NUG Magazine Issue 08

PUBLISHER’SLETTER MAY 2010 VOL. 2 ISSUE #5 NUG Magazine Staff: Publisher: Ben G. Rowin

Associate Publisher: Brandon Lee Editor: Dion Markgraaff Associate Editor: M.J. Smith Administrative Assistant: Gio Blitz Copy Editor: Hashley Proofreader: Joan Douglass, J.D. Events Editor: Cletus “KRON” Greathouse Music Editor: Ras Mike Photographers: William West, Courtney Pakalolo, Gio Blitz Calendar Editor: Courtney Pakalolo Videographer: Chris Gabriel Contributors: “The Guru”, Dion Markgraaff, Kim Twolan, Darcy Stoddard, Terrie Best, Eugene Davidovich, James Dean Stacy, Colby Benham, Ava Madison, Scott Whytsell, Amelia Amore, Marc Emmelmann, Gerald Singleton, Dannabis Ruderalis, Hal Slater, Pamela Jayne, Deborah Malka MD, J.D. Smith, Lance Rogers, Erica Marie Santana, Goldi Schiffner, Melissa Balin, Brenda Kershenbaum Green Reefer Comic by. Joshua Boulet Sales Director: Ben G. Rowin Advertising Sales Reps: Dion Markgraaff, Cletus Greathouse, Eugene Davidovich, Brom Richey, James Dean Stacy, Myles Liddle

So May is here and spring has sprung! We at NUG have been super busy and just got back from the THC Expose in Los Angeles. There is a great layout in this issue for those of you who missed the event.

Look for a huge product review in the June issue for all of the cool products I found at the Expose!

Of course, we had to honor the Hemporer, Jack Herer, in this issue. As most of you know we lost a true warrior for the hemp and cannabis movement.

Jack’s book “The Emperor Wears No Clothes” is an inspiration to all who have read it! It is with a heavy heart that we must keep up with everything we are doing because that is what Jack would have wanted us all to do. His tireless efforts for the movement will not likely ever be matched, and his shoes are much too big for any one person to fill! But together we can continue pushing on and make him proud! Rest in Peace JACK!!!

Our cover image is from Cliff Maynard, an artist that we covered in the very first issue of NUG magazine for his amazing work using only roach papers.

Cliff was gracious enough to give us permission to use his magnificent Jack Herer piece as our cover.

Please check out more of his outstanding art and order some prints for yourself at www.chronic-art.com.

May is also Mother’s Day, so we could not forget to address the women in our lives. Our editor has written a great piece on Women in the Movement and one of our patient profiles this month is on Wendy Christakes, who has been fighting it out on the front lines in San Diego for years.

On a personal note, since it is Mother’s Day this month, I wanted to take some space to thank my own mother for all of her support over the years, putting up with the clouds of smoke coming from my room while growing up and being an inspiration to go after anything I aspired to be! I love you mama bear! Also, to my beautiful wife, thank you for being the mom that you are to our little one and for being the rock that keeps me grounded. Let’s all remember this month to acknowledge the amazing women we are blessed to have in our lives.

Stay up to date by logging on to www.nugmag.com and see all the additional photos and videos from the past month.

-Ben G. Rowin

Art Director: Ian Rie Finance Manager: M.J. Smith

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. 2010

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COVER IMAGE: CLIFF MAYNARD | CHRONIC-ART.COM

10

CONTENTS

\\:NUG TIMES

15

\\:MAKING CENTS

17

\\:ACTIVISM

20

\\:WOMEN IN THE MOVEMENT

26

\\:PATIENT PROFILE

34

\\:JACK HERER STORY

39

65

43

66

\\:LEGAL

\\:AMSTERDAM

50

\\:SCIENCE&HEALTH

52

\\:COOKING W/ KIM

57

\\:GROW

61

\\:CHRONISSEUR

\\:LADIES CHOICE MUSIC

\\:STONE SENSES

70

\\:STONED RED ADDICTS

73

\\:JACK HERER TRIBUTE

76

\\:PERFORMING ARTS

80

\\:TRAVEL

then after Riedel applied in July 2009 for a building permit for interior walls and a bathroom accessible to the handicapped. He was open about his plans for the property from the start, he said, informing officials that it was a medical marijuana dispensary.

He even went so far as to invite the local sheriff’s department to tour the premises which includes a waiting room furnished with a couch and chairs, art on the walls, and shelves stocked with products produced by the dispensary including cannabinoid lotions that are rubbed into the skin to ease pain from illnesses such as arthritis.

Adjacent to the lobby is a small room where members can benefit from discounted massages.

Mother Earth Fallbrook Update By: J.D. Smith

“We did everything by the book,” said owner Bob Riedel, as he wandered the rooms that house Mother Earth Alternative Healing Cooperative, Inc., Fallbrook’s first and only licensed medical marijuana dispensary. The not-for-profit co-op was state registered when it opened last summer. It had a resale license. It was even granted membership in the city’s Chamber of Commerce and allowed to take part in the community’s annual Christmas parade.

But on Feb. 5, Mother Earth was forced to close when it was served an order “to cease and desist” after months of red tape and wrangling with the County’s building department. “We have not moved and we are working with the county, but we will not break the law or, in this case, a court order,” said Riedel.

The story of Mother Earth and its nearly 1,000 members - 80 percent of whom are between the ages of 50 and 80 - is not just another sad chapter in the history of medical marijuana in the state.

It’s also a convoluted tale with more twists than a tightly rolled spliff.

Ever since California voters legalized pot for medical use when they passed Proposition 215, better known as the Compassionate Use Act, the county of San Diego has proved far from compassionate in the all-out war it appears to be waging against medical dispensaries. Even though medical marijuana co-ops are registered under the state’s Food and Agricultural Code and legal under California law, several San Diego marijuana clinics have been raided and shut down by federal and local law enforcement officers over the years. As recently as last September, nine medical marijuana dispensaries were closed down, including three in North County.

But Mother Earth, which opened last June and occupies a former motorcycle shop at 434 Mission Avenue on the edge of downtown Fallbrook, was not hit in that raid. Its troubles began well before

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There is even an instructional classroom where free marijuana cooking classes are held for members who want the benefits of marijuana without having to smoke it, as well as free hydroponic marijuana growing classes. The marijuana dispensed by the co-op is grown by members for their own use. What they can’t use is donated to the dispensary, Riedel explained, and the dispensary in turn sells or donates the surplus pot to patients who can’t or don’t want to grow their own. Nearly a third of Mother Earth’s members are diagnosed as terminally ill. Many more suffer from illnesses ranging from cancer and the effects of chemotherapy, AIDS, anorexia, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, migraines, and more.

Then in August – two weeks after Riedel first visited the building department – he was informed that the county had enacted an emergency ban on any new medical marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated areas, which includes Fallbrook, and his request for a building permit could not be processed. Riedel, however, had already proceeded with his remodel. That’s when he was told by a building inspector that if he reduced the height of his interior walls to six feet, he wouldn’t need a permit at all.

“But we couldn’t lower the walls,” said Riedel, who was bewildered by the county’s requirement. “For one thing, the bathroom would have no privacy and also, we were trying to create an environment for safe access and (reducing the height) wouldn’t have allowed that.” So, Riedel didn’t make the changes and on September 28, he received his first letter of warning from the building department. Another arrived in the mail on October 9. Finally, when the corrections to the walls weren’t completed by the department’s November 9 deadline, three days later Riedel was issued a $100 fine. Shortly after that he filed an appeal.

A hearing was held in January, when a county administrative “pro tem” judge denied the appeal based, in part, on the emergency ordinance and also that Riedel had proceeded with his remodel without a permit. Riedel’s attorneys argued that the ban on new medical marijuana clinics should not have been applied retroactively to Mother Earth, since it had opened nearly two months prior to the ban and because the moratorium did not include verbiage stating that it is retroactive.

Gil Conaughton, the county land use and planning spokesman, was reported as saying after the hearing that Riedel told code enforcement officials he was selling pot at the shop and that is why the county then issued the cease and desist order.

Riedel maintains that he was open from the outset about the purpose of his collective. “They knew from the moment I applied for a permit,” he said.

Although now reopened, Mother Earth’s story may be far from over. It was the talk of the town of Fallbrook, where the dispensary’s closure ranked as third “most commented” on the local Village News website. And during the time Mother Earth was shut down, one of its patients blogged that, “As a medicinal user, I am very saddened. Now I have to resort to buying off the street or driving into downtown San Diego to obtain my medicine.”

Gail Martin, Fallbrook’s Honorary Mayor and outspoken supporter of the co-op, believes the community needs to become “better informed” about the issues of medical marijuana and is attempting to organize a Town Hall meeting.

Dwayne Stein, one of Riedel’s attorneys, declined to comment other than to confirm that “an appeal is pending.”

No One is Safe from Drug War Tactics:

“Murder at Trail’s End Ranch; The Donald Scott Story” By: Lance Rogers, Esq.

The following true story is based on the Ventura County District Attorney’s official report concerning the death of millionaire Donald Scott during a marijuana raid in 1992.

Donald (age 61) and Frances lived on a 200 acre ranch in Malibu, California known as the “Trail’s End Ranch.” Both were eccentric nature lovers. Donald carried an antique chrome-plated six-shooter with him whenever he and Frances hiked the nearby mountains. He liked to entertain his friends with his patented quick draw routine.

Sometime in September of 1992, members of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department allege that an anonymous informant told them Donald was growing 3,000 marijuana plants on the property. Curiously, this “informant” has never come forward. Some people believe there was never any informant at all. Rather, many speculate that the real motive for the investigation and raid of Donald Scott was the legal process known as “Asset Forfeiture” under the state and federal drug laws. Under that authority, the government can take property that it believes to be associated with illegal drug activity. Skeptics believe that the City of Los Angeles or federal government may have had their eyes on the Trail’s End Ranch, prime real estate situated at the base of the San Bernardino hills.

Whatever the motive, in the early morning hours of October 2, 1992, a force of 31 state and federal officers cut the padlock on the front gate and descended on the quiet ranch.

Officers presumably rounded up and muzzled the couple’s Rottweiler dogs. To this day, Frances believes the agents split open the head of one of the dogs because it was trying to protect them. Of course, no one will ever know because the offending Border Patrol agent is immune from further investigation.

According to police reports, the agents banged on the door and yelled out “Sheriff’s Department! We have a search warrant! Open the door!” According to Frances, she never heard knocking at the door or anyone yell out. Instead, she woke up to a man’s face at the front door yelling, “Let me go first.”

And then all hell broke loose.

Surprisingly, the police account of the shooting and Frances’ version are fairly consistent. Upon hearing Frances’ cries for help, Donald entered the living room holding his six-shooter up in the air. He called out, “Frances, are you all right?” At that point, two officers fired at Donald from 8-10 feet away.

Donald flinched backward, dropped to his knees and fell forward. As he fell, he said something to the effect of “You got me” or “Oh God, you shot me.” Blood poured from his chest.

After the shooting, law enforcement scoured the property for evidence of marijuana cultivation. No marijuana was found growing and no evidence was found to indicate that marijuana had ever been grown or cultivated on the property.

The DA’s own investigation of the shooting concluded that “forfeiture was at least one of the motivating factors for obtaining and serving the search warrant.” In other words, the possibility of taking Donald’s land from him was at least part of the officers’ motivation for the raid. The report went on to state “there is no question that the property here would be a valuable addition to the National Recreation Area.” The DA’s report is available at http://www.outpost-of-freedom. com/scott.htm Frances and Donald’s four children filed a $100 million lawsuit against the county and federal government. The case dragged on for more than 8 years before it was settled out of court for $5 million.

Lance Rogers is a Marijuana Defense Attorney and proud member of ASA and NORML. This information is not provided in the course of an attorney-client relationship and is not intended to constitute legal advice.

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Making Cents of Prisons By: James Stacy

Making Cents Making Cents of Prohibition By: Ava Madison

Cannabis has been used for thousands of years for food, medicine, fuel, fiber, paper, and more. Cannabis is an annually renewable plant, meaning it’s selfsustaining. If there was no prohibition, prices would drop dramatically! In 1916 & 1917, there were breakthroughs in hemp cultivation and harvesting technologies that would save time, save money, be good for the environment, and increase productivity. However, a couple of private-industry owners in timber (Hearst), oil and coal (DuPont), believed hemp and cannabis would be DISASTROUS to business. Furthermore, Anslinger, who headed then what is now the DEA, and was a nephew of DuPont’s banker, spread lies based on racism, fear, and ignorance to Congress to further self-interests, which were complimented by Hearst’s newspaper and media coverage.*

One of the biggest problems with the war on medical marijuana is the fact that our prison system is privately owned. Prisons are now a profit center for big business and they need to fill them up to stay in the black. To keep costs low and profits high, they need to find prisoners who they can keep for a long time, who do not break the rules. Enter the state’s law abiding medical marijuana patient. With the outrageous mandatory minimums set for drug offenders they can raid medical marijuana patients, disregard the state law and create instant profit for their big business. To insure that the DA and police play along, they have seizure laws. This is the best part for law enforcement. Did you know that 30 days after they arrest you they can keep any cash that they have seized? It does not matter that you have not been to court yet. They can take everything that you have and sell it and they get to keep the money.

Here in San Diego they have found the solution around these pesky state laws by cross swearing the NTF (Narcotics Task Force). This way they can arrest people who are following the state laws that the NTF are hired to uphold by simply saying they are in violation of federal law. By having the people who they arrest take plea deals, they make even more money. If they have them sign a paper that lists them as a drug offender or gang member, the federal government pays them bonus money. This is money that they can spend on anything they want and do not have to tell the people of San Diego what they spend it on.

So, what can we do? The first thing that we must do is demand that the prison system be run by the state and not private corporations. The next thing we can do is support HR 3939 the Truth in Trials Act. This will give a defense to medical marijuana patients in federal court. We must stop our government from hiring private companies to do the things that they tax us for. The system that we are in now is only good for the companies that they hire and hurts the rest of the country.

“Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself.” - President Jimmy Carter August 2nd, 1977

Just as lawmakers and legislators of today try to keep the populace in the dark on certain subjects with secret meetings, late announcements, and location changes, so did the prohibitionists of 1937. American Medical Association (AMA) doctors realized just two days before a 1937 hearing, that the plant Congress intended to outlaw was known medically as cannabis, the benign substance used in America with perfect safety for over one hundred years. When the Physician at the hearing asked why the meeting was prepared in secret, Anslinger and the committee had him curtly excused. When the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 was voted on, it was asked if the AMA was consulted. Rep Vinson replied quickly that they were and that they are in “complete agreement.”* *Remembering Jack Herer* Get more information about the marijuana conspiracy by picking up the world’s most recognized cannabis & hemp reform book “The Emperor Wears No Clothes,” whose author Jack Herer is one of the most celebrated marijuana activists in history. Jack passed away in April (June 18, 1939 – April 15, 2010). Honor Jack by picking up his book and aiding in ending marijuana prohibition, like Jack would love to see.

Approximately 50% of all drug enforcement money, federal & state, during the last 70 years has been directed toward marijuana!

Since 1937, marijuana prohibition has led to the arrest of over 20 million Americans.

In 2007, there were 872,720 arrests - 90% for possession alone.

Someone is arrested for a marijuana offense every 36 seconds.

Despite the dangers that come with marijuana prohibition, more than 97 million, over half of all Americans, have admitted to using marijuana - including the President!

NUGMAG.COM | 15

The Invisible Majority Even though the tunnel is long and filled with diversions there is still a light at the end. The journey that has shown me the true nature of the Prohibitionist has also shown me many wonderful allies. In October 2009 when I committed to being an activist I anticipated losing 40% of my business. (56% vote approval of prop 215 = 40% disapproval= 40% job loss).

THIS DID NOT HAPPEN! I have been open with Aerospace companies and soccer moms, Corporate CEOs and city workers; all from outside the MMJ community. People who do not even use cannabis (I think)! The worst reaction was abject neutral apathy. “That’s nice, but can you fix my mail server?” My mother, the lifelong Republican and devoted “illegal drug” hater, has seen what I am doing. Her response floored me and brought tears to my eyes. She reminded me of the arguments over cannabis we had when I was a teenager. She would say it was against the law, I would say it is harmless and the law is stupid...

Her response, which she needed to remind me of, “I always told you that if you did not like the laws then change them, and son, that looks like exactly what you are doing.” This conversation took place in 2010 and was the first time I mentioned my activism, let alone my arrest in 2004, to mom. As tough as that conversation was, the anticipation and dread were far worse.

The same was true with my non MMJ clients. Frequently I hear that my passion, my activism, is supported by others, if I could just not mention their name...

Right there. Did you see that? That is the fear! THAT is the ENEMY! It’s like going to the beach when we were kids. You see someone out in the six foot surf.

You watch as the waves crash over them, but they are still there when the water recedes. It must be safe to go into the 2 foot waves. That is kind of fun, so then you try the 3 foot waves. Even better but you still check to make sure the guy in the six foot surf is still there. He is, so you feel safe, and you enjoy the waves. If that guy was not there, if anything happened to him, you would not go back to the 2 foot waves, you would leave the water. The reality is that there is not just one person in the six foot surf, there are many in San Diego alone! Some have gone far beyond the 6 foot waves and THEY are still there also. Even in San Diego, the MMJ community is filled with typical representations of regular citizens. What could be scarier to a prohibitionist? We look like they look, dress like they dress, talk like they talk. We live right next door to you. We are the invisible majority and our discontent is growing.

