WINTER 2019
Inside
Belushi’s
private vault
STRAIGHT DOPE COOKING WITH CANNABIS PUBLIC CONSUMPTION 4TH ANNUAL DOPE CUP MADRONE CANNABIS CLUB
MF-00099168
FEATURES Volume 2, Issue 1
PUBLISHER
Steven Saslow
EDITOR
David Smigelski dsmigelski@rosebudmedia.com
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Jamie Lusch, Andy Atkinson, Denise Baratta
GRAPHIC DESIGN Brian Fitz-Gerald
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Rick Cipes, John Darling, Liz Gold, Annette McGee Rasch, Rhonda Nowak, Damian Mann, Jefferson Reeder
ADVERTISING
Athena Fliegel, Specialty Publications & Events Manager 541-776-4385
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES
For subscription services, call 541-776-4455. Southern Oregon Good Herb is published bi-monthly by Rosebud Media, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501. Phone: 541-776-4411. Copyright 2018 by Rosebud Media. All rights reserved. Reprinting in whole or in part is expressly forbidden without written permission from the publisher. Rosebud Media LLC assumes no responsibility for any claims or representations in this magazine or in any advertisement. All materials contained within are for educational purposes only and intended for legal marijuana operations where allowed by state law. Rosebud Media does not encourage the illegal use of any of the products contained within.
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STRAIGHT DOPE 420 Ad-Libs
COOKING WITH CANNABIS Small-batch Peanut Butter Cookies
INSIDE BELUSHI’S PRIVATE VAULT A movie star’s private stash
LOCAL GROWERS SCORE AT DOPE CUP 4th annual Dope Cup competition in Portland
MADRONE CANNABIS CLUB Modern-day pioneers
SISKIYOU SUNGROWN Whole plant medicine
MA’AT BOTANICALS Celebrating powerful women and cannabis
PUBLIC CONSUMPTION Push for legalizing cannabis consumption QUICK TOKES Cannabis briefs
PLAIN JANE Cannabis innovation
BIOCHAR Good for cannabis and the climate
DECEMBER - JANUARY 2019
Inside
Belushi’s
private vault
ON THE COVER: Photo by Jamie Lusch
WINTER 2019 | SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB
STRAIGHT DOPE COOKING WITH CANNABIS PUBLIC CONSUMPTION 4TH ANNUAL DOPE CUP MADRONE CANNABIS CLUB
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Straight Dope
420 Ad-Libs BY RICK CIPES
I know what you’re saying: “420 Ad-Libs? It’s about friggin’ time!” So, sharpen your NO. 2 pencils, grab your nearest toker buddy, and come out swinging, er, imagining that you are a part of …
The Legend of 420
There are all kinds of (adjective) misconceptions about how the term 420 came about. The (adjective-est) one is that it is (adjective) police code for marijuana (verbing). Another one is that it’s the date Bob Marley (verb - past tense), or the date Hitler was born. It was, but like that’s a (adjective) reason to name the term. The real story is allegedly about a group of (adjective) (plural noun) from Marin County back in the ’70s who called themselves the
Waldos because they liked (verb-ing) out in front of a wall. (adjective), right? These (plural nouns) started (verbing) the term because they couldn’t get (adjective)during regular school (plural noun). Thus, the term came to mean all kinds of (420-related noun) related things, including which time of day they’d meet to (verb) high. Wouldn’t it be (adjective) if all the governments in the (noun) would declare April 20 a national (noun)? I, for one, would definitely get (adjective) for that!
Alice In Weedland Once upon a time, (verb-ing) on a riverbank getting (adjective), a young girl named Alice spied a White Rabbit who was constantly looking at his (noun) and was in a rush to get down his (noun). When Alice follows him down the (noun) hole, she finds herself in a/an (adjective) world populated by a hookah (verb-ing) caterpillar, a/ an (adjective) toking Duchess, a high Cheshire (animal), and a/an (adjective) Hatter. In short, it’s a dream that resembles someone’s (acronym) trip
laced with a side of (420 strain). In the end Alice, who would be played by (female celebrity) , in the (crap TV network) version, defeats the (adjective) Queen and her army of playing (plural noun), before waking up next to her (420 equipment) on the riverbank, where she (past tense verb), saying “there’s no place like (fast food restaurant), there’s no place like (fast food restaurant), there’s no place like (fav dispensary) .
Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die Like it says in Willie Nelson’s song, I would like to be rolled up and toked when I die. Here’s exactly what you should do. Upon my death, get the (adjective-est) cremation you can find. Don’t pay a (adjective) amount of money for some (adjective) container. Just bring the undertaker a Ziploc and (verb) my ashes out the (adjective) door. Once safely outside and away from the funeral home, proceed to the nearest (place) and get down to business. My recommendation is to mix me with a (adjective) (420
strain), that way, you won’t have to taste the remains of my (adjective) body. Did I forget the part where you should invite some (plural noun) to my smoke-out? Make sure they’re not members of the (a bad organization), and they can take a good (noun). Because what is the point of (profanity) when it’s all over? Zero! You may save a few ashes to help fertilize next year’s (noun). Over, out and (exclamation), I’m dead now. Hope you get a (adjective) high.
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SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB | WINTER 2019
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Rick Cipes has written for over 40 publications including L.A. Times, Playboy and ESPN Magazine. He’d like to suggest visiting his 420 T-Shirt Collection at 420tsc.com.
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Cooking with Cannabis
GRANDMA’S
SMALL-BATCH PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES BY LAURIE WOLF, MARY THIGPEN OF LAURIE + MARYJANE / PHOTOS BY BRUCE WOLF
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SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB | WINTER 2019
Those nights
(or days) when you are craving peanut butter, I mean really craving peanut butter, nothing beats these chewy peanut butter cookies. The small batch size here is a blessing and a curse!
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Total time: 20 minutes Servings: 15 cookies
Ingredients: 1 cup peanut butter 4 tablespoons canna butter (see recipe below), softened ½ cup white sugar ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup flour 1 egg pinch of salt
Instructions: Heat oven to 340 degrees. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Stir until smooth. Divide the dough into 15 balls and press them down on a baking sheet covered with parchment. Bake until set and the edges have the slightest bit of color, about 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Cookies will get firm during the cooling process. Enjoy.
Laurie’s Famous Canna Butter
Ingredients: 7 grams cannabis, decarbed 1 pound unsalted butter
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 3 hours Total time: 3 hours and 10 minutes Servings: 90
Instructions: In a medium saucepan, bring a quart of water to a boil on the stove. You can vary the amounts, just be sure the marijuana is always floating about 1-1/2 to 2 inches from the bottom of the pan. When the water is boiling, place the butter in the pan and allow it to melt completely. After the butter has melted, add the marijuana. Once the weed is added, the heat should be turned down very low, to barely a simmer. Let the weed cook for about three hours. You can tell it’s done when the top of the mix turns from really watery to glossy and thick. While the canna butter is cooking, set up a bowl to hold the finished product. Use a heatproof bowl or a plastic food container. Place a double layer of cheesecloth over the top and secure it with elastic, string or tape. Strain the marijuana butter through the cheesecloth, carefully trying not to spill. When the saucepan is empty, undo the twine, pick up the cheesecloth from all four sides and squeeze out all of the remaining butter.
