Maryland Leaf — Aug. 2019

THE ENLIGHTENED VOICE

I S S U E # 8 |#A8 U|GAUUS G T . 22001199

F R E E / LLEEAAFFNNAATTI IOONNMMDD. .CCOOMM

D E S I G N BY B R A N D O N PA L M A 2 019 | 8 T H DAYC R E AT E . C O M

T H E WO M E N ’ S I S S U E

INDEPENDENT CANNABIS JOURNALISM SINCE 2010

NATURAL SUNLIGHT MAKES BETTER MEDICINE.

The standard in clean, natural and sustainable medical cannabis cultivation. SunMed cannabis is rooted in the tradition of local Maryland family farming and perfected with European greenhouse technology.

/SUNMEDGROWERS

SUNMEDGROWERS.COM

PEOPLE.

PLANTS.

A L O C A L LY- O W N E D

CANNABIS COMMUNITY

E X P E R I E N C E A H I G H E R S TA N D A R D Visit us at 6656 Dobbin Rd Suite E Columbia, MD 21045 Open 7 Days A Week 10AM - 9PM

REMEDYCOLUMBIA.COM

Call (443) 542-0948

@remedy_maryland Product is for use by qualifying patients only

aug. 2019

THE WOMEN’S ISSUE

leafnationmd.com

4

20

SHANNON MCGOWAN NATURE’S MEDICINE BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH

PHOTO by MADDIE REGIMBAL @MEREGIMBAL

7 Editor’S Note 9 NATIONAL news 12 hemp column 14 legal column 16 highly likely 20 budtender q&a 22 STARBUDS REVIEW 24 strain of the month 26 hope wiseman 28 michelle sprawls 30 olga reed 32 blissiva 34 sharon ali 36 island WEED 38 HMS HEALTH 40 CONCENTRATES 42 Cannabis recipes 44 DYSCO’S CORNER 46 stoney baloney

WORK HARD. RECOVER FASTER. Topical balms with restorative blends of 20+ essential oils with CBD+THC for targeted, effective treatment.

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

THE ENL IGHTENED VOICE

ISSUE #8 | AUGUST 2019

WES ON THE COVER

D E S I G N BY B R A N D O N PA L M A 2 019 | 8 T H DAYC R E AT E . C O M

T H E WO M E N ’ S I S S U E F R E E / L E A F N AT I O N M D . C O M

INDEPENDENT CANNABIS JOURNALISM SINCE 2010

MDLEAF_AUGUST_2019.indd 1

The Women’s Issue For this month’s special issue, we wanted to celebrate the achievements of Women in the Cannabis industry who are making a difference and empowering lasting change.

Read and enjoy this edition!

ART BY 8TH DAY CREATE for maryland leaf

7/22/19 1:57 AM

CONTRIBUTORS

FOUNDER & EDITOR

Alaina Dorsey, writing

WES ABNEY Wes@nwleaf.com 206-235-6721

Ally Dull, writing Wyatt Early, photography Steve Elliott, writing Ariana Foote, writing Lizzy Layne. design Taylor Martin, writing Matthew Newton, writing Jeff Porterfield, design Pacer Stacktrain, writing Laurie Wolf, writing Bruce Wolf, photography

PUBLISHER EARLY Early@LeafNationMD.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Daniel bermaN | photography & design daniel@bermanphotos.com PRODUCER/PROCESSOR/RETAILERS AD SALES

wyatt early Wyatt@LeafNationMD.com 410-961-8779 We do not sell stories or coverage.

We are happy to offer design services and guidance on promoting your company’s recreational, commercial or industrial Cannabis product or upcoming event. We are targeted and independent Cannabis journalism.

Email or call to discuss advertising.

M A RY L AN D L E A F / 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

CONNECT WITH THE LEAF @MDLEAF

|

@MARYLANDLEAF

@NWLEAF

ISSUU.COM/NWLEAF

FREE ONLINE ARCHIVE

ABNEY

Editor’s Note The Cannabis Industry is brimming with feminine energy and talent, and it’s driving innovation and setting a positive example for how Cannabis is viewed.

Our community is a diverse group that melts across all races and genders, and women deserve an equal place in the industry that should provide opportunity for all.

7 Ownership is statistically dominated by wealthy white men, and is trending further that way as legalization favors those with wealth over experience when balancing resources like licenses along equitable lines.

MY GOAL FROM THE This issue affects people of color as BEGINNING OF THE significantly as women, but the core issue is the LEAF WAS TO SEE same. The plant was meant for everyone, and AND HELP SHAPE THE business opportunities should not be limited to those with money or based on gender or race.

INDUSTRY IN SUCH A I’ve heard too many horror stories to share WAY THAT I WOULD of unreported sexual harassment, workplace FEEL COMFORTABLE violations, and general discomfort at situations WITH MY DAUGHTERS where women are treated incorrectly in the PARTICIPATING IN IT, industry. We as a community and industry need to recognize that Cannabis is no different from AND I AM POSITIVE AND the mainstream business world, and that the EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE same rules apply within the world of weed.

OF THE AMAZING In order to make progress and make change, WOMEN IN WEED. we must hold Cannabis to a higher standard than any other business environment.

My goal from the beginning of the Leaf was to see and help shape the Cannabis industry in such a way that I would feel comfortable with my daughters participating in it, and I am positive and excited for the future of the amazing women in weed.

Over the last decade the Cannabis industry has gone from sexualized sales and misogyny to a growing industry with Women in every step in seed to sale, from CEO’s to creatives, managers to activists, attorneys to growers and so much more. We are honored to highlight a few of the great many who are making positive change, and helping the community and industry grow in every sector.

Please enjoy these profiles and the spotlights into the various forms of the industry, and make sure to ask for women owned products at your local dispensary.

There’s more to support than most realize!

-Wes Abney

aug. 2019

WASHINGTON STATE’S CANNABIS TRACING SYSTEM UPDATE BREAKS DOWN; COSTS BUSINESSES THOUSANDS

EAST COAST

MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION MUST INCLUDE CANNABIS JUSTICE: BALTIMORE STATE’S ATTORNEY Declaring that “the debate over whether we should legalize marijuana is essentially over,” Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby traveled to Washington, D.C. to testify before Congress as part of the first-ever hearing to discuss Cannabis legalization.

“The question is no longer if or even when we legalize marijuana nationally,” Mosby said. “The question policy makers must grapple with is: How should we legalize marijuana?”

According to Mosby, any legislative proposal must make sure it “repairs the damage done by marijuana prohibition and creates opportunities for those communities most adversely impacted.”

“I have seen first-hand the damage done by marijuana enforcement,” Mosby wrote. “Black people and their communities suffer the brunt of marijuana arrests despite studies showing that blacks and whites use marijuana at the same rate.”

For those reasons, on January 29, Mosby’s office became one of the first in the country to decline to prosecute marijuana possession cases regardless of the weight involved, or the holder’s criminal history. Unfortunately, the courts denied her request to right these past wrongs. “So for now, members of our community are living with the scarlet letter of a criminal record for an offense the city no longer prosecutes,” Mosby wrote.

Washington state’s seed-to-sale marijuana traceability system has been shaky, at best.

Past outages of the system have cost Cannabis businesses dearly, and now a planned update of the system has resulted in costly outages once again.

The issue actually involved two separate outages, according to MJ Freeway, which provides the Leaf Data Systems software companies use to document the marijuana supply chain in Washington state.

The outages stopped hundreds of retailers, processors and producers from conducting business-to-business transactions for a period of days in mid-July, reports Marijuana Business Daily.

“People are losing their minds over what’s happening,” said Vicki Christopherson, executive director of the Washington Cannabusiness Association (WACA), before the outages were repaired. “People are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in a business that they don’t have to lose.”

A survey about the outages was conducted by a nonprofit, The Cannabis Alliance, and asked Cannabis business owners to estimate what the outage cost them. Respondents’ answers ranged from $1,000 to as much as $80,000. Eight of the businesses reported losing more than $25,000 in sales.

national news

west coast

9

legalization

THREE REPUBLICANS ARE BLOCKING FEDERAL CANNABIS LEGALIZATION

STUDY: WASHINGTON STATE #1 IN WORLD CANNABIS USE Washington is number one on the planet when it comes to cannabis consumption, and now there’s data to prove it, reports Leafly.

A new study from the University of Puget Sound and the University of Washington indicates that the Puget Sound area, including Seattle, has the highest level of marijuana consumption in the world, beating even Amsterdam in that regard.

“We are part of an international study ... with 60 to 80 other cities around the world,” lead researcher Dr. Daniel A. Burgard said. “And according to wastewater, the Puget Sound area has the highest Cannabis use per capita, even over Amsterdam.”

Researchers conducted the study by analyzing sewage from a Western Washington city’s public wastewater from 2013 to 2016, looking for metabolites of THC. By measuring THC-COOH in thousands of samples of raw sewage, scientists aimed to track weed consumption levels and to try and determine if the legal I-502 market has displaced the black market.

Washington began legal retail sales in August 2014, so researchers were very interested in learning how legalization affected Cannabis use. Consumption did go up with legalization, according to the results, “suggesting a doubling” in THC consumption among residents between 2013 and 2016.

By STEVE ELLIOTT, AUTHOR OF THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF MARIJUANA

aug. 2019

leafnationmd.com

With bipartisan support for Cannabis legalization finally here, we still have a problem. Unless the legislation can get past a small, conservative group of GOP senators, the bills won’t become law, according to Rolling Stone magazine.

Senators like Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, in 2017 claimed that voters don’t care about marijuana legalization.

He was, of course, wrong then and even more wrong today in 2019.

More than 60 percent of Americans now favor full legalization. Eleven states and D.C. have legalized adult use, and 36 more have some form of medical use. All that public support has finally started to translate into Cannabis-related legislation in Congress.

But public, bipartisan support for legalization aren’t enough, according to Saphira Galoob, a Democratic Cannabis lobbyist.

“We are still in a situation where the temperature within the Republican Party conference — within the leadership — is not yet signaling it’s okay,” she said.

The three names continually listed by lobbyists, advocates and lawmakers as those blocking any federal Cannabis legalization are GOP Senators Mike Crapo of Idaho, Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

MARYLAND ROOTS. COLORADO EXPERIENCE.

CUT OUT AND GIVE THIS AD TO US ON YOUR NEXT VISIT TO RECEIVE 10% OFF YOUR PURCHASE!

N O R T H B A LT I M O R E ’ S P R E M I E R C A N N A B I S & H O L I ST I C C E N T E R R O L L E D I N TO O N E !

MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARY + CBD & HOLISTIC REMEDIES

M O N D AY

T U E S D AY

W E D N E S D AY

30% off Concentrates & Vapes 1 gram concentrates start at $35

BOGO 50% off Eighths, Grams & Pre-Rolls

$30 Select Eighths

T H U R S D AY

F R I D AY

S AT U R D AY

S U N D AY

30% off Topicals & Ingestibles; $180 ounces

$35 Premium & Reserve Eighths

BOGO 50% OFF Vapes & Concentrates

SECOND CHANCE SUNDAY

We offer Weedmaps and Leafly pickup!

