Dec. 2020 - Northeast Leaf

# 4 | D E C . 2020

THE ENLIGHTENED VOICE

NORTHEAST

F RE E / N E L E A F M AG . COM

INDEPENDENT CANNABIS JOURNALISM SINCE 2010

ISSUE 04

DEC. 2020

NORTHEAST

7 EDITOR’S NOTE 8 NATIONAL NEWS 10 LOCAL NEWS 16 STONER OWNER 18 HIGHLY LIKELY 19 BUDTENDER Q&A 20 RISA MARA MACHUCA 22 SUSUN WEED PROFILE 24 STRAIN OF THE MONTH 28 THE CULTURE ISSUE 29 ICONS 30 MUSIC 31 ART 32 GLASS 34 SPORTS 35 CUISINE 36 CELEBRITY 38 GIFT GUIDE 40 RECIPES 41 EDIBLES 42 CONCENTRATES 43 TOPICALS 44 CANNTHROPOLOGY 46 STONEY BALONEY

RYAN DAVID BROWN

ISSUU.COM/NWLEAF

19 BUDTENDER Q&A

COURTESY

32

38 GANJA GIFT GUIDE Illuminati over Syzygy Jetcycler

LEAF NATION SHARES THEIR FAVORITES

northeast leaf chats with the team behind toro glass to learn about how their iconic designs & technology have revolutionized the cannabis glass art machine.

INTERVIEW by MAX EARLY @LIFTED_STARDUST/LEAF NATION | PHOTO by JEFF DIMARCO @IAMJEFFDIMARCO

BRUCE WOLF

neleafmag.COM

MEET CASS MARIE COCONUT TREES

40 CANNABIS RECIPES CELEBRATE THE HIGHLIDAYS IN STYLE

COFFEE? TEA?

HOW ABOUT WEED? CANNABIS DISPENSARIES

SHREWSBURY NOW OPEN MEDICAL & ADULT-USE

WORCESTER NOW SERVING MEDICAL & ADULT-USE

235 Hartford Turnpike Shrewsbury, MA

65 Pullman Street Worcester, MA

For more information on The Botanist locations in Shrewsbury and Worcester or to order online, please visit www.ShopBotanist.com @thebotanist.ma Please consume responsibly. This product may cause impairment and may be habit forming. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug.

This product has not been analyzed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There is limited information on the side effects of using this product, and there may be associated health risks. Marijuana use during pregnancy and breast-feeding may pose potential harms. It is against the law to drive or operate machinery when under the influence of this product. KEEP THIS PRODUCT AWAY FROM CHILDREN. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. The impairment effects of Edible Marijuana Products may be delayed by two hours or more. In case of accidental ingestion, contact poison control hotline 1-800-222-1222 or 9-1-1. This product may be illegal outside of MA.

INTERVIEW by MAX EARLY @LIFTED_STARDUST/LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by JEFF DIMARCO @IAMJEFFDIMARCO

ISSUE #4

profile

6

neleafmag.COM

Artwork for Susun Weed’s album, Its Time

22

northeast leaf interviews the fascinating cannabis activist &author susun weed on life, the plant, and her work

DEC. 2020

STORY by GILBERT GJERSVIK for NORTHEAST LEAF | ILLUSTRATION by KIMBERLY EVE

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 /

A B O U T T H E C OV E R For The Culture Issue, we wanted to highlight the myriad ways that Cannabis can be used and enjoyed by people from all walks of life.

This vibrant cutaway scene was created by Baltimore-based illustrator Devin Watson.

“My artwork is very inspired by the psychedelic pioneers of the ‘60s and ‘70s, particularly the work of Push Pin Studios, Family Dog, and the Grateful Dead posters of Stanley Mouse,” says Watson, who has worked in the field since 2007. “I love pieces that make people pause to explore the illustration and uncover all its little secrets.”

ILLUSTRATION

by DEVIN WATSON @eyeballfortress

PUBLISHER

CONTRIBUTORS

WES ABNEY | FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

BOBBY BLACK, FEATURES

WES@NWLEAF.COM

JOSHUA BOULET, ILLUSTRATION RYAN DAVID BROWN, PHOTOS

SENIOR EDITORS MIKE GIANAKOS | DAN VINKOVETSKY

MIKEG@NELEAFMAG.COM DAN@NELEAFMAG.COM 844-4NELEAF

JEFF DIMARCO, PHOTOS EARLY, PRODUCTION MAX EARLY, FEATURES STEVE ELLIOTT, NATIONAL NEWS GILBERT GJERSVIK, FEATURES

CREATIVE DIRECTOR DANIEL BERMAN | VISUALS & DESIGN

DANIEL@BERMANPHOTOS.COM

BAILEY JONSON, PHOTOS BOBBY NUGGZ, FEATURES, PHOTOS JEFF PORTERFIELD, DESIGN

DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY

MIKE RICKER, FEATURES

PETE THOMPSON

MEGHAN RIDLEY, EDITING

PETE@NELEAFMAG.COM

PACER STACKTRAIN, FEATURES

SALES DIRECTOR

NATE WILLIAMS, REVIEWS

MICHAEL CZERHONIAK

MICHAEL@NELEAFMAG.COM

BRUCE & LAURIE WOLF, RECIPES ALEX WORKMAN, FEATURES PHOTOS

CONNECT WITH NORTHEAST LEAF

Exclusive Cannabis Journalism NORTHEAST| LEAF MAG

@NORTHEAST LEAFMAG

# N O RT H E AS T L E A F

@NELEAFMAG

ISSUU.COM/NWLEAF READ PAST ISSUES IN OUR FREE ONLINE ARCHIVE

ABNEY

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

What does Cannabis culture mean as we head into 2021?

As a high school honors student in 2004, I made fun of stoners without mercy.

They were stinky, grungy and certainly not in advanced classes! The messaging about Cannabis from my parents (who are still teachers today), the media and movies like “Dude Where’s My Car” made smoking pot akin to killing brain cells – which was not something I wanted to do yet. But by freshman year in college, our Creative Director Daniel Berman and I had our Journalism advisor ask, “Wes, do you always do your homework when you’re high?”

7

My journey with Cannabis culture went from the DARE mindset, to embracing it as a fun party drug, to being arrested for possession – before ultimately realizing the medicinal values that led me to start Northwest Leaf in 2010. This massive change happened for me over a period of an influential year, and I feel like much of America is on a similar journey to what I went through as a teenager.

WE HAVE America is confused about Cannabis. We have the stereotyping of A THRIVING COMMUNITY, stoners in the media alongside the massive coverage of the medicinal COMPLETE and ‘safer-than-alcohol’ recreational benefits, all mixed in with a Bible WITH Belt mentality and DARE’s ongoing stigmas, and now even have Oregon CULTURE decriminalizing all drugs entirely. Simply put, most Americans couldn’t AND VALUES define Cannabis culture, let alone imagine that we have a thriving community, complete with culture and values that lead many of our venerated pastimes like sports, music, arts and celebrity culture. More on that with Ricker’s “Death of Celebrity Culture” piece – a great read with good reasons as to why Cannabis doesn’t need a Kardashian to share the marquee with.

The point is, we know that we have an amazing culture, but the rest of the country is still in the dark. And we have to break out of the past and embrace the future – blending patients with stoners, grunge with rasta, wooks with suits and everyone in between. Because Cannabis touches all walks of life, can help everyone as a medicine or recreational substance, and is going to change the world and how we view it. This I know beyond a doubt, the same way I did when my mom asked if I wanted to live my life behind bars for choosing to smoke pot. My answer? It shouldn’t have ever been illegal … and a few months later the Leaf was born.

Thank you for reading and being a part of our community and culture – let’s remember to let it shine! After all, it feels good to be high and smile, so make sure to spread the cheer this holiday season. Our world will thank you for it.

-Wes Abney

DEC. 2020

NELEAFMAG.COM

We are creators of targeted, independent Cannabis journalism. Please email us to discuss advertising in the next issue of Northeast Leaf Magazine. We do not sell stories or coverage. We can offer design services and guidance on promoting your company’s medicinal, recreational, commercial or industrial Cannabis business, product or event within our magazine and on our website, neleafmag.com. Email michael@neleafmag.com for more info on supporting and advertising with us!

WES

N O RT H E AS T L E A F

NATIONAL NEWS

E L E CT I O N 2020

with Prop 205 but the initiative failed, receiving only 48.7 percent of the vote.

This year, Arizona succeeded in legalizing Cannabis for adults 21 and older when an incredible 60 percent of voters approved Prop 207.

The new law takes effect once the election results are made official on November 30, 2020 and allows possession of up to an ounce of marijuana, “of which five grams can be concentrate.”

The measure also permits home cultivation of up to six plants or up to 12 plants in homes with two or more adults, and allows for expungement of past Cannabis crimes.

Under the law, Arizona’s Department of Health Services is responsible for establishing the rules for retail sales and issuing licenses. Adult-use sales could begin as early as the spring of 2021. >> M O N TA N A << Fifty-seven percent of voters in Montana approved Initiative 190, which legalizes the possession, cultivation and sale of Cannabis. Beginning January 1, 2021 adults 21 and older can possess up to an ounce of flower or eight grams of concentrate. Home cultivation of up to four plants will also be permitted.

Montana’s new marijuana law tasks the Department of Revenue with establishing the state’s retail program. Yet while possession will be legal this coming January, Montanans will have to wait a bit for the debut of adult-use sales. The Department of Revenue will start accepting applications for dispensaries and providers by January 2022.

When retail sales begin, the state will impose a 20 percent tax on pot products.

AMERICA VOTES YES FOR CANNABIS!

neleafmag.COM

8

L

ast month, a divided country waited four days to learn who won the presidency, as Election Day turned into election week.

On Saturday, November 7 the race was called and Joe Biden declared the winner. But by then it was clear that the biggest winner of the 2020 election was unquestionably Cannabis, which enjoyed a clean sweep at the ballots.

The country appears uncharacteristically united when it comes to marijuana, as voters in four states decisively approved measures to legalize, tax and regulate pot. Those four states – Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota(!) – join the 11 states that already legalized Cannabis, bringing the total number of legal pot states in the country to 15 (along with the District of Columbia).

While recreational legalization stole the headlines on Election Day, medical marijuana also deserves a mention as voters in Mississippi and South Dakota legalized Cannabis for medicinal use (it was a big day for pot policy in South Dakota, as residents approved both adult-use and medicinal marijuana measures). Medical Cannabis is now legal in 35 states and Washington, D.C. No two state’s pot laws are the same and rules can vary drastically by jurisdiction. So let’s take a closer look at what was passed on Election Day and see what residents of the latest legal states have to look forward to.

>> N E W J E R S E Y << New Jersey voters were given the opportunity to do what state lawmakers had been unable to accomplish when the question of Cannabis legalization was placed on the

DEC. 2020

ballot. Leading up to the election, polling indicated that legal marijuana had strong support in the Garden State and campaign finance records showed that pot proponents outraised opponents 130:1.

So it was no surprise that voters easily passed the constitutional amendment legalizing recreational Cannabis. Still, the 2-to-1 margin is impressive, as the measure passed with 67 percent of the vote.

It’s near impossible to get 67 percent of people to agree on anything.

Now that adult-use Cannabis has been approved, lawmakers in New Jersey must create (and, importantly, agree on) the corresponding legislation. Just about all aspects of the program, like the number of cultivation and retail licenses that will be allowed, the rules for regulating and testing marijuana and even possession limits, have to be decided.

So while Cannabis will officially become legal for adults 21 and older on January 1, 2021, the state is likely about a year away from beginning retail sales as it works through the process of crafting the program.

Recreational Cannabis will be subject to New Jersey’s sales tax (6.625 percent) and local governments can decide to add additional taxes on sales in their jurisdictions.

>> S O U T H D A K O TA << Voters in South Dakota passed a constitutional amendment to legalize Cannabis for adults. The amendment allows possession of up to an ounce of Cannabis and establishes retail sales.

The state’s Department of Revenue will be responsible for issuing licenses for the retail program. Once sales are implemented, the new law imposes a 15 percent tax on marijuana products. The law also allows local governments to ban Cannabis sales in their jurisdictions.

Those who live in an area without a licensed retail shop are permitted to grow up to three plants at home, or as many as six plants in a single household.

South Dakota’s recreational Cannabis amendment passed with 54.2 percent of the vote – easily the lowest percentage of the four states that approved adult-use pot laws.

Only an election boasting such resounding victories for marijuana-law reform could trivialize the fact that recreational Cannabis got over 54 percent of the vote in South Dakota.

CANNABIS WAS THE BIG WINNER OF THE 2020 ELECTION.