For more cannabis recipes, see laurieandmaryjane.com.
WINTER 2019 | SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB
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Grower Profile
INSIDE
BELUSHI’S PRIVATE VAULT BY DAMIAN MANN / PHOTOS BY TYLER MADDOX
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SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB | WINTER 2019
LEFT: James Belushi and his staff on Belushi’s Farm. RIGHT: James Belushi and his product.
If you ever
wanted to taste pot from a movie star’s private stash, now’s your chance. Famous actor, singer and community supporter Jim Belush grows his own bud on his 93-acre spread along the Rogue River near Eagle Point and sells under the label “Belushi’s Private Vault.” Belushi describes a spiritual connection to the marijuana on his 22,000-square-foot, state-licensed grow, bathed in Southern Oregon’s sunshine. “I feel like that bee that is brought in and held until I get everything about it,” Belushi said. “It has come really deep into my heart, my body and my spiritual nature. It’s brought me to the medicine. It’s brought me full circle to my brother John.” “John” is, of course, John Belushi, who died in 1982 after a battle with drugs and was known for his outrageous comedic abilities. When Belushi talks about Oregon’s favorite
WINTER 2019 | SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB
weed, he reflects on his family, the fun times at “Saturday Night Live” and, yeah, his rocking 2018 harvest party. He’s even got “Captain Jack” Murtha on board cultivating from seed the same strain of “Afghanica” that he provided to help inspire the cast and writers of “Saturday Night Live” — dubbed “the smell of SNL.” Captain Jack, as he likes to be called, went to Afghanistan in the 1970s to bring back the special seeds that produce a strain enjoyed by Belushi. “Where do you think Coneheads came from? That weed,” said the 64-year-old Belushi. The Coneheads depicted an alien family with cones for heads that was a popular skit on “SNL” in the 1970s. Belushi started his cannabis enterprise three years ago with a 48-plant medical marijuana grow that has expanded with the greenhouses, equipment
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“
If we knew back in the ‘70s what we know today, more people would be alive, including my brother.
and manpower needed to compete in an ever-changing cannabis industry. He recently changed the brand label from Rogue’s Lair to Belushi’s Private Vault. He has painstakingly restored old barns and outbuildings on his property, and built a dramatic timber-framed house with views of the Rogue River. Besides a wide-ranging entertainment career, Belushi has lent his name to restoring historical buildings in the valley, including Butte Creek Mill in Eagle Point and Holly Theatre in Medford. With his ever-present stogie dangling from his mouth, Belushi jokes that his day job pays for this latest venture. Belushi and other local cannabis growers have invested heavily in this new, fast-growing industry, and they’ve watched with concern a market glutted with product and plummeting prices. “It’s worrying everyone,” Belushi said. But the worrying went out the window for his harvest party in October. “We had 500 guests, and 490 of them were smoking,” he said with a grin. Belushi’s Private Vault is being sold at several dispensaries in Southern Oregon, and the label will feature his 1,200 pounds of premium quality flower, including Captain Jack’s Gulzar Afghanica and Belushi’s favorite, Cherry Pie, which he said makes him a better husband. “It’s the marriage counselor,” he joked. In early November, his weed was available in Medford at both Pharm To Table outlets and at Weedbucks. Strains grown on Belushi Farms include Black Diamond OG, Blue Dragon, Crippler, Snowman Cookies, Chocolate Hashberry, Jeffrey Iverson’s award winning Nilla Wafers, BubbleMint, Purple Lights, Purple Pineapple Afghani, Lemon Chiffon Cake, Lemon GpG Kush, Grapefruit Kush, Limoncello, Pre-98 Bubba Kush and Afwreck. Captain Jack said he collected the seeds from Afghanistan and brought them back to the States for cultivation. While many growers prefer to clone plants, Captain Jack grows from seed, producing a rare strain in the “phylos galaxy.”
continued on page 12
TOP: Alex Bilzarian inspects the latest crop. MIDDLE: Ben Bilzarian breathes in the product. BOTTOM: Ryan Wilson transports the new harvest.
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SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB | WINTER 2019
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DECEMBER - JANUARY 2019 | SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB
Oregonbuildings.com
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LEFT: Chris Karakosta prunes a recent harvest. ABOVE: James Belushi inspects his crop.
continued from page 10
“Most other people have gone in a different direction and hybridized,” he said. Captain Jack describes his plant as having a very wide leaf, joking that it resembles cabbage leaves. “I defy most people on this planet to tell me it’s a pot plant,” he said. When Belushi talks about marijuana, he often mentions his brother John. “I wish we’d known then about marijuana being a medicine,” Belushi said. He remembers his older brother practicing for his role as Samurai, trying to get the character just right while swinging a sword. “He would literally exercise his eyebrows in front of a mirror,” he said. Belushi thinks a lot about his mother and
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father, both of Albanian descent, who raised him in Chicago. “It’s funny, the older I get the more I miss them,” he said. “I miss my dad more than anything, especially being out on the farm. He would have liked riding horses. He had a little ranch up in Julian, California.” Belushi has a lot of different views about the benefits of marijuana as medicine and his own personal relationship with it. He likens his affinity to cannabis to the way flowers attract bees, and some flowers will actually enclose their petals around the bee to help it extract as much pollen as possible. He said cannabis would be a better alternative than opioids for those getting over trauma, particularly for veterans who suffer from the psychic scars of war.
SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB | WINTER 2019
James Belushi checks the dry rack wall.
He said whether it’s war or a person’s own conflicts, people are always looking for some kind of medicine. The number one fear in life, Belushi said, is the fear of death, and the number two fear is the collapse of the family. “I come from a collapsed family, emotionally,” he said. He said a lot of people in his generation have experienced collapsed families, and they end up reaching for their own medicine. “And it was marijuana,” he said. “But they didn’t identify it as marijuana. It was just getting high.” In some cases, such as with his brother, it was a gateway drug that led to other drugs, he said. But many of the issues his brother had were related to brain issues from his high school football days, evidenced by the seizures he’d have from time to time, Belushi said. “If we knew back in the ‘70s what we know today, more people would be alive, including my brother,” he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or dmann@rosebudmedia.com. Follow him @reporterdm.
WINTER 2019 | SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB
Where to find Belushi’s Private Vault Pharm to Table, Medford Weedbucks, Medford Papa’s Dispensary, Cave Junction FX 420, Roseburg Herbal Choices, Charleston, Coos Bay, Bandon West Coast Organics, Brookings Redbarn Dispensary, Myrtle Creek
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Dope Cup
local growers score at
DOPE 14
cup
SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB | WINTER 2019
Southern Oregon makes its mark at the 4th annual Dope Cup competition in Portland BY LIZ GOLD / PHOTOS COURTESY OF DOPE MEDIA
It was
a post-apocalyptic Halloween party for cannabis lovers of all kinds at the 4th annual Dope Cup Awards Oct. 29 in Portland. Held at Staver Locomotive, the event brought together cannabis brands around the state competing in more than 30 categories ranging from Best Distillate and Best Terpene Profile to Best Topical and Best CBD Edible. It’s a party where bongs hang suspended from gas masks, kombucha is poured from taps and given away for free (because alcohol isn’t permitted); joints and blunts are passed around generously; and cannabis companies get to mingle with their customers, rub elbows with each other and get recognized in the industry for their hard work. This year, Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah was on hand to get the crowd going — even pulling up a random guy near the front of the stage to rap freestyle. Audience engagement was at an all-time high and the awards came next, as people moved toward the stage to listen to Colby Hayden, the MC of the night and event coordinator for Dope Magazine, announce the winners.
