Alaska Leaf — Sept. 2016

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TALK TO THE HAND ISSUE 5

Way back in 1998, the government obtained U.S. Patent 6630507, establishing that Cannabinoids have legitimate medicinal benefits (among other findings). Which makes the DEA’s recent decision to keep Cannabis as a Schedule I drug all the more mystifying.

Pg. 16

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SEPT. 2016

12 ALASKA NEWS Pot groups want to shape rec laws

16 #TALKTOTHEHAND

Fighting back against the DEA

44 HEALTH & SCIENCE The secret power of mushrooms

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38

TASTY RECIPES

It’s not that hard to cook with Cannabis, in fact, it can be really fun with the right ingredients and the proper attention to classic, tasty flavor combinations!

Recipes by Laurie Wolf Photos by Bruce Wolf

07 08 12 14 16 18 20 24 28 32 34 38 40 42 44 48 50 54

E D I TO R ’S N OT E N AT I O N A L N E WS ALASKA NEWS SB-91 BILL TA L K TO T H E H A N D P R I S O N D I S PATC H H I G H LY L I K E LY C O R P O R AT E L I F E C E N T E R FOL D POT BLUE RIBBON CRAFT CANNABIS TASTY RECIPES BOOK REVIEW SIMONE FISCHER DR. SCOTT D. ROSE DISSOLVED OXYGEN BUDSHOT COLUMN BEHIND THE STRAIN Photo by Daniel Berman Model and Art Direction

by Kori Marie

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contents Jason Warden, a grower at Royal Ambrosia, placed second in the hybrid category with his Dawg Walker OG plant.

32 rehashed Blue ribbons were handed out for the best Cannabis plants grown during the Oregon Cannabis Grower's Fair held at the state fairgrounds...

Photos by Sam Wilson for Oregon Leaf

ALASKA LEAF

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

editor’s note

SEPT. 2016 ISSUE #5

Everyone can benefit from Cannabis — and the government has known for too long! our cover tackles an issue affecting our entire country. Should Cannabis be kept as a Schedule I drug, in the same category as heroin, with no accepted medical benefits? Today I want to say that the answer is a powerful no, sent by the #TalkToTheHand campaign. While the DEA last month reaffirmed their policy that Cannabis has no medicinal benefits, the government’s own patents on Cannabinoids prove that this is not true.

As Alaska heads into implementation, a wide range of problems face the movement, the very least of which is Cannabis’ accepted safety and use for both medicine and recreation. The Mat-Su vote is coming up, fueled by prohibition rhetoric and denial of Cannabis as a safe plant. I encourage every person who attends a council meeting or public hearing to engage and tell A WIDE RANGE OF people to talk to the hand, politely, and educate them about PROBLEMS FACE the truth of our plant. Truth is our most powerful weapon, and THE MOVEMENT we must wield it responsibly.

This month also features a story on Adele Tara and her organization Green Angels, which provides free medicine to people and patients struggling with sever illness, hospital visits or end-of-life ailments. In her words, “the Alaskan patient 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.” She is 100 percent right. As the recreational system comes online, we must lobby to create a medical system that leads with compassion for the sick, like the Green Angels has done since its foundation.

Alaska is struggling to meet anyone’s needs with pot, especially those of business owners waiting on licensing to start recouping investments and waiting to do something thing they love: grow and share Cannabis.

Our Cannabis community must keep repeating the truth that Cannabis is safer than alcohol, should be regulated like alcohol in Alaska and that both recreational and medical users need and deserve safe access to the plant.

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 Wes and Kori Marie featured contributor OREGON STATE FAIR PG. 32 Sam Wilson is a Portland, Oregon photographer who has worked for ESPN and The New York Times.

Wilson captured the historic event where blue ribbons were handed out for pot at the state fairgrounds.

OSCAR AVELLANEDA-CRUZ STEVE ELLIOTT, NATIONAL PAUL GRZELAK, EDITING KORI MARIE, PRODUCTION TYLER J. MARKWART, FEATURES SEAN O’NEILL, ILLUSTRATION DR. SCANDERSON, GROWTECH DR. SCOTT D. ROSE, HEALTH ALIZA SHERMAN, FEATURES ERIC SKELTON, DESIGN PACER STACKTRAIN, FEATURES BRANDON VOSIKA, ILLUSTRATION SAMUEL WILSON, PHOTOGRAPHY 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.

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national

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

CLINTON, TRUMP Both Claim They Never Smoked Weed While their individual marijuana policies differ, both candidates say they haven’t personally touched pot.

It’s no secret that President Obama frequently got Unfortunately, both candidates have extensive high as a young man, but Americans in November records of flip-flopping on major issues, and most will elect a president who claims to have never Americans trust neither of them.

Trump, for example, who once claimed to support smoked weed.

Whether they vote for Democrat Hillary abortion rights, now wants to ban abortions. After Clinton or Republican Donald Trump, citizens first opposing an increase in the minimum wage, Trump now wants it raised. of the United States will vote for someone who claims to be a pot The Donald in 1990 called for CLINTON legalizing all drugs, a position he virgin, reports Rob Hotakainen at GETS A B-PLUS no longer takes. His statements on the McClatchy Washington Bureau.

FROM THE MARIJUANA Trump boasted he hadn’t tried marijuana have been all over the POLICY PROJECT map, much like his statements on marijuana or tobacco, and even WHILE TRUMP pretty much everything else. claims he’s never had a drop of GETS A C-PLUS alcohol. Clinton, meanwhile, was Trump recently told a Denver TV reporter that he wouldn’t use adamant on CNN that she never had, and never would, smoke pot: “Absolutely not,” federal laws, under which marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance, to block legal Cannabis sales Clinton snapped.

But both candidates have pledged to allow the in Colorado. “I’m a states person,” Trump claimed. states to legalize and regulate marijuana, as has “I think it should be up to the states, absolutely.”

But last year, Trump told a group of conservatives been Obama’s policy.

8/sEPT. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

that Colorado had “big problems” due to legalizing weed. “I think it’s bad, and I feel strongly about that,” Trump said, in one of his more stupid statements (and believe me, there’s a fuckload from which to choose).

Even Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, who’s job it is to know candidates’ positions on Cannabis, says it’s hard to know exactly what the hell Trump would do about pot. “He’s entirely unpredictable on this issue, as on so many others,” Nadelmann said.

Clinton, on the other hand, once opposed same-sex marriage but now supports it. As Secretary of State, she supported Obama’s Trans Pacific “NO, I Partnership trade deal; DIDN’T DO IT now she opposes it.

WHEN I WAS Like Trump, Clinton YOUNG. I’M says she supports NOT GOING medical marijuana, but TO START she adds that it “needs NOW.” more study.” She has, at least, repeatedly said that states such as Washington, Colorado, Oregon and Alaska should be allowed to be “laboratories of democracy,” experimenting with recreational Cannabis.

Clinton distanced herself from her husband, former President Bill Clinton, who famously said in 1992 that he had smoked marijuana but “didn’t inhale.”

“No, I didn’t do it when I was young,” Clinton said. “I’m not going to start now.”

Clinton gets a B-plus from the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), while Trump gets a C-plus. Both the Libertarian Party’s presidential candidate, Gary Johnson, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein get A-plus grades from the MPP. “This is the most marijuana-friendly field of presidential candidates in history,” Robert Capecchi, MPP’s director of federal policies, said when the report card was released in May. “In 2008, our movement had to physically chase down candidates during the New Hampshire primary just to elicit promises not to arrest cancer patients who were abiding by state medical marijuana laws,” said Tom Angell, chairman of Marijuana Majority. “That shows how far we’ve come in only a couple election cycles.”

Clinton is currently leading in the polls, and the Democratic platform, for the first time ever, calls for a “pathway” to legalization.

Quoted

465,873 Marijuana Arrests MADE in California Last Decade The state averaged 14,000 felony arrests per year related to marijuana posession between 2006 and 2015.

A new report by the Drug Policy Alliance dropped by 86 percent after possession for shows that there were nearly half a million personal use was reduced from a misdemeanor marijuana felony and misdemeanor arrests in to an infraction, felony arrests remained California between 2006 and 2015. Thousands relatively stable.

During this period, there were on average of Californians are arrested annually for 14,000 marijuana felony arrests each year (this marijuana misdemeanors and felonies.

These arrests are not equal. Black and Latino number dropped by a third to 8,866 in 2015).

Californians are arrested for marijuana offenses In addition, thousands of marijuana possession at disproportionately high rates. In addition, infractions were issued during this period, disproportionately burdening youth under 18 years of age black and Latino young people. now make up the majority of YOUTH UNDER 18 “While many people believe misdemeanor arrestees.

YEARS OF AGE that marijuana is essentially In 1996, California became NOW MAKE UP legal in California, data show us the first state to legalize THE MAJORITY OF that thousands continue to be medical marijuana when voters MISDEMEANOR ARRESTEES arrested annually for marijuana passed the Compassionate activities,” said Jolene Forman, Use Act (Prop. 215). In 2011, California lawmakers reduced possession of up staff attorney for the Drug Policy Alliance. to an ounce of marijuana for personal use from “These arrests fall disproportionately on black a misdemeanor to a non-arrestable infraction, and Latino Californians.

“The only way to begin to repair these similar to a traffic ticket.

