Sensi Magazine - Boston (August 2018)

BOSTON

Come get some

THE NEW NORMAL

S PEC I A L

REPORT

Psychedelics The Entourage Effect Hybrid History

Meet the Great-Grandfather of Hybrid Cannabis

Local Suds Keytar Bear Beer

8.2018

sensimag.com AUGUST 2018 3

4 AUGUST 2018 Boston

ISSUE 6 // VOLUME 1 // 8.2018

FEATURES 18 Hybrid History

New Hampshire’s Rick Naya talks legalization and correcting the record about hybrid cannabis.

24 Plant Power

How will adaptogens change the path ahead for edible plant-based health?

SP EC IAL R EP OR T

40

34 The Entourage Effect

Is it the THC, the CBD, or a combination of all the chemicals in cannabis that make us feel better?

HEALTH TRIP Blow your mind.

40 Trippy Healing

Psychedelics may be the new medical marijuana.

MARCO! Cannabis polo in the Bay State.

every issue 7 Editor’s Note 8 The Buzz 14 CrossRoads

HEALTHY CHOICES

48 The Scene

VIP PARTYING AT THE GRAND

50 HereWeGo

USA HEMP AT CHAR SO BEES

Sensi magazine is published monthly by Sensi Media Group LLC. © 2018 SENSI MEDIA GROUP LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

18 HOT BOXES The day weed fell from the sky… sensimag.com AUGUST 2018 5

sensi magazine ISSUE 6 VOLUME 1 8.2018

EXECUTIVE FOLLOW US

Ron Kolb ron@sensimag.com CEO, SENSI MEDIA GROUP

Tae Darnell tae@sensimag.com PRESIDENT, SENSI MEDIA GROUP

Alex Martinez alex@sensimag.com CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

2018 CONVENTION SCHEDULE MAY 11-13 JUNE 9-10 OCT 6-7 OCT 20-21

Stephanie Wilson stephanie@sensimag.com EDITOR IN CHIEF

Dan McCarthy daniel.mccarthy@sensimag.com MANAGING EDITOR, SENSI BOSTON

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EDITORIAL

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M E D I A PA RT N E R S Marijuana Business Daily Minority Cannabis Business Association National Cannabis Industry Association Students for Sensible Drug Policy

6 AUGUST 2018 Boston

editor’s

NOTE

ADVISORY BOARD Ardent, LLC // DECARBOXYLATOR Beantown Greentown // CULTIVATION Boston Gardener // GARDENING SUPPLY Boston Green Health //

CONSUMER AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT

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July has come and gone, which means noth-

ing, just as it did before everyone decided that if recreational sales didn’t get off the ground on July 1—a non-binding date established by the vox populi of MA—then somehow the Mass Grass scene was doomed and flawed.

But the reality is murkier and paradoxically clearer than that.

First, as we keep saying, this is an evolving if somewhat stillborn industry. Yes, the fact that there aren’t a rash of shops across the state set up, zoned, licensed, lab-tested, stocked, locked, and ready to rock is a bit of a bummer. We told you to keep your delivery guy, didn’t we?

However, things are moving at a rapid clip both behind the

Green Goddess Supply //

scenes and in plain sight for anyone with two eyes and an affin-

PERSONAL HOMEGROWN BIOCHAMBER

ity to reading proper informative news. In any case, let the false

Green Matters, LLC // SUPPLY CHAIN

start to a false date serve as a lesson moving forward. We are in

Greenhouse Payment Solutions // PAYMENT PROCESSING

The Holistic Center //

MEDICAL MARIJUANA EVALUATIONS

Irie Bliss Wellness //

CANNABIS & HEMP WELLNESS

Liberty International CBD // CBD FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT

the beginning stages of an industry that will likely not smooth out overnight. Nothing in Massachusetts does, especially with an AG laying down extended moratoriums in late June that sent the community into an uproar (and rightly so).

The Cannabis Control Commission and their Herculean task of establishing a regulated industry from the muck and mire of the black market have achieved commendable successes in a short time. Anyone with a word otherwise should feel free to reach out to the surprisingly accessible members of the com-

Mass Cannabis Chefs // PRIVATE CHEFS

mission. Talk to them. Tell them what is wrong and how it can

MIPSCare // INFUSED CATERING

be righted. Things may already be happening behind the scenes.

OxyGreen, Inc. // NATURAL INSECTICIDE Positive Dif Holistics // HOLISTIC HEALTH SERVICE Pro Garden Solutions // HARVEST CONSULTING Revolutionary Clinics // MEDICAL DISPENSARY Sira Naturals // CANNABIS PRODUCT INNOVATION Stalk and Bean // eCOMMERCE Tess Woods Public Relations // PUBLIC RELATIONS

Until then, grab this issue of Sensi, kick your feet up, and enjoy the strides made so far in a long-sidelined industry that has negatively affected too many, and enriched too few. I saw someone attribute this quote to Bill Murray, and I have no idea if he said it, but it rings true: “Ironically, the most dangerous thing about cannabis has always been getting caught with it.”

At least we don’t have to worry about that anymore in the Bay State. Light up, friends. It’s as good a day as any in the legal world of Mass Grass.

Dan McCarthy

M ANAG I NG E D I TO R SENSI BOSTON

sensimag.com AUGUST 2018 7

THE NEW NORMAL

sensi

buzz

Pol-oh!

Cannabis culture in public spaces can still raise a few

allow an opportunity to participate in an activity often

eyebrows—generational indoctrination of stigma and

reserved for the wealthy elite and the pretty people.

misinformation will do that. And as more and more

You know the types: you’ve seen their advantageous

events emerge highlighting the new reality of public

bone structures and chiseled gibs gracing any given

acceptance of a once-shadowy activity enjoyed behind

Ralph Lauren print advertisement.

closed doors is having its moment in the sun.

Established in 1887 by four self-effacing brothers with

And in the case of a particularly beautiful spring day

poor eyesight, the Myopia Polo Club claims the title of the

on the North Shore of Massachusetts, the moment in-

oldest active club in the United States. The stately grounds

volved a lot of cannabis, horses, and competitive sport

of Gibney Field in bucolic South Hamilton encourage

at the Myopia Polo Club. On the grounds this past June,

guests to dress in their Sunday best. (Sundays for the luxe

the Boston chapter of the Cannabis Society hosted its

have long been represented by slick threads, big hats, and

5th annual Polo Affair, in an effort to not only introduce

something refreshing to sip on). Cannabis Society mem-

and destigmatize responsible use of America’s fast-

bers warmly offered guests vape pens, joints, and edibles as

est-growing national pastime for high times but also to

everyone rubbed shoulders and discreetly (yet gleefully)

8 AUGUST 2018 Boston

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CORWIN WICKERSHAM

Dispatch from a day on the North Shore for cannabis, camaraderie, competitive Polo, and Big Fun.

respected the family-friendly environment. Sure, it’s share

the green. Despite some vocal complaints about the

and share alike with the members of the Cannabis Country

high society’s support of open consumption, Gibney

Club, but. as always, know your dosages. Nothing more un-

Field is not exactly hosting a Jimmy Buffett tour anytime

seemly than a cannabis aficionado in the throes of an acci-

soon, either. Ultimately, the mixed crowd of regular at-

dental moment of overconsumption in public. Trust us.

tendees and varied Meetup groups was respectful and

For those who need a refresher, the Sport of Kings is relatively simple: two teams of four riders compete to

friendly, enjoying a tranquil afternoon of horses charging across the field. Ah, June in Massachusetts…

drive a small plastic ball through upright goal posts on

Head’s up: the Cannabis Society is hosting a second

either side of the field. If it sounds similar to Quidditch—

event at Myopia later this summer, so grab a brownie,

minus the brooms and magic wands and adult nerds in

load up your favorite vape pen, break out that seersuck-

your local hipster gathering ground—you’re not that far off.

er suit, and get down with the games at Gibney Field.

The seven-minute rounds of play, or chukkas, were complemented by the Cannabis Society hosts mingling through the crowd while proselytizing their gospel about

Pro tip: Avoid the steaming divots.

–Jameson Viens

Myopia Polo is open to the public on Sundays through the end of September.

