March 2016 — Issue #69

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MAR. 2016 issue #69

FEATURE

FIGHTING EPILEPSY WITH CANNABIS /30 FEATURE

INSIDE THE FIRST TRIBAL REC STORE /36 GROWTECH

CHOOSING THE RIGHT SEEDS /72

SIRIUS BLACK

BY MILWAUKIE ORGANIC & OREGON BREEDERS GROUP PG. 76

The Original

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June 2016 PORTLAND, OREGON Oregon Open to All Medical And Recreational

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MAR. 2016

48 ACCESS REVIEW

Mari J’s Highway Pot Shop, Everett

56 CONCENTRATES

Cookie Tonic, Green Lion Industries

64

50

VEGAS GLASS EXPOS Photorehashing AGE and Champs

tasty recipes to try

These three dishes are Cuban-inspired treats.

By Laurie and Bruce Wolf

COOKING WITH CANNABIS National News

58

Read & Reviewed

Prison Dispatch

68

Get your Vitamin D

30

A Life-Saving Oil

72

Growtech Guide

36

Squaxin Island Tribe

78

Behind the Strain

12

18

Steve Elliott with the roundup Exploring the War on Drugs WA mother fights for daughter

First tribal-owned rec shop opens

30

The Medical Marijuana Handbook

Dr. Scott Rose breaks down sunshine Everything to know about seeds Dr. Scanderson explores Blue Petrol

CANNACON...........................10 DRUG WAR.................................18 HIGHLY...........................20 THE ICBC....................................23 CANNACON.......................26 CENTERFOLD......................40 ACCESS REVIEW.....................48 CONCENTRATES.....................50 ACTIVISM.........................60 DR. SCOTT D. ROSE..................68 DR. SCANDERSON..................72 BUDSHOT..........................76 BEHIND STRAIN.....................78 COVER PHOTO | “SIRIUS BLACK” by @OREGONBREEDERSGROUP Budshot, pg. 76

CONTENTS PHOTOS by CONTRIBUTORS SEE THE BACK ISSUES: WWW.ISSUU.COM/NWLEAF

contents

26

CANNACON

The tradeshow returned to Seattle’s Pier 91 Feb. 18-20 for more bustling business to business networking and seminars aimed at the I-502 world.

Photo by Daniel Berman

NORTHWEST LEAF

the truth about the plant you thought you knew, IN every issue.

editor’s note

MAR. 2016 ISSUE #69

Hello, big-marijuana: the more things get legalized, the more they stay the same as an endless barrage of regulations and restrictions hit the Cannabis industry, is

anyone asking the real question that matters to consumers and business owners alike: Why? Why is Cannabis treated differently than tomatoes or alcohol, or at least a safer version of the latter and a slightly more commercially viable option than the former?

(Weed prices are hitting sub $1/gram in Washington, more on this next month.)

Our community knows that a Cannabis plant is no more threatening or harmful than a tomato plant, and in most states, citizens have the right to brew and share their own beer and wine. Reefer madness persists in the excessive taxation and regulation, hurting heritage businesses and encouraging blind corporatization of the Cannabis world.

Here in Washington we enjoy one of the most unique Cannabis freedom experiences: Cannabis Farmers’ Markets. For six years now, markets have operated here for designated patients and growers to share their medicine and resources, all without social harm. In fact, thousands of patients have found the cheapest and best access to medicine in the country. Markets have created economic opportunity for patient growers to support themselves, and an economy based on sharing and compassion.

Why isn’t this model being pushed nationwide? The short answer is greed. Adults should be able to grow and share their Cannabis in a sharing economy environment like a farmers’ market. The only argument against this is the perceived threat to bigmarijuana, and it wouldn’t hurt business in a significant way. Does Budweiser get worried about home brew festivals and sharing? No. It’s time for us all to get real and stop accepting the injustices pushed upon patients and users alike in the name of financial progress. The black market will only be defeated by creating a sharing market to replace it, one in harmony with a taxed retail market.

The Cannabis industry needs reasonable regulations, but what our plant and people deserve is simple and unalienable freedom.

Contact editor Wes Abney to place an

advertisement or become a drop-off location to display our magazine. You can also feel free to just share feedback, send pitches, articles, story ideas and hot news tips. This is all our plant.

nwleaf@gmail.com // (206) 235-6721

FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Wes Abney

PHOTOGRAPHER & DESIGNER

Daniel Berman

CONTRIBUTORS

Wes and Kori Marie

STEVE ELLIOTT, NATIONAL WILL FERGUSON, REVIEWS SIMONE FISCHER, WRITER KEVIN GOLDEN, DESIGN PAUL GRZELAK, EDITING JASON HENRY, PHOTOGRAPHY MALINA LOPEZ, STYLING KORI MARIE, PRODUCTION NATE MURRAY, PHOTOGRAPHY SEAN O’NEILL, ILLUSTRATION DR. SCANDERSON, GROWTECH ERIC SKELTON, DESIGN PACER STACKTRAIN, FEATURES JACOB THOM, PRODUCTION LAURIE & BRUCE WOLF, RECIPES

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national

STEVE ELLIOTT is the editor behind tokesignals.com, an independent blog of Cannabis news and opinion

Colorado Cannabis Chamber Adopts NEW Edibles Standards

New standards: no more marijuana gummy bears

The Colorado Cannabis Chamber of Commerce (C4),

Medical Marijuana More Profitable Than Recreational Weed In Oregon After the three-month tax holiday ended, dispensaries are having trouble surviving on recreational sales alone.

In Oregon, which had the largest medical marijuana

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Images via Creative Commons

Zusman of Canna-Daddy’s, a Portland dispensary. dispensary infrastructure in place when recreational Medical marijuana patients don’t have to pay weed was legalized in a November 2014 vote, Oregon’s 25 percent tax, and they’re allowed to buy medicinal Cannabis is still more profitable for shop more expensive concentrates and edibles, something owners. Recreational marijuana became available recreational consumers aren’t allowed to do. commercially in Oregon last October, when “It’s really hard for any dispensary to survive just medical dispensaries were allowed to sell on recreational sales,” Zusman said. weed under a three-month tax holiday.

“What a twist,” reports The Motley RECREATIONAL Following the tax holiday, a 25 percent Fool. “Recreational sales, once believed tax kicked in on Jan. 1 this year.

CONSUMERS SPEND to be the kingpin of success in the When the Oregon Liquor Control industry, are taking a backseat AN AVERAGE OF $38 marijuana Commission takes control of the in profitability to medical marijuana recreational marijuana industry later TO $45 PER VISIT, patients in perhaps the most widely this year, Oregon dispensaries are free COMPARED TO $100 followed marijuana market in the United to pass the tax along to their customers, States.”

TO $110 AMONG absorb some or all of the tax or ask Analysts caution that we should not growers and processors to share in the MEDICAL MARIJUANA read too much into these early numbers, tax. State regulators aren’t at all involved considering that the recreational PATIENTS. in Cannabis pricing; they just want their marijuana in Oregon has only been share of the revenue. operative for a few months. But the numbers While some Oregon consumers have paid the 25 certainly allow us to question the wisdom of the percent tax without blinking, others have returned Washington Legislature, which has basically wiped to “a guy” to buy black market weed. out medical marijuana in Oregon’s immediate Recreational consumers spend an average of $38 neighbor to the north, preferring instead to force to $45 per visit, compared to $100 to $110 among medicinal Cannabis patients into the highly taxed medical marijuana patients, said shop owner Brad recreational stores.

a state association of 43 parent companies that employ more than 1,600 people, on Feb. 17 announced the adoption of new, voluntary edible standards that encompass both manufacturer and retail business members.

“I am proud to announce that members of the C4 organization, along with our Board of Directors, began discussing this initiative to address these concerns in the fall of 2015,” said Tyler Henson, C4 president.

“C4 has worked to ensure our members adopt manufacturing and sales standards, which recognize that legal marijuana should only be consumed by adults,” Henson said. “This is done in good faith and in the spirit of cooperation with Cannabis regulators, community leaders and our elected officials as we work together to continue to advance both public safety and robust industry standards.”

The newly adopted standard is as follows: “C4 manufacturers will no longer produce or sell marijuana-infused edibles that are in the shapes of humans or animals. Animal shapes such as gummy bears, gummy worms, Sour Patch Kids, and others items will be prohibited.”

As a business organization, C4 is committed to producing products that are marketed and sold only to law-abiding adults over the age of 21. C4 members will thereby begin to phase out all these products – with an estimated complete implementation date of Oct. 1.

“Protecting our children has been our North Star while navigating the unchartered territory of Colorado’s legal, licensed Cannabis industry,” said state Rep. Dan Pabon (D-Denver), a member of the original Amendment 64 Implementation Working Group.

“I’m so encouraged to see C4 taking the initiative to come forward with industry-driven solutions like these proposed edibles standards,” Rep. Pabon said. “I hope others in the industry will follow their lead — voluntarily or otherwise.”

Quick Hits!

6 20 70 35,000 Cities (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boulder, Denver, Seattle and Portland) participating in this year’s 420 Games, “an athletic series of events to destigmatize healthy and responsible Cannabis use.”

Percent of the total flower sales in Colorado in 2015 was attributed to the top 10 most popular flower strains in the state.

Oregon Police Sergeant Accused of Selling Marijuana While On Duty Warm Springs Police Department sergeant is fired after arranging sales while in uniform

An Oregon police sergeant has been fired after

agreed to meet McEwen at his Warm Springs being accused of setting up a marijuana sale home, according to court records. through text messages on his cellphone while in McEwen showed the buyer four bags of uniform and on duty in the department’s squad weed that he had in a refrigerator, and sold one room, according to federal court records. bag weighing 28.5 grams to the confidential Lonny McEwen, 44, a 20-year employee of informant, Baringer wrote. McEwen also the Warm Springs Police Department who was showed the informant his “arsenal,” a safe full of promoted to sergeant in 2010, made his first guns, the affidavit reads. appearance on Feb. 8 in U.S. District Court in The FBI arrested McEwen on Feb. 5. During Portland, reports Maxine Bernstein at a Warm Springs Police Department The Oregonian. He was charged with interview, he said he got about 4 possession with intent to distribute ounces of marijuana “from a friend” in AGENTS marijuana and distribution of a and planned to give any CONFISCATED FOUR Washington controlled substance. money he made from selling it back to McEwen on Jan. 20 arranged BAGS OF CANNABIS his friend. a marijuana sale by text messages, He told the federal agents that “he AND ABOUT 60 unaware the prospective buyer was knew” what he did “was wrong,” but JOINTS STORED IN said that marijuana is legal “everywhere a police informant, according to a MASON JARS IN else,” according to the affidavit. federal affidavit supporting a criminal complaint. McEwen asked the Recreational marijuana is legal in HIS HOME. informant if he was interested in the 4 Oregon, but possession remains illegal ounces of weed he had for sale, the affidavit alleges. on the Warm Springs reservation. Members In a series of text messages, McEwen told the of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, informant he was selling marijuana to “help out however, in December voted to allow the a friend” and that it was “31 percent THC” and growing, processing and selling of Cannabis on “$200 an ounce,” FBI Agent Daniel Baringer the recreational 502 market. wrote in the affidavit.

Agents on Feb. 6 searched McEwen’s home While in the presence of Warm Springs police with a warrant. They confiscated four bags of detectives in the squad room, McEwen agreed to Cannabis and about 60 joints stored in mason sell the Cannabis for $100 an ounce in texts sent just jars, according to the affidavit. They also seized before the start of his shift, according to the affidavit. a small amount of weed in a pill bottle, as well as The sale happened Feb. 4 after the buyer 21 guns and one firearm silencer, Baringer wrote.

Percent of drug seizures made by DEA that were placed in “temporary storage” for more than the maximum allowed three days, according to a new report by U.S. Department of Justice.

Cannabis users who were monitored for three years for a study that explored the correlation between marijuana and anxiety/ depression. The findings: “Cannabis was not related to anxiety or depression at follow-up.”

Quoted “THERE ARE REAL SOCIAL AND MEDICAL BENEFITS FROM THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY, AND THE WORLD IS SEEING THIS POSITIVITY IN A WHOLE NEW WAY. CANADA HAS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE BUSINESS MODEL, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING A PART OF THE ROAD AHEAD.” -SNOOP DOGG, after extending

his growing portfolio of Cannabis investments into Canada with a partnership with Tweed, a medical marijuana producer based out of Smiths Falls, Ontario.

