Aug. 2022 - Maryland Leaf

THE ENLIGHTENED VOICE

#44 | AUG. 2022

THE PSYCHEDELIA ISSUE COVER ART BY ALEX GREY & ALLYSON GREY EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW INSIDE F RE E / L E A F M AGA Z I N E S . COM

INDEPENDENT CANNABIS JOURNALISM SINCE 2010

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Medical cannabis is for use only by a qualifying patient. There may be additional health risks associated with the consumption of cannabis or cannabis products for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Consumption of medical cannabis may impair your ability to drive a car or operate machinery. Please use extreme caution. Keep out of the reach of children and animals.

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you must be 18 years old to view this content medical cannabis is for use by the certified mmcc patients only

RICKY WILLIAMS : THE FORMER NFL STAR GOES DEEP WITH US

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THE PSYCHEDELIA ISSUE

#44

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AUG. 2022

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18 PATIENT OF THE MONTH ALEXIS GONSALVES

CURALEAF COLUMBIA

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CANNTHROPOLOGY TIMOTHY LEARY AL MY

G R E M A LC O M

16 SHOP REVIEW

“FLE S H O F T HE GOD S” BY ALE X G R E,Y2021

THE LEAF’S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH VISIONARY ART POWER COUPLE ALEX GREY & ALLYSON GREY

W A TY E A RY L

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EDITOR’S NOTE NATIONAL NEWS BUDTENDER Q&A SHOP REVIEW PATIENT PROFILE RICKY WILLIAMS GOES DEEP STRAIN OF THE MONTH TRANSCENDENT ART STONED APE THEORY END OF LIFE PSYCHEDELICS CONCENTRATES CANNTHROPOLOGY STONEY BALONEY

O U T S I D E A RT W O R K

STONED APE THEORY DID HUMANS EVOLVE THROUGH CONSUMPTION OF PSYCHEDELICS?

Variety is BETTER! Try our amazing array of Select Bites experiences.

Must be 18 years or older to view content. Medical cannabis is for certified patient use only. Consumption of medical cannabis may impair your ability to drive a car or operate machinery. Please use extreme caution. There may be health risk associated with cannabis use, especially during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Accidental consumption of cannabis by children or animals may result in severe adverse reactions. Keep cannabis out of the reach of children and animals.

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Every time you visit true Wellness, you will be surprised by all of our cannabis products to help with your wellbeing We know what you’re looking for and hope to impress you with: Fresh flower, pure concentrates, state-of-the-art vapes and a variety of edibles Sincere and caring staff who love to listen Pure, tested products at affordable prices Come see for yourself and spread the word!

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E S TA B L I S H E D 2 0 1 0

T H E E N L I G H T E N E D VO I C E

N O RT H W E S T L E A F / O R EG O N L E A F / AL AS KA L E A F / M A RY L AN D L E A F / CAL I F O R N I A L E A F /

A B O U T T H E C OV E R EVER SINCE THE LEAF first started doing a Psychedelia Issue, whenever we discussed who should be interviewed or featured on the cover, one name has always topped our wish list: Alex Grey. Alex and his wife Allyson are, in our minds, the greatest visionary artists alive today—and anyone who’s seen their work up close (especially under the influence of entheogens!) knows why.

The custom image the Greys crafted for our cover is actually a mash-up of two works of art: Alex’s “CannaFist” and Allyson’s “New Order 2.” We are honored to have their sensational art gracing our cover and to have an exclusive interview with them inside. Thanks to Alex, Allyson, and their entire team for sharing their genius with us.

ART by ALEX GREY & ALLYSON GREY @ALEXGREYCOSM | @ALLYSONGREYCOSM

WES ABNEY C E O & F O U N D E R wes@leafmagazines.com MIKE RICKER O P E R AT I N G PA R T N E R ricker@leafmagazines.com TOM BOWERS C H I E F O P E R AT I N G O F F I C E R

tom@leafmagazines.com

DANIEL BERMAN C R E AT I V E D I R E C T O R daniel@leafmagazines.com EARLY M A RY L A N D L E A F P U B L I S H E R early@leafmagazines.com WYATT EARLY STAT E D I R E C T O R wyatt@leafmagazines.com (410) 961-8779 O’HARA SHIPE O N L I N E E D I T O R ohara@leafmagazines.com MEGHAN RIDLEY C O PY E D I T O R meghan@leafmagazines.com

CONTRIBUTORS BOBBY BLACK, DESIGN + FEATURES JOSHUA BOULET, ILLUSTRATION TOM BOWERS, FEATURES MARY CARREON, FEATURES WYATT EARLY, FEATURES STEVE ELLIOTT, NATIONAL NEWS ALEX GREY, ILLUSTRATION ALLYSON GREY, ILLUSTRATION GREG MALCOLM, PHOTOS TAYLOR MARTIN, FEATURES OUTSIDE ARTWORK, ILLUSTRATION JEFF PORTERFIELD DESIGN JESSE RAMIREZ, DESIGN MIKE RICKER, FEATURES MIKE ROSATI, PHOTOS MEGHAN RIDLEY, EDITING ZACK RUSKIN, FEATURES O’HARA SHIPE, FEATURES JAMIE VICTOR, DESIGN NATE WILLIAMS, FEATURES

WES

N O RT H E AS T L E A F

ABNEY

Editor’s Note Thanks for picking up the Psychedelia Issue of the Leaf!

While I didn’t listen to my DARE instructors about Cannabis, or a few other fun substances in college, one warning I always believed in through my college years was to beware of psychedelics. We had all heard the stories of the friend who took 10 hits of acid and wasn’t the same, or the horror stories of eating the wrong mushroom and dying. To be fair, these are true warnings – and I took them seriously until one fateful winter night.

I’d finally decided to indulge in magic mushrooms, and unknowingly ate about three grams of blue-tinged caps (this was before identification of mushrooms or weed strains was common) and proceeded to have an epic melt at a house party. I don’t remember much, except for walking around a house with a container of Quaker Oatmeal, repeatedly asking people, “Why is the Quaker Oats man so happy?” I also reportedly ate a lot of raw oats.

Needless to say, this wasn’t my idea of a typical college party night and I went back to my weed smoking ways for nearly a decade, with the memory of eating too many mushrooms burned into my brain as a powerful warning against psychedelics.

Fast forward to my 29th birthday and I had tickets to see the Terracotta Warriors Exhibit at the Seattle Science Center on Friday, and chose to indulge in a little LSD at the suggestion of close friends. Standing in the immersive Augmented Reality exhibit with amazing color-changing, motion-triggered exhibits while in the presence of the 2,250-plus-year-old warriors gave me a feeling of connection unlike anything I’d ever felt. It was transcendental, and I knew in that moment I would have a new relationship with psychedelics. I felt connected to the past and present in a whole new way, which was heightened by the presence of ancient talismans meant to protect the Chinese Emperor in the afterlife. The experience changed my frame of reference in many ways, especially in regards to opening my mind and consciousness to new experiences.

I HOPE MY WORDS CAN INSPIRE THOSE WITH FEAR ABOUT PSYCHEDELICS (OR LIFE ITSELF) TO EXPLORE, LEARN AND LIVE IN THE MOMENT.

Since that fateful trip I’ve had the pleasure of unlearning the DARE propaganda, and also ignoring the wooks at festivals offering drugs – instead finding a happy medium between research and controlled experiences, with much intention into the set, setting and those around meus asto I opened my mind with psilocybin, LSD and DMT of in ceremonies that have had We are creators of targeted, independent Cannabis journalism. Please email discuss advertising in the next issue majordesign benefit in myices life. Iand wentguidance from scaredon to take a substance (for many good reasons) MarylandLeaf Magazine. We do not sell stories or coverage. We can offer serv promoting your to being scaredproduct not to challenge frameour of reference while confronting the issue of company’s medicinal, recreational, commercial or industrial Cannabis business, or evemy ntown within magazine consciousness and my place in the universe. Today, that fear is what drives me to explore the and on our website, Emleafmagazines.com. ail wyat@leafmgzins.com to star adevrtisng with Maryland Leaf! final frontier of psychedelic therapies and substances.

CONNECT WITH MARYLAND LEAF Exclusive Cannabis Journalism @MDLEAF

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Over 2,000 years ago, Socrates famously said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” I believe that wholeheartedly, and that the use of entheogenic plants is a way to explore one’s life in a way that should be part of everyone’s life experience. We have but a short time on this planet, and finding peace and meaning within the journey will help us to find peace when we reach the destination. While I don’t plan to go out like Aldous Huxley, I have learned from his writings and plan to be in a happy place when my brain releases DMT for the final time, as I pass into the great beyond. On that note, check out Dan Vinkovetsky’s piece on the use of psychedelics for easing fears at the end of one’s life, page 40-41.

