THE ENLIGHTENED VOICE
#67 | NOV. 2021
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.
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d addictive.”; (B)"Marijuana impairs concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under its influence.”; e only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of the reach of children.”; (E)"Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breast feeding.”. license number 10886
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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.
672 E END RD #B HOMER, AK | 844-225-7600 | 907-299-1829 | SHAWN@FRONTIERCBDS.COM
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SUILNUA GROW TOUR
EDIBLE OF THE MONTH
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CONCENTRATE OF THE MONTH ROSETTA STONE | BABYLON AK
O'HARA SHIPE
SHOP REVIEW LAUGHING SALMON | WASILLA
O'HARA SHIPE
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O'HARA SHIPE
CO-OWNER JOSIE GUSTAFSON
42 The Sinsemilla Story
Way back before there was a Leaf Nation and even before there was a High Times magazine, the groundbreaking Cannabis publication Sinsemilla Tips provided aspiring Cannabis heads and growers with all the tips, tricks and news they needed to survive and thrive in the underground scene. ///////////// story by bobby black
NOV. 2021
feature
RED RUN HONEY STICKS
11 14 18 20 24 28 30 32 36 38 42 44
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EDITOR’S NOTE N AT I O N A L N E W S BUDTENDER Q&A SHOP REVIEW STRAIN OF THE MONTH ROCKHARDNUGZ SUILNUA M ATA N U S K A M W EDIBLE OTM C O N C E N T R AT E O T M CANNTHROPOLOGY STONEY BALONEY
O'HARA SHIPE
O'HARA SHIPE
rockhardnugz
COURTESY OF WORLD OF CANNABIS MUSEUM
THE HARVEST ISSUE
feature
8
LEAFMAGAZINES.COM
#67
[
NOVEMBER 2021
issue
the HARVEST issue
FEATURE
32
LEAFMAGAZINES.COM
10
Grower Dereece Brotherwood
MATANUSKA MEDICINE WOMAN NOV. 2021
STORY & PHOTOS by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS/ALASKA LEAF
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 our fifth-annual Harvest Issue cover, photographer O'Hara Shipe documented the busiest time of the year at RockHardNugz, the flirtatiously named Cannabis farm located in the Mat-Su Valley. This month’s special section features farms from around the Anchorage and Mat-Su Valley area, — but if you want to see exclusive photos and stories from outdoor farms in the other states the Leaf covers, we encourage you to spend a sesh with our free digital archive at Issuu.com/nwleaf & LeafMagazines.com. Our sincere thanks as always to all the wonderful farms and farmers who welcomed our teams in this month!
PHOTO by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS
PUBLISHER
CONTRIBUTORS
WES ABNEY | FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
DANIEL BERMAN, PHOTOS BOBBY BLACK, FEATURES JOSHUA BOULET, ILLUSTRATION TOM BOWERS, FEATURES AMANDA DAY, FEATURES MAX EARLY, FEATURES STEVE ELLIOTT, NATIONAL NEWS BAXSEN PAINE. FEATURES JEFF PORTERFIELD, DESIGN MIKE RICKER, FEATURES MEGHAN RIDLEY, EDITING O'HARA SHIPE, FEATURES + PHOTOS JUSTIN STEWART, PHOTOS CHARLES TAGGART, FEATURES + PHOTOS JAMIE VICTOR, DESIGN DAN VINKOVETSKY, FEATURES NATE WILLIAMS, FEATURES
WES@LEAFMAGAZINES.COM
CREATIVE DIRECTOR DANIEL BERMAN | VISUALS & DESIGN
DANIEL@LEAFMAGAZINES.COM
STATE DIRECTOR JOSHUA STAHLE | AD SALES
JOSH@LEAFMAGAZINES.COM 907-317-2536
CONTENT DIRECTOR O'HARA SHIPE | EDITORIAL
OHARA@LEAFMAGAZINES.COM
CONNECT WITH ALASKA LEAF Exclusive Cannabis Journalism @NWLEAF
|
@AKLEAFMAG
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ABNEY
Editor’s Note Thanks for picking up The Harvest Issue of the Leaf! WE’VE BEEN publishing our harvest issues for many years now and it continues to be one of my favorites. There is something truly special about outdoor Cannabis – and the people who put their livelihoods or medicinal needs on the line to grow a plant for six or more months – with no guarantee of success. Welcome to farming! On top of the sacrifices and risks they face, they also face stigma about the quality of the product they have worked so hard on. But let me tell you this:
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Cannabis is a plant. And the natural expression of terpenes and flavors that the plant produces when exposed to sunlight can never be replicated in an indoor environment. I encourage all of our readers to flip through our scenic harvest special, read the stories of true farm life and enjoy this magazine that we worked so hard on. But I also challenge you to purchase sungrown Cannabis and experience the plant in a natural form. Believe me when I say that while it may look different than indoor flower, it’s no less beautiful – and much more tasty than the mid-grade indoor Cannabis flooding the market.
“MY VOTE GOES TO ORGANIC FRUITS AND VEGGIES FOR OUR FAMILIES, AND AN AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM THAT GIVES BACK TO THE EARTH.”
On a sustainability note, our planet, societies and industries are all at a turning point, with our futures decided by us as enlightened consumers. Do we want synthetic, harmful products for our bodies? Do we want hothouse-grown and pesticide-sprayed vegetables or weed? My vote goes to organic fruits and veggies for our families, and an agricultural system that gives back to the Earth. So, what impact do we want our favorite plant to have on our planet?
Society votes and decides its future with dollars, and I hope that everyone reading this gives outdoor Cannabis a try. It supports both the farmer and the environment. Not to mention, both your head and your heart will thank you for it! As always, thank you for reading – and please enjoy our Harvest Issue while sampling the bounty of this year’s crop!
