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The New Smoker magazine Editor-in-Chief
S.G. Clarke
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Issue No.6 April 2016
Milo Milone Clark Greene Frank Lauria Gloria Mattioni Soren Gray Chris Holmes Chef Tiffany Friedman Dyson Bronti Larry Snelly Fiona Perman Georgia Jane Fields
All contents © 2016 The New Smoker. The New Smoker has nothing to do with tobacco or any of it’s related products. The New Smoker magazine is published and distributed by issuu.com. The New Smoker does not condone or endorse any illegal use of any products or services advertised herein. The New Smoker is for ages 21 and up. All materials are for educational purposes only. The New Smoker recommends consulting an attorney before considering any business decision or venture. We take no responsibility for the actions of our readers. A number of characters and images appearing in this magazine are parody, satirical or fictitious. Any resemblance to any persons, living, created, or dead, is purely coincidental.
THE NEW SMOKER
ISSUE No.6 CONTENTS:
A BRIEF HISTORY OF MEDICINAL MARIJUANA 5000 Years of Cannabis Cures.
6.
10 TOP CONDITIONS CANNABIS CURES When Recreational Is Medicinal
10.
JUICING WHOLE PLANT CANNABIS Why Smoke The Cure When You Can Juice it!
24.
THE 10TH TOP CONDITION CANNABIS CURES Cancer Get’s Its Own Section PHOENIX TEARS: The Cannabis Oil That Could Cure Cancer
26.
35.
THE SERIOUS SIDE OF FUNNY The Zach Galifianakis Interview
38.
CLASS VS. CRASS Etiquette for The Sophisticated Smoker
44.
A GREEN COFFEE TABLE BOOK A Bud Book Review
48.
AUSTRALIA LEGALIZES MEDICAL MARIJUANA: The Land Down-Under Makes a Major Move.
50.
CANNATONIC: STRAIN REVIEW The Healing Herbal Tonic Bred To Help.
54.
MARIJUANA, MECKEL’S, & ME How I learned Marijuana Was A Medicine
58.
HIP TO STAY FIT How to Live Long Smoking Weed
COMEDY, CAKE, & CANNABIS A New Smoker Puff Puff Pop-Up Event!
62.
66.
“HOW I FOUGHT CANCER WITH CANNABIS & WON!” One Woman’s Story About Persistence, Patience, & Power.
70.
HIGH FI: HEALING SONGS Sonic Sweetness For The Soul
76.
CHEF TIFF’S TREATS Sweet and Succulent Spring Recipes
80.
1
Notes from a New Smoker Welcome to the Sixth issue of The New Smoker magazine:
Marijuana is Medicine.
T
he Medical Marijuana Movement has been making huge progressive strides these past dozen years. More and more U.S. states, and some countries across the globe, are re-legalizing cannabis for medicinal purposes.
T
B
B
T
T
S
he medicinal properties of cannabis have been long know throughout recorded human history, dating back at least 5000 years to China. Some even people consider the plant to be one of the major aids in our conceptual evolution as a species. Aiding us from n the United States, Medicinal Mar- primate to human. Possibly assisting ijuana reform steadily pushes for- in new creative ideas and solutions to ward in each state. (24 states plus D.C. what seemed impossible before. as of this publishing.) Even more are expected to join during the 2016 presut only in the past 10 to 20 years idential election. Seems like if a state have we finally turned the modern can get a comprehensive marijuana scientific eye to the study of the mebill on the ballot by November, the dicinal properties of cannabis. Even chances are it will likely pass. with limited funding, limited studies, limited legality, and mostly anecdotal nd yet the U.S. Federal Govern- evidence, the initial findings are still ment has barely made any real quite promising. progress in decriminalizing cannabis and allowing for medicinal marijuahe discovery of the connection bena to be properly studied. Even Austween the endocannabinoid system tralia, the Texas of countries, recently in the human body (which regulates legalized limited medicinal marijuana, much of our bodily functions), and promising more scientific research. THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids But the U.S. still classifies Cannabis as compounds in marijuana tells us much a schedule 1 drug: “of little or no me- more on how cannabis helps heal us. dicinal value.” When nothing could be Science is just starting to pierce this further from the truth. possible gold mine of medicinal potential.
I
A
ut corporate governments are in the way, especially the United States. Where the U.S. goes, the world tends to follow. For better or worse. And in this case it would be so much better to simply legalize medicinal marijuana. Let the studies begin in earnest with the world’s top scientists getting a good look at what cannabis can do. he wheels of government may move slow, but revolutions move fast. It just takes persistence and patience. Determination and daring. Intention and intellect. People need to involve themselves, if not on a political level, at least an elevated and educated one. o 20 or 30 years from now, when cannabis prohibition is dead and gone, people will look back at this time of intentional ignorance and wonder how we lived with ourselves, denying sick people medicine simply out of misguided fear. Ignorance isn’t bliss. Ignorance kills.
-S.G. Clarke
EDITOR- IN-CHIEF
3
THE NEW SMOKER
A BRIEF HISTORY OF M
W
hile medical marijuana might not exactly be a miracle drug, it comes pretty darn close. The amount of physical and psychological ailments aided by various cannabis treatments can make it seem like a gift from the gods. Throughout history cannabis has been used for its medicinal properties. Only less than 100 years ago did modern man start to disavow its curative components, for greedy, illogical and irresponsible reasons. Here are some sane samples from the past:
2900BC
C
hinese Emperor Fu Hsi References Marijuana As Popular Medicine.
credit with bringing civilization to China, seems to have made reference to Ma, the Chinese word for Cannabis, noting that Cannabis was very popular medicine that possessed both yin and yang. *1.
”
“The Chi-
nese Emperor Fu Hsi (ca. 2900 BC), whom the Chinese
M
edical Use of Marijuana in Middle East Recorded in The Venidad.
the ancient Persian religious text written around the seventh century BC purportedly by Zoro“The Veni- aster (or dad, one of Zarathusthe volumes tra), the of the Zefounder of nd-Avesta, Zoroastri-
700BC
1213BC
A
ncient Egytians Use Cannabis For Glaucoma, Inflammation, And Enemas.
“Cannabis
pollen is found on the mummy of Ramesses II, who died in 1213 BC. Prescriptions for cannabis in Ancient
anism, and heavily influenced by the Vedas, mentions bhang and lists cannabis as the most important of 10,000 medicinal plants.” *3.
Egypt include treatment for the eyes (glaucoma), inflammation, and cooling the uterus, as well as administering enemas. *2.
”
200BC
A
ncient Greece, Cannabis Used as Remedy for Earache, Edema, and Inflammation. *4.
By 1 AD an ancient Chinese text recommended “Ma”, -marChinese ideogram ijuana- for for marijuana more than (“ma”) a Con- 100 ailments. tinued In a comTo Be Used pendium of in Chinese drug recipes Culture. compiled in 1 AD [Pen
M
“
Ts’ao Ching, based on traditions from the time of Shen Nung, marijuana is depicted as an ideogram [pictorial symbol] of plants drying in a shed. This ancient text... rec-
ommends marijuana for more than 100 ailments, including gout, rheumatism, malaria, and absentmindedness. *5.
”
1AD
*1. Robert Deitch - Hemp: American History Revisited: The Plant with a Divided History, 2003. *2. Lise Manniche, PhD - An Ancient Egyptian Herbal. *3. 1989 Martin Booth - Cannabis: A History, 2005. *4. US National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse - “Marihuana, A Signal of Misunderstanding,” druglibrary.org, 1972. *5. Janet Joy, PhD Alison Mack - Marijuana as Medicine: Beyond the Controversy, 2001.
THE NEW SMOKER
EDICINAL MARIJUANA 1745-1775
G
eorge Washington Grows Hemp.
nabis, and several of his diary entries indicate that he indeed was growing [George] Cannabis Washington’s with a high diary enTetrahydrotries indicannabinol cate that he (THC) congrew hemp tent - mariat Mount juana. *9. Vernon, his ** Page from George plantation, Washington’s diary dated 1765. Click picture for about 30 Aug. for full page. Source: Library of Congress (acyears [apcessed Aug. 31, 2011) proximately 1745-1775]. According to his agricultural ledgers, he had a particular interest in the medicinal use of Can-
1538 70AD
R
oman Medical Text Cites Cannabis Use Treats Earaches and Suppress Sexual Longing.
throughout the Roman empire, studied many plants, gathering his knowledge into a book he titled De Materia Medica (On MedPedanius ical Matters). Dioscorides Published (circa AD about AD 70 40-90), a it became the Greek phymost importsician who ant medical was a Roman tome of the army doctor next 1500 and traveled years. Irrefutwidely on ably included campaigns in it was
“
J
esus Uses Anointing Oil Allegedly Made with Cannabis
“In the
Bible’s New Testament, Jesus... anointed [his disci-
ples] with [a] potent entheogenic [psychoactive substance] oil, sending out the 12 apostles to do the same [around the year 30 AD]... Likewise,
cannabis, both kannabis emeros and kannabis agria, the male and female respectively. Dioscorides stated bluntly that the plant which was used in the making of rope also produced a juice that was used to treat earache and suppress sexual longing. *7.
H
emp Used During Middle Ages
“
“During the
Middle Ages, hemp was central to any herbalist’s medicine cabinet. William Turner, the naturalist considered the first English botanist, praises it in his New Herball, published in 1538. *8.
”
”
”
after Jesus’ passing, James suggests that anyone of the Christian community who was sick should call to the elders to anoint him with oil in the name of Jesus... *6.
”
T
homas Jefferson Grows Hemp at Monticello
no evidence to suggest that Jefferson was a habitual smoker of hemp, toThomas bacco, or any Jefferson did other subgrow hemp stance. Some [as noted in have pointed his farming to a supposed diaries from reference in 1774-1824], Jefferson’s but there is Farm Book
“
30AD
22. Put some Hemp into the Water about 6 Oclock in the Afternoon note this Hemp had been pulld the 8th. Instt. & was well dryed, & took it out again the 26th. **
to separating male and female hemp plants as evidence that he was cultivating it for purposes of recreational smoking; no such reference exists in Jefferson’s Farm Book
or any other document, although George Washington did record such a thing in his own diary...
”
*10.
1774-1824
*6. Chris Bennett - “Was Jesus a Stoner?,” High Times Magazine, Feb. 10, 2003. *7. & *8. Martin Booth - Cannabis: A History, 2005. *9. Robert Deitch - Hemp: American History Revisited: The Plant with a Divided History, 2003. *10. Thomas Jefferson Foundation - “Spurious Quotations,” Monticello.org (accessed Sep. 23, 2011).
7
THE NEW SMOKER
A BRIEF HISTORY OF M 1840
Q
ueen Victoria Uses Cannabis Tincture to Relieve Menstrual Cramps.
“Cannabis
was reintroduced into British medicine in
1842 by Dr. W[illiam] O’Shaughnessy, an army surgeon who had served in India. In Victorian times it was widely used for a variety of ailments, including mus-
cle spasms, menstrual cramps, rheumatism, and the convulsions of tetanus, rabies and epilepsy; it was also used to promote uterine contractions in childbirth, and as a sedative to induce sleep. It is said to have been used by Queen Victoria against period pains: there is no actual proof of this at all, but Sir Robert Russell,
M
arijuana Added to US Pharmacopeia.
and overrosy, incontithe counter nence, gout, medicines], convulsive which listed disorders, marijuana tonsillitis, inas treatment sanity, excesBy 1850, for numerous sive menstrumarijuana afflictions, al bleeding, had made including: and uterine its way into neuralgia, tet- bleeding, the United anus, typhus, among othStates Phar- cholera, ers. Patented macopeia [an rabies, dysen- marijuaofficial public tery, alcohol- na tincstandards-set- ism, opiate tures were ting author- addiction, sold... *12. ity for all anthrax, lep1850 prescription
“
”
8
for many proprietary years her medicines.” personal phy- *11. JAN. 1915 sician, wrote resident extensively Wilson on cannabis, signs Harrirecommendson Act, the ing it for Model for use in dysFuture Drug menorrhoea Regulation [menstrual Legislation. by regulating cramps]. It the internawas admin“Representational opium istered by tive Francis trade. Acmouth, not B. Harrison cording to his by smoking, (D-NY) bills, opium but usually in introduced could be the form of a three bills in imported or tincture (an 1913 to remeexported only extract in aldy the [drug] for medicinal cohol). Canproblem by purposes. nabis extracts controlling Harrison also were also the domestic proposed that incorporatmanufacture the governed in many of opium and ment ‘...imdifferent
P
C
ontrolled Substances Act Classifies Marijuana as a Drug with “No Accepted Medical Use”
C
ongress passes the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) (750
KB) as part of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. This law establishes a “singles system of control for both narcotic and psychotropic drugs for the first time in US history.”