Despite California’s more permissive disparities is to move marijuana into a fully marijuana possession laws, the state had regulated market and to reduce or eliminate 465,873 marijuana arrests between 2006 and criminal prohibitions for minor marijuana 2015. While the number of misdemeanors activities,” Forman said.

“THE SICKEST CHILDREN AND ADULTS ARE THE ONES HURT MOST

BY THE STATE’S GREED AND IGNORANCE.” —SARENA HASKINS (owner of Olympia, Washington’s medical dispensary Sonshine Organics) on the state’s new medical marijuana laws.

Quick Hits!

0.32 33 60

Grams of marijuana are in the average American joint, reveals a new statistical analysis published in the Drug and Alcohol Dependence journal.

Million Americans (13 percent of the adult population) say they currently smoke marijuana according to new Gallup poll.

Percent of likely voters in California say they will vote for legalizing recreational marijuana in the state this election, according to current polls. It was voted down 53% to 46% in 2010.

SEPT. 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

Federal Charges Dropped Against Oregon Teen; Congressman Weighs in U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer of Oregon on Aug. 4 released a statement on the decision by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon to drop charges against an Oregonian teen, Devontre Thomas, for possessing a small amount of marijuana.

Thomas, 19, had faced up to a year in prison for possessing a single gram of Cannabis, according to his lawyer, public defender Ruben Iniguez. He likely faced the federal charges because the alleged Cannabis possession happened at the Chemawa Indian School, a boarding school run by the federal Bureau of Indian Education for Native American students.

“While I am pleased to see the U.S. Attorney drop the charges in the case of 19-year-old Devontre Thomas, I’m still concerned that this office thought it was worth prosecuting in the first place,” Rep. Blumenauer said. “My hope is that this sets a precedent that federal prosecutors should not be wasting time and resources on low-level marijuana crimes.

“I don’t want kids using marijuana, but to have the heavy hand of the law in a case like this — when there are so many other much more serious issues — I think is a misallocation of resources,” Blumenauer told KGW. “The federal government hasn’t prosecuted a marijuana possession case in Oregon in five years,” U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) told Willamette Week.

“Situations like this are best left to be handled by the state.”

Recently, Congressman Blumenauer led a letter to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, expressing concerns about the drug prosecution priorities of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Both U.S. Senators from Oregon, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, also signed the letter.

Prosecutors had expected Thomas to plead guilty to the possession charge and enter a six-month treatment program. But at a court appearance in July, his lawyer announced that he would fight the charge and request a jury trial.

“MORE THAN HALF THE STATES (AND COUNTING) HAVE LEGALIZED SOME FORM OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA.

IT’S OUTRAGEOUS THAT FEDERAL POLICY HAS BLOCKED SCIENCE FOR SO LONG.” 10/sEPT. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

Canada’s Marijuana Patients Given Green Light to Grow their Own Happy Canadian patients — whose right to grow their own medical marijuana was taken away by the previous Conservative government of Stephen Harper — are celebrating after the federal government announced on Aug. 11 that they’ll once again be allowed to grow their own due to a Canadian Federal Court decision earlier this year.

The new rules will allow patients authorized by their physician to use medicinal Cannabis to grow a limited amount of marijuana for their personal use, or to designate someone else to grow it for them, reports The Canadian Press.

The new rules are a response to the court decision earlier this year that found the ban on patients growing their own medicinal Cannabis to be a violation of constitutional rights. Health Canada said it is providing “an immediate solution” to the ruling, which ordered the Canadian government to make Cannabis more accessible and affordable, report Gloria Galloway and Mike Hager at The Globe and Mail.

Under the new regime, which takes effect on Aug. 24, patients who consume one dry gram a day — about the average prescription, according to Health Canada — will be allowed to grow two plants outdoors or five plants indoors. Patients with 2-gram prescriptions will be allowed four plants outdoors, or 10 indoors, and so on.

“The difference will be I can grow and control my own medicine,” Tammy Wade, a medical marijuana patient in Ottawa, told the Leaf on Aug. 12. “I’ll know exactly what products are used, and I’ll take pride in the fact that I can do it myself.”

Under the new Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations unveiled Aug. 11 by Health Canada, authorized patients will be able to grow a specific number of plants based on their prescriptions and whether they are growing the plants indoors or outdoors.

Indoors, patients will be able to grow five plants per gram of dried product and two plants per gram outdoors.

Quoted — REP. EARL BLUMENAUER (D-ORE.) in response to the DEA’s refusal to move marijuana off Schedule I, the most restrictive classification available under the Uniform Controlled Substances Act.

alaska

By ALIZA SHERMAN for ALASKA LEAF | ILLUSTRATION by BRANDON VOSIKA

A

laska Governor Bill Walker announced his appointment of Nicholas (Nick) Miller to the Marijuana Control Board on Aug. 24. Miller is the current chair of the Anchorage Cannabis Business Association (ACBA), a membership organization for Anchorage’s Cannabis-related and ancillary businesses.

“Nick Miller is a solid choice for the MCB seat,” said Kim Kole, a marijuana industry activist who was also vying for the MCB board position. “He has proven himself to be a leader as the chair of ACBA, and he has worked in the highly regulated industry involving cell towers.”

Kole stressed that it is essential to have multiple people with different knowledge and expertise in order to educate the rest of the Board.

“Ultimately,” she said, “we would like to be able to hire a lobbyist to communicate with the statewide Cannabis community so we can stay on top of legislation and mount action when necessary.”

After the abrupt dismissal of former Board chair Bruce Schulte from the Marijuana Control Board (MCB) on July 29, business owners and advocates were concerned the Cannabis industry would not be represented on the Board. Miller’s appointment assuages some of those concerns as Miller and his wife, Tammy, have initiated a retail license for Alaskabuds, LLC in Anchorage.

There is talk of industry organizations hiring a lobbyist for a presence in Juneau to help legitimize their efforts in the state, and there are grumblings of a lack of a unified voice across the state.

To address the issue, Alaska Marijuana Industry Association (AMIA) recently held their relaunch meeting. Groups from Anchorage, Fairbanks and Kenai gathered in person along with members online. AMIA will provide membership discounts to people who are a part of any of the local Cannabis organizations and will play a supportive, statewide role, particularly in the face of potential bans in the Mat-Su Valley and on the Kenai Peninsula.

In January, AMIA will hold a statewide election from their membership for board positions. There are nine seats available — two in cultivation, two in retail, two in manufacturing, two ancillary and one at-large. Current board members will go through the election process as well in order to retain their seats.

In Kenai news, Jeremiah Emmerson, executive director and chairman of the Alaska Small Cultivators Association said petitioners on the Kenai Peninsula Borough were able to collect enough valid signatures to place commercial Cannabis back before voters.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly has not yet determined the vote date.

“We are fully prepared to run a clean, reported, state campaign and intend on defeating any opt out attempts on the Borough,” said Emmerson.

Emmerson also weighed in on the selection of Nick Miller to the MCB, saying, “we congratulate Nick Miller on his appointment to the Marijuana Control Board and believe he will do a fine job representing the Alaska Cannabis industry. We would also like to thank Governor Walker for respecting the will of voters and intentions of Ballot Measure 2 and applaud him for opting to go with diverse industry representation.”

THERE IS TALK OF INDUSTRY ORGANIZATIONS HIRING A LOBBYIST FOR A PRESENCE IN JUNEAU TO HELP LEGITIMIZE THEIR EFFORTS IN THE STATE.

State of Change Alaska’s multiple Cannabis industry groups want to make sure they get a say in running the rec market

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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

alaska

By WES ABNEY, EDITOR | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN

HOW SB-91 WORKS

-Limits jail time for low-level violations -Enhances treatment options for simple possession -Non-violent sentences may be served outside jail -Simple drug possession now a misdemeanor, max 30-day jail sentence -Saves $211 million in direct costs and $169 million in averted arrest costs -Changes bail system to limit cash-only assessments, which unduly impact the poor

State's new drug reform bill calls for treatment, not jail

E

arlier this spring, Alaska's Legislature passed a sweeping drug reform bill to limit prison time for simple drug possession and reevaluate how prison sentences are adversely affecting the poor and underserved population in the state.

Senate Bill 91 was passed to begin reforming the political, social and legal issues surrounding drug arrests and those suffering from alcohol or drug addiction. With a growing addiction issue and limited public resources, the state had an important decision to make. Keep arresting the same addict profiles again and again, or invest in treatment to help break the cycle.

Addiction is known medically as a disease, but American society has to hang up that concept. Addiction is viewed as a character flaw, a racial issue or even as an issue that only affects the poor and uneducated. Nothing could be further from the

14/sEPT. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

truth. There are people at every level of our society “There’s been no appetite for years [by the Juneau Police Department] to incarcerate people addicted to a wide range of drugs, many of them prescribed legally in the form of opiates. Doctors for possession of drugs,” Police Chief Bryce Johnson told the Juneau Empire. and judges are just as likely to have an abuse prob“We want to deal with drugs in a different way. lem as someone homeless or destitute.

A common argument among politicians is that Straight to prison is no longer the answer.”

The core of this issue comes down to the baour country should drug test welfare recipients, but programs that have tried this have cost sic moral principle behind legalizing “We want to deal Cannabis in the first place: we should states more than they saved in bouncwith drugs in not be locking people in cages for ing “abusers,” and some programs found zero positive drug tests at all. nonviolent offenses. a different way.