I hope my words can inspire those with fear about psychedelics (or life itself) to explore, learn and live in the moment – and that this amazing Psychedelia Issue put together by our amazing Leaf team can be an inspiration and guide to your future experiences. Thanks for reading, and please share the Leaf!

-Wes Abney AUG. 2022

national news

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POLITICS

HEALTH & SCIENCE

SENATE DEMS TO INTRODUCE FEDERAL LEGALIZATION BILL

TRUCKING STUDY: LEGAL MARIJUANA MEANS SAFER ROADS

S

enate Democrats plan to introduce a bill to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. The legislation faces long odds in the evenly divided chamber due to the opposition of Senate Republicans.

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer worked with Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey and Ron Wyden of Oregon on the measure.

The senators circulated a draft of the bill last year and made tweaks after feedback from Senate committees.

The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act would remove marijuana from the list of drugs covered by the federal Controlled Substances Act. States, unfortunately, can still maintain and create prohibitions on the production and distribution of marijuana.

The Cannabis Administration and The legislation Opportunity Act would remove faces a steep marijuana from the list of drugs. climb in the Senate, where 60 votes are required to pass most meaningful bills. Most Republicans and a few Democrats, including Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Jon Tester, have opposed decriminalizing marijuana.

I

t’s the first study ever on the impact of Cannabis legalization upon the trucking industry. And, guess what? It’s good news.

A group of researchers from the University of Tennessee, University of Arkansas and Iowa State University found adult-use marijuana legalization actually reduced heavy truck accidents by 11% in the eight states studied. Six of the eight saw a decrease in truck accidents; just two saw increases. (The study is a preprint, meaning it hasn’t undergone peer review yet.)

“We’re not saying definitively that legalization will reduce trucking accidents, but there is some evidence that legalization across the board doesn’t necessarily increase accidents,” said Iowa State University Assistant Professor Jonathan Phares. “There are reasons why accidents could decrease as a result of legalization.”

LEGALIZATION

MIDWEST

NORTH DAKOTA ACTIVISTS SUBMIT LEGALIZATION SIGNATURES

THC EDIBLES AND DRINKS BECOME LEGAL IN MINNESOTA

T

he group behind a North Dakota marijuana legalization initiative reported submitting 25,672 signatures on July 11, to qualify for the November 2022 ballot.

For the initiative to qualify, 15,582 of the signatures must be valid, reports Ballotpedia.

“This signature drive showed us that, from Williston to Grand Forks, people all across our state are ready for responsible Cannabis policy reform,” said New Approach North Dakota Chairman Dave Owen. “We’re looking forward to all of our hard work paying off when we receive the official word that we’re on the ballot.”

Along with North Dakota, campaigns also submitted signatures for legalization initiatives on the November ballot in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

M

innesota is a real oddity in the world of Cannabis. The North Star State on July 1 became the only state to allow adult-use THC-infused edibles and drinks – without legalizing marijuana itself.

State residents 21 and older are now able to legally purchase edibles and beverages that contain THC, with the new law permitting the products to contain up to 5mg of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) per serving and 50mg per package.

A 5mg THC edible can cause a high feeling for first-time users, but people accustomed to marijuana often require a larger State residents 21 dose to feel the effect. and older are now In most states where adult-use marijuana is legal, able to legally 10mg is considered a ”serving.” Weed devotees purchase edibles and medical marijuana patients, however, often and beverages that prefer much higher doses – even measured in the contain THC. hundreds of milligrams.

THC products in Minnesota must be derived from legally-certified hemp, which contains trace amounts of the psychoactive compound, according to the law. But THC will produce the same effect whether it’s derived from hemp or marijuana.

WEIRD

LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

MAN LEAVES COURTHOUSE AFTER WEED CHARGES, GETS BUSTED AGAIN WITH 70 LBS

Y

ves Duboc tried leaving a Massachusetts courthouse in July with 70 pounds of marijuana after appearing in court for Cannabis offenses.

Duboc, 43, of Biddeford, Maine, appeared in Newburyport District Court for driving without a license and illegal marijuana possession on June 29.

Authorities released Yves under the condition that he didn’t drive until he got his Maine driver’s license. That license was already suspended.

As he left the courthouse, a Massachusetts State Police trooper watched him get into a Toyota SUV with a Florida license plate and drive off.

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The trooper promptly pulled Duboc over and arrested him for driving without a license, according to state police.

After handcuffing Duboc and putting Troopers him in the back of the police cruiser, reportedly found the trooper searched the SUV. While 70 pounds of searching, the trooper found a total of 70 marijuana and pounds of marijuana and 20 pounds of 20 pounds of marijuana extract. extract in the car.

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STORIES by STEVE ELLIOTT, AUTHOR OF THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF MARIJUANA

SAME DAY WALDORF STORE ONLY DELIVERY ORDER BEFORE 10am • Monday-Friday

Delivery minimum is $60 with a $5 delivery fee. Delivery fee is waived if you spend $300 or more.

Must be in a 31 mile radius from store.

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FOR CERTIFIED PATIENTS 18+

You must be at least 18 years old to view the content.

Medical Cannabis is for use by certified patients only.

INTERVIEW

MARYLAND LEAF BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH

ISRAELLE“IZZY”BROWN WHERE DOES YOUR PASSION FOR HELPING OTHERS COME FROM? It most definitely comes from my mom. She has always believed that me and my sister should give back to the community, and we did a lot of volunteering at homeless shelters and St. Joseph’s. My mom was a jack-of-all-trades, from nursing to having a thrift store, she was always doing something to help people.

COMING FROM THE WEST COAST, HOW DOES THE CANNABIS MARKET DIFFER FROM MARYLAND’S? Thinking about California and where I come from, the amount of brands, strains and products is a lot stronger there, due to the recreational system being in place. People are introducing Cannabis in a light out there in California with much less of a stigma than we face.

S “ OME E P OPLE HAVE WHERE IS YOUR TOLERANCES TO FAVORITE PLACE YOU HAVE DIFFERENT THINGS TRAVELED AND LIKE TERPENES WHY? I know this is AND CANNABINOID gonna sound silly, CONTENT, JUST LIKE but it was Wyoming.

THEY ENJOY FOODS I drove from THAT HAVE SPECIFIC Washington state to TASTES AND HEAT Maryland with my LEVELS.” sister, and driving through Wyoming was lit. The red dirt was really cool, and even though we didn’t have time to hang out and spend time there, even passing through was enough for me.

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DOES CANNABIS INFLUENCE YOUR COOKING? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING TO COOK? As far as taste and quality, I take the different strains into consideration when making different dishes. I have noticed the Orange Drizzle, Orange Grove and Sour Peel from Evermore have this orange-citrus taste that complements hot chili oil or a sweet pie very well. I am trying to broaden my horizons and go into pies and tarts/savory dishes that absorb oils really well. I use coconut oil, EVOO, and hot chili oil. My favorite thing to cook is a Thai-style salad with various chilis, green onions, carrots, cabbage and a protein on top.

HOW DO YOUR SKILLS FROM THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY HELP YOU IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY? I try to relate being in the restaurant industry to the Cannabis industry as far as peoples’ tastes go. Some people have tolerances to different things like terpenes and cannabinoid content, just like they enjoy foods that have specific tastes and heat levels. I try to figure out what people are comfortable with, so I can figure out what type of product to match their style and preferences.

I

THE LIVING ROOM

IZZY IS FROM CALIFORNIA ORIGINALLY, but has spent most of her life in Washington state and Maryland.

She really enjoys spreading the knowledge she has gained as an avid consumer of Cannabis and as a dispensary employee. She’s also all about cooking, pop culture and traveling, so be sure to chat her up when you stop by The Living Room in Pikesville.

AUG. 2022

1636 REISTERSTOWN RD, PIKESVILLE, MD THELVRM.COM @LIVINGROOMMD 10AM-8PM DAILY

INTERVIEW & PHOTO by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT/MARYLAND LEAF SEND NOMINATIONS FOR BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH TO WYATT@LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

READY TO ROLL AT CULTA Old Pal was founded in 2018 to provide quality value products to all medical patients. Accessible, affordable, and abundant, Old Pal’s vision is simple: uncomplicated, first-class cannabis. Proudly grown and distributed by CULTA in Maryland, each Old Pal bag includes 14 grams of classic pre-ground cannabis tucked into a handy resealable pouch complete with hemp rolling papers.