-Wes Abney NOV. 2021
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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 josh@leafmagazines.com for more information on supporting Alaska Leaf!
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eattle in October became the largest U.S. city to allow adult cultivation and consumption of mushrooms and other psychedelics, as the Seattle City Council unanimously passed a resolution to decriminalize non-commercial use around natural psychedelic substances. The Emerald City joins a handful of other enlightened cities in decriminalizing psilocybin and similar substances POLICE WILL since Denver MAKE IT AMONG kicked off a THEIR LOWEST wave of such PRIORITIES TO changes ARREST OR three years PROSECUTE ago. ANYONE IN Police ACTIVITIES will make it RELATED TO among their “ENTHEOGENS,” lowest priorities to arrest or prosecute anyone in activities related to “entheogens,” reports Bloomberg. That category includes natural substances like psilocybin and ayahuasca, often used for spiritual or religious purposes. Psilocybin, a mind-altering substance found in magic mushrooms, is a Schedule I drug, the most-restrictive category. Seattle becomes at least the ninth U.S. city to take such landmark action in recent years. It joins Denver, Washington D.C. and Ann Arbor, Michigan, among other cities. In 2020, Oregon became the first state to legalize psilocybin for therapeutic use.
3
suspects broke into a Norman, Oklahoma medical Cannabis dispensary in October and stole thousands of dollars worth of products.
NOV. 2021
politics
NBA AGREES TO END RANDOM DRUG TESTING
SEATTLE BECOMES LARGEST CITY TO DECRIMINALIZE PSYCHEDELICS
S
SOUTHWEST
NORMALIZATION
northwest
T
he NBA has agreed to not randomly test players for marijuana this season. “We have agreed with the NBPA to extend the suspension of random testing for marijuana for the 2021-22 season and focus our random testing program on performance-enhancing products and drugs of abuse,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in October. Marijuana remains prohibited in the league’s collective bargaining agreement. But negotiations between the league and players’ association loosened restrictions, reports ESPN. “Usage was already fairly common among players,” writes Dan Feldman at NBC Sports. “As momentum moves one direction both nationally and within the league, the NBA seems unlikely to take what’d now become the drastic step of reimplementing random testing.”
ARKANSANS ARE EMBRACING MMJ
“S
ince that first dispensary opened in 2019 in May, Arkansans have spent about $430 million to purchase almost 64,000 pounds of medical marijuana,” said Scott Hardin, with the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission. “Which I think it’s safe to say, that exceeds our expectation, because you never know how many people will participate.” Hardin said the medical Cannabis industry has thrived during the pandemic. Medical marijuana is taxed 10.5% in Arkansas. There’s a 6.5% sales tax on most retail items in the state. The 4% privilege tax goes to the University of Arkansas for Medical Science, to establish a national cancer institute. “If you walk into a dispensary and spend $100, you’ll spend $10.50 additionally in state taxes,” Hardin said. “Those two taxes – we’ve collected just under $50,000,000, $49.6 million to be specific.”
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new licenses were issued in October by the New Jersey Medical Marijuana Commission.
770
pounds of “high-grade” marijuana were found in a storage locker in Florida, according to the BCSO.
The groundbreaking ceremony Oct. 6
FEDERAL CANNABIS GROW OPENS IN NEW MEXICO
C
annabis has been in a cultural process of “mainstreaming” for awhile now, in New Mexico and nationwide. But the federal government has remained a stubborn roadblock to progress. However, federal officials are finally allowing the plant to be researched. The Bright Green Corporation has obtained a federal permit for a sanctioned marijuana grow in Grants, New Mexico, reports KOB 4. “We are one of three, in the United States of America, that are federally legal to handle Schedule I drugs,” said Terry Rafih, chairman of Bright Green Corporation. “We chose Grants, New Mexico because of the climate.” “If you look at the number of people that are dependent on opioids for many different pains and ailments that we deal with, the product that we are going “WE ARE ONE to be proOF THREE, IN ducing out of THE UNITED here and the patents that we STATES OF AMERICA, THAT have – hopeARE FEDERALLY fully – we’re LEGAL TO hoping it will HANDLE eliminate, SCHEDULE I eventually, DRUGS,” SAID opioids. That TERRY RAFIH, is our goal,” CHAIRMAN OF Rafih said. BRIGHT GREEN The strucCORPORATION. ture of a greenhouse has already been erected at the New Mexico facility. The entire facility will soon be a 115-acre research and manufacturing Cannabis plant. With more than 100 employees, company officials say it’s worth more than $300 million in investments.
64k
marijuana distribution charges were sealed by Virginia in October along with 330,000 simple possession charges.
CRIST PROMISES LEGAL MARIJUANA IF ELECTED FL. GOV.
F
lorida gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist announced in October that he would legalize marijuana if elected governor next year, reports the Tampa Bay Times. Crist added he would also expunge misdemeanor or third-degree “IF I’M felony records ELECTED related to GOVERNOR Cannabis. I WILL “Let me LEGALIZE be clear, if MARIJUANA I’m elected IN THE governor I will SUNSHINE legalize marSTATE.” ijuana in the Sunshine State,” Crist said in a video posted on his Twitter. “This is the first part of the Crist contract with Florida,” the candidate said, reports The Hill. “For too long we have focused on incarceration, when we should be focusing on rehabilitation,” he said. “We know that people across racial and income levels use marijuana at the same rate. And yet, for decades, it’s been poor, Black, and/or Hispanic folks targeted for prison on marijuana charges,” Crist said in December 2020. “That tells me that marijuana has been legal now for a while, if you had the right skin tone or the right paycheck.”
$1b $2.1b
in legal marijuana sales were recorded in Nevada for the 2021 fiscal year.
deal makes Florida’s Trulieve the nation’s largest retailer of medical Cannabis, according to an October news release.
