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sept. 2015
issue #63
The Joint Recreational 1510 N Wenatchee Ave. Wenatchee, WA 98801 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.
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MEDICATED RECIPES 12
National News
54
Medible Reviews
16
Prison Dispatch
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Grow Book Review
24
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72
Concentrate Safety
34
William Braveheart
86
Behind the Strain
Steve Elliott with the roundup Exploring the War on Drugs Pot pioneers, profiled
Success from humble beginning
34
Recreational & Medical options
“Marijuana Daily Gardening”
Simone Fisher on health & science Dr. Scanderson digs into this one
20
8 Questions
28
Access Review
30
Access Review
British hip-hopper talks pot
West Coast Wellness, Deming
Center St. Collective, Tacoma
EDITOR...........................11 NATIONAL............................12 QUOTED..........................18 8 QUESTIONS............................20 LARRY HARVEY......................22 STRAIN MONTH......................44 EXTRACT REVIEW........................60 DAB NAIL REVIEW..................62 GETTING DIRTY..........................78 MICRO STRAINS.........................82 BEHIND THE STRAIN..................86 COVER PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN CONTENTS PHOTOS by CONTRIBUTORS SEE THE BACK ISSUES: WWW.ISSUU.COM/NWLEAF
contents
38 Seattle Hempfest
returned to Myrtle Edwards Park for three days of public pot-smoking and a whole lot of advocating for change to legalization and hemp laws.
Photo by Daniel Berman
NORTHWEST LEAF
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editor’s note
SEPT. 2015 ISSUE #63
We must band together as a community during this important time in WA fALL IS AROUND THE CORNER
and we are finally getting some cooler nights and days, not to mention a little much needed rain. For everyone who has had to shut down a garden this summer, get ready to light it up! Patients need your medicine and we need to grow strong into 2016. While fall brings pumpkins and a beautiful outdoor harvest from all over the West Coast, it also signals the time to begin preparing for the next legislative session. The medical Cannabis community of Washington took some major blows this last year, and we have one chance to make positive change before the majority of laws take effect in July 2016. Our community must become vocal in the rule-making and legislative process that is happening! This session is also hugely important because of the changes Oregon is making, allowing for 21+ consumers to purchase at medical dispensaries. This change threatens a large swath of 502 businesses, and this is actually a good thing. Washington needs to get a “New Approach” to Cannabis and stop treating it like a bastardized version of Alcohol. Cannabis is a plant, and needs to be treated like one. Every Washingtonian deserves the right to grow a plant without fear of going to jail, especially when corporations are encouraged to make millions off the same activity. While my crystal ball is broken looking at 2016 I can predict one thing for certain. If we don’t get involved we will be not be heard. We must unite and raise our voices for patient rights, and the freedom of a plant. We must not accept mediocrity and the drug war version 2.0. Above all, if a law feels bad to you, fight for the truth. It’s the only way we will make progress and set our plant and plant prisoners free.
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.
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Daniel Berman
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CHLOE COLLYER, PHOTOGRAPHY STEVE ELLIOTT, NATIONAL SIMONE FISCHER, HEALTH PAUL GRZELAK, EDITING KORI MARIE, PRODUCTION TYLER J. MARKWART, FEATURES BOB MONTOYA, MICRO STRAINS SEAN O’NEILL, ILLUSTRATION DR. SCANDERSON, GROWTECH DR. SCOTT D. ROSE, HEALTH ERIC SKELTON, DESIGN KENNETH ULSTAD, PHOTOGRAPHY LAURIE & BRUCE WOLF, RECIPES
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Northwest
STEVE ELLIOTT is the editor behind tokesignals.com, an independent blog of Cannabis news and opinion
Oregon
Thirty seconds of controversy KATU changes mind on nation’s first pot commercial
Draft Rules Issued For Oregon Recreational Marijuana Program Oregon marijuana dispensaries planning to make recreational sales to people 21 and older must first tell the state health authority and record the birthdates of shoppers, along with the quantities of Cannabis they buy, under draft rules issued Aug. 19. Dispensaries must prominently post a sign at the entrance letting consumers know if they serve medical and recreational or only medical. These early guidelines are the first to come from the Oregon Health Authority, which is responsible for overseeing the marijuana program. The agency will also issue rules for processors, growers, testing labs, serving sizes and labeling, Wagner said. Recreational sales begin on Oct. 1 in medical marijuana dispensaries that choose to become a part of the program. Wagner said the public, including dispensary owners, would have about one week to comment on the rules.
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Court rules pot smell isn’t offensive Merely smelling the odor of marijuana smoke from a neighboring property is not grounds for a claim
The Oregon Court of Appeals refused ing from Lang’s apartment several times a week. to declare the smell of marijuana smoke driftThe cop noted he could smell burned marijuaing into neighbors’ homes as “unpleasant,” in a na upon arriving at Lang’s apartment. He asked a rulling Aug. 19. The court found that marijuaBenton County judge for a search warrant on the na smoke isn’t necessary offensive to all people, grounds Lang might have committed second-dealthough rotten eggs or raw sewage are physigree disorderly conduct by creating a “physically cally offensive odors to everyone, reports Aimee offensive” smell. Green at The Oregonian. “We are not prepared The judge granted the warrant and the officer to declare that the odor of marijuana smoke is found evidence of an unrelated crime, evidence equivalent to the odor of garbage,” that indicated Lang had been the appeals court wrote. “Indeed, Appeals Court rules spraying graffiti on street signs, that offensiveness some people undoubtedly find the and walls in Philomath. depends upon the scent pleasing.” Lang was found guilty of three “intensity, duration, With the appeals court ruling, Orcounts of misdemeanor secor frequency” of egon’s recreational Cannabis users the smoke. ond-degree criminal mischief afcan relax knowing that smoking pot ter a trial in the vandalism case; at home won’t result in law enforcement hassles. he was fined $40 and sentenced to several months The appeals court ruling came in the case of in jail. Lang appealed those convictions, arguing Jared William Lang, who was 34 in November that the search warrant was bogus and obtained 2012 when an officer with the Philomath Police through an illegal search. Department came to his apartment after neighThe appeals court found it couldn’t declare the bors on both sides reported the smell of marijuaodor of marijuana smoke as generally offensive, or na coming from his unit. not, to the average person. The appeals court ruled One person claimed “that the smell was espethat offensiveness depends upon the “intensity, cially difficult for him because he was currentduration, or frequency” of the smoke. ly attending rehabilitation for drug use and the However, the court did rule that the officer who smell of marijuana was a ‘trigger’ for him,” acapplied for the search warrant of Lang’s home cording to an appeals court summary. hadn’t sufficiently described such an intense, long Other neighbors said they smelled weed comor frequent odor coming from Lang’s apartment.
GETTY IMAGES
Marijuana advertisements are apparently still not quite ready for primetime TV. The Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference planned to use their half-minute commercial spot during the evening broadcast on KATU-TV in Portland to solicit attendees for their event on Sept. 12-13 there. But KATU General Manager John Tamerlano said the day before the air date that the station had decided to exercise its right to pull the ad and officially “doesn’t accept marijuana advertising,” the Willamette Week reported. The same type of censorship has happened in pot-friendly Colorado as well. A Denver TV station, KMGH-Channel 7, initially agreed to air ads for companies operating dispensaries and also for vape pen manufacturers, but the Portland news station eventually pulled out too, station KATU because of pot’s continued illegality under federal law. Recresays they do ational Cannabis became legal not officially in Oregon on July 1. Commer“accept cial sales to adults will start in marijuana advertising.” medical dispensaries on Oct. 1.
simmons says bye Shakeup at Washington’s recreational pot program as Dep. Dir. Randy Simmons resigns from post
The mostly disliked bureaucrat who helped implement Washington state’s recreational marijuana law in 2012 — and dismantle the state’s medical marijuana program soon after — is stepping down. Randy Simmons, deputy director of the Washington State Liquor Control Board, said this year’s “difficult” legislative session played a factor in his decision to, at 63, leave his job at the Liquor and Cannabis Control Board last month for a senior admin job at the Washington Department of Revenue. He said he is looking forward to having a less stressful job. The new Cannabis industry seemed to change after I-502 stores opened last summer, Simmons said. Battles erupted as monied I-502 business investors lobbied the Washington legislature to fold the state’s medical marijuana industry into the recreational side; that happened, effectively channeling all patients through I-502 stores and shutting down access at several dispensaries. Simmons couldn’t resist taking a last shot at the medical marijuana community he long ignored. “There’s this feeling in the medical world that they’re entitled,” he said of MMJ advocates in the state. “Some on the medical side are truly com-
passionate about the patients. Some are compassionate about making money.” Of course, I-502 author Alison Holcomb — who recently called for the arrests of medical marijuana dispensary owners in Washington — thinks Simmons has done a noteworthy job. “He was the technician who turned the policy into concrete provisions,” Holcomb said. “Randy did a fantastic job of embracing an impossible task.” Simmons gave his own efforts a C-minus grade, saying he regrets that the LCB didn’t move faster to license recreational marijuana merchants. Many rightly predicted that the agency’s 20 investigators would be overwhelmed by more than 7,000 initial applications, but Simmons defended the lottery system used by Washington to award licenses. That system delayed openings since some winners viewed the licenses as golden tickets to be sold or hoarded for maximum possible gain.
Simmons said he gives himself a Cand regrets the LCB not moving faster to license recreational pot merchants.
DANIEL BERMAN
Washington
Quick Hits! 1 5 6 10 36.8 70 400
Las Vegas residents will wait no longer as the first MMJ dispensary opened in August and can now accept patients from any state with a MMJ patient registry. The five companies licensed to grow and sell MMJ in New York will be starting business soon in what has been labeled an “all cash nightmare” for owners.
Operation Miller High Life seized 237 pounds of marijuana in Florida from farmer Glen Miller last month, who definitely isn’t living the high life any more after this big bust. Responsible Ohio seeks to legalize recreational and medical Cannabis from seed to sale in the state, but would only allow for 10 licensed growers to provide to retailers.
A Denver patient had her DUI charges dropped after she righThe estimated value of the American Cannabis market if every state legalized would be $36.8 billion according to ArcView Market Research. Texas State Troopers arrested an unidentified driver with 70 pounds of marijuana being driven from Phoenix, Ariz. to Columbus, Ohio.
Once considered garbage worth tossing in the bin, quality trim for concentrates in Oregon is now worth up to $400 per pound in a competitive marketplace.
Quoted WHY SHOULD STATE LINES BE THE FACTOR AS TO WHETHER MY CHILD CAN GET HELP OR NOT?” -Julie Michaels, a member of the Campaign for Compassion, a group working to enact a new medical marijuana law in Pennsylvania. Her daughter, Sydney, 5, suffers from life-threatening seizures and is part of a clinical trial on Cannabis-based treatments of epilepsy.
‘‘
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national
STEVE ELLIOTT is the editor behind tokesignals.com, an independent blog of Cannabis news and opinion
Kentucky Sheriff suggests Turning In Rivals A
sheriff ’s office in Kentucky is encouraging drug dealers to turn in their rivals, counting on old-fashioned greed to help them make arrests. The Franklin County Sheriff ’s Office on Aug. 3 posted a flyer on its Facebook page, “We offer a free reports the Associated Press. “Attention Drug service to help Dealers,” the flyer, which features a marijuana you eliminate leaf, reads. “Is your Drug Dealing Competition Costing You Money?” “We offer a free service to your drug help you eliminate your drug competition!” the competition!” flyer reads. “Report your Competition to Us!” the flyer reads. Franklin County Sheriff Pat Melton claimed “Report your the post was funny, but the Sheriff ’s Department isn’t joking. At the bottom, people are Competition...” asked to fill out information about the drug dealer they are reporting, including the dealer’s name and vehicle. “It is a great idea and hopefully spurs some more action on our tip line,” the Franklin County Sheriff Office later wrote in a Facebook post.
