Alaska Leaf — Aug. 2018

ISSUE 28

ALASKA LEAF

special issue

Aug. 2018

free / akleaf.com

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WOMEN inWEED LADY GRAY

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contents

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AUG. 2018

24 PATIENT PROFILE How Cannabis helps Colleen Cuchetto for pain

56

CANNABIS BREEDER Q & A, MzJill | Alaska Leaf Breeder of the Month

58

TASTY RECIPES

Cool and refreshing Summer Cannabis concoctions

CHRIS EUSCHER, CEO R.C. TINDERBOX Interviews by Wes Abney | Photos by Boom Media for Alaska Leaf

WOMEN inWEED

11 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 41 42 44 46 47 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 64 66 68 70

EDITOR’S NOTE NATIONAL NEWS ALASKA UPDATE STATE OF THE INDUSTRY PATIENT PROFILE HIGHLY LIKELY CANNABIS CULTURE STRAIN OF THE MONTH WOMEN IN WEED ISSUE CANNABIS BASICS AK JOINT LADY GRAY ALASKAN BLOOMS AK CANNA CONNECTION HIGH BUSH BUDS ENLIGHTEN ALASKA R.C. TINDERBOX GREEN LEAF LAB MZJILL PROFILE TASTY RECIPES CONCENTRATE REVIEW GROWTECH GUIDE HEALTH & SCIENCE BOOK REVIEW NYKKI KNIGHT GLASS

ON THE COVER lady gray medibles team

Painting by Dianna Kenyon PHOTO BY TASHA GROSSL

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contents THE WOMEN IN WEED ISSUE AUG. 2018 ALASKA LEAF

WOMEN inWEED

LEAH LEVINTON, CO-OWNER ENLIGHTEN ALASKA Interviews by Wes Abney | Photos by Boom Media for Alaska Leaf

50

pg.

ALASKA LEAF

the truth about the plant you thought you knew, IN every issue.

editor’s note

Thank you for picking up this very special edition!

Contact editor Wes Abney to place an

advertisement or become a drop-off location to display our magazine. You can also feel free to just share feedback, send pitches, articles, story ideas and hot news tips. This is all our plant.

NWLeaf@gmail.com // 206-235-6721

The Cannabis Industry is brimming with feminine energy and talent, and it’s driving innovation and setting a positive example for how Cannabis is viewed.

FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Wes Abney

PHOTOGRAPHER & DESIGNER

Daniel Berman

CONTRIBUTORS

Our community is a diverse group that melts across all races and genders, and women deserve an equal place in the industry that should provide an opportunity for all. Ownership is statistically dominated by wealthy white men and is trending further that way as legalization favors those with wealth over experience when balancing resources like licenses along equitable lines.

BOOM MEDIA, PHOTOS SARAH CLIMACO, EDITING STEVE ELLIOTT, NATIONAL NEWS SIMONE FISCHER, HEALTH & SCIENCE DR. SCANDERSON, GROWTECH DR. SCOTT D. ROSE, HEALTH ALIZA SHERMAN, FEATURES PACER STACKTRAIN, FEATURES BRANDON VOSIKA, ILLUSTRATION LAURIE & BRUCE WOLF, RECIPES NATE WILLIAMS, PRODUCTION

ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Joshua Stahle Josh@AKleaf.com 907-317-2536

Please email or call us to discuss print and online advertising opportunities in an upcoming issue.

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Department of Corrections

We welcome reader feedback. If we have made an error please let us know and we will do our best to address it.

AUG. 2018 ISSUE #28

This issue affects people of color as significantly as women, but the core issue is the same. The plant was meant for everyone, and business opportunities should not be limited to those with money or based on gender or race.

I’ve heard too many horror stories to share of unreported sexual harassment, workplace violations, and general discomfort at situations where women are treated incorrectly in the industry.

We as a community and industry need to recognize that Cannabis is no different from the mainstream business world and that the same rules apply within the world of weed. In order to make progress and make change, we must hold Cannabis to a higher standard than any other business environment.

My goal from the beginning of the Leaf was to see and help shape the Cannabis industry in such a way that I would feel comfortable with my daughters participating in, and I am positive and excited for the future of the amazing women in weed. Over the last decade, the Cannabis industry has gone from sexualized sales and misogyny to a growing industry with women in every step from seed to sale.

We are honored to highlight a few of the great many who are making positive change, and helping the community and industry grow in every sector, from CEO’s to creatives, managers to activists, attorneys to growers and so much more.

Please enjoy these profiles and the spotlights into the various forms of the industry, and make sure to ask for women-owned products at your local dispensary.

There’s more to support than most realize!

As always, thanks for reading!

—Wes Abney

MY GOAL FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE LEAF WAS TO SEE AND HELP SHAPE THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY IN SUCH A WAY THAT I WOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH MY DAUGHTERS PARTICIPATING IN, AND I AM POSITIVE AND EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE OF THE AMAZING WOMEN IN WEED. aug. 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

/11

national

STEVE ELLIOTT is the editor behind tokesignals.com, an independent blog of Cannabis news and opinion.

a scientific study to help Explain Munchies

How legal weed frees up cops to be able to solve other crimes A new study presented last month at the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior lays out a biological explanation that might solve the mystery of the marijuana munchies. The effect of Cannabis on hunger has big implications for cancer patients, who use it to stimulate a much-needed appetite for survival.

“I think this new study indicates that there’s an opportunity to use science to back up the policy of using marijuana as a medicinal drug,” said lead author Jon Davis, Ph.D., of Washington State University. His paper, currently under review, shows Cannabis consumption influences appetite by triggering the release of a hunger hormone called ghrelin.

Ghrelin is usually released by the stomach when it’s empty, think “growing stomach.” But in a study on rats, Davis and his team showed a dose of Cannabis causes the release of a surge of ghrelin greater than normal.

The surge resulted in a very specific eating pattern. Three groups of rats were raised on different diets: A normal one, one in which they ate enough to be stuffed, and one in which the rats were starved for 48 hours. Rats in all three groups began to eat request, small meals two hours after their cages were filled with doses of Cannabis vapor.

This held true of the fat, the starved, and the normal rats: all the stoned rats kept on eating, even after the sober rats in the control group had stopped eating and went on about their day. Davis said he is “cautiously optimistic” that a similar study would have the same results in humans.

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Cannabis legalization in Washington state and Colorado has “produced some demonstrable and persistent benefit” to police departments in their ability to solve other crimes, according to a study from Washington State University.

“Our models show no negative effects of legalization and, instead, indicate that crime clearance rates for at least some type of crime of increasing faster in states that legalized than in WE THINK THE those that did not,” the authors wrote ARGUMENT THAT in the study, published in the journal Police Quarterly.

LEGALIZATION DID, Crimes are considered “cleared” if IN FACT, PRODUCE authorities have identified and arrested a A MEASURABLE suspect and referred him for prosecution.

IMPACT ON The study examined clearance rates for crimes in Colorado and Washington from CLEARANCE RATES 2010 through 2015, using FBI data.

IS PLAUSIBLE Researchers looked at how trends in clearance changed after implementation of legalization in 2012 in Colorado and Washington.

While recreational stores in these states didn’t open until 2014, provisions allowing for possession and use took effect shortly after the votes were certified.

Researchers noted that no other major changes to public policy happened that would have affected clearance rates in the way observed. “We think the argument that legalization did, in fact, produce a measurable impact on clearance rates is plausible,” they concluded.

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national

Deputies Shoot, Kill Suspect at Oregon Cannabis Facility

California Releases First Draft of Cannabis Rules The first draft of permanent Cannabis regulations was released by California regulators on July 13, opening a 45-day window for public comment and hearings. Emergency rules, in place since sales started on January 1 this year, will remain in place until the regular rulemaking process is complete, according to Chief Lori Ajax at the Bureau of Cannabis Control.

Industry advocates and opponents will have a chance to voice opinions in 10 public meetings held around California in August. Public comments can also be submitted through mail or email.

The regulations, while imperfect, will help stabilize the industry, according to Cannabis lawyer Joe Rogoway. “Largely these will be the rules, and they will be what the industry lives in the future” Rogoway said. “So, I think it’s important that people working in this space have fluency in these rules and use that to better their companies.”

The regulations run 315 pages and show considerable changes compared to earlier emergency rules. One change prohibits the use of advertising techniques that may attract minors, including the use of toys or cartoon characters. Free Cannabis goods or giveaways would also be prohibited under the changes.

Washington Gets First Drive-Thru Recreational Marijuana Dispensary performed its own building permit Tokers in Auburn, Washington can now review and handled all other replenish their stash without leaving planning and development matters the car. Joint Rivers has opened what related to the business.” is believed to be the JOINT RIVERS City officials said they state’s first drive-thru IS IN A NEW didn’t even know the recreational Cannabis tribe was putting in a dispensary, reports the BUILDING marijuana dispensary SeattlePI.com.

BEHIND THE until it opened.

The shop is operating MUCKLESHOOT Joint Rivers is located in something of a legal BINGO HALL at 2121 Auburn Way S. gray zone. Auburn has in Auburn, and is open — MEANING limited the number of daily from 7 a.m. to pot stores that can open IT FALLS ON 11 p.m. within city limits. But TRIBAL LAND. The first medical Joint Rivers is in a new marijuana dispensary drive-thru in building behind the Muckleshoot the state was opened back in 2013 by Bingo Hall — meaning it falls on now-defunct SonSHINE Organics. tribal land.

Owner Sarena Haskins at the time According to the Federal said she believed it to be the first Way Mirror, the Muckleshoot such drive-thru in the state. tribe “processed the application,

Deputies shot and killed a man after responding to a dispute involving gunfire at a commercial Cannabis facility in Cottage Grove, Oregon last month. Initially, deputies couldn’t locate the suspect on the large parcel of land, according to Sgt. Carrie Carver of the Lane County Sheriff ’s Office, reports KDRV. They eventually found a building where the man was hiding and used a loudspeaker to call inside.

The man left the building at 3:45 a.m. and “engaged deputies with a firearm,” Carver said. Two deputies fired, striking the suspect, who was taken to a hospital where he died.

Carver identified the man as Joey K. Loop, 40. No deputies were hurt in the incident.

INDUSTRY UPDATE

By ALIZA SHERMAN for ALASKA LEAF | ILLUSTRATION by BRANDON VOSIKA

AUGUST CANNABIS NEWS AROUND ALASKA

F I R S T H A I N E S M A R I J UA N A S H O P O P E N S Winter Greens opened its doors in Haines in July across from the cruise ship dock, making it the first legal marijuana shop in this community of roughly 1,500. Owners Jason and Shauna Adams moved to Haines from Oregon where they were involved with both medical and commercial grows and worked in a dispensary to learn the ropes. They run the shop with Jason’s parents who run Lynn View Mercantile shop next door. The shop is currently tapping into the tourist community and winning over locals as well. Winter demand remains to be seen once tourist season is over. There are now approximately 60 legal Cannabis shops in Alaska.

C A N N A B I S A D S TA L L S N E W S PA P E R D E L I V E RY The Chilkat Valley News in Haines had trouble last month distributing its paper through the U.S. Postal Service due to a Cannabis ad for local legal Cannabis shop, Winter Greens. The paper had to resort to cutting the ad out of the issue in order to mail it but did not have to do so for papers delivered in person or picked up.

HIGH TIMES CANNABIS CUP COMES TO ALASKA High Times holds Cannabis Cups in over a dozen major cities around the U.S., Europe, Canada and the Caribbean. At press time, the High Times Cannabis Cup was set to take place in Wasilla on August 11th and 12th at Settler’s Bay Golf Course. This is the first time the official Cannabis Cup, a major Cannabis strain competition related to the 43-year old Cannabis magazine, has come to Alaska.

The planned performers include hip-hop duo Method Man and Redman and reggae band Iration. All attendees must be 21 years of age or older with valid, government-issued ID. Ticket prices range from $45 for General Admission for a single day to $140 for the Early Bird VIP Weekend ticket. Details and updates online at CannabisCup.com/Alaska.

A L A S K A H E M P F E S T U N D E R I N V E S T I GAT I O N The organizers of Alaska Hempfest, the free outdoor event held in June in Wasilla, are now under investigation for allowing on-site Cannabis consumption.

