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February 2014 Issue #44
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contents
februARY 2014
32
36
54
8 Questions PROFILE
28
I n th e m ost ly ca sh -on ly world of mari juana, the hardest part of the job can be tracking the dollar.
Enter Todd Arkley, a Seattle-based accountant who is helping those in the industry keep on a steady, stable path. But there’s more to running a business than paying taxes, and not following the rules could have consequences.
46
Colorado Experience
The Parent Trap
56
Tasty Reviews
32
Tacoma Takeover
70
Grow Shop Reviews
36
Rain City Medical
78
Behind The Strain
16
The worst bills to date
20
40
Legislature has much to consider
Attorney cuts through the haze The Joint moves into storied digs
Finding 24-hr service & top-shelf meds
20
Tyler J. Markwart spends a week away
Clarified Butter, Gluten-free Brownies
Exploring some of Seattle’s options Burgundy has a smell like none other
Northwest News...............10 bill to support?...............16 parents need2know.........20 8 questions........................28 Colorado trip.........................46 tasty recipes.........................54 concentrates................58 micro strains........................62 on chamomile........................66 grow shop reviews..............70 behind the strain..................78
COver art by Joshua Boulet for Northwest Leaf CONTENTS PHOTOs by Daniel Berman/Northwest Leaf
contents t h e b ills to know and avoid Patients have already seen their rights and freedoms reduced in many ways under Initiative 502, but new legislation threatens to put medical Cannabis further under the knife. It’s up to all of us to stand up for our rights and demand that we have the right to grow, to possess, to be secure in our jobs and our homes and in our familial life. If you feel strongly like we do that we need our rights, please contact your legislators and representatives. Handy guides are on the state’s website, www.leg.wa.gov. The work isn’t going to be easy. But the alternatives to medical Cannabis as we know it — accessible, protected, safe, tested and consistent —are far too dire to consider. Photo by Daniel Berman
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NORTHWEST LEAF
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editor’s note Thank you for checking out the 44th issue of northwest leaf! This month’s cover depicts the classic
“Schoolhouse Rock” episode “I’m Just a Bill” just a little bit differently than the original version. The rendition was done by Joshua Boulet, a freelance artistic creator for NW Leaf, and it represents all that is wrong with marijuana policy in Washington state. The gleaming smirk, the casual assurance that the state will win in all its endeavors -- it could be the end of MMJ. Our Legislature has repeatedly ignored attempts from patients to protect RCW 69.51a, and a record 25 bills are pending at the time of printing this magazine regarding MMJ. Most bills seek to end or regulate Cannabis to the brink of destruction. What makes our medicine such a controversial issue? Greed. Our Legislature is mired in debt due to mismanagement of funds, and they think that recreational Cannabis is the key to their financial woes. Their agenda is to eliminate medical patients, force them into the recreational market and tax the pot at the highest level possible. I have a news flash for the Liquor Control Board. People and patients will not spend $400plus just to have an ounce be “legal.” They will go to the black market, and the black market
will continue to thrive and undermine any “regulatory changes” they hope to make. It will not succeed, and will cause the sick and needy patients of Washington to turn to illegal drug dealers to find a compassionate price for their medication. Is this progress? Sending patients to get medicine on the black market? Is this compassionate? To declare patients who grow their own medicine criminals? Not at all. What is untenable about Washington’s MMJ law in comparison to Colorado’s, which allows any citizen over 21 to grow six plants? Nothing. Why should sick and dying patients in Washington have to fight to retain the same rights as any adult in Colorado? Greed. If you’re reading this magazine, please call your district’s legislators and tell them to stand up for medical patients! Our MMJ industry is the strongest in the nation, with the best medicine and fairest prices, all because it has focused on patients’ needs! The legacy of Cannabis legalization should come with healthy people, and healthy growth, not a greedy war on tax and the poor. Please keep supporting medical Cannabis and the freedom of patients guaranteed by RCW 69.51a.
february 2014
Contact Northwest Leaf editor Wes Abney
to discuss advertising or displaying our magazine in a new location. We want to hear from you! Feel free to send submissions, share news tips, your take on a story or one we should hear.
Phone 206-235-6721 Email nwleaf@gmail.com
founder & editor-in-chief
Wes Abney photographer & designer
Daniel Berman
the truth about the plant you thought you knew, IN every issue.
contributors Steve elliott kirk ericson M.H. Greenberg J&M Photography tyler j. markwart bob montoya Dr. Scanderson dr. Scott D. rOSE
Department of Corrections
A clone photo by Daniel Berman in Dr. Scanderson’s Jan. 2014 article was not identified by mistake. It is from The Solution in North Seattle.
feb. 2014 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
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Steve Elliott is the editor behind tokesignals.com, an independent blog of Cannabis news and opinion
PETE SOUZA/THE WHITE HOUSE
northwest
Pot no more dangerous
than alcohol, Obama says President announces support for “important” drug reform
IN
an interview with the New Yorker magazine another broken the law and only a select few get published in the Jan. 27 issue, President punished,” Obama said. Barack Obama spoke about his past drug Obama’s interview is generating national news use, said marijuana was no more dangerous than and applauding by drug policy reform advocates. alcohol, talked about racial disparities in marijuana “What is most important about President arrests and said the new laws legalizing marijuana Obama’s comments is that he called the new laws in Colorado and Washington are “important.” in Colorado and Washington ‘important,’ ” said In the story, written by New Yorker editor David Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Remnick, Obama discussed Cannabis and the war Policy Alliance. “This really puts the wind in the on drugs. sails of the movement to end marijuana prohibi“As has been well-documented, I smoked pot as tion both around the country and abroad. a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not “It will undoubtedly open the door for other very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as elected officials in the United States and around a young person up through a big chunk of my adult the world to say the same, and to move forward life. I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcowith ending marijuana prohibition in their own hol,” Obama told Remnick. states and countries,” Nadelmann said. The president expressed concern about disparMarijuana is classified by the federal Drug Enities in arrests for marijuana possession. “Midforcement Administration as a Schedule I condle-class kids don’t get locked up for smoking pot, trolled substance, which the DEA considers “the and poor kids do,” Obama said, adding that indimost dangerous class of drugs with a high potenvidual users shouldn’t be locked up tial for abuse and potentially severe “for long stretches of jail time.” psychological and/or physical depenI smoked pot as a kid, and I In the interview, Obama later said dence.” Other Schedule I drugs inview it as a bad habit and a that he believes these new drug laws clude heroin, Ecstasy and LSD. vice, not very different from are “important.” That means that yes, inexplicably, the cigarettes that I smoked... “It’s important for it to go forward cocaine and methamphetamine, both I don’t think it is more because it’s important for society not Schedule II drugs, are still considdangerous than alchol, to have a situation in which a large ered less dangerous than marijuana Obama told the New Yorker. portion of people have at one time or by the federal government.
10/feb. 2014 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
WA Attorney General Says Cities Can Block Marijuana Businesses
w
ashington’s anemic marijuana legalization law is looking weaker by the minute. Now it appears much of the state won’t even have local access to Cannabis -- Attorney General Bob Ferguson has announced cities and counties can block licensed, legal marijuana businesses from operating. Just how much of the state will have actual marijuana stores remains an open question after Attorney General Ferguson issued the long-awaited opinion Jan. 16. Ferguson said Initiative 502, the limited legalization measure approved by state voters in 2012, allows local governments to ban retail marijuana shops, grow operations and processing facilities from their jurisdictions, according to the Associated Press. The opinion was requested by the Washington State Liquor Control Board, which was put in charge of implementing marijuana legalization by I-502. The LCB is concerned that such local bans could severely restrict access to legal marijuana, making it difficult to move people from the black market. Several localities, including Several localities, including unincorporated unincorporated Pierce County, Pierce County, Lakewood and Wenatchee, Lakewood and have already enacted bans Wenatchee, alall Cannabis businesses, ready have enafter noting that pot remains acted bans on federally illegal at this time. Cannabis businesses. These jurisdictions have local ordinances requiring businesses to “follow state, federal and local law,” and of course marijuana remains an illegal, Schedule I controlled substance under U.S. federal law. Nearly half of Washington’s biggest cities, including Redmond and Pullman, have adopted moratoriums of up to a year on Cannabis businesses.
Quick Hits! Marijuana legalization coming to New Jersey?
N
nouncement as a measure long overdue. ew Jersey state Democratic Sen. Nicholas P. “Tragically, although statistics show that Scutari announced plans Jan. 24 to introduce people of all races consume marijuana at the a bill to legalize marijuana. same rates, people of color overwhelmingly Details of the proposal are pending but the sensuffer the criminal consequences,” said Udi ator envisions an industry that taxes and regulates Ofer, executive director of the American Civmarijuana like alcohol. il Liberties Union of New Jersey. A 2013 poll by Lake Research Partners found “In New Jersey, African-Americans are that 59 percent of New Jersey voters support learrested for marijuana possession in grossly galizing, taxing and regulating marijuana. Recent disproportionate numbers, especially those national polls show similar support. living in socially and economically marginalNew Jersey’s current marijuana policies are ized communities. The time has come to tax, widely recognized as broken. “Anybody that looks regulate and legalize marijuana for personal at the facts knows that the war on marijuana has use.” been a miserable failure,’’ Scutari said. “We spend In New Jersey, once a person is convictbillions of dollars on enforcement … this [pointed of even a minor possession offense, she is ing to the Colorado model] is the direction that subject to a system of legal discrimination the state should go in.” that makes it difficult or impossible to secure New Jersey’s current marijuana laws are unfair, housing, employment, public assistance, fedunpopular and wasteful, according to the Drug eral student aid for higher eduPolicy Alliance. “More than 22,000 cation and even a basic driver’s individuals were arrested for mariA 2013 poll found that license. juana possession in New Jersey in 59% of New Jersey voters Even without a conviction, 2010,” said Roseanne Scotti, New support legalizing, taxing the collateral consequences of a Jersey state director of the DPA. and regulating marijuana. arrest can include immeasurable “This is a waste of law enforceNational polls show similar stigma and humiliation, the unment resources and taxpayer monsupport, and expanded manageable financial burden of ey,” Scotti said. “And a marijuana support for medical usages. posting bail and hiring a lawyer, conviction can have tragic longand lost hours at work or school. term consequences for individuals. A national shift on drug policies is underPeople may lose jobs or be unable to secure emway. Earlier this year, Attorney General Eric ployment because of a record. Holder noted that the war on drugs has re“Students who incur a marijuana conviction sulted in “the decimation of certain commucan lose their student loans,” Scotti said. “The punnities, in particular of communities of color.” ishment doesn’t fit the offense and New Jerseyans The Obama administration has given the agree we should remove penalties and instead tax green light to states to implement pot law and regulate marijuana.” reforms without fear of federal interference. Advocates are applauding the senator’s an-
17 1839
Number of medications that Jill Osborn’s daughter, Haley, 7, is taking for seizures, while hoping access to medical Cannabis tinctures will help her epilepsy.