435 Bay Rd. / South Hamilton / cansociety.com / myopiapolo.org

sensimag.com AUGUST 2018 9

PHOTO VIA MRSID.COM

THE NEW NORMAL

sensi

buzz

Good Lookin’ Neighbor A reminder that a 50-year-old Boston suit-and-style master is waiting for you in the Seaport.

Going back to the Mad Men era of the 1960s, where sharp-dressed guys looking their best around Boston was a point of pride rather than an exception to general rule, Mr. Sid has been there for you. In Newton Center, that is, where the Siegal brothers have been at the helm of one of the last old-school experi-

Fit your lifestyle grow system for up to 6 medicinal plants and up to 10oz. yield

ence-driven style emporiums in the Commonwealth for decades. Call it the living embodiment of the axiom: “It ‘aint braggin’ if you can back it up.” They also have a bar in the shop, which is great. (No word on future social consumption rules there, but one thing at a time, right?)

Get $250 OFF use code SENSI at checkout Fully automated nutrient dosing, odor control, climate control, LED lighting, air filter, watering

And if you haven’t been along the waterfront in Boston lately, the next time you swing through the new Gilded City within a city that is the new glistening Seaport, you can check out Mr. Sid’s infant sibling to the longstanding Newton classic of sartorial wonderment and experiential tailoring. (Think: hand selecting fabrics and liners, custom bespoke measuring for perfect-fit suits, etc.) Bonus: Find the door that leads to the barbershop next door and get a touch up while you’re there.

The shop officially opened at the end of 2017, the 50th anniversary of the birth of the brand. This store is the first branch Mr. Sid has opened, so if supporting locally born, institutions of independent Boston-based businesses is your bag (and it should be), get here for some pampering and the supreme re-

GroBox @cloudponics

1-888-534-7066

10 AUGUST 2018 Boston

cloudponics

www.cloudponics.com

freshing of one’s accumulated style stockpile, and get reacquainted with what personalized service from a different era looks like when it rises juxtaposed beside a neighborhood that is at once just coming to life.

Mr. Sid Seaport / 49 Northern Ave., Boston / 857-310-8513 / mrsid.com

–Dan McCarthy

Busking for Beer

Darlings of local craft brewing pay homage to Boston’s favorite (and only) Keytar Bear.

Next time someone claims to be a real Boston local, simply ask them this question: “Do you like Keytar Bear?” If their response hovers in the spectrum of “huh?” or “no idea what you’re talking about,” call out that poseur tout de suite. Because anyone with a grain of Hub pride in their body knows all about Boston’s favorite busker in the bear suit, often seen playing Government Center, around the TD Garden, and the communal squares and heavy foot traffic areas of the city.

And now that rockstar local brewer Trillium Brewing released their special Double IPA tribute beer to the busker, the next time you hear one Keytar Bear’s Prince covers it may be because some of the proceeds from sales of the beer are going to the recovery fund. Why? Because though he’s armed with a keytar and various athletic apparel depending on the support of the day, the hero of harmony warms everyone’s heart with every hum and note except for the savage animals who hate puppies and America which jumped and mugged our hero and sent him to the hospital. (It’s happened a few times.)

The beer itself is an 8.8 percent flavor bomb that’s got a milky haze of orange straw, lots of citrus and pineapple notes in the glass, and tangerine, marshmallow, and wild honey notes in the distance. Call it a way to bring a ray of Keytar Bear’s sunshine into your life when your local packie is packing the good stuff. If it’s not, just head to Trillium and pick some up. Tip: Go to the Canton brewery and beer hall; you may just catch the star himself throwing down for a night. Prost!

–DM

PHOTO VIA TRILLIUMBREWING.COM.COM

Trillium Brewing Keytar Bear Double IPA / $22.20 pack of 4 / trilliumbrewing.com

sensimag.com AUGUST 2018 11

THE NEW NORMAL

sensi

buzz

WATCH

Snatchers

You know you love Dale & Tucker Vs. Evil (if you haven’t seen it, watch it stat). Now, there is a twisted series on par that makes aliens fun again—yep, for real. Snatchers is a digital horror-comedy series about to launch its second season. This summer is the perfect time for you to catch up on Season 1, which will have you laughing from the start. The beautifully shot and well-written story centers on two ex-besties (Sara and Hayley) who find themselves in a rather unusual predicament after Sara has sex for the first time and wakes up the next day eight months pregnant…with an alien baby. Now it’s up to the teenage duo to face the extraterrestrial threat and save the world. The

12 AUGUST 2018 Boston

critically acclaimed series premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and was picked up by Verizon, which ordered two more seasons earlier this year.

With over-the-top scenes, odd and oddly entertaining characters, high school angst, and kickass gore, this series is one to watch. The short episodes average about five to seven minutes each, so you can breeze through the first season in no time, preparing for season two’s release later this summer.

–Dawn Garcia Stream episodes and catch up on the latest news on stage13.com.

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{crossroads}

by R I C A R D O B A C A

HE ALTHY CHOICES Ricardo Baca reports on the intersection of cannabis and culture.

We’ve ultimately been familiar with the concept of

Too often when discussing marijuana as a health and

medical marijuana for centuries, and we’ve had medical

wellness tool we ignore that it’s also a legitimate medi-

cannabis laws on the books in this country since 1996—

cine for our mental health. A number of legitimate stud-

thank you very much, Dennis Peron and California voters.

ies have shown marijuana’s positive effects on our men-

But it wasn’t until June of 2015 that medical marijuana

tal well-being, but a recent one in particular stands out.

truly attained its top-level bona fides from the Journal of

Researchers in the Netherlands in 2016 conducted a

the American Medical Association (JAMA), the 134-year-old

random controlled trial (a.k.a. the gold standard of sci-

top-ranked peer-reviewed publication that is largely con-

entific research, per the Washington Post) to investigate

sidered to be one of the most conscientious, vetted, and

the link between human aggression and two of the

respected medical journals in the world.

most popular substances we’re known to consume:

JAMA’s groundbreaking analysis from June 2015, which was based on 79 trials involving nearly 6,500 partici-

marijuana and alcohol.

Of course cannabis has a reputation for

pants, found that cannabis absolutely does help with

chilling out those who use it, but what did

certain ailments and conditions, including severe pain,

the scientific research say?

nausea and vomiting related to chemotherapy, and spasticity from multiple sclerosis.

(The analysis also found that marijuana’s efficacy to-

“The results in the present study support the hypothesis that acute alcohol intoxication increases feelings of ag-

ward most conditions it is prescribed for is unproven, but

gression and that acute cannabis intoxi-

that’s an entirely different story given the federal govern-

cation reduces feelings of aggression,” the

ment’s many barriers to serious research on cannabis.)

researchers wrote in medical journal Psy-

But that game-changing JAMA analysis represents a monolithic marker on the cannabis timeline. Suddenly one

chopharmacology.

Forget about the alcohol making us

of the medical world’s most discerning voices was finally

more aggro and focus on that last part.

making a bold statement on the record, reaffirming some-

This study found that marijuana, sepa-

thing already known anecdotally by millions of medical

rate from any other substance, reduces

marijuana patients across the globe: Marijuana is medicine.

feelings of aggression.

It really changed the worldwide conversation around

As WaPo reported: “This is in line

medical cannabis, but now I’d like to take this idea one step

with other research. A study in

further. Because while I’ve successfully used cannabis to

2014, for instance, found that mar-

treat my physical health, I’ve also come to recognize that

ijuana use among couples was

marijuana can also be medicine for our mental health.

linked to lower rates of domestic

14 AUGUST 2018 Boston

sensimag.com AUGUST 2018 15

violence. In a fun study from the 1980s, researchers gave

we’re consuming marijuana more regularly than alcohol.”

undergraduates varying doses of marijuana and then

She understood the point, but she challenged me to go

asked them to administer electric shocks to people in an-

broader with the hypothesis. How was cannabis impact-

other room. The more stoned the undergrads were, the

ing all of my relationships—with family, with friends,

less interested they were in zapping other people.”

with colleagues, with strangers?

