Aug. 2022 - Oregon Leaf by Northwest Leaf / Oregon Leaf / Alaska Leaf / Maryland Leaf / California Leaf / Northeast Leaf

THE ENLIGHTENED VOICE

#98 | AUG. 2022

THE PSYCHEDELIA ISSUE COVER ART BY ALEX GREY & ALLYSON GREY EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW INSIDE F RE E / L E A F M AGA Z I N E S . COM

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RICKY WILLIAMS : A WIDE-RANGING CHAT WITH THE FORMER NFL STAR

THE LEAF’S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH VISIONARY ART POWER COUPLE ALEX GREY & ALLYSON GREY

CANNTHROPOLOGY TIMOTHY LEARY AL MY

A CONGREGATION GETS TRIPPY

S E P H O R A P U M ’ CA O B R A , T H E S A C R E D T R I B E

HIPPY TRIP, DEPOE BAY

48 THE MUSHROOM RABBI R E S I N AT E D L E N S

16 SHOP REVIEW

“FLE S H O F T HE GOD S” BY ALE X G R E,Y2021

aug. 2022

09 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 42 46 48 50 54 56 58 60 62

EDITOR’S NOTE NATIONAL NEWS SHOP REVIEW BUDTENDER Q&A RICKY WILLIAMS HIGHLY LIKELY STRAIN OF THE MONTH TRANSCENDENT ART STONED APE THEORY INSIDE INNERTREK THE MUSHROOM RABBI END OF LIFE PSYCHEDELICS EDIBLE OF THE MONTH ALT MED CORNER OFF THE SHELF REVIEWS CANNTHROPOLOGY STONEY BALONEY

O U T S I D E A RT W O R K

STONED APE THEORY DID HUMANS EVOLVE THROUGH CONSUMPTION OF PSYCHEDELICS?

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HIG SMAN

THE PSYCHEDELIA ISSUE

#98

[

AUG. 2022

issue

Divinity in a cartridge.

From Higher Cultures. HIGHERCULTURES.COM

62 @HIGHERCULTURES

E S TA B L I S H E D 2 0 1 0

T H E E N L I G H T E N E D VO I C E

N O RT H W E ST LEA F / O R EG O N LEA F / ALAS KA LEA F / M ARY LAN D LEA F / CAL I F O R N I A LEA F /

WES

A B O U T T H E C OV E R

Thanks for picking up the Psychedelia Issue of the Leaf! While I didn’t listen to my DARE instructors about Cannabis, or a few other fun substances in college, one warning I always believed in through my college years was to beware of psychedelics. We had all heard the stories of the friend who took 10 hits of acid and wasn’t the same, or the horror stories of eating the wrong mushroom and dying. To be fair, these are true warnings – and I took them seriously until one fateful winter night.

@ALEXGREYCOSM | @ALLYSONGREYCOSM

CONTRIBUTORS

ricker@leafmagazines.com

TOM BOWERS C H I E F O P E R AT I N G O F F I C E R tom@leafmagazines.com DANIEL BERMAN C R E AT I V E D I R E C T O R daniel@leafmagazines.com AMANDA DAY STAT E C O N T E N T D I R E C T O R amanda@leafmagazines.com MAKANI NELSON STAT E S A L E S D I R E C T O R makani@leafmagazines.com (808) 754-4182 O’HARA SHIPE O N L I N E E D I T O R ohara@leafmagazines.com MEGHAN RIDLEY C O PY E D I T O R meghan@leafmagazines.com

Needless to say, this wasn’t my idea of a typical college party night and I went back to my weed smoking ways for nearly a decade, with the memory of eating too many mushrooms burned into my brain as a powerful warning against psychedelics.

BOBBY BLACK, DESIGN + FEATURES JOSHUA BOULET, ILLUSTRATION TOM BOWERS, FEATURES MARY CARREON, FEATURES HOLLY CRAWFORD, FEATURES AMANDA DAY, FEATURES + PHOTOS EARLY, PRODUCTION STEVE ELLIOTT, NATIONAL NEWS RYAN HERRON, FEATURES ALEX GREY, ILLUSTRATION ALLYSON GREY, ILLUSTRATION DAVE MCDOWELL, REVIEWS JESSE RAMIREZ, DESIGN RESINATED LENS, PHOTOS OUTSIDE ARTWORK, ILLUSTRATION MIKE RICKER, FEATURES MEGHAN RIDLEY, EDITING MIKE ROSATI, PHOTOS ZACK RUSKIN, FEATURES RYAN SANETEL, PHOTOS TONY SIMONELLI, PHOTOS DIANA THOMPSON, FEATURES + PHOTOS JAMIE VICTOR, DESIGN

Over 2,000 years ago, Socrates famously said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” I believe that wholeheartedly, and that the use of entheogenic plants is a way to explore one’s life in a way that should be part of everyone’s life experience. We have but a short time on this planet, and finding peace and meaning within the journey will help us to find peace when we reach the destination. While I don’t plan to go out like Aldous Huxley, I have learned from his writings and plan to be in a happy place when my brain releases DMT for the final time, as I pass into the great beyond. On that note, check out Dan Vinkovetsky’s piece on the use of psychedelics for easing fears at the end of one’s life, page 40-41.

several product descriptions. The “Dried Flower” category was incorrect. Under “Shatter,” the term “cheap” misrepresented price points and imposed negative connotations. “Budder/Badder” misstated that “the fats, waxes, and lipids of the plant still remain in the product.” Many budders and badders have been dewaxed. “Diamonds” misstated the derivative material for THCa diamonds as distillate. Diamonds can be derived from live and cured resin, hash rosin, and more. “Sauce” was misdescribed as “usually vaped in a cartridge,” when it is sold and consumed in various forms. The “Hash Rosin” description implied bias with the phrases “most pure” and “highest quality.” A product review of Kali Ma’s “Carmel Sorbet Sugar Diamonds” on page 60 listed 42.64% THC. The correct potency is 85.3% THC. A product review for a Farmer’s Friend “Lemon Puff Syringe” on page 60 was categorized as a “Hydrocarbon.” The correct categorization would be “Full Spectrum CO2.”

I hope my words can inspire those with fear about psychedelics (or life itself) to explore, learn and live in the moment – and that this amazing Psychedelia Issue put together by our amazing Leaf team can be an inspiration and guide to your future experiences. Thanks for reading, and please share the Leaf!

@OREGONLEAF

@NWLEAF

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FREE ONLINE ARCHIVE

-Wes Abney AUG. 2022

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Since that fateful trip I’ve had the pleasure of unlearning the DARE propaganda, and also ignoring the wooks at festivals offering drugs – instead finding a happy medium between research and controlled experiences, with much intention into the set, setting and those around me as I opened my mind with psilocybin, LSD and DMT in ceremonies that have had major benefit in my life. I went from scared to take a substance (for many good reasons) to being scared not to challenge my own frame of reference while confronting the issue of consciousness and my place in the universe. Today, that fear is what drives me to explore the final frontier of psychedelic therapies and substances.

CORRECTIONS An article in the July Concentrate Issue titled “Concentrates 101” misrepresented

@OREGONLEAF

I HOPE MY WORDS CAN INSPIRE THOSE WITH FEAR ABOUT PSYCHEDELICS (OR LIFE ITSELF) TO EXPLORE, LEARN AND LIVE IN THE MOMENT.

Fast forward to my 29th birthday and I had tickets to see the Terracotta Warriors Exhibit at the Seattle Science Center on Friday, and chose to indulge in a little LSD at the suggestion of close friends. Standing in the immersive Augmented Reality exhibit with amazing color-changing, motion-triggered exhibits while in the presence of the 2,250-plus-year-old warriors gave me a feeling of connection unlike anything I’d ever felt. It was transcendental, and I knew in that moment I would have a new relationship with psychedelics. I felt connected to the past and present in a whole new way, which was heightened by the presence of ancient talismans meant to protect the Chinese Emperor in the afterlife. The experience changed my frame of reference in many ways, especially in regards to opening my mind and consciousness to new experiences.

We are creators of targeted, independent Cannabis journalism. Please email us to discuss advertising in the next issue of Oregon Leaf. We do not sell stories or coverage. We can offer design services and guidance on promoting your company’s recreational, commercial or industrial Cannabis business, product or event within our magazine and on our website, leafmagazines.com. Email makani@leafmagazines.com to learn more about our range of affordable print and digital advertising options and to support Oregon Leaf, the state’s longest-running Cannabis magazine!

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I’d finally decided to indulge in magic mushrooms, and unknowingly ate about three grams of blue-tinged caps (this was before identification of mushrooms or weed strains was common) and proceeded to have an epic melt at a house party. I don’t remember much, except for walking around a house with a container of Quaker Oatmeal, repeatedly asking people, “Why is the Quaker Oats man so happy?” I also reportedly ate a lot of raw oats.

ART by ALEX GREY & ALLYSON GREY

MIKE RICKER O P E R AT I N G PA R T N E R

ABNEY

Editor’s Note

EVER SINCE THE LEAF first started doing a Psychedelia Issue, whenever we discussed who should be interviewed or featured on the cover, one name has always topped our wish list: Alex Grey. Alex and his wife Allyson are, in our minds, the greatest visionary artists alive today—and anyone who’s seen their work up close (especially under the influence of entheogens!) knows why. The custom image the Greys crafted for our cover is actually a mash-up of two works of art: Alex’s “CannaFist” and Allyson’s “New Order 2.” We are honored to have their sensational art gracing our cover and to have an exclusive interview with them inside. Thanks to Alex, Allyson, and their entire team for sharing their genius with us.

WES ABNEY C E O & F O U N D E R wes@leafmagazines.com

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national news

POLITICS

HEALTH & SCIENCE

SENATE DEMS TO INTRODUCE FEDERAL LEGALIZATION BILL

TRUCKING STUDY: LEGAL MARIJUANA MEANS SAFER ROADS

enate Democrats plan to introduce a bill to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. The legislation faces long odds in the evenly divided chamber due to the opposition of Senate Republicans. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer worked with Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey and Ron Wyden of Oregon on the measure. The senators circulated a draft of the bill last year and made tweaks after feedback from Senate committees. The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act would remove marijuana from the list of drugs covered by the federal Controlled Substances Act. States, unfortunately, can still maintain and create prohibitions on the production and distribution of marijuana. The Cannabis Administration and The legislation Opportunity Act would remove faces a steep marijuana from the list of drugs. climb in the Senate, where 60 votes are required to pass most meaningful bills. Most Republicans and a few Democrats, including Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Jon Tester, have opposed decriminalizing marijuana.

t’s the first study ever on the impact of Cannabis legalization upon the trucking industry. And, guess what? It’s good news. A group of researchers from the University of Tennessee, University of Arkansas and Iowa State University found adult-use marijuana legalization actually reduced heavy truck accidents by 11% in the eight states studied. Six of the eight saw a decrease in truck accidents; just two saw increases. (The study is a preprint, meaning it hasn’t undergone peer review yet.) “We’re not saying definitively that legalization will reduce trucking accidents, but there is some evidence that legalization across the board doesn’t necessarily increase accidents,” said Iowa State University Assistant Professor Jonathan Phares. “There are reasons why accidents could decrease as a result of legalization.”

