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“This Summer Of Love, Celebrate Yourself.” ALSO FEATURING: DEMI LOVATO LIGHTS UP A NEW CANNABIS TREND FLOWER POWER THE SHEEPDOGS DAYS OF SUMMER WEED DESERTS WITH KATE ROBERSON THE NOMAD COOK, TRAVIS PETERSEN A CANNABIS-INFUSED GUIDE TO CANADA'S BEST GOLF COURSES
THE CALIFORNIA-BASED ACTIVIST BURSTS INTO OUR SKY LIKE A SUPERNOVA
+ THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN THE TRAILER PARK BOYS CELEBRATE 20 YEARS EXCLUSIVELY WITH KIND
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LITTLE JAMAICA, BIG HEART WE CELEBRATE 9 LOCAL REGGAE ARTISTS THIS SUMMER
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SUMMER OF LOVE
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CANADIAN SUMMER OF LOVE Welcome to the summer of love, we cordially invite you to light your spliff and attend. It's about staying safe, but reconnecting physically and emotionally with our most important family members and friends. A summer of intimate togetherness and shared experiences. As the cannabis community in this country, it’s just in our nature and we’re all cut from the same cloth: good times, good vibes, equal rights, kindness.
Taken together, these photographs are just some of the summer vibes that we’re missing: the Pride Parade, Caribana, Osheaga, Raptors Championship, the Calgary Stampede. We want you to take a look at these pictures and feel the vibrations. We will be there again soon.
PHOTOGRAPH BY CLARISSA D'COSTA
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A S B R AV E AND AS STRONG AS WE WANT TO BE Laganja Estranja lights up our post-COVID redemption with compassion, flamboyance, bong hits and love B Y
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Raised in Dallas, Texas, and blown up in Hollywood, California, Laganja Estranja is the drag world’s crossover star touting equal rights, freedom, and parties on the beach with rosé and hash. After emerging on RuPaul’s Drag Race as a star, Laganja—born Jay Evan Jackson to two high school guidance counsellors—quickly used her celebrity as a platform both in and out of cannabis to proclaim personal freedoms, tolerance and
K A P L A N positive vibes. Whether on television, at shows, or featured in the new "House Of Pride” campaign by McDonald’s, Laganja is an activist; an outspoken frontline warrior and someone whose mission of equal rights and blunts has made the cannabis world in which we all live in so much better for all she does, how she lives, and what she embodies. Ben Kaplan, the editor of kind, reached Laganja in Palm Springs, of course.
PHOTOGRAPHY / MAKE-UP / STYLING BY ROBERT HAYMAN ASSISTANT HECTOR FLORES III
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LAGANJA ESTRANJA
BK: You seem so comfortable in your skin, so fearless. Can you talk about your journey? LE: My journey has been constant growth and constant change. I really stepped away from my parents. My mother was a high school guidance counsellor, but I went to an arts high school
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Laganja Estranga: On a beach with rosé in one hand and some weed in the other. That’s a good afternoon to me. And we need music! Let’s say we’re listening to Malia Civetz. I worked with her during covid and she’s so talented and her music is timeless. She writes for so many people and has for decades.
and when I got there, I got to find out who I BK: Everyone needs to hear was as an individual and you know what? If I that at every point of their lives. could talk to myself at 16, I would say: enjoy the process. You’re going to be beautiful. LE: To all kind readers, you’re going to be beautiful. Enjoy the process! Now they all know.
C O V E R
Ben Kaplan: This edition is all about positive vibes. Give me the perfect Laganja Estranja summer afternoon.
LAGANJA ESTRANJA
BK: Were you out at 16? LE: I identified as gay and started expressing myself honestly and became comfortable with the fact that I was feminine.
BK: Now that you’re on a billboard in Times Square, do you wish you would’ve been easier on yourself at 16?
BK: These days, you’re known as much for your activism as you are for your music and stage show. Was it difficult finding your voice? LE: I’ve always thought my voice matters. I was taught at a young age that as an artist you have the power to affect people—even if it’s one person in the audience, your art can change someone's life.
LE: I would’ve told myself to believe in myself more and not be so afraid. BK: You were ready for the spotlight when RuPaul came calling?
spend back into my art. Step one? Believe. LE: After that, and touring internationally, I Every other step is all about putting the really had to pay attention. Like, wait, they want work in. me to sing in Singapore? I realized I had been put on a global stage and it was up to me to keep this alive and keep doing this—or BK: And weed? ultimately fizzle away. LE: We’re in a very monogamous relationship. I see her every day. BK: You fizzling away doesn’t feel likely. LE: Did you know that the first time I performed at the Cannabis Cup I was booed offstage?
“And weed?” Ben Kaplan
“We’re in a very monogamous relationship. I see her every day.”
BK: You’re close? LE: She’s a very dear friend—an integral part of my life.
BK: Are you seeing any improvement?
Laganja Estranja
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BK: You told us that story of the Cannabis Cup and we’ve heard some things from friends up here who’ve gotten a tough time in the industry. Can you talk about homophobia in weed? LE: I wish it wasn’t there, but it is and someone has to fight it.
BK: Bad-ass. LE: I’m as brave and as strong as I want to be.
LE: There’s good steps being done. Things are getting better. Slow progress is still progress, right?
BK: What are your words to our queer readers, to folks still battling discrimination and trying to find their way? LE: You are not alone and every second, live your life out loud.
BK: We appreciate that sincerely and our readers are going to be proud of this issue and you on our cover.
BK: We all are. LE: We are. But I believe in real work. I work my butt off every day. And I put my money where my mouth is. Every dollar I earn I
BK: Cannabis being homophobic just feels so wrong. LE: Cannabis needs to care about us, it's getting better, and I hate to say it, but at the end of the day, it’s still a homophobic industry no matter how many rainbows company's tout.
BK: Bullshit. LE: Yeah, and it was a pivotal moment in my life because I realized: it’s not going to be easy. So I had to make a choice: was this something I wanted? I chose yes and continued to fight and provide visibility in the cannabis industry.
they’re just faking allyship eventually we’ll know. But I’ve partnered with awesome companies and I’m grateful.
LE: I’m proud to do it and proud to be here for them, but we're seeing companies doing more and saying the right things and, whether it’s authentic or not, we’ll see. If
BK: Thank you for your time, my friend. Last words to the readers of kind? LE: Celebrate yourself. You’re a beautiful individual on this earth and you matter just as you are.
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WELCOME TO LITTLE JAMAICA
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Though it seems like Little Jamaica is perpetually changing, one thing has always remained the same: its music culture. In the 90s, the neighborhood was home to Kiddie Carnival, the Caribana parade for young children, where soca and reggae blanketed the streets as youth and their parents chipped down the road; throughout its existence, it was a regular stopping point for visiting artists like Bob Marley and the Wailers; it was abundant with record stores, notably Trea-jah-Isle Records (still in operation), but inclusive of others like King Culture, Record Factory and Joe Gibbs Records, whose presence transformed Toronto into one of the largest hubs of reggae music outside of Kingston, Jamaica. What presently remains of Little Jamaica is a shell of what was. Despite it being dubbed a Heritage Conservation District it has transformed into something that is sometimes unrecognizable, but as the Jamaican adage goes, “Every mikkle mek a mukkle,” meaning: all the small things add up to big things. With community organizers like Black Urbanism TO, Black Futures on Eglinton and Reclaim Rebuild Eg West who have empowered its residents, how do we expand the legacies that hail from people who have
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connections with the space? Let’s look at the past. When the music from Jamaica began to travel, particularly with migrants who left the country between the 60s and 80s, the sonics produced were an amalgamation of the riddims being made in Jamaica with inflections from their new geographical location. Much of what the Toronto soundscape manifested into can be heard on Jamaica to Toronto: Soul, Funk & Reggae 1967 - 1974: a mosaic of sounds from artists who were foundational in creating new, unique and localized strains of the music from back home. Despite a storied history that omits the contributions Black people have contributed to Canadian music, their offerings were chronicled, amplified and celebrated. So what’s the future of Little Jamaica’s story? Look no further than the music pioneers who continue to create music and the newer artists who have the same goals of allowing their heritage to take centre stage, teetering the lines of preservation and innovation.
>>>
Jones & Jones and Toronto’s finest reggae musicians invite Canada into their neighbourhood for a summertime dose of peace and love
T H E G O D F AT H E R J AY D O U G L A S Standing in front of the “Welcome to Little Jamaica” mural, Jay Douglas smiles and says, “That’s me.” Infectious energy emanates from the musician who moved to Toronto from Montego Bay in 1963 and remembers seeing Bob Marley walk down Eglinton Avenue West. “I’ve been here many moons,” says Douglas, who cut his teeth in the Cougars and still tours and records and adds, “COVID is a teacher. We have to pay attention to mother nature and stay connected to the universe.” Lover’s Paradise, his record from 2011 was nominated for a Juno and after five decades of performances, Douglas, arriving at the shoot with a film crew in tow, maintains that when music hits you, you feel no pain.
Jaydouglasmusic.com, @jaydouglasmusic
“Music transcends all boundaries,” he says. “One love.”
Little Jamaica may take on a different form, but the music that it inspires will live on forever. – Sharine Taylor
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JALANI MORGAN
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>>> T H E P R O P H E T, K I R K D I A M O N D
Kirkdiamondmusic.com, @kirkdiamond
“ The culture keeps me
grounded,” he says. “I feel the least I can do is give the same thing back to other kids who might be lost, might need music—might feel the same way.”
>>>
Kirk Diamond performed at the JUNO Awards this summer and already has a trophy to his name. But for the highly-touted Canadian superstar, no matter how big he gets, home will always be Little Jamaica. “Here, you want to listen to music loud—that’s the culture we come from,” says Diamond, the dancehall artist with shoulder-length dreads who also produces records and leads social activist movements in his community, where he says 90% of the people come from the Caribbean. “These streets are our culture, all you see is yellow, black and green,” says Diamond, at work on two new records that fuse reggae, hip hop and dub music styles. When he was a child, he saw his first reggae concert. Moving to Canada from Jamaica, he felt adrift. Reggae music gave him a connection.
