Nov. 2022 - Maryland Leaf

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ONLINE EDITOR ohara@leafmagazines.com

ABOUT THE COVER

It is said that a fallen leaf is nothing more than a summer’s wave goodbye. Well, we at Maryland Leaf wanted to embrace the solstitial salute by showcasing some of the state’s finest fall foliage – an outdoor harvest in Western Maryland. In the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, Grow West Cannabis held its second annual outdoor harvest, featuring 14,000 plants.

Employees Jenny Wolfe and Nick Smith are seen in the photo, taken amidst a tour with state director Wyatt Early. Grow West offers tours of their top-notch facility, so if you get a chance, take it. You’ll be sure to leave with a smile and be offered one of two parting gifts: a blue or red slushie. You take the blue slushie … the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red slushie … you stay in Cumberland and find out how deep the rabbit hole goes.

PHOTO by BAXSEN PAINE @BAXSENPAINE

WES ABNEY

Editor’s Note

Thanks for picking up the Harvest Issue of the Leaf!

The harvest season is one of reflection and gratitude for the bounties provided by Mother Nature, and there’s no better crop to be dankful for than Cannabis.

A century of prohibition put Americans out of touch with Cannabis as a plant, relegating it to the “dangerous drugs” pamphlets – complete with a simple leaf translating to a symbol as feared as Mr. Yuck. It’s easy to be scared of an idea – like a symbol for a harmful drug – but it’s a lot harder to be in fear of a plant. Seeing ganja growing in the sun takes away the stigma, for there’s nothing more natural or beautiful than leaves and chunky colas dancing in the wind to an invisible beat.

Cannabis is an agricultural product, grown on farms – with the same salt of the earth, soulful types who would otherwise be growing corn or soy – if only those plants had terpenes. My favorite part of the Harvest Issue is sharing the pride and hard work it takes to grow plants from spring until fall. There are few experiences more magical than standing amongst head-high Cannabis plants glistening with THC crystals and filling the air with a pot-pourri of terpenes which serenade the senses.

No wonder one of the neighbors to Washington state’s Treehawk Farms is trying to get the county to “Stop the Stink” each harvest season. We can only hope somebody gets that person a joint…

I hope that you enjoy this issue of the Leaf, and invite you to visit leafmagazines. com to check out all of our amazing issues. From an outdoor crop in Fairbanks, Alaska to the rolling hills of green in Southern Oregon and Northern California, and stretching all the way to the Northeast where outdoor crops race to beat the first frost, we have wonderful photos and stories of the farmers and the plants we all love. It’s like a nature special you can smoke!

And please do support an outdoor farm by purchasing sungrown Cannabis this winter – you’ll be surprised how the natural environment creates a unique and potent high that is perfect for the holidaze.

“MY FAVORITE PART OF THE HARVEST ISSUE IS SHARING THE PRIDE AND HARD WORK IT TAKES TO GROW PLANTS FROM SPRING UNTIL FALL.”

President Joe Biden in October pardoned all prior federal offenses of “simple possession” of marijuana. Biden also wants the government to look at rescheduling or descheduling weed.

Biden requested a review of how marijuana is scheduled under federal law from Attorney General Merrick Garland. The president also included Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in that request.

“As I often said during my campaign for President, no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana,” Biden wrote. “Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit.

“Criminal records for marijuana possession have also imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” the President wrote. “And while white and Black and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, Black and brown people have been arrested, prosecuted, and convicted at disproportionate rates.”

MARIJUANA POURS

BUCKS INTO

HOUSE GOP OPPOSES LEGALIZATION

A MAJOR GOP HOUSE CAUCUS in October released a “Family Policy Agenda” opposing federal marijuana legalization. The agenda tries to link pot use to suicide and violence. But the strident Cannabis criticism is leading to pushback even within the group, as staff for two members of the caucus said the lawmakers disagree with the prohibitionist rhetoric.

The 156-member Republican Study Committee (RSC) unveiled the agenda. It details 10 ideological principles and more than 80 legislative recommendations as its agenda. The stated goal is “to guide conservatives’ work to restore the American family.”

The committee includes nearly three-quarters of House GOP members.

VERMONT STARTS

21 + MARIJUANA SALES

VERMONT DISPENSARIES began selling Cannabis for adult use on October 1. But only three shops were ready to do so on opening weekend, reports the Associated Press.

Flora Cannabis in Middlebury, Mountain Girl Cannabis in Rutland and CeresMed in Burlington all opened to adult-use customers. The state licensed a fourth business to sell adult-use weed, but that shop wasn’t ready to do so yet.

A total of about 50 retailers prequalified for licensing.

This comes about two years after legalization took effect without the governor’s signature. At that time, Vermont was the 11th state to legalize. But it was just the second state to legalize through the Legislature, rather than through popular vote.

HEALTH PANEL SAYS JAPAN SHOULD ALLOW MEDICAL CANNABIS

A HEALTH MINISTRY PANEL in October recommended Japan allow the importation and use of medical marijuana products.