>> A R I Z O N A << Support for marijuana policy reform was on the rise over the last decade in Arizona, culminating in a resounding victory for recreational Cannabis this November.

In 2010, voters narrowly approved the use of medical marijuana, passing Prop 203 with just over 50 percent of the vote. In 2016, Arizona had its first chance to tax and regulate recreational Cannabis

STORY by MIKE GIANAKOS/LEAF NATION

LISTEN TO LEAF LIFE PODCAST #91 POST ELECTION EXHALE PART 1: THE NEW STATES

Are you

Interested in fighting against the racist legacy of cannabis prohibition?

Interested in helping to create an equitable marketplace for those seeking to run cannabis operations?

Looking for a way to meet new people interested in cannabis activism?

Self-motivated and willing to work as a volunteer within a fast paced and consensus driven environment?

For $30 per year, members receive * A MassCann T-Shirt * Membership and voting rights within the organization * The ability to participate in MassCann Committee Meetings * Volunteer opportunities through the calendar year (both digital and in-person, if allowed) * Participation in steering groups to help prepare for and run the annual Boston Freedom Rally * Access to educational programming related to the cannabis plant and cannabis reform (lawmaking and regulations)

JOIN THE ORIGINAL GRASSROOTS CANNABIS ACTIVIST ORGANIZATION IN MASSACHUSETTS, 31 YEARS ON THE GROUND AND STILL GROWING TOGETHER!

Join MassCann today at MassCann.org

LOCAL NEWS

Green With

10

A

fter a major win for Cannabis in New Jersey on Election Day (see page 8), all eyes are on New York as the Empire State has fallen behind in the suddenly pot progressive region. New Jersey joins Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont in legalizing the sale of recreational Cannabis, while New York has only been able to muster a restrictive and largely inadequate medical marijuana program.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo supports legal Cannabis and has included the issue in his budget proposals each of the last two years. However, a plan to legalize has not moved forward, in part because the state government can’t agree on how to spend the tax revenue that adult-use pot sales would generate.

Still, Gov. Cuomo continues to push the issue because he recognizes that a legal marijuana market could help solve the state’s current economic crisis. Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, New York was already $6 billion in debt. The pandemic’s impact on the economy has more than doubled that figure and the state now faces a $15 billion deficit.

The governor made his intentions about legal Cannabis clear at a recent virtual event. According to USA Today Network, when asked when New York would legalize marijuana, Cuomo said, “Soon, because now we need the money … We need revenue, and we’re going to be searching the cupboards for revenue, and I think that is going to put marijuana over the top.”

Experts estimate that legal Cannabis in New York could bring in anywhere between $300 and $500 million in tax revenue for the cash strapped state. But the pressure is mounting as New Jersey prepares its tax and regulate program. Cuomo understands the state must move quickly or risk losing out on that revenue to nearby states that have already established retail Cannabis sales.

Perhaps Election Day 2020, when voters in New Jersey and three other states passed measures legalizing Cannabis, will be an inflection point for New York. Unlike those states, New York is attempting to legalize Cannabis through its legislature, as Illinois and Vermont did in recent years.

Nonetheless, legalization has broad support in New York. According to a recent poll from Spectrum News and Ipsos, 61 percent of residents are in favor of legal pot, with 30 percent opposed. That is in line with polling in New Jersey just prior to the election.

Photo by Sungmu Heo

A Billion in The Bay State neleaFmag.COM

A

dult-use pot sales in Massachusetts have surpassed $1 billion. The state reached the marijuana milestone on October 30, just under two years since the start of retail sales.

Voters in Massachusetts approved a plan to legalize, regulate and tax Cannabis in 2016. However, sales weren’t permitted until November 2018, when the state’s first retail shops opened. Since then, the seed-to-sale tracking system Metrc reports that Massachusetts dispensaries have sold over $1 billion of recreational pot products.

Pot’s popularity even withstood the coronavirus pandemic. Remember that Gov. Charlie Baker ordered retail Cannabis shops to close in March 2020, in an effort to slow the spread of the virus by discouraging out-of-state shoppers from visiting. Recreational sales returned in May but in the interim, Gov. Baker inadvertently created a renewed interest in the state’s medical program. Because medical dispensaries were allowed to remain open, Baker’s rec shutdown caused a 245 percent spike in patient registrations.

Despite the COVID outbreak and adult-use retail shops being shut down for months, Cannabis sales in Massachusetts actually increased in 2020, as the state has exceeded $539 million in purchases so far this year.

DEC. 2020

Photo by Richard T

STORIES by MIKE GIANAKOS @MIKEGEEZEEY

LOCAL NEWS

>> Continued from pg. 10

neleaFmag.COM

12

NEWRULESFOR CBD N

ew York lawmakers have released new rules for hemp derived CBD products. The Empire State is hoping to become the standard-bearer for regulating hemp extracts. However, the new rules –– along with a comprehensive hemp industry bill passed last year –– are among the strictest in the nation.

While recreational marijuana remains elusive in New York, the state has taken some steps to foster a Cannabis industry through hemp and medical pot programs. There are approximately 800 hemp growers and/or producers in New York and CBD plays a major role in the viability of those businesses.

The ever-popular cannabinoid is being added to everything from drinks and food to vapes and transdermal patches.

The new regulations set by the state allow for CBD to be included in food and drink — which had previously been banned — but not in drinks containing alcohol. The guidelines also cap potency, with a maximum of 25mg of CBD per serving allowed in food and drink and 3000mg in supplements.

Additionally, advertisements claiming that CBD cures any specific ailment are outlawed.

While some industry watchers have decried the rules as restrictive, perhaps the biggest backlash has come from small farmers over the ban on smoking hemp flower. Hemp, by legal definition, cannot contain more than 0.3 percent THC –– meaning its dried flowers would not constitute marijuana, which is still illegal in the state. Nonetheless, the new rules prohibit the sale and consumption of smokable hemp. According to industry lobbyists, this creates a disadvantage for small farmers and business owners who’d been hoping to meet high overheads by selling hemp flower.

Vaping hemp extracts is allowed under New York’s new guidelines.

As Gov. Cuomo continues his push to legalize and commercialize Cannabis in New York in an effort to abate a crippling debt, the state’s restrictive and inadequate hemp and medical pot programs (NY’s medical law bans patients from smoking Cannabis) suggest legalization might not be as successful as he assumes. Ultimately, you have to convince people to leave the black market and give their money to the state. That will be difficult if the legal market is the inferior option. Should New York manage to pass and implement retail sales of Cannabis, it would also be competing with New Jersey and other nearby states. Perhaps it’s time to ease up on the pot industry restrictions.

T

wo Cannabis businesses in Maine have filed a federal lawsuit against the state over the licensing of non-residents. The suit claims that licenses granted by regulators to seven recreational marijuana shops in Maine are illegal because the owners of the businesses are from out of state.

The issue stems from one of Maine’s own marijuana laws, which says that in order to receive a license to operate an adult-use dispensary, applicants must live in Maine and have filed income taxes there for four years.

However, earlier this year, Maine announced that it would drop its residency requirement for applicants after a lawsuit by The Wellness Connection claimed the requirement was unconstitutional for favoring residents over nonresidents. The Wellness Connection is Maine’s largest

DEC. 2020

Photo by Karolina Grabowska

dispensary chain and one of its owners lives in Delaware.

Despite acknowledging that it couldn’t enforce the law, Maine’s Office of Marijuana Policy never actually changed it and the legislation is still on the books.

The new suit claims that officials illegally granted the seven licenses and asks for them to be vacated. The plaintiffs are also asking that the court prohibit the state from continuing to grant licenses to businesses with out-ofstate owners.

After a lengthy wait, retail sales finally began in Maine on October 9.

Despite some inventory shortages and related purchasing limits, the program got off to a good start with thousands of transactions over the long weekend resulting in $250,000 in adult-use Cannabis sales.

A NEW DELIVERY MODEL IN MASS C

Photo by Cambridge Jenkins IV

annabis regulators in Massachusetts have OK’d a new type of pot delivery service. The state’s Cannabis Control Commission will now allow licensed marijuana businesses that don’t operate out of storefronts to deliver their own products direct to consumers.

The state approved courier deliveries earlier this year, however those licenses only allow a third-party company to pick up pot products from dispensaries and deliver them to consumers, similar to how Postmates operates with food delivery. This new delivery type is different, as it allows licensees to purchase Cannabis inventory wholesale and deliver their own products to customers. Since these businesses do not operate dispensaries, they would store their pot products in a warehouse.

Delivery businesses are seen as advantageous startups because they allow entry into the Cannabis industry without the initial costs or long-term overhead associated with a retail storefront. Massachusetts activists like Shanel Lindsay (“Women in Weed,” November 2020) have been pushing regulators to implement delivery as part of a social equity plan after the state largely failed to follow through on its goals of helping to establish minority-owned marijuana businesses.

In late October, the Commission decided to move forward with the new delivery license, which, along with the courier license, will be offered exclusively to the state’s equity program applicants for at least three years.

Regulators hope delivery will both curb traditional market dealing and help communities disproportionately impacted by pot prohibition. However, the decision to move forward with the new license was described as “contentious,” as dispensary owners complained about losing out on business.

While the Commission rejected a motion to delay all recreational Cannabis delivery until 2023, it did acquiesce in part, placing restrictions on where deliveries can be made and capping delivery licenses at two per company. Additionally, licensees must operate out of a single warehouse.

SHROOMS DERAIL

NJ DECRIM BILL ait, what? What is going on in New Jersey? Don’t they have this backwards? Shouldn’t decriminalization come before legalization? Also, why on earth are ‘shrooms holding things up? OK, let’s start at the beginning…

On Election Day 2020, New Jersey voters emphatically passed a constitutional amendment to legalize, tax and regulate recreational Cannabis (read more on page 8). Now lawmakers are tasked with crafting the state’s legal pot program. Of course, these are the same legislators that were, for years, unable to reach an agreement on an adult-use bill, opting instead to let marijuana remain prohibited.

In addition to writing New Jersey’s recreational Cannabis law, legislators are also currently working on a decriminalization bill. Despite the election results, marijuana will actually not become legal until January 1, 2021 –– meaning lawmakers can pass a decrim bill now to ensure that no one gets arrested for pot possession in the interim. The bill would also expunge criminal records for past marijuana violations.

While that sounds great –– like an example of the government working for the people –– you might not be shocked to learn it’s not going smoothly. While the state Senate passed the decrim bill allowing for possession of six ounces of pot (that’s actually down from a previous bill that would have decriminalized up to a pound), the Assembly canceled its vote and it is now unclear if the bill will move forward. Why did they cancel their vote?

Because the Senate included an amendment to the bill that would decriminalize the possession of an ounce of psilocybin, or magic mushrooms.

The Assembly accused the Senate of including the amendment as a “poison pill,” while the Senate made the point that the current penalty for possession of ‘shrooms is three to five years in prison (those in possession would still face up to six months in jail under the new legislation). Interestingly enough, Oregon just became the first state to legalize psilocybin outright.

Still, New Jersey voters believe that marijuana-law reform is important. They don’t want to see anyone getting arrested for possession. They’re sick of seeing the police disproportionately target minorities over pot. They think it’s time to allow expungement of past pot crimes. Hopefully New Jersey legislators get the message … eventually.

Photo by Egor Kamelev-modified

STORIES by MIKE GIANAKOS @MIKEGEEZEEY

stoner owner

NORTHEAST

16

Juiceman Juice man

CAN YOU TELL ME WHEN AND HOW JUICEMAN FRESH PIFF WAS ESTABLISHED? I’ve always had a love for natural juice and my body responds positively to it. I decided to work in the juice industry, where I learned how to make smoothies at a popular juice bar near my college. After training with top-of-the-line equipment, I was able to hone my skills and then tried it on my own on a smaller scale. Purchasing a small press, I began making juice for myself and friends and family. Once I witnessed the response, I realized my juice was really good and perhaps there was an opportunity to educate people and start a business. That is when I began calling it “piff” and made a brand logo. I got some bottles, slapped my stickers on them and that’s how Juiceman began!

