Alaska Leaf - March 2017

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PREDICTING THE STATE OF WEED RECIPES

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POT-INFUSED SANDWICHES WE CAN'T ST0P EATING GLASS ART

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ISSUE 11

SWAN GLASS & TACOMA BRIAN BUDSHOT

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

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MAR. 2017

12 ALASKA NEWS No smoking on-site, Board says

36 GLASS ART Swan Glass x Tacoma Brian

FULL MELT PG.

32

Story by Laurie Wolf Photos by Bruce Wolf

CANNABIS-INFUSED SANDWICHES WE CAN’T STOP EATING

52 BUDSHOTS Submit your best potography 07 08 12 14 16 18 22 24 28 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54

E D I TO R ’S N OT E N AT I O N A L N E WS A L AS K A U P DAT E DONALD TRUMP STAT E O F W E E D H I G H LY L I K E LY GOODSINSE PA K A L O L O CENTERFOLD TASTY RECIPES C O N C E N T R AT E S GLASS ART BOOK REVIEW C B D TINCTURES G R Ö N C H O C O L AT E S DR. SCOTT D. ROSE C U LT I VAT E P O S I T I V I T Y S T. PAT R I C K ’ S D AY G R O W T E C H P A R T 2 of 2 B U D S H OT S U B M I S S I O N S BEHIND THE STRAIN

C OVER ART

GoodSinse shows off the Fairbanks Cannabis scene.

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Employee Chris Ray talks about the organic material used in the bedding. Organic material retains organic matter and nutrients longer in the soil.

24 EXPLORING THIS BEAUTIFUL SHOP (AND GROW) IN FAIRBANKS

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PAKALOLO SUPPLY CO.

Photos by Oscar Avellaneda-Cruz

ALASKA LEAF

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

editor’s note

Keep an eye out as the industry continues to develop & evolve

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 // 425-219-6155

FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Wes Abney

PHOTOGRAPHER & DESIGNER

Daniel Berman

CONTRIBUTORS OSCAR AVELLANEDA-CRUZ, PHOTOS STEVE ELLIOTT, NATIONAL NEWS SIMONE FISCHER, HEALTH & SCIENCE PAUL GRZELAK, EDITING SEAN O’NEILL, ILLUSTRATION DR. SCANDERSON, GROWTECH DR. SCOTT D. ROSE, HEALTH ALIZA SHERMAN, FEATURES ERIC SKELTON, DESIGN PACER STACKTRAIN, FEATURES BRANDON VOSIKA, ILLUSTRATION LAURIE & BRUCE WOLF, RECIPES ANNIKA WOLTERS, EDITING

ADVERTISING Nate@ORLeaf.com // 415-717-6985 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.

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Department of Corrections

No news is good news, but if we made an error, please get in touch so we can do right by the story and our readers.

MAR. 2017 ISSUE #11

the best remedy to a rainy spring day is a fat bowl of some quality local

Cannabis. I love how even the gloomiest days can be lifted by something as simple as our plant of choice. All the light it takes to bring a flower to pipe seems to jump into the lungs and soul with a perfect toke.

Our issue this month is a fun look at all things pot in the month of March. No special theme, but a special issue nonetheless. We have a bunch of fun new content including product reviews, tasty recipes, beautiful glass art and more! But I want you to learn by flipping through!

I will take my time here to focus on something more positive.

I spoke last month on a media panel at CannaCon and had the chance to share the stage with some really wonderful media influencers in the industry. When it was my chance to talk about the Leaf and what it stands for, I was reminded through my own words why I started the publication: passion. I love the plant. And that passion is what should drive the industry forward.

Every time I go to a trade show (we do 30+ a year) I see so many different ideas, products, companies and people, all striving to make a dream a reality. That is my favorite part of this entire movement. My least favorite? The focus on the money.

Green eyes get old quick, and the truth is that all legal Cannabis states are fighting the balance between passion and cash. Leaf Nation has now printed more than 2,000,000 copies for free, and that has been the greatest accomplishment of my life. All of this has been based on companies that supported our ideals and our passions, making possible our business model of giving away these magazines.

It is this reminder that drives me to thank you, our readers, our advertisers and our supporters. Without your help, this dream would not be possible, and it means the world to me to get to share our work with you.

Thanks for reading!

—Wes Abney

EVERY TIME I GO TO A TRADE SHOW (WE DO 30+ A YEAR) I SEE SO MANY DIFFERENT IDEAS, PRODUCTS, COMPANIES AND PEOPLE, ALL STRIVING TO MAKE A DREAM A REALITY. mar. 2017 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF /7

national

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

Congress LaunchES FIRST Bipartisan Cannabis Caucus Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon),

WASHINGTON LEGISLATURE CONSIDERS MARIJUANA HOME DELIVERY

Retailers would be allowed to take phone and web orders.

The Washington Legislature is looking into a bill

“I have to think that the first kid that gets that would legalize marijuana home delivery during stabbed, or shot, or beaten, you’re going to feel a bit a hearing this week in the House Commerce & responsible for that,” Kingsbury said. “If this isn’t a Gaming Committee. recipe for disaster, I don’t know what is.”

HB 1712 would allow delivery services to bring Kingsbury ignored the fact that medical and weed to the door of those who order it, if approved. black market delivery services have operated in The bill would allow Cannabis retailers to take Washington state for years. While this reporter has orders by phone or online for adults 21 and older. heard a couple of instances of delivery drivers being Washington’s legalization law, I-502, robbed in the past eight years, I am not “WE’RE TAKING currently only allows pot purchases at aware of any stabbings, shootings or DOWN THE BLACK brick-and-mortar stores. beatings.

MARKET, THE One opponent of HB 1712 claimed Rep. David Sawyer (D-Tacoma) said CARTELS AND this would lessen safety for both the measure’s risk to marijuana users is RUNNING A SAFE, customers and employees by allowing LEGAL MARKET minimal, and that increasing access transactions in “insecure locations.” to Cannabis is critical to undercut “So what this bill does is take away the walls, it black market distributors. The Washington State takes away the witnesses, it takes away the cameras Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) would have and the security protocols and any sort of alarms,” to figure out how much marijuana each driver is said John Kingsbury of the medical marijuana allowed to carry, Rep. Sawyer said. advocacy group Patients United.

“Our whole goal is that we’re taking down the Kingsbury seems to feel such security concerns black market, the cartels and running a safe, legal outweigh the needs of homebound patients who are market,” Sawyer said. “We want to compete on unable to visit a store to procure their supply. convenience and a fair price point.”

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Dana Rohrabacher (R-California), Jared Polis (D-Colorado) and Don Young (R-Alaska) on Feb. 16 at the U.S. Capitol launched the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, the first of its kind.

The bipartisan caucus will provide a forum for members of the House to discuss, learn and work together to establish a more rational approach to federal Cannabis policy. Co-chairs Blumenauer, Rohrabacher, Polis and Young sent a letter inviting all members of the House to join the caucus.

“The prohibition of Cannabis has been a failure, and Americans across our nation are demanding a more sensible approach,” Blumenauer said.

“Following the November election, federal laws are now out of step with 44 states. The time is now to come together and bring the federal government in line with the will of the American people.”

Representatives Rohrabacher, Polis and Young provided similar supportive statements.

Increasingly, federal Cannabis laws are out of touch with American voters. One fifth of all Americans now live in a state with legal access to the adult use of marijuana. It’s time for Congress to catch up, and the Congressional Cannabis Caucus is another step in the right direction.

The nation’s leading Cannabis and drug policy reform organizations applauded Congressional members on the formation of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus in a joint statement.

“We commend Representatives Blumenauer, Rohrabacher, Polis and Young for their leadership on the issue of Cannabis policy,” the statement reads. “The establishment of a Cannabis Caucus will allow members from both parties, who represent diverse constituencies from around the country, to join together for the purpose of advancing sensible Cannabis policy reform. It will also facilitate efforts to ease the tension between federal prohibition laws and state laws that regulate Cannabis for medical and adult use.”

Quoted DEA REMOVES CANNABIS MISINFORMATION FROM WEBSITE after LEGAL PRESSURE After months of public pressure, the Drug

is a victory for medical Cannabis patients across Enforcement Administration (DEA) has the nation who rely on Cannabis to treat serious removed factually inaccurate misinformation illnesses. about marijuana from its website.

“The federal government now admits that The change comes after Americans for Cannabis is not a gateway drug, and doesn’t cause Safe Access (ASA) — a national nonprofit longterm brain damage, or psychosis,” Sherer said. dedicated to ensuring safe and legal access “While the fight to end stigma around Cannabis to medical Cannabis for therapeutic use is far from over, this is a big first step.” and research — filed a legal request with the The fight is indeed not over. As of Feb. 13, the Department of Justice last year demanding government was one week beyond the required that the DEA immediately update and remove deadline to respond to the ASA’s legal petition misinformation about Cannabis and the group claims that the DEA from its website and materials. still spreads false information about 25 FALSE STATEMENTS ASA argued that the more than Cannabis.

HAVE BEEN 25 false statements on the DEA’s “We are pleased that in the face of TAKEN DOWN website about Cannabis constituted a our request, the DEA withdrew some FOLLOWING violation of the Information Quality of the damaging misinformation MONTHS OF Act (IQA, a.k.a. Data Quality Act), BACK & FORTH from its website,” said Vickie which requires that administrative Feeman, of Orrick, Herrington & agencies not provide misinformation to the Sutcliffe. “However, the DEA continues to public and that they respond to requests for disseminate many damaging ‘facts’ about the correction of information within 60 days. health risks of medical Cannabis and patients One publication, “Dangers and Consequences across the country face ongoing harm as a result of Marijuana,” contained 23 of the 25 factual of these alternative facts. inaccuracies in violation of the IQA. Such “If the DEA does not take the necessary misinformation included claims that Cannabis action to comply with the binding timelines was a gateway drug, caused irreversible cognitive in the IQA, petitioners can always seek an decline in adults and contributed to psychosis intervention by OMB as the Department of and lung cancer.

