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GANJA Finding community in the fields of an Alaskan Cannabis farm | pg. 32 STORY BY EDITOR WES ABNEY // PHOTOS BY OSCAR AVELLANEDA-CRUZ Cofounder Leif Abel in the Kasilof, Alaska grow,
Anchorage group donates Cannabis to veterans and those who truly need it. //////////////////// pg. 22
fall cannacooking Laurie and Bruce Wolf share three fave Cannabis-infused dishes to try out this season. /////////////////////// pg. 38
Gear reviews Testing out a great way to keep your pipes nice & clean. ////////////// pg. 42
growtech guide Dr. Scanderson explains how redundant systems can help your grow. ////////////// pg. 58
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contents
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OCT. 2016
12 ALASKA NEWS October political update
38 TASTY RECIPES Fall cannaflavors to savor
50 DR. SCANDERSON Add redundancy to your grow
PG.
32
Exploring Alaska’s first recreational Cannabis harvest out in the Kenai Peninsula Borough.
Story by Editor Wes Abney Photos by Oscar Avellaneda-Cruz
GREATLAND
GANJA
07 08 10 12 14 16 18 22 28 32 38 40 42 46 48 50 54
E D I TO R ’S N OT E N AT I O N A L N E WS N AT I O N A L N E WS ALASKA NEWS APPLES & ORANGES P R I S O N D I S PATC H H I G H LY L I K E LY THE GREEN ANGELS C E N T E R FOL D G R E AT L A N D G A N JA TASTY RECIPES BOOK REVIEW GEAR REVIEW SIMONE FISCHER DR. SCOTT ROSE GROWTECH GUIDE BEHIND THE STRAIN C O V E R S H OT Oscar Avellaneda-Cruz for Alaska Leaf
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contents Founding members Darby Andrews, Adele Tara and Don “DC” McKenzie after a meeting held at Alaska Glass Gardens.
THE GREE N ANGELS
Giving away Cannabis to help people who truly need it is the mission of this Anchorage group. Photos by Daniel Berman/Alaska Leaf
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editor’s note
OCT. 2016 ISSUE #6
Recreational Cannabis is slowly getting figured out around these parts, it seems. our cover this month features the first legal recreational harvest in Alaska
state history, with beautiful outdoor plants grown in greenhouses out on the Kenai by the Greatland Ganja team. There are only two things that will get me up before 6 a.m. — fishing and beautiful Cannabis. I took the trip last month with photographer Oscar Avellaneda-Cruz as we headed towards the Kenai at 5:30 a.m., preparing to catch the morning light as it slowly warmed up the greenhouses, filling the air with terpy dankness. Standing inside the greenhouses with beautiful plants dancing in the wind and crisp sunshine filled me with an intense feeling of euphoria and excitement that hasn’t left in the weeks since the story. The Alaska Cannabis market is finally coming online, and there are THE ALASKA plants to prove it! For everyone tired of waiting or frustrated CANNABIS MARKET with business plans and timelines going haywire ... hang IS FINALLY COMING in there! The system is working, and soon we will all be ONLINE, AND THERE enjoying our first recreational Cannabis tokes. ARE PLANTS TO In other good news, the Anchorage Assembly approved PROVE IT! both testing facilities that have applied, AK Green Labs and CannTest, allowing the industry to prepare for testing and eventually putting products on shelves. Personally, I am extremely excited to begin testing the products that we feature in the magazine, and the chance to put THC and terpene percentages on some of the killer fire being cultivated in Alaska! To everyone frustrated or excited, I want to remind you of the light at the end of the tunnel. Alaska will soon have its first Cannabis dispensary! And yes, it’s a dispensary, or a retail store, or an immoral drug dealer, all depending on which person on the corner you talk to. Regardless, soon we will be able to purchase Cannabis at a store, and that’s all that matters.
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.
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FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Wes Abney
PHOTOGRAPHER & DESIGNER
Daniel Berman
CONTRIBUTORS Wes and Kori Marie featured contributor GREATLAND GANJA PG. 32 Oscar Avellaneda-Cruz is an Anchorage-based photographer specializing in portraiture and independent work. His shoot on the Kasilof rec grow landed him his first Alaska Leaf mag cover.
STEVE ELLIOTT, NATIONAL SIMONE FISCHER, HEALTH PAUL GRZELAK, EDITING KORI MARIE, PRODUCTION 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
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Department of Corrections
No news is good news, but we want to hear from you if we didn’t get something accurate in a previous edition.
oct. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
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national
STEVE ELLIOTT is the editor behind tokesignals.com, an independent blog of Cannabis news and opinion
Marijuana Edibles: Report Looks at Factors that Might Attract Children Findings from the University of Washington School of Law’s Cannabis Law and Policy Project have arrived.
When Washington legalized recreational marijuana - Color is a key factor in children’s food choices, in 2012, a primary concern was how to ensure it with red, orange, yellow and green foods preferred. was kept out of the reach of children. - Food in novel shapes such as stars or animals is While skunky-smelling buds of dried marijuana more appealing to children than food cut into slices are not likely to appeal to children, Cannabis- or sticks. infused edibles such as brownies, cookies and - Children like foods that smell sweet, fruity or candies could. And with edibles making up a sizable like candy. and growing segment of the pot - Taste, rather than smell, is a market, states are grappling with more useful deterrent for children. THE REPORT how to regulate those products to - Odor alone is unlikely to deter INVOLVED LOOKING most effectively protect children. children. AT RESEARCH ON A new report from the - Cartoon and other promotional WHAT PHYSICAL University of Washington School characters powerfully influence ELEMENTS OF FOOD of Law’s Cannabis Law and Policy APPEAL TO children’s food preferences. CHILDREN Project furthers those efforts by - Advertising influences food identifying the factors that make and beverage choices among food attractive to children. Commissioned by children aged 2 to 11, but there is less evidence that the state Liquor and Cannabis Board, the report teens are swayed by food advertising. involved looking at research on what physical Sam Méndez, executive director of the Cannabis elements of food appeal to children and the role Law and Policy Project, said while the research that marketing and branding play. focused on children’s food preferences generally, Among the report’s findings: the findings are applicable to how children might
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approach Cannabis-infused edibles. “There is scant research of testing children with Cannabis-infused edibles, and for good ethical reasons,” Méndez said. “So we looked at research on regular food products — but the same factors that make particular foods appealing to children, such as taste, color and packaging, would likely also apply to edibles.” The report also looked at Cannabis packaging and labeling regulations in various states. Most states require edibles to be sold in childresistant, opaque packaging. Washington introduced rules in 2014 prohibiting recreational Cannabis stores from selling gummy bears, lollipops and cotton candy infused with " CANNABISCannabis, and also INFUSED prohibits Cannabis EDIBLES ARE products that require SOMETIMES PACKAGED TO cooking or baking. LOOK LIKE Méndez said POPULAR Cannabis-infused CANDY OR edibles are sometimes FOOD packaged in lessBRANDS.” regulated states to look like popular candy or food brands — for example, Pot Tarts that have the same cartoonish typeface and blue background as Kellogg’s well-known toaster pastries. “In some states where there’s medical marijuana Cannabis but not a strong hand in regulation, you get products that would be very attractive to children, and that’s seen as a hazard,” Méndez said. “We review all edible products and packaging to ensure they are not especially appealing to children,” said Liquor and Cannabis Board director Rick Garza. “This new study will help further that important responsibility.” The report, Méndez said, underscores the complex set of determinants that drives children’s food preferences. “Of these factors we looked at, no one factor was clearly indicative of a danger to children,” he said. So if you have a food that’s shaped as a bear, that doesn’t automatically make it attractive to kids, especially if it smells or tastes bad. “It’s more of a multifactor test, and you need to factor in all of these things that can help give you an idea about whether a food could be more attractive to children,” Méndez said.
Quoted
Rally for Cannabis Rights Held on Alabama Capitol Steps The Medical Cannabis Advocates of Alabama and the United Cannabis Advocates rally together.
“THIS AGREEMENT WILL SIGNIFICANTLY EXPAND THE STATE’S ABILITY TO TEST FOR PESTICIDES. LABS NEED SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT AND HIGHLY TRAINED STAFF TO CARRY OUT THE TESTS.” — RICK GARZA (Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board director) on new agreement with Washington State Department of Agriculture to fund specialized equipment to test for illegal pesticides on marijuana.
About 40 people rallied on Sept. 8 at the
reduced. Cannabis has no overdoses, ever; it Alabama State Capitol building in Montgomery cures cancer and treats several chronic illnesses, to support the rights of patients who could including epilepsy and chronic pain.” benefit from using medical marijuana. “I am delighted and pumped to be a part of The rally was held on the capitol steps this effort to get medicine to the people who and sponsored by two groups: the Medical need it in my home state of Alabama,” Elliott Cannabis Advocates of Alabama, led by Faye said. “All of us at the State Capitol on Thursday Medlock; and United Cannabis Advocates, led should remember the state motto of the Heart by Brian White. of Dixie: We Dare Defend Our Rights.” Speaking were Medlock, “I feel that it is most White, Toke Signals editor important for people to come “WHY KEEP and NW Leaf news columnist PAYING THE PHAR- out and support the efforts of Steve Elliott and activists groups like Remove Cannabis MACEUTICAL Michelle Benton, Ina Epps, Prohibition In The USA, COMPANIES TO Regina King Vinzant, Skip MCAA, NORML and all ONLY MASK THE Eckarts and the deputy PROBLEM?” the grassroots organizations director of Peachtree fighting for safe access and NORML, Dean Sines of Atlanta, Ga. patients’ rights wherever you are,” Sines said. “Why keep paying the pharmaceutical “These groups are made up of everyday companies to only mask the problem?” asked people that give their time and more, fighting organizer Medlock. “Pills kill; Cannabis heals!” to give a voice to the people. So please show “People need to unite, en masse, to show the your support however you can and together government the will of the people,” Faye said. we can and will make a change,” Sines said. “Alabama has a big opiates overdose “Remember, you don’t have to be a Cannabis epidemic,” White said. “If we had an user to be a supporter, just be on the side of alternative medicine, then that would be truth, justice and freedom.”
