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SweetMatanuskaGreen@Gmail.com | SweetMatanuskaGreen.com Marijuana has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming and addictive. Marijuana impairs concentration, coordination, and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under its influence. There are health risks associated with consumption of marijuana. For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of the reach of children. Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breast feeding.
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This month, The Leaf debates pharmaceutical pot.
ERIC KAYNE
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RYLEE WEIS
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34 Connor Sheffield
Teenage NASCAR hopeful driven to fight for widespread access to Cannabis medicine.
50 Eddy Lepp | Cannthropology Alaska Leaf chats with Cannabis growing legend Eddy Lepp on the early days of his career, befriending Jack Herer, and founding The Multi-Denominational Ministry of Cannabis and Rastafari.
photo by mg imaging
feb. 2021
EDITOR’S NOTE N AT I O N A L N E W S PHARMACEUTICAL POT HARRISON FORD BROWNIE BANDIT BUDTENDER Q&A B R I S T O L B AY B U D C O . MEET SUSUN WEED STRAIN OF THE MONTH THE ESSENTIAL ISSUE CONNOR’S COURAGE MOVING FOR CANNABIS T H E L O U N G E E V O LV E S SLEEP CANNABINOID BL ACK D.O.G. COTM CANAMO CONFECTIONS STONED SALMON FARMS VA L E N T I N E ’ S D AY R E C I P E S A LT E R N AT I V E M E D I C I N E CANNTHROPOLOGY STONEY BALONEY
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Marijuana products may be purchased or possessed only by persons 21 or older. This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit-forming. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of reach of children.
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N O RT H W E S T L E A F / O R EG O N L E A F / A L AS KA L E A F / M A RY L A N D L E A F / CA L I F O R N I A L E A F / N O RT H E AS T L E A F
A B O U T T H E C OV E R What is more essential than Cannabis? At the heart of our magazine this month is the utility knife-like nature of this miracle medicine. We looked to Massachusettsbased illustrator Mike Curato to bring to life our concept for a Swiss Army amalgamation of tools one might need for their Cannabis world. Curato is an illustrator and author of children’s books and is most well known for his Little Elliot series. “The cover artwork,” says Curato, “was drawn with pencil and paper and colored digitally (while perhaps having an edible).” His recently released debut young adult graphic novel “Flamer” has been met with critical acclaim. Learn more at mikecurato.com.
ART by MIKE CURATO @MIKE_CURATO
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CONTRIBUTORS
WES ABNEY | FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
KELLY BJORK, ILLUSTRATION BOBBY BLACK, FEATURES JOSHUA BOULET, ILLUSTRATIONS TOM BOWERS, FEATURES MIKE CURATO, ILLUSTRATION STEVE ELLIOTT, NATIONAL NEWS DENNIS HEARNE, PHOTOS ERIC KAYNE, PHOTOS JEFF PORTERFIELD, DESIGN ESHOM REED, REVIEWS MIKE RICKER, FEATURES MEGHAN RIDLEY, EDITING O'HARA SHIPE, FEATURES + PHOTOS PACER STACKTRAIN, FEATURES DAN VINKOVETSKY, FEATURES NATE WILLIAMS, REVIEWS BRUCE & LAURIE WOLF, RECIPES
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Editor’s Note Thanks for picking up our first Essential Issue of the Leaf! 2020 WILL go down in history for a lot of reasons, but one shining moment is the day that San Francisco declared Cannabis as essential business during the first COVID shutdown. Out of all the highs and lows in my decade of Cannabis publishing, that was the first moment I truly believed Cannabis would become completely legal in my lifetime.
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To understand this sentiment, let me unpack the statement: Being deemed essential means that Cannabis is necessary for tax revenue, jobs, medicine and recreation. It also paves the way for the right to grow Cannabis as a constitutionally protected liberty – the right to pursue happiness and health, as intended by our forefaFROM MY DESK thers who crafted the laws that govern our great country. IN SEATTLE, POT IS STILL
ILLEGAL From my desk in Seattle, pot is still illegal to grow without a TO GROW commercial license. It’s also a felony to have more than 40 grams of flower in Washington state, and there are no protections for pa- WITHOUT A COMMERCIAL tients, parents, employees or drivers who choose to use Cannabis LICENSE. safely. To me, that is not legal – it’s simply regulated and taxed for the purpose of control, not part of an essential liberty that citizens intended when they voted for “legalization” without reading the fine print.
Having lived under the shadow of fake legalization for years, hearing that pot was being declared essential gave me hope that it would lead to people standing up for their rights – and working together to free our plant for all purposes and backyards. And since that sunny day in the Bay when dispensaries were allowed to reopen the Cannabis industry, we’ve seen huge growth and newfound acceptance, as well as five new states joining the recreational and medicinal movement to bring much needed relief to their citizens in the 2020 elections. Cannabis is essential to so many lives, in so many ways, that it really is the Swiss Army knife of plants. Even if you aren’t in pain or struggling, go smoke a fatty and you will likely feel better. And feeling better is essential to us emerging from the pandemic as a more grateful, connected and stoned society. I hope you enjoy our exploration of how Cannabis is essential, and how we see change that brings it closer to legal with each passing day. Thank you for reading and sharing our special plant!
-Wes Abney FEB. 2021
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northwest
OREGON SALES TOP $1 BILLION IN 2020
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regon adult-use Cannabis sales soared in 2020, peaking despite a challenging summer of COVID-19 lockdowns and racial justice protests, reports the AP. The state’s marijuana merchants logged a record year of business, according to numbers from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which oversees Cannabis sales in the state. Total marijuana sales in Oregon jumped from $795 million to more than $1 billion – $1,110,520,723, to be precise – for the year 2020. Adult-use Cannabis sales skyrocketed in March when Gov. Kate Brown instituted a pandemic-related stay-at-home order and other restrictions. Sales numbers spiked 20 percent that month and stayed robust all year. In May, Cannabis sales in Oregon topped $100 million for the first time ever. Sales then topped $100 million in each of the three months that followed as well, peaking at $106 million in July. west coast
CALIFORNIA SEES NO RISE IN FREQUENCY OF CANNABIS USE BY YOUNG ADULTS POST-LEGALIZATION
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dult-use legalization in California isn’t associated with any increase in the frequency of Cannabis use by young adults, according to data published in the scientific journal Addictive Behaviors, reports NORML. Researchers with the University of California at San Diego examined Cannabis use patterns among 563 young adults (18-24) in California in the years immediately prior to and following enactment of legalization. “Contrary to our expectations, frequency of marijuana use did not change significantly after legalization and was stable throughout three years of observation,” the study’s authors wrote.
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years passed between the federal legalization of hemp and the finalized federal regulations on the crop.
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medical marijuana bills were introduced by Neb. lawmakers in the January session.
east coast
MARYLAND CANNABIS WORKERS WILL RECEIVE COVID-19 VACCINE PRIORITY GOV. CUOMO
LEGALIZATION
NEW YORK EYES LEGAL CANNABIS
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ov. Andrew Cuomo has announced a proposal to legalize Cannabis for adult use in New York as part of the 2021 State of the State address he began on January 11. “IT WOULD HAVE A BIGGER New York would join 15 other states to IMPACT ON THE UPSTATE legalize adult-use marijuana, including ECONOMY THAN THE neighbors Massachusetts and New Jersey, CRAFT BEER INDUSTRY DOES,” and Vermont in the Northeast. “It would have a bigger impact on the upstate economy than the craft beer industry does,” said Allan Gandelman, president of the New York Cannabis Growers and Processors Association. “If this is done correctly, we will see a billion dollars in total revenue for the adult-use program in the first full year of operating in New York state.” According to Gandelman, the biggest factors will be the types and number of licenses was added, acreages allowed for cultivation and taxation levels.
sports
UFC’S KNOCKOUT BLOW FOR POSITIVE CANNABIS TESTS
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percent more Cannabis was bought by Americans in 2020 than in 2019.
east coast
NEW HAMPSHIRE ADVOCATES CONTINUE LEGALIZATION EFFORT
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FC announced on January 14 a formal change to its anti-doping policy, making Cannabis OK for in-competition fighters, reports CBS Sports. The only time athletes would be punished for using Cannabis or cannabinoids would be if “additional evidence exists that an athlete used it intentionally for performanceenhancing purposes.” “While we want to continue to prevent athletes from competing under the influence of marijuana, we have learned that urinary levels of carboxy-THC are highly variable after out-of-competition use and have poor scientific correlation to in-competition impairment,” said UFC Senior Vice President Jeff Novitzky. “The bottom line is that in regard to marijuana, we care about what an athlete consumed the day of a fight, not days or weeks before a fight, which has often been the case in our historic positive THC cases,” Novizky said.
percent of all drug arrests between 2010 and 2018 in Indiana were for Cannabis possession.
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annabis workers in Maryland will be placed at the top of the list for COVID-19 vaccinations, alongside healthcare providers, reports Ganjapreneur. The move further underlines the “essential” designation that Cannabis businesses and employees received when the pandemic began last year. The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission alerted the more than 130 licensed Cannabis companies across the state that their workers will be eligible for Phase 1A of the state’s tiered vaccine distribution plan, reports the Baltimore Business Journal.
annabis advocates are continuing their push to legalize adult-use marijuana in New Hampshire, but the effort faces a forbidding path in the GOP-controlled Legislature, reports The Center Square. A bipartisan bill filed in the N.H. House of Representatives in January would, if approved, legalize adult-use Cannabis for those 21-and-older and set up a system of regulation and taxation that would allow retail sales. “The battle continues,” said Rep. Rebecca McWilliams, a Democrat from Concord who is a primary sponsor of the bill. “We keep refining it and negotiating it and trying to come up with something that could potentially get to the two-thirds vote needed to override the governor’s veto.” Republican Gov. Chris Sununu is a firm opponent of legalization.
2,392 new Cannabis cultivation permits were issued by Oklahoma, surpassing California by 88 licenses.
$18.4m was the amount of money paid to Irwin Simon of Aphria, the highest-paid Cannabis CEO in Canada, in 2019.
By STEVE ELLIOTT, AUTHOR OF THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF MARIJUANA
PHOTO BY @SONDERFELTLLC FOR LEAF NATION
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JOINT/COUNTERJOINT
the ESSENTIAL issue
THIS MONTH, THE LEAF DEBATES...PHARMACEUTICAL POT
Counterjoint? Are you with Joint or the issue of on Where do you stand and style ale -sc cal pharmaceuti methods? d an g win gro s Cannabi #JointCointerjoint
Each month, we task two Leaf Nation contributors to debate both sides of a controversial subject. As with all debates, these are assigned positions that are being defended for the sake of an argument and education, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the writer, our staff, or our organization.
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While the average stoner is drooling over the Weedmaps menu in legal states, big pharma has been plotting their profit-driven takeover of pot for the last 20 years.
Should we turn our natural plant over to the same big JOINT BY WES ABNEY pharma companies that poisoned our country for profit with opiates and massive overprescription of pills? I say no!
