NUG Magazine Issue 20

PUBLISHER’SLETTER Cover Art by Chris Konecki

MAY 2011 VOL. 3 ISSUE #4 NUG Magazine Staff: Publisher: Ben G. Rowin

Associate Publisher: M.J. Smith Editor: Dion Markgraaff Associate Editor: George Alberts Administrative Assistant: Gio Blitz Copy Editor: Hashley Music Editor: Ras Mike Photographers: Gio Blitz, Eric Fowler, Courtney Pakalolo, Jennifer Martinez, Chris Konecki, SCR Photos Calendar Editor: Courtney Pakalolo Videographer: Chris Gabriel, NS Entertainment Contributors: “SD OG Grower”, Dion Markgraaff, Canna Chef Kim, Eugene Davidovich, Marc Emmelmann, Pamela Jayne, Lance Rogers, Zodiac Mama, Tiffany Janay, Leo E. Laurence, J.D., Jed Sanders, George Alberts, Robert Stinson, Tiffani Kjeldergaard, R.J. Villa, Ryan Whitaker, Sandieganliz, Eric Fowler, Bahareh, Mel The Bumbling Gardener, Dannabis Ruderalis, Simon Eddisbury, Nicole Scott, Peter Amirato Green Reefer Comic by. Joshua Boulet Sales Director: Ben G. Rowin

May is upon us and before we dive into anything else, I want to take a moment to say Happy Mother’s Day to ALL the moms out there! I have seen no greater love than that of a mother for her child!

We have an incredible issue for you this month! Included is an article on local artist Chris Konecki. Chris created the cover for this month’s NUG, an original painting, but took the art in a whole different direction by also making a stop motion photography video of the creation of the painting. When Chris and I discussed the storyboard for the video, I was pumped up and could not wait to see the results. Please look for the video of the creation of the May cover on our website www.nugmag. com.

I also had the opportunity to review the new BOOM RX line of glass and share it with you, the NUG readers! Dion Markgraaff covers the clean-up of the Chernobyl disaster and points out how hemp played a major factor in the cleaning process. Of course, we have some amazing music coverage, including local band Jet West, Bad Neighborz, and The B Foundation. Our regular columns, the Chronisseur and Cooking with Kim, are great as always! And we took some space to shine some light on Parahawking: An unusual way to connect with nature.

In May, we also celebrate Memorial Day, and NUG has partnered with Barfly and FORePlay promotions, IGS Hydro and Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap to throw the “REMEMBER” Mnemonic Muzic Marathon on May 28th at RT’s Longboard Grill. 11 Bands in 13 hours! – Including NUG Records band Subliminal Trip, and headliners Sprung Monkey! Make sure to check out the ad in this issue and we hope to see you out there!

The debate on MMJ in San Diego and the San Diego City Ordinance is a hot one right now. There are many in the community that are coming together and working on ways to stop this de facto ban! From the newly formed organization of collective directors’ campaign for signatures to obtain a referendum to the Americans for Safe Access’s announcement that the City of San Diego is being threatened with a lawsuit if it does not amend the restrictive ordinance. As always, NUG will be covering and supporting all endeavors preserving safe access in our beloved city as it is the patients and the most vulnerable in our communities who would be immensely affected by this new restrictive ordinance. We will be keeping the readers up-to-date with any information on our website and social networking sites, so make sure to log on and get informed and active. There are many ways that each individual can help, and coming together is the most important thing we can do as a community. We must look past all of our disagreements and the things that divide us and stand strong as a united community!

Advertising Sales Reps: Dion Markgraaff, Eugene Davidovich, Brom Richey, Kirk L., Jordan D., Hashley, Gio Blitz

-Ben G. Rowin

Art Director: Ian Rie Finance Manager: M.J. Smith Marketing Manager: Marc Emmelmann

Distribution/Subscriptions: Beau’s Distribution Service info@beausdistribution.com NUG Magazine Staff Contact Information: 9880 N. Magnolia Ave #168 Santee, Ca 92071 (619) 616-4961 For general information or to reach our Publisher: info@nugmag.com For all art/design information: art@nugmag.com For all editorial related information: info@nugmag.com For submissions: submit@nugmag.com NUG Magazine is published and distributed by NUG Magazine LLC. All contents are for entertainment and educational purposes only and are intended for mature audiences. We are not responsible for any actions taken by our readers nor do we condone any illegal activity. Advertisers are responsible for their own ads and content. All opinions expressed are those of the writers and not necessarily of the magazine. All submissions become our property and may be used for publication. At times we may use materials placed in the public domain. If you own it let us know and we will acknowledge you. Reproduction of any content is encouraged if you get permission from our Publisher.

All contents copyright. 2011

14

CONTENTS

\\:NUG TIMES

18

\\:L.E.A.P

22

\\:ACTIVISM

26

\\:LEGAL

30

\\:SHERIFF JOE

34

\\:PATIENT PROFILE

37

60

40

64

\\:EDITORIAL

\\:MIND-BODY

43

\\:HEMP CHERNOBYL

46

\\:PARAHAWKING

52

\\:COOKING W/ KIM

58

\\:GROW

\\:CHRONISSEUR

\\:ARMORY

66

\\:JET WEST

76

\\:ARTIST: CHRIS KONECKI

80

\\:PERFORMING ARTS

86

\\:PRODUCT REVIEWS

DO YOU WANT CONTINUED SAFE ACCESS IN SAN DIEGO? We need your help! Please Sign up today!!

The Patient Care Association of California (PCACA)

We wanted to take the opportunity to bring readers up-todate on the progress that has taken place since the City of San Diego’s Medical Marijuana Task Force (MMJTF) gave its recommendations to the city. Basically, the city ignored the professional recommendations of the task force. The city council voted on April 12, 2011 to pass the overly restrictive regulations, permitting an ordinance that bans collectives and makes all medical marijuana (MMJ) dispensaries and collectives presently operating in the city to close, which denies access to medical cannabis for an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 MMJ patients in San Diego.

Medical marijuana patients and providers will be zoned out of the city into inaccessible industrial areas and forced to go through an overly restrictive compliance process.

The February 2010 Code Compliance officers throughout Southern California attended a seminar presented by Los Angeles Attorney William Litvak titled “How to Have Your Community NOT Go Up in Smoke,” which demonstrated how officers can use current codes to shut all medical cannabis providers down. Shortly after, the Development Services Department Neighborhood Code Compliance Division, Narcotics and Public Safety officers scheduled inspections of the estimated 165 operating dispensaries.

Most of all that were inspected received “Notice of Violation” letters stating, “No zone within the City of San Diego permits Medical Marijuana Dispensaries.” Regardless of the money that was collected by the city as well as the Business Tax Certificates issued for “medical marijuana dispensaries,” the violation letters ordered all medical marijuana dispensaries to cease operating immediately with threats of up to $1500 fines, per violation, per day, and recovery costs of inspections of about $100.00. These violation letters were followed by letters to landlords, which stated the city’s intent to issue citations to enforce the citywide shutdown of all collectives within 30 days.

The new, poorly structured ordinance did not address any compliance period for existing collectives. The vote forces all existing collectives to close and apply for a tedious, costly and lengthy Conditional Use Permit (CUP) Process 3 (estimated cost of $35,000 to start) with a special clause that limits them to a maximum of five years (no other CUP P3 has this restriction) and forces them to scavenge for a location among the limited number of industrial areas in the city with boundaries of 600 feet away from schools, churches, parks, childcare facilities, youth service facilities, libraries, playgrounds, and other collectives.

Following the final legislative act by the city council on this sad ordinance, Mayor Sanders had 10 days to either veto the legislation or sign it into law. Sanders has elected not 14 | NUGMAG.COM

to sign nor to veto the pair of ordinances approved by the council on April 12, 2011, according to spokeswoman Rachel Laing. The rules are expected to become law next month.

“We didn’t veto it, and we didn’t sign it, which just means that it goes into effect,” Laing said. She did not explain why the mayor took no action, although Sanders is very well-known in San Diego for taking no action, especially for the medical cannabis community. Mayor Jerry Sanders continually ignored the requests from the council to participate in the MMJTF as well as numerous invitations from the task force and the MMJ community.

City council asked the Mayor to come up with a price tag for the new permits as well as to propose an enforcement and regulatory structure for collectives within 30 days. As of this writing, the mayor’s office was still working to produce a plan that tasks various city departments with oversight of the permit process, compliance, enforcement and cost recovery plans.

Afterwards, medical cannabis patients, patient rights groups and activists were outraged at the San Diego City Council’s vote on the medical marijuana dispensary ordinance and the impact it will have on the community in San Diego. Irate at the decision, patients, activists and freedom fighters attended an emergency meeting to discuss what needed to be done to protect safe access. Several medical cannabis providers and compassion club directors were in attendance.

After continually being painted with a tarnished brush, collective directors came together the following day and organized the Patient Care Association of California (PCACA). To date, we are represented by approximately 52 collectives that have joined the organization. Many more are expected to join as they hear about the group’s objectives of protecting patients’ rights to safe access and preserving people’s freedom of choice regarding their medicine. PCA collectives contribute an estimated $5.5 million dollars to city tax revenue, $4 million annually in rent, and employ over 1,000 people in the city. Overall, collectives generate approximately $500,000 a day in total business in San Diego.

The intent of this fast-paced, business-minded nonprofit association is to provide a professional, unified voice for the city’s medical cannabis community by adopting standards of operation and setting industry best practices. PCA’s focus is insuring that all collectives understand the complex legal and political issues they face in San Diego. PCA’s main goal is fielding an initiative that would work with the city to help formalize regulations that implement zoning regulations similar to the recommendations made by the Medical Marijuana Task Force. Particularly, sanctioned collectives would be allowed to open in all commercial zones while respecting distances from sensitive use areas such as schools and abiding by the California Attorney General guidelines.

The Patient Care Association of California just completed nominations for the election to the transitional board of directors. The board member positions will last for 60 days. The main task of the temporary board will be to guide the organization through the signature gathering campaign for the referendum and the initiative.

a de facto ban on local distribution facilities. ASA argued in a letter sent to City Attorney Jan Goldsmith that the ordinance violates due process rights of medical marijuana collectives and cooperatives by forcing them to shut down in 30 days, leaving virtually no options for relocation.

In only a few short weeks of its existence, PCA members have been working hard towards a referendum to oblige the city council to go back to the drawing board and adapt sensible zoning regulations for collectives.

“Ordinances become a ‘legislative act’ 10 business days after crossing the mayor’s desk,” City Clerk Liz Maland said. This means people who are pursuing a referendum have 30 days from Thursday -- 4/28/11 -- to gather valid signatures from registered voters to qualify a measure. The referendum requires 31,029 valid signatures (5% of registered voters).

We need at least 47,000 valid signatures to ensure that 31,069 are accepted (unregistered voters and duplicates are discarded). We have less than one month ~ AND WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT NOW!

Unless the city can “ease the restrictions on medical marijuana collectives, so that qualified patients can obtain the medicine they need,” the letter authored by ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford said that the organization and its patient base would be compelled to seek such remedies in court. The letter suggested that the San Diego City Council amend its ordinance to allow “medical marijuana collectives to operate in most commercial and all industrial zones” and increase “the period to obtain a conditional use permit to one year.”

PCACA collective directors, medical cannabis advocates and all allies, including those who believe in freedom of choice and voters’ rights, have all diligently vowed to pursue the fight by taking this issue to the voters again or the courts if continued to be ignored. Unfortunately, we realize this forces everyone (collectives, patients and tax payers) to waste more time and a disgusting amount of money to allow what voters demanded 15 years ago. Do we really have that kind of money to squander or can it be better spent on America’s finest city?

Unfortunately, there are so many people who do not understand and are afraid of the unknown. This unknown happens to be a plant! People tend to fear what they do not understand. It is up to all of us to help educate people and erase the ignorance and fear of medical cannabis. Don’t wait until you or a loved one are sick to change your mind about the benefits of legal medicinal cannabis.

Please visit www.pcaca.org for more information on how to participate, where to donate, and how you can help keep your local collectives and compassion clubs open.

Medical Marijuana Advocates Threaten to Sue if San Diego Fails to Amend Flawed Ordinance http://www.safeaccesssd.org

San Diego, CA – Americans for Safe Access (ASA), a medical marijuana advocacy group, threatened to file suit against the City of San Diego today if it doesn’t amend a recent ordinance that patient advocates are calling

The city council passed its ordinance on April 12th after months of feedback from hundreds of patients and experts.

Virtually all of the requests for changes, including many from its own city-commissioned medical marijuana task force, were ignored. Advocates launched one of the largest letter writing campaigns in the city’s history, resulting in thousands of letters being sent to city council members and the mayor.

The ordinance recently became law without the signature of Mayor Jerry Sanders.

San Diego has a long history of hostility toward medical marijuana. In 2006, the county sued the state over having to implement the ID Card program, which was mandatory under the Medical Marijuana Program Act passed in 2003. The county, which took the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and lost, now provides ID cards to thousands of qualified patients. Each year since 2005, San Diego medical marijuana providers have endured numerous aggressive federal raids carried out in conjunction with local law enforcement.

After a series of DEA-led raids in September of 2009, one month prior to the now famous Justice Department memo, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis prosecuted two patients, both of whom were acquitted by juries. One of those patients, Jovan Jackson, was tried a second time and convicted as a result of being denied a medical defense. ASA, which argued against the denial of Jackson’s defense at trial, is currently appealing his conviction.

PURPLE HEART (2) EX-INFANTRYMAN MAY BE DEPRIVED OF MEDICATIONS BY NEW S.D. DISPENSARY ORDINANCE By: Leo E. Laurence, J.D., Law Enforcement Against Prohibition | leopowerhere@msn.com

The Purple Heart medal is only awarded after a soldier is wounded by hostile action in actual combat. Ben Crandall (21) of Mission Beach holds two Purple Hearts and now desperately needs medical marijuana for his recovery from combat wounds. Disappointingly, the City of San Diego may close all dispensaries and cut off Crandall’s important supply. He went through bloody hell in combat and now the city may put him through hell again by cutting off his medications. From my law enforcement perspective, it seems so unAmerican. It’s like spitting on the American flag.

“Much of that success is due to the medical cannabis and the (community) family you run into at dispensaries.”

After giving a short speech on law enforcement support for medical marijuana at the city hall rally on April 12th, Ben Lujan (27), the manager of The Holistic Café dispensary at 415 University in Hillcrest, arranged for an exclusive interview with Crandall and two other wounded ex-infantrymen.

Two Purple Hearts

“I was deployed (in Afghanistan) for a little over a year. I was in the 1-2-6 infantry. While I was over there, I got to meet two of the greatest guys ever, and they are now my roommates in Mission Beach,” reports Aaron Miller (22). “I met them over there and we haven’t separated since. We’re family now. We bonded, seen things and done things that nobody ever wants to do.

Medical marijuana is really benefiting ex-soldiers suffering from shell shock, depression and PTSD (Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder). “I was suffering from severe depression. For a good while, I was on two different depression medications. I was also in deep pain for a very long time for my left shoulder.

I contracted a general brain injury while I was over there. I had a couple of concussions that gave me severe headaches, which can lead to memory loss. It messes with everything.”

“Medical marijuana helps with no more headaches and no more severe anxiety. I can actually eat healthier now. It doesn’t give me the munchies. It calms me down. I haven’t been using (medical marijuana) for very long. Before I (recently) moved out here, I was on numerous meds and three different painkillers. I was on two meds for anxiety and two for depression. Now, with medical marijuana, I take zero meds. I’m off every single (psychiatric) medication and I’ve lost 40 pounds in two months,” Miller explained, who looks slender and muscled now. “I’m just a happier person now,” the young veteran continued.

“Medical marijuana is about helping people who really need it. Combat vets in pain are fearful of taking in more pharmaceuticals, which hurt us (recovering vets) in more ways than they help,” Miller added. HIV patients often report that side effects from pharmaceuticals can be more painful than the symptoms they supposedly treat.

Miller lives in Mission Beach with two other ex-infantrymen he bonded with in combat: Ben Crandall (21) and Joshua John Orcutt (26). All three heavily depend on medical marijuana for their recoveries from combat wounds.

“I was in the Blue Saders of the Army’s First Infantry Division deployed in the Kunar Province of Afghanistan. My first one (Purple Heart), I was driving a vehicle and we got ambushed. The Taliban hit us with an RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade). I got hit with shrapnel of metal and glass in my face. My second (Purple Heart) resulted while we were on patrol and talking with some of the leaders of a local village. Suddenly, somebody just shot from the nearby mountains and hit me,” Miller reported.

Third Hero

One of the ex-infantrymen is Joshua John Orcutt (26), who also served in the same unit in the Kunar Province. “After I got out, I was diagnosed with PTSD, extreme anxiety disorders and sleeping disorders. I started taking a regimen of Zantac and other anti-depression pills. But, it wasn’t enough. I began drinking heavily. It changed who I was and everything about me. It made me angrier and mean,” he continued. “When I got out of the Army, I tried some marijuana and I loved it. I don’t take any pills now. I don’t drink nearly as much as I used to. I’m a lot healthier. I’m running and very active.

“If the city closes the dispensaries, I will definitely have to go back on Zantac, but I don’t want to because it’s a horrible feeling,” the combat veteran explained.

Diverse Campaign Strategies

Local governments do not have the authority or jurisdiction to ban the implementation of a state law; yet, pending de facto bans are now widespread throughout Southern California from Imperial Beach to Oceanside and to cities in Imperial County.

A skateboard with a homemade Safe Access sign is held high by Justin Garcia, 22, at an April 12th rally at San Diego’s City Hall.