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STEVE ELLIOTT is the editor behind tokesignals.com, an independent blog of Cannabis news and opinion

CALIFORNIA Attorney Going For 8th STRAIGHT Win In Cultivation Cases Juries continue to stand up to prosecutorial crusades against legitimate rural Cannabis growers.

Are prosecutions for legitimate marijuana

plant growing still a thing? In rural California counties, apparently so.

Attorney Joseph Tully, author of “California: State of Collusion,” is going for his eighth consecutive win in rural California marijuana grower trials as juries continue to foil rural prosecutorial crusades against Cannabis.

Feb. 22 was prosecution witness day in The People v Erin O’Neil trial in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., arising from O’Neil openly growing 271 plants (about 240 pounds) under California’s Compassionate Use Act (medical growth collectives) in Placerville, Calif. (known as “Hangtown” back in mining days).

Why does this trial matter? Growers almost always cave and plead out when facing

prosecution for this amount of Cannabis to avoid any possibility of prison time. In this case, O’Neil is standing up to retired rural prosecutor Worth Dikeman, who came out of retirement to prosecute this case to say enough is enough.

“On the eve of full legalization, why do we allow a retired prosecutor to waste taxpayer dollars for his personal crusade against marijuana, which is counter to the law?” Tully asked. “It’s reminiscent of the Old South after the Civil Rights Act – they are way behind on the law and important social change.”

“Why do we allow a retired prosecutor to waste taxpayer dollars for his personal crusade agains marijuana?”

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5626 134th Pl SE, Suite B Everett, WA 98208 | 425-337-5145 | Thekusherycathcart@mail.com

Corporate Takeover of Marijuana Culture Looms in California The implementation of I-502 favors wealthy entrepreneurs and corporations.

Small-scale mom-and-pop weed farmers have fought for decades

to legalize marijuana. After all, who wants to be put in a cage for cultivating a plant?

But the closer we get to finally ending Cannabis prohibition, the closer we get to a new threat, and there’s no better example than the way I-502 has been implemented in Washington state: the corporate takeover of marijuana culture.

Washington voters innocently approved what they believed was a straightup Cannabis legalization measure, I-502, in 2012, but the way the law was written and is being implemented favors wealthy The closer entrepreneurs and corporations rather than the we get to mom-and-pop medical operations that established finally ending a beachhead against prohibition in the first place.

Cannabis Now the same scenario appears ready to play prohibition, the out in California, where voters will likely decide closer we get to on a recreational legalization ballot measure this a new threat.

November.

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national

STEVE ELLIOTT is the editor behind tokesignals.com, an independent blog of Cannabis news and opinion

Washington House passes Marijuana Sharing Law Trend analysis shows differences between CO & WA

rocky mountain high —versus— the evergreen state

Image via Creative Commons: flickr/miggslives

When Washington state’s marijuana legalization law, provision or receipt of financial consideration.”

I-502, passed, it didn’t take long until folks figured out it is the worst-written legislation law yet passed.

It’s so badly written, in fact, that under this purportedly progressive legislation, passing a joint to your significant other is a felony.

Since Washingtonians apparently didn’t read the damn thing before they passed I-502, seemingly not making it past legalization and thinking, “how bad could that be,” it now falls upon the hapless Washington Legislature to fix the mess — and that’s pretty scary to anyone who knows just how clueless that body of lawmakers is when it comes to Cannabis.

But they get points for trying, at least when it comes to the sharing issue. House Bill 2494, “an act relating to penalties for marijuana offenses,” on Feb. 15 passed the Washington House on a 73 to 24 vote, and was referred to committee in the Senate.

The bill would finally allow adults 21 and older to share up to half an ounce of Cannabis flowers, 8 ounces of infused edibles, and 36 ounces of Cannabis-infused drinks, without being guilty of a felony as has been the case since this weird-ass brand of corporate legislation kicked in back in 2012.

Seattle’s black market marijuana delivery services won’t be able to deliver $50 bongs with free Cannabis, because the law specifies that the transfer of weed has to be noncommercial and “not dependent or conditioned upon or done in connection with the

Since this is, after all, the clueless Washington Legislature, they just had to put some bad stuff in HB 2494 as well.

They’ve included language that stiffens the penalties around possessing concentrates. If HB 2494 becomes law, you will be required to have “packaging showing that the marijuana concentrates were purchased from a marijuana retailer.”

Yep, boys and girls, this portion of the nightmare scenario that a few other brave souls and I mentioned back in 2012 is coming to fruition. If this passes, you will be required to prove you bought your oil, shatter or vape mix from a 502 store, so you’d better save the damn packaging or risk arrest! Seems the 502 merchants got just the legislation they paid for in this regard.

Does “increased enforcement of existing marijuana laws” sound like what you voted for when you thought you were voting for legalization? That’s the damnedest kind of legislation I’ve ever seen.

A decent home grow bill has been before the legislature (it would have allowed six plants), but Commerce & Gaming Committee Chairman and former narcotics cop Rep. Christopher Hurst killed that one by refusing to allow his own committee to vote on it — this after allowing severely ill patients to drive to Olympia from across the state to participate in what turned out to be a sham hearing when the decision had already been made to kill the home grow bill.

THE BILL WOULD FINALLY ALLOW ADULTS TO SHARE UP TO HALF AN OUNCE OF CANNABIS FLOWERS

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Shatter is the most popular style of concentrate

in Colorado, candy is the edible choice for most Canna-consumers in the state, and sativa is more popular in Colorado than in Washington state.

But did you hear about the rest of the findings?

The top 10 flower strains in Colorado account for roughly 20 percent of total flower sales; Durban Poison, a pure sativa, was the No. 1 strain in Colorado in Q4 2015; Colorado’s leading edibles brands include Wana, Cheeba Chews, Incredibles and Dixie Elixir; Colorado’s total Cannabis sales for a 12-month period through September 2015 were 3.8 times more than Washington’s; Data analysis reveals zero correlation between top strains in Washington and Colorado other than the popularity of Blue Dream, a COMPARATIVE sativa-dom hybrid.

“We have now normalized and DATA IS categorized millions of transactions FASCINATING in Colorado and Washington state AND EXTREMELY in our GreenEdge database, which VALUABLE FOR is the backbone of this detailed BRANDS AND report,” said Roy Bingham, BDS DISPENSARIES Analytics founder and CEO. “Sales growth in both states remains impressive — compared to growth in other industries, it is jaw-dropping.

“The comparative data is fascinating and extremely valuable for brands and dispensaries,” Bingham said. “Washington state’s embrace of pre-filled cartridges and oils is striking. Colorado’s more intense attachment to concentrates in general, compared to Washington, is a trend that continues to blossom.”

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dispatch

By KRISTIN FLOR, MINDI GRIFFITHS, MIGGY 420, BECCA NICHOLS & DANIELLE VITALE – O’ BRIEN | SEATTLE PHOTOS by

@KORILOVESCANNABIS

MAR. 2016 PRISONER UPDATE [

NEWS FROM THE FRONT LINES Bellingham - On Jan. 21, the Bellingham 3

PRISON OUTREACH

(Martin Nickerson, Chris Ramsey and Poppy Sidhu) finally had their charges officially dropped, which is great news! Nickerson shared on his Facebook wall, “I’m overwhelmed with happiness, we now can focus on life with [our] loved ones.”

The three defendants have fought their case for more than four years. All of them refused to take any deals, refused to snitch and were determined to go all the way to trial. Their courage and strength to stand up to their charges is nothing short of completely admirable. While the three are free from drug charges, Nickerson still faces tax charges.

ignoring that one day and its green beer,

we would like you to think this month about those locked away for nothing but a plant that possesses many medicinal qualities and is so much safer.

This month we would like to highlight Michael Pelletier, a man who was a paraplegic at the time of his arrest, who has been incarcerated since 2006 and currently serves a life sentence. Pelletier lost the use of his legs at age 11 and found the healing powers of Cannabis at 14 when he used it to treat his pain and depression. He wasn’t caught selling large amounts of heroin or cocaine, but was painted as a kingpin when all he did was buy large amounts of marijuana to treat his condition. Please visit http:// w w w. c a n d o c l e m e n c y. c o m / michael-pelletier-life-for-pot/ where you can find information to write him a letter, or reach out on his behalf requesting the clemency he so obviously deserves. We support and encourage others to speak up for a prisoner, because “No One Should Be Caged For Cannabis!”

Kettle Falls - Members of the Kettle Falls

DEBBIE BRECHLER AND JOSH MAUK CELEBRATED IN SEATTLE AFTER RECEIVING PROBATION IN THEIR FEDERAL DRUG CASE.

NORTHWEST NEWS WASHINGTON

Seattle – Debbie Brechler and Josh Mauk faced years in prison for trumped up federal charges but after a long ordeal, well-documented in this magazine, the parents will not serve any time in prison. Brechler and Mauk received three years of probation in the case where they stood accused of serious allegations. They were charged with endangering human life while manufacturing controlled substances, maintaining a drug involved premises, and manufacturing hash oil and marijuana. Luck turned out on their side.

The good news came Jan. 29 at the U.S. District Court in Seattle when the judge determined the

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couple had shown their desire to follow the law and uphold the probation restrictions. His decision cited that the consequences to the couple’s children were far greater than the need to imprison Mauk and Brechler. The courtroom was packed with supporters, the couple’s pastor, family, friends and activists. Court support was absolutely instrumental in this case. It was difficult to find a dry eye in sight as the judge pronounced their better than expected sentences. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Mauk, Brechler and their family!

Five are still waiting for the outcome of their appeal. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit continued their case briefs to June 2016. Their case is separated from other cases at the Ninth Circuit because of Section 538, which prohibits the U.S. federal government from using federal funds to prosecute those in states where marijuana is legal. If the appeal does not work in their favor, the family will be forced to serve their prison sentences.

While the family waits for the ruling, Rhonda Firestack-Harvey has been busy writing a cookbook.

The book will be released this spring, and you can pre-order your copy and find more updates about their case on their Facebook page or visit their website at www.kettlefallsfive.com.

Tacoma - Lance Gloor was found guilty of

manufacturing 73 plants and conspiracy to distribute 1,000 grams (roughly 2 pounds and 3 ounces) of Cannabis through five state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries. None of his convictions violate Washington state MMJ laws, and six people with doctor-issued medical cards to grow 15 plants each were involved in the grow.

Since Gloor wouldn’t snitch, he takes the charge for all 73 plants himself. The feds shouldn’t even have been involved, considering the bust was fewer than 99 plants. Gloor is trying to recover from

NO VICTIM = NO CRIME = NOT GUILTY NO ONE SHOULD BE CAGED FOR CANNABIS!

all the testimony by family and friends, leaving him to wonder if they were true friends to begin with.

Since March 2014, Gloor has been on 24-hour home confinement monitored by a GPS ankle bracelet. He is not allowed to work or leave his home except for LANCE GLOOR his random weekly drug tests. Regardless of never failing a drug test for the past two years, the feds forced him to take addiction assessments on two occasions. The two separate drug analysis counselors recommended no treatment and said he is not addicted to drugs or alcohol of any kind.

Another condition of his release is personal computer monitoring software installed by the feds, so they can watch his every move. Gloor chose not to have a computer the last two years because of this, but his probation officer, Mike DiGiulio, even tried to take his PlayStation 4 since it has Internet access.

The nightmare continues for his entire family.

They said that DiGiulio didn’t like that his parents attended Josh Mauk and Debbie Brechler’s sentencing to show their support — just as Mauk and Brechler showed for Gloor at his trial — claiming that his mother, Tracie Gloor-Pike, could no longer be trusted. Gloor-Pike drove to the courthouse to confront Gloor’s probation officer face-to-face in his office. After their talk, he apologized for being disrespectful and forming an opinion without facts.

Gloor is a pioneer of the MMJ industry, not a criminal, and he has not just stood up to the feds on his own behalf, but on behalf of all medical marijuana patients and providers in an industry he is so very passionate about.

Gloor and his amazing attorney Karen Unger are deciding whether to appeal his case or take it to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Please mark your calendar for his sentencing on April 15.

In the meantime, Gloor needs help in the form of letters to Judge Leighton, asking for as much leniency on sentencing as possible, and request that he remain free from federal prison custody while the appeal is pending. Letters can be emailed to leg2323@yahoo.com voicing your opinion on Gloor’s case. Every letter counts, so please let your voice be heard. This is a federal case, so you don’t have to be a Washington resident to write a letter.

oregon

Portland – Joy Graves is no stranger to legal issues that result from her bold fight against government control over her choice to use Cannabis as both

YOUR LETTER MAY BE THE ONLY KIND-HEARTED HUMAN CONTACT THE PERSON IN PRISON RECEIVES THAT DAY, OR EVEN THAT MONTH. Please check out the Fully Informed Jury Association at www.fija.org and visit facebook.com/voicesofwar1.