T H E P R O D I G Y, CHELSEA STEWART Before the pandemic, Chelsea Stewart released her self-titled debut album. When the music industry shut down, she pivoted and opened Fruit & Veg To Go, serving fresh fruit and vegetables in her city. Stewart is young, jazzy and soulful; quick on her feet, the JUNOnominated performer says she is mindful of her blessings. “That’s what reggae does, it gets people through hard times,” says Stewart, who recently released two videos from her album, Forever Your Girl and Glory. With record shops closed and no tour dates, Stewart would sell her album from her purse and she has no ego regarding her music—she just wants to spread joy to as many people as she possibly can. “I feel grateful when I wake up in the morning with the sun shining and a brand new day to get one step closer to accomplishing my goals. Not everyone is blessed with that, ” she says.
Chelseastewart.com, @cstewartsings
“Music or food, I’m happy
to serve the community. We all need a little help through the pandemic.”
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>>> THE YOUNG KING, LEXXICON Already at work on his third album, the 25-yearold from Jamaica who arrived in Toronto after stints in Birmingham, England and New York, Lexxicon describes his music as “afrodancehall.” “I’m still growing and pushing myself and trying to do things differently,” says Lexxicon, whose videos like Doing To Me and more recently, Paradise, show the artist at his soulful best. A singer, dancer and performer who’s captured the industry’s eye, he says that even though he’s influenced by artists like Rihanna, the music he makes is entirely his own. “I like creating my own world in each song,” he says, adding that he likes to spend his summers at the beach with his music up loud.
>>>
Lexxiconofficial.com, @officialexxicon
“ I make music to awaken
the sleeping consciousness of the masses.”
THE ICON, EXCO LEVI With five JUNO awards under his belt, Levi’s three reggae albums are full-stop Canadian classics. When he walks through Little Jamaica, he’s stopped multiple times. Levi speaks to everyone, no matter their position. “Reggae was created in the ghetto of Jamaica,” he says. “It’s the newspaper of the people.” The music of Exco Levi is conscious and spiritual, and he tells kind magazine that reggae can uplift the people after our difficult COVID months of isolation. “Reggae is the vaccine for the human heart,” says Levi, who poses for a photograph before Trea-Jah-Isle Records, where inside his poster adorns the wall and his records sell out routinely.
Excoleviofficial.com, @excolevi
“I perform for the people
to transmit positive frequencies.”
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>>> THE TEACHER, EYESUS
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Eyesus is lean and sinewy and arrives in the baddest fashion of the afternoon. However, when asked about his style, he gravitates towards the spiritual. “We are true blessings from the Creator,” says Eyesus, whose name is a play on “eyes” and “us,” a reference to the allseeing nature of the Almighty. “I want people to feel good, and positive, happy vibes when they hear my music,” he says. “Let them feel free of stress and everything going on.” A dancehall artist and kinetic performer, Eyesus recently released the singles "Family" and "Everything Will Be Alright", a play on the Bob Marley song which comes as a reassurance for our times of need. “Once you have life, you have everything,” he says.
T H E R O C K S TA R , T R I S T O N F I V E S TA R
@eyesusmusic
“I was always in love with music,” says Triston Fivestar, who grew up in Jamaica not only listening to Shabba Ranks and Mad Lion but also Justin Bieber and Nelly Furtado. On his record Sex With You, featuring Spice, Fivestar shows the world that dancehall is
“Vanity, money— these things are nothing. Life and love, these are the blessings of my music.”
fire in Canada. “I took it upon myself to show the world that Toronto can do dancehall,” says Fivestar, who moved to Canada in 2003 and makes dance music custom-made for summertime evenings, in the bedrooms and in the clubs. “I didn’t have family or friends when I got here, I had music,” he says, and mentions that the feedback from the crowd when he performs is the power behind his productions.
@tristonfivestar
“ I live for the reaction,” he
says. “Every time I rock a show, I’m leaving with more fans than when I started.”
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>>> THE SHOWSTOPPER, K I M K E L LY
@kimkellymusic Makeup and styling by @niko.mua
“ I want them to live their freedom.”
>>>
Kim Kelly has two sons and a voice she honed at church on Sunday mornings. The musician is a siren and cars honk and brake when they see her posed for her photograph, but the artist doesn’t mention sexuality as the driving force of her work. “My music has a sense of peace. It’s therapy for me to sing how I feel,” says Kelly, who describes her sound as “soulful dancehall,” and is working on a new LP after releasing the video for Vibes this spring. Her depth manifests three-dimensionally: on-stage, on-record and in conversation, when she talks about the life she wants to have for her children. She says, “I want them to live their freedom.”
THE ROCK, STEELE Mark Steele started performing around Canada in 1992 and his influence on the scene is difficult to quantify. How important is the sky? At once substantial and easygoing, powerful, playful and quick to lend a hand, Steele has been the backbone of the Canadian reggae scene for three decades. “I started for the girls,” says Steele with a laugh, mentioning that in the 80s he recorded at Bob Marley’s famous Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston, Jamaica. “When I first came to Canada, the world didn’t look north for reggae. I took that as a challenge.” Challenge met, Steele continues to record and tour and released the album Just Breathe as a reminder to his bredren during the lockdown. The first video is called Sweet Reggae Music and he says that sweet reggae music can uplift us all. “I’ve been blessed making reggae music and it still brings me the same joy today that it used to bring me back then,” he says.
@steele_mobs
“I’m fueled by sweet reggae music. After all these years, I still only move full steam ahead.”
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T R A I L E R PA R K B O Y S
Big News.
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To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Ricky, Julian, Bubbles and the denizens of Sunnyvale Trailer Park, Ben Kaplan, editor of kind magazine, poured himself a Jack and Coke and fired up some of Ricky’s homegrown to get a sense of Canada’s hooligan heroes' summertime plans. B E N
K A P L A N
Ben Kaplan: This magazine is being picked mushroom juice or whatever and the next up in licensed cannabis retail locations BK: Do you have any cannabis thing I know, I’m riding a unicorn around on across the country. Have you been shopping advice for kind readers? planet whatever! recently in Canada for legal weed? Ricky: I like the edibles with the CBD. It Ricky: There’s different strains for whatever makes me smarter and a lot faster when I’m Ricky: I like to go in and check the stuff out. I you’re up to. If you’re chilling at home running from the cops. don’t buy a whole lot though. I supply myself watching movies, get banged up on some Bubbles: You’re not faster, Ricky. with my own stuff. indica. If you want to build some shit, try Ricky: It feels like I am. Julian: I’ve been getting into edibles. The last sativa. Hash is great if you want to paint or Maybe I’m not. I don’t know. time I went to jail—and going to jail out of do anything crazy. shape isn’t fun—I decided that I was going to Bubbles: What about banging, Ricky? BK: I know you know how to party. start working out again. Edibles help me with Ricky: Hash is nice for banging. What are your summer plans? my cardio. BK: I didn’t know edibles did that. BK: Bubbles, maybe you can speak Ricky: I’m building a crazy piñata filled with Julian: I was smoking a lot of Ricky’s dope, but to our readers who are more pre-rolled joints of weed and that has little edibles are better. There’s a tip for people who novices in the cannabis space? liquor bottles in it and when you smash it like to work out. open, you don’t know what you’re going to Bubbles: I don’t smoke a lot of weed, but Bubbles: Don’t take unidentified weed and smoke. I like going to the stores because they put homemade hash or eat anything if you have Julian: You’re not building another weed labels on the weed. When Ricky hands you a a friend like Ricky. pinata, are you? joint, you don’t know if it’s light or will take BK: How come? Ricky: I’ve got to. you right to the moon and you shit yourself. Bubbles: I end up floating around like I’m Julian: I’ve got four quarts of liquor and I’m Like the government weed, that’s 10mg. on goddamned Mars I’m so high. Ricky gave going to drink every one of them until I pass You know how fucked up you’re going to me a sucker one time. I took a couple licks out—probably after I blast off fireworks for get. With Ricky’s stuff, it’s rolling the dice. and he made it in a bucket with paint and three or four hours.
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bar, a big giant deep freeze full of steaks and pork chops and pizzas. I had a great time, but I should’ve been getting paid. Bubbles: It’s just been horseshit after horseshit. Ricky living in the woods eating beavers and Julian squatting in some rich person’s house and inevitably I always get left alone, and the shitty part is I can’t let the kitties out. BK: How are the kitties? Bubbles: I had to build 146 tiny little kittie masks. It’s been a goddamn nightmare.
Bubbles: Oh, wow. I was going to go down behind the mall and have a picnic, but I guess I’ll be drunk out of my mind on liquor and shooting fireworks off. Julian: Sounds like a good time to me.
BK: Has COVID put a damper on your fun?
Ricky: It definitely screwed us up a bit. I was living in the woods for a while and we can’t see Julian, but Bubbs and I are OK. Bubbles: Ricky was eating a diet of squirrels. BK: You guys definitely know how to throw How many a week? 15? summertime ragers. This year, we have to Ricky: I don’t want to talk about that, it gives be careful because of the pandemic, but me flashbacks. can we reflect back on good times past? Bubbles: Wild ducks and salmon, a couple trout, rabbit—a lot of squirrels. Julian: The fireworks for our fifteenth anniversary Julian: I had a great time during COVID. I was were pretty crazy. We burned a able to find a house where people had gone trailer down. away to Europe and I looked after their house Ricky: That was a bit of a shit show actually. for months. It was incredible. We had a full Bubbles: I think we hung out with Tragically Hip on one Canada Day. Or did I imagine that? Ricky: If we did that, that was probably the best one. BK: What makes the summertime so awesome? Ricky: One great thing is you can pass out on the street or in a field and you don’t have to worry about dying. Bubbles: That’s definitely one of the perks— you don’t have to worry about freezing to death. Julian: You can light huge bonfires and get the barbecues going. I think in terms of drunk style, it’s the best time to drink—period. Ricky: Women are wearing Daisy Duke shorts and bikini tops. It’s perfect. Bubbles: All the firefighters have their tops off...