LEGALIZATION

MIDWEST

NORTH DAKOTA ACTIVISTS SUBMIT LEGALIZATION SIGNATURES

THC EDIBLES AND DRINKS BECOME LEGAL IN MINNESOTA

he group behind a North Dakota marijuana legalization initiative reported submitting 25,672 signatures on July 11, to qualify for the November 2022 ballot. For the initiative to qualify, 15,582 of the signatures must be valid, reports Ballotpedia. “This signature drive showed us that, from Williston to Grand Forks, people all across our state are ready for responsible Cannabis policy reform,” said New Approach North Dakota Chairman Dave Owen. “We’re looking forward to all of our hard work paying off when we receive the official word that we’re on the ballot.” Along with North Dakota, campaigns also submitted signatures for legalization initiatives on the November ballot in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

innesota is a real oddity in the world of Cannabis. The North Star State on July 1 became the only state to allow adult-use THC-infused edibles and drinks – without legalizing marijuana itself. State residents 21 and older are now able to legally purchase edibles and beverages that contain THC, with the new law permitting the products to contain up to 5mg of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) per serving and 50mg per package. A 5mg THC edible can cause a high feeling for first-time users, but people accustomed to marijuana often require a larger State residents 21 dose to feel the effect. and older are now In most states where adult-use marijuana is legal, able to legally 10mg is considered a ”serving.” Weed devotees purchase edibles and medical marijuana patients, however, often and beverages that prefer much higher doses – even measured in the contain THC. hundreds of milligrams. THC products in Minnesota must be derived from legally-certified hemp, which contains trace amounts of the psychoactive compound, according to the law. But THC will produce the same effect whether it’s derived from hemp or marijuana.

WEIRD

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MAN LEAVES COURTHOUSE AFTER WEED CHARGES, GETS BUSTED AGAIN WITH 70 LBS

ves Duboc tried leaving a Massachusetts courthouse in July with 70 pounds of marijuana after appearing in court for Cannabis offenses. Duboc, 43, of Biddeford, Maine, appeared in Newburyport District Court for driving without a license and illegal marijuana possession on June 29. Authorities released Yves under the condition that he didn’t drive until he got his Maine driver’s license. That license was already suspended. As he left the courthouse, a Massachusetts State Police trooper watched him get into a Toyota SUV with a Florida license plate and drive off.

1.5 AUG. 2022

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The trooper promptly pulled Duboc over and arrested him for driving without a license, according to state police. After handcuffing Duboc and putting Troopers him in the back of the police cruiser, reportedly found the trooper searched the SUV. While 70 pounds of searching, the trooper found a total of 70 marijuana and pounds of marijuana and 20 pounds of 20 pounds of marijuana extract. extract in the car.

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SHOP REVIEW

HIPPY TRIP Depoe Bay Coastal oasis with a warm welcome HITTIN’ THE HIGH ROAD

In early 2017, Sean and Lori Rietze left their home state of Idaho in search of a better governing body and like-minded individuals. Tired of their corporate jobs in law and IT, they set out on the Oregon Trail to the world of retail – finally opening their first-ever Cannabis dispensary in October of 2018. While out on the coast it may seem like most shops are competing with each other, Hippy Trip stands out as an “All Are Welcome” boutique shop on Highway 101.

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A BEACHSIDE BOUTIQUE

Summertime on the coast can definitely feel a little touristy, but the year-round vibe here is pure class. “Where some shops at the coast aim to be a tourist spot, we aimed for a higher end feeling,” says Sean. “Not only that, but we care about what products go onto and stay on our shelves.” Upon entering and browsing the flower selection, we can confirm that it is not only beautiful to behold, but at the end of the day, is stored properly in an environmentally-controlled vault to maintain both humidity and temperature. Brands like Pacific Grove and Altered Alchemy adorn the shelves, offering a well-balanced mixture of both fresh and small-batch flower, hash and edibles. With their ear to the street, they clearly have the head stash most are looking for.

AUG. 2022

THE COASTAL CONNECTION

Many customers say that it’s Jesse the store dog, views of the coast, and the overall boutique vibe that keeps them returning on the regular. By no mistake did they choose this cozy beach spot, which was once a sleepy coastal bookstore. “Now although competition is always there,” Sean says, “people will pick a store they like and keep going back.” With the vibe nailed from aesthetics to selection, it’s no wonder people think so highly of this shop. The couple tells me they see more and more customers coming from out of state, especially after either having a good experience or receiving positive word of mouth from their friends and family. “We serve the locals as best we can,” says Lori. “We serve the connoisseur to the best of our abilities.” HIGH HOPES

When it comes to future expansion, Hippy Trip is eyeing the possibility of adding another location. “We would like to compete in a stronger space,” says Lori. “We believe that we have what it takes to run alongside the big guys.” They’ve already spent a year and a half hunting for additional retail space, so another Hippy Trip location may not be too far off in the future. Let’s hope it’s sooner rather than later.

“By no mistake did they choose this cozy beach spot, which was once a sleepy coastal bookstore. ”

HIPPY TRIP 249 US-101 Suite A, Depoe Bay, OR

Say hi to shop dog, Jesse.

hippytrip.com | @hippytriporegon (541) 921-7008 | Open 10AM-7PM Mon-Thurs 10AM-7:30 Fri & Sat 11AM-5PM Sun

STORY by RYAN SANETEL @QUALITY.CONTROL.MEDIA for OREGON LEAF | PHOTOS by RESINATED LENS @RESINATEDLENS

INTERVIEW

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

Oregon Leaf Budtender of the Month

SEANTHOMAS WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WAY TO USE CANNABIS? My favorite way to use Cannabis is to have fun and relieve stress … nothing like coming home from a long day of work and vibing, rolling up a spliff to relax! I also like to use Cannabis when I need to critically analyze complicated situations, as a meditation aide, and sometimes for creative inspiration. I do musical art outside of the Cannabis industry in Atlanta (signed to Awful Records), so it helps a lot calming nerves in hectic situations. Life can move so fast sometimes – Cannabis has done nothing but HELP me slow down so I can regain my balance/focus! Hopefully in the future Cannabis can finally be used in a way of understanding and community. FAVORITE STONER SNACK? A nice big bowl of ice cream to cool down! Right now I’m kind of stuck on Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey flavor, but normally I’m a chocolate guy. Rocky Road has me in a headlock (laughs). Special shout out to the corner store as well – I probably eat a corn dog and fried chicken right after every smoke session!

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A GHOST? Yes, I do believe I’ve seen a couple ghosts in my lifetime. Now this isn’t a bad thing – I’d say only because ghosts can indeed be angels or spirits watching over you, praying for your health and safety. Now I’m not going to take you guys down my rabbit hole about ghosts, if you do want to dive deep, come by Lucky Lion on Sandy and we can chop it up! But I will say there are always people watching over you whether or not you’re conscious enough to see or hear them.

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WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF TO BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE? Never stop believing in unconditional love. That’s one thing that was instilled in me at a very young age and although I can’t explain it after 25 years of life, I’m blessed to be able to share that with others who have never experienced something like that. … Every day I’m striving to be the absolute best version of myself, so it’s natural for me to want others to do the same for themselves.

ORIGINALLY FROM the East Coast, Sean Thomas made his move to Oregon with a curiosity for the burgeoning Cannabis industry that could not be contained. Two years later, he’s selling the “green flower thing everyone told him to stay away from” and holding it down as the assistant manager at Lucky Lion on Sandy Boulevard in Portland.

“THERE’S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT SMOKING AND MAKING A SONG THAT RELEASES ME – A CERTAIN TYPE OF EUPHORIA THAT HELPS MY MENTAL HEALTH STAY POSITIVE!”

FAVORITE STONER ACTIVITY, OR THINGS TO DO WHILE HIGH? One of my favorite activities to do is music and meditation. To a point, making music to me is a form of meditation/therapy – the other half is just for fun and vibes! Sometimes it’s hard getting people to understand your worries/thoughts or maybe you don’t have anyone to help you think it out. Music cures that for me. … [there’s] just something about smoking and making a song that releases me – a certain type of euphoria that helps my mental health stay positive! WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE 100 DUCK-SIZED HORSES, OR ONE HORSE-SIZED DUCK? The more the merrier! Want to know what I’d do with 100 duck-sized horses? Yeah, I don’t know either – but that’s probably enough for me to take over the world. I’m trying to imagine what that would look like in real life … maybe imagine a mini horse but even smaller, then multiply by 100. Saying all that … I just started to think about one horse-sized duck and I’m honestly conflicted. … Unfortunately, right now in this economy I’ll take the one horse-sized duck for the win!

L U C K Y L I O N 16148 NE SANDY BLVD, PORTLAND | (503) 946-1807 | @LUCKYLIONPDX | 7AM-9:50PM MON-SAT | 9AM-9:50PM SUN DAILY

AUG. 2022

INTERVIEW by DAVE MCDOWELL @BROSILVERFOX | PHOTO by DIANA THOMPSON @DUDE.DIANA for OREGON LEAF

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feature

higher standards

A mind-expanding conversation with former NFL superstar Ricky Williams

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EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, AN INTERVIEW CREEPS UP IN YOUR BLIND SPOT AND ABSOLUTELY FLOORS YOU BEFORE YOU CAN EVEN HEAR THE FOOTSTEPS. I should have seen it coming when, as I was emailing a representative for Errick Miron – formerly known as NFL legend Ricky Williams – she asked me for the place, date and time of my birth. After all, it’s not every day one of the best running backs in history pulls your astrological chart before you link up to talk about weed and psychedelics. As the co-founder of Highsman, a multistate Cannabis company built with hopes of inspiring people to be their best selves, Miron brings wisdom and poignant experience to the discourse around Cannabis, entheogenic medicine, and internal versus external identity. Miron discussed his history with the plant, his personal journey of self-discovery, astrology and his goals for the future of his company.

aug. 2022

ON HIGHSMAN, CANNABIS AND ATHLETICS:

ON HIS JOURNEY WITH CANNABIS:

“Our tagline at Highsman is ‘Spark greatness.’ This ritual of lighting up, and ‘What problem, what issue, internal, external, am I going to go after?’ It’s funny; we punish and we ridicule athletes when they get in trouble for consuming, but we don’t ever ask ‘Why are they consuming?’ or ‘What are they doing when they’re consuming?’ The nature of an athlete is that we have opponents, problems, skills – we have these things we have to constantly work toward. For me, when I used Cannabis, I didn’t change. I didn’t just become a different person. It just gave me more breath, and more space, and more insight in which to think about and attack the problems and the issues that were showing up in my life. And I found that extremely useful. There wasn’t anyone in my personal circle or around me that was talking to me about Cannabis in that way, so I had to learn the hard way. The really hard way. So a big part of telling my story and getting this brand out is so people have access to these ideas, and ways to think about and use Cannabis and other psychedelics and entheogens.”