The future of Cannabis medicines will certainly involve science – so don’t take me for a “whole plant and nothing but the plant” type of activist. After all, I love getting scientifically processed and purged concentrates that are tested for harmful pesticides and chemicals, which produces a much tastier product than the open-blasted BHO of my Cannabis youth. But we must not let our quest for safer products lead to handing control of our plant over to either government regulators or big pharma. Cannabis has been consumed by humans for thousands of years, and many states are still fighting to have access to Cannabis medicine, let alone getting baked recreationally. While the average stoner is drooling over the Weedmaps menu in legal states, big pharma has been plotting their profit-driven takeover of pot for the last 20 years. Need proof? Google Sativex – GW Pharmaceuticals’ attempt to patent and control Cannabis medicine in the UK and beyond, with a terrible synthetic version of a tincture that can be made in any home kitchen. There’s also the Phylos BioScience betrayal of thousands of growers – who submitted their genetics to learn about their plants’ lineage – but later learned Phylos was harvesting information to submit patents and had ties to big pharma money. Their goal? To create genetically modified plants that can be grown with minimal human contact. Personally, I want to smoke GMO (Grandpa’s Mouth Odor) flower, not genetically modified garbage from a mega-grow. We’ve proven in the last decade that Cannabis provides incredible benefits naturally, whether by smoking the flower, vaporizing concentrates, eating edibles or extracts like FECO, or through topicals and transdermals. There are thousands of high-end products that are produced naturally, with love, by a human being paid to get their hands dirty as they grow our favorite plant. Do we need big pharma to change this? Absolutely not. We should free the plant for all people to grow and share, not regulate it further and take it out of the soil and the hands of farmers. You can make nearly every product necessary for a medicinal treatment in your kitchen, and anything you can’t is readily available from a focused, local craft producer. That is freedom – choosing our own medicine, who makes it, and with an intention to heal – not just profit.
feb. 2021
COUNTERJOINT BY TOM BOWERS There’s a simple beauty in being able to plant a seed and grow your own medicine.
As homegrown, plant-based therapy, Cannabis provides safe, clean relief for millions of people. But not everyone can grow their own Cannabis plants. In fact, most people can’t – and those people rely on increasingly larger companies to produce their medicine. Cannabis continues to transform from homegrown medicine into large-scale industry, and as more and more consumers come to rely on its benefits for their lives, it’s a foregone conclusion that the modern pharmaceutical and medical industry will play a role in this growth. It’s already happening. While this development will bring its share of complicated downsides – these are the same people accountable for the opioid crisis, after all – there are upsides to the situation. When it comes to When it comes to medicine, a few indispensable traits come to medicine, a few mind: It needs to be clean. It needs to be consistent. It needs to be indispensable traits precisely dosed. It needs to be widely available. come to mind: It needs to The modern pharmaceutical industry already has the infrabe clean. It needs to be consistent. It needs to be structure, distribution channels, standards and processes to meet precisely dosed. It needs these criteria. Their labs are among the most clean, controlled to be widely available. environments on the planet – and they are accustomed to producing and distributing billions of precisely dialed doses of their medicines globally, with an efficiency so ingrained that it almost seems effortless. Imagine what that level of organization could do for bringing Cannabis medicine to people all over the globe... Sure, there are glaring downsides. In a bloodthirsty quest for shareholder value, the pharmaceutical industry will attempt to patent genetics and processes, seek to outlaw home cultivation, and will no doubt try to force their own, proprietary synthetic cannabinoid blends on the public. It’s like that person you work with who’s amazing at their job, but is also a complete asshole. We will have to learn to work with the modern medical industry before we get to where we’re going – that’s unavoidable. We need to be creative and unwavering in our fight for the plant and the rights of the people who rely on it, and at the same time, try to reap the benefits of infrastructure provided by a monolithic global capitalistic behemoth – without being destroyed in the process. Easy-peasy.
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A DEBATE by WES ABNEY @BEARDEDLORAX & TOM BOWERS @PROPAGATECONSULTANTS/LEAF NATION
FRONTIERFARMERS.COM FRONTIERFARMERS_AK@OUTLOOK.COM @FRONTIERFARMERS
SOUR SLURRICANE #1
HARAMBE Lic # 12550 1) Marijuana has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming and addictive. (2) Marijuana impairs concentration, coordination, and judgment. D o not operate a vehicle or machiner y under its influence. (3) There are health r isks associated with the consumption of mar ijuana. (4) For u s e b y a d u l t s t w e n t y - o n e a n d o l d e r. K e e p o u t o f r e a c h o f c h i l d r e n . ( 5 ) M a r i j u a n a s h o u l d n o t b e u s e d b y w o m e n w h o a r e p r e g n a n t o r b r e a s t f e e d i n g .
highly likely
Highly Likely highlights Cannabis pioneers who paved the way to greater herbal acceptance.
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Harrison ford Whether playing the cosmic smuggler-turned hero Han Solo, the intrepid archeologist Indiana Jones or the CIA patriot Jack Ryan, Harrison Ford is one of the most widely recognized actors on earth today. This true Hollywood icon is ranked #4 on the list of highest grossing actors of all time. He’s also, according to anecdotes from those who have spent time with him, a down-to-earth person who is still known as one of Hollywood’s most private actors.
aklEAF.COM
f
ORD’S PATH TO STARDOM WAS NEITHER DIRECT, NOR EASY.
For over a decade he took bit part after bit part in television and film. Here he toiled in obscurity, before all but abandoning acting to take on work as a selftaught professional carpenter to support his wife and two young sons in the mid to late ‘70s. It wasn’t until the late ‘70s that Ford finally found his footing in Hollywood, with a minor role in George Lucas’ “American Graffiti.” Of course, this paved the way for the actor’s entrance into perhaps his most iconic role: Han Solo. The rest, as they say, is history. While this column could take up the rest of this magazine talking about all of the acting accomplishments that Ford has made throughout his storied career – that’s not what we’re here for. Our real question: Did Harrison Ford smoke weed? While he’s never weighed in on the subject personally, many in his orbit over the years have revealed a penchant for the flowers of our favorite plant.
In her memoir “ The Princess Diaries ,” Carrie Fischer describes Ford as having access to a “brutal strength” Cannabis that caused her to “forget most of 1976.”
feb. 2021
TAKE CARRIE FISCHER (who played Princess Leia alongside
Ford in Star Wars) for example: In her memoir “The Princess Diaries,” Fischer describes Ford as having access to a “brutal strength” Cannabis that caused her to “forget most of 1976.” She also recalls a time “where at the onset it was all giggles and munchies and floating in a friendly haze – it suddenly became creepy and dark and scary … This was when I was about 19, while I was filming “Star Wars.”” During a joint photo-shoot/interview for GQ magazine and the British tabloid Ritz, the publisher David Litchfeild reportedly asked Ford why he was rolling his own cigarettes, to which Ford responded, “You want a toke of this allAmerican reefer?” The publisher responded, “Can you work on this stuff?” To which Ford said, “Nope. I can’t even admit it exists.” Then there was the time that talk show host Bill Maher outed Ford on his program in a segment about Cannabis legalization saying, “There are a lot of prominent people … I’m not going to mention any names – Harrison Ford, Ted Turner – who smoke a lot of pot and need to stand up!” While Ford has never admitted publicly to a love for consuming Cannabis, there are many more anecdotes from those who have worked with him through the years about it. From Greg Proops’ story of Ford vaporizing it out of a kitchen saucepan (while riding in a Jaguar through London during the filming of “The Phantom Menace”) to the alleged tales of Ford and Shia LaBeouf’s Dad Jeffery having a smoke-out on the set of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” While it’s true that Ford has never admitted publicly to a love for Cannabis, these stories from those around him certainly paint a picture of someone with a long relationship with the plant. Perhaps it says something about the unfortunate staying power of prohibition and its legacy that now, even with the tide turning on acceptance of this powerful salve for society’s woes, that some of our biggest celebrities still feel the need to stay in the dark about their use of Cannabis.
STORY by PACER STACKTRAIN for LEAF NATION
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ALIAVOLZ The history of the medical marijuana movement is paved with untold stories like the one author Alia Volz has now brought to light with her new memoir, “Home Baked.”
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In the book (out in paperback on April 20, 2021), Volz reveals and celebrates the work of her mother, Meridy, who for decades ran a beloved Bay Area brownie operation known as Sticky Fingers. Defying capture, Meridy and Volz’s father were also instrumental in providing Cannabis to HIV/AIDS patients and satiated their artistic tendencies by decorating each week’s brownie bag with a unique illustration. “Home Baked” serves as a worthy tribute to Volz’s parents, who are still with us, as well as to the larger bravery of those who risked prison to help others in need. feb. 2021
What is your book about and what inspired you to write it? My folks had the first high-volume Cannabis
edibles business in San Francisco – probably the first in California – to operate at that size. It started in the 1970s. By the time I was born in 1977, they were distributing upwards of 10,000 brownies per month throughout the city, to all of these different subcultures and various neighborhoods in San Francisco. Then, when the AIDS crisis hit at the beginning of the 1980s, Sticky Fingers transitioned into being part of the dawn of the medical marijuana movement. In writing “Home Baked,” I had the opportunity to tell the story of the progression from party drug to palliative medicine, as we think of Cannabis now, through this very personal lens and through the AIDS crisis.
Now that we’re a few years into adult-use sales, we’re at risk of forgetting about the risky, largely untold story of Cannabis as it existed prior to Prop 215, and later, Prop 64. Was that part of your inspiration for writing this book? To ensure your mother’s legacy and work was recognized? To a
certain extent. I decided to bring this project to light in the lead up to the passing of Proposition 64, which legalized adult recreational use in California. One thing that I noticed was that in the conversations that were being had about Cannabis, at that time, there
in the group would design original packaging and it became like this underground comic. It was always some social commentary or a reflection on the politics of the day, or whatever was going on astrologically.
“Home Baked” is also in the process of being adapted for the screen. What can you say about the project?
The story has been optioned by [J.J. Abrams’ production company] Bad Robot for a television series. I’m actually working on developing the show with a co-writer that Bad Robot hired. I’m involved, though to what extent still remains to be seen as there are many people involved and so many variables. It hasn’t been sold to a network yet, but we’re getting ready to pitch.
What are some of the elements of your memoir you hope this potential series is able to capture? I feel
like there hasn’t really been a film or television series that encompasses both the wholesomeness and the community strength that is so evident – and always has been – in Cannabis culture with the seriousness of mind that it takes to run a successful cannabusiness. Especially in the days when it was illegal and involved extreme risk. We’ve had shows like “Weeds” and “High Maintenance” and a few others, but they all tend to focus on the silliness of the culture. Basically, the Cheech and Chong stoner stereotype: people who are so spaced out that they can barely tie their shoes and hilarity ensues. There is certainly an aspect of Cannabis culture that is fun-loving like that, sure, but in my experience, having grown up in that world, it took a lot of savvy and courage and determination – and a really keen business sense – to pull off a significant underground cannabusiness like the one that my folks had. My parents were hippies, but they were not space cadets. So, having grown up steeped in Cannabis culture, I’m really eager to see a show that acknowledges that people who are successful in this world have skills and talents that would also translate successfully to anything else. It’s a real business that takes real, serious-minded people to accomplish it, especially when it was new and it was trailblazing. That’s really important to me.