At press time, Erika McConnell, director of the Alaska Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office (AMCO), was recommending a penalty against Hempfest organizers with a fine amount being determined by the Alaska Marijuana Control Board (AMCB) at their August 15th meeting in Fairbanks. If a fine is imposed, it will be the second Cannabis event this year to receive a penalty for illegal activity.

In June, the AMCB imposed two fines on the Cannabis Classic totaling $20,000, which was ultimately settled for $5,000.

If a fine is imposed, it will be the second Cannabis event this year to receive a penalty for illegal activity.

A L A S K A C A N N A B I S TA X E S H I T A H I G H N OT E The Alaska Department of Revenue reported that they’ve collected nearly $1.2 million in May 2018. State tax collection has exceeded $1 million four times since the state’s first legal Cannabis shop opened its doors in October 2016. Cultivators pay the tax on Cannabis when they sell or transfer it from their facility to a retail shop or manufacturing facility.

Some Cannabis business owners are looking for the Legislature to make major changes to Alaska’s Cannabis tax laws to relieve some of the financial burden on growers.

HIGH JINX, HIGH TIMES AND HIGH TAX REVENUES

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“the greatest ignorance is to reject something you know nothing about.”

This is a marijuana product. 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 reach of children. Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

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opinion

By SIMONE FISCHER @SIMONEFISCHERR

THE STATE OF THE INDUSTRY W

hen Oregon legalized in 2015, women were the main component to the success of passing Measure 91, resulting in the birth of a legal industry. In the beginning, women - and especially the images of women - either working alongside the plant, managing a dispensary, budtending or baking edibles - transcended social media (see: #womenandweed hashtags); and eventually, the “lifestyle” was catapulted into the spotlight of mainstream media. In 2015, according to a survey done by Marijuana Business Daily, 36 percent of women held leadership positions in the Cannabis industry. In 2017, the number of women in leadership roles dropped to 27 percent; almost down ten percent in two short years.

Superficially, the propaganda of women ‘ruling the world of weed’ might have worked to push the agenda of legalization, but it came at a cost. The topic of women and weed has become highly fetishized, and most of the women willing to put themselves out there are white - with very little representation from women of color. As a bi-racial woman (partially white, partially not), I realize the privileges I have been granted, but not earned, because of my light skin.

There was (and basically still is) hardly any media diversity being shown, but by holding our media sources accountable (including our own publication), this too can change.

Sexual assault and harassment cases already exist within the Oregon legal market. According to the Willamette Week, CEO Nitin Khanna of Cura (aka Select Strains) was accused of raping Lori Fale the

night before his wedding in 2012. Fale took Nitin to court on a $2.3 million dollar sexually battery lawsuit but settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

In 2016, also reported by Willamette Week, Whitney Hobbs filed a sexual harassment suit against her co-founder and CEO Christopher Malott of Highly Distributed, for ‘groping and smelling’ her in the workplace. These were the few reported assaults, and I hope the women in our community have enough support to call out their perpetrators when violated.

But unfortunately, my guess is probably no.

Therefore, the media must assume the responsibility as watchdogs to expose these stories, in order to provide the public with the truth of the reality of this industry. The “bro culture” of the cannabis can be obnoxious: leaving women, people of color and those with disability on the margins.

Generally speaking, there is no paid sick-time, no paid days off, there is no paid maternity or paternity leave for people working in the Oregon Cannabis industry - and the pay remains dismally low. Most budtenders make no more than Oregon minimum wage, usually ranging between 10 to 15 dollars an hour (if they are lucky).

Working in Cannabis farms as garden hands can be back-breaking work, often with zero employee benefits and little pay to boot – if not salaried. If you’re lucky enough to land a high-level position, you might fare better, but most of the Cannabis workforce is left vulnerable.

Sometimes, I wonder why women (like myself) continue to claim the Cannabis industry is friendly to women (or anybody for that matter) when the actions of most companies obviously do not back this assertion. We clearly have an ample amount of work ahead of us before the majority of the cannabis industry can actually take care of its workforce.

At the end of the day, and despite all the bullshit, I love Oregon and (most of) the people in our Cannabis community trying to bring solutions to the problems of inequity. I want to celebrate the excellence and perseverance of women, but I don’t feel right doing that without a critical lens.

Real issues continue to be swept under the rug in Oregon Cannabis culture, and it’s important we acknowledge and address those issues (racism, sexism and beyond), to improve the moral quality of this industry moving forward.

“WE CLEARLY HAVE AN AMPLE AMOUNT OF WORK AHEAD OF US BEFORE THE MAJORITY OF THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY CAN ACTUALLY TAKE CARE OF ITS WORKFORCE.”

As much as our magazine looks to celebrate the women building the foundations of the Oregon (and national) industry, I also believe it’s just as important to be honest and critical on the realities of being a working woman in Cannabis.

20/aug. 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF Simone Fischer is a contributing writer for Oregon Leaf based in Portland.

(1) "Marijuana has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming and addictive;” (2) "Marijuana impairs concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under its influence;” (3) "There are health risks associated with consumption of marijuana” (4) "For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of the reach of children;” and (5) "Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breast feeding;”

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This is a marijuana product. 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 reach of children. Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Profile

By SIMONE FISCHER/OREGON LEAF | PHOTO by DANIKA CUCHETTO @DANIKAINOREGON

Colleen relies on Cannabis to battle the complex and rare disease of Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IH), which currently has no cure. Despite tremendous pain and physical obstacles, Colleen remains one of the brightest beacons of light and strongest of advocates for medicinal Cannabis.

COLLEEN CUCHETTO L

H E L P I N G O T H E R PA T I E N T S

ike most of us, Cuchetto started smoking weed recreationally at 18. Shortly after she moved to California from Ohio, she was diagnosed with IH at 19 years old.

“I have Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension. My body either makes excess Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) or doesn’t absorb it properly,” Cuchetto says.

“I live every day with the symptoms of a brain tumor, yet there is no mass. This disease has been renamed several times since my diagnosis. It was called Pseudo tumor Cerebri, false brain tumor. Despite the affinity for name tweaking by the medical community, there is not one drug designed to treat this condition,” she explains.

“The surgical treatments are insane. Shunt fail rates can mean repeated surgeries. I lost an IH friend who went through 39 surgeries.”

IH affects every 1 in 300,000 people. It doesn’t kill you, but the treatments associated are exhausting and hard on the body. Some go for years without an accurate diagnosis and end up losing their eyesight. IH is traditionally diagnosed through spinal taps to check for increased CSF. She is highly sensitive to barometric pressure, which affects her cranial pressure. Cuchetto says the pain isn’t like a headache or migraine – because her skull seams are literally busting open. Due to the lack of treatment options, Cuchetto’s neurologist asked her if she would be open to trying marijuana for relief.

LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS “Eight years ago, I had brain surgery. A ventricular shunt was inserted into my brain to help drain the excess CSF. I already had a lumbar-peritoneal shunt that had failed. The entire process was hell. Three months after insertion, I had it removed. Months in the hospital and ridiculous amounts of opioid painkillers left me allergic and addicted. Here’s the rub...my pain is intracranial, within the skull. Those painkillers do not cross the blood-brain barrier.

My relief only came from taking enough to pass out. Opioids were doing nothing to help, in fact, they were making everything worse. I was on a dozen different medications, mostly to counteract the effects of the opioids. My neurologist cautiously suggested Cannabis because he couldn’t outright suggest it. Plus, Cannabis crosses the blood-brain barrier. I finally had pain relief! Thus began my journey,” Cuchetto explains.

24/aug. 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

S

even years ago in 2011, she moved to Oregon with her family as a Cannabis refugee and immediately joined the OMMP program. I asked her what cannabinoids and terpenes work best when dealing with IH? “Definitely Vanilla Kush for pain. Gorge Vortex from Otis Gardens is my daytime savior. I’ve got a serious fan girl crush on this strain! As for concentrates, THC-A is a powerhouse anti-inflammatory. Myrcene, linalool, humulene...hell, ALL of them.

Full plant synergy! Drops are tops, meaning I believe tinctures are the best way to use Cannabis medicinally. Mucosal absorption is key! I also use a glass pipe for flower and never say no to a cone!”

“I HELP PEOPLE LEARN IF CANNABIS IS THE RIGHT MEDICINE FOR THEM. I HELP THEM LEARN HOW TO MEDICATE. MOST OF MY PATIENTS ARE FIRST TIME USERS. EACH SITUATION IS UNIQUE.”

Given the little research that exists on IH today, I asked if she had any challenges to using Cannabis as a treatment option?

Cuchetto’s husband Ric Cuchetto, is a Cannabis chemist who served on the advisory committee after Measure 91 passed, and currently consults around the world on behalf of Cannabis science. Ric helps create cannabinoid and terpene formulas for Colleen, but not without challenges.

“When I think of what Ric and I thought we knew eight years ago, and where we are today...there is so much information and maybe even more misinformation, that I now work as a Patient Advocate,” Cuchetto says.

“I help people learn if Cannabis is the right medicine for them. I help them learn how to medicate. Most of my patients are first time users. Each situation is unique.

You can’t just say “oh, take this.” There is a learning curve and I can help with that.

Having someone to coach you is invaluable. I believe it’s the most successful path to finding your personal dosing regimen.

We’ve come full circle. Cannabis is my medicine and I share that gift by trying to help others on this same path.”

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This is a marijuana product. 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 reach of children. Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

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highly likely

Column # 37

Highlighting amazing Cannabis pioneers who helped pave the way to greater herbal acceptance.

OPRAH

By PACER STACKTRAIN for ALASKA LEAF

O

prah Winfrey, the groundbreaking TV show host and actress, has actually smoked marijuana. It was Gayle that spilled the beans. It’s always Gayle.

But, upon further inspection, the revelation didn’t feel all that unexpected. We did all expect it, didn’t we?

This media mogul who’s just so cool and relatable.

While we still don’t have it from Oprah’s mouth, we do now have a pretty good idea that Oprah enjoys Cannabis. At least, that’s what her best friend Gayle King told Ellen DeGeneres on her show in May of this year. “Oprah has also smoked a little marijuana, too, I don’t mind saying,” she said, and then quickly added anxiously, “I’m not telling tales out of school.”

When pressed by Ellen, King added “I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate her. ... It’s not something that happens on a regular—I’m going to change the subject.”

Most of us know Oprah’s life story: born into poverty in rural Mississippi, pregnant at 14, and sent to live with her father in Tennessee after a miscarriage. She landed a radio job while in high school, and from there rose to become one of the “Queen of all Media.”

Along the way, Winfrey seemed to break virtually every barrier that lay in front of her. She’s been a media maverick from early on, creating her own production company (Harpo Productions) in 1986, which eventually burgeoned into the Oprah empire, which now includes The Oprah Winfrey Network, O, The Oprah magazine, and, of course, Oprah.com.

Today, Oprah is worth approximately $3 billion.

Celebrities have had to hide their use of Cannabis for almost a hundred years amid fears of reprisal from the public. And that’s why this month’s column is tough.

While Gayle, Oprah’s BFF, claims she consumes the plant - as recently as 2015, Oprah was claiming that she didn’t partake. That year on David Letterman’s final few episodes before retirement – Oprah appeared for an interview. When Letterman asked if she smoked, Oprah replied “Actually, no. I haven’t smoked in 30 years. Really.” Then, on Andy Cohen’s Watch What

28/aug. 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

Happens Live, she was asked what the last time she had smoked was “Uh, 19…..82” she replied. Cohen then invited her to hang out after the show, to which she replied, “I hear it’s gotten better!”

However, in March of this year, all of a sudden Cannabis content started appearing in the pages of O, The Oprah Magazine. A headline on the cover asks “Is Marijuana the New Merlot? Mellow it Out.” Inside the magazine are stories from High Tea Parties to how to be a Mom and travel with Cannabis to ways to meet like-minded friends who smoke. Oprah.com also has a number of canna-related articles as well.

Was Oprah doing a little R&D? Has she recently rekindled her passion for the plant that she says ended in the early 80s? For now, none of us really know the answers to these questions. But if there ever was a more powerful advocate than Oprah – we’d love to hear it.

And, Oprah, whenever you’re ready to come out of the green closet: we’ll embrace you with open arms!

ALL OF A SUDDEN CANNABIS CONTENT STARTED APPEARING IN THE PAGES OF O MAGAZINE. A HEADLINE ON THE COVER ASKS “IS MARIJUANA THE NEW MERLOT? MELLOW IT OUT.”