“I came back my senior year to try to get the Heisman Trophy … The season starts off kind of rough. We have a couple of rough games, my girlfriend leaves me and starts dating the quarterback on our team. I was having a really rough couple of weeks. My roommate’s like, ‘Dude, you just need to chill.’ So he brought out his little bong and had me take a couple of hits, and that was the first time I experienced what I would call the therapeutic effect. Because I was in a bad place. Mentally, my mind was taking me to a really dark place, and I remember smoking that night and laying on my bed, and it was the first night in weeks that I wasn’t obsessing about the girl and the performance, and that cleared some space. And then I started thinking about the future, and thinking about how I was going to bounce back, and how I was going to handle the next week and get myself right. I ended up having back-to-back 300-yard rushing games. That’s, like, some kind of record. I do attribute Cannabis with helping me get my mind to a different place, so I could get myself to a different place. After that, I started to realize, ‘This is useful.’ Even that reflective state of mind, where I had the desire to understand what was going on – that became something more appealing to me.”

ON TAKING RISKS FOR GREATNESS, AND HOW THAT INSPIRED THE CREATION OF HIGHSMAN:

My experience is that it’s a tool, you know? It’s a useful tool. And it’s something that I’m always thinking about – how to grow and how to become a better person – and really what that means is how to become more of myself. And I’ve realized the experiences I have in the world, they trigger internal things for me to learn about myself. So I go out in the world, and I experience the things that trigger stuff up in me, and I consume Cannabis and I sit with what’s up. In that process, I get to really learn about myself, so the next day when I go out into the world, I can be a more authentic version of myself because I’ve learned more about myself. I’ve found it’s just a great tool to facilitate that cycle of growth and development. I t’s been a necessity, because early in life, I struggled with the conflict between my external responsibilities and who I was supposed to be, and how it felt to me. And I think that through this process, I’ve learned to lean into going out, and coming in – you know, the breath of life.”

“When I came back for my senior year (instead of going into the NFL draft), people told me I was crazy. I was risking getting hurt and all of this stuff, because my junior year I led the nation in rushing and scoring. I would have been a top five pick. But I came back because I wanted to win the Heisman Trophy. I thought, ‘There’s very few people who even have the opportunity, let alone the opportunity to be the front runner. … It was obvious that it wasn’t a given, but I was like, ‘I’m this close, why not take a shot?’ It was the Heisman Trophy, and also I was really close to being the all-time leading rusher in college football history. These big dreams that people would remember me by. Or I could just be a really good college running back who went to the NFL. It was a choice. Greatness, or pretty good and keep it ON NON-CANNABIS movin’. And I couldn’t resist going for it. That ENTHEOGENS AND THEIR requires the ability to RELATIONSHIP TO THE PLANT: dream. … For me, I saw this opportunity to go for “I can’t honestly say there it. I put all my eggs in are other things that I look one basket and I said I’m forward to, or that I move going for it. The season towards. For me, it’s more “I ended up having started and it didn’t start like, when the medicine calls, well. Things went to shit. I listen. But it’s not something back-to-back 300-yard I lost that imaginative that I seek out. I feel like rushing games. That’s, state. And that’s when Cannabis is that daily tool – I found Cannabis as like, some kind of record. the tool you use on a daily medicine, and it helped basis like brushing your teeth. I do attribute Cannabis reengage. It helped me You’ve gotta floss and brush with helping me get my lift out of that, and do your teeth on a more or less the impossible. I broke mind to a different place, regular basis. Right? That’s all the records, I won the maintenance. But then so I could get myself to a just Heisman, I did all of it! every six months, you go in for different place. After that, the cleaning. You’ve got that And Cannabis helped me. That’s the story, and I started to realize, ‘This is pick, and you get that deeper it’s not just sports – it’s I feel like on those useful.’ Even that reflective cleaning. anyone. Going for it. kinds of regular intervals that state of mind, where I had the more powerful medicine Taking your shot. What do you really want to calls.” the desire to understand accomplish with your “It’s interesting, the connecwhat was going on – that life? Because as you go tion between what I’m calling and try to accomplish became something more more powerful medicine and it, there’s gonna be obmore potent medicine and appealing to me.” stacles. There are gonna Cannabis. A lot of times, I’ve be things that knock you noticed people, when they try down. And you’ve gotta have a set of tools where and consume Cannabis, a lot of anxiety and you can transform those obstacles into fodder to help fear, and a lot of things come up for them. A you grow and achieve what you’re capable of. really powerful, nice dose of psilocybin can help them in a more intense way release some ON THE ROLE OF CANNABIS IN HELPING things, so then as they consume Cannabis, there’s more space there. They’ve cleaned some HIM LEARN MORE ABOUT HIMSELF, AND things out. It’s like when you let the garage get WHO HE WANTS TO BE: really, really messy, and then you try to sweep it, and it’s like, ‘This isn’t doing anything! I have to “I know that’s why it’s a part of my life. The story that devote my whole day to the garage!’ Right? And I was told is that it’s a drug, and it’s a problem.

you go through it. Then, once you clean and you sweep, it’s like, ‘Ah, it feels good.’”

ON CHOOSING CANNABIS REGARDLESS OF THE RULES: “There’s a funny quote that comes out every 4/20 – it’s a quote from me and it says, ‘I got high and forgot I wasn’t supposed to get high.’ There was this thing where the biggest issue in my life became these drug tests, and the potential harm that might come. That became the biggest stressor in my life. And sometimes in order to not think about that, yeah, I smoked a little bit. In my imagination, I lived in a world where I wasn’t being piss-tested all the time. And I needed that feeling, and feeling like I’m not a criminal in order to maintain some kind of sanity. It was frustrating, but it led me on this journey. It forced me to make decisions about what was important to me. We talk about mental health, but if we look at the choices that people make in their lives, they keep choosing to do things that aren’t good for their mental health. And we have all these reasons and justifications. I was just someone who said, ‘I really am going to value my mental health.’ What does that mean? I’m gonna ask myself, ‘Does this feel good to me?’ I think as a football player, so much of the training was ‘it doesn’t matter.’ We still have to score touchdowns. If it hurts, all the better. My training was one way, and Cannabis really helped me create that balance, and realize that I gotta learn to listen to myself and take care of myself, and do what feels good to me – regardless of what the external world thinks.”

ON PLANS TO EXPAND HIGHSMAN’S GOALS TO INCLUDE PSILOCYBIN AND OTHER ENTHEOGENIC TOOLS: (Highsman) is really all of it. I’m wrestling with the guys, but eventually we’re gonna find a way to squeak a little astrology in here. Because it really is about tools to help people achieve their greatness – not by chasing something externally – but from understanding internally what you are truly capable of. So, for us, really, Highsman is about anything. It’s a lifestyle. … To me, it’s more about, if you’re constantly – thinking about how you can be more yourself, how you can be more creative, then all the choices you make are going to be feeding and supporting that idea.”

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STORY by TOM BOWERS @CANNABOMBTOM/LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by HIGHSMAN

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AMERICAN MUSIC LEGEND

TOM PETTY

Highly Likely highlights Cannabis pioneers who have paved the way t

TOM PETTY was a true American original – a world-class rock ‘n’ roll superstar that came from humble beginnings and brought the people he grew up with along on his amazing journey. He was a certified hit machine, creating a seemingly endless supply of catchy songs with the staying power to last decades in the public consciousness.

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“OVER HIS FINAL YEARS, TOM PETTY HAD BECOME MORE AND MORE OUTSPOKEN ABOUT HIS USE OF CANNABIS – MOST LIKELY DUE TO RELAXED TOLERANCE FROM MODERN SOCIETY. AUG. 2022

erhaps unsurprisingly, Petty was also a fan of Cannabis throughout his career. He didn’t, however, really talk much about his love for the herb until toward the end of his life – most likely due to a change in acceptance and attitude from the general public. When their first producer/ manager, Denny Cordell, was asked in 2007 about how difficult his band, The Heartbreakers, was to manage on the road in the late 1970s, he answered that they were easy, but that they “smoked way too much reefer.” By all accounts, this was a band that loved to get blazed. There’s the tale of their first European tour in the early 1980s, where they were so excited to be in Amsterdam (one of the few places in the world at the time where one could purchase Cannabis legally) that they bought “blocks” of hashish. The band had planned on smuggling the goods to nearby Germany for the rest of the tour, when they were pulled aside at customs and searched. Petty had already thrown out his hashish before the search, but he knew that bassist Ron Blair hadn’t. When the authorities went to search Blair’s bag, they only found a pipe. Astonished, Petty turned to Blair – who returned a toothy smile with black hashish all over his teeth.

That night the band performed on German television and one can see a visibly glassy-eyed Blair playing his heart out on bass. In a 2013 article with Rolling Stone, Petty noted that he’s not a medical user of Cannabis – at least not a licensed one. “I don’t have a prescription card, but I’m certain I’ve smoked medical marijuana,” he said. “Yeah. It’s everywhere. I don’t smoke as much pot (sic) as I did at one point in my life. But I think the cat’s out of the bag, it’s gonna be legalized.” Over his final years, Tom Petty had become more and more outspoken about his use of Cannabis – most likely due to relaxed tolerance from modern society. In one of his last interviews, a 2015 print article in Men’s Journal, he told the tale of a lifelong passion for American history, and for the herb. According to the article, one of Petty’s favorite things to do was “wait until it’s really late, get stoned, go to the Jefferson Memorial and just sit there and read the walls.” Petty died in October of 2017, but his legacy still lives on through all of the music he created. So, thanks for all the hits, Tom – let’s close with some of your finest writing and one of your biggest hits: You Don’t Know How it Feels. So let’s get to the point Let’s roll another joint Let’s head on down the road There’s somewhere I gotta go…

STORY by PACER STACKTRAIN for LEAF NATION

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STRAIN OF THE MONTH

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C U LT I V A T E D BY INDO S U P P LY C O . I N D O S U P P LYC O.C O M @ I N D O S U P P LYC O

AUG. 2022

SEE YA LATER is the result of Indo Supply Co.’s journey to highlight a unique terpene profile while adding characteristics that appeal to today’s top-shelf Cannabis buyer. We sat down with Owner Shane Westphal to get the story behind this particular cloneonly cultivar. Not surprisingly, the behind-the-scenes is just as interesting as the scent wafting from the freshly-opened jar.