The year that British Army doctor William O’Shaughnessy, who was stationed in India, treated an infant suffering from seizures with the use of Cannabis tincture, which, history says, was prepared locally by residents already familiar with the medicine’s power.
35 20 41 350 118 19
Number of medical Cannabis dispensary licenses set to be award in Massachusetts later this year, after more than a year of hard-fought legal challenges.
Percentage of Washingtonians living in a city or county that has a ban on I-502 recreational Cannabis. See story on left page for more info.
Number of thousands of pounds of Cannabis that were destroyed in the early 1950s when a buzzkill named John. E. Gleason formed the “White Wing Squad” to confiscate and destroy the plant where ever it grew. Number of pounds of marijuana seizured by authorities in Chicago last month, the haul is worth an estimated $1 million, police said.
Number of thousands of patients in the Michigan medical marijuana program, currently, with a full 70% of them qualifying for the program because they have been diagnosed as having “severe and chronic pain.” Number of states plus the District of Columbia that have instituted or are in the process of implementing a medical marijuana program for its residents.
Quoted
‘‘
“We’re desperate to help our daughter, and running into obstacles at every turn. We don’t think we should have to uproot our medically fragile child and our whole support team to go there. We shouldn’t be limited because of geography.” - Boston mother Jill Osborn wants to begin medical marijuana treatments for her daughter, Haley, 7, who suffers severe and unrelenting seizures. But a year after Massachusetts approved MMJ, access has yet to open up to the public. Osborn is weighing a move to Colorado to get the medicine Haley so needs.
northwest
Steve Elliott is the editor behind tokesignals.com, an independent blog of Cannabis news and opinion
Freaked-Out DEA Chief Gets Choked Up Admits Marijuana Legalization ‘Scares Us’
Good news, Floridians
MMJ Backers Say They Have Enough Signatures
S
upporters of a medical marijuana initiative in Florida announced they have collected enough signatures to qualify for the 2014 ballot. Campaign manager Ben Pollara of United For Care, which is sponsoring a constitutional amendment to legalize medicinal Cannabis in Florida, sent an email to supporters that the group has collected more than 1.1 million signatures. Organizers face a Feb. 1 deadline to turn in 683,189 valid voter signatures in order to qualify. Election supervisors have already certified nearly 458,000 signatures. “Literally thousands of volunteers contributed their time, collecting petitions in the rain and heat, on their weekends and holidays,” Pollara said. The Florida Supreme Court must approve the language that will go on the ballot. Attorney General Pam Bondi is challenging the wording, claiming voters will be misled into approving widespread use of marijuana. The court has until April to make its ruling on whether the ballot summary is misleading. Citizen initiatives are limited to 75 word summaries; the medical marijuana initiative’s ballot summary has 74 words. If the court approves the wording, the measure would need 60 percent of the vote, rather than a simple majority. Florida law requires that constitutional amendments get 60 percent. Pollara called on supporters to “shift this now into campaign mode” and asked people to donate or volunteer to “educate the millions of Florida voters who will hopefully be allowed to have a choice in November.”
12/feb. 2014 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
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he Drug Enforcement Administration’s chief of operations gave some freaked-out, emotional testimony at a Senate hearing Jan. 15, admitting that marijuana legalization “scares us.” “I have to say this ... going down the path to legalization in this country is reckless and irresponsible,” James L. Capra said. “I’m talking about the longterm impact of legalization in the United States. It scares us.” “Every part of the world where this has been tried, it has failed time and time again,” Capra lied. (Cannabis legalization hasn’t “been tried” anywhere since the Single Convention Treaty on Narcotic Drugs in 1961.) “The idea somehow ... that this is somehow good for us as a nation, that this is good for the next generation coming up is wrong,” Capra sputtered. “It’s a bad thing, and this body will get its door knocked on 10 years from now and say, ‘How did we get where we got?’ ” Capra said that when he attended an international “drug control“ conference in Moscow, foreign officials wanted to know why the U.S. was scaling back its war on weed. “Almost everyone looked at us and said: ‘Why are you doing this, you’re pointing a finger at us as a source state,” Capra claimed. “I have no answer for them,” he intoned dramatically. “I don’t have an answer for them.” The chief of operations said DEA agents watched the early days of legal marijuana sales in Colorado with dismay (that almost makes me want to re-watch the footage so I can enjoy it again). Apologizing for his “excitement,” (maybe he had too many cups of coffee that morning), Capra insisted marijuana legalization was a “bad, bad experiment” for the United States. dea cHIEF jAMES cAPRA “It’s going to cost us in terms of social costs,” the inarticulate chief stammered. Evidently moved by INSISTS THAT MARIJUANA his own testimony, Capra got theatrically choked LEGALIZATION WAS A BAD up as he described how people think federal drug EXPERIMENT FOR THE U.S., agents are concerned with small marijuana possesHAILING IT AS RECKLESS sion cases. He claimed the DEA is only concerned AND IRRESPONSIBLE. with drug traffickers. “I’ve never arrested an addict,” he claimed, again apologizing for his “excitement.” A deeply clueless California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein then said she agreed with Capra because marijuana is a “gateway drug.” It’s disquieting to know the senator from California is just as dumb about weed as the DEA’s chief of operations. Photos by Flickr/Tom Gill & Courtesy Zoomio.com
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Steve Elliott is the editor behind tokesignals.com, an independent blog of Cannabis news and opinion
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: ‘Marijuana Has Medical Value’
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he U.S. federal government’s classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug with no medical uses took another hit when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, said cities in his state of Nevada should move toward making medicinal Cannabis available. “If you’d asked me this question a dozen years ago, it would have been easy to answer -- I would have said ‘no,’ because (marijuana) leads to other stuff,” Reid told the Las Vegas Sun. “But I can’t say that anymore.” “I think we need to take a real close look at this,” the Senate majority leader said. “I think that there’s some medical reasons for marijuana.” Reid, who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon church), “is not one who normally rushes to embrace controversial substances,” Karoun Demirjian of the Las Vegas Sun drily noted. “Majority Leader Reid is right -- marijuana has medical value and too
much time and law enforcement resources are wasted arresting people for marijuana,” said Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance. When asked about legalizing marijuana and regulating it like alcohol, which Colorado and Washington voters have already done, Reid stopped short of endorsing total marijuana legalization, saying “I don’t know about that; I just think we need to look at the medical aspects of it. “I guarantee you one thing. We waste a lot of time and law enforcement going after these guys that are smoking marijuana.”
“If you’d asked me this question a dozen years ago, it would have been easy to answer -- I would have said ‘no,’ because (marijuana) leads to other stuff,” Reid told the Las Vegas Sun. “But I can’t say that anymore.”