STORIES by STEVE ELLIOTT, AUTHOR OF THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF MARIJUANA
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interview
W H O ’ S Y O U R FAV O R I T E B U D T E N D E R ? T E L L U S W H Y ! E M A I L N O M I N A T I O N S T O R I C K E R @ L E A F M A G A Z I N E S . C O M
Daniel Ramirez
ORIGINALLY FROM NEW MEXICO, he arrived in Alaska in 2013 with two daughters, three pieces of luggage and a box of frozen green chiles. He loves to fish, hunt and hike when he’s not serving up the smiles, and has been growing flower for over 10 years. CONGRATS ON BEING OUR BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH. NOW YOU’RE ENSHRINED FOR LIFE. That’s
awesome! Is that for all the pot shops in town?
NO, THIS IS FOR THE ENTIRE STATE OF ALASKA. Oh, the entire state?
That’s amazing!
HOW DO YOU KEEP YOURSELF BUSY DURING THE WINTER? I’m usually
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ALASKA LEAF BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH AK JOINT
LEAFMAGAZINES.COM
7801 SCHOON ST, ANCHORAGE AKJOINT.COM 10AM-10PM M-SATURDAY CLOSED SUNDAYS (907) 522-5222
“IT TAKES A SOFT HAND IN THE WOOD SHOP, AND IT TAKES A SOFT HAND AT THE COUNTER." NOV. 2021
working in my woodshop making backs for taxidermy. I’ve also got an operation that I started making t-shirts, decals and stuff. It’s called Cricket and it’s spreading by word of mouth.
HAS YOUR WOOD CARVING TAKEN YOU INTO ANY OTHER CREATIVE REALMS? Absolutely, I usually have
a lot of fun making cutting boards and other charcuterie items.
DOES CANNABIS AID IN THAT WORK AND WHAT’S THE STONIEST ITEM YOU’VE MADE SO FAR?
No question about it, 100% – Cannabis fuels my creativity. It doesn’t take much to make a pipe with a drill press. I’ve got some exotic woods that I’ve used to make some pieces for friends, but I mostly use walnut.
YOU SHOULD SELL YOUR GOODS AT THE SHOP! That’s not a bad idea, I’ve never thought about it. They sell pieces from other companies, but I think we’re running low – so there might be an open door for an opportunity. HOW DOES WHITTLING WOOD MAKE YOU A BETTER BUDTENDER?
Having patience makes me a better budtender. It takes a soft hand in the wood shop, and it takes a soft hand at the counter.
INTERVIEW by MIKE RICKER @RICKERDJ PHOTO by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS
shop review
LAUGHING SALMON CANNABIS
ENVIRONMENT & VIBE Inspired by its owners’ love of hunting and fishing, Laughing Salmon Cannabis got its name from the one that got away. The ode to nature doesn’t stop at the name, though. The interior is a beautifully blended mix of rustic and modern, with wood paneling and one bright red brick wall. Exposed pipes in the ceiling give the building a little touch of urban cool. However, the dispensary doesn’t end inside. A quick jaunt to the back of the lot reveals a rotating lineup of local food trucks ready to serve up the best of the Valley.
LAUGHING SALMON WAS BUILT FROM THE GROUND UP WITH LOVE AND A WHOLE LOT OF FORETHOUGHT.
PRODUCTS
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For some of the best flower the Valley has to offer, Laughing Salmon is the place to go. They stock a wide variety of their High Tide Farms strains, as well as some select strains from Denali Herb Company and The Connoisseur. You’ll also find a nice variety of edibles from Lady Gray, GOOD, Red Run, Fire Eaters and Frontier CBDs – just to name a few. Laughing Salmon also has some of the best swag and stoner gifts around. From stoner coloring books to Cannabis-themed tchotchkes, there’s something to suit every need.
HISTORY Laughing Salmon was built from the ground up with love and a whole lot of forethought. A large solar panel located in the back of the lot helps keep the dispensary green in the summer months. Inside, the dispensary is built to accommodate the revolutionary work schedule that the company devised. Each employee works three, 12-hour shifts a week, giving them enough time to enjoy life. The long shifts mean a lot of standing, so Laughing Salmon installed thick rubber mats behind each register and created a comfortable breakroom. It’s truly a dispensary constructed to take care of its employees and customers.
LEAFMAGAZINES.COM
BUDTENDERS Products aside, the real jewel of Laughing Salmon is its budtenders – all hired based on their Cannabis knowledge and vibrant personalities. Their favorite customers? Newbies! This crew loves sharing their extensive knowledge and reverence for Cannabis with brand new consumers. Recently, they helped outfit a Cannabis virgin make his first purchases on his 21st birthday. But don’t worry, the crew is just as pumped to talk about terpenes with more experienced consumers.
QUICK HIT One of the first legal cultivations in Alaska, the owners of High Tide Farms always had hopes of vertically integrating their business. In May 2020, their dream came true as Laughing Salmon Cannabis opened its doors for the first time. Naturally, a global pandemic wasn’t a part of that dream, but Laughing Salmon hasn’t let that slow them down.
NOV. 2021
LAUGHING SALMON CANNABIS
173 N ROSIE CIR. # 1, WASILLA, AK LAUGHING-SALMON-CANNABIS.BUSINESS.SITE @LAUGHING_SALMONAK PHONE: (907) 376-0420 HOURS: 9:00AM – 9:00PM
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REVIEW by ALASKA LEAF STAFF | PHOTOS by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS
“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.
STRAIN OF THE MONTH LEAFMAGAZINES.COM
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SORBETTO #9 GROWN BY SECRET GARDEN NOV. 2021
BOLD AND FRAGRANT LIKE A FINE WINE, THE SORBETTO #9 IS A LOUD AND PROUD FLOWER BURSTING WITH AROMATIC TERPS AND POWERFUL INDICA EFFECTS.
