Alaska Leaf - July 2016

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ALASKA LEAF akleaf.cOM @AKLEAFMAG

THE PATIENT’S VOICE since 2010

FREE

JUly 2016

PROFILES JILL WILLIAMS, OWNER OF THE LOOK BOUTIQUE, ANCHORAGE

P. 16

SUMMER GRILLING 3 WAYS TO GET HOT AND COOKING WITH CANNABIS

P. 52

TAKING A TECH BREAK DR.SCANDERSON ON THE UNLIKELY CHOICE HE WOULD MAKE AGAIN

P. 58

ISSUE 3

AND IN EVERY ISSUE -NATIONAL NEWS -PRISON DISPATCH -BUDSHOT CENTERFOLD -HEALTH AND SCIENCE

tannins +terpenes HOW TO PAIR ALCOHOL WITH CANNABIS FOR THE KIND OF FLAVOR EXPERIENCES YOU NEVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE. p.36

14-PAGE SPECIAL FEATURE AND 12 PAIRINGS INSIDE

Gekkeikan sake melon cocktail +

maui wowie


Alaska’s 1st 3-day Cannabis Music Festival



ALASKA LEAF

VISIT NWLEAF.COM |

FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

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FOLLOW US @AKLEAFMAG

contents

| EMAIL NWLEAF@GMAIL.COM

JULY 2016

3 howls blood orange vodka + Cultivar Syndicate lemon tangie

16 CANNABIS PROFILE Jill Williams | Owner | The Look

tannins + terpenes

52 TASTY RECIPES Cannabis-infused grillables

56 HEALTH AND SCIENCE

The hidden dangers of sunscreen

Pipes by @StonedWareCompany P hoto by Da nie l Be r m a n | St yl i n g by M a l i n a Lo pez

36 14-PAGE FEATURE

EDITOR NOTE..............................7 NATIONAL NEWS.........................8 AK HEMPFEST............................12 Q&A PROFILE.............................16 PRISON DISPATCH.....................22 HIGHLY LIKELY...........................24 BUDSHOT.............................28 CENTERFOLD........................32 TERPENES........................36 RECIPES.........................52 BOOK REVIEW............................54 SUNSCREEN............................56 DISCONNECT......................58 BEHIND STRAIN.........................62

Cover photo by Daniel Berman BACK ISSUES/OREGON//ALASKA

WWW.ISSUU.COM/NWLEAF



contents

tannins + terpenes

Ph oto s by Da ni e l B er m a n St yli ng by M a l i na Lo p ez

ROLL UP SOME SHINE PAPERS WITH THIS KOSHER KUSH, WHICH PAIRS WELL WITH THE TART AND SOUR OREGON BEER.

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14-PAGE FEATURE

a guide to pairing cannabis with alcohol


ALASKA LEAF

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

editor’s note

JULY 2016 ISSUE #3

This is one of my favorite annual issues to put together and we are honored to present this feature

you may be asking yourself how a proponent of the “marijuana is safer than

alcohol” program could ever put booze in a pot magazine. To answer that question, we have to look back to when we first started pairing wine and weed in 2012. At the time, legalization was just a dream, and the majority of people in the country were under the assumption that weed is just weed, just a dangerous drug. Cannabis as a genus has thousands of cultivars (strains) with varying flavor profiles, looks and a diversity of effects in the high. But the average person doesn’t understand that. Even the most novice wine drinker (like me) understands that there are thousands of varieties of wine, that they vary by types of grape and where/how those grapes are harvested, all yielding a huge selection of wine types even at a local grocery store. So we had the idea to pair the two together as a way of educating consumers about Cannabis by comparing our plant to something our culture knows well: wine. And it worked! Over the years, we have refined the types of pairings and added craft beers, and this year we have custom cocktails to try DO I BELIEVE CANNABIS — all with the end goals of educating people and pushing IS SAFER THAN ALCOHOL? boundaries and creating amazing new experiences. Do I believe Cannabis is safer than Alcohol? Absolutely. ABSOLUTELY. Alcohol causes massive social impacts that our culture has chosen to overlook, and our society is entirely too accepting of booze culture compared to Cannabis. But I have also had many fun and taste bud-expanding experiences by responsibly pairing the two together. And I want our readers to learn and experience more about both Cannabis and alcohol, and hopefully choose pot most weekends instead of hitting the bar. With that said, I hope everyone enjoys our pairings, and I encourage people to try one of ours or make one of their own! The end result is a fun experience, and a new way to combine flavors and tastes for a responsible adult choice.

Contact editor Wes Abney to place an

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

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

FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Wes Abney

PHOTOGRAPHER & DESIGNER

Daniel Berman

CONTRIBUTORS Wes and Kori Marie

OSCAR AVELLANEDA-CRUZ, PHOTOS STEVE ELLIOTT, NATIONAL PAUL GRZELAK, EDITING MALINA LOPEZ, STYLIST KORI MARIE, PRODUCTION SEAN O’NEILL, ILLUSTRATION DR. SCANDERSON, GROWTECH DR. SCOTT D. ROSE, HEALTH ERIC SKELTON, DESIGN PACER STACKTRAIN, FEATURES LAURIE & BRUCE WOLF, RECIPES

ADVERTISING nwleaf@gmail.com // (206) 235-6721 Please email or call us to discuss print and online advertising opportunities in an upcoming issue. We do not sell stories or coverage. We are happy to offer design services with Kush Creative Group and can provide guidance on the best approaches for promoting any medical, recreational, commercial or industrial product and pursuit. We are targeted.

FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF FOLLOW US @AKLEAFMAG FREE DIGITAL ARCHIVES: ISSUU.COM/NWLEAF VISIT WWW.A K L EAF.COM

Department of Corrections

Our article on AK Legend Gardens misidentified the growers’ Ghost Train x Tangie as Cherry Cream pie, and a photo of The Bob was similarly wrongly labeled. Visit Issuu.com/nwleaf then ‘June 2016’ for corrections.

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national

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

Nevada’s Largest Paper Supported Legalization, Then Adelson Bought It The conservative billionaire flexes his anti-pot muscles.

The cash-only days might be numbered with an amendment offered by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley.

Cannabis banking for legal pot stores could become a reality under senate bill The Senate Appropriations Committee on June 16

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last year. It opposes it this year. The difference? Pothating conservative billionaire Sheldon Adelson bought the paper last December. As recently as last summer, the Review-Journal published an editorial strongly proclaiming that paper’s stance: “supporting the decriminalizing, regulating and taxing the sale of currently illegal drugs,” including marijuana. The paper went on record as supporting an effort to legalize Cannabis in the state that will go before voters this November, and just last year called for all presidential candidates to support “removing marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.” Well, that was then and this is now. In December, archconservative billionaire Sheldon Adelson and his family bought the newspaper, reports Aaron Rupar at ThinkProgress. It didn’t take long for Adelson — who spent $5 million out of his own pocket to defeat medical marijuana in Florida in 2014 — to order the paper’s editorial page writers to go on a field trip to a drug treatment center to get them to “reconsider” their “pro-marijuana stance.” When a billionaire leans on his employees, they tend to listen. Nevada’s largest paper now is singing a completely different song when it comes to weed, with a new editorial titled “Pot legalization is a bad bet for Nevada.” “Legalizing weed would jeopardize the health of countless Nevadans, expose more people to drug abuse and addiction, put excessive stress on the state’s health-care facilities and do little to relieve the state’s bloated prison population,” the clueless and dishonest editorial says. Despite Adelson’s shrill campaign against pot, observers think Nevada’s legalization initiative stands a good chance this November.

Photos via Creative Commons

Legislation to permanently handle cannabanking voted 16-14 to allow banks to provide services to has been introduced in both the House and the Senate. marijuana businesses. The vote is the fourth time this year that the Senate In addition to banking, the bill passed last month Appropriations Committee has endorsed marijuana allows Washington, D.C., to establish regulated reform measures. marijuana stores. The House version, however, has Currently, because marijuana is illegal under language maintaining a ban on dispensaries. federal law, both medical and non-medical marijuana “Congressional interference has left D.C. in a state businesses are unable to access banking services like of limbo,” said Kaitlyn Boecker, policy any other business. Consequently, many coordinator at the DPA. “HAVING marijuana businesses operate on a cashMARIJUANA “Almost two years after voters only basis, leading to huge public safety BUSINESSES legalized marijuana, it is legal to issues as businesses become the target HANDLING HUGE possess, use and grow marijuana in the of robberies and are forced to hire AMOUNTS OF nation’s capital, but sales remain illicit armed security to protect their takings. CASH WITH and unregulated. “One of the motivations for NOWHERE TO Allowing the District to move legalizing marijuana is to eliminate DEPOSIT THE forward with a regulatory system the illicit market and put marijuana MONEY IS A will increase public safety, address in the hands of a legitimate regulated PUBLIC SAFETY much-needed reforms, and generate market,” said Michael Collins, deputy CONCERN” tax revenue to fund treatment and director of national affairs at the Drug education.” Policy Alliance (DPA). “Whether you are for or A similar amendment was passed by the Senate against legalization, you have to recognize that having Appropriations Committee in 2015, but was not marijuana businesses handling huge amounts of cash debated in the House and was ultimately stripped with nowhere to deposit the money is a public safety out during final budget negotiations. concern that Congress has to tackle.” The House has not yet debated the Financial “We are edging closer to the day when the federal Services Appropriations bill in 2016, but a repeat of government ends marijuana prohibition,” said Collins. the Cannabis banking amendment is anticipated if “There is clear bipartisan support in the House and and when that debate takes place. Senate in favor of marijuana reform.”