Scan to find your nearest location or visit www.Culta.io *Medical cannabis is for certified/qualifying patients only. Must be at least 18 years old to view content.

SHOP REVIEW

SETTING & VIBE This store is great for browsing the latest Cannabis products, with several product displays from various companies. They even have a drawer of see-through containers of flower that you are able to take a look at through the glass – giving patients more control over the medicine they purchase and what they want it to look like.

FLOWER This menu was like a manifold for dank flower, between things that were on sale and had to be scooped up, to top tier flower you can’t find everywhere in Maryland. From gas to fruits, every terpene profile patients are chasing can be found in this flower selection.

CONCENTRATES Grassroots’ concentrates run strong on this menu, with one of the most impressive selections I have ever seen from that company.

Favorites like Ice Cream Cake and Durban Poison were two of the ones that got me the most excited. They also have a nice selection of RSO, which can be critical for patients who can’t smoke or vape Cannabis.

EDIBLES 16

The edible menu here had a little bit of something for everyone.

Whether you are looking to mix Select Squeeze in with your fruit juice in the morning, or trying to drizzle Encore’s dark chocolate all over your ice cream at night, Curaleaf’s many options make it easy to get creative.

QUICK HIT

LEAFMAGAZINES.COM

For their newest location in Maryland, Curaleaf has opened an extremely impressive storefront with a vast product selection right here in Columbia.

This dispensary gave me a vibe reminiscent of a West Coast shop – truly operating in the present and the future of the Cannabis industry. Shout out to the awesome staff for making my visit so much fun!

CURALEAF COLUMBIA

7090 DEEPAGE DR, COLUMBIA, MD 9AM-8PM MON-SAT 10AM-6PM SUN (301) 304-4100 CURALEAF.COM @CURALEAF.USA

AUG. 2022

CURALEAF COLUMBIA

GRASSROOTS

Tarts Live Budder

“FAVORITES LIKE ICE CREAM CAKE & DURBAN POISON WERE TWO OF THE ONES THAT GOT ME THE MOST EXCITED.”

From popping the jar open to blowing out a dab, this concentrate was exploding with gassy flavors.

The nose can be described as fresh baked goods, with a slight hint of citrus coming through faintly. The exhale was a slew of sweet and savory flavors mixed into the perfect hit. After one dab, I was in a calm state of mind, with much less anxiety.

77.1% TOTAL CANNABINOIDS | 8.95% TOTAL TERPENES @GRASSROOTSCOMPANIES

REVIEW & PHOTOS by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT/MARYLAND LEAF

patient of the month

CANNABIS FOR A BETTER LIFE

alexis gonsalves

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ALEXIS GONSALVES AND HER BOYFRIEND NICK were heading to Miami this past month to attend the Rolling Loud Festival – a three-day annual music festival that features the likes of hip hop heavyweights Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar and Future. For Alexis and Nick, this isn’t an ordinary concert. The couple, who have been seeing each other for six years, “do everything together” as Alexis joyfully describes it. They especially enjoy music festivals. But they haven’t attended a big show since narrowly escaping a stampede at the notorious Travis Scott Astroworld Festival held in Houston on November 5, 2021.

AUG. 2022

TEN CONCERTGOERS died that day as a result of accidental compressive asphyxiation, while 25 people were hospitalized, and more than 300 people were treated for injuries at the festival’s field hospital. Investigations are ongoing, but many place the blame in a variety of places including Scott, event organizers Live Nation, unruly attendees and unqualified security staff at NRG Park – the host of the festival.

“Honestly, I think there were just too many people,” Alexis said.

Scott began his set at 9:06 p.m., and within 10 minutes the crowd began to compress toward Scott’s custom-built stage.

Alexis and Nick had neglected other ongoing performances, staking out prime real estate in anticipation of watching the megastar perform up close.

“We saw the first two songs,” the Baltimore native said. “After that, that’s when it got crazy.”

The initial rush “caused some panic,” Houston Fire Chief Sam Peña said, noting that “it started causing some injuries.” Shortly thereafter, audience members like Alexis and Nick began having trouble breathing as the crowd became even more condensed.

“We started getting pushed up against the metal barrier gates,” she said. “I couldn’t breathe.

I really did think I was going to die.”

Alexis recalls being helped by fellow concertgoers, who grabbed her and Nick, pulling them over the gates to safety. Shaken by the experience, they left the concert and headed back to their hotel.

“First, I thought it might’ve only been our little group section in the front,” she said. “I didn’t know until we got back what the hell had happened.”

A long-standing sufferer of anxiety and depression, the event left Alexis with what she believes to be post-traumatic stress.

“That whole month after the concert was really crazy,” the 27-year-old said. “Over the first few days, we just started seeing all the reports coming out about how

“With Cannabis, I have less anxiety and stress. When I don’t use anything, I’ll be more anxious more stressed throughout the day.”

many people had died. Then you’d find out another person had died.

It was just sad.”

A patient of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission, Alexis has clung tightly to her concentrated vape pens since the event, which initially triggered old, undesirable feelings.

“I started having depression and anxiety around age 15,” said Alexis, who works as an insurance agent. “I was hospitalized a few times. It took a long time of going to different doctors and trying different medications that didn’t make me feel very good. I wasn’t getting the help that I needed.”

Alexis received her medical card two years ago. Dabbing has been a recipe for returning a spark to her life. She begins each morning with a dab before work, preferring a hybrid or indica, explaining that a sativa makes her feel “too anxious.”

“With Cannabis, I have less anxiety and stress,” Alexis said.

“When I don’t use anything, I’ll be more anxious … more stressed throughout the day. Normal things like work, bills – they’ll have me feeling like I can’t do what I need to do.”

She believes she’s always had some sort of nervous energy and that Cannabis taps into that, making her more productive.

“I like to go hiking, snowboarding and biking,” she said. “Cannabis can even motivate me to even get things done around the house. I like to smoke before doing household chores.”

After getting herself out of a post-Astroworld “rut,” Alexis proudly boasts that she hasn’t had a panic attack this entire year. As her and Nick gear up for their big day in Miami, she’s hopeful that remains the case.

“I am nervous,” she admits.

“We’re conquering a huge fear.

But I don’t want that to stop me from living my life.”

The pair has taken precautions, purchasing VIP exclusive passes.

“We won’t be in the general public,” she said. “So there won’t be a whole bunch of people around us.”

If all else fails, she says she’ll have her man Nick by her side, and her medicine nearby.

“I’ll have my pen,” she smiled. “As soon as we got out of [Astroworld], I needed it. I was shaking. I needed to calm down before we even got back on the road.”

STORY by BAXSEN PAINE @BAXSENPAINE for MARYLAND LEAF | PORTRAITS by GREG MALCOLM @MARYLAND.CONNOISSEUR

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SATURDAY 8/13

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feature

higher standards

20

A mind-expanding conversation with former NFL superstar Ricky Williams

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EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, AN INTERVIEW CREEPS UP IN YOUR BLIND SPOT AND ABSOLUTELY FLOORS YOU BEFORE YOU CAN EVEN HEAR THE FOOTSTEPS. I should have seen it coming when, as I was emailing a representative for Errick Miron – formerly known as NFL legend Ricky Williams – she asked me for the place, date and time of my birth. After all, it’s not every day one of the best running backs in history pulls your astrological chart before you link up to talk about weed and psychedelics.

As the co-founder of Highsman, a multistate Cannabis company built with hopes of inspiring people to be their best selves, Miron brings wisdom and poignant experience to the discourse around Cannabis, entheogenic medicine, and internal versus external identity. Miron discussed his history with the plant, his personal journey of self-discovery, astrology and his goals for the future of his company.

aug. 2022

ON HIGHSMAN, CANNABIS AND ATHLETICS:

ON HIS JOURNEY WITH CANNABIS:

“Our tagline at Highsman is ‘Spark greatness.’ This ritual of lighting up, and ‘What problem, what issue, internal, external, am I going to go after?’ It’s funny; we punish and we ridicule athletes when they get in trouble for consuming, but we don’t ever ask ‘Why are they consuming?’ or ‘What are they doing when they’re consuming?’ The nature of an athlete is that we have opponents, problems, skills – we have these things we have to constantly work toward. For me, when I used Cannabis, I didn’t change. I didn’t just become a different person. It just gave me more breath, and more space, and more insight in which to think about and attack the problems and the issues that were showing up in my life. And I found that extremely useful. There wasn’t anyone in my personal circle or around me that was talking to me about Cannabis in that way, so I had to learn the hard way. The really hard way. So a big part of telling my story and getting this brand out is so people have access to these ideas, and ways to think about and use Cannabis and other psychedelics and entheogens.”