Photo by Leo E. Laurence 18 | NUGMAG.COM

At our press deadline, the mayor’s press secretary in San Diego, Kevin Klein, had not returned calls requesting the status of the city’s new ordinance, which are reportedly sitting on the mayor’s desk. It’s illegal for any city to block the state law authorizing medical marijuana. These city ordinances can be challenged in court where these de facto bans statewide can be declared unconstitutional.

Many of the provisions in these anti-marijuana city ordinances are also unconstitutionally vague. It’s difficult to understand what they mean, making them unlawful to enforce and allowing a judge to strike them. Widely diverse strate-

gies are emerging within the medical marijuana community on how to proceed, as the proposed city ordinance, which creates a de facto ban on dispensaries, sits on the mayor’s desk.

Some believe that rallies, marches, speeches and letter writing campaigns help. They certainly stir up the troops. Other equally persuasive leaders believe it will be necessary to go into court to stop the city’s outrageously unreasonable ordinance, if it becomes law. But, simply choosing an attorney with experience at restraining orders seems to have become difficult for our community. Meanwhile, an ad hoc organization of several dispensary representatives is now being mobilized by Will Senn (25), the board president of The Holistic Café, to put a referendum on a future ballot, which is a slow and very expensive process.

A parade of wildly mistaken, anti-marijuana people spoke to the San Diego City Council, describing dispensaries as evil places where nearly anyone can get marijuana, which they believe also increases neighborhood crime. Both are blatantly wrong. Law enforcement records reveal that neighborhood crime usually goes DOWN where a dispensary is located nearby and here’s why: operating behind securely locked doors and with uniformed – and sometimes armed – security guards always on duty, thieves stay away from the dispensaries and their neighborhoods. The risk of getting busted is too high. Some dispensaries, like the distinct San Diego Herbal Alternatives at 5830 Oberlin Drive in the Serra Mesa area, even have their front door locked, which is opened only by a buzzer.

My thanks to the readers who understand that while I bring a law enforcement perspective to the medical marijuana campaigns, my articles are not necessarily the official position of L.E.A.P. That’s partly because my international organization’s headquarters in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. actually have a more expansive policy of encouraging the legalization of all drugs, as Portugal has done and where the crime rate has gone down as a result.

Active duty and former law enforcement officers are asked to call (619)7574909 or e-mail leopowerhere@msn.com to confidentially get involved with these campaigns. If you’ve worn a badge, you know what it’s like.

The manager of The Holistic Café dispensary at 415 University Ave. under the famous Hillcrest sign, Ben Lujan, 27, inspects his product. Photo by Leo E. Laurence

Ben Crandall (left), Aaron Miller (center) and Joshua Orcutt (right), may lose their medications because of the city’s pending, de facto ban on medical-marijuana dispensaries. Photo by Leo E. Laurence

Local Service

Providers

Prepare for Battle: Medicinal Marijuana Advocates vs. San Diego’s City Hall By: Esther Rubio-Sheffrey

After passing the task force’s recommendations onto permit and land zoning subcommittees on March 28th, the council voted on two severely strict ordinances. If implemented, the new ordinances would not only ignore the task force’s original suggestions and infringe on state law, but also act as a temporary ban of all co-ops in San Diego. The legal and financial hurdles that each co-op would have to endure to stay open will force many to close for good.

San Diego’s medicinal marijuana community is in the beginning stages of a potentially long and expensive legal battle against city hall. At stake: safe access to medicinal marijuana approved

by California voters in 1996.

--Cue in the medicinal marijuana patients, coop operators, dozens of community activists, and legal professionals.

For over a decade, communities across the state have attempted to regulate co-ops through county mandated regulations, going as far as raiding some storefronts and shutting them down for good. San Diego is no exception. Many co-op operators are currently engaged in litigation with the county’s district attorney and mayoral candidate, Bonnie Dumanis.

Prior to the city council’s first vote in March, activists, patients and medicinal marijuana advocates met to discuss the repercussions of the pending legislation. Five panelists addressed those in attendance. Among them was Eugene Davidovich, representing the local chapter of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), Stephen Whitburn, member of the Medical Marijuana Task Force, and Ben Cisneros and Attorney Rachel Scoma, both representatives of the Stop the Ban Campaign.

In September of 2009, the city council voted 6-1 to establish an 11-member Medical Marijuana Task Force comprised of medical marijuana patients, social service providers, co-op operators, a legal professional, a physician, a community planner, a small business owner, a law enforcement representative, and a land use professional.

“Unfortunately, in going through the committee process, these regulations have become much stricter,” Whitburn said. “A lot of us feel it will make it quite inconvenient, unrealistic and unfair for sick people who really need and are entitled to obtain this medicine, the same way it would be for anybody who goes to a pharmacy. Even those who are in favor of medicinal marijuana want regulations, but this goes too far.”

Over the course of a year, the task force worked diligently to develop recommendations that would curb abuses by certain co-ops and patients, enforcing stricter regulations, but still allowing for safe access. The city council thanked the task force members for their work, but then proceeded to move forward and essentially dismantle their recommendations.

“No existing or new co-op will be able to open its doors within 1,000 feet from each other, or from schools, playgrounds, libraries, child care facilities, youth facilities [including youth hostels, youth camps, youth clubs], parks, or churches,” Scoma said.

“Commercial zones are out. No one gets grandfathered in. Everyone gets shut down.

The new application process will require an approval vote from a committee that can take up to one year. In a nutshell, this will act as a de facto ban for at least a year. As collectives, we should be treated like pharmacies and not strip clubs.”

22 | NUGMAG.COM

“We are asking for three specific amendments to the ordinance,” Cisneros added.

“Co-ops must be allowed in commercial zones, the permit process should be brought in line with what pharmacies comply with, and the sensitivity issues must be dropped

and amended in accordance with state law, which is only 600 feet from schools, nothing else. This is what we feel is safe access.”

This time in greater numbers, activists were much more engaged. On the night of April 5th, they gathered at the La Jolla Brew House with five attorneys to discuss the potential litigation strategies available to both co-op operators and patients.

Organizers explained the tactics they were employing, such as a letter writing campaign to all council members and a Stop the Ban rally scheduled one hour before the council’s 2 p.m. meeting. Some panelists were a bit optimistic that their efforts would pay off and ordinances would be amended to be more in line with state law.

“The bottom line is that the city is ready to fight this,” said Attorney Kimberly Simms. “Every city in California is broke, but other cities have spent millions of dollars fighting co-ops, and San Diego will find the resources. We are at a crossroads, and it is time to suit up and armor up because we are going up against the city.”

By the time of the meeting, the council had received over 3,700 letters – one of the largest amounts on a single issue in the city’s history. That afternoon, close to 300 people rallied in front of the federal building, and then marched toward city hall. The 400-seat council chambers were at capacity. Several community members were seated in an adjoining room and watched the proceedings on a TV. Patients, parents, lawyers, and community members addressed the council for more than four hours. The majority of speakers spoke against the new regulations, but some, mostly concerned with the “pro-drug message” given to children, spoke in favor of the ordinances. In the end, the city council voted 5-2 in favor of stricter regulations.

The medical marijuana advocates received two concessions. The 1,000 foot requirement was lowered to 600 feet, and the required permit was changed from a process 4 (normally reserved for strip clubs) to a process 3, which still requires community committee approval and can take up to a year.

Costs estimated that evening for litigation, which would spread over several years, were approximately $40,000. A number that led many in the crowd to shudder and voice affordability concerns.

Attorney John J. Murphy, currently involved in ongoing litigation with the city of Anaheim, urged the co-ops to come together. “You can hope for the best and do nothing, but regulation is the way it is going to go,” Murphy said. “You need to open your eyes. We are not going backwards. We have to band together, raise funds, and pull money together, so not one dispensary has to bear the legal burden cost.”

The morning before the April 12th vote, medicinal marijuana activists once again rallied in front of the federal building, marched, and filled the council chambers. The council expected to vote on the ordinances without deliberation, but dozens of activists requested to speak on the issue, forcing Council President Tony Young to open up the items for discussion.

Local Attorney Jeff Lake, like many of the attorneys that spoke that day, pleaded with the council to not waste taxpayer money fighting – from a legal stand point – a losing battle.

They offered alternatives, the patients spoke by the dozens, and even a few people spoke in favor of the regulations; but unlike previous testimony, activists came armed with more facts.

In slideshow presentations, they presented crime statists (which are at their lowest point), displayed county maps of the few developed industrial zones where co-ops would be forced to go, and broke down the finances. One medicinal marijuana advocate said that 50% of the co-ops were prepared to sue, that the city was risking $17 million in sales tax alone, and they would be putting over 1,200 employees out of work and on unemployment.

“The council did not respect the wishes of the public. They voted in this overly restrictive ordinance over unprecedented opposition any [San Diego] city council has ever seen on one issue. Over 90% spoke against the restrictions in this ordinance and asked them to amend them,” Davidovich said.

“They did not even put our amendments or the recommendations of the task force on the floor for a vote to see if we had support. It is clear they had no intention of listening or even considering what the public wants. They simply pursued their predetermined political agenda.”

But at the end of the day, the council once again voted 5-2 in favor of the new ordinances.

Council members David Alvarez and Lori Zapf voted against it, citing concerns of forcing the city’s problems on only two districts and limiting safe access to hundreds of patients.

“Many council members are afraid that there is simply not enough ‘political’ support out there on this matter. It seems there is a serious disconnect between them and the voters,” Davidovich added.

“Overall, I believe we have been successful in shifting the fight here in San Diego from arguing about whether cannabis is medicine, which we did only a couple of years ago, to discussing where collectives should be and now they should be regulated. The fact that this discussion is no longer occurring in the criminal courts is a very positive move.”

“It is my impression that they feel the public support is on our side, but we are unable to leverage that support into anything resembling political repercussions for them,” Cisneros said. “With moving forward, we plan to remain politically engaged. The only long-term solution to our political problems is for the medical cannabis community to be mobilized as a voting constituency that has the power to sway local elections.”

Round Two

After the vote, the council gave Mayor Jerry Sander’s office 30 days to create a budget and implementation plan. Yet, without waiting on a budget proposal, the council placed the ordinances up for a second and final vote on the April 12th agenda.

Activists booed the final vote and chanted “We demand safe access” while tossing empty prescription bottles on the chamber floor. Five activists linked their arms together and sang “We shall overcome” while police escorted the council members out and requested that the public vacate the chambers. No arrests were made, but activists remain determined to do everything they can.

Mayor Sanders may still veto the council’s bill, and organizers are urging everyone to contact the mayor’s office and ask him to do so.

“Organizing needs to continue between now and the 2012 primaries, and we plan on the 2012 election cycle to be notable in that at least one, but possibly a few local primary runs were dismantled by the medical cannabis opposition utilizing the grassroots organizing model we’ve been successful with thus far.”

The fight is just beginning. Pending the mayor’s decision, co-op operators and patients will file suit against the city for trampling on their state rights, and America’s finest city will unnecessarily waste millions of taxpayer funds. As far as your local co-op goes, litigation will determine if their doors are shut for good.

NUGMAG.COM | 23

A

! t r u o C n i u o Y e e S l l ’ e W

t this point, it’s fair to say that most of the medical cannabis collectives, their patients and primary caregivers feel alone and cast aside by the city they call home. However, now is not the time to give up and walk away, it is time to bring the fight to the City of San Diego. It’s time to trust that Lady

Liberty will hear our plight and come to our aid. You may be thinking, “But how do we fight a city the size of San Diego?” For many of you, the answer, as we will explain, is that not even San Diego can defeat your constitutionally vested right to stay in business as a collective and have safe access as a community.

For a long time, the city has sent out its code enforcement officers to perform inspections, wasting city resources that are better spent on businesses with real safety or compliance issues. The city has followed up its inspections with threatening notices of violation, harassing phone calls and letters from the city attorney’s office. All of this action has been predicated on the city’s erroneous conclusion that their Land Development Code does not allow medical marijuana “dispensaries” because such a business is not a “permitted use.” Unfortunately for the city, the mayor actually has the duty to decide which existing use category is similar to a medical cannabis collective. Then, according to the terms of the code, collectives would be allowed in the same zones as that use category. For instance, one obvious similar category includes pharmacies.

Furthermore, despite good faith efforts, the city has repeatedly denied attempts by collectives to procure the licenses and permits necessary to operate under the municipal code. You have all put substantial time, money, and energy into this process. Although the city may be too stubborn to see the cloudy days ahead, it should realize that many of the medical cannabis collectives currently established in San Diego will have a vested constitutional right to remain where they are, despite the new ordinance. Many collectives will be classified as “previously conforming uses” or “nonconforming uses” under the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment. This means that many collectives will have a RIGHT to stay in business and disregard the city’s new ordinance.

Remember, your cause is righteous and the law is on your side. Although San Diego may disregard the wishes of its constituents, it cannot disregard the courts. The courts have always been there to thwart the tyranny of the majority when necessary, and the city’s time is coming. At this point, the most important thing we can all do is stay the course, stay open, take care of each other, and prepare for the long fight ahead.

Nathan Shaman, Esq. Lance Rogers, Esq. Lake, A.P.C.

Punishment or Sadism?

The barbaric treatment of prisoners in Sheriff Joe's jail By: Simon Eddisbury Human rights abuse is a phenomenon that is typically associated with the likes of China and North Korea, but what if I was to tell you that non-violent drug offenders in the United States were being fed food that was labelled as “Unfit for Human Consumption” and denied the right to basic medical attention? Joe Arpaio, Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, prides himself on the harsh treatment of the prisoners within his jail; but where do you draw the line between punishment and sadistic acts of abuse and degradation? I caught up with Shaun “English Shaun” Attwood, author and a former prisoner, to find out exactly what goes on behind the gates of Maricopa Jail.

Can you tell me a little bit about how you ended up in the prison system in the first place?

I knowingly broke the law many years ago and take full responsibility for putting myself in Arpaio’s jail. I tried to transfer the Manchester rave scene to Phoenix, including club drugs like ecstasy [Manchester is a city in North England known locally as a setting for illegal ecstasy-fuelled dance music events in the 1990s]. I was convicted for talking about drugs on the phone and accepting a cheque for drugs.

What did you think about the conditions of the prisons that you were in?

At first, I went into shock. The violence was constant. Gangs such as the Aryan Brotherhood held daily kangaroo courts that determined who lived and died. I had to get used to the sounds of heads getting bashed against toilets and bodies getting thrown around. It was hard to watch bodies getting carried out on stretchers. One of the earliest ones I saw looked dead with yellow fluid leaking from his head. Arpaio’s jail has the highest death rate out of all the jails and prisons in America. Also, trying to sleep with cockroaches crawling on me gave me a nervous breakdown.

Joe Arpaio has come under fire for allegedly denying the inmates within his jail access to medical care. Would you say there is some truth to those allegations?

30 | NUGMAG.COM

Absolutely! To see a doctor, you had to beg a guard for a form called a Medical Tank Order. If the guard was in a good mood, he might give you one on his next security walk. You then had to return the form to the guard, get him to sign it, and hope that it survived its journey through various departments to the medical staff. The medical staff decided who got seen and who didn’t. Depending upon how serious they deemed the nature of your complaint, they’d call you to medical in a few days time at the earliest, or alternatively, they’d call you weeks or months later or not at all. The medical staff operated under the assumption that most of the sick inmates were fakers. They often turned away genuine cases, resulting in a few deaths every year.

What about the stories that the jail served prisoners food that had been labelled as being unfit for human consumption?

Again, true! Some of the containers with these labels were stolen by inmates and given to attorneys who were suing the jail. I spoke to inmates who had worked in the kitchen and they said they were ordered to serve canned food from the 1970s.

How many of your fellow inmates do you think were serving time for nonviolent drug-related offences?

The majority.

Do you think that those who commit drug-related offences are punished proportionally to the crimes that they have committed?

In America, you are punished in proportion to how much money you have to pay for an attorney and to bribe local officials with by making political contributions.

How easy are drugs to obtain behind bars?

Jails and prisons are flooded with drugs. It’s big business for the gangs and for the corrupt guards. It seems to be allowed by the staff as a form of control.

Do you think that it is counterproductive to lockup drug takers in an environment where drugs are so readily available?

Yes, potheads turn into heroin users. Hundreds of men are sharing a dirty needle and up to two thirds of the inmates I was housed with had hepatitis C. Some might argue that those who break the law deserve to be kept in inhuman conditions. How would you respond to their claims?

Prisons shouldn’t be holiday camps, but there are minimum standards for inmate conditions established in the federal court system, and Arpaio has been in flagrant violation of these for years.

Inmates have a right not to live in insect-infested environments and to have so many calories of edible food per day, not some slop that sometimes had dead rats in it, which caused regular outbreaks of food poisoning. When you treat inmates like animals, some of them will return to society and behave like animals.

How long were you imprisoned for before you were actually convicted of a crime?

26 months.

What were the levels of violence like in the prison? Do you think that the authorities were negligent in their duty to protect those within their charge?

The authorities were murdering the inmates as well. Some examples are Brian Crenshaw and Charles Agster.

For the purpose of the readers, legally blind Brian Crenshaw was serving a sentence for shoplifting and had never committed a violent offence. He was found with a broken neck, serious internal injuries, and several broken toes after an altercation with an officer.

Arpaio’s official stance was that he had fallen off his bunk, which was only 4’2” high. Mentally handicapped Charles Agster was yet another casualty of Sheriff Joe’s brutal regime. He died after being jumped on, punched, and strapped into a restraint chair. Amnesty International openly condemned his treatment, stating that “the degree of force used against Agster was grossly disproportionate to any threat posed by him.”

He had been arrested on a misdemeanour loitering charge.

