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You have to be at least 18 years old to order cannabis seeds from Seedsman. It is an offence to cultivate any plant of the genus cannabis in most of the world without a licence from the secretary of state. Anyone committing an offence contrary to this section may be imprisoned or fined, or both. Seeds can only be sold as souvenirs, or for the preservation of genetics or in-case laws may change. It is your responsibility to check your local laws before ordering. Acquisition of live cannabis seeds is illegal in United States.

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DO YOUR PART TO GROW THE CULTURE. LET OUR ADVERTISERS KNOW THAT YOU SAW THEM IN SATIVA MAGAZINE. Budfolio Cannabis Camera Flipz/Cool Jarz Guaranteed Relief Guardian Data Systems Herbivore Designs Edibles by Hippy KK Ideal 420 Soil Kasher/SWADO Lush Lighting Method Seven Old School Breeders Online Marijuana Design Quantum 9 Sativa Labs Scientific Soil Seedsman

NOVEMBER 2014

Sativa Magazine Online Issue No. 22 November 2014

President & Publisher

Editor-in-Chief

Michael Freedom Carter Karen E. Szabo

Managing Editor & Design Director

Cheryl Addington

Social Marketing Expert

Carly Hofer

Art Director

Josh Clappe

Designers

Photographer

Executive Editor

Emily Cain Max Bortnick Gloria Martinez

Writers Diana Campos Hippy KK David Kennedy Kandy Krush Giuseppe L Sandra Sanchez All contents ©2014 Sativa Magazine. Sativa Magazine is published and distributed by Vanguard Click Publishing, Seattle, WA. Sativa Magazine does not condone or endorse any illegal use of any products or services advertised herein. All material is for educational purposes only. Sativa Magazine recommends consulting an attorney before considering any business decision or venture. We take no responsibility for the actions of our readers.

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It’s time to vote for change

Change is coming. Can you see it? In just a few short days, registered voters will flock to the polls to cast their votes and make their voices heard. On the ballot this year, two states, Alaska and Oregon, as well as the District of Columbia, have measures or initiatives that, if passed, will bring the nation’s tally to five states that will have already and soon will, regulate the legal use of recreational Cannabis. It is with great hope that eight other states will join the world of legal Cannabis in 2016. With these changes comes opportunity; with opportunity comes potential. With the legalization of Cannabis, that potential is endless. Jobs will be created and revenue in the millions will fill government coffers with collected taxes. But, most of all, with this change comes acceptance — that Cannabis is safe and can be consumed responsibly. This year alone, Colorado created over 10,000 new Cannabis-related jobs and is currently at their lowest unemployment rate (6 percent) since before the recession. All of these positions are new, and didn’t exist a year ago. With Cannabis in high demand, cannabusinesses are seeking enthusiastic ganjapreneurs to join this profitable industry and positions are plentiful. Cannabusinesses are growing more sophisticated, and if you’re familiar with products and services, that’s only a plus. Bring yourself up to date with your state’s laws, expand your knowledge, and if a door isn’t open, create one and open it. With an endless array of opportunities, the Internet is the most convenient means of searching for a

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Cannabis-related position. Craigslist and word of mouth are also great resources for obtaining positions in the Cannabis industry. In the workforce, many cannabusinesses will allow felons to work for them. Some might require a specific length of time to have passed after a conviction, while others may not. Regardless, be honest about your criminal background — cannabusinesses want to hire employees that are knowledgeable and passionate about Cannabis, and chances are good you’ll still be considered for the position even if you have an unfortunate past. In some states with medical legalization, felons can’t even possess or cultivate Cannabis for themselves or others, whereas in other medical states, they can for themselves only — but not for others. The War on Drugs has affected so many people in various ways. Cannabis is more than just a plant. It’s good medicine that many people choose to consume rather than synthetic drugs. Yet because they choose the green rather than popping a pill, they’ve put themselves at risk of being punished if they’re caught without a physician’s recommendation. Consuming Cannabis is a lifestyle, and for many, a life saver. It’s high time Cannabis was legal worldwide, so please, if you’re a registered voter, get out there on November 4 and make your voice heard!

Karen E. Szabo Editor-in-chief

NOVEMBER 2014 5

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NOVEMBER 2014 COLUMNS Business Highdeas Saving the legacy Today’s seeds are tomorrow’s heirlooms. Keepin’ the strains alive.

Bright Shiny Objects “Beyond Buds: Marijuana Extracts” by Ed Rosenthal 14 The complete how-to for everything extracted. Christmas is coming...

From Seed to Sale Ask an expert with Read Spear 16 More in-depth answers to your questions from the man (and his dog).

Business as Unusual True Hemp Clothing One man’s quest to make Miami the hemp capital of the world.

Incredible Medibles Baked pineapple Nothing says Thanksgiving quite like pineapple. Trust us.

FEATURES

CANNABIS JOBS Experience Not Wanted The exclusion of felons from the Cannabis industry workforce.

Medical Marijuana Cards: Too Hot to Hold? Does possessing a card mean giving up your rights? In a word: yes.

Legalize It The top ten (or 11) states in line for legalizing recreational use.

Targeting Cannabis Jobs 52 Strategies for creating doors into which your entire body can get. Paid.

Special Report: Weedhire Quarterly Cannabis Jobs Our friends at weedhire.com share the latest stats and projections.

The Greentable Interview: Taylor West The deputy director of NCIA explains why you need to join today.

NOVEMBER 2014 9

BUSINESS HIGHDEAS SANCHEZ/HIPPY KK

Saving the legacy The American Seed Bank The Cannabis industry is growing, and along with it, consumers and farmers are multiplying as well. In the past decade alone, the demand for high-quality Cannabis seeds has increased significantly. Oftentimes growers have to go t hro ugh a “trial-and-error” period before knowing what strain works best for them. The time and sweat spent before harvest time can be disappointing to growers if the seed isn’t up to par. The quality of the seedling is crucial to these ganjapreneurs. Wouldn’t it be great to skip the trial and error to be able to expect the same quality plant? The American Seed Bank would e n s u re h ig h - q u al i t y s trai n s are available to fit everyday needs. Located in the heart of the United States, shipping would take no longer than two business days to arrive at a customer’s door. Seeds are bac ked by documentation of THC and CBD levels so growers always know what to expect. All of them will be feminized and handpicked from organic plants. Seedlings w i l l b e p ro p e r l y s t o re d i n

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m A erican SE E

FI N

E ST

D BA NK

QUA LI

high-quality, food-grade storage containers prior to shipping out. Delivery packages come in discrete CD or DVD cases, and will come properly packaged in odorless polyester-reverse-

side aluminum then laminated to polyethylene to ensure conservation of the seeds. Many jobs and positions will be available: distribution specialists, sales team, THC/CBD lab

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testers, marketing and seed tending. The distribution department will be in charge of knowing state laws and limitations on quantities that can be shipped. Purchases can be made online, by phone, or in person. Sales professionals will be essential in filling these positions. Associates will be highly knowledgeable in a variety of strains as well as be able to give recommendations based on information given. Workers will have to be willing to put in many hours of research and dedication to ensure not only high-quality seeds but high-quality service. With the help of our breeders we can come closer to more successful harvests and happier farmers. AVAILABLE URLS www.theamericanseedbank.com www.unitedstatesseedbank.com www.growamericanseeds.com www.americanseedlings.com www.growamericancannabis.com www.uscannabisseedbank.com THC solution for shipping seeds safely There is no shortage of skepticism when it comes to online seed banks. Wondering if your product will arrive safely and securely is what comes first to mind. Frankly, it is unnecessarily painful and stressful. Transporting seedlings is done with great risk;

NOVEMBER 2014

confiscation and possible criminal charges are a constant worry. Assurance is what all customers need. Creating a safe and easyto-use liquid would help ease those uncertainties. An all-organic synthetic comp o u n d s i m i l a r t o fr u i t a n d vegetable wash may just be the answer. The solution will come in a liquid wash to remove all THC traces from seeds. Simply use the solution to fill a container with seeds, shake for 30 seconds, and rinse. The solution will not harm seedlings for it is made from 100 percent natural ingredients. All of our liquid solution will come in an all-Eco-friendly plastic bottle. Travel size will be 8 ounces, household use will be 22 ounces, and for frequent washes a 64-ounce will be available. Bonus packs will also be available for all your needs. These will consist of one travel-size bottle, a household size, and a special odorless pouch to store for personal transportation. Online stores will offer the pouches in various sizes. Online sales will be handled by a direct sales team; dispensaries and head shops will also carry the product. Web designers will be in charge of all online marketing, investing many hours updating and

making sure the website is userfriendly and exciting. Online sales associates will carefully organize and track orders for quick deliveries. Deliveries will take no longer than 3–5 business days. Packaged deliveries will be safely packed to ensure the process is damage-resistant. The marketing department will be in charge of social media pages and promoting the brand. Marketing professionals will also visit popular dispensaries and head shops to allow them to sample the liquid as well as provide any information needed. Online distributors will be able to ensure a worry-free delivery, which guarantees to bring repeat customers. Not only is this a great product for national distribution sites but for growers too, many of whom love to share their own seedlings. This solution will ensure that the airplane ride to the next Cannabis event will be stress free. This magic liquid will bring satisfactory results and increase sales for this ongoing movement. AVAILABLE URLS www.cleanthcsolution.com www.shipseedssafely.com www.washawaythc.com www.eliminatethc.com www.thcclearsolution.com www.cleanmyseeds.com S

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BRIGHT SHINY OBJECTS HIPPY KK

Beyond Buds: Marijuana Extracts by Ed Rosenthal

RATING: 5 nuggs Ed Rosenthal is no novice when it comes to cultivating Cannabis. He shares his knowledge with people with similar interests through his books, seminars, blogs and other forms of teaching. With the help of David Downs, Rosenthal does it again, but this time, it isn’t about how to grow the best buds, but what to do after harvesting those buds that’s in his new book, “Beyond buds: Marijuana Extracts; Hash, Vaping, Dabbing, Edibles & Medicines.” Beyond buds is a 230-page book of tips, tricks and detailed photos on how to make the best Cannabis extractions. And Rosenthal doesn’t stop there. His latest book is chock-full of random Q&As and company spotlights, medible recipes, and even step-by-step instructions and photographs on how to make Hashimals (characters out of hash). In all, there are 12 chapters: Breaking Bud-Selecting and Collecting Material, Keif/Dry Sift-Manual, Machine, Dry Ice,

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Water Hash — How it All Works, Advanced Hash — Beyond the Basics, Vaporizers— Handheld, Desktop, Portable, Vape Pens, Dabbing — The Gear, Butane Extracts — Making BHO, Budder, Shatter, Wax, CO2, Extracts — Making Concentrates, Tinctures — Alcohol and Glycerin, Capsules — Making and Using Canna Cups, Edibles — Preparation, Recipes, Usage and Topical Uses of Marijuana. There are four Appendices, in c luding: Cannabinoids and Terpenes, Equivalents and Conversions, a glossary and references. In the last few pages of the book, sponsors are listed that had their product included in a method of extraction or way to consume the extraction. This book is a wealth of knowledge for anyone who has ever thought of making Cannabis extractions, but hasn’t for whatever reason, even those that make extractions regularly could use Beyond Buds as a helpful resource. Just thumb to the correct chapter, read and follow the instructions. It really is

as simple as that. Beyond Buds can be purchased for $15.82 (reduced from $24.95) and is available on Amazon.com. Quick Trading Co. is celebrating their 40th anniversary with a Beyond Buds launch party, Green Aid benefit. Proceeds raised during the benefit will be donated to Green Aid’s Prisoner Fund. The Prisoner Fund is raising legal fees to reopen excessively long prison sentences; donations help to push for prisoner release. Help get these people out and help change the laws. Green Aid has publicized some of the most egregious medical Cannabis-related charges and has supported defendants by helping to connect them with legal services, promote their case, and raise funds toward their defense. Green Aid is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, all donations made to Green Aid are taxdeductible. General admission tickets are $40 for anyone 21 years and older. There are also various levels of sponsorship. S

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NOVEMBER 2014 15

yield resistance of the surrounding cellulosic fibers. Plant cells in the apical meristem are isodiametric (spherical) at first and then begin to elongate as the cellulose microfibrils’ transverse orientation forces the cells to elongate as the cellulose resists outward pressure (imagine a balloon inflating inside a length of pipe). If you are not doing anything to change this, it is all in the genetic programming of the plant.