Justice so informed the court in W. Harkonen “The DEA’s removal of these popular myths v. USDOJ or in the courts as demonstrated about Cannabis from their website could mean in Prime Time v. USDA,” said Jim Tozzi, the the end of the Washington gridlock,” Steph father of the IQA and member of ASA’s Patient Sherer (executive director of ASA) said. “This Focused Certification review board.

“ONE OF THE MOST DAMAGING ISSUES DERIVED FROM THE WAR ON DRUGS IS THAT THE POLICIES ARE INHERENTLY RACIST. COMMUNITIES OF COLOR HAVE BEEN DEVASTATED BY BAD DRUG POLICIES AND HYPERCRIMINALIZATION FOR THE LAST 40 YEARS.” — CRYSTAL PEOPLES-STOKES (New York Assembly member) on the impact bad drug policies have had on communities of color for decades.

Quick Hits!

2.65 82 425

Acres of industrial property in Eagle Point, Oregon is being considered for a new marijuana-friendly RV park called Smoke on the Water Percent of Cannabis consumers point to marijuana as the reason they drink less alcohol in new report from Eaze.

Thousand dollars of a new $475,000 college scholarship fund for high school seniors in Colorado’s Pueblo County was funded by marijuana tax revenue.

mar. 2017 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

/9

national

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

Texas POLICE OFFICERS Support Proposal to Reduce Marijuana Penalties

Colorado Reports $1.3 Billion in Marijuana Sales, $200 Million in Weed Taxes in 2016

Active duty and former Texas police officers, a retired Texas District Court judge, Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee Chairman, Joe Moody (D-El Paso) and others gathered Feb. 16 to express support for Texas House Bill 81, which would remove the threat of arrest, jail time, and a criminal record for possession of a small amount of marijuana.

“Arresting people for marijuana possession takes officers off the streets for hours, reducing their effectiveness,” said former Carrollton police officer Silvestre Tanenbaum. “In this time of shrinking law enforcement budgets and staffing reductions, officers need to be able to maximize their impact in our communities.

Issuing citations for low-level marijuana possession can drastically reduce the manpower expense and court costs that go into prosecuting what is essentially a victimless offense. It would also enable law enforcement to build better relationships with the community it serves.”

HB 81, introduced by Rep. Moody and co-authored by Rep. Jason Isaac (R-Dripping Springs), would remove the threat of arrest, jail time and a criminal record for possession of up to one ounce of marijuana

The Colorado Department of Revenue has announced that $1.3 billion in regulated marijuana sales took place in 2016, generating nearly $200 million in state tax revenue. These figures don’t include millions of dollars in additional revenue generated by local Cannabis taxes.

Monthly sales topped $100 million in eight months of the year, Alicia Wallace at The Cannabist said. In December, pot shops’ sales were a little more than $114.7 million, a 13 percent increase from the $101.3 million recorded in December 2015.

According to the data, recreational marijuana accounted for $875 million of revenue, while medicinal Cannabis made up about $438 million.

Increases were not enjoyed uniformly across the state, as more jurisdictions limited the number and/or locations of licenses awarded to marijuana businesses, or banned Cannabis altogether, Kate McKee Simmons at Denver Westword said. In the first half of 2016, 219 Colorado jurisdictions banned medical and retail marijuana outright; 17 more banned medical marijuana licenses and nine banned retail marijuana licenses.

and replace them with a civil fine of up to $250. Under current Texas law, individuals found in possession of less than two ounces of marijuana can be arrested and given a criminal record and they face up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.

“Texans want police on the streets protecting and serving, offenders punished sternly but fairly and taxpayer money spent efficiently and effectively,” Rep. Moody said. “House Bill 81 does that by making personal-use possession of marijuana a civil violation instead of a crime. That frees up law enforcement resources and deals with marijuana possession firmly without branding a college kid caught with a joint as a criminal who will then have real problems getting financial aid to finish school and finding a place to live and work afterwards.”

“Every year we arrest about 60,000 people in Texas for possession of tiny amounts of marijuana,” said retired Texas district court judge John Delaney. “Each arrest takes about two hours of police time, not to mention the added burden on jails and courts. This diverts resources that could be spent helping victims of violence and serious property crimes.”

“THIS BILL IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO CAN NO LONGER GET PLANTS BECAUSE DISPENSARIES CLOSED THAT USED TO SELL CLONES AND SEEDS.”

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Cannabis flowers were more popular with medical patients in the first half of 2016, Westword said. Medicinal sales topped 80,721 pounds between January and June. During the same time, 73,064 pounds were sold recreationally.

Recreational users, meanwhile, favored Cannabis-infused edibles. The retail market for edibles was more than triple that of medical, with 1,082,932 medical sales and 3,275,341 recreational sales. With those numbers, Colorado also saw the biggest jump in licenses for infused-product manufacturers — a 16 percent increase.

“Over one billion dollars in marijuana sales that once took place in the underground market were instead conducted in regulated businesses this year,” said Mason Tvert, the Denverbased director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP). “The state received nearly $200 million in marijuana tax revenue, whereas just a decade ago it was receiving zero.

“Hopefully this will be a wake-up call for the 42 states that still choose to force marijuana sales into the criminal market and forego millions of dollars in tax revenue,” Tvert said.

Quoted — LAURIE JACKSON (patient) on HB 2021, a bill which would license adult medicinal users to grow and possess unlimited Cannabis seeds at their residence.

political update

By ALIZA SHERMAN for ALASKA LEAF | ILLUSTRATION by BRANDON VOSIKA compound containing negligible amounts of THC. The products seized may have been made from industrial hemp, and therefore classified under a different law federally.

“I believe that the CBD seizures are inappropriate at best and a simple cease and desist letter would have sufficed. Instead, the AMCO board came in a stealth operation and took all the CBD inventory,” said Jeremiah Emmerson, executive director and chairman of the Alaska Small Cultivators Association.

In its statement, the AMIA said, “when asked to comply with the enforcement officers’ requests for these products, there was compliance from all the licensees. The members of the AMIA are determined to work within the framework laid out by regulators and comply.”

The press release issued by AMCO stated that the retailers cited will appear before the MCB in a closed meeting to determine how to handle the products inventoried by the state. A record of the board’s decision will be made public. Retailers raided included Arctic Herbery and Dankorage in Anchorage, and Green Jar in Wasilla.

NO SMOKING ON-SITE, SAYS ALASKA MARIJUANA CONTROL BOARD

The Alaska Marijuana Control Board rejected on-site consumption for Alaska licensed retail establishments with a 3-2 vote. Board members cited public complaints about the possibility of secondhand smoke in public establishments as part of the reason for voting against the proposal.

The Marijuana The Board also debated how President Donald Control Board Trump’s administration might view marijuana moving also debated how forward. Board members Nick Miller and Brandon EmPresident Donald mett supported the proposal.

Trump’s adminisThe issue may still be in play as a marijuana regulatration might tion currently on the books allows on-site consumption view marijuana at licensed retail pot shops if authorized by the Board. moving forward.

Marijuana retailers are encouraged to submit their documents related to on-site consumption regardless of the current status of the proposal.

Individual licensees with questions about on-site consumption and/or the potential impact to their businesses should email marijuana.licensing@alaska.gov.

NEW STORES ARE COMING SOON

March 2017 DRAWING QUESTIONS: LEGALITY OF SEIZED CBD OILS

On Feb. 9, Alaska Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office (AMCO) enforcement officers seized imported cannabidiol (CBD) oils from a number of retailers in the state. The product packaging did not comply with Alaska marijuana regulations and were discovered when a shipment leaked at the U.S. Post Office and officials were called.

A press release from acting director Sara Chambers of AMCO stated that “the presence of an unknown substance in a package with products intended for human consumption — including syringe-style dispensers, chocolate bars, chewing gum and caramel-flavored agave sticks — posed a potential public health and safety risk.”

The Alaska Marijuana Industry Association (AMIA) put

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out a statement regarding the raids: “The raids by the AMCO enforcement officers on Feb. 9, 2017 came as a surprise and disappointment to the membership of the AMIA. It is a goal of the Cannabis businesses represented by the AMIA to operate legally, and in compliance with the regulation of the Marijuana Control Board. Had we been informed of this change of direction, we would have gladly complied with the requests of the state and started to work toward a resolution.”

According to Alaska statute, CBD oils are marijuana products. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) considers CBD as illegal, even though it is a non-psychoactive

Two new marijuana retail stores have opened in Anchorage in the past month and both are family-owned.

Enlighten Alaska on Spenard Road — owned by Leah and Evan Levinton and their mother Jane Stinson — held a soft opening Jan. 31, while ALASKAbuds over on 5th Avenue, which is owned by Nick and Tammy Miller, held an opening party Feb. 16. Nick Miller is also on the Marijuana Control Board.

Enlighten Alaska finally opened its doors after overcoming permitting hurdles, something a number of other Anchorage marijuana shops face.

“The soft opening was a complete success,” said Leah Levinton, one of the owners. “We invested a lot of time creating a beautiful and inviting space for our customers.”

The retail Cannabis room at Enlighten Alaska is decorated with a striking wood and copper design. Local Spenard caterer Twigs furnished the food and a two-instrument musical group played in the background at the event. Edibles from Frozen Budz were served for the event, and a full array of marijuana bud from AK Fuzzy Budz, Black Rapids LLC and Pakalolo Supply Company was on display.

“The turnout was incredible. We had so many guests that have supported our two-year journey all the up to the point of opening our doors to the public,” said Levinton.

“It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life to have worked so hard to manifest and build my dream into a reality — with my family no less. It’s an incredible feeling.”

Enlighten Alaska is open and operational on Fridays through Sundays from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. The company plans to expand its hours of operation once they are able to obtain a more steady supply of marijuana products.

ALASKAbuds is closed Sundays and Mondays and open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. so long as they have product in.