I remember posting this Washington Post story on so-

After a couple weeks of deep and sometimes-uncom-

cial media last year to a chorus of duuuhs from friends and

fortable introspection, I arrived at my own personal epiph-

acquaintances who are longtime cannabis consumers

any: Cannabis absolutely bolsters my mental health, includ-

themselves. But going back to the JAMA example, anec-

ing my ability to cultivate meaningful personal relationships.

dotal evidence is of course meaningful — but it won’t

It means better communication and fewer arguments. It

ever be as trusted or compelling as peer-reviewed analy-

means more patience and less aggression. It means more

sis or, in this case, a random controlled trial.

respectful conversations and fewer tirades on social media.

As I contemplated a less aggressive world with lower rates

For me at least, marijuana has made an already spec-

of domestic violence—heck, with lower rates of violence in

tacular life even better. And I’m looking forward to more

general—it brought me back to a conversation I’d had with

science-based research in the future to tell us more

my girlfriend (and now wife) years before. I was a still-new

about how our relationship with this plant can help our

marijuana aficionado trying to put my stoned experiences in

relationships with those who matter most.

perspective, and she was a knowledgeable, more-experienced sounding board with wise-beyond-her-years insight.

“We’ve never argued all that much,” I told her one day in the car, “but I’m thinking we argue even less now that

16 AUGUST 2018 Boston

RICARDO BACA is a veteran journalist, thought leader, and founder of The Cannabist.

His content agency Grasslands works primarily with businesses and individuals in the cannabis and hemp industries on thought leadership, publicity, and marketing projects via thoughtful, personalized content campaigns.

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18 AUGUST 2018 Boston

ndfather of hybrid How the great-gra in New Hampshire. ve li to e m ca is ab n can Y

by DA N M cC A R T H

IN 1975, RICK NAYA WAS A YOUNG SPRAT ENJOYING A CAMPING TRIP IN A THICKET OF WOODS HE AND A PAL SETTLED ON IN THE PALM BEACH COUNTY AREA OF SOUTHERN FLORIDA. WHILE THERE, HE AND HIS FRIENDS OBSERVED A DROP PLANE FLYING OVER. CURIOUS, THEY KEPT AN EYE ON IT UNTIL NOTICING BALES OF WRAPPED PACKAGES STREAMING OUT OF THE PLANE; SEEN FROM UNDERNEATH, JUST A SILHOUETTED STEEL BIRD DEPOSITING A RIBBON OF PRECIOUS (MOST LIKELY) ILLEGAL CARGO ACROSS A FLORIDA FIELD THAT WOULD COME TO DEFINE AND ULTIMATELY CHANGE YOUNG NAYA’S LIFE. Anyone who has seen even one drug smuggling related

were as valuable as one would expect after darkened trucks

film in the past 30 years can probably tell you what unfolded

and teams of men toting an ill will toward anyone getting in

from there. First, a startled realization that they had been in

their way would suggest. The machine guns strung around

the right place at the right time, if what was in those bales

their shoulders was something of a giveaway, too. sensimag.com AUGUST 2018 19

Naya recalls the night it happened. “We had to put

seen or had, in the states or otherwise. But what next?

our fire out to make sure we weren’t seen, as we could

Where to go from here as an upstart in the underground

see about eight of them, with their machine guns stick-

cannabis movement of the mid-late 1970s?

ing out. It was scary. But they had dropped so much of it,

Naya says he remembered he had a friend whose fa-

we saw they left some behind. So we just figured we’d

ther was involved in a biker club down in South Flori-

score it.”

da. He told him about the new weed on the scene—

The parcel wound up being packaged bundles of Colombian Gold, the now classic landrace sativa hailing from the Santa Marta region of Colombia. Weed historians will already know this strain was the grandfather of Skunk #1, long regarded as one of the first hybrid cannabis strains to emerge in the halcyon days of 70s weed culture. But what to do with all that green?

“I nickel and dimed it,” Naya says with a laugh.

A short time later as one of Naya’s pals was embarking on a trip to Hawaii, Naya handed his pal money made from the sales and suggested his friend pick up as much island grass as he could pack in his suitcase while visiting the tropical oasis. “Back then they didn’t check your luggage or anything, there weren’t dogs in airports.”

His pal came back with the Hawai-

THE RES U WASLT SOM THINEBRA G ND NEW

ian booty, and when he and Naya broke into the ounces and started sampling the wares, it was clear there was a whole weed world out there to be discovered. But moreover, there was another world on the growing side that suddenly revealed itself to Naya, as one of the ounces had two small seeds in it.

That led to his first grow, which included using some of the found seeds from the Colombian weed as well as seeds from the new Hawaii cannabis, which turned out to be the fabled Maui Wowie, a stress-killing powerful sativa found flourishing in the volcanic island.

“We knew the Colombian plants grew very tall and lanky, and the Hawaiian was tiny and a little lanky, but

and that they had enough of it to hand off, if he wanted to sell it around town and move it through his network on the street.

we didn’t know one of the Hawaiians was a male,” says

Naya drove it down to Gainesville in Central Florida

Naya. “We harvested from those grows, and wound up

to make the drop off. As he tells it, his biker dad pal

with about 330 seeds, grew maybe half, got rid of the

opened the bag and smelled the contents. “He just said,

males, kept the females and harvested from those.”

‘What the hell is this?...Jesus Christ look at these golf

The result was something brand new. A very powerful

ball sized buds! Colorful red hairs!’” says Naya. “It was

and delightful cannabis anyone in those days had ever

unlike anything in the world at that time, but we were

20 AUGUST 2018 Boston

just kids so we didn’t know. He goes, ‘You got a name for it?’ and we said no, so he said he’d call it the Gainesville Green. And that was that.”

A Life in Flux Naya’s life didn’t jump directly into the green game from there. He went into the logistics industry, following in what he says is his family footsteps.

“My family were the magnates of the shipping industry of Cuba,” he says, “We owned all the ports and the shipping industry and oil refineries there.”

After college and an early career in engineering, the downturn in the construction market in the 80s led to a new career in another kind of plant-derived drug product: agriculture and distribution for coffee, moving beans and product all around the country.

By the mid-90s he had met a girl and decided to “stop being a playboy and settle down.” After many years of marriage and some kids, they divorced and Naya moved on, single for the first time in many years.

It was around that time that Naya’s move into cannabis activism began, with a drive to Concord, New Hampshire. Flanked by about about fifty people, lots of bullhorns blasting about cannabis legalization, he says that day the clouds parted and he saw what he said was the path for the rest of his life. And this year marks 13 years in the local game up there.

Besides working on the political side, the “most interesting man in New Hampshire” (a title friends and associates have laid on Naya’s head due to his proximity to the eponymous Dos Equis brand mascot) also owned and operated the NH Cannabis Freedom Festival for years, and he is still involved in various ways to this day.

But it’s the activism and the push for change that has really put fuel back in Naya’s immigrant Cubano bloodfire, and he’s got the energy, ethos, and drive to see it through even when others have been small bursts of change in the game of long-distance policy change.

“For years, I loved cannabis. It wasn’t hurting me in ways people were talking about all the time. So I began educating myself on the plant, but it was my father at one point who said I should get involved. So I learned to use computers, accessing information, and learning more about cannabis and law and patents and what they’re for and science and genetics and how they work with us. Then the endocannabinoid studies came out, I became educated on how THC and cannabinoids work.”

Naya says his mother had instilled a sense of citizen diplomacy in his life at an early age, so the sudden electricity of the cannabis movement surging through him mixed with a familial sense of duty and abilities lead him to continue his activism through the present day.

“New Hampshire may not have millions, but many in the state understood that cannabis was cool and not a big deal,” says Naya. “But [state decisensimag.com AUGUST 2018 21

sion making] was controlled with bad information and education, and things were manipulated time and time again. So when I got involved 13 years ago, I began to give them data and education and facts to help combat that. Things started changing little by little.”

Along the way, Naya says he has helped educate the New Hampshire legislature on the medical use of cannabis, providing data and research. As one of the first medical marijuana card holding patients he was uniquely poised to help write patient bills as well as those concerning farmers rights as it related to the growing of industrial cannabis. And in spite of setbacks from some of the elected officials in Massachusetts’ neighbor to the north (NH Gov. Chris Sununu is against marijuana legalization much like MA Gov. Charlie Baker was), Naya says he feels the movement up there is increasingly feeling the the wind at their back.