14/feb. 2014 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
Michigan Medical Marijuana Patients, Caregivers Decline In 2013
cording to Oakland CounDespite the reduced num- patient and 12 plants per paty Undersheriff Mike Mctient. bers, Michigan took in Cabe. “I think that all of New laws and a major nearly $1 million more the court decisions that Michigan Supreme Court in licensing fees in 2013, decision took effect in 2013. have come out have had a getting $10.89 million, huge effect on that,” McThe high court in FebruCabe said. “The courts ary ruled that retail sales of he number of medical marijuana caregivers in while the cost of the proclarified a lot of that.” medical Cannabis are legal, Michigan dropped by nearly half in 2013 as new gram rose to $4 million. “I’m not an expert on but that the state’s medical laws regulating the industry took effect, and court this but I would attribute a lot of it to all the marijuana law doesn’t provide for disrulings and prosecutions curtailed the operations of Cannacourt rulings on dispensaries and who can be a pensaries. Until the ruling, storefront bis outlets. The number of registered patients fell, too. caregiver and who can’t be a caregiver.” marijuana dispensaries had been openThe number of licensed caregivers fell from 50,188 to “It’s much more restrictive as to who can ing in many parts of the state. 27,046 in fiscal 2013, according to a report in The Oakland be a caregiver and who can’t be,” McCabe said. Changes in state law in 2013 includPress. The number of registered patients fell from 124,131 “They’ve more strictly defined what is allowable ed a requirement that medical marijuana in 2012 to 118,368 in 2013, a drop of just under 5 percent. and what isn’t allowable.” be inaccessible to the driver when being Despite the reduced numbers, Michigan “It’s much more restricVoters approved medical transported; a requirement that doctors took in nearly $1 million more in licensing marijuana in 2008 with a lopperform a “complete assessment” of a tive as to who can be a fees in 2013, getting $10.89 million comsided 63 percent support. Papatient before authorizing marijuana. pared to $9.9 million in 2012, according to caregiver and who can’t The laws will also be changing the the Michigan Legislature. The cost of the be,” McCabe said. “They’ve tients pay a $100 fee to register for the program. Approved renewal period from every year to every program also rose, from $3.6 million in more strictly defined what caregivers are allowed up to five two years; and requiring proof of resi2012 to $4 million in 2013. dency before one can obtain a medical Court decisions probably had the most is allowable and what isn’t patients, and they can possess up to 2 ounces of marijuana per marijuana card. allowable.” effect on medical marijuana numbers, ac-
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feb. 2014 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
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OPINION
By northwest leaf staff | pHOTO by daniel BERMAN
FIGHTING BACK It’s up to all of us to stand up for the rights we have held for more than a decade and a half
A
sk Not What Your Country Can Do For You” was the theme of But it gets better (or worse if you are a patient). Our Legislators are John F Kennedy’s inaugural speech on January 20, 1961, where claiming that a Federal response calling our MMJ system untenable is he implored American citizens to to do whatever they could to proof that it needs to be scrapped. This is not the response of a system help the country grow. While that might have made sense in the that cares to protect the rights of the sick and needy that were voted into 60’s, for todays MMJ patients that is akin to an insult. The queslaw in 1998! tion is “Why hasn’t our Legislature and Government stood up for us?” Un·ten·a·ble (adjective) Medical Cannabis patients have been pushed to the fringe by our Federal Government since 1996, with many still 1. (esp. of a position or view) not able to serving time in Federal prisons for offenses that were be maintained or defended against attack Can it be any more clear than that? considered legal under state law. Now in Washingor objection. The State wants to push out independent, ton, forces behind I-502 are pushing for a similarly What is so untenable about Washington diastrous fate for medical marijuana as we know it. State’s MMJ law in comparison to Coloprivate producers of medicine and swap The writer of I-502, Alison Holcomb, said rerado’s, which allows any citizen over 21 to them for highly taxed retail outlets cently that “The availability of I-502 retail stores will grow six plants? Why should sick and dythat are forbidden from mentioning accommodate the needs of most patients... Patients ing patients in WA have to fight to get the who choose to purchase, rather than produce, their same rights as -any- adult in Colorado? medicinal or therapeutic benefits of medicine will have greater assurance of quality and The truth is that patients shouldn’t have Cannabis. How’s that for medicine? safety than is available to them under the current to give up their rights! Colorado has provunregulated patchwork of commercial collective garen that the Federal Government will allow dens. Given these conditions, it makes little sense to create a parallel syspersonal home-growing of recreational Cannabis, and full retail systems tem of production and distribution and incur duplicative administrative for both medical and recreational use. and enforcement expenses.” The time has come to stand up and fight for our rights! Can it be any more clear than that? The State wants to push out indeWe need to truly concentrate and focus on legislation that protects pendent, private producers of medicine and swap them for highly taxed our current rights, and sets up a framework for future patients and acretail outlets that are forbidden from mentioning medicinal or therapeucess points. Please contact your local representative, and especially the tic benefits of Cannabis. How’s that for medicine? members listed below! We have come too far to give up our rights now.
Please contact Senate Commerce & Labor Committee Members below and tell them (respectfully) no changes to RCW 69.51a in 2014! No registry, no taxation, NO LCB for patients! Committee Members:
Janéa Holmquist Newbry (R) Chair (360) 786-7624 John Braun (R) Vice Chair (360) 786-7638 Steve Conway (D) (360) 786-7656 Bob Hasegawa (D) (360) 786-7616 Mike Hewitt (R) (360) 786-7630 Curtis King (R) (360) 786-7626 Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D) (360) 786-7670
16/feb. 2014 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
By Steve Sarich | Cannabis Action Coalition
Dear Legislators, It’s time to end the black market.
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s you’re probably aware, the medical cannabis community is extremely upset with the legislature’s rush to force medical cannabis patients into the I-502 system, effectively ending the current medical cannabis system in the State of Washington. We believe that the assumptions from the LCB and the Marijuana Work Group, that these current bills are attempting implement are severely flawed and will lead to unintended consequences that will dangerously impact the lives and health of patients. One of the most critically incorrect assumption was that the I-502 stores will be able to supply the medicinal needs of patients and eliminate the need for the current system of medical access points, collective gardens and home gardens. -The State Attorney General has recently concluded that cities and counties have the legal right to enact moratoriums and bans on I-502 businesses. With over 80 cities and counties already enforcing moratoriums banning these establishments, 85%-90% of the state will not be providing access to medication for patients. A court challenge to settle this issue could easily take two years or longer, leaving patients with no alternatives but to violate existing state law or to purchase their medication from the black market. -The Liquor Control Board has already stated that several medications currently used by patients to treat serious medical conditions like cancer and seizure disorders will not be
available in the recreational marijuana stores. Under the proposed legislation, patients will be forced to illegally manufacture their own medication or purchase it from those willing to violate the state law to provide it to them. -The current price of medication in Washington is approximately $180-$225 per ounce. We have recently seen the price of medication in Colorado rise to $500 an ounce with only a 15% excise tax. This is more than twice the price of medical cannabis here in Washington. With the new excise taxes on recreational cannabis in the I-502 stores at 35%-60% higher than those of Colorado, prices here could easily top $700 per ounce. That’s more than 3 times the price patients are currently paying for their medication. This will give patients no choice but to go back to the black market or go without medication. -Current survey data indicates that 45% of the medical cannabis patients in Washington live below the poverty line. Many of these patients rely on the generosity of collective gardens for free, or low cost, medications that will no longer be available under the I-502 system. The medicine these patients rely on is not covered by any health insurance and there is no provision in any of the new proposed legislation that would provide for these most vulnerable patients. The recommendations made by the Liquor Control Board and Marijuana Work Group concern critical medical issues affecting a doctor’s practice of medicine, the amount of med-
The current price of medication in Washington is approximately $180-$225 per ounce. We have recently seen the price of medication in Colorado rise to $500 an ounce with only a 15% excise tax. Washington’s legal marijuana is taxed 35-60% higher than in colorado, leaving us with prices of up to $700 per ounce.
ication a patient is legally allowed to possess, and the number of plants a patient is allowed to grow for themselves. These were admittedly made without the consultation of a single medical professional. The only member of the Department of Health participating in this Work Group was Kristi Weeks, a Department of Health attorney. The Work Group also recommended that the legal amount of medication for patients be reduced by 83% and reduce the number of flowering plants by 80%. Ms. Weeks testified before an LCB hearing in front of 600 patients and admitted that this decision was made “very unscientifically”. This overturns a 2008 recommendation that was made through a hearing process that considered scientific and medical studies, along with the testimony of numerous medical professionals. Agency bureaucrats, attorneys and lobbyists should not be making medical decisions or interfering with the doctor/patient relationship. When the legislature follows these recommendations, without any apparent consideration for the health and welfare of patients, or the doctors that treat them, there should be little doubt why medical cannabis patients are angry with our elected officials. We hope that you will reconsider this rush to legislate and have the compassion to put our medical concerns above your desire for increased tax revenues.
~Steve Sarich
feb. 2014 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
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the parent trap
At t orne y adam ballo u t SAYS PARENTS WHO USE MEDICAL CANNABIS are entitled to all of the same rights as everyone else under the law. bUT DO THE COURTS?
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By Wes Abney Photo by Daniel Berman
legal strategy Ballout founded ABC Law Group in Everett in 2011.
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“Family law recognizes environment above all,” he said. “Do not make it easy for them. Keep your medicine out of reach of children, and make sure that you respect it, and that it isn’t affecting parenting. Mentally you should always be prepared to think ‘What if I had to give a walk-through today?’ There shouldn’t be a bong in the living room, or plants growing and smelling in a way that affects children in the house.” Since I-502 passed in Washington, many people have the misconception that Cannabis is legal. By definition, legal use would imply no penalties exist for possession or use of the plant. Employers can still fire people for smoking or testing positive (that goes for patients, too), while police can issue DUIs for smoking hours before driving, and Child Protective Services can open an investigation into a family for the smallest of allegations. “Everyone in the system is feeling out the transition around Cannabis,” Ballout said. “When you have a typical case there can be a police officer involved, a CPS worker, a judge ... those are a lot of different viewpoints. Even within different departments of DSHS, or different police officers can apply different standards to a situation. Be careful when someone gets involved -- it can be a foot in the door to bigger problems.” Here in Washington, Northwest Leaf has followed several parents who have become embroiled in a CPS investigation. Often a tip is called in by a family friend, relative or a school employee. Any school employee is considered a “mandatory reporter,” meaning if they suspect any type of abuse or drug abuse in a child’s family, they must report it.
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A family should be prepared for emergencies. They should have fire escape plans, earthquake supplies, an emergency kit for a car accident and, yes, a plan for Child Protective Services involvement in their choice of medication.
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The parent trap
While that last checkpoint might not be on every family’s radar, if you are a MMJ patient in Washington and you have children, it should be at the top of your list. Prepare for battle before it happens because medical Cannabis patients nationwide are encountering a new warrior: The courtroom. For Everett family law attorney Adam Ballout, the courtroom is often the final stop. All options are usually exhausted, he said, before a client finds themselves facing a judge. Often the tables are slanted against a client in court — forcing a defensive position to save whatever rights or privileges are on the line. Ballout’s practice works to avoid those circumstances, opting instead to prepare clients to anticipate the legal hurdles that are sure to come and lend parents a fighting chance. “I went to law school because I always wanted to deal with families. I was raised by a single father, and I think that experience made me want to help people dealing with crisis,” explained Ballout, a 2007 graduate of Seattle University. He started his Everett-based firm, ABC Law Group, three years ago this February, and quickly jumped into family law. Now he tracks policy changes surrounding Cannabis to stay informed and proactive. “Almost immediately, I started dealing with Cannabis issues in court, but I’ve been able to see the transition from it [Cannabis] being treated in the same category as meth to where now I have clients able to grow and distribute safely,” he said. “I’ve had over 200 cases that dealt with Cannabis.” The key to avoiding problems is preparation and being respectful of Cannabis’ legal position.
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access
‘‘
Above all, Ballout encourages any parent dealing with an investigation or surprise knock and talk to control their emotions and be respectful.
‘‘
Mentally you should always be prepared to think
‘What if I had to give a walk-through today?’
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There shouldn’t be a bong in the living room, or plants growing and smelling in a way that affects children in the house.
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Remember your constitutional rights: Nobody can enter your home w/o permission or warrant. Do not take a decision to let law enforcement/CPS into your home lightly. Anything they observe or photograph can be used without context, subjectively and possibly hurt your case. Try to get the reason they are there. This is an arena where false accusations can be used as weapons.