The CSA creates five schedules to classify substances. Marijuana is placed in Schedule I, which are drugs “classified as having a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment
pose a special tax upon all persons who... sell, distribute or give away opium or coca leaves...’
P
resident Woodrow Wilson signed all three of Harrison’s
in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.”*14.
1970
*11. House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology “Ninth Report: Cannabis,” UK Parliament website, Nov. 11, 1998. *12. Richard Glen Boire, JD and Kevin Feeney, JD Medical Marijuana Law, 2007. *13. Dennis Joseph Pfennig, PhD “Early Twentieth Century Responses to the Drug Problem,” OAH Magazine of History, Fall 1991.
THE NEW SMOKER
EDICINAL MARIJUANA
...continued
measures into law by Jan. 1915.
Every doctor who wished to prescribe narcotics was he Har- required to rison register anAct, as the nually with final proposal the federal was known, government.” required every phylthough sician who it does prescribed not apply to opium or marijuana, any of its the Harrison derivatives to Act becomes put a serial the model for number, drug regulawhich could tion on the only be obfederal level tained from and is conthe Internal sidered the Revenue basis for the Department, Marihuana on each pre- Tax Act of scription... 1937. *13.
T
A
NOV. 1996
C
alifornia Becomes First State to Legalize Medical Marijuana.
Known as Proposition 215 (45 KB), it permits patients and their primary caregivers, with a physiVoters in cian’ s recomCalifornia mendation, [pass] a state to possess medical mari- and cultivate juana initia- marijuana for tive in 1996. the treatment
“
B
Map information current as of June 19, 2015. Provided by: Governing.com
of AIDS, cancer, muscular spasticity, migraines, and several other disorders; it also protects them from punishment if they recommend marijuana to their patients.” *15.
y 2016, Twenty-four of the United States, plus the District of Columbia currently have laws legalizing marijuana in some form. With many more projected to follow suit soon.
F
our states and the D.C. have legalized marijuana for recreational use.
may seem like full legalization is inevitable in the United States - and then the world - there rogress is still much has been work to be hard fought done. As for and major history has achievements shown, nothhave been ing is guaranmade. And teed. At any though it moment the
P
winds can change and steps forward can be blown back and erased like they were never there.
2016 *14. US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) “A Tradition of Excellence: The History of the DEA from 1973-2003,” DEA website (accessed Aug. 9, 2010). *15. Janet Joy, PhD Alison Mack Marijuana as Medicine: Beyond the Controversy, 2001. Images via Creative commons license Wikipedia and image stock 123rf
9
10
Top Conditions Cannabis Cures or: When Recreational IS Medicinal
By MILO MILONE & CLARK GREENE
THE NEW SMOKER
I
t has only been within the past century cannabis has become to be seen as something less than medicinal. Various corporate and political forces in the early 1900s began to conspire to change public perception to see newly re-labeled “marihuana” as a dangerous, ethnic-based, psychosis-inducing addictive drug. (Reefer Madness, “unsafe white women”, and all that propaganda jazz.)
E
ventually the corporate-political, anti-marijuana influence was so strong cannabis was labelled as a Schedule 1 drug by the U.S. Federal Government in the 1970s. This states cannabis has no medicinal value and is worse than heroin and cocaine. This may sound contrary to common sense in these progressive times. But it is exactly this misleading reasoning that is behind most international anti-marijuana policies that were in-acted in the ‘70s because of U.S. economic pressures to follow suit. Despite recent advances, cannabis prohibition is still a global problem.
R
ecently science has been catching up with what history has always known: Marijuana is medicine. With more research, it’s coming to light that not only does cannabis have multiple medicinal uses, it has now been shown we are actually physiologically connected to the plant itself. (Or at least the cannabinoids inside the plant). Not only does every human being have receptors on cells specifically designed to interact with cannabis molecules, but the body creates some of these same marijuana-like compounds naturally, suggesting they already have an important role in the human body. This is all part of what is call our endocannabinoid system which regulates many vital functions in the body.
T
he implications and applications of this are vast, and have only begun to be explored. More research is needed, and to do that competently cannabis must be reclassified, especially in the United States. Progress is coming, but it is slow and needs continued vigilance to see recent efforts continue to flower.
H
ere are some of the major medical ailments that cannabis if not cures, at least effectively aids in relief of the symptoms:
12
1. Chronic Pain
N
early 3 million cases of Chronic Pain are reported every year. More than 100 million Americans suffer from the condition at a cost of around $600 billion a year in medical treatments and loss of productivity. It’s no wonder it is one of the top conditions people use cannabis to help them.
THE NEW SMOKER
plant cannabis via a thermal-metered inhaler, kin to a vaporizer, was effective and well tolerated among patients suffering from nerve pain.
R
esearchers are optimistic after studying the use of marijuana when combined with opioids in the treatment of chronic pain. A 2011 clinical trial (3) assessing the administration of vaporized plant cannabis in chronic pain patients, who were on a daily regimen of morphine or oxycodone, reported that inhaled “cannabis augments the analgesic effect of opioids.” Authors concluded, “The combination (of opioids and hronic Pain is described as: mild to severe pain cannabinoids) may allow for opioid treatment at lower that does not go away, pain that may be described doses with fewer side effects.” as shooting, burning or aching, a feeling of discomfort, soreness, tightness, or stiffness. Associated symptoms ide note: Cannabis is well know to aid in reducing often include sleeplessness, withdrawal from activity, nausea which can help counteract the often stoma weakened immune system, and negative changes in ach irritating effects of opioids. Cannabis can also help mood. relieve withdrawal symptoms for someone trying to eliminate opioid intake. n one study, a Canadian team at McGill University in Montreal (1) evaluated 21 men and women with an ince opioids are rapidly becoming the most abused average age of 45. Each had experienced chronic nerve of all prescription drugs, this is good news for those pain as a result of surgeries or injuries. In the study, who find that they cannot tolerate opioids or that the three different potencies of marijuana were used, with medications are no longer effective. The combination the highest dose at 9.4% THC herbal cannabis. Each of lower doses of narcotics with small amounts of canperson in the study, which lasted two months, used nabis may be a solution to the risky use of increasing four different strengths (including placebo). The paquantities of narcotics for the mitigation of pain. tients didn’t know what strength they were being administered.
C
S
I
S
T
he cannabis was put into capsules and then smoked in a pipe; each person was told to inhale Recommended Strain: for five seconds and hold the smoke in their lungs for 10 seconds. They did a single puff three times a day for A heavy indica like Grand Daddy Purple will help with aiding five days for each of the doses and the placebo. in sleep, inflammation, and pleasant distraction from the pain. On a pain scale from zero to 10, the highest dose of THC, 9.4%, reduced pain for the most severe patients down to 5.4. Those on placebo were at 6.1. Sources: According to the researchers, the difference may seem (1) Mark Ware, MD, assistant professor of anaesthesia and family unexceptional, but they consider any reduction in medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. symptoms a success. Ware, M. Canadian Medical Association Journal, Aug. 30, 2010.
M
McQuay, H. Canadian Medical Association Journal, Aug. 30, 2010.
ore studies are showing that marijuana, in various doses and modes of ingestion, has analge(2) [11] Eisenberg et al. 2014. Pharmacokinetics, Efficacy, Safety, sic qualities and in many cases appreciably aids in the and Ease of Use of a Novel Portable Metered-Dose Cannabis Inhaler reduction of discomfort for sufferers of Chronic Pain. in Patients With Chronic Neuropathic Pain: A Phase 1a Study.
A
2014 Israeli open-label clinical trial (2) reported that the administration of a single dose of whole-
Journal of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy 28: 216-225. (3) [19] Abrams et al. 2011. Cannabinoid-opioid interaction in chronic pain. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics 90: 844-851.
Images sourced from 123RF
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THE NEW SMOKER
and loss of balance, numbness, tingling and weakness in the limbs.
T
here is no cure for MS and thus far the most popular treatments include physical therapy and medications that suppress the immune system may help with symptoms and slow disease progression.
S
tudies in both the US and the UK have demonstrated that cannabis can work to reduce the immune response and inflammation in MS patients and it may also moderate musculoskeletal pain caused by muscle spasms and spasticity.
C
linical data reported in 2006 from an extended study of 167 multiple sclerosis patients found that use of whole plant cannabinoid extracts relieved symptoms of pain, spasticity and bladder incontinence for an extended period of treatment (mean duration of study participants was 434 days) without requiring subjects to increase their dose.
S
moked cannabis has been effective at reducing MS-related pain in several studies in which the majority of participants reported a decrease in pain on smoking cannabis. In a trial conducted on humans in 2005, cannabis-based medicine delivered in the form of a sub-lingual spray was shown to be effective for reducing pain and sleep disturbances in MS sufferers.
M
edical practitioners historically have balked at recommending that patients smoke cannabis because they are unsure of the effects on the lungs and respiratory system. When the drug is administered in pill or spray form, it helps the doctor control how much of the active chemical the patient receives. n recent years, health regulators in Canada, Denmark, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom have approved the prescription use of plant cannabis ultiple sclerosis (MS) is disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the extracts to treat symptoms of multiple sclerosis. flow of information within the brain, as well as disrupts the neural connections Recommended Strain: between the brain and body. MS is unpredictable and the cause is still unknown. Research indicates that the A relaxing but not heavy indica like Skywalker OG for muscle disease may be caused by one or more as-yet-unidentirelaxation and yet not too sleepy to negatively encourage inactivity. fied environmental factors in patients who are genetically predisposed to respond.
2. Multiple Sclerosis
M E
arly symptoms of the disease include vision problems, cognitive disruption, lack of coordination
14
I
Source Link: www.leafly.com/news/health/cannabis- and-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd, http://norml.org/library/item/multiple-sclerosis
THE NEW SMOKER
3. PTSD
a strain of drugs derived from the cannabis plant that simply work to amplify the brain’s own naturally occurring cannabinoids. Researchers are encouraged by the effects of these endocannabinoid-acting drugs beTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a cause they may allow for long-term reductions in anxmental illness that occurs after a person is iety for weeks, if not months. exposed to one or more traumatic events or threats on their life. It can develop over a period of time in a hostile environment such as war, or it Recommended Strains: can be the result of a single incident (sexual assault or a traffic accident). A heavy indica like Bubba Kush is known to be good for aiding
P A
gain, since there haven’t been many Government funded studies regarding the use of Cannabis in relation to the disorder, most of the information we have comes in the form of anecdotal evidence from individuals and groups who have suffered from PTSD and, in many cases, have been self-medicating.
T
here are several ways of looking at the relationship between PTSD and Cannabis. Some trials start with the premise that PTSD sufferers use more marijuana than the general population and the research explores the idea that PTSD may lead to abuse of drugs and alcohol. A few other studies emphasize the actions of cannabis on symptoms of PTSD and whether the use of marijuana is of any benefit.
in a deeper sleep. Source Links: www.veteransformedicalmarijuana.org/content/general-use-cannabis-ptsd-symptoms www.newsweek.com/pot-and-ptsd-358139 www.leafly.com/news/health/cannabis-and-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd
S
cientists have tested the chemical in marijuana called tetrahydrocannabinol in animals, and found that it has an effect on the part of the brain that “is critical for fear and anxiety modulation”. It has been shown that use of cannabis, in a variety of forms relaxes the patient and can reduce obsessive thinking. In addition, it has been reported to aid in the decrease of night terrors, which can lead to recurrence of symptoms.