One reporter told me that Arpaio’s jail has paid out 50 million dollars in lawsuits, which is more than the top five jails combined. The violence and death rate is off the scale.

The American prison system has been heavily criticized for the worrying levels of sexual assaults that take place. Would you say that more could be done to prevent these incidents?

The guards couldn’t care less. The gangs have free reign to prey on people violently and sexually.

How would you respond to those who claim that poor living conditions for prisoners will discourage them from re-offending?

Phoenix has one of the highest crime rates in America. Sheriff Joe Arpaio states that recidivism in the jails was reduced during his time as sheriff, but the truth is that Sheriff Joe Arpaio spent $10,000 in taxpayer money to have Arizona State University study recidivism in the jail system.

The results showed that there was no change in the rate at which inmates returned to jail. Sheriff Joe Arpaio immediately declared that A.S.U. was wrong.

Do you think prison has helped to rehabilitate you?

Yes, I am the poster child for Arpaio’s jail, but it doesn’t work for the majority. They get recruited by the gangs, cover themselves in tattoos, graduate to harder drug use (mostly injecting meth and heroin), and are released as enemies of society.

What was the scariest moment of your sentence?

Being told that I was facing anywhere from a life sentence to 200 years.

Were there any times when you felt like you couldn’t go on?

I contemplated suicide and thought about slashing my wrists and bleeding out on my bunk, but I’d look at photos of my fiancée, mum, dad, and sister, and it would give me the strength to soldier on.

What are your plans now that you are a free man again?

I shared my experience with over 10,000 students last year and I will speak to even more this year. The constant emails I get from them that say they’ve been putting off drugs and crime, and that my story has inspired them, gives me a good feeling. I will also continue to write because my life story is coming out as a trilogy.

The first part of Shaun’s life story, Hard Time: Life with Sheriff Joe Arpaio in America’s Toughest Jail, is available from Skyhorse Publishing. It provides a shocking account of the numerous human rights violations that have been committed in Sheriff Joe’s jail, proving that America’s war on drugs is not without its casualties.

32 | NUGMAG.COM

PLEASE DO NOT HARASS THE PATIENTS Story by: Pamela Jayne Our monthly patient profile is usually dedicated to telling the story of an individual who benefits from the use of medical cannabis. Due to the recent decision by the San Diego City Council, we have chosen to use this edition to speak on behalf of all patients.

The preamble of the United States Constitution outlines our founding fathers’ intentions of providing all subsequent generations the following: justice, domestic tranquility, common defense, the promotion of general welfare, and the “blessings of liberty.” In November of 1996, Proposition 215 was voted into law by the people of California by a 56% majority. When considering these two pieces of historical legislation, it’s baffling that our local lawmakers continue to turn a blind eye to the very people who voted them into office, and whose tax dollars pay their ample salaries. It is even more maddening that a certain council member, whose name rhymes with Snarl DeHigho, could not be bothered to give his full attention to the testimonies of patients who depend on safe access to medical cannabis, but instead chose to keep his head firmly stuck up his---uh…I mean glued to his laptop for the majority of the hearing. Not that it would have mattered anyways, since he walked out of the council chambers before the vote was taken. Now that’s the kind of leadership San Diego needs; Snarl DeHigho for mayor!

heard the pain in their voices with my own ears. I have also witnessed the truly miraculous results that this plant has to offer.

Obviously, I’m angry. As is the case with most anger, it stems from disappointment, hurt and fear. I am disappointed by the actions of our city council. I’m hurt by the lies, prejudices, and harassment of the anti-medical cannabis faction. I fear for the health and safety of my fellow San Diegans who are in need of reasonable access to their medication.

It is my hope that you, the reader, will take these stories and share them with someone you know who questions the validity of medical cannabis. Ask them to read the patient profiles in past issues of NUG. Tell them about Mary, Jim, Susan, Phil, and Dave; and how there are thousands of people in San Diego with similar stories. Tell them the truth: that restricted access to medical cannabis will cause pain, suffering, and possibly even death. It will also lead to higher crime rates, which affect us all. As former San Jose Police Chief Joseph McNamara said, “Like an increasing number of law enforcers, I have learned that most bad things about marijuana – especially the violence made inevitable by an obscenely profitable black market – are caused by the prohibition, not by the plant.”

Thankfully, we have a large network of compassionate and dedicated citizens who gladly take on the various roles necessary to forward our shared cause of safe access to medical cannabis. We have the passionate protesters who loudly chant and carry signs to bring attention to our struggle, and those who spend their days quietly cultivating medicine so that it can be discreetly dispensed by collective operators to qualified patients. It is my role to give medical cannabis patients a platform to share their stories. For most of them, it is a physically painful ordeal just to make it through the interview. Through labored breathing and slow speech, they describe the difficulties of day to day life that those of us who are blessed to be able-bodied cannot understand. For others, it is emotionally distressing to relive the stories of their accidents, injuries, and illnesses that led them to use cannabis as medicine. I have seen the scars with my own eyes, and I have 34 34 || NUGMAG.COM NUGMAG.COM

The decision made by our city council, which will force collectives to the outskirts of town via the Land Use Ordinance, is a direct threat to the health and safety of people who are already vulnerable due to illness or injury. These people are patients, not criminals, as some are trying to deceive the public into believing. They range in age from the young to the elderly, and come from culturally and economically diverse backgrounds. Just because they may not “look sick,” as the naysayers are so eager to point out, does not

mean that they do not have a medical issue in need of treatment. Would those people who so vehemently speak in opposition of medical cannabis patients stand outside of a CVS pharmacy and tell perfect strangers that they do not appear to have a medical problem, and therefore do not have the right to have their prescription filled? I think not. So why do they believe it is acceptable to stereotype, discriminate against, and harass medical cannabis patients? No, these are not rhetorical questions. I would really like to know the answers.

Seeing as how the purpose of this article is to give voice to the people who will be most affected by the new city council ruling, I believe it is fitting to end it with quotes straight from the patients themselves: Ian: “The city council’s continuing persecution of cannabis care providers is a blatant attempt to appeal to a small base of voters in order to deflect attention from their inefficacies in other areas. They are forcing legitimate patients to drive out of town to obtain their medicine, which is their legal right as citizens of California.”

Joann: “Without safe access, I will be in constant pain. I’m upset that people who have never met me think they have the right to tell me how I should manage my

pain. Since this ordinance will make it next to impossible for me to get my medicine, I think that every member of the city council should stop taking whatever medications they are prescribed. Maybe then they would understand.”

Dave: “Without safe and convenient access to medical cannabis to ease the effects of my lymphoma and spherocytosis, I guess I’ll go back to throwing up all the time. Thanks city council! Will you at least send someone over to help me clean it up?”*

Jason: “The city council is showing very little compassion. This ordinance affects a wide variety of people, as well as several businesses.”

*Sorry Dave, but the city council seems to be better at making messes than cleaning them up.

Marshall: “It is wrong to restrict access to any kind of medication.”

36 | NUGMAG.COM

A Mouthful of Rights

and Wrong By: George Alberts

“Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” -The First Amendment

There has been a growing concern for some in the cannabis community regarding the current state of content that grace the pages of particular cannabis publications, the web, and upcoming events. At this time, there are more than enough surrounding issues trying to suffocate patients’ rights for safe access, so I question whether or not the content of a publication truly hinders the progression of a movement , especially when the content strikes the foundation of our First Amendment right for free speech and expression. The opposing notion stems from the sexual reflection that is being loosely associated with cannabis and its industry. Instead of creating controversy within a growing movement, which questions our integrity as a unified body, we should be more focused on working together, as we usually promote, to bring clarity to the now controversial subject without further developing the blameless association. As a burden of personal opinion, this stigma only invites a reintroduction into our history and the sexual revolution that started it all.

When people hear the names “Hugh Hefner” or “Larry Flynt,” I doubt anyone associates them with women’s rights. But, as hard as it still is for some to believe, Hugh Hefner and Larry Flynt are two of the biggest activists and advocates this country has ever seen. They were the ones that paved the way for all of us to be doing what we’re doing today. Free Speech, women’s rights, abortion rights, sexual freedom, censorship, racial equality, and social justice are all issues they took on! Just as Hefner endured the religious rights fanatics of the 50s, our progress is starting to tolerate the same ache from the inside out.

Hugh Hefner started Playboy in 1953, and little did he know that it would become his profound legacy to the world. In the beginning, very few saw him as an activist and more as a rebel. Regardless, he became a model for tolerance and liberation. And it was Hugh Hefner that fought numerous legal battles throughout the 1960s and 70s to keep his aim and outlook in the public’s eye. One particular event at the nose of his success occurred on June 4, 1963; he was arrested for selling obscene literature after an issue of Playboy featured nude shots of Jayne Mansfield. However, the jury was unable to reach a verdict.

“The complicated web around Playboy and its role regarding women’s rights and exploitation doesn’t end there. Hefner sees the anti-pornography branch of feminism as antithetical to the principles of female liberation and erring in demonizing

his work,” says Alex DiBranco of Change.org. He goes on to say, “While most people probably associate Hugh Hefner with Playboy, the person carrying the torch as CEO and chairman of the board for 20 years was his daughter, Christie, a self-declared feminist that makes quite the controversial figure.”

Playboy illustrates and promotes a vision and philosophy of living your life on your own terms, just as Hefner has. And it’s not that he doesn’t understand conformity, he just chooses not to stand for it…

Because he can, because WE can.

Tatiana McKinney of Everydaycitizen.com quotes Hefner saying, “Playboy was part of the sexual revolution that benefited women. The revolution gave both sexes more freedom in the bedroom and everywhere else. It helped change the situation of women being beholden to men. We fought for birth control rights and the change in birth control laws, the change in abortion laws; we fought cases to give women the right to choose.”

Christie Hefner eventually decided to create The Hugh Hefner First Amendment Award “to honor individuals who have made significant contributions in the vital effort to protect and enhance First Amendment rights for Americans.” Since firmly establishing his vision, Hefner has made a habit of contributing to his community and beyond.

He has helped raise money for the Democratic Party and has donated $100,000 to the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts to create a course called “Censorship in Cinema” with two million dollars to endow a chair for the study of American film. Individually and through his charitable foundation, Hefner also contributes to numerous charities like Much Love Animal Rescue and Gen-

NUGMAG.COM | 37

eration Rescue, an autism campaign organization.

What a lot of people don’t know is that Hefner and the Playboy Foundation funded Keith Stroup’s start up of NORML and ran FREE ads for the organization. And, as a writer, I sincerely admire the fact that Playboy published major literary writers who others wouldn’t publish or employ, or wouldn’t pay substantial wages to. Through his venture, Hefner has had a considerable impact on society, industries, and entertainment due to our First Amendment right, which made room for other upcoming prominent figures in the field like Larry Flynt.

Along the same path, Larry Flynt published the first issue of Hustler Magazine in 1974, which grew from a much disapproved start due to its controversial and explicit content. Flynt had to fight to publish each issue because numerous people, including some at his distribution company, felt the magazine was too explicit and threatened to remove it from the market.

Nonetheless, the magazine and its sales grew, and Flynt decided to adopt an editorial policy on economics, foreign policy, and social issues. Flynt and Hustler have been associated with having more of a populist and working-class outlook than his competitors, and much like Hefner; he was no stranger to the courtroom. “He fought many legal battles regarding

the regulation of pornography and free speech within the United States, especially attacking the Miller v. California obscenity exception to the First Amendment in 1973. He was first prosecuted on obscenity and organized crime charges in Cincinnati in 1976 by Simon Leis, who headed a local anti-pornography committee.” – Wikipedia Unfortunately, on March 6, 1978, during a legal battle over obscenity in Gwinnett County, Georgia, Flynt and his lawyer, Gene Reeves, Jr., were shot by a sniper near the county courthouse in Lawrenceville. The shooting left him partially paralyzed from the waist down with permanent spinal cord damage. Joseph Paul Franklin, a white supremacist serial killer, confessed to the shootings and claimed he was outraged by an interracial photo shoot in Hustler.

Despite the incident and his condition, Flynt moved forward and fought on. Throughout the 1980s, he used his magazine as a platform for launching spiteful and obscene attacks on the Reagan Administration and religious right groups. “In 1988, he won an important Supreme Court decision, Hustler Magazine v. Falwell, after being sued by Reverend Jerry Falwell in 1983 over an offensive ad parody in Hustler about Falwell’s first sexual encounter. Falwell sued Flynt, citing emotional distress caused by the ad.

The decision clarified that public figures cannot recover damages for ‘intentional infliction of emotional distress’ based on parodies.” –Wikipedia I strongly believe that Hefner and Flynt have made a difference in America as pioneers of free speech. Though Flynt’s circumstances and product differ from the way Hefner conducts and projects his business, they still fall within the same party of political debate regarding free speech and expression. They’re promoting tolerance and the right to choose, which has been encrusted in American history with specific consideration for women’s rights, free speech, censorship, and sexual freedom. Some critics adore Playboy and Hustler or simply oppose both. Some people – women’s groups and organizations, religious rights activists, etc. – feel that publications like Playboy and Hustler objectify, demoralize, and exploit women; however, I find it hard to believe that a woman would exhibit any of these concerns when they CHOSE to be a part of that industry.

Hefner and Flynt have broken down morality barriers and brought attention to an always existent balance of our population, which is evocative of what we’re doing now in the cannabis community with our movement and its industry.

Unity, Tolerance, Balance The sexual revolution enveloped the 50s the same way we’re using the cannabis revolution now to create a profitable industry, which could benefit art, culture, literature, progressive organizations and more. It’s reminiscent of what we’re doing now. As medical patients, advocates and activists, I would like to think that we’re all in this together and focused on working towards the same goal. We shouldn’t allow ourselves to become abstracted with stale ideologies because even though some views might oppose the sexual content used for promotion, advertisements, or editorial columns; it is the right of the publication, company, or organization to decide what is appropriate for their pages, their readers and customers.

While we’re fighting to move forward with improving patients’ rights and legalizing marijuana, we shouldn’t be imposing boycotts within our group of people; neither should we voice negative opinions to divide our community. When we start taking sides, we all lose. And I think most of us have been at this long enough to know that we need to end our day just as it started: together and as one. This is the only way to promote and induce change for a better future. Creating controversy within a movement is an unnecessary and biased regression that questions a group’s integrity within themselves as a unified body. We should be tolerant of any form of expression because, as advocates and activists, we are willing and able to express our own opinions and views.

Though we choose not to publish this content in our magazine, NUG feels that it is an important aspect of our history that has gotten us to where we are today in the media, politics, and entertainment. It has allowed us to grow and extend our inhibitions and knowledge, it has created movements and organizations, and it has tailored a free nation with regard to preference and choice. With all arguments aside, there has been and there will always continue to be a venue for sexual exploitation in EVERY industry well within the lines of marketing and entertainment. As Americans, we have the freedom to speak and express our views on the topic, but it is that same freedom that protects those developments. The goal is to promote tolerance, not take sides.

38 | NUGMAG.COM

NUGMAG.COM | 39

Mind-Body, Health Sambazon Açai Café Launch in Cardiff

Has anyone not tried açai? Açai (ah-sigh-ee) is an amazing superfood straight out of the Amazon Rainforest. These berries, which are found on palm trees, are super high in antioxidants and taste absolutely amazing!

Sambazon was one of the first companies to introduce açai to the states and it still produces some of the best and purest açai available here. They are based in Southern California, believe in organic production, and hold themselves to the highest standards in sustainable operations.

Good news for us San Diegans – they just opened their first café in Cardiff! That means all the delicious açai bowls you could want before you hit the beach or after a good workout. I sat down with Jeremy Black, the Chief Brand Officer, on the day of their grand opening to ask him about açai, Sambazon, and their new café.

What inspired the café?

The café was actually inspired by a trip to Brazil back in 1999. The original vision was to create a café and bring açai here, but as we learned about the complexity of the harvesting and what needed to be done at a mass level, we found that, if done right, it could have a major positive impact on the Amazon.

We thought instead of starting one place, we should sell to all of them. But, we always had a dream of one day coming back to the vision of having a café.

Sambazon is based in San Clemente. Why did you pick Cardiff as the first café location?

It’s a funny story. After 10 years, we were finally like, ok, it’s time to do the café and set up a project to find the right spot, somewhere close, probably in Orange County. But then, Rob Machado (Sambazon athlete and world-class surfer) called me up and was like, “Hey, there’s this spot right down the street from my house.

It’s unreal. It’s right next to Zenbu, Rimmel, and Seaside Market. It used to be a yogurt shop and it’s probably an easy build out. I know the guys that run the center and they want you guys. You know, I told them you guys were thinking about this.” Basically, Rob Machado made it happen, so he could walk down and have açai bowls every day.

Are you going to open more cafés? Are there any plans in place?

We got to figure this one out first and make sure it’s working right. We really made this one as more of a place where people can come and experience the brand.

40 | NUGMAG.COM

What do you recommend (from the café menu) for someone who has yet to try a Sambazon product?

I’d start with the Rio Bowl. It’s the closest thing you’d get to a bowl in Brazil, and once you know how that tastes, I’d start adding in the superfood toppings like hemp seeds, cacao nibs, and maca powder.

What about someone who already loves your açai?

I’d go with the Build Your Own Bowl option that opens up a world of superfood possibilities.

You’ve built your company on health and sustainability. What differentiates Sambazon from other açai products?

All our products are organic and we’ve now certified our açai as fair trade. And more importantly, we actually put real high quality açai in our açai products. We built our own açai plant in the Amazon in 2005, so we could control the quality of berries from tree to bottle. Since açai is new to the market, there are no standards or rules about putting a splash of açai into a product and calling it “açai juice” or “açai.” We created a page on our website to break it down and explain how you can tell if there is any açai in your açai product. Check out www.sambazon/com/ realdeal.