For over 20 years I wore a mask, lived a dual identity, a split personality. The cannabis connoisseur to a select few and a clean cut corporate IT geek to everyone else. I hid my consumption from almost NUGMAG.COM | 17

everyone I interacted with. How many people smoke just to hide the smell of cannabis? A little secret the tobacco companies do not want you to know, but it is one reason for them to back prohibition. For 5 years I grew my own cannabis, and my personality split worsened. Only a handful of people knew the real Dan, Dannabis. Everyone else got the mask. People may not know what is behind the mask but they are smart enough to see the mask.

This distance kept me from establishing relationships with anyone that was not a cannabis user, and even then I was paranoid (rightly so) of whom I could really trust.

This isolation and fear is the planned, designed, and implemented strategy of the prohibitionist.

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But is it really working? Look at all the people in the BIG surf...

I am still here, aren’t I? And far better than just survival, we have achieved victories. With Jovan Jackson’s case the jury reported that they couldn’t convict since the law was unclear. To me that suggests an inclination to convict if the law was not so vague. But with Eugene Davidovich’s case the jury response was overwhelmingly clear. “We believe in you young man. What happened to you was terrible.” No ambiguity with the law, just a shameful abuse of it.

So come get your feet wet.

Pay attention to the sources of Cannabis news.

San Diego Americans for Safe Access.

www.safeaccesssd.org www.safeaccessnow.org

Meet others like you at meetings or online - http://www.meetup.com/ safeaccesssd has many good resources and will help to keep you up to date. If you would rather focus on

friendships than activism partnerships then check out: www.meetup.com/SanDiegoCannabisFellowship

And for goodness sakes pick up a Nug Magazine, they are everywhere, even 7-11’s.

Also, remember to do whatever is necessary to make sure you feel safe. Use a fake name, I do (kind of), don’t share more than what you are comfortable with, and let people know what your boundaries are. We understand. We really do.

We are neither blind nor ignorant to the stigmas, both real and perceived, that many people face. So keep an eye on those of us that are in the BIG waves. If the time comes to get out of the water then you will know by what happens to us.

How can we help you? How can we help you help us? How can we help you help us help you?

My mom’s son, Dannabis Ruderalis Proactivism Computer Connections San Diego Americans for Safe Access

Women of the California Cannabis Revolution By: Dion Markgraaff

Women have always played a huge and underreported role in all revolutions, with classic examples in the Paris Commune (1871), Russian (1917), and now with revolutionary changing policies with cannabis.

NUG Magazine recognizes some of the major women advocates fighting for everyone’s rights here in California.

Valerie Corral

Valerie Corral is a patient who, along with her husband Mike, founded the apex of compassion in California, WAMM - Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana. She is such a leader that she was fighting for medical cannabis and winning in court years before the Compassionate Use Act became law.

has been the leader of this vital group which has fought for our medical cannabis rights.

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is the largest national member-based organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists, and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research. ASA works to overcome political and legal barriers by creating policies that improve access to medical cannabis for patients and researchers through legislation, education, litigation, grassroots actions, advocacy, and services for patients and their caregivers. ASA has over 30,000 active members, with chapters and affiliates in more than 40 states.

In 1993, Valerie became the first person to successfully argue a medical necessity defense for cannabis use in California. She then helped to pass Measure A, the Santa Cruz County precursor to the statewide Prop 215, calling for the non-prosecution of medical marijuana patients.

What is most unique about their collective is that they GIVE AWAY the medicine. In a July 1997 New York Times article, Valerie was referred to as “the Florence Nightingale and Johnny Appleseed of medical marijuana rolled into one,” and in Santa Cruz, California, Valerie Corral is considered a hero.

Along with the other members of WAMM, Valerie and Mike do research on different strains of cannabis and supply free (or by donation) high quality, organically grown medicine to seriously ill patients who qualify for the collective. WAMM serves a couple hundred members who suffer from terminal (85%) and chronic illnesses.

In September 2002, the DEA raided the Corrals’ home. This crisis prompted the city and county of Santa Cruz to join with WAMM in suing the federal government over the raids. With the Raich v. Ashcroft decision having established that the federal government does not have jurisdiction to interfere with medical marijuana patients and caregivers like the Corrals, they got a preliminary injunction protecting them from any future raids or arrests.

Through Valerie and Michael Corral and other members of WAMM, all of the people of California were represented well against the efforts of the federal government, with whom the Corrals recently reached a settlement of their lawsuit.

Steph Sherer

Steph Sherer is the Executive Director for Americans for Safe Access, the most effective organization in the medical cannabis movement. She 20 | NUGMAG.COM

Steph Sherer being arrested at a protest.

Medical cannabis patients and Steph Sherer founded ASA in 2002 in response to federal raids on patients in California. Ever since then, ASA has been instrumental in shaping the political and legal landscape of medical cannabis. Our successful lobbying, media, and legal campaigns led to positive court precedents, new sentencing standards, more compassionate legislative and administrative policies and procedures, and new legislation.

ASA protects the rights of cannabis patients and is working to change federal policy for patients.

Before ASA, Steph lived in San Diego and was the key local organizer for the global justice movement, for which she was nationally recognized as leading local activist efforts to challenge the biotechnology industry, the Free Trade Agreement for the Americas negotiations, and the World Trade Organization ministerial.

Mikki Norris

Mikki Norris is one of the world’s foremost activists and has traveled the globe to fight for justice. She and her husband, Chris Conrad, are the publishers of the West Coast Leaf newspaper. These two are cannabis’ most dynamic duo.

Mikki’s bio is a book itself, filled with numerous accomplishments year after year.

The number one Cannabis’ dynamic duo Mikki Norris and partner Chris Conrad at the THC Expo in Los Angles.

Mikki obtained a BA degree in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1974; and a Master’s Degree in Special Education along with teaching credentials in multiple subjects including working with the communication-handicapped from the California State University, Los Angeles in 1979.

She is a former teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles Community College.

Mikki Norris has been an activist for drug policy reform since 1989 when she formed the American Hemp Council with her husband, Chris Conrad. In 1993, the couple moved to Amsterdam to design exhibits for and curate the Hash Marijuana Hemp Museum, which is where I met them. As community action co-coordinator for Californians for Medical Rights, Mikki helped organize petitions to qualify the medical marijuana initiative (Prop.

215) for the 1996 California ballot.

In 1995, shortly after moving to the San Francisco Bay area, Mikki decided to take on broader Drug War issues and felt compelled to put a human face on its prisoners’ and their families’ plights through the creation and development, with her husband and Virginia Resner, of the photo exhibit project Human Rights and the Drug War. The exhibit debuted on the 50th anniversary of the UN to bring attention to USA human rights violations in the name of the Drug War, and it has since been shown in various forms at events, conferences, universities, government buildings, and libraries throughout the USA and Europe. The three co-authored the book, Shattered Lives: Portraits from America’s Drug War, which is based on their photo exhibit, Human Rights and the Drug War (www.hr95.org).

Mikki is also the director of the Cannabis Consumers Campaign which focuses on dispelling the negative myths and stereotypes associated with cannabis use, upgrading the image of marijuana users, ending discrimination and advocating for equal rights by encouraging people “to come out of the cannabis closet,” and promoting “pot pride” (www. cannabisconsumers.org).

Also, Chris Conrad would not be the best activist in the cannabis world without the constant support of Mikki.

Debbie Goldsberry, pictured here on the right, is a California and Global Cannabis Revolutionary leader.

Debbie Goldsberry

Debbie Goldsberry is the founder of the Cannabis Action Network and is the director of the best dispensary in the state of California - Berkeley Patients Group. In addition, she is the co-founder of ASA. Debbie has been at the forefront of the medical cannabis movement, being a steady and unifying force. From unionizing her local Berkley dispensaries, to helping for years with the High Times Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam, Debbie has been there for many people in the cannabis movement.

Since 1989, Cannabis Action Network (CAN) has educated the general public about the beneficial uses of cannabis. They also reach out to medical and personal cannabis users to empower them to protect their rights and safety. Their strategies focus on grassroots education and outreach projects, using web-based tools, literature distribution, public events like trainings and conferences, and other forms of communication. They promote a good neighbor and sensible cannabis use campaign, and teach people about their constitutional and juror rights.

Through Debbie, Berkeley Patients Group is the best dispensary in the state of California and a “national model” (even their city council said so). This is because of the high quality standards they have placed on themselves and the leadership they provide to the entire industry in every aspect of operation. From security, top meds, and the most relaxing medication area, this collective is constantly educating and serving the interests of their patient members.

The BPG 8,500 member collective has been serving society for over 10 years and gives away about $300,000 a year to organizations like the Center for Early Intervention on Deafness across the street, summer lunches to kids at the San Pablo Park recreation center, the downtown YMCA, homeless organizations, the school-lunch program at Malcolm X Elementary School and others.

Debbie and the dispensary she runs are so well respected in her own community, the Berkeley City Council unanimously voted to proclaim October 31, 2009 “Berkeley Patients Group Day”.

NUGMAG.COM | 21

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Cannabis is medical care: Erica Marie Santana shares stories of women in need Someone smells like Marijuana!

I’m very proud to be employed by a doctor who supports and evaluates patients for medical cannabis recommendations. As a cardholder myself, I’m well aware of the thoughts and feelings of the opposing side. I have received a lot of the negative feedback that my own family and friends have held over my head. I was raised in a household where my afterthought is to respect cannabis as a medicine. I’ve always wanted to share that with people but society taught me to be ashamed of that “silly nonsense”.

It was my first day at my new job. This woman comes in and you can just tell she was having the worst day of her life. It hurt me to witness her story and the discrimination she went through. Recalling that day with her was emotional. . .

She just got done taking her daily relief medicine and went for a walk on the beach. The phone startled her with its loud ring. The number was from back home and was a number not saved in her phone book, so she just knew this couldn’t be good news. “Honey, your father died this morning . . . are you there?” “I’ll take the first flight out,” she replied.

Walking back home she felt like she went deaf, looked around and everything was moving in slow motion.

She was only three blocks away from home but it took her over an hour to get to the front door. Her anxiety about flying started weighing in. Here comes the film strip of stress that you just can’t stop. Short movies on how everything will go wrong. Book a flight, rent a car, pack clothes, stop at the doctor’s and get a prescription, go to the drugstore and pick up the prescription . . . oh, and find a ride to the airport. Somehow she found just enough strength and made all her travel arrangements.

Pointless actions, and no time to stop and think. With a blink of an eye she was in the parking lot at the doctor’s office. Before she could get out of the car, well it hit her - “my Dad died.” Tears began to gather and her eyes could not keep them from falling. Like an infinity pool, they rolled right off and down her face.

Disillusioned and obviously completely overwhelmed by the events of the day, she stumbled through the door. She doesn’t really remember how she came across that day while explaining her issues - emergency flight, her father’s passing, and the urgency of her time limit. And yet, the biggest worry of them all was that she couldn’t fly with her medication and there was no way she would be able to eat for the two weeks she’d be gone. She smokes cannabis to help

her appetite. In place, she received a prescription for Marinol, which is a synthetic THC that relieves nausea, vomiting, and helps with loss of appetite. It comes in a pill form.

She started to feel a little better, at least about how the day was going. The drugstore was taking forever, but they were not busy at all. Thinking something could be wrong, she walked back up to the pharmacist and asked him why it was taking so long. He began to tell her that the form was not on a legal prescription paper and they cannot fill it. She was so upset with the doctor’s office, of course, she called them right away and began to yell.

Once my manager had the pharmacist on the line, he was immediately being rude. He didn’t know how to answer her first question, “Why wouldn’t you call the telephone number provided on the sheet, so I could just confirm the doctor prescription and that she is our patient?” The pharmacist began to explain that the customer smelled like she’d been smoking marijuana. We were completely disgusted with this pharmacist and felt really bad for our patient. We knew everything she had gone through that day already. This guy was making his personal judgment on this woman and taking it to a level of withholding her medicine, a medicine she had every right to receive. I told the pharmacist, “Either way that has nothing to do with her Marinol prescription. For your information, she is a woman who holds a legal medical cannabis recommendation that gives her the right to possess, grow, and smell like marijuana!” Unfortunately, at this point he was just wasting our time.

Upset, but realizing our patient comes first, we suggested she go to a different pharmacy. The woman went down the street to the same drugstore chain and had no problems filling her prescription, and then she was off to her father’s funeral.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but there is no reason to make a person feel ashamed for smelling like their medicine. I just wonder if she had gone in there smelling like alcohol or cigarettes if he would have treated her with the same disrespect.

Rose Terry Rose Terry is a woman who has lived in a convalescent home in El Cajon for over fifteen years, existing with stomach cancer, diabetes, and being blind in one eye. Slowly dying, alone and in so much pain, she was just waiting for her time of suffering to pass. Rose has no family left. She had a son once but he passed away a long time ago, we think from a car accident. Her family is the nurses, caregivers, and volunteers who offer their happy services to enrich these sick people’s life.

My grandmother has been in the same convalescent home for the past eight years. Rose has been her roommate for about the last five. Just recently, within the last few months, both my grandmother and Rose have had a decline in their health. Although they have different health problems, they are both dealing with a slow process of death. My mother and I are the only visitors that come in and see Rose and spend time with her.

She still has some ability to speak, unlike my grandmother. We always joke with the nurses that every time we leave we say, “see you next week Rose,” and how she always responds with, “if I’m still alive”; and about how, when we would walk in and say good morning to her and ask her how she’s doing, she never failed to respond with, “I’m dying.”

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CONT...

For almost four months now, about twice a week, we have gone in and visited the facility. In the beginning, we would go and spend hours at a time there hanging out to listen to volunteers come in to sing and dance and have the people clap their hands, or sitting and watching all the elderly play with arts and crafts as if they were in preschool. Now with her health fading, it has gotten harder to watch my grandmother not be able to feed herself or walk anymore because she has forgotten how to; and how, instead of using the restroom, a caregiver comes in and changes her Depends and moves her on each side every two hours. She has turned into a helpless woman who will be seventy-five years old next month. We can’t stay more than a half hour at a time. It sucks up all our emotional, mental, and physical strength just to walk in and out of this place.

And it only gets harder each time we open that door and sign-in on the visitor’s sheet.

Leaving there, I always feel so sad. It’s such a different trip to see people in their last days. The majority of the patients there have no idea what’s happening to them. Their brain has gone backwards into a childlike state where they forget the simple mechanics of everyday living and need someone to fully take care of every necessity just to barely survive.

This week I walked out with a different feeling, like I felt at peace but only for a moment, as if it was someone else’s peace.

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When we walked in on February 3, we were stopped by the head nurse. She wanted to warn us of Rose’s condition. She said we have been her only visitors in years and thought we should know about her health.

After all this time, she was now in her death-bed stage. There was a hospice nurse on 24 hour call preparing Rose in the best way to have a soothing departure. The nurse explained that there would be no funeral services because Rose didn’t have anyone or money to support one. We also learned that if a cremation wasn’t already paid for and setup, her body would go into a common grave which can have 3-4 bodies in one casket. Our hearts were so heavy.

Before we walked in the room, we could already hear the painful cries of Rose suffering, screaming “it hurts, it hurts!”

Of course we were very concerned about the pain she was enduring. We asked the hospice nurse if they could give her any pain medicine so she could get some peace. We discovered that there was a slight issue because she didn’t have family to request pain killers and she couldn’t ask for them herself. On top of that, the bigger problem was how many pain medications she was allergic to.

A year ago, I decided that instead of my boyfriend getting a refill on his anxiety medication, he should get his marijuana card. I had started to notice the effects that his medication was having on his daily routine and active mood swings. Also, at the time, I was taking pain killers for the three carpal tunnel surgeries I’d had. The medicine I was taking became addictive very quickly, and I started having eating and aggression problems that I couldn’t control. It also contributed to my depression issues. So, I also got my medical marijuana card.

After visiting Rose and seeing her die in agony, I started to think about the fight for medical marijuana. My grandfather in Mexico was a doctor. He died about six years ago of cancer. As a doctor, he had decided instead of going through radiation, he would use something of a holistic treatment, like marijuana, which he prescribed to his patients in his working years. If someone is about to die and is in unbearable pain, should they be able to be given a plant that could soothe their body to help them eat and sleep?

I thought of the fight of Rose. And during this moment of clarity, I realized that I can make a difference by pushing the positive, life changing, and relieving aspect of medical marijuana. Rose had passed away. I didn’t get a chance to see if I could help Rose die in peace, but my grandmother will be there very soon, looking at the end of her life. She can’t even talk to tell us if and when she’s in pain. As for now, it just looks painful. She grinds her teeth down every day and will no longer eat any solid food. It’s like she’s slowly disappearing.

Next time you hear someone who wants to regulate on people’s right to die in peace - think of Rose Terry from Brooklyn, New York, who died the morning of February 4, 2010. She was a woman who I would have liked to have given a chance at a death with no pain.

“They’re radicals, someone has to keep control of the radicals, we just can’t have them doing whatever they want.” Not everyone is a radical that wants to smoke some pot. Some people just want to live and die in peace.

WENDY CHRISTAKES MOTHER,PATIENT By: Eugene Davidovich FREEDOM FIGHTER A dedicated mother of three, activist, and medical marijuana patient; Wendy Christakes with a severely injured back continues to be an integral part of the San Diego medical marijuana community, and has helped defend patients’ rights all the way to the Supreme Court.

Born in Hawaii and raised in a military family, Wendy lived for several years in California and Hawaii in connection with her father’s military service. Having graduated from Valhalla High School in 1995, she decided to settle in San Diego and found employment at Sycuan Casino.

