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THE travel ISSUE
PODCAST
M AGAZINE
MEDIA
issue
#143
[
MAY 2022
v
the emerald triangle, northern california
36
ADOBE STOCK
TRAVEL DO’S & DON’TS
46
DANIEL BERMAN
feature
10
reviews
RYAN RICKETTS, THE LINK CANNABIS CO.
MAY 2022
40 FEATURE
CANNABIS IN CATALONIA
58
CANNTHROPOLOGY PAKALOLO IN THE PACIFIC
NATE WILLIAMS
38
WORLD OF CANNABIS MUSEUM
24 BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH
TOM BOWERS
top 10 cannabis destinations
FLETCHER WOLD
leafmagazines.com
EDIBLE OF THE MONTH 13 16 20 24 28 32 36 38 40 42 46 50 54 58 62
EDITOR’S NOTE NATIONAL NEWS HEMP INDUSTRY BUDTENDER Q&A SHOP REVIEW STRAIN OF THE MONTH TRAVEL DO’S & DON’TS TOP TRAVEL DESTINATIONS CANNABIS IN CATALONIA CONSUMPTION LOUNGES EDIBLE OF THE MONTH COOKING WITH CANNABIS OFF THE SHELF - SHARING CANNTHROPOLOGY STONEY BALONEY
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 LE A F / O R EG O N L EA F / AL AS KA L E A F / M A RY L AN D L E A F / CAL I F O R N I A L EA F / N O RT H E AS T LE A F
A B O U T T H E C OV E R Prolific illustrator Joshua Boulet has contributed to more than a dozen covers for Leaf Nation over the last 10 years, and is known as much for his distinctive pen and inkwork as he is the use of parody throughout his striking pieces. For this month’s special Travel Issue, we tasked Boulet with capturing an imaginative and playful scene envisioning what it might be like for a plane full of eager and happy stoners and patients alike to mingle together. Fasten your seat belts and prepare for departure, because this bird is cruising across the high skies of Cannabis, USA.
ART by JOSHUA BOULET @JOSHUABOULET WES ABNEY C E O & F O U N D E R wes@leafmagazines.com
CONTRIBUTORS
MIKE RICKER O P E R AT I N G PA R T N E R ricker@leafmagazines.com | advertising sales TOM BOWERS C H I E F O P E R AT I N G O F F I C E R tom@leafmagazines.com DANIEL BERMAN C R E AT I V E D I R E C T O R daniel@leafmagazines.com O’HARA SHIPE O N L I N E E D I T O R ohara@leafmagazines.com
MEGHAN RIDLEY C O PY E D I T O R meghan@leafmagazines.com We are creators of targeted, independent Cannabis journalism. Please email us to discuss advertising in the next issue of
BOBBY BLACK, DESIGN + FEATURES JOSHUA BOULET, ILLUSTRATION TOM BOWERS, FEATURES MARY CARREON, FEATURES EARLY, PRODUCTION WYATT EARLY, FEATURES STEVE ELLIOTT, NATIONAL NEWS JEFF PORTERFIELD DESIGN JESSE RAMIREZ, DESIGN MIKE RICKER, FEATURES MEGHAN RIDLEY, EDITING MIKE ROSATI, PHOTOS ERIC SMITH, REVIEWS TERPENE TRANSIT, DISTRIBUTION JAMIE VICTOR, DESIGN NATE WILLIAMS, FEATURES JERRY WHITING, FEATURES FLETCHER WOLD, PHOTOS BRUCE & LAURIE WOLF, RECIPES
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Have a strain, product, feature idea or news tip that the Northwest Leaf staff needs to know about? Email us at Ricker@LeafMagazines.com!
ABNEY
Editor’s Note Thanks for picking up the Travel Issue of the Leaf! IMAGINE stepping onto a plane as a flight attendant asks for your preference of dabs, to which you reply – “solventless” – as the captain’s voice comes over the speakers: “As we prepare to hit 420,000 feet mentally, please remember that only Cannabis smoking is allowed on this plane. And the crew takes the first hit when we land!” While this might seem like fantasy (and certainly the idea of me flying a plane while baked is just that), the spirit of the fictional Leaf airline is nothing like the terrible Spirit Airlines. If I have one piece of travel advice that’s not in our Do’s and Don’ts column, it’s don’t fly Spirit! But someday we should have the opportunity to dab on a plane and I don’t think it’s wishful thinking. Especially considering that we can drink and take pharmaceuticals on a plane, Cannabis seems the far safer way to travel. Alas, our new high-end transport is in concept form only, but that shouldn’t keep you from exploring a new destination this summer!
OUR NEW HIGH-END TRANSPORT IS IN CONCEPT FORM ONLY, BUT THAT SHOULDN’T KEEP YOU FROM EXPLORING A NEW DESTINATION THIS SUMMER! ON
After two-plus years of virtual reality travel and grifters trying to sell us vacation homes in the metaverse, the time is now to book a flight or rent an RV and go explore a new part of the country or world. Travel opens eyes and changes paradigms – and it’s fun! It’s easy to watch mainstream cable news and think that the world is full of different people, but in reality we’re more the same than different, especially when we come together over a joint or bowl. So fire up your favorite energetic strain and start looking for somewhere fun to go, in your backyard or around the world! Life is too short to sit behind a screen and miss a summer of fun, so get out and make a memory this year – just don’t get too baked to forget it!
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS: DUE TO A PRODUCTION MISTAKE, A PAIR OF LEGS USED TO ILLUSTRATE A STORY IN THE NEWS SECTION LAST MONTH WAS PRINTED ON TOP OF AN ADVERTISEMENT FROM HERBS HOUSE, A LONGTIME SUPPORTER OF NORTHWEST LEAF. WE REGRET THE ERROR.
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-Wes Abney may 2022
leafmagazines.com
Northwest 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, leafmagazines.com. Email ricker@leafmagazines.com to start advertising with Northwest Leaf!
WES
cannabis NEWS nwlEAF.COM
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east coast
politics
N
T
NJ WILL ALLOW OFF-DUTY COPS TO USE MARIJUANA ew Jersey will allow police to buy and use marijuana once it’s officially and legally for sale. Acting NJ Attorney General Matthew Platkin issued a memo, telling police chiefs they “may not take any adverse action against any officers because they do or do not use Cannabis off duty.” That was codified in the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act. Cops are treated just like any other customers under the legalization laws passed last year. Officers still may not possess or use Cannabis while on the clock, or performing any work while under the influence.
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states and D.C. have legalized the adult use of Cannabis.
leafmagazines.com
may 2022
MAY 2022
44%
of college students reported using marijuana in 2020 – a record number.
HOUSE CLEARS WAY FOR CANNABIS RESEARCH he U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan marijuana scientific research bill on April 4, removing barriers to research on Cannabis, allowing scientists to access herb from dispensaries of legal states. The Medical Marijuana Research Act passed the House on an overwhelming 343-75 vote. All of the ”No” votes came from Republicans, reports The Hill. Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon introduced the bill in October 2021. It is co-sponsored by 11 Representatives, both Democrats and Republicans. Both the House and Senate passed earlier versions of the bill in 2020. The Senate also approved a separate marijuana research bill last month.
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marijuana cultivation licenses – the first in the state – have been awarded to hemp farmers in New York.
61%
of Wisconsinites favor adult-use legalization of Cannabis.
$93k
worth of marijuana was found on a group of Guatemalans – including a 4-year-old boy – entering the U.S.
4/21 saw the first legalized adult-use marijuana sales in New Jersey.
STORIES by STEVE ELLIOTT, AUTHOR OF THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF MARIJUANA
the feds
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE RETURNS CASH
T
he U.S. Department of Justice on April 13 agreed to return all cash seized from an armored car company used by legal Cannabis dispensaries during several traffic stops in California last year. The company, Empyreal, had filed a federal lawsuit in response. The seizures occurred during a May traffic stop. In that incident, Kansas officers stopped an Empyreal Logistics car. Conversations between state and federal law enforcement agencies stemming from the stop resulted in a series of events in which Kansas and California officers stole – we mean “seized” – more than $1.2 million. The company soon filed its federal lawsuit detailing how a deputy in Dickinson County stopped one of their vehicles transporting cash from licensed Cannabis dispensaries to banks and credit unions and “seized” more than $165,000 on Interstate 70. Empyreal said the cops issued no traffic citations to their drivers during any of the five stops mentioned in its complaint, but the company said it was forced to stop transporting cash through Kansas because of the seizures.