At a time when local food is big, why is it still important to support a product from the Amazon?

I’m all about local. I love my farmers’ market, but there are also amazing superfood products from all over the world that, if sustainably harvested, can do a lot of good for the environment and the local people. Açai is a great example of this, but there are many more from things like organic chocolate, yerba mate, goji berries, and many other things that do not grow here.

Bethany Hamilton, one of your sponsored athletes, just has a new movie out called Soul Surfer. What’s the connection with açai, Sambazon, and your athletes?

Bethany loves putting our açai in her smoothies and wanted to see if we would

& Wellness hook her up if she helped promote our brand. That was about 5 years ago and we’ve been sponsoring her ever since. She’s been amazing to work with and Soul Surfer is really good. I highly recommend checking it out. The story was done really well and the women’s surfing is legit.

Any other news or information you want to share with our readers?

Come down to our new café and have a bowl for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You’ll be surprised at how good it tastes and even more surprised about how good you feel after a bowl. It’s filling, but doesn’t make you feel full. Great pre or post workout, especially after a yoga class.

The Sambazon Açai Café is located at 2031 San Elijo Ave. in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. They’re open seven days a week from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Be sure to check them out and tell us what you think!

In health, Bahareh

www.mindbodyalliance.com Bahareh is a certified Health Coach based in Encinitas, California. She empowers others to live healthier, happier lives by eating right, increasing energy, reducing stress, and finding balance.

42 | NUGMAG.COM

Cannabis can clean up nuclear

waste

and more

By Dion Markgraaff The March earthquake in Japan and the resulting nuclear power plant disaster at Fukushima has rocked the entire world with the threat and spread of nuclear waste contamination. An unknown amount of different hazardous chemicals have been released into the atmosphere and ocean that threaten our food chain for the long foreseeable future. Hemp may be the key to reducing this damage we all face.

Many people know the cannabis plant has amazing healing powers, but it’s incredible that this same plant can literally “eat away” nuclear waste.

As a cannabis plant enthusiast, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed by the many unbelievable uses of hemp. From the flower’s ability to aid and keep people from going blind, to the woody core of the stem’s ability to build fire proof homes and much more. Now, we can add another use to the list: Hemp as a tool to clean up nuclear contamination around Chernobyl.

In 1998, Consolidated Growers and Processors (CGP), PHYTOTECH, and the Ukraine’s Institute of Bast Crops planted industrial hemp to help remove contaminants in the soil near Chernobyl. Hemp is one of the best plants for a process called phytoremediation, a term coined by Dr. Ilya Raskin of Rutgers University’s Biotechnology Center for Agriculture and the Environment. Dr. Raskin had been sent to examine food safety at the Chernobyl site.

PHYTOTECH specializes in phytoremediation, the general term for using phyto (plants) to remediate (clean up) polluted sites. Phytoremediation has been used to remove radioactive elements from soil and water at former weapons producing areas. It can also be used to clean up metals, pesticides, solvents, explosives, crude oil, and toxins leaching from landfills. Plants break down or degrade organic pollutants and stabilize metal contaminants by acting as filters or traps. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated that more than 30,000 sites in the United States alone require hazardous waste treatment.

Founded in 1931, the Institute of Bast Crops is now the leading research institution in the Ukraine, working on seed breeding, seed growing, cultivating, harvesting and processing hemp and flax. The Bast Institute has

a genetic bank that includes 400 varieties of hemp from various regions of the world. Newer technologies in hemp harvesting and processing are also being developed at the institute whose library contains more than 55,000 volumes mainly on hemp growing and flax growing. “Hemp is proving to be one of the best phyto-remediative plants we have been able to find,” said Slavik Dushenkov, a research scientist with PHYTOTECH. NUGMAG.COM | 43

The company PHYTOTECH lists the benefits of phytoremediation (compared to traditional remedial technologies): - Lower cost - Applicability to a broad range of metals - Potential for recycling the metal-rich biomass - Minimal environmental disturbance - Minimization of secondary air and waterborne wastes Who knows the extent of the contamination from the nuclear power plant disaster at Fukushima. Since the March 11th disaster in Japan, a man who was swept away by the tsunami has washed up on our coast. So it is hard to think about the tons of nuclear contaminated water getting pumped into our mutually shared ocean and how it is going to broadly effect a great deal of our ecosystems.

In Japan, hemp is called ASA (yes, like the name our beloved medical cannabis rights group). It’s an ancient, holy, and revered plant. For example, the emperor’s ritual clothes are required to be made from hemp.

If you think about how growing cannabis can improve the soil (grown as a break crop [to relieve and revitalize the soil between crops], farmers are getting a 27% increased yield after the hemp crop because industrial hemp puts nitrogen back into the soil), suppress weeds and diseases, and clean contaminates out of the planet, then you would realize this plant is medicine for our Mother Earth.

Parahawking advances the interaction between man and bird by providing a unique opportunity to interact with birds of prey in their own environment, combining the flight of paragliding with the ancient art of falconry. By strengthening this bond between birds and humans, paragliding pilots are able to train birds of prey to fly alongside them like wingmen as the birds guide them to the thermals that exist high in the sky. Through utilizing the rising currents of warm air, the birds of prey are able to gain height and fly long distances without burning energy from flapping their wings. The paragliding pilots with passengers in tandem follow the path of the birds, harnessing their natural ability to conserve energy over great distances.

“I’m told repeatedly on a daily basis by our passengers that it’s the best experience of their life,” reveals Scott Mason, pioneer and founder of Parahawking.

“So when an 80-year-old tells you this on his birthday, you know you created something quite special.”

Parahawking was developed and pioneered in 2001 in Pokhara, Nepal. It has been a labor of love that started out as an experiment. The birth of this extreme sport was founded on the friendship of three friends: Scott Mason, Adam Hill and Graham Sunders-Griffiths. Two months into a world tour while taking a break from running his graphic design company, Mason had his first paragliding tandem flight when he met Hill, the owner of Frontiers Paragliding. Having trained birds of prey since he was 11-years-old, Mason found the experience of flying with wild birds of prey in their natural environment to be simply awe-inspiring. It was at this moment when Parahawking was born.

Through Parahawking, you get the opportunity to study raptors and observe them in their own environment like never before.

46 | NUGMAG.COM

These birds are totems and national symbols for a reason. We have a lot to learn from them and Parahawking is one way to do just that. It is just too bad you have to go to other places to do it commercially.”

Sellinger and the ParaHawking USA efforts have been getting more involved with the Golden Eagle efforts in the San Diego area. San Diego is home to these majestic raptors with roughly 50 breeding pairs according to experts. A new landfill placed in North County within an active nest site has been the focus for Sellinger and Stephan, his falconry sponsor.

“You can see first hand the beauty of this active nest site from close by (but not so close as to disturb them) and the canyon below where the landfill is going to be, and I feel the sense of loss,” wrote Stephan to Sellinger. “I mean the landfill will be full in a decade or so. The eagles… gone forever.”

The effort of Scott Mason, pioneering the sport of Parahawking, has more than created a new extreme sport. It has drawn much needed attention towards conservation and the need for saving ecosystems and wildlife across the globe. Whether it is the scavengers or the birds of prey that these pilots share the thermals with, their survival ultimately relies on the actions and support of us humans. People like Mason and Sellinger are showing us that this cause is calling us across the globe, whether it is in the mountains of Nepal, over the peaks of Europe or even our local skies above San Diego.

There are now Parahawking tandem flights where you can experience the raptor’s incredibly agile flight with a true bird’s-eye view. Today, Parahawking has slowly grown into a successful commercial venture overseas.

“What Scott Mason and the Parahawking crew have been able to accomplish over there in such a short amount of time with training their birds, rescues, education and conservation efforts is absolutely amazing,” said local parahawker Kirk Sellinger.

“It is my wish that whomever is able to make Parahawking accessible to the public here in the United States carries on in the same vain. As flight pilots, we look to birds to open our understanding of these invisible domains and follow them to the thermals.”

Inspired by Scott Mason’s first film Parahawking, Sellinger has taken to the Southern California skies, sharing the thermals with local hawks and ravens.

His local flights have taken him over Blossom Valley, El Monte Valley and Torrey Pines. Having trained under Master Pilot David Metzgar, who had worked with Mason on his last film, Sellinger recognizes his instruction and paragliding advice as paramount to his Parahawking today. Like his idol Mason, Sellinger now looks to the birds as perfect wingmen and teachers.

Originally from Washington, Sellinger currently resides in San Diego and is taking the lengthy steps of learning the craft of falconry, having entered a two year apprenticeship under a grand master falconer.

He is heavily involved in conservation and volunteers at Sky Hunters Raptor Rehabilitation and Education Center. He has learned a great deal in the past year from Director Nancy Conney and Tom Stephan, his falconry sponsor.

“I have been loving the old school, hands-on approach to learning the ancient art of falconry,” comments Sellinger. “Over the past 40 years, Stephan has trained many species of raptors and has been involved in a myriad of conservation and educational projects. Trips with him and other master falconers into the field have been crucial in the learning process.”

Sellinger’s primary teacher and inspiration has been his lady hawk companion Shanti Maria. He named the Harris Hawk after his mother who recently passed and combined it with the old Sanskrit word meaning peace. Sellinger has been working with Shanti for the past seven months as they work her into a breeding program, exercising her through hunting, free flight and Parahawking.

“I have been lucky enough to climb and fly to a lot of places, film wildlife around the world, even swim with whales,” added Sellinger. “But the experience of caring for and working with Shanti is at the top of the list.

Chasing thermals and bunnies, building our relationship together; I really lucked out to be able to work with such an amazing bird.”

As far as commercial Parahawking in the United States, it seems like a steep climb before it happens any time soon. One can only imagine the mountain of legal paperwork and permits that need to be approved. American Parahawkers like Sellinger are doing what they can to make it a reality.

“As far as the future of ParaHawk USA, we will have to wait and see if we sink or sky out,” Sellinger stated optimistically. “With the Parahawkers in Spain using North American Harris Hawks, it is high time for us Americans to cooperatively fly with our species of raptors as well.

For more information on Scott Mason, Parahawking and his conservation efforts, please visit www.parahawking.com A full interview with Mason can be found at nugmag.com

ParaHawkUSA

ParaHawk USA is currently figuring out the best and most appropriate way to make the joy of flying with raptors and other birds available to the American public. Their aims do not stop there; with the unique ability to capture captivating images of birds in flight, ParaHawk USA is used as a tool in promoting raptor conservation and education. www.parahawkusa.com

Sky Hunters Raptor Rehabilitation and Education Center P.O. Box 1275 Lakeside, CA 92040 619-445-6565 www.skyhunters.org

Sky Hunters is a nonprofit group dedicated to informing the public about raptors, birds of prey, and promoting raptor conservation. Sky Hunters offers presentations at various schools, campgrounds, interpretive centers, community programs, scout troops, churches and summer camps. Their presentations educate the public about the behaviors of hawks, owls, falcons and eagles. They also cover what to do if you find a sick or injured raptor and the laws we have to protect birds of prey.

NUGMAG.COM | 47

“Our Hunting Lodge on 5th” By: R.J. Villa

Have you given The Tractor Room a shot? This is the place if you have a craving for the flavors of the Hash House A Go Go, but are in the mood for a different kind of atmosphere. As the sister restaurant of the Hash House A Go Go, The Tractor Room sits only a stone’s throw away from the original Hash House Hillcrest location on 5th Avenue.

The menu is of the same “Twisted Farm Food” variety while serving what they term “Honest Cocktails.” House hashes, freshly baked cornbread, scrambles, food from the griddle, benedicts, game meat, prime burgers, salads and of course, the booze! They specialize in late night dining, cocktailing, and offer a full smoking patio. They also offer brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00-2:00.

If you are in the mood for brunch on the weekend, their menu takes some of the Hash House A Go Go favorites like Andy’s House Sage Fried Chicken Benedict. But, some of the dishes offer gamier options like the Free Range Wild Boar Hash with crispy potatoes, pancetta, fresh tomato, and goat cheese topped with two eggs. Their flapjacks come in a unique variety: buttermilk, peach brown sugar, raspberry macadamia nut, and the house favorite, chocolate banana.

If you had a hard night and crave lunch right away, you should try their prime or lamb burgers served with criss-cross fries, or even their Baby Bibb Cobb: smoked chicken, chopped egg, bacon, fresh tomato, fresh blue cheese, and blue cheese dressing.

50 | NUGMAG.COM

A major difference that you will notice at The Tractor Room is the impressive layout of the bar and their detailed list of tasty alembic concoctions, tempting you to start your dining experience. They offer the largest bourbon, rye, scotch and whiskey selection in all of San Diego.

“Our bar at the Tractor Room is the brainchild of Andy and I,” explained Rivera. “It is our homage to cocktails and old-time cocktailing. We all put our best foot forward and take the perspective of our customers into consideration. We are having a lot of fun with that. It is kind of hard to believe that we are on four and a half years on that one.”

For your enjoyment, as you wait to be seated or to accompany your meal, their bartenders whip up some of their tastiest Honest Cocktails. Much like their food, they use organic produce from local farms for their cocktails. Drinks like their Tractor Room Old Fashioned uses muddled organic Rancho Del Sol Farm’s blood oranges mixed with Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Boker’s Bitters, a dash of soda, orange zest, and house brandied cherries. The Sazerac contains New Orleans Sazerac Rye Bourbon, Peychaud’s Bitters, a French sugar cube, and Absente Absinthe served either neat or the Tractor Room way, on glacier ice if requested. Their Crown of Thorns is served in an ice cold stainless steel cocktail goblet and is made from muddled ginger, cherries, Canton Liqueur, Maker’s Mark Kentucky Bourbon, a fresh spank of rosemary, fired orange, and George T. Stagg.

A large portion of the staff at the Tractor Room has been involved in with Rivera and Beardslee since the opening of the Hash House A Go Go in Hillcrest. Rivera takes pride in employees like Tractor Room bartender Fernando Carreto, who has been with them since the beginning. Some employees have even been working alongside them before there was a Hash House A Go Go. “That’s the great thing, we have people like Fernando that have been with us for ten plus years,” added Rivera. “That says a lot for the community we have built and that’s hard to keep together in the restaurant industry. Our kitchen manager Jose Zarate has been with us for over 17 years now.”

A common theme that can be found on the dinner menu is the kitchen’s use of free range meats. Their crispy elk sausage ravioli demi-glace cream dish, pheasant and cognac, and rabbit sausage skewer with crispy polenta appetizers are definitely worth checking out. Not-to-miss is their wild boar and mashed potato spring roll served with a spicy peanut sauce. Sticking to the free range theme, some entrées of note are their braised buffalo sloppy joe, a free range buffalo burger, venison meatloaf, or even their spicy chipotle free range chicken breasts. All of their free range buffalo and wild boar are made with demi-glace, root veggies and love.

When asked if they plan on opening any other Tractor Room locations like they have Hash House A Go Go’s, Rivera replied, “We don’t plan on rolling out locations like we have the Hash House.

There has been some consideration for one more Tractor Room location, but nothing definite.”

The Tractor Room 3687 5th Avenue San Diego, CA 92103-4218 619-543-1007 www.thetractorroom.com

Written by Canna Chef Kim ~ Mother Earth Co-op ♥ Serving San Diego MMJ patients since 2005 Every month, we try to bring awareness to our readers and keep a healthy vibe going. This month, there are a few important things that we want to bring attention to. May is brain tumor, skin cancer, and hepatitis awareness month. We also need to touch on edibles, again.

We have frequent reports of unpleasant non-cannabis side effects from edibles.

Some collectives and dispensaries are serving edibles with questionable labels.

When you see a label that claims to have 2.8 to 5 grams of hash or kief per servings, I ask you to please DO THE MATH and think it through. These labels are very misleading. In reality, it takes approximately 112 grams of premium medical cannabis to make less than 12 grams of hash. The average space cake turns out about 24 pieces and that would mean the baker who claims 2.8 to 5 grams per serving would have put 72 grams (2.5 ounces) to 120 grams (4.3 ounces) of medicinal hash in one cake!! I guarantee that if you made such a cake, your patient would be in no pain and would not be moving out of the bed for a while. So let’s wise up, pay attention, and demand honest labeling. Edibles should always come with a medical warning label that clearly demonstrates the product’s ingredients, dosage recommendations, where the edible was made, and an expiration date to assist a patient in making a more informed decision on medicating. In reality, true medical cannabis edibles usually contain about .30 grams of cannabis. Some of the medicinal cannabis bakers in the Los Angeles market use an X system to rate edible strength of 1X to 5X, which usually means 1x = .20 g and 5X = 1g per serving.

Ultimately, the effects you experience from an edible will depend on you, the type, strain and quality of medical cannabis that was used: indica, hybrid or sativa. There are a few places that are suspect to questionable ingredients since there have been reports of patients staying up and talking all night or having so much energy that their bodies had a gritty, edgy feeling. This is not the side effect of an edible. Even if it is made with a strain that is 100% sativa, it isn’t going to happen. The only proven results of well made medicinal cannabis edibles are often associated with: relaxation throughout the entire body, analgesia and pain relief, sedation and sleep. Pay attention and be aware of labels with false insinuations, and ask your provider if you don’t understand.

Speaking of paying attention, we also need to pay attention to our bodies. There are different types of cancer that behave very differently. For example, lung cancer and breast cancer are very different diseases. They grow at different rates and respond to different treatments. That is why people with cancer need treatment that is tailored to their own specific body and type of cancer.