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Research
SMOKING FOR HEALTH? Memory gets stronger when marijuana and tobacco are combined
N
icotine changes the way marijuana affects the brain, according to a new study from scientists at the University of Texas at Dallas. According to the study, which was published in the journal Behavioural Brain Research, when marijuana and tobacco are combined, memory gets stronger as the hippocampus, an area of the brain that affects learning ability and memory, gets smaller, writes Sean Martin at the International Business Times. The more cigarettes smoked per day, the smaller the size of the hippocampus, and the greater the memory performance, according to the research. The team concluded that the effects of marijuana on the brain aren’t usually analyzed with tobacco taken into consideration. “Approximately 70 percent of individuals who use marijuana also use tobacco,”
Filbey said (although I’d question that number). “Our findings exemplify why the effects of marijuana on the brain may not generalOur findings ize to the vast majority of the marijuana-usconfirm that ing population, because most studies do not the interaction account for tobacco use. This study is one of the first to tease apart the unique effects of between each substance on the brain as well as their marijuana and combined effects. nicotine is indeed “We’ve always known that each substance much more is associated with effects on the brain and hypothesized that their interaction may not complicated due simply be a linear relationship,” Filbey said. to the different “Our findings confirm that the interaction mechanisms between marijuana and nicotine is indeed at play. much more complicated due to the different mechanisms at play. Future studies need to address these compounding effects of substances. The combined use of marijuana and tobacco is highly prevalent,” Filbey said. “For instance, a blunt is wrapped in tobacco leaf. We really need to understand how the combined use changes the brain to really understand its effects on memory function and behavior.”
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dispatch
By MIGGY420, MINDI GRIFFITHS, KRISTIN FLOR, BECCA NICHOLS, DANIELLE VITALE - O’BRIEN
SEPT. 2015 PRISONER UPDATE [
NEWS FROM THE FRONT LINES PRISON OUTREACH
ANOTHER SEASON IS PASSING and as we enjoy our
summer barbecues, time at the beach, camping trips or any other enjoyable event one does in the sun, remember; some people have had these freedoms ripped away from them over a plant. One such person is Ferrell Damon Scott, inmate #27797-177, who is serving the eighth year of a life sentence. Ferral is a 51-year-old father whose only crime was being a trucker trying to make a living at the wrong time in the wrong state. Today in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Alaska or even our nation’s capital, his crime would just be considered part of the business process. The life sentence he’s serving for transporting Cannabis is unfounded. Besides the fact the law is unjust, the juror and the prosecutor share a questionable relationship. When your lover is the prosecutor punishing someone, and you’re a juror, would you consider all sides?
Being sick or elderly is
Dennis C. Butcher was recently released
after serving an 18-month sentence in Ohio for his personal production of marijuana. He was far from a drug kingpin. Butcher and his loving wife Tammy tended to a small homegrow intended for personal medical use and have had to go through severe financial hardship, emotional heartache and trauma after being raided. Some wounds naturally take longer to heal. On Aug. 10, Jeff Mizanskey found out that after 22 years, his life sentence for marijuana has finally been commuted. We want to congratulate Mizanskey his family and supporters on the news of his well-deserved freedom. Please consider donating to his GoFundMe page to help him transition into his new life: gofundme.com/j0wjp0.
At 80, Antonio Bascaro, is the longest-serving pot prisoner — behind bars for over 35 years.
even more of a struggle if you’re behind bars. Please keep two of our oldest Cannabis prisoners in your thoughts. Antonio Bascaro #03846-021 is 80 years old and Leopoldo Hernandez-Miranda #81659-071 is 76. We recently learned that Hernandez-Miranda is very ill in the infirmary ward. Bascaro has been incarcerated for more than 35 years since 1980, so please consider sending them some inspiration. You can find their updated addresses on the BOP website: www.bop.gov/inmateloc. James “Jimmy” Romans, inmate #10195-028, has been locked up for two years, just a small portion of his life sentence for pot. Please send letters of support for his appeal on Oct. 5 to the Fifth District
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Court of Appeals located in New Orleans. More information on Romans can be found at facebook.com/jimmyromanslifeforpot.
Keep drug war prisoners Paul Free, Corvain
Cooper and Moe Foley in your thoughts if you have been looking to contact them. They may be difficult to get ahold of for quite some time since The Atwater Detention Center where they are held has been under lockdown for several weeks after a fight between rival gangs. The lockdown may continue for months. These Cannabis POWs need your support. They are seeing the loss of the few freedoms they had access to despite not being involved in the gang conflicts that caused the actual lockdown.
OREGON NEWS now that recreational Cannabis is legal in Oregon, many people are looking for a safe place to consume their weed. Apartments often have no-smoking clauses and it is not permissible to smoke pot in public. We all know you can’t smoke in your car or at work. So where can the law-abiding Cannabis consumer enjoy a joint without risking getting sent to the joint? People of the legal green state have a favorite place to go called The Other Spot (TOS), a private Cannabis club located in southeast Portland. The door fee is just $10, and those who possess an OMMP card are given a 50 percent discount. TOS is not a dispensary, but rather a place to gather for community support, education and good old-fashioned fun. While there, patrons enjoy the pool table, shuffle board, TV room, dab bar and all the comfort items and amenities needed to enjoy Cannabis, including munchies! Other activities include Stoneroke Wednesdays, Free Weed Give-A-Ways, Veteran Discount days, community barbecues and much more. The Other Spot also hosts meetings for Cannabis-friendly organizations such as Parents 4 Pot in an effort to continue the fight to end prohibition. Posters bringing awareness to Cannabis POWs such as Eddy Lepp are also proudly displayed in the club. The Other Spot is available for birthdays, memorials and everything in between, serving as a Cannabis-oriented location that truly builds relationships and binds people together. For more information please visit facebook.com/ TheOtherSpot or call 503-775-3463.
Often we report about people who are suffering from prohibition, but we could not help but share this uplifting story of 41-year-old OMMP cardholder Kristie Groce of Portland, Ore. Groce is no stranger to adversity. She has suffered immeasurably with numerous medical illnesses and injuries over the years. She was even written off as
terminal and placed on hospice care at one point she said. Despite the mortal diagnosis, Groce is now thriving in ways she had never dared to dream of, due to the healing properties of Cannabis. Cannabis gave Groce her life back, but now she has learned that she is actually creating a life of her own, something she was told would never happen. Recently, Groce was diagnosed with antiphospholipid syndrome, a condition that went undiagnosed for years and causes miscarriages. At this moment, Groce is in the 18th week of her pregnancy, and her doctors are baffled that it is going so well. She suffered from 33 miscarriages, all occurring around or before the ninth week of gestation, and is convinced she knows why her health has improved. “The only difference between then and now is Cannabis oil.” Even in light of the new state recreational laws, one might wonder how Groce can consume Cannabis during her pregnancy without fear of retribution. Many people are still going to prison, receiving eviction notices and losing their jobs and their children all because of this life-saving plant. Miraculously, Groce’s medical providers not only signed her recommendation for Cannabis knowing she is pregnant, but have gone as far as stating that it is medically necessary for her to continue Cannabis extract oil. Finally, professional medical decisions may start to reflect the science, changing laws and public attitudes about medicinal Cannabis use, allowing for countless lives to be saved and more miracles to be celebrated.
WASHINGTON Josh Mauk and Debbie Brechler are facing a
bail revocation hearing that was delayed until Aug. 25 to allow them more time to provide a clean urinalysis (UA). Mauk and Brechler said they have struggled to produce a clean sample to satisfy pre-trial court requirements because they were both heavy Cannabis consumers prior to the court restrictions. Even after once testing clean, Mauk ‘dropped’ a dirty UA a short time later, which often occurs for heavy smokers when the body releases THC from a reserve in body fat due to stress or exercise, reporting a false positive. Mauk and Brechler quit consuming Cannabis immediately as required and are confident the follow-up test will reflect their abstinence.
Kettle Falls | Our thoughts
are with the family of Larry Harvey, 71, who lost his long battle with pancreatic cancer on Aug. 20. Harvey faced 10 years in prison. “Larry will be greatly missed by all who were blessed to know him. Friends and family are finding solace in the remarkable legacy that he’s left behind,” his family wrote in a release. The rest of the Kettle Falls Five face sentencing at 9 a.m. on Oct. 2 at the Spokane Federal Courthouse. The prosecutor has increased the incarceration recommendation from 14 years to 26 years despite no mandatory minimum in this case. Please help support Rolland and Michelle Gregg and Rhonda Firestack-Harvey and write letters to persuade the judge to display leniency and exonerate each of them by granting them no jail time.Learn more over at Facebook.com/KettleFallsFive
them. On the day the transaction was to take place, Spires entered the house with three of his gang affiliates. Carriker was shot twice and Ronald Betts, brother of former (2012) state senator Donald Betts, Jr. was shot and killed during the robbery attempt. Carriker was charged with felony first-degree murder because marijuana-related offenses were added to the list of inherently dangerous felonies (crimes where death is most likely to occur). The law was amended on July 1, 2013 to include people acting as agents in a drug transaction (middlemen), and that law was applied retroactively in Carriker’s case. After daily demonstrations utilizing freedom of speech by holding jury nullification signs as well as painting cars with nullification messages during the two-week trial, Carriker was found not guilty of felony murder.
Martin Nickerson and his co-defendants are
CARNIVAL | In a move that defies all logic, 13
facing up to 30 years, but after four years of fighting their case, charges could soon be dropped. Things are looking up. You can help them by standing in solidarity at their next scheduled court date on at 8:30 a.m. on Sep. 14, at the Whatcom County Courthouse in Bellingham, Wash. Martin is also fighting the government on a $10 million tax assessment charge. The federal government is attempting to tax the very Cannabis the state is charging him criminally for. The results of this case can be far-reaching. Stay tuned to hear more about Nickerson’s fight to free Cannabis for everyone.
NATIONAL NEWS kANSAS | On July 20, Kyler Carriker of Wichita, Kan. began a jury trial that could have resulted in a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years with no chance of parole. Back in April of 2013, Carriker’s friend Lorenzo Spires asked if he knew where to get any marijuana. Carriker went to his friend Kyle, who then connected Spires with his friend Ronald Betts. Unbeknownst to Carriker, his old acquaintance from high school, Spires, was now in a gang and actually planned on stealing the marijuana from
volunteer employees, along with Marla James, manager of Sky High Holistic Collective in Santa Ana — which made news nationwide after police officers were caught on camera eating Cannabis-infused products after a May 27 raid — are being arraigned on charges as of yet unknown at 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 10 at the Central Courthouse in Orange County. Despite the three officers that indulged in the Cannabis-infused products being on leave and under investigation for misconduct, as well as a current federal lawsuit filed against the Santa Ana police officers for excessive force, the state still feels emboldened to file charges.
eLSEWHERE, Melanie Brinegar was found
not guilty of impaired driving solely based off a THC-nanogram blood limit in Colorado, and in Nevada, Stephen Ficano was found not guilty for cultivation and possessing 2-4 pounds of marijuana.We are slowly winning this fight and you alone can make a difference, as no one should go to jail for a plant! Join us Sunday mornings for The Voices of the Cannabis War Radio Show on the CCHI2016 Radio Network. Learn more about how to help Drug War Prisoners at facebook.com/voicesofwar1.
NO VICTIM = NO CRIME = NOT GUILTY All jurors have the power to vote not guilty.
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QUOTED
COMPILED by WES ABNEY | PHOTOS by CREATIVE COMMONS
REPUBLICA S
TALK POT “We’re losing badly the war on drugs. You have to legalize drugs to win that war. You have to take the profit away from these drug czars….What I’d like to do maybe by bringing it up is cause enough controversy that you get into a dialogue on the issue of drugs and you start to realize that this is the only answer; there is no other answer.”
“Look, the last two presidents could conceivably have been put in jail for their drug use, and I really think, you know, what would have happened? It’d have ruined their lives. They got lucky, but a lot of poor kids, particularly in the inner city, don’t. They don’t have good attorneys, and they go to jail for these things and I think it’s a big mistake. I don’t want to put them in jail and ruin their lives.”
DONALD TRUMP
RAND PAUL
“I think we need to enforce our federal laws. Now do states have a right to do what they want? They have their rights. But they don’t have a right to write federal policy. I don’t believe we should be in the business of legalizing additional intoxicants in this country. When you legalize something, you’re sending a message to young people that it can’t be that bad, if it was that bad, it wouldn’t be legal.”