She first started working in the food service department, but then quickly found her passion for electronics, transferred out of food service, and worked at Sycuan as an electronics technician repairing gaming machines as well as investigating and correcting variances in Sycuan’s accounting systems. In addition, Wendy was able to complete her Associates Degree in electronics.

In 2002, while at work and twenty four weeks pregnant, Wendy was taking a box of equipment down from a six foot tall shelf. Having found the box to be heavier than she anticipated, she lost her balance for a second, and while holding the heavy box in her hands, landed on her feet. X-rays and MRI’s taken months later showed two herniated discs in her back and bone fragments floating around in her spine.

One of the herniated discs was surgically removed in a procedure covered by her insurance company. Now, she is in need of a spinal fusion; where herniated discs are removed and replaced with titanium rods. Her insurance company unfortunately, won’t cover the procedure, and Wendy continues to suffer daily.

ing and incapacitating pain.”

Wendy was also no stranger to the fight for the right to use this medicine. She saw patients constantly being harassed and arrested for medical marijuana in San Diego and access to the medicine quickly being eradicated.

Although she successfully delivered her baby, she was forced to leave her job and get on disability, and the eighteen pills per day regiment prescribed to her by her doctors was, as Wendy put it, “sedating me into unconsciousness”.

In 2004, Wendy joined Americans for Safe Access and began attending the local San Diego Chapter meetings. Her activism and dedication to the chapter catapulted her to the forefront of the fight, and until 2007, Wendy actively helped coordinate the local chapter and was responsible for fundraising.

Wendy was no stranger to the benefits of medical marijuana. In 1996, when her sister was dying of cancer, medical marijuana was the only thing that helped her eat and live her last months in more comfort and less pain.

In an effort to reduce the harm the opiates and muscle relaxers were causing, and after having seen the relief herself that cannabis provided to her sister, Wendy decided to incorporate medical marijuana into her own treatment. Within two years, she was able to reduce eighteen pills daily down to zero and get off disability.

When asked how exactly cannabis helped her, Wendy explained, “without cannabis my mobility would be impaired, I would be in bed a lot with back pain. With the use of medical cannabis, I can do yoga. The medicine alleviates pain enough for me to be able to actually comb my hair, something I could never do before while on the prescriptions.

I have more energy and ability to do more with my kids. I can clean and take care of the house and not be too sedated or in too much agoniz-

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Wendy was planning local actions, helping dispensaries prepare for raids, providing peer counseling and actively conducting research on how much money was being spent on the eradication effort.

In early 2006, when San Diego County filed a law suit against the state challenging Senate Bill 420 and the state requirement to implement county issued ID Cards for medical marijuana patients, Wendy found herself named in the actual lawsuit. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which refused to hear San Diego’s arguments. San Diego County today as a result is issuing ID cards, and patients have access to over 100 dispensing collectives in the county.

In 2007, Wendy helped start the Patients Advocacy Network (PAN), a nonprofit organization that helps educate the public about medical marijuana and has been gathering affidavits from patients raided by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to be presented

to the House Judiciary Committee to hopefully open an investigational oversight committee to look into the DEA actions against legal state collectives and patients.

Recently, Wendy has become Director of Integrity Workers Collective, a San Diego nonprofit that focuses on alternative medicine patient care and strives to be one of the most compassionate collectives in San Diego.

NUG Magazine caught up with Wendy at Integrity Workers Collective and we asked her where she sees the medical cannabis issue five years from now.

She explained, “In five years, I hope we have sensible regulations and I hope that medical marijuana dispensing collectives can actually be accepted as any other business; law abiding, taxpaying, people giving back to the community, to schools.

I see collectives as being an asset to the community. Contributing locally is the only way we will get support on the regulation issue. Dispensing collectives should take ownership and take care of their community.

Wendy went on to say, “I don’t think that marijuana is a harmful drug and I don’t think it should be a controlled substance, it’s a plant that should be regulated through the FDA or the agricultural department. Until cannabis is removed from the controlled substance act I will keep working on this issue.”

William Britt: By: Eugene Davidovich

Expert Witness Polio, a viral disease which can attack the nervous system leaving its victims paralyzed, has wreaked havoc on humanity for thousands of years. “Polio epidemics have crippled thousands of people, mostly young children… by 1910, much of the world experienced a dramatic increase in polio cases and frequent epidemics became regular events, primarily in cities during the summer months. These epidemics, which left thousands of children and adults paralyzed—provided the impetus for a “Great Race” towards the development of a vaccine.”

(Wiki, 2010) The vaccine was finally developed in the 1950’s by Jonas Salk and announced to the world in 1955, and the licensing and distribution of it to the masses began in 1962.

Three years earlier, William Britt was born in Long Beach, California, and was affected by this debilitating disease. Although having overcome the infection in childhood, Mr. Britt for

decades has suffered from postpolio syndrome (PPS), symptoms of which include muscle weakness, extreme fatigue, and sometimes paralysis. Polio caused damage to his nerves in the brain and leg, and as a result he also developed epilepsy.

as he could. In his mid twenties, however, the symptoms became too overwhelming and he was forced to anchor himself to an office and take up accounting, office administration and other non-physical tasks. For over ten years, Mr. Britt worked as an accountant clerk.

In a recent interview with NUG Magazine, Mr. Britt explained “it wasn’t easy growing up with polio, I had to wear a cast for over two years, kids would tease me and there wasn’t much I could do. This caused anger problems, depression, and eventually this anger would turn inward and make life even more difficult.”

Unfortunately, sitting down for long periods of time caused severe pain as well, and eventually he was forced to leave this job also. Since disability insurance was not something he was receiving, Mr. Britt was desperate to earn a living and ended up doing part-time jobs around the neighborhood to stay afloat. Four years he struggled on his own, until finally he decided to move back in with his mom in 1997.

He had to learn to live with a handicap, face daily prejudice from an early age, and constantly rely on prescription medication.

After graduating from Long Beach High School in 1977, Mr. Britt decided to follow his passion, which was construction, and focused on hard physical labor for as long 28 | NUGMAG.COM

Medical Cannabis became legal in California for medical purposes in 1996. However, for years prior, Mr. Britt was familiar with its medicinal efficacy and used it to treat his symptoms. Mr. Britt explained, “When I first discovered cannabis, I

didn’t need to drink, I wasn’t as angry, I was in less pain, and the depression went away, it has truly changed my life.”

In the late nineties, Mr. Britt obtained his first recommendation from a physician to use medical cannabis.

He met this doctor at a conference and eventually helped educate the doctor and open his eyes to the fact that many people in need can use this medicine, as well as how effective it is in reducing the harm caused by many prescription medicines out there.

Around the same period of time, Mr. Britt’s very close friend was dying of lung cancer and wanted to try medical cannabis. He brought his friend to one of the local medical marijuana activism meetings and introduced him to Marvin Chaves, who at the time was providing medical marijuana to qualified patients in Orange County.

Marvin helped his friend with obtaining medicine, and in his last days Mr. Britt’s friend found relief from the pain and discomfort. For the first time in

many legal battles, what he thought would bring clarity to the law and reduce the number of these types of cases across the state. He explained, “Even with the new Attorney General guidelines, we still don’t have rules, Mr. Britt explained that he they are just suggestions. The only began to advise defense attorneys on the recent court things we have to go by are court decisions. What we need is a unified rulings and the law, as well state guideline for the operation of as refer them to the Ameridispensing collectives and cooperacans for Safe Access (ASA) tives. If the state won’t set up a safe website which contains a large brief bank of cases and and affordable distribution, then they other useful legal information. must recognize that people themselves are going do it.”

Attorneys were reacting posiWe went on to ask Mr. Britt how he tively to his advice, and saw that they could actually begin thought the November legalization winning these cases instead initiative would affect medical mariof just getting defendants the juana. He said “I think it will remove a lot of pressure from medical patients. best plea bargains.

If the initiative passes, it will put more pressure on collectives to operate Mr. Britt had unknowingly become an expert on medical as non-profits and lower the cost of medicine. It will only help our commumarijuana law and a patient advonity! The ideal goal is to have safe, cate. For over thirteen years he listened to testimonies from thousands affordable access.” of patients about how and why they use medical marijuana, examined the Mr. Britt ended the interview on the following note, “I used to think one operations of numerous collectives person can’t make a difference. Now and cooperatives across the state, I know one person can make all the received specific training from Chris Conrad (a world renowned cannabis difference in the world. I made a difference in hundreds of people’s lives. expert), and attended ASA conferI know you can make a difference. I ences. made a career out of helping people.

The joy of helping people, the people In total, he has attended over 500 I have met, the difference I have court cases and advised attorneys made, are well worth the work and in several hundred. He reads police time I have put into it. I urge every reports, reviews evidence, and in one case where a medical marijuana one of you reading this to go out, get patient was charged with possessing involved, and make a difference.” one hundred pounds of cannabis, was able to help prove that in fact it was only 1.5lb of usable medicine. “After the stalks, stems, soil, and everything else unusable were removed, it weighed in as 1.5lb as opposed to 100lb.” having someone sitting next to the defendant letting them know they are not alone helped tremendously.”

months, Mr. Britt saw his friend eat and keep down a full meal.

While his friend was dying of cancer, he saw Marvin be raided, arrested, and prosecuted for dispensing medical cannabis to other qualified patients. The local District Attorney charged Marvin in state court, collaborated with the Judge to deny Marvin the medical cannabis defense, and the Jury was not properly instructed on the law in his case. Seeing what the justice system did to Marvin, and how much the scales are tilted to the right pushed Mr. Britt into action. “I said, you know, I don’t care if it’s a ticket for a gram, as long as I hear about patients being arrested and prosecuted for this, I will be sitting in court for them. The court process is devastating for someone with a physical disability.”

He began attending all of the court cases related to medical marijuana that he could find. “By showing up and being there, I made a difference.

I used to think one person can’t make a difference, but just by being there,

One of Mr. Britt’s most famous cases was People v. Kha, where he served a key role as a defense expert.

We asked Mr. Britt, having seen so NUGMAG.COM | 29

Benjamin Gasper: Victim of Continued Bias Against Collective Cultivation in San Diego By: Eugene Davidovich

Benjamin Gasper, a medical marijuana patient, rented a warehouse in the Sports Arena area of San Diego, a heavily commercial district far from residences and any other “sensitive uses”.

Benjamin and two other medical marijuana patients came together at the warehouse location to cultivate medical marijuana for their own personal needs. Their effort was abruptly ended by the San Diego County Narcotics Task Force in November 2009.

Benjamin, having attended and successfully completed classes at Oaksterdam University, learned how to properly cultivate the medication himself and began doing so at the warehouse. In order to minimize the cost of cultivation as well as to help provide medication to other patients in the community that need it, Benjamin invited two other patients to join the effort.

They all came together with materials, equipment, and money, and built an indoor medical cultivation room inside the warehouse designed to supply them with the medication needed.

One night in November 2009, Benjamin and several of his close friends went to a concert at the Sports Arena. Having had a couple of drinks at the concert, he decided not to drive home and encouraged his friends not to drive either. They all walked to Benjamin’s warehouse and spent the night on air mattresses and couches Benjamin had in the public portion of the warehouse space. The cultivation room was completely hidden and the friends did not even know of its existence.

Everyone stayed overnight at the warehouse, and in the morning Benjamin left to run errands, leaving two of his friends at the warehouse and the warehouse door slightly open.

Shortly after he left, a police car drove up to the warehouse and the officer noticed that the rollup door of the warehouse was not rolled down all the way. Several policemen entered the premises to conduct a “safety check”; according to the officers, they thought a burglary might have been in progress.

The officers found Benjamin’s friends inside who explained that Benjamin was not there and that they had spent the night at his place after the concert.

Not satisfied with their answers, the officers would not leave. Rather, they proceeded to search the entire premises. After over thirty minutes of searching, they happened on the entrance to the cultivation room which was completely isolated and sealed off from the main part of the warehouse.

After entering and rummaging through the room, they eventually called Benjamin and told him they had found his “grow-op” and that he needed to come back to the warehouse.

Benjamin immediately returned to the warehouse, only to be interrogated, arrested, and jailed. The arresting detective did not give Benjamin the opportunity to present the collective cultivation agreement or the patients’ recommendations he had on premises. The law enforcement motto continues to be “let the courts sort it out.”

On December 4, 2009, Benjamin’s mother Carole contacted San Diego Americans for Safe Access and NUG Magazine asking for assistance. She wrote “I hope someone can help me find help for my son. He is in a San Diego jail after police raided his place without a search warrant. He has a license and prescription program for medical marijuana but they went in and confiscated everything.”

Carole explained on the telephone later that evening that Benjamin did not have the money

to hire an attorney, and she asked San Diego ASA and NUG to do whatever we could to help her son.

That night we sent an email to Benjamin in jail and let him know that his mother had contacted us and that he had support from the community when he got out. According to Benjamin, that email provided him both support and encouragement to fight through this ordeal and stand up for his rights.

On December 7, 2009, I went to the San Diego Superior Court, Department 11, for Benjamin’s bail hearing at which he was released on his own recognizance after spending two weeks locked up in the county jail.

That day in court, I ran into Ms. Bahar Ansari, a local criminal defense attorney whom I had previously met at the courthouse during another medical marijuana case. After explaining to her Benjamin’s situation and that he needed an attorney, Ms. Ansari said she had room to take on a case pro-bono and that she would be happy to help Benjamin, explaining that she was

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concerned with how patients are treated in San Diego for attempting to simply follow the law.

Since then, Ms. Ansari has joined the San Diego Americans for Safe Access Advisory Board and has been key in helping us organize and remain affective in the struggle for patients’ rights.

Aside from taking on Benjamin’s case, Ms. Ansari represented me as co-counsel with Michael J. McCabe and was instrumental in obtaining the “not guilty on all counts” verdict returned by the jury in less than four hours of deliberation.

On March 30, 2010, Ms. Ansari went to court to represent Benjamin at his preliminary hearing.

Benjamin was charged from the November raid with cultivation of marijuana and possession of what the police allege to be brass knuckles.

The preliminary hearing was assigned to Department 57 in front of Judge Roger W. Krauel, and began with the prosecution presenting testimony from two narcotics detectives.

One of the detectives claimed that Benjamin told him he was a primary caregiver, which in the detectives mind gave him the authority to shut everything down. The detective who found the “brass knuckles” agreed that they had been found in a box packed away in the warehouse and that they were not brass but likely aluminum.

Ms. Ansari called to the stand both of the other collective members whose medical marijuana recommendations she had subpoenaed ahead of

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time, allowing her to enter them into evidence as business records and helping establish the medical marijuana defense for the collective.

Both members testified that they all got together in October 2009 and signed a collective agreement which stated, “As qualified medical marijuana patients under California law, we choose to associate collectively or cooperatively to cultivate marijuana for medical purposes. All members of our medical marijuana collective will contribute labor, funds, or materials, and all will receive medicine.”

Both members testified they had signed the agreement last year and all actively contributed to the effort up until the day of the raid.

During a court recess, in a surprising move, the prosecution offered to drop all medical marijuana charges against Benjamin if he agreed to plead guilty to possession of the “brass knuckles”, which is a felony. Benjamin refused the offer and Ms. Ansari proceeded to present the case.

The defense called to the stand medical marijuana expert, author, and patient advocate William Britt to testify about what a collective is and whether the number of plants seized from Benjamin’s warehouse was a reasonable amount for the patients to have.

Based on his examination of pictures of the indoor cultivation effort, Mr. Britt determined that it was a reasonable amount. He further explained that most of the plants seized appeared to be seedlings which “most of the time don’t survive.”

The prosecution challenged the credibility of one of the collective members and urged the judge to bind the case over for trial.

The judge said that there was clearly enough evidence of a medical marijuana defense and a legal cultivation effort. He warned the prosecution that they would have a hard time succeeding at trial.

The case was bound over for trial and the next hearing in the case is on May 11, 2010 at 8:30 in Department 31 – San Diego Superior Court, 220 W. Broadway San Diego, CA 92101.

Please come out and support Benjamin and his attorney, Bahar Ansari, as they fight for patients’ rights to collectively cultivate medical cannabis.

My Long Strange Trip with Jack Herer By: Melissa “white chocolate” Balin photos by: becky sapp. courtesy of wireimage

“It’s ‘Herer’ like ‘Terror’ is how it’s pronounced.”

Eddy Lepp introduced me to the infamous Jack Herer.

“4/22/2008” is the date scrawled in pink crayon on the copy he signed for me, in our definitive meeting to discuss making Herer’s best selling hemp book, The Emperor Wears No Clothes, into a feature length documentary. I barely had a chance to get to know the man, the myth and legend that was Jack Herer, but what a long strange trip it’s been…

I was in the south of France for the Cannes Film Festival when I received word of Eddy’s excessive ten-year sentencing, and came back to the States so we could begin filming before Eddy was due to turn himself in to Lompoc Prison.

Not sure who would show up and exactly what we were filming, Eddy and Jack drove down to LA to film on a Sunday, when I would have some fancy movie equipment that didn’t have to be returned until Monday.