“I came back my senior year to try to get the Heisman Trophy … The season starts off kind of rough. We have a couple of rough games, my girlfriend leaves me and starts dating the quarterback on our team. I was having a really rough couple of weeks. My roommate’s like, ‘Dude, you just need to chill.’ So he brought out his little bong and had me take a couple of hits, and that was the first time I experienced what I would call the therapeutic effect.

Because I was in a bad place. Mentally, my mind was taking me to a really dark place, and I remember smoking that night and laying on my bed, and it was the first night in weeks that I wasn’t obsessing about the girl and the performance, and that cleared some space. And then I started thinking about the future, and thinking about how I was going to bounce back, and how I was going to handle the next week and get myself right. I ended up having back-to-back 300-yard rushing games. That’s, like, some kind of record. I do attribute Cannabis with helping me get my mind to a different place, so I could get myself to a different place. After that, I started to realize, ‘This is useful.’ Even that reflective state of mind, where I had the desire to understand what was going on – that became something more appealing to me.”

ON TAKING RISKS FOR GREATNESS, AND HOW THAT INSPIRED THE CREATION OF HIGHSMAN:

My experience is that it’s a tool, you know?

It’s a useful tool. And it’s something that I’m always thinking about – how to grow and how to become a better person – and really what that means is how to become more of myself. And I’ve realized the experiences I have in the world, they trigger internal things for me to learn about myself. So I go out in the world, and I experience the things that trigger stuff up in me, and I consume Cannabis and I sit with what’s up. In that process, I get to really learn about myself, so the next day when I go out into the world, I can be a more authentic version of myself because I’ve learned more about myself.

I’ve found it’s just a great tool to facilitate that cycle of growth and development. I t’s been a necessity, because early in life, I struggled with the conflict between my external responsibilities and who I was supposed to be, and how it felt to me. And I think that through this process, I’ve learned to lean into going out, and coming in – you know, the breath of life.”

“When I came back for my senior year (instead of going into the NFL draft), people told me I was crazy. I was risking getting hurt and all of this stuff, because my junior year I led the nation in rushing and scoring. I would have been a top five pick. But I came back because I wanted to win the Heisman Trophy. I thought, ‘There’s very few people who even have the opportunity, let alone the opportunity to be the front runner. … It was obvious that it wasn’t a given, but I was like, ‘I’m this close, why not take a shot?’ It was the Heisman Trophy, and also I was really close to being the all-time leading rusher in college football history. These big dreams that people would remember me by. Or I could just be a really good college running back who went to the NFL. It was a choice. Greatness, or pretty good and keep it ON NON-CANNABIS movin’. And I couldn’t resist going for it. That ENTHEOGENS AND THEIR requires the ability to RELATIONSHIP TO THE PLANT: dream. … For me, I saw this opportunity to go for “I can’t honestly say there it. I put all my eggs in are other things that I look one basket and I said I’m forward to, or that I move going for it. The season towards. For me, it’s more “I ended up having started and it didn’t start like, when the medicine calls, well. Things went to shit.

I listen. But it’s not something back-to-back 300-yard I lost that imaginative that I seek out. I feel like rushing games. That’s, state. And that’s when Cannabis is that daily tool – I found Cannabis as like, some kind of record. the tool you use on a daily medicine, and it helped basis like brushing your teeth.

I do attribute Cannabis reengage. It helped me You’ve gotta floss and brush with helping me get my lift out of that, and do your teeth on a more or less the impossible. I broke mind to a different place, regular basis. Right? That’s all the records, I won the maintenance. But then so I could get myself to a just Heisman, I did all of it! every six months, you go in for different place. After that, the cleaning. You’ve got that And Cannabis helped me. That’s the story, and I started to realize, ‘This is pick, and you get that deeper it’s not just sports – it’s I feel like on those useful.’ Even that reflective cleaning. anyone. Going for it. kinds of regular intervals that state of mind, where I had the more powerful medicine Taking your shot. What do you really want to calls.” the desire to understand accomplish with your “It’s interesting, the connecwhat was going on – that life? Because as you go tion between what I’m calling and try to accomplish became something more more powerful medicine and it, there’s gonna be obmore potent medicine and appealing to me.” stacles. There are gonna Cannabis. A lot of times, I’ve be things that knock you noticed people, when they try down. And you’ve gotta have a set of tools where and consume Cannabis, a lot of anxiety and you can transform those obstacles into fodder to help fear, and a lot of things come up for them. A you grow and achieve what you’re capable of. really powerful, nice dose of psilocybin can help them in a more intense way release some ON THE ROLE OF CANNABIS IN HELPING things, so then as they consume Cannabis, there’s more space there. They’ve cleaned some HIM LEARN MORE ABOUT HIMSELF, AND things out. It’s like when you let the garage get WHO HE WANTS TO BE: really, really messy, and then you try to sweep it, and it’s like, ‘This isn’t doing anything! I have to “I know that’s why it’s a part of my life. The story that devote my whole day to the garage!’ Right? And I was told is that it’s a drug, and it’s a problem.

you go through it. Then, once you clean and you sweep, it’s like, ‘Ah, it feels good.’”

ON CHOOSING CANNABIS REGARDLESS OF THE RULES: “There’s a funny quote that comes out every 4/20 – it’s a quote from me and it says, ‘I got high and forgot I wasn’t supposed to get high.’

There was this thing where the biggest issue in my life became these drug tests, and the potential harm that might come. That became the biggest stressor in my life. And sometimes in order to not think about that, yeah, I smoked a little bit. In my imagination, I lived in a world where I wasn’t being piss-tested all the time.

And I needed that feeling, and feeling like I’m not a criminal in order to maintain some kind of sanity. It was frustrating, but it led me on this journey. It forced me to make decisions about what was important to me. We talk about mental health, but if we look at the choices that people make in their lives, they keep choosing to do things that aren’t good for their mental health. And we have all these reasons and justifications. I was just someone who said, ‘I really am going to value my mental health.’

What does that mean? I’m gonna ask myself, ‘Does this feel good to me?’ I think as a football player, so much of the training was ‘it doesn’t matter.’ We still have to score touchdowns. If it hurts, all the better. My training was one way, and Cannabis really helped me create that balance, and realize that I gotta learn to listen to myself and take care of myself, and do what feels good to me – regardless of what the external world thinks.”

ON PLANS TO EXPAND HIGHSMAN’S GOALS TO INCLUDE PSILOCYBIN AND OTHER ENTHEOGENIC TOOLS: (Highsman) is really all of it. I’m wrestling with the guys, but eventually we’re gonna find a way to squeak a little astrology in here. Because it really is about tools to help people achieve their greatness – not by chasing something externally – but from understanding internally what you are truly capable of. So, for us, really, Highsman is about anything. It’s a lifestyle. … To me, it’s more about, if you’re constantly – thinking about how you can be more yourself, how you can be more creative, then all the choices you make are going to be feeding and supporting that idea.”

HIGHSMAN.COM | @HIGHSMAN

STORY by TOM BOWERS @CANNABOMBTOM/LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by HIGHSMAN

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BISCOTTI

SUNDAE #16

AUG. 2022

STRAIN OF THE MONTH

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The balanced temperament of the terpene profile lends itself to a harmonious entourage of mellow and calm effects – perfect for those long summer days.

RYTHM.COM | @RYTHM_OFFICIAL

REVIEW by TAYLOR MARTIN for MARYLAND LEAF | PHOTO by GREG MALCOLM @MARYLAND.CONNOISSEUR

For me, the effects of Rythm’s delicious flower were quite cerebral and dare I say, creative.

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THE psychedelia ISSUE

THEARTOF TRANSCENDENCE The Leaf gets inside the heads of visionary art power couple Alex Grey & Allyson Grey to find out what effects Cannabis and psychedelics have had on their art, spiritual beliefs, and lives.

INTERVIEW by BOBBY BLACK @BOBBYBLACK420/LEAF NATION

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S

ince its emergence in the late 1960s, psychedelic culture has continued to grow, evolve and express itself – primarily through music and art. And over the past few decades, no psychedelic artists have achieved higher notoriety or had a more meaningful impact on our culture than Alex Grey & Allyson Grey.

BEST KNOWN to many through his collaborations with the progressive metal band Tool, Alex’s art is a spectacular synthesis of love, light, birth, death, rebirth and beyond. His imagery penetrates the psycho-spiritual strata of existence – peeling back the superficial surfaces and exposing the auras and energies that surround us, vibrating and pulsating when viewed through one’s third eye.