The Dope Cup is a competition, and the judging process is technical — incorporating an innovative Trichome Assurance Grade (TAG) grading process by Trichome Institute. “None of us are from here,” said Brandon Allen, director of research and development, of his fellow judges. “We are not looking at who is submitting products, what we are looking for is the quality.” Allen said the judges received more than 300 submissions to the contest, and only two were marked not consumable. The awards honor two places for each category — runner up and winner. “The products here are unreal,” Allen said to the cheering crowd. “Thank you so much for making the most amazing cannabis we’ve ever seen.” He then proceeded to pass out joints from some of the flower that was submitted for the Dope Cup. Shady Cove’s Phantom Farms received the runner up award in two categories — Best CBD Flower, “Mighty Quinn” and Most Potent THC Flower, “Ice Cream Cake.” The farm had a booth at the event, encouraging passersby
continued on page 18 The 4th annual Dope Cup was held at Staver Locomotive in Portland.
WINTER 2019 | SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB
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SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB | WINTER 2019
“
It was a blast. I’ve never been to anything like that before. All of the other cups I’ve attended, you couldn’t smoke. It was really cool that it was a private event.
— Dave Edwards, owner and operator of High Meadows Farm
Dope Cup attendees weren’t bashful about posing for photos at the event.
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Wu-Tang C
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continued from page 15 to participate in playing an oversized game of Jenga. “It was a lot of fun,” said Joey Pasternak, who does metric compliance and inventory management for the farm. “It just confirms all the hard work that the whole team puts in. It’s a huge team effort, and it’s great to just hang out and celebrate.” Benson Elvis, a Jacksonville farm that has been licensed for two seasons, competed for the first time this year. It took home the winning and runner-up prize for Best Sungrown Hybrid Flower with “Animism #6” and “Josh D. OG,” respectively. The farm also won first place for the Best Sungrown Indica Dominant Flower category with its “South Fork Kush #56.” In addition, its collaboration with Echo Electuary won a runner up in the THC Wax/Budder category, and its pre-roll with Decibel Farms won
runner up in the Best Infused Pre-Roll category. Rogue Farmer nabbed the runner-up position for “Purple Punch” in the Best Sungrown Indica Dominant Flower category. Alter Farms snagged the runner-up award for “Texas Butter” in the Best Sungrown Sativa Dominant Flower category. “I didn’t get to go because I’m in the middle of harvest,” admitted Jodi Haines, owner of Alter Farms, located outside of Grants Pass. “As an outdoor grower, I wish they would hold it later in the year, it’s hard to go in October, we are all so deep in harvest.” That said, she was happy about the win. “I know it’s the cup to win,” she said, adding she usually competes in the Cultivation Classic, but decided this year to try a more mainstream competition. “The
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Illustration: Paul Bunch Source: Oregon Liquor Control Commission Locations: 47 as of 12/08/18
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continued from page 18 Dope Cup is really respected, so I’m very excited.” Jim Belushi, who owns a 22,000-square-foot cannabis grow on his sprawling property near Eagle Point, was called up to the stage during the final few awards, treating the crowd to some famous Belushi harmonica before announcing the winners. Belushi’s Farm entered the contest in the three best sungrown categories. Though his farm didn’t take home an award that night, he was in good spirits. “Everybody knows Oregon has the greatest cannabis in the country,” he said after the event. “To be in the Dope Cup was an honor because of the legends that competed. This was Belushi’s second Dope Cup — an event he describes as fun and fully engaging. “Everybody was extremely knowledgeable. Everybody approaches each other with kindness. You really do feel like we are a community, helping each other.” Dave Edwards, the owner and operator of High Meadows Farm, a 40-acre medical grow in Sams Valley, and co-partner of TH3 Farms, a new recreational grow that recently obtained licensing for indoor and outdoor cultivation, was there to cheer
Rogue Farmer nabbed the runner-up position for “Purple Punch” in the Best Sungrown Indica Dominant Flower category.
on his friends who were in the competition. It was his first Dope Cup, and he traveled up to Portland for the night to attend. “It was a blast,” he said. “I’ve never been to anything like that before. All of the other cups I’ve attended, you couldn’t smoke. It was really cool that it was a private event.” Follow Liz Gold on Twitter/Instagram @lizstacygold or read her blog at www.14karatliving.com.
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Dispensary Profile
madrone
CANNABIS CLUB Modern-day pioneers BY JOHN DARLING / PHOTOS BY ANDY ATKINSON
Lillian Whitnell shows her favorite choice of flower, Bruce Manner, sold at Madrone Cannabis Club in Ashland.
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SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB | WINTER 2019
Madrone Cannabis Club is near the airport in Ashland.
People who are
starting cannabis farms and opening dispensaries now, in the early years of legal recreational cannabis, are actually pioneers whose stories will likely go down in Oregon history along with the brave wagon train trailblazers and early loggers, fruit growers and vintners. If you ask them, they’ll probably be glad to fill your ear with stories about cruel jail sentences and painful physical problems that were endured before society said, hey, this stuff ain’t hurtin’ anyone and might help. Not untypical are Lillian and Alex Whitnell, a married couple of 20-somethings who pioneered west from Illinois to create Madrone Cannabis Club, a seed-to-sale dispensary near the Ashland airport with an all-outdoor grow in the Applegate near Murphy. What makes the story captivating is that in her mid-teens she was a horsewoman, which she loved, but unfortunately she got a bad back injury, with lots of pain, despite muscle relaxants, hydrocodone and other things that aren’t exactly good for you and didn’t make the pain stop. Then came cannabis, in topical form.