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-Attorney Adam Ballout
What to do during a “knock and talk”
This can range from a comment about drugs to a student showing up at school smelling of pot, which happens more often than people realize. Odor can be a huge factor, especially for families that cultivate their own medicine. It all circles back to the basic idea of taking care of your medicine, and your family. “If you aren’t treating your medicine with respect, then the courts won’t either,” Ballout said. “This goes for having your authorization and medicine in a secure location, not openly used or smelled in front of children. One judge in a ruling compared marijuana use to dialysis, an intensive treatment for certain diseases.” Above all, Ballout encourages any parent dealing with an investigation or a surprise knock and talk to control their emotions and be respectful. “When you get into a situation, emotions will
run high, and your natural instinct is going to be defensive. Parents get defensive about their children, and rightfully so.” he explained. “But especially when it is family-related, you cannot afford to come across defensive and make things worse before it gets better.” Even as changes occur in Washington and across the country, Canna-parents need to use caution, common sense and adopt a risk-averse attitude. “Remember when dealing with CPS or the state, we are in a whole new frontier. So don’t combine an environment with a family that might be questionable, even if things are going great. Use common sense,” Ballout said. “It is very seldom that you will find someone using MMJ where that is the only factor of legal trouble. It is usually a combination of other factors that can be avoided.”
Know that everything you say is either being recorded or taken down in notes, and they can take pictures. Contact an attorney immediately and set up a future meeting in a neutral environment.
BEst practices TO preventing visits Ensure that you’re monitoring your online presence and be careful what you’re posting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other sites. It’s all fun until your Facebook album becomes exhibit A in court. Make sure you really know the people you’re adding as friends, and think before you post. Plan & prepare for maintaining medicine in a safe/secure place. Have a plan if a visit happens. Do not tell your kids not to talk to authorities. This often backfires and can compromise a case. Don’t transport your kids after you consume MMJ. If you have previous DUI’s, this will obviously be viewed in an unfavorable light. Have friends and family -- without criminal backgrounds -- who can provide emergency care. Keep all your medical paperwork in order, and follow the letter of the law. No exceptions.
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28/feb. 2014 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
Marijuana businesses can look to Arkley for insight on the proper taxes to pay, the right structure for employees and how to stay afloat long term.
PROFILE
Questions for the MONEY guy todd ARKLEY
on why pot businesses need CPAs like him BY TYLER J. MARKWART FOR NORTHWEST LEAF Photo by Daniel Berman
#1 what led to cannabusiness accounting? I started working at a law firm in 2003 doing its accounting, and over time I moved up. In 2009, I became firm administrator of another law firm. I decided to resign last year, with the point of staying in accounting and finance, but also to figure out whom I could help succeed ‌ One morning I woke up and I thought about all the marijuana collectives and all the new stuff with I-502 that will be operating and the needs they will have, and I instantly got excited. I took a class through the Washington State Society of CPAs about taxation of marijuana businesses and then started going to and following everything Cannabis-related. Now I am running my own private practice (arkleyaccounting.com) working with a variety of businesses, including specializing in businesses that operate within and around the Cannabis industry.
#2 Talk a little about 280e and its impact on people and businesses revolving around pot?
As an accountant, as somebody who feels like I am the steward of your money, it gives me an ulcer to think about dealing with only cash ... you could be walking to your car with all your cash and the wind blows a few 100s away and you have to explain to your boss that you didn’t actually steal the money.
IRC 280E prohibits anyone trafficking in a Schedule 1 controlled substance – such as Cannabis – from deducting “ordinary and necessary” business expenses on their federal tax return. The IRS says they want you to run your business clean and above board with no criminal activity, but they put in all these roadblocks like 280E on the federal tax return and restrict banks from not providing loans and basic banking services, which frankly encourages criminal activity.
#3 What can businesses do to make their accounting easier? As an accountant, I want to know where every penny is. In some situations, people don’t have any of their records ready until they go to file their taxes, so it becomes even more of an expense because they have to hire a CPA to recreate their books. What I do for companies is get them to keep up with their records from month to month so when it’s time to file their federal tax return, they’re not panicking and trying to make up an entire year’s worth of records. I’ve seen that in some companies and that always just blows me away …
#6. could washington have its own banking system? There is a bill in the state legislature to create a state banking system, but I don’t think it has really moved very far along. Even with a state banking system, they have to go through certain aspects of the federal banking services like the Automated Clearing House, which processes a lot of wire transfers; that would still put a halt on marijuana transactions. Ultimately, I do think the banking situation will ease because senators, representatives and governors from Colorado and Washington have sent letters to the Department of Treasury saying that they need to address this problem. The DOT realizes there’s a problem and they know it’s not in anybody’s best interest to be a cash-only business.
#7 What issues do cash-only businesses currently risk?
I know accounting may sound boring, but a business can’t operate and serve patients unless it’s making money to pay the operating bills… I realized that I could use my accounting skills to help these businesses succeed. If they succeed here in Washington, then it’s a model for the rest of the country and it’s also another “chink in the armor” of the drug war. I think that’s what has got me really excited, because I can do what I love and at the same time I can actually help some really interesting entrepreneurs. You can’t serve patients or recreational customers efficiently unless you’re following all the guidelines, so give me all your boring stuff and I’ll do it so you can focus on more important things.
It’s hard to embezzle money from a company, but it’s easy to steal a $50 bill from a register. There are some simple things you can do to keep your money straight and protect yourself. With cash, you can certainly keep records and have a system in your store or your operation to know where everything is. As an accountant, as somebody who feels like I am the steward of your money, it gives me an ulcer to think about dealing with only cash... you could be walking to your car with all your cash and the wind blows a few 100s away and you have to explain to your boss that you didn’t actually steal the money. If it was a check, it could have been easily voided and rewritten, saving everyone a headache. Cash only makes business tricky and creates all of this unnecessary work for business owners, accountants, the DOT and the IRS. Business owners should pressure politicians to rework banking regulations so banks have the ability to handle and process money within the Cannabis industry.
#5 With the state collecting tax in a 25-25-25 structure, how will businesses comply with the requirements of I-502?
#8 What advice can you give medical marijuana business owners and potential I-502 business owners?
It’s hard to say. Outside of the current 25-25-25 tax code, I think compliance requirements are going to be constantly evolving. The Justice Department and the Treasury Department have been working together to release something similar to the Cole memo to give guidance to banks on how they can operate with marijuana money on a federal level. It’s also going to be very difficult for an I-502 retailer to make money until they reform the tax structure. The key is having someone on the inside of your company, who is not only being compliant with the laws, but also making the company as efficient as possible. Businesses are going to have all these issues trying to comply, but they also have to survive.
The Dept. of Revenue in May 2011 said they would collect sales tax from marijuana businesses on any transactions in Washington. In Seattle, you could be talking about a 10-percent sales tax, even though transactions are technically considered “donations.” Washington doesn’t recognize marijuana as a medicine so it’s still able to collect sales tax on those transactions. It goes back to crossing all your T’s and dotting all of your I’s. If the Dept. of Revenue says to pay sales tax, you better do it. The hardest part of being an accountant in this thing is that medical marijuana is unregulated, unclear and difficult to work with.
#4 Everyone plays a different role in the movement. How do you see CPAs and yourself playing a role in ending the war on drugs?
feb. 2014 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
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By Wes abney | photos by dANIEL bERMAN
Shy Sadis, center, took over the old Tacoma Cross space with help from TC employees John Burton & Travis Burtis
Changing Places The joint transforms a new location in an old destination
t
his is a story of a brand rebuilding on another’s ashes, and the goal of one owner to revitalize a location some might have claimed tainted. This is the story of the rebuilding of Tacoma Cross and Seattle Cross. Tacoma Cross was among the busiest collectives in Washington -for a spell, everything was going smooth. Four Cross locations were spread around the state, and patients were receiving quality medicine and fair prices for their donations. On the surface, life was calm, but a storm was brewing. The first raids were in 2010, then 2011, and culminated in July of 2013. Federal agents came in for a third time, seizing cash and assets, and effectively ending one of the longest operating collectives in Washington. According to former employees, there were tax issues and other lines were being blurred. Left in the aftermath of the raids was a lack of access for thousands of
32/feb. 2014 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
patients who used the collectives for their daily medication. Where some saw a waste, others saw opportunity, which is where Shy Sadis came into the picture. “When I first heard that the Seattle and Tacoma locations were in trouble for what appeared to be the last time, I called my lawyer, Hilary Bricken of Canna Law Group, and sat down to talk about taking over leases for both stores,” he explained, detailing the intricate process it took to acquire the locations. “It was touch-and-go at first, and we had to get lawyers involved, and there were a lot of other good collectives also looking at the space. Once the landlord saw how we do business, he was happy, and now everything is falling into place.” Sadis is co-founder of The Joint, which first opened in the University District in spring of 2011, and has since developed into one of the most reputable collective brands in Seattle. Sadis and partner Derek Anderson also have a location in Snohomish County, and have several I-502 applications pending.