LATER

Now N Later, a bright purple Zkittlez cross, makes up half of See Ya Later’s genetics. It lends its rich purple hues and tight bud structure to the Saul Good half of the profile. Saul, on the other hand, is Indo Supply Co.’s cross of Milk & Cookies and Blue Lime Pie. The incredible scent of the Blue Lime Pie is the profile the Indo crew was hoping to accentuate – a unique candy-leaning aroma that captures the attention of anyone lucky enough to score a bag. “After flowering out more than 40 different Saul Good phenos, we found a unique male that had the best scent on a stem rub and great structure. Last summer, I decided to pollinate this really colorful Now N Later with it and started calling it See Ya Later,” Shane tells us candidly. “We kept and flowered 16 different females of it and I found some really cool plants that drew my attention. … All of our best See Ya Later phenos retained the sweet candy profile we were looking for.” Rolling a joint, it’s easy to see why this plant stood out. Each flower has bits of lilac sugar leaf with a blue sheen that shreds down to a colorful mix in the grinder. In the jar, the herb smells earthy and inviting – reminiscent of a thick piece of wheat bread piled with peach and raspberry jam. It’s tart and savory with pleasing fruit accents. Similar to a wellbalanced brown ale, it has plenty of character but it all works well together. The effect is ultra-relaxed and carefree, ideal for anxiety relief or putting a bad day in the rearview. The breeding and selecting for this project is hard work well done, and you’d be hardpressed to find flower this colorful and flavorful on your typical dispensary shelf. You should see to getting this strain as soon as possible … if you wait until later, you’ll likely miss out.

STORY by RYAN HERRON @THELOUD100 for OREGON LEAF | PHOTO by DIANA THOMPSON @DUDE.DIANA

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THE psychedelia ISSUE

THEARTOF TRANSCENDENCE The Leaf gets inside the heads of visionary art power couple Alex Grey & Allyson Grey to find out what effects Cannabis and psychedelics have had on their art, spiritual beliefs, and lives. INTERVIEW by BOBBY BLACK @BOBBYBLACK420/LEAF NATION

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ince its emergence in the late 1960s, psychedelic culture has continued to grow, evolve and express itself – primarily through music and art. And over the past few decades, no psychedelic artists have achieved higher notoriety or had a more meaningful impact on our culture than Alex Grey & Allyson Grey.

BEST KNOWN to many through his collaborations with the progressive metal band Tool, Alex’s art is a spectacular synthesis of love, light, birth, death, rebirth and beyond. His imagery penetrates the psycho-spiritual strata of existence – peeling back the superficial surfaces and exposing the auras and energies that surround us, vibrating and pulsating when viewed through one’s third eye. The same is true of his soulmate, Allyson. In contrast to Alex’s anatomical style, Allyson’s art is abstract – tapping into the sacred geometry of the cosmos to utilize fractals, symbols and mathematical patterns to develALEX & ALLYSON AT THE CHAPEL OF SACRED MIRRORS - HUDSON VALLEY, NY. op her own secret, sacred language. Together, they comprise a psychedelic power couple regarded by many as spiritual leaders with an almost cult-like status. I first met the Greys at the Cannabis Cup in 1998, and our paths have continued to cross ever since. I attended one of their earliest Full Moon gatherings at their apartment in Brooklyn, blazed with them in Amsterdam, tripped out in their tent at Burning Man, and visited the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, or CoSM – their temple/art gallery in NYC – countless times. Yet, I’d never had the pleasure of interviewing them … until now. “CANNABIS SUTRA” BY ALEX GREY, 2007

aug. 2022

“CHAOS, ORDER, & SECRET WRITING” BY ALLYSON GREY, 2009

Was your desire to become an artist innate, or did something happen in your life that made you consciously decide to become an artist? Allyson:

Teachers and peers recognized both of us, at an early age, as artists. That foundational encouragement gave us our artistic identities. Growing up, we both won awards for our art, exhibited our work, and were leaders in school. Alex: My father introduced me to drawing as an infant. I would watch faces and creatures emerge from the tip of his pencil, and I’d dance in amazement. He activated something that may have been part of my past lives.

How did you meet and fall in love? Alex: We met in

art school in 1974, in a class on Performance Art, Mixed Media and Conceptual Art. Throughout art school, we continued to create performance installations and paint collaboratively.

Your work has inspired a great many people … but who inspired you? Allyson: As early as high school,

abstract expressionists Jackson Pollack and Helen Frankenthaler influenced me, as well as minimalist Sol Lewitt and mixed media creator Lucas Samaras. Alex: Michelangelo was always my favorite artist. After taking LSD, I discovered visionary artists who drew inspiration from psychedelic experience, like Ernst Fuchs, Mati Klarwein, William Blake and Jean Delville. But Allyson has been the most inspiring and influential artist in my life.

It’s often said that the best art arises from suffering … does that adage hold any truth for you?

Alex: Buddhism teaches that life is suffering. Everyone suffers. We love our life – the highs and the lows. My art has embraced hopefulness as well as depression and difficult challenges, both personal and global. Allyson: My art reflects an inner world – a spectral psychedelic vision and an essentialized worldview that is both bright and dark.

Alex — your work has reached a broader audience thanks to your collaborations with Tool. Tell us a little about that relationship. Alex: Adam Jones came to

my 1999 exhibit in a Santa Monica gallery, and we became friends. Adam invited my work to be part of three amazing albums: Lateralus, 10,000 Days, and the astonishingly prescient Fear Inoculum. Over the past 21 years, I’ve designed stage sets, music video collaborations, posters and merchandise to accompany their tours … I even painted a drum set for Danny Carey. The members of Tool and their fans have been some of the greatest forces in supporting CoSM. Inside Entheon is a Tool shrine with some cool relics, including a bronze sculpture by Adam, samples of Maynard’s wines, a wrap of the drum design and many photos, posters and preliminary drawings for the art that became associated with Tool. They are masterful musicians and it’s been an inspiration to work with them.

Describe your first experience with Cannabis. Allyson: My sister and her friend got me stoned just before I went off to college at age 17. It was unpleasant, and I had to sleep it off. Almost as soon as I left home, I moved out of my dorm room and into an

apartment with hash dealers. We smoked every day, and I remember laughing my ass off listening to Firesign Theater. Alex: At 18, on my way to my first music festival featuring Mountain and Traffic.

How often do you use Cannabis? Is it a part of your creative process? Alex: Until Covid, we used it daily

and often. It has been part of our creative process, but we’ve also created art stone-cold sober for years at a time.

When did you first try psychedelics and what was your experience like? Allyson: My first trip was at

age 17 on the campus of NYU with my high school boyfriend. It was supposedly mescaline in pill form, but I suspect it was actually LSD. We walked about 70 blocks down 5th Avenue talking about our experiences and life. After that, I was privileged to experience LSD regularly and often for about three years – Orange Sunshine, Purple Haze, Owsley acid, and others. Alex: My first trip was in Allyson’s apartment in 1975. Wary of my mental health, I waited until I was 21. That day I had asked God to give me a sign that I should go on living. That evening on the way to Allyson’s party, I was offered LSD mixed into a bottle of Kahlua. I drank half the bottle and when Allyson met us at the door, I handed her the other half of the bottle. I sat for hours, not speaking to anyone, envisioning a pearlescent spinning tunnel. I was in the dark, spiraling toward the light. The light was God, and that became my path. It was my first night with Allyson – that has lasted all these years. INTERVIEW CONTINUES >>

ARTWORK & PHOTOS courtesy ALEX GREY & ALLYSON GREY

THE psychedelia ISSUE

ARTISTS ALEX GREY & ALLYSON GREY

INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

THEARTOFTRANSCENDENCE

“THE LIZARD KING” BY ALLYSON GREY, 2011

How would your art and lives be different if you’d never taken psychedelics? Alex: It cured my

suicidal ideation. Without meeting spirit, I don’t know if I’d be alive today. Allyson: For three years, I took LSD with friends and alone – climbing a mountain, people watching, and on bicycle excursions. Every journey was evolutionary and self-revelatory. In 1971, I read the book “Be Here Now” by Ram Dass and tried taking LSD solo in a dark room. In that journey, I saw Secret Writing – the cryptic language of the divine. It transformed me and my artwork. Until I met Alex three years after, I dared not share the meaning of my secret body of art.

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Allyson — can your “secret writing” be translated and comprehended, or is it purely an abstract expression of imagination? Allyson: Secret

Language in my art is an ineffable and untranslatable language of creative expression coming directly from my personal vision. They were made visible to me in the psychedelic state. Their meaning comes from the divine, the force some call God.

What does “God” mean to you? Allyson: God is faceless. God is

ineffable, beyond physicality or description – a force in all beings and things. Any guru will tell you that God is within. Alex: God is an experience that, once known, cannot be unknown. God is beyond conceptions. The divine

aug. 2022

is a transcendental force animating all life and the creative intelligence that birthed the cosmos.

Is there one religious tradition you relate to most, and why? Alex: Born

into a family of Methodists, I saw Christ as my first spiritual friend. After meeting Allyson, I began studying Tibetan Buddhism in the late ‘70s – a connection that has strengthened for decades. Having studied the mystic traditions, I find connections between them all. Allyson: Since Alex began studying Buddhism, I’ve learned and appreciated a great deal in the wisdom of that tradition. Decades ago, we had the privilege of studying with the Dalai Lama at Harvard Divinity School. It is our regular practice to read to each other from Tibetan Buddhist texts each morning after yoga and meditation. But I grew up in the Jewish tradition, which most resonates with my psychedelic experience. God’s message is transferred through writing in all the major religions, and in Judaism – where graven imagery of God is prohibited – the Torah and libraries of commentary are the most revered works of influence.

How did you first conceive of the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors? Allyson:

The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (CoSM) was inspired by a 1978 collaborative performance called Life Energy that included Alex’s life-sized ink drawings

“NET OF BEING” BY ALEX GREY, 2007

of the human anatomy. After noticing the popularity of these charts within the performance, I suggested painting an entire series of life-sized paintings that would include the systems of the human body, mind and spirit. Alex: In 1984, a collector who was interested in purchasing the series gifted us two doses of MDMA, then legal. Three days later, we took MDMA for the first time and envisioned the series as an installation that included sculpted pictorial frames in a public psychedelic space. Within months we began sculpting and casting the 21, 10.5-foot frames for the paintings that became the Sacred Mirrors.

