The Hemp Connoisseur, April/May 2013 - Issue #6

COLORADO’S PREMIER GUIDE TO HEMP CULTURE

APRIL/MAY 2013

CO MMEMO RATIVE ISSUE

DAN MAY vs. THE PEOPLE pg 34

DABBING: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly pg 38 HEMP SHIELD: A New Revolution in Building Materials pg 58

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR DIAMOND PARTNERS

to learn more about a diamond partner call Adam 303-466-8215

A LETTER TO OUR READERS After the passage of Amendment 64, Gov. Hickenlooper stated that “Colorado is known for many great things, marijuana should not be one of them.” He went on to say, “Amendment 64 has the potential to increase the number of children using drugs.” Well governor, I disagree.

Are you saying that you don’t want Colorado to be known for being a pioneer in the legalization of a plant that has a 10,000 year history without one death being associated with it? Or maybe you don’t want to be associated with a plant that has shown to be a cure for cancer and has the ability to treat a myriad of diseases and ailments without the addictive qualities and awful side effects of prescription drugs.

For someone who has made a fortune profiting from the alcohol industry don’t you find this a tad hypocritical? Let’s take a look at the scorecard shall we?

Alcohol (stats provided by National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence)  Harmful use of alcohol results in the death of 2.5 million people annually, causes illness and injury to millions more, and increasingly affects younger generations and drinkers in developing countries.  320,000 young people aged 15-29 years die annually, from alcoholrelated causes, resulting in 9 percent of all deaths in that age group.  Alcohol is the world’s third largest risk factor for disease burden; it is the leading risk factor in the Western Pacific and the Americas and the second largest in Europe.  Nearly 4 percent of all deaths are related to alcohol. Most alcoholrelated deaths result from injuries, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and liver cirrhosis.

Cannabis  Amount of deaths from cannabis in the 10,000 years of its recorded use: ZERO. No credible organization has ever refuted this stat.  In states that have regulated legal use of medical cannabis an average reduction in fatal car accidents decreased by 9 percent from 1999-2009 (reported by Time Magazine Dec. 2, 2011).  Youth marijuana usage in Colorado went down 2.8 percent from 1999 to 2011(CDC Report 2012), which is a direct correlation to the legalization of MMJ.  Youth marijuana usage nationally went up 2.3 percent in same time period (same CDC Report).  Colorado’s youth marijuana usage fell below the national average in 2011 by 22 percent and 23.1 percent in U.S. (same CDC report).

So by legalizing cannabis in Colorado the scorecard shows that we have actually made it safer for our children and our roads. If you were truly serious about our children’s safety then shouldn’t you pay attention to the facts?

Respectfully, the reality is that the people have spoken, and unlike you, I’ve never been prouder to be a Coloradoan.

David Maddalena Editor-in-Chief David@thcmag.com 4 April/May

“The government, which was designed for the people, has got into the hands of the bosses and their employers, the special interests. An invisible empire has been set up above the forms of democracy.”

-Woodrow Wilson

The Hemp Connoisseur, LLC

Josh Davis is a professional actor, singer and voice-over artist. He

Editor-in-Chief

has appeared in: Law and Order, One Life to Live, As the World Turns, Les Miserables and produced and acted in the feature film The Graduates. He first learned about hemp when he was given the book The Emperor Wears No Clothes and became a hemp enthusiast ever since. He lives in New York City.

David Maddalena david@thcmag.com

Art Director Christianna Lewis christianna@thcmag.com

Directors of Editorial Artie Bergeron artie@thcmag.com Caroline Hayes caroline@thcmag.com

Layout Designers Caroline Hayes Christianna Lewis

Director of Sales and Marketing Christianna Lewis christianna@thcmag.com

Partners Artie Bergeron Jason Robillard

Contributing Writers Jason Brown Hazy Cakes Joshua Davis Binger Hashman Caroline Hayes Erin Hiatt Joshua Kappel, Esq. Rick Macey Monocle Man Liz Mund Dr. Alan Shackelford, M.D. Matthew Snyders Susan Squibb KC Stark Christopher Tucker Rachelle Yeung

Cover Art Christianna Lewis

Printer American Web 4040 Dahlia Street Denver, CO 80216 ph 303.321.2422 fax 303.321.6636 The Hemp Connoisseur magazines are presented by The Hemp Connoisseur, LLC. All contents are copyrighted 2012 by The Hemp Connoisseur, LLC. For advertising or subscription info, please email sales@thcmag.com.

Special thanks to Kim Sidwell and Crystal Guess for contributing to our cover mosaic.

6 April/May

CONTRIBUTORS

719.963.1226

Binger Hashman is an American advertising professional who has lived in the Netherlands for over a decade. Binger is passionate about American Football, the UFC and anything cannabis related.

Binger hopes to entertain, educate and enlighten all THC readers with his columns, interviews and articles.

Erin Hiatt is an instructor of musical theatre, dance, and voice. She also works in the financial industry in New York City. She has a BA in Musical Theatre Performance from Weber State University in Ogden, UT. Erin is an actress who has appeared in film, television, commercials, plays, and print, most recently for Oprah magazine.

She is an avid hiker.

Caroline Hayes graduated from Ball State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a focus in Magazine Design and Writing. She moved to Colorado after college to pursue a career and enjoy the scenery. Caroline started as a freelance writer for The Hemp Connoisseur and has furthered her position there designing page layout and editing. Caroline is enthusiastic about her newfound position at THC and looks forward to a bright future with the magazine.

Joshua Kappel, Esq. is the Associate Director of Sensible Colorado and the Senior Associate at Vicente Sederberg, LLC. Mr. Kappel was a part of the Amendment 64 drafting commitee and a part of the Amendment 64 campaign.

Rick Macey is an award-winning newspaper, magazine writer and television producer. Since 2000, Macey TV has won several broadcasting awards for sports, live music, talk shows, and alternative lifestyles programs. Macey TV contributed to A NORML Life a Los Angeles PBS Emmy award-winning documentary on medical marijuana in CA. CannabisTube - the world’s first broadcast quality TV marijuana website - is one of Rick’s recent projects. He produces Tasteful Adventures, CO’s first food/travel program.

Monocle Man is a responsible, educated MMJ patient who enjoys the thrills of the cannabis industry. He takes all factors into thorough consideration and approaches each review with an open and objective mind. His knack for the trade assists him in creating valid

Liz Mund is a freelance writer living and working in Denver, CO. Initially commissioned for a small piece in the second issue of The Hemp Connoisseur; Liz has stayed on as a contributing writer, and her enthusiasm for the hemp industry continues to grow with each assignment. Her style is playful and poignant, hoping to connect with readers on a personal level. Liz has been published in various trade magazines and art journals and is currently working on publishing a fiction novel.

KC Stark is a medical marijuana entrepreneur and MMJ advocate in Colorado Springs who works to bring local governments, dispensaries and patients together in a free market. He has worked with hundreds of marijuana centers and thousands of patients to insure safe, affordable and legal access to MMJ. KC served on the Mayor’s Medical Marijuana Task Force and is founder of Go Green Cross, the MMJ Exchange, the MMJ Business Academy, MMJ Centers for Sale and the MMJIQ.

Matt Snyders is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in Minneapolis City Pages, LA Weekly, Westword, and The Village Voice, among other publications. A graduate from the University of Iowa, he’s been a featured guest on The Ed Show on MSNBC, Fox News Live, and The Rachel Maddow Show on Air America.

Chris Tucker is a contributor for the LocalMC as a member of their review board. He does content writing/copywriting for various websites and his first novel, an action/adventure novel, is due out within the next few months.

Contents 4

A Letter to Our Readers

12

The Green Scene

...and the governor

RiverRock events, a hemp college class and holistic healing

14

In the Spotlight A peek at Hemp HoodLAMB’s line

22

Eco-Artist Zach Yendra

26

Good Eats Cannabis infused recipes to shock and persuade your taste buds to ignite!

28

Cheryl Shuman: Cannabis’ Media Queen

32

Are More Plants Legal?

by Dr. Alan Shackelford

34

Dan May: Enough is Enough How Dan May is encroaching on the Constitutional rights of Colorado Springs’ citizens

36 38

We Love Jared Polis THC chats with this amazingly logical senator

Dabbing

The good, the bad, the ugly and the rsponsible

42

The Endocannabinoid System

45

Teamwork

Your body’s hero How non-profits are working together

28 8 Aprill/May

42 46

Past, Present, and Future A look at legalization struggles

50

Sensible Colorado

55

20 Questions with L.E.A.P.’s Jason Thomas

58

Hemp Shield

The Taskforce’s Working Groups

Protect your wood as nature intended

63

CO’s Most Influential Person Sean Azzariti

66

Life on the Road With the Hash Queen

71

Denver Dispensary Guide

86

Colorado Springs Guide

92

Index

95

38

The Journal of Mila Jansen

NEW!!!! Coupons

Dispensary Guide BOULDER

82 SOMA Wellness Lounge

DENVER

73 The Clinic 74 Colorado Alternative Medicine (CAM) 76 Good Meds Network 72 The Hemp Center 72 Higher Expectations 77 Holistic Life 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx 79 Mind, Body, Spirit Wellness Clinic 80 Physician Preferred Products 81 Preferred Organic Therapy & Wellness 84 Southwest Alternative Care 85 Standing Akimbo

COLORADO SPRINGS/MOUNTAINS 88 Amendment 20 87 FRAM 89 Nature’s Own Wellness Center 90 Palmer Lake Wellness 91 Rocky Mountain Miracles

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 8AM - 7PM Check out our coupons in the back of the magazine

thcmag.com 9

The GREEN Scene RiverRock is changing the game when it comes to pretty much everything, especially events. Since they have so much going on that we can barely keep up on, we thought we’d map it out for our readers (and ourselves) so nobody misses a thing!

What: Featured Artist Patient Appreciation Parties When: Every Friday, 12p.m.to 7p.m.

Where: River Rock South, Why: Every week, an artist is chosen to have their artwork displayed at RiverRock South. Free catered food, fresh RAW juices, free massages (Every 1st Friday), discounted meds for all patients ($25/eights, $200/ounces) and new product releases. Specials & discounts also apply at all locations!

What: First Friday After Party!

When: Every 1st Friday, after 7p.m.

Where: Illuzion Glass, 238 S. Broadway, Denver, CO 80203 Why: To celebrate! To Party! Amazing glass artist team up for live glass collabs, offer music, food and free beer (with donation).

What: Free (gentle) yoga When: Every Tuesday 7:30p.m.to 8:30 p.m.

Where: River Rock North Why: Relax and stretch the mind, body and soul! Meditation practices.

Yoga mats provided.

What: Patient Appreciation Party When: Every 3rd Saturday Where: River Rock North Why: To appreciate the patients! 420 RiverRock television trivia, FREE food, FREE massage, prizes, live music, discounted meds for all patients ($25/eights, $200/ounces) and new product releases. This month OG edibles, CBD1 Priva, CBN Priva and CBD1 Shatter.

Local Events

Canna*val

3354 Larimer Street Denver April 15-21 Presented by Stagemasta and HoodLAB.The world’s first cannabis themed carnival! Games, rides, food. Live performances, DJs and bands. (www.hoodlabstore.com)

420 Rally

Civic Center Park Denver April 20-21st Djs, bands, hemp fashion show, fundraiser peformances and more. (www.tokeofthetown.com)

THC’s 420 Reggae Party Casselman’s

April 20 7p.m.-2a.m.

THC mag in association with High Times and Cannabis Energy Drink presents Barrington Levy, Dead Prez and more. Tickets are $30.

Earth Day Festival

Denver City & County Building April 22 10a.m.-2p.m.

A FREE event. This is the “City’s first zero waste, solar powered event! A showcase of local businesses, organizations, and agencies that practice or provide environmentally-friendly and sustainable services and products. The festival will also feature a few of Denver’s favorite food trucks to satisfy your appetite.” (denverenergy.org)

4th Annual Hemp History Week June 3-9th Denver North 4935 York St Denver CO M-F 9-7p.m. | S-S 10-6p.m.

Call 303.474.4136

12 April/May

Denver South 990 West 6th Ave. Denver CO M-F 8-7p.m. | S-S 10-6p.m.

Call 303.825.3314

Join advocates around the nation in celebrating Hemp: Our Heritage, Our Future. (hemphistoryweek.com)

Big Plant on Campus: Hemp’s 1st Ever College Credit

by Liz Mund One of my favorite classes in college was called East Asian Views of Nature. I’m fairly certain I chose it solely because of its title—how different could views of nature be? Startlingly so, it turned out. The course literally opened my eyes to a universe I hadn’t the tools to comprehend before. I took several more classes on the basis of name after that, and can’t say I was ever disappointed. Well, Intellectual Roots of the Italian Renaissance was a dud. But I digress.

There are classes on the different views of just about every aspect of existence: from politics and religion to experimental physics, to chemical engineering and renewable energy, each subject with its own myriad of subtopics. Up until very recently, students of botany and environmental science have lacked access to the study of one critical plant species: hemp. For the first time in recorded U.S history, a university is offering college credit for a course specifically focused on the little green plant that is a major game player in our environmental future.

February 24th of this year, sophomore students of Oregon State University (and students of accommodating schools via OSU Ecampus) were able to register for the first ever college course on industrial hemp. Spring term begins April 1st, and

by February 26th, the class was full! WSE

266 Industrial Hemp is required for newly formed Renewable Resources majors, but is open to all OSU students and counts as a core credit class for science. The world of academia has made the first step towards recognizing the value and potential of a plant that has been illegal and ignored to the detriment of this country’s pockets and carbon footprint. Hooray!

Anndrea Hermann, M.Sc, B.Gs, P.Ag, will be the lead instructor and is as close to an expert on the subject as one might imagine. Hermann is clearly passionate about her subject, as evidenced by her lengthy credentials and fifteen plus years in the Canadian and International Hemp Cannabis Industry. A series of twenty-six guest lecturers (all top researchers in the hemp industry) will augment her proposed curriculum, which will cover: History (nationally and internationally), Botany, Pharmacology, Agronomy, Business, Breeding/Pedigree Seed Classification, Political Science, Hemp Nutrition Food Science, Hemp Body care & Cosmetics Applications, Fiber and Textiles, Hemp Paper, International Case Studies from South Africa and Uruguay, Animal Science (Chicken and Dairy Cattle feeding trials), Sealer Applications, Composites such as Panels, Matting, Insulation and Plastic type applications, Hemp in Building, Bioenergy and Nanotechnology—to name

some of the topics that will be covered.

Just some? Sounds to me like WSE 266 Industrial Hemp will prove to be worthy of more than a single semester course. If I had seen this course on a registry back in the day, I’d have jumped on it by title alone, and by all appearances, OSU students did just that. Perhaps one day OSU will expand the focus on industrial hemp, creating a major based on the vastness of hemp’s capabilities. Imagine: people educated with the truth that could expertly consult with farmers, government policy makers and the public about the potential of this botanical wonder plant…

WSE 266 was brought to OSU by Dave Seber from Hemp Shield, John Simenson OSU and he College of Forestry and will be led by Anndrea Hermann M.Sc., B.Gs., P.Ag WSE 266 Industrial Hemp - Oregon State University ECampus Spring term registration dates: http://catalog.oregonstate.edu/ ChapterDetail.aspx?Key=148 Course starts on Monday April 1, 2013 Fees for ECampus http://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/services/tuition/ If you have never registered for a course at OSU, go to: https://adminfo.ucsadm.oregonstate.edu/prod/bwskalog.P_DispLoginNon Then register for the course: http:// catalog.oregonstate.edu/CourseDetail.

NEW LOOK. SAME AWARD WINNING EDIBLES.

3801 North Jason Street Denver, CO 80211 303-997-4526 www.standingakimbo.org

2011 & 2012 MmEeDdIiıCcAaLl CcAaNnNnAaBbIiıSs CcUuPp WwIiıNnNnEeRrSs

thcmag.com 13

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

“

We are an urban fashion label from Amsterdam making high quality outerwear using sustainable methods. Signature items from our collection are the Hemp HoodLamb Winter Jackets. Nothing warms you up quicker during a city blizzard or after a cold session in the surf or snow. These winterproof jackets are made of sturdy hemp and organic cotton and are lined with a soft fake fur made from hemp and recycled plastic.

Even the water-resistant coating is environmentally friendly.

We developed our own alternative made from eco-friendly hemp cellulose. Besides a broad line of top-notch Winter Jackets, our collection includes essential Winter Accessories like hats and gloves, soft and warm hoodies & sweaters, stylish shirts and comfortable tees.

�

HoodLAB HoodLamb Store and Art Gallery 3354 Larimer St. Denver, CO 80205 Tuesday-Saturday 12pm-7pm or online at www.hoodlabstore.com www.shop.hoodlamb.com 14 April/May

HoodLamb was established in Amsterdam in 1993 and is an independent hemp label offering a broad collection of refreshing hemp gear. With HoodLamb our main aim is to promote a contra-movement against the mass-production and mass-pollution of the clothing industry and to demonstrate that a solution for sustainable living can be found in hemp. When it comes to design, we choose not to follow the hypes of the fashion world but create apparel that is timeless and innovative. For every new collection HoodLamb works together with guest designers to create unique pieces and prints. Progress is a key-element of the HoodLamb philosophy and each new season HoodLamb features new developments within eco-technology, functionality and sustainability.

Ladies’ Gear Ladies Antidote Tee A great design from the HoodLamb T-Shirt collection. The Antidote Tee has a relaxed fit and a cool graphic print on the front . It’s the perfect top to match your skinny jeans. It’s made from lightweight hemp/organic cotton jersey, a breathable and soft fabric that’s not only eco-friendly but also very comfortable to wear.

Ladies Zip Up Hoody FW 12/13 The HoodLamb Zip Up is one of the most comfortable hoodies ever. It has a great cut and is made from a soft and warm hemp/organic cotton blend. The raised collar keeps you nice and warm during cold Fall days and the thumbholes are great to prevent the wind to creep up your sleeves when riding your bike.

Ladies Herringbone Shorts Essential for summer; a nice pair of shorts! HoodLamb’s Herringbone Shorts are made from a lightweight and soft hemp/organic cotton blend. It has a great fit, many handy pockets to keep all your little things and cool contrasting pocket fabric to finnish it off.

Black & White Mini Shoulder Bag It’s time to put away your woolly winter scarves and embrace the sun with this stylish and eco friendly summer Mini Shoulder Bag & Rucksack. Designed to be worn as a shoulder bag or a rucksack, this hemp summer bag is your ideal accessory to do your bit for the planet and also look fabulous. Ideal for everyday as well as holiday use, this fantastic shoulder bag can be transformed into a small rucksack at the pull of the handles offering you convenience and a distributed weight across the back.

Whether you’re nipping around your local shops, or staying around a friends place, this stylish bag can be easily folded away making it the perfect solution to all your storage needs.

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Men’s Gear Men’s Longsleeve Sleeve This soft and comfortable longsleeve has got that classic look, but also urban HoodLamb style. It has a semi-slim fit and is made from a hemp/organic cotton herringbone blend for never ending comfort.

A perfect shirt for special occasions, a day at the office or any day that deserves a longsleeve shirt.

Men’s Herringbone Shorts These shorts are made from our hemp/organic cotton herringbone. A light fabric that’s soft and breathable; just perfect for any summer day!

It has a relaxed fit, handy secret pocket and nice HoodLamb details to finish it off!

Laptop Briefcase Designed to make your life easier, this laptop bag has lots of compartments to keep all your essentials to hand. The Train Card Holder means no more fumbling about on public transport, while lockable pockets keep you secure, perfect for busy cities and pick-pocket hotspots. With everything you need for commuting, studying and busy lifestyles, the Hemp Multi-Purpose Laptop Bag takes care of you and your laptop no matter what.

Men’s Furry Hoody Every one who’s ever owned a HoodLamb Furry Hoody will state it’s the best hoody you could ever own. A stylish hoody which is warm enough to wear as jacket, lined with soft cruelty free hemp fur. Wrapped up in one of these, you’ll lough at any cold Winter day! It has handy features like a secret pocket hidden away in the soft fur. Made from durable hemp and organic cotton, this hemp hoody/jacket will remain your everyday favorite for a long time.

16 April/May

Denver Relief’s Green Team Wants You: Help Them Make A Difference How a Single MMC is Impacting Colorado in a Big Way Denver Relief’s owners Kayvan Khalatbari, Ean Seeb and Nick Hice aren’t just about providing some of the best medical cannabis in Colorado, they are also helping our community in every way they can. That’s where The Green Team comes in.

The Green Team was established in 2009, at that same time Denver Relief came to be. “Even before we founded Denver Relief, each of us was focused on giving back to the communities in which we live,” Seeb told THC mag.

Since its inception, The Green Team has had more than 100 volunteers providing help in a variety of avenues for the community, including providing clean up for the 420 Rally at the Capitol every year since 2009, collecting more than 500 bags of trash. They have also raised more than $1500 for quite a few charitable causes including: The Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America, The American Cancer Society, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Denver Kids. Denver Kids is a cause that is very near and dear to Kayvan as he has been mentoring a young man there for more than five years.

In fact, Kayvan has promised to match sponsorship dollars raised

by The Green Team to go to the thirteen year old to be used solely as a scholarship fund for his higher education.

They have also been holding an ongoing food drive at the center in which they have a 55-gallon drum wrapped with the words “Need some food? Take some food. Have some food? Leave some food.”

Outside of their dispensary they work with a local CSA farm and help with their gardening. Last year they held three different functions helping them harvest local food to supply to local food pantries with fresh, raw, organic produce, herbs

and spices for those in need.

Among some of the other great events they hold is a free bicycle and wheelchair repair clinic. Professional bike techs have provided parts and tuneups for over 210 wheelchairs and bikes. They also provide free grow classes for fledgling horticulturists.

If you would like to be a volunteer for this great organization you can go to their Facebook page at facebook. com/denverreliefgreenteam (QR code below), send an email to info@denverrelief.com or call the dispensary directly at 303420-MEDS. Or if you are one of those lastminute patients just go to The Green Team tent the day of the rally.

Volunteers will get a free Green Team t-shirt just for being there.

Also, for every filled trash bag brought back to the tent, volunteers get two free slice cards for Sexy Pizza. They will also be giving away prizes for those who collect the most trash. Prizes are being provided by all of the different sponsors of The Green Team listed below which includes a number of other community focused MMJ businesses who have joined up with The Green Team to make a difference.

Proud Green Team Sponsors: Natural Remedies Pink House Blooms Local Product of Colorado Walking Raven Illusion Glass MMC Depot MMD Doctors THC Magazine

thcmag.com 17

Holistic Healing

by Liz Mund

Burns are a nasty affair. If you’ve never experienced a second or third degree burn, count your skin lucky. My recent experience with a severe burn from an oil fire was the impetus for this article, specifically the healing process that followed. Apparently, burns are such a specialized field that even experienced emergency room doctors aren’t comfortable making concrete diagnoses.

This is my hand 24 hours (1) and 48 hours (2) (respectively) from time of accident.

1 After being sent directly to

2

urgent care by my nurse friend when she saw my hand, I was seen by three nurses, two doctors and the surgery team, all of whom agreed that I be seen by specialists. I was referred to the burn clinic at a different hospital. This was not encouraging.

When you hurt yourself, there is that part of you that knows when it is bad enough to seek help. This was one of those times.

So I listened as the head surgeon of the burn team told me that there was little to no chance that I would not need a skin graft in the near future, and that in the meantime I was to keep my hand above my heart when possible, clean the wound two times a day, slather it with prescription cream, wrap, cover, repeat.

My questions about alternative methods weren’t scoffed at but were dismissed pleasantly.

8 days in On my third visit to the clinic, eighteen days from ground zero, the team was still holding firm that a graft was more than likely, but sensing my hesitation agreed that time couldn’t hurt and I could wait another week if I wanted to. I most certainly did. The idea of three days in hospital for surgery to relocate a slice of my thigh was not one I enjoyed contemplating. I was not ready to give up. After the slew of doctors left, one of the nurses (who I secretly thought of as my personal cheerleader) told me I could stop the prescription cream in lieu of a generic topical antibiotic on any open wound areas, begin using lotion around the healing edges (Ohhh, almost like actual scratching), and

18 April/May

continue the hand and finger stretches I had started on my own.

This small bit of freedom was an inspiration—a bubble of hope that perhaps surgery might be avoidable. So, I buckled down and did a LOT of research, deciding it was time to add my own course of treatment, in addition to what the burn team already prescribed.

This first picture (3) is of the burn the day I stopped using the sulphadiazine cream (5 weeks).

3 The second (4) is two

weeks later. See that green stuff around my fingers? That is Manitoba Harvest’s 100 percent percent organic pressed hemp oil! Here I must add a disclaimer: I used the hemp oil in the morning and evening but also applied NOW’s 100 per4 cent lavender oil, (both purchased at my local Vitamin Cottage) as well as Padanjaly LTD’s ayurvedic balm from India (purchased online at padanjaly.com) twice daily. And to the good doctors: did continue to wash with antibacterial soap and cover any open areas with antibiotic.

Lavender oil is a given, and should be a staple in any first aid kit. As for the ayruvedic balm, (once translated) the ingredients were benign (extracts of banana, coconut, cumin?)

If you can eat it, you can apply it (a logical rule of thumb).

Last and definitely not least, why hemp seed oil? The most important aspect of healing a burn (aside from preventing infection) is keeping the area from drying out. Hemp seed oil is skin friendly due to its high concentration (80 percent) of essential (unsaturated) fatty acids, linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linoleic acid (ALA) as well as gamma-linoleic acid (GLA). GLA is used to treat dry skin, eczema, psoriasis and scars, and is a rare natural occuring ingredient. There are other oils that possess the similar ingredients (LA and ALA) and even the scarcer GLA, such as primrose and borage.

But H.S.E has a little secret advantage: The ratio of LA and ALA in hemp seed oil is 3:1. In borage oil it is 30:1. Human skin? 4:1. The proximity in essential acid ratios of hemp seed oil and our skin allows for moisture to be absorbed rather than laying on top like an oil slick. (Think back to ninth grade, laying out in the backyard slathered in baby oil.)

On top of being an excellent moisturizer, hemp seed oil is

a natural anti inflammatory with antibacterial properties. So I decided to give it a go. I continued my routine of lavender, balm and hemp oil until my next appointment. When the doctor unwrapped my hand; I kid you not: “Well. Look at that?

I guess it’s a good thing we waited, hmm? Is this just from switching to the antibiotic cream?”

still using it. I cant help but wonder if I hadn’t implemented hemp seed oil, or the others—might I be looking down upon a patch of the back of my thigh as I type this….?

My inner voice cheered triumphantly. I was released that day with well wishes for healing, assured that surgery was off the table. I floated for the rest of the day, saying silent and not so silent prayers of thanks to all things hemp, lavender and Indian. This is my hand today, seven and a half weeks after injury (5): While there are people who have attempted home remedies on severe burns such as mine from the get go; I am not recommending trying to treat a serious burn without consulting a professional. I am eternally grateful for the medical attention I received at the clinic, and don’t for a moment think I would have healed as well without it.

5

That said…I noticed a difference after using the hemp oil every day. So did my doctor. My skin was softer, didn’t dry out as quickly and seemed to speed up the pace of healing. I am

thcmag.com 19

Ask Lady Cannabis

As you know, gentle reader, consuming cannabis is a safe and enjoyable way to relax and spend time with others. There is a proper way to do this and several improper ways. Let Lady Cannabis address your questions regarding the etiquette of responsible adult cannabis consumption in various social settings.

Dear Lady Cannabis, I am a mother of a 16-year-old who knows that I medicate with MMJ. He wants to try cannabis and calls me a hypocrite for not allowing him try it out. I’m worried that he’ll get it from his friends without my consent. How can I explain to him that he is not ready to use it, seeing as he doesn’t have a medical condition that would warrant it? Patient Parent Dear Patient Parent, While you use cannabis for alleviation of a medical condition, your teenage son wants your permission to experiment with cannabis in a recreational setting.

Although it is a safer recreational drug than alcohol or tobacco, recreational drug use is not appropriate for teenagers. Your son needs to understand he is still growing up and experimenting at this time is not the best choice. When he is an adult, he can make his own choices.

Talk to your son and tell him why the answer is no. In the meantime, it is important to examine and model appropriate cannabis use in the home. As a patient and a parent, how do you medicate? Are you solitary and discreet or social and open? When consuming medical cannabis, especially in a social setting in the home, be

20 April/May

the responsible adult your son needs to see.

Dear Lady Cannabis, When you’re at a party, how do you know if it will be acceptable to spark one? Chill Dude Dear Chill Dude, If you are at a small gathering of adults, ask the host for a recommended place. Tell your host about your herbal party favor and ask when is an appropriate time to have a puff. If no clear indication is given, be discreet. Take a small circle of interested guests, go outside to a private area and make sure you will not be missing an organized activity while you are gone.