A
ccording to High Times Magazine’s [extremely useful] Veterans Resource Guide, “Veterans and others suffering from post traumatic stress tend to favor indica-dominant marijuana varieties over their sativa-dominant counterparts. Soothing and relaxing, indicas ease pain without inducing anxiety or heightening senses”.
S
ome doctors have commented that use of marijuana to treat PTSD may have undesirable side effects such as loss of short-term memory and decreased motor skills. They are now in the process of developing 15
THE NEW SMOKER
4. Weight Loss
U
se of cannabis for weight-loss sounds like a serious contradiction. What about the munchies? Doesn’t everybody crave sugar and starch after a few tokes? And doesn’t that extra eating help to make a person fatter?
to decrease their alcohol use (extremely high in calories) when given the cannabis option.
E
veryone has different appetites and we associate a broad spectrum of substances and behaviors with relief, relaxation and comfort. If MMLs allow for more liberal cannabis policies, marijuana may be able to take the place of some more harmful substances, such as alcohol or high quantities of starchy, sugar-based foods. So for some people cannabis can be a fun distraction from eating, instead of the cause.
T T
I
S
S
he simple answer is: No.
here have been several serious studies that have looked at the use of marijuana and how it affects metabolism, which in turn can affect weight gain or loss. In many cases the results have been inconclusive due to variables in the control groups: age, sex, levels of activity, psychological factors and pre-existing conditions.
t is also surmised that the munchies themselves are an indication of increased metabolic efficiency levels. The digestive system kicks into high gear when a person consumes cannabis, and this can speed up a person’s metabolism, which in turn helps burn more calories, and lose weight. Cannabis also works as a diuretic in for some people, reporting lower levels of constipation in regular consumers. o if you enjoy cannabis recreationally or medicinally, weight loss may be a measurable bonus result.
ome studies, however, suggest that obese people, or people who chronically over eat, do so because the process triggers the nucleus accumbens (the reward center of the brain). Overeating stimulates the same area of the brain as cannabis. Marijuana, in some cases, has been used as a successful, non-caloric, reRecommend Strains: placement for food in chronic over-eaters. Also, in one study, published in the American Journal of Medicine, To suppress the appetite, a sativa like Jack Herer is enough of scientists found that marijuana users have lower fast- a stimulant to distract one from eating and make one want to ing insulin levels along with lower average waist cirexercise with the extra energy. cumferences. or
I
n addition, researchers from San Diego State University and Cornell, states in which laws were passed permitting medical marijuana, noted that there was a decline in obesity in the state. Legalizing medical marijuana is associated with a 2 to 6 percent decrease in the probability of obesity.
T
hose conducting the study surmised that there may be two beneficial effects of MMLs (Medical Marijuana Laws). First, the laws may be more likely to encourage marijuana use for health related reasons in an older population that is more prone to weight gain and obesity. And second, it may offer a substitution for younger individuals in the form of lower calorie recreational highs. Younger subjects have been shown 16
To increase appetite and metabolism, a relaxing indica like Tahoe OG will be perfect to get the munchies and watch a movie.
Source Links: www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hec.3267/abstract www.aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/08/24/aje.kwr200. abstract www.healthland.time.com/2011/09/08/marijuana-slims-pot-smoking-linked-to-lower-body-weight/
THE NEW SMOKER
5. Alzheimer’s Disease
to date, methodologically rigorous prospective clinical trials are recommended to determine the safety and usefulness of cannabinoids for the treatment of agitation and aggression in dementia and AD.
lzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a group of brain disorders that cause the loss of intellectual and social skills. In AD, the brain cells degenerate and die, causing a steady decline in memory and mental functions. It is the sixth leading cause of death in the nation. The disease is often associated with symptoms such as agitation and aggression in the moderate to severe stages of the illness.
Recommended Strain:
A O
ver the past decade medical researchers have shown an interest in the therapeutic effects of compounds that focus on the Endocannabinoid system. The findings from studies have shown noteworthy benefits from synthetic cannabinoids on agitation and aggression, however conclusions were limited by small sample sizes. annabinoids demonstrate anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and have immunosuppressive effects. Scientists found cannabidiol to be significant as it lacks the psychoactive and cognition-impairing properties of other cannabinoids. Researchers at the Abarbanel Mental Health Center in Israel recruited eleven patients into an open-label, month-long trial. Ten patients finished the trial, and investigators reported “significant reduction” in severity and symptoms of mental illness, especially with regard to delusions, agitation/aggression, irritability, apathy, sleep, and caregiver distress.
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professor of neuroscience at Ohio State and an expert on chronic brain inflammation and Alzheimer’s notes that he began studying cannabinoids after other sorts of compounds sent to him for review by pharmaceutical companies consistently failed to reduce inflammation in the brain. In non-human experiments he says that marijuana has proven to be the most potent anti-inflammatory available.
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annabis and its derivatives appear to suppress the anxiety that has been shown to occur in AD and cannabidiol’s limited effects on the cognitive abilities of the subjects have encouraged medical practitioners to consider it a prime candidate for further studies. Researchers agree that, given the relevance and findings
A balanced hybrid like Headband with high levels of both CBD for increased amounts of cannabidiol, as well as THC for mental stimulation.
Source Links: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26271310 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22448595 www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uVXs6CY2ps
THE NEW SMOKER
6. Depression
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ny relationship between marijuana and depression is complex. Some studies have suggested that regular and heavy marijuana smokers are at an increased risk for depression although a causal link eople with depression can have debilitating between cannabis use and depression has not been esfeelings of sadness and low self-esteem that tablished. are often coupled with suicidal thoughts. Depression makes ordinary tasks very difficult. he wide variety of marijuana strains available Once a physician has examined a patient and recogmake the study of its benefits with regard to denized the symptoms, medications are routinely pre- pression even more complex. Treatments for depresscribed. sion should be personalized to fit each individual. One patient may benefit from cannabis while anothhe currently accepted treatments for depression er could find their anxiety levels heightened. The one include SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake In- strain that works for one person might not work for hibitors), tranquillizers, anti-anxiety medications and another and visa versa.. anti-depressants. Everyone is different and depression can manifest in a wide variety of symptoms and many tudies have suggested, however, that the most comof these drugs have been shown to be quite effective. mon self-reported reason for using cannabis is Side effects, however, may include constipation, im- based on its ability to reduce feelings of stress, tension, paired thinking, fatigue, high blood pressure, tremors, and anxiety, all of which can be identified as sympinsomnia, sexual problems and liver failure. Some of toms of depression. these medications can be deadly when mixed with cerRecommended Strain: tain other drugs.
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Sativa dominant hybrid like Pineapple Express for a relaxing yet
arijuana has been used in India to treat depresuplifting high. sion for 400 years, and in 17th century England doctors prescribed it to treat anxiety, migraines and Source links: depression. www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/06/marijauna-depres-
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ecently, neuroscientists from the University of Buffalo’s Research Institute on Addictions found that endocannabinoids, compounds in the brain that activate the same receptors as THC, may be helpful in treating depression that results from chronic stress.
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he researchers found, in studies on rats, that chronic stress reduced the production of endocannabinoids which are naturally produced by the body and are similar to the chemicals in cannabis and are associated with reduced feelings of pain and anxiety and overall feelings of well-being. A decrease of endocannabinoid production could be one indicator of why chronic stress is a risk factor in the development of depression.
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he research team then administered marijuana cannabinoids to the rats and found that it was an effective way to restore endocannabinoid levels in their brains. 18
sion_n_6622126.html www.medicaldaily.com/marijuana-depression-treatment-rat-study-suggests-it-can-alleviate-chronic-stress-321318
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7. ADHD
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ymptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are irritability, anxiety, depression, insomnia and mood swings. The fact that children are the most likely to be diagnosed with ADHD is perhaps the largest concern for parents and doctors alike regarding the use of stimulant medications. While studies have identified the specific alterations that result from the use of stimulant medications, evidence of marijuana’s effects on the developing brain are less pronounced.
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arijuana users are not generally though of as the most focused of individuals, however, medical marijuana users with ADHD swear by cannabis ability to foster their ability to focus and are being tested as a replacement for or in addition to prescription stimulants. erman scientists studied the effects of cannabis on 30 patients with ADHD who had limited success with Adderall and Ritalin, the conventional treatments for the disorder. All 30 reported “improved concentration and sleep” and “reduced impulsivity” after using medicinal cannabis, according to the case report. Twenty-two out of the 30 patients decided to omit previously prescribed medications after they had completed the study and they continue using medicinal marijuana to manage their symptoms.
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r. David Bearman, a so-called figurehead of cannabis research, states, “Cannabis appears to treat ADD and ADHD by increasing the availability of dopamine. This then has the same effect but employs a different mechanism of action than medications such as Ritalin, which acts by binding to the dopamine and interfering with the metabolic breakdown of dopamine.” “The most accepted theory about ADHD is that about 70 percent of the brain’s job is to control input to the other 30 percent,” according Dr. David Bearman. “Basically the brain is overwhelmed with too much information coming too fast. In ADHD, the brain is cluttered with and too aware of all the nuances of a person’s daily experience.”
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arijuana, or more specifically, the cannabinoids in marijuana, possibly corrects dopamine short-
ages in the brains of people with ADHD. Even in its raw form, many patients report that cannabis is able to provide the mental awareness refinement necessary for concentration.
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s of now, two states in the United States -California and Colorado- allow the prescription of medical marijuana to treat ADHD. It is possible that more studies will support positive results in the treatment of the disorder, and don’t be surprised if more states follow suit. Recommended Strain: Sativas tend to have a more stimulating effect than indicas. Jack Herer is legendary in its ability to help one focus. And used as an Adderall or Ritalin substitute. Source links: www.cannabis-med.org/data/pdf/en_2008_01_1.pdf, www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/10826084.2013.841251, w w w. t r u t h o n p o t . c o m / 2 0 1 3 / 0 4 / 0 1 / m e d i c a l - m a r i j u a na-and-adhd-the-facts/, www.extract.suntimes.com/information-resources/10/153/4522/ medical-marijuana-tincture-add-adhd-treatment-cbd-mendo-focus/
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8. Abdominal Aches T & G a s t ro i n t e s t i n a l Griefs
THE NEW SMOKER
here is anecdotal evidence from patients with IBS, Crohn’s disease and other painful GI disorders that cannabis eases cramping and helps modulate diarrhea, constipation and acid reflux. Laboratory research on the endogenous cannabinoid system in humans has identified that there are many cannabinoid receptors located in both the large and small intestines.
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nimal research also indicates that cannabinoids help in controlling gastroesophageal reflux dishe abdominal area can be a very problem- ease, which commonly prescribed medications, such atic for many people. From common period as atropine can have serious adverse side effects. cramping to more severe intestinal disorders enefits of marijuana for people with gastrointestilike Diverticulitis, cannabis has been found nal disorders were backed up by the United States to help stop intense abdominal pains almost instantaneously. Historically, Queen Victoria of England used Institute of Medicine medical marijuana study. According to the Institute, “For patients who suffer sicannabis to aid with her menstrual cramps. multaneously from severe pain, nausea, and appetite ne most common gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, loss, cannabinoid drugs might offer broad-spectrum Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammato- relief not found in any other single medication.” ry Bowel Disease (IBD), affect millions of people. Each he overall opinion of marijuana allies in the medicauses a great deal of discomfort and distress and both cal community is that medical cannabis can intercan be disabling. Painful cramping, chronic diarrhea act with the endogenous cannabinoid system to reduce or constipation, nausea, and inflammation of the intestines are all symptoms of these GI disorders. Other problems associated with nausea, vomiting, gastric GI disorders include: Chron’s Disease, Diverticulitus, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, secretory diarrhea, paralytic ileus and gastroesophageal and Ulcerative Colitis, to name a few. reflux disease. ecent research indicates that cannabis may be efhe methods of consumption vary, and eating or fective in treating the symptoms of these GI disordrinking cannabis and its derivatives appears to ders in part because it interacts with the endogenous work better than smoking, except in the cases of excannabinoid receptors in the digestive tract, which can result in calming spasms, assuaging pain, and improv- treme nausea where eating isn’t possible, then smoking or vaping are the fastest and most efficient ways ing motility. for immediate relief. tudies also show that Cannabis has anti-inflammatory properties and further investigation has determined that cannabinoids are immune system modulaRecommended Strains: tors, enhancing or suppressing immune response.