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EXPERT OPINION
HEMP INDUSTRY
Jerry Whiting
dried and/or pressed and can even be grown in a mold to shape the final product. Whatever you make with it is compostable. It can replace the plastic packaging used to fit irregular shaped objects into boxes or make eco-friendly containers for cremains or coffins, small pots for seedlings, ice chests to replace those horrible foam ones, and the trays at coffeehouses to hold multiple cups of coffee. HEMP FOR GARDENS AND FARMS ALIKE
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ATTENTION H PHOTO BY ADOBE
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ENTREPRENEURS!
emp is a valuable crop, but too few people are making money in the industry. The first step is to stop chasing CBD … it’s a crowded market with falling prices. And while there’s a lot to love about hempcrete, for it to really take off, we need to update building codes, train architects and contractors, and grow enough hemp to support the industry. However, there are a number of untapped opportunities to build a new hemp company. You can start by ignoring the flower and focusing on the stems instead. Hemp stems have two parts: the bast on the outside and the hurd (or shiv) on the inside.
MAY 2022
Some farmers will grow huge amounts of hemp and only hemp. Monocropping isn’t good for the health of the soil and once pests discover big fields, they can wreak havoc. Wise farmers will add hemp to their crop rotation. Small farms can sell chipped hemp in bulk to attract customers. The more preprocessing done on the farm, the higher the market price. Peat moss is used as a mulch and in potting soils, but it’s a finite resource. Peat bogs are being stripped for this market and the result is disrupting local ecosystems. Hemp fiber can replace peat moss and before you say anything, redwood mulch is no better. It takes years to break down and depletes the nitrogen in your soil while it does. People are curious about hemp biochar. A quick Google and YouTube search will fill you in about the wonders of biochar, but keep this in mind: Hemp can be used instead of wood. A savvy entrepreneur will charge their hemp biochar by adding fertilizer and inoculants that deliver nutrients slowly over a period of time.
All of these ideas can be done by someone creative WISE FARMERS enough to put the pieces WILL ADD HEMP TO together. Reach out to your THEIR CROP ROTATION. local hemp farmers and ask to play with some of their “biowaste” – the parts of the plants they’re More and more people are enjoying plantnot interested in. based foods. Mushrooms are front and center, including oyster mushrooms which come in a Pick a project or two, read up on what wide range of colors and shapes. They’re easy to others have done, and play. DIY nights and grow, at home or at commercial scale, and they weekends, work-at-home in your basement/ digest cellulose. Guess what? Hemp hurd is full garage/shed type of play. And don’t be of cellulose and oyster mushrooms can be grown discouraged. on hemp hurd. The oyster mushrooms you eat are the fruiting Keep at it. Invest in your dreams. part of the plant. The mycelium below the surface The hemp products you make will make can be put to good use. Chipped and shredded the world a better place for all of us. hurd can be inoculated with oyster mushroom What better mission statement and spawn. The mycelium grows in the hurd and publicity can an entrepreneur have? binds it together. This matted material can be “HEMP MEET MUSHROOMS, MUSHROOMS MEET HEMP. NOW YOU TWO RUN ALONG AND PLAY TOGETHER.”
EXCLUSIVE COLUMN by JERRY WHITING for LEAF NATION // LeBlancCNE.com/podcast
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Marijuana products may be purchased or possessed only by persons 21 or older. This product has intoxicating effects 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. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of reach of children.
THE TRAVEL ISSUE interview
W H O ’ S Y O U R FAV O 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 A T I O N S T O R I C K E R @ L E A F M A G A Z I N E S . C O M
A Longview original, much of Ryan’s time is spent playing guitar, drums and DJ-ing. Outside of his jamming, his passion lately has been meeting new people from different parts of the world to get a glimpse into their culture. Follow him on Instagram @ryanneedshash710 WHAT MUSIC HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING IN THE SHOP LATELY? When people enter
through the door, we can assume that they’re stoned – so we try to keep the vibe geared around old school hip hop, modern alternative and rock music. However, I’d say that mostly we’ve got trap going because after all, we are selling drugs. (laughs) UNDERSTOOD. EVERY BUDTENDER HAS THEIR STYLE BEHIND THE COUNTER. DOES YOUR LOVE OF MELODY HELP YOU GET INTO YOUR UNIQUE RHYTHM? 100 percent. Music is my
coffee. If it’s not the right tune, I’m not in the right mood. But if the right vibes are playing, I can go all day.
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HAVE YOU EVER SUGGESTED A SPECIFIC CANNABIS STRAIN BASED ON THE PERCEPTION OF WHAT A PERSON’S MUSICAL TASTES MIGHT BE? Yes, a lot of times I will
when someone comments on the music being played in the store or wants to discuss a particular type of music. This can give me an idea if they want something trippy, relaxing or energetic, and that really helps.
WHAT STRAIN DO YOU LIKE WHEN YOU’RE PLAYING? GMO. It gets me super giggly with
LEAFMAGAZINES.COM LEAFMAGAZINES.COM
a body high, but I don’t pass out on it. Stinky is the name of the game for me.
“[MUSIC] CAN GIVE ME AN IDEA IF THEY WANT SOMETHING TRIPPY, RELAXING OR ENERGETIC, AND THAT REALLY HELPS.”
THE LINK CANNABIS COMPANY
2213 46TH AVE. LONGVIEW, WA THELINKCANNABISCOMPANY.COM @LINK_CANNABIS_COMPANY OPEN 8AM-11:45PM DAILY
MAY 2022 may
Ryan Ricketts NORTHWEST LEAF BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH
DID YOU GUYS EVER GET KICKED OUT OF A PARTY WHEN YOU WERE PLAYING IN A BAND IN HIGH SCHOOL? Yeah, we did a gig once
for a 5k run and they asked us to play near the start/finish line, which was located by an elementary school. We decided to turn the volume up a little to get people pumped and they ended up turning our gear down. IF YOU COULD JUMP UP ON STAGE TO PLAY WITH ANY MUSICIAN, WHO WOULD IT BE?
Tame Impala. Kevin Parker is my guy. He’s a musical magician. I just think his sound is the most interesting, psychedelic I’ve ever heard. In my opinion he is the modern equivalent to Pink Floyd.
INTERVIEW by MIKE RICKER @RICKERDJ PHOTO by FLETCHER WOLD @FWOLD_PHOTOGRAPHY
! p U r e ‘ l l Fi Everett
3015 Everett AveNUE
ru! Drive Th Birch Bay
3435 Birch Bay Lynden ROAD
This product has intoxicating effects 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. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of the reach of children.
IG: @treehawk.farms | W: treehawkfarms.com
Photos and Design: This product has intoxicating effects 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. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of the reach of children. Marijuana products may be purchased or possessed only by persons 21 years of age or older.
shop review
28
leafmagazines.com
THE FREEDOM MARKET KELSO
MAY 2022
COWLITZ CLASSIC
KELSO REPRESENT!
Don’t let the inconspicuous building fool you – nestled along the Cowlitz River, the charm is what’s inside. The genesis came in the medical days when Owner Kathleen Nelson’s friend had a daughter suffering from an undisclosed mental illness and took her own life, so it meant everything to name the original store after her, called Miranda’s. When the transition began to go to recreational, they were afforded the very first license in Cowlitz County and one can certainly imagine that it came with Miranda’s blessing. The core values of their medicinal background is always what keeps this mission thriving.
S TA F F PICKS
FLOWERS Mama J’s Apple Fritter Candy Skord Hidden Pastry Brandon Heavenly Buds Orange Nerds Skylar Gold Leaf Durrburger Alex
Joints Kronik Bruce Banner #3 Candy Aloha Friday Lava Flow Brandon Gold Leaf x Polar Icetracts Diamond Tips Skylar Bacon’s Buds Falcon 9 Alex
CARTS Bodhi High Tangerine Diesel Candy Two Heads High C Brandon
CREATING SOLUTIONS
MFused Blueberry Space Cake Skylar
Having the first license led to becoming a flagship store for the WLCB (Washington Liquor Cannabis Board) as one of the prototype shops to navigate the implementation of regulations. What’s developed is an operation with the right degree of reverence for the legal system by way of real experience. After all, practicing good business isn’t a problem when there are no surprises – equating to a slight advantage when providing a qualified Cannabis buying experience. And go figure … this ballast has proudly never incurred a violation. See, it’s not that hard to keep good people happy when you follow the rules.