At larger parties, the center of an adult crowd can be a safe place to smoke cannabis. If you want more privacy, go to a comfortable spot along the party perimeter.

What is your question for Lady Cannabis? Send your questions to cannabismaven@gmail.com.

Lady Cannabis is a perfect lady. Ms. Susan Squibb, the Cannabis Maven, on the other hand, enjoys cavorting. Ms. Squibb is an innovative cannabis product developer and produces events including the annual Mother’s High Tea. Ms. Squibb is a graduate of University of ColoradoBoulder where she majored in Anthropology.

Responsible cannabis use for colorado adults

Brought to you by:

icomply ComplyWithMe.com

Cannabis use is for Colorado Adults ONLY – Please Use Responsibly.

Cannabis consumption is for Colorado Adults 21+ only. Use by minors and contributing to the delinquency of minors remains illegal. Do Not sell cannabis. Do Not smuggle it outside of Colorado. Do Not ship cannabis through the mail, FedEx or UPS. Never purchase or carry more than 1oz of marijuana at any time. Never grow more than 3 plants in flower or vegetative stages and never more than 6 plants total. You CANNOT Use Cannabis in Public, Colorado allows for Private use only.

Don’t use & Drive

21+

Do not operate a motor vehicle or other machinery impaired by cannabis. Although cannabis is said by most experts to be safer than alcohol and many prescription drugs, public safety demands that impaired drivers be taken off the road and that objective measures of impairment be developed and used.

Wait at least one to three hours after smoking before getting behind the wheel.

Don’t drink and use cannabis before driving; alcohol impairs skills and judgment; smoking cannabis does not help. Do not smuggle cannabis out of Colorado and Do Not smoke in a car - The smell of cannabis coming from a car is probable cause for police that you are smoking and driving which will result in a DUI arrest.

Set & Setting Carefully consider your setting and regulate your use of cannabis accordingly. Be vigilant to your conditions -- time, place, mood, etc. -- and do not use marijuana if and when the set and setting are not condu- cive to a safe, pleasant and/or productive experience. Avoid using marijuana at school or on the job. Be aware of your set and setting, and whether or not it is appropriate to use cannabis right then, right there.

Resist abuse Use of cannabis, to the extent that it impairs health, personal development or achievement, is abuse and should be resisted by responsible cannabis users. Abuse means harm. Cannabis use in excess is harmful; in moderation is not. Know how cannabis affects you, and know your limits. Cannabis is a great reward at the end of the day for a job well done, when it’s time to relax to use in moderation or on weekends/spe- cial occasions. If you feel you abuse cannabis, seek professional help.

RESPECT THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS Do not violate the rights of others; please act with standards of courtesy and public propriety, and respect the preferences of those who wish to avoid cannabis entirely.

Regardless of the legal status of cannabis, responsible use means adhering to tobacco smoking protocols. Employers have the right to expect employees not to be high, drugged, or drunk on the job. Expect to conform to reasonable workplace standards; including a private employers’ choice on drug testing policies.

Design & Illustrations by Tedd Arcuri | TeddArcuri.com

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Eco Artist

by Caroline Hayes

by Caroline Hayes

Zach Yendra of Yendra Built

Nothing beats good quality and intention, which is the premise of YendraBuilt of Fort Collins, CO. THC carefully selects eco artists who uphold a standard of using quality materials, with positive objectives. With that said, Zach Yendra of YendraBuilt is the perfect candidate for this issue.

“From supporting the small hardware store right behind our shop to scrounging through piles of discarded lumber to somehow bringing a load back every time we go to the dump, local and reclaimed is always on our minds,” says Zach Yendra. Sourcing up to 95 percent of the materials locally, YendraBuilt contacts local businesses for repurposed materials if reclaimed materials aren’t available. “We believe in supporting our neighbors when we can, even if we end up paying a fraction more in the end, it’s worth it in the long run. People over profits,” Yendra said. Now that’s what an “eco artist” is all about!

So where does one mindful artist’s vision come from?

Yendra says, “My biggest inspirations come from a bygone era of quality goods built to last, back to a time when it made

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sense to build something as good as humanly possible using the highest quality materials locally available. You wanted a piece to last forever because you intended on using it forever and passing it to the next generations and so on.”

With a heartfelt statement like that, who wouldn’t want to buy a piece of furniture from Yendra Built?

As always, there is a goal in mind here. “I’d like to see our shop continue to grow with the great clients we work with while maintaining our core values and beliefs. Building a wide range of great products that will last several lifetimes for great people that believe in quality craftsmanship over mass produced disposable goods. As far as myself, I hope to be able to take months off at a time to adventure the world in a custom built adventure rig, mountain bikes, climbing gear and all!”

If you like what you see here and would like more information and pictures, visit www.yendrabuilt.com, email zach@ yendrabuilt.com or like Yendra Built on Facebook.

Opposite Page: The Zombie Cage.

This was built for Crankenstein bar in Fort Collins to close off the bike shop and coffee roasting at night, constructed almost entirely of reclaimed steel, from the large “Elk fence” cut into sections to the engine blocks and pulley system used to raise and lower the gates medieval style. Photography credit to Patrick Messal, Luminant Photography.

Below: Zag Coffee Table One of Yendra Built’s most popular pieces. Built from reclaimed redwood from a deck and 1/2” bar stock steel. “There’s probably 10 or so in homes in the Front Range, you can also find one in the taproom at Equinox in Fort Collins.” Photography credit to Patrick Messal, Luminant Photography.

Patrick Messal Luminant Photography

Above: Jockey Box Custom Jockey Box built for Elevation Beer Co. Built out of 100 year old reclaimed douglas fir with a reclaimed stainless sheet metal inner cooler. Photography: Patrick Messal.

Below: The Bootlegger. Yendra’s favorite creation: “I’d have to go with the first Bootlegger we built for Equinox Brewing in Fort Collins. They wanted to stick with their original plan of only delivering fresh kegs by human power, however, as the demand continued to grow walking around downtown delivering hundreds of pounds of beer on a dolly become pretty laborious.

We came up with a custom pedal-powered trike for them to use, this way they could deliver all their beer faster and safer all while looking damn good doing it.” Photography: Brian Lackey.

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TASTY MEDICINE An alternative to smoking reviewed by Hazy Cakes

Canyon Cultivation Dose-It

These days, medicated products come in almost every shape and form but what happens when you are eating something delightful only to wish it were actually medicated? You Dose-It! Canyon Cultivation has conquered yet another obstacle. Dose-It gives the patient the ability to medicate whatever they are eating whether it be refreshing piece of sushi or a savory cupcake, Dose-It’s dueling flavors allow the patient to spray the medication directly onto their food.

“Dose-It Sweet is infused with oil distilled from organic Indian vanilla beans. Dose-It Savory has black pepper extract which will cause a better absorption making for a stronger effect due to higher bioavailability,” according to Morgan Iwersen of Canyon Cultivation. Dose-It is 100 percent Gluten Free, so anybody with diet restrictions can enjoy. Another great quality about this product is that the oil used is based from organic cane ethanol and sustainably produced palm glycerin. The taste is powerful and so is the punch. Only a few sprays will leave you feeling great and pain-free. According to Canyon Cultivation, this product is not recommended for sublingual use (I tried it and it was a horrible taste). Happy Dosing! www.canyoncultivation.com

Sweet Grass Truffle Brownie

It’s nice to run across an edible that doesn’t ruin your day and upholds its “standards” as just a brownie. Sweet Grass’ Truffle Brownie is no exception to this. Slightly medicated in taste and lighter in potency, this is a perfect edible for beginners, lightweights and people who have things to accomplish during the day. Although I ended up eating the entire brownie, I always recommend to start with half or even a quarter of whatever product you are trying. Remember that you can always eat more but deactivating the meds isn’t easy.

I didn’t feel too many psychoactive effects but I did feel relaxed and pain free. I also didn’t feel hung over the next day, which is a major bonus. According to the folks at Sweet Grass, they are one of very few kitchens in Colorado to bake confections with infused butter. Hash and concentrates can be difficult to digest whereas butter is something that people’s stomachs are accustomed to consuming, so this treat will be easy on your stomach.

They use the “old school” method of slow 72-hour simmer of their sweet leaf. It is then “triple strained with fine cheese cloths before it’s baked into the product.” The Truffle Brownie tasted like a typical medicated brownie-not bad but not necessarily good, however, I guess that depends on your opinion of whether you think medicated food tastes good or not. It is definitely rich so a glass of milk is a good accompaniment.

At just $5 for approximately 68mg, this is one of the more affordable products on the market so go pick ones up from your favorite dispensary. Enjoy! sweetgrasskitchen.com

Apothecanna Pain Spray Review

After an afternoon of shoveling heavy snow my lower back was screaming for relief.

It was the perfect time to try my Apothecanna Extra Strength Pain Spray. I have used Apothecanna products before and have always been pleased with the results but this was my first time using their spray. Immediately upon application there was a pleasant minty smell that was not as overbearing as using Bengay or Icy Hot. A wonderful numbing sensation provided instant relief to my soreness. But that is not when the real magic of this great product happened. About twenty minutes later I started to feel the tightness in my back just melt away. I assume this was the cannabis acting as the excellent anti-inflammatory it is, as well as the other all-natural botanicals that they use to help absorption. Another pleasant side effect of the Extra Strength Pain Spray is I noticed a slight high to it as well. I also tried their regular strength spray with very similar results, except for the high. Great for daytime relief without any head change and awesome for nighttime relief so I can comfortably drift to sleep. Both sprays are now staples in my medicine cabinet and I use them both for my aches and pains. All cannabis connoisseurs should do the same. www.apothecanna.com

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Dr. J’s Star Bar Dr. J’s has consistently made high quality edibles for quite sometime now. The Milk Chocolate Crispie Star Bar is no exception. It is professionally sealed in childproof gold packaging, which states that 250mg of pure H2O trichome extract is inside this little chocolate nugget. Note that the 250mg is the total weight of the extract but not how many activated milligrams of THC it contains. This is actually my only reservation about the bar because I like to have an idea of what I’m getting into before I pop an edible in my mouth. When I talked to Dr. J himself he told me that there is around 175mg of activated THC in every bar. He had also mentioned that until the MED comes up with a set of standards on how medical cannabis should be tested, that putting out activated THC numbers can be misleading as he discovered that multiple labs testing the same product can come back with widely varied results.

Any misgivings I might have had about the strength of this little treat were gone very quickly after trying it. It had a definite, but not overpowering, taste of medicine in the first bite. With the taste of high quality chocolate and the addition of the crispies, the Star Bar is a delicious treat. One of the things that stood out for me was the quick activation of the bar. I had a relatively empty stomach so within about fifteen minutes I began feeling a wave of relaxation begin to take hold throughout my body. I also noticed that it was a relatively even-keeled feeling without any major peaks or valleys in the experience, which is something I really appreciated. It provided me with overwhelming positive vibes that lasted for about five to six hours. With my experience I would recommend this to anyone who has anxiety, depression or just wants to have a happy day or night. Dr. J could have named himself Dr. Feelgood. www.drjshashinfusion.com

Flo Energy Now I know that some of you might think that cannabis and energy are not synonymous with each other. Usually I would agree but not after seeing how Flo Energy combines the two. The first thing that stuck out for me was the packaging. Creation of Cannabis Concepts’ design of Flo Energy’s labels show us just how slick marketing is getting in the medical cannabis industry. Utilizing a strain specific approach, the bottle I had contained 50mg of 95 percent activated sativa- dominant Flo THC. Flo Energy is made with 100 percent all natural ingredients and sweetened with agave nectar.

The flavor, not specified on the bottle, was excellent. With barely a hint of medicine flavor, it bursts with a delicious lime taste yet not too sweet on the palette. My experience with the medication was interesting. After about 30 minutes I started to feel it creep into my body.

The high energy seemed to time release about an hour after I drank it. When it did kick in there was no stopping it. I was reading a book at the time and noticed that I had to read the same paragraph three times because my mind was racing and couldn’t focus on the task at hand. I realized this drink is not designed for sitting around and relaxing. In an hour and a half I reorganized my closet, cleaned the house and gave my dog a bath but still Flo Energy wanted more from me. Also, there were no jitters to be found, which can be an issue for me with some energy drinks. This beverage is ideal for anyone who wants to be physically active while medicated. Whether I’m going on a hike or if I have a lot of tasks to do that don’t require mental focus I will be picking up a Flo Energy drink. www.floenergydrink.com.

Solace Meds Canna Cappuccino I would like to start this review with a disclaimer: If you are a novice with edibles take light doses with this product. Canna Cappuccino from Solace Meds is a tasty drink that packs a massive punch. At 316mg, Solace Meds drinks are some of the strongest products on the market.

The Canna Cappuccino comes in a 12oz clear glass bottle with re-sealable cap. This was not my first time having one of Solace Meds products so I knew what was in store. For this sitting I poured two shot glasses (I have found this can be a better way of controlling your doses.) It had a rich coffee taste with a hint of medicine after taste. The Canna Cappuccino was fast acting, kicking into full effect within 30 minutes. My eyes were heavy and my mind was starting to cloud over. After a few hours I poured another shot before bed. The Canna Cappuccino made for a perfect night cap and I slept like a baby. If you are suffering from severe pain this can be a great option. Yet another powerful product from Solace Meds. Drink with caution. www.chaihightea.com

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GANJA EATS

With 420 right around the corner, we thought we would provide you not only with a few recipes to create a delicious meal but the tools to medicate just about any recipe with cannabis infused butter and oil. As always, please medicate responsibly. And if you prefer unmedicated food, these recipes are delightful on their own or with hemp oil.

Asparagus 1 pound fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed 2 Tablespoons hemp oil (medicated or not) 1 teaspoon minced garlic, or to taste

¼ teaspoon dill ¼ teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon sea salt Aluminum foil Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lay out large sheet of aluminum foil, set asparagus on center of foil. Fold the foil around the asparagus to create an envelope/pouch but leave the top open. Sprinkle asparagus with minced garlic, dill, sea salt, and onion powder. Then drizzle the hemp oil over the top and seal up the foil envelope/pouch. Place pouch on a cookie sheet. Bake on the top rack for 30 minutes.

Healthy Dinner Salad 1 bag mixed greens Cannabis hemp oil according to taste Fresh lemon juice Fresh ground black pepper Shredded parmesan Cherry tomatoes Cucumber Red onion Chop all vegetables. Combine lettuce and vegetables in a bowl.

Add oil, lemon juice and black pepper to taste. Top with parmesan.

Toss. Serve. Enjoy!

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Garlic Bread 1 loaf French or Italian bread cut lengthwise 5 cloves garlic, minced 5-6 Tablespoons melted cannabis butter Pepper 1 cup mozzarella Turn broiler on low.

Add the garlic to the melted butter and pour evenly over the bread.

Sprinkle with pepper. Top with mozzarella. Place loaf on cookie sheet and place in the oven. Pay close attention as to not burn it.

Wait for edges to crisp and cheese to melt. Remove from oven, cut with a bread knife and serve.

Cannabis Butter 1 c. butter ½-1 oz butter depending on potency wanted. Remember you don’t want to harm anybody with too many meds so be practical here.

Melt the margarine in a saucepan.

Once it begins to simmer, add the buds or trim. Allow that to simmer 45 minutes to an hour, at least.

Lemon Pepper Chicken 2 teaspoons butter 1 1/2 Tablespoons ground black pepper, divided 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast half 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Melt butter in a small skillet. Sprinkle the skillet with 3/4 tablespoon of the pepper and then lay the chicken breast on the skillet. Squeeze the fresh lemon juice onto the chicken, then season with the remaining pepper. Sauté chicken breast for about 5 to 7 minutes, then turn to the other side, squeeze lemon juice onto the other side and sauté for another 5 to 7 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through).

Cannabis Hemp Oil 5 cups hempseed oil 1/2 ounce buds or 1 ounce trim A cheesecloth Grind up the buds or trim as finely as possible. Construct a double boil. Pour oil in top pan. Heat on medium. Allow oil to fully heat. Do not boil. Add the cannabis. Mix well.

Allow this mixture to simmer for at least an hour. Stir frequently.

With a cheesecloth or strainer with small holes, strain the butter from the cannabis matter.

Next, strain oil out through a cheesecloth or strainer with small holes. Use right away or store in an air tight container in the fridge.

Substitute cannabis butter into any recipe where it calls for butter, spread on toast or drizzle like caramel.

Substitute medicated oil into any recipe that calls for oil, drizzle on salads or veggies, use on pasta.

HEMP EATS

Indulge in tasty hemp-infused recipes that offer some nutrition without sacrificing flavor

Veggie Burgers A truly satisfying veggie burger, which with the help of rich, flavorful, and nutritious ingredients like hemp seeds, quinoa and black beans will definitely hit the spot. Not your typical “bootleg burger,” this veggie burger is the real deal.

Coat the bottom of a large non-stick pan with vegetable oil, and place over mediumhigh heat.

Form the burger mixture into 7-8 patties, depending on how big you want your burgers to be, and sprinkle with salt on each side. Place the patties into the heated pan, pressing them down gently. Work in batches, or with two pans at a time. Cook the burgers 6-7 minutes per side, lowering the heat if the pan gets too hot.

2 cups cooked quinoa 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 scallion (1/2 oz), finely chopped 3 oz yellow onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 2 oz (or 1 small) red bell pepper, finely chopped 1 medium carrot, grated 1/3 cup whole wheat flour ½ cup hulled hemp seeds ¼ tsp chili powder ¼ tsp ground cumin 2 tbsp hemp seed oil 1 egg 2 tbsp salt Vegetable oil, as needed Whole wheat buns, as needed 2 tomatoes, sliced 2 cups baby spinach, (optional) Spicy Hemp Aioli*, as needed

Toast the buns in a lightly greased pan until lightly golden. Place a few leaves of baby spinach on the bottom bun of each burger. Follow with veggie burger, a tomato slice, and a large dollop of spicy hemp aioli. Top with a bun, and don’t hesitate to dig in!

Start by throwing everything, except for the buns, tomatoes, spinach, and hempseed aioli into a large bowl. Mash all ingredients together thoroughly with your hands or a potato masher (chunks are okay).

Using a food processor or blender, combine egg, chipotle, lemon juice, and garlic until smooth. With the machine still running, slowly drizzle in the oil. Season to taste with salt.

*Spicy Hemp Aioli 1 egg 3 tsp chipotle in adobo 1 tbsp lemon juice 2 cloves garlic ½ cup hemp seed oil Salt, to taste

Phyllo Cigars A sticky, sweet apricot hempseed mixture rolled inside flakey phyllo dough and highlighted with hints of crispiness and nuttiness – the perfect treat that you will always be worthy of.

You will need: 1 cup dried apricots, chopped 1 cup hulled hemp seeds ½ cup honey, plus more for drizzling 2 tsp orange zest ¼ tsp cinnamon 2 sheets phyllo 4 tbsp melted butter (or margarine) sugar, as needed Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and lining a sheet pan with parchment paper.

dry up quickly, so cover the dough you are not using at the given moment with a damp kitchen towel.

Brush the sheet with butter and sprinkle all over with sugar. Cut the sheet into 6 equal rectangles Line the apricot filling along the bottom edge of each rectangle, leaving about a ½-inch border. Fold the sides over the filling, brush with more butter, and roll up like a burrito. Arrange the rolled cigars on the sheet pan, and brush with butter.

Place into preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until lightly golden. Let cool slightly and drizzle with honey. This recipe makes 12 cigars.

Next, combine the first 5 ingredients in a bowl. This is your filling.

Work with one sheet of phyllo at a time. This thin dough has a tendency to

The following recipes were created by New York City Chef Inga Voloshin who was sponsored by Hemp Oil Canada to create delicious and healthy recipes involving hemp. thcmag.com 27

The Fairy Budmother and Her Magic Media Pixie Dust Cheryl Shuman is Changing the Image of Cannabis One TV Show at a Time

by Liz Mund

Call her: “The Martha Stewart of Marijuana,” “A Marketing Badass,” or perhaps “Fairy Budmother.” Take your pick, but no matter how you say it, Cheryl Shuman is an unstoppable force behind the cannabis movement, tugging marijuana out of the closet and nudging it determinedly into the light of mainstream media. Shuman has teamed up with powerhouses Rapid Fire Marketing (stock symbol: RFMK) and William Morris Endeavor on the filming and production of four separate reality television series that share two common themes: Cheryl Shuman and cannabis.

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Shuman is a celebrity spokeswoman, a mother, a political activist, a person living fiercely with cancer, an incredibly successful entrepreneur and— a cannabis consumer.

Educated and media savvy, she defies the image likely conjured of a person who partakes in the green stuff: she is well dressed, well spoken and very well backed. So maybe the carefully crafted public image of the schedule one drug marijuana and the people who use it isn’t entirely accurate?

Maybe the people who smoke, eat, or vaporize cannabis are also elite business owners, researchers, patients, teachers

and parents. Maybe these people are productive, healthy members of society. If so, why are they hiding?

The thing is, our little Mary Jane lost her virtue pretty early on and has a pretty bad rap. She has been linked to lost livelihoods, jail time, and holds a reputation of being “the gateway” drug, rumored to lure the innocent into experimenting with considerably harder substances. Funny how, unlike her sister spirits, cannabis has never been blamed for the death of a liver or of being an instigator of aggression or acts of rage. Cannabis is guilty of creating sensations of peace, camaraderie and joy, is capable of healing a myriad of ailments and given the chance, Shuman purports: is a surefire way to repair our battered economy.

Inc.™) with William Morris Endeavor.

The second series will be about the explosive birth of the cannabis industry with a working title of Pot Com Boom™, already trademarked with a book in the works under the same name. This is being developed to the HBO/Showtime crowd and revolves around Cheryl’s own private social network: The Beverly Hills Cannabis Club™ and the vaporizer line Haute Vape™ (which has an estimated $100 million revenue for 2013). Think parties at Hugh Hefner’s—minus flesh and debauchery, and add cannabis themed food, music, pot tastings and too many celebrities to mention.

The third will be an American Idol meets Apprentice [Shuman] for the MTV demographic called Cannalebrity Magazine™, a new digital video magazine with a Vanity Fair mix of People, Celebrity and Cannabis Culture.

Well, spirits certainly improved our financial situation when the eighteenth amendment was repealed and alcohol was again legal.

With a decent amount Selected candidates, of good press post likely chosen from a pool prohibition—she was of interns and assistants reinvented as sultry, working in the field already, sexy and above all: will be set up in a lavish house/mansion where fashionable. So despite Shuman with Betty Aldworth, Steve Fox and Mason Tvert they will live, eat and work some of her less together, (with Cheryl on the desirable attributes, red carpet, campaigning, alcohol was welcomed back into the homes of Americans with open arms and liquor or helping small business owners) all while competing for cabinets. What if cannabis had the chance to be painted the reward: a job in the illustrious coming industry. positive? A chance to refute the allegations against her— And last but not least, a TMZ Cannabis Media Network™. had a way to show the world what she is really capable of?

As the news network acronym is already taken, perhaps it Enter Fairy Budmother Cheryl Shuman, along with Rapid will be CMN? The focus as you might imagine will be to keep Fire Marketing, Super Agent Mark Itkin of William Morris watchers in the know regarding policy changes in regulation, Endeavor, Entertainment attorney Steve Katleman, Fox, healthcare and other hot button political issues.

HBO, MTV and more. With a 200 million dollar budget, a slew of cannabis products and four reality television series Before signing, Cheryl was adamant that her contract gave in the works, Shuman is set out to “rebrand the face of the her a say in the creative content of the shows, as she is modern cannabis consumer.” Mark Itkin by the way, was determined to represent a positive image of cannabis users. responsible for a little reality series called Real World (via The fact that she doesn’t strike the average person as the ‘420 type’ is a big part of why she agreed to do the series. For too client Bunim-Murray Productions). So he seems qualified. long the public view of cannabis and the people that partake The four series (currently being filmed) center around the in it has been a negative one, conjuring labels like: stoners, cannabis movement and all involve Cheryl in one-way or losers and dirty hippies. Poor hippies. They were ridiculed another. The difference between the shows directly correlates for years because of their love of health food, meditating and to the demographic the show will be geared towards. It’s the practicing yoga. Well, in our faces I guess. I hope hippies everywhere enjoy another moment of smugness when pot oldest rule in the business: know your audience. becomes the next big thing, socially acceptable, medically One series, tentatively named Stiletto Stoners Inc. ™ will be approved and recognized as a safer alternative to alcohol. geared for the likes of Lifetime, Bravo, A&E etc. and will focus They deserve it. And, if they were smart enough to have on the perspective of women involved in the movement: invested in the cannabis movement, they can expect huge whether they are ganjapreneurs, investors, growers, returns. No joke. Cannabis companies are being publicly dispensary owners themselves or partners of the same. traded on the stock market, and if things continue as they Shuman also has a book and a clothing and merchandise are, Shuman says marijuana could be responsible for an line in the works under the same name (Stiletto Stoners estimated forty seven billion dollar industry in this country. If

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you don’t believe it, tune in to any one of the reality television series she is putting together. The true story behind the cannabis movement, the people involved and the details of Cheryl’s personal journey will be laid out for the public, in what she describes as “a classy mainstream way.”

Her own positive image notwithstanding, Shuman does want you to see behind the scenes, under the bed and especially in the closet—because you will be real surprised at what and who is hiding there.

Watch out America, Cheryl Shuman is grooming this economy’s next most eligible bachelorette. And by the look

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of things she’s going to be a knockout.

Interested suitors are welcome…

Based on interview with Cheryl Shuman, available online.

Find Cheryl, links to interviews, press releases and video @ CherylShuman.com and Rapid-Fire-Marketing.com Filming on all four shows has already began and will likely be in development for another year or so before releasing to the various networks. Watch history in the making behind the scenes on Shuman’s Youtube Channel: Youtube.com/ CherylShumanTheOnly. You can be a part of it by interacting live.

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More Plants?

by Alan Shackelford, M.D.

There is a great deal of confusion about how many cannabis plants a Colorado medical marijuana patient can grow.

Rumors run rampant on the subject. Many people are convinced that there is something called an “edibles license” that is somehow different from a “normal license” and that a doctor’s recommendation for more than six plants protects them from prosecution. Some doctors even charge more for an evaluation that results in an increased plant count recommendation and emotions can become pretty heated when cherished assumptions on this point are challenged.

So let’s take a look at what the laws actually say.

Amendment 20, passed in 2000 and incorporated into the Colorado Constitution as Article 18, says: “(4)(a) A patient may engage in the medical use of marijuana, with no more marijuana than is medically necessary to address a debilitating medical condition. A patient’s medical use of marijuana, within the following limits, is lawful: (I) No more than two ounces of a usable form of marijuana; and (II) No more than six marijuana plants, with three or fewer being mature, flowering plants that are producing a usable form of marijuana.

(b) For quantities of marijuana in excess of these amounts, a patient or his or her primary care-giver may raise as an affirmative defense to charges of violation of state law that such greater amounts were medically necessary to address the patient’s debilitating medical condition.”

That means that Colorado law allows medical marijuana patients to grow six plants (three flowering and three immature or “vegging”) and to possess up to two ounces of useable marijuana at any given time. In practice, it also means that a doctor can recommend that a patient be allowed to grow more than six plants and have more than two ounces of marijuana. It does not mean that the doctor’s recommendation automatically makes you exempt from prosecution. However, it does mean that a patient who is arrested for violation of these provisions may raise an “affirmative defense” against the charges.

That phrase “affirmative defense” sounds pretty good. It seems to mean that someone growing more than six plants only has to say, or affirm, that his or her medical condition requires more plants. And it takes more plants to make edibles, and since that’s what you use, everything’s fine.

Well, it isn’t quite that easy, either in theory or in practice, and while it’s crucial that the term “affirmative defense” be

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understood, the definition is unfortunately somewhat vague.

In broad terms, an affirmative defense is the introduction of evidence by a defendant in a criminal case that refutes the prosecution’s case. Essentially, the defendant must be able to prove that the facts being introduced into evidence disprove the prosecution’s evidence. In other words, the burden of proof lies with the defendant mounting the affirmative defense.

If, for example, a patient was growing twenty-four plants and has been accused of growing more than the six plants specified in the constitution with the intention of selling marijuana to another person, he or she must introduce evidence that effectively counters those charges. Most people would try to use evidence of their debilitating medical condition as the basis for their affirmative defense. People have said things like “my doctor said that my back pain was severe and wrote that I needed twenty-four plants for my edibles and that’s why I was growing that many.”

And while that may in fact be the case, the legal points on which an affirmative defense rests can be rather problematic.

The rules of jurisprudence and court procedure as well as rulings by the judge might prevent you from presenting your evidence, or the evidence might turn out to be insufficient if you have been charged with intent to distribute marijuana to others and the prosecution focuses on the fact that you were growing twenty-four plants rather than six.