The soundstage that was going to donate space to us was rented, so my mother, Rochelle Balin, gen“I can’t usually stand Hollywood people,” Jack offered, “but you erously allowed her yoga studio to be turned into seem okay.” Days later in his home, Jack, his wife Jeannie, an impromptu green screen stage, and she even and his longtime assistant Chuck Jacobs sat down with Eddy and me to did breathe breaks with Jack and the cast while discuss the real issues facing legalization and his life’s work. “Do you think waiting for their turn to film. We didn’t have a you can help us raise a million dollars? That’s what we need to have a serilot of time to prepare and Jack sat with me as I ous chance to pass the California Hemp Initiative.” The only way that I knew edited chunks of his book into the teleprompthow to raise a million dollars was to make a movie… Jack and Eddy liked my er and wrote an introduction for us to use as a enthusiasm and ideas, and it was agreed that Jack would consider the idea trailer. As Pauley Perrette of NCIS fame (with once I had read his book 3 times all the way through, and if I could pass his whom I had the pleasure of working with on pop quiz… the Vote For Change video postcard campaign I co-directed with Shepard Fairey) read pieces of The Emperor Wears No Clothes 34 | NUGMAG.COM

from the teleprompter, I knew that we had the makings of an engaging short documentary that would help raise awareness and the necessary funds for the feature length version.

Jack told me that the year I was born, he was my current age of 34, and that he and Captain Ed were sure that it would be just a couple of years of dedication to get hemp re-legalized when they first made their pledge. It was an inspiring and bittersweet day, as we realized that it may be the last time we would all be together with Eddy surrendering himself in a matter of days.

Jack would always chuckle when I said that I was going to sit between him and Jeannie at the Academy Awards, but the feedback was starting to impress even Jack, and he agreed to come down to LA to film one more day in order to cram in a few more celebrity friends and present a short documentary before the deadline for Academy Award consideration.

Our Co-Producer, John Deiker, took out a loan so that we could meet the dates, and we filmed at Big Vision Studios.

Co-Producer Rob “420” Griffin brought Money Mark, the infamous keyboard player for the Beastie Boys, and comedian Ralphie May who amused the crowd of celebs waiting patiently for their turn to pay homage to the Hemperor and his life’s work.

My brother and editor, Brandon Balin, donated his time

spending countless hours in the editing room to have the edit ready. Mike Tucker e-mailed us artist renderings from a few time zones away, Green House ftp’d footage from Amsterdam, and DJ Dre Ghost of The Hemp Chronicles brought original music with Jack’s voice for us to choose from.

Advanced Nutrients & Green House Seed Co. wired us sponsorship money from overseas in order for us to rent the theatres and ads required to qualify. Wonderful delights were placed into gift bags that guests received as they took photos on a hemp carpet provided by Substance Coterie Inc. “To be honest, I’m surprised that you were able to pull it off!” With a rough tousle of my hair, and a sloppy kiss to my forehead, Jack promised me that he would see the movie all the way through with me to the end, and I promised him the same.

Jack’s last words to me were from the road, two days before his heart attack in Portland. I was in Amsterdam at dinner with “The King of Cannabis,” Arjan Roskam. We put Jack on the speaker phone so we could discuss preparations for our much anticipated European premiere at the High Times’ Cannabis Cup. “When we both get back,” Jack emphasized, “we have to do everything we can to get Eddy Lepp out of prison.”

Jack had asked me to come film his much anticipated meeting with Rick Simpson in the Czech Republic on their Hemp is Medicine Tour with Dr. Lumir Hanus, so when Bayer and

Around the globe I have had the honor to get to know Jack through the memories and anecdotes of some of his oldest friends and colleagues, like Mattias Bruckers, Steve Hagar, Kathrin Gebhardt, Ben Dronkers, Mila Jansen, Arjan Roskam, Bret Bogue, and Soma. They have let me into their hearts and their homes and shared so much with me, as I stumble along trying to piece together the story Jack wanted me to tell, without him around to whisper to me who’s who and what’s what…

Romsey asked myself and Chuck Jacobs to still attend in tribute to Jack Herer, it was hard to say no. So, with only days notice and tears still in our eyes with concerns for Jack’s survival, we packed our bags and headed to the Czech.

It has been down the rabbit hole ever since, like Alice in Wonderland… smoke this… drink this… eat this…

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As he fought for his very life, I have been constantly touched to see how many people are taking up the torch he has passed so that his voice will still be heard. We premiered in Europe at the High Times Cannabis Cup, showed in Vienna with a Global Call to Action panel at Cultiva, held private industry screenings at Sundance, premiered in Berlin at the Hanf (Hemp) Museum, and played with Spanish subtitles at Spannabis in Barcelona.

We announced winners of the International Jack Herer soundtrack contest at the High Times Doobie Awards in Austin, Texas, and raised money for Jack’s Recovery Fund in Spokane, Washington at the first

Hemp Can Save the Planet benefit and in LA at the Medical Marijuana Educational Expo & Symposium. All the while, I am missing him though he is ever present. I plow forward knowing that he has dedicated so many years and sacrificed so much to keep his message alive.

April 15, 2010- The Hemperor Is Dead. Long Live Jack Herer.

Even though we all know that Jack is now in a better place, freed from the prison of his physical body, I am still in a state of total shock to hear of his death. As I packed for the International Cannabis Hemp Expo in San Francisco the weekend before 4/20 where a tribute to Jack was already scheduled, I could not help but think that Jack Herer’s passing, just hours before tax filing deadlines, is his final emphatic reminder to us that there should be NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION! We began filming the feature length documentary that Jack and I had planned together during the THC Expose. Condolences and RSVP’s poured in from around the world. We were joined by the former Governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson, B-Real of Cypress Hill, pro-wrestler Rob Van Dam, and LouDog of Kottonmouth Kings. A moving service was held at the Expose concurrent to Jack’s funeral for anyone unable to leave the Convention Center, with tribute speeches shared by myself, Bret Bogue of Apothecary Genetics, Ed Rosenthal, Dion Markgraaff of NUG Magazine, Franco of Green House Seed Co., Ken Estes of GrandDaddy Purp Collective, and Rob Kampia of the Marijuana Policy Project. Jack Herer will be greatly missed and remembered forever and ever and ever.

Rest in Peace, Jack Herer. Although, anyone who knew Jack Herer knows that he will not likely rest, even in death, until marijuana is legal and all pot prisoners are out of jail.

To find out how you can help support Jack Herer’s family, the Jack Herer Museum & Hemporium, and to continue Jack Herer’s message of the truth about hemp and its history, please visit http://www.JackHerer.com.

By: Gerald Singleton, Esq. This month I will try and respond to some of the most commonly asked legal questions pertaining to collectives and sales of marijuana. This is only general information. If you have questions regarding how the laws apply to you, the only way to obtain an accurate answer is to consult a knowledgeable attorney.

vided to an eligible qualified patient…” Finally, in People v. Hochanadel (2009) 176 Cal.App.4th 997, 1017-18, the California Court of Appeal affirmed the California Attorney General’s 2008 Guidelines which permitted storefront dispensaries provided that the dispensaries operate according to the dictates of the Medical Marijuana Program Act.

Are sales of marijuana legal? If so, when?

Accordingly, the following basic rules emerge. First, it is crucial that any qualified patients who exchange medical marijuana for money have a pre-existing relationship.

Anyone who sells medical marijuana to a qualified patient without such a pre-existing relationship is asking for trouble. (Remember, police officers can, and do, obtain valid recommendations for their sting operations.) The law permits qualified patients to collectively associate to produce medical marijuana. At minimum, this requires an agreement between the producer and the purchaser before the time of the sale. An example would be a dispensary where a qualified patient fills out an application form to become a member and then has a waiting period prior to being permitted to purchase medical marijuana. Another example would be where several qualified patients agree that patient A will produce marijuana for the personal medical needs of patients B, C, D, E, and F. Patients B-F agree to compensate Patient A for the out-of-pocket expenses he incurs (and the time he spends) producing their medical marijuana. Once such an agreement is in place, these qualified patients are collectively associating to produce medical marijuana and the law permits Patient A to be compensated for his time and expenses.

This is easily the most controversial aspect of medical marijuana law. California law states that qualified patients who collectively or cooperatively associate to cultivate marijuana for their personal medical needs shall not, on that basis, be liable for violating laws prohibiting the sale of marijuana. (Health & Safety Code (“H&S”) §11362.775.) The law further states that the seller may not make a “profit” on the transaction. (H&S §11362.765(a).)

Like so many laws, this is “clear as mud” and, unfortunately, neither the Legislature nor the California courts have clearly defined what is permissible regarding sales.

Webster’s Dictionary defines “profit” as “the sum remaining after all costs, direct and indirect, are deducted from the income of a business, the selling price, etc.” H&S §11362.765(c) states that while profit is forbidden, caregivers are entitled to recover compensation for actual expenses, “…including reasonable compensation incurred for services pro-

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However, even agreements like those contained in the prior paragraph are illegal if the seller makes a “profit”. In this context, a “profit” would be any amount of money in excess of the seller’s out-of-pocket expenses (seeds, soil, electricity, water, etc.) and the time he or she spends cultivating the marijuana. Time should be kept using a daily (or at most, weekly) time sheet. The hourly rate must be reasonable, so most attorneys recommend that it not exceed $50-$75 per hour.

If I grow more marijuana than is necessary for my personal medical needs, may I sell the remainder to my local dispensary?

It depends. If you are a member of a dispensary, you may provide marijuana to that dispensary for the personal medical use of other members. However, you cannot make a “profit”, so the amount of the sale must be limited to compensating you for the time and out-of-pocket expenses incurred in growing that portion of the marijuana. Also, remember that the Attorney General’s 2008 Guidelines specifically state that all marijuana distributed by a dispensary must be produced by the members, so this means that qualified patients may not provide medical marijuana to dispensaries of which they are not members. While many lawyers disagree with this interpretation by the Attorney General, as a

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practical matter, dispensaries which distribute medical marijuana that is not produced by their members are asking for trouble.

What’s the best way to prove you are a part of a “collective grow”?

A “collective grow” occurs when two or more qualified patients associate collectively or cooperatively to produce marijuana for their personal medical needs. (H&S §11362.775.) There are no specific guidelines regarding what qualified patients must do to prove they are part of this grow. At minimum, however, I recommend that (1) the grow be limited to one location and copies of each qualified patient’s recommendation be kept on-site, and (2) each qualified patient who is a part of the collective grow sign a document stating that fact.

All paperwork should be kept in plain view at the grow site. I also recommend that the participants in the collective grow keep at least one copy of this paperwork in a safe location at a separate site. If the grow site is raided, it is very helpful to have immediate access to all necessary paperwork.

NOTE: The possession, use, and/or sale of marijuana, even for medicinal purposes, remains illegal under federal law. This column provides information only with respect to the laws of the state of California.

O

ne of the proudest moments of my life was taking NUG Magazine to Amsterdam. As a five year resident of this city in Holland and a full-time cannabis activist, I have had many experiences on this island of semi-sanity in this crazy sea of the contemporary cannabis world.

Going back was literally and figuratively a “trip”, bringing NUG Magazine - San Diego’s reflection of the cannabis revolution in California - to Amsterdam, where some things had since gotten better but a lot have gotten worse. At the same time, this short stay in Amsterdam more than 10 years after leaving gave me a chance to reflect on the work I had done while living there. Some of the seeds planted many years ago continue to be harvested every year. I thought I would share my impressions of my visit for a few days in March.

In 1992, right after graduating from San Diego State University and writing my senior thesis in Political Science and History using cannabis as the subject, I went to Amsterdam to see and figure out how and why that country NUG hits Amsterdam at The Dutch Passion Seed Company

was able to resist joining in on the global crusade against cannabis.

Little did I know that I would be living there during the height of the golden-green period of the Dutch cannabis renaissance.

The golden-green period of the Dutch cannabis renaissance has gone

Not only were coffeeshops and the growing of cannabis at the apex during the years I lived there, so were certain freedoms.

Over the years since I left, rules that would never have been accepted before have become normal. From rules for the many bicycles to random police searches of patrons entering festivals, the free/lawless city I used to know has been invaded by a different culture of accepting rules for the sake of obeying. Even the owner of a Dutch vaporizer company was arrested for 30 grams of pot at the HighLife Cup, a decades old annual cannabis cup party. Since I left at the end of 1996, more than half (750) of the 1450 coffeeshops have closed and cultivating cannabis has become more dangerous.

The town of Amsterdam has thrived from trading since 1350 and is very crowded, so even slight changes to the city are meaningful. After living there for 5 years and being very socially active, I knew Amsterdam very well. So, my quest on this trip was to catch up with old and new cannabis comrades and re-tap into the city that draws so many people together.

The revolution inside the revolution

During my years in Amsterdam, I planted a lot of “social seeds” all around the town and a few of them are still growing and being harvested every year. As a full-time activist, I became a zealot crusader in the cannabis revolution, bringing the plant’s other uses besides smoking the flowers to Holland. I spent the whole time sowNUGMAG.COM | 43

NUG at the Cannabis College making our contribution

ing many seeds, a few of the more infamous ones are opening the first modern hemp store in Europe – the CIA Cannabis In Amsterdam, starting the High Times Cannabis Cup, starting the Cannabis College, helping to get the BCD (Dutch coffeeshop union) going, and bringing vaporization to Europe.

This time period is specifically referenced in the great and soon to be classic book The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan. In the book, Pollan documents Homo sapiens’ co-evolution with the cannabis species. The basic premise is that people interact with cannabis like bees do with flowers.

The implosion of cannabis cultivation around the world was at its apex during the period that I lived in Amsterdam. At the same time, emanating from Holland was an explosion of the cannabis seed market. The United Nations and global powers were actively trying to wipe cannabis off the planet, and worldwide cannabis cultivation was almost eradicated. In that same short period of time, many of the world’s cannabis strains were sent to Holland for preservation and were regrown and sent back out all over the world.

I met Mr. Pollan in Amsterdam when he came for the High Times Cannabis Cup in 1994, the year after the Cannabis Cup event was held in my shop, which was one years old at the time. His article on the front cover of the New York Times Magazine described my shop as, “The community’s epicenter -- its La Coupole -- is the C.I.A.: Cannabis in Amsterdam, a combination shop, gathering place and hemp store located in a large second-story loft a short walk from Central Station.”

So with history revisited and replayed in my mind, I knew the clock was ticking on my short stay and that I had better 44 | NUGMAG.COM

get busy spreading NUG around town and meeting with old cannabis colleagues.

Sensi Seeds - Hash Museum - Cannabis Gallery - Cannabis College

The “cannabis block” in Amsterdam, made up of the headquarters and shops of Sensi Seeds along with the Hash Museum, Cannabis Gallery, and the Cannabis College, is located in the heart of Amsterdam and its infamous Red Light district (in a city full of “green lights”) and was my first destination after visiting a few coffeshops to get some much needed cannabinoid refill.

So, after getting “top of the mountain” high, I raced my bike down to the epicenter, for me, of Amsterdam – the Cannabis College. Being a cannabis scholar, nothing I have done gives me more pride than helping found this awesome institution. It was strange for me, in that, it felt like I had never left.

Today, the “caregiver” of the Cannabis College Foundation is Sensi Seeds which owns two seed shops, the Hash Marijuana Museum, and the Cannabis Gallery, and also runs the College, all on the same block.

As I arrived at the College, the staff was busy explaining to the many tourists what the place was all about - cannabis education. I browsed around the “campus”, which is comprised of one large room filled with examples of cannabis’ various uses and a basement with a show grow.

Eventually, when the influx of people slowed down, I introduced myself as the founder of the place and the editor of NUG Magazine. I started showing them NUG and explaining how things are back in San Diego, California, and the USA in general. They responded with tales of tribulations in Holland.

The school staff explained the growing problem in the Netherlands with growing cannabis. Not only has the Dutch government come up with the BS limit of 3 plants per person and 5 total per household, they also started a big terror campaign where privatized “policing” companies drive the streets and randomly search homes with heat radar before sending in bio-hazard clad cleanup crews that do nothing but takedown

NUG at Sensi Seed

The permanent vaporization education booth at the Hash Marijuana Museum

A hemp BMW door panel grown by Hemp/Flax, at the Cannabis Gallery

grows all over the country, everyday. These regressive policies are the direct cause of the relatively high cannabis prices ($15 -$25 per gram) for the product in a semi-legal environment. Cannabis is not legal in Holland, and only the small scale (5 grams per customer) are allowed.

They had so many bad horror stories, I could not believe we were talking about Amsterdam, the same place I had ridden my bike around the streets with a 6 foot tall cannabis plant in my hands for the Ed Rosenthal documentary, Cannabis Rising, a movie we made together back in 1995; nor the same place that we, the Green Prisoners Release (a political rights group I started to help people in prison for cannabis), brought hundreds of clone sized plants to all the actions we did for a couple on the run from Arkansas, Les and Cheryl Moorings. We brought the plants to the Dutch Parliament and to all the Moorings’ court hearings, including those at the Supreme Court of Holland.

The people at the school also told me an interesting story about a terrible fire that happen at the Cannabis College in 2002.

In a real world example of the power and superiority of cannabis building products, the fire destroyed everything in the College except its hemp wall and the cool picture of the Green Prisoners Release group members with the High Times Cannabis Cup we won for our efforts.

The Cannabis Gallery – like nowhere on the planet

The most marvelous cannabis place I have ever seen was the Cannabis Gallery. It was amazing to see the high quality exhibits, which are like nowhere else on the planet. It does not have pictures of historical paintings, it has the original paintings themselves. With huge hemp walls and displays that include hemp BMW car parts and more, this place is truly the pinnacle spot at the moment for cannabis anthology.

Hash Museum. Most of the exhibits were the same, but the biggest difference was the new staff working there, especially the changing of the guard at the permanent vaporization booth.