DABS
LIKE WATER
Gold Leaf x Polar Icetracts Animal Sherbert Skylar
With a parking lot overlooking the beautiful Cowlitz River, you’ll feel the flow of forward momentum when stepping inside. Check out the heady cabinet with the beautiful glass that acts as the focal point of the room. The building has been everything over the years – once a flower shop, fried chicken restaurant, produce market, pizza parlor, and probably a few others – and if these walls could talk, they’d tell you that they are happier than ever housing Cannabis. With a rustic vibe, the warmth comes not from the chilly river outside, but from the folks who share a passion for what they do. In the foyer, it’s fun to check the wall map with tons of pins from people all over the planet right here in little Kelso. Here, it’s all about the vibe, not the flash – old school and respect.
Dabstract Area 509 Alex
Dank Czar Smarties Rosin Candy Constellation GMO Brandon Dank Czar Pineapple Express Rosin Alex
EDIBLES Cherry Doozies 2:1 CBG Candy Johnny Vanella RSO Brandon Pioneer Squares Pineapple Crush Skylar Smokiez Blue Raspberry Alex
FREEDOM MARKET KELSO 820 WESTSIDE HWY A, KELSO, WA 98626 THEFREEDOMMARKETS.COM OPEN 8AM-MIDNIGHT DAILY (360) 636-0420
VISIT THE OTHER FREEDOM MARKETS IN LONGVIEW, CATHLAMET, AND ILWACO!
STORY by MIKE RICKER @RICKERDJ/NORTHWEST LEAF | PHOTOS by FLETCHER WOLD @FWOLD_PHOTOGRAPHY
Potent. Tasty. Hella fun. Gummiez, the newest way to get Hellavated. Same hard hitting flavor explosion in an edible form.
Available in 4 flavors: Mango Dragon Water ‘yer Melon Strawberry Haze Raspberry Blitz
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THIS PRODUCT HAS INTOXICATING EFFECTS 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. THERE MAY BE HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH CONSUMPTION OF THIS PRODUCT. FOR USE ONLY BY ADULTS TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER. KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN.
STRAIN OF THE MONTH
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“Impossibly frosty with a beautiful contrast between the shiny trichomes and purple body.”
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22.18% THC TORUSCULTURE.COM @TORUSCULTURE
HYPHY #18 MAY 2022
F
rosty and flossin’ from the jar to your lungs, the Hyphy #18 brings hip hop swagger and a euphoric, confident high worthy of the hype name.
cultivated by torus
REVIEW by WES ABNEY @BEARDEDLORAX/NORTHWEST LEAF | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS HAVE A LEAD ON SOME SERIOUS FIRE? EMAIL RICKER@LEAFMAGAZINES.COM
THE TERM Hyphy comes from iconic ‘90s rapper Keak Da Sneak, who popularized the term to represent a subset of hip hop that emerged in the Bay Area. Meaning both “hyperactive” and representing the general vibe of Bay hip hop culture, “hyphy” has appeared in rap and slang for the last 28 years. This swagger is absolutely evident in the Hyphy #18 from Torus, which has jar appeal for days with gorgeous purple buds heavily frosted with glistening trichomes. A cross of Bacio Gelato (creamy and sweet with high potency) and Gushers (sour grapes with relaxing vibes), the Hyphy #18 brings the best of both strains together with a unique twist that’s undeniably hip hop. Opening a jar lets a creamygrape-cookies aroma ooze out, wrapping up the senses in a sour tang that lingers on fingers when breaking up the flower. The buds have a thick snap and density, complete with beautiful purple hues reaching to the stems and a loud, grape-lime-cookies funk that amplifies when prepping the flower to smoke. Impossibly frosty with a beautiful contrast between the shiny trichomes and purple body, the Hyphy #18 glistens from a bowl – promising a heady, attitude-improving buzz just a few tokes away. First hits deliver a smooth smoke with a classic, creamy-grape tingle that coats the palate and exhales with a rush that tingles the nose with terps (but no harshness or cough). Smooth and syrupy, this strain retains the sweetness through a whole bowl, making it a truly pleasurable strain to smoke to completion. Effects rush into the mind first, sedating excessive thoughts while making mental room for an uplifting euphoria that settles in like a stoney headband. A floaty body buzz quickly follows, making feet feel lighter with a relaxed energy that could see your kicks on the dance floor, or feet cozied up in slippers with Netflix dialed in. No matter what the adventure, this delicious strain brings a heady buzz that will have you vibing to the beat of your own Hyphy #18 drums. Look for this strain and other deep water culture grown fire from Torus at your favorite dispensary!
NATURALLY GROWN IN LAKE STEVENS , WA PacificNWGrowers
pacific_northwest_growers
This product has intoxicating effects 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. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of the reach of children.
THE TRAVEL ISSUE
36
travel do’s & don’ts
leafmagazines.com
leaf nation’s wes abney offers a word to the wise on weed travel
While many of us are longing for a super stoney vacation this year, nobody wants to end up on an episode of Locked Up Abroad, or find themselves having to return to some ill-fated destination in Anywhere, USA for a court date. The following recommendations for traveling with or without Cannabis are purely anecdotal and not meant as legal advice. Always remember to be safe and follow the rules wherever you may travel. MAY 2022
Don’t Spark in National Parks
While there’s not much better than getting high in the great outdoors, think twice before you spark up in a park run by state or federal government. National parks are federal property regardless of the state they’re located in, so state Cannabis laws don’t apply there. You can get serious fines and real time for being caught with weed in a national park. The penalties in a state park can vary – unless you’re in California, where smoking in state parks and on beaches is permitted.
security stumbles
Know Before You Go
Familiarizing yourself with the laws of your destination is an absolute must. Depending on where you are going, Cannabis can be completely legal, somewhat legal or entirely illegal – especially if you are traveling internationally. And the places that do offer legal weed in some form, often have confusing laws and policies surrounding the purchase and consumption. Always do your research before packing anything that could potentially lead to trouble. If in doubt … throw it out.
Never Buy Illegally (Especially Overseas) While this might seem like obvious advice, there’s almost nothing worse than being out of weed on a vacay … and it can lead you to do irrational things. What is worse, though? Getting robbed or busted for buying weed illegally. Chances are the guy offering you a “drug” hookup is just as shady as the street vendor selling “authentic” Rolex watches and “licensed” Gucci gear. Avoid the trouble (and the best case mids scenario) and wait to bake until you get home.
Going through TSA is painful, but it’s worth being smart so you can get your buzz on when you land. My first time going through airport security with a couple vape pens in my backpack was gut wrenching, complete with sweaty palms and an irrational fear that I would be going to prison for a small amount of weed. This was 2013 and while weed was legal in Seattle and my destination of Denver, I had no clue what would happen if I brought my stash with me. Years later I heard a quote attributed to a senior TSA official, which I share in paraphrased and off-the-record format: If we stopped every bag with a personal amount of drugs in them, the planes would never take off. When it comes to a more official statement, TSA policy says: “TSA’s screening procedures are focused on security and are designed to detect potential threats to aviation and passengers. Accordingly, TSA security officers do not search for marijuana or other illegal drugs, but if any illegal substance is discovered during security screening, TSA will refer the matter to a law enforcement officer.” Generally, checked luggage and carry-ons are only screened at your point of departure – so if weed is legal where you fly out from, you shouldn’t have a problem getting your bag where you land. This is not the case for international flights, so don’t risk it. We recommend putting anything sensitive in your checked bag and to only take what you plan to consume. And don’t forget: Never smoke or vape on a plane (there is one Leaf team member I’m thinking fondly of as I write this). Also remember that eating edibles before a flight might seem like a good idea, but it can be just as bad as taking a hit of LSD if that 100mg nano-emulsified beverage hits a little harder than expected.
don’t drive high
My advice regarding weed and cars is simple: Never drive high and don’t smoke while driving. As a general rule whenever I rent a car on vacation, I always get the walk-away (full coverage) insurance. I won’t risk driving in a new place without it, and I certainly wouldn’t add weed to the already stressful mix. So if you plan to party, take a rideshare and be aware of your surroundings. Driving in a new city statistically increases your odds of an accident, so don’t make it worse by being impaired.
