THE ENLIGHTENED VOICE
# 2 3 | N OV . 2020
THE HARVEST ISSUE F R E E / L E A F N AT I O N M D . C O M
INDEPENDENT CANNABIS JOURNALISM SINCE 2010
STILL GROWING.
As greenhouse expansion continues, the safety of SunMed’s team and patients remains our first priority. SETTING THE STANDARD FOR CLEAN, NATURAL AND SUSTAINABLE MEDICAL CANNABIS CULTIVATION.
SUNMEDGROWERS.COM
Medical cannabis is for use only by a qualifying patient. There may be health risks associated with the consumption of cannabis or cannabis products. There may be additional health risks associated with the consumption of cannabis or cannabis products for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
NOV. 2020
ISSUE 23
7 EDITOR NOTE 10 NATIONAL NEWS 12 MD GRATEFUL 14 JACK HERER 16 BUDTENDER Q&A 18 PATIENT OTM 20 SUNBURST PHARM 24 STRAIN OF THE MONTH 28 DISTRICT CANNABIS 34 WEST COAST FIRES 36 PERSPECTIVE 38 CANNABIS RECIPES 40 CONCENTRATE OTM 42 HISTORY OF NORML 44 DYSCO’S CORNER 46 STONEY BALONEY ISSUU.COM/NWLEAF
WYATT EARLY
4
20 SHOP REVIEW
THIS MONTH, THE LEAF CREW VISITED DISTRICT CANNABIS TO SEE HOW TOP-TIER MEDICAL CANNABIS IS BEING GROWN WITH PASSION AND WITH CARE.
BRUCE WOLF
28
38 CANNABIS RECIPES CELEBRATE THE HIGHLIDAYS IN STYLE
WORLD OF CANNABIS MUSEUM
leafnationmd.com
SUNBURST PHARMS GLOWS BRIGHTLY
42 CANNTHROPOLOGY STORY by BAXSEN PAINE @BAXSENPAINE | PHOTOS by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT/MARYLAND LEAF
NATIONAL ORG. FOR MARIJUANA REFORM
Save with Curaleaf ’s new patient discount! 25% OFF YOUR FIRST PURCHASE
Curaleaf Airpark 8355 Snouffer School Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20879 Curaleaf Gaithersburg 811 Russell Ave, Unit C, Gaithersburg, MD 20879 Curaleaf Reisterstown 11722 Reisterstown Road, Reisterstown, MD 21136 Curaleaf Takoma 6309 New Hampshire Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20912
New patients only. Cannot stack discounts and promos.
Must be 18 years or older to view content. Medical cannabis is for qualifying patient use only.
Dispensing wellness daily. Every time you visit True Wellness you’ll be surprised by all our cannabis products to help with your well-being We know what you’re looking for & hope to impress you with: • Fresh flower, pure concentrates, state-of-the-art vapes and yummy edibles • Sincere and caring staff who love to listen • Pure, tested products at affordable prices Come see for yourself and spread the word!
ABERDEEN 226 S. Philadelphia Blvd. Aberdeen, MD 21001 410-306-6099
LAUREL 14703 Baltimore Ave., Suite B Laurel, MD 20707 240-360-2616
Monday-Saturday 10 am-9 pm Sunday 11 am-7 pm
Monday-Saturday 10 am-9 pm Sunday 11 am-7 pm
NM.MD.LeafAds.101520.indd 3
10/8/20 12:33 PM
The perfect match — you and Nature’s Medicines
Seeking lovingly-curated cannabis to satisfy your excellent taste? It’s waiting for you right here at Nature’s Medicines. We offer: • An epic selection of flower, concentrates, vapes, edibles & accessories • Thoughtful, caring staff ready to help • Pure, safe and tested products • Prices to put a smile on your face Drop by soon and discover what makes us special. We’ll make you feel special, too.
ELLICOTT CITY 10169 Baltimore National Pike Ellicott City, MD 21042 (410) 988-6004 Pre-order: (240) 319-5944
NM.MD.LeafAds.101520.indd 1
CROFTON 1657 Crofton Blvd. Crofton, MD 21114 (410) 264-1411 Pre-order: (443) 679-7911
naturesmedicines.com
10/8/20 12:27 PM
E S TA B L I S H E D 2 0 1 0
T H E E N L I G H T E N E D VO I C E
N O RT H W E S T L E A F / O R EG O N L E A F / A L AS KA L E A F / M A RY L A N D L E A F / CA L I F O R N I A L E A F / N O RT H E AS T L E A F
A B O U T T H E C OV E R
“As the Cannabis plants at District Cannabis were nearing harvest, we toured the grow rooms surrounded by a gassy and sweet overload of smells. This company has quickly earned its place among Maryland patients’ favorite flower producers. This cover displays Cannabis plants drying – one of the many important steps your Cannabis must go through before it is trimmed and fully cured in your jar at home.” PHOTO & WRITEUP by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT
CONTRIBUTORS
FOUNDER & EDITOR
Bobby Black, features Joshua Boulet, illustration Tom Bowers, Features Heather Dagler, features Max Early, reviews Steve Elliott, national Taylor Martin, features Matthew Newton, features Baxsen Paine, features Jeff Porterfield, design Mike Ricker, features Pacer Stacktrain, features Nate Williams, reviews Bruce & Laurie Wolf, recipes Barron Wolfe, reviews Alex Workman, features
WES ABNEY wes@nwleaf.com 206-235-6721
PUBLISHER EARLY early@LeafNationMD.com
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Daniel bermaN | visuals & design daniel@bermanphotos.com
ADVERTISING 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.
CONNECT WITH MARYLAND LEAF @MDLEAF
|
@MARYLANDLEAF
@NWLEAF
ISSUU.COM/NWLEAF
FREE ONLINE ARCHIVE
WES
ABNEY
Editor’s Note Thanks for picking up this issue of Maryland Leaf! Last month, Purdue Pharmaceuticals was found guilty of criminal action and fined a record $8.34 billion for false marketing and collusion with doctors to over-prescribe opiates. The makers of OxyContin, Purdue helped spread the opiate crisis throughout America while reaping billions in profits, while their drugs claimed over 500,000 lives in the last 20 years. As we look towards the holidays and the new normal of COVID-19, we must acknowledge how many American lives were lost due to addiction and pain management – and how many might have been saved by medical
7
Cannabis. We have a lot to be grateful for and a lot of struggle still to come, and I am very thankful for access to Cannabis as a medicine and a helper each day. As a medicinal user of Cannabis on the West Coast, the plant has helped me through the challenges of quarantine, while avoiding the pitfalls of alcohol or pharmaceuticals
AS A MEDICINAL USER OF CANNABIS ON THE WEST COAST, THE PLANT HAS HELPED ME THROUGH THE CHALLENGES OF QUARANTINE.
that are so heavily consumed in our country. I encourage all our readers to share their stories about medical Cannabis and the benefits during the coming months. This winter is likely to be difficult for many, and hearing about Cannabis might open the door to a medicinal treatment that can lift holiday spirits. Let’s not be scared to share our views on the plant and our choices for natural medicine. It just might save a life – and that is something to be thankful for.
-Wes Abney nov. 2020
High Marylanders: Your guide to cannabis retailers brands products savings strains news education doctors Visit weedmaps.com or download the app
NATIONAL NEWS
THE FEDS
northwest
U.S. AIR FORCE WILL NOT CHANGE CANNABIS STANCE
T
he U.S. Air Force has no plans to change its policies regarding marijuana use by airmen, reported Air Force Magazine on October 16. Any change, in fact, would require an act of Congress. Chief Master Sergeant JoAnne S. Bass’ office released a statement that “although some state and local laws have legalized the medicinal and recreational use of marijuana, it is still prohibited for use by military members.” “At this time, the Air Force does not plan to reexamine this policy,” USAF spokesperson Ann Stefanek said.
FEDS SEIZE MORE THAN A TON OF CANNABIS
U
.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Buffalo in New York seized more than a ton of marijuana hidden in a commercial shipment on October 15. Officers assigned to the Peace Bridge inspected a shipment of 20 pallets and discovered 2,410 pounds of Cannabis packaged in 2,145 vacuum-sealed pouches, according to a CBP news release. The seizure is being investigated by Homeland Security, according to CBP. The Buffalo Field Office covers 16 ports of entry in New York State, and says it has seized more than 42,000 pounds of marijuana between October 1, 2019 and September 30, 2020.
legalization
10
ILLINOIS RECREATIONAL SALES BREAK RECORDS
MEXICAN SENATE TO VOTE ON LEGALIZATION
I
M
llinois’ adult-use Cannabis industry continues to surge, even as many other businesses struggle to survive during the pandemic. Statewide marijuana sales surpassed $67.6 million in September, reports CBS Chicago. Adult-use Cannabis sales in August climbed nearly 5.8 percent over July, when the state had nearly $64 million in sales, according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Sales of recreational weed have increased each month since February, which saw a slight drop in sales from January, the first month of legal weed in Illinois.
exico’s Senate will likely vote on a bill to legalize Cannabis sometime in October, according to the chamber’s majority leader, reports Marijuana Moment. Mexico’s Supreme Court in April granted a second deadline extension to give legislators more time to enact the policy change, after the court in 2018 declared marijuana prohibition unconstitutional. If the Senate passes the legalization bill, it will still have to go before the other house of the Mexican Congress, the Chamber of Deputies. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in August voiced support for the bill.
LONG LINES AS MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES OPEN IN MISSOURI
leafnationmd.com
T
he first licensed medical Cannabis dispensaries opened in Missouri in mid-October and they received an enthusiastic reception from patients, with long lines forming. The shops are opening almost two years after Missouri voters approved a state constitutional amendment to allow the sale of medical marijuana, reports The Washington Post. PRICES ARE INITIALLY HIGH, Patients need a doctor’s approval and a state medical marijuana card to BECAUSE MISSOURI’S SUPPLY OF CANNABIS IS LIMITED. buy Cannabis at a dispensary. Prices are initially high, because Missouri’s supply of Cannabis is limited. N’Bliss, a dispensary with outlets in Ellisville and Manchester, was charging a whopping $125 an eighth for marijuana when it opened October 17. The Missouri Department of Health and Human Services expects most of the state’s 192 licensed dispensaries to open by year’s end.