If
you were to replace the “red red wine” with “Sorbetto #9” in the classic Bob Marley song, you’d find that after a few tokes you really understand the meaning. This powerful indica dominant strain carries a stoney, in the moment high to help us forget the woes of fall, accept that winter is indeed here, and focus our thoughts on getting through the cold with a warming, happy buzz. Created by crossing Zkittlez x Sunset Sherbet x Magnum Opus, this #9 phenotype grown with love by Secret Garden is ready to get our minds and hearts in sync for the new season. LIKE RELEASING Opening a bag A SKUNK IN A of the Sorbetto RV, FILLING ALL #9 is like AVAILABLE SPACE releasing a skunk WITH A FUNKY in a RV, filling FERMENTED FRUIT all available WITH TRUE space with a SOUR-POWER. funky fermented fruit with true sour-power that penetrates nostrils and lingers long after the bag is closed. The nuggets are large and dense, covered in frosty trichomes mixed in with red hairs and hints of purps throughout the bud structure. Broken open the flower releases a fragrant rush of sour-fruitycream with vanilla and citrus overtones, which are complemented by the raw funky fuel that is at the heart of this delicious flower. With trichome covered fingers we loaded a bowl, relishing the softness of the broken up flower once it is deconstructed from dense nugget form. First tokes are all sour, rushing into the lungs and exhaling with a clean, smooth exhale that leaves a creamyearthy-sweet tingle on the palate. Delicious and easy to smoke, we powered through a bowl quickly, reaching for a second toke as the first wave of effects smack into our cerebral cortex. As thoughts slow and things become fuzzy, motor control remains on point, allowing us to take repeated fat hits – ensuring the potent stoney effects will take complete hold of our entire existence.
REVIEW by ALASKA LEAF STAFF | PHOTO by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS
INDICA HYBRID | 28.89% THC SECRETGARDENCANNABIS.COM @SECRETGARDENAK
PHOTO BY @SONDERFELTLLC FOR LEAF NATION
support alaska leaf and reach your customers! email state sales director josh stahle for more information on advertising in the leaf! josh@leafmagazines.com
LEAFMAGAZINES.COM | @AKLEAFMAG | #ALASKALEAF
THE HARVEST ISSUE
rockhardnugz
MAT-SU VALLEY
leafmagazines.com
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Glacier Grease
IF
YOU ASK an OG Mat-Su Cannabis cultivator about the good old days, a knowing smile usually graces their face before they launch into stories about growing in closets and sheds to evade parents and police. But when Alaska legalized in
2017, grows moved out of hiding and into large-scale, state-of-the-art buildings like that of Scorpion Grass. However, some, like Josie and Robert Gustafson, chose to keep their grow a little closer to home.
NOV. 2021
Hawaiian Dream, Banana Punch and of course, Cream Pie.
"People always say how much they envy my commute," explains Josie as she opens the locked door to her basement. As the heavy white door slides open, the scent of flowering Cannabis smacks you in the face.
RockHardNugz co-owner Josie Gustafson and her contractors, Joseph Gaze and Stacy Sparks, stand in the hallway of her limited grow.
Completely undetectable when in the main house, the basement is the site of the Gustafson's 500-square-foot limited grow. While most people don't typically plan their dream home around the construction of their basement, that's precisely what the Gustafsons did in 2011. "It's pretty funny because our kids didn't know that we consumed or grew until they were teenagers. My oldest thought my husband and I were giant dorks, so they couldn't believe that we actually did something pretty cool," laughs Josie. Their comfortable log cabin-themed home was originally outfitted to support Recirculating Deep Water Culture (RDWC). Unfortunately, their original plan to upscale their personal grow was derailed when the plants started showing signs of infection. "I'd never seen anything like it, and I had to keep racking my brain to figure out what the hell was going on," says Josie. Before long, the Gustafsons discovered that they had a major problem: pythium. A stealthy fungus with a nasty habit of wreaking havoc on root zones in hydroponic systems, pythium forced the Gustafson's to rethink their strategy. "It was definitely frustrating because we found out that the problem originated with our mechanical contractor who installed the wrong size pumps – we couldn't keep the water cold enough to prevent outbreaks. It was a major learning curve when we got started," says Josie. After ripping out thousands of dollars of equipment that still sits in their garage, the Gustafsons transitioned to using coco bricks and hand-watering. "Folks tell me all the time that they hand water, and then I see them with water packs on their backs and long hoses. That's not really hand watering, and we don't do it like that here. I use this small watering cup and am in here personally watering each plant every day," says Josie.
As the plants' primary caretaker, Josie has a firm hand in everything that happens in the grow, while her husband watches the books and makes deliveries. He is also the brains behind the grow's name: RockHardNugz. "We both thought it was a pretty funny name, so we rolled with it. But when we approached some dispensaries with our signature Cream Pie strains by RockHardNugz, I guess it was considered too lewd. But if you can't have some fun in the Cannabis industry, you probably shouldn't be in it," laughs Josie. But RockHardNugz isn't just a play on words – it's actually a fitting double entendre. "We try really diligently to always put out nice, firm, dense nugs. Of course, it doesn't always work that way, but that is a huge focus for us," says Josie. Though Josie's dense buds are beautiful to look at, they also pack an important, personal punch. Prior to legalization, Josie grew high-CBG Blueberry strains to help Robert combat disabling chronic pain. "Robert's illness is definitely one of the reasons why we've grown for as long as Though Josie's dense we have, and why we continue to look for buds are beautiful certain strains," says Josie. to look at, they also Although Josie isn't currently pheno huntpack an important, ing, she is confident that over the years, personal punch. she has hit upon the perfect mix of rotating strains which include Hawaiian Dream, Prior to legalization, Banana Punch and of course, Cream Pie. Josie grew high-CBG "If we can continue to produce products Blueberry strains to that can help people reclaim parts of their help Robert combat lives, then that's something we are going to do. I think that's a pretty well-lived life," disabling chronic pain. says Josie. FOLLOW @ROCKHARDNUGZAK ON INSTAGRAM
STORY & PHOTOS by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS/ALASKA LEAF
leafmagazines.com
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suilnua
NOV. 2021
THE HARVEST ISSUE
Suilnua cultivator and Boyd Farm's owner, Adam Boyd.
Super Lemon Haze
PALMER, AK
IN
1938, Adam Boyd's grandfather immigrated from Ireland to California to chase the Gold Rush. He soon found himself in Alaska, where he would eventually build his own homestead. Three generations later, the Boyds have expanded the humble homestead into a 420-acre farm complete with its newest edition: a Cannabis cultivation. We caught up with Adam at his family farm in Palmer just as the season’s first blizzard hit.
Suilnua's two story veg room
Kelsey Anderson trims plants at Suilnua.
How did your family initially get into farming? My grandmother grew up being a schoolteacher, and my grandfather got a job as a Territorial Marshal. At some point, the folks next door pulled the pin on their 160 acres, so my grandmother spoke up and bought the land. That's kind of how we got into farming and developing the land. But the Boyds had another side profession, didn't they? My dad went into law enforcement, so we were doing farming in the evenings and on the weekends, with the help of a lot of hired hands and farm managers. I kind of followed in my dad's footsteps and went to college for a justice degree. I ended up running the minimum-security Point Mackenzie Rehabilitation Program for 10 years. At the height of the program, we were farming 3.3 million pounds of agricultural produce, and I was delivering to nine correctional facilities and nine food banks around the state. So how does a lawman end up working in the Cannabis industry? I just love growing things – I don't care what it is. I spent a long time growing potatoes, and at one time, we were the biggest spud farm in the state. But when I left Point Mackenzie, I was approached by some investors about trying my hand at growing Cannabis. It wasn't too hard to go from growing something that you get pennies on the pound to dollars on the pound. I'm not a consumer, but I surround myself with great people like my 'right hand' Kelsey Anderson. Without them, we wouldn't be where we are now.
"I just love growing things – I don't care what it is." How has your background in agriculture influenced the way you grow Cannabis? As farmers, you grow up poor and get used to picking up stuff from the junkyard and finding a way to fashion it into what we need. I've always had the opinion that it didn't make sense to pay someone to do something you could teach yourself to do. You know, if you never try anything new, you never learn anything new. So, I took my knowledge of hydroponics, construction, HVAC and put it all together to build this facility. But I'm always experimenting with better ways to grow. What is the key to having a successful grow operation? Diversity and consistency. When we started, we had 1,800 different seeds to choose from, and they were from all over the world. It gave us the opportunity to pick the best of the best, and we can still keep making changes. But options don't mean anything if you can't be consistent. No one wants to buy a small quantity of an unreproducible strain. It just doesn't make business sense. What is your favorite part about Cannabis? One of the biggest challenges about commercial farming is not having control over the big things like weather. With Cannabis, I get to grow indoors, which means I have the advantage of controlling the climate and the fertilizer. You get to control the plant life, and from my perspective, that's a really nice thing. Has it been tough transitioning from potatoes to Cannabis? Well, it did take me a while to get down all the new lingo. But I think I have it now. What's next for Suilnua? I'm planning on continuing to expand. We still have a lot of available grow space, and I want to get to the point where we're harvesting 600 plants each and every month. Right now, we have about 2,500 plants in various stages and anywhere from eight to 16 different strains. But there are only four of us making it all happen, and sometimes, we split time between the cultivation and the farm. It's hard work. But like I said, I have a great team that keeps us running.
STORY & PHOTOS by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS/ALASKA LEAF
THE HARVEST ISSUE
WASILLA, AK
leafmagazines.com
32
matanuska medicine woman NOV. 2021
CW from left, Matanuska Medicine Woman grow staff Jonathan Lovelace, Anthony Olivieri, Vanessa Liston, Zallman Liston & Dereece Brotherwood.
Drying Tents
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LTHOUGH WE rarely know it at the time, a single decision has the potential to alter the course of our lives permanently. For the Liston family, an impetuous afternoon spent skipping school created a ripple effect that is still felt two generations later. "I had a professional job in Anchorage when I received the call that my son had been in a serious car accident," recalls Vanessa Liston. Pronounced Dead on Arrival, Liston's son had sustained a traumatic brain injury, and while doctors were miraculously able to resuscitate him, life would never be the same. Finally, after a lengthy hospital stay, her son was allowed to return home, but his condition would require 24-hour care. So, Liston did what any mother would do – she quit her job and looked after her son. "It was important to us to get licensed, so that However, as medical bills continued to pile up, we could create a legitimate career out of our Liston knew that she would have to find a way to passion for Cannabis. [Vanessa] brought us into continue to financially support her family. this industry at a very young age and had faith "I had to make a living, so I went full bore into in us, so we knew we had to give back to her for Cannabis because it was something I could do all that she had given us," says Zallman. without having to leave my home," says Liston. Now 27, Zallman and Antonio are the Already an accomplished cultivator in the co-owners of Matanuska Medicine Woman Mat-Su black market, the transition was seam(MMW) – named in honor of Vanessa. less, but not without ethical complications. Currently a limited grow in Wasilla, MMW is "I had been growing marijuana for many renowned for its purity. years along with my husband, and my children "We have a mindset that this isn't just a recrefollowed in my footsteps. But I struggled with ational drug that people are the idea that I was teaching my just using to get high. This is family members how to break a medicine for many people. the law. I never liked the idea So, we've used that approach of my children breaking laws to to make sure we are as clean survive," explains Liston. as we possibly can be. We try By the time Liston's grandson, to be true to the plant because Zallman, was old enough to take then it will be true to the conan interest in cultivating Cansumer," says Zallman. nabis, rumblings of legalization But to stay clean, somein Alaska had already begun. times you have to get a little For Liston, it was a huge relief dirty. Unique in its growing and something the entire family Unique in its growing style, MMW grows its plants in could get behind. style, MMW grows natural compost boosted with Just 18 at the time, Zallman its plants in natural healthy bacteria that create and his childhood friend, Ancompost boosted with a specialized biome for the tonio Olivieri, were outspoken plants. So while it looks like advocates for safe and equihealthy bacteria that something out of a sci-fi novel, table regulations. By their 21st create a specialized the thick white fuzz covering birthdays, Zallman and Antonio biome for the plants. MMW's planters is all natural. became the youngest people in So while it looks like "What we're trying to do Alaska to receive their recresomething out of a sci-fi here is basically use the miational growing licenses.