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BK: When you look back on 20 years of trials and tribulations, what surprises you the most about your success?
Bubbles: It’s a shock that it’s been twenty years because Julian potentially fucked up the contracts over and over again. I still don’t have a pot to piss in. Julian: We could’ve talked to some lawyers, but lawyers cost money and usually you can Google stuff like this, but the contracts are a little complicated. Ricky: That’s why people go to school for eight fucking years, to read them. Julian: They say you can find everything on Google. I tried. Ricky: That’s why we’re not retired.
Julian: Usually Hollywood actors after twenty years have a mansion and twenty cars and live in Beverly Hills. We don’t have much. Ricky: I’m surprised we’re still alive.
Doherty from the Mommas and the Poppas. He was awesome. Ricky: The D-man was awesome. Julian: Sebastian Bach is fun to party with. Ricky: He’s full-tilt. If there was a gas pedal, BK: What were audiences he’d be fucking pinned right to the floor. connecting with on your show? Bubbles: Alex Lifeson is a great person to party with. Burton Cummings. Our Lady Peace. We Ricky: They can learn from us—how to be went on tour with OLP. kind, and all about family, and also how to tell Ricky: Jay Baruchel likes to party. He can knock someone to fuck off. back the weed pretty good. And Nickelback. Julian: People have crazy mortgages and car Julian tried to join Nickelback. leases and all that crap. We don’t have any of Julian: I can’t sing so I didn’t do that, and I that stuff and I find we’re happier than most don’t know how many NHL players we partied people. Most people would like to be with over the years. like us. Bubbles: It’s all a big blur. Joe Thorton, Bubbles: I’m sure everyone Paul Coffey. We’re big fans of the NHL. is very jealous of us, Julian. BK: I certainly appreciate your time and BK: Things are opening up now. Who are getting the chance to meet you guys. the most famous Canadians you've partied How do we keep up with the latest and with and, if you could choose anyone to greatest Trailer Park Boys adventures? party with this summer, who would it be? Bubbles: SwearNet.com is where we have Julian: The Tragically Hip, those guys we everything. Camera people came and shot a partied with a bunch of times. And Denny whole season and we might be going back to
jail this summer, another season of that, so check out SwearNet.com. Ricky: Yes, sir. SwearNet.com. Get the app. Julian: We also have a tour coming in Christmas. Bubbles: I didn’t know about that. Julian: It’s all I could get this year. Bubbles: How much am I getting paid? Julian: I’m going to figure that out, Bubbs. Due time. BK: Last words to Canadian pot smokers? Bubbles: Thank you for twenty years of watching our bullshit. Julian: Thank you for buying us liquor drinks at the bars. Ricky: Thanks for the free weed and hash. It’s been amazing. Julian: We could’ve moved to the States and been living in big mansions in Beverly Hills, but I’m glad we stayed in Sunnyvale. To follow everything Trailer Park Boys, please see SwearNet.com.
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Petersen, arguably the country’s leader on ticketed infused meals, has served 4,500 people his infused experiences and he sees Canada’s federal recreational legal cannabis laws as an opportunity to add to his country’s tourism packages. Serving infused meals in Toronto, he met couples who’d traveled to his dinners from New York and Michigan and he believes that’s just the tip of the iceberg. If Canada could create a legal infused culinary industry, the country would benefit from tourism dollars, taxes and have another thing our country was known for: delicious infused food. “We have a golden opportunity,” says Petersen, based in Vancouver, newly engaged and 39 years old. “Couples who vacation for food aren’t picking Canada and it’s nothing against our amazing chefs and restaurants, but we’re just not seen as a culinary destination—
culinary cannabis is the new frontier.” Restaurants in Canada aren’t legally allowed to serve cannabis infused meals or drinks and ticketed events are legal, but operate in a grey zone. The law states that recreational cooking with cannabis is allowed at home, but you can’t sell cannabis without a government license. Petersen’s home cooking events are allowed, however, because his guests purchase their own cannabis and he, as a chef, can use their ingredients in his food.
“ Cannabis cuisine is growing in popularity and I think Canada has, and is missing, an opportunity to lead.” However, his dream is much bigger than tiptoeing around regulations and the vision he has isn’t only for himself. Petersen thinks Canadian chefs should be sharing recipes, opening infused hotspots and creating environments in which delicious new-wave cooking is not only allowed, but promoted. The wine industry has done wonders in the Niagara Valley and Kelowna. And Canopy was onto something when they turned
their headquarters in Smiths Falls into a tourist destination, with a gift shop and tour. Petersen knows that most of the large licensed producers dream of being able to sell their freshly grown cannabis from their greenhouses the way apple farmers sell their juices and pies. He says the Nomad Cook wants to do likewise, but take things a step further. And he also believes these restaurants would not be a venue for getting blitzed. “I gave a talk on cooking with CBD right before the pandemic to 450 American country club chefs and when I was finished, 30 country clubs were ready to bring me out,” Petersen recalls. “Cannabis cuisine is growing in popularity and I think Canada has, and is missing, an opportunity to lead.” Cooking with cannabis obviously isn’t easy. People have different tolerances and Petersen envisions something like a spiciness level to differentiate how many milligrams you’d want of THC in your infused food. He knows that his dream may be years away. Still, Canada made history by becoming the first G7 country to legalize recreational cannabis and we’re already changing the world. Why not reap more of the benefits in our tourism, and in our food? He says, “I think what we need is support from the government and courage in the culinary community because I know that people will come to Canada for this, right now.”
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BHANG MOLE INGREDIENTS 1 large Roma tomato 1/3 large white onion 5 medium chiles anchos 1/3 cup lard 1/3 cup bread crumbs 1/4 cup almond slivers 1/4 cup raisins 1 tbsp sesame seeds 1 whole star anise 2 tbsp kosher salt 1 tbsp brown sugar 4 cups chicken stock 1 oz bittersweet chocolate 1 Bhang Chocolate Bar
INSTRUCTIONS 1 2
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YOU'LL NEED Large saucepan Bowl
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Heat a grill to high and add your onion and tomato. Char all sides and remove. Transfer to a small plate and set aside until ready to use. Heat 3 tbsp of lard in a large saucepan over medium-high, about 1 minute. Fry the anchos until fragrant, browned and toasted on both sides, about 30 seconds; transfer to medium bowl. Fry bread crumbs, tossing frequently, until deep golden brown and crispy, 1 to 2 minutes; transfer to bowl with chiles. Add almonds, raisins, sesame seeds and anise to the same pot and fry, stirring constantly until raisins puff and lighten and almonds are browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add salt, sugar, chicken, chiles, bread crumbs, tomato and onion to the pot; bring to a boil; cover and reduce to a simmer and cook until chiles and almonds are very tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 20 minutes to cool slightly before blending. Transfer cooked chile mixture to a blender and emulsify on high until completely smooth. Rinse saucepan used to cook chiles until clean, wipe dry and reserve. In the clean pot, heat remaining 2 tablespoons lard over medium-high until very hot, about 1 minute or until you see tiny wisps of smoke. Carefully pour blended mole into the hot lard, standing back from the pot; it will spit and sputter! Stir, scraping up any fried bits from the bottom of the pot; reduce heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until top of mole is glossy and very thick, about 10 minutes.
THC Cookies & Cream White Chocolate
This delectably creamy indulgence has a cannabis-free taste and a sprinkle of crunchy cookie bits to delight your senses.
Using a double broiler, add the non-infused chocolate and begin to melt. Add a splash of milk or cream to help liquidity. Once it starts to become smooth, add your infused chocolate, melt and fully emulsify. Stir in chocolate and remove from heat, continuing to stir until completely melted. Season with additional salt or sugar if necessary. Serve over roast chicken and top with toasted sesame seeds.
Cannabis affects everyone differently. For more information visit www.canada.ca
To learn more, follow @BHANG.CANADA
THE EDGY VEG
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PL ANTPOWERED SUMMER GRILLING
LIFE IS FAST. SO IS THIS GUMMIE.
With The Edgy Veg
B Y C A N D I C E H U T C H I N G S
It’s time to shake up your boring summer BBQ, with some exciting, plant-forward mains. Don’t get me wrong, I love me a good ol' fashioned burger, but there is no reason for produce of all shapes and colours to sit in the corner as an afterthought when we have so many opportunities for delectable dishes with veggies as the star. Instead of restricting your barbeque to just "the meat," show your friends and fam how inventive you can get with plants! I know I’ll be serving up some Korean BBQ wings and even a vegan brisket this summer! Because, at the end of the day whether you’re veg or not, most of us just love good food.
Wana Quick gummies may result in a quicker onset and offset of effects*. All Wana Gummies are hand crafted with pectin, never gelatin, and are enhanced with over 30 terpenes. To learn more follow @Wana.Canada
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*Cannabis affects everyone differently. For more information visit www.canada.ca.
THE EDGY VEG
Cauliflower wings are always a hit with vegans and non-vegans alike. Switch things up by adding this simple Korean barbeque-inspired sauce and using the grill to finish. This is a perfect recipe to make ahead and just throw on a hot grill for 5 minutes before serving.
INSTRUCTIONS 1 2 3
INGREDIENTS 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1 cup unsweetened soy milk ¼ tsp sea salt + more to taste ¼ tsp onion powder ¼ tsp black pepper 2 small or 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into large florets 1 cup BBQ sauce of choice ¼ cup soy sauce 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
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TO SERVE 1 red onion, cut into wedges root left intact 4 green onions, sliced ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped ¼ cup sesame seeds
Serves 4
Heat a grill to high and add your onion and tomato. Char all sides and remove. Transfer to a small plate and set aside until ready to use. Line 1–2 baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat oven to 400° F. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, soy milk, salt, onion powder and pepper until smooth. If you find it is too watery, add a tablespoon of flour at a time to thicken. It should be close to a pancake batter consistency. Add your cauliflower, and toss to coat each floret completely. Place each floret onto the lined baking sheets, leaving space between each one. This will ensure they crisp up rather than steam. Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until crispy. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, add the BBQ, soy sauce, garlic and vinegar, and bring to just below a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until it thickens slightly and remove from the heat and set aside. When the cauliflower is crispy, remove it from the oven, add onion wedges to the pan and allow it to cool.