33
medical marijuana dispensaries are operated by the Cannabis chain CuraLeaf in Florida.
NOV. 2020
60
patients in Pennsylvania must choose between going to jail or giving up their medical Cannabis.
192
medical marijuana dispensaries have been approved to open in Missouri by the end of 2020.
CHALLENGE TO WASHINGTON STATE RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT RETURNED TO STATE COURT
A
federal judge on October 5 sent a legal challenge to the state’s residency requirement for Cannabis licensing back to state court, reports Marijuana Business Daily. U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle wrote in his order that while he does have jurisdiction, case law indicates federal courts should abstain until questions involving state law have been resolved. Idaho businessman Todd Brinkmeyer, the plaintiff, claims that Washington’s residency requirement violates the U.S. and Washington state constitutions, and that state regulators got a bit over their skis in exerting their rule-making authority. The case sparked tension between the Washington CannaBusiness Association and the state AG after Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office filed a brief in the federal THE CASE SPARKED court case claiming “no protections exist for a TENSION BETWEEN THE WASHINGTON federally illegal marijuana activity.” CANNABUSINESS That prompted a sharply worded letter from ASSOCIATION AND WACA Executive Director Vicki Christopherson. THE STATE AG “Your position that our state’s Cannabis industry does not enjoy the same protections as every other lawful Washington business undermines the will of state voters who overwhelmingly approved the creation of a legal marketplace in 2012.”
politics
STATES INCLUDING N.J., ARIZONA, SOUTH DAKOTA AND MONTANA HAVE LEGALIZATION ON BALLOT
B
esides New Jersey’s initiative, which is expected to pass, three other states – Arizona, South Dakota and Montana – also have adult-use initiatives on their November ballots. Mississippians will vote on a bill allowing medical Cannabis sales. If all measures pass, medical Cannabis will be legal in 38 states, plus D.C. and Puerto Rico, and adult-use will be legal in 14 of those plus D.C. In Arizona, a measure similar to this year’s Proposition 205 narrowly failed in 2016. This year’s measure has 46 percent support, with 34 percent opposed and about 20 percent undecided, according to a Suffolk University/USA Today Network poll. Montana’s I-190 and South Dakota’s Constitutional Amendment A would legalize marijuana possession and use for adults 21 and older. Alongside tax revenue and job creation, social justice is another potent argument for legalization on both the state and federal levels. “The war on drugs has historically and continues to disproportionately target communities of color,” said David Abernathy, Vice President of research and consulting for Arcview Group, based in Oakland.
6,400 $250k $431m transactions were recorded by Maine’s eight adult-use shops in the first week of recreational sales.
worth of Cannabis was sold by Maine’s eight adult-use shops on opening weekend in October.
of Cannabis has been sold in Illinois since legalization was first enacted less than a year ago in January 2020.
By STEVE ELLIOTT, AUTHOR OF THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF MARIJUANA
Cannabis Medical Dispensary
WAAVE Hello
Discover all that WAAVE has to offer: • A refreshing selection of top notch cannabis — from flower and concentrates to vapes and edibles • Premium quality products that are pure, safe and responsibly grown • Staff who truly care about helping you make the best cannabis decisions • Prices you’ll absolutely appreciate
Stay well. Stay buoyant. With WAAVE. Open 7 days a week Monday - Saturday 10am - 9pm Sunday 11am - 7pm
7327 Hanover Parkway, Suite A, Greenbelt, MD 20770 240.436.0600 • mdwaave.com • greenbelt@mdwaave.com
NM.MD.LeafAds.101520.indd 2
10/8/20 12:32 PM
Cannabis LAW
5 reasons for Marylanders to be
Grateful!
>>Why 2020 was a record-breaking year for medical Cannabis in Maryland
As 12
THE PANDEMIC CONTINUES TO UPEND PLANS THIS YEAR ACROSS THE BOARD, traditional family gatherings will be giving way to a smaller, more socially distant Thanksgiving. Instead of sitting closely together in a poorly ventilated space with your family and friends and sharing food from the same serving dishes, families are taking the safe way out and staying at home. But as we commiserate over what we are missing out on, maybe it’s more useful to think about why we should be thankful and how far we have come. Why was 2020 different than all other years any of us can remember?
leafnationmd.com
1. CANNABIS DEEMED AN ESSENTIAL BUSINESS DURING THE PANDEMIC On March 23, 2020, Governor Hogan issued an emergency order requiring all non-essential businesses in the state to close. As medical Cannabis growers, processors, dispensaries, and registered testing laboratories were state-licensed health care providers and facilities under the Health-General Article, the medical Cannabis supply chain were deemed essential businesses and were not required to close pursuant to the Governor’s emergency order. 2. FEDERAL DECRIMINALIZATION WAS SCHEDULED FOR A HOUSE VOTE The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (“MORE”) Act was voted out of the Judiciary Committee of the United States House of Representatives on a bipartisan basis. The MORE Act would federally de-schedule Cannabis, expunge the records of those with prior marijuana convictions and impose a federal five percent tax on sales – revenue from which would be reinvested in communities most impacted by the drug war. It would also create a
pathway for resentencing for those incarcerated for marijuana offenses, as well as protect immigrants from being denied citizenship over Cannabis and prevent federal agencies from denying public benefits or security clearances due to its use. Although it was supposed to be put to a full vote before the House in late September 2020, it was pulled from consideration by leadership with a promise to be raised again before the end of the session. Nevertheless, this is the first legislation involving the legal status of “marijuana,” not including hemp, to be considered before the full House since the Controlled Substances Act of 1970.
form of cannabidiol (CBD) derived from Cannabis, was approved for the treatment of seizures associated with two rare and severe forms of epilepsy. Marinol and Syndros contain dronabinol (synthetic THC), and Cesamet contains nabilone (a synthetic substance similar to THC). Both synthetic forms of THC are approved by the FDA. Drugs containing cannabinoids were shown to have palliative effect in treating certain rare forms of epilepsy, nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy, and loss of appetite and weight loss associated with HIV/ AIDS. In addition, some evidence suggests modest benefits of Cannabis or cannabinoids for chronic pain and multiple sclerosis symptoms.
3. TWO-THIRDS OF AMERICANS 5. UNINTENDED SOCIAL BENEFITS According to FBI crime statistics, violent crime SUPPORT MAKING CANNABIS LEGAL in Washington decreased in the years after legalAccording to a recent Pew Research Center ization. Traffic deaths dropped 11% on average in survey, 67% (two-thirds) of Americans believe states that legalized medical marijuana. Research the use of marijuana should be legal, reprealso indicates that people drink less and alcohol senting a steady, rapid increase from a low of sales drop in places where marijuana has been le16% in 1989. The share of U.S. adults who galized. According to the CDC, six people die from oppose legalization has also fallen rapidly from alcohol poisoning every day and 88,000 52% opposed in 2010, to only 32% people die annually due to excessive today. Meanwhile, an overwhelming Research also alcohol use in the United States. There majority of U.S. adults (91%) say indicates that are no recorded cases of death from marijuana should be legal either for people drink less marijuana overdose. medical and recreational use (59%) or that it should be legal just for med- and alcohol sales drop in places ical use (32%). Fewer than one-in-ten So, remember this Thanksgiving that medical (8%) prefer to keep marijuana illegal where marijuana has Cannabis patients in Maryland (and nationwide) in all circumstances. been legalized. have much to be thankful for. The State of Maryland, and for that matter the United States as a whole, 4. CANNABIS IS RECOGNIZED FOR ITS have made rapid and significant leaps in their understanding MEDICINAL PROPERTIES and acceptance of Cannabis over a very short period. Very few The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has social movements have advanced this far, this quickly. But the not yet approved the Cannabis plant for any experiment is not over. Maybe next year when we all get together medical use. However, the FDA has approved for Thanksgiving, we can do so together, without masks, without several drugs that contain individual cannabinoids. Epidiolex, which contains a purified social distancing and without prejudice.
Since 2008, Mike Rothman has counseled clients regarding Cannabis laws and regulations as the founder and principal of the Medical Cannabis Law Group and the Law Office of Mike Rothman in Rockville, Maryland. Mr. Rothman has testified on Cannabis laws and regulations 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.
NOV. 2020
COLUMN by MIKE ROTHMAN, ATTORNEY & PRINCIPAL | MEDICAL CANNABIS LAW GROUP
Be Safe. Be Well.
Have Your Cannabis Delivered. Order online at
gLeaf.com
or call
1-800-208-WEED (9333)
Order Online and Pick Up In-Store at Either gLeaf Location 808 Hungerford Drive Rockville, MD 20850
4606 Wedgewood Blvd. Frederick, MD 21703
(301) 917-3665
(301) 662-2222
MON–THUR 9am–8pm
◊
FRI & SAT 9am–9pm
◊
SUN 10am–6pm
Medical cannabis use is for certified Maryland patients only. Must be 18 or older.
highly likely
14
Highly Likely highlights Cannabis pioneers who paved the way to greater herbal acceptance.