“Florida leaders and citizens have worked for years to make the Sunshine State a world-class location to start or run a business, a family-friendly destination for tourism and a desirable place to raise a family or retire. Allowing large-scale, marijuana operations to take root across Florida, under the guise of using it for medicinal purposes, runs counter to all these efforts.”
“If I’m at a wedding reception here and somebody has a drink or two, most people wouldn’t say they’re wasted. Most folks with marijuana wouldn’t be sitting around a wedding reception smoking marijuana. Now there are people who abuse (alcohol), no doubt about it, but I think it’s a big jump between someone having a beer and smoking marijuana.”
“For the people who are enamored with the idea, with the income, the tax revenue from this, See if you want to live in a major city in Colorado where there’s head shops popping up on every corner and people flying into your airport just to come and get high. To me, it’s not the quality of life we want to have here in the state of New Jersey and there’s no tax revenue worth that.”
SCOTT WALKER
CHRIS CHRISTIE
“There’s a big push on to legalize marijuana. Backers like to compare pot favorably to tobacco or heroin by saying that marijuana never killed anyone. They just completed a study of fatal car crashes in six states. Five of them have legalized medical marijuana. If you drive in Colorado or Washington, buckle your seat belt and keep your eyes peeled for old VW vans.”
“Well, I’m a big believer in the 10th Amendment. I don’t agree with those decisions that were made by the state of Colorado or Washington, but I will defend it to my death to allow them to make those decisions. I think I’m closer to Ted [Cruz] there than I am to Chris [Christie]. These decisions need to be made in the states. I defend the right of Colorado to be wrong on that issue.”
MIKE HUCKABEE
RICK PERRY
MARCO RUBIO
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JOHN ELLIS “JEB” BUSH
8 PROFILE
Questions for the englander res // split prophets Bristol, England’s badass of hip hop takes a break from touring to talk about marijuana, his new music and why he’s excited for a bustling Brit-Hop scene.
By TYLER J. MARKWART for NORTHWEST LEAF
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Res resting.
Res | “Delph Efficacy” (2015) Facebook.com/Res.SpUK Twitter: @Res_Oner
#1 How did you get your start into all this? I first started making music when I was about 15 years old. One of my friends’ older brothers was part of a rap group called Se Fire and they were like Bristol’s hot thing at the time; they were killing it. He rapped as well, so I was like, “fuck! If you write bars then I’m gonna write bars.” Bad Habits kind of brought us all together; he’s our producer and he is the reason that we are Split Prophets now. Upfront and I were introduced to him through a mutual friend and he was like, “this guy makes beats and you guys rap so you should meet up.” We were like, “alright, cool.” So we met him and he played us all these beats and we were like, “what the fuck!?” He was already working with people in the scene; he’s got a mic and the beats so we were like, “okay let’s go.” It really became serious when we were like 18 years old and we just kind of took off from there.
#2 Your work with Split Prophets is well-produced with great energy and professionalism. How did you hone that sense of quality & professionalism? I think it has kind of come organically, with just practice. Because we kind of got thrown into the deep end with Split Prophets. So it was like I didn’t have any sort of training, I didn’t know about the music business, I didn’t know about contracts or shows or a lot of these things. We kind of just got thrown in there so I had to learn a lot of it myself. The professionalism has just carried on through me over from the Split Prophets side. I had control over this album, so it was completely my thoughts and process of how I did it. There wasn’t too much influence from Split Prophets other than Bad Habits Production and he has a big part of making things run smooth. I had producers from all over on this one.
#3 There is a serious collaboration of MCs, DJs and Producers on “Delph Efficacy.” how did it happen? It’s taken about a year and a half to make, roughly. I’ve kind of been working on it since “Drugs, Booze and Dental Issues,” (2013) after that I was like, alright it was the next Split Prophets album and then “Delph Efficacy” so I could get a piece of myself out there. So it took quite a while to make, but having people like Evil Ed on there is like a crazy honor to me because he has produced so many classics in the scene — it’s just unreal, really it’s just unreal! The fact that he kind of co-signed it and he was like, “I am down to work with you” is really amazing for me. It’s just a great mix of people on “Delph Efficacy.”
#4 How’s the hip hop scene in England? The past year in Bristol has been crazy man! We’ve had Joey Badass, KRS-One, Method Man & Redman, Mos Def, Black Milk, Keith Murray, I could go on and on. Honestly there was a period of time where almost every weekend where we were like, “are we going to see Action Bronson tonight or KRS?” Obviously there is a lot of good local talent as well. There is quite often something happening in Bristol, the scene is strong, I would say that the U.K. is doing alright.
#5 Do you have good access to pot there? Really good! I was born lucky man, everyone says it, even Skinny Man has been quoted as saying that Bristol has the best bud in England. We always have had the best buds! Bud down here has a good reputation. In London, the prices have gone crazy, like 1.4 grams for 20 quid ($31) — crazy, crazy prices — and here in Bristol we still have good prices. There is a big growing community down here with indoor grow tents and a lot of guerilla grows outside of the city in fields. There is definitely a good strong growing scene and good vibe.
#6 When is england going to go legal?
pretty lenient with [marijuana] especially in Bristol, which is kind of like a Bohemian laidback city, especially with weed. There aren’t too many cities in England where you can walk down the street and through parks smoking, but I’ve also had police come up to me and say, “look there is a class of kids up there. Could you just give it 10 minutes until they can go bye and then you can spark up?” You do get the old dickhead cop every once in a while but in Bristol it’s considered pretty legal. If England was to go, I would reckon that Bristol and Brighton would go first.
#7 where are you playing these days? We do most of our shows out and around now; we don’t play that many shows in Bristol any more to be honest. When we started we did play quite a fair amount of shows here, but we get a fair amount of shows around the country and throughout Europe. It slowed down a bit because now we’re making music and putting together the album. We are going to France to do a festival out there, so the fanbase is growing but Bristol doesn’t get that many shows from us because we don’t want to saturate the city. Until you release new content, you are kind of riding the coattails of songs you wrote years ago. The launch of my album was crazy packed on a Wednesday night, which was insane; I was humbled by it all.
We just had a news release recently that a place called Durham in England is basically turning a blind eye to people who are growing weed for personal use. I’ve got a feeling that it’s really going to become something that is not legal but decriminalized. I think that the U.K. is #8 Larger festivals or small clubs? always following in the U.S.’s footsteps and I mean that the Internet is such a massive thing They’re different, you know what I mean? that has really changed things because we can It’s always quite different. Festivals are go on the Internet now and show countless always good fun because everyone’s on bits of evidence to councilors, police officers, to a good vibe, you’re in a field somewhere, whoever and we can show them the benefits of everyone’s usually quite waved and bouncy. weed and what it can do. It’s just really good energy at The huge benefits are so festivals, let’s put it that way. THERE AREN’T TOO hard to ignore now because It really depends on the show MANY CITIES IN of the Internet that you have ENGLAND WHERE YOU and where you are and how the to acknowledge that weed producers have done putting CAN WALK DOWN THE is a good thing. It’s like you the show together. STREET AND THROUGH have too; you can’t not! So We’ve also played shows PARKS SMOKING, I think we will clock on, where there’s fuck-all people BUT I’VE ALSO HAD definitely. Right now for there and it’s been an amazing POLICE COME UP TO simple possession you get show just because of the energy ME AND SAY, “LOOK three warnings; if you get THERE IS A CLASS OF they brought. It’s all about KIDS UP THERE. COULD caught again after that you energy; if the crowd gives it all YOU JUST GIVE IT 10... get a charge. The police are to us, we can give more back.
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By WES ABNEY | PHOTOS by SPOKESMAN.COM
Harvey Family Statement
Larry will be remembered as a fighter until the bitter end.
in memory
Larry Harvey
The most controversial medical Cannabis case in Washington took a sad turn last month with the passing of Larry Harvey, a Cannabis advocate and member of the Kettle Falls Five. Harvey died at the age of 71 from pancreatic cancer, just six short months after the federal government dropped all charges against him for growing and using Cannabis. Though he only sought the right to peacefully grow and use his own medicine, Harvey was pushed into the national spotlight when the case of the Kettle Falls Five became headline material. He was first indicted in February 2012, along with his wife, Rhonda Firestack-Harvey, their son and daughter-in-law and a family friend after a traumatizing series of raids and arrests for what they considered legal activity. The last three years saw the family slowly raise awareness, first about their case, and later about the hypocrisy of the federal government’s approach to states’ MMJ laws. Earlier this spring, the case was taken to trial and all charges were dropped
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against Harvey. His family members still faced one guilty charge out of eight possible charges, which is a major victory but could mean prison time for ultimately innocent people. This case has brought the federal versus state debate into the national conversation, which was helped by Harvey’s two trips to Washington D.C., where he lobbied and helped influence Congress to clamp down on DOJ spending/ funding when interfering with medical marijuana cultivation and distribution in states where it’s otherwise legal. We at the Leaf want to thank Harvey and his family for their courage, persistence of belief and for the ultimate sacrifice that Harvey paid to help ensure others do not have to suffer as he did. Harvey is a true hero, and we honor his activism and strength.
He fearlessly confronted the federal government head on and beat the Department of Justice, against all odds. In a so-called justice system where less than two-percent of defendants walk free, Larry was able to leave the federal courthouse with his head held high after the U.S. Attorney dropped all charges against him. Larry’s triumph was made all the more satisfying when the Feds were forced to return his beloved motorcycle, confiscated in the 2012 raid of Larry’s family home. “Though cancer ultimately took Larry from us far too soon, his final months on Earth were spent creating cherished memories with loved ones near and far. With terms of federal probation fully lifted, Larry took full advantage of traveling freely once again. The weeks prior to his death were spent with family in Yakutat, Alaska, and earlier this summer, Larry was able to visit his mother in Sumas, Washington and go camping at Mudget Lake, one of his favorite spots. And he never missed the chance to take his motorcycle out for a spin. “Larry will be greatly missed by all who were blessed to know him. Friends and family are finding solace in the remarkable legacy that he’s left behind.”
Though he only sought the right to peacefully grow and use his own medicine, Harvey was pushed into the national spotlight when the case of the Kettle Falls Five became headline material.
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By PACER STACKTRAIN for NORTHWEST LEAF
CARL SAGAN Sagan was a recreational user of Cannabis for most of his life, but toward the end, he also came to appreciate and respect the plant’s medicinal benefits as well. When he underwent treatment for cancer, he used it to treat lack of appetite from chemotherapy.
In this burgeoning, amazing age of Cannabis legalization in America, it can be easy to forget just how taboo it was to admit to being a consumer of this plant even a few years ago. That’s why we want to highlight amazing Cannabis pioneers throughout history.
You do know who Carl Sagan is, right?
If not, stop reading this now, and go read the first three paragraphs about him on Wikipedia. Done? Good, now I don’t have to explain what an amazing human being Carl Sagan was. In fact, for all the Highly Likelys I ever write, he will be the most important person featured. Sagan was a scientist in every sense of the word, but perhaps more importantly, he was a Science Communicator, a person who possessed the keen ability to interpret high-level scientific concepts to everyday people. His egalitarian principle of scientific thought was aimed at assuring everyone had an opportunity to know and discover the secrets of the universe. He was a good man. The renowned astrophysicist, cosmologist and astronomer was also a daily Cannabis user, and believed that it enhanced his own creative thought process. And what a creative thought process it was! Sagan’s scientific study of extraterrestrial life, his discovery of high surface temperatures on Venus, and his creation of the Voyager Golden Record are still held in high esteem as key American accomplishments in space exploration. Because of Sagan’s very public persona and because of his association with NASA, he chose (perhaps wisely) to hide his frequent marijuana use. In his stead, his wife, Ann Druyan, took up the cause. She was active in NORML , and other 2013, Ballantine Books reform-based organizations would often take Sagan’s encourCosmos by Carl Sagan
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agement to fight for legalization. Sagan started writing about his own use of Cannabis under the pseudonym Mr. X in 1969. Published in Dr. Lester Grinspoon’s 1971 book “Marihuana Reconsidered,” Sagan’s essay anonymously chronicles his use of marijuana and argues for legalization. “The illegality of Cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world,” Sagan writes. A newly released Library of Congress exhibit features Carl Sagan’s manuscripts, notebooks, paper and correspondence. According to one book, Sagan smoked Cannabis almost “every day, except when he had to travel.” The distinguished scientist was also critical of the War on Drugs, and in these Congressional archives is a handful of letters written to the equivalent of the Drug Policy Alliance telling them to stop the Reagan-era “Just Say No” ideas. Sagan was a recreational user of Cannabis for most of his life, but came to appreciate and respect the plant’s medicinal benefits when he underwent treatment for cancer and needed it to have an appetite after chemotherapy. Would Carl Sagan have been the same scientist without Cannabis? Maybe. But he would not have been the same human being without it – and it was Sagan’s humanity that made him one of the most famous American scientists of the 20th century. In some way, we have this sacred flower to thank for that!