When did the “Chapel” part enter the picture? Alex: CoSM became a

nonprofit organization in 1996 with the following mission: ‘To build an enduring sanctuary of visionary art to uplift a global community.’ In 2002, a shaman advised us to begin hosting Full Moon ceremonies and pray with friends for the advancement of that mission. The first CoSM Full Moon ceremony was held in our Brooklyn loft in January 2003. There has since been an unbroken chain of 244 Full Moon ceremonies to date. Allyson: On Easter Sunday, April 20th, 2003, a landlord offered us a raw industrial space on 27th Street in New York to hold ceremonies and events. By August 2004, the CoSM spiritual creative center was open – offering exhibition space for the

“LSD HAS ALWAYS BEEN OUR FAVORITE. IT OFFERS THE LONGEST AND MOST VISUAL JOURNEY. WE’VE ENJOYED MANY PSILOCYBIN EXPERIENCES AND HAVE PARTICIPATED IN NUMEROUS AYAHUASCA CEREMONIES IN THE PAST FEW DECADES.” -ALEX GREY

“FLESH OF THE GODS” BY ALEX GREY, 2021

An artist rendering of the soon-to-be-completed ENTHEON—the Greys’ 12,000-square-foot temple/gallery, which will host the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (below), galleries of both of their artwork, and rotating art from the International Visionary Art movement.

Sacred Mirrors and ary art, Entheon – many of our other which is set to open works, a rotating exsoon – will host the hibit of works by other Chapel of Sacred visionary artists, a Mirrors, galleries of dance studio, an event both our art, and space, offices and an annually rotating a gift shop. But five exhibit of the Interyears into our lease, a national Visionary new landlord threatArt movement. ened to quadruple our rent. We realized In recent years, that our ‘enduring it feels like dark “SECRET WALLS #1” BY ALLYSON GREY, 1976 sanctuary’ needed forces have been a secure home and ascendant in this would be better suited to a tranquil country and around the world. environment in nature. Fortunately, What, if anything, can we do to Alex found the perfect location – a reverse this tide and move things small retreat on 40 wooded acres, back toward the light? Allyson: As 65 miles up the Hudson River from darkness gets darker, light appears Manhattan in Wappinger, New York. brighter. That’s what we can do – be Alex: The property features eight a beacon of light. Creativity and restored buildings, including a compassion can make our tiny corner 10-bedroom house to accommoof the universe a better place by date guests and an old carriage being the best we can be, through house that’s been transformed into a eco-consciousness and our acceptance 12,000-square-foot exhibition space of differences. Be kind, and if only for called Entheon. A sanctuary of visionyour own benefit, love everyone.

“CANNABACCHUS” BY ALEX GREY, 2006

IN 1971, I READ THE BOOK “BE HERE NOW” BY RAM DASS AND TRIED TAKING LSD SOLO IN A DARK ROOM. IN THAT JOURNEY, I SAW SECRET WRITING – THE CRYPTIC LANGUAGE OF THE DIVINE. IT TRANSFORMED ME AND MY ARTWORK.” -ALLYSON GREY

ALEXGREY.COM @ALEXGREYCOSM ALLYSONGREY.COM @ALLYSONGREYCOSM COSM.ORG @CHAPELOFSACREDMIRRORS Read our full, unabridged interview with the Greys and see more of their artwork on our website | leafmagazines.com/greys-interview

INTERVIEW by BOBBY BLACK @BOBBYBLACK420/LEAF NATION | ARTWORK & PHOTOS courtesy ALEX GREY & ALLYSON GREY

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THE psychedelia ISSUE

Did eating psychedelic mushrooms play a role in early primates’ ascendance to higher consciousness?

IT ALL STARTED in 1992 when McKenna broke the world’s collective brain with his book “Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge: A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution.” In it, he proposed a radical evolutionary theory: that psilocybin mushrooms were responsible for catalyzing our evolution from Homo Erectus into Homo Sapiens. In other words, our bodies and brains function as they do today because our ancestors tripped out on psychedelic mushrooms. The psychoactive effects of these mushrooms, he argued, essentially reorganized the information processing center of the primitive primate brain – sparking the evolution of consciousness, cognition and language – by prompting hominids to engage in experiences like community, spirituality and self-reflection. Psilocybin, McKenna wrote, brought us “out of the animal mind and into the world of articulated speech and imagination.” This theory would eventually come to be known as the Stoned Ape Hypothesis (though McKenna himself never actually used that term). Since its publication, people haven’t stopped talking about the Stoned Ape Hypothesis – despite the fact that traditional scientists have consistently dismissed it as “simplistic” and nothing more than a “high thought” (albeit the most elaborate high thought ever, articulated in over 300 pages). But recent developments in psychedelic science have greatly expanded what we know about the impact of entheogens (particularly psychedelic fungi) on the brain, and some believe these new findings bolster the validity of the theory.

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FROMAPETOGREAT

aug. 2022

he internet is both a blessing and a social curse. However, one of its better contributions to society is that it has kept the spirit of late ethnobotanist and psychedelic pundit Terence McKenna alive. Though he died in April of 2000, McKenna’s ideas and philosophies still soar through the interwebs, thanks to Reddit, podcasts and numerous social media platforms. One theory in particular that has continued to gain steam is the so-called “Stoned Ape Hypothesis.”

“When Terrence wrote [Food of the Gods], While we still don’t fully understand the most people dismissed it, saying he’s a nature of consciousness or how it evolved, crazy druggie trying to come out with this scientists generally agree that it was more idea,” said Terence’s younger brother Dennis complicated than simply eating psychedelic McKenna (who helped him shape the theory) mushrooms. on the “Conversation with Kais” podcast last Consequently, many Stoned Ape haters year. “Some of the more thoughtful critics scoff at the simplicity of the McKenna theory said it was plausible, but now because of the – such as paleontologist Martin Lockley, discoveries about [mushrooms’ impact on] Ph.D., who explained to Inverse in 2017 that neurogenesis, epigenetics and neuroplastithe Stoned Ape Hypothesis hinges on concity, Stoned Ape has gone from plausible to sciousness sprouting from a singular source. probable.” But the McKennas never actually claimed McKenna was undoubtedly a man ahead that mushrooms were the sole cause for the of his time. Unlike today, he didn’t have a rise of consciousness; in fact, Dennis has library of scientific research to cite showing publicly stated that the media has oversimthat psychedelic mushplified the theory and that he RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN rooms stimulate the believes psilocybin mushPSYCHEDELIC SCIENCE HAVE rooms were only a factor in growth of new neurons, GREATLY EXPANDED reorganize synaptic conthe emergence of consciousWHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE nections or impact gene ness and the mind – a sort of IMPACT OF ENTHEOGENS expression – concepts evolutionary catalyst. on which the Stoned Ape “It’s not so simple to say (PARTICULARLY PSYCHEDELIC Hypothesis is essentially that [hominids] ate psilocybin FUNGI) ON THE BRAIN, AND predicated. Anthropomushrooms and suddenly the SOME BELIEVE THESE NEW logical evidence indibrain mutated,” he explains in FINDINGS BOLSTER THE cates that the brain size the film “Fantastic Fungi.” “I VALIDITY OF THE THEORY. of Homo Erectus roughly think it’s more complex than doubled between 2 million and 700,000 that, but I think [mushrooms] were a factor. It years ago. What’s more, it’s estimated that was like software to program neurologically the brain volume of Homo Sapiens grew modern hardware to think, have cognition, three times larger between 500,000 and and to have language.” 100,000 years ago. Though mainWhile most scientists get hung up on this stream scientists remain flummoxed single-source-for-consciousness notion, about how and why this occurred, there are some who agree with the McKenthe Stoned Ape Hypothesis offers nas. While admitting that the Stoned Ape a potential answer. Hypothesis is technically unprovable, iconic “The fossil remains we’ve mycologist Paul Stamets nevertheless advofound show that hominids and cates for it. cattle lived in the same environment,” “I suggest to you that Dennis and TerDennis McKenna explains. “If you have ence were right on,” Stamets proclaimed in these two elements in the ecology – espethe keynote address he gave at the 2017 cially cattle, because where there are cows, Psychedelic Science conference entitled there’s cow shit – mushrooms had to be “Psilocybin Mushrooms and the Mycology there. There is no fossil evidence showing of Consciousness.” “I want you or anyone this because mushrooms don’t hold up well, listening, or seeing this, to suspend your disbut mushrooms grow on cow dung. If you belief,” he advised. “I think this is a very, very go to any similar ecology in modern times – plausible hypothesis for the sudden evolution tropical pastures with cattle – the world over, of Homo Sapiens from our primate relatives.” you will find these mushrooms.” Apparently, the crowd agreed – as evidenced According to science, a state of consciousby the roaring ovation they can be seen giving ness is an effect of receiving and processing him in the YouTube video of the discussion. information through multiple qualitative Regardless of what modern science says, experiences, including sensations and anyone who’s done a deep dive into the feelings, the nuances of sensory qualmushroom realm understands how the ities, and cognitive processes (i.e., Stoned Ape Hypothesis could be true. And if evaluative thinking and memory). there’s one nugget of wisdom we can take Essentially, our hominid ancestors’ away from this discussion, it’s that humans warm, almost tropical environhave always been fascinated with psychements allowed for a symbiotic delics – particularly when it comes to the trifecta between cattle, existential ponderings of how we got here mushrooms and people – and the story of humankind. theoretically creating the “If I could sum it up, I would say the ideal conditions for exmushrooms taught us how to think,” Dennis ponential brain growth McKenna asserts. “They gave us the tools of and the emergence of the imagination, and from that, everything such consciousness. else proceeds.”

STORY by MARY CARREON @MARYYYPRANKSTER for LEAF NATION | ILLUSTRATION by OUTSIDE ARTWORK @OUTSIDEARTWORK

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THE psychedelia ISSUE

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FIRST FACILITATORS As psilocybin therapy is set to take flight in Oregon in 2023, first of its kind facilitator training charts a groundbreaking new course.

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aug. 2022

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT...INNERTREK.ORG HORIZONSPBC.COM/NORTHWEST | SHERIECKERT.ORG

Oregon is the first state to legalize psilocybin for therapeutic use as the passage of Measure 109 provides an outlet for those over 21 seeking services. But purchase, possession, and use must occur within the walls of a state-regulated psilocybin service center under the supervision of a facilitator. Until licensing opens up in January of 2023, Oregon is in a developmental period of shaping what these services will look like. It sets the state up with a unique chance to find a framework for the future while tackling mental health and wellness from a fresh angle. But building a new branch of wellness services requires a new field of facilitators – one that, until now, never existed in our country.

TO GET SOME INSIGHT, we spoke with two people on the frontline of facilitator training: Tom Eckert, MS and Nate Howard. Eckert is an experienced therapist, founder of the Oregon Psilocybin Society and Sheri Eckert Foundation, architect of Measure 109, and more. Howard facilitates the Plant Medicine Healing Alliance, brings a public service and plant-driven policy background to the table, and has roots in the Cannabis community as the co-founder of East Fork Cultivars. As Program Director and Director of Operations, Eckert and Howard are integral members of InnerTrek, an organization currently in the licensing process of becoming a fully-functioning training program. It is one of just six programs approved by the Oregon Health Authority (at the time of this article) and is currently awaiting approval from the Higher Education Coordinating Commission.

