Spokannabist, september 30, 2016

Your Guide to Marijuana j in Washington g State

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PART 1 OF 2

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Spokannabist is a product of The Spokesman−Review’s marketing division. • Friday, September 30, 2016

Spokannabist is a product of The Spokesman−Review’s marketing division. • Friday, September 30, 2016

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HIGHER EDUCATION? FEDERAL RESTRICTIONS CURRENTLY LIMITING CANNABIS RESEARCH

By STACI LEHMAN Marketing Correspondent

Marijuana may be legal in Washington, but that doesn’t mean colleges can teach students much about it.

Institutions like Washington State University receive federal funds, and are therefore subject to federal rules, including compliance with the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act. This means teaching about, or even researching, certain cannabis topics, could potentially mean a loss of federal funds.

As a result, WSU and other schools are mostly limited to federally legal hemp research, despite recent state rules and a provision that a percentage of marijuana sales taxes go to cannabis research at state colleges.

“Our interest in cannabis and hemp is limited to research opportunities,” said Rob Strenge, Assistant Director of WSU News.

There aren’t any specific plans to incorporate marijuana topics into other areas of the school’s curriculum.

The University of Washington performs the most marijuana research of Washington schools. Even so, researchers say they are also limited due to federal funding.

“We do a lot of marijuana research but never enough,” said Beatriz Carlini, Senior Research Scientist at the UW Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute (ADAI). “The reason we are able to is because none of this research includes administration of marijuana. If you want to find some benefits for people suffering from PTSD you cannot get federal funding for that … but if you want to interview people with PTSD and ask about their marijuana use you can do that because we are not controlling the doses or administering the marijuana.”

The ADAI has a Medicinal Cannabis and Chronic Pain Project, an online training for healthcare providers on the use of medicinal cannabis to treat pain. This is funded through

the State Attorney General’s Office rather than federal money.

Seattle Central College is a rare exception for a wider range of topics. Its Cannabis Foundation Course explains the makeup of the cannabis plant, state laws applying to marijuana, and customer service guidelines specific to the marijuana industry.

“We’re looking to expand the program since we’ve gotten such a good response,” said David Sandler, Seattle Central’s Director of Communications.

It is also the only college to offer the state-approved Medical Marijuana Consultant Certification Training program. All retail shops that offer medical marijuana must now have a certified consultant to describe risks and benefits, assist with selecting products, and show clients how to properly use marijuana.

Sandler says Seattle Central College can offer the cannabis curriculum because it is part of the Continuing Education program where no credits are earned.

“We accept federal dollars in the form of financial aid but because it’s totally funded by student fees and dollars we can offer it,” he said.

Beatriz Carlini, the UW researcher, thinks curriculum like this, and more research, should be funded by tax dollars generated by marijuana sales.

“As a society, if we are making a reasonable amount of taxes, in the name of the consumers, we owe them to get some of this money toward getting answers to the questions they may have. I feel strongly that we’re not doing this.”

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT CURRENT MARIJUANA RESEARCH? The University of Washington’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute has a sciencebased website on marijuana for the public called LearnAboutMarijuanaWA. org/teens.htm.

The page includes fact sheets, resources for parents and teens, information on the university’s research, marijuana policy and state law.

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Spokannabist is a product of The Spokesman−Review’s marketing division. • Friday, September 30, 2016

NO BACK-TO-SCHOOL BUD CAMPUSES STILL CRACKING DOWN ON POT

By STACI LEHMAN Marketing Correspondent

“But it’s legal, man” won’t wash with law enforcement if you try to light one up on campus.

Despite the legalization of recreational marijuana in Washington, college students of any age, or staff or visitors can still face penalties for carrying it at a public college or university.

Since colleges receive federal funding, it means that federal rules apply for marijuana use or possession.

“You can’t smoke it in state buildings, you can’t smoke it in residence halls and you can’t smoke it in public or in your car so there’s really not anywhere you can smoke it,” said Steve Hansen, Washington State University Assistant Police Chief.