Quick Hits! 6.5 3 61
Billion dollars in medical and recreational marijuana sales are expected in California by 2020 if Cannabis legalization laws are passed this November (according to Arcview Group study). Percent lower body mass index (BMI) has been found in Cannabis users compared to non-users, according to University of Miami researchers.
Percent of Oregon voters believe legalizing Cannabis has been a positive development in the state (30% stated they feel it’s had a negative impact) according to a new poll released by DHM Research.
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national
STEVE ELLIOTT is the editor behind tokesignals.com, an independent blog of Cannabis news and opinion
The most popular edible this year isn't chocolate
Marijuana Lifer Craig Frazier Granted Clemency by President Obama President Barack Obama on Aug. 30 commuted the sentences of 111 people incarcerated in federal prison, almost all for drug offenses. While many of the commutations were for victims of the disparity in sentencing between crack and powder cocaine, at least one marijuana lifer, Craig Frazier, was granted a sentence commutation. Frazier had a clemency petition filed more than a year ago, according to activist
Cheri Sicard of the Marijuana Lifer Project. “Getting news of clemency for those serving life for marijuana never gets old,” Sicard said. “I am thrilled for Craig and his family.” Frazier had been incarcerated since 2005 on a charge of conspiracy to distribute marijuana, and had been sentenced to 40 years for the nonviolent offense. He will now serve eight years parole.
“GOVERNOR DUCEY SUGGESTED WE CHECK OUR FACTS ABOUT MARIJUANA AND ALCOHOL, AND WE WERE HAPPY TO OBLIGE:
Year of the Gummy Chocolate edibles have ruled the market since legal recreational Cannabis sales began nearly three years ago. But in 2016, chocolates lost the No. 1 spot to gummies, according to data firm BDS Analytics’ GreenEdge market research database. Consumers are exploring edible marijuana: candies, mints, chocolate bars, teas and (of course) brownies. Edible weed’s popularity is due to a number of factors, including the extended high, the inconspicuous
MARIJUANA IS LESS TOXIC, LESS ADDICTIVE AND LESS LIKELY TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH AGGRESSIVE OR VIOLENT BEHAVIOR.”
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method of consumption and the lack of smoke. Besides that, many pot treats are downright yummy. More and more edible Cannabis brands are hiring gourmet chefs to craft their cupcakes, cookies, sodas and other treats. As gummies become the most popular, other mainstay categories are dropping in popularity. Hard candy has fallen to 8 percent of sales, while drinks stand steady at 6 percent.
Quoted — J.P. HOLYOAK (chair of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol) in response to Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s statement at a press conference: “I would check your facts when you say something is not addictive, that something’s safer than alcohol.”
alaska
By ALIZA SHERMAN for ALASKA LEAF | ILLUSTRATION by BRANDON VOSIKA
On
OCTOBER
POLITICAL
UPDATE Alaska’s various licensees are getting under way and the first retail shops should arrive late-2016
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Oct. 10, the agenda closes for the next Marijuana Control Board (MCB) meetings that are taking place on Oct. 27 in Nome, Ala., and on Oct. 28 in Anchorage. There is some valid concern about the members of the MCB being able fly out of Nome in a timely fashion after the first meeting due to unpredictable weather conditions in the North in late October. Typical Alaska. The next MCB meetings are set for Dec. 6 and 7 in Anchorage with the closing date for the agenda of those meetings to be some time in November. The February MCB meetings will take place in Juneau and those dates are not yet set but will be determined at the October meetings. The first Cannabis career fair comes to Anchorage THE ANCHORAGE on Saturday, Oct. 15. The Alaska Cannabis Business CANNABIS Association (ACBA) anticipates representatives from BUSINESS companies based in the Anchorage municipality will ASSOCIATION be present including retail, cultivation and testing opIS ORGANIZING erations as well as ancillary businesses such as smoke THE FIRST and accessory shops and professional services like CANNABIS marketing, packaging and insurance. CAREER FAIR Jobs involving handling marijuana require that the applicant obtain a Marijuana Handler Permit so inforSATURDAY mation on these permits will be at the job fair. OCT. 15, 2016 Leah Levinton, secretary and spokesperson for 11 A.M.-5 P.M. ACBA, says the first retail establishments should be up and running later this year. Cynthia Franklin, direc- CROWNE PLAZA ANCHORAGEtor of Alaska’s Marijuana Control Office, echoed this, MIDTOWN ON saying the first step is to have Cannabis testing facilities up and running so product is in the pipeline for INTERNATIONAL retail establishments to sell. She believes both Can- AIRPORT ROAD nTest, LLC, owned by Jonathan Rupp and Mark Malagodi, and AK Green Labs, LLC, owned by Brian Coyle, should be operational by the end of October if everything goes as planned. Franklin adds that all four license types — testing, retail, manufacturing and cultivation — should be open and operating before the Legislature sits down again early next year. A Juneau-based investigator will conduct the first “empty shelf” inspection of a retail facility on Oct. 4 in Skagway for The Remedy Shoppe, a recently licensed retail business. Some of the recently licensed retail facilities include Anchorage companies: Alaska Buds, which is partly owned by ACBA president Nick Miller, who was recently appointed to the MCB; Arctic Herbery, owned by Bryant Thorp; and The Frost Farms, owned by Beth Brewington. Levinton of the ACBA also co-owns a retail company, Enlighten Alaska, with her mother, Jane Stinson, and brother, Evan Levinton, and are planning on opening in Anchorage in December. Other Alaskan retail licenses were recently awarded to: Frozen Budz, owned by Destiny and Nick Neade of Fairbanks; Pakalolo Supply Co., also in Fairbanks; Girdwood-based The Herbal Cache; Herbal Outfitters, LLC, in Valdez; Rainforest Farms, LLC, in Juneau; and Weed Dudes in Sitka. On the testing side, the state hired a contractor to review CannTest and AK Green Labs. The contractor is the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA), a nonprofit, internationally recognized accreditation body based in Maryland. A2LA is assessing that the Alaska Cannabis testing facilities are doing what they are supposed to be doing, are scientifically sound, have standard operating procedures that are accepted in the scientific community and possess the proper equipment, among other criteria. While optimism is in the air, there are still some who are frustrated by what they perceive as too many delays. Time will tell how strong of a foothold the industry will gain by the time the legislative session rolls around. Until then, everyone is keeping their eyes on the prize: a thriving, legal Cannabis industry in Alaska.
eoscreativemedia.com Travis Madden (907) 854-7547
A LA S KA’ S CA N N A B I S S E C U R I T Y LEADERS
By WES ABNEY, EDITOR
Don't legislate Cannabis in ridiculous ways
R
eefer madness is alive and well in Alaska's new pot industry, with the purity patrol of regulations censoring the ways that Cannabis stores and products can be marketed, limiting private clubs for use and ultimately limiting residents’ rights to a legal product. What is it about Cannabis that causes generally rational and sane people to lose both in the name of public interest? The goal of legalization in Alaska was to regulate and socially treat Cannabis the same as alcohol, although there are obvious inequities here. Marijuana is safer than alcohol, and yet regulations surrounding the new industry are not on the same level. With the round of approval for producers and processors has also come a wave of rules and concerns from regulators about the new industry. To be clear, many of the issues being discussed are extremely important and should be respected. But other rules, like the one banning Cannabis dispensaries or pot shops from using any term other than “retail store” are causing more problems than they are solving. Forcing pot stores to be labeled as generic “retail stores” is both confusing and a disservice to the general public. The majority of Alaskans simply want to be able to exercise their legal right to buy pot at a pot shop. Calling an apple an orange doesn't change the nature of the apple, and only hurts the citizens these regulations are meant to protect.
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Photo by Matt Dillon
opinion
APPLES ANd ORANGES The same goes for packaging concerns about pot products having images of fruit flavors for fear of underage use. Where is the concern for photos of fruit on alcoholic beverages, or fear for the children with candy-flavor liquors or wine that is sold in juice boxes? Why do we need to hide a safe and legal herbal choice behind strange names and restrictive laws that do nothing to serve public interest or safety? The recent opinion issued by Alaska Attorney General Jahna Lindemuth that private consumption clubs are not legal is prejudiced, illogical and not likely to affect any pending or upcoming court cases. But it is the opinion of the attorney general, which is normally something to take seriously, but not here. Lindemuth stated that the only place it was legal to consume pot was in a licensed retail store (which still don't exist yet), and claimed that private clubs are public spaces, which conflicts with the spirit and letter of the law that defines and protects private clubs. In a grilling with legislators, she recently stated,
“the initiative bars public consumption, and if you’re joining others that you don’t know in a club, that’s a public place.” According to her, a private club with a membership fee is magically and legally changed to a public space, simply because of the presence of pot. But I'm here to remind her and Alaskans that just because pot is involved doesn't mean the laws magically get to change. As Theresa Collins, operator of Pot Luck Events in Anchorage famously said, “you don’t pay a membership fee and sign a membership contract at a movie theater.” But Pot Luck does hold a movie night, where adults who pay their membership fee and sign a contract can join like-minded adults in expressing their freedoms. And soon, when people can buy their pot at a “retail store,” they should have the right to put a dispensary review on Weedmaps and go consume their fruit-flavored delicious candy at a social club. Otherwise, it's not really legal, is it?
