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August 2018
issue #98
WOMEN inWEED FALCANNA CEO BETHANY RONDEAU HOLDS ONTO SKY, 12, ALONG WITH A JOINT FILLED WITH FALCANNA FLOWER.
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contents
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AUGUST 2018
28
HIGHLY LIKELY
Has Oprah finally embraced Cannabis?
56
STONER OWNER Green Leaf Lab’s Rowshan Reordan
64 TASTY RECIPES
Cannabis-infused summer concoctions
WOMEN in WEED
BESS BYERS PHOTOGRAPHER @CANNABESS
Profiles by Northwest Leaf | Photos by Daniel Berman
11 12 20 24 28 32 36 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 48 49 50 51 52 56 60 64 66 70
EDITOR’S NOTE NATIONAL NEWS OPINION HIGHLY LIKELY PATIENT PROFILE GREENWORKS CANNABIS STRAIN OF THE MONTH WOMEN IN WEED AH WARNER SHARON WHITSON DANICA NOBLE BESS BYERS BONNIE FONG BETHANY RONDEAU LAUREL FRIESEN RACHAEL MARIE STACY PRIMACK MALINA LOPEZ RACHELLE MITCHELL ROWSHAN REORDAN MZJILL GENETICS TASTY RECIPES BOOK REVIEW NYKKI KNIGHT GLASS
ON THE COVER
@Bethanyfalcanna
Port Angeles, Washington
PHOTO BY DANIEL BERMAN
BACK ISSUES/OREGON//ALASKA
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MARIJUANA PRODUCTS MAY BE PURCHASED OR POSSESSED ONLY BY PERSONS 21 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER.
contents THE WOMEN IN WEED ISSUE AUG. 2018 NORTHWEST LEAF
BONNIE FONG
CANNABIS ATTORNEY | C3 LAW GROUP
40-58
Profiles by Northwest Leaf | Photos by Daniel Berman
NORTHWEST LEAF
the truth about the plant you thought you knew, IN every issue.
editor’s note
AUG. 2018 ISSUE #98
We want to hear from you
Thank you for picking up this very special edition!
FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The Cannabis Industry is brimming with feminine energy and talent, and it’s driving innovation and setting a positive example for how Cannabis is viewed.
Please get in touch to place an ad or become a drop-off location to display our magazine. Feel free to share feedback, pitches, story ideas and hot news tips. This is all our plant!
Wes abneY | wes@nwleaf.com | 425-219-6155
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Daniel bermaN | daniel@bermanphotos.com
ADVERTISING NATE WILLIAMS | NW SALES DIRECTOR nate@orleaf.com | 415-717-6985
Our community is a diverse group that melts across all races and genders, and women deserve an equal place in the industry that should provide an opportunity for all. Ownership is statistically dominated by wealthy white men and is trending further that way as legalization favors those with wealth over experience when balancing resources like licenses along equitable lines.
CONTRIBUTORS
This issue affects people of color as significantly as women, but the core issue is the same. The plant was meant for everyone, and business opportunities should not be limited to those with money or based on gender or race. I’ve heard too many horror stories to share of unreported sexual harassment, workplace violations, and general discomfort at situations where women are treated incorrectly in the industry.
FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF FOLLOW US @NWLEAF FREE DIGITAL ARCHIVES ISSUU.COM/NWLEAF WWW.N W L EAF.COM Please email or call us to discuss print and online advertising opportunities in an upcoming issue. We do not sell stories or coverage. We are happy to offer design services and guidance on the best approaches for promoting your company’s recreational, commercial or industrial product, event or pursuit. We are targeted. Department of Corrections
We welcome reader feedback. Please email Wes@NWLeaf.com if we have made a factual error or mistake meriting correction.
We as a community and industry need to recognize that Cannabis is no different from the mainstream business world and that the same rules apply within the world of weed. In order to make progress and make change, we must hold Cannabis to a higher standard than any other business environment. My goal from the beginning of the Leaf was to see and help shape the Cannabis industry in such a way that I would feel comfortable with my daughters participating in, and I am positive and excited for the future of the amazing women in weed. Over the last decade, the Cannabis industry has gone from sexualized sales and misogyny to a growing industry with women in every step from seed to sale. We are honored to highlight a few of the great many who are making positive change, and helping the community and industry grow in every sector, from CEO’s to creatives, managers to activists, attorneys to growers and so much more. Please enjoy these profiles and the spotlights into the various forms of the industry, and make sure to ask for women-owned products at your local dispensary. There’s more to support than most realize!
As always, thanks for reading!
—Wes Abney
IN ORDER TO MAKE PROGRESS AND MAKE CHANGE, WE MUST HOLD CANNABIS TO A HIGHER STANDARD THAN ANY OTHER BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT. aug. 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
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national
STEVE ELLIOTT is the editor behind tokesignals.com, an independent blog of Cannabis news and opinion.
a scientific study to help Explain Munchies
How legal weed frees up cops to be able to solve other crimes A new study presented last month at the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior lays out a biological explanation that might solve the mystery of the marijuana munchies. The effect of Cannabis on hunger has big implications for cancer patients, who use it to stimulate a much-needed appetite for survival. “I think this new study indicates that there’s an opportunity to use science to back up the policy of using marijuana as a medicinal drug,” said lead author Jon Davis, Ph.D., of Washington State University. His paper, currently under review, shows Cannabis consumption influences appetite by triggering the release of a hunger hormone called ghrelin. Ghrelin is usually released by the stomach when it’s empty, think “growing stomach.” But in a study on rats, Davis and his team showed a dose of Cannabis causes the release of a surge of ghrelin greater than normal. The surge resulted in a very specific eating pattern. Three groups of rats were raised on different diets: A normal one, one in which they ate enough to be stuffed, and one in which the rats were starved for 48 hours. Rats in all three groups began to eat request, small meals two hours after their cages were filled with doses of Cannabis vapor. This held true of the fat, the starved, and the normal rats: all the stoned rats kept on eating, even after the sober rats in the control group had stopped eating and went on about their day. Davis said he is “cautiously optimistic” that a similar study would have the same results in humans.
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Cannabis legalization in Washington state and Colorado has “produced some demonstrable and persistent benefit” to police departments in their ability to solve other crimes, according to a study from Washington State University. “Our models show no negative effects of legalization and, instead, indicate that crime clearance rates for at least some type of crime of increasing faster in states that legalized than in WE THINK THE those that did not,” the authors wrote ARGUMENT THAT in the study, published in the journal Police Quarterly. LEGALIZATION DID, Crimes are considered “cleared” if IN FACT, PRODUCE authorities have identified and arrested a A MEASURABLE suspect and referred him for prosecution. IMPACT ON The study examined clearance rates for crimes in Colorado and Washington from CLEARANCE RATES 2010 through 2015, using FBI data. IS PLAUSIBLE Researchers looked at how trends in clearance changed after implementation of legalization in 2012 in Colorado and Washington. While recreational stores in these states didn’t open until 2014, provisions allowing for possession and use took effect shortly after the votes were certified. Researchers noted that no other major changes to public policy happened that would have affected clearance rates in the way observed. “We think the argument that legalization did, in fact, produce a measurable impact on clearance rates is plausible,” they concluded.
Deputies Shoot, Kill Suspect at Oregon Cannabis Facility
California Releases First Draft of Cannabis Rules The first draft of permanent Cannabis regulations was released by California regulators on July 13, opening a 45-day window for public comment and hearings. Emergency rules, in place since sales started on January 1 this year, will remain in place until the regular rulemaking process is complete, according to Chief Lori Ajax at the Bureau of Cannabis Control. Industry advocates and opponents will have a chance to voice opinions in 10 public meetings held around California in August. Public comments can also be submitted through mail or email. The regulations, while imperfect, will help stabilize the industry, according to Cannabis lawyer Joe Rogoway. “Largely these will be the rules, and they will be what the industry lives in the future” Rogoway said. “So, I think it’s important that people working in this space have fluency in these rules and use that to better their companies.” The regulations run 315 pages and show considerable changes compared to earlier emergency rules. One change prohibits the use of advertising techniques that may attract minors, including the use of toys or cartoon characters. Free Cannabis goods or giveaways would also be prohibited under the changes.
Washington Gets First Drive-Thru Recreational Marijuana Dispensary
Deputies shot and killed a man after responding to a dispute involving gunfire at a commercial Cannabis facility in Cottage Grove, Oregon last month. Initially, deputies couldn’t locate the suspect on the large parcel of land, according to Sgt. Carrie Carver of the Lane County Sheriff ’s Office, reports KDRV. They eventually found a building where the man was hiding and used a loudspeaker to call inside. The man left the building at 3:45 a.m. and “engaged deputies with a firearm,” Carver said. Two deputies fired, striking the suspect, who was taken to a hospital where he died. Carver identified the man as Joey K. Loop, 40. No deputies were hurt in the incident.
performed its own building permit Tokers in Auburn, Washington can now review and handled all other replenish their stash without leaving planning and development matters the car. Joint Rivers has opened what related to the business.” is believed to be the JOINT RIVERS City officials said they state’s first drive-thru IS IN A NEW didn’t even know the recreational Cannabis tribe was putting in a dispensary, reports the BUILDING marijuana dispensary SeattlePI.com. BEHIND THE until it opened. The shop is operating MUCKLESHOOT Joint Rivers is located in something of a legal BINGO HALL at 2121 Auburn Way S. gray zone. Auburn has in Auburn, and is open — MEANING limited the number of daily from 7 a.m. to pot stores that can open IT FALLS ON 11 p.m. within city limits. But TRIBAL LAND. The first medical Joint Rivers is in a new marijuana dispensary drive-thru in building behind the Muckleshoot the state was opened back in 2013 by Bingo Hall — meaning it falls on now-defunct SonSHINE Organics. tribal land. Owner Sarena Haskins at the time According to the Federal said she believed it to be the first Way Mirror, the Muckleshoot such drive-thru in the state. tribe “processed the application,
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national
STEVE ELLIOTT is the editor behind tokesignals.com, an independent blog of Cannabis news and opinion.
Biz License Applications Bury OLCC
Cannabis Tracking ‘Insufficient and Inaccurate’ Oregon’s medical Cannabis program suffers from “insufficient and inaccurate” tracking of Cannabis and its growers, according to the findings of an internal review of the program released last month by the Oregon Health Authority. The OHA oversees Oregon’s medical marijuana program. It is mostly kept separate from the state’s recreational Cannabis operations, which are overseen by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. The report deals another blow to the state’s Cannabis industry. Oregon has come under intense scrutiny by state and federal authorities after multiple weed retailers were found to be selling Cannabis to minors in a series of sting operations. Officials have also been upset about Oregon Cannabis being diverted into the black market. With all of the post-legalization changes made to the state’s medical program, there will come a time when OHA will not be able to support the program any longer, according to Beau Whitney, a senior economist with Cannabis data firm New Frontier Data, based in Washington, D.C. Whitney said they won’t be enough patients or money to keep Oregon’s MMJ regulatory program viable. “More than 40,000 Oregonians depend on medical marijuana to treat their medical conditions,” Allen said in a prepared statement. “We are taking steps to maintain the integrity of Oregon’s medical marijuana program and make sure medical products reach the patient who needs them...better tracking of growers, better enforcement, and making sure product that fails testing has been destroyed.”