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Drizzle with BBQ sauce and sprinkle with some sesame seeds. Add 3 florets onto a skewer and end with an onion wedge.
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Heat your grill to medium and grease it to prevent sticking. Cook the cauliflower on the grill for roughly 3–4 minutes on each side.
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KOREAN BBQ CAULIFLOWER WING SKEWERS
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VEGAN BBQ BRISKET This brisket is made of seitan, which is a vegan meat replacement made from vital wheat gluten; you can buy this pre-made at any health food store. It is made from washing away the starch from regular wheat flour. Once seasoned, kneaded and cooked, seitan takes on a meaty texture. The barbecue or smoker absolutely adds to this dish, making it a perfect meaty vegan replacement on its own or on sandwiches.
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INGREDIENTS For the Seitan: 1½ cup vital wheat gluten ¼ cup nutritional yeast ½ cup chickpea flour 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp cumin 1 ½ tsp garlic powder 1 ½ tsp onion powder
1 cup no-beef or vegetable stock 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp ketchup 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup no-beef or vegetable stock 2 tbsp brown sugar ½ tsp chili powder 1 tsp dried parsley ½ tsp thyme 1 tsp Kosher salt 1 tsp coarse ground pepper 1 tsp smoked paprika
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1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp molasses 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 2 cloves garlic Water, as needed 2 bay leaves 1 tsp granulated garlic ½ tsp ground cumin BBQ sauce of choice
Serves 6
Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, chickpea flour, paprika, cumin, garlic powder and onion powder. Set aside. In a blender, add no-beef or vegetable stock, soy sauce, olive oil, ketchup, vegan Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, liquid smoke and pepper. Blend until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and gently knead using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer or hands for about 3–5 mins, or just until the seitan comes together. Meanwhile, in the blender, add no-beef or vegetable stock, brown sugar, chili powder, parsley, thyme, soy sauce, molasses, mustard and garlic. Blend until smooth. Add water as needed if it is too thick. Set aside.
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Form the seitan into a brisket-like shape. Place it into a medium-sized casserole dish and cover with about 1 tbsp of olive oil, using your hands.
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Pour the braising liquid from the blender over the brisket and bake for about 20–25 mins, until the top has a crust.
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For the Braising Stock:
For the BBQ Spice Rub: Serve on a plate or platter topped with fresh herbs of choice, green onions and sesame seeds, as well as extra BBQ sauce on the side.
INSTRUCTIONS
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After 20–25 mins, carefully flip over the brisket and brush the top with the braising liquid. Bake for another 20–25 mins. Check on it every 5–10 mins and brush with the braising liquid as needed. Remove the brisket from the oven and allow it to cool in the casserole dish. Heat up your grill to about 400° F, and loosen up the brisket from the bottom of the dish, if necessary. Cover the brisket in your favourite BBQ sauce and dry rub seasoning. Place the brisket onto the grill and grill it for 3–5 mins on each side, until BBQ sauce is caramelized and charred. Slice & serve.
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W E ’ L L H AV E W H AT S H E ’ S H AV I N G ! Let the good times roll this summer with Reese Wonge P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y T Y L E R A N D E R S O N
We are all craving connection now more than ever. This summer there is no better way to bring friends and family back together than hosting a backyard gathering with some tequila. kind’s cocktail expert Reese Wonge shows us exactly how she is reuniting with friends for a much-needed evening of laughter, cocktails, and fun. Make sure you grab a bottle of Jose Cuervo Tradicional Tequila and rally your friends for the ultimate backyard reunion.
kind: I feel antsy about hosting. It’s been so long.
“Canadians are craving connection more than ever and tequila is something that really brings people together. Grab a bottle of Jose Cuervo Tradicional and rally your friends. It's time to toast to the summer.”
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Reese Wonge: The key is to take into consideration who’s coming and what their needs are. Keep in touch with everybody and stay open to their ideas or… just get everyone to commit to letting you take control! Whether it’s a brunch theme, Thai full moon party or Mexican fiesta, give everyone the heads up and work from there. Canadians are craving connection more than ever, and tequila is something that really brings people together. Grab a bottle of Jose Cuervo Tradicional and rally your friends. It's time to toast to the summer.
way to go. I make my margaritas shaken or frozen; sometimes super sweet, other times spicy. That’s the best thing about margaritas— RW: Totally! And it actually makes things easier there’s so many different flavours that when so the night’s not scattered all over the place. you’re hosting at your house, you don’t have Plus, it’s easier to assign tasks if there’s to stick to just one. a theme. kind: A theme night sounds totally fun.
kind: What a treat to be able to socialize again! For those of us out of practice, what are some tips for backyard hosting?
kind: It feels good to be talking about this stuff. Feels hopeful.
RW: Agreed. With COVID, it’s hard not to feel lonely and so with the restrictions loosening RW: Juice!! Have lots of juice and sparkling up, in Canada and around the world, it’s nice water around the house. I always have orange to share the idea of getting together and and pineapple juice because they’re perfect enjoying each other with a cold, for mixers and chasers and I also love Fever refreshing drink. Tree elderflower tonic water. It’s a sneaky fan favorite that a lot of people don't know about and it goes with everything. kind: How about some design ideas for freshening up the ol’ crib? kind: Let's go back to Cuervo Tequila. What’s the best way to serve that up? RW: For summer, I love margaritas because there’s so many different types and obviously tequila with super fresh Mexican food is the
RW: Place settings are nice, table arrangements, and whether it’s a bouquet of flowers or greenery used as a runner, it pulls everything together and makes it feel special, like a holiday.
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kind: Probably the same thing would go for putting on something nice. Getting a little dressed up.
kind: What about some tips for accentuating our drinks?
SPICY PINEAPPLE M A R G A R I TA W I T H JOSE CUERVO TRADICIONAL P L ATA
kind: Let’s both do it. What should we pour?
RW: I love ice cubes. The large ice cubes in different shapes are amazing, and I just love fun rocks glasses—Crate & Barrel is my favourite. I collect the hell out of glassware.
RW: Let’s have a Tequila Paloma. It’s a grapefruit drink where the tartness of the grapefruit cuts through the tequila or let’s mix the tequila with a little pineapple juice or coconut water. We can sip on some of those and it’s a party.
kind: How do I hook up a drink for my loved one? RW: Garnish is great in the summer months.
To follow along at Bar Wonge, see @reesewonge.
IN G R E DIE N TS :
2 ounces of Jose Cuervo Tradicional Plata ½ ounce Cointreau ¼-½ of a jalapeño pepper ½ cup pineapple chunks 2 tablespoons pineapple juice 4-5 mint leaves Lime juice from ½ of a lime 1 tablespoon of honey Ginger beer to top (optional) Tajin Salt G L A S S WA R E :
Roc ks gl a ss PR E PA R ATIO N :
THE CREATION:
Sear your jalapeño in your skillet, let cool and de-seed. Cut your ¼ or ½ piece of jalapeño
EL DIABLITO WITH JOSE CUERVO TRADICIONAL REPOSADO
In a cocktail shaker, add the jalapeño, pineapple chunks, pineapple juice, mint leaves, tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and honey. Muddle everything together and shake it on ice for 30 seconds. The longer you shake, the spicier it’ll be.
INGRED IENTS:
Prepare your serving glass, rim your glass with the tajin and add ice to the top.
1½oz Jose Cuervo Tradicional Reposado ¾oz lime juice ½oz Ontario blackberry syrup 3oz ginger beer Garnish: wheel of lime + slice of jalapeño
Strain the contents of your cocktail shaker into your glass. Top with ginger beer if desired and garnish with mint and pineapple wedges.
GL ASSWARE:
highball PREPARATION:
Build all ingredients in a highball with ice, stir and garnish.
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TH E C R E ATIO N :
I have an herb garden in my window and a tiny detail like basil or mint or rimming the glass with a lime on the end just makes it feel like a party. Sometimes I garnish with grenadine and syrup but I also rim the glass with sugar and salt and add fruit on top and—you know, you’re making me want to pour a drink!
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RW: I had some girlfriends who wanted to stop by ask me, Is it OK if I dress up? By all means, I said: dress to the nines. We haven’t gotten dressed up at all in the past year and half, so getting out of sweatpants is fine by me. I love that.
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“I like the idea that when people come over it feels intentional. I know when I go to someone else’s place and it’s set up that it makes it feel important. Like they went out of their way to plan something.”
JOSE CUERVO
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Jamie Evans, The Herb Somm and author of Cannabis Drinks: Secrets to Crafting CBD and THC Beverages at Home
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kind: Tell us about your background and what brought you to the canna culinary life? How did your journey with cannabis begin?
INGREDIENTS 1 cup (240 ml) water 2 raspberry tea bags 4 to 5 fresh raspberries 4 to 5 fresh blackberries 5 ounces (150 ml) unsweetened raspberry tea 5 ounces (148 ml) Cannabis-Infused Lemonade (see recipe below) Ice Fresh berries, a lemon wheel, and a thyme sprig, for garnish
Jamie Evans: I am the founder of The Herb Somm, a culinary meets cannabis blog and lifestyle brand that focuses on the gourmet side of the cannabis industry. I’m known for my cannabis dining eventsn and wine and weed experiences. I’m also the author of The Ultimate Guide to CBD and Cannabis Drinks: Secrets to Crafting CBD and THC Beverages at Home. Alongside my work in the cannabis space, I am a Certified Specialist of Wine and French Wine Scholar with over a decade of wine industry experience. My relationship with cannabis began back in college. I had witnessed a terrible car accident and couldn’t sleep. Instead of turning to alcohol or pharmaceutical drugs, I wanted to find a holistic way to heal myself, and started researching cannabis. Sensitive to products high in THC, I quickly become passionate about it’s counterpart, CBD. The more I learned about cannabis, the more I realized there are so many similarities between cannabis and wine. After spending over a decade working in the wine industry, the culinary side to cannabis felt like a natural fit.