“It was the first time I was pain-free since the injury. It was wonderful.” After a tour in the military, her husband, Alex, couldn’t find relief from PTSD — and the usual pharma meds didn’t do the trick. “He couldn’t sleep. He was wound up so tight.” Again, cannabis worked. “He likes the prerolls, old-school style,” she says. After a stop in Boulder they opened for business three years ago in Southern Oregon. There are six partners, three of them in the shop, with up to 20 employees at peak times. They’re all big believers in natural, outdoor product, because it’s good for the environment and more energy efficient, she says. Business is good, in large part because “the whole new market of recreational is much in demand for recently retired baby boomers, to take care of their aches and pains,” she notes. It’s a huge new industry, and there’s lots of education for both sellers and buyers, she says. One advance is that buyers no longer cling to the idea that CBD is for medicinal uses and THC for recreational purposes. “For a long time, people focused on CBD, but
continued on page 26
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Lillian Whitnell shows a popular way for customers to use extract sold at Madrone Cannabis Club in Ashland.
both help pain management and quality of life.” Another evolutionary step is the rising popularity of extracts and edibles, of which they have a huge variety, as “the majority of people are health conscious and feel smoke hurts their lungs. Pens are super popular.” Eating pot has lost its risky edge, she adds, because strength and dosage are now tightly regulated and brought in uniform packaging where you can discern easy-to-handle 5 mg doses. A good rule, she says, is “start low and go slow,” and wait two hours before you decide whether an edible has done its job. “Education is a huge part of what all of us are doing now. We want everyone to have positive experiences.” Like just about everyone in the new recreational business, the Whitnells want to create a good reputation, be good neighbors, help the economy and contribute to charitable community causes, including volunteering for dog-wash days at the
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Humane Society. They also “give back” via Freedom Grow, whose motto is “Helping People in Prison for Non-Violent Cannabis Crimes.” One Oregon man they are helping recently got eight years for having “his medicine” with him in Mississippi. “We recognize that what we do here is a privilege.” The shop’s location, near big hotels and the freeway, ensure good traffic — and it’s on an out-ofthe-way cul-de-sac on the fringe of town, which is a boon for respectable professionals who are regular customers but aren’t too crazy about pulling up and getting out of their car and walking in a pot shop on the main drag, she says. “We try to position ourselves as comfortable, clean, professional. We put the customer at ease, as this can be an intimidating situation to some people because of years of drug propaganda. We make eye contact, smile and will help you through it.” John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at jdarling@jeffnet.org.
SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB | WINTER 2019
DECEMBER - JANUARY 2019 | SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB
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Organic CBD
SISKIYOU SUNGROWN OPENED A RETAIL STORE THIS FALL IN GRANTS PASS
whole plant
MEDICINE BY ANNETTE MCGEE RASCH
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SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB | WINTER 2019
Indigo Vance, (back), and Nik Brown harvest stalks of THC-rich “Melt Down” at Siskiyou Sungrown Farm. PHOTO BY DENISE BARATTA
It’s a wholesome,
logical and uncomplicated idea that works: Siskiyou Sungrown utilizes the entire cannabis plant — grown organically and outdoors — to produce award-winning CBD hemp products that provide effective relief from a broad range of medical conditions. “We believe that traditional farming techniques, especially when practiced in the rich native soil and brilliant sunshine of the Williams Valley, produces the best, healthiest plants,” said Siskiyou Sungrown CEO Cedar Grey. “We don’t want to mess with nature’s proven processes.” Founded in 2014, Siskiyou Sungrown has emerged as a standard bearer in the medicinal cannabis industry. Its 10acre operation is a model of innovation and efficiency. “By adhering to principles of sustainability, we consume fewer resources and have a lower carbon footprint,” Grey said. “And by using all of our best practices, we extract the purest, most potent, CBD-rich hemp oil that we then transform into great new delivery systems.” Grey, an engineer, leads a team of committed professionals with degrees and expertise in biochemistry, soil science, engineering, health sciences, geology, entomology and permaculture. More than 30 employees and contractors work together to create and distribute Siskiyou Sungrown products.
Siskiyou Sungrown owners Cedar Grey and Madrone Grey examine one of their medical marijuana plants in Williams. AP PHOTO/JEFF BARNARD.
WINTER 2019 | SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB
“Our whole thing is to produce healthy and effective medicine, and we think it’s really important to utilize science-based methods,” Grey said. “So we do it all, from developing the genetics, to growing the plants, harvesting, and then producing the products.” Most hemp products are not derived from organically grown plants, and most agricultural pest management is accomplished through the use of “poisons.” “It’s crucial for our entomologist to identify pest populations in the field — and we deal with that in a healthy way,” Grey explained. “For example, we add other plants to our hedgerows, like mullein, that are specially chosen to provide predator habitat for other creatures that will help keep the pest species in check.” A pioneer in the cannabis industry, Grey was appointed as the only grower and product producer on Gov. Kate Brown’s newly formed eight-member Cannabis Commission. He also serves on the state’s primary OLCC Recreational Marijuana Rules Advisory Committee, the Josephine County Cannabis Advisory Panel and is a founder and past president of Oregon Sungrown Growers’ Guild. “Hopefully within a few years Oregon insurance might cover cannabis medicine,” he said. “That remains to be seen, but it’s something I’m strongly supporting. There are also
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Clean and colorful displays highlight Siskiyou Sungrown’s CBD products for sale at its Grants Pass store. PHOTO BY DENISE BARATTA
doctors on the state commission who support the integration of cannabis with current medical systems, including insurance and prescriptions.” Grey opened a retail store this fall in Grants Pass called Siskiyou Sungrown CBD Hemp Headquarters, at 1205 Rogue River Highway. Open Monday through Friday, from 9 to 5, the shop offers a clean and welcoming environment with lots of light, warm wooden floors and accents. Siskiyou Sungrown’s CBD hemp products are also available on the company’s website, SiskiyouSungrown.com. The company’s flagship products include three variations of cannabis medicines in three different forms: oil, tincture and softgel. They offer CBD-rich products; THC-rich products; and also 1:1 products, which are composed of equal parts CBD and THC. The CBD products contain less than 0.3 percent THC. These products sell for $40 (pre-tax) for a milliliter of oil, a fluid ounce of tincture, or for 20 softgels. “We mostly sell the straight oil — that’s most affordable,” Grey said. “Some people put it
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on their tongue, some put it on a cookie. An average dose might be 25 milligrams a day, for aches and pains, or for trouble sleeping.” He added that someone fighting serious illness — such as cancer — might consume substantially more. The company makes two types of tincture: alcohol-based and MCT-based, which also delivers classic full-spectrum CBD hemp oil. “Plus we sell two topicals: a CBD body oil and a skin balm that’s mixed with other oils and herbs. The only product at our store that we don’t make ourselves is a vape pen to vaporize our CBD distillate.” Siskiyiou Sungrown’s THC cannabis (and other products) can be purchased at medical dispensaries statewide, including several locations in Medford and Grants Pass. While recreational cannabis was legalized in Oregon in 2016, the Greys remained committed to their roots on the medicinal side of the industry. “We found ourselves focusing more and more on CBD for multiple reasons,” Grey said. “Until recently, there’s been more demand for CBD
SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB | WINTER 2019
Siskiyou Sungrown CBD skin balm. PHOTO BY DENISE BARATTA
than supply; but also, I’ve been breeding CBD plants for five years and have produced some great CBD genetics that I think rival anything out there.” This homegrown success story began when Grey, a sixth-generation Oregonian, and his wife and business partner, Madrone Grey, moved to Williams and became licensed to grow medicinal cannabis for patients about 20 years ago. As the pair raised their four children and honed their craft, Grey began to “dig deeper and research the growing body of science around the therapeutic potential of cannabis.” He learned about medicinal cannabis oil “at a time when I was struggling with PTSD symptoms and found the oil to be very effective in relieving my symptoms.” He learned he could make the oil with certified organic cane alcohol, “which meant we could produce a completely organic medicine, and that mattered to us. “One of our sons is epileptic and autistic, and the oil has lowered the frequency of his sei-
WINTER 2019 | SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB
zures,” Grey said. “And the oil does wonders for his other issues, including severe anxiety. He is a much happier person.” Grey has applied his background to many situations, explaining that “at its root, engineering is problem solving, and the methods I’ve learned I’ve applied to life in general, including many aspects of the farm and the production of our medicine.” You can reach Illinois Valley freelance writer Annette McGee Rasch at annetterasch@yahoo.com.