This vaporization education destination was started by Eagle Bill, one of the many reefer refugees from around the world.

He was a regular at my shop, the CIA, when I brought the idea of vaporizing to Amsterdam from a National NORML conference I

ple, but all the while maintaining the vape booth back at the museum.

Eagle Bill died in 2005 and other people have taken over ever since his passing. Sensi plans to produce a memorial seed variety in his honor.

Mila, the Hemp Hotel, and the Pollinator

The first lady of Holland, Mila Jansen, is the world famous inventor of the Pollinator. Mila came up with the machine

This photo survived the fire at Cannabis College. Top of the picture shows Dion Markgraff, Eagle Bill, Mikki Norris, Chris Conrad and the rest of the activist group - Green Prisoners Release. Winners of the High Times “Cannabis Cup” for their efforts in 1996

I was given a personal tour from the PR guy for Sensi Seeds Company, Youri Boerlage. He explained the displays of cannabis uses, both present and past, as we walked around the space. I was excited to find out some of the biggest industrial happenings with hemp were being grown in Holland, like BMW car parts are getting their cannabis from the Sensi Seeds partner Hemp/Flax Company.

The Hash Museum was the same but different. My first official, 100% legal cannabis job in Holland was at Sensi Seeds

attended in Washington DC, where the late great Dr. Tod Mikuriya spoke about the process.

So, of course, we made one with a heat gun. Eagle Bill was inspired, and became the world champion ambassador for spreading the word about this new/old way of ingesting cannabinoids. Sometime soon after discovering his life’s mission of spreading vaporization, he ended up starting a permanent vaporization education booth at the Hash Marijuana Museum. He went around Europe to festivals vaping thousands of peo-

that separates the medical trichromes from the flowers and leaves of the plant, allowing them to be collected in kief form. The loose trichromes or “kief” can then be pressed into hash. Her Pollinator machine opened a whole new way of processing cannabis that produces more useable THC by extracting the trichromes from parts of the plant that had often been thrown away.

Mila described how she came up with this concept, “One day I stood in front of the clothes dryer and realized these cloths were tumbling the same way I tumbled my NUGMAG.COM | 45

own recent problems in San Diego and explained that, despite all the progress, people like James Stacy, Joe Nunes, Jovan Jackson, and Eugene Davidovich were being prosecuted by the government.

Mila and her family also own and run the Hemp Hotel in Amsterdam. I visited briefly one evening and talked shop with her son Tijmen. He was really cool, telling me about life at the hotel while he maintained the bar and cooked sandwiches and snacks. The hotel has a reception bar that stays open until 3am every night serving all kinds of beer and alcohol made with hemp and, of course, it is smoke friendly.

Mila with her new copies of NUG and her world famous invention, the Bubbleator

small manicuring leaves. I couldn’t wait.

Within 12 hours we’d pulled an old clothes dryer apart and refashioned the drum to our liking and there it was, the first electric machine to produce hash.”

I sold the first one in my shop, the CIA. As the Pollinator website says, “In 1995, the first Pollinator for public sale was made and unveiled by Robert Clarke at C.I.A., during the annual High Times Cannabis Cup, where it was marveled at by many connoisseurs of hashish.”

Mila’s next major breakthrough was the creation of the “Ice-OLator” method of making hashish. Her new method was based on years of observation and employs special bags with screens at the bottom to catch the trichromes. The use of ice cold water, agitation, and readymade screens to detach the trichromes was the next step in the evolution of separating the plant material from its THC. Her company has also developed the Bubbleator Machine that does the agitation work for you.

A funny story from long ago was when I made hash using the Pollinator machine at the request of a Dutch children’s television show. The TV show filmed us going through the whole process of turning cannabis trash to hash.

Today, Mila has a very cool shop which is where I saw her and showed her NUG Magazine. Not only is her place an epicenter for information about cannabis but also for other magical plants. On the walls are all kinds of informational stuff, including a Hall of Fame of hash. You can also check out the “Fine samples from all over the world” on her website http:// www.pollinator.nl/.

Mila was impressed with NUG Magazine and happy to hear about the progress being made in California but was still skeptical of real change happening in many states because of America’s long and evil history of warring against the cannabis plant. I informed her of my 46 | NUGMAG.COM

Wernard - the coolest guy in Holland

Next, I met up with my favorite person in the Netherlands, Wernard Bruining.

Many NUG Magazine readers will remember the medical cannabis oil article he wrote for our January issue. The grandfather of cannabis in Holland, Wernard opened the first “coffeeshop”, Mellow Yellow, in 1973. He is so original, that Mellow Yellow pre-dated the term “coffeeshop”, and was instead called a “tea shop”. He also started Holland’s first seed bank, the Lowland Seed Company, in 1980; started Europe’s first grow shop, Positronics, in 1985, and was one of the first people to campaign to help people who needed medical cannabis get their medicine cheaper.

The Dutch based newspaper Soft Secrets wrote about how Wernard started a surreptitious cannabis retail model that the government, over time, began to tolerate. “Mellow Yellow was a way of organizing things in a polite and civilized manner. The ‘tea house’ only allowed one ‘house-dealer’ who had a variety of cannabis products prebagged in 10 or 25 guilder deals, so there was never

any mistake about the price or quantity of hash or grass on offer. This system of just one dealer, who was protected by the coffeeshop, became known as the ‘Golden Coffeeshop Formula’. The visitors of the coffeeshop were protected, as was the shop owner, since the police could only arrest the house-dealer. The Golden Coffeeshop Formula Wernard created in turn allowed hundreds of other coffeeshops to open its doors to the public of Amsterdam.”

When I lived in Amsterdam, Wernard had the ever changing Positronics grow shop that sold all kinds of clones. At one point, he opened a restaurant in his place that the government would not license. So Wernard said, fine – it is not a restaurant – it is a free meal you can pay whatever you want for.

I met with Wernard at Coffeeshop Any Day, a place so small, as he said, you are forced to meet other people. Almost hidden upstairs is a beautiful little area with three built-in Verdampers vaporizers. Not just any kind, but the “RollsRoyce” of vaporizers, as Wernard called them.

One of the best changes in the Netherlands is the availability of vaporizers in all the coffeeshops. Along with other standard cannabis ingestion tools like the bong and the newly developed grinders, vaporizers are in every establishment.

As Wernard loaded a few grams of some homemade hash into the ready positioned vaporizer, we exchanged stories of the cannabis movement in Holland, Europe, California, America, and around the world. He even took notes when I told him there were over 2,000 medical cannabis dispensaries in California.

Wernard spoke about his continuing efforts to help patients who need medical cannabis and how the oil he had written about in NUG Magazine continues to impress him. He said he was getting a lot of feedback on how effective this form of medicine is for people. He also confirmed what others had said about the decline of the Dutch political scene. He spoke about how the government there was bad and getting worse.

However, Wernard told me the exciting news that our mutual friend, Nol van Schaik was organizing the first coffeeshop strike on their Election Day. On June 6, all the coffeeshops in the Netherlands are going to be closed to encourage patrons to vote for cannabis friendly political parties. The owners want to show everyone what life would be like without coffeeshop services.

To think, the remaining 700 coffeeshops in Holland pay over $600 million a year in direct taxes to the government. The Dutch education, transportation, and health systems are some of the best in the whole world and would be unsustainable without the tax money from the huge cannabis industry. This is without counting the billions of dollars made off the millions of tourists who make the pilgrimage to this Disneyland of adult pleasures. Yet, my cannabis colleagues in Holland are still treated worse by their fellow Dutch citizens than the prostitutes and street drug addicts.

After Wernard left, it still took me over 20 minutes to finish off all the fine hashish in the vaporizer bowl.

Too much to see and do in this town

As I was running out of time, I was glad I stopped at HempShoppers. Owned by two Dutch guys who seemed to think like me, they opened their hemp store in 1999 and have all kinds of hemp stuff for sale. Seeing peo-

At Coffeshop Anyday, one of three built-in Verdampers vaporzers, the “RollsRoyce” of vaporization.

ple from the Netherlands selling the cannabis revolution through non-THC goods was happiness to me. These guys are getting their message out through their two store locations and Radio Free Amsterdam, their weekly radio show with the famous cannabis activist and poet John Sinclair (the person who inspired John Lennon’s song about pot).

Cannabis comrades - going global

For me, seeing Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap in Amsterdam supermarkets and hemp stores was one of the best moments on my visit back to the Netherlands.

Not only is this one of the coolest companies, Dr. Bronner’s is also a huge supporter of the cannabis movement (on all fronts – i.e., ASA, HIA, NORML, MPP, HIA, VoteHemp, and more). The Escondido based business has the best selling natural soap in the

USA and is entering back into the European market where the family owned company started in Germany in 1858.

Dutch companies, especially those in the cannabis seed business, are now expanding around the world, exporting the decades of experience gained in their well-developed cannabis industry.

The country’s history of trading and their money oriented approach to life has been at the root of their “toleration” of everything from prostitution, Jews, drug use, and cannabis. The best lesson the world can learn from this country is how the Dutch double their savings by not wasting money and energy on trying to prevent human nature while making money at the same time. For centuries, Holland has been dealing with overcrowding and environmental disasters while trying to solve many of the world’s contemporary problems. I think, in a very profound way – this country has been through history first.

On reflection of my trip back to Amsterdam, I am mostly happy with the legacy of the social seeds I planted many years ago.

Ironically, after so many years of experience with a semi-legal cannabis industry, the people of the Netherlands seem to be more and more buying into the dying global jihad against this plant. Many things have gotten worse for the Dutch people in dealing with cannabis, but the bottom line for the rest of the world is, you can still go to this magical city and buy and smoke in almost total freedom. END

Dr. Bronner’s, a local Escondido company, is now selling again in Europe where they started in 1858.

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The process is described on the link below. Common doses are in the range of 2 to 5 pills. www.cannabismd.org/reports/mjcapsules

Cannabis Edibles As Medicine

By Deborah Malka MD, PhD History of ingested cannabis

Occasionally a patient may feel uneasy, groggy, or disoriented with ingested cannabis. It is wise to allow time to rest in order to assess how you will respond. Always start with a small amount, wait an hour or two and, if needed, gradually increase the dose.

Cannabis has been used as an ingested medicine since 2500 BC in China when the plant was discovered to produce a mild euphoria in those who ingested it, and to be an effective general pain reliever. Its use as a medicine continued through 200 BC, when it was noted to be used by the Essenes in the holy land. Its therapeutic value by physicians can be traced back to Dioscorides and Galen around 1000 AD. By 1300 AD, the Inquisition outlawed cannabis ingestion in Spain, yet it continued to be used as a medicine throughout Europe. Reports by W. B. O’Shaughnessy in 1839 recommended its medical use for a variety of ailments.

Marijuana continued to be used as a medicine in the US, especially in tincture form, until 1937 when its use was stopped by the Marijuana Tax Act. Now the only form of federally legalized edible marijuana is THC in prescription form as Marinol.

Especially for those with tender digestion, all marijuana must be ground to a fine consistency before cooking. One of the drawbacks of eating marijuana leaf is the common complaint of stomach irritation. The top side of cannabis leaves are coated with thousands of microscopic thorns, and these sometimes cause minor intestinal irritation, even after grinding. As a general rule, the smaller leaves growing closest to the flower tops are closest to the plant’s resin glands, and therefore have the greatest amount of medicinal compounds, and are higher in THC content.

Effects of ingestion

Cannabis edibles

Eating marijuana-infused preparations usually leads to a longer, stronger, and much more physical effect than smoking. For some conditions, such as muscle spasms and intestinal disorders, eating cannabis can be more effective than smoking.

Also because ingestion provides a longer, slower release of cannabinoids, it may be a better choice for insomnia, lasting through the night. For patients concerned with the effects of smoked marijuana, or for those who require a maximum dose of medicinal compounds, oral ingestion of marijuana is a good treatment method.

Cannabinoids are barely soluble in water.

Fortunately they are fat-soluble, meaning that they bind to fat cells and can dissolve best into organic solvents. As a result, solvents like butter, oil or alcohol are ideal to extract and deliver cannabinoids to the body. Cannabis tinctures are an example of an edible prepared by extracting cannabis with alcohol.

Cannabis can be cooked directly into edibles or can be made into butter or oil that is used to prepare foods, or can be packaged into capsules. Use cannabis oil or butter in your favorite brownie or cookie recipe. You can even use a brownie or cake mix. Other edibles include candies, honey, teas, tinctures, or you can just spread your butter on a cracker. Cannabis as food can be your medicine.

Although eating is a good way of absorbing marijuana into the bloodstream, higher amounts must be used in a preparation in order to provide a medicinal dose. It takes considerably longer to experience the effects. The effects of ingested cannabis may be felt within 30 minutes to 2 hours.

If the stomach is full the effects may take longer.

These effects may last for 6 – 8 hours. It is generally considered that up to three times as much cannabis is required when taken orally compared to smoking.

THC is only one of the active cannabinoids in cannabis. For example, it is known that Cannabidiol (CBD) has sedative effects that offset the simulative effects of pure THC.

Cannabis capsules Cannabis capsules are prepared from powdered marijuana treated in oil and are available at dispensaries.

Cannabis oil or butter preparation Recipe 1 Place 4 oz of leaf marijuana in a large pot of water with 1.25 cups of olive oil (for cooking purposes use 1 pound of butter instead of olive oil), bring to a boil and simmer at a low boil for 3-4 hours. Cool the mixture and strain through cheesecloth (wring well). Save the liquid and discard the leaf. Refrigerate until the olive oil solidifies at the top. Peel away olive oil or butter (this has the cannabinoids in it) and discard the water. After straining, cooling and peeling, use the “puna butter” in place of oil in your favorite recipes. www.onlinepot.org/medical/topical Recipe 2 – Canna-oil Use 2.5oz+ high quality bud-shake, 2 cups Crisco shortening, 2T cooking oil, 5 gallon paint sifter, 8 cups water, 5 quart sauce pan, 2 transparent half gallon pitchers Preparation: In the five quart sauce pan mix water, oil, Crisco, and bud shake ground up fairly well. Bring to boil on high, when it starts to boil immediately turn down heat to a very low simmer and cover for 1824 hours. Cool for about 3-4 hours. Use the paint sifter to strain the liquid out of the pan and into the pitchers. Squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible because the canna-oil is now in that plant material and needs to be squished out. Set the pitchers in the fridge for an hour and the canna-oil will separate and solidify on the top of the water.

Put the oil in a cup or bag or container of your choice. Canna-oil should be green. This Canna-oil will work in any recipe that calls for shortening or cooking-oil if you melt it down before use. (boards. cannabis.com/recipes/8076-best-canna-oil-recipe) There are several cookbooks, websites and recipes available for use of marijuana in foods. Some good resources are listed below.

Grandma’s Green Cookbooks – www.greencookbook.com The Marijuana Food Handbook: A Guide for the Sensuous Connoisseur by Bill Drake, Ronin Publishing 2002

There seems to be a bit of misunderstanding in the world of edibles, so, we are going to try and clear it up for patients and caregivers regarding the effects and dosing of medical edible cannabis. This increases the importance of educated medical co-ops and dispensaries to assist patients in their selections, and to know where and with what their edibles are made. It is imperative that preparation of the cannabis or its extract be heated or dehydrated properly to cause decarboxylation of its most abundant cannabinoid, tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, into psychoactive THC. However, trial and error is usually required to obtain the appropriate strain and effect of the proper dose level, until you know the provider.

The advancement of delivery methods that do not involve smoking was one of the recommendations in the Institute of Medicine report on marijuana which the White House commissioned in 1999. Despite the fact that extensive and long term studies of chronic marijuana users have repeatedly shown that there is no associated threat of lung cancer or other diseases, many patients remain concerned about smoking cannabis, or find oral ingestion to be easier or more effective.

Consuming medical cannabis edibles can consequently result in a similar psychoactive effect or “high” as smoking medical marijuana.

However, most patients experience the effects differently than smoking. The biggest difference is the slower absorption of THC from the digestive tract compared to the instantaneous absorption achieved from smoking cannabis.

Edibles taken on an empty stomach will work significantly faster than those taken immediately following a meal. A patient’s metabolism also plays a significant role on the effect of the edible, as well as the patient’s own unique medical requirements, among other factors. It is difficult to know how strong an edible medi52 | NUGMAG.COM

cine will be. It is easy to over medicate, and, strangely, the same dosage size that one patient may find overwhelming, another patient may try and have hardly any noticeable effect.

Usually, edibles can take up to two hours to reach full strength after ingesting, creating difficulty in titration dosages. The effects can last from 6 to 8 hours which is very convenient for those patients who want to sleep or have longer control of pain.

effects. If this does happen to you or someone you know, have them relax and drink a large glass of warm milk, and encourage them to stay calm or go to sleep, and remind them that no one has ever died from cannabis consumption.

Most tinctures are prepared to be used sublingually, meaning, under the tongue through absorption by the arterial blood supply which is completed in minutes. The secret is to not swallow the dose because, if swallowed, absorption will take place in the GI tract.

Therefore, it is best to swish the tincture in your mouth for as long as possible before swallowing. Many patients prefer to add the tincture to a cup of hot herbal tea, hot chocolate or juice for easy delivery. When tincture is used in a beverage, absorption will be slower than if absorbed under the tongue.

