April 2021

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HAPPY 420 FROM:

RUN THE JEWELS THE KINGS OF CONSCIOUS CANNABIS-FUELED HIP HOP INVITE YOU TO THINK WHILE YOU PARTY THIS SPRING

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Inspired almost isn't a powerful enough word. Amanda Gorman ignites hope, excitement for change and belief in the next generation—belief in a better world. Fueled by precision, imagination and thoughtfulness with every word spoken, she leaves us in awe of her dedication to her craft.

We encourage you to follow along on her journey, as it will be one that makes all of us richer in her wake. For more on Amanda Gorman, see theamandagorman.com.

This original piece of art commissioned by kind is by Jayce Hall of Fargo, North Dakota, who portrayed the poet with words drawn from her inauguration poem, and her name inscribed more than 3,500 times.

Jayce is building an incredible body of work, please follow him on Instagram and TikTok @jaycehallart or at jaycehallart.com.

This spring, kind wishes all of you inspiration.

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RUN THE JEWELS

GREEN GIANTS Run the Jewels take the 420 crown as the consciousness kings of political, cannabis-fueled hip-hop activism, fun, hope and change B Y

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Killer Mike says lots of things that are important and stop you dead in your tracks, a worldview spit eloquently that you might not have heard before. When you listen to his group—Run the Jewels, which he’s been part of since 2013, with his partner El-P—it changes how you feel, in that it makes you more conscious, more alert, more sincere.

He has deeply considered insights into race

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relations and politics and strong feelings about everything from mass incarceration to policing in America, to drugs, unions, George Floyd, monogamy and Donald Trump.

Michael Render, 45, a married father of four, speaks in long, uninterrupted sentences with a great Southern accent and he’s never condescending or smug or sounds hurried or pissed off as he tells you exactly how he feels.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JONATHAN MANNION

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“ Run the Jewels was recorded purely for

the love and enjoyment of being around each other and making shit that we thought was dope.”

“Just because you put a new suit on a person, doesn’t mean the stink’s not there,” Render says on the phone from Atlanta, Georgia, when asked about America in a post-Trump world.

“There is no post-Trump America and none of us think a new president solves the problems that are at this country’s core. We all know the country’s unfair as fuck.”

“When we started making our jams, the idea of rocking stadiums, let alone sold-out stadiums, wasn’t on the table, we just wanted to make big, dope rap music, but then we realized: this shit really does translate,” says El-P, 46, who’s two-years married and is from and still based in Brooklyn, New York. Born Jaime Meline, he says Run the Jewels are modelled after RUN-

our friends and not have to put on a shitty JCPenney shirt and go punch a clock, we’ll be happy,” Meline says. “Run the Jewels was recorded purely for the love and enjoyment of being around each other and making shit that we thought was dope.”

technicolour woah.

The audience response, however, was massive, right away. People were stage diving and slam-dancing at concerts and the venues kept getting bigger as word of their live show and word play spread. The group was always kinetic and vital—El-P, who produces their music, has been in-demand since starting Company Flow at 17 and Killer Mike came up with Outkast, maybe the greatest hip-hop group of all-time—but, as the guys grew closer, the music got deeper. It became more personal—riskier—funnier, harder: more real.

“I pace the floor until words come into my head or sentences or bars so when I write, it’s like catching the holy ghost and then I stand back like I imagine Jackson Pollock stood back, like: is this really something or am I just splashing shit?”

Killer Mike says, with a laugh that feels like a hug. “The stuff on the record was what’s on my heart and mind.”

Run the Jewels are an anthemic cannabisfueled rap band that have grown with the release of each of their four records from an in-demand club outfit to a legitimate stadium headline act, topping the bill at summer festivals from Osheaga to Coachella, where they were introduced by the band’s friend, Bernie Sanders. Indeed, the group crosses over from music to politics and while they’re always forceful and deliberate on their newest record, Run the Jewels 4, they’re also full of heart, are earnest, and sound like two best friends appreciative of the kingdom they rule.

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DMC. “The realization was, as Run the Jewels got bigger, that we didn’t have to change to adapt to the stadiums,” he says, “We were giving it our all anyways.”

Killer Mike and El-P were well into their careers when they started their group— already grown men—and were content to be working musicians. In other words, they didn’t create Run the Jewels to chase money or fame.

“We felt like, if this is what we get, if this is the career we have, to go out and play to 500-person venues and do what we love with

Making conscious music in America means addressing brutality and hate and Run the Jewels 4, released last September, plays like a soundtrack to the new Civil War. Speaking to Killer Mike one night back in January, armed President Trump supporters had just stormed the Capitol and people were still processing what an insurrection really meant. Where would it end? What’s next?

“Working class White people finally understand the need and the urgency that Black people and Native Americans have felt and this one time people looked around and saw themselves as the people they usually pointed at, saying, ‘What the fuck is wrong with them?’” Render said, sounding incredulous, yet calm. “People who look like me know we’ve been treated unfairly, these working class White people just thought they’d

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Talking to El-P after Mike, I commented on how deep Mike got and how clear he sounded.

Not rehearsed, in control. El-P laughed and this is the thing: the group, like all the best acts, from the Beatles, the Sex Pistols and Bob Dylan to Wu-Tang, N.W.A. and Jay-Z, can obviously shoot daggers—but they also can laugh. Even during wartime, life isn’t one thing.

Special—and this is the part, finally, when we get into weed—is that consistent with the band, like their beats and their lyrics, their live show and wit, is their love of cannabis, cemented last summer with the launch of their own Run the Jewels weed strain, Ooh La La. The cannabis, from the licensed producer Cookies, based in San Francisco and run by underground legends Berner and Jai, is essential to the band’s winning formula.

Growing up, Killer Mike’s mom enjoyed weed.

“My sisters and I lived with our grandparents, but in ‘84, ’85, she’d drop us off at school and smoke a joint in the car with the windows down, then put us outside the car and spray us with some perfume and she said, ‘If that teacher has something to say, tell that bitch to call me,’” says Killer Mike, again with that

laugh, adding that he didn’t really jive with pot in his own maturation, though he listened to Redman and Snoop Dogg, until an experience with a heavy indica helped him find his groove.

“Big Boi and Dre were recording ATLiens and I hung out with Big and he had some bright orange beautiful hydro and we smoked it at his aunt’s party and we were so stoned, we couldn’t even get up to sing Happy Birthday,” Killer Mike said, reminiscing of both the 1996 Outkast record that sat on the top of the Billboard chart for 36 weeks, and his buzz. “I sold weed at the time and would cop from my aunt’s boyfriend, but I had to bring my man with me to smoke it because I didn’t like weed—but when I smoked ’dro with Big? It was over. I said, I’m running with this for life.”

“ I don’t want to celebrate other

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Render has been spending his lockdown reading and being a father and husband, which means working in his community with his family and donating clothes and food to women in his area who’ve been trafficked in the sex trade. He doesn’t believe—punitively— in an eye for an eye. “Look, I watched the Capitol shit with the same shock and disappointment as everyone else, but what I’d rather talk about is making the system fair versus making those White people be punished harder,” he said. “I want protesters locked up in Kentucky, their records expunged. I want for the Muslim brothers in place like Georgia locked up to have a halal diet so they don’t have to eat food that’s unholy for them. I don’t want to celebrate other people in pain. I want to celebrate grace and mercy for people who look like me.”

“Mike pisses me off all the time,” El-P said, and talked about the difference between him and his partner. “Mike’s like: lockdown’s been great. I’m eating healthily. I started a garden and I love being in my community and I’m like, that’s awesome. I’m losing my fucking mind, my body’s going to shit, I started smoking cigarettes again, I’m having regular arguments with people I love, but I’m so happy for you, Mike, that’s wonderful. What a special thing that must be.”

people in pain. I want to celebrate grace and mercy for people who look like me.”

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been treated unfairly and they stormed the Capitol.”

RUN THE JEWELS

Like all of us, Run the Jewels think cannabis should be legalized everywhere and that people unfairly imprisoned on cannabis charges should not be in jail. Records for pot arrests should be expunged, both men said, and people who sold weed before the system became legal and corporate should have a seat in the industry as business women and men.

This 420, it’s one of the principle beliefs that Run the Jewels stand for.

“Every fucking stoner knows you have to have your own weed if you can, like an obsessive sneakerhead would never say no having their own shoe,” El-P said with a laugh, which he then silences and got serious as a wake: “There’s wild and pervasive injustice in cannabis that absolutely needs atoning for and if people give the greenlight for investing and legalizing this shit without basically making reparations than the soul of our country will not be right and we absolutely can not leave people behind that were unjustly incarcerated—period.”

Run the Jewels 4 is out now at RuntheJewels.com.

COVID restriction notwithstanding, the band plans to tour stadiums this summer with Rage Against the Machine and headline Riot Fest 2021.

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Systemic racism on social media unfairly targets creators of colour B Y

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Systemic racism is embedded in the publishing world’s processes where value is often measured against a creator’s • A social media algorithm is online influence. Likes, shares, views, and a mathematical set of rules comments are thrown into an equation specifying how a group of data that spits out the creator’s engagement behaves rate—helping advertisers, distributors • Black and minority creators and publishers determine credibility and claim the algorithm does not compensation. favour them I've watched creators ask their • Creators sued YouTube last followers to turn on notifications for their year claiming their content was content because they think their content systemically removed, Black is not reaching their followers. I’ve also creators on other platforms echo experienced white creators claim they’ve this sentiment been shadow-banned. If advertisers and • An internal analysis at Facebook publishers are paying based on views and found users whose activity engagement, the algorithm has influenced suggested they were Black were that equation, ultimately deciding whose 50% more likely to have their content gets seen, who becomes popular, and accounts disabled than others who makes money.

Can algorithms be programmed to be racist? Let’s level set on what a social media As the Head of Video at kind magazine, and a algorithm is. According to the Digital minority woman, I make an effort to ensure the Marketing Institute: “It’s a mathematical decisions I make are representative of a diverse set of rules specifying how a group of data and inclusive culture. Still, some creators think behaves. In social media, algorithms help the social media platforms using machine maintain order and assists in ranking search learning are programmed against them. Behind results and advertisements.” the screens, creators and academics believe In her Wall Street Journal article “Socialthat unmonitored technology enables—and Media Algorithms Rule How We See The amplifies—racist behaviour.

World. Good Luck Trying to Stop Them,”

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Joanna Stern writes, “It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when we lost control of what we see, read—and even think—to the biggest social media companies.”

In the article, she quotes Hany Farid, a computer science professor at the University of California, Berkeley, “There are bad people doing bad things on the internet—QAnon, white supremacists—it’s not that Facebook, YouTube, and other social media sites allow it on their platform. It’s that they amplify it.” According to Farid, the problem is that: “Computers are in charge of what we see and they’re operating without transparency.”

It seems like the computers aren’t promoting the work—or opinions—of people of colour.

“Serendipity has been replaced by curated content,” writes Thodora Lau and Uday Akkaraju in the Harvard Business Review. “What if the internet becomes a guarded space where only a select group of individuals get heard?”

South Africa-based, Yaaseen Barnes, a comedian, echoes the sentiment in this Tweet, “Instagram will make it seem like you follow 4 accounts only… the way they keep pushing them every day. WHERE ARE THE OTHER ACCOUNTS I FOLLOW? I followed them for a reason, show me their posts.”

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Last year, advertisers boycotted Facebook’s platforms, to protest how the social media company monitors their posts.

As a response, Facebook announced they were creating teams dedicated to examining how Black and minority users in the United States are affected by algorithms on Instagram and Facebook. According to the Wall Street Journal, the equity and inclusion team’s mandate is to analyze how the company’s algorithms and machine learning affect minority creators compared to white creators.

About a month before this announcement, a group of Black creators filed a lawsuit against YouTube, claiming that their content was being systematically removed without explanation. According to the Washington Post, the lawsuit alleges that the platform, “rig[s] the game, by using their power to restrict and block Plaintiffs and other similarly situated competitors, based on racial identity or viewpoint discrimination for profit.”

In the suit, YouTube creator Catherine Jones, who runs the channel Carmen Caboom, says the channel removed her content for containing nudity and hate speech. She claims that her content does not contain either of those things. Is her content being inaccurately reported by bad actors?

“These algorithms try to predict whether content uploaded to YouTube is in violation of their terms and service. With 20,000 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every hour, it’s simply not possible to have humans reviewing every second for these violations,”

says Anthony Niblett, Associate Professor, and Canada Research Chair in Law, Economics & Innovation at the University of Toronto.

“Some violations will not be caught, and other content, that doesn’t violate, will be tagged as violations.”

The question, he says, is whether or not these errors are biased against various groups.

Content creator and model, Risa Newman, thinks they are. “The reason why I hate TikTok is because of the shadow banning it does on Black creatives,” she said. “It’s also happening on Instagram—when you type a name in the search bar that you want to find, you can’t find them.”

Shadow banning is defined by Hubspot as, “The act of blocking a user’s content on social media sites, in such a way that the user doesn’t know it’s happening. If you’re shadow banned on Instagram, your content won’t appear on anyone’s feed unless they already follow you.”

Many cannabis companies in Canada say this has also happened to them.

This is a way for Instagram to filter out accounts that don’t comply with their terms.

Instagram, meanwhile, has not admitted to shadow banning.

“It’s so hard seeing all these creators struggling to get views when white folks get the spotlight,” Newman says.

Niblett weighs in, “even if the algorithms are not expressly designed to identify race or ethnicity of creators, the algorithms can still have a discriminatory effect if race or ethnicity is correlated with features that the algorithms sort by.”

stopped from studying racial impacts associated with the platform without permission from the most senior team of executives. An internal analysis found users whose activity suggested they were Black were 50% more likely to have their accounts disabled than other users. After tweaking the algorithm’s criteria to reduce this, the Wall Street Journal reported further research was prohibited by Facebook executives.

“ Algorithms actively give us back what they think we like.”

Jade Owhadi, an activist, educator, and humanitarian, does not identify as a minority but speaks out about a lot of minority issues. Her Instagram account, which has 11.3 thousand followers, was disabled. “I’d been posting about white supremacy and going extra hard with everything that’s going on in the States,” she says. “They said it was a violation of their terms and conditions, then switched it up a few hours later. They said I was pretending to be someone else.”

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Instagram’s parent company only took action against their internal biases when there was an outcry from Facebook employees about race.