Alaska's lawmakers have created a The truth is, every single one of us has Straight to prison the ability to be addicted to a substance, is no longer the answer.” major policy change that hopefully be it alcohol or heroin, and we all have will ripple throughout the jail-happy lower 48. The time has long been overdue for our neighbors and community members that are being affected. This truth applies even to police officers, nation to start treating its citizens like actual citizens and not merely as statistics. More states who have struggled with the balance between pubshould follow suit and focus on the myriad social lic safety and public abuse through non-violent drug arrests. and health concerns that really cause problems.

cover story

By ALASKA LEAF STAFF | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN

Way back in 1998, the government obtained U.S. Patent 6630507,

DEA

officials made worldwide headlines last month as it reconfirmed the agency’s position that Cannabis is a schedule I drug with no medicinal benefits, keeping it in the same category as heroin and Quaaludes.

But what could be more surprising than this baseless and ignorant ruling? The fact that the government has owned a patent on Cannabis as a medicine since 1998. The same government that creates public policy with Cannabis in Schedule I also owns patents on its multiple benefits as a medicine? This sounds like a cruel joke, and it is. The ultimate cruelty in the War on Drugs is that our prisons are full of nonviolent farmers and Cannabis smokers who are locked in cages for growing a medicinal plant.

What is so scary about a plant that makes medicine and promotes wellbeing in our backyards? To start, there’s no profit. No profit for pharmaceutical corporations, no profits for the police to seize in the form of asset forfeiture and no profits for the private prisons that count on drug arrests to meet quotas.

Future generations will look back on the prohibition of marijuana and think our society was governed by animals.

And indeed we are.

The Drug War hacks are still publicly toting their dry and evil rhetoric, defending the arrests as millions die from pharmaceutical overdoses.

The only people who should be locked up for Cannabis are those making it illegal.

That’s why this campaign really caught our eyes and our hearts here in Leaf Nation. This is a powerful and nonviolent way to send a message to our government and the naysayers who have swallowed the prohibition propaganda. The same government that lies about Cannabis holds patents on the myriad medicinal benefits of the plant. To anyone who denies Cannabis as medicine or a safer recreational choice, we have a simple message: Talk to the hand!

establishing that Cannabinoids have legitimate medicinal benefits (among other findings). Which makes the DEA’s recent decision to keep Cannabis as a Schedule I drug all the more mystifying.

WHAT IS SO SCARY ABOUT A PLANT THAT MAKES MEDICINE AND WELLBEING IN OUR BACKYARDS? WELL, TO START, THERE’S NO PROFIT.

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SPREAD THE MOVEMENT! USE #TALKTOTHEHAND #6630507 #AKLEAF

TALK TO THE HAND

US Patent 6630507

“Cannabinoids as Antioxidants and Neuroprotectants”

Owned by the United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services, this patent states that Cannabinoids have medicinal value in treating a wide variety of diseases including Alzheimer’s.

But it isn’t the only patent that the American government has issued for Cannabis. Here are a couple more examples: US US US US US US US US

Patent Patent Patent Patent Patent Patent Patent Patent

8034843 Cannabinoids for treatment of nausea, vomiting, motion sickness or like conditions 4837228 Use of CBC to reduce inflammation 8790719 Phytocannabinoids in the treatment of cancer 6613940 Cannabinoid patch and method for transdermal delivery 4189491 Cannabinoids in the treatment of glaucoma 7597910 Use & methods of treating prostate cancer w/ selenium and zinc-enriched Cannabis 8071641 Use of CBD for treatment or prevention of diabetes 8242178 Treatment of autoimmune hepatitis

How I learned to stop worrying and love the DEA’s decision to keep Cannabis Schedule I

Put away your shock and disgust at my headline and listen up.

We are a long ways off from legalizing pot in this country. And while we all might imagine the scenario differently in our heads, there is only one issue at stake here: our government’s lies versus the people of this country.

The problem with pathological liars is that they don’t know when to stop the con. They will continue to lie until the lie is staring them boldly in the face, right up until the bitter end. The U.S. government is a pathological liar. This newest announcement proves it, and nothing will make them change but our power as citizens.

This is why “Talk to the Hand” has so much power. We need to get every American to raise their hand and ask why. Why is our government lying? Why is it arresting and killing people over a plant? And what else is being run unjustly in this country that needs change?

Our industry and movement needs a tipping point. And I pray this is it, because we can’t take any more injustice. And we certainly can’t let Washington’s fake legalization scam spread to other states, where having a plant or a few grams over an ounce is the same legal charge as assaulting a minor or pistol-whipping a metro bus driver. It’s time to get real.

So I have one message for everyone in the industry: Wake up! Pot isn’t legal. And we all need to arm ourselves with the best weapon possible: truth. The next time someone says pot isn’t medicine or shouldn’t be legal, you know what to say: Talk to the hand!

Why does our government accept medicinal values for amphetamines and cocaine but not Cannabis?

The answer lies in drug scheduling.

About Drug Schedules I, II, III, IV, V Schedule I drugs are those drugs which, according to the government, have zero accepted medicinal benefit, lack accepted safety procedures for safe supervised use and have a high potential for abuse. Examples of schedule 1 drugs include Heroin, LSD, Mescaline/Peyote, MDMA (Ectsasy), GHB, Psilocybin and inexplicably Cannabis.

Schedule II drugs are those with some accepted medical benefits, yet with high potential for abuse, such as meth, methadone or cocaine.

Schedule III drugs are those with potential for abuse but less than drugs in schedules 1 and 2.

These drugs have a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. Abuse of the drug may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence.

Schedule IV drugs have a low potential for abuse relative to substances in Schedule III, and include depression and psychosis drugs such as alprazolam (Xanax), carisoprodol (Soma), clonazepam (Klonopin), clorazepate (Tranxene), diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan), midazolam (Versed), temazepam (Restoril), and triazolam (Halcion).

Schedule V substances have a low potential for abuse relative to substances listed in Schedule IV and consist primarily of preparations containing limited quantities of certain narcotics.Schedule V substances include: cough preparations containing not more than 200 milligrams of codeine per 100 milliliters or per 100 grams (Robitussin AC, Phenergan with Codeine), and ezogabine.

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PRISONER UPDATE

NEWS FROM THE FRONT LINES WASHINGTON STATE Sonshine Market

Washington state recently began to crack down on its Cannabis competition; the medical providers that were there from the beginning like Sonshine Market. Sonshine was raided on July 26 by the Thurston County Narcotics Force, the same group that raided Lance Gloor when there was no recreational marijuana. This is clearly a case of a law enforcement agency picking and choosing when they want to support a law around marijuana.

In an ideal world where the law acted accordingly, Lance would not be in prison because he was following the law at the time and Sarena Haskins, owner of Sonshine Organics, would only face a fine, not time and loss of revenue from items stolen by the task force.

PARENTS FOR POT

School’s back in session and while parents rush to stores to outfit their kids with school supplies and clothing, other children suffer because their parents are locked away or are financially strapped due to a raid or some other form of government robbery. Luckily, Parents for Pot is a non-profit whose goals include breaking the marijuana stigma and helping children who are victims of the meaningless Drug War by getting them the supplies and support they need. Parents for Pot are now going into their third year for the school fund drive and could use your help by visiting their website (parents4pot.org) and making a donation. All proceeds go to helping a family victimized by the war on pot.

Lance Gloor

Lance fought his MMJ case all the way to trial refusing to testify against anyone. At his trial, his employees, co defendants, childhood friends and ex-girlfriends all testified against him in exchange for lesser sentences, regardless of the fact that they all committed the same “crime:” They all violated Schedule I federal drug laws by participating in state MMJ laws.

Lance’s business partner, James Lucas, was sentenced on Aug. 11 and was not given any jail time. James received four years of probation in exchange for his testimony against Lance.

Please write Lance a letter. He stood up for us all by taking his MMJ case to trial and is now in prison for 10 years while his co-conspirators are free to be home with their families. Please address any mail as follows: Lance Edward Gloor #44270086, FDC Seatac, PO BOX 13900, Seattle, WA 98198.

Please keep in mind, prohibition would be over if jurors refused to convict (jury nullification) and if we did not testify against each other.

Chris Williams

REVEREND EDDY LEPP

Next we would like to remind you that longtime POW Reverend Eddy Lepp is due to be released on Dec. 7. Since his incarceration, smartphones have happened and four states in America and our nation’s capitol have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Eddy’s incarceration and those of thousands of other innocent Americans are a prime example of what’s wrong with our judicial system: a system that seems hellbent on putting Americans behind bars to be cheap laborers over a crime that shouldn’t be.

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Chris, a former Montana MMJ caregiver who is now a federal plant prisoner serving his time at the Seatac Bureau of Prisons in Seattle, was recently released from the “SHU” (Solitary Housing Unit, otherwise known as Solitary Confinement). Please write to Chris.

