Kind Magazine December 2021 by kindmagazine

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The House that Legal Weed Built THE EDIBLES, VAPES, PRE-ROLLS, HASH, LIVE RESIN, CBD DISTILLATE AND FLOWER USED IN THIS GINGERBREAD HOUSE ARE ALL FOR SALE AT LICENSED CANNABIS RETAILERS. TO SEE WHAT WAS USED, TURN TO PAGE 22.

EAT YOUR HEART OUT

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THE TOP CHEF CANADA SUPERSTARS CHART YOUR INFUSED FEAST

2021 KIND AWARDS BUDTENDERS ACROSS CANADA PICK THE CANNABIS OF THE YEAR

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TREAT YO' SELF

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THINGS THAT WILL WARM UP YOUR WINTER AND MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD K I N D

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Your NEW single-strain line up from Original Stash – for when strain legacy matters.

Powdered Donuts 28g

Limited availability

Durban Poison 28g & 12x 0.6g joints Coming January 2022

Garlic Jelly 28g & 12x 0.6g joints Coming January 2022

Another reason to go legal.

Original Stash is straightforward and uncomplicated, the way your stash should be. Just high-quality weed in traditional formats. And if you’re looking for the high potency of 20% or higher, OS.Reserve is a favourite, fresh from the vault.

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@original.stash

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WHAT A LONG, S TRANGE TRIP IT’S BEEN. P SY CHEDEL ICS, THANKFUL LY, G O MAINST REAM . B Y

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O R I G I N A L A R T W O R K B Y @ T H E M I N D F C U K

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Mushrooms and LSD (and all their friends) are having a moment. But even if those in your inner circle aren’t tripping right after your regular Friday Teams call yet, you need only look to the glut of new research, cries for regulatory repeal and the billions (yes, with a B) invested globally to see that a psychedelic revolution is indeed underway. But why now? So goes the answer to many big questions in 2021: these are unprecedented times. Approaching the two-year anniversary of lockdowns, economic uncertainty and everchanging public health restrictions, we find ourselves in a global mental health crisis. Researchers fear aftershocks will be felt long after the pandemic has subsided. And with treatments like antidepressants – that some say don’t work well already – the search is on for novel solutions to persistent problems. Enter psychedelics. The focus of over 260 clinical trials, novel clinics, retreats and beloved by a growing wave of microdosers, the drugs are showing promise to heal a variety of ailments. “These aren’t just meds that treat symptoms or numb someone out, they’re more geared at getting to the root underlying causes, and in some cases, even going for the cure, which is a rare and beautiful thing in mental health,” said Novamind Chief Scientific Officer Reid Robison.

treating severe depression as a common prescription antidepressant. And new evidence suggests MDMA could cure post-traumatic stress disorder. Results of a 2021 phase three study by the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) showed that following treatment and therapy, nearly two-thirds of participants no longer qualified for a diagnosis of PTSD. This mounting body of evidence supports theories that psychedelics, combined with psychotherapy, could replace some traditional pharmaceuticals and recover billions in associated healthcare and societal costs.

H I S T O R Y R E P E AT I N G In Canada, psychedelics are classified as controlled substances. Legislation stipulates only ‘licensed dealers,’ researchers and persons granted ‘Section 56 exemption’ are legally allowed to possess psychedelics. Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic with powerful psychedelic properties, was approved in Canada for treatment-resistant depression in 2020. The next evolution in legal access to psychedelics may come in the form of regulatory revision for psilocybin—similar to Canada’s medical cannabis regulations. Vancouver-based non-profit TheraPsil advocates for terminally ill patients seeking psilocybin to help them cope with end-of-life anxiety. To date, TheraPsil has helped over 60 Canadian patients and therapists receive Section 56 exemptions, allowing them to legally use and possess psilocybin.

A recent phase two study from Imperial College London suggests two doses of psilocybin (combined with therapy) is as effective at

A GROWING INDUSTRY While clinical trials are, traditionally, an agonizingly long process in biotech, the FDA has granted ‘breakthrough designation’ to a handful of promising trials, including COMPASS Pathways’ and the Usona Institute’s study of psilocybin for depression. This fast-tracked FDA support ensures the clinical development approvals process is swift and efficient. The furthest along in the approvals race is MAPS, whose Phase 3 trials were granted breakthrough designation in 2017. The U.S. non-profit anticipates approval of its MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD by 2023. Today, more than 40 psychedelic companies are publicly traded, valued at an estimated $10 billion globally, according to the Psychedelics as Medicine Report: Third Edition. The report, which examines the sector through a lens of commerce, science and regulation, suggests Canada is becoming a global psychedelics hub. Canada’s history of adopting novel healthcare policies, early psilocybin medical exemptions and relatively progressive drug policies suggest it is the most fertile ground for domestic regulatory repeal.

In August, TheraPsil drafted a proposed framework for medical psilocybin, dubbed the Access to Psilocybin for Medical Purposes Regulations (APMPR).

The biggest push is around regulating the drugs as adjuncts to psychotherapy. Therapist-guided psychedelic treatment includes dosing of a drug (be it ketamine, psilocybin, MDMA or similar), careful tuning of ‘set’ (the patient’s intention of outcome, or mindset) and ‘setting’ (a safe, supportive physical environment). Patients are typically treated post-trip in follow-up ‘integration’ sessions, intended to unpack their experience and apply any learnings to their lives.

Sound familiar? The framework, a revision to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, resembles Canada’s 2016 medical cannabis

“Having done over 200 clinical trials in psychiatry, I have never seen anything as effective as psychedelic medicines at treating

RESEARCH REVOLUTION In the research community, psychedelics are now considered the biggest innovation in mental healthcare since the introduction of antidepressants in 1987. They’re being studied to treat a myriad of health problems, from PTSD and treatment-resistant depression to anorexia and substance abuse disorder.

regulations, the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR). The psilocybin-tweaked APMPR guidelines stipulate packaging, labelling, production and physician authorization to use psilocybin.