The recommendation is based on medical needs, and to modernize Japan’s drug laws to conform with international standards, according to the committee. The panel wants to change the policy for Cannabis medicines when safety and effectiveness are confirmed.

Japan has harsh laws against non-medicinal use of marijuana. It should consider approving the import, manufacture and use of Cannabis medicines, subject to the same approval process as pharmaceuticals, the health ministry panel said.

MARIJUANA CULTURE IS QUICKLY BECOMING MAINSTREAM CULTURE

Americans broadly agree that the country’s marijuana laws need an update.

to polling conducted by Morning Consult/Politico just days before President Biden’s Oct. 6 marijuana pardons, 6 in 10 American voters said weed should be legal in the U.S.

That number rises to about 7 in 10 among voters under 45 (70 percent), Democrats (71 percent) and Black voters (72 percent). Even among the groups least likely to support legalizing marijuana – Republicans (47 percent) and voters 65 or over (45 percent) – almost half of respondents agreed. There’s no real divide across regions, either.

Public opinion has changed drastically on this issue in the past two decades. But getting skittish lawmakers to catch up with national savvy has not been easy when it comes to marijuana culture.

“Current laws ... do not reflect this sweeping bipartisan, universal support,” Five Thirty Eight reports. ”The legalization of marijuana puts a spotlight on the divide between Americans and politicians, namely Republican members of Congress.”

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NEW YORK ALLOWS PATIENTS TO GROW

Starting in October, New York medical marijuana patients are legally able to grow their own Cannabis at home. Lawmakers approved the legislation in late September. Advocates say it allows more access to those who have chronic conditions or other ailments that qualify – especially low-income patients.

Patients can legally grow up to three mature female plants and three immature female plants. But the rules allow no more than 12 total plants per household.

“It is a big step forward for medical patients,” said Lyla Hunt. Hunt is the deputy director of public health for the New York State Office of Cannabis Management. ”We’ve seen real extreme interest from patients and designated caregivers to have the ability to cultivate Cannabis at home.”

MARYLAND LEAF BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH MATTHEW “PYRATE” BLANCHARD

TALK TO US ABOUT THE NICKNAME. First, my demeanor and the way that I dress. I also used to get really bad migraines right above my left eye, so I would have to wear an eye patch –which is where it originally came from. Then a couple other people tended to call me that for other different reasons, and it stuck. I like it with a Y instead of an I, to make it different.

WHAT MAKES YOU “THE DAB GUY” AROUND HERE? I pretty much only smoke concentrates and I have tried just about everything that we get in. I switch between different rigs – I’ve got a RIO, Puffco and Honey Badger. I smoke a little bit of flower, switching back and forth between it and concentrate, but a lot more dabs. I really like Sunmed Labs and Kings and Queens – I am more of a terp-chaser than anything, which is why I fell into concentrates.

WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES YOU UNIQUE AS A PERSON? I am a big gamer, not just video games – I also do lots of board games. Really obscure, complicated, weird board games. I used to play a lot of DND, but haven’t as much since Covid happened. I had a first edition DND campaign, that went for almost eight years straight – we played every Sunday. We each had three or four different characters, and at one point the party split – and we had good characters and evil characters –and we had to fight ourselves. I’m also a master scuba diver; I was able to scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef down in Australia – including a night dive with UV lights, which felt like an alien world.

WHERE DID YOU GET THE PASSION FOR SCUBA? I actually took a class in college to get one of my gym credits, and they offered a scuba diving class over the summer that allowed me to eventually go and certify at Guppy Gulch Quarry in Pennsylvania. I did the class, got the certification around 2010, and waited about a year before scuba diving. I fell in with some people at Divers Den, which is a scuba shop on Harford Road, and pretty quickly accumulated over 100 dives. My parents were also both heavy into skydiving, which gave me the passion for extreme sports.

DO YOU ENJOY THIS TIME OF YEAR? WHY? I am a big fan of Halloween, it definitely helps me fit in more with the way I dress between the kilts and the jerseys. I collect a lot of jerseys from a company called Geeky Jerseys. I’m not as big of a fan of Christmas. But I do love the cold, being Scottish, French and German. I don’t do too great in the heat, because you can always put more clothes or blankets on when you’re cold, but you can’t take your skin off if you’re too hot. I’ve worked retail pretty much my entire life, but I truly enjoy the chaos and the hustle of the retail seasons.

“I PRETTY MUCH ONLY SMOKE CONCENTRATES AND HAVE TRIED JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT WE GET IN.”

GREEN POINTGREEN POINT

Green Point Wellness opened in February 2018 in Linthicum, where they have been serving up quality medicine in a classy storefront ev er since. Owners Tony and Laura Toskov are Maryland locals who believe in the power of investing back into their community, and with this spirit in mind they’ve created countless jobs while bringing a much-needed medical service to the area. Be sure to pop in and check these guys out for a stellar menu … and even b etter staff.

