4 minute read
EDITOR’S NOTE
THE ENLIGHTENED VOICE
NORTHWEST LEAF / OREGON LEAF / ALASKA LEAF / MARYLAND LEAF / CALIFORNIA LEAF / NORTHEAST LEAF
ABOUT THE COVER
This month’s cover shoot for our 2nd-annual Weed and Wellness Issue embodies the heart of our edition: practicing self-care through the artful use of Cannabis consumption. On set in Seattle, a dream team of photographer Keti Chikhladze, longtime Leaf Nation stylist Malina Lopez, Creative Director Daniel Berman, and Cannabis and yoga enthusiast Kate Higby, collaborated to showcase how Cannabis can help us to become our very best. In this special issue, our contributors bring us heartfelt articles on women’s health, alternative Cannabinoids, the best terpenes, and how Cannabis can enhance your creativity. Spark up, enjoy, and be well!
Cover Photo by Keti Chikhladze @immigrantstoner Props, Wardrobe & Set by Malina Lopez @malinalopez Cannabis & Yoga Modeling by Kate Higby @mediiikate Art Direction by Daniel Berman @bermanphotos
WES ABNEY Editor’s Note
Thanks for picking up the Weed & Wellness Issue of the Leaf!
The classic saying that health is wealth is more poignant than ever as we find ourselves in a new year of uncertainty following a global pandemic – which is why we chose to focus our first issue of 2023 on all the ways that Cannabis can help add to a healthy lifestyle.
As a child of the DARE era I was told that Cannabis was bad for you, could cause cancer, and tons of other drug war propagandized lies. But from my first toke, I’ve known that Cannabis made me and others around me feel better! This is now evident with stories told in the Leaf from people all over the world whose lives have been improved by access to our favorite plant. And now we are finding new and interesting ways to integrate Cannabis into our lives…
From pre and post workout routines to our sexual lives, Cannabis can make fun activities even more enjoyable! And those struggling with addiction to substances like alcohol, pharmaceuticals or other drugs, can find relief in Cannabis and remove the negative input by replacing it with plant powered medicine. It’s truly amazing what the right dose of terpenes and cannabinoids can do, and I hope that this issue inspires you to think about Cannabis beyond getting high – and to explore how it can help your life or those of your loved ones.
Just as a joint should be shared to be fully enjoyed, so must be the information about how Cannabis helps improve lives. By now most of America knows that smoking weed isn’t really dangerous, and a lot of people have experienced the joy of picking out a strain at a dispensary and trying it legally. But what America and our global community need to wake up to is how many pills Cannabis can replace, and how many diseases, health issues and addiction problems can be solved with the plant that was once considered the most dangerous drug of all.
But after all, the most dangerous part of Cannabis is the fact that it disrupts the pharmaceutical industry agenda, is safer than alcohol, and opens minds instead of clouding them. The scariest thing about the pay-for-play healthcare system in America is the idea that a plant grown in the backyard can replace half the medicine cabinet. Growing your own medicine and having access to it from trusted sources in medicinally oriented products is the epitome of health autonomy, and we are all blessed to live in a time where Cannabis is once again leading the pharmacological movement towards natural, safer medicines.
So the next time you smoke weed for a headache, use a topical for back pain or have a friend complaining about sleep issues, suggest a specialized Cannabis product or a strain that has helped you. That’s how we plant seeds of change and help the people we love to embrace the plant we can all benefit from!
WES ABNEY CEO & FOUNDER wes@leafmagazines.com
MIKE RICKER OPERATING PARTNER ricker@leafmagazines.com
TOM BOWERS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER tom@leafmagazines.com
DANIEL BERMAN CREATIVE DIRECTOR daniel@leafmagazines.com
AMANDA DAY STATE CONTENT DIRECTOR amanda@leafmagazines.com
MAKANI NELSON STATE SALES DIRECTOR makani@leafmagazines.com (808) 754-4182
O’HARA SHIPE ONLINE EDITOR ohara@leafmagazines.com
MEGHAN RIDLEY COPY EDITOR
meghan@leafmagazines.com
CORTNEY “BUBBLES” DONACA
COMMUNITY & BRAND ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR bubbles@leafmagazines.com CONTRIBUTORS
WES ABNEY, REVIEWS DANIEL BERMAN, PHOTOS BOBBY BLACK, DESIGN + FEATURES JOSHUA BOULET, ILLUSTRATION TOM BOWERS, FEATURES KETI CHIKHLADZE, PHOTOS KATELYN COLLINS, FEATURES AMANDA DAY, FEATURES + PHOTOS CORTNEY “BUBBLES” DONACA, REVIEWS STEVE ELLIOTT, NATIONAL NEWS RYAN HERRON, FEATURES KATE HIGBY, MODELING MALINA LOPEZ, STYLING MAKANI NELSON, REVIEWS MIKE RICKER, FEATURES MEGHAN RIDLEY, EDITING RYAN SANETEL, FEATURES TONY SIMONELLI, PHOTOS DIANA THOMPSON, PHOTOS BRUCE WOLF, PHOTOS LAURIE WOLF, RECIPES
WE ARE CREATORS OF TARGETED, INDEPENDENT CANNABIS JOURNALISM. Please email us to discuss advertising in an upcoming 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 to help support Oregon Leaf, the state’s longest-running Cannabis magazine!
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