigan.

COMPOUND-GENETICS.COM @COMPOUND_GENETICS

STORY by JIMI DEVINE @THEJIMIDEVINE for LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by MIKE ROSATI @ROSATIPHOTOS

THE STRAINS ISSUE

GSC A balanced hybrid boasting a long-lasting high, GSC, formerly known as Girl Scout Cookies, is parent to a wide swath of popular pot strains.

The unique flavors of vanilla and mint cookie dough, plus a light lavender scent, are passed onto the offspring resulting in many beloved crosses.

GELATO Gelato #33 a.k.a. Larry Bird, is a Bay Area Cookies/Sherbinski staple named for its sweet and creamy scent and flavor.

This strain is relaxing yet uplifting, and those effects along with the bright orange hairs and unique frosty purple tint make it perfect for breeding new berry-flavored varieties with euphoric qualities.

L INE AGE / OG KUSH X DURBAN POISON F 1 DOMINANT TE RPE NE S / CARYOPHYL L E NE , MYRCE NE , LI MO N EN E PARE NT OF / SHE RBE RT, GMO COOKIE S, ORANGE COO K I ES , D O - S I - D O S , B I RT H DAY CAK E, O R EO Z, GRE ASE MONKE Y, THIN MINT COOKIE S, PL ATINUM COO K I ES

L I N E A G E / S U N S E T S HERBET X THI N M I NT C OOKIES D O M I N A N T T E R P E N E S / C A RYOP HYLLENE, LIM ONENE, HUM ULENE PA R E N T O F / R U N T Z , BISC OTTI

44

ZKITTLEZ

MODERN BREEDING STRAINS

Bred by 3rd Gen Family, Zkittlez burst onto the scene with a tropical punch of lemon, grapefruit and ice-creamesque bouquet. Anecdotal evidence shows the indica-dominant effects help treat PTSD and depression. As a forerunner of the Runtz line, Zkittlez’ legacy as a wellspring of wonderful weed is undoubted.

LI N EAG E / ( G R APEFR U I T X G R APE APE) X MY S T ERY MALE D O MI N AN T T ER PEN ES / CARY O PH Y LLEN E, LI N ALO O L, H U MU LEN E PAR EN T O F / R U N T Z, W H I T E R U N T Z, MELO N AD E

leafmagazines.com

Cannabis breeding started thousands of years ago in Central Asia when seeds from the best plants were chosen every harvest year after year. The resulting plants spread throughout the world via human migration and eventually acclimated to different altitudes and environments. These became the original landrace Afghan, Indian, Southeast Asian, African and South American varieties used for flower and hash production over millennia.

IN THE U.S., crackdowns on imports of marijuana spurred aspiring farmers back home to plant their own seeds. Hippie travelers collected magic heirloom beans to bring home and used those plants, as well as various bagseeds, to create the original building blocks of the modern Cannabis gene pool including Skunk, Northern Lights and Haze.

Further law enforcement operations forced a few enterprising bud breeders to the relative safety of Amsterdam, where the first seed companies were born in the 1980s using just a few distinct bedrock strains to create the hybrids that fueled the indoor growing revolution. The descendants of those strains became the building blocks of our present day poly-hybrids, but an ever-more-sophisticated clientele of connoisseurs, aficionados and medical patients demanded new and improved terpene profiles, flavor palates and potency levels.

These days, a new breed of genetic material is being utilized to create flavorful strains for discerning palates and a marketplace constantly chasing the new heat.

Whether gassy or fruity, the breeders of today are taking things to the extreme – making new and improved varieties using the following modern breeding strains.

MAR. 2022

DO-SI-DOS This amazing indica-leaning strain from Archive Seed Bank has a calming effect and provides pain relief for people with migraines and nausea. Cannabis expert TH Caeczar describes the singular scent as “freshly baked lemon curd and mint pastry aroma with shortbread cookie undertones.” Do-Si-Dos and her descendents tend to pair well with a couch or bed.

L INE AGE / OGKB CUT OF GSC X FACE OF F OG BX1 DOMINANT TE RPE NE S / L IMONE NE , CARYOPHYL L E NE , LI N ALO O L PARE NT OF / DOL ATO, PE ANUT BUTTE R BRE ATH, DOSI S H ER B ET, W H OA- S I - W H OAS

GG4 Bred by the late great Josie Wales of GG Strains, the awardwinning GG4 (formerly known as Gorilla Glue #4) tests at an astonishing 30% THC! The earthy and piney buds announce themselves with a pungent and tangy smell that fills the entire room. A few puffs of these greasy nuggets is perfect for light sleepers and insomniacs seeking a full night’s sleep.