My first time going through airport security with a couple vape pens in my backpack was gut wrenching, complete with sweaty palms and an irrational fear that I would be going to prison for a small amount of weed.
Stoners & Scooters Don’t Always Mix
While this writer once had an epic group scootering experience while on a lemon-tech dose of psilocybin in Denver (great street graffiti, highly recommended), it’s important to remember that anything with wheels can lead to a DUI. This is more of a concern for happy hour drinkers bar-hopping on scooters, but be careful if you rent something – especially if it has an electric motor and you don’t know your way around town.
STORY by WES ABNEY @BEARDEDLORAX/LEAF NATION | PHOTO by ADOBE STOCK | ICONS by THE NOUN PROJECT
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cannabis destinations
From smoke lounges and spa treatments to bus tours and bud and breakfasts – there is no shortage of ways to satisfy your weedy wanderlust.
boston
As the birthplace of the American Revolution, Boston is known as the Cradle of Liberty – a promise they lived up to for pot smokers when Massachusetts legalized Cannabis for adult use in 2016. There are now nearly 180 dispensaries across the state, at least 20 of which are located in the greater Boston area. Beantown is home to the original Chemdog strain and the Boston Freedom Rally – the annual “protestival” held at Boston Common park each September, thanks to the activists at MassCann NORML. When visiting the Common, stop by the bench on “Mount Malta” dedicated to the late, great Cannabis activist Michael Malta – aka the “King of Pot” (KOP) – and pay tribute with a joint. After blazing in the Common, you can grab a quick beer across the street at the famous Cheers bar (from the TV show), then head out on the Freedom Trail – a 2.5-mile walking tour (marked on the road by a line of red paint) that leads to 16 of Highest Attractions Freedom Trail, Sam Adams Brewery, Boston Common, Boston’s most important Revolutionary Boston Freedom Rally (September), Faneuil Hall War sites.
AMSTERDAM
The original Cannabis tourism destination. Long considered the Cannabis capital of Europe, Amsterdam was the seat of Cannabis activism and cultivation for decades. Though not legal, Cannabis has been “tolerated” in the Netherlands since the early 1980s. In addition to the 160-or-so Cannabis coffeeshops, the Dam offers visitors many outstanding museums, a rocking nightlife and of course, the infamous Red Light sex district. Unfortunately, though, the government there has been clamping down in recent years – closing nearly half of the city’s Cannabis coffeeshops and threatening to ban tourists from them by next year. So if you’ve ever dreamed of going, now’s the time.
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Highest Attractions Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum, The Bulldog, Greenhouse Coffeeshops (Cookies Lounge), Barneys Farm & Uptown, Sensi Hemp Museum, Smokeboat Canal Tour, Amsterdam Light Festival (Dec).
barcelona
Similar to Amsterdam, Barcelona has 200 quasi-legal lounges/clubs where one can buy and consume Cannabis – the difference being that, to enter, you need to be a member (and technically, a resident). But like most other prohibition laws, there are always gray areas to exploit. Aside from the Cannabis clubs, Barcelona also offers delicious tapas, decadent hot chocolate, spectacular cathedrals and architecture (most notably by Anton Gaudi), hip graffiti and skater culture, museums, nightlife and more. Barcelona is also home to Spannabis, the world’s largest Cannabis convention each March. Highest Attractions Sagrada Familia Cathedral, Parc Guell, Sensi Hemp Museum, Bulldog Barcelona, Picasso Museum, The 4 Cats Café, Spannabis, Hop On-Hop Off bus tour.
MAY 2022
denver
They don’t call it the Mile High City for nothing! After becoming the first major city in America to legalize Cannabis for adult use in 2012, Denver saw a mass migration of Cannabis lovers. With over 200 dispensaries, multiple Cannabis bus tours and consumption lounges, a smorgasbord of gourmet restaurants and craft breweries, killer street art and a number of 420-friendly hotels (some of which even offer complimentary vaporizers in their rooms) – not to mention the glorious Rocky Mountains, Red Rocks Amphitheater, world-class mountain sports, hot springs, and sister stoner city Boulder all just an hour or so drive away – Denver remains a popular getaway destination for tokers. Highest Attractions Meow Wolf, Red Rocks Amphitheater, Illuzion glass gallery, International Church of Cannabis, Patterson Inn (420 Hotel), 4/20 Rally - Civic Center Park
the emerald triangle
Comprised of three counties in Northern California (Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity), the “Emerald Triangle” has been considered the Cannabis cultivation capital of America (if not the world) for half a century now – ever since the hippies of Haight Ashbury moved up there to live amidst nature and escape the eyes of the law. But thanks to legalization, decades of suspicious and seclusionary attitudes towards outsiders have given way to an embrace of history and hospitality. Today, the region is exploding with new venues, shops, spas and tours designed to educate the public about Cannabis culture. Sample some of the legacy strains, then explore wineries, the majestic Redwoods and rugged coastline.
NATE WILLIAMS
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Highest Attractions
The Lost Coast, Avenue of the Giants.
Madrones Hotel, Papa and Barkley Social, Fern Canyon,
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For those on the more adventurous side who don’t mind the cold, we present our wildcard entry on the list: Fairbanks, Alaska. The Golden Heart City is home to 17 Cannabis dispensaries – including Good Titrations, which also features a cultivation facility and the state’s only legal on-site consumption lounge. After you snag yourself some of the region’s famous Alaskan/Matanuska Thunderfuck to puff on, enjoy some of the city’s craft breweries, local delicacies (such as fresh salmon, reindeer and yak), and cool attractions like Pioneer Park, Wedgewood Wildlife Sanctuary and the Ice Art Park. And after freezing your buds off all day, warm up in the local hot springs and gaze up at the awe-inspiring Aurora Borealis. Staring at the Northern Lights while smoking some Northern Lights … what could be cooler than that?
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Highest Attractions Good Titrations, Aurora Ice Museum, Ice Art Park, Chena Hot Springs Resort, Castner Glacier Ice Cave, Fairbanks Ice Museum, World Ice Art Championships (Feb-Mar)
negril, jamaica
For half a century now, visitors from around the world have flocked to the Caribbean paradise of Jamaica to enjoy the pristine beaches, reggae music and (of course) the ganja. The island has been inextricably connected with Cannabis since the mid-20th century, when the rise of the Rastafarian faith and their sacramental use of the herb helped fuel the reggae revolution. Thankfully, after decades of prohibition, Jamaica finally legalized Cannabis in 2015. Negril remains one of the island’s top tourist hotspots – renowned for its pristine, resort-lined Seven-Mile Beach, raucous nightclubs and local flavor. Here, you can dine on fresh grilled Highest Caribbean lobster or jerk chicken, rent a jet ski or a glass-bottom boat, or just lay around in the Attractions sun smoking spliffs and drinking dirty bananas all Rick’s Café, Bob Marley Museum, Coral Cove Wellness Resort, day. In the nearby town of Little Bay, where things Zimbali Retreats are a bit quieter, you’ll find Coral Cove Wellness – Jamaica’s premiere Cannabis resort, complete with its own private reef, on-site dispensary and ganja-filled greenhouses, as well as a full array of spa services. Not far from there in Orange Hill is Blue Hole Mineral Spring, home of Wabba’s Weed Adventure, where you can tour the fields of award-winning ganja.