In the Wall Street Journal, Instagram’s head of product said, “The racial justice movement is a moment of real significance [...] any bias in our systems and policies runs counter to providing a platform for everyone to express themselves.”

The article says that before the initiative was launched, employees at Facebook were

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When asked if she thought that people who disagreed with her views reported her posts, she said, “Definitely. I think that people were reporting my page, comments, pictures, over and over again in an effort to shut me down, and eventually, Instagram took the page down.” Jade says she grew up

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“ Ingenuity is the other side of being oppressed.”

to think and see the world differently.”

Are Black people being silenced on the platforms that they made cool?

Jeremy Green, a content creator who grew up in a biracial family in Orange County, California, says his father empowered him to speak up for Black in a “very racist” town in Texas, a town she rights. “It could be systemic racism, but it says is still influenced by the KKK. “That’s could be systemic classism, and that takes where a lot of my followers are,” she says. priority over racism or sexism,” he says, She uses her account as a means of adding that Instagram has become a place communication. “A lot of my former where, “People become very consumed very students are on my Instagram, that’s how quickly when you’re seeing people who I keep up with them and their families.” make millions off their looks alone.”

Jade works with underprivileged children He says audiences would rather escape in developing countries and says that her into superficial content than consume greatest passion is speaking for those who content that is informative when it comes don’t have a voice. to the real issues facing the world.

Weighing in on her own experiences, Owhadi agrees. “Instagram tends to show Newman says: “Black creators need to selfies a whole lot more than when you’re start creating their own platforms and posting something educational,” adding supporting each other that way.” that she posts a selfie to her account before posting about humanitarian aid work she’s T H E PAT H doing so that more people will see her post.

F O R W A R D Still, some professionals conclude that algorithmic bias on social media can’t exist. “There is a 0% chance that biases can Shortly after this interview, CNBC be programmed into an algorithm,” says published an article about Clubhouse. The independent data and analytics consultant, article titled “How Black users are saving Kumar Latchman.

Clubhouse from becoming a drab hangout "Academically speaking, algorithms look for tech bros,” explores how app users from for patterns of behaviour," says Latchman, diverse backgrounds are changing the adding that the purpse of these platforms user experience for the better. The article is to monetize our attention. They want to references Aniyia Williams, founder of Black keep us as engaged as tehy can for as long & Brown Founder, an organization that as possible. That is their main motivator." supports Black and Latinx entrepreneurs, “Algorithms actively give us back what saying, “This sudden burst of innovation in they think we like,” he adds. “If creators of Clubhouse exemplifies the role Black people any subject are being disproportionately often play in America as culture makers and targeted in the form of reports, the trendsetters.” algorithm will respond to that.”

When Clubhouse first launched, the When asked about potential solutions, majority of its users were from Silicon Latchman says, “You’re always going to Valley. There were conversations on the have unintended outcomes, the human future of AI or Bitcoin, but now you’re more intervention to solve it, is coincidentally, likely to find cultural debates or people the bias.” looking for love in one of the many The regulation of social media dating rooms. companies is something that will continue In the story, Williams says, “Ingenuity is to be hotly debated. “Companies should the other side of being oppressed. At the be more transparent about the algorithms end of the day, that’s the thing that unites they use and how these algorithms make Black people[...] being a have-not forces you predictions,” says Niblett. How to regulate

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social media companies is a topic that is becoming more and more part of the discourse. “I would be uncomfortable with the world where a government is telling private companies what content they must publish,” he adds.

“If Facebook is setting up internal systems to identify whether errors they make are disproportionately affecting particular subgroups of society and if they are identifying ways to ameliorate and minimize these biases, then that would be beneficial,” Niblett says.

Green says, “look at @chakabars, he’s been running [humanitarian] programs for the good portion of this decade, and he’s won awards at the BET level, but he’s not verified to this day, that speaks loudly.”

Chaka Zulu, who goes by @chakabars on Instagram, has one million followers and posts regular content about racial issues. Green gets angry as he talks about Zulu’s account being disabled for posting “supposed fake news,” adding that there are accounts just like his who post the same type of information—but face no recourse.

On the Facebook solution, Green says, “It helps if we have people from our community sitting in executive positions at these social media companies, they will be able to empathize with our community.”

While there’s no clear-cut solution to fixing the problem with algorithms— giving the Black community a voice in the boardroom is a first step we can all agree on.

Facebook, Google and TikTok were contacted via email for comment on this article, at time of press, kind Magazine had not received a response from any of the social media platforms.

THE BEST IS YET TO COME Why the music industry’s betting that rising Canadian star Savannah Ré will save 2021 with her music, and her message

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Savannah Ré has taken the music world by storm. The young Toronto artist has captured the attention of 11-time Grammy winner Kenny ‘Babyface Edmonds’ and was the first artist Boi-1da signed to his label. She also wowed audiences when she opened for Jessie Reyez during her sold-out “Being Human On Tour” tour. She was nominated for two JUNOs this year in the Contemporary R&B Recording Of The Year and Traditional R&B/Soul Recording of the Year categories. She is the first artist to ever be nominated for both awards.

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For as long as Ré can remember, she’s been making music—and if you ask anyone in the industry about the R&B singer, you’ll hear nothing but praise for her talent and ability to show raw, authentic emotion. Kehlani, Alessia Cara and Keshia Chanté have all sung her praises, and she says she’s ready to take the music world by storm. “After grinding for years, this is the first book in the series,” she says, excitement in her voice is indicative of what’s to come next.

For Ré, being an artist comes with much more responsibility than creating and releasing music. The Scarborough, ON. native is motivated by uplifting Black female creators, giving back to her community and enabling her audience to feel and think deeper through her music.

Before releasing her EP, Ré came across filmmaker John Koenig’s Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, a dictionary for feelings we all have,

but aren’t named. The definition for “opia” in this dictionary is, “the ambiguous intensity of looking someone in the eye, which can feel simultaneously invasive and vulnerable—their pupils glittering, bottomless and opaque—as if you were peering through a hole in the door of a house, able to tell that there’s someone standing there, but unable to tell if you’re looking in or looking out.”

“When I stumbled across the word, I knew this was it,” Ré says, adding that she’d been working on a nameless project for quite some time. “I was working on this for three years, and had most of the songs done before the title.”

The word inspired a powerful video experience for the EP’s title track. The video takes real couples and puts them across from each other, asking them to stare into each other’s eyes for four minutes. Ré participated in the experiment with her husband. “You

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could be married or dating and never actually have to stare at your partner,” she says.

Because of COVID-19, Ré was not able to attend the whole shoot, and didn’t see the other experiences until she sat down to watch the first cut. “The first cut made me cry,” she says. “I really wanted the audience to experience raw emotion.”

Savannah and her team achieved their goal.

The video that was released just before the holidays has seen tens of thousands of views, and viewers are sharing their experiences in the comments.

JSP wrote on YouTube, “This is such a beautiful project you’ve made and this is the vibe we need for the times that we are in right now.”

While Calvin Henderson said, “this song hit me so hard, I’m in tears over here right now, I want love like that.”

Praising her team for bringing her vision to life, Ré says, “all of my videos are directed

by Black women, it’s so important for me to have Black people and people of colour on my team.” Opia was directed by Yasmin EveringKerr, and Ré laughs as she praises her director for working with unreasonable deadlines.

“The best way to empower youth and other Black people is for us to see ourselves in these roles,” the musician says. While she says she’s seen change in the music industry over the past year, she acknowledges: “There is still a long way to go.”

Drawing from her own experiences, she is thankful for the mentors she’s had in her life. The musician entered a songwriting competition a few years ago and had no idea that it would chart her path. The competition was sponsored by Kenny ‘Babyface Edmonds,’ the 11-time Grammy winner behind some of the greatest hits of all time. For those that need a refresher, Edmonds wrote and produced classics like Boyz II Men’s End of The Road and I’ll Make Love To You. He’s also worked with Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Whitney Houston.

After submitting songs to the competition, she was invited to a writing camp in LA. During the week-long camp, she was put into a group of her peers to create music.

Her group ended up winning. Edmonds was so impressed with her talent, he personally requested that she attend a similar camp in

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Toronto to see if she’d improved. By that time, years later, Boi-1da launches his own another one of her dreams had come true. music label, 1Music, an imprint through

Universal Music Canada. It turns out he was listening because the first person he called to sign as an artist was Ré.

“He’s honestly the nicest person in the world,” Ré says of her mentor who also serves as executive producer on her EP. But Ré says she’s just getting started.

“It took a lot to get where I am,” she says, adding that she hopes that Ré had dreamt of working with Boi-1da, she’ll be able to use her influence to the Grammy-award winning producer behind change the lives of young artists from her so many of Drake’s hits. She was writing over community so that they can follow in his beats and sending tracks to him, not her footsteps. “The best is yet to come.” knowing if he’d ever listened. Fast-forward

“ The best way to empower youth and other Black people is for us to see ourselves in these roles.”

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BARTEES STRANGE

BARTEES STRANGE & THE SOUND OF THE FUTURE B Y VA N E S S A D U M A I S P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y J U L I A L E I B Y

With Live Forever, one of the most critically-acclaimed albums of 2020, DC-based Bartees Strange’s unique and complex sound blends influences and bends genres with lyrics charged by politics and feelings. Vanessa Dumais spoke with Bartees via Zoom to chat about the future of America.

Vanessa Dumais: I really love your album Live Forever. One of the highlights from my list of 2020. I understand your second album is already written. Is it inspired by the happenings of the world going on or has it been more of an escape where you can write and explore ideas that get you away from the news?

Bartees Strange: I don't feel like I can really process everything happening right now because I'm too in it, you know? I'm literally too close to it. I live in DC, I can't zoom out and see it. So it's more writing about the size of the whale from inside the whale. But most of the songs are escapes from that.

VD: Living in DC, you've certainly had an eventful year. What's the energy there now that you have a new president?

“there's not a lot of reporting about how the Blackest city in America is dealing with the largest Klan rally we've ever had.”

VD: Was your move from Oklahoma to DC for professional reasons? I know that you were working in politics when Obama was president—or was it more driven by your ambitions in the world of music?

BS: Both. I was at the University of Oklahoma and I was interning a lot so I could find a way BS: I think people are apprehensive out. I wanted to go somewhere where I could obviously about going outside. We just had play music and be closer to all the bands that a 50,000 person Klan rally that I think all of I admired growing up. I worked in DC for a us are still processing. DC is one of the last little while and I really didn't enjoy it at first majority Black cities in America. I remember and had a hard time finding people to play when all that was happening, I was like, with, and eventually moved to New York.

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BARTEES STRANGE

VD: You were just talking about DC and moving to a city that has so many bands that you grew up listening to. I assume that you're talking about the early hardcore days, is that movement still felt in DC? Is that scene still alive?

BS: I think that energy pervades every type of music that's made here, whether you're making punk music or not, there's always this ethos to how music is approached in DC that is uniquely punk.

VD: I know that you came from a very musical family. I think you said that you started recording your friends when you were about twelve?

BS: One of my favourite toys when I was a kid was a TalkBoy. I used to record everything with it. At the time I wanted to be a weatherman.

I would do the weather into the TalkBoy and then play it back in slow-mo, play it in fast forward, I was in love with that I could record things. I wasn't recording jams when I was 12, but I could record church services, the radio, my mom practicing, everything. I would just listen to it in my little headphones and go to sleep every night. As I got older, I got a little port, my first multi-track thing, and I would record little ideas there. And when I was in high school, me and my buddy recorded my first little band.

VD: I think that you should revisit those recordings. Who knows, maybe you’ll find something to borrow for new records?

BS: I hope not!

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VD: The US has a new president, which is awesome. Along with all of these new changes, I wanted to know how you feel about the US turning into a more cannabis-positive country.

BS: Long overdue. I feel like whether you believe in weed being legal or not, there's just such a huge problem with overcriminalization in this country and the fact that there are millions of people, mostly who look like me, who are in prison for extremely long periods of time for weed is reprehensible. It's beyond evil. Anything that can go towards freeing more of these people is something that we should be moving towards as fast as we humanly can. Of course I’m cannabis-friendly and I smoke and eat it and use it, but beyond the recreational and health benefits of it, the societal impact of opening up and changing those laws is going to be tremendous. So, you know, change the laws.

VD: What other laws would you change?

BS: Labour issues. Obviously right now a lot of people are having a hard time finding work or having steady paycheck, especially in America where there's very little…what's the right word…

VD: Empathy?

BS: Don't feel bad for poor people in America. You know, people treat being poor like it's something you did to yourself.

People treat people that don’t have things as if they've done something wrong.

VD: Like a personal problem, not a larger systemic issue.

BS: Yeah. I feel like in America, we've taken such a huge step away from unions. As we look towards a world where we're getting more people working gig economy jobs than ever before, there need to be protections for those people and they need to be making a lot more money. People are like, “Why would

you give a fast food worker $15 an hour when I only make $50K at my IT job?” And my answer to them would be: “Well, they should pay you more too!” Everyone should be making more money and everyone should have way more rights on the job.

VD: Explain.

BS: Right now we're seeing what happens when you have a society that has no protections. We have people delivering groceries who are going to die for it, or people who were tapped to drive cabs right now, and they're going to die for it. And it's a shame that we can say we live in the greatest country on earth, but the people who keep the country going are the least protected people. I worked on the “Fight for 15” campaign for years here in the States. The next step is to reinvigorate our call for more unions in workplaces across the country.

a chariot: the album. And we'll be like, “yeah, this is the rapture.” This is the actual pasture. It's just Mitski records.

F E AT U R E S

Everything sort of sped up. I found a bunch of bands to play in and got a little more comfortable with the music I was writing and wrote Live Forever in New York. Then I moved back to DC. My parents ended up moving here from Oklahoma. So, we're here for now. Toronto looks like it's next though. I love Toronto, like a lot. So I'm excited about that chapter of our lives, if it goes there.

DON'T HOLD NOTHING BACK

VD: Not the worst way to go, really.

BS: It's not, there could be way worse ways to go. I love Japanese Breakfast too.

I know she just put out a book, so I'm sure she's busy, but I would love for another record from her too. So there: those are the records I hope come out this year, even though I have no idea if they're coming up.

M EET:

Bartees Strange

VD: It's awesome that you're staying so active and busy with writing.