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF JUICING AND TYPES OF JUICE BLENDS YOU SPECIALIZE IN? I feel that sometimes the juice industry focuses a little too much on what we put into our bodies, and not enough on what we can cut out. Generally, my juices aren’t overly packed with bad tasting vegetables, because although I respect an earthy and healthy juice, for me it’s more important to make something that’s tasty and easy to drink. I try to never make the same batch of piff twice and I’m always moving on to new flavor combinations. Having said that, there’s a huge list of benefits that stem from drinking natural juices. From helping with digestion and metabolism, to calming our sinus or respiratory systems.

neleafmag.COM

DO YOU SEE THE PARALLELS BETWEEN FRUITS AND VEGETABLES, AND CANNABIS WITH THEIR SHARED TERPENES? It was a shock and a thrill to see the parallels between juice and Cannabis in regards to their universal terpene profiles. Many favorite strains have fruity terpene profiles that lend themselves to pairing perfectly with my fresh-pressed juice blends. This was brought to my attention by my friend Cory and taken to a new level through my participation in Interpretasting – a craft Cannabis tasting event in Massachusetts where I make customized blends of juice to pair with unique, locally-grown cultivars. Basing my flavors off the terpene profiles of the strain is something I didn’t know was possible. We dubbed it Rip and Sip – I’m very proud of it.

The fruits of our labor in the Cannabis community help support many local businesses and entrepreneurs from all walks of life. Dave Katz – a.k.a ‘Juiceman’ – is a seriously talented juicemaker with a passion for wellness. We reached out to get to the core of where Dave started down this juicy journey and how his introduction to the Cannabis community has boosted his social media presence and sales over the last year.

HOW HAS THE COMMUNITY BENEFITED A SMALL BUSINESS LIKE YOURS? A huge percentage of my customers are stoners. There’s just something about juice that resonates with the Cannabis community. I make different packs of my juice every week – small-batch piff with new flavors and a new theme. Everything I do is through social media and once I was introduced to the Cannabis Instagram community, things have taken off. It’s been an honor in the short time that I’ve been the Juiceman to meet so many interesting people. I get to interact daily with professionals from all walks of life, such as small business owners, edible makers, craft cultivators, beekeepers, dispensary workers and countless other people that I wouldn’t have otherwise met. I’m particularly grateful to Taylor at Rise Above CBD and Smoke Shop in Framingham, Mass. and Pete from Petez Pop in Pawtucket, R.I., who have been integral in helping my business grow by allowing me to get my product in the hands of those who want it.

WHAT’S YOUR END GOAL WITH YOUR BRAND AND WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS? Ultimately, I would love to have as many drops of fresh piff as I possibly can and keep taking this to the next level. I just recently started my business and I have no plans to slow down. I also see pasteurized juice as an option to grow and increase my volume, but for me fresh juice is the truly special stuff.

I GET TO INTERACT DAILY WITH PROFESSIONALS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, SUCH AS SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, EDIBLE MAKERS, CRAFT CULTIVATORS, BEEKEEPERS, DISPENSARY WORKERS AND COUNTLESS OTHER PEOPLE THAT I WOULDN’T HAVE OTHERWISE MET.

WHERE CAN OUR READERS FIND YOU AND OBTAIN YOUR FRESH-PRESSED JUICE? You can find me on Instagram @juicemanfp. My process is simple: All you have to do is contact me directly to put in your order and to see if there is a pick-up location near you. My pre-order pick-up locations can be found in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Available from Rise Above CBD & Smokeshop, and Petez Pop

DEC. 2020

A Stoner Owner is a Cannabis business owner who has a relationship with the plant. We want to buy and smoke Cannabis from companies that care about their products, employees and the plant. You wouldn’t buy food from a restaurant where the cooks don’t eat in the kitchen, so why buy corporate weed grown by a company only concerned with profits? Stoner Owner approval means a company cares, and we love weed grown with care. Look for the Stoner Owner stamp when purchasing fine Cannabis, and let’s retake our culture and reshape a stigma by honoring those who grow, process and sell the best Cannabis possible.

INTERVIEW by BOBBY NUGGZ @BOBBYNUGGZ_OFFICIAL | PHOTOS by BAILEY JONSON @BADMSBAILEY & CORY LACH

highly likely

18

Highly Likely highlights Cannabis pioneers who paved the way to greater herbal acceptance.

Swami is one of the most recognizable Cannabis experts on the West Coast, with his long beard, white robes and ever-present smile.

Swami Chaitanya S

neleafmag.COM

Cannabis and spirituality have a long history.

So long in fact, that much of the historical record we have of the plant only relates to ancient religious text or writings (Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek), or from archeological discoveries where Cannabis was found near religious temples or burial sites.

It’s only post-prohibition that our relationship to the plant as humans has become more secular and separated from the spiritual realm.

This does not mean that all modern Cannabis use is devoid of sacred or spiritual application – in fact, it could be argued that what we’re really seeking when connecting with the feelings that Cannabis gives us is some closer connection with something divine outside (and inside) ourselves. And that’s why this month’s subject is so special and pertinent to the times we’re currently living through.

DEC. 2020

WAMI CHAITANYA (BORN WILLIAM ALLEN WINANS) is a

self-described “original hippie” having come up inside the San Francisco scene in the late ‘60s. He even worked on the cult-classic film “Sunseed” which was a documentary of sorts of the many gurus and spiritual leaders who were drawn to the West in the ‘60s and ‘70s in response to the transformation of consciousness that was taking place at Chaitanya the time. For Chaitanya, though, it wasn’t connects a until the late ‘90s that he left his old identity practice to behind through a sacred initiation on the the process banks of the Ganges River. Now he is one of consuming of the most recognizable Cannabis experts Cannabis on the West Coast, with his long beard, at every white robes and ever-present smile. chance.

While some could (and do) write off his appearance and spiritual philosophy as a gimmick to sell his Cannabis brand Swami Select, it’s according to Chaitanya that the brand only exists as a means to fund his sanctuary in Mendocino County.

The Cannabis they grow is hand-trimmed, prayed over and cured all inside the temple.

“Nobody thinks about the farmer,” he told the LA Times in 2016. “Most people want to get high, or they want to get their medicine. When you go to the grocery store for peas and carrots, you are not thinking about the farmer who grew them, right? We are trying to change that.”

Chaitanya connects spiritual practice to the process of consuming Cannabis at every chance.

He’s a proponent of a technique that connoisseurs of all kinds like to practice: the dry hit. “It’s almost like a mindfulness meditation,” he told Rolling Stone in 2010, “like eating an apple and tasting every bite.”

While watching any of the numerous videos online that he’s produced over the past five years – one gets the sense that he’s truly trying to do for Cannabis consumers what any guru or holy man does: get people in their everyday lives to be aware of their ability to be better than they currently are.

At the end of the day, this plant has always brought with it hope for humanity, if we’d only slow down and listen to what it’s trying to tell us.

STORY by PACER STACKTRAIN for LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by MIKE ROSATI @ROSATIPHOTOS

Cass Marie Coconut Tree

INTERVIEW

W H O ’ S Y OU R FAVO R I T E B U D T E N D E R ? T E L L U S W H Y ! E M A I L N O M I N AT I O N S T O D A N @ N E L E A F M A G . CO M

NORTHEAST LEAF BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH WHAT EFFECT HAS CANNABIS HAD ON YOU R LIFE?

Cannabis has had a truly profound effect on my life – it opened my eyes to the power of herbal healing at a relatively young age. Incorporating Cannabis into my daily routine allowed me to take control of my health and wellbeing overall.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD BUDTENDER? I think a good budtender is made up of equal parts education, experience and anticipation of patient needs, with a hefty sprinkle of fun personality! Education is so important – from terpene profiles to combustion temperatures, to different formats of edibles, to the difference between rosin versus resin, and so on. You have to make sure you’re at the top of your game when you are recommending products to patients.

WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING RIGHT NOW? A lot of OVM flower (Tangie X Cookies N’ Cream) grown by Think Higher Cultivation, and also grown by Firefly Organics. It is the perfect amount of blissed-out pep-inmy-step, with enough body density to keep me grounded. At the end of my day, I’m typically dabbing on Sundae Driver rosin, grown and pressed by Team Green. They have a phenotype of Sundae Driver that is so juicy sweet and allows for a great end-of-day chill. I incorporate a fair amount of full spectrum CBD-dominant tinctures into my daily routine to nail my inflammation and arthritis woes. I’m currently taking the 30:1 Anti Venom tincture by Limitless Earth and the 1:1 tincture by Maine Craft Cannabis.

19

IF YOU HAD ANY COMPLAINTS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?

No complaints here really, but more of a request: Where are all the juicy Tangie dominant strains?! The Crown of New England needs more juicy and fruity terps! Jokes aside, I think the Cannabis community all over the country has to take a moment and think about how there are millions of people sitting in jail for petty drug charges, while there are loads of us working in legal dispensaries. Anything we as a community can do to help should be done.

“YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE AT THE TOP OF YOUR GAME WHEN YOU ARE RECOMMENDING PRODUCTS TO PATIENTS.”

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BUDTENDING AT FIRE ON FORE? I love the genuine interactions with

the patients I see a few times a week. It really warms my heart to have someone come back to let me know that the strain I recommended for them totally took away their leg spasms, or that they’ve found their new favorite edible to ease their cramps. As a patient myself, my knowledge has been a lot of trial-and-error. Being able to share that and receive positive feedback is absolutely amazing!

FIRE ON FORE | 367 FORE ST. PORTLAND, ME | FIREONFORE.COM | (207) 805-1870

WHERE DO YOU GO FOR CANNABIS KNOWLEDGE?

A lot of my Cannabis knowledge has come from the years I spent working in gardens; there can be many tough learning curves to be had when you are cultivating. That knowledge is paired with digital research – comparing several resources when it comes to terpene profiles and genetics, and the application for commonly treated symptoms. I do also turn to paperbacks on occasion; Michael Backes put out a fantastic read a number of years back that I reference regularly – “Cannabis Pharmacy: The Practical Guide to Medical Marijuana.”

IF YOU COULD GET BLAZED WITH ANY FIGURE FROM HISTORY, WHO WOULD THAT BE? I have a number of top choices

and choosing just one is really difficult! But I would have to say that Albert Einstein would definitely be at the top of the list. Puffing one down then chatting space and cosmic equations – that would be something truly special!

INTERVIEW by DAN VINKOVETSKY @DANNYDANKOHT/NORTHEAST LEAF | PHOTO by RYAN DAVID BROWN @RYANDAVIDBROWN

neleafmag.COM

CASS MARIE COCONUT TREE’S journey with Cannabis has been a lengthy one – beginning in her teens as a recreational user, but shifting into medicinal usage in her early 20s. At that time her health took a drastic shift for the worse and she opted to go the route of herbal remedies. Unfortunately, she was living in a state that did not recognize Cannabis as a medicinal herb, so she moved to Maine. Here she started growing her own Cannabis and the experience solidified her deep love for the healing flower. After a brief stint in Northern California where she learned to make hash, edibles and skin care products, Cass returned to Maine in 2018 and is currently running the sales team at Portland’s Fire on Fore.

patient profile neleafmag.COM

20

La Reina de Las Olas

From New York to Nayarit, San Blas to San Francisco – Risa Mara Machuca is a badass Latina who makes waves wherever she goes. She’s a two-time National Longboard Champion who runs her own surf school, represented Mexico in the 2019 Pan American Games, and has won bronze and copper medals from the 2013 ISA World Championships. In addition to being a semi-pro surfer, she’s also an awardwinning independent filmmaker who has worked on music videos for Snoop Dogg and Santana, with her work appearing in over 150 film festivals worldwide.

DEC. 2020

STORY by BOBBY BLACK @BOBBYBLACK420 for LEAF NATION | PHOTO by EMY DOSSETT @SALTY_SEE

How did you get into surfing?

I’ve always been an ocean person because of my parents. My dad was a fisherman and my mom was a beach hippie. Even though they split when I was very young, I spent summers with my dad in San Blas and it had a big surf scene. So it was something I always wanted to do, but never did because I was a chubby girl and boys teased me. But at 27, after breaking up with the guy I thought I was going to marry, I said fuck it – I’m going to take a six month sabbatical and learn to surf. So that’s what I did.

Tell us about your surf school.

I came back to Mexico about 10 years ago to care for a family member and ended up moving to Sayulita and getting a job as a surf instructor. I loved it, but they tried to force me into an unfair contract, so I had to quit. Luckily, I had a reputation here, so clients just began contacting me directly. I started seven years ago, renting out surfboards to give lessons – now my partner and I have about 50 boards of our own. The school is called Surf it Out. My idea was that if you’re angry, lonely, sad, excited – whatever’s going on in your life – you can surf it out.

So, surfing as therapy?

Exactly! A few years ago I teamed up with a life coach and started a women-only retreat here called Surf Your Soul. We only do it twice a year and we only allow eight women max. It’s very intimate and focused. You surf, you talk things out, you get coached a little. You feel emotionally bare when you’re out there on a board, in your bathing suit with nothing – your makeup’s gone, you don’t have your phone, you have nothing to concentrate on other than what you’re doing.