“In writing “Home Baked,” I had the opportunity to tell the story of the progression from party drug to palliative medicine, as we think of Cannabis now, through this very personal lens and through the AIDS crisis.” wasn’t a lot of attention being paid to the role of AIDS activism in bringing us the access that we now have to Cannabis. For me, that was really the incentive. I came into the project knowing that my family had a deep involvement in that history, but to be completely honest with you, I hadn’t realized when I began working on this book just how much of a pioneer my mom was. I had this great window into the Cannabis culture of the ‘70s and ‘80s, and the evolution of Cannabis culture and medical marijuana, and I knew that my mom played an important role. But I didn’t realize just how pioneering and how original the work she was doing was. Once I dug into the material and got into the research, I realized that nobody was really operating on the scale that she was back then. It’s interesting because my mom didn’t really think of herself as a pioneer. She was making her decisions on a daily basis and trying to do what she thought was right while also avoiding the law. I think she was just happy to get away with it, to be honest with you.
Tell me about the legacy of Sticky Fingers’ brownie bags! People actually collected them, right? Almost
all of the people involved with Sticky Fingers brownies back in the ‘70s, including my parents, were artists – so it became like an arts collective. Every week, somebody
I also want to emphasize that at least as far as Northern California Cannabis culture goes, or at least the culture that I’ve known – it’s always been very driven by strong, business-minded women. I feel like there is a stereotype or misconception that Cannabis is a man’s world that women are just starting to break into. We focus on new women in weed and how to empower women in cannabusiness, but in my experience, the growers and dealers have always largely been women. It goes back to the plants themselves, of course – we’re talking about a female plant, after all. I’d also emphasize that, because this business started during the 1970s, which was a time when it was not so easy for women to gain a foothold and to be taken seriously as businesswomen, Cannabis was an avenue for female-driven businesses. That’s important to look at as well. Then, of course, always with this story, to explore the gravity, the strength and the intense community power that revealed itself during the HIV/AIDS epidemic. I feel like that has yet to be represented in its fullness, in the context of a mass market television show.
The story of Sticky Fingers brownies and the Volz family’s adventures have been chronicled in newspapers and magazines around the world, and in spellbinding longform radio broadcasts on NPR’s Fresh Air and Snap Judgement. Meridy Volz
“I came into the project knowing that my family had a deep involvement in that history, but to be completely honest with you, I hadn’t realized when I began working on this book just how much of a pioneer my mom was.” @ALIAVOLZZZ ALIAVOLZ.COM
“Home Baked: My Mom, Marijuana, and the Stoning of San Francisco” by Alia Volz | $16.99; Mariner Books indiebound.org/book/9780358505020
STORY by ZACK RUSKIN @ZACKRUSKIN for LEAF NATION | PORTRAIT by DENNIS HEARNE @MRLUCKYSF, PHOTO COURTESY MERIDY VOLZ
interview
W H O ’ S Y O U R FAV O R I T E B U D T E N D E R ? T E L L U S W H Y ! E M A I L N O M I N A T I O N S T O J O S H @ A K L E A F . C O M
RYLEE WEIS
ALASKA LEAF BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH ALASKAN THROUGH AND THROUGH, Rylee is hardwired to breathe in that northern air by keeping active indoors and out. Taking care of the mind, body and spirit is her motto. And budtending is just the beginning for this eternal optimist, as her holistic journey is powered by Cannabis and teaching the good people of Alaska that lighting up or consuming an edible belongs in the self-care category. Follow her on Instagram @rylleee18.
"MY GRANDPA WAS QUADRIPLEGIC AND USED THE PLANT IN PLACE OF OPIOIDS TO MANAGE HIS PAIN, SO MY FIRST EXPOSURE WAS TOWARD THE MEDICAL ASPECT OF IT."
HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN CANNABIS WAS LEGALIZED AND WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS ON IT? I was just
graduating from high school and you’re always thinking about your future and your dreams, so I was excited about the world changing quickly, with the intent of jumping on board as soon as possible. Mostly though, I was happy for my family members who used Cannabis as a pain reliever. My Grandpa was quadriplegic and used the plant in place of opioids to manage his pain, so my first exposure was toward the medical aspect of it.
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AT WHAT AGE DID YOU GET INTO THE BIZ? A couple months after my 21st birthday, a friend of mine who was working at a dispensary in downtown Anchorage said they were looking for a budtender and within a week I got my handler’s license and was hired. I surprised myself by the amount of knowledge I already had for the new smoker, or the experienced smoker. Of course, I had to learn things about cultivation and who my favorites are, but I knew the basic terminology to guide people to what they needed. IS GRANDPA STILL WITH US? Sadly, no.
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DO YOU THINK HE WOULD BE PROUD OF YOU? I do. Because we kids were so young then – we were kind of shielded from Cannabis, but growing up in Palmer I definitely knew what weed was and what it smelled like, so they couldn’t hide it completely. I still talk to him every day, think about him every day – he’s why I am where I am now in the business, so I thank him for that.
THE TUFTED PUFFIN
THETUFTEDPUFFIN.COM 216 4TH AVE # 1/2, SEWARD (907) 224-2222
feb. 2021
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS? Owning my own Cannabis empire. I am for all sorts of healing – so I like yoga, massage, acupuncture, and lots of body work. I’ve worked for spas before, so I’d like to make some sort of product that people can use in their everyday life, whether that is using it for a topical, body, bath … something along those lines. DO YOU SNOWBOARD OR SKI? I ski. DO YOU GO BIG? Not yet.
INTERVIEW by MIKE RICKER @RICKERDJ | PHOTO by @ADVENTUREATLASCREATIVE
WillsWorldAlaska.com WillsWorld_ak@outlook.com @wills_world_extracts
garden highlight
Bristol Bay Bud Company
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ICHARD AND HEATHER ALLEN didn’t plan on working in the Cannabis industry. Heather has taught mathematics all around the world, while her husband Richard worked on the railroad. After bouncing around the United States and the Middle East for a number of years, Heather was offered an opportunity to teach math at the University of Alaska Fairbanks remote campus in Dillingham. So, the duo packed their bags and left Qatar for the Bush. For three years, while Heather taught, Richard commercially fished. During their tenure, Richard says he and his wife became ensconced in the community and found themselves, like many villagers, struggling to find affordable, high-quality Cannabis.
Surveying the Veg Room Owner Richard Allen shows off his tattoos.
Bristol Bay Bud Company's cultivation center. From L-R Head Cultivator Dustin "New Guy" Campisi, Owner Richard Allen, and Office Manager James Burkham. “I’d hear stories about people paying $100 for sticks and stems,” says Richard. “It really bugged [Heather and me] that people in the Bush were getting mistreated and overpriced, so we decided to do something about it.” In June 2019, the Allens opened the Bristol Bay Bud Company, which became the region’s first retail Cannabis store. They worked hard to keep the store stocked with shatters, sugar wax, resin, edibles, CBD products and flowers. However, they realized that the only way to really regulate the prices of Cannabis at their dispensary was to grow their own products. By August 2020, just over a year after opening their first dispensary, the Allens opened the doors of their Wasilla-based cultivation facility. The 2,400-square-foot facility is the brainchild of Richard, who combined his knowledge of construction with his engineering background, and then with the computer modeling experience of his second-in-command, Dustin Campisi. “I met Richard five years ago, and he let me in on how he had plans for a store and grow. I told him I could do CAD work, and that’s how I started with him,” explains Campisi. “But everything you see in here is from Richard’s brain. I was just his minion helping to bring it to life.” Although Richard and Campisi had experience
working with small homegrows, tents for so long, but this is a neither had ever run a commerwhole different ballgame.” “Together, me and cial cultivation. Richard’s fearlessness also “Together, me and my growers extends plants he’s my growers have decided toto the have about 36 years of growing cultivate – the experience, but this was a differabout 36 years of most infamous of which is ent thing. We did a lot of research Titty Sprinkles (our Strain of growing experiand a lot of trial and error bethe Month pg 24). cause everything about the facility “She’s a horrible bitch to ence, but this was was DIY,” says Richard. grow, and we’re still learning a different thing. From the coco bricks Richard’s the best way to grow her. But staff manually break and hydrate mark my words, she’s going We did a lot of in-house to the PVC rollers used to be a star,” laughs Richard. research and a lot to construct sliding tables in his While Richard and his team flower room, it’s obvious Richmay still be honing in on their of trial and error unique growing strategy, they ard’s creative mind is all over the Bristol Bay Bud Company’s are resolute on one thing: because everyapproach to growing. It’s also Cannabis is medicine. thing about the evident that Richard is not afraid “I watched my uncle battle to make mistakes and adjust facility was DIY.” cancer for 15 years, and the accordingly. one thing that helped him RICHARD ALLEN “We started out growing 15 was Cannabis,” says Richard, strains, but five of them didn’t who uses Cannabis to help like our facility, so we got rid of them. Right now, treat his own arthritis. “That’s why we nicknamed we are growing some bigger plants, but we may this place ‘The Pharm,’ because I really believe transition to some smaller ones. We’re still figuring that Cannabis is natural medicine.” out how to optimize the facility,” says Richard. “You BRISTOLBAYBUDCOMPANY.COM know, we’ve been growing in closets, garages and
STORY & PHOTOS by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS/ALASKA LEAF
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SUSUN WEED aklEAF.COM
“I speak for the Wise Woman Tradition,” she said, “which nourishes the wholeness of the unique individual. My aim is to restore herbal medicine to its rightful place as people’s medicine.” Her physical school, the Wise Woman Center — just outside of Woodstock, NY — and her online school - wisewomanschool.com - offer a wide variety of courses designed to help you learn herbal medicine your way. Susun has graduated more than a thousand live-in and live-out shamanic herbal apprentices, including 15 this year. Many elect to be initiated as green witches.
It’`s not often you get to meet a witch. And Susun Weed is no ordinary witch, but a High Priestess of the Dianic Wicca tradition. She is also a teacher, mentor, author, speaker and most importantly, a Wise Woman.
feb. 2021
It was a mild, drizzly day in early November and Susun was supposed to be in Katmandu, but due to the pandemic all of her travel plans had been cancelled. “Thank you COVID, I am not off to Nepal!” she said. “Or damn you COVID! Whichever it is, hard to say.” This year all of her invitations to speak or teach have been through virtual conferences. The first time I saw her was at an online seminar series in October on psychedelics and sacred medicines. There she recalled her experiences in the ‘60s with psychedelics –– seminal meetings with people like Richard Alpert aka Ram Dass in Westchester, NY –– and spoke about plants and her relationship with them. Patch Adams, a physician and social activist whose life story was portrayed by Robin Williams in the film that bears his name, wrote the introduction to Susun’s latest book, “Abundantly Well: Seven Medicines. The Complementary Integrated Medicine Revolution.”