INNERTREK’S TOM ECKERT, MS & NATE HOWARD

InnerTrek plans to begin training Oregon’s first round of psilocybin facilitators at the beginning of August (pending HECC licensure). Their program will “meet and exceed minimum state requirements,” which includes 120 hours of core training and 40 hours of supervised practicum in areas ranging from plant medicine history to neuroscience and clinical research. “Plant medicines and psychedelics have been around forever, but the narrative around them changes,” says Eckert. “I think the foundational inspirations come from how these natural medicines (let’s call them) have been used throughout history in ceremonial or contained contexts, basically: facilitation. Clearly, we’re bringing this into western culture and the present day. That has its own character. But there’s a fundamental inspiration that always comes through in the history of plant medicines. So we’re mindful of that and inspired by the science.”

INNERTREK PLANS TO BEGIN TRAINING OREGON’S FIRST ROUND OF PSILOCYBIN FACILITATORS AT THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST (PENDING HECC LICENSURE). THEIR PROGRAM WILL “MEET AND EXCEED MINIMUM STATE REQUIREMENTS,” WHICH INCLUDES 120 HOURS OF CORE TRAINING AND 40 HOURS OF SUPERVISED PRACTICUM IN AREAS RANGING FROM PLANT MEDICINE HISTORY TO NEUROSCIENCE AND CLINICAL RESEARCH.

Measure 109 excludes facilitator prerequisites outside of state residency, age and high school equivalency. And as Howard tells us, of the roughly 400 applicants already interested in this curriculum, it’s clear that there’s a multidisciplinary group ready to get in on the ground level. “They mostly have master’s level credentials and above,” says Howard. “But there are also folks coming at this with experience in this particular field – which, is not easy to attain. We have folks that have done work in different countries, too. But for the most part, it’s folks interested in healing work. Therapists, MDs and naturopaths – there are a lot of professionals in that regard.” Howard adds that this “new form of healthcare” is far outside of any traditional models we have seen. It provides a chance to create a more inclusive healing community – one where facilitators “don’t have to have 10 years of medical education and the massive student debt that comes with that.” As a result, both Howard and Eckert believe these services will be more accessible to both patients and those interested in providing care. “It’s really a gateway into integration and (hopefully) a net of support,” says Eckert. “We’re creating a support system and a way of entering into self-work and wellness that I hope inspires a new ecosystem of support and services.”

STORY by AMANDA DAY @TERPODACTYL_MEDIA for LEAF NATION | ILLUSTRATIONS by @OUTSIDEARTWORK

THE psychedelia ISSUE leafmagazines.com

THETRIPPY TRIALSOFTHE MUSHROOMRABBI Rabbi Ben Gorelick faces legal trouble in Colorado for providing his unorthodox congregation with psychedelic sacraments. Here’s why he’s confident the Sacred Tribe will prevail. aug. 2022

abbi Ben Gorelick is a man of unflappable faith. Even restricted to the confines of a Zoom conversation, the founder and spiritual leader of the

Sacred Tribe projects a palpable sense of calm, joy and confidence. Not only does it radiate across the digital divide – it also offers a telling glimpse into Gorelick’s general outlook on just about everything. IT’S UNDERSTANDABLE that he takes great pride in discussing the unique, non-denominational congregation he’s overseen in Denver since 2018. However, Gorelick’s certainty that his flock will land on the right side of history is all the more impressive when one considers that he is also presently at the center of a potentially precedent-setting court case involving religious freedoms and psychedelic sacraments. In this instance, the entheogen in question is a paste that includes psilocybin mushrooms. Grown by Gorelick and a few close collaborators at a nearby cultivation facility in north Denver, the use of the substance by his congregation is part of a larger philosophy that he largely credits to the school of mystical Jewish thought known as Kabbalah. “In Kabbalah,” he explained, “there are a number of access points to explore connection, but breathwork is probably the primary one that really underpins it all. And it’s meant to be transcendent, ecstatic, breathwork. You’re not laying on a mat. You’re supposed to be up and moving and dancing and screaming and crying.” Over the past two years, Gorelick has taken to guiding small groups through in-person, multiday retreats that focus largely on breathwork and creating space for conversation of all kinds: inner, external and spiritual. As part of these sessions,

the Mushroom Rabbi in the crosshairs of the Colorado legal system. In February, Gorelick turned himself over to local authorities to face charges of possession with intent to manufacture or distribute a controlled substance. If found guilty, the first-degree felony would mean a minimum eight-year prison sentence. Still in the early stages of what looks to be a protracted legal slog, Gorelick is adamant in his contention that the actions of his congregation are protected by a religious exemption. “It’s been hard for me,” he conceded, “but I am wildly optimistic about our future, because, at the end of the day, I have to believe that people like us will choose togetherness over separation every time.” Some of Gorelick’s optimism also likely lies in the precedent of past cases involving similar matters. In the 1990s, federal courts ruled that religious freedom protected the right of Native American tribes to hold peyote ceremonies. Then, in 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court further codified this position by unanimously affirming that a small religious group from South America had the legal right to continue rituals involving the consumption of ayahuasca tea. consenting adults are also given the opportunity to The Sacred Tribe’s situation isn’t exactly identical. take a sacrament of psilocybin. Though Gorelick believes his congregation is entitled The Sacred Tribe’s optional sacrament is meant to a religious exemption per the DEA’s Religious Freeto help followers more easily and fully give themdom Restoration Act, he has not yet received one. selves over to this breathwork. As Gorelick noted, But even as legal proceedings begin to lurch Kabbalah recognizes psychedelics – and specifically forward – the case’s first preliminary hearing was psilocybin mushrooms – as a possible held on June 27, over four months afbeneficial aide in this practice. ter Gorelick’s arrest – there is also the “I HAVE TO BELIEVE Before the 42-year-old Gorelick was possibility that the voters of Colorado THAT PEOPLE LIKE nicknamed the Mushroom Rabbi, he will simultaneously choose to legalize US WILL CHOOSE was a boy being raised in a tight-knit psilocybin mushrooms statewide this TOGETHERNESS Orthodox community in New Mexico. fall. It all depends on whether the NatOVER SEPARATION A move to a new state at the age ural Medicine Health Act can garner EVERY TIME.” of 10 saw his active religious pracenough signatures, but thus far, signs tice lapse, and by 17, Gorelick had suggest it just might. moved to Alaska to take a job as a mountaineering Gorelick’s case also arrives at a moment when instructor. It was during that tenure that he was efforts to decriminalize or outright legalize psytragically present to witness an avalanche claim the chedelics on the local and state level are gaining life of a close friend. momentum across the country. In search of answers, Gorelick next spent an unPerhaps best encapsulated by the efforts of the satisfactory stint at a rabbinical school before landing organization Decriminalize Nature, these grassroots on Kabbalah, and eventually, the concept of using campaigns are further fueled by a continually expsychedelics to enhance his spiritual experiences. panding body of scientific research into the medicIt was not, in fact, until the age of 38 that the inal efficacies of numerous botanical psychedelic Mushroom Rabbi tried psilocybin for the first time. compounds. In July, for instance, UCSF was expected According to Gorelick, prior to that moment, he to begin testing subjects for a new, groundbreaking, had never taken an illegal substance in his life. FDA-approved study involving botanical psilocybin. “Then I took mushrooms,” he said, “and it really It’s a lot to take in, but for the Mushroom Rabbi, his did change everything.” focus remains small – while his hopes remain skyhigh. The arrival of the Sacred Tribe in 2019 over“We’re a spiritual community,” he said. “We lapped with Denver voters approving a measure are people who want to get together and do these to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms that fall. things and it just so happens that we’re now tied But as a result of the latter, a curious loophole up in this bigger matter. But again, I am wildly emerged: Yes, it was now OK to consume psilocyoptimistic about this. It sucks to be in the middle bin mushrooms – but where were people supposed of so many really hard conversations right now, to get them? especially because it feels like we’re having all of It’s for this reason that Gorelick took to cultivatthem at once, but I also see people being forced to ing 39 strains of psilocybin mushrooms, solely for use learn how to connect again: to themselves, to each by the Sacred Tribe. Then, this January, a fire inspecother, and to God or spirituality. That’s why I’m so tion-turned-raid on the group’s cultivation facility put excited to be alive right now.”

STORY by ZACK RUSKIN for LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by ANDY CROSS, THE DENVER POST & SEPHORA PUMA’COBRA, THE SACRED TRIBE | ILLUSTRATIONS by @OUTSIDEARTWORK

THE psychedelia ISSUE

SURRENDERING TOTHEVOID

Psychedelics for the End of Life Experience

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“Turn off your mind Relax and float down stream It is not dying It is not dying Lay down all thoughts Surrender to the void It is shining It is shining” “Tomorrow Never Knows” - The Beatles written by Paul McCartney & John Lennon

aug. 2022

1963, WRITER ALDOUS HUXLEY was on his deathbed suffering from terminal cancer when he asked his wife to inject him with 100 micrograms of LSD. In a letter to friends, Laura Huxley wrote that she consulted Sidney Cohen, a psychiatrist who had pioneered the use of LSD. “I had asked him if he had ever given LSD to a man in this condition. He said he had only done it twice, actually,” wrote Laura, “and in one case it had brought up a sort of reconciliation with death.” After the author of “The Doors of Perception” and “Brave New World” passed away, Laura wrote, “All five people in the room said that this was the most serene, the most beautiful death. Both doctors and the nurse said they had never seen a person in similar physical condition going off so completely without pain and without struggle.” Three years later, LSD was officially banned in California.