The following recipes are taken from Mother Earth Co-op’s “Special Medicinal Recipes – A Medical Cannabis Cookbook.” Kim Twolan © 2008 Cookbook available at finer co-ops and collectives, physicians’ offices, and online at www.motherearthcoop.com/products

The key to edibles is knowing how much to consume in order to get the best medicinal effect without going overboard. The general rule of thumb is to cut the edible product into 4 pieces (or smaller if you are new to cannabis) and only consume one piece to start. Wait for at least one hour. If you experience the effects of the medication, stop. If you do not feel the effects of the medication, try having another piece. It is always good to journal the medications you are trying so you will have the knowledge of what works best for you or your patient. There have been patients who unknowingly have ingested too much and have had the unfortunate side effects of feeling “too high”, nausea, vomiting, and grogginess. If you follow the instructions above, you should not have any problems with these side

With all that said….it’s May, so, we had to include a few Cinco de Mayo remedies with, of course, our medicinal twist!

AVOCADO GREEN (Appetizers) 3 medium avocado (ripe) 1/2 tsp. paprika 1 large red onion 4 cloves garlic (chopped) 2 tbsp cilantro (chopped) 3 tbsp red wine vinegar 2 tsp. chili powder 1/2 cup cannabis (finely chopped) Mix the vinegar, cannabis, chili powder, paprika and garlic together and let the mixture stand for one hour. Then add avocados, onions, cilantro and mash all together.

Note: Serve this therapeutic sauce with mini tacos or as a dip with crispy tortilla chips.

MEXICALI POLLO SPECIAL (Casseroles) 1 lb. chicken (cooked) 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped) 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 tsp. Chili powder 1 can cream mushroom soup 1 can Mexican tomatoes w/chilies 1 small onion (chopped) 1 pkg. tortilla corn chips 1 small bell pepper (chopped) 1 cup Cheddar cheese (grated) 3 tbsp cannabis (finely chopped) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl.

Grease a 9” x 12” pan and line bottom of pan with crumbled corn chips like Doritos. Pour mixture on top of corn chips and top with grated cheese.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with Black Beans & Acapulco Gold Rice.

SPICY THOR’S SUPREME NACHOS (Appetizers) 1 (8-oz.) jar tomato salsa 1 (4-oz.) can green chilies 1 medium green onion 1/2 tsp. kief 1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce 1 (15-oz.) bag tortilla chips

2 cups Cheddar cheese (shredded) 1/2 lb. grilled Sirloin strips (sliced) 1 medium avocado (cubed) 1 tsp. lemon juice 1/2 cup sour cream 1 (4-oz.) jar Jalapeno pepper (chopped)

Combine tomato salsa, chilies, green onion, kief and hot pepper sauce in bowl; let stand 15 minutes. Place tortilla chips in shallow 8 x 10 inch baking dish. Pour sauce over chips; sprinkle grated cheese over all.

Grill sirloin cubes and spread over chips and cheese mixture. Broil nachos for 3 to 4 minutes or until cheese melts. Just before serving, seed, peel and mash avocado. Stir in lemon juice. Spoon avocado mixture and sour cream on hot nachos and top with jalapeno slices.

Serve immediately.

Wishing you a hempy journey to a healthier you!

Peace & Love

Kim

Note: A spicy southwestern inspired twisted on a classic dish.

BLACK BEANS & ACAPULCO GOLD RICE (Vegetarian) 1 (10-oz.) pkg. yellow rice 1 tsp. Cajun seasonings 2 tbsp cannabutter 1 tsp. cumin 1 medium onion (chopped) 2 tbsp cannabis (finely chopped) 2 tbsp garlic (fresh, chopped) 2 tbsp cilantro (fresh, chopped) 1 (15-oz.) can black beans Prepare rice per directions on package. In a small sauce pan over medium low heat put cannabutter, onions and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix black beans, seasonings, cumin and cannabis together and heat over low flame for 5 to 8 minutes. When rice is done combine rice and beans and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Note: Yellow rice brand Mahatma is usually vegan.

CALIFORNIA SPECIAL SALSA (Salsa) 2 plum tomatoes (diced) 1 cucumber (diced) 1/2 green pepper (chopped) 1/2 purple onion (chopped) 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 3 tbsp cannaoil 4 cloves garlic (chopped) 1/8 tsp. black pepper

1 tbsp basil (fresh, chopped) 2 tbsp cannabis (finely chopped) 1/8 tsp. Greek seasoning 1 tbsp thyme (fresh, chopped) 1 tbsp oregano (fresh, chopped) 2 tbsp cilantro (fresh, chopped) 1/8 tsp. dry mustard 1 tsp. sugar

In medium bowl, mix all ingredients together and chill until ready to serve. This recipe is great served with tortilla chips or warm pita bread.

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If you read last month’s article and the prospect of a 15-25% return on investment has you thinking that you might want a solar energy system for your home or business, you probably want to know how much solar power you will need. That is the purpose of this article, but this information comes with the warning that you should have an experienced professional evaluate the site prior to installation.

The first step in designing a solar system is determining how much energy you need. Although we are accustomed to thinking about our electric use in terms of cost, California’s “tiered” rate structure makes it difficult to convert cost to actual energy consumed.

You buy electricity in kilowatt-hours (kWh); your previous month’s kWh usage appears on your bill along with the cost. However, the cost of each kWh increases as your usage increases. It is just the opposite of “bulk pricing.” The lowest level of use is called the baseline, and it varies throughout the county depending upon season and climate region. Above baseline, the cost per kWh nearly triples. That is why it is important to know what you are using and to take advantage of any opportunity to reduce it.

To get your historic yearly total or monthly average, you can use SDG&E’s Energy Waves feature on their web site, www. sdge.com. You will need your account number, electric meter number, and billing zip code.

To predict your additional energy requirements for growing cannabis, you need to know the total wattage of your lights and, if you are using a “closed” system, the

total tonnage of your air conditioners.

As you may already know, a 1,000 Watt (W) lamp running for one hour uses 1 kWh. At 12 hours per day, that lamp uses 360 kWh per month. Air conditioners use about 1 kWh per ton per hour; a ton is 12,000 BTU per hour, which will offset the load of three 1,000W lamps. Thus, one 1,000W lamp running 12 hours per day with air conditioning uses about 450 kWh per month and requires about 3.3 kW of PV to fully offset its load.

Once you know your yearly use, here are some simple rules of thumb to make a quick estimate of your needs. The easy formula is: 1 Watt DC (system size) = 1.7 kWh per year (electric production). To convert that number to a solar system, you will need to know how many kWh of electricity you use in a year or average month. Remember, yearly netmetering allows you to “bank” electricity in some months to use in another month.

Another quick rule of thumb for today’s high-power panels that are 200W or more is 30 kWh per month per panel. For a grower using 1500 kWh per month, that would be 50 panels. This gives a rough estimate and can help select the area needed. Most panels are about 3’x5’ in size, so, 1500 kWh per month requires about 50 panels that produce a total of 10 kW (200 Watt x 50 panels = 10,000W or 10 kilowatts) and require 750 square feet of area (3’x5’x 50 panels).

That’s equivalent to a roof that is about 15’ wide and 50’ long.

Once you have sized your system by determining what your energy needs are and the amount of space required to produce it, you will have a better understanding of the benefits you can receive from a solar energy system.

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GROW

Spring is here and things are getting warmer, the frost is gone, and flowers are blooming all over. Spring is the perfect time of year to get seeds started, and to get our outdoor garden ready to go. Many of us might not have the space or money to start an indoor garden. Well, it’s the perfect time to try your first outdoor garden if you’re up for it! There are a few things you should know before you start that will greatly help your garden.

Whether you’re starting a produce garden to feed your family, just growing tomatoes and peppers to make salsa, or growing your own herb garden, the same rules apply for preparing all of these gardens outside. You can plant in raised beds, individual containers, or straight into the ground. Either way, you should start with a good organic potting soil filled with good organic amendments.

One of the most common and biggest problems people make is starting off with the wrong soil, full of chemical fertilizers or time released fertilizers.

These soils do not sustain an active colony of microorganisms. Fox Farm Ocean Forest, Canna Bio and

SPRINGTIME GROWING by. The Guru

Canna Terra Professional, Aurora Roots Organic, and Vermi Crop Organics, just to name a few, are all top quality organic potting soils and ready to use. They all have organic amendments in them already and also some microorganisms as beneficial inoculants.

Even when a soil says it has microorganisms and organic amendments in it already, this does not mean it will be enough for the entire life of the plant.

You will have to add things to the plant throughout the life of the plant too. Try to stay away from anything with time released nutrients in it, and anything that has been radiated to make it sterile from pathogens and bugs. It is true that radiating the soil eliminates all pathogens and bugs, but it also kills off all the beneficial microbes, killing off the micro ecosystem in the soil, which then leaves behind a dead, non-living soil. The whole idea of organic growing is having a microbial ecosystem that is alive and active, creating a healthy immune system for the plant. The healthier the plant’s immune system, the more resistant and able it is to fight off bugs, diseases, molds and all sorts of harmful pathogens it wil be. Beneficial microbial inoculants are some of

the best ways to build up a plant’s immune system.

Products such as Mycos 30 from RTI, a highly potent mycorrhizal inoculant, will get you a very healthy and well structured root mass and makes for a very healthy plant. Rhizotonic, Voodoo Juice, and Great White Shark are some other great beneficial microbes that will enhance the plant in many different ways. High quality sea kelps, earth worm castings and teas are also very active in microbes and support and build a healthy immune system. Microorganisms are like laborers - constantly working on a wide range of symbiotic jobs. There are many different microbes and each has its own job. Some consume and break down nutrients, and others consume other microbes. Each microbe exudes proteins, enzymes, acids, and other essential elements necessary to break down trace minerals, salts, and nutrients. When plants have a well rounded colony of microorganisms, it allows nutrients to be absorbed readily and more efficiently by the plant. Besides helping the plant stay healthier via nutrient uptake, miNUGMAG.COM | 57

crobes also defend against un-beneficial microbes, pathogens, and bacterium. The beneficial microbes keep the plants natural defense system at its peak performance. Some of these products, like Vermi Crop Organic Tea (beware of cheap imitations), contain over 35,000 beneficial organisms.

These organisms expand root mass, build healthy immune systems, help naturally defend against pests, and allow the plant to produce a heavy, bountiful, and sticky harvest.

Starting with good potting soils, inoculating with beneficial microorganisms, and using good quality organic nutrients, enhancers and supplements are the keys to starting a good healthy organic garden. A healthy organic garden is much more resistant to pests and diseases. It also creates a very healthy, sweet and nutritious end product whether it is fruits or vegetables, citrus trees, herbs or greens, or almost anything else you grow for human consumption. By using organic products outside when in soil, it helps prevent salt build up and waste from entering into the ground water, which creates problems and ends up in our lakes and reservoirs polluting everything. Nitrates and pesticides create all sorts of problems in the environment when leaked into our ground water. Staying all organic when outside in the ground or in soil is always a better choice and creates healthier plants naturally. Mother Nature has its own remedies for every problem that can hit a plant. With a well balanced soil, well rounded colony of microorganisms and a good organic nutrient feeding program, you will create a healthy beautiful plant and fight off any pests or diseases naturally.

So you picked your planting site and got your quality organic potting soil ready to go. Fill in the raised beds, pots or containers, or the hole you dug in the ground with a good potting soil. Add any inoculants or beneficials you’re using into the soil before planting. It’s usually better to have your seeds or clones already started 58 | NUGMAG.COM

or propagated in a small container such as a 5” square cord nursery pot to get it root bound and established before transplanting it into the ground or outside. The area should be south facing and get at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day for optimal growth. The less light the plants get, the smaller they will be and the less they will produce. Choose a spot with as much direct sunlight as you can to get the biggest yields possible.

Another tip is to remember that, especially during the flowering stage, light pollution is a big issue as well. When choosing your planting site, be sure to pick somewhere a bit away from the house or any lights that might hit the plants at night. Even the slightest bit of light pollution can interrupt and confuse certain photo sensitive plants, messing up the flowering process. Make sure to pick a spot in the yard that is not right under a neighbor’s spotlight or anything like that, and that there is total uninterrupted darkness at night.

Many people try to put their plants out of sight, which often ends up being an area which does not receive that much light. Try planting near other plants to camouflage and blend in with other bushes or plants that are located in more direct sunlight. You will also need to protect your crops from animals such as rabbits, squirrels, gophers, rats and mice, and any other animals running around at night. These animals can destroy your whole garden in just one single night, and it’s devastating! There are a few steps you can take to protect your garden from these animals and other pests as well.

Especially here in Southern CA where it is so dry, any green plant that is luscious with juice or moisture

is a perfect snack for many animals.

Rats will eat right thru the base stem of the plant, just to get some moisture or water out of the stem, often knocking down a whole bush or plant and killing it! Caterpillars will lay eggs and get right into your nice flowers, causing nasty flower rot from the inside out.

Many times this is not noticed until it’s too late and it has destroyed most, if not all of your crop. A few ways to avoid this is to use preventative measures for your plants. Wrapping the plants and the area around the plants top to bottom completely sealed with chicken wire will stop most of your big pests like rats, mice, and anything else from chewing the stocks and knocking them over. It’s a pain but it is necessary, especially in the more rural areas and where the dryer vegetation is.

Pests such as caterpillars, worms and many other crawling insects are big time problems here in dryer areas. Basically, we have built urban developments on their land, and they don’t have many choices for healthy plants to attack, so any green healthy plant outside in a rural area is sure to see caterpillars and other crawling insects and pests trying to get onto and into the plant. Using Tree Tangle Foot is a great preventative measure for fighting these crawling pests. Tree Tangle Foot is a sticky organic goo that, when put as a ring around the base stem of the plant, will stop and trap any insects trying to crawl from the ground up the stem of the plant. By stopping them from crawling up the plant, you have a greater chance of fighting them off.

Always keep your plant trimmed and pruned, removing crowded leaves, and damaged leaves which can lead to many problems. Keeping a clean healthy looking plant is always the best prevention in fighting off bugs, pests, pathogens, funguses and diseases. And don’t overcrowd your plants by trying to put too many too close together. Give them room and they will grow huge and produce huge harvests!

When using organics to grow outside, things are simpler than in an indoor garden. Mother Nature is doing most everything for you. You do not have to duplicate the environment like an indoor grower has to. The perfect environment is what a plant needs to grow well, and then everything else will follow. Mother Nature creates the perfect environment for plants to grow, which is why plants grow so well outside in their natural environment.

The springtime and most of summer are the vegetative growth cycle of the plant. You want to use vegetative nutrients high in Nitrogen for the growth cycle. Once the days start getting shorter, the nutrient requirements change along with the shorter photo periods. The plant requires more phosphorus and potassium during the flowering cycle to support and produce large healthy flowers or fruits.

Use a quality flowering nutrient that is high in phosphorus and potassium for best results. Keep it organic and all

will be good and green in the end.

Don’t just plant your herb garden though. Try planting other things as well like tomatoes, peppers, onions, and anything else you personally like to eat. Growing your own herbs, fruits and vegetables is one of the most rewarding things a person can do for themselves. Knowing where your foods come from and how they were grown and handled is very important.

You can produce enough fresh produce to feed your whole family, or just grow a few things here and there to supplement your normal grocery list.

Either way, it is much healthier and nutritious to grow your own food and it tastes so much better than food transported all the way across the country to get to your local store.

One of my favorite things to plant and grow starting in the spring is a variety of tomatoes, peppers, onions, cilantro, cucumbers, lettuce, and basil. Out of this I get fresh salsa, tomatoes for the hamburgers on the

barbeque, and lots of healthy delicious salads. There are many different things you can grow yourself at home, saving money and being healthier at the same time. I also find it to be a form of meditation, working in the garden under the hot sun, working the soil and taking care of my plants.

It’s also a great project and lesson for kids to learn and understand where their food comes from and how to grow it properly. It’s pretty sad to see kids who have never gardened before or grown their own plants. One who knows how to grow plants successfully will always be able to feed his or her family in times of need or hunger, and will not be reliant on others to provide for them. Knowing that your food is healthy, safe and organic is a great peace of mind to have!

Spring is here! Grow your own and be rewarded with your own fruits and vegetables, and of course, keep it GREEN!

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Here’s the deal. Each month we provide our resident Chronisseur with three different strains from various collectives in and around San Diego. He is not told where they came from, or who the grower is. This is the honest, off-the-cuff opinion of Hopper: The Chronisseur.

Before we could sit down to sample this month’s variety of Pure Kush, J-1, and Chem Dog, he insisted on a thorough cleaning of his favorite Sour bong. A casual chat while the rubbing alcohol and kosher salt worked its way through the resin left from yesterday’s session reminded me of something Brad X recently said about Hopper. “If they gave out PhDs or black belts for cannabis expertise, Rich (Hopper) would be a renowned and HIGHLY acclaimed master of his trade…

I mean, he has a tattooed green thumb! What else can I say?” On that note, we stopped chattin’ and got to snappin’. Here is what Hopper had to say about this month’s selections.

Pure Kush: “This was grown well and flushed correctly, obviously with a lot of care put into the curing process.

Because of its sour, petroleum flavor I think it might actually be an 818 Kush or a Valley Kush.

But hey, a bomb bud is a bomb bud!”

J-1: “Sativa dominant, almost pure. Very nice earthy, piney smell. Whoever did this one definitely knows what he’s doing. Or maybe she… some of the best growers I know are females.

The ladies are a hugely overlooked part of the medical marijuana community. But back to the bud. Floaty high, flavorful, and smooth on the exhale. All around excellent experience. I’ve always been a fan of the Jack Herer and Skunk #1. I was so bummed to hear he’d passed, he was a personal hero.”