Thepacerstacktrain@gmail.com Instagram: @ThePacerStackTrain

Marijuanahas intoxicating effects andmaybehabitforming andaddictive.Marijuanaimpairs concentration,coordination,andjudgement.Donotoperate vehicleormachineryunderits influence.Therearehealthrisks associatedwithconsumptionofmarijuana.Foruseonlybyadults 21andolder.Keepoutofreachofchildren.Marijuanashouldnotbeusedbywomenwhoarepregnantorbreastfeeding

R.C. Tinderbox

Look for our products in stores now!

907.349.5067 - rctinderbox.com - 7801 King St. Anchorage, Alaska 99518 concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under its influence.

There are health risks associated with consumption of marijuana. For use only by adults 21 and older.

Keep out of the reach of children. Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breast feeding.

2301 SOUTH KNIK-GOOSE BAY RD. #1 WASILLA, AK 99654

opInion

By TYLER J. MARKWART for ALASKA LEAF

HOSTILE TAKEOVER

CANNABIS CULTURE VS. CORPORATE AMERICA AND THE INDUSTRY TODAY

The biggest fear of many has arrived. Cannabis has gone corporate. So how do we cope? Patience and an ability to balance two cultures may be the keys to lasting success in an evolving industry.

B

ig business has started to creep into the Cannabis industry as the laws and tax codes surrounding the manufacturing, processing, possession and distribution of Cannabis are being amended in states that have voted to legalize Cannabis. To some, this was and is the biggest fear that they can conceive of: big business running the Cannabis industry. But to others legalization is a blessing, as the professionalism and standards that all other industries are used to are now coming to the Cannabis industry. The change is

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difficult for some, but for those who can learn to comply and work with what they are given, they are starting to see success as leaders in the burgeoning multi-billion dollar Cannabis industry.

There are a multitude of issues when you try to scale up from a four-light basement grow to a 30,000 square foot Tier 3 indoor legal recreational marijuana grow. For starters, you can’t write anything off on your taxes because you are engaging in a federal crime. So you can forget about major tax deductions and banking, which will make

life fun when you try to pay for contractors and order materials off of the internet with credit cards that get cancelled every month.

Cash may be king but counting a quarter of a million dollars isn’t as easy as just writing a check to the electrician and the HVAC team.

More regulations and safety practices are being implemented as the industry matures each year. For many this is very overwhelming and frustrating, but some of these practices are absolutely needed to protect consumers, employees and employers. The legal marijuana market has barely even begun to take off, but for those who are entering the industry and those who are struggling to profit, the key to success is finding the balance between the Cannabis culture and the corporate culture.

Cannabis is heading in the same manner that the alcohol industry was structured.

Large players will produce affordable products that mirror cheap beer and liquor currently available in stores across the state, and niche market growers will attend to the medical patients and connoisseurs — those who are looking for specific products that don’t interest or are too costly for everyday consumers.

The craft Cannabis industry will thrive once the industry adopts and refines these new changes, until then many small producer/processors are going to struggle. The Cannabis marketplace is endless and will grow exponentially as the laws continue to change across the world.

Business owners who are on top of their game and hire compliance officers, structure HR departments and implement OSHA standards will sleep safer at night knowing a multitude of safety nets are in place to minimize any problems that the businesses might have to endure in the future.

If you are a business owner and you are struggling with the amount of overbearing regulations, please contact your legislature today and politely let them know how difficult it is to operate your business.

THE KEY TO SUCCESS IS FINDING THE BALANCE BETWEEN THE CANNABIS CULTURE AND THE CORPORATE CULTURE

THE CANNABIS MARKETPLACE IS ENDLESS AND WILL GROW EXPONENTIALLY AS THE LAWS CONTINUE TO CHANGE ACROSS THE WORLD.

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This hybrid cross of Dr. Who and Tahoe OG will have you feeling like a ninja, even if it’s from the couch chopping through TV channels.

This is a unique hybrid based both on parentage and the incredible mango flavors present in the flower and smoke. The flower has a smaller bud structure, with solid density and a dark green appearance.

Opening the packaging releases a sickly sweet spice with hints of cinnamon and coffee hiding behind the sweetness.

Each inhale of the Ninja OG is smooth with a slight taste of mango teasing the senses. The exhale is full of a pungent funk that hits hard, immediately settling behind the eyes.

Each hit was full of the spiced coffee aroma from the initial bag opening.

This 60/40 hybrid has a lot more initial mind effects than the body, which follows about an hour later with a relaxing couch-lock high that is great for afternoon nap mode.

Just like a ninja, this high sneaks up on you, pulling your head and shoulders down as if weighted, and slamming into the body with a fantastic lingering cerebral and body high.

We definitely recommend giving this Ninja OG a try and look for more great products from Catalyst Cannabis Co at your local store!

AUG. 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

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N E V E S N OPE W E E K DAYS A

S S A R G

9 9 4 4 N N O O I I T SSTTAAT M A 2 1 9AM

2016 FLOWER EXTRACTS EDIBLES

“WE “WE SUPPORT SUPPORT THE THE VENDERS VENDERS THAT THAT SUPPORT SUPPORT US” US” DKW FARMS Va l d e z , A K

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 ADULTHS 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 LEAF

INNOVATIVE POTREPRENEURS CHANGING THE ALASKAN CANNABIS INDUSTRY

WOMEN

WEED in

40/aug. 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

CANNABIS BASICS IS NOW SOLD IN OVER 150 STORES, INCLUDING PCC NATURAL MARKETS. AH HAD BEEN WORKING TOWARD GETTING HER PRODUCT INTO PCC SINCE THE MID-90S, AND THINGS FINALLY CLICKED.

AH WARNER founder & ceo | cannabis basics INTERVIEW BY DANIELLE HALLE | PHOTO BY DANIEL BERMAN

W

and Ah realized she could create a safe hen Ah Warner was beginning to place for women entrepreneurs, activists, dedicate her life to hemp, she came and community members to simply relax to the realization that cannabinoids and come together to enjoy the plant we in Cannabis were important to so dearly love. healing as well. Fast forward to now and we’re Five years and 150 members later, only just tip-toeing into the waters of legal Cannabis in one thing has changed in the way Women America. Washington state’s legalization in 2015, of Weed operates. however, caused a problem for Cannabis Basics While they still smoke weed, eat food, because it restricted the sale of products which and hang out with friends, they’ve also contained less than 0.3 percent THC. committed to philanthropy through the No time was wasted when the realization hit that organization’s brand merchandising Ah’s products could no longer be sold in stores.

Women of Weed Gives.

Teaming up with Kari Boiter, Ah was the co-author All profits from Women and chief orchestrator of RCW of Weed Gives, the 69.50.575, to allow CHABA philanthropic arm of (Cannabis Health and Beauty Ah Warner has been a powerhouse Cannabis Basics (MEGS LLC), Aids) products to be sold in retail in the Cannabis industry for quite will support women-run and stores. For a bit of perspective some time now. She began her women-owned non-profits on just how quickly this law was crusade for the healing power of in the cannabis space. The changed, I’ll provide a timeline. hemp in the 90s with the creation new organization has already Cannabis was legalized on of her company Cannabis Basics, selected the first three grant January 1st, 2015. Ah began so you can imagine my excitement recipients for the first two lobbying in Olympia for the law for the chance to speak with her fiscal years. to change on January 22nd. about her extensive experience Ah is committed to Governor Inslee signed it into law advocating for this plant. philanthropy and notes the on June 30th and it was enacted importance of specifically giving back to July 1st, 2015. That’s how you get things done. organizations such as Hempfest.

Cannabis Basics is now sold in over 150 stores, “Without Hempfest, Cannabis Basics including PCC Natural Markets. Ah had been wouldn’t exist, and there would be no legal working toward getting her product into PCC since weed in Washington.” the mid-90s, and things finally clicked for the PCC Ah has faced many challenges as a buyers when they saw her at a trade show nestled female entrepreneur in the Cannabis next to a granola company. industry. She makes a point to “surround PCC is the first major grocery chain to carry [herself] with strong men who support Cannabis Basics, or any other Cannabis lotion, women.” in their stores. PCC now supplies customers with Ah is a women’s studies major and seven different products from Cannabis Basics, proud feminist. While she said she has with more to come, Ah says. RCW 69.50.575 also been dismissed in the past, she said she allowed for licensed massage therapists and other “knows there will be a point where [those practitioners to distribute CHABA products, as well who dismissed her] will no longer be able as use them in their practices. to. She credits her “brothers in Cannabis Before the full legalization of Cannabis in like Jerry Whiting, Dr. Ethan Russo, and Washington, Ah noticed there was something more who helped shape [her] education of missing in the community. In 2013, she founded Cannabis science.” She says she won’t rest (and trademarked) Women of Weed to be a private easy until women have 50 percent of the social club, made for fun in the Cannabis industry. money and the power.

Business and activism were always going on 24/7,

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ALASKA LEAF

WOMEN IN WEED ISSUE

FOUNDER/OWNER

AK JOINT

A n c h o ra g e Ca n n a b i s S h o p

“I WORK TO PICK THE BEST STRAINS FROM EACH CULTIVATOR, AND TO NOT CARRY THE SAME THING AS EVERYONE ELSE.” 42/aug. 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

COLLEEN HOWARD INTERVIEW BY WES ABNEY | PHOTO BY BOOM MEDIA

How did you get involved with Cannabis?

I’m a little late on coming to THC! I was a nurse, and I did a short stint in hospice care most recently and I started seeing Cannabis use in my patients. I would go to their homes for end of life care, and I would see paraphernalia and it got me curious so I started asking questions. Traditionally, the medical community has downplayed the uses of THC and CBD and I always went along with that until I started hearing from patients from their view.

Did hearing those stories change your perspective?

overwhelming. I didn’t have time to ask questions and felt like I was just a sale, so I thought we need to lay out ourstore out in a familiar way and make it comfortable for people to ask questions.

That’s why we went with the bar top. We want people to come in and say I know what to do here, grab a menu, have a budtender check in with you say if you have questions or want to smell anything let me know. Above all take your time, so people can get the products they want and need.

Colleen Howard is the owner and driving force behind AK Joint, a dispensary in South Anchorage. Her past career as a nurse led her to connect with Cannabis and patients, and inspired her to do her own research into the plant. Her retail location offers one-on-one appointment times each morning for consumers needing personal attention, and opens at noon each day for customers, balancing needs and serving the community with Cannabis and access to information.

When you know you only have days left you don’t want to spend it gorked out on morphine. You want to spend time with family, to be present, and Cannabis gives that option and I was really impressed. I think the straw that broke the camel’s back was after it had become legal I had a patient who needed Cannabis but it wasn’t being sold anywhere yet. Her husband couldn’t go out and purchase black market products because of fear over losing his job, so it was up to their 19 year old son to do it. It just broke my heart, and I thought I might have an opportunity to be a part of the solution and not the problem. I got into nursing because I wanted to help people, and I got into Cannabis for the same reason. It was good timing.

Does your medical background influence how you work?

It’s pretty big. I am the last person that wants to sell snake oil too. I don’t want anybody walking away with false hope at my benefit. So I focus on education, taking time to explain the products, even if it’s just CBD oil, and sharing my own personal experiences with people. I had a pretty bad burn not too long ago, and I used CBD salve on it. I’ll tell you what, if i wasn’t a believer before I am now. The connection is there often, especially when I’m dealing with caregivers of people who are sick. I can see them and I have been there and know their concerns and what they’ve gone through, and the conversation is different. I find myself giving out a lot of advice, not necessarily medical advice, but the challenges of taking care of someone who is sick, and the tips and tricks I’ve learned from working in the hospital and patients homes.

What do people think of the consultation model?

When did AK Joint open up?

The store didn’t open its doors until the first of January, but it was a year in the making. I’m sure it was like everyone else, a hair pulling experience. Before opening, I went down to the lower 48 [states] and visited several dispensaries and came away with a lot of ideas and experiences.

How did that influence how you designed your store?

These were my first trips to a dispensary, and I didn’t know anything. I was overwhelmed by the choices, the varieties of concentrates, edibles, flowers, twax joints; it was

The big thing about our store is a lot of professionals are not allowed to partake at all, so they don’t want their car seen in a Cannabis parking lot, or their family shopping at a store across the street from a shop to see them walking in or out. We’re a quarter mile from the Dimond Center in the heart of South Anchorage, but a couple blocks off.