None of this means that there aren’t situations in which it is entirely appropriate for a doctor to recommend more plants and for a patient to grow them. Certain highly effective ways to use cannabis such as ingested and topical preparations may require more plants. The problem is that there is no generally agreed protection from prosecution for growing more than six plants, even though a doctor may have recommended it.

Several district attorneys have expressed widely differing opinions on patients growing more than six plants, whether with or without a doctor’s specific recommendation. One said that the only acceptable argument for growing more than six plants would be a life-threatening medical condition.

Any other reasons would be disregarded in making a decision on whether or not to prosecute someone. Another said all such cases would be pursued, with the details to be worked out in court or in plea-bargaining. Yet another said each case would be reviewed individually, being that there is no specific policy regarding growing more than six plants in that particular county.

Because policies vary so obviously from county to county, you might be more likely to be prosecuted for growing more than six plants if you live in one county than another. This

makes it extremely difficult for a doctor to know if making a recommendation for an increased plant count will expose a patient to greater risk of being arrested, and for the patient to know if he or she is more or less likely to be arrested. It can come down to where you live and the level of tolerance of the district attorney.

In addition, House Bill 1284, which was passed in 2010 and regulates the medical marijuana industry, establishes that both the patient and his or her doctor waive their rights to medical confidentiality when claiming the affirmative defense, which means that your medical history will be open for review.

What does all of that mean in practical terms? First and foremost, it means that a doctor’s recommendation for more plants does not protect you from prosecution. It means that where you live can impact your chances of being arrested, and if you are arrested and prosecuted for growing more than six plants, even with a doctor’s recommendation for them, you will have to hire a lawyer, which can be very expensive.

And it means that you need to decide how confident you are that the doctor you paid the extra $150 to for that increased plant count recommendation will appear in court to help defend you, because HB 1284 also requires that “...the patient’s physician shall certify the specific amounts in excess of two ounces that are necessary to address the patient’s debilitating medical condition and why such amounts are necessary.”

You will probably also have to pay for expert witnesses to testify on your behalf and you still may not win if you appear in that first district attorney’s court unless you have a lifethreatening medical condition like cancer, HIV/AIDS, Lou Gehrig’s disease or possibly MS. And win or lose, you will have legal defense bills that may amount to many thousands of dollars.

One more rule of thumb is to always seek legal advice before engaging in any activities that might go beyond the narrow confines of the Constitution.

All in all, you need to bear in mind that a drug conviction can ruin not only your day, but your life and think twice before you ask for an increased plant count or grow more than six plants. Hundreds of Colorado patients have already been convicted and many more will be because they didn’t understand what the law really says. © Alan Shackelford, M.D. 2013 Alan Shackelford, M.D. is a graduate of the University of Heidelberg School of Medicine and trained at major teaching hospitals of the Harvard Medical School in internal medicine, nutritional medicine and hyperalimentation, and behavioral medicine. He is principle physician of Intermedical Consulting, LLC and Amarimed of Colorado, LLC. and can be contacted at Amarimed.com.

thcmag.com 33

Dan May vs. The People

by KC Stark, Ganjapreneur

As an American, one of my earliest childhood memories was learning the Pledge of Allegiance in the first grade. I also learned that America is the greatest nation on the planet because of the Declaration of Independence and a little thing called the Constitution. We all know the legends, right?

Rebels and intellectuals fled from Europe to a place where anything was possible. They were tired of paying taxes, declared their independence and started a war based on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. At one point, they even dressed up as American Indians, seized a ship, destroyed tons of tea and then went out for drinks at a local pub. Ring a bell?

Two hundred and thirty seven years ago, rebellious intellectuals such as John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Rufus King, expressed concerns that their dream of a nation without hereditary rulers, and powers derived from the people in elections, would never last. How could it? They had a standing army of 657 men and were facing the largest super power in the world.

The liberty bell is ringing again at an alarming rate in El Paso County and Colorado Springs. Why? It is the legal fiefdom of District Attorney Dan May.

With the passage of Amendment 20 and

34 April/May

Amendment 64, Colorado is exploring the limits of state vs. federal powers. New ganja-rebels and ganja-intellectuals have answered the call of the “Marijuana Liberty Bell.” The enemy is not a king nor tea taxes. It’s federal, state and local powers that can turn dreams into nightmares and the pursuit of happiness into an orange jumpsuit, handcuffs, with room and board behind iron bars.

America: Meet the new American ganja-rebels and intellectuals.

Exhibit A: MMJ patient Chuck Ball – aka “Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, have a flash bang grenade!” ‘Twas the night of Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…when out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, sprang from his basement MMJ grow to see what was the matter!

On two occasions (Dec. 25, 2011 and Feb. 10, 2012) Chuck’s Constitutional rights were torn from him based on an ‘anonymous tip’ from an exfriend in what appears to be a total lack of judicial restraint when protecting a citizen’s Constitutional rights. In a matter of seconds, a crack-team of SWAT members, armed with guns, vests and a battering ram busted down the door, popped a flash grenade and went on a blitzkrieg through his home and personal belongings. Chuck had a doctor’s recommendation for medical marijuana after a transmission fell on his legs. He’s medically

disabled and was the victim of both physical and psychological brute force by the same people who have sworn to protect, honor and serve the citizens of Colorado Springs.

After breaking down his door, burning his dogs with a grenade, ransacking his home and destroying his medical marijuana grow, they left. Chuck now sleeps only several hours a night and suffers from PTSD (his dogs have recovered from the flash burns.) No charges were ever filed. How can that be in the home of the brave and land of the free?

Exhibit B: MMJ patient Bob Crouse aka “You’re dying of cancer. I’m taking your medicine, your money and you’re going to jail, enjoy your Cinco de Mayo!” In 2007, Bob fell off a ladder, broke his ribs and punctured his lungs. After being rushed to the hospital, the doctors also informed him that he was dying of leukemia and his insurance would not cover the cost. He was told there was no treatment for him and to go home and wait. He later got a medical bill for more than $100,000.

With limited access to funds, Bob did what Ben Franklin would do. He did it himself. “The doctor told me that I had a one out of three chance to die that day. So I learned how to grow and produce my own medicine. My first 150 clones died. It was a matter of life or death for me,” said Bob.

After a massive amount of trial and error, Bob

developed a cannabis science lab, a cancer therapy room and a cultivation room. He was using up to two ounces per day to produce his own highly concentrated cannabis oils. To produce his oils, Bob had a doctor’s recommendation and was well within his recommended plant count of 75 plants. But that was not good enough for Dan May.

It’s now high noon on May 5th, 2010.The sun is shining and Bob just finished his daily lab work at home and there’s a knock on the door…

What began as a festive day, ended in local government-sanctioned terror for a man fighting cancer in accordance with his Constitutionally protected rights. Within 60 seconds, Bob’s home was surrounded by half a dozen black Suburbans, SWAT teams and more lights than Mexico City on Cinco de Mayo.

Bob invited the police in and was immediately told by the police to “Sit down and don’t make a move. I’m declaring this an illegal grow!” His home was rampaged. His cancer lab, therapy room and cultivation room were destroyed. Years of work, years of pain and years of trial and error were all gone in a matter of minutes.

Two weeks later, Bob received a call that there was a warrant for his arrest for felony cultivation with intent to distribute. “I went straight to the police and turned myself in,” Bob told me. He was arrested and placed in jail. Fortunately, bail was posted. With his lab, plants and medicine gone, Bob was now facing the possibility of prison too.“I’m a cancer patient fighting for my life! Now, I had to spend most of my time fighting for my right to save my own life!”

To make a very long painful story short, Dan May worked for two years to put Bob “The Killer of Cancer” Crouse behind bars. But on a Friday afternoon in June 2012, at exactly 4:20 p.m., the verdict was read loud and clear – “We the jury find Bob Crouse not guilty!”

After a lengthy and expensive court battle, the courts ordered the Colorado Springs Police Department to return Bob’s medical cannabis, now of course useless, but a moral victory nonetheless.

On that day dozens of local supporters thronged to Bob’s side and applauded as he left the police department. Bob broke down in tears and stated, “I’m thankful that I’m alive. I’m thankful that the spirit of life that is in me, is in our community.”

Bob told me proudly, “My cannabis treatments have killed over half of the cancer cells in my lymphocytes with absolutely no use of pharmaceuticals!” Now that’s amazing.

The decision on Bob’s $300,000 lawsuit against the city of Colorado Springs is still pending.

Exhibit C: Elise Kappelman, MMJ patient and center owner - aka “Hey, Homeland Security, can I borrow a million dollar plane? I think I smell marijuana. Yes, I know the address, but I’d rather use a plane.”

Two days after the passage of Colorado’s revolutionary HB-1284 (April 2010) what became known as the “Beacon Street Raids” brought down a life of legal purgatory for a local group of medical

marijuana patients, growers, employees and center owners in Colorado Springs.

Rather than simply driving around and performing a judicially prudent investigation, Dan May reached out to Homeland Security and requested a fly over of Colorado Springs with a top secret military asset to seek out and find marijuana growers. Not sure why he needed a plane, he has everyone’s address, all he had to do was ask the City Clerk.

They know exactly where we are but a top-secret heat-imaging plane from Montana? Really?

Of those charged, a majority fell victim to the immense powers that rest in a district attorney’s hands. After concentrated pressure from the DA’s office, many accepted guilty charges and took the plea bargains. They may never work in the marijuana business again. Their dreams, their rights and their freedoms turned to dust.

Elise refused the DA’s plea and fought for her rights as an American and the right to contribute, if need be with her life, in the name of liberty and an ideology that she believes in. Her case was one of the first of its kind in El Paso County.

After years of delays, legal battles and relentless attacks, her case finally made it to trial. With her life on the line, the jury returned to the court, the head jurist stood and read aloud, “We the jury find Elise Kappelmann, not guilty.”

Upon leaving the courtroom that afternoon in June 2012, she had something to say to the District Attorney: “Actually, I think we have a prosecutor in this town who doesn’t follow the law, he follows his own agenda,” she said, “Dan May’s corrupt.”

Elise did it her way this time and she won. She is now back at work and helping make the world a better place with high-quality medical marijuana for suffering patients.

Exhibit D: Ali Hillery, MMJ patient and center owner “Dan May vs. the Granny of Ganja” Ali Hillery is one of the most beloved center owners in El Paso County. It’s hard not too see why. If you meet her, or her family, you’re likely to get a hug, a Bible verse bookmark and some of the best medical marijuana in the state. The Hemp Connoisseur reported in depth on her story in the last issue.

To put this in as few words as possible, the DA’s office had Ali’s back to a wall and was ready to pull the carpet from under Granny faster than you could sing “over the river and through the woods”

With the threat of spending the rest of her life in jail and the absolute disintegration of her family business, Ali faced down the DA’s prosecutor in court and a phoenix of hope was born from the ashes of legal oppression and brute force.

On the stand, Ali testified that she did what the law told her to do. But the DA’s didn’t even know what the laws were. She did her best: paying her bills, her taxes and licensing fees. It’s not her fault the state lags behind and can’t even agree on what the difference is between a clone or a plant.

Since winning her case in court, Ali Hillery was

invited by the Colorado Springs police department to view her 604 plants and 36 lbs of seized (and useless) medical cannabis worth $3 million. As part of a hard-knock legal twist, the Granny of Ganja had to agree to have her cannabis destroyed – or face the loss of her business. Why do you ask?

Well, without local approval, there can be no state approval. So the LLA had the power of licensing in their hands – and used it like a hammer on a nail.

Ali’s attorney, Sean McAllister, stated the case modestly, “Their basic position was: If you don’t enter into this agreement, we’re going to go ahead with the license revocation.” Ali of course agreed to the deal, and the LLA agreed to process her application to the state.

The Granny of Ganja is fighting back for the loss and is suing the city of Colorado Springs for $3.3 million. At this time, the decision on the lawsuit is still pending. What is known, is that today Ali is a local legend and a national medical cannabis hero.

So, where does this leave us? Do we, as Americans have certain unwavering rights? Does our Constitution mean anything if it allows patients, cancer survivors and hard working businesswomen to be dragged into court, victimized in their homes and threatened with both financial ruin and life in prison? Are the taxpayers of El Paso County going to tolerate the money wasted on these type of cases anymore? What now?

“We have changed the laws at the state level but we have not changed the hearts and minds of some local officials. We need to do better,” said Sean. “Creating an electoral cost for not respecting the will of the voters. This will be a test of the marijuana movement’s sophistication and powers,” he continues, “If people don’t want politicians to betray the will of the voters, they must change the outcome of elections. It is remarkable that this is only happening in one county and that’s because of Dan May.” Sean believes that, “The right approach is to treat any issues related to dispensaries as regulatory issues and not criminal. We need to move from criminalization, to responsible open regulation.”

Amendment 64 has passed but if anyone thinks the fight for liberty is over, you have your head too far up your bong.

Take a hint. Pick up the phone. Call your nearest local official. Tell them politely, “it’s the marijuana liberty bell ringing and it’s not going to stop until the will of the people is respected.”

Rumors are spreading across Colorado, that a conservative block is working to lock-down local city council seats and turn back the hands of time on marijuana legalization. Local powers can ban Amendment 64 at will. Some already have. Many more will try.

I contacted Dan May’s office three times in three days. No return call. No reply. No comment.

Maybe they don’t know how to check voicemails on their smart phones. Or maybe they don’t care.

This story has more legs than a spider’s nest. With that said, it’s 2 a.m., my coffee is empty, my joint is out and I think I hear a bell ringing. Or is that a heat-imaging plane overhead?

thcmag.com 35

Jared Polis: An Uncommon Senator Using Common Sense

by Rick Macey

No stranger to the media spotlight, Jared Polis, Democrat from Boulder, made headlines here in Colorado and around the country - indeed, around the world - by introducing the "Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act" to the House of Representatives on February 5th.

"My colleagues increasingly see marijuana prohibition as a failed policy and are more open to changing the law," Polis said. "We need to turn this issue back over to the states. They should be allowed to choose whether or not they would like to legalize marijuana for medicinal or recreation use, if at all."

A dot-com millionaire, Polis is one of the wealthiest people in Congress. He is also openly gay and raising a toddler with his partner. He has been a forceful co-chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus.

He admitted that he would always prefer to be at home with his family in Colorado than attending meetings on Capitol Hill or giving interviews to the press. "I don’t think I’ve ever been in Colorado and thought to myself, 'I wish I was in DC.'" His detractors call him "too far left" and out of touch with the American mainstream. His supporters say his politics are in the best tradition of our country's progressive evolution toward a more tolerant and inclusive society.

Perhaps the truth is this: Polis is trying to do what he believes is in the best interests of America and particularly his constituents in Colorado. And when it comes to cannabis issues, he is an undisputed political leader.

Marijuana reform, however, is not his number one concern on Capitol Hill.

His top legislative priorities are education, immigration reform and job creation. He has also tackled environmental issues, notably hydraulic fracturing - "fracking" - which threatens limited groundwater resources in Colorado.

He consistently opposes more government control of the Internet, including anti-piracy provisions which, in his estimation, have too much potential for inflicting harm.

Despite these other efforts, he is best known as a leading voice to end marijuana prohibition. Asked if he was uncomfortable with that association, Polis said not at all.

"If you’re not comfortable with being in the public eye, then public service might not be a good choice," he said. "While it is sometimes frustrating to me that I can’t get similar attention to my efforts to improve education or fix our broken immigration system, I’m simply trying to raise what I think is an important public policy issue. If I told you there was a government program that wastes millions of dollars every year, that isn’t effective, and that actually causes more problems than it solves, you’d say we should end that program. Well, that’s the policy of marijuana prohibition."

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Polis said that he isn't sure that recreational marijuana isn't unhealthy, although he said alcohol and tobacco are definitely worse health risks.

With such common sense, he is not afraid to take the initiative in congress. If there is one defining aspect of his personality besides this leadership quality, it's his sincerity.

Jared Polis truly believes the prohibition on cannabis - including industrial hemp - must end.

Failed federal policy. Public health issue.

Decision for the states.

These three points resound again and again when Polis talks about why he is leading the charge to reform national policy on cannabis. He insists that America's prohibition of marijuana and agricultural hemp is absurd.

"We put ourselves at an agricultural and economic disadvantage by not allowing American farmers to grow industrial hemp," Polis said. "Hemp products are consumed across the country in clothing, dietary supplements, cosmetic products and more, but all of these products have to be imported into the U.S. By continuing to prohibit industrial hemp production—which needs to be treated as an agricultural issue, not a drug policy issue—we are missing out on a huge economic opportunity." The mood seems to be changing in Congress. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, ardent anti-cannabis Republican, recently said he wants to see hemp farming in his home state of Kentucky.

"I was pleased to see Senator McConnell come out in favor of industrial hemp deregulation, and I think it represents an unmistakable shift toward a common-sense hemp policy," Polis said.

Enter the "Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act." Legislation that, if passed, is

one for the history books, it is arguably one of the most anticipated- and perhaps overdue - legislative efforts since the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The bill (HR-499) would remove the federal ban on marijuana and allow states to decide whether they want medicinal and recreational pot. The legislation is co-sponsored

by Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat.

If enacted, the law will remove the authority of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) over marijuana, shifting oversight to the redefined Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana and Firearms.

Blumenauer added a 50 percent excise tax on the first sale of marijuana. That is similar to the tax scheme adopted by the state of Washington, Oregon's west coast neighbor to the north, when it legalized pot in November.

Polis said it's now time to regulate marijuana like alcohol and reconcile contradictory state and federal policies. The number one impetus for HR-499 is that marijuana prohibition is destructively ineffective, Polis said.

"The drug war wastes billions of dollars and has ruined lives by incarcerating people for minor offenses that should really be dealt with as public health issues," Polis said.

"Like many Americans, I am fed up with the financial and human costs of the drug war and the failed policy of prohibition."

Polis said Coloradans clearly support legalizing for medicinal and recreational use as evidenced by the overwhelming support for Amendment 64 last November.

"Public opinion across the country is moving undeniably in the direction of legalization, and recent polling shows even larger bipartisan majorities in favor of leaving the issue up to the states," he said.

The key concern is how the federal government responds. That's precisely what HR-499 would alleviate.

After all, President Barack Obama smoked pot. "I inhaled," he admitted publicly. "I mean, that was the point."

Unlike the president, Polis said he never used marijuana. He opposes the War on Drugs because "it's not an effective way of dealing with this public health issue. As it stands, it's a waste of taxpayer money."

Another perspective is that marijuana prohibition does add to the economy - prisons and asset forfeiture actually do line some pockets. Polis acknowledges that certain interests do benefit from the War on Drugs, and it irks him. But instead of focusing on them, he is acting on what's in the best interests of the American people.

Among representatives and senators in Congress, Polis is perhaps the leading advocate for marijuana reform, although Tennessee's Steve Cohen is also a passionate critic of marijuana prohibition and asset forfeiture.

Polls consistently show that most Americans share a low opinion of public servants in Washington, D.C. Reports of partisan sniping and wars of words between Democrats and Republicans frequently color the news. So surely Polis endures the occasional finger-jabbing lecture from conservatives opposed to his legislation. Or not.

"I don’t feel that my position on this issue has impacted my relationship with my colleagues," he explained. "We are accustomed to both agreeing and disagreeing in a civil way."

While Polis gets along just fine with his fellows in Congress, it's far from certain whether the Obama administration's Department of Justice will get along with legalization in Colorado and Washington state.

Will attorney general Eric Holder harass marijuana businesses in those two states?

"The Justice Department has said in the past through the Ogden memo that enforcing marijuana laws in states that have chosen to legalize is its lowest enforcement priority," Polis said. "If Congress doesn’t pass the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act then we want the Department to again make clear that they’re not going to raid state-legal marijuana business in Colorado.

The Attorney General actually already has the authority to remove marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, while I don’t expect the De-

partment to take such a step.

And building on the President’s recent verbal assurances, I’m hopeful that we’ll get written guidance from the Justice Department so that Colorado’s laws are respected and business know that as long as they comply with Colorado law that they won’t be raided."

It's not only the Justice Department that complicates Colorado's cannabis reform. There is also the Internal Revenue Service. Medical cannabis businesses currently operate under IRS rules which do not allow standard business deductions.

Banks and credit unions, including credit card companies, will not work with marijuana businesses, fearful of federal repercussions. Polis introduced a law in 2011 to allow banks to provide business accounts to medical marijuana businesses.

The bill never reached the floor of the House for a vote.

Presumably, those banking and tax restrictions will extend to the retail industry in Colorado after Jan. 1, 2014. Asked what he intends to do about it; Polis said he's already been on the task.

"The goal should be that every cannabis business is treated like any other legal business, so that includes being able to expense business equipment and access banking services," he said. "I’m a sponsor of the Small Business Tax Equity Act, which would allow for expensing, and I authored the Small Business Banking Improvement Act, which would ensure that cannabis businesses can get basic banking services.

These efforts will create jobs and generate taxes while dealing a huge blow to criminal enterprises at the same time."

303-455-8700

To wrap up the interview, Polis was asked what he would want Colorado citizens and the rest of the American public to know about him.

"My first priority as your congressman is to be accessible, so no matter if we agree or disagree, know that I’m always here to listen and to help.

I hope to do what is right and move the country and the world in a better direction. Peace, love, prosperity, and joy to all!"

If his answer sounds a bit idealistic, so is Jared Polis. That's why this member of Congress is so important to the cannabis world - especially for Colorado.

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Dabbing: An Explosive Trend The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

by Caroline Hayes

As they say, “A Little Dab’ll Do Ya!” but I don’t think a THC concentrate was what the creators of Brycreem had in mind when that jingle hit the market in 1928.

Manufacturing hash has been around for centuries and the process is only getting more involved. Specifically, the production of butane (BHO) hash. What is commonly known as “dabbing” is becoming a phenomenon that is raising more than just a few eyebrows...but why? What are the good, the bad and the ugly sides of specific types of hash?

The Good First things first, hash is a very concentrated, potent form of THC. To give you an idea: regular ol’ buds can test anywhere from 10-30 percent active THC. Varieties of hash can test out, on average, at anywhere from 40-90 percent active THC depending on the extraction method. Concentrates guarantee instant relief and a heavy high, accompanied with euphoria and other typical cannabis-like effects.

Hash, wax, shatter, oil, errl or bubble. Call it what you will, this highly concentrated extract product is an effective tool in treating ailments. When made right, the patient is provided with a pure form of concentrated marijuana, without any water or chemical residuals, which pack a powerful punch.

Hash is an effective tool in treating ailments because of how potent it is.

It’s concentrated, therefore you don’t need as much. When sprinkled on a bowl, it can make your bowl last up to twice as long! To say the least, a little extract goes a long way, which is true with any type of extract or concentrated substance.

“Getting the body to absorb high levels of cannabinoids are proving to help decrease inflammation and pain while helping the patient eat and sleep: the fundamentals of life, says Tony Verzura, COO at RiverRock. If you can get patients to eat, sleep and digest properly then their bodies can start healing itself. Narcotics disrupt sleep, appetite, digestive processes, increases dependency and constipation, he believes.

These days, research is proving that concentrated cannabinoids are assisting the body in fighting off cancers and helping to control other disorders and ailments, thus the influx and methods of hash production. The potency is what people are striving for. Patients deserve the highest quality of life just like anyone else and THC products can help them to achieve that.

The Bad Wait—why is there a “bad” section involving this wonder extract? Well, the hash craze isn’t dwindling and due to high potency and effectiveness as a medicine, just about anybody and everybody is trying to make hash these days.

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How does one do that? Well, there are more than just a couple extraction methods but we are really only delving into the main three. There is cold-water extraction aka good ol’ fashion bubble hash; butane extraction aka BHO, honey, oil and shatter are among some of the aliases; and CO2 extract.

With all of these different processes comes a different product and different dangers.

Cold water extraction is pretty simple yet completely as effective as other, more complicated methods. Ice water and some sort of filtration method (bubble bags, silk screens) are used to strain out the desired hash product, which is then dried before smoked. This step is especially important because if the hash is not dried thoroughly, moisture becomes trapped in the product; mold grows and is then dispersed into the lungs once smoked. The problem besides the obvious is that mold damage is serious on the lungs and often times irreversible.

Note that there are dangers to every type of extraction method. Uneducated/beginner hash makers may be unaware of these, so one needs to learn all the facts about making any type of hash beforehand to avoid harm. You only want to smoke a quality product that will aid the body, not hinder its repair.

Nikka T of Pink House only uses the cold-water method to create hash for his patients. It’s what he prefers to make and smoke because he knows exactly what ingredients are being used, which are water and ice. When asked about the mold theory he said they have the moisture control dialed in and that they spread the hash out to dry for at least a week. They make sure it is completely moisture free before it goes into a jar. They also get their batches tested from time to time to make sure the system they are using is still providing results without mold residuals. “We believe in quality for ourselves and to us this is the best quality,” said Nikka T. Next, there’s BHO, which is made by blowing butane through plant matter and extracting a different type of stickier, waxier substance. This usually generates higher percentages of THC than cold-water extraction, however, Nikka T said that some of their bubble hash tests out up to 86 percent, which is plenty potent for most. The problem with BHO is that if the extraction process isn’t handled thoroughly, butane is left in the wax and smoked by the patient. This isn’t a desired quality in medicine, as inhalation of butane can make one feel ill. The butane isn’t the medicine, the cannabinoids are.

The patient needs the purest form of the product you can extract.

Furthermore, there are two kinds of butane: isobutane and N-butane. Isobutane is the over the counter butane and is more toxic, not as pure and less of a solvent. N-butane acts

as an active solvent, meaning that it dissolves completely at low temperatures thus reducing the amount of toxic residue left over in the hash. Unfortunately, N-butane is only sold by gas companies, forcing the unknowing, typical at-home “hash blowers” to use to the more toxic isobutane instead, thus leaving dangerous residuals in the hash.

Finally, CO2 extracted oil. This proves to be a safer method than BHO yet perhaps more effective in retrieving the most beneficial terpenes, which are in this case, medicated plant resins. CO2 dissolves much better than butane too and is less harmful to humans. CO2 requires more equipment and expensive products. Not exactly practical in most cases. You wont find anybody blowing CO2 hash in their back yard.

Furthermore, those burn injuries are leading to too many deaths.

The quality of the product goes back all the way to the plants. “Whatever you put on your plants will come out in the product,” said Verzura, which is why RiverRock uses 100 percent organic freeze dried trim.

Anybody trying to make a quality product should start from the beginning.

“I would not recommend a butane extraction in the home. A simple fact is that our lab is static proof for a reason. There are static plates that you walk in and touch because you have to have a static proof room. People blow themselves up all the time because they don’t understand the sophistication and the science behind what is going on here,” said Verzura.

RiverRock created their method of a heatless extraction process. They use a vac purge system, meaning they “purge the butane out and use a pressurize system to crystalline the compounds,” according to Verzura. “We invented our process so we could control and ensure a medical grade product.”

Basically, the BHO extraction process is extremely dangerous and should not, under any circumstance, be performed at home. To boot, this chemical extraction process and its results are illegal in California for obvious reasons.

If concentrates aren’t purged correctly, harmful residuals are left over for the lungs. Be sure to investigate where your meds come from. Most dispensaries will confirm their methods for the patients, at least the ones doing it right.

The Ugly Most of this section refers to how incredibly dangerous blowing butane hash is. As the trend of “dabbing” rises so are the explosion rates caused by pure ignorance and blatant disregard for the laws of chemistry.

Butane is a colorless, odorless and highly explosive gas.

Once released into the air, the tiniest spark or static flare up can cause an explosion. Not only that but inhaling butane can cause drowsiness, narcosis and asphyxia to name a few of the awful side effects, especially if this is done in a poorly ventilated area.

“Hash Oil Explosions Increasing Across U.S.,” a FEMA report stated, “Some explosions in residences and hotels around the country are being traced back to a process using butane to extract and concentrate compounds from marijuana.

The extraction method appears to be more common on the west coast; reported fires and explosions have blown out windows, walls and caused numerous burn injuries.” Yikes.

There are too many incidents to name them all but for purpose of scare tactics here are a few stories to prove how dangerous it is to blindly attempt to make butane hash in your house like a batch of cookies: -October 2003 (Ottawa, CA) MMJ activist, Rev. Donny Appleby, attempted to make butane hash in his home. The explosion resulted in his death.

-February 2004 (CA) A BHO related explosion blew out three walls, shot glass 20 feet from home and severely burned the hash maker.

-December 2008 (CO) A man and woman’s bloody footprints were found in the snow, windows and insulation blown out after a butane hash explosion.

-February 2009 (CA) Teen dies from burns on 40 percent of his body after attempting to make hash in his bedroom.