Because marijuana is still illegal on campus, student conduct codes at WSU have not changed with its legalization, nor has the police force in Pullman noticed an increase in marijuana violations since legalization.

“It’s stayed pretty consistent.

Nothing has changed since the statute changed,” he said.

Eastern Washington University Deputy Chief of Police Gary Gasseling has made different observations, including an increase in pot complaints since 2012.

“At least every night we’re

going to the residence halls for the smell of marijuana,” he said.

Gasseling says this has put some stress on his department, enough for the school to hire two new officers.

“The university saw the need.

We gave them the facts and they recognized the need from a safety standpoint,” he said.

If caught with marijuana at Eastern, Gasseling says visitors

or growing of marijuana in all forms is prohibited on university premises.

“If you’re a block off of campus in private housing, you can possess and smoke cannabis,” Arkans said. “If you live in a residence hall on campus and you’re 21 years old, you cannot do that because it is federally illegal.

The initiative did not change the legal status because federal law trumps state law.”

Gonzaga University also has a no-tolerance stance regarding marijuana. The university’s website says “…Gonzaga is required to uphold, and expects its students to abide by federal laws that prohibit use, distribution, consumption, of marijuana by anyone of any age.” This also applies to medical marijuana.

The Community Colleges of Spokane system also follows similar enforcement guidelines.

In Colorado, where recreational marijuana use was also recently legalized, the possession and use of cannabis on college campuses also remains illegal for the same reasons as in Washington.

“...expects its students to abide by federal laws that prohibit use, distribution, consumption, of marijuana...” can have the pot confiscated or leave campus with it immediately. EWU students don’t get off as easily.

“Students get the disciplinary process because it’s a violation of the conduct code,” he said.

University of Washington student behavioral policies haven’t changed either since legalization of marijuana.

Norm Arkans, UW’s Associate Vice President of Media Relations and Communications, says the Student Conduct Code has long stated that the possession, use, distribution,

Eastern Washington University’s Police Department continues to enforce campus rules about marijuana use and possession on campus.

Photo by Staci Lehman

Spokannabist is a product of The Spokesman−Review’s marketing division. • Friday, September 30, 2016

CANNABIS CONFUSION BUDTENDERS, EXPERIENCE CAN GUIDE YOU IN WHAT STRAINS WORK BEST

By COURTNEY DUNHAM Marketing Correspondent

Even with clever names like Purple Haze, Holy Grail, and Pineapple Skunk, it’s still not easy to know how a certain strain will make you feel.

The basic traits that distinguish one strain from another aren’t always easy to quantify or keep consistent. Plus specifics like THC

heavier on the cannabinoids (CBDs), which are compounds believed to have analgesic, antiinflammatory and anti-anxiety properties.

Higher CBD marijuana is popular with medical users who want pain relief but not necessarily the highs.

“There’s no universal test that proves your plant is a perfectly pure clone of a specific plant.

INDICAS can cause a sleepier, relaxed feeling, SATIVAS can make things more uplifting, and HYBRIDS can do either or both. content or smell may differ from one yield to the next.

Legalization in Washington has also led to the availability of more choices beyond the basic Sativa, Indica or hybrid options.

Some strains, such as Northern Lights and Purple Kush, may share general properties found in multiple strains.

Longtime user Marco Thompson researches strains, especially hybrids. He likes a strain called Key Lime Pie, which has both Sativa and Indica, but is

This is a subjective criteria that doesn’t even apply to clones of exclusive strains from one location,” according to the University of Washington’s Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute.

The most important properties of any strain depend on your reasons for consuming it, and your expectations.

“The best advice I always give to friends and anyone who wants to try weed is to be very frank and honest with budtenders about why you want it,” Thompson said.

“Don’t be embarrassed. They can direct you to the right strain and combination. Otherwise, you’ll get completely lost in all the names.”

It’s not easy for newcomers to figure out what type of marijuana to buy.