The Las Vegas Review-Journal supported legalization


Quoted Questionable Study Links Marijuana Use to Changes in Brain’s Reward System The noticeably flawed study held at the University of Texas at Dallas focused on “natural rewards.”

Sometimes you really have to wonder about the

occasions during their lives. The researchers “scientific” studies on marijuana. There’s a new wanted to see whether the brains of these longone that says because people who’ve smoked term users would respond differently to pictures of marijuana for years show more reaction to objects related to Cannabis use than they did to photos of objects used to smoke it than people “natural rewards” — such as their favorite fruits — who don’t smoke marijuana when shown the compared with people who did not use marijuana. same photos, that means Cannabis “changes the The methodology seems tailor-made to reward system of the brain.” produce reactions of dismay and horror among Researchers led by Dr. Francesca Filbey at the those who hold the irrational superstition that University of Texas at Dallas said they found that marijuana exists somehow outside the “natural people who had used marijuana for world,” despite the fact that we 12 years, on average, showed “greater have receptors in our brains that “THIS STUDY activity” in the brain’s reward system specifically respond to it. SHOWS THAT when looking at pictures of objects The researchers asked the MARIJUANA used for smoking Cannabis than Cannabis users how they normally DISRUPTS when they looked at pictures of a THE NATURAL smoked the herb. Then they asked REWARD “natural reward” such as their favorite the pot users what their favorite fruits, reports Agata Blaszczak-Boxe CIRCUITRY OF THE fruits were. BRAIN” at Fox News Health. The scientists showed the “This study shows that marijuana participants pictures of the disrupts the natural reward circuitry of the brain, respective Cannabis paraphernalia they normally making marijuana highly salient to those who used the most, as well as pictures of their favorite use it heavily,” study author Dr. Francesca Filbey, fruits, while scanning the participants’ brains. an associate professor of behavioral and brain Turns out that when people were shown photos science at the University of Texas at Dallas, said of Cannabis paraphernalia, they found those in a statement. She’s choosing to interpret natural more exciting than pictures of fruit. learning, in which one discovers that marijuana For comparison, the scientists also showed is rewarding, as “disruption of the natural reward the pictures to a group of 70 people who didn’t circuitry.” That’s patent nonsense, because that use Cannabis and found that, completely kind of “disruption” occurs every time we discover unsurprisingly, those people did not show greater anything in the natural environment is rewarding. brain responses when they were shown pictures In the study, researchers studied 59 Cannabis of random marijuana paraphernalia, compared users who had used marijuana daily for the past with when they were shown pictures of their 60 days, and had used the drug on at least 5,000 favorite fruits.

“THIS MICROMANAGED LEGAL-BUT-ONLYSORT-OF MARKET IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF STATE OFFICIALS WHO WERE FORCED TO CHANGE THE LAW BY VOTERS AND NOT AS A MATTER OF THEIR OWN PREFERENCES.” -J.D. Tuccille, (Contributing Editor at Reason.com) on law enforcement authorities in Washington preparing to close hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries across the state by July 1.

Quick Hits! 70 18 Unlicensed marijuana dispensaries open in Tacoma, Wash., last year due to the city being limited to only 16 total licenses.

Months is the amount of time it took for New York state to implement its medical marijuana program, which has been criticized as being one of the most restrictive programs in the country.

110

Billion dollars in economic activity in Oregon’s Marion County that could be lost in 2016 due to licensed recreational marijuana businesses bans.

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national

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

Alaska Regulators Approve First Marijuana Licenses A handful of the state’s growing and testing facilities can finally get going with their businesses

Alaska regulators on June 9 approved the Retail licenses are expected to be issued first licenses for legal marijuana growing and testing facilities. Priority was given to growing and testing operations to pave the way for retail stores to have legal product to sell.

later this year. The Marijuana Control Board had 30 applications on their agenda when they met on June 9. Two were for testing facilities and the rest were for grow operations.

OHIO BECOMES 25TH MEDICAL MARIJUANA STATE WITH SIGNING OF HOUSE BILL

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday made a remarkable argument for the legalization of marijuana, basing his points not on economic benefits, but on the same factors many legalization opponents start from — concern for the safety of children. “Look, our approach on legalizing marijuana is not about creating a boutique industry or bringing in tax revenue, it’s based on two very simple principles,” Trudeau said at an economic conference, reports Christopher Ingraham at The Washington Post. “The first one is, young people have easier access to Cannabis now, in Canada, than they do in just about any other countries in the world,” Trudeau pointed out. “[Of] 29 different countries studied by the U.N., Canada was number one in terms of underage access to marijuana. “And whatever you might think or studies seen about Cannabis being less harmful

Ohio Governor John Kasich on June 8 signed House Bill 523 into law, making Ohio the 25th medical marijuana state. Kasich’s communications team announced the signing without any comment, simply including it in a list of other bills the governor also signed on June 8, reports Jackie Borchardt of Cleveland.com. “This is a joyous day for the thousands of Ohioans who will finally be able to safely access much-needed medicine,” said Ohioans for Medical Marijuana spokesman Aaron Marshall. “As we continue this movement to bring medical marijuana to all Buckeyes who need it, we will remember today as a huge step forward.” The new law goes into effect 90 days after the bill is officially filed with the Ohio Secretary of State, making medical marijuana legal sometime in early September. Patients will then have an “affirmative defense” against prosecution

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than alcohol or even cigarettes, the fact is it is bad for the developing brain and we need to make sure that it’s harder for underage Canadians to access marijuana,” Trudeau said. “That will happen under a controlled and regulated regime. “The other piece of it is there are billions upon billions of dollars flowing into the pockets of organized crime, street gangs and gun-runners because of the illicit marijuana trade, and if we can get that out of the criminal elements and into a more regulated fashion, we will reduce the amount of criminal activity that’s profiting from those, and that has offshoots into so many other criminal activities,” Trudeau said. “So those are my focuses on that.” “I have no doubt that Canadians and entrepreneurs will be tremendously innovative in finding ways to create positive economic benefits from the legalization and control of marijuana,” he finished.

for marijuana possession charges if they have written authorization from their doctor to use marijuana in a form allowed under the law. It could be a year or more until Ohioans can actually walk into a storefront dispensary and buy medical marijuana because the program must be operational within two years, according to the law. People with the following medical conditions will now be able to use medical marijuana: HIV/AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Crohn’s disease, epilepsy or another seizure disorder, fibromyalgia, glaucoma, hepatitis C, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, pain that is either chronic and severe or intractable, Parkinson’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, sickle cell anemia, spinal cord disease or injury, Tourette’s syndrome, traumatic brain injury and ulcerative colitis.

Photos via Creative Commons

PRIME MINISTER Justin Trudeau Makes A Case for Legalizing MARIJUANA in Canada



rehashed

JUN. 17-19, 2016 | TONSINA LODGE | ALASKAHEMPFEST2016.COM

4836-foot-tall Tonsina Mountain looms in view of the festival.

A demonstration of hemp being pressed into a brick.

ALASKA HEMPFEST Organizer Niki Raapana

TONSINA, AK STORY & PHOTOS BY OSCAR AVELLANEDA-CRUZ FOR ALASKA LEAF

Scott from Homer traveled 436 miles for the event.

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A

laska Hempfest was an intimate event that brought together musicians, artists, vendors and Cannabis enthusiasts for a three-day protestival celebrating the end of Cannabis prohibition and echoed one resounding heartfelt message: Hemp is good. Alaska stands to benefit from the industrial uses of hemp because it is heavily dependent on the import of finished products for construction. The Alaska Legislature is working to draft House Bill 8, which would create a legal framework to grow, process and use industrial hemp in construction. “Right now, we are working on building a home that overlooks Kachemak Bay in Homer that uses hemp,” said Jack Bennett of Nuna Works, one of the event’s presenters. This year’s festival hosted workshops about the array of uses that industrial hemp can provide in Alaska as a raw commodity that can be processed into finished goods and used in construction.


Alaska Hempfest attendees could make use of the 21+ consumption dome.




FEATURE

By WES ABNEY | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN

What was life like before opening the store? I was commercial fishing in Kodiak and I realized that I was getting seasick, so it wasn’t going to work. I tried almost every fishery and thought at one point I would get behind a bar and bartender. Then a friend and I went to Hong Kong and we shopped there and came back with enough stuff to open up a small store, 200 square feet.

So you opened a glass shop in Kodiak in the ‘80s? What was that experience like? We sold silks mostly and we actually had lingerie and clothing. It was called Jasmine’s back then. It’s so funny looking back. The store was only open about a year, but then I would go back every year for an outdoor festival and have a booth, until they kicked me out for having pipes or shirts with tobacco or alcohol or pot content. I ran across a lot of problems back then, lots of discrimination, even when I went back to London with [short pink] hair, I couldn’t even get a drink in my hotel. I’d never felt discrimination until that point, and it changed the way I view the world. I could finally feel what it was like, and after that, there’s been no rules in my world as far as what people wear or tattoo or hairstyle or smoking preferences.

Is the prejudice what made you leave Kodiak? My partner and I split up and I moved to a new location in Kodiak initially; that’s when the store became The Look. I started doing all my buying in London, and of course I got laughed out of Kodiak with my new punk style and my new punk hairdo. I have pictures that are just historical. It was crazy ‘80s fashion, and the latest kink was to wear crazy shoes and neon clothing. On a small island in the middle of nowhere with mainly fishermen and Coast Guard, it was way too much. I had lived there for eight years and knew everybody, but the minute I dyed my hair fuchsia, I knew I needed to move right away.