Each week, we discuss the latest news on the Drug War and bring you updates about Cannabis prisoners. a medicine and sacrament as part of her spiritual practice as a leader of the Oklevueha Native American Church (ONAC). Matthew Pappas, a high-powered civil rights attorney from California, is joining Graves’ most recent chapter in her fight.

In December of 2015, Graves sent a care package of medicinal and spiritual items for an ailing church member, only to have the post office in Portland confiscate all of the items because Cannabis was included. Pappas, in a press conference, laid out in great detail that this violates federal laws that protect the church. For more details, please listen to interviews that include both Graves and Pappas at http://tinyurl.com/joygraves

NATIONAL NEWS Nevada - Good news in the case of Terisa Deming

in Las Vegas. In her own words, “well, it’s over.”

Deming chose to take a deal that consisted of one misdemeanor charge of possession of a dangerous drug not for public consumption. A $348 fine was imposed and she was required to surrender her firearms despite her plea to keep them. Once conditions of this agreement are met, the charges will be dismissed and sealed. Deming was not required to enter a plea and was able to retain all of her rights without a criminal record to follow her.

Wyoming - Jason Miller was first arrested in the

early morning of April 1, 2015 in Sheridan County, Wyo., for possession of marijuana with intent to deliver. Miller said he was placed in a suicide watch cell completely naked and given nothing but a blanket. While in his cell, four officers startled him, causing him to jump up to put his hands up, sending his blanket at the officers. According to reports, the officers reacted by tasing Miller, leaving him with permanent scars, as well as scars on his buttocks from being naked on the floor of the cell for several days.

After being bonded out, Miller ran for fear of ending up back in that cell. He was arrested in Colorado for driving a vehicle without proper registration and returned to Wyoming in July of 2015. He has since been charged with conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance and was recently charged with three counts of interference with a peace officer while awaiting trial in jail.

Miller was given Effexor, which has severe side effects causing depression, irritability and violent

LETTER FROM TODD STIMSON

Drug War Prisoner, North Carolina My act was not directed against the citizens of North Carolina or the American people, but against the present administration. It is the government that would subvert our traditions. As an American citizen, I have no choice but to express my opposition. If I failed to do so, then I should have failed my duty as a citizen.

The present government has repeatedly distorted the facts about Cannabis in its statements to the American people. The present government violates the values of compassion and decency by its barbaric campaigns against its own civilian population.

As a child in church and in public school, I was taught that torture is wrong, that lying is wrong, that wanton violence is wrong. I was taught that aggression is wrong.

I believe that I learned values that have merit and by which I seek to live. What can I do now about a government that engages in lying, is proud of its violence and is without any trace of remorse for its aggression?

As an American, I must oppose that government even if it is my own. It is no longer a matter of simply being consistent in belief and action, it is simultaneously a direct responsiveness to timeless morality. Patriotism is not measured by blind loyalty to the state, but determined loyalty to values that transcend even the state. America was not built by the conformist or by men of the timid heart. Men and women with the courage to dissent, to rebel, and to act as individuals created our freedom.

Not a single one of our freedoms was won by conformity to the will of the majority or by loyalty to the state.

There are those in government who would cruelly waste American lives solely in order to save face and to avoid admitting that they were wrong to begin with. The honor of America will rest upon those of us who resisted what was evil in order that our own sense of justice could survive, and in order that our nation would not be entirely dishonored by silence. It is a sad thing that a man or a woman must risk their freedom in order to defend it, but by taking this risk, we do so not as brave men or women, but as Americans who know that we can only keep faith with our country by keeping faith with ourselves.”

outbursts and should never be given to someone with a history of seizures and low sodium. As a result, Miller did have an outburst, which resulted in the first two interference charges. Police have since bounced Miller from one medication to another. We are unsure at this time when his trial will be held but will update the community here with new information as it becomes available.

mar. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

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highly likely

By PACER STACKTRAIN for NORTHWEST LEAF

Column # 8

BILL MAHER “Weed was something I could always justify because it excited my brain.”

The outspoken comedian, political commentator and television show host is more than candid on Cannabis

writing and researching a column about famous people who are regular Cannabis users and you’ll learn something pretty quickly: pot can still tarnish reputations. The fact is there’s still enough taboo surrounding Cannabis use to prevent persons in the public eye from openly admitting they use it. From Bill Gates, to Rush Limbaugh, to each of our last three presidents, the statements are typically uniform: “Oh, I’ve tried it, but I stopped doing it years ago.”

That’s why Bill Maher is so refreshing. Here we have a successful comedian, political commentator and television show host who readily admits to frequent Cannabis usage. But admitting in this day and age just won’t cut it — we also need our celebrities to be advocates to help diminish the stigma of this beneficial herb.

And this is where Maher’s wit truly shines. He’s an eloquent, mainstream voice for Cannabis, with enough humor to make his arguments for legalization heard by the masses. And, he’s decidedly not the picture of the typical Hollywood conception of a stoner.

As his fame rose, so did his advocacy for the plant. Maher has benefited from Cannabis since a young age, claiming to have sold it to pay his way through college. Maher also serves on the advisory board of NORML, and nowadays, he’s a tireless supporter of pro-Cannabis political initiatives nationwide and shamelessly promotes pot on his live HBO television program, “Real Time with Bill Maher.”

“Real Time” often features Cannabis news and In our burgeoning, amazing age of controversy as topics of discussion. Zach GalifiCannabis legalization in America, anakis once lit up a joint at the discussion table and Snoop Dogg has been a frequent it can be easy to forget just how on-air, guest, engaging in some funny and serious distaboo it was to admit to being cussions with Maher about herb. Maher also often shares his opposition to the War on Drugs, recently a consumer of this plant even a few short years ago. This column calling on President Obama to pardon all persons jailed for offenses related to Cannabis possession. highlights a different amazing And, apparently, Maher enjoys Cannabis with Cannabis pioneer from history some pretty impressive company, recently calling for Harrison Ford to come out of the weed closet. that helped pave the way for Maher’s progressive political views don’t always Cannabis’ greater acceptance. sit well for everybody, and that’s okay. His brand of political satire and brutal honesty is all too rare in today’s media climate. Thankfully, his strong voice is on our side.

“Smoking pot does not equal laziness,” wrote Maher in a 2013 Rolling Stone op-ed. “Weed was something I could always justify because it excited my brain. Some people it puts to sleep, others it turns paranoid. Some it makes creative, and we’re the lucky ones, because if it has done any damage to us, at least we have a receipt. I’ve gotten a lot of good ideas from pot. Including smoke more pot.”

20/MAR. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

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26/MAR. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

CannaCon visited Seattle for the third

CannaCon founder Bob Smart

Speaker Bob Wirtshafter talks about Prohibition-era Cannabis jars

‘‘

time last month, setting attendance and booth sales records in a positive business environment.

With more than 4,000 attendees daily, the show was a hive of activity for three days at the scenic Cruise Ship Terminal 91. Hundreds of booths and bright banners and displays competed for attention and sales as curious attendees and serious business people roamed the two floors. Walking into the main sales floor was a jaw-dropping experience, with surreal, high production-value booths from House and Garden and Futurola instantly grabbing the eye.

This year’s speaker and seminar schedule was improved greatly from years past and featured more Q-and-As than ever before. Attendees got a holistic experience from the speakers, asking questions and learning about specific topics instead of hearing boring sales pitches. The show floor was all about the sales; inside the seminar area, the focus was on creating connections and new learning experiences.

For founder Bob Smart, the third goround was a major success. His team already plans a July date for a Los Angeles-area CannaCon, and plans seminar dates around the country. As the world's economic eyes turn to the industry, many are turning toward CannaCon as the place to facilitate canna-business.

A big change and plus this year was the variety of exhibitors selling consumer products like glass and e-nails. Consumers were able to get wholesale pricing and a unique experience learning about businesses, and vendors found success from small sales to big.

ATTENDEES GOT A HOLISTIC EXPERIENCE FROM THE SPEAKERS, ASKING QUESTIONS AND LEARNING ABOUT SPECIFIC TOPICS INSTEAD OF HEARING BORING SALES PITCHES.

Two sprawling floors of marijuana tradeshow networking. No smoking allowed.

Head to CannaCon.org for info on upcoming events and our page has more photos from the Seattle stop.

MAR. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

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Paige could have as many as 100 seizures a day. Severe epilepsy was destroying her physically and mentally until the family began to research and prepare a carefully tested regiment of Cannabis oil — and the proof is in the results: this little girl hasn’t suffered a seizure in nearly three months.

BY WES ABNEY | PHOTOS BY DANIEL BERMAN

L

osing a child is every parent’s fear and when pharmaceuticals were failing Anne Malone’s then 2-year-old daughter, Paige, she decided to take medicine out of pharmaceutical control and into nature’s.

Moving to a new home is usually a blessing, but a new change became a nightmare for this Bellingham family, who were exposed to harmful chemicals from methamphetamine contamination in their rental property.

Within months, their healthy and happy daughter was suffering more than 100 seizures per day. They began to lose their daughter, both to the neurological effects of the seizures and the heavy side effects of pharmaceutical therapies.

After years of medications and countless hospital trips, modern medical treatments were exhausted and the chances of Paige having a normal childhood dwindled each day. Faced with the decision of a lifetime, Anne took Paige to a naturopath that would authorize medical Cannabis treatments.

Today, Paige is on the road to recovery thanks to Full Extract Cannabis Oil. As of print time, she was on her 86th seizure-free day. Without medical Cannabis and the support system of local providers, the recovery would have been impossible.

“I want to tell everyone that will listen to this, I don’t want anyone to have to go through what we did,” Anne said, reflecting.

“What if we had started this in the beginning? How different would [things] be?”

30/MAR. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

FIGHTING CHANCE

A New Move

Patrick, Thomas,3, Paige, 5, & Anne Before using Anne’s tested and homemade full-extract Cannabis oil, Paige’s condition actually worsened under pharmaceuticals.

June 13, 2013 started out as a normal day for the Malone family. They moved into a newer and larger house two months before, a duplex with granite countertops, hardwood floors and a big backyard.

They were happy. Anne had started working after being a stay-at-home mom since Paige’s birth.

That afternoon, Paige fell, as often happens with kids, but she was also acting abnormally and having seizure-like conditions. Anne’s husband, Patrick, called her, concerned and scared, and immediately took Paige to the local hospital. The hospital said it was normal for 2-year-olds to fall and connected the seizure to the impact. They were sent home without treatment.

The next day, Paige had four grand mal seizures, which are now referred to as tonic-clonic seizures.

Lasting up to four minutes, the seizures caused Paige’s eyes to roll back into her head with body convulsions, drooling, impaired breathing and intense physical pain. The family rushed her back to the hospital, where tests revealed nothing. She was sent home, promptly had two more seizures and was driven via ambulance back to the hospital for her first long-term 5-day stay.

“We started noticing at that time that she was doing other funny things. She was falling a lot, which was weird and nobody knew what was going on. It was a type of seizure: myoclonic and drop seizures,” Anne explained. “Once again, we are discharged and she started having seizures every day. We went to Seattle Children’s for a week the first time, got her on meds that seemed to take away the big seizures, but there was all this other stuff happening like her falling down.”

While the medicine initially helped, it took a turn, Anne said, as Paige developed other serious side effects worse than the original condition.

“We noticed her hands and arms would jerk and neck jerk — a third type of seizure — and we were sent home for months and months and she was still having seizures and losing developmental milestones. She was not talking as much, sleeping more and clearly in a lot of pain.”

Soon, Paige developed a fourth seizure type: complex partial seizures, which caused neurons in her brain to essentially freeze. She would stare off into space for minutes at a time, unresponsive, until her brain began functioning again. In all, Paige was diagnosed with suffering from five major types of seizures, although when she began treatment, she was only experiencing one.

It became a seemingly endless cycle of new medications or upped dosages, brief periods of stability followed by increased symptoms and worsening conditions. Continues pg. 32

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feature

By WES ABNEY | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN & COURTESY ANNE MALONE

Continued from pg. 35

FIGHTING CHANCE “We were seeing neurology teams in Seattle and would go through times where she would have less seizures — by less, meaning 20 a day — and then times where it would get worse, lose weight, meds too high in bloodstream and more seizures. [She was] admitted in September 2014 because Paige started sleeping 17 hours a day. When awake, she was in a constant seizure, couldn’t sleep or sit on a couch. It was like seizure or sleep.”