FROM SEED TO SALE

Ask an Expert

with READ SPEAR

Read Spear began cultivating in the late 80s. His medical marijuana dispensary was among the first to be issued its Medical Marijuana Center license in Colorado. He is active as a consultant in the industry, specializing in new business development, business funding, and mergers and acquisitions. Read is the author of “Marijuana Cultivation Reconsidered: The Science and Techniques For Huge Indoor Yields” (available on Amazon.com) and has two degrees in philosophy, a Bachelor of Arts from Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Arts from Duquesne University of the Holy Ghost in Pittsburgh. When not traveling, he lives in Colorado with his hound dog.

Q: In the fifth week of flower, the strain I grow ‘fox tails.’ Is there something specific that is causing this that I can correct, or is it in the plant’s genetics and I’m just SOL?

Have a question? Ask the expert: askthegrower@sativamagazine. com

Plant cell elongation is caused by two physical forces: the pressure of water in the cell (turgor) and the

OCTOBER 2014

A: I am assuming that by “fox tail,” you mean that the buds become airy rather than remaining dense (that is, internodal length becomes unacceptably long). I am also assuming that you are not doing anything strange — suc h as growing under some unusually blue source of light or applying hormones. Finally, I am taking a clue from the regularity you are indicating: you have reported that this always occurs in the fifth week, suggesting genetic tendency.

Remember that all you can ever do to grow great weed is to provide the conditions that allow your plant to live up to its genetic potential. After that, it’s up to the plant. Feeding a Poodle prime rib won’t turn it into a German Shepherd. That said, airy plants can still be quite potent — all you are missing is good looks (that’s what she said). You need a new strain if bag appeal is something you want. Q: Do LED lights work better than HID? A: Your primary objective is to provide a source of light that is intense in the 400–500 nm and 600 –700 nm color ranges at about 1200–1500µmol/m2/s1 intensity with the least amount of electricity. But, you may have other objectives I don’t know about. The answer to your question depends on the quality and intensity of the lights and your application. What are you doing?

SATIVAMAGAZINE.COM

Do you have a commercial op where your electric bill is killing your cost/gram or your employees are sick of yellow light? Do you need stealth? Right now, LEDs are getting good, but as far as I am aware have not surpassed HPS (this is a matter for metrics, not opinion — I haven’t seen an LED that outperforms an HPS watt for watt). I am intrigued by the new Ceramic Metal Halides (CMH), which I have seen deployed commercially with good results and will undoubtedly improve in the near future. These CMHs provide a light that plants like and that is not offensive to human eyes — a serious consideration when you work under them everyday, all day. (Horticultural LEDs are a disaster for human sight, requiring supplemental white light in order to work and make visual assessments of plant health.) For now, a 600-watt HPS is still your best (most cost-effective and best all-around color) bet for a legal home grow. Because of their low heat output and (generally) lower absolute electrical consumption, LEDs are hard to beat when nosey neighbors are a concern. Blending HPS and CMH in a commercial setting is worthwhile for the improved visual conditions for your workers Q: Many lines of nutrients claim they’re ‘advanced.’ What makes

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them advanced and are they really better than all the others? A: Some formulations can be better than others, yes. But that has to do with how accessible the compounds are to the plant and nothing to do with the nutrients they provide. Let’s examine the claim a bit more closely. A plant can use 19 nutrients in their inorganic, ionic form, and that is the end of that discussion. They may be provided as organic, meaning that they have a carbon ring attached to them, but these compounds must be stripped of their carbon before the plant can use them. Alas, an organically grown plant is itself no different from a traditionally grown plant. Therefore, the term “organically grown” has no chemical or botanical meaning, only political and marketplace ones. Similarly, a manufacturer may provide a certain compound, for example, nitrogen could be supplied as NH4+ or NO3– , then claim that one is better than the other, or suggest that by having both their product is “advanced,” but this is only half-true. Providing both the negatively and positively charged forms of nitrogen is indeed beneficial because it balances the cations and anions in the plant, but it’s misleading to suggest that either of these compounds is special in and of itself. These compounds are both sources of nitrogen the plant can

use — how could one be more “advanced” than the other? The fact growers should remember is this: the nutrient that gets taken up by the plant is the same, no matter the source. Chemicals are cheap. There is no need to pay a fortune for “advanced” formulas. Below is an exhaustive list of the non-mineral and mineral nutrients a plant can use (and needs) to grow. Supply them any way you like. Nutrients from Air and Water (non-mineral macros): Hydrogen (H) Carbon (C) Oxygen (O) Primary Macronutrients: Nitrogen (N) Phosphorus (P) Potassium (K) Secondary Macronutrients: Calcium (Ca) Sulphur (S) Magnesium (Mg) Silicon (Si) Micronutrients: Chlorine (Cl) Iron (Fe) Boron (B) Manganese (Mn) Sodium (Na) Zinc (Zn) Copper (Cu) Nickel (Ni) Molybdenum (Mo) S

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BUSINESS AS UNUSUAL HIPPY KK

True Hemp Clothing (THC) International

True Hemp Clothing International or THC Int. was established in 2011 by Hernan Campos of Miami, Fla. Entrepreneur-turnedganjapreneur Campos is no stranger to the clothing industry, hemp, or Cannabis for that matter. However, THC Int. isn’t strictly clothing — it’s textiles in general. To be more specific, textiles made from hemp fiber — American-made hemp fiber.

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Although the day-to-day operations of THC Int. and the daily tasks of its business owner, Hernan Campos, are much different now than they might be in the future, Campos stays busy attending meetings and supporting roughly 30 partners who can be found on the website such as a musician, comedians, an actress, medical patients and hemp product partners such as: Lovers Knot

Hemp Rope, DuBe Hemp Energy Shots, Tropical Way, Canadian Hemp Guitars and Dixie botanicals. Along with all that, Campos schedules hemp tours in Amsterdam, and is also very seriously into hempology and utilizes his hemp knowledge by teaching others within his community. Aside from running THC Int., Campos also does some promotional work as well as designing and

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building websites for other hemp corporations. Hemp crops have recently been harvested in the United States, thanks to the passing of the Hemp Farm Bill. While making textiles out of 100 percent American hemp fiber is Campos’s ultimate goal, right now, that’s not a realistic possibility. There simply isn’t enough hemp to go around. However, it is definitely a goal within sight. In the meantime, he continues preparing himself and THC International to reach their ultimate goal. Thanks to American hemp farms, that goal is almost within reach. The ultimate goal of THC International is pretty sensational but very realistic. Campos has plans to build a facility (made of hemp, of course) that would be a full textile company. This will include getting raw fiber from the field, processing it, dying it, spinning or weaving it, and creating clothing and other products from the fiber. Everything would be done in-house as a full textile corporation. Campos would also like to have an accredited school with a fully functioning studio where the students would actually be working on products while learning about textiles, particularly hemp textiles. As they go through the courses, they would also be getting hands-on training. So,

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Hernan Campos

not only would they be making the product, but learning every aspect and step it takes to make hemp fabric (fiber). He wants his students to see how it’s spun, dyed, combed and treated. Upon graduation, Campos hopes that the degree earned will become prestigious and recognizable by other designers so that his graduating students have a good chance at obtaining employment. And there’s always the potential for graduating students to work for True Hemp Clothing International. The big picture of THC International’s future doesn’t end there, though. Campos would also like to have a fully equipped photography studio that would include a runway with plenty of room that would allow for afterparties. Everything he plans on

doing would be completely inhouse within hemp-built walls, local to Miami. There are many other products on the drawing board for Campos and THC Int. Campos would like to make a hemp paper mill and work with hemp plastics. However, the main dream and goal for THC International is to own and operate a large textile plant, factory, school and launch pad. “Designers and photographers could visit and practice their work and really do everything hands-on from the day they walk through our doors; from working with hemp to actually putting their design into print.” Would students attending the sc h ool be able to obtai n a degree? Campos affirmed, “Yes. Students would earn a degree. In the beginning, it would most likely be myself and my lead designer as the main teachers, but I would like to get in textile experts from around the world and really make this a very legitimate thing. I would try to condense courses down to a one- or twoyear degree. This is something that we would really have to feel out. It all depends on the availability of hemp here in the United States and how much of the plant it would take me to teach them about the product in general. I want them to have a full textile

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degree, so I have to make sure all the bases (and basics) are covered. So more realistically, I would have to say a two-year degree, because it’s really a lot to cram in in one year.” Campos wants everyone to know that while clothing will always be the main focus, he plans on creating all kinds of products made out of the hemp textile such as belts, curtains, rugs, bed sheets — the list is endless. I had what I thought was a very legitimate question seeing that the future plans of THC Int. relied on the production of a new trade here in the United States — Hemp. I asked Campos the following question, “realistically, when do you see all of this happening for you?” Without batting an eye or hesitating on his response, Campos said, “$5 million and probably 2–3 years away.” It was encouraging to hear that his dream and the future of THC International have been so well thought out. Campos’s eight-year old daughter is the driving force behind THC International, but as Campos said, “really the root of this is getting hemp back into everybody’s hands and creating an industry.” The success of THC International is much more than two-fold. His textile industry will create jobs, which would in turn,

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lower Florida’s unemployment rate that, as of Sept. 2014, was 6.1 percent, and the hemp that THC Int. purchases will boost the economy. Campos wants to create an industry that pushes other industries, with Miami being the East Coast hub of the industry, so that it pushes the West Coast and other locations to do the same. Once it gets moving, Campos plans to conquer another industry, with plans to open a hemp paper mill. Although there are currently a few companies that make hemp paper, Campos said nowhere on a scale do they produce hemp paper that he plans on producing. Campos is planning on creating a foundation of an industry for his daughter and the future of all children. Every industry Campos creates will have a positive effect on the community and citizens alike.