It’s very discrete, and if you want complete discretion, we offer private consultations because the stigma still exists. It’s also great for people who are nervous, or simply need more time.

We don’t charge for our time, but we do have a minimum $100 purchase.

How do you choose the Cannabis you carry?

Every product gets the same markup, so you will see products with higher THC selling at lower prices than others. It doesnt mean it’s better because others might have fantastic flavor and terpenes, which is really what matters. I work to pick the best strains from each cultivator, and to not carry the same thing as everyone else. And with the markup being equal, the cultivator sets the price, and if it sits on my shelf and doesn’t sell I won’t buy it again. It isn’t a race to the bottom; it’s about growing less of single strains and creating demand and a rotation for these farmers to succeed.

“I GOT INTO NURSING BECAUSE I WANTED TO HELP PEOPLE, AND I GOT INTO CANNABIS FOR THE SAME REASON.” What has your experience been as a woman in the Alaskan Cannabis industry?

Back in the day, my first career was as a heavy equipment operator. So, I worked with men in a male-dominated industry, so I was expecting a lot of the same pushback that we got there. I was surprised that it hasn’t been too bad. Most people have been very easy to work with, cultivators want to sell product. I can’t give you any instance where I felt pressure other than on social media.

What are your hopes for the future?

I’m so excited for the future! Manufacturers are coming online with new products and we are still in the beginning phases, and there’s so much more to come. I hope that our customers and the community educate themselves and get informed. I hope we start bringing new safe and quality products to the market for people who need them. But most of all, I hope the medical side happens. I know Alaska isn’t interested in the med side, but it’s a huge piece were missing, and our hands are really tied with how we can help people.

And that’s a big problem.

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ALASKA LEAF

DIANNA, DANIELLE, TASHA, LORI, ANNIE AND AUTUMN WOMEN IN WEED ISSUE

RAWLICIOUS BROWNIE

CANNABIS PRODUCERS & EDIBLE MAKERS “I WON’T SAY WE’VE SHIED AWAY FROM TRADITIONAL EDIBLES, BUT IF WE’RE GOING TO DO ONE WE PUT OUR OWN SPIN ON IT.” 44/aug. 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

MOCHA CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

CBD AMNESIA

SNICKERING DOODLES

LADY GRAY GOURMET MEDIBLES INTERVIEW BY WES ABNEY | PHOTOS BY TASHA GROSSL

How did you get involved with Cannabis?

I started dabbling in it at a younger age and experimenting, but it’s kind of been there off and on throughout my whole life, and never too far away. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease in early 2001, endometriosis.

Tasha Grossl,owner and founder of Lady Gray Gourmet Medibles, lets her passion for real ingredients in the kitchen shine with this standout line of fresh and wholesome, craft Cannabis treats. Grossl began making edibles prior to legalization to help patients with dietary restrictions, and found relief in her own life from Cannabis while battling endometriosis.

The hard work of the team of friends in both the kitchen and the garden means that Lady Gray products can be found in over 35 stores statewide.

How did your relationship with the plant go from consumer into cooking edibles and growing?

Playing around in my home garden kind of evolved to making things for people with dietary restrictions fighting illnesses. It was a fun challenge to come up with something that tastes good and that the patient could enjoy and still meet their [needs] for their ingredients.

Did Cannabis and food connect easily for you?

It felt like a natural fit. Food is fuel, and what you put in your body is a big deal. I’ve always taken a natural approach to wellness, and part of that is whole foods, the less processed the better.

Is that what drives your menu? Because you just as easily could be making basic pot brownies and rice crispies and still selling well.

Absolutely! It delights me to surprise people with what [ingredients are] in the edibles, and I really wanted to do something different.

Those [brownies] are played out, but they have a special place in history. And we actually came up with an approved product that’s not out yet: the Rawlicious Brownie, which is a completely raw food with organic cocoa and natural sweetness like maple syrup. It has all the healthy benefits, a cashew-based brownie with no grains. I won’t say we’ve shied away from traditional edibles, but if we’re going to do one we put our own spin on it.

What’s your favorite item on the menu?

Right now it’s our Almond Joyful. I have a

sweet tooth like everybody else but, being able to create a treat with no refined sugar means I can enjoy it.

Organic dates are what sweetens that up with simple healthful ingredients. You can find them in my freezer at home, infused and not!

What do you want people to think about when they purchase Lady Gray edibles?

I want them to expect something that will taste delicious and be effective.

We’ve gone through time and energy to be consistent and careful —what goes out of here will be homogenous and the real deal — we’re not trying to cut corners. Almost the whole line is frozen the day it’s baked or made to be fresh as possible.

Then when it gets to the consumer there’s no worry about it tasting old or dried out. We go the extra mile to make sure we are doing the research on our end, and to be forthright and honest about what we have put in. We want people to make the purchase based on that.

You almost exclusively use trim from your own limited garden. What connected you to the garden?

It’s been a blessing to see this come from seed to kitchen and all the way out the door as a baked good. Playing in the garden has been a delight, it’s a limited garden and we have no aspirations to get bigger. It’s at a place where we can enjoy it and have no stressors and start new strains and find our favorites as we grow. We really enjoy pressing rosin too, because the press doesn’t lie and what you put in you get out.

We will be making small batch, limited-edition runs of about 100 grams at a time, based on what is in the garden each crop. We are excited about a new Harlequin CBD strain, and we try to lean towards the one to one THC/CBD ratio strains.

How many stores are your products currently in?

I want to say probably 35 to 40 retailers all over the state. The transportation is a little of a bear, but I love a challenge and trying to make it work and then work even better is exciting for me.

I’d like for our products to be available for any consumer anywhere in the state who is looking at ingredients as the first factor when buying edibles.

My cell number is also on the website and my

cards, so if a customer, budtender or client has a question they can call me or send a text! I’m more than happy to be right in the middle of it. I love that connection with customers, that’s why I’m here. And to hear about any room for improvement or ideas, I enjoy all that and being grounded with it.

And you do all this with a small staff!

How does it feel to work as a team?

I’ve known all the staff except for our lead cultivator for at least 15 years, and our cultivator gets to work with his wife every day. There’s a lead chef, and we’ve got three to five other ladies that fill in different areas between production, packaging and order fulfillment. I know all the warnings about working with friends, but that was all part of the plan when I first started thinking about this. Being able to work with people I enjoy, and trust has been an amazing and huge benefit.

“I KNOW ALL THE WARNINGS ABOUT WORKING WITH FRIENDS, BUT THAT WAS ALL PART OF THE PLAN WHEN I FIRST STARTED THINKING ABOUT THIS. BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH PEOPLE I ENJOY, AND TRUST HAS BEEN AN AMAZING AND HUGE BENEFIT.” How has it felt to be working in Cannabis?

I can’t say it’s been different. I don’t feel belittled or like people don’t take me seriously. I was a little concerned at first, but once I got my feet wet in it I realized it’s a very respectful industry. I feel a natural connection to all this being female, working with the female plant, in the kitchen and in the garden. This is how I would choose to spend my time if it weren’t a business, it’s just the icing on the cake that I get to call this a job!

ladygraymedibles.com @LadyGrayMedibles

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ALASKA LEAF

WOMEN IN WEED ISSUE

CO-OWNER

ALASKAN BLOOMS Fa i r b a n k s Ca n n a b i s C u l t i va t o r

KAREN LOWRY-BLOOM INTERVIEW BY WES ABNEY

How did you get involved with the world of Cannabis?

and we have a lot of CBD strains and have gone on a terpene quest since day one. We’ve been testing for terpenes from day one to help make the decision of what strains and phenotypes we decided to keep.

It all started with the desire to create medicine for my dad.

He has multiple sclerosis and started taking concentrates and it really helped him. So when Alaska decided to legalize, we all got the Karen Lowry-Bloom is the co-owner lightbulb at the same What are the house favorite of Alaskan Blooms, a cultivator in time and decided to give CBD and THC strains you Fairbanks hoping to add a retail it a try. The direction location in the coming months. She currently grow? really was medicinal, was also the president of the Alaska We currently have Bird, and we came up with Marijuana Industry Association Fair- one of our flagship CBD our mantra which is banks chapter in 2016 and most of strains that tested as cultivation, medication 2017 and has been politically active high as 21 percent CBD in keeping the Cannabis industry and education. There’s and .57 percent THC, legal and moving forward. so much stigma and but we have several misinformation out there other strains and ratios about Cannabis, and to in the CBD department. pursue the medical aspect There are different was not only intriguing but felt urgent strains for different situations. Not to put and necessary for our family.

THC strains in the backseat, because we have a lot of great strains as well. The house favorites are Clementine, Ganja Tell us about Alaskan Blooms Fire, Cookie Monster, and Electric Lemon as a producer of Cannabis.

We are a standard cultivation facility which tests around 16 percent. These in Fairbanks, and we have about also have amazing terps, Mikey Kush, MK 20,000 square feet of space we Ultra and our house bred Big Momma grow in, and some greenhouses we Harijuana. But really there’s so many! We operate in the summer. Our retail also have a house bred CBD strain called facility is going in for the August Kabloom, a two to one CBD strain that hearing and it’s been quite a feat tastes phenomenal. just getting in. We really hope to get approved. We grow in dirt, and What is the vision for the garden as a company? hand nurture and water and feed the To grow powerful medicine. It’s really to plants. We ran what was a kind of an provide medicine to people and enough R&D facility for the first year growing variety so everyone can find what they 300 strains and phenotype hunting need. Because everyone is different. to see what worked. As the market There are indica people, CBD and sativa has taken shape and leaned towards demands, and people who want to vape THC numbers, we were able to wean and not smoke or eat edibles. We want out the strains that we didn’t feel were to create enough variety to satisfy any marketable. But THC is not the sole person or patient, but we approach it as purpose behind the strains we grow, patients first.

46/aug. 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

What has the response been to the farm so far?

We’ve received a lot of positive feedback not only for strains and flavor and variety but even the kindness and flexibility of our staff. Our team helps to make deliveries and they get to meet the people buying the weed. It’s really cool to have that conversation, to ask stores what they like and need, and bring the information back to the farm and figure it out. It’s really a big family, our crew here, and it has to be because it’s a farm. It’s something that is 24/7 as anyone in the industry knows, and we’ve had pretty much the same team from the start, and there’s something to say for that.

How does it feel as an employer to have developed such a close team?

It makes me feel great because I know that I can help these people have full-time year-round employment in Fairbanks, which doesn’t happen everywhere you go. And we have people who are living their dreams and working their dream job, growing or selling Cannabis, It’s cool to have an environment where people are excited to be at work.

“WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING THEIR DREAMS AND WORKING THEIR DREAM JOB...”

How has it felt as a woman in the Alaskan Cannabis industry?

I don’t really think about that. It’s not really something that is overtly in my face like it would be if I was in tech. There’s a lot of really amazing, intelligent, powerful and sensitive women in the Alaska industry. From that perspective, it’s been really cool because there are so many women heading these companies up. They have amazing businesses whether growing or manufacturing or retailer or testing or anything else! There are a lot of women heading up these companies and I think that’s really empowering and needs to happen in more industries than Cannabis.

What are your hopes for the future of Alaskan Blooms?

I hope our company continues to grow and expand into retailing and manufacturing. And I hope the same happens for the industry. It’s still very new and young, and as an industry, as we’re expanding, growing and learning. I think there will be more opportunities to set forth benchmarks for education, quality, and reasonable taxation. I see the industry continuing to grow, but I think there will be people who get in too deep and close doors most likely due to taxation. But for the whole, it’s a healthy market and it just needs to continue to go at a metered pace and be open to adopting regulations as it goes. I feel like I’m on a rollercoaster, but it’s worth it.

When you come to work, and you see everyone in good moods changing into scrubs and taking care of business.

alaskanblooms.com

AMY JACKMAN MELISSA MARTIN

Amy and Melissa

INTERVIEW BY WES ABNEY | PHOTO BY BOOM MEDIA What does AK Canna Connection stand for as a platform?

Both: We are committed to bridging

Is education crucial to the success of the Cannabis industry?