Jack herer
OFTEN AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS THE ‘EMPEROR OF HEMP ’ OR THE ‘FATHER OF CANNABIS LEGALIZATION,’ JACK HERER WAS A TIRELESS SUPPORTER OF OUR FAVORITE PLANT. LOOKING BACK AT HIS LIFE HERE AND NOW – SOME FIVE YEARS AFTER LEGALIZATION HAS TAKEN HOLD FOR MUCH OF THE COUNTRY – IT CAN BE EASY TO FORGET JUST HOW RISKY IT WAS A FEW DECADES AGO TO STICK YOUR NECK OUT FOR CANNABIS FREEDOM.
leafnationmd.com
C
ONTRARY TO WHAT YOU MIGHT THINK, Jack Herer
was not an ‘early adopter’ of Cannabis. After a stint in the US military, he retired to civilian life in the suburbs. Herer was as conservative as they came back then. In the documentary “Emperor of Hemp,” he says, “I had done three years in the military, I was ride-or-die. I believed that America was always the good guy. That we were always the most decent, right-on people on the earth.” Of protestors and hippies, he said, “I thought they were the most un-American kids in the whole world.” Herer saw what was then known as marijuana as one of the primary culprits in radicalizing youth against the American establishment. It was after a divorce in 1967, when Jack started dating again, that one of his girlfriends asked him if he’d like to try some Cannabis. The rest is history. “I was feeling sensations that I didn’t know a human being could feel – and I asked her, ‘How is this illegal?’ And she said, ‘I don’t know.’” Thus began Herer’s quest for Cannabis knowledge. After a few years of study, he published the book GRASS (Great Revolutionary American Standard System) with friend and cartoonist Al Emmanuel. The book was a
NOV. 2020
that the legalization of Cannabis started to enter secular culture in the 1980s and 90s. One of the book’s most impressive claims is one that resonates today: Hemp could replace fossil fuels as a way to power our modern life – and reduce the systematic destruction of our environment. But beyond all of the scientific facts outlined in “The Emperor Wears No Clothes,” it’s the insidious, deceitful history of prohibition in the United States that truly resonated the most with readers. Here, laid out for the first time was the history of how the government of the supposed ‘land of the free’ had lied to its citizenry for almost a century. surprise hit, selling over 30,000 copies in its first These were the powerful facts and ideas that Jack printing. It made Herer into a sort of Cannabis Herer brought to the world through his writings. guru overnight – which soon connected him to Suddenly, those with ears to listen a whole community of people and eyes to see could perceive a whose knowledge of the plant His legacy world where Cannabis usage was far surpassed his own. He then lives on in normalized. Herer continued his quest began his serious research of the the books he’s for the next three decades – writing hidden history of Cannabis, which published and speaking to whomever would led him to his eventual campaign and, of course, listen to his plea for legalization. to legalize hemp – a plant Herer via the strain Herer passed away a few thought could save the world. of Cannabis days before 4/20 in 2010, from In 1979, he and his partner that bears his complications of a heart attack he ‘Captain Ed’ opened the world’s name. suffered after speaking at a Portland, first hemp store in Venice Beach, Oregon legalization rally. For California. In 1983, as Reagan’s Portlanders, his Third Eye Shoppe was one of the war on drugs raged, he was arrested under an places where one could still pay their respects to the arcane law for signing up voters after dark near ‘Father of Cannabis Legalization’ (it closed in 2017). a federal building. While in prison, he started to His legacy lives on in the books he’s published write his next book. and, of course, via the strain of Cannabis that bears That second book, “The Emperor Wears his name. And that’s what this column is really No Clothes,” provided a culture desperate for about: people who have the guts to say something information new knowledge of an ancient plant. in public that might go against overwhelming public The book (which is a must in any Cannabis-lover’s sentiment – because they feel that people need to library) is a sort of compendium of knowledge know. Jack Herer was that type of person, and we all about the history of the plant, disseminated in an enjoy our current freedoms with Cannabis because easy-to-digest manner. While the book extols the of his work. virtues of hemp, it is also one of the primary ways
STORY by PACER STACKTRAIN for LEAF NATION | PHOTO by MALCOLM MACKINNON @MACKINNONPHOTOS
WANNA KNOW WHERE THOSE KIP TIPS GO?
To An Animal in Need! Over the past six months, kip has raised more than $7000.00 to directly benefit the Baltimore Humane Society! We encourage all of our patients to donate aka
KIP TIP to save the lives of
helpless and needy animals like Harvest (Pictured in this ad). During these difficult times, the need is greater than ever and we thank you for your generosity and kindness.
9 CRANBROOK RD - COCKEYSVILLE MD 21030 *Medical Cannabis Products are for use Only by a Certified Patient*
Gambrills, MD
782 MD Route 3, N Suite A Gambrills, MD 21054 (410) 650-4150
25
FIRST TIME PATIENT SPECIAL
% OFF
YOUR FIRST PURCHASE *APPLIES TO ALL NON-SALE ITEMS
NOW OPEN for walk-ins! Curbside pickup still available. BUSINESS HOURS MON-SAT: 10 AM- 8 PM SUN: 10 AM- 6 PM
*See website for details
FOLLOW US:
INTERVIEW
G OT A FAVO R I TE B U D TE N DE R ? TE L L US WH Y ! WYAT T @ LEA F NAT IO N M D . CO M
Mike McGraw M A RY L A N D L E A F B U DT E N D E R O F THE MONTH
leafnationmd.com
16
M IC HA E L M C G R AW is a lively individual who is extremely knowledgeable in Cannabis and terpene profiles. With Mike the job does not end at shift’s end – rather, he spends time studying products, cultivators and the market to pass along that knowledge to the patients he serves. His personal touch makes a huge difference in both their dispensary experience and their lives.
VERILIFE | 5544 NICHOLSON LN 2ND FLOOR, ROCKVILLE, MD | (301) 494-8393 | VERILIFE.COM/MD @VERILIFESTORES
NOV. 2020
“WE ARE ALL CANNABIS NERDS HERE AND WE TRULY ENJOY SHARING CANNABIS KNOWLEDGE WITH OUR PATIENTS AND EACH OTHER.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOU R STORE?
Everyone loves the budtenders here at Verilife. My teammates are so awesome and I’m thankful that I get to work with them each day. There is a shared mindset and passion here for making sure that we give each patient the VIP experience. We are all Cannabis nerds here and we truly enjoy sharing Cannabis knowledge with our patients and each other. That positive energy is hard to find and I’m glad to be part of the team here.
WHAT IS THE TRICK TO BEING A GOOD BUDTENDER? Be your patient’s friend. Your patients are
likely there because they are either in pain or stressed out and are looking to be happy again. Their Cannabis experience starts at the dispensary, so make sure that they have an awesome time in the shop. Be excited to see them, connect with them and listen to their needs. Know your inventory because this is your toolbox to help guide patients on their path to wellness. Tell them about all the products that would be great for them, help them understand terpene profiles and share your experiences with these products. This way, they feel confident in their purchase because someone who cares about them is helping them shop. Also, I believe good budtenders are surrounded by other good budtenders. It takes a team of like-minded individuals to keep a dispensary going and I truly am grateful to be on a team where everybody wants to see each other succeed. Also, in any job, there will be things that are outside of your control. It’s important to never take these things personally because it most likely has nothing to do with you. Move on and enjoy your day!
WHERE DO YOU GO FOR TECHNICAL CANNABIS KNOWLEDGE? I love reading lab results
and speaking with other people in the industry. I am very passionate about terpenes and their potential benefits, so I’m always looking for more information. I enjoy picking the brains of my coworkers, sales reps and industry friends the most, though. I feel so fortunate to be surrounded by so many knowledgeable people that I just want to listen and be a sponge when we discuss certain topics. We all have knowledge, so I believe we should all be resources for one another.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO FOR FUN?
I enjoy DJ-ing, watching anime and hanging out with my family. I am very addicted to mixing tracks that I love. I mix a lot of Lofi Hip Hop with ‘90s hip hop and ‘80s funk. I’m rewatching Samurai Champloo and I’ve always been in love with the music from the legendary Nujabes in it. My other favorites include Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Mob Psycho 100, Attack on Titan and One Piece. Spending time with my family is my favorite thing to do, though. Being with them is the most refreshing thing for me. I love visiting them on Sundays and watching 10 hours of football with my parents and brother, talking about anime for hours with my sister and playing video games with both of my siblings. Being with them always makes me happier.
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR IDOLS AND WHY?
The person whom I idolize the most is my father. I strive to be the man that he is one day. He is honest and kind to everybody he meets and is always listening to other people’s needs. I’ve always admired his ability to make everyone feel important. The people who do business with him know that he has their best interests at heart and they can always depend on him. He has shown me that putting other people first is the most fulfilling way to live and how important the relationships you make are. He works harder than anybody I know and has taught me the value of truly enjoying hard work, keeping a positive attitude and being disciplined. He is also a fun loving person and I love spending time with him. We’ve seen almost every single Marvel movie together (our favorites are Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.1 and the 2012 Avengers film). He can win at any game of cards he plays and we can talk about football with each other for hours. I am truly blessed to be his son and I wouldn’t be the person I am without him and his love. All I want to do is be just like him.
STORY by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT/MARYLAND LEAF | PHOTOS by KATIE HARRISON @KTSPACEBURRD
17
PATIENT OF THE MONTH leafnationmd.com
18
cannabis for creativity
SHANNON CAROLE Life is a series of challenges. Some choose to be defined by their struggles, while others walk proudly in their perseverance. Shannon Carole prefers the latter. The 27-year-old native of Crofton, Maryland has come a long way – rising from the throes of addiction to become a productive patient care specialist in the medical Cannabis industry, as well as a model and artist.