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Small saucepan One 8-ounce (240-ml) sterilized Mason jar Shaker tin Muddler Fine-mesh strainer Highball glass Bar spoon
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CANNABIS drinks Secrets to Crafting CBD and THC Beverages at Home
Secrets to Crafting CBD and THC Beverages at Home
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Target Dose: 7 mg CBD | 2 mg THC per drink (using Cannabis-Infused Lemonade) or your preferred dose (using commercially made CBD or THC tincture of your choice, see note below)
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CANNABIS drinks
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Part iced tea, part lemonade, the Arnold Palmer is a celebrated summer favourite that’s undeniably refreshing. Originating in the late 1960s, this thirst-quenching concoction was named after world-famous golfer Arnold Palmer, after he ordered the combination after a long day on the golf course. I love making Arnold Palmers, especially with a twist! I call this recipe the Summer Berry Palmer. Blending freshly prepared raspberry iced tea, fresh cannabis-infused lemonade and muddled raspberries and blackberries, this is the perfect alcohol-free drink to quench your thirst.
INSTRUCTIONS
kind: Do you find that cannabis beverages are well received and what advice would you give our readers when approaching this category? JE: Cannabis infused beverages are a great place to start if you’re a beginner. The commercially made products that are in the market today are attractive because they taste great and are easy to understand since our society is so familiar with the consumption process. Following health trends, infused drinks are also a fantastic alternative to alcohol. The best part is, you can also easily craft your own infused drinks at home to best suit your needs. It's just a matter of using the right techniques, which readers can master after reading my book.
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Jamie Evans
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SERVES 1
Begin by brewing the raspberry tea. Using a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil, then remove from the heat. Add the teabags and steep for 4 minutes. Remove the teabags, then pour the raspberry tea into an 8-ounce (240-ml) Mason jar and set in the refrigerator to cool. Once chilled, fill a highball glass with ice, then add the raspberries and blackberries to the shaker tin. Muddle the fruit together until the juices release, then add 5 ounces (150 ml) of the chilled raspberry tea. Cover and dry shake (no ice) vigorously for 10 seconds, then strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into the highball glass. Add the cannabis-infused lemonade, then stir together using a bar spoon. Add fresh berries, lemon wheel and thyme sprig to garnish.
HOW TO MAKE CANNABIS-INFUSED LEMONADE Pick up The Herb Somm's recipe book Cannabis Drinks, available for purchase April 6th, 2021.
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Juice 1 cup (240 ml) of fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Remove the seeds and keep the pulp. Pour the juice into a mixing bowl, then add 1oz (30 ml) of Infused Rich Simple Syrup (page 89 in the book) and 2oz (60 ml) non-infused rich simple syrup. Use a whisk to blend the ingredients together, then taste the lemonade. If you prefer a sweeter taste, add more non-infused rich simple syrup (or Infused Rich Simple Syrup for a stronger dose), then whisk again. Enjoy it over ice or transfer it to a Mason jar and chill in the refrigerator until further use. If you don’t have the supplies to infuse the rich simple syrup, simply substitute regular rich simple syrup, then add your favorite unflavored tincture (at your preferred dose) into the mixing bowl before whisking. Follow the directions as written and shake vigorously before serving. K I N D
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summer CBD refreshment
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SUMMER CRUSH
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Target Dose: 7.5 mg CBD | 2 mg THC per drink (using Infused Rich Simple Syrup, in the book) or your preferred dose (using commercially made CBD or THC tincture of your choice, see note below)
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To make the Summer Crush: In a shaker tin, combine the watermelon juice, the lime juice, infused rich simple syrup, salt and egg white. Cover and dry shake (no ice) for 10 seconds, then add ice and shake again for 25 seconds to create the finest froth. Strain into a chilled sour glass and garnish with seasonal flowers. If you don’t have the supplies to infuse the rich simple syrup, simply substitute for the non-infused version and add your favourite unflavoured tincture (at your preferred dose) to the shaker tin before shaking. Then, proceed with the recipe.
At everie, we’re dedicated to quality, consistency, and making really, really good drinks. Our sparkling beverages are available in a variety of delicious and refreshing flavours, each infused with 10mg of 98% pure CBD isolate. Visit www.everie.ca to learn more.
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To make the watermelon juice: Add the watermelon flesh to a blender or food processor. Purée for 1 minute or until the watermelon chunks turn into juice. Using a fine-mesh strainer, separate the pulp from the juice over an 8-ounce (240-ml) Mason jar. Repeat to remove all remaining pulp (save the extra juice for your next round or turn to page 150 in the book). Discard the pulp.
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Blender or food processor Fine-mesh strainer One 8-ounce (240-ml) sterilized Mason jar Shaker tin Hawthorne strainer Sour glass
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Summer Crush 3 ounces (90 ml) watermelon juice, pulp removed 1 ounce (30 ml) fresh-squeezed lime juice ½ ounce (15 ml) Infused Rich Simple Syrup (in the book) Pinch of sea salt Egg white Ice Summer edible flowers, for garnish
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Watermelon juice ½ small seedless watermelon
Bright pink and refreshing, the Summer Crush will quench your thirst during those hot and steamy summer evenings. Watermelon and lime perfectly combine to delight your senses as the flavours dance on your palate. Enhanced with CBD and a dash of THC, you’ll be completely infatuated with this delicious summer drink.
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Look out for our NEW Seltzers coming soon, available in Strawberry and Grapefruit, and infused with 15mg of CBD. K I N D
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This communication is intended for consumers of legal age. It should not be shared with young persons. Please enjoy responsibly.
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HIT THE GREENS
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HIT THE GREENS Joe Timmins putts his way across Canada and takes a puff at some of the country's best golf courses
pines. As you progress, or digress, depending on what you smoke, you'll notice the trees N B . part ways to make room for glimpses of the summer sun bouncing off the bay. Once you've Stretching out along the Bay of Fundy, the Algonquin Golf Club is the perfect oasis hidden reached the ninth green, the trees dissolve away in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. Whether completely and leave you with a stunning cliffside view. Keep on progressing through you're looking to spend the night in one of the the tenth and fourteenth holes, and you'll find 233 rooms of their 130-year-old hotel or spend yourself along the Bay of Fundy—ocean-kissed the day taking advantage of the scenery and with a crystal clear view of Maine. And when banging out a casual 18 holes in the afternoon, you’re done, make your way to the clubhouse, the Algonquin Club has you covered. Even have something to eat or drink at Braxton's if golf isn't your thing, who wouldn't enjoy Restaurant & Bar, take a dip in the pool, enjoy smoking a joint and collecting golf balls the sights overlooking Katy's Cove or hop along the St. Gour River while soaking up the picturesque whiskey-brown skyline overlooking on one of the club’s complimentary bikes to explore St. Andrews. "We opened in top shape; the Bay? Still, the Algonquin Club has a most golfers that came here in April couldn't breathtaking 18-hole course equipped with a believe the conditions that we have. The greens completely redesigned back nine created by were running at a ten—probably an eleven renowned golf course designer Rod Whitman. The Algonquin will start you out in a parkland- now,” says Zach Rodriguez, director of golf. “It's style front nine surrounded by New Brunswick almost unbelievable.”
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Let's talk Nova Scotia: seafood, friendly people and the great outdoors; everything you want out of the great Maritime province, right? Well, here’s more: Digby Pines. Digby Pines is more than a golf course, a perfect setting for some of the great cannabis that Nova Scotia has to offer. Picture this, you arrive at their 100-year-old hotel, take an edible and conk out for the night, then wake up the following day to breakfast and the sound of crashing waves and the smell of the sea opening you up for an unforgettable golfing experience. The course would impress even the pickiest golfer; it's a Stanley Thompson-designed 18-hole course equipped with greens, hazards and beautiful brooks that section off into ponds on holes two and sixteen. Although you can trip on the golf course all day, possibly the coolest part of Digby Pines is their state-of-the-art spa where
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“ Golfers have been having a beer or two on the course for years, and now they can enjoy smoking and play the game.”
F A I R M O N T
you can chill and get a massage, facial or a manicure after a long, gold day in the Nova Scotia sun. With the likes of Babe Ruth choosing Digby Pines as their #1 spot, you can't miss at this local favourite.
J A S P E R
Canada to embrace the federal legalization of cannabis openly. "Golfers have been having a beer or two on the course for years, and now they can enjoy smoking and play the game," Taylor says. Located only six kilometres from Canopy’s headquarters in Smiths Falls, Rolling R O L L I N G G R E E N S, Greens is the perfect option for cannabis T O R O N T O, O N . smokers and non-cannabis smokers alike; besides, who wouldn't be excited to add a new The name says it all. What makes you want to place to get baked/local golf course to their indulge in some cannabis more than an early rotation? Although Gordon and his partners are morning staring out at swaths of fresh green hills waiting on the go-ahead from the government of and practising your swing while basking in the Ontario for approval, you can bet that his team Ontario sun? Can't think of anything? Neither is busy keeping the course up to par and will tee can Rolling Greens Golf Course visionary Gordon off as soon as they’re given the green light (Get it, Taylor. Rolling Greens is the first golf course in see the pun?)
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Oh, the great province of B.C., home to Nanaimo bars, beautiful wildlife, B.C. Pink Kush and Talking Rock Golf Course. Overlooking the Shuswap Lake, Talking Rock hits you immediately with a breathtaking view and a welcoming atmosphere. Talking Rock welcomes golfers to book a massage, body wrap, facial, or use some of their facilities which include a pool, hot tub and infrared sauna. I also recommend partaking in their on-site dining. Chef Chris Whittaker creates an ever-changing seasonal menu to provide guests with the best quality and freshest local ingredients possible: tastes great baked!
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Could this be the most beautiful course on our list? Jasper Park Lodge will take everything you know about golf courses, throw it away and give you a whole new perspective on what's possible. The stony golf course is hidden awaydirectly in the Rockies and, as a result, can be enjoyable for golfers and those who would like to appreciate Banff from a friendly Fairmont perspective. This course is perfect for those who are willing to travel purely for the sake of playing golf and smoking weed. Out of a scale of five joints, this earns six.