PRISONER UPDATE
NEWS FROM THE FRONT LINES
PRISON OUTREACH Taking a moment to highlight Prisoners of the War on Drugs
All Hallows’ Eve is now creeping upon us, and while you may be out
there portraying a groovy ghoulie or a scrumptious nugget, please be reminded that there are real monsters out there: the kind with the power to strip you of your basic freedom and rights or even your life over your choice to utilize a beneficial plant. The real boogie-men we should fear run our current criminal and prison systems. This month we would like to highlight POW (Prisoner of the War on Drugs) John Knock (johnknock.com), who is serving a life sentence for pot. Each day John sits behind bars, his health quickly deteriorates. His recent rejection of clemency did not help his emotional or physical condition. He is serving two life sentences plus 20 years as a nonviolent first-time offender. The sentence he has already served and keeping him incarcerated — especially when marijuana is quickly being legalized across the nation — is what one might consider cruel and unusual punishment. Tragic cases like John Knocks’ make one wonder if this is America, the “land of the free?” On a more positive note, 73-year-old THE REAL Craig Frazier — who in 2005 was served a de BOOGIE-MEN facto life sentence of 40 years — is due to be released this December via clemency as granted WE SHOULD by President Obama. He even received a handFEAR RUN written letter directly from the POTUS himself. For more details about his upcoming release, OUR CURRENT please visit: tinyurl.com/craig-frazier. CRIMINAL News such as that from Craig gives people AND PRISON like John Knock and Craig Cesal hope. Visit tinyurl.com/craig-cesal to learn more about SYSTEMS. Craig Cesal, who has served 15 years of his life sentence for Cannabis. Writing to a POW is a very easy and important way to show your support in ending the War on Drugs. Addresses for these and other POWs can be found on the above, and many other web sites. A few months ago, MMJ POW Jerry Duval went missing. Jerry’s co-defendant and son, recently released POW Jeremy Duval, finally found out his dad’s disappearance is due to his serving 60 days of his federal sentence for Cannabis manufacturing on lockdown because he refused to stand for count. Jerry was released and put back into solitary confinement again. His family does not know why. Jerry is not allowed to communicate with his family or the outside world until he is out of the SHU (Solitary Housing Unit) on Oct. 3. Jerry has had both a kidney and a pancreas transplant and lives with glaucoma and severe neuropathy. Jeremy and his family are worried he is not being properly cared for on lockdown. Jerry has also been suffering from a brain infection. Jerry can receive mail! To cheer Jerry up, please send him a card to at: Gerald Lee Duval #10717-050, FMC DEVENS, Federal Medical Center, P.O. BOX 879, Ayer, MA, 01432. To learn more about solitary confinement and hear about Jerry Duval as told by his son, listen to the VOW radio show: tinyurl.com/vowradio-voices.
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Reporting by
KRISTEN FLOR / Mindi Griffiths / Miggy 420 Becca Nichols / Danielle Vitale-O’Brien for Oregon Leaf , Northwest Leaf & Alaska Leaf
NORTHWEST NEWS PORTLAND, OR
For decades, Paul Stanford has fought many battles — both in and out of court — on behalf of himself and Cannabis consumers, but no one could have foreseen the battle he now faces. Paul now fights for the right to use his own name! According to a June 10 report from Salem News, Paul received a certified letter from S.M.A.A.R.T. — the corporation he owns a majority of — informing him he was fired without calling a shareholder or board of directors meeting. To add insult to injury, Adira, a Canadian/Israeli petroleum and natural gas company who gained the majority of shares of Empowered Medical Clinics (previously THCF), was granted a temporary restraining order against Paul by a Multnomah County court to prevent him from accessing his bank accounts and offices. They also want Paul to stop using the name THCF, as well as his very own name. Paul has not been compensated in any way for his losses. It is unknown the extent of which this takeover will affect employees and patients. If history is any indication, Paul Stanford will not be held down by this setback. In a social media post, Paul simply states, “We shall overcome.” For complete details, please visit: tinyurl.com/paulstanford.
BEAVERTON, OR
Washington County deputies seized 240 Cannabis plants from the home of 60-year-old Tuyen Ngo. According to reports, gardening is Ngo’s hobby and he was unaware of the four-plant limit. Ngo was cited for unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful manufacture of marijuana. Police allowed Ngo to choose four of the plants to keep as allowed by law. Ngo now faces five years in prison and a $125,000 fine for manufacturing and one year in prison along with a $6,250 fine for the possession charge.
NO VICTIM = NO CRIME =
NOT GUILTY. NO ONE SHOULD BE CAGED FOR CANNABIS!
TALK TO THE HAND CAMPAIGN NATIONWIDE The #6630507 anti-propaganda campaign from Amy Dawn Bourlon-Hilterbran is a grassroots movement focused on spreading the word about U.S. Patent No. 6630507, which proves Cannabis is medicinal and nontoxic, has been studied for decades and should be removed immediately from the Controlled Substances Act. The campaign includes writing the patent number on your hand, then taking a picture of it and uploading it to social media using the hashtag #6630507. Thousands of pictures of hands have been tagged, including one from Willie Nelson! The campaign includes trying to bring attention to plant prisoners and defendants. For more information, please visit their site at 6630507.com. You can also listen to the VOW radio show for more details: tinyurl.com/vowradio-hand.
Marine veteran Lewandowski OKLAHOMA Marine veteran Kristoffer Lewandowski is facing sentencing on Oct. 19 in Comanche County, Okla., for growing six Cannabis plants. Kristoffer is a husband and father of three who was honorably discharged from the Marines and is disabled due to severe PTSD. He served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He now faces five years in prison for growing less than an ounce of Cannabis to treat his PTSD and help him discontinue his use of the harmful pharmaceuticals that were prescribed by his doctors. Visit: tinyurl.com/lewandowski1.
highly likely
By PACER STACKTRAIN for ALASKA LEAF
Column # 6
Highlighting amazing Cannabis pioneers who helped pave the way to greater herbal acceptance.
GRAMMY-NOMINATED CANNABIS ADVOCATE
Alt-country Cannabis supporter
RYAN ADAMS
Cannabis. “I eat clean, I run every day at home and Sure, he’s considered to be alt-country royalty (and weed helps a lot.” Then, in an issue of Uncut magain many circles, a songwriting genius), but Adams is zine, Adams talked about how Cannabis helps him also a producer, label owner, poet and painter. He’s cope with the disease. “I had Ménière’s disease all my whole life, but I never understood what was happenalso an unlikely Cannabis advocate. Adams, along with the band Whiskeytown helped ing to my body or me on stage.” Ménière’s disease can cause one’s pioneer the East Coast alt-country sound bones to ache, acute headaches and seof the late ‘90s. After Whiskeytown broke “WHEN I QUIT DRINKING vere pain in the inner ear. At one point, it up, Adams embarked on his own solo AND DOING DRUGS AND became so severe for Adams that he had career, crafting over 15 solo albums (and ALL THAT STUFF, I NEVER to step away from music. “I was sick in bed much more unreleased material) to date. CUT OUT WEED FROM for six months.” But then a friend brought He’s been nominated for five Grammys, and won many other accolades from the MY LIFE. BUT I’M ALSO by some edibles and it was his first little bit of relief. “I immediately felt a little betmusic industry over his solo career. NOT A STONER.” ter, I had an appetite again and I He’s also been no stranger to controversy over his career. A cursory glance of news stories slept really deeply that night.” As he got betconcerning Adams paints a portrait of a career rid- ter, so did the joy of playing guitar and then dled with spats with the press, fellow musicians and his songwriting. “More and more it liberated me, audience. This is especially true prior to 2006, when I made a point of smoking pot — at first Adams quit drinking heavily and using illicit drugs like it was vaporizing — every day, and not cocaine and heroin. The turnaround was due to a di- getting baked at all, just take a hit or agnosis of Ménière’s disease, which affects balance two to bring everything down, and and hearing in the middle ear and can cause verti- an hour later go into my world. Dude, it fucking saved my ass.” go-like symptoms. More recent interviews reveal a In a recent interview with The New York Times, Adams said he has kept the disease’s effect at bay with more amicable Ryan Adams. “When
It seems there’s just not much that Ryan Adams can’t do.
18/OCT. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
I quit drinking and doing drugs and all that stuff, I never cut out weed from my life. But I’m also not like a stoner. I actually have it really easy. I was lucky. I have some friends who got sober and it’s a daily struggle for them. I just don’t have that. It was gone. I was done with it and it went away,” Adams said in an interview with Salon. In his own witty way, Adams has become somewhat of an advocate for Cannabis. Take this tweet from May, 2014: “If only Marijuana occurred naturally in the wild...like Pharmaceutical Drugs, Robotussin, Coors Light or PeptoAbysmal.THEN it would be ok.” “I’ll go in with a couple bros at seven o’clock and just jam. We would, like, smoke a bowl and drink some tea — and the words came free-flowing out of me,” Adams said in his most recent Rolling Stone interview. “It gives me chills just talking about it.” Artists like Ryan Adams only come along so often, and often burn out before they’ve reached their true potential. Thanks to Cannabis and a positive attitude, fans can hopefully count on more wonderful music from Ryan Adams for years to come.
Thepacerstacktrain@gmail.com Instagram: @ThePacerStackTrain
Supporting Cannabis &
Vape Entrepreneurs
Contact Us:
feature
By WES ABNEY | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN
Founding members Darby Andrews, Adele Tara and Don “DC” McKenzie after a meeting held at Alaska Glass Gardens.
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THE GRE
Giving away Cannabis to help people who truly need it is the mission of this Anchorage group.