Photo by Courtney Dunham

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Spokannabist is a product of The Spokesman−Review’s marketing division. • Friday, September 30, 2016

QUALITY COUNTS YOUR EXPECTED HIGH IS MORE THAN A NUMBER

By TRICIA JO WEBSTER Marketing Correspondent

Sometimes the best way to understand a new experience is to compare it to something you’re familiar with. So it goes with the world of cannabis.

Although it’s been more than two years since recreational marijuana use was legalized in Washington state, there’s still a hazy cloud of uncertainty when it comes to experience and desired outcomes.

Let’s put it in perspective, using a fellow vice: beer.

When some of us first started drinking, an ice-cold can of Coors Light seemed like a perfectly acceptable starting place. It was easy to drink and a few cans resulted in just enough of a buzz to feel good.

Then you noticed others drinking brews with beautiful colors and intriguing names, and ordered your first IPA. Then you realized that one pint had the kick of two basic brews.

You may also have noticed that three pints were too many, but eventually found a comfortable medium for a heady buzz without leaving you too blitzed.

This same principle can be applied to cannabis. How do we know if we’re working with the equivalent of a pretty little pilsner, an imperial stout or something cheap and watery? How do we make sure enough isn’t too much?

It starts with testing. Every product

sold in Washington retail shops must pass quality control tests and undergo testing to determine potency (THC/CBD levels). This assures buyers that the cannabis is free of potentially harmful contaminants like mold, bacteria, yeast, coliforms, E. coli, pesticides and salmonella.

The potency testing is a big factor in how a strain is sold, said Joe Edwards, owner of Root Down, a Spokane Tier 2 producer/ processor.

And this is where things can get a little slippery.

“The public perception of the test results is somewhat misleading,” said Edwards. “We’re conditioned to look for the higher THC number first, like alcohol content when drinking beer. But cannabis

probably needs to be treated differently.”

From each 5-pound lot produced, growers must send in four random 1-gram samples for testing. Results represent an average potency, but, because there can be a potency variation of 7-8 percent depending on from which part of the plant the sample was pulled, the final number might not be precise.

Different labs have different ways of testing, so there may be a variance up to 8-10 percent. “The main concern with it is, say I get a 22 percent THC … is that really a correct representation?” Edwards asked.

“When you send something into a lab, you don’t know what to expect. Historically you know which strain should test better, but if it tests sub-par, you’re stuck with that representation.”

Testing is necessary and important to consumers. But, because there are so many items in addition to THC that affect the intensity and aspects of the high – and so many variables in the testing process – consumers should focus on more tangible things like appearance, the smell and the historical effects of that strain in order to achieve the best personal experience.

Talking with other users of a particular strain can also be a good guide, Edwards says, especially budtenders who often have access to fresh samples.

Spokannabist is a product of The Spokesman−Review’s marketing division. • Friday, September 30, 2016

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Spokannabist is a product of The Spokesman Review’s marketing division. • Friday, September 30 , 2016

A CENTURY OF CRAC

By JEFF SELLE Marketing Correspondent

“Refer Madness,” a 1936 film that demonized marijuana, is often credited as helping push for the criminalization of cannabis in the U.S., but historians and scholars say fear and racism played a much larger role.

Ironically, some say “Reefer Madness,” which was originally produced by a church group under the title “Tell Your Children,” may have also played a role in the slow change of the national mindset toward legalization of marijuana.

During the 1970s, when legalization movement first began to gain political traction, advocates resurrected the film as a satire to illustrate the hysterical mindset of the nation back in the 1930s, at a time when marijuana was targeted for criminalization.

And while that propaganda may have played a role in the social crack-down on marijuana, scholars say the politics leading up to national prohibition, and ultimately the recent steps toward legalization in certain states, is far more complex.

A look back at the actual history of pot shows what monumental achievement legalization really has been becoming.