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CALIFORNIA SOBER
CALIFORNIA SOBER Only using cannabis isn't just a trend. According to these cannabis insiders, its a way of life.
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and the extremely popular founder of 48North, which was recently sold to HEXO for $50-million. Gordon is Cali Sober and has been for years and, over a joint but no whisky, she’s hilarious when describing why she abstains from booze. “I hate when people are drunk. I hate that gross uninhibited weirdness—I love you, I love you, I love you!—it gives me the heebie-jeebies,” says Gordon, who now runs Other People’s Pot and gets agitated when the same people who make no bones about hitting the liquor store in front of their children are suddenly squeamish when she wants to pick up some pre-rolls on a family outing. “I grew up with pot being illegal, but this generation is educated, thank God,” says Gordon, who says she’s not even tempted to have a craft beer or wine.
Smoking weed and not drinking alcohol is known as “Cali Sober,” and once you know about it, you realize how widespread it’s become. In Hollywood, the performer Demi Lovato, who has had well-publicized battles with drugs and alcohol has a hit song called Cali Sober, and though she uses the term to explain “moderate alcohol and cannabis consumption,” she posed on Instagram with her bong on 4/20.
The founder of Tokyo Smoke is Cali Sober. So is the founder of Agripharm, which was acquired by Mettrum in 2014. According to Marc Wayne, a founder of the medical cannabis company Bedrocan, which was acquired by Canopy when it was still known as Tweed in the days before recreational cannabis and the election of Justin Trudeau, cannabis feels better than alcohol—especially the next day.
Lovato said: "I don't think that this journey of moderation is a one-size fits all solution for everybody." Alison Gordon is another cannabis pioneer
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journey of moderation is a one-size fits all solution for everybody.”
Demi Lovato
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It’s always interesting chasing the origin of a trend. Usually it starts with someone people want to listen to and for me that person is John Fowler. The founder of Supreme Cannabis Company, which was sold to Canopy Growth in April for $435-million, Fowler was a popular early cannabis executive because he was one of the few in the space who actually smoked weed. “It would always surprise me how shocked people would be in my own cannabis community when I’d step outside from some investor dinner where everyone was drinking alcohol to go outside and smoke a joint,” says Fowler, who today is president of Muskoka Grown and Big Concentrates, craft cannabis and live rosin companies for anyone curious about other big lifestyle trends. “I don’t drink alcohol, I consume cannabis and when some discover that, it actually makes them angry. I feel like—considering what I do—that shouldn’t be as surprising as it is.”
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“I’m not an alcoholic,” says Gordon. “I straightup just don’t drink booze.”
“Cannabis is also just much more efficient than alcohol—would you rather take two hits off a joint or drink four beers?” says Wayne, a huge basketball fan, who traveled to Oakland to see the Raptors win their first championship in franchise history. During the game, Wayne,
slightly stoned, felt no temptation to drink a beer. “Many of my life’s happiest memories involve cannabis, including time spent with my mom while she was sick,” says Wayne, who recently launched SW21 to help scale tech and health companies in their early rounds of financing. “I didn’t know Cali Sober was a trend, I just know it’s been something that’s worked for me for my entire life.” John Aird says the same thing. The founder of Olli Edibles worked with Aphria on their international expansion and is currently the CEO of Hoshi International, and smoked a joint recently with kind. We also had a cannabis drink and took an Olli. Aird, never much of a drinker, quit alcohol altogether after the birth of his first child. “I’m not a great morning person to begin with and definitely didn’t like being hungover, especially looking after a newborn,” he says, adding that after a night out drinking, he’d always conclude his evening with a bedtime joint. The weed, on top of the alcohol, however, gave him the spins. He had to make a decision. “I’ve always smoked pot,” says Aird, “If I had to make a choice, it’s not much of a decision at all.” Aird hasn’t had a drink since then. During the boomingest days of cannabis, John Fowler would dine out with boozing investment bankers and hold an ace up his sleeve from his financiers: the next day, the pot smoker was the only one who remembered everything that was said. “I never thought smoking pot would make me stand out as a pot executive,” he says. “I don’t hold anything against drinkers, not at all. I just know, for me, cannabis works.”
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For more information on how to order Olli Signature Chocolate Brownies, please reach out to hello@ollibrands.com
GOOD TIMES
JEFF DONALDSON
CELINE LUDDINGTON
KYLE MAROWITCH
Jeff Donaldson at Blunt & Cherry in Toronto starts his summer days with an Olli Dragon Fruit Chew, and a plan. “I like to start my summer days slow and relaxed,” he says. He packs healthy snacks, arranges an outdoor meet with select close friends and unplugs from the world. “Taking this timeout has become increasingly important for me during COVID. I love the Olli chews because they help me settle into a relaxed mood and mindset— and they’re pretty tasty.”
The taste of the Olli gummy was also cited by Celine Luddington at High Park Cannabis Co. as she works a nature exploration into her new summertime ritual. “To keep adventure in my life, I’ve had to find new ways to explore old familiar places. I like to take an Olli gummy and head into High Park in Toronto with my headphones and my dog and try to get LOST.”
This notion of reinventing our pleasure apparatus in the post-pandemic world was repeated across the country. In Alberta, at NOVA Cannabis, Kyle Marowitch says he loves gardening with his three-year-old and a strawberry Olli CBD chew. “People don’t realize how relaxing gardening can be, it’s the perfect way to spend a healthy family day,” says Marowitch. “We have music playing on vinyl and the whole neighbourhood knows we’re gardening and sings along.”
>>> IN PR AISE OF THE SU MMER T IME VIBES: RI TUALS, JOY A N D O LLI ED IBLES Olli makes edibles that changed the product category: they taste good and they’re consistent. Since our lives have all changed, our consumption methods, like our cannabis options, have changed, too. Canada’s budtenders tell us how they enjoy Olli with a joyful spark this summer.
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AARON MILLER
JENNIFER SINGH
Wayna Abrahams Laraque is a budtender at Alberta’s FOUR20 Premium Market, and enjoys Olli Dragon Fruit Chew at the river with her earphones and snacks. “I sit there and vibe out, listen to music and chill,” she says, mentioning a particular candy shop in the Kensington area with to-die-for slushies. “I roll solo-dolo. It’s COVID times. But I know how to take care of myself.”
Aaron Miller at Victoria’s Flight Cannabis Co. goes kayaking with his wife after taking an Olli. He says the myth of the lazy stoner is well past its prime. “I’m not some stoner in the basement—this isn’t my first rodeo,” Miller says, adding that he likes to hike, kayak and swim. “Olli is the most consistent gummy on the market. I know what I can expect from the experience and my experiences are always good.”
Jennifer Singh works at Cori in Toronto. In the summertime, she says both the Dragon Fruit and Strawberry chews are part of her ritual. “I’ll munch my Olli and some tacos and create a vibe,” she says. For Singh, summer is bliss. “I had the girls over to my balcony and they all loved the Olli Dragon Fruit chews and the summer is my favourite time—Olli is a big part of my summertime vibes.”
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Introducing our Signature Chocolate Brownie inspired by our Michelin-trained Executive Chef. Soft and chewy with a decadent chocolate flavour, our brownie is perfect to enjoy after dinner, in a park with friends, or dockside during your summer retreat. Available now at authorized retailers.
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FLOWER POWER
F LOWR POWER This summer, we wanted to celebrate some of the most beautiful flower grown in our country. We only wish these pages were scratch-and-sniff.
>>> B.C BL ACK CHERRY BY FLOWR Dark green. Deep purple. Formulated by the crossing of Black Cherry Pie and Purple Punch genetics, Flowr’s BC Black Cherry is a high THC cultivar flaunting violet leaves and bright orange pistols. Indoor grown in the heart of the Okanagan in Kelowna, B.C. Flowr’s BC Black Cherry. Grown True.
THE STRAIN THAT PACKS A PUNCH Flowr’s BC Black Cherry is ripe and rich. This frosty strain is indica-dominant with pungent fruity aromas that make you take notice. flowr.ca
PHOTOGRAPH BY CRAIG BARKER
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© 2021 Flowr. All rights reserved. This content is intended for legal age, adult audiences only.
FLOWER POWER
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ANIMAL FACE BY CARMEL
SUNSET SHERBERT BY BROKEN COAST
Animal face is an ultra-potent, flavourful sativa that packs a punch. Our version of Animal Face was selected out of 100 different phenos, not only for its high potency and terpene profile, but also because we love the unique flavours of lemon and cake.
With the most abundant terpenes being caryophyllene, myrcene and limonene, Sunset Sherbet may be our most fruit-forward strain yet, evoking the truly unique smell and taste of a basket of strawberries and guava.Photograph by Gary Lund
LIMELIGHT BY EDISON
POWDERED DONUTS BY NESS
BLUE DREAM BY PURE SUNFARMS
GHOST TRAIN HAZE BY UP™
Sativa dominant Limelight from Edison is characterized by its tangy, sour flavour, lush bud structure, moss green highlights and heavy THC. Every plant at Edison is nurtured in data-backed, strain-specific grow rooms with customized micro-climates to ensure consistent quality.
A dreamy indica-dominant duet between Orange Cookies and Jet Fuel Gelato, Powdered Donuts is floral and sweet with a hint of spice and creamy goodness baked right in. With its fiery orange pistils, snowy crystals and dense, minty green buds, who can blame you for getting a dozen? Tailored TLC helps this thirsty, sensitive strain deliver big trichome density, flavour and potency.
Pure Sunfarms Blue Dream (Blueberry x Haze) is a fruit-forward, classic West Coast cultivar with uplifting flavours of berry, citrus, and pine. The buds are fluffy and frosty, with sage green leaves and bright orange pistils. Grown with care in a modern greenhouse in the heart of BC’s Fraser Valley, Pure Sunfarms Blue Dream is quality cannabis for the everyday.
Ghost Train Haze UP20™ is a heavy-hitting sativa known for its pungent sour citrus and floral aromas. All UP20™ flower is sun-grown in a state-of-the-art hybrid greenhouse.
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BA C K WIT H A BH A N G !