This year, Florida is the only state to have a medical marijuana amendment on the ballot. In a few short days, Floridians that are registered to vote will get to voice their opinion, and hopefully vote in the state’s first full medical marijuana law. Since November of last year, there have been 15 survey polls held regarding medical use. The average totals of those polls combined are 66.07 percent support the amendment, 26.27 percent oppose it and 7.4 percent are still unsure. Of those polls, several had results as high as 88 percent showing support for amendment 2. Campos (and Sativa Magazine) encourage all voters to get out there and make your vote count. Vote YES on Amendment 2! THC Int. website: http://www.thcint. com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook. com/thcint2012 Twitter: @thcint Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/ people/thcint/ Google+: https://plus.google. com/+HempVictory/about Linked in: https://www.linkedin. com/company/true-hemp-clothinginternational YouTube: https://www.youtube. com/user/thcint Pinterest: http://www.pinterest. com/thcint/pins/ S

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INCREDIBLE MEDIBLES HIPPY KK

Baked pineapple The upcoming holidays may be a difficult time for some, and for others, it may be a happy memory in the making. As we gather around tables with our families and loved ones this Thanksgiving, be sure to say a prayer and send good thoughts for those less fortunate — and for those serving in the military who are unable to sit across the table from their families. Baked pineapple is a Thanksgiving staple at the Culpepper household. I have been making it since my grandmother taught me over 30 years ago, and as an adult, baked pineapple has been a side dish that accompanies the turkey, center table, year after year. I really don’t know why I don’t make it more often. It’s a quick and easy, two-step recipe that goes perfectly with any meal. This recipe will make approximately ten 25 mg. servings and can easily be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the amount of Cannabis infusion being used. I wanted to keep the dose relatively low since the majority of people want to nap after eating a big Thanksgiving meal. Although we’d all like to blame the tryptophan found in turkey for making us so sleepy, it’s actually all the carbs that were consumed. Yield: Ten servings Prep Time: 45 minutes Ingredients: 2 20-oz. cans crushed pineapple, drained 1/4 gram hash (250 mg.) 2 eggs 1 cup sugar 3 T all-purpose flour 1/2 cup butter (one stick) 15–20 slices white bread, cubed

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1 Assemble ingredients. Preheat oven to 400°F. 2 Cut bread slices into 1-inch cubes. The cubes don’t have to be perfect, tearing by hand works well and don’t worry if some are larger than others. Set aside (never mind all those crumbs you just made, you can clean them up in a second!) 3 Spray the bottom and sides of a 2-quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and combine pineapple, hash, eggs, sugar and flour. Mix well with a large spoon. 4 In a large frying pan, over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add bread pieces and increase heat to medium-high. Stir well, ensuring each piece of bread gets coated in butter. Stir bread occasionally. While doing so, flip bread pieces so all sides get brown and crispy. Do not burn. 5 Once b re ad is b rowne d, place on top of pineapple mixture and bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes. 6 Allow dish to cool for five minutes before serving. Baked pineapple is one of those dishes that’s better the second time around. It’s great as a leftover (if there’s any left) and can remain refrigerated up to seven days. If you’ve never had baked pineapple, I highly encourage you to try it. It’s not only simple to make, but absolutely delicious! I cannot go without saying those famous last words: DO NOT drive or operate machinery after consuming medibles, and be sure to keep out of reach of children and pets. Happy Thanksgiving to you all! S

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Cannabis Jobs • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

EXPER T WAN O N 30

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RIENCE NTED The exclusion of felons from the Cannabis industry jobforce By Diana Campos

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n a muggy Wednesday afternoon in downtown Houston, I find myself on the fifth floor of 1200 Baker St. It has taken me two trafficclogged trips — having been refused visitation the first time, being directed to three different buildings, standing in four slow-moving lines, and watching a cop yank on the end of my necklace as though looking for paraphernalia in order to pass the metal detector — to get here. I drop the slip of paper I had filled out downstairs through a heavily tinted one-way window and wait a few minutes for a hand to take the paper. Everyone else on this floor is already speaking to a prisoner — all in bright orange jumpsuits and behind thick walls of glass, some pacing and others fidgeting. It makes me think of a human zoo. After about ten minutes of waiting in the noisy room, the lights on the inmates’ side of the cage start to flicker, signaling the end of their allotted time. That group begins to file out as another files in and I find an open spot back on my side opposite Inmate # 02719144.

Prisoner of the Drug War Dillonger Hackett — at one point a corporal in the United States Marine Corps — is now a prisoner of the very same government that had employed him as a soldier only two years ago. I can almost immediately tell something is off: his face is noticeably more gaunt, the light in his eyes has dimmed, and his movements seem slow, as though he is exhausted. He tells me the Harris County prison has been keeping him on pills that make him extremely sleepy and often cause him nightmares. When I ask why, he smirks and simply says, “oatmeal cookie.” The ex-Marine had turned himself in on September 27. After only a week, Dillonger

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had been rushed by guards, tased, thrown in “The Hole,” and kept sedated — all for trying to defend what was his. Granted, it was only a cookie, but in prison, your dignity is often the only thing you have to hold onto. The veteran went on to tell me that due to this incident, the prison saw him as too violent to work with others and he is now being threatened with serving additional time. Perhaps it’s just me, but it doesn’t seem like the best idea to keep a paranoid vet, having been trained to stay alert and ready for action in hostile environments, drugged and off his guard while incarcerated. Which brings me to the reason why we are here. On Feb. 2, 2014, Dillonger Grant Hackett was arrested and imprisioned on three felony charges: possession of 5–50 pounds of marijuana (what Texas charges for cultivation of the same weight), possession of 3–28 grams of a controlled substance, and — undoubtedly the most painful — endangering a child. His bond was a whopping $90,000. Dillonger tells me he had been growing Cannabis in a room in his home, 15 minutes from downtown Houston: “I grew a lot of White Widow, Blueberry, Lemon Kush, basically anything Indica-heavy to help [with PTSD and chronic pain], although I did try out a Pineapple Express but it ended up being a male.” However, the wounded veteran’s goals of self-medicating the best way he knew how — and of supporting his family in a time when readjusting to society and holding down a job were both psychologically and physically difficult —were cut short by ten undercover officers on the night in question. SATIVA MAGAZINE: So, first things first. Why grow in a state with such harsh penalties for marijuana? DILLONGER HACKETT: Well I’m originally from

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San Antonio, and I had just returned from six years in the Marine Corps. I was mainly stationed in California and I did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Honestly, I wasn’t doing too good. But like Dorothy [from the Wizard of Oz] says, ‘there’s no place like home.’ SM: Did you start growing right away? DH: No. I was actually pretty homeless when I first got here. I didn’t have a whole bunch of cash, just my backpack, and I was staying at warehouses or crashing on couches with some friends. SM: Doesn’t the VA provide housing assistance for returning vets? DH: They should. Not so much in my case. In the end [of my time in the Marine Corps], I was only given ten days to pack my shit and leave, so I really didn’t have that many options. SM: Why’s that? DH: At the time I was already on military probation because I tested positive on a drug test when I came back from my last tour. I had already been injured seriously for a third time, was waiting on my Purple Hearts, and my enlistment was about to end when I was pulled over giving a ride to a friend’s wife. They found “spice” in her purse and told her that she would not be able to see her husband on base anymore if she was charged with the fake weed, so she allowed them to charge me with it. SM: Did she discuss that with you before giving them the go-ahead? Dillonger shakes his head with a stern face at me from behind the glass. Above his head, the lights start to flicker. Our 20 minutes are up. He says he has to go and writes my phone number on his arm (showing me the bendy plastic pen inmates have to use in order to prevent them

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from hiding contraband), promising to call so we can finish the interview.

Laying down the law I left the detention facility contemplating a number of things. This wasn’t the first time I had to visit a friend behind bars for Cannabisrelated “criminal” offenses. The first time I had cried afterwards, feeling so helpless that a loved one was trapped in both that building and in time. This time I had gone with a purpose, feeling an already-simmering anger boil over the melancholy. Or perhaps I was getting used to this. One of the things I contemplated was what many of you are probably still wondering: Why didn’t he just stay in California and grow there? Although that seems like a good idea — considering Cannabis is legal to use, possess, cultivate, and sell for medical purposes by state law — there are still misdemeanor fines and possible jail sentences for anything over an ounce. And, even though medical cultivation with a card is permissible, it is still considered a felony by the state. Technically, even dispensaries are considered illegal in California, but — depending on the county — some cities have rules to regulate them. And of course, there is that big huge grey area known as the federal government. At any given point, the feds can come and take your personal or commercial grow, slap a pair of cuffs on you, and haul you off to jail. What’s worse is that every single plant confiscated, whether it be a new clone or a healthy bush, is automatically counted as 100 grams. Being a Texas native myself, I understand wanting to return to your place of birth and can at least empathize with the idea that man should be allowed to farm his own land. It is not a foreign concept and is actually closer to

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the ideals of the American Dream than current American laws are. So what about the rest of the country, particularly the parts in which both recreational and medical marijuana are considered legal?

Orange is NOT the new green Since Colorado became America’s version of Amsterdam at the start of the year, people from all walks of life have been lining up to take part in the Green Rush. When the same thing happened in the state of Washington, it started to become clear that the Cannabis industry would only continue to grow. Gaining speed, the legalization of medical marijuana — or at least tolerance of CBD-rich Cannabis-infused products — began to spread from the West Coast to the east in states like Florida and New York. There is no doubt in my mind that more and more states will continue to follow suit and look to already-legalized states for examples. However, state legalization is only one part of Cannabis reformation, and there is still clearly a lot of work to be done, even in pot-friendly tourist attraction states such as Colorado and Washington.

et’s take a closer look into the everexpanding grow industry in both states. Commercially, Colorado kept the same production cap it had for its medical marijuana cultivators in hopes of preventing the product from crossing state lines. The idea was that if they could control growers from growing too much, they could keep better track of the plants and products being sold. What it did instead was cause dispensary owners to struggle with keeping their shelves stocked and meeting customer demands. And, like the economy does is such situations, the low supply met a high demand determined on getting high with heavily

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taxed, overinflated prices. When Washington went legal, the Evergreen state decided to keep dispensaries banned, opting instead for licensed retailers that have been authorized by the Washington State Liquor Control Board. As far as personal grows go, any adult aged 21 or older is allowed to home grow a maximum of six plants in Colorado; each household is allowed to have 12 plants growing at a time, regardless of the number of adults residing in that house. These plants must be grown indoors in an enclosed space, as outdoor growing remains illegal in the Centennial state. In Washington, only medical marijuana patients (or their caregivers) are allowed to grow up to 15 plants, indoors or out. Already the flaws in current regulations are apparent, and many growers hope to see change in the near future as those in opposition begin to see the benefits of Cannabis on the economy, health, and crime levels of their societies. Regardless, the growers and retailers lucky enough to have escaped the War on Drugs are some of the same people in the industry that now get to enjoy the perks of operating legally. However, at some point they hadn’t. It is important to remember that growing is a difficult and time-consuming skill and, for a long time, it was also a major risk. The perfectly trimmed and cured buds that are in compliance now are very rarely grown by inexperienced hands. As a matter of fact, they were grown by hands that have never been cuffed and stuck with a felony. This is because of the laws currently in place against felons in the industry. In what is currently deemed to be the most lenient state in terms of marijuana use and production, Colorado has banned anyone who has ever been charged with a drug felony from

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Colorado has banned anyone who has ever been charged with a drug felony from cultivating, manufacturing, distributing, or otherwise working in any Cannabis facility in the state. cultivating, manufacturing, distributing, or otherwise working in any Cannabis facility in the state. But, if the felony was not drugrelated and the felon has served his or her time at least five years before applying for a license, more violent criminals may by law be cleared for one. Washington has a somewhat more amiable stance towards felons. The rule states that a worker in a cannabusiness must not have any felonies within the past ten years; a point system is in place for misdemeanors committed within the last three years. It is not unheard of for the state to dismiss a single count of cultivation. Medical marijuana-only states have a say on the matter as well. In Michigan, for example, felons cannot be caregivers for others, although they are allowed 12 plants of their own, and there are no clear rules that strictly forbid them from owning a store. California, rather infamously, set up a restitution program in Mendocino County, still one of the state’s major grow hubs, right up there with Humboldt. The program allows growers to give up their green — $50 per plant and $500 per pound of product — in order to turn their felony into a misdemeanor and to turn any jail time into straight probation. Many argue that this law favors the wealthy and promotes money-hungry busts from the local police

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department. It seems that in many cases, the people with the most know-how have to suffer the worst — longer sentences, massive fines, and loss of a chance to participate in an industry in which they are highly experienced.