Brain tumors may have a variety of symptoms ranging from headaches to a stroke. Different parts of the brain control different functions, so symptoms will vary depending on the tumor’s location. Brain tumors are great mimics of other neurological disorders and many of the common symptoms could indicate other medical conditions. The best way to determine a brain tumor is with a type of brain scan known as an MRI or a scan known as a CT scan. Possible symptoms of a brain tumor include: a new seizure in an adult, gradual loss of movement or sensation in an arm or leg, unsteadiness or imbalance (particularly if it is associated with headaches), loss of vision in one or both eyes (especially if the vision loss is more peripheral or double vision, and mainly if it is associated with headaches), hearing loss with or without dizziness, and speech difficulty of gradual onset. Other symptoms may also include nausea or vomiting (which is most severe in the morning), confusion, disorientation and memory loss.

Skin cancer is the most common form of human cancer. Skin cancer affects one in five Americans, and more than 1 million new cases are diagnosed each year. Of these cases, more than 65,000 are melanoma, a cancer that still claims nearly 11,000 lives each year.

The annual rates of all forms of skin cancer are increasing each year, which should urge you to get knowledgeable and share the growing public concern. It has also been estimated that nearly half of all Americans who live to the age of 65 and beyond will develop skin cancer at least once. The most common warning sign of skin cancer is a change in the appearance of the skin, such as a new growth or a sore that will not heal.

Protecting your skin during the first 18 years of life can reduce the risk of some types of skin cancer by up to 78%. One severe sunburn during the first 15 years of life can double the risk of skin cancer. In addition, physicians recommend that you conduct a monthly self skin exam to check for changes in moles, warts and other blemishes on the skin, especially parts that are exposed to the sun.

Detections and regular examinations are still the most important tool for catching any cancer early and treating it effectively.

This month, we have a few new healing recipes for your favorite patient with, of course, our medicinal twist! Some of the following recipes are taken from Mother Earth Co-op’s “Special Medicinal Recipes – A Medical Cannabis Cookbook.” Canna Chef Kim © 2008 Cookbook available at finer co-ops, collectives and physician offices or online at www.motherearthcoop.com/products

 JILLIAN GINGER ORANGEADE (Beverages)

HEMPY NUTTY CRUSTED HALIBUT (Main Courses)

1 cup honey 5 cups orange juice (fresh) 5 qts. water 2 tbsp. cannabis (very finely ground) 1/4 cup ginger root (fresh sliced) 2 medium oranges (fresh sliced) In a large saucepan, combine honey, water and ginger root. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in orange juice and cannabis.

Cool for 15 minutes. Remove ginger. Place almost all orange slices in orangeade, reserving a few slices for a garnish. Refrigerate orangeade for at least one hour or until chilled. Serve over ice and garnish with orange slices.

FRUITTY BLASTED EXOTIC SOUP (Soups) 2 cups blueberries 2 cups strawberries 1 cup raspberries 2 medium peaches (chopped) 4 cups cranberry juice 1/3 cup dry white wine

2 tbsp. orange juice 3 tbsp. cannaoil* 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. allspice 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1 tbsp. brown sugar

Combine all the ingredients in a large soup pot. Cover pot and simmer over a very low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until fruit is tender. Cool soup, then pour into blender or food processor and mix on medium speed. Chill in refrigerator for at least one hour. This recipe makes 6 to 8 medicinal servings.

Note: Garnish with slices of strawberries and a dollop of whip cream or yogurt.

HONEY HEMPY NAVEL VINAIGRETTE (Dressings) 1/4 cup cannaoil* 1/4 cup orange juice (fresh Navel oranges) 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp. honey

1 large egg (whipped) 1/2 cup macadamia nuts (chopped) 1/4 tsp. smoked salt 1/2 tsp. kief*

Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Heat skillet over medium-low heat; add cannaoil and a half of garlic (2 chopped cloves). Place hempseeds, the remaining garlic, nuts, salt and kief in a flat bottom plate and mix well. Dip fish in whipped egg mixture to coat the entire filet and dip in nut mixture to cover all sides. Place one crusted side of the fish into the hot oven proof skillet and sear until the crust appears golden brown. Then, turn the fish over and cover it with any remaining nut mix; bake at 350ºF in the oven for 5 to 8 minutes. (Cooking time of the fish may vary depending on the thickness of the filet).

Serve immediately.

MYSTIC MIKE’S MAGICAL SPACE CAKE (Dessert) 1 pkg. yellow cake mix 1/2 cup cannabutter* (softened) 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg 2 large peaches or pears 1 cup sour cream 1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350ºF (177º C). Combine the cake mix with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, mixing until crumbly. Set aside a 2/3 cup of this mixture and use the rest to press onto the bottom of an ungreased 13”x9” pan. Slice fruit into thin portions.

Arrange fruit over the mixture in the pan. Mix sour cream thoroughly with egg and spread over the fruit layer in the pan. Top with the reserved crumbs and bake for 40 minutes.

Note: Great comfort dessert when served warm with ice cream or whip cream.

1 tbsp. cilantro (fresh chopped) 1 tsp. hemp seeds 1/4 tsp. smoked salt 1 tsp. lemon pepper

Blend all ingredients together over low heat on a stove top for 10 minutes and cool. Pour it in a food processor or blender and mix on medium speed. Store in a tightly covered jar and refrigerate.

Note: This vinaigrette is great on a crispy green salad or the Puffington Special Salad.

PUFFINGTON SPECIAL SALAD (Salads) 12 cups mild salad greens 1 small red onion (sliced into rings) 6 blood oranges (sectioned)

6 Halibut filets (5 oz portions) 1/2 cup shelled hemp seeds 4 cloves of garlic (chopped) 3 tbsp. cannaoil*

2/3 cup black olives 8 spears of asparagus 1/2 cup candied pecans

“KIEF” is an age old way of extracting trichomes from plant material. Kief is the product derived from the kiefing process. Kiefing is a method in which you rub dry trim, buds and small leaves with crystals on them over a silk screen. The THC glands will form a powder that comes through the screen, which is then used for cooking or smoking. It is usually a pale green to light brown depending on the strain of cannabis. Kief powder that is pressed together is called hash.

Note: Kief boxes are sold at some smoke shops and are easier to work with than silk screens. In a kief box, the screen is above the collection drawer, allowing the THC glands to pass through the screen and into the collection drawer. This makes it easy and compact for the average user to collect the kief and use for smoking or cooking. *Cannaoil is any high quality food grade oil such as coconut oil, hempseed oil, olive oil, or canola oil that has been infused with high grade medical cannabis. *Cannabutter is dairy butter that has been infused with high grade medical cannabis.

The recipes for cannaoil and cannabutter can be found in the first copy of NUG Magazine or online at www.MotherEarthCoOp.com

Put the greens in a large salad bowl. Top them with the Honey Navel Vinaigrette dressing and toss lightly until mixed. Distribute the mixture into 6 salad plates and add the onion rings, orange sections, olives, and asparagus, and top with nuts.

Wishing you a hempy journey to a healthier you! Please remember to continue the 2011 challenge of being kind to each other and practicing random acts of kindness each and every day!!!

Note: Add the blood orange sections just before serving. Do not over mix to prevent the festive color from bleeding on the rest of the ingredients.

Peace, Love & Gratitude, Kim

Still Growing Part 3

If you missed last month’s issue, then you missed how my need to find healthy, root mature clones led me to a new level in the world of hydroponics. I decided to learn how to clone my own from what I have, just like the big guys. With the help of my new friends at Pyraponic Industries and their Phototron growing chamber, I’m well on my way to controlling the last part of the puzzle. As you remember, I’m using the Phototron 8 as a very stable place to grow my mother plants. When I left you last month, I told you “see how easy this was”…but I think I spoke a bit too soon.

Everything started out great. After trimming the large fan leaves, just like the “Growing Plants Pyraponimetrically” handbook told me to do, I set the temp fans to 80°F and kept the lights on 24/7. My three new mother plants started looking better every day with great leaf color and new growth on every branch. I was watering all three plants just like the handbook told me to do. It told me to have a puddle of water I could see 23 out of every 24 hours. Each morning, when I checked the plants, I looked for that puddle of water under each pot. If I found a dry pot, I added enough water to create that puddle the Phototron book said I should have. Like I said, this was just too easy.

A few days passed and something just didn’t look right. The leaves looked different; they were kind of curled at the ends.

The beautiful green color was changing and the plants didn’t look as good as they did when I first put them into the chamber. WTF! I could tell that something was wrong. I thought it was just a bit of transplanting shock; after all, I changed the way these plants had been growing. If you think about it, in one day, they went from growing all hydro with a flood and drain feeding system to potting soil in a pot with that 23 out of 24 hour puddle watering plan. The handbook had a lot to say about the way you should water the system. I did the best I could to keep that puddle, but things just seemed to go downhill fast. The handbook said, “Never make a false assumption.” Knowing I was in trouble, I gave Brian at Phototron a call to see if he had any answers as to what I was doing wrong. Well, after explaining where I was and the troubles I was having, he told me that it was a good thing I had called. He explained that he had been down this road of problems before and the cure was an easy fix.

Too much water was my problem. Brian explained that the puddle watering routine was only to be used when using NUGMAG.COM | 55

the Phototron’s normal growing media and not when you’re growing your plants in a pot. As you know, I’m not an expert; I was guilty of overwatering. Brian told me that my new mother plants needed to kind of dry out between watering days.

Armed with my new knowledge, I let my three ladies dry out a bit. I found out that by lifting the pots up in the air I could feel when it was ready to water again. Wow, what a difference a couple of days made. Just as fast as my plants went downhill, they came back better than ever with lush green color and new growth everywhere I looked. They made a complete turnaround in just a few days.

Pinching and pruning became a weekly event. I call it an event because of how many leaf cuts you end up pinching on all three plants. As the days passed, the plants completely changed the way they looked. As you remember, each plant started out with big leaves and quite a bit of spacing between budding sites. Today’s plants look different with smaller leaves much thicker and closer together than before. As I look at the plants today, each and every branch is filled with close spaced budding sites. New growth is the rule, not the exception. Phototron says, “Plant growth is a function of leaf removal.” If pinching and pruning instructions are followed accurately, one plant may produce over 1000 budding sites.

I’m not completely new to growing, but I have to admit that I’ve never seen mother plants that look like this. Most of the mother plants I’ve seen look a bit tired and overcut, and their clones look thin and weak with plenty of stem showing. They all look as if a bit more light would have been better. Since the Phototron has lights throughout its grow chamber, the plants get a very even amount of light from every angle, which helps keep the plant growth even and constant. Most of the clones I found have been two or three inches tall with about three or four sets of leaves. The distance between the leaves on the Phototron plants is almost nonexistent; you have to look for just the right place to take your clone. I have been told that you should have three sets of leaves above ground and two sets below ground on new cuttings to be used as clones.

I think by the time I take my first clones from the Phototron mothers, I will have cuttings that have six or seven budding sites above and three to four sites below that I’ll strip for rooting. My goal was to be able to take 4 cuttings from each of the three plants; giving me a total of 12 cuttings that will turn into 12 healthy, well rooted clones every five to six weeks.

I hope you will follow along in the next issue of NUG. We will figure out how to take from your mother in such a way that she will still love you; and root it up kids, your day has come.

By: The SD OG Grower

Summer is quickly approaching again in Southern California and right now, during spring, is the best time to get your indoor or outdoor garden started! And the best way to get any garden started is to have the best genetics possible, and getting a clone from the best stock plant is the best and quickest option available!

People always ask me where they can get the best clones from, and I always tell them I don’t know…probably from the best stock plant you know of. Seeds are where it all starts, but starting from seed is a long and unknown process. It’s sort of like you or me having sex with our girl and not knowing what our little DNA loads are going to produce or create. When our parents conceived us, they didn’t know what we would look like or how we would be; and those of us with brothers or sisters are rarely identical. The same goes for plants. The seeds they produce are all very similar, but not identical, and there is always one seed that produces a better plant than other seeds.

58 | NUGMAG.COM

When you get seeds of your favorite genetics from a reputable seed bank or source, you want to start as many of the seeds of the same genetic as you can comfortably. Do not over crowd them, grow them out. Once they are large enough to go into flower, take a clone of each plant and label them, so you know exactly what plant each one came from. Only after all your clones have rooted, you can put the clones into flower and finish them out, testing each plant’s fruit for quality and potency. During this time of flowering out the clones, you must have each of the original stock plants in the vegetative stage until you decide which clones or clone is the absolute best. At this point, only pick the best one or two plants. Go back to the stock plants in veg and only keep the best one or two. Hopefully, you listened and labeled each of your clones and stock plants, so you know which clones came from which stock plants. I can’t tell you how many thousands of times I’ve heard a grower tell me that they were lazy and messed up with labeling the plants. Don’t be lazy; label all of them each time!

Now, destroy all the other plants that are not the ones you are keeping. The idea is to get down to having only the best one or two plants. Once we have this, we can clone as many plants as we want.

Cloning is the popular method of reproducing plants of identical genetics and qualities. By taking a cutting, a plant part removed from the stock plant or donor plant that will develop roots and grow when placed into a medium with the proper environment, we’re able to produce a new identical plant within about 7-14 days. And once it produces roots, you have an identical copy of the donor plant. Now, all the plants in your room can grow the exact same.

I’ve had people tell me they’re getting special clones every time they grow and paying for them each time. Why? Take one of those and veg it out as a donor plant; clone it and be independent. When you buy your clones from other people, you run the risk of introducing diseases and insects into your garden. Why would you want to do that and take a chance that could destroy your plants?

Think about it like this: If you had the best genetics and clone or plant, would you want to give it to anyone? The point being is that you’re probably not going to get the best genetics available by paying $5 – $10 for it. Someone who has something unique and special is going to keep that for themselves and not want everyone else to have it. So when you do come across something special and unique, make sure you save it by creating a donor plant and cloning it for future use – keeping it for years to come. And if you need to pay someone a fair amount of money for a unique genetic, don’t be a disrespectful grower and cheapskate by refusing to pay the price for it.

If you can get your hands on one good genetic, you can make as many clones as you want for a long time.

Just about any plant I have ever come across can be cloned! If anyone ever tells you that a plant can’t be cloned, they’re probably lying to you to make sure you keep buying clones from them.

So to make sure you have the best harvest possible, start with the right genetics! You can only be as good as the stock you come from. Don’t be cloning poor genetics and passing them around in circulation because it destroys the quality available to the general public! Cloning is very simple once you do it and have the proper environment.

It will be one of the best things you do for your garden, and it will make for a much better garden if you get the right genetics!

For the first time in 14 months, a bittersweet air clouded the ordinarily light-hearted atmosphere of the Chronisseur session. It was not because of the strains or the company; both are among the best San Diego has to offer. It was the bitter disappointment over the recent city council ruling that cast a dark shadow over what would have otherwise been an enjoyable afternoon. However, as cliché as it may sound…the show must go on.

Puna Buddah:

“This is a tight bud, with leaves of a darker shade of green. It is a bit on the brittle side, but that could be because of packaging. Thick, curly orange hairs and a dusting of silvery trichomes make it quite the looker! When I broke it open, it had a really nice aroma that reminded me of Big Island Skunk. Nice exhale: I expected it to be harsh, but it was very smooth. Very tasty flavor – sweet and earthy. Peaceful high that eventually settled into my head and shoulders.

Reminds me of the chill vibe on the Big Island. Mahalo to the grower!”

NC Fire OG:

“Beautiful in appearance. Lots of red hairs that peek out through the green leaves. Its aroma is well-balanced with a somewhat sweet hint and an earthy undertone. The hit was smooth and enjoyable. It gave me a mild head high with minimal lung expansion. This strain would be perfect for a patient who is new to medical cannabis, and I don’t mean that in a negative way. As a community of growers, we need to realize that our purpose is aiding those in need – not bragging about having the most potent bud in town.”

60 | NUGMAG.COM

Burkle (Pre 98 Bubba x GDP):

“The Pre-98 traits in this bud are very obvious. It is stunning in appearance and very dense. It is hard as a rock, no kidding! It was precisely manicured and has the perfect proportion of red hairs, and is also covered in shiny trichomes. The aroma is pleasant and unique, although I don’t notice the GDP or Pre-98 smell. Packs a flavorful hit that has a nutty and musky taste to it. I would recommend this strain to a patient who suffers from moderate to severe pain or chronic insomnia. Overall, I dig it!”

As the afternoon progressed and the mood began to lighten, the topic of conversation moved from frustration at the state of politics in San Diego to the good works and charity given to our city by participating collectives. The 1st Annual San Diego Food Fight that Hopper founded and organized raised 1,000 pounds of food for the San Diego Food Bank. Hopper also told me about a new organization he is a member of called the Patient Care Association of California. With nearly 50 collective operators and still growing, their aim is to raise the professional standards of the industry while fighting for patients’ rights to safe access.

Story by: Pamela Jayne All photos by: Phil Calvin for SCR Photos

Dank 2.0 | Through the Eyes of Subcool

By R.J. Villa This month NUG Magazine takes a look at newly released book, Dank 2.0 - The Quest for the Very Best Marijuana Continues. This second book in the Dank series picks up where the first volume left off, diving in to the depths of a talented breeder’s psyche. The book is filled with full page photos and double-page spreads of each resin-heavy and trichome laden strain. Every single strain pictured in this book was grown 100% organically in soil. No chemicals added, thus displaying the strains in their full glory. The photos leap right off the page, you can almost smell them.

The Jack the Ripper looks like the buds have been frosted with snow. The photos of Tiny Bomb are an explosion of green, orange and purple drenched in trichomes. Each entry details the various characteristics of the individual strains using Subcool’s vast knowledge of cannabis which he acquired over 20 years of passionate selection and experience.