“An important thing about Susun,” he wrote, “is that she invites you to a wholeworld utopia where your health may be a political act. If we are to find solutions to all the horrors in the world, they (the solutions) will sprout from Wise Women.” And for many states, including New York, Connecticut and New Hampshire, the consumption of Cannabis can still be perceived as an act of political defiance. “Cannabis has been demonized,” said Susun. “And it’s only in the past five to 10 years that it’s actually coming into its own as an herbal medicine. Especially for someone at my age, in my mid-70s, there is that overhang –– ‘they’re going to take your house away, they’re going to throw you in jail, they’re going to take your kids away from you’ –– if you have anything to do with Cannabis. And that is certainly disappearing. I am a legal card-carrying Cannabis user in New York State. It’s weird,” she laughed. “Nice weird. To go into a store and say, ‘I’ll have some of that and some of that.’” Her last name Weed is not an intentional Cannabis branding effort, but does involve a long story of divorce, a mountain, a shared mailbox, and dropping a letter or two for a last name she could claim as her own and get her mail. “Since I am the champion of the weeds, it fit,” she said. “And how wonderful that ‘the weed’ –– Cannabis –– is resuming, along with herbal medicine, its rightful place.” When we met, Susun suggested a walk into the woods surrounding her home near Woodstock. No, she did not lead me to a gingerbread house, but there was some storytelling and magic. Her first story began with a plant, but it wasn’t Cannabis. “According to Grandmother Twylah Nitsch, who adopted me into the Wolf Clan of the Seneca Nation, First Woman
was working in her garden one day and pulled up a plant by mistake,” said Susun. “The plant she pulled up was the Tree of Life, and it created a big hole that she fell through. At that time the Earth was all water. The beings of the water were concerned that First Woman was falling and had no where to land. Turtle, after all others failed, managed to dive deep enough to bring up earth for First Woman (and the rest of us) to settle on. “So we live on Turtle Island,” said Susun. “This sedimentary rock, bluestone, that we stand on, was created by that first ocean. You are walking on ancient, ancient history.” Mythology and reality continued to converge as we reached a small clearing and stopped. “Here we are at a crossroads,” said Susun, pointing to three different paths ahead of us. “There’s a lot of magic that happens at a crossroads, both symbolically and literally in our lives. The goddess of the crossroads is Trivia, and Trivia is also another name for Hecate, the goddess of the coming of the dark.” Of the three paths, one was not an option. “We cannot go straight ahead because that is the fairy path and this land has a place devoted to the fairies, who are the agents of chaos. And so anything that is at ease with chaos can go there, and that exempts human beings. We are not at ease with chaos.” Of the remaining two paths, one was steep and slippery; the other, to the right, was the flat fairy bypass. She asked me to choose. I chose the fairy bypass, mainly out of concern for her safety. And I wanted her thoughts on Cannabis, the pandemic and what we should do for the future.
“I find that Cannabis wisely used can help us open our eyes and look at ourselves, and look at each other,” said Susun. “I think that’s the big Rx that we’re going to need. I often say Cannabis is a magnifier –– it’s not a changer. If you give Bob Dylan Cannabis he’s not going to become a bum. And if you give a bum Cannabis he’s not going to write incredible music. So whoever you are, Cannabis can magnify that for you. If you don’t like you, well then, now you’re on your own shamanic journey, aren’t you! So how can you widen and strengthen your social connections while isolating? It’s quite the Koan, the Zen riddle. Cannabis can be a wonderful ally, a green ally, in doing that. It’s not a drug. It’s a plant.”
“I find that Cannabis wisely used can help us open our eyes and look at ourselves, and look at each other,” said Susun. “I think that’s the big Rx that we’re going to need.” Susun’s website offers a free course, “Healthy Immune Systems: Corona Virus Help,” as well as a variety of other offerings. Susun’s YouTube channel “WiseWomanTradition” has over 40k subscribers and 300+ videos; and her latest book, “Abundantly Well: Seven Medicines. The Complementary Integrated Medicine Revolution,” is available on Amazon. WiseWomanSchool.com youtube: WiseWomanTradition
STORY by GILBERT GJERSVIK for LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by JUSTINE ADELAIDE SMYTHE @SMYTHEHOUSEPROPERTIES
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TITTYSPRI
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STRAIN OF THE MONTH
A high with a whole heap of oomph.
DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER – IT’S AN OLD ADAGE THAT NEARLY EVERYONE HAS USED AT LEAST ONCE. IN THE CASE OF TITTY SPRINKLES, IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS NO BETTER WAY TO SUMMARIZE SUCH AN ENIGMATIC BUD.
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INKLES GROWN BY BRISTOL BAY BUD COMPANY
B R I S TO L B AY B U D CO M PA N Y.CO M
umored to be named in honor of breast cancer survivors, Titty Sprinkles is a testament to never knowing what might be hidden within. Turns out its namesake was dually fitting, as it is one tricky beast to grow. Described by its cultivator, Bristol Bay Bud Company, as a “horrible little bitch that is sure to be a star,” Titty Sprinkles proves that sometimes the most obstinate plants can be the most worthwhile to grow and consume. Bred by Secret Society Seed Co., Titty Sprinkles is an indica leaning mix of Grease Monkey and Purple Punch 2.0. Its buds are noticeably small in stature due to its unique growing pattern that can see as many as six buds on a tiny node. Because of its petite size, Titty Sprinkles has a subtle aroma that can be difficult to discern at first. It took several broken nugs for us to pick up on the hints of pine and lemon that are characteristic of the strain. It was a little bit like walking past a pine sapling while drinking a lemon La Croix. While Titty Sprinkles may be light on aroma, it produces a high with a whole heap of oomph. At 24.73% THC, the effects hit in instantaneous fashion. We found ourselves lulled into a peaceful state and, much to the chagrin of our roommates, way more chatty than usual. But hey, sometimes you just need to talk in-depth about the merits of Kraft Mac & Cheese. Once we settled the macaroni debate, we experienced an unexpected energy boost that left us feeling creative and ready to take on the world – or at least Season One of Bridgerton. All in all, Titty Sprinkles is a delight to behold, with surprises at every turn. Just make sure you hide your snacks (or don’t) before you light up, as Titty Sprinkles is sure to cause an insatiable case of the munchies.
24.73% THC | Indica-Dominant Hybrid
REVIEW by ALASKA LEAF STAFF | PHOTO by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS
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Essential!
the ESSENTIAL issue
ABOUT THE SPECIAL
Shortly after the COVID crisis careened into our lives like a flaming truck packed with irradiated skunk carcasses, something happened that no one could have predicted: Our fearful leaders declared the Cannabis industry essential to the survival of our society. Essential. That word carries weight. It shoulders everything it touches with necessary gravity.
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For those whose lives are impacted by the plant, it can be a matter of the quality of life, and even the difference between life and death. feb. 2021
But what does it mean to be essential? And why does the Cannabis community – until recent years the green-clad parolee at the family dinner table – suddenly merit the classification from the same governmental bodies that once sought to destroy it? Let’s start with easily measurable metrics. In 2020, the estimated employment statistic for the adult-use Cannabis industry neared 300,000, according to a July report by MJ Biz Daily. That’s up from 211,000 in 2019. That same report models those stats to hit more than half a million legally employed, tax-paying workers in the Cannabis sector by 2024. It’s a staggering figure, when you consider it only accounts for legal-market states, and doesn’t take into account employment in the unregulated Cannabis market, which is exponentially greater, but much harder to track. That’s a lot of bills paid and people fed – something this country needs, desperately. For more easily identifiable proof of the indispensability of indica, look at the money. In its first year of adult-use, Cannabis hit $1billion in combined sales in Illinois, according to figures from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. And that’s on a base of only 82 licensed dispensaries. If that seems like a huge number, look at California during the same timespan. The state clocked more than $1 billion in Cannabis tax revenue alone, according to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, from total sales estimated to exceed $5 billion. That’s a lot of cabbage. But the concept of essentialism goes beyond mere money. For those whose lives are impacted by the plant, it can be a matter of the quality of life, and even the difference between life and death. In the following pages, we explore the concept of Cannabis essentialism by taking a close look at fine details in the fabric of the grand tapestry. We speak with a teenage racecar driver and NASCAR hopeful from Maryland whose life was literally saved by Cannabis, and who pushed for legislation that improved the lives of patients all over his home state. We share the stories of individuals and families pulling up stakes and moving across the country for the promise of a career and a paycheck in the legal market. We explore the past, present and future of public consumption and the concept of cannabinoids as medicine. In this, our first Essential Issue, we attempt to identify and define some of the ways in which Cannabis has become indispensable in all of our lives.
STORY by TOM BOWERS @PROPAGATECONSULTANTS/LEAF NATION | PHOTO by ADOBE/WOLLERTZ
the ESSENTIAL issue
Connor’s Courage Three years ago, teenage racecar driver Connor Sheffield was in a sprint for his life. Plagued since early childhood with a progressive disease that rendered him unable to digest food, Sheffield approached his 13th birthday at a withered 74 pounds.
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But his is not a tragic story. The tale of 16-year-old Sheffield is one of a young man driven to win against overwhelming opposition. It’s a story of survival, of the strength of family, and of beating the odds. It has racecars, heroic budtenders, inspiring speeches – and more racecars. And at the center of it all is Cannabis.
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DRIVEN BY A DIAGNOSIS
Sheffield and his family spent his childhood struggling with the fact that he simply couldn’t eat. “We thought it was just normal,” said Tricia Sheffield, Connor’s mom. “You know, like someone has acid reflux or something. But as Connor got older, things just kept getting progressively worse.” Connor wasn’t thriving and despite their best efforts, the experts at esteemed medical facilities couldn’t offer hope. The doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital diagnosed him with Gastrointestinal Motility Pseudo Obstruction and Dysphagia, a progressive disease that has no cure or treatment plan. In and out of the hospital, he underwent several procedures and had to have portions of his bowels removed. He had to be put on a feeding tube and when that stopped working, he had to be fed intravenously. Sheffield couldn’t find hope. Then, at the age of nine, his parents suggested racing. “When I was younger, I played baseball, I played football, I was going to get into lacrosse,” Sheffield said.
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“But because my medical conditions were getting worse and worse, I couldn’t perform. I couldn’t participate. We didn’t know that racing required a lot of strength and endurance – so we got into it, and then we found out.” In a life marked by fatigue and struggle, racing drove Sheffield forward. “I love the speed, the competition, the people you meet – everything,” said Sheffield. “I even love the stress that comes with it … There’s something about going to the track.” LIFE-SAVING MEDICINE
Though driving a racecar helped, hope sustains the mind, not the body. Racing, which was far more physically demanding than the Sheffields predicted it would be, started to take its toll. Connor considered quitting. “We thought that if he gave up on racing, that he would give up on himself,” Tricia said. It was then that a friend named Bobby Windsor directed them to his medical Cannabis dispensary in Perryville, Maryland – aptly named Nature’s Care and Wellness. “She had come to her wits end,” Windsor said of Tricia. “I just said, ‘You have to come in. You have to give it a try.’”