E N A NGELS
feature
By WES ABNEY | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN
T H E G R E E N A NGEL S Giving away Cannabis to help people who truly need it is the mission of this Anchorage group.
A
Continued from pg. 22
laska has been blessed with a group of angels dedicated to providing medicine at no cost to the sick and poor. Alaska Green Angels works to help veterans, patients over 65, patients with severe or terminal illnesses or anyone who has been let out of the hospital in the last 72 hours. Founded by Adele Tara, Darby Andrews and Don "DC" McKenzie, the mission statement of the Angels embodies the best parts of the Cannabis community and humanitarian aid. “The Alaska Green Angels Network (AGA) are dedicated to supporting Alaskan Medicinal Cannabis. Through monthly donations of flowers and edibles to vetted members, and horticultural education, our mission is to ensure that no one suffers needlessly; if we can help we will, free of charge. The first of its kind in Alaska, AGA is a legal charity; however we do not accept monetary donations at this time. We do accept donations of high-grade Cannabis, or trimmings suitable for edibles.” Anyone in need will find Cannabis donated at no cost, along with a healthy dose of love and support. On the night we stopped in, patients were talking about a variety of options and issues that face their daily lives, giving us a glimpse into the network of Alaskans dedicated to helping with a healing plant
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The group holds monthly meetings at Alaska Glass break [in the recreational system] we're doing what Gardens, a fun and friendly glass store with a great we are good at. We used to know all of the angels, selection of local glass and scientific glass. There but that was a long time ago. There's well over 800 could be no better location for patients and sup- members now,” Tara said. porters to gather, immerse in Cannabis culture and The group sits informally, sharing extremely pershare their stories in a community forum. Discus- sonal stories of health and battles, of victory and sions range over topics like pain contracts, patient loss, of support and true care. Gathered in a looprights, benefits of getting an ing circle with a variety of seats authorization, patient gun even a couple outdoor lawn “if we’re not here for each other, and rights, parenting issues, tolerchairs, a fellowship of patients nobody else will be. We support ance for medicine, strain types meet to support each other and benefits and a wide range emotionally and with medicine. each other, this medicine, this of fellowship support for the The forum is open, and patients plant, this flower, this beautiful different members. take turns speaking in a natu“We all get by with a little ral, conversational form. Somecreation, whether Mother Nature help from our friends,” Tara times an individual will speak or God or whatever you believe, said with a smile. at length about a specific story that brings us together,” said Cissy “An angel in need turn to or issue, and other times the angels indeed, and often our pitch raises as the conversation Buck, a retired Air Force police former patients become angels bounces back and forth. officer and first-time attendee. through deed, giving back to “This group has done a lot for the rest of the members.” me. Nobody in town stepped While Tara used to know every single angel by forward except them to get me patches with only name, the group has grown beyond expectations, CBD in them, no THC,” said Regina Manteufel, proving how essential this group’s service really is. who uses the patches to combat kidney cancer. “Since the state doesn't even give patients a tax Manteufel is a frequent speaker at meetings, shar-
The meetings help members know they are not alone and that their experiences matter.
police officer and first-time attendee. Buck said she ing her personal stories of Cannabis use with inforsuffers from a rare disease called Ehlers-Danlos mation gathered through research. “A lot of these syndrome that causes collagen depletion and joint patients can't afford to go to a nutritionist or a nadislocation. A hard cough can be enough to cause turopath, so I help with advice on supplements, as her ribs to dislocate, and she is unable to use tradiwell as correct dosing of THC and CBD.” tional pain medication for her consistent daily pain. The saying “it takes a village” applies perfectly to But Cannabis has been a major blessing in her life, the Green Angels, with everyone pitching in what allowing her to brave her condithey can. Some members dotion, and care for her children. nate flower, others advice and For Tara and the rest of the “It's life. There’s no sorry with still others like Andrews are Green Angels, the answer is sim- it,” Buck said. known for making delicious “That’s what I tell my support edibles like his “Gigglebursts.” ple: Create a separate medical group members. Never say sorry The value of each donation is Cannabis system that provides for what you can’t help. It’s not equal whether time or medisomething you control; you live cine, and certainly the companfor patients, tax-free, without with it and it does not run you. ionship is a form of medicine discrimination. But until that My daughter does have EDS, that uplifts anyone who comes day comes, they will continue to and if her condition escalates, into contact with this group. I will treat her with Cannabis. “To have people with similar share their own medicine, homeThat’s what we teach her. We're complications and life stories grown, from heart to heart. taking stigma out that its a bad and rely on the same medical plant, its a medicine, just like care and handling it themselves would be in the medicine cabinet.” as opposed to relying on other people, it’s a very Though she once arrested military members and good support system, especially when we can’t trust civilians alike for Cannabis, Buck now realizes the our medical providers. It tells us that we know better plant is not what many Americans believe it to be. than they do,” said Cissy Buck, a retired Air Force
“This shows what a close-knit community this is. We're willing to bend over backwards, ‘cause if we’re not here for each other, nobody else will be. We support each other, this medicine, this plant, this flower, this beautiful creation, whether Mother Nature or God or whatever you believe, that brings us together,” Buck said. Luckily for members of the group, access to medicine has been facilitated. But the gray and black market can be a scary place to look for medicine, which is where the vast majority of patients have been forced to source Cannabis. Alaska has left medical patients to fend for themselves, unable to purchase from medical stores, which is a major driver for the Angels. The situation has caused many potential MMJ patients to turn back to pharmaceuticals, or forced them to take legal risks to attain their medicine. But mainly the laws make patients feel like second-class citizens. “That’s the theme you seem to hear. Patients feel guilty for being sick; they feel conditioned to feel bad for being sick and asking for help,” said Lindsey Bartels, 25, who suffers a rare form of myalgia called Arachnoiditis. “To have it validated, to know I'm disabled, now I can accept it and be empowered because no one can help me but me. This group and the community helped because you need guidance to help you deal with your issues.” For Tara and the rest of the Green Angels, the answer is simple: Create a separate medical Cannabis system that provides for patients, tax-free, without discrimination. But until that day comes, they will continue to share their own medicine, homegrown, from heart to heart. “The Alaskan medical marijuana patient has been overlooked and ignored ... has been getting screwed over and forgotten for decades, and even more so since legalization. We cannot allow patient needs to be put second to those of recreational users,” Tara said tearfully. “We must respect our elders, the sick. This new legalization has everyone focused on profits and business, but that isn't what is important.” By turning her frustration with the state and lawmakers for their approach with medical Cannabis into positive energy, Tara has diffused the War on Drugs with the most powerful weapon available: compassion. Tara is the type of woman who gives far more than she asks for from the world, along with her partners Andrews and McKenzie. All three are amazing people and advocates, and all three are deserving of the title Green Angel.
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YOUR IMAGE IS EVERYTHING
Hire a professional Photographer Companies such as Target, the NFL, McDonald’s, and the Salmonfest Music Festival understand how important photography is to their business and so should you. Lighting, composition, and design combine to create award-winning marketing. With over 30 years experience creating stunning photos for startup and well established companies you can count on Tim to deliver high quality images for you. Whether you need product, people, location, or architectural photography— one call does it all. Call Tim today. You’ll find he’s extremely easy to work with, has been 420 friendly for 40 years, and is dedicated to his craft and helping clients succeed.
Tim Steinberg your 420 friendly photographer
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CC-6100 NWLeaf-half-page-ad.indd 1
9/20/16 8:48 AM
GROWN by JD DANKINS EACH BU D I S W EL L-CURED AND SNAP S WIT H A PO P O F T RI CH OMES I N TH E AI R.
GIRL SCOUT CO
THIS IS A PERFECT DAY-WASTER STRAIN, MEANT FOR BOWLS OF CEREAL AND WATCHING OLD SCHOOL CARTOONS. ALASKA LEAF
STRAIN OF THE MONTH By WES ABNEY | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN/ALASKA LEAF
FORUM CUT
OOKIES
THE GIRL SCOUT COOKIES FORUM CUT lives up to the hype, with beautiful frosty buds and a loud sour funk that lights up a room. Most buds are small to medium sized and extremely dense, like little purple and green boulders covered in a light layer of frosty trichomes. Each bud is wellcured and snaps with a pop of trichomes in the air, releasing an enormous smell that slowly builds to fill a room with sour earthy notes. Spicy in the nose but smooth on the tongue, this deep reach indica-dominant flower is a treat to smoke. Flushed properly with attention to detail, you taste the quality flavors that have made this a coveted strain worldwide. JD Dankins produces his medical plants in organic soil, giving each plant attention and love daily, which has resulted in beautiful flowers like his Girl Scout Cookies. Big tokes of this flower deliver a lethargic and stony feeling that provides a couchlocked, stuck-inmental-quicksand type of feeling. Life slows down to a crawl as individual brain cells fire in a perfect stoned harmony, blurring time and perception into one warm gooey blob. This is a perfect day-waster strain, meant for bowls of cereal and watching old school cartoons. For medical users, the heavy cognitive effects will take the mind off pain, and the strain is also beneficial for stress and anxiety. But watch out for the snack attack! This one is known for bringing the munchies to the party. Check out more about this strain and see great bud shots on Instagram from @jddankins.
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Alaska Farm Franchises now available in Fairbanks and Kenai
Warehouse Opening October! We are your custom wholesale distributors with delivery available
Hassle-free inhouse warranty on all light fixtures and ballasts We specialize in providing bulk soil in custom bagging for consumer-based needs.