Amy: An educated consumer will ensure a strong

economy, and economies are consumer driven, so we the gap between producers, must educate the consumer. So they will fight with us retailers, consumers and elected together, as we the people to ensure the government does officials, by consulting with Cannabis not continue to stifle and take from the industry. This is a businesses and sharing knowledge plant, a natural resource. Being told you can’t grow it or with the public on the benefits of talk about it is like being told you can collect rainwater or using Cannabis for recreational, run solar panels. Nobody owns this. It is for the people, spiritual and psychological purposes. and there is not one person on the planet that was the Together we can create an inherently creator or giver of the Cannabis plant. synergistic Cannabis What is your main goal with Venue KP? Amy Jackman and Melissa Martin industry that promotes Melissa: We started our own venue are the co-founders of AK Canna total wellness throughout as a location to hold educational Connection and The Venue KP, two Alaska, economically classes. Venue KP is about halfway separate Kenai Peninsula businesses and socially. We the down the highway in Kenai and focused on connecting the educational people! is a great location to support the How did you get involved in Cannabis, and start your businesses?

Melissa: Amy came

gap between consumers, industry stakeholders, the community and political and regulatory agencies.

They are both passionate Cannabis entrepreneurs and mothers, striving to use education to create the change they see as necessary for the industry to grow in a healthy manner.

through with the Keep Cannabis Legal campaign, and then to Red Run where I worked, and we both had a similar passion about wanting to help the consumer and industry.

We’re trying to help the industry and together decided to start in the Kenai and go statewide.

Amy, as a former city council member and zoning commissioner, what is the biggest issue facing pot politics today?

Amy: The Kenai Peninsula voted down

Cannabis originally by just under 200 votes, and after my campaign to Keep Cannabis Legal 84 percent voted for it. This is an issue of education. I worked at Red Run to get to learn the whole system from seed to sale, and when I would work retail the majority of my customers were 55 and older and wanted to stop drinking, get off prescriptions, and they were desperate and begging for info. So, we found a way to get around that and create a business where nobody could get fined for making a place to educate people.

surrounding areas. We have held all kinds of classes from essential oils to natural healing like chakra work and Tibetan singing bowls. But we have also been working on classes and materials covering all aspects of the Cannabis industry, from making tinctures and butters to regulatory sessions, and a lot of hard-hitting classes will start this fall. Unfortunately, laws prevent the stores and budtenders from talking about medicine and Cannabis with the customer, so we created a venue to allow that dialogue to happen. Another part of The Venue KP that is awesome and goes right along with working with the Cannabis industry is that it is a place anyone can utilize! We are open to everyone.

What are your goals and hopes for the industry?

Melissa: For the state of Alaska and globally my dream

and goal and hope is that the Cannabis industry can be healthy and sustainable, because if that happens then were good. My goal is to help ensure that our economy in the Alaska industry is healthy and sustainable by putting together this educational program. With both The KP Venue and AK Canna Connection, beyond written education, my passion is being able to bring someone in and show how to make tincture or butter and really working with people and helping to understand how the plant can help them on an intimate level Amy: My goal for the future is to really put together a

concrete educational platform, not only for consumers but for the industry. Educating budtenders on how to talk about terpenes, because that is our one way to educate within legal parameters, and to be able to connect the

CO-FOUNDERS

AK CANNA CONNECTION & THE VENUE KP Kenai Peninsula

consumers and owners alike with the rest of the state and educate the industry. A lot of people are so consumed in their businesses that they can’t follow the market or things changing, so we work really hard to keep people informed on how the market is changing, and how to stay on top of the game and be flexible and change. I just really want to be able to help the state succeed with the industry and help them be the pioneers. Look how close we are to onsite consumption! There’s big stuff coming. Also, being a mother, it is very important to me to have that proper education, so maybe someday we can come to talk at DARE classes or be able to talk to senior homes to share the education of it all, to take that taboo away.

How has being a woman in the industry been for both of you?

Melissa: It’s hard for women to be in any industry I

think. As a mom, it’s the balancing act that as working moms we have to do, and it can be harder than a waitress or lawyer mom because we are up against the stigma as a well. But to me, it’s such a beautiful thing because any changes want to see start with self and spread outwards through family and community and go even further. Me coming out and being part of industry led me to communicate with so many moms I would have never met! So even though it can be hard it’s very gratifying.

Amy: Being a woman in the industry, and working with

people from all over the state, I can say that there are a lot of amazing women in the industry and I’m very thankful for that.

Could the industry be doing more to make a positive change?

Amy: When you get right down to it, I think that the

industry could do a lot more. I know that their hands are full and a lot of times there’s a lot of restrictions, but it really comes down to being mindful. If you’re really in it to create the win-win from the beginning of the plant to end of life with the consumer, you have to be mindful about who you hire, how you educate bartenders and staff. This industry is not exempt from sex sells or other derogatory sales techniques or fear tactics. This is massive, and it’s being unleashed on the public. We have an enormous responsibility, and so do I think we could be doing more? Hell yes. Not letting ourselves be divided and letting those who are in a position of experience and knowledge guide and lead the way. We have to come together as a team and each play our own special role in making it better.

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ALASKA LEAF

WOMEN IN WEED ISSUE

OWNER

HIGH BUSH BUDS

S o l d o t n a Ca n n a b i s S h o p & Fa c i l i t y

“I’M JUST YOUR AVERAGE LOCAL OWNER, I FEEL THAT IT’S SO IMPORTANT TO HAVE THAT LEVEL OF ADVOCACY.”

48/aug. 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

PATRICIA PATTERSON INTERVIEW BY WES ABNEY | PHOTO BY BOOM MEDIA

How did you get involved with Cannabis?

My adult son had gotten cancer, and I was one of the mothers in a strange town trying to find Cannabis during these hard treatment sessions. What I had to go through was ridiculous. So for me, it became personal, nobody should have to go through that.

There is a proven medical use for it, but the only way to find it was a drug dealer. My dedication and belief are that it doesn’t matter why you want to partake, you should have a safe legal place to buy tested and clean product and be able to use it, medically or recreationally.

How did it feel to go from a traditional business to the world of Cannabis?

My background is in regulated products, so that part was natural. For me, it felt important to enter the industry because the Kenai is a relatively conservative area, and it’s important for the community to see a local business and landowner going into the Cannabis world. That breaks down their preconceived notions about what a Cannabis user or business would look like and act like. Because I’m just your average local owner, I feel that it’s so important to have that level of advocacy.

What was your vision for High Bush Buds?

I didn’t realize but our vision is a little unique! We are a neighborhood pot As a parent, I would do it again, but shop. We are not fancy, so if you’re when the opportunity looking for iPads and TV came for Alaska to be Patricia Patterson is the owner of screens and matching High Bush Buds and Lucky Raven a legal state I knew architecture; yea that’s not Tobacco on the Kenai Peninsula.

I wanted to change us. Our goal is to have the She connected with Cannabis after biggest variety in the state, it, and make sure no her son was diagnosed with cancer, 50-75 strains on the shelf parent would ever be and made sure to be a part of the in that situation again. new industry when it became legal daily, at the best prices we Plus, I owned Lucky in Alaska. Her store combines her can get them. We strive to Raven Tobacco since be the cheapest and one 15 years of tobacco experience 2001, and we were way we can do that is by with a passion for fresh Cannabis one of the first stores not investing in fancy things. in a full deli-style dispensary. that incorporated all Also, everything in our store types of products from is made and packed fresh the premium walk-in to order, including our joints humidor to cigarettes and general which are made from bud. We know tobacco products to the types of exactly the quality of our products so accessories you find in a smoke shop. there is no trim or seeds, because we Using my store location made sense make it ourselves. The biggest thing we because it was already a location do differently is that our vault is actually a people came to, and I own the land humidor, so the product is kept in a dark, and building, so from a business cool and moist environment at all times, standpoint, it made sense to split it. which means we don’t sell dry product.

What made you decide to get into the business? Would you do it again?

Why did you decide to go with a full deli-style model?

I chose the deli-style because then I knew I could take care of the product. My background is premium cigars, and I know how our environment affects leafy products. Our environment averages 28 percent humidity, and Cannabis needs 55 to 60 percent, which means the minute a product arrives regardless of how nice the package is it will start drying out. What we did is for the preservation of the product. Every day our jars are filled fresh, with clean jars every day, and at the end of the day, the product goes back in the humidor. It’s like a potato cellar, 55 degrees with 55 to 60 percent humidity and a Reverse Osmosis humidifier maintaining the conditions. What this means is that our product is not compromised, which is a real problem in the Cannabis marketplace. All of our mylars are clear on one side, and people can see us weigh out the bags in front, and even pick out a specific nug or bud.

We want our customers to have as much control over choosing their Cannabis as possible.

How has it felt to be a woman in this industry?

I work between cultivators and manufacturers and people in the transportation industry and we work with a lot of women, and there’s a lot of female involvement in the businesses here. I’m working with my peers. I like it, I get to work with far more women in Cannabis than in the tobacco industry.

What are your hopes and goals for the future?

I hope in 10 years when I’m retiring, that the new generation will go into licensed Cannabis businesses and that it will be easier, not as politically incorrect, and I hope it will become the norm. So that when I sell out, someone else will take over like any other business. I think on a national level, legalization will happen when it happens, thank god I live in Alaska!

highbushbuds.com

“MY DEDICATION AND BELIEF IS THAT IT DOESN’T MATTER WHY YOU WANT TO PARTAKE, YOU SHOULD HAVE A SAFE LEGAL PLACE TO BUY TESTED AND CLEAN PRODUCT AND BE ABLE TO USE IT, MEDICINALLY OR RECREATIONALLY.” AUG. 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

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ALASKA LEAF

WOMEN IN WEED ISSUE

CO-FOUNDER

ENLIGHTEN ALASKA A n c h o ra g e Ca n n a b i s S h o p

“I CONSTANTLY HEAR FEEDBACK FROM CUSTOMERS, FAMILY, FRIENDS AND STRANGERS THAT THEY COME TO OUR STORE BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE THAT WORK THERE.” 50/aug. 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

LEAH LEVINTON INTERVIEW BY WES ABNEY | PHOTO BY BOOM MEDIA

How did you get involved with Cannabis?

to say our path wasn’t extremely challenging Cannabis came into my life through because we are a family unit. We had to my family. My brother and my mom spend a lot of extra time working on our new consumed Cannabis for a really communication protocols because our entire long time, but I didn’t consume lives we’d been communicating like a family, through high school because I and we had to learn how to communicate thought the smoking would affect as business partners. So there was a pretty my athletic ability to excel. I started tough learning curve there. When I look at using recreationally in my early the big picture I couldn’t be more proud and 20s and experimented lightly in my happy to be sharing this experience together yoga practice as a way to enhance and learning how to run a business together, sensation and attention and I think that by us internally. It really started Leah Levinton is the co-founder of being a family and being affecting my family’s Enlighten Alaska, a dispensary she able to communicate well life personally when our began with her mother and brother it has made us stronger. grandmother passed in a true family business. Their away from brain cancer. name Enlighten carries over into the What are your future plans for friendly vibes the store embodies for We were unable to find the brand? consumers and staff, welcoming all safe access to edibles for We are working on to experience quality Cannabis and her, because she wasn’t moving forward with a smiling faces ready to help find the going to start smoking warehouse and do plan right Cannabis for each customer. in her mid-80s, so that’s to cultivate and have a what really got us down manufacturing license as the track of how the well. This will allow us plant can actually help people in a to really expand our brand so that we can therapeutic way. It really touched our have our own lovely flower in our shop as family once it closely related to an opposed to only purchasing bulk from other illness. vendors. We do plan to still maintain those What inspired you to start a dispensary?

My brother and my mom had been growing together for many years.

My mom was about to retire from the pipeline after 20 years in the oil/ gas industry, and I had a business management degree from UAA and wasn’t really fulfilled in my job with the Alaska gas line development corp, and then in Ballot Measure 2 passed. We put our hands in the middle of the circle and said, “hey, we can do this, let’s enter the legal industry!” We initially wanted to do cultivation, because that’s our first love, but we had to pivot our plan when we found this awesome location in Spenard.

How does having the family unit help you to succeed? Has it made it easier?

I would like to think we have a unique situation, in that my family and I get along really well. That’s not

really awesome relationships we’ve built with vendors all over the state, but we’ll be able to vertically integrate which will help not only from a business perspective but also with branding and marketing.

What stands out for you about the store and the success you’ve found so far?

