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
AS A MOTHER OF THREE CHIHUAHUAS WITH STRONG PERSONALITIES, the demands are high for regular walks, bike rides and beach days. You’ll also see Jan out and about in Kenai supporting one of her husband’s many bands. In fact, their two sons are both musicians who live in Oregon, so the lineage carries on. HOW ARE YOU DIGGING WORKING BEHIND THE COUNTER IN THE WEED BIZ? I love it, it’s
low stress. We’re a smaller operation and everything is done minimally, but with really good results. The setup here is very efficient, with a focus on quality. I UNDERSTAND YOU SPENT A COUPLE YEARS CARING FOR YOUR HUSBAND WHO WAS EXPERIENCING PROSTATE CANCER. DID HE MEDICATE WITH CANNABIS? Absolutely. We
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created our own garden, and I grew both THC and CBD strains. I create concentrates with my Magical Butter maker, creating oils that I can make anything with like olive oil, butter, tincture, etc. He actually recovered really well. He had targeted radiation that lasted for about a week and that’s it. Otherwise, we medicated him with Cannabis. Not that we’re allowed to even call it medical, but it’s clearly medicinal in our use. Other people don’t recover from that treatment as well as he did, and possibly because they don’t use Cannabis for the healing.
Jan Mabrey
ALASKA LEAF BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH
“I FEEL LIKE I’VE BEEN SET FREE. I CAN DO WHAT I WANT WITH CANNABIS."
ALASKA HARVEST COMPANY 43837 KALIFORNSKY BEACH RD, SOLDOTNA AL ASKAHARVESTCOMPANY.COM @AL ASKAHARVESTCOMPANY OPEN 8AM-11:30PM DAILY (907) 953-3466
SEPT. 2021
WHAT OTHER WORK HAVE YOU DONE? I worked in oil and gas for 24 years, and other industries where Cannabis use was prohibited. When legalization happened, I was ready for a change. In 2017 after I quit my job, I attended a Keep Cannabis Legal campaign because there was a group who put together a referendum to remove all Cannabis facilities. There were about 20 people who put up their life savings to open shops and be in the industry, and I thought to myself, ‘This isn’t right.’ At one point I stood up and spoke, explained my background, and afterwards they contacted me asking to be the treasurer for the campaign. So, I accepted and became an advocate as well. I soon realized that Cannabis has changed a lot since I was 14 when trying it for the first time. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WHERE YOU ARE NOW IN YOUR LIFE? I feel like I’ve been set
free. I can do what I want with Cannabis. It heals me, makes me happy, reduces my stress. It’s a wonderful plant. And it’s God given. If you believe in God, or whatever, our creator had it goin’ on!
INTERVIEW by MIKE RICKER @RICKERDJ PHOTO by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS