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thespiritofscience.net
highly likely
Rehashed
By WES ABNEY | COURTESY PHOTOS
AUG. 26, 2015 | COLUMBIA TOWER CLUB, SEATTLE
Cannanetworking in Seattle’s tallest skyscraper
2nd Annual OMD Agency Mixer Cannabis entrepreneurs and business owners gathered together at the
to see business owners networking in a professional environment. The top floor of the Columbia Center building for an evening of speakers, networking overall vibe was friendly and festive, with companies mingling and learnand fun late last month. Looking over the Space Needle and downtown core from ing about the industry and each other. “I want to bring the deciders from the top of the Columbia Center can leave even the most jaded Seattleite at a loss the industry together; the people who are making the future of this industry together,” said Jared Mirsky, OMD owner and founder. for words. The Cannabis industry in Washington alone is worth up As the Cannabis industry Opportunities for business and investment are emerging to a billion dollars, and looking over the attendees at the mixer, the moves out of the shadows every day, and our country has only legalized Cannabis in a potential is electric. and into the realm of form that allows for sales in four states. The biggest thing to As the Cannabis industry moves out of the shadows and into the a multi-billion dollar remember about the 100 mph industry is that Cannabis is realm of a multi-billion dollar industry, so must the events that bring industry, so must the still on the ground floor. Business owners are swimming in the industry together. The Online Marijuana Design Agency’s mixer events that bring the opportunity right now, and the mixer brought them all into was presented by Vuber, the maker of vaporizer pens and accessories, industry together. the same waters for at least one summer night in downtown. and exemplifies the spirit of this ever-changing industry. It was great
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access
WEST COAST WELLNESS
Reviewed
STORY & PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN
Co-Owner Rachelle and Budtender Nick
Strains 5/5 WCW offers 25-30 different strains from the
most well-known recreational producers, including Happy Valley Farms, Rogue Raven Farms, Royal Tree Gardens, Tahoma Flavors and Star Industries Cannabis. Prices range from $10 to $20/gram with tax, and a variety of pre-rolls are also available on the shelves. Sample nugs can be sniffed, and the staff can help you pick one that will fit your mood best.
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Edibles 4/5
Concentrates 3/5
THE SHOP helpfully labels the cost-per-serving for all of
THE RECREATIONAL market for concentrates is
the edibles they sell, which helps new consumers know just what they are getting for their money. Among the best values is the bag of Illumination Drops ($45 for 10 servings of the 10mg-THC hard candies). Although not as solid of a value, the store also carries the tasty line of Legal Tonics sodas ($22) and Crescendo Chocolate Truffles in a range of flavors for $45 per 4-serving bag. Compared to other shops, the selection is a bit limited.
clearly still developing, but options from Evergreen Herbal were costly at $65 per gram for Blackberry Kush Wax and out of reach at $90 per gram for Tahoma Flavor’s Afghani AC/DC CO2 Oil (35.5% THC & 41.4% CBD). The LSD CO2 cartridges by Elicit Labs are packaged nicely and infused with coconut-oil that helps make them smooth-pulling and flavorful ($75).
(Hybrid) $20 w/ tax
CBD DARK CHOCOLATE BAR STILL DAZED from my hits of the
Shark Shock, I bit into the rich dark chocolate of the 1:1 THC-CBD edible and started reading the detailed packaging. The bar contains fair trade 72% cacao, hemp oil and Cannabis oil. Evergreen Herbal has done a fantastic job with the bar’s production and flavor, and 10mg of THC and CBD is ideal for newbies. Though for $20, some will want a bit more to eat.
SHARK SHOCK | (Indica) $15/g
THE SCORE
a rom a : d e n s ity: cure : FROSTY AND DENSE, the Shark Shock strain is a appearance: solid indica produced by the Whatcom County fl avor: grower Fine Detail Greenway. The beautiful nugs have a fresh, sharp aroma with notes of citrus. e ffe ct: This is actually some good recreational flower. ove ra l l : 27/30 Couchlock cross: White Widow x Skunk #1
Loaded into a water pipe, one bowl provided an instant head rush that meandered into a soothing, manageable body high.
Environment 5/5 THE CUSTOMER SERVICE at West Coast Wellness is
top-notch. Among the perks of visiting are the complimentary Keurig coffee, non-medicated treats for your canine companion, midweek happy hours and a free rewards program with 20 percent off your total order every 10 visits. The store has a nice organic vibe to it, and with the French doors left open on a late-summer day, one can hear the soft babbling of the fountain in the front garden.
THE SCORE
va l ue : ta s te : e ffe ct: packaging: ove ra l l : 17/20
contains 10mg thc & 10mg cbd per 1 bar serving
Overall 17/20 THE FRIENDLY staff don’t mind questions, like the kind from out-of-town visitors who sometimes just come in to marvel at the existence of recreational pot, says co-owner Rachelle, who notes they enjoy being a resource for anyone interested in marijuana. Recently celebrating six months open, WCW is an ideal pitstop on the way to explore the outdoors around Mount Baker and the North Cascades Highway Area.
WEST COAST WELLNESS (REC)
3708 Mt. Baker Highway Everson, WA (425) 312-7077 WCWCannabis.com
WCW is an ideal pitstop on the way to explore outdoors around Mount Baker and the North Cascades Highway Area.
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access
Owner Chad Gunderson & Budtenders Chelsea & Nicole
center street collective Strains 5/5 THE STRAINS are where this collective really shines
for patient access. Everything on the shelf is priced at $10 per gram, making the medicine both affordable and fair. Delicious varieties include Organic Matanuska Thunder Fuck, Snow Monster, Rapper Kush and DJ Short Flo. The intake screening at Center Street carefully picks the best strains and options available, meaning we didn’t see a single option that we didn’t want to smoke.
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Reviewed
By WES ABNEY | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN
Edibles 4/5
Concentrates 4/5
THE EDIBLES SHELVES have a lot going on for them, from
THERE IS A COMMENDABLE selection of
CPC pre-dosed caramels and capsules to Better Budder Coconut Oil for cooking at home. There is a nice selection of $5 edibles, including Canna Vita Cookies, and Munchies-brand medibles plus the always fun Better Budder Bon Bons. They also had Mondo Bars for the health-conscious, and drink options including Sensi Sweets and the CannaBull energy drink for those in need of a refreshing medible.
concentrates here with many options for patients — from Juju Joints, the Dopen and WAM CO2 products for vaping on the go, to clear in both dabbable and capsule form, and a selection of remaining Refined BHO produced before the law change. Of special note, Deep Green RSO is available for patients needing a full plant extract option.
PHANTOM GIRL SCOUT COOKIES PEPPERMINT GIRL SCOUT COOKIES
BY GOLD LEAF GARDENS >
$12/g
THE SCORE
This flower is a strain ar oma: connoisseur’s dream. d en s it y: Intense smell and cu r e: beautiful looks combine l o o ks : with a powerful high. f l avo r : It doesn’t get any better ef f ect: than this. Gold Leaf T O TAL : 26/30 does a fantastic job with their flower, as is evident from the first delicious toke to the last little nug.
$10/g
This sativa-dominant THE SCORE hybrid brings the best of a roma : Cherry Pie and Grand d en s ity: Daddy Purple to the cure : table with an epic smoke l ooks : and high. The nugs fl avor: are covered in sugary e ffe ct: trichomes, and release a satisfying and healthy TOTA L : 25/30 creamy skunk aroma when snapped. Watch out though, this strain is known for causing the munchies along with intense euphoria! Find something fun to do and tasty to eat and enjoy this top-quality strain.
Yoda x 3 OG grows in the garden that’s visible from the budroom.
Environment 5/5 STEPPING INTO Center Street is a relaxing and comfortable experience. The shop is clean, presented well and the customer service is very friendly and knowledgeable. We loved seeing the grow room in full bloom and the care and attention to the medicine made us feel comfortable about the medicine we were donating for. We also loved the full selection of topicals and tinctures!
Overall 18/20 THE BEST PART is that it feels like
a true collective. Plants grow on-site to help provide medicine and the staff really cares about the well-being of the patients that come in for medicine. In a city that can be hit or miss for access, this collective shines with a lot of heart and great medicine.
CENTER STREET COLLECTIVE
4915 Center St, Tacoma, WA 98409 (253) 778-0121 // Menu on Leafly
We loved seeing the grow room in full bloom and the care and attention to the medicine made us feel comfortable...
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PROFILE
By TYLER J. MARKWART for NORTHWEST LEAF | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN
What it takes to run a family Cannabis farm
William Braveheart holds his Nubia nugs, which won 2nd place CBD flower at the 2014 Denver U.S. Cup.
HUMBLE BUDS 34/sept. 2015 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
movement have Many inlongthedreamt of the day
For an Oregon medical Cannabis grower who is a no-namer, to go out there and win two Cannabis Cups… well, I’m proud of myself.”
the Oregon area about 11 years ago. William is the main gardenthat Cannabis would be legalized and er and Aurora is his “right-hand woman” by helping out in the we could finally buy, sell and trade this wonderful plant without the fear garden while also holding down a of prosecution. That time has arrived, full-time job of her own. We honored her request not to be photoand now Cannabis-farming families like William and Aurora Braveheart graphed out of sensitivity to her workplace. Still, Aurora noted, “it’s are very excited to help provide quality legal Cannabis to Oregonians. a labor of love. The Oregon Leaf got an opportuniWilliam is doing what he loves ty to sit down and talk to them about which is more than many people their new brand, Braveheart’s Private can report. He’s not getting rich, Reserve, the importance of quality but he’s making a decent living. William Braveheart control and two Cannabis Cup wins. We can still help out the commuWilliam and Aurora Braveheart, nity and provide clean meds and both 39, are strong supporters of small local farms make it accessible for people all over Oregon.” and happily promote the smaller farmer as being The Braveheart’s Private Reserve line of medical the key to a successful community. They moved to and recreational Cannabis products will be fully
launched this year. “I want to start small. I can only handle ten thousand square feet at a time, so when I’m comfortable and things are running well, then I can move up and build another ten-thousand-square-foot facility — as long as the quality stays the same,” William said of his expansion. “As long as I can put my loyalty and my family’s name on it, then I will be happy.” His first big break came in 2014 at the Seattle U.S. Cup with his Starkiller OG taking first place U.S. Hybrid. The next year he took second in CBD Flower at the Denver U.S. Cup with his Nubia strain. The awards were a surprise recognition for a lot of hard work. “I feel blessed because it’s all part of a change. If you look at the history of the High Times Cannabis Cup, you can see that most of those cups are won by million-dollar dispensaries. They are won by major seed companies that are world-renowned. I was thirty-four. I had a passion burning inside and I wanted more out of life. I quit drinking alcohol and dedicated my life to growing better medicine. For an Oregon medical Cannabis grower who is a no-namer, to go out there and win two Cannabis Cups… well, I’m proud of myself.” It began, he explains, after “Mene Gene, the Emerald Cup Winner, gifted me some special seeds he had bred. Aurora thought it was the most beautiful plant she had ever seen. I right away asked Mene Gene if we could name her The Nubia, he said, ‘of course!’ ” “When I had it tested and it came out at fifteen percent CBD and five percent THC, I was tripping! I knew she was special! “ The Nubia grows beautifully: strong and bushy, doesn’t lean over and has the most trichomes I’ve ever seen on a CBD-dominant plant. What makes it even more beautiful is the fact that Aurora’s father passed from cancer when she was five, and her brother beat the same cancer two years ago now. This cultivar means more to our family than anyone will ever know.” In an industry ripe with big personalities, William and Aurora Braveheart are two of the most humble Cannabis producers we have ever met. With a love for the plant and a passion to help, these two are setting the standard for all sustainable growers to follow.