BLAIRWELLNESS.COM 5 8 0 6 Y O R K R D . B A LT I M O R E , M D 2 1 2 1 2

LEGALIZATioN

WEST COAST

OREGON’S WEED GLUT IS GOOD FOR CONSUMERS, BUT NOT FOR FARMERS Weed is getting unbelievably cheap in Oregon. Some shops are offering grams of popular strains like Blue Dream for two dollars. Bargain hunters can find reasonably decent ounces for 45 bucks. And some downright respectable weed can be had for $100 an ounce or less.

That’s wonderful, right? Yes, if you’re a consumer. But not so much if you’re a weed farmer in Oregon.

Typically, the cheap stuff is outdoor weed, which goes for less not only because the grow light is free — it’s the sun, man — but also because it looks a little rougher than indoor or greenhouse stuff.

With state regulations letting consumers know the potency of their weed, an astute consumer can get just as high on a $2 gram as on a $10 or $12 gram, and that’s bad news for craft growers who go to additional effort, time and expense to produce connoisseur quality Cannabis flowers.

While outdoor growers can barely survive on $2 a gram, many greenhouse and especially indoor growers simply can’t turn a profit at that rate.

Some legal pot farmers have declared bankruptcy. Others have left the business or gone into hemp CBD farming. In 2015, there were 13 registered hemp growers in Oregon; now there are more than 750, reports AlterNet. Hemp acreage, meanwhile, ballooned from 105 acres in 2015 to more than 22,000 now.

Illinois lawmakers in June were able to do what legislatures in other states have been unable to do: make Cannabis legal without a voter referendum. They thus became the first state where the Legislature made marijuana sales legal without a vote from the people.

That made Illinois the eleventh state to legalize recreational weed, and the second Midwestern state to do so, following only Michigan, where voters approved legalization in 2018. Illinois lawmakers achieved legalization by addressing issues including minority representation in the nascent industry; such issues had derailed similar efforts in both New York and New Jersey.

The law sets aside $12 million for a Cannabis Business Development Fund to lower licensing fee costs for minority entrepreneurs. The fund will also provide low-interest business loans to minority owners, filling an important gap created by the skittishness of banks to make loans to Cannabis businesses due to weed’s illegal status at the federal level.

Regulators in Illinois are now tasked with creating a Cannabis enforcement agency and setting up a system to license pot shops, growers and processors. Lawmakers set January 1, 2020 as the date for the law to go into effect.

national news

ILLINOIS BECOMES THE FIRST STATE TO LEGALIZE CANNABIS WITHOUT A REFERENDUM

11

THE BEAN IN CHICAGO

WEST COAST CALIFORNIA REGULATORS UNABLE TO FULLY OVERSEE STATE’S CANNABIS MARKET: STATE REPORT

By STEVE ELLIOTT, AUTHOR OF THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF MARIJUANA

aug. 2019

leafnationmd.com

Regulators in California have a long way to go before they will be able to fully and effectively regulate the state’s legal Cannabis industry, according to a new audit by the California Department of Finance.

Despite having a “structural foundation” for managing the legal marijuana industry, the California Bureau of Cannabis Control’s “current status and location of personnel is not sustainable to provide effective and comprehensive oversight of Cannabis activities,” the report concluded, reports Marijuana Business Daily.

The agency’s enforcement staff has dozens of unfilled positions, according to the report. With a vacancy rate close to 80 percent, it’s difficult for regulators to ensure the legal supply chain is running effectively, the report, released in early July, notes.

As of January, only 75 of 219 authorized personnel had been hired at the BCC, according to the report. More staff is required before the agency can do its job properly, the report suggests. As of early July, staffing has increased to 87, according to BCC spokesman Alex Traverso, leaving 132 positions vacant. The audit was from July 2016-January 2019.

OPINION

BY JERRY WHITING LeBlancCNE.com/podcast

ARTISAN

I’d rather be a small farmer with a high quality harvest year after year, than a new farmer on a tractor struggling to grow 50 or more acres. I’d like to be a small farmer with hemp as part of my crop rotation. There will be hemp only farmers and farmers who grow hemp too. The former lends itself to monoculture, the latter leans towards sustainability.

Soybean, wheat and corn farmers have a learning curve with hemp.

4H didn’t prepare them and their county agent is of little help. Large amounts of mediocre hemp won’t bring strong prices.

With hemp legal across the country, each and every farmer is competing with every other farmer. Those that grow high quality hemp, CBD or otherwise, can get a higher price for their crop.

The hemp supply chain favors organic plant matter without pesticides or heavy metals. This is counter to what conventional farmers have been doing. Small organic farmers with a high quality product can compete against larger players on this fact alone.

One of the challenges facing all hemp farmers is finding the cultivars (strains) that work best for them. Hemp genetics are new and lack extensive field trials. The genotype/terroir matchup is a crap shoot.

Small farmers can experiment and adjust what they grow faster than large corporations. Neighboring farms can cooperate and share It’s no news that hemp is big and getting bigger. cultivation tips. Just like wine grapes, regions will focus on specific types All the headlines, tweets and media hoopla focus of hemp. Imagine hemp and Cannabis appellations. Regional tastes will almost exclusively on CBD. It’s fair to assume that determine what sells, and what’s grown locally will mold regional tastes.

Think about apples. Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and McIntosh are the hemp-derived CBD market will consolidate of no use if you’re making cider. Everyone is rushing into industrial hemp quickly, not so much based on who has the best grown for CBD extraction. There’s an underserved market for smokable products, but who has access to the retail supply hemp, both pre-rolls and trimmed flower.

This is just the kind of product that can be grown, processed and chain. Established national brands have the inside packaged by small companies and then sold locally and online. Bulk track to drugstores, grocery stores, the big boxes hemp flower can be sold at farmers markets and by CSAs (Community and every mall in the land. CBD is today what Supported Agriculture).

Some farmers will specialize - nurseries with clones, those that grow probiotics was yesterday. seed crops, hemp grown for on site use (animal bedding), etc. If family farms grow sheep to make wool, why not grow hemp for handmade paper? I met a farmer in Wisconsin who grew sunflowers, pressed the oil and heated her home. She wanted to try hemp for the oil to see if it was a more efficient fuel. The pressed meal she used as animal feed. Farmers Some of us don’t shop at malls or mainstream grocery stores, are resourceful if nothing else. If they grow hemp, they’ll figure out how and don’t buy multinational brands. I’m a food co-op, credit union, to sell it or use it on site. farmers market, microbrewery kinda guy. So is there a place in the As more and more people throw themselves into industrial hemp, many hemp economy for small local farmers and producers, local brands aren’t thinking ahead. Yes, CBD today, but what’s next? Bulk biomass is and family businesses? Will there be an artisan hemp economy the pot of gold everyone’s chasing now, but my guess is that 2020 will moving forward? Yes and yes! see a thinning of the heard. I don’t worry Why was Montana the third largest industrial about the well-financed big players, it’s the hemp producer in 2018? Because people J US T L I K E WI N E G R A P E S , mom and pop operations I worry about. own large tracks of land. Not because the R EG IO N S WI L L F OCUS O N Many have heard me say that it all climate or soil was ideal, or there was a strong begins with the plant. Lose sight of this S P EC I F IC T Y P E S O F H E M P .

Cannabis culture full of experienced growers. It and risk success. Big Ag has no interest in was about land, not culture.

R EG IO NAL TAS T E S WI L L maintaining a large and diverse genetic Those who’ve grown Cannabis have an D E T E R M I N E WHAT SE L LS , portfolio. Scale, volume, and consistency are advantage growing hemp compared to those the way to risk-free profits. who haven’t grown pot before. Sorry, but just AN D WHAT ’ S G ROWN Outlier strains may be the key to the because your grandparents grew tobacco or LOCAL LY WI L L M O L D next market opportunity. Small farms even hemp doesn’t mean you can grow and R EG IO NAL TAS T E S . can maintain diverse genetic collections, harvest a high quality product. preserving valuable hemp genetics.

As states issue hemp licenses, pay attention My advice? Grow your brand, grow your business. Sell direct, bond to places with a preexisting Cannabis culture, either recreational, with your customers. Dr. So, my acupuncture teacher, says, “Don’t chase medical or black market. Who better knows Cannabis’ soil and the dollar and the dollar will chase you.” nutrient requirements, how to prune, the transition from veg to flower, Do what you love, follow your passion, and stay close to the plant. and most importantly how to harvest, dry and store a crop?

HEMP?

(YES IT’S A THING)

leafnationmd.com

12

aug. 2019

PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS

CANNABIS LAW

FEMALE REPRESENTATION in MARYLAND’S CANNABISINDUSTRY

leafnationmd.com

14

This month’s Maryland Leaf pertains to women working in the Cannabis industry. As these stories make clear, women are shaping Maryland’s burgeoning medical Cannabis industry in ways that no one could have previously envisioned.

Yet according to a recent industry survey conducted by Vangst - a national Cannabis industry employment site - women make up only 39% of the employees of these companies. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the percentage of female employees in the industry ranks behind other more traditional female-dominated industries, such as education (68%) and real estate (50%). This represents an improvement over other male-dominated industries such as technology (20%), agriculture (25%), and beverage and tobacco (26%).

However, this does not mean that women and men have reached parity in this new industry. On the contrary, women continue to lag behind men in the executive suites of these Cannabis companies, in economic opportunity, and in overall employment rates. In 2017, the State of Maryland commissioned an economic disparity study to analyze the participation of minority-owned and women-owned enterprises in the state. That study found that women and minorities continue to **MANGO, WHICH IS

experience statistically significant differences in their As a result, the state does not have any real hard access to state and private sector contracts, as well data about the relative numbers of women being as in the factors necessary for business success. hired by the medical Cannabis industry here in Moreover, the study recognized that there was an Maryland. evidentiary basis to apply race and gender conBut the glass ceiling for women seems to be scious remedial measures to increase participation giving way in Maryland, and practitioners like and ownership in the medical Cannabis businesses.

Dawn-Marie Steenstra are leading the way.