SETTING & VIBE

As you make your way through the waiting area into the dispensary room, gorgeous white marble floors line the path. A wide open space awaits – brimming with Cannabis products and featuring multiple stations for patients to make their purchases. There is also a vast selection of glass pieces at various price points, truly making sure they have something for everyone in this store.

FLOWER

The flower menu is basically flower heaven. You’ll find dozens of incredible options and a variety of strains to choose from in this carefully curated selection. Purchasing Manager Dean Warner has fostered solid connections with brand reps around the state, allowing them to hone in on drops and keep the latest and greatest medicine stocked for patients.

CONCENTRATES

Live resin, live rosin, shatter, badder, sugar, RSO and many more forms of concentrates can be found here. Connoisseurs can take comfort in the breadth and depth of this menu, and beginners can rest assured that they have lower testing options available as well. The staff is also extremely well-versed in forms of concentrates and how to smoke them – so don’t be afraid to ask.

EDIBLES

During my visit I couldn’t find a single missing edible on the menu, meaning they stocked a little bit of something from every processor in the state. They even had some badass custom Betty’s Eddies and Bubby’s Baked floor mats. I was also happy to see a range of cannabinoid ratios in some of their RSO and FECO products.

in

FLOWER MENU IS BASICALLY FLOWER HEAVEN.”

nicholasfarrell

IT’S SAID that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your whole life. That type of highminded aphorism appears to have been written for this chapter of Nicholas Farrell’s life.

A 38-year-old native of Buffalo, New York, Nicholas was medically retired from the Navy in September 2018 after an 11-year career as a helicopter mechanic. Upon discharge, Nicholas suffered from a variety of ailments – none more debilitating than the nerve damage that accrued in his left knee over a decade of rigorous labor.

“Working in a helicopter, you’re often in these very small spaces,” said Nicholas, who served at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River in St. Mary’s County from 2014-18. “Now I’m 6-foot-2. A bigger guy like me, working in these cramped areas, it wears on you over time.”

In March of 2016, Nicholas’s knee gave out after a day of service. He needed help from his wife, Jenae, just to climb the stairs to get into the house. When physical therapy didn’t lessen the pain nor im prove his mobility, Nicholas was referred to special ists who informed him that the injury was worse than they initially thought.

“They said, ‘The tendons in your knee are essen tially ripped to shreds, and the nerves are damaged to a point where there’s not a whole lot we can do,’” Nicholas recalled.

Unable to perform his duties, Nicholas was put on administrative duty and began contemplating his next career move. The Navy had been good to him, allowing him to tour all of Asia – a childhood dream come true. The armed services had provided disci pline and stability, as well as a brotherhood.

“I had good benefits, good pay, and I was travel ing around the world,” he said. “I was enjoying life at that point.”

But it also had its drawbacks.

In 2011, Nicholas was stationed on the USS Shiloh – the only ballistic mis sile defense ship in Asia at the time. Ship-wide anxiety could be stirred up in a moment’s notice if North Korea chose to conduct a missile test, which was a frequent occurrence during his five-year tour in the region.

He was also part of a humanitarian search and rescue operation in the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake (9.1 on the Richter scale), where more than 15,000 people were left dead in its wake.

“I saw a lot of stuff that was really difficult to see,” said Nicholas, who lost one of his best friends – a Japanese native. “I never saw my friend or his family again. I know it’s sad to say, but when you’re in the Navy, it’s easier to compartmental ize those kinds of things. You’re always just so busy.”

Immobilization forced Nicholas to slow down and reflect on what he had en countered during his service. No longer capable of immersing himself in a job he enjoyed, his mental health suffered, choosing to numb his pain with alcohol.

“I was diagnosed with PTSD, depression and anxiety,” he said.

He atively sought out a medical release from the Navy and it was granted in 2018.

“That first year out of the Navy was my low point,” he said. “I’m sitting there with permanent nerve damage in my leg and all this men tal stuff is starting to catch up with me. I needed to do something. I needed to figure it out.”

Returning to civilian life, Nicholas moved back to Cumberland, Maryland – a city where Jenae’s family is from.

“I was just kind of learning how to function again in a regular society,” Nicholas said. “I started finding myself again. And I stopped using all of the medications the military had me on – nerve blockers, pain killers, etc.”

Nicholas swore off the booze and turned to Cannabis, obtaining a medical card and smoking for the first time in 11 years. He found his mind clearing up, exclaiming he “no longer held onto things for long periods of time.” His mood started picking up, as did his creativity. Nich olas began expressing himself through art, painting and taking after his mother, a photographer.

“I started doing photography when I was in high school,” he said. “My mom was a pretty good photogra pher, so I’d always see her pictures around the house.”

Nicholas found that an infusion of Cannabis into hon ey (that he would have with his morning tea) improved his mobility, which in turn helped take his photography further. In his first year of finding a stable dosage, Nicho las estimates he regained 80 percent of his mobility.