There’s something replenishing about feeling the energy of the ocean and releasing your energy into it. People have these emotional breakdowns in the water – for a lot of them, it’s a life-changing thing. It gives me goosebumps talking about it ... I’m really proud of it.

RISA MARA MACHUCA You’re also an amateur filmmaker.

Yes. After graduating college in New York, I got an internship in San Francisco as a production assistant – so I got to learn the entire production process from behind the camera, from beginning to end. In 2006, I co-directed a short film called “Shortstop” that won runner-up for Best Short at SXSW. After that, I did another short called “Asi Es” about a young man who goes on this mysterious surfing trip. It was making its run through the film festivals and had won runner-up at Bend when I had to move to Mexico. I didn’t start getting back into film until I injured my back; I couldn’t walk for two months, so I started thinking about what I could do creatively.

Was Cannabis part of your recovery? Absolutely.

I started using it a couple of years ago when I re-injured my knee. Somebody gave me this homemade CBD massage butter and the first time I used it, I was like, ‘Holy shit, this works really good!’ And also to sleep at night ... to sit down and have a joint at the end of the day with a glass of wine and watch the sunset definitely helps me chill out.

What’s next for you? I’m starting a bathing suit line for sporty, curvy women who are active. It’s hard to find good surf suits that fit my body and I know I’m not the only one. And within the next two years, I want to make a full-length movie of “As Esí ” – like an extension of the short, except the lead character is a girl. I’ve been working on the script for the past nine years, so that’s my passion project.

surfitout.com | surfyoursoulretreat.com

“ T h e r e ’s s o m e t h i n g r e p l e n i s h i n g a b o u t f e e l i n g t h e energy of the ocean and releasing your energy into it.”

profile

TURTLE ISLAND

22

SUSUN WEED neleafmag.COM

“I speak for the Wise Woman Tradition,” she said, “which nourishes the wholeness of the unique individual. My aim is to restore herbal medicine to its rightful place as people’s medicine.” Her physical school, the Wise Woman Center — just outside of Woodstock, NY — and her online school - wisewomanschool.com - offer a wide variety of courses designed to help you learn herbal medicine your way. Susun has graduated more than a thousand live-in and live-out shamanic herbal apprentices, including 15 this year. Many elect to be initiated as green witches.

It’`s not often you get to meet a witch. And Susun Weed is no ordinary witch, but a High Priestess of the Dianic Wicca tradition. She is also a teacher, mentor, author, speaker and most importantly, a Wise Woman.

DEC. 2020

It was a mild, drizzly day in early November and Susun was supposed to be in Katmandu, but due to the pandemic all of her travel plans had been cancelled.

“Thank you COVID, I am not off to Nepal!” she said. “Or damn you COVID! Whichever it is, hard to say.” This year all of her invitations to speak or teach have been through virtual conferences. The first time I saw her was at an online seminar series in October on psychedelics and sacred medicines. There she recalled her experiences in the ‘60s with psychedelics –– seminal meetings with people like Richard Alpert aka Ram Dass in Westchester, NY –– and spoke about plants and her relationship with them.

Patch Adams, a physician and social activist whose life story was portrayed by Robin Williams in the film that bears his name, wrote the introduction to Susun’s latest book, “Abundantly Well: Seven Medicines. The Complementary Integrated Medicine Revolution.”

“An important thing about Susun,” he wrote, “is that she invites you to a wholeworld utopia where your health may be a political act. If we are to find solutions to all the horrors in the world, they (the solutions) will sprout from Wise Women.”

And for many states, including New York, Connecticut and New Hampshire, the consumption of Cannabis can still be perceived as an act of political defiance.

“Cannabis has been demonized,” said Susun. “And it’s only in the past five to 10 years that it’s actually coming into its own as an herbal medicine. Especially for someone at my age, in my mid-70s, there is that overhang –– ‘they’re going to take your house away, they’re going to throw you in jail, they’re going to take your kids away from you’ –– if you have anything to do with Cannabis. And that is certainly disappearing. I am a legal card-carrying Cannabis user in New York State. It’s weird,” she laughed. “Nice weird. To go into a store and say, ‘I’ll have some of that and some of that.’”

Her last name Weed is not an intentional Cannabis branding effort, but does involve a long story of divorce, a mountain, a shared mailbox, and dropping a letter or two for a last name she could claim as her own and get her mail. “Since I am the champion of the weeds, it fit,” she said. “And how wonderful that ‘the weed’ –– Cannabis –– is resuming, along with herbal medicine, its rightful place.”

When we met, Susun suggested a walk into the woods surrounding her home near Woodstock. No, she did not lead me to a gingerbread house, but there was some storytelling and magic. Her first story began with a plant, but it wasn’t Cannabis. “According to Grandmother Twylah Nitsch, who adopted me into the Wolf Clan of the Seneca Nation, First Woman

was working in her garden one day and pulled up a plant by mistake,” said Susun. “The plant she pulled up was the Tree of Life, and it created a big hole that she fell through. At that time the Earth was all water. The beings of the water were concerned that First Woman was falling and had no where to land. Turtle, after all others failed, managed to dive deep enough to bring up earth for First Woman (and the rest of us) to settle on. “So we live on Turtle Island,” said Susun.

“This sedimentary rock, bluestone, that we stand on, was created by that first ocean. You are walking on ancient, ancient history.”

Mythology and reality continued to converge as we reached a small clearing and stopped. “Here we are at a crossroads,” said Susun, pointing to three different paths ahead of us.

“There’s a lot of magic that happens at a crossroads, both symbolically and literally in our lives. The goddess of the crossroads is Trivia, and Trivia is also another name for Hecate, the goddess of the coming of the dark.” Of the three paths, one was not an option.

“We cannot go straight ahead because that is the fairy path and this land has a place devoted to the fairies, who are the agents of chaos. And so anything that is at ease with chaos can go there, and that exempts human beings. We are not at ease with chaos.”

Of the remaining two paths, one was steep and slippery; the other, to the right, was the flat fairy bypass. She asked me to choose. I chose the fairy bypass, mainly out of concern for her safety. And I wanted her thoughts on Cannabis, the pandemic and what we should do for the future.

“I find that Cannabis wisely used can help us open our eyes and look at ourselves, and look at each other,” said Susun. “I think that’s the big Rx that we’re going to need. I often say Cannabis is a magnifier –– it’s not a changer. If you give Bob Dylan Cannabis he’s not going to become a bum.

And if you give a bum Cannabis he’s not going to write incredible music. So whoever you are, Cannabis can magnify that for you. If you don’t like you, well then, now you’re on your own shamanic journey, aren’t you! So how can you widen and strengthen your social connections while isolating? It’s quite the Koan, the Zen riddle.

Cannabis can be a wonderful ally, a green ally, in doing that.

It’s not a drug. It’s a plant.”

“I find that Cannabis wisely used can help us open our eyes and look at ourselves, and look at each other,” said Susun. “I think that’s the big Rx that we’re going to need.”

Susun’s website offers a free course, “Healthy Immune Systems: Corona Virus Help,” as well as a variety of other offerings. Susun’s YouTube channel “WiseWomanTradition” has over 40k subscribers and 300+ videos; and her latest book, “Abundantly Well: Seven Medicines.

The Complementary Integrated Medicine Revolution,” is available on Amazon.

WiseWomanSchool.com youtube: WiseWomanTradition

STORY by GILBERT GJERSVIK| PHOTOS by JUSTINE ADELAIDE SMYTHE @SMYTHEHOUSEPROPERTIES for NORTHEAST LEAF

STRAIN OF THE MONTH neleafmag.COM

24

GOLDEN BOUGH Available exclusively from Canna Provisions 380 Dwight St. Holyoke, MA cannaprovisionsgroup.com @cannaprovisionsholyoke @wiseacrefarmcannabis

dec. 2020

NORTHEAST

In rural Western Massachusetts, somewhere in the borderland between the Commonwealth and New York State, resides a 51-acre parcel of land in West Stockbridge: Wiseacre Farm.

On nine of those acres are ornery pigs, braying donkeys, chickens, bees, cows and other livestock comprising the sustainable farm where owner Jon Piaseki’s first crop of “artisanal” sungrown Cannabis was grown this past season. He’ll be rolling it out to the market exclusively at Canna Provisions stores in Western Mass in December.

Piaseki — an artist, Harvard graduate, master stonemason and landscape architect-slash-earth scientist — met Canna Provisions COO Erik Williams two years ago. And after giving him a smell preview of an early crop of Golden Bough, the proprietary launch strain of Jon’s creation, Williams closed the bag and said he’d take everything.

An exclusive first-look provides an olfactory experience heavy with rich pine and pepper, as well as constant citrus fireworks via a Black Lime Special Reserve parent strain (the other parents remain proprietary and secret). Dense bud weight — clearly from being

seeped in sun and fed compost from the waste and byproducts on the farm, plus simple, pure rain water — was supercharged thanks to the spacious grow allowing for optimal air circulation and full sun pouring in over the hills during the season.

“Chem was blown away by the autoflowered colas,” Piaseki said of his consulting grow partner at Wiseacre, Greg “Chemdog” Krzanowski, Canna Provisions’ Director of Cultivation.

The process yielded buds the size of soda cans; no small feat in the bucolic Berkshires, and the sun-drenched grow method let the plants display the full range of natural terpenes and cannabinoids you don’t get under the lights, according to Piaseki.

As a grower and naturalist, Piaseki favors genetic diversity, as he feels it’s the best way to honor the plant.

“This is a living plant that is outdoors and has the taste and terroir of this place I’ve been foraging for years,” Piaseki says.

“There is nothing but love in Golden Bough, and you can taste it.”

AN OLFACTORY EXPERIENCE HEAVY WITH RICH PINE AND PEPPER. STORY by DAN MCCARTHY @ACUTALPROOF for NORTHEAST LEAF | PHOTO by OUTPOST @WEAREOUTPOST

NORTHEAST

GROW BUD YOURSELF IS YOUR SOURCE FOR CULTIVATION INFO, INTERVIEWS, NEWS, ACTIVISM AND REVIEWS!

CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE Affordable advertising available now! email michael@neleafmag.com for details on including your brand and company in the JANUARY 2021 NORTHEAST LEAF!

Grow Bud Yourself podcast is available on all streaming platforms and where ever you get your podcasts!

Send your questions to info@growbudyourself.com NORTHEASTLEAFMAG NORTHEAST LEAF MAGAZINE

#NORTHEASTLEAF

Danny Danko teaches you everything you need to know to get growing now!

Featuring some of the most important people in the cannabis industry

Jorge Cervantes, Kyle Kushman, Tommy Chong, Aaron from DNA Genetics, Jenn Doe, Milo from Big Buddha Seeds, Swerve from The Cali Connection, Ed Rosenthal, Chemdog, Adam Dunn

Past guests include

and many more!

Growing your own marijuana can be both a liberating and political act.

Former HIGH TIMES Magazine Senior Cultivation Editor and author of the book “Cannabis: A Beginner’s Guide to Growing Marijuana” Dan Vinkovetsky (Formerly known as Danny Danko) and co-host former HT Editor-in-Chief Mike Gianakos provide news, activism reports and cannabis cultivation tips for connoisseurs, aficionados and medical patients alike. Bonus: Interviews with expert growers and professional seed breeders, ‘Strain of the Fortnight’ and ganja growing questions & answers.

Follow along! @dannydankoht @mikecheckg @growbudyourself

All Things Cannabis For All People Vleaaifepodcast

Vbeardedlorax

Vrickerdj

AVAILABLE NOW: #91 POST ELECTION EXHALE PART 1: THE NEW STATES #93 WEED AND STRESS #94 ROLLING STONED w/ TERPENE TRANSIT

#92 CANNABIS IN THE BEDROOM 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.

the CULTURE issue

STORY by TOM BOWERS @PROPAGATECONSULTANTS + MIKE RICKER @RICKERDJ

CANNABIS CULTURE. Together, those two words encapsulate an encouraging phenomenon – the idea that a plant can inform identity, binding individuals to one another. But that’s what Cannabis does. It inspires the mind and spirit of those who invite its synergistic qualities into their bodies, and by doing so, sows the seeds of lifestyle. Within the evolution of modern human history, Cannabis influence has woven into the fabric of our shared existence in a myriad of ways: The saxophonist improvising rich, sultry notes in sweaty underground jazz clubs. Rasta mystics channeling a higher level of spirituality. The Beat poet hammering out the essence of America on the keys of an Underwood typewriter.

Tie-dyed miracle seekers smiling brightly outside of a show with a finger held high.

Good parents slyly sipping on a vape pen.

Entrepreneurs evaluating a pitch to fund their startup over a pre-roll.

Grandma slathering medicated lotion on arthritic joints, savoring an infused chocolate.