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If it seems like everyone you know has been taking psychedelics this past year, it’s because, well, they have been.

But the group believes the current approvals system does little to address the need and infringes on patients’ Charter rights.

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even severe depression, PTSD and other conditions,” Robison told KIND. With corporate offices in Toronto and treatment and research sites in the U.S., Novamind currently works with patients in ketamine clinics and is conducting a study which aims to address trauma faced by frontline pandemic healthcare workers. “It’s been an extremely difficult year for so many people, but there is something of a silver lining coming out of the stress, trauma and difficulty we’ve gone through together. It seems like out of necessity, we’ve begun to get serious about our mental health and band together in ways that will have lasting positive impact, even when the pandemic is done.” TRIPPING OUTSIDE THE LINES Outside clinical settings, many are currently using illicitly-sourced psychedelics. From underground therapy to pure recreational use, psychedelics are becoming popular with people who aren’t card-carrying psychonauts, notably, microdosing. The functional form of consumption (roughly 1/10th or lower of a typical dose, usually LSD or psilocybin), is often ‘sub-perceptual,’ absent those classic psychedelic changes in vision or hearing.

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Microdosing is more subtle in effect with a shorter duration, and it’s lower commitment for those who don’t necessarily want to breach the stratosphere, says Peter Reitano, founder of Gwella. The Toronto-based company offer products and content that enable people to use psychedelics safely and effectively - they’re masters of the microdose. “We want people to get better results out of them, outside of this very prescriptive medical lane. People should be able to use psychedelics for whatever reason they want,” Reitano says. Though many first-person reports suggest microdosing is beneficial for improving mood, creativity and concentration, little supporting scientific evidence currently exists. While the benefits of full dosing and ‘heroic dosing’ (+5 grams of psilocybin or equivalent) have become understood in the scientific community, the efficacy of microdosing remains a subject of debate. Telling evidence has begun to emerge, however. In October, a group of researchers released findings of one of the first clinical LSD microdose studies on cognitive processing in healthy adults. The study concluded that low doses of LSD may provide therapeutic and behavioural benefit – no

blast-off psychedelic experience required. A LOOK AHEAD Following states like Oregon, decriminalization efforts are underway in Vancouver and Toronto, where civic consensus favours harm reduction over penalties. A national regulatory approach of responsible production and distribution is light years better than prohibition, says Wood. “We have a choice. We can just keep saying, ‘No, never, human hands can’t touch this unless it’s in a clinical trial,’ or,” says TheraPsil legal counsel David Wood, “We can reflect on whether an approach similar to cannabis could work.”

Victoria Dekker is an award-winning Canadian journalist, communications and public relations strategist, who chronicles the ongoing history of cannabis and psychedelic research, regulation and culture. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter. Original artwork by @themindfcuk, psychedelic/ retro-futuristic graphic artist, NFT and Instagram content creator; backpacker, writer, thinker; psychedelic and cannabis advocate. In a word: “weirdo.”

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THE SWEETEST THING Top Chef Canada Winner Erica Karbelnik, and her husband Josh, heat up the winter with delectable, cannabis-infused meals

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Expecting their first child on a day not long after the kind magazine photoshoot, Erica Karbelnik looked at all the assembled cannabis and said with a smile, “It’s just not fair.” Erica and Josh had prepared a gourmet spread that

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSH TENN-YUK

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we laughingly called a Banquet in Heaven, but all of the assembled guests agreed that, after the year we’ve all had, we deserve a nice meal. Catching up with the charismatic cooks, kind editor Ben Kaplan rolled up his sleeves.

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had a knack for cooking? Ben Kaplan: Let’s start this thing off on the right foot. What tastes fucking awesome when you’re stoned? Erica Karbelnik: A big-ass banana split from Dairy Queen, extra strawberry sauce and Lay's chips on the side...OMG. Josh Karbelnik: Jalapeño chips with French onion dip and pepperoncinis.

BK: What is it that first made you fall in love with food? EK: I fell in love with food at a really young age, I connected more with playing with ingredients than playing with toys. I loved seeing people’s faces when I cooked them something. My mom was always good at hiding the laughs even if it was bad!

BK: How did you know you

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JK: When I would watch the chefs on TV and be able to recreate their dishes and it would come out the same.

BK: Who is your culinary hero and who is your ideal eater? EK: Culinary hero: Anthony Bourdain. Ideal eater: Josh! JK: Hero: Charlie Trotter. Ideal eater? Anybody who enjoys and appreciates food.

BK: What’s been the best meal you’ve ever had, both eating in and dining out? EK: The best meal I’ve ever had was at Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal. I love foie gras and you literally just indulge in foie there. It’s one of my favourite restaurants, nothing fancy, but you can taste the love and time they

have put into their food. As for eating in, I love sitting on the couch with Josh and just ordering takeout. It’s one of my favourite things. I also love when we just decide to have a mountain of oysters at home in our PJs. JK: For eating in, my dad’s BBQs. Whenever my dad and I get together, we always have BBQ that includes burnt salami, ribs, chicken and his famous bhel puri. As for eating out, hands down Joël Robuchon in Paris—during our honeymoon.

BK: As a celebrity chef couple, who cooks in your house Sunday night? EK: Generally we cook together. One of us will make the main course, the other will make the sides. And if not—takeout.

BK: You’ve been around Canada cooking (and eating), how does the cuisine change in different provinces?

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“Don’t overheat your cannabis because you can kill your THC.”