ALASKA LEAF

AK

LEAF

/NWLEAF @AKLEAFMAG

QUOTED

COMPILED by ALASKA LEAF STAFF

“

IN TERMS OF MARIJUANA AND LEGALIZATION, I THINK THAT SHOULD BE A STATE ISSUE, STATE-BY-STATE… MARIJUANA IS SUCH A BIG THING. I THINK MEDICAL SHOULD HAPPEN — RIGHT? DON’T WE AGREE? I THINK SO. AND THEN I REALLY BELIEVE WE SHOULD LEAVE IT UP TO THE STATES. reported by Washington Post, Nov. 9, 2016

“

- PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

ON MARIJUANA “We sometimes used to make the point that if someone wanted to smuggle in a dangerous weapon, even a nuclear weapon, into America, how would they do it? And the suggestion was made, ‘Well, we’ll simply hide it in a bale of marijuana.’”

“And I think that when you see something like the opioid addiction crisis blossoming in so many states around this country, the last thing we should be doing is encouraging people [to smoke Cannabis].”

TRENT FRANKS (R-AZ)

PRESS SECRETARY SEAN SPICER

REPORTED BY CNN

“We need grown-ups in Washington to say marijuana is not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized, it ought not to be minimized, that it is in fact a very real danger.”

ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF SSESSIONS

“I think this legislation, as it moves forward, should still seek to continue to send a way strong message to the people of Indiana and particularly to those who would come into our state to deal drugs, that we are tough and we’re going to stay tough on narcotics in this state.”

VP MIKE PENCE

2013 STATEMENT AS GOVERNOR OF INDIANA

“We’re losing badly the war on drugs.

You have to legalize drugs to win that war.

You have to take the profit away from these drug czars.”

“We’re becoming a drug-infested nation… Drugs are becoming cheaper than candy bars. We’re not going to let it happen any longer.”

1990 INTERVIEW WITH MIAMI HERALD

WHITE HOUSE PRESS CONFRENCE FEB 16, 2017

DONALD TRUMP

14/MAR. 2017 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP

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opinion

By ALASKA LEAF STAFF

STATE OF WEED WHAT DIRECTION IS THE MARIJUANA INDUSTRY GOING? WHERE’S THE MONEY HEADED?

E

verywhere I go, people tend to ask the same question: what is the future of the weed industry?

This is both an impossible and improbable question, but I get asked enough that I thought I would give it a try. Take it with a grain of salt, this is only my opinion, but I think it is worth sharing.

Let’s take a look at the numbers. Last month, the ArcView Group released the most comprehensive study of the economics of pot to date, placing the market spending of Americans on pot at $5 billion in 2015, and estimating a total of almost $15 billion by 2021. That’s a lot of cash, and it has attracted investors and entrepreneurs alike as moths to a flame. But as the moth that circles a candle too close finds out, flames burn.

Right now, a company like Monsanto could buy every single Cannabis company in Oregon, Washington or Alaska and not flinch financially. That is an incredibly tenuous position for our industry to be in as it flirts with outside investment and the consequences of easy cash and big money.

What attracted me to the pot industry in 2010 was the seeming ability to be a self-starter. The industry was a place where anyone could build a company or start a stream of income. Washington’s medical program built a thriving middle class of pot growers, processors and dispensary owners.

The best principles of economics applied to the pot industry at the time. Local money multiplied through jobs and spending and the massive amount spent on pot trickled down into tens of thousands of lives.

But Washington saw that untaxed revenue as something it could control, and killed our medical program with a recreational system that taxes weed more than 46 percent. Oregon dangled the carrot of

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“tax-free rec sales” for a short while in the ill-fated OMMP/OHA licensed dispensary system, essentially a buy-out offer of 12-15 months of revenue before the majority of medical businesses folded under the new regulatory change. And especially in Oregon, where more than 2,000 license applications sit unprocessed, including those that operated legally and paid applicable taxes until January, the truth is that only those with capital can afford to move forward.

Don’t get me wrong; all businesses and industries take money to make money, and that is the nature of business. But the industry is shifting locally and statewide, and the scales are tipping against the momand-pop and average investor alike.

Allowing outside investment in Oregon was the first step to the end of small Cannabis. In states like Nevada, where a Cannabis business applicant had to have $500,000 in liquid capital (cash) not tied to a house, the fight was over before it began. And it is a widely known fact that the family behind Wal-Mart owns several Cannabis companies in Oregon.

So where is the Cannabis industry going? Clearly something worth so much will continue to be valuable, like a stock trader’s dream chart rising from left to right in huge jumps. But where is that money going? And what will be the end result of the capitalization of our plant?

If one mainstream company can buy every business in a state without flinching, our people have a real problem. The days of federal restrictions on banking and interstate travel surely will not last, and when they expire, two types of companies will exist: the sellers and the buyers, but there will likely be no winners. Citizens don’t benefit from the one percent; surely America has learned that lesson in other ways now. When will the pot industry?

THE POT INDUSTRY GETS SPICY(ER) WILL THE WHITE HOUSE ACTUALLY FOLLOW THROUGH ON PRESS SECRETARY SEAN SPICER’S THREATS AND BEGIN ENFORCING FEDERAL RECREATIONAL CANNABIS LAWS DURING DONALD TRUMP’S PRESIDENCY?

L

ast month the sky was officially falling on the pot industry as White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer mentioned that he expected to see federal enforcement on recreational Cannabis.

Facebook went crazy as seemingly every person in the industry raised their voice in anger and fear, and to be fair, the mainstream media had a heyday with it as well. Headlines loomed large: “Trump administration signals possible crackdown on Marijauana…” and “Get high while you can, the Trump Administration is going after legal marijuana.”

My response? Chicken Little was never right.

And the truth is that posturing by the White House is simply that. Posturing. It’s not really different than a defiant child lashing out, which is essentially what our President is. A defiant man-child flip-flopping on every message he sends. But more on that later.

What surprised me the most about the industry reaction was the surprised dismay of owners, smokers and growers alike.

I have one question for all of you. When was pot ever safe and legal?

Over the last decade the “legal” pot industry has had many shades of gray involving regulation and recognitition, with one exception.

It has always been federally illegal!

Not a single part of this industry has been legal, and Obama’s Administration proved that with the Cole memo and more raids on MMJ than under Bush. So for all the would-be activists and scared business owners I have the same message — what did you think you were getting into?

Cannabis businesses exist in a world unlike any other Washington has one of the worst legalization and the people who years ago chose to take on the schemes in the country, and that is exactly why it risk vs. reward equation of engaging in federally illeis safe. It is essentially a state controlled cartel with gal sales used to be in a breed of their own. It takes a 47 percent tax on every dollar and state agencies courage to stand up for an issue that can land you in complicit in every step from seed to sale. It is a cash federal prison, and even more to try cow as well, making the outraand profit from it. geous tax an even bigger incentive But slowly through regulation for defending the right to sell pot. and “legalization” the old-school And every other legal state is in a of growers and dispensary owners similar position of budget shorthave slowly been phased out as the falls and new revenue. green rush has hit the true greenAnd so, it seems, everything horns of the pot industry. Investors comes down to money. Is the “FUNNY HOW THAT TERM CAUGHT ON, and outside owners.

Trump Administration going to ISN’T IT? I TELL EVERYONE: I HATED IT! The funniest thing to me as an spend money coming after legal SOMEBODY SAID, ‘DRAIN THE SWAMP.’ old school pot activist and long time pot in states where it is taxed, regI SAID, ‘OH, THAT’S SO HOKEY. THAT IS smoker and seller of Cannabis is ulated and contributing to budgets SO TERRIBLE.’ I SAID, ‘ALL RIGHT. I’LL when investors get green eyes talking that are consistently short? No. Are TRY IT.’ SO LIKE A MONTH AGO, I SAID, about profits and potential, and then they going to posture and rattle the ‘DRAIN THE SWAMP.’ THE PLACE WENT get scared when even a hint of ensabers in order to maintain some CRAZY. I SAID, ‘WHOA. WATCH THIS.’ forcement comes down. You can’t form of delusional strength? Yes. THEN I SAID IT AGAIN. THEN I STARTED have your cake and eat it too!

If there is one quote, out of SAYING IT LIKE I MEANT IT, RIGHT? AND Washington state is currently many, from Donald Trump that THEN I SAID IT, I STARTED LOVING IT.” poking the Trump Administration shows the truth, it comes down to - President Donald Trump during on several levels, from immigration his promise to “drain the swamp.” his “Thank You Tour” to Cannabis. And to that, I say kuIf there is anything that we can dos! It is time that we as a people count on as a country and an inand as individual states stand up for our rights. dustry, it’s that Trump is nothing except a flip-flopBefore the shock of the statements from Spicer ping manipulator. And taking a manipulator at their had even settled, our Attorney General Bob Ferword is as simple as being manipulated. It’s time for gusen and Governor Jay Inslee had the courage to the “new” and “legal” pot industry to stand up. Berelease statements defending the pot industry, and cause the rest of the industry is back in black, and standing behind the industry. already living with the reality of pot being “legal.”

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highly likely

By PACER STACKTRAIN for ALASKA LEAF

Column # 10

RICKY WILLIAMS HOW THE NFL TACKLED A CANNABIS ADVOCATE

a former nfl running back, Ricky Williams became one of Cannabis’ most surprising and outspoken advocates when he was publicly outed by the NFL for consuming it while playing professional football over a decade ago.

Williams was a stand-out football star both in high school in southern California and during his time at the University of Texas. He was the fifth pick in the 1999 NFL draft, chosen by the New Orleans Saints, who he would play with for 3 years before being traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2002. It was with the Dolphins in 2004, that Williams announced his early retirement from football, due to a positive drug test for Cannabis.

He faced a $650,000 fine from the league for this indiscretion, as well as a four game suspension.

Later, in a 60 Minutes interview, Williams noted that the reason he’d gone into early retirement was to avoid the humiliation of a third failed Cannabis test being made public.

After retiring, Williams got his medical card in California and studied Ayurvedic medicine and yoga for a year. But Williams was too talented and too determined to never play football again. He decided to leave retirement in 2005, but he failed another drug test at the end of the season.

The NFL suspended him for an entire year, which forced Williams to consider playing for the Canadian Football League during the 2006 season.

In an amazing back-and-forth, he returned to Miami and the NFL in 2007, and played for another 4 years in the league.