28

Cannabis is the touchstone, the common thread that stitches the tapestry together. It’s the flag.

So, then, how do you define Cannabis culture?

Perhaps it’s not typical of any one type of person or distinct aesthetic. Its mystery is not delineated by socioeconomic status, skin color or geographical region. We all know what it is not.

It’s what it is that stretches the barriers of our imaginations and escapes the dogma of definition.

Cannabis culture is defined by the tribe who prescribe and imbibe. It’s a community of seekers reaching for an unconventional connection that swirls in the ether outside the periphery of conformity. They are not easily fooled, are wise to propaganda and weary of carpetbagging capitalists with steely smiles.

neleafmag.COM

We are on the precipice of an overwhelming shift and the momentum is palpable. Cannabis is essential and so are the people who apply it to their lives and improve their precious time on this planet.

We are at the epicenter of a movement, blasting through the atmosphere like a rocket to the sun, staring down the inevitable collision of rainbow supernova proportions into a massive collective spiritual awakening. All around this plant.

It’s a community of seekers reaching for an unconventional connection that swirls in the ether outside the periphery of conformity.

DEC. 2020

We all inherently understand where we are and what we are, but Cannabis allows us to better understand and express who we are. It helps all of us seekers on our quest for deeper meaning and stronger connection.

In this issue, the Leaf staff have humbly extracted the indispensable intricacies of Cannabis culture into a sticky concentrate for your consumption. Please enjoy.

ART

FOOD MUSIC GLASS ICONS SPORTS SOCIAL

CELEBS GIFTS ART BY IRINA

HUNTER S. THOMPSON “I have always loved marijuana. It has been a source of joy and comfort to me for many years. And I still think of it as a basic staple of life, along with beer and ice and grapefruits – and millions of Americans agree with me.”

BROWNIE MARY “I’m not a criminal.

I did nothing wrong. I was helping my kids. We desperately need medical marijuana in this country.”

B-REAL “Like Louis Armstrong played the trumpet, I’ll hit that bong and break you off somethin’ soon.”

DAVE CHAPPELLE “I don’t do drugs, though.

Just weed.”

ZACK GALIFIANAKIS “I don’t know what my assistant would do besides get me pot.”

JOE ROGAN “If you lock someone up for smoking a plant that makes them happy, you’re the fucking criminal.”

DOUG BENSON “A message to parents who think legalizing weed will make their kids want to try it: They will anyway.”

WHOOPI GOLDBERG “The vape pen has changed my life. No, I’m not exaggerating.

In fact, her name is Sippy.

Yes, she’s a she. And yes, I named her Sippy because I take tiny, little sips – sassy sips, even – from her. And with each sip comes relief – from pressure, pain, stress, discomfort.”

SNOOP DOGG “Can we get a muthafuckin’ moment of silence for this small chronic break?”

BILL MURRAY “I find it quite ironic that the most dangerous thing about weed is getting caught with it.”

CARLOS SANTANA “Legalize marijuana and take all that money and invest it in teachers and in education. You will see a transformation in America.”

icons ICONS 25 CANNABIS CULTURE

CARL SAGAN “The illegality of Cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world.”

MARTHA STEWART “Of course I know how to roll a joint.”

LIL WAYNE “I love weed so much I tried to marry Juana.”

SARAH SILVERMAN “I’d have to be honest: I have contempt for pretty much every drug other than pot.

I find drunk people gross. Most people with more than one drink in them aren’t giggly, goofy and happy the way people are with a puff of pot smoke in them.

At a party, I have so much fun stoned, flitting about -– but once I sniff that first wave of drunkenness on someone, I’m out of there.”

29 SETH ROGEN “Yes, I have a medical marijuana prescription, personally. I went in, and they said, ‘What do you need it for?’ And I said, ‘I have a very specific ailment – it’s called, I ain’t got no weed on me right now.’”

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

MORGAN FREEMAN “I have fibromyalgia pain ... and the only thing that offers any relief is marijuana.”

JACK KEROUAC “I smoked more grass than anyone you ever knew in your life.”

LOUIS ARMSTRONG “We always looked at pot as a sort of medicine, a cheap drunk and with much better thoughts than one that’s full of liquor.”

BOB MARLEY “I feel so high, I even touch the sky / Above the falling rain ... I got to have kaya now.”

JIMI HENDRIX “Please pass me the peace weed, and take some heed.

Throw away all that mixed up speed.”

TOMMY CHONG “You can smoke marijuana, you can eat it, you can wear it, it’s a perfect plant!”

WILLIE NELSON “The biggest killer on the planet is stress, and I still think the best medicine is and always has been Cannabis.”

SHAGGY (SCOOBY DOO) “Like wow, my favorite!

A double triple decker sardine and marshmallow fudge sandwich.”

WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS “Unquestionably, this drug is very useful to the artist, activating trains of association that would otherwise be inaccessible, and I owe many of the scenes in Naked Lunch directly to the use of Cannabis.”

CREATIVE COMMONS IMAGES/LEAF NATION STAFF

the CULTURE issue

STORY by LUKAS PREVIN @DEBTCRISISDC

MUSIC

From Then ‘Til Now: Music and Marijuana

As long as music has existed, so has the relationship between its creators and their preference of muse-inspiring consumption.

neleafmag.COM

30

We can start way back with Louis Armstrong – one of Jazz’s most influential artists, Armstrong was a household name for his genius on the trumpet spanning five decades from the 1920s to 1960s. He also used those huge lungs to inhale Cannabis between blowing out notes.

Arrested outside the Los Angeles Cotton Club in 1930 for smoking a joint – reportedly laughing the night in jail away – Armstrong had no clue “what a wonderful world” was yet to come for Cannabis.

As Armstrong’s last notes trilled into the ether, Jamaica was about to introduce the world to another Cannabis legend - Bob Marley. A true icon in the culture of Cannabis, Marley smoked partly due to his deep religious Rastafarian beliefs. ‘Ganja’ is a Rastafarian word taken from the Sanskrit language for marijuana, and on the song “Ganja Gun,” the lyrics lay out his deep love and respect for the medicine. Marley’s likeness continues to grace grinders, bongs, pipes and the Marley Natural brand, with his timeless music ringing throughout every storefront.

Another artist you’re likely to hear banging from your dispensary’s speakers is the mighty Black Sabbath. Formed in 1968, Black Sabbath are pioneers of metal and stoner rock. Infamous for both their sound and reputation, Sabbath cemented fear in the hearts of parents around the world when they released their third studio album “Master of Reality” with the ode to Cannabis “Sweet Leaf,” starting with a rhythmic loop of Ozzy and guitarist Tony Iommi coughing from a joint, continued by a Cannabis love letter in musical form.

Then there’s Willie Nelson, a man who truly adores our beloved plant and has written numerous classics on the topic. Nelson’s blend of authentic country sound and an outlaw’s attitude earned him worldwide fame.

He smuggled his sound across the borders of genre, and continues to light up a style of music that usually doesn’t see much cultural crossover. Willie cashed the cigarettes and booze in 1978, when four fights with pneumonia - and a self-awareness of not being a kind drunk - turned Cannabis into his one true love. These days, his Willie’s Reserve brand of Cannabis is available across the country.

DEC. 2020

We can see that Cannabis has shifted from underground whispers and innuendo to mainstream acceptability in the arts.

Next we pass the pipe to Snoop Dogg – perhaps the only man to claim to have smoked 81 blunts in a day and be believed. An artist, advocate and entrepreneur, Snoop helped pave the way for other celebrities to come forth with their own Cannabis use.

From his albums, to his Snoop Dogg Pounds glass line, to the Cannabis company Leafs by Snoop,this titan of toking shows no signs of slowing down.

Much thanks to Snoop, we find the evolution of open lyricism about Cannabis in the music of Wiz Khalifa. Hailing from North Dakota, Wiz has been burning through charts and Cannabis. Releasing records with infused titles like “Kush and Orange Juice” and “Rolling Papers,” Wiz squashes the stigma of lighting up. Another entrepreneur in both industries, Wiz has launched Khalifa Kush and his own rolling paper collab with RAW. Over the years, Cannabis representation in the arts has shifted from underground whispers and

innuendo to mainstream acceptability. A modern-day example of this crossover is Margo Price. Born in Illinois and based in Nashville, Price is currently one of country’s biggest rising stars. Grammy nominated in 2019, Margo came out as a Cannabis user stating that “some musicians want to sell clothes on the Home Shopping Network, but I want to sell weed.” Price would do just that with her All American Made line supported by Willie’s Reserve. Price’s alignment with Nelson not only brought extra attention to her music, but also bolstered her counterculture image as a pioneer in the Cannabis field.

With each generation of artists, the public’s embrace of Cannabis progresses like the notes in a scale. Today, we have the legends of yesterday collaborating on music and Cannabusiness with the next class of hitmakers.

There’s no telling what the green muse will inspire in the generations to come.

ART BY OLEGGANKO

STORY by MAX EARLY @LIFTED_STARDUST

@MILEHIGHGALLERY | MILEHIGHGALLERY.BIGCARTEL.COM

Brain Heart displays by Emilio Garcia with chairs by Takashi Murakami

Mark Whalen’s “Ok Okay” vinyls

High Art

Drew Degen | Q Q& &A Mile High Gallery

From vinyl toys to canvas paintings, high-end glass art to recycled tables crafted out of skateboards, Mile High Gallery has it all. We were lucky enough to pick owner Drew Degen’s brain a bit for our December Culture Issue, gaining insight into the underground art scene world and how Cannabis has influenced these rebellious pioneers. With art curators like himself, we hope that both street art and Cannabis will become more widely appreciated and accepted. Visit Mile High Gallery’s Instagram page, where Drew steadily adds art on the daily.

WHAT PARALLELS DO YOU SEE IN CANNABIS AND THE UNDERGROUND STREET ART CULTURE? Both Cannabis

and street art are still illegal in most places worldwide, but are still a positive part of the daily lives of millions of people. Growing up, both of these subjects were frowned upon, but the overall public opinion on both of these subjects over the past two decades has changed dramatically in a positive direction. Colorado played a big part in doing this because it was one of the first states to legalize recreational back in 2012 – and we also have one of the largest underground art scenes currently. Only two years before legalization, the first Crush Walls event occurred.

Crush Walls is a counterculture graffiti-based event which takes place annually in Denver.

Crush Walls focuses on creative expression and has hosted iconic artists like Shepard Fairey, Cryptik, Hoxxoh, Elmac and many more.

HOW DO YOU FIND THAT CANNABIS INFLUENCES ARTISTS TO PUSH THEIR BOUNDARIES AND THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX? Cannabis

has incentivized creativity in humans and artists for thousands of years. From cave art to the emergence of graffiti as a counterculture art form in the 1960s, it’s common to find Cannabis as a collaborating partner. It’s scientifically proven that Cannabis can make you more creative – it increases cerebral blood flow to the brain’s frontal lobe – which is directly linked to creativity.

31

“Nebula Panther” by Adam G and Buck @sweaterkingpin @buckglass

Cannabis companies using art directly on their products and packaging to look more attractive and to pertain to the common Cannabis user, who most likely appreciates art too. This is a direct correlation between artists and the Cannabis community. I’ve been noticing that more muralists are getting hired to paint public spaces, including the walls on the exterior and interior of Cannabis dispensaries and headshops.

HOW ARE ARTISTS INFLUENCING THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY? Cannabis and art go hand

in hand. Some of the most notable artists in the world have shaped their careers off using Cannabis, whether it’s musical artists from Willie Nelson and Bob Marley portraying their lyrics about how Cannabis helps them, to painters like Alex Grey directly depicting the plant. Not only does Cannabis influence artists, but artists also influence the Cannabis community greatly. I often see

Hebru Brantley Flyboy and Lil Mama vinyls with a mask made by Dan Schaub

(Left to right:) WJC (@wjcglass) x Rose Roads (@roseroadskojima) Heartifact, WJC x Adam G Heartifact; Quave (@quaveglass) x Buck(@buckglass) Fish Klein

PHOTOS BY ALEX WORKMAN @WORKDUBS

the CULTURE issue Jumbo Jetcycler with jumbo Jet Perc

32

Custom Jetcycler with Jet Perc

Q & A | J P To ro & W e nd y

The neleafmag.COM

To ro Tea m

DEC. 2020

TORO GLASS For glass aficionados, Toro has been a name that has been familiar for years, and that is certainly not changing anytime soon. Toro Glass was one of the first brands to truly make a name for themselves, becoming an internationally renowned company and innovating the way we all consume Cannabis. From Y2K on, collectors have been flocking to their local headshops for their shot at JP Toro’s bongs and dab rigs – and Toro’s latest creation, the Terp Slurper, has become one of the most sought after glass-related items this year. Here we find what gets JP’s gears turning and what it takes to keep a machine like Toro Glass finely tuned and running clean.