The Sheffields were doubtful. “At first I was against it,” Tricia said. “I didn’t think it was medicine – I thought it was a way to get high.” After Windsor’s urging and a little research, they paid a visit to the dispensary. “Connor was so sick that day, he could barely keep his head up,” Tricia said. “He was falling asleep at the table. They had someone who worked at the dispensary who also used Cannabis for (gastrointestinal) issues. They told me, ‘This is going to help him, and he’s going to get better.’ And I was like, ‘You can’t tell me that. Because he’s dying on me, and you can’t tell me that. We’ve been to hospitals and doctors all over, and they couldn’t help us. So how can you help us?’” The budtender answered their questions and the Sheffields procured a Cannabis tincture from Windsor’s shop. To hear the Sheffields and Windsor tell it, the change was miraculous. “After about 25 minutes of him taking it, he started pepping up,” Tricia said. “He was like a wilting flower and he just started coming to life. He told me he was hungry and wanted to eat.” Sheffield’s first solid meal in years was a cheeseburger. “I don’t want to say we saved his life, but it’s a good feeling,” Windsor said. “I cry every once in a while, thinking about it.”
Off the track, Connor strapped in for another contest. This time, he was fighting to allow Cannabis medicine in schools.
SURPASSING THE STIGMA
For the first month of Cannabis treatment, the Sheffields kept Connor’s medication a secret from everyone – including his doctors, for fear of backlash. “At 30 days, we brought him in and they were like, ‘Wow, he’s doing great,’” Tricia said. “And that’s when we decided to tell them that he was using medical Cannabis. They said, ‘Wow! Really? Well, whatever it is that you’re doing, we’re going to tell you to keep doing it.’” It was a turning point. “For the first three months or so, I didn’t want to believe that it was working,” Connor said. “But I felt the improvements and I saw the weight gain. And I went and saw my doctors, and then I saw them less and less, and now I only see them every six or seven months if I have issues.”
After a while, people stopped giving him sideeye at the track. The crowds and other racers have even been supportive, and Sheffield’s Crew Chief, Kris Reardon, says Connor has never been stronger. “People even secretly ask me about Cannabis and ask me how they can use it to help their medical condition,” Connor said. KEEPING CANNABIS IN THE SCHOOLS
Off the track, Connor strapped in for another contest. This time, he was fighting to allow Cannabis medicine in schools. “Whenever I felt as though I needed my medication, I would text my parents,” Connor said. “They would drive to school, take me out of class, and I’d need to walk off of school property completely, down the street, take my medication, walk back to the school, and walk back to class. It was a lot to THE WRECK THAT NEVER CAME do. It’s even a mouthful to explain.” After years of racing dirt sprint cars, Connor The situation was untenable. The Sheffields came on as a developmental driver on the CMI connected with Maryland State Senator Brian FeldMotorsports team in the NASCAR Advance Auto man, a former lawyer for the Department of Justice Part Weekly Series (late model cars). who sits on the Marijuana One would think that Cannabis could Legalization Work Group complicate Connor’s NASCAR dreams. for the State General Early on, the Sheffields recall a race Assembly. Sen. Feldman in Texas where they were forced to tape started working on MD over all of the logos for their primary HB331, a bill nicknamed sponsor, a dispensary. “Connor’s Courage,” “We just felt like people were just which would allow the waiting for Connor to wreck,” Tricia staff at public schools in said. “All eyes were on Connor that Maryland to adminisShown here racing for Mindbuzz ter Cannabis medicine weekend.” at Hickory Motor Speedway in Sept. Connor laughs, “I actually ended during the schoolday, as 2020, Connor was recently named up doing pretty well. They didn’t know they would with any other Cannabis Patient Advocate of the what to expect. They thought I was legal medicine. Year by Explore Maryland Cannabis. going to wreck people. They thought I “Finding a way to help was going to be high.” these kids out was the Ever since starting with Cannabis, Sheffield’s primary motive for getting into it,” Sen. Feldman strength and skills have improved significantly. said. “Connor is one of the kids to beat in the dirt Sen. Feldman introduced the Sheffields to Gil series,” Tricia said. “They come to try to beat ConGenn, a lobbyist whose office is covered with picnor. To have people look at him and think, ‘I hope tures of him rubbing elbows with the most powerful I can beat him tonight,’ that’s a great feeling.” U.S. politicians of the past 50 years.
“So I got the call from Tricia,” Genn said, “and she described Connor’s Courage, Connor’s Law, and she said, ‘We need help.’ I said, ‘It would be my honor.’” At the outset, school officials opposed the bill because they worried it would endanger their federal funding. They came up with excuses. “They said, ‘Aside from all of the Connor and Lobbyist liability issues … We have no idea Gil Genn helped pass and no training on how to give this Connor’s Law. medicine,’” Genn said. “They needed to have a task force to train on how to give drops of a tincture.” Genn said that during the hearing, he provided a list of the various medications school staffers were permitted to administer on school grounds. Then, Genn finished with a flourish – he brought in a bottle of simulated Cannabis tincture and stood there, cheekily explaining to a roomful of adults how to use a dropper. “I had people slapping their desks and laughing. It just blew them out of the water. That was the turning point, I think.” Sen. Feldman recalls another tide-shifting moment during the hearing, when a young epileptic Cannabis patient started having a seizure. “His mother put something under the child’s tongue and he calmed,” Sen. Feldman said. “It wasn’t about smoking, or pulling out a bong.” In the end, the bill passed both the House and Senate with nearly unanimous bipartisan support. “At heart, these kids had severe ailments,” Sen. Feldman said. “There was a way to help them go to school. And why would we not allow them access to something that was legal in our state?” Now, Connor and patients like him in Maryland have safe access to their essential medicine during school hours. And to think it all started with a family taking the advice of a budtender. “I am so glad that we did,” Tricia said. “I don’t know what would have happened to Connor, if I didn’t just forget what I’d been taught my whole life about Cannabis being horrible, and just try it. Because now, Connor’s surviving – and he’s thriving.”
STORY by TOM BOWERS @PROPAGATECONSULTANTS/LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by ERIC KAYNE @PHOTOKAYNE & COURTESY SHEFFIELD FAMILY
the ESSENTIAL issue
uprooted ON THE MOVE FOR THE PLANT
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Whether searching for compassionate policy, seeking industry opportunity or fleeing persecution, Cannabis has people pulling up roots and planting new seeds all over the country. ORIGINALLY FROM Salt Lake City, Jenn Doe fled the archaic and prohibitive Cannabis laws of Utah to Washington to ply her trade as a grower and hash-maker. She thrived under the medical marijuana program and eventually won the High Times NorCal Cannabis Cup in 2014, becoming the only woman to win the award for solventless hash – made by her from plants she grew herself. The offers should have rolled in for a “The amount of money champion extract artist, and yet she felt it takes to have a stifled by the restrictions that had been business there, versus imposed on caregivers after recreational being a functioning legalization passed in 2012. caregiver business Jenn promptly moved to Massachuhere in Maine is setts for a year to grow and wash her changing significant, and it’s not flowers in peace, until the laws there policies nearly as saturated of changed as well. A business opportunity a market.” arose and once again, she wound up back in Washington working for Gavita Lighting. Upon their acquisition and the subsequent restructuring of the company, Utah to Washington she decided to again relocate – this time to the state of Maine. to Massachusetts to Why Maine? Jenn tells me, “I couldn’t do anything in the Washington to Maine Pacific Northwest without serious investment, due to the laws, or I would have to work for someone else – which I’d rather by Dan Vinkovetsky @dannydankoht not. The amount of money it takes to have a business there, versus being a functioning caregiver business here in Maine is significant, and it’s not nearly as saturated of a market.” As recreational legalization sometimes guts medical patient protections, Jenn finds the caregiver laws to be more reasonable for the mom n’ pops and small businesses, and the irony doesn’t escape her. She laughs as she tells me, “Each of my moves corresponds to the shift from medical to recreational. … All I know is I will continue to seek favorable conditions for farming and hashmaking on a boutique scale, because that’s who I am and that’s what I want to do!”
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JENN DOE
feb. 2021
industry opportunity
GIDDYUP Oklahoma to Colorado to California to Nevada to Oklahoma
by Bobby Black @bobbyblack420
AS THE founder of Emotek, Jayson “Giddyup” Emo is the mohawked marijuana mogul behind 2012’s groundbreaking OBE-DOS closed-loop butane extraction system that immediately became the industry standard. He’s also the co-creator of live resin – the wildly popular style of concentrate that has taken the market by storm (and that his machine made possible). Giddy originally hails from Oklahoma – a state that, just a few years ago, had some of the strictest pot laws in the nation. Over the past decade, Giddyup “When you move has moved from state to state to a new state with several times, always for reasons big plans, all that shit related to Cannabis. First, in 2010, typically goes out the he moved from Oklahoma City to window when you get Longmont, Colorado with the idea there,” he chuckles. of growing weed for dispensaries, but that plan didn’t quite pan out. “When you move to a new state with big plans, all that shit typically goes out the window when you get there,” he chuckles. Building on the success of his extractors, in 2015 he launched his own brand of concentrates: Giddyup Extracts. After having established himself as an industry leader in Colorado, Giddy set out to bring his equipment and expertise to other legal states. First, he spent a few years in Nevada setting up licensing deals and selling to that market. Then in 2017, he moved to Hollywood to consult in the California market, which he described as a nightmare. In 2018, Giddy moved back to Oklahoma and established a 20,000-square-foot greenhouse grow, followed by his own dispensary named Giddy’s OKC, which opened in January 2019. According to Giddy, states that are new to legalization are a smarter move for those seeking employment in the Cannabis industry.
industry opportunity
RYAN SMITH
CHECK OUT LEAF LIFE EPISODE #97 Cannabis MIGRATION ON ALL MAJOR PLATFORMS AND LEAFLIFEPODCAST.COM
California to Alaska by O’Hara Shipe @shipeshots
fleeing persecution
THE STADLERS Texas to Colorado
by Bobby Black @bobbyblack420
MIKE STADLER used to live in the small town of After returning home from Copperas Cove, Texas with his wife Sheena and the Denver Cannabis Cup their five-year-old son Kayden. An HVAC tech by in April 2014, they learned trade, Stadler sold weed on the side, as well as plainclothes police had growing a few plants for personal medicinal use. been snooping around Stadler also made an effort to set a good example their property. and help his community by starting a community vegetable garden in a vacant lot he called Grow Your Own. The garden was a hit around the neighborhood, but ended up drawing scrutiny from law enforcement. First, City Hall changed local ordinances forcing them to shut down the garden. Next, after returning home from the Denver Cannabis Cup in April 2014, they learned plainclothes police had been snooping around their property. Then police tried bullying Sheena into letting them search their home without a warrant. A few days later, eight cop cars returned, accompanied by Child Protective Services. Luckily, she was out shopping at the time. After being advised by their lawyer that they could likely lose custody of their son, the couple made a fast and fateful decision: They hurriedly packed a few bags, got in their car, and fled to Greely, Colorado. “I don’t regret it at all,” says Stadler of the move. “I don’t have sleepless nights anymore, where I’m worried about whether a noise I hear is the police at my door, or if I get pulled over that I’m going to go to jail.” Though CPS in Colorado was obligated to pay them a follow-up visit, Stadler had no trouble getting the accusations dismissed. “I told them the whole story and they said, ‘We’ve had other families move here for the same situation … if anybody calls from Texas with any more complaints, we’ll tell them to screw off because you live in Colorado now.”