EK: Traveling through Canada, you definitely see a change from west coast to east. West coast will have a lot of Asian influence, the Prairies will use a lot of what they have on the land— heavier dishes because of the cold, and more meat-forward—and then as you head east, Toronto being so diverse needs to appeal to all palates, ending off on the east coast where the main focus is seafood.

BK: Your profile raised after the Chopped Canada win. Did your life change?

to sign up, and then wanted me to as well. We have always wanted to compete on that show— let alone against each other. It was fun, but definitely stressful and a complete learning experience.

BK: It’s cool that chefs of your stature aren’t afraid to be outspoken cannabis connoisseurs. When did you first experiment with cannabis— both in and out of the kitchen?

JK: Chopped was a fun experience. I gained a lot more confidence in my cooking ability after that.

JK: I started using cannabis in my early 20s to help with my anxiety and depression. I started cooking with it when I was in culinary school and wanted to put two of the things I loved together: cannabis and cooking.

BK: And I guess Top Chef Canada came next because you did so well on that? Can I ask: was it as fun as it looked?

BK: You have a baby on the way, my friend, and congratulations. How have you been eating and what can you not wait to dig into?

EK: Josh made me do it. He was determined

JK: So many cheeseburgers. It is all this child

wants! As for me? I can’t wait to have a massive plate of oysters!!!

BK: And a side of cannabis? EK: Of course! And cannabis is changing every day, there are definitely some new strains I can’t wait to try.

BK: OK, guys. Thanks for everything and godspeed. Last but not least, the million dollar question: What's next??? EK: Josh and I have been hard at work on our at-home fine dining catering experience, bringing fine dining and custom menus to your home. We have loved being able to work together and focus on our family and we also have introduced cannabis-infused menus to our catering—which have been super fun and really a great experience for our guests. Check out our Instagram @bringonthekarbs.

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FOOD & DRINK

PORK CROWN ROAST WITH INFUSED HERB BUTTER INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

1 crown roast, about 6–7 lbs, tied and frenched (ask your butcher to do this for you) 3 sprigs fresh rosemary 3 sprigs fresh thyme 3 sprigs fresh sage 5 g kosher salt 1 cup canola oil 3 g cracked black pepper

Serves 6 | Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 90 minutes

For the herb butter 50 g infused butter 5 g chopped thyme 5 g chopped sage 5 g chopped rosemary

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Preheat oven to 375°F degrees. Add herbs to canola oil with salt and pepper and rub all over the roast. Cover top bones with tin foil to not burn.

Roast in oven for about an hour and a half until internal temp reaches 145 degrees.

Let the crown roast rest and then brush with tempered infused butter. Serve and enjoy.

Premium whole bud pre-rolls. 20% THC or higher. Every time.

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Free your bud from the fold. I N F U S E D

SWEET P O TAT O P I E INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

8 oz cream cheese, softened 2 cups sweet potato purée 1 cup sugar ¼ tsp salt 2 eggs 1 cup half and half cream 1/3 cup infused butter 1 tsp vanilla extract ½ tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp ground ginger ¼ tsp nutmeg 1 x 9-inch unbaked pastry shell ½ bag mini marshmallows

Serves 8–12 | Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 50 minutes

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Preheat oven to 350°F degrees Beat cream in a large mixing bowl or kitchen mixer. Add the sweet potato and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt. Beat.

Add the eggs, half-and-half, and infused butter. Beat until combined.

Beat in the remaining vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger until combined.

Pour the filling into the pie crust. Bake for 45–50 minutes, or until the center is set.

AVAILABLE STRAINS

Northern Berry Ghost Train Haze Cold Creek Kush Ultra Sour @UP.CANADA

YOU'LL NEED Mixing bowl or kitchen mixer Whisk Pie dish Cooking torch

Let pie cool to room temperature before topping with mini marshmallows. Slightly toast marshmallows to desired colour with a torch.

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SPONSORED CONTENT

BEDFELLOWS TA K E W I N T E R BY STORM The cannabis beverage that has consumers talking New cannabis beverages have been entering the market this year, and the category has become a staple for legal cannabis connoisseurs. When Truss Beverage Co. drops a product, the consumer responds, essentially setting the trend for the industry. This is why, when Bedfellows Liquid Arts launched earlier this month, it generated the same buzz the industry saw when edibles first came to market. “Bedfellows implies “strange,” which means new, unknown, uncharted, but also differing, unique, odd or unconventional,” says Chaman Sandhu, the Brand Management Lead at Truss. “We know taste matters to consumers, so we took two parties—both experts in their respective crafts—to pair the best liquids from North America with the best in cannabis.” With consumers and innovation at Truss’ core, Bedfellows was developed as a direct result of consumers’ feedback of wanting beverages with fuller flavours and various types of liquid bases. Taking a uniquely collaborative approach to creating this first-ofits-kind Canadian brand, Bedfellows’ two new products - Haus Mates and Indie Pals - represent a distinctly new type of liquid, differentiated from the mass sodas, teas and waters currently available in the market. “Bedfellows is something entirely different, and much desired, in the recreational cannabis beverage world,” Sandhu says. “We knew Canadians were looking for cannabis-infused beverages similar to

Mollo, but with a higher potency and additional styles.” Haus Mates, a non-alcoholic Helles-inspired beverage with sweet malt and floral hops (Mt. Hood & Hallertau Mittelfrüh) contains 7.5mg THC + 2.5mg CBD while Indie Pals, a non-alcoholic IPA-inspired beverage with a fruity hops aroma (Citra, El Dorado, Simcoe & Mosaic) contains 10mg THC + 2mg CBD. “Carefully crafting the liquids was part of the process to deliver flavours that take cannabis beverages to new heights of flavour experience”, says Sandhu. Haus Mates and Indie Pals are just the start for Bedfellows as the brand plans to continue serving up liquid profiles to deliver on consumer demand. This means Canadians can look forward to new drinks added to the line in the future. Bedfellows arrives just in time for cozy evenings, gatherings with friends and family, bringing us something completely different, completely delicious, and entirely new. As a result of endless consulting and listening to consumer demand, Bedfellows is a total category game-changer and a gift to cannabis and adult-aged beverage lovers this winter. At kind, we’re raising a glass and we invite you to join us too this holiday season.