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Women and Cannabis
CELEBRATING
POWERFUL WOMEN AND CANNABIS BY RHONDA NOWAK / PHOTO S BY JAMIE LUSCH
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SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB | WINTER 2019
LEFT: Soaking salts from Ma’at Botanicals. ABOVE: Delia Gaia at her grow room in Ashland.
When Ashland
resident and businesswoman Delia Gaia was considering a name for her line of hemp-infused beauty products for women, she turned to a goddess — the ancient Egyptian goddess called Ma’at. It shouldn’t be surprising, because Delia had adopted another goddess’s name, Gaia, the Mother Earth goddess, as her business persona. The powerful female deity Ma’at represents cosmic order and the balance of nature and human societies. Often depicted with outstretched wings of divinity and an ostrich feather symbolizing truth on her head, Ma’at personifies a philosophy of how to coexist harmoniously in the universe. There are 42 ideals of Ma’at that serve as guidelines for human behavior. Here are several of the principles (to see all 42 Ideals of Ma’at, go to maatlaws.blogspot.com): ■ I honor virtue ■ I benefit without violence ■ I affirm that all life is sacred ■ I speak the truth ■ I relate in peace
WINTER 2019 | SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB
■ I care for the Earth ■ I hold purity in high esteem ■ I spread joy ■ I communicate with compassion ■ I follow my inner guidance ■ I give blessings ■ I achieve with integrity ■ I embrace the all. The Ma’at code of ethics guides Delia’s personal and professional life, so it was fitting that she named her business Ma’at Botanicals and adopted Ma’at’s wings and ostrich feather as the company logo. Delia started the business in 2016 and hopes that by December her online sales will be fully launched in 47 states. Ma’at Botanicals are available in selected dispensaries, at wellness events, on her website and through Etsy. The Ma’at Botanicals line includes body butter, a healing salve and skin ointment, three kinds of herbal teas and bath salts. All of the products are handmade with organic, locally sourced ingredients, and the products are laboratory tested for purity. The creams are made with full-spectrum hemp
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Body butter from Ma’at Botanicals.
extract, which means the oil contains all of the plant’s naturally occurring cannabinoids and essential vitamins and minerals. The teas are made with “activated” hemp flowers (CBD compounds are retained during processing), and the soaking salts blend hemp-infused coconut oil, Epsom and Himalayan salts, and lavender. Delia refers to Ma’at Botanicals as a lifestyle brand for women who are committed to, and have fun with, living out Ma’at principles on a daily basis. “Ma’at is a goddess with practical applications,” she said. Delia recently launched a page on her website called “Mary Ma’at: Invoke Your Inner Goddess,” which offers women a place for “sharing and lifting each other up.” “I’d like Ma’at to be someplace for women to get inspiration,” she said. Toward that goal, the page features women in leadership roles in the cannabis industry. Ma’at Botanicals not only celebrates strong women, it celebrates the power of cannabis.
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In fact, Delia pointed out the Egyptians were among the first to use the cannabis plant medicinally. By 2000 B.C.E., cannabis was recommended for a variety of ailments: sore eyes, cataracts, tumors, even sadness and ill temper. Delia’s fascination with cannabis developed as a teenager growing up on a 1,000-acre farm in Pennsylvania. After her granny showed her a handful of tomato seeds, Delia decided to grow a different kind of plant from seeds, and her relationship with cannabis and other herbs has been growing strong ever since. Inspired by her grandmother, Delia studied Western herbalism, which emphasizes European and Native American herbs for healing. In 2006, Delia and her husband, Lucas Olsen, began growing and packaging medical marijuana in California. Delia also worked as an ambassador for Willie’s Reserve, helping to market a line of cannabis endorsed by singer Willie Nelson. It was Willie’s business model and his brand reputation for integrity that made the most lasting impressions on Delia.
SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB | WINTER 2019
“Integrity is so important in the cannabis industry,” Delia said. Delia and Lucas moved to Ashland 10 years ago and have found it an ideal place to raise their 6-year-old son, Osiris. After they arrived in Southern Oregon, the couple started a glass pipe business called Dichroic Alchemy (dichroic is a type of glass that displays two different colors by changing in certain lighting). A student of the Nosara Yoga Institute in Costa Rica, Delia is also a yoga retreat facilitator, and she’s an active community advocate for cannabis. She started the Southern Oregon chapter of Women Grow in 2016. Lucas established Sovereign Distribution in Talent and then The Factory in Ashland (www. thethcfactory.com). Today The Factory grows, packages and distributes several indoor- and outdoor-grown indicas and sativas for recreational and medical use. Some of the marijuana grown
at The Factory is packaged in tamper-proof, sealed containers, designed by Lucas, that promise to seal in product freshness at the perfect cure. Other canisters of cannabis are sold to Siskiyou Medical Supply in Ashland, The Greener Side dispensary in Eugene, and Oregon’s Finest dispensary in Portland. Ma’at Botanicals grew out of Delia’s desire for “something tangible and women-centric” to call her own. She loves that the business allows her to “explore cannabis so thoroughly, to connect with people and help eliminate the stigma of cannabis.” She also relishes the opportunity to give back to a plant that has long provided for others in abundance. Surely the goddess Ma’at would be pleased. Rhonda Nowak is a Rogue Valley gardener, teacher and writer. Email her at Rnowak39@gmail.com. For more about gardening, visit her blog at blogs.esouthernoregon.com/theliterarygardener/.
(541) 306-4441
WINTER 2019 | SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB
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Public Consumption
OUT
IN THE OPEN PUSH FOR LEGALIZING CANNABIS CONSUMPTION SPACES CONTINUES BY LIZ GOLD / AP PHOTOS BY JEFF CHIU
Keith Baskerville smokes marijuana in the smoking lounge at Barbary Coast Dispensary in San Francisco.
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SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB | WINTER 2019
Michael Leonor smokes marijuana in the smoking lounge at Barbary Coast Dispensary in San Francisco.