-January 2013 (CA) A couple attempted to make butane hash in a hotel room, blew out the walls, seriously injuring themselves and their neighbor -March 2013 (OR) Nicholas Broms “engulfed” his condo in flames, lit his arms on fire, blew out a wall and glass door.

Let these people’s unfortunate stories be lessons.

Please Dab Responsibly From sprinkling it on a bowl to blasting it with a blowtorch, there’s a variety of ways to utilize concentrates. Some coldwater concentrates are in fact dabbable, such as Nikka T’s super high-grade stuff. Other ice water hash just bubbles or fully melts.

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Verzura recommends a quartz rod and a clammer, which can be relatively affordable compared to the Volcano or electric nail. He likes this method because it keeps the heat controlled.

When the level of heat is controlled, so is the desired effect. At lower temperature the levels of THC & terpenes come out providing more relief for vascular and nerve pain, offering higher energy and stimulation of appetite. At higher temperatures, more CBDs & CBNs rather than THC are released, providing relief for muscle spasm relief and inflammatory issues.

How one dabs depends on the desired effect. It’s a wide world of different, crazy techniques. Take the time to find out what works best for you. RiverRock offers online videos to educate patients on dabbing. Visit http://riverrockcolorado.com/lear.php for more information. Scan the QR code to watch RiverRock’s LearnDab videos.

As always, medicate at home but especially with dabbing. Treat it as you would a heavy narcotic, as it can impair you quite a bit. Don’t drive, operate heavy machinery or make plans to run a mile until you are comfortable with this form of medicating. concentrate photos provided by RiverRock

Verde Wellness Center 5101 East Colfax Avenue Denver, CO 80220 (303) 474-4489 www.verdedenver.co

Photos on the right courtesy of Verde Wellness and Sheldon Black. Top to bottom, Sheldon Black Concentrator/Bubbler, Sheldon Black Dome and Titanium Nail, Sheldon Black Titanium Nails.

Concentrate Reviews

by Monacle Man

14er Holistics - SoTruth 45m & Indica Blend Cannlabs Tested - 69.62% Total Active Cannabinoids In the last year wax and shatter have taken over the scene and people seem to have forgotten about good ‘ol fashioned cold water bubble hash. 14er Holistics in Boulder has a wide selection of hash to choose from. I have had their flower in the past but this was my first experience with their hash. For this review we picked up SoTruth and an Indica Blend. The SoTruth was my favorite of the two. It had an earthy smell and sweet smooth taste. I tried it on my spoon pipe with quartz wand and loved the flavor. The name is fitting because this strain was the truth: a strong head and body high that left me in a highly relaxed state. For the Indica Blend I sprinkled the top of my bowl. The bubble gave the flowers a nice boost and enhanced the overall flavor. It bubbled and melted away like a quality cold-water extract should. Next time you are needing hash for your stash, go old school and pick up some bubble from 14er Holistics. 2897 Mapleton Ave., Ste. 800, Boulder, CO 80301

Denver Relief - Biodiesel Wax Cannlabs Tested - 84.57% Total Active Cannabinoids Biodiesel is one of the staples at Denver Relief on Broadway. The Sensi Star x Sour Diesel hybrid makes for a potent strain. The wax was a beautiful gold hue and very easy to work with for dabbing.

A rich sweet aroma bursts when I untwisted the jar. The smell and taste of the flowers really comes through on this extraction. As soon as I exhaled my eyes immediately became heavy and watery.

A head rush followed that had me feeling light as if I could float away. I wouldn’t recommend dabbing this strain if you have a lot of stuff to get done as this is a long lasting couch lock high. I tried a lot of amazing concentrates for this issue and this one was one of the best. www.denverrelief.com

40 April/May

EvoLab CO2 Oil - Jack Herer / OG Kush Cannlabs Tested - 53.51% Total Active Cannabinoids EvoLab from Element Four20 makes some of the best strain specific CO2 oil I have seen in a while.

We tried out their Jack Herer and OG Kush. Both samples are a beautiful dark amber color. The owner let us know there would be some sizzle when you dab because of moisture left over. He explained that with their extraction process they don’t push the heat too high, leaving a solid terpene profile in their oil. They provided us with a TI nail with instructions to let the nail cool for 15 seconds before applying the oil. This definitely helped with the splatter, as the quartz nail I generally use does have some sizzle. As long as you use it with a lower temperature you won’t have any issues.

I was amazed by the smell of the Jack Herer. You can really smell the flowers come through in their oils. It was a potent sativa, very uplifting and energizing. Both strains were easy on the lungs and had great flavor. Check out Element Four20’s website listed below for a video of the facility and their CO2 extraction machine. If you are looking for quality strain specific CO2 oil than look no further, EvoLab has you covered. www.elementfour20.com Essential Extracts - Afghani 70m Solventless Wax & Dairy Queen 120m Solventless Wax Cannlabs Tested - 72.40% Total Active Cannabinoids Most of our readers are familiar with Nikka T and Essential Extracts, being in previous issues discussing concentrates. At Essential Extracts they do everything solventless and the product they come out with is truly unique, especially from a wax stand point. I tried out their Afghani and Dairy Queen Wax processed from The Farm in Boulder. For this review I went with a spoon pipe and quartz wand for dabbing. I have found that with products like this being able to control the dab with a wand works better than a nail setup. You can find affordable screens on the Essenital Extracts website if you don’t want to spend money on a new setup. Both strains looked like beautiful brown sugar or a crystalized caviar (the real stuff, not buds with keef). It looked so good I felt bad I had to smoke it. The Dairy Queen was my favorite of the two. It had a delightful sweet aroma that you don’t find in a lot of concentrates. I was very impressed with the smell and taste profiles this wax had. It was a nice body high and relieved stress after a day at work. The Afghani was great for my nighttime smoke. After a few dabs I sunk into my bed and slept like a baby. Both strains were incredibly tasty and smooth smokes. Essential Extracts puts a lot of work and love into their products and it shows. www.essentialextracts.co, www.pinkhouseblooms.com, www.thefarm.com Soma Wellness - F’n Wrecked / G-Dubbs Cannlabs Tested - 84.73% Total Active Cannabinoids Soma Wellness Lounge in Boulder has some fantastic concentrates, processed through Emperial Extracts. I tried out their F’n Wrecked and G-Dubbs. Both budders had an amazing terpene profile that were very aromatic. Soma’s budders are nice and flakey, which broke up easily for dabbing or sprinkling on top of a bowl. First up was the F’n Wrecked. It was a nice golden flake that had a mild grapefruit scent. This one was a little harsh on the lungs and didn’t have much of a flavor. The high was very clear headed, perfect for day time smoking. The G-Dubbs was more cream in color and had a rich lemon scent. Like the F’n Wrecked this was another clear headed functional high that I love when I’m looking for concentrates. I will definitely be stopping by Soma again for more of their Emperial Extracts concentrates. www.somacolorado.com, www.emperialextracts.com IVXX Powered by The Green Solution - Presidential Bubba Nectar Shatter Cannlabs Tested - 82.54% Total Active Cannabinoids The Green Solution had a special treat for us with this review: Presidential Bubba Nectar Shatter processed from keef. I don’t see a lot of concentrates processed with keef so I was excited to try it out. The shatter had a dark amber hue like chunks of tree sap. A mild sweet smelling shatter with hints of citrus. I did notice that the consistency was slightly softer than shatters I have had in the past. This did make it easy to work with for dabbing and didn’t bother me. The Presidential Bubba was a strong body high and I became rooted into the couch. This sample gave me some major munchies and I spent the night devouring my fridge and cabinets. www.tgsmedicine.com

Powered By:

Boulder Wellness Center -Space Goat Shatter Cannlabs Tested - 81.26% Total Active Cannabinoids Boulder Wellness Center’s Space Goat (Space Helmet x Golden Goat) shatter sample came just in time for a snow day. I waked and baked with a generous dab before I went to shovel. There was enough sativa to keep me going and helped with body aches and pains. When I was done I found myself couch-locked watching television for the rest of the afternoon. The shatter looked like an amber piece of hard candy. At room temperature it stayed a solid sheet with out getting gooey. My dabber tool was able to break off nice small fragments for proper dosing. The Space Goat was a harsh smoke that had me coughing for a few minutes. This floral, aromatic hybrid produces an interstellar high. Overall a very nice shatter that is great for a day where you want to sit back and relax but still have full functionality. www.boulderwc.com

thcmag.com 41

Human Health’s Unsung Hero

The Endocannabinoid System Doesn’t Need Your Thanks-It’s Too Busy Keeping You Alive

By Matt Snyders

“Rolling down the street/Smoking endocannabinoids/Sipping on ginseng juice” -no rapper ever The immune system gets a lot of love and attention from health aficionados. Ditto for the nervous system. Why shouldn’t they? Both biological structures serve as central pillars to human health and enjoyment and where there’s discord in one, there’s bound to be discord elsewhere.

(Also we can discuss both without having to expound on excrement).

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But there’s another system worthy of your attention and appreciation. It’s an internal bio-regulator without whose tireless feedback relaying and aggressive antioxidizing neither the immune nor nervous systems could function, as we know them. It’s an ancient intercellular motherboard that’s been hardwired into vertebrates for 600 million years.

It’s called the endocannabinoid system. And it’s keeping you alive.

First, some background: Cannabinoids are the active compounds in marijuana. The most popular cannabinoids— THC, CBD, CBN etc.—derive exclusively from cannabis sativa. These are called phytocannabinoids. (The fun ones.)

Those cannabinoids produced by the body itself are called endocannabinoids. As you read this, your body is converting essential fatty acids into its own cannabinoids. We’re not alone; virtually every animal on the planet is doing the exact same thing.

Discovered in the 1980s, the endocanabbinoid system refers to the assorted cannabinoid receptors scattered throughout our bodies. These specially shaped receptors trigger a host of correcting measures within the body and can only be activated by similarly shaped molecules. These molecules we call cannabinoids, and both phyto- and endocannabinoids alike stimulate cannabinoid receptors, which is why some scientists insist on calling it “the cannabinoid system.”

Cannabinoid receptors are most heavily concentrated inside our brain, reproductive organs and immune system, especially the spleen. Researchers have distinguished at least two different kinds of receptors, which they’ve dubbed CB1 (generally those regulating the brain and nervous system) and CB2 (generally those regulating the immune system).

How it all works, using a real worldish example…

Say a swarm of DEA agent storms through your door and during the raid decides to rough you up a bit. Nanoseconds after the first agent’s nightstick crashes into your cranium, endocannabinoids flood the affected area to prevent further oxidation (brain damage) outright and also send feedback to. Anandamide—the town crier of endocannabinoids—calls for reinforcements. Droves of microglia—effectively the white blood cells of the central nervous system—arrive on the scene soon thereafter to provide structural support to damaged nerve cells and join with cannabinoids in protecting surrounding healthy cells. If that description seems a bit simplistic, that’s because the details remain murky even to those doing first-hand research. Anandamide’s relationship to microglia was first noted in 2010 by neurobiologists of the Spanish Research Council, but even they admitted, “Little is known about the mechanisms by which [anandamide] exerts these effects.”

We do know that it’s not only injuries and trauma that arouse the endocannabinoid system’s assistance. Its main function is evidently to maintain homeostasis i.e. making sure the body’s cells, tissue and organs are doing their jobs and doing them well. Put simply, that no function or system is out-of-whack. Numerous studies conducted over the past two decades—many available for viewing at PubMed— establish that the endocannabinoid system plays roles in regulating our metabolism, appetite, immune systems, reproductive systems and sleep cycles. If the human body were a grow room, the endocannabinoid system would be the atmosphere controller. So even in the traumatic months and years following your raid and arrest at the hands of federal authorities, your endocannabinoid system remains vigilantly at work, neutralizing the ample stress-induced free

radicals wreaking havoc on your body, all while keeping your immune system abreast of the situation and two-steps ahead of the curve.

A healthy endocannabinoid system—especially one bolstered by phytocannabinoid supplementation—plays a critical role in preventing virtually every age-related illness presently plaguing Western man and woman. This includes Alzheimer ’s disease and most forms of cancer. And not just prevention in the latter’s case. A sufficiently stimulated endocannabinoid system is up to the task of clearing the body of established cancers. The anti-tumor effects of cannabinoids have been corroborated by researchers from Harvard (2007 study) to Madrid. In 2009, Spanish researchers at Complutense University discovered that by mediating autophagy, cannabinoids are able to induce “tumor cell death” i.e. cure cancer. “The uncovering of this pathway, which we believe is novel, for promoting tumor cell death may have therapeutic implications in the treatment of cancer,” concluded the team to the sound of crickets. (Such a pathway would also help explain the mounds of existing empirical data and anecdotal evidence pointing to high potency hash oil as a literal cure for most kinds of cancer).

You don’t need to smoke or otherwise consume copious amounts of cannabis to maintain a healthy endocannabinoid system… although it helps. Turns out, both anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol are eicosanoids, meaning they’re derived from Omega-3s or Omega-6s. Omega-3s provide the main raw material for endocannabinoid production, so three cheers for fish oil. So vital to the endocannabinoid System are Omega-3s, that in 2011 a French research team found that depriving lab rats of Omega-3s “abolish[ed] endocannabinoid-mediated neuronal functions,” degraded their overall health, and shortened lifespans. Among their conclusions: “These findings identify a plausible synaptic substrate for the behavioral alterations caused by the n-3 PUFAs [Omega-3s] deficiency that is often observed in Western diets.” Translation: We’ve always suspected Westerners’ tendency to avoid fish makes them sick and unhappy; now we think we know why.

The already vast body of research regarding cannabinoid receptors and the endocannabinoid system continues to expand rapidly. The above summary is by no means an allinclusive list of cannabinoids’ biological roles and potential.

But the best available research overwhelmingly shows that a fully stimulated endocannabinoid system is critical to achieving optimum health. This entails not only eating your fruits but also smoking your vegetables, or juicing them.

thcmag.com 43

The 2014 Legislature Midterms – One More Hurdle To Overcome

by Chris Tucker

The midterm elections of 2014 are shaping up to feature similar legislation to Initiative 502 in Washington and Amendment 64 here in Colorado. The ballot will once again be open to legalize recreational use of marijuana for adults over the age of 21, and with more members of Generation Y becoming eligible to vote with each election, the measure will most likely pass in more and more states in the near future. The legalization of recreational marijuana will create significant growth in the MMJ industry and the driving force behind many of the actions are a direct result of nonprofit organizations and what they do to help this booming industry.

Non-profit organizations such as Sensible Colorado, the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) and Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) aim to increase public support for noncoercive and nonpunitive marijuana policies while trying to change state laws to reduce or eliminate penalties for the medical and non-medical use of marijuana. Leading up to 2014 legislature midterms, there is still much that will need to be done if the dream of a fully legal cannabis nation is to be realized.

MPP, for example, advocates taxing and regulating the possession and sale of marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol, envisions a nation where marijuana education is honest and realistic, and believes treatment for problem marijuana users should be non-coercive and geared toward reducing harm. As part of their strategy for this, they are gearing up to get seven current states with medical marijuana laws to become completely legal.

Non-profits understand the need to work together as one unit in order to make all these goals become a reality. There is excitement in the aftermath of Amendment 64 passing that all of these organizations are reveling in. Joshua Kappel of

Sensible Colorado says, “This is historic. So much work has gone into implementing this but there is still more to be done.

But it needs to be done right. It takes a true commitment from everyone.”

There are laws around the country that will need to be changed when more states become legal, such as the ones pertaining to discrimination of MMJ patients and their rights.

Brian Vicente, co-author of Amendment 64, has quite a bit of interaction with all of the medical marijuana non-profits and he says that people are very excited about this. “We have worked so hard for many years with steadfast determination.

Contact your elected representative and show up at town council meetings to voice your opinion about these changes for the upcoming election. Let your voice be heard.”

Going into the 2014 midterms, all of these non-profit organizations are building up their game plan leading into the new election year. “Working together and moving forward in a positive direction is the key,” says Vicente.

This cannot be done without help. Donations and volunteers are greatly appreciated in order to help achieve the success that these organizations have fought long and hard for. As with any political issue, if you believe in something, write your local politician. Attend town hall meetings and get involved in the process. Use your voice. It’s the strongest tool you have.

If you are interested in getting involved with these organizations, please visit:

sensiblecolorado.org www.mpp.org ssdp.org thcmag.com 45

The Past, Present and Future of Amendment 64

by Erin Hiatt

No one can argue that November 6, 2012 wasn’t an absolutely historic day. As Steve Horwitz, owner of Ganja Gourmet, said regarding Amendment 64’s passage “The cat is out of the bag.

The whole world is aware that Colorado and Washington have legalized marijuana.”

But as Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said to the Washington Post on November 7, 2012, “Don’t break out the Cheetos or Goldfish too quickly.” As it turns out passing an amendment, even one as promising and seemingly straightforward as Amendment 64, is not as clear-cut as it may seem.

There are still many unknowns in how this amendment will be implemented.

As they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was the passage of this amendment.

PAST

The foundations for this amendment were laid out all the way back in January 2005, shortly after college students at the University of Colorado Boulder and Colorado State died from accidental alcohol overdoses.

In response to those tragedies, Mason Tvert, who acts currently as the Director of Communications for the Marijuana Policy Project, cofounded SAFER (Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation). The goal of the organization was, in Mr. Tvert’s words, to “highlight the relative safety of marijuana compared to alcohol and to get people thinking about the fact that we have laws and policies that steer people toward drinking with excessive penalties for choosing to use marijuana instead.”

SAFER’s first undertaking was student referendums at UC Boulder and CSU in the spring of 2005. The objective of these referendums were to persuade the administrations of the colleges to make university penalties for using marijuana no greater than those for alcohol, and they were successful. So successful, in fact, that they ran an initiative in the city of Denver called “Initiated Question 1-100” that would legalize adult possession and they were once again successful, making Denver the first U.S. city to remove adult possession penalties. Meeting voter approval at 54-46 percent, however, was still not enough to persuade the lawmakers of Denver and they refused to implement the passage.

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So in 2007, citizens for a SAFER Denver again qualified for a ballot initiative of the same name with the intent of making adult (21 or older) possession the “lowest law enforcement priority” and this was also approved on November 6, 2007.

Despite the fact that voters in Colorado had made imminently clear their desire to decriminalize adult marijuana possession, Hickenlooper remains a steadfast contrarian.

On January 4, 2012, after Amendment 64 The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol qualified for the November ballot with 90,466 valid signatures, the governor stated to the Denver Post on September 13, 2012, “Colorado is known for many good things - marijuana should not be one of them.”

Mr. Tvert, co-author of the amendment, was quick to point out the governor’s hypocrisy in the September 13th Denver Post, saying “After building a personal fortune by selling alcohol to Coloradans he is suddenly concerned about the health of his citizens and the message being sent to children. We certainly hope he is aware that alcohol actually kills people.”

Amendment 64 passed on November 6, 2012 with 55 percent of the vote, receiving endorsements from a collection of groups and individuals as varied as evangelist Pat Robertson to judges and unions. On December 10, 2012, Hickenlooper signed the bill into law, making it legal for adults over 21 to possess one ounce or less and to grow six plants. “Keep in mind,” said Amendment 64’s other co-author and attorney Brian Vicente of Vicente Sederberg, “that Amendment 64 is just that. An amendment. It is henceforth and forever in our State Constitution.”

PRESENT

Of the amendment’s passage, Vicente stated “Colorado has really, pretty much on every level embraced moving toward regulation as opposed to trying to scale this back.” So what could possibly be in the way now? The voters have approved it and it’s legal. But there are some caveats.

First it’s the federal policies, where marijuana is still illegal. Attorney General Eric Holder said in a press conference on February 26, 2013 that

there is not a current plan in place regarding legalization in Colorado and Washington but that they would have one “soon.” Mr. Tvert is “hopeful that the Department of Justice will work with states to arrive at systems in which marijuana is legal and regulated similarly to alcohol while also respecting federal interests. They’ve shown no signs of thinking that we shouldn’t be moving forward.”

Mr. Horwitz agrees, saying regarding the oversight of dispensaries that “the state put together such strict and clear guidelines, I believe the government is satisfied with what the state did and is allowing the state of Colorado to regulate medical marijuana.”

After Hickenlooper signed the bill into law he appointed a Task Force assigned with creating a set of recommendations to provide to the Colorado Legislature who will, in turn, make some of them, or none of them if they so choose, into law. These legalization quandaries are composed of issues as varied as licensing fees for retail establishments, packaging, training of law enforcement to recognize and test stoned drivers, and most importantly, how to create a regulatory structure that does not run afoul of federal law.

Rob Corry of Corry & Associates said, “The Task Force is made up of 25 people appointed by the governor and the governor opposed amendment 64.” Brian Vicente added “the whole purpose of the Task Force was to provide cover for the Legislature to address these issues.” The task force released their recommendations to the Legislature at the beginning of March.

Vicente continued, “And so you have this diverse group of stakeholders on the Task Force, many of whom were not supportive of Amendment 64, and some of those suggested regulations make sense and a lot of them don’t make sense and reflect a misunderstanding of marijuana laws and other laws.”

The stated goals of Amendment 64 were to eliminate the underground market (which has thrived under prohibition) and to raise revenue, primarily for Colorado schools. The list of recommendations taken from the Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol website are pretty common sense but do contain some rather prohibitive curiosities. The points below were found on www. regulatemarijuana.org:

 Make off-the-job marijuana use a fireable offense  Make marijuana part of bar and restaurant smoking bans already in place. Possibly would target “smoking clubs” where cannabis is consumed rather than alcohol  Shops have to have both state and local approval  Create a regulatory system similar to medical marijuana dispensaries that follow marijuana from seed to sale (aka vertical integration) From ccpl.online.org/ amendment64analysis, it is projected that the amendment will raise $60 million in revenue and savings coming from the excise tax, new state and local taxes, and lower law enforcement costs. That $60 million can go up after 2017 when the excise tax can be raised.

But Mr. Corry sees a problem with those numbers, especially if the Task Force gets their wish to keep vertical integration. Vertical integration is the current model governing medical marijuana in the state, meaning that 70 percent of whatever retailers sell has to be grown by the retailer. This means that the retailer and the producer are owned by the same entity. This would be a serious case of the state cutting off its nose to spite its face. “If they try to impose this model on the Amendment 64 industry they’ll lose out on the excise tax (15 percent). If the retailer gets its marijuana from its own grow there’s no excise tax charged or collected by the government. That provision would be rendered an annuity because it can’t tax itself.” Mr. Corry believes that the vertical integration model was intended to be prohibitive and cites the example of Sen. Chris Romer who created the model. Corry added, “Romer’s goal was to put 80 percent of dispensaries out of business. They didn’t even try to hide it.”

As for medical marijuana, legal since 2000, the passage of the amendment may change the business of medical marijuana inextricably, affecting patients, doctors and owners. Steve Horwitz believes that most currently operating dispensary centers will likely change to retail. Under the new law, you can either be a medical dispensary center or a retail shop, not both.

And that is better for the client and the growing of retail business, in his view, saying that “the passage of Amendment 64 will affect us in a fantastically positive way and the reason for that

is simple. It’s your marketplace. Now that Amendment 64 has passed people don’t feel they need the protection of a red card.” And in January 2014 when adults over 21 showing a photo ID can come in off the street and buy marijuana, the dispensaries will want a piece of the growing clientele pie, giving them ample motivation to make the switch to retail. To sweeten the deal, the Task Force is recommending that current dispensary owners get first priority for retail applications. Currently, it is estimated that red card holders in the state number 85,000 and that is diminishing.

On March 12, 2013, Russell Haythorn of 7News Denver reported that the city of Denver is considering opting out of Amendment 64 along with many other cities. Opponents of the amendment have argued that a legal market in Colorado would increase access to minors and would simply increase overall use. They cite it as a gateway drug that increases exposure to criminal elements and harder drugs such as heroin or cocaine. Additionally, with the legalization in place, demand for marijuana will increase, dropping the price and making it affordable for more users.

Mr. Corry adamantly disagrees, saying that under prohibition “children have more access to marijuana than they do alcohol because there is a black market for marijuana and none for alcohol. You don’t have a schoolyard beer seller. We hope to bring marijuana into the legal market and the medical marijuana experience has shown that there is not one single documented case of a child getting marijuana from a dispensary.”

So the Task Force recommendations are just that - recommendations. They have submitted them to the Legislature, but the Legislature can come to the table with their own set of recommendations for the governor, and as Mr. Vicente reminded me, the Task Force “created non-binding resolutions to guide the legislature so none of those resolutions have any power.”

But why include such prohibitive recommendations when it is clear that the voters of Colorado have fully embraced legalization?

Mr. Corry points to the “moral component” comparing marijuana legalization to gambling by saying “Gambling brings a lot of money to our state. Gambling isn’t for everybody but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have casinos because they’re good for the state as a whole because it brings in

a ton of revenue and marijuana is the same thing. Alcohol is the same thing.

But we ought to be able to purchase it and the government should tax it and benefit from it.”

As it stands, 19 communities throughout the state are considering more strictly regulating marijuana retail sales and private cultivation. In Denver, 67 percent of voters approved the amendment but the City Council is considering an opt-out of 64, which would make it the largest city to do so.

FUTURE

Until the governor signs the recommendations into law, all we can do is try to read the tealeaves. But all of the gentlemen mentioned had some promising predictions for the future of marijuana legalization in Colorado and the country. Pot tourism, Mr. Corry believes “could be a good thing for the state.” He continued by saying, “people come to exercise their freedoms in Colorado and we should encourage pot tourism, people could come from other places and spend their money in Colorado.” He also envisions smoking bars, much like alcohol bars, where people could develop a “connoisseur mentality, where you’ll have a lot of different varieties like you do in a bar and pick between different types of vodka, tequila, whisky or beer, and I’d like to see that.”

Steve Horwitz sees a “lot of activity and energy going on and I do believe that we will see legal marijuana in this country in one to four years.”

Optimistic? Perhaps, but Tvert, Vicente, Horwitz and Corry are in agreement about the future of marijuana laws.

Mr. Tvert believes that educating the voting public about marijuana can help “garner public support among lawmakers to push federal legalization forward.” Mr. Vicente concurred, saying, “Federally, the writing is on the wall. We have 18 medical states, two states at full legalization and we’ll see more and more states passing marijuana legalization laws. The federal government is going to have to adapt to really reflect the changing views of the American public.”

Mason Tvert along with Brian Vicente pulled off a huge, trajectory-changing victory with the passage of 64. And Mr. Tvert firmly believes that “the initiatives in Colorado and Washington are perhaps the largest step forward we’ve ever seen when it comes to ending marijuana prohibition in this country.”

thcmag.com 47

Cannabis Timeline 1850 Marijuana Added to US Pharmacopeia 1911 Massachusetts Becomes First State to Outlaw Cannabis 1915-1927 10 States Pass Marijuana Prohibition Laws 1930s American Pharmaceutical Firms Sell Extracts of Marijuana as Medicines 1933 William Randolph Hearst Plays Role in Denouncing Marijuana 1937 American Medical Association Opposes the Proposed Marihuana Tax Act and Supports Research on Medical Cannabis and Marihuana Tax Act Leads to Decline in Marijuana Prescriptions 1942 Marijuana Removed from US Pharmacopeia 1951 Boggs Act Establishes Minimum Prison Sentences for Simple Possession 1970 Controlled Substances Act Classifies Marijuana as a Drug with “No Accepted Medical Use” 1972 National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse (“Shafer Commission”) Recommends Decriminalizing Marijuana

1893-1894 Indian Hemp Commission of 1893-1894 Mentions Several Medical Uses of Cannabis 1915 President Wilson Signs Harrison Act, the Model for Future Drug Regulation Legislation 1925 League of Nations Sign Multilateral Treaty Restricting Cannabis Use to Scientific and Medical Only 1930 Harry J. Anslinger Appointed Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics 1936 Bureau of Narcotics Urges Federal Action to Control Marijuana and Reefer Madness Film Cautions Against Marijuana 1937 First Marijuana Seller Convicted under US Federal Law Is Arrested 1938-1944 LaGuardia Report Concludes Marijuana Less Dangerous Than Commonly Thought 1956 Inclusion of Marijuana in Narcotics Control Act Leads to Stricter Penalties for Marijuana Possession 1971 President Nixon Declares War on Drugs 1973 Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Created

““Some of my finest hours have been spent on my back veranda, smoking hemp and observing as far as my eye can see.””