To learn more, visit Bedfellows on social @bedfellowsliquidarts

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R E E S E W O N G E ’S W I N T E R W I N N E RS The bespoke cocktail chef serves up something tasty for kind

PHOTOGRAPH BY DARRELL WONGE COCKTAIL PHOTOGRAPHY BY CARLOS OSORIO, SHOT EXCLUSIVELY AT FIGO TORONTO

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EGGNOG C O C K TA I L INGREDIENTS ½ cup Amaretto ½ cup Hennessy 2 cups eggnog

INSTRUCTIONS Mix these ingredients and garnish with some nutmeg/ground cinnamon on top and a cinnamon stick.

LA MELA STREGA

(THE APPLE WITCH) INGREDIENTS 1 ounce Calvados Apple Brandy ½ ounce Averna ½ ounce lemon juice 1 ½ ounces simple syrup Garnish: apple from spritz of Strega Truffle honey

NOTES Special winter cocktail from Zak Higgins, mixologist, Figo Toronto, an Ink Entertainment property

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DECADENT DELIGHT INGREDIENTS 2 ounces vanilla vodka 2 ounce Godiva white chocolate liqueur ¾ ounce white creme de cacao ¾ ounce whipping cream

INSTRUCTIONS Put all of the ingredients in a shaker filled with ice, shake vigorously. Chill martini glass and coat the rim with sugar. Strain into the martini glass.

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HOT STUFF Illustrious icon of the Canadian kitchen adds his skill to the legal cannabis world B Y B E N K A P L A N P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y

C A R L O S

Ted Corrado has been into cannabis for as long as he’s been cooking and with the third anniversary of legalization, he sees an opportunity of appreciation and a chance to dream. Corrado, 48, who heads Scale Hospitality’s culinary team as Executive Chef, is equally excited to be developing products and ideas for Miss Jones. Corrado says that the industry is still in its early days. “Imagine having a beautiful outpost in the Muskoka’s where you could go to escape and have a beautiful meal and a curated cannabis list offered to you in whatever way you desire followed by a topical massage, then a really nice patio where you can smoke flower. This is the kind of romantic cannabis retreat that we’ll eventually offer,” says Corrado, who made his name cooking in Toronto at C5 at the ROM. For Corrado, cooking, like cannabis, is about a singular voice and a curated impression. He thinks the edibles currently on offer are limited and mass-produced, a hodge-podge of products that he appreciates, but, working with Miss Jones, he is hell-bent on improving. “If I’m going to make something, it speaks to the quality of my ingredients and the importance of seasonality,” Corrado told kind magazine in an interview at their vegetarian inspired Middle-

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Eastern restaurant Shook on Portland Street in downtown Toronto. “I imagine a time very soon where I can bring technique to the market—not just a so-so product in over-the-top packaging.” Ingredients, creativity and technique are important to the man who, as much as anyone, transformed Toronto’s Queen Street West from an afterthought to a bespoke curated stretch of great restaurants and bars. Corrado believes the time is now for cannabis to experience the same love and attention. There isn’t anything wrong with the way cannabis is currently represented, but the umbrella under which cannabis consumers live is broader than the market’s current offerings. Ted Corrado, at least, has a distinct, adult point of view. “My hope is to take the ethos of small batch production and bring a genuine and real story to life through the consumer experience,” says Chef, adding that when he publicly came out of the cannabis closet, he was surprised and encouraged by the support he received from the cooking community. “I don’t want to hide cannabis because it’s part of my life and part of all of our lives and my goal for working with Miss Jones is to help make weed this beautiful, normalized, elevated experience.”

Corrado says the innovation, for him, is just getting started, and that there’s space in the market for a brand that is bespoke. “I know where I want to get my kicks, my shirt and my food and we should have that same choice as cannabis consumers. I don’t want to go to the McDonald’s of cannabis,” he says. “I want to go to Roots or Holt Renfrew. Cannabis consumers deserve the same thing with their stores.” For Corrado, food and cannabis go hand in hand. He believes producers of high-quality artisan products should not be afraid to add cannabis to their repertoire. He wants to make beautiful, infused honey and exquisitely crafted chocolates and says Scale Hospitality’s culinary leadership team has the talent and passion to bring his dream to life. “What I can offer is my perspective, my experience and my passion for both cannabis and culinary. My goal is to work with Miss Jones, and tell my story,” Corrado concludes. “I’m putting it out there for everyone. If you’re into it, you’re into it and if you’re not, that’s cool, but what I’ve learned from the chef world I think also applies to cannabis: if you want to do something amazing, you have to be true to yourself.”

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KIND AWARDS 2021

Presenting the second annual Kind Awards, representing the very best in cannabis and the cannabis industry as chosen by budtenders from across Canada.

It is the largest consumer-facing awards in the country and they’re entirely chosen devoid of advertising spend: the winners on the following pages are selected without prompts, without carrots. Speaking with nearly 250 budtenders—the front line of cannabis decision making and the people who speak directly to the customer more

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than anyone else, industry-wide—the following awards represent a consensus for the best in class. Who makes the best weed? What’s the best cannabis beverage? And what about edibles, CBD and vapes? Read along for the picks of the year and thank you, as always, to the budtenders: you keep our industry kind.