According to the most recent diversity Prior to her involvement in the medstatistics provided on the MMCC website, ical Cannabis industry in Maryland, 57% of Maryland Cannabis businesses Steenstra ran her own assisted living were owned by minorities (including facility for more than 21 years as a females), while 75% of the employees registered nurse. in the Cannabis industry are minorities Seven years ago she attended the (including females). While these statistics “Patients Out of Time” Conference in are encouraging, they certainly do not Arizona where she was introduced to tell the whole story. the medical research and experiences Part of the difficulty in measuring womof patients using medical Cannabis “According to the en’s impact on this industry is found with for terminal illnesses. most recent diversity the data tracking itself. Under All at once she became aware of statistics provided on the new diversity regulations the benefits that medical Cannabis the MMCC website, promulgated by the MMCC could offer to her clients in the areas 57% of Maryland last year, women are conof hospice care and long-term palliaCannabis businesses sidered to be disadvantaged tive care. And she realized then that were owned by equity applicants. medical Cannabis could bring relief in minorities (including As of May 2018, Maryland ways that could never be provided by females).” cultivators, processors, and traditional medicine. dispensaries were required to Since then, Steenstra has immersed submit an annual report to the MMCC herself in advocating for patients and lobbying the about how many minority and women owners were State of Maryland for greater patient protections. associated with each business. In the most recent She is now a National Ambassador for United applications period that just ended in June 2019, Patients Group, works as an outreach coordinator bonus points were awarded to applications that had for Mission Dispensaries, and is co-producing a a diversity plan designed to employ “disadvantaged series on medical Cannabis called “The Sacred equity applicants,” again including women.

Plant” for its second season.

According to Joy Strand, the Executive Director As Steenstra stated in a recent interview for an of the MMCC, the state does not separately track Americans for Safe Access profile, “I’m grateful the number of women involved in the Maryland I’m getting to be a force for positive change for all medical Cannabis industry or their relative ownerthese things, furthering the mission of destigmatizship percentages, apart from other minority groups. ing Cannabis.”

FULL OF THE TERPENE MYRCENE, IS KNOWN TO WORK2008, IN CONCERT Since Mike Rothman has counseled clients regarding Cannabis laws and regulations as the founder and principal of the WITH THE MYRCENE IN Medical Cannabis Law Group and the Law Office of Mike Rothman in Rockville, Maryland. Mr. Rothman has testified on Cannabis SOME CANNABIS STRAINS laws and regulations TO ENHANCE YOUR HIGH! before the Maryland House of Delegates, taught classes, and lobbied the federal government on behalf of

patients and businesses. Mr. Rothman’s Law Office focuses on criminal defense, including use of the medical Cannabis defense.

aug. 2019

COLUMN by MIKE ROTHMAN, ATTORNEY & PRINCIPAL | MEDICAL CANNABIS LAW GROUP

highly likely

16

Highlighting Cannabis pioneers who paved the way to greater herbal acceptance.

HOW THE OUTSPOKEN MUSIC ICON SHARES HER LOVE FOR CANNABIS WITH THE WORLD

RIHANNA

leafnationmd.com

A S O N E O F T H E WO R L D ’ S WEALTHIEST FEMALE M US IC I AN S , T H E M US ICAL P H E N O M K N OW N S I M P LY A S R I H A N N A L I K E LY N E E D S L I T T L E I N T R O D UC T I O N .

In brief, she was born in Barbados, moved to the U.S. in 2005 as a signee with Def Jam Records, and scored a big hit with the song “SOS” in 2006, helping her burst onto the international R&B scene.

And with it all she brought her unmistakable swagger and powerful self-confidence. Her sometimes controversial, but ultimately humanizing approach to celebrity, has won Rihanna adoration from fans and the media alike. Throughout it all, Rihanna has done celebrity her way – with little regard for what people think.

Perhaps that’s why, even before it was legalized, Rihanna has been outspoken - or at the very least - never tried to hide her relationship with Cannabis. While many celebrities recoil from the public spotlight when it comes to consuming herb, she is often found smoking out in the open, and very often it’s on social media.

The first time Rihanna made Cannabis related headlines was due to getting kicked out of a hotel in 2010 for setting off the smoke alarms in her suite due to smoking blunts. A year later,

aug. 2019

RIHANNA HAS BEEN SPOTTED IN THE PRESS USING PLENTY OF CANNABIS, OFTEN ROLLING BLUNTS DURING INTERVIEWS AND HER PHOTO OP’S...

“SHE’S OUT THERE TOASTING LIFE’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND SPECIAL MOMENTS LIKE SO MANY OF US DO, WITH CANNABIS MORE OFTEN THAN ALCOHOL.“

the cover of her album “Talk That Talk” featured her blowing out a massive puff of smoke, thus announcing to the world that Cannabis was an integral piece of her creativity, style and personality.

But it wasn’t until social media outlets like Instagram became the modality by which we corrode our social structure that we truly found out how many blunts Rihanna actually smokes. Here, instances abound.

There was the time that she rolled a blunt on her bodyguard’s head while seated on his shoulders in the audience at Coachella in 2012, and more recently at Coachella 2018 - minus the epic rolling performance.

There’s also the widely publicized photo of her smoking yet another blunt dressed in renaissance garb, shot by Terry Richardson for CR Fashionbook.

And while these photos are just the tip of the iceberg for this hyper-celebrity, what

truly makes following her on social media interesting is how casual she is about smoking given her stature in the world as an international celebrity.

She’s out there toasting life’s accomplishments and special moments like so many of us do, with Cannabis more often than alcohol.

At the end of the day, people love Rihanna because she’s authentically herself - and of course, the music that comes along with this embodiment. This is refreshing, because while Cannabis is more legal than it has ever been in America, the world as a whole is still catching up.

An international celebrity like Rihanna is helping with that, but it’s also an insight into the fact that Cannabis gives us the opportunity to see our reality in a different light, a way to adjust our own perspectives and to be open to the moments as they come to us.

That’s the freedom this herb provides, and perhaps that is what attracts celebrities like Rihanna to it. Thankfully, she’s not hiding it.

By PACER STACKTRAIN for LEAF NATION

Mention coupon code CURAUG10 at a Curaleaf Dispensary during the month of August and get:

10% OFF ALL CURALEAF PRODUCT

Promo valid 08/01/19 – 08/31/19. Must be 18 years or older to view content. Medical marijuana for use by a qualifying patient only. Cannot stack discounts.

PATIENT OF THE MONTH leafnationmd.com

18

dealing with chronic pain

An Army veteran relies on the plant s

complications made her feel so little from the waist down that she couldn’t feel her contractions from childbirth, delivering her child on the highway at the last minute as a result. She was eventually turned into a single mother after leaving an abusive relationship and had to provide for her son, with life continuing to rain down.

Life went on, and Stacy continued to survive and provide for her family.

Eventually, things became more normal and Stacy remarried and had two more children. She was still struggling with her mental health, often having serious side effects from her medicine. She said it was hard to live life every day when “your mind is fucked, your body is fucked, and you feel like you can’t go on.” Her side effects would make her lethargic and often cause severe hallucinations. She was floating through life as an empty shell.

“I was only keeping on with my life for my children,” she said.

Being a fighter and no longer wanting to feel empty, she could tell that At 19 years old, things began to snowball as Stacy got injured during battle, she wanted to live life to the fullest. She wasn’t going to let pharmaceutical resulting in a severe back injury and PTSD. companies have power over her life anymore. At 21, she finally decided to Constantly in pain emotionally and physically, she still had to serve and looked give medical Cannabis a try. to self medication in this dark time. As Stacy described, “I was eating Tylenol PM She originally noticed a change in her health when she began managing to ease my pain, using alcohol and pills or anything to numb my body. We all her IBS with Cannabis, saying that it helped replace a muscle relaxer used to chew on Motrin and swallow it. It was awful.” she was on. She began to notice a difference mentally and physically Shortly after her injury, Stacy was assaulted by someone she trusted, and on a after going a week without them. She eventually moved to Cannabis for different occasion also discovered him viewing her in the shower. Her assailant complete pain management and slowly began to eliminate all her pain never faced any discipline and her story was swept under the rug. medications through Cannabis use. She most recently was able to kick Sexual assault in the military is common, with at least 25% of women serving her Prozac prescription by experimenting with different indica strains. Her in the U.S. military having been sexually assaulted, and up to 80% have been exploring of Cannabis for her mental health has lead her to Bubba Kush, sexually harassed. After seeing things that should not be seen and experiencing her favorite strain. She said it helps with her muscles and her cramps. Stacy traumatic events, Stacy knew it was time for her to head home when she was also uses small amounts of RSO for long term daily relief. able to do so. She was discharged after writing her congressman at the time, to Stacy has made great strides in her journey and ensure she would get out on the date she was eligible has improved her life through medical Cannabis. to come home.

“I joined the Army and my life was downhill Safely back at home and away from the field, STACY EVENTUALLY from there, until I signed up to be a patient in Stacy still felt angry, hurt and alone. Her quality of life MOVED TO CANNABIS October of last year,” recalled Stacy. As of June improved in some ways, but continued to decline in 2019, Stacy was able to finally ditch her cane others. Her mobility was limited by having to always FOR COMPLETE PAIN just in time to surprise her son at his high school use her cane since a young age.

MANAGEMENT AND SLOWLY graduation. Although things in life aren’t perfect, When released, the VA said they allegedly had no Stacy is the healthiest she has been in as long as record of her injuries or her first pregnancy, despite BEGAN TO ELIMINATE ALL she can remember. Here, her revitalized self can having all her medical documentation. Stacy often HER PAIN MEDICATIONS play with her children, go on dates, and begin to had her pain questioned and often had her concerns take control of the rest of her life. ignored by her physicians. Her injury and drug THROUGH CANNABIS USE.

tacy Ann Bryson has a story that is tragic, beautiful and incredibly unique - finally leading her to the world of Cannabis. She was born in Kingston, Jamaica, resulting in a bit of knowledge about Cannabis, but never indulged or was around it often. When she came to America at the age of ten, she quickly realized she wanted to serve her new country.

Fresh out of high school, she decided to enroll in the Army in order for her to pay for schooling. She had no idea that a life of depression, assault, and lifelong pain were waiting for her as a result of this choice.

aug. 2019

19

CANNABIS PATIENT STACY ANN BRYSON

STORY by ARIANA FOOTE @INDICAWIFE for MARYLAND LEAF | PHOTO by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT

BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH

20

SHANNON MCGOWAN “IT HAS BEEN FUN HAVING PEOPLE COME IN THINKING CANNABIS ISN’T GOING TO HELP THEM, AND THEN FINDING THEM SOMETHING THAT HELPS THEM MORE THAN THEIR DOCTOR CAN PRESCRIBE.” HOW DID YOU first GET INTO CANNABIS?

I’ve been smoking Cannabis for a long time.

Probably too young - I don’t even remember when I started. I’d say maybe like 15 years old.

And illegally, but it was one of those things I fell in love with once I started smoking. And I have not stopped since. It’s kinda cool to see the dynamic of it. I used to have to hide to smoke versus now, where there’s more freedom with it.

You don’t really have to hide to smoke and all that kind of stuff. I used to work at Greenpoint Wellness before here. I was there for a little over six months or so, but then I left it to go do something else. And then I ended up finding Nature’s Medicines, which is great because this is more deli style compared to pre-packaged.

