21 minute read
TRANSCENDENCE
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR TRANSITION. Well, I’ve Transcendence been on hormone replacement therapy for fourand-a-half years. I feel like it was missing from my body. My brain needed it, my body needed it. I was constantly hearing things like ‘you’re weird’ and ‘guys don’t do that.’ That’s what I’ve heard a lot, but I wasn’t a guy, although they thought I was. I tried to believe I was a guy because I was told I was, and I lived as one - but I believed there was a Santa Claus, too, until I learned that he doesn’t exist.
WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON EQUALITY IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY? I don’t know a single owner that is LGBTQIA. I have heard a statistic that 30% of Cannabis users are LGBT, but I don’t know of any owners. People love to stereotype, stoners included, but I try to prove that wrong. Yes, I can!
IS THIS THE RIGHT COMMUNITY FOR YOU RIGHT NOW? Well, it’s the only place I want to be. And to be honest, I don’t think there is another industry that would accept me this well for who I am. I’m proud of MLM, the parent company for Sticky Budz. When I took many interviews before them, I always thought I was going to get a call back, but it never came. It was Tiffany Louie who gave me my shot. If it were not for her, I would not be in this business and now I’ve been a part of the organization for over two years - enjoying a lot of success.
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’VE BEEN JUDGED AT ALL BY THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY? I know there are a certain amount of shops I shouldn’t go to. They won’t welcome me to have lunch with them, they won’t allow me to do a vendor day with them. And I have to keep my mouth shut so I don’t lose those accounts. Yet, I still have to win these shops over. I’m gonna get in your shop, Dude! You know why? Because I’m gonna have product you need. And you know what I’m gonna do when that happens? I’m gonna walk my flamingo ass in there so perched up and you’re not going to be able to say anything, because I’m making you money. I’m fucking gangster! Otherwise, I know who my people are and I’m really proud of the shops who aren’t run by bigots.
RIGHT ON. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING FOR YOU, EFFIE. Actually, I’m not just gangster, but I’m gay and I’m proud - I’m a trans woman who deserves to exist just like any woman or man.
EFFIE LOU WARREN
STICKY BUDZ REGIONAL SALES MANAGER @EFFIE_MLM
DIFFERENTIATION IS EVERYWHERE. No two organisms, due to the laws of physics, are truly identical. And obviously, when it comes to people, we are not above those laws. One can liken the varying differences of personality and appearance to a sky filled with clouds - from the naked eye they all appear white and similar, but to watch their existence unfold over time, one will see that they change form and directive in accordance with the elements from which they were borne.
But as society cannot directly control or change the course of a cloud, there is an overwhelming agenda to control people by manipulating parameters that go against our innate instinct to flow and evolve in congruence with nature.
From the time we are birthed, the lessons begin to shape us into what optimally benefits the greater collective by providing a system that keeps it simple: boys wear blue and girls wear pink, ad infinitum.
And as this pounding of information into impressionable minds is effective for most, for many who don’t fit into that narrow ideological picture-perfect frame, living their truth becomes paramount to their mental wellness, and ultimately their survival.
Here, we have two members of the Cannabis community who celebrate their individuality through the daily display of who they are at the very core - for us to recognize and embrace as we struggle to find the answers to our own existence.
Their mettle is an example of how we can all improve this rare miracle called the human experience, as we grasp for clarity with the intention of living the best, most authentic life possible.
ZANE VORENBERG
HIGH 5 CANNABIS BUDTENDER & CANNABIS JOURNALIST @EXPLODINGEGG
AS A CANNABIS JOURNALIST, WHAT HAVE YOU COVERED? Over the years I’ve written about Cannabis legalization in various states. I covered medical legalization in New Mexico, covered legalization for the Columbian here in Vancouver, and then jetted out on my own as a freelancer.
SO, I ASSUME YOU KNEW YOU WERE GAY AT A YOUNG AGE, BUT AT WHAT AGE DID CANNABIS COME INTO YOUR LIFE AND CHANGE EVERYTHING ELSE? Well, the term ‘gay’ is sort of strange for me as a trans guy because I was straight (laughs). I mean, I knew I was trans when I was four or five, but there were no words for it really. So I was kind of making it up as I went along - the ‘being me’ experience, I guess. I smoked in high school, blowing off steam, but then I gave it up for 30 years. Then, when legalization started, a friend of mine took an eighth of Master Kush and dumped it on my kitchen counter and said, “If you’re going to be writing about this, you’re going to have to know what you’re talking about.” So, I got a pipe, smoked some and thought to myself, ‘Wow, this is pretty nice.’