-Thomas Jefferson 1978 Federal Government IND Compassionate Use Program Supplies Patients with Marijuana and New Mexico Passes First State Law Recognizing Medical Value of Marijuana May 1985 Marinol Approved by FDA 1988 DEA Judge Francis Young Recommends Marijuana Be Placed in Schedule II

1980 Marinol, a Synthetic Version of THC, and Smoked Marijuana Tested on Cancer Patients 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act Increases Penalties for Marijuana Possession and Dealing Are Increased 1990 Scientists Discover Cannabinoid Receptors

1991 Federal Government Suspends IND Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Program and First Medical Marijuana Initiative Passed in San Francisco

1992 Scientists Discover First Endocannabinoid and IND Compassionate Use Program Officially Terminated; 13 Patients “Grandfathered in” and Continue to Get Government Marijuana

1993 American Medical Student Association Unanimously Endorses Rescheduling of Marijuana

1996 California Becomes First State to Legalize Medical Marijuana

1998-1999 Alaska, Oregon, Washington, and Maine Become 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th States to Legalize Medical Marijuana

2000 Hawaii, Colorado and Nevada Become 6th, 7th, and 8th States to Legalize Medical Marijuana

2003 US Government Receives Cannabinoids Patent

2004-2007 Montana, Rhode Island, and New Mexico Become 10th, 11th, and 12th States to Legalize Medical Marijuana

2008 California Attorney General Issues State Guidelines for Medical Marijuana 2010 New Jersey, Washington DC, Arizona, and Delaware Legalize Medical Marijuana, 16 states in total.

2012 Connecticut and Massachusetts makes 18.

2004-2008 Montana, Rhode Island, New Mexico, and Michigan Become 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th States to Legalize Medical Marijuana 2011 Study Finds Legal Medical Marijuana Reduces Fatal Car Accidents 2012 Colorado and Washington Legalize Marijuana for 21+ Recreational Use

Sensible News: The “Amendment 64 Implementation Task Force”

By Joshua Kappel, Esq. and Rachelle Yeung Sensible News is a column highlighting the latest news in Colorado marijuana community. This column is brought to you by Sensible Colorado, the state’s leading non-profit educating the public on marijuana policy.

When Gov. Hickenlooper signed Amendment 64 into law, proclaiming marijuana legal to use, possess and purchase for adults 21-years-old or older in Colorado, advocates barely paused to celebrate their victory – and opponents barely recognized their defeat.

Instead, all sides immediately began working on implementing this historic initiative through the governor’s “Amendment 64 Implementation Task Force.” The Task Force, created by an executive order of the governor, is comprised of 26 members, who were selected for their wide range of interests and expertise – from representatives of the Attorney General’s office and the Department of Revenue to medical marijuana industry groups and other stakeholders.1 The Task Force is assisted by committees, or “Working Groups,” each of which is co-chaired by a member of the Task Force and made up of additional stakeholders and members of the public. The five Working Groups are: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Regulatory Framework Local Authority and Control Tax/Funding and Civil Law Criminal Law Consumer Safety and Social Issues

The various Working Groups have discussed a large range of issues, some of the issues are already addressed in the text of Amendment 64 while other issues appear almost unrelated. A full list of all the issues discussed, agendas, meeting times, and audio recordings are available on the department of revenue’s Amendment 64 Task Force website.

The Task Force is scheduled to make its recommendations to the State legislature, and the Department of Revenue and the governor by the end of February.

During its first meeting, members of the Criminal Law Working Group came to a consensus that they should avoid tackling issues of driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) and industrial hemp. Despite being tasked with these issues, the Working Group decided discussing these would be a waste of valuable time and resources. In fact, Brian Connors, co-chair of the Working Group and representative of the public defender’s office, noted, revisiting the DUID issue would be not only time-intensive, but also redundant.

The Legislature and the Colorado Commission on Criminal 1 It is worth noting that the Task Force really doesn’t have to address any issues besides funding the Department of Revenue to make rules because Amendment 64 is self-executing.

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& Juvenile Justice have been researching the question for well over two years, and have developed far more familiarity with the topic. In fact, a marijuana related DUID bill was recently introduced in the State Legislature that appears to strike a compromise between the various stakeholders.

Instead, the Criminal Law Working Group will focus on determining legal definitions and confronting law enforcement issues. For example, can evidence of marijuana alone be the basis for probable cause? In the event of a dismissal or ‘not guilty’ verdict, do law enforcement agencies have a duty to maintain seized marijuana plants? This Working Group has also veered off path to discuss completely unrelated issues such as requiring drug tests for all minors who apply for a driver’s license.

The Tax/Funding and Civil Law Working Group, among other things, addressed the issue of banking for state licensed marijuana businesses. Because marijuana is still illegal under federal law, most banks are fearful of handling funds related to marijuana. However, all parties involved, from marijuana business owners to representatives of the Colorado Bankers Association agreed the fledgling marijuana industry could not depend entirely on cash transactions. Unfortunately, the Working Group was faced with a serious shortage of viable alternatives, and in the end, resolved only to write to the federal government, requesting further guidance.

The Regulatory Framework Working Group kicked off its first meeting by examining existing regulatory frameworks and deciding which framework to model recreational marijuana on – specifically, whether to base it on our medical marijuana code or our alcohol/liquor code. Amusingly, one of the first issues to come up was whether to require vertical integration, which the medical marijuana code mandates, or prohibit it, which is the case with liquor.

The Regulatory Framework Working Group also brought up one suspect issue: whether to recommend a residency requirement for those who are going to purchase marijuana from a licensed store. This issue caught many people by surprise, as Amendment 64’s personal protection clause makes clear that “possessing, using, displaying, purchasing, or transporting marijuana” is now legal under state law for persons over the age of 21. The plain language of Amendment 64 applies to all adults 21 years or older.

In addition to the issues covered by the other Working Groups, the Local Authority and Control Working Group is working to resolve: What can local jurisdictions regulate?

What will be the local controls regarding advertising? What/ who is the local authority over fines and licensing? Lastly, the Consumer Safety/Social Issues Working Group is working to resolve issues associated with: advertising and marketing to minors; product labeling and packaging; product testing; and consumer, public, and industry education.

Surprisingly, a significant number of vocal marijuana opponents managed to secure positions on the governor’s Task Force and in the working groups; however, the Task Force is not supposed to debate the merits of Amendment 64 or impede its implementation. Additionally, not all issues discussed by the Task Force will or should become recommendations of the Task Force, let alone a bill or regulation. The Task Force should only make recommendations that are both legally sound and good public policy. For example, a residency requirement on marijuana purchases, although discussed by one of the working groups, would be bad public policy because it would only perpetuate another black market and derive the state of tax revenue – exactly what the voters of Colorado wanted to prohibit with Amendment 64. Additionally, such a significant statutory limitation on Amendment 64 may not withstand legal scrutiny.1

Joshua Kappel, Esq. is the Associate Director of Sensible Colorado, the leading statewide non-profit working to educate the public about sensible marijuana policy. Mr. Kappel is also the senior associate at Vicente Sederberg, the first nation-wide medical marijuana law firm Rachelle Yeung is currently in her third year at the University of Colorado School of Law and a law clerk at Vicente Sederberg LLC

Considering the Task Force has a mandate from the 55 percent of our electorate that voted for Amendment 64 and that they have less than a month now to make their recommendations, we can only hope that the proponents and opponents of marijuana reform can work together, stay on track, and focus on implementing the will of the voters.

Nonetheless, we will all have to wait and see on what the Task Force actually recommends.

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How the Boys from Amsterdam Made the ‘C’ Word Cool

by Richard Cashdan

When several famous and not-famous people who you’ve never met, including random law-enforcement officials and comedians don’t just use your product, but proudly promote it in pictures, videos and social media feeds, nobody needs to tell you that you are cool. You ARE officially cool!

“Cannabis Energy Drink is truly the new breed,” explains Rob Snel, Cannabis Energy Drink’s co-founder and CCO, and currently one of the coolest dudes around. “Whenever you have a Cannabis Energy Drink in your hand, it just makes you look cool.”

Like, the Cannabis Energy Drink that he founded (website: www. cannabisenergydrink. com), Rob is direct, engaging and quite crazy. He says what he thinks and that has made him into a very controversial, creative and successful figure.

Rob works and lives in Amsterdam, Netherlands, home of the world famous Red Light District and a tolerant government that is notorious for not enforcing laws that relate to possessing small amounts of marijuana.

He is also incredibly blunt and honest about the reason behind the Cannabis Energy Drink’s astounding growth, “Cannabis is a very controversial word and leaf in the U.S. and that controversy surrounding “Cannabis” has help make our company successful. We are proud to stand behind the leaf and what it represents and to make a delicious drink that expresses the freedom and excitement of Cannabis.”

Ironically, the meteoric rise of the Cannabis Energy Drink is perhaps as interesting as the drink itself: “We originally started it as a joke,” Rob confessed. “Once my partner and I said the name out loud, we both howled with laughter! We truly thought that an energy drink with cannabis in the name was such a ridiculous idea. However, the more we kept thinking about it, the more excited we got about it. Finally, I woke up one morning and realized that this is it! I believe that when you get a strong feeling in your gut about something, you have to follow it to the end and see where it takes you.”

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Soon Rob and his partner had registered the name and made their first ever marketing effort for the Cannabis Energy Drink, which started with a bicycle.

“Once we created the product we put the first batch into a big bicycle and started taking it around to local coffeeshops, souvenir shops, bars and clubs in Holland. They agreed that the can looked very cool and they enjoyed the drink, so they started offering it to their customers,” Recalled Rob. Soon, Cannabis Energy Drink was flying off the shelves and the shops and bars enthusiastically ordered more.

Encouraged by this response, Rob and his partner began to make posters and other marketing materials in-house, without any assistance from an ad agency. The key to the Cannabis Energy Drink’s popularity explosion, however, can be traced to their innovative facebook campaign.

“When I started the campaign on facebook, I had no clue what I was doing, but I was committed to working hard and getting the word out about Cannabis Energy Drink.

I began getting more “likes” organically,” said Rob. “It took 12 months to get to 50K likes.

And once we hit that milestone, we knew nothing could stop us.”

Using funky, cool images that convey a state of awesomeness, the off-the-wall images on the Cannabis Energy Drink’s page began to spread organically via word of mouth. Soon, the Cannabis Energy Drink’s facebook page had generated more than 50K likes and inspired an unprecedented response of unsolicited enthusiasm. You can take a look at it here: www.facebook.com/cedinternational.

But you don’t have to take our word for it. Go to YouTube, look up “Cannabis Energy Drink,” and see what responses are generated.

“The most amazing thing about our development is that we have not had to hire or to sponsor anyone. Why should we? People love the drink. It’s a good product that has an excellent taste. All we have to do to market it is to send out trays of it and let our ambassadors do the work, “Rob said of his marketing philosophy. “We got lucky with Facebook. I work with great graphic designers in Vegas and L.A who

created all our images and we just tapped into something special. We continue to get lucky with how we market ourselves and how we get great work from people who just want to be a part of the development and growth of Cannabis Energy Drink.”

An example of this “luck” can be seen in an awesome animated video on YouTube under “Cannabis Energy Drink Animated.” It was created by a super talented filmmaker, who bartered for two Cannabis Energy Drinks for his services.

“He said he wanted to make us a movie, but we had to send him two drinks. So of course we did and it blew us away,” Rob said laughing at the film’s developmental process. “It is great work!”

It has taken awhile, and had its share of difficulties with obtaining the necessary approvals and legal hurdles, but now the Cannabis Energy Drink has recently started to expand into the US market. As his energy drink continues to be unleashed all over the world, the remarkable brand loyalty and customer feedback that Rob has seen has been nothing short of un-FREAKIN’-believable.

“The American people have been so positive! Because we have the C-word in our name, they consider us to be “cool outlaws”, noted Rob. “Every day we get pictures from professionals all over the US who tried and love the Cannabis Energy Drink. They send us pictures and encourage us to use them to promote the drink. We have the greatest, most passionate fans in the world.”

The Cannabis Energy Drink has become the ultimate party drink because it is a non-traditional brand, which does things in a blunt, controversial way. So it probably is not a good idea to ask Rob how it compares it to their well-known rival energy drink, Red Bull. “(Sighs) We are similar to Red Bull only in that we are an energy drink. Fans of Cannabis Energy Drink strongly believe that it tastes better than Red Bull. To be honest, I think Red Bull has gotten old and outdated. We have made some hilarious posts that actually poke fun at Red Bull’s past marketing.

We don’t want to be associated with Red Bull in any way. We are Cannabis Energy Drink.”

It is important to note, that there is barely any Cannabis content in Cannabis Energy Drink. Literally, there is around .02percent!

“If people are looking to Cannabis Energy Drink to get stoned, they will be very disappointed. It is a delicious energy drink.

It revives you and keeps you at your most focused so you can make the most out of your evening,” Rob warns. “Our factory is in Austria where the most famous and delicious energy drinks of the world are made.”

What does Rob himself like most about the Cannabis Energy Drink’s success?

“Now, I can just be myself at work all the time. I dress in jeans and a tee-shirt and come to work and have a lot of fun,” Says the former CEO of NordicTrack EMEA. “I was a CEO for a long time and I never want to return again in such a formal culture. I love being me and am genuinely humbled and honored by the reception that the Cannabis Energy Drink has received in the US, throughout Europe, and soon, throughout the world.”

For an example of how the Cannabis Energy Drink plans to take over the world, look no further than here at The Hemp Connoisseur. Cannabis Energy Drink recently decided to become one of our biggest corporate sponsors!

“I wanted to support The Hemp Connoisseur Magazine, because I think it is a beautifully crafted, mature magazine, “Rob stated. “I think we are kindred spirits and I look forward to having a long, mutually successful relationship.”

As the Cannabis Energy Drink continues to catch fire, and more and more distribution deals continue to crop up throughout the world, you will no doubt be seeing many fun images and advertising relating to the brand for a long time.

Enjoy the ride!

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20ish Questions With Jason Thomas

by Josh Davis

Here’s a new section that we like to call 20 Questions With Someone You Should Know. This month’s guest is Jason Thomas and this is why you should know him...

1: Thanks for joining us for 20 Questions With Someone You Should Know... So first we must find out who you are and why we must know you?

JT: Well my name is Jason Thomas and I am a spokesman for L.E.A.P. 2: And what does L.E.A.P stand for?

JT: Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

3: Interesting, that sounds like an oxymoron if there ever was one! What exactly is L.E.A.P’s mission?

JT: L.E.A.P’s mission is to end the prohibition of drugs, enact complete drug reform in the country, clean up the antiquated drug laws and look at each drug on its own merit. We work on both the state and federal level to educate not only citizens but policy makers as well.

4: So how did you come to be a part of L.E.A.P? JT: I found L.E.A.P online about two and a half years ago and then I ran into (L.E.A.P’s) Executive Director Neill Franklin at a NORML conference in Denver around the same time in 2010. I wasn’t too active until Amendment 64, to legalize marijuana in Colorado, came up and that’s when I really started getting out to educate people.

5: Who can become a member of L.E.A.P.?

J.T: All told, we have about 5,000 law enforcement members, though only a couple hundred who regularly speak for the organization, but anyone can become a member, and we have tens of thousands of supporters around the world.

Because of our unique experience fighting to uphold the drug laws and now speaking out against them, though we are a very small group, the impact we have has been substantial because people do recognize us as current and former law enforcement.

6: So what is your background?

JT: Well I grew up in Venice, California in the 70s and 80s and eventually moved with my wife to Colorado about 20 years ago. I pursued a career in law enforcement as a Detention Officer in Prowers County, working at Colorado’s 125-bed detention facility and also as a Deputy Marshall in Holly, Colorado.

7: Are you currently working in law enforcement?

JT: No. I actually left law enforcement about 15 years ago and got into commercial real estate.

8. That’s probably a little more lucrative?

JT: Oh yeah, just a little.

9: So while you were in law enforcement did you find that

you had a different view on drug regulation than your coworkers?

JT: Well to take a step back, when I grew up in Venice in the 70s, it was a very rundown area so I was somewhat familiar with low-level drug dealers and the low-level drug trade just being an outsider kid in the neighborhood. But I’ve always been rather liberal in my leanings especially when it comes to marijuana. I’ve never believed that the laws were just.

When I got into law enforcement I never talked about my beliefs in terms of the drug war or the prohibition of drugs; it was easy to set aside from the standpoint that “this is my job,” and I did, even though there was some internal conflict.

10: Can you recall any particular instances when that internal conflict was greater than others?

JT: There was a time when a young man was brought into our jail passing through from Texas into Colorado. The state police found about a half pound of cannabis in his truck. And he said he had come to Colorado to sell the marijuana so he was booked and charged with interstate transport and intent to distribute - some very serious crimes and this kid was maybe 19 or 20. Now, I don’t know if he was ever convicted, but regardless, while that is a fair amount of cannabis I didn’t believe he should have been put in the system and probably faced five to ten years in prison for basically eight ounces of plant.

11. We don’t think you’ll find anyone who disagrees with you here. (Not really a question, but we’re not really counting) JT: In law enforcement you do your job and don’t talk about the laws you uphold, much like you don’t talk badly about your employer.

12: Oh we talk about our employer all the time...but they don’t carry guns and have access to jail cells. (Not technically a question but who’s really counting?)

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JT: Ha! 13: Moving on...does L.E.A.P recruit members of law enforcement to join?

JT: Well it’s actually a very hard group to recruit from. When you spend years in law enforcement you become harder, you become desensitized and more closed. So these things about the drug war being a failure and cannabis prohibition, those are items that are such taboo that it is sometimes hard to find current law enforcement officials who will come out and talk about the issues. They’re afraid of what their employers might do if they found out they were speaking against drug policy. But they are out there, it’s just a matter of making contact with them and convincing them that it’s a good place to be.

14: Does every member of L.E.A.P share the same perspective or is it a group comprised of various views and opinions?

JT: We speak from our experience and use our own voices and stories so each of us comes to the discussion with separate opinions and perspectives but the overall message from L.E.A.P is that the current drug laws are a failure and we need to make changes.

15: In trying to change policy does L.E.A.P look towards other countries that have updated their own drug laws?

JT: If you look at Portugal they legalized drugs across the board twelve years ago and as a result, their crime rates have dropped as has their incidents of diseases that are caused by intravenous drug injections and other unintended consequences that were brought about by making drugs illegal. They have seen substantial gains in getting rid of the black market and reducing overall drug use and issues that come with making all drugs illegal.

16: You mentioned L.E.A.P supported Amendment 64. What about the argument that with legalization those under 21 will have easier access to marijuana?

JT: It’s been out there for decades but when you look at marijuana and the argument that if you legalize it that it will become more accessible to kids, that’s really not true. Under Amendment 64, marijuana would be sold, cultivated and processed in secure locations and in retail stores only adults 21 and over could go in a buy. Now that’s not to say there will not be some diversion from people who give it to youth, but that is going to happen regardless. Marijuana is everywhere, it’s the biggest export Mexico has, and we’re the largest importer of marijuana in the world. So what we’re talking about is actually making it safer because we are taking marijuana off the streets, we’re cutting the black market out of the deal and we are putting it in a safer environment.

17: And what about the argument that marijuana is a gateway drug?

JT: Well anything can be a gateway to another thing if you are seeking to fill yourself with something that changes your mood, be it alcohol, tobacco or marijuana. Those are all different drugs and you can escalate from one to the other.

And it’s possible that because marijuana is illegal, when kids experiment with it and find out it’s not as dangerous as the government has made it out to be, that they’ll start to question the warnings on harder drugs, as well. But I don’t believe it’s a drug that when people use it they have to start

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using harder drugs. The percentages of people who do are extremely low.

18. Do you think there is any motivation to not want to change the drug laws because of money?

JT: Generally speaking, there is significant concern from people who control the (law enforcement) budgets at law enforcement agencies because once you are given money you have resources and to take that away is difficult to work with. From a budgetary standpoint law enforcement stands to lose a lot of money that is allocated to that group, but the money will be allocated elsewhere to social programs or other areas that can make a better difference for society.

But to be clear the policy makers and those that drive policy are the issue, not the police officers on the ground who have no ability to say, “No, I don’t uphold this law because I don’t believe it.”

19: Does L.E.A.P have an official opinion on industrial hemp?

JT: I don’t believe they do but I see what you’re getting at. I mean you could grow marijuana in a field of corn and hide it fairly well and it might be more difficult for law enforcement to go into a hemp field and distinguish what is hemp and what is marijuana, but frankly, if I were growing marijuana illegally I would go up into the mountains - I’m going to go somewhere that is so isolated no one will bother me so I can plant my crop. I’m not gonna hide it in plain sight, if you will, by putting it in an already contentious crop. So, I think that is information that is more a scare tactic or at least an objection that can be brought up, but I don’t think it holds any water.

20: What is your best guess as to how the FEDS will respond to the recent cannabis legislation in Colorado and Washington?

JT: I believe Eric Holder (Attorney General of the United States) will come out probably in the next two to three weeks with their position on every piece of legislation. I believe they will take a very hard stance on certain items and will watch those very closely, but I also believe when it is geared more toward the end user and their rights and abilities to possess in private, I don’t believe there will be much if any crack down. The FEDS rattle their sabers and then they take a shot at an easy target or a target that makes a big statement like they did with shutting down Oaksterdam a year and a half ago. But they come in at a very specific point and then they execute on that. But they can’t shut us (Colorado’s MMJ industry) down, they can only curtail it. They can try to guide the states through various means, but the fact remains that it’s a person’s individual right and state’s rights versus federal law. The bottom line is that this is a change in our culture and society and L.E.A.P has made a big difference in moving that forward.

21:Thanks Jason and please thank everyone at L.E.A.P as well for taking these issues head-on in with a rational wisdom that with hope will one day be heard and acknowledged through a change in the drug laws of this country.

JT: My pleasure.

Hemp Shield: A New Revolution in Building Materials

by Josh Davis

Dave Seber is a man on a mission. His goal: to ignite an industrial hemp economic “eco-revolution” in the U.S. and he’s doing it one can of hemp wood sealant at a time.

Dave began his lumber career in the 80s, working in the redwood lumberyards of Oregon. As the years went on he became acutely aware of our country’s increasing demand for fiber*, wood, paper products, and with it, the continuous clear-cutting of the old growth forests. This was of great concern for Dave - he recognized early on that this aggressive destruction would render the forests non-sustainable, and if things continued, as they were the great forests of the northwest (and all over the world) would be nothing more than a memory.

Today, 30 plus years later, Dave Seber is the President of the Hemp Shield Company and Co-Creator of Hemp Shield Wood Finish & Deck Sealer™. According to Dave, “Hemp Shield™ is totally environmentally friendly. It’s made with 100 percent hemp oil as one of the major components. The colored versions have very low VOC ‘s (volatile organic compounds) and in the clear version has zero VOC’s. It has no hazardous air pollutants, no fumes, it’s high coverage, it’s a single coat application, cleans up with soap and water and it’s priced economically. Basically, It may be the best deck sealer that was ever invented.” Not such humble words from a humble man.

But hey, if you got it flaunt it.

Shortly after the New Year THC had a chance to interview Dave about his ongoing contributions to the hemp industry as well as his vision and hope for the future.

THC: Hi Dave! Let’s get right to it. In the 80s you were working at a redwood lumber yard. How did hemp appear on your radar?

Dave Seber: I’ve been in the building material industry for my entire life. So yes, in the early 80s I sold redwood lumber and the guy I got my supply from was a gentleman named Bill Conde who is pretty infamous, being known as a strong, long time hemp advocate. Now, I felt like I owed dues to the forests because I was making a living off of them, so I tried to find out what we could use to replace the amount of fiber that we took out of the forests.

THC: Let me guess, hemp?

Seber: Exactly, I came to the conclusion after doing a study that the only plant in the temperate regions that could replace the amount of fiber that we take out of the forest is hemp.

THC: How did you come to that conclusion?

Seber: In the early 90s I did a study of the various plants and the amount of fiber yield per acre they had versus the amount of fiber that we were taking out of the forests. The average composite mill, for example, uses 400 to 1400 dry tons of fiber every day, so this is a tremendous strain. What I found was that hemp was the only possible plant that could produce enough yield with a high enough grade of fiber to replace the fiber that was coming out of the forests. Beyond hemp’s

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fiber, feed, and oil yields, hemp is a sustainable raw materials source — wood isn’t. A hemp crop takes 120 to 160 days from seed to harvest, where even “tree farms” take 10 to 25 years to produce a single crop. While I was working on this with Bill Conde we contacted Washington State University’s Wood Material and Engineering Lab and asked them if they would be interested in developing some hemp composites to demonstrate to the industry that hemp was as usable in their mills as wood fiber.

THC: What was the outcome of your experimentation with the hemp composite boards?

Seber: It was very successful. In the early 90s we produced the first Medium-Density Fiberboard* (MDF).

THC: And was it just as good as an MDF made from wood fiber?

Seber: Oh yeah. Remember these (boards) are called ‘engineered products’ which means that they have a very specific set of parameters that they are based on. Now those parameters were originally developed because they studied the various qualities of wood, its modulus of elasticity*, its modulus of rupture* and its internal bond characteristics* and they isolated them to make a set of standards. When you make an engineered product you want to hit those standards.

THC: Ok, so you hit that standard?

Seber: The truth of it is that during the process of developing potential boards we actually produced a few hemp boards that were three times stronger than lumber, but when we were finally finished our product came within less than 5 percent of the actual standard for particleboard and MDF and this is exactly what we wanted to show that the product could do.

THC: Why not make the stronger boards if you could?

Seber: It wasn’t a question of trying to be stronger or better.

It was a question of showing the industry how it actually conformed to the current standards to gage engineered products. We also proved to the manufacturers that this could be accomplished with very minor modifications in their manufacturing plants as they had them. That was very important.

THC: Did anything else come out of your research?

Seber: While we were doing this work at WSU Joe Strobel contacted us. He had the first experimental license to grow industrial hemp in Canada. His license was contingent upon someone taking the actual hemp stalks that he grew and producing an industry standard prototype out of them. He sent some stalks directly to the lab at WSU, and we produced a world class MDF panel for him.

We sent him back the panel and he showed it to the Canadian government. After they saw it they eliminated the

experimental aspect of Joe’s license and hemp became a fully legal industrial crop in Canada. That was the start of the industrial hemp industry in Canada.

THC: That easy huh? I think we should send Obama an MDF hemp panel.

Seber: Unfortunately, after we had proven the potential of the MDF panels the Canadian government decided that because they were just starting they weren’t in a position to produce the quantities that we needed for building materials and they focused on producing hemp seed and hemp seed oils for foods and cosmetics and that has been the bulk of the Canadian hemp industry until a couple of years ago.

THC: So this all took place in the early 90s and 20 years later the U.S. still doesn’t have a home grown hemp industry, so what happened with your research?

I mean there was so much potential there.

Seber: Shortly after that the political environment became so poisonous for a number of years that we stopped all hemp research. Then about eight or ten years ago I decided that I would check out what was going on with industrial hemp only to discover that the issue had actually gone backwards with the advocates and the hemp movement - everyone had become involved and enamored with medical marijuana and the knowledge and promotion of industrial hemp and its uses had faded away.

THC: Everyone says marijuana is sexier, but I think the use of hemp to build houses, feed people and save forests is pretty sexy too.

Seber: So do I. But one of the problems here is the traditional way that hemp is cultivated and processed and the cost incurred to do this. Traditionally hemp is grown and then its cut down or placed on the ground and retted*, where they allow nature to weaken the structure of the plant so they can extract the bast fiber* to make paper and textiles and other fibrous products. But this process isn’t cost effective for the

building materials industry which is based on a model of high volume and low profit where they would produce millions of board feet at a time at a very low profit margin but because they produce so many it can work economically.

THC: So is it hopeless or is there another way to grow the hemp?

Seber: We needed to introduce a new, nontraditional way to cultivate, process and harvest the hemp to serve these other kinds of industries. So, to educate people, I produced a poster called 21st Century Industrial Hemp Composite and Energy Applications. What it says is that we need to grow the hemp very densely packed with no side branching to about 16-18 feet tall. Then chop it into little pieces 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch in length. Once we do that we could produce a whole spectra of building m a t e r i a l s and energy products using that chopped hemp particle board materials as feed stock.

THC: But that hasn’t happened at all in the U.S. and Canada has focused predominantly on seed and oil.

Seber: Right, so I’ve been constantly looking for products that we can develop so that a farmer can start growing hemp on a realistic scale.

Producing hemp for oil’ farmers would also be creating a fiber source for hemp fiber product makers to start using. Farmers and fabricators would not need to immediately organize the thousands or millions of acres needed economically replace wood fiber in the construction industry. In Europe, the availability of hemp fiber has started a wide verity of uses, like sound deadening panels in Mercedes-Benz cars.

THC: Is this where I say - and that’s where Hemp Shield™ comes in?

Seber: Well, after searching for many years I met Steve Nisewander, a chemist who is recognized as a genius in the paint and coatings industry, and he agreed to work with me. At first I wanted to make paint but there was a technical reason why we couldn’t do that and he said, ‘How bout a deck stain’?

Now understanding why I got involved with hemp, because

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of the redwoods and decking I said, “Of course. That’s giving me a double barrel of expertise!” So I went for it.

and they love us ‘cause nobody else is using it. And it works absolutely great in Hemp Shield™!