How did it make you feel to experience that? It’s really important for customers as well as employees to understand what we went through to be here today. I realized when my hair was like that and the things I sell that are controversial that people are going to judge me one way or another or even fine me or arrest me. It made me become much more outgoing, friendly and more aggressive

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Q&A Jill Williams Owner | The Look | Anchorage

Her iconic store carries a curated selection of glass, art, local clothing and adult fun, all while defying taboo. in a nice way. Always agree with the rules but do what I want, that’s my motto. I try to break a rule every day, I just try not to break two at a time.

What happened after you left Kodiak? I came right to Anchorage after Kodiak. I rented an old fire station on Spenard. I painted the whole thing fuchsia and created a vintage store inside, skate shop and a hair salon. Those weren’t all my businesses at the time, but I tried to see the synergy that can happen when you bring things together. I was there for six years. It was great. My rent was really low and I didn’t have any problems there. [In Anchorage] I felt a lot more acceptance with my product line. When you go to a bigger population, you will have a lot more people with shared views.

How did you end up in the LATEST space? I moved in here 20 years ago and rented just one unit, downstairs and upstairs. Downstairs was the clothing and the upstairs was the pipes. I slowly built out into two units and had the whole upstairs filled with pipes.

Shortly after opening, you got raided. What happened? They simultaneously took down three shops in Anchorage and we all faced charges. When they confiscated my pipes, they took $60,000 in inventory at that time … I had a huge inventory of Chong bongs, and they were selling for $200-400 a piece, and they took all of those. CONTINUES PG. 18>>


THE LOOK COMBINES THE VERY BEST ELEMENTS OF A HEAD SHOP, ADULT NOVELTY STORE AND TATTOO PARLOR TO CREATE A MEMORABLE DESTINATION FOR LOCALS AND TOURISTS ALIKE.


FEATURE

By WES ABNEY | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN

Q&A Jill Williams Owner | The Look | Anchorage

IF I FEEL LIKE IT WILL BE DETRIMENTAL FOR MY CUSTOMERS, I WON’T SELL IT. Continued from pg. 17

They had them for about six months and when they gave them all back to me, every single pipe screen bong had a big evidence tag written out. Hand-written out evidence tags. It had to have been hundreds of hours of taxpayers’ dollars. It’s crazy and frustrating.

names. I felt like I’ve always felt like an activist, but I’ve never chosen to feel like a martyr. I knew I was breaking the rules, so we found a way around the rules, and my lawyer found a boo-boo in the municipal law, so everybody got our merchandise back and charges dismissed.

Were you scared, angry or both?

Do you use cannabis yourself and has that ever created any issues?

I had only sold tobacco pipes. There was another head shop that sold crack pipes and cocaine cut and coke paraphernalia. We tried to keep it in the tobacco end of it. I just chose not to support that. It’s none of my business what people do in private — and I do sell things that I’m not personally on board with — but I’ve never sold synthetic Cannabis or bath salts, and I know a lot of shops make all their money selling those too. So you have to look at everything and there is a line that I won’t cross. If I feel like it will be detrimental for my customers, I won’t sell it.

how did it feel to have been through that? It was on the news. It was terrible, and my son actually said he was glad we had different last

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I have to take a urine test because I teach yoga at the Captain Cook once a year. I use Cannabis myself, and I have for many years. I’m 62, I started when I was 18. Yoga helps and being around young people too, and my husband is seven years younger than me, and I’m proud to tell people I’m 62 because you can still smoke and have it not be detrimental to age. I haven’t had alcohol for 12 years, and I just use Cannabis. Only vaporizing — no smoke or edibles. I live on fresh salmon and am a health nut. I actually caught the biggest King Salmon ever caught by a woman in the world: a 90-pound King. We didn’t even have a net, just me and my husband and my brother on the Kenai River. I hunt and fish and have been outdoorsy most

my life. I won’t really eat anything but wild game and fish — I’m kinda a meat snob.

Does your family support you on cannabis? I used it with my mom for her end of life, and I was lucky to have some nice extract, and she didn’t really like the flavor, but she did it because I would say, “Two for you, one for me. Here’s your medicine, Mom.” And it really helped both of us so much, and I had a little family resistance, but they went along with it. I didn’t really “come out” like on Facebook about smoking until I went to Amsterdam, and anyone who knows me is going to have to know right now that here I am with a handful of weed in Amsterdam, by myself and it was very freeing. I went for a yoga retreat, and found out my great-great-grandfather is from Amsterdam.

What have you learned from your travels? We don’t know how good we have it until we travel abroad. When I went to India, they didn’t have a system to get rid of the garbage. It makes you appreciate what we really have.


What are things like today at The Look? Now I have six employees at The Look. The Whole Look and The Look are two separate businesses. I have eight independent contractors and two employees at the tattoo shop and body art studio. We also have AK Smoke and Vape, which is the adult part of The Look. The Look has changed so much over the years, morphed from one thing to another. Thank goodness The Look was such a wide encompassing name — same thing with The Whole Look — I want to add Cannabis massage. AK Smoke and Vape is also a pretty broad name where we could open into a dispensary or lounge someday.

Do things feel different since legalization? We did pass the law that they are supposed to manage pot like alcohol, but they aren’t — it’s not being managed like alcohol. We try to be flexible, and that’s what I teach: adapt to news. If you can’t adapt in this market or life in general, what are you going to do? I think that’s why people smoke Cannabis or do any drugs: it’s an expansive experience. I feel that drugs are expansive when used positively.

What does the future hold for the shop? We’ve done pretty much all our remodeling that we need to do, just recently expanded The Whole Look to allow for three more artists and expanded the adult novelty selection, and we’re always looking for new clothing lines that fit into AK Smoke and Vape. We’re growing the vape area and waiting to see if adding a dispensary is going to work out. We will try to be as flexible as we can. If one thing doesn’t sell, we can go into another area. When I started, there were no majors to compete with, and the latest news is Victoria’s Secret is coming. It’s really important that Alaskans buy local, and we try to buy local with our glass and products, and help keep cottage industry alive and well. If I do buy outside, it’s Oregon glass or Washington, not import, and we try to find lines like that in clothing. We want people to enjoy our local style and come see the stores!

The Look

570 E Benson Blvd #20 Anchorage, AK 99503 TheLookAK.net (907) 278-5665

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Private Club Members Only 21+

Headquarters Come join Pot Luck Events today and enjoy a Cannabis friendly club where you can smoke with your BUDS! For upcoming events and more information follow us on facebook, email or visit our website: potluckeventsak@gmail.com www.potluckevents.com

420 W. 3rd Ave Anchorage, AK 99501

XNLV213575



PRISONER UPDATE

Reporting by

NEWS FROM THE FRONT LINES

KRISTEN FLOR / Mindi Griffiths / Miggy 420 Becca Nichols / Danielle Vitale-O’Brien for Oregon Leaf , Northwest Leaf & Alaska Leaf

Congrats to these recently released prisoners of the War on Drugs:

FLICKR.COM/MARUFISH

We’re celebrating for three lifers given back their freedom this month with President Obama granting clemency to Ronald Gregory Farah of Boca Raton, Fla. and Jesus Ruiz of Kennedale, Texas. These plant prisoners will be released in October. Weldon Angelos was released May 31 after a federal court granted him a reduction in sentence — a huge piece of news as he faced a mandatory minimum of 55 years in prison, which he was serving at the Federal Correctional Institution in Mendota, Calif.

Not all will receive clemency is presently serving two years for running two medical marijuana dispensaries in Arizona, a state that legalized medical marijuana. The states are turning on their people and now the people are turning on the states, at least in Washington state. Billy Hayes

is incarcerated in a Michigan state penitentiary on a life sentence for Cannabis. We are sorry to report his mother recently passed away and grief behind bars is difficult to process at best. We would like to extend our condolences to Michael Thompson and his family. Michael was allowed to see his mother just before her death, but he was not able to be at his own mother’s funeral. Michael Thompson

is in an Arizona state prison for doing nothing more than providing Cannabis to patients. His wife Andi and his children have done the best they can in his absence, but the latest blow to the family hurts deeply. In a social media post, Andi described the consequences of the unjust decision: “I am missing my Husband, my best friend, the other part of me. The prison has denied us again for visits. I am at a loss and just want to see Chris. Too sad to get into the fighting I have done to try to see him and how this is just wrong and they have made a huge mistake and won’t admit it,” she said. Chris Martin

will do 60 days in complete lockdown during his federal sentence for Cannabis. Jerry’s co-defendant and son, recently released prisoner Jeremy Duval, had not heard from him and then finally found out that his dad got in a scuffle with another inmate and when he was let out, he refused to stand for count. Jerry is not allowed to communicate with the outside world until August 17. Jerry suffers from glaucoma, neuropathy and an at-risk immune system. His son and family are worried he is not being properly cared for in lockdown. Plant prisoner Jerry Duval

GERALD LEE DUVAL #10717-050 FMC DEVENS, FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTER P.O. BOX 879, AYER, MA 01432

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THIS 4TH OF JULY IS NOT A CELEBRATION FOR ALL - NO. THERE’S NO BBQ FOR THE PLANT PRISONERS SITTING IN JAIL WONDERING WHEN THE REST OF THE WORLD WILL GET IT. This Fourth of July , as we drink our beer or smoke our legal or illegal herb, let To hear more from Eugene, one of the ONLINE Voices of the Cannabis War radio hosts, and some recently released lifers, listen to our recent episode at tinyurl.com/VCW-LIFE.

us take a moment of remembrance for those who have lost their lives and are losing life while sitting in a cold, loveless jail cell. Prison is meant for criminals, not potheads. We look now to one of our heroes who was serving a life sentence for Cannabis. Bill Lamorte passed away on July 4, 2007, at the Fort Dix federal prison in New Jersey from a heart attack after serving approximately 15 years in prison. Eugene Fischer, one of our released POWs who served 25 years of a life sentence for Cannabis — who was friends and served time with Bill before he passed away — describes Bill as, “a gentle, helpful, kind man who should never have died in prison.” When Eugene got out of prison, he left some of his Cannabis lifer friends behind and is determined to fight for them all.


eoscreativemedia.com Travis Madden (907) 854-7547

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highly likely

By PACER STACKTRAIN for ALASKA LEAF

Column # 3

creative commons

Her latest opinion piece was written for The Cannabist, an ode to her vaporizer pen titled “My Vape Pen and I, a Love Story.”