We source organic soil, cocoa, and perlite, plus fertilizer locally in Alaska with fish bone meal from the Bering Sea. We offer special pricing for all new licensees, department and retail stores and wholesale pricing customers. Double ended lights starting at $250 | Full nutrient lines & accessories available | Lighting and ballast needs at the best rates.
m & Garden OCTOBER SPECIALS $
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250
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Alaska Farm & Garden offers an extensive inventory of the finest industry products with top pricing and experienced staff
Come watch us grow!
1306 Chugach Way, Anchorage, AK 99053 Main 907-242-7714 | Fax 907-561-2222 Questions? Email AKgogreen@live.com
feature
Inside the community-minded Cannabis farm in Kasilof, Alaska 32/ocT. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
STORY BY EDITOR WES ABNEY // PHOTOS BY OSCAR AVELLANEDA-CRUZ
GREATLAND
GANJA
feature
GREATLAND
GANJA
Co-owner Arther Abel and crewmembers.
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STORY BY EDITOR WES ABNEY // PHOTOS BY OSCAR AVELLANEDA-CRUZ
For anyone who thinks that outdoor Cannabis can't be grown in Alaska, let the first recreational harvest in Alaskan history be a lesson for the record books. Even in The Last Frontier, with shifting weather patterns and notoriously cold spring and fall patterns, the plants at Greatland Ganja did beautifully in their Kasilof greenhouses. Coming from a family of growers with roots in the wild Yukon, this farm is the newest iteration of a family business in Alaska. “The funnest part is that my family and I can now grow legally and provide and make a living doing it,” co-owner Leif Abel remarked. “It's just a gift and the fact that we have license on the wall to do this is amazing. We love this.” Abel grew up with his brother and parents in the Yukon interior. “My dad was growing greenhouse plants since I was a kid, and now we get to carry that legacy on as second-generation growers.” Together, Seymour Abel and his sons Leif and Arthur applied for their license earlier in 2016 and became the second approved cultivator in the Alaskan recreational market, and the first to successfully crop. Their plants went into the dirt late, and they were unsure at one point if they would even have a harvest this year; Leif is the first to admit how lucky they got. While they are the first company to crop, he also knows how important it is for other producers to come online, and for producers to work fairly with retailers in the beginning of the industry. “We may have the first harvest, but we won't be the only product at opening, and that's better for the marketplace. We need a healthy market to survive. Some people are already looking cutthroat and it's ridiculous; it's too small a pool. We are all on the same team, and part of that has been working so hard on how we present ourselves to government and people, and if we hadn't worked together, we wouldn't be here.” While they won't be the only product on the market, they will bring over 100 pounds of flower to the market this winter. Strains like Northern Lights, Deep Sleep and a Jack the Ripper pheno called Space Rip were all curing at time of press, with more plants in the greenhouses at the back of the property, which has a lot of room to grow in. For Leif, the good feeling about the property has built from the first day he took a tour of the grounds. “Walking through here I saw the biggest and juiciest blackberries that I have seen in my life in the Kenai and got really excited, although it was
a ton of work to clear those out,” Leif explained with a laugh. “I knew right then it was a perfect spot to grow Cannabis.” Each of the four main greenhouses is divided by a center row for workers to walk through. The plants are grown in raised mounds of organic soil blend, sitting on top of the regular dirt of the area. As the plants mature, they are watered and fed according to the growers program, and in the end, all that's left is a mound of dirt, ready to be tilled and rested before use next spring. This is the epitome of sustainable and budget-friendly growing, and a model Leif plans to expand on. “We want to expand the outdoor more and first because it's critical. To me it's about lowering cost to produce. This shouldn't cost as much as unregulated market, and people who can't produce for reasonable prices won't be able to compete,” Leif said, especially when it comes to taxes. “In five years, it will definitely be about competing on price, and if the taxes aren't lowered by then, our industry will be having serious problems with sustainability and profitability.” Walking in, everything becomes business. Guests are asked to swap their shoes for crocs, put on a white lab coat, and are told which areas are OK to enter and touch. The inside is maintained as a clean room to protect the genetics of the mothers and clones and the soon-to-be-lit-up flowering room. The flow of the facility has purpose, with a lovely clone room and lots of space for storage and staff. The initial property that is being grown on is only a slice of what the company owns. With several acres on two lots surrounding a beautiful sunlit patch of earth, the farm will double in outdoor canopy each season for the next several years. This allows them to gain exponential growth in crop potential without investing in the overhead of building new indoor grow spaces. The team is perfectly happy with their indoor room, which will keep Cannabis on the shelves throughout the winter.
Co-owner Leif Abel
But with the expected crops of next summer, future winters will mainly be spent curing, packaging and delivering the bounty of the summer harvest. The trimming and curing room has a warm earthy smell filled with competing flavors of Cannabis —a friendly vibe is evident as the trimmers laugh and dance to music while gently snipping buds. After trimming, the flowers are cured on a wood rack made from local cedar, which helps to absorb moisture and impart a more natural cure than on metal racks. Top-shelf flowers and colas will be packaged into glass jars after curing, and the remaining quality buds will be packaged as grams, eighths, quarters and more. The facility doesn’t plan to do any processing for themselves this year, but they will work with producers to process their trim and “littles,” the small buds that are perfect for making concentrates. Greatland Ganja is focused on finishing out this season, which includes an uncertain timeline for retail stores opening. But that's the best part of having a family group to support in all aspects of the business, including the emotional weight and stress of starting a new business in a new industry. The team is a big family, both in practice and purpose. “Some people say to never go into business with family, but I don't buy that. I want to trust and love who I'm working with.” | GreatlandGanja.com
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recipes
By LAURIE WOLF for ALASKA LEAF | PHOTOS by BRUCE WOLF for ALASKA LEAF
Fall is in the air. And so is Cannabis! Prepare these easy and tasty recipes and you will be able to experience some of the amazing flavors that this wonderful season has to offer!
FALL FAVES HARVEST COOKIES Heat oven to 340
1. Spray baking sheets with the spray. 2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butters
and sugars and beat till mixed. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time and add the vanilla. 3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter, beating till mixed. Add the oatmeal, cranberries and nuts, then mix. 4. Place the cookies by heaping tablespoons, at least 2 inches apart. 5. Bake for 9-12 min. Cool on baking trays.
INGREDIENTS
Makes 36 cookies
*
38/ocT. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
Baking spray ½ cup butter, room temperature ¼ cup canna-butter, room temperature 1 cup brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla 1 cup flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ¼ teaspoon salt Pinch clove Two 2/3 cups oatmeal, old fashioned 1 cup dried cranberries 1 cup chopped walnuts
BAKED APPLE Heat oven to 340 1. Place the cored apples on a baking sheet with sides. Brush the exposed part of the apple with the lemon juice. 2. In a small bowl, combine the dates, oatmeal, maple syrup, butters and cinnamon. 3. Divide the mixture between the 2 apple halves. Bake until golden brown and bubbling.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 2
1 apple, cut horizontally and cored Lemon juice 4 pitted dates, chopped 2/3 cup oatmeal 4 tablespoons dark maple syrup 2 tablespoons butter 2 teaspoons canna-butter Pinch cinnamon
*
SQUASHED 1. In a medium soup pot, heat the butters. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onions are soft, 7-9 minutes. 2. Add the squash and carrot and stir to coat. Add the broth and simmer until tender, 3540 minutes. Add the spices and simmer for 15 minutes. 4. Heat the remaining oil in a small sauté pan. When the oil is hot, add the jalapeño slices and scallion, then sauté for about 2 minutes until browned and soft. Drain on paper towels. 5. Divide the soup between 4 bowls. Top with the garnish and serve.
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon canna-butter ½ cup chopped onion 2 cloves minced garlic 5 cups butternut squash, cubed medium carrot, sliced 5 cups vegetable or chicken broth ½ teaspoon sage Pinch of cayenne 2 grinds of nutmeg Salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons oil Jalapeño slices 4 scallions, cut in thirds
Serves 4
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Reviews
By STEVE ELLIOTT Editor, Tokesignals.com
THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA GUIDEBOOK By DAVID DOWNS, 2016, 192 PAGES, $29.95
AMERICA’S FIRST HOW-TO GUIDE FOR PATIENTS AND CAREGIVERS
W
Reviews
By STEVE ELLIOTT Editor, Tokesignals.com
THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA GUIDEBOOK By DAVID DOWNS, 2016, 192 PAGES, $29.95
AMERICA’S FIRST HOW-TO GUIDE FOR PATIENTS AND CAREGIVERS
W
hether you just got autho- dicinal Cannabis use, and discusses in detail the rized and are wondering what science behind weed’s surge in popularity as a medthe heck is your next step, or are icine and health supplement. The book’s practicality wondering how to get a doctor’s rec- comes in how it pairs information about medical ommendation for medical marijuana, marijuana use with the laws around the nation, ‘The Medical Marijuana Guidebook,’ state by state, and helpfully points readers toward by San Francisco Cannabis expert David resources for more assistance. Downs, can be just as helpful as its name While the tragedy of Washington IT’S A CONCISE, implies. state patients’ loss of safe access — due PROFESSIONAL, Thanks to the rapid spread of medical to both the writing and implementaMAINSTREAM marijuana laws and the proliferation of tion of recreational legalization mearesearch, Americans now have a major “HOW-TO” GUIDE TO sure I-502 being botched — can hardly new treatment option for many condiconveyed in a couple of paragraphs, LEGALLY ACESSING be tions. This book is a concise, professionDowns makes a game attempt to do so AND USING al, mainstream “how-to” guide to legally in understated, calm language, perhaps CANNABIS accessing and using Cannabis medically. a little too calmly for some of those diWhile it’s arguable if this is really the rectly affected. MEDICALY. “first” how-to guide for medicinal CanNevertheless, he does at least mennabis patients, it certainly must be considered one tion the tightening of access and increased scrutiof the most practical. With gorgeous photos, il- ny that came to patients with the implementation lustrations, footnotes and references aplenty, this of recreational legalization and acknowledges that well-researched information answers just about any things have become more difficult for patients as key question about the use, legality and varieties of a result. Perhaps that’s the best we can hope for, medical marijuana. from a “mainstream” and broadly based guide like Downs describes each state’s laws regarding me- this one.