During his career, Williams stated that he’d been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder and borderline personality disorder, and for a time – he became a spokesperson for the pharmaceutical drug Paxil. Shortly after signing, Williams quit using the drug, noting it had not agreed with his vegan diet.

“Marijuana is ten times better for me than Paxil,” Williams later told ESPN. Today, with the help of 420 Games founder Jim McAlpine, Williams is committing his time to opening Power Plant Fitness, the world’s first THC-powered workout facility, opening soon in San Francisco.

Power Plant Fitness members can enjoy on-site consumption and access to a wide array of workout-friendly “athletic edibles.”

Ricky Williams was persecuted for his Cannabis use in the NFL a decade ago, but the NFL continues it’s backward-minded prohibition for athletes while actively prescribing dangerous, addictive pharmaceuticals to them instead. Fans of football can only hope that the league wises up soon and recognizes that players like Ricky Williams are healthier because of their use of cannabis, not the other way around.

WILLIAMS IS PLANNING TO OPEN THE WORLD’S FIRST THC-POWERED WORKOUT FACILITY.

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Thepacerstacktrain@gmail.com Instagram: @ThePacerStackTrain

rehashed

PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN

Feb. 16-18, 2017 | Seattle Cruise Ship Terminal | CannaCon.org

Cannabis tradeshow returns to the Seattle waterfront for three days of networking and selling in a professional and smoke-free environment.

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CAN

NNACON MAR. 2017 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

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FEATURE

By WES ABNEY | PHOTOS by OSCAR AVELLANEDA-CRUZ for ALASKA LEAF

GoodSinse.com

Owner Daniel Peters, behind the counter of the dispensary.

Fairbanks garden & dispensary thrives with vertical integration The city’s first seven-day-a-week pot shop is delivering competitively

priced pot and availability all thanks to a model of vertical integration.

Good Sinse, owned by Daniel Peters, first got licensed in November and opened up to the Fairbanks market on Dec. 11. The business is vertically integrated, meaning that they grow, process, package and sell weed all under one roof—and it led them to be the leaders in a market suffering from supply and demand issues. For Daniel and his team of five, the dream to legally sell Cannabis became real.

“It’s been a dream come true,” he said excitedly. “We opened the retail store on my mom’s birthday, and it was scary! I’ve never done retail anything in my life, been a carpenter for 20 years, but my wife and team had experience and they were helpful. Now it’s very exciting to come and have people get herb legally, I can’t believe it sometimes, it’s amazing.”

The process to go from dream to creation took Daniel several years from conception, and a solid year of permitting, licensing and build-

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GOODSINSE IS HELPING ALASKA’S NEWEST POT CONSUMERS TO FIND THE BEST PRODUCTS, AND PRODUCING SOME OF THAT THEMSELVES

out. They hit delays and extensive paperwork not required from other industries, but were ultimately able to get their active license status in November. That’s when the rush started: build out a 35,000-watt grow system and get a retail environment started, all in the middle of winter.

“We have temps from 30 below to 20 above the next day, it’s always a challenge growing indoors in the wintertime, that’s been one thing we’ve had to work with,” he said. “It’s interesting scaling up on anything you do. I’d grown small-scale Cannabis, but growing in a huge warehouse is a big learning curve and working on the issues that come with that has been a big challenge we are overcoming.”

Another challenge for the company was staying financially viable until the first products could be sold. Like many Cannabis companies across the state, funds were tight and delays made the process very worrisome, right up until the first sale.

“When we first got started, we were very much in debt. We were lighting up lights and had been paying electric bills for a long time

Lead Grower William Dean

DEADSHOW IS A HIGH-YIELDER WITH A STRONG FLAVOR OF GRAPEFRUIT & 16.51% THC. Peters said the original seedling for DeadShow, a hybrid sativa, was gifted originally to GoodSinse by Marcus Moore, the owner of The Higher Calling club in Fairbanks, after traveling around the country to follow the Grateful Dead tour.

ABOVE: Lead Grower Dan Kennedy ducks below a support for flowering plants of DeadShow.

with no income, and we were THE PROCESS TO GO getting pretty worried at one point,” he said. “When we FROM DREAM TO opened the retail shop that CREATION TOOK DANIEL saved our day! We started with Foxy Enterprise’s Purple strain, SEVERAL YEARS FROM they dropped us five pounds, and from there we have grown CONCEPTION, AND and grown. Today we are still A SOLID YEAR OF searching for more flower, and our cultivation came in as a PERMITTING, LICENSING shot in the arm and everything AND BUILDOUT. has gone up from there.”

Vertical integration was the key to the project succeeding. Supply and demand are unbalanced in the Cannabis market right now, which is causing bidding wars for flowers and many stores to close for several days a week. Owning a retail store and not having products to sell is a difficult position to be in, especially in an emerging market.

By growing their own Cannabis, the Sinse team has been able to keep a consistent supply of products on the shelves.

“At this point 50 percent of what is in the case is ours from our garden and the rest from gardens around the Fairbanks area. Being vertically integrated is excellent, so if we have a lull from other suppliers, it’s saving our customer base from going somewhere else. We can stay open seven days a week instead of closing down when we are out of product.”

Daniel said selling his own product is the best part of working in this business.

“I’m proud, it’s a proud feeling to sell our own product. It’s like brewing your own beer and bringing to buddies and saying try this out, and everyone gets to try and give constructive criticism. Now sometimes it’s not constructive, but you take your risk with anything going public, and for us the experience has been awesome.”

Their garden has a perpetual harvest cycle every two weeks, dropping strains like Deadshow, Strawberry Cough, PRODUCING Tiger Tail, Cookies Kush, high STRAINS LIKE CBD Critical Mass and more.

The store is also carrying edibles DEADSHOW, from Frozen Buds, and is excited to begin carrying concentrates STRAWBERRY COUGH, and vapor pens soon. Their TIGER TAIL, COOKIES flower sells for $40 to $60 an eighth, making it some of the KUSH AND HIGH CBD most competitively priced prodCRITICAL MASS. uct in the state. And with more crops coming, the five-person team expects to bring a lot more product to market.

“It feels amazing, coming from being scared to not anymore, you get so worried when you have so much debt hovering, it all adds up and hits a critical point, and finally something breaks and it’s just an amazing feeling. We are super lucky and blessed to get to do what we are doing.”

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FEATURE

By WES ABNEY | PHOTOS by OSCAR AVELLANEDA-CRUZ for ALASKA LEAF

Q&A

PakaloloSupplyCo.com

What got your family into the Cannabis industry?

Keenan: We are a Cannabis-friendly family, and it started with seeking out Cannabis medicinally for my sister who has epilepsy. Right about same time legalization came up for a vote, Sanjay Gupta came out with his series. It was coming to light on a national scale that people were having relief from seizures with Cannabis. That's what really got my family into Cannabis openly, although we were all closet stoners before.

How does Cannabis help your sister?

She still is in the process of treatment at the age of 21. She’s gone through phases where pharmaceuticals worked for her, now she is using pharma and Cannabis, trying to get to a point where she can only use Cannabis. It’s been a long process, Cannabis has really helped, but she has to be very careful how she weans off the other medications while transitioning to Cannabis completely.

Do you view Cannabis as a medicine, a recreational drug, or both?

[Cannabis as medicine] is something that is near and dear to our family. We all enjoy recreational aspects as well and believe you should be able to enjoy for wellness and fun. I believe rec use is a wellness thing, it provides something fun and recreational, while also providing some wellness. While we come at Cannabis from a medicinal side, which got us into this industry, I’m a firm believer that rec will benefit people medicinally.

PAKALOLO

Your garden was the first licensed in the state, and your store made the first legal sale of Cannabis in state history.

What was the experience like?

We did a ceremonial sale with a friend of ours from high school. He battled cancer and Cannabis has been a huge part of his treatment. The first sale was one of best experiences of my life, to stand next to my brother with our parents, watching a close friend and rang him up, to be able to have that be the first sale, all coming together in that one legal sale of Cannabis was so exciting.

How does it feel after a few months in?

PAKALOLO SUPPLY CO. DISPENSARY & GARDEN

Now to do that over and over, and come in 1851 FOX AVE, FAIRBANKS, AK 99701 each morning with a coffee and wake up the plants and say “Good morning” is incredible. It’s an amazing experience to be in the industry. We’ve been leading the charge to get this industry established, and working with so many other great companies that work hard

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The operation is a family business at every level.

Cousins Keenan Hollister and Jordan Hollister in Flowering Room #1,

Cole Hollister, President and CEO Tyler Hollister, Vice President Finance Keenan Hollister, Vice President

Pakalolo Employees Chris Ray and Josh Holliman bring new beds of plants into Flowering Room #1, commercial size freezer formerly used by a bakery.

MAUNA KEA WHITE Hawaiian hybrid with 15.5% THC

to make this happen, and it’s great to sit here and say we are actually doing it and we all succeeded to make Cannabis legal. It’s a dream come true and a lot of fun.

Have there been any issues since you started? How is supply and demand affecting the store?

We were cranking along in the beginning, functioning for two months before we hit the wall on supply not meeting demand, and pretty much every store in the state either shut down or slowed down.

Now we are only open two to four days a week, until more cultivators get licensed and more products come online. The market is constantly growing and there are a lot of consumers already, and there are new consumers all of the time entering the market, so we are just trying to keep up with demand.

Do you think the market is going to start speeding up soon?

I think that the industry is starting to catch up, a lot of the licensees are starting to get product out, and by summer there are going to be a lot of new products available. The demand is so high, it's really exciting and we couldn't be more thrilled by how welcomed we've been into community.

island to have a family, and we have always gone back and forth to visit Hawaii and our cousins.

We even moved one from the island and his family to work in the company here. We also have a lot of very unique genetics that nobody else has that are Hawaiian based. Kona Gold and Maui Wowie, and we have those strains crossed with newer strains like Mango Diesel, Coffee Kush.

We’ve got some really unique stuff you can’t find anywhere else in Alaska.

What are you really proud of?