Accidentally Addicted In 1995, University of Southern California Law Professor Charles Whitebread spoke about the history of non-medical drug laws at the California Judge

FEAR OF ADDICTION, RACISM HAS FUELE Association’s annual conference.

Whitebread, while working with colleague Richard Bonnie at the University of Virginia, wrote his first dissertation in 1970 on the legal history of cannabis entitled “The Forbidden Fruit and the Tree of Knowledge - The Legal History of Marihuana in the United States.” The topic had never been looked at comprehensively before, he said in his speech.

He and Bonnie embarked on a state-by-state study of marijuana laws to find the true origins of the national prohibition of marijuana.

To truly understand the origins of marijuana law, he went back to 1900 when it became apparent that the nation was suffering through an epidemic of morphine addiction.

“In 1900 there were far more people addicted to drugs in this country than there are today,” Whitebread said in his 1995 presentation. “Depending upon whose judgment, or whose assessment, you accept, there were between 2 and 5 percent of the entire adult population of the United States addicted to drugs then.”

He said during the Civil War many soldiers became addicted to morphine, which later became a larger problem with the rise of “patent medicine” sold over the counter in various forms nationwide.

Most, he said, contained at least 50 percent of the highly addictive drug morphine.

That led to significant addiction largely among ruralliving, middle-aged white women, Whitebread said.

“People became involved with drugs they did not know that they were taking, that they did not know the impact of,” he said in his speech. “There was more drug addiction than there is now and most of it was accidental.”

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Spokannabist is a product of The Spokesman Review’s marketing division. • Friday, September 30, 2016

CKING DOWN

ED POT PROHIBITIONS

pidemic led to the first national laws designed to drugs – the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. created the Food and Drug Administration, which tamped out the patent drug industry, and created ated prescription drug system. ure Food and Drug Act of 1906, not a criminal law, to reduce the level of addiction than any other atute we have passed in all of the times from then Whitebread said. Criminal laws banning the nonuse of drugs soon followed.

n Tax Act 4, the next piece of regulation was the Harrison Tax ch criminalized the non-medical use of morphine, nd cocaine. But there was some social pushback. in 1914 was probably the high-water mark of the onal doctrine we today call ‘states rights’ and, herefore, it was widely thought Congress did not ave the power, number one, to regulate a particular rofession, and number two, that Congress did not e the power to pass what was, and is still known, as general criminal law,” Whitebread said.

The law required doctors to pay for a tax stamp that allowed them to prescribe certain drugs, and set an extremely high tax on the non-medical use of those drugs. This allowed prosecution of drug abusers on the grounds of tax evasion.

Whitebread said every criminal law regulating drug used the same tax law structure through 1969 – luding the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937.

This historical overview from prohibition to legalization will continue in the October 28 issue of Spokannabist.

tury anti-drug campaigns such as “Reefer Madness” now are seen as nostalgicc as social attitudes change. Green Star Cannabis has a collection of some of c images. allan Knowles

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Spokannabist is a product of The Spokesman−Review’s marketing division. • Friday, September 30, 2016

GOTTA GET YOUR

CANNABIS NEWS

ROOT DOWN

FROM AROUND THE NORTHWEST PORTABLE TOILET USED AS STASH FOR POT ROGUE RIVER — A citizen walking through a park in southern Oregon in early August discovered a significant collection of pot plants in a portable toilet.

Public works employees were confused how the plants showed up, since they had indicated that the toilet had been inspected three hours earlier for maintenance, and no plants were found.

Rogue River Police Department told local media that the total quantity found was one of the largest found.

Some speculated that the plants were there because of a secret pick-up point, or someone may have put them there to dispose of, perhaps a commentary on the newly legal industry in the state.

Southern Oregon and northern California are considered prime areas for outdoor growing.

People playing tennis at a nearby court also that morning said they didn’t see any activity.

Lewis said a public works employee checked the toilet three hours before the discovery was made and it was empty. People playing tennis on a nearby court saw nothing suspicious.