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Washington State Issues First Emergency Suspension of Cannabis Producer License For the first time ever, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board last month issued an emergency suspension of a Cannabis producer license. The WSLCB said it would seek a permanent revocation, reports Q13 Fox. The license for Refined Cannabinoids in Tacoma was suspended. The business is located at 3303 S. 35th Street in Tacoma. The emergency suspension is effective for six months, during which time the board said it will seek permanent revocation of the license. “Acting on a complaint, WSLCB Enforcement TRACEABILITY conducted a premise check at the licensed location TAGS ALLOW and observed numerous and substantial violations OFFICERS including full rooms of untagged plants, clones and TO TRACK finished product,” the board said. “Traceability tags allow officers to track marijuana MARIJUANA THROUGHOUT throughout the system.” Inspection officers found and seized the THE SYSTEM. items without traceability tags, including 2,569 Cannabis plants, 1,216 Cannabis clones, 375.8 pounds of frozen Cannabis flower, 3,423 half-gram Cannabis joints, and 97.5 pounds of bulk Cannabis flower. “In addition to the untracked product, officers also uncovered evidence that the licensee had been diverting product from the licensed business,” according to the WSLCB.
The OLCC received an avalanche of 1,001 applications in the lead up to a temporary hiatus on processing licenses. The hiatus was intended to allow the agency to work through a backlog of applications. On May 30, the OLCC announced it would set aside any license applications received after June 15. This was to make it possible to tackle a backlog of 1,423 license applications. The resulting influx leading up to June 15 meant more work for 13 OLCC employees, who were already overwhelmed by the workload. “We expected there would be a surge of some kind,” said OLCC spokesman Mark Pettinger. “We didn’t know how much or how great.”
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When it comes to cannabis, safety is essential. It can be hard even for adults to see when edible treats include THC. That’s why cannabis-infused products can be dangerous for those who may think it’s regular food. Some teens may even search for cannabis products at home. But you can keep everyone—from kids to pets— out of risk by storing your cannabis safely. So, keep your cannabis where kids can’t reach, in original packaging, and with “Not for Kids” labels intact.
For more on safe storage, visit KnowThisAboutCannabis.org * Source information for statements can be found at KnowThisAboutCannabis.org/Sources
seattlebubbleworks@ gmail.com • www.instagram.com/seattlebubbleworks 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.
opinion
By SIMONE FISCHER @SIMONEFISCHERR
THE STATE OF THE INDUSTRY W
hen Oregon legalized in 2015, women were the main component to the success of passing Measure 91, resulting in the birth of a legal industry. In the beginning, women - and especially the images of women - either working alongside the plant, managing a dispensary, budtending or baking edibles - transcended social media (see: #womenandweed hashtags); and eventually, the “lifestyle” was catapulted into the spotlight of mainstream media. In 2015, according to a survey done by Marijuana Business Daily, 36 percent of women held leadership positions in the Cannabis industry. In 2017, the number of women in leadership roles dropped to 27 percent; almost down ten percent in two short years. Superficially, the propaganda of women ‘ruling the world of weed’ might have worked to push the agenda of legalization, but it came at a cost. The topic of women and weed has become highly fetishized, and most of the women willing to put themselves out there are white - with very little representation from women of color. As a bi-racial woman (partially white, partially not), I realize the privileges I have been granted, but not earned, because of my light skin. There was (and basically still is) hardly any media diversity being shown, but by holding our media sources accountable (including our own publication), this too can change. Sexual assault and harassment cases already exist within the Oregon legal market. According to the Willamette Week, CEO Nitin Khanna of Cura (aka Select Strains) was accused of raping Lori Fale the
night before his wedding in 2012. Fale took Nitin to court on a $2.3 million dollar sexually battery lawsuit but settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. In 2016, also reported by Willamette Week, Whitney Hobbs filed a sexual harassment suit against her co-founder and CEO Christopher Malott of Highly Distributed, for ‘groping and smelling’ her in the workplace. These were the few reported assaults, and I hope the women in our community have enough support to call out their perpetrators when violated. But unfortunately, my guess is probably no. Therefore, the media must assume the responsibility as watchdogs to expose these stories, in order to provide the public with the truth of the reality of this industry. The “bro culture” of the cannabis can be obnoxious: leaving women, people of color and those with disability on the margins. Generally speaking, there is no paid sick-time, no paid days off, there is no paid maternity or paternity leave for people working in the Oregon Cannabis industry - and the pay remains dismally low. Most budtenders make no more than Oregon minimum wage, usually ranging between 10 to 15 dollars an hour (if they are lucky).
Working in Cannabis farms as garden hands can be back-breaking work, often with zero employee benefits and little pay to boot – if not salaried. If you’re lucky enough to land a high-level position, you might fare better, but most of the Cannabis workforce is left vulnerable. Sometimes, I wonder why women (like myself) continue to claim the Cannabis industry is friendly to women (or anybody for that matter) when the actions of most companies obviously do not back this assertion. We clearly have an ample amount of work ahead of us before the majority of the cannabis industry can actually take care of its workforce. At the end of the day, and despite all the bullshit, I love Oregon and (most of) the people in our Cannabis community trying to bring solutions to the problems of inequity. I want to celebrate the excellence and perseverance of women, but I don’t feel right doing that without a critical lens. Real issues continue to be swept under the rug in Oregon Cannabis culture, and it’s important we acknowledge and address those issues (racism, sexism and beyond), to improve the moral quality of this industry moving forward.
“WE CLEARLY HAVE AN AMPLE AMOUNT OF WORK AHEAD OF US BEFORE THE MAJORITY OF THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY CAN ACTUALLY TAKE CARE OF ITS WORKFORCE.”
As much as our magazine looks to celebrate the women building the foundations of the Oregon (and national) industry, I also believe it’s just as important to be honest and critical on the realities of being a working woman in Cannabis.
20/aug. 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF Simone Fischer is a contributing writer for Oregon Leaf based in Portland.
PRESENTS
PURCHASING MANAGER EDUCATION FOR THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY SPONSORS
This seminar will be focusing on a variety of issues and resolutions that purchasing managers at cannabis retail stores face in their everyday job. It is important to understand what a purchasing manager job title entails and their obligation of responsibility in this fluctuating industry.
DATE: SEPTEMBER 7TH TIME: 1:00-4:00PM LOCATION: SEATTLE COLLEGE (EITHER WOOD TECH CENTER OR A LECTURE HALL....) THE REGISTRATION WILL GET UPDATED AS SOON AS THE EXACT BUILDING IS CONFIRMED.
bit.ly/2v2maYI
UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF FARM TO RETAILER RELATIONSHIPS PRACTICING TRANSPARENCY THROUGH EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION UNDERSTANDING OUR ROLE AND WHY OUR ROLE IS SO IMPERATIVE TO THE SUCCESS OF THIS INDUSTRY. UTILIZING PRACTICES WITH IN-TAKING A NEW VENDOR UTILIZI AND HANDLING POTENTIAL NEW VENDORS THAT ARE LOOKING TO ESTABLISH A BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP.
Being a purchasing manager in this industry is a lot more complex than we think, with a range of responsibilities that can be overwhelming. Let us provide insight in kick-starting ideas and think "outside the cloud" to make this position more prominent and respected in this and any industry.
highly likely
Column # 37
Highlighting amazing Cannabis pioneers who helped pave the way to greater herbal acceptance.
OPRAH By PACER STACKTRAIN for OREGON LEAF
O
prah Winfrey, the groundbreaking TV show host and actress, has actually smoked marijuana. It was Gayle that spilled the beans. It’s always Gayle.
But, upon further inspection, the revelation didn’t feel all that unexpected. We did all expect it, didn’t we? This media mogul who’s just so cool and relatable. While we still don’t have it from Oprah’s mouth, we do now have a pretty good idea that Oprah enjoys Cannabis. At least, that’s what her best friend Gayle King told Ellen DeGeneres on her show in May of this year. “Oprah has also smoked a little marijuana, too, I don’t mind saying,” she said, and then quickly added anxiously, “I’m not telling tales out of school.” When pressed by Ellen, King added “I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate her. ... It’s not something that happens on a regular—I’m going to change the subject.” Most of us know Oprah’s life story: born into poverty in rural Mississippi, pregnant at 14, and sent to live with her father in Tennessee after a miscarriage. She landed a radio job while in high school, and from there rose to become one of the “Queen of all Media.” Along the way, Winfrey seemed to break virtually every barrier that lay in front of her. She’s been a media maverick from early on, creating her own production company (Harpo Productions) in 1986, which eventually burgeoned into the Oprah empire, which now includes The Oprah Winfrey Network, O, The Oprah magazine, and, of course, Oprah.com. Today, Oprah is worth approximately $3 billion. Celebrities have had to hide their use of Cannabis for almost a hundred years amid fears of reprisal from the public. And that’s why this month’s column is tough. While Gayle, Oprah’s BFF, claims she consumes the plant - as recently as 2015, Oprah was claiming that she didn’t partake. That year on David Letterman’s final few episodes before retirement – Oprah appeared for an interview. When Letterman asked if she smoked, Oprah replied “Actually, no. I haven’t smoked in 30 years. Really.” Then, on Andy Cohen’s Watch What
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Happens Live, she was asked what the last time she had smoked was “Uh, 19…..82” she replied. Cohen then invited her to hang out after the show, to which she replied, “I hear it’s gotten better!” However, in March of this year, all of a sudden Cannabis content started appearing in the pages of O, The Oprah Magazine. A headline on the cover asks “Is Marijuana the New Merlot? Mellow it Out.” Inside the magazine are stories from High Tea Parties to how to be a Mom and travel with Cannabis to ways to meet like-minded friends who smoke. Oprah.com also has a number of canna-related articles as well. Was Oprah doing a little R&D? Has she recently rekindled her passion for the plant that she says ended in the early 80s? For now, none of us really know the answers to these questions. But if there ever was a more powerful advocate than Oprah – we’d love to hear it. And, Oprah, whenever you’re ready to come out of the green closet: we’ll embrace you with open arms!
ALL OF A SUDDEN CANNABIS CONTENT STARTED APPEARING IN THE PAGES OF O MAGAZINE. A HEADLINE ON THE COVER ASKS “IS MARIJUANA THE NEW MERLOT? MELLOW IT OUT.”
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By SIMONE FISCHER/OREGON LEAF | PHOTO by DANIKA CUCHETTO @DANIKAINOREGON
Colleen uses Cannabis to battle the complex and rare disease of Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IH), which currently has no cure. Despite tremendous pain and physical obstacles, Colleen remains one of the brightest beacons of light and strongest of patient advocates for medicinal Cannabis.