WHOOPI GOLDBERG The comedian and outspoken Cannabis advocate is not afraid to open up and go mainstream

while she may not be getting the big acting roles like she did in the ‘80s and ‘90s, there’s no denying the impact that Whoopi Goldberg has had on American culture. From “The Color Purple” to “Ghosts of Mississippi,” to “Jumpin Jack Flash” and “Sister Act,” Goldberg is one of those rare celebrities that can make us laugh, cry and think critically about the world around us — occasionally in the same film. As one of the longest-tenured hosts of “The View” she’s one of the most recognizable and trusted voices for mainstreaming Cannabis. Goldberg’s relationship with Cannabis is a long one. She famously stated that she smoked Cannabis before accepting her Best Supporting Actress Academy Award (for the movie “Ghost”) in 1991. She’s admitted on countless occasions to having smoked herb on “The View” (not an easy task for someone talking to a daytime audience), and on the program she often serves as a progressive voice for tolerance and legalization.

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Goldberg has stepped into the spotlight in more pro- own line of Cannabis-infused products that includes nounced ways to talk about the herb’s many benefits as edibles, topical balms, oils and tinctures, all aimed at women’s health. more and more states have legalized Cannabis,. This is a new direction for the emerging legal CanHer latest op-ed was written for The Cannabist, an ode to her vaporizer pen titled “My Vape Pen and I, nabis industry and some of the products that Golda Love Story.” In the article, she extols the virtues and berg is producing with her Whoopi & Maya company discreet nature of vaporizing Cannabis oil, which helps focus exclusively on women’s health issues. “I am thrilled to partner with the amazing Maya Goldberg with some of her physical ailments. “These glaucoma-induced headaches come on like Elisabeth to provide women an alternative for relievfreight trains — like, BOOM, my head starts hurting, ing the pain and discomfort associated with menstrumy eyes start bugging, my whole body starts to tense ation,” Goldberg said in a statement. “This was all inspired by my own experience from up. But then I find her, and it relaxes everything and a lifetime of difficult periods and the fact calms everything,” she wrote. In our burgeoning, amazing that Cannabis was literally the only thing “It helps my head stop hurting, and with age of Cannabis legalization in that gave me relief.” glaucoma your eyes ache, and she takes America, it’s easy to forget just how taboo it was to admit to Slowly but surely, public figures like the ache out. It’s wonderful.” being a consumer of this plant Whoopi Goldberg are helping to end Those who use Cannabis for its many even a few short years ago. the stigma surrounding Cannabis as an medical benefits can certainly concur with This column highlights a different amazing Cannabis illicit drug. With their help, we’re finally that statement. pioneer from history that helped seeing years of prohibition start to wane Goldberg has also put her money where pave the way for Cannabis’ and true acceptance begin. her mouth is. She recently launched her greater acceptance.

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BUDSHOT Got sweet garden/bud photos? Share with us and they might just appear here next month! Email your best 2-3 high-resolution images to nwleaf@gmail.com along with the usual details on what you’re growing and who should be credited.

A cross of Oregon Blackberry with Obama, Alaskan Blackberry yields a strong, clean high that is great for helping pain and getting you through a good night’s sleep! This wonderful indica emanates rich smells of rotten berries that comes through nicely in the smoke...

ALASKAN PHOTO by @FARNORTHPHENO

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BLACKBERRY





V

GROWN by POT LUCK FARMS NICK WHITE + LUANNE WENDT

C R O C K E T T FA M I LY FA R M S B A N A N A K U S H

X SERIOUS SEEDS BUBBLEGUM

23% THC

Strawberry


ALASKA LEAF

STRAIN OF THE MONTH By WES ABNEY | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN/ALASKA LEAF SMOKING A JOINT of this local Alaskan strain

COLORS SEEMED BRIGHTER, SOUNDS CRISPER AND FEELINGS OF TOUCH AMPLIFIED ALL WHILE FLOWING WAVES OF EUPHORIA ROLLED THROUGH THE BODY.

Banana

warps time and the mind, delivering a sensational high with flavor that is so rich it is unbelievable. This strain smells exactly like the Trix yogurt flavor of the same name, with bold strong notes of strawberry and banana that leaves a thick coating of flavor on the lips and palate. It is surreal how much this strain tastes like its name — unbelievable flavors. Outstanding not just in the flavor department, this strain has a perfect balance of density and cure, and is extremely sticky. Peeling a nug open covers the fingers in resin, releasing an even stronger taste with a light earthy flavor only found deep by the stem. Sweet is this treat, which rolls well into a joint or is easily smoked in a bowl. Smoking this superb flower slows the outside perception of time down while increasing mental awareness, creating a time-warping sensation that enhances any experience. Walking on a beach, we found that colors seemed brighter, sounds crisper and feelings of touch amplified all while flowing waves of euphoria rolled through the body. This flower literally makes the body feel happy, and relieves pain and stress along with what feels like 1020 pounds off the shoulders, giving each step a little spring as the feel-good brain chemicals take over. Perfect for a daytime hike or a nighttime movie, we found beneficial mood-enhancing effects with the Strawberry Banana as well as the aforementioned pain or mental management benefits. Look for the Strawberry Banana and more from these talented growers this fall on the recreational market!

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14-PAGE FEATURE

TANNINS

are naturally occurring

molecules found in grape skins and oak barrels that add color, complexity, bitterness and a dry mouth feel to each sip of many types of alcohol. Tannins are influenced by weather, natural setting and cross-selection. Red wine has more tannins because the grapes used are fermented with the seeds, skins and stems, while white wine is frequently fermented from just the crushed juice of white grapes or skinless red grapes. Foods such as meat or cheese that are high in protein or fat go well with tannin-rich wines.

TERPENES

are produced by the trichomes of the plant, the same place where THC is produced. They provide powerfully beneficial circulatory and muscular effects. Much of Cannabis’ smell results from terpene content. More than 120 types of terpenes can be produced in Cannabis. The terpene Limonene is also found in citrus fruits like oranges and tangerines. Limonene is a potent anti-fungal and anti-cancer agent, helping naturally reduce the presence of carcinogens in the body.

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Cannabis strains artfully matched with alcohol in these inspired combinations!

tannins +t REVIEWS BY WES ABNEY PHOTOS BY DANIEL BERMAN STYLING BY MALINA LOPEZ RESOURCES & PRODUCTION CHIPPER GARDENS ARAKS I VARTANIAN CHRISTOPHER NELSON

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terpenes 1

THE SWEETNESS OF SEATTLE SODA FROM CHIPPER GARDENS GOES GREAT WITH THESE SHINE PAPERS + SOME BRIGHT CHARLES DE MARQUES BUBBLY.


tannins + terpenes

2 mozelle sweet riesling + Verdelux Lavender

The complexity of the Lavender flower from Verdelux will have the head spinning with deep, rich terpenes and notes of sesame and citrus with a mild earthiness on the finish. The buds are soft and fluffy but pack a medium density, and are tightly curled inward with frosty trichomes covering the outer layers. Loaded and smoked, the flower has voluminous smoke with little cough that tastes sweeter than the flower suggests. On exhale, it leaves a wonderful layer of sweet resin that lingers on. To balance out the complex nature of this flower, we chose an equally sweet Riesling, although any white wine will go well with this strain, especially if food is being mixed in the pairing. For a dinner, we would recommend spicy or Asian food, but we chose an end-of-day pairing for our use that made the sweeter wine more appealing. The Mozelle Sweet Riesling is an easy drinker from start to finish, and has floral sweet notes with hints of apple and a flavor that can only be characterized as summery. This particular wine is sweet enough to be enjoyed alone, but can also work well with most savory flavorful meals. Paired with the relaxed and happy effects of the Lavender, this sensual match makes for a great way to spend a dinner or chill out at the end of a long day. Try both, and soon the combined effects will usher in a sleepy and content feeling that takes away worry and stress and leaves nothing but a desire to smoke, rinse and repeat.

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Reviews by Wes Abney Photos by Daniel Berman Styling by Malina Lopez

A special occasion pipe? @StonedWareCompany


tannins + terpenes

infused lapsang souchong 5 mile tea + verdelux Durban poison with leif medicinals mint hibiscus chocolates

3

Add 1 shot Lapsang Souchong 5 mile tea and 1/2 cup Club Soda to glass. Squeeze lime to taste, add a sprig of mint, pour over ice and feel refreshed.