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON UPDATING DRIVER’S LICENSING TO INCLUDE POT INFO OLYMPIA — Washington’s Department of Licensing has expanded the state’s written driver’s license test from 25 to 40 questions, including new marijuana-related questions.

Users are asked to show their knowledge of traffic laws plus dangers of newer distractions, such as phone use or texting.

One new pot-related question is “If you are under 21, you can be arrested for a THC/marijuana level of … .” (the correct answer is 0.00 nanograms,” since all marijuana use is illegal for anyone under 21.

The DOL wanted to add more information about modern impairments or distractions.

Though there is clear evidence of the risks of texting/ distractions, marijuana’s role in accidents/fatalities has been less consistent.

One report from the AAA Foundation showed that one in six drivers in fatal crashes had marijuana in their systems.

However, some of them had other drugs in their systems as well.

Washington also reported a 21 percent increase in fatalities from 2014 to 2015, higher than the national increase of 8 percent.

Source: Tribune News Service

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Spokannabist is a product of The Spokesman−Review’s marketing division. • Friday, September 30, 2016

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ONLINE COURSE FOR MEDICAL BUDTENDERS

By PATRICK WAGNER Marijuana Ventures

When Trey Reckling moved to Seattle, he thought he was leaving behind a career in education to join the cannabis industry.

Reckling had spent 15 years at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, where he worked in student development and conflict resolution, before moving to Washington in 2014.

To his surprise, his career in education was far from over. He initially began teaching a course at the University of Washington on the essentials of cannabis handling. Not long after, the state began an overhaul of medical marijuana regulations that would require dispensaries to be licensed by the state.

Marijuana retail stores with medical endorsements must now have at least one certified “medical marijuana consultant” on staff at all times. Medical marijuana budtenders must complete a state-certified training program.

Reckling, who runs the Academy of Cannabis Science, had been working on ideas on how to teach this training, and reached out to Seattle Central College, which had already been developing marijuana education classes.

Lisa Babinec, director of Seattle Central College’s Innovations College, part of the school’s Department of Continuing Education, said a partnership was created, and soon the school began offering an online certification program to meet the requirements for medical marijuana training.

The 20-hour course can be taken at a student’s own pace over two weeks. It includes lectures from local experts, including a health care/cannabis lawyer, a naturopath, and a producer. Students learn about CBD, chronic pain and the history of marijuana in the United States, before moving on to more complex subjects

like pharmacology, addiction and qualifying conditions.

Reckling also teaches a four-hour class in cannabis foundations through Seattle Central, for people who want to learn about the chemistry, history and medical applications of marijuana. This class can be an introduction for medical marijuana patients, prospective investors and cannabis employees.

The program launches at a changing time for medical marijuana. For years, Washington’s medical dispensaries were unlicensed. In an effort to merge the medical and recreational sectors, lawmakers approved the Cannabis

Patient Protection Act; unlicensed dispensaries were made illegal as of July 1.

State officials also expanded the cap on marijuana retail stores by 222, for a total of 556. As of mid-June, less than 320 retail stores were listed as active, according to the Liquor and Cannabis Board.

Reckling hopes trained budtenders will help quell the fears of patients who have watched collective gardens and unlicensed medical dispensaries shut down.

“Some patients are scared because they are losing the place where they’ve always gone,” he said. “They’re losing their home base and all the people who used to work with them. Some places are lucky and they will get licensed, but others have to make a new contact and find new people to trust.”

The Seattle Central course is one of two state-approved training programs for medical marijuana consultants.

The other program is an on-site certification offered by NGR Enterprises in Seattle.

This story was originally published by Marijuana Venture, a business magazine for the legal cannabis industry.

Trey Reckling teaches a variety of cannabisrelated classes through Seattle Central College.

Photo courtesy Trey Reckling

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Spokannabist is a product of The Spokesman−Review’s marketing division. • Friday, September 30, 2016

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Spokannabist is a product of The Spokesman−Review’s marketing division. • Friday, September 30, 2016

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CHECK RULES BEFORE TRAVELING

By S. MICHAL BENNETT Marketing Correspondent

With the legalization of recreational marijuana production, sales and use in Washington and Oregon, questions abound about traveling with cannabis products within and outside of the two states.