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he use of Cannabis in treating GI distress goes back more than a century in western medicine, and far longer in the east. While clinical studies have been largely limited to investigations on nausea suppression and appetite stimulation, two conditions for which cannabis has been consistently shown to be highly effective, the evidence in support of cannabis therapy for other gastrointestinal diseases and disorders is also strong.
Indicas with muscle relaxing properties like Auntie Em, Blackberry, Black Domina and Blueberry.
Source Links: www.medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000138 , www.ccfa.org/ www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/198137-cannabis-treats-ibs-verywell/ www.safeaccessnow.org/gastrointestinal_disorders_booklet
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9. Epilepsy
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pilepsy is a series of neurological disorders characterized by the occurrence of seizures, which vary in intensity and have no immediate underlying cause. In some people it is a genetic disorder, others develop epilepsy as a result of head injuries or strokes. Around 1% of the world’s population has epilepsy and there is no known cure.
In the course of the study, subjects were given cannabidiol daily for 12 weeks. Among the 137 people that completed the study, seizures fell by an average of 54 percent.
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t must be noted that each strain of marijuana has it’s own cannabinoid makeup but in most human studies it has been shown that cannabis exerts anticonvulsant properties. Epileptic seizures can be triggered by stress, high fever in children, strobing lights, hypoglycemia and other stimuli. Use of Marijuana and CBD to reduce stress has been recommended by some practitioners as a successful way of utilizing the plant n modern medical practice, seizures are general- to decrease the possibility of seizures. ly controlled with medications and, in some cases, surgery. But lately pharmaceutical companies, univer- n most cases it appears that the administering of sities and laboratories are conducting studies on new cannabidiol in drop form is the best delivery system ways to control the condition. for cannabis when being used to treat the symptoms of
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istorically, Marijuana was used medicinally in ancient China and by Victorian neurologists for treatment of seizures, but it has never been properly and scientifically studied. That is now happening and though there is no conclusive evidence that marijuana can control the intensity and duration of epileptic seizures, some of the research indicates that the symptoms can be greatly reduced with the use of cannabidiol (CBD). Cannabidiol is a major component of the cannabis plant and by itself it lacks the psychoactive effects most commonly associated with marijuana use, yet it still retains many of observed and measurable medicinal benefits associated with the plant.
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epilepsy. A strain named Charlotte’s Webb, grown by five brothers in Colorado through a non-profit organization called Realm of Caring, is low in THC and high in CBD and is given to children in the form of an oil. The plant is named after Charlotte Figi, a young girl who was the first epilepsy patient successfully treated with the strain.
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nfortunately, there have been few formal studies but significant results have generated interest in the research of marijuana and cannabidiol for the treatment of epilepsy and seizures.
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report in 1975, published in the Journal of the Recommended Strain: American Medical Association, found that cannabis, when combined with conventional medicines, Charlotte’s Webb or Cannatonic are two strains high in CBD controlled the seizures in a 24-year-old patient. While and low in THC to help treat the seizures and not get the patient too high. conventional drugs (Phenobarbital and Phenytoin) provided “incomplete control” of the patient’s seizures, he experienced a complete cessation of seizures following a regimen of two to five cannabis joints per Source Links: www.time.com/3264691/medical-marijauna-epilepsy-reday.
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team at New York University Langone Comprehensive Epilepsy Center in New York City conducted one of the more current studies. It included 213 child and adult patients with several different forms of severe epilepsy, including Dravet Syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome; types of epilepsy that can cause intellectual disability and lifelong seizures. 22
search-charlottes-web-study/ www.epilepsy.com/learn/treating-seizures-and-epilepsy/other-treatment-approaches/medical-marijuana-and-epilepsy www.cnn.com/2015/04/16/opinions/medical-marijuana-revolution-sanjay-gupta/
10. CANCER: Continued on... Page 26.
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JUICING WHOLE PLANT CANNABIS
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recent health trend in cannabis consumption for its medicinal value is juic-
ing. Not only the plant’s flower buds, but juicing the big fan leaves -usually tossed out- as well. The bud is not even required. The fan leaves are apparently even more essential. The idea is most of the beneficial components of cannabis are lost when smoked, vaped, or even cooked. Juicing is thought to be one of the most efficient ways to gain all the therapeutic value of the plant. Dr. William Courtney, a physician in Mendocino, California, is one of the fore- ally burned or vaporized. In the documentary most advocates for cannabis juicing. Courtney Leaf, he explains that a given amount of cangained notoriety after he helped his wife, Kris- nabis leaf will, when juiced, provide 500-600 ten, overcome a collection of debilitating ail- mg of THC-A. Courtney considers this to be a ments, including systemic lupus, rheumatoid good daily dose. If smoked, this same amount arthritis, endometriosis, and autoimmune dis- of cannabis would deliver only 10 mg of THC ease. All using only cannabis juice. After many (a standard dose). Based on his work with his weeks of drinking the juice of THC-A-domi- patients in Mendocino County, Courtney benant plants (the non-psychoactive precursor to lieves that 500-1000 mg of THC-A is necessary THC), Courtney was able to wean herself off to provide proper efficacy. more than 40 different pharmaceutical drugs,
For now it is difficult for most people -who
which gave her multiple negative side effects. don’t grow marijuana themselves or know Dr. Courtney’s study focuses on the possible someone who does- to acquire the amount of therapeutic value that is lost when cannabi- a fresh crop needed for proper juicing. It can noids are decarboxylated. He claims that 99% be cost prohibitive as well. But as we march of the value of cannabis is lost when tradition- towards marijuana becoming fully legal, we 24
THE NEW SMOKER
grow closer to the day anyone can grow a plant • Store a single batch of raw cannabis juice, rein their back yard along side the roses and frigerated, for up to three days. bamboo.
• Mix raw cannabis leaves with another vege-
Or maybe it’ll become the next big trend in table to decrease the bitterness. Many patients high end juice bars. “Weed-grass shots for all who juice recommend a 10:1 ratio of carrots to that ails ya!”
cannabis.
DR. COURTNEY’S GUIDELINES • Consume cannabis juice with each meal, FOR JUICING RAW CANNABIS: roughly three times per day. • Harvest leaves prior to the trichomes turning
cloudy, or amber. Trichomes should be clear when leaves or buds are used for juicing.
Use 15-20 large fan leaves in a blender for a typical batch (three servings, or one day).
• Juice using a juicer or blender. A blender is
preferred because it is easier to clean. 25
10. Cancer
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ancer affects almost everyone in one way or another. One can’t live long in this life without knowing someone close who has been stricken with this insidious illness. (It’s so big it gets it own section in this magazine!)
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yriad in form, Cancer comes at us from all sides, inside and out. We throw everything we have at it short of killing ourselves, with radiation and poisons. And yet The Big C still creeps its way into our lives. Not wanting to die to spite the disease, people are finding new and healthier ways to treat cancer. And with all of it’s other medicinal properties, it’s only natural that cannabis has now become one of the top alternate methods of cancer treatment.
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appetite stimulation, pain relief, and improved sleep. Physicians caring for cancer patients in the United States who recommend medicinal Cannabis do so predominantly for symptom management.
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esearch studies have determined that Cannabinoids may also have anti-tumor properties including apoptosis (induction of cell death), inhibition of cell growth, and inhibition of invasion and metastasis (the spread of cancer from one part of the body to another). Cannabinoids appear to kill tumor cells but do not affect their non-transformed (uninfected) counterparts and may even protect them from cell death.
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annabis Cancer Treatments vary depending on the condition and can be taken in different combinations. They include CBD topical creams, ingestion of Hash Oil, edibles, and drinking pressed whole cannabis plant juices, as well as in some cases smoking or vaping.
outed as a “cancer cure” by some, cannabis does have seemingly miraculous curative properties. And while excellent in subduing many of the symptoms brought on by harsh treatments like chemotherapy, the jury is still out on whether cannabis can actually cure cancer. Most researchers agree that more riting about each and every kind of cancer that government approval is needed in order to conduct cannabis could cure would take volumes. So we the ongoing and rigorous testing that’s needed to ful- are just focusing on a few of the more major types of ly demonstrate the efficacy of marijuana, cannabidiol, cancer in which cannabis has been found to be quite and it’s derivatives in the treatment of various forms promising in its curative potential. of cancer.
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ountries such as Israel, Canada, and New Zealand are known for funding cannabis research. Israeli researcher Raphael Mechoulam first isolated CBD and THC over 50 years ago. His research led to the discovery of the human body’s endocannabinoid system. Not only does every human being have receptors on cells specifically designed to interact with cannabis molecules, but the body creates some of these same marijuana-like compounds naturally, suggesting they already have an important role in the human body
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he National Cancer Institute is an organization mandated by U.S. law to educate Americans about cancer and the latest research efforts. According to its website, NCI is touted as “the U.S. government’s principal agency for cancer research.” And recently, it quietly admitted that cancer cells have been killed by cannabis in a lab setting.
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he immediate potential benefits of medicinal Cannabis for people living with cancer include antiemetic effects (reduction of nausea and vomiting), 27
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a. Lung Cancer
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ollowing the lab test, researchers dosed mice, which were implanted with human lung cancer cells, with THC, and found that there was a significant ung cancer is the number one cancer killer in reduction in “protein markers” associated with cancer the world. Lung tumors tend to be extra-ag- progression. gressive and don’t respond well to chemotheresearchers predict that THC had such a positive apy. Counter-intuitively, research is starting effect on combating tumors because it activates to show that smoking marijuana not only might not cause lung cancer, it may be true cannabis helps pre- molecules that arrest the cell cycle, and may also interfere with the processes of angiogenesis and vascuvent it. larization, which lead to cancer growth. The potential arvard University scientists have discovered that, possibilities of smoking cannabis to cure cancer is a in both laboratory and mouse studies THC cuts wonder no one predicted.
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tumor growth in half in common lung cancer while impeding the cancer’s ability to spread. Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, reports that the compound “seems to have a suppressive effect on certain lines of cancer Source Links: cells.” www.sciencedaily.com/releaes/2007/04/070417193338.htm
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n a new study, researchers observed that two different lung cancer lines, as well as samples from patient lung tumors, produced the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2. Endocannabinoids are thought to have an effect on pain, anxiety and inflammation when they bind to cannabinoid receptors.
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he researchers then injected standard doses of THC into mice implanted with human lung cancer cells. After three weeks of treatment, tumors shrank by about 50 percent in animals treated with THC, compared to those in an untreated control group, the researchers reported. The findings may shed light on a question that has been puzzling some clinicians: Why hasn’t there been a spike in lung cancer in the generation that smoked a lot of marijuana in the 1960s. “I find it fascinating, wondering if the reasons we’re not seeing this spike is that THC inhibits lung cancer cells,” Dr. Horovitz said. “It would be very ironic, although you certainly wouldn’t tell somebody who smoked cigarettes to add marijuana.”
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Harvard study from 2007, which is the most wide-ranging on THC’s potential to combat tumors, found that in three weeks doses of THC were able to cut lung cancer tumor growth in mice subjects and, moreover, were able to reduce cancer lesions by even more.