Back in Texas The Lone Star State had recently come under increased media scrutiny for overly-strict laws regarding Cannabis when it picked up 19-year-old Jacob Lavoro on a first-degree felony charge over a batch of pot brownies this past April. The stiff penalties meant that the teen was facing a mandatory ten years and up to life in prison. Yikes! Fortunately, the uproar in the community over such a harsh punishment, along with a petition with more than 200,000 signatures, caused the district attorney’s office to drop the charges to two lesser felonies — one for the possession of and the other for intent to distribute marijuana and hash oil. Lavoro still faces a maximum of 20 years. It seems rather obvious that Texas’s zero-tolerance policies towards drugs are no longer supported by a majority of its natives. It also seems that the attempt to make Lavoro an example has instead backfired on government officials to showcase the absurdity of such laws. Either way, the teenager will be forced to give up time, future

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opportunities, and his freedom. In similar fashion, and after a series of court appearances and payments to his lawyer, Dillonger was able to have all three felonies dropped in exchange for intent charges, significantly less time, and a total of four years on probation. When he had first received his final sentence, rather than sounding relieved, the military vet could only express concern over missing his son’s second birthday. “I just wanted to be able to provide for my son and have him grow up around me. I never knew my dad as a kid. I didn’t want [him] to have to grow up not knowing me.” *** It only takes about an hour after my visit for Dillonger to call me. Since phone calls from prison are only ten minutes long, the following was conducted over three calls, all on separate dates. SM: I understand you suffered quite a few injuries on your tours. Can you list them for our readers? DH: Yeah. Well, I was on tanks in Afghanistan and was supposed to be while in Iraq. I worked my way up from driver to loader and then finally to gunner. When we finally got to Iraq, they had us diffusing bombs instead. I was blown up three times. Two times I was on the ground, second in line. I had to pick up the body parts [of my fellow soldiers] too… arms and legs don’t weigh like you think they would. The third time I was a gunner on a Humvee and we ran over a land mine. We were all literally blown upwards and then when we landed, it was with so much force that it compressed my spine. I survived, but I came back measuring a whole inch shorter than when I had deployed and my doctors told me I

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would never be able to walk on my own again. Other than that, I had a TBI (traumatic brain injury) that gave me speech impairment and equilibrium problems. And the usual: PTSD, chemical scars, shrapnel scars, insomnia, etc. SM: What kind of medications did they prescribe you? DH: Um, Zoloft, Xanax, Valium, Percocet, Ambien, Paxil, a lot of SSRIs and anti-anxiety meds. I can’t remember them all, but you name it and they probably gave it to me. They made me feel like a zombie. I was just emotionally in neutral all the time. I couldn’t feel happiness; I couldn’t feel anger or sadness. I couldn’t even show the facial expressions for them. And I was tired all the time. I’ve seen other soldiers get addicted to them, or turn to harder drugs like heroin. For me, it was always weed. When I was given that OTH discharge, that’s what I turned to. It helped me sleep and eat and feel less physical pain. And I felt happy again. I don’t know what I’m gonna do the next four years [on probation]. All I know is I don’t want to start taking and then have to kick those meds all over again. They didn’t solve anything; they just made me numb to everything. SM: Can you tell us about the night you were arrested? DH: I was on my front lawn talking to a friend that I owed money to for some reason or another, but he had wanted weed instead. All of a sudden, these ten guys in plain clothes walk up to us. One of them had his gun out, the rest of them held out their badges. They didn’t have a warrant, but told me they were going in regardless, so they knocked on the door, and when my son’s mother answered it, they went in. They took all my plants, the rest

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Zoloft, Xanax, Valium, Percocet, Ambien, Paxil, a lot of SSRIs and anti-anxiety meds. I can’t remember them all, but you name it and they probably gave it to me. of my weed, my phone, some cash I had laying around and then they busted my grow lights and tore through the rest of the house. They threw down my uniform in front of me and stepped on it, f****d up some of my medals in the process. Then, when the warrant got there, they put Whitney [Dillonger’s son’s mother] in the back of the cop car and continued questioning me and then they took me in. They ended up letting her go and she spent the night in that f****d up house with my son until they were able to catch a flight out to California to be with her parents. SM: Do you have any final words on how this charge and these experiences will affect your life? DH: Most people are thankful when they find out you’re a vet. But when they find out you are a felon, it’s like you never raised your hand and swore to protect them against foreign and domestic enemies, never had to hold your friend’s hand as he took his last breath. All you are to them is a criminal now. The sum of a human’s life should not be judged by one single event. **** Dillonger’s story is just one example of the injustices that the victims of the War on Drugs suffer. His charges will prevent him

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using a medication that has proven to be useful with his conditions, and they will restrict him from being able to see his son. They will also somewhat inadvertently stop him from being able to grow again, even if the state permitted it. Cannabis is more than just a plant, a form of medicine, or even an entire industry. It is a lifestyle for many, and it shouldn’t be taken away from a person based on residence, especially when it is defined as “legal” in other parts of the country. But there is hope for the nation, even in states like Texas. Election Day is this month and it will be a time for Americans to go out and have their voices heard. Despite the iron bars, the handcuffs, and the harassment, there is a unified voice that has been calling for the legalization of Cannabis in this country for nearly an entire century. But it won’t be our “criminals” that can make that change. It has to be people like you and me — those of us that have been lucky enough to escape the War on Drugs without serious infractions as the laws slowly began to change, those of us who have witnessed the struggles and imprisonment of loved ones as the war waged on — that can make our voices be heard, freeing both Cannabis and ourselves and ensuring that the fallen did not fall in vain. S

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TOO HOT TO HOLD? By David Kennedy Illustration by Emily Cain

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o you hold a medical marijuana (MMJ) card? If the answer is “no,” you may want to read this before rushing out to apply.

In 20 of the 23 states and the District of Columbia which allow citizens to apply for and obtain a card, the same card that gives you the right to legally obtain Cannabis through state-sanctioned dispensaries may also take away other rights guaranteed to you under the Constitution. Are you ready to give up your Second and Fifth Amendment rights? An MMJ card can also be of issue when trying to get a job or obtain life insurance. It may also affect your daily routine. Think about your driving. Law enforcement officials nationwide have begun an unofficial campaign to root out stoned drivers. They are more interested in your pocketbook than your lifestyle, but having an MMJ card can put you at a disadvantage if you are pulled over for any reason. We drive under different laws in different states, and as safety-conscious consumers of Cannabis do; we drive when we are not under the influence. But many consumers, especially MMJ patients, continuously function at or above any legal level of THC, or its metabolites, in their systems. Our very right to drive is at peril. Let’s start with Washington and Colorado. These two states have pioneered the way toward Cannabis legalization. Washington State, in the language of Initiative 502, makes dispensaries illegal. This is important. It is only for the time being that the state is allowing

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dispensaries to remain open and sell MMJ. Soon, all medical and recreational Cannabis will be sold to the public in state-run stores, much like liquor used to be: It will be sold under the strict regulations of the Washington State Liquor Control Board. MMJ patients will have to pay all the taxes (75 percent plus sales tax); I 502 makes no exceptions when it comes to MMJ cardholders. Washington State will have great difficulty controlling the black market if they do not lower their tax rates on growers, processors, and retail stores. The state of Colorado, unlike Washington, requires you to register with them. Colorado does offer MMJ patients a tax break (just 2.9 percent compared to over 27 percent for recreational Cannabis), and is still seeing a rise in MMJ card applications. On average, one ounce of MMJ costs $200, whereas one ounce of recreational Cannabis goes for $250 — though the prices do vary. Colorado controls the supply, and tried to keep taxes low enough to compete with the black market, thus contributing to Colorado’s success on the legalization front. Many will accept a 20-some percent increase in the price of their Cannabis so that they may buy it legally and avoid the black market altogether…and choose to avoid the hassles and expense of an MMJ card. Elsewhere in the country, an MMJ card gives you more protection if you remain in your state. All but six states, (Arizona, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire and Rhode Island) refuse to recognize out-of-state

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MMJ cards. Michigan, for example, will not let you use your out-of-state card to purchase from a dispensary, but will allow for limited possession of Cannabis. If your state has an MMJ program in place, your best option may be to obtain an MMJ card — if you want to stay on the right side of the law. The possession of MMJ has been decriminalized by 12 states and counting. The laws in these states typically allow patients to purchase, possess, and use Cannabis, but they may do so only for medical purposes. Most of these states have MMJ dispensaries, which greatly increases your access to legal Cannabis; however, you must first provide documentation from a doctor or licensed practitioner that specifically notes Cannabis as a medication that may be helpful for your symptoms. Some states actually limit Cannabis to the extent that it may be prescribed only under specific, dire medical needs, such as glaucoma, chronic pain, HIV, or cancer. If you live in a state with draconian Cannabis laws, such as Louisiana, your only hope is to buy it on the black market, but upon a third Cannabis possession charge, you are subject to a 20-year prison sentence: Be careful. The states may be fighting the good fight, as they say, but the federal government must change its policies surrounding Cannabis use. The feds must remove Cannabis from the drug schedule. The Attorney General (currently Eric Holder, though he just announced his upcoming resignation) can initiate this action. It is somewhat surprising that Mr. Holder has not yet acted on the matter of Cannabis rescheduling. This is a man who prides himself on helping the African-American community, yet the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) accurately reports that blacks are 3.7 times more likely to be arrested for Cannabis possession than whites, even though

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their consumption rates are virtually identical. Perhaps it is more difficult than we think — Under Title 21 United States (USC) Controlled Substances Act, the Secretary of State can overrule the Attorney General if the matter of declassification runs afoul of United Nations or nation-to-nation treaty obligations. The War on Drugs spread far beyond our nation’s boundaries; the long arm of the law influenced other nations to follow our lead regarding Cannabis prohibition. One of the most startling facts is that you check your Second Amendment rights at the door when you sign up for an MMJ card. So far, the federal government is not back-checking anyone with an MMJ card who owns a firearm, but the U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Bureau (ATF) is warning firearms dealers not to sell arms to medical Cannabis consumers. The ATF declares that federal law prohibits any consumer of Cannabis, still a controlled substance, from possessing or buying any guns. The ATF is putting the burden on the firearms dealer; if the dealer merely has “reasonable cause to believe” that the buyer is a Cannabis consumer, the dealer must refuse the sale. Therefore, if you want to keep your Second Amendment rights, you must not tell the seller that you are a Cannabis consumer, and having an MMJ card is “proof” in their eyes that you are a “user of” or “addicted” to a controlled substance. Here is a memo put out by the ATF in 2011: “There are no exceptions in federal law for marijuana purportedly used for medicinal purposes, even if such use is sanctioned by State Law...any person who uses…regardless of whether his or her state has passed legislation authorizing marijuana for medicinal purposes, is an unlawful user…and is prohibited by Federal Law from possessing firearms or ammunition…if you are aware that the potential transferee is in possession of a card