Failed Treatments and a Search For Answers The harsh reality is that the world keeps moving outside hospital walls. Anne had to stop working to become a full-time caregiver for Paige and the family welcomed a new son in 2014. They depended on family and friends to help with childcare so that Patrick could work, all while dealing with Paige’s worsening condition.

Anne gave up breastfeeding her son to be with Paige, and the conflict between her maternal responsibilities was difficult. Paige couldn’t walk, and, with her falls, she had to wear a helmet and chinstrap at all times. She had to be carried. Paige was on countless medications and doctors feared the end was in sight.

“We had other family helping with our baby, my husband working because I can’t, and me being at the hospital constantly. It was very hard. Hard for him not to be with us when needed, hard for me being stuck in a hospital,” she said.

“You feel like you don’t have any control. Calling nurses, constantly putting things in her body. She’d be almost comatose from being drugged up on Xanax and benzos and Ativan.”

The pharmaceuticals had a health effect that was worse than her original symptoms, and the family thought they could do nothing.

“The drugs truly only made things worse. They took away her ability to learn, her ability to speak, all of her physical capabilities, and cre­ated four more seizure types. Before pharmaceuticals, she only had the one type, that’s what these meds do, antiepileptic drugs, they often cause more seizures.”

It was around this time that the landlord of their property started having neurological problems, and was sent to a doctor who suspected environmental

32/MAR. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

MAY 2014

PAIGE SUFFERS A COMPLEX PARTIAL SEIZURE ON THE PORCH OF THEIR OLD RENTAL HOUSE, WHICH CONTAINED TOXIC LEVELS OF RESIDUAL METH.

causes. Although Paige had seen countless specialists, it was never considered that the cause of her seizures was in their home.

The landlord’s doctor had the house tested by the health department, and the news was stunning.

Chemical contaminants related to producing and using methamphetamine were 6,000 percent higher than safe levels. The last residents had rendered their home unsafe before they ever moved in.

“When we got that call, we left. The only things we could take with us were our clothes. Had to leave beds, toys, books, dressers, kitchen, literally, we lost everything. My wedding dress, I gave birth to my son on the bed we had, everything of their baby books, family portraits, there’s meth inside even pictures. It lives in wood surfaces; the house had hardwood floors, but it was in the ceiling and in the walls. It was everywhere.”

S FALLING TO THE GROUND DURING A SEIZURE, PAIGE RECEIVED STITCHES TO HER CHIN IN THE FIRST OF MANY HOSPITAL VISITS THAT YEAR.

NOV. 2014

JUNE 2014

PAIGE AND HER FAMILY ARE HUGE SEAHAWKS FANS AND QB RUSSELL WILSON STOPPED BY SEATTLE CHILDRENS HOSPITAL DURING A ROUND OF EARLY TESTING.

earching online, Anne discovered that the previous occupants of the house were in prison on charges of manufacturing methamphetamine. The house had been sold to their landlord without notice. After the Malones left, the landlord paid to again have the place decontaminated, and it was resold later that year. Another family settled in.

“I wrote a letter to the family that lives there, telling them the situation. It really makes me mad.

Really mad,” Anne said. “It makes me feel like other people are really selfish and that they understand they bought a house, lot of money and all that, but I would give up a house to have my brain be like it was before we moved there. To think another child might go through that makes me want to cry.”

While meth houses are conventionally destroyed and quarantined, Washington state law does not require this. There are no federal standards for decontaminating or handling the houses either.

Washington certifies decontamination companies, but disclosure is not required for sale of a home.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, producing a pound of meth leaves behind 5 to 7 pounds of chemical waste. The residue can cause many health problems including breathing issues, rashes, headaches, nausea and dizziness.

With enough exposure, liver and kidney damage, neurological problems and increased risk of cancer.

Show your support with #TeamPaigeStrong & #PurpleforPaige

Finding Cannabis With hope and Western medical resources dwindling, Anne used what little free time she had to research alternative epilepsy treatments and decided to try medical Cannabis.

“I found this doctor through a parenting group on Facebook for children with epilepsy, and I went in and said, ‘I’m sick and tired of pharmaceuticals and doctors and I’ve been doing research, can you please help me try Cannabis with my child? I can’t stand to watch her die in front of my eyes.’”

Paige was authorized to begin medical Cannabis in January of 2015 and Anne immediately began searching through medical collectives in Whatcom County. The first three wouldn’t allow her to bring Paige into the facility, but on her fourth try, she met the patients behind Grassroots Collective.

“I don’t think we would be where we are without returned. They went back to the naturopath, who Grassroots. They are generous, good, compassionrecommended adding THC to the medication. ate people who truly care about my child — can’t While THC is known culturally for the psychosay that about a lot of doctors. And they care active effects of Cannabis, it also has anti-cancer about all patients, and only selling meds that are and anti-seizure properties, and is effective for clean and good, the compassion they have really most medical conditions CBD is used for. just blew me away. I don’t know how to grow; “People talk about CBD and being afraid of there’s no way I could have done this if I couldn’t psychoactive effects, and I was like, I’m pretty have bought someone else’s flowers.” sure I see her high every day. Actually high from Using high-CBD flower from the collective, meds that a doctor is giving us.

Anne made an ethanol exShe looks drunk with dilated traction called Full Extract CanPAIGE WAS MORE COGNITIVELY pupils, is drowsy and can’t walk nabis Oil (FECO) and infused it PRESENT, LAUGHING, PLAYING well and there’s warning labels with coconut oil. Each batch of WITH HER BROTHER AND on all of them. I felt THC was a FECO is tested for potency and lot less of a risk.” the naturopath created a formuRELEARNING HOW TO WALK They started Paige on a la that calculates dosage based AND DO THINGS SHE COULDN’T minimal dose of 2.5mg of THC on test results. The end prodFOR ALMOST TWO YEARS. a day in June, and her seizures uct medicine is a mildly sweet went away again. In July, she liquid coconut oil with a slight had her first streak of seizure-free days, 33, and Cannabis flavor, and it was almost a pure cannathe family began seeing the daughter they had bidiol (CBD) extract. CBD is a chemical found in thought lost. Paige was more cognitively present, Cannabis that has been found to successfully treat laughing, playing with her brother and relearning hundreds of conditions, including epilepsy. how to walk and do normal things she couldn’t They started FECO therapy on March 17, 2015, for almost two years. and on the first day, Paige had fewer seizures.

“It was kind of terrifying, actually, for me. I was By the end of the first month, her tonic-clonic waiting. This is great and I love this, but when’s seizures had disappeared. The family was elated, it going to happen again? When will we go back and continued the medicine. After a few months, to the hospital? For a long time, I didn’t allow the medicine seemed less effective and her seizures

myself to be hopeful. I didn’t want to set myself up for more heartbreak.”

While Paige continued to have great results from Cannabis, finding the correct dosage was difficult. She would have a period of great results, build a tolerance and have symptoms return.

In October of 2015, the parents switched Paige to an oil made with a 4-1 CBD-THC ratio, the highest dosage of THC they tested. Apart from a few flare-ups, Paige is the best she has ever been.

Today, Paige is enrolled in a special education preschool program, and preparing for entry into regular kindergarten this fall. Anne credits Cannabis for saving her daughter and her family.

“This is truly a miracle for my husband and I, that I’m making this medicine in the kitchen of our home, with a plant and some coconut oil,” Anne said. “And now, she is looking at going to kindergarten like a normal child. No, no, no, never in a million years did I expect that.”

With her daughter stable and thriving, Anne wants to spread the Cannabis freedom message.

“Put aside what people are telling you to do with your child and think about what you will do with your child,” Anne said. “All you need is one doctor and you can do it! Never stop broadening your education, and never give up hope.”

NWLEAF.COM | SEE HOW ANNE PREPARES PAIGE’S FULL-EXTRACT CANNABIS OIL

MAR. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

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feature

by WES ABNEY | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN

LEGAL LIMBO Elevation is breaking new ground (and technically, federal law) with every sale.

THE FIRST TRIBAL OWNED AND OPERATED CANNABIS RETAIL STORE IN THE COUNTRY IS SETTING THE STAGE FOR A NATIONAL CONVERSATION ABOUT SOVEREIGNTY, CANNABIS AND THE FEDS BUTTING IN.

Located in scenic Shelton, Wash., the Squaxin Island Tribe predate the United States and moved onto reservation land in 1855. Today, the exit off Highway 101 has a new business nestled next to the Little Creek Casino Resort and other tribal businesses. Elevation opened at 4:20 p.m. on Nov. 12 and has done healthy business ever since.

Inside the gleaming store, hardwood floors and earthy display cases showcase dozens of Cannabis products, all available for tribal members and visitors alike to experience and enjoy. The revenue raised from the store supports vital functions for the tribe of 1,073 members, and paves the way for a new frame of reference surrounding Cannabis sales and the rights of tribes to share a plant that transcends simple laws.

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feature

by WES ABNEY | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN

Continued from pg. 37

LEGAL LIMBO

W

hile the decision to open a pot shop might seem like an easy one, tribal leaders had a lot to consider before jumping into the 502 system.

At the core of the conversation about the right of tribes to grow or sell Cannabis is federal law. Cannabis is still considered a Schedule I narcotic, even in states like Washington where pot is legal, which puts any entity (tribal or non) at legal odds with the feds. This is less of a concern for the average 502 retailer, with the assumption that the state will robustly defend any prosecuted store operating within legal bounds. But tribes are in a unique situation.

The Squaxin Island Tribe acts as their own nation in all the ways that matter. They have their own schools, healthcare, police force, tribal government and laws, much like a state does within the federal system. This is how gaming and Casinos are able to operate, even when counties surrounding tribal land have restricted gaming.

Although each tribe in the country is considered a sovereign nation, they are still part of the federal system and bound by charter to follow and enforce federal laws. This creates a balancing act that makes history with each gram of pot sold.

In 2014, a historic memo released by the government stated that tribes could grow and sell Cannabis if they “maintained robust and effective regulatory systems," but it didn't exactly open the floodgates to a new market.

If any tribe started growing and selling pot without maintaining a state's legal system, they would be in direct conflict with federal law.

This would jeopardize federal funding and resources for tribes and present legal liability. That exact scenario happened last October in Wisconsin to the Menominee Tribe, when federal agents raided a 30,000-plant hemp crop that they asserted was pot.

Although initial testing showed no THC was in the hemp, the DEA seized the plants anyway and the Menominee are still tied up in court with a lawsuit over the right to grow hemp, not Cannabis, which could take several years resolve.

Hoping to avoid these types of issues the Squaxin were extremely careful and diligent in building their

38/MAR. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

model for legal pot sales, tribal council member Jim Peters said.

Before the store could open, tribal laws had to be amended to remove pot from criminal statues, and a compact was reached with the state to enforce and follow the rules laid out by I-502.

Technically, tribal residents who purchased legal pot before the compact was signed were breaking the law bringing it onto tribal land, but there were no pot possession arrests between the passing of 502 and when the compact was reached, according to tribal police, Peters said, sitting in Elevation.

He said he mostly wants Cannabis to be treated like any other adult use substance, with education and balance at the core of the model.

“We had to do a lot of changing on our own, from law enforcement to dealing with tribal personnel if someone is abusing it, just like with alcohol,” Peters said. “We started more education and outreach to our youth, like we do with cigarettes, telling them, ‘this is illegal for you, here are the effects, and as you become an adult you'll be able to make choices.’ As they become adults, they can make choices on own. Until then, we want to give as much info as possible.”

Building A New Model An undeniable sense of excitement is inside Elevation, even three months after the first opening. Locals and visitors create a constant flow of traffic, many of who are visiting a pot shop for the first time.

The newly constructed building both fits in and stands out, with beautiful wood finishes and a stand-alone parking lot. If the 12-foot flags waving with legal Cannabis weren't flying, many consumers might not realize the building was making history, which underlines a major point of understanding. In the days leading up to the opening, the tribal members, including Peters, were split on whether to open the store.

Much of that dissent has evaporated as the store has opened without problems. While the store changes the shape of policy for years to come, locally it serves a legal need, no different

AS WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT THIS AS A LEGAL SUBSTANCE THAT WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH, WE THOUGHT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY AND DEAL WITH IT LIKE ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO; THOSE OTHER THINGS WE SELL HAVE SOCIAL ISSUES, TOO,” PETERS SAID.