I found that it helps with PTSD and the pain of growing older. I got on board with that and started looking at the history of prohibition and became intrigued as a reporter to fight back against the false propaganda surrounding the plant. And I used to be a gourmet beer snob, so I quit drinking beer and translated that energy towards becoming a gourmet Cannabis smoker.
WAS IT HARD FOR YOU TO COME OUT AS TRANS? I came out to my dad after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando in 2016, because I was really torn up about that - my dad is gay. And then I came out as trans to the public in 2018. I think I have an advantage over some gay men because I grew up straight without the torment of being a gay person, because I was a girl who liked boys. So, the torment was from being a guy in a girl’s body. Being gay is new because I’ve always been trans. But the world is now defining me as gay by sexual preferences. I’m not too into labels anyway.
SPEAKING OF LABELS, DO YOU SEE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOW THEY ARE ATTACHED BETWEEN STANDARD SOCIETY AND THE CANNABIS SOCIETY? Yes, to a certain degree. I think the Cannabis world and the journalism world are more open-minded to people who are different or quirky. This world has been really welcoming for me as I transition. High 5 is a very diverse workplace. There’s another gay guy on the staff, there are Black and brown staffers, bisexual folks, and many of the crew speak multiple languages - including sign language, which helps a lot with our equally diverse customer base. It’s a very nice fit for me, with a lot of open-minded people.
COULD YOU SEE YOURSELF IN ANY OTHER INDUSTRY THAT WOULD BE AS ACCEPTING FOR WHO YOU ARE? Not really. It’s nice to be treated with respect because nobody in this industry really cares about your differences. And I’m open about being trans. I like being open about being trans, because people will make up their own preconceived notions about things they have no experience with, so it gives me the opportunity to be a positive example for people who don’t know anyone who is trans. I’d like to change people’s misconception that a trans person is supposed to be weird or different. We are a normal part of human society that has always existed.
From hustling ounces,
sitting in prison facing 10 years of federal time, to legal Cannabis business ownership in the most competitive market in the country - Chris Ball’s love affair with the plant spans decades.
ball family farms
THE EARLY YEARS
Chris Ball grew up with a pretty normal childhood in South Central Los Angeles, in the quiet suburb of Row- land Heights. At the young age of only eight-years-old, Ball had his first exposure to Cannabis - even though he wasn’t aware of what it was at the time. He began to notice that his father would retire to the couch after dinner, grab a rolling tray and twist up and enjoy a funny smelling cigarette, while his mother would relax with a glass of wine.
He would smell the same funny smelling cigarettes and watch his uncles, cousins and even grandmother enjoy them at family functions.
As he got older, he came to understand what the substance was, but was left perplexed by the seemingly opposite paradigms that were being presented to him. On one hand, the Reagan administration was pushing the “Just Say No” campaign, spreading the message that drugs, including Cannabis, were bad for you and to reject experimenting with any and all substances. On the other hand, his real world experience showed him that was not the case at all.
The Ball Family would always score their herb from Chris’ cousin Earl and eventually, Ball connected the dots and the foundations of his enthusiasm for Can- nabis business began to take shape. His cousin Earl always had the newest sneakers, the freshest fits and a nice car - and Ball realized this was a result of him selling weed. He got his first ounce from his cousin at 16 and got to work learning how to sell Cannabis.
Dabbling in the weed game was fun and mildly lucrative for him, but Ball had big dreams and his innate athleticism drove him to pursue a professional football career. He used the profits from selling weed to fund his basic needs and schooling at Mt. San Antonio Community College, where he was able to earn a full ride scholarship to UC Berkeley to play football.
A GROWING PASSION FOR THE PLANT
Once at UC Berkeley, he stopped hustling weed on the side as it was no longer a necessity.
The scholarship provided the support he needed to focus on going pro and Ball’s sights were set on the NFL. After he graduated, he was recruited to join training camp with the 49ers but was cut before making the final roster.
Instead, he caught the attention of some CFL scouts and wound up landing a contract to play professionally in Canada. It was there that Ball would be bitten by the cultivation bug.
“Before then, I was just a middle man, you know? I just got weed and then I sold it and made a couple extra bucks,” he recalls.
Chris’ best friend on the team’s girlfriend had a brother who was a grower in Vancouver, and the three made several visits to go and gawk at his garden. Once Ball discovered the per pound cultivation cost, he knew instantly there were amazing margins to work with if he could buy in Canada and sell in Los Angeles.