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authorizing the possession and use of marijuana under State law, then you…may not transfer firearms or ammunition to the person.”

he ATF policy may also violate your Fifth Amendment right to due process, as it arbitrarily presumes you are a prohibited drug user just by carrying an MMJ card; “The law is highly presumptuous when it comes to medical marijuana cardholders. The problem is one of correlation being mistaken for causation, which happens often in government regulation. A cardholder is not a drug user, and a drug user is not necessarily more of a threat than anyone else with a gun,” quotes an article on YoExpert.com. States were meant to be “incubators” for new policy ideas put into practice. Cannabis regulation should be left to the states to decide for themselves without interference from the feds. According to a recent issue of “Rolling Stone,” “Legalization rides on the growing belief that marijuana should be treated like alcohol, not like heroin or cocaine. For the feds to go along with these pilot projects, they need assurance that state officials can turn pot into a product as tightly regulated as beer or wine.” Thankfully, the Obama Administration has largely left the Cannabis movement to evolve on its own, but a new administration in 2016 could certainly come down hard on Cannabis use. Americans must continue to rise for Cannabis rights beforehand! Washington and Colorado must prove their legalization strategies viable before the next presidential election. Fortunately, Alaska and Oregon are voting this November whether or not to legalize Cannabis. This could be a tremendous boon to the Cannabis movement nationwide. MMJ and drug testing for employment is a

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hotly debated manner. According to cnbc.com, “marijuana’s recent strides toward the legal and cultural mainstream are running aground at the office…the result is a clash between a culture that increasingly accepts marijuana and companies that will fire employees who use it.” Employment experts say that most businesses are keeping their drug-free policies. On Sept. 30th, 2014, the Colorado Supreme Court will hear a case regarding Cannabis use and employment. For years, courts in Colorado and across the nation have ruled against Cannabis consumers, opining that companies have the right to create their own drug policies. Now, one plaintiff, should he prevail, could transform how businesses treat MMJ patients in Colorado, and thereby setting precedent for other states to follow. A few companies in Washington and Colorado are trying out accepting applicants who test positive for THC and its metabolites, but this is certainly not the mainstream approach, especially not by nationwide companies governed by the laws of interstate commerce. Testing positive for THC will usually disqualify you from obtaining life insurance. If you are a frequent consumer, having an MMJ card is of little use if you fail the drug test. A few insurance companies will lend a policy to “occasional use” Cannabis consumers, but you will probably have to pay the “tobacco rate.” Many people claim that they have been denied any kind of life insurance due to the fact that they consume Cannabis. Holding an MMJ card can even open you up to trouble if stopped by the police. Drivers in both Colorado and Washington have been “license-plate profiled” since legalization. There are numerous articles written about this phenomenon. If an officer stops you for any

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reason, especially if he sees that you have an MMJ card in your wallet, that officer may do to you what happened to Matt Ironside, a man who writes a guest column for the Seattle Times. Mr. Ironside was driving on Interstate 86 just outside of Pocatello, Idaho, and was stopped by the police, and according to his column on the subject, Ironside states that he was obeying all traffic laws, but “I had hesitated a bit on the lane change I’d just made, but it was so slight — a brief moment of indecision that caused my tire to cross the lane line. As it turns out, that’s all a curious trooper needs…I was asked questions such as: Was I in possession of a Washington State medical-marijuana card? Was I aware of Washington State marijuana laws? I was even asked had I ever used marijuana?...I was not asked about alcohol, even though it is most likely still the main intoxicant of choice for impaired drivers. I was not asked about prescription meds, which — according to Teresa Baker, a public-information officer for the Idaho State Police — is the fastest-growing segment of impaired drivers.” Ironside sums up his point nicely when he says, “No one likes being profiled. Profiling, even when drawn from a purpose with good intent, generally betrays that goodness. It becomes a prejudice in action, the most basic discrimination.” Most states place severe legal restrictions on driving under the influence of MMJ. Some states have “zero tolerance” laws criminalizing driving with any amount of THC or marijuana metabolites in your system, even if you are not impaired. Five MMJ states with zero tolerance laws have indeed carved out an exemption for MMJ drivers: Arizona, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, and Rhode Island. While taken as a positive step — and

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only because the other options are worse — this option still puts the power to conclude you are impaired in the hands of state and local law enforcement; so having an MMJ card in one of these five states could work to your advantage in rare DUID cases. According to the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), 12 MMJ states have adopted laws that “an individual, whether or not he or she is a patient, is only guilty of driving under the influence of Cannabis if the state proves through a totality of the circumstances that the driver was impaired. In other words, the mere presence of THC will not automatically lead to a conviction. Instead, the evidence as a whole, including blood tests, erratic driving, and roadside sobriety test results, must prove that the person was impaired.”

ot all states have taken this somewhat reasonable, subjective approach; rather, some are trying to apply an arbitrary number to establish an “objective” standard for driving under the influence of Cannabis. The MPP notes that Nevada, Montana, and Washington, plus three additional states, have “per se” laws with no exception for MMJ patients. Drivers can be convicted solely by having a certain concentration of THC (2–5 Nano grams) or metabolites in their blood. The MPP notes that “metabolites can be detected weeks after impairment wears off, and THC can be detected days or even weeks after some regular consumers last used marijuana….These laws can result in patients being convicted many hours, or perhaps days, after any intoxicating effects have worn off.” Thus, MMJ patients and daily consumers alike are almost always above the per se limits and cannot legally drive — yet there are thousands of us safely on the

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road…. Presenting an MMJ card in a DUID situation will only make matters worse; it’s another piece of “evidence.” On a more positive note, Nevada may take steps to eliminate its per se law. Senator Tick Segerblom of Carson City, one of Nevada’s top Cannabis advocates, hopes to change the law by next year. He suggests Nevada’s law should mimic California’s, which “has no legal standard and relies on police judgment in the field to determine driving under the influence.” The Washington State Patrol is actively targeting drivers who have consumed Cannabis. Washington and Colorado drivers are being profiled when they travel out of state. Colorado has even capped production of Cannabis to minimize out-of-state trafficking; Colorado Cannabis has been discovered in at least 40 states so far. Neighboring states to Washington and Colorado make the claim that legalization has “forced” them to step up their Cannabis possession enforcement on the roads. Since these nearby states can’t collect taxes from Cannabis, they are profiting by capturing and fining anyone carrying Washington or Colorado Cannabis. It’s not about traffic safety; it’s about raising revenue. To have and to hold an MMJ card is indeed a “rights” issue, but you really should be careful that you don’t jeopardize other rights you may hold dearly. If you want a firearm, you will have to lie to obtain it. If you want a new job or are in the market for life insurance, being honest about carrying an MMJ card will certainly work to your disadvantage. In Washington, at least cardholders are not required to register with the state, and that is a blessing, but in Colorado and other states in which MMJ cardholders are required to register, you are putting out there that you

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are a “consumer,” or “user” of a controlled substance. Our nation’s drug laws are changing slowly, but not fast enough to disregard the fact that Cannabis is still a Schedule I drug. States may offer some protections in the form of an “affirmative defense” in certain cases regarding MMJ cards, meaning, according to the definition provided by Cornell Law School, “a defense in which the defendant introduces evidence, which, if found to be credible, will negate criminal or civil liability.” Important yes, but this defense only exists on the state level, and cannot protect you from federal law, and in almost all DUID cases, an MMJ card will not protect you if you’re caught driving under the influence of Cannabis. MMJ cards still have their use, but in states that have already legalized Cannabis, it is of minimal advantage. There is really only one argument to be made for obtaining an MMJ card — access — but at what cost? If you can get your Cannabis by other means, it may well be both cheaper and safer when it comes to one of your most valuable rights of all, your right to privacy. S

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http://www.mpp.org

http://www.foxnews.com/ politics/2014/04/19/lawsuits-likely-to-increaseover-license-plate-profiling-in-response-to/ http://www.leafly.com/news/headlines/nevadada-advocates-change-in-dui-law http://www.cnbc.com/id/101980150#. http://reason.com/archives/2011/12/16/get-amedical-marijuana-card-lose-your-s/

NOVEMBER 2014 43

LEG ALI ZE IT The Top Ten states in line for recreationaluse legalization

NOVEMBER 2014

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By Hippy KK and Sandra Sanchez

IF YOU’RE A REGISTERED VOTER,

it’s imperative that you get out and cast your vote. When legalization of Cannabis, on any level, is on the ballot, getting out and voting is the only way to make your voice count — and be heard! This year, there are three states with recreationaluse legalization on the ballot and eight that have potential measures for 2016. So, in the case of this month’s Top Ten, it’s not a matter of the writers not being able to count, they just didn’t feel right leaving a state off the list — so this month’s Top Ten is actually a Top 11!

2014 Recreationaluse ballots #1 OREGON – THE BEAVER STATE. Population 3,930,065 (2013): Oregon is one of three states that have full recreational use on the ballot this November. If passed, measure 91 will make the Beaver State the third to legalize Cannabis for adults 21 and older. As with Washington and Colorado, Measure 91 would legalize the possession of small amounts of

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Cannabis and create a statewide system to regulate production and sales. And similar to Colorado’s law, Measure 91 would allow adults to cultivate small amounts of Cannabis under controlled circumstances. Oddly enough, measure 91 is a vote-by-mail-only election and has already been endorsed by the Pacific Northwest’s largest daily paper. Oregon is one of the oldest states to have medical-use laws. In 1998, measure 67 was passed and since then, patients have been able to possess six mature plants and up to 24 ounces of dried Cannabis. However, if Measure 91 is approved by voters, adults would be able to possess up to eight ounces of dried Cannabis and cultivate up to four plants. Much like that of Washington, if the measure passes, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission would oversee and regulate sales. According to poll surveys, the measure is supported by 49 percent, opposed by 40.67 percent and 10.33 percent are not sure. #2 ALASKA – THE LAST FRONTIER STATE. Population 735,132 (2013): The second of

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“We see this as a trial run or a dress rehearsal for 2016.” three states in the United States that has full recreational-use laws on the ballot this year. Measure 2 is closely modeled on Colorado’s Amendment 64. If measure 2 is passed, it would allow adults age 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of Cannabis and up to six plants. It would also make the manufacture, sale and possession of Cannabis-related paraphernalia legal. Alaska was one of the first states to legalize medical-use Cannabis back in 1998, and, if measure 2 passes, will become the first Republican majority state to legalize recreational use to adults 21 and older. In 1975, the state legislature approved a bill to decriminalize private possession of up to one ounce of Cannabis in public, thereby replacing the possibility of time in jail with a civil fine of up to $100. Shortly thereafter, the Alaska Supreme Court did away with all penalties for possessing up to four ounces of marijuana and up to 24 plants in one’s home, ruling that the prohibition of Cannabis possession violated the right to privacy guaranteed in the state constitution. As a result of the ruling, known as Ravin v. State, the legislature got rid of the $100 civil fine for possessing up to four ounces of Cannabis in 1982. This will be the third attempt to decriminalize Cannabis in the last 15 years in Alaska. According to poll surveys,

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48.05 percent support the measure, 46.43 oppose it and 5.8 percent are unsure. #3 WASHINGTON D.C. – THE NATION’S CAPITAL. Population 646,449 (2013): The District of Columbia also has legalization on the ballot. In March of this year, the city legislature in our nation’s capital approved a bill that decriminalized possession of small amounts of Cannabis. Two months prior to that, on Jan. 10, a group called D.C. Cannabis Campaign 2014, or the DCMJ 2014, led by Adam Eidinger, co-owner of Capital Hemp, filed an initiative called Legalization of Home Cultivation and Possession of Minimal Amounts of Marijuana for Personal Use Act of 2014, or the Marijuana Legalization initiative that is now known as Initiative 71, which seeks to fully legalize the possession of up to two ounces of Cannabis and the possession and cultivation of up to three Cannabis plants. If Initiative 71 passes, which it’s believed that it will, the decriminalization bill that was passed in March will become null and void. Because of the complexities surrounding the measure, including the possibility that Congress will simply overturn Initiative 71 and the necessity for the city council to design provisions for the enforcement of restrictions and regulations

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on the sale and use of Cannabis, city council members are openly discussing the option of delaying the implementation of Initiative 71 until some of the uncertainties surrounding it can be ironed out. Registered voters in the nation’s capital city voted on their medicaluse law in May 2010. The Amendment Act B18-622 allowed for patients to possess up to two ounces of Cannabis; however, they are not allowed to cultivate any plants. All medicinal Cannabis must be purchased from designated dispensaries. Ballot poll surveys show overwhelming approval of both the decriminalization bill and the legalization initiative. 63 percent approve the initiative, 34 percent oppose it and 3 percent are unsure. Regarding the decriminalization bill, 47 percent approve the bill, 41 percent oppose it and 12 percent are unsure.