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Nothing says summer like cold iced tea, but why stick with something so basic? This cocktail is centered around an infused tea liquor that has a bourbon base and is heavy with smoky flavor and hints of pine and herbs. Blended with club soda, mint and lime, the result is a softened adult tea with layers of flavor and a refreshing mouth feel. Once the drink is mixed and ready, it is time to try out the sativa-dominant Durban Poison from Verdelux. Don’t let the name fool you, this flower is far from dangerous. Cracking open a bag of this fluffy-light sticky bud releases a plume of sweet, floral flavors. The strain leads with citrus notes and a light minty spiciness that adds zest to the flavor, especially when smoked. Tokes of this flower are mild and smooth with a whisper-light smoke that leaves a light tingly mouthfeel and a lingering taste of earthy piney mint. The effects of this sativa are energetic and clear-headed, making this a perfect afternoon choice. There is little body lag and tons of euphoria, especially after a second or third toke. Followed with a sip of the tea cocktail, things start balancing, but we aren’t done yet. There’s chocolate! The Mint Hibiscus chocolate bar is the perfect way to end a session, with a delicious dark chocolate that is dusted with hibiscus flower and infused with the perfect amount of peppermint oil. The chocolate is perfectly soft on first bite, leading with the dark chocolate and peppermint flavors, and finishing with a zingy taste of hibiscus. It leaves the palate refreshed and sets in a balancing relaxation that pairs against the sativa flower that makes this pairing a unique and fun experience.


Reviews by Wes Abney Photos by Daniel Berman Styling by Malina Lopez

4 Gekkeikan sake melon cocktail +

maui wowie This is a twist combining a drink from the East with a strain known for a tropical island, blending the best of both worlds for a unique experience. The drink is elegant in both flavor and simplicity. Made with a $7.99 bottle of sake, one might think that this is a low-budget pairing. Nothing could be further from the truth. This exceptionally smooth and mildly sweet sake blends sensationally and the basic ingredients are transformed into a balanced and fun cocktail. The rich and tropical notes of the flower meet nicely with the fruity element of the drink, and when smoked, the flavor only improves. The deeper notes of the flower melt into a floral smoke with little to no cough, and a mild, tingly mouthfeel finishes a deep exhale. Low in alcohol, this afternoon tonic matches the sativa energy of the Maui Wowie well. Smoking a bowl or especially a joint brings a relaxed but upbeat high, and a festive feeling starts quickly in the cerebral cortex and finishes at the extremities. This strain is relaxation, with or without the beach, and a fun cocktail enhances that feeling to the perfect level.

Add 1 shot of Sake to 1/2 cup Melon Peach Italian Soda from Whole Foods. Pour over ice, serve with lime squeeze.

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tannins + terpenes

5

seattle distilling idle hour whiskey + leira cannagar

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Nothing pairs as well as a fine single malt whiskey and a cigar, except when the tobacco is replaced by a natural Cannabis leaf and flower in an oil-infused Cannagar. This is the ultimate luxury pairing. Start with the Leira-brand Cannagar, which combines 10 premium grams of Gold Leaf Girl Scout Cookies with 2 grams of rosin and several grams of kief, all twisted together in cured loose-leaf Cannabis. Once cured, the result is a half-ounce cigar that will burn for hours of relaxing pleasure. Puffing on this thick and solid cigar feels like a Cuban cigar should, but with the best-craft Cannabis filling instead of tobacco. The kief and rosin melt as the flame works through the body, delivering a heady and balanced pull with sweet and earthy flavor. Naturally, this single-source Cannabis cigar matches perfectly with a locally sourced malt or whiskey from Seattle Distilling. Each hand-numbered bottle has a touch of wildflower honey and delivers a mildly sweet and smoky flavor with hints of the Chardonnay wine barrel aging process. Poured over ice, the whiskey mellows as the cigar slowly builds character, making for a relaxing experience that gets better over time. The best part is that the Cannagar is easily smoked partially and then saved, allowing for multiple uses. Look for Cannagars at select Washington retailers.


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Reviews by Wes Abney Photos by Daniel Berman Styling by Malina Lopez

10 barrel brewing sour crush +

kosher kush

The best food and drink pairings happen when opposites attract, combining to find a delicate balance of flavor, finish and — in our world — effects. The Kosher Kush is an extremely loud and pungent strain. Opening a pop-jar with only a couple grams quickly fills a room, teasing nostrils with a skunky pine and diesel-rich smell. The deeper notes can be mildly offensive to an unsophisticated palate, but the true Cannabis connoisseur will fall in love with the sour-brine and fruit flavor lurking deep in the solid nugs. Trust us, these are all good things. When smoked, the flower is smooth but physically powerful, gripping the mind and body with a heavy THC high. The rich flavors stick to the tongue and lungs with a cough that is sticky rather than harsh, and quickly results in a case of cotton mouth. Enter the Cucumber Sour beer by Crush, the ultimate palate refresher after a fat hit of a true kush. Despite the name, this beer is only mildly sour, and is instead led by a bright cucumber note that is balanced by the wheat-based nature of the beer. This is a wildly refreshing combo that is fun to drink and ensures maximum tokeability on a hot summer day.

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tannins + terpenes

3 howls blood orange vodka + Cultivar Syndicate lemon tangie This vibrant cocktail will bring a smile and the feeling of summer to any party. Paired with the spectacular Lemon Tangie by Cultivar Syndicate, the two combine for one of the most flavorful pairings of the issue. The Lemon Tangie bursts out of a jar with loud and sweet smells of citrus and tropical fruit. This strain matches the name to a tee, and snapping a nug smells like peeling a tangerine, down to the resiny sweet trichomes stuck to fingers after packing a bowl. The taste is smooth and sweet, with a quick and powerful high that delivers a euphoric relaxation. The two pairings combine for something sweet and delicious that will delight the taste buds and the cerebral cortex. After a few tokes and the first cocktail, the stress of life will lift, the happiness from smoking a quality sativa will set in and the world will seem all the better. Our recommendation? Rinse, scrape the bowl and repeat.

Background by @Cannaflage Pipes by @StonedWareCompany

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- 1 shot Blood orange Vodka - 1/2 shot b l o o d o r a n g e vodka - Sp l a s h s i m p l e s y r u p Mull all together, pour in glass. Ad d t o n i c w a t e r & s q u e e z e o f l i m e


Reviews by Wes Abney Photos by Daniel Berman Styling by Malina Lopez

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3 howls whiskey + voodoo kush with leif medicinals coffee cacao bars

This three-way pairing will have your palate wrapped up in a perfect flavor and effects package. The Voodoo Kush is a peppery and spicy flower with ground dirt lingering in the background and a sharp sour smell when snapped. It meets the whiskey well, which leads with floral citrus notes and features a smooth finish with hints of pine needles and a crisp but lightly sour mouthfeel. They balance well together, going back and forth, each feeling refreshing from sip to toke. Tokes of the kush are sharp at first, with a sour smoke that bites the palate but eases into the lungs, finishing with a smooth exhale. Effects are top down, starting in the mind and drifting to the body, slowing time mentally and sending calming and comfortable vibes to ease the mind. And then there is the chocolate. Leif Medicinals delivers two custom chocolates, each with 15mg of THC and delivering craft flavor with a solid recreational high. We loved the Coffee Cacao Bar, made of 35 percent white chocolate with coffee and sweet cacao nibs, and finished with sea salt. The chocolate is decadently soft at first bite, with a light crunch of nibs and salt, finishing with a rich cacao flavor and zero hint of Cannabis. Together, whiskey, relaxation and chocolate make for a complex and unique set of flavors to keep things interesting.

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tannins + terpenes

black raven brewing trickster ipa + liontree farms gSC live resin In the world of hash oils, live resin reigns supreme as the ultimate expression of a plant’s flavor, effects and looks. The Girl Scout Cookie by Liontree Farms certainly does not disappoint in this regard. Best kept chilled before use, this sappy and golden oil is a treasure waiting to be smoked. Peeling open the parchment paper releases a plume of minty, earthy Girl Scout Cookies flavor, filling the nostrils with raw Cannabis fragrance as if a nug had just been snapped. The taste is only expanded with this oil when dabbed at low temp, with a light and smooth vapor full of earthy cocoa flavors with a light pine finish. The effects of this live resin are strong and quick to onset, much like the beer we chose to pair with. Trickster IPA is a 6.9 percent ABV beer, full of hoppy flavors and a taste that compliments the oil well. When chilled to a proper temperature, the IPA is smooth and refreshing but still bold, with a bright citrus and pine flavor that finishes with hints of fruit and floral grass. For an IPA, this beer is on the lighter side, easy to drink and perfect after a dab or two. Try both for a unique and powerful experience that will set the mind and body free of worry, and usher in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest summer!