The same is true of his soulmate, Allyson. In contrast to Alex’s anatomical style, Allyson’s art is abstract – tapping into the sacred geometry of the cosmos to utilize fractals, symbols and mathematical patterns to develALEX & ALLYSON AT THE CHAPEL OF SACRED MIRRORS - HUDSON VALLEY, NY. op her own secret, sacred language.

Together, they comprise a psychedelic power couple regarded by many as spiritual leaders with an almost cult-like status.

I first met the Greys at the Cannabis Cup in 1998, and our paths have continued to cross ever since. I attended one of their earliest Full Moon gatherings at their apartment in Brooklyn, blazed with them in Amsterdam, tripped out in their tent at Burning Man, and visited the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, or CoSM – their temple/art gallery in NYC – countless times. Yet, I’d never had the pleasure of interviewing them … until now.

“CANNABIS SUTRA” BY ALEX GREY, 2007

aug. 2022

“CHAOS, ORDER, & SECRET WRITING” BY ALLYSON GREY, 2009

Was your desire to become an artist innate, or did something happen in your life that made you consciously decide to become an artist? Allyson:

Teachers and peers recognized both of us, at an early age, as artists. That foundational encouragement gave us our artistic identities.

Growing up, we both won awards for our art, exhibited our work, and were leaders in school.

Alex: My father introduced me to drawing as an infant. I would watch faces and creatures emerge from the tip of his pencil, and I’d dance in amazement. He activated something that may have been part of my past lives.

How did you meet and fall in love? Alex: We met in

art school in 1974, in a class on Performance Art, Mixed Media and Conceptual Art. Throughout art school, we continued to create performance installations and paint collaboratively.

Your work has inspired a great many people … but who inspired you? Allyson: As early as high school,

abstract expressionists Jackson Pollack and Helen Frankenthaler influenced me, as well as minimalist Sol Lewitt and mixed media creator Lucas Samaras.

Alex: Michelangelo was always my favorite artist.

After taking LSD, I discovered visionary artists who drew inspiration from psychedelic experience, like Ernst Fuchs, Mati Klarwein, William Blake and Jean Delville. But Allyson has been the most inspiring and influential artist in my life.

It’s often said that the best art arises from suffering … does that adage hold any truth for you?

Alex: Buddhism teaches that life is suffering.

Everyone suffers. We love our life – the highs and the lows. My art has embraced hopefulness as well as depression and difficult challenges, both personal and global.

Allyson: My art reflects an inner world – a spectral psychedelic vision and an essentialized worldview that is both bright and dark.

Alex — your work has reached a broader audience thanks to your collaborations with Tool. Tell us a little about that relationship. Alex: Adam Jones came to

my 1999 exhibit in a Santa Monica gallery, and we became friends. Adam invited my work to be part of three amazing albums: Lateralus, 10,000 Days, and the astonishingly prescient Fear Inoculum. Over the past 21 years, I’ve designed stage sets, music video collaborations, posters and merchandise to accompany their tours … I even painted a drum set for Danny Carey. The members of Tool and their fans have been some of the greatest forces in supporting CoSM. Inside Entheon is a Tool shrine with some cool relics, including a bronze sculpture

by Adam, samples of Maynard’s wines, a wrap of the drum design and many photos, posters and preliminary drawings for the art that became associated with Tool. They are masterful musicians and it’s been an inspiration to work with them.

Describe your first experience with Cannabis. Allyson: My sister and her friend got me stoned just before I went off to college at age 17. It was unpleasant, and I had to sleep it off. Almost as soon as I left home, I moved out of my dorm room and into an

apartment with hash dealers. We smoked every day, and I remember laughing my ass off listening to Firesign Theater.

Alex: At 18, on my way to my first music festival featuring Mountain and Traffic.

How often do you use Cannabis? Is it a part of your creative process? Alex: Until Covid, we used it daily

and often. It has been part of our creative process, but we’ve also created art stone-cold sober for years at a time.

When did you first try psychedelics and what was your experience like? Allyson: My first trip was at

age 17 on the campus of NYU with my high school boyfriend. It was supposedly mescaline in pill form, but I suspect it was actually LSD. We walked about 70 blocks down 5th Avenue talking about our experiences and life. After that, I was privileged to experience LSD regularly and often for about three years – Orange Sunshine, Purple Haze, Owsley acid, and others.

Alex: My first trip was in Allyson’s apartment in 1975. Wary of my mental health, I waited until I was 21. That day I had asked God to give me a sign that I should go on living. That evening on the way to Allyson’s party, I was offered LSD mixed into a bottle of Kahlua. I drank half the bottle and when Allyson met us at the door, I handed her the other half of the bottle. I sat for hours, not speaking to anyone, envisioning a pearlescent spinning tunnel. I was in the dark, spiraling toward the light. The light was God, and that became my path. It was my first night with Allyson – that has lasted all these years. INTERVIEW CONTINUES >>

ARTWORK & PHOTOS courtesy ALEX GREY & ALLYSON GREY

THE psychedelia ISSUE

ARTISTS ALEX GREY & ALLYSON GREY

INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

THEARTOFTRANSCENDENCE

“THE LIZARD KING” BY ALLYSON GREY, 2011

30

How would your art and lives be different if you’d never taken psychedelics? Alex: It cured my

suicidal ideation. Without meeting spirit, I don’t know if I’d be alive today.

Allyson: For three years, I took LSD with friends and alone – climbing a mountain, people watching, and on bicycle excursions. Every journey was evolutionary and self-revelatory.

In 1971, I read the book “Be Here Now” by Ram Dass and tried taking LSD solo in a dark room. In that journey, I saw Secret Writing – the cryptic language of the divine. It transformed me and my artwork. Until I met Alex three years after, I dared not share the meaning of my secret body of art.

leafmagazines.com

Allyson — can your “secret writing” be translated and comprehended, or is it purely an abstract expression of imagination? Allyson: Secret

Language in my art is an ineffable and untranslatable language of creative expression coming directly from my personal vision. They were made visible to me in the psychedelic state. Their meaning comes from the divine, the force some call God.

What does “God” mean to you?

Allyson: God is faceless. God is

ineffable, beyond physicality or description – a force in all beings and things. Any guru will tell you that God is within.

Alex: God is an experience that, once known, cannot be unknown.

God is beyond conceptions. The divine

aug. 2022

is a transcendental force animating all life and the creative intelligence that birthed the cosmos.

Is there one religious tradition you relate to most, and why? Alex: Born

into a family of Methodists, I saw Christ as my first spiritual friend. After meeting Allyson, I began studying Tibetan Buddhism in the late ‘70s – a connection that has strengthened for decades. Having studied the mystic traditions, I find connections between them all.

Allyson: Since Alex began studying Buddhism, I’ve learned and appreciated a great deal in the wisdom of that tradition. Decades ago, we had the privilege of studying with the Dalai Lama at Harvard Divinity School.

It is our regular practice to read to each other from Tibetan Buddhist texts each morning after yoga and meditation.

But I grew up in the Jewish tradition, which most resonates with my psychedelic experience. God’s message is transferred through writing in all the major religions, and in Judaism – where graven imagery of God is prohibited – the Torah and libraries of commentary are the most revered works of influence.

How did you first conceive of the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors? Allyson:

The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (CoSM) was inspired by a 1978 collaborative performance called Life Energy that included Alex’s life-sized ink drawings

“NET OF BEING” BY ALEX GREY, 2007

of the human anatomy. After noticing the popularity of these charts within the performance, I suggested painting an entire series of life-sized paintings that would include the systems of the human body, mind and spirit.

Alex: In 1984, a collector who was interested in purchasing the series gifted us two doses of MDMA, then legal. Three days later, we took MDMA for the first time and envisioned the series as an installation that included sculpted pictorial frames in a public psychedelic space.

Within months we began sculpting and casting the 21, 10.5-foot frames for the paintings that became the Sacred Mirrors.

When did the “Chapel” part enter the picture? Alex: CoSM became a

nonprofit organization in 1996 with the following mission: ‘To build an enduring sanctuary of visionary art to uplift a global community.’ In 2002, a shaman advised us to begin hosting Full Moon ceremonies and pray with friends for the advancement of that mission. The first CoSM Full Moon ceremony was held in our Brooklyn loft in January 2003. There has since been an unbroken chain of 244 Full Moon ceremonies to date.