“Walking around with a cane when you’re 34-yearsold is not where anybody wants to be in life,” he said. “But the honey worked. I thought, ‘All right, I can do this. I can function. I don’t need this cane.’”

In February of 2020, he was hired by Grow West Can nabis, getting his start with the harvest and trim depart ment. Shortly thereafter, he was promoted to cultivation, which put his photography skills to use. The company has since created a position that places Nicholas as a staff photographer, videographer, content creator and market er – a role he has treasured for the past year.

“I’ve always been an artistic person,” he said. “Grow ing up in Buffalo in the ‘90s early 2000s, me and my friends used to grow our own weed. Even back then, I would buy little disposable cams, take pics of the bud and hoped that nobody at CVS cared when we got them developed. That’s where my two loves of Cannabis and photography first combined.”

Nicholas no longer uses a disposable.

Grow West has armed their military veteran with a Sony a7 III FullFrame Mirrorless camera, accompanied by a pair of high-functioning G series lenses.

“The crisp quality of photos you can get with full frame and 4k is crazy,” he said.

Nicholas is often presented with new strains, encouraged to accentuate the trichomes of Grow West’s bud in a stunning visual presentation - a challenge he rises to meet daily.

“I can’t believe I get to do this and get paid for a living,” he laughed, shak ing his head in disbelief.

After all, it wasn’t until he was in his early 20s that Nicholas wanted to travel to Asia and see more of the world that he sought after a career in the Navy. Before that, he says he was just a kid who enjoyed smoking and admir ing glamour shots in High Times Magazine of Cannabis being served legally across the country. Now, he’s taking the photos of Cannabis that is legally grown in his residential state, while using the product to help overcome a handicap. For that, he says he’ll be paying it forward forever.

“I love the plant,” he said. “It has done miracles for me, mentally and physically. And I have a lot of veteran friends who use and have completely turned their lives around as well.

“I hope to be in this industry for the rest of my life,” he added. “I want to be the biggest Cannabis photographer I can be. When people think of Can nabis photography, I want people to think of my name.”

“Nicholas found that an infusion of Cannabis into honey – that he would have with his morning tea – improved his mobility, which in turn helped take his photography further.”

Firefly Music FestivalFirefly Music Festival

Firefly Music Festival kicked off its 10th annual festival in September, and the Leaf team was lucky enough to get in on the action. The Woodlands in Dover sits just outside the Dover Downs racetrack, and the vibes are just as you would expect there.

AS YOU WALKED through the wooded area, you had options of being at a massive mainstage called the Firefly, another huge stage called the Backyard, and a few smaller ones called the Pavil ion, the Treehouse and the Nest.

At the larger stages, big acts like Halsey, Green Day and Dua Lipa rocked crowds of up to 50,000 people. The smaller stages were still just as much of a vibe, providing an intimate experience between upand-coming artists and their fans.

This festival drew huge musi cal acts that proved to be pretty nostalgic for millennial attendees, and enjoyable for all. We grew up listening to bands like All Time Low, My Chemical Romance and Weezer, all of which were playing in main slots at Firefly. The crew at this festival made the experience of seeing these bands much more enjoyable, from the wide spaces to accommodate massive crowds, to the smaller spaces meant for VIP. We had media passes to the festival, which got us an arm’s reach away from the artists on stage for the first 15 minutes of each show.

Dedicated fans rode the rails all day long waiting for their favorite artists, singing along to every song.

Between each stage were colorful, electric, neon art installations which people marveled at every time they passed. Some of them were designed to look like fireworks, with clusters of steel expanding from the center and neon lights that would move through out the sculpture in a uniform pattern. Others were mixed media from steel sculptures to paint ings, providing an art-friendly atmosphere on top of awesome installations for us to enjoy.

You had the option of camping at this festival with a tent or an RV, or staying nearby in dozens of hotels if camping isn’t your thing. We stayed in a local hotel, but luckily there were no horror stories of hundreds of missing iPhones (among other items like we have seen at many other festivals in the past).

The campgrounds were full of lively people hanging out and partying. Wandering around making new friends is a staple of any good festival, and everyone here made that experience easy and enjoyable.

I personally enjoyed seeing a mix of artists from alternative rock and emo, to rappers and elec tronic music. I had not listened to My Chemical Romance for at least 10 years prior to attend ing this festival, but I could not deny the electric atmosphere in the air during their performance.

Avril Lavigne tore it up, playing undeniable classics like “Sk8er Boi” and “Complicated” for a crowd of nostalgic fans. On the Backyard stage, rapper Co chise had the crowd getting more than hype over his performance. We found ourselves deep in the crowd jumping around, having one of the greatest times at the festival up to that point. We finished the night with an epic performance from Halsey, who had the crowd going absolutely insane.

From the artists to the crowd and the vibes we shared, Firefly has planted its roots in the region.

We are excited to see this festival continue to grow for another 10 years and continue to bring in the massive artists and crowds that follow them!

This festival drew huge musical acts that proved to be pretty nostalgic for millennial attendees, and enjoyable for all.