L INE AGE / ( SOUR DU B B X CH EM S I S ) X CH O CO LAT E D I ES EL DOMINANT TE RPE NE S / CARY O PH Y LLEN E, MY R CEN E, LI MO N EN E PARE NT OF / ZOOKIE S , G R EAS E MO N K EY

STORY by DAN VINKOVETSKY @DANNYDANKOHT/LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by JUSTIN MCIVOR #JUSTINCANNABIS

PHOTO COURTESY ARCHIVE

FACE OFF OG Another Archive legend, this indica-dominant strain has been known to make beginner tokers dizzy, with a psychedelic power and a strong body buzz. The lime green nuggets sparkle like diamonds but it’s the unparalleled diesel fuel funk that make this such a prolific producer of prominent progeny.

LINEAGE / OG KUSH PHENO DO MI N A N T T E R P E N E S / M Y R C E N E , LIM ONENE, C A RYOP HYLLENE PA R E N T O F / D O - S I - D O S , A N I M A L M INTS, HELLRA I SER OG

WEDDING CAKE A powerhouse cross coming from the breeding wizards at Seed Junky Genetics, Wedding Cake a.k.a. Triangle Mints #23 or Pink Cookies, is an indica-dominant strain known for relaxation and appetite stimulation. A stunner when it emerged on the scene – so wildly popular it earned Leafly’s 2019 Strain of the Year – think movie marathons and well-stocked munchies when smoking on this tangy, creamy chronic.

LI N EA G E / S E E D J U N K Y G E N E T I C S T RIA NGLE KUSH X A NI M A L M INTS D O MI N A N T T E R P E N E S / L I M O N E N E , M YRC ENE, C A RYOP HYLLENE PA R EN T O F / I C E C R E A M C A K E , W E D DI NG C RA SHER

TANGIE A multiple award-winner and breeding legend, Tangie from Crockett Family Farms tends to impart its citrus orange aroma and acidity on offspring. The effect tends to creep up on you but once it takes hold, Tangie supplies a blissful and euphoric impact. Sativa-dominant, with no ceiling to the buzz, you can keep smoking and continue getting higher.

LINEAGE / SKUNK #1 X CALI ORANGE DO MI N A N T T E R P E N E S / M Y R C E N E , TERP INOLENE, P I NENE PA R E N T O F / T R O P I C A N A C O O K I E S , FORBIDDEN FRUIT, P U TA NG

CHERRY PIE Another award-winning Cookie Family hybrid strain, Cherry Pie made its name in the Bay Area with an earthy-yet-sweet berry scent and flavor. The effect is uplifting and giggly, perfect for a day in the park with friends or a night out at a comedy club. Several noteworthy varieties inherited their strong genetics from this stalwart species.

CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE Affordable advertising available now!

email ricker@leafmagazines.com for details on including your brand and company in the April 2022 Glass Issue of Alaska Leaf!

LINEA GE / GRA NDA DDY P URP L E X DURBAN POISON F 1 DOM INA NT TERP ENES / MYRCENE, CARYOPHYLLENE, PINENE PA RENT OF / FORBIDDEN FRUIT, BIRTHDAY CAKE, ANIMAL CAKE

L E A F M AG A Z I N E S . CO M #ALASKALEAF

LEAF MAGAZINES

AKLEAFMAG

THE STRAINS ISSUE

THE HYPE The science of hype in the Cannabis world

FEW PEOPLE IN THE WEED WORLD HAVE HAD A FRONT SEAT FOR THE EVOLUTION OF THE ‘CANNABIS BUYER’ QUITE LIKE WONDERLAND NURSERY FOUNDER KEVIN JODREY. For years, Jodrey helped backbone The Emerald Triangle’s starter plant supply from his Humboldt operation – where most of the biggest-name Cannabis genetics of the generation would make their way for protection or distribution to the wider masses.