“Take a rich, visual journey into the world of gourmet cannabis, into one breeder’s garden and mind. This book is a window into the quest for the perfect marijuana plant, revealing the details of how new marijuana varieties are developed and the symbiotic relationship between plant and grower.” -Dank 2.0 Introduction In this book we once again peer over the shoulders of TGA seed company owner Subcool as he assesses the traits of various cannabis strains and hybrids cataloged.

Subcool is a seed breeder residing in North America and well known for his unique hybrids. His Vortex strain won the 2010 San Francisco Cannabis Cup. Subcool has been involved with cannabis for many years, having occupied various roles within the cannabis culture: pothead, grower, activist, breeder, photographer, journalist and caregiver.

Dank 2.0 is more than just nug porn. Subcool provides an intimate portrait of each variety’s personality with vivid photos and full color spreads highlighting over 35 different varieties. Each spread comes with comprehensive descriptions, detailed profiles of each strain’s aroma, taste and high. To help inform growers Subcool also lists growing characteristics of how they grow and what they look like. An index variety list helps locate the strains covered in this book.

The Variety Test Data at the back of the book lists the THC, CBD and CBN percentages on several strains featured in the book, such as Apollo-13 BX, Jilly Bean, Pandora’s Box, The Third Dimension, Qleaner, Qrazy Train and the award winning Vortex. The tests on the strains were performed by Steep Hill Labs in Oakland, California.

The Variety Genetic Trees listed at the end of the book offers a wealth of knowledge for additional strains, detailing everything from strain backgrounds, lineage, flowering times and availability. A solid glossary of terms in the back will help bring novices up to speed.

“This book is not the story of my life, but the story of the search for the ultimate strain and the quest for Dank,” writes Dank 2.0 author Subcool. “I hope my love for this 62 | NUGMAG.COM

plant and the culture surrounding it continues to shine and inspire others who are on the quest for Dank.”

Dank 2.0 hit the shelves this April, providing its readers with a perfect addition to your cannabis library. It is packed cover to cover with its amazing photographs coupled with complete descriptions of over 40 varieties detailing aroma, taste, high and growing characteristics of each strain.

Business Spotlight-The Armory By: Tiffany Janay

Cros1 is the one to thank for bringing such artists to San Diego like Snoop Dogg, Hieroglyphics, Zion I and The Grouch, and for creating a culture through his clothing line The Armory. Fresh off of DJing a tour with the Black Eyed Peas, Cros1 is back and doing his part to get San Diego the nationwide recognition it deserves.

How did someone go from being a San Diego native to spreading their creativity all over the world and designing t-shirts for the Jabbawockeez?

In 1988-89, he started doing graffiti with different crews as a form of artistic expression, but when tag banging came out (taggers that gang bang), he stopped.

From there, he started breaking. “I don’t think there was one boy or girl in the mid 80s that didn’t try breaking.” The culture was everywhere including the Olympics and in the media.

In 1996, for 6 months, he moved to Japan by himself for a much needed break and a fresh perspective. Over there, he learned how to take his street hustle and become a legit businessman. He was hanging out with people who were doing major distribution and owned stores, and that inspired him to do more.

After returning back to SD in 1997, he threw an event that snowballed into something bigger; something that lots of people wanted to be apart of. It was a break dancing freestyle session that he still hosts today. “As much as I didn’t think that throwing a party was a business, it eventually got to that point.” Those parties have taken him on a journey of throwing them in over 20 countries around the world.

In 2007, he took over The Armory from its previous owners and made an investment that allowed him to transform the boutique record store into a Hip Hop shop.

Around that time, he did his first club at the Martini Ranch called Bus Stop. He followed the same recipe from his past events.

Currently, every 1st Wednesday at El Dorado, in conjunction with Charlie Rock from Rock Steady, you can still party to pure Hip Hop. To him, Hip Hop is all about a feeling, and as long as the music conveys that message, then it’s all good. “If it makes you drop all your worries and puts you in a zone where you’re having fun, then that’s Hip Hop.” The Armory has become part of our city’s culture, what does it represent for you? For me, when you see our designs, it represents SD, Hip Hop and our state of mind. When I say SD, I mean we’ve done shirts that say “SD Thing,” designs with the Coronado Bridge, and designs with other hints of San Diego; and of course, they always have a hint of Hip Hop. What does The Armory mean? It’s a play on words because the armory is where you store your weapons. You have to come to The Armory and get your gear. For instance, if you get a DVD from us, you’re getting knowledge, so it’s preparing you to go out and do your thing.

64 | NUGMAG.COM

What are some of the major progressions you’ve seen within the culture over the years?

Back in the day, when I was starting, there wasn’t so much separation. There are so many categories now.

Back then with Hip Hop, there was only one or two spots you could go to, but now Hip Hop is so broad that there are numerous options with different stores, clubs and different things to do. And that’s just with Hip Hop, so imagine that with House, Reggae, Dancehall…

There’s so much of everything and so much to do out here. Overall, I’d say the culture of it is bigger, but at the same time, it’s smaller because everything is getting divided up. Back in the day, you might have had 200 people going to one spot, but now there’s like 400 people going to 10 different spots.

It’s kind of been watered down a little bit, but when there’s good stuff, then everyone flocks to that.

So I guess you just gotta do the good shit!

What has kept you here? It’s my roots.

All my family is here. Sometimes I get bored and that’s when I’ll go on tour or travel, and that’s what makes me love this city even more, because I see how it is everywhere else. Our weather is hands down some of the best in the world. The grass is always greener on the other side, so you’re always thinking ‘Oh, it’s better over there,’ but in actuality, we have it pretty decent.

What’s your favorite thing about SD? Mexican food! And the people and weather.

What do you think about the way the cannabis culture has changed over the years? The good part is all

the bad things that everybody used to think about weed. All those barriers are getting broken down.

But on the flip, now all of a sudden it’s legal?! What about all those people that are doing time in the pen for selling weed? So now that it’s legal, do they get pardons? It’s kind of wack.

As an entrepreneur, what advice do you have for people who want to move past their 9-5 type of lifestyle and into a more independent way of life? I see people who go way over their means. I see people trying to do shows at the 4th & B and they’ve never even done a show before.

Be more aware of what other things are going on. Start small. There’s nothing wrong with starting small, that’s key. If you do a show at a spot like The Kava Lounge, pack it out and have to turn people away, then that’s a good thing. People will know they have to get there earlier next time. Don’t put yourself at risk. Don’t do a $50,000 show when you’re making $25,000 a year because you may put yourself in bankruptcy.

–“I’ve been doing this for so long that I feel like I have a responsibility to bring good shit out here.”

If you’re looking to find out more about The Armory, check out their website at www.TheArmoryHipHop.com

Dropping in on Jet West

by R.J. Villa Jet West claims their music has just what you are looking for; the sound that makes you want to take that long drive, love someone, drop in on an overhead wave or even just to kick it on the porch watching another picturesque sunset over the skies of California. The energy and concepts behind their music can be found in the origin of the band’s name.

“We all surf, skate and enjoy sunsets here on the West Coast,” says guitarist Chris Warner. “We first chose the word ‘West,’ and after reviewing several other options, we came up with Jet West. It is the notion that everyone wants to Jet West for warmer weather and a better way of life.”

Jet West pulls their inspiration on the beauty that is Southern California:

tan girls, good waves and great weather. Their debut album, Dropping In, was released DIY style under their record label Hidden Reef Records. The album contains 15 tracks that capture Southern California with songs like Alone, Irie Eyes, July Breeze, Mexico and Feeling It. “Mexico was one of the first songs we wrote and has always been a fan favorite going all the way back to when we first formed,” added drummer Derek Potter.

“Every time we play Mexico, I feel like I’m jamming on a warm beach somewhere tropical,” Warner says.

“Alone has a sick melody and I love the guitar and the heavy chorus,” says bassist Deren Schneider. “It even has a sick outro.”

“The song Feeling It always makes me dance,” says lead singer and guitarist Scott Floquet. “I feel like I’m James Brown when I sing that song.”

Floquet and Schneider are childhood friends and San Diego natives. Warner moved to San Diego in 2003 66 | NUGMAG.COM

after floating around California. He was originally from the South Bay of Los Angeles and spent his high school and college years in Vermont. Potter lived all over the U.S., including Texas, North Carolina and Virginia, but spent most of his time growing up with his family in New Jersey before moving to San Diego in 2007.

Though the four musicians were born on different corners of the U.S., they came together through their lifestyles and love of similar music. The forming of Jet West appears to be just as laid-back as the Southern California lifestyle their reggae/rock music embodies.

“Chris and I were working together at the time and decided to jam one day,” recalls Floquet.

“We came up with some sweet tunes. Deren was a childhood friend of mine and played in another band that was falling out. We didn’t know that our close friend Derek could play drums until we decided to jam in Deren’s garage. Derek jumped on the drums and the rest is history.”

Schneider describes the recording process at Sushifish Recording Studios as very relaxed under a great sound engineer. Their debut album, Dropping In, was recorded at Sushifish with the help of sound engineer Matty Reynolds. Jet West found themselves extremely grateful to work with such a talented engineer. Reynolds’ skills remain in high demand and he is typically booked way out in advance.

“Matty at Sushifish was a total blessing,” explains Potter. “He is super skilled and very patient too.”

Jet West has shared the stage with bands such as Authority Zero, The B Foundation, The Pricks, Katastro, Fayuca, Ease Up, Project: Out of Bounds, Boom Culture, Thrive and Full Blown Stone. They hold aspirations to one day hit the road with bands that have influenced their musical style like Blink 182, Slightly Stoopid, Sum 41, Pepper and Rebelution.

This reggae/rock outfit has been touring regionally through Southern California from San Diego to Los Angeles for the past year and a half. They have also hit the road eastbound with shows in Arizona, Texas and Tennessee. This year, Jet West has joined the NASCAR circuit, having been flown out to Texas to play the Texas Motor Speedway on the Lift Master main stage. Later this summer, they have another race gig planned for Bristol, TN in August. Jet West looks to continue with expanding their fan base as their eyes and aspirations are fixed on hitting the road and exploring new markets.

Jet West has a busy May lined up to start the summer with gigs at the Belly Up Tavern’s Reggae de Mayo event on May 5th, the OMBAC Music Festival on May 14th, and the 2nd Annual Cali Roots Music and Arts Festival on May 28th.

“We are very blessed to have a chance to play at the Belly Up Tavern,” says Warner. “I have been attending shows there for a number of years and it has been a dream of mine since I first stepped foot in there 8 years ago. The 2nd Annual Cali Roots Music and Arts Festival looks like a great opportunity and awesome experience for Jet West.”

“We have a growing fan base in all areas of Arizona and have been ramping up our presence in Tennessee and Texas,” added Warner. “We are also getting airplay in Hawaii and look to play

out there when the opportunity comes our way. Based on the states where we have lived and have connections in, we also have a strong fan base in New England, Oregon and Las Vegas. We also have a strong fan base in Montreal, Canada with Scott having a lot of younger cousins that live in that area. We look to grow our movement to Colorado and the Midwest as soon as our lifecycle allows us.”

Jet West’s debut album, Dropping In, is currently available on iTunes, CD Baby and Amazon through Hidden Reef Records. Keep an ear open for Jet West as they are planning a tour up the coast of California this summer. For more information on Jet West, please visit their website at www.jetwestband.com Upcoming Jet West Shows May 5, 2011 – Belly Up Tavern – Reggae De Mayo - w/ J.A.M. Kwest and Sunny Rude www.thebellyup.com May 14, 2011 – OMBAC Music Festival – w/ RX Bandits, The Aggrolites, Authority Zero, Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds and many more. www.ombac.org May 28, 2011 – 2nd Annual Cali Roots Music and Arts Festival w/ Rebelution, Tribal Seeds and many more awesome bands over a two day festival. www.cal-roots.com

I went to the Glamour and Glow Fashion Show for the glow in the dark show, but what I left with was much more. It was a complete experience. As soon as we (my husband and I) walked through the doors of the 4th & B, the venue had been noticeably transformed into a glowing, laser light village. After checking in, we were given glow sticks to wear as bracelets and 3-D glasses. This aroused our curiosity in anticipation for what was to come.

As we turned the first corner, there were vendors set up with unique paintings that lit up under the glowing lights. My favorite painting read: “Allow your senses to fade and see with your consciousness into the light of truth. Become the plane on which the revolutionized mind resides. Understand love.”

The next booth had a group of guys who were all wearing plain white clothes. They had laser pointers and did rave style dancing while pointing the lasers at the white clothing, which allowed the laser lights to create artistic tracers wherever they pointed them because of the special invisible ink.

When we entered the main room of the venue, it was like going to a party with Alice in Wonderland. It was a whole different world in there. There must have been about 100 models walking around and blending in with the crowd all night. They were in bathing suits and high heels, and they all carried a vibe of class. They were body painted and wore wigs that glowed.

They were art and definitely added to the ambiance of the event.

Another strong contributor to the whole vibe of the night was the horticulture. This event was not only about fashion, music, and dancing, it was also about living plants. The venue had exotic plants placed in key spots throughout, which exuded a fresh, crisp, floral fragrance into the air. The DJ was up on stage and danced along to her music in a tutu as if she knew this was the best place to be for the night. We soon realized what the 3-D glasses were for. They were for the 2 large pieces of art that hung on the walls. What you saw with your bare eyes was different from what you saw when you put on the glasses.

We found our seats up top, which provided us with a perfect view of the stage in preparation for the fashion show. Although we typically aren’t fans of house music, the beats were contagious. I even saw my husband doing moves I don’t believe he knew he was capable of. The stage was used for very talented models to come out and dance along to the music, and watching them groove was a show in itself.

Finally, the fashion show began. They had these amazing laser lights that danced to the music and highlighted the smoke that was in the air. The laser lights were magical and intriguing. If they wouldn’t have had a fashion show at all, I would have been content with just the laser show. The models began walking down the runway, wearing different fashions from their clothing sponsors.

Every aspect of the show was constructed with great detail, which was every thought the West Coast Club Life organizers had for the show being executed at the highest level possible.

This event only happens once a year, so definitely add it to your calendar NOW! One night in Wonderland wasn’t enough.

I want more!!!

68 | NUGMAG.COM

Getting Unserious w/ By: sandieganliz The B Foundation played at Soundwave in Mission Beach as a part of their Spring Harvest Tour where NUG Magazine got the chance to sit down with the guys before their show to talk about music, influences and cannabis issues. Originally from Los Angeles, The B Foundation dishes out rock music relevant to the California lifestyle…If that typical life is near the beach, hanging back, drinking beers, and touching on issues about relationships, fun, and getting loaded. Read on to discover what’s new, what’s in store for them, and how Jason, Patrick, Joe and Ian (the drummer who was at dinner, but to which their merch’ guy, Mike, answered in his place) explore the Do-It-Yourself method.

For those unfamiliar with you and your music, what do you want to say about The B Foundation?

Jason: Phenomenal live band with a lot of good energy. Come give us a try for 60 minutes of your time. Let us play for you, and then feel free to judge.

What do you hope your fans connect to with your music?

Jason: Awesomeness; their brains to their ears.

Patrick: We just play what we feel. Whether it’s a happy-go-lucky song, something serious or minor stuff, we either rock out or just chill.

Jason: The four of us are into a lot of different kind of music, so we each bring something to the table.

70 | NUGMAG.COM

You’ve toured internationally, can you tell me about that?

Jason: In Japan, we had 13 headlining shows and 11 sold out.

That was crazy!

Patrick: We played at Rocky Point in Mexico at a festival with the Dirty Heads and Tomorrows Bad Seeds. We’ve also played in San Felipe.

What bands are the most influential and which ones are the most memorable?

Patrick: Sublime for most influential; Zen Robbi and Metallica for most memorable.

Joe: Led Zeppelin, Phish, and Stevie Ray Vaughan for most influential, and Barrington Levy for most memorable.

--Mike says “Miley Cyrus” for Ian McGrath, but that’s not verified. Their laughing says otherwise.

Jason: NOFX, but my iPod goes from classical to death metal to gangsta rap. Easy-E, Ice Cube, and NWA for most influential, and Slightly Stoopid, Eek-A-Mouse, and The Expendables for most memorable.

At a local show in December, you dedicated a song about cannabis to NUG Magazine. What is your take on the legalization of it?

Patrick: We don’t care if it’s legal or not.

The B Foundation Joe: I like weed.

Jason: If the government was smart and wanted to make billions of dollars, they would legalize and tax it, and maybe that would get us out of our trillion dollar deficit.

What is your favorite strain?

“Blue Dream!”

Your website states that you have a “do-it-yourself” method. Explain that.

Patrick: You have to take the blow up doll out of the box and blow it up first. No one can help you. (laughing) Mike: We got pocket assholes.

Jason: We don’t have a label, but we had offers. We had a great huge label and great distribution, but it didn’t turn out so great because we ended up losing a bunch of money and losing stature on our album. Now, we produce our own records with some help, but we pay for marketing. The street team and fans are most important to us. They’re the ones who can go out and tell people about it. They’re really the most important part of what we do. Just…all love.

“Let’s talk more about weed,” says the band. – Jason talks about how they bought a piece for the tour, but as soon as they got to their next stop, they forgot it was on a member’s lap; it dropped and broke.

Needless to say, they were bummed.

What’s new and coming up for you guys in the near future?

Patrick: We’re proud owners of the Detroit Red Wings (in a computer game where they display more “teamwork.” They were quite serious about this hobby!).