It turns out being from Los Angeles and working for the Canadian Football League would provide the perfect cover for Ball to transport product from Vancouver to Southern California without raising any red flags. Establishing this route in 2003 or 2004, he gained popularity in the LA scene quickly because he could undercut the rest of the market’s prices - thanks to the enhanced margins he was working with.
For over five years, Ball ran Canadian packs down the West Coast to LA. Here he was building a name for himself in the scene, as well as a substantial network, all while gaining boots-on-the-ground experience and learning invaluable lessons. What began as a means to simply provide for himself and support his passion for football had ultimately altered his life path in a major way, becoming his new passion.
HITTING THE FAN
Then, suddenly everything came to a screeching halt in 2010 when Ball was arrested and indicted on federal racketeering charges. The move came shortly after Ball began working with a new business partner who, as it turns out, was being watched by the feds. In the long run, Ball would find out that this business partner was working for El Chapo. Yes, that El Chapo. About six months after meeting this new business partner, the authorities swooped in and arrested Ball, charging him and 13 others with violating the RICO act. Chris was looking at up to 10 years of prison time.
Fortunately, Ball was able to afford a good attorney who was able to get him an accurate idea of what they had against him.
With it being his first offense and the minimal amount of evidence they had against him personally in the case, Ball and his lawyer worked a plea bargain for 30 months for admitting to his part in the illegal trafficking activity.
His lawyer also worked to get him bail and won an appeal to keep Ball from having to serve his 30 month sentence until the trial was over.
The other defendants would fight their cases and trials, lasting about four years before coming to a close. During this time, Ball lived life on the upand-up and kept his nose clean, working corporate retail jobs and paying his taxes.
As the case wrapped up and it was time for Ball to face sentencing for his 30 month bid, his lawyer came to bat for him yet again and argued that the main target of the investigation and indictment was handed a five year sentence. Whereas Ball, a first time offender, was handed nearly three years and for the last four years had been a gainfully employed, tax paying and law abiding citizen. The judge gave Ball ‘time served’ and in 2014 he walked out of the courtroom a free man. >> Continues pg. 36
ball family farms
>> Continued from pg. 35
BACK ON THE HORSE
There is no doubt that Ball has a deep passion production. By 2017, Ball had gotten wind of for the plant. Within a matter of weeks of narrowLos Angeles’ equity program and realized he ly avoiding a multi-year prison sentence stemqualified. ming from his involvement “pushing the pack,” In January of 2018, California legalized he was filling a 14 light grow room with plants Cannabis and by December of that same and flipping on the lights to take his first shot at year, Ball received an Adult-Use production growing Cannabis himself. license from the state.
Shortly after the trial was finished, Ball went to collect on an owed debt from a former business GROWING PAINS OF A NASCENT INDUSTRY associate. He ended up accepting the grow in Despite Ball’s good fortune to learn of Los place of the money that was owed to him and it Angeles’ equity program early on and obtain was off to the races. Granted, it wasn’t without licensure in the first year of California’s recredealing with growing’s steep learning curve that ational legality, he had no qualms vocalizing he was able to produce anything of value with his disappointment with the way the system the grow. “I burnt up currently functions. “I plants for a good two years not knowing what WITHIN A MATTER OF WEEKS won’t lie to you,” he says when asked about how I was doing,” he exOF NARROWLY AVOIDING the program helped him plained. “But the more you grow, the more you learn, the more people A MULTI-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE STEMMING FROM with the process. “They granted me the license and then that was it. It you ask for help. And HIS INVOLVEMENT “PUSHING would be the equivalent you meet people - I met a couple cool cats that were willing to come in THE PACK,” CHRIS BALL WAS FILLING A 14 LIGHT GROW of you getting a football scholarship and then they don’t pay for your and split some equity ROOM WITH PLANTS AND housing, they give you with me and teach me the ropes.” In the same year his FLIPPING ON THE LIGHTS TO TAKE HIS FIRST SHOT AT no money for books, they give you no money for food, they give you trial was finished - and GROWING CANNABIS HIMSELF. no tutors - they just say despite crystal clear you can come to the warnings by the judge school.” that any Cannabis related conviction would have From Ball’s perspective, the system may Ball going straight to jail - he had new partners lower the barrier of entry for applicants to and was taking steps towards vertically integratenter the industry, but it does nothing to ing his business with his new cultivation facility. support newly licensed operators who are From 2015 to 2016, he refined his cultivation forced to overcome a nightmarishly steep skills and really learned the ins and outs of learning curve to stay in business. Had Ball not had years of experience in growing and a substantial network from his prior distribution efforts - learning the tough lessons that come along with being successful in the illicit BALLFAMILYFARMS.COM | @BALLFAMILYFARMS Cannabis market during that time - he would have never made it into the legal market with
a legitimate, licensed and state recognized business.