We’ve gotten a lot of exposure and recognition, and I think we’ve built a reputation for being a hub for education. I constantly hear feedback from customers, family, friends and strangers that they come to our store because of the people that work there. And while we do have a really beautiful storefront and ensure that we maintain high-quality standards. I personally think our biggest asset in our shop is the employees that work for us. We really do consider them a part of our family. We call everyone our Enlighten family, and they’re the face of the company and do so much for us and are so intuitive and compassionate and really take a lot of initiative to help make the shop run the best that it can.

How has it felt to be a woman working in the Alaskan Cannabis industry?

It actually is a bit different than I thought it would be like. I came from the oil and gas industry which is a male-dominated industry, and furthermore a lot of people in their 50s and 60s that have been around forever and are a part of the good old boy crew. I’ve certainly witnessed and experienced what I feel like was discrimination for being a woman in that industry.

And now coming over to the Cannabis industry I’ve not experienced that whatsoever. From what I understand, the Cannabis industry has the highest percentage of women entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses.

As a part of a biz that’s two thirds women-owned, we have a lot of ability to influence the industry in a way that can move away from this sexualized vision of pot and shape a positive future.

“WE WANT THE VIBE IN OUR STORE TO SAY COME ON IN EVERYONE AND ANYONE IS WELCOME.” What does Enlighten stand for to you?

Such a wide demographic of people come into the shop, and we want the vibe in our store to say come on in everyone and anyone is welcome. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or who you are or what you’re wearing or your sexual orientation or religion or your job or anything like that. Just come on in, we’ll take care of you and make you feel comfortable and welcome and like you are a lovely human being that has value and a purpose in this life. And that’s kind of getting out there, but we really truly believe those sentiments, and when you come back to our name of the business, that’s a part of why chose our name. We want to enlighten customers and our community to the benefits of Cannabis and for people to enlighten and elevate themselves by incorporating Cannabis as part of their lifestyle and wellness program.

What are your hopes for the future?

I just can’t wait to see what and how we can grow over the next couple years by putting intention into being a good business, and how that will manifest for our shop, our employees, our family and for everyone that comes into our store.

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CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

R.C. TINDERBOX A n c h o ra g e Ca n n a b i s P ro d u c e r

“YOU HAVE TO STAND YOUR GROUND. AND BELIEVING IN WHAT YOU’RE DOING HELPS.” 52/aug. 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

CHRIS EUSCHER INTERVIEW BY WES ABNEY | PHOTO BY BOOM MEDIA

How did you get involved with Cannabis?

I saw a need and I was supporting my husband. I got sick in 2015, and couldn’t sit or stand without his help, and the doctors didn’t know what the problem was. They decided they were going to put me on heavy cancer drugs.I decided nope, we are going into the industry to stop taking what the doctors gave me and go on FECO at night.

Did the Cannabis oil help?

Using the oil significantly helped, and my rheumatologist was pretty impressed, and I stopped seeing him.

My inflammation rates went down to normal levels for the first time, and I was able to function as a normal person again.

How does that experience influence your goals as a company?

in the building, and nearly caused an explosion. We had no heat or full power for three months, and then they didn’t want to pay for their problems. We still only have half the power needed to run our facility because of our engineers we hired, so our 17,500 square foot building is not fully running, and that has been a challenge.

How do you feel after all that?

Exhausted. And we are still fighting, but we can’t give up. We’ve got everything we have into this, and we would lose everything, our homes, if this fails. My career is over because of Cannabis, because I consume capsules I piss dirty and can’t go back into the medical field or leave my medicine. So we can’t give up, we just have to keep moving forward.

Chris Euscher is the owner of R.C Tinderbox, a producer and processor in Anchorage who has seen her fair share of setbacks and struggles. From permitting to the Chugach Electrical Company, blowing every piece of electrical equipment in the building with improper installation, it’s been a tough road. Still, she remains positive as her company is moving forward, and her mission to provide patients with full extract Cannabis oil is driving her to keep going, and to be there for those who need Cannabis as medicine.

I’m definitely in it for the patient side. I’m a huge advocate.

Not only for my own health, but patients in general, I wanted to do something good. In addition to growing, we produce full extract Cannabis oil in the lab, and I know it can help me and save other people. That’s why I got into this. We are working towards our distillate and shatter and rosin production as well.

You’ve had a lot of setbacks to this point, can you give us the condensed version of what you have experienced.

We’ve had a lot of challenges, our story is not an easy one and it still isn’t. The Municipality of Anchorage set us back from the beginning, it took three months just to deal with parking. We had to sign a contract saying we would not hire more than 13 employees. Then Chugach Electric hooked up the wrong transformer, which fried everything

Are you still excited?

Yes, because I feel we are on the right path for the right reasons, but it is exhausting and very stressful. We have about $75,000 a month in overhead and only did $5,000 in revenue last month. We are counting on our lab to save us until we get fully running, to bring FECO to the market.

Why do you want to bring FECO to Alaska?

It’s a miracle, it really is. Look at epilepsy and how many seizures kids and people have, and then the fact that FECO can make their quality of life so much better and easier. It’s something that hopefully we can come out the gate with and people will educate themselves about, using it and talking to other people, and hopefully it will become a normal thing on the shelf. We have high CBD strains that are great for patients and myself, and people love it in flower form, so I can’t wait to get it in an oil form.

FECO can help with a huge variety of conditions, all without the side effects of pharmaceuticals.

How has it been working as a woman in the Alaskan Cannabis industry?

Dealing with men in this industry, you have this ego to deal with.

That I Find very off putting.

Because if a 25 year old comes in for an interview that says “I’m a master grower and want royalties or 250k”, I’ll call BS. I’ve never been in an industry where someone comes in for an interview and says what they will and will not do.

This is a legit business. That and a lack of professionalism. I’m used to the medical field where we are regulated. But the professionalism is quite interesting and eye opening in the industry. These men that come in and demand that stuff, the answer is no! I tend to find myself standing my ground a lot, and I think that’s the hardest part about being a woman in this industry. You have to stand your ground. And believing in what you’re doing helps.

“I JUST WANT TO PUT OUT A GREAT PRODUCT SO PEOPLE CAN HAVE A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE.” What are your hopes for the future, both for the industry and your company?

We need a unified voice. All these different groups and of course everyone on Facebook has opinions, but the bottom line is us against them. People don’t look at this as a legit business and part of the greater community, and I hope that we give back so much that people finally take us seriously. And for my business, I just want to put out a great product so people can have a better quality of life. I want to pay bills, pay employes, and take care of patients. And that’s what drives me. That and I’m not a quitter. We will pull forward and keep going until we can’t. We’re here for a reason.

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Q&A by JANELLE LASSALLE @JENKHARI | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS

ROWSHAN REORDAN

“KNOW , UNDERSTAND AND BELIEVE IN THE POWER

YOU POSSESS

TO CREATE YOUR

OWN PATH.”

STONER OWNER higlights individuals who have developed their love for Cannabis into a thriving business. Stoner Owner celebrates owners who love and consume the plant, giving them real insight into the industry’s true roots and culture.

54/AUG. 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

GreenLeafLab.org @GreenLeafLab

WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU SEE WOMEN FACING IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY?

I see women losing their positions of power as owners and CEO’s in the industry continue to rapidly scale up. Like all other industries, here the women in power are minorities. Women in the Cannabis industry will have to loudly proclaim their competence and expertise to overcome these challenges.

WHAT CAUSES ARE NEAR AND DEAR TO YOUR HEART? First, caring for our environment and the world we live in. When I first opened the lab, I chose to use electricity sources that were derived from wind and solar. More costly, but worth it. I love the ocean and natural waterways and support organizations that focus on caring for them.

WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO START GREEN LEAF LAB?

I was disheartened with the unjust treatment of Cannabis cases in the criminal justice system and my mother needed help on her medical Cannabis farm. When I was farming, a patient of mine had HIV and I learned the importance of safe Cannabis. I realized Cannabis testing would assist in legitimizing the industry and creating a safe product for consumers.

AS A WOMAN IN CANNABIS, HOW DO YOU TRY AND SUPPORT YOUR FELLOW WOMEN IN THE INDUSTRY? I’ve sponsored many women-focused events and organizations and have assisted many women in their own start-up efforts. Green Leaf Lab continues to support many of those same organizations today. In my own business, I have women in several key positions and try to be a role model while giving them opportunities to advance as their skill sets expand.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY DISTINGUISHES GREEN LEAF LAB FROM OTHER TESTING FACILITIES?

The partnership we have with our clients. We offer a hands-on approach to our clients’ success. This starts from sales and sampling, who are a short call away; the detail and knowledge our compliance specialist offers; to R&D assistance in the creation and improvement of clients’ products. We truly go above and beyond.

ANY ADVICE YOU’D LIKE TO GIVE THE LADIES OUT THERE? Be humble, be relentless. Listen to and trust your intuition. Don’t see being in a male-dominated world as a roadblock: see it as an opportunity instead. Know, understand, and believe in the power you possess to create your own path. Be okay with making mistakes. Learn from them and continue forward. You can and will succeed.

Rowshan Reordan is the founder of Green Leaf Lab, the first facility in Oregon licensed to perform lab analysis. She’s a passionate advocate for Cannabis reform and legalization policies. With a M.A. and Juris Doctorate from the University of New Mexico, Reordan specializes in Cannabis law and is a member of the Oregon State Bar.

ALASKA LEAF

||AUGUST 2018 ||

BREEDER OF THE MONTH

MzJill Genetics

Cannabis breeding -without question- is dominated by men. I was thrilled to finally interview MzJill, the first woman to professionally undertake Cannabis breeding, just in time for our 2018 Women’s Issue. MzJill started growing in 1997 and officially began breeding in 2003, formerly with TGA Genetics. Now, she has branched off and will be launching her own brand MzJill Genetics in 2019.

INTERVIEW by SIMONE FISCHER @SIMONEFISCHERR PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS

Velvet mother. I wanted to put it into seed form to share with people. I prefer seeds over clones because of the vigor, and all of the problems of taking in orphan clones. The male was from Space Queen, with a very fruity, cherry flavor with good resin production. My favorite pheno is the Candy Store pheno which shows up 1 in 25 seeds,” MzJill explains.

MzJill said that her least favorite aspect of breeding is the time it takes to create new, dependable strains.

Finding new parents or stabilizing a line or progeny, takes a lot of time. And to add insult to injury, the 2017 Sonoma fires in California burned most of her original genetics. Good thing MzJill doesn’t mind a challenge. She hopes to have her genetics available for the 2019 growing session.

“I fell in love with breeding when I got to grow out what I wanted to create,” MzJill said. “I prefer the fruity phenos, but I also create the gassier strains for people who like those too. Right now I’m working on stabilizing the Jilly Bean line. I will have Feminized Jilly Bean and Jilly Bean CBD (2:1) strain. We want to create a CBD line that has the resin and aesthetics, but is still high in CBD.” Most people associate Jilly Bean with MzJill, but one of her most underrated strains is the humble Brian Berry Cough (Strawberry Cough X Cherry Space Queen).

The strain was named after her childhood friend who was diagnosed with ALS. He was able to smoke the very first Brian Berry crop before he passed. MzJill and [transitioned into] breeding because I had kids. I went under ‘MzJill’ as my created the strain to help relieve the symptoms of ALS like of being able to eat, Cannabis alias to protect my family because it was really illegal at the time,” said comfort and extended his time here.

MzJill. “I had scoliosis and I needed medication. I was also a single mom with The Brian Berry Cough is a resinous strain, with a bulky bud structure and reeks three kids and worked for the Salem Keizer School District. I had to be very careof Haze terpenes (like terpinolene) and sweet, fermenting fruit. Among other hits ful with my kids and obtain a medical marijuana card, but it was still very scary was MzJill’s creation of Agent Orange. because I could get my kids taken away.”

“Agent Orange is the second strain I created as a breeder. Agent Orange MzJill grew for years before she started seriously getting into breeding. Being a is a cross of Orange Velvet and Jack The Ripper, sharing the same single mother made it very difficult to balance her passion for Cannabis Most people associate mother as Jilly Bean,” MzJill said. “She carries a strong citrusy Orange and the safety of her family.

Jilly Bean with MzJill, flavor, leaning into a tart lemon. She is a favorite amongst concentrate Her first strain was the coveted creation of Jilly Bean, which won first but one of her most makers as her strong citrus flavoring and Orange color shines through. place in the sativa category for High Times Cannabis Cup in 2014 and underrated strains Agent Orange was named to honor my father (a Vietnam vet) and other was also selected for the Adam Dunn Show Invitational in 2018. When is the humble soilders’ affected by the chemical Agent Orange used in Vietnam. My Jilly Bean hit the market, it was an instant success among the medical Brian Berry Cough father passed from cancer caused by the chemical Agent Orange in Cannabis community in Oregon and around the Northwest.