COLLEEN CUCHETTO L
H E L P I N G O T H E R PA T I E N T S
ike most of us, Cuchetto started smoking weed recreationally at 18. Shortly after she moved to California from Ohio, she was diagnosed with IH at 19 years old. “I have Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension. My body either makes excess Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) or doesn’t absorb it properly,” Cuchetto says. “I live every day with the symptoms of a brain tumor, yet there is no mass. This disease has been renamed several times since my diagnosis. It was called Pseudo tumor Cerebri, false brain tumor. Despite the affinity for name tweaking by the medical community, there is not one drug designed to treat this condition,” she explains. “The surgical treatments are insane. Shunt fail rates can mean repeated surgeries. I lost an IH friend who went through 39 surgeries.” IH affects every 1 in 300,000 people. It doesn’t kill you, but the treatments associated are exhausting and hard on the body. Some go for years without an accurate diagnosis and end up losing their eyesight. IH is traditionally diagnosed through spinal taps to check for increased CSF. She is highly sensitive to barometric pressure, which affects her cranial pressure. Cuchetto says the pain isn’t like a headache or migraine – because her skull seams are literally busting open. Due to the lack of treatment options, Cuchetto’s neurologist asked her if she would be open to trying marijuana for relief.
LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS “Eight years ago, I had brain surgery. A ventricular shunt was inserted into my brain to help drain the excess CSF. I already had a lumbar-peritoneal shunt that had failed. The entire process was hell. Three months after insertion, I had it removed. Months in the hospital and ridiculous amounts of opioid painkillers left me allergic and addicted. Here’s the rub...my pain is intracranial, within the skull. Those painkillers do not cross the blood-brain barrier. My relief only came from taking enough to pass out. Opioids were doing nothing to help, in fact, they were making everything worse. I was on a dozen different medications, mostly to counteract the effects of the opioids. My neurologist cautiously suggested Cannabis because he couldn’t outright suggest it. Plus, Cannabis crosses the blood-brain barrier. I finally had pain relief! Thus began my journey,” Cuchetto explains.
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S
even years ago in 2011, she moved to Oregon with her family as a Cannabis refugee and immediately joined the OMMP program. I asked her what cannabinoids and terpenes work best when dealing with IH? “Definitely Vanilla Kush for pain. Gorge Vortex from Otis Gardens is my daytime savior. I’ve got a serious fan girl crush on this strain! As for concentrates, THC-A is a powerhouse anti-inflammatory. Myrcene, linalool, humulene...hell, ALL of them. Full plant synergy! Drops are tops, meaning I believe tinctures are the best way to use Cannabis medicinally. Mucosal absorption is key! I also use a glass pipe for flower and never say no to a cone!”
“I HELP PEOPLE LEARN IF CANNABIS IS THE RIGHT MEDICINE FOR THEM. I HELP THEM LEARN HOW TO MEDICATE. MOST OF MY PATIENTS ARE FIRST TIME USERS. EACH SITUATION IS UNIQUE.”
Given the little research that exists on IH today, I asked if she had any challenges to using Cannabis as a treatment option? Cuchetto’s husband Ric Cuchetto, is a Cannabis chemist who served on the advisory committee after Measure 91 passed, and currently consults around the world on behalf of Cannabis science. Ric helps create cannabinoid and terpene formulas for Colleen, but not without challenges. “When I think of what Ric and I thought we knew eight years ago, and where we are today...there is so much information and maybe even more misinformation, that I now work as a Patient Advocate,” Cuchetto says. “I help people learn if Cannabis is the right medicine for them. I help them learn how to medicate. Most of my patients are first time users. Each situation is unique. You can’t just say “oh, take this.” There is a learning curve and I can help with that. Having someone to coach you is invaluable. I believe it’s the most successful path to finding your personal dosing regimen. We’ve come full circle. Cannabis is my medicine and I share that gift by trying to help others on this same path.”
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15% $60 RENEWNW15.
MARIJUANA PRODUCTS MAY BE PURCHASED OR POSSESSED ONLY BY PERSONS 21 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER. THIS PRODUCT HAS INTOXICATING EFFECTS AND MAY BE HABIT FORMING. MARIJUANA CAN IMPAIR CONCENTRATION, COORDINATION AND JUDGEMENT. DO NOT OPERATE A VEHICLE OR MACHINERY WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE. THERE MAY BE HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE USE OF THIS PRODUCT. FOR ADULT USE ONLY. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN.
ALL LOCATIONS
WE CARE ABOUT YOUR HEALTH small batch
artisan grown
Washington Bud Company periodically tests our flower for pesticides and heavy metals to prove our POISON FREE claim. We are the ONLY flower company in the State that has qualified to use the Department of Health’s General Use Compliant symbol on our packages.
Visit our web site for further details and where to find WA Bud Co products: www.WABudCo.com 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 by adults twenty-one or older. Keep out of the reach of children.
MARIJUANA PRODUCTS MAY BE PURCHASED OR POSSESSED ONLY BY PERSONS 21 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER. THIS PRODUCT HAS INTOXICATING EFFECTS AND MAY BE HABIT FORMING. MARIJUANA CAN IMPAIR CONCENTRATION, COORDINATION AND JUDGEMENT. DO NOT OPERATE A VEHICLE OR MACHINERY WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE. THERE MAY BE HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE USE OF THIS PRODUCT. FOR ADULT USE ONLY. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN.
access
REVIEW by WES ABNEY | PHOTOS by @BERMANPHOTOS
GREENWORKS CANNABIS
Their medical Cannabis roots combined with business savvy allowed them to transition from MMJ into recreational Greenworks Cannabis
315 N 105th St, Seattle, WA Open 8am-11:45pm Daily GreenworksCannabis.com (206) 492-5132
Products 4/5
History & Values 5/5
THE SHOP OFFERS a curated selection that hits
GREENWORKS is one of the longest operating
both budget and connoisseur options evenly. You won’t find a thousand products in here, but you will find quality options and brands at every price point. We saw options from Baked, Doc Croc, Oleum, American Baked Co, Pancea and Fruit of the Root. The best part of the selection is that the price matched the value in every segment, making it worth a trip for a variety of product options.
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Cannabis dispensaries in Seattle, with their flagship Lake City location having been open since 2012. Their medical Cannabis roots combined with business savvy allowed them to transition from MMJ into recreational Cannabis, although the original message hasn’t changed. Greenworks helped patients for years and continues to connect consumers to quality products years later.
Budtenders & Specials 5/5 THIS BUDTENDERS at Greenworks feel
like a family of friends who really care about their products, with exciting specials and deals that reflect it. There are big monthly specials and daily deals, including new customer specials and in-demand brands. Ask about current deals like $5 grams of flower, $22 grams of shatter and Hempfest specials all August long!
HEMPKINGS WEDDING CAKE Rich and full of lemony-fuel flavor, this wedding cake is like having ARO MA cake and smoking it too! The dense and crystally buds are firm D EN S IT Y to the squeeze but break CU RE open easily, with a good THC L O O KS moisture level and fresh F L AVO R flavor right out the bag. The lemon EF F ECT S OG flavor comes through beautifully T O TAL 28/30 in smoke, leaving with an earthy sweet exhale and mind-numbing effects that will slow time into a euphoric, heady high that is great anytime you want to relax and check out. THE SCORE
23.93%
CANNA ORGANIX CBD CRYSTALLINE CBD is hailed as a wonder-drug worldwide, and crystalline is the FL AVOR purest form of the Cannabinoid available on the market. E FFE CT Almost entirely CBD, PACK AGIN G this non-psychoactive CBD VA L UE extract can be dabbed, TOTA L 17/20 topped on a bowl and smoked, or utilized in homemade edibles or THC concentrates. There’s no wrong way to use CBD, and test results the versatility of the crystalline makes it a great value. 3b analytical THE SCORE
95.4% 0.4%
Environment & Vibe 5/5 BOTH GREENWORKS locations are smaller
and more intimate than some large shops, but we really like the neighborhood pot shop vibe. The atmosphere is geared for all types, from patients looking for advice and medical products to the quick in and out joint shopper. Check out either location in Greenwood or Lake City, and enjoy the heritage Cannabis experience for yourself!
Overall 19/20
AMERICAN BAKED CO RASPBERRY FRUIT CHEWS 1:1 10MG THC AND CBD PER CHEW, 100MG EACH PER PACK We love edibles that are simple, THE SCORE yummy and deliver a good high, F LAVO R and the fruit chews from American Baked Co deliver on multiple levels. EF F EC T The fruit chew is different than the PAC KAG I N G other squishy squares on the market VA LU E and is gluten-free and vegan while T O TA L 18/20 being made from real fruit purée. We enjoyed the combination of THC and CBD in the 1:1 version and found it hard not to eat three or four at a time, delivering a mellow and relaxing high that was great for pain and stoney as well!
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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 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.
NORTHWEST Leaf
AUGUST 2018
STRAIN OF THE MONTH NorthCoastGrowers.net @NorthCoast_Growers
REVIEW by WES ABNEY @NWLEAF | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS
H
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eadband is the perfect summer strain. It is known for uplifting notes of lemony fuel and a high that wraps around the head and settles in a hazy and sweaty, bring-out-the-headband-cause-the-terp-sweats-are-coming, sativa bliss after a few big tokes. It’s amazing how quickly the effects are felt directly behind the eyes, with a building pressure that pops into an amazing, slightly drooly daytime high that is especially pleasant on a sunny day. Perfect for a workout or summertime activities like hiking or paddleboarding, Headband can make anything more fun, even relaxing at home with a good book or movie. Proof that THC numbers mean nothing when it comes to getting high, this strain packs a massive punch and flavor with 15.96 percent THC that you won’t find in generic, high THC strains. The quality of the Cannabis is evident from the first crack of the bag, which releases a thick and sweet diesel fuel that fills a room, followed by sweet and hazy notes of citrus. The first tokes of a bowl are light and full of fuel, with a nose-tickling exhale that burns down to a clean white ash. After a few bowls in the summertime heat, we contemplated a search for the legendary Bigfoot, but settled for a blissful walk to the nearest coffee shop for an iced latte to rock with the summery Sativa high. North Coast Growers are located in Anacortes, and produce extremely high quality and thoughtful Cannabis. Their team is passionate about the plant, and their strains, and it shows in the flowers they produce. We also loved their Fruity Pebbles strain, last years Dope Cup winner, and highly recommend any strains coming out of their garden. Look for the iconic Rasta bigfoot on the Headband packaging, and give them a try this summer!
WE CONTEMPLATED A SEARCH FOR THE LEGENDARY BIGFOOT, BUT SETTLED FOR A BLISSFUL WALK TO THE NEAREST COFFEE SHOP
HEADBAND NORTH COAST GROWERS
NORTHWEST LEAF
11 N O R T H W E S T P O T R E P R E N E U R S CHANGING THE CANNABIS WORLD
WOMEN
WEED in
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CANNABIS BASICS IS NOW SOLD IN OVER 150 STORES, INCLUDING PCC NATURAL MARKETS. AH HAD BEEN WORKING TOWARD GETTING HER PRODUCT INTO PCC SINCE THE MID-90S, AND THINGS FINALLY CLICKED.