Squaxin Councilman Jim Peters

from the alcohol or tobacco operations nearby.

“As a father, you hear about gateway drug info, and so I had those feelings prior to us thinking about this in my value system. But as we started talking about this as a legal substance that we were going to have to deal with, we thought to take advantage of the business opportunity and deal with it like alcohol and tobacco; those other things we sell have social issues, too,” Peters said.

The image change has been beneficial in the community, as has the revenue supporting education and vital functions. There is also the social benefit of consumers choosing Cannabis over other dangerous vices, something Peters supports.

“I'm learning every day how recreational Cannabis can help with different conditions like pain or sleep, just like medical Cannabis use, where strains help with pain versus migraines versus something

else,” he said. “The science that is going to be created will only make this industry stronger and emphasize what this product can do for health.”

Eventually the tribe hopes to produce and process their own Cannabis, creating jobs and using local farmland, but they chose to focus on the retail aspect first. Although they do manufacture their own cigarettes, it will be a few years before pot plants are in production. For now, the focus is on establishing a solid retail model that supports the tribe and community.

Inside The Store The first thing that consumers will notice inside Elevation is the friendly staff and atmosphere. The second is the pricing, which is highly competitive with other 502 stores. The combination creates a

destination store for tourists and locals alike, all of whom will enjoy high-end Cannabis products.

“There’s a certain sense of joy from people that come in [for the first time], especially those over 50,” Elevation manager Mike Ogden said. “The happiness of, ‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ and the idea that there are no negative repercussions to get a product that they have left alone for a long time.

All of a sudden, the opportunity has presented itself again. It's one of the most beautiful things I have seen on this side of the counter.”

Ogden and his staff take pride in helping connect people with the best Cannabis, all at competitive tribal prices. While tribe members get a discount on gas, everyone who visits Elevation pays the same price. On the day we interviewed, specials included 20 strains at $10/gram or $30/eighth of top-shelf products and brands. Almost everything on the shelves is produced or processed within an hour of the store, and the products are often cheaper than at other 502 stores.

“It's an expectation that in Indian country, you will find a better price point, whether on gas, tobacco, liquor and now Cannabis,” Ogden said proudly.

“It comes down to our business model of volume.

It makes sense to come here, which is why people from 60-80 miles away come to get that price point for our other products, and over time that will be the expectation for our Cannabis as well.”

All the top brands of flower, oils and edibles are present in the store, emphasizing thoughtful purchasing by the team. We saw NW Pearl Nug Run BHO, flowers from Rogue Raven, Loud Vape live resin, Gold Line oil and even high-CBD live resin.

Cartridges and CO2 were present as well, along Squaxin with Goodship cookies, energy shots, hard candies Island Tribe and chilled drinks from Legal soda.Councilmember Jim Peters “It's a new enterprise in the state of Washington and we're hoping our product is something that our consumers will want to come back and get over and over again,” Peters said.

The tribe is considering Cannabis-friendly casino smoking rooms or lounges in the future, and Peters hopes to expand how they can serve Cannabis consumers. For Ogden, serving those consumers well is the most important part of the whole project.

“We don't need to hard sell [pot] to customers.

Our focus is in knowledge and customer service. If you have questions, feel free to ask,” Ogden said.

“We are trying to establish credibility of industry, and everything is baby steps to create the credibility.”

Ogden is already looking to hire two to four new budtenders this summer. The tribe is the largest employer in Mason County and the Cannabis store is fitting perfectly into the community on every level.

As future states and tribes look at legalization and Cannabis, it is clear that the example created by the Squaxin will be used around the country.

MAR. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

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grown by Josh D.

@TheRealOGKushStory

THC 20.33% | CBN 0.14% | CBG 0.17%

THE ORIGINAL

OG KUSH

NORTHWEST LEAF

STRAIN OF THE MONTH

By WES ABNEY & KORI MARIE | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN

THIS ISN'T just any kush. This is the original

OVERWHELMING CEREBRAL EFFECTS SEND THE MIND SWIRLING WITH WAVE AFTER WAVE OF HEAVY THC

OG Kush. In 1996 in Los Angeles, JoshD and a core group of friends started growing a couple cuts from Gainesville, Fla., and realized they had found a strain unlike anything they had ever seen.

Soon, the strain spread through grower networks and the late overgrow.com, and was in demand by connoisseurs everywhere.

There was nothing in L.A. like it at the time, and it became famous instantly. When grown at the highest level of medicinal gardening, the results are legendary in every way.

For a strain that delivers powerhouse effects, the OG Kush is so beautiful it looks almost fake. If there were a model standard for flowers, this would be it. The dense and chunky buds are covered in frosty trichomes from the center of the stem to the tip of a nug, with beautiful pale green and light purple colors mixed in with a light scattering of red hairs.

The smell is intense and heady, with powerful notes of sour fuel and earthy kush that quickly fill a room with delightful Cannabis incense.

Attention to detail is evident in every part of the bud, but especially in the cure. Each nug is dense and solid, but snaps with a clean and easy form.

Smoking a bowl of this OG Kush (60-40 indica-dominant) is an experience to prepare for.

Overwhelming cerebral effects send the mind swirling with wave after wave of heavy THC that fills the mind with kushy happiness.

Body effects set in a few minutes later and grip tight, with effects easily lasting two to three hours. The combination of head and body makes this strain extremely beneficial for medical patients. The sensory effects distract the mind from pain and stress while the body high goes to work on stiff joints and other internal issues.

Stop by PDA Lounge or The Bakeréé to experience the real OG Kush story for yourself !

PDA LOUNGE (MEDICAL) 2224 2ND AVE, SEATTLE, WA 98121 (206) 728-4053 // PDALOUNGE.COM THE BAKERÉÉ (MEDICAL) 2224 2ND AVE, SEATTLE, WA 98121 (206) 728-4053 // THEBAKEREE.COM

MAR. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

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NORTHWEST LEAF

@NWLEAF #NWLEAF

profile

JACOB LAMONT

By WES ABNEY | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN

44/MAR. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED WITH CANNABIS? It’s an interesting story. I was helping patients when I realized it was gonna be legalized for real, and it was right when me and my friends realized this could cure and help a lot of conditions.

That was at ground zero from my realization in 2010/11 that I realized how good Cannabis is, not only to get you high but as being good for you too.

WHAT DREW YOU INTO 502? WHAT PROBLEMS HAVE YOU SEEN? The promise made that [I-502] wouldn’t affect the medical side, and I wanted to support the overall legalization because I thought it was a step in the right direction at the time. My store has been open for over a year now. Most of the problems I’ve ran into are the overregulations. The excise tax is so extreme on top of DOR taxes, and then dealing with 280e from the federal government, it’s pretty much being taxed out of existence, in a way. This is nothing like what they had pitched to the public.

The system has infringed on freedom of speech and right to advertise, and anything to improve revenue they have made almost impossible.

Owner of Evergreen Cannabis talks about the true impact of I-502 and why he is running for state rep.

WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO RUN AS A STATE REPRESENTATIVE? I’ve stepped back in the last five years and really strived to find my purpose, and being able to articulate your purpose is a very difficult task because it’s very personal. I found that my purpose is to really help people; I truly mean that. A purpose is more than money, more important than your own life, something that you feel a worthy ideal for. A lot of times it’s hard to find the words, but I believe in human beings and want to protect infringements of natural rights, and I feel like one good way to do that is changing the system and using my voice to change the people’s voice. To help the people be heard, that’s representation. That’s the most important thing to me.

WHAT WOULD YOUR BIGGEST GOAL AND PURPOSE BE AS A LEGISLATOR? I just believe that there’s way too much cleverness in legislation; there needs to be less of that and more loyalty to the people. A quote I love and say so much all the time is, “an ounce of loyalty is worth more than a pound of cleverness.” My responsibility if elected is to make sure every voice is heard. I’ll do my best, that’s for sure, because it’s not about the power for me, or the money. It’s about making sure that I’m protecting everybody’s human rights. That’s my job, period.

I BELIEVE IN HUMAN BEINGS AND WANT TO PROTECT INFRINGEMENTS OF NATURAL RIGHTS, AND I FEEL LIKE ONE GOOD WAY TO DO THAT IS CHANGING THE SYSTEM AND USING MY VOICE TO CHANGE THE PEOPLE’S VOICE.

WHAT PROBLEMS DO YOU SEE WITH AMERICA’S POLITICAL SYSTEM? That’s a lengthy list. I believe that nobody has a true voice anymore, and I feel like legislators don’t do their job. I know that’s a blanket statement, but it comes down to what the purpose of legislature and government is. My approach to everything is on an individual level, and I believe the problems in the system are an abstraction of people. People are viewed as a number, a statistic, a droplet in the ocean, and not very often are the individuals really heard. I feel like the purpose of the U.S. government should be to protect that one individual that isn’t heard from the masses, not to let the masses or powerful dictate what the population should do. If that were the stance of most politicians, it would bring positive change to this country. Instead, we have top-heavy politics. When you remove a person in a leadership role from the people, all they can comprehend is a number, and it reduces people to a statistic, and that’s biologically wrong. To the political system, people are just a statistic. They’re fodder. Isn’t this supposed to be about the people, not the politician?

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT HOME-GROW BEING DENIED IN THE LEGISLATURE THIS YEAR, AND THE CHANGES HAPPENING RIGHT NOW?

I believe that the medical system should be looked at different than now, definitely. I believe that medicine should never be taxed, and when I see elderly people on fixed income who don’t know what they are looking for, my freedom of speech is cut off and they can’t openly discuss what they need.

Home-grow should never be taken away. It’s a plant. Give me a break. If you can grow hops and brew beer, you should be able to grow Cannabis, period, flat out. The stigma of Cannabis needs to be taken away. And patients shouldn’t even be touched. I’m definitely very much anti-registration on patients. For me, it’s so fundamentally wrong on so many levels. I’m very opposed to it.

HOW WOULD YOU CHANGE 502 IF YOU HAD A MAGIC WAND? I would drop the tax for now to 20 percent on the retail end. I would definitely take off the majority of restrictions on advertisements, other than ones that keep ads from children, and work to give us more of a fair, level playing field, to really see this thrive.

The taxes alone would take pressure off the whole industry. I think there is a better way to deal with this, and the direction we are going now is wrong on every level. Adding more restrictions than we already have is ridiculous. They treat us like were moving plutonium, and it’s less dangerous than alcohol.

HOW CAN PEOPLE SUPPORT YOUR CAUSE? They can visit ElectJacobLamont.com and they can donate to the campaign online.

Please donate to this if you want a better way. That’s actually my slogan: “there is a better way.” If you want transparency and a voice, I’m here to listen. Thats my job as long as it doesn’t infringe on the rights of another person.

MAR. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

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JUST TWO MILES UP FROM THE LIGHTHOUSE

8004 MUKILTEO SPEEDWAY, B3 MUKILTEO WA 425 249 2047 STE

access Strains 5/5 SINCE DAY ONE, Mari J’s has focused on

bringing in the best flowers possible, and the selection and prices are some of the best around. Top-shelf flower from Seattle Private Reserve and DNA Gardens are extremely tasty, especially the Black and Blueberry reviewed above. We especially liked the high-CBD ACDC flower from Campfire Buds, with $95 half ounces and $175 ounces. The overall selection is a nice blend of true top shelf at the $14-$16 range, and super solid deals on mid-shelf options in the $175-$200 per ounce range.

Edibles 4/5 THE EDIBLES SELECTION is diverse and has solid

options for low-price single doses. Spot 10mg Bites start at $5, with a variety of other singledose options ranging up to $12 for Evergreen Herbal honey or tea. We liked seeing 20mg Legal Soda for $16, and multiple Zoots 100mg options all priced at $40. The best deal by price per mg is Moxey’s Mints at 100mg for $36, and those seeking CBD options will find tinctures and capsules from Fairwinds Manufacturing for $45. Overall, this is a great selection for edibles, from the single-dose to those looking for a tasty treat with a nice buzz.

MARI J’S HIGHWAY POT SHOP

48/MAR. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

Concentrates 5/5 IT’S TRULY a great thing to walk into a

recreational store that has top-shelf oil at reasonable prices. With most options in the $40-$60 range, oil lovers will find concentrates competitive with medical in both price and quality. We liked the options from Dab Land and Doc Croc, and even saw full grams of Kettle River Blue Dream wax for $35 a gram, tax included. We saw a wide variety of dabbable and cartridge CO2, FECO from companies like DAMA and Craft Elixirs. The selection is quality and holistic, with options for the budget dabber and connoisseur alike.