His address is: Christopher Wayne Williams #11839-046, FDC Seatac, PO BOX 13900, Seattle, WA 98198. Similar to Lance and other non-violent inmates, Chris would not be in prison today if three of his co-defendants did not testify against him, doing the same thing he was. To find out more about Chris, visit his website FreeChrisWilliams.com. for more information on what our plant prisoners go through while in solitary confinement, please listen to the VOW radio show at tinyurl.com/solitarynwleaf

Reporting by

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

OREGON Devontre Thomas

Devontre Thomas, 19, was facing up to a year in prison for possessing a single gram of Cannabis, said his lawyer, public defender Ruben Iniguez. These charges have now been dropped, enabling the Oregon teen to move on with his life without fear of prison time and being labeled a felon. Both U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Congressman Earl Blumenauer had opinions about the outrageous charges.

“While I am pleased to see the U.S. attorney drop the charges in the case of 19-year-old Devontre Thomas, I’m still concerned that this office thought it was worth prosecuting in the first place,” Rep. Blumenauer said. “My hope is that this sets a precedent that federal prosecutors should not be wasting time and resources on low-level marijuana crimes.”

“MY HOPE IS THAT THIS SETS A PRECEDENT”

DEA REFUSES TO RECLASSIFY MARIJUANA On Aug. 11, the DEA announced its decision in regards to whether they would reclassify marijuana, which is currently a Schedule I drug — the answer is no.

While this may seem like a fail to most Cannabis activists, the DEA did state that they were ending their monopoly on marijuana research. The administration will amend a policy that had restricted them to a single source of marijuana for research studies, a federally-funded farm at the University of Mississippi. The

SHONNA BANDA: The

NO VICTIM = NO CRIME =

NOT GUILTY. NO ONE SHOULD BE CAGED FOR CANNABIS!

Finney County Attorney’s Office filed a motion July 28 asking Chief District Judge Wendel Wurst to rule whether Shona Banda, 39, should be allowed to discuss the benefits of medicinal marijuana use as part of her defense.

Shona Banda of Garden City, Kan., was charged with endangering a child, distribution or possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of school property, unlawful manufacture of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia in March 2015. Banda has successfully treated her debilitating Crohn’s disease with Cannabis oil. Shona’s pretrial conference is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Oct. 3 in Wurst’s courtroom.

DEA will allow any institution to apply to grow marijuana for research. The DEA says that the change is motivated by a high demand from scientists and a desire to encourage research on pot. “Additional growers mean additional varieties will be available to address the diversity of research needs,” said National Institute on Drug Abuse director Nora Volkow in a statement. The DEA allowing additional growers and varieties is a crucial first step towards reclassifying Cannabis to reflect its medicinal value.

JURY RIGHTS DAY

is fast approaching! Sept. 5, groups from all over the country unite to inform potential jurors about jury nullification. Jury nullification is a tool a juror can use when they are on jury duty and faced with having to choose a guilty or not guilty verdict after a trial when the defendant was accused of a law that the juror does not agree with.

It’s simple, regardless of if the defendant actually committed the “crime,” they can refuse to convict and cannot be punished for their verdict! Jury nullification helped end slavery, alcohol prohibition and Cannabis prohibition. To get involved in the activities you can do to be active on Jury Rights Day, or find an event near you, visit fija.org/jury-rights-day.

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highly likely

By PACER STACKTRAIN for ALASKA LEAF

Column # 5

HUGH HEFNER Hugh Hefner is an American media mogul

that truly needs no introduction. While he’s most famous for his role in Playboy magazine (and his larger-than-life lifestyle), Hefner has a history of championing social causes and political activism.

Throughout his life, he’s fought for gay rights, environmental causes, free speech and animal rights.

Of particular interest to this column is his legacy of Cannabis legalization advocacy — a cause that stretches back decades for Hefner. For starters, he was one of the founding members of NORML with a $5,000 donation back in 1970. One must assume that Cannabis was an important ingredient in the Playboy all-night parties that Hefner threw in the late 1960’s. In Patrick Anderson’s excellent book “High in America: The True Story Behind NORML and the Politics of Marijuana,” Hefner talked about his own experiences with Cannabis, saying “smoking helped put me in touch with the realm of the senses.” He went on to say that he “discovered a whole other dimension to sex.”

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Highlighting amazing Cannabis pioneers who helped pave the way to greater herbal acceptance.

Longtime Cannabis supporter

While his Playboy empire’s ideals of a man-first put all kinds of people who have drug problems in society (patriarchy) is somewhat outmoded in our prison, but in the process completely corrupt entire modern perspective, one can still appreciate the countries.”

Over his 90 years on the planet, Hefner has fact that he took such a progressive stand on so many taboo issues in the past and today. Perhaps seen great change when it comes to the attitudes it was Cannabis that helped to open his mind a bit surrounding Cannabis, and the outlook is only getting better as time passes. Asked about his to the many issues facing society then and now.

Most recently, Hefner has taken a harder stand home state of California’s upcoming legalization against anti-drug laws and prohibition in the Unit- measure on the ballot, Hefner said, “I don’t think ed States, saying that they had “corrupted” the there’s any question that marijuana should be lecountry. In his decades-long campaign against galized because to not legalize it, we’re paying the the criminalization of Cannabis, he’s become same price we paid for prohibition,” he told Fox News. “In other words, it is a medical convinced that current legislation is concern and should be handled that “irrational.” In a recent interview with way.”

Esquire, Hefner asked, “what is the IN HEFNER’S DECADES-LONG Sure, Hugh Hefner isn’t a saint, but rational justification for these laws? CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE he is an American icon. Thankfully, Moral views based on what? Not on CRIMINALIZATION OF he’s also an advocate for Cannabis, reason. These laws are truly hurtful CANNABIS, HE’S BECOME to society.” He went on to state that one of the many voices of authority “prohibition gave us organized crime. CONVINCED THAT CURRENT we can count on to help mainstream Our laws in terms of drugs not only LEGISLATION IS IRRATIONAL. acceptance of our favorite herb.

Thepacerstacktrain@gmail.com Instagram: @ThePacerStackTrain

opInion

By TYLER J. MARKWART for OREGON LEAF

Culture Shock:

CANNABIS CULTURE VS. CORPORATE AMERICA The biggest fear of many has arrived. Cannabis has gone corporate. So how do we cope? Patience and an ability to balance two cultures may be the keys to lasting success in an evolving industry.

B

ig business has started to creep into the Cannabis industry as the laws and tax codes surrounding the manufacturing, processing, possession and distribution of Cannabis are being amended in states that have voted to legalize Cannabis. To some, this was and is the biggest fear that they can conceive of: big business running the Cannabis industry. But to others legalization is a blessing, as the professionalism and standards that all other industries are used to are now coming to the Cannabis industry. The change is

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difficult for some, but for those who can learn to comply and work with what they are given, they are starting to see success as leaders in the burgeoning multi-billion dollar Cannabis industry.

There are a multitude of issues when you try to scale up from a four-light basement grow to a 30,000 square foot Tier 3 indoor legal recreational marijuana grow. For starters, you can’t write anything off on your taxes because you are engaging in a federal crime. So you can forget about major tax deductions and banking, which will make

MORE REGULATIONS AND SAFETY PRACTICES ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED AS THE INDUSTRY MATURES EACH YEAR.

life fun when you try to pay for contractors and order materials off of the internet with credit cards that get cancelled every month.

Cash may be king but counting a quarter of a million dollars isn’t as easy as just writing a check to the electrician and the HVAC team.

More regulations and safety practices are being implemented as the industry matures each year. For many this is very overwhelming and frustrating, but some of these practices are absolutely needed to protect consumers, employees and employers. The legal marijuana market has barely even begun to take off, but for those who are entering the industry and those who are struggling to profit, the key to success is finding the balance between the Cannabis culture and the corporate culture.

Cannabis is heading in the same manner that the alcohol industry was structured.

Large players will produce affordable products that mirror cheap beer and liquor currently available in stores across the state, and niche market growers will attend to the medical patients and connoisseurs — those who are looking for specific products that don’t interest or are too costly for everyday consumers.

The craft Cannabis industry will thrive once the industry adopts and refines these new changes, until then many small producer/processors are going to struggle. The Cannabis marketplace is endless and will grow exponentially as the laws continue to change across the world.

Business owners who are on top of their game and hire compliance officers, structure HR departments and implement OSHA standards will sleep safer at night knowing a multitude of safety nets are in place to minimize any problems that the businesses might have to endure in the future.

If you are a business owner and you are struggling with the amount of overbearing regulations, please contact your legislature today and politely let them know how difficult it is to operate your business.

THE KEY TO SUCCESS IS FINDING THE BALANCE BETWEEN THE CANNABIS CULTURE AND THE CORPORATE CULTURE

THE CANNABIS MARKETPLACE IS ENDLESS AND WILL GROW EXPONENTIALLY AS THE LAWS CONTINUE TO CHANGE ACROSS THE WORLD.

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Private Club Members Only 21+

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WHITE RH

HINO

ALASKA LEAF

STRAIN OF THE MONTH

By WES ABNEY | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN/ALASKA LEAF IN THE ERA of classic strains, White Rhino stood out as a masterpiece of early Cannabis breeding and potency, and that legacy holds true today through decades of new strains being developed.

This 60-40 indica-dominant hybrid was bred by crossing the original White Widow with an unknown heavy North American indica, and it circulated through grower channels as it was quickly realized to be a major hit. The classic nature of the pure White Widow combining for a more indica-heady hybrid creates a lasting and impressive high that goes straight to the head with powerful waves of euphoria and energy with a body high that tingles and sends waves of relaxation to the muscles. It’s easy to see why this strain is a hit with growers and smokers alike, as the effects are unique and a lot of fun.