THC: So this leads me back to your “humble” quote, that “Hemp Shield™ may be the best deck sealer that was ever invented.” What about this product allows you to make those claims?

THC: So this is pretty historical. Is Hemp Shield™ being used anywhere on a large scale?

Seber: After creating the product and putting it through testing, it turned out that because the hemp molecules are so much smaller than the traditional oils used in coatings and sealers that it out-tested everything on the market by 100’s of percent. For example, Hemp Shield’s™. protection lasted about 10 times longer than Thomson’s Water Seal™, which is not regarded very well in the industry anyway, and it lasted over 3 times longer than Cabot’s Penatrating Stain™, which is sort of the gold standard.

THC: Yeah... I’d say that’s impressive.

Seber: The small molecules allow Hemp Shield™ to penetrate into the wood and cause a synergy to happen with all the other components of the sealer so they actually work better.

We realize that we had something that could revolutionize the whole paint and coatings industry.

THC: I think I can guess the answer to this but where do you get your hemp oil?

Seber: We get our material from Canada. Since Canada has been mainly focusing on producing oil for food and cosmetics they produce a very high quality oil, but hadn’t found a market for their industrial grade oil. We don’t need the food grade since it won’t be consumed, so we buy their industrial grade

Seber: The Federal Parks Department in Montana bought 12 gallons of Hemp Shield™ last year to be used on picnic tables, park benches and piers. She told me the Federal government was “cracking down” on using toxic chemicals for maintenance projects, and after researching the market she had determined that Hemp Shield™ was the most environmentally friendly wood finish she could find.

THC: That’s amazing and rather ironic - the fact that a government agency bought Hemp Shield™ when it’s illegal to be grown here. So you have been working on Hemp Shield™ for over five years now. This is not an overnight success.

Seber: I spend 24/7 working on Hemp Shield now and you’re right, these things don’t happen overnight even when you get good help and a little bit of financing. But keep your fingers cross this year we may break the market and that would change everything, I know it will.

THC: Are there any stores that carry Hemp Shield™ yet Lowe’s or Home Depot?

Seber: Well, we’re doing testing for Home Depot right now against their own products and I just hired a special consultant who introduces new building materials into the chain. He’s got 20 guys who work for him all over the United States and they’ve all agreed to take on Hemp Shield™ so yeah, we’re really hoping to break the national market this year.

Accelerated Weathering Chamber Test Results All tests were done in clear & shaded varieties; on Douglas Fir, Redwood, and Cedar

Products Hours of Heat, Moisture & UV/B Light Exposure

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Thompson’s

Cabot’s

Restorex

Hemp Shield

100 Fail

100 Pass

100 Pass

100 Pass

200 Fail

200 Pass

200 Pass

200 Pass

300 Fail

300 Fail

300+ Pass

300 Pass

400 Fail

400 Fail

400 Fail

400 Pass

500 Fail

500 Fail

500 Fail

500 Pass

600 Fail

600 Fail

600 Fail

600 Pass

800 Fail

800 Fail

800 Fail

800 Pass

1000 Fail

1000 Fail

1000 Fail

1000 Pass

THC: That will certainly be a first. To have a hemp product successfully makes it into the American building and construction industry. Speaking of which, there is another first that you are a part of, the first college level class about hemp?

Seber: Yes, I spent the past year working with Professor John Simonsen at Oregon State University producing the first college-level course on industrial hemp, which is gonna be released in March 2013 on their E-campus. So any student anywhere in the world can take this course. It’ll have 90 hours of classes and it covers everything from the history to the agronomy, botany, seeds, fiber usage, pretty much everything you could want to know about every aspect of industrial hemp, including the first hemp based constructional material on the market - Hemp Shield™.

THC: Sign me up!

Seber: Just contact the university.

THC: Right. One more question, there’s been a lot of media attention focused on Kentucky because the Agriculture Commissioner, James Comer, is really pushing to bring hemp back to its farms. Do you think other states will follow his example and the example of Washington and Colorado who legalized cannabis and with it industrial hemp?

Seber: Agriculture officials in every state in the United States have advocated the reintroduction of industrial hemp into their state’s use. The three leading farmer’s organizations in the U.S. have all adopted official positions advocating the production of industrial hemp. It is only because the United

States government refuses to acknowledge that there is a difference between the drug verity of cannabis and the industrial variety that we are not growing it. It’s legal to use industrial hemp in all its forms, but it’s not legal to grow it here. Basically the whole rest of the world is way ahead of us because of this. Hemp could be a giant economic and environmental engine. I believe if we were allowed to grow industrially we might be able to lower the overall cost of construction by 30 percent that could help get us out of this economic hole.

THC: Dave, you’ve dedicated much of your time to introducing hemp products to mainstream society and it looks like you finally could be on the verge of what you called the, “tipping point.” Is there anything else you want to add?

Seber: With the advent and acceptance of Hemp Shield™ on a nationally marketed, commercial basis industrial hemp building materials are part of the here and now. Hemp based construction materials are now on sale nationally. And for industrial hemp use in the United States, that is the end of the dream, and the beginning of the reality.

Hemp particle board

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Colorado’s Most Influential Individual

by Caroline Hayes

so those with this disorder must revert to pharmaceutical and other forms of conventional treatment, which according to many veterans, do not help.

Not once but twice has the state denied PTSD as qualifying condition. In response to this absurdity, Azzariti formed the group Veterans for 64. Simply stated, this is a group of veterans who supported Amendment 64 in hopes that they too can medicate with cannabis legally just like patients suffering from chronic pain, muscle spasms, seizures, cachexia and other “qualifying conditions.”

Photo credit to KimSidwell. com/mmj

On December 19th 2012, Cloverleaf Consulting hosted the First Annual Cannabis Business Awards. The evening was featured as a sophisticated “Holiday White Ball and Awards Ceremony.” The cannabis industry in Colorado has been growing rapidly for quite some time so it only seemed appropriate to host an awards ceremony highlighting the leaders in the scene.

Within the list of categories was the nomination for Most Influential Individual. That’s a pretty hefty title to hold so when Sean Azzariti (CPL, USMC) won people were happy for him but also scratching their heads. Who is Sean Azzariti and what did he do to win such a honorable title?

Before the pubic were able to cast their votes for the winner, nominations were taken for each category. Azzariti received the most nominations for the category and ended up winning by a landslide, said Chloe Villano of Cloverleaf Consulting.

A little background on Colorado’s Most Influential Individual: Sean Azzariti served in the United States Marine Corp for six years. Within that time frame, he was deployed to Iraq twice. Once he was back in the states, he started to suffer from PTSD. Having tried countless medications, he found that nothing cured his soaring anxiety like cannabis.

“PTSD doesn’t happen over night,” Azzariti said. After a year without any symptoms, they started to creep up, worsening immensely over time. He had to quit his job, go on disability and start therapy five days a week. “I’m an outgoing guy but I couldn’t leave my condo or talk to anyone.” He knew that the pharmaceutical concoction prescribed by the doctors would kill him so he turned to cannabis after being reintroduced to it by some very close people in his life.

Unfortunately, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), PTSD is not a qualifying condition to receive a medical marijuana license

With all his efforts to make PTSD a recognizable disorder, others in the MMJ community started to notice Azzariti’s impact. Mason Tvert and Ean Seeb approached him to speak in the very heartfelt “Yes to 64” commercial.

“I think it got such an overwhelmingly positive response because a lot of people know someone suffering from PTSD, even if its not necessarily combat related,” Azzariti said.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Sean Azzariti. He is a determined, positive, grateful and well-spoken voice of reason.

THC: What does this award mean to you?

SA: Honestly it’s a huge accomplishment to be named the Most Influential Individual especially with the people I was nominated with. All of those people are amazing.

Sean said that winning the award really validates his goal of trying to lift the stigma surrounding marijuana and let fellow veterans know that there are safer options than pharmaceuticals.

THC: How are you going to continue to be Colorado’s Most Influential Person?

SA: Well, just because 64 passed doesn’t mean my work is done. I think we are going to be facing a PTSD epidemic in the next ten years. I want to do this for vets in other states.

I want to go there and be the face and voice of veterans especially those who are hesitant to try marijuana.

Contrary to what anyone might think, Azzariti was not a habitual cannabis user prior to having PTSD. He said he tried it less than ten times high school.

He’s really speaking for the patients. He’s a huge voice of the patients, the people and the veterans who really need,” said Villano.

“It [cannabis] helped me so greatly it’s all I can do to give back. I’d like to be a trailblazer. It’s not going to be as easy in other states but its something that I feel I have to do. As far as winning the award, I can’t sit back and let it collect dust on my shelf. I have to utilize what I know. It’s my responsibility to keep going. The award was a cool little bonus. It shows that people do care about what I’m doing.”

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Euro Hemp-penings: Wake Up and Demand Better Usage of Hemp America!

By Binger Hashman

Dear America, Wake up!!!

Did that get your attention? Well, I hope it did because I love you as a country and I am worried that you may be unaware that hemp is SO happening in Europe right now!

Don’t misunderstand me: You still can’t and should never actually smoke hemp. But Europe is starting to recognize that it is an amazing fiber with tremendous properties and values. Just take a look at what they are doing to see how maximizing hemp usage could be very beneficial to your country.

At SINEO, a French company with a social vision, they recently developed a biodegradable waterless product for washing cars from essential oils and hemp extracts that have saved the company 40 million liters of water to date. The company’s range of completely biodegradable products has led to links with some of the leading names in the car industry.

Olivier Desurmont is the young entrepreneur who developed the idea of developing an eco-friendly waterless car-washing product. The company he established, SINEO, sets out to prove that respect for the environment and people can be combined with economic success.

“We make cleaning products that are 100 percent biodegradable. Furthermore, they dissolve quickly and

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naturally,” explained Desurmont. “One of the most underused and valuable resources on the planet is hemp fiber. We can make so many eco-friendly products from hemp, which can outperform their highly toxic counterparts. And we are just getting started.

Trust me, in 100 years the automotive industry will be disappointed that we didn’t take advantage of hemp fibers for such a long period of time.”

There’s currently a huge increase in demand throughout Europe for European Hemp Fibers. European car companies have experienced a dramatic increase in fees from failing to properly dump their car waste into landfills. This has expedited the process of finding, discovering and using sustainable products that are biodegradable and can significantly lower costs.

Currently, more than 30,000 tons of natural fiber composites are being used in the automotive industry, requiring 19,000 tons of natural fibers. It is being used to make European flax (about 65 percent) and hemp (about 10 percent) and the remaining 25 percent of hemp is being used for imports from Asia (jute, kenaf, coir, abacá).

Natural fiber compression molding is the dominant processing technique for the production of extensive, lightweight and high-class interior parts in medium and luxury class cars. Some advantages of using

include lightweight construction, crash behavior, deformation resistance, lamination ability and price.

Since 2009, the need for hemp fibers in the automotive industry has continued to increase: new models from almost all automotive companies that will be released on the market this or next year do have considerably more interior parts, made once again with natural fiber reinforcement. On the one hand this is due to the high development of the materials and the fact they have proven themselves in practice, but on the other hand it is also due to the increasing interest by the automotive industry in bio-based materials and lightweight.

The European auto industry isn’t the only entity taking notice of hemp’s uses here in Europe. Hemp is being grown in increasing quantities to meet the growing demand for hemp-based products, such as textiles, composite materials, construction supplies, paper products, foods and nutritional supplements.

Actually, for more than 2,000 years hemp has been an important raw material for industry in Europe.

Hemp fibers were used for technical textiles such as ropes, hawsers, boat canvas as well as clothing textiles and paper. In the 1990s, hemp was rediscovered throughout the world as an important raw material for bio-based products in a sustainable bioeconomy and has been in high demand ever since.

Do you know where the most important hemp cultivation and manufacturing regions in the USA are located? That was a trick question America, because they are only located in Europe and China.

So, take note, USA: You may be the land of apple pie and have legalized marijuana in Washington and Colorado, but you need to get with what is hemp-penning in Europe and make better use of hemp!

Sincerely hoping you get more involved with hemp, Binger Hashman

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

FALL 2013, DETAILS COMING SOON... thcmag.com 65

Life on the Road: The Journal of Mila Jansen My good friend Alex planned a Tricoma Tour of South America. He invited Jorge Cervantes, Don Wirtshafter and me.

The main focus would be a meeting with the Junta de Drogas de Uruguay, to discuss the legalization of cannabis.

There would be also be expo’s in Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo, Rosario, Capilla del Monte, Mendoza and Santiago.

Then, all of the sudden, Jorge backed out, saying he was not well enough to travel and several of the Expos got canceled. However, at the last moment, Simon from Serious Seeds asked to come along and on the 9th of December 2012 we arrived in Buenos Aires to an enthusiastic welcome. Alex was standing there with a big bunch of flowers!

Whisked off straight away to a grand hotel, I was shown into a queen’s suite.

Great! Also awaiting me was a private stash of Dulce de Leche, the best hashish smoke on the continent! Then, after a huge lunch with Alex’s full family and friends, I finally met Laura Blanco and her husband Juan. She is the president of the AECU (Asociacion de Estudios del Cannabis del Uruguay) and both are very active in the legalization of cannabis process in Uruguay.

Soon after we all set off for the First Clinica Internacional Cultivo Indoor in Buenos Aires. Even with all the confusion of Jorge Cervantes not coming it was a great affair, with a couple of thousand visitors, and twenty-odd booths. Not speaking Spanish, it soon became clear to me that if I just hugged everyone, most people were very happy. People from all over South America came by, pictures were taken, and it was all a whirl. Having not slept much on the plane, and it being twenty-eight degrees hotter than in Amsterdam, I was not in the greatest shape when it was my turn to give my slideshow presentation. The pictures seemed jumbled and it was new to work with a translator. Poor Mike Bifari had a hard time that first day!

The next morning we took the boat to Montevideo. It was a choppy ride and it was dangerous even to go to the bathroom, I smashed into the wall a couple of times, ouch! It was pouring rain when we arrived and we rushed to Hotel Splendida. Our group took over the whole hotel and the breakfast room

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became our temporary office. There all the discussions were held on the upcoming talk with the government about the legalization of cannabis here in Uruguay.

The following morning, a golden van was waiting outside for us all and off we went on a Magical Mystery Tour. An hour later we arrived at the Uruguay Agricultural Research Station where we were given an official tour of the various facilities. Everything there was pretty modern; greenhouses for cloning, vegetation, flowering, seeding and even temperature and humidity control. We imagined getting the go-ahead from the Uruguay government after they legalized cannabis and how good these greenhouses would look filled with marijuana plants!

From there we drove on to visit Laura and Juan’s farm, another hours drive away. They had not been there for nearly a year and, as windows were lacking, there were a couple of birds’ nests in the living room. Outdoors we found a shady place to sit and smoke and get to know each other a bit better.

Alex, Simon, Don Wirtshafter, Laura and Juan were there and I was also introduced to Dr. Pablo Ascolani, who we were to visit later in Rosario. Also there that morning were Lupo, from Pure Sativa and Mike Bifari, a local activist and founder of the first legalize association in Uruguay, Cogollos. These two stayed with us until the end of our journey. After a picnic lunch we worked our way through wild woods and marshes full of frogs, to look at some rather sad marijuana plants that were well hidden from prying eyes. The first attempt at home grow this season had led to disaster, with Juan off in jail. The plants we were looking at now were generous gifts from his friends. Back at the farm with time for a smoke, that Dulce de Leche, from Columbia, was really wonderful.

For the next few days Laura was behind the computer non-stop. The news that Uruguay was seriously considering the legalization of cannabis was world news. There was a television interview, lots of talking and a letter for the U.N. Don Wirtshafter was for the growing of hemp, but all the others were hoping the AECU would somehow be involved with the government growing of marijuana. Who knows?

That Friday at four o’clock, we met the Junta Nacional de Drogas de Uruguay. Upon arrival we were ushered

into a conference room. Mr. Julio Calzada came in and introduced himself to each of us individually, mentioning he had seen Mr. Hoogevorst here recently. (That was the former Dutch Minister of Health, here no doubt to sell Dutch medical marijuana as they were producing too much for the Dutch medical consumption. Most Dutch patients prefer going to a coffee shop where there is more choice and the prices are usually better.)

Dr. Pablo Ascolani gave the first talk about medical marijuana, followed by Don Wirtshafter, describing the benefits of hemp and how he could help set up an Uruguay industry. Then my PowerPoint presentation came, Laura had translated the written text into Spanish and some relevant notes concerning the present day local legal situation had been added. It led to plenty of questions and a lively debate.

Mr. Julio Calzada explained they would go forward with the legalization plan that the texts would be ready in March to be voted in, but that much had to be decided on before then. Don then presented some quality hemp pants, a gift for the president, but the latter had already left for the weekend, and it was already almost six o’clock. (The president is El Pepe, who sold his presidential palace to raise money to house the poor, who lives on a small farm with his wife and their little three-legged dog and gives up 90 percent of his wages.

He must be a special man and may be the first to legalize marijuana. Bless him!!)

Phew! That was over. Let’s party! We ate great food, stayed up till the early hours and prepared ourselves for the Montevideo AECU Cultivation Fair the next afternoon.

What a great location for a fair! Several hundred people turned up; there was great music from a stranded U.S. traveler and such very welcoming people.

I hugged so many. It was so great to be there but with it being so hot I had to do my best to stay cool. But our presentations went well and everyone was happy.

Afterwards we had a memorable night in the back streets of Montevideo, listening to throbbing drums, watching the girls and children dance at one in the morning, sharing an ice cream that was half a meter high. Great fun!

During the next days almost everyone

from our group left, Simon and Steve from Flash Seeds set off to Rio to meet some business people and hang out with the Rio girls. Alex and his family returned to Buenos Aires.

Laura and Juan invited me to come with them and their children to a small place along the coast of Uruguay, north of Montevideo, which was a few hours in a local bus to this rather magical place, Santa Isabel de Feirera.

Six years ago Carla and Diego arrived there, built a house for themselves and stayed. Friends came and also built houses and now there are about fifteen families living there. Their homes were built with adobe, wood and anything else available. No restrictions from construction laws, just the freedom to build. People grew their own vegetables and their own marijuana plants together, looking so wonderfully healthy, completely organic. The houses were scattered over a few square miles, with woods all around and a low cliff leading down to Moon Valley, dunes and the sea.

Headed down there on my own, on my second day, I looked to the left, no one as far as the eye could see, looked to the right, no one there either, a completely empty sandy beach. So I tore off my clothes and jumped in.

For nine wonderful days I stayed in that little settlement, lay in a hammock and ate freshly baked djepattis, bread and pizzas. Everyone had ovens and big barbecues. We had three great barbecue fish for lunch one day, sitting outdoors at a huge wooden table. We visited several guerrilla gardens, the plants well hidden among the shrubbery and I helped build part of a wall, adobe style. This was a dream come true. I had always liked the adobe style of building and now, for the first time, I had the chance to get my hands into mud, squelching it nicely while mixing in the sand and dried grass. Mud, mud, glorious mud!

Quite often in the evenings we made hash together. Laura had brought a set of bags, and even though the results were meager, the trim being some leftover leaf from the last season, everyone was just so happy to learn how to make hash!

At Christmas we all had a great dinner together.

In the meantime, emails had started arriving from Rosario, in Argentina asking if we could we please be there by the twenty-eighth of December. They were

having a big get-together and would love it if we could be there.

So, on the morning of the twenty-sixth, we caught the bus to Montevideo and then the boat to Buenos Aires where we were picked up by Alex and driven out to a hacienda.

What a place! It belonged to a Columbian, living in London, who had Scarface as his guru.

That was obvious, since there were posters of him everywhere. The place had a gym full of pumping machines, a Jacuzzi for fifteen, saunas, a bar and the usual barbecue, but large enough for half a cow. There was a swimming pool, disco hall, cinema, football field, tennis courts and even a little church all on ten acres of immaculate lawn. Alex’s mother was there and she loved to cook for fifteen, even twenty people. The more the merrier! She and Alex were both mostly to be found in that kitchen, preparing great breakfasts, salads, salmon or sides of beef.

By noon of the twenty-eighth we were driving the five hundred kilometers to Rosario.

We arrived to a party-night, with lots of food and people waiting for us. Simon and I gave our presentations, discussions followed and it turned into a lively evening. We stayed for one more day, taking a boat across the river to an island. The next day we drove back to the hacienda, just in time for the New Year’s Eve party.

Some very pretty girls arrived from Buenos Aires, more guests and soon we started dancing. I was in the full swing of things when suddenly, thwack, my calf felt as if it had been hit with a whip, and that’s what it was… whiplash. (Not all-bad news. That night the three most handsome guys there carried me to bed, not bad for a sixty-eight-year-old lady!) But that whiplash did have me hobbling about for the next ten days.

In the meanwhile Simon and I had decided to continue our tour in Santiago, Chile. Therefore, on the third of January we got on a plane. Even though we arrived late at night people were waiting for us and we were driven off to Paulo’s house in a 60’s style Volkswagen van, flowers on the ceiling and all. Paulo (ADC, Amigos Del Cannabis)

and his family welcomed us into their home and were just delightful. Not having any hash, but having a Shaker to put in the freezer, I was able to make some hash for myself, which was pretty good!

A meeting was organized and a whole group of people showed up, all activists, all happy to see us there. Our presentations were always good to get everyone talking. It was a nice evening, a relaxed outdoor affair where Simon met Geraldine, a sweet girl, who would join us later in Mendoza.

We also visited Germinia, the first grow shop in SouthAmerica. They were all very busy mixing a new batch of soil; Bio Bizz is working with them. Next, Soma Coffeeshop, in the center of town, a very modern place where you could buy a hemp lassi. We sat out on the terrace. Seeds are permitted to be sold here but not to be grown.

For our last day, Paolo and his friends planned a camping trip in the Andes.

Tents, sleeping bags etc. were brought along. Six cars made it up the mountain and we pitched camp in a breathtaking place. We were way up at just over two thousand meters and surrounded by high mountains with snowy peaks at the end of the valley. Just gorgeous!

There we met up with Vincente who had prepared a “Green Dragon” drink for the occasion, which is very strong alcohol steeped with plenty of buds! I took a few sips only but that was

thcmag.com 67

enough! Still limping as I was, we set off to explore the upper end of the valley but eventually I had to admit defeat, limping back into camp after a couple of hours or so. There I lay down in the sun and watched the eagles or condors float past, far, far overhead. So blissful to be there so high in the mountains, so unexpected. A little jewel in time.

Next morning it was a mad scramble to get ready to drive down the mountain to catch the bus, which we missed in the end. Luckily we made the next one, for a seven and a half hour drive across the Andes. It is pretty barren there, with little sign of life, no animals or birds and very few plants. We crossed the border right at the highest point of the pass, a windy place with bad hamburgers. Then, on coming down from the mountains we entered wine country, vineyards everywhere with bunches of grapes just visible as our bus zipped by. Finally we arrived in Mendoza, a bigger city than I had imagined.

Stepping off in a crowded bus station we were overjoyed to see Lupo and Mike, our companions for the last leg of the trip, waiting for us. We hugged like long-lost friends and went to our hotel.

There we met up with Marco, owner of the local grow shop, Mantis Paradise.

I set to scraping the prongs of grinders to collect some hash, that is how bad the hash situation was over there, where hash is pretty much unknown.

Not bad, one grinder gave me three joints. How would I manage the next ten days? People were smoking ‘’Paraguay Brick,” which they did not enjoy at all and which smelled bad. The others in our group also smoked weed and there was always some around, but I really prefer to smoke only hash, after all, I’m the Hash Queen.

The problem was that the flowering season didn’t start for another month at least. And everyone had finished last year’s crop by then, and not much is grown indoors. Any smoke was therefore finished till the end of April, May, so everyone just had to smoke Paraguay Brick and dream of better times to come.

We met Euro, the local celebrity postal deliveryman who, after thirty-two years of service with the post office, got bust with several plants and flung into jail for three months. Due to nationwide action from thousands of activists he was free now, awaiting trial. Everyone hopes that he will stay out now.

He came again the next evening when we had our usual night of presenta-

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tions and even though it was projected on a brick wall, nobody minded. I was getting much better at these presentations. Right after his talk Simon dashed off with Lupo to meet Geraldine, who was arriving on a bus from Santiago.

Since it was a good day’s drive to Capilla del Monte, where Mike lives, we rented a car and set off the next morning, only three hours late.

Miles and miles of vineyards turned into flat pampas country, turned into empty desert. Sand devils occur here, the sand spiraling up into the air, sometimes a few hundred meters high. But I found little to break the monotony of the scenery that day, as we drove on, with the Andes to our left. Somehow, after five hundred kilometers we managed, in the middle of nowhere, to miss a turnoff.

As we were also running out of gas, we needed to continue and ended up in the Valle Fertil. We found a place to sleep and a late dinner and headed out to the central square. It was one in the morning and a group of teenagers on rollerblades had taken over the square and the empty streets. There were also young artists all selling dinosaur t-shirts. Why dinosaurs? But we had a more pressing matter to attend to; we had totally run out of anything to smoke; we had nothing at all. So Lupo headed off into the proverbial dark alley to score some of this hated Paraguay Brick, too little for too much money, but what to do?

We hung out on a low wall opposite our hotel, smoking that shit. I got a bad taste in my mouth and a headache.

Back in the hotel there were flyers for a museum close by where dinosaurs were excavated. We would be driving past on our way.

As Mike drove away from the mountains the desert surrounded us, populated only with huge towering cacti. Suddenly we came to a place with great cliffs of red stone, getting close to Moon Valley. We found the museum, and yes, they dug up dinosaurs there.

We continued driving and after more huge red and yellow cliffs we arrived back in the desert, hours of it. Even so, we joked and laughed as we drove along; somehow these days were very carefree and happy. Of course, we moaned and groaned that we had nothing decent to smoke and I got the full South American experience. I had to smoke Paraguay brick or nothing at all. Driving though the desert in Argentina had not been part of my anticipated itinerary at all, and it was loads of fun.

We kept on going, to make it to Mike’s village before dusk, since these roads would be no fun to drive in the dark.

Finally we arrived in Capilla del Monte, a small hill town at the foot of a holy mountain. In early times it had been sacred to the Indian tribes living here.

Now it had become a hot spot for UFO gazers. A pleasant town, bustling with people, flowering trees line the roads and the bookshops are full of New Age wisdom.

We settled into a wonderful old-style bungalow hotel that had its own landing-site for UFOs, a pool and hammocks under the trees. I decided to spend the night in Mike’s house, up on the hill. It was quite primitive there, and there were lots of mosquitoes. Mike set off into town and I climbed up a wooden ladder and opened the curtain to stars and cool air and more mosquitoes.

It was not much fun and I decided to spend my last night in the hotel with the others.

In the morning we drove around town to invite people for the presentations we planned to give that evening in a disused theatre.

When we arrived back at the hotel we found Simon with his head all bandaged. He had jumped up from the bed at two in the morning to catch a spider and had got hit by the fan and needed stitches in the middle of the night!

We spent the afternoon at the pool and then headed into town. There was no large gathering here, but as everywhere it was so wonderful to see the eager enthusiasm with which people grow and how they all help each other and get together. Impressive how all these activist groups were linked and had active contact with other South American countries to discuss the different drug policies and how everywhere there seemed to be a growing awareness that the time for a war on drugs is over. Time for a new approach!

This is an awareness I’ve been waiting for all my life. It would be so absolutely wonderful if there was a true change and marijuana was legalized!

That night, at three in the morning, there was a loud banging on the door.

It was one of Mike’s daughters, completely distraught. He had been busted!

Apparently Mike had gone back into town at one in the morning, had seen his daughters and stopped in the middle of the square. Cops came by and recognized him as a known local activ

ist and had probably wondered how he got this fancy car (our rental) instead of his old beat-up thing.

Then when they searched him, they found three lousy Paraguay brick joints and they busted him in the middle of Friday night.

Simon and I were supposed to go down to Cordova the next day to fly to Buenos Aires Sunday morning and now we had to arrange lawyers for poor Mike Bifari.

And that was how our tour ended, with Mike in jail and the rest of us in a taxi.

We found something decent to smoke in Cordova (thank you Fat Boy!) and Simon and I flew off to see Alex before flying back home.

Farewell Lupo. I haven’t had so much fun with a guy in a long time.

Mike Bifari got released from jail on Monday, just as I arrived in Holland. It took a few more days before the car was released and the rental company had to pick it up themselves.

I guess the local cops liked that car and were grieved that all the paperwork was in order; Mike’s name even being registered as the driver!

Anyway, South America was a wonderful experience and I thank Alex for inviting all the others and me and for being such perfect hosts. Once again I experienced smokers worldwide as brothers and sisters.