Reviewed

By WES ABNEY | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN

Environment 5/5 VERY RARELY does a retail store have such

an established identity, and Mari J’s has it in spades. Rolling into the highway pot shop is a great experience as a quick stop or on a longer shopping trip.

Either way, the staff are happy to help.

Locally owned and operated, this store is the perfect neighborhood pot shop, and is easy to get to from the freeway.

Displays are clean and the store feels put together, comfortable and ready to get users back to the highway of life, with a little help to make the trip more fun.

BLACK + BLUEBERRY

GROWN BY DNA GARDENS |

18.97% THC (INDICA) THE SCORE

This bright and beautiful aroma: bud from DNA Gardens is d en s it y: an absolute treat for the cu re: taste and effects. Fluffy l o o ks : but nicely dense nugs are f l avo r : covered in frosty trichomes that stick well to the flower. ef f ect: T O TAL : 28/30 This strain is well-cured, and we noticed no degradation from being packaged. Tearing open a sealed bag releases a fruity and spicy smell, with strong notes of blueberries and warm assorted fruit notes. The smell warms the nose, and fills the head with visions of fruity weed plants. When consumed, the smoke is light and mild in the throat and lungs, allowing for the sweetness to fill the palate in big beautiful bursts. Big tokes of this strain are recommended and the effects arrive heavy and fast: prepare for giggling and couchlock and get ready for the next bowl! ($16/g, $55/3.5g, w/ tax)

Overall 19/20 MARI J’S is worth stopping into

as a local or just during your next pot road trip. Between the friendly staff and the great environment, the space feels stylish yet approachable.

The attitudes of everyone is super positive and helpful.

Experienced shoppers will find a solid and curated selection that brings the best products possible, at fair prices and with a bit of fun thrown in, too.

MARI J'S HIGHWAY POT SHOP

9506 19th Ave SE, Everett 98208 (425) 379-8888 www.MJpotshop.com

Rolling into the highway pot shop is a great experience as a quick stop or on a longer shopping trip

FUCKING INCREDIBLE BHO

75% THC

PROCESSED BY DOC CROC | Pardon my French, but

this oil is, uh...aptly named! The company did a great job processing a heritage strain into a sappy and flavorful BHO that is great to dab. Pulling open the parchment paper reveals a golden sap that has an easy consistency to work with and flavors to the max. This indica-dominant oil has heady and thick notes of pine and sweet kush, with notes of earthy hash in the background.

The vapor is huge in flavor, THE SCORE with bright sweet pine notes that linger after the exhale. va lu e: Effects hit the head first, ta st e: with waves of blissful high ef f ec t: that cascade into the body. la b el: We especially enjoyed T O TA L: 18/20 the stoned head change, while the body high lasted longer and faded into a comfortable ease over several hours. This oil is great day or night,just make sure to clear your schedule for some all out relaxing. ($36/g, w/ tax)

MAR. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

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recipes

By LAURIE WOLF for NORTHWEST LEAF | PHOTOS by BRUCE WOLF for NORTHWEST LEAF

CANNA-CUBAN COOKING

INGREDIENTS

CUBANO A little cannabutter takes this savory sandwich straight to Flavortown 1. Open the French rolls and lightly spread the mayonnaise on one side. Squeeze the yellow mustard liberally over both sides. 2. Sprinkle with a few splashes of hot sauce, then place the slices of Swiss cheese on the bread. Add a couple slices of roast pork belly to each sandwich, then add the ham and pickles. Lightly butter the outside of each sandwich. 3. Heat a panini press or griddle.

When ready, add the sandwiches to the press and cook over moderate heat until the cheese is melted, about 6 minutes. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve. So tasty!

4 teaspoons cannabutter, softened 4 French or Cuban bread rolls 4 ounces thinly sliced smoked ham 4 ounces cooked pork shoulder or belly 8 1/4-inch-thick slices of Swiss cheese 6 ounces prepared mayonnaise 10 ounces yellow mustard A few splashes of Mexican hot sauce 4 8-inch French rolls 16 1/8-inch-thick lengthwise slices of kosher dill pickle

Makes 4 servings

March in the PNW has turned out to be a delightful surprise. Of course it rains too much but a lot goes on under your rain boots: Daffodils and crocus, sarcococca and star magnolias delight our senses. Buds and robins are on the trees, so that means spring must be almost here. No clue what’s going on with the groundhog. My first time in Seattle was a gloriously sunny March day, and I sat with my friends Geo and Kim on the deck of their restaurant. I was a tad high and in food paradise; Cannabis and Cuban food is a pretty sweet combo. Medicate and go get a Cubano at Geo’s! Tell him Laurie sent you. As usual, these dishes are infused with some of my favorite lovely Hazy Train.

50/mar. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

Continues pg. 52

recipes

By LAURIE WOLF for NORTHWEST LEAF | PHOTOS by BRUCE WOLF for NORTHWEST LEAF

Continued from pg. 50

CANNA-CUBAN COOKING KEY LIME PIE 2c graham cracker crumbs 3 tablespoons canna-butter ½ cup sugar 2 cans condensed milk 3 eggs 1/2 cup sour cream 1 cup key lime juice Freshly grated lime zest

Heat oven to 340 ºF.

1. Grab a large

bowl and combine the graham cracker crumbs, butters and sugar. Press mixture into the sides of a 9-inch glass pie pan and bake 5 minutes.

2. In another large

INGREDIENTS

GARLIC SHRIMP You won’t be looking for takeout with a few of these appetizers 1. In a large sauté pan, heat the oils. Sauté the garlic and scallion till soft, 5-6 minutes. Add the tomato, red pepper flakes, oregano and thyme. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. Remove to a plate. 2. In the same pan, cook the shrimp till pink, 4-5 minutes, stirring to cook all over. Squeeze lemon juice over the shrimp and return the garlic scallion to the pan. Make sure you get all the sauce in the pan. 3.

Serve in bowls, topped with fresh parsley, lemon wedges and bread.

52/mar. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

3 tablespoons olive oil 4 teaspoons canna olive oil 3 garlic cloves, crushed 4 scallions, chopped 1/3 cup tomato, chopped ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes ½ teaspoon oregano ¼ teaspoon thyme 20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined Lemon juice and lemon wedges Parsley Crusty bread slices

Makes 4 servings

bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, eggs, sour cream and the key lime juice. Beat till smooth and pour into the pie pan.

3. Return the pie

to the oven for 5 more minutes. Allow it to cool and chill for at least 2 hours.

Sprinkle with grated lime zest tableside.

Makes 9 servings

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.

a t o g J i r a M all Jones b t e k s a B It’s March Madness at Mari J’s In honor of NCAA basketball this month Mari J is hosting her “Reefer Madness” tournaments. But, instead of balls, she’s dribbling buds. Come into Mari J’s to enter your bracket choosing the best strain of pot in the PNW conference. The winning brackets will earn some really great prizes and discounts including a VIP tour of a top-secret (legal) marijuana grow operation.

Go to MJPOTSHOP.COM to find out how to enter and download your own Reefer Madness bracket. Then, get to Mari J’s Pot Shop to submit your bracket and pick up some bouncy buds for watching the games.

concentrates

By WES ABNEY | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN |

@BERMANPHOTOS

TEST RESULTS

59.88% THC Total 8.52% CBD Total 0.93% CBg Total 2.31% terps-total

Cookie Tonic GROWING UP, medicine used to always taste

Thick and heady waves of cherry flavor come with even the smallest dab, releasing THC and CBD into receptors ready for pain-free bliss to set in.

the THC, allowing it to work on the body bad, but that isn’t a problem with this and leave the mind clear. cherry-flavored extract. The amber hues Within minutes of smoking, the body of this sappy oil are beautiful to look at, feels lighter and a positive energy begins especially when twirled on a dab tool to fill the body. This oil is great for daytime waiting for a hot nail. Before vaping, the use and makes enjoying any physical activity CO2 has a light fragrant even more special.

Processed by taste with hints of cherries CBD is great for medical or GREEN LION and fruit, but the real treat recreational users looking INDUSTRIES is released when combustion to have a more balanced GreenLionIndustries.com occurs. Thick and heady and rewarding high for the waves of cherry flavor come with even the body. CBD is beneficial for a huge variety smallest dab, releasing THC and CBD into of medical conditions or for something as receptors ready for pain-free bliss to set in. simple as a back ache or a case of the Monday The effects of the Cookie Tonic are unique blues. When combined with delicious THC and especially beneficial for those looking and refined like this, it becomes a worldto ease pain or anxiety while enjoying a class dab. Check out the Cookie Tonic and calming head high too. The high level of other high-quality extracts on the medical CBD balances out the psychoactivity of and rec markets from Green Lion Industries.

Available @ Ponder 2413 E Union St. Seattle, WA 98122 | Bud Hut 11603 Hwy. 99, Everett, WA 98204

56/mar. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

TEST RESULTS by ANALYTICAL360

Reviews

By STEVE ELLIOTT Editor, Tokesignals.com

THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA HANDBOOK W

Eckroate helps new users understand how Cannabis might change their lives for the better as she helps newcomers navigate the maze.

58/mar. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

A Patient’s Guide to Holistic Healing with Cannabis

By NORMA ECKROATE | BOOKLOCKER.COM, INC., 2016| 287 PAGES | $17.95

hat a confusing maze new patients can encounter when they first get a medical marijuana authorization!

“The Medical Marijuana Handbook” is designed to help patients understand the different types of medicinal Cannabis available today while debunking outdated preconceptions about the medicinal herb.

The knowledge in here is applicable to anyone who suffers from a health condition, pain, nausea or social anxiety. “The Medical Marijuana Handbook” has built-in credibility because it is by a professional writer who is also a medicinal Cannabis patient. Author Norma Eckroate’s life was dramatically improved when she first used marijuana.

Eckroate helps readers understand how Cannabis might change their lives for the better as she helps newcomers navigate the maze. She explains in an easy-to-understand way how marijuana helps your body’s self-healing system work more efficiently, and why many patients find this natural herb preferable to the nasty side effects, high cost and potentially addictive and deadly nature of many pharmaceuticals.

Helpful advice on smoke-free options such as capsules, lozenges and juicing are included, as well as information on why medicinal Cannabis is not addictive for most patients. Patients are

advised on how to handle the psychoactive high of marijuana and how some forms of CBD-rich medicine don’t produce a high at all.

What strain is right for you? What form of marijuana and its many uses interests you? Comparing topicals and edibles? How does marijuana differ from pharmaceuticals? How is it safer? Find it all right here.

Eckroate found many strains of medical marijuana contain lower levels of the psychoactive component THC, which produces the wellknown high. These strains provide more of other important natural compounds such as cannabidiol, or CBD, which provide symptom relief to many.

“I’ve been living with chronic pain for most of my life, and my doctor was concerned about the effects on my liver of the high doses of over-the-counter pain medications I was taking to find relief, and I hated the side effects of the prescription medications I later switched to,” she said.

“Three years ago I began researching medical marijuana as an alternative, and I discovered that there was a lot of incorrect and misleading information about its medical applications. I decided to separate fact from fiction and share what I learned with other potential patients who could benefit in so many ways from this natural herb like I did.”

reviews

By SIMONE FISCHER | PHOTOS by DANNY RICHARDSON & VANESSA WALTZ

AN ACTIVIST BY DESIGN IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, we are inundated with Cannabis street wear and bombasted by emerging brands daily. Tactless and unoriginal, I wanted to discover brands with intention and a real story behind them. I was instantly captivated when I met Vanessa Waltz, owner and creator of jewelry line Silverkind and clothing line Space Cowgirl. She is a woman of conviction with style and a tear-jerking story.

What impressed me the most was Waltz’s history of cancer and Cannabis activism, and her ability to translate pain and suffering into something beautiful and wearable. She handcrafts all of her jewelry, and designs versatile dresses and tops with just the right amount of Cannabis flair.

60/mar. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

AN INTERVIEW WITH VANESSA WALTZ,

CREATOR OF SILVERKIND JEWELRY & SPACE COWGIRL CLOTHING Dress photos | Danny Richardson Jewelry photos | Vanessa Waltz

When did you start your brand, and how did you get started in the Cannabis industry? How did activism play a part in the establishment of Silverkind and Space Cowgirl?