Through many different trials and errors, and R&D with a couple o f m y c l o s e b o y s , t h e Te r p S l u r p e r w a s c re at e d . I t l i t e ra l l y t o o k almost three years for people to catch on, but today there is a super craze for the Slurpers and their function.

Terp Slurper

Illuminati over Syzygy Jetcycler

WENDY, CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE US AN IDEA AS TO WHAT IT TAKES TO KEEP A COMPANY LIKE TORO HIGHLY FUNCTIONING FOR THE PAST 15+ YEARS?

Marbles

It wasn’t until 2015 that I started to fuck with quartz, but I immediately became obsessed.

A lot of hard work, customer service, great employees and adaptability!

We are a family-run business of 12 employees. Everyone who works here we hired through word of mouth and through a friend of a friend. There are a couple of married couples, along with some of their close relatives and family friends. We are so blessed to have the crew we have. Our families and children all grew up with each other, and we often even celebrate holidays together. Our bonds and respect for one another run deep. Luckily too, JP designed Toro as a ‘classic.’ As the industry ebbs and flows from flowers to hash, from titanium to domes to quartz, we are adaptable and luckily JP is always at the forefront.

JP, WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO CREATE? For function, the

desire to make the ultimate hitting piece. For art,

are industry standards and the building block behind so many pieces. Back at the beginning of this industry, there were tubes and hand and water pipes. When I first made ‘micro’ and ‘macro’ pieces, people were not sure what to think of these smaller styles of glass ‘rigs’ – and then when titanium was introduced onto them with glass domes in late 2006-2007, it was a serious issue and most stores thought I was nuts! They were scared to sell any sort of dabbing accessories – but time went on, people adapted to the change, and it all became industry standard. Mad props to Quave for bringing the quartz banger to the scene and increasing the dabbing experience by allowing for larger surface areas and cleaner dabbing all around.

It wasn’t until 2015 that I started to fuck with quartz, but I immediately became obsessed. In 2017, I remembered Bubble Man did some sort of burping terps for flavor, which got me thinking about how I could create a piece of quartz that caused terps to percolate. I closed my eyes and imagined percolation holes, and the hash bubbling and popping and creating flavor. It reminded me of slurping fine wine.

Through many different trials and errors, and R&D with a couple of my close boys, the Terp Slurper was created. It literally took almost three years for people to catch on, but today there is a super craze for the Slurpers and their function.

Other innovations, such as the TempTech in 2018, which allowed people to dial in their dabbing temperatures, also helped the movement by not making it seem so intimidating to dial the Slurper’s temperature in.

CAN YOU GIVE US SOME INSIGHT ON YOUR RIGOROUS PROCESS OF MILLIE WORK? My new favorite art form at the to keep trying to make a masterpiece that makes me happy. I am always trying to outdo myself. Definitely, I am my own worst critic and never satisfied, which keeps me going on and staying behind the torch every day – even after blowing glass for 22 years.

WHERE DO YOUR INNOVATIVE IDEAS COME FROM WHEN DESIGNING NEW PRODUCTS? Living life … it’s random.

I can be driving down the road and see a tractortrailer with a certain color pattern on the side of the truck, which I may then incorporate into my next piece. I spent a lot of my younger years in downtown Philadelphia, where a crew of us designed and worked on comic books. I found that it allowed me to stretch my imagination because it is not the real world and anything is possible/ doable. This world/realm taught me that there are no boundaries, even when it comes to glass.

At first, when I started to create, people wondered what I was doing. Now today, a lot of the designs

moment is Millie work. I did a bunch years ago, but then got so busy with Toro and life, that I had to put some of my own passions on the backburner.

But pulling from my Philly years and animation experience, I have been creating a lot of original images and characters and incorporating them into my art in multiforms, from glass millefiore to fashion, to producing music.

There is a story behind it all, but as with everything I have done thus far, it may take a minute for it all to make sense and come together.

Hopefully, in this lifetime I am able to accomplish it, but ultimately, I am having a blast doing me for a change! It is hard to shake the ‘production’ stigma of Toro, but exciting to get to introduce myself in a different light that most people have not seen yet. Most importantly, experimenting, creating and designing for this newer body of work is what keeps me sane during these crazy times!

TOROGLASSGALLERY.COM | @TORO_GLASS | @JPTOROLIFESTYLE

INTERVIEW by MAX EARLY @LIFTED_STARDUST/LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by JEFF DIMARCO @IAMJEFFDIMARCO

33

the CULTURE issue neleafmag.COM

34

STORY by MIKE GIANAKOS

SPORTS Athletes are the new rock stars. Players from the four major American sports (well, three of them anyway) increasingly become major celebrities with massive social media followings, recognizable brands and, whether you realize it or not, a great deal of cultural influence.

Cannabis has long played a role in sports.

Pitcher “Spaceman” Bill Lee was a loud and proud pothead in the ‘70s and old school NBA centers Robert Parish and Bill Walton were certainly known to partake. But as it’s become increasingly socially acceptable to consume, athletes have played a major role in bringing marijuana into the mainstream.

Likewise, the culture around Cannabis in professional sports is finally beginning to change as pot policies are relaxed. Of course, this shift coincides with changes in the legal landscape.

There are 123 teams across the four major American sports (football, basketball, baseball and hockey) and 101 of them play in a state that has legalized recreational and/or medical marijuana (that’s over 80 percent).

Still, for a long time, the NFL was content to keep its pot policy in the dark ages, subjecting players to random tests and punishing them with suspensions.

Ricky Williams is probably the best-known example of an athlete embracing Cannabis –– and paying the price. The former running back used marijuana to cope with social anxiety disorder and to recover from workouts. But after failing a drug test, Williams found it difficult to navigate the NFL’s draconian pot policy. Testing became more frequent, so frequent that Williams says he was drug tested at least 500 times during his football career. He was also suspended for an entire season. Williams opted to retire rather than be governed by the league’s pot rules.

He got away from the NFL, traveled to India, studied Ayurveda and grew as a person before returning to football.

Williams ultimately had to toe the line in the NFL, but he never let the league’s ridiculous take on Cannabis change him. In fact, it’s pretty clear he changed the culture of the NFL, as players view marijuana in a different light thanks to Ricky.

Now, it’s commonplace for players to use Cannabis to recover from the wear and tear of the sport. Estimates indicate that anywhere between 50 and 89 percent of the league partakes.

In fact, many players advocate for using marijuana in place of harmful opioids when dealing with

DEC. 2020

pain. Ricky definitely has something Previously, players were randomly tested As it’s become to do with that. He was a pioneer. four times over the season and positive increasingly socially pot tests were met with escalating punishUnfortunately, as the saying goes, pioneers usually end up with arrows in ments, including suspensions. Under the acceptable to their backs. new rules, players are screened for PEDs consume, athletes After years of forcing pot prohibibut not recreational drugs. tion on players, the NFL has at last Additionally, the NHL and more recently have played a major changed course: The new collective MLB don’t ban Cannabis and treat its use role in bringing bargaining agreement does away with as a health issue. MLB also did away with marijuana into the suspensions for pot use, limits the testsuspensions for minor leaguers who test ing window to the first two weeks of positive. mainstream. training camp and significantly raises Competitors in extreme sports and the threshold for a positive test. e-sports have largely embraced Cannabis.

Pot is also prevalent in the NBA. Despite estiYet as e-sports have grown to rival some traditional mates that as much as 85 percent of the league sports in viewership and ad dollars, drug testing is consumes Cannabis, the Association had banned becoming more commonplace. Still, Cannabis and pot since 1983. Change finally came this summer gaming are undeniably linked and testing in these when the NBA and the players union agreed on a leagues is certainly on the liberal side. But if you new drug policy prior to resuming play in Orlando prefer to watch stoned gaming, remember, some following the coronavirus outbreak. e-sports leagues make marijuana mandatory.

ART BY EMILY

STORY by ELISE MCDONOUGH @CANNABISEDIBLES420

cuisine CUISINE High Hospitality is the Culture We Deserve By far, the most common way to introduce an American to a new culture is through food.

Sharing food forms an instant connection, a long-standing way to bridge the divide between strangers. Coming together around a table to enjoy a meal initiates people into the etiquette, rituals and customs of different cultures, forming the basis of much human socialization in societies around the globe.

H O W H A S C A N N A B I S I N F L U E N C E D F O O D C U LT U R E ?

Whether you’re eating THC or smoking it alongside meals, it’s important to know that for most of human history, Cannabis was food.

There were no arbitrary laws separating it from any other useful plant, and its effects were wellknown among ancient cultures.

Simmered with milk and spices, Cannabis infuses bhang lassi, an Indian beverage that dates back to 2000 B.C.E. Mixed with melted butter, sugar, spices, ground nuts and dates, Cannabis imbues mahjoun with potent psychedelic effects, and this recipe for the first-ever edible originated in the Middle East in the 11th century.

These days, you might find people hot-boxing their car in restaurant parking lots, firing up their appetites before they eat.

According to research conducted by Giovanni Marsicano of the University of Bordeaux, it’s been scientifically proven that “THC – the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana – fits into special receptors in the brain’s olfactory bulb, allowing users to smell and taste food far more acutely while high.”

Cannabis is one of the few plants on Earth proven to enhance appetite, which has medical applications for patients suffering from AIDS wasting syndrome, anorexia, or the side effects of chemotherapy. For the rest of us, weed elevates even a humble meal into a taste sensation.

Eating while high can help you notice more nuance in the taste and textures, conferring a newfound appreciation for even the simplest things, like sourdough toast slathered with butter.

H O W H A S F O O D C U LT U R E I M PAC T E D C A N N A B I S ?

Chefs have long had an affinity for weed, as discussed by Anthony Bourdain in the 2010 New York Times article “Marijuana Fuels a New Kitchen Culture,” with the memorable quote “Everybody smokes dope after work … People

35

uating various wines, “cannaphiles” rave about you would never imagine.” bud structure, trichome coverage, terpene profiles Outspoken Cannabis aficionados like Eddie and cannabinoid percentages, devising systems for Huang bridged the gap, bringing an appreciation pairing specific Cannabis cultivars with food and for how being high led to creative ideas for new wine. dishes at his acclaimed NYC bun shop Baohaus.

Someday, in a post-COVID world when the hosWhen I interviewed Huang for High Times in 2013, pitality industry revives, we’ll see the full flowering he said, “I do discover a lot of flavor combinations of the Cannabis culinary movement: a full-service, when I’m high that I normally wouldn’t.” infused fine dining experience.

Nothing epitomized this paradigm shift more Previously only available through than the VICE series “Bong Appétit,” underground supper clubs, the full inwhich transformed Cannabis cookery Cannabis is one of the tegration of Cannabis into a regulated methods from a mindset of scarcity few plants on Earth dining experience will be an evolving to abundance, revolutionizing how process, as evidenced by the OG CanCannabis is perceived as an ingrediproven to enhance nabis Cafe project in LA. ent. Introducing chefs to the plant and appetite, which has A fully-realized Cannabis restauteaching them how to integrate it into signature dishes, “Bong Appétit,” let the medical applications rant scene is the ultimate goal that all chefs continue to work world know that those inspired stoners for patients suffering weed-loving towards – where you can indulge in a were going way beyond brownies. from AIDS wasting joint on an outdoor patio before being Today, as the Cannabis culinary movement evolves, we see a level of syndrome, anorexia, seated, or pair vapes with each course before finishing off the meal with a connoisseurship comparable to wine. or the side effects of Cannabis-infused dessert. It’s a future Just as oenophiles have developed a worth looking forward to. lexicon of their own devoted to evalchemotherapy.

ART BY IANA ALTER

the CULTURE issue

36

neleafmag.COM

ROCK AND ROLL IS DEAD. You can blame American Idol for that, but let’s not get into it.

Let’s do get into, however, why it doesn’t matter to Cannabis people whether you’re playing a stage or staging a play — if you are a stoner, you’re cool. And the fact that someone notorious draws eyes for their talent, or lack of, is neat, but kind of ends there. Because what you do for work does not validate you as a viable influencer in the Cannabis community.

There is no validation required to be a part of it.

You either get weed, or you don’t.

Since the Green Rush that began around five years ago, many companies have learned the chilly truth that having celebrity status in Cannabis can get you recognition, but it does not guarantee credibility. And in any known movement that values credence over crap, credibility is paramount.

Cannabis lovers have learned the inherent differences between deception and authenticity because they very simply can tell good from bad. A con from a sucker. Fire from mids.