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KIND AWARDS 2021

BRAND OF THE YEAR CARMEL CANNABIS Carmel Cannabis comes from the underground and, in going mainstream and legal, has created a pathway not only for good weed, but good values. With rare breeds and limited grows, the Carmel team, based in Oro-Medante, Ontario, says they stop at no end in the pursuit of top-shelf flower. With strains like Peanut Butter Breath, Mac 1, Animal Face and Dark Helmet, the group, led by Drew, their master grower who’s provided AAA buds to aficionados for two decades, has helped the legal market cross a threshold: the Carmel Cannabis is routinely the best flower available in Canada, full stop. Meanwhile, as the company grows and becomes ever more well-known by informed consumers, we can’t wait to smoke what the future holds for Carmel: it’s a way forward, no doubt, for the industry at large.

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KIND AWARDS 2021

BEST OF THE YEAR

CRAFT BRAND OF THE YEAR

INDICA FLOWER OF THE YEAR

CARMEL CANNABIS

It perhaps comes as no surprise that Canadian budtenders' favourite brand of 2021 is a craft cannabis producer. With hundreds of new craft entrants in the legal market this year, Carmel Cannabis was allotted the most votes as Craft Brand of the Year. To anyone who’s tried any of their terrific offerings, the prize comes as no surprise.

Beginning to sense a theme here? Drew, the Carmel master grower, knows his way around flower, but the terpenes he produced in Helmet Breath and Dark Helmet, the Carmel Cannabis indica strains, won the most raves by a landslide for our indica flower of the year. For anyone out there still curious about Carmel, start with indica, but that comes with a warning: once you do that, it’s hard to smoke anything else.

S AT I VA F L O W E R OF THE YEAR

HYBRID FLOWER OF THE YEAR

MTL CANNABIS

QWEST

Rich and Mitch, the brothers behind MTL cannabis declare themselves to be a flower-first company. Longtime veterans of the industry—they ran ACMPR-designated grower sites before Justin Trudeau was even elected—they took their passion for cannabis and belief in the flower to the legal market when launching their licensed producer from their home in Montreal. Partnering with people that are positive about life, and about weed, the company is consistent and value-driven, prioritizing genetics and, Rich and Mitch say: enjoying the ride. Their Sage n’ Sour earns the most votes for Sativa Flower of the Year.

Drawing on the iconic growing techniques of BC, Qwest Cannabis is a small-batch craft grower that tailors its processes between cultivars. Hand picking all of its buds before the weed goes in the jar, the Qwest team—between its hang-dried and dry-trimmed techniques—has elevated the legal market with some of the best weed in the world. Budtenders, recognizing the Qwest trichomes and cannabinoid potency, have awarded Qwest with the coveted prize for Hybrid Flower of the Year.

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BACK IN THE DAY THIS WAS ILLEGAL. To grow it you had to be passionate and discreet. Pantone 374 C LEGALIZATION WAS A WELCOME RELIEF. IT MEANT WE COULD RELAX, LET OUR GUARD DOWN, Pantone 7488 C

FOCUS SOLELY ON THE CRAFT. Fonts:

MTL = quality Frutiger Ultra Black Build a product with higher control Cannabis = Reklame Script Regular

WITH LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE.

Increase our production while ensuring consistency. Not just a different looking baggie, but logos, websites, AND A PROUD VOICE TO SPEAK TO OUR CUSTOMERS, OPENLY AND PUBLICLY.

TO BRING THE BEST OF THE STREETS TO THE SHELF.

This is new territory for us all.

THIS IS THE MODERN STREET.

VOTED BEST SATIVA OF THE YEAR - Sage n’ Sour COMING SOON... COOKIES N’ CREAM www.mtlcannabis.ca

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@mtlcanna

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KIND AWARDS 2021

BEST OF THE FLOWER

S AT I VA P R E - R O L L OF THE YEAR

INDICA PRE-ROLL OF THE YEAR

CARMEL CANNABIS

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In a world where pre-rolls dominate, new entrées arrive each week and the competition can be fierce. Into that comes the Animal Face preroll by Carmel Cannabis, which easily scored the Sativa Pre-Roll of the Year. Grown and rolled by Ontario craft growers, the Carmel preroll—available in packages of three, each with 0.5-grams—elevates the category, so while Carmel wins this award, the real winner is the legal cannabis consumer: these perfectly rolled joints can’t help but change the game for everyone else.

The Back Forty pre-rolls are the perfect COVID invention: packages of pinners that are perfect for modern times, when joint passing is dangerous and friends are more important than ever. Back Forty, machine-rolled with high potency THC, is the pre-roll offering from Auxly, which continues growing its market share across the country. The Animal Mints 10-pack of pre-rolls from Back Forty are the perfect solution for a long Canadian winter: the budtenders' choice for Indica Pre-Roll of the Year.

S AT I VA C A R T R I D G E OF THE YEAR

INDICA CARTRIDGE OF THE YEAR

KOLAB

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Any cannabis lover worth their vape knows how important the cartridge is. With premium, live terpene carts containing flavourful terp sauce and cannabis distillate, for added potency, the Kolab sativa cartridge from their 232 series is developed with a flashfrozen single strain flower, which preserves the natural terpene profile found in the plant. How good is it? It won the Sativa Cartridge of the Year as voted by Canada’s budtenders.

The Forbidden Fruit Indica cartridge by Back Forty is potent and contains no fillers. With subtle notes of berry and citrus and a terpene profile that’s dominant in limonene and myrcene, the cartridge category attracts the discerning consumer and the budtenders who voted know their stuff. In awarding Back Forty the Indica Cartridge of the Year, the country’s most knowledgeable spokesmen and women offer high praise to the Back Forty crew— now taking a bow on their second 2021 kind award.