BS: Yeah. I think I’ve got to kind of chill out though, because I’ve got to start getting my head together for my own stuff. I’ve got to start saying “no” to people, which is always very hard for me.

SU G G ESTED TR AC K:

“ B O O M E R ” O R “ M U S TA NG” FAN S ALSO LIKE:

TV O N THE R A D I O, THE NATI O NA L , FLY I NG L O TU S

VD: What albums are you most looking forward to in 2021?

BS: I don't want to fuck up anybody’s schedule that nobody knows, but there are some artists that IF they were to have music come out, I would be very excited, like Yves Tumor. They put out a record last year that is probably my favourite record that has come out in the last five years: Heaven For A Tortured Mind. Another group that I'm excited about is my homie’s band called Pom Pom Squad. Her name's Mia Barron and I think she's brilliant. I know Mitski doesn't make music anymore, but every year I'm like, “Will I get a Mitski record?” So I look to the stars at night, a single tear rolls down from my eye and I say, “Will I get one more Mitski record?” The heavens are silent, which isn’t a no!

VD: It’s not a no! I was going to say it would be very Mitski that one day you wake up and there's a brand new record waiting for you.

BS: Yeah. Just bending from heaven on

Y OU M AY H AVE SEEN H IM ON :

L ATE NI G HT W I TH S E TH M E Y E R S, NP R 'S TI NY D E S K C O NC E R T S E R I E S

“There's always this ethos to how music is approached in DC that is uniquely punk.”

VD: A few months ago you were speaking about how the bandcamp ecosystem is probably a good thing for the music industry.

BS: Bandcamp Day is really cool. The fact that there's a site that’s breaking down the wall between a buyer and an artist is really important. I feel like a lot of people want to support artists. They understand that artists don't make a lot of money and that Spotify doesn't really pay much. It’s a very considerate and smart thing to do on bandcamp’s side to make it easier for

people to have those interactions with artists and be able to really contribute directly to people. I also love how bandcamp has so many features for artists to interact with their fans. Not only can a fan buy

something, but I can also send them a note.

Anything that can encourage more of those interactions is really great, especially now when people are starving for any type of interaction.

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ASTRONOMY

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ASTRONOMY

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ACROSS THE UNIVERSE The sky is a mighty complicated place.

How about you roll up a little something and come along with me on a roam through the cosmos?

B Y A L L E N D R I A P H O T O G R A P H Y

B R U N J E S B Y A L A N D Y E R

Look up. There’s an entire universe in front of your eyes, shining in those little points of light. Even through city haze, you can see objects that are trillions of kilometres away. There are our nearby neighbours—the Moon, the planets, meteors passing through our atmosphere, the occasional comet flying through the inner Solar System. Farther away, you can see stars, and if it’s dark enough, you can spot nebulae, clusters and even entire galaxies. It takes ages for those little photons of light to reach your eyeballs, so when you look at the night sky, you’re actually looking

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into the past. Space is unfathomably large, dangerously radioactive and unthinkably cold with scorching hot spots. There are black holes and white dwarfs, blue giants and even bigger red supergiants. While globular clusters contain some of the oldest stars in our 13-billion-year-old galaxy, a star’s core can collapse within minutes during a supernova. Anyway you look at it, space is mind blowing. To start trekking into its infinite depths, let’s go somewhere you have probably already visited.

“It takes ages for those little photons of light to reach your eyeballs, so when you look at the night sky, you're actually looking into the past.”

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THE BIG DIPPER I’m sure most of you recognize the Big Dipper, its seven prominent stars visible across Canada year-round. It looks like a big square spoon in the northern sky, and it’s actually a part of the constellation known as Ursa Major, “the Great Bear.” The Big Dipper is an asterism, a grouping of stars that isn’t a constellation on its own, and its stars hold different names and meanings in cultures all over the Northern Hemisphere.

From the edge of the spoon to the tip of the handle, the stars in the Big Dipper have been officially dubbed by the International Astronomical Union as Dubhe, Merak, Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar and Alkaid, names that derived from Arabic.

Take a look at the second star from the end of the handle. Here’s where it gets interesting: there are actually two points of light there. It’s an age-old seeing test, trying to spot them both. Mizar is the brighter of the stars, and Alcor is about one lightyear—9.46 trillion kilometres—behind it.

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That’s not all. Mizar is actually a quadruple star system. In it, there are two sets of tightly-bound binary star systems, tied together by gravity. In 2009, Alcor was also discovered to be a binary star system. All in all, it’s a stellar sextuplet, six stars swirling in a continuous celestial dance about 83 light-years away.

ORION, THE HUNTER

You’re likely reading this magazine in Canada in April 2021, meaning Orion is setting around 9 p.m. I’m still suggesting you check it out, because it’s chock-full of interesting features and a great starting point for starhopping the night sky. You’ve probably heard of Orion. The constellation Now let’s do a little thing called starhopping, came into the spotlight after Men In Black a “connect-the-dots” using stars we recognize mentioned the “belt”—an asterism with to draw lines pointing elsewhere in the sky. three bright bluish stars, evenly-spaced in Look at the other end of the Big Dipper, at a straight line. Also, just over a year ago, the bowl’s outer two stars. Connect the stars the astronomy community flew into a tizzy with an imaginary line. Draw the line from after Orion’s bright red shoulder star started the star at the base of the bowl through the dimming more than usual. Betelgeuse— top star, and continue that line until you hit usually pronounced “BET-el-juice,” but I l another, kind of bright star. That’s Polaris, ike to say “Beetlejuice”—is a variable star, the North Star. It’s the tip of the handle of which means it’s always dimming and the Little Dipper, or Ursa Minor, which is brightening. But in December 2019, it got easily visible in dark skies but harder to pick really dim, and some people suggested out in the city. Because of the rotation of that it might even go supernova. It didn’t, the Earth, all the other stars appear to spin but things sure were exciting for a around Polaris in the Northern Hemisphere. few months.

Anyway, before Orion sets, you can catch it in the southwestern sky. It’s pretty easy to spot the three belt stars and its still-bright red left shoulder. Now look at the belt. Well, below the belt. You’ll see a few dim stars, Orion’s “sword,” hanging down to the centre-left. Say what you will about what this asterism represents, but it actually contains a really cool astronomical object. Messier 42, the Orion Nebula, is a stellar nursery, a large cloud of gas and dust where stars are born. At about 1,300 light-years away, it’s the closest large star-forming region to Earth.

(Starhopping tip: if you follow the sword upward, it points back to Polaris.) Look at the belt again. Trace a line through the three stars to the right. Close by, you’ll see a few faint stars—if you hold your hands out, they’re two “fist-widths” away.

That’s the Hyades, 153 light-years away.

It’s an open cluster, meaning the stars are loosely-bound by gravity. Open clusters tend to run young and hot, and they can lose their stars as other great forces pass.

One more fist-width away, you should see a smaller, smudgy area with a little star or two. As your eyes focus, you might see a few more faint, little stars. That’s Messier 45, or the Pleiades. It’s 445 light-years from Earth, and there are about 1,000 stars there, though you might be able to see seven with the naked eye.

If you have a dark sky and a clear view of the horizon, keep following that same line along and you’ll eventually hit the ground — better luck next time— or a fuzzy grey patch.

If you hit the grey patch, you’ve found our neighbour, the Andromeda Galaxy. It’s 2.5 million light-years away, and it’s pretty much the farthest thing you can see with your naked eye.

Here at home, there’s the Royal Astronomical. Founded in 1868, RASC consists of more than 5,000 enthusiastic amateurs, educators and professionals.

In addition to national services like online space and science talks and “do-it-yourself” teaching guides, its 30 centres offer local programs to support anyone who wants to learn more about the universe.

But you’ve already taken the important first step, something so many others have done before you—just looking up and asking what’s there.

WANT MORE?

Allendria Brunjes is the editor-in-chief of SkyNews, Canada’s astronomy and stargazing magazine. You can read the latest in space at skynews.ca, and sign up for the weekly newsletter at the bottom of the web page to get updates on celestial events.

There are oodles of resources to help you on your quest through the universe.

Star positions and locations/dates/times checked in Stellarium.

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PA RA DISE O N EA RTH Meet Stefan Thurairatnam, kind’s newest travel columnist. Stefan traded his 9-5 job for global exploration for paradise on Earth. That’s exactly the type of inspirational story we love to share in kind—Stefan has grown his Instagram channel to over 100k followers and is a proud media partner in Luxury World Traveler which has over 3-million global followers. We know Canadians aren't globe-hopping now.

Let Stefan awaken your dreams.

P H U K E T,

T H A I L A N D

KEEMALA | @KEEMALAPHUKET Experience a tropical wonderland. The beauty of this property it embraces a Thai cultural philosophy and brings it to life through distinctive design and guest experiences.

Keemala is well away from the crowds and overlooks Kamal’s Village and the Andaman Sea. If you are looking for everyday life it welcomes you into an enchanting evergreen wonderland!

@ S T E F A N T H U R A I R AT N A M

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CONRAD BALI | @CONRADBALI Conrad Bali is comparable to paradise on earth, and the sunsets there are just little glimpses of the golden streets of heaven.

Beneath the open sky with the breeze of the ocean, that’s my definition of serenity.

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TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

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GO FIGR

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THIS 4 20 , G O FIG R F I N A L LY A C A N A D I A N C A N N A B I S C O M PA N Y M A K I N G T H E U S E R E X P E R I E N C E S U P E R E A S Y.

FIGR, a PEI-based cannabis brand, recently launched “Sessions,” their collection of strains that addresses all different vibes. This month, as we all get ready for 420—the cannabis Christmas and New Year’s all rolled into one—kind columnists have come up with some suggestions for fun activities for each session.

GO EASY

GO CHILL

GO STEADY

G O P L AY

G O E L E VAT E

Madison Makepeace

Jacqui Childs

Latoya Elliott

Jen Newton

Ross Rebagliati

• Take a magnesium

• Turn my phone off,

• Take the time to learn

• A mid-day creative sesh.

• Play a nice round

3 @holistic_hints

D U B A I , U A E A L M A H A D E S E R T R E S O R T & S PA @ALMAHA_RESORT Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa possess a particular magic- blooming in the middle of the desert, under the blazing sun. This property stands outside of time, in between silk like sand dunes, where the sun has no choice but to infinitely shine.

Amidst the camels riding on sand dunes, and the scorching heat- Al Maha Resort stands like a breathtaking oasis! ⁣

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rich epsom salt and essential oil filled bubble bath and dim the lights.

• Grab my bolster, light some palo santo and meditate or hold some restorative yoga postures.

• Bake my sugar free,

grain free almond cookies and enjoy them with fresh ginger tea.

@jacquichilds

and sit in my yard filling my senses with all of nature's beauty.

Looking to the sky, and feeling the earth.

• Laying in my bed

watching foreign films to all hours of the night, candles burning throughout my room.

• Pulling out my journal and writing until the words stop flowing easily. Laughing to myself as I drift off to dreamland.

@heyfrolady

something new or revisit something you’ve once had a passion for.

• I'm going to bake a

420 cake to enjoy with my virtual activist family, eat most of it and fall asleep peacefully.

• Feel satisfied and

blissful, my friends.

Because today: we can.

@Hightea.Life

@rossrebagliati98

Pulling out some paint and a canvas and letting my imagination run wild.

• Taking a stroll with

nothing but a coffee, the pup, and packin’ a king-sized. A few puffs keep me feeling fine as I wander with wonder with fresh eyes.

of golf with the boys.

• Check out an epic

snowboarding event with friends and family.

• Throw a backyard party for the ages with a huge fire, great music, and stargazing.

• A 4:20 park toke. There’s

every kind of happy toker and always music to groove to. Remember to puff puff and not pass!

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420, as a term, has spread like wildfire over the decades in connection to cannabis consumption worldwide, and April 20th has become the dedicated day to the counterculture, where many celebrations take to the streets in a call to action for tolerance, acceptance, legalization and decriminalization of marijuana. A big one that put 420 on the map was HempFest of Seattle. It started in 1997 as a few stoners standing up to bureaucracy, spearheaded by founder Vivian McPeak. Sixty arrests were made and in the following year, twenty more people got arrested. Eventually the cops and the people came to a modus vivendi—a way of life— with only one arrest made in 2001.

>>>

PA R T Y F O R YOUR RIGHT TO FIGHT Latoya Elliott—Fro Lady to her online fans— tells us about the legacy of 420 and why this April everyone in the Canadian cannabis community should feel proud

Calling all stoners, tokers, and smokers! Fro Lady here, and you’re about to be schooled. 420 has long been the term used among the cannabis crowd for decades and literally everyone knows what time it is when someone yells out: “420!” But do you know what it’s actual history is? Like, where did the term 420 come from?

There are many misconceptions, stories, theories and even fallacies about where 420 actually came from. The Waldos are the only ones with actual proof of the earliest usage of the 420 term. They were your average 1971 California teenagers who received a map to some marijuana crops from a friend because he was afraid of getting caught growing by police. He granted the teens permission to harvest the crops if they could find it. They would meet up at 4:20 pm at the Louis Pasteur statue located on their high school grounds (hence the term “420 Louis”), and off they went looking for the preverbal crops. They soon would drop the “Louis” part of their Although High Times published the widely secret code to meet up and kept it “420,” to known story of the Waldos, and many refer to cannabis or that it’s time to smoke publications have touched on their story, I’ve up. Oh, and why are they called The Waldos? come to find that a lot of people in and outside Simple, because they hung out by a wall that of the cannabis culture don’t actually know separated their school grounds from the where the term 420 comes from. Some people rest of the street. At first it was nothing but say, “I really only know it has something to do a secret code or a slang term among friends, with smoking weed,” or that it’s Bob Marley’s but the term became popular with other teens birth or death date (FYI, Bob Marley was and among fans of the Grateful Dead. Steven neither born nor died in April). So allow me to Hager of High Times magazine caught wind of reintroduce the origins of 420. It’s the political the teens and popularized their story in 1998, party of the year, after all. but not before publishing the term 420 for

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smoking and 4/20 celebrations in April of 1991.

In Canada, there were 420 celebrations amongst the earliest Canadian activists raising their bongs in Ottawa, right on Parliament Hill. Some of you may have heard about Jack Herer or more likely you’ve smoked the sativa named after him.