novel, the thick white fuzz covering MMW's planters is all natural.
Finished Flower
croorganisms in the soil to feed the plant. Basically, the bacteria work with the plant to break down the compost and break down the nutrients, and actually feed the plant. It also adds resistance to the plant," explains Antonio. According to Antonio, who primarily oversees the soil, some studies suggest veterans that were working with similar soil saw a reduction in illness. "We all have a natural biome, and when your native bacteria interact with the soil, it can end up boosting your immune system," says Antonio. Closer to home, Vanessa says that she has also seen an improvement in symptom management for her son when he consumes Cannabis grown in their signature soil. "His moods can fluctuate between anxiety and psychosis, so it's really important we have a high quality, consistent product to help him. In the 23 years that I have been helping my son, I have discovered that doctors won't be able to tell you anything about your brain until postmortem. So, FOLLOW it has been up to @MATANUSKA_MEDICINE_WOMAN us to help him," ON INSTAGRAM says Vanessa. Within the next two years, MMW has plans to help a lot more people suffering from ailments that conventional medicine can't. "We are going to keep expanding and keep getting better at what we do. We're passionate about making all of [Vanessa's] sacrifices worth it. She has been a pioneer in the industry since the days of the 'War on Drugs' and continues to inspire us. We hope that we can continue to make her proud," says Zallman. STORY & PHOTOS by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS/ALASKA LEAF
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edible of the month
Reviews
The average worker bee will only produce about 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime, meaning it took a lot of bees to deliver the delicious nectar that fills us with joy.
36
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R R EE D D R RU UN N C CA AN NN NA AB B II SS C CO OM MP PA AN NY Y II N N FF U U SS EE D D H HO ON N EE Y Y SS T T II C CK K SS
There’s really no wrong way to consume this deliciously sweet, infused honey. REDRUNCANNABISCOMPANY.COM 5MG THC PER PACKAGE
NOV. 2021
So let’s take a moment to salute the hard working bees, and the team at Red Run who had the bright idea to infuse honey with Cannabis. During the peak of honey season, a hive will have over 50,000 bees working in harmony, and we’re grateful for their teamwork as they visit fireweed flowers and other nectar producing plants during the short summer season in Alaska. Red Run Cannabis Company has taken this locally produced, organic honey and infused a perfect dose of Cannabis into each honey stick for a treat that is so delicious you have to taste it to beelieve it! While a single ounce of honey could provide enough energy for a bee to circle the globe, one stick seems to be the perfect amount to add to a cup of tea or morning oats to start or end the day. There’s really no wrong way to consume this deliciously sweet, infused honey, whether licking it straight from the straw or finding a fun way to incorporate it into food. Here’s another fun fact: You can substitute honey for sugar in many baking recipes! With 2.5mg of THC in each stick, there’s no limit to how to catch a bee-zipping buzz. Check out this sweet treat and other tasty edibles like the infamous Hashade from Red Run Cannabis Company!
REVIEW by ALASKA LEAF STAFF | PHOTO by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS
concentrate of the month
38
Reviews BABYLON COMPANY ROSETTA STONE SUGAR
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PROCESSED BY BABYLON COMPANY CULTIVATED BY THE CONNOISSEUR
A warm, fragrant wave of lemonycreamy-pine that washes into a hint of herbal fuel as it passes through the palate.
NOV. 2021
Take a journey back to the Stoned Age via dabs that will have you speaking in different languages with this delicious and historically named concentrate from Babylon. For us millennials, Rosetta Stone is a language software, but the true historical artifact was actually a real stone that had been inscribed with the languages of the ancients. Its discovery ushered in a new age of understanding because it contained the same text in Greek as it did Hieroglyphics and Demotic, which unlocked the translation of Egyptian writing and finally made sense of those funny “walk like an Egyptian” carvings. We’re guessing that the ancients were getting baked, and taking a fat dab of the Rosetta Stone might return your written language skills to doodles and dance moves. Created by legendary breeders Brothers Grimm, the Rosetta Stone is a cross between the potent White Widow and Ginger Ale, which blend together in a sweet and fruity hybrid. The terp sugar processed by Babylon is absolutely beautiful, with light golden crystals that clump together in a sticky, terpy ball. Opening a container releases a warm, fragrant wave of lemonycreamy-pine that washes into a hint of herbal fuel as it passes through the palate. Low temp dabs enhance the sweeter terps as the sugar melts into vapor, filling the lungs easily and exhaling in a huge cloud that leaves lips tingling and ears ringing, as effects grip the mind. Suddenly strange visuals and new words start forming in our frontal lobes, as we think about ways to combine nacho cheese with new foods, and wonder whether the ancients were able to make delicious treats like the ‘quesarito.’ Will the future be like Demolition Man, where everything is Taco Bell? Will memes and emojis become the new hieroglyphics for those future humans to piece together the meanings of our existence? Obviously the uplifting, giggly and wondrous effects of these tasty dabs have taken hold, and we’re feeling very starry eyed, happy face, fire symbol right now. After all, history is the same as it ever was, but we’re very grateful to be living in the age where Babylon is a company that processes delicious extracts, and for the journey into the new frontier of stoney emojis that Rosetta 74.63% THC Stone has taken us on. 1.02% CBG
REVIEW by ALASKA LEAF STAFF | PHOTO by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS
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PRESENTS
a l l i m Sinse Sto r y
An assortment of Sinsemilla Tips issues over a “sea of green” garden— a technique that they covered first.