Love You!!

thcmag.com 69

DISPENSARY GUIDE

BOULDER

82 SOMA Wellness Lounge

DENVER

73 The Clinic 74 Colorado Alternative Medicine (CAM) 76 Good Meds Network 72 The Hemp Center 72 Higher Expectations 77 Holistic Life 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx 79 Mind, Body, Spirit Wellness Clinic 80 Physician Preferred Products 81 Preferred Organic Therapy & Wellness 84 Southwest Alternative Care 85 Standing Akimbo

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SCAN THE QR CODES AT THE TOP OF THE PAGES FOR MORE INFO AND SPECIAL OFFERS!

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L I T T L E T O N

www.the-hemp-center.com The Hemp Center is a hemp boutique as well as a top-shelf medical marijuana center, offering a myriad of holistic health services. Our educated and friendly staff strives to provide a safe, comfortable, and inviting atmosphere. By offering many different products and treatment options — Each personalized to an individuals‘ needs — we reach a wider spectrum than your ordinary medical marijuana center.

2430 West Main Street Littleton, CO 80120 303-993-7824 Monday-Friday 10:00am-7:00pm Saturday 11:00am-6:00pm Sunday 12:00pm-5:00pm

D E N V E R

Our dispensary section provides top shelf cannabis, concentrates, a wide variety of edibles and topical solutions. Our other passion is holistic health and the versatile uses for hemp. We offer vitamins, supplements, holistic health treatments, hemp purses and other textiles, body care products, storage containers, delivery devices and much more!! We have great member benefits accompanied by daily deals that make anytime you visit us a good day. There is also a rotating variety of our very best strains on special as our MDTHC Features.

The Hemp Center is handicapped accessible, with two convenient locations one in Historic Downtown Littleton or check us out in Colorado Springs at 25th & Co Ave. Check out our coupons in the back of the magazine.

“It’s not what you do, it’s how you do it!” - Jimmy Smith

(aka Mr. Nice Guy)

Higher Expectations recently opened their doors!

1332 South Cherokee Street Denver, CO 80223 303-955-4060 Monday-Friday 10:00am-6:00pm

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You may see some familiar faces as Higher Expectations is a sister company to Mr. Nice Guys. We are always excited to meet new patients, but value our loyal returning patients as well. We work hard to cultivate personable, individual relationships with each and every patient. At Higher Expectations and Mr. Nice Guys, you are not just a patient but a valued friend.

We have a comfortable waiting area with knowledgeable bud-tenders on-site for your specific medicinal needs. The entire magnificent staff is dedicated to providing quality medication to all! Please stop by and check us out, the same quality you have grown to know, with a whole new look. Or stop by our Sister store, Mr. Nice Guys, 2000 South Dahlia Street, Denver, CO 80222.

Check out our coupons in the back of the magazine.

www.thecliniccolorado.com The Clinic is an award-winning center with six locations in Metro Denver.

As the area’s premier choice for medical marijuana. The Clinic sets the standard with the highest-quality medicine and widest variety of strains and products available. The knowledgeable staff and professional atmosphere reflect the immense amount of care the staff gives both to their medicine and their patients.

To support their patient-driven mission, The Clinic opened a separate division known as The Lab, where scientists work tirelessly on synthesizing new strains of medicine that pertain to the specific needs of The Clinic’s patients. The Clinic is also a long-time supporter of the MS Society, as it’s a cause that directly affects their patients, friends, and family. As such, The Clinic has raised more than $47,000 for the Colorado MS Society since 2009 and won multiple National MS Awards such as 2010 Top Corporate Fundraising Team and 2012 1st Place Division II Corporate Team. By remaining at the forefront of the medical marijuana movement,

The Clinic Colorado 3888 East Mexico Ave., Ste. 110 Denver, CO 80210 303-758-9114 The Clinic Highlands 3460 West 32nd Avenue Denver, CO 80211 303-997-7130 The Clinic Capitol Hill 745 East 6th Avenue Denver, CO 80203 720-536-5229 The Clinic on Wadsworth 3600 South Wadsworth Blvd.

Lakewood, CO 80235 303-484-8853 The Clinic on Colfax 4625 East Colfax Avenue Denver, CO 80220 303-333-3644

The Clinic continues to raise the standard for medical marijuana centers everywhere. Come see why their mantra holds true. Our Patients Live Better

Strains Kosher Kush

2012 High Times Cannabis Cup (Denver) Patient’s Choice Winner

Stardawg Guava

2012 High Times Medical Cannabis Cup (Denver) 1st Place Best Sativa

Grape God Bud

2010 CO Caregiver’s Cup Triple Crown-winner and 2nd place 2011 Aspen Cannabis Crown, this is the hottest indica in town.

Raskal OG

One of the most visually appealing and potent OG kushes around with a distinct diesel fuel aroma. 2012 High Times Medical Cannabis Cup (Denver) 3rd Place Best Hybrid

LA Confidential

Winner of the 2008 Indica High Times Cannabis Cup, this DNA Genetics strain has opened new doors in the world of MMJ.

Platinum OG

Purp x Master Kush x OG Kush - Strong kush aroma with sweet and smooth taste.

Fall ‘97

This indica-dominant strain is a sweet tasting cross between OG Kush and Purple Urkle

Skywalker

This clone only pheno of OG Kush has quickly become a patient and staff favorite.

Edibles Beverages

CannaPunch, Dixie Elixirs, Keef Cola, Green Dragon, and MarQaha

Seeds

OG

Super Lemon Haze

Winner of the 2008 and 2009 Sativa High Times Cannabis Cup

Tanj

2013 High Times LA Medical Cannabis Cup 1st Place Sativa

Pre ‘98 Bubba Kush

2011 High Times Denver Medical Cannabis Cup highest CBD strain winner

Ghost OG

THC Champions Cup 3rd Place Overall Hybrid & Patients’ Choice Hybrid

Girl Scout Cookies

This Cherry Pie x OG Kush will definitely remind you of Thin Mints

9:00am - 7:00pm Daily

Concentrates Earwax & Nectar

Earwax is butane-extracted concentrate which is carefully purged and cured, capable of reaching potency levels nearing 90-percent pure THC. However, our Luca Brasi earwax has reached a potency level of 30-percent CBD. Nectar is butane extracted concentrate made only from select buds.

Awards

Grape God Bud

Spring 2010 Colorado Caregiver’s Cup Winner: Patient’s Choice, Best Aroma, Most Photogenic 2011 Aspen Cannabis Crown, 2nd Place Overall

2012 High Times Medical Cannabis Cup

1st Place Best Sativa - Stardawg Guava 1st Place Patient’s Choice - Kosher Kush 2nd Place Best Concentrate - Strawberry Cough Nectar 3rd Place Best Hybrid - Raskal OG

The Hemp Connoisseur Championship

2nd Place Indica and Connoisseur’s Choice - Kosher Kush 1st Place Sativa and Patient’s Choice - Stardawg Guava 3rd Place Hybrid and Patient’s Choice - Ghost OG 1st Place Concentrate and Connoisseur’s Choice - Earth OG Nectar

Pre ‘98 Bubba Kush

High Times Cannabis Cup: Highest CBD Strain

2011 Aspen Cannabis Crown 2nd Place Overall

Baked Goods/Candies

Sweet Grass Kitchen, Julie & Kate Baked Goods, Mountain High Suckers, The Growing Kitchen, Mile Hi, Dr. J’s, and Cheeba Chews.

Reserva Privada Colorado: The Clinic carries the full line of Reserva Privada Colorado’s Confidential Collection.

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D E N V E R

Colorado Alternative Medicine, aka CAM dispensary, has continued to thrive since opening its doors in 2009, providing excellent customer service with utmost dedication to producing some of the highest quality meds available in Colorado. CAM’s Golden Goat and Presidential Kush were voted by High Times in 2012 as two of the most potent strains on earth and remain in constant demand by patients due to their pain relieving qualities and overall powerful effects. LA Kush and the range of various Diesels are also some of the most sought after strains produced by CAM. The owner is wholeheartedly committed to her grow operations, personally involved in every stage from clone to flowering to trimming and harvests frequently in small batches with over 95 strains in constant circulation. Extended flushes during the finishing stage and hand-trimmed dedication to every flower ensures the trichomes are highly developed and untouched, with potency, flavor, and aroma at the maximum potential each strain is uniquely capable of providing. Often referred to as “the grower’s dispensary,” CAM prides itself in not only offering distinctive and consistent meds and concentrates, but also providing grow expertise by its knowledgeable staff. Clones have recently been added to the menu and are thoroughly treated and inspected before being sold to patients.

Whether you are an 80-year-old patient new to the experience of cannabis as medicine, a connoisseur with a passion for quality, or making a quick stop for a pre-roll, the friendly and compassionate staff will have you feeling comfortable and cared for the moment you arrive at the center. There is a tremendous level of dedication to each patient’s individual needs and preferences and a warm environment that feels like spending time with friends and family.

CAM offers discounts to its members, veterans, first-time patients and terminally ill as well as affordable access to patients in need. Additionally, members have first access to reserve strains and can call ahead to have orders set aside. Stay tuned for a second store opening this year!

2394 S. Broadway Denver, CO 80210 720-379-7295 www.camdispensary.com

Staff & Patient Favorites Indicas: Deathstar Deadhead OG Kandy Kush HA OG

Hybrids: Presidential Kush Golden Goat Girl Scout Cookies Bruce Banner Sativas: Super Silver Sour Diesel Haze LA Kush Kizzle Witches Weed

Topicals

Apothecanna Lotions Mary’s Medicinals Salves and Topical Tinctures

D E N V E R

Monday-Friday 11:00am-7:00pm Saturday 12:00pm-5:00pm Closed Sunday

Edibles

Blue Kudu Cheeba Chews Chocolate Taffy Cheeba Chews CBD Taffy Cheeba Green Hornet Gummy Dabba Mint Chocolates Dixie Elixir’s Dew Drops Hemp Oil Tincture Dixie Elixir’s Dixie X Scrips Growing Kitchen Baked Goods and Chill Pills Marqaha Drinks, Tinctures and Spray Mists Mountain High Suckers and Candies

Concentrates

Ear Wax: strain-specific, made in-house Bubble Hash: strain-specific cold water extraction, made in-house

Clones

15 Strains Currently Available

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D E N V E R

www.goodmedsnetwork.com Good Meds Network medical marijuana centers offer affordable access to high-quality cannabis.

3431 South Federal Blvd, Unit G Englewood, CO 80110 303-761-9170 10:00am - 6:55pm Daily 8420 West Colfax Avenue Lakewood, CO 80215 303-238-1253 10:00am-6:55pm Daily 1402 Argentine Street Georgetown, CO 80444 303-569-0444 12:00pm - 5:55pm Mon. - Thu. 9:00am - 5:55pm Fri. - Sun.

The carefully-curated genetics are grown without chemical additives and address a full spectrum of medical ailments. While you’re checking out the product, sample Good Medibles, the house line of infused sweet and savory edibles and tinctures, made in small batches to ensure the freshest medicated products. Good Meds’ staff is friendly, professional, informed, and discreet.

Patients may purchase their medicine in a private consultation upon request. Good Meds also offers patient benefits and military discounts. Good Meds supports the growth of the cannabis industry and abides by responsible business practices, which is why they proudly affiliate with Cannabis Business Alliance (CBA).

Check out their coupon in the back of the magazine.

Edibles

Good Medibles Carrot Cakes Good Medibles Brownies Good Medibles Cereal Mix & Oyster Crackers Good Medibles Cheesecakes Canna Punch Dixie Elixers Cheeba Chews

Concentrates

Evolab’s CO2 Oil OrganaLabs Oils & Tablets Atmos & Stratus Cartridges Assorted Strain-Specific BHO Wax & Shatter

Featured Strains

Death Star Good Meds’ signature strain comes directly from Cannabis Cup winner Team Death Star’s strain, and is not available anywhere else in the state. This trichome-encrusted plant is a cross of Sour Diesel and Sensi Star, delivering diesel notes with a hint of skunk. The indica-dominant strain consistently tests between 22% and 24% THC, and offers extreme relief for chronic pain and insomnia.

Boston OG CannaCritiques opined that “the fine golden THC bulbs of [our Boston OG] form a sea of sparkling sugar the color of wheat beer” with a “sticky, lemony grind.” The subtle citrus notes yield an immediate sativa mental elevation partnered with gradual body relaxation, as well as appetite stimulation. This super sativa offers 24.74% total cannabinoids.

Staff Favorites

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Northern Lights (H/S) Peyton Manning (S) Ghost OG (I) Black Domina (I) Banana Kush (I) Durban Poison (S) Bordello (I) Pure Power Plant (I) Sensi Star (I)

Connoisseur’s Choice HYBRID

www.mrgoodbudzllc.com Looking for the best quality for the best price? Look no further. Holistic Life and Rocky Mountain Medical Marijuana are the dispensaries for you.

These dispensaries deliver fast, friendly service from kind compassionate bud tenders, who will do their best to find you the right medicine that will work for your specific needs. Holistic Life has been serving the community of Lakewood for 3 years. They offer caregiver deals to anyone that signs HL or RMMM up as their caregiver. You will find a wide range of edibles, from Edi-Pure, The Growing Kitchen, Cheeba Chews and more on their shelves. They also carry an excellent selection of top quality hash and concentrates.

Daily morning specials are available from 10:00am to 2:00pm at Holistic Life, with many of the same specials available at their sister store, Rocky Mountain Medical Marijuana from 12:00pm to 2:00pm. Please stop by to take advantage of these great wake-and-bake specials and to experience a higher level of service and satisfaction.

Holistic Life 1395 South Sheridan Blvd.

Lakewood, CO 80232 303-935-BUDZ

Rocky Mountain Medical Marijuana 1126 South Sheridan Blvd.

Denver, CO 80232 303-936-5795

Like us on Facebook!

Strains

OG 13 Kush Pine Solve Pineapple Express Sour D Pre ‘98 Bubba Kush Ron Burgundy Skywalker OG Trainwreck Violator Kush White Dawg White Widow ‘91 Chem Dawg Alien Dawg Blue Dream Bordello Casey Jones Cheese Chocolate Chiesal Donkey Kong

Durban Poison Elephant Red Dragon Flo Purple Flo Ghost OG Gran Dawgy Purple Grape Band Grape Stomper Green Crack Headband Hindu Kush Jack Flash Jack Herer Juicy Fruit Kong Larry OG MTF

Monday-Friday 9:00am-7:00pm Saturday-Sunday 10:00am-7:00pm

Monday-Saturday 12:00am-7:00pm Closed Sunday

Edibles

The Growing Kitchen Green Dragon Elixirs Keef Cola Cheeba Chews Edi-Pure Grandma’s Chronic Goodies

Concentrates Gold Flake Shatter Two Grades of Bubble Hash

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D E N V E R

E D G E W A T E R

www.nlnaturalrx.com Professional care and personal attention are in full bloom at Northern Lights Natural Rx.

2045 Sheridan Blvd.

Suite B Edgewater, CO 80214 303-274-6495 9:00am-7:00pm Daily

Husband-and-wife team Mitch and Eva Woolhiser use their healthcare and business acumen to provide patients a unique and comfortable experience. A true mom-and-pop dispensary with a knowledgeable and engaging staff, Northern Lights works intimately with patients to help them decide which strains and products suit their specific needs. The Woolhisers are passionate about the plant and their raw product is patiently soil-grown from hand-picked plants offering the best genetic profiles, then cured slowly to ensure that quality shines through.

Along with a robust selection of strains, Northern Lights features 10 different lines of edible products that are tested in-house to ensure potency and effectiveness. A flexible exchange policy ensures that patients are fully satisfied, making it easy to see why Northern Lights is also a favorite with people in the industry. Their convenient Edgewater location makes Northern Lights a favorite citywide.

Top Strains

Catatonic 50/50 Flavor: Citrus and peppers. Effects: Our award winning high CBD strain has a 50/50 to 70/30 ratio of CBD to THC. The medicinal effects are extremely clear headed and utterly unlike a “normal” high THC strain. Uses: Perfect for muscle spasms, appetite stimulation, anxiety or chronic pain.

Sour Diesel Sativa 90/10 Flavor: Strong diesel flavors, pungent, leaving an oily taste on the tongue Effects: Sour Diesel taste combined with its effects may be considered an “extreme sport” version of cannabis; the stone pulls smokers into the sky fast with a viscerally uplifting pleasure and lots of consciousness expansion in the direction of spirituality.

Uses: ADD, Alzheimer’s disease, psychosis, bi-polar disorder, depression, Lou Gehrig’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and stress.

Chernobyl Sativa 60/40 Flavor: With a lime slurpee or sherbert flavor, this bud is an extremely potent smoke--just a few bowls is an adventure to your brain waves. Effects: This bud provides a calming and relaxing effect. Uses: Strong and pleasant very good for pain relief without paranoia

2nd Place CBD FLOWER

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Purple Indica Indica 100 Flavor: Very smooth smoke, citrus, earthy flavor; this is organic, dirt-grown medicine and is very easy on the throat. Effects: Promotes extreme relaxation while enhancing ones jovial mood; may induce couch lock. Uses: Inflammation, anxiety, arthritis, chronic pain, glaucoma, insomnia, menstrual cramps, muscle tension, nausea, and stress Kaboom Sativa 80/20 Flavor: It develops deliciously and displays a variety of scents and flavors including tart lemon, spicy hash, sweet berries, sour pineapples, and good ol’ skunk. Effects: Speedy, trippy, intense, motivating, pain relief. Uses: The high that results from smoking Kaboom medicinal cannabis is intense and fast-paced, almost paranoid, but overall motivating; Kaboom marijuana also has enough indica in it to make it very effective pain relief Hawaiian Banana Sativa 80/20 Flavor: Hawaiian sativa’s citrus flavor and menthol tingle will go to your head. Effects: Because the high leaves your brain wide-awake and functional, she’s a good candidate for those who can freely toke all day Uses: Hawaiian sativa possesses analgesic properties that have increased its popularity among medical patients seeking pain relief; anecdotal evidence suggests that Hawaiian sativa provides good visual ocular release, making it a preferred variety for glaucoma patients Ace of Spades Indica 70/30 Flavor: Skunk, Berry, Sandalwood, Lemon Effects: strong and hard hitting with a fast onset of laughter ending in a strong body high.

Uses: very powerful medicine for pain and depression.

Jack the Ripper Sativa 70/30 Flavor: Lemon Effects: the duration and intensity is strong and thought provoking, described as “trippy,” “visual” and “phase shifting.” Uses: known worldwide for its strong pain relief and analgesic properties.

www.mbswellnessclinic.com Mind, Body, Spirit Wellness Clinic is Lakewood’s best kept secret!

Help get the word out. MBS has the best selection of any shop in Lakewood.

They are always stocked with a huge selection of edibles, concentrates, accessories and also maintain over 30 different strains on their shelves.

A small neighborhood dispensary with a focus on quality medicine, everyone at Mind, Body Spirit sees medical marijuana as a true alternative to prescription medications. They grow their plants organically and only carry products that have been throughly evaluated in-house. Their staff is mature, friendly and knowledgeable; putting you, the patient, first to help you find the best medicine to help with your medicinal needs.

Don’t be fooled by the casual appearance, MBS adheres to a high level of professionalism and discretion. They love what they do and believe in helping their patients above all else. Stop in and check them out, you won’t be disappointed.

Staff Favorites Afghan Kush Blue Dream O.G. Kush Sage n Sour Sour Diesel Boulder Kush White Shark

Flo Bordello Violator Kush Grape Ape And our very own...

Green Hornet

Concentrates

Our Awesome House Wax & Bubble Hash Moonrock Ear Wax Flower of Life Canna Caps & CBD Caps Flower of Life Hash Oil Green Dragon C02 Oil Growing Kitchen Pain Pills Growing Kitchen Flower Wax Growing Kitchen Tincture Spray Rem-Pen Cartridges and Vape Pens Kush Caps

6745 West Mississippi Avenue Lakewood, CO 80226 303-934-9750 Monday-Friday 9:00am-7:00pm Saturday 10:00am-6:00pm Sunday 11:00am-4:00pm

Edibles

Growing Kitchen Cookies, Brownies & Chocolava Incredibles Chocolates Dixie ElixirsTruffles Chai High Teas Dixie Elixirs Drinks Marquaha Drinks Canna Punch Bakked At Home Baked North Shore Julie & Kate Sara’s Medicated Teas & Coffees Mountain High Suckers Dr J’s Gaia’s Garden Cheeba Chew Keef Cola

Topicals

Mary’s Way Salves Mary Janes Medicinals Salves & Bath Salts

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L A K E W O O D

N O R T H G L E N N

www.pppmeds.com Physician Preferred Products is proud and honored to continue to provide the highest quality products and customer service to the North Metro community!

2100 East 112th Avenue Suite #5 Northglenn, CO 80233 303-974-5966 Monday-Saturday 10:00am-7:00pm

Edibles Cheeba Chews Dabba Dixie Dr J’s Edipure

We are extremely excited to be a part of this historical time for the Medical Marijuana industry and want to thank our loyal customers for their devotion throughout the years. It is this customer support that drives us here at PPP to create a comfortable, friendly environment for your MMJ needs.

Up front, our Bud-tenders strive to continually update their knowledge of strains and products in order to provide you with the most educated MMJ shopping experience around. In the back, our growers work tirelessly to bring only top quality strains into our garden. These strains have been, for the most part, grown from seed and hand selected from many phenotypes to ensure top quality, award winning genetics. We feel this combination of customer service and absolute dedication to quality amounts to a superior MMJ experience!

Greenfroggy The Growing Kitchen Incredibles Mountain High Suckers

Drinks

Cannabis Energy Drink Chai High Keef Cola

Topicals & Capsules

Honu Dixie Flower of Life

Tinctures Marqaha Dixie Botanicals - CBD

Strains* *Subject to harvest

Durban Poison (S) Green Crack (S) Blue Dream (S) Jacky White (S) Golden Goat (S) 3rd Place Best Tested Amnesia Haze (S) INDICA INDICA Super Lemon Haze (S) Blackwater (I) Rocky Mountain Fire (I) 3rd Place, Best Indica Grape God (I) LA Confidential (I) OG Kush (I) Lavender (I) Citrix (H) WS1 (I) Best Tested Award Emo Kush (I) Signature Strain Wet Dream (H) Signature Strain

Concentrates Hash Oil Cartridges - 350mg & 750mg cartridges Strain Specific Wax/budder Full Plant Solvent-less Full Melt Hash Moonrock Wax TGK’s Shatter Wax

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www.preferredorganictherapy.com Preferred Organic Therapy & Wellness is a medical marijuana center that empowers quality-minded patients with a revolutionary approach for treating the mind and the body.

Together, the staff ensures that their patients are the most well-informed in the state of Colorado. They do this by combining patient-driven strain testing that 1569 South Colorado Boulevard breaks down the distinct properties of each strain, as well as its unique effects, Denver, Colorado 80222 with visual educational aids and enhanced strain titles. Their second-to-none 303-867-4768 selection of additional treatment products are made even more valuable given that they are combined with the ability to browse detailed information at a Monday-Friday leisurely pace. The knowledgeable, professional staff is always happy to as10:00am-7:00pm sist you with any questions you might have. Come see why Preferred Organic Saturday Therapy & Wellness patients are raving about them.

10:00am-5:00pm Like us on Facebook! Check out our coupon in the back of the magazine.

Top Shelf Strains* *Strains can vary over the course of the day.

Be sure to call for specific availability.

Grapefruit Diesel (s) Kentucky Lemon Skunk (s) Island Sweet Skunk (s) Matunuska Thunder Fu** (s) Lemon Skunk (s) New York City Diesel (s) LSD (s) Mowwie Wowwie (s) Strawberry Cough (s) Head Band (s) Bruce Banner (s) Pineapple Express (s) Hash Berry (h) Maui Blue (h)

Bubble Gum (h) Grape Stomper (i) Mobb Boss (i) Master Kush (i) Grape Ape (i) Dream Goddess (i) Shaman (i) Purple Voodoo (i) Pineapple Kush (i) Sweet Tooth (i) Black Berry (i) Kush Berry (i) Blue Berry (i) AK-47 (h) Lemon Kush (h)

Edibles

Sunday 12:00pm-5:00pm

Cheeba Chews (I/S) 70 mg

Julie & Kate 100 mg Granola

112 mg Cheeba Taffy

Beyond Mars 200mg Carmels

Loves Oven 100mg Variety

Beyond Mars 200mg Gummies/

Loves Oven Magic Bars

Hard Candies

HCE 200mg Variety

Dr. J’s 250mg

HCE 100mg variety

Incredibles Edibles 100mg

Blue Kudu’s 100 mg

Incredibles Edibles 175m

Julie & Kate 50mg ‘Nutty Bite

Dabba 100mg

Julie & Kate 25mg Seeds

Dabba 200mg

Julie & Kate 25mg Granola

Mountain High Suckers

Julie & Kate 100mg Seeds

Concentrates Huxley’s Wax Huxley’s Wax Ear Wax Shatter House Bubble Hash Dragon CO2 Oil Blue Dragon CO2 Oil Dragon Caviar Stick 400 mg CO2 Catromizer*

*Vape Pen Sold Separately

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D E N V E R

Emperial Extracts the new leader in American made, scientific grade borosilicate and quartz extraction tubes and accessories, has teamed up with SOMA Wellness Lounge to bring you the highest quality extracts available on the market today.

Emperial Extracts professional glassworker Jake Almasey has created products for every step of the extraction process, and using his line of pure fused-quartz President and Head Alchemist Jared Wagster works with MIT-trained biochemist Jake McGrane to create 84.73% pure THC wax and shatter that tastes as great as it smells. Emperial Extracts uses only Supreme Emperial Blend Extraction Gas; the only >99.9% pure extraction gas available today.

In the coming weeks, SOMA Wellness Lounge and Emperial Extracts will be launching our line of True PURE Crystal THC & CBD. These laboratory-extracted >95% PURE products can be smoked or ingested, and promise to be the future in cannabis medicating!

Look for TPC Cannabinoid Products, Supreme Emperial Blend Extraction Gas, and the entire line of Emperial Extracts scientific grade fused-quartz extraction tubes at SOMA Wellness Lounge. Check out our coupons in the back of this issue.

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SOMA Wellness Lounge 1810 30th Street Suite C Boulder, CO 80301 720-432-SOMA (7662) www.somacolorado.com

Emperial Extracts info@emperialextracts.com 720-491-7268 www.emperialextracts.com

Staff Favorites Golden Goat Moby Dick L’Eagle Hindu Skunk C4 Chem Dawg G-Dubbs F’Wrecked Great White Shark Blueberry Skunk Grape Ape Bruce Banner #3 Death Star

Edibles Edi-Pure Chai-High Twirling Hippy

Blue Dream Durban Poison Jack Herer Bubba Kush Serious AK Big Bud THC Bomb Critical Kush Burmese Kush Strawberry Sour Big Wreck Ghost Kandy Kush Royal Queen

B O U L D E R

Monday-Friday 10:00am-6:00pm Saturday 12:00pm-5:00pm Closed Sunday

Testimonials

Excellent member benefits and the staff are super friendly and knowledgeable....They definitely hook it up. The quality of the flowers are top shelf and reasonably priced. - copperdomebodhi, weedmaps.com The shatter and wax are so bomb and taste exactly like the buds! And did I mention awesome member perks? Worth checking out, you won’t be disappointed! - sauer4567, weedmaps.com Will not go anywhere else, they have exactly what I need and the quality will surely blow your mind! - ganjaprincess303, weedmaps.com

Honest Abe’s The Growing Kitchen Inredibles

Concentrates

True PURE Crystal THC & CBD Earwax & Earl Budder & Shatter Full & Partial Melt Bubble Hash Kief Caviar

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D E N V E R

www.southwestalternativecare.com Southwest Alternative Care, your neighborhood medical marijuana center.

Their mission is to provide Colorado patients with the best alternative medicine and services at the lowest possible prices. At Southwest you’ll find a large selection of top shelf medicines and edibles, all at affordable prices.

1075 South Fox Street Denver, CO 80223 303-593-2931 3937 West Colfax Avenue Denver, CO 80204 720-287-3934 Monday-Sunday 10:00pm-6:50pm

Southwest Alternative Care provides the most potent Earwax and Shatter BHO in Colorado. We work with 2012 Cannabis Cup winners Top Shelf Extracts, to stock our shelves with the best of the best. We also provide high quality cold water, full melt, extracted bubble hash. We offer a variety of strains from 25 micron to 190 micron.

We haven’t met a center yet who didn’t claim to grow “fire” but unlike many, Southwest can back it up. With an award-winning grow team, legendary genetics, and perhaps the cleanest facility in the state, Southwest Alternative Care has redefined what it means to produce top shelf medicine.