Allyson: On Easter Sunday, April 20th, 2003, a landlord offered us a raw industrial space on 27th Street in New York to hold ceremonies and events. By August 2004, the CoSM spiritual creative center was open – offering exhibition space for the

“LSD HAS ALWAYS BEEN OUR FAVORITE. IT OFFERS THE LONGEST AND MOST VISUAL JOURNEY. WE’VE ENJOYED MANY PSILOCYBIN EXPERIENCES AND HAVE PARTICIPATED IN NUMEROUS AYAHUASCA CEREMONIES IN THE PAST FEW DECADES.” -ALEX GREY

“FLESH OF THE GODS” BY ALEX GREY, 2021

An artist rendering of the soon-to-be-completed ENTHEON—the Greys’ 12,000-square-foot temple/gallery, which will host the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (below), galleries of both of their artwork, and rotating art from the International Visionary Art movement.

Sacred Mirrors and ary art, Entheon – many of our other which is set to open works, a rotating exsoon – will host the hibit of works by other Chapel of Sacred visionary artists, a Mirrors, galleries of dance studio, an event both our art, and space, offices and an annually rotating a gift shop. But five exhibit of the Interyears into our lease, a national Visionary new landlord threatArt movement. ened to quadruple our rent. We realized In recent years, that our ‘enduring it feels like dark “SECRET WALLS #1”

BY ALLYSON GREY, 1976 sanctuary’ needed forces have been a secure home and ascendant in this would be better suited to a tranquil country and around the world. environment in nature. Fortunately, What, if anything, can we do to Alex found the perfect location – a reverse this tide and move things small retreat on 40 wooded acres, back toward the light? Allyson: As 65 miles up the Hudson River from darkness gets darker, light appears Manhattan in Wappinger, New York. brighter. That’s what we can do – be Alex: The property features eight a beacon of light. Creativity and restored buildings, including a compassion can make our tiny corner 10-bedroom house to accommoof the universe a better place by date guests and an old carriage being the best we can be, through house that’s been transformed into a eco-consciousness and our acceptance 12,000-square-foot exhibition space of differences. Be kind, and if only for called Entheon. A sanctuary of visionyour own benefit, love everyone.

“CANNABACCHUS” BY ALEX GREY, 2006

IN 1971, I READ THE BOOK “BE HERE NOW” BY RAM DASS AND TRIED TAKING LSD SOLO IN A DARK ROOM. IN THAT JOURNEY, I SAW SECRET WRITING – THE CRYPTIC LANGUAGE OF THE DIVINE. IT TRANSFORMED ME AND MY ARTWORK.” -ALLYSON GREY

ALEXGREY.COM @ALEXGREYCOSM ALLYSONGREY.COM @ALLYSONGREYCOSM COSM.ORG @CHAPELOFSACREDMIRRORS Read our full, unabridged interview with the Greys and see more of their artwork on our website | leafmagazines.com/greys-interview

INTERVIEW by BOBBY BLACK @BOBBYBLACK420/LEAF NATION | ARTWORK & PHOTOS courtesy ALEX GREY & ALLYSON GREY

THE psychedelia ISSUE

Did eating psychedelic mushrooms play a role in early primates’ ascendance to higher consciousness?

T

IT ALL STARTED in 1992 when McKenna broke the world’s collective brain with his book “Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge: A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution.” In it, he proposed a radical evolutionary theory: that psilocybin mushrooms were responsible for catalyzing our evolution from Homo Erectus into Homo Sapiens. In other words, our bodies and brains function as they do today because our ancestors tripped out on psychedelic mushrooms. The psychoactive effects of these mushrooms, he argued, essentially reorganized the information processing center of the primitive primate brain – sparking the evolution of consciousness, cognition and language – by prompting hominids to engage in experiences like community, spirituality and self-reflection. Psilocybin, McKenna wrote, brought us “out of the animal mind and into the world of articulated speech and imagination.” This theory would eventually come to be known as the Stoned Ape Hypothesis (though McKenna himself never actually used that term).

Since its publication, people haven’t stopped talking about the Stoned Ape Hypothesis – despite the fact that traditional scientists have consistently dismissed it as “simplistic” and nothing more than a “high thought” (albeit the most elaborate high thought ever, articulated in over 300 pages). But recent developments in psychedelic science have greatly expanded what we know about the impact of entheogens (particularly psychedelic fungi) on the brain, and some believe these new findings bolster the validity of the theory.

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FROMAPETOGREAT

aug. 2022

he internet is both a blessing and a social curse. However, one of its better contributions to society is that it has kept the spirit of late ethnobotanist and psychedelic pundit Terence McKenna alive. Though he died in April of 2000, McKenna’s ideas and philosophies still soar through the interwebs, thanks to Reddit, podcasts and numerous social media platforms. One theory in particular that has continued to gain steam is the so-called “Stoned Ape Hypothesis.”

“When Terrence wrote [Food of the Gods], While we still don’t fully understand the most people dismissed it, saying he’s a nature of consciousness or how it evolved, crazy druggie trying to come out with this scientists generally agree that it was more idea,” said Terence’s younger brother Dennis complicated than simply eating psychedelic McKenna (who helped him shape the theory) mushrooms. on the “Conversation with Kais” podcast last Consequently, many Stoned Ape haters year. “Some of the more thoughtful critics scoff at the simplicity of the McKenna theory said it was plausible, but now because of the – such as paleontologist Martin Lockley, discoveries about [mushrooms’ impact on] Ph.D., who explained to Inverse in 2017 that neurogenesis, epigenetics and neuroplastithe Stoned Ape Hypothesis hinges on concity, Stoned Ape has gone from plausible to sciousness sprouting from a singular source. probable.”

But the McKennas never actually claimed McKenna was undoubtedly a man ahead that mushrooms were the sole cause for the of his time. Unlike today, he didn’t have a rise of consciousness; in fact, Dennis has library of scientific research to cite showing publicly stated that the media has oversimthat psychedelic mushplified the theory and that he RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN rooms stimulate the believes psilocybin mushPSYCHEDELIC SCIENCE HAVE rooms were only a factor in growth of new neurons, GREATLY EXPANDED reorganize synaptic conthe emergence of consciousWHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE nections or impact gene ness and the mind – a sort of IMPACT OF ENTHEOGENS expression – concepts evolutionary catalyst. on which the Stoned Ape “It’s not so simple to say (PARTICULARLY PSYCHEDELIC Hypothesis is essentially that [hominids] ate psilocybin FUNGI) ON THE BRAIN, AND predicated. Anthropomushrooms and suddenly the SOME BELIEVE THESE NEW logical evidence indibrain mutated,” he explains in FINDINGS BOLSTER THE cates that the brain size the film “Fantastic Fungi.” “I VALIDITY OF THE THEORY. of Homo Erectus roughly think it’s more complex than doubled between 2 million and 700,000 that, but I think [mushrooms] were a factor. It years ago. What’s more, it’s estimated that was like software to program neurologically the brain volume of Homo Sapiens grew modern hardware to think, have cognition, three times larger between 500,000 and and to have language.”

100,000 years ago. Though mainWhile most scientists get hung up on this stream scientists remain flummoxed single-source-for-consciousness notion, about how and why this occurred, there are some who agree with the McKenthe Stoned Ape Hypothesis offers nas. While admitting that the Stoned Ape a potential answer.

Hypothesis is technically unprovable, iconic “The fossil remains we’ve mycologist Paul Stamets nevertheless advofound show that hominids and cates for it. cattle lived in the same environment,” “I suggest to you that Dennis and TerDennis McKenna explains. “If you have ence were right on,” Stamets proclaimed in these two elements in the ecology – espethe keynote address he gave at the 2017 cially cattle, because where there are cows, Psychedelic Science conference entitled there’s cow shit – mushrooms had to be “Psilocybin Mushrooms and the Mycology there. There is no fossil evidence showing of Consciousness.” “I want you or anyone this because mushrooms don’t hold up well, listening, or seeing this, to suspend your disbut mushrooms grow on cow dung. If you belief,” he advised. “I think this is a very, very go to any similar ecology in modern times – plausible hypothesis for the sudden evolution tropical pastures with cattle – the world over, of Homo Sapiens from our primate relatives.” you will find these mushrooms.”

Apparently, the crowd agreed – as evidenced According to science, a state of consciousby the roaring ovation they can be seen giving ness is an effect of receiving and processing him in the YouTube video of the discussion. information through multiple qualitative Regardless of what modern science says, experiences, including sensations and anyone who’s done a deep dive into the feelings, the nuances of sensory qualmushroom realm understands how the ities, and cognitive processes (i.e., Stoned Ape Hypothesis could be true. And if evaluative thinking and memory). there’s one nugget of wisdom we can take Essentially, our hominid ancestors’ away from this discussion, it’s that humans warm, almost tropical environhave always been fascinated with psychements allowed for a symbiotic delics – particularly when it comes to the trifecta between cattle, existential ponderings of how we got here mushrooms and people – and the story of humankind. theoretically creating the “If I could sum it up, I would say the ideal conditions for exmushrooms taught us how to think,” Dennis ponential brain growth McKenna asserts. “They gave us the tools of and the emergence of the imagination, and from that, everything such consciousness. else proceeds.”