We are really proud of our no-till gardening and our organic approach to growing, and combining that into practice with Cannabis. We believe we put out a high quality and tasty product! We’re really excited about how we are a no-waste facility—all Cannabis waste goes into compost, we reuse all soil and recycle, and pretty much everything is reused and that's something we are proud of. Our focus is on keeping our footprint one of lowest in the country, with LED lights and low energy consumption. We wanted to be as sustainable as possible and environmentally conscious as possible. It’s our family values. We want to do our best to achieve that, and feel that's the way it should be done.

What does the name represent?

We’re called that because it’s the Hawaiian word for Cannabis. We have a family connection to Hawaii, my uncle met a Hawaiian woman and stayed on the

RIGHT: Employee Chris Ray talks about the organic material used in the bedding. Organic material retains organic matter and nutrients longer in the soil.

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ANCHORAGE'S 1ST

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eoscreativemedia.com Travis Madden (907) 854-7547

ALASKA Leaf

STRAIN OF THE MONTH Review by ALASKA LEAF | PHOTOS by OSCAR AVELLANEDA-CRUZ

R

eeking with a tart lemon smell that bursts out of the bag, this strain is loud and tasty. This beautiful frosty bud is covered in fuzzy little trichome of tasty THC goodness, living up to the Fuzzy Budz name. It has all three of the best desired elements in recreational pot.

High test results, great flavor, and bag appeal for days. It’s easy to see why it has been such a popular flower!

Cracking open a nug of the White Lemon is like shaving peels from a lemon, with bright citrus notes and heady terps that float off the bud. Cured well and with a balanced moisture content, this flower is lightly sticky and perfect for however you choose to consume it, bong joint or vaporizing.

The effects are listed as a 50/50 hybrid with some interesting mental and physical characteristics. We found that smoking one or two bowls imparts an energetic and mentally uplifting high, but taking that further turns the body into a mushy puddle of high bliss.

Whether taking a small toke for the morning or seeking to relax at the end of the day, the best part of the effects is the mood elevation, which can be attributed to the 2.5% CBG in the flower. CBG is known to have mood elevation properties, and is used medicinally to treat depression and anxiety, making this strain perfect for warding off the last of the winter blues.

Grown over nine weeks with a 10-day flush, this beautiful plant yielded almost ž of a pound per plant, meaning the team at Fuzzy Budz has a lot to share! Check out this strain and more from the garden by visiting the dispensary, which is open seven days a week!

AVAILABLE FROM AK fuzzy budz 2612 Eagle St, Anchorage, AK 99503 @akfuzzybudz Weedmaps.com/dispensaries/ak-fuzzy-budz

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22% THC GROWN BY FUZZY BUDZ

THE STRAIN HAS THAT SWEET LEMON BAR FLAVOR WITH A TOUCH OF POWDERED SUGAR, JUST ENOUGH CITRUS TO MAKE YOUR TONGUE TINGLE AND A SWEET EXHALE THAT SEALS THE DEAL.

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recipes

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

Legend has it that the sandwich was the brainchild of a man too involved in his gambling to get up and eat a proper meal. I’m guessing he was drinking; had he been consuming Cannabis, he would have never passed on a meal! This month’s recipes are about sandwich love.

More precisely, Cannabis-infused sandwich love. The sandwich has come a long way, and clearly the best ones have a lot more going on than some meat and some bread (although pastrami on rye is as good as it gets). So many sandwiches, so little time.

Steak SANDWICH This open-facedsandwich is my favorite.

The combination of flavors satisfies every steak-related craving. It’s a great way to use steak leftovers, so find a good quality baguette and toast lightly for sandwich perfection. I recommend skirt or tri-tip, cooked to medium-rare.

1. Set out baguette slices on work surface.

2. In a small bowl using a fork, whisk together the mayo, canna-oil, horseradish, garlic and crushed chili flakes. Spread the mixture on the bread pieces.

3. Place 3-4 steak slices on each sandwich.

4. Add on the bell pepper, onion and any greens you might want.

INGREDIENTS

4 pieces baguette, toasted 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 teaspoons canna-olive oil 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish 1 garlic clove, minced ¼ teaspoon crushed red chili flakes 8 ounces steak, cooked and thinly sliced ½ red pepper, thinly sliced 1 small red onion, peeled and sliced Greens, optional, your choice

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All sandwiches serve two

Shrimp ROLL I can’t stop making this sandwich. Just be sure to use the freshest shrimp you can.

Some toast the bun, others don’t. If you prefer to add cilantro or fresh parsley rather than dill, be my guest. Scallion works well, and if someone gives you a lobster, go for it.

1. Place the rolls on your work surface.

2. In a small bowl, mix well the mayo,

canna-oil, onion, dill and lemon juice.

3. Add shrimp + salt & pepper to taste.

4. Line the rolls with lettuce and place the shrimp mixture on top.

INGREDIENTS

2 hot dog rolls, toasted 4 tablespoons mayo 2 teaspoons canna-olive oil 2 tablespoons chopped red onion 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice ¾ pound cooked shrimp, cut in chunks Salt and pepper to taste 4 large lettuce leaves

Triple GRILLED CHEESE 1. Place two bread slices on your work surface.

2. Spread each bread slice with one teaspoon of mustard and one teaspoon of cannabutter.

3. Add your cheeses and sprinkle a little salt.

4. Heat butter in a medium skillet.

When it foams, turn heat down and place sandwiches in pan.

5. Cook on one side, over low/medium heat

until golden brown, flip and continue cooking until the other side is also nicely browned.

INGREDIENTS

4 slices good quality white bread 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons cannabutter, softened 2 slices cheddar 2 slices Gruyère 2 slices Muenster Sprinkling of salt 4 tablespoons butter

So many cheeses to consider when attempting to make the world’s greatest grilled cheese sandwich.

Is there a perfect combination?

I think not.

Some cheeses can be ruled out due to their texture, others because the flavor is way too strong.

That said, there is really no right or wrong choice here.

It’s subjective. Many think American cheese is a must, while others scoff at that plebian choice.

The answer is go with what you like.

Why not?

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concentrate of the month

PHOTO by OSCAR AVELLANEDA-CRUZ

NORTH ROAD HAZE SAP THC

53.91% 15.44% CBD

processed by Babylon company material grown by peacefrog available from

Dankorage

2812 Spenard Rd. Anchorage, AK 99503

34/mar. 2017 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

@TheBabylonCompany

This golden shatter has a complex flavor with a funky citrus note on inhale and a sour, pungent and spicy aroma on exhale that clings to the air like old fruit.

The high is classic Haze, settling behind the eyes with a cerebral and uplifting trip. Definitely an active daytime high, but on another level of hazy concentration.

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GLASS ART

PHOTO by @BERMANPHOTOS

AT H O ME IN THE FOREST $ 1,500/set

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LUMBERJACK DREAM & HUNTER IN FALL ART BY @SWAN GLASS X @TACOMA BRIAN

T

hese two sets represent parts of our Northwest heritage and history from our logging roots to the early hunters of the region. These collaborations seemed like a perfect way to mesh our personal styles of work. Swan makes these great plaid sections and we figured right away that they would look great beside some of the woodgrain sections I’ve been working on. There are so many cool features to these pieces from hidden UV elements to rare colors like brown gun mounts and hand-mixed colors. My favorite part of the set is the attention to theme. We got to go into this with intention and it shows as they’re some of the most concept-driven pieces I’ve been a part of so far.

-Tacoma Brian

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Reviews

By STEVE ELLIOTT Editor, Tokesignals.com

with

TEAMING FUNGI

By JEFF LOWENFELS, 172 PAGES, $24.95

THE ORGANIC GROWER’S GUIDE TO MYCORRHIZAE

A

couple of years ago, I learned about the Almost every kind of plant in a garden can benefit from important role mycorrhizae fungi play in these fungi, and that definitely includes Cannabis. In fact, healthy soil, and thus in growing quality, capitalizing on these fungal relationships has become one organic Cannabis. I was delighted to find proven strategy for marijuana-growing success. that the truly best way to cultivate marThe book accessibly explains the mutually beneficial relationijuana is to grow in such a way that the ship between these soil-dwelling mycorrhizal fungi and plants. soil itself is alive. We grow the best weed when Through better understanding of how to potentiate we grow it by working with — not against — this relationship, gardeners can take leverage the adIn the last Mother Nature. few years, vantages of fungi. That includes increased resistance scientists Mycorrhizae help to bolster the immune systo root pathogens such as those carried by those have come to pesky little gnats many of us have been unhappy to tems of your plants, thus impacting everything in realize just their life cycle, including resistance to pests and how important spot in our gardens. disease, which increases yield and quality. LowenLowenfels, a weekly columnist for Anchorage mycorrhizae fels, also author of “Teaming With Microbes,” Daily News for more than 40 years, is the founder are to plant clearly explains how these beneficial fungi can of Plant a Row for the Hungry, a program that health. make or break a plant’s success, and how to optihas already created more than 14 million meals to mize those advantages. feed people in need. He’s the former president of the Garden Fungi were misunderstood and even scorned by gardenWriters Association (GWA), and in 2005 was inducted into ers for a long time. The interaction is so complex that only the GWA Hall of Fame. recently have we begun to get a handle on it. But in the last “Teaming With Fungi” helpfully demonstrates just how to few years, scientists have come to realize just how important apply the core principles of the mycorrhizal fungi process to mycorrhizae are to plant health. produce healthier, hardier, happier Cannabis plants.

38/mar. 2017 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

THE BOOK ACCESSIBLY EXPLAINS THE MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SOIL-DWELLING MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI AND PLANTS

Reviews

By WES ABNEY | PHOTOS by @BERMANPHOTOS

THESE PRODUCTS ARE LEGAL IN EVERY STATE AND MAKE A GREAT GIFT OR PERSONAL CHOICE FOR TRYING CBD...

ELIXIR SPRAYS & TOPICALS By siddhi bhang infusions

From the creator of Siddhi Tonics comes a new CBD-only line

that offers new options for CBD therapy to fit into everyday life.

Siddhi Herbals started several years ago as a medical Cannabis company, providing Bhang and other tincture options that were infused with Cannabis and quality medicinal herbs.