In 2003, Washington would legalize cannabis before any other US state. Canada has our share of raging 420 celebrations, too. In Vancouver, the first 420 celebrations took place in 1995, with only one hundred people showing up to a table and pamphlets.

There were no vendors, or food trucks or entertainment because it was more about taking a stand to educate the public and more so, legalization. However, that did not stop the influence cannabis had in the 70s and 80s, where it was introduced to pop culture in movies and music videos and with the likes of celebrities like Snoop Dogg and, of course Cheech and (the Canadian) Chong. Suddenly,

cannabis was mainstream and more and more—thanks, in part, to our 420 protests— science and business became interested enough to truly study cannabis for its many medicinal properties. I really can’t say if there was a time where cannabis users didn’t fight for their right to use cannabis.

That, in the end, is why 420 matters. Not because some kids in California went looking for weed, but because it’s evolved into a way to take a stand for what you believe in,

“Smoking weed outdoors and the cops won't harass you? Who would say no?” educate others, and create a lasting effect in the cannabis world. 420, in a sense, led us to legalization; it’s important for us to take away the key message about 420: unity. There is strength in numbers and—Canadian law now says that it’s true—smoking pot isn’t hurting anyone. It helps to heal nations, be it for

medicinal use or simply to make new friends and enjoy a good vibe. To me, 420 represents happiness, freedom, and a stress-free way of life. I remember being 19 at my first 420 Toronto Rally. I was working at the popular sex store that was known as Seductions and I did not have a clue about 420, let alone 420 celebrations/protests. I was invited to go and of course, said yes! Smoking weed outdoors and the cops won’t harass you? Who would say no? But I was told 420 was the time everyone was going to spark up and march from Queens Park to Bloor to Yonge to Wellesley, and then back down to Queens Park. Only today, right now, writing this article, did I truly understand the meaning behind 420.

This 420, party safely, people. We may even have to party alone. But remember what the day is about. We celebrate because it’s more than just a day to smoke up, it’s a call for tolerance, acceptance, and understanding.

Cannabis is a unifier of people—a mindset— and through the evolution of 420, we see the sign of the times, from counterculture and taboo ideals to legal cannabis and a Prime Minister who admitted that he did inhale. So, there you have it folks—420. What a wonderful turn of events and the hope is to continue efforts to appeal to governments worldwide and change the negative stigma surrounding cannabis because hey, it’s a beautiful thing.

Jack Herer is famous for writing The Emperor Wears No Clothes, a complete cannabis guide that informs on its many uses including industrial hemp production. He also founded the Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP) which is an organization dedicated to legalizing and decriminalizing pot in the US. A big name for us in Canada is Alan Young, the cannabis lawyer who helped us introduce in 2001 the first legal medicinal cannabis laws, that paved the way for recreational weed.

British Columbia has such freedom fighters as Kirk Toussaw and John Conroy, and on 4/20, we should all pause and give thanks to the activists who help make Canada the first G7 country with legal weed. We thank Vivian McPeak, Steve Deangelo, and “Brownie” Mary Jane Rathburn for helping pave the way to legalization of cannabis.

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WHEN IN DOUBT

PASS ’EM OUT!

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JO INT A DVE N T U R E S

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Friends, the weather’s getting warmer and hibernation will soon end. In the distance, we can hear the chime of a tambourine, feel the spin of the frisbee, smell the smoke of a barbecue cooking in the future we’ve all surely earned. We’re calling it now: 2021 is the summer of the Grandaddy Purple and the Trail Mix pre-roll.

Life has been hard, amigos. Let’s bring out enough weed to safely share with the people, and culture, we love.

Pa

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Please pass the multi-pack pre-roll: portable and hassle-free—no wind blowing your reefer off of your papers and onto the law. The preroll, elegant, perfect every time, with adorable little filters, is a salve against the unpredictable, an antidote to our beloved, dearly departed, “puff, puff pass” ritual and good manners. Still, we don’t need to pass the dutchie on the left hand side. This summer, we can all smoke our own: the more things change, and let us all feel grateful, the more they stay the same.

ss

Let us now praise a rite of passage as old as the beach ball, as timeless as the coozie, as feelit-in-your-bones happy as the kiss of a loved one at at the arrival gate after a long trip overseas (remember those?). This summer, with so much still up in the air, we endorse the joy of the multi-pack pre-roll: because a friend with weed, as the mantra goes, is a friend, indeed.

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Keep it safe, Canada. At kind, we endorse the pre-roll multi-pack for outdoor adventures—a way to share your stash while adhering to health protocols, because a win for safely spreading weed generosity is a win for us all.

Pa

We know we can’t pass around a bowl like we once did. And nobody wants to put their lips on a fellow smokers’ joint. It’s just not feasible in the time of COVID-19.

However, like the combustion of a match against the evening’s night sky, there’s light to be found on the horizon—tiny pinner joints like the ones made by 48North in their Trail Mix line, a box of seven that are shareable, but won’t risk the life of anyone’s grandma.

We want to spread love this summer; we also want to spread good weed, but we don’t want to spread infectious diseases.

That’s gross.

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These days, not sharing is caring.

That’s why we sell our indica pre-rolled personal pinners — seven to a pack!

FOLLOW: @48NRTH FIND: 48NRTH.COM

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F E A R & L O AT H I N G

C U LT U R E

F E A R & L O AT H I N G

A R T S

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F E A R AND L O A T HING WITH H U N T E R S. THOMPSON B Y: B E N K A P L A N A R T: A B S T R A C T B O D O

Cheryl Della Pietra spent the summer of 1992 in Woody Creek with the legendary author Hunter S. Thompson, an experience she fictionalized in her novel, Gonzo Girl. kind magazine caught up with the Connecticut-based author and asked her to relive her time there, and found she was thoughtful when recounting her days. Substances may have helped fuel one of America’s most famous authors.

But what mattered to him—and Della Pietra—was the work.

KIND: Let me hear your favourite three sentences Hunter Thompson ever wrote. In fact, I'll start off, so we can trade awesome lines (of literature, not cocaine). I’ll start with the one most people know, from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: “We had two bags of grass, 75 pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers... and also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls.”

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Cheryl Della Pietra: I mean, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas has one of the best opening lines in all of literature: “We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold.” There are also some great lines in his Kentucky Derby story: “It was a face I'd seen a thousand times at every Derby I'd ever been to. I saw it, in my head, as the mask of the whiskey gentry—a pretentious mix of booze, failed dreams and a terminal identity crisis; the inevitable result of too much inbreeding in a closed and ignorant culture.”

K: Your novel, Gonzo Girl, is a fictionalized account of your time working with Hunter. And I know you've told the story millions of times before—but how did it come to pass that Hunter Thompson called you at 3 a.m?

CDP: Well, after college I moved to New York with the goal of working in magazines and I promptly became… a bartender. It was a difficult time to find work. A friend of mine was interning at Rolling Stone and he called me up and said Hunter was looking for an assistant and was I interested in putting my hat in the ring. So I said yes,

and I worked up a letter that day and it was faxed to him. I can’t remember exactly what I said in the letter, but suffice to say it was unconventional. So, yes, at 3 a.m. the phone rang and this baritone mumble came over the phone: “I liked your letter. Can you get out here tomorrow?” And I did.

K: What were your first impressions of Hunter, of Woody Creek, about the universe he had created?

CDP: On one hand you have this idea that things are going to be wild because of what you know about Hunter’s public persona— and in some sense they were. There were peacocks roaming the property, the giant red convertible, the shooting range, the substances—the things you see in his books.

But, of course, there were utterly normal moments too—maybe those were the most surprising.

Interestingly, he was surrounded by women, people who took care of him. There was his longtime personal assistant; me, his purported editorial assistant; and his girlfriend. So he basically had created this environment where people would tend to things so he could create. As a creative

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person, he had times when he had to “fill the tank,” so to speak, and that would be having fun… and, yes, often substances were involved.

K: Obviously at that point, 1992, Thompson was already a legend, but you were brought on to help him produce the novel Polo Is My Life, which he took very seriously, and was very hard. What do you think writing meant to him?

CDP: Everything. Writing meant everything to him. He once said “I haven't found a drug yet that can get you anywhere near as high as sitting at a desk writing.” It’s funny: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was a blessing and a curse. On one hand it introduced him to a whole new audience, but there are

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certain fans who only know him from this drug-addled gonzo adventure. What they don’t know are the books filled with serious, hard-hitting journalism and political writing, “Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72,” “Hell's Angels,” “Generation of Swine,” and any number of magazine articles for Rolling Stone or the National Obeserver. He was a very incisive thinker and journalist with a well-calibrated moral compass, and he had no problem calling out those in power and those who were reaching for power. I think he felt a responsibility as a writer, as a journalist, to expose those people.

K: You were also a writer at the time, and still are. What lessons did you learn from one of America's most famous writers of all-time?

CDP: I’m not going to say “write every day.”

But I will say “try every day.” Not every writing session was successful, but Hunter sat down at that typewriter every day and made a go of it. You’re not as prolific a writer as he is without that kind of discipline.

“I haven't found a drug yet that can get you anywhere near as high as sitting at a desk writing.”

K: Obviously liquor and drugs were part of his process—champagne, cocaine, Chivas, cannabis and just about anything else. How did the substances seem to affect him?

CDP: They affected him in the same way they affect everyone. They had the potential to help produce turns of pure genius and they had the potential to distract. That’s kind of what Gonzo Girl is about: to what degree can substances enhance genius—and to what degree can they also destroy genius. Where is the tipping point?

CDP: Yes, obviously that was a big part of his public persona, but there was so much more to him than that. People love to talk about Hunter's drug use. But I'd rather they talk about the person, or the work. I mean, I understand the fascination—as with Keith Richards, he had a constitution that could handle quite a lot, and what the drug use represents is compelling. But the reason I wrote Gonzo Girl was to kind of tamp down the drug-addled caricature. I wanted to show Hunter as a real person, not a cartoon.

K: We’ve seen the movie and read the books—his books and other books—about the massive amounts of consumption.

I keep begging you to tell me about the morning eight balls and so much else, but you cringe. How come?

K: In the late ’60s and certainly in opposition of Nixon, drug culture was en vogue and he, in the pages of Rolling Stone, was at the vanguard. What do you think he found in substances? Was it a rebellion of the straight world?

CDP: There is an interesting quote from Thompson: “I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone but they always worked for me.” There are a lot of ways to read that. I’m not going to get too analytical—I don’t know his reasons for all of the substances—but of course many people use them to dull themselves to the world… sensitive people do. And like any creative person, I think he was sensitive to the world.

He had a deep moral compass, especially visa-vis politics, and I think certain parts of the world enraged him. Perhaps the substances tempered that. The other way to read this is that they were fun. Fun was a very important part of any day in Woody Creek. And fun could take on many forms—sometimes involving substances.

> > >

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the yummy experience

BRING THE WOW

F E A R & L O AT H I N G

A wow you can maow Take a ray of sunshine. Add colour, joy, and a double-shot of pick-me-up and you’re halfway to Chowie Wowie. We think edibles should be fun, safe, tasty, and consistent. And most important of all, enjoyed with friends.

We think edibles should be fun, safe, tasty, and

A wow you can maow Take a ray of sunshine.

A wow you can maow Take a ray of sunshine.

Add colour, joy, and a double-shot of

Add colour, joy, and a double-shot of

pick-me-up and you’re halfway to Chowie

pick-me-up and you’re halfway to Chowie

Wowie. We think edibles should be fun, safe,

Wowie. We think edibles should be fun, safe,

tasty, and consistent. And most important of

tasty, and consistent. And most important of

all, enjoyed with friends.

all, enjoyed with friends.

consistent. And most important of all, enjoyed with friends.

Add colour, joy, and a double-shot of

pick-me-up and you’re halfway to Chowie Wowie. We think edibles should be fun, safe, tasty, and consistent. And most important of all, enjoyed with friends. Add colour, joy, and We think edibles

“Fun feeds the soul— professionally, personally.”

K: Tell me about him at his most brilliant.

K: You’re 22-years-old and sitting You recall those moments as "magic." What across from Hunter with his cigarette was it like hearing his fingertips dance? holder and scotch, the Tilley hat and entourage. Are you both pinching CDP: I feel very fortunate to have been in yourself and ducking for cover? these extremely intimate situations with Hunter—the middle of the night, him CDP: It’s funny, at the time I had only read writing, taking calls, watching CNN, certain what is most people’s introduction to HST— films. It could be really magical when it Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I hadn’t read was all working. He used a traditional the huge body of work, including serious typewriter—no computers—which is wild, journalism and incisive political writing, that when you think about it. Ironically, he was preceded it and came after it. Of course, I’ve the world’s worst typist—he would hunt read practically everything he’s ever written and peck. Then he would do any edits in pen since, but at the time ignorance was kind of afterward. But it’s kind of incredible to think bliss. He has a fanatical following, so maybe that for the most part that genius would he appreciated the fact that I just treated him come out of him whole. normally and was there to get work done.

K: I know one of your big takeaways from HST was: "a day without fun is a day that eats shit.” Almost 20 years later, what do you make of your summer with the man, and how did it inform your life, now as a writer and an editor, a wife and a mom?

CDP: There’s something really innocent and playful about that quote—and it’s good to be reminded of it, especially now. Everything feels so heavy in the world. Fun doesn’t feel easy right now. But why not put this on your daily to-do list? Fun feeds the soul— professionally, personally. He was right: You can’t argue with the sentiment.

A wow you can maow Take a ray of sunshine.

Add colour, joy, and a double-shot of pick-me-up and you’re halfway to Chowie Wowie. We think edibles should be fun, safe, tasty, and consistent.

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A wow you can maow Take a ray of sunshine.

Add colour, joy, and a double-shot of pick-me-up and you’re halfway to Chowie Wowie. We think edibles should be fun, safe,

GOOD GENES Even in the age of legalization, cannabis genetics still operate like the wild west B Y

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Among all of the world’s cannabis history, lore, mythology and straight-up bullshit, the stories of the Strain Hunters’ expeditions—led

by Dutch entrepreneur Arjan Roskam and the late Franco Loja, of Italy—are almost too good to be true.