STORY by MARY CARREON @MARYYYPRANKSTER for LEAF NATION | ILLUSTRATION by OUTSIDE ARTWORK @OUTSIDEARTWORK

THE psychedelia ISSUE

SURRENDERING TOTHEVOID

Psychedelics for the End of Life Experience

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“Turn off your mind Relax and float down stream It is not dying It is not dying Lay down all thoughts Surrender to the void It is shining It is shining” “Tomorrow Never Knows” - The Beatles written by Paul McCartney & John Lennon

aug. 2022

IN

1963, WRITER ALDOUS HUXLEY was on his deathbed suffering from terminal cancer when he asked his wife to inject him with 100 micrograms of LSD. In a letter to friends, Laura Huxley wrote that she consulted Sidney Cohen, a psychiatrist who had pioneered the use of LSD. “I had asked him if he had ever given LSD to a man in this condition. He said he had only done it twice, actually,” wrote Laura, “and in one case it had brought up a sort of reconciliation with death.” After the author of “The Doors of Perception” and “Brave New World” passed away, Laura wrote, “All five people in the room said that this was the most serene, the most beautiful death. Both doctors and the nurse said they had never seen a person in similar physical condition going off so completely without pain and without struggle.” Three years later, LSD was officially banned in California.

MUCH HAS BEEN recently distress many terminally discussed on the use of psycheill Americans face in their delics for the treatment of many last days, sabotaging conditions, including its theratheir quality of life and peutic administration for PTSD, time with family and depression, alcohol or hard friends. FDA has granted drug abuse, couples’ therapy, “breakthrough status” to anxiety and more. The focus is psilocybin therapy for deon healing and recovery from pression, in light of safety traumas and unresolved grief. and promising signs of Less is known about utilizing efficacy in stage 2 FDA these same entheogens for trials, especially for end those with terminal illnesses – of life patents. Congress for palliative care during the passed the national end of life experience.

Right to Try Act in 2018 I spoke with Dr. Alison to allow Americans with Draisin PsyD, LMHC, lead life-threatening condipsychotherapist and Director tions to access promising of Ketamine Assisted Psychomedicines that have therapy Provider Training at passed phase I trials, the AIMS Institute, to discover without having to wait for “WE’RE STILL FIGHTING more about her knowledge of completion of the new AND WE NEED Cannabis and psychedelics as drug approval process. a tool in psychotherapy, and in However DEA is blockMORE PEOPLE TO particular, for patients who are ing access to psilocybin BECOME ACTIVISTS AND preparing for their deaths. “End therapy, even as Canada BE PUBLIC ABOUT THEIR of life therapy using these plant is now allowing it north and fungal medicines isn’t of the border.”

SUPPORT FOR THESE about healing and recovery, In a recent opinion END-OF-LIFE THERAPIES but instead about acceptance, piece in the New York pain management and feeling Times, health and science … PEOPLE WHO ARE peace within themselves,” writer and former psycholDYING DESERVE THE explains Dr. Draisin. “The spirogy researcher Dr. Dana RIGHT TO DO WHATEVER itual awakenings can be quite G. Smith writes about cathartic for the patients and Nick Fernandez, who was THEY WANT WITH THEIR observing their experiences has administered “a large BODIES AND MINDS.” brought me peace as well. It’s dose of psilocybin as part so lovely and powerful to bear of a clinical trial at New -Dr. Alison Draisin PsyD, LMHC witness to people’s journeys to York University for people discover death with peace.” dealing with anxiety and Dr. Draisin also tells me depression following a that The AIMS Institute, short cancer diagnosis.” Mr. for Advanced Integrative Medical Science, employs Fernandez wrote about his experience in a Medium post, ketamine for patients in palliative care and recently describing what many would consider to be a miracle. ​ sued the DEA in order for them to allow psilocybin “This psilocybin journey was the single most transformatreatments for those in hospice. Lawyer Kathryn Tucker tive experience of my life,” he explained. “It forced me to of the Emerge Law Group filed a motion on behalf of reconcile with the mortality of being human. It alleviated AIMS clients pushing for rescheduling, but the judge my anxiety and gave meaning to my life.” came back and said the DEA has no precedent.

How do we get to a future in which dying human “It’s a catch-22 because without the right to use beings are able to choose for themselves the treatmushrooms for patients, there’s no studies to show efments they wish to employ? Does “Death with Dignity” ficacy – and the DEA can just point to that and contininclude the right to use psychedelics to help come ue to stonewall any rescheduling by citing the fact that to terms with the end of our lives in a truly “Brave New there’s no evidence.” After the lawsuit was rejected, World?” As Dr. Draisin sees it, the answers are obvious. the company Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps sponsored a “We’re still fighting and we need more people to protest on behalf of Right to Try at the DEA building in become activists and be public about their support Arlington to raise awareness of the fact that the agenfor these end-of-life therapies,” she says. “It’s hard cy was blocking the implementation of the Right to Try because the people who need this the most aren’t able Act passed and signed into law in 2018. to keep up the fight but their loved ones – and anyone The organization addressed the issue in the followwho believes in this right – need to step up. People ing statement: “Psilocybin therapy has shown incredwho are dying deserve the right to do whatever they ible promise alleviating the debilitating existential want with their bodies and minds.”

PSILOCYBIN THERAPY has shown incredible promise alleviating the debilitating existential distress many terminally ill Americans face in their last days, sabotaging their quality of life and time with family and friends.

The FDA has granted “breakthrough status” to psilocybin therapy for depression, in light of safety and promising signs of efficacy in stage 2 FDA trials, especially for end of life patents. — Statement from the Right to Try Act, signed into law in 2018.

Resources for Activists and Patients AIMS Institute aimsinstitute.net

End Well Project endwellproject.org

Right to Try Psilocybin righttotrypsilocybin.com

Dr. Bronner’s

drbronner.com/blogs/ our-community/heal-soul

WAMM (Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana) wammphytotherapies.org

End of Life Washington endoflifewa.org

The Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research hopkinspsychedelic.org

Nushama (Ketamine Assisted Therapy Clinics) nushama.com

The Heffter Research Institute heffter.org

TheraPsil (Canada) therapsil.ca

Center to Advance Palliative Care capc.org

STORY by DAN VINKOVETSKY @DANNYDANKOHT/LEAF NATION | ILLUSTRATION by OUTSIDE ARTWORK @OUTSIDEARTWORK | PHOTO by @DAVID_GOODMAN_PHOTOS

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cannthropology

PRESENTS

High Priest of LSD The

After experimenting with psychedelics in the early 1960s, Harvard psychology professor Timothy Leary experienced a spiritual awakening and became an unlikely icon of the counterculture. Preaching to the nation’s youth to “tune in, turn on, and drop out,” he became America’s poster boy for LSD — and “the most dangerous man in America,” according to President Richard Nixon. But it wasn’t acid that led to the controversial guru’s eventual imprisonment—it was Cannabis.

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INTRO TO PSYCH The year was 1960, and a 40-year-old clinical psychologist from Massachusetts named Timothy Leary had recently begun lecturing at the prestigious Harvard University. There, he learned from a colleague about a sacred ceremony involving hallucinogenic mushrooms he’d recently experienced in Mexico. Intrigued, he traveled down to Cuernavaca that August, where he had his first psychedelic experience on psilocybin mushrooms, which forever changed his life trajectory.

After returning to Harvard that fall, he partnered with assistant professor Richard Alpert to found the Harvard Psilocybin Project: A research program to study psilocybin’s effects on human consciousness using a synthetic version of the compound created

by Swiss chemist Albert Hofman Leary with Richard Alpert at of Sandoz Labs – the same Harvard, circa 1961. chemist who discovered LSD. Leary’s introduction to acid came in October 1961 through a mysterious British “rascal” named Michael Hollingshead, who reportedly showed up in Cambridge with a mayonnaise jar of sugar paste laced with it. Two months later, Leary finally agreed to try it – allegedly swallowing a heaping tablespoon of the stuff, then proceeding to experience an epic death-and-rebirth level trip that literally blew his mind.

aug. 2022

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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Timothy Leary with partner Richard Alpert (in the background) at an event at Harvard University in the early 1960s.