Bravehearts’ Private Reserve BraveheartsReserve.com @420Braveheart
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Rehashed
By WES ABNEY | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN
seattle hem 38/sept. 2015 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
mpfest
Exploring the annual marijuana and hemp protestival that continues to inspire thousands of people to just toke up, speak out and jam on... sept. 2015 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
/39
Rehashed
By WES ABNEY | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN
Aug. 14-16, 2015 | Myrtle Edwards Park, Seattle
Continued from pg. 39
Seattle Hempfest Inside the marijuana & hemp protestival
Seattle Hempfest returned to the scenic waterfront views of Myrtle Edwards Park
magic of Hempfest, and we need the original protestival now more than ever. for the 24th time this year with a triumphant splash. In true Seattle fashion, the People have asked, “if pot is legalized, do we still need activism?” The answer is an weather decided to play games on the first day of the festival, but it didn’t kill the absolute yes. In fact, Hempfest is more important than ever before to our oft-changing magical vibe and love for Cannabis that Hempfest captures so perfectly. Loyal system of legalization. This last year has seen more negative changes to medical and Hempfesters braved the rain and lightning day one, including the editor writing recreational laws than ever expected, and we must show the state and the world that this story. My favorite memory of Friday was watching an older gentleman wear- we have a community voice that cares about our rights and our plant. That is what ing nothing but tie-dyed overalls and sandals happily going booth to booth in the Hempfest provides: a stage to speak truth from, the Hemposium full of our industry’s rain without a care in the world. That is the kind of loyalty Hempfest commands, brightest and boldest educational panels and a platform for proving that you can get and it is well deserved. The worst weather day at Hempfest is better than the best 100,000+ people together daily smoking Cannabis and never have a social problem. day of normalcy in the city. Let us not forget how the festival has shaped and helped create the society Luckily, Saturday and Sunday brought swelling crowds and sunand culture we enjoy today in the Emerald City. Certainly, let’s thank the shine to dry out the rain like it never happened. The masses came to People have asked, volunteers who work tirelessly to pull off the biggest pot event in the state. the park, enjoyed great speakers and music and of course, delicious “if pot is legalized, How can you thank Hempfest? Visit Hempfest.org and make a donation, Cannabis. The warm smell of dank and good energy filled the air with join their membership program and come out to one of their fun parties do we still need throughout the year. Halloween brings the Toker’s Bowl Masquerade Party, electricity the remainder of the weekend, as if to say to the weather, activism?” “you can’t stop us now.” Indeed, it seems like nothing can stop the and I hope to see many of you there. From me to you, thank you Hempfest!
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Married at Hempfest
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/41
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should always take the road less traveled, but we say smoke the Middlefork. If it doesn’t make sense, smoke this heavy-hitting cross between DJ Short Blueberry and Dutch Treat and try again. Seriously though, this strain brings an intense high to the recreational Cannabis market that is a pleasure to smoke. It is well-balanced between body and mind, bringing a calm euphoria to ensure the deeply stoned body high goes well. Electric relaxation is the best way to describe the effects of this strain. It is a truly powerful sensation to feel the brain speed up as the body slows down, with a delicious body high drifting down from the forehead to the toes. Effects last two to three hours, so prepare for a full experience when you choose the Middlefork. Cracking open a bag of this strain releases earthy and sweet berry flavors that quickly fill a room with beautiful Cannabis aromas. Did we mention sweet? This strain is over-the-top with fruity flavor and a deep and musty skunk finish that lingers in the air and in the lungs. Smoke is easy to inhale and provides a satisfying exhale that is heavy on taste and light on harshness. With each toke, our heartbeat slowed and became more noticeable, bringing the mind into the body and back out again as a creative energy took hold. Get out and enjoy the world, and take the Middlefork to get there.
Available From Greenside Recreational 23407 Pacific Hwy S, Des Moines, WA 98198 (206) 878-6470 www.GreensideRec.com
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recipes
By LAURIE WOLF for NORTHWEST LEAF | PHOTO by BRUCE WOLF for NORTHWEST LEAF
BAKED PLUMS My soon-to-be-daughter-in-law Mary has these plums growing in her beautiful backyard. They’re seriously great baked up with a lovely agave glaze and walnuts for crunch. 1. Heat oven to 340. Place the halved plums on a baking dish with a dot of canna-butter on top of each half. 2. Drizzle agave over the plums and garnish w/ walnuts. 3. Bake the plums until tender, about 15-20 minutes. You will see plum juice in the pan when they’re ready.
Makes 2-3 servings
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INGREDIENTS
3 plums, cut in half and pitted 1 tablespoon canna-butter 3 tablespoons agave ¼ cup walnuts Sprinkle of cinnamon
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These end-of-summer recipes require little fuss and allow you to have lots more time in what’s left of the sun. Eating seasonally, we won’t have these fab foods at their peak of freshness till next summer. So, enjoy them while you can. All these recipes were made with the J1 strain we reviewed in last month’s issue. This is some fine weed. A perfectly balanced hybrid; I am going to keep this one on my shelf!
> more medicated recipes pg. 50
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recipes
By LAURIE WOLF for NORTHWEST LEAF | PHOTO by BRUCE WOLF for NORTHWEST LEAF
INGREDIENTS
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4-5 tomatoes, cored, cut in chunks 1-2 tablespoons canna-olive oil 1 head corn, kernels removed ¼ cup feta, crumbled Mint leaves, shredded Salt & pepper, to taste
1. Place tomatoes in a serving bowl and toss with the canna-olive oil. 2. Add remaining ingredients & toss gently to combine.
Continued from pg. 48
ZUCCHINI Stirfry
Serves four
TOMATO Salad
I grew this zucchini on my deck and have quite a surplus. So far we have had a cold soup, a hot soup, zucchini bread and lots of sautés and salads. This time around I wanted to do a quick stir-fry and pair it with some fine company. And if you’re a lemon lover like me, this recipe is definitely worth a try. 1. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan or wok. Over high heat quickly sauté the zucchini allowing it to lightly char. Remove to a bowl. Do the same with the red onion and the lemon slices. Add to the bowl. 2. Turn the heat down and add the canna-olive oil. Over low/medium heat, sauté the bread crumbs until they turn a beautiful golden brown. 3. Combine all ingredients. Add salt and pepper and toss well to combine.
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INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons canola oil 2 zucchini, cubed ¼ cup chopped red onion 5-6 lemon slices 1 tablespoon canna-olive oil 1 cup bread cubes Salt & pepper, to taste
Makes about 4 servings
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Reviews
By wes abney photos by Daniel Berman
The candies can be consumed without anyone noticing, except maybe you. RECREATIONAL
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MANDARIN TRUFFLE S by crescendo chocolate, $20-25 w/ tax
When the shell snaps, a delicate pillow of orange chocolate melts down easily to nothing.
2-pk, 10mg THC per truffle (serving size)
At $10 or more per serving of 10mg THC, this is an expensive product
but it makes up for it (not completely) by being seriously delicious. Biting into the firm outer shell takes a little pressure, and when the shell snaps, a delicate pillow of orange chocolate melts down easily to nothing. A light THE SCORE bitter finish balances the sweetness and provides a reminder that this is Va l u e: medicated, however lightly. Eating ta s te: only one is tough, and luckily it’s Ef f ec t: easy to enjoy several to build up to Packaging: a decent high. Check out the rest of Ove r a l l : 15/20 Crescendo Chocolate’s flavors.
Crescendochocolate.com.
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WATERMELON ILLUMINATION LUMEN DROPS by verdelux Chocolates, $40-48 per bag 10-pk, 10mg per drop (serving size)
These brightly flavored hard candies are a simple and easy way to
get high at any time or place. They fit easily into a purse or a bag and can be consumed without anyone noticing, except you. The price per milligram is great on these for the THE SCORE 502 marketplace, making them one Value: of the most potent edible options taste: for the price in the market. No wonder, as Verdelux Chocolates Effect: came from the medical Cannabis Packaging: industry and care about delivering Overall: 18/20 quality products and potency. Verdeluxchocolates.com
TASTY
Reviews
By wes abney photos by Daniel Berman
You really can’t go wrong with any of the five flavors, they are so tasty.
A great option for patients with a high tolerance who want max efficiency.
MEDICAL
DARK CHOCOLATE BAR by velvet haze CHOCOLATES, $20
175.63mg THC per bar (serving size) as tested
MEDICAL
7.30mg CBG-TOTAL 2.32mg CBN 175.63mg THC-TOTAL 0.44mg CBD-TOTAL 3.18mg CBC
These delicious bars come in five different tasty flavors, including Peanut
Butter Bar, Mint Dark Chocolate Bar, Milk Chocolate Bar and Dark Chocolate Bar. You really can’t go wrong with any of them, as they are so tasty and true to their flavors. Velvet Haze is clearly dedicated to THE SCORE making a great-tasting product, and we love it! The packaging on the Va l u e: chocolate bars is very nice as well, ta s te: with clear labels and information. Ef f ec t: Do be careful when cracking one of Packaging: these open, for it might be hard to Ove r a l l : 20/20 stop until the whole thing is gone. Facebook: Velvet Haze Chocolates
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DARK MINT CHOCOLATES by velvet haze CHOCOLATES, $20
180.53mg THC per melt (1-4 servings) as tested
6.91mg CBG-TOTAL 3.88mg CBN 166.08mg THC-TOTAL 2.05mg CBD-TOTAL 2.85mg CBC
The Velvet Haze Melt is among the best products on the medical market
today. Despite being just the size of a standard mini chocolate bar, there is some serious medicine in here. The five flavors of the bar are a great option for patients with a high tolerance and low appetite, as well as patients THE SCORE who don’t want to eat a whole bar Value: of chocolate to reach their dose. taste: Made with Rick Simpson Oil, the chocolate is extremely potent yet Effect: thankfully maintains only a light Packaging: medicated taste. Each pouch has Overall: 19/20 full warnings and nutritional details. Make sure to know what it can do.
Reviews
By wes abney | photos by Daniel Berman
Comic culture and Cannabis go hand in hand and there’s a new digital nail company that wants to deliver both lifestyles in an easyto-use format.
DAB.LAND DIGITAL NAILS
Dab.Land gives a Cannabis consumer the oppor-
tunity to relive their childhood in a culture-positive way that includes their medicine or recreational high. With their innovative and unique throwback boxes, it is now possible to express a love for Chewbacca or Yoda while enjoying premium Cannabis oils. Electronic nails, often referred to as E-nails or D-nails, are at the core a relatively simple product. A heating element is controlled either digitally or through a knob that runs power to a coil of metal, usually titanium, which provides a surface for dabbing when heated. The nails can be plugged into a wall and then attached to a bong or water pipe, and can run indefinitely at a set temperature. Now you don’t need a torch to consume concentrates, and makes the practice of dabbing safer and more professional. Nails from Dab.Land can come as units in a basic case or in custom boxes, all depending on price and imagination. “A nail box is a modified old-school tin lunchbox, with the electronic controls built into the unit,” said owner and creator Chuck Green. “Some have space for storage, others are purely for vanity, but the idea is about having fun, a product to work on and enjoy and relates to my childhood. Star Wars, Marvel, sports teams... the possibilities are endless.” The push to make dabbing safer wasn’t an option for the owners, who experienced firsthand the regulations against dabbing with torches indoors. “The reason we ended up turned on to D-nails was when our fire marshal said no torches or flames for medicating indoors. So we bought one from China, saw the issues with it, took it apart and realized that we could work to make a better unit. So we set out to do that in a custom and fun way.” For years the only electronic nails on the market were ugly, prone to breaking and potential fire hazards. They also ranged in price to more than $1,000, which made them unattainable to all but the most dedicated and deep-pocketed users. With a high failure rate amongst Internet products, confidence in electronic nails has been low for many users. What the team at Dab.Land has done is build a product
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E-nails on the go that is both quality and affordable. “We open the units before sale, check all internal connections and controls, and burn for 30 minutes prior to being prepped for packaging and shipping. If a unit will fail it is usually in the first 10-15 minutes of use, and we never want to ship a bad unit,” Green explained. “Before Olympia Hempfest, we tested 113 units and had one failure, and we have had over 100 units sold without a single unit fail.” The producers behind Dab.Land are patients and consumers first, and they have gone through the detailed process of ensuring their products are quality. They are currently offering a $50 discount for any patient that comes to the Patient Cannabis Exchange in Tacoma, a farmers’ market that operates each Sunday. Patients can come try out the nail before they buy, and meet the producers themselves. Each nail is handmade in Washington using quality components from all over the world. Options for cases range from basic solid color options to custom-themed boxes like those shown in photos. Dab.Land is also able to convert boxes
from customers, so that classic lunchbox in storage could become a new nail! Each unit has a builtin digital screen temperature controller, ranging from 80-1,300 degrees in real-time. The nails are tapered to fit 10, 14 or 18 millimeter housings on bongs, meaning they should fit any glass currently on the market. Prices for basic units run $249, solid special colors like electric blue or pretty pink are $259, and the production line of custom-themed nail boxes start at $300. For Green, making the products affordable is the biggest mission. “The big thing is we are trying to lower point of entry for patients and one of our goals is to teach people how to get higher using less concentrated oil. When I medicate at home with my nail I can smoke a gram a week and not have to clean my rig because it is so efficient,” Green explained. “The key is patients. They are on fixed income; they can’t buy an ounce of flower but they can buy a gram of oil.”