Vanessa: A few years ago, my life was very different than it is today. I was a horse trainer and owned and operated a horse farm. I believed strongly in Cannabis legalization and drug policy reform, but was by no means an activist at that point.

My cancer diagnosis changed everything. As far as my career, I knew that I could no longer do a job that was extremely physically demanding, so I turned to jewelry art as a new venture. I didn’t realize at the time that art would play such a big role in my healing, but it served as both emotional and physical therapy, especially after I had a stroke during treatment.

Some days, I spent more time picking up pieces of jewelry I’d dropped on the floor than I did actually creating anything. I think it was my lifelong stubborn streak that motivated me, as in, “I can do this!” Around the same time, I realized that Cannabis was very helpful to me medicinally, which is how I came to activism.

During my cancer treatment, my father was also diagnosed with Glioblastoma (GBM brain cancer). When I learned that Cannabis was a very promising treatment for GBM that was not being researched due to restrictive federal laws, I realized that I had to speak out and become directly involved in activism.

I really don’t consider myself part of the Cannabis industry, as I am not seeking to make a career in the green rush. I prefer to be a volunteer activist, contributing when I can by writing about Cannabis, and creating Silverkind jewelry as a side project to create awareness and promote normalization of Cannabis use.

What is your inspiration behind the art [“Legalize Medicine & Recreation”] seen in Space Cowgirl? Other than Cannabis itself, what are other major influences that affect your artistic direction?

In both my jewelry and home goods [Silverkind] and clothing line [Space Cowgirl], I wanted to create something different than what was already out there. My job that pays the bills is my Ristra Ranch jewelry line, which is inspired by equestrian style in the American Southwest, where I live. I am surrounded by amazing art and culture in New Mexico, and the Mother Mary Jane symbology was definitely inspired by the religious iconography that I see every day in New Mexico.

I’ve had Catholic friends tell me that people may find my art offensive. I answer that to me, Cannabis is a sacrament, and if you believe in God, surely it is God who created this miraculous plant, and that fact should be recognized and celebrated.

I love to create work that inspires conversation and debate, and the religious overtones in my work have certainly done that.

Where do you see Silverkind and Space Cowgirl going in the future? Can we plan on any new collections or products in the future?

Thank you! I still have some leftover pieces from my first clothing collection, which can be found at www.spacecowgirlclothing.com. My awesome partner from the first collection decided to pursue a new career and I’m seeking a digital printing professional who will bring just as much love, care and skill to doing the printing work for my next collection. As far as Silverkind jewelry, I continue to create as much as my time away from Ristra

To me, Cannabis is a sacrament, and if you believe in God, surely it is God who created this miraculous plant.

Simone Fischer is a Portland OMMP patient and Cannabis advocate. She is a contributing editor at Ladybud Magazine and a graduate of women’s and gender studies from Portland State University.

Ranch allows, and I look forward to making lots of new Cannabis jewelry designs in 2016.

What is your favorite aspect of Silverkind?

In a relatively new legal market, what is the fire that keeps you and Silverkind alive among the chaos?

I love that Silverkind can be such a great conversation starter. A lot of my pieces are fairly subtle in that an admirer will notice a pretty sterling bangle or a well-made dress design before they realize that it’s adorned with Cannabis leaves or that there’s a political statement in the text. I can’t tell you how many times someone has complimented what I’m wearing before saying, “wait … is that a pot leaf on there?” And that will lead smoothly to a conversation about medical Cannabis or legalization.

As a young cancer survivor, I’ve found that even the most closed-minded people are often willing to listen to my story, and I hope they walk away a little more open-minded when they hear about how helpful Cannabis has been to me.

Although I’m not a religious person, I embrace the concept of tithing, which is also reflective of Silverkind’s spiritual design elements. As such, 10 percent retail price of each Silverkind purchase is donated to organizations or fundraisers that promote Cannabis freedom. As far as staying motivated, I know that I will keep Silverkind active until every last Cannabis prisoner is freed from incarceration, and no more arrests are being made for Cannabis.

Where can we find Silverkind products?

I retail my products through Etsy, at www. silverkind.com. I would also love to establish wholesale partnerships at dispensaries, clothing or jewelry stores, and can be contacted by vendors by email at: vanessawaltz@yahoo.com.

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Leaf Chews are the latest, most refreshing cannabis infused medibles to hit the market.

Juicy flavors of oranges, apples, lemons, strawberries, grapes and cherries blend together in our Mixed Fruit and Berry Melon flavors with 33mg of Super Critical CO2 Hash Oil per chew.

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Hope Alternative Medicine - Silverdale

NW Alchemy - Seattle

MMPN - Mukilteo

Green Valley Collective - Monroe

Green Collar Club - Tacoma

Hype Herbally Holistic Health - Everett

Riverside Wellness - Granite Falls

Green Monster - Tacoma

Medicine Men - Lynnwood

Herbal Healing Collective Garden - Port Orchard

The Herbal Choice - Tacoma

MMJ Universe - Black Diamond

KP Healing Center - Gig Harbor

Patient Cannabis Exchange Market - Tacoma

Sunshine Organic Farmers Market & Collective - Olympia

KP Health & Wellness - Gig Harbor

The Green Light Connection - Puyallap

Evergreen Health Center - Bremerton

Harbor Alternative Wellness - Gig Harbor

Grass Roots Collective - Bellingham

Top Green Meds - Bremerton

Best Buds - Bellingham

The Joint - Snohomish

Warning: This product contains cannabis. The intoxicating effects may be delayed by 1-2 hours. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery while using this product. Keep out of the reach of children. For medical use only.

device of the month

PHOTOS by NATE MURRAY FOR OREGON LEAF

@HEADLIFEMEDIA

AMERICAN GLASS EXPO January 26-28, 2016 I Hard Rock Hotel

Skull pendants by AKM

LAS VEGAS CELEBRATES GLASS “Sydney” collab by Ouchkick & Tyme One

“The Lightseeker” by Laceface, $50k

“The Light Seeker” by LaceFace Glass by Robert Mickelsen

Glass by Banjo

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CHAMPS TRADE SHOW February 2-4, 2016 I Las Vegas Convention Center

“The Goddess of the 4 Elements” by Terry Sharp 3rd Place! Emily Marie Glass

6th place Artist’s Choice by Turtle Time Glass Mama’s Glass

“Make America Great Again”

by Zach P & Danny White

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health & science

Vitamin D + YOU Those of us north of the 35th parallel are at risk of Vitamin D deficiency — which can lead to depression and body pain. Why diet is only part of it.

BY NORTHWEST LEAF SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR DR. SCOTT D. ROSE

M

any realize that there is an association between vitamin D and the sun. There is a common misconception that we receive vitamin D from the sun, however the sun turns on an inactive form of the vitamin that our bodies have already made. That is if there is adequate exposure of the skin to the sun, for a proper duration, and in the right place on the globe.

Vitamin D actually has less vitamin-like activity than it does hormone activity. It affects mostly all cells in the human body at the level of DNA. Vitamin D is a gene regulator, in general turning on genes that benefit the body and turning off genes that don’t - like cancer promoting genes.

Over the past decade our understanding of vitamin D has driven the testing for deficiency and the recommendations of vitamin D supplementation to the human diet.

Vitamin D is responsible for enhancing intestinal absorption of calcium and phospate, two necessary minerals imperative to physiology. Vitamin D deficiency rates in the Western Washington area are among the highest in the nation in due to the low angle of sun exposure during the winter and all the cloud cover.

Cholecalciferol is the chemical descriptive name of the active form of vitamin D3. Ergocalciferol is vitamin D2, the inactive form of the vitamin D molecule. Both can be ingested in the diet or in supplement form. Vitamin D3 can be formed at the skin level from cholesterol when UV rays strike it from the sun, hence the connection with the “sunshine vitamin.”

Some statistics state 30 percent of the body surface area being exposed to the sun for 30 minutes produces adequate levels of vitamin D, and they don’t have to be 30 minutes in a row either. That statistic is given for conditions at the equator, with peak midday angles of the sun. Other sources state that 10,000 to 25,000 IU (International Unit) of vitamin D are produced in 30 minutes of whole-

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Along with natural sunshine, these food items contain the Vitamin D our bodies need

body exposure under similar conditions. As one moves north or south from the equator vitamin D formation decreases especially beyond the north and south 35th parallel. In the US that is equivalent to Bakersfield, CA across the states to the southern border of Tennessee. Anyone living north of these places run at risk for vitamin D deficiency.

Even individuals south of the 35th run deficient because of inadequate exposure and/or sunscreen use. In fact, people who live at higher latitudes (in the northern U.S. and Europe, for example) cannot produce much, if any, vitamin D from the sun.

Very few foods in nature contain any appreciable amounts of vitamin D. The flesh of fatty fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel) and fish liver oils are among the best sources. Small amounts of

Vitamin D deficiency rates in the Western Washington area are among the highest in the nation due to the low angle of sun exposure during the winter and all the cloud cover.

vitamin D are found in beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks. Fortified foods provide most of the vitamin D in the American diet. For example, almost all of the conventional U.S. milk supply is fortified with 100 IU/cup. Different institutions propose inconsistent recommendations concerning daily amounts of the vitamin. Commonly recommended daily dietary intake of vitamin D is not sufficient, especially if sunlight exposure is limited.

Individuals are at their highest vitamin D levels for the year at the end of August and at their lowest for the year at the end of February. Vitamin D has great impact on mood as well.

D

eficiency is associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or “the winter blues” which is prevalent in the Northwest region of the US. There is a growing amount of research into the connection between depression and vitamin D. Receptors for vitamin D have been found in many parts of the brain. The exact mechanism of how vitamin D works in the brain is not fully understood.

One theory is that vitamin D affects the levels of chemicals, such as serotonin, and how they work in the brain. Research has supported that a lack of vitamin D in the blood makes it more likely one will develop depression, and taking a vitamin D supplement can improve or prevent depression.

Various studies have shown that people with adequate levels of vitamin D have a significantly lower risk of developing cancer, compared to people with lower levels. Vitamin D deficiency was found to be prevalent in cancer patients regardless of nutritional status Vitamin D may reduce the risk of developing multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is much less common the nearer you get to the tropics, where there is much more sunlight. Incidentally the Northwest region has the highest rates of MS anywhere in the country, and again some of the lowest vitamin D levels as well. Vitamin D is an important way to arm the immune system against disorders like autoimmune conditions where the immune system has lost its way and is attacking self tissue. Vitamin D can greatly benefit even the common cold.

There are alarming rates of Vitamin D deficiency in the US. - data collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that 9% of children across the US were deficient in vitamin D while 61 percent were vitamin D insufficient.

Studies have looked at the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in adults in the US. One study’s

The Vitamin D Council recommends adults take no more than the upper limit of 10,000 IU per day, which is the equivalent of about 30 minutes of sunshine.

Individuals are at their highest vitamin D levels for the year at the end of August and at their lowest for the year at the end of February.

Vitamin D has great impact on mood as well.

conclusion found that the overall prevalence rate of vitamin D deficiency in the general population of adults was 41.6%, with the highest rate seen in African Americans at 82.1%, followed by Hispanics at 69.2%. Yet again the criteria for deficiency was set too low at less than 20 ng/ml indicating these numbers are much higher when compared to the proposed ideal of 50 ng/ml.

The current recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin D3 in the US is 600 IU for individuals 1-71 years old, 400 IU for under 1 and 800 IU for over 71 years old. These levels are just too low. The European Union recommends 4000 IU for adults, and that is quite a discrepancy.

Many scientists and vitamin D researchers contend that human physiology is fine tuned to an intake of 4000–12,000 IU/day from diet and sun exposure with concomitant vitamin D levels in the blood serum of 40 to 80 ng/mL, and that is required for optimal health. Thus if one is not consuming adequate amounts of vitamin D in their diet and sun exposure is nill then vitamin D

supplementation becomes necessary (D3 is the best for this).

Vitamin D is fat-soluble, which means your body has a harder time getting rid of it if you take too much (versus a water soluble vitamin for example). The Vitamin D Council, an excellent resource for up to date information on vitamin D research. recommends adults take no more than the upper limit of 10,000 IU per day, the equivalent of 30 minutes of sunshine.

While these amounts may seem like a lot, keep in mind that your body can produce quite an amount of vitamin D after a little bit of full body sun exposure. Vitamin D toxicity can occur with high dose supplementation and is consistent with blood levels above 150 ng/ml according to the Vitamin D Council. Toxicity symptoms include “feeling sick”, poor appetite or loss of appetite, increased thirst, increased urination, bowel changes of constipation or diarrhea, abdominal pain, muscle weakness, muscle pain, or feelings of confusion.