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WINNER Best Vaporizer PAX 3

With so much care taken to grow your cannabis, the last thing you want to do is light it on fire.

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KIND AWARDS 2021

BEST OF THE ESSENTIALS

C O N C E N T R AT E S OF THE YEAR

EDIBLE OF THE YEAR

GREYBEARD

WANA BRANDS

The Greybeard crew—Robyn Rabinovich, Bubba Nicholson, and of course, Thrive Cannabis CEO Geoff Hoover—are beloved in the industry and pioneering good people making good weed. A craft cannabis company, Greybeard pays attention to detail and so it’s no surprise that their concentrates, both live resin and their new offering, the THCA Live Resin Diamonds, are earning raves. Diamonds, which sparkle in your hands just like their namesake, especially are earning the group tons of applause. It’s no surprise that Greybeard is the budtenders of Canada’s choice for Concentrate of the Year.

The Wana Brand edibles are diverse in their offerings, from CBD to gummies to Wana Quick, which offers a fast-acting onset and offset time. With the number one market share across North America, Wana is many cannabis consumers' top choice in the edible market. Delicious, carefully dosed, and touting a curated flavour line—the products taste so good that even if they weren’t infused they’d still work well—Wana is a category innovator and leader and the budtenders choice for Edible of the Year.

BEVERAGE OF THE YEAR

CBD BRAND OF THE YEAR

COLLECTIVE PROJECT

DOSECANN CANNABIS SOLUTIONS

A buzzy brand offering from the Hamilton, Ontario-based team at craft beer maker Collective Arts, this infused beverage hit the market by storm, and then grew from there. With a flavour profile including blood orange, mango, pineapple and coconut, and chamomile sparkling tea, the beverages combine fresh juices, real botanicals and high-quality cannabis emulsions to make all their drinks. There’s lots for budtenders to swallow with their Beverage of the Year. After all, Collective Arts has been innovating with cool buzzy drinks for years.

Another major score for the Auxly Cannabis Group. Their Daily Relief CBD Cream scored the budtender’s award for Topical of the Year, and it’s no wonder they took top prize. The product, 1,200mg of cannabidiol per 60ml unit, has double the potency of any CBD topical current on the market across Canada. Developed by scientists at Auxly’s facility in Charlottetown, PEI, it’s a result of intense development and testing and crosses a new threshold in topical treatments. The product, like the heavily rewarded other factions of the Auxly line, is clearly top of its class.

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KIND AWARDS 2021

BEST OF THE REST This year, KIND also wanted to give love to brands—and people—we can vouch for. These are the performers in the industry that make us love what we do.

THE KINDEST BRAND OF THE YEAR

( P E O P L E , P R O D U C T, P U R P O S E )

PURE SUNFARMS

K I N D E S T I N N O VAT I O N I N C A N N A B I S A D V E R T I S I N G MISS JONES – WHO IS MISS JONES?

KINDEST CANNABIS CHEF JORDAN WAGMAN

K I N D E S T C A N N A B I S VA P E PAX LABS

P E O P L E ’ S C H O I C E AWA R D SHRED

B E S T A D C A M PA I G N O F 2 0 2 1 UP CANNABIS

K I N D E S T C A N N A B I S C R E AT I V E A G E N C Y SISTER MERCI

KINDEST PERSON IN CANNABIS JACQUI CHILDS

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@DRINKCANN

DRINKCANN.CA

TH E CAL IF O R NI ANS ARE COMI NG! A VA IL A B LE WI NTER ‘2 2

THE PERFECT BUZZ

NO HANGOVER

AWARD WINNING FLAVOR

MICRODOSED WITH CANNABIS FOR AN UPLIFTING, SOCIAL BUZZ

N O PA I N F U L DAY S A F T E R DRINKING OR REGRETS

JUST 5 SIMPLE INGREDIENTS A N D 3 0 C A LO R I E S

F YI WE D O N’T L O O K LIKE T H IS IN Y O U R S T O R E S ,

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BUT WE TASTE JUS T A S G O O D O N T H E IN S ID E .

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TOP F O IDC A & LDSR I N K

>>>

FRO M LEGACY TO L E G A L Meet the team behind the buzzy new cannabis line The guys behind Ghost Drops have lived a life in cannabis long before legalization, and their transition into the legal market is exactly the kind of brand-building initiative that’s good for the industry. Founded by John Dean Durante and Travis (Organik) Fleetwood, and led by Gene Bernaudo, CEO, Ghost Drops tells the feel-good transition story of how the legal weed business is supposed to work. Kind editor Ben Kaplan caught up with the Ghost team for the news.

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BK: What is Ghost Drops? Travis Fleetwood: We started in the shadows of the legacy market, risking everything and putting everything on the line to help produce accessible, high-quality cannabis for our Canadian cannabis community. Gene Bernaudo: A former legacy cannabis brand built for enthusiasts by enthusiasts. We have earned a reputation for being expert curators, connecting the dots to deliver the best, most unique and potent cannabis in the market. As a respected legacy brand house, we collaborate with award-winning legacy growers and cultivators. And our results speak for themselves—we support the experts to create and grow killer product, and in turn we’re able to take that product and provide cannabis connoisseurs with the best smallbatch, craft cannabis going.