Take the duo’s incredible, controversial journey to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2016, captured in a popular documentary by VICE. Their mission? To collect seeds from crops of rare and wild Congolese cannabis cultivars, which would involve a two-day journey by wooden boat from Kisangani, deep into the dark and buggy jungle, paying village leaders small amounts of cash along the way for the privilege. But to them, it’s worth the trouble: The seeds would be a valuable addition to the vast collection of cannabis genetics at their Green House Seed Company bank back home in the Netherlands, particularly with a new, legal cannabis market gradually opening up worldwide. Securing a sample of a Congolese landrace strain, a cannabis variety that’s been breeding with itself and not crossed with another variety, could mean billions of dollars in future revenue.

After a few disappointments, plenty of bug bites and several conflicts with locals who justifiably feel ripped off by cannabis colonizers, the Strain Hunters locate a thriving outdoor grow of a Congolese landrace.

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a triumphant Loja (who shockingly died after contracting malaria on a follow-up trip to the country in 2017). “Who has come here to collect this? No one has this, bro. We have this.”

Nowadays, cannabis shoppers can find thousands of products under the Congolese name. Popularized in California and created by an unknown breeder, Red Congolese is said to be a combination of a Congolese landrace like the one sourced by the Strain Hunters, an Afghani landrace and a Mexican sativa.

It’s wildly popular on the legacy market, particularly among women—which is exactly why some Canadian craft producers have selected it to bring to the legal market for the first time.

But is what’s available on the Canadian market anything like the wild landrace strains beloved by seed collectors? If so, how did they get here? And with all of the breeding going on underground and in sterile facilities by both hobbyists and scientists alike—not to mention the re-branding of cannabis strains for the mainstream market—is there any consistency among products labelled “Red Congolese”?

Before recreational cannabis legalization, there was a limited pool of genetics available to licensed cultivators, where Canadian companies were largely buying starter materials from each other, and what was available barely scratched the surface of the genetic variety internationally or on the

illicit market. But the Cannabis Act changed everything when it came into force in October 2018, allowing aspiring licensed cultivators a one-time declaration of the genetics they plan to use, whether sourced from licensed nurseries or legacy breeders, as part of their licensing application.

But because new genetics can’t be added to a company’s bank post-licensing unless bred in-house or with a licensed nursery, it can be a frantic and wild adventure sourcing materials to truly take advantage of the legal exemption opportunity.

For Ontario-based Carmel, which has three new flower products coming to market this winter (Garlic Breath, Dark Helmet and Animal Face), rare breeds and limited grows are the focus for master grower Drew. He compares the hunt for cool genetics to sneakerhead culture, where growers add their names to waiting lists or compete in unusual contests to secure a coveted pack of seeds from reputable breeders. If growers don’t get a pack of seeds, there’s a secondary resale market where prices can inflate from $100/pack to $2500. He estimates he’s spent approximately $100,000 on seed-hunting alone—and he and his brother, Sean, are pretty good at playing the game.

“Exotic Mike of Exotic Genetics was attending a Cannabis Cup in Detroit, and he’d gotten into growing hot peppers,” explains Drew. “He announced on Instagram that he

was offering an unreleased genetic if you were able to completely eat one of his Carolina Reaper peppers. My brother, Sean, who’s also our regional manager, he can eat peppers like he’s popping candy.

“He actually ended up bringing back two packs of seeds.”

But each pack of seeds is like a lottery ticket, he says—not at all guaranteed to succeed or thrive. For one, there could be male plants in there, which growers need to exterminate or move before nearby female plants are impacted. And not all female plants will produce the desired traits for awardwinning flower, even if bred by an awardwinning breeder.

That’s all part of the process of phenotyping—the research and development of the cultivar to see if it’s worth cultivating en masse for consumers.

“When you grow it out, that’s when you’re gonna see if you have a Honda Civic or a Lamborghini,” Drew says.

Before they had access to labs, cultivators would go by how a strain makes them feel and its “bag appeal”—how it looks and smells.

But bag appeal is a thing of the past, for both cultivators and consumers. Packaging and marketing regulations mean that consumers can’t actually look at or smell a product before buying, presumably for sanitary and safety reasons.

Now, it’s all about the COA, or certificate of analysis, which also puts the skills of the cultivator and their approach to growing to the test. Unlike the qualitative observations made by growers and buyers of yore, COAs show the percentage of cannabinoid and terpene (scent and flavour) content in a sample. And while aficionados increasingly emphasize the significance of terpenes, with COAs showing terps as high as four per cent in some cases, the market is still, for better or for worse, laserfocused on THC. “We are still in a market where we cannot look at the weed, we cannot see the weeds,” says Kieley Beaudry, co-founder of Edmontonbased Parkland Flower. “All we are seeing is numbers. And human nature is that if I'm paying a lot of money for weed or a lot of money for something, I want the highest content. In this case, THC.” Both Beaudry, who is producing seeds for the home-growing market, and B.C.-based

Gnomestar CEO Earl Oliver say THC content is the number one selection driver for most companies, big and small. That’s how Oliver selected his initial three cultivars, Meat Breath, Comatose Kush and Red Congolese, which all came from a batch of 39 different types of plants an investor dropped off at the facility.

“I chose Comatose Kush because it looked nice and healthy, and I looked up its characteristics,” Oliver says, simply. “And you know, I was just sort of crossing my fingers that it lived up to its name. And it came in with high THC and was a heavy-hitting cultivar. So that was the first pick.”

Back in the Netherlands, the Strain Hunters’ Green House Seed Co. and all of their international seed-hunting has certainly paid off. The company now has a Canadian outpost, Agripharm, located in Creemore, Ont., which produces two strains bred by the company: Super Lemon Haze and Super Congo Haze, also known as “No. 1.” It’s a blend of Neville’s Haze and a Congolese landrace, and while it very likely isn’t the offspring of the same crop

Now, in the world of lab data and COAs, there’s a way to find out. Companies such as Segra offer a “DNA Fingerprinting Test,” which to verify the genetic identity of a cultivar against its enormous database of genetic data.

While the genetic identity of a cannabis seed may be crucially important to a seed collector or scientist, the average consumer may not care.

While the legalization and corporatization of cannabis has invited a flood of new genetics to the market, it has also meant that weed can be “white labelled.” A brand can simply acquire a bunch of a cultivar like Pink Kush and rename it something else completely to erase its former relationship to the legacy market and have more mass appeal. This process of rebranding cannabis to reach a wider audience will likely keep genetic nerdery in its niche.

It’s not a bad strategy, particularly for those of us who just want to buy some, any, weed.

But for craft cultivators and breeders serving a market hunting for new headspaces and exotic nugs, Canada’s legal market is only beginning to see what’s possible. Producers will breed new cultivars in-house, licensed

“ When you grow it out, that’s when you’re gonna see if you have a Honda Civic or a Lamborghini.”

featured in the VICE documentary (there are multiple crops of landrace cultivars that have been pillaged all over the country), it could be the closest Canadian consumers can get to tasting something like it for themselves.

And what about strains like Gnomestar’s Red Congolese? It was selected simply because it’s Mr. Oliver’s girlfriend’s favourite (aww), and had proven popular in California and on the legacy market. But is it anything like the Strain Hunters’?

nurseries are coming into the legal framework, many micro-cultivators are still in the process of getting licensed, and “you've got lots of LPs that are trying to partner with micros so that they can get extra genetics under their declarations,” Beaudry says.

“And so you're going to see, as the market matures, a lot more of these unique, exotic genetics.”

Finally—something to look forward to in 2021.

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GENETICS

GENETICS

What The World Needs Now

I think it’s high time we proritize the female orgasm. As we pass one year of these never-ending shades of quarantine, it’s clear none of us had any idea at the outset quite how our lives would change.

The Great Upheaval to routines, relationships, home lives and timelines has had repercussions of a magnitude we are only beginning to imagine.

Self-care (the most overused term of the decade) has now conceptually shifted: a narrative once focused on pleasure, satisfaction and receiving, is now fixated not on thriving, but surviving.

On coping mechanisms. On getting by. Female sexual wellness is important always, but suddenly it seems more essential than ever.

Is

Pleasure

48North shares LATITUDE across Canada to help us all feel good

WORDS _ JEN NEWTON

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IMAGES _ LINA ZHU

Studies have shown that sex lights up the same areas of our brains as meditation, creating a similar transition into our most freeflowing, visceral state. Not only do orgasms mirror the effects of getting high, they can unlock who we are and connect us back to our physical selves. “Sex, intimacy and interconnection is one of the most potent coping strategies we have toward balanced mental health — it puts us back into our bodies,” says Carlen Costa, clinical sexologist, psychotherapist and founder of the Everyday Goddess.

Cannabis heightens pleasurable sensory experiences while also helping to ease many of the physical and psychological barriers to experiencing satisfying sex, especially for women.

“People turn to cannabis to heal themselves and as sacred meditation,” says Costa. “Studies have shown that treatment and use of cannabis can help to manage the symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD and chronic pain.” Anecdotal reports from women with issues reaching orgasm report improved sexual experience from feeling more relaxed in the moment, to having less pain, and having more intense and multiple orgasms. Women who use cannabis also self-report having more active, satisfying sex lives overall. But while almost every woman wants to have sex and orgasm, not every woman wants to get high to do so.

Innovation at Latitude’s parent company 48North, leads the way. “Research has been conducted around cannabis improving sexual health, especially for women,” she says. “We know cannabis (and THC specifically) increases sexual response and desire, heightening the sexual experience and enhancing orgasm. It’s also known to help with low libido and decrease pain during sex.”

Studies have shown that the effects of THC on our system is directly affected by estrogen levels, which is why women tend to respond to, and process, THC differently than men. “Sex Pot allows the user to gain the beneficial effects THC delivers in stimulating sexual response, but topically, without the psychoactive component,” says Iarocci. The first cannabis-based arousal oil on the Canadian market, Sex Pot is personal, and nuanced. “Sex Pot,” Iarocci says, “signals that female pleasure is valuable, after being disregarded for so long.”

It’s clear that products that focus on sexual wellness have never been more timely or important as now. I believe, more than ever, we must prioritize female sexuality and satisfaction. It’s time to commit to a new narrative around pleasure.

Good sex may just save us after all.

Want to know more about sex and cannabis?

Email your questions to sexpot@explorelatitude.com

Meet Sex Pot, an arousal and intimacy oil by 48North’s femalefocused topicals brand Latitude (and the latest partner in my bedroom). Distinctly different from a typical lubricant (generally used to reduce friction and ease penetration), Sex Pot has been designed for the female orgasm. The THC-infused pre-lube was created to help users prepare for a sexual experience, enhance pleasurable sensation, sexual stimulation and encourage relaxation.

Sex Pot also helps to encourage the users’ own natural lubrication. It helps turn everything on. Katie Iarocci, Director of Product

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RUNNER'S HIGH

“ I think cannabis and running aren’t antithetical—they can go quite well together.”

The endocannabinoid system that releases dopamine in the brain when someone consumes cannabis is also triggered by exercise, including running. Our editor-in-chief Ben Kaplan explains why he delights in both things.

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The day the announcements about schools going virtual-only were made in Toronto with the most recent lockdown, I dodged a bullet. I kicked the wall in frustration that afternoon and felt it immediately in my left foot. I’d been susceptible to injury since New Year’s Day, when I woke up to 2021 and could barely walk.

A longtime marathon runner who has twice run Boston and even written a running book and still edit a running magazine when I’m not doing kind, I’ve been immune to injury since I first laced up my sneakers in 2010. Back then, before my daughter was born, running was a means to getting my shit together.

Today, it’s different, sort of. Now, at 47, I groan when I sit and cut short my Sunday long runs and my longtime running partner, slower than me, now beats me regularly at our Wednesday night workouts. My back going out on January 1—from working at home on my daughter’s desk over the holidays— illustrated the indignities of deterioration, and age. It would only follow that, when kicking

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the wall after words had failed me, I’d break my foot, need crutches and hobble to the liquor store for a bottle of whiskey, red wine and four IPAs. Then have something to drink.

On this February evening, however, that wouldn’t be the case. Instead, lacing up and heading out into the evening after returning the kids from the park, I jogged down to the water and began a series of repetitions in which I ran my marathon pace for one kilometre, then my 10K pace for a kilometre, and repeated it four times. At the start, limping and grumpy, I hit the ground like a lineman and my partner wondered if I’d finish the workout. Beneath the stars, however, I not only finished, I soared. Sometime during the second rep, wind in the trees, ice crackling audibly from the lake, a path laid out before me like a runway, I had the sensation of flying.

My strides lengthened, my chest puffed out and I told myself, ‘breathe easy, glide,’ and the speed came to me like a gift, and kept coming.

My third repetition was faster than my second and by the time I hit my fourth set, I was out-and-out sprinting and returning to me was an old sensation: I am powerful. I have agency. I am not to be fucked with. I can not only do this, but I can do anything.

This is the out-of-body experience of the runner’s high—that mystical sensation anyone can spark upon letting go of his or her conscious mind and letting our brain chemicals narrate the story. With gyms closed and team sports banned, there’s been a global running boom with the New York Times estimating last summer an 80% increase in new runners. It only makes sense. You don’t need anything to run. You can start by jogging around your block or to pick up edibles. It’s not complicated or expensive. You don’t need technology. It’s something you can do by yourself—no court, no equipment, no rules. You can not run incorrectly and it’s easy to improve as you go. Say you’ve never run before. That you smoke weed and like video games and have gained weight during the winter lockdown. Run twice. You’ve recorded an accomplishment. Now try it again, because running accrues. The more you do it, the easier it gets. It’s addictive. Like a bad habit in reverse. Meanwhile, while that happens, other tendencies begin forming, too.

When I started running, I also quit drinking and saw the Killers play Massey Hall.

I enjoyed the show, but what was memorable

P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y M A R K G A R D N E R

cannabis and running and thinks that he and I and Peter aren't alone. Karasiuk says that running, for him, is a chance to unplug from the universe and enjoy the moment he’s in.

“It forces me to clear my head and gets me almost into a meditative state,” he says, adding that when he traveled constantly during the dawn of cannabis legalization, he made sure to continue with his workout program—even if it meant doing pushups on a plane or hitting the treadmill in his hotel at 3 a.m. There’s a danger, he believes, in becoming only your work. Having a hobby— baking, magic, needlepoint—is good for the body, good for the soul.

“One of the best ways to see a city is at dawn with a run,” says Karasiuk, who talks about moving through Berlin, Amsterdam and London in his sneakers and feeling not only revived, but alive.