The cannabis industry
may be legal and flourishing here in Oregon, but when it comes to allowing people to consume in social and commercial settings similar to wine-tasting rooms, beer gardens and microbreweries, the state has more to accomplish. A new campaign is underway to spur momentum for legalizing cannabis consumption spaces in the 2019 legislative session. The campaign kicked off officially at an event in late August, hosted by the newly formed New Revenue Coalition, a political action committee composed of cannabis industry businesses and allies with the mission of legalizing common consumption spaces for cannabis in Oregon, and state Sen. Lew Frederick. Frederick plans to sponsor a bill addressing the issue when the legislative session begins in January. The goal of the legislative efforts, according to the New Revenue Coalition’s event invite, “is to create regulated establishments where adults can responsibly use cannabis away from the public and without jeopardizing their housing. In addition, the coalition aims to create a pathway for licensed and regulated cannabis tours similar to those conducted by microbreweries and vineyards, including a process for licensed retail businesses to deliver cannabis products to adults staying in participating hotels, as well as legal-use establishments in cities and counties that prohibit commercial cannabis businesses.” This isn’t the first time a bill addressing public consumption has come to the Legislature. In 2017, Sam Chapman, legislative director of New Revenue Coalition, authored a Senate bill to exclude cannabis from the Indoor Clean Air Act, but after three different work group meetings the bill
WINTER 2019 | SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB
was so compromised from its original form that it didn’t move forward. That said, Chapman is optimistic that now is the time to bring it to the table once more. “We believe it’s a new day and we genuinely want to come back to the table with public health and determine what their concerns are, and to the best of our ability make sure those concerns are addressed within the legislation,” Chapman said. According to Chapman, this time around the focus is on social equity, as too many individuals are without a place to safely and legally use cannabis due to restrictions on rental units and low-income housing, an issue that disproportionately impacts the poor and communities of color. “Public housing residents are banned from consuming cannabis in their homes, so this is truly an equity issue, and we are looking forward to bringing that narrative to the Legislature. There are over 500 dispensaries in the state, and we believe it is an issue that can mobilize consumers.” This fall, Chapman and the coalition were reaching out to several social justice groups and tenants’ rights groups to find out whether people were getting evicted over consuming cannabis. “We are looking for folks who want to share their stories,” he said. “We have been focused on getting the cannabis community on board to mount support, but I don’t think we can get this done without social justice advocates and getting their input on this moving forward.” According to Chapman, who also owns New Economy Consulting, a firm that advises investors and entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry, the only place you can consume
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Barbary Coast Dispensary worker Nikki Dasig, center, smells a customer’s marijuana product in San Francisco.
cannabis legally is in the privacy of your residence. And that has caveats, because most likely, unless you live in a cannabis-friendly rental or apartment building, which are few and far between, you have to own that residence. “There are leases out there that not only prohibit consumption of any cannabis but edibles,” Chapman said. “We are starting to see leases that forbid the possession of cannabis as well, which means the only people who can consume legally are people who own their own homes. If that is not a privilege, I don’t know what is. We already answered the question of whether we think cannabis is legal, do we want to provide Oregonians a place to consume so they are not criminals?” So, the answer is another bill, which is slated to be introduced in January by Frederick, who was on hand at the event last August in Portland. Frederick, who says he has more dispensaries in his area — District 22 in Portland, including the airport — than any other area in the state, has already been working on other cannabis-related issues such as decriminalizing and expunging records of individuals with nonviolent marijuana convictions. “The event [in Portland] went well and there are a bunch of significant questions that have not been answered,” Frederick said. “Some folks will never agree to the idea.” Despite that, Frederick said, people are beginning to recognize that cannabis is an economic engine that does not need to be stopped or inhibited by rules or regulations that don’t fit the industry. Yet he acknowledges, until there is a way to measure how much a person is impaired when they consume cannabis publicly — much like a breathalyzer for alcohol — the discussion will continue to be on the table. “The issue I keep coming into is how do you determine
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impairment?” he said. “With marijuana, you can’t really tell because the person may have left the site a half hour before they get affected by it. We are going to be looking at Colorado, Washington and California to see what they are doing. This is new territory for everyone.” It is clear people are coming into the state specifically to consume, and as a result, the push to figure out the parameters on how to consume publicly is strong. “We need to make sure we are paying attention that people are coming into Oregon just for this industry, and how do we address this in a way that is going to be effective,” he said. Frederick said he wouldn’t be surprised if the issue went to the voters, and he added that the bill will likely be revised from its current state. “I hope we are able to make the case well enough,” Frederick said, adding the decades-long stigma of marijuana is still an obstacle for some legislators to change their minds. The early draft of the bill has three pillars, according to Chapman. First, the coalition wants to allow for cannabis consumption to occur at retail facilities. For example, a retailer (such as a processor, producer or a dispensary) could have a separate space off the sales floor where customers could consume, to mimic a vineyard-type model. This would allow a retailer to provide samples and limited sales, similar to the way vineyards and breweries operate. “It’s a normalization for our craft industry that we see in beer, coffee and wine,” Chapman said. “There is a powerful local story to tell about craft cannabis, and it’s hard to do without doing tours and samples.” The second pillar of the bill is creating temporary licenses for cannabis events, which is essentially, according to Chapman, how alcohol is handled. Instead of a beer gar-
SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB | WINTER 2019
State Sen. Alan DeBoer of Ashland said he’s concerned den, however, there would be a cannabis garden set up, with with public consumption spaces, but the issue will have to security checking for identification and trained servers to contend with the Oregon Indoor Clean Air Act. make sure people are not being overserved. “We have no-smoking ordinances throughout the state,” “It would be packaged, licensed and regulated, just like said DeBoer. “It was heavily discussed last session. The any event,” Chapman said. “There are some ways to do Clean Air Act was part of the problem because of the smokthis now, but there is a financial barrier in the way, so ing. No one should be subject to second-hand smoke and we are lowering the barrier to entry in terms of holding the odor. I’m also concerned about the effects of candy beevents and promoting them.” ing inadvertently distributed to young kids, and the conThe third pillar, according to Chapman, is expanding trol of that has been really difficult.” upon delivery, because it is not currently legal to deliver canDeBoer also points to the issues the cannabis industry nabis anywhere but someone’s legal address. contends with due to the plant still being classified as a “If the Jupiter Hotel in Portland wants to allow cannaSchedule 1 drug, making it federally illegal. He said the bis to be delivered to their hotel, they should be able to do federal government needs to allow banking to legitimize that,” Chapman said. both for taxes and safety. In addition to those three pillars, Chapman stressed legaliz“You can’t control if someone has a cookie with mariing public consumption is an equity and accommodation issue, juana,” he said. “We are really talking about the Clean Air as people in subsidized housing and living under other rental Act and smoking. We are going to have to treat smoking restrictions need a safe place to responsibly consume cannabis. marijuana as we treat alcohol and cigarettes. I imagine “We are addressing the inequity and lack of accom[the bill] will pass. I appreciate Lew’s opinion. There will modations by creating licensed and regulated places for be some restrictions and enforcement issues, although I adults to consume cannabis, which under current law, think it will pass.” does not exist,” Chapman said. You can follow Liz Gold on Twitter/Instagram @lizstacygold or “It’s a conundrum,” said state Rep. Pam Marsh of Ashland. read her blog at www.14karatliving.com. “Cannabis is legal here. Sectors of our economy are dependent on tourism, and we talked about cannabis being a pillar of our tourist economy. Tourists can come to the state and buy it, but there is no place to use it and they can’t take it home with them. Responsive, A staff that is On the other hand, there are some big accurate, and locally knowledgable, professional, obstacles on how to do cannabis in a minded. and personable. public social setting.” Grown Rogue Million Elephants Marsh said there needs to be some standards concerning public consumption, much like how alcohol is served in bars, but it’s not as straightforward. “It’s a lot more complicated with cannabis,” she said. “There are no objective standards. Everybody processes the drug differently, so I think we have to have a whole lot of discussion regarding how to measure appropriate consumption before we can move that issue forward.” If the obstacles for measuring the -Edibology parameters for intoxication were removed, Marsh thinks some of the communities in her district would be in support of having public consumption spaces for cannabis. “It would be up to the local city counNew customers who mention this ad receive For a pricing and to schedule testing, cil as to how they would implement or 25% off your first order. call your local Southern Oregon representative, not implement,” she said. “But again, www.greenleaflab.org Paul Burton, at 541-670-6679. the biggest obstacles are how do we determine the parameters on what would NOW TESTING HEMP! be allowing us to use safely.” MF-00100623
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Cannabis Briefs
Quick Tokes Klamath Falls goes recreational Starting in February, recreational cannabis sales will be allowed in Klamath Falls. Voters made their decision Nov. 6 in what was a relatively close vote tally. Chief petitioner Ed Medina Jr., owner of A Better Way Medicinal Alternatives on Washburn Way, was among the supporters and volunteers celebrating the victory on election night. He and others called it a win for Klamath Falls and local industry, many of whom have continued to say that they would prefer to see product regulated as opposed to let-
ting the marijuana black market flourish. Now he and others say they’ll look to work with Klamath Falls City Council to form a cannabis advisory board to help with regulations. He said that they want to create solutions that “everyone’s happy with.” In terms of regulations, Medina said that Oregon Liquor Control Commission licensing could still take 10 to 14 months for any new shops or facilities in the area. “We could be looking at a year or more,” he said. “There’s going to be a lot more work. We’re not done yet.”