Camping is a fun, easy and engaging way to reconnect with yourself, your loved ones and mother nature while being far cheaper and more effective than most forms of modern day therapy.
Elevate your campfire game with a grown-up S'more that takes melted marshmallow and graham cracker crunch to a whole new pleasure plateau with Bhang cookies & cream infused white chocolate, bliss!
B Y A L I B E C K E R , @ T H I S I S A L I B E C K E R
Camping provides us with an easy way to
shake out of the mundane, climate-controlled routine of our everyday lives and immerse ourselves back into the natural world where we can easily access a myriad of health benefits.
There's no wrong way to go camping, so
whether you choose to "rough it" in a tent and sleeping bag or go glamping in a luxury RV with Egyptian cotton sheets, chances are you'll be spending more time in the great outdoors than you do in your day to day life. And that's the important part.
Forest-bathing, also known to the Japanese
as shinrin-yoku, has long been known to reduce stress and anxiety, increase mood and immune function, introduce healthy and diverse bacteria to our microbiomes and stimulate creativity while helping mellow out our hyperactive prefrontal cortex.
In other words, nature truly has the capacity
to help heal us. And the limits of that are largely unknown.
Dealing with novel challenges such as
setting up a tent shelter or helping our spouse back into a tight campspot, facing adverse weather conditions or having to collect our daily drinking water and getting creative with food and cooking techniques in a limited environment, help encourage our brains to create, innovate and problem-solve—all desirable traits for navigating the rollercoaster that is the modern world.
Removing the usual daily distractions of our
home lives can allow us more space for stillness
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and mindfulness. Laying on the beach or sitting by the campfire can help quiet our minds, allow us to reflect, introspect and just breathe. If we use this time wisely, it has the potential to bring us back home feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and reborn. The rustic nature of camping can even lead to an increase in our gratitude for the often overlooked luxuries of our everyday lives such as easy access to clean water, hot showers and a safe, sturdy shelter over our heads. For some of us, camping is the only time we have to be alone, reconnect with good friends or spend intimate time with our beloved family. It becomes a sacred place to carve out connection, closeness, contemplation and community. There are countless great reasons to get out camping and a few essentials that can help you get the most of your adventure. • Be prepared for any and all weather conditions; wind/waterproof layers, an insulated jacket, extra blankets and spare socks go a long way for the cool nights spent sitting around the campfire or staring at the stars. • Make sure you bring lots of clean drinking water or have access to water you can drink, boil or filter. • Bring enough food that if you end up wanting (or having) to stay a few extra days, you're covered. • Have a good shelter. While you can camp with the bare basics like a tarp and some string or simply a sleeping bag on the
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ground, most of us want comfort and protection beyond that. Invest in a waterproof tent or a tent with a separate tarp for inclement weather like strong wind and rain. Bring a well-stocked first aid kit. Whether you need it to help yourself or someone else in need. Bring bear spray. Be prepared for wildlife encounters of any sort from bears and cougars to raccoons and pack rats. Bear spray is a good tool for any aggressive animal encounter. Tell someone your travel plans. Even if you're just accessing a private campground on the edge of the city, it's good for someone to know where you're going and when you plan to be back. Always remember the Leave No Trace principles; pack out what you pack in, take only photos, leave only footprints and leave the spot as you would like to find it.
There are so many incredible places to camp in Canada. Here are some of my favourite Canadian campgrounds that welcome both RVs & tents: • Bere Point Campground, Malcolm Island, British Columbia • Honeymoon Lake Campground, Icefields Parkway, Jasper, Alberta • Hattie Cove Campground, Pukaskwa National Park, Heron Bay, Ontario • Parc National du Bic, Le Bic, Québec • Meat Cove Campground, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia
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TH E CAMPING CURE
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CAMPING ESSENTIALS
DIVVY
THE DIVV Y GUIDE TO A BLISSFUL CANADIAN SUMMER
12-packs!
Divvy is a licensed cannabis brand in the Sunday Market lineup. In a special feature for kind, we asked Canada’s best budtenders to weigh in on how they’d “divvy up” $120. Spread love, anyone? That’s the Divvy way for a safe, and epic, summer of 2021.
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“The cannabis community is built on a shared love for the plant, so the concept of Divvy aligns perfectly with the ethos of the community. Sharing is caring, so the more that we can open up access to cannabis and be able to share with everyone our own stash, or stuff that is purchased through retailers (not during COVID) the better because then the ethos continues and it doesn't turn into a let's keep things close to ourselves and not share because this is mine and no one else should have it.” - RB
Fo u r s t r a i n - s p
BUDTENDERS ACROSS CANADA DISH ON HOW THEY’D DIVV Y UP $120
MICHELLE, S P I R I T L E A F, KELOWNA
AMANDA, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, VICTORIA
MICHELE, SUPERETTE, TORONTO
“I’m known for my theme party. It’s my jam. For Divvy, I’d go all out: slip and slides, water wings, waist life savers, mini pools filled with drinks, swag bags and all the snacks. I would make the Dollar Store my bitch and just go full-tilt in the summer section to throw the ultimate summer jam!!!”
“Oooooh, I would buy all the art supplies and slushies and take anyone who would come with me to the beach for a day of creativity and sunshine! I think it’s great that we’re going to be allowed to share things again!”
“Margaritas and paints for my friends! We’d pull names from a hat and paint something that reflects the friend we pulled! As the sun sets, I’d pass everyone a sparkler and spell our names while having photos taken. I’d put the pics up to remember!”
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Pre-rolls by the dozen.
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Meet your new best buds. Discover the #divvydozen, a 12-pack of pre-rolls in a pocket-size tin. Available now in select provinces. Also,
RICHIE, ONE PLANT KENSINGTON, TORONTO
MICHAEL, S P I R I T L E A F, KELOWNA
Amazing coffee, and Divvy it up between friends, because what is life without the sweet, sweet nectar of coffee? A single-origin Sumatra, or a Blue Mountain reserve from Jamaica.
“How would I Divvy up $120? Coffee gift certificates for my friends and crew!”
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CLIFFORD, SPIRITLEAF L I T T L E I TA LY, TORONTO “I’d buy an Ontario Parks Pass that I would share with friends. Although it can’t be split, I would Divvy it out to groups of friends who want to take turns using it with their own friends or their family!”
Half- Os are here!
MELISSA, SEVEN POINT CANNABIS BLOOR, TORONTO “I’d buy anything we can dress up with and poster paper to make backdrops and have a big, silly photo session. We’d do prom poses and document the whole thing— I love the Divvy 12-pack joints, great for when I feel lush.”
Pre-rolls (plural), large-format flower, and more! Follow @divvycannabis for our latest releases and product drops. * Vanity packaging shown for illustrative purposes only.
TRENDS
WHEN WE STARVE FOR CANNABIS IN WEED DESERTS, THE ILLICIT MARKET WILL FEAST Kate Robertson explores the Canadian underground where cannabis is still against the law I L L U S T R AT I O N S
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least two million Ontarians don’t have a cannabis store, creating vast “weed deserts,” as they’re often called. And they’re not unique to Ontario. White City, a suburb When Jason Krulicki decided to open his outside of Regina, was the only town to opt second One Plant cannabis store in the Greater out of cannabis retail in Saskatchewan. Six Toronto Area, he took a different approach to communities in Manitoba—two of which with choosing its location from the first, which is a strong connection to alcohol prohibition— nestled among a cluster of stores in bustling voted against cannabis retail. And in British Kensington Market. This time, he looked far Columbia, Canada’s legacy cannabis epicentre, beyond downtown, all the way to Dufferin and 12 municipalities including Abbotsford, Surrey Steeles—the city limits. “I liked that location and Burnaby haven’t permitted legal because it’s right on the border of a place cannabis retail. where they had opted out of legal cannabis retail,” he says. “A huge win for the location.” Krulicki says anywhere from 50 to 75 percent of his new store’s delivery requests come from In the months leading up to cannabis Vaughan. But he also acknowledges that the legalization, Ontario municipalities could illicit market is fierce competition, and it can opt out from the concept, meaning no legal be annoying to see the pages of illicit delivery weed stores would open in those areas, at services listed online, also hoping to serve least not yet. Since it would be impossible to customers living in deserts. In November, Peel opt out after opting in, some councils decided Police held a press conference to announce to at least not move ahead with stores until they had arrested 88 suspected members of legalization played out in other jurisdictions. the Mississauga and Brampton-based New As of June in Ontario alone, 68 municipalities Money So Sick gang, who they believed were were still opt-outs according to the Alcohol connected to money laundering, human and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) trafficking, and several homicides. “This — some in dense, populated areas like organization has been linked to some of the Vaughan (pop. 323,281), Markham (pop. most thoughtless violence our community 342,970) and suburban mammoth has suffered,” Peel Regional Police Chief Mississauga (pop. 828,854). Nish Duraiappah said. Police laid more than 300 charges, including the shooting death Two-and-a-half years after legalization, at of 25-year-old Abdifatah Salah. Police have B R O U G H T T O Y O U B Y
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not shared a motive, but noted that Salah was a loyal customer to the gang’s alleged mobile cannabis operation, Sickspensary. Investigators say search warrants led to them seizing 34 firearms, almost $1.4 million cash and more than $1.9 million worth of drugs, including 1.4 kg of fentanyl, 13.7 kg of cocaine, 1.2 kg of crack and 187 kg of cannabis. “It is the investigators’ belief that the victim’s association with Sickspensary was a factor in his murder,” said Superintendent Martin Ottaway. While buying from most illicit services likely won’t get you killed, it’s hard not to wonder how Mississauga’s opting out of legal cannabis could mean that while most of the rest of the country’s illicit cannabis market is shrinking according to Statistics Canada, weed deserts could be trending in the other direction— and what the actual impacts of some of that activity can be. This past spring, Peel Police presented a report on cannabis, which was requested by town council, to the police services board. Brampton, which opted into legal weed, is now home to several cannabis shops which serve the community and Mississauga, the weed desert next door. They also counted at least 100 cannabis illicit mobile delivery services serving the desert, some of which were former bricks-and-mortar dispensaries that
had been shuttered by police (at a cost of about $15,000 per shop, according to the report). “... a potential buyer will access a website such as weedmaps.com and select a location,” the report explains. “However, upon arrival there is no dispensary, just a seller using a vehicle. The seller will wait at this location until he observes a number of clients arrive and then sell to these clients quickly before leaving the area.” Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie and town council aren’t underestimating the issue and brought cannabis retail back to town council in June. But despite the thriving illicit market, the 70 percent of constituents who say they welcome cannabis stores and a city report estimating that retailers would generate about $74 million in revenue each year, council voted against stores 8-4. In 2018, Crombie voted against retail largely out of concern that, aside from the rule that stores can’t be within 150 metres of a school, communities wouldn’t have enough say about locations near congregate settings like daycares, parks and even bus stops. Even though Crombie changed her mind and voted for stores, eight councillors maintained their concerns about the lack of control over the number of stores and their locations. “I’m not against cannabis,” said Coun. Carolyn Parrish. “I don’t want to do it under these rules.” Alex Krause, with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML Canada), said deserts could actually be harmful. “It is clear that opt-out/’weed desert’ zones have resulted in two separate negative consequences,” he said. “It incentivizes illicit market activity, and also puts pressure on adjacent jurisdictions for more retail stores, which creates ‘clusters’ that may be counter to success of small business entrepreneurs setting up shop in these areas.” Michael LeBlanc, a consultant to the Retail Council of Canada, said he would be happy to negotiate through some of the weed deserts’ concerns. “Listen,” he said. “It’s never too late.”