MUCH HAS BEEN recently distress many terminally discussed on the use of psycheill Americans face in their delics for the treatment of many last days, sabotaging conditions, including its theratheir quality of life and peutic administration for PTSD, time with family and depression, alcohol or hard friends. FDA has granted drug abuse, couples’ therapy, “breakthrough status” to anxiety and more. The focus is psilocybin therapy for deon healing and recovery from pression, in light of safety traumas and unresolved grief. and promising signs of Less is known about utilizing efficacy in stage 2 FDA these same entheogens for trials, especially for end those with terminal illnesses – of life patents. Congress for palliative care during the passed the national end of life experience. Right to Try Act in 2018 I spoke with Dr. Alison to allow Americans with Draisin PsyD, LMHC, lead life-threatening condipsychotherapist and Director tions to access promising of Ketamine Assisted Psychomedicines that have therapy Provider Training at passed phase I trials, the AIMS Institute, to discover without having to wait for “WE’RE STILL FIGHTING more about her knowledge of completion of the new AND WE NEED Cannabis and psychedelics as drug approval process. a tool in psychotherapy, and in However DEA is blockMORE PEOPLE TO particular, for patients who are ing access to psilocybin BECOME ACTIVISTS AND preparing for their deaths. “End therapy, even as Canada BE PUBLIC ABOUT THEIR of life therapy using these plant is now allowing it north and fungal medicines isn’t of the border.” SUPPORT FOR THESE about healing and recovery, In a recent opinion END-OF-LIFE THERAPIES but instead about acceptance, piece in the New York pain management and feeling Times, health and science … PEOPLE WHO ARE peace within themselves,” writer and former psycholDYING DESERVE THE explains Dr. Draisin. “The spirogy researcher Dr. Dana RIGHT TO DO WHATEVER itual awakenings can be quite G. Smith writes about cathartic for the patients and Nick Fernandez, who was THEY WANT WITH THEIR observing their experiences has administered “a large BODIES AND MINDS.” brought me peace as well. It’s dose of psilocybin as part so lovely and powerful to bear of a clinical trial at New -Dr. Alison Draisin PsyD, LMHC witness to people’s journeys to York University for people discover death with peace.” dealing with anxiety and Dr. Draisin also tells me depression following a that The AIMS Institute, short cancer diagnosis.” Mr. for Advanced Integrative Medical Science, employs Fernandez wrote about his experience in a Medium post, ketamine for patients in palliative care and recently describing what many would consider to be a miracle. sued the DEA in order for them to allow psilocybin “This psilocybin journey was the single most transformatreatments for those in hospice. Lawyer Kathryn Tucker tive experience of my life,” he explained. “It forced me to of the Emerge Law Group filed a motion on behalf of reconcile with the mortality of being human. It alleviated AIMS clients pushing for rescheduling, but the judge my anxiety and gave meaning to my life.” came back and said the DEA has no precedent. How do we get to a future in which dying human “It’s a catch-22 because without the right to use beings are able to choose for themselves the treatmushrooms for patients, there’s no studies to show efments they wish to employ? Does “Death with Dignity” ficacy – and the DEA can just point to that and contininclude the right to use psychedelics to help come ue to stonewall any rescheduling by citing the fact that to terms with the end of our lives in a truly “Brave New there’s no evidence.” After the lawsuit was rejected, World?” As Dr. Draisin sees it, the answers are obvious. the company Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps sponsored a “We’re still fighting and we need more people to protest on behalf of Right to Try at the DEA building in become activists and be public about their support Arlington to raise awareness of the fact that the agenfor these end-of-life therapies,” she says. “It’s hard cy was blocking the implementation of the Right to Try because the people who need this the most aren’t able Act passed and signed into law in 2018. to keep up the fight but their loved ones – and anyone The organization addressed the issue in the followwho believes in this right – need to step up. People ing statement: “Psilocybin therapy has shown incredwho are dying deserve the right to do whatever they ible promise alleviating the debilitating existential want with their bodies and minds.”

PSILOCYBIN THERAPY has shown incredible promise alleviating the debilitating existential distress many terminally ill Americans face in their last days, sabotaging their quality of life and time with family and friends. The FDA has granted “breakthrough status” to psilocybin therapy for depression, in light of safety and promising signs of efficacy in stage 2 FDA trials, especially for end of life patents. — Statement from the Right to Try Act, signed into law in 2018.

Resources for Activists and Patients AIMS Institute aimsinstitute.net

End Well Project endwellproject.org

Right to Try Psilocybin righttotrypsilocybin.com

Dr. Bronner’s

drbronner.com/blogs/ our-community/heal-soul

WAMM (Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana) wammphytotherapies.org

End of Life Washington endoflifewa.org

The Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research hopkinspsychedelic.org

Nushama (Ketamine Assisted Therapy Clinics) nushama.com

The Heffter Research Institute heffter.org

TheraPsil (Canada) therapsil.ca

Center to Advance Palliative Care capc.org

STORY by DAN VINKOVETSKY @DANNYDANKOHT/LEAF NATION | ILLUSTRATION by OUTSIDE ARTWORK @OUTSIDEARTWORK | PHOTO by @DAVID_GOODMAN_PHOTOS

edible of the month

TETRAHYDROCANNABIVARIN, or THCV, is technically nothing new — but we had to do a bit of research before consuming. It turns out that scientists have studied this cannabinoid for close to 50 years, having identified many of its characteristics. Contrary to THC, THCV will suppress appetite and can even lessen the effects of THC.

VIVA

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THCV GUMMIES With so little known about the many cannabinoids and terpenes that make up the Cannabis plant, new information and insight occur regularly. As for the team at Viva, their research led them to the conclusion that THCV was what the market was missing – and we can’t help but agree. At first glance, the gummy seems like an ordinary edible – coated in sugar with a squishy inside – but what about the consistency? If you have indulged in the edible market, specifically gummies, you will know exactly what I am talking about. These tasty bites, however, were so perfect in consistency and flavor that I almost ate the entire container in one sitting. Sweet and tangy pineapple with a crunchy coating of sugar made my mouth water with each piece. The package contains 10 gummies: one piece per serving, each piece packing 4.66mg of THC and 3.14mg of THCV, all made from full-spectrum Cannabis extract. With nine total ingredients, it’s easy to say this product is low in calories

AUG. 2022

and high in every sense of the word. Walking through town to grab lunch, I couldn’t help but notice a clearer thought pattern and an almost increased sense of awareness. This was the opposite of a typical edible experience, as many on the market cause a sedative feeling, sometimes leaving consumers with a brain fog lasting into the next day. Many of us have been there before – locked into a couch or taking a midday nap. Having already eaten the entire container in a day, I sought out another package of them to use as an A.D.D. suppressant – helping to conquer some of the more tedious daily tasks, as well as staying focused on the task at hand. There are definitely days where these could be more useful than simply smoking, vaping or dabbing in the morning. And after three days of using these as a supplement in conjunction with Reishi and Turkey Tail mushrooms, I can confirm that THCV is a great option for anyone who has an overwhelming daily to-do list.

“Sweet and tangy pineapple with a crunchy coating of sugar made my mouth water with each piece.” THCVIVA.COM | @VIVATHCV 4.66MG THC & 3.14MG THCV PER PIECE 10 PIECES PER PACKAGE

REVIEW by RYAN SANETEL @QUALITY.CONTROL.MEDIA for OREGON LEAF | PHOTO by DIANA THOMPSON @DUDE.DIANA

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alternative medicine corner

BONOBONO

GOLDEN TEACHER MAGIC MUSHROOM CHOCOLATE BAR

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“The dosage on the side of the bar offers a range between feelgood and a mind and body experience.”

WE’RE IN THE MIDST of a monumental shift, not only in the marketplace, but in the perception of psychedelics in general. What we once associated with face-melting trips has been softened with a friendlier legal landscape and the myriad benefits of microdosing. The crew at BONOBONO knows this and in place of colorful cartoon packaging, they offer a highquality magic chocolate bar in a mature wrapper that offers experiences ranging from mood elevation to interstellar travel. Fitting for a high-end mushroom bar, their premiere offering is simply dark chocolate. This bar is organic, vegan and gluten-free – nothing that might mess with a sensitive tummy on the trip. The chocolate serves to temper the earthy fungal flavor with the added benefits of compounds like theobromine, caffeine and tryptamines that contribute to elevating your mood. In short, this thing tastes great and according to the package, will get you feeling great as well. The dosage on the side of the bar offers a range between feel-good and a mind and body experience. At four grams of mushrooms per bar and 12 pieces to a pack, we get a generous third of a gram in each easy-to-break piece. The producers are no strangers to burgeoning legal markets and inform me that they’ve used Golden Teachers in this batch – rotating in Blue Meanies and Albino Penis Envy varieties when available. The wrapper has one-half piece marked as a microdose, and one to two pieces labeled as a sparkle dose. I go straight for the wavy dose and eat three pieces before an early afternoon forest hike … and then (for science) munch two more pieces as we hit the trailhead. According to the handy dosing guide, I should expect to trip on the lighter end of their full mind and body experience. Moments into the hike colors become more vibrant. The sway of the leaves seems more rhythmic and time dilates to a pleasing crawl. An hour into our hike I pull the bar out to split amongst my hiking party who complain that I’m “having more fun than they are.” I’m happy to see that the chocolate hasn’t melted into the bottom of my bag (a possibility on this increasingly warm day). My buddies split what is left and soon they’re giggling along with me, admiring the veins of the nearby leaves pulsing to some unheard heartbeat. On the loop back, we talk about the sun shining through the leaves, the geometry of a snail’s shell, and the realization that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration. Then we quote our favorite comedians, laughing loudly as we make it back to our ride just as the sun falls behind the horizon. BONOBONO should be more widely available as Oregon develops the rules around these products and experiences. Until then, simply put the word out amongst your starry-eyed and adventurous friends. @FEELBONO

AUG. 2022

STORY by RYAN HERRON @THELOUD100 | PHOTO by DIANA THOMPSON @DUDE.DIANA

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FUNCTIONAL FUNGI

There are marvels in the world of mushrooms – and while the Psychedelia Issue has primarily touched on the trippy – we’re taking a detour here into their medicinal and adaptogenic properties. The fascinating realm of fungi provides a plethora of opportunities for improvement of health, and nowadays you don’t have to be a culinary expert to reap the benefits of these miracles of nature. In today’s rapidly expanding health and wellness market there are plenty of ways to get your daily dose – including these three brands we’ve pulled Off the Shelf to put on your radar.

VERDANT LEAF CAPSULES

Verdant Leaf’s capsules offer activated and freeze-dried fungi that are simply slipped in with your regular vitamin routine. The company produces the USDA and Oregon Tilth-certified organic mycelium at their own facility in Hillsboro. Inside of each vegan and gluten/GMO-free capsule, they’ve packed a full gram of Lion’s Mane, Reishi, Cordyceps or Turkey Tail (depending on your product preference). Verdantleaf.com | @verdantleaffungi

AUG. 2022

HYPHAE WELLNESS GUMMIES

If capsules aren’t your jam, then you may find a friend in Hyphae Wellness. They’ve added a lineup of vegan and non-GMO gummies, featuring huckleberry, strawberry-guava and mango-passion fruit purees. Each bottle contains 3,500mg of mushrooms packed into 25 gummies. These soft, sweet treats are filled with the fruited bodies of Hyphae’s Lion’s Mane mushrooms – a product they grow inhouse at their Eugene facility. Gethyphae.com | @hyphaewellness

DEME DRINKING CHOCOLATE

For those looking to spend a little more time with their medicinal mushrooms, Deme has delivered. This Portland brand is the offspring of Trailhead Coffee Roasters. It’s rich drinking chocolate packed with the power of organic mushroom extracts, coconut milk, agave, cacao, cinnamon, cayenne and coffee. The warm, earthy and subtly spicy libation lends a loving blend of Reishi, Lion’s Mane, Turkey Tail, Shitake and Maitake. Demepdx.com | @demepdx

REVIEW & PHOTO by AMANDA DAY @TERPODACTYL_MEDIA/OREGON LEAF

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PRESENTS

High Priest of LSD The

After experimenting with psychedelics in the early 1960s, Harvard psychology professor Timothy Leary experienced a spiritual awakening and became an unlikely icon of the counterculture. Preaching to the nation’s youth to “tune in, turn on, and drop out,” he became America’s poster boy for LSD — and “the most dangerous man in America,” according to President Richard Nixon. But it wasn’t acid that led to the controversial guru’s eventual imprisonment—it was Cannabis.