“I’m in the process now developing most comprehensive cannabis bill to date,” Naya says, “And I hope this year is the year it will be pushed through to be heard in 2019.”

Speaking on what the maintained prohibitionist attitude of New Hampshire means for ordinary citizens of the Granite State, Naya recently told NHPR in an interview: “I think it means our citizens are spending money [on cannabis] in other states, Massachusetts specifically.” He also opined that what’s going on in MA is a matter of an industry that’s going to evolve, but remains impressed with the Cannabis Control Commission here handling large amounts of data and information and says while their written policies are “quite broad” and difficult to balance, he gives ample credit to the CCC for what they’ve done in a short amount of time.

Respecting Historical Truth For years, there have been various oral histories about how hybrids came into being. Skunk #1 was an original claim to hybrid glory, but Naya maintains it was a sister plant to his original hybrid.

“Go to lineage of cannabis and at bottom is Gainesville Green,” he says.

Moreover, go on any deep dive cannabis chat forum or online discussion board and you’ll read all manner of rumors and game-of-telephone renditions of the genealogy of hybrid creationism. But it was on one of those very boards where Naya began realizing his place in the canon of cannabis history in the US. “What happened was there was a thread on one of the cannabis forums online discussing Gainesville Green and where it came from,” says Naya.

“Someone contacted me about a year ago telling me they were talking about it, and I read all the commentary that people posted and said, ‘Hey these are great stories but let me tell you the truth,’ so I laid it out there.”

Soon after, Naya said he learned that an outfit in Florida was attempting to co-opt and trademark Gainesville Green for themselves, so the story of the real great-grandfather of Gainesville Green and hybrid weed started to have new life. By then a documentary on this history was being produced independently, and the team behind that reached out to Naya to see what the real inside scoop was. After some detective work and interviews, as well as some pointed questions that only the real OG of GG would be able to answer, Naya says he proved his mettle and was established as the real originator.

22 AUGUST 2018 Boston

“Others knew some of the story,” says Naya with a bit of bravado, “but they couldn’t name the bikers from way back then. I could.”

As to what his next steps are in the new modern cannabis world—either as the great-grandfather of hybrid weed, or as an unelected figurehead of the New Hampshire cannabis reform movement—Naya says he’s spent his whole life building up to take on this role as the dawn of legalization marches (if ever so slowly) to the Granite State.

“I can honestly say I’m prepared to become and take that role as I have for citizens of New Hampshire, and it’s taken years to understand the power of the community, and sharing is caring is giving, and what love and compassion for others can do. I’ve walked this walk and talked this talk all these years, so where it’s all at now is the biggest reward anyone could give me, and anyone in our industry can have in my opinion. I’m going to carry this crown with great honor and reverence for those who have come before us and keep fighting around nation for a positive legacy we can leave behind.”

“I’VE WALKED THIS WALK AND TALKED THIS TALK ALL THESE YEARS” —Rick Naya

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24 AUGUST 2018 Boston

IN THE 1940s, WHEN THE SOVIET UNION WAS VYING TO DOMINATE THE UNIVERSE, MORE THAN 1,200 SCIENTISTS WERE TASKED WITH STUDYING HOW PLANTS LIKE GINSENG AND SCHISANDRA— STAPLES IN TRADITIONAL CHINESE, NATIVE AMERICAN, AND AYURVEDIC MEDICINE—COULD HELP WORKERS, SOLDIERS, ATHLE TES, BALLERINAS, CHESS PLAYERS, AND COSMONAUTS ADAPT TO PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL STRESS FOR ENHANCED

Plant Power Could you use a few more edible plants (in addition to cannabis) that protect you from stress, trauma, and fatigue? Get to know your adaptogenic herbs and how to enjoy them.

by ROBYN GRIGGS L AWRENCE

PERFORMANCE AND SPEEDIER RECOVERY. In 1947, pharmacologist Nikolai Lazarev rebranded the plants, all but forgotten in Western medicine, as “adaptogens” and defined them as nontoxic herbs that protect the body from damaging physical and emotional stress while improving many of its systems and functions. The Soviets kept their research top secret for many years because of the advantage the plants gave their soldiers and citizens in worldwide competition. Soviet scientists continued to tweak adaptogen regimens, and by 1976, the nation’s athletes were dominating the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.

Adaptogens are pretty miraculous. They create and maintain homeostasis in the body, continually restoring its natural balance by slowing systems down when they’re overheating and speeding them up when they’re sluggish.

(They can even do both things—calm and energize—at the same time.) The plants fight fatigue and reduce stress—in an age when stress is rampant and linked to the six leading causes of death.

Dr. Joseph Cohen, an osteopathic physician who integrates cannabis into his functional medicine practice in Coloado, says adaptogens do far more than most people realize because bringing the body to homeostasis protects the entire neuroendocrine system and the adrenal glands, where valuable hormones such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine are produced.

Is Cannabis an Adaptogen?

Does Maca Make You Horny?

In his upcoming book, The Cannabis-Friendly Guide

to Wellness, Cohen writes about how cannabis works as an adaptogen. He calls the cannabinoid CBD “an adaptogen within an adaptogen” because of its ability to mitigate some of THC’s unwanted side effects. “Cannabinoids do a multitude of things we’re just beginning to understand,” he says.

Cannabis is not officially an adaptogen (according to people who think officially), but it meets all the requirements: nontoxic, stress-reducing, balancing. “It does act sensimag.com AUGUST 2018 25

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Green and Golden Coconut Milk Nightcap

Cannabis-Infused Coconut Milk

{ SERVES 1 }

* 32 ounces organic coconut milk * 1/ 2 gram cannabis flower or trim

{ MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS }

You’ll use only a teaspoon of the herb and spice blend in this recipe, so you can store the rest in an airtight container and combine it with cannabis-infused coconut milk for a healthy warm drink. You can also make this with nut milk.

1 * /4

* Double boiler * Fine mesh strainer

* Cheesecloth or paper coffee filter · Break up cannabis into small pieces using

your fingers or a knife. Combine with coconut cream in a saucepan over a double boiler

cup powdered ashwagandha root

and heat over medium heat, stirring often.

* 1/4 cup powdered schisandra berries * 1 cup rose petal powder

· When it begins to boil, immediately reduce

* 1 teaspoon cinnamon * 1 teaspoon nutmeg

heat and simmer gently for 45 minutes.

Do not let it boil.

· Remove from heat and let cool.

* 1 cup cannabis-infused coconut milk * Maple syrup or honey, to taste

· Place cheesecloth or coffee filter in fine

mesh strainer and place over a jar or bowl.

· Blend together ashwagandha, schisandra, rose petal powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Pour coconut cream through to catch solids.

· In small saucepan, gently heat coconut milk until warm but not boiling. Pour into a

times before cream runs clear. Squeeze

mug and stir in 1 teaspoon of herb mixture. ( Store the rest in an airtight container.) · Add sweetener and enjoy.

You may have to pour through a couple out last drops of coconut cream and discard or compost cannabis and cheesecloth.

EDIBLE ADAPTOGENS AMERICAN GINSENG {PANAX QUINQUEFOLIUM}

FLAVOR: Bitter, slightly sweet BENEFITS: Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, boosts energy, lowers blood sugar, reduces stress TREATS: Autoimmune disorders, bronchitis, asthma, jet lag, metabolic syndrome, adrenal deficiency, diabetes, immune depletion, sexual dysfunction (male) HOW TO EAT IT: Eat the root raw, steamed, or slightly cooked; add extract or powder to smoothies or yogurt WHAT ELSE? American ginseng is less stimulating than Asian (panax) ginseng and can be used interchangeably with it.

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G OJ I B E R RY { LYCIUM BARBARUM }

FLAVOR: Tart cherry, cranberry, tomato BENEFITS: Anti-inflammatory; antioxidant; strengthens weak muscles; tonic for heart, kidneys, liver, and blood; improves vision, focus, energy, and sexual performance; enhances immune system TREATS: Muscle soreness and spasms, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome HOW TO EAT IT: Use dried goji berries instead of raisins in recipes and for snacking; add hydrated dried berries to rice, sauces, stews, or salsas; add to salads and smoothies WHAT ELSE? Goji berries are related to tomatoes and have (ounce for ounce) more vitamin C than oranges, more beta-carotene than carrots, more potassium than bananas and more iron than steak.