(Strawberry Cough X “When I was creating the Jilly Bean, I loved the flavor of my Orange Cherry Space Queen). 1996, but his memory will live on.”

“I was quiet when I was gardening

56/AUG. 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

MORE GREEN. MORE SUN. MORE FUN. HELLO SUMMER!

CANNABIS RETAIL SHOP IN THE HEART OF

SPENARD

We We strive strive to to elevate elevate and and support support our our community community to to live live healthy healthy and and inspired inspired lives. lives.

We maintain high quality standards, a wide variety of flower and products from across Alaska, and a welcoming environment.

FLOWER

EDIBLES

CONCENTRATES

PRE-ROLLS

CBD

SUN 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM MON - THURS 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM FRI - SAT 10:00 AM - 11:00 PM

907.290.8559 2600 SPENARD RD www.enlightenak.com

Marijuana has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming and addictive. Marijuana impairs concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate avehicle 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.

recipes

By LAURIE WOLF | PHOTOS by BRUCE WOLF

KEEP IT COOL THAI TEA WITH BENEFITS Serves 4

5 cups water 1 cup Thai tea mix 2 star anise 1 cardamom pod, crushed 1 cup sweetened condensed milk 4 teaspoons infused Cannabis coconut oil

1.

Did you know?

Bhang, a drink of Cannabis and milk, was used in India as early as 1000 BC to treat a wide variety of human maladies.

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Bring 5 cups water to a boil. Remove from heat and add the tea mix, star anise and the cardamom pod. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. Strain. Cool thoroughly.

2.

In a blender mix the condensed milk and the coconut oil for a couple of minutes. Add the tea and blend thoroughly.

Divide mixture between ice-filled glasses.

The freshness of ingredients is key in EACH of these recipes.

SUMMER CANNABIS CREATIONS

WATERMELON COOLER THAN EVER

Serves 4

GAZPACHO, SERVED TWO WAYS 1.

Both recipes are made in the blender, everything but the garnishes.

Serves 2-3

1.

Combine the frozen watermelon, lime juice and infused oil in a blender.

2.

Blend 2-3 minutes until fully pureed.

Divide between 4 glasses.

3 large yellow tomatoes, chopped ½ cup green pepper, chopped ½ cup red onion, peeled and chopped 2 teaspoons infused oil 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped ½ teaspoon salt

2 large incredibly ripe, red tomatoes 1 cup tomato juice ½ cup red pepper, chopped ½ medium cucumber, peeled and cut in chunks 2 tablespoons lime juice 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped 1 teaspoon minced jalapeno (optional) ½ teaspoon salt & ½ teaspoon dried oregano

Garnish with chopped red onion and scallion

Garnish with chopped orange/red pepper.

pop the bruschetta under the broiler just before serving.

5 cups watermelon, peeled, cut in chunks and frozen ¼ cup fresh lime juice 2-4 teaspoons canna-coconut oil Garnish lime wedge and cilantro

3.

Garnish with the lime and cilantro.

Laurie Wolf has been a monthly contributor to Oregon Leaf since 2015. Named the “Martha Stewart of Marijuana Edibles”

by The New Yorker, Laurie has published four Cannabis cookbooks, contributes to six Cannabis publications and runs Laurie + MaryJane, an award-winning Portland edible company.

got cannabis cooking questions? Laurie@laurieandmaryjane.com

AUG. 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

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concentrates

REVIEW by ALASKA LEAF | PHOTOS by BOOM MEDIA FOR ALASKA LEAF

54.6%

THC Moonshine Ghost Train H Haze Rosin

ere at Alaska Leaf, we love rosin because as Lady Gray says, the press doesn’t lie! Rosin is made by applying pressure and heat to flower or bubble hash and allowing the combination to squeeze out the plant resins, terpenes and cannabinoids into a perfect, solvent-free oil. Rosin is about as natural as dabbing gets, with nothing but the plant represented in each dab. This beautiful oil has an initial inhale that is piney and pungent, and as the hit develops the pine sap flavor fades into a funky citrus that is reminiscent of overripe lemons. The high centers prominently in the forehead and temples that lasts for several hours of blissful high. This rosin is easy to pull out of the jar and has a great melt, and definitely hits the mark for top-shelf solventless hash.

LadyGrayMedibles.com @LadyGrayMedibles

THIS BEAUTIFUL OIL HAS AN INITIAL INHALE THAT IS PINEY AND PUNGENT

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ALASKA LEAF

STYLING BY @MALINALOPEZ PHOTO BY @BERMANPHOTOS / NWLEAF @NWLEAF

growtech

4

SUPER EASY+ INEXPENSIVE WAYS TO INCREASE THE D0 OF YOUR MIXTURE

Try out these simple and cost-effective methods to ensure that your plants get as much dissolved oxygen (DO) as possible — avoiding nasty anaerobic bacterial blooms...

cally succeed contingent on your ability to monitor and control DO levels in your solution — I thought passing along some of the results and methods I have acquired along the years could compose this

BY ALASKA LEAF month’s Growtech. In it, I’ll review four methods I have used with SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR success to improve DO levels in my systems.

DR. SCANDERSON First and foremost, I am focusing on the methods that have Oxygen plays a vital role in a plant’s life. In addition to being a byniche application for water farmers like myself, but also apply to a product of photosynthesis, oxygen must be present in the root zone for variety of settings. The primary way that DO levels are imparted to the any nutrients to be absorbed. In fact, oxygen is required on the molecular nutrient mixture is through the correct application of high-output blowlevel to transmit nutrients across the cell wall into the roots. Plants, however, ers, air diffusers and water depth, all while keeping water temperatures in the do not take in oxygen molecules by breathing them into a vascular system as mid- to upper-60 degree Fahrenheit range. This requires some experience in we do, they absorb oxygen in a special form known as dissolved oxygen (DO). sourcing equipment, much of which is cost prohibitive to most. The designs Measured in parts per million, milligrams per liter or as a percentage of saturaand devices included in this article are where I have seen the highest amount tion, DO is an indication of the “health” of the water when measured in nature. of improvement for the lowest cost/effort and can be used in everything from Higher levels of DO result in thriving populations of marine and aquatic life, a complete oxygen source for a water culture grow to a simple way to increase but if levels drop below a critical point, anaerobic bacterial blooms and marine DO levels in the water you apply/irrigate your container plants with. plant and animal health rapidly declines.

Similarly in your garden, your plant’s ability to absorb nutrients and carry out 1. VENTURI AIR INJECTOR PART I (INTAKE) other biological functions will be limited or accelerated by the amount of DO available. Dissolved oxygen levels and how to effectively manipulate them is one An Italian physicist named Giovanni Battista Venturi is credited with disof those topics that is often happily relegated to the minority number of obscure covering what is now called the Venturi effect: a popular way to inject a solufarmers who insist on employing one of the few hydroponic growing techniques tion with any number of gasses as well as liquids in a passive, sometimes zero that traditionally is most concerned with DO levels in the nutrient solution. It electrical input fashion. The Venturi effect is the observed increase in fluid would seem that a complex formula of air pump pressure compared to water velocity and reduction in static pressure that results when a fluid passes from depth and volume (overhead pressure) compared with line size and air stone a large-flow path to a smaller one. This effect can be used in any circumstance diffusion rates would be required to find out what’s needed — and to get exact where there is a reasonable volume of water traveling through a pipe, such as dissolved oxygen levels, and for applications where precision is mandatory, this a pump, a watering hose, a connection column and the like. Without adding is true. However, for about $150, you can purchase a DO meter and measure any additional energy inputs, a Venturi air injector can be used in combination results through trial and error as well. Moreover, once you have a meter or the with existing water flow lines to increase DO levels in your solutions. The best correct formula to create a solution where high levels of DO are present, there is part is they are extremely easy to build and very low-cost to install even into a reasonably clear visual indication that accompanies near maximum saturated mixtures where no water is flowing through a pipe but increasing DO levels solutions that can also be helpful. would be beneficial.

Since I’m one of the obstinate few that largely uses one of those obscure If you have ever used most of the low-cost impeller-driven pumps that most hydroponic growing methods — where crops can catastrophically fail or radihydroponic and grow stores sell, chances are you already have one.

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IF DISSOLVED OXYGEN (DO) LEVELS DROP BELOW A CRITICAL POINT, ANAEROBIC BACTERIAL BLOOMS AND MARINE PLANT AND ANIMAL HEALTH RAPIDLY DECLINES. Take a look through all the little attachments that come with those pumps. Most are designed to accommodate various line diameters to connect the pump to. There’s one, however, that has no barbs and only fits the intake of the pump. It has a small hole on the side of it near the base as well. This can be used as a Venturi air injector.

Simply connect the attachment to the pump’s intake. Attach a 3/16-inch air line to the small hole on the side of the nozzle. Place the pump at the bottom of the solution that needs air injection. Be sure that the airline you attached to the spigot travels up and outside the solution so that the opening is freely exposed to the air, then turn on your pump.

A few things will begin to happen. First, if you are using any nutrients in the mixture, this method will begin to circulate them, balancing out the concentration of the solution. Secondly, the Venturi effect will be present when the pump pulls solution from the relatively large volume it’s submerged in into the diameter of the spigot at the intake. This will cause the velocity of the solution to rapidly increase as it enters the pipe of the spigot. The low static pressure is then taken advantage of through the hole with the airline attached. The lower static pressure that is pulling the solution at higher velocity also pulls air from the small hole made in the side of the spigot through the airline that now runs out from the bottom of the solution to open air that is injected into the solution and pushed out the pump’s output. You’ll see small bubbles start rising and be able to hear the air being pulled into the spigot at the opening of the airline.

Be mindful that if the pump is underpowered for the overhead pressure of the reservoir it’s in, the overhead pressure can limit the pump output velocity and eliminate the efficacy of the effect. In cases like this, a higher-powered pump or lower-height reservoir will be needed if you use this method. As such, it’s generally most effective in applications where a low reservoir is used (ebb and flow tables for instance) or anywhere where a very limited amount of overhead pressure is imparted to the pump (inline with a short output is an example).

2. FLUMING If you lower the water height enough, you’ll also begin to take advantage of another one of the most efficient ways to impart DO to your mixture: fluming. In

nature, oxygen is primarily absorbed in bodies of water through the very small region right at the water’s surface. When the pump begins to push water through the mixture to the top, at the proper power and surface height, the solution begins to slosh around a bit like a choppy day on Big Lake. If you overpower the pump, you’ll have a Yellowstone geyser on your hands, and that doesn’t help anyone. However, when the pump is just powerful enough to break the surface tension of the solution, you get a small jet of water creating wave ripples that then bounce off the side of the reservoir container and back on themselves very quickly, exposing a significantly larger area of water to the atmosphere where DO is absorbed. This simple technique is extremely powerful and efficient, especially when compared to using lower-powered air pumps with an airstone. Fluming can be used in applications where overhead pressure mitigates the Venturi air injection or as a stand-alone method to increasing DO levels in a solution.

3. VENTURI AIR INJECTOR PART II (OUTPUT)

Where intake can be limited by overhead pressure, a Venturi air injector can easily be constructed and applied at the pump’s output. All that is required is a pump and a few PVC parts readily available at any Lowe’s. At the pump’s output, simply decrease the size of the pipe it moves the water through and insert a spigot to interrupt the flow and pull air in to make an effective Venturi aerator.

For example, if the pump’s output moves the solution through a ¾-inch diameter pipe applying 90 degree elbows, reducing brushings followed by a ½-inch pipe followed by a T-fitting that is slip x slip x FNPT (female threaded on the single port) water moves from the ¾-inch pipe through the elbow and reduction brushings into a smaller-sized ½-inch pipe. This increases the velocity the water travels at, peaking speed near the T-fitting.

By inserting a ½-inch barbed spigot upside down that has been ground down (I use a Dremel) to look as appears in the picture, the higher-volume water will

again pull air from the notch carved out of the spigot and inject air into the solution.

If you are working with a pump powerful enough to move the solution up through the height of the reservoir it’s installed in, you can direct that solution back onto itself with another elbow fitting and you will be splashing your solution with freshly oxygen-injected solution and once again take advantage of fluming by breaking surface tension of the solution and increasing the surface area where oxygen exchange may take place.