“All of us can get the chance to clear our head and and reset our body clock and I think cannabis and running aren’t antithetical—they go quite well together.”

Sometimes I can feel it welling inside of me and know I’ll need to go outside and run.

Like I’m overwhelmed or start feeling like a victim. I’m in a rush, but not going anywhere.

I lose control. My son has similar pent up kinetic energy. He’s 7-years-old and electric and he’ll need to go to the park and run around like a puppy, and I have the same instinct in me. It’s not enough for me to stay civilized and contained. To work and hire plumbers, to strive and try and live life like a model adult. That, on its own, eventually leads me to kicking walls or screaming or going to the liquor store with bad intentions and a credit card.

Running can be your something else. It doesn’t have to be intense and you don’t have to go fast or far and you don’t need to participate in a race or buy anything just to do something for yourself. This pandemic season has brought many new people to running, but I want to see many more. Now, as the weather warms up and we know life as we know it isn’t going to return any time soon, I implore you to go for a run. It’s free.

It’s impossible to screw up, and it's there’s for you—just like your cannabis—to save your sanity every time.

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ED IBL E S A N D MA R AT HO N S: A LOV E S T O RY

about that night is what happened afterwards. exploding it’s like an endless steam kettle Involuntarily, I started running home. I craved looking for release. Running releases the bad that feeling: that freedom, that power. I’m not vibes into the air. the only one.

“It’s like a breath of fresh air or a pause “I was introduced to the sport by a friend and you find the same things that make you and when I jumped in, I realized all the natural succeed in sport have a ton of parallels to life endorphins get released in your brain when and career,” says Machalek, who became so you push your body,” says Peter Machalek, immersed in the training lifestyle that one Chief Commercial Officer at TREC Brands, summer he competed in a triathlon every who competes in Ironman, which is weekend. He did that without giving up weed. a marathon, plus a 112-mile bike ride and a 2.4-mile swim. Pete is a crazy athlete, but he’s also a normal guy. We met at an infused dinner. He says that he started running because he was curious, but he stuck with it because he liked the ripple effects it produced in his life.

Darren Karasiuk, CEO, NOVA Cannabis “It didn’t only benefit me physically, but I started performing better at work and my relationships improved,” says Machalek, who already got a promotion in 2021. “I was in a “There’s a ton of undercover athletes that better, happier place and state of mind. I felt use cannabis on a regular basis and there’s like I had more tools” been a stigma associated with cannabis-users, Being in a better, happier state is important but that’s evaporating,” he says. “Runners are for all of us, always, but especially during accepting cannabis products, and cannabis COVID. With few exercise outlets and no users are accepting the sport.” socializing, we can all feel confined and Darren Karasiuk is also an Ironman trapped. Sometimes I literally feel squeezed and a friend of mine, an early employee from all sides. Machalek, who enjoys cannabis at MedReleaf and Aurora and now CEO of after a workout, says running helps clear his Nova Cannabis, a huge chain of cannabis mind. All of our brains are so much fireworks retail stores in Ontario and Alberta. He loves

H E A LT H

>>>

W E L L N E S S

RUNNER'S HIGH

THE PRODUCT DROP

C A N N A B I S

WANA QUICK

THE PRODUCT DROP: WA N A Q U I C K INDIVA REIMAGINES THE EDIBLE BY AT T E M P T I N G T O R E P L I C AT E T H E H I G H D E L I V E R E D T H R O U G H I N H A L AT I O N

Cannabis innovation can be a dicey endeavour. Who are we to improve upon a flower that has sparked so much joy for thousands of years? And yet, times change, and worlds modernize and disruption in the name of betterment cannot be denied. With Wana Quick, an extraordinary new edible, the game’s been updated, and innovation has taken a bow.

“We knew that the Canadian edible market could stand to be disrupted,” says Leah Thiel, Marketing Director of Indiva, who has previously launched cannabis edibles in the space. “We know what we like as consumers

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and what our dream product is. Now, we want to try to make that dream a reality.”

the secret sauce of cannabis. You just want a product that tastes good, and feels good, one that offers a nice respite from your normal vibe. Better still, you’ll want to know how the high can vary with each flavour. Peach has sativa terpene-enhanced distillate, pineapple coconut is indica, and strawberry lime is a balanced 1:1 of THC to CBD. Whichever route you choose keep in mind that it may not take as long as a traditional edible to hit, and potentially will dissipate sooner as well.

Wana Quick is a tasty pectin-based edible and may offer faster loading on and loading off times than traditional cannabis treats you consume. Even veteran smokers know that edibles can be specious territory, the high can vary, and oftentimes last way longer than you planned. The Wana Quick product has the potential to be absorbed more efficiently, which means it may result in a faster onset. So, when you pop a Wana Quick, you don’t need to “The edible onset time has been one of the know its strain and ratio has been enhanced biggest cannabis puzzles to unlock. It can with the entourage of more than 30 terpenes, take up to two hours to know if your edible

“We know what we like as consumers and what our dream product is. Now, we want to make that dream a reality.” is working, and not all of us are that patient,” says Thiel. “Sometimes you want an enduring edibles' high and sometimes, you may want to enjoy a faster and shorter experience.

Wana Quick is made by the same team behind the Wana Sour Gummies product line, which has Canada’s number one gummy market

share. By focusing on a narrow segment of the market, the team at Indiva has regularly shown they’re first in class in a product category that, while crowded, could still stand to be improved.

Wana Quick has the potential to hit users quicker and offset in less time than traditional

edibles, for when you don't have all day.

The fact is: the world is changing and cannabis, both before and after legalization, is a product that companies are researching, dissecting and, yes, making better. The flower has always been perfect. The delivery systems—with Wana Quick—may just get better with time. *Cannabis affects everyone differently. Onset will be different for all consumers. Health Canada states that ingested cannabis takes 30 minutes to 2 hours to take effect and can last for up to 12 hours. In some cases, the effects of cannabis can last up to 24 hours.

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ONE OF A KIND

ONE OF A KIND: RIPPLE THC POWDER

21 BUZZY PRODUCTS FOR A KIND 2021

The year has been a little… challenging, to say the least. Thankfully, the legal Canadian cannabis industry has introduced terrific new products and flower, edibles, beverages and, of course, glorious hash. Here with the help of our friends, Andy Palalas from Canna Cabana, Jessica Bonilla from The Niagara Herbalist and the OCS, we recommend twenty one products to spark your spring.

M A D E B Y: T H E G R E E N O R G A N I C DUTCHMAN (TGOD)

The ask at the Tokyo Smoke in Toronto on Bloor Street was innocuous, but essential: we wanted to make some infused non-alcoholic cocktails and needed to know what cannabis to source. The budtender, working on her own accord and answering solely as an expert, recommended Ripple THC Powder by the Green Organic Dutchman, and our bartender agreed — Ripple truly is one of a kind.

“The Ripple product was just a revelation,” says Neil Barry, manager at Project Gigglewater in Toronto, a trendy cocktail bar that also is cutting edge when it comes to mixing non-alcoholic drinks. “I must’ve tried infusing drinks with five different products, all sorts of teas and oils, but nothing came close to Ripple. It was soluble and simple to work with. I get why Tokyo Smoke was so excited—it’s an easy product to recommend.”

The Green Organic Dutchman is a huge name in legal cannabis and has been a leader since before legalization on October 17, 2018. Like the name implies, it's products are all made with organic cannabis, and that includes Ripple. It has a predictable on and off-ramp and when you take Ripple, you can expect the same experience every time.

The powder is first absorbed under the tongue, and then through digestion, so it enters the bloodstream faster than your average edible. It’s the cannabis Swiss army knife, the chameleon of pot: it’s light and relatively low commitment; plus, it’s produced with a proprietary technology, which means lots of money went into ensuring that it works quickly, and well. Which it does.

“Ripple I would say is a fantastic product because it doesn’t compromise the flavour or texture of what you’re drinking and when I tried it, it had a very quick onset time,” says Barry, who now uses Ripple whenever mixing himself or his cronies infused drinks. “It dissolves almost immediately and probably took no more than 15 minutes to take effect—brilliant.”

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4 8 N O R T H AV I TA S

THE CREATIO N :

GHOSTED AND TOASTED INGRED IEN T S :

0.25oz Ghost Pepper Agave Syrup 0.75oz Blood Orange Syrup 1.5oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice 0.75oz Fresh Lime Juice 2.5mg of Ripple THC Powder

2 0 2 0 K I N D AWA R D

THE 2020 KIND AWARD WINNER: REDECAN

PREPARATIO N :

Shake all ingredients, strain over ice in a saltrimmed rocks glass. Lean back and enjoy.

GHOST PEPPER AGAVE SYRUP :

400g Agave Water (3 parts Agave Syrup to 1 part Water) to 1 Pepper. Take out seeds. Place agave, pepper, and 3 seeds into pot at low heat for 5 minutes. Stir constantly. WARNING: Please wear gloves while handling pepper.

B LOOD ORANGE SYRUP :

3 parts Sugar to 2 parts blood orange puree to 1 part water. Heat and stir until sugar dissolves.

In December, Canada’s budtenders awarded Redecan with the inaugural kind cup, presenting them with the trophy for Canadian Brand of the Year, 2020. The concept for the trophy was to create something original that celebrated the flower and connected it with nature. Redecan sent us a beautiful bud, that we encased in gold and resin, and mounted on a beautiful piece of birch wood.

While we’re vaping, drinking, eating and rolling up all these new products, we’re also stoked to see what the budtenders are feeling for 2021’s big boss award.

F I G R G O P L AY M A N D A R I N C O O K I E S

AV I TA S B Y 4 8 N O R T H IN ITS BLUEBERRY CARTRIDGE

LY F E D I B L E S

LY F E D I B L E S

Has created a unique offering with their handcrafted chocolate covered fruit chews. Acai Is a clean cult-favourite with a euphoric high Berry Burst & Very Cherry bites are packed and a blissful blend of indica that makes it one with fresh fruit, then dipped in chocolate— of the best items in vape. yum and yum, with premium cannabis extract

by Valens.

T H E G O P L AY M A N D A R I N COOKIES BY FIGR

S I M P LY B A R E S O U R C O O K I E S

Is a beautiful new sativa strain sparking joy in consumers in Alberta and Ontario and one of the few Mandarin Cookie strains available in both pre-roll and dried flower.

"For premium, one of my favourite new flavours. It’s got a savoury biscotti flavour and Sour Patch Kids finish that is just awesome, really good.” Andy Palalas, High Tide Inc.

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21 BUZZY PRODUCTS FOR A KIND 2021

21 FOR 21

C A N N A B I S

21 BUZZY PRODUCTS FOR A KIND 2021

G O O D S U P P LY P U R P L E M O N K E Y

THE FARM BOX FROM PURE SUNFARMS

THE FARM BOX FROM PURE SUNFARMS Is an elegant solution to a serious problem: what to do with our stash? With artwork designed to illustrate the glorious Sunfarms greenhouse in Fraser Valley, BC, the hinged box is tasteful and safe, a salute to another licensed producer thinking about how to ensure legalization is successful. You know a producer is growing good weed when they also do a good job with attendant accoutrements.

G O O D S U P P LY “I’m a Good Supply evangelist. If you haven’t tried Purple Monkey, then you haven’t tried legal weed. It’s a fun product with a great flavour, like Sweet Tarts with a real candy vibe in there. It’s fun to hang out with.”

- Andy Palalas, High Tide Inc.

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P H I LT E R | P O C K E T

TGOD: ORGANIC FIRE

PINEAPPLE MANGO CHOWIE WOWIE

FLOWR

O R I G I N A L S TA S H

CARMEL

P H I LT E R | P O C K E T

Z I G G I PA P E R S

FLOWR

Original Stash provides you with a good reason to go legal with your Hash. It’s straightforward and uncomplicated. A rich brown resinous hash sold for a lot less than you’d expect. Something we can all use a little more of.

“Carmel Cannabis may be the new kids on the Licensed Producer block, but they’re far from rookies. Their philosophy of “don’t grow the most, grow the most desired” is reflected in their high quality, limited drops of unique strains like Garlic Breath and Animal Face.

They are the first to introduce a Breath strain in the legal market, and it did not disappoint.”

- Jessica Bonilla, owner of The Niagara Herbalist

Used in conjunction with your favourite vaporizer or smoking accessory, Pocket - by Philter Labs Inc. - is a slim, handheld personal filter that provides a smoke-free experience.

Works with cannabis, CBD and nicotine.

Available at participating retailers including Canna Cabana, META, Circle K, Mac's Convenience Stores and Sobeys.

Consciously crafted and made with love at the foothills of the Julian Alps in Slovenia, Ziggi Rolling Papers use only the finest ethically sourced materials and ingredients. At the core of the Ziggi brand ethos and mission is a hyper-focus on minimizing environmental footprint, while providing premium quality, high-grade Equipment that delivers a super user experience. Sending positive vibes earth-wide, soon available online at www.ziggipapers.com

“It was in the underground that Flowr earned their stripes, honed their craft and grew their reputation. And that commitment to quality they made in the shadows, they still carry now standing in the light. BC Pink Kush has been a top-selling Indica for us and nothing has quite replaced it, despite multiple Pink Kush options. We rely on it and so do our customers.” - Jessica Bonilla, owner of The Niagara Herbalist

EKS This is a great woman-owned company that found the solution to the lack of legal topicals post legalization. They invented a formula that you can easily mix with as much cannabis oil as you want to reach the desired potency.

We heard they are collaborating with licensed producers to come out with their own preinfused topicals to reach the recreational market. We can’t wait and feel lucky to have them in the game. - Jessica Bonilla, The Niagara Herbalist

CHOWIE WOWIE TGOD: ORGANIC FIRE Chunky dense buds covered in frosty trichomes that look so beautiful on this popular indica strain that you might not know whether to hang it in an art gallery or grind it and roll it up (tip: grind it and roll it up).

A pineapple mango gummy might not be history’s best antidote to a bad day. We’re just saying—after a year of COVID, it’s never once let us down.

D A I LY S P E C I A L’ S S U P E R SOUR DIESEL

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“Really nice value pick.” - Andy Palalas, High Tide Inc.