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www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21097714?dopt=Abstract
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b. Breast Cancer
embryonic cells and grow. They go crazy, they proliferate, they migrate.” Desprez said, “We need to be able to turn them off.” Results obtained in a sample of tumor cell lines indicate that, of the five natural compounds tested, cannabidiol is the most potent inhibitor of canwww.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070417193338.htm cer cell growth, with significantly lower potency in reast Cancer is one of the more common can- non-cancer cells. cers, at least one of the most publicity recoghis is important because current accepted treatnized. Most people have know someone with ments include radiation therapy which can dambreast cancer, if not more than one. A mom, an aunt, a co-worker, a dear friend. Luckily it is one of age the cells closest to a malignant tumor. CBD inhibthe more treatable cancers, if caught early enough. It its a gene that researchers believe is responsible for the metastatic process that spreads cells from the original can also be quite deadly. tumor throughout the body. McAlister said they are r. Sean McAllister, of the California Pacific Med- not suggesting that patients metastatic breast cancer ical Center (CPMC), has spent nearly a decade smoke marijuana. For one thing, a sufficient amount studying the effects of cannabidiol (CBD) on aggres- of CBD could never be obtained in that way, they said. If McAllister’s work results in the development of a sive types of breast cancer. cancer treatment, someone with metastatic cancer ccording to the one study, CBD can help inhib- might be placed on CBD for several years. That means it metastasis in breast cancer cells. In metastatic low toxicity is important, McAllister explained. cancer, McAllister noted, “when [the genes] wake up, they are very bad. They push the cells to behave like n further research in 2010, a team of Spanish researchers published a study in the journal Molecular Cancer with the intent to “determine whether cannabinoids might constitute a new therapeutic tool” in the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. They analyzed the anti-tumor potential of THC and a synthetic cannabinoid with similar effects to cannabidiol (CBD). According to the study’s results, THC and CBD had a number of anti-cancer benefits in mice. Both cannabinoids investigated were found to inhibit cancer growth, reduce the number of tumors, and reduce the number and/or severity of metastases (secondary tumors in the lungs).
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Source Links: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9653194 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18454173
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c. Brain Cancer
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ccording to a report by The National Institute on Drug Abuse in the U. S., “Recent animal studies have shown that marijuana, extracts may help kill certain cancer cells and reduce the size of others”. Evidence from one animal study suggests that extracts from whole-plant marijuana can slow the growth of cancer cells from one of the most serious types of brain tumors.
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n 2009, researchers at Complutense University in Spain found that THC induced the death of brain cancer cells in a process known as “autophagy.” Researchers found that administering THC to mice with human tumors initiated autophagy and caused the growth of the tumors to decrease. Two human patients with highly aggressive brain tumors who received intracranial administration of THC also showed similar signs of autophagy, upon analysis.
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he scientists noted that, “By identifying the receptors involved we have provided an important step towards the future development of therapeutics that can take advantage of the interactions we have discovered to reduce tumor growth.”
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esearchers from the Oncology Department at St. George’s University of London reported in the journal Molecular Cancer that marijuana kills cancer cells in proportion to its dose and duration of treatment and whole plant cannabis rich in THC was more efficacious than pure, lab-grade THC alone. Moreover, pre-treating cells with THC and CBD for four hours prior to irradiation increased the cancer-killing effects of radiation.
Source Links: www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/144770.php www.blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2014/11/18/marijuana-killsbrain-cancer-new-study-confirms/ www.news.vice.com/article/a-us-government-agency-quietly-acknowledged-that-marijuana-may-help-fight-brain-tumors
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d. Skin Cancer
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kin cancer is the most common type of cancer; three and a half million Americans are diagnosed with it every year. The main cause is UV radiation from the sun or tanning beds, although exposure to chemicals and genetic factors can also lead to skin cancer. As of this date, the accepted courses of treatment are to cut out the lesion if it’s found in the early stages or to use chemotherapy if it has spread.
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uropean researchers recently studied the endocannabinoid system and how it fights melanoma, which is responsible for only 2 percent of skin-cancer cases but causes 75 percent of skin cancer deaths. The study, published in the European Journal of Pharmacology, found that endocannabinoids suppressed and killed cancer cells and is being looked into its efficacy in treating skin cancer.
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nandamide (AEA), the most effective of these cannabinoids, activates the same CBD receptors in the brain that THC does. Non-melanoma skin cancer is one of the most common malignancies in humans. Various strategies for the treatment of these tumors are currently being considered.
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wo men who have had significant experience with marijuana as a treatment for skin cancer are David Triplett and Rick Simpson. Triplett offers credible anecdotal evidence regarding the treatment of his own skin cancer and goes into detail about his observations. Simpson has had similar experiences and, in addition, offers easy methods for the production of his recipe at home for “Phoenix Tears” a hemp oil for the management of a range of disorders. They have a large YouTube presence and are worth a look. (Also see Phoenix Tears recipe in this issue) Source Links: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu9pO6dQeHA, www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/sunanduvexposure/skin-cancer-facts, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014299913006481, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19608284 David Triplett - www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tghUh4ubbg Rick Simpson -www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZXGH6mYr3Y
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e. Lymphoma
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ymphoma is the name given to a broad group of blood cancers that develop within the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system actually performs a number of important roles within the human body. As part of the circulatory system, the lymphatic system helps to deliver nutrients, hormones and oxygen from the blood to the cells that make up the tissues of the body.
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lthough radiation and chemotherapy may be effective treatments for lymphoma suffers, both come with serious negative side-effects. Along with hair loss and other unpleasant side-effects of radiation and chemotherapy, extreme fatigue, nausea and vomiting often accompany radiation and chemotherapy.
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here is rarely ever complete consensus among the medical community but there is widely held agreement that medical marijuana works to stimulate the appetite as well as reduce the nausea and vomiting that often accompanies treatment for lymphoma. Clinical studies indicate that CBD contains properties that relieve convulsion, inflammation and anxiety as well as prevents nausea. And since findings suggest CBD may also inhibit the growth of some cancer cells, making medical marijuana not only a beneficial drug to counteract the side-effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, but a possible defense against the cells that cause lymphoma as well.
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he Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has recently taken a strong stance supporting the use of marijuana research. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is the second largest cancer charity in the U.S. and the world’s largest voluntary healthy organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and education. The organization has adopted a formal policy position calling for removal of criminal and civil penalties for seriously ill patients using marijuana with their doctor’s recommendation. Source Links: www.hightimes.com/read/medical-marijuana-endorsed-leukemia-and-lymphoma-society www.maps.org/research-archive/mmj/lnls-res.pdf, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16936228, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16337199
f. Colon Cancer
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olorectal cancer is a malignant tumor arising from the inner wall of the large intestine. It is the third leading cause of cancer in males and fourth in females in the United States. Surgery is the most common treatment. Colon cancer seems to affect almost anyone. Experts say that 7595% of colon cancer is unrelated to genetics, making it difficult to pinpoint who might actually be at risk.
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recent study, partially funded by GW Pharmaceuticals, suggests that cannabis extracts rich in CBD may be an effective treatment for colon cancer. A team of researchers from Italy and the UK report that cannabis extracts high in cannabidiol (CBD) can help prevent the genesis and spread of colon cancer in mice. Their study was published in Phytomedicin, December 27.
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ccording to their results, a “botanical drug substance” (BDS) with high levels of CBD inhibited the growth of tumor cells, but not healthy ones.
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he researchers determined that this action was mediated by activation of the cells’ CB1 and CB2 receptors. Researchers conclude that “CBD attenuates colon carcinogenesis and inhibits colorectal cancer cell proliferation via CB1 and CB2 receptor activation. The results may have some clinical relevance for the use of Cannabis-based medicines in cancer patients.”
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esearch also suggests that endocannabinoids may even be more effective than chemotherapy at fighting cancer. A study published in 2010 found that the neurotransmitter Anandamide, which is enhanced by CBD, could kill colon cancer cells that were resistant to chemotherapy, a problem that affects approximately 40% of patients. The study also discovered that while anandamide induced programmed cell death (apoptosis) in diseased cells, it left healthy cells unharmed. As such, the researchers concluded that increasing the body’s cannabinoid levels has the potential to be a safe and effective treatment for colon cancer. Source Link: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20514410, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24373545
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Cancer & Cannabis Conclusions
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fter studying nearly 100 articles related to the uses of cannabis to treat various cancers, we’ve found many contradictory opinions and results. As far as consistent outcomes, two benefits of cannabis as it applies to treatments of carcinoma are: 1. Certain strains of hemp oil and combinations of cannabinoids appear to increase the growth of good cells and may help in replacing diseased tissue. 2. Marijuana, in a variety of delivery systems, generally creates a relaxed state in the patient, reduces stress, aids in sleep, has been effective in pain control and has aided patients by reducing their dependence on opioids for pain.
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he American Cancer Society supports the need for more scientific research on cannabinoids for cancer patients, and recognizes the need for better and more effective therapies that can overcome the often debilitating side effects of cancer and its treatment. The Society also believes that the classification of marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance by the US Drug Enforcement Administration imposes numerous conditions on researchers and deters scientific study of cannabinoids. Federal officials should examine options consistent with federal law for enabling more scientific study on marijuana. Related Info: Federally legal medical marijuana: There are currently two drugs based on cannabis composites that have been sanctioned by the U.S. Federal Government for medical treatment: Dronabinol (Marinol®) is a gelatin capsule containing delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that’s approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy as well as weight loss and poor appetite in patients with AIDS. Nabilone (Cesamet®) is a synthetic cannabinoid that acts much like THC. It can be taken by mouth to treat nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy when other drugs have not worked. Additionally, Nabiximols is a cannabinoid drug still under study in the US. It’s a mouth spray made up of a whole-plant extract with THC and cannabidiol (CBD) in an almost one to one mix. It’s available in Canada and parts of Europe to treat pain linked to cancer, as well as muscle spasms and pain from multiple sclerosis (MS). It’s not approved in the US as of 2015, but it’s being tested in clinical trials to see if it can help a number of conditions.
34
Phoenix Tears
THE NEW SMOKER
aka
Rick Simpson Hash Oil
The Cannabis Oil That Could Cure Cancer.