Ontario to allow retail stores Voters in Ontario voted Nov. 6 to allow marijuana-related businesses and imposed a 3-percent recreational marijuana sales tax. Totals showed the measure passing by about 500 votes in the town, which sits on the Idaho border about an hour from Boise. The Argus Observer reported a few days before the election that would-be recreational marijuana retailers were already lining up outside Ontario’s planning offices in antic-
ipation of passage, so they could nab retail licenses. Ontario City Council voted to impose a 1,000-foot buffer on adult-use marijuana stores, which means there will only be space for about 15 stores. The Argus Observer said city planners were unsure of how to deal with the line. People might remain in line until Jan. 2, the newspaper said, the first day the city would issue licenses.
Medical cardholders decline Medical marijuana patients and growers across the state are abandoning the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program, according to the Grants Pass Daily Courier. Long considered a source of Oregon’s black market, medical marijuana is fast falling victim to a combination of red tape and a different kind of market force: the convenience of recreational retail sales. “Medical could officially have a gravestone,” said Kit Doyle,
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who formerly sold medical marijuana but switched to hemp products through his business, the Murphy Hemp Company. The number of patients registered with the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program is half of what it was a year ago. Statewide it dropped 41 percent, from 59,137 to 34,892. The number of registered growers also dropped precipitously. Statewide it went from 23,175 to 13,959 — a 40 percent drop.
SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB | WINTER 2019
Judge tosses Josephine County lawsuit against state U.S. District Judge Michael McShane dismissed a lawsuit in late October by Josephine County that targeted the state over legalized marijuana. McShane said a city or county doesn’t have standing to sue a state in federal court. The lawsuit was filed in April and contended that federal law banning marijuana pre-empts Oregon’s law legalizing marijuana for commercial sales. County legal counsel Wally Hicks says he and the county Board of Commissioners accept the ruling, adding that county leaders had not yet discussed whether to appeal.
The lawsuit was the latest battle between Josephine County and the state over pot. After commercial marijuana grows became legal in Oregon in 2016, the county tried retroactively to place limits on them by banning pot grows in areas zoned rural residential. Marijuana growers appealed and the state’s Land Use Board of Appeals froze the county’s regulations, saying it hadn’t provided proper notice of its new rule. That set the stage for the federal lawsuit.
Don’t try to trade cannabis for a car Marijuana is legal in Oregon, but you can’t barter it for a car. Police in Albany said a car dealer posted a Mazda SUV for sale on an online marketplace in November. A man contacted the dealer and offered to trade cannabis for the car. Matthew Franks, 38, of Independence, showed up at a parking-lot rendezvous site that evening, expecting to meet
the car seller. Instead, police were waiting for him. Police spokesman Brad Liles says Franks was arrested and put into the Linn County Jail. Police seized 5.4 pounds of marijuana, less than the agreed-upon amount. Though marijuana is legal in Oregon, sales are regulated and those in the business must be licensed.
Michigan brings legal marijuana to the Midwest Michigan voters made their state the first in the Midwest to legalize recreational marijuana, passing a ballot measure Nov. 6 that will allow people 21 or older to buy and use cannabis and putting conservative neighboring states on notice. Three other states had marijuana-related measures on their ballots. North Dakota voters decided recreational pot wasn’t for them, while voters in Missouri passed one of three un-
related measures to legalize medical marijuana. Utah voters also voted to allow medical marijuana, joining the 31 other states that have already done so. Including Michigan, 10 states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana. And Canada recently did so. But the passage in Michigan gives it a foothold in Middle America.
Colorado pot verdict may slow copycat litigation Analysts and industry lawyers say a Colorado jury likely threw cold water on a novel legal claim targeting cannabis companies with federal racketeering lawsuits. A federal jury in Denver last month rejected a homeowners’ racketeering lawsuit alleging a marijuana farm’s odor devalued their property values and took away from their enjoyment of horseback riding.
It was the first lawsuit of its kind to reach a jury, and the case was closely watched by the marijuana industry, which remains illegal under federal law. Three other federal lawsuits are pending in California, Massachusetts and Oregon. Analysts and industry lawyers say the verdict could dissuade others from filing similar lawsuits, which are expensive to litigate.
U.S. Attorney for Oregon to lead national marijuana panel The U.S. Attorney for Oregon has been named chairman of the Attorney General’s marijuana working group, a panel made up of federal prosecutors from states where cannabis is legal. Billy Williams will lead the 16-member committee, which examines marijuana enforcement and other issues related to legalization nationwide. The committee is a longstanding one that predates the Trump administration. Williams, a longtime federal prosecutor, has been an outspoken critic of Oregon’s approach to marijuana legalization. He has pushed Oregon officials to do more to tighten the flow
WINTER 2019 | SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB
of marijuana into the black market. Earlier this year, Williams said his office would target the illicit marijuana market, organized crime, outlaw grows and operations that “pose a substantial risk of violence.” In mid November, Williams said overproduction and black market trafficking are key issues that have emerged on the West Coast. Williams said prosecutors in the group represent states with a range of marijuana policies, from legal medical marijuana to recreational pot. Their goal, he said, is to examine “issues that come up in the interplay of federal law and state law.”