The chunky buds have an even balance between fluffiness and density, with a quality cure that leads to a perfect snap when breaking open a bud. The flower is lightly frosted with trichomes, but packs a deceptive punch when smoked. There’s a lot of potency in this bud! Each nug oozes out an earthy and woody smell with hints of minerals and sweet freshly tilled soil, with a skunky strong undercurrent that slowly fills the lungs, and a room.

The smoke is sweet and warm with little cough and a big exhale, with notes of spice and clean finish on the palate when done. This is definitely a strain to take multiple tokes with, reaching peak high after two or three solid hits.

We found energetic and happy effects melded well with a solid body high that alleviated pain and helped reduce overall stress and anxiety. This is a great strain to start a rough Monday with, or to help pass through an early afternoon energy lull.

Smoking a couple bowls or a fatty of this will leave you happy, relaxed and feeling overall very pleasant, which is probably the best thing in the world anyone can ask for. Watch out for a little couchlock after an hour though! The effects can creep on the user, so we recommend active smoking, mentally or physically.

Check out this heritage strain and other flowers from Broke Folks Farms soon on the AK rec market!

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Alaska Farm

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We source organic soil, cocoa, and perlite, plus fer tilizer locally in Alaska with f ish bone meal f rom the Bering Sea. We offer special pr icing for all new licensees, depar t ment and retail stores and wholes ale pr icing customers.

Double ended lights starting at $250 | Full nutrient lines & accessories available | Lighting and ballast needs at the best rates.

m & Garden would like to welcome the new recreational Cannabis industry and wishes great success to all of our state’s producers, processors and retailers!

Franchises now available in Fairbanks and Kenai

Come watch us grow!

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rehashed

By Wes abney | Photos by Samuel Wilson

AUG. 13-14, 2016 | STATE FAIRGROUNDS | OREGONCANNABISGROWERSFAIR.COM

OREGON CANNABIS GROWERS’ FAIR F

orget the largest pumpkin or best fruit pie — this year’s Oregon State Fair issued a truly historic award for the plant most likely to grow the dankest buds!

It is an undeniable tribute to the benign beauty of the Cannabis plant, and has set the stage for a huge new draw for state fairs (and events in general).

Cannabis growing competitions, without the stigma and with all the honor.

And this is just the beginning!

“The Cannabis Growers’ Fair was created to showcase and promote Oregon’s fastest-growing agricultural business,” explained Don Morse, executive director of the Oregon Cannabis Business Council, to The Telegraph. “This is The first-ever Oregon Cannabis Growers’ Fair worked to create a special comunprecedented. Oregon is at the forefront in recognizing Cannabis as a real petition in Salem this year, making international headlines and going viral as agricultural product.” the rest of the world looked in awe and fear at the Schedule I marijuana plants While the scene might have played out similarly a century ago with hemp in the same category as cucumbers and corn. at a state fair, this event admitted Cannabis plants into the first blue ribbon Nestled in the bustling fairgrounds this year, a humble greenhouse was filled competition in history. While hemp was a commonly grown commodity until with vegetative female Cannabis plants, all peacefully growing while security the end of WWII and mandated by the government at times to be grown by diligently checked ID to make sure no children were harmed by the sight of farmers, its stigmatized cousin Cannabis has always been denied a place in plants. Only adults could witness the truth of the beautiful plants, but what a modern agriculture competitions. So we made our own. powerful sight it was for the watching world.

The first Cannabis Cups were held privately amongst growers The initial competition was held with master gardeners judging THE PINNING OF THE in the ‘60s and ‘70s, with more organized versions culminating plants on color, shape and structure, nodal stacking, leaf structure, BLUE RIBBON ON A in the spectacular High Times Cups that travel the world each aroma and general plant health. Suffice to say that the top nine CANNABIS PLANT year. These competitions embody what anyone who has ever plants featured at the fair were all spectacular quality, but there SYMBOLIZES A MAJOR grown a pot plant knows: Cannabis is hard to grow, especially could only be one winner per category. Ed Rosenthal was emcee. well, and those who do it the best deserve an award!

Taking first in sativa and indica were Uplifted Farms, with Can- SHIFT IN PUBLIC Whether cups or blue ribbons, events like this pave the way na Manna taking first in hybrid. Second place winners were Far OPINION AND POLICY for the future of Cannabis and personal freedom.

Fetched Farms, Synergy Farms and Royal Ambrosia in the same FOR OUR COUNTRY AS The rest of the country and world have a lot to learn, and even category order. Third place winners were WAH Farms, Sky High Farms and AHSG Farms. These top nine plants were shown to the WE CONTINUE TO DANCE (or especially) the “legal” state of Washington where having a single plant is still a felony. public and have sent major ripples through the politics of fairs.

WITH LEGALIZATION. Uplifted’s Danny Grimm took home ribbons for best indica (Grand Daddy Purple) and best sativa (Super Sour Diesel).

“This is history in the making,” said Grimm.

“It’s going to be good for everyone in the industry.”

1st Place Winners

SATIVA – UPLIFTED FARMS INDICA – UPLIFTED FARMS HYBRID – CANNA MANNA

2nd Place Winners

SATIVA- FAR FETCHED FARMS INDICA – SYNERGY FARMS HYBRID – ROYAL AMBROSIA 3rd Place Winners

SATIVA – WAH FARMS INDICA – SKY HIGH FARMS HYBRID – AHSG FARMS

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Canna Manna’s Whitaker Blues won for hybrids.

Cannatonic by Chris Wickman of WAH Farms placed third in the sativa category. “Growing since the early ‘70’s... we’ve had many friends my age go to jail for doing this,” Wickman said.“When medical happened we knew then that the rest of society would say, ‘we need to do something about this.’”

Getting close | Jerry Bauman of Monmouth, Ore., inspects the winner of the indica category, Uplifted’s Grand Daddy Purple. “It’s a wonderful thing,” Bauman said. “It’s normalizing the product and making this industry what it should be: a farm product.”

The nine winning entries in the live plant contest are featured this month at the Oregon State Fair.

Wide load | Bruce McBride of Royal Ambrosia carts away a Dawgwalker OG plant after winning second place in the indica category.

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FEATURE

By MATTHEW MEYERS for OREGON LEAF

THE FUTURE SMALL of

BATCH PRODUCERS in oregon...

With new regulations from the OLCC around the corner, craft Cannabis growers find themselves in unchartered waters.

U

nless the OLCC extends the date, Sept. 30 will mark the last day for OMMP patients, processors and growers to make transfers to licensed dispensaries — the final departure from the old OMMP system, and ushering in an inevitable new era of controls and regulations. But what does this mean for the supply chain of small batch growers and processors?

Small batch growers have been the foundation of the OMMP since its inception in the late ‘90s; patients producing their own medicine and sharing excesses with other patients or collectives allowed the market to develop to its current level of quality.

Therefore, it’s important that we balance control with ease of entry when enacting these new regulations to ensure small batch producers aren’t left behind. In 2014 we heard the new system would foster a supply chain similar to the “micro-brew” industry already thriving in the state, but has that mentality changed?

The OMMP currently

PATIENTS AND CONSUMERS SHOULD HAVE AMPLE CHOICES, INCLUDING LARGE CONGLOMERATES AND SMALL BATCH PRODUCERS

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Images via Flickr/Creative Commons

SMALL BATCH GROWERS HAVE BEEN THE FOUNDATION OF THE OMMP SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN THE LATE ‘90S has a decentralized supply chain where any patient is allowed to transfer their excess medicine to dispensaries. No system is perfect, but this diverse sourcing ability of the OMMP has kept quality and prices in check through competition. Currently, we are witnessing a drastic increase in the supply chain regulation of Cannabis that will affect who can continue to produce this level of quality. Through committing to a decentralized and diverse supply chain model with strict testing standards to allow for fully accountable trade, hopefully Oregon will set a positive example for the next states that pass adult use legislation.

While it might be an effective barrier in some markets, using capital as the main discriminator for getting licensed in the Cannabis industry forces many to stay in the black market. For example, Hawaii’s new medical system required over a million dollars in liquid capital to even get approved for a license among many other barriers.

Hawaii’s system isn’t finalized, but we will see how it progresses with these strict controls. Hawaii has chosen a centralized model where only eight companies can produce and distribute all the medical Cannabis on the island, according to Pacific Business News.

With the amount of producers already growing Cannabis around the world, it’s important to note how inefficient it is to block these growers out of new legal industries, whether through capital requirements or background checks.

The status quo has realized Cannabis prohibition is ending, so now there is an effort to control whatever new industries develop. However, Cannabis patients, lovers and/or growers alike know that this wonderful plant is complicated to produce on a massive scale and consumers are more conscious and informed to judge quality than in most markets.

I worry that in systems like Hawaii’s, patients will not have access to top-quality medicine because some of the best-intentioned growers didn’t meet the capital, planning and background

requirements. It’s too common to see states trying to pass laws like Hawaii, with the perspective that if we open up Cannabis just like any other legal crop, our society will be negatively affected.