Eventually, Jodrey would even help now-State Treasurer Fiona Ma come to an $8 billion valuation for Humboldt’s underground Cannabis economy in 2008.

leafmagazines.com

46

But through all of Jodrey’s adventures, consumer demand would dictate much of the path. Even predating the OG wave of the early 2000s when it first got to the hills, then onto Blue Dream and Cookies.

Not only did what consumers want change over the years, what dictated that demand changed as well.

Wonderland Nursery Founder Kevin Jodrey sparks up a handrolled joint.

MAR. 2022

“Pretty soon, it started to go into like THC frenzy …

And it’s really the undoing of experience, because the bottom line is that a simple cannabinoid doesn’t dictate shit.”

& THE HEAT T

here were no real lab testing numbers at a commercially viable level until Steep Hill Labs opened its doors in 2007. But 15 years later, the almighty THC percentage has become a market-driving equation, even if the labs are essentially running different races until the state-mandated standardized operating procedures drop in 2023.

“Well you had in the early 2000s … I still call it like, ‘the Dutch explosion.’ And so you get into that, but prior to that in the late ‘90s is when you first really started having lab analysis come out,” Jodrey told the Leaf. “And with the lab analysis, it started to quantify potency via a number. That hadn’t happened up to that point.”

Jodrey says there was certainly some proprietary and unpublished testing going on, but the first strain he cites as widely having its test results shared was White Russian. It was 19.8% and at that moment, believed to be some of the strongest Cannabis on the planet.

“And so all of a sudden, this number starts to become something that people started to talk about. And then lab analysis comes in,” Jodrey said, referring to Steep Hill.

As Jodrey and his peers first started to take a look at Cannabis analysis, it seemed like an excellent way to optimize your production process. The theory many in the early days had was that even if the science being peddled was less than refined, as long as the THC number was heading in the right direction, they were in good shape. And you could read between the lines on the test results and gauge the effectiveness of any adjustments.

Part of what they found between the lines was unconverted CBG. “CBG became this … little key to unlock more potency, because if you saw high levels of CBG, you knew you hadn’t converted completely. So we’re using all this to steer and drive and build higher CBD varieties, higher

1 to 1 ratios, higher THC,” Jodrey said. “But there wasn’t such an extreme emphasis on just the numbers – it was a part of the total process and you still had extreme diversity.”

The CBG made it easier for the team to narrow down the potential for CBD strains with a higher medicinal value, in addition to those absolute hitter high-THC cuts.

Testing would permeate deeper into the dispensary scene at the start of the 2010s. In those early days, a combination of budtender insight and data may have been the norm, but it seemed to quickly push towards the modern era of buying based on numbers.

“And then pretty soon, it started to go into like THC frenzy – where once we started to break into the 30s, it started to become so powerful a data point that everything else started to be pushed to the side,” Jodrey said. “And it’s really the undoing of experience, because the bottom line is that a simple cannabinoid doesn’t dictate shit.”

Jodrey argues that when we start to look at these snapshots that the tests represent as the whole picture, it’s similar to looking through the keyhole of the Louvre and saying what you see is the museum’s entirety.

“And I think that’s really the undoing of Cannabis … that you’re skewing populations to drive towards a percentage at the expense of other things,” Jodrey said. “And you’re seeing dissatisfaction in many consumers. There’s never been so much exquisite pot put on the shelf that people aren’t happy buying, or you wouldn’t have the trap hitting as hard as it is.”

Jodrey emphasizes that this all makes no sense to him, and believes his task through

this is to help people build better genetic libraries that aren’t offset by crazy numbers. He also notes that in some rare cases, the brand is bigger than the herb. The clout those farms have built up over the years allows the THC number to dip a pinch lower without affecting perception of quality in the consumers’ eyes.

In lieu of more education consumer shopping habits won’t change much, but Jodrey and others like him will continue to hunt down things they find exotic – regardless of what the lab test says. @KEVINJODREY @WONDERLANDNURSERY

STORY by JIMI DEVINE @THEJIMIDEVINE for LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by BENJAMIN NEFF @BNEFF420

OWL RETURNS F B F A E L OR A K RO S A L UN A D E H 2 T

Entry Intake POWERED BY:

AWARDS CEREMONY AND FREE EXPO THIS JUNE AT THE EGAN CENTER ENTRIES ACCEPTED FROM 4/20 TO MAY 20TH AT GREEN JAR ENTRIES $420 WITH $20 FROM EACH ENTRY GOING TO AN ALASKA WILDLIFE NONPROFIT

EXPO BOOTHS AND LIMITED SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE

SCAN THE QR CODE FOR ENTRY INSTRUCTIONS Contact leafbowls@leafmagazines.com for more information.