“There needs to be some money, and some help and some consulting behind the scholarship of the license,” says Ball.
Despite an incredibly thorough 75+ page report analyzing potential barriers that may prevent social equity applicants from equitable access to the legal Cannabis industry - along with opportunities to overcome these barriers commissioned by Los Angeles before California legalized in 2018 and having received over $7.8 million in funding since October of 2019 - complicated issues remain. Here, Ball’s real world experience and the overall lack of diversity in the space indicate the need for further investment into the development of the structure of the industry’s equity programs not just in Los Angeles, but across California.
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fragile warrior
Meet Theon Preston, a pediatric patient from Oregon battling Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type 1, better known as Brittle Bone Disease. Coupled with ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder, Theon is a fragile yet ferocious warrior. Watch out world - with the help of the Cannabis plant alongside a loving and supportive family - Theon lives his best life playing with his cat and dog, admiring crystals, and enjoying movies like Star Wars and Transformers.
HOW DOES YOUR MEDICINE MAKE YOU FEEL? Cannabis does not damage his liver and actually Theon: It makes me feel better, better all over. has side effects that are beneficial for him, such as It makes my pain go away and my brain focus, inducing his appetite. so my body does what I want it to do. I don’t like when my body does not listen. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER PARENTS WHO ARE CONSIDERING GIVING THEIR WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE TRANSFORMER AND WHY? CHILDREN CANNABIS FOR MEDICAL REASONS? Theon: Bumblebee is my favorite Transformer, but Jessi: I would suggest parents do research into I would like an Optimus Prime toy. I like Bumblewhat has worked for other children with the same bee the best because he talks using the radio and diagnosis as their child. When you hear success music, and I love music. stories it takes the fear away. I would also suggest starting off with a small dose and try different WHEN DID YOU FIRST START INTRODUCING CANNAstrains until you find one, or a combination of BIS INTO THEON’S LIFE? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE strains and doses, that work for your child specifiIMPROVEMENTS THAT YOU’VE ENCOUNTERED SINCE? cally. Everyone has a unique endocannabinoid sysTheon’s Mother Jessi: I first started introducing tem, and thus needs a different dose and strain to Cannabis into Theon’s life two years ago, after help them. Theon takes different strains at different he broke both his arms and had to have a rod times of the day, and different doses depending on placed in each arm while they were healing. The the level of pain he is in. For example, he needs a doctors gave him painkillers that made him feel larger dose after a break than he does on a daily very aggravated and incobasis to deal with his daily herent. If he was to take the pain. In the daytime he uses painkillers at the rate he was, for every break he sustained, “IT MAKES MY PAIN a strain high in the terpene limonene to help his appehis liver would be damaged before puberty. I did not want GO AWAY AND MY tite and motor coordination. At night he uses a strain to risk him having long term health problems for temporary BRAIN FOCUS, SO MY high in the terpene myrcene to help ease his muscle pain relief. Cannabis helped BODY DOES WHAT spasms and inflammation, his pain while making his mind clearer, not incoherent. I WANT IT TO DO.” while also helping him to relax into sleep.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE THE WORLD TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THEON AND OSTEOGENESIS IMPERFECTA TYPE 1 + SENSORY PROCESSING DISORDER? Jessi: Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI aka Brittle Bone Disease) is a genetic disorder that is caused by a mutation in the gene that affects bone formation and strength. Though it is most commonly associated with the skeletal system, it does affect other body tissue as well. OI is a lifelong condition, meaning there is no cure for it and very limited treatment is available.
Some notable traits in children with OI are short stature, bone deformity and pain, low bone density, loose joints and ligament laxity. Theon deals with all those traits. He has a rare combination of OI, ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), which puts him at higher risk for injury. His brain is telling him to seek sensory stimulus, while his body is too fragile to handle the stimulus.
My job as his mom is to keep him safe, at the same time keeping his mind occupied with body safe activities. As he says, his medicine helps him feel better all over and really changed his quality of life. Since he has been on Cannabis, he has not had any breaks because it helps him focus and make safer decisions. Because of Cannabis he is a happy boy with what I hope will be a bright future.
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SMALL BATCH CRAFT CANNABIS
Grown in a proprietary coco blend Fed with an in-house nutrient mix Whole plant hang dried Hand- trimmed Cured for 4 weeks
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Marijuana has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming and addictive. Marijuana impairs concentration, coordination, and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under its influence. There are health risks associated with consumption of marijuana. For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of the reach of children. Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. icense