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$250-300, $50
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The nails can be plugged into a wall and then attached to a bong or water pipe, and can run indefinitely at a set temperature. Now you don’t need a torch to be able to consume concentrates.
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Reviews
By STEVE ELLIOTT Editor, Tokesignals.com
Marijuana Daily Gardening
How To Grow Indoors Under Fluorescent Lights
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ritten for new growers, “Marijuana Daily Gardening” guides the novice through the setup and day-to-day operation of a personal marijuana garden. For growers who might have a lower budget, both for lighting and for the electricity bill, fluorescent lighting offers both an initial cost break and power savings over the high-pressure sodium and metal halide options. Fluorescents also represent a substantially smaller investment than LED grow lights. Woodward takes the reader through the basics of seed germination, plant cloning, dank bud production, avoiding common problems and harvesting, all while running a hyper-efficient indoor garden that maximizes your grow space. A first-time author and a grower for five years, Woodward said he thought Woodward of doing this book after struggling through his own first grows. The volume said he tracks his progress from seeds and clones to harvest, using hundreds of color thought of photos of the author’s own medical Cannabis garden. doing this The book is truly meant for beginners, and thus doesn’t overcomplicate book after the gardening process with inside jargon and advanced techniques that novstruggling ice growers don’t need. through his According to the publishers, this is the only book that follows a Cannabis own first garden through several harvests, allowing the reader to experience what it’s grows. really like to have a marijuana garden in your home every day. “Unlike many professionals, I don’t have a huge ego regarding my reputation as a grower,” Woodward writes. “Many writers and even amateur bloggers can be reluctant to share their mistakes. Not so here. This grow will illustrate not only the successes but also the failures and even the completely embarrassing screw-ups that we all make.”
By HENRY WOODWARD | GREEN CANDY PRESS, 2015 | 246 PAGES | PAPERBACK | $15.00
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Reviews
By wes abney | photo by Daniel Berman
CBD AMERICAN SHAMAN TINCTURES AND HEMP OIL CBD VAPORIZERS
The Power of CBD
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ecently, the federal government mandated that products containing less than 0.3 percent THC will not be considered marijuana, which is a Schedule 1 controlled substance. What that means for CBD medicine is that through careful ctontrols and research, the shipping and distribution of the medicine can be done legally all across the county. American Shaman is a newly emerging company that has worked for years to develop proprietary CBD medicines that can be potentially used by anyone in the world. The key to their product development is twofold: it must contain medicinal levels of CBD, and it must not contain THC. The company has proven through consistent test results that their products meet both standards, and they began expanding into the Washington and Oregon medical markets this summer. For regional distributor Russell McGregor, the emphasis on medicine and legality made all the difference. “I have personally tested over seven different companies’ products in the last two years and not had a single one meet the standard or consistency of American Shaman,” he said. “They are the first company that has complete focus on the medical needs of their consumers.” In the past two years, a glut of CBD products have been sold over the Internet, often from shady or unlicensed businesses at extreme prices. The issues with these products are twofold, explains McGregor. “The first problem I have is people spending their hard-earned money on a bad product. People who need CBD are the sickest and neediest people in our country. We should help them, not take advantage of that desperation,” he said. “The second problem is legality. If you are shipping a product that is over the 0.3 percent THC limit, it is federally illegal. If the company or end user is caught with that in a non-Cannabis-friendly state, they could be looking at a prison term.” Out of the seven companies tested over the last two years, all have had over the 0.3 percent THC limit. Many had no CBD at all. The opposite has been the case for American Shaman, which has consistent test results that are often higher in CBD than claimed. Their process starts with hemp cultivated in Norway, where farmers use sustainable and non-toxic growing processes that make the product safe for human ingestion. The hemp is processed to extract the chemical CBD, which is then added into a variety of different products. The end result is pure cannabidiol and terpenes coming from a natural CO2 extraction process. It’s 100 percent organic, gluten-free, non-GMO hemp and has no heavy metals or insecticides. Each batch is tested using UltraPerformance Convergence Chromatography, to ensure product quality and legality.
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The last decade of research into medical Cannabis has pointed steadfast at a single cannabinoid that has the potential to kill cancer cells and stop seizures.
Cannabidiol a.k.a CBD
is one of the essential cannabinoids found in Cannabis plants. Although researchers have been aware of its medicinal properties for decades, Cannabis is only recently gaining mainstream momentum as a safe and acceptable drug. The irony of this is that CBD is one of the safest medicines on Earth, with no toxic side effects or risk of an overdose. Current product options include flavored or natural tinctures, topical creams, vapor pens and bulk-infused oils for use in commercial food production. A new 24-hour CBD patch will be released, offering users a variety of options to select how they want to medicate. Flavors for the vapor pens include Banana Sunrise, Blueberry Moon, Spearmint and natural. The effects are calming and medicinal, without the traditional high that people associate with Cannabis. “Not everyone wants to or needs to get high,” McGregor said. “This product gives them the option to medicate without anyone knowing, and without altering their mind. It’s a win-win. You could be operating heavy equipment or driving for a living and legally not be intoxicated while getting the relief you need.”
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This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of the reach of children.
CON CEN TRA TES!
Health & Science
By SIMONE FISCHER for NORTHWEST LEAF | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN
best practices for safe concentrates & more
72/Sept. 2015 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
Beginning Oct. 1, anyone older than 21 can buy and possess up to seven grams (1/4 oz.) of Cannabis in Oregon at any one time. Yet many products such as concentrates, topicals and edible remain strictly off-limits to anyone who is not a patient. Given the rising popularity of concentrates, I called on various industry leaders in Oregon for some perspective on how recreational concentrates could one day be regulated here. Making concentrates is not allowed currently and serious extractors must obtain a license from the state. Residual Solvents & Compliance Testing Dr. Mitch Earleywine is a professor of psychology at State University of New York in Albany, N.Y. He has contributed to more than 100 publications in scientific journals and is the Chair of the Board of Directors for NORML. Dr. Earleywine had a lot to say about the ongoing issue of residual solvent testing of concentrates. “Anyone in production needs to remove all solvents. This process is not complicated but requires diligence,” Dr. Earleywine said. Concentrate extractors must be sure all concentrates entering the market are properly purged, meaning no adulterants are left behind in the oil. Dr. Earleywine strongly recommended all concentrates under Measure 91 to be tested for residual solvents before approval for distribution. Currently, no concentrates are required under HB 3460 to be tested for residual solvents. Concentrates must only pass mold, mildew and pesticide screenings to be approved for public consumption. Not all Oregon test labs perform residual solvent testing and the equipment is costly. Dr. Earleywine emphasized the importance of screening for residual solvents because the amount of heat concentrates are exposed to (500-700 degree Farenheit nail temperature) can potentially cause health issues due to the release of unsafe chemicals broken down in the dabbing process (butane, hexane or any remaining, unwanted solvents). Jeremy Plumb is the president and founder of Farma Botanicals and the current operator of Farma at the dispensary level. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) recognizes Farma as a model dispensary for the entire state of Oregon, in part because of their evidence-based approach to Cannabis medicine. With over 25 years of Cannabis cultivation experience, Plumb had strong, but hopeful words on the subject of concentrates. “We must be able to ensure we are not causing
harm. We must mitigate reckless and ignorant cultivation practices that are to blame for pesticides being found in concentrates,” Plumb lamented. “Indiscriminate sourcing of trim is one of the reasons why unethical concentrate production exists. Unless you have the expertise of Ric Cuchetto or Dr. Rodger Voelker, you are not qualified to guarantee all product used is proven organic.” Plumb suggests not only labs and concentrate processors should be held accountable but growers too. Growing for concentrates should be the standard for all medicinal cultivations sites, Plumb said. Before concentrates transition into the recreational market, Oregon must essentially “regulate the unregulated,” said Nathan Roszina, PRF of Treehouse Collective. “The Cannabis industry is forced into being regulated by an entirely unregulated lab scene.” The state must step up and regulate Cannabis lab testing standards and requirements to ensure public safety and health when consuming Cannabis products from Oregon dispensaries, Roszina said.
Dosing & Labeling Treehouse Collective is arguably one of Portland’s best concentrate shops. Treehouse representative Nathan Roszina is meticulous and chooses meds from processors with extreme caution. “Similar to edibles, concentrates can be exponentially stronger in potency, which can result in an overdose,” Roszina said. “We have the same potential issue with dabbing. In order to address that problem, our employees offer dosage counseling to ensure our patients are medicating safely and responsibly.” The cannabinoid content (THC and CBD) of any concentrate is required on the label patients take home, but understanding how that potency breaks down into a 1-point gram is tricky. As of Oct. 1, all dispensaries opening sales to the general public are required by the state to provide a small
info sheet on Cannabis safety and common sense to all non-medical Cannabis users. Oregon has coined the term, “Educate Before you Recreate,” in response to encouraging appropriate adult Cannabis usage, post-legalization. Granted, all concentrates are strictly prohibited to non-cardholding individuals. However, once concentrates make their way to the recreational market, providing a similar Cannabis concentrate info sheet would be a worthy cause in the name of preventative public safety and health.
HEATING ELEMENTS AND the importance of Medical-Grade DABBING Accessories Dr. Earleywine said information on nail temperature should be addressed when using concentrates. “Capillaries in your lungs burn at around 100 degrees. People must know temperature minimums and maximums in relation to concentrates,” Dr. Earleywine said. Jon Hamm is an OMMP patient and the first concentrate extractor to win a Seattle High Times Cannabis Cup in 2012 and he has won several awards at other Cannabis events and publications since then. Hamm emphasized the importance of a d-nail purchase when it came to concentrates. “My nail is set to a constant 630,” Hamm said. An electric nail or d-nail is an instrument used to keep dab nails heated at a constant temperature to eliminate the need of torches indoors. “Dab nails are always too hot after being heated by a torch,” Hamm said. “You save your lungs, meds and the guesswork by setting the temperature of your d-nail.”
Purging and discussing other extraction standards >> p. 74 sept. 2015 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
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CON CE N TRA TES! Health & Science
By SIMONE FISCHER for NORTHWEST LEAF | PHOTOS by DANNY RICHARDSON
Article continued from pg. 73
correct Dabbing temperatures will vary depending
on the type of concentrates you use. Relatively new concentrate forms such as rosin should be heated to temperatures as low as 550 degrees F. to capture flavorful terpenes. Traditional BHO shatter can be vaporized at temperatures ranging from 630-670 degrees F. When it comes to popular concentrates like Clear or Terp Sauce, temperatures can range from 590-650 degrees F., depending on what attributes you seek from medicinal concentrates. Hamm suggested dabbing at a lower temperature to preserve flavor and a higher temperature for a stronger psychoactive experience. The caveat of dabbing at higher temperatures is sacrificing the integrity of oil in regards to flavor. With that said, if you are a fan of terpenes, lowtemp dabs are ideal. Dabbing off a hot nail not only compromises the medicine but scorches your lungs in the process. D-nails will ensure the longevity of your lungs without burning your oil. When I asked Hamm what regular concentrate users can do to protect the their lungs, he suggested investing in a drop down attachment for your oil rig. These glass pieces were created to protect your oil rig from the heat of the nail that risks making the glass brittle, potentially causing a break. “Putting as much space as possible between the
*
Traditional BHO shatter can be vaporized at temperatures ranging from 630-670 degrees. When it comes to popular concentrates like Clear or Terp Sauce, temperatures can range anywhere from 590-650 degrees.