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MACA {LEPIDIUM ME YENII}

ELEUTHERO {ELEUTHEROCOCCUS SENTICOSUS}

FLAVOR: Malty, caramel, butterscotch

WHAT ELSE? Maca is related to turnips, mustard and cabbage and has more calcium than milk. Though it is often called “Peruvian ginseng,” maca does not belong to the Panax genus.

FLAVOR: Sweet, slightly bitter

HOLY BASIL {OCIMUM SANC TUM} FLAVOR: Bitter, spicy

BENEFITS: Antioxidant, neuroprotective,

reduces stress, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antiviral, diuretic, stabilizes blood sugar; improves respiration, aphrodisiac TREATS: Acne, PTSD, bulimia, hypoglycemia, arthritis, bronchitis, vomiting HOW TO EAT IT: Fresh or dried leaves as tea or a tincture; add fresh leaves to salads

BENEFITS: Antioxidant, mild antiinflammatory, nervine, immune support, lowers blood sugar, improves memory TREATS: Bone marrow suppression, angina, insomnia, appetite loss, joint pain, mild depression, chronic fatigue HOW TO EAT IT: Use ground root to make tincture, tea, or tonic; steam and slice roots and add to stir fries or drizzle with honey WHAT ELSE? Eleuthero root is a distant cousin to American ginseng but doesn’t belong to the Panax genus. The United States made it illegal to market it under the name “Siberian ginseng” in 2002. © HARI PRASAD NADIG

BENEFITS: Boosts energy and stamina, aphrodisiac, improves sperm count, relieves stress TREATS: PMS, menopausal symptoms, anemia HOW TO EAT IT: Add powder to beverages and yogurt; roast or boil root; use maca flour to make bread; eat leaves in salads

WHAT ELSE? Holy basil, also known as tulsi, contains compounds similar to those in cannabis. In India, it’s known as the “elixir of life” and said to be sacred to the Hindu god Vishnu. Avoid if you’re taking blood thinners or anti-clotting medications.

SCHISANDRA {SCHISANDR A CHINENSIS}

FLAVOR: Sweet, salty, spicy, sour, bitter

ASIAN GINSENG {PANA X GINSENG}

FLAVOR: Sweet, slightly bitter

BENEFITS: Calming; boosts mood, memory, focus, and performance; aphrodisiac TREATS: Stress, depression, insomnia, diabetes, cachexia, erectile dysfunction HOW TO EAT IT: Make into tea, tonic or tincture; chop root and add to soup, stew, or stir-fry WHAT ELSE? Panax stands for “panacea of all ills,” and panax ginseng is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat many conditions. Taking too much can result in dry mouth, irritability, palpitations, blurred vision, and other negative side effects.

30 AUGUST 2018 Boston

BENEFITS: Anti-inflammatory, astringent, cardiotonic, improves gastrointestinal health, boosts memory, protects liver TREATS: Respiratory or digestive illnesses, heatstroke, frostbite, exhaustion, urinary incontinence, diarrhea, asthma HOW TO EAT IT: Make a tea, tincture or syrup from dried or fresh berries; add powder to smoothies or yogurt WHAT ELSE? Schisandra berries are called “wu wei zi,” for five-flavored berry. They mildly stimulate the central nervous system while calming and focusing the mind.

ASHWAGANDHA {PANA X QUINQUEFOLIUS} FLAVOR: Bitter, sweet

BENEFITS: Anti-inflammatory; balances mood; antioxidant; astringent; normalizes blood pressure, general health, and vitality; uterine and fertility tonic; rich in iron TREATS: Fatigue, insomnia, ADD, anxiety, chronic fatigue, spasms, fibromyalgia, mild Tourette’s syndrome, osteoarthritis, anemia HOW TO EAT IT: Make into tea, tincture or tonic; add powdered root to smoothies and yogurt WHAT ELSE? Also known as “winter cherry,” ashwagandha delivered antianxiety and antidepressant effects comparable to Ativan and Tofranil in an animal trial. If you have thyroid conditions, consult with a health care practitioner before consuming ashwagandha.

ROBYN GRIGGS L AWRENCE is the author of The Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook.

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SP ECIAL R EP OR T

Is it the CBD, the THC, or the combination of those and other chemicals in cannabis that make us feel better?

by L E L A N D R U CK E R DR. MARY VAN IS A NUTRITIONIST AND PHARMACIST WHO OWNS THRIVEX, A MEDICAL SERVICE IN FT. LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA. SHE SPECIALIZES IN

custom intravenous injection therapies,

AND SHE BELIEVES THAT NUTRITION IS THE KEY TO HEALTH. “NO ONE CAN HEAL YOU,” SHE SAYS. “I CAN JUST MAKE YOU STRONGER,

and then your body takes over.”

As a pharmacist, she began studying how cannabis

(the oils that give different strains of cannabis their

compounds seem to work in conjunction with one an-

distinctive fragrances) work in concert better than

other, and eventually began to use cannabis as part of

when they are isolated from one another. “The ques-

her treatment regime. “The reason I got involved is

tion is,” Van asks, “is the whole plant more beneficial

because cannabis is a balancer of the body, a homeo-

than an isolate? Or do isolates work together with

static regulator,” she says. “As a pharmacist, I ap-

each other?”

proach it scientifically. Holistic medicine has a bad

This whole-plant concept seems to rub against the

rap—you know, rainbows and unicorns. I approach it

way drugs and medications are created today, usually

as hard science.”

by isolating and testing compounds then developing

Dr. Van’s studies have led her to subscribe to what

and patenting drugs from those compounds. And with

is commonly known as the “entourage effect,” the

a scarcity of clinical trials in the United States for

concept that chemical substances in cannabis, espe-

anything cannabis-related, many scientists are open-

cially cannabinoids (like THC and CBD) and terpenes

ly skeptical of most entourage-effect claims. sensimag.com AUGUST 2018 35

“The lay public has really taken on the notion of the entourage effect, but there’s not a lot of data,” Margaret

vate CB-1 receptors found in the brain and CB-2 receptors found throughout the rest of the body.

Haney, a neurobiologist and cannabis researcher at

Brian Reid is chief science officer of ebbu, a cannabis

Columbia University, told Scientific American last

technology research company. Like many of his col-

year. “The cannabis field can say anything—and it

leagues, he comes from a pharmaceutical background,

does. I’m not against marijuana. I want to study it

and he says that they apply the same basic principles in

carefully. We know it can affect pain and appetite, but

their research. But the company looks to see how differ-

the large majority of what’s being said is driven by an-

ent formulations of cannabinoids and terpenes work to

ecdotal marketing. These guys are really trying to

create moods. “Where we differ, instead of looking for a

make money.”

single compound for a target, we work with what Mother Nature gives us,” he says, “but we emphasize poly-

Wait, What’s a Cannabinoid?

pharmaceutical effects, which is what things do to

Most plants contain chemical compounds that are

these targets.”

used for everything from defense against animals and

He says pharmaceutical companies generally isolate

other organisms to aiding photosynthesis. Those are

a component or look for something specific to target.

called “cannabinoids.” Cannabis has more of them

“CBD alone hits many different targets in different ways.

than most other plants, some of which seem to deliver

That’s one thing pharmaceutical companies sometimes

opposing effects in users. And some of which you’ve

dial out,” he explains. “Some say the entourage effect is

definitely heard of before, even if you’ve never heard

many compounds doing one thing. But in some cases,

the term “cannabinoid” in your life. THC is a cannabi-

it’s one compound doing many things.”

noid more formally known as delta-9 tetrahydrocan-

Reid says that ebbu researchers use chromatography,

nabinol, and it’s the one responsible for the plant’s

a process that separates cannabinoids and terpenes into

telltale psychoactive effects. CBD, or cannabidiol, is

a kind of soup that allows them to test how different

another, and it’s the “it” ingredient

combinations affect receptors. “There

causing a stir in health, wellness, and

are a handful of cannabinoids and ter-

even beauty and skincare circles thanks to its medicinal properties and healing qualities.