2016 hopefuls #4 ARIZONA – THE GRAND CANYON STATE. Population 6,626,624 (2013): The Arizona Marijuana Legalization Initiative may appear on the Nov. 8, 2016 ballot as an initiated state statute. The measure, upon voter approval, would legalize Cannabis for adults 21 years of age or older. The initiative would also tax the

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sale of Cannabis. The language of the proposed initiative had not been written as of September, 2014. Andrew Myers, a spokesperson for the Marijuana Policy Project, stated, “The goal is obviously the legalization of adult use of marijuana in Arizona. Specifics are still up in the air.” Supporters of the initiative filed a statement of organization with the Arizona Secretary of State on Sept. 19, 2014. The number of signatures required to qualify the initiative for the ballot is tied to the number of votes cast for the office of Arizona governor in the 2014 gubernatorial election. The number of signatures needed to qualify the initiative as an initiated state statute is ten percent of the number of people who voted for the governor in 2014. That’s the magic number it will take for this initiative to make it to the ballot box. The campaign in support of the initiative is being led by the Marijuana Policy Project of Arizona. #5 CALIFORNIA – THE GOLDEN STATE. Population 38,338,512 (2013): A California Control, Regulate and Tax Marijuana Initiative was approved for circulation in California as a contender for the Nov. 4, 2014 ballot as an initiated state statute. Two versions of the initiative (#13-0051, #13-0061) were

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“In 2016, Massachusetts will find itself in the crosshairs for Cannabis reform.” filed and both were approved for circulation. Unfortunately, its sponsorship dropped all efforts to get the measure on the ballot in 2014. Graham Boyd, a Cannabis legalization campaign leader, said, “We see this as a trial run or a dress rehearsal for 2016.” The initiative would have legalized limited amounts of Cannabis, including concentrated Cannabisinfused products under state law for personal use, cultivation, possession, transportation, purchase, donation, or consumption by persons 21 years and over, and would require the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to regulate and license commercial Cannabis cultivation, transportation, sales, and testing. A 25 percent tax would be imposed on all non-medical Cannabis retail sales. Revenue allocated by the initiative would be to repay a general fund start-up loan to department research, afterschool programs, drug treatment and prevention, local law enforcement/fire, and environmental cleanup. The initiative would have exempted medical Cannabis collectives from licensing and regulatory requirements, and would allow local governments to ban or limit the number of cannabusiness in their locality. #6 MAINE – THE PINE TREE STATE. Population

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1,328,302 (2013): The Maine Marijuana Legalization Initiative (2016) may appear on the Nov. 8, 2016 ballot in Maine as an indirect initiated state statute. The measure would, upon voter approval, legalize, regulate and tax recreational marijuana in Maine. The required number of valid signatures is tied to the number of votes cast for the office of the governor of Maine in the most recent gubernatorial election. Since the initiative is proposed for 2016, the number of required signatures will reflect the votes cast in the 2014 gubernatorial election. Supporters need to collect a number of signatures equivalent to 10 percent of those cast for governor in 2014. The Marijuana Policy Project is leading the campaign in support of the initiative. In 2013, residents of Maine voted by a wide margin to banish criminal penalties for possession of up to one ounce of Cannabis for adults 21 years of age and older. #7 MASSACHUSETTS – THE BAY STATE. Population 6,692,824 (2013): The Massachusetts Marijuana Legalization Initiative could appear on the Nov. 8, 2016 ballot in Massachusetts as an indirect initiated state statute. The measure would legalize recreational Cannabis for adults 21 and older

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and, according to proponents, regulate and tax the drug like alcohol. According to Allen St. Pierre, Executive Director of NORML, “In 2016, Massachusetts will find itself in the crosshairs for Cannabis reform.” In May of this year, MassINC Polling group surveyed voters which resulted in 49 percent approving the legalization of Cannabis while 42 percent of voters oppose it and 9 percent are still undecided. #8 MISSISSIPPI – THE MAGNOLIA STATE. Population 2,991,207 (2013): The Mississippi Marijuana Legalization Initiative could appear on the Nov. 8, 2016 ballot as an indirect initiated constitutional amendment. The measure, upon voter approval, would legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 years of age and older. Adults would be able to possess and use an unlimited amount of Cannabis, and adults would be allowed to grow upwards of nine marijuana plants for personal use. The initiative would penalize those who give or sell Cannabis to minors. The proposed measure would permit local governments to place a fee charged on Cannabis or hemp farms, which are defined as an adult growing ten or more Cannabis plants. The proposed ballot title is as follows: “Shall there be an amendment to the Mississippi

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Constitution that legalizes and taxes Cannabis and hemp 10 percent for adults, and adjusts penalties for Cannabis abuse so that they are no more than those for alcohol abuse, and further requires that revenue raised annually by such tax be primarily credited for Mississippi Public Schools and Universities?” According to Mississippi law, the number of signatures collected must be equal to at least 12 percent of the total number of votes cast for governor in the last gubernatorial general election. Since the last gubernatorial election was in 2011, proponents must collect 107,216 valid signatures in order to get the initiative on the ballot. An initiative can be circulated for one year before becoming invalid. #9 MONTANA – THE TREASURE STATE. Population 1,015,165 (2013): The Montana Marijuana Legalization Initiative may appear on the Nov. 8, 2016 ballot in Montana as an initiated constitutional amendment. The measure, upon voter approval, would allow adults to produce, purchase, consume and possess Cannabis. Chris Lindsey of the Marijuana Policy Project is developing the initiative. He expects a draft to be finished by the end of 2014 and a submitted proposal to the Secretary of State and Attorney General’s

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Cannabis Jobs • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

offices by spring 2015. Supporters need to collect valid signatures from 10 percent of the total number of votes cast in the last gubernatorial general election, including 10 percent of the voters in each of the forty legislative house districts. In total, supporters need to collect 48,349 valid signatures. #10 NEVADA – THE SILVER STATE. Population 2,790,136 (2013): The Nevada Marijuana Legalization Initiative may appear on the Nov. 8, 2016 ballot in Nevada as an indirect initiated state statute. The measure, upon voter approval, would legalize one ounce or less of Cannabis for recreational use for people who are at least 21 years old. The initiative would tax Cannabis sales and allocate revenue from such tax to education. The measure would prohibit giving or selling Cannabis to minors, driving under the influence of Cannabis and consuming Cannabis in public. The Nevada Department of Taxation would issue licenses to Cannabis retailers, suppliers, testing facilities and distributors. The department would determine the qualifications for licensing and limit the number of licenses issued. Local governments would control the location of cannabusinesses. Cannabusinesses would be forbidden to operate near schools, childcare facilities, houses of worship or certain community facilities. A 15 percent excise tax would be imposed on wholesale sales of Cannabis. The existing sales tax would apply to retail sales of Cannabis. Revenue generated from these taxes would be used to support K–12 education. Supporters call the initiative the Initiative to Regulate and Tax Marijuana. #11 WYOMING – THE EQUALITY STATE. Population 582,658(2013): The Wyoming Marijuana Legalization Initiative may appear on the Nov. 8, 2016 ballot in Wyoming as an

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initiated state statute. The measure, upon voter approval, would legalize recreational Cannabis for adults 21 years of age and older and medical Cannabis for anyone with a physician and guardian approval. Furthermore, the initiative would decriminalize public displays of three ounces or less of Cannabis and provide penalties for possession of four ounces or more of Cannabis. Supporters of the initiative need to collect signatures equal to 15 percent of the total ballots cast in the 2014 general election within eighteen months after the Office of the Secretary of State provides petitions for circulation. National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) submitted the initiative and is campaigning in the measures support. For decades, legalization of Cannabis for recreational-use was nothing more than a pipe dream. Thankfully over the years, politicians and patients (often one in the same) have been standing up for legalization laws. Finally after much persistence and hope, the law books are tumbling down. Although the United States only has 24 states (including DC) with medicinal-use laws, we’re halfway there to complete reform in some sort of fashion. In addition to Washington and Colorado’s recreational-use laws, we can hopefully add three other states to that tally in less than a week. S

Ballot measures: http://ballotpedia.org/ Portal:Ballot_measures

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US Census Bureau: http://quickfacts.census.gov/ qfd/index.html

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NOVEMBER 2014 51

Targeting

By Guiseppe L Illustration by Emily Cain

OCTOBER 2014

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Cannabis Jobs With medical Cannabis legal in 23 states and Washington, D.C., and recreational use legal in Colorado and Washington, the market for Cannabis has blossomed into a plethora of potential. Are you an outsider interested in seeking a Cannabis job? Then flick your roach to the conventional. Our Cannabis culture is stampeding with a force emulating the long-haired hippie rebels of the 1960s. With Cannabis in high demand, cannabusinesses are seeking enthusiastic ganjapreneurs to join this profitable industry. Cannabusinesses are growing more

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sophisticated; if you’re familiar with products and services, that’s only a plus. Bring yourself up to date with your state laws, expand your knowledge, and if a door isn’t there — build your own!

DO YOUR RESEARCH There are a variety of things to consider before diving into the green revolution. Unfortunately, the Cannabis business environment is not a level playing ground for all. All states are still confounded by the overarching federal laws making Cannabis illegal for any purpose. State laws that make the cultivation, distribution and consumption of Cannabis legal at the state level for either medical or recreational use are still in danger of being superceded by the feds. If your state had already passed or is passing new laws, you’re already ahead of the game. Don’t be timid. Start by exploring current dispensaries in your area, talk to people and make yourself known within your community. Consider stumbling through Craigslist — the amount of opportunities offered is surprising. Cannabis industries prefer to use Craigslist because it’s free, easy, and effective. Don’t feel discouraged just because you don’t live in any of those 23 states or D.C. You can still get

OCTOBER 2014 53

Growing in Soil? Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a head start.