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Cannabis Innovation BY JOHN DARLING / PHOTOS BY JAMIE LUSCH
Plain Jane
Local company is making clean-burning, nearly odorless hemp prerolls that mimic cigarettes Plain Jane hemp cigarettes
Say you want
to smoke a little bud but not get stoned and not create that strong pot odor. Or say you want to have a cigarette and get that relaxed feeling that seems to handle anxiety, but you don’t want nicotine and you don’t want to create that strong stench of tobacco. There’s probably a market for something like that, thought two young, ambitious graduates from MIT — and they just opened a shop on Main Street in Medford as the launching pad for their hemp prerolls, which they call Plain Jane. Get it? It’s Mary Jane but plain: “smooth, clean, tasteless” and looks just like a normal ciggie, but it’s made of hemp. The inspiration for developing the product came from student days at MIT, when roommates Duane Dennis, an operations research major with a mechanical engineering background, and Evan Marshall, a data analysis major, realized they couldn’t toke any cannabis product without being a pest to others. From old-time growers, they’d heard about a water-cleaning process that could reduce the smell, but no one had tried it commercially. Using superchilled distilled water, CO2 and nitrogen gas, Dennis said, they refined the process
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and “removed the terps (terpenes), chlorophyll and random plant matter, making it 30 percent lighter by weight.” The product delivers 50mg of CBD and less than .2 percent THC, so it won’t get you high and it’s legal to buy online. Plain Jane prerolls come in two-packs for $2.99 and eight-packs for $10.99. The company also sells vape cartridges and bulk flower. Marshall, the cyber wizard, markets through many sites online, with Instagram (tryplainjane on social media) being the main one. A consumer on IG, says Dennis, had a typical reaction, that “a wave of calmness comes over you.” In addition, he adds, the product allows you to participate in the “ritual” of smoking at bars, parties, sports events — or just standing outside buildings — where it’s not normally allowed. Ironically, this new smoking product can help you quit smoking tobacco, says Lindsey Holthaus, Plain Jane chief of budgeting, finance and legal, “because you can only pound people with the old stop-smoking warnings so much. This gives it a softer approach … vaping has been a success because people have an oral fixation, and this is a good social ritual that satisfied that.” CBD is known for having a range of healing
SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB | WINTER 2019
Duane Dennis, co-founder and CEO of Plain Jane, says his company refines Oregon-grown hemp to create a smoother-tasting smoke that is nearly odor-free.
ly
properties, but Plain Jane makes no claims for its cigs — other than mentioning the benefits of CBD in general. Time will tell whether it brings the benefits of CBD-rich gummies, tinctures, oils, etc., which, they say, cost a lot more than their cigs. They are working to build brand awareness, especially at colleges, and have reps on campuses in California and Massachusetts. They launched Plain Jane in Oakland, California, but picked the Rogue Valley for a base because, “Oregon has the most mature hemp program,” says Dennis, and has licensed hemp farmers since 2015 — the only West Coast state to do so. The work takes place at an Eagle Point hemp farm and barn — and they also buy hemp from local grows. Another target demographic, he adds, is baby boomers, now well into their role as elders of our society and are “the generation that wants to heal.” Their website, tryplainjane.com, offers bulk hemp flower in “ultra smooth or full flavor.” John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at jdarling@jeffnet.org.
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Cannabis and Climate
Biochar
IS GOOD FOR CANNABIS AND THE CLIMATE BY JEFFERSON REEDER
Grants Scheve of Oregon Biochar Solutions holds biochar from their bulk supply at Biomass in White City. PHOTOS BY ANDY ATKINSON
Biochar was used
by farmers in the Amazon Basin more than 2,500 years ago, and now it is becoming a hip commodity in the cannabis industry. And while it has many benefits as a soil amendment for cannabis growers, biochar may be a remedy for climate change, as well. Biochar is charcoal produced from plant matter. It is made using a process called pyrolysis, which involves placing biomass into a special oven and heating it in the presence of little or no oxygen. The final product can capture carbon and lock it into the soil. That last part is the key to the more global benefits of biochar … potentially reducing greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide. As a soil amendment, biochar can increase soil fertility, increase agricultural productivity and provide protection against some foliar and soil-borne diseases. Biochar attracts water and nutrients through a process known as CEC, “cation exchange capacity,” which allows your soil to attract these healthy staples and hold onto them. Because nutrients are retained, growers can use less fertilizer for both indoor and outdoor grows, says Grant
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Scheve of Biochar Solutions in White City. Biochar is mixed into the soil, with the amount linked to the pH of your soil and other factors. “We always recommend applying biochar directly to the root growth zone of your plants,” says Scheve. “Generally, we see the best results at a 10 percent by overall soil volume inclusion rate. However, we do have reforestation nurseries using ... 25 percent raw biochar with fantastic results, and Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands is conducting trials at 50 percent by volume to replace peat moss with great preliminary data. “We have learned that our Rogue Biochar will hold 6.5 times its weight in water,” Scheve says. “The most efficient way is to include the biochar into your soil media procedure so there is an even distribution throughout the pots or beds. “For growers who are planting in native soil (such as hemp farmers), we generally see them band the biochar directly into the planting rows. We have dozens of hemp growers who are using biochar, and they immediately notice zero transplant shock, less yellowing of fan leaves, less NPK inputs (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium),
SOUTHERN OREGON GOOD HERB | WINTER 2019
Grants Scheve of Oregon Biochar Solutions grabs a sample of the Cheech & Char soil mix at Biomass One in White City.
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“
As a soil amendment, biochar can increase soil fertility, increase agricultural productivity and provide protection against some foliar and soil-borne diseases.
stronger stems and stocks, and increased bud density.” From a forestry perspective, biochar is good news, too. “The majority of the wood feedstock we use is from clean logging residuals,” Scheve says. Northwest Forest Products, which is primarily a forestry company, has gotten into biochar as a natural ancillary. The company thins forests to reduce fuels and the potential for catastrophic wildfire, and to promote forest health and wildlife habitat. But instead of burning the slash down to ash, or letting it rot and release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, it is being made into biochar. “My main focus has been on how can we take wood waste and find a home for it,” says Matthew Delaney of Northwest Forest Products, and also Delaney Forest Services. “I know we need some wildfire in our forested landscapes but not catastrophic ones. We need to develop higher value markets for low-value material. I’ve been trying to
build data sets showing biochar can work for farmers.” A group called the Northwest Biochar Working Group is working to raise awareness of the benefits of biochar. The group, composed of people from public organizations and private companies, is committed to building an industry that uses biochar to address the region’s pressing challenges, including stewardship. Biochar isn’t available only to soil scientists and forest workers. At Walmart you can get a gallon bag of Wakefied Biochar Soil for approximately $40. At Blackbird Shopping Center, you can try Bigfoot’s version, which costs $16.99 for 4 ounces. At Oregon Biochar, you can get it in bulk for $135 a cubic yard. For a bagged truckload, it costs $199 per yard. The company also has two cubic yard “Supersacks” for $499. Jefferon Reader is a freelance writer living in Medford. Reach him at jeffersonreader@hotmail.com.
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