AH WARNER founder & ceo | cannabis basics INTERVIEW BY DANIELLE HALLE | PHOTO BY DANIEL BERMAN
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and Ah realized she could create a safe hen Ah Warner was beginning to place for women entrepreneurs, activists, dedicate her life to hemp, she came and community members to simply relax to the realization that cannabinoids and come together to enjoy the plant we in Cannabis were important to so dearly love. healing as well. Fast forward to now and we’re Five years and 150 members later, only just tip-toeing into the waters of legal Cannabis in one thing has changed in the way Women America. Washington state’s legalization in 2015, of Weed operates. however, caused a problem for Cannabis Basics While they still smoke weed, eat food, because it restricted the sale of products which and hang out with friends, they’ve also contained less than 0.3 percent THC. committed to philanthropy through the No time was wasted when the realization hit that organization’s brand merchandising Ah’s products could no longer be sold in stores. Women of Weed Gives. Teaming up with Kari Boiter, Ah was the co-author All profits from Women and chief orchestrator of RCW of Weed Gives, the 69.50.575, to allow CHABA philanthropic arm of (Cannabis Health and Beauty Ah Warner has been a powerhouse Cannabis Basics (MEGS LLC), Aids) products to be sold in retail in the Cannabis industry for quite will support women-run and stores. For a bit of perspective some time now. She began her women-owned non-profits on just how quickly this law was crusade for the healing power of in the cannabis space. The changed, I’ll provide a timeline. hemp in the 90s with the creation new organization has already Cannabis was legalized on of her company Cannabis Basics, selected the first three grant January 1st, 2015. Ah began so you can imagine my excitement recipients for the first two lobbying in Olympia for the law for the chance to speak with her fiscal years. to change on January 22nd. about her extensive experience Ah is committed to Governor Inslee signed it into law advocating for this plant. philanthropy and notes the on June 30th and it was enacted importance of specifically giving back to July 1st, 2015. That’s how you get things done. organizations such as Hempfest. Cannabis Basics is now sold in over 150 stores, “Without Hempfest, Cannabis Basics including PCC Natural Markets. Ah had been wouldn’t exist, and there would be no legal working toward getting her product into PCC since weed in Washington.” the mid-90s, and things finally clicked for the PCC Ah has faced many challenges as a buyers when they saw her at a trade show nestled female entrepreneur in the Cannabis next to a granola company. industry. She makes a point to “surround PCC is the first major grocery chain to carry [herself] with strong men who support Cannabis Basics, or any other Cannabis lotion, women.” in their stores. PCC now supplies customers with Ah is a women’s studies major and seven different products from Cannabis Basics, proud feminist. While she said she has with more to come, Ah says. RCW 69.50.575 also been dismissed in the past, she said she allowed for licensed massage therapists and other “knows there will be a point where [those practitioners to distribute CHABA products, as well who dismissed her] will no longer be able as use them in their practices. to. She credits her “brothers in Cannabis Before the full legalization of Cannabis in like Jerry Whiting, Dr. Ethan Russo, and Washington, Ah noticed there was something more who helped shape [her] education of missing in the community. In 2013, she founded Cannabis science.” She says she won’t rest (and trademarked) Women of Weed to be a private easy until women have 50 percent of the social club, made for fun in the Cannabis industry. money and the power. Business and activism were always going on 24/7,
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SHARON STRESSED THE NEED FOR MORE RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTS OF CANNABIS FOR PTSD PATIENTS, AND EQUALITY FOR VETERANS WHO CHOOSE TO HEAL WITH THE HELP OF CANNABIS. INTERVIEW BY DANIELLE HALLE | PHOTO BY DANIEL BERMAN
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SHARON WHITSON chief executive officer |SEATTLE HEMPFEST
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ver 15 years ago, Whitson found herself While the state of “regulated, not becoming a part of a movement that legal” Cannabis in Washington was enriching the lives of everyone seemed dismal at this point in our involved. When I asked what drew her talk, we were able to shine a light into becoming an activist in the Cannabis world, on some positivity and justice for the she told me it was because of her “love of the Cannabis community. Cannabis plant itself, the Cannabis users, and the Whitson explained to me that the community.” Once she became more involved with Hempfest organization is working that community, a friend of hers introduced her to to help free non-violent, victimless Hempfest’s founder, Vivian McPeak, and it seemed citizens who have been locked like a natural fit for her to become a leader in the up in prison for life for Cannabis, organization. now that it has become legalized Whitson had been working in event planning in some way in the majority of our for a living and was happy to turn her attention country. Currently, the organization toward the community that she had become has “adopted” two prisoners who so close to. She broke it down for me, and it’s they send mail to and provide apparent that she really does do the public with it all. In addition to the master information about planning of the annual Seattle these prisoners and Hempfest event, she’s involved others incarcerated What doesn’t Sharon Whitson do? in website management, retail for Cannabis. As the Chief Operating Officer store operations management, Her “greatest of Seattle Hempfest, Whitson’s volunteer recruitment, accounting, Hempfest moment responsibilities seem unlimited. event program design, and is also There is a fine line between activism was going around the Treasurer on the Board of and organization, but what holds the [the event] with Hempfest. two together is the love she has for George Martorano the Cannabis plant and community. Her drive is fueled by “her [the first prisoner love of the people and the Hempfest adopted plant.” Whitson is an outspoken activist involved and has since been freed] to put up in protecting the rights of three main groups flyers about the current [adopted] of individuals: parents with sick children who prisoner, Jimmy Romans.” choose to treat them with Cannabis, veterans, and Seattle Hempfest is doing critical medical Cannabis patients. She and I share many work and is only going to get bigger of the same viewpoints about the current legal as more states jump on board to Cannabis laws. For instance, if Cannabis heals, legalize and decriminalize marijuana. why can’t children with medical marijuana cards Currently, the Hempfest event is use Cannabis at school, but school nurses can franchised in Washington, Alaska, administer opioids to children while at school? Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Jamaica, Her next area of concern is veterans, including New Jersey, Oklahoma, and even those who suffer from PTSD. She stressed to me the Idaho. In order to keep up with the need for more research on the effects of Cannabis growth of this free speech event, it for PTSD patients, and equality for veterans who is important that donations continue choose to heal with the help of Cannabis. to be made to the organization The issue that we went over the most, however, whenever possible. was the condition of access to safe Cannabis Whitson had a few effective words in Washington for medical marijuana patients. for me when I asked her for advice These patients are paying a 37 percent tax regarding the importance of being on their medicine in some cases, have a a female leader in the Cannabis harder time accessing their doctors to get their industry: “Find your voice, use it, and recommendations, and in some areas, don’t have don’t be afraid. Screw the haters.” access to high quality, contaminant-free marijuana. Amen, sister!
INTERVIEW BY WES ABNEY | PHOTO BY DANIEL BERMAN
DANICA NOBLE cannabis activist | norml women of wa How did you get involved in Cannabis activism?
I got involved with Cannabis after hearing about a mother losing her newborn and a toddler. They were taken away from her in California, a legal MMJ state, and I was really affected by that story. There was an audio clip of them taking the babies, and I reacted very deeply and knew I had to get involved. It’s an issue of social justice and has always been motivating to me in terms of democracy.
MY INTEREST IS PURELY TO REDUCE THE HARMS OF PROHIBITION, TO BRING SOCIAL JUSTICE TO THIS ISSUE, AND GET HONEST, ACCURATE INFORMATION OUT THERE.
kids and I think it’s been an effective perspective for advocacy because, for so long, the soccer moms were not leading in support for legalization nationwide. To come from that perspective of saying I want to challenge your stereotypes for who supports Cannabis law reform and to bring about a sensible solution to policy in the area — that has power. What is NORML Women of Washington’s policy goals?
I’d say our platform is first and foremost to promote home grow, it’s a moral imperative. We also equally support expungement for people Yes, it is. The social justice aspect and the failed already caught up in the war on drugs, who policy of the war on drugs. We have public deserve to have those harms erased so they don’t support for recreational and medical Cannabis cause more harm moving forward. There are at record highs, and we need to call [the war on lots of other areas we support, but those two are drugs] failed policy and do better. I was voted most important to our group and have been focal most likely to legalize in college, at Whitman points. But we engage in all types of activism each University, and when I was in law school I started month. Sometimes we write the first Students for Sensible Drug letters to prisoners, or elected Policy of Law Students. Danica Noble is a Cannabis activist officials, or companies in the who followed her heart into the Cannabis space to thank them Do you practice Cannabis law? industry after hearing a story of a for their social responsibility or I don’t practice Cannabis law, and mother separated from her children to ask them to take bigger steps, I don’t have any financial interest over the plant. Noble founded the and asking people to support in the industry. My interest is purely Women of Washington chapter of Hempfest, because those are the to reduce the harms of prohibition, NORML (National Organization for the to bring social justice to this Reform of Marijuana Laws), which has shoulders we stand on. issue, and get honest accurate met monthly since 2011. She strives to stop the social injustice caused by information out there. How do you feel about women in the Is that what drives you as an activist?
How do you work as an activist?
the drug war and to gather women to come forward as a voice in the fight against the war on drugs.
In 2011, I started the NORML Women of Washington chapter, and it started very modestly. I simply found a place to meet and put an invite out there asking for women to come together and share their stories and perspectives, and from there it evolved into a platform to not only empower women’s direct involvement with democracy, government and policies that affect our lives, but also built a platform for the organization. I’m just one of the many NORML women. It’s growing and has been meeting monthly, every second Saturday at Uptown Espresso [in Seattle] since 2011.
industry and what is your message to anyone thinking of joining the cause?
I think women will be critical to the success of sensible policies and MMJ law reform! I think for too long their perspectives haven’t been represented at all levels, both as regulators and government and even activists, but that’s changing. We would say you are so welcome to come, and our meeting is big enough to hold anybody, any views and any perspective, and we need people of all backgrounds because it makes us stronger. So please come with questions or friends, we take action at every meeting, and just showing up can make a difference. What is your goal as the founder of the group?
How does being a mom affect your activism?
As a working mom and member of community, I believe the drug war is too costly to communities and to families. The real harm of this nation’s shameful drug war has been to communities of color, and I don’t want to take that out of the forefront of the movement. I have three young
My one goal is normalization. As this comes out of the shadows it gives us more opportunities to call out injustice where it is and move forward. I’m thankful for the opportunity to give back to the community and make a meaningful impact, and to help women get together outside the industry for activism.
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BESS BYERS INTERVIEW BY WES ABNEY PHOTO BY DANIEL BERMAN
How did Cannabis first come into your life?
I've been smoking since high school, and as I got older I was smoking recreationally in LA. I realized how much I loved smoking while working out. I would smoke and go run the boardwalk or smoke and go do Zumba, and that's when I realized it's not just about getting stoned. Cannabis makes me really enjoy the moment and enhances experiences. That was the turning point for me. How did you get connected to the Washington state Cannabis industry?
Did that experience help you shape your creative agency?