FORMER PRO-SNOWBOARDER Ryan Smith has had his fair share of adversity to overcome. Whether it was the end of his athletic career or a tragic accident while firefighting, he has found ways to exemplify the Japanese proverb, “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.” But Cannabis has challenged the California-native in ways he never anticipated. “I am completely self-taught and I have made a lot of mistakes over the years,” says Smith. “You know, it’s kind of been just trial and error – and Nothing could have screwing up a lot.” prepared Smith His dedication to his craft paid off for what he would when he relocated in 2018 to take encounter on June 16, over the position of Lead Cultivator 2019, when a devasat Wasilla-based grow Scorpion tating fire engulfed Grass. “I always wanted to live in the farm in flames. Alaska, so when the opportunity came up, I jumped and haven’t looked back,” says Smith. But nothing could have prepared Smith for what he would encounter on June 16, 2019, when a devastating fire engulfed the farm in flames. With nothing left to do but watch as his hard work went up in a cloud of smoke, Smith says he felt the pangs of despair. The next day, the flames extinguished, Smith walked through the gardens to see if anything could be saved. It was in this devastation that Smith saw a small glimmer of hope. “I had to walk through [the garden] and take cuttings of some of the plants so we could save the genetics. And then I saw a piece of my favorite strain – Ice Cream Cake – literally growing out from underneath these old burned trusses from the roof. It was this real sentimental moment when I took that clone,” says Smith. The clone has since developed into one of Scorpion Grass’ signature strains, Attic Fire, and is the living representation of Smith’s moxie.
STORY by LEAF NATION CONTRIBUTORS | ICONS by THE NOUN PROJECT Air travel Olena Panasovska | Moving Luis Prado | Cannabis KonKapp | Fire Vladimir Belochkin
the ESSENTIAL issue
The evolution of socializing will include consumption in public meeting places.
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LOUNGING AROUNd T
he moment is seared into my memory. It was the mid-’90s and I was a bright-eyed 25-year-old in Amsterdam for the first time. I stepped into a “coffeeshop” and was immediately transported to a magical realm – one where I could order Cannabis from a menu and be treated like a customer instead of a criminal. Compared to what we went through back home to “score weed,” it all felt so … civilized.
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I SAT DOWN and rolled myself a joint while watching people ride by on their bicycles outside, and I knew that things would never be the same. I couldn’t go back to the way things were in the United States without doing everything I could to change it. I vowed that one day we would see consumption lounges all over the world, so that everyone could know the true feeling of freedom. The first social consumption of Cannabis dates back to ancient times. Shamans of various tribes in Central Asia, India and the Middle East burned the flowers in rituals meant to induce a trancelike state. Hashish lounges have been a staple of Nepal and Afghanistan, as well as throughout the Middle East for centuries.
s
haring a pipe, bong or joint with others has been a natural way to mix and mingle for as long as people have been getting together in groups. There were even “tea pads” for legal smokers established in the United States during alcohol prohibition. Soon however, worldwide crackdowns on Cannabis put a serious damper on social use. Fear of arrest and prosecution drove users and providers underground, and for many years, anyone wishing to share their stash with others measured the risks and proceeded with extreme caution. It wasn’t until the early 1970s, when Dutch hippies tested their country’s newfound “tolerance” to soft drugs, did a scene emerge in which Cannabis was openly sold and smoked in designated areas. The coffeeshop culture thrived in Holland and over time, Amsterdam became a destination for anyone seeking to sample a new way of Cannabis and hashish consumption. In the ‘90s, the scene spread to Spain under the guise of nonprofit In late 2019, three members private social clubs deigned for of the The Leaf team had members only. Inevitably, as laws in the opportunity to visit the U.S. and Canada were reformed, Amsterdam and enjoy in lounges sprang up in North America, the historic Cannabis coffeshop culture. including the New Amsterdam Cafe Check out the rehashed trip down in Vancouver and the HotBox Lounge memory lane in the Dec. 2019 issue: & Shop in Toronto.
Cannabis consumption lounges have flourished around the world.
The HotBox Lounge & Shop in Toronto
tinyurl.com/leafgoestoamsterdam
The New Amsterdam Cafe in Vancouver, BC
The Summit Lounge in Worchester, Mass. ADAM GLANZMAN
Though how we share Cannabis has certainly changed due to COVID-19, our desire to socialize amongst like-minded compatriots will only increase over time.
IN 2009, The World Famous Cannabis Cafe, run by Executive Director of Oregon NORML Madeline Martinez, opened up in Portland, Ore. as the first state-authorized lounge for medical cardholders. Sadly, they closed their doors in 2016, but places like Flight Lounge and Kaleafa Social Club continue the tradition, welcoming private members to consume flowers and dabs to their hearts’ delight. Longtime California activist Richard Lee launched Coffeeshop Blue Sky in Oakland, even enduring a raid by Federal law enforcement in 2012, but which opened the door for places like Moe Greens, Bloom Room and Barbary Coast Dispensary. The passage of Colorado’s Amendment 64, also in 2012, brought about clubs such as iBAKE Denver and The Speakeasy Vape Lounge, which allow members to consume Cannabis but do not permit sales. Since then, many other spots nationwide have opened their doors to patients and customers yearning for connection. In Michigan, places like Vehicle City Social in Flint and D’Mirage in Detroit create safe spaces for Cannabis consumers to relax and enjoy their buds with friends. New England staples like Tetra Hydro Club in Wakefield, R.I. and Summit Lounge in Worcester, Mass. provide a respite from the bars and nightclubs. I even visited a unique spot in Las Vegas called NuWu on Native land, which is a dispensary with a smoking lounge attached. In states where Cannabis remains illegal, lounges tend to be movable “seshes” that shift from location to location and provide makeshift booths with Cannabis products, entertainment and consumption on site. Worldwide, along with the Netherlands and Spain, there are now social clubs in New Zealand, South Africa, France, Germany and elsewhere. They are all under attack in one form or another from authorities, and the precariousness of their existence is fragile. Though how we share Cannabis has certainly changed due to COVID-19, our desire to socialize amongst like-minded compatriots will only increase over time. As responsible Cannabis consumers, it’s our obligation to continue to change the laws and push to legalize social use and consumption lounges so that we can get together and enjoy our pot in peace.
STORY by DAN VINKOVETSKY @DANNYDANKOHT/LEAF NATION | ILLUSTRATION by KELLY BJORK @KELLY_BJORK
THE ESSENTIAL ISSUE aklEAF.COM
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CBN& sLEEP CURIO WELLNESS’ INNOVATIONS
THE CONCEPT of cannabinoid therapy continues to be one of the most invigorating and promising new frontiers on the legalized Cannabis landscape. The Cannabis plant has roughly 426 chemical entities (and more than 60 cannabinoid compounds) according to the National Institute for Health, and researchers have come to find that many of those compounds react in specific, powerful ways with our bodies’ endocannabinoid system. Many of those cannabinoids have well-known and researched effects. THC provides psychoactive effects, but also helps with gastrointestinal issues, muscle relaxation and other ailments. CBD reduces inflammation and battles anxiety.
Curio Wellness’ Good Night Tablets
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A large portion of the sleep-affected community has tremendous difficulty staying asleep and gaining the benefit of a full night’s rest. But THC and CBD are a small piece of the puzzle, and as research expands, scientists will further unlock the potential of the wealth of compounds in the Cannabis plant. In short, we’re going to start seeing more effect-based products hitting the market. Curio Wellness, out of Maryland, sees the potential. The company recently released a new product, dubbed Good Night Pulse Release Tablets, in order to help with a specific issue that impacts us all: sleep. In order to help people achieve and maintain a good night’s sleep, Curio Wellness’ Good Night Tablets combine THC with CBN, a lesser-known soporific cannabinoid that in recent years has gained popularity because of its focused sleep-inducing properties. To create a product that consumers could trust, Curio Wellness partnered with SleepScore Labs to conduct an observational sleep study with 35 certified Maryland medical Cannabis patients with self-described sleep disorders, clinically testing their new Good Night Tablets. Their formulation is a 2:1 THC:CBN ratio with each tablet containing 10mg THC and 5mg CBN. Participants completed a six-week comparative study, where for the first three weeks their sleep was monitored in accordance with their existing sleep routine, including any sleep aids they already used. In the second three weeks, patients replaced their routine with use of Good Night Tablets, according to the independent study protocol. Across all phases of the study, participants sleep was monitored via the SleepScore Max Device and the completion of self surveys via the SleepScore research app. Participants were also required to stop using any other Cannabis product within three hours of bedtime, to avoid clouding the data while trialing the Good Night product.
The results were successful – according to Curio Wellness, the study showed that when taking the Good Night Tablets, patients showed marked improvement in their objective sleep metrics, as well as participant’s subjective feedback indicating improvement in overall sleep quality. The fact that the study subjects were able to stay asleep through the night is something that Curio Wellness sees as a significant factor. A large portion of the sleep-affected community has tremendous difficulty staying asleep and gaining the benefit of a full night’s rest. Falling asleep may be difficult, but staying asleep is what prevents many people from reaching REM sleep and achieving a well-rested body. Curio’s Pulse Release Technology, which allows for targeted dosages at targeted times to interact with the patient’s system, ensures that several hours after ingestion, a second wave of effects enters the body to help keep the patient asleep. This means that by taking one dose, patients feel the initial drowsy effects to help enter a state of sleep, as well as a second targeted release of the cannabinoids several hours after ingestion to help you stay asleep – greatly increasing the probability of a patient sleeping through the entire night. Curio Wellness’ approach to clinical research and product development is refreshing in an industry where many companies simply seek to market products based on trends, not on what they can actually provide to patients and consumers. Everything with Cannabis is dose-dependent around an individual’s tolerance and tied to how the plant interacts with endocannabinoid systems, and we are at the beginning of the journey to unlock what this plant can do. CURIOWELLNESS.COM | @CURIO_WELLNESS
STORY by TAYLOR MARTIN & LEAF NATION CONTRIBUTORS | ILLUSTRATION by ADOBE/ARTINSPIRING + COURTESY CURIO
“Why fly? When you can enjoy the most beautiful ride on earth”
ANCHORAGE TO HOMER June 1st-Aug 31st Monday – Friday Departs Anchorage Arctic & International – 724 W. International - Garrett’s Tesoro Cooper Landing Wild- man’s 300pm Soldotna Chamber of Commerce 500pm All times are approx. Stage Line Summer Schedule HOMER TO ANCHORAGE June 1st-Aug 31st Monday – Friday Departs Homer 830am 1242 Ocean Dr Soldotna Chamber of Commerce 1015am Cooper Landing Wildman’s 1115am
VISITING ALASKA
Sights seen from the road
SEWARD TO HOMER June 1st – August 31st Mon Wed Fri
Locally owned and operated by a Departs Seward 100pm lifelong Alaskan, Stage Line offers call ahead for pick up point passenger transportation, freight, parcel, and courier service, between Cooper Landing Wild- man’s 200pm Anchorage and the Kenai Soldotna 300pm Peninsula. Our schedule includes, All times are approx Anchorage to Homer, Cooper Landing, Soldotna, Kasilof, Ninilchik, HOMER TO SEWARD Anchor Point. Homer to Seward, June 1st - August 31st Soldotna, Cooper Landing. And any The Stage Line PO Box 353 Anchor Point, Mon Wed Fri points in between! MP flag stops AK available! Private party charters Departs Homer 1242 Ocean Dr 900am The Stage Line 1242 Ocean Dr Homer, Ak available! Reasonable rates, saves 724 W International Anchorage, Ak of Commerce time and money for travelling or your Soldotna Chamber Staging points only 1030am 907-868-3914 907-235-2252 shipping needs. Cooper Landing Wildman’s 1130 E-mail: stage.line@yahoo.com One of the top 10 most scenic www.stagelineinhomer.com highways.