“Why fly? When you can enjoy the most beautiful ride on earth”

ANCHORAGE TO HOMER June 1st-Aug 31st Monday – Friday Departs Anchorage Arctic & International – 724 W. International - Garrett’s Tesoro Cooper Landing Wild- man’s 300pm Soldotna Chamber of Commerce 500pm All times are approx. Stage Line Summer Schedule HOMER TO ANCHORAGE June 1st-Aug 31st Monday – Friday Departs Homer 830am 1242 Ocean Dr Soldotna Chamber of Commerce 1015am Cooper Landing Wildman’s 1115am

VISITING ALASKA

Sights seen from the road

SEWARD TO HOMER June 1st – August 31st Mon Wed Fri

Locally owned and operated by a Departs Seward 100pm lifelong Alaskan, Stage Line offers call ahead for pick up point passenger transportation, freight, parcel, and courier service, between Cooper Landing Wild- man’s 200pm Anchorage and the Kenai Soldotna 300pm Peninsula. Our schedule includes, All times are approx Anchorage to Homer, Cooper Landing, Soldotna, Kasilof, Ninilchik, HOMER TO SEWARD Anchor Point. Homer to Seward, June 1st - August 31st Soldotna, Cooper Landing. And any The Stage Line PO Box 353 Anchor Point, Mon Wed Fri points in between! MP flag stops AK available! Private party charters Departs Homer 1242 Ocean Dr 900am The Stage Line 1242 Ocean Dr Homer, Ak available! Reasonable rates, saves 724 W International Anchorage, Ak of Commerce time and money for travelling or your Soldotna Chamber Staging points only 1030am 907-868-3914 907-235-2252 shipping needs.

Cooper Landing Wildman’s 1130 E-mail: stage.line@yahoo.com One of the top 10 most scenic www.stagelineinhomer.com highways.

edible of the month

WITH EACH PASSING YEAR, ONE THING BECOMES CLEAR: WE ARE NOWHERE AS AGILE AS WE USED TO BE. FEBRUARY’S ICE STORMS THAT TURNED MUCH OF ANCHORAGE INTO AN OVERSIZED ICE RINK MADE THAT ABUNDANTLY CLEAR.

"Each flavor is infused with great strains from growers all over the state."

LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

50

GET KREATIVE MAR. 2022

So, as we sought reprieve from one of our nastier wipeouts, we found ourselves raiding our local dispensary for anything with CBD. Happily, we stumbled upon Kreative Konfections’ 10:10 THC:CBD Chews in 100mg packs.

Situated somewhere between hard candy and taffy, the unique texture of the chews is part of their irresistibility.

Unlike Kreative Konfections’ hard candies, the chews come individually packaged – making them great for discreet, on-the-go consumption.

Although there aren’t as many flavor options as their hard candy cousins, the chews still offer a great selection, including the difficult-to-find and tropical-inspired Tiger’s Blood.

Fruit lovers will dig the juicy flavor of peach, while citrus worshippers will be delighted with the punchy taste of lemon-lime. Those consumers looking for a touch of nostalgia should give the butterscotch rendition a try.

Each flavor is infused with great strains from growers all over the state – a fact that is prominently displayed on the back of each package with both the strains and cultivators.

And while we didn’t experience much variability in terms of the highs that accompanied the different flavors, there’s comfort in knowing what you’re putting into your body.

The high starts with the distinctive body relaxation we’ve come to expect from a 10:10 dose of THC:CBD. Before long, the high transitions into a somewhat debilitating and spacey cerebral experience where you may find yourself feeling creative, but without the mental capacity to take advantage of it.

We found ourselves going full Disney and loudly narrating our own movements in song more than once.

On the plus side, making a sandwich is way more fun when you sing about it.