People don’t like to be suckered and Cannabis people have been suckered for a hundred years. Whether it’s the fear mongering propaganda of Henry Anslinger, the failed war

DEC. 2020

on drugs begun with the Nixon administration, or simply buying a bag of black-market brick weed, everyone has gotten burned at least once. And just because a new celebrity brand has insert retired professional athlete’s name here repping it, that don’t mean it ain’t bullshit junk CBD powder irrigated by some of the world’s gnarliest tertiary treated sewer water in China.

We do not give a shit who is promoting it, just make sure it works. Because the list goes on with the Willie Nelsons, Tommy Chongs, Jay Zs, Martha Stewarts, Seth Rogens, Mike Tysons, Jimmy Buffetts, etc. who have slutted themselves for a ticket on the passing bandwagon without first getting high on their own supply.

And just because people know your name does not make you any more of an authority on quality Cannabis than Aaron Rodgers on car insurance, or Post Malone on prescription glasses.

Anyway, Rock and Roll is dead (name one significant band in the last 20 years) because no one cares who is playing the guitar, they just want to hear the music.

Mercury is stuck in retrograde, and Kim Kardashian is off the air. And now she’s stuck in retrograde, too.

That’s show biz, Honey.

Here’s the deal. The celebrity is the flower. Get used to it. It is not the trendy artist with the most fuck you money and teardrop face tattoos. The celebrity is Blue Dream, Wedding Cake and Green Crack. Because people and their influence are only as important as you make them to be, while the plant will always endure. Its nature is pure and its identity true.

Cannabis prospers. No earthquake, famine, pandemic, or government will ever stop a weed from growing. It will journey through all periods, and for as long as people inhabit the earth, it will make itself available. It is the food of the gods, the essence to our senses.

So, here at the end of the most reality checking year of our lives, celebrity fatigue is real. But it is possible that our stargazing tendencies could again get the better of us.

Because if Kanye manages to pull off a Hail Mary in 2024, Kim Kardashian will indeed be your first lady. You scoff, but stranger things have happened.

After all, there is still that swearing in bit in January that has yet to take place.

Because people and their influence are only as important as you make them to be, while the plant will always endure.

ILLUSTRATION BY JEFF PORTERFIELD

the CULTURE issue

Ganja Gift Guide

You wouldn’t try to put a round peg in a square hole, right? So why would you try cleaning your banger with a rounded cotton swab? Proswabs has come through with the solution to keep your banger clean and chazz-free use after use! These swabs have a pointed tip on one end, allowing you to reach the hard to clean spots in your nail — particularly the area where the wall meets the base. Available in bulk size (300 swabs) tubs and coming soon in travel packs (30 swabs), Proswabs are ready to keep your gear as fresh as possible, both at home and when out and about. $5.99/300pk, ProSwabs.com

Proswabs

Puffco Peak Pro Blazer GT8000 Big Shot Torch

38

For the analog dabbers of the world, heating up is a part of the ritual and there is no more ubiquitously used tool to accomplish that job than the Blazer Big Shot GT8000 Torch. Offering a powerful flame, the Big Shot heats up even thick bottomed nails quickly and with ease. The sleek frame is ergonomic and makes the torch easy to handle, while the base allows the torch to stand upright when not in use. The Big Shot is a must-have item for any concentrate enthusiast not using an electronic dab rig. $79.99, BlazerProducts.com

Gifts GIFTS

Puffco’s revolutionary Peak made a lightning fast ascent to become the industry’s gold standard of electronic concentrate vaporizers since its release in January 2018. With a sleek design that’s on-the-go friendly (it fits flawlessly into your car’s cupholder, though we certainly don’t suggest you use it while driving) and an intuitive torch-free function, it’s no wonder the Peak has become the go-to tool for many dabbing enthusiasts worldwide. The new Peak Pro addresses the atomizer issue that plagued the original models, adds bluetooth integration for smart phone connectivity and control, and now has wireless charging capabilities — improving upon an already stellar platform. $399, Puffco.com

FOR CANNABIS LOVERS

neleafmag.COM

Kasher Every lighter needs a Kasher and every ganja smoker needs a lighter.

By the transitive laws of nature, this means every stoner needs a Kasher.

And for good reason — these helpful little tools are great to help clean out finished bowls, pack down weed in your joint or blunt, and can even function as a skewer for your doobie when it gets down to the finger-stinger stage. As an added benefit, Kashers go a long way in helping keep lighters in their rightful owners’ pockets by adding a unique look and helping differentiate yours from everyone else’s. $7.99, MyKasher.com

DEC. 2020

OCB Organic King Size Slim Hemp Papers + Tips When it comes to rolling papers, there are really only a few factors you need to take into consideration — the thickness of the paper, the stickiness of the glue and the flavor. OCB Organic Hemp Rolling Papers deliver on all of these important aspects and provide a highly enjoyable smoking experience each and every time. After years of smoking through every paper on the market, OCB’s Organic Hemp line wins out as the thinnest, easiest to use and best tasting papers available from your local head shop. $4.99/32pk book, RollOCB.com

Pax 3

Not everyone wants to smoke their Cannabis flower — some want a cleaner, more lungfriendly option and want to vaporize it. For these folks, we recommend the newest rendition of Pax Labs classic dry herb vaporizer: the Pax 3. Their new version offers a fleet of new colors, bluetooth connectivity for phone or computer-based temperature control, and upgraded battery life to make it the longest lasting unit on the market.

Add in intuitive function, versatility in its ability to be used for both concentrates and flower plus a sleek design, and the result is an exceptional piece of hardware any Cannabis enthusiast would be thrilled to receive. $249.99, Pax.com

R EVI E W S b y NAT E WI L L I A M S @ NAT E W4 1 5 / L E A F NAT IO N

GET NORTHEAST LEAF

delivered right to your door

AND NEVER MISS AN ISSUE!

SUBSCRIBE TODAY FOR $6/

GLASS ART SPECIAL ISSUES

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT * FREE GIFT WITH 1-YR. SUBSCRIPTION *

PATIENT PROFILES

CANNABIS RECIPES

FE AT U

RE

S

MAGNIFICENT FLOWERS

EMAIL SUBSCRIBE@NELEAFMAG.COM TO GET SIGNED UP

cooking with cannabis

Home for the

HIGHLIDAYS R EC I P E S b y LAU RI E WOLF PHOTOS b y B RUC E WOLF

Shortbread Rounds Makes 14 cookies

1. In the bowl of a mixer beat the butters and sugar until creamy.

Slowly add the flour and salt and mix until just combined. Roll into a log about seven inches in length and chill for at least one hour.

room temperature 2 tablespoons canna-butter, room temperature ½ cup confectioner’s sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2. Heat oven to 340.

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

3. Place the sprinkles on a plate.

Roll the log in the sprinkles and cut into ½ inch slices. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

40

8 tablespoons unsalted butter,

¼ teaspoon salt Sprinkles

Spiced Pecans Makes 4 cups

1. Heat oven to 300. Line a sheet pan

4 tablespoons dark brown sugar

with parchment paper.

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

2. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and spices and the infused oil.

In another bowl, combine the pecans with the egg white, which helps the

2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon cayenne ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 tablespoons canna-butter or oil

spice adhere to the pecans.

3. Combine all the ingredients and spread on the sheet pan.

4 cups pecan halves 1 beaten egg white

S’more Style Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows Makes 16 marshmallows

neleafmag.COM

1. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

1 cup dark chocolate chips 2 tablespoons infused oil or butter

2. Place the chips and infusion 16 marshmallows in a small bowl, and microwave 3 graham crackers, crushed on medium for one minute. Stir.

Continue to heat at 10-second intervals. Smooth.

3. Dip the marshmallows in the melted chocolate and cover about half.

Dip in the crushed graham crackers and place on the paper to set.

While many of us will not be doing much socializing this holiday season, we still want to share the love. And the Cannabis! Gifts of food are always welcome. Label correctly, and don’t leave the infused shortbread cookies out for Santa. He doesn’t indulge, though apparently the Mrs. loves infused hot chocolate. FYI, Blitzen is a stoner.

DEC. 2020

For a few friends, I am offering the gifts in a piece of pottery or mug so that they will have a constant reminder of my love for them. Only the CBD-infused treats will leave Oregon, and you can follow the same recipe for canna-butter with CBD flower. Expect a feeling of wellness without the head high. Keep doses low, spirits high, and be sure to love one another.

#WearA M ask #Dont FearT heEdi ble #EatYourCannabi s #CallYourPa rents # Ha p p y Holid a y s # WeWillSurvive

Hash Chews

Known for their fantastic hash rosin and connoisseur-quality flowers, Wisely Cannabis have quickly become one of Maine’s finest producers of many different pot-infused products. Their edibles continue the tradition featuring great flavors and consistent potency levels.

The Hash Chews from Wisely come in packages of 10 individual squares with 10mg of THC apiece, for a total of 100mg per pack.

Made with glucose, gelatin, sorbitol and other natural ingredients, the gummies feature a variety of colors and flavors and are coated with sugar.

As gummies gain in popularity as a simple and efficient delivery method for quick and lasting relief, producers are dialing in ways to make them even more effective. Wisely’s Chews are infused with full-spectrum hash rosin that provides unique effects that can’t be found in edibles made using distillate or isolate.

Simply put, these Hash Chews hit different. Patients will find the swift impact effective for anxiety and sudden panic attacks, with the longer-lasting high suited perfectly for sleeping through the night.

As the team at Wisely tells me, “We wanted to give patients that full-body effect that you can’t normally find. Using solventless hash rosin allows us to create edibles with specific effects when we mix together strains that have similar terpene and cannabinoid profiles.”

Just remember, indulge wisely!

edible of the month

WISELY CANNABIS

41

> > 100MG THC / 10-SERVINGS

W I S E LY C A N N A B I S / 8 1 I N D U S T R I A L A V E , S A N F O R D , M E

/

W I S E LY C A N N A B I S . C O M

/

( 2 0 7 ) 3 5 1 - 7 4 4 9 / @ W I S E LY H A S H

REVIEW & PHOTO by DAN VINKOVETSKY @DANNYDANKOHT/NORTHEAST LEAF

neleafmag.COM

Patients will find the swift impact effective for anxiety and sudden panic attacks with the longerlasting high suited perfectly for sleeping through the night.

concentrate of the month

EUPHORIC & SPACEY

Ta s t i n g t h i s s t r a i n leaves you with a rich taste of pine and earth mixed with some sweetness, akin to white-colored Airheads with hints of gas.

42

MAMMOTH INC.

@mammoth_vip @mammothmelts

SCOOBY SNACKS LIVE ROSIN

neleafmag.COM

Living up to their name, Mammoth Inc. from R h o d e I s l a n d ca m e c o r r e c t w i t h t h i s b a t c h o f S c o o by S n a c k s l i ve r o s i n , p a c k i n g m a s s i ve f l avo r w i t h a c o l o s s a l h i g h . B o a s t i n g a T H C l eve l ove r 7 2 p e r c e n t , t h i s i s a m i xe d - s p e c t r u m 7 0 u - 1 7 9 u l i ve r o s i n m a d e f r o m i c e w a t e r h a s h – s p e c i f i ca l l y from the first through the third pull.

DEC. 2020

The jar is clean and detailed, complete with their branding and the usual warning labels. Upon unlocking the jar, you’re presented with a little terpy blob of deliciousness. You can tell this batch of live rosin was freshly pressed and stored correctly, as it had a translucent color. Its texture was tacky, but reminiscent of jelly. This is the real deal crème de la crème.

Bred by Archive Seed Bank, Scooby Snacks scent profile is distinctive of a strong Cookie cross – gassy but floral, with relative overtone aromas of powdered lemonade and sour hard candy.

Tasting this strain leaves you with a rich taste of pine and earth mixed with some sweetness, akin to white-colored Airheads with hints of gas.

This is definitely proper head-stash and something enjoyable to dab on the daily – but because of the process used to create it, live rosin is expensive. However, the quality of this solventless concentrate is unmatched, so don’t let the price deter you.

As far as the high, Scooby Snacks will bring you right to the stone-d age. Like Shaggy, you may find yourself talking to your dog in weird voices and having a good time. A dab of this rosin can bring you out of a funky mood and help get you in the zone for the day, supplying you with a sense of relaxation, while also providing an uplifting and cerebral head-high. You can expect some euphoric spaciness, as it is very potent. Patients who suffer from anxiety and depression may benefit from the effects of this concentrate.

To get the first dibs on their VIP drops, I advise you to follow them on Instagram and place your order directly at mammothinc.com while availability lasts.

You must have a valid MMJ card from any state to participate.