E
quipped with a sober mind and a healthy lifestyle, Shannon is capable of using her intellect to examine her troubled past and articulate her struggles with a razor-sharp clarity. “Since I was 12, I struggled with my mental health,” she said. Shannon dealt with a variety of afflictions at a young age – anxiety, depression, eating disorders, ADHD and untreated PTSD – leading to unhealthy coping mechanisms that included underage drinking. She stole from the liquor cabinets of various households and actively sought out friendships with teenagers who had fake IDs. At 16, her struggles with addiction and mental health resulted in her dropping out of high school. “For a long time I was haunted by toxic people and traumatic events, and drinking seemed to be a beacon for that trauma and toxicity,” she said. “I became involved in an abusive relationship with another addict, was raped on several occasions, had experienced many episodes of drunken/drugged behavior that embarrassed me greatly, lost my job and failed my community college classes.” From 18 to 21, she drank from sun up to sun down. “For the first year or two of drinking day/night, I was able to still work and hide what was going on – I was functioning,” she said. “As my condition worsened, I wasn’t able to keep a job and quickly found myself out of work and out of money, and truly found myself without preferences and opinions about what I was drinking anymore.” Friendships were created out of convenience and didn’t last long. The relationships that mattered to Shannon, most importantly those with her family, spiraled out of control. “[They] didn’t trust me,” she said. “My little sister who always looked up to me, stopped. My older sister shut me out of her life and her newborn child’s. My brother didn’t talk to me.” After spending the first half of the decade in a daze, Shannon made several attempts to grip the wheels of sobriety in 2015, but slipped and crashed hard. “It was a long year of relapses and emotions and effort,” she said. Rock bottom came on the day of her little sister’s birthday – July 31, 2015, when she got drunk, passed out and never bothered to call. The following day, she was too inebriated and embarrassed to
NOV. 2020
join her family on a week-long vacation. Her mother provided her an ultimatum: Get sober or be gone when they returned home. “It was a very compounding, rock-bottom moment,” she said, noting that it prompted her to seek out an outpatient treatment program. In the trials and tribulations leading up to that pivotal moment, Shannon experimented with Cannabis as a way to fight off the urge to drink. Her heavy alcohol use resulted in a handful of encounters with pancreatitis and smoking became a way to lessen the severe abdominal pain. Determined to maintain her sobriety, Shannon began researching how to make edibles, which created an effect that was long-lasting and allowed her to navigate an alcohol-free day. It worked. In 2017, Shannon celebrated a second year of sobriety with a medical Cannabis card, furthering her knowledge of the plant and passion for the industry. In 2019, she made the leap into the Cannabis industry, becoming a patient care specialist for Greenlight Therapeutics in Gambrills – a full-time occupation she’s held for more than a year. At just 27, her life experiences have allowed Shannon to connect with patients on an intimate level. “We deal with a very vulnerable population that has a lot going on,” she said. “Our patients are much deeper than the surface level. So there’s a lot of weight to be held in compassion, patience and understanding. Having those qualities and implementing them can allow you to help patients so much more and you can really make a difference in their lives.” Cannabis has given Shannon more than just her sobriety. It has reunited her with her family. “[They were] integral in my getting sober. The disappointment was a lot to bear,” she said. “It’s a lot stronger than it’s ever been,” she continued. “Through getting healthy and getting sober, I found a lot to connect with them on. Oddly enough, we all connect on Cannabis as well. Since finding medicinal uses for Cannabis for myself and being able to educate them about it, my family has found medicinal uses for it as well.” The plant also reignited a creative passion of Shannon’s that lay dormant since dropping out of high school and leaving behind her favorite class: photography. Once sober, Shannon began seeking out fellow creative types and directing photo shoots, as well as doing some modeling. Her previous work had been confined to building a personal portfolio, but nowadays, Shannon uses her creativity to make images for activism and social justice. “Cannabis opens you up a little,” she said. “It makes you more creative and everything comes together. It all feels connected.” Shannon finds herself in as good a place as she has ever been. “I honestly love both sides of my life,” she said. “I love having the stability of having a job and a sense of purpose in the Cannabis industry. And creating is something that is in my soul.” Shannon hopes to continue using her talents to give back, helping those who are struggling. “My picture perfect world have the two together – making creative content for the industry that speaks to patients, but also talks to people through my creativity and my artwork.”
CANNABIS HAS GIVEN SHANNON MORE THAN JUST HER SOBRIETY. IT HAS REUNITED HER WITH HER FAMILY.
I N STAG RA M @SHANNONCAROLE
STORY by BAXSEN PAINE @BAXSENPAINE for MARYLAND LEAF | PORTRAIT by RACHEL KING @RACHELVKINGLIFESTYLE | RACHELVKINGLIFESTYLE.COM
SHOP REVIEW
FLOWER 5/5
The menu here is stacked with options. This is due to the efforts the employees have made to build strong relationships with Maryland’s vendors. As soon as a new flower is dropping in Maryland, Michael and his team are getting after it. Staple flower strains and more from brands like Curio, Evermore, Grassroots, Harvest and countless other offerings.
CONCENTRATES 5/5
When I stepped in the store they had 77 different options for concentrates, and that’s not including vape carts. Solventless, shatter, badder, sauce, diamonds, kief, RSO – you name it and they have it here. They even had exclusive concentrates like Cookies’ Gelato #42 live resin sauce.
EDIBLES 5/5
20
You could call this dispensary ‘ingestible heaven’ because the list of options is truly endless. They had every single flavor of the new Wana sour gummies, in different ratios of THC and CBD. You can also find practically every other form of ingestible here from various companies. I know several veterans who rely solely on edibles to medicate and the 22% daily discount they receive here goes a long way.
SUNBURST PHARM
ENVIRONMENT 5/5
leafnationmd.com
From the minute you step in the door, the focus is on your medical needs. The budtenders and staff make sure you are comfortable and talk to you about the goals you intend to reach with medical Cannabis. This is a much better direction to take with patients than some dispensaries’ “What can I get you?” approach.
If you don’t live on the Eastern Shore, odds are you have passed through Cambridge on your way to Ocean City. On your next trip, be sure to stop in Cambridge and check out a little gem of a dispensary known as Sunburst Pharm. From the incredible customer service to the wide range of daily deals this dispensary offers, they have something for every patient to enjoy. General Manager Michael Dunaway got his start in Cannabis running California dispensaries and part of his goal is to bring that experience and vibe to Maryland patients. As the manager told me, “Even when the weather is bad outside, it’s always sunny in here.”
NOV. 2020
603 METEOR AVE, CAMBRIDGE, MD (443) 972-5501 SUNBURSTPHARM.COM @SUNBURSTPHARM MON.-SAT. 10AM-7PM SUN. 11AM-4PM
21
AS SOON AS A NEW FLOWER IS DROPPING IN MARYLAND, MICHAEL AND HIS TEAM ARE GETTING AFTER IT.
Cresco Bio Crust Live Sugar A cross of two favorites from Grow West, Bio Crust combines Biohazard and Pie Crust to make this deliciously terpy batch of live sugar. When I opened the jar, bright shining terpenecoated diamonds were staring back at me. The smell was reminiscent of a drop of lemon juice mixed with freshly cracked pepper. I used this concentrate mostly during the middle of the day – a definite winner for the balance of energy and tranquility it provided. 70.30% To tal C an n abi n o i ds | 10.77% Te rpe n e s
STORY & PHOTOS by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT/MARYLAND LEAF
Medical cannabis delivered to your door.
Call. Order. We deliver.
Call.
Order.
We deliver.
Call 888.493.6066 by 3pm to place your order & receive it the same-day or schedule a delivery for a later date.
Speak to one of our Veri helpful customer service professionals to place your order.
Relax and wait for your medical cannabis to be delivered discreetly to your door.
Delivering to the greater Montgomery County area & surrounding suburbs. Free delivery for orders over $150.* Cannabis use is only for certified patients. Content is intended for viewers 18 or older. *Orders less than $150 will have $10 delivery fee. Limited numbers of same day deliveries each day. Scheduled deliveries are only available in the service area based on region of delivery. Please call 888.493.6066 to learn more. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider before starting any new treatment or discontinuing an existing treatment with medical cannabis. Talk with your healthcare provider about any questions you may have regarding your cannabis use. The information and materials provided to you by PharmaCann should not be used as a substitute for the care and knowledge that your physician can provide to you. There may be health risks associated with the consumption of medical cannabis, consult your physician. ©2020 PharmaCann. All rights reserved.
Does 2020 have you feeling
AN X IOUS? ST R E SS ED? A woman-owned and well-trusted medical Cannabis dispensary promoting the health and wellness of the Baltimore area for over two years.
Find relief with us. The only medicinal cannabis facility in St. Mary’s County is open and ready to help you recenter. Safely visit us in-store or try our
ONLINE ORDERING & CURBSIDE PICKUP We’re here to find your perfect strain—the one that lets you de-stress, eases anxiety, or fulfills your own unique needs. Your stress-free solution is waiting at Southern Maryland Relief.
ORDER AHEAD & IN-STORE P I C K U P AVA I L A B L E . W E E D M A P S .CO M | P U R E L I F E B A LT I M O R E .CO M Medical cannabis use is for certified Maryland patients only. Must be 18 or older.
M O N D AY– S AT U R D AY 10 a m – 8 p m | S U N D AY 1 1 a m – 6 pm
S O M D R E L I E F. C O M 35 E Cross Street Federal Hill, Baltimore, MD • 443.708.5683
STRAIN OF THE MONTH
EVERMORECANNABISCO.COM @EVERMOREBRANDS 23 .85 % T H CA .84% L I M O N E N E .46 % CARYO P H Y L LE N E .3 6 % L I NALO O L .2 8% A P I N E N E .2 7% B P I N E N E .16 % H U M ULE N E .1 3 % F E N C HO L .07% M Y RC E N E
THE ICE CREAM CAKE GENETIC WAS SPAWNED FROM A CROSS BETWEEN TWO OF MARYLAND’S ALL-TIME FAVORITES : GELATO #33 AND WEDDING CAKE.
leafnationmd.com
24
NOV. 2020
EVERMORE’S SMOOTH AND BALANCED ICE CREAM CAKE CHEMOVAR IS THIS MONTH’S FEATURED FLOWER.
ICE CREAM CAKE
grown by
EVERMORE
A company like Evermore produces such a wide variety of high quality products that it becomes difficult to choose a favorite in a sea of favorites. But hey, that’s why we pick new ones every month... The Ice Cream Cake genetic was spawned from a cross between two of Maryland’s all-time favorites: Gelato #33 and Wedding Cake. Naturally, the offspring of such a cross was destined to be a top shelf flower, but this particular batch came out with such a smooth, silky smoke and incredibly balanced and diverse terpene profile, that to call it top shelf would be a bit of an understatement. This batch of Ice Cream Cake is a limonene dominant profile that has a tiered temper of .55% pinene, .46% caryophyllene and .36% linalool – with just a smidge of humulene and fenchol to round out the bottom. The limonene dominance puts it automatically into the sunshine, serotoninrich realm of good moods and pleasant vibes, but the temper is what really makes this profile stand out. Caryophyllene and linalool are two of my favorite anxiolytic terpenes and together they create a powerful calming effect that perfectly pairs with the limonene euphoria. Add in the clear-headedness that the pinene brings to the profile and you have the truly special high that is unique to the Ice Cream Cake genetic. The silky scent of the buds is reminiscent of a honeydew meadow complete with sweet, honeyed, earthy notes layered upon one another. After rolling up a gram, I took a couple dry hits – one of my common quality points – and found that I could practically drink the perfumed aroma. Ice Cream Cake provides one of the most ideal highs on the market. It’s the perfect balance of the pain relieving/anti-anxiety indica effects and the euphoric/clear-headed sativa effects that culminate together in an absolute cascade of mellowing, all-around relief. By the end of my joint, I was adrift in a serene headscape that, for me, provided the perfect mental health boost I needed for my day. Brightening my mood and calming the anxieties, Ice Cream Cake offered me a quintessential hybrid effect that balanced both ends of the terpene spectrum in a way that was flavorful and effective. I cannot express enough how much I appreciate a well-cured nug. Without the preservation of the terpene profile, the effects never translate and the flavor is never retained. Evermore has demonstrated time and time again that they are committed to the process of providing top quality Cannabis, and their Ice Cream Cake is yet another example of the stunning quality that has become a Maryland staple.