The new line draws on that rich heritage, but swaps THC for CBD. These products are legal in every THE SCORE state and make a great gift or personal ta ste choice for giving CBD a try. The full line va lu e covers four different treatment options, all e ffe c t containing 1.5mg of CBD per serving and la be l 100mg of CBD per bottle. tota l 17/20 There are three herbal elixirs: Rise, Shine and Rest. Rise is for mornings, Approximately labeled “Breakfast for your brain” and has 1.5mg CBD/spray an energetic blend of herbs to help start 100mg CBD/bottle the day. “Feel yourself shine” is on the

40/MAR. 2017 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

second bottle, and “Downshift and Dream” is on the third.

Each has its own effects and flavor as they interact with the body. In just a quick spray, the medicine is delivered, and holds on the palate for a few seconds as it dissolves. There is a light sweet flavor of herbs and purified alcohol, which delivers the infusion quickly to the body.

We especially liked Shine, which imparted a positive mood and happy vibe along with a warm honey taste.

The Soothe Topical Ointment is a great product and rightly carries the tagline, “Free yourself from suffering.” It rolled on easily and without leaving a ton of excess moisture or residual topical, and worked well on a sore back at the end of a work day.

The roll-on applicator makes it easy for any part of the body, and is perfect for headaches by rubbing on the temples. Our favorite part is the message of positivity and health, which has been present in every product produced under the Siddhi name!

They’re a great way to start working CBD into your life! ($39)

More information and availability | SiddhiHerbals.com

health & science

STORY & PHOTOS by SIMONE FISCHER

GronChocolate.com

CHRISTINE SMITH The owner and creator of Grön Chocolate oversees a new recreational facility brimming with busy employees and loads of silky Cannabis-laced confections.

We talked chocolate, the balance of being a kick-ass lady boss and how to manage the growth of a wildly successful edible company.

What did you do before the Cannabis industry?

I worked as a practicing licensed architect for a firm in Portland for about 20 years. I kind of parleyed my way into this industry when my boyfriend [now husband] owned a medical marijuana dispensary. I started to see what was on the market, coming from a design background, in perspective; I was unsatisfied with the product(s) that were out there.

So I began tinkering. Playing around with chocolate on the side, taking classes on chocolate and experimenting with different mediums for infusions, oils, butters and at the time RSO [a type of full extract Cannabis oil], because distillate wasn’t on the market. That’s pretty much where it all started: a “happy little hobby.” I never intended for it to grow into the monster it is today! About two years ago I took a leap of faith and left my architecture firm and committed to Grön full-time. I haven’t looked back since.

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What major hurdles did you face when you started this journey?

On the topic of community education, edibles are one of the Media’s most demonized targets within the Cannabis industry.

What is your advice on going forward with dosing and storage?

In some ways, the laws and regulations — for me and my background in architecture — I have a degree in regulations. So laws and regs weren’t a “hurdle” for me, they were a godsend. So, as the regulations came on and it became harder for people ... my background is in rules; I love rules! And we just started excelling.

The more regulations came on, the better I got at adapting and growing and feeling more consistent to be working within confines that made sense. So started out, the hardest thing for me was not having rules! Because there weren’t any rules! Something could be 600mg and there were no testing regulations [at the time].

I am a mother, I have children. It’s one of the primary reasons we started on the rec market with a fully self-contained child-resistant packaging. It’s hugely important to me, and it’s the responsible decision for any edible to have — not just an exit package, but to have a package where you can take a dose, put the rest back in the package and know it’s secure. Granted, that’s just one way, but it’s a start. Easy dosing is another concern of mine. Dosing appropriate is very important. Our product is very easy: you simply break off a rectangle, 5mg per rectangular piece. So you know exactly what you are getting. The third thing is to provide more literature. I believe Oregon has failed consumers in that respect, so the brands are going to have to pick up the slack. If you dissolve the chocolate in your mouth without swallowing, you’re going to feel it kick much faster [within 20-30 minutes]. The OLCC seems to want to engage in these sorts of things, versus letting it dissolve in your stomach, which takes longer. If you just ate a large hamburger and eat a 5mg dose of chocolate, you might not even feel it! It’s like drinking: if you drink a beer on a full stomach, you probably won’t feel much other than full. But if you drink a half a beer on an empty stomach ... you feel drunk. Context is important.

The next step is budtender education, so they can relate to a public that doesn’t have the same tolerance they do. Many budtenders have very high tolerances.

The 400mg medical-strength bar was a hit in the medical market. New dosage caps on medical milligrams limit all medical edibles to 100mg or less. What was your plan?

We [Grön] did not make money within the medical market.

We would have never survived producing a 400mg bar at the price we were selling it [$20]. Back then, I was paying money to have this product on the market at the quality I demanded to keep it at. And that is one of the reasons why we’re successful and consistent. We stayed on the market because of what we did. But that was not a sustainable business plan, but I took a risk. Knowing regulations would come into play and the rec market was coming on and actually starting to make a profit. Many companies have switched to recreational edibles only because of the cost of producing higher-dosed medical edibles. We still provide a 75mg chocolate for medical patients.

In the switch from medical to recreational licensing, do you still plan on providing higher-dosed chocolate for OMMPs? You know, I feel very loyal to the medical market. I feel like they have really been shit on. They were the ones who started this whole thing, and now they are being left behind. Unfortunately, that’s big business and corporate America, and that’s what happened. The people who started this grassroots effort have really been left behind by the regulatory system. In my opinion, they should have left medical alone. The problem is they regulated it so much! The best we can do to serve our medical patients is making a small piece of chocolate [to reduce costs] at the highest dosage legally permitted.

How do you maintain such high quality standards?

It’s a constant battle. And that’s my job here. We now have 18 employees a manager chirped from the next room who are amazing chocolatiers. But my job is to always be looking forward, always looking to how we can stay on top, and looking at this huge market of people who maybe haven’t even thought about trying Cannabis! Whether you have problems sleeping, or could use CBD for pain, they are interested in it, but they have no clue on how to go about it. How can we as a large brand educate our community? That’s really the next step and task I am taking on: To help educate Oregon on edibles, Cannabis and CBD, to serve as a resource. We aren’t just “weed chocolate,” we are here to make people happy.

As a woman in this industry, HAS your perspectivE primed you for the roller coaster that is this industry? I feel like there are things from your P.O.V that WOULD make you more competitive?

IT’S MY MISSION RIGHT NOW TO HELP THE OREGON COMMUNITY FEEL REALLY SAFE AND GOOD ABOUT EDIBLES

I think I read somewhere that some 50 percent of leaders of Cannabis are women, versus other industries where those numbers hover around 15 percent. I think being a mother, being a nurturer, women are fabulous multitaskers. I come from this not only being a woman, but a woman who came from a development professional career. Sometimes it’s hard for me to distinguish the things that I bring being a women or development professional. I come from a very male-dominated field — construction and development — almost entirely male.

So I fought my way up in that industry to become a leader in that industry. And that definitely parleyed into this so it’s refreshing to be in the Cannabis industry. It’s amazing. I am kind of dancing around. I think women have a great opportunity in this industry, and I think women are supportive of each other and I love that. It’s just such a great family.

What are your company’s future challenges and goals?

Effective growth management and really responsible education for the public. Maybe it goes back to me being a mother, but it’s really, really important to me. It’s my mission right now to help the Oregon community feel really safe and good about edibles; and help this industry grow responsibly. I think this company has the ability to do that.

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health & science

Growing Organic Keeping it organic has tremendous benefits. Growing your own or-

BY ALASKA LEAF SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR DR. SCOTT D. ROSE

Why sustainable agriculture matters in a time of chemicals

magazine. Beginning in the 1940s, Rodale provided the most informaganic garden in your backyard, shopping locally at the farmers market or tion about chemical-free farming methods and was heavily influential in visiting a farm and getting to know the farmer who grew your food, bendeveloping crucial organic production methods. efits yourself and the planet. Organic farming and food processing methBy the 1970s, increased environmental awareness and consumer deods support health for the people who eat them and for the planet. With mand fueled the growth of the organic industry. General agreement exthe use of proper crop rotations and organically derived soil enrichments isted on philosophical approaches, but no standards or regulations existand fertilizers, soil fertility is maintained and pests are controlled without ed in defining organic agriculture. Each state or certifying agent could introducing toxins to humans or the environment. This is in contrast to determine standards based on production practices and constraints in the over-farming of the soil in conventional agriculture, where only one their region. This decentralized approach prompted Congress to pass the or two crops are grown at a farm.

Organic Foods Production Act in 1990 to develop a national standard Where there is less biodiversity, crops are more prone to the rapid for organic food and fiber production. National standards were not imspread of disease. Also, chemical fertilizers and pesticides often are used plemented under the OFPA until 2002. “Organic” then became a labelin mounting quantities with increasingly adverse environmental effects. ing term that indicates that food has been grown following the Organic One of the founders of organic farming was Lady Evelyn “Eve” Balfour, Foods Production Act. a British farmer who helped pioneer many production techniques central to the movement. In 1943, Balfour famously noted that “The criteria for All agricultural farms and products claiming to be organic must be a sustainable agriculture can be summed up in one word — permanence guaranteed by a U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved independent — which means adopting techniques that maintain soil fertility indefiagency and must meet the following guidelines: No application of pronitely, that utilize, as far as possible, only renewable resources; that do not hibited materials for three years prior to certification and thereafter while grossly pollute the environment; and that foster licensed; no genetically modified organisms or biological activity within the soil and throughirradiation (the Food and Drug Administration out the cycles of all the involved food chains.” has approved a variety of foods for irradiation Organic farming was known simply as farmin the United States, including beef, pork, crusing until the early 1920s. Later, synthetic pestaceans, fresh fruits, vegetables, lettuce, spinach, ticides for controlling pests, herbicides for conshellfish, poultry and seeds for sprouting (e.g., trolling weeds, fungicides for controlling fungal alfalfa sprouts); employ positive soil building, infections and large-scale growing operations conservation, manure management and crop were being introduced. rotation practices; provide outdoor access and The U.S. landscape of small, environmentalpasture for livestock; refrain from antibiotic ly friendly family farms began to morph into and hormone use in animals; sustain animals What’s In Your Basket? agribusinesses. But not all who succeeded gave on 100 percent organic feed; avoid contaminaup their green-conscious roots. J.I. Rodale is tion during processing, and keep records of all Consumer Reports suggests buying organic peachcommonly regarded as the father of the modoperations. es, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, ern organic farming movement, helped found Again, this was standard up until the 1920s. strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes, spinach, the Rodale Research Institute, and started Remember the old saying? “Try organic food, lettuce and potatoes, otherwise they are highly susceptible to retaining harmful pesticides. publishing Organic Farming and Gardening or as our grandparents called it — food!”