HEAVENLY KONFECTIONS

BY KREATIVE KONFECTIONS 10:10 CHEWS (10MG OF THC AND 10MG OF CBD PER SERVING 100MG TOTAL PER PACKAGE

REVIEW by ALASKA LEAF STAFF @AKLEAFMAG | PHOTO by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS

THE STRAINS ISSUE concentrate of the month LEAFMAGAZINES.COM LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

52

NINJA OG FIREWEED EXTRACTS

TERP SUGAR A covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan, ninjas specialized in espionage, deception and surprise attacks.

Not surprisingly, Fireweed Extracts’ Ninja OG terp sugar has many of the same characteristics – minus that whole death and destruction thing. Like its namesake, Ninja OG takes on a different essence depending on how you imbibe it. After getting a whiff of the strong and spicy aroma of the sugar, we decided to start with our Nectar Collector.

THE SLIGHTLY STICKY, super crumbly sugar adopted a strong citrus scent with notes of cinnamon when melted. Reminiscent of holiday spice, the smoke was noticeably sweet on the inhale and spicy on the exhale. Just as we relaxed into this fragrant sugar, the high gave us a swift kick to the dome.

Spurred on by a new sense of creativity and some serious stoner munchies, we found ourselves in the kitchen whipping up some SPAM fries. Yes, they’re a real thing … and they are delicious.

Once our high subsided several hours later, it was dab rig time. We decided to break out our Puffco Peak, and interestingly enough, this is where the deception began: The sweet flavor from before was now betrayed by a distinct diesel and while there were still light notes of citrus lingering on the exhale, the robust nature of the fuelly hit I took was driving me steadfast towards snore town. Finding myself fast asleep before the opening scene of “Anaconda,” the long-lasting high was an all-evening affair.

All in all, this beauty cultivated by Quintessence Farms is a best of both worlds experience – depending on how you choose to consume it. From the late night churning of creativity to the chillness of reading manga in bed, one HI-YAH from the Ninja OG will get you higher than you’ve been in a while.

jan. 2022 MAR. 2022

"The longlasting high was an allevening affair."

CULTIVATED BY QUINTESSENCE FARMS 71.46% THC | 0.18% CBD 3.17% TOTAL TERPS

REVIEW by ALASKA LEAF STAFF | PHOTO by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS

10 slices | 5mg THC/slice

cooking with cannabis

Her-sTORIC EATS

BUTTERMILK MARBLE CAKE Baking spray 6 tablespoons butter, softened 3 tablespoons canna-butter, softened 1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 2 tablespoons 3 eggs, room temperature 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature 2 1/4 cups flour 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate 2 tablespoons melted butter, cooled 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Heat oven to 340. Spray a 9-inch loaf pan, or butter and dust with flour.

2. In an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time and then mix on high speed for five minutes. Beat in the salt, vanilla, almond extract and baking powder. Add the flour, alternating with the milk, and ending with the flour.

3. In a microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate in 10-second intervals until just melted. Add the remaining sugar and two tablespoons of hot water. Stir. Add one cup of the batter and stir until combined.

4. Pour the vanilla batter into the loaf pan. Top the vanilla batter with the chocolate batter. Drag a knife through the batter, distributing the chocolate throughout the pan.

5. Bake the cake for 60-70 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool before removing from the pan.

Serves 4 | 5mg THC/serving

SASSY SPRING ASPARAGUS SALAD

54

1 pound asparagus, rinsed, patted dry and trimmed 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced Zest of 1/2 a fresh lemon, thin strips 2 tablespoons good quality olive oil 4 teaspoons Cannabis infused oil Juice of 1 lemon 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar Salt and pepper to taste

1. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the asparagus into long thin strips. Place the asparagus in a serving bowl with the sliced onion and lemon zest.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the oils, lemon juice, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

3. At serving time, pour the dressing into the serving bowl and toss to combine.

LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

R EC I P E S by LAU RIE WOLF P HOTO by B RUC E WOLF THIS WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH seems more weighted than others. There’s quite a bit at stake here. Since food is my bailiwick, I have chosen recipes from three women chefs who have created change politically, socially and culturally. I don’t have a clue if any of these women enjoyed Cannabis … I am using my take on their recipes to make a dish hopefully worthy of their immeasurable talents.

I have actually had the pleasure of meeting all of them and Edna Lewis – the first Black woman to write a Southern cookbook using her own identity – was the caterer at my wedding.