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21 FOR 21

H AV E N S T. I N D I G O H A Z E

CANACA GREEN CUSH

H AV E N S T. I N D I G O D A Z E : DARE TO DAZE? Go beyond the horizon. The dense buds of Haven St. Indigo Daze sparkle like the indigo sky. Dazzling dark greens shimmer with crystal trichomes. Flavours of citrus and pepper delight. While the high THC potency unwinds. Take the daze off.

ICE CREAM CAKE BY 7ACRES “7ACRES to me is always super on point.

Obsessed with quality, and they respect the plant mentality. It’s a throwback to everything that was good about the black market.” - Andy Palalas, High Tide Inc.

A C E VA L L E Y C H E W S CANACA Any time you buy a sack of weed and it’s purple—like the Canaca Green Cush—you just know that Canada is doing alright with this whole “legalization” thing.

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I’m a big fan of the new Ace Valley Chews, really nice. I like the blueberry lavender, but the grapefruit is really popular. - Andy Palalas, High Tide Inc.

WA N A J A PA N E S E Y U Z U 2 : 1 S O U R S O F T C H E W S

W A N A J A PA N E S E Y U Z U 2 : 1 SOUR SOFT CHEWS “This is a woman-owned company that started in Colorado and made its way to us. It had already made a name for itself in the US and came on strong and innovative with minutely dosed edible options such as Japanese Yuzu 2:1 Sour Soft Chews. This was much needed in this market and we are seeing other legal players joining in with better dosed edibles, oils, capsules etc. We are really noticing a shift in recreational cannabis consumption in Canada with micro dosing, which is sure to help in the ongoing goal to destigmatize all consumers.” - Jessica Bonilla, The Niagara Herbalist.

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LIFE IS FAST. SO IS THIS GUMMIE. Wana Quick gummies are now available in Orchard Peach sativa, Pineapple Coconut indica and Strawberry Lime THC/CBD 1:1 hybrid. These gummies are handcrafted using a recipe made with pectin, not gelatin, and enhanced with over 30 terpenes.

Using a culinary innovation by , Wana Quick gummies may result in a quicker onset and offset of effects*.

To get Wana Quick gummies in your store, reach out to contact@indiva.com A P R I L

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@Wana.Canada

* Health Canada states that ingested cannabis takes 30 minutes to 2 hours to take effect and can last for up to 12 hours. In some case, the effects of cannabis can last up to P – 5 3 K I N D M A G A Z I N E 24 hours. Cannabis affects everyone differently, so always start low and go slow.

WOMEN IN WEED

C A N N A B I S

WOMEN IN WEED

>>>

AL L H A I L T HE Q U E E N S Paying homage to the female owners riding the waves of indie cannabis retail B Y

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D E K K E R

Ashley Newman, owner of Queen of Bud dispensaries and Alberta-based licensed producer Candre Cannabis, is an independent female retailer on the cannabis frontlines.

Her stores (one in Calgary, one in Toronto), like Newman herself, remain strong and distinct as the retail landscape grows evermore challenging. Queen of Bud’s flagship Calgary shop opened in October 2018. One of the first cannabis retailers in the city, Newman recalls her female-focused business model raised a few eyebrows.

She didn’t care.

“I made the store super girly—I wanted a store I would shop at. Some said, ‘it’ll alienate men’ and thought we’d cut off half the market,” Newman, 30, recalled, adding that her place, heavily adorned in flowers, crystals and with house-branded cannabis products named after precious gems, Queen of Bud professed that

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cannabis was a thing of beauty. “I didn’t always know what I was doing but I trusted myself and I knew how to build a brand. I knew that if it took off, it would be a success.”

When success started to show up at Queen of Bud, so did interest from big-name companies whose top brass expressed interest in acquiring Newman’s company. The prospect of selling was “like winning the lottery,” Newman says. However, she decided to stay in her own lane.

“Everything about Queen of Bud is a piece of my personality. If I had sold, they would have used my company to market just another feminine brand.”

Independent, female-owned Canadian retailers are disrupting the industry with innovation and grace.

Jessica Bonilla, 36-year-old owner of The Niagara Herbalist, shares the secret to her success as a retailer (and it’s the same advice she gives to first-time edible consumers).

“We go low and slow,” she told kind in a recent interview.

Bonilla is among a distinct breed in Canadian cannabis retail: independent female store owners, who each take a careful, quality-overquantity approach to running their stores, their way. The St. Catharines shop was among the first ten Ontario cannabis stores to open in April 2019. Family-run with no current plans to expand, The Niagara Herbalist takes a “community first, profit second” approach to satisfying demand and remaining competitive.

Bonilla is smart, competitive and fearless, but she’s not ruthless, and doesn’t feel like she needs to be.

fewer boots on the ground mean owners like Bonilla take big chances and work long hours to maintain autonomy, call their own shots and deliver a distinct, high-value customer experience.

“Sometimes I think people are a little fascinated when they hear that I own a cannabis store because I’m a woman. That in turn fascinates me! Why wouldn’t I? Why couldn’t I?” says Lisa Bigioni, founder of Stok’d Cannabis, a new cannabis retailer opened in Scarborough, Ontario, adding that, for her, the job is personal. “I’m a compassionate person and the well-being of my team is really important to me. We’re all connected and we all really understood the significance of selling cannabis in a legal space, and we bonded over that.”

Village Bloomery co-owner Andrea Dobbs shares the sentiment on connection and trust. Her tucked-away retailer that’s been operating in a pocket of Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood since 2015 has prioritized community and quality—above all else.

For Dobbs, surviving and thriving meant “The goal for us was to compete with the black a refusal to sacrifice her beliefs. She says market, not the other stores. That’s a message that maintaining authenticity in the face of that came clear from the AGCO and the OCS making big changes at the Village Bloomery, and we took it to heart,” Bonilla says, defending which opened its doors three years before The Niagara Herbalist’s lower-price strategy. storefront sales were permitted federally, “We were living paycheque-to-paycheque before was her north star. The 54-year-old, a trusted this thing. Now, we’re doing well—so if we sell voice in Canadian cannabis retail—says for less, we can’t lose.” taking the medical-focused store legal and Small indie shops like The Niagara Herbalist recreational in 2019 was a hard pill to swallow. face tough competition in a market that’s It meant compromising a lot: losing business becoming increasingly saturated by chains relationships with local farmers, wading with deeper pockets. Less access to capital and through a glut of plastic packaging, raising

prices and self-censoring conversations on effect and efficacy.

The work, however, was worth it, she says.

Today, the modern Village Bloomery operates within the legal framework, but remains true to its roots through a deep commitment to product quality and love of cannabis. Her team carefully pores over every product’s certificate of analysis (if provided by the LP) and is steadily bringing in more local, craft and microgrown product as it becomes available.

And while their stores couldn’t be any different, Dobbs, Newman and Bonilla all agree the biggest benefit to independent, focused retail is the ability to enrich a consumer’s experience and, hopefully, help deepen their relationship with cannabis.

Back at The Niagara Herbalist, it isn’t hard to see that people come first. Most customers are regulars; some come in every day just to buy something small, a pre-roll or single-serve product, Bonilla says.

“It’s nice to go into a place that speaks to you, where staff recognize you and know your name,” Bonilla says. “We go low, slow and keep our connection with the community. That’s our edge.”

Victoria Dekker is an independent cannabis communications consultant and award-winning brand storyteller and journalist. Connect with her on Twitter @victoria_dekker.

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ROSS R

PA R E N T I N G

ROSS R

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“ Think about your relationship with your kids. If your kids catch you sneaking puffs around the corner they're going to wonder why and the stigma starts right there.”

RA D DAD Olympic icon and cannabis legend Ross Rebagliati begins his parenting column with a decree to parents everywhere: when it comes to weed, we have nothing to hide B Y

R O S S

R E B A G L I AT I

It’s all about being open, honest and upfront. I have three kids, a bunch of pets, and my wife Ali to think about before myself. Life, as parents know, is not about them. Having a family has been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done, but not without its trials.

Nothing good ever is.

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I love my family, but in order to really make it count I have to be a happy dad and husband.

I have to be the best I can be, both for myself and for them. A long time ago I realized that using cannabis connected me to these qualities and aspirations in life. Take it from me, you can be an amazing canna dad or mom.

In my case, cannabis also helped me cut out alcohol. That, in itself, was a game-changer on multiple levels.

As far as the cannabis stigma goes, it starts with you. Don't be blowing smoke in kid’s faces, but I also don’t think it’s necessary to hide cannabis use from them. Kids are smart and pick up on stuff like that. When I was a kid, my folks drank (responsibly haha) on

special occasions and on some not-so-special occasions. But the one thing they never did was hide it from us. I grew up thinking it was okay to drink because my parents thought it was okay to drink. They drank like everybody else, nothing out of the ordinary for the ‘70s and ‘80s.

I’m 49 now and have phased out drinking for cannabis. I openly use cannabis around my kids and I’d like to think my cannabis use and the non-drinking will rub off on them the same way my parents drinking and stigma against cannabis rubbed off on me when I was a kid. But the opposite.

Cannabis is an adult's choice. Of course I have extensive cannabis experience and didn't just start using cannabis yesterday

or last year. And like many new parents you're probably in your late 20's and have had some life experience. I was 38 when I had my first kid and was solid about myself and my cannabis use. A great place to start for a new parent at any age.

Think about your relationship with your kids.

If your kids catch you sneaking puffs around the corner they're going to wonder why and the stigma starts right there. Instead be honest with your kids. Use cannabis openly, responsibly and in doing so teaching them cannabis is a natural, healthy choice.

I first talked to my kids about my cannabis plants and what they’re for before they could talk. It’s as natural as honey to them. They’ve learned that cannabis is a medicine that can

be used in many ways. The kids sometimes help with the plants and appreciate gardening and natural living things.

They also know about my sports history and how cannabis was a part of that. They understand I played a role in normalizing cannabis long before they were born by helping it be part of the conversation to become what it is and always has been—an amazing plant for all to benefit from. My children know what I do for work as well which is to produce and sell Ross’ Gold cannabis products. At the end of the day, to them, I’m just their dad. And that’s pretty much it.

only about being honest with your kids—it’s about being honest with yourself.

Ross Rebagliati, the kind parenting columnist, is the 1998 Canadian gold-medal award winning Olympic snowboarder. He is the only Olympian who had his medal stripped from him—for cannabis—and then promptly returned after the Olympic committee admitted their mistake that THC was not on their list of banned substances. If you have a parenting question for Ross, email him at editorial@kindmagazine.ca

It’s really about getting over your own stigma, because kids don’t naturally have one. It’s not

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PURE SUNFARMS

HERE’S TO GREAT SIPS

>>>

FARM TO F LO W E R

Marketplace by Pure Sunfarms offers a carefully curated collection of objects, apparel, and art inspired by their love of plants and modern life. Designed with their BC grown cannabis story in mind, Pure Sunfarms has teamed up with BC makers Nectrous Botanicals, Woodlot, and artist Nathalee Paolinelli. Each chosen for their unique perspective, quality of product, and creativity.

“Through this collaboration, Woodlot, like Pure Sunfarms, is hoping to help re-imagine the ritual related to cannabis for the everyday as part of a wellness routine, a lifestyle choice – all while working to destigmatize cannabis and its connotation to reach new audiences with a focus on ritual and wellness.”

– Sonia Chhinji, Woodlot

WITH GOOD buds.

0 2 – N AT H A L E E PA O L I N E L L I T R AY 01 – LEMON TEE This fresh lemon tee is 100% combed cotton 9 oz. jersey, featuring artwork from Laura Garcia Serventi.

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Nathalee Paolinelli’s ceramic tray for Pure Sunfarms. Inspired by the sun, these trays make for the perfect smoking experience.

04 – GROWER’S HAND SOAP 03 – WOODLOT PA L O S A N T O For cleansing your space and purifying the air. Made for Pure Sunfarms in partnership with Vancouver’s Woodlot.

Fresh balsam fir, bright lemongrass, and sweet bergamot are folded into a moisturizing blend of pure plant oils.

Made for Pure Sunfarms in partnership with BC-based Nectrous Botanicals.

Shop full collection at puresunfarms.com/marketplace

We grow, mash, and care for our farm to bottle vodka all on our own, all together here in Alliston, Ontario. And we’ve been enjoying it that way for five generations. We invite you to do the same.

beattiesdistillers.com

@beattiesdistillers P – 59 M A G A Z I N E

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INFUSED DRINKS

INFUSED DRINKS

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RASPBERRY RICKEY B Y C O L L E E N E V E R S M A N P H O T O G R A P H Y

INGREDIENTS 1/4 cup raspberries 1 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice 1/2 ounce Infused Rich Simple Syrup Ice Club soda Lime wheel and seasonal flowers, for garnish

YOU'LL NEED Shaker tin Muddler Fine-mesh strainer Old-fashioned glass

INGREDIENTS

Refreshingly tart with a hint of sweetness, this alcohol-free raspberry rickey is the perfect aperitif to serve before a feast with friends. Traditionally, the rickey is made with gin and lime juice with a splash of sparkling water; however, to make this a tasty spirit-free mixed drink, we will skip the gin this time and add raspberry and infused rich simple syrup for complexity and bright flavors. I love working with raspberries, not only for the taste, but also for the beautiful pink hue they bring to a drink. This rickey is thirst-quenching and delicious!

Target Dose: 7.5 mg CBD | 2 mg THC per drink (using Infused Rich Simple Syrup, find the recipe in the book) or your preferred dose (using a commercially made CBD or THC tincture of your choice, see note below)

1 cup water 1 teaspoon thinly sliced, peeled fresh ginger 1 to 2 hibiscus tea bags 1/2 ounce Infused Ginger Simple Syrup (1/4 ounce if you prefer less sweet) 1 ounce fresh lemon juice Lemon wedges and floating hibiscus leaves, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

YOU'LL NEED

1

SERVES 1

2

Using a fine-mesh strainer, separate the solids from the liquid over an old-fashioned glass filled with fresh ice.

3

Top the drink with a splash of club soda and give it a good stir.

4

Express the lime over the glass, then garnish with a lime wheel and seasonal flowers.

If you don’t have the supplies to infuse the Rich Simple Syrup at home, simply substitute regular rich simple syrup, then, add your favourite unflavored tincture (at your preferred dose) into the shaker tin before muddling. Follow the directions as written.