LAS VEGAS
In addition to gambling and prostitution, Las Vegas also legalized weed for adult use in 2017. Since then, a slew of dispensaries have popped up in Sin City, most of which are located far from The Strip. But much like its extravagant casinos and clubs, the pot shops in Vegas tend to be over the top. Case in point, the city’s two most famous spots: billing itself as the world’s largest dispensary, Planet 13 is a 112,000-square-foot interactive superstore that’s open 24/7 and will soon be the new home of the Cannabition Cannabis Museum. And then there’s NUWU – the 16,000-square-foot dispensary located on tribal land just two blocks from Fremont Street that features a 24-hour drive-thru window and the state’s only legal Cannabis consumption lounge (The Vegas Tasting Room) located inside. Meow Wolf at Area 15, Jammin’ on Vegas,
Aside from being the entertainment capital of the world, LA is also one of our nation’s stoniest cities – particularly West Hollywood, which aspires to become America’s answer to Amsterdam. Over the past five years, the city has passed ordinances authorizing licenses for on-site consumption, making it one of the only places in SoCal to allow Cannabis smoking in lounges and restaurants. The most famous example of these is the Original Cannabis Café (formerly Lowell Café), where patrons can order Cannabis (and various smoking apparatus) from a menu along with their food and drinks – and enjoy it right at their table during their meal. There are also an array of stoner sightseeing and grow facility tours available, or you can just wing it: stroll down the Hollywood Walk of Fame or the Venice Beach boardwalk, peruse the vintage stores along Melrose, or spend a night on the legendary Sunset Strip. Highest Attractions
Walk of Fame, Original Cannabis Café, Comedy Store, Nostalgia,
Gusto Green, Rainbow Bar and Grill, Whiskey a Gogo, Cookies Melrose, Alternative Herbal Health Services (AHHS)
vancouver
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Los angeles
With nicknames like “Vansterdam” and “The Big Smoke,” it’s no wonder that Vancouver, B.C. has been Canada’s Cannabis capital for decades (long before weed was actually legalized in 2018). The city hosts the world’s longest-running 4/20 event, the Vancouver Smoke Out, every April. It’s also home to Canada’s most notorious activist/seed merchant Marc Emery – founder of Cannabis Culture magazine and the city’s oldest headshop/vapor lounge, Cannabis Culture HQ (formerly known as Hemp BC). “The Couve” also features several other consumption lounges (such as the iconic New Amsterdam Café), guided Cannabis tours and crawls, as well as numerous compassion clubs and dispensaries (including the city’s first legal marijuana dispensary, Evergreen Cannabis), where one can acquire some of the area’s famous BC Bud. Then, get high and go out hiking, snowboarding, mushroom hunting or whale watching, eh?
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Highest Attractions
Jerome Baker’s Dream Factory, NuWu Cannabis Marketplace, Planet 13, Stratosphere.
Highest Attractions
Cannabis Culture HQ, New Amsterdam Café,
Studio 710, Museum Of Anthropology, Vancouver Aquarium, Capilano Suspension Bridge
STORY & PHOTOS by APRIL & BOBBY BLACK/HIGHER WAY TRAVEL @HIGHERWAYTRAVEL for LEAF NATION
THE TRAVEL ISSUE
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cannabis in catalonia
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ThispastMarch Iwas in Barcelona,
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LA SAGRADA FAMILIA AND THE SURROUNDING BARCELONA AREA
sitting with European street artist Soklak and puffing on a joint apparently filled with Runtz from somewhere in California … if the label is to be believed. “You look like the Daniel Craig of weed right now,” I blurted out, which is just the kind of icebreaker that could either kill the conversation or take it to the next level. Thankfully, we were all pretty stoned – so we had a good laugh and talked about Soklak’s vision for the future of Cannabis hospitality in Europe. Soklak is the art director for CRTFD in Europe. CRTFD is a California-born plant medicine-centric lifestyle brand that does everything from providing artists with regularly paying work, to operating Cannabis social clubs and producing high-quality streetwear. The brand’s Barcelona location is in the city’s old Gothic Quarter, which is a labyrinthine neighborhood with dark, twisting streets. Roman ruins, bars and nightclubs, Modernist architecture and medieval landmarks are the aesthetic markers of the quarter, making it a popular destination for tourists due to its history and proximity to the port, though many tried-and-true locals live here, too. During high season, large cruise ships dock in Barcelona (considered the
MAY 2022
Mediterranean hub for the world’s cruising industry) and in their limited hours on shore, many of the boats’ inhabitants end up exploring the Gothic Quarter’s narrow avenues. The streets were uncharacteristically empty on the drizzly Sunday morning I walked through the city and across La Rambla to CRTFD from the stylish and affordable Hotel Brummell in Poble Sec where I was staying. It’s a route I’ve walked many times before. I actually used to live in Barcelona – I got married, did a lot of restaurant, wine and travel writing, and spent a lot of time partying and hanging out in the capital city of Catalan culture. The city’s Cannabis culture wasn’t new to me, either. I have been a member of Circulo, which is just around the corner from CRTFD, for around five years.
As far as weed culture in Spain is concerned, Barcelona is definitely the country’s epicenter. In fact, I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say that, thanks to a crackdown on weed tourism in Amsterdam, Barcelona has emerged from Covid as the clear titan of European Cannabis. The distinction is based on the city’s evolving and growing cultivation and hash cultures (still illegal and therefore underground), along with its positively buzzing private social club culture that operates in
CRTFD’S SOKLAK AND THEIR CLUB.
top barcelona bud bars Like the skate culture vibe displayed at CRTFD, each club in Barcelona has a unique flavor to it. Here are some of the best.
PHOTOS BY TOM BOWERS @CANNABOMBTOM
THERE’S HQ, which ended up being designated the home base for others in town visiting from the United States for the Spannabis conference, as I was. Located in the central L’Eixample neighborhood, HQ featured some of the best locally grown and “imported” weed the city had to offer, as well as a crew of customers dedicated to the evolving California-style hash culture currently taking Barcelona by storm. COOKIES BARCELONA is no different from Cookies outposts all over the globe, which is exactly what makes it special – especially for enthusiasts who aren’t able to visit California or anywhere else in the United States. This club, which is a favorite of young men in particular, is right up the street from Antoni Gaudi’s famed Sagrada Familia cathedral, making it the perfect stop to toke before taking in the truly psychedelic-looking wonders from one of Spain’s most famed architects. The club is also one of the only places in town to feature Fidel’s famed hash hole joints, which are sold exclusively at Cookies locations.
FIDEL AND JOSH SCHMIDT OF NATURA AT THE HASH HOLES AND DONUTS PARTY AT COOKIES BARCELONA DURING SPANNABIS.
TERPS ARMY, near La Rambla, is a more bare-bones Cannabis enthusiast experience from the famed Amsterdam club by the same name. Lorenzo, the owner, is the OG who invented the hash hole joints and who eventually taught Fidel what he knows. Terps Army is where the hardcore stoners convene, especially those who are particularly into hash. Expect lots of European tourists.
a precarious legal gray area, but results in a comes from California, as well as from cultisemi-permanent scene nonetheless. vations across Europe and probably beyond. It’s exactly that rich Barcelona subculture It’s a striking change from even just a few that CRTFD has tapped into, so it’s no suryears ago, when it was significantly harder prise the club appears to be flourishing. Even for someone from the United States to find on a dreary weekend morning, the couches passable weed – even in the clubs functionare filling up, coffee cups are being poured ing mostly as safe spaces for those wishing and joints are being lit. to toke up in peace with other like-minded The club is at once stylish individuals. The weed’s and comfortable, but not quality was important, Barcelona snobbish – exactly what the of course, but secondhas emerged cosmopolitan city is about. ary. While the quality of from Covid Plus, Soklak and the rest of Cannabis found in Baras the clear CRTFD’s team is pretty damn celona still has a ways to titan of near certain that Cannabis go, there were genuinely European and art in all its various decent buds to be had forms go hand-in-hand. at every club I walked Cannabis. “We want to reflect and into. This never used to represent subculture around be the case. the globe,” Soklak told In many ways, what’s me, mentioning that street and skate art are happening at CRTFD and other clubs around cornerstones of the brand’s image. He is prithe city is indicative of Barcelona’s Cannabis marily based in Paris, but spends a lot of time world coming into legitimacy. working in CRTFD’s Amsterdam and BarceStreet art and skate culture have been lona clubs – the latter of which is decked out strong for a long time in Catalonia, the in spray-painted murals by the artist featuring separatist-friendly region of Spain of which his signature script. Barcelona is the capital. The dedication to creativity shows up These subcultures dovetail with a robust, throughout the club: The Cannabis jars are politically-left presence in Barcelona, which is made using a special printer and unique particularly exemplified in the city’s squatter graffiti tags, while the clothing features art and anarchist scenes. They have always fed by different kinds of graffiti artists. The weed into one another – with street art, skate cul-
ture, Cannabis use and the squatter lifestyle becoming TINYURL.COM/BCNLEAF @CRTFD.BCN markers of an alternative, more off-the-grid style of living. So, it’s fascinating to see them becoming sought-out spaces, with more public access and a wider mix of people. These things were always cool, but up until recently, you had to be a certain type of person to access it. I used to live in Barcelona and very much consider it one of my homes, yes … but that’s not how I ended up in that club. I have Cannabis to thank for that. To me, it’s just one more example of how Cannabis culture fosters community among those who choose to indulge. Just as Soklak and his crew at CRTFD identified, there’s a thread running through all of these subcultures, even though they each have their own thing going on. Once again, Cannabis is the thread tying everything together – even (and especially) in Barcelona right now. CRTFD BARCELONA
STORY by JACKIE BRYANT @JACQBRY for LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by JACKIE BRYANT & CRTFD
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HAZE FILLS THE AIR AT ORIGINAL CANNABIS CAFE IN WEST HOLLYWOOD.