Patients and consumers should have ample choices, including large conglomerates and small batch producers. We shouldn’t limit any motivated companies from entering the market; the consumers should decide what products and companies continue to exist by voting with their dollars. Consumers in the Cannabis market are naturally skeptical and have high price and quality sensitivity, which will hopefully keep abuses by producers in check.

The key is decentralization of production and centralization of objective testing to hold all participating parties accountable!

There are two necessary pillars to insure this model works: Firstly, measures should be taken to counteract the natural bias that comes from

third-party testing favoring repeat clients (a bias we see across many industries). The second is a strong independent media to keep consumers informed so they can make the most effective purchasing decisions. Combined, these elements will allow a decentralized production model to flourish and be guided by the demand from patients and consumers.

The truth is, cultivators who have been growing throughout prohibition will continue to do so. It’s silly to think that now that Cannabis is legal, growers will suddenly be swayed towards compliance out of fear of consequences; they have already been threatened with some of the harshest punishments our government can dole out. However, I think it’s vitally important that regulators make an effort to include these foundation growers in the new industry or else the quality and passion that built this industry could be lost.

IT’S VITALLY IMPORTANT THAT REGULATORS MAKE AN EFFORT TO INCLUDE FOUNDATION GROWERS IN THE NEW INDUSTRY

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recipes

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

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All recipes serve four

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Reviews

By STEVE ELLIOTT Editor, Tokesignals.com

SNATCHED

By BRUCE PORTER, 2016, 310 PAGES, $12.99

FROM DRUG QUEEN TO INFORMER TO HOSTAGE

O

Bruce Porter

nce upon a time, there lived a beautiful Colombian girl named Pilar, from an aristocratic family. Two marriages and a couple of kids later, now a multimillionaire thanks to the cocaine trade, the high life ended and the nightmare began.

Pressured by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) into infiltrating and informing upon the infamous Cali Cartel, Pilar became a key player in one of the hugest, most successful money laundering stings in history — but then she was kidnapped by guerrillas for ransom in South America and for all practical purposes abandoned by the United States government.

“Snatched” is a truly riveting read and provides a fascinating window on just how wild and wooly the Colombian drug trade got after its genesis in the 1970s with primo Colombia Redbud and Santa Marta Gold quickly attaining legendary status on the American marijuana market. All that black market Cannabis money financed the establishment of the cocaine trade in the late ‘70s and throughout the ‘80s, giving rise to the narcos vs. narcotraficantes scenario examined in this book. (Hint: you’ll have trouble finding any “good guys.”)

“The brokers would call from Bogota and say they had a million to be picked up in New York and wanted to get it to the bank as fast as possible,” Pilar tells Porter. “They didn’t want money staying around. ‘Can you do it, Pilar?’ ‘Oh, of course,’ I’d say, and I’d notify Tom, but he might say, ‘No, we can’t; we don’t have the authorization from Washington.’ But here I’m supposed to be a big shot who can do these things when they want me to, and so I had to come with all kinds of lies.”

Author Bruce Porter — who also wrote the best-selling “Blow,” is a former writer for Newsweek and professor at the Columbia School of Journalism — has also written for The Washington Post, The New York Times Magazine, Playboy, and Rolling Stone.

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SNATCHED” IS A TRULY RIVETING READ AND PROVIDES A FASCINATING WINDOW ON JUST HOW WILD AND WOOLY THE COLOMBIAN DRUG TRADE GOT.

ANCHORAGE'S 1ST LICENSED CULTIVATOR

health & science

MAGIC IN A BOTTLE terpenes provide medicinal benefits to the user, but terpenes are also responsible for Cannabis’ smell, flavor and contribute to its overall sensory effect.

BY ALASKA LEAF Over 30,000 different terpenes are found in nature. They have CONTRIBUTOR the ability to attract (pollinators) or deter (pests) and respond SIMONE FISCHER As legal Cannabis takes off in Oregon, people over 21 have safe to outside stimuli. Other than flavor, Cannabis uses terpenes access to Cannabis and Cannabis products. Instead of buying to create a protective layer to shield itself against the elements. traditional flower, many Cannabis users continue to explore Terpenes or “terps” work synergistically with cannabinoids, thanks their options, and legal edibles, topicals and extracts have taken the to the entourage effect. Not only do cannabinoids work better together recreational market by storm. when more are present, they also have an intrinsic relationship with terpenes.

Oregonians are becoming familiar with the term “cannabinoids” in relation I interviewed Ben Cassiday (also known as @terpeneguy on Instagram) and Chris to things like THC and CBD, but what about terpenes? Cannabinoids and Campagna, the COO and CEO respectively of the True Terpenes (@trueterpenes).

A first-hand breakdown of the benefits of using non-Cannabis derived terpenes to enhance the effects of cannabinoids.

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If you have Cadillac taste on a Buick budget, adding terpenes to banal oil allows abundant flavor without breaking the bank.

They specialize in manufacturing isolated terpenes like myrcene or linalool, and terpene strain profiles — such as Granddaddy Purple or Tahoe OG — you can add to enhance your concentrate or flower experience. The terpenes come in clear liquid form in blue vials of various sizes.

I enjoy using Cannabis recreationally, but I’m also a current OMMP cardholder who uses Cannabis to treat an autoimmune condition. I use Cannabis daily without the help of insurance or any coverage of my prescription costs. Imagine paying for all of your prescriptions out-of-pocket without the option of insurance (welcome to my life). My budget is tight and $60 grams — at medical price without the 25 percent Oregon Cannabis sales tax — of quality extracts are not an option without going bankrupt when you use up to a half-gram (or more depending on pain levels) a day.

Without a garden, I cannot afford the quality of medicine at the quantity I use to treat myself.

Live resin or nug runs often start at $50 minimum per gram (pre tax). In my experience, terpy dabs taste the best and provide greater medicinal health

benefits. The problem is affording them on a you to purchase direct without the hassle. Instead steady basis. of hunting all over the city for an extract high Cassiday and Campagna are providing in myrcene levels, I can order a vial of myrcene solutions to lacking affordability and accessibility, terps and add them when I choose to dab. Buying while creating a food-grade product safe for your own terpenes reduces the pressure of being consumption. If you have Cadillac taste on on a continual wild goose chase trying to find a Buick budget, adding terpenes to banal oil affordable/high-quality extracts. allows abundant flavor without breaking the Instead of spending $80 on a single gram of bank. Instead, I can buy less live resin, you can scoop the $30 flavorful oil (trim runs happen trim run to lace with terpenes I love being to be cheaper) and introduce my for the same desired effect at able to tailor personal terpenes for my specific half the cost. I love being able to desired effect. tailor my terpenes depending on my terpenes It’s important to note True my mood and desired outcome. depending Terpene terpenes are not My favorite application method on my mood Cannabis-derived. Non-Cannabis thus far is applying a thin layer and desired derived terps is the key behind of terpenes on my oil, then outcome. affordability because terpenes are promptly dabbing. It provides naturally extracted from other the fastest relief and allows me plant sources. The eucalyptol (found in Cannabis) to savor each unique profile. is derived from the eucalyptus plant, not Cannabis Remember, terpenes evaporate quickly! I advise because it’s much more cost effective. When it coating your oil in a thin layer of terpenes (a little comes to creating terpene profiles for entire strains dab goes a long way) and promptly close the lid to like Pineapple Express or Granddaddy Purple, prevent evaporation. The difference in flavor and they analyze and recreate the same non-Cannabis effect will blow you away. derived profile with the naturally derived terpenes.

Access to quality terpenes wasn’t always easy.

You can purchase a slew of terpenes and Usually, you had to “know somebody.” True terpene profiles at BuyTerpenes.com, and learn Terpenes removes the middleman and allows more about True Terpenes at TrueTerpenes.com.

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

MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS Tips for properly enjoying the many benefits of the magically nutritious fungus!

S

linary purposes. Mushrooms were grown in special caves near Paris set trangely shaped with dark, damp growing environaside for this unique form of agriculture. From France to England, ments, mushrooms seem to be shrouded by a veil mushrooms became a very easy crop to grow with fruitful yields of mystery. Spared for royalty in ancient times, first

BY ALASKA LEAF without a lot invested. In the late 19th century, mushroom produccultivated in Europe, and then brought to the New SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR DR. SCOTT D. ROSE tion came to the United States, where home gardeners tried their World, mushrooms are consumed the world over. luck at growing this new and unknown crop. It is said that the East Research since the 1960s has shown that mushrooms loves mushrooms and the West is still warming up to the notion, which are little powerhouses of potent nutrition. Mushrooms is evidenced in consumption. The average American consumes 2-4 pounds contain some of the most unique and potent natural medicines on the planof mushrooms yearly, the average European double that and Asians consume et. Though classified as vegetables in the food world, they are not technically 40 pounds on average. plants, and belong to the fungi kingdom. While much of the research in recent Today the most commonly consumed variety of edible mushroom is the years has focused on various immunological and anti-cancer properties of cerwhite button mushroom, or Agaricus bisporus, which constitutes 40 percent tain mushrooms, they also offer other health benefits when added to the diet, of the mushrooms grown around the world. According to a 2013 report from such as lower cholesterol levels and treating various cancers and diabetes. Mushthe U.S. Department of Agriculture, almost 98 percent of mushrooms eaten by rooms also help in weight loss and increase the strength of the immune system.