concentratE OF THE MONTH
BLACK D.O.G TOP HAT CONCENTRATES
There are no two ways about it – life in Alaska has been one big, hot, steaming pile of stress since March 13, 2020. The result has many Alaskans walking around, sleep-deprived and anxious. Goodness knows homeschooling and trying to hold down a nine to five job has many parents at their wit's end. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but for those who are desperate for a good night's sleep, Top Hat Concentrates might have the answer: the widely praised Black D.O.G cartridge. TOP HAT exclusively grows all of their Cannabis indoors with all-natural materials, which means their flowers are free from harmful pesticides. When it comes to their concentrates, Top Hat proudly boasts that they never adulterate their products with glycols, thinning agents, artificial terpenes or added flavors. The preservation of the plant's natural terpene profile gives Black D.O.G its uniquely earthy flavor, which is highlighted by hints of blackberry, chocolate and cinnamon. According to Black D.O.G's test results, its most prominent terpenes are limonene and humulene, but don't let that fool you into thinking this is an uplifting concentrate. In truth, Black D.O.G is a heavy-hitting indica that blends Blackberry Kush and Emerald Headband. It wasn't long after our first toke of Black D.O.G that we found ourselves shedding a little bit of the stress that has been following us around. By the time we took a second toke, the relaxed, euphoric high had us drifting off into a peaceful sleep that lasted a full eight hours. It was, in one word, spectacular. No wonder Top Hat says that the Black D.O.G cartridge and flower are some of their top sellers. In addition to producing the wonder that is Black D.O.G, Top Hat has also put a lot of thought into their packaging. Each cartridge has a color-coded mouthpiece – orange for sativa, purple for indica and green for hybrid – and the box itself includes the cannabinoid and terpene profiles. As an add-on, each package sports a peel-off sticker printed with the strain name. This sticker can be wrapped around the cartridge's metal band, so there's no more guessing what's in that mystery cartridge in the back of your medicine cabinet. Just make sure you use certified CCELL batteries when consuming Top Hat, as that will ensure you get the absolute best out of the cartridge.
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The relaxed, euphoric high had us drifting off into a peaceful sleep that lasted a full eight hours. THCALASKA.COM @THCALASKA 77.32% TOTAL THC 91.94% TOTAL CANNABINOIS
feb, 2021
Reviews REVIEW by ALASKA LEAF STAFF | PHOTO by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS
edible of the month
Valentine’s Day will look a little different this year, but that’s no excuse to not have fun. So, in the spirit of kissing a little longer and staying close a little longer, we decided to take Canamo Confections Small Batch Craft Cannabis mints for a test-drive.
CANAMO CONFECTIONS
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Although produced locally by Raspberry Roots, Canamo’s Alaskan enterprise has held on to its signature Southwestern branding, making picking up a pack feel extra special. The recycled brown packaging is adorned by a shimmering teal, sugar, skull sticker – indicating that it’s one of Canamo’s “classic” products. But Canamo’s aesthetically pleasing packaging is just the beginning of the tantalizing experience. THE MINTS come in five distinct flavors – raspberry cream, orange cream, peppermint, cinnamon and lemon-ginger – which means there’s a mint to suit every palate. The raspberry cream and orange cream have a subtle fruity taste that goes down really smooth and doesn’t leave much of an aftertaste. If you’re more adventurous, or the kind of person who used to love sucking on Atomic Fireball candy as a kid, then the cinnamon is right up your alley. Easily the boldest flavor, the cinnamon is best enjoyed one mint at a time – not three at a time as we did as children – lest you have an available bucket of water to cool your tongue afterward. However, we did receive a pro tip from one budtender who recommends dissolving the mint in a hot cup of chai. The lemon-ginger has a zing of ginger that quickly gives way to a nice lemony flavor, making it the perfect middle ground between Canamo’s subtle and robust flavors. As an added bonus, the lemon-ginger has the potential to help quell an upset stomach, which is perfect for any first date jitters.
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SMALL BATCH CANNABIS MINTS A fun alternative to the standard gummy or candy. @DAYOFTHEDABS_AK 5MG THC/MINT, 50MG THC/BAG
IN TERMS of the expected high, these mints might leave seasoned edible consumers feeling a little underwhelmed. We did feel a mild body high after consuming 15mg, but the mints didn’t seem to have the same potency as other edibles on the market. That said, each packet of mints contains 50mg of THC, so you do have some flexibility to figure out the correct dosage for your own needs. Bottom line: These mints are a fun alternative to the standard gummies and candies that are widely available, and a few of the flavors really pack a knockout punch.
REVIEW by ALASKA LEAF STAFF | PHOTO by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS
Recreate the best of the tropics with this fruity pairing.
ALASKA DENALI WINERY PINEAPPLE PEAR PINOT GRIGIO PAIRED WITH STONED SALMON FARMS DOLEMAC
TANNINS | ALASKA DENALI WINERY’S PINEAPPLE PEAR PINOT GRIGIO 6.5% ABV
With the flavor of juicy sweet pears, succulent and ripe pineapple, and a bright flowery fragrance, this is the ideal wine for non-wine drinkers. Its low ABV also makes it a great choice for those who enjoy wine, but hate the inevitable splitting headache that comes from overindulging. Perhaps most exciting of all, this wine can only be purchased in Alaska – and like all Alaskans know – all the best things are only available in-state.
tannins & terpenes
T H E A RT OF PA I R I NG C A N N A BI S
TERPENES | STONED SALMON FARMS DOLEMAC 24.02% THC, 1.74% TERPENES
DoleMac is a sativa-dominant hybrid best described as a powerhouse. The love child of Hawaiian Tang and Mac, DoleMac combines Mac’s happy and uplifting effects with the energetic cerebral head high of Hawaiian Tang. The bud is incredibly sticky and laden with pungent citrus scented trichomes that sparkle like the light of a billion stars on a clear Alaskan night. DoleMac’s smoke has a sweet, yet savory flavor that is almost reminiscent of a fruity Brie cheese. From your first toke, DoleMac will wrap you in a fullbody hug that starts on the tip of your nose, before wrapping around your head and down your body, leaving you with a satisfied smile.
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THE PAIRING
*Alaska Leaf Warning* Anytime you combine two substances of any kind, you have to be extra vigilant of the effects. We strongly recommend conducting pairings in a safe and private space, in small quantities with friends. Always use a designated driver or have a plan to get home safely.
@alaskadenaliwinery @stonedsalmonfarms
REVIEW by ALASKA LEAF STAFF | PHOTO by O'HARA SHIPE @SHIPESHOTS
alaskalEAF.COM
With Valentine’s Day smack dab in the middle of February – and any hopes of a romantic, tropical vacation very unlikely this year – you can still recreate the best of the tropics with this fruity pairing. The firm acidity from the Alaska Denali Winery’s Pinot Grigio highlights the mouthwatering juiciness of pineapples and pears, giving this wine a truly refreshing finish. When mixed with the undeniable aroma of pineapple and citrus fruit produced by DoleMac, the only thing stopping you from hitting the beach will be the limits of your own imagination.
cooking with Cannabis
R EC I P E S by LAU RIE WOLF | P HOTOS by B RUC E WOLF
hEARTS & flOWERS two servings
LOVEBERRY SMOOTHIE 2 cups strawberries, sliced, fresh or frozen 1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen 1 small banana, peeled, sliced and frozen
¼ cup orange juice concentrate 1 ½ cups coconut milk 2 teaspoons canna-coconut oil Strawberries for garnish
1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Let ‘er rip. 2. Garnish with a strawberry. (Feel free to try using blueberries and peaches instead of strawberries and raspberries. You may use yogurt in exchange for some or all of the coconut milk).
nine servings
CANNABIS CHOCOLATE BARK ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes 2 cups dark chocolate chips 3 tablespoons canna-butter or oil ½ cup chopped pecans ¼ cup chopped dried apricots
1. Place the coconut flakes in a small dry skillet over medium heat and toast until light golden brown. 2. In the top of a double boiler, over simmering water, melt the chips with the canna-butter or oil. Stir occasionally. 3. Place a piece of parchment on your work surface. Pour the chocolate onto the parchment, spreading it out to a 5x7-inch rectangle. 4. Sprinkle with the pecans, coconut and apricots. 5. Allow the chocolate to set. Store in an airtight container for up to one month.
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nine servings
WHITE CHOC. BARK 2 cups white chocolate chips or melts 3 tablespoons canna-butter or oil 1 cup granola ½ cup dried chopped cherries
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1. In the top of a double boiler, over simmering water, melt the white chocolate with the canna-butter. Stir occasionally. 2. Place a piece of parchment on your work surface. Pour the chocolate onto the parchment, spreading it out to a 5x7-inch rectangle. Sprinkle with the granola and cherries. 3. Allow the chocolate to set. Store in an airtight container for up to one month.
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Well — it’s about to be Valentine’s Day. If you are not a chocolate fan, the smoothie recipe for two, or just you, is healthy and healing. I like to make my smoothies with THC and CBD. Currently, I need all the help I can get. If you are a chocolate fan and want to give some love to friends you can’t hang out with now, these two barks are fire. And with a bark there are no rules – add whatever toppings you like. The bark police have bigger fish to fry. Check out our link at recipes.laurieandmaryjane.com/lauries-famous-canna-butter, and know that the same rules apply for producing CBD.
#We a rA Ma sk #Dont FearT heEdi ble #EatYourCannabi s #CallYourParents # Comf orting Ca nna b is # WeWillSurvive
672 E END RD #B HOMER, AK | 844-225-7600 | 907-299-1829 | SHAWN@FRONTIERCBDS.COM
FRONTIERCBDS.COM
alternative medicine
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Brain Blend Lion’s Mane Tincture Immune Blend Chaga & Reishi Tincture With the constant tension and uncertainty that we all currently face, we can likely agree that we could all use a more natural and holistic way to replenish our bodies and take a load off these days. For our first-ever feature on Alternative Medicine, we seek to open your minds to the world of adaptogens and plantbased medicines that aim to help with mental clarity, relaxation and overall health.