AVRIL LAVIGNE

LUCII

CULTIVATED BY RYTHMCULTIVATED

AS WE GET closer to cold and sunless days, we need something to brighten up and boost our energy. Personally, some sativas can stir up my anxiety, so I search for sativa-leaning cultivars with specific terpene profiles that I can feel comfortable smoking. Thankfully, this particular batch of Tropicanna by Rythm clocked in at over 1% myrcene – translating into an energetic high without the anxious edge of certain strains.

Unscrewing the lid unleashed a slew of orange, Tangielike, citrus flavors. It’s an absolutely vibrant and enticing aroma, and I was elated to see Rythm doing it justice. On the back end, an underlying gassiness lingers. But when it comes to the smoke, be prepared: All the aforementioned flavors pour out in a perfect blend that translates exquisitely from the first pop of the jar.

After taking a few bong hits, I was in a bright and vitalized state of mind –proving to be the perfect midday smoke to get me gassed up and over the finish line with a smile on my face. Calling all Tangie lovers! You will not want to miss out on this uniquely delicious mix of terpenes.

In 1922, the Kelly Springfield Tire Company began manufacturing thousands of rubber carriage tires in Cumberland, Maryland – which were then sold across the world.

The factory became a staple of the community, creating jobs for Western Maryland residents. During its 77 years of operation in Allegheny County, the com pany was only deterred once, ceasing operations to create mu nitions for Allied soldiers during World War II.

However, industry in Cumber land began a steep decline after the war, leading many businesses to uproot their location, including the Kelly Springfield Tire Compa ny. In 1998, the plant moved its operations to Mexico – a location it perceived as more cost-effec tive. Their departure, along with others, helped turn what was once a booming Cumberland economy into one of the poorest metropoli tan areas in the United States.

What happened next, company founder Edwin Kelly could have never guessed. Following two decades of dormancy, a Riverside Industrial Park location that once produced millions of tires and guns, transitioned its operations to an extensive Cannabis grow oper ation called Grow West in 2018.

“We brought the Kelly-Spring field factory back to life where we grow the finest medical Cannabis [which we supply to] dispensaries across Maryland,” smiled Susan Valois, the company’s president.

west cannabis company

grow west cannabis company

ENTERING ITS FIFTH YEAR OF BUSINESS, Grow West is a family-owned and run operation. Susan is the matriarchal mastermind, while her sons, William (CEO), James (COO) and Andrew Valois (Direc tor of Cultivation) manage the day-to-day operations.

“Had we stayed in Montgomery County and added 100 jobs, so what?” pined William, a native of Silver Springs. “Coming out here, we saw it as a win for [Allegheny County], a win for the [Cannabis community] and a win for us.”

Grow West is in the midst of its second annual out door grow, harvesting over 14,000 plants consisting of eight different strains (Southwest Stomper, Triangle Kush, Forum Cookies, Pie Crust, Mandarin Cookies, Grape Stomper x The White, Lamb’s Bread and Miami Heat). The Cumberland-based operation has foregone a tri-annual grow in favor of a yearly cultivation, putting an onus on quality of growth over quantity.

“In a medical market, outdoor-grown flower is great some of the time,” cautioned Andrew, a former horti culturist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife. “But Maryland is not the best place to grow Cannabis outdoors, loca tion-wise. The humidity tends to be very swampy. You get a lot of rain in the fall and there are things that are beyond your control. When that happens, you typically go for process and extraction.”

The company is working in concert with a pair of processors to extract live rosin concentrate from the entirety of a harvest that could surpass 3,000 pounds of Cannabis. At the time of publication, over 1,200 pounds had been harvested from the outdoor grow.

“We are doing it all for fresh frozen,” Andrew said, adding that they would be coordinating their efforts with two Maryland Cannabis processors. “We harvest the material and then we strip the flowers off. We vacu um-seal them in bags, flash freeze them in dry ice and put them in a -30 degree freezer.”

Grow West is in the midst of its second annual outdoor grow, harvesting over 14,000 plants consisting of eight different strains.

In the first year, the outdoor harvest was conducted using planting pots. This year, amended soil beds were used.

“We’ll collect all of our grindings and they’ll get tilled back into the soil,” he said, noting that additional amendments improve the future health of the plant.

When the outdoor season concludes, the indoor operation will return to being the main priority. Grow West intends to have 14 strains on the market next year, including a new seasonal menu.

“Every quarter, you can expect about 10 or 11 seasonal strains that will

generally correspond with the season or events around that time,” Andrew said.

He estimated the outdoor harvest could take up to three weeks.

The Grow West staff, which started with 18 workers, has grown to 150 employees. During harvest season, many employees can be found on the clock from sunup to sundown.

“People really want to work here, because they know we see them as more than employees; we see them as people,” said Andrew, adding that past job fairs had created lines around the building.