If you are taking a vitamin D supplement and are experiencing these symptoms then discontinuing supplementation and get a blood test to measure 25-OH vitamin D (the most accurate blood value) is important. It’s also important to screen for vitamin D deficiency and monitor supplemental therapy by routine blood testing of the 25-OH vitamin D levels. Have your blood tested as a baseline and monitor therapy with higher doses or try first a moderate dose.

Dr. Scott D. Rose has written about Cannabis and health for years in the pages of Northwest Leaf and Oregon Leaf. He is an acupuncturist with a pain resolution clinic in Seattle.

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growtech

SELECTING THE RIGHT SEEDS

WHAT IS THE RIGHT VARIETY OF CANNABIS FOR YOU?

Hello, my name is Doctor Scanderson, and I’m a seed-a-holic.

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Photo courtesy of flickr.com/_thor_

thousands of different choices that may otherwise distract you from learning exactly what you like. I recommend first looking at:

BY NORTHWEST LEAF I’ve fiendishly chosen to spend money I don’t have over and over the grow space, need for medicine, familiarity, availability, marSPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR again on magic beans that bear with them the promise of unlockketability and your personal preferences.

DR. SCANDERSON ing the very best Cannabis known to humankind. Like a degenPersonal preference essentially answers questions like “what erate gambler, my mind endlessly rationalizes each purchase with do you like?” and “what is your favorite?” If answers to these quesa laundry list of appealing, albeit warped logic points that leave me tions don’t pop into your mind, I recommend starting with flavors feeling as if I’m still taking advantage of them even as my grocery list and scents you enjoy in other areas of living. Just about every category of is decimated to include only rice. scent is included in the Cannabis library, from sweet floral and light melWhat I have learned in an ongoing struggle to overcome my addiction on scents, through citrus, tang, sour and spicy incense. is how to most successfully choose the right line of genetics and breeders The flavors you enjoy in your foods and beverages and scents you to create the highest likelihood of finding a plant I’m happy with. In this find in nature are those you will be most satisfied with in your Cannabis month’s Growtech I’ll share my choice matrix that has helped me master selections. By selecting a favorite flavor or scent profile as a goal, you are the desire to acquire and still continue collecting a healthy amount of gems able to eliminate many undesired varieties. No matter how attractive a while maintaining spending integrity. description may sound, if you know you are looking to satisfy a particular What may startle anyone newer to the search for seeds is the shear category, you can easily eliminate huge numbers of potential lines. volume of breeders, varieties and distributors now present in the Cannabis Once you have narrowed down your smell/flavor categories (at least genetics game. Thousands of breeders and tens of thousands of cultivars for the immediate future), take an honest look at your grow space and deare available at the click of a mouse, most of which are reliable, legal and safe for acquiring seeds. It’s no doubt a dizzying experience in today’s world of seemingly limitless varieties to choose from to try and wrap one’s head around the question, “which variety is perfect for me?”

The flavors you enjoy in your foods and Limiting factors are some of my favorite points to identify when beverages are those you will be most working in boundless environments. Applying the limit principle to cultivar choice allows one to quickly and confidently eliminate hundreds and satisfied with in your Cannabis selections.

termine the variety that will likely thrive in your space naturally. For instance, if you are working inside a grow tent, height will be limited.

Other factors to consider about your grow space include the amount of light you can generate. Indicas are generally more hearty and require less PAR light per square foot to maximize their genetic potential, whereas sativas, especially equatorial varieties, often require a very large amount of PAR lighting. The climate choice may be important. Selecting varieties that you are able to maintain should be realistically you enjoy and know many other medical Cannaconsidered as well. Home growers often strugbis patients also enjoy makes sharing and donatgle to achieve a balance between powerful light ing much easier. outputs, adequate cooling capacity and control Availability of a particular variety in your over humidity levels during both photoperiods. area or availability of a particular variety through Determine what area is in greatest need of ima breeder can play a role in marketability. Many provement and select a variety that is tolerant breeders release specific breeding projects in an and best-suited for such a deficit. acutely limited number of packs to When determining garden ensure the scarcity of that cultivar space, consider whether you wish to Take an and often to drive the price of their keep mother plants, run perpetual honest look seeds up. Choosing from varieties harvests, or run seeds to harvest and repeat. If you keep mother plants, at your grow you know are scarce and in demand in your area or from highly desirable you will have the luxury of selecting space and breeders in very limited quantities from what is often a more volatile and non-uniform line of genetics in determine the can be beneficial.

Some breeders work very hard search of the characteristics that acvariety that at cultivating a particular marketing commodate your taste. If you harvest your plants only to plant new seeds, will thrive in message. If they seem popular in spite a high price, this is no coincidence. then you likely want a breeder who your space of Don’t believe the hype. Most of these provides a line with consistent outnaturally. companies have many, many hundreds comes. Lines that have been worked of thousands of dollars invested each to later filial generations (F3, F4 +) year in advertising, swag material and what in my and have been selected and worked to BXs and experience is far and away the leader in the permost ideally Inbred Backcrossed Lines (IBLs) version and extortion of Cannabis culture at the are most suited at creating a reliable result over most shamelessly greedy and deplorable of levels, and over. the High Crimes Times Cannabis Cup circus-onConsider the quantity of medicine you need. wheels enterprise. Someone has to pay for all those Depending on your circumstance, you may need costs and you’re first in line if you choose to be. to select varieties that provide shortOver time you may become familiar with er flower times, which allow for more specific cultivars as well as specific breeders harvests at a time. They are often better such that you can know what to expect suited for sea of green-style grows. Anfrom a particular variety or breeder. If other way to satisfy a larger demand for you can identify a cultivar that you enjoy medicine in longer flowering plants is but find that hunting through multiple by selecting varieties known to provide packs is cost-prohibitive due to the way the large yields. The heavier per-harvest breeder chooses to set their price point, weight can often compensate for the take some time to find out who else has longer times between harvests and still worked that line. Chances are several othkeep your supply of medicine abundant. ers create similar projects and you may not have For those gardeners whose need for heard of them already as they are investing in medicine leaves them with an overage each advertising at the same level, although they may harvest, the marketability of the cultivar

Get a variety of seed packs and determine which varieties provide the best fit for your taste. be working the exact same plants.

To this end it’s important to see how breeders that choose the higher price points are essentially (hopefully) ensuring the outcome of their genetics compared with their competitors. Any of you with experience in seed selection may notice an acute disparity exists between the number of breeders in today’s market who’ve been alive long enough to work their lines to the point that such claims could be supported and the number of outrageously priced seed packs available, so I’ll leave the math up to you.

In a sea of seemingly limitless possibilities of Cannabis genetics, each bearing with it a description more impossibly satisfying than the next, it’s important to make the hard choices. If you’re into blueberry, don’t get sucked into the vortex of other satisfying flavors until you’ve got blueberry down.

Find the blueberry that’s gonna run best in your room with the medium and gardening style you choose. Get a variety of seed packs and determine which varieties provide the best fit for your taste, your environment and eventually learn about the yield compared with the flower time and your personal consumption rates. Take notes on the variety you enjoyed most as well as the breeders you find are producing the best results for you and jump in with both feet and find your perfect plant.

Happy Gardening!

Drop me a line

thegreengardengroup@gmail.com

Follow along

Instagram @DrScanderson_gT

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BUDSHOT

PHOTO by RANDY P.

@OREGONBREEDERSGROUP

SIRIUS BLACK BREAKDOWN/ 50-50 hybrid mix GROWER/ Milwaukie Organic BREEDER/ Oregon Breeders Group LOCATION/ Portland, Oregon EFFECTS/ Very pleasant, social high BEST FOR/ Relaxing and good vibes

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Got sweet garden/bud photos?

Share them with us and they might appear here next month! Email your top 2-3 not-taken-witha-phone-unless-they-were-superduper-steady high-resolution images to nwleaf@gmail.com along with the usual details on what’s being grown and who to credit (please see corner for the information to include with your email).

BEHIND THE STRAIN

Drop me a line

Watch a video

thegreengardengroup@gmail.com Youtube.com/DrScandersonGt

BLUE PETROL

BLUE PETROL IS STRONG AND DELICIOUS, RARE AND IN MANY WAYS A SLEEPER OF THE SIN CITY SEEDS LINEUP! IT IS REALLY A GREAT PLANT FOR GARDENERS OF ALL SKILL LEVELS AND PATIENTS WHO ENJOY THE EARTHY, KUSHY FLAVORS OF THIS WELL-BALANCED INDICA-DOMINANT PLANT.

HOW IT GROWS I selected a very short and squat, hugely indica-dominant

growth pheno. A very strong rooter and extraordinarily hardy and resistant plant under even the most adverse conditions, Blue Petrol is easy to veg. Although her pace of growth is sure to teach you patience, she grows with nearly flawless symmetry usually only found in seed stock. This makes training very easy, and she responds well to it. I have double-topped her and run her into a 45-head scrogged-out monster and run her untopped where she produces a single, spectacular child’s arm decorated at the elbow by a bouquet of evenly spaced, albeit significantly smaller flower sites. Those that take the extra 30 days in veg to allow her root mass and frame to expand will be rewarded in bloom with a surprising stretch positioning each top evenly for swell. Removing her umbrella-sized water leaves early in the flower cycle will allow the additional light to be processed into fuller, denser buds with considerably more trichome coverage.

BAG APPEAL & SMOKE REPORT blue petrol produces large, tightly compacted flowers that

Flowers in 50-76 days

BY NORTHWESTLEAF SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR DR. SCANDERSON

are sought after in OG Sour crosses. The bud structure is one of my favorites. She boasts the large nug size commonly seen with Sour Diesel but with the dense, bluntly topped features of Master Kush and Blueberry side of the lineage. Deep dark green leaves combined with huge levels of frost and limited numbers of red hairs give the buds a sparkly slate blue appearance. Truly gassy sour, earth smells translate into sharp pepper and moss dankness on the palate are what kept this plant around for me. All the best parts of the Kush and Sour weigh in at a complex but harmonious proportion that back these stout nuggets up.

BREEDER: Sin City Seeds GENETICS: Petrol OG ( [Sour Diesel x Petrolia Headstash] x [Tahoe OG] ) x Blue Power ( [Sour Dubble x SoCal Master Kush] x [Blueberry x The White] )

LINEAGE: One of the earlier releases from the boys in Las Vegas and far

and away my favorite flavor I’ve tried from their catalog. The Blue Power male is a truly special plant that continues today to be used over and over again in their breeding projects. Combining this plant with the Petrol OG, a super gassy Sour Kush type of plant provided the typical span of F1 madness for this gardener.

While some of the phenos were barely worth the rockwool they were tested with, one special lady made the hunt more than worthwhile.

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EFFECTS a fast translation of her medicinal properties can

be expected when ingesting Blue Petrol. An immediate decompression behind the eyes followed by waves of body relaxation akin to many a powerful indica is my first impression. Interestingly enough, where I feel my eyelids getting heavy and would otherwise expect thoughts of relaxation to follow, instead, a bright and creative mood sets in, perfect for meditative activities and creation.

PHOTO BY SEEDFINDER.EU/MGPAWN

253.444.5444

FINDCLEARCHOICE.COM

8001 S. HOSMER ST. SUITE B, TACOMA, WA 98408 THIS PRODUC T HAS INTOXICATING EFFEC TS 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 PRODUC T. FOR USE ONLY BY ADULTS 21 AND OLDER. KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN.

MEDICAL LOCATIONS THE JOINT SEATTLE

5260 University Way NE Seattle, WA 98105 (206) 283-3333 STARBUDS SEATTLE

2315 E John St. Seattle, WA 98112 (206) 387-4367

THE JOINT CLEARVIEW

16510 SR-9 Snohomish, WA 98296 (360) 243-3399

NEW I-502 LOCATIONS JOINT TACOMA

Coming April 2409 Pacific Ave. Tacoma, WA 98402 253-231-7000

STARBUDS KIRKLAND

Opening March 11834 NE 90th St. Kirkland, WA 98033

JOINT BELLINGHAM

1840 James St. Bellingham, WA 98225 (360) 756.0000

JOINT WENATCHEE

1510 N Wenatchee Ave. Wenatchee, WA 98801 (509) 667-9999

JOINT BURLINGTON

9574 Old Highway 99 N. Burlington, 98233

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.