As Cannabis culture began shifting away from smuggling towards the “grow your own” philosophy at the end of the 1970s, a demand arose for more in-depth grow advice than what High Times offered at the time. From that vacuum, a new underground magazine emerged that would revolutionize Cannabis cultivation in America: Sinsemilla Tips.
RAID & REVENGE
LEAFMAGAZINES.COM
For more about Tom & Sinsemilla Tips, listen to Episode #16 of our podcast at worldofCannabis.museum/cannthropology.
Billed as “the nation’s only technical journal for the marijuana industry,” Sinsemilla Tips was created in 1980 by a grower named Tom Alexander as a sort of revenge fantasy against the establishment. Alexander had been living on a primitive 160-acre homestead in the backwoods of Corvallis, Oregon, where he planted around half an acre of quality Hawaiian genetics. But before he could harvest his first crop, a timber scout spotted his garden and reported it to the sheriff. On Sept. 27, 1979, 16 officers with semi-automatic rifles raided his homestead – confiscating his 1,200-plus plants and arresting him and his wife. Fortunately for them, the charges were ultimately dismissed due to an error on the search warrant regarding the location of his property. The authorities still kept his weed though, of course … and weeks later, three of the sheriffs involved were arrested by state police for attempting to sell it themselves. Unlike Alexander, however, who’d faced a $100,000 fine and possible 20 years in prison, the crooked cops were sentenced to just three years of probation. Incensed by this blatant injustice, the outraged outlaw set out to exact his revenge on the establishment through the written word. He decided to write a book about Cannabis cultivation, but was quickly persuaded by his grower friends to publish an ongoing journal instead. Without a lick of experience in journalism or publishing, Alexander sat down
NOV. 2021 nov.
with a typewriter, a kerosene lantern (he had no electricity), and some rubber cement and got to work. The result was a 16-page, typo-ridden newsletter that he christened Sinsemilla Tips.
TWO MOONS RISING
COURTESY OF TOM ALEXANDER
cannthropology
42
WORLD OF Cannabis
After printing around 1,000 copies, Alexander drove up and down the coast from Mendocino to Seattle selling the newsletters for 50 cents apiece at grow stores, on street corners, or Sinsemilla Tips founder Tom Alexander. wherever he could. It was while visiting those horticulture shops in Humboldt and Seattle that he noticed all of the growers with wads of hundreds buying fertilizers and grow lights, that he had another bright idea. One month after starting the journal, he opened Oregon’s first hybrid indoor/outdoor grow shop: Full Moon Farm Products. “It was a 5,000-square-foot grow shop on Main Street in downtown Corvallis, right in front of everybody,” Alexander boasts. “It had windows that were 12 feet high, and we put grow rooms with 10foot tomato plants in those two front windows to show what could be done with those lights.” Upstairs from the Full Moon shop became the offices of New
Issue #3 - Fall 1980
Moon Publishing, where he produced the magazine. Though unsophisticated in its design, Sinsemilla Tips began providing a wealth of groundbreaking cultivation information from the world’s top Cannabis experts, including Robert Connell Clark, Ed Rosenthal, Skunkman Sam, Michael Wolf Segal (originator of the now-legendary “sea of green” gardening method), and Jorge Cervantes. “Jorge came into my store in 1983 and said, ‘I’m going to write a book Alexander entered through the back door, called his lawyer, on marijuana,’” Alexander recalls. “I and waited. When he opened his doors at 10:30 a.m., agents said, ‘Well, come back when you finish rushed in, followed by TV cameras, threw down a search warit.’ Six months later, he comes back in rant and began seizing his entire stock. and throws this book down, and I said, “They backed a U-Haul up to the store and just started tak‘Great – let’s go out back and smoke a ing out inventory,” Alexander laments. joint,’ and we became best friends.” Thanks to partnerships with Last Gasp OPERATION GREEN MERCHANT publishing in San Francisco and HomeThe basis for these raids was a statute added to stead Books in Seattle, the magazine’s the Controlled Substances Act in the early 1980s reach soon expanded nationwide. that allowed for certain grow equipment to be “Me, Jorge, David [Tatelman] of classified as drug paraphernalia alongside Best buds: Murphy Stevens, Ed Rosenthal, David Tatelman, Homestead, Ron Turner at Last Gasp … bongs and pipes, provided that they were “inTom Alexander, and Jorge Cervates. we all became close-knit friends. They tended” to be used to manufacture an illegal helped distribute the mag, and it just took substance (marijuana). To establish that illicit intent, off.” the DEA had conducted a two-year-long entrapment scheme codenamed Operation Green Merchant. SINSE SENSATION Starting in late ‘87, the DEA sent undercover agents On Dec. 26, 1985, the New York Times to dozens of grow stores – particularly, those who adverOperation Green published an article about Sinsemilla Tips tised in Sinse Tips and High Times – and asked Merchant patch. entitled “Magazine for workers there for information about growing mariNY Times article about Sinse Tips, 1985. Ambitious Marijuana Growers.” That juana. Aware of this possible legal jeopardy, most article led to more press, including appearshop owners (Alexander included) gave explicit instructions to never ances on Geraldo, Phil Donohue, Nightline and the discuss marijuana in their stores for any reason, and even to eject any customers who Today show – thrusting Alexander into the spotlight spoke of it. Unfortunately, employees at some shops failed to heed that warning; in as an outspoken new celebrity activist. the case of Full Moon Farm, the agents had posed as Vietnam vets with PTSD and “In all those TV shows, I would be on stage with persuaded some veterans working there into selling them equipment. These interacCharles Rangel and