LE RP H U P US K
GE AN N K R O KU S
LE GG O B UM G They were one of the first locations in Seattle to be- When I first heard that the Seattle and offer strains reasonably to help patients find quality gin paying sales tax, payroll tax and switch to a pre- Tacoma Cross locations were in trouble medicine at the right price.” packaged inventory system that is easier to manage. for what appeared to be the last time, All top-shelf offerings at the Joint are capped at “Shy and I brought a clean professional image to I called my lawyer and sat down to talk $10, and on Top Shelf Tuesday, everything in the an industry that needs to step out of the dark age of about taking over leases for both stores. store drops to $8 a gram. Other weekly deals can drug dealers,” Anderson told NWLeaf in 2011. “We be found for items including hash, vapor cartridges, got in this business to make a difference, and we are actually getting to do it.” and general discounts make the experience pleasant and easy on the budget For anyone stepping into the old shoes of Tacoma Cross, having a system for patients. The new structure makes the staff happy, too, and has made the that is 100 percent traceable is a must to avoid refueling suspicion. But this is transition easier. already standard procedure for the Joint, which has made old employees of the “I love how the prices are structured now. It helps patients in need, and we Cross who are working for the Joint confident and comfortable again. can offer student or military discounts, and low-income discounts,” Burtis ex“The only reason I am back in this industry is the appropriate path this plained. “You have to keep working with the patients and growers you already company is taking with the industry,” said John Nason, who worked previously have a connection with, and the Joint is preserving that.” at Tacoma Cross. “I feel comfortable working here now, and it is cool to see In the flower department, the Orange Skunk is extra special. Open a bag of familiar patient faces and let them know it is a whole new business. They kept this flower and you’ll wonder whether a bright orange skunk might really exthe cream of the crop, and nothing else.” ist. This deep musky flower is complemented by the citrus tones and a bright For employee Travis J. Burtis, the change has been welcome. orange taste, making for a delicious treat. The closest thing this flower can “It’s actually been amazing. I now have a paycheck, a good company to work be compared to is an Orange Dreamsicle, with a heady skunk finish behind. for, and stability,” he said excitedly. The Boggle Gum presents a more mysterious flavor, with sweet tones that “I love the prepackaging of the medicine, every aspect of Cannabis is acblend into a piney finish. The effects are heavy, instant and pleasant. counted for which makes me feel secure as an employee. Patients are happier, The Purple Kush brings impressive looks to the table like a beauty queen. too, and some get a real kick out of the new experience.” Thick and fluffy purple flowers are covered in trichomes, begging to be torn When comparing the old Cross to the build-out of the Joint, saying it’s a apart and smoked. It is sweeter than you might new experience is an understatement. The location is in a historic building that expect, but don’t let that fool you. This is one has done service as a hotel, a nightclub and several bars. The highlight of the mean indica, and it will leave you floating on The Joint tacoma budroom is the seemingly endless hardwood bar, which has been polished to the couch for several hours after medicating. 2409 Pacific Ave. a shine. It brings a hipster vibe, blending the classic bar scene with a modern Overall, the feeling inside the Joint Tacoma Tacoma, WA 98402 collective approach. is one of positive energy and rebirth. It has tak253-231-7000 “I always wanted to be able to have a collective in Tacoma, and now that the en the very best elements of the previous busiThejointcoop.com hard work is done we are excited to start rebuilding the patient base,” Sadis ness and reworked them with new flair for an said. “Luckily we have been able to work with a lot of the same vendors, and entirely new experience.
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Rain city
Reviewed
By tyler J. markwart for NORTHWEST LEAF | photos by dANIEL bERMAN
If you’re interested in a large selection of quality, reasonably priced products, put the Rain City Medical collectives on your list. With two locations in Seattle, I headed to the Rainier Beach store because it was getting ready for its one-year anniversary, and who doesn’t love a party? Rain City Collective is easily accessible and as of February, it will be open 24 hours a day.
Strains 5/5 Top names and custom strains are what Rain City is all about, and with a huge selection and awesome prices, your biggest problem will be figuring out what to leave with. Check out the up-to-date product list online because with weekly specials and a huge selection you’ll end up spending a while staring at the wall of buds in front of you like a kid in a candy store. With quality buds available from $5 to $20, you can make a few dollars go a long way.
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Edibles 5/5 With a variety of well-known brands of medibles from companies including Edi-pure, Cavi Rolls and Loaded Soda, Rain City also stepped it up with a few of its own selections. Along with medical caps, popcorn and candies from Rocketman, Rain City has plenty for medible lovers. Oh, it has medicated Twinkies, too. They are spot on because the machine that makes them was purchased when Hostess closed down the Twinkie factory. Good times!
Concentrates 4/5 Five types of bubble hash, three grades of caviar, three varieties of Dama oil syringes and Cavi Cones were available and looked amazing. Options for dabbers included a few types of shatter and wax, and some gorgeous Sasquatch Glass bubblers lined the shelf behind the budtenders.
teen spirit x el diablo og Double bag this one because it will let everyone know you’re holding. A wonderful OG Kush flavor was predominant on the exhale, and it stays with you and melts away on your tongue like a fine chocolate. With its sativa-dominant effects, the clean, clear-headed high was mostly in the eyes but also provided excellent body pain relief. If you need an appetite stimulant, this is a fine choice and she’ll also leave you giggling as you happily work your way through the day. It’s great morning medicine.
The Score
aroma: dens ity: cu re: appearance: flavor: effect: total:
the oreo cookie the snickerdoodle cookie A face-sized cookie that is soft, chewy and tasty, but it did have a slight hint of green flavor as you continued to chew. The packaging was simple, easy to open, with labels that presented the ingredients of the product nicely. The effects hit about an hour later on an empty stomach and came on smooth with pain relief and a sedative feeling that built over time. It’s a good treat if you don’t mind a slight green butter flavor.
The Score
26.5/30
Environment 4.5/5 When you enter, you immediately step into the action and are greeted by a long wall of Cannabis flowers and a clean, comforting atmosphere. Transactions take place between naturally designed bulletproof glass windows as subtle reggae music plays in the background. Patients can browse and smell all the items available in this clean, comfortable and accessible collective.
P RE SE N TAT I ON : TA ST E : G REE N FL AVOR: INTENSITY: t ota l :
The two cookies per pack were crunchy and tasty, though the crème filling did have a bit of a green flavor to it. Packaging was simple, but lacked any labeling or information. Its strength was good for a daytime dose for those with a high tolerance or it can be a good nighttime dose for those with a light tolerance. The appearance was nice but the green flavor did linger a bit and was noticeable.
The Score
PRESENTATIO N: TASTE: GREEN FLAVO R: INTENSITY: to tal:
10/20
14/20 Rain City Medical owner Matthew Segal
Overall 4.5/5 I highly recommend you stop by and check out the huge selection of excellent flowers that Rain City has to offer. Owner Matt has worked hard to bring patients the best products at the lowest donations possible by creating a vertically integrated model. When asked about how Rain City has succeeded, he said, “In this business you have to reinvent yourself in order to succeed.” Asked whether he would switch over to an I-502 licensed storefront he said, “We will transition if we need to. We enjoy the medical aspect, but we’ll roll with the punches.”
Rain City Medical
11537 Rainier Ave. S. Seattle, WA 98178 • (206) 772-0023 2112 Thorndyke Ave. W. Seattle, WA 98112 • (206) 659-4303
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UW Purple
NORTHWEST LEAF
STRAIN OF THE MONTH By Wes Abney | Photo by DANIEL bERMAN
The UW Purple is a classic Seattle strain that is surrounded in mystery and urban legend. Some claim it even appeared from the university itself, a test strain grown for the government alongside G-13 and the Black-84. Whether you believe the stories, or assume that a re-
clusive breeder simply made something special, this flower truly is unique. Beautiful purple tones complement the whimsical red hairs as the trichomes sparkle like a little purple Christmas tree.
The best part of this flower is the powerhouse Indica effect. The body high hits instantly, slowing the world down and easing pain from the toes to your nose. The mind stays clear for the first hour or so, depending on how much is consumed, but eventually that will fade into a stoniness that leaves the head heavy behind the eyes. This UW Purple tends to stay with the body four to six hours, with a very gentle refrain that makes it great for pain management. The SMELL is musky and heavy, with light tones of
fruit mixed in with a mild spiciness. When smoked it releases a sweetish taste that you wouldn’t expect from the smell, and the smoke is quite clean and pleasant. This particular flower has been grown organically, and given a proper flush for maximum cleanliness and potency. The cure on this flower is artfully done, with a light stickiness and zero hint of moisture in the flower. It crumbles and breaks up easily while keeping form, and is suitable for rolling or loading into a glass device.
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STORY & PHOTOS by tyler J. markwart for NORTHWEST LEAF
A WEEK ON THE GROUND INSIDE THE NEWLY LEGAL coexisting-with-medical RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA STATE OF COLORADO
ROCKY MOUNT 46/feb. 2014 FACEBOOK. com/nwleaf
Jan. 10, 2014
Lines form outside 3D Dispensary in Denver, one of the state’s largest recreational pot stores.
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travel
Continued from pg. 47
I only packed a small backpack for this trip. I didn’t want to wait at the baggage claim or worry about lost luggage. Nope. This way, I could go directly to one of Colorado’s largest licensed Cannabis dispensaries, the 3D Dispensary of Denver. I had heard all about potential product shortages, and as I pulled up to the dispensary, the line stretching into the parking lot did little to relieve my worries. Nervous, excited and glowing as though I won the lottery, I walked right up.
T From behind thick glass, customers at 3D Dispensary can admire a thriving grow room before exiting outside.