4. NEEDLE WHEEL IMPELLER ASSEMBLY Last but certainly not least is a little improvement you can make to any impeller-driven pump for about $10-20. The impeller to your pump is designed to pull water in through the input and push it into the output. Borrowing technology from coral and exotic saltwater enthusiasts — who have the most masterful understanding of balancing oxygen and chemicals in a solution — you can try replacing your old impeller with a fractionalized needle wheel impeller: aka an impeller with slits in its blades.

These slits pull in a tremendous amount of air into the solution. These fittings are generally combined with an intake Venturi air injector assembly. This results in a solution that is super oxygenated and has that micro-bubbled, foamy look to it reserved only for solutions with the highest percentage of saturation.

Increasing the DO levels available to your plants can have a dramatic effect on improving plant health and vigor, speeding transition and decreasing stress as well as improving the plant’s natural ability to fend off pests and diseases.

I hope these methods can benefit your plants and your grows. As always, Happy Gardening!!!

Follow along

Instagram @DrScanderson_gT

Drop me a line

thegreengardengroup@gmail.com

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health & science

MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS Tips for properly enjoying the many benefits of the magically nutritious fungus!

S

linary purposes. Mushrooms were grown in special caves near Paris set trangely shaped with dark, damp growing environaside for this unique form of agriculture. From France to England, ments, mushrooms seem to be shrouded by a veil mushrooms became a very easy crop to grow with fruitful yields of mystery. Spared for royalty in ancient times, first

BY ALASKA LEAF without a lot invested. In the late 19th century, mushroom produccultivated in Europe, and then brought to the New SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR DR. SCOTT D. ROSE tion came to the United States, where home gardeners tried their World, mushrooms are consumed the world over. luck at growing this new and unknown crop. It is said that the East Research since the 1960s has shown that mushrooms loves mushrooms and the West is still warming up to the notion, which are little powerhouses of potent nutrition. Mushrooms is evidenced in consumption. The average American consumes 2-4 pounds contain some of the most unique and potent natural medicines on the planof mushrooms yearly, the average European double that and Asians consume et. Though classified as vegetables in the food world, they are not technically 40 pounds on average. plants, and belong to the fungi kingdom. While much of the research in recent Today the most commonly consumed variety of edible mushroom is the years has focused on various immunological and anti-cancer properties of cerwhite button mushroom, or Agaricus bisporus, which constitutes 40 percent tain mushrooms, they also offer other health benefits when added to the diet, of the mushrooms grown around the world. According to a 2013 report from such as lower cholesterol levels and treating various cancers and diabetes. Mushthe U.S. Department of Agriculture, almost 98 percent of mushrooms eaten by rooms also help in weight loss and increase the strength of the immune system.

Americans are the Agaricus bisporus and another type called crimini, or brown A mushroom (or toadstool) is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a funcaps (portabellas are just very mature crimini). The remaining 2 percent are gus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. “Mushroom” shiitake mushrooms (0.96 percent), oyster mushrooms (0.82 percent) and other describes a variety of gilled fungi, with or without stems, and the term is used varieties (0.4 percent). even more generally to describe puffballs, shelf fungi, etc.

The key to getting enough vitamins and minerals in the diet is to eat a colorForty-six hundred years ago, the delicious flavor of mushrooms intrigued the ful variety of fruits and vegetables — the more color, the better, right? This phipharaohs of Egypt so much that they declared them to be food for royalty losophy seems to break down and leave mushrooms in the dark. Mushrooms, only and that no commoner could ever touch them. In various other civilizawhich are commonly white, prove quite the contrary. They are often grouped tions throughout the world, including Russia, China, Greece, Mexico and Latin with vegetables and provide many of the nutritional attributes of produce, as America, mushroom rituals were practiced. Many believed that mushrooms had well as attributes more commonly found in meat, beans or grains. properties that could produce superhuman strength, help in finding lost objects Mushrooms are 30 percent protein by weight, low in calories, fat-free, choand lead the soul to the realm of the gods. lesterol-free, gluten-free and very low in sodium, yet they provide important France was the leader in the formal cultivation of edible mushrooms for cu-

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nutrients like minerals including selenium and potassium (8 percent), B vitamins riboflavin and niacin, vitamin D and more. Mushrooms are also one of the few organisms known to produce a potent antioxidant compound called ergothioneine.

Of the 140,000 species of mushroom-forming fungi, science is familiar with only 10 percent, says world-renown mycologist Paul Stamets, who has written six books on the topic. About 100 species of mushrooms are currently being studied for their health-promoting benefits. Most knowledge about mushrooms and their effects comes from ancient Chinese medicine, where mushrooms are regarded as tonics. Tonics are considered to have non-specific beneficial effects across several systems of the body that have declined over time.

Mushrooms have also been praised for their medicinal properties thanks to their heavy dose of protein, potassium and polysaccharides, which contribute to healthy immune function, especially as an adjunct in cancer therapy. Selenium is a mineral that is not present in most fruits and vegetables but can be found in mushrooms. It plays a role in liver enzyme function, and helps detoxify some cancer-causing compounds in the body.

Selenium has also been found to improve immune response to infection by stimulating production of killer T-cells. A compound found in the cell walls of mushrooms stimulates the immune system to fight cancer cells and prevent tumors from forming.

These properties have attracted the interest of many pharmaceutical companies, which are viewing the medicinal mushroom as a rich source of innovative biomedical molecules.

Mushroom effects include acting as an antioxidant, antihypertensive and cholesterol-lowering properties, liver protection, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antiviral and antimicrobial properties.

Studies have shown that type 1 diabetics who consume high-fiber diets including mushrooms have

lower blood glucose levels and type 2 diabetics may have improved blood sugar, lipids and insulin levels. The fiber, potassium and vitamin C content in mushrooms all contribute to cardiovascular health.

Potassium and sodium work together in the body to help regulate blood pressure.

One dietary analysis found that mushroom consumption was associated with better diet quality and improved nutrition. Consuming a dried mushroom extract was found to be as effective as taking supplemental vitamin D2 or D3 for increasing vitamin D levels. The content of vitamin D is absent or low, however, unless mushrooms are exposed to sunlight or treated with artificial ultraviolet light.

Mushroom inclusion in the diet can be useful for weight management strategies. One study found that substituting red meat with white button mushrooms could enhance weight loss.

The test group ate one cup of mushrooms per day in place of meat while a control group ate a standard diet without mushrooms. At the end of the 12-month trial, the intervention group had lost an average of about seven pounds. There were also improvements in body composition, such as reduced waist circumference, and the ability to maintain their weight loss, as compared to the control group.

There are two primary types of mushroom preparations that are then rendered into a supplemental form. One preparation is the mushroom concentrates or extracts. Most of these are hot water extracts, where the mushroom — the fruiting body — is boiled for extended periods of time to extract the long chain polysaccharides. The result is a concentrate of complex sugars thought to be responsible for the many health benefits of the mushroom.

The other preparation is whole food or raw prepa-

Mushrooms contain some of the most unique and potent natural medicines on the planet.

ration. Using a whole food mushroom (powdered pill) product is a better alternative if you’re looking to maintain optimal health, as they help maintain ideal function of your various systems as opposed to imparting a direct effect like the concentrates. In addition to valuable nutrients, whole mushrooms also provide healthful dietary fiber that acts as prebiotic platforms for the growth of probiotic organisms in the gut, which is very important for digestive health.

This is yet another reason to opt for a whole food mushroom product.

A great deal of the mystery surrounding mushrooms seems to stem from their association with poisonings and accidental deaths. Because they propagate through spores instead of by seeds, certain varieties are hard to grow commercially and can only be foraged in the wild. Accurate determination and proper identification of a species is the only safe way to ensure edibility, and the only safeguard against toxic poisoning. Some mushrooms that are edible for most people can cause allergic reactions in others. When eating any fungus for the first time, great care should be taken, and only small quantities should be consumed in case of individual allergies.

Deadly poisonous mushrooms that are frequently confused with edible mushrooms and responsible for many fatal poisonings include several species of the Amanita genus, in particular, Amanita phalloides, the death cap.

With all the health benefits of mushrooms, adding more to your diet may make sense. Mushrooms contain some of the most powerful natural medicines on the planet. Make sure they’re organically grown in order to avoid harmful contaminants that mushrooms absorb and concentrate from soil, air and water.

Avoid picking mushrooms in the wild unless you are absolutely sure you know what you are doing. For more information, such as classes, workshops, field trips and ID clinics, contact the Puget Sound Mycological Society at PSMS.org. Growing your own is an excellent option and a far safer alternative to picking wild mushrooms.

Dr. Scott D. Rose has written about Cannabis and health for years in the pages of sister papers Northwest Leaf and Oregon Leaf. He is an acupuncturist with a pain resolution clinic in Seattle.

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Reviews

By STEVE ELLIOTT Editor, Tokesignals.com

Beyond Buds Next Generation:

MARIJUANA CONCENTRATES AND CANNABIS INFUSIONS

G

uru of Ganja Ed Rosenthal, best-selling author of the Marijuana Grower’s Handbook, has teamed up with Associate Editor Greg Zeman of Cannabis Now magazine to explore the new wave of Cannabis extraction and consumption techniques.

By Ed Rosenthal with Greg Zeman | Quick American Archives | July 31, 2018

“FOR THE NEW CANNABIS CONSUMER, IT OFFERS A GUIDE FOR MAKING INFORMED PURCHASES. FOR THE ASPIRING MARIJUANA PROCESSOR, IT PROVIDES A CONCEPTUAL PRIMER AND A PRACTICAL MANUAL.”

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Cannabis extraction has seen some major technological leaps recently. These have created major repercussions in both culture and commerce since Beyond Buds was first published in 2014. This prompted Rosenthal and Zeman to entirely rewrite the Amazon Top 20 book. To do so, they called upon the collective expertise of some of the Cannabis industry’s brightest minds as well as its finest photographers.

Almost anyone will find something useful in this comprehensive but readable guide. For the new Cannabis consumer, it offers a guide for making informed purchases. For the aspiring marijuana processor, it provides a conceptual primer and a practical manual.

The information here will also be attractive to journalists, academics and entrepreneurs. Most anyone who wants a more complete understanding of how Cannabis concentrates and other processed marijuana products is made and consumed will come away with more understanding.

“There are self-declared ‘technical consultants’ out there charging Cannabis entrepreneurs thousands of dollars for a little more than the information contained in this book,” Zeman said. “We’re putting it all in one place because, like the Cannabis plant itself, this knowledge belongs to all of us.”

“My sincere hope is that people will read this book and say, ‘I can do that — I can be a part of the next chapter of Cannabis.’ Because they absolutely can,” Zeman added.

This is a marijuana product. 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 reach of children. Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

glass art STORY & PHOTO

by NATE WILLIAMS @NATEW415

NYKKI KNIGHT GLASS NYKKI KNIGHT GLASS IS KNOWN THROUGHOUT THE GLASSBLOWING FOR 14 YEARS OF GLASS ART SALES, AND FINALLY, AFTER A DECADE GETTING TO KNOW THE COMMUNITY, SHE BEGAN HER OWN JOURNEY ON THE TORCH IN 2015.

OHSU’s pediatric cancer unit’s specialists are called the Panda Team and they helped save the lives of both of her young sons. This why you consistently see the Panda motif throughout her work and is where she has drawn significant inspiration.

This amazing pendant and mini-bong set were crafted over about five hours from Northstar Experimental Green #5, Profound Glass opals, and Glow Boro UV reactive bars and will be available at Oregon Leaf’s first ever Boro Benefit Charity Auction event coming January 2019.

Presenting Partner

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PANDA PENDANT & MINI BONG SET NORTHSTAR EXPERIMENTAL GREEN #5 @NYKKI.KNIGHT.GLASS

It’s our first

ANNIVERSARY Thank you for supporting Great Northern Cannabis for this past year!

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from Great Northern Cannabis & Top Hat Concentrates

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O P E N 9 A M TO M I D N I G H T A L L S U M M E R LO N G 5 4 1 W E S T 4 T H AV E N U E • D O W N T O W N A N C H O R A G E • 9 0 7. 9 2 9 .W E E D Marijuana has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming and addictive. Marijuana impairs concentration, coordination, and judgment. 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 breastfeeding.