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CANNABIS
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THE SHEEPDOG D AY S O F SUMMER B Y
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that he can’t wait to wipe the term “socialdistancing” from his vocabulary. “It just feels good to get together and play rock ‘n’ roll and we’re hoping it sounds just as good to our fans.” The band makes no bones about being fans of other musicians and it’s hard to listen to this album without imagining The Sheepdogs onstage at a summer festival. Currie misses summer rock shows with every beat of his heart. “We played Bonnaroo a couple times and I was stoked to play, but the best thing was seeing the other acts on the lineup,” says Currie, who saw Dr. John play with Allen Toussaint and then caught a transcendent set from Greg Allman. “Greg Allman was sick at the concert. He didn’t die much longer after this, and there’s a song on the record where he does this vocal move and I was standing there, the sun streaming everywhere, it’s hot and dusty, I’m all by myself and Greg took a breath, then belted it out like the record—better—and I teared up. The band says their mission on No Simple This sick old soldier of rock ‘n’ roll, he’s going Thing was to make the most Sheepdogs-ish to hit that high note and he fucking did it and album they could and to that effect, the album’s we're all there, sharing. It’s a memory that I’ll a homerun. Recorded live off the floor, the never forget.” group didn’t want to make a “COVID record.” The Sheepdogs say that memories like that After seeing their summer tour with the Black will soon return. They miss the stage and they Keys erased from the schedule, they were as miss the clubs, but they're confident that this bummed as everybody else, but they reversed too—COVID-19—will pass. that sentiment and preached joy instead “Rock ‘n’ roll is coming back and we’ll be of frustration. back together again. Human beings need to “As soon as we’re out of this, we’re going to let loose,” Gullen says. “We’re not built to want to forget it forever,” says Currie, adding fucking live forever on Zoom.” make new tracks. “Our heroes are the old dudes from back in the day, ’60s and ’70s, but they all got super rich back when you could make money off record sales and became drunks and drug addicts. I don’t know any other area where people have success and become obsessed with chasing more success. We just want to refuel anything that comes our way into the cool things we wanted to do at 16.”
“ Rock ‘n’ roll is coming back and we’ll be back together again. Human beings need to let loose.”
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Ewan Currie wasn’t always a rockstar. Before he made the cover of Rolling Stone and launched his group alongside his brother, the long-haired hippie worked in a nursery. He found he wasn’t suited for the work. "I used to get stoned the whole time moving plants around. I had a one-hitter and I listened to Sam Roberts’ Chemical City, got ripped and then moved soil,” says Currie, in an interview with kind magazine to promote No Simple Thing, a fun-loving EP the group dropped in May. “I hate labour jobs, I’m not cut out to do that kind of stuff, but I had my little sanctuary in my piece of shit car and I’d listen to Sam, get baked and come back and slug it out. That’s what music is—a little thing to remind you about what makes life worth living." If music is what makes life worth living than The Sheepdogs author the perfect soundtrack to summer fun. Nostalgic ’70s rock that echoes the Allman Brothers, Tom Petty and Neil Young, The Sheepdogs have always said that they make music they themselves like listening to: groovy, rhythmic rock ‘n’ roll that uplifts the soul while making you nod your head. It's good music for an outdoor jay. “Our mantra has always been to do the shit we like and hope other people like it. We’re not going to change the way we do things to get on the radio or garner success,” says bass player Ryan Gullen, adding that their new record was made when the band found themselves together in Montreal to play a virtual concert and felt the pull of the studio calling them to
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THE SHEEPDOGS
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THE SHEEPDOGS
L I V E RE S I N V S . D I S T I LL A TE W I TH
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INCE THEIR INCEPTION, the team at Greybeard Cannabis has been driven by respect for the plant, and is passionately devoted to refining and innovating their line of cannabis extracts.
F IRE IN, F IRE OUT
We can’t ignore the role that flower plays as the all-important first step in that process. Greybeard’s Chief Technical Officer, Tyson Cramer, is typically soft-spoken. His humility shines through the entire conversation, and you can tell that he likes to let his work do the talking. “There’s a phrase,” he tells us. “It’s been passed around and been turned upside down in the industry, but the sentiment is always the same — fire in, fire out. The better the input, the better the resins, and we're truly lucky to have a tightknit, hardworking team that excels in both the cultivation of our inputs and our premium extracts.” With the expansion of the extract category in Canada, we're seeing corners being cut. Mat Pridham, Greybeard’s Director of Extraction, is adamant that the Greybeard team will never take the easy way out.
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TH E D I F FE R E N C E B E TWE E N DI S T I L L AT E AND LIVE RESIN
Greybeard proudly produces only true Live Resin products. “Many LPs will add distillate to the resin,” Mat says, “which has THCA already converted into THC, so the resin is able to stay in a liquid phase longer. The issue with this is that you essentially water down the cannabinoids and terpenes of the final vape, leaving you with an inferior product. Distillate is often made from product that doesn’t have a sellable format otherwise, like trim. The lack of total cannabinoids and terpenes isn't a problem when your goal is to distill down to a single molecule, but you don’t receive close to the same efficacy.” Live Resins are different. “Live Resin is an extract or concentrate made from plants that were cut down and immediately flash-frozen, locking in the cannabinoid and terpene profiles, and held at subzero temps throughout processing — never dried. We call this input ‘Fresh Frozen.’” G R E YB E AR D' S L I VE R E S I N PR O DU C T S
Greybeard’s Terp Slush is an elevated take on a High Terpene Full Spectrum Extract (HTFSE), with Live Resin Diamonds and Live Resin Terp Sauce being sold separately, though customers are encouraged to enjoy them together. While these products are intended to be used as dabbing extracts, Mat notes that the diamonds are becoming popular in unexpected ways. “As heady as the
diamonds may seem to most, they can actually be the perfect bridge to extracts for a flower smoker. For a lot of customers, it’s a wonderful entry point. We love that. We want to bring people to the table.” T HE R E S U L T S
You could say Bubba Nicholson, Greybeard’s VP of Business Development & Ethos, has his ear to the ground, having personally visited over 900 recreational cannabis stores across Canada. He’s seen the results of Mat’s passion for Live Resin firsthand. He shares that “Greybeard is definitely building loyalists to the brand through quality and transparency. Many people find that they quickly build a tolerance to distillate products, leading them to blast through a cart over the course of a weekend. Once we get them into that live resin product we find that they rarely ever turn back.” You can find Greybeard Cannabis Live Resin and Flower Products on the shelves of local independent cannabis retailers across Canada.
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JO’S FLOWERS Ruff Riders Animal Transport Say Second Hand Dogs Make First-Class Pets John Zavaglia and Massimo Gelao, both from Ontario, already had full-time jobs when they decided, halfway through the pandemic, to help save dogs in need. Zavaglia, a hospital electrician and Gelao, a general contractor, joined together to start Ruff Riders Animal Transport—a company spreading love in the world. Zavaglia had been involved in dog rescues for years before COVID-19, but his passion to spread the message of “Adopt Don’t Shop” has only grown. As rescue animal transporters, the two friends work with seventeen individual rescues across Canada focusing the bulk of their efforts in Manitoba—where there is a massive need for rescue animal assistance. Ruff Riders Animal Transport acts as the go-
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between for the front line dog rescues and the rescues that actually handle rehoming and animal adoption. The journey’s these two take are 30-hours straight from Winnipeg to Ontario—often with more than fifty dogs in their van and no telephone reception as they complete their journey through the woods! From Manitoba, they drive thirty hours straight to King City, Oakville and then Oshawa dropping off dogs to their final rescue destinations to then make their way to their safe, forever home. “The long haul portion of our trip is where the fun happens,” Zavaglia says. “We’ve even had puppies delivered in the back of the van and have had 170-pound dog escape, search and
*If you would like to nominate a person or group doing good in the world to be featured in our Jo's Flowers column, please email editorial@kindmagazine.ca
rescues!” Zavaglia and Gelao take a 2-week break between their transport trips and then plan a new route with new dogs in mind and embark on another rescue mission. It’s a journey of life and love. “They say it takes a village to save a dog. And it’s quite important for each dog to have that village behind it,” their site reads. “The reality of Canada’s northern dog overpopulation problem means some areas are overwhelmed with dogs and it’s only through teamwork that we can responsibly move these animals to areas where they will have their best chance at a happy ending.” A happy ending. It’s the perfect finish line of the Summer of Love. To learn more, please visit www.ruffridersanimaltransport.com or @ruffridersanimaltranspo on Instagram and please consider donating to this incredible cause!
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