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Reviews by Wes Abney Photos by Daniel Berman Styling by Malina Lopez

10 Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon + cultivar syndicate blackberry + verdelux truffles If there were ever a strain known for its wine-like looks, it would have to be the Blackberry from Cultivar Syndicate, with its healthy supply of breathtaking frosty purp hues. While everything coming from this garden in flower or rosin form is spectacular, we especially enjoyed taking in this wonderful Blackberry flower. The large, pillowy nugs have rich and sweet berry and earth tones and an underlying sweetness that is balanced and not overwhelming. Rich in trichomes, this flower delivers a powerful hybrid high with elements of sativa and indica playing in the mind and body. The flavor is sweet and smooth, and the effects hit quickly in the brain while tailing into the body after a few minutes. This pairing is the perfect bathtime or end-of-day option, as it will release the mind of stress and anxiety while calming the body, allowing one to focus on a good book or enhancing a relaxing sunset. Paired with an offering from the reliable Barefoot wine brand, which delivers great wine at extremely fair prices, the bold berry flavors of the wine go well with this strain. The wine is heavy in currant, raspberry and blackberry flavors, with a hint of vanilla on the finish. After a couple tokes and a glass or two, this pairing can be completed with a rich and luscious chocolate truffle, the perfect treat for the end of a day.

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tannins + terpenes

wild roots marionberry vodka + raven grass silver tip Fresh and fluffy buds of Silver Tip are covered in trichomes and a light purple hue that matches this drink in color and flavor. This strain is both sweet and mellow at the same time, with upfront notes of berries reminiscent of Fruity Pebbles. But there are also complex notes of sour fermented earth with hints of pine and diesel. The effects of this strain are unique, given the parentage of Granddaddy Purple and Super Silver Haze. The combination is a heady high with mood-elevating properties that packs a bit of couchlock and a lot of pain relief. This is the perfect strain and drink combo to enjoy on a warm afternoon, and will help the body relax while the mind is set free to wander in THC-fueled pleasure. There is a sublime feel to blending a drink of fruit, water and quality marionberry vodka. Although the cocktail looks decadently sweet, it is leveled out by the fizzy water and great for either a hot day or those looking to limit sugar in their drinks. The flavor is mild and - 1 shot Infused Vodka refreshing, - 6 fresh blackberries and the - 1/2 cup Tonic Water vodka - Small sprig of mint Pour in glass over ice blends and enjoy outside. in well with the fizzy water and mint, with the brightest taste coming when a berry bursts during a sip. After a heavy toke of Silver Tip, this cocktail refreshes the palate and the spirit, preparing for an afternoon or evening of relaxation and contemplation as the effects of the Cannabis settle in for a long and pleasurable high.

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Reviews by Wes Abney Photos by Daniel Berman Styling by Malina Lopez

marteau Belle Epoque Absinthe + raven grass laughing buddha For this pairing, we decided to pick a unique and fun strain called Laughing Buddha. This is especially meaningful considering the path that legal Absinthe has taken in the U.S. Until 2005, possession or distribution of the liquor was illegal, despite a rich history dating back hundreds of years. The drink of choice of writers and aficionados like Edgar Allen Poe, this elixir is a powerful and flavor-packed drink. We do have to wonder: if Poe had chosen our pairing, would “The Tell-Tale Heart� have been a little less creepy? But why Liquor-soaked sugar focus on the cubes are sparked past? This pairwith a light and ing allows for allowed to drip into a delicious and the glass of absinthe. intimate moment, from when a joint or bowl is sparked to the lighting of the sugar cube to create the drink. Absinthe is dominated by the flavor of anise, which is the main flavor in black liquorice. When prepared as a drink, the taste is alcohol forward, with a musky and minty body and a piney floral finish. We chose to pair this extremely potent drink with a fun and uplifting sativa known for a happy and euphoric energy. The Raven Grass Laughing Buddha has a sharp flavor dominated by an earthy citrus with a hint of mint and nose-tingling tartness. The uplifting and energetic effects of this strain complement the aggressive nature of the drink, providing a powerful combination.

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recipes

By LAURIE WOLF for ALASKA LEAF | PHOTOS by BRUCE WOLF for ALASKA LEAF

Perfectly ripe avocados go great with a sprinkling of salt and a squeeze of lemon, while the addition of a few simple ingredients makes for an interesting starter or healthy quick lunch.

These recipes are a tribute to the glorious foods that scream summer. When you can, eat seasonally. Summertime food is crazy with flavor and packed with nutrition — food never tastes as good as it does in summer. Prepared with a nice dose of Cannabis, these dishes are super simple to make and celebrate what might be growing in your garden, perhaps amid a marijuana plant or two. This summer, I am growing three plants: J1, Durban Poison and Obama Kush. Maybe I’ll throw in some zucchini. Wish me luck! Makes 4 servings

FRESH GRILLED CORN with CANNA COMPOUND BUTTER 1. In a small bowl, combine the butters. Mix in the roasted pepper, scallion, paprika, black pepper and salt. Chill while you start the grill.

1. Place the avocados on your

work surface. Sprinkle the lemon juice across avocado halves.

2. Divide the oils between the two avocados and top with the fresh cilantro leaves and shredded pepper.

3. Sprinkle with the salt and serve with a lemon wedge.

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2. Fill a large bowl with cold water and soak the corn for 15 minutes. Ensure the corn is submerged. 3. Place the corn on the grill and cook, turning frequently, over direct heat, for 5 minutes. Move the corn away from direct heat and cook an additional 6-8 minutes. The husks will be shriveled, browning and you should be able to see the outline of the kernels. 4. Carefully pull back the husks. Top with the canna-butter and serve while still steamy.

INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons olive oil 2 teaspoons canna olive oil 1 ripe avocado, halved and pit removed 2 tablespoons butter, softened 1 tablespoon canna-butter, softened 2 grape tomatoes, sliced in wedges 1 tablespoon roasted red pepper, diced Cilantro leaves 1 scallion, chopped 2 teaspoons shredded bell pepper ½ teaspoon paprika Coarse salt ¼ teaspoon coarse black pepper Lemon juice and lemon wedge Generous pinch of salt

4 ears of corn, husks intact


FETA & WATERMELON skewers INGREDIENTS

1 small seedless watermelon cut in 1½-inch chunks About 24 half-inch to 1- inch cubes of feta cheese. ¾ cup fresh basil leaves 1 clove garlic 1 tablespoon walnuts 2 tablespoons canna-olive oil 2 tablespoons fresh chop parsley

Serves four

1. Thread the fruit and cheese on skewers. Start and end with watermelon. Chill the skewers. 2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the basil, garlic and walnuts. Process. Drizzle in the oil while the machine is running. 3. Drizzle the pesto over the skewers before serving.

Cold CUCUMBER SOUP INGREDIENTS

2 lg. cucumbers, peeled, seeded, chopped 1½ cups low-fat, plain yogurt 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon chopped onion 2 tablespoons mild canna-oil Salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender, processing the mixture until very smooth. Divide among four soup bowls.

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Reviews

By STEVE ELLIOTT Editor, Tokesignals.com

MARIJUANA:

Kevin P. Hill, M.D.

THE UNBIASED TRUTH ABOUT THE WORLD’S MOST POPULAR WEED By

KEVIN P. HILL, M.D., HAZELDEN PUBLISHING, 2015, $14.95, 240 PAGES

IF YOU’RE THE TYPE OF MASOCHIST WHO’D WADE THROUGH 200+PAGES OF TORTURED JUSTIFICATION FOR LOOKING AT MARIJUANA AS AN “ADDICTION,” BE MY GUEST.

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T

he forces of repression and prohibition don’t give up easily. Just when you think you’ve beaten them once and for all — or at least, have them primed for a knockout blow — they don new disguises and return. That’s what kind of book “Marijuana” by Dr. Kevin P. Hill is. Posing as “unbiased truth,” this judgmental little volume is anything but. What it represents is the latest fallback position of those who decide upfront they’re “against Cannabis” and then go cherry picking pseudo-facts to justify that position. “While it appears that acceptance of marijuana usage is growing, there is much misinformation about it and a lot more that needs to be understood regarding its effects on people, especially on the developing brains of young people,” Dr. Hill tells us. But don’t think for a minute that the good doctor, by “misinformation,” means the years of harmful Reefer Madness myths that resulted in a police state and the erosion of civil liberties. No, what Dr. Hill means by “misinformation” is the well-founded public perception that Cannabis isn’t nearly as dangerous as our corporate masters would have us believe. You see, Dr. Hill is an “expert” in “addiction treatment,” so whenever he touts his “marijuana expertise,” the only way he can see the herb is through the tiny little tunnel vision of the addiction paradigm. Never mind that “addiction” is a faintly ridiculous way to look at weed, since it has none of the physical markers of truly addictive substances like opiates and benzodiazepines. So to gloss over that glaring lack of true addiction, “experts” like Dr. Hill must pretend that pot is somehow a stealth addiction, a habit that is so subtle, one must re-define “addiction” in order to include it. Such verbal gymnastics are fine when you’re writing a grant request for some bullshit “marijuana recovery program,” but they don’t really convince anyone not already in the “addiction recovery” game. In fact, they serve only to piss off those of us who prize clear thinking when it comes to consciousness-altering substances and their actual effects on the human organism. So, if you’re the type of literary masochist who’d wade through 200+ pages of tortured justification for looking at marijuana as an “addiction,” be my guest. Just don’t expect to learn anything useful, other than just how absurd prohibitionists are willing to appear in order to keep their True Faith.