74/Sept. 2015 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF
origin of heat and your lungs is key. Drop downs further increase that space and catch reclaim before it hits the water,” he said. “Smoking reclaim isn’t inherently bad, but smoking wet reclaim is a problem: you’re inhaling water vapor into your lungs.” Using appropriate dab nails (quartz, titanium) and medical-grade tools are vital to consumer health. Hamm recommends Happy Daddy Products’ dab tools because they are locally made in Oregon, and safe to dab with. Using cheap dental tools is an absolute no-no: they release toxic molecules when heated at high temperatures.
Extraction Standards Hamm stressed the importance of using closedloop systems and vacuum ovens to achieve a properly purged concentrate. “Some extractors believe that a ‘time purge’ without the use of a vacuum oven will give you clean oil, but this is false,” Hamm explained. “There is no way to guarantee that all residuals are purged from the oil.” Processors must also use distilled or cleaned butane before blasting. “Lubricant is used when canning butane, and that can leech into an end product. It must be cleaned to remove hydrocarbons and other impurities before it touches anything,” Hamm said. Hamm believes all serious extractors must have foundational knowledge of concentrates on the molecular level. “The black market extractor doesn’t care about the end user. They care about quantity over quality — the money,” Hamm said plainly. Any impurity found within the Cannabis going into an oil extraction will only further be exacerbated through the extraction process, as stated by Plumb. Meaning: any problem/impurity going into the blast will only get bigger and more concentrated than before. Plumb, Roszina and Hamm all adamantly agreed concentrates must be submitted for testing once completely purged. To this day, dispensaries accept the mold, mildew and pesticide screening from
flower before being processed and only test the oil for potency upon completion. An easy solution to prevent exposing tainted meds to the general public is testing the oil once it’s made — not in shady before-and-after sequences once concentrates go recreational.
concentrate User Longevity & Research Hamm made a point to mention: using de-waxed concentrates is ideal when looking to preserve lung health. “Wax can be de-waxed,” Hamm said. “Heavy waxes are technically plant waxes our bodies (lungs) cannot break down. People tend to get heavy waxes and the slang term of calling your oil ‘wax’ mixed up without actually knowing what they are talking about.” Using de-waxed concentrates protects your lungs against potential problems like lipid pneumonia: lung inflammation caused by inhaling waxes and lipids into the bronchial tree. Concentrates that have not been de-waxed are significantly harder on your lungs. When I asked Hamm what regular concentrate users could do to protect the longevity of their lungs, he suggested smoking de-waxed oil, investing in a d-nail and a drop down attachment for your oil rig at minimum. Unlike Cannabis flower, no longitudinal studies have been performed on the long-term effects of Cannabis oil. Like alcohol, dabbing can potentially have its own set of risks. The beautiful thing is that every adult can decide what is best for them after reviewing evidence-based research. As long as emerging industry leaders, dispensaries, extractors, growers, labs and concentrate companies are transparent in consumer education, concentrates can and will begin to safely and responsibly transition to the general public.
Using cheap dental tools is an absolute no-no since they can release toxic molecules when heated at high temps. Make sure to only use appropriate dab nails that are made of quartz or titanium, such as Happy Daddy dab tools (safe and locally made).
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.
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INSIDE THE REAL HEALTH BENEFITS TO GETTING DIRTY.
DIRTY BY NATURE Just being in nature is therapeutic. Varying hypotheses have been
purification; a modifier of the Earth’s atmosphere; and a habitat for organisms. These factors all in turn modify the dirt. Perhaps with proposed as to how dirt may positively affect our health. The rethe current trends in health and research findings, we may need search of the hygiene hypothesis seems to offer some of the best BY NORTHWEST LEAF to also consider a fifth function of dirt: the significance of dirt answers. While getting dirty in American culture is frowned SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR in human health. upon, new findings are prompting parents to throw their chilDR. SCOTT D. ROSE Germ theory was proposed as early as the mid-16th century dren into the nearest mud pit and just let them play, or maybe and gained widespread acceptance when substantiated by scientaking up the practice of geophagy themselves for health. Gettific discoveries in the 17th through the late 19th century. Germ ting down and dirty in the outdoors helps individuals lead happier theory states that microorganisms, or germs that are so small they and healthier lives and that is not a bad thing at all. Hey, psst, this is are not seen with the naked eye, invade humans, animals and other life like being let in on a dirty little secret… continue on. forms and cause disease. Prior to germ theory was the notion of spontaDirt, or soil, is considered to be the “skin of the Earth.” Dirt is made of neous generation, where the disease process would just basically crop up out minerals, organic matter, gases, liquids and the countless organisms that toof nowhere, with no clear mechanism of initiation. We now have learned gether support life. Dirt has always been considered to have four important that these organisms range further than the initial bacterium that were disfunctions: a medium for plant growth; a means of water storage, supply and
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photo p. 64 creative commons | above photo by only essential organics
covered but now also include protists (ex. algae), fungi, vimaking pies, can significantly improve a child’s mood and ruses, prions (ex. mad cow disease) and viroids (smallest reduce their anxiety and stress. In fact, a certain strain of Bentonite is a type of clay or dirt known infectious agent — only a single strand of RNA bacterium in soil, Mycobacterium vaccae, has been found commonly found in detox kits without a protein coat — like a piece of cellular material to trigger the release of serotonin in the brain, which in only). These microorganisms that cause disease are called turn elevates mood and decreases anxiety. And on top of for beating drug tests since it’s pathogens, and the diseases they cause are infectious. Sterthat, this little bacterium has been found to improve cogilization techniques and hand washing were born out of nitive function and possibly even treat cancer and other known for its ability to absorb germ theory with great success in the medical field. Howdiseases. Antidepressant use in kids has been on the rise and remove toxins, heavy metals, ever, as a culture, mostly the American culture, have we when perhaps they may just need to go outside and play taken this concept of sterilization too far? Is being a neat in the dirt, and maybe eat a mud pie instead of a med pie. impurities and other chemicals. freak and a germaphobe more harmful than beneficial? Exposure to dirt has also been shown to improve classGeophagy is the term used to describe the habit of eatroom performance. Perhaps academics should then be ing clay, mud or dirt. Some experts, mostly mental health professionals, lump only 20 minutes per day and recess the rest instead of the other way around. geophagy into the same category as pica, or the consumption of non-nutriJust watch kids who are playing freely outdoors, especially in the dirt, they are tive, non-food items. Dirt is clearly a nutritive substance containing a wide elated with seemingly no care in the world and learning all sorts of skills. array of minerals, especially trace minerals that many individuals run deficient The bacterial count in dirt is huge, but mostly harmless and the sensitization in due to poor supply in foods from overfarmed soils and poor absorption of the immune system may be essential. For instance, manufacturers add claycapacity by the individual due to compromised digestion. like compounds to some vaccines to increase the immune system’s response, Cultures worldwide have practiced geophagy for centuries, from the Anmaking the inoculation more protective. It’s possible that a child’s mud pie may cient Greeks (as far back as 300 B.C., in the writings of Aristotle) to Native be a kind of primitive self-vaccination, letting the gut experience a selection of Americans, and the practice is common in Sub-Saharan Africa. Many ancommon bacteria that rarely cause harm. Most dirt is safe, despite the thouthropologists believe African slaves brought geophagy to the United States. It sands of species of bacteria and other organisms it contains. is now most commonly found among African-American women in the rural One of the most readily available forms of clay or dirt available in Western South. Women who are pregnant or lactating seem able to satisfy the very countries is known as bentonite clay. Bentonite is known for its ability to abdifferent nutritional needs of their bodies through geophagy. Geophagy does sorb and remove toxins, heavy metals, impurities and chemicals. Consuming occur in both sexes, in all races and in animals as well as humans. It is found at bentonite clay can also provide a wealth of health benefits including: improved all social and economic levels and in all cultures. Despite being so widespread, digestion, nutrient absorption, pain and inflammation reduction and more. geophagy remains a little-known phenomenon. While a handful of dirt or clay from your yard could be unclean with pes“The hygiene hypothesis states that as we make the shift from dirt to ticides and other toxins common in the earth of developed nations, bentonite sterile that you’re changing the direction of your immune response, and this clay, readily available in health food stores, is clean. Well, as clean as dirt can causes diseases,” states Kathleen Barnes, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine be. A good quality bentonite should be a grey/cream color and anything borresearcher. This hypothesis raises the possibility that our modern sterile endering white is suspect. It has a very fine, velveteen feel and is odorless and vironment may contribute to conditions such as asthma, eczema and inflamnon-staining. Bentonite clay is composed of aged volcanic ash. Bentonite clay mation. The idea that sterile is good, sterile is healthy is just not so. Children is unique due to its ability to produce an electrical charge when hydrated; its are growing up in this sterile environment and their immune systems are electrical components change when exposed to moisture, giving it the ability not being challenged enough and building the necessary repertoire in the to absorb toxins. immune system. When the immune system is not sensitized or challenged Purification of drinking water, sewage treatment, hand washing, sterilization on a regular basis then an imbalance occurs. Very simply put, there are two techniques, etc. have all had a huge payoff for human health as well as all that branches of the immune system - Th1 and Th2 responses. The Th1 response has been learned in the studies of infectious disease. So rather than “throwing of the immune system is geared and has evolved to handle the pathogens the baby out with the dirty bathwater,” the hygiene hypothesis suggests that that cause the infectious diseases previously discussed. When living in a more perhaps the baby should consume a little of that dirt in the dirty water! sterile environment where these challenges are greatly reduced, then the other half, the Th2 response, is upregulated, or predominates. The Th2 response drives allergies and diseases of chronic inflammation like autoimmune disorders that are steeply on the rise. When kids play in dirt they are exploring the wonders around them as Dr. Scott D. Rose has written about Cannabis and health for years well as getting exposure to healthy bacteria, parasites and viruses that will in the Northwest Leaf. He is an acupuncturist with a pain resolution clinic inevitably create a much stronger immune system! Studies have shown that in the Crown Hill area of Seattle. simply having contact with dirt, whether through gardening, digging holes or
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Feature
Every issue, we’ll explore how growers are crafting strains with the goal of helping specific needs, not necessarily obtaining the highest yields.
STORY & PHOTOS by BOB MONTOYA for NORTHWEST LEAF
Micro strains it seems to be a small world. While combing the archives for anti-anxiety and calming strains this month, I found two such flowers. The summer has been hot. People’s tempers are short and lack of good rest complicates matters all the more. Mint therapy is one way to decompress, but when that isn’t working, these two strains will fill in the gaps. Linda Schaeffer is the founder of Vashon Island Organics, a tier-one producer for the state’s recreational Cannabis market. With her background in real estate, she managed to find a wonderful 10-acre plot on the Emerald Isle to continue her future in horticulture. The operation is small and efficient, producing strains that will be a delight to patients that may have to access their meds at a state store. I recognized Sweet Baby Jane as soon as I saw it; I had covered it a year before. It is the product of Afgooey and Old Island Indica. It boasts a hefty 90/10 indica dominance that is relaxing and soothing. Sweet Baby Jane has a good ratio of THC to CBD, making all of the CBD available to the endo cannabinoid system by way of the resulting entourage effect. Earthy, with a bit of citrus smell, this after-hours strain is a solid addition to the medicine cabinet. Fatty Bubba is Bubba Kush (Katsu) x Orient Express indica. Earthy and spicy, the aroma alone is enough to begin calming the racing mind. Colors in the live flower give hints to its restful embrace. When pressures of the day loom into the night, grab some Bubba to let them go. As the recreational market gets its head in the game, we will continue to highlight those growers that have patients in mind when choosing which strains to keep in stock.