INTRO TO PSYCH The year was 1960, and a 40-year-old clinical psychologist from Massachusetts named Timothy Leary had recently begun lecturing at the prestigious Harvard University. There, he learned from a colleague about a sacred ceremony involving hallucinogenic mushrooms he’d recently experienced in Mexico. Intrigued, he traveled down to Cuernavaca that August, where he had his first psychedelic experience on psilocybin mushrooms, which forever changed his life trajectory. After returning to Harvard that fall, he partnered with assistant professor Richard Alpert to found the Harvard Psilocybin Project: A research program to study psilocybin’s effects on human consciousness using a synthetic version of the compound created by Swiss chemist Albert Hofman Leary with Richard Alpert at of Sandoz Labs – the same Harvard, circa 1961. chemist who discovered LSD. Leary’s introduction to acid came in October 1961 through a mysterious British “rascal” named Michael Hollingshead, who reportedly showed up in Cambridge with a mayonnaise jar of sugar paste laced with it. Two months later, Leary finally agreed to try it – allegedly swallowing a heaping tablespoon of the stuff, then proceeding to experience an epic death-and-rebirth level trip that literally blew his mind.

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Timothy Leary with partner Richard Alpert (in the background) at an event at Harvard University in the early 1960s.

MILLBROOK Over the next few years, the Harvard Psilocybin Project conducted several studies, including the Concord Prison Experiment (evaluating the effects of psilocybin on the rehabilitation of paroled prisoners) and the Marsh Chapel Experiment (testing its ability to trigger religious experiences). But the Project’s unorthodox methods, lack of objectivity and cavalier attitude soon lead to their dismissal from Harvard. Luckily for them, their work had attracted the attention of millionaire siblings Peggy, Billy and Tommy Hitchcock, who in late 1963 offered the duo their 64-room mansion in Millbrook, New York to continue their research. At Millbrook, Leary and Alpert founded the Castalia Foundation and continued their entheogenic experiments – attracting visits from beatnik icons Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs, Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters, jazz musician Charles Mingus and others. But within a few years, Millbrook had devolved from a research project into a hippie commune/party house. That party ended in 1966 when the estate was raided multiple times – first by the Dutchess County

Sheriff’s Department (led by future Watergate mastermind G. Gordon Liddy) in April, then several more times by the FBI. After Millbrook’s implosion, Alpert took off for India (later reinventing himself as Ram Dass), while Leary headed to California to connect with the burgeoning new hippie movement. LEGEND OF A MIND By this time, Leary was quickly became an icon of the new counterculture – embarking on college speaking tours, being interviewed by Playboy, and even having a song written about him by The Moody Blues. In January 1967, Leary and Alpert were invited to speak at the Human Be-In – a seminal hippie gathering in Golden Gate Park featuring performances by Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead, among others. It was here that he first coined his infamous mantra: “Tune in, Turn on, Drop out.”

“The Human Be-In” poster.

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Recording “Give Peace a Chance” at John & Yoko’s Montreal “Bed-In For Peace” (1969).

It was also during this time that he became friends with John Lennon. Having been inspired to write the Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows” after reading Leary’s book “The Psychedelic Experience,” John and Yoko invited Leary and his new wife Rosemary to their “Bed-In For Peace” at Montreal’s Queen ElizaLeary for Governor beth Hotel, where they famously recorded poster (1970). “Give Peace a Chance.” Lennon also offered to help Leary in his newly-announced gubernatorial race against Ronald Reagan in California by penning him a song based on his campaign slogan: “Come together, join the party.” Unfortunately, a pot arrest that December killed Leary’s political aspirations; “Come Together,” however, lives on. BROTHERHOOD BUST At the end of 1967, Leary moved to Laguna Beach, where he became one of the spiritual leaders of notorious hash smugglers/ LSD evangelists Brotherhood of Eternal Love. On December 26, Tim and wife Rosemary with 1968, a rookie cop named Brotherhood of Eternal Love Neil Purcell – who had been leader Johnny Griggs (1967). casing the Brotherhood’s neighborhood (nicknamed “Dodge City”) – noticed Leary’s car parked suspiciously and decided to investigate. After recognizing the driver and claiming to smell burnt marijuana, Purcell searched the vehicle and discovered two roaches in the ashtray. Further exploration allegedly uncovered four pounds of marijuana and hashish, as well as a few tabs of LSD (all of which Leary claimed were planted). Leary, his wife and son Jack were all arrested and charged with suspicion of possession with intent to sell. Leary was later tried and convicted and on January 21, 1970, was sentenced to 10 years. LEARY V. THE UNITED STATES But that wasn’t the first time Leary had been busted for weed – a year earlier, he was arrested in Laredo, Tex. while he and his family were returning from vacation in Mexico. At the border, a Customs agent reportedly noticed small bits of marijuana and seeds on the vehicle’s floor. Upon searching the car, they

to bust him out. On the discovered a quantity of night of September 14, weed (initially reported Leary climbed a teleas three ounces but later phone pole, shimmied revealed at trial to be along the wire across the around half an ounce), yard, then dropped down including 11 grams over the fence, where hidden in his daughter the Weathermen were Susan’s underwear. waiting nearby to spirit Though Leary took him away. After that, The full responsibility for the Leary’s mugshot Black Panthers providweed, he and his daugh(1970). ed him and Rosemary ter were both arrested. with fake passports and Leary was charged on three counts: the smuggled them to their smuggling and unlawful transportation of safe haven in Algeria. marijuana into the U.S., and not paying Soon after, they moved federal tax on said marijuana (as required Top: Leary’s Calif. Dept. of to Switzerland and by the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937). Corrections escape bulletin. remained on the Leary’s initial defense Above: Tim & Rosemary’s lam until 1973 – was a religious one, fake passport photos. when they were claiming that the marijuarecaptured by the na was for sacramental Bureau of Narcotics at Kabul airport use and invoking his right and extradited back to the U.S. to use it under the Free Leary spent the next three years Exercise Clause of the First in Folsom Prison, during which he Amendment. Unfortunately, apparently cooperated with the FBI that defense failed and the and informed on all of his associates jury took just 45 minutes to in exchange for a reduced sentence. find him guilty on both counts. Though he claimed he only gave the On March 11, 1966, the Feds info that was outdated or that judge fined him $30,000 and Poster for fund to they already knew, most of his friends sentenced him to a staggering raise money for Leary’s legal defense. disowned him as a rat. 30 years in prison. Facing what amounted to DESIGN FOR DYING life behind bars, Leary hired a crack team of Leary was released from lawyers to defend him. His attorneys appealed prison by Gov. Jerry the ruling on the basis that the Marihuana Tax Brown in April 1976, Act was unconstitutional, arguing that to obey “Nice Dreams” after which he spent the federal law, he would’ve been forced to cameo. a short time in witincriminate himself under state law – a clear ness protection before violation of the Fifth Amendment. returning to public life. He spent the next two His case, Leary v. United States, eventually decades lecturing as a “stand-up philosopher” reached the Supreme Court. On May 19, – appearing in movies and TV shows (including 1969, the Court ruled unanimously in his favor the famous cameo in Cheech & Chong’s “Nice – declaring the Marihuana Tax Act unconstituDreams”) and writing books on “far out” topics tional, thus overturning his conviction and nelike space colonization, near-death and out-ofgating America’s federal Cannabis prohibition. (Unfortunately, Congress passed the Controlled body experiences, and the afterlife. Upon learning that he had inoperable prosSubstances Act months later, re-criminalizing it along with most other drugs). Despite this victo- tate cancer in January 1995, the ever-eccentric iconoclast said he was “thrilled” – celebrating ry, he was still found guilty of the other charges his imminent demise by hosting a “death day” and on March 2, 1970, was sentenced to 10 party, consuming multiple drugs, and recording years. Combined with the Texas conviction, he the whole thing to broadcast online. He died in nevertheless faced 20 years in prison. his sleep just after midnight on May 31, 1996, at the age of 75. A year later, a portion of his THE FUGITIVE PHILOSOPHER ashes were sent up in the Pegasus rocket – fulOn May 13, 1970, Leary was remanded to filling his dream of becoming an “ashtronaut” the California Men’s Colony – a minimum-seand proving to the world one last time how curity prison in San Luis Obispo. After his final “spaced out” he truly was. appeal was rejected in June, Leary arranged (allegedly through his lawyer Michael Kennedy) to have the Brotherhood pay the radical leftist For our podcast & more Cannabis history content group the Weather Underground $20,000 visit worldofcannabis.museum/cannthropology.

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IF IT WEREN’T FOR THE BUBONIC PLAGUE, rats could easily be man’s best friend. And the rat-infested movie “Willard” didn’t help their reputation, either. You snicker … but what we’re talking about is pretty much just an oversized mouse, right? I mean, if you really put tangible reasoning to our fearful rationale, the rat has never done anything wrong. Like people, they’re hungry, crafty varmints who are scouring the planet in search of leftovers. The biggest difference between us and them is that we have thumbs and bigger melons – making it a helluva lot easier to find food. Without this enormous advantage, you’d see people crawling wherever necessary to scour up however many bites as it takes to fill that nagging tummy, too! Hunger will drive you to do the unthinkable. And OK, they multiply quickly – but so do we. Now, I’m not advocating for new leash laws for these sniffy scavengers, but if you think about it, they’re docile and furry with cute little mouths who pretty much just want to nuzzle up for a good cuddle (if you’re down to have a pink potbelly warming the nape of your neck). Sure, that tail is thick, but a dog’s is bigger and whippier. And so are their farts. You know, every story needs a villain, so it could be said that the negative light shed on these feral friends has painted them as something to fear – when in reality, they could make pleasant companions for us all after a good snipping of the reproductive organs. Rats seem like happy creatures – red eyes and all! And by the way, there is nothing wrong with red eyes. I see them in the mirror every day after a fat bong rip. And then I nibble on some cheese.

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