Scientists have identified more than 100 other compounds in the cannabis plant, with more still being discovered—THCA, CBDA, CBN, CBG, CBC, CBL, CBE, and CBT among them.

In 1988, scientists also discovered that the human body has an endocannabinoid system, which works to help keep the body in balance, including basic functions like controlling appetite, sleep, cognition and anxiety. The body produces its own cannabinoids (called endocannabinoids) that are similar to those produced by cannabis; both acti-

36 AUGUST 2018 Boston

“Some say the entourage effect is many compounds doing one thing. But in some cases, it’s one compound doing many things.”

—Brian Reid, ebbu

penes that modulate THC and can increase or decrease its potency.” One example, he says, are serotonin receptors, which help modulate moods and feelings. “We can mimic a profile at serotonin receptors, for instance, that works like antidepressant drugs.”

Van used myrcene, a terpene with a citrusy smell that’s also found in mangoes and other fruits, as another example. Myrcene has been found to increase the amount of THC the body carries to the brain. Finding the right combination or ratio of myrcene and THC could help people sleep or deal with pain.

“This is actually hard science,” she says.

“These mechanisms are very old.”

Dr. Daniela Vergara, an evolutionary biologist research-

ticity. Marinol, aka dronabinol, uses synthetic delta-9

ing cannabis genomics at the University of Colorado, is the

THC for treatment of nausea and as an appetite stimu-

director of the Agricultural Genomics Foundation, a non-

lant in cancer patients. And GW Pharmaceuticals is in

profit whose goal is to make cannabis science available to

clinical trials for FDA approval of Epidiolex, a treatment

everyone. She says that originally their studies led research-

for certain epilepsy conditions.

ers to believe that cannabinoids like THC and CBD were pro-

Sativex, which was brought to market in 2010 and

duced by one gene in different forms. “Now we know that

combines THC and CBD, has a pretty good history of suc-

they are different genes in very close proximity,” she says.

cess. Marinol, which uses synthetic THC, has a more

In fact, they are so close that they seem to originally

checkered history. “Many patients have found the side

come from the same ancestor genes, and that’s what

effects unpleasant,” Reid says. “There are a lot of data

makes the entourage effect argument so compelling.

that people don’t like Marinol. I don’t know how hard

“There is no evidence to support this,” she says, “but

that evidence is, but it is documented in patients. It ap-

what I think is going on is that many molecules are pro-

pears that whole-plant extracts provide more benefits.”

duced by the same gene. The entourage effect is all of

Vergara says it’s not unusual for plants to produce com-

these compounds working together to make you feel

pounds, but not as many as cannabis. “We do know that

some way. All of these work in synchronicity because

CBD appears to counteract the effects of THC,” she says.

they all come from the same ancestors.”

“We know it does that, which suggests that when you’re

Though the federal government’s official stance on cannabis is that it’s a substance “with no currently accepted medical use,” it has allowed drugs developed by

taking pure THC, it’s not as effective.”

Ten Millennia of Cannabis Cures

pharmaceutical companies that use chemicals from

Humans have been experimenting with marijuana as

the cannabis plant or synthesized versions. Sativex, an

medicine for a long time now, some say at least 10,000

oral spray that contains both THC and CBD, is sold by

years. And it has been used over the centuries to ease

UK-based GW Pharmaceuticals to treat pain and spas-

symptoms for many of the same things it’s been recom-

Enjoythe Journey

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mended for today. In ancient Greece, it was used for ear-

been presenting their findings at conventions and are

aches and inflammation. A 1621 English clergyman sug-

beginning the process of peer review for their research.

gested cannabis as a treatment for depression. After it

All this talk of the entourage effect as a cannabis phe-

was brought to France from Egypt, it was acclaimed for

nomenon forgets to mention that it’s not a quality unique

headache and pain relief and as a sleep aid. And despite

to cannabis; it’s somewhat unique to all plants. “What’s

the attitude of some scientists who say there is no evi-

the best part of an apple?” Van asks rhetorically. “The

dence to support the entourage effect, research contin-

skin? The meat? We don’t know. The skin is full of nutri-

ues to indicate otherwise.

ents. The meat is full of sugar and fiber. Even the seeds

“I think the problem is that some physicians aren’t looking at the hard science of cannabis,” Van says.

have nutritional value. I still believe that whole food is the answer. I don’t know what’s the best part.”

“They’re not paying attention to the pharmacokinetics, which is how the drug affects you, and pharmacodynamics, which is how your body affects the drug.”

She also points out that there is a lot of research if you just look for it. Recent studies in Israel led by Dr. Ari Aran found dramatic improvements using cannabis for some autistic children, and Lehigh Hospital in Pennsylvania is doing its own trial on autistic children. A study published a few months ago offers encouraging signs for Epidiolex. More than 170 people with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a rare type of spasticity, were given Epidiolex or a placebo. The Epidiolex subjects experienced a reduction rate of 41 percent while the placebo only worked 14 percent of the time. Reid says that ebbu scientists have

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Trippy

Healing Psychedelics are the new medical marijuana.

by R O BY N G R I G G S L AW R E N CE

40 AUGUST 2018 Boston

I keep a photo of myself FROM THE REALLY BAD YEAR, WHEN I LEFT THE JOB I THOUGHT DEFINED ME AND BROKE UP WITH THE MAN I’D PLANNED TO MARRY. I’M WEARING A SLEEVELESS DRESS NO ADULT WHO WEIGHS 93 POUNDS SHOULD BE WEARING, WITH MY UNDERNOURISHED LIMBS AND OVERSIZED HEAD. I MAKE MYSELF LOOK AT THE PHOTO ONCE IN A WHILE

I don’t want to forget. MY LIFE ONCE FELT SO BLEAK THAT I DIDN’T WANT TO BE HERE. I COULDN’T KILL MYSELF BECAUSE I LOVE MY CHILDREN, BUT I thought about it BECAUSE

ALL THE TIME. I STARVED MYSELF AND TOLD PEOPLE MY NEW RETIREMENT PLAN WAS TO DIE YOUNG. Right around that time, private ayahuasca ceremo-

Spirit grants so I could travel to the Nihue Rao healing

nies were becoming a thing from Laurel Canyon to Park

center outside of Iquitos and experience traditional

Slope, so I went to one in a multimillion-dollar house in

ayahuasca ceremonies with shamans where Mama Aya

the Boulder foothills with a Jewish shaman who played

lives. I spent four hellish nights in the rainforest, wres-

new age music on a boom box. I had read everything I

tling with anger and despair about my father dying be-

could get my hands on about this ancient medicine

fore I was born—deep, pre-language demons I thought

made from sacred Amazonian plants—not all that much

I’d dealt with in the Landmark Forum, with God knows

at the time, and a lot of it pretty terrifying—and I waited

how many therapists.

with more than a little trepidation for the big bang that

My journeys were desolate and brutal, total annihila-

would fix me. When the mood wasn’t right and nothing

tion of the universe and terrifying solo rocket launches

happened, I was disappointed and then bored, listening

into empty orbits. I felt my father’s heart attack, and his

to the guy next to me groan and sob and watching the

crushing angst about who would take care of me was the

guy across from me paint pictures in the air with his

sword that finally cut through the dark energy I’d been

hands. I snuck into the garage to vape.

born with. I forgave him for dying and myself for thinking

I took that experience as another sign of what a hope-

he didn’t care enough to stick around and meet me. I told

less, crusty loser I had become. Not even drinking this

him he could let go, I would take care of myself now. Free

legendary brew could bring back my appetite for food,

for the first time in my life, I spent the last night juggling

for life. I figured this ayahuasca thing was just more

exclamation points, tossing them up to pop pink balloons

bullshit, a hallucinogenic Landmark Forum for entitled

that rained down sparkles of love on everyone around me.

people who have exhausted their therapists’ patience.