THE BOOK’S PRACTICALITY COMES IN HOW IT PAIRS INFORMATION ABOUT MEDICAL MARIJUANA USE WITH THE LAWS AROUND THE NATION, STATE BY STATE.
??/OCT. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
David Downs
hether you just got autho- dicinal Cannabis use, and discusses in detail the rized and are wondering what science behind weed’s surge in popularity as a the heck is your next step, or are medicine and health supplement. The book’s pracwondering how to get a doctor’s rec- ticality comes in how it pairs information about ommendation for medical marijuana, medical marijuana use with the laws around the ‘The Medical Marijuana Guidebook,’ nation, state by state, and helpfully points readers toward resources for more assistance. by San Francisco Cannabis expert David While the tragedy of Washington Downs, can be just as helpful as its name IT’S A CONCISE, implies. state patients’ loss of safe access — PROFESSIONAL, due to both the writing and impleThanks to the rapid spread of medical MAINSTREAM mentation of recreational legalization marijuana laws and the proliferation of research, Americans now have a major “HOW-TO” GUIDE TO measure I-502 being botched — can be conveyed in a couple of paranew treatment option for many condiLEGALLY ACESSING hardly graphs, Downs makes a game attempt tions. This book is a concise, professionAND USING to do so in understated, calm language, al, mainstream “how-to” guide to legally CANNABIS perhaps a little too calmly for some of accessing and using Cannabis medically. While it’s arguable if this is really the those directly affected. MEDICALY. Nevertheless, he does at least men“first” how-to guide for medicinal Cannabis patients, it certainly must be considered one tion the tightening of access and increased of the most practical. With gorgeous photos, il- scrutiny that came to patients with the implelustrations, footnotes and references aplenty, this mentation of recreational legalization and acwell-researched information answers just about any knowledges that things have become more difkey question about the use, legality and varieties of ficult for patients as a result. Perhaps that’s the best we can hope for, from a “mainstream” and medical marijuana. Downs describes each state’s laws regarding me- broadly based guide like this one.
40/oct. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
David Downs
THE BOOK’S PRACTICALITY COMES IN HOW IT PAIRS INFORMATION ABOUT MEDICAL MARIJUANA USE WITH THE LAWS AROUND THE NATION, STATE BY STATE.
ANCHORAGE'S 1ST LICENSED CULTIVATOR
reviews
GEAR
By WES ABNEY, EDITOR Photos by Daniel Berman
GLASS PIPE CLEANER
by stony tony, $10 | 16 oz. Multiple cleanings per bottle
There is a lot to be said for
mom-and-pop products in the Cannabis industry, and Stony Tony’s cleaner is the epitome of those values! One of the nicest people you will ever meet in person, he puts his photo and his promise on each bottle: “You’ve tried the rest, now try the best.” After meeting Tony in Portland, we took his cleaner for a spin. He’s been making it for over a decade, starting in the jewelry business, and we found great success for both oil and flower pipe cleaning. Here’s the breakdown: the cleaner is a single liquid (no shaking or salt like other products), has a natural smell without fake chemicals, can be reused multiple times and it works really well! It’s also cheaper than many other brand name cleaners on the market, making it a perfect product for stores and stoners to add to their Cannabis consumer lifestyle. (StonyTony.com)
PERFECT PIPE FILTERED PIPE KIT by r&d innovations, $15
Keep the daily driver running
THE SCORE
THE CLEANER IS A SINGLE LIQUID (NO SHAKING OR SALT LIKE OTHER PRODUCTS)
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Value: Packaging: f un ction: ease of use: Ov er all: 18/20
Whether this device lives up to its brand name is more of a personal decision than a no-brainer: The world of Cannabis one-hitters is full of failed designs and great ways to burn fingers. This pipe has solved some of these issues, but not all. Let’s start with the pros: This kit easily fits in a purse, is simple to use once the process of changing filters is mastered and the filters work to pull out tars that consumers might not want. After each bowl is smoked, a small corkscrew tool is inserted into the pipe, pulling out the used filter and allowing a fresh filter and a new bowl to be loaded. When used properly, the pipe THE SCORE works exactly as advertised! Cons? The kit is small and Valu e: easily lost, and the looks are Packaging: reminiscent of pipes used for fu nction: other drugs. Nobody watching ease of use: you hit this pipe will assume Overall: 16/20 it’s loaded with Cannabis. Our overall review is positive for this pipe, though it might not be perfect for everybody. But, if you’re looking for a cost-effective chillum that filters out tar along with unwanted plant matter, this pipe is the one for you! (ThePerfectPipe.com)
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Understanding the influences of Cannabinoids and Terpenes
APPETITE MANAGEMENT Munchies? Weight LOSS? Both qualities can finally be Weight-Loss Alternative: THC-V harnessed through Cannabis. As more and more studies are conducted on Cannabis, it turns out By Say it with me: THC-V, or tetrahydrocannabivarin, is the sole this magical plant might potentially hold the key SIMONE FISCHER to maintaining a healthy weight. Despite the cannabinoid responsible for appetite suppression in weed. Basifor usual complaints of munchy-inducing strains, it cally, finding strains high in THC-V is key. THC-V is a psychoALASKA LEAF is important to understand which cannabinoids active cannabinoid, revered for its psychedelic properties. When increase or decrease appetite — depending dealing with obesity, diabetes and weight-related issues, Cannabis on what type of health issue(s) a patient faces. high in THC-V can potentially mitigate the habit of overeating. Understanding the fundamentals of cannabinoids After I stumbled across this gem of information, I set out to find is essential when looking to treat weight issues with what current strains contain THC-V to help patients struggling with weight Cannabis. Ultimately, it comes down to cannabinoid and terpene content, and more specifically, the way these loss. At this point in time, only a few prized genetics contain this rare canmolecules interface within our own endocannabinoid system. nabinoid. THC-V is considered “The Sports Car of Cannabis” as coined by Read on to find out more...
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Steep Hill, because psychoactively, it is stronger than THC, but shorter in
duration. THC-V is noted as an anorectic cannabinoid to due the power of appetite suppression. If you are suffering from an eating disorder, or have trouble conjuring an appetite, look to avoid strains high in THC-V.
APPETITE-REDUCING STRAINS Durban Poison (African Sativa) DP is one of the most highly regarded sativas in the world. DP is impossible to miss and leaves you with an incredibly floral nose. It’s one of the few strains that contain THC-V at this point in time. I encourage using DP for daytime uses. Make sure to eat your breakfast before a wake n’ bake, or say goodbye to your appetite! DP makes incredible concentrates due to its enlarged oil glands, and the terpene profile is out of this world. By far one of the tastiest THC-V strains.
Blue Dream (Sativa-Dominant Hybrid) A cross between Blueberry (Indica) and Haze (Sativa), this well-balanced strain is a favorite within the OMMP community. When looking for stronger pain relief without sacrificing your mental state, reach for BD. Out of any of the strains containing THC-V, BD is one of the heaviest. I highly recommend for evening use, but seasoned tokers can easily handle BD in the daytime.
come to terms with at some point in their smoking career. When talking about underweight patients, look for strains high in THC and no THC-V. I also found the terpene ß-myrcene is key to enhancing the “munchy” effect. Myrcene is a monoterpene responsible for delivering the psychoactive effect of THC faster. Meaning: the more myrcene found in a strain, the faster you will get high. After reviewing Steep Hill’s Cannabinoid & Terpene Reference Sheet, I was struck by the fact that terpenes “…lower resistance to the blood brain barrier, allowing itself and many other chemicals to cross the barrier easier and more quickly.” I point this detail out purposefully because the faster you feel the effects of THC, the faster the munchies will ensue. Eat a mango to further increase the effects, as suggested by Steep Hill.
WEIGHT-GAIN STRAINS Mango Kush (Hybrid) MK is a celebrated go-to strain when looking to encourage a healthy appetite. This citrusy hybrid works wonders for patients; many enjoy the initial headiness that settles into a mellow body high. Works wonders at any point in the day. MK is recognized for higher levels of myrcene found within this strain. Fruit and spice linger off the palate. Warning: never grocery shop after using this strain; you’ll come back with the entire store!
<< Bubba Kush (Indica) If you’re looking for beefy indica to mitigate pain while encouraging a healthy appetite, look no further. Bubba Kush is a classic indica, known for its full, earthy flavor and sedative high. I would advise reserving BK primarily for nighttime use. BK has a reputation of not being the most ambitious strain; “couch-lock” is a common side effect. A strain staple, use BK when looking to unwind and center yourself. Do yourself a favor and pre-order a pizza before smoking or dabbing (in concentrate form). Thank me later.
Jack the Ripper (Sativa) A legendary and highly sought-after sativa, JtR is not recommended for the faint of heart. This heavy-hitting sativa has been known to aggravate anxiety and paranoia, so please medicate with caution. JtR contains THC-V; remember to eat before medicating! This strain is ideal for daytime or mid-day use for a jolt of energy when you need it. JtR is highly cerebral and euphoric, making it a great option for creativity.