M
any people seek alternate methods to curing cancer than the standard medical practices used today in the west. They look for less toxic alternatives that kill the cancer, not the person. One of these highly touted cannabis cancer cures is Rick Simpson’s hash oil, know as Phoenix Tears. Because of lack of federal funding for research into this cure, we are mostly left with anecdotal evidence for how well it works. That being said, there is A LOT of anecdotal evidence. Rick Simpson has been providing people with information about the medicinal properties of marijuana for nearly a decade. He is a medical marijuana activist
and cured his metastatic skin cancer back in 2003. However, the United States government, the Canadian Government, pharmaceutical companies, government health agencies, and UN offices have been in apparent opposition to his work. Despite this, he is reported to have successfully helped over 5,000 patients defeat many different types of disease conditions, and he has done this free of charge. These conditions include cancer, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, leukemia, Crohn’s disease, depression, osteoporosis, psoriasis, insomnia, glaucoma, asthma, burns, and migraines. continue next page: Phoenix Tears recipe... 35
THE NEW SMOKER
Phoenix Tears Hash Oil Recipe: According to Rick Simpson
into the openings, then put large coffee filters in the funnels. Pour the solvent-oil mix from the first and second washes, into the coffee filters and allow the Steps 0-11 solvent-oil mix to drain into the containers, which are holding the funnels and filters to remove any unwant. Rick Simpson recommends in his video: pure al- ed plant material, etc. iphatic naphtha (CAS number 64742-49-0 and a boiling point around 60-80°C) as the solvent. If you . The more funnels and containers you use, the fastcannot get pure light naphtha, 99% or even better er the solvent oil mix will be filtered. Once the sol99.9% isopropyl alcohol would be his second choice vent oil mix has been filtered, it is now ready to have for a solvent. Organic folks (who do not like these the solvent boiled off. It should also be mentioned that chemical solutions) should use organic ethanol or if you are using high-quality medical marijuana buds grain alcohol (190 proof or 95% pure) as the solvent. after the solvent oil mix has been filtered it often looks Organic ethanol needs a longer time to mix with the about the same as gasoline or at times it can be someplant material such as a month or cycle of the moon in what darker. the ethanol with daily stirring before making the oil. All of these are VERY flammable and extreme caution . It is best to burn off the solvent with a rice cookis advised on ANY of these steps. Protective eyewear is er because it boils at the perfect temperature to rerequired. These steps must only be done by chemistry move solvent and water, and keeps the cannabinoids professionals in a protective lab or outdoor lab envi- intact. If a rice cooker is working properly, it will autoronment where medical marijuana is legal. matically come off the high heat setting at roughly 210 to 230°F or (100 to110°C), which is above the temper. Place the starting material in a bucket of enough ature where most people say decarboxylation is said to depth to prevent the solvent oil mix from splash- occur. ing out during the washing process. Then, dampen the bud with the solvent being used and then crush the . Then fill the rice cooker until it is about three-quarbud material using a length of wood such as a piece of ters full of solvent oil mix, this allows room for the 2×2. solvent oil mix to boil off without splashing over. Place the rice cooker on its high heat setting and then begin After the bud has been crushed, add more solvent until boiling the solvent off. Never attempt to do this withthe bud material is completely immersed in the solu- out the use of a fan or laboratory ventilation hood, tion. Work the bud material for three to four minutes since the solvent fumes could accumulate and if they with the length of wood you used to crush it. This time come into contact with the heating element within the could be longer and at least a month (not minutes) is rice cooker, it could cause these fumes to ignite. recommended when using organic ethanol as the solvent. . As the level in the rice cooker drops, continue to add carefully the solvent oil mix you have remain. Then slowly pour the solvent-oil mix off into an- ing, until you have nothing left. When the level in the other clean container, leaving the starting materi- rice cooker comes down for the last time and has been al in the original container so that it can be washed reduced to about two inches of solvent oil mix remainfor the second time. To perform the second wash, add ing. Add about 10 to 12 drops of water to the solvent fresh solvent to the starting bud material again, until it oil mix, which remains in the rice cooker. This small is once more immersed in the solvent, and then work amount of water allows the remaining solvent, to boil it for another three to four minutes, with the piece of off the oil that remains in the rice cooker more readily wood you have been using. If using organic ethanol, and it also helps to cleanse the oil of solvent residue, as the second washing would take another month and the last of the solvent is being boiled off. could be used for another batch later. . As the last of the solvent is being boiled off, you . Use something such as clean water containers, will hear a crackling sound from the oil that is left with a small opening at the top and insert funnels in the cooker, and you will see quite a bit of bubbling
0
4
5
1
6
2
3 36
7
8
Dosage
THE NEW SMOKER
taking place in the oil that remains. Also, you will notice what looks like a small amount of smoke coming from the oil in the rice cooker, but don’t be concerned, since this is mostly just steam produced from the few It usually takes the average person about 90 days to ingest the full 60 gram or 60 ml oil treatment. It is drops of water that you added. suggested that people start with three doses per day, . After the rice cooker has automatically switched to about the size of a half a grain of short grained dry its low heat setting, let it cool until it can be changed rice. The patient could take this dosage every 8 hours, to the high heat setting again. After the cooker has au- early in the morning, then again in the afternoon and tomatically turned itself to the low heat setting for the then they should take their final dose of the day, about second time, take the inner pot out of the cooker and an hour before bedtime. It should also be noted that pour its contents into a stainless steel measuring cup. as a patient begins to ingest this oil, the patient does not typically feel the oils effects until about an hour after they have taken their dosage, so please be aware Take the oil that you poured into the stain- of this fact and avoid operating all machinery. A beginless steel measuring cup and put it on a gentle heat- ner’s dose such as what is being described would equal ing device such as a coffee warmer or electric heating about ¼ of a drop. plate to evaporate off whatever water remains in the oil. Quite often, it only takes a short time to evapo- All directions were taken directly from Rick Simpson’s rate the remaining water off, but also some strains website, www.phoenixtears.ca produce more natural terpenes and flavonoids than others. These terpenes and flavonoids can cause the oil you now have on the coffee warmer to bubble for quite some time and it may take a while for such oils *Warning: This recipe information is a public service. to cease this activity. The New Smoker magazine and it’s staff advises you never to try this at home or anywhere else susceptible to When the oil on the coffee warmer has little flammability and potential illegality. Remember, medor no bubbling activity visible, take the oil off the cof- ical marijuana is still illegal in most countries in the fee warmer and allow it to cool a bit, after which it can world and many states of the United States. No cure of any type is implied or suggested by the parties providing be drawn up into the plastic syringes for use. this information.
9
10.
11.
FULL EXTRACT CANNABIS OIL
VIEW TRAILER VIA HOUSE OF PRAANI www://vimeo.com/143266015 37
THE NEW SMOKER
The Serious Side of Funny with Zach Galifianakis by SOREN GRAY
Z
ach Galifianakis has a new show: “Baskets”. The first season just finished on FX. It’s smart, original, important. But don’t watch it thinking it’s going to be some laugh a minute funny fest. This ain’t The Hangover made for TV. Nor is it Zach’s life put to a realistic comedic twist like “Louie”. It’s not a comedy, but it is funny. It’s not a drama, but it is emotionally heavy.
show about a conIjustt’sfusedatrying clown named Chip to navigate through a world that al-
ways seems against him. It’s a show about Chip’s yearning to become the classic clown he always dreamed he would be. If not Bozo, maybe Marcel Marceau, or at least the best damn rodeo clown you’ve ever seen.
Alan in “The Hangover” trilogy; to the over-the-top Ethan in the underrated “Due Date”; to brink-ofa-heart-attack Brandon Vander Hey in Oscar Winning film “Birdman”, and now the desperate-to-livethe-life-he-can’t Chip in “Baskets”.
his isn’t the first soT cially-challenged charhese, and other character we’ve seen from Tacters, often seem to Zach, but it is his most serious. (And as creator-writer-producer-actor, his most personal). Many of the characters he plays seem to be on the fringes of society, or more the fringes of social interaction. From his well known fop
IMAGE: Portrait Photograph by Robyn Von Swank
possess an almost autistic inability to read other people’s intentions, and are seem unable to adjust to normal social dynamics. And yet they genuinely try to belong. Aided by an idiot-savant like genius, or just dumb-luck, it’s their
effort in striving -and often failing- to belong that endears us to them. alifianakis isn’t really G a formulaic comedian, with the typical premise/
delivery/punchline style like Dangerfield. Or observational like Seinfeld. Or even epic storytelling like Pryor. Zach’s standup style has always seem to be more almost a reaction against the clichés, or using them to his advantage. Zach’s style has always seemed more free form, fly-by-the-seat-of-his-piano style, more akin to jazz, as typical comedians are akin to pop music. 39
THE NEW SMOKER
eyond his Hollywood Making him want to be a ZG: Well, I would tell them fice actor & comedian, has B success, and now his clown seemed to make sense. it is hard to describe. But the world more adjusted to TV success, Zach is some- Specifically a rodeo clown. it is a show that has very you, or you to the world? how still able to stay on the fringes. He carves his own place in the entertainment world like a post modern sculptor. A TV Duchamp, showing the absurd within the real. Ce N’est Pas Une Comedie!
N
o stranger to the silly, the controversial, or outrageousness, Zach has interviewed President Obama “Between Two Ferns”. He lit a joint on “Real Time: with Bill Maher” (proving to be one of the increasing number of brave souls coming out of the grow-closet in support of legalization and to prove what a productive high functioning cannabis consumer can be). Now he brings a deeper side to his ever expanding comedic carrier with “Baskets”.
W
e were fortunate enough to have ZG sit down with us (on a computer somewhere parts unknown) and correspond in digital the following interview for TNS =======
TNS: What was the gene-
sis of the idea for the character Chip, a misplaced mime-school drop out, turned rodeo clown, who still dreams of being a regular clown? Did it start as a character study and go from there?
ZG: The character was es-
tablished in my head. I wanted to play a guy with misplaced rage. I was not too interested in making him likeable at first. I am one who is drawn to juxtaposition so someone with those personality traits needs to be in an environment where that is challenged. 40
stupid jokes and sometimes Or am I too high and read-
“Jon Krisel, the subtle jokes but is wrapped ing way too much into it? director, calls [Bas- in a dramatic narrative. ZG: I am more comfortable kets] a ‘slap stick on the fringes. And yes, you drama.’ That is TNS: What appeals to you are too stoned. Who needs doing such a heavy Ambien when there are cokind of correct“ about muted toned show? Do medians talking about com-
TNS: How is Louie CK in- you find the muted tone edy? volved in the creating of helps one hear the quieter comedic moments? the show?
ZG: Louis called me to in- ZG: I just think comedy can quire if I would be interested in writing a TV show. I had not really given it too much thought. He told me the way he goes about it and in that explanation I could see myself writing scenes and then eventually I would get more experienced writers to sew the scenes together. That is how the pilot came about. I knew there were certain comedic scenes I wanted to perform and then we built a narrative around those scenes and the strong characters. Louie pushed me. That is what he did. It was needed. He also babysat the process throughout the writing and shooting as well. But Louis is a guy who let us do our own thing. He gave us breathing room to find the tone. He trusted us on that. It has been a very easy arrangement.
TNS: What’s it like work-
ing for FX? Are you pretty free to do what you want with the show?
ZG: Yes. They have been a
delight. My only complaint is that they have no “hold” music when you call them
TNS: Would you call “Baskets” a dark comedy, a dramedy, a comedama…?
ZG: Jon Krisel, the director,
calls it a “slap stick drama.” That is kind of correct.
TNS: How would you describe it to someone who hasn’t seen it yet?
be told in many different ways. American comedies in film have become very one note and usually only represents a certain aspect of society. Cursing has become the joke. I am not anti cursing but eventually you need to rely on other tricks. The audience in me has tired of that. The muted tones are just a stylistic choice simply because it is not in favor at the moment.
“I have always thought the pot movement needed a haircut.” TNS: Speaking of getting
high, I am told you are a big proponent of the responsible use of Cannabis, and it’s legalization. How do you like to enjoy your weed?
ZG: For sleep there is nothing better. But it is not for
TNS: Do you find your everyone. characters, or do they find you? Meaning, do you make the characters your own, or are they more written with you in mind? Even the ones you write.
ZG: Often a character will
be on the page. But you modify it sometimes. You make it your own. A lot of characters I have played do not have to “make sense” but Chip has to. His character needs to be unpeeled. He is the main character and you owe your audience some depth if they are going to sit with him for 10 episodes. It is so fun and easy to play characters that are there to serve jokes only like perhaps Alan from The Hangover but with a show like Baskets you have to dig deeper into character. Have you fallen asleep yet?
TNS: How was the first time you got high?
ZG: I was 30 years old. I
did not want to partake in it because pot can be a great deterrent of gumption. I am not a proponent of younger folks doing it. Maturity and pot are good combo. It should be legal just as alcohol is legal. It has such small harm when compared to alcohol. I stopped drinking but still sometimes put marijuana in my tea in the form of a tincture.
TNS: Favorite album to
smoke to (or tincture to) and listen to?
ZG: Listening to Sinead
O’Connor’s “Daddy I’m Fine” and “What Doesn’t Belong to Me.” Or the Kevin Drew album “DarTNS: Do they parallel lings”. your own life plot in some ways? Coming from being TNS: How do you feel a fringe outsider comic, to about the current cannanow a main stream box of- bis culture?
THE NEW SMOKER
ZG: I have always thought can find a comfortableness pathetic that you just try comedians to more and the pot movement needed a haircut. I have never been too excited about how people can get so wrapped up in a “lifestyle” of a drug. Just as I don’t usually hang with those who’s main drive is to build Beer-A-Mids. I am not involved in a cannabis culture other than I support the legalization of it. My drum circle days are over. Or at least publicly.
if you do it enough. I just was never comfortable in the way it is traditionally done maybe. I am envious of it. I wish I had that discipline.
TNS: How did you find your comedic voice?
ZG: You can recognize it
as a kid. You realize that you might be looking at life through a certain perspective. You hopefully nurture I came from a family “Maturity & pot that. that did. that voice you are good combo.” speak of IBut guess came truly by getting on stage as much TNS: You made the news as possible early on. recently because you apparently smoked a real TNS: Who are your bigjoint on “Real Time with gest influences? Bill Maher”. You said you don’t really smoke joints, ZG: David Letterman, but enjoy tincture instead. Redd Foxx, Edward MurAnd since dropping tinc- phy, Lorene Yarnell and ture on air wouldn’t have as dramatic an effect, my brother, my sister, my What was the statement friend Jody and my cousins you were really trying to to be specific. make by lighting that joint other than I like weed?
ZG: There was a vote in
California about a pot initiative at the time. I was just trying to get a conversation started while showing support. It is a crazy world where we are okay with alcohol (which causes much more harm) and see pot as more detrimental.