SUMMIT MEDICAL COMPASSION CENTER 380 JEFFERSON BLVD. WARWICK, RI (401) 889-399 SMCCRI.ORG @SUMMITMCCRI

> > TESTING

73.66% THC

REVIEW by BOBBY NUGGZ @BOBBYNUGGZ_OFFICIAL for NORTHEAST LEAF | PHOTO by BAILEY JONSON @BADMSBAILEY

TOPICAL of the month

43

A lotion that screams self care.

MARY PALMER

Established in December of 2018 in Quincy, Mass., Mary Palmer has been winning awards locally and nationally ever since with their infused edibles. Now this 50 percent veteran and 50 percent women-owned company is taking their turn at infused skin care with their new Rose line — with their full-spectrum CBD lotion bringing hydration and silky smoothness via the power of rose and hyaluronic acid.

REVIEW by BOBBY NUGGZ @BOBBYNUGGZ_OFFICIAL for NORTHEAST LEAF | PHOTO by BAILEY JONSON @BADMSBAILEY

neleafmag.COM

ROSE LOTION

We used the product liberally for seven days straight to see the results. This is a lotion that screams self care and its compact size and packaging is convenient to bring on the go. It can be used on your face or anywhere on the body. No leaky pressure nozzle here –– instead you get a zipper-sealed bag that feels expensive. Inside, the lotion can be found tucked away in a small and pretty round metal tin, along with a bonus mini spray bottle of rose water.

The lotion goes on very wet and you can really feel the > > HYDRATING, LUXURY CANNALOVE hydration. Containing shea butter and organic rose extract, it feels natural and wholesome, with the rose smell both MILKED PREMIER VAPE SHOP & GLASS GALLERY pleasant and powerful. It even balances out skin tone and 71 ARLINGTON ST. WATERTOWN, MA softens the outer layer.

MILKEDOFFICIAL.COM @MILKEDOFFICIAL We separately purchased a micro-needling wand to help the lotion get absorbed better. After micro-needling, the WHOISMARYPALMER.COM @WHOISMARYPALMER lotion can be applied to the face for the best impact.

Lines were filled and plump acne was reduced and replaced by fresh soft skin. Overall, we saw a huge improvement after one short week and would highly recommend this lotion. The company also offers full-spectrum CBD tattoo balm, vitamin C serum and mint lip balm, along with a variety of pet products, merchandise and infused oils. You can find these products locally at Irie Bliss Wellness & CBD, Hemped MA, and Milked Premier Vape Shop & Glass Gallery.

Cannthropology

WORLD OF CANNABIS PRESENTS

Throughout modern history, countless artists and musicians have used marijuana to help enhance their creativity … but far fewer have actually featured it as their subject matter. Many of those who did helped forge new genres of “degenerate” art—like jazz, comic books and concert posters—that

44

would eventually establish them as counterculture icons.

One such artist is Pat Ryan.

CANNABIS AMERICANA

Celebrating the weed-infused work of underground art icon Pat Ryan

EARLY LIFE

Raised in suburban Long Island, Paul Ryan heard his artistic calling early— beginning to paint and draw cartoons by the age of eight. A born rebel, Ryan became enamored with Mad magazine, whose irreverent satire was “exposing the shortcomings of the Leave it to Beaver generation of Americans becoming homogenized.” He spent his teenage years in the jazz clubs and coffeehouses of Greenwich Village—getting into Dylan, Kerouac and Ginsberg. Then in 1962, Ryan moved out to Hermosa Beach, where he discovered the SoCal surfer scene, weed and psychedelics. After working as an art director for an ad agency across the street from the Whiskey a Go-Go and taking lots of acid, he soon grew disillusioned by the phony LA scene and wanted out.

neleafmag.COM

BEST BUDS

In 1971, Ryan moved up to Marin County, where he opened a tiny studio and jumped headfirst into the area’s art scene. Within months he met a kindred soul who would become his best friend and partner for the next decade—comic artist Dave Sheridan.

Ryan moved into Sheridan’s studio, and the two formed a company called C.O.D. (Consistently Over Drawn!) Grafix and began cranking out content.

Sheridan created the comic character Dealer McDope and collaborated with Gilbert Shelton and Paul Mavrides on the cult classic The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers; Ryan produced a series of Native American-themed paintings and a comic about hitchhiking called Hit the Road (1972), which Sheridan helped him get published.

In 1974, the doobious duo relocated into a large building in San Rafael that served as a collective studio space for local artists, including rock poster

DEC. 2020

greats Alton Kelley, Stanley ‘Mouse’ Miller and Victor Moscoso. Officially named the Concrete Foundation of Fine Arts, the collective was better known by its nutty nickname: the Peanut Gallery. To raise money for rent each month, the Peanut Gallery threw huge parties dubbed the “Black Death Parties”—named after the Black Death beer Sheridan brewed.

THE CANNABIS HOMEGROWERS ASSOCIATION

During these salad days at the Gallery, the two partners came up with the idea for a series of marijuana brand label parodies they called the California Homegrowers Association.

“We’d sit around smoking joints and coming up with fictitious brand names,” Ryan recalls. “We made a whole list of them … that’s what became the California Homegrowers Association.”

Some of the iconic phony brands they created included Harvest Moon, Sticky Fingers, High Society and Space City—each of which was President Reagan illustrated with a humorous charm launched his notorious inspired by the well-known Califor“Just Say No” anti-drug nia agricultural labels of the day.

They planned to use the images campaign, leading to to market a line of merchandise to the closing of stoners all over America via head head shops across shops and ads they placed in High the country and Times magazine. Unfortunately, kneecapping their however, the products hit the market dream before it had a in 1982 just as President Reagan chance to take off. launched his notorious “Just Say No”

anti-drug campaign, leading to the closing of head shops across the country and kneecapping their dream before it had a chance to take off.

ARTISTA GANG

In 1979, the Peanut Gallery was evicted and reconstituted under a new name: the Artista Gang. Throughout the 1980s, “Gang” members designed album covers and concert posters for several classic rock performers, including Journey, Santana and the Grateful Dead, as well as Steve Miller’s Greatest Hits, for which Ryan did the lettering.

It was also during this time that Ryan created his famous “Indoor Bud” painting, which now resides in our World of Cannabis collection; prominently featured against a red background, it’s a dense, dark nug that sparkles with crystals—an effect he achieved by coating it with clear acrylic paint and then sprinkling glitter on it.

That nug image ended up gracing the cover of the Fall/ Winter 1985 issue of Sinsemilla Tips magazine. But that wasn’t the only reefer rag Ryan was featured in during this period: In 1983, High Times ran an article on the Homegrowers Association in their March issue and featured the t-shirts in their December gift guide, and the following year ran a few of Dr. McDope comics drawn by Ryan.

Like the Peanut Gallery, Artista Gang were notorious for their wild parties. One particular rager in 1983—held at a clubhouse in an upscale San Anselmo neighborhood called Sleepy Hollow—featured the group’s first-ever cannabis judging contest. Strain samples were brought from all over California, and according to Ryan, the winner was a clear standout.

“The winner was a guy from Santa Cruz named Dave Watson, a.k.a. Sam the Skunkman,” Ryan recalls. “He had something so sticky and outrageous, nobody had seen anything like it before.

He won hands-down.”

The Artista’s parties and cannabis contests continued to grow, as did their roster—eventually numbering over 700 members. Sadly though, Dave Sheridan would never get to see what Artista would evolve into; diagnosed with lymphatic cancer on March 3, 1982, he died suddenly of a brain hemorrhage less than a month later—just a week shy of his daughter’s birth. He was only 38-years-old.

HIGH IN HUMBOLDT

In 1992, Ryan moved from Marin County up to a log cabin in the Emerald Triangle, where he spent several years living pioneer-style and cranking out over 50 event posters, as well as a series of t-shirts featuring new characters and brands he created, such as Seaweed, Redeye and Hightops. Then in 1999, he moved back down to Sonoma County, where— with some assistance from his pals in Humboldt—he started growing his own “really wicked bud” for the first time in his garage. An avowed sativa man, Ryan grew mostly Orange Crush, but admits his current favorite strain is Blue Dream.

RECENT RESURGENCE

This past decade has been one of Ryan’s most prolific yet.

In 2011, Last Gasp Publishing released a 40-year anthology of his work entitled Sinsemilla Sinsations, as well as a set of greeting cards called “High Again” based on his Humboldt designs. In the past few years, Ryan has returned to his roots with a series of weed-themed comic books called Tales of the

In 1974, the doobious duo relocated to a large building in San Rafael that served as a collective studio space for local artists, including rock poster greats Alton Kelley, Stanley ‘Mouse’ Miller and Victor Moscoso.

45

World Famous Drive Thru Bud (Golden Frog Press), based on the various characters he’s created over the years (including Humboldt Honey, Super Skunk and Budzilla), accompanied by a line of branded stoner swag which they sell online and at cannabis and comic events up and down the West Coast—bringing the merchandising dream he once shared with Sheridan full circle.

Most recently, he’s created a series of paintings based on popular strain names similar to the “Purple Haze” painting we have in our collection, including “Ice Cream Cake,” “Blueberry Kush,” and “White Widow.”

Sadly, in recent months, Ryan’s health has been in steep decline due to stage four liver cancer. His family has started a gofundme and is planning an art auction to help raise money for his medical costs. If you’d like to help please visit worldofcannabis.museum/ post/pat-ryan-fundraiser.

For more on Pat Ryan, listen to Episode #4 of our podcast at worldofcannabis.museum/ podcast

-Bobby Black, Pat Ryan, Vince Dugar of Golden Frog Press.

-Blueberry Kush and SuperSkunk art by Pat Ryan.

Published originally on worldofcannabis.museum and reprinted with permission.

STORY by BOBBY BLACK @CANNTHROPOLOGY for LEAF NATION | ART COURTESY WORLD OF CANNABIS MUSEUM @WORLDOFCANNABIS.MUSEUM

CAN WE PLEASE END CHRISTMAS? isten, I’m not trying to be a jerk here. I used to love Xmas just as much as any kid. Catching a glimpse of Santa nibbling on a cookie or hearing the patter of hooves on top of the apartment complex made sleeping unbearable. It’s just that I’m not sure I can bear grandma getting run over by a reindeer for the umpteenth time before even having a chance to banish my yard witch back to the shed and evaluate the leftover bowl of miniature Snickers and candy corn.

Out with the devil and in with the lord.

Because the problem with Christmas isn’t Christmas day — it’s the fact that we’re hyped for two months on the front end and then stuck with a stiff tab on the back end. Which equates to one sixth of your life forced into a whimsical play where everyone dresses like they’re from Norway in the 1600s.

And I know what you enthusiasts are thinking: I can simply choose to not take part. Which is about as easy as choosing to not take part in death and taxes.

“But it’s for the kids,” you say. Fair enough, but do you really want them learning that the plastic packaged gifts — which magically appear under the tree that was cut down to end up in the dumpster — came from a stranger with an addiction to spiked eggnog? Why not teach them real values, like patience leads to prosperity? And that violence in Walmart on black Friday is not how adults should behave.

I get it, there’s nothing wrong with spreading good cheer, but can we at least ease up on the carpet bombing of commercials for stuff we don’t need? Like shiny new cars with ridiculously large bows and another collared shirt with a snowman tie? And can we do it every leap year just to freshen things up? It’s becoming Groundhog Year.

By the way, you do realize that mom infuses Santa’s Christmas cookies, right? That’s because she secretly feels his pain.

L

46

neleafmag.COM

by Mike Ricker

dec. 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

CANNABIS

give the gift you’d love to get

HOLYOKE, MA | (413) 650-2500 380 DWIGHT ST. | @CANNAPROVISIONSHOLYOKE 9AM-8PM MON-SAT & 9AM-6PM SUN

LEE, MA | (413) 394-5055

220 HOUSATONIC ST. | @CANNAPROVISIONSGROUP 8AM-8PM SUN-WED & 8AM-9PM THU-SAT

#BETTERYOURJOURNEY

CANNAPROVISIONSGROUP.COM Please Consume Responsibly, This product may cause impairment and may be habit forming. For use only by adults 21 years of age or older. Keep out of the reach of children. This product has not been analyzed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There is limited information on the side effects of using this product, and there may be associated health risks.

Marijuana use during pregnancy and breast-feedingmay pose potential harms. It is against the law to drive or operate machinery when under the influence of this product. KEEP THIS PRODUCT A WAY FROM CHILDREN. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. The impairment effects of edible marijuana may be delayed by two hours or more. In case of accidental ingestion, contact poison control hotline 1-800-222-1222 or 9-1-1. This product may be illegal outside of MA.