REVIEW by TAYLOR MARTIN @MDCANNAINSIDER | PHOTO by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT/MARYLAND LEAF
the HARVEST issue
the HARVEST issue
28
GELATO CAKE
leafnationmd.com
DISTRICT CANNABIS
The oppressive humidity of a Mid-Atlantic summer has given way to pleasant afternoons and cool nights. Sweatshirts are in, while leaves are slowly fading out. Autumn in Maryland has arrived. For District Cannabis, a medical Cannabis cultivator in the northwestern part of the state, that means their inaugural fall harvest is underway, having only activated its Hagerstown-based operation in the spring of 2020.
NOV. 2020
DRYING ROOM
>> STORY by BAXSEN PAINE @BAXSENPAINE | PHOTOS by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT & BAXSEN PAINE
the HARVEST issue leafnationmd.com
30
continued from pg. 29
DISTRICT CANNABIS
T
heir goal is similar to many cultivators across the state: grow premium medical Cannabis with a high level of efficiency. But they have what many do not have – a 36,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility that runs like clockwork. “Everything here is mathematical,” General Manager Jacob Kahan said. “It’s all done with precision, as lean as possible.” That laser precision allowed District Cannabis to push its initial grow onto the market, receiving rave reviews with strains such as Sour Diesel and Triangle Royale. Many first-time MMCC growers have historically struggled to yield a quality product in a market that is three years old. Throw in the difficulties of navigating a once-in-a-century global pandemic, and District Cannabis was never expected to make such a big splash. “That is something that we’re exponentially proud of here,” said Kyle Perrell, the team’s packaging and processing manager. A former employee of Kind Therapeutics, Perrell and his team are actively trimming and packaging 900 pounds of their most recent hit, Gelato Cake – a genetic doozy combining the likes of Gelato 33 and Wedding Cake. As he oversees trimming, Perrell attributes the success to the methods of co-owner and head grower, Andras Kirschner. Kirschner earned a bachelor’s degree in sustainable agriculture from the University of Maine, quickly putting it to use with the creation of an 80-acre organic vegetable farm in Vermont. After several years of farming, he relocated to California, where he crafted a warehouse design widely recognized for creating some of the finest medical grade Cannabis in the Bay Area. His West Coast design has served as a model for what District Cannabis has created in Maryland. “It’s not just the hippie on the mountain who said
NOV. 2020
Perrell and his team are actively trimming and packaging 900 pounds of their most recent hit, Gelato Cake – a genetic doozy combining the likes of Gelato 33 and Wedding Cake.
to put this in your plant because he’s been doing this for so long,” chuckled Josh Toomey. Toomey, the team’s lead cultivator, has been on board since February, bringing a decade’s worth of experience in the industry. He relocated from the West Coast after Kirschner impressed him with his vision of a well-run operation featuring some of the best technology on the market. “In California, they might be on the cutting edge of strains, but there’s so much competition out there, so the margin for error is very thin,” Toomey said. “The same can be said for here. It takes someone with experience – someone who has done this before. Andras knows what works and what doesn’t. He designed this building with the least amount of labor needed.” Toomey, a self-professed connoisseur, enjoys that his bosses constantly try to place District Cannabis on the cutting edge – pursuing the next genetically-enhanced strain to provide great medicine for patients. “We definitely take note where the market is leading,” he said, noting that they are in constant contact with seed breeders. “There’s probably five
DEDICATED TEAM
GELATO CAKE
MOM ROOM
CLONES
or six people who really get involved in that process, and that includes our D.C. location, which has been around a long time and really sets the tone for a lot of what we do.” Toomey offers a proud smile as he walks into the clone room, humbly noting that he recently had one of his genetic suggestions chosen for a future District Cannabis strain, though he was not at liberty to say more. In this room, he and his staff of four dedicated full-time members make sure their young plants begin their journey before heading towards a vegetation room. Once finished with the vegetation stage, only the best plants – or as Toomey calls them, “our Olympic athletes” – are moved to the flowering room, where the lighting sequence will drop to a 12-hour on, 12-hour off cycle. “We also change the spectrum,” he said, noting a blue to orange transformation. “The blue light is mimicking a bright summer day where the sun is close to the earth and really high above us vertically. In the fall, it’s no longer straight above us. It’s gotta go through the atmosphere, so the light is refracting and contracting and bending. That’s how the plants know, ‘We’ve gotta get ready for fall time.’”
After undergoing a curing and trim process, the finalization is handled by GM Jacob Kahan, determining how much flower will be bound for dispensaries, while the remaining shake will be preserved for concentrates. District Cannabis has a partnership with Melting Point Extracts, or MPX, who handle that end of the business.“So far, it’s been really great,” Kahan said. “One of the reasons we really sought after them is their quality, their consistency and really their unwavering commitment to the highest quality product on the concentrate side. Their values really align well with ours.” The two companies hope to collaborate on fresh frozen concentrates very soon, which means patients will be able to inhale some terpy, tasty live resin very soon. “The market isn’t going to know what hit them,” Toomey said.
DISTRICTCANNAB I S.U S @ DISTRICTCANNAB I S.U S
STORY by BAXSEN PAINE @BAXSENPAINE | PHOTOS by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT & BAXSEN PAINE
EVERY DAY IN NOVEMBER
All Dixie Products!
Flower to the People. Mindful medicine & compassionate care. Locally-owned and operated, Kannavis is committed to educating and empowering patients to live healthier, fuller lives through cannabis. Visit us in Frederick, just off I-270, and explore our extensive product selection with one-on-one guidance from the incredible Kannavis team— or order online with Weedmaps!
ELIXIRS
TABLETS
BALMS
SOAK
View our menu for the full lineup! Get Maryland's best deals in your inbox:
RANKED “BEST OF WEEDMAPS” with over two thousand 5-Star reviews and counting!
LOYALTY PROGRAM & GUEST REWARDS:
25% off
20% off
15% off
for First-Time Patients
on Your Second Visit
on Your Third Visit
PLUS, 15%
OFF FOR VETERANS & MILITARY EVERY DAY!
Text BLAIRWELLNESS to 22828
5806 York Road, Baltimore MD 21212 (410) 323 0100 www.blairwellness.com Discounts cannot be combined with other offers. For use only by qualifying medical cannabis patients.
8709 Fingerboard Road, Frederick, Maryland KANNAVIS.ORG Must be 18+ years of age. Products are for use by qualified MD patients only.
#MARYLANDLEAF @MARYLANDLEAF MDLEAF
Affordable Advertising Available email Wyatt@LeafNationMD.com for details on including your brand & company in the December or January Maryland Leaf!
the HARVEST issue
34
FIRE ON THE MOU Roganja and Massive Seeds suffered massive crop losses when water lines melted.
P leafnationmd.com
eter Bustch ignored the evacuation order at first. He stood his ground, gripping a fire hose hooked up to his irrigation line, saturating his life’s work as a beast of smoke and flame lurched toward his family farm. “It looked like a raging monster, man,” Bustch said. “Loud, roaring, coming fast through the trees and the brush. Scary, man. You could feel the heat.” He watched as one after another, dark columns of smoke rose swiftly, starkly offset against the lighter plumes engulfing the area surrounding the farm and facility in Oregon where he and his brother, Patrick, own and operate Massive Seeds and Roganja. As the dark plumes grew greater in number and marched ever closer to where he stood soaking his crop, the terrifying, heartbreaking realization hit him. Every column of black smoke was another one of his buildings going up in flames.“I knew it was my Mom’s house going up, and then the main house at Roganja, and then another,” he said. Like so many on the West Coast, Peter and Patrick were hit head-on by the September wildfires that ravaged the nation’s premier Cannabis cultivating regions. “We were devastated by the fires,” Bustch said. “We lost three homes, three barns, three shops, a double-wide trailer, a single-wide trailer, pump houses, sheds. It burned almost every single structure on the property. … My dad pioneered the land that we grow on now in the ‘70s. He built one of the houses that burned down.”
NOV. 2020
THE FIGHT For Cannabis cultivators, minimal-grid living keeps you off the radar. It’s enriching, liberated living – that is, until wildfire comes tearing over the hill next to your farm. At that point, it often means you’re on your own. The terror was visceral when Jeff Ghidella got the call to evacuate his farm, Little Hill Cultivators, in California’s famed Trinity County. Ghidella ignored the evacuation orders because he knew if he didn’t, the farm would be a total loss. The firefighters in the area were spread thin, and as Ghidella says, they may have been prioritizing other interests over craft Cannabis farms. “Ridges started getting bulldozed, fire lines started getting cut,” Ghidella said via phone from his farm in mid-October. “If you get evacuated, your crop dies. That kind of got us into preparation mode. I spent 10 days without leaving the hill, without really having access to get back. That’s really why you can’t
leave – they won’t let you get back. … You can’t get supplies in. You can’t get gas for your generators. You can’t get food. So, you just have to live with that.” Ghidella bulldozed a fire line around his property and started using what water he had to soak the crop and the structures. Then he watched the fire close in around him. “I was hoping it would hit the dozer line and just melt,” he said. “It got close to my property, and then it just blew up. It went from calm to chaos in 10 minutes. I saw my exit evaporating. We had sprinklers and fire hoses going, and had generators going. We got everything set and the fires were coming in, the sprinklers were going, and we left.” The play worked the first night. The second night the wind picked up. “It ripped through,” Ghidella said. “It burned my barn down, it burned my hay storage. It burned a trailer we had on the property.” His water system melted. He suffered severe crop loss. “It wouldn’t be such a big deal if I could get
OUNTAIN
Endless heartbreak as wildfires devastate Cannabis farms across the west coast at the peak of their harvest. STORY by TOM BOWERS \@PROPAGAGECONSULTANTS for LEAF NATION
At Roganja, some staff have moved back onto the property and are living in trailers, attempting to bring in the surviving crop and begin the long, arduous rebuilding process. “It’s a big hit, man,” Bustch said. “It’s amazing the number of things you start reaching for, like a tool or whatever, and you don’t have it anymore.”