Yes, and it helped me realize as my social following grew that it was becoming more and more important to align with companies that share my values. Pesticide-free, supporting local growers, giving back to the community, and that’s why I started my own agency. We do content creation, photo and video, social media management and strategy, web development, blogs with SEO optimization, email marketing, and general packaging design and consulting in general. Whether you have a new brand or want to overhaul an existing one, we can help you accomplish that.
One of my girlfriends owned a medical grow, so How does it feel to be a woman in the Cannabis industry? when I would come to visit her in Washington I think it definitely has its pros and cons. Obvious she would have me take photos of her plants. It pros are women supporting women and being was still a taboo thing, and I remember showing open to working together and my mom those pictures I shot empowering each other. I would in 2010, and she was like, Bess Byers is a creative force and say the only con is not being “oh, I thought those pics were activist who has worked in the taken seriously. I’ve had people from High Times.” I said, “no, Cannabis industry for the last three introduce me as an Instagram I shot those,” and that was years. She founded Blaise Creative to weed model, but I’ve done the moment I said, “wait, help pioneer the industry with content marketing research for Fortune maybe I am a good weed and creative brand development. Her 500 companies and am much Instagram highlights her own creative photographer.” more than a weed model. art and work, with 90,000+ followers at last check. We talked about what Not that there’s anything wrong What were you doing inspired her to shift into Cannabis, with being an IG weed model, in LA at that time? and what her hopes are for the indusbut it’s not just who I am. I had started a political try and the country as a whole. I’ve been in situations where men nonprofit, a single-issue cause discredit my accomplishments to educate millennials about or downplay my feedback or the national debt. Leaving a concerns or brand direction. generation in trillions of dollars I’m so much more than a pretty face, and people in debt is unacceptable, and at a time where we say, “oh, your social success is because your skinny are so divided on political and social issues, I and attractive.” I say no! It’s because I work my butt believe it's the one issue we need to be uniting off and make original content, climbing mountains behind. We are being robbed by politicians of at sunrise with backpacks full of styling gear to get our future, so I was going to go to DC and stick cool shoots. Overall, the positives outweigh the it to the man. I am a proponent of freedom, negatives tenfold. liberty and limited government. How do you feel about the war on drugs?
cannabis pHOTOGRAPHER @CANNABESS
I don’t think it’s the government's job to regulate what I do with my body. All drugs should be legal, and regulated because people will do drugs and hire prostitutes and do things that are illegal, it's the nature of the game. So the war on drugs and the private prison system needs to end. That’s not American, not what our country was founded on. But you didn’t end up in DC?
IT WAS BECOMING MORE AND MORE IMPORTANT TO ALIGN WITH COMPANIES THAT SHARE MY VALUES.
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I told a friend who has a grow in WA that I was moving to DC unless she knew somebody who could make me a better offer, and she called me back and made me a better offer. I moved to WA instead of DC in April 2015. What was your role for the garden?
It was crazy because it was a startup, so I was in the garden doing everything from cloning to trimming, and doing sales, marketing, social media and more. That’s when I realized Cannabis lifestyle photography was a thing, and I had done shoots with a stylist that had gone really well, so it morphed from there.
What are your hopes for the future?
I hope as legalization spreads to continue to align myself with companies share my morals and values. I want to help good companies grow and win, like the OG medical grower or a woman who started making tincture because her mom was sick. I want to see them go national and tell their story and advance legalization. As much as I love seeing new faces in the industry, I hate seeing the corporate finance bro content to spray poison on a plant for profit with no respect for the plant, the culture or the history of the industry. Has it been worth it?
I am so appreciative of the Cannabis community, never in a million years would I have been in this position. When I was stressed in college for finals or living in China or starting my nonprofit and feeling like national debt was a huge issue. Never would think I'm an influencer and business owner, and I tell this to everybody. Do what you love, follow your dreams, and if you want into the industry find your skills and how you can apply them to Cannabis and make it happen. This is a multi-billion-dollar industry with room for everyone, we’re in it together.
How did you get started in the Cannabis scene?
I started doing activism work in 2008 with Hempfest because I was doing a film project. My subject was legalization, and I made a short documentary about no prison for pot, medical Cannabis and industrial hemp. I got so completely pulled in and was convinced that Cannabis criminalization is the greatest injustice this country has seen since slavery.
Bonnie Fong is a Partner at C3 Law Group, a firm specializing in Cannabis clientele. She recently filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of advertising laws in Washington and is actively seeking to make the industry a better for patients and businesses alike by using the legal system to create change. Fong is a longtime Cannabis activist who began working in the medical Cannabis movement in 2008. From there, she gained experience that has defined her journey to become a lawyer serving the Cannabis industry.
What did you learn from your experiences in MMJ?
I started in the dispensary world in 2009 and was managing 12 at the time that I started law school, which is also when I started my consulting business. I helped with basic tools all companies need help with like inventory control, HR issues, payroll issues, coordination with accounting, basic business management that a lot of people didn’t really think was integral. At the end of the day, a Cannabis business is just like any other business, and you need these basic building blocks in order to run a successful business. It started broadening my horizons, and then I graduated and joined C3 Law Group, and now I’m a fully fluent and well-versed attorney in the Cannabis industry and can help out as a lawyer. Have you always wanted to be a lawyer?
I’ve always wanted to go to law school — I decided at eight years old — but I thought it would be for women’s rights, reproductive rights, immigration or gay rights, something to do with helping people.
BONNIE FONG partner | C3 law group
INTERVIEW BY WES ABNEY | PHOTO BY DANIEL BERMAN
“IF PEOPLE ARE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH ADDICTION OR ABUSE FOR ANY DRUG THEY SHOULD SEE A DOCTOR OR A THERAPIST, NOT BE CRIMINALIZED AND PUT IN JAIL.”
Where do you stand on Cannabis and the law?
First and foremost: no prison for pot. We should not be throwing people in jail for having Cannabis. I really believe Cannabis, and all drug policy is a public health issue and not a criminal justice issue. If people are having problems with addiction or abuse for any drug they should see a doctor or a therapist, not be criminalized and put in jail. It perpetuates hardship, and we’re the ones paying for it as a society. A lot of your legal focus is on helping 502 license holders deal with the LCB and shaping rules and regulations to be better for the industry. Tell us about your work, and how you help The
Cannabis system is a new system and with all things in Rome weren’t built in a day. There’s a lot of rules that are too broad or off the mark that need refining, and I really want to make those changes. I’m the problemsolver, dealing with violations and internal company disputes that have to consider LCB issues, and we go up against the LCB fighting violations or intent to deny apps, or rules like the limitations on advertising that hurt patient access and limit freedom of speech. They give the LCB broad discretion, and that needs to be refined. There is a lot of sloppy work and people who don’t know what they are doing, and if we are going to have a good working system we need a system that we can trust and all have faith in.
What makes you different from other pot attorneys serving the industry, and how do you hope to use that to your advantage?
There are lawyers in this industry who don’t love Cannabis or have a relationship with the plant, and to me, that’s so wrong. I love Cannabis, and I love talking to budtenders and growers and patients about the questions they have with Cannabis, and how we can help. I am launching a new column in Northwest Leaf to give an opportunity to people who don’t have access to legal resources to ask about certain legal issues in the Cannabis spectrum. To me, it behooves the entire industry to be open and available to people, and a lot of people from the industry come from a place where they don’t trust lawyers. And I want to change that. If you have a question or have a story to tell, a bad experience with the LCB, these are the stories we can make change with, and I want to hear it. I’m always here to listen.
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BETHANY TRAINS FALCONS (LIKE SKY, A 12-YEAR-OLD SAKER FALCON SHE RESCUED FOUR YEARS AGO) THAT ARE SOUGHT AFTER WORLDWIDE AND GO ON TO BECOME CHAMPION HUNTERS AND RACING BIRDS IN PLACES AS EXOTIC AS DUBAI.
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B
ethany Rondeau is the master grower and founder of Falcanna, a tier three producerprocessor in the I-502 market here in Washington. The name Falcanna is a combination of two of Bethany’s passions, falconry and Cannabis. In addition to producing and breeding high-quality Cannabis, Bethany is a falconer who breeds falcons and hawks. A recreational Cannabis brand wasn’t always the plan, however, for Bethany and her husband Justin when they began their medical marijuana business. They were searching for a solution to Bethany’s migraines when they found that Cannabis was the answer they were looking for. Shortly after, the two became passionate advocates for the safe access of clean medicine for the local patients on the Olympic Peninsula. Their delivery service was established, and eventually, they opened a retail space where their strains like Pacific Blue and Orange Blossom became famous in the region. They sold their Cannabis to patients up until the very last day of medical marijuana – June 30, 2016. All was not lost, however. The strict growing and curing practices that their original brand, Olympic Sensemillia, held close to their hearts was carried on through the creation of the Falcanna brand. You’ll recognize old favorites from the medical days in their strains that they’ve been growing for at least six or more years, such as Dutch Haze and Diesel Thai. Falcanna is also pesticide-free, just like they were back in the medical days. Bethany notes that “since [she] smokes [her] own Cannabis, she doesn’t want to spray anything nasty on it.” When I asked her the million-dollar question, ‘Which came first - the falcon egg, or the medical marijuana?’ Bethany stunned me with the response that she’d been working in falconry since the age of 14! At this point, she’s been doing falconry longer than she hasn’t. Patients at her old dispensary knew her and her team as “the bird people.” Bethany notes that “falconry is a huge endeavor and it’s their whole life.” There is an equal amount of love being put into her falconry projects as well as the Cannabis that she grows and breeds. Bethany and Justin train falcons that are sought after worldwide and go on to become champion hunters and racing birds in places as exotic as Dubai. Bethany said she is lucky to have not experienced negative encounters based on solely the fact that she is a female business owner in the Cannabis industry. While “negative people in general exist,” Bethany says, “we like to do business Falcanna.com @Falcanna_WA with good people, and treat people how we would want to be treated.” As a business owner, she is focused on the success of her companies and wants to be recognized as an individual, not based strictly on her gender. She is concerned with supporting small businesses, especially craft Cannabis, and avoiding making the same mistakes as the alcohol industries. She wants to help ensure diversity in our own industry. This is the responsibility of both men and women in the Cannabis industry, according to Bethany. “The pie is big enough. Let’s make sure it is spread out among as many different people as possible.”
BETHANY RONDEAU MASTER GROWER & FOUNDER | FALCANNA INTERVIEW BY DANIELLE HALLE | PHOTO BY DANIEL BERMAN
NORTHWEST LEAF
WOMEN IN WEED ISSUE
What were you doing before you started Heylo?
I worked in the gastroenterology department at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and that’s where I started researching Cannabis white papers. Once you get past the privately funded anti-MMJ papers there is a lot of information showing how promising Cannabis is as a medicine. Soon after, my family and I recognized that the Cannabis Industry was an incredible opportunity to impact those suffering from opioid addiction. How did you end up in Seattle running a pot business?