Find out more at: www.scientificsoils.com

involved, even if you reside in a state where the laws haven’t changed. With an endless array of opportunities, the Internet is your most convenient means of searching for a job in the Cannabis industry. A quick Google search of Cannabis jobs will suggest sites such as weedhire.com and cannajobs.com. Both are free career websites that specifically target employments within the legal Cannabis industry. These sites help clients find qualified individuals and help those individuals find the best job opportunities. Take advantage of their job postings. Outside of growing and budtending, there are plenty of other ancillary jobs — security guards, delivery drivers, lab techs, even marketing specialists. Know your strengths and pursue what you’re good at. Cannajobs.com and weedhire.com also allow you to post your resume. Just be sure to place heavy emphasis on skills and former job responsibilities that are relevant to the position you’re applying for. Take the few extra minutes to proofread everything before it goes out, making sure it is as professional as possible. Taking the time to make a great first impression goes a long way, especially over the Internet. Don’t worry if you don’t have much experience in the legalized Cannabis industry — it’s a burgeoning industry, and there are few seasoned pros out there. Just be relentless in your pursuit.

BE DIFFERENT Everyone wants to work in the Cannabis industry, so set yourself apart by not bragging about how much Cannabis you consume and by developing and maintaining a professional demeanor. Be someone with a plan who is eager to apply your unique skills to the industry. Too many people have

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the “well…I like to smoke pot so I know all about pot” attitude. Cannabusinesses want to hire employees that are knowledgeable and passionate about Cannabis, not necessarily heavy users who lack the motivation and drive to be the best employee they can. Chat and mingle at Cannabis events and trade shows and show the company representatives that you mean business. People have a hard time determining the difference between confidence and intelligence. You must be determined yet calm. Approach them indirectly, keeping your tone conversational but still professional. Sell them on your personality, keeping the focus on establishing a level of comfort. After you have established this, you can subtly hint that you’re looking for a job in the Cannabis industry. Ask your new acquaintances if they might know anyone who is looking for an employee with your specific skillset. If appropriate, have personal business cards or resumes ready to leave behind. The Cannabis industry is a goldmine of opportunity, but still a novelty on America’s landscape. Prohibitionists are seeking to expose and make an example out of some. For this reason, you must be mindful of your demeanor and personal appearance. Do your research, have a plan and good things will happen. Hone in on the details that make you unique, and connect them to your pursuits. Above all, believe in yourself. The jobs are out there, and one of them can be yours. S http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view. resource.php?resourceID=000881

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https://www.weedhire.com/about/

NOVEMBER 2014 55

QUARTERLY CANNABIS Editor’s Note: When our friends at WeedHire offered to share their quarterly Cannabis jobs report with our readers, we jumped at the chance. Take advantage of this huge bonus to scope out your future and pick some of these plum careers. As the legal cannabis industry continues to evolve, WeedHire aims to be the gateway resource for employment candidates interested in entering the legal marijuana workforce, while providing potential employers with highcaliber applicants. WeedHire will share ongoing data and trends in both jobs and career growth to provide insight to employers and employee candidates and help move the industry forward toward full legalization. The legal cannabis market in the United States is expected to grow 700 percent over the next five years, according to an industry report titled “The State of Legal Marijuana Markets 2nd Edition,” published by The ArcView Group, a marijuana research and investment firm in San Francisco. This is expected to have a significant impact on jobs creation and growth. Currently, marijuana is legal for medical use in 23 states and Washington, D.C., while full legalization bills are heading to the ballot in Alaska and Oregon. The size of the noncriminal marijuana industry is expected to grow to approximately $2.57 billion this year from around $1.53 billion last year, according to estimates by the ArcView Group. The report

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further states that the five-year national market potential is $10.2 billion. As many of the states work toward establishing the standards by which legal cannabis will be manufactured, distributed, and sold, the highest paying jobs in the industry are coming from within state governments in the form of senior administrator and director positions. As previously announced, the Minnesota Department of Health posted its first in a series of job listings, including a director of the Office of Medical Cannabis to oversee the implementation of the state’s recently approved medical marijuana program. The job offered pays between $35.35–$50.70 an hour, which works out to an annual rate of $73,811–$105,862. In mid-August, the position was filled with the hiring of Michelle Larson as director. More new job listings are posted daily, including an operations supervisor that offers pay between $28.27–$40.72 hourly or $59,028– $85,023 annually. In fact, WeedHire has not only seen an upward trend in pay scale, they have also seen a steady increase in reputable and prominent organizations joining the marijuana business scene. These organizations are seeking welleducated, high-profile candidates with an array of industry backgrounds and experiences, helping to move the industry away from negative stereotyping and more toward an established business standard. In order to keep up with the market demand, even law firms

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JOBS Jobs REPORT — OCTOBER, 2014 in Highest Demand Jobs in Highest Demand

Administrative Administrative 27

26 26

27 39

26 26

Dispensaries Dispensaries

145

Sales

39 in Highest DemandJobs in highest demand Sales Jobs 43

5326 26 27 39

99 Administrative 66

145

Marketing

115

115 99

Dispensaries

Doctor's Oﬃce Website/Online

Sales

Delivery Services Doctor's Oﬃce

Marketing Website/Online Doctor's Oﬃce

115

are expanding their practice areas into the marijuana space. By example, a prominent Orlando-based law firm, GrayRobinson, is one of many firms adding a new practice area focusing on medical marijuana laws, as they foresee “doctors, growers, sellers and investors eager to do business in medical marijuana.” Most recently, on Oct. 2, 2014, the Minnesota Department of Health announced the hiring of Dr. Thomas Arneson, who holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Harvard University. He will provide medical research, leadership and expertise for the new Office of Medical Cannabis Program. In addition, the State of Massachusetts named Karen van Unen as Director of the State’s Medical Marijuana Program. Van Unen spent the last year

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Marketing Website/Online

Freelance

Delivery Services Freelance

Delivery Services

consulting for Tufts University School of Public Health and UMass Boston, and previously Freelance served as CEO of DotWell, a Dorchester public health nonprofit agency. Van Unen holds a BA in Psychology and a Master’s in Education and Business Administration from Boston University. She is also fluent in Spanish, Dutch, and Papiamentu. The demand for skillsets similar to those of Ms. Larson, Dr. Arneson, and Ms. van Unen is growing rapidly. Other government high-paying jobs include: State of New York Department of HealthResearch Scientist 1/2 (Analytical Chemistry) — Marijuana Quality Assurance City of Denver — Tax Technician II — Marijuana Taxation

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California Cannabis Jobs • • • • • • 10 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 19

12 11 Job Postings By State124

Job Postings By State 11

124

12 10

32 124

Washington Colorado

California Job postings by state Arizona Washington

California Colorado

Nevada

Arizona Washington

Oregon

Nevada

Colorado

Illinois

Arizona Illinois

Florida

Oregon

Florida Nevada

32 City of Los Angeles — Deputy City Attorney — Land Use Division State of Minnesota — Operations Supervisor WeedHire has already seen job postings with salaries of over $100,000 a year, primarily from state governments. The most common salary bracket is from $30,000–$50,000 annually, accounting for roughly half of the positions. Most of the retail jobs are within dispensaries at an average hourly wage of $10–12 per hour. WeedHire continues to see rapid growth in the sales and administrative fields, making up 63.3 percent of all open positions. This includes jobs such as receptionists, sales representatives, customer service, general managers and product marketing. Many organizations are seeking qualified employees with prior experience in back office support from other industries to help build their business for the “green rush.” New job positions have also been created, such as “budtenders” which are retail-type sales positions at dispensaries authorized to sell marijuana legally. These individuals are involved with the recommendation and sale of

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Oregon various strains and edibles.

Illinois

WeedHire sees the highest job availability and growth potential in states where legal cannabis Florida has been medically available for an extended period of time. California, Colorado, Arizona, and Washington account for over 62 percent of all available job postings. In Colorado in particular, the increase in jobs and business opportunities since January, 2014 (when recreational marijuana became legal) has seen a steady increase in jobs growth as more organizations enter the sector. Other ancillary businesses such as vaporizers, hydroponics, chemists/testing for edibles are also areas where we are seeing continued growth, particularly in recent months. To review all available positions, please visit www.WeedHire.com or email info@weedhire. com for more information. WeedHire is a website that specializes in jobs in the legal marijuana space. WeedHire is proud to be your ongoing source for employment data within the legal cannabis industry. S

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NOVEMBER 2014 59

the Green Table Interview

Taylor West, NCIA Deputy Director

By Hippy KK The National Cannabis Industry Association, or NCIA, was formed to be a voice for the people and businesses within the Cannabis industry when few others were willing to do so. The NCIA is an organization that’s both a resource and a foundation for people in the Cannabis industry and also for those thinking of joining the industry. The strength behind NCIA comes from its members, but the organization hopes to provide strength to their members by allowing them to have a voice in Washington, D.C., and to ensure that they are represented in a positive way. I recently had the opportunity to speak with their deputy director, Taylor West, to discuss some hot topics within the Cannabis industry: banking and

NOVEMBER 2014

taxation, as well as the future of the industry in general. But first, I asked her general questions regarding NCIA. NCIA mission: To promote the growth of a responsible and legitimate cannabis industry and work for a favorable social, economic, and legal environment for that industry in the United States. Q: For those that might not know who and what the National Cannabis Industry Association is, could you tell me, in your own words, who the members are and what the organization does? What are they doing to try to change the perception of Cannabis and the industry itself? A: The NCIA is a trade association that represents

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businesses that operate in the legal Cannabis industry, either in states where medical Cannabis is legal, or in states like Colorado and Washington where recreational use is legal. We actually operate very much like any other trade association in any other industry. We are here to give the industry a voice, in the media and in Washington D.C. We do lobbying and advocacy on Capitol Hill on issues that affect businesses in the industry, with the primary ones being on banking and taxation, and we provide resources for businesses and people in the industry by putting on educational and networking events. We are basically creating opportunities for businesses to be part of a community and to reap all the benefits that come with that. Q: Who are the founders of NCIA? A: Aaron Smith, who is our current executive director, and Steve Fox. Steve is a lobbyist working in D.C. who works with various clients, including NCIA. He’s been involved with MPP (Marijuana Policy Project) and all kinds of different things and advocacies for a long time. Steve and Aaron founded the NCIA together four years ago. Steve is still a strategic advisor for the organization. Q: Where is the executive office or headquarters of NCIA located? A: We have offices in both Denver and D.C. We have two staff members located in the D.C. office — our full-time lobbyist, Michael Correia, and our government relations coordinator, who works with Michael. Our office in Denver is where our membership office is located, as well as event planning. Aaron is based out of our Denver office when he’s not traveling. And that’s where I am as well, in Denver. Q: Does the NCIA have employees other than board members? A: Yes. We now have eight full-time staff, two in D.C.