There’s a more open feel with deli style.

leafnationmd.com

HOW HAS CANNABIS HELPED FOR YOU?

So I had gotten into a car accident a few years ago. I have a bad neck problem where I get neck spasms and have high anxiety. I smoke to contain the anxiety. It’s also an appetite stimulant for me because I have a hard time getting an appetite. Cannabis helps me with everything, honestly! The appetite, the anxiety, the neck pain. And sleep - I bartend at night, and even the nights I don’t bartend, I have a hard time going to sleep. It’s been heaven for that, just finding things to knock me out like indica strains and stuff.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE STRAINS AND CONSUMPTION METHODS?

It’s so hard to pick just one because I love Stardawg... Okay, I’m going to say top three!

I have to say Stardawg, Ray Charles, and…I’m a big fan of Evermore and Gleaf. I like Culta, too - they’ve been putting out some good stuff lately. I like their Rocket Fuel right now.

Ray Charles is a flower by Grassroots. It was 3.4% in terps and 2.4% of that was myrcene alone! Right now we got Poochie Lovin’ and it’s at 3.8% total terps, with the max one being myrcene. And THC at 29% too. I’m a big fan of smoking. Just rolling it up. So all my favorite strains are flower for the most part. I do dabble into wax and budder.

I like hitting shatter. I do a little bit of everything honestly. I do the vape cartridges.

But pre-roll joints would probably be my least favorite thing to do. And that’s only because I like rolling my own.

WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL TERPENE PROFILE?

Myrcene is going to be my favorite terpene only because I’m more indica. I like it more sedative, where I feel my body is fully relieved of pain. I work two jobs, so I need something that’s going to help me with the pain. I like terpinolene because that’s also sedative and gives me a nice, cool high too. Limonene is one of my favorites because it elevates my mood when I’m depressed. The linalool is anti-anxiety, so I always check for a little bit of it.

WHAT HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE INDUSTRY BEEN LIKE?

As far as the race aspect of it, I haven’t had anybody discriminate against me or anything like that. When I first got into the industry, I really wanted to change other people’s perspectives on Cannabis. It has been fun having people come in thinking Cannabis isn’t going to help them, and then finding them something that helps them more than their doctor can prescribe. It’s an exciting job. It’s really fun to be able to help people do better in their own lives.

HOW DOES NATURE’S MEDICINES STAND OUT AND WHAT do you like about wORKING tHERE?

We value patients over profits. We have great prices everyday, not just on a certain day. And honestly, the atmosphere. I like who I work with for the most part. Nature’s Medicines is just one-of-a-kind in Maryland, compared to other ones that are pre-packaged.

HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE PATIENTS GET WHAT THEY NEED WHEN THEY VISIT?

When you come back, all I ask is that you give me feedback on how you liked whatever you got last time. That way, if you didn’t like it or it didn’t work for you, we can try something else.

This is all trial and error. What works for one person may not work for the next person. That said, it could still help another patient to relay that information. Feedback is the biggest thing for me, whether it’s good or bad.

Nature’s Medicines

10169 Baltimore National Pike Ellicott City, MD (410) 988-6004 NaturesMedicine.com

aug. 2019

GOT A FAVORITE BUDTENDER? TELL US WHY! WYATT@LEAFNATIONMD.COM

STORY by ALAINA DORSEY @BUDBIZLLAMA for MARYLAND LEAF | PHOTO by MADDIE REGIMBAL

MEDICAL CANNABIS DISPENSARY

HELLO, BALTIMORE. The Botanist is more than just a dispensary. It’s a passionate place to shop and learn about all things cannabis.

Offering personalized treatment designed just for you.

Visit us today

7175 Security Blvd NEW PATIENT DISCOUNT 1st visit

2nd visit

3rd visit

15%off

20%off

25%off

ShopBotanist.com Medical cannabis products are for use by qualifying patients only.

SHOP REVIEW

STARBUDS OFBALTIMORE THE SELECTION AT STARBUDS IS ABSOLUTELY MESMERIZING, WITH A SEEMINGLY ENDLESS SELECTION OF ANY CANNABIS PRODUCT YOU CAN IMAGINE.

leafnationmd.com

22

F

or many years, Carissa Cartellemi and Megan Rogers always had a dream of opening their own Cannabis business. When they were on a trip to Denver they walked into a dispensary that they felt had the perfect image for their dream - Starbuds. Excited and charmed by their branding, Cartellemi knew that they had to bring it back to Baltimore. They had no idea that this was a decision that would change their lives forever.

Chances are if you live in the Baltimore area, you’ve heard of Starbuds. Located on Belair Road in Baltimore, this spot has more to offer than meets the eye. Upon entering, you will immediately be greeted with the sweet, delicious smell of fresh Cannabis. You know you’ll be in for a special treat after you get through check in. You may notice that Starbuds is a bit smaller than your average spot. However, Starbuds doesn’t need fancy hallways, gold trimming and harsh lighting to impress you - the product and staff has that covered.

The selection at Starbuds is absolutely mesmerizing, with a seemingly endless selection of any Cannabis product you can imagine. The dispensary is deli style, and you get to watch your budtender pull out huge jars of Cannabis for you to view before weighing your selection in front of you. When asked about their large inventory, Cartellemi said, “Here at Starbuds, we love vapes, dabs, and all that stuff, but flower is where it all starts.” If you have a preference for a certain grower, you’ll have no problem finding your favorite as Starbuds sells every brand available in the Maryland market. In addition to flower,

Starbuds always has a hefty stock for you to choose from in case you’re on a budget or in a mood to bake some treats.

Starbuds has the most recreational feel of any shop I’ve been to, but that doesn’t mean that the budtenders aren’t held to a very medical standard. The staff has a solid base knowledge of anything related to Cannabis. While they do not have a traditional menu, the product layout is comprehensive enough for anyone to follow. Any further questions you have about terpenes, effects, or advice on how to consume your Cannabis, can be answered by your qualified budtender.

Starbuds has 11 locations throughout Colorado where you can easily have an identical experience, even down to using the same point system. Every customer can find a product that can fit their budget, as you can get a gram of shake for as low as six dollars. There are barely any downsides to Starbuds, and you feel good knowing you’ve spent your money somewhere that deserves it.

This location is a female owned business, and Carissa and Megan can often be seen helping with patients themselves.

Starbuds is definitely a place to visit if you haven’t been before. You won’t be able to leave empty handed, and you’ll have a smile on your face once you exit. “We fell in love right away,” Carissa said regarding the first time she walked into Starbuds. “We knew it was perfect after our first visit.” I think any consumer will be able to relate after their first experience at Starbuds Baltimore.

5975 BELAIR ROAD, BALTIMORE, MD 21206 | (443) 438-7494 | 9AM-9PM MONDAY-SUNDAY

aug. 2019

REVIEWED by ARIANA FOOTE @INDICAWIFE | PHOTOS by ENSO STYLE

FLOWER

5/5

I have yet to see a dispensary that has a selection as high quality and diverse as Starbuds. You can, and will, find anything you’re looking for flower wise here.

EDIBLES

5/5

Any consumable is available at Starbuds. RSO, troches, tinctures and gummies are all available to those who don’t want to smoke.

CONCENTRATE

5/5 Starbuds has every kind of concentrate by every brand, especially if you love Grassroots and Evermore.

ENVIRONMENT

4/5 Although the environment is welcoming and casual, it can be a bit anxiety inducing when the dispensary is busy. You’ll definitely be close to other patrons as you make your selection.

OVERALL SCORE:

19/20

Product: Trilogy from Culta THC: 24.4% b-Myrcene 1.18% b-caryophyllene .17% Limonene .16% Bisabolol .12% I ended up trying a strain called Trilogy from Culta.

A cross of The Cube and Triple OG, I found myself enjoying the strong body and light cerebral high I received from it. It was perfect for relaxation and reducing anxiety, and I would definitely purchase this strain again.

STARBUDS.US/BALTIMORE

23

STRAIN OF THE MONTH leafnationmd.com

24

<25%THC .47% CARYOPHYLLENE .36% LIMONENE .19% LINALOOL .14% HUMULENE .07% MYRCENE

by

NATURE’S HERITAGE

THIS MONTH’S FLOWER SELECTION IS ONE OF THE STICKIEST, TRICHOME COVERED CULTIVARS I HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF SMOKING IN MARYLAND’S MEDICAL MARKET.

Nature’s Heritage has shown themselves to be a leader in consistent quality and this is exemplified in their Bubblegum Diesel cultivar.

This cultivar has been a steady performer since it first hit the market and offers patients the quintessential high experience. The Bubblegum Diesel has a citrusy berry scent with a slight, almost gassy twinge that tickles the olfactory senses and prompts my smoking urges.

The cultivar has consistently come out over 25% THC and this batch was no different, clocking in as some high potency flower, cured to sticky smokable perfection. Each and every nug was spongy and covered in overtly resinous trichomes. I am tempted to think the strain got its sticky bubblegum name simply because the nugs were so gummy with resin!

The combination of caryophyllene, limonene, linalool, and humulene lend themselves to being a truly nuanced terpene cocktail.

Limonene and linalool together are some of my favorite mental health terpenes, as they work super hard to improve mood. But the caryophyllene dominance and just a twist of humulene really snowball the mood elevation into giggly euphoria.

The blend of terpenes with such a solid dose of THC put me into a cliche, giggly, slightly forgetful and positive headspace.

This Bubblegum Diesel is a marvelous example of a nostalgic, giggle fest of an experience that is great for any patient’s Cannabis regimen.

BUBBLEGU aug. 2019

THE CARYOPHYLLENE DOMINANCE AND JUST A TWIST OF HUMULENE REALLY SNOWBALL THE MOOD ELEVATION INTO GIGGLY EUPHORIA.

UM DIESEL REVIEW by TAYLOR MARTIN | PHOTO by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT/MARYLAND LEAF

NATURESHERITAGECANNABIS.COM

SPECIAL SECTION

THE WOMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ISSUE 26

leafnationmd.com

CANNABIS POTPRENEURS MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES

AUG. 2019

profile

They aligned their ideals and came to an agreement. Hope eagerly made her way back home to Capitol Heights and poured every penny she had into investing into this new venture, going on to build an empire CEO/Founder, Mary & Main over the next five years that would far surpass her own expectations.

Her dream didn’t end there. Hope notes Mary & Main is a family owned business focused that all people, especially women of color, on listening to patients to create an authentic should understand that this is a very unique experience. Whether you’re a shopper who knows opportunity to be involved in an industry that is going to be massive. exactly what you want, or if you want to sit and After all, it has been said that Cannabis have a 30 minute conversation with a budtender could be the gold rush of the new millenabout what does and doesn’t work for you, the team nium. Out of the 56 billion dollars this at Mary & Main has you covered. industry is estimated to gross over the next few years or so, a large chunk of that could Mother and businesswoman Octavia Wiseman has always be dominated by women. groomed her daughter Hope for entrepreneurship, ever since Being a young, intelligent, and attractive she was a child. So it’s no surprise that it was natural for them woman in this field has taught her to be to work together. Hope got her start straight out of college, well-versed and educated on every topic of putting her economics degree to work for an investment this industry - ensuring bank in Atlanta. As she was going over she can walk into any statistics for emerging industries, she “The biggest meetings and domistumbled across a chart for Cannabis. thing they want nate. She encourages Unlike anything she’d ever seen before, people who are women to “figure out the growth had a rise shooting straight weary about using what their skill set is up like an arrow.