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he line moved quickly because everyone was excited to be there -- all the laughing and smiling became infectious, as though you had no choice but to feel good. As the line winded around, I could see the doorway and a small sign that read, “Thank you for your patience, you’re almost there!” With several sample jars strewn in front of him, my budtender, Alex, greeted me and asked what he could help me find. After a short discussion about my favorites and what was left in stock, he directed me toward two samples of some well-grown hydroponic indicas, Presidential Kush and Ogre 99. The Presidential Kush had an earthy, danky OG Kush odor. With a classic OG smell and flavor and an OG high that soared straight through my body, I couldn’t pass it up. The Ogre 99 had a smooth floral smell, a bright green appearance and bright undertone that struck me as uplifting. He notified me that they were limiting all customers to 4 grams a day because of short supplies (by law, out-of-state customers can purchase up to 7 grams while in-state residents can buy up to 1 ounce), I took 2 grams of each. I asked about the tincture that was under the display case and Alex said it was a CBD-only variety from Dixie Botanicals, which piqued my interest. CBDs work wonders for my digestive tract disorder and I decided to grab a 1 ounce bottle. Someone handed me an order ticket and directed me to the register, where I was told my order would
be filled. On my way to pay, I stopped and grabbed a small glass jar and a glass pipe necklace so I could consume my newly acquired legal Cannabis. After a short wait in line, I met Sam, who was, by far, the friendliest cashier on my trip. Sam was a happy fellow who immediately apologized for having to limit everyone’s purchases to 4 grams. He was quick to throw in a 5 percent discount on my order and keep the chit-chat going while his computer kept up with the rush. Sam said I should check out the viewing booth in the hallway that displayed 3D’s in-house grow. Walking down the hallway, I looked through the viewing windows into the huge grow space that had multiple rows of orange, glowing hoods and purple and red LED lights. It was a glorious sight. Denver has a thriving art scene, and I dove right into the Industrial District, which houses for-
For about $120, the author picked up a 1 oz. bottle of CBD tincture, two grams each of Presidential Kush and Ogre 99, a glass pipe necklace and one smell-proof storage jar.
mal art galleries, architecture firms and some of the country’s finest street art. The district, populated by artists, craftsmen, lofts and housing, glows with excitement. I passed by the Denver Kush Club and stopped to see what was good. A small lobby in the front of the store was decorated with graffiti-style art. The door led to the main room, where recreational sales were conducted and if you were an authorized Colorado state medical marijuana patient, you could enter the medical section in the rear. The Denver Kush Club was busy -- people were coming and going for the hour I was there. I checked out its flowers, and while the selection
was limited, it was top-shelf. Walking up to a counter of large jars filled with manicured buds ready for me to smell is a dream, and to have that dream come true in America, in Denver, is awesome. Four large jars sat in front of me and I had to figure out which one I wanted to try. Do I go with Island Sweet Skunk? How about the Golden Goat? The Girl Scout Cookies smelled delicious. But I couldn’t pass up one of the most famous sativas ever: Amnesia Haze. This sweet-smelling bud with floral undertones is covered in trichomes and the smell alone lifted me up on my toes. I took my gram to go.
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travel
Continued from pg. 49
Denver kush club was busy -- people were coming and going for the hour I was there.
I perused their recreational options and picked up a gram of the Amnesia Caviar for $20.
C
olorado set up its retail system so medical patients wouldn’t have to pay the 21-percent excise tax on Cannabis, like retail customers do. Both retail and medical can operate under the same storefront, but must be sectioned off from each other. Denver Kush Club Budtender Ryan took a second amid the rush to explain how the split works. “The quality is the same, the product is the same, except patients don’t pay the 21 percent tax, so the difference is huge.” Ryan said they are “still seeing the same amount of medical patients even with recreational” customers flooding the storefronts. I met LaDonna, a medical patient, as she was leaving the medical section after picking up her medicine. LaDonna is loyal customer to the Denver Kush Club and said she was excited about legalization. “I really enjoy it here. I’ve been a patient with Denver Kush Club for four years and it’s the only
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dispensary I go to.” With some folks worried that the medical model would not survive legalization, the Denver Kush Club is still providing a safe and comfortable place for medicine. Some dispensaries have decided not to make the changeover. Botanico Care also is in the Industrial District, but it’s strictly a medical dispensary, explained Dan, the budtender on duty. He answered my questions and allowed me to take photos of the lobby, but requested that I not photograph the medicine or the patient rooms. He said Denver’s medical Cannabis collectives are regulated on how many patients they can provide medicine to, while Botanico can help 100 to 300 patients at a time. Even with legalized Cannabis sold in several shops surrounding Botanico’s storefront, there is a waiting list to become a patient-member, which shows that the nonprofit medical model can exist alongside the for-profit recreational market. One thing to be conscious of is the Denver Effect.
Just like alcohol, altitude can affect a person’s reaction to Cannabis. Dehydration is a key concern, so it’s essential to consume a fair amount of liquid while acclimating to the height. I got way too high off of half of what I normally smoke and had to lie down in my hotel room for a few minutes before I could head out to eat breakfast. Denver has many recreational activities outside of its retail marijuana stores. With some of the finest snow in the world, winter sports such as snowboarding, skiing, snowmobiling and snowshoeing are a short drive in any direction. A short drive out of Denver and you can check out a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre or head over to Golden and see what’s brewing at the Coors brewery. With so many options -- sports, art, food, music -- Cannabis can easily complement most activities. Especially on a trip out west for that Rocky Mountain High.
You must be 21 or older to have or use retail marijuana. It is illegal to give or sell retail marijuana to minors. It is illegal to drive high. It is illegal to consume marijuana in public. It is illegal to take marijuana out of the state. Only licensed establishments may sell retail marijuana products. SOURCE: CITY OF DENVER MARIJUANA GUIDE
before heading home I explored Denver’s incredible graffiti scene while medicated and on foot.
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NOW AVAIL ABLE AT THE GROW SHOP and FERNTUCKY MEDICAL
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TASTY
compiled by northwest leaf
Recipes
A nice warm meal on a winter day
lasagna rolls Forget about frozen! This heartwarming meal is not that tough to prepare and the pay-off is huge.
Ingredients
Sauce:
2 tablespoons medicated butter 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour 1 1/4 cups whole milk 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper Pinch ground nutmeg
Lasagna: 1 (15-oz.) container whole milk ricotta cheese 1 (10-oz) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped 1 large egg, beaten to blend 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons medicated olive oil 12 uncooked lasagna noodles 2 cups marinara sauce 1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 oz.)
54/feb. 2014 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
Email your recipes nwleaf@gmail.com It might just be in our next issue!
chicken pot pie
1. preheat oven to 450 deg. F. Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. 3. add a tbs. or 2 of oil to large pot of boiling salted water. Boil noodles until tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent sticking.
4. butter a 13-by-9 glass baking
dish. Pour bechamel sauce over bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread a large spoonful (about 3 TBS worth) of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle.
4. STARTING AT 1 end, roll each noodle
like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the bechamel sauce in the dish. Repeat with remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle mozzarella & remaining 2 tbs. Parmesan over the lasagna rolls.
4. COVER TIGHTLY with foil. Bake til’ heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 min. Uncover and bake til’ cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 min. longer. Let stand 10 min. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.
INgredients
cRUST:
1 cup all-purpose flour, more for dusting 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon fine salt 4 tablespoons cold medicated butter, cut into small pieces 1 large egg 2 tablespoons 2% milk
FILLING: 2 small russet potatoes 4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 5 med. carrots, cut into large chunks 1 to 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme 2 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil 1 large onion, finely diced 3 tbs. all-purpose flour 1/3 cup 2% milk 3 stalks celery, sliced 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, with the skin removed 1/2 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt 1 cup frozen peas 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
Photos by Flickr/Cuttingboard & flickr/m-i-k-e
1. PREPARE the crust: Pulse flour, baking
powder & salt in a food processor until combined. Add the butter, one piece at a time, pulsing until mixture is coarse meal. Separate the egg and refrigerate the egg white. Beat egg yolk and milk in a bowl, then add to food processor, pulsing until dough comes together. Turn out onto lightly floured surface & gather into a ball. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 1 hr.
3. make the filling: Preheat oven to 425 deg. F. Prick the potatoes with a fork and bake directly on the oven rack until tender, about 45 min. Cool slightly and peel and break them into small pieces. 4. bring the chicken broth, carrots and thyme to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook 2 minutes; cover and keep warm. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Add the milk, celery, potato pieces and the warm broth mixture and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the chicken, yogurt, peas and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
4. transfer to 2-qt. casserole dish.
Roll out dough on lightly floured surface til 1/2 in. thick, slightly larger than dish. Beat reserved egg white in a bowl; brush over dough & season with salt and pepper. Press dough against sides of dish. Place on a baking sheet & bake til crust is golden brown, 20-25 min.
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Reviews The CannaChef Clarified Ghee $20
Serving =1 tablespoon // about 8 doses per jar
by m.h. greenberg for northwest leaf Photos by Daniel Berman
Gluten-Free Blondie $10
SERVING=1 BROWNIE 81.82MG THC-TOTAL
My first attempts to make cannabutter almost make me laugh out loud.
It was a messy, somewhat hazardous, overnight process that ended with me coating my hands in burning hot butter. I twisted the simmering ganja-filled cheesecloth, trying to strain the remaining butter without proper forethought. Gloves would have saved my hands from being poached. I did not plan well. I probably won’t make cannabutter again after discovering an excellent alternative: The Canna Chef ’s Clarified Butter is now my go-to when I need to bake up special treats for the patients (and others) in my life. The first recipe I executed was banana The Score bread. I’d had success in the past with zucchini bread so I figured Valu e: I wouldn’t be wasting my special Tas te: butter by complicating things. I carefully measured the other inEffect: gredients and then dumped in Packaging: the whole jar of partially melted Overall: butter. After a little extra time in the oven, I patiently waited for my loaf to cool. I had two large slices and about an hour later, I was enjoying a pleasant overall high without anxiety clouding my relaxation. I would have been fine with just one slice of the bread, but the extra slice didn’t overdo it. The taste of ganja was faint and almost undetectable. I’m excited to make a marble pound cake on my next foray into medicated baking. Because ghee is clarified, it can be stored for extended periods without refrigeration -- as long as it’s sealed in an air-tight container. I ended up getting eight thick slices out of my banana bread, making the small jar of butter a good deal for about $20. I do wish the packaging had included calorie count and other pertinent stats. It’s important that patients have the info they need.
I’m a big fan of all-natural edibles. All of the ingredients for this stout-looking Blondie are printed on the label. Most patients are reassured when all pertinent information is presented so concisely, so the detailed listing of the cannabinoids removes any mystery that usually accompanies most edibles. Each Blondie comes in two pieces -- each half is one serving. I was done with work and decided I’d eat both halves of the Blondie. This baked good tasted excellent -- not too dry, not too dense, just right. You should have something in your stomach before wolfing down anything medicated. My belly was empty and the Blondie’s effects came on faster than anticipated while striding through Wallingford toward Fremont. I felt a hint of what was to come. A fuzzy warm feeling washed over me like a fancy hotel bathrobe. The head buzz increased and my appetite sharpened. I’ve had other Green Light baked goods before, but this Blondie was the best yet. It’s easier to judge a medible before I’ve smoked or vaped anything that day. The effects of a potent medible can be reduced significantly by puffing too much in the hours before. I had an excellent time The Score listening to music and Va l u e : reading -- the effects lasted three hours or Ta st e : more. If someone asks E ffe c t: for baked medible recPackaging: ommendations, I can now easily recommend Ove ra l l : giving the gluten-free Blondie a try.