Jason: Joe is new. He just started a month ago and this is his first week touring with us (this is because Tyler, their former guitarist, had a medical condition that left him unable to play). Joe’s nickname is “Flaming Pterodactyl” and you don’t want to know why! If you’re curious though, catch a show. We got seven or eight songs we’re working on right now with very limited time; but when we get home, we’re going to try and work on 10 more songs for an album coming out called Hard At Work, because every time we play, we get boners.

--With that last comment, we ended the interview. I tell ya’, there was plenty more stuff these guys said that got me chuckling. When discussing Blue Dream, Jason also added, “I don’t like to melt into the couch, like Ehhhhhhh.”

The B Foundation is a laid-back, do-it-yourself band! With four albums out and a busy schedule, we can’t wait to hear what’s next for them on their new album. Until then, stay tuned to their site at www.thebfoundation. net. PEACE!

NUGMAG.COM | 71

By: Robert Stinson San Diego County is a veritable bounty of creative energy emanating from talented bands like Bad Neighborz, who have taken their cues from the rock/reggae genre that has become synonymous with the Southern California surf culture. Hailing from North County, this trio of misfits has made a name for themselves in the few months they’ve been together as a band, engaging their audiences with hypnotic tracks on their recently released EP, Sunny D, which blends elements of funk, dub, reggae and rock with upbeat, life affirming lyrics. What is most remarkable about these guys is their wiliness to give back to their community. On St Patrick’s Day, the band pulled out all the stops and performed at a charity gig for a group of veterans in Old Town who whooped and jeered at their comedic onstage antics that were complimented by a stellar performance, which lifted the spirits of everyone in the audience. We were able to catch up with Caleb Wilborn (vocals, guitar), Jay Crew (Bass) and Mike Poulos (drums) of Bad Neighborz to get better acquainted.

72 | NUGMAG.COM

How long have you guys been playing music together?

Caleb Wilborn: Well, it’s been about four months now since we came together as a band.

What gigs have you guys played in the short period of time you‘ve been together?

Jay Crew: We opened up for The Devastators, which was an incredible opportunity to showcase our talents. We mostly try to play gigs in North County where our rehearsal studio is. We have a nice big rehearsal space that is like a Bad Neighborz fun factory.

CW: We ended up firing our last drummer and hiring Mikey, so we’re more of a tight knit family now.

JC: There was a Bad Neighborz breakup previous to the family we have now. It was a band with Piers and Eric from Sunny Rude, but it didn’t work out. We didn’t connect that strongly as a band.

I wanted Piers to stay, but he left to join Sunny Rude instead.

How did you guys come up with your name?

JC: Actually, that’s a funny story. The name came about because we were rehearsing in a garage and one of our neighbors started stomping on the garage door, asking us to turn it down. We thought, “Hey man, it’s 3:00 PM; we have plenty of time to play before we should shut down. He was like, “You guys are being bad neighbors,” so the name kind of stuck from that point.

Mike Poulos: When I was 17, I was in a band in Northern California. We were put on citizen’s arrest by our neighbor for playing music too loud, so I actually have a record for being a bad neighbor.

You guys are quickly developing a loyal following. Why do you think people are so receptive to your music?

JC: For the most part, I think people are receptive to bands that play in the rock/reggae genre, and we have that kind of upbeat sound that is appealing to a wide audience.

What are you guys doing when you’re not in the studio or rehearsing?

CW: Surfing, skating or video blogging.

Are you all from North County?

MP: I’m originally from Northern California, but Jay and Caleb grew up here.

What bands do you guys turn to for inspiration?

CW: Anything with a good beat, especially Pepper. When they first moved here from Hawaii, I was 17 and they lived right next door to my best friend who taught me how to play the guitar. We used to hang out with them before they got big, so they were a really big inspiration for me. You know, most bands have their separate lives and have band practice once a day or not even. The way to make a band successful these days is to have a well rounded team and to market more than just the music. Secondly, you have to be together all the time. That’s why things are happening for us.

311 for sure. I have to give a shout-out to our road dog Tommie, who played with Jack Johnson, Adrian Young, and the bassist from Oingo Boingo on his album.

Why do you think people are so uptight towards cannabis use, especially when studies have proven its medicinal properties?

CW: People just need to lighten up. I mean, our founding fathers grew hemp. If those people would just look to the past, they would see that cannabis has been used as a medicine for centuries.

It’s pretty cool that you took time out of your schedule to do a charity concert for veterans. Contrary to your name, you guys seem to really care about your community. Is taking care of our veterans a cause you guys feel strongly about?

MP: As soon as we were offered this opportunity, we jumped on it with no hesitation at all. It was an awesome opportunity to play for the vets and see the smiles on their faces.

JC: The way I see it, these men fought for our freedom. Regardless of your political affiliations, these men deserve our respect. I come from a military family, so I’ve always respected those who choose to serve their country.

CW: Look for Bad Neighborz getting involved with a lot more charity events.

We’ve already done some work with Surfers Healing for Autism, which hosts surf camps all over the globe.

What bands would you like to eventually tour with?

CW: The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rebelution, Pepper, Dirty Heads, and

Check out Bad Neighborz video blogs and links to their social networking sites at http://www.badneighborz.com/badblog

How do you guys feel about the San Diego City Council’s defacto ban on medical marijuana facilities?

CW: I think if you’re concerned about me being free to burn, pass it to the left and watch me take my turn.

Howd The Show Go? By: sandieganliz The Green came to Ocean Beach, California to entertain two sold-out crowds on March 24th & 25th. Rising in popularity, The Green is a rootsy reggae band with island tones that show their uplifting romantic side. I mean, there is an obvious island vibe, like that of original roots reggae from Jamaica. NUG Magazine got the chance to check out the greenest vibes from Hawaii and their special guests.

The Green played at Winston’s in O.B. on a Thursday and Friday night. On Thursday, they played with So. Cal. bands Seedless and Through The Roots. On Friday, The Green played with Kawao, a band from Hawaii, and Kevin Kinsella, a former member of the East Coast’s John Brown’s Body, with members of The Devastators backing him up. Special appearances came from members of Stranger, C-Money from Slightly Stoopid, and Anuhea from Hawaii. There was even supporting musicians from the local area, including those from Ease Up, HI Roots, Roots Covenant, Tribal Seeds, and Tribal Theory. DJ Carlos Culture kept the crowd entertained between sets with mixes from island and roots music 74 | NUGMAG.COM

that included Fiji, J Boog, Don Carlos, and even Natty Dread. The event was produced by Polynesian Underground, an entertainment group that mostly books island-influenced reggae in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Hawaii. Their most memorable events harbored well-known artists such as Rebelution and J Boog; and from Hawaii, The Green and Natural Vibrations.

Seedless, a reggae/rock band from Orange County, started the first night of The Green’s performances. The crowd reacted well to their conscientious and mostly rock music. A guest vocalist, Susie Liufau, sister to vocalist Matthew, sang a cover of “They Gonna Talk” by Beres Hammond. Then, Through The Roots was next.

This reggae/rock band got a good reaction from the crowd as well; and with those nice vocals, I could see why. The most memorable part of the show was the “freeze,” where they were addressing the crowd like bands normally do, and then they just STOP! They literally “freeze.” And they do it for awhile, almost a minute it seemed, which is pretty long for a live music show performance. Overall, I can see why these two bands are quickly rising in popularity!

When The Green went on stage, they were greeted with great excitement from the crowd! It

was my first time seeing this seven member band perform. Not only was their music romantic, promising, and roots reggae, but they displayed that Rasta vibe – with Zion Thompson, the guitarist, golden dreadlocks, the roots-played keyboards, and obvious reggae style vocals and bass. Their best songs were “What Will Be Will Be,” “Love I,” and “Alone.”

Also that night, Daniel Montgomery, of favorite local band Stranger, appeared for guest vocals to the song “Dearest Sylvia.”

Friday night was slightly different because not only were the first two bands from out-of-state, but CMoney and Anuhea made an appearance and played with The Green. It all started with Kawao bringing that tropical/reggae sound. Their music is easygoing and the last song “Push Comes to Shove” stood out the most. Next was Kevin Kinsella, whose reggae music carried an East Coast accent. His music sounded progressive, and I definitely heard that J.B.B. tone since I’m familiar with the music of his former band.

DJ Carlos Culture entertained the Friday crowd as well with some reggae spins. This time, he also spun some classic reggae instrumentals with a member of Roots Covenant on vocals. A little history on long time, San Diego based DJ Carlos Culture: He started playing in California in1989 after falling

in love with playing music on a friend’s radio show at Ohio State University. From there, he played house parties and grabbed a spot at Winston’s. In the late 90s, he began to do a show with Makeda Dread on 91X. He now does gigs at the Belly Up Tavern, runs Club Kingston at Winston’s, and helps produce music shows for the WorldBeat Center. In fact, I followed his Fulla Vibes show, which happens every Wednesday night, for more than a month to check out his reggae scene. Carlos Culture books a wide range of reggae bands, including Maka and I Sight, Southtown Generals, Nano Bravo and the MadLions Band, and RevivaL from Hawaii (with the latter one being co-produced with Polynesian Underground).

The Green hit the stage for their second night in San Diego. The crowd was excited! One of the first songs, “What Will Be Will Be,” sung by Zion got the crowd roaring early into their set. As they played on, I asked a couple of fans what they thought of the band, and they told me they were the “sh*t!” In fact, I decided to talk to the band too. They told me it was their fifth time playing in San Diego and that our city is the “sh*t!” They also noted all the local bands that came out to support both nights. The most memorable part of this night was C-Money playing guest trumpet in a song about “soul-jah” and Anuhea singing her sultry R&B vocals to the song “How Did It Feel.” Needless to say, the crowd roared and cell phones were up in the air pointed towards the stage. The band ended with hit songs “Alone” and “Love I,” which of course, sent the crowd home pumped up.

The Green is a rising reggae band that is captivating audiences all over the country. They have played with popular reggae artists like Damian Marley, Rebelution, and Iration while still playing with other popular bands such as SOJA, Fortunate Youth, and Through The Roots. If you’re into the greenest island vibes, be sure to check out The Green from Hawaii. For more information, visit www.thegreen808.com.

One great thing about San Diego is that when you thought you’ve seen it all, you discover a fresh new talent that just leaves you in awe. We were very excited to speak with Chris Konecki, an artist whose work graces the cover of NUG Magazine this month.

Any artists that you admire?

I think these guys are killing it right now: Dave Kinsey, David Ellis, Conor Harrington, JR is rad, I love BLU, and Barry McGee. Other influences include Jean Michel Basquiat, Klimt, and Dali.

Chris’ work is a serious breath of fresh air with the variety of styles, textures, and colors he uses. His artwork demonstrates an incredible skill and technique that compels you to look for the deeper meaning that each piece holds.

Have you attended any kind of art school or are you self-taught?

I was painting in high school art class when my teacher leaned over my shoulder and said, “It needs more blue right there.” And I thought, “Who are you to tell me where blue goes and why?” I’ve always followed a D.I.Y. philosophy and pretty much figured it out as I went. I never saw the point of art school. It seems like a lot of money to learn how to talk about art. My problem is that the emphasis seems to be on the card that describes the artwork as opposed to the work itself. Read Tom Wolfe’s The Painted Word for more explanation.

What is the first thing that comes to your mind each day when you wake up?

Coffee, coffee, coffee. Then, I read the paper and think about what a mess this world is.

What are your best memories of growing up in San Diego?

I was blessed to grow up in San Diego and have great parents that exposed me to a variety of things and always told me I could do whatever I set my mind to. As a kid, I was into typical kid things. I loved to surf, watch cartoons, read comics, doodle all over my homework assignments, and generally cause trouble.

What do you do for fun?

I paint. And I really have fun doing it. Ever since I was a kid, I have had an overactive imagination (and maybe some A.D.D.) and was able to entertain myself for hours by creating. Don’t get me wrong, I love other people, but I’m cool being alone in my head.

What mediums do you enjoy painting with?

I experiment with anything I can get my hands on, but I paint with acrylic and use a bunch of spray paint.

I’m not really a street artist, but once I got my hands on aerosol cans, I got hooked. There is something so immediate and gratifying. Plus, I use a lot of layers and acrylics, and aerosol dries quickly.

What artwork are you currently working on right now?

I’ve been stuck on painting people with trees growing

out of their necks. I’ve been wrestling with the conflict of man vs. nature, so painting natural forms in an unnatural manor is my way of coping with the silliness of it all. The trees symbolize human thought processes and decisions that result in different destinations. This is my way of summing up life: people receive stimuli, make decisions, and live with those consequences. One can think of the little stencil birds as all the possible results of following the different branches of the tree.

I saw a video of your trip from San Diego to Paris “Sacre Coeur” on Youtube. Very impressive film! What inspired you to mix your painting and video like this?

Well, I didn’t go to art school, but I went to film school. The videos I make are not only a timelapse record of events, but they add a narrative to the work while giving the audience a peek into the creative process. I think the genres complement each other well. Have you ever seen a painting and wondered what prompted the artist to paint it? Creating the videos really helps answer that question.

Do you have any other interesting stories about your Paris trip?

Yeah. When we were in Paris, we found out the museums are free for unemployed French. So, we doctored some fake unemployment papers and were able to see all the great collections of Paris for free. It was funny because I look so typically

American with my big white teeth and poor French accent. When they asked for I.D., I would show them my expired California Drivers License – somehow it worked!

Do you think art criticism is important? How much input from others do you take into consideration with your own work?

I think it’s extremely important for an artist’s development to hear all the criticism, but to only listen to other artists. I mean, I don’t tell a chef how to cook or a mechanic how to fix my car.

Would you describe your process of making the art that went on this month’s cover of NUG Magazine?

I love NUG Mag and was so stoked when they asked me to do the cover. I wanted to blow people’s minds when they pick up the magazine and again when they watch the video. The concept was to tell a silly love story that takes place all over the city. The birds are actually made out of wood. I’m sure I looked like a freak walking around with a backpack full of wooden birds and a camera stuck to my face, but I’ve seen weirder. Thanks again to the NUG team for all their support.

How did you get involved in creating the artwork for Subliminal Trip’s debut album?

I actually grew up with Joel Brust (lead guitar) on the mean streets of Tierrasanta. We met in first grade and were such little hellions that the teachers put a note on our permanent records and we were never allowed in the same class again. Years later, he started playing with Subliminal Trip and I was stoked when they asked me to do the album art.

Was the idea for the painting yours or was it a combined effort and/or commission from the band?

I think the band made the right call to get away from the typical palm trees and surf art of Cali reggae. I liked working with Sub Trip because they let me go as far as I wanted to with the idea. Because they allowed me so much freedom, I knew I would have to perform to match their level of the music. It was a real pleasure collaborating with the band and I think they were stoked on the outcome.

Thank you so much for the interview! We look forward to seeing more of your art in the future!

Be sure to check out Chris’ website at www.christopherkonecki.com where you can view his portfolio of art (great prices!), murals, and photography.

NUGMAG.COM | 77

Popped Culture T

By: Robert Stinson

he revolution will not be televised; it will be streamed to your Android phone or living room. The advent of technology has enabled political activists and freedom fighters to mobilize like never before. The Middle East is ablaze with revolutionary ideas that are spreading like wildfires through social networking sites like Facebook. Like Prometheus stealing fire from the Gods, the access to information and the ability to enact reform is no longer exclusive to the social elite; it has been delegated to anyone who has access to technology. Within the LGBT community, grassroots organizations have influenced policy on Capitol Hill through the simple act of blogging and social networking. For this edition of NUG, we interviewed Sally Hall, a local activist who is taking it one step further with thatssogaylive.com, an interactive video blogging site that brings a personality and face to the gay community.

What inspired you to become an activist?

Seeing all the marginalized individuals in our country, of course. The ones that are pertinent to me are women’s rights and the gay population. Over the years, I have bore witness to so many inequalities and injustices. So in response, I decided to stand up and take action.

What has been the mission of That’s So Gay Live since its inception?

To fill a gap in the media that has been dominated by heterosexuals. When we turn on our TVs, our community is rarely depicted accurately or it’s just relegated as something to be laughed at or characterized. When we walk together outside, we are made to feel ashamed if we show any affection at all. In most communities, it’s frowned upon if gay people kiss or hold hands in public. So as a consolation, it is nice to be able to provide an outlet where gay people can see accurate depictions of themselves.

On that note, do you believe that celebrities have a responsibility to come out of the closet?

I don’t know if it’s a responsibility because I understand that people have careers they need to protect. However, I do believe it’s important that we all come out of the closet, so people can see us for who we really are instead of relying on stereotypes. Someone famous recently said, “If all homosexuals came out of the closet, then we could eliminate homophobia,” and I do believe that. Besides many celebrities like Ricky Martin, Ellen DeGeneres, Chely Wright, and Jessica Clark, many others have successfully come out of the closet without it affecting their career.

78 | NUGMAG.COM

Absolutely! What I got out of viewing some of the shows on That’s So Gay Live is that there is a disparity between the images we see in the media and reality.

I call that being filtered through the heterosexual eye and, right now, we are bringing in an unfiltered perspective from the homosexual eye. At its essence, TSGL is a means for eradicating stereotypes, lifting people up, and showing them for who they are. We recently conducted an interview with openly gay supermodel Jessica Clark from the set of her movie A Perfect Ending. She is an absolutely beautiful model who is very comfortable with her sexuality and has been out since 1993. This is another example of our community being represented.

What was it like growing up in a small town in Texas? Was your family accepting of you coming out as a lesbian?