The recipe for her marble cake, which I had the opportunity to eat by her own hand, inspired this recipe. The raw shaved asparagus salad from Alice Waters is a dish I have been making for years. We have her to thank for the “farm to table” movement in this country. Through her wisdom, we were able to understand the

MAR. 2022

importance of eating seasonally and locally.

Waters was not alone in this movement, but she has certainly had the greatest impact in my cooking world. I met Julia Child briefly, many years ago. She was instrumental in bringing French cuisine to America and she had a relaxed, fun style that made people feel comfortable in the kitchen.

My dad didn’t cook much, but he learned to make her vichyssoise (usually served cold) and that got him a reputation in the neighborhood.

He achieved other reputations, but no one wants to know – trust me.

I infused these recipes with Cannabis I grew this past summer. Woman grown, the strain is J1 – a clone from a close friend who has sadly left the world of weed. Not the world, just the business … not necessarily a bad idea.

Serves 4 | 5mg THC/serving

VICHYSSOISE (POTATO LEEK SOUP) 1 1/2 tablespoons butter 4 teaspoons infused oil or butter 1 1/2 cups peeled, sliced russet potatoes 1 1/2 cups sliced leeks, well rinsed, white part only 1 quart chicken stock, vegetable stock is also fine 1/3 cup heavy cream Salt and pepper Sliced scallion or chives for garnish

1. In a medium soup pot, melt the butters.

2. Add the potatoes and leeks to the pot, stir and allow to cook gently, covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the stock of your choice, along with heavy cream and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer uncovered until the vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes. If the potatoes are hard, simmer gently for an additional few minutes.

4. Carefully pour half the contents into a blender and puree until smooth. Really smooth. Pour into the soup pot and blend the remaining half of the soup. Return to the soup pot.

5. If the soup is to be served cold, allow it to cool at room temperature and chill in the fridge overnight. If serving hot, heat through and serve garnished with scallions or chives.

#gi r l po w e r #w o m enrule #bebold #just w omen #bet onw omen #R BG #ha p p y womensd a y | La uriea nd Ma ryJa ne.com

ORDER NOW SCAN HERE FOR

1 FREE SEED

WITH YOUR ORDER

5 BRANDS . 500+ STRAINS . ONE STOP.

80% GERMINATION GUARANTEE & 24/7 LIVE SUPPORT! WWW.ROCKETSEEDS.COM

1-800-805-7835

cannthropology

WORLD OF Cannabis PRESENTS

The Original

44 5 8

King of Cannabis

leafmagazines.com

Presenting the seedy saga of Nevil Schoenmakers— one of the most courageous, controversial and consequential Cannabis breeders in history.

BORN TO BREED Born to Dutch parents in Perth, Australia on February 2, 1957, Nevil Martin Schoenmakers was a rebellious youth with a passion for biology and genetics – breeding parakeets as early as eight years old. He began smoking weed in high school and after graduating, started working in a university biology lab.

There, he gained access to harder drugs – including morphine, to which he soon developed an addiction.

After getting busted on drug charges, Schoenmakers first fled to Thailand, then on to live with an uncle in the Netherlands in 1976. It was there, while using Cannabis to help kick his heroin habit, that he discovered a copy of the legendary “Marijuana Growers Guide” (by Mel Frank and Ed Rosenthal) and was inspired to grow pot professionally. In 1980, he was approved for a business loan from the Dutch government designed to help recovering addicts, then used the money to set up a small commercial grow and started selling marijuana to the Dutch market. Only problem was, the strains he was growing – mostly from Nigerian, Colombian and Mexican seeds – weren’t very popular. So in 1983, he made the fateful decision to switch from selling weed to selling seeds and founded The Seed Bank of Holland.

MAR. 2022

In this never-before-published photo taken in 1985 near the Russian border in Hungary, Nevil first discovers the legendary “roadside ruderalis” plant he would later breed with other strains to shorten their flowering times.

THE SEED BANK OF HOLLAND In July 1984, Schoenmakers released the seed bank’s first “catalog” – a one-page listing of seed varieties offered for just 25 cents apiece.

The following year, he took out a small classified ad in the back of High Times magazine where he offered American growers an opportunity to order the catalog for two dollars. Since he was only advertising the catalog rather than the seeds themselves, the ad didn’t violate any laws.