“We’re a real, true Maryland family business,” he continued. “When the [medical Cannabis] program came out, [Governor] Larry Hogan talked about wanting to improve economically disadvantaged areas. I think we’ve done that. Our pay scales are higher than the national average in the Cannabis industry. And we have a number of people who bought their first homes or their first new car.”

SUNMED GROWERS

OVER THE YEARS we have paid a couple visits to SunMed Growers, and watching them continue to expand into the future of Cannabis has been fascinating.

The team at SunMed has dedicated countless hours to the craft of growing Cannabis and the products they have been releasing speak to that. As Processing Division Manager Andrew Reich, who led our tour, said: “Quality is built into every step of the process.”

SunMed has expanded into one of our state's largest producers of medical Cannabis and we were lucky enough to be there for their first (and only) ever outdoor grow harvest. They also recently obtained a processing license, meaning they have the ability to harvest their crop and use it in a variety of ways. Most importantly, they can di rectly control their concentrate production – result ing in a ton of new strains on a regular basis.

SunMed Labs’ concentrate has quickly be come a favorite of Maryland medical Cannabis patients, with strains like Daz Dillinger, Double Cross, Mimosa and their longtime favorite, Sun shine #4. The lab is also pumping out different forms of concentrate like shatter, badder and sugar in live resin and cured resin varieties.

HARVESTER ALEX CLARK

HARVESTERS ALEXIS POLILLI & OLIVIA LAIRD

SUNMED GROWERS

THE 200,000-SQUARE-FOOT OUTDOOR GROW is pumping out around 1,000 pounds of wet material per day, which translates to about 250 pounds once dry. Walking through the grow is like a field of dreams, truly showcasing what a quality outdoor grow can look like at its peak. Harvesting is an all-hands-on-deck operation here, and seeing every step of the process makes buying their Canna bis in the dispensary even more satisfying. Something about a large team of like-minded individuals coming together for a common purpose is inspiring – and year after year we see the same faces amongst new ones, happily making their way around this grow.

The harvest begins by cutting down plants at their base and carrying them over to racks. From there, they are transferred over to the bucking station, where buds are removed from their large stems. They are placed into freezer bags and weighed before going into the massive industrial freezer.

The purpose of freezing the Cannabis immediately is for the production of concentrates. SunMed is able to trap all of those delicious terpenes and freeze the plant, which shines through in terpy batches of live concentrates on the back end. They also intend to sell a little bit of this as flower, but most of the out door grow is dedicated to concentrate production. At the end of the harvest, SunMed will be enclosing this outdoor grow area with glass, adding to their already massive hybrid greenhouse.

The vibes in the air during this harvest were incred ible. Employees walked around giggling, listening to music and pulling down plants. This squad at SunMed, while large, feels like a tight-knit family in the way they work together. Everyone operated in harmony, moving around and helping each other on every step of the process. I am ecstatic to see the products that come out of this harvest – so keep an eye out for more and more SunMed live resins hitting the market.

“Walking through the grow is like a field of dreams, truly showcasing what a quality outdoor grow can look like at its peak.”

GARY PAYTON

KHIRIY MORROW HARD AT WORK

MATT ROE WORKING ON THE PLANTS

CHERRY DUMPLINGZ COLD CURE LIVE ROSIN

EVERMORE has graced Maryland Leaf’s concentrate of the month with their hash rosin time and time again. For this round, they bring us Cherry DumplingZ – a cross between Cherry Pie Breath and their house Z. The house Z is The Original Z crossed with Strawnana Headstash. I always love to see what Evermore has been playing around with, as they are consistently creating banger strains for the masses to enjoy.

Popping open this jar was pure petrol. This batch’s smell reminded me of mixing the terpene profiles of GMO and Gelato, plus the slightest hint of sweetness on the end. Have you ever dabbed concentrate where the smell is directly transferred to the flavor profile, mimicking every bit of flavor sensation? That is the feeling that took over when dabbing Cherry DumplingZ – with a jet fuel-like gassy exhale that put me into a deep, but clear-headed state of relaxation.

One thing I love about hash rosin is the cleanliness of the product and how that transfers over into a smooth and enjoyable smoke. Dabbing this rosin was as velvety as can be, with less of the harsh effects on the throat that BHO can give from time to time. This is because rosin is made with solventless extraction – meaning ice, water, heat and pressure are used in extraction, versus a solvent like butane or propane.

A big thank you goes out to Evermore for bringing us safe, quality medicine in such a stellar fashion.

“This batch’s smell reminded me of mixing the terpene profiles of GMO and Gelato.”

The

t

The Guru of Ganja

PLANTING THE SEEDS

Born in the Bronx on December 2, 1944, Edward Rosenthal had a “very unhappy” childhood growing up in a “typical dysfunctional family of the ‘50s era.” As an escape, he developed a passion for horticulture that would later become his life’s work.

Though he doesn’t specifically recall the first time he smoked marijuana, he knows he was around 21.

“I first started in 1966,” he said in a 1984 interview with High Times. “I bought a lid and smoked it with my college roommate … and I remember thinking, ‘This is the greatest thing that’s ever happened in my life.’”