Americans are the Agaricus bisporus and another type called crimini, or brown A mushroom (or toadstool) is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a funcaps (portabellas are just very mature crimini). The remaining 2 percent are gus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. “Mushroom” shiitake mushrooms (0.96 percent), oyster mushrooms (0.82 percent) and other describes a variety of gilled fungi, with or without stems, and the term is used varieties (0.4 percent). even more generally to describe puffballs, shelf fungi, etc.

The key to getting enough vitamins and minerals in the diet is to eat a colorForty-six hundred years ago, the delicious flavor of mushrooms intrigued the ful variety of fruits and vegetables — the more color, the better, right? This phipharaohs of Egypt so much that they declared them to be food for royalty losophy seems to break down and leave mushrooms in the dark. Mushrooms, only and that no commoner could ever touch them. In various other civilizawhich are commonly white, prove quite the contrary. They are often grouped tions throughout the world, including Russia, China, Greece, Mexico and Latin with vegetables and provide many of the nutritional attributes of produce, as America, mushroom rituals were practiced. Many believed that mushrooms had well as attributes more commonly found in meat, beans or grains. properties that could produce superhuman strength, help in finding lost objects Mushrooms are 30 percent protein by weight, low in calories, fat-free, choand lead the soul to the realm of the gods. lesterol-free, gluten-free and very low in sodium, yet they provide important France was the leader in the formal cultivation of edible mushrooms for cu-

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Continues pg. 46

health & science

MUSHROOMS | CONTINUED FROM PG. 44

nutrients like minerals including selenium and potassium (8 percent), B vitamins riboflavin and niacin, vitamin D and more. Mushrooms are also one of the few organisms known to produce a potent antioxidant compound called ergothioneine.

Of the 140,000 species of mushroom-forming fungi, science is familiar with only 10 percent, says world-renown mycologist Paul Stamets, who has written six books on the topic. About 100 species of mushrooms are currently being studied for their health-promoting benefits. Most knowledge about mushrooms and their effects comes from ancient Chinese medicine, where mushrooms are regarded as tonics. Tonics are considered to have non-specific beneficial effects across several systems of the body that have declined over time.

Mushrooms have also been praised for their medicinal properties thanks to their heavy dose of protein, potassium and polysaccharides, which contribute to healthy immune function, especially as an adjunct in cancer therapy. Selenium is a mineral that is not present in most fruits and vegetables but can be found in mushrooms. It plays a role in liver enzyme function, and helps detoxify some cancer-causing compounds in the body.

Selenium has also been found to improve immune response to infection by stimulating production of killer T-cells. A compound found in the cell walls of mushrooms stimulates the immune system to fight cancer cells and prevent tumors from forming.

These properties have attracted the interest of many pharmaceutical companies, which are viewing the medicinal mushroom as a rich source of innovative biomedical molecules.

Mushroom effects include acting as an antioxidant, antihypertensive and cholesterol-lowering properties, liver protection, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antiviral and antimicrobial properties.

Studies have shown that type 1 diabetics who consume high-fiber diets including mushrooms have

lower blood glucose levels and type 2 diabetics may have improved blood sugar, lipids and insulin levels. The fiber, potassium and vitamin C content in mushrooms all contribute to cardiovascular health.

Potassium and sodium work together in the body to help regulate blood pressure.

One dietary analysis found that mushroom consumption was associated with better diet quality and improved nutrition. Consuming a dried mushroom extract was found to be as effective as taking supplemental vitamin D2 or D3 for increasing vitamin D levels. The content of vitamin D is absent or low, however, unless mushrooms are exposed to sunlight or treated with artificial ultraviolet light.

Mushroom inclusion in the diet can be useful for weight management strategies. One study found that substituting red meat with white button mushrooms could enhance weight loss.

The test group ate one cup of mushrooms per day in place of meat while a control group ate a standard diet without mushrooms. At the end of the 12-month trial, the intervention group had lost an average of about seven pounds. There were also improvements in body composition, such as reduced waist circumference, and the ability to maintain their weight loss, as compared to the control group.

There are two primary types of mushroom preparations that are then rendered into a supplemental form. One preparation is the mushroom concentrates or extracts. Most of these are hot water extracts, where the mushroom — the fruiting body — is boiled for extended periods of time to extract the long chain polysaccharides. The result is a concentrate of complex sugars thought to be responsible for the many health benefits of the mushroom.

The other preparation is whole food or raw prepa-

Mushrooms contain some of the most unique and potent natural medicines on the planet.

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ration. Using a whole food mushroom (powdered pill) product is a better alternative if you’re looking to maintain optimal health, as they help maintain ideal function of your various systems as opposed to imparting a direct effect like the concentrates. In addition to valuable nutrients, whole mushrooms also provide healthful dietary fiber that acts as prebiotic platforms for the growth of probiotic organisms in the gut, which is very important for digestive health.

This is yet another reason to opt for a whole food mushroom product.

A great deal of the mystery surrounding mushrooms seems to stem from their association with poisonings and accidental deaths. Because they propagate through spores instead of by seeds, certain varieties are hard to grow commercially and can only be foraged in the wild. Accurate determination and proper identification of a species is the only safe way to ensure edibility, and the only safeguard against toxic poisoning. Some mushrooms that are edible for most people can cause allergic reactions in others. When eating any fungus for the first time, great care should be taken, and only small quantities should be consumed in case of individual allergies.

Deadly poisonous mushrooms that are frequently confused with edible mushrooms and responsible for many fatal poisonings include several species of the Amanita genus, in particular, Amanita phalloides, the death cap.

With all the health benefits of mushrooms, adding more to your diet may make sense. Mushrooms contain some of the most powerful natural medicines on the planet. Make sure they’re organically grown in order to avoid harmful contaminants that mushrooms absorb and concentrate from soil, air and water.

Avoid picking mushrooms in the wild unless you are absolutely sure you know what you are doing. For more information, such as classes, workshops, field trips and ID clinics, contact the Puget Sound Mycological Society at PSMS.org. Growing your own is an excellent option and a far safer alternative to

picking wild mushrooms.

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

4

SUPER EASY+ INEXPENSIVE WAYS TO INCREASE THE D0 OF YOUR MIXTURE

Try out these simple and cost-effective methods to ensure that your plants get as much dissolved oxygen (DO) as possible — avoiding nasty anaerobic bacterial blooms...

cally succeed contingent on your ability to monitor and control DO levels in your solution — I thought passing along some of the results and methods I have acquired along the years could compose this

BY ALASKA LEAF month’s Growtech. In it, I’ll review four methods I have used with SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR success to improve DO levels in my systems.

DR. SCANDERSON First and foremost, I am focusing on the methods that have Oxygen plays a vital role in a plant’s life. In addition to being a byniche application for water farmers like myself, but also apply to a product of photosynthesis, oxygen must be present in the root zone for variety of settings. The primary way that DO levels are imparted to the any nutrients to be absorbed. In fact, oxygen is required on the molecular nutrient mixture is through the correct application of high-output blowlevel to transmit nutrients across the cell wall into the roots. Plants, however, ers, air diffusers and water depth, all while keeping water temperatures in the do not take in oxygen molecules by breathing them into a vascular system as mid- to upper-60 degree Fahrenheit range. This requires some experience in we do, they absorb oxygen in a special form known as dissolved oxygen (DO). sourcing equipment, much of which is cost prohibitive to most. The designs Measured in parts per million, milligrams per liter or as a percentage of saturaand devices included in this article are where I have seen the highest amount tion, DO is an indication of the “health” of the water when measured in nature. of improvement for the lowest cost/effort and can be used in everything from Higher levels of DO result in thriving populations of marine and aquatic life, a complete oxygen source for a water culture grow to a simple way to increase but if levels drop below a critical point, anaerobic bacterial blooms and marine DO levels in the water you apply/irrigate your container plants with. plant and animal health rapidly declines.

Similarly in your garden, your plant’s ability to absorb nutrients and carry out 1. VENTURI AIR INJECTOR PART I (INTAKE) other biological functions will be limited or accelerated by the amount of DO available. Dissolved oxygen levels and how to effectively manipulate them is one An Italian physicist named Giovanni Battista Venturi is credited with disof those topics that is often happily relegated to the minority number of obscure covering what is now called the Venturi effect: a popular way to inject a solufarmers who insist on employing one of the few hydroponic growing techniques tion with any number of gasses as well as liquids in a passive, sometimes zero that traditionally is most concerned with DO levels in the nutrient solution. It electrical input fashion. The Venturi effect is the observed increase in fluid would seem that a complex formula of air pump pressure compared to water velocity and reduction in static pressure that results when a fluid passes from depth and volume (overhead pressure) compared with line size and air stone a large-flow path to a smaller one. This effect can be used in any circumstance diffusion rates would be required to find out what’s needed — and to get exact where there is a reasonable volume of water traveling through a pipe, such as dissolved oxygen levels, and for applications where precision is mandatory, this a pump, a watering hose, a connection column and the like. Without adding is true. However, for about $150, you can purchase a DO meter and measure any additional energy inputs, a Venturi air injector can be used in combination results through trial and error as well. Moreover, once you have a meter or the with existing water flow lines to increase DO levels in your solutions. The best correct formula to create a solution where high levels of DO are present, there is part is they are extremely easy to build and very low-cost to install even into a reasonably clear visual indication that accompanies near maximum saturated mixtures where no water is flowing through a pipe but increasing DO levels solutions that can also be helpful. would be beneficial.