The pink glow lasted. I went home and started re-

I was wrong, of course, as Cosmic Sister founder Zoe

building my skeletal self and reinventing my career—as

Helene, a seasoned journeyer who drinks ayahuasca

a cannabis cookbook author and chef, no less. I met a

only in Peru, where it’s legal and revered, would prove.

nice guy who feeds me when I’m in work mode. I never

Helene awarded me one of the first Cosmic Sister Plant

considered suicide again. sensimag.com AUGUST 2018 41

Coffee, Tea, or Ayahuasca?

dependence, and terminal-cancer anxiety, while MDMA,

Psychedelics are the new medical marijuana, offering a world of therapeutic possibilities for so many things that ail us, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), debilitating grief, opiate addiction, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)—and Americans are more interested in them than they’ve been since the 1960s. In a recent YouGov survey, 53 percent of Americans said they support medical research into psychedelic medicines, and 63 percent said they would be open to having medical treatment with psilocybin, ketamine, or MDMA if the substances were proven safe.

In December 2016, the Journal of Psychoparmacology dedicated its entire issue to psychedelics. Michael Pollen’s recent book about psychedelic therapy, How to Change Your Mind, which he said took him to “places I’ve never been—indeed, places I didn’t know existed,” was an immediate bestseller.

Last year in the widely acclaimed book A Really Good Day, Ayelet Waldman wrote that microdosing, or taking about onetenth of a normal dose of LSD on a regular basis, helped her deal with severe mood swings. Silicon Valley executives microdose LSD for a gentle blast of focus and creativity.

Psilocybin from “magic mushrooms” is emerging as a treatment for smoking cessation, alcoholism and cocaine

KNOW YOUR

psychedelics Ayahuasca A combinatory brew made in the Amazon from the ayahuasca vine and the chacruna leaf containing the psychoactive substance DMT / Effects: Helps journeyers come to terms with deep-seated trauma / Potential

Treatment for: PTSD, chronic depression, eating disorders, suicidal thoughts

Ibogaine A psychoactive compound in the bark and roots of taberanthi, a small African bush tree / Effects: Activist Dana Beal described a waking sleep during which “your entire life and all those spooky archetypes you see distantly in your dreams are projected on the back of your eyelids” / Potential

aka Ecstasy or Molly, is showing great promise for treating PTSD and autistic adults with social anxiety because it lets them relive and safely reprocess traumatic experiences that normally leave them overwhelmed. MDMA, which emerged in the late 1970s as a tool for psychotherapists and made its way into the hands of ravers and yuppies, was “the drug that LSD was supposed to be, coming 20 years too late to change the world,” Newsweek wrote in 1985, the year the DEA made it a Schedule I substance.

Recently, the FDA gave MDMA breakthrough therapy status based on its effectiveness in PTSD studies, and it could be approved for legal therapeutic use by 2021.

As for ayahuasca, scores of medical journal articles are now exploring how journeying changes the very brain chemistry to beat back the anxiety and depression.

Every weekend across North America, thousands of seekers gather for not-so-underground ceremonies like the one that didn’t work for me. For $11,000, San Francisco-area startup professionals can travel to the Amazon with Entrepreneurs Awakening for the real deal—but they don’t have to go to all that effort. In San Francisco, self-help guru Tim Ferriss told the New Yorker in 2016, drinking ayahuasca is “like having a cup of coffee.”

sometimes near-death experiences / Potential Treatment for: Depression, suicidal thoughts

LSD Synthetic psychedelic made from lysergic acid in the fungus that grows on rye /

Psilocybin Entheogenic (meaning “to generate god

colors (synesthesia), deep interconnected-

within”) found in more than 75 mushroom

ness / Potential Treatment for: PTSD,

species / Effects: Disturbs normal nerve cell

alcoholism, anxiety, depression

interaction and serotonin functioning,

MDMA Also known as Ecstasy, Molly. Enactogen developed by German scientists during World War I with molecular and pharmaceutical properties similar to amphetamine and mescaline / Effects: Soaks the brain with neurotransmitters serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine and the hormone prolactin to invoke what psychologist Ralph Metzner described as “a natural state of innocence, before guilt, shame, and unworthiness arose” /

Ketamine

Peyote

Induces deep relaxation, out-of-body and

42 AUGUST 2018 Boston

able to foresee and to predict things” / Potential Treatment for: Alcoholism and addiction

perception, ability to “see” sounds and “hear”

Potential Treatment for: Couples therapy, PTSD

and used during the Vietnam War / Effects:

top, or button, “causes those devouring it to be

Effects: Produces visuals, intensified sensory

Treatment for: Alcoholism and addiction

A disassociative anesthetic discovered in 1961

synthesized / Effects: Seventeenth-century ethnobotanists reported that eating the plant’s

Vision-inducing woolly cactus used by indigenous people containing mescaline, a psychedelic phenethylamine that can also be

creating heightened sensory experiences, perceptual distortions, hallucinations, and synesthesia (melding of senses) / Potential

Treatment for: Depression, end-of-life anxiety, trauma, addiction, couples therapy

LSD, Past Lives, and Outer Space Psychedelics affect the brain by binding to the same receptors as the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin and facilitating communication between disparate regions that normally don’t talk to each other. Kenneth Tupper, director of implementation and partnerships at the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, told NBC News that under carefully controlled conditions, psychedelics “can create experiences of wonder and awe and a connection to a ‘divine realm’ that leads to significant behavioral changes.”

At a recent international conference on the science of psychedelics in London, psychiatrist Ben Sessa explained that psychedelic therapy “offers an opportunity to dig down and get to the heart of the problems that drive long-term mental illness in a much more effective way than our current model,

That anti-authority effect is, of course, the reason psychedelics—which encouraged an entire generation to drop out and make love when the government desperately needed them to join up and make war—are illegal. In the 1950s, LSD was sold under the name Delvsid and used in conjunction with psychotherapy to treat anxiety and obsessive neuroses. A good number of researchers and therapists were studying the effects of drugs like LSD, which Canadian psychiatrist Humphrey Osmond called “psychedelics” from the Greek word for “mind manifesting.” Hollywood stars including Esther Williams and Cary Grant were outspoken about its effectiveness, Anais Nin wrote about experimenting with it, Alcoholics Anonymous founder Bill Wilson tried it as a means to sobriety, and the CIA slipped it to unsuspecting victims to see how they would respond.

which is take daily medications to mask systems.”

At the Johns Hopkins University’s Psilocybin Research Project, studies found that people had a more “open” personality, greater appreciation for new experiences, and enhanced

“OPEN” PERSONALITY,

curiosity and imagination­—effects that persisted for at least 14

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months—after a single psilocybin session. And earlier this

NEW EXPERIENCES, AND

year, a study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacolo-

gy found that people feel more connected to nature and less supportive of authoritarian views after a psychedelic trip.

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A Threat to Police States Timothy Leary, the ex-Harvard professor who told people to “turn on, tune in, and drop out,” probably did more than anyone else to antagonize the government into making psychedelics illegal. President Richard Nixon called Leary “the most dangerous man in America” for his proselytizing about LSD. Leary told Playboy in 1966 that it was “the most powerful aphrodisiac ever discovered by man,” kicking up those age-old fears about young people’s virtue and predicted it would “enable each person to realize that he is not a game-playing robot put on this planet to be given a Social Security number and to be spun on the assembly line of school, college, career, insurance, funeral, goodbye. … Instead of relying on canned, static, dead knowledge passed on from other symbol producers, he will be using his span of 80 or so years on this planet to live out every possibility of the human, prehuman, and even subhuman adventure.”

Or, as Hunter S. Thompson would explain in Playboy eight years later, “If acid helps people see through conditioned hallucinations, then acid’s a threat to such police states as now exist in America and in Russia.”

All too much for the U.S. government. In 1968, a year after the Summer of Love, LSD possession was banned.

44 AUGUST 2018 Boston

Two years later, nearly every psychedelic known, including LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, peyote, and cannabis, was declared a Schedule 1 drug with no medical value. The message–drugs are bad–would be impossible to ignore for the next several decades.

That message is antiquated. As we wrestle with so many seemingly intractable issues—opioid abuse, mental illness, mass shootings and violence, PTSD, and skyrocketing suicide rates—we can no longer afford to ignore tools that psychiatrist Stanislav Grof wrote, in the foreword to Albert Hoffman’s 2005 book, LSD: My Problem Child, “make it possible to study undercurrents that govern our experiences and behaviors to a depth that is not by any other method and tool available in modern mainstream psychiatry.”