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and six here in Denver. Q: What type of events do you attend as a vendor? A: We attend a lot of other business events and some advocacy events. Our organization’s members are businesses, so we don’t go to as many consumerfocused events where the focus is on more individuals. Our focus is primarily on reaching businesses within the industry, so those are the ones we tend to be at, where the attendance is primarily business people that are attending. Q: How many different levels of memberships does the NCIA have and how much does it cost? What are the different benefits of each? A: There are three different levels of membership. The basic membership cost $100 per month, or, if you go ahead and pay in full for one year, it’s $1,000. The next level up is the sponsoring membership, and that’s $250 per month, or $2,500 annually if the year’s membership is paid in full. And then the third level is the sustaining membership. The sustaining membership is $500 per month or $5,000 annually if paid in full. Most of the benefits are included in the basic membership. You have representation, you’re listed in the directory, you get discounts for events, you get discounts with other members and you have a right to vote in the board elections. And then, as you go up in membership level, a sponsoring membership gets you a higher-weighted vote in the board of elections, and you also get logo placement on our website and in our directory. If you have a basic membership, your business will be listed, but if you have a sponsoring or sustaining membership, you get your company logo on the website and in the directory. At the sustaining membership level, you are eligible to run for the board of directors and participate in conference calls that we hold with our sustaining members on a quarterly basis to update them on what’s happening. You also get the

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highest-weighted vote with the board of elections. Q: Out of curiosity, when you have those quarterly conference calls with the members, do you have many members attend? I know members are in states all across the country, so are there different methods of attending the meeting? For instance, do you hold the conference calls via teleconference or is held in-person only? A: The quarterly conversations are actually conference calls and attendance really depends on the member’s availability. People are actually quite busy these days. It’s more of just an opportunity to update everyone. If you’re actually serving on the board of directors, we do have regular meetings, some of which are held remotely via conference calls and others that are held in one of our locations. We usually try to coordinate those according to something that might already be going on that brings board members into town. Q: How many members does the NCIA have? A: We are at approximately 750 member businesses now. To give you an idea of how quickly we’ve grown, we were at 350 or so business members at the beginning of this year, so we’ve doubled in size since January, and the year before that, we only had about 150 business members. It has grown exponentially. After Taylor told me of the increase in business memberships throughout the year, I told her I had actually attended an NCIA meeting this summer that was held at Om of Medicine in Ann Arbor, Mich. At that time, co-founder and Executive Director Aaron Smith had mentioned during the meeting that membership was at about 450 business members (five of those members were from Michigan). The spike in membership is very encouraging, and I expressed my congratulations. Q: What are your responsibilities as the Deputy Director of NCIA?

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Taylor West

A: One of the things I handle is communications and the media relations. I talk to reporters who have questions about the industry and that sort of thing. I am also involved with member engagement. You can’t see it yet, but we’ve been working on a new management system for our members so that they can have a more in-depth online experience with NCIA. I help with a lot of other things such as events, our D.C. strategy and that sort of thing. We are a fairly small organization, so everybody takes on pieces of everything so everything falls in one way or another onto my plate. Q: You’ve mentioned a member directory. Is that the directory visible on NCIA’s website? A: Yes, that’s the directory I’m referring too. Q: Do you have members publically listed on the website directory, in order to put other businesses in touch with them? A: Yes, that’s the idea. We want to foster the community within the industry. If you are in Michigan

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There are lot of people out there in the general public that only have one impression on what it means to be involved with Cannabis. It’s important that we continue to broaden that understanding of

who we are.

and you are curious how dispensaries operate in Colorado, you can look and see who are members and reach out to them. We also have a lot of members who are support businesses that provide services for dispensaries or cultivation so it’s an opportunity for them to look at other successful businesses that they might want to reach out to in order to provide services that they might have. I think it’s also good advertising for our members. It’s showing that they’re not just a fly-by-night business. They’re really committed to the industry and the professionalism that we try to encourage here at NCIA. We certainly give members the option not to be listed in the directory. For obvious reasons, some are still somewhat nervous, but what’s great is so few of them feel that way and we are at a point, people are very proud of their businesses and they want to show the work that they’re doing and we’re happy to be able to provide that opportunity. Q: Let’s take a minute to talk about the banking industry. For a while now, businesses were very

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fortunate if they found a bank that would allow them to open business accounts. Recently, a few banks have come forward and said that they would accept cannabusinesses as clients. I know that NCIA advocates for HB 2652, Marijuana Business Access to Banking. Where does that bill stand right now? A: That bill right now is in the banking committee in the House. To be honest, our biggest challenge right now is that Congress is not really doing much of anything. It’s not they’re not specifically avoiding that one piece of legislation — they’re not voting on anything right now. I also think it’s a challenge we are slowly overcoming because the fact is that legal marijuana, whether it be medical or recreational, is still only legal in half the states, so you have a lot of members of Congress who do not have constituents who are business owners in this industry, so they feel they have no reason to get involved with this issue. The good news is, as marijuana [legalization] is spreading into other states, either medically or on a retail side, every time another state passes adult-use

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...

it’s very important to us

that we remember and respect and value the people that built this industry and took a risk and put themselves on the line to serve patients and pay a price for legal change.

or medical marijuana, you get more members of Congress who suddenly have to pay attention. And that’s going to allow us to move forward. Now, there was movement in Congress back in May. They passed an amendment to the treasury appropriations bill that said the money that they were appropriated could not be used to go after banks that were servicing legal cannabusinesses, and the amazing thing about that amendment is, it passed with a pretty large margin in the Republicancontrolled House. Unfortunately, back to our core problem, the Senate didn’t pick it up; they just passed a continuing resolution, which means they didn’t consider any new budget so it didn’t have a chance to be considered in the Senate and it just kind of fizzled out as things tend to do in Congress. But, the great news out of that was they got a chance to see how people actually feel about the issue. The reality is that the majority of the Republicancontrolled House believes that our industry should be able to access banking. So it’s just a matter of time before that will actually begin happening. A lot of

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banks are still worried about servicing the industry. We have seen and heard anecdotal evidence that some banks are willing to open up business to some cannabusinesses. It’s small, it’s slow, and it is happening, just not as quickly as we would like to see. We’re moving in the right direction and as much as we’d like to see it move more quickly, I think you’re going to see more and more banks, first of all, recognizing the opportunity that’s there with a thriving and growing industry, and the banks that served them from the beginning are going to have loyal customers, and also they’re going to see the skies are not falling and they are not actually putting themselves at risk of legal action and it only makes sense to move forward. Q: I know that there are a lot of non-consumers leaving their corner corporate offices to join the Cannabis industry. By them doing so, I think it says a lot for the industry. What do you think? A: Absolutely. I came from outside the industry, actually. My background was in politics and media. I

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had done some work as a college student on drug policy issues but had not worked in the industry itself. I saw this as a phenomenal opportunity. You know, there is just no industry that’s more interesting and changing so quickly then this industry right now. I think it’s a self-perpetuating cycle when the industry becomes this really thriving and interesting place to be and that attracts people from outside the industry. And when people come from outside the industry, that reinforces the idea that this is an industry that’s valuable and mainstream. I think it’s great that were getting a mix of people right now and it’s very important to us that we remember and respect and value the people that built this industry and took a risk and put themselves on the line to serve patients and pay a price for legal change. They’re such a core part of who this industry is that sometimes it’s easy to get caught up with the new people coming in that we forget how important it is that we have this foundation and advocacy and special justice and care for patients. I think the mix of those two things is what makes this industry most interesting and dynamic industry to be in right now.

important piece, the avenues are broader. There are more things like the media. The media can be a double-edged sword. We haven’t always been given the best treatment by the media, but one of the great things about the spotlight that’s been on the industry the last year is, it’s really started to introduce people to the Cannabis industry as a business entity as well as being a product. It’s slow progress, and we still see new footage that isn’t the most flattering, but they’re still being forced to take us seriously in a way that they weren’t used to. So now we’re more likely to get stories about how the industry is growing or the way the industry is taking responsibility for things like trading or educating people on responsible use. We didn’t used to get coverage on these kinds of things and that now gives a much broader picture on who we are and it’s a much more accurate picture because we aren’t a single entity and we aren’t a single type. For a long time, it had only been a particular type that people have had in their head when it comes to Cannabis. Having the extensive media coverage that we have, it gives us the opportunity to show people that there are so many different sides to this industry as well as different types of consumers and business people.

Q: Let’s talk about education for a minute. What do you, or the NCIA, think is the best way to educate someone regarding Cannabis? If we could educate everyone as a whole, how do you think we should go about that?

Q: I apologize, I haven’t touched on the Fair Tax Policy which is just as an important subject to the industry as the banking issue.

A: Well, there are different ways. If you’re talking about people working within the industry, then I think right now the place you’re seeing a lot of people learning is at panels where there are speakers on specific topics. This is then the opportunity to learn from that, and they can follow up on it. If you’re talking more along the lines of cultivation techniques, there are a lot of businesses popping up that are doing consulting and helping set-up grow operations and even giving classes. But if you’re talking about educating the public at large, which is another very

A: Yes, it’s a huge thing and it’s not one that people know about as much as banking. The current way that dispensaries and cultivation operations are taxed is brutally unfair. What it means is, they’re not able to take certain tax deductions, which means they are paying taxes almost on their gross revenue rather than their net profit, which is what a normal business would be paying in on. So instead of essentially paying a 28, 29, 30 percent tax rate, these business owners are paying a 75–80 percent tax rate. What that really means is that’s a tremendous

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amount of money that these businesses aren’t able to reinvest in their own community. So instead of hiring more employees or improving their property, offering benefits to their employees or any number of things they’d be able to do to turn that revenue into that which would aid to their businesses but also contribute to their local economy; instead, that money’s getting trucked away to Washington and it’s frustrating because these are the businesses that are trying to do the right thing, they’re filing their taxes, they’re following the law to the letter and they’re the ones being punished for it and that’s just wrong. We’ve seen support in D.C. and some action on that. We’ve done some events in the past with American’s for Tax Reform, which is normally thought of as a very conservative organization that’s run by Grover Norquist, a longtime conservative activist in D.C. but they’re committed to fair taxation and to even lower taxes wherever possible, and they recognize that this is a situation where these taxes were never intended to apply to businesses operating legally under state law. They were intended for illegal cocaine traffickers mostly. The Fair Tax Policy and banking issue are kind of our priority 1A and 1B, those are the two most important things we work on in D.C. Q: What would you personally like to tell our readers? A: We have come a tremendous way in terms of legitimizing the industry and making great strides on a legal basis, but we as an industry have to stand together if we want to continue to move forward. NCIA is an organization that is dedicated to creating that unified community especially when it comes to issues that affect so many of us such as banking and taxation issues. It’s important that we have a face and a voice that represents the industry we have. As I mentioned earlier, there are lot of people out there in the general public who only have one impression on what it means to be involved with Cannabis. It’s important that we continue to broaden

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that understanding of who we are. Having that unified approach and voice is critically important for the industry to keep moving forward and to continue earning more support and understanding. And that’s what NCIA is uniquely positioned to do. Q: The event that you have coming up in November, the anniversary banquet — is that for members only? A: No. It’s in conjunction with another business that’s being held in Las Vegas for a couple days and we’re doing our dinner one of those nights. It’s open to the public and the tickets are $250 and it’s a fundraiser for NCIA and also celebrating our fourth anniversary. As previously mentioned, the NCIA is getting ready to celebrate their four-year anniversary. In such a short time, they have seen so much progress within the Cannabis industry. Together we are making great strides, but we still have so far to go before Cannabis is accepted the way we wish for it to be. NCIA is holding a fundraiser that will benefit the organization so that they are able to continue fighting and speaking for the businesses of the Cannabis industry. Their benefit dinner will be hosted on Nov. 13, in Las Vegas. Please visit their website for full details, information is under the ‘events’ link. “The National Cannabis Industry Association was founded on the principle of power in numbers. The thousands of American businesses involved in the state-legal cannabis industries represent a tremendous economic force in this country. As the industry’s national trade association, NCIA works every day to ensure our growing business sector is represented in a professional and coordinated way on the national stage.” — The National Cannabis Association. S NCIA: https://thecannabisindustry.org/

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