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smoke scene Inside America’s Cannabis Consumption Lounges
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FEW THINGS are as sweet as getting stoned with a group of friends. But nothing beats sparking up in a public lounge where you’re surrounded by strangers who feel like friends due to one common interest: Cannabis. At one table people are smoking and playing cards. At another table people are sipping coffee, passing joints and chatting up the table next to them. On-site consumption lounges are more than just smoke dens where stoners go to get high – they’re hubs of sovereignty, where Cannabis smoke is a physical manifestation of freedom.
MAY 2022
For the past 50 years, Amsterdam coffeeshops were the holy grail of public consumption. They were some of the only places in the world where people could freely buy and smoke weed, though Amsterdam is now moving to ban tourists from visiting coffeeshops. Vancouver came online in 2001 with a consumption lounge called Cannabis Culture, which is still open for business. Oregon also had a lounge that opened in 2009 called Portland’s World Famous Cannabis Cafe, but it closed in 2016. And the Hitman Coffeeshop that opened in Downtown LA in 2017, though a happening spot, was also sadly short lived. On-site consumption culture has had a difficult time taking off in the West. We can blame prohibition for that. But even as more states legalize Cannabis, bars and cigar lounges still greatly outnumber public consumption venues for pot.
The tide appeared to be shifting at the end of 2019, when numerous cities around the country announced they’d open smoke lounges in 2020. But then Moe Greens the pandemic hit San Francisco and those plans were foiled. Pending and existing consumption businesses were forced to close (like most restaurants and bars) for the foreseeable future. “For destination businesses like ours, we were really hurt by [having to close] because consumption is a part of the experience and feel of our places,” says Nate Haas, owner of Moe Greens and part-owner of Barbary Coast – two popular smoke lounges in San Francisco. “It’s a very genuine, old-school experience. To have the attraction of our businesses taken away was very difficult.” Barbary Coast and Moe Greens (both of which are now open again) have dispensaries attached to their tasting
rooms. Despite closing the lounges, both businesses kept their weed shops open. But not all on-site consumption lounges have dispensaries attached to them. West Hollywood’s OG Cannabis Café (better known by its original name, Lowell Café) was a standalone 420-friendly restaurant that when lockdowns went into effect, had to lay off employees and shut down the business. Despite this setback, they’re now making a comeback. “At the start of the pandemic, the only on-site consumption business in LA temporarily closed due to the stay-at-home orders issued,” says John Leonard, West Hollywood’s Director of Economic Development. “The location has yet to reopen, but is currently working on reopening plans.” In New York, the Happy Munkey had to close down its consumption lounge and instead pivoted to a lifestyle brand. Now it hosts 420-friendly events at various locations throughout the city. “New York State allows Cannabis consumption anywhere you can consume tobacco products, so we’ve stepped in with creative events that celebrate Cannabis culture in a way that presents the community in a totally different light,” says Stu Zakim, spokesperson for the Happy Munkey. “One example was our series of consumption-friendly events at the immersive Van Gogh exhibit last summer.” Living in a world with legal weed but no on-site consumption creates a dilemma: Where the hell are people supposed to get stoned? Not every green region has smoking laws like New York. In fact, most Cannabis laws make consuming the plant only legal inside a private residence. But for those who live in apartments or federal housing, using Cannabis at home could result in eviction. “Our events also provide a safe haven for those who live in public housing where smoking is not allowed, or face the consequences, even though it’s legal,” says Zakim. Rich Eaton, co-owner of the Vault dispensary and lounge in Cathedral City, Calif. shares this wavelength. The dispensary became the primary source of revenue, but the lounge didn’t fully close. “During the pandemic, we realized how many people don’t have somewhere to smoke,” he says. “We stayed open for the people who aren’t allowed to smoke in their apartment or house, or can’t smoke at home because they live with their family and their wife or husband won’t let them, or their kids are there.” As far as new Covid safety measures go, it’s up to the individual cities and venues to implement the precautions they see fit. San Francisco and West Hollywood have vaccine mandates for venues with indoor seating.
Opulent lounge vibes at The Vegas Tasting Room
At the Vault in Cathedral City, no glass is used twice in the same day, even if it’s doused in alcohol. And consumption lounges are required by law to have odor control systems in place (basically industrial air filtration and circulation units), which are also helpful for mitigating the dangers of contagion. “We had a mechanical engineer come in who works on odor control systems in cigar lounges at casinos and lab environments to design a specific system for our on-site consumption space,” says Lauren Fontein, founder of the Artist Tree 420-friendly art gallery and dispensary in West Hollywood. “You’ll feel the airflow. We’ll see how it goes, but between that and the fact that we are an indoor and outdoor facility, I think we’ll be fine.” Regardless of how you felt about the pandemic lockdown, tourism is back now and Cannabis companies are ready. The Vegas Tasting Room at NuWu dispensary in Las Vegas is going strong, Illinois just opened their first consumption lounge at
Sunlight pours into The Artist Tree in West Hollywood.
Rise Dispensary in Mundelein, and celebrity stoner buddies Woody Harrelson and Bill Maher are partners in a new lounge opening soon in West Hollywood called Monica’s House. The fact is, people are dying to smoke weed in social settings more than ever before … and since Amsterdam is about to be off the map for coffeeshop tourism, onsite consumption lounges in the U.S. are on deck for filling that void in a big way. “So many businesses have been in limbo wanting to open up their lounges,” says Fontein. “Thankfully, the wait is finally over.”
Living in a world with legal weed but no on-site consumption creates a dilemma: Where the hell are people supposed to get stoned?
STORY by MARY CARREON @MARYYYSTARDUST for LEAF NATION | PHOTOS COURTESY LOUNGES
Refined Recreation
EDIBLE OF THE MONTH
C O N S T E L L AT I O N C A N N A B I S
GRAVITY GUMMIES
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“Each bite has a lovely earthy-fuel taste from the rosin that blends perfectly with the sugary, mixed-berry flavor.“ MAY 2022
Experience the sensations of the constellations as these solventless Gravity Gummies unleash a potent buzz that will send you floating into space … even if your feet are still firmly attached to the ground. Interstellar space travel is driving humans towards Mars in an attempt to save humanity, but this writer believes that we’d all be a lot better off if we got high and decided to stop killing this planet. To me, the idea of spending billions of dollars to fly halfway to the sun to cultivate life on a dead planet sounds like a drugged-out idea, but maybe that’s the ‘rational stoner’ part of my mind talking. Either way, I know the world would be a happier place if we all ate some delicious Gravity Gummies and found harmony with where we are now. Produced by the exceptional hash makers at Constellation Cannabis, these yummy gummies are infused with solventless hash oil, which makes them instantly better than every distillate gummy in Washington. Simply put: Solventless hash is way more potent and effective at getting people baked, and I’m sure a lot of edible users will find their gravity altered by their typical serving size of these gummies. Individually sealed, each bite has a lovely earthy-fuel taste from the rosin that blends perfectly with the sugary, mixed-berry flavor – complete with a luxurious mouthfeel that begins the countdown for being launched into space. We found that two to three servings brought a robust high that had our minds and bodies floating, with an effect that is equivalent to most gummy brands in the 50+ milligram range. The solventless hash makes these more effective, which means you can eat less – or more! Just make sure to have your Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy ready for your adventure. Check out Constellation Cannabis for these sweet hashy treats, their new Space Capsules (also infused with solventless hash), and grab some rosin from your favorite dispensary’s cold fridge for an experience that is out of this world.