Cannabis to know and attack it.”

Add that to the fact that she previously Hope describes herhad a personal connection to Cannabis, is that there are self as a visionary who and through documentaries the conso many different can execute any idea versation was starting to become more forms, methods and that comes to mind. mainstream. reasons to use, that While that makes her She filled with glee as she realized this basically all use is perfect for the CEO/ would be the fastest growing industry Founder role, that may of her generation, and it immediately medicinal in some not be specific to every attracted her like bees to honey. fashion.” woman entering the After doing some research, she found industry - but there’s plenty of opportunity to that her home state of Maryland had a Cannabis program and be involved in many different ways. was beginning to accept applications for licensees within the “You don’t only have to be a grower, next year. She called her mom, the smartest businesswoman processor, or CEO to be in the business. she knew, and went on to pitch her the fresh idea of owning a You could also be a marketeer, supply chain dispensary. analyst, or start an ancillary company in the Octavia was delighted to find a new way to introduce her Cannabis industry as well. You don’t always background of dental care to the holistic world. After running have to touch the plant to make money.” her own successful dental practice for almost 30 years and Although it can be counterintuitive for merging her newfound knowledge, she found that CBD had minorities to get into this business because many antibacterial and anti inflammatory benefits that help they’ve been disproportionately prosecuted combat gum disease and promote healthy dental hygiene.

HOPE WISEMAN

for the same thing, Hope doesn’t allow that to dim her light. She aims to alter that narrative by infiltrating possibility and education into her community, so they can share the same enthusiasm for the program.

Not only does Cannabis have a strong medicinal impact on the community, economically it’s working wonders as well.

Mary & Main is big on community outreach, pouring time and dedication into patient sign up drives, education, and sometimes monetary assistance to help many of their patients access a better quality of life.

The biggest thing they want people who are weary about using Cannabis to know is that there are so many different forms, methods and reasons to use, that basically all use is medicinal in some fashion. There’s no way to skip the medicinal properties. It helps to aid specific ailments and conditions over a long period of time.

While you may not be a flower girl like

Hope, their dispensary carries countless products to help with your specific needs. Her personal favorites at the moment are Willie’s Reserve CBD flower for a balanced, relaxed high throughout the day, and Dixie’s Synergy Balm for sore muscles and achy feet after workouts.

They also offer free educational classes once a week, online content, and a video series that’s expected to be released soon for those who may still need additional education.

Overall, Mary & Main strives to connect the medicinal science behind Cannabis to the actual plant.

Here they plan to take this movement to a height so high they can blaze a trail behind strong enough to bridge the gap between Cannabis, women, and minorities in this budding industry.

MARYANDMAIN.COM

STORY by BRIA PRICE FOR MARYLAND LEAF | PORTRAIT by JAY LENARD PHOTOGRAPHY | SHOP PHOTOS by MARCO KAY PHOTOGRAPHY

27

THE WOMEN’S ISSUE

28

SPRAWLS HOLDING UP A BEAUTIFUL SLAB

profile

MICHELLE SPRAWLS

leafnationmd.com

Lead Extractor & Lab Director | Culta

Enthusiasm is exciting, influential and can be felt from Michelle Sprawls, the lead extractor for Culta here in Maryland. Sprawls runs the almost entirely female staff responsible for producing some of the best concentrates in the state. Her passion for her work is unmatched and the experience and knowledge she has gained in the field is expansive.

Here she holds a powerful title in a very male dominated environment - which leads many to criticize and downplay her abilities - but she stands above the rest with her attitude and overall love for the art of hash making.

AUG. 2019

Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Sprawls attended Northern Arizona University, where she said she fell in love with the processes of science and research.

Sprawls graduated with degrees in microbiology and chemistry, and went on to find a job that was not involved with Cannabis.

The work grind was chewing away at her passion, the research wasn’t the same, and the day-to-day routine of a regular job wasn’t cutting it. So, she decided to take a break. Sprawls left Arizona to travel the country for some time, reset, and find a path that suited her.

Hiking was a priority, and she soon found herself in Colorado. The scenery and vibe of the state enveloped Sprawls, and she knew she had found her next step in life.

Michelle’s move to Colorado happened in 2012, right around the time recreational marijuana first became legalized in the United States. Sprawls became a medical patient at first, and then recreational.

Cannabis’ effects were interesting and helpful for Sprawls, enough so that she began to take extensive notes on each strain.

Sprawls main dispensary, The Clinic, a still well-known stop for many in Colorado seven years later, became a frequent stop for her. They were helpful, knowledgeable, and supported the community around them.

Sprawls saved every label, listed every feeling, and journaled for months.

The dispensary knew her well, and could likely feel the enthusiasm from a mile away, just as I could when I met her. So much so, The Clinic offered Sprawls a job as a budtender. Ecstatic, Sprawls took her many journals of notes to the interview and showed them how excited she was for this opportunity.

Sprawls journey with Cannabis had just begun and her passion for the plant was through the roof.

Budtending at The Clinic was a great intro to learning about Cannabis and helped Sprawls connect to many different people. At the time, The Clinic had four different grows and a few shops.

It wasn’t until months later that they expanded to include a laboratory for extractions as well. This was of major interest to Sprawls, as it would be an opportunity to work in a lab again and begin to do more scientific research something she has been trying to do since University.

She took on overtime in order to work in the lab and was their first technician thanks to her background.

The job consisted of everything from filling vape pens, packing tubes filled

CULTA RELIES ON AN ALMOST ALL FEMALE STAFF

with flowers for extraction prowas used to, but it opened “The vibe of cesses, recovering ethanol, and the door for her to experience the workplace processing data. another side of the extraction benefits from the process - breeding.

She began to learn more female majority, about the mechanics and proBreeding plants for the sake and the lab runs cesses involved, what’s inside of finding quality strains that and why, and how long prodextract well was a unique idea very smoothly. ucts take to make. During this at the time. Malone was pushing It is mostly head time there were 13 people at boundaries and Sprawls got to down work, but The Clinic, and only three were be a huge part of it. the family aspect women. After months of being a is strong and A PASSION FOR HASH technician, an extractor position One major change for Sprawls finally opened up, and Sprawls everyone truly was the introduction to Cannabis immediately jumped on it. cares for each macro photography, or extremely She became an official exother. ” zoomed in, high-quality photos tractor for The Clinic and was the of the buds and individual trichomes. only woman in the lab. She took part in a lot of For Sprawls, macro photography was exactly the events The Clinic put on as well, one of which what she needed. She began to identify every lead her to meet Green Dot Dave, aka Dave aspect of the Cannabis plant, down to the smallest Malone, a prominent figure in Cannabis. individual factor, and decide if it needed to be This meeting would develop into a nice friendkept or done away with. Sprawls could now see ship and give Sprawls a connection that would every part of what creates Cannabis, and as land her where she is now at Culta. She contactsomeone coming from microbiology, this was right ed Green Dot and quickly became the new lead up her alley. In her words, now she can find where extractor in their lab. the goodies are stored.

Sprawls was beyond excited about working for Her passion for the art and science of hash such a well known company, especially under a making skyrocketed and still can’t be kept up with. man like Dave Malone, who was held high for Sprawls’ work connected her with many other being one of the only growers to produce plants members of the community, notably one Dr. Mark specifically for extractions.

Scialdone, PH.D. Dave had different methods than what Sprawls

A respected chemist and teacher, Dr. Scialdone Ph.D taught the course “Chemistry for Hash Makers” at Clover Leaf University, a course which Sprawls was sponsored to take during her time at Green Dot Labs.

Dr. Scialdone was aware of Sprawls’ work and enthusiasm, and they stayed in touch after the classes were finished.

Around the end of 2017, he contacted Sprawls to inform her of a new lead extraction position opening up in Maryland. The position was at Culta, and this was when she met the CEO and owner, Mackie Barch.

The two met in January of 2018, and in April of the same year, Sprawls made the move to Maryland. She quickly got to work, and on May 25th, Culta finished their first extraction, with Michelle Sprawls as lead.

Since then, Sprawls and Barch have grown immensely, now with a lab of ten other individuals. What separates them from every other company is the majority of women in the lab. Of the eleven in the lab, only two are men, which is a surprising difference from most other extract companies.

While they wanted this to be the case, it doesn’t mean they reject male applications, they just receive far more from women overall. The vibe of the workplace benefits from the female majority, and the lab runs very smoothly. It is mostly head down work, but the family aspect is strong and everyone truly cares for each other.

Team building exercises and general inclusiveness has built them a strong platform of good relationships, and because of that, the work is more fun and product quality benefits as well.

Not only do they care about each other, but Sprawls and the other employees truly care about the concentrates.

The effort to make something that they are proud of is seen in the intensity and happiness of their work.

Sprawls makes her products to help others. While her passion is research, her drive comes from helping people who are sick, tired or suffering, and seeking help from Cannabis. Her goal is to make products that can help others like it has helped her. As a woman in a powerful position in such a male dominated culture, Sprawls hopes to inspire others to follow their own passion and enthusiasm and see where it takes them.

CULTA.IO

STORY by ERIC EDELSTEIN | PHOTOS by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT / MARYLAND LEAF

29

THE WOMEN’S ISSUE

Olga Reed has become an outspoken advocate for medicinal Cannabis after finding relief from chronic pain with its use.

30

profile

She said she was originally unsure about using Cannabis, due to the lack of medical research, but admitted she was eager to try something that would bring her natural relief. She quickly found Cannabis to be the The Cannabis Nurse perfect match for her and began her daily use in 2014. Her use eased her pain both physically and emotionally. When the MaryOlga Reed has been a nurse for over ten years, where she land program began to form and dispenhas learned quite a bit about the human body and overall saries opened, Olga’s pain management doctor immediately recommended she get health. When she began to experience her own health her medical card. issues from Fibromyalgia and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, When Olga entered her first dispensary, things in her life began to change. she was exposed to new forms of Cannabis consumption: edibles, tinctures, patches Olga’s fibromyalgia causes her what she describes as “wideand RSO to name a few. She realized that spread pain throughout my body.” There is no way to anticithere was so much more to Cannabis than pate the location or severity of the pain, nor does she know flower itself. why it is happening. Reed was diagnosed 15 years ago and She decided to quench her thirst for there is no cure for Fibromyalgia - especially considering that knowledge by experimenting with making it is becoming more of a broad term to describe a larger sickher own salves, edibles, and tinctures that ness that cannot be determined. Her Ehlers-Danlos syndrome work for her while causes elasticity in her skin, joints “Cannabis was truly consuming mainly and blood vessels. working for her, and CBD during the Olga has also had to undergo multiple surgeries on her wrists that she knew that she had to day. Olga was able to eliminate leave residual pain. Olga was on spread the knowledge six of the seven seven different types of medication to others so that they medications she just to make it through the day. could change their was on over the Olga’s son recommended that lives the way she course of 18 she try Cannabis after seeing the months. pain that his mother was enduring. changed her own.”

leafnationmd.com

OLGA REED

AUG. 2019

When she began to understand how to properly dose herself and get off certain medication, she began to feel like she “wasn’t drowning anymore.”