HYPHAE WELLNESS
A
daptogens are natural herbal pharmaceuticals that work to prevent the negative consequences of stress in the human body. Reishi, Chaga, Turkey Tail, Cordyceps and Red Belted Conk are just a few of the adaptogenic mushrooms that are completely legal to cultivate and consume here in the U.S. In fact, some of these mushrooms, such as Lion’s Mane, have also become very popular to cook with due to their desirable taste. While these mushrooms do not contain the psychedelic effects that psilocybin mushrooms do, these contain numerous advantageous properties and health benefits that have proven to strengthen the functional capacity of those who consume them. Eugene, Ore.-based company Hyphae Wellness is solely dedicated and focused on developing functional mushroom products to help bring these types of incredible benefits to their customers, and have developed an enchanting line of mushroom tinctures geared to improve daily productivity and other functional capacities. •Promotes mental clarity, focus, and memory Their Brain Blend tincture •Cerebral and Nervous System Support contains a Lion’s Mane •Optimizes nervous and immune system mushroom extract, which has •Supports cognitive function been proven to promote nerve growth in the brain. It also contains Yerba Santa to assist with anti-inflammation, •Promotes antioxidant and immune support Ginkgo Biloba for increased •Improves blood flow blood flow to the brain, and •Supports healthy digestion Saffron for many beneficial mood-enhancing qualities. This tincture is an exceptional tool to help your mind recover after a stressful workday. Their Immune Blend tincture contains both Reishi and Chaga mushroom extract, allowing consumers to receive a clinical dose of essential antioxidants and extensive immune support. It also contains ginger and nettle leaf to help with digestive health. For anyone interested in improving the preventative steps they are taking to protect their general health, the Immune Blend is for you! Keep an eye on this column to continue learning about the groundbreaking alternative medicines that exist. We hope that Hyphae Wellness products can help you alleviate some stress and get you to that next level in life, both mentally and physically. GETHYPHAE.COM
Brain Blend
aklEAF.COM
Immune Blend
An enchanting line of mushroom tinctures geared to improve daily productivity and other functional capacities. feb. 2021
REVIEW by MAX EARLY @LIFTED_STARDUST/LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS
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cannthropology
WORLD OF Cannabis PRESENTS
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Lepp’s legendary garden circa 2003.
Eddy Lepp is a medical marijuana POW whose courage and compassion have secured him a place in Cannabis history.
aklEAF.COM
Reverence for the Reverend Born in Illinois in 1952, Charles “Eddy” Lepp was the son of a soldier who spent his childhood moving around before eventually settling in Reno. In 1968, he enlisted in the Army alongside his brother, and was shipped off to Vietnam. After returning home, he spent the next two decades struggling with addiction, depression and PTSD – self-medicating with drugs and alcohol and engaging in self-destructive behavior. But when his father got cancer in the 1980s, he decided to get clean; the only intoxicant he didn’t give up was Cannabis. “I used marijuana for years to keep from killing myself,” confesses Lepp. “I was using Cannabis to treat myself, but I didn’t realize that I was medicating because we didn’t have the information.” That information came after Lepp met Dennis Peron and his future hero/ mentor Jack Herer, and his life changed forever. “Back in the ‘80s I met Dennis and Jack, was very interested in what they were talking about, and got to be friends with them,” he recalls. “After that, I
feb. 2021
was kinda fucked, because you can’t be best friends with Dennis Peron and Jack Herer and not devote your life to marijuana.” After his father died in 1988, Lepp checked himself into the National Center for PTSD in Palo Alto, Calif. It was there that he met his future wife – a young woman named Linda Senti. With the help of Linda, the Center and Cannabis, he was finally able to get sober and begin to heal. “Cannabis was critically important in shaping my recovery and the man that I was going to become,” Lepp attests. “It allowed me to heal myself physically and mentally, and get back in touch with God as I understood him.” CALLED TO ACTION Eddy and Linda got married and eventually settled in Lake County, Calif. They became heavily involved in the legalization movement – helping to gather signatures for the Compassionate Use Act, then setting out to fulfill its promise by supplying medicine to patients … starting with Linda herself who, like Eddy’s father, had contracted cancer. In 1996, with Peron’s help, Lepp planted a garden of 132 plants for her – which he was arrested for later that year. When his case got to trial in 1998, he cited Prop 215 as his medical marijuana defense, and it worked – making him the first person ever acquitted under the aegis of the new law. At the time, few doctors were willing to recommend Cannabis, so the
Lepps began shuttling patients down to Dr. Tod Mikuriya’s office in San Francisco each week for recommendations. Then in 1999, they purchased a 25-acre farm in Upper Lake and began hosting mobile clinics – bringing doctors and patients together for consultations on their property. Within a year, the Lepps had registered a third of the approximately 100,000 legal Cannabis patients in the state. But many patients were unable to procure, afford or grow medicine for themselves, so once again the Lepps stepped up – offering to grow some plants for a few patients they knew. Over the next few years, it became six patients, then a dozen, then 30. That’s how Eddy’s Medicinal Gardens came to be.
In addition to the garden, Lepp also founded a religious ministry: The Multi-Denominational Ministry of Cannabis and Rastafari. Lepp with his late wife Linda, Dennis Peron, and Jack Herer.
CRAIG LEMIRE
JASON DUNLAP
THE HEALING FIELDS It was a simple idea: create a haven where patients could all grow their medicine in one secure, well-tended garden – reducing costs and avoiding countless possible thefts, busts and other calamities. Lepp charged $500 per 10-foot plot, from which patients received all of the Cannabis harvested. And for those who couldn’t afford a plot, medicine was often provided free of charge. In addition to the garden, Lepp also founded a religious ministry: The Multi-Denominational Ministry of Cannabis and Rastafari. Identifying strongly with both the Native American and Rastafari religions, he became an ordained minister in 2000, adopted the title of Reverend, and began providing spiritual support. Until that point, the farm had operated with relative impunity thanks to an understanding between Lepp Eddy’s Medicinal and the Sheriff’s Department. But that accord ended Gardens sign. one afternoon in 2002, when the Lake County Narcotics Task Force raided the farm – confiscating around 400 plants and arresting whatever you want … you pick the first person we say no to.” four people. Surprisingly, they ended She started crying and said, ‘We can’t say no to any of them.’ up being released the next day and And we never did.” “You can’t be best friends no charges were ever pursued. The DEA raided the farm again on February 16, 2005 – By 2003, the Ministry was servicing seizing another 6000 plants, re-arresting Lepp, and charging with Dennis Peron and 100 patients and growing nearly him with cultivation and possession with intent to distribute. Jack Herer and not devote 10,000 plants. Lepp made no atHe wasn’t released until two months later, on a $500,000 tempt to hide what he was doing – in bond (thanks in part to a $10,000 doyour life to marijuana." fact, he actually sent a letter stating nation from comedian Joe Rogan). For more on Eddie Lepp, listen E D DY L E P P his intentions to local and state His lawyers planned a two-pronged to Episode #9 of our podcast officials, but never received a reply. medical and religious use defense, both at worldofCannabis.museum/ Emboldened by the lack of legal of which were ultimately rejected by podcast. repercussions, they doubled down on their efforts – purchasthe judge. Lepp was convicted in 2007, and after several unsuccessful ing property across the road and expanding their gardens up appeals, returned for sentencing in May 2008. to 40 acres, which soon contained nearly 4,000 plots and With the total charges against him, Lepp was facing an incredible Published originally on 30,000 plants. four life sentences, plus 40 years and $17 million in fines. Luckily, the worldofCannabis.museum Unlike other outdoor grows, which were typically small and judge sentenced him to only the mandatory minimum of 10 years. and reprinted with permission. secret, Eddy’s Gardens could be seen (and smelled) while He served eight and a half of those years before being released on cruising down Highway 20, which now ran straight through parole in December 2016. While he was behind bars, both his beloved the middle of his farm. That summer, Lepp even invited High Linda and best friend Jack Herer passed away. Times magazine out, who then recognized the garden as the largest medical marijuana grow in the world – and Eddy RELEASE AND REVERENCE himself as their Freedom Fighter of the Year. Since his release, Lepp has mostly tried to stay out of trouble: spending his time creating art, hosting a podcast, and attending Cannabis events in CONVICTED FOR HIS CONVICTIONS California. Sadly, in October 2020, he announced that he too is now batUnfortunately, though, all of that attention brought about tling cancer, which has metastasized into his lungs and brain; his new wife their undoing. On August 18, 2004, the DEA swarmed their Sandra has created a GoFundMe page to help cover his medical costs. property, arresting Lepp and 14 residents and workers at Eddy Lepp is a modern-day marijuana martyr whose bravery, conviction gunpoint. It reportedly took authorities two days to chainsaw and sacrifices helped pave the way for the freedoms we enjoy today. down the 32,524 plants, which they valued at around $80 Regardless of whether he chooses to use the title or not, our reverence million. It was the largest medical crop seizure from an inditoward the reverend remains. vidual in U.S. history. “Linda said to me, ‘I just wish sometimes it wasn’t so overEddy and his wife, Sandra. Donate to Eddy’s medical fund at GoFundMe.com/eddyleppneedsyou. whelming,’” Lepp remembers. “And I replied, “Well, I’ll do
STORY by BOBBY BLACK @CANNTHROPOLOGY for LEAF NATION | MAIN PHOTO by MG IMAGING
SOCCER MOMS ARE THE BESTEST
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aklEAF.COM
by Mike Ricker
et’s all raise our flutes of infused lemonade for a big cheer to those intrepid Dodge Caravanners who make up the backbone of America! You do it all, ladies. You keep the whole tribe in order like the Chief Executive Organizer of the Taylor family, bringing home the bacon, frying it up in a pan, and never letting dad forget he’s the man. You captain the crew with equestrian hands, directing the grocery-getter through the avenues and lanes, school zones and sports practices, rattling cat calls from the stands that urge the victories while softening the losses. And all with impeccable punctuality. You value the respect this earns amongst the other mothers with whom you chronicle scenes inside the home, reporting the events with an omniscient eye, desperately aware that these days will evaporate as quickly as your own youth. You are a conductor, orchestrating the chaos into a seamless symphony with the patience of a glacier – through teen shouting matches over clothes swapping and philosophical differences in social image managing. Then, when the evening wanes and the flurry settles into a mindful moment on the couch, a good glass of red and the guilty pleasure of a naughty reality show are a great way to calm the nerves while rubbing the aching dogs. “How do you do it all?” The audience insists to know your secret as these words echo in your thoughts. The purse lies before you on the coffee table. You unfasten the hinge that conceals your essentials. Where there used to be a prescription bottle that rattled like the tail of a diamondback, there is now a vape pen in its place. You push the button, sneak a toke, and the voices of the madding crowd saunter into oblivion, creating open space that will soon again be filled with the sunrise.
feb. 2021
F O L L OW @ R I C K E R D J | G E T T H E AU D I O V E R S I O N & EV E RY E P I S O D E AT S TO N EY- B A L O N EY. C O M
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