1.51mg CBG-TOTAL•29.91mg THC-TOTAL•0.95mg CBD-TOTAL•2.99mg CBC•34.06mg ACTIVATED-TOTAL
8.71mg CBC • 5.37mg CBG-TOTAL • < 0.01mg CBD-TOTAL • 92.90mg ACTIVATED-TOTAL
56/feb. 2014 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
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By Wes Abney | Photo by Daniel Berman
Terpenes: 7.98% Linalool 2.82% Caryophyllene oxide 0.27% Myrcene 1.07% Terpinolene 2.70% alpha-Pinene 0.97% Humulene 1.39% Caryophyllene 17.20% TERPENE-TOTAL
Bubba Kush Bubble Hash 42.47% THC-Total • 0.84% CBD-Total • 3.39% CBG-TOTAL • 0.39% cbc
T
between parchment paper until it is thin and waxy, hey don’t call it Bubba Kush for nothing! apply to a dabber and go! When this hash hits the nail The deliciously sour smells that permeate there is a very quick flare where about 70-80 percent out of this solventless bubble hash will have of the substance is vaporized. This is the part you want. your body relaxed and your mind swimming in As the nail cools there will be more plant matter Cannabis bliss. clumping and burning, which optimally is wiped off-This hash feels light and waxy on the fingers, or smoked though it might have a more planty-taste. and has a fine consistency when broken down Overall this bubble hash is awesome, and rides into smaller pieces. The hash is visibly shiny with the fine line between dabbable full trichome heads, and the feeling when melt and a solid full melt. Either holding a large chunk of it is almost way you choose to medicate with it electric. It is definitely the “Bubba” of is fine, however, you will feel plenty the hash world. available from of medicinal effects. When loaded on a bowl it bubbles Herbal Generation Spanaway Of special notice is the 17.20% and melts into the flower, emitting Terpene levels, making this waves of heavy smoke. This hash is 16804 Pacific Ave. S. solventless hash both clean and heavy also capable of being dabbed on a hot Spanaway, WA 98387 in medicinal properties! Dabbing nail with a little preparation and focus. (253)-212-9197 patients should definitely take note! Simply take the hash and press/roll it Tested By
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Gallery
STORY AND strain PHOTOS by BOB MONTOYA for NORTHWEST LEAF
Micro Strains Up Close Each month we’ll highlight growers crafting strains with the goal of helping specific needs, not necessarily obtaining the highest yields
G
ROWING YOUR OWN MEDICINE
as I said last month is not a simple task. With new regulations limiting what a patient can grow, one must be as efficient as possible if there is to be any hope to save money on medications and be self-sufficient. I went out over the last month in search of private patients who are indeed successful at maintaining a level of wellness under current regulations. I’ve used initials to protect patient privacy.
B.C. KUSH 20% THC Organic
BC Kush is a Micro Version of the popular Vanilla Kush of 2009 fame. Each strain has a genetic “best case scenario” environmental requirement. If you stray from what the plant likes you get results that may vary. BC grows indoors with high pressure lights, cocoa husk, and organic ingredients. He has good control over the factors that make or break success indoors. BC has been adjusting these factors to get the max yield and potency for a strain that he uses to be “well.” As a retired disabled veteran he has, like so many others, myriad ailments brought on by the rigors of military service. He won’t pin down one single thing he uses it for, saying only “it makes me feel good all over,” and that is enough to be able to live life without poisonous chemicals commonly prescribed for a wide variety of ailments and conditions. From Kashmir and Pakistani roots, the bud can render a potent 20 percent THC under ideal conditions. RJ47 is a variation of the old reliable AK47 that has been tamed here in the Pacific Northwest over the last two years of phenomenal outdoor growing seasons. Using only sun, earth and water, RJ has resorted to letting nature decide the results of the harvest. Most comfortable in Colombia or Mexico the plant has to compensate to flower and finish in a shorter light cycle. This has rendered RJ47, a version that does not have the super high euphoric effect of its southern growing cousins, but still a powerful bronchial dilator that he uses to keep his COPD at bay. It is a 20/80 Sativa-dominant hybrid that can lean to the Indica side given certain conditions. Both patients have had failures resulting in not having meds for periods of time without going to a collective. It is important that patients be able to designate a trusted professional to provide their medications, whether that is a flower or other concentrate, until every home has a garden.
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rj 47 20/80 Sativa hybrid
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THE SECRET POWER OF chamomile
By Northwest Leaf special contributor sCOTT d. roSE
By Northwest Leaf special contributor sCOTT d. roSE
DESCRIPTION Commonly known as true chamomile, German chamomile, wild chamomile.
Parts used:
The flowering tops; the aromatic flowers of the German chamomile have a very bitter taste.
Active constituents:
The flowering tops contain a volatile oil, a bitter extractive and little tannic acid. The flowering tops can be steamed and a blue oil extracted containing ingredients that reduce swelling and may stop the growth of bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
(Matricaria Recutita) is spread over Europe, North Africa and the temperate region of Asia.
Photo by flickr/matsuyuki
Drug interactions:
Historical uses:
To treat nervous conditions, insomnia, gut issues. Processed into teas, liquid extracts (tinctures), capsules, tablets, topical applications and mouth rinse.
There is a theoretical risk for it to increase the potency or effect of other drugs, since chamomile contains coumarin, a naturally occurring blood thinner. May make effects of sedative drugs such as alcohol stronger, or interfere with blood pressure and diabetes medications. May reduce effectiveness of contraceptives with prolonged use.
Side effects & toxicity:
Dosage:
Shouldn’t be used within 2 weeks before or after surgery due to blood thinning properties.
Medicinal uses:
Shouldn’t be taken during pregnancy or while breast-feeding. May cause drowsiness, so don’t take it and drive. Reports of allergic reactions in people who have eaten or come into contact with chamomile products or who have allergy to Asteraceae family or plants in the daisy family, including ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, and daisies. Reactions can include skin rashes, throat swelling, shortness of breath, and anaphylaxis (a life-threatening allergic reaction.
Infuse 1/2 oz. of the dried flowers to 1 pint of boiling water as a tea, steeping covered for 3 min. Pour the condensation back into solution, as this is where much of the active constituent is contained. Fluid extract 1:2 to 1:5 dose, 30 - 60 drops 3 times daily. Capsules: 300 - 400 mg taken 3 times per day. cream with a 3 - 10% chamomile content for psoriasis, eczema, or dry and flaky skin.
Chamomile acts as a nerve sedative and also as a tonic upon the gastro-intestinal tract for gastrointestinal disorders such as upset stomach, gas, and diarrhea. Chamomile is also used for sleeplessness and anxiety. A small randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study in 2009 at U. of Pennsylvania showed positive anti-anxiety effects in individuals with mild to moderate generalized anxiety disorder. Studies on animals have found that low doses of
66/feb. 2014 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
Contraindications:
chamomile may relieve anxiety, while higher doses help sleep. For teething babies, chamomile can relieve cases of earache, neuralgic pain, stomach disorders and infantile convulsions. Chamomile is used topically for its anti-inflammatory properties for treating eczema, psoriasis, and rashes from contact dermatitis to poison ivy. Some people use chamomile for mouth problems.
Recipe for chamomile tea: www.tinyurl.com/leafchamomile
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growtech
PHOTOS by j &m photography for NORTHWEST LEAF
Underground Tour By Northwest Leaf special contributor Dr. Scanderson
DISCLAIMER: DO NOT MENTION GROWING POT I N A N Y O F T H E S E S H O P S , T H E Y MAY K I C K YO U O U T.
exploring grow shops in the seattle area
I
HAVE always enjoyed gear-intensive hobbies; the more gadgets the better, and gardening holds some of the best gear-intensive traps. It cleverly lures in customers with promises of better results, as though the degree to which your garden is souped-up correlates with your ability to produce high-end medicine. While nothing could be further from the truth, I still find myself tearing open the 2014 gardening catalogs. I enjoy going to the showrooms and find myself fulfilled wandering the aisles of garden stores. I check the newest products, and read the labels and other information that the catalog leaves out. Through the years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with several garden stores in Seattle while setting up and servicing gardens. In this month’s Grow Tech, I’ll share my views of the five leading garden stores in Seattle. I have no personal or business relationship with these stores. Neither I nor Northwest Leaf receive any compensation, trade or benefit. I’m just a consumer who likes to shop around. My hope is to give you one active gardener’s perspective on the characteristics that each store offers so you can choose the store that’s right for you.
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Eco is one of the largest wholesale distributors of garden products in the North-
west. But up until this past year, it was a nightmare for me to shop at. From orders being lost, inconsistent and often higher prices, two- to three-month add-on times for some special orders, poor communication -- the list goes on. Eco was clearly only concerned with its wholesale business (making its sparse stock so unusual). Fortunately, at some point in 2013, they pulled their head from their tail pipe and started a competitive retail push by dropping retail prices from the straight manufacturer’s suggested retail prices to what most garden stores now offer, which is 10 to 15 percent off MSRP list price. Then they replaced the existing staff with some industry professionals. I was delighted to walk in and see Sherri, a former manager of another excellent store (reviewed in this article) leading a new team of people. The people running Eco now are industry experts who run gardens of several varieties, test and use the products they sell, admit when they don’t know something and find the people Eco Enterprises who do. They even created a discount rack that has a meaning1240 NE 175th St. ful stock of products at discounted rates. The retail space, stock, Shoreline, WA 98155 selection and setup clearly shows their focus is on wholesale dis(206) 363-9981 tribution and servicing their business-to-business relationships.