Cannabis was truly working for her, and she knew that she had to spread the knowledge to others so that they could change their lives the way she changed her own.

Next up, Olga began her own Instagram page to share informative posts about Cannabis and motivational tips to keep going when life gets difficult.

Her Instagram, @TheCannabisNurse, has more than 5,000 followers at last count, who are always waiting to see the information she has to share with them next. She proudly shares reviews on products in the medical market, where her favorite strain is Blue Cookies for its relaxing effects and pain management.

Olga is also a co-owner of Grassroots Healing, a holistic wellness business that offers cooking classes, canna-yoga, workshops and reiki sessions - with two locations that will be open to the public in late August. In the end, Olga Reed is a true activist, saying, “Cannabis was always supposed to be medicine.” And she won’t stop ‘til the world knows it. @THECANNABISNURSE ON INSTAGRAM

STORY by ARIANA FOOTE @INDICAWIFE | PHOTO by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT / MARYLAND LEAF

summer 2019 Temescal Wellness of Maryland becomes

The Living Room…

thelvrm.com © 2019 All Rights Reserved. The Living RoomTM

1636 Reisterstown Road Pikesville, MD 21208 | 443.313.8724

THE WOMEN’S ISSUE

32

Gre en h o use Wel lness Ow ners a nd B l i s s i va c re at o rs G i n a Dubbe è and Dr. L es l ie Ap g a r, ( se ate d , fro nt row ) w i th the B l i s s i va Tea m.

INTERVIEW

Uplifting bliss is what they aim to create for themselves and for their patients.

Women are absolutely delighted to have someone giving them the attention they deserve, and we now have the opportunity to Owners of Greenhouse Wellness and offer something that helps them. So it’s no surprise that the popular Balance pen sold creators of Blissiva Vape Pens for Women out on multiple occasions.

Our reproductive systems are densely wired with cannabinoid receptors and it’s important that doctors and consultants are AS I DROVE up to Greenhouse Wellness - a serene and private the vessel of understanding for women on dispensary tucked away in the business district of Howard what that means for their bodies, especially County - I felt nothing but calmness overcome my being. The those who are trying to become pregnant showroom was beautifully lit by a supportive staff willing to or wish to be in the future. Cannabis works help, a product line filled to the brim with possibilities, and a exceptionally well with the female body and row of windows big enough for the sun to shine through - but it’s proven everyday from the feedback of small enough to still maintain discretion. grateful patients tickled by their results.

I was greeted by the blissful ladies of Blissiva who went on Although all women need different things, to share how their love and respect for women sparked a new anxiety and sleep seem to run the gamut for light in the Cannabis industry. most. Lucky for us, these exceptional women Founders and best friends Gina Dubbè and Dr.Leslie Apgar worked tirelessly began their journey together as with their trusted “back door neighbors” and western “These bold ladies growers and procounty moms who invested in major offer no excuses when cessors to perfect businesses, and practiced obstetrics flexing their muscles a THC and CBD with love in their hearts for over in every aspect of the combination with 20 years. Although they share two Cannabis industry.” a specially profiled totally different backgrounds, they set of terpenes come down on any issue almost that allows you to have the equivalent of a exactly the same because they are very clear about what their deep breath or a glass of wine, without the vision is - what they want to do, what products they want to put calories or typical high feeling. out, and what they want their brand to be.

They believe when you have a sophisWhich is how their first product line, Blissiva, came to be. ticated and mindful mixture, you wind up The name Blissiva is an ode to the very first endocannabigetting a better result than the higher THC noid discovered. Anandamide is a neurotransmitter produced products. The disposable pens’ discreet, in the brain that binds to the THC receptors - with the Sanskrit and beautiful design allows for the fiercest word bliss and sativa combining for an uplifting, joyous effect.

leafnationmd.com

GINA DUBBÈ & DR. LESLIE APGAR

AUG. 2019

females, older or younger, to be their best selves without feeling impaired. Those who want to be able to medicate surrounded by children and family, while enjoying a taste and smell that is unique to women, will be able to do so effortlessly. With tasty flavor profiles like cucumber lime and vanilla, Blissiva is surely setting the tone for women.

Although they felt like the pariahs of society when entering this male dominated industry due to bank shutouts, property denials and rejected phone calls, they didn’t allow the black cloud circling over their heads to rain on their parade. Instead, they allowed the sexism they experienced to roll off their backs by avoiding taking things personally, with the understanding that most people don’t intend to be personal.

Trusting and intuition have allowed them great success that doesn’t stop here at Greenhouse Wellness. They’re expecting to add six to twelve new sex, pain, and appetite driven products to their already blooming line, with rollouts in Nevada and Arizona and a new book titled “High Heals: How to Help Women Find Their Footing in the Cannabis Industry.” Not to mention a partnership with MPX that creates a national presence in 11 states over the next year.

These bold ladies offer no excuses when flexing their muscles in every aspect of the Cannabis industry. Providing education, care, access, and choices has been impactful and meaningful to each patient who visits their dispensary. Greenhouse Wellness truly is a powerhouse embracing Cannabis with a true medical approach - one patient at a time. Blissiva.com | GreenHouseWellness.com

STORY by BRIA PRICE for MARYLAND LEAF | PHOTOS by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT

THE WOMEN’S ISSUE leafnationmd.com

34

how sharon ali made the jump into the cannabis biz’

AS A WOMAN IN A MALE DOMINATED INDUSTRY, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE IN A POSITION OF POWER?

As a professional and especially as a woman of color, over the course of my professional career working in a number of male dominated industries, I chose to embrace who I am as a leader, rather than focus on gender. I believe success is all about your ability to make a difference or have an impact, which is irrespective of gender.

Overseeing Prime Wellness of Pennsylvania (PWPA) and The Botanist as General Manager for Pennsylvania and Maryland, Sharon Ali is forging a new path for women - especially women of color - in the emerging marijuana industry. PWPA, an affiliate of Acreage Holdings, was one of the first 12 companies licensed to grow and process medical marijuana in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Botanist dispensary opened in Fall 2017 in the greater Baltimore area, with Ali taking over management of this location in the beginning of 2019.

Ali is a seasoned and highly accomplished business leader with a successful track record across a number of industries. These include health care, alcoholic beverages, food and beverages, and personal care. Here she has demonstrated a breadth and depth of knowledge and expertise in key roles with Fortune 100 companies like Procter & Gamble (sales), Johnson & Johnson (consumer and professional marketing management for the Children’s Tylenol franchise), Miller Brewing Company (craft to budget beer portfolio management in the alcoholic beverages’ industry), and Quaker Foods & Beverages, a division of PepsiCo, to name a few.

Ali embraced the opportunity to be at the forefront of launching a new business in an emerging industry and was actively involved in the application process for PA’s new medical marijuana industry. First as CEO, and later after a promotion to general manager for Pennsylvania and Maryland, she is responsible for Prime Wellness’ longterm vision and organizational strategy.

Operating with the mission to positively impact lives through the legal and ethical use of medical marijuana, Ali is laser focused on continuing to grow PWPA and enabling access to the line of high quality products to the patients and caregivers who need it most. Ali has a lifelong passion for raising the bar and consistently delivering excellence.

AUG. 2019

“At its core, the medical marijuana industry is about advancing health care and improving lives, which is something I’ve always been passionate about.”

DO YOU FEEL SUPPORTED BY YOUR PEERS IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY?

INTERVIEW

SHARON ALI Head of Prime Wellness of Pennsylvania and General Manager for The Botanist across Maryland and Pennsylvania HAVING WORKED FOR SO MANY LARGE COMPANIES PRIOR TO JOINING THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY, WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO MAKE THE SWITCH? DID YOU EVER SEE YOURSELF DOING THIS?

In 2017, an opportunity arose to join Prime Wellness of Pennsylvania, which sought a grower-processor permit to operate under the Commonwealth’s new Medical Marijuana Program.

I jumped at the chance to explore this exciting new frontier.

The opportunity was timely and spoke to my passion for the health care industry, and ability to leverage my knowledge and skills in consumer packaged goods. At the end of 2018 I was excited to take on a new, broader challenge to my GM role leading our flagship Botanist dispensary location in Maryland - in addition to Prime Wellness of Pennsylvania.

ARE PEOPLE EVER SURPRISED

BY YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH THE BOTANIST DISPENSARIES?

Professionally and personally, I have established a reputation for taking on new challenges. Based on my professional background in the health care, food and beverages, and consumer packaged goods industries, this was the right opportunity and simply made sense. At its core, the medical marijuana industry is about advancing health care and improving lives, which is something I’ve always been passionate about.

Yes. In my current position, I’ve learned so much from my colleagues, both men and women, who live, breathe and sleep every aspect of this industry and their craft. At this point in my career, I coach and mentor key members of The Botanist and Prime Wellness teams who may just be starting out on their professional path. We’re a close-knit group working toward shared goals that help us achieve great things as a company.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER WOMEN LOOKING TO GET INTO THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY?

Never be afraid to consider new opportunities that may be outside of your comfort zone. When I first started out in business over 25 years ago, I never thought that I would end up leading a start-up in Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana industry. But at its core, the medical marijuana arena is no different than any other medical field - the focus is still on advancing health care and improving lives. Learn as much as possible in your job and put yourself in a position to challenge yourself to succeed.

HOW HAS WORKING WITH THE BOTANIST HELPED YOU, PERSONALLY?

One of my mother’s favorite expressions was “Nothing beats a failure but a TRY” – a sentiment that my sisters and I have embraced and repeat to each other often.

And as a professional, I’ve always prided myself on learning as much as possible in my job and being in a position to challenge myself to succeed. Tackling new challenges head on is just a part of my DNA, and reinforces the values I’ve lived by my whole life. ShopBotanist.com

INTERVIEW by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT / MARYLAND LEAF

Experience Fruitopia.

Look for E Blunt in Colorado, Washington and Alaska.