MILLBROOK Over the next few years, the Harvard Psilocybin Project conducted several studies, including the Concord Prison Experiment (evaluating the effects of psilocybin on the rehabilitation of paroled prisoners) and the Marsh Chapel Experiment (testing its ability to trigger religious experiences).

But the Project’s unorthodox methods, lack of objectivity and cavalier attitude soon lead to their dismissal from Harvard. Luckily for them, their work had attracted the attention of millionaire siblings Peggy, Billy and Tommy Hitchcock, who in late 1963 offered the duo their 64-room mansion in Millbrook, New York to continue their research.

At Millbrook, Leary and Alpert founded the Castalia Foundation and continued their entheogenic experiments – attracting visits from beatnik icons Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs, Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters, jazz musician Charles Mingus and others. But within a few years, Millbrook had devolved from a research project into a hippie commune/party house. That party ended in 1966 when the estate was raided multiple times – first by the Dutchess County

Sheriff’s Department (led by future Watergate mastermind G. Gordon Liddy) in April, then several more times by the FBI. After Millbrook’s implosion, Alpert took off for India (later reinventing himself as Ram Dass), while Leary headed to California to connect with the burgeoning new hippie movement.

LEGEND OF A MIND By this time, Leary was quickly became an icon of the new counterculture – embarking on college speaking tours, being interviewed

by Playboy, and even having a song written about him by The Moody Blues.

In January 1967, Leary and Alpert were invited to speak at the Human Be-In – a seminal hippie gathering in Golden Gate Park featuring performances by Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead, among others. It was here that he first coined his infamous mantra: “Tune in, Turn on, Drop out.”

“The Human Be-In” poster.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Recording “Give Peace a Chance” at John & Yoko’s Montreal “Bed-In For Peace” (1969).

It was also during this time that he became friends with John Lennon. Having been inspired to write the Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows” after reading Leary’s book “The Psychedelic Experience,” John and Yoko invited Leary and his new wife Rosemary to their “Bed-In For Peace” at Montreal’s Queen ElizaLeary for Governor beth Hotel, where they famously recorded poster (1970).

“Give Peace a Chance.” Lennon also offered to help Leary in his newly-announced gubernatorial race against Ronald Reagan in California by penning him a song based on his campaign slogan: “Come together, join the party.”

Unfortunately, a pot arrest that December killed Leary’s political aspirations; “Come Together,” however, lives on.

BROTHERHOOD BUST At the end of 1967, Leary moved to Laguna Beach, where he became one of the spiritual leaders of notorious hash smugglers/ LSD evangelists Brotherhood of Eternal Love.

On December 26, Tim and wife Rosemary with 1968, a rookie cop named Brotherhood of Eternal Love Neil Purcell – who had been leader Johnny Griggs (1967). casing the Brotherhood’s neighborhood (nicknamed “Dodge City”) – noticed Leary’s car parked suspiciously and decided to investigate. After recognizing the driver and claiming to smell burnt marijuana, Purcell searched the vehicle and discovered two roaches in the ashtray.

Further exploration allegedly uncovered four pounds of marijuana and hashish, as well as a few tabs of LSD (all of which Leary claimed were planted). Leary, his wife and son Jack were all arrested and charged with suspicion of possession with intent to sell. Leary was later tried and convicted and on January 21, 1970, was sentenced to 10 years.

LEARY V. THE UNITED STATES But that wasn’t the first time Leary had been busted for weed – a year earlier, he was arrested in Laredo, Tex. while he and his family were returning from vacation in Mexico. At the border, a Customs agent reportedly noticed small bits of marijuana and seeds on the vehicle’s floor. Upon searching the car, they

to bust him out. On the discovered a quantity of night of September 14, weed (initially reported Leary climbed a teleas three ounces but later phone pole, shimmied revealed at trial to be along the wire across the around half an ounce), yard, then dropped down including 11 grams over the fence, where hidden in his daughter the Weathermen were Susan’s underwear. waiting nearby to spirit Though Leary took him away. After that, The full responsibility for the Leary’s mugshot Black Panthers providweed, he and his daugh(1970). ed him and Rosemary ter were both arrested. with fake passports and Leary was charged on three counts: the smuggled them to their smuggling and unlawful transportation of safe haven in Algeria. marijuana into the U.S., and not paying Soon after, they moved federal tax on said marijuana (as required Top: Leary’s Calif. Dept. of to Switzerland and by the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937).

Corrections escape bulletin. remained on the Leary’s initial defense Above: Tim & Rosemary’s lam until 1973 – was a religious one, fake passport photos. when they were claiming that the marijuarecaptured by the na was for sacramental Bureau of Narcotics at Kabul airport use and invoking his right and extradited back to the U.S. to use it under the Free Leary spent the next three years Exercise Clause of the First in Folsom Prison, during which he Amendment. Unfortunately, apparently cooperated with the FBI that defense failed and the and informed on all of his associates jury took just 45 minutes to in exchange for a reduced sentence. find him guilty on both counts.

Though he claimed he only gave the On March 11, 1966, the Feds info that was outdated or that judge fined him $30,000 and Poster for fund to they already knew, most of his friends sentenced him to a staggering raise money for Leary’s legal defense. disowned him as a rat.

30 years in prison.

Facing what amounted to DESIGN FOR DYING life behind bars, Leary hired a crack team of Leary was released from lawyers to defend him. His attorneys appealed prison by Gov. Jerry the ruling on the basis that the Marihuana Tax Brown in April 1976, Act was unconstitutional, arguing that to obey “Nice Dreams” after which he spent the federal law, he would’ve been forced to cameo. a short time in witincriminate himself under state law – a clear ness protection before violation of the Fifth Amendment. returning to public life. He spent the next two His case, Leary v. United States, eventually decades lecturing as a “stand-up philosopher” reached the Supreme Court. On May 19, – appearing in movies and TV shows (including 1969, the Court ruled unanimously in his favor the famous cameo in Cheech & Chong’s “Nice – declaring the Marihuana Tax Act unconstituDreams”) and writing books on “far out” topics tional, thus overturning his conviction and nelike space colonization, near-death and out-ofgating America’s federal Cannabis prohibition.

(Unfortunately, Congress passed the Controlled body experiences, and the afterlife.

Upon learning that he had inoperable prosSubstances Act months later, re-criminalizing it along with most other drugs). Despite this victo- tate cancer in January 1995, the ever-eccentric iconoclast said he was “thrilled” – celebrating ry, he was still found guilty of the other charges his imminent demise by hosting a “death day” and on March 2, 1970, was sentenced to 10 party, consuming multiple drugs, and recording years. Combined with the Texas conviction, he the whole thing to broadcast online. He died in nevertheless faced 20 years in prison. his sleep just after midnight on May 31, 1996, at the age of 75. A year later, a portion of his THE FUGITIVE PHILOSOPHER ashes were sent up in the Pegasus rocket – fulOn May 13, 1970, Leary was remanded to filling his dream of becoming an “ashtronaut” the California Men’s Colony – a minimum-seand proving to the world one last time how curity prison in San Luis Obispo. After his final “spaced out” he truly was. appeal was rejected in June, Leary arranged (allegedly through his lawyer Michael Kennedy) to have the Brotherhood pay the radical leftist For our podcast & more Cannabis history content group the Weather Underground $20,000 visit worldofcannabis.museum/cannthropology.

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IF IT WEREN’T FOR THE BUBONIC PLAGUE, rats could easily be man’s best friend. And the rat-infested movie “Willard” didn’t help their reputation, either. You snicker … but what we’re talking about is pretty much just an oversized mouse, right? I mean, if you really put tangible reasoning to our fearful rationale, the rat has never done anything wrong.

Like people, they’re hungry, crafty varmints who are scouring the planet in search of leftovers. The biggest difference between us and them is that we have thumbs and bigger melons – making it a helluva lot easier to find food. Without this enormous advantage, you’d see people crawling wherever necessary to scour up however many bites as it takes to fill that nagging tummy, too!

Hunger will drive you to do the unthinkable.

And OK, they multiply quickly – but so do we.

Now, I’m not advocating for new leash laws for these sniffy scavengers, but if you think about it, they’re docile and furry with cute little mouths who pretty much just want to nuzzle up for a good cuddle (if you’re down to have a pink potbelly warming the nape of your neck). Sure, that tail is thick, but a dog’s is bigger and whippier.

And so are their farts.

You know, every story needs a villain, so it could be said that the negative light shed on these feral friends has painted them as something to fear – when in reality, they could make pleasant companions for us all after a good snipping of the reproductive organs.

Rats seem like happy creatures – red eyes and all! And by the way, there is nothing wrong with red eyes. I see them in the mirror every day after a fat bong rip.

And then I nibble on some cheese.

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