For his business to be really successful, though, Nevil knew he needed to get his hands on better genetics. As fate would have it, some of the best Cannabis strains in the world were about to fall into his lap. In the summer of

1984, legendary Santa Cruz breeder “Skunkman Sam” Selgnij of Sacred Seeds traveled to Amsterdam, bringing with him over a quarter-million seeds of California’s best genetics, including Skunk #1, Cali Orange, Hindu Kush and Original Haze. Schoenmakers allegedly purchased half of Skunkman’s varieties, as well as a few other popular strains from West Coast growers (such as Northern Lights, Afghan #1 and Durban Poison). He also acquired a few landrace strains while adventuring in Asia, including the rare ruderalis species. It was from this dank, diverse gene pool – as well as his brilliant and ballsy entrepreneurial acumen – that Nevil would build his seed empire.

WORLD OF CANNABIS

Though a few other Dutch seed companies were operating at the time, none were brazen enough to mail seeds to America for cash and then brag about it in the pages of High Times.

The back of the 1987 Seed Bank of Holland catalog, featuring the infamous photo of Nevil in a room full of hashish—the same image later used on his wanted poster.

In September 1984, Schoenmakers purchased an old 18th century estate in the Dutch countryside, which he christened the “Cannabis Castle,” then proceeded to transform the property into a veritable seed factory – erecting greenhouses on the land and filling the catacombs beneath the mansion with grow rooms.

By 1986 he was running display ads in both High Times and Sinsemilla Tips, offering the catalog for free and the seeds for $5 each. Soon, the Seed Bank was distributing hundreds of thousands of seeds globally and raking in millions of dollars a year. Nevil’s operation was so impressive that it drew the attention of High Times editor Steve Hager, who paid him a visit in 1986. In the now-infamous interview “Inside Cannabis Castle: The Man Who Would be King of Cannabis” (High Times, March 1987), Schoenmakers openly discussed his life, location and operations. Though a few other Dutch seed companies were operating at the time, none were brazen enough to mail seeds to America for cash and then brag about it in the pages of High Times.

OPERATION GREEN MERCHANT Unfortunately, growers weren’t the only ones reading High Times and Sinsemilla Tips – it was no secret that the DEA were among the mags’ biggest subscribers. Seeing the numerous ads for growing equipment and Cannabis seeds in their pages, the Feds decided to build a case for criminal conspiracy between the pot publications, their advertisers and their customers. They started purchasing seeds from Nevil when his first ads ran in 1985; two years later, they launched the official investigation known as Operation Green Merchant.

In our November 2021 GREEN HOUSE & MR. NICE edition (“Sinsemilla Story”), we Though he’d escaped extradirecounted how OGM raided tion and prosecution, Nevil’s Sinsemilla Tips and dozens of days of shipping seeds to the horticulture shops across the U.S. were over and he was still country on “Black Thursday” under scrutiny by Interpol, so he in October 1989, but that was knew he needed to keep a lowonly half the story – the other er profile. Which is likely why, half of the investigation was during his stint in the Australian High Times news article about Nevil centered on shutting down the jail, he negotiated a deal to sell skipping bail (Nov. 1991).

Holland Seed Bank. Luckily for his entire operation – the HolNevil, the Netherlands wouldn’t land Seed Bank and Cannabis extradite him for something that wasn’t considered Castle – to Ben Dronkers, who then merged it with a crime there. But in 1990, when he returned to his Sensi Seed Club to form the Sensi Seed Bank.

Perth for the birth of his son, the authorities were Despite selling his business, Nevil kept on breedwaiting: On June 24, Australian police arrested ing – at first, working for the very company he used Schoenmakers on behalf of the to own. Then in 1994, he and fellow Aussie breedU.S. Government. Then, on July er Scott Blakey (aka Shantibaba) co-founded the 13, the Justice Department handed Green House Seed Company with Green House down a 44-count indictment with coffeeshop owner Arjan Roskam. Together, they potential for multiple life sentencdeveloped several Cannabis Cup-winning strains, es – charging him with the sale of including White Widow, Super Silver Haze, White marijuana seeds, as well as criminal Rhino, and his signature strain, Nevil’s Haze. But conspiracy to violate the Controlled as the decade drew to a close, a change in Dutch Substances Act. law outlawing the production of seeds – as well as Schoenmakers spent the next 11 conflicts of interest and egos – led Shantibaba and months in an Australian prison while Schoenmakers to sever ties with Arjan. his lawyers appealed his extradition After leaving the Greenhouse, the pair connect… until June 1991, when he was ed with infamous smuggler Howard Marks (a.k.a. unexpectedly granted bail, paid the Mr. Nice) to form Mr. Nice Seed Bank. Soon after, $100,000 and skipped town to the Shantibaba moved his operation to Switzerland safety of the Netherlands. while Nevil remained in the Netherlands, continuing his work under the radar and out of the spotlight.