TO GLOSS OVER THE GLARING LACK OF TRUE ADDICTION, “EXPERTS” LIKE DR. HILL MUST PRETEND THAT POT IS SOMEHOW A STEALTH ADDICTION.



health & science

COVER UP

THE SECRET DANGERS OF SUNSCREEN

low sperm counts and infertility, the development of breast and ovarian cansunburns and damage to the skin. With fear of skin cancer, wrinkles and cers in women, and they may increase the chance of prostate cancer in men. sunspots, daily use of sunscreen is recommended by the American Academy Ten percent of the general U.S. population has something wrong with their of Dermatology. Sunscreens are regulated as an over-the-counter drug by thyroid gland. the FDA, which changed labeling in 2011 that now includes information Early synthetic sunscreens were first used in 1928, and the first major about the protection a sunscreen offers. The FDA approves the chemicals commercial product was brought to market in 1936, with the goal of blockcontained within sunscreens, but the safety of these ingredients for the end ing ultraviolet light. Sunscreens started out with pasty zinc oxide that no user has been called into question. one would use, so scientists created sunscreens with clear chemicals There is little scientific evidence to suggest that sunscreen alone that absorbed UV light. Modern-day products are a lot easier to reduces skin cancer risk, namely for melanoma, the most deadly use. In 1944, Coppertone became the first mass-marketed suntype of skin cancer. However, part of the relabeling of sunscreen BY ALASKA LEAF screen, and at present day, the industry is huge. in 2011 by the FDA added the claim that certain sunscreens Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are rocks that are ground SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR prevent cancer. down to a fine consistency, and they do a great job of blocking DR. SCOTT D. ROSE Despite a growing awareness of the dangers of exposure to both UVA and UVB light. Zinc is less whitening on the skin and the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, and a multi-billion-dollar sunblocks nearly all dangerous UV light. These stay on the surface of screen industry, skin cancer rates have tripled over the past three the skin and reduce the likelihood of systemic absorption. These are decades. Sunscreens have altered the ancient relationship between huknown as physical sunscreens, as opposed to the chemical sunscreens man skin and the sun. that absorb energy and release it in different ways that may also be harmful. Chemical sunscreens don’t just sit on the surface of the skin, they soak You can also block the sun by covering up with shirts, hats, shorts and into it and quickly find their way into the bloodstream. They are spread all pants (even more so with specific sun-protection clothing that has a tighter over the body without being detoxified by the liver and can be detected in weave to block more UV), which can reduce risk by nearly 30 percent. Find blood, urine and breast milk for up to two days after a single application. shade or make it, and sunglasses with UV protection are a must. The hormones most commonly disturbed are estrogen, progesterone, testosOther ways to avoid overexposure include checking the UV index and terone and thyroid. These photochemicals can cause abnormal development planning around the sun. Don’t plan activities during peak sun-exposure of fetuses and growing children, with early puberty and premature breast times of the day. It only takes 10 to 15 minutes in peak sun to produce development in girls, and small, undescended testicles in boys. They cause 10,000 international units of vitamin D (at the equator!), and at northern

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SHUTTERSTOCK

the use of sunscreen has been employed for nearly 100 years to prevent


latitudes, you will likely burn before converting enough vitamin D (if much at all, and there is virtually zero production during the winter months), therefore, vitamin D supplementation is necessary. Vitamin D is part of the human photoprotective response. Vitamin D makes the skin less sensitive to sun exposure, and there is a correlation between low vitamin D status and “sun allergy,” or acute sun sensitivity. The information labeled on sunscreens can be helpful in making a more wise choice when purchasing. Choosing from the EWG’s sunscreen guidelines, look for sun protection factor (SPF), and sunscreens that are labeled “broad spectrum.” SPF is a measure of how well a sunscreen will protect skin from UVB rays. SPF 15 blocks 93 percent of UVB rays, SPF 30 blocks 97 percent and SPF 50 blocks 98 percent. Higher SPF sunscreens can actually encourage people to stay out in the sun longer, and hardly anyone follows the recommended application time of 30 minutes before exposure or reapplication at half the SPF (ex. SPF 30 must be reapplied every 15 minutes), and after getting wet or sweating. The term “broad spectrum” indicates that there is coverage for UVA that is equivalent to the SPF. Other countries use other systems to quantify the UVA effectiveness such as the PA system. These products are rated with a PA+ through PA+++, low to high effectiveness. These broad spectrum sunscreens are the ones labeled as skin cancer prevention, but they are also the ones that have the most chemicals. There are two distinct ultraviolet rays within the ultraviolet spectrum: ultraviolet-A (UVA) and ultraviolet-B (UVB). Sunscreens have traditionally absorbed the sun’s UVB rays, which have a much smaller bandwidth than UVA within the ultraviolet spectrum. In other words, with sun exposure, there is more UVA striking the skin than UVB, and when using most sunscreens, the balance is further thrown off. UV radiation is situated on the energy spectrum with UVA above (higher frequency) visible light and UVB again a much smaller amount comparatively, positioned below x-rays, yet above UVA. UVB is responsible for the conversion of the inactive form of vitamin D, which is hanging around under the skin just waiting for some UVB rays to activate the molecule. Vitamin D has been shown to inhibit most cancers that humans tend to die from. Studies have shown that active vitamin D inhibits melanoma cell tissue growth that is both dose- and time-dependent, meaning the more the better to a certain threshold, and the longer vitamin D levels were optimized, the better the results. Other studies have shown that sun exposure alone increased survival time from melanoma versus avoiding the sun entirely, and vitamin D intake can lower the incidence of melanoma by 40 percent. UVB is responsible for the darkening of the skin when sun-exposed by increasing the brown, black pigment melanin in the skin. Our bodies have evolved a photoprotecive response, tanning, to handle sun exposure. When the melanin pigment increases, the skin also thickens and does not allow UV rays to penetrate as deeply. When this process is inhibited with sunscreen use — especially those that block UVB rays — the tissues are blasted with high amounts of UVA, which causes free radical damage and promotion of cancer. UVA photochemicals are now being added to sunscreen in conjunction with the UVB-inhibiting ingredients. These are the products that are now labeled with the FDA-approved statement of reducing cancer risk with use,

despite the fact that there have never been any randomized controlled studies conducted in humans on melanoma. There are 17 individual sunscreen ingredients that are FDA approved: 15 of these are clear chemicals (photochemicals) that absorb UV light and two are made of minerals that reflect UV light (physical sunscreen vs. chemical — zinc oxide and titanium dioxide). Of the 15, nine are known endocrine disruptors (hormonal systems in the body). These are powerful chemicals, and if they were pills being ingested in the body, there would be more stringent requirements for testing.

Look for sun-protection clothing with a tighter weave to block out more UV, which can reduce cancer risks by nearly 30 percent. Sunglasses with UV protection are a must. Make or find shade. You can also block the sun by covering up with shirts, hats, shorts and pants.

There are ways other than vita-

min D supplementation to prepare the skin for the summer season, or a sun-exposed upcoming event. There are dietary ways of “feeding” the skin and helping to prepare it. Studies show that having enough Omega 3 fatty acids are important for protecting our skin against sun damage and cancer. These essential fats are found in fatty fish like wild salmon and sardines. Coconut oil is a source of medium-chain fatty acids and saturated fats that are easily absorbed and used by the body to form new skin and prevent damage from the sun. Essential just means the body does not make these fats for itself and must come from a dietary source. Make sure to eat a variety of brightly colored vegetables and fruits, especially berries and dark leafy greens, to feed your body with antioxidants to help fight against skin damage and sun burns. Carotenoids found in many plants are used by plants as sunscreen. Foods containing high concentrations of carotenoids include tomatoes (especially cooked) sweet potatoes, mango, carrots and watermelon, to name a few. Enjoying the sun and receiving all the health benefits it offers must be balanced with the risk of overexposure. You definitely want to avoid getting burned, but you also want to avoid shielding yourself from the sun entirely. UV radiation can and does damage skin tissue and must not be overdone. Allow the human photoprotective response to have its natural effects by gradually exposing the skin to the sun and building a beneficial base tan — this evolutionary mechanism can inhibit detrimental effects. The people who are using the most sunscreen perhaps should not. There is enough data to call into question the daily practice of creating a shield of armor against the sun. To get away from the chemical-based sunscreen, there are many recipes for making your own (five such recipes are at TheHumbleHomemaker.com). So, the next time you are going to be sun-exposed, be prepared for the decision to slather or not to slather on the chemical-based sunscreens.

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

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growtech

what I learned by A MUCH-NEEDEd bREAK FROM TECHNOLOGY

ver the past two and a half months, I’ve learned a about the exact functions and order of the natural world. The rest is all great deal from having no regular access to internet but a group of ideas, theories and pontifications, none of which have or phone. Of particular relevance is the extremely any likelihood of being testable, provable or revealed in a way the BY ALASKA LEAF rare and most blessed opportunity to participate confines of our minds can digest. The most exciting questions exist SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR DR. SCANDERSON in the process of nature, which offers stewardship, inside this mystery, if not but partially because simply asking them knowledge and gentle lessons for those open to indicates an inability to ever understand an answer. learning them. A process that has been in the works for some 14 bilAnd all the way down here at the end of the result of nature’s conlion years now, provided the all but accidental coincidence of an Earth tinued experiments with itself, we live and breathe. A life not earned, planet endowed with the biology and resources for life to thrive for a prowith endless resources provided without request and a firm platform to oblonged period in a closed-loop ecosystem. As we have only recently begun to serve, understand and learn about our own survival from. Although possessglimpse at the physical world we exist in, it’s impossible inside the fragile limits ing a bounty of grace, our evolution has been a slow WORKING of our brains to conceive the body of time invested to create the perfection inand rocky one compared to some of nature’s other INSIDE THE visibly operating in ubiquitous harmony all around us at all times. creations, but still, we thrived. Learning more and PERFECTION From the time of recombination, about 400,000 years after the Big Bang (Big more, populating greater areas, experiencing deeper OF NATURE Splat for M-theory enthusiasts), the building blocks t allow what we underand more profound emotions until we cultivate the HAS BEEN stand as reality to exist from have been working out the specific recipe to make society we live in today. ONE OF LIFE’S life, consciousness and existence a stable reality. And in nature’s experiment, of Somewhere along the line I got lost, then found, GREATEST greatest interest to us humans (by design) is that of the universe observing itself. then lost again. This cyclical process of realization GIFTS. Dutifully fulfilling this role, our most current understandings beget excitement then unconscious sedation has existed since my earI BELONG from its discovery by revealing not more of the answer, but rather, hard evidence ly teens. Since my soul began to breath, I have felt TO NATURE. of just how much greater a question we really need to ask. the shouting demand to be self-expressed, which In other words, our understanding informs us of how very little we know has lead me through many an interesting journey.