Soon after, he bought some fluorescent lights, planted a few seeds he found in some Mexican weed, and started growing his own smoke in a spare room of his apartment.

THE YIPPIES

In 1967, Rosenthal dropped out of college and moved to the East Village to become a hippie and immerse himself in the city’s thriving counterculture.

“I went to a ‘Be-In’ in Central Park, and Abbie Hoffman was onstage. He jumped down, started handing out acid. He put a tab on my tongue, and I swallowed it and went through a really powerful, horrible experience,” Rosenthal recounted to HT. “After that, I never suffered from serious dysfunctional depression again.”

Around the same time, he fatefully encountered another soon-to-be Yippie activist icon.

“One day, I walked out of my apartment and noticed there was a march going on. I said, ‘What’s it about?’

And they said, ‘This guy has been arrested for selling acid and taken to the federal building.’ I thought, ‘Well, that’s a good thing to march for.’”

The person who’d been arrested was Dana Beal. After his release, Beal befriended Rosenthal and recruited him into the Yippies. It was through Dana and the Yippies that Rosenthal met pot smuggler

Tom Forcade in 1971. The two quickly sparked a friendship, and one day while getting high together, they came up with a brilliant idea.

“Tom, a fellow by the name of Ron Lichty and myself were all living in a collective down on 11th Street,” he recounts. “We were all part of the Underground Press Syndicate, and we had a bit of money in that organization, so we decided to start a magazine, and that magazine became High Times.”

Unfortunately though, Rosenthal was never credited as a cofounder, because shortly after coming up with the idea, a questionable acquaintance convinced Forcade to threaten Rosenthal and throw him out.

“There was a friend of Tom’s that was working undercover for the government,” Ed alleges. “He tried to destroy the magazine, and he’s the one who split us apart.”

LIZZY COZZI

Ed Rosenthal has authored (or co-authored) nearly 20 books on Cannabis which have collectively sold over 2 million copies. The eccentric cultivator, activist and educator is also credited with discovering Durban Poison and cofounding both High Times magazine and Amsterdam’s Hash, Marihuana and Hemp Museum. It’s no wonder he’s come to be known as “the guru of ganja.”

Rosenthal speaking at a rally in Madison, Wisc. during the 1990s.

THE GROWERS GUIDE

Thankfully, Rosenthal didn’t need HT to establish himself as an expert in Cannabis cultivation.

In 1971, he began building and selling small greenhouses, and in an attempt to get free promotion in their “New York Flyer” supplement, pitched Rolling Stone an article about growing pot. As it happens, another cultivator named Mel Frank had beat him to the punch. After Rolling Stones’ editors arranged a meeting with Frank, Rosenthal suggested that they collaborate on a book. Though reluctant at first, Rosenthal’s persistence eventually persuaded Frank.

As part of their research, they met with Dr. Carlton Turner of the University of Mississippi’s Marijuana Research Project – the only legally-sanctioned Cannabis farm in America. Turner provided them access to recently-published scientific papers on pot, which they then used – along with their own knowledge of horticulture – to produce the first comprehensive textbook on Cannabis cultivation: “The Marijuana Growers’ Guide.”

The first edition of their groundbreaking grow manual was published in 1974, and by 1978 an updated edition of the book was reviewed by the New York Times. Thanks to that review, the book sold over 1 million copies – informing and inspiring a generation of ganja growers, and establishing Frank and Rosenthal as America’s leading authorities on Cannabis cultivation.

HIGH TIMES

That same year, Rosenthal helped organize and judge the first-ever Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam. After Forcade’s suicide in 1978, Rosenthal had been welcomed back into the HT family as a regular contributor. In 1983, he premiered his monthly grow advice column “Ask Ed,” which became the longest-running column in the magazine’s history – that is, until 2000, when it was discontinued due to a legal dispute between Rosenthal and the magazine’s owners.

The trust Forcade had set up to fund the magazine stipulated that in the year 2000, ownership of the magazine would be passed to “loyal employees” who’d been with the company for 10 years or more (Rosenthal claims it was five years, but other accounts say 10). Rosenthal believed he qualified to receive shares in the company, but the trustees disagreed – claiming that he was merely a freelancer, rather than an employee. As a result, he filed a lawsuit against the company to obtain the shares he felt he was owed—a suit which he ultimately lost.

UNITED STATES v. ROSENTHAL Unfortunately, Rosenthal would end up back in court a couple of years later: like many other Cannabis cultivators and activists, he found himself in the crosshairs of the DEA when, on February 12, 2002, federal agents raided his home and nursery in Oakland.

Recognizing that the trial was a farce, Ed employed classic Yippie theatrics by wearing a “wizard of weed” costume into court. These tactics helped draw national media attention and sway public opinion about medical marijuana. Nevertheless, without a viable medical defense, he was convicted in 2003. After the trial, when the jurors learned about the mitigating circumstances, most of them recanted their verdict and begged for his forgiveness.