“I was in a cover band for The Pretenders. We were called The Pretenders. “
TNS: What’s the worst
more increasingly dramatic roles? Even Adam Sandler, the king of kiddypoo-poo humor, went Oscar-worthy serious with Punch-Drunk Love. Is it simply a need to express a wider emotional range, TNS: It’s Oscar night, who or is there some internalare you wearing? ly need to show the other side of funny… Sadness? ZG: Is it not who, but what? Does this play into the steBoots- ladies 7 reotype of the comedian as Jump suit- extra medium a sad-clown? to remove yourself from it. Those “entertainers” that swim in that filth make me wonder “what mental disease causes this?” Well, that certainly turned into a complaint.
TNS: You play piano in ZG: I think people are sur-
your stand up. Were you prised when a comic shows classically trained? his or her serious side. Adam Sandler is magnifiZG: Not at all. I cannot cent in that film. I feel that read music and I think that some comedians have a chip is pretty evident. I can only on their shoulder from time produce sad music for some to time. I am guilty of that. reason. I bet comedians are more apt to do serious roles verTNS: Do you play piano sus “serious” actors who try often, outside of stand up? comedy. I think some comDo you write non-comedic ics are comfortable showing music? many sides while others are more comfortable staying in ZG: I play daily but nev- a zone they know. Drama is er improve. I really do not easier that is for sure. use it my act as much any longer. I do write music TNS: Is “Baskets” the inthat I tend to keep to myself. tentional incarnation/ personification of this sadTNS: Were you ever in clown stereotype? a band? If you ever had a band what would you ZG: Or is it purely coinciname it? dental…? I did not start to think of the show as making ZG: I was in a cover band him a sad clown but more for The Pretenders. We were of a angry clown. One with called The Pretenders. misplaced rage. There are sad moments in the show TNS: Do you prefer work- for sure but he really is aning on TV or film or stand gry. Why? We will find out up if you had to choose but I can see why his anger only one? makes him sad.
part of fame? What’s the best part? Have you found you’ve had to make any TNS: Did Bill know what personal adjustments to you were going to do that your sense of artistic self to play the fame game? beforehand? Any compromises…? ZG: The movie business has ZG: I am not sure he did. been high-jacked by a bunch ZG: Jesus, you are not goAlpha male Wall Street TNS: You’ve always been ing to hear my complaints of types. is not a lot of a bit of a rule breaker, about it. I have done that freedomThere creatively there- at comedically. Where does too much. I am happy to be least in a lot of comedies. In your atypical stand-up working. I ignore the fame response I think TV has bestyle come from? stuff. I certainly do not par- come the place to try to do in “The Hollywood more exploration how comZG: I am not sure. When I ticipate Life” whatever fuck that edy is delivered. first started doing stand up is. From what Ithe have of I think I was trying to do a it- it seems demented.seen Pryschtick that seemed ham- ing on folks’ privacy and TNS: Why do you think my. But later you figure all that is just gross and there is a tendency for out how to be more you. You 42
TNS: You’ve achieved a
lot so far in your career. Is there anything you haven’t done yet you’d like to do?
ZG: Buy an inversion table. But I need a wooden one and they are hard to find.
Oh, and win a Nobel Peace Prize.
bandit-town.com
Š 2013 Daniel Freedman
C C VS.
CLASS VS. CRASS
Etiquette for the Sophisticated Cannabis Consumer
THE NEW SMOKER
CLASS
VS.
CLASS
VS.
CRASS
CRASS
Packing a bowl and passing it.
Packing the bowl and puffing first without offering to anyone.
Packing a reasonable sized bong hit for a friend.
Not finishing the entire bowl they packed for you.
Puff Puff Pass: When handed to you, take a couple of puffs and pass it along!
Taking the joint or bowl while chatting and not smoking it, then finally after puffing holding on to it, continuing to chat.
Puffing with dry tucked-in lips.
Slobbering wet lips all over the joint or bowl.
Passing a pipe bowl with half green still there so the next person gets a green hit.
Burning the whole bowl to yourself.
45
C C
THE NEW SMOKER
CLASS
CRASS
VS.
Splitting a bag and letting the other person choose which bag.
Splitting the bag and just giving them what you think they deserve.
Grey ash = organic
Black ash = pesticides
Packing a fresh green bowl.
Don’t pack on black.
Emptying the bong ash by flipping the bowl and sucking it through the stem.
Taping it out on the coffee table or floor causing a mess and/or possible stem breakage.
Smoking, laughing, relaxing, having the fun, enjoying your high.
Saying over and over “OMG I’m soooo high”
Chilling out.
Freaking out.
Smoking what is offered to you when you ask for a hit.
Messing with the weed, complaining about what you’re given.
Stopping the run a little run on the joint by dabbing water or some non lip-liquid on it.
Licking the joint up & down & around to stop the run.
Rolling a joint that your tongue only touches the “lick edge” for sealage.
Sucking the whole thing up and down.
Rolling well crumbled light weed.
Rolling a seedy tight joint with sticks
Smoking out strangers.
Puffin’ and runnin’.
Playing music that everyone can appreciate.
Insisting on your industrial hippy jam house remix.
Never criticizing free/gifted weed.
Saying how other stuff you had before from someone else was better.
Keeping a clean pipe or bong.
Cleaning your friends pipe or bong without their permission.
Selling over a 3.5 gram 1/8th of good weed for a good price.
Selling an under-weighed overly expensive sack of dirt.
VS.
46
THE NEW SMOKER
CLASS
CRASS
VS.
Offering anyone near by you at a concert/party a puff.
Bogarting in social situations.
When splitting 3 different varieties 3 ways, each smoker packs a sample of each for all.
Packing yourself a bowl and smoking first.
When making a “salad” (different kinds of weed from different people) put in equal amounts.
If it’s crap weed don’t bother offering.
If both have weed, share bowl for bowl.
Hiding your weed “for later” while smoking someone else’s stash.
Thanking the supplier for the smoke.
Puffin’ and runnin’.
Choose Class.
See, anyone can be a cheap choner stoner, but it takes a classy kind of New Smoker to elevate above and take the High Road to sophisticated cannabis smoking.
THE NEW SMOKER
A GREEN COFFEE TABLE BOOK
W
Review by Georgia Jane Fields
hen you’re on the shelves of Urban Outfitters, you know you’ve gone
G
REEN: A Field Guide to Marijuana is a comprehensive A-to-Z guide to marijuana strains.
mainstream. That’s right where It’s the creation of Dan Michaels, founder of cannabis you can find a copy of GREEN: A research and insight group Sinsemedia, and designed Field Guide to Marijuana.
T
by Eddie Opara of Pentagram. GREEN is full of beautiful bud-porn imagery, photographed by Erik Chris-
his trendy coffee table book was released in May tiansen, founder of the blog Nugshots.com. of 2015 by Chronicle Books and has since found
its way on to bookshelves and displays tables of bookstores around the world. It is certainly a testament
I
t has a sophisticated layout with each strain described in minimalist typography set to a white
to the times we live in that cannabis centric design background, the facing page holds rich bud photograbooks are now so widely accepted. 48
phy set to black backdrops. All these black and white
pages are framed with a touch of color as the books head, tail and fore edge are edged in green. A splash
F
THE NEW SMOKER
or the pot “cannasseurs” out there you may also like Dan Michaels’s Green: A Marijuana Journal.
of bright orange within the names cut out front, and It’s a nice way make notes and keep track of marijuana its back inside cover gives it a youthful appeal.
strains you may have sampled and enjoyed.
I
f your excited by bud photography, a strain aficionado, or you just like the idea of having a convenient
yet beautiful strain guide book close at hand, then this is a perfect addition to your coffee table.
S
trains are organized alphabetically by name, with detailed descriptions of type, lineage, common
physical and psychoactive effects, smell/ taste, and top medicinal uses along with awards and similar strains.
T
he descriptions are short and often delightful “The mellow euphoria will consume your entire
mind and body, leaving you with nothing else to do but enjoy the ride. “ or even have comic book flare “Kryptonite will hit you faster than a speeding bullet
Basic Plant Anatomy
with a body buzz more powerful than a locomotive.
S
ince few strains are pure these days GREEN has a colored dot type system that indicates percentag-
es, sativa-hybrid (green) versus indica-hybrid (purple).
A
t a reasonable cost of $30.00 U.S., this is a nice buy for your coffee table or bookshelf. It’s also
a great gift idea for 4/20.
49
THE NEW SMOKER
Australia Legalizes
Medical Marijuana By Fiona Perman
I
t may be surprising to learn that Australia has only just begun the process of allowing access to medicinal cannabis products in limited conditions. Recent announcements that the Australian Federal Government has passed legislation to legalize the use of Medicinal Cannabis were heralded locally and internationally (1). But what really is the status of cannabis use in Australia?
C 50
illegal in Australia. This is despite research done in 2010 indicating widespread support in Australia for the use of medicinal cannabis, with 69% of the community supporting use of cannabis as medicine, and 74% of the population supportive of further research into the benefits of cannabis based medications (2). More recent research has shown support has increased with more than 90% of Australians indicating medicinal marurrently, access to can- ijuana should be legalized, nabis in any form is according to a special Roy
Morgan telephone survey conducted over the three nights of October 20-22, 2015 with 644 Australians aged 14+. Only 7% are against legalization and 2% can’t say (3).
P
rogress in the parliaments has been slow, requiring major public driven campaigns aimed at raising the political will. Lucy Haslam, an every day mum with a nursing background has influenced many conservative politicians and featured on a highly credible TV
program: Australian Story. In this program she told the story of her twentyyear-old son’s fight against bowel cancer (4). During his chemotherapy Dan experienced severe side effects leaving him unable to eat, and suffering constant pain that traditional opiate medication was unable to control.
R
apidly losing weight and wracked for days by pain, Lucy did something that could not have been further from her life experience to date –
THE NEW SMOKER
she scored some cannabis and rolled her son a joint. Lucy and her husband Lou, an ex-cop, were desperate to alleviate his suffering. Lucy recounts in the half-hour program their amazement as Dan tried cannabis for the first time in his life and was immediately relieved of his crippling pain. Lucy and Lou joined the growing crowd of stunned parents who were ‘scoring’ illicit drugs to help their suffering children. Outraged by the need to break the law to provide this relief, Lucy and Dan began campaigning for understanding and changes to the law. Diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer at 20, five years later Dan passed away. His dying wish was that Lucy continues to campaign to give other people the relief he had experienced. This has lead to the creation of a lobby group United in Compassion (5).
T
he second stimulus came when multi-millionaires Barry and Jo Lambert donated $AUS 33.7 million to Sydney University to investigate the medicinal uses of cannabis in a wide range of conditions, including obesity, schizophrenia and cancer treatments (6). The Lamberts granddaughter Katelyn has found relief from her intractable epilepsy through the use of illegally procured cannabis tinctures containing high levels of CBD and low
THC. This realization has prompted the Lamberts to make this donation, one of the largest in history to any Australian University, to investigate the potential of medicinal cannabis. The NSW Premier, Mike Baird, claimed that the new centre of research would lead the country, and “in many respects the world.” Possibly indicating the Premier’s lack of knowledge of global centres of research in Israel, Portugal and the United States.
reasons – 13 parody videos were uploaded to YouTube in 18 hours after its release. Shared virally amongst young people as a humorous example of how out of touch the authorities are, the campaign was an embarrassment to the government and the country as a whole (8). The Premier and even the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPI) released press releases distancing themselves from the campaign.
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here is a long way to go before Australia can claim to be world leaders in any area of cannabis research and government departments appear to be lagging behind the world in their openness and understanding of cannabis.
hese two cases are the tip of the iceberg, but the power of their stories or their willingness to donate significant money has caught the attention of the politicians and media alike.
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ustralian Governments have had a long history of demonising the use of cannabis and perpetuating ‘stoner’ stereotypes. Shockingly the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet – Yep that would be the same premier who thinks NSW is leading the world in cannabis research - launched the preposterous social marketing campaign titled “You’re worse on weed #Stoner Sloth” (7). The ‘Stoner Sloth” campaign was released in December 2015, designed to discourage teen cannabis use. The Internet went wild as the advertisements became an overnight sensation for all the wrong
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ecent legislation is a much-needed start on the long road ahead. The Narcotic Drugs Amendment Bill 2016 introduced the changes needed to existing legislation so that the Federal Government can control the production, manufacture and trade of narcotic drugs for licit uses (9). Potentially, medicinal cannabis patients could receive access to products in 2017, though the public remain in the dark as to how this will all come out in the end.