CONSTELLATIONCANNABIS.COM @CONSTELLATIONTHC 10MG THC PER SERVING 100MG PER PACKAGE
REVIEW by WES ABNEY @BEARDEDLORAX/NORTHWEST LEAF | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS
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cooking with cannabis
DESPITE DIGGING OUT FROM A FREAK BLIZZARD IN APRIL, May is mostly mild and green. Very green. Fresh fruits and vegetables are arriving on the scene, and hanging outside still seems like the preferable way to go. If you can get to a farmers market, you can choose your meals seasonally – that’s good for you and the farmers. Not to mention the planet … and who doesn’t want to do that? I’ve recently started a more plant-forward diet including nuts, vegetables, fruits and grains. Meat is not off the table, it just appears more as a side than the main course. It feels good, I have more energy – and I’m taking care of myself and Mother Earth. Serves four
THAI SHRIMP SALAD R EC I P E S b y LAU RIE WOLF P HOTOS b y B RUC E WOLF
1⁄2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 4 medium limes) 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce (nam pla) 4 teaspoons canna-oil 2 teaspoons coconut palm sugar or brown sugar 1 small onion, chopped 1 serrano chile, seeded and chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 pound medium or large shrimp, peeled, deveined and cooked 2 medium green papayas, sliced or cubed 2 carrots, shredded 8 leaves fresh mint, for garnish 1⁄4 cup cilantro, for garnish 1⁄4 cup peanuts, for garnish
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, canna-oil, sugar, onion, chile and garlic. 2. In a large serving bowl, combine the shrimp, papayas and carrots. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to combine. 3. Garnish with the mint, cilantro and peanuts before serving.
50 THIS IS A GREAT WARM-WEATHER SALAD, with an interesting mix of flavors, colors and textures. I love pairing shrimp with papaya, and the garnishes of mint, cilantro and peanuts really bring it all together.
may play Serves 12
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CANNABIS CARROT CAKE FROSTING INGREDIENTS 1 pound cream cheese, softened 4 tablespoons canna-butter, softened 3 cups confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract pinch of kosher salt
CAKE INGREDIENTS Cooking spray, for greasing the pan 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 3⁄4 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger 1⁄2 teaspoon salt (kosher or sea) 2 2/3 cups grated carrots 1 cup chopped walnuts, 1⁄4 cup reserved for decorating cake 1 cup canola oil 4 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 cups packed brown sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1. Preheat the oven to 340°F. Spray two, 9-inch square cake pans with cooking spray and set them aside. 2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt. 3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a wooden spoon in a large bowl), combine the carrots, 3⁄4 cup walnuts, oil, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on medium speed. 4. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture, and mix until just blended, scraping down the bowl as needed. 5. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs on it. 6. Let the cakes cool in the pans. 7. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer or a wooden spoon in a large bowl), beat the cream cheese and cannabutter on medium speed until very smooth and creamy, 3 to 5 minutes. 8. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and salt, and beat on medium-high until fluffy, about 3 minutes. 9. When the cakes have completely cooled, turn the first cake out onto a serving plate. Using an offset spatula, spread a little less than half the frosting over the top. 10. Turn out the second layer on top of the first, and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle the reserved walnuts on top.
MAY 2022
Serves two
MEDITERRANEAN VEGGIE AND HUMMUS SANDWICHES 1 small zucchini, cut into thin strips 1 bell pepper, any color, seeded and cut into thin strips 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano Salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground pepper, to taste 1⁄2 cup hummus 2 teaspoons canna-oil 4 slices whole-grain bread
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. 2. Pour the olive oil onto a rimmed baking sheet. Put the zucchini, bell pepper and onion slices on the baking sheet, and sprinkle with the cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Toss to coat and bake until the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Let the veggies cool. 3. In a small bowl combine the hummus and the infused oil. Spread the hummus equally on all four slices of bread. 4. Divide the vegetables between two bread slices, add more salt and pepper to taste, and top with the remaining two slices of bread. 5. Slice each sandwich in half before serving.
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This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Smoking is hazardous to your health. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. Should not be used by women that are pregnant or breastfeeding. For use of adults 21 years of age or older. Keep out of the reach of children. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination and judgement. DO NOT operate a vehicle or any machinery under the innuence of this drug. This product may be unl unlawful outside of Washington state.
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off the shelf SHARING IS CARING
We made it! The Pacific Northwest winter is in the rear view and sunny days are ahead. Spring can be a mixed bag weather-wise in Washington state, but you know the drill – time to start preparing for the outdoors as the clouds part and the air warms. For May, we picked some multipack products that go well with sunshine and friends, because sharing is caring when it comes to lovely Cannabis products. So, whether you’re sparking up on a mountain or kicking back on a beach, getting a good buzz on with your peeps is the best part of this PNW season.
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HYGGE
MAUI PRE-ROLL 8PK
Hygge (pronounced hue-gah) Maui pre-roll packs are just the ticket for a spring day near the water. Recharge your batteries and let the good vibes energize you with this dreamy sativa. The 8-pack of 0.5g pre-rolls gives you plenty of kindling to keep that bonfire lit all day. The $20 multipack won’t break the bank and will have you brainstorming ideas for your coming summer adventures. 24% THC @hyggefarms | hyggecannabis.com
PAINTED ROOSTER
SUNGAZE LEMON GINGER SELTZER 4PK
Painted Rooster teamed up with Bale Breaker brewery in the Yakima Valley to bring this product to life. Each can packs just enough THC and CBD to enhance any fun in the sun, without the worry of getting too high to drive home from the fishing spot. The 4-pack of seltzers is a great option for BBQs in the sand and sipping around a campfire. The tasty and zesty lemon ginger flavor makes these go down so smooth, but you’re not going overboard because of the lower dosage per can. Boy, isn’t it nice to have something that can get you responsibly high while also quenching your thirst? Then you won’t have to worry about getting too spacey and burning all your marshmallows. 2.5mg THC, 5mg CBD @paintedroostercannabis painted-rooster.com
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MFUSED
SOUR BLUES ORAL SPRAY
“THE SOUR BLUES SPRAY WILL ADD SOME SUN RAYS TO YOUR DAY EVEN IF YOUR HIKE RUNS INTO A LITTLE RAIN.” MAY 2022 may
This is a fun and portable option for the intrepid traveler. You don’t have to worry about stuffing too much weight in your backpack and certainly no one will hear you coughing across the canyon after lighting up a Backwood. Oral sprays are great for sharing because all parties involved get to choose their own dose. Each spray is just 2mg, so everyone can get right to their happy place. The Sour Blues spray will add some sun rays to your day even if your hike runs into a little rain. 100mg THC @mfusedculture | mfused.com
REVIEWS by ERIC SMITH @THE_HANDICAPS_LOCK for NORTHWEST LEAF | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS
H C #CAT THE H S RU SHARE WITH FRIENDS
SI O P
IT V I T
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Marijuana products may be purchased or possessed only by persons 21 or older. This product has intoxicating ef fects 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. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of reach of children.
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WORLD OF Cannabis PRESENTS
Pakalolo in the Pacific
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With its mineral-rich volcanic soil, tropical temperatures and abundant rainfall, the Pacific paradise of Hawaii has the ideal conditions to grow some of the most stellar weed in the world, including iconic strains like Puna Budder, Kauai Electric and of course, the legendary Maui Wowie. But exactly how and when cannabis first arrived on the isolated islands remains one of history’s little mysteries.