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In some quarters,

organic is considered expensive and elitist. Organic food often does cost slightly more, on average, than conventionally grown food.

However, society bears the cost of conventional agriculture due to crop subsidies, a governmental payout to farmers and agribusinesses using taxpayers’ dollars to supplement their income, manage the supply of agricultural commodities and influence the cost and supply of such commodities. The cost to society is borne also in food-borne illnesses such as E. coli, antibiotic resistance, water pollution and other hidden costs to the environment.

The choice really comes down to buying responsibly priced foods or buying irresponsibly priced foods.

That huge pile of conventionally grown GMO Arctic apples that don’t bruise at the grocery store might cost less money, but with organically grown foods, the cost is upfront. The FDA approved GMO apples in March, along with six varieties of GMO potatoes that refuse to bruise.

Organically grown foods might be the cheapest health insurance you can buy. Research findings are correlating environmental chemical exposures with autism, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and many cancers — no surprise, since 55 million tons of chemical fertilizer are used in the U.S. alone per year, and 5.6 billion pounds of chemical pesticides worldwide.

Many of these chemical compounds are retained in the soil and food as residue that, when eaten, can bioaccumulate in the body. Organic food is one way to reduce exposure to these harmful chemicals.

Organically grown food contains substantially higher levels of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals than conventionally grown food. Organic foods contain up to 69 percent more of certain antioxidants, including vitamin C, thanks mostly to the fertility of the soil, said Alyson Mitchell, an associate professor of food science and technology at the University of California-Davis.

Organically grown foods might be the cheapest health insurance you can buy. Research findings are correlating environmental chemical/pesticide exposure with autism, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and many cancers — no surprise when 55 million tons of chemical fertilizer are used in the U.S. annually alone.

5.6 billion pounds of chemical pesticides are used worldwide.

People You May Know

tHE ORGANIC PIONEER

The modern farmer

The small-big guy

Lady Evelyn Balfour (1898-1990), a British farmer and educator, and founding figure in the organic movement.

J.I. Rodale (1898-1971), influential agribusiness expert, helped develop organic growing methods in the 1940s and 1970s.

Joel Salatin (1957-) has become a national leader on small-farm high-volume growing from his fields in the Shenandoah Valley.

“With organic methods, the nitrogen present in composted soil is released slowly and therefore plants grow at a normal rate, with their nutrients in balance. Vegetables fertilized with conventional fertilizers grow very rapidly and allocate less energy to develop nutrients,” Mitchell explained.

The more intense flavors in organic fruits and vegetables probably stem from two factors: The higher average levels of antioxidants and lower average crop yields. The high yields achieved today through chemical pesticide use on some crops have come at the expense of nutrition and taste.

Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley runs one of the most productive and sustainable small farms in the United States.

He urges “relationship marketing” — people taking the trouble and expense to buy directly from the farmer. His approach is outlined in his book “Holy Cows and Hog Heaven: The Food Buyer’s Guide to Farm Friendly Food.”

Salatin recommends local farms serving the nearby community, not organic food grown on a large scale to supply large grocers. This approach reduces fossil fuels burned in shipping. Fruits and vegetables typically travel up to as much as 1,500 miles to reach the end consumer.

Community Supported Agriculture organizations are a locally based economic model for agriculture and food distribution. A CSA refers to a network or association of people that have pledged

to support one or more local farms, with growers and consumers sharing the risks and benefits of food production. CSA members pay at the onset of the growing season for a share of the anticipated harvest.

Once harvesting begins, they periodically receive shares of produce. In addition to produce, some CSA services include farm products such as honey, eggs, dairy and meat.

Some provide for contributions of labor in lieu of a portion of costs.

With summer approaching, the farmers markets are opening up. Consider joining a CSA, visiting an organic farm or doing some relationship marketing by reaching out to the growers personally. Plant a garden and enjoy the pleasures of creating your own sustenance.

It’s always best to buy organic meats and dairy products. At the very least, try organic food for three weeks and see what you taste and notice. Organic cooking can even be done on a budget — rice and beans are a cheap and easy way to start on this healthful journey.

Planting, growing, harvesting and eating delicious organic food that you grew is an enriching experience. The Seattle Tilth is an excellent resource at seattletilth.org.

Organic farming techniques are proving to be healthier for people and the planet. It is, in a way, a revival of past practices.

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

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health & science

By MATTHEW MEYERS

CULTIVATE GOOD NEWS If you’re anything like me, you probably feel overwhelmed by the amount of hysteria, hate and fear spreading through our society.

With our focus constantly being driven toward the negative by many forms of media, finding positive head space to progress through this political, intellectual and spiritual roadblock in our society’s evolution can be hard.

This hysteria is rooted in good intentions; we face some pressing issues that have been swept under the rug for far too long, such as excessive corporate influence, systematic income inequality and a justice system riddled with double standards. But it’s important to widen your perspective and witness the balance of both good and bad in the world. If we imagine our society as a pendulum, we find that we’ve swung far to one side. As humans, we should all do what we can to help re-center the pendulum, but often times the scale of issues can overwhelm even the most savvy problem-solver.

However, if you want to effectively make a difference, you also have to remember to hold faith, visualize and be open to a brighter future. Every problem, no matter its complexity, has a solution.

But like most good solutions, sometimes you need to take a step back from the problem, breathe and be confident in your ability before you can find a sustainable solution.

We cannot forget that life is a balance, and as much as we need to be concerned about these pressing issues, we also need focus on our own power to bring good into the world. With so much conMatthew Meyer is a Hood River-based Cannabis journalist, activist & enthusiast.

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flicting information out there today, it’s easy to get contribute to the future you want to witness. If you caught up trying to raise awareness about one issue want to hear good news, do what you can to make or another. As I’ve previously written, it’s important it happen. Whether it’s holding the door open or to vocalize your feelings to create change, but be being present and listening to help someone with a mindful of the danger in that mindset. By raising problem, we can make a difference. Even something awareness about an issue, you can get too focused as simple as smiling at someone who looks angry or and lost in the negative aspects of that sad could brighten their day and trigissue. This can drain your energy and ger a series of events to create a better If you want to add a negative lens to your worldview. future for us all! effectively make I recommend taking the following In relation to Cannabis, if you a difference, steps to help achieve balance in these want to continue to see high qualiyou also have to ty small-batch Cannabis, make sure dynamic times: remember to hold to support those farmers. If you are SEE GOOD worried about the future of untaxed faith, visualize Remember to search out the good and be open to a medical Cannabis, make sure your and beautiful things in life that survoice is heard by the OLCC! As brighter future. round us every day. We live a truly Stephen Covey writes in his book privileged life, where we can drink our “7 Habits of Highly Effective Peowater and breathe our air, especially in ple,” you are in control of how you the Pacific Northwest. Most of us carry computrespond to the outside stimuli of life! The key to ers in our pockets that can save a lifetime of high controlling this response is staying relaxed and quality images and videos. Cannabis can help with focused during times of stress. Cannabis can be appreciating the beautiful details of life! helpful for finding a fresh perspective, appreciating the beautiful details of life you otherwise COMMUNICATE GOOD ignore and also finding space to relax and decomIf you notice someone having trouble seeing the press. Luckily, more people than ever can safely good or beauty in life, make sure that you reach out access Cannabis today, and that access will conto them and try to remind them about the good tinue to grow! things in life.

In conclusion, don’t give up trying to progress our society! Be conscious of your personal balance and MANIFEST GOOD make sure you dedicate your valuable time, energy We all have the awesome ability to create; make and creative powers to bringing good manifestations sure the things you are creating are positive and into the world.

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FEATURE

By WES ABNEY

10 WAYS

TO GREEN UP

YOUR ST. PATRICK’S DAY Ditch the green beer for something a little less dangerous. Blend up your favorite loose leaf tea and mix in medicated honey for a relaxing beverage, or try adding tincture to a traditional drink recipe minus the alcohol.

1

2

Bring some green into the kitchen!

3

Swap a drinking game for a smoking

Almost any good St. Patrick’s Day recipe can be spiced up with Cannabis. Check out our recipes section on p. 32 52 for more info!

game! Example: Pot Potato....For this mission you will need: a single potato of any shape, color and size, multiple smoking devices locked and loaded, and Irish music. How to play: If you have every played hot potato as a child you will know how to play this game. If not there is no need to worry as it is pretty easy to understand. All you need to do is start passing the potato around a circle of people whilst the Irish music is playing in the background. You will need to put someone in charge of hitting the stop button at random points. Whenever the music stops the person who is left holding on to the potato has to take a toke. Pretty simple see!

Put on a scary movie! Might we recommend the Leprechaun series. Yes, there was a series, and they made four films in all. The best one? Leprechaun 4: In Space.

4

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5

Change Irish sayings to surprise

6

Pick up a local Cannabis friendly

friends and random people with statements like “Top of the Cola to you this morning” and “Kiss me, I’m medicated!” Hmm..the list could have just been fun phrase replacements.

clothing item or glass piece that has some green in it! Shouldn’t be hard!

Make someone special a St. Patrick’s Day gift basket or gift. Hit up your fave local farmers market and give some green this year! Don’t leave anyone out.

7 8

Instead of a Pub Crawl get a group

9

Learn to Irish Dance, and practice

together and try a Collective Crawl. You’ll have more fun, do far less stumbling and actually remember those great memories next year!

it whilst medicating! The results may be frightening at first, so relax, and have fun.

Instead of pinching everyone not wearing green this year, give them a pinch of green bud! Share the flower, and please don’t drink (or smoke) and drive!