“They felt terrible,” Rosenthal says. “At my sentencing, 10 of the jurors gave a news conference saying that they were duped by the judge. That was the first time in American history that ever happened, to my knowledge.”

Capitulating to social pressure, Judge Charles Breyer sentenced Rosenthal to just one day in jail, time served. Three years later, after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned his conviction on a technicality, the U.S. Attorney’s office decided to re-indict him – instigating a second trial in May 2007, presided over by the same judge. Once again, he was prohibited from mounting a medical defense and was convicted.

“I was found guilty again, but I had already done my time, so after the verdict I just walked out. They’d given me a day, and I had done 36 hours, so they still owe me 12 hours,” he jokes.

GIVING BACK

MARIJUANA MUSEUM

In 1985, Rosenthal flew out to Amsterdam to connect with other leading breeders and growers – including Wernard Bruining, Old Ed Holloway, Skunkman Sam and Nevil Schoenmakers. While there, he was contracted by two coffeeshop-owning Dutch brothers to curate the first international Cannabis museum.

“They’d put together this whole museum – it was only missing one thing: the exhibits. They needed somebody who could fill it in three weeks, so I put together a team, worked 16 hours a day, and got it done.”

In 1987, Rosenthal’s friend Ben Dronkers purchased that project, rebranding it as Sensi Seeds’ Hash, Marijuana, and Hemp Museum. (A few years later, Dronkers also bought the Holland Seed Bank from Schoenmakers, who Rosenthal had introduced him to.)

“It was six in the morning, and there was banging at the door. Since I sleep naked, I went down naked to see what was happening … so they knew I was unarmed,” he jokes.

Rosenthal was charged with the cultivation of over 100 plants, but the irony was that the city had legally permitted his garden; in 1999, he’d been appointed an “Officer of the City of Oakland” – deputized to grow those plants for various medical marijuana clubs around the Bay Area. Although it was a nonprofit grow that had the blessing of the city and was legal under Prop 215, his lawyers were prohibited from presenting any of that information to the jury because the case was federal – and therefore state law didn’t apply.

At age 77, Rosenthal is at the peak of his prestige. He’s won numerous lifetime achievement awards and continues to make appearances at Cannabis events around the world. His latest project is the Million Marijuana Seed Giveaway – doling out free seeds of different cultivars he and his friends have bred in an effort to encourage his fans to become pheno hunters. Some of those free seeds are included in the “Prisoners of Weed” book packs for sale on his website, with 10 percent of the proceeds going to the Last Prisoner Project. So far, the packs have raised over $6,000 for pot POWs.

Prepping some seeds to include in one of his Prisoner of Weed book bundles.

“I didn’t have to do time after I was raided … but there are still people out there doing time for a plant many are profiting on now, and that’s wrong,” Rosenthal recently told HT. “We need to change that – yesterday.”

To read the full, unabridged version of this story and listen to the interview on our podcast, visit worldofcannabis.museum/cannthropology.

With attorneys in his “wizard of weed” robe outside the courthouse (2007).

PHOTOS

ED

HT family as a regular

“The Marijuana Grower’s Guide” informed and inspired a generation of ganja growers, and established Frank and Rosenthal as America’s leading authorities on Cannabis cultivation.

Ed (right) with fellow growers Soma, Wernard Bruining, and Old Ed Holloway in Amsterdam circa 1985.

Ed (right) with fellow growers Soma, Wernard Bruining, and Old Ed Holloway in Amsterdam circa 1985.

THE MOMENT YOUR AUTOMOBILE DOORS are shut with the driveshaft engaged, the contest is underway. Regardless of who is behind the wheel of other vehicles competing for space on the road, your primary objective is to circumvent them to save precious minutes while en route to your destination. And although the unidentified drivers against whom you jockey for position are often good people in your own neighborhood, they have now become faceless adversaries crowding the track.

Like the butts of cigarettes, courtesies are flicked out the window.

And there’s no surprise that this daily race causes tension. Because traffic is a drain on your fragile psyche. And you are not proud of who you become in these moments of frustration when it turns you into a triggered bitch.

You see, we all have a threshold of tolerance that, when crossed, causes a discomforting level of anxiety and stress –fueling the impatience and adding to life’s pressures. And because there is no immediate resolve, you learn to live with the strangulation while building a resentment that weighs on you like an addict’s regret.

You blame the other drivers. “Oh, if only those idiots hadn’t dug themselves into that inescapable cavern of debt like I did.” There’s the mortgage, the auto loan, the kids, the boob job – all the shit you have on autopay that prevents you from turning right out of the driveway instead of left. It’s the right turn that leaves the city toward a tropical paradise … far, far away from the giant magnet that tugs you into the grind.

Fortunately, Cannabis improves your perception. One small toke from a vape pen makes the speakers speak, the seat heaters glow, and the engine vibrate comfort ably for the most optimal enjoyment during your relaxed commute.

You are quite aware that it is against the law to drive stoned.

Thank God for Visine.