the head of the California DEA, tions provided the DEA with the legal justification needed to secure wiretaps, subpoeand they would put forth totally ludicrous arguments, na shipping records from UPS, and confiscate millions in merchandise. while I would be in a suit and tie looking presentable In the case of Full Moon, authorities seized around $75,000 in merchandise and making credible arguments. That really pissed – which, under the civil forfeiture laws, they were never required to return even them off.” though Alexander was never actually charged with a crime. Instead, the Feds The publicity generated by the media coverage offered him a simple ultimatum: sign an agreement relinquishing all rights to the helped Sinse Tips go from an underground paper to merchandise and agreeing to never sell grow equipment again, or be charged with a legitimate commercial magazine. Soon, Alexander criminal conspiracy. Under advice from his lawyer – and pressure from his wife – he was able to buy a new Mac, hire a staff, and up the accepted the deal and closed the store. publishing frequency from quarterly to bimonthly. By the late 1980s, the magazine was up to 72 pagAFTER THE FALL es, printing 10,000 copies, and grossing around Of course, Operation Green Merchant didn’t end after the busts of Black Thurs$100,000 a year. With both his businesses booming, day – the investigation soon expanded, attempting to link the shop owners in a crimTom Alexander seemed to be riding high … but inal conspiracy with a prominent seed company in the Netherlands (that’s another sadly, his fortunes were about to change. story) and the marijuana mags in which they all advertised. Since the First Amendment prevented the Justice Department from targeting the publications directly, they BLACK THURSDAY simply shut down or scared off all of their advertisers in an attempt to starve them out On Oct. 27, 1989, DEA agents raided dozens instead. High Times managed to survive by eking out issues on a shoestring budget of horticultural supply stores across 46 states and for a while, but sadly Sinse Tips was forced to fold – publishing their final issue in arrested over 100 people – a day of infamy in the Canearly 1990. nabis community that became known as Black Thursday. Luckily for him, Alexander had seen the writing on the wall: A year before Green Merchant, “I was getting calls all morning from people on the East he’d started a separate, Cannabis-free magazine called Growing Edge, which was able to Coast saying, ‘I got the DEA here … my store’s being raided!’” scoop up most of Sensi Tips’ former advertisers. He ran Growing Edge until retiring from pubAlexander remembers. “I got to the store about 8:00 a.m. and lishing in 2009, then spent another decade serving as an expert witness for Cannabis cases and saw three unmarked cars in the parking lot with people sitting speaking at various conferences before finally leaving the world of weed behind. in them, and I said to myself, ‘Shit – they’re gonna hit me “I’m out of the Cannabis industry now,” Alexander admits. “I don’t smoke anymore … I had next!’” a heart attack a year ago, and the smoke in my lungs cuts my oxygen, so my doctor told me to stick to tinctures and edibles. I had a good 45-year run, but now I’m done.” STO RY b y B O B BY B LAC K @ CAN N T H RO PO LO G Y for LEA F NAT IO N
MAGAZINES & PATCH FROM WORLD OF CANNABIS MUSEUM COLLECTION
Story and photos originally published on worldofCannabis.museum and reprinted with permission.
“I saw three unmarked cars in the parking lot with people sitting in them, and I said to myself, ‘Shit—they’re gonna hit me next!”
I SHARE THAT SEDIMENT
W
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leafmagazines.com
by Mike Ricker
e all know the 10-second rule. When you drop a piece of food, if you pick it up within 10 seconds, you have beaten the decomposition clock – essentially rescuing the item from the armies of crazed little germs that lie in waiting for food fumbles. In your mind’s eye, these microscopic creatures are blood thirsty vampires, lurching, smothering it with toxic juices and dripping fangs, rendering your Funyun a potential risk to your body’s wellness. Your taste buds, however, may not excuse your blunder. There is not a moment to waste for the fast action determination that will either land that flavor into your mouth, or sadly, litter the ground with another dead soldier. This is a decision factored on the intensity of your saliva, painfully anticipating the explosive zest while the impatient clock races to the point of no return. You grow weary of your surroundings, weighing the risks of irreparable illness, or judgement from any onlooker within eyeshot. Do you forego the hazards and redeem the gaffe, or exponentially enhance the chance that a frenzy of multiplying bacteria could foster an unpronounceable condition? Tick, tick, tick. You’re down to 007. You stare upon it, frazzled by the dilemma. This is an exceptional, onion-flavored ring, and you are not one to waste tasty salt. The forehead begins to bead. Slow motion ensues. There is a finite number of Funyuns in existence and this one is yours. You put the fun in Funyun. You reach down and pinch the item with two fingers, brush any dirt across your jeans, inspect it momentarily, then hammer into the crunchiness with a shear jaw clamp. You chew and finish. You do not lick your fingers this time, but wipe the hand on your jeans and go about your extremely busy day. In this unpredictable world where the strong survive, acquiring good food comes with challenges, and you are not one to be wasteful. Besides, those little critters are pure protein. Kind of like a ladybug on a blooming nug of weed. Not that you would ever eat one. Unless of course, it came after your Funyun.
NOV. 2021
F O L L OW @ R I C K E R D J | G E T T H E AU D I O V E R S I O N & EV E RY E P I S O D E AT L E A F M AG A Z I N E S . C O M
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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.
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