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Chem Dog: “Damn! Trichromes are shining like diamonds on this one! I gotta say though, it’s just a little bit too wispy and harsh. An overall good head-high though. Not that there is anything really bad about it, but…I don’t know, guess I’m just spoiled. Hard not to be living here in SD. I swear we have some of the best weed in the world, hands down.”

That’s a wrap on the first of many sessions to come.

The Sour bong is back on the shelf, cleaned and ready for the next three strains. Check back next month for more reviews by our very own Chronisseur.

Story by Pamela Jayne Photo by Derek Plank Nug Shots by M.K. Jack Publisher’s note Pure Kush from Cloud9, J1 from Green Power, & Chem Dog from Organic Experience.

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Sharon Hazel Township

Between the Sheets by Sonya Bender

Songs about being dazed and confused by life and love in the city of Los Angeles Sonya Bender is a singer/songwriter and award-winning actress. She gained national exposure as a teen spokesperson for ASCAP’s educational campaign against music piracy. This unique program has reached out to an estimated 2.2 million Middle School and High School Students’ and is still being presented today. After completing this 4 part video series, she made a number of personal appearances at schools performing the original song she wrote for the project and interacting with the kids. Sonya has performed at the annual I Create Music Week that ASCAP sponsors every year in Los Angeles. A native of San Diego, Sonya grew up participating in its thriving theatrical community. Through her work at various professional theatres, she was given the opportunity to explore many different kinds of characters, from a drug-addicted prostitute (In Arabia We’d All Be Kings) to a suicidal and troubled young woman (Crave) to a Lolita style con artist (PUSH). Within a month of moving to Los Angeles, Sonya began work on LOVELACE A Rock Opera, by Charlotte Caffey (The Go-Go’s) and Anna Waronker (That Dog). During this time, she also began writing the material that would become her first full-length album, Between the Sheets. Sonya has been named as one of the young faces to watch by PBS Arts Brief and is sponsored

by Daisy Rock Guitars. You can preview or download Between the Sheets online http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sonyabender

Known for her multifaceted songwriting and honest lyrics about a California kid embracing adulthood in Chicago, Sharon Hazel enjoyed a successful solo career prior to forming Sharon Hazel Township. Born in LA and raised in Northern California, the songwriter was a performing musician at an early age. After attending DePaul University in Chicago, Sharon remained in the windy city and began playing around town as a guitarist while writing songs at home. Sharon started playing locally as a singer-songwriter which soon turned into touring the country. Sharon was nominated for two San Diego HAT (Honoring Acoustic Talent) awards, appeared on the Indie Music Television show, and was featured as an artist and owner of Crumb Records in Performer Magazine. Shortly after moving to San Diego she formed her band Sharon Hazel Township (SHT). The acoustic based band plays mostly original music influenced by folk, rock, jazz, and funk. Known to stray from verse and jam during a set, Sharon Hazel Township has quickly become one of southern California’s premiere bands. 2010 brings a return to the studio to create the debut full length album.

Band Members: Laura Payne - Bass, vocals Alyssa Desind - percussion Sharon Hazel - guitar, vocals Sasha Johnson - drums, percussion

www.myspace.com/sharonhazel www.reverbnation.com/sharonhazeltownship Sharon Hazel Township’s upcoming shows:

5/7 @ Coffeehouse Radio Live in San Diego 5/11 @ O’Connell’s in San Diego 5/28 @ Dolores Park Cafe in San Francisco 7/23 @ El Rio in San Francisco Quick Mother’s Day facts: #1. Laura Payne, the bassist, is a mother of two boys. #2. Sharon Hazel also owns Crumb Records which she named after her mother.

Quick Mother’s Day fact: Sonya has one of the coolest San Diego Moms we have ever met!

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By: Ben G. Rowin Again, NUG Magazine is bringing our readers what we feel is the best in the San Diego music scene. I personally have really been digging the sounds coming from San Diego locals Stone Senses. Stone Senses began in the summer of 2004. Originally, the band was just a few musicians who got together to have a few drinks and play some music, but by 2005, they had turned into a group of seven musicians very serious about taking their band to the next level and taking the rock-reggae scene by storm.

The founders and vocalists Eric Castaneda and Mike O’Gara had become friends in their days at Carlsbad High School, and recruited another Carlsbad native, Garrett Grabowsky, to play guitar.

They began playing shows around San Diego and quickly built a name for themselves with their mix of heavy rock influences and modern reggae.

Over the next two years, the band released two albums: “Harder Than the Rest” and “Live it Up”, both of which have been on heavy rotation in my car!

The band toured the southwest, from San Francisco to Aspen, San Diego to Tempe and everywhere in between until unrest within forced some lineup changes. Some of the original members were not able to commit to the full-time grind that the founders knew was needed! Mike, Eric and Garrett were left with the task of rebuilding the band from the ground up. Bringing on John John Laue (from Tribal Seeds) immediately changed the sound of Stone Senses into what it is today. Next, Charlie Ball (formerly of Faded Chroniclez) joined the band in 2009, gelling the new lineup. Ever since, they have been touring the west and writing the upcoming album they are currently recording at Studio West in San Diego.

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NUG Magazine caught up with the band to get a little NUG: So I understand a few of you are cannabis patients….tell our readers how cannabis insight on their future plans. has helped you?

NUG: Thanks for taking the time to answer some quesSS: Medical cannabis has been a lifesaver from the typical “pill for your problems” remedy tions for the NUG readers. to ailments. Due to accidents and injuries from the past that still require pain medication to be bearable throughout the day, it became obvious that cannabis was the only logical long SS: Of course! We’re stoked to be in NUG. term solution. Instead of taking hard-core pain killers and becoming useless throughout the day or constantly taking aspirin (which kills over 2,000 people a year!), I can now take a NUG: How is the new album coming? Tell us a little bit few puffs from a joint and the same results occur but without the nasty side effects. about the new sound that people can expect from the

upcoming release.

NUG: What are your favorite collectives?

SS: The album is going great; we have been having SS: NUGGETRY, Green Tree Solutions, San Diego & North County Delivery, Great OG’s. a blast tracking at Studio West. We’ve been working Unified Collective is home to the original HAWGSBREATH - always a favorite of ours. with a new engineer and producer on this album, Wiley

Miranda. He’s really taken our sound in a new direction NUG: Tell us also some of your favorite strains. for us, and our experience in the studio with him has

been nothing short of fantastic. It’s pretty cool when SS: Any bomb OG is at the top of the list. Jack Herer (R.I.P) and HAWGSBREATH are defiyou can work with someone who has an understanding nitely up there for amazing taste and smell. There are so many amazing flavors coming out and an ear for what you are trying to accomplish. As of San Diego in the medical scene, so it is pretty hard to choose! far as the music itself is concerned, making the band sound unified between the two singers has been a big NUG: I find that some really good mellow vibes come out of San Diego, do you feel that it goal of ours. Having two singers, we sometimes write has something to do with the laid back lifestyle we are able to enjoy living in paradise? songs that seem to appeal to one singer or the other stylistically, and that isn’t what we really want. We have SS: You pretty much just answered your own question. But we’re pretty sure your magabeen working on creating one, unique, complex sound zine is helping San Diego’s vibes mellow out even more! that fits both singers’ styles but, at the same time, is unmistakably Stone Senses. We have a real eclectic mix NUG: OK, I don’t want to take up much more of your time, but are there any shout outs you of musical influences in San Diego, not simply reggae. would like to throw out there?

We have been blending these influences into the reggae foundation that we started with to create our sound, and SS: What up to Astra and Studio West, our friends High Tide, Natural Incense, and not all these influences are what you might typically asFayuca, and of course our sponsors Anarchy Eyewear and CleanFiend! sociate with reggae music. The new sound is definitely more driven, focused, and catchy than before. We had Stone Senses are: a few elements of rock thrown into our earlier albums, but this one has a bit heavier than the first two. We still keep it mellow on some tracks, but overall, the album is Eric Castaneda - Vocals Mongos our most upbeat and exciting yet, so keep an eye and Miklo O’Gara - Vocals/Guitar Grover Beach, California ear out for it later this summer!

Garrett Grabowsky - Guitar Jun 18 2010 8:00P John John Laue - Drums NUG: One of my favorite tracks on the last two albums Charlie Ball - Bass Anaheim Rumble & Rock is “Broken Crown”, can you tell our readers a little bit Wiley Miranda - Controls/Dub FX Anaheim, California about the inspiration for this song?

Daniel Reedy - Positive Vibe Technician/ Jun 19 2010 5:00P Management SS: That question is best answered by Mikey, who Boar Cross’n Bar and Grill 21+ wrote the song.

Carlsbad, California Upcoming Shows for May and June: Jul 9 2010 8:00P Mike O’Gara: The song is about a time in my life where PierView Pub/ Bub’s Whiskey Dive 21+ the first girl I had really fallen in love with left me for Oceanside, California Kilkenny’s 21+ someone else. It had gotten to me pretty bad and I was May 1 2010 8:00P Redondo Beach, California upset over the situation, but awhile afterwards, I sat Jul 22 2010 8:00P down and took that negative energy and used the song Leucadian Bar 21+ as an outlet. I just wrote about how I felt, and the song Encinitas, California was created. Over the years people have told me that May 8 2010 8:00P the song helped them get through tough spots in their relationships, and it makes me feel good that I could Pier 23 w/ The Dirty Dub Band take something negative in my life and flip it to have a San Francisco, California positive effect on another’s life.

May 14 2010 8:00P NUG: What are some of your favorite venues to play at in San Diego? I know you guys are local and have the same love for SD that I do, so I am curious about where your favorite places to play are.

Brick By Brick 21+ San Diego, California May 16 2010 8:00P

Queen Bees ALL AGES SS: There are so many places in San Diego that we San Diego, California have had a blast at over the years, but if we had to Jun 11 2010 8:00P name a few, we really love the Belly Up, House of Blues, 710 Beach Club, and The Leucadian.

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STRAIN: CHEMDOG

Music with no stems or seeds, cultivated monthly By: Goldi Schiffner Humble, hard working and gritty lyricists embody the music coming from San Diego artists, Stoned Red Addicts. The name states it all; they are stoned red addicts. But the meaning of their music and goals go far past simplicity into a complicated cannabis extreme. Stoned Red Addicts are Izic, Big Pitt and R.L. hailing from Clairemont, a community in San Diego. In 2010 the group decided to do something different, they put their careers on the line and promised to release a new project each month for free on their website americasfinestent.com.

Each of these gentlemen has his own unique personality, but the mix balances out the sound and creates a stage presence of supernatural energy. As part of the crowd at the last Stoned Red Addicts show, you could see everyone get out of their seats and really feel the music. The crowd was captivated with a ceremonial lighting of a cannabis filled swisher on stage.

Stoned Red Addicts combine hip hop beats with hard hitting lyrics, comedy and great rhythm.

The group has made notable strides since they were established as E.R.A in 2006. “When we were E.R.A, our sound wasn’t as developed as it is today and we weren’t as experienced.

When we became more developed and sounded better, we decided the only thing that needed to change was the name, so we came up with Stoned Red Addicts.” explains Izic.

As 2010 stands to be a landmark year for Stoned Red Addicts, we caught up with Izic, 70 | NUGMAG.COM

R.L. and Big Pitt after their “420 friendly” photo shoot at a studio in Mira Mesa.

We’re going to dive right into the criticism you have faced as a group in your quest to create “420 friendly” party music. What keeps you going?

Izic: Our drive, we don’t stop. We bring something else to the table and we have a lot to share with the people. We relate a lot to our fans and that is what keeps us going.

main producer as far as making tracks, R.L. is the second most knowledgeable when it comes to producing. Their sounds are really distinguished. I can’t physically lay something down on a track, but I can think it and go to Pitt and tell him ‘this is my vision, this is the way I want the sound, and he brings it to life. I personally bring an ear for catchy hooks.

On 4/20, Stoned Red Addicts, the self titled debut album was released. What can people expect to hear?

R.L.: People who knew us back in 2007 will notice a big change they will appreciate and hopefully like. I don’t want to boast myself, but I feel we’re talented R.L.: I listen to a lot of music; I am influenced and we do our thing. by rappers such as Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg because they are stoner friendly. That Izic: This is our first album as Stoned Red Addicts, is what motivates me to go out there and let everything is original. All our own beats and lyrics. everyone know that I’m smoking, and I rap It just goes to show you who we are as a group and about it because I like to do it. that we come from originality. The album is a good vibe, good music - party feel, so a lot of people can In making a new project each relate. We’re at a time where people don’t want to month there are a lot of creative hear about the news and the recession. We try to processes to go through, how cheer people up and share how we live every day.

Happiness, drinking, smoking, having sex and that’s does it all start? it.

Big Pitt: I’m Big Pitt AKA the Weed King. I am pretty much the producer of the group, I make the beats. Once the group can hear how the sound goes, the drum or piano, then they can dig it. Since we are natural about our flows, we just come up with something hard based off the music.

Izic: We each have our own unique music creativeness. For example, Big Pitt is the

Why are you tasking yourself with the enormous undertaking of putting out a new project each month of 2010?

Admittedly, you are not getting paid for the upcoming projects and all the music is free.

Izic: Because we strive to be original and the best, to be bigger and better than anyone else.

So, I could be wrong, but according to what I know, nobody has ever come out with a project every month free for a whole year, rocker or rapper. We want to be the first to do it, and we’re not on a crazy budget for it! We do everything our way, and in house. And we want to show people how we can keep making music, and good music at that.

The energy at the last Stoned Red Addicts show we saw was amazing. What makes you guys so powerful live?

Izic: Energy plays a big key, and our sound. We don’t just settle for any sound, we specifically mix every live track and set list so it’s made for live. We don’t rap over our tracks from our CDs. Also, my brother is a mixing engineer so he plays a big part when it comes to mixing and mastering. It’s definitely a blessing to have somebody like that involved.

R.L. we understand that you have an upcoming mix tape you’re putting together, can you tell us more about that?

R.L.: It is official! I am doing a mix tape coming out on my birthday, May 12, a Tuesday, which is perfect. This is my first project and I can’t wait to release it because everyone is wondering ‘What is R.L. going to say; what kind of beats will be featured?’ It’s going to be great because after the Stoned Red Addicts album is complete, I’ll be in the booth finishing it up. I’m calling it The Dark Knight mix tape because I am the dark night. Look out for R.L. May 12th!

What, as a group, are you most looking forward to in 2010, or would like to accomplish?

Izic: Hopefully finishing the year strong and making these projects. Making the music every month takes a toll on you, and it’s a drag some-

Big Pitt: I have a musical background. I’ve played drums and piano since I was 5, I’ve even been in choir. Recently I’ve been producing using Reason and ProTools. The sound just comes right off the top of the brain. I’ll get a piano track and lay a little tune down, if I like it I’ll get another track, then a bass and see how it works. Sometimes it all flows together and I didn’t know I was going to make what I did. A little Mary Jane, she helps out now and then.

Izic: Really great. Someone was telling me that they like our music as a group but also enjoy my solo work because my solo stuff sounds different than the group because I have a dark past and I’m not mentally all there in the head.

Certain crazy thoughts the group cannot relate to. I don’t expect them to, it’s crazy stuff. It’s for people who like darker, problems at home kind of music. People tend to flock to that just to relate. The music is definitely something that you can feel. It’s like the best of both worlds; you’re pissed off listen to my solo music, or be happy and listen to the group stuff. One thing that I have a lot of experience in is relationships.

Whether it is good or bad, a lot of people have been through it and can relate. I look forward to doing more solo projects.

Big Pitt: Our job in the music industry is to touch boundaries that no one has ever touched before, and no one is going to stop us because we are the Stoned Red Addicts.

R.L.: As I close out, I just want to let the whole world know that we’re going to blow up and it’s going to be such a majestic wonderful ride.

Look out world!

Izic: Seriously, we are striving to do things no one has ever done before, we know people have said that before. We really mean it.

Starting with one project every month for a whole year! Most people wouldn’t attempt that because they know it is very hard to do. We will not quit. After this, our goal is to do a 50 state tour, a show in at least one city in every state.

I know nobody has ever done that in one tour before. We have a list of things.

The promise for a fresh project from the Stoned Red Addicts each month of 2010 is set in stone.

If the cannabis culture of music is looking for a fresh face, they have certainly met the perfect match. After sitting with the Stoned Red Addicts, their rising fame could be compared to the sparking of a fresh joint - pure happiness for everyone involved.

Big Pitt, you have done most of the production for the projects. Where does your inspiration as a producer come from?

Izic you released your debut album as a solo artist, Inauguration, in March which we read was in production for over two years. How have your fans been reacting?

Is there anything else you would like to share?

In 2010 alone, Stoned Red Addicts have released The Hot Box Vol. 1 and The Hot Box Vol. 2 for January and February. In March, Izic’s long awaited solo debut album Inauguration was released. Finally, in April Stoned Red Addicts, the self titled album, debuted. As for the album, a few reasons why you should check it out, “too much cannabis,” Izic explains, R.L. adds “fire.” And Big Pitt, a man of an apparent few words cements the statement “something they have never heard before.” times. Just finishing as strongly as we started and making good material. We hope to keep winning the music festivals and doing these shows. Naturally, we want to see where the year takes us; we’re just waiting for it to unfold.

So I have to ask, out of the group, who is the biggest stoner?

R.L.: He [Big Pitt] is the Michael Jordan of marijuana smoking.