I was ready to risk it all, and I moved here in May of 2015. I wasn’t sure how we would enter the industry, but I had met Eden Labs at a conference in Chicago and turned that connection into a job. I’m a chemist so extraction seemed like a perfect fit, and I was thinking 10 years from now what types of products would still be in place? I knew, 100 percent, that mass implementation and innovation would come from CO2. Why did you choose CO2 as your focus and solvent of choice?
LAUREL FRIESEN co-f0under & ceo | heylo cannabis INTERVIEW BY WES ABNEY | PHOTO BY DANIEL BERMAN
“WE WANT PEOPLE TO TRUST OUR PRODUCTS TO BE SAFE AND CLEAN, AND TO FEEL HEALTHY AND COMFORTABLE PUTTING THEM IN THEIR BODIES.”
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What kind of products do you make, and why do you test for pesticides?
We make raw and winterized CO2 extract that comes in cartridges, PAX Pods, and applicators for dabbing. We also have a few wonderful topical creams and body balms. All of our products are tested pesticide-free before we source them for extraction. We also test after the extraction because we want to make sure our extract truly is clean as the end product, that’s the most important thing. We want people to always be able to trust our products to be safe and clean. Heylo’s products are meant provide you with a high quality product that you can trust every time. You should always feel comfortable putting our products in your bodies.
Laurel Friesen is the co-founder of
Beyond your amazing products, Heylo has also begun offering a variety of events all focused on education and culture?
It’s safe, versatile, and clean. Heylo Cannabis, a processor in Seattle We also already know a lot about focusing on CO2 extraction and craft, botanical CO2 extraction. Thinking pesticide-free products. Friesen moved We host a wide array about the public eye and what from Chicago on a one-way ticket after of educational events and community events would make people feel safe, CO2 leaving a career in the medical field to follow her passions and become a like CANNSTEM, is an ideal option. Our goal is Cannabis entrepreneur. Today, her Terp School and based around conscious use, so we and fiancé Daniel Luebke have created meetings for the entered the market knowing that the a meaningful brand that transcends American Chemical products we would make products into events, education and Society Cannabis would not be the typical product on passion for the Cannabis community. Division. We also host the shelf but desperately needed in Ellementa, which is a this state. Not everyone wants to or national women’s Cannabis education has the means to spend a lot of money on extracts, company. My favorite events are our so we looked for what the market was missing: Heylo Sessions, which are all about Clean, pure, delicious, and effective extract that is music, art, Cannabis and community. as close to the plant profile as possible. We’ve thrown six Heylo Sessions to date including five concerts and one How do you craft your oil in a natural and pure way? yoga session. We have a Spotify [We] keep the extract as close to the plant as Playlist for every strain…there is so possible with our process. We have optimized our much more to come! extraction for giving the extract the time to come out of the plant material, optimizing for terpenes What values does Heylo stand for? and not necessarily THC. The most important Education and transparency, because thing is good quality material. So we source that’s the best way to move this outdoor flower for all Heylo products. We love industry forward. We’re trying to plants grown in the sun, they create their own pest be a resource and create an open repellents through terpenes and the sun enriches environment for people to to be able the cannabinoid and terpene profile. We’re buying to ask questions, learn, and share flower, the stuff you would want to smoke, because because there’s not enough access to if you start with something more potent and higher information about cannabis. Our lab quality you’re being more efficient with your process and events are here to give people and finish with a better product. a place they can feel comfortable in a community who is also passionate Why do you source organically grown material to process? about cannabis or uses cannabis to Washington Bud Co has made me believe that there enhance experiences. I like to believe is no excuse or reason to have to use chemical we are helping destigmatize this pesticides. There are cleaner ways to manage your amazing plant through our values and pests. The plant is really smart, and they knows what actions. We’re so grateful to be part it’s doing. It’s just like farming and buying food, we of this incredible movement. want it to be as clean as possible.
INTERVIEW BY WES ABNEY | PHOTO BY DANIEL BERMAN
RACHAEL MARIE Purchasing Manager | Cannabis City
“THE BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT THE INDUSTRY IS THAT WE’RE STILL FIGURING IT OUT, AND WE CAN PAVE THE WAY HOW WE WANT IT TO BE.”
How did you get involved in the Cannabis industry?
I started at Cannabis City as a budtender in November 2016. I was tired of the long hours of car sales. I was successful, l but I wasn’t happy. I didn’t have a passion for cars like I do Cannabis. Leaving a steady income to come into an introductory job position was a little tough, but it was the passion for the plant that led me here. When did you become the purchasing manager?
Four months ago, they recruited me back. I went to the processing side for a while and it allowed me to experience and see the hurdles vendors deal with when it comes to stores and purchasing managers, and it helped Cannabis City assist in overcoming those obstacles for better vendor relations. What do you look for when working with a farm?
I ultimately look for the passion behind the vendor and the farm itself, and the quality of Cannabis is everything. I don’t talk THC percentages or numbers, other than solvents which have to be under 100 parts per million. I’m looking at the quality of the Cannabis, how and where it’s grown, how long they’ve been in business. I want to support local and medicinal businesses, companies with heritage that can stand behind their products. We need to respect those farms and take care of them. You don’t do sample drop-offs, but instead schedule meetings with producers. Why? I give a new vendor
my undivided time, and it shows I respect the farm. Meeting face to face addresses hurdles that can’t be addressed in a call or email, and it starts the relationship which is of the utmost importance. A lot of times with farms and buyers there’s no communication or transparency, which has allowed a lot of farms to be prominent that shouldn’t be, and you fund that behavior as a buyer.
that really matter. There’s a lot of responsibility with a purchasing manager versus a buyer. Buyers are destabilizing the market by bottoming out the industry as they bottom out the pricing. There’s so much desperation in the farms, everyone is struggling, and the buyers are taking advantage of that and bottoming out the market even more. Buyers need to understand what they are signing up for when they buy that $5 wholesale gram of wax, or purchase from conglomerate farms instead of family and heritage companies. It’s not about the money, it’s about understanding the product and quality and investing in the product and the farms behind them. What else would you like to see change with the current buyer system?
Education, and less ego. We’re not selling shirts here or shoes, this is a product people depend on. I see buyers and the arrogance they see themselves with, as the gatekeepers between a farm and a store, but they are really the gatekeeper for the product to the consumer, and if they don’t believe in quality and relationships they will not be successful long-term. Has it been hard to be a woman in the industry? What kind of change would you like to see for the industry overall?
It’s interesting coming from the car business, which is male-dominated, so it wasn’t very intimidating for me. You also work with your budtenders to score and sample It’s been easier to gain respect for every farm before it hits the shelf. Tell us why you do this? things I believe in here versus the My budtenders are my front line, and I couldn’t car industry. But I’ve had certain do this without them being receptive to what I’m experiences where farms overlooked trying to instill in the store. We have a sample me and treated me as a budtender review process, which includes price point as it and turned to a male employee who would sit on the floor, and I ask them what they says, “hey, she makes the decisions.” think and feel about products, and where they But they lost the audience, and I would feel comfortable selling it at. That’s where remember that. A word of caution my negotiating power comes in, I go back to the to the farms, you might want to use company and say hey, this product is great, but we caution in how you can’t sell it at this price because treat women. I feel our budtenders aren’t confident like there is a lack of in it. We can’t lower our margins, diversity all around, but we can be aggressive in our Rachael Marie is the purchasing from women, women budtender education and having manager at Seattle’s first opened of color and LGBTQ. dispensary, Cannabis City. She blends quality Cannabis products, so the passion for medical Cannabis with But the beautiful thing even if it’s a little higher priced professionalism from a decade in the about the industry is my budtender will back that up. auto industry, focused on concierge and that we’re still figuring customer retention, letting education it out, and we can Tell us about plans for the purchasing and quality customer care lead the way pave the way how manager seminar? My goals are for sales. Marie is working towards we want it to be, to turn buyers into purchasing creating the first purchasing manager to cohesively come managers. A buyer will buy seminar in Washington and hopes together and make a anything at the right price, but a to enlighten buyers and consumers solution that works for purchasing manager will look for together about what they should look everyone. beyond the price for the factors for in Cannabis products and farms.
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“I WANT TO ELEVATE THE PERCEPTION OF CANNABIS BY PROVIDING GUESTS WITH A SAFE AND COMFORTABLE SPACE WHERE THE FOOD IS THE STAR AND CANNABIS ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE,”
STACY PRIMACK chef and consultant| tarukino LLC INTERVIEW BY WES ABNEY | PHOTO BY DANIEL BERMAN
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or sugar, and its easily Stacy Primack is a recipe development I think my first experience with food specialist and consultant who began dispersed into any liquids working with Cannabis a year and a would be when I was about 14. I or kind of food, sauces, half ago. She’s enjoyed working with babysat for my brother’s friends, dressing, and more. The food since a young age and finds and the mother of these kids would possibilities are all over inspiration in creating food that can make elaborate gingerbread the place! change people’s perceptions, especially house. I’m not talking about basic with Cannabis. She currently works for How do you like to use ones with gumdrops and box kits, Tarukino, the company behind Pearl 2o, Cannabis for cooking? but custom made with real icing a water-based Cannabis emulsion that I’ve been working with it and stained-glass windows made can be infused into any recipe! for a while and created out of sugar. It was the coolest three cookbooks to thing, and I remember saying, “oh highlight the ways it can my god that’s beautiful, but is that be used, a summer cooking series, a food?” She would auction them off for charity, and holiday recipe guide, and a Valentine’s one day she said how would you like to pull up day beverage book. That’s nice if you a chair. So, I’d stay longer and make houses and want to enjoy a beverage with your villages with her, and that’s when I knew food wasn’t honey, in lieu of alcohol for people who just food but that it was art, something beautiful we don’t drink, this gives an alternative. We can make and eat if we wanted to. That’s where it did an event in SODO where I made all started. a watermelon gazpacho, miso tahini avocado toast with shaved radish and How did you go from the idea into the professional world? sesame gomasio, which was delicious, When the time came with my parents to talk about and infused Butterfinger cupcakes. It was college and what I wanted to do, I said culinary is funny, to have a few hundred people what I want to do. It was difficult to get into culinary there, who knew I could make desserts school back then, and I had to write a big essay but had no idea we could make savory and get work in a real kitchen. A family friend items as well. was an owner of a kosher catering company, and I did a little work for her and at a grocery store An intersection between cooking and Cannabis? before getting accepted into the Culinary Institute People are really curious, especially the of America in New York, the number one school in home chefs. They like to do both, they the country for culinary. CIA is the place where all enjoy Cannabis and cooking and can these famous chefs had come from, and I was super marry them together. Just like how people stoked to get to go. serve food with alcohol, pairing wine or food with this, but you can get rid of the When did you get involved with Cannabis and cooking? wine altogether and enjoy amazing food. That was about a year and a half ago, I was brought on board by the CEO of Tarukino. He How do you keep people from getting too high? asked if I would like to do R&D for the company, Each course has at most, 2.5 to 5mg, that they had a great product, Pearl 2o, and that so that first mocktail hits you, and a little they needed to showcase it and show people how to more with the first course through to the use it. They invited me to come out and play with it last course, and if it’s too much we can and test it out. pull back, or keep going. That’s what’s nice about microdosing, if you put 40mg Were you nervous to come to Seattle for a Cannabis job? in the first course it could be too much. I was, because it is still a gray area in some parts of the country. But people are becoming more open to What are your hopes for the future of Cannabis? Cannabis, as it becomes more popular, and the fact Everybody wants to eat and has to eat. that people can use and eat Cannabis with foods It’s another way to introduce people to can open so many doors. From my standpoint it’s Cannabis who don’t want to be in the a way for Cannabis to be more accepted socially. alley smoking a joint. I want to elevate People aren’t so afraid to talk about Cannabis when the perception of Cannabis by providing it’s in your everyday food. guests with a safe and comfortable space Speaking of food, what can you tell us about Pearl 2o? where the food is the star and Cannabis Pearl 2o is a water-based emulsion that the enhances the experience and moving scientists at Tarukino came up with that’s forward I’ll be focusing on developing proprietary. The great thing is that there’s no dinners and experiences on my own. Cannabis taste or smell, so for people that might This is going to be mainstream, it’s just be deterred otherwise from consuming Cannabis a matter of time and legality for the edibly because they don’t like that herbaceous taste government, and it seems so stupid to that it sometimes gives you, this is an excellent have it be illegal. It’s safer for your body, way to enjoy it and feel what it does. Also, there’s mind and spirit than alcohol, it’s such a no oil, it’s made into a water, with zero calories no-brainer. How did you get started with food?