Since I’m one of the obstinate few that largely uses one of those obscure If you have ever used most of the low-cost impeller-driven pumps that most hydroponic growing methods — where crops can catastrophically fail or radihydroponic and grow stores sell, chances are you already have one.

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IF DISSOLVED OXYGEN (DO) LEVELS DROP BELOW A CRITICAL POINT, ANAEROBIC BACTERIAL BLOOMS AND MARINE PLANT AND ANIMAL HEALTH RAPIDLY DECLINES. Take a look through all the little attachments that come with those pumps. Most are designed to accommodate various line diameters to connect the pump to. There’s one, however, that has no barbs and only fits the intake of the pump. It has a small hole on the side of it near the base as well. This can be used as a Venturi air injector.

Simply connect the attachment to the pump’s intake. Attach a 3/16-inch air line to the small hole on the side of the nozzle. Place the pump at the bottom of the solution that needs air injection. Be sure that the airline you attached to the spigot travels up and outside the solution so that the opening is freely exposed to the air, then turn on your pump.

A few things will begin to happen. First, if you are using any nutrients in the mixture, this method will begin to circulate them, balancing out the concentration of the solution. Secondly, the Venturi effect will be present when the pump pulls solution from the relatively large volume it’s submerged in into the diameter of the spigot at the intake. This will cause the velocity of the solution to rapidly increase as it enters the pipe of the spigot. The low static pressure is then taken advantage of through the hole with the airline attached. The lower static pressure that is pulling the solution at higher velocity also pulls air from the small hole made in the side of the spigot through the airline that now runs out from the bottom of the solution to open air that is injected into the solution and pushed out the pump’s output. You’ll see small bubbles start rising and be able to hear the air being pulled into the spigot at the opening of the airline.

Be mindful that if the pump is underpowered for the overhead pressure of the reservoir it’s in, the overhead pressure can limit the pump output velocity and eliminate the efficacy of the effect. In cases like this, a higher-powered pump or lower-height reservoir will be needed if you use this method. As such, it’s generally most effective in applications where a low reservoir is used (ebb and flow tables for instance) or anywhere where a very limited amount of overhead pressure is imparted to the pump (inline with a short output is an example).

2. FLUMING If you lower the water height enough, you’ll also begin to take advantage of another one of the most efficient ways to impart DO to your mixture: fluming. In

nature, oxygen is primarily absorbed in bodies of water through the very small region right at the water’s surface. When the pump begins to push water through the mixture to the top, at the proper power and surface height, the solution begins to slosh around a bit like a choppy day on Big Lake. If you overpower the pump, you’ll have a Yellowstone geyser on your hands, and that doesn’t help anyone. However, when the pump is just powerful enough to break the surface tension of the solution, you get a small jet of water creating wave ripples that then bounce off the side of the reservoir container and back on themselves very quickly, exposing a significantly larger area of water to the atmosphere where DO is absorbed. This simple technique is extremely powerful and efficient, especially when compared to using lower-powered air pumps with an airstone. Fluming can be used in applications where overhead pressure mitigates the Venturi air injection or as a stand-alone method to increasing DO levels in a solution.

3. VENTURI AIR INJECTOR PART II (OUTPUT)

Where intake can be limited by overhead pressure, a Venturi air injector can easily be constructed and applied at the pump’s output. All that is required is a pump and a few PVC parts readily available at any Lowe’s. At the pump’s output, simply decrease the size of the pipe it moves the water through and insert a spigot to interrupt the flow and pull air in to make an effective Venturi aerator.

For example, if the pump’s output moves the solution through a ¾-inch diameter pipe applying 90 degree elbows, reducing brushings followed by a ½-inch pipe followed by a T-fitting that is slip x slip x FNPT (female threaded on the single port) water moves from the ¾-inch pipe through the elbow and reduction brushings into a smaller-sized ½-inch pipe. This increases the velocity the water travels at, peaking speed near the T-fitting.

By inserting a ½-inch barbed spigot upside down that has been ground down (I use a Dremel) to look as appears in the picture, the higher-volume water will

again pull air from the notch carved out of the spigot and inject air into the solution.

If you are working with a pump powerful enough to move the solution up through the height of the reservoir it’s installed in, you can direct that solution back onto itself with another elbow fitting and you will be splashing your solution with freshly oxygen-injected solution and once again take advantage of fluming by breaking surface tension of the solution and increasing the surface area where oxygen exchange may take place.

4. NEEDLE WHEEL IMPELLER ASSEMBLY Last but certainly not least is a little improvement you can make to any impeller-driven pump for about $10-20. The impeller to your pump is designed to pull water in through the input and push it into the output. Borrowing technology from coral and exotic saltwater enthusiasts — who have the most masterful understanding of balancing oxygen and chemicals in a solution — you can try replacing your old impeller with a fractionalized needle wheel impeller: aka an impeller with slits in its blades.

These slits pull in a tremendous amount of air into the solution. These fittings are generally combined with an intake Venturi air injector assembly. This results in a solution that is super oxygenated and has that micro-bubbled, foamy look to it reserved only for solutions with the highest percentage of saturation.

Increasing the DO levels available to your plants can have a dramatic effect on improving plant health and vigor, speeding transition and decreasing stress as well as improving the plant’s natural ability to fend off pests and diseases.

I hope these methods can benefit your plants and your grows. As always, Happy Gardening!!!

Follow along

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BLACK BERRY KUSH BUDSHOT

PHOTOS by @BERMANPHOTOS

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WASHINGTON BUD CO. NIGHT VISION Co-owner Bill Wagenseller maximizes electrical amperage in his facilities by altering night time in two flowering rooms.

Got sweet garden/bud photos?

Share them with us and they might appear here next month! Email your top 2-3 not-taken-witha-phone-unless-they-were-superduper-steady high-resolution images to nwleaf@gmail.com along with the usual details on what’s being grown and who to credit (please see corner for the information to include with your email).

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OBAMA KUSH BAG APPEAL & SMOKE REPORT Bulbus knotted stacks of calyxs comprise these prized flowers. The deeply crusted exterior selfishly masks the smattering of colors that escape their crystallized prisons ever so often to reveal deep purples with bright orange hairs blasting through. The sparse flecks of green displayed on the exterior and multiplied upon opening serve almost only to provide the necessary contrast required for the other color values to appear fully saturated. A woodsy, current and sour red berry boldly wafts from the jar initially only to be quickly overtaken by the more complex earthy, coffee and hashy kush tones that comprise the terpentastic body for this medicine. In harmonic symphony, the flavors upon ingestion translate nearly identically, providing a sweet but gassy and delightfully berrylicious inhale, which is quickly consumed by the hashy, earthy, chocolate flavors that are still, almost surprisingly, ushered onto the palate with a gentle bouquet of sour, purple citrus delight.

EFFECTS

BY ALASKA LEAF SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR DR. SCANDERSON

BREEDER: CSI Humboldt, Inspecta GENETICS: Purps x Bubba Kush LINEAGE: The very special Bubba that CSI Humboldt has become known for made

a nearly flawless marriage when hit the Mendocino Purps clone. Mendocino Purps has been a longtime coveted clone of several Emerald Triangle farmers that gained popular market awareness when she started smashing High Times cups in ‘07 and again in ‘09.

Inspecta created the Mendocino Purple Kush by combining her with his reversed Bubba Stud and Tigard Farms selected this particular pheno and dubbed it the Obama Kush.

Since then it has gained much popularity in the Northwest for it’s shocking bag appeal, lip-smacking terps and heavy pain-relieving effects.

HOW IT GROWS The Obama performs more like her Bubba parent in veG. Slower than some to root, she eases into veg, deliberately setting up tightly spaced nodes and broad indica leaves. Responding very well to even to the most gentle training techniques, tucking, bending or otherwise repositioning the uppermost water leaves will allow for a more even base structure to establish. A mild but noticeable stretch imparts some of the most symmetrical and evenly spaced flower sites, boasting her sculpted structure and ease of growth features Bubba is so well-known for. Taking the already beautiful compact bud structure from the Bubba dad, the Purps adds only a bit of much-needed internodal spacing, allowing for better airflow and disease prevention and frost, frost and some more frost. Exploding with brightly colored arrays of purples, reds and near black leaves during mid to late bloom, she’s as photogenic as they come.

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Flowers in 53-60 days

Combining these two parents — both who have garnered

reputations in the heavy indica category, becoming known for their sedative, pain-relieving qualities, the result with the Obama Kush, especially when run to the longer end of her flower window — is a deeply narcotic smoke that provides nearly immediate relaxation and decompression. With flavors like these, smaller portions simply isn’t on the table, which leaves me in a highly contemplative state where my thoughts move comfortingly slow and every step taken away from a comfortable location is a step in the wrong direction.

A woodsy, current and sour red berry boldly wafts from the jar only to be quickly overtaken by the more complex earthy, coffee and hashy kush tones.

SUMMARY Obama Kush is a very special selection from an already outstanding breeding project. Partaking in the medicine this plant produces is a privilege that is matched only by the opportunity to grow her. Unlike so many of the cuts that are often tightly held among the groups they circulate through, CSI still makes Mendocino Purple Kush, allowing anyone with an interest to scoop up a pack and make their own selection of this exciting cultivar.