Staff at East Fork Cultivars worked alongside firefighters to save their crop.
out and buy what I need, and get moving again,” Ghidella said. “But these mandatory evacuation zones, they set up roadblocks. In a way, I’m stuck on my property.” THE FALLOUT
Ghidella lost some infrastructure, but lost even more in harvestable product – with only about 20-30% of its 10,000 square feet of Slurricane, Ice Cream Cake and Back to the Triangle, a Kush cross, surviving. But the true fallout is just beginning to take shape. Retailers and processors are concerned about the implications for product quality and supply, both of which undoubtedly will be impacted. Then there are the operational factors at play. Many farms are simply trying to regain traction after fighting fires for weeks – when they should have been harvesting Cannabis. “The main way we will expe-
H
oward and his partners were forced to furlough their staff during the busiest season of the year, and instead focus on working with firefighting teams from the U.S., Mexico and Canada to protect their land. And while they were able to keep the beast at bay, for them, the danger lies ahead. “We have so much Cannabis in the field that looks just glorious, but there’s so much out there, and the rains are coming in a week,” Howard said via phone in mid-October. “We have hundreds of thousands of dollars in the field, and I’m concerned we’re not going to be able to get to it in time.” THE EFFORT Despite significant worries as to what the future holds for the community in the wake of this disaster, Cannabis farmers are proving to be as resilient as the plant itself.
35
“We had to get water to the plants,” Bustch said. “They were in shock and needed a lot of love. We had to totally focus on plant health, you know, because our crop made it. … We’re lucky that about 80% of our crop survived and finished really well.” Ghidella remains on his farm, despite there being a current stage three evacuation order still in place for his region at the time this article was written. “I have to protect my farm from looters,” Ghidella said. “I have to protect it from the elements. Whatever crop I have remaining, I need to try to bring it home, even though I don’t know how much of it I can salvage. … At least the infrastructure is still there. You can always grow your way out of whatever financial hardship you’re in, if you’re just willing to work. That’s what got me here.”
Many farms are simply trying to regain traction after fighting fires for weeks – when they should have been harvesting Cannabis.
GOFUNDME | TINYURL.COM/REBUILDROGANJA
P H O T O S C O U R T E SY FA R M S | A R T B Y A D O B E / W A L D W I E S E
Cultivators all up and down the West Coast lost significant amounts of what would have been stellar Cannabis. Roganja was lucky enough to recoup roughly 80% of its crop, while losing nearly all of its infrastructure.
rience the damage from these forest fires, I think, is from the impact it has on the operations, and the increase of the stress fractures that already existed,” said Nathan Howard, co-owner of East Fork Cultivars in Takilma, Oregon.
The first focus for Roganja was the water supply. As with Ghidella’s farm in California, Roganja’s water tanks were destroyed and the drip lines melted, so the Bustch brothers had to prioritize the survival of the remainder of their crop.
PERSPECTIVE
by
MIKE RICKER
Gratitude is being thankful for life’s challenges, as it is overcoming them that makes the human experience so rewarding.
Shit’s fucked up. We all know it. Please pardon my English. But don’t stop reading, because this is where we make it all better!
36
Now, it is not necessary to laundry list the details of why shit is fucked up – the current affairs to which this statement refers are glaringly obvious. And the whole mess is depressing. Which creates the greatest paradox in human history: Although we have more conveniences and luxury time than ever before, it feels like there is less to be positive about. Our oceans are choking, our air is gaining color, and we are publicly prevented from expressing ourselves through smiles and hugs. I know, it’s a lot. Even my laptop has a virus.
leafnationmd.com
So, why is this happening? Well, I’m not a licensed therapist (just a professional stoner), but it is my opinion that we have become hostages of modern technology. And it’s happened at such an accelerated rate that there hasn’t been time to acclimate psychologically, because as this drivethru culture offers instant access to everything, we’re struggling to fully understand and appreciate it. We have become dangerously accustomed to easy food, shelter and companionship without acknowledging the cost of resources that have allowed us this proliferation. Meanwhile, the ticking time bomb is down to 007 with no James Bond to disengage. For thousands of years when the tummy rumbled, you had to work to fill it. Now, just about every basic human need is handled with one point of your finger, creating a surplus of idle time. And that can lead to boredom, which can lead to worrying about losing what you already have and the possibility of having to go without. And that can escalate anxiety and a lack of satisfaction. But here’s the deal: Shit can change. In fact, it will change. Because that’s all anything does, every moment of every day. This is universal law. And if you’ve paid attention, you know there’s always a calm before and after a storm until the next storm, ad infinitum. You aren’t going to change the course of history—let’s be real. And starting a revolution from your couch takes an awful lot of time and effort ,and you’re not in the mood anyway. So, instead of changing THE world, change YOUR world. Which will change THE world for YOU. And that’s all that really matters. The revolution starts in your head. It’s a personal revolution, a lifestyle change. And this doesn’t necessarily mean adopting a new diet per se, it means
NOV. 2020
reorganizing your mindset. It’s about approaching ideas differently, flipping the script, incorporating optimism for pessimism and making it a practice. This is the philosophy. No matter what happens to you, the way you deal with anything is completely your choice. Change your perception and you change the outcome. Here’s the drill: You begin your day annoyed by the rudeness of your alarm. Begrudgingly, you drag the body from the warm sheets with a full bladder. But before the garage door eyelids fully lift, you unfairly stub the big toe on the foot of the dresser, sending a shockwave through the system. There are two ways to react: positively or negatively. You either say to yourself, “Damn, what a lousy way to start the day. This hurts and bad things are always happening to me.” Or you take the position of, “Boy, did that wake me up. My toe needed a good crack and now that I’ve felt pain, I will have a deeper appreciation for pleasure. This is gonna be a great day!” The point is that your perception is all that matters. Whichever angle you take does not change the event, only the experience you gain from it. You want positive experiences, so change your acceptance of what is. There is no un-stubbing the toe and life is actually quite fair. Not easy, but fair. Transform anger into gratitude, because gratitude is transformative. It is that simple. Gratitude is more imperative than ever right now. And in this time of giving thanks, remember that giving means getting. Reasonably doing your best in every situation brings light into your heart. Which stretches the heart. Take a deep breath right now, slowly exhale and feel the tightness of the body’s most vital muscle melt away the claustrophobia, while the expansion of the chest brings the relief of open space. You are inviting quenching sustenance into your life and the subtle intoxication of positivity can become addictive. It begins with you, one moment at a time, one idea at a time, one brick at a time until you have a bridge built that is indefatigable. The external tempest can be silenced. Make the investment. Become acutely aware of life — the wind coalescing with the leaves, a child’s giggle, the patter of a dog’s wagging tail, silence. And recognize your place within it, your importance. Why are you important? Because you emanate gratitude. You are becoming part of the solution. Gratitude is being thankful for life’s challenges, as it is overcoming them that makes the human experience so rewarding. Gratitude is infectious. Like a virus.
It’s no easy feat creating an image that unifies the diverse region covered by this publication. Owen has made a name for himself producing concert posters for the likes of Dead & Company, Slightly Stoopid, Billy Strings, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Twiddle. Tasked with designing a cover that represents the Northeast, Owen hit on the ocean - a common thread shared by most states in this part of the country. His cover image depicts a lighthouse watching over the region with a bountiful crop of Cannabis on shore, representing the Northeast’s growing marijuana industry.
OWN THE LIMITED EDITION 1ST ISSUE COMMEMORATIVE COVER POSTER Signed and numbered by Maryland’s own Owen Murphy of One Drop Design Studio. 16”x20” silk-screened on high-quality paper | limited run of only 100 copies. Email early@leafnationmd.com to get your cover poster! $60 shipped!
cooking with cannabis
R EC I P E S b y L AU R I E WO L F | P H OTOS b y B R UC E WO L F
DANKSGIVING CANNA-CRANBERRY MUSHROOMS
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. 2. Clean the mushrooms with a paper towel. Remove the stems and finely chop. Place the mushroom caps on a sheet pan. 3. In a sauté pan over low heat, add 2 tablespoons oil and cook the shallots, garlic and celery until translucent. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. 4. Add the sausage and poultry seasoning and cook until the sausage is done, 9-11 minutes. Place the mixture in a bowl. Add the cranberries, cream cheese, panko bread crumbs, canna-oil and cornbread. Mix well. 5. Fill each mushroom with the mixture, about 2 tablespoons, and place in the oven. 6. Bake the mushrooms until tender, about 25-30 minutes. Top with the cranberry sauce before serving.
Makes 16 mushrooms, 8 servings.
38
16 extra large white mushrooms 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large peeled and diced shallot 2 minced garlic cloves 1 stalk celery, chopped 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper ¾ pound turkey sausage 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning 1 tablespoon chopped dried cranberries 3 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs 8 teaspoons canna-olive oil ¼ cup crumbled corn bread
leafnationmd.com
4 tablespoons cranberry sauce
Happy Thanksgiving, I guess. It’s hard to wrap my head around the turmoil these days, and I know that for many this won’t be anything like previous holidays. If you are able to be safe with family or friends, enjoy your meal and be thankful. If you are not, keep the faith and hope for some positive changes coming our way. I have infused the recipes with the East Fork Cultivar strain Wesley’s Wish. My almost constant state of anxiety is lessened and I love the rustic notes.