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Sweet Baby Jane
Bob Montoya is a Cannabis photographer, veteran & well-seasoned grower hailing from Olympia.
Fatty Bubba
Earthy and spicy, the aroma
of Fatty Bubba alone is enough to begin calming the racing mind.
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KEEPIN’ IT
STERILE OR FULL OF >> GROWTECH GROW GUIDE
PHOTO BY GROWWEEDEASY.COM
growtech
?
BACTERIA
indoor hydro gardening: sterile vs. ‘alive’ reservoir systems
W
hen it comes to indoor hydro gardening, most have to microbes without adversely affecting — and in some cases, adding decide at some point what type of reservoir system benefit to — the plants’ root systems. One of the benefits of running to maintain: a sterile one, in which an anti-microa sterile system is in its simplicity. Keep your rooms and practicBY NORTHWEST LEAF bial, anti-bacterial solution is administered with es strictly clean and reset the amount of microbiologicals in your SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR regularity; or an alive system, in which beneficial bacteria and other system back to zero with regularity using one or a combination DR. SCANDERSON microbes are regularly applied. Both methods have their benefits as of the products mentioned and you can have a successful and rewell as drawbacks. In this month’s Grow Tech, we will examine the warding garden. A healthy, strong plant will have its own integrated various pros and cons of each method, providing tips and tricks along systemic autoimmune response mechanisms to assist in warding off the way in the hopes that you will be able to identify your own gardening pathogens and disease. needs, and help in choosing the method that is most suitable for you. Where sterile systems can fail is over a longer time period. Keeping your The majority of hydroponic gardeners choose a synthetic or synthetically systems, plants and tool in a sterile state at all times can be a challenge. based nutrient program. The reason is simple; microbes don’t generally thrive While sterilizing agents will ward off and control the vast majority of harmin some of the most widely used hydroponic mediums of today. With the ful pathogens and bacteria that can have a damaging impact on a Cannabis exception of coco coir, microbes have a difficult time colonizing and thriving garden, it’s not a perfect solution. By stripping away ALL the bacteria in your in the various inert hydroponic mediums. Expanded clay pellets, growstones, system, sure, you eradicate the harmful stuff, water cultures and even rockwool can be problematic in supporting robust but you also destroy all the helpful bacteria. populations of microbes. Furthermore, hydroponic gardening methods were In nature vs. nurture, nature always wins, and first invented (and consequently excel in the space of ) in order to provide we can point to yet another example here. large amounts of food in arid environments and where access to water was There are many forms of bacteria that H2O2 limited. Combining the unique, highly oxygenated rooting mediums with will not kill. For instance, cyanobacteria is mineral-based synthetic nutrients allows uncommonly large production not affected by the majority of sterilizing with very little water. Someone looking to employ organic farming techagents and can thrive in many a sterile hydro niques is likely to note the far superior mediums available for the microbes system creating brown root slime that can rethat will be responsible for feeding the plants using organic soil mixes and duce yield, decrease aromas and resin content steer clear of hydroponic growing mediums as a result. or even be terminal if not effectively treated Why then EVER choose to run an alive system? Well, some don’t. This and controlled. In addition, many pests are is where the sterile nutrient application method comes from. One can asses able to thrive in and populate a sterile root the information and choose to rely on the mineral-based nutrient system to system with greater ease, achieving massive feed the plants and a sterilization agent to protect the plants from pathogeninfestation pressure in very short periods of ic infestation. In these gardens, products ranging from hydrogen peroxide time without the natural controls that a pop(H2O2) to fungicides like Hydro Sparkle, to bleach and hydrochloric acid ulation of bacteria and fungi provide. are used to battle harmful bacteria that would otherwise attack the plants. Before jumping to actively inoculating a All of these products have the function of killing a very large spectrum of hydroponic system, many gardeners decide
By stripping away all the bacteria in your system, you eradicate the harmfull stuff, but you also destroy all the helpful bacteria.
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Heisenberg’s H Y D R O T E A R E C I P E d: What you will nee or One Gallon distilled IONS) PT CE EX O RO water (N r favorite you of s on spo tea 1-2 inoculate p molasses 1 tbl organic blackstra 1-1.5 cup earthworm castings/vermicompost t (optional) ½ cup Ancient Fores 1 tsp insect frass 1-2 ml Sea Green f2-3 air stones 1 air pump ferred) 1 bucket (5 gallon pre on nyl 1 stocking or sheer
INSTRUCTIONS 1. Prepare the “tea bag”
by filling the nylon with the castings, insect frass and Ancient Forest humus if you choose to use it and tie off the top of the nylon with a loose knot. 2. Pour the gallon of distilled or RO water into the bucket. 3. Add in the molasses and mix well so none lumps on the bottom of the solution. 4. Add in inoculate. 5. Connect air stones to pump and place them inside the bucket on opposing sides. 6. Hang the nylon over the side of the bucket so that it’s completely submerged in the solution. You can usually slip the tied-off end underneath the bucket handle where it attaches to the bucket and it will hold the tea bag at the desired height securely against the bucket. 7. Place one of the air stones directly underneath the tea bag so the air bubbles pass right through the bag.
to support a mildly thriving population of microbes by simply excluding a sterilizing agent from their regular application schedule. In these systems, a small population of naturally occurring microbes will slowly develop. Provided the gardener takes simple steps such as balancing the nutrient system properly so that limited to no pH up or down is needed throughout the week’s nutrient application schedule, these microbes will assist in protecting the plants before being wiped out during scheduled maintenance, cleanings and nutrient changes. Lastly, one can choose to maintain an alive hydro system. While the drawbacks can be intimidating and the learning curve is steep, the benefits provide perhaps some of the most dependable, lowest maintenance, long-term results of all the methods described. Maintaining a bacterial population in a hydroponic system dense with synthetic nutrients is not an easy task. Essentially, you are playing a constant game of inoculating and then re-inoculating your plants to make up for the fact that the nutrients and medium provide little opportunity for the microbes to colonize on their own. Inside that effort however is ensuring that you don’t add inoculates in such high concentration that the abundance of excessive bacteria and subsequent enzymes then becomes fodder for harmful bacteria, which can quickly take over a system. In a well-balanced system, the gardener provides only enough inoculate to fend off any harmful pathogens and pests, allowing excess to breakdown into beneficial enzymes for use by the plant’s rhizosphere, and after that process is completed, re-inoculate.
8. Allow the mixture to bubble for about 2 minutes. 9. Apply Sea Green. Be sure to start at the lower amount or your tea will grow a head that froths over the bucket. 10. Allow the tea to brew for 24-48 hours. Different brewing times will create various microbial population dominance as certain microbes culture and colonize very quickly while others take longer. 11. After brewing, you may remove the air stones. 12. Allow the mixture to settle and begin pouring the mixture from the bucket into a smaller container appropriate for applying to your plants. You may strain the tea to remove any particulate matter. Alternatively, most of that matter will sit at the bottom of the bucket, so it’s quite easy to just pour off only the liquid and leave and heavier sediment at the bottom of the bucket and dispose of it. Large amounts of particulate matter are not good for most hydro systems.
Through trial and error that will vary based on your system, feeding style, cultivar and the like, a balance will begin to appear. I find the most successful way to establish this baseline is the same as with any nutrient or supplement. Start on the lightest end of the range and slowly increase the dosage until you no longer see improvement from the increased dosage or worse yet problems arise. The latter is usually a good indication that the mark was overstepped and slowing the increments of increase would like be an order. Most healthy systems benefit from weekly in-
Application
Use ½-1 cup of tea per gallon of nutrient solution for a healthy system. Apply the tea 24-48 hours after a nutrient change has completed, as it ’s during that period that the system will show the greatest changes. After the system shows balance, apply the tea in even parts directly to the root crown or simply into the nutrient reservoir immediately before a feeding.
storage
Store excess tea in the re frigerator or place at room temperature and put the active air stones back into the mixture. Tea will usually last 3-5 days. It should maintain an earthy, mossy, mushroomy smell. When it starts to go bad (anaerobic), it will start to smell like sulfur, cheese and shit. Dispose of it immediately if you detect any of those smells.
oculations with a possible boost at the halfway point in the week, especially as the plants mature and reach later into their term. A properly administered inoculation program in a hydroponic system ensures that harmful bacteria are kept at bay, preventing root rot and slime that can be so detrimental and difficult to eradicate. The microbes will also protect the root system from a wide variety of soft-tissue pests that can be difficult to impossible to detect until infestation pressure has reached levels that the plant is manifesting physical expression of the damage. Spores and other dangerous fungi are neutralized with an appropriate amount of microbes protecting the plant from powdery and downy mildew, grey mold and bud rot. Perhaps best of all, microbial teas are extremely inexpensive to make, have long shelf lives when properly stored and are easy to apply. The various methods for raising healthy, safe and clean Cannabis span across a wide spectrum of methods and technologies. Finding the one that will be best for you largely depends on the type of interaction you are looking to cultivate with this plant in your garden. Working each method can have its ups and downs, but will always leave you with a larger breadth of knowledge about what works and what doesn’t work for you in the garden. Happy gardening!
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BEHIND THE STRAIN
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DOUBLE-BARREL OG KUSH BAG APPEAL & SMOKE REPORT look for the densely stacked golf balls of pale green calyxes,
complete with plenty of bright orange hairs with that overall sandy look from the generous helping of medium-sized disco balls that scatter the blooms throughout. With a proper 45+ day cure, a delightfully light yet potent scent of gassy sulphur and pine needles invades the senses. The ghastly, kushy, fuelly flavors that some OGs are so well-known for come through with authority in many of the phenos as well as her offspring. Gigantic lung expansion and an immediate head change solidify the wake of grateful patients that OG Kush garners.
HOW IT GROWS like most elite og kush genes, the Double-Barrel is not easy to CANNAZON.COM
BY NORTHWEST LEAF SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR DR. SCANDERSON
Vegging for this long requires advanced experience in height mitigation as these ladies will more than double in size during the first two weeks of flower. GENETICS: WHITEFIRE #2 (RASKALS FIRE OG X THE WHITE) X RASKALS OG KUSH (FIRE OG X SFV OG)
BREEDER: DANK HOUSE SEEDS
LINEAGE
Flowers in 52-55 days
Name says it all on this one. Dank House goes out on a limb with an F1 hybrid and ends up with a super champion. This strain sounds like the entire elite OG arsenal combined and it is. Gene collectors lucky enough to secure these STFO beans can expect a nice variety of potent OG phenos, from tall foxtailing super sour and pine nut-smelling flowers all the way to med-height, more classic golf ball-shaped flowers, all wreaking of kerosene and Pine-Sol that both yield handsomely for Elite OGs.
grow, demanding high levels of calcium and magnesium in veg and early flower but nutrient-sensitive to higher salt environments. These girls are sensitive to heat but also grow best with lots of light. Early training and pruning is a must if getting any sort of substantial yield is a priority. Forty-five to fifty days of veg build a nice wide base that will hold the weight and account for the vicious stretch they are capable of. Run veg for more than 60 days and you can expect pak-a-plant-plus results. Vegging for this long requires advanced experience in height mitigation as these ladies will more than double in size during the first two weeks of flower. When dialed in, they respond so very quickly to super cropping that they can be some of the most exciting plants to work with. These OGs like the nitrogen well into flower and show very little natural resistance to mold so clean environments, best practices and plenty of air movement are a must if you’re gardening in the PNW.
EFFECTS a thick bong-load launched my head into the upper regions of
space. Contact mission control, Houston; there are no problems. The definition of headies must have been created from this medication. Like drinking a quadruple shot of espresso minus the jitters or heart rate, the world is now clear and an overwhelming sense of centered calm washes over me as I feel inspired and ready to take on the day or night. Racing thoughts are quickly categorized into lists and action items. First up on the list, RE-TASTE!
Sure to pack the punch, flavor and effect to satisfy even the pickiest of true OG connoisseurs, Double-Barrel
OG Kush represents a benchmark and is an instant classic. While prohibitively difficult to find and even more challenging to find grown to its potential, Double-Barrel OG Kush is ideal for patients in need of potent and intense medication that is sure to increase their energy, alertness and production at whatever they’re doing.
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