Showing off two brands Lopez works with: Leira Cannagars & Blunted Objects jewelry
How did you get started in styling?
I had been working with Sam’s Club doing recipe testing and development, and they asked me if I could style the work. At that point, recipes online were a newer thing, so I said I’ll try since I’ve always done catering and cooking work. And it just happened. I started working and testing photographers, and building my book and creating my own type of style. One of my first jobs was working with Cutters restaurant, and I got bus ads throughout Seattle. It was awesome to be out and about and see a bus drive by and be able to say ‘that’s my picture!’ Did that light the fire for you as a stylist?
It totally did, and it’s so flattering to have people say this is good enough to be on busses. Then it started to roll, and I started getting more work and branching out. How did you get started in Cannabis styling?
In the spring of 2014, I was doing market research about Cannabis because I wanted to start an edible line, but I realized I didn’t have the right kitchen or the funding. I came across Northwest Leaf, and said, “hey, I’ll just call them.” And you called right back. I said I had ideas and you said let’s do the fourth-anniversary cover together! People bring up that cover as the most iconic the Leaf has published, and to me, it’s like creating history — this is something that has never been done.
MALINA LOPEZ cannabis stylist | @malinalopez INTERVIEW BY WES ABNEY | PHOTOS BY DANIEL BERMAN
“WHAT I DO, IT’S STORYTELLING THROUGH VISUALS, AND GETTING PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT BRANDS, LIKE OOH WHAT ARE THEY DOING. IT ENTICES CONSUMERS WITH VISUALS AND TELLING A STORY ABOUT A BRAND OR PRODUCT.”
company do that I’ve done my job as a stylist. Can styling and branding help a company make it to the next level?
What I do is the very last part of the puzzle. A company has to have all the products developed, labeling and packaging and everything set up, so then we can shoot the products and the lifestyle and create the message that the brand wants to send. How does styling help shape Cannabis perceptio?
To me, it’s about pushing the envelope with what we do, especially with Cannabis, showing it in different ways than just smoking and normalizing it through art and style. I also try to work with brands I believe in, so I can feel good about helping them and promoting them within my own feed. I like telling stories through my work and bringing people into that world. So it’s not going to be about what I like best, it’s more of how can I show people a different view of the product, to see it differently and artistically. What are your goals for styling in Cannabis
To inspire women and the world. For me, Cannabis is not just about smoking, I really believe in the holistic side of it and I want people to have a good experience with the plant. Telling stories to people about the How did it feel as a woman to enter the industry? different ways you can use Cannabis, from Going into the industry, it felt very white male smoking and edibles and dabbing to holistic dominated and being a woman of color I want topicals, feminine needs, animal applications to see more females in general and so much more. To and women of color involved. I educate people about all feel there is a real gap between the things you can do with ethnicities in the industry. So I saw Cannabis, with CBD, so Malina Lopez is a professional food the niche and did what can I as a people can use it however and prop stylist who began working creative to show and share with in the Cannabis industry in 2014. they want to in their life and people what I think they would Her background as a private chef and show people that it really relate to. That’s when I started creative has led to creating beautiful, can be for everybody. layered art using food and props that working with models and women tell a story, a talent she has showcased What is your favorite part and showing lifestyle with smoking for Northwest Leaf, as well as top and different ways of enjoying the about working and styling brands like REI, Alaska Airlines, Leira within the Cannabis industry? flower. It’s really about building Cannagars and Gold Leaf Cannabis. One thing I love about tribes and lifting up other women Cannabis is the mom and and helping each other and pop businesses that are going away in the becoming allies as opposed to being competitive. mainstream but with Cannabis are still here, We have an opportunity to come together as and I want to see that continue. Like the women and help each other collectively, where we unique boutique businesses that are trying can all shine and show the world what we all have! to thrive. If I believe what a brand is doing and they work hard, I want to help them. We Why is styling and branding important for a company? all want to make a living but it’s not about You can have the best product in the world, but becoming rich. If you can do what you love if it doesn’t look good, people will breeze by it. every day and be happy and make a living, What I do, it’s storytelling through visuals, and you’ve won right there. I’m able to say I getting people excited about brands, like ooh love what I do, and it’s very important and what are they doing. Through pictures, it entices special. I’m not rich by any means, but I’m consumers with visuals and telling a story about a comfortable and this is exactly what I want to brand or product. The whole point of a stylist is to be doing. bring people in to buy products, so if I can help a
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RACHELLE MITCHELL co-owner| west coast wellness cannabis INTERVIEW BY WES ABNEY | PHOTO BY DANIEL BERMAN Although WCW has been around as a legacy Cannabis brand, you took over running the show in 2015. What has it been like, and what do you enjoy about running a Cannabis retail location?
We bring a legacy in trying to stay true to patients and it has been a drive for us and me personally. We try to stay true to our roots and be empathetic and as caring as possible by looking at it from the point of view that patients come first. And we help people in the rec market to find their path as well. People come in looking for more than just a high, with a backache and looking for relief, and that part is really interesting to see how it helps so many people. I love it when people say they’ve never been in a [Cannabis] store before or used Cannabis before, because helping guide that journey and finding something that works for them is very rewarding. What is your philosophy behind how WCW treats customers?
For me, it’s having honesty with customers, so they trust you and keep coming back. We see a lot of new faces and our main goal is to keep building relationships with new and current customers and vendors. It’s a personal relationship that people have with the plant and the budtender that they want to help guide them through Rachelle Mitchell is a self-proclaimed the journey, especially when it comes soccer mom, member of the PTA and to pain relief.
co-owner of a recreational Cannabis dispensary. West Coast Wellness began serving patients in 2011, with Mitchell taking over operations when the company became licensed under I-502. Until recently she has kept her involvement in the industry quiet, but now hopes to destigmatize Cannabis use by sharing her story, and how Cannabis can help all walks of life.
How do you and your staff work to educate and build those relationships?
I say to my employees its ok to not like something, to have a preference, and even if it’s the cheapest thing on the shelf its ok to push that if it’s what you believe in. And we help to educate that it’s not about the THC numbers! It’s about terpenes and what attracts you to a strain, and we find that by asking a lot of questions. The main thing is education and building trust, that’s the foundation for a good relationship. Your staff is made up of over half women as well. Does that help? What’s your general mantra for the team?
Half my staff are women, and I’ve been told that’s appreciated repeatedly. We’ve even had some customers call in to see if a woman answers the phone before coming in. It’s our goal to have people who haven’t [bought legal Cannabis] before to walk in and feel at ease instantly. Or for the soccer mom to feel like walking into a wine shop for the weekend. I’ve always said to the employees, you’re not too cool for this, if you think you’re cooler than the customers this isn’t the place for you. I have adults working for me, I don’t have kids, and they’re serious about what they are doing, and they enjoy what they are doing too. Does Cannabis help you as a Mom?
Sure! I have very imaginative children, and after a long day of things if I have something to unwind a little with it helps me get into their mind space. I know this is cliche, but it helps me to be more patient and in the moment, when
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“I LOVE IT WHEN PEOPLE SAY THEY’VE NEVER BEEN IN A [CANNABIS] STORE BEFORE OR USED AND HELPING GUIDE THAT JOURNEY AND FINDING SOMETHING THAT WORKS FOR THEM.” otherwise I’d be thinking about everything else I need to do. I can use it as a way to relax for a half hour and then get back to work, and to have downtime. I don’t don’t consume all the time, but it definitely helps to take the edge off. I choose not to smoke in front of the kids, and I don’t think they need to be exposed. I’ve done a lot of reading on development, and youth should not be using Cannabis unless it’s medicinal until they are adults. And that’s how it should be, where they know it’s not for them but that it’s not a bad thing. Does it worry you to talk about Cannabis?
I definitely am guarded with who I tell about what I do, because of preconceived notions and everything. I haven’t gotten brave enough to shout it to the world yet, because people have their ideas about what Cannabis is. And in a way, I perpetuate that which isn’t ok by not standing up. Do you feel there is a double standard for parents and alcohol compared to pot?
Why is it ok to have memes about chardonnay at noon and the wine parties and everything else? I don’t see the difference between smoking a joint and having a of couple glasses with girlfriends. It’s this misconception of what’s happening. If you’re looking to relax Cannabis does the same thing without the consequences. It’s not hurting your kidneys or increasing sugar intake or the other health issues that come along with drinking. There’s acceptability [of alcohol], especially on Facebook, I see so many things featured towards moms all about wine, and people need to get over that and see that wine time is the same as relaxing with a joint. How can women help normalize Cannabis?
You don’t have to be a stereotypical stoner or have videos of you dabbing, be yourself! I think the more people we have women repping the different normalcies of Cannabis and who’s using it will break the stereotypes. Because it’s really across the board. Customers and people in the industry come in all shapes and sizes. That’s the thing people need to see, that they’re just like us and we’re like them. For women thinking about the industry, rise up! If you want to get into it, start at the bottom, learn the business from the ground up, and we can all rise up together and make this into something bigger.
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Q&A by JANELLE LASSALLE @JENKHARI | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS
ROWSHAN REORDAN
GREEN LEAF LAB | PORTLAND
“KNOW , UNDERSTAND AND BELIEVE IN THE POWER
YOU POSSESS
TO CREATE YOUR
OWN PATH.”
STONER OWNER higlights individuals who have developed their love for Cannabis into a thriving business. Stoner Owner celebrates owners who love and consume the plant, giving them real insight into the industry’s true roots and culture.
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GreenLeafLab.org @GreenLeafLab
WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU SEE WOMEN FACING IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY?