At this time we are only offering our products to licensed distributors. If you would like to be a processor/distributor in your area please contact: rob@eblunt.com (907) 351-8207

eblunt.com @ ebluntvapes Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram

THE WOMEN’S ISSUE leafnationmd.com

36

W

elcome to Trinidad and Tobago– Caribbean dual islands seven miles off the north eastern coast of Venezuela. It is the land of lush rainforests, rich culture, incredible food, and a mother load of plant medicine.

I came to Trinidad for many reasons. I sought to experience a spiritual deep dive, to better understand how to heal with and from Earth, to immerse myself in an unfamiliar place and learn about the culture of a small island. During my time here, I’ve learned to adjust and adapt as each new day brings large challenges laced with so much grace and reassurance towards my path. I’ve hiked many hills, interacted with a lot of big bugs and loving animals, read many books, studied a lot of yoga, gotten my hands really dirty, and tapped into the healing power of some truly magical plants.

Despite being a large resource for plant medicine, Trinidad and Tobago are falling behind the times in terms of the legalization of Cannabis.

Despite recent talk of decriminalization, a large number of criminal charges here are related to women here gathering to use Cannabis. However, Cannabis possession. It is a melting pot culture you will find women communing to share their with a primary ethnic makeup of East Indians, plant based knowledge and ancestral histories. I Africans and Asians. Cannabis has been widely feel lucky to have found kindred spirits here who used as plant medicine in each of these cultures. gather to toke and to spread their ancestral wealth Cannabis Sativa is indigenous to India and of knowledge. I’ve spent time with powerful women according to the Vedas ancient Hindu text who have taught me about aloe, chadon beni, which the practices of Ayurveda are based on and lemongrass - while I’ve been able to share - Cannabis is one of my wealth of knowledge the five sacred herbs about Cannabis.

USED TOPICALLY, INTERNALLY, used as a vehicle for AND THROUGH INHALATION, Aloe is a tropical plant exploring higher levels native to Aruba and of consciousness.

WE CONTINUE TO FIND found in abundance here Rastafarians use ganja PURPOSE FOR THIS HEALING, in Trinidad and Tobago. as a ceremonial tool TRANSFORMATIVE PLANT. Aloe is also known as the to promote unity and immortal plant as part of generate spiritual the Liliaceae family, and can be found in over 200 visions. Some of the first traces of Cannabis date varieties. With succulent leaves composed of 95% back to China, where hemp was relied on for water, aloe is known for having curative properties industrial purposes and medicine. Cannabis has to heal our skin, our body’s largest organ. Aloe healing properties even beyond our imagination. brings us eternal youth and was used by Cleopatra Used topically, internally, and through inhalation, for beauty enhancement and by Alexander the we continue to find purpose for this healing, Great for healing the wounds of soldiers. transformative plant.

While legal Cannabis is still gaining traction here in the Caribbean, there are many other plants, including weeds, used for their medicinal purposes. Using herbs, understanding plant medicine, and integrating ourselves into nature is an aspect of the Divine Feminine, the Shakti Energy. Women have called upon the healing properties of plants for ages to nurture the physical body and our relationship to Earth, and to fine tune our spirituality. Although, it has not always been seen in a positive light.

Women were the targets of witch hunts and other eradication campaigns based on their knowledge of plants and healing. Women healers posed a threat to medicine and religion, which were male dominated practices. Since Cannabis is still considered taboo, it is unlikely that you will find

AUG. 2019

Chadon beni, similar to cilantro - the blessed herb or spiritual weed - is used not only for it’s delicious taste, but for its incredible healing purposes. It can be picked right off the side of the road - talk about accessibility! Chadon beni, part of the Apiaceae family, is an appetite stimulant, aids in digestion, has aphrodisiac properties, and is said to calm a person’s spirit - thus making it known for preventing epilepsy. Chadon beni is used in many delicious, traditional Trini dishes and has the capacity for deep healing.

Lemongrass, also known as fever grass, is part of the Poaceae family and native to India. Lemongrass is used in many Asian inspired dishes and is loaded with healing potential. When used internally, lemongrass has the potential to detoxify the body,

lower cholesterol, relieve insomnia and aid in respiratory disorders. Throw some fresh lemongrass in your bath or steep it into a refreshing tea for a total nervous system tonic, reducing aches and pains.

According to Ayurveda, the science of yoga and a holistic health system which originated in India over 5,000 years ago, Cannabis can be a healing tool when used properly and with other herbs that balance out the qualities opposite of Cannabis.

Ayurveda teaches us that we can exist within three different characteristics. Tamas dark is a passive, obstructing, negative force. Rajas active is a stimulating, positive force that initiates change and disturbs old patterns. And sattva light describes balance, harmony and spiritual force that allows for the evolution of consciousness. When Cannabis is used improperly, tamas and rajas are increased in our bodies, thus needing the balance of a sattvic quality herb to find that essence of the entourage effect. Aloe, chadon beni and lemongrass are sattvic herbs that create harmony when using Cannabis. So, the next time you roll up your joint, draw yourself a bath with lemongrass, rub your clean skin with fresh aloe, and cook a nice dinner loaded with chadon beni - or cilantro when you’re hard pressed for the Trini herb. The benefits are not to be missed.

Trinidad and Tobago is an energetic vortex with immense powerful healing modalities, if only you know where to look. Not to mention the primary rainforests loaded with incredible herbs, the cultural diversity, crystal clear beaches soft with sand, and the peaking mountains decorating every bit of this magical island. If ever you find yourself called to the Caribbean, explore the history of the plants, dive deep into the soil and get your hands dirty.

And know that if you can’t get here, the soil outside of your own home can provide you with the same qualities. Walk in the grass, look to the sky, explore plants and their relationship to our own favorite herb—Cannabis.

STORY by ALLY DULL for MARYLAND LEAF

THE SPIRIT OF

37

ISLAND WOMEN WEED

GARDEN OF THE MONTH

38 WHOLE CREW

leafnationmd.com

Health Jordan Kennedy and his team at HMS Health are crushing it - putting out one after another impressive chemovar in the Maryland medical Cannabis market. For those who don’t know what a chemovar is, it can be best described as any strain which a single terpene makes up more than 50% of the terpene profile. Putting in the hard work and developing these chemovars has become a big part of what HMS is trying to accomplish as an end goal.

“The big thing with everything involving cultivation is looking towards positioning yourself for the future,” stated Kennedy. “With some of the terpene profiles that we have and the things we have been able to unlock, plus the genetics we do have is a great foundation. But that’s the exciting part trying to continue and look for different things.

We have plenty of terpenes we need to have chemovars for, so we’d like to have one for every

AUG. 2019

terpene, that’s really the goal.” Potential benefits for chemovar for patients of Maryland are exponential, considering the ability to target specific remedies with Cannabis is becoming more possible than ever thanks to Jordan and his team. This will make it increasingly easier for patients to know what chemovars/cultivars will give them the most relief for their condition(s).

HMS Health’s culture was built from a small family and that sense of comfort transcended into the staff early on. The vibe as soon as we walked in was vibrant and warm and felt homey. As we put on our lab coats and got to know the staff, we were stoked to hear that we would be the first people from the public to tour the grow, or in other words, the first from the public to experience the epic process and stages of their divine flower. We saw everything from mothers, to clones, several vegitative rooms, flowering rooms, drying rooms and storage/curing

rooms with dry bud. Walking into any one of their flower rooms presented an overwhelming olfactory explosion as the fresh, fruity, yet earthy aromas infused the air. Naturally, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the exotic purple hue and glistening trichomes bouncing off HMS’s Mimosa. We truly appreciated the chill, hustling environment, and got to see some captivating strains including their Pineapple Kush, Skywalker OG, GSC and more.

Another groundbreaking movement this budding industry has taken into account is empowering women in the workplace. Before walking into the rooms at HMS and losing myself in all the flavors, I noticed the smiling faces of the high number of women we passed. After speaking with propagation supervisor, Sabrina Madsen, she revealed she oversees a team dominated by women. The mother room ultimately requires the most nurturing care and a strong, bestowing relationship with the plants. As

IT’S EASY TO RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY THAT RESONATES THROUGH THE STAFF AT HMS HEALTH. THEY USE ALL ORGANIC NUTRIENTS, RESTRAIN FROM USING PESTICIDES, AND CLEARLY HAVE THEIR CURING PROCESS DOWN. Sabrina stated, “The mother room is my favorite room definitely by far, I love being around all the plants for so long in there, because the mom plants stay around for a long time - so it’s really important to have people in that room who have an eye for detail. And I think there is also intuition that goes along with it too. Just being around the plants and making sure they are healthy for a long period of time, so they can create the healthiest cuttings, is important. And it is really fun to do with a big team of women.”

Overall, what stood out was the quality of their product and the unified connection of relationships you can sense around you. It’s easy to recognize the importance of quality that resonates through the staff at HMS Health. They use all organic nutrients, restrain from using pesticides, and clearly have their curing process down. They even take the added precaution of adding a BOVEDA pack to every eighth dram. Jordan and his team mentioned that they will be working with new curing equipment soon that will prevent the need for burping, and will be a self contained curer. The team’s constant drive to do the most really shines through, and as Jordan stated “every choice you make you should be proud of.’’

SEA OF GREEN

DRY BUDS

MIMOSA

Quality and cleanliness go hand-in-hand at HMS Health; the staff starts each day from scratch to ensure everything is where it needs to be to perform efficiently - look over the walkthroughs, verifying the irrigation parameters are checked and maintained, etc. Just from the time spent at HMS, I could tell the team there has robust synergy.

Everyone is noticeably focused, radiant and were excited to share their day-to-day experiences.

Seemingly up for a challenge, Jordan and his team stated that they thrill to push the limit. For them, it’s about what you need to do to unlock the genetic code, pushing each genetic to its full capabilities, and they enjoy cultivating with tougher strains. Some of the exciting genetics in the HMS wheelhouse include: Capulator’s MAC (Miracle Alien Cookies), Exotic Genetix, Top Dawg Genetics for Star Dawg, and Archive Seed Bank Genetics where they get Sweeties, Starduster and more.

Shout out to Jordan and the rest of the HMS Health team for putting in hard work and reflecting that principle in our quality experience. Thanks for showing us around and for what you all cultivate for the Maryland medical Cannabis community.

SMELLING GREAT

STORY by KATIE HARRISON for MARYLAND LEAF | PHOTOS by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT

HMSHEALTHLLC.COM

concentrate OF THE MONTH

CHEM91XALIENDAWG DIAMONDS IN TERP SAUCE THE EXTRACTORS OVER AT OG CLEAR REALLY DIDN’T SKIMP OUT ON THIS CONCENTRATE, FEATURING A WHOPPING 99.8% THC.

leafnationmd.com

40

29.2% TERPENES 1.8% A-PINENE 1.6% B-PINENE 16.5% B-MYRCENE 4.4% LIMONENE 1.2% TERPINOLENE 1.5% B-CARYOPHYLLENE 1.1% OCIMENE 0.4% HUMULENE

The effervescent citrus smell is almost overpowering - both intoxicating and tantalizing - bursting onto the olfactory palate with the power that only double-digit terpene concentrations can achieve.