Locally owned and operated, these were the only guys who agreed to a direct interview in a Cannabis-focused publication. It’s the policy of most shops in Washington to deny service to people who are open about their intentions to grow Cannabis. The owner and active on-site manage Dave has been gardening for more than 10 years and helped several friends in Humboldt set up and run their hydroponic shops from 2001-2010. In 2010, Dave decided to harness his knowledge, wholesale relationships and connections and open Seattle’s Hydro Spot in 2011. I asked Dave why, in such a saturated market at what seemed like the peak of the Cannabis industry’s surge, would he choose to dive into such a competitive industry known for its low retail margins. “Not to sound cheesy, but it’s truly a labor of love,” he said. “Our customers are not just a face; we’re genuinely invested in their results.” He added, “When a customer picks up a new product or just restocks their tried and true, we wonder how their results are, what’s going well for them, what are they struggling with.” Why a garden shop? “I saw what was around Seattle and there’s a lot of good stuff going on but we’ve worked hard to create a welcoming environment, have some music playing, we like to have fun and didn’t see that anywhere.” “I’m just really drawn to teaching people and committed to teaching people the right way. I like to set up rooms and have Seattle’s Hydro Spot lots of experience doing it. I enjoy helping people get the correct equipment for their needs. 917 NW 49th St. That means providing the right budSeattle, WA 98107 get gear, where additional costs won’t ben(206) 784-2161
efit the gardener, and encouraging people to invest in the higher-quality products that will serve them most, not just get them the cheapest gear. “Everything we sell,” Dave said, “we’ve tested personally, and lots of our gear is on display in our showroom, which includes everything from a fully functional under current system to Gavita plasma lamps and table top aquaponic set-ups, all on display currently using nutrients we carry, growing food we eat. Sure it’s important to carry budget gear, but we only carry the stuff that works. I turn down crap all the time. If the manufacturer won’t send me a sample to use, I won’t carry it. This creates options, without overwhelming our customers.” Seattle’s Hydro Spot carries a mixture of organic and synthetic nutrients, including the full House and Garden line, Bio Bizz, Mills, Current Culture H2O, Cutting Edge Solutions, Mad Farmer and Botanicare (the Kind). They take a hands-on approach and never seem stuck on their current stock, regularly popping up with the most current gear. In the year I’ve been a customer, they have brought more than one product in for me, provided many samples and introduced me to some excellent manufacturers and nutrient additives. Perhaps what resonated with me most after our interview was a thought Dave shared toward the end of our conversation. “Sometimes we are the only people in our customers’ lives who they get to talk to about their garden. We really enjoy being that outlet.” As a hermit grower who #prefersplants2people, I appreciate the few relationships I have in which I can genuinely engage another live person in a deluge of thoughts. I can imagine that many of the garden shops participate in such a role and so I would like to give a heartfelt thank you to all the garden shops and to the readers for providing us, the growers, the sounding board of our own sanity. Infinite gratitude and happy gardening!
Some consumers value price above all else. If you find yourself in this cat-
egory, look no further than Lucky’s. This veritable Costco of garden shops houses large warehouse-style shelving in SoDo. Its stock and selection are large and it carries most all of the hottest nutrient lines, lots of hoods from various manufacturers covering a span of prices and quality, and in-store options for off-brand super budget ballasts. If you are unsure about which is the best product for your application, have questions on nutrient application schedules or best ways to incorporate new products, gather your knowledge before shopping. If you already know what you want and just want to get the lowest price, look no further. What Lucky provides more than anyone else, however, is the lowest prices. Other retailers often will cringe when they hear their name. However, it’s best to know exactly what you want when choosing them Lucky Greenhouse as a retailer. and Light The staff is nice, extremely helpful at locating 3223 3rd Ave S. stock or completing special orders and requests, but when it comes to straight garden advice, they’re not Seattle, WA 98134 my first choice. (206) 682-8222
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growtech
PHOTOS by j &m photography for NORTHWEST LEAF
exploring seattle grow shops Continued from pg. 71
If you have questions
or something you want to see in next month’s column, email me at thegreengardengroup@gmail.com
Easily the oldest “shoppe” on the list, the Indoor Sun Shoppe is one of my favorites. If you’ve been to any of the Seattle High Times events, chances are they’re one of yours too -- the Indoor Sun Shoppe’s parking lot is where the medicating area has been the past two years. They have met the hunger of thousands of Cannabis-fueled stoners with the generosity of free sandwiches, waters and sodas, fruit and cheese platters, and bite-size candy bars. No one asked them to do this. They didn’t have a booth, a gimmick or a pitch -- they just wanted to feed and hydrate the high. The Indoor Sun Shoppe’s generosity provides a simple insight into the way these people do business: They give. I set up my first personal garden under the expert and generous assistance of Sean the manager. Taking the time to help me get the products I needed at a time when I really had no idea what I was doing gave me a lasting impression. Over the years, I stumbled across Canna, a nutrient line that, in Seattle, the Indoor Sun Shoppe was the only retailer to carry. Another Seattle shop now carries Canna, but it’s doing so through its wholesaler and violating the licensing agreement. That shows a lack of integrity, and that approach to business is reflected throughout the store, the advice I’ve received from them and their prices. In addition to Canna and Bio Canna, you’ll find products including Kingdom Organics, Roots Organic/Soul Synthetic and green planet hydro. What I like most about Indoor Sun Shoppe is it’s run by gardeners. Everyone knows their way around the garden. One of the people, who I fondly refer to as “the professor,” is one of those rare birds who are an agricultural guru with vast horticultural knowledge. These guys have been holding it down on Canal Street in Fremont since the 1970s and it shows. They have a welcoming, relaxed attitude, competitive prices and warranty their bulbs on site. Sean can fix or replace any ballast you buy there and, if you are a gardener, they have the most beautiful and novel selections of live plants in the city. If you are looking to expand your gardening horizons to other horticultural/botanical endeavors or you just want to grow Indoor Sun Shoppe one of those cool rain forest scenes 160 N Canal St. in a bottle, Indoor Sun Shoppe has Seattle, WA 98103 everything you need to start or con(206) 634-3727 tinue such pursuits.
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If ever there was an “Oz” of garden stores in Seattle, this is it. Sodo Hydro is a deceitfully gigantic showroom and is laid-out well. These guys have every product. They have lots of in-store demo gear, free microbial tea promos and every, and I mean E-V-E-R-Y, gardening part, gadget, nutrient line (except Canna -- see Indoor Sun Shoppe) fan, muffler, ballast, spray, trim bin, Boveda Pack ... It’s a local business whose owners do an excellent job of hearing and responding to customer feedback and investing locally – they advertise on KEXP’s “Saturday Morning Reggae Vibrations” with Kid Hops. They are highly knowledgeable about gardening and the products they sell. Sodo Hydro promotes organic and veganic-style gardening with a focus on sustainable and eco-friendly growing practices. They have an ample selection of microbial inoculants and other organic gardening solutions. While still providing a meaningful selection for hydroponic and synthetic gardeners, Sodo Hydro is committed to bringing all the best products into its massive showroom and combining it with professional and honest people. The prices are competitive, but they Sodo Hydro make no bones about what they do. In my 1727 1st Ave S experience, these folks have been generous Seattle, WA 98134 in offering promotional packages at a discount for established relationships. (206) 682-9377 feb. 2014 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
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T H E F L AV O U R O F S C I E N C E .
BEHIND THE STRAIN
BY dr. scanderson for northwest leaf
questions?
Never hesitate to email me at thegreengardengroup@gmail.com. See a wide range of useful growing videos and tips at Youtube.com/DrScandersonGt
The smoke carries with it a complex bounty sure to pique the curiosity of even the most developed palates.
Lineage a one-time limited production, the Gage Green Private Collection is full
of gems like this one. Combining a highly selected raspberry pheno of the pre-1998 Bubba Kush with two fuel and burned-rubber hash machines results in what one would expect: an outstanding, exotic strain. I would like to once again introduce this month’s guest gardener: The Big-C
HOW IT GROWS
The beautiful burgundy is a medium-tall, crystal-covered plant that will turn purple (dark purple with cool nights). In her natural untopped state, she will produce one stalk with golf-ball nugs and huge deep green leaves with fat fingers. This is a fine characteristic for SOG, but for most gardens, she needs to be topped at least a couple times. She takes well to topping and will turn into a medium-tall bush that needs some lollypopping and inner branches removed. I like to veg her for three to four weeks, pruning around 16 days and again before changing the light cycle. She has a funny characteristic of having thick stems that bend easily and get floppy about 30 days into flower. Therefore, I stake extensively and pluck some fan leaves midway into 12/12. This yields some tasty and consistent flowers. Burgundy can take nutrients like a champ but prefers a medium feed with low nitrogen and a slight boost of calcium. Her ability to handle a range of PPMs, clone easily and bounce back from user error or pest issues makes for a fine beginner strain, but more advance growers will reap the real rewards with significant weight and connoisseur quality. Manicuring is medium easy. Even though it has a moderate amount of foliage, the leaves are somehow organized in a logical angle for trimming. effects wELL-SERVED up later in the day, after a meal and when you can partake in a passive activity such as reading, watching programs or listening to music. The blooms carry with them the effects of Raspberry Bubba, offering deep relaxation and a nice calming effect while hanging onto just enough of that energizing hybrid therapy to be able to make it to the end of the chapter or episode. It’s absolutely on the more potent side; her priority of creating resin can be felt with the quick onset and long-lasting benefits. Smoke report/bag appeal
Flower time: 56-63 days
Burgundy 78/feb. 2014 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
she lives up to her name in almost every way. Starting with her deep, dark, eggplant calyxes’ heavily coated in resin to the floral and earthy berry scent she gives off like a fine wine, she is rare and doesn’t produce much fruit, but what she does create is special. The dominant scent of raspberries and earth is anything but muted while still preserving the intrinsically delicate nature of that end of the scent spectrum. Like most dark purple strains, the resin production is on display front and center and is placed against the dramatic burgundy background. The smoke carries with it a complex bounty sure to pique the curiosity of the most developed palates. Tangy and floral berry notes reminiscent of the cured buds quickly gives way to the spicy, nutty and sour flavors that the HP-13 is so known for.
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