The short answer to any and all questions is that marijuana possession and consumption are still federal offenses, and enforcement of laws taking pot from legal states into illegal states is considered a federal priority, according to a 2013 memorandum issued by the U.S. Department of Justice. In addition, the federal government does not differentiate between medical and recreational pot.

But there is also a long answer.

Currently, 25 states have successfully passed and implemented medical marijuana laws, plus Washington D.C., Guam and Puerto Rico. Other states are working on new legislation, revising ineffective programs or fine-tuning low-THC medical cannabis laws.

Four states – Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Alaska – and D.C. have legalized recreational marijuana.

While each state differs on particulars of transportation within its borders, one constant is that no one under 21 can purchase, use or carry weed. Each state also has its own laws regulating pot within its borders, particularly when it comes to transportation.

In Washington, individuals may lawfully possess up to an ounce of dry marijuana, 72 ounces of liquid

or 16 ounces of marijuana-infused solids, such as an edible.

Oregon, however, differentiates between home and away-from-home possession.

While you can have up to 8 ounces at home, you are only allowed 1 ounce while travelling.

Getting caught with a pipe in your vehicle can get you arrested for driving under the influence. Edibles in Oregon have different rules, which will soon be changing as the Oregon Liquor Control Commission fully takes over the recreational marijuana market later this year.

Commercial transportation laws are usually much clearer and stricter due to larger quantities, and a federal focus on possible organized crime activity and distribution.

In Idaho, where marijuana is illegal, traffic from legal states like

Washington, Oregon or Colorado, can be monitored by the Kootenai County Joint Agency Drug Task Force, a joint effort of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department, the Coeur d’Alene Police Department and the Post Falls Police Department.

Domestic and international air travelers face similar restrictions because secured airport areas and airplanes are under federal jurisdiction. The official policy of the Transportation Security Administration, however, is that it is not their job to “search for marijuana or other drugs.” If drugs happen to be discovered, TSA agents will contact a local law enforcement officer. Yet, the final decision to allow any items past a checkpoint or on a plane rests solely with the TSA, not local or state officers.

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Spokannabist is a product of The Spokesman−Review’s marketing division. • Friday, September 30, 2016

ANYONE CAN GET INVOLVED IN NEW INDUSTRY GUEST COLUMN

By KEITH BOYCE Special to Spokannabist

Becoming part of the cannabis industry was not my original plan. I really didn’t have a plan, it just happened, and I couldn’t be happier.

Cannabis had always been a part of my life in one way or another, but I never really thought about it until I saw first-hand the medicinal qualities of the plant.

Like so many others, seeing is believing.

Don’t get me wrong, I always knew there were medical benefits, but until I saw how it helped my friend’s mother during her struggle with cancer, I never gave it much thought.

My father was also suffering from a long battle with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and I thought it might

help him as well. So I decided to try it myself before mentioning it to my dad. I was dealing with a persistent pain issue and after consulting with my regular MD he thought it was worth a try. Wow, the results were much better than we ever expected!

I was convinced, and went on to discuss cannabis treatment for my father with his doctors. They were all for it, maybe because they believed, or because there was nothing more they could do for him? No matter the reason, he was able to use cannabis for only a short time, but it was very helpful and reinforced my beliefs. He passed away in 2013.

During my personal journey that year, I found myself at a local MeetUp group discussing this new legal world of cannabis.

Everyone had questions, but not a lot of solid answers.

According to the federal government, cannabis is still a Schedule 1 drug. So many of the questions being asked could only be answered with “it depends.”

The MeetUp group continued monthly, and, not to bore you with details, in late 2014 it became the Washington Marijuana Association, a non-profit. I was elected president and a year later we became part of

The Cannabis Alliance.