Perhaps Amanda Fielding, founder of the think tank Beckley Foundation, summed it up best in a recent

Wired interview. “There are these incredible compounds that synergize amazingly well with the human body and can be used to have incredibly positive results,” Fielding said. “And what do we do? We criminalize it. I mean, they are more carefully controlled than nuclear weapons. It is mad.”

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ADVISORY BOARD

AS THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY GROWS, SO DO THE NUMBER OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERTS WITHIN IT. THESE PEOPLE ARE INCREDIBLE SOURCES OF NICHE, INSIDER INFO ABOUT THE TRENDS AND ISSUES DRIVING THIS THRIVING MARKETPLACE FORWARD. THE SENSI ADVISORY BOARD IS COMPRISED OF A SELECT GROUP OF CANNABIS INDUSTRY LEADERS IN A VARIETY OF FIELDS, FROM COMPLIANCE AND EDUCATION TO CONCENTRATES AND CULTIVATION. EACH ISSUE, THEY ARE INVITED TO SHARE SOME OF THEIR SPECIALIZED INSIGHT AND PERSPECTIVE IN THIS DEDICATED SECTION. THIS MONTH, WE HEAR FROM ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS IN THE SUSTAINABILITY CATEGORY. F O R A F U L L L I S T O F A DV I S O RY B OA R D ME MB E R S , T U R N T O T HE M A S T HE A D O N PAG E 7.

EDIBLE SURVIVAL GUIDE

TAKEOFF: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Edibles can be a great way to medicate, unwind, or just enjoy a night. But as with anything else, everyone’s body processes edibles in different ways and often at different

What to do when you’ve had too much

rates. It can be unnerving for those new to cannabis, or

by SANDY BERNIER, IRIE BLISS WELLNESS

cant way, if and when that first cannonball into the scar-

even old pros who’ve just never lost control in a signifiies comes on and you’re not buckled in or experienced

If you’re new to the edibles scene or still in the early days of understanding dosing and how your body responds to ingesting cannabis, consider this a handy reference for the first time you’ve gone fast and furious into eating weed in its various forms and delivery models, and need something to reel you back, or simply remember our top tips on how to ride the wave.

enough to know some go-to tips for sorting yourself out.

So say that brownie or delicious sour gummy or frisbee-sized cookie you just consumed with great aplomb and excitement begins, for various reasons, to hit you a little too hard. If you require the full extreme reassurance—and many do, especially on their first run or irresponsible dosing—remember that no one in recorded history has ever died from an overdose of cannabis edibles. And when we say overdose, we mean it in the truest medical sense—too much of a “dose” (not the way many movies use it to equate with instant death, as if you’ve had too much coffee in the morning and get the caffeine shakes, that’s an overdose all the same). So you got that going for you. You are not going to die. Take a breath. It’s all good.

YOUR OP TIONS AWAIT: TAKE SOME CBD If you’re not familiar with CBD, think of it like Narcan for THC overdose. Have some around. If not, ask if someone has some (you’d be surprised how prevalent it already is). It calms the central nervous system and can lesson the psychoactive high of THC loaded edibles. If you want fast relief and have access, vaping CBD oils or taking tincture (isolate and full-spectrum alike) under the tongue are the fastest delivery methods. Taken every day, it will build up in your system and aid in producing more balanced highs, in addition to the many other health benefits of the compound.

46 AUGUST 2018 Boston

NO CBD? NO SWEAT: GE T MOVING Get close to the ground if It makes you feel safer, even lay down on your back. Stretch. If you’re not too far down the river and fairly steady on your feet, get your blood and heart pumping, go for a walk in nature, run, make love (always the preferred option), anything to activate and release pent up energy. Remember to breathe. When we get our blood pumping, we release cannabinoids like Anandamide (AEA)—or as some call it “The Bliss Molecule”— from the root Ananda (Sanskrit for “bliss”). The body experiences “the runner’s high” as your heart rate increases, metabolism is activated, and so on. All these happy molecules, endorphins, serotonin, and oxygen working together will snap you out of it pretty fast.

S B ONUIP : T t

ge Don’t is into th ion in situat irst the f . place

our e out y ”: r u g i F How? sweet spot “ s. r o do s e dosing

all mic ith sm w t r a t • S ated. y hydr • Sta recom . the MA size of 5mg o t k ic g • St ded servin utes to me n 90 min ou feel t s a le er y it at • Wa rmine wheth d e te ec t s . t he e f f

JUST BUCKLE UP: THE SHOW BEGINS Sit back, relax if you can, and be mindful of the experience. Recalling once more that no one has ever died of a cannabis overdose is the broadest blanket to take refuge under, but once you are apt at controlling your mind and perspective, take simple actions to stay grounded.

Put on your favorite album. Pick up the guitar. Dance.

Get out of your head. Once it’s not all about the unfamiliar sensation, it’s the small things that can really make the experience. Again, you’re in control here. Harness that feeling, whatever it may be, and let it go.

LISTEN TO WHAT YOUR BODY WANT S If you are thirsty, drink water. If you are hungry, eat, but try to eat well. If you are tired, rest. Cannabis will often reveal exactly what our bodies are craving, their cries made audible by the quieting of the mind and/or physical clarity cannabis usage often provides. And in the end, remember it’s just a waiting game. In time, it will wear off. You’ll be fine. sensimag.com AUGUST 2018 47

the

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BIG NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT GROUP

SCENE

THE VIP T R E A T M E N T

Your pals at Sensi were invited out with a host of other local media and lifestyle professionals to get professionally lit at the sparkling new opulent Vegas-esque house of liking the nightlife baby, The Grand. Bottle service, stunning visual animations backing the DJ-led party, and a Monday night out unlike any in recent memory. If you’re not going to be in pajamas after 10 p.m. on a school night, you may as well go big. And go here.

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48 AUGUST 2018 Boston

What: The Grand Nightclub VIP Showcase Experience Where: Seaport When: June 25, 2018

sensimag.com AUGUST 2018 49

{HereWeGo}

by D A N M c C A R T H Y

Bee’s Vitamins A casual Q&A with happy hemp hawker Raj Chabria.

In late June, the US Senate passed sweeping big agriculture and food policy legislation known as the Farm Bill —which contains language and provisions to fully legalize the cultivation, processing, and sale of industrial hemp— by an overwhelming majority of 86-11. So it seemed only right to spotlight a local shop that’s ahead of the hemp curve in the Commonwealth.

So this month, we’re featuring the five-year-old Char So Bees, nestled between the luxe towers and sprawling views of the Common, next door to the AMC theaters. It’s owned by 25-year-old Weymouth native Rajeev Chabria, who is often entertaining the newbie litany of questions (“Is it legal?” “Will I get high from it, because I don’t want that.”) and wowing casual walk-ins with his display of professionally packaged, all-organic, and pesticide/chemical-free hemp and legal CBD products. Support your local independent shops, people.

What’s the meaning of the shop name?

I wanted to step away from the typical name my competitors use (ie: “Smoke Shop”). I want people to remember lates to the number 420, so it stands out from the rest.

How did you get connected with your hemp supplier? Why did you choose them over the myriad of national options?

My cousin owns smoke shops in New Jersey, and he introduced me to USA Hemp out of Oregon. That company has been around the longest and has extensive paperwork, lab testing, and information with all their products, which I show customers when they are interested.

What’s the most common misconception or misinformation customers have about CBD? Most customers assume they will get high off CBD. The issue I see most is when stores that sell CBD products 50 AUGUST 2018 Boston

have no knowledge about what they are selling, so customers get bad information and a bad experience.

How do you walk people through the basics when they come in interested but uninformed?

I start by telling them CBD will not get them high, which draws them in. I say that statistics show within the last two years the average stress level for Americans has increased.

Then I walk them through the pros of CBD and explain the different forms they can try—tinctures, edibles, topicals, oils, and so on. This allows me to see if they prefer smoking or ingesting, and to help them choose properly.

Char So Bees / 170 Tremont St. / Boston, MA 02111

PRODUCT PHOTO COURTESY OF USA HEMP

the name and ask me what it means. “Char So Bees” trans-