SEEDS OF BETRAYAL Of the 42 customers listed in Schoenmakers’ LONG LIVE THE KING indictment, only five were undercover agents …

Around 2003, Schoenmakso how did the DEA get ahold of the names and er learned that the Justice addresses of the rest? Unfortunately, based on Department had dropped its rumors that have never been substantiated, Nevil case. With no more outstandaccused Skunkman Sam of being an undercover ing warrants against him, he DEA agent. But as it turned out, the snitch was acwas finally free to travel again. tually Nevil’s friend and business partner, Raymond He returned home to AustraAnthony Cogo. lia, where he settled in New Ray Cogo worked as one of the Seed Bank’s South Wales, dropped out of U.S. distributors from February 1988 until June the Cannabis scene entirely, and lived for over a 1989 – receiving bulk shipments of seeds from decade in relative seclusion. He resurfaced briefly in Nevil in Michigan, then mailing individual orders 2015 when it was announced that he’d joined the out to customers hidden inside soup cans. In a board of an Australian medical Cannabis compasworn affidavit to the DEA that didn’t surface until ny called AusCann. Sadly though, his Cannabis 2018, Cogo admits that despite Nevil’s explicit comeback would be short-lived: Two years after instructions to destroy all customer information being diagnosed with cancer, Nevil passed away on after shipping the orders, he nevertheless kept it March 30, 2019, at the age of 62. all. So when he got busted attempting to sneak Many of those who’ve worked with Schoenmakers hash to a friend in prison, Cogo cut a deal to over the years speak unfavorably of his character, save his own ass – turning over an alleged 360 and perhaps justifiably so. But opinions about his pages of the Seed Bank’s customer information personality aside, there’s no denying the tremento the DEA in June 1989. Four months later dous worldwide impact he had on Cannabis cultivacame Black Thursday, then the warrant for Nevils’ tion. Without Nevil and his Holland Seed Bank, arrest the following year. many of the strains we enjoy today might not exist.

STO RY b y B O B BY B LAC K @ CAN N T H RO PO LO G Y fo r LEA F NAT IO N | M AI N P HOTO b y STEV E N CU RT I S

stoney baloney LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

60

WHEN VENOM IS COURSING THROUGH YOUR EMBROILED VEINS, it feels good to let out an exultant FUCK. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find any single word in the English language so versatile. Call us unrefined, but when you have such an effective expression – so interchangeable simply by the tone and cadence with which it is spit – why reach into that bag of expletives for anything else?

With fuck as the signature example, swear words can be some of the most impactful of all expressions – the exemplary embodiment of absolute emotion. They are the sprinkles to your sentences. The punctuation to your pronouns. The gravy on your mashed potatoes.

And when you study how we might’ve arrived at this era of artful articulation, it seems plausible that this breakthrough gained momentum when the 1940’s war children came of age a decade later. After having their mouths washed out with soap enough times in the cookie cutter order of row housing, they grew weary of the conservative austerity it took to defeat the Nazis, ready to adopt their rock and roll identity – ripe for a cultural rebellion. And rightfully accentuated by bad words in back alleys with cuffed jeans and cigarette-fueled observations.

If you think about it, language is a peculiar vehicle for communicating. And since the advent of our grunts toward a more competent connection, shunned words have had a place on the periphery of the dictionary. And when it comes to the word fuck: Why would you insulate the most foolproof remark that pinpoints your fiery feelings, when it specifically flavors your fervor?

Doesn’t it feel liberating to let it out…

Just like a giant, breathy bong toke.

mar. 2022

FOLLOW @RICKERDJ // GET THE AUDIO VERSION & EVERY EPISODE AT LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

THE STRAINS ISSUE

CHOCOLATE BAR

FEEL THE GOLD RUSH

Keep up with cannabis Find local deals, products, and reviews

Visit weedmaps.com or download the app