INTRO TO THE ISLANDS The first recorded reference to Cannabis in the Hawaiian Islands was published in the Honolulu newspaper Ka Nonanona in 1842, where it was referred to as “pakalolo.” Though probably meant as a derogatory term at the time, pakalolo – which roughly translates to “numbing tobacco” or “crazy weed” by some accounts – remains the name Hawaiians use for the herb to this day. There’s no doubt that Cannabis had been in Hawaii long before 1842, but how it first arrived there is unclear. Issue of Ko Nonanona newspaper, 1842. Some claim the original Polynesian settlers (who had previously migrated from Asia) brought it with them when they first sailed to the islands as early as the fourth or fifth century, but there doesn’t seem to be any proof of that. Others claim that Cannabis may have been brought there by the Mexican cowboys (known as vaqueros or paniolos) who came to Hawaii to work on King Kamehameha’s cattle ranches starting around 1793, or by
MAY 2022
Britain’s Royal botanist, Sir Joseph Banks.
sailors on whaling ships around 1820. While either of those groups may have brought Cannabis with them, there’s no evidence that they were actually the first. Rather, the most plausible explanation, according to my research, is that Cannabis was introduced to Hawaii by the first European explorers who visited the archipelago in the late 18th century – thanks to a hemp-loving horticulturalist named Joseph Banks. SIR JOSEPH BANKS Sir Joseph Banks was the head botanist for the British Empire and an adviser to King George III. He also happened to be a well-established
Cannabis enthusiast who encouraged the monarchy to grow hemp for practical and strategic purposes (essential to use for sails and ropes for the Navy’s ships and to make parchment for writing letters and documents) and urged the King to underwrite voyages of discovery to new regions of the globe, so that he could collect and study samples of any new flora and fauna they discovered. In 1766, the 23-year-old Banks was elected to the Royal Society and embarked on his first sea voyage, which took him to Newfoundland and Labrador. Then two years later in 1768, he was appointed to a scientific expedition to the South Pacific aboard the Royal Naval ship HMS Endeavor, commanded by 39-year-old Captain James Cook. Later dubbed “the man who mapped the world,” Cook had been commissioned by the British Admiralty to sail to the Pacific Ocean to record the transit of Venus across the Sun – an astrological phenomenon that, if correctly observed and recorded, could help determine the distance of the Earth from the Sun. On both of these voyages, Banks brought with him an array of various seeds with which to trade (at that time, seeds could be used as a sort of universal currency), and this extensive seed bank undoubtedly included several varieties of Cannabis.
Main photo: A View of Karakakooa, in Owyhee — color print of HMS Resolution’s arrival in Hawaii by John Webber (1784).
Banks continued to evangelize for Cannabis for the remainder of his life, and his interest in the plant was in no way limited to its industrial uses.
During his three-year Above: A period map journey aboard the Endeavor, of the Hawaiian (aka Banks visited Brazil, Tahiti, Sandwich) Islands. New Zealand and the eastern shores of Australia, where he Banks may not have collected over 30,000 plant been on board that specimens and named over expedition to Hawaii, 1,400 new species. In fact, but his seeds almost Australia’s Botany Bay is so Engraving Engraving of of the the HMS HMS Endeavor Endeavor off off the the coast coast of of certainly were. He named because of “the great eastern eastern Australia Australia by by Julian Julian Ashton Ashton (1770). (1770). was still the Crown’s quantity of plants Mr. Banks horticultural advisor … found in this place.” and was known to require that a wide variety of When Banks returned home to London in 1771, he beseeds be brought along on all voyages – includcame an instant celebrity in the scientific community. ing Cannabis, which the Brits would’ve wanted to plant on the islands so they’d have hemp THE SANDWICH ISLANDS crops waiting for them upon their next visit. Banks had planned to accompany Cook on a second voyage to the Pacific in 1778, but was denied permission BOTANY BAY to sail by the Admiralty after a fierce disagreement about Though Banks never the lodgings, provisions and equipment he required for returned to the Pacific, the journey. It was on that expedition aboard the HMS he continued to advise Resolution that Cook would “discover” the Hawaiian the Crown regardIslands (which he named the Sandwich Islands, after his ing policy there for friend John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich). decades to come. It In 1779, the Resolution made landfall at Kealakekua was allegedly Banks Bay on the Big Island, where the Brits first made contact who convinced the with the Natives. Upon their arrival, Cook was perceived British Government as a divine emissary of the Polynesian god Lono, whose to colonize Australia festival the Hawaiians happened to be celebrating when and turn Botany Bay the ship arrived. Because of this, Cook’s initial interacinto a penal colony – tions with the inhabitants were overwhelmingly positive – later earning him the so much so that he and his crew remained on the island, Old botanical illustration honorific “the Father trading and interacting with the Hawaiians peacefully for of cannabis plant. of Australia.” nearly a month. Unfortunately, Cook later ran afoul of In 1788, Banks reportedly gifted a bag of the Natives after attempting to kidnap their king, Kalahemp seeds to the First Fleet before they set out ni’opu’u, in a dispute over a stolen cutter boat and was to find the penal colony. A letter he received stabbed to death along with several of his men. from the East India Company in 1801 provides evidence that his bags of hemp seeds were still The Death of Captain James Cook, by the Indians of being handed out in the Australian colonies 13 O.Why.ee, one of the Sandwich-Islands - an engraving years later. Throughout that time, Banks continby George Carter. ued to exercise his influence over the colony’s governors to expand hemp production there. In fact, many scholars believe that the growing of hemp was the primary purpose of the New South Wales settlement and that shipping the convicts there was merely a cover to deceive Britain’s rivals.
CANNABIS CODA In closing, it should be noted that Banks continued to evangelize for Cannabis for the remainder of his life and that his interest in the plant was in no way limited to its industrial uses. In addition to the sativa variety commonly used for hemp fiber, he apparently acquired some of the more exotic indica varietals from British sailors Portrait of the multifarious Mr. who’d traveled to Banks by Benjamin West (1773). India and came to enjoy their medicinal and recreational benefits. It was eventually revealed through his personal letters that Banks even received shipments of hashish from a British consul in Tangiers named James Matra. And in 1803, he provided some of it to his friend, the Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, along with a note saying that its effects included “almost frantic exhilaration” – making Mr. Banks, on top of everything else, England’s first de facto hash smuggler and weed dealer.
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A painting of Joseph Banks (second from left), Captain James Cook (center), the Earl of Sandwich (right) and other nobleman by John Hamilton Mortimer (1771).
THOSE WHO CAME AFTER Even if, for whatever reason, Banks’ Cannabis seeds didn’t make it onto the islands during Captain Cook’s visit, they could just as easily have been brought by one of the other European explorers who began trading with the Hawaiians in the years that followed. The two next most likely candidates would be Frenchman Jean François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse (or simply Lapérouse), who became the first European to set foot on the island of Maui in 1786, and British Naval Captain George Vancouver, who visited both Australia and the Hawaiian Islands in 1792. Top: the French Regardless of the exact year explorer Lapérouse. it arrived or by whose hand, it Above: Captain seems clear that Joseph Banks was most likely the true progenitor George Vancouver. of pakalolo in the Pacific. In fact, it’s even rumored that the fruit of one of Banks’ seeds later evolved into one of Hawaii’s most famous landrace strains, Hawaiian Duckfoot.
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This product has intoxicating eeects and may be habit forming. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. 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 the reach of children.
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WHO DOESN’T LOVE TACOS? I mean, this juggernaut of Mexican culture easily rivals the hamburger when competing for “most delectable” item in the food pyramid. And whether you like your fillings grilled, deep fried or sauteed, all it takes is herding the ingredients into a tortilla and wrapping that baby up to convert your hand into a flavor shovel of extreme awesomeness! Think about it: Tuesday would be Bluesday if not for the amazing taco. And not just because the two are alphabetically compatible, but because tacos are so damn cheerful, they turn an ordinary meal into a downright fiesta. And with the deliciousness well in hand, all you need is a bottle of to-kill-ya to quickly transform a mundane weekday into a Satur-type-day. So vamanos on those happy hour margaritas amigo, because we’re going to need some tang to punctuate the party. Tacos aren’t just yummy for the tummy – they give the meal personality. It’s the rare food item that can relocate your dinner table to a barstool smack dab in the middle of a pinata-filled cantina. Suddenly you’re stoned on some pressed brick weed surrounded by a handful of gleeful hombres with frilly tuxedos and giant sombreros strumming guitars, squeezing accordions and singing like angels, and you’ll swear you’ve been transported somewhere south of the border. Every country has their own version of a taco, right? Poland has the pierogi, Italy has the pizza, and Israel has the falafel. And the United States has the taco pizza. But back to the food pyramid. I wonder if that originated in Tenochtitlan – that’s where they used to conduct human sacrifices. Those were some evil bastards. But then, they didn’t have Cinco de Drinko.
MAY 2022
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Warning: This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Smoking is hazardous to your health. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. Should not be used by woman that are breast feeding. For use by adults twenty one or older. Keep out of reach of children. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. This product may be unlawful outside of Washington State.
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