CANNABIS drinks

*

*

drinks Secrets to Crafting CBD and THC Beverages at Home

Secrets to Crafting CBD and THC Beverages at Home

J A M I E E VA N S @THEHERBSOMM

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Jamie Evans

Pick up The Herb Somm's recipe book Cannabis Drinks, available for purchase April 6th, 2021.

F O O D

Target Dose: 8 mg CBD | 2 mg THC per drink (using DIY Infused Ginger Simple Syrup, find the recipe in the book) or your preferred dose (using commercially made CBD or THC tincture of your choice, see note below)

INSTRUCTIONS

2

If you don’t have the supplies to infuse the simple syrup with CBD or THC, substitute for regular simple syrup, then add your favourite unflavored tincture (at your preferred dose), then follow the directions as written.

CANNABIS

Whether you're a hot tea lover or crave a refreshing glass of iced tea, this recipe is packed with healing herbs to help keep your body balanced. If you’re feeling a bit under the weather, I recommend enjoying this recipe hot as the ginger, lemon, and hibiscus provide unique therapeutic benefits that will help you feel better in no time.

1

Small saucepan Fine-mesh strainer

In a shaker tin, muddle the raspberries and lime juice. Add the infused simple syrup and ice, then cover and shake for 15 seconds or until fully chilled.

&

HOT & COLD GINGER, LEMON INFUSED TEA

Canna-Culinary expert Jamie Evans, aka The Herb Somm, shares exclusive recipes from her book Cannabis Drinks: Secrets to Crafting CBD and THC Beverages at Home P H O T O G R A P H Y O F 2 N D T R U T H

D R I N K

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SERVES 1

In a small saucepan, bring the water and ginger to a boil. Remove from the heat, then add the tea bags. Let steep for 10 minutes, or until the water has turned a dark pink color.

Remove the tea bags and reheat if the liquid has cooled. While the tea is reheating, add the infused simple syrup and lemon juice to the bottom of a teacup. Remove the tea from heat and use a fine-mesh strainer to separate the liquid from solids over the mug. Use a teaspoon to stir the mixture together, then add a lemon wedge and hibiscus leaves to garnish.

MAKE IT ON ICE! 1

To make a chilled iced tea, follow the directions above, but after you remove the tea bags, let the ginger hibiscus tea cool to room temperature.

2

Once cool, add the hibiscus ginger tea, infused simple syrup, and fresh lemon juice to a shaker tin with ice.

3

Shake vigorously for 15 seconds or until very cold. Strain over a glass of your choice filled with fresh ice, then garnish with a lemon wedge and floating hibiscus leaves.

Evans

Jamie Evans

Founder of

The Herb Somm

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INFUSED DRINKS

APPLE SPICE CBD MULE INGREDIENTS 3 ounces spiced apple cider (make your own for the best flavor, see recipe below) 1/2 ounce Infused Cinnamon-Cardamom Simple Syrup (find the recipe in the book) 1/2 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice Ice to fill mug (cracked iced recommended but cubed ice works, too) Ginger beer Cinnamon stick, apple slices, and star anise, for garnish

Treat your guests to an Apple Spice CBD Mule. This gorgeous looking recipe will keep the party vibes flowing, and it will also help your guests avoid that nasty holiday hangover.

Combining the delicious flavors of apple cider, ginger beer, fresh squeezed lime juice, and infused cinnamon-cardamom simple syrup, this recipe will be a holiday go-to for seasons to come.

Target Dose: 8 mg CBD | 2 mg THC per drink (using Infused Cinnamon-Cardamom Simple Syrup, find the recipe in the book) or your preferred dose (using commercially made CBD or THC tincture of your choice, see note below)

INSTRUCTIONS 1

YOU'LL NEED Copper mug Bar spoon

*

If you don’t have the supplies to infuse CBD and THC into the cinnamon-cardamom simple syrup, simply substitute for the non-infused version and add your favourite unflavored tincture (at your preferred dose) to the mixing glass.

Then, proceed with the recipe.

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Combine the spiced apple cider, infused simple syrup, and lime juice in a copper mug.

Fill the mug with ice, then top with ginger beer, slowly pouring until the mug is full. Give it a stir, then garnish with a cinnamon stick, an apple slice, and star of anise before serving.

HERB SOMM’S SPICED APPLE CIDER 1

2

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Add 8 apples of your choice (cut into quarters), ½ orange, 5 cinnamon sticks, 5 whole cardamom pods, 1 teaspoon whole allspice, 1 teaspoon whole cloves, 1 whole nutmeg, and ½ cup (100 g) packed golden brown sugar into the bottom of a large stockpot.

Cover with 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) of water, then bring to a boil. Stir, then cover the pot. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours. Using a ladle, remove the orange and discard.

Carefully mash the apples using a potato masher, then simmer the cider uncovered for an additional hour. Finally, strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean saucepan or pitcher to remove the solids. Enjoy hot or cold within one week.

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D AV I D S T R I C K L A N D

SKIN IN THE GAME J E N N

B U S I N E S S

S P O T L I G H T

S A N A S I E

Indigenous producer David Strickland gets personal on his debut rap disc

&

HOW A PERS ONAL GROWTH COMMUNIT Y WAS CREATED FROM AN ANX IET Y AT TACK

H E A LT H

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W E L L N E S S

SHAPE & FOSTER

For Calum McGuigan, Shape + Foster is personal

> > >

David ‘Gordo’ Strickland has worked with many great MCs, from Method Man to TK to Drake, and says hip hop is the modern-form of Indigenous storytelling. He recently released Spirit of Hip Hop, his new project to illuminate indigenous stories and culture in Canada.

“The DJ is the drum, the MC is the storyteller, the B-Boy is the dancer, the graffiti artist is the sand painter,” is how Strickland’s album opens, with the title track featuring the words of his friend, Native American photographer, Ernie Paniccioli, who Strickland refers to as ‘Brother Ernie.’ “He was chief photographer at Word Up,” he says. “You know that line in the Biggie song? ‘It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up magazine,’ Biggie wrote that line about Ernie.”

The in-demand producer has worked on Grammy and JUNO award-winning projects, but says his album, Spirit of Hip Hop, is what’s closest to his heart. The album represents his journey to connect with his culture. “It’s a spiritual thing being able to reclaim who you are,” he says. “It’s changed my life dramatically.

I’m a better, nicer person.”

Strickland is proud of his roots and has lent his voice to the fight for Indigenous rights in Canada. He comes from a line of

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Mi’kmaaq, Innu, and Beothuk people with Cree and French roots. “I started going to the ceremonies, and thought, ‘What can do? What’s my role in the community?’ And that’s how we get to the album.” During the production of the album, Strickland says a lot of people in the industry were passing away, one of them was his close friend, Toronto MC, King Reign. “That’s what made me change the record to include Black and Indigenous artists,” he says. Reading the tracklist is like reading a list of who’s who in the North American hip hop scene. The late King Reign features on the album, along with Maestro, Def Squad, Supaman, JRDN, and Joey Stylz.

Apple Music’s already given the album raves.

“The debut album as a solo artist from Grammy Award-winning Toronto-based engineer David Strickland is a testament to his reputation as one of the most respected audio technicians in the rap game—the guy who can rope in EPMD and Redman for features with a quick phone call.”

Hip hop has long been a medium that protests social injustice and unfair biases against minorities. The Spirit of Hip Hop mixes the voices of Black and Indigenous artists to speak about some of the most pressing issues facing minorities in Canada.

“Clean water, murdered women, the Indian Act,” Strickland says, listing some of the most pressing issues for his community in Canada.

“It’s disgusting and all bullshit. It hurts my heart.”

Over a Zoom call, he points to a tattoo on his left shoulder of a Medicine Wheel. The Medicine Wheel has been used by Native American tribes for health, healing and spirituality, and when talking about his culture, he often points to his shoulder as he unpacks the teachings that helped him heal and become who he is today.

“I’m not trying to claim hip hop as Indigenous, but it is Indigenous. Indigenous is not North America, everybody’s indigenous to somewhere,” he says, adding that his record has taken on a new spiritual depth. “All the pit stops I took, they were all to get here.”

Today, Strickland has a lot to be proud of. He has a library of archived music that would make any music lover drool, but will never see the light of day. “We all have that,” he says with a laugh, talking about producers and engineers like one of his close friends Noah “40” Shebib.

“I’m still broken-hearted,” he adds, reminiscing over a song he did with Redman for Duets: The Final Chapter, the second posthumous album by Notorious B.I.G. The song featured Notorious B.I.G., Redman, Nate Dogg and Jazze Pha. Unfortunately, he says Notorious B.I.G.’s verse didn’t get cleared at the last minute. “I listen to that song all the time, but I can’t ever release it.”

His music isn’t all he’s proud of. He smiles from ear to ear as he talks about his eight children and two grandchildren. The mission he’s on—the Spirit of Hip Hop—is to make the world a better place for them, so that they can feel comfortable in their own skin.

In 2009, I started my own events marketing agency – Fervent Events. I started the business with $4,000 and not much of a plan, just an urge to be my own boss and make something happen. My first six months in business I worked in a call centre 6-hours per day then at home on my new business for 6-hours per day.

Fast forward to 2019 and the company was pulling in $4-million in annual revenue and was named twice on the “Growth 500,” Canada’s Fastest Growing companies list. On paper, things were great, a successful business that I had built up – but I wasn’t enjoying it anymore.

On a personal level, my homelife was great, but there were cracks. My wife and I welcomed our first son in 2016. With kids, you do start to socialize less, that’s just part and parcel of it. However, although socializing less, my nights started to get bigger. I probably got home at 2-4 a.m. more in Malcolm’s first three years than the 10 years previous. I would tell myself “I don’t go out as much anymore,” but in reality, when I did it was more excessive.

Eventually, it all came to a head.

In June 2019, Malcolm had his first toddler’s rugby day, something I had been looking forward to. It was a Sunday and the night before had been a late night. On a few hours sleep I drove him to rugby and had an anxiety attack at the wheel. I was sweating profusely, gasping for breath. When I got to rugby, the other parents were bright-eyed and

participating – how I had envisioned myself being. That was the catalyst of change for me.

I started drinking less. I got back into the gym for the first time in seven years. I was more present, more active and so much happier with myself.

I’ve seen a tweet by Wiz Khalifa that says ‘I used to think staying out late was cool. Till I realized wakin up early is the real boss shit.’ I get more from Sunday 7 a.m. than I ever did Saturday at 4 a.m. Sounds cheesy, but it’s true.

“ Shape + Foster is a lifestyle development app. You pay for a membership and in turn are taken on a 12-month journey of lifestyle development from six experts, in areas important to a healthy heart and healthy mind – mental health, life coach, fitness, nutrition, finance and yoga.”

Over the next few months, the concept of Shape + Foster was born. I thought about my own journey of personal development and how so much of it was dealt with retroactively and so many people are the same.

You Google anxiety for the first time after an anxiety attack • You join a gym when you’re out of shape • You learn about nutrition when your eating habits need adjusting • You learn about mortgages as you purchase your first property • You seek a life coach or counsel when you need direction

Wouldn’t it be great to work on yourself proactively? Learn from different pillars?

And be part of a community whilst doing it? Shape + Foster is a lifestyle development app. You pay for a membership and in turn are taken on a 12-month journey of lifestyle development from six experts, each of whom have curated courses specifically for Shape + Foster. The six experts are in areas important to a healthy heart and healthy mind – mental health, life coach, fitness, nutrition, finance and yoga.

The key term is “Actionable Insight.” A member is going to be opened to knowledge that can impact their life by learning and forming habits as a result. The membership goes over the period of 12-months because it would be unrealistic to successfully improve on all these areas in only a few months. I think the slower-paced course will ensure longer lasting results and put less pressure on people to change everything immediately. 80% of people with New Year resolutions have ‘failed’

by February.

There’s a mission focus to the work, something that in the end was missing with Fervent. The main purpose is to be a positive influence on people and assist their wellbeing. And to continue to develop myself.

ABOUT SHAPE + FOSTER Shape + Foster takes members on a journey of personal development, providing knowledge and actionable insight via six amazing professionals in mental health, fitness, nutrition, finance, life coaching and yoga. All members are in the community for the same reason—to learn and grow.

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JO'S FLOWERS

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JO’S FLOWERS It is with great sadness that we said goodbye to our dear friend Joann recently.

It’s not often that we have the pleasure of knowing a truly beautiful soul—a consistent light amid the could-be darkness. Here to help her spirit live on is our new column, “Jo’s Flowers,” which will allow kind to shine light on people doing good things in this world; raising money for good causes, volunteering, helping their community, fighting

JO’S 10 P E TA L S O F POSITIVIT Y LOVE, LOVE, LOVE H A P P Y, H A P P Y, H A P P Y BLESS, BLESS, BLESS

*If you would like to nominate a person or group to be featured in our Jo’s Flowers column, please email editorial@kindmagazine.ca

injustice, overcoming adversity—each of Jo’s flowers’ representing unsung heroes spreading kindness.

Jo loved flowers. She could rearrange flowers over and over and each time find new beauty in their colour, delicacy, shape and scent. And in a similar way, Jo appreciated and found beauty in her world and everyone lucky enough to be in it.

1 . Look after Mother Nature and she will

provide you with beautiful memories.

2 . Be kind to people as you never know what

challenges others are going through.

3 . Be kind to yourself. Allow the voice in

your head to speak kindly to you, and encourage you to live out your dreams.

4 . No dream is too big!

5 . Protect your loved ones. We do not know

how long we have and do not want to live with any regrets.

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With ever evolving compassion and understanding Jo, up until her last day, worked towards her own 10 pillars of positivity, which, by sharing with us and our readers, hoped might leave some of her amazing light behind.

We love and miss you dearly, sweet Jo, and will carry you in our hearts and share your legacy through kindness and hope to inspire others to do the same.

6 . Do good deeds. These will not only help

others but also make you feel good inside.

7. Speak your truths and your relationships

will be stronger for it.

8 . Forgive. People are not perfect and there

is no time to live with a hateful heart.

9. Surround yourself with nature’s beauty

by planting lots of trees and flowers.

The days of hiding cannabis are over. It’s time to empty out your stash spots, clear out your secret pockets and forget your little hideaways. Display it with pride and show that there’s nothing to hide. flowr.ca

1 0 . Love every moment of your life. It is the

ONLY one you get.

© 2020 Flowr. All rights reserved. This content is intended for legal age, adult audiences only.

Keep cannabis out of reach of children.

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