Texas is a little on the conservative side. I assume it was a little easier for me being a girl because straight men don’t seem to have as much of an issue with lesbians as they do with gay men; but I did grow up in a small conservative town. With that being said, Houston now has its first lesbian mayor, so I do believe that a lot of changes are going to be made and equality will finally prevail. Growing up, I had a fairly solid family who believed that me being gay was just a phase, and that I would get over it. I have a gay older brother, so between us, my parents were able to get some education. I feel very blessed to have them in my life.

Your site has a colorful array of people from the whole spectrum of the gay continuum. Can you tell us about some of the shows that are currently featured on TSGL? We have so many great shows. I want your readers to know that we are taking an active stance on trying to assist in bringing safe and legal access to medical marijuana patients. Eugene Davidovich from the San Diego Chapter of Americans for Safe

Access comes by to update our viewers about pending legislation and what is going on in the medical marijuana community. On top of that, we have a Laotian cooking show called Sticky Rice. We have a talk show called Beyond Beauty, a health and wellness section featuring Dr. Kim Ward, Dr. Hillary Stokes and Dr. Katie Fox, who focuses on ways to better our health. We’re also partnering with Operation Shine America, which is an organization that works with homeless youth within the LGBT community.

Many San Diegans are threatened by the prospect of having medical marijuana facilities near their homes. And with the passing of the city ordinance, most of the collectives will be forced to close their doors. What can we do as a community to aid the medical marijuana community in their struggle against oppression?

If marijuana was viewed like most pharmaceuticals, then I don’t think there would be as much of a struggle within the community. Neighborhoods are not rising up against drug stores that dispense medications, so it doesn’t make sense that there is an opposition against cannabis as an alternative medicine, which has been proven to reduce the risk of cancer and aid in the recovery of those afflicted by the AIDS virus. It is pertinent that we stop this ban because if dispensaries close, we will see an increase in crime coming from the Mexican cartels. There will be more of a demand on the street.

How can the public get involved with TSGL? I encourage all people who have creative talents, who want to be a reporter for gay news, or wish to have their voice heard to contact us at thatssogaylive@gmail.com or friend us on Facebook.

NUGMAG.COM | 79

Is marijuana a part of professional dance culture? I checked in with two likeable, local dance professionals in San Diego to get an inside perspective, and their remarks were thoughtful, thought-provoking and personal. The dancers who were interviewed for this cultural rendezvous are in their 20s and ambitiously committed to their careers. Justin Viernes and “Mr. E” received a shotgun style interview with various questions and inquiries. The point was to see which ones they gravitate to first.

Mr. E shared an equally varied response, revealing the nature of his overall position. Clearly in support of the marijuana movement, he shared, “It seems like some of the best artists I know smoke or have smoked weed. Is it possible that smoking weed grounds you to the vibrational tones of the earth? Maybe it slows things down, so you can stop worrying about the busyness in life and focus more on connecting to the creative channel.” Sharing one’s “initial thoughts” can be interesting, especially when vulnerably doing so on controversial matters. Artists “should” be used for controversy, so I didn’t tiptoe around the tulips; however, Mr. E requested to remain anonymous for reasons that remain a mystery. Trained with an equal emphasis in Ballet and Modern Technique, Mr. E esteems teachers of dance to be the backbone of the industry. Mr. E also teaches in both disciplines, and as for the future, he gleamed as he shared, “I will continue to teach, choreograph and pass on the folklore of dance to a new generation, as it was passed on to me.”

Justin Viernes is the artistic director of Brown Paper Bag Dance Company, which stages Modern Dance, Post Modern, and Contemporary Dance. Justin also dances for San Diego companies such as D’shire Dance Collective, The PGK Project, and The Patricia Rincon Dance Collective. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Justin’s contributions to the dance culture in San Diego are notable. Like staging a philosophical backdrop, he explained, “I respect the opinions and choices of others. My experiences don’t fully influence how I feel about individuals, and I understand that everyone has their own reasons for what they do and choices they make. It makes life interesting and unique.”

Justin’s position on pot got slightly more focused when he shared, “My run-ins with marijuana in the arts field have been frequent for the most part. Frequent enough that I had to really dig deep into my past and recent experiences to get a good handle on things. For the most part, I have mixed emotions on the subject.

I’ve had my fair share of it in my past and I can honestly say that it is not for me. I’ve been witness to usage so bad that one cannot function without it. Since the chemicals do relax the mind and alter perceptions, sending the user into a sort of “high,” it’s no wonder why this is the drug of choice for most artists.” But get this – Justin has not used alcohol or marijuana for five years. I applaud the consistency of his belief system and so should you! There is nothing worse than finding out that someone is not a supporter of the marijuana movement, but they daily booze it up and hit the drink – that’s just a slap in the face.

Justin also spoke on the issue of marijuana, art, and medical marijuana. In a nutshell, he explains, “There’s so much at stake when it comes to marijuana and art. I understand the medical usage and the positive effects it can have in those situations, but more often than not, I see it being abused. It’s sad and I often wonder if I should get myself involved.”

80 | NUGMAG.COM

Mr. E brought up some physical benefits of marijuana use for dancers and their bodies, stating, “As dancers we use it medicinally to relax our aching muscles after a long rehearsal or performance day. I know some dancers that smoke before rehearsal or performances to relax and keep their muscles from tensing up throughout the day. However, the high feeling of performing is transcendent and I don’t like anything to effect that, and the same goes with teaching.”

Mr. E also spoke on the aspect of the actual “creation of art” – something he made sure was differentiated from performing or teaching. He explained, “As for the creation of art, I believe marijuana can be used to enhance an already amazing experience. For me, it clears my mind of the clutter and that ‘monkey mind,’ so I can focus more on the task at hand. I believe in the idea that artists throughout the ages have connected to the same line of knowledge. So, the creation of art is not so much the creation of something new, but a revealing of what is already there. Weed connects you to the earth...it is the Earth. It opens you up to receive messages that you may not be able to hear with a busy human brain.”

Both dancers answered my “so how many dancers do you think use marijuana in the professional dance culture” question. Mr. E gave his “uneducated guess of 25%.” Justin gave his “guesstimate of 60%.” It is very interesting to see that the pro marijuana dancer guesses conservative numbers while the more conservative dancer guesses a more liberal percentage.

Perhaps Mr. E’s marijuana maxim is a great ending to the story – “Some people…marijuana inhibits them.

Some people…marijuana inspires them. Some people…marijuana is a calmer. Some people…marijuana is a distraction. Overall, marijuana is for some people and not others.”

MAY 2011 Events 1.

Roots Fest On Adams At 35th & Felton @ 10am

6.

Weapons of Mass Production Art Show At Industry Showroom @ 7

The Ziggens, Without Papers & Willie Psycho At O’Connells @ 9

M.D.G.O.T. SunDay FunDay Car Show At The Flinn Springs Inn @ 10am

Ghostland Observatory At 4th & B @ 8

The Raveonettes At Belly Up @ 9

Sharon Hazel Township At The Wine Lover @ 7

Despite The Wolves At Brick By Brick @ 8

The Devastators At RT’s Longboard Grill @ 10

Silence Betrayed At Bar Leucadian @ 9

8.

Psydecar At Harrah’s Casino Pool @ 2pm

2.

Sharon Hazel Township At Eleven @ 9

Screamin Yeehaws At The Casbah @ 9

Hemp History Fashion Show At Queen Bees @ 3pm 10.

SD ASA Meeting At La Jolla Brew House @ 7

5.

The Dirty Heads At House of Blues @ 7:30

7.

Tribal Theory Official CD Release Party At Arterra Pool Lounge, Marriott Del Mar @ 12pm

Reggae De Mayo At Belly Up @ 8

Pandemic Art Show At The Roots Factory @ 7

Coheed & Cambria At House of Blues @ 8

Tribal Theory At Lydia’s Café @ 9

Brotha Lynch Hung & C.O.S. At House of Blues @ 8

12.

South Bay ASA Meeting At 1233 Palm Ave, I.B. @ 6

Shoreline Rootz At Belly Up @ 7

Subliminal Trip At RT’s Longboard Grill @ 9

Ocean Beats Festival At Winston’s @ 9

ABLAZE At Lydia’s Café @ 9

13.

Silence Betrayed At The Ruby Room @ 8

18.

Southtown Generals At Belly Up @ 9

28.

East County ASA Meeting At The Press Box, El Cajon @ 2

Ocean Beats Festival At Winston’s @ 8:30

19.

Seedless At Lydia’s Café @ 9

“Remember” Music Marathon At RT’s Longboard Grill @ 4:15

Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular At 4th & B @ 9 Project Out Of Bounds At Bar Leucadian @ 9

21.

Kahi Lofa At Arterra Pool Lounge, Marriott Del Mar @ 12pm

14.

OMBAC Coming Out Party At Mariner’s Point @ 12pm

Stepping Feet (The Dave Matthews Experience) At RT’s Longboard Grill @ 10

Califarians At Arterra Pool Lounge, Marriott Del Mar @ 12pm

26.

The Skatalites At Belly Up @ 9

Beach to Brewery Beer & Music Fest At Karl Strauss (PB) @ 2:30pm

Subliminal Trip At Ocean House Carlsbad @ 9

40 Oz To Freedom At Belly Up @ 9 29.

Kahi Lofa At Harrah’s Casino Pool @ 2pm 31.

North County ASA Meeting At The Fish Joint, Oceanside @ 7 To add your events to our monthly calendar listings send us an email to submit@ nugmag.com.

BOOM FELAZI

& BOOM RX By: Ben G. Rowin

I met up with the guys from BOOM over at the CHAMPS Trade Show and was blown away by some of their stuff, especially the BOOM RX line!

The boys at BOOM sent us a bunch of pipes to review, which included their RX line, and I have to say this is high quality, American-made glass! I just had to take some space to tell you, the NUG readers, about BOOM! The artist known as Boom Felazi first started his glass endeavors in the spring of 1998. Drawing from a general background in different arts ranging from ceramics and sculpture to drawing and music, glass was the next medium for Boom. With no formal training other than a couple of peeks at a popular Bandhu book, he picked his first setup from Hacker Glass in Buena Park, CA. After 6 months of trial and error, his good childhood friend, who was trained in lampworking out of Santa Cruz, stopped by and exposed Boom to a couple of standard techniques. “That was the start of it all,” Boom explained. “Focusing on glass as my career happened within the next 2 years.”

Working in a home studio and providing glass to only a handful of fortunate shops in the Southern California area was the foundation for Boom Felazi. A large local company that produces some pretty popular brands picked up Boom’s production for distribution in 2001 and eventually brought him on for design and prototype from 2006 to 2010. With the opportunity, Boom was able to focus on developing his lathe working skills. Years into it, feeling stifled and ready for more, Boom recognized that leaving the company was the next natural step.

Having taken only one formal class with the Living Glass Works studio in April of ‘08, Boom takes pride in being mainly self-taught in his explorations 84 | NUGMAG.COM

of glass. “I think it’s time. I’m ready to expose myself and my art now,” he stated.

“I plan on taking more classes and workin’ on collabin’ with others this year.”

Teaming up with KD Glass in July of last year, they’ve created a spacious pro shop with the intention of providing a clean and inviting workspace for collaborations in the Southern California area. The new Boom Felazi line of tubes is in its first year of design and production, and it is proving to be a new contender in this increasingly competitive marketplace. “I’m really happy with the new line.

I think it will allow the company to grow and give me opportunities to work on more intense applications,” said Boom. “My focus artistically will be to combine hand and lathe techniques that will hopefully inspire.”

Now with a solid team consisting of friends and family, Boom Felazi will be able to push into the ever expansive world of glass with the confidence and ability he needs to succeed.

On to the review of the RX line….

First off all, the BOOM pieces we received are super sick, thick, heady, and American-made glass, but the RX line was exceptional! Each RX set comes with your choice of Tube, a Flower Bowl, a Concentrate Bowl, a Concentrate Wand, a Bell Bowl, a Flower Taster Straight Pipe, and a jar! Whew… that’s a lot of stuff! We tried it ALL and everything was superbly made and worked great! I strongly suggest the RX line for every patient. You can see more BOOM pieces at: www.boomfelazi.com BOOM is available at the following locations: -Vishions -Outer Limits in Oceanside -Inner Limits in San Clemente -Puff N’ Stuff in San Diego -Smokies in Santa Ana -One Stop in Huntington Beach -Rickwickeds in Long Beach -Empire in Vacaville -Rock Zone in Gilroy -Paramount Imports in San Jose -Pipeline in Santa Cruz -Heads Up Tahoe in Tahoe -And many more locations all over Southern California!

Product Reviews By: Ben G. Rowin

420•LTD

Another apparel company that sent in some products for review is 420•LTD. They have some real cool ‘represent your strain’ designs and dozens of others. My favorite out of the pack was the “Make Hash NOT War” shirt. While talking with the owner, he opened up about how he used to think that the only reason people smoked marijuana was to get high. After working for a delivery service and meeting patients, his opinion changed. He quickly learned that marijuana provided relief for people suffering from cancer, HIV, and other ailments. Being able to help someone that was in need really touched him, and he became a firm supporter and believer in marijuana and its benefits, which is the foundation behind 420•LTD. It is a clothing company for smokers, patients, fans, growers, and more! Everyone has their favorite strains like purples, diesels, kushes, etc…

ZANG! –The Original PIPEMUG OK, so when I ran into the guys of ZANG Products at the CHAMPS Trade Show in Las Vegas, I was pumped! A coffee mug/pipe! I’m ALL about the “Hippie Speedball”! Coffee with a fat bowl is my favorite weekend wake and bake, so I was stoked when the guys sent us a box of them to review. That weekend, a few of the crew and I brewed a pot of strong coffee, packed up our ZANGs and tried them ALL! I was really surprised by how well they worked; nice draw on the bowl, airtight, really cool! These are priceless, functional pieces of art! Each piece is handmade in the U.S. with organic ceramic materials, and they are microwave/ dishwasher safe. If you like a beverage with your bowl OR a bowl with your beverage, check them out online at: www.zangproducts.com 86 | NUGMAG.COM

420•LTD is a way for them to “Represent Your Strain.” The 420 stands for the CA state bill that allows people to smoke marijuana. The LTD stands for the fact that most of their shirts will be a limited run of 420 pieces. Check them out online at: www.420ltd.com

OG Dankster Ware

We got a nice package from the crew at OG Dankster Ware.

Again, we love to see local entrepreneurs doing their thing, and the owner Mark Robins is doing just that! Mark was a horse jockey for over 30 years and has the coolest stories about riding at some of the most iconic race tracks in the country. After retiring from racing, he decided to start a company that designs 420 friendly bud characters similar to the old California Raisins.

On January 1, 2010, this became a reality for Mark with the two characters Happy Hippy and Biggy Bud. Getting started by selling shirts out of his car and really hustling, he had over 10 designs by the summer and continued to grow. By October, he opened up his first store, and now it carries not only the shirts, but jars, stash tins, rolling plates, coasters and more! OG Dankster Ware also offers graphic design for wholesale accounts, including collectives, hydro shops, smoke shops and more. The store is located at 1922 B. South Coast Highway in Oceanside, and you can learn more about them at: www.ogdanksterware.com

NUGMAG.COM | 87

NUG/Cheba Hut 4/20 Event Photos By Ben G. Rowin

Subliminal Trip

Mean Dinosaur

88 | NUGMAG.COM

NUGMAG.COM | 91

ASTROLIGICAL PERSONALITY OF TAURUS – THE BULL RULING PLANET – VENUS This sign starts off with our favorite day of the year! 420 is celebrated by our culture of smokers all over the world. No wonder our Taurus friends just can’t help themselves.

Followed closely by Earth Day, our grounded zodiac sign has a party all month long. Never wanting it to end, our Taurus is always up for the traditional Easter Dinner with family and friends. Just when our Taurus thought the month was winding down and he could kick back for awhile, up pops Mother’s Day to keep the party going.

By. Zodiac Mama

April 20 - May 20 Lucky Numbers 3, 12, 24, 32, 36, 44

NUG Astrology The Taurus Female

The Taurus female is a radiant sign that attracts relationships. As she is ruled by the planet Venus, this gives her the appreciation of beauty and a great sense of style. The attractive Taurus woman dresses well. She knows how to buy within a budget and gets the most out of what she spends.

The Taurus female knows how to make a living.

She has a strong business sense. She is practical and worldly. She has the kind of strength, courage and stamina that will take her anywhere. She is attracted to individuals that follow through on their promises. She is a “show me” kind of girl.

Talk without action is meaningless to her. The Taurus female is quick to spot a fraud; she responds instinctively to sincerity in others. She relies on her emotions. In a relationship, weakwilled individuals don’t attract her! She wants someone dependable who will stand by her. Be gentle, reasonable, and generous and she will love you. She is extremely loyal and loving. The Taurus female is the Earth’s Mother! A real 420 kind of gal. Her garden will expand and flourish.

She knows how to enrich what is around her.

The Taurus Male

The Taurus male is a teddy bear with the strength of a tycoon. He is strong, steadfast, sincere and practical in his approach to all of his undertakings. Those who are close to him know they can depend on him in any situation.

The Taurus male is organized and has such a fine sense of priorities. He could easily run his own business. Patience is his strength; however, the Taurus man will act swiftly when his livelihood or family is threatened. He is a protector. He appreciates stability. His focus on his career can be nicely balanced with a calm home life. A fairly plump bank account, a fine partner, a hearty meal that he will gladly cook is his idea of life’s meaning! On a date, he will show you a marvelous time. You won’t need to pretend to be someone other than yourself. He is a real man in a real world. He enjoys good food and drinks. The Taurus man can be a great chef in the kitchen. He knows the best recipes and is quite the connoisseur when it comes to whipping up a three course meal of your favorite edible delights. Bon Appetite!

Compatible Signs: Cancer, Virgo, Libra, Capricorn, Pisces