Cherry Pie (Hybrid)
Gorilla Glue #4 (Hybrid)
CP is a beloved strain containing THC-V and has Durban Poison lineage. This is another go-to strain when looking to curb late-night munchies, while obtaining a solid night of rest. It’s a Grand Daddy Purp cross, providing necessary pain relief. When someone is looking to manage pain, reach for CP. Unwind with CP guilt-free. CP is one of the best-balanced strains available.
In 2014, GG#4 took first in the Los Angeles High Times Cannabis Cup, and it isn’t hard to figure out why. Expertly balanced with a soothing and lasting high, GG#4 is ideal for day or nighttime use. GG#4 is also an effective pain reliever with a connoisseur’s mouth-feel. Arouse your appetite with some of the best-tasting Cannabis to be released yet — you won’t regret it.
WEIGHT GAIN: THC & BETA MYRCENE In cases of HIV/AIDS, cachexia and eating disorders, we must understand what strains to use to encourage weight gain. THC (or tetrahydrocannabinol) is the psychoactive cannabinoid responsible for the notorious “munchies,” all Cannabis users have
Simone Fischer is a Portland OMMP patient and Cannabis advocate. She is a contributing editor at Ladybud Magazine and a graduate of women’s and gender studies from Portland State University.
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health & science
THCV
T
A POTENT, RARE AND PROMISING CANNABINOID
THCV, the activation temperature is 428 degrees Fahrenheit. That is a he Cannabis plant produces over 400 chemical lot hotter than THC, and as a result, more complex to prepare! The compounds, including about 111 compounds vaporizer temperature will need to be turned up. Decarboxylation in named phytocannabinoids that have not yet been BY ALASKA LEAF the oven of flower and trim for tincture and edible prep will need to detected in any other plant. These phytocannabiSPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR be performed at higher temperatures to take advantage of the THCV DR. SCOTT D. ROSE noids include familiar compounds such as tetrahypresent (240 Fahrenheit). When combusting or smoking flower, most drocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), but lighters have a flame heat of 500+ degrees, well beyond the activation you might not have heard of tetrahydrocannabivarin, or temperature of THCVA or THCV. And with the superheating required THCV, which has gained fame due to its high potency, rarity and promisfor consuming concentrates, THCV activation is not an issue. ing medicinal value. The cannabinoid compounds like THC, CBD and THCV bind to specific Only certain strains of Cannabis contain THCV in appreciable amounts. receptors in the body named cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors. When canBreeders have developed strains that contain higher levels of THCV for medinabinoid receptors are stimulated, a variety of physiologic processes ensue. CB1 cal patients looking for a particular type of relief or for recreational users chasing receptors are predominantly present in the nervous system, connective tissues, a specific high. glands and organs, while CB2 receptors are by and large found in the immune THCV is a homologue of THC, which means they belong to a series of comsystem and its associated structures like white blood cells and the spleen. THCV pounds that are only very slightly different from each other. In this case, THCV has affects the same receptors in the brain as THC, and many report it produces a a propyl (3-carbon) side chain instead of a pentyl (5-carbon) group on the molecule, much different high. THCV is psychoactive, and causes a reported psychedelic, which makes it produce very different effects from THC. Their chemical structure clear-headed effect. THCV at low doses has been shown to interfere with the is nearly identical, but the biochemical process involved in their creation is quite physiological action of THC at the CB1 receptor due to having a similar strucdifferent. Unlike THC, THCV doesn’t begin as a cannabigerolic acid (CBGA). ture as THC and blocking its ability to bind. However, THCV acts as a CB1 Instead of combining with olivetolic acid to create CBGA, the geranyl phosphate agonist at higher doses where binding to the receptor occurs and the receptor is joins forces with divarinolic acid, which has two fewer carbon molecules. The result stimulated instead of inhibited. is cannabigerovarin acid (CBGVA). Once CBGVA is created, the process continInterestingly, a study published in November 2015 in the Journal of Psychoues the same as it does for THC. CBGVA is broken down to THCVA by the pharmacology seems to show that THCV works against THC to dampen the enzyme THCV synthase. At that point, THCVA can be decarboxylated with heat high. While the sample size was small, the results showed that combining doses or UV light to create THCV, or in other words become activated. of THCV with THC overwhelmingly resulted in a high that felt “less intense” The activation of THC occurs at a temperature of 314 degrees Fahrenheit. For
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compared to THC alone. The study used single agents and not the complex chemistry found in the whole plant. THCV also seemed to protect against other common effects of THC, including memory impairment and increased heart rate. Information about the dosing and action of THCV on the cannabinoid receptors is increasing and will be helpful to utilize the power of this cannabinoid to its fullest extent. THCV may offer a similar sort of benefit to medicinal users as CBD in modulating the psychoactive effects of Cannabis and tailoring use to the patient’s desired needs. Because of its inhibitory action on the CB1 cannabinoid receptors, THCV is being studied for its use as an appetite suppressant. Obesity is a severe health problem in the modernized world, especially in the U.S., and understanding the central nervous mechanisms underlying food-seeking behavior are at the forefront of medical research in this field. Cannabinoid receptors have proven an efficient target to suppress hunger and weight gain by their pharmacological inactivation. For example, the anorectic anti-obesity drug rimonabant functions by inhibiting CB1 receptors, though it was withdrawn from the worldwide market in 2009 due to frequent reports of severe depression and suicidal thoughts. THCV may be a better way to aid in fighting obesity as it blocks the rewarding sensations we experience when eating often unhealthy comfort foods. A conclusion of one research study from 2009 states that “THCV is a novel compound with hypophagic (appetite-lowering) properties and a potential treatment for obesity.” Cannabis that can inhibit the munchies... hmm... THCV produces therapeutic metabolic effects, and its strongest effects are exerted on plasma glucose and insulin levels. Based on the data of E. T. Wargent, et. al., published in the May 2013 Journal of Nutrition and Diabetes, “it can be suggested that THCV may be useful for the treatment of metabolic syndrome and/or type 2 diabetes, either alone or in combination with existing treatments.” Given the reported benefits of CBD in type 1 diabetes, a CBD/ THCV combination may be beneficial for different types of diabetes mellitus. GW Pharmaceuticals is
You may believe THCV is the proverbial needle-in-a-haystack cannabinoid, but don’t lose hope.
studying a plant-derived tetrahydrocannabivarin (as GWP42004) for type 2 diabetes in addition to metformin, a popular drug for treating type 2 diabetes. THCV may actually interact with a different cannabinoid receptor than CBD, THC and other cannabinoids. Its unique mechanism of action makes it a potentially useful cannabinoid for treating various neurological disorders from schizophrenia to Alzheimer’s disease. Again, much attention has been paid to THC and its binding to the CB1 receptors in the central nervous system and its subsequent results. THC has been shown at high levels to induce anxiety and panic in some individuals, most notably with sativa strains in general. These may indeed be sativa strains lacking appreciable levels of THCV. THCV has been found to reduce or even block panic attacks and, as a result, can be highly effective in the management of PTSD and other mental disorders involving anxiety or stress. THCV doesn’t appear to suppress emotions, only the ability to panic, associated with the fight or flight response. THCV has also been shown to reduce tremors associated with diseases such as Parkinson’s, along with ailments associated with motor control like ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). Promising research also demonstrates a reduction of brain lesions associated with Parkinson’s. THCV stimulates bone cell growth and has potential in the treatment of osteoporosis and similar ailments, and it also has anti-convulsive properties. It seems to raise the seizure threshold for those with epilepsy. As a result, those who take THCV experience fewer seizures. THCV has shown benefit for the treatment of addiction to just about anything. Imagine: a Schedule I drug may just turn out to be the key to curing drug and alcohol addiction!
High-THCV strains are out there, and some breeders have started to focus on the production of more of them (more strains like TGA Genetics’ Jack the Ripper would be great additions). THCV traditionally is most prominent in African sativa landraces like Durban Poison and the Haze strains. Southeast Asian sativa varieties are known to have high THCV content, namely Thai, Cambodian and Vietnamese. Dutch Treat and Skunk #1 also have significant THCV content. If a strain has one of these four strains in its lineage, it’ll probably have some THCV. Strains bred specifically for high THCV content include Doug’s Varin and Willie Nelson, but they aren’t very common. Pineapple Purps is one of the highest THCV strains out there, but again hard to find. Pineapple Purps’ breeders claim it has a THC to THCV ratio of 3:1. An article in the American Journal of Botany found that of 157 different strains analyzed from around the world — whether sativa, indica or ditch weed — all contained some measureable amount of THCV. THCV is an important cannabinoid lending to the complex chemistry of the Cannabis plant. It could work wonders for addicts, for those with bone disorders, for obesity and diabetes — which often go hand in hand — or for people who suffer from epilepsy or other neurological disorders. One can expect soaring, creative highs and psychedelic experiences from bud containing higher levels of THCV. You may believe THCV is the proverbial needle-in-a-haystack cannabinoid, but don’t lose hope. As more research is done on THCV, you can expect to see breeders and scientists alike focusing on this cannabinoid. In the near future you may see a “High THCV” label on the dispensary shelves.
THCV has gained fame due to its high potency, rarity and promising medicinal value.
Dr. Scott D. Rose has written about Cannabis and health for years in the pages of Northwest
Leaf and Oregon Leaf. He is an acupuncturist with a pain resolution clinic in Seattle.