The Cannabis Alliance is a Washingtonbased nonprofit trade association working with state legislators and agencies on policies that will help the cannabis industry move forward.

With over 30 years of experience in my current field that covers manufacturing, distribution, and retail, that allows me to see things from many perspectives. And all of this can help shape this new industry in a way that will benefit all, not just the special interests.

There is a cultural shift taking place in this world and I am excited and humbled to be a part of it. One day I hope to tell my grandkids that I was there when the world woke up and realized what an amazing plant cannabis is. Medicinal, or recreational, whatever your reason, I encourage you to get involved: be a part of the change.

Keith Boyce operates the www.NWCannabis.Zone website and was a founding member of the Cannabis Alliance, where he currently serves as interim Vice President. He’s also a member of the Washington Cannabis Commission formation committee working to establish the first agricultural commission for cannabis in Washington and the nation.

If you consider yourself an expert in Washington’s legal marijuana industry and would like to be considered for a future guest column, please email SPOKANNABIST@spokesman.com.

Spokannabist is a product of The Spokesman−Review’s marketing division. • Friday, September 30, 2016

BOTTLER PUSHING FOR ADVOCACY WITH WATER

By PATRICK WAGNER Marijuana Venture

Buffalo Mazzetti, the founder of Okanogan Highlands Bottling Company, isn’t just interested in selling bottled water, he wants his Political Action Water to sell ideas, especially drug laws.

Mazzetti, a longtime activist, wants consumers to be counted as political activists, so now offers water bottles with different political messages.

“Things get done by the people who show up,” Mazzetti said.

“If you don’t show up, you don’t have a say in the matter.”

His Political Action Water is designed to get consumers to take a small step forward in the democratic process. Mazzetti invites customers to take labels from his website, purewater.org, thereby giving everybody the ability to refashion their empty water bottles into a political message.

“It’s to inspire people, have them get people involved,” he said. “They take some kind of action and hopefully by taking small actions they get more engaged. So I kind of consider myself a stepping stone so people will hopefully become activists.”

The label instructions couldn’t be simpler: drink water, dry the bottle and mail it to anyone involved in a cause you feel

passionate about. (Placing your own message inside the bottle is optional).

Okanogan Highlands Bottling Company offers six different causes to support, including immigration law reform, overturning the 1872 Mining Law and legalizing cannabis.

Even after Initiative 502 passed in Washington, which made recreational marijuana legal, Mazzetti’s “Legalize It” label of Political Action Water continues to reach politicians in Olympia.

“I certainly feel that 502 is not the panacea of what the community is looking for,” he said. “We all need the ability to grow cannabis. We need to free the people who have been incarcerated or have a criminal record as the result of their activities with cannabis.”

Mazzetti came up with the idea after winning a hard-fought battle against a gold mine effort and the 1872 Mining Law, which governs mining and prospecting on public lands for economic reasons. But he said then-U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton nullified his victory the following year with a piece of legislation that permitted more dumping of mine waste.

“It really ticked me off because we had worked for eight years to defeat this mining company,” Mazzetti said. “We did it legally

and through the courts. Gorton just changed it with the stroke of a pen.”

From that loss,

Mazzetti decided that the best way to get a politician’s attention would be to flood their office with real junk mail.

Marijuana and marijuana-infused products are legal for Washington residents 21 years and older. It has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. It can impair concentration, coordination and judgment.

There may be health risks associated with consumption.

Political Action Water can be found in many stores across the country. Mazzetti sells eightpacks directly from his websites.

A request to sell the water at marijuana shops was denied, but he said he’s considering an appeal.

This story was originally published in Marijuana Venture, a business magazine for the legal cannabis industry.

Buffalo Mazzetti holds a bottle of water that he produces.

Photo courtesy Okanagan Highlands Bottling.

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spokannabist@spokesman.com with story ideas or to advertise.

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Spokannabist is a product of The Spokesman−Review’s marketing division. • Friday, September 30, 2016