Southwest Alternative Care has over 25 top shelf strains, all hand trimmed, including Glass Slipper, Kool Aid Kush, OGre 99, Bubba Kush, Golden Goat, Moonshine Haze, Tangerine Haze, Dairy Queen and many more. The extracts they cull from these high-grade selections set a new standard in terms of quality. Find ‘em on Facebook for a current menu. Check out our coupon in the back of the magazine.

Edibles

Staff Favorites

Concentrates

Testimonials

Dr. J’s Keef Cola Canna Punch At Home Baked Edi Pure Mountain High Suckers Earwax and Shatter BHO 2012 Cannabis Cup winners Top Shelf Extracts Full Melt, Bubble Hash Vape Pens

Golden Goat (S) Glass Slipper (S) Banana Kush (H) Sour Diesel (S) Flo (S) Grape Ape (I)

OG Ghost Train Haze (S) The White (S) Kool Aid Kush (I)

Best Meds in Colorado Southwest Alternative has the best meds in Colorado hands down. Pricing is spot on with the meds. All the employees are amazing. Makes you feel like you are a regular your first time in.

AWESOME!!!!! - seige55, weedmaps.com This place is the best kept secret in Denver I have been a member with Southwest for about a year now, and have nothing but raving reviews. But the original shop wasn’t very close for me as I do not drive. With this new location in the heart of Denver has made buying my meds even easier. Best benefits in town, they give out the most free stuff for members by far.

- FACEwreck5360 weedmaps.com

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www.standingakimbo.org Delicious, AWARD WINNING edibles conveniently located in Northwest Denver. Standing Akimbo brings patients more than just potent strains and high-grade hash, they are also one of the state’s premier producers of eminently delicious edibles like the award-winning PeCanna Bar and the hard-to-putdown Bubble Brownie.

Located in an old bar on 38th Avenue, this dispensary uses an on-site kitchen to craft these grandma-caliber treats. The knowledgeable, friendly staff is always happy to guide patients toward the proper product for their medical needs and Standing Akimbo keeps ample varieties of indica, sativa, and blends on-hand so you’re sure to find a cure for whatever ails you. The doors stay open until 6pm five nights a week, making it easy to pop in after work, which is always a good idea, because you never know what they’ll be cooking up next!

3801 North Jason Street Denver, CO 80211 303--997-4526 Tuesday-Saturday 11:00am-6:00pm Sunday-Monday Closed

Be sure to like us on Facebook!

Signature Edibles

Pecanna Bar - 2011 High Times Award Winner Our award winning and signature medible. We infuse the crust and the caramel with our Canna Butter and then cover thoroughly with pecans. 100mgs of THC Bubble Brownie - 2012 High Times Award Winner Made using the finest ingredients just like grandma used to do it. 100mgs of THC Chronic Crispies - Using various cereals, we blend marshmallows and our Canna Butter to create a delicious treat. 100mgs of THC Buddy Mix - Covered in infused peanut butter and infused chocolate makes this edible delicious and unique. 100mgs of THC Comfy Crackers - Seasoned with our own blend of spices and infused with Canna Oil make these crackers stand out. 100mg of THC Party Mix - Just as you remember it, except we infuse it with our Canna Butter and olive oil. 100mg of THC Rock n Rollz - A sweet infused caramel delight. These 1x1 squares are surely a sell-out item now AND during the coming holidays. 2 individual 1x1 squares with 100mg of infused medicated THC. A total of 200mg of sweet harmony.

New* Pecanna Bites - *In house only - Just like our award winning Pecanna Bar, only bite size.

New* Brownie Bites - *In house only - Just like our award winning Bubble Brownie, only bite sized.

Staff Favorites

FLO - Hybrid The high is light and energetic, allowing for mental clarity throughout.

Cough #1 - Hybrid A wonderful sativa buzz that will certainly put a spring in your step. Comfortable and enjoyable yet powerful.

Sour Diesel - Sativa Couch lock? I think not. This is a popular strain for good reason. A dreamy, uplifting high that will not kill your motivation.

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H I G H L A N D S

DISPENSARY GUIDE

COLORADO SPRINGS 88 Amendment 20 87 FRAM 90 Palmer Lake Wellness 91 Rocky Mountain Miracles

MOUNTAIN

89 Nature’s Own Wellness Center

86 April/May

*

SCAN THE QR CODES AT THE TOP OF THE PAGES FOR MORE INFO AND SPECIAL OFFERS!

C O L O R A D O

www.csweed.com Front Range Alternative Medicines, aka FRAM is Colorado Springs Premier Medical Marijuana Center for patients from all over Colorado.

FRAM is conveniently located just off I-25 & exit 148. Family owned & operated since 2009, FRAM is compassionate about patients and their needs. Our friendly knowledgeable staff will help you select the correct choice of medicine for your body, mind & soul. Known to some patients as “The Edible Warehouse”, FRAM always has a LARGE assortment of new and popular edibles to choose from. They offer a good selection of house hashish and a bunch of popular waxes & shatters from around our state. Maybe you need high CBD tinctures, topicals & capsules, well FRAM has it. Vapes, pens, glass, titanium, quartz accessories, yup FRAM has that too.

Why shop around when you can just go to one place that has it all? “Your one stop shop”, FRAM. Good pricing for all, great benefits & a competitive rewards program if you designate FRAM as your MMC. Brand new patients are always welcome with a tour of our dispensary. Like us on Facebook for daily specials.

Stop in today, it may be a life time experience that you’ve never expected!

5913 North Nevada Avenue Colorado Springs, CO 80918 719-213-0118 Monday-Saturday 10:00am-7:00pm Sunday 12:00am-5:00pm

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S P R I N G S

C O L O R A D O S P R I N G S

www.amendment20cos.com Amendment 20 Caregivers is a family-owned and operated Colorado MMJ center dedicated to quality medicine and a satisfying patient experience.

2727 Palmer Park Blvd.

Colorado Springs, CO 80909 719-375-5610 Monday-Saturday 11:00am-6:30pm Sunday 12:00pm-4:00pm

Top Strains Aurora Indica Grapefruit Blue Dream Hong Kong Star Chem Dogg Matanuska Tundra

(aka Mountain Thunder)

Cindy 99 Jilly Bean Skunk #6 Headband Sage ‘n’ Sour Cream Cheeze

The friendly staff works tirelessly to ensure every patient has an enjoyable visit and that they are receiving the best medicine available for their condition. The medicine is only top-shelf but is available at reasonable prices that everyone can afford (and most cannot believe). Member patients enjoy even lower pricing, daily specials, and patient appreciation events. Bud-tenders are friendly, knowledgeable, and enjoy helping patients feel better.

Amendment 20 Caregivers is conveniently located in central Colorado Springs with plenty of free parking and with safe, private, and easy access for every patient. The wide variety of edibles and high-quality meds make this the perfect stop. Come visit them today to learn about and sign up for member pricing and other daily discounts blasts.

Roadblock-15 Thai Blueberry 2 LA Confidential Lemon Skunk NYPD White Widow Sour Diesel Pez Kt Kush Blue City Diesel NYPD

Staff Favorites

New York Power Diesel sativa dominant 70/30 The New York Power Diesel (NYPD) is an indoor power strain with a radical mix of Sativa Mexicana father and Afghan/Dutch indica mother. The Nirvana addition to the diesel family stays close to the New York variant. NYPD is an F1 hybrid that is balanced but sativa-dominant, with potential for gardeners and home breeders.

Its mother plant, the Aurora Indica, is a combination of Northern Lights and an Afghan strain that was stabilized especially for use in this cross. The heavy, greasy narcotic effects of the Aurora Indica beautifully cut the edge of the crispy, speedy Oaxacan sativa father known as Eldorado. The resulting terpenoids have a powerful diesel aroma with a lemon-edged fuel flavor.

Aurora Indica indica dominant 90/10 Aurora Indica’s leaves are dark and impressively wide and its smell is dense and spicy, leading gardeners to anticipate the cosmic indica experience its name suggests. The buds are thick and greasy to the touch, with a deep Afghani flavor that is more apparent when grown in soil. A great stone before bed, this heavy buzz comes on quickly and can be quite sedative. People have reported hot ears as a common side effect when vaporizing. This strain has medicinal potential for treating hyperactivity and insomnia.

Concentrates 88 April/May

Scissor Hash-Rainbow Bubble Hash-Rainbow Style Moonrocks Kief

www.nowcdurango.com Under new ownership and management, Nature’s Own Wellness Center strives to give every patient a quality experience that is only surpassed by the quality of their medicine. The dispensary offers a wide variety of strains and products to help all patients with their particular needs. Nature’s Own Wellness Center offers only the best edibles and marijuana infused products from around the state. All strains our house-grown and special care is taken to make sure they are of the highest quality.

Nature’s Own Wellness Center offers a clean, safe, comfortable, environment run by medical professionals who are focused on the well-being of their patients. The dispensary takes their caregiver responsibility seriously and will work with the patients to be sure that the care they are receiving is helpful and provides relief. The focus is on real patients who can benefit from this type of therapy, and the dispensary is establishing a patient-oriented approach while complying with all Colorado laws and statutes. Nature’s Own Wellness Center offers a place of healing for patients with a compassionate and knowledgeable staff of providers you can trust. More than just a medical cannabis center; Nature’s Own Wellness Center is here to help you experience a better quality of life and a healing of mind, body, and spirit.

Strains*

*Varies from harvest to harvest

Cherry Lime Afghani Bullrider Herijuana Romulan Purple Kush Bubba Kush Banana Kush Bubba Bruce Bruce Banner Master Kush Rom Rider Ray Charles Grand Daddy Nosebleed UK Cheese Lava Berry Kush Flo Lemon Skunk Green Crack Island Sweet Skunk Lambs Bread

927 Highway 3 Durango, CO 81301 970-259-0283 Monday-Saturday 10:00am-6:30pm Sunday 12:00pm-5:00pm

Edibles*

*Call for availability

Bakked - Cake Balls, Hash Oil Cheeba Chews - Indica, Sativa, Hybrid, CBD Dr. J’s - Caramellows, Star Barz Dixie Elixir - Dew Drop, CBD Dew Drop, Dixie Rolls, Truffles, Dixie Scripts EdiPure - 100 mg, 250 mg assorted Julie and Kate - Cannabutter, Granola, Nut mixes Standing Akimbo - Pecanna Bars, Bubble Brownies, Rock n Rolls, Buddy Mix, Chronic Crispies Tincture Belle - Suckers, Tinctures, Dab-O-Honey, Dabba Zabba, Dabby Nut Rolls, Punches, Caramel Popcorn Mountain High Edibles - Chocolate Rolls

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D U R A N G O

P A L M E R L A K E

www.palmerlake.bmbnow.com Right of I-25 nestled in the foothills, between Denver and Colorado Springs, is a hidden treasure, Palmer Lake Wellness center.

850 Commercial Lane Palmer Lake, CO 80133 719-488-9900 Monday - Friday 9:00am - 7:00pm Saturday 11:00am - 6:00pm Sunday 12:00pm - 5:00pm

PLWC, has hand selected 25 top quality strains that will help benefit all patients with their personal medical needs. The small but knowledgeable staff is passionately dedicated in working to find the best medicine for each individual patient. We have teamed up with some amazing growers who are helping bring the most potent high altitude medical marijuana found in the Front Range.

PLWC is known as the Diesel Destination carrying 5 Top shelf Diesel Strains, including Bio-Diesel Kong, G-Zill, NYC Diesel, Super Diesel and Sour Diesel.

They are Second-to-none when it comes to a wide selection of edibles, tinctures, and concentrates .All hash is made in house by select strains and refined to the purest form, making them the only place to shop in town!

Be sure to check out the Rock n Roll themed PLWC on 4-20 and be treated like a Rockstar!

From I-25, take exit 161 to merge onto CO-105 west toward Monument/Palmer Lake, turn right onto Circle Rd, Take 1st left onto Commercial Lane, destination will be on the left

Testimonials

Love It Here These guys are great! You want to go somewhere where the staff cares about you and will help you?

Check them out! Dino is awesome, he is the owner.

Lindsay, a bud-tender, is super rad and hilarious. Joe, another bud-tender, was a friendly guy. Amazing medicine, never let down when I go. -420Yo!, weedmaps. com Worth the Long Drive I drive from Denver for their product and I am now a member. I get a great deal and great product. I got a tour from the owner and get to see my favorite diesel as it’s growing. Top notch stuff. -tom.selek, weedmaps.com

Strain Favorites SATIVA: BLUE DREAM DURBAN POISON PINEAPPLE EXPRESS GREAT WHITE SHARK ISLAND SWEET SKUNK CROWN ROYAL NYC DIESEL G-ZILL SOUR DIESEL JACK HERRER PURPLE FLO INDICA: BIO - DIESEL KONG CRUNCH BERRY BUDDAH’S SISTER HAWAIIAN MK ULTRA SHISKABERRY PINK PEZ WHITE RHINO JACK FLASH HYBRIDS: SUPER DIESEL MIKADO BANANA KUSH SHARKS BREATH KILIMANJARO

90 April/May

www.rockymountainmiracles.com In the heart of Colorado Springs, Rocky Mountain Miracles prides itself on delivering all-natural MMJ products for patients all over Colorado.

Family is very important to owner Ali, who operates Rocky Mountain Miracles with daughters Jessica, Mandy, Shelly, and son Mike. The growers and trimmers are all family as well. You are welcomed and cared for like family too. Part of what makes RMM stand out is its quality selection of medication.

RMM offers over 80 top-shelf quality, hand trimmed strains, with new strains introduced regularly, as well as hash and caviar. It’s all about providing the right medication for your medical needs, from severe physical pain to PTSD. Also, RMM boasts a wealth of medicated edibles - from cooking ingredients to snacks, teas, coffees, and drinks, plus items for diabetics. Medicated tablets, chew-ables, tinctures, and more provide great alternatives to smoking.

2316 East Bijou Street Colorado Springs, CO 80909 719-473-9333

But there’s more to this dispensary than the products they sell. Trained staff members happily provide consultation on marijuana questions, pain management, and offer evaluations for patients to determine how MMJ could help alleviate pain and improve quality of life. At Rocky Mountain Miracles, MMJ is provided with expert counseling while friendly service offers unparalleled relief.

Monday-Saturday 11:00pm-6:45pm Sunday-Monday Closed

Check out our coupon in the back of this issue.

Staff Favorites

LA Confidential - Tested at 23% THC Durga Mata - Tested at 18.4% THC Chocolope - Tested at 20.7% THC Mango 13 - Tested at 17.7% THC Orange Bud - Tested at 18.8% THC Hawaiian Skunk - Tested at 16.7% THC Skywalker - Tested at 18.9% THC AK-47 - Tested at 21% THC Blue Dream - Tested at 22.8% THC Black Cherry - Tested at 21% THC Super Lemon Haze - Tested at 20.4% THC Jack the Ripper - Tested at 18.3% THC

Edibles

Green Chili Brownies Cookies Hard Candy/Taffy Apple Butter Peanut Butter Marinara Macaroni and Cheese Chicken Noodle Soup Hot Chocolate/Coffees/Teas Oatmeal Trail Mix/Sunflower Seeds

Patient Testimonials

“I like RMM because it’s run by a family. They care very much about their patients, all of them, especially ones with real health problems or who are on disability, like myself. I’ve received very good advice on certain edibles that have helped me tremendously with my PTSD, my immune disease, and chronic problems with my back. It has helped take me off most of my medications, where I’m not having to take as many pharmaceutical drugs anymore and I can rely more on natural medicine.” - Jannae, RMM patient “Shopping at RMM is fun. I laugh with Ali and her daughters every time I come in and they are so friendly and knowledgeable. There are always new products to try and they take the time to explain how the medication can affect me and answer my questions. They have a great selection of edibles. I have horrible back pain and prefer edibles during the day - my favorites are Jolly Drops. I always feel like I’m getting a good deal - like I’m part of the family.” - Susie, RMM patient

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C O L O R A D O S P R I N G S

Acupuncture 5, 73 The Clinic 81 Preferred Organic Therapy All Natural 3 Dr. J’s Hash Infusion ATM On Site 57 Emerald City Organics 7 The Green Solution 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx 90 Palmer Lake Wellness 10 River Rock 91 Rocky Mountain Miracles Attorney 69 Hoban & Feola, LLC Award Winning 5, 73 The Clinic 2, 76 Good Meds Network 72 The Hemp Center 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx 80 Physician Preferred Products 10 River Rock 13, 85 Standing Akimbo Body Care Products 72 The Hemp Center 7 The Green Solution Books & Education 5, 73 The Clinic 7 The Green Solution 72 The Hemp Center 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx 81 Preferred Organic Therapy Cash Only 19 Element Four20 57 Emerald City Organics 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx 81 Preferred Organic Therapy 10 River Rock 91 Rocky Mountain Miracles Charity/Community Outreach 90 Palmer Lake Wellness 10 River Rock Chiropractic 5, 73 The Clinic 81 Preferred Organic Therapy

92 April/May

Clone Bar 75 CAM Dispensary 9 The Giving Tree of Denver 7 The Green Solution 72 Higher Expectations 79 MBS Wellness 51 MMD of Colorado 100 Mr. Nice Guys 90 Palmer Lake Wellness Clothing Items 5, 73 The Clinic 19 Element Four20 57 Emerald City Organics 9 The Giving Tree of Denver 7 The Green Solution 72 The Hemp Center 72 Higher Expectations 77 Holistic Life 100 Mr. Nice Guys 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx 10 River Rock 91 Rocky Mountain Miracles Credit Cards Accepted 74 CAM Dispensary 5, 73 The Clinic 9 The Giving Tree of Denver 2, 76 Good Meds Network 72 The Hemp Center 77 Holistic Life 51 MMD of Colorado 80 Physician Preferred Products Daily Specials 74 CAM Dispensary 5, 73 The Clinic 19 Element Four20 57 Emerald City Organics 87 FRAM 9 The Giving Tree of Denver 2, 76 Good Meds Network 7 The Green Solution 72 The Hemp Center 72 Higher Expectations 77 Holistic Life 79 MBS Wellness 51 MMD of Colorado 100 Mr. Nice Guys 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx 80 Physician Preferred Products 81 Preferred Organic Therapy 10 River Rock 13, 85 Standing Akimbo

Educational Classes 5, 73 The Clinic 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx 79 MBS Wellness Center 81 Preferred Organic Therapy Evaluation Clinic/MMJ Doctor 19 Amarimed Free Parking 88 Amendment 20 75 CAM Dispensary 5, 73 The Clinic 19 Element Four20 57 Emerald City Organics 87 FRAM 9 The Giving Tree of Denver 2, 76 Good Meds Network 72 The Hemp Center 72 Higher Expectations 77 Holistic Life 9 The Giving Tree of Denver 7 The Green Solution 100 Mr. Nice Guys 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx 90 Palmer Lake Wellness 80 Physician Preferred Products 81 Preferred Organic Therapy 10 River Rock 91 Rocky Mountain Miracles 82 SOMA 9, 84 Southwest Alternative Care 13, 85 Standing Akimbo Gift Certificates 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx Happy Hour 5, 73 The Clinic 57 Emerald City Organics 72 Higher Expectations 77 Holistic Life 100 Mr. Nice Guys 13, 85 Standing Akimbo Hemp Products 72 The Hemp Center 10 River Rock Holistic Health 5, 73 The Clinic 57 Emerald City Organics 72 The Hemp Center 90 Palmer Lake Wellness 91 Rocky Mountain Miracles

Infused Products 61 At Home Baked 44 Dixie Elixirs 3 Dr. J’s Hash Infusion 83 Emperial Extracts 19 Evolab 13 Keef Cola 10 Priva 13, 85 Standing Akimbo Internet Wi-Fi 75 CAM Dispensary 5, 73 The Clinic 19 Element Four20 57 Emerald City Organics 72 The Hemp Center 51 MMD of Colorado 81 Preferred Organic Therapy 10 River Rock 82 SOMA 13, 85 Standing Akimbo Labeled Nutritional Information 61 At Home Baked 44 Dixie Elixirs 3 Dr. J’s Hash Infusion Legal Services 69 Hoban & Feola, LLC Live Music 10 River Rock Local Artist Program 10 River Rock Massage Therapy 5, 73 The Clinic 72 The Hemp Center 79 MBS Wellness Center 81 Preferred Organic Therapy 10 River Rock Member Loyalty Program 87 FRAM 10 River Rock MMJ Doctor/Evaluation Clinic 19 Amarimed

Member Discounts 74 CAM Dispensary 5, 73 The Clinic 19 Element Four20 57 Emerald City Organics 9 The Giving Tree of Denver 87 FRAM 2, 76 Good Meds Network 7 The Green Solution 72 The Hemp Center 72 Higher Expectations 77 Holistic Life 79 MBS Wellness Center 51 MMD of Colorado 100 Mr. Nice Guys 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx 80 Physician Preferred Products 81 Preferred Organic Therapy 10 River Rock 82 SOMA 9, 84 Southwest Alternative Care 13, 85 Standing Akimbo Member Loyalty Program 87 FRAM 10 River Rock MMJ Doctor/Evaluation Clinic 19 Amarimed Nutritional Consulting 5, 73 The Clinic 57 Emerald City Organics 72 The Hemp Center Pain Management Consulting 74 CAM Dispensary 5, 73 The Clinic 57 Emerald City Organics 72 The Hemp Center 77 Holistic Life 90 Palmer Lake Wellness 81 Preferred Organic Therapy 10 River Rock Patient Appreciation Events 10 River Rock

Private Dispensing Rooms 5, 73 The Clinic 19 Element Four20 57 Emerald City Organics 72 The Hemp Center 77 Holistic Life 79 MBS Wellness Center 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx 81 Preferred Organic Therapy 10 River Rock 82 SOMA 9, 84 Southwest Alternative Care Pre-Order Medication 88 Amendment 20 74 CAM Dispensary 5, 73 The Clinic 19 Element Four20 57 Emerald City Organics 9 The Giving Tree of Denver 2, 76 Good Meds Network 7 The Green Solution 72 The Hemp Center 72 Higher Expectations 77 Holistic Life 79 MBS Wellness 100 Mr. Nice Guys 80 Physician Preferred Products 10 River Rock 91 Rocky Mountain Miracles 82 SOMA 9, 84 Southwest Alternative Care 13, 85 Standing Akimbo Seeds 5, 73 The Clinic 10 River Rock Senior Discounts 19 Element Four20 72 The Hemp Center 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx 81 Preferred Organic Therapy Signature Concentrates 5, 73 The Clinic 19 Element Four20 7 The Green Solution 10 River Rock 82 SOMA

Signature Edibles 74 CAM Dispensary 57 Emerald City Organics 9 The Giving Tree of Denver 2, 76 Good Meds Network 72 The Hemp Center 72 Higher Expectations 77 Holistic Life 100 Mr. Nice Guys 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx 90 Palmer Lake Wellness 80 Physician Preferred Products 81 Preferred Organic Therapy 10 River Rock 13, 85 Standing Akimbo Signature Strains 88 Amendment 20 5, 73 The Clinic 19 Element Four20 57 Emerald City Organics 87 FRAM 2, 76 Good Meds Network 7 The Green Solution 72 The Hemp Center 72 Higher Expectations 77 Holistic Life 100 Mr. Nice Guys 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx 80 Physician Preferred Products 81 Preferred Organic Therapy 10 River Rock 91 Rocky Mountain Miracles 82 SOMA 9, 84 Southwest Alternative Care 13, 85 Standing Akimbo Specialty Glass 74 CAM Dispensary 5, 73 The Clinic 19 Element Four20 57 Emerald City Organics 87 FRAM 9 The Giving Tree of Denver 7 The Green Solution 77 Holistic Life 79 MBS Wellness Center 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx 90 Palmer Lake Wellness 81 Preferred Organic Therapy 10 River Rock 91 Rocky Mountain Miracles 13, 85 Standing Akimbo

Specialized Treatment Programs 10 River Rock Topicals 5, 73 The Clinic 74 CAM Dispensary 19 Element Four20 57 Emerald City Organics 9 The Giving Tree of Denver 7 The Green Solution 57 The Hemp Center 77 Holistic Life 79 MBS Wellness Center 51 MMD of Colorado 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx 80 Physician Preferred Products 81 Preferred Organic Therapy 10 River Rock Vegetarian 61 At Home Baked 44 Dixie Elixirs 3 Dr. J’s Hash Infusion 13 Keef Cola Veteran Discounts 74 CAM Dispensary 19 Element Four20 57 Emerald City Organics 9 The Giving Tree of Denver 72 The Hemp Center 72 Higher Expectations 77 Holistic Life 79 MBS Wellness Center 51 MMD of Colorado 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx 80 Physician Preferred Products 81 Preferred Organic Therapy 10 River Rock 91 Rocky Mountain Miracles 82 SOMA

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THANK YOU TO OUR ADVERTISERS 19 Amarimed 88 Amendment 20 61 At Home Baked 74 CAM 54 Cannabis Energy Drink 61 Cannlabs 5, 73 The Clinic 31 Clover Leaf University 44 Dixie Elixirs 3 Dr. J’s Hash Infusion 19 Element Four20/Evolab 57 Emerald City Organics 87 FRAM 9 The Giving Tree of Denver 95 Globeville Meds 2, 76 Good Meds Network 7 The Green Solution 72 The Hemp Center 72 Higher Expectations 69 Hoban & Feola, LLC 77 Holistic Life 13 Keef Cola 79 MBS Wellness Center 51 MMD of Colorado 51 MMJ Meet and Greet 89 Nature’s Own Wellness Center 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx 90 Palmer Lake Wellness Center 80 Physician Preferred Products 81 Preferred Organic Therapy 10 River Rock/Priva 91 Rocky Mountain Miracles 37 Roo Bar 82 SOMA 9, 84 Southwest Alternative Care 13, 85 Standing Akimbo 98 April/May

Boulder 82 SOMA

Edgewater 78 Northern Lights Natural Rx

Colorado Springs 88 Amendment 20 87 FRAM 90 Palmer Lake Wellness 91 Rocky Mountain Miracles 72 The Hemp Center

Englewood 2, 76 Good Meds Network

Denver Central 5, 73 The Clinic 57 Emerald City Organics 7 The Green Solution 72 Higher Expectations 10 River Rock 37 Roo Bar 9, 84 Southwest Alternative Care Denver Downtown 51 MMD of Colorado Denver East 5, 73 The Clinic The Green Solution Denver Highlands 5, 73 The Clinic 9 The Giving Tree of Denver 13, 85 Standing Akimbo

Denver North 57 Emerald City Organics 7 The Green Solution 80 Physician Preferred Products 10 River Rock 13, 85 Standing Akimbo Denver South 74 CAM Dispensary 5, 73 The Clinic 72 Higher Expectations 100 Mr. Nice Guys 81 Preferred Organic Therapy 10 River Rock Denver Southwest 19 Element Four20 57 Emerald City Organics 77 Holistic Life 77 Rocky Mountain MM 9, 84 Southwest Alternative Care Durango 89 Nature’s Own Wellness

Georgetown 2, 76 Good Meds Network Lakewood 5, 73 The Clinic 2, 76 Good Meds Network 7 The Green Solution 77 Holistic Life 79 MBS Wellness Littleton 72 The Hemp Center Mountain 2, 76 Good Meds Network 89 Nature’s Own Wellness Northglenn 7 The Green Solution 80 Physician Preferred Products Palmer Lake 90 Palmer Lake Wellness

The National Cannabis Industry Association has brought together responsible cannabis businesses to work as a unified force for change.

Is your business part of the solution yet?

Join NCIA today for…

• National Industry Advocacy • Informational events and B2B networking • Industry legitimization • Exposure to a national market Join online now at TheCannabisIndustry.org or call (202) 379-4861, ex. 1.

NCIA thanks our Colorado membership for standing up for the industry: 3-D Denver’s Discreet Dispensary Blue Kudu Canna Security America CannaPages.com CannLabs Caviar Edibles and Spice Co. Compassionate Pain Management Corry & Associates Denver Relief Consulting Dixie Elixirs & Edibles EZ Trim

Fusion Pharm, Inc. Gaia's Garden Green CulturEDGreen Dream Health Services Groundswell Cannabis Boutique Herban Medicinals Indispensary iVita Wellness Jim Marty & Assoc., CPAs KiMSiDWELL.COM/MMJ Kind Love Law Offices of Titus D. Peterson

Lightshade Labs Local Product of Colorado McAllister, Darnell & Associates Medically Correct MMC Depot MMJ America Mountain High Suckers Natural Remedies North Boulder Wellness Organa Labs Otoke Horticulture, LLC Preferred Organic Therapy & Wellness

Pure Essentia Pure Intentions Wellness Center Roberto’s MMJ List Rocky Mountain Business Products Strainwise Dispensaries The Hemp Connoisseur Vicente-Sederberg, LLC Walking Raven MMC We Grow Colorado Wellspring Collective

NCIA is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade organization. • P.O. Box 78062 • Washington, DC 20013

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$145 Ounces