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growtech
REDUNDANCY REDUNDANCY REDUNDANCY (AND ITS IMPORTANCE
O
WHEN GARDENING)
nce you have mastered the basics of gardening, you nology described in past articles and demonstrate a few areas of your can utilize your skill in several directions. In garden that can easily have a redundant system included. most instances, they all bear the same characCrops can fail when your garden’s environmental conditions are BY ALASKA LEAF teristic of forming a relationship with the plant not properly dialed in. Start with the primary balancing act any SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR and focusing attention on a garden with reliable indoor gardener is tasked with: providing sufficient amounts of DR. SCANDERSON results. No matter if you are a crop manager of a PAR lighting (and also providing a mechanism to remove the inlarge Cannabis farm or a private grower running a credible amounts of heat such lights generate), accounting for the small number of lights, the pain of believing you are doing everything large amount of moisture transpiring plants create (especially during correctly and having circumstances beyond your control cause catastrophic cooler nighttime temperatures) and balancing the primary cooling mechcrop failure is universal. It’s only the breadth and number of people the impact anism intrinsic dehumidification properties with the need to support a vapor waves reach that is different. pressure deficit. Using two or even three devices to balance heat evacuation As someone responsible for the performance of plants for the benefit of and humidity management is not uncommon. These devices often depend many other people, I have become acutely sensitive to areas that seem to be beon one another to function properly; one variable falls out of range and the yond my control. In each instance, I try to imagine a set of circumstances — no system may not be able to read the trigger point to support a healthy climate. matter how unreasonable — that could prevent or at least mitigate the impact It’s no surprise that many of the top-level lighting companies are starting of these catastrophic events. to integrate high temperature override systems into their lamp and ballast One solution is employing redundancy in your gardens in areas most likely packages where the lamp can sense when heat exceeds desirable levels and to cause crop failure. In this month’s Growtech, we will build on some techwill respond by automatically dimming the lamp’s output to a lower wattage,
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thereby reducing heat output. There are solutions for individuals who don’t use this particular lamp brand, however. Including a redundant climate control system in your garden can be a round-saving measure. With multiple systems working interdependently to create a safe environment, it’s no surprise that many different things can upset this balance and cause the climate to launch out of range. A redundant climate control system can be as simple as a single high-powered exhaust fan and port combined with a well-placed single or multiple hole passive, treated intake port. Without adding in a second cooling unit, an auxiliary intake and exhaust is an outstanding alternative, especially in areas that support tempered outdoor weather climates. With a redundant open intake and exhaust, you can account for any system failures with your a/c unit, your d/h unit and if you’re in the PNW, usually your humidifier as well. It also can help support systems in which the garden runs at ideal climate almost all the time save the two to four weeks over the summer months where temperatures in the PNW exceed 82 degrees Fahrenheit and the system can no longer provide adequate cooling. Should your HVAC system pop a fuse, bust a hose, need new coolant or the like, one can usually avoid completely interrupting a flower cycle by dimming or turning off several lamps to decrease the overall heat load and cool using the open venting during the repair. In the dark periods, the system can be used to evacuate humidity that so often builds up with a powerful air exchange. Even systems that suffer from humidifier failure can usually increase the moisture level in their gardens by pulling in the cool moist PNW evening air. During those rare summer months that test a slightly undersized cooling system, an open evacuation air flow — even if the outside air is a bit on the warmer side — will support cooling of a heat load buildup. It’s this buildup that so often makes a garden run at ideal climate during the first half of the lights-on period, but then as the delta rises, the system can only support an environment in which heat slowly builds until the climate is out of range in the latter half of the lights-on period. It’s easy to see how a redundant climate control system can support holding steady in spite of multiple climate control device failures, but more often than not, it’s the electricity rather than the mechanics of these devices that fails. If you haven’t splurged on the costly endeavor of installing a generator capable of running a garden, a cessation or decrease of your power source can cause issues. Even in these circumstances, having a few redun-
MANY REDUNDANT TECHNIQUES CAN BE EASILY EMPLOYED AND SET INTO PLACE AT THE BEGINNING OF A PLAN FOR LITTLE OR NO COST. dant systems can be round-saving. If you happen to be one of the rare birds that chooses a hydroponic growing method that relies heavily on electricity to aerate a mixture, you are particularly susceptible to crop failure, even under short, intermittent power failures. I was recently faced with a suddenly corrupt power run from my main panel (it seemed as though I had lost one of the legs of 120 amps that made up the 240-amp power service). As a result, I could only run those devices that pulled less than 0.25 amps and only through certain receptacles. Because I had already installed a redundant gravity-fed Venturi air injector (described in NW Leaf ’s 9/16 issue) I was able to power a simple impeller pump to feed the system’s reservoir and sufficiently oxygenate the system during the full 2+ days it took to diagnose the issue and then run a new line from the main panel. This prevented a catastrophic failure of the plants sitting in stagnant water for extended periods of time. Regardless of the system that you run, water is a key component to any grow. Many gardeners who use horizontal lighting and have efficiency and quality in mind turn to a ScrOG (screen of green) technique to manage the support and training of plants. These systems are incredibly efficient and relatively fast to learn how to maximize. One of the very few disadvantages of these systems is that once the plant grows into and is trained through the screen, it’s often locked in place for the remainder of the grow. This issue can arise if you employ drip lines for irrigation. Lose a pump in a system like this and — depending on the variety and medium — it may become imperative to provide alternative source water to keep the medium from drying out. A well-organized ScrOG garden that employs
EMPLOY REDUNDANCY IN YOUR GARDENS IN AREAS MOST LIKELY TO CAUSE CROP FAILURE.
propagation tables may have several plants that cannot be accessed without a redundant watering system. It’s imperative for any systems that rely on electricity and/or a device to move water to the plant’s medium that a completely manual irrigation system be available. This can be anything from a water can with a properly sized wand, a redundant nutrient tank installed above the drip lines so gravity does the pumping or choosing irrigation systems like Blumats that use gravity and the passive pressure created through moisture differential in the medium to irrigate your plants. Although some of these systems may seem only necessary for people charged with large gardens and great amounts of responsibilities, many redundant techniques can be easily employed and set into place at the beginning of a plan for little or no cost. You don’t need to be a full-time farmer to enjoy the benefits of mitigating the painful and very time-consuming alternative of just grinning and bearing it while plants — that have consumed many resources in hopes of delivering on their ultimate purpose — feebly degenerate into termination status. Consider those areas of the garden that are most crucial and then examine how those needs are currently met, then consider devising another system that would be equally as effective at servicing that result should the current method suddenly become unavailable. Happy gardening!!!
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BEHIND THE STRAIN
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GORILLA GLUE 4 #
BAG APPEAL & SMOKE REPORT This is another jump out off the shelf type of bloomS, which is all the more impressive since it isn’t purple. Caked-on cakes of cakey trichomes demolish any chance of the plant’s color to come through. It’s simply a blond, sandy, white mess of resin covering all parts of the pointy blooms. What I admire perhaps more than anything about this plant is in spite of it being so committed to creating frost, it’s not at all at the cost of the smell. Living up fully and truly to its name, these are some of the stickiest blooms when properly dried and cured up. What a pure delight it is to see a strain rise to the top with this terpene profile. Gorilla Glue #4 has the pungent smell of old school Diesel and minty Fuel combined with an epically greasy and metallic finish that pries the pupils wide open. An earlier harvest window yields sweeter, more chocolate smells, but stretch her bloom period towards the later half of the harvest window and the sour takes over.
EFFECTS
Flowers in 55-65 days
Sour, dark chocolate and menthol flavors translate into mild lung expansion, making large single doses almost too easy. A sour, gassy, burnt rubber exhale leaves an immediate BY ALASKA LEAF tongue-tingling, head-wringing feeling that only the most SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR potent meds deliver. The instant change in head state is generously complemented by a relaxing body effect. DR. SCANDERSON Comfortable and alert without a noticeable spike in appetite, BREEDER: The Creator Josie Whales the Glue leaves its users happy, euphoric and in a creative state. Unless multiple doses are indulged, one can expect the GENETICS: Chem’s Sister x Sour Dubb x Chocolate Diesel body effect not to interfere with the uplifting cerebral impact. Use caution; like most meds that test in the mid 20s for THC, indulgence LINEAGE: A crazy love triangle of lesbian self’d crosses or so the story goes, it took one can spell narcosis quickly and unexpectedly to those that continue to entry into the 2014 Los Angeles Cannabis Cup and a previously unknown cultivar rocketed delight in the flavors the Glue delivers. into stardom with a first place victory. Since then, she has held her own, repeating victories at several other cups and taken prestigious parentage to several epic crosses.
HOW IT GROWS Gorilla Glue is one of the very fastest-rooting plants, dropping numbs in four to seven days! Fast and vigorous in veg, she likes to drink a lot and isn’t very nutrient-sensitive. She will take off fast and start stretching and throwing side branches almost immediately, so training and topping is a must to maximize yields in a horizontally lit garden. I found she ran best when branch selection was aggressive. In bloom you can expect a 100 percent or more stretch, and if your branch selection was sound, the need for support will still be fairly high. If you missed on branch selection, watch out for chaotic stretching branching. Either way, support and heavy training is most beneficial in the first three weeks of bloom. This plant is not an easy one to shape and shows more of her Diesel heritage in this department. Get the stretch right, and you’re home free to watch as unbelievable amounts of resin frost every part of the very high calyx-to-leaf ratio. She will develop medium to large spear-shaped blooms that are so calyx-heavy that one can look forward to an easy trim job. Like most of the frost monsters, she benefits from higher levels of phosphorus and potassium as well magnesium after stretch especially.
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Sour, gassy, burnt rubber exhale leaves an immediate tongue-tingling, head-wringing feeling.
SUMMARY While perhaps not the best choice for the inexperienced gardener, Gorilla Glue #4 consistently delivers medium to high yields of blooms of the frostiest nature. The Glue has an unmistakable smell that would carry the plant with or without the insane amount of respect it demands from all those who see the properly run dried flowers she produces. Without a doubt my favorite cup winner since Super Silver Haze, I’d suggest getting the Gorilla Glue #4 into the rotation immediately.