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Image via Public Domain / Pixabay

O

RE:CONNECTED


a hierarchy. While our presence, our souls, used to provide an all but unavoidable filter and grounding point to ensure our cooperative interactions, we have circumvented this fail-safe with our technology. Having replaced human interactions with a more “efficient” way of communicating, we have removed our humanness from the process. What’s left is a cacophony of computers and A CACOPHONY OF COMPUTERS AND MINDS BATTLING minds battling it out with anger and frustraIT OUT WITH ANGER AND FRUSTRATION IN AN ARENA tion in an arena where the computer inside the WHERE THE COMPUTER INSIDE THE BOX AND MIND box and mind inside the human are often inINSIDE THE HUMAN ARE OFTEN INDISCERNIBLE. discernible. Our communication separation has freed us to be blind of our commonalities. Too Finding myself, being and working inside the permarvel of invention is found: the human condition. much definition over our differences has been fection of nature, has been one of life’s greatest gifts. Only nature could create a specimen as unique as huneedlessly investigated and a demented social I belong to nature. I didn’t seek it out for any specific mans and endow us with the facility we have and the order supporting a sharp defensive response reason; in fact, I initially avoided indulgent particicondition we exist in. It’s only in nature that we find a over a friendly reply of inquiry has been estabpation. I only dipped my feet in as a matter of pracbeing aware of the immensity of time and complexity lished. This social hijacking has robbed us from ticality, staying fast to emptier, more vacuous ideas. of processes involved in creating growing plants, and our divine entitlement to learn from one anI feel nature genuinely selected me, beckoned to me also are so quick to lay claim of credit for the final other and find fulfillment in that process. and eventually pulled me in. Now, in nothing but the result. Somehow, in the early moments of the known So, the next time you pick up your favorite most intentionally Pollenian fashion (please read Miuniverse, from the quark-gluon plasma emerged a set digital device, please take a moment of pause chael Pollan’s “The Botany of Desire”), I belong to of circumstances that after billions of years created and set up your intention. Acknowledge that the Cannabis plant. the precise criteria for all energies, physical particles, you are part of a unique community of simI am blessed with the endowments of skill and dechemical reactions and the space time for a plant to ilarly minded folk who are living during an sire to be the best caregiver for the plant I can be and grow has miraculously occurred. It has done so with unprecedented time for Cannabis proliferafeel most alive when I am doing so. I experience happerfection and inside of an unintion in an area where the piness when solving a problem that helps her thrive. terrupted closed-loop system for very meaning of legalOUR I constantly try to usher in new varieties through my millions of years. ization is being defined COMMUNICATION love of seed selection and often need to remind myIn our insignificant time in daily. Remind yourself, if SEPARATION self, as I consider acquiring yet another pack of seeds, existence we are able to use you can, of a time when HAS FREED US that I can’t help bring any new plants to life if I don’t words like mine, ours and not you wanted so badly to TO BE BLIND provide myself with the basic necessities. When a yours when describing the plants be devoid of the risks and OF OUR new piece of information that helps me create a more and nature that we work inside hassles associated with COMMONALITIES. favorable result in the garden reveals itself, I get exof. With no sentiment of plaliving in a world where cited. I feel like nature whispered a little secret in my giarizing, we so boldly are willnature is illegal. A world ear, or more accurately, that I have learned to hear a ing to annex billions of years of where human arrogance whisper that’s always been there, only I couldn’t quite energetic exertion and planning has invented itself to the distinguish before. The privilege of understanding her (which we understand almost unimaginable level of bemystery is deeply satisfying and inspires me to share none of ) as being a product of lieving in its capabilities my knowledge with my community. When someone our own effort. It makes me of regulating a system we feels they get help from this, they are offering gratthink of a consumer sliding a key are very much a part of, itude to nature and honoring her generosity. I have into the ignition of a brand new as if the clouds attempt the rare opportunity to be an observer: a shepherd of car, firing up the engine, then to govern the rain. And an infinitely small piece of nature’s magnificence. I instantly being overwhelmed know that your actions are am but a small actor, a minor participant, a student at with the satisfaction of accomdefining all that stands in the greatest show ever performed. plishment from having created that vehicle. the possibility to opposing these ideas. The culmination of all of these experiences is often As a community of Cannabis enthusiasts, we have “The true harvest of my daily life is somethe most fulfilling moments I exist in. They come already designated ourselves as people with a shared what as intangible and indescribable as the for me inside quiet times, when no other humans are interest. When you consider just how many people are tints of morning or evening. It is a little stararound, providing strength, connection, satisfaction, comfortable and happy identifying themselves in this dust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I happiness and inspiration all instantaneously. category compared with the people on Earth that do have clutched.”-Henry David Thoreau As a social creature, I often look to share those not, we are in a very tightly knit circle, and as social It’s with great gratitude and much inspiraexperiences with others. It’s here where yet another creatures we are understandably looking to establish tion I wish you all happy gardening!!!

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BEHIND THE STRAIN

Drop me a line

thegreengardengroup@gmail.com

Watch a video

YouTube.com/DrScandersonGt

KUSHBERRY Flowers in 57-65 days When the jar is cracked, this strain really begins to sing.

BAG APPEAL & SMOKE REPORT these blooms come out looking like chunky OG Kush nugs.

Elongated thick spears of tightly packed calyxes complete with dark red hairs and ample frosting, it looks like a nice OG. When the jar is cracked, this strain really begins to sing. Familiar earthy dank scents of OG Kush are dramatically magnified by the sharp citrus blueberry platform handsomely laid out by the parent stock.Its complex scent reaches an apex precisely where Kush becomes an ammonia lemon cleaner. Rather than finishing off lemony, the scent evens out in a creamy dark berry and currant. And if that sounds far too pompous, just think Crunchberry cereal and you’re in the neighborhood. Ground up, these blooms are overwhelmed with the gassy, cleaner smell of OG and that’s right where the flavor takes you. With somewhat mild lung expansion for such an OG-dominant plant, the smooth smoke is potent with quick onset. Big Kush flavors almost completely dominate the berry flavors until well after the exhale, where the kushy flavor dissolves into a lip-smacking berry delight.

BY ALASKA LEAF SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR DR. SCANDERSON

I know I’ve just smoked some kush because my eyelids assume an at-ease position. GENETICS: OG KUSH X BLUEBERRY

HOW IT GROWS A lot of the structure of this plant has an OG feel. She is taller

and will put out a fair stretch at transition and enjoys higher levels of calcium through flower onset. The blueberry, however, adds a noticeable improvement in stem stability and tolerance to a range of feeding schedules. Topping and other standard height-mitigating techniques will be rewarded with strong stems that don’t need the same level of support as most elite OG Kushes. While she is a little slower to set flowers than her Blueberry heritage, once she gets going, it’s off to the races. You can expect this strain to pack on frost and weight quickly and finish off in a solid eight weeks.

BREEDER: DNA GENETICS SUMMARY: DNA is at it again, carving the way with some of the best

genetics in the game with an instant legendary Kushberry. A fantastic solution for anyone looking for a slightly easier-to-grow kush that still comes with all the desirable characteristics one comes to expect from OG, and then some.

LINEAGE

Two old-school favorites come together in this legendary cross. It’s rumored to be the Christopher Wallace cut of OG Kush combined with DJ Shorts legendary Blueberry. The strain balances an extraordinary combination of terpenes and effects.

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EFFECTS the quick onset provides an immediate head change and a

light sweat. I know I’ve just smoked some kush because my eyelids assume an at-ease position. In spite of the fast onset, there is also very much a creeper characteristic where the effect continues to set in throughout the first 15 minutes after dosage. Even more impressive is how long the effects keep symptoms at bay. Experienced users can expect a heavy medicinal effect for three hours or more without any couch-locking effects.



We are always striving to set a standard that both our local government and cannabis community can be proud of. Locally owned and operated we at the Glass Gardens look forward to our sister company Alaska Green Cross legally providing top quality cannabis to our local cannabis community in the future. We carry both heady and functional glass pieces from local favorites as well as other US based artists. We also carry a selection of glass jewelry, unique apparel options and accessories of all kinds such as lighter cases and much more. For the medical patients of the state we carry and expanding amount of CBD based products for those seeking pain relief. Come visit us Mon– Sat. 12 pm to 8 pm, look for the crown on Dimond Blvd. in the Kings Row Mall. Must be 21 years of age with Valid I.D. to Enter/Purchase from the gallery. For more information feel free to contact us at 907-34GLASS (907)344-5277 or email us at

greencross@alaska.net


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