WINGED VICTORY
1. Pulse the beans, paste, ketchup, garlic, lime juice,
1. Heat oven to 340 degrees.
chiles, cumin, cayenne and the oil in a food processor.
2. Rinse and pat the wings dry. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl and top with the
3. Place the wings on a parchment covered sheet pan. Bake for 45 minutes.
scallion, tomato, cilantro and the optional queso.
4. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Whisk to combine. Add
3. Serve with chips, crudite, or both.
the wings to the sauce and toss to cover evenly. Return to the sheet pan.
Serves 8-9.
5. Sprinkle wings with the cheese and bake an additional 15 minutes. Top with the fresh parsley as garnish. Makes 36 wings and 9 servings.
36 chicken wings
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning blend
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flake
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons canna-oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ tablespoon honey
Chopped fresh Italian parsley
3-4 large cloves minced garlic
NOV. 2020
BLACK BEAN DIP
3 cups canned unsalted black
2 teaspoons ground cumin
beans, drained and rinsed
½ teaspoon cayenne
5 teaspoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons canna-oil
2 teaspoons ketchup
2 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
Juice from one lime
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbs canned green chiles
Crumbled queso (optional)
<< Using canned beans makes for an easy starter. No one will ever know – except me, and I’ll never tell. This dip is also a great sandwich spread.
#WearA M a sk # D ontFea rTheEd ib le # Ea tYourCa nna b is
All Things Cannabis For All People
Vleaaifepodcast
Vbeardedlorax
Vrickerdj
#87 PETS AND CANNABIS Leaf Life is recorded at Mob Studios in Seattle
AVAILABLE NOW: #86 FEAR AND THE MEDIA #88 HIGH FASHION #89 DEATH OF A TRADESHOW #90 WEALTH AND INEQUALITY
LEAFLIFEPODCAST.COM THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
Marijuana products may be purchased or possessed only by persons 21 or older. This product has intoxicating eï¬&#x20AC;ects and may be habit forming. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the innuence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of reach of children.
concentrate of the month leafnationmd.com
40
A SYMPHONY OF FRUITY FLORALS DOMINATES THE FLAVOR PROFILE, SHIFTING TO A SLIGHTLY SPICY NOTE ON THE EXHALE OF EACH PUFF.
culta.io | @cultaig
E I K O O W N O L E M LIVE RESIN CU LTA
BADDER 73.8% THC
9.8% TOTAL TERPENES / 1.73% A PINENE .89% B PINENE / .74% MYRCENE / 2.71% LIMONENE 1.25% OCIMENE / .07% TERPINOLENE / .55% LINALOOL 1.15% CARYOPHYLLENE / .57% HUMULENE / .14% EUDESMOL
NOV. 2020
Holy mother of Chewbacca, Culta’s Wookie Melon live resin badder has easily clinched this month’s spot for our featured concentrate! Coming in with approximately 10% total terps, the Wookie Melon offers the patient a distinctly vibrant, daytime sativa profile that is both succulent and potent.
The dab is an exquisite golden yellow, with a creamy consistency that is my personal favorite extract viscosity – truly reminiscent of Winnie the Pooh and his golden honey. The creaminess is brought on by the perfect combination of waxes/lipids within the oil, which really brings the flavor forward on this extract. And speaking of the taste – just wow – as a symphony of fruity florals dominates the flavor profile, shifting to a slightly spicy note on the exhale of each puff. It is as if Culta candied a crisp organic plot of sweet flowers with just a touch of cooking herbs, resulting in a beautiful nectar. Surprisingly, I get very few citrus notes despite limonene being the most dominant terpene, but nevertheless, the fruitiness shines through. Wookie Melon has just about a 1:1 ratio of limonene:pinene, which is an ideal combination for clear-headed, euphoric highs that are perfect for work, school or your general mental health needs. The temper is defined by an interesting 1:1 ratio of ocimene:caryophyllene, which adds in the spicy/floral notes, as well as controls the sativa wave that can be a bit much for people. In the case of the Wookie Melon, there is enough pinene to make one potentially think that this is a racy strain – but the caryophyllene is such a powerful anxiolytic that it smoothes the edges out of a traditional pinene high. Ocimene actually contributes to the energetic effects of the sativa terpenes, but not in an overly speedy fashion. What this means is that the Wookie Melon packs a pinene punch powerful enough to keep you focused, that is mellowed by caryophyllene, and energetically compensated by the ocimene. Add in the heavy hit of limonene and you have a recipe for some really excellent daytime highs – keeping you moving and grooving all day. Having tried these dabs in both the morning and evening, I will say that the effects conform to what I would expect from this profile. When I dabbed in the daytime, I went about my whole day super energized, pain and anxiety free. And when I dabbed at night, I stayed up late with minimal fatigue and again, pain and anxiety free. Toke after toke went by super fast and before I knew it I had consumed the whole gram – and was left wanting more! I am typically very interested in my next dab – always eager to explore everything the market has to offer – but this is one of the rare times I simply wanted more of the same, with nary a thought to what my next gram might be.
REVIEW by TAYLOR MARTIN @MDCANNAINSIDER | PHOTO by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT/MARYLAND LEAF
cannthropology
WORLD OF CANNABIS PRESENTS
Back to NORML A brief look at Keith Stroup, the man behind America’s foremost 42
cannabis advocacy group and its 50-year fight for your right to party.
leafnationmd.com
NORML’S BEGINNINGS
This year marks the golden anniversary of our nation’s longest-running cannabis legalization association: the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws—or, as it’s better known, NORML. Comprising thousands of activists and lawyers, NORML’s mission is to advocate for the rights of cannabis users by mounting legal initiatives, defending and testifying for the accused, starting petitions and boycotts, appealing to the media and lobbying politicians. At the heart of this vast effort is a man who has devoted his life to the struggle of changing America’s unfair and outdated drug laws; one who has not only gained the respect and friendship of most of the counterculture’s greatest icons, but ended up becoming one in his own right—earning him the nickname “Mr. Marijuana.” That man is NORML’s founder, former executive director and current legal counsel, Keith Stroup. A southern Illinois farm boy turned Washington lawyer, Stroup started out working under consumer advocate Ralph Nader before forming NORML in 1970. One of the group’s first endeavors was to pressure Nixon’s National
NOV. 2020
Stroup speaks at the 2001 Hash Bash.
Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse to allow NORML activists to testify at their hearings. Stroup publicly challenged the old lies first put forth by the yellow journalism and exploitation films of the 1920s and ‘30s, such as Marijuana—Assassin of Youth, and his testimony helped sway the panel, with the president’s commission finally recommending that marijuana be decriminalized. Unfortunately, Nixon completely disregarded that advice.
REEFER MADNESS REPURPOSED
Those early propaganda pictures were largely forgotten ... buried in archives to collect dust for decades. That is until 1972, when Stroup’s lecture agent made him aware that the films had recently entered the public domain. Stroup procured a copy of Reefer Madness from the Library of Congress for $297, streamlined it down to 35 minutes and began showing it after his lectures. “It was so overdone, I knew the students would love it,” Stroup chuckles. “And of course, they did!”
The screenings were a big hit—not only increasing ticket sales and educating the students about the absurdity of prohibitionism, but also giving them an opportunity to spark up once the lights went down. World of Cannabis has three items from this historic 1972 college tour in our museum collection: a promotional poster for the film with the NORML logo in the top corner, and two pages with various sized print ads for the screenings (all black and white).
PLAYBOY
Also from that period, we have a limited edition art print of NORML’s square “Liberate Marijuana” logo, numbered and signed by artist Fairchild Paris, with a stamp designating it as part of the Playboy Enterprises VIP Private Edition. This was an item that had been auctioned off at fundraisers for NORML in the Playboy Mansion during the 1970s. In the organization’s early years, Playboy and its provocative publisher, Hugh Hefner, played a crucial role in getting NORML off the ground.
“The first dollar that ever came in the door came from Playboy,” Stroup recalls. “During the first 10 years of our existence, they were by far our largest funder.” An initial $5,000 donation from Playboy quickly blossomed into a $100,000 a year bankroll, two free full-page ads in each issue of the magazine, and several fundraisers at the Playboy Mansions—leading to a lasting friendship between Stroup and Hef.
HIGH TIMES & HUNTER THOMPSON
Over the years, however, another magazine would eventually eclipse Playboy as NORML’s top supporter: High Times, founded by pot smuggler and radical activist Tom Forcade. Stroup met Forcade in 1972 during the Democratic National Convention in Miami, when Forcade sold him weed from his perch up in a eucalyptus tree in “The People’s Park” –– located a few blocks down from the Convention Center. Throughout the mid-70s, Forcade made a number of large cash donations to NORML, including an infamous satchel filled with $10,000 in small, worn bills that was left on the doorstep of their Washington D.C. offices. The bag was accompanied by a typed note claiming that the cash came from a group of weed growers and smugglers calling themselves “The Confederation,” but it was Tom. After Forcade’s suicide in 1978, Stroup was one of a select few privileged to share a joint containing some of Tom’s ashes at a memorial party atop the old World Trade Center –– the “highest” structure in the world. On the same day Stroup met Forcade in Miami in 1972, he also met and blazed with the Yippie leaders Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, as well as an up-and-coming journalist from Rolling Stone named Hunter S. Thompson. Stroup introduced himself and shared Thompson’s joint after he smelled weed smoke wafting up from under the bleachers inside the convention center. Like Hefner, Hunter became one of Stroup’s lifelong friends –– serving on NORML’s board of directors until his death in 2005.
By 1978, NORML helped get marijuana decriminalized in 11 states and was inching towards nationwide decriminalization.
Hugh Hefner and Keith Stroup in the 70s.
THE CARTER ADMINISTRATION
Hunter and Hef weren’t the only cannabis icons Stroup counts among his BFFs though: legendary activist John Sinclair; political cartoonist Gary Trudeau; godfather of medical marijuana, the late Dr. Lester Grinspoon; and country music star Willie Nelson are all old friends. Stroup was also close with then-President Jimmy Carter’s son Chip, which helped engender a surprisingly amiable and productive relationship with NORML while the Carter Administration was in office. By 1978, NORML helped get marijuana decriminalized in 11 states and was inching towards nationwide decriminalization. Sadly, that all ended after a falling out occurred between Stroup and Carter’s drug policy adviser Peter Bourne. The ensuing scandal led to both men having to step down from their powerful positions.