The aroma was memorably described by my colleague as “like a freshly cut tennis ball that opens up to a citrus cleaned basketball court the best kind of gas.”

This alluring, rich diesel scent triggered some serious pavlovian responses that made me eagerly heat my rig and drop a diamond or two in the banger. There is over 1% of almost every terpene in this profile, truly providing strong insight into the power of the entourage effect.

The profile provided me tremendous pain relief without the couch lock.

I found myself animated with guests, focused on my games, proficient with my chores, and relaxed on my over three mile hike - only using a few dabs throughout the day. My inflammation was at bay, but without the typical myrcene fog that comes with a couch lock effect.

Rather the head space was clear, elevated and energized. I found so much relief and power from such small quantities that I really can’t wait until my next diamond dab!

This boutique Cannabis product earns its price point as an upper echelon concentrate!

“THE PROFILE PROVIDED ME TREMENDOUS PAIN RELIEF WITHOUT THE COUCH LOCK.”

aug. 2019

REVIEW by TAYLOR MARTIN for MARYLAND LEAF | PHOTO by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT

VISIT US AT THE NATIONAL CANNABIS FESTIVAL ON 4/20

TRY

UKU SAP TODAY!

Visit Uku.com to find a location near you.

Must be 18 years or older to view content. Medical marijuana for use by a qualifying patient only.

The KIP Sage program is exclusively designed for our patients age 55+. We know that medical insurance and prescription drug plans do not cover cannabis treatment, so at KIP you pay less every day!

We’re hosting Sage Program informational sessions on the first Saturday of each month.

Join us for the next one: Saturday, August 3 8:30-10am Cockeysville dispensary

Register online at kipcan.com

BONUS SAVINGS! Reference this coupon code and receive 30% off your purchase!

20% off

Code: Sage30

EVERY purchase, EVERY day!

www.kipcan.com/sage

410.403.0280 9 CRANBROOK ROAD COCKEYSVILLE, MD 21030

Cannot be combined with other offers.

/ MDLEAF @MARYLANDLEAF

LEAFNATIONMD.COM

RECIPES

HIGH-DRATED!

THESE SUMMER DRINKS ARE INFUSED with the delightful strain Curious Jorge from Phresh Cannabis. The flavors of candy, citrus and banana from this Banana Kush-Loud Sour cross lend themselves to these refreshing summer libations. My new go-to with smoothie making is freezing all the fruit, even if it’s fresh, until solid. I put everything in the blender with the fruit still frozen, and get it into the glasses immediately. Skip the ice so it doesn’t get watered down, resulting in a frosty, creamy texture, with an uplifting high that relaxes the body and mind. #DontFearTheEdible

VEGAN ORANGE MANGO MADNESS Serves 2

1 ½ cups fresh or frozen mango chunks 1 small banana, sliced and frozen 1 cup coconut milk ½ cup orange juice 2 teaspoons canna-oil 1-2 tablespoons agave, optional

42

*Blend ingredients on low to start, then crank up to medium high to finish.

RED ALL OVER

Serves 2

1 ½ cups fresh or frozen berries, sliced 1 cup seeded watermelon chunks 1 cup apple juice 2 teaspoons canna-oil 1-2 tablespoons agave, if needed *Blend ingredients on low to start, then crank up to medium high to finish.

PEACHY YET BLUE

Serves 2

leafnationmd.com

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries ½ cup vanilla ice cream/frozen yogurt ¼ cup milk, any kind 1 teaspoon canna-oil 1 cup peaches, peeled and sliced ½ cup vanilla ice cream/ frozen yogurt ¼ cup milk, any kind 1 teaspoon canna-oil 1. Place frozen blueberries, ice cream or yogurt, milk and canna-oil in the blender. Blend until smooth. Place into container and the freezer.

2. Place the frozen peaches, ice cream or frozen yogurt, milk and canna-oil in the blender.

Blend until smooth.

3. Remove the blueberry mixture and take turns pouring the two different flavors into the glasses.

aug. 2019

RECIPES by LAURIE WOLF | PHOTOS by BRUCE WOLF

EVERMORE

DISCOS

TM

TM

TM

• Made with Full Extract Cannabis Oil (FECO) • FECO contains pure cannabinoids & the full entourage of cannabis compounds • FECO is the most effective way to deliver all of the healing properties of cannabinoids and terpenes Patients report success with: sleep, anxiety, well-being, calming and general relaxation.

• Ingredients: raspberry juice blend, honey, gelatin, organic cane sugar, lemon juice, FECO, citric acid, potassium sorbate, organic MCT • No artificial flavors, preservatives, or colors

For use only by qualifying patient.

Ceramic Cell technology allows for the efficient use of Evermore’s tasty, high-quality distillate. 200+ large puffs per battery charge.

Quality you can trust, value you can count on!

EXCLUSIVE POD FLAVORS • Clementine • Uncle Purple • Grapefruit Cherry Pie • Gelato • Citrus Kleaner-infused sauce cart (20% Terp Sauce, 80% Distillate) • GS CBD (2:1) flavored with GSC terps Each Pod = .5g

www.evermorecompany.com

THE DART LOYALTY CLUB Buy 4 pods and receive your 5th pod for just a penny at participating Maryland dispensaries!

© 2019 All Rights Reserved. Evermore Cannabis Company

DYSCO’S CORNER

44

musings from a parent & cannabis consumer

“FAMILY,” MY MOTHER SUMMONED WITH A GENTLE CLINKING OF SILVER ON CRYSTAL. “YOUR GRANDFATHER AND I RECEIVED OUR MEDICAL MARJUANA CARDS LAST WEEK,” SHE ANNOUNCED CHEERILY. “WE JUST THOUGHT YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW THAT WE ARE BOTH SLEEPING MUCH BETTER NOW,” SHE ADDED MATTER OF FACTLY. And definitely a bit too loudly considering our surroundings.

Incredibly, nobody else was talking when my mother delivered this stunning information. The entire dining room was accidentally quiet when my mother started speaking. The second she stopped speaking, you could hear the familiar hum of gossip gathering speed through the room before it zipped out into the Baltimore night, eager to spread through junior leagues, garden clubs, and rounds of golf.

“So, did you hear who is smoking pot these days?”

While the rest of us dug wax out of our ears and tried to understand what had just happened, my mother took a sip of wine and went back to nibbling her turkey breast.

Family gatherings such as Thanksgiving often require heavy drinking, and this one had been no exception for my brother, who just tipped back in his chair and said, “Ha!” My 22-year-old nephew was so startled he spit his beer out onto his mashed potatoes. His younger sister’s eyes were darting around the table taking stock and trying to decide how she should react. My aunt didn’t seem very interested - the topic was not about her. My father, always the expert, looked alert and ready to answer any questions.

Next to me, my husband said under his breath, “What the fuck?”

Actually, it was more of a statement like, “What The FUCK.” I could tell that he was not pleased. Across the table, our 18-year-old daughter never wavered from the detached stare into space she’d perfected recently, but our 15-year-old son was definitely ready to engage.

His hand shot up into the air. “I have a question!” My father nodded at him like a college professor beckoning his student to proceed.

“So, are you, like, getting high now Grandma?” I felt every inch of my husband’s body tense up. He was not feeling thankful for this conversation.

As for myself, I can only say that as the family’s token dead-head sort of hippie, I felt beaten to the punch. How the hell did my republican parents get their weed cards before I did? Visions of my parents sitting around watching Fox News and toking on prerolls immediately flooded my brain. I couldn’t imagine either of my parents, at almost 80-years-old, becoming pot smokers. And before their hippie chick daughter to boot! Were my parents finally cool? Seriously, what was happening?

leafnationmd.com

“THAT’S GREAT, MOM,” I SAID. “BUT I THINK THE REST OF US AT THE TABLE COULD USE A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION.”

HOW THE HELL DID MY REPUBLICAN PARENTS GET THEIR WEED CARDS BEFORE I DID? VISIONS OF MY PARENTS SITTING AROUND WATCHING FOX NEWS AND TOKING ON PREROLLS IMMEDIATELY FLOODED MY BRAIN. aug. 2019

“Well,” she said clearly so that any and all could hear.

“Our boutique physician recommended CBC to help us sleep.”

“Do you mean CBD, Mom?” “Oh yes, whatever those initials are. And we tried it, but it wasn’t working well, so he suggested we add TBD.“ “THC?” “Oh, yes, that...whatever the stuff in marijuana is called. Anyway, we sleep just fine now. Maybe we are high, but we are sleeping so we really couldn’t tell you what it feels like.” Our son nodded as if to say, “Thanks for being cool with the truth, Grandma.”

Back at the country club, I started to realize that my parents, both straight laced 77-year-old conservative republicans, had probably just done more than I ever could have done to mainstream medical Cannabis use. Simply by registering as MMC patients and then talking about it freely, my parents were letting the world know that if they approve, it must be okay.

And darn it, I think they are absolutely right. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m pretty sure we can all agree that when your 77-year-old mother announces to the world that the grandparents have traded in their Ambien for THC/CBD gummies, medical Cannabis has gone mainstream in Maryland.

SUBMITTED

to MARYLAND LEAF

STONEY BALONEy

46

Party Injuries

leafnationmd.com

It happened in the co-ed dormitory at college. There I was chatting it up outside of someone’s room in the hallway, when I heard the words splattered out in a high pitch cheer. “Mikey!” It is one of my buddies who is twice my size. He comes charging down the hallway with what I think is going to be a loving bear hug. Which is indeed the case. Until midway through when he spontaneously decides to apply a World Wrestling Federation Standing Guillotine Drop, finished with a ripe, moist kiss on the cheek. My knee has never been the same.

My girlfriend was floating the river with some friends. They came upon a 60-foot cliff ledge that people were climbing to and jumping from. What ensued for her, having had zero experience in this particular field of expertise, was an extremely painful seated landing that resulted in severe, dark purple bruises that led from the bottom of her feet, up the backs of her legs, to the cusp of her buttocks. She sat on an inflatable donut for two weeks.

My childhood friend Brad disappeared at a Kenny Chesney concert, completely blacked out, and no one could find him anywhere. He was wearing an American flag bandana around his head, which made picking him out of the crowd difficult. His phone was going straight to voicemail.

Then the show ended, and everyone was at the car ready to go home when suddenly he appeared like Charlton Heston as Moses returning from the mountain with the Ten Commandments in tow. He’d spent the entire set sitting cross-legged with his knees resting on the stage-right amplifier, so he could “really feel the bass.”

His hearing has never been quite as acute.

Please note that none of these episodes occurred while under the influence of Cannabis.

aug. 2019

More episodes at stoney-baloney.com

For qualifying patients 18 years of age or older.