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BK: Nice, but lots of folks make big claims. What makes Ghost Drops different from other cannabis brands? GB: Ghost Drops brings to the legal market the essence of what the industry has been trying to achieve since its conception in 2018—converting legacy consumers to legal consumers. We know what consumers want and crave. Our key differentiator is taking the same genetics that made us famous in the legacy market and making them available in the legal market. The Ghost Drops model is designed to drop products that change the game and influence the industry, showcasing the talents of our legacy market cultivators and micro-cultivators, growers and extractors. TF: What we’re doing is we’re bringing the best of the legacy market to the legal market. It’s all about legacy partnerships and collabs. We’ll never abandon our roots—legacy producers

helped make us who we are and we won’t ever forget that. That’s in our DNA. JD: When we started, we had one ambition, and though we’ve recently transcended to the legal market, our ambition remains the same: to shine a light on the talent in the darkest corners of the cannabis industry, to highlight the products from the underground legends quietly creating the best, most innovative cannabis. BK: What’s your backstory, how did the whole thing begin? JD: Ghost Drops as a brand has been operational since 2017, but our roots—the experience of the founders—go back more than 20 years in many facets of the cannabis industry. We are first and foremost consumers of the plant, but we also have working experience designing and building facilities, consulting in the industry, curating and

cultivating, and growing brands. BK: Why go legal and, importantly, how do you think your customers will respond? GB: We see it as our duty to make quality cannabis more accessible. Great cannabis used to only be found in the legacy market. But not anymore. We’re working with our collaborators to bring our apex legacy strains to the masses. We’re bringing our legacy market quality and culture to the legal market. We knew the news that we were transitioning to the legal market might shock some of our fan base. But the reality is the move is being received well— our audience is excited. And that’s because we’re not changing who we are. We’re the same brand with the same great product— the only difference is now it’s easier to get your hands on it. TF: We’re like an extension of the family, a

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FOOD & DRINK

big part of the legacy community, so of course it’s come as a shock to some of our customer base. But we are doing this for them, for our community, because nobody in Canada is stepping up to do this. It’s all been building to this—we started at the ground level, slowly scaled and worked our way up, building relationships, building friends, building community. Now it’s actually time for our community to rejoice. We’re taking back the cannabis industry from the suits and putting true cannabis legends into the spotlight. We want to change the system—to dismantle stigmas and change the stereotype that legal cannabis is shit. BK: Has it been hard to cross over? GB: We’ve assembled a talented team who are more than capable of navigating the tumultuous regulatory environment and ensuring we deliver our message and product in a compliant manner and we’re confident in our ability to hold true to the values that built this brand, while also complying with the regulations.

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BK: All while remaining unique? JD: We went out and picked up the best of the best of the best in the legacy market and brought them together under the Ghost Drops ecosystem. You can’t find what we’re doing anywhere else—we bring exclusive, award-winning genetics straight from the legacy market into the legal, and we bring award-winning cultivators on as consultants for all our legal grows. TF: We’re going to be converting legacy consumers over to the legal market because we’re demonstrating that legal cannabis quality can set the standard. It used to be that the best cannabis was only found in the legacy market—well, not anymore. We want to change opinions about legal market quality. Everyone knows Canada has the best weed in the world and we want to be the people to actually showcase how great it is. There are a lot of people working to produce good cannabis, but, for the most part, I don’t think what’s out on the market right now is a good representation of what Canada can and should

be known for. We’re out to give Canadian consumers the good shit they deserve. BK: When’s all this new shit dropping? GB: BC on November 30. Next up will be Ontario in January 2022. For future provincial launches and more on the latest drops, consumers should stay tuned on our Instagram page @ghostdropscanada and our website ghostdrops.com. On the website you can sign up to our Ghostfam mailing list to be the first to know. Covid permitting, we intend to draw four names from our subscribers list to win a VIP experience to our launch event. BK: Eh, and how about some foreshadowing to what’s coming next? JD: Two of our most popular strains that consumers know and love: First Class Funk and Z-Splitter, both were hunted by our legacy partner Cultivating Happiness, and commercialized to scale by Mother Labs. We’re excited for consumers to experience all fire legacy strains we’ve got coming down the pipeline.

N EW

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THE LEGACY OF PETER TOSH B Y

J O E

T I M M I N S

A T R A G E D Y, AND THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF L E G A L I Z AT I O N

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PHOTOGRAPY BY PETER SIMON

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Jawara McIntosh is the son of Peter Tosh, one of the greatest reggae musicians of alltime. Whether touring the world with Bob Marley or else introducing reggae to famous musicians like Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones, Tosh is a musician’s musician and the Jamaican vocalist and guitarist who didn’t smile for the press. His albums include Mystic Man, Mama Africa, Legalize It and Equal Rights. He famously covered Johnny B. Goode and co-wrote Get Up, Stand Up, with Bob Marley. He called his live album, recorded in Boston in 1976, Live & Dangerous. Stepping Razor is one of his most famous songs.

Not only do I not have a brother, my mother doesn’t have a son, and his four children don’t have a father.

“Peter Tosh was a talented artist, played many instruments and was a good vocalist, which influenced Bunny Wailer and Bob Marley—they all played various instruments,” says Jay Douglas, a Canadian reggae artist who performed with Peter Tosh in the 80s. “We sure could use some more spiritual vibes in the reggae music of today—Jah bless the Prophet Mr. Peter Tosh.” The daughter of reggae legend Peter Tosh and sister of cannabis activist Jawara McIntosh, Niambe McIntosh, is Peter Tosh’s 25-yearold daughter reviving his legacy. She left her prestigious position in a Massachusetts engineering firm to undertake a path dedicated to minimizing the impact of the

To quell the pain of the nonviolent offenders caught up in the penitentiary system, Niambe

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Seen Cannabis will be donating a percentage of all of their net proceeds to foundations that liberate those affected by the war on drugs. "We have five initiatives amongst the foundation, but particularly they'll be geared around the Justice for Jawar initiative, named after my brother, and focus on situations like his and overall criminal justice reform," she says. Her father, of course, released the album Legalize It in 1976 and was amongst the most politically active of Jamaica’s reggae performers. According to his daughter, Seen Cannabis carries on her father’s ideals. "We've partnered with the Legalize It initiative, which is geared at not only educating people about the medicinal, spiritual and uplifting benefits of cannabis, but also making sure that those who have been affected by the war on drugs have the opportunity to access the industry," she says. “The time has come for cannabis to finally be legal, in some places, with more in the works. But it isn’t fair unless everyone profits from this new industry.”