Stroup and Hunter S. Thompson became close.
Like Hugh Hefner, Hunter S. Thompson became one of Stroup’s lifelong friends –– serving on NORML’s board of directors until his death in 2005.
BACK TO NORML
Stroup didn’t return to NORML for 15 years –– until he finally rejoined the Board of Directors and resumed his position as Executive Director in 1994. In the decades since, Stroup has spoken at countless cannabis events, including numerous NORML conferences, the historic Hash Bash in Ann Arbor, the Seattle Hempfest and of course, the Boston Freedom Rally –– where in 2007, he and former High Times associate publisher Rick Cusick were pinched for smoking a joint together behind the NORML booth on Boston Common. Despite offers to drop the charges, the duo insisted on taking their case to trial to make a political point and push for jury nullification. Today, NORML boasts 135 chapters across all 50 states and seven nations. And though marijuana is now legal for adult use in 11 states and for medical use in another 33, NORML’s fight is far from over.
» For more on Keith
and NORML, listen to his interview in Episode 3 of our Cannthropology potcast at worldofcannabis. museum/cannthropology or wherever you get your podcasts. To join or donate to NORML, visit norml.org.
This content was originally published on worldofcannabis.museum and is reprinted with permission.
STORY by BOBBY BLACK @CANNTHROPOLOGY for LEAF NATION | ART COURTESY NORML & WORLD OF CANNABIS MUSEUM @WORLDOFCANNABIS.MUSEUM
43
DYSCO’S CORNER
T E C H N I C A L
D I F F I C U L T I E S
musingsfromaparent &Cannabisconsumer
I
leafnationmd.com
44
-Dysco NOV. 2020
recently started taking continuing education courses online, becoming a student for the first time since the early ‘90s. I was nervous – mostly because it’s been 25 years since I took classes of any kind – but also because I can’t remember things like I used to. Until I had children, I remembered everything effortlessly. I always did well in school, but now my brain is old. Also, I was a little concerned about my ability to retain information given my Cannabis use. I have found that Cannabis usually helps me when I’m writing, but I wasn’t sure how it would affect my ability to study and retain important information. I did not smoke pot in college – mostly because I preferred to stay awake.
EVEN THOUGH I did not use Cannabis, my roommate Sunny more than made up for my lack. A homegrown hippie chick, Sunny was medicated on marijuana decades before it became accepted in mainstream society. I always marveled that Sunny was able to graduate cum laude after being perpetually stoned all day, every day, all four years of college. It was like her super power. She’d wake up, roll over and pack a bowl before she even got out of bed. I’d watch her take a hit through the marijuana haze, always expecting her to crawl back under the covers for a weed snooze afterwards. But no, never. Not Sunny. She was a true professional. She’d take a hit, hold it, exhale, close her eyes, and wobble just a little bit. But then, just when I was sure she was going down for the count, she’d always surprise me by standing up and getting after it. It went against all my limited experience. When I smoked pot, it made me anti-social and asleep. But when Sunny smoked pot, she became more animated, motivated and focused. She even used Cannabis as a study aid to help her concentrate! After college, Sunny continued smoking Cannabis daily through her American University masters program before moving out West. She now has a successful career in California and is still relying on Cannabis all day, every day to deliver the boost she needs when she needs it. But that’s Sunny. She’s a professional pothead – always has been – with decades of experience. I’m a newbie in the grand scheme of things. I wasn’t sure my brain would be able to use Cannabis and learn complicated new concepts. But Leafers, let me tell you, I was willing to find out… And what I found was: I also possess Sunny’s Cannabis super power. I’ve been killing it in school. I’ve been mostly relying on hybrid blends while studying and have had no problems retaining information from class or passing exams. However, I did have major issues trying to use Zoom. Please remember the last time I was in school, I was using a Compaq word processor. If you don’t know what a word processor is, it was basically an advanced typewriter/video monitor hybrid some used to write papers before we had personal computers. It was basically one step above an Atari console.
It was at that point that I decided to break out my anti-anxiety medicine, a mellow indica by the name of Chocolate Chunk. Fast forward 35 years and suddenly I’m taking classes in virtual Zoom school. This was quite unexpected. I did not plan for this eventuality. My grasp of technology pretty much ended back with the word processor when I graduated from college. Now I am a floating head taking classes in my pajamas with a bunch of other floating heads. No problem. I was excited to be learning again – even if it meant using technology. I tried to be prepared. I even invested in a new desktop and monitor, but when it finally came time to Zoomin to my first class, I just couldn’t figure it out. I couldn’t get on the video or audio. I kept giving it access to my camera and microphone, and my computer kept saying it was denied. I was so confused – and I was missing my class! Normally, I would have attributed the source of my confusion to an unintentional overserving of my new study aid, but I hadn’t smoked any that day. Usually I would have asked a resident teenager to fix it without being condescending, but alas, they were gone – finally learning inside an actual school. I felt a mounting fear that I would have
to ask an IT person for help. Garcia was there, watching squirrels through the window, but I knew he couldn’t help me even if he had wanted to – which he didn’t. I mean, everyone knows Garcia is almost as bad with computers as I am. I had to face it: There was nobody home who could help me. Perfectionist anxiety over missing class was building in my chest. I knew I was out of options. I had to make the dreaded call to Apple Support... It was at that point that I decided to break out my anti-anxiety medicine, a mellow indica by the name of Chocolate Chunk. I hate calling Apple Support. More than you will ever know. The Chocolate Chunk pre-roll was just what I needed before engaging in what was sure to be a stressful conversation for me. Perfect. Mission accomplished. My heart rate slowed down and I was able to explain my problem to Kevin at Apple Support without becoming agitated. Kevin was professional and knowledgeable. Even though my monitor wasn’t an Apple product, he was able to get to the source of the problem within mere minutes. It was very impressive. I like to give credit where credit is due, even when it’s Apple Support. Here’s how he did it, without irony or sarcasm: I explained to Kevin that my computer was denying access to my monitor’s camera, microphone and speakers needed for Zoom. I expected him to ask for permission to share my screen, but instead he said, “Okay, now ma’am, look for the name on the monitor. What kind of monitor do you have? Because they don’t all have the same capabilities.” I wasn’t sure what he meant by that last bit, but I said, “Uh huh...Samsung.” “Okay,” Kevin said calmly in his soothing southern accent. “Now, ma’am, look at the top of the screen in the middle of the bar.” I looked at the smooth bar of black plastic running across the top of the monitor. “Okay,” I said, a little confused, still not sure what we were looking for. “Okay now, ma’am.” I could hear him mustering all of his Apple Support training as he sweetly asked, “Ma’am, do you see a camera there, ma’am?” And that’s when I realized that my monitor had neither camera nor speakers. Oh my. How was I going to explain this to Kevin? I suddenly understood how my mother must feel every time she tried to use FaceTime. Kevin measured my silence before saying, “Don’t worry ma’am. It happens all the time.” So, for all of the rest of you out there experiencing Zoom technical difficulties, here’s my tip: Make sure your monitor actually has a camera and speakers before calling IT support.
SUBMITTED
to MARYLAND LEAF
45
GROCERY BAGS ARE THE PROBLEM hen are we going to get it? When is it finally going to embed somewhere in the collective psyche that we only have so many trees to burn until there is a sad Lorax shaking his finger at us from atop a crispy stump, reminding us that he warned us 50 years ago? Dr. Seuss was ahead of his time. You do know that trees are a bioremediator, correct? That means they clean the air and soil. So, not only do we cease to exist on this planet without them, but we get to enjoy forest fire bongloads of burnt bark and sizzling squirrel tail in the meantime. How much more evidence do we need? Because it doesn’t get much clearer than waking up to an ash-covered car in the morning. Yet the fine face-covered folks who are cluelessly checking and bagging my groceries do not register the fact that it takes trees to make the paper ones, and plastic to kill the trees that make the paper ones. I grabbed a few items at the grocery store and the checker still found it necessary to double bag the items. God forbid the handle should rip, sending the satchel to the ground to potentially dent my tuna can. What the fuck, people? Figure it out! And it’s not that grocery bags are the real problem, but the fact that no one is saying anything. Why do I have to be an asshole for giving a shit? Am I a nuisance by requesting a single bag, or a weirdo for supplying my own reusable ones? Think of us in a fish tank. The water has got to be exchanged fairly frequently, or it begins to turn green and the fish get choked out. That is what’s happening to us. One fish, two fish, red fish, dead fish.
W
46
leafnationmd.com
by Mike Ricker
NOV. 2020
F O L L OW @ R I C K E R D J | G E T T H E AU D I O V E R S I O N & EV E RY E P I S O D E AT S TO N EY- B A L O N EY. C O M
ELEVATING THE STANDARD. MARYLAND'S TOP QUALITY CONCENTRATES
LARGEST SELECTION & EXCLUSIVE LOW PRICING AT HEALTH FOR LIFE DISPENSARIES meltingpointextracts.com Medical Cannabis is for use by certified patients only.
"Maryland's Best Overall Dispensary" -Leafly
BALTIMORE WHITE MARSH BETHESDA NOW: CURBSIDE & DRIVE THRU PICK UP ONLY ORDERÂ AHEAD ONLINE The Best New Patient Specials in Maryland Daily Deals & Excellent Rewards Program Consistent 5 Star Reviews From Patients www.hflmd.com
MARYLAND'S LARGEST SELECTION OF MPX PRODUCTS! Medical Cannabis is for use by certified patients only.
CANNABIS SLEEP AID
Good sleep tonight. Better you tomorrow. Good Night is a clinically tested cannabis sleep aid that uses pulse-release technology for more restful sleep and better tomorrows.
10mg THC : 5mg CBN Pulse-release technology Independently trialed by Maryland patients like you
Available now at your local dispensary. curiowellness.com/goodnight
For personal use only by qualifying patient.