10

If your idea of a treasure

is a pot of Acapulco Gold Cannabis this list is tailored Leaf,Leaf just for you! At Alaska Northwest we want everyone to have a safe and productive St. Patrick’s Day and to begin shifting the transition from alcohol abuse to Cannabis celebration! Without further ado, here are our top suggestions for a THC-filled holiday you can remember.

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growtech

SOW A

SEED

L

OR

PLANT A

CLONE

PART 2 OF 2: BENEFITS AND DEFICITS OF PLANTING CLONES

ast month’s Growtech explored the benefits conditions or flawed feeding applications. Clones also tend to and deficits of starting your gardens from a have strong natural resistance to pests and diseases, and are seed, so this month’s Growtech will illumiable to maintain a perpetual vegetative state.

BY ALASKA LEAF nate starting your garden from a clone. Let’s The consistent theme to all these benefits is the predictable SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR jump right in. nature that clones provide; you’ll know what you’re getting, DR. SCANDERSON So many farmers rely heavily on the nursery at least to some degree. Let’s take a closer look at some of the component of their farms as well as other supmore subtle features of this characteristic. ply lines to provide them with an ongoing fresh supply of healthy Discovering the correct feeding schedules and environmental clones. The production and predictability of such a model assures reliconditions a specific variety of plant thrives under are among the most ability. Clones are already females, which eliminates the need for gender complex, time-intensive and important endeavors of gardening. Having selection, as is the case with seeds. Clones also almost universally reliable feedback on other growth characteristics such as ideal flower tend to display more vigor and accelerated growth window, specific time periods for each stage of developrates — especially in the early and mid-veg stages ment from clone through veg, and each of the stages — when compared to their seedling counterparts, of flower through dry and curing schedules is also which saves time. important.

Each of these puzzles have many different CLONE BENEFITS pieces and only provides feedback on the placeAs a proven winner, clones are more stable than seeds, as any interment of each piece, once every 90 to 120 days on average, which is sexual traits have (theoretically) been selected out. Clones have higher akin to filling an Olympic swimming pool with a dripping faucet. tolerances against plant stressors such as unstable environmental By starting from clone, you may not have the precise formula that

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Read part 1 of the guide in our online archive Issuu.com/nwleaf/docs/AlaskaLeafFeb2017/50

will work for you specifically, but at least you’re starting with the pool considerably more than halfway full.

Knowing the specific flower you’ll end up with has many benefits beyond the grower’s perspective. Working a particular variety often includes a predisposed amount of marketability. Many of the most desirable clones garner such popularity from the demands the market places upon it. Even on a micro level, there are often specific varieties a particular patient or friend requests due to their desire to have a reliable supply for themselves. The intrinsic ability to have beneficial influence over the demand for the completed product is a stellar and valuable commodity that many clones can provide.

Any market for a variety of Cannabis also establishes mediums for cultivation standards, which allows for comparisons of test results with other gardeners.

This environment fosters communal discussions that spread knowledge. Such openness amongst a community with a very specific shared interest results in a deeper, more accurate understanding of the information and improved accessibility to such knowledge. This ultimately furthers the plant’s agenda to have the greatest amount of its genetic potential actualized through our efforts in the garden.

pests and diseases. The practice of sharing clones further proliferates these parasites and can also be a prime contributor to the systemic resistance to treatment observed in resistant pest populations.

The predictability of the outcome of a specific clone can also be largely linked to the grower, or more specifically, the growing methods employed in its cultivation. It’s not uncommon to fall in love with a particular variety after enjoying its finished blooms only to find — after running it through your system — the results differ enough to no longer enjoy it in the same ways.

Existing comparisons highlight these detriments as well as the benefits described earlier. Some cultivars can adapt to a wide variety of environments, while others thrive considerably in an organic environment and still others result in a most favorable finish when grown using synthetic feeding components.

Lastly, but perhaps most important to someone who promotes an artisan approach to cultivation, is the defined nature that growing another’s selection offers. A clone is simply another gardener’s opinion of an ideal representation of that variety. You may agree with the selection and enjoy sharing in the benefits pre-selected varieties offer, but at the end of the day, you are promoting another grower’s work. This is beneficial in many ways, but when it comes in place of promoting your own, it can remove what I consider to be the most enchanting part of the pursuit.

For me, the addictive intoxication I find myself lost in is the ability to express myself through the creation, discovery and selection of new varieties of Cannabis: New to you, to your friends and to the world. Introduced through your distinct partnership, and covered in your

WHAT BENEFITS ABOUT FARMING FROM SEEDS OR FROM CLONES GETS YOU THE MOST EXCITED?

CLONE DEFICITS Starting to sound almost too good to be true?

Don’t worry, I’m a true seed-aholic and am here to rain all over this clone parade.

As much as one can tout the benefits of knowing exactly what you’re getting when growing from a clone, the devil’s advocate (ahem) would ask, “but do you really?” That is to say, you don’t really know what else you’re getting with all these assurances a clone provides.

Far and away, gardens suffering infestation from bugs, disease or a combination of the two can be traced back to the introduction of a contaminated clone. Protecting completely against any sort of contamination is a time-intensive process simply on account of the life stages and developmental stages associated with some of the most insidious

opinions that exists for no other reason than the result of your unique partnership with space and time as a human.

Ultimately, it all comes down — like everything in the pursuit of cultivating life — to what seems to intrinsically call to you?

What benefits about farming from seeds or from clones gets you most excited? Which detriments found in either seem like they would be most reasonable to deal with?

Somewhere in the past two months in this two-part exploration, my hope is that you will find some direction you can take your garden in. Discover some new varieties of Cannabis no one but you has ever visited or bring a new standard to a highly prized existing variety. Either way, enjoy the ride of being seamlessly woven into the fabric that is the evolution of this beloved plant.

Happy Gardening!!!

Follow along

Instagram @DrScanderson_gT

Drop me a line thegreengardengroup @gmail.com

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budshot

PHOTO by @SPURSBROKEN | ROBERT R. SANDERS

BLUE MAGOO IS AN INDICA DOMINANT HYBRID STRAIN WITH A DELIGHTFUL FUSION OF BERRY, FRUIT AND OTHER FLORAL AROMAS.

Available from Foster Buds (FosterBuds.com) Glisan Buds (GlisanBuds.com)

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ORION FARMS

BLUE MAGOO Got sweet garden/bud photos?

Share them with us and they might appear here in a feature spread next month! Just email your top 2-3 not-taken-with-a-phoneunless-they-were-incredibly-superduper-steady high-resolution images to nwleaf@gmail.com along with the usual details on who to credit for the strain, breed, grow and photographer.

BEHIND THE STRAIN

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GRANDPA LARRY With deep forest-green leaves, the formerly green- and orangehaired buds begin to shimmer with unmistakable violet hues that are deceptively rich in color.

BAG APPEAL & SMOKE REPORT This is one beautiful, chunky, dense bud. Bulky nugs display the

coveted “rainbow” look. The combination of evergreen and bright orange hairs is further accentuated by the dark purples that display the copious amount of trichomes. These blooms are definitely some of the most beautiful to be found on any shelf. Unlike other blooms with comparable looks and frost coverage, these flowers hit high and hard in the terp department. The danky Kush scent only dances momentarily on the senses before being overrun by a sweet and a bit of a sour Kush lemon candy fragrance that has a definitive Lysol and cleaner quality to it. Ground up and ready to roll, I get pungent redberry lemonade.

Skunky, gassy, sour Kush flavors creep down my lungs and assume attack position as they explode with lung-busting expansion. Pillows of smoke pour from my mouth with such exquisite candied-lemon flavor that I cock my head to the side in curiosity. The flavor of these blooms is one of the most durable of any Kush variety I’ve sampled. Candied lemonheads and Lysol flavors stay bright and prevalent, giving way to a sour cucumber-melon taste. It’s rare that I come across Cannabis that has such potent and lasting flavors.

HOW IT GROWS these plants start a bit on the slow side, similar to many of the

BY ALASKA LEAF SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR DR. SCANDERSON

Pillows of smoke pour from my mouth with such exquisite candied-lemon flavor that I cock my head to the side in curiosity.

LINEAGE

The lemon Larry OG Kush cut is a coveted cutting that unites some of the best lemon and Kush flavors. Taking a powerhouse like that and adding to it can be a tricky endeavor, but this wonderful strain pulls it off. Although I selected a pheno that only showed up twice out of two packs, the search was worth it.

GENETICS: LARRY OG (LUMPSTATUS’ CUT) X GRAND DADDY PURPLE NO. 5 BREEDER:

DUNGEON VAULT GENETICS (ORIGINALLY BY GRAND DADDY PURPLE)

FLOWER TIME:

65-68 DAYS

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elite OGs. The pheno I selected for is slow to get started in the first two weeks, and compared to the others appears shorter, bushier and features more indica in its growth pattern. It sports a more uniform growth structure but it’s combined with deep, dark, three-blade leaves. She’s a medium feeder and responds very well to topping, creating a balanced and even pattern with little bending and training. In flower, she is also a bit slow to transition and doesn’t stretch much, a welcome change from other elite OGs. She can take flower formula and higher levels of P and C earlier than most Kush varieties. Like her speed in veg, she’s a slow and steady winner. You have to be patient with this strain because during her last 30 days, and especially the last two weeks, she really starts to flex. In fact, everything seemed rather average until those last three to four weeks. It’s at that point that she starts throwing triches out like an East Coast snowstorm, adding chunk and girth at an alarming rate. With deep forest-green leaves, the formerly green- and orange-haired buds begin to shimmer with unmistakable violet hues that are deceptively rich in color.

EFFECTS a nearly instant head change hits hard with a nicely balanced

hybrid effect. The clear and inspired feelings I’ve come to love from many a sativa-leaning Kush is an excellent daytime medicine or anytime when inspiration is needed. With flavors like these, Cannabis enthusiast may not even need a second helping. With one bowl, I experience my scalp morphing into a rushing river, complete with waterfalls cascading behind my ears. It’s a gentle reminder of the indica heritage that makes this an exceptionally well-balanced medicine.