With the War on Drugs responsible for the incarceration of roughly 200,000 non-violent offenders in America alone, Seen Cannabis aims to release nonviolent offenders from prison and expunge their has become affiliated with multiple nonprofits records. “It’s only right,” she says. “These aimed at social marijuana justice. Niambe's people gave up their freedom and paid the involvement with minorities for Medical ultimate cost for a fight that we all knew was Marijuana and The Last Prisoner Project has just and right. They should be part of the proved her dedication to the cause. She has legalization movement, and profit from the become CEO of The Peter Tosh Foundation sale of cannabis.” and the Justice for Jawara project. On top of all her humanitarian ventures, Niambe To properly move forward with legalization McIntosh is the latest in the game of legal and regulation—and year three of marijuana and could be at the spearpoint of legalization in Canada—many activists starting a revolutionary cannabis movement believe that we must take the initiative to with her new cannabis company give everyone who has been incarcerated Seen Cannabis. for possession of cannabis the liberty and Coming from years of planning, research, and collaboration, and the bluebeat sounds of Peter Tosh, Seen Cannabis is the latest in celebrity-endorsed legal cannabis and is coming into the market with a beautiful twist.

justice they deserve. With less than 400 Canadian prisoners receiving pardons for their cannabis crimes since legalization, we need to act with urgency, Niambe says. Seen, as a brand, wants to be the pioneers in a movement paying tribute to those who

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war on drugs and making stories such as her brother's a thing of the past. I got the chance to sit down with Niambe after a family trip to Jamaica. She told me what she's trying to achieve with her movement and fight against the War on Drugs. "When you take people out of a community, they could be the brightness of that community, a member that had the biggest personality, and to take him out of the community does major harm," she said. "Not only do I not have a brother, my mother doesn't have a son and his four children don't have a father."

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On the warm New Jersey night of June 2013, Jawara McIntosh was pulled to the side of the road in a routine traffic stop. After roughly 65 kilograms of cannabis was found in McIntosh's car, Jawara was promptly arrested, processed, and put in jail. After multiple discussions with lawyers and family, he pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute. Jawara was sentenced to one year in prison and, while serving his sentence, was beaten into a coma by a Bergen County inmate. He never recovered. Jawara had no past involvement with the criminal justice system, had a family, and was still urged to accept a guilty plea after surrendering himself to the state of New Jersey. Jawara is just one of the many examples of a nonviolent offender being converted into a violent offender at the hands of the American prisonindustrial complex.

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have gambled with their freedoms in the grey market era of cannabis. There’s an estimated 150,000 Canadians with prohibition-era cannabis criminal records; Seen Cannabis has an important job to do. On top of funding pardons for nonviolent drug offenders, Seen has also made a dedicated effort to uphold the cultural and spiritual significance of cannabis and honour the legacy of the Late Reggae artist who inspired it all, Peter Tosh. Tosh, founding member of The Wailers, was ahead of the curve when it comes to cannabis activism. He may have cut a record with Mick Jagger and performed on Saturday Night Live, but freedom fighting and cannabis—as much as anything—is his legacy. He was a strong defender of Rastafarianism and spoke out against corruption in the Jamaican government. He was talking about legalizing marijuana before Canada had its first medical license and his catchy song, Legalize It, is one of the great weed songs of all time. “Doctors smoke it/nurses smoke it/Judges smoke it/Even lawyers too,” goes one verse. “Legalize it/and I will advertise it,” sings Tosh in his chorus. There was no doubt where the great Peter Tosh stood on weed. “If you Google Peter Tosh, you will see him about 90% of the time with a spliff in his hand,” says Niambe. “I've heard stories where he would smoke spliffs on planes back when people smoked cigarettes on planes.” Tosh taught Bob Marley how to play guitar. Later on, after the label started favouring Bob Marley, Tosh took to starting his solo career, where he focussed on a more political angle of reggae music promoting the awareness of cannabis legalization, Black rights issues, and corruption in the Jamaican political system. Tosh was ultimately assassinated for his beliefs. “Bob Marley gets a lot of credit, and deservedly, but he was very peaceful. Peter Tosh is overlooked,” his daughter says. “You see the same thing with Martin Luther King versus Malcolm X, where Malcolm X definitely had a more offensive view towards Western minds and some people couldn't accept that.” The question is, how do we inform the general public of the pioneers who risked

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life and limb for us to enjoy the sacrament of cannabis without legal intervention? When asked about where she would like to see the industry progress, Niambe pondered the question. "When we think about cannabis, and its origins, when it comes to the culture of Rastafari, I would like it to be recognized as a sacrament because of its ability to really

“

There can be no celebrating legalization until everyone incarcerated for cannabis is freed.

allow people to connect with a higher power and be more spiritually guided,” she says. Niambe's answer may seem logical; however, if this is the case, why has the industry taken so long to respond? Niambe is unequivocal in her views. "There can be no legalization until everyone who is incarcerated is free," she says. "It's too late for my family. But I'm glad that other families will not have to go through what my family has gone through.” Seen Cannabis looks to help the illicit market take part of the legal system. To do that, cannabis pioneers shouldn’t have to suffer like her brother. Legalization has done wonders for Canada, with the arrests for cannabis convictions being reduced from over 26,000 in 2018 to less than 500 in 2019. But there’s still work to be done. "We need to give those pioneering individuals their freedoms back,” says Niambe. “I'm always a proponent of progress—even if it's a little late for my family. I am always fighting for humanity.”

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