Izic: We all know not only is he the biggest stoner in the group, but he’s the biggest stoner you’ll ever meet. If you don’t believe me, if you think you’re the biggest stoner, we challenge you to a weed Olympics with Big Pitt. He is smoking a half ounce blunt as we speak, enough said!

Big Pitt: The only man to smoke so much weed and walk this land of earth. If Snoop Dogg hears this, tell him to just stop. Because I’m here.

No matter your musical tastes, you can find a Stoned Red Addicts song and album perfect for the mood. My personal favorite is “California Soul” from The Hot Box Vol. 1 because it’s ideal for those mellow Saturday afternoons heading to the beach.

In a city with such a rich local music scene, it’s worth the time to learn more about the sounds being cultivated around you. After contributing just eight minutes of your time to local music and downloading Stoned Red Addicts projects free on their website, you may be exposed to a new genre of stoner music. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to find a free CD you can look forward to each month debuting on americasfinestent.com.

Stoned Red Addicts Free Downloads/Calendar @ americasfinestent.com Stoned Red Addicts on FaceBook

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NUG Magazine Editor Dion Markgraaff’s

Tribute to Jack Herer

For decades, Jack has determinedly continued to preach his message that cannabis is the best food, fiber, fuel, paper, and medicine on the planet, literally until the day he died. He is right. Since I read his words in The Emperor Wears No Clothes almost 20 years ago, I have done nothing but do my best every day to promote the information contained in his book – that hemp can save the world.

I was deeply honored when I met my hero Jack Herer in my hemp shop, the CIA - Cannabis In Amsterdam - when we hosted the High Times Cannabis Cup. His tireless energy is reflected in his kind words, “11/24/93 - Amsterdam, Holland. To Dion, Keep the enthusiasm flowing non-stop till total Victory. Let’s talk about the Hemp Movement.

Thanks for being here, Love Jack.”

Come join us as we celebrate Jack Herer’s life and continue his legacy of educating people about this wondrous plant at the “Hemp is Our History” Week- San Diego Event with me and David Bronner who is a board member of Vote Hemp and CEO of the Escondido based Dr Bronner’s Soap. May 17 at 7pm at La Jolla Brew House – 7536 Fay Ave., La Jolla, California.

This is a copy of Jack’s book in German, Hanf (Hemp), which was a #1 best selling non-fiction book.

Dion Markgraaff’s copy of the world changing book, The Emperor Wears No Clothes, from 1991.

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photo: amazing memorial we saw at the THC Expose

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Performance Some seriously creative and valuable strains of art are spicing up San Diego. Before I mention specific happenings, I’d like to mention some of my favorite venues for performance art that both just happen to be in the East Village. Sushi Performance & Visual Art and 10th Avenue Theatre.

Sushi’s space is truly raw and laden with concrete. There is nothing fishy about it - sound quality, diversity and creative talent are never an issue at Sushi. They also just announced their 2010 RED BALL for June 5, with details coming soon. I wonder what the RED BALL will be!?

The 10th Avenue Theatre (Near E St.) used to be a church and is now an arts space with an aged yet welcoming ambiance. It seats over 100 with new bleacher style seating. A wide range of artists actually work in the mildly renovated top floor. A fitness studio operates out of the second floor, but is creatively coupled as an art gallery. Stained glass windows shed light in the lobby and a hip rooftop space crowns this artsy hot spot.

One very unique online happenings is Art Rocks 247. They allow you to get up close and personal with the innovative lives that shape the artistic landscape of San Diego and southern California through their weekly online radio show. Art Rocks covers fashion, film, and all genres of arts. Catch the buzz with spicy Alexandra and witty Lu via www.artrocks24.com and give your ears a LIVE listen Thursdays between 8-9pm.

Belly dancing is very popular in San Diego. Local belly dancers will be at World Belly Dance Day on May 8th at the Mission Valley YMCA, while belly dancers from all over the country are gathering at the 13th Annual San Diego Middle Eastern Dance Association (SAMEDA) Faire at NTC Liberty Station on July 18th at NTC Liberty Station in Point Loma.

You can also get a dose of belly dancing in May and June at Portugalia Restaurant in Ocean Beach with Iza Moon Dance Collective. Melanie Dellas of Iza Moon also teaches classes (mdellas@hotmail.com) if you are ready to experience the art of belly dancing first hand. I can attest that her “booty bounces” are an intense work out! Lastly, be sure to investigate The Shimmy Sisters shows which often include snakes, candles, fire fingers, isis wings, glowing hula hoops, veils and zils!

Footloose The Musical is showing at the Welk Resorts Theatre in Escondido this May and June. The dance driven Tony Award nominated play is based on the 1984 musical film starring Kevin Bacon and John Lithgow. Footloose exemplifies the “cut loose” maxim to not be bound by the challenges and obstacles that life might present us.

I’m hopeful for a fun juxtaposition of the movie and this stage performance.

Families with little ones might enjoy Cinderella at Coronado Playhouse which is showing until May 30th or Bye Bye Birdie The Musical at Lyceum Theatre presented by ACT San Diego.

ACT San Diego is an exciting new theatre company for young people. Their mission is to provide educational and artistic opportunities to young actors to perform, act, and learn the art of stagecraft.

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Art Portal I’m very intrigued with the edgy play Dog Sees God. It’s an “unauthorized” parody from the comic strip Peanuts, imagining the characters as teenagers.

DSG had its premiere at the 2004 New York International Fringe Festival and was well received.

You’ll be able to see it in San Diego at Diversionary Theatre (one of my favorite spaces for live theatre) this June. Thank you in advance, InnerMission Productions, for pushing the envelope in San Diego.

say that we are well on our way. Get connected to the arts and join this budding movement by attending performances and making the arts a part of your life. Lastly, I’d like to invite you to join the Arts Tix e-news club to get privy to weekly arts happenings.

Email artstix@sdpal.com to sign up or visit www.sdArtsTix.com.

Got a birthday or company party to plan? You might get a kick out of Mystery Theatre Cafe’s new Night of the Laughing Dead show. You can enjoy this highly interactive dinner theatre performance at Imperial House Restaurant in Banker’s Hill and half price tickets are usually available at www.sdArtsTix.com the day of the show, which are on Friday and Saturday nights.

Improv Comedy update - Comedy on the Crest has been happening Wednesdays 8pm @ Cafe Libertalia in Hillcrest. National Comedy Theatre stages weekend improv performances every Saturday and Sunday night and has no age or drink minimums! Some of the choicest San Diego improv comes from 94.9 FM’s morning show, “The Mikey Show.” Mikey and his entourage, Sienna, Lauren, Woods and Jay are leading the pack in my unsolicited opinion.

The Old Globe -- have you heard of it? It’s kind of like the Godfather of the arts, it continuously remains the largest arts employer in San Diego. Over 250,000 attend productions or participate in OG outreach programs each year.

This summer, consider the west coast premier of The Whipping Man. This drama is set in Virginia following the final days of the Civil War. A Jewish Confederate soldier returns to his childhood home only to find it in ruins and occupied by his former slaves preparing for a Passover Seder.

I’m a huge fan of the TV show “Parks and Recreation,” so I must mention that Aziz Ansari is heading our way this July 24 on his Dangerously Delicious Tour. Location - House of Blues. I’m expecting potent stand up comedy and will see you there.

Although San Diego may have a long way to catch up with say... the artistic prowess of San Fransisco, I can honestly NUGMAG.COM | 77

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TRAVEL MMJ Destinations: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; AKA: VANSTERDAM! By: Scott “Scotty B.” Whytsell

It was in the mid-to-late 1990’s when I was first introduced to California medicinal marijuana.

It was at that time, while exploring the MMJ culture, that I became familiar with what seemed to be two very long-standing debates: “indoor versus outdoor” and “Cali bud versus BC bud”.

Bring up either discussion in an MMJ forum and get ready for some heated opinions!

One can stop by their local collective or co-op here in San Diego and come to their own conclusion on the “indoor/outdoor” issue, but for the latter debate, you must grab your passport and fly or drive to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; more commonly referred to as “Vansterdam” in homage to Amsterdam, that great Dutch city known for its extremely liberal drug law policies, not to mention home of some of the world’s best pot!

Background: Vancouver is a coastal city located in the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is named for British Captain George Vancouver who explored the area in the 1790’s. The name Vancouver itself originates from the Dutch “van Coevorden”, denoting somebody from Coevorden, a city in the Netherlands.

The largest metropolitan area in western Canada, Vancouver ranks 3rd largest in the country.

According to the 2006 census, Vancouver had a population of 578,041. While forestry remains its largest industry, Vancouver is well known as an urban center surrounded by nature, making tourism its second largest industry. It also is the third largest film production centre in North America after Los Angeles and New York City, earning it the nickname Hollywood North.

Vancouver is one of the few major cities in North America without a freeway leading directly into the downtown core. As a result, development has taken a different course than in most other major North American cities, resulting in a relatively high use of public transit and cycling, a dense and walkable core, and a development model that is studied and emulated elsewhere.

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Vancouver has ranked highly in worldwide “livable city” rankings for more than a decade. It has hosted many international conferences and events, including the 1976 United Nations Conference on Human Settlements and the 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication. The 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics were held in Vancouver and nearby Whistler, a resort community 78 miles north of the city.

Average temperatures for May and June run from the low 50’s to the high 60’s.

Transportation: Flights from San Diego (SAN) to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) currently run as low as $384 for the 6 ½ hour flight. A new transit line connecting the airport to downtown Vancouver makes travel to the world famous “Pot Block” a mere 20 minutes. Although this is the most direct way to get to your destination, other options include flying to the Abbotsford International Airport (YXX), located about 50 miles east of Vancouver, or landing in Seattle (SEA) and driving across the border.

Driving time is approximately 2 ½ -3 hours.

Sightseeing: If this is your first time to this exciting city, a professional tour guide may be the perfect way to enjoy a very informative, stress-free adventure. One company in particular, Vansterdam Tours (www.vansterdamgreentours.com), offers two organized packages, the 2-hour “Vansterdam Starter Tour” for $150 ($125 each for groups of 2 or more) and the ½ day…I mean the 4-hour 20 minute “Get Baked in BC Tour” costing $250.

The Starter Tour, according to the website, is “a perfect tour for anyone who has never visited Vansterdam before, or just hasn’t experienced everything the city has to offer.” This tour is a crash course in Vancouver stoner-ology. The tour is a very in-depth experience of Vansterdam’s famous “Pot Block”, including 3 different smoking lounges and cafes, the world headquarters of the Cannabis Culture Magazine and BC Marijuana Party, POT TV headquarters, and the “Prince of Pot” Marc Emery’s new 420 convenience store.

With the Get Baked in BC Tour, not only do you get to experience and take in everything the “Pot Block” has to offer, you also get a chance to veer off the beaten pot tourist path by visiting a few little known, local stoner destinations.

As stated in the website, “all tours are led by world class marijuana smoking professionals with years of experience in the city and with the marijuana scene, giving you everything you need to make your experience in the city as comfortable and hassle free as possible.”

Enough said.

Remember, it’s a cool World out there…

GO EXPLORE IT! 1LOVE! NUGMAG.COM | 81

at the 2010

THC Expose

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Winners of the extra point 420 Football!

Players had to eye ball a gram...

Hosted by 420FL.com NUGMAG.COM | 83

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by. Ben G. Rowin

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LIVESTONED Bracelets Livestoned.org is a medical marijuana awareness foundation supporting advocacy, education and safety. Much like the Live Strong bracelets made famous by Lance Armstrong, these green rubber bracelets are a real conversation starter. Every time I wear mine out in the world someone eventually asks me what it says and then begins the conversation about medical cannabis. Anytime I have the opportunity to educate someone on medical cannabis or marijuana in general is a good day for me! So I really enjoy wearing this product and it is also subtle enough to have on when you go to pick up your kids from soccer practice (not like a shirt that says “I love weed!”). Plus, an added benefit is that a portion of the proceeds from all LIVESTONED products are donated to help promote the continuation of medical marijuana advocacy.

You can find them at www.livestoned.org

The Digger One Hitter So a friend called me up and asked if I had seen the Digger One Hitter. This friend of mine knew that I had been using the old school metal cigarette/wooden box combo for years on trips and outside adventures. The Digger took a 30 year old product and really made a substantial improvement. By cutting the end of this one hitter and making serrations to the tips it makes getting your herb SO much easier. I have always struggled with the fact that I had to grind my meds before putting them in my dugout, but with The Digger, I can pack my dugout with nugs and when I am ready to smoke, The Digger gets the job done! They have many one hitters to choose from and the product was really well received at their launch at this year’s Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam. Also Johnny B, one of the founders, is a SUPER cool cat, we had time to chill and smoke a bowl at the THC Expose in Los Angeles. He even made sure that the entire NUG staff got their very own Digger One Hitter.

Get yours at www.thediggeronehitter.com Look for our next issue! I will be doing a HUGE product review of all the cool products I found at the THC Expose this year! I got a bunch of really great items for the next issue!

Lollipipe Ok first of all I want to address the obvious…

KZEE Novelty makes a product called Lollipipe, a pipe made out of candy that can be used multiple times and then eaten. They come in a bunch of flavors, they actually work extremely well as a pipe and they taste great. Although some would immediately jump to the “they are marketing to kids” argument, I call bullshit on that. The product is sold in 18+ locations and you have to be 18+ to order them from their website. Just because something is candy does not make it for kids! They are novelty items marketed to smokers. I see them as eco friendly, edible pipes and I am a grown ass man that loves candy! Pick one of these up for your next outing. You can eat it when you’re done and not have to worry about taking a dirty pipe back home.

Available at local smoke shops or online at www.kzeenovelty.com

If you would like your products reviewed contact Ben G. Rowin at info@nugmag.com

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MAY Calendar of Events 01.

Heavyweight Dub Champion At Winston’s @ 8

05.

Cinco De Mayo The Devastators Present: Reggae De Mayo At Longboard Bar and Grill @ 8

City Beat Festival of Beers At Lafayette Hotel @ 12

FM 94.9 Presents: Mastadon At The House of Blues @ 6:30

Biggest Beer Pong Tournament At Cabo Cantina @ 2

Stranger At Belly Up Tavern @ 9

Stone Senses At Leucadian Bar @ 9 Katchafire, Rebel Souljahz, Stranger At Brengle Terrace Park @ 3 Raiz Muzik At Hensley’s Flying Elephant @ 8:30 02.

The Devastators At Longboard Bar and Grill @ 9 every Sunday Tribe of Kings At U-31 @ 9 every Sunday 03.

Lady Dottie and the Diamonds @ 9 Swing dancing classes @ 7:30 At U-31 every Monday Dub Mondays with The Tribe Of Kings At The Office @ 9 every Monday 04.

Canines and Cocktails At Hotel Indigo @ 5:30

Roots Covenant, Selektah Reefah, TRC Sound System Presents: Royal Wednesday At Diamond Jim’s @ 9 07.

The Ambassador and the Chosen Few & Stick Figure At 710 Beach Club @ 9 The Kottonmouth Kings and (Hed) p.e.

At The House of Blues @ 6 B Foundation At Wave House @ 8 Day Glow S.D. At Balboa Park @ 7:30 Without Papers At Dream Street @ 8 08.

SoCal NORML Meeting At The World Beat Center @ 10am Roots Covenant, TRC Sound System, Ranking Joe At O’Connell’s @ 9 Too Short At 4th and B @ 8 Social Green At Hensley’s Flying Elephant @ 9 Shoreline Roots At Pier View Pub @ 9 Stranger at the Beach to Brewery Fest At Karl Strauss (P.B.) @ 2 09.

Mothers Day!!

King Sunny Ade At The World Beat Center @ 11am Boom Snap At 710 Beach Club @ 9

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11.

Ben Folds and a Piano At The House of Blues @ 8 San Diego ASA Meeting At 3701 Voltaire St. 92107 @ 6 13.

Johnny Osbourne and the Melodians At The World Beat Center @ 8 14.

Planning Commission S.D. Meeting At 5201 Ruffin Road Suit B @ 9am Slower At Pure Platinum @ 8 619 At Second Wind Santee @ 9 Stone Senses At Brick by Brick @ 8 The Optimators At Leucadian Bar @ 9 North County ASA Meeting At 950 Vista Way 92084 suite A2 @ 7 15.

Slower, Rebelution, Fishbone & More At The 56th Annual Over The Line Coming Out Party Mariner’s Point Mission Bay @ 12pm

The Ambassador and the Chosen Few At Torrey Pines Gliderport @ 2 Steel Pulse with the Tribe of Kings At The House of Blues @ 7 Bullet for my Valentine and Chiodos At Soma @ 7 17.

Hemp is our History Week At La Jolla Brew House @ 7 Roots Vision, Midnite At Belly Up @ 9 20.

Heavy Glow At Soda Bar @ 9 22.

Eek-a-Mouse At 4th and B @ 8 House of Blues 5th Anniversary Show Featuring: Ok-Go and Shout Out Louds @ 1 24.

Nada Surf At Belly Up @ 8

27.

91X Presents: Angels and Airwaves & Say Anything At the House of Blues @ 7 28.

HI Roots At The Wavehouse @ 6 The Expendables At Belly Up @ 8:30 Mikey Avalon At Stingaree @ 11 29.

Natural Incense At JJ Purty Landers @ 9 Dazed and Confused At Sound Wave @ 9 HI Roots and Tribal Theory At Winston’s @ 8 30.

Danny Dread and Roots Covenant At P.B. Bar and Grill @ 6 31.

The Strange Days Tour 2010: Tech N9NE and Brotha Lynch Hung At The House of Blues @ 7

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