I see women losing their positions of power as owners and CEO’s in the industry continue to rapidly scale up. Like all other industries, here the women in power are minorities. Women in the Cannabis industry will have to loudly proclaim their competence and expertise to overcome these challenges.
WHAT CAUSES ARE NEAR AND DEAR TO YOUR HEART? First, caring for our environment and the world we live in. When I first opened the lab, I chose to use electricity sources that were derived from wind and solar. More costly, but worth it. I love the ocean and natural waterways and support organizations that focus on caring for them.
WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO START GREEN LEAF LAB?
I was disheartened with the unjust treatment of Cannabis cases in the criminal justice system and my mother needed help on her medical Cannabis farm. When I was farming, a patient of mine had HIV and I learned the importance of safe Cannabis. I realized Cannabis testing would assist in legitimizing the industry and creating a safe product for consumers.
AS A WOMAN IN CANNABIS, HOW DO YOU TRY AND SUPPORT YOUR FELLOW WOMEN IN THE INDUSTRY? I’ve sponsored many women-focused events and organizations and have assisted many women in their own start-up efforts. Green Leaf Lab continues to support many of those same organizations today. In my own business, I have women in several key positions and try to be a role model while giving them opportunities to advance as their skill sets expand.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY DISTINGUISHES GREEN LEAF LAB FROM OTHER TESTING FACILITIES?
The partnership we have with our clients. We offer a hands-on approach to our clients’ success. This starts from sales and sampling, who are a short call away; the detail and knowledge our compliance specialist offers; to R&D assistance in the creation and improvement of clients’ products. We truly go above and beyond.
ANY ADVICE YOU’D LIKE TO GIVE THE LADIES OUT THERE? Be humble, be relentless. Listen to and trust your intuition. Don’t see being in a male-dominated world as a roadblock: see it as an opportunity instead. Know, understand, and believe in the power you possess to create your own path. Be okay with making mistakes. Learn from them and continue forward. You can and will succeed.
Rowshan Reordan is the founder of Green Leaf Lab, the first facility in Oregon licensed to perform lab analysis. She’s a passionate advocate for Cannabis reform and legalization policies. With a M.A. and Juris Doctorate from the University of New Mexico, Reordan specializes in Cannabis law and is a member of the Oregon State Bar.
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BREEDER OF THE MONTH
MzJill Genetics
Cannabis breeding -without question- is dominated by men. I was thrilled to finally interview MzJill, the first woman to professionally undertake Cannabis breeding, just in time for our 2018 Women’s Issue. MzJill started growing in 1997 and officially began breeding in 2003, formerly with TGA Genetics. Now, she has branched off and will be launching her own brand MzJill Genetics in 2019. INTERVIEW by SIMONE FISCHER @SIMONEFISCHERR PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS
Velvet mother. I wanted to put it into seed form to share with people. I prefer seeds over clones because of the vigor, and all of the problems of taking in orphan clones. The male was from Space Queen, with a very fruity, cherry flavor with good resin production. My favorite pheno is the Candy Store pheno which shows up 1 in 25 seeds,” MzJill explains. MzJill said that her least favorite aspect of breeding is the time it takes to create new, dependable strains. Finding new parents or stabilizing a line or progeny, takes a lot of time. And to add insult to injury, the 2017 Sonoma fires in California burned most of her original genetics. Good thing MzJill doesn’t mind a challenge. She hopes to have her genetics available for the 2019 growing session. “I fell in love with breeding when I got to grow out what I wanted to create,” MzJill said. “I prefer the fruity phenos, but I also create the gassier strains for people who like those too. Right now I’m working on stabilizing the Jilly Bean line. I will have Feminized Jilly Bean and Jilly Bean CBD (2:1) strain. We want to create a CBD line that has the resin and aesthetics, but is still high in CBD.” Most people associate Jilly Bean with MzJill, but one of her most underrated strains is the humble Brian Berry Cough (Strawberry Cough X Cherry Space Queen). The strain was named after her childhood friend who was diagnosed with ALS. He was able to smoke the very first Brian Berry crop before he passed. MzJill and [transitioned into] breeding because I had kids. I went under ‘MzJill’ as my created the strain to help relieve the symptoms of ALS like of being able to eat, Cannabis alias to protect my family because it was really illegal at the time,” said comfort and extended his time here. MzJill. “I had scoliosis and I needed medication. I was also a single mom with The Brian Berry Cough is a resinous strain, with a bulky bud structure and reeks three kids and worked for the Salem Keizer School District. I had to be very careof Haze terpenes (like terpinolene) and sweet, fermenting fruit. Among other hits ful with my kids and obtain a medical marijuana card, but it was still very scary was MzJill’s creation of Agent Orange. because I could get my kids taken away.” “Agent Orange is the second strain I created as a breeder. Agent Orange MzJill grew for years before she started seriously getting into breeding. Being a is a cross of Orange Velvet and Jack The Ripper, sharing the same single mother made it very difficult to balance her passion for Cannabis Most people associate mother as Jilly Bean,” MzJill said. “She carries a strong citrusy Orange and the safety of her family. Jilly Bean with MzJill, flavor, leaning into a tart lemon. She is a favorite amongst concentrate Her first strain was the coveted creation of Jilly Bean, which won first but one of her most makers as her strong citrus flavoring and Orange color shines through. place in the sativa category for High Times Cannabis Cup in 2014 and underrated strains Agent Orange was named to honor my father (a Vietnam vet) and other was also selected for the Adam Dunn Show Invitational in 2018. When is the humble soilders’ affected by the chemical Agent Orange used in Vietnam. My Jilly Bean hit the market, it was an instant success among the medical Brian Berry Cough father passed from cancer caused by the chemical Agent Orange in Cannabis community in Oregon and around the Northwest. (Strawberry Cough X “When I was creating the Jilly Bean, I loved the flavor of my Orange Cherry Space Queen). 1996, but his memory will live on.”
“I was quiet when I was gardening
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recipes
By LAURIE WOLF | PHOTOS by BRUCE WOLF
KEEP IT COOL THAI TEA WITH BENEFITS Serves 4
5 cups water 1 cup Thai tea mix 2 star anise 1 cardamom pod, crushed 1 cup sweetened condensed milk 4 teaspoons infused Cannabis coconut oil
1. Did you know? Bhang, a drink of Cannabis and milk, was used in India as early as 1000 BC to treat a wide variety of human maladies.
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Bring 5 cups water to a boil. Remove from heat and add the tea mix, star anise and the cardamom pod. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. Strain. Cool thoroughly.
2.
In a blender mix the condensed milk and the coconut oil for a couple of minutes. Add the tea and blend thoroughly. Divide mixture between ice-filled glasses.
The freshness of ingredients is key in EACH of these recipes.
SUMMER CANNABIS CREATIONS
WATERMELON COOLER THAN EVER
Serves 4
GAZPACHO, SERVED TWO WAYS 1.
Both recipes are made in the blender, everything but the garnishes.
Serves 2-3
1.
Combine the frozen watermelon, lime juice and infused oil in a blender.
2.
Blend 2-3 minutes until fully pureed. Divide between 4 glasses.
3 large yellow tomatoes, chopped ½ cup green pepper, chopped ½ cup red onion, peeled and chopped 2 teaspoons infused oil 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped ½ teaspoon salt
2 large incredibly ripe, red tomatoes 1 cup tomato juice ½ cup red pepper, chopped ½ medium cucumber, peeled and cut in chunks 2 tablespoons lime juice 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped 1 teaspoon minced jalapeno (optional) ½ teaspoon salt & ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Garnish with chopped red onion and scallion
Garnish with chopped orange/red pepper.
pop the bruschetta under the broiler just before serving.
5 cups watermelon, peeled, cut in chunks and frozen ¼ cup fresh lime juice 2-4 teaspoons canna-coconut oil Garnish lime wedge and cilantro
3.
Garnish with the lime and cilantro.
Laurie Wolf has been a monthly contributor to Oregon Leaf since 2015. Named the “Martha Stewart of Marijuana Edibles” by The New Yorker, Laurie has published four Cannabis cookbooks, contributes to six Cannabis publications and runs Laurie + MaryJane, an award-winning Portland edible company.
got cannabis cooking questions? Laurie@laurieandmaryjane.com
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Reviews
By STEVE ELLIOTT Editor, Tokesignals.com
Beyond Buds Next Generation:
MARIJUANA CONCENTRATES AND CANNABIS INFUSIONS
G
uru of Ganja Ed Rosenthal, best-selling author of the Marijuana Grower’s Handbook, has teamed up with Associate Editor Greg Zeman of Cannabis Now magazine to explore the new wave of Cannabis extraction and consumption techniques.
By Ed Rosenthal with Greg Zeman | Quick American Archives | July 31, 2018
“FOR THE NEW CANNABIS CONSUMER, IT OFFERS A GUIDE FOR MAKING INFORMED PURCHASES. FOR THE ASPIRING MARIJUANA PROCESSOR, IT PROVIDES A CONCEPTUAL PRIMER AND A PRACTICAL MANUAL.”
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Cannabis extraction has seen some major technological leaps recently. These have created major repercussions in both culture and commerce since Beyond Buds was first published in 2014. This prompted Rosenthal and Zeman to entirely rewrite the Amazon Top 20 book. To do so, they called upon the collective expertise of some of the Cannabis industry’s brightest minds as well as its finest photographers. Almost anyone will find something useful in this comprehensive but readable guide. For the new Cannabis consumer, it offers a guide for making informed purchases. For the aspiring marijuana processor, it provides a conceptual primer and a practical manual. The information here will also be attractive to journalists, academics and entrepreneurs. Most anyone who wants a more complete understanding of how Cannabis concentrates and other processed marijuana products is made and consumed will come away with more understanding. “There are self-declared ‘technical consultants’ out there charging Cannabis entrepreneurs thousands of dollars for a little more than the information contained in this book,” Zeman said. “We’re putting it all in one place because, like the Cannabis plant itself, this knowledge belongs to all of us.” “My sincere hope is that people will read this book and say, ‘I can do that — I can be a part of the next chapter of Cannabis.’ Because they absolutely can,” Zeman added.
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glass art STORY & PHOTO by NATE WILLIAMS @NATEW415
NYKKI KNIGHT GLASS NYKKI KNIGHT GLASS IS KNOWN THROUGHOUT THE GLASSBLOWING FOR 14 YEARS OF GLASS ART SALES, AND FINALLY, AFTER A DECADE GETTING TO KNOW THE COMMUNITY, SHE BEGAN HER OWN JOURNEY ON THE TORCH IN 2015. OHSU’s pediatric cancer unit’s specialists are called the Panda Team and they helped save the lives of both of her young sons. This why you consistently see the Panda motif throughout her work and is where she has drawn significant inspiration. This amazing pendant and mini-bong set were crafted over about five hours from Northstar Experimental Green #5, Profound Glass opals, and Glow Boro UV reactive bars and will be available at Oregon Leaf’s first ever Boro Benefit Charity Auction event coming January 2019.
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PANDA PENDANT & MINI BONG SET NORTHSTAR EXPERIMENTAL GREEN #5 @NYKKI.KNIGHT.GLASS