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credit, Health Minister Sue Lee stepped up to the plate bringing in Federal laws to enable individual states to develop their programs under the legal umbrella of the Federal government, thus avoiding the perils seen in the US where Federal Laws have hamstrung business and provided headache-inducing problems in many areas of the cannabis business, despite being legal under state-based law. In all of Australia, the state of Victoria leads the way with their announcement that they were committed to providing access to medicinal cannabis in “exceptional circumstances” – a commitment made as part of the electoral platform of the Labor Party prior to winning the election in 2014 (9). The wheels of change move slowly.
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he announcement that Victoria was taking part in an international clinical trial of a synthetic cannabidiol product developed by US pharmaceutical company, Insys Therapeutics Inc., for treatment of paediatric patients has left campaigners fearful that Australia may fall into the trap of providing Big Cannabis access to a potentially lucrative markets and keeping small operators out of the picture (10,11). Recent disasters, such as the death of a man in Paris from a synthetic o the Australian Fed- cannabis drug trial, illuseral governments trated the pitfalls many
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fear will result from taking natures perfect medicine and trying to copy it to increase patent opportunities and profits (12).
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meritus Professor David Penington, AC. has been advocating for sensible drug policies for many years, holding roles in two Victorian Government Drug Advisory committees and the National AIDS task force. In an opinion piece published in the Medical Journal of Australia, Prof. Penington calls for a greater understanding of the plant and the existing research. He counters the Australian government’s claims that “more research is required” – instead suggesting the medicinal users be registered immediately and allowed to grow up to 10 plants for personal use only. The eventual establishment of local production under the licencing protocol can be undertaken to provide those not wishing to grow their own access to medicinal cannabis (13). How frighteningly sensible and simple this is… naturally it isn’t happening.
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he establishment of a medicinal cannabis industry in Australia
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has a many unanswered questions. How things will unfold will depend as much on political posturing and the influence of corporate profits, as it will the needs of desperately ill people. This campaign has grown out of the demands of citizens. Let’s hope that common sense prevails and the system will be designed with the people’s concerns in mind, and not the corporations.
References: 1. Medicinal Cannabis legislation passed in the Senate 24.02.2016 www.youtu.be/8kwoeHcT5HU, accessed online 20.03.16 2. AIHW (2011), 2010 National Drug Strategy Household Survey report. Drug statistics series no. 25. Cat. no. PHE 145. Canberra: AIHW. Viewed 20 March 2016 www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=3221225471. 3. Roy Morgan (2015). A massive majority of Australians support the legalisation of medicinal marijuana,. No 6517. Viewed 22 March 2016. www.roymorgan. com/findings/6517-massive-majority-of-australians-support-legalisation-of-medicinal-marijuana-201510252317
4. Australian Story; Doing it for Dan (2015) Broadcast on 19.10.2016 www.abc.net.au/austory/content/2015/s4331491. htm Viewed 19.03.2016
10. Agriculture Victoria website www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/grains-and-other-crops/ cannabis-in-victoria/medicinal-cannabis
5. United in Compassion www. 11. Are Australias new legal unitedincompassion.com.au/ ac- cannabis laws designed to fail? (2016) published online 14th cessed 20.03.2016 February 2016. www.newsmaker. 6. Robertson, James (2015) com.au/news/39443/are-austraMedical cannabis: Record dona- lias-new-legal-cannabis-lawstion of $30 million for research designed-to-fail#.VvLSnpMrK2 at University of Sydney. www. Accessed 22.03.2016 smh.com.au/nsw/medical-cannabis-record-donation-of-30-mil- 12. CBS News online, Clinical lion-for-research-at-universi- drug trial in France sends 6 to ty-of-sydney-20150612-ghmieu. hospital in ‘serious accident’ www.cbc.ca/news/health/drughtml trial-france-1.3405247 accessed 7. You’re worse on week #ston- 23.03.2016 ersloth www.stonersloth.com. au NSW Department of Pre- 13. Pedington, D. (2015) Medimier and Cabinet. www.youtu. cal cannabis: time for clear thinking, Medical Journal of Australia be/7rHm8GbTHyE (2) published 2 February 2015, 8. Wahlquist, Calla (2015) accessed online 28.02.2016 www. “Stoner sloth” anti-drug cam- mja.com.au/system/files/ispaign gets reality check as sues/202_02/pen01573.pdf medical experts walk away. The Guardian Online www. theguardian.com/society/2015/ dec/20/stoner-sloth-anti-drugcampaign-gets-reality-check-asmedical-experts-walk-away accessed 21.03.2016 9. Health Department of the Australian Federal Government 10.02.2016 www.health.gov.au/ internet/ministers/publishing. nsf/Content/health-mediarel-yr2016-ley009.htm
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CANNATONIC A Strain Review by Dyson Bronti
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re you the kind of person who wants the medicinal effects of marijuana without getting too high every time you partake? Do you want to recieve the help weed can provide without getting so stoned you can’t work on anything but a bag of chips? Then Cannatonic is the medicine for you! In the search for ever more medicinal marijuana that can affect our bodies more than our minds, Cannatonic has been bred for just such healthy streamlined purposes.
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annatonic is a relaxing indica-leaning hybrid, crossing MK Ultra with G13 Haze. Originally bred by Spanish seed bank Resin Seeds specifically for its low THC content (around 6%) and high CBD content (up to 17%). It produces a relatively short-lived, mellow body high that is also uplifting as well as extremely relaxing, thanks to the high CBD content.
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annatonic is often used to treat pain, muscle spasms, anxiety, migraines, and a wide variety of other physiological and psychological symptoms. It is best recognized by it slight earthy odor and a mild, sweet, vaguely citrusy flavor.
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or those who want to get super stoned or heavenly highly, this is not your strain. At most, a relaxing disappoint is all you’d be in for. But if you want to sample how medicine can be grown in the ground instead of in a lab, Cannatonic is the herb you’ve got try.
(Go to leafly.com to find this strain nearest you. State laws apply)
Effects
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Urb’s Concrete & Cork Pipe: Flue STYLE | PIPE
‘WISH YOU WERE HIGH...’
POSTCARDS
SUB-STYLE | HERB PRICE | $55.00 U.S. LINK | WWW.URBISNICE.STORENVY.COM
BUY ONLINE: THENEWSMOKER.COM
IMAGES: Above & Opposite Page - www.urbisnice.storenvy.com
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ew i v Re
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laiming to be “the world’s first concrete smoking pipe”, Urb’s Flue is like a smooth river stone perfectly made to be a sweet pipe.
t’s concrete body and cork top comes in muted pastel colors like pink, black, and grey. Their site states it has a “slim profile, easily pocketable, and won’t spill”. We’ll see about that.
Leaf Ratings:
THE BREAKDOWN
How It Looks: Classy. We love it’s simple rustic modern look. Plus the packaging is simple well
designed recyclable cardboard that you don’t feel guilty about throwing away like most premium piece packaging. 5 Leaves.
How It Feels: Smooth. The cool concrete construction gives a real rock like feel in the palm of your hand, like the perfect stone to skip across a glass-smooth lake as the sun sets behind distance snow topped mountains. Yah, just like that. 5 Leaves.
How It Works: Not Great. It works like any shorter screen-less one-hole pipe: you get some bits in
your mouth, and the hits can be a bit hot and direct. The blow-holes (or bowl-holes) at the top used for drawing the flame into the bowl look cool, but are hard to master. It’s difficult to hit the green-spot in the bowl when you can’t see it. The cork top on our model was a bit loose and pocket tests yielded poor results with much spillage. The cork lid is also easily burned when lighting the bowl-holes. Cleaning it out each bowl is a bit of a pain and the bowl isn’t that big. 2 Leaves
How It’s Different: Classy. It’s made of frickin’ concrete and cork! 5 leaves. How Much It Costs: Ok. $55.00. It seems a bit artesianally over-priced for the richer Whole Foods hipster, but if it’s as locally made as it seems, and as unique and sustainable it is, it may just be worth spending a little extra dough to support good ideas. 3 Leaves.
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n a time when we need to minimize our waste and yet not sacrifice style, when we need to be original without being out of place, this fits into today’s rustic-future pace. This is a mantel-piece home-pipe hoping to be an uber-hip pocket pipe. And it almost hits it’s mark. Almost.
Average Leaf Rating: 4 Leaves. Not the best everyday pipe, but extra points because it definitely brings some class to grass. www.urbisnice.storenvy.com
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Marijuana, Meckel’s, & Me.
(Or, How I Realized Marijuana Was A Medicine) By Soren Gray
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t was just another attack of food poisoning from the Thai Chicken Curry soup I’d had delivered to me on a Friday night home alone. Or so I thought. Sharp stabbing pains shot through my stomach, forcing me to vomit everything up. And even when I thought there was nothing left, wrenching spasms would somehow force out more. In between trips to the toilet, I would lay in bed fearful of the waves of severe abdominal cramps that would overwhelm me. They felt like someone cruel was stabbing me in the stomach over and over, just for the fun of it.
stomach would have kept it down. Instead, I did what I normally did to get me through a tough night: I packed a bowl and tried to puff myself away with a good distracting buzz. Little did I know this one puff would change my whole perception of pot.
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exploratory surgery to see what the blockage might be.
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repped, but not really ready, the last thing I remember was the anesthesiologist sending gas to my mask and telling me to count down from 100. I think I got to 96. The next thing I remember was waking up in a hospital bed, a plastic tube shoved down my right nostril into my stomach to drain it, a catheter pushed up into my man-member, and a morphine drip plugged into my arm. A fuzzy faced nurse was sweetly telling me the surgery was a success, they’d found the blockage, and had removed 4 inches of my small intestine. Ouch.
ith one deep inebriating inhalation of cannabis, the stabbing stomach cramps immediately settled down to a dull background ache. What had been escalating in degrees of pain, was suddenly calmed. I don’t think I’d ever felt any medicine help me so quickly. (Maybe a shot of Demerol for kidney stones). But no needles were necessary here. Just one was later told I had what is called oubled over for hours, I waited puff and I was all good. For up to Meckel’s Diverticulitum. A rare it out. I figuring the pain and an hour, then I’d need another puff nausea would have to subside even- to quell the rising storm of cramps. congenital defect defined as: “a slight bulge in the small intestine tually, like it usually does with food his is how I survived the week- present at birth and a vestigial poisoning. I was very wrong. Two end. Like most struggling art- remnant of the omphalomesendays and little sleep later, I was in just the same amount of pain I was ists, I didn’t have any healthcare at teric duct. It is the most common the time (pre-Obamacare). So one malformation of the gastrointestion the first night, if not more. can imagine I was extremely reluc- nal tract and is present in approxi’ve been smoking weed recre- tant to going the emergency room mately 2% of the population, with ationally for most of my life. But for something so trivial as food poi- males more frequently experiencat the time I was just like most peo- soning. But by Sunday morning I ing symptoms.” Wikipedia. ple who mainly thought that, be- was pretty sure this wasn’t just bad asically, I was fucked by insides helping chemo-patients with Chicken Curry. complete evolution, or unintelnausea, Medicinal Marijuana was broke down Sunday morning ligent design... depending on your more of an excuse to finally legaland called my friend Tommy! to point of view. And if it gets infectize a fairly fun and friendly drug. I knew nothing of its curative and see if he could take me to the hospi- ed, it can be as deadly and dangertal. He came and got me, took me to ous as having inflamed appendix. pain managing properties. Kaiser ER, and waited while I was Except it’s in your small intestines o sick, I couldn’t have even tak- taken in surprisingly quickly to be and blocks any food from digesten any of the Vicodin I’d had seen by a doctor. They diagnosed ing further down. So it spasms and tucked away for emergencies if I’d me with a blocked abdominal tract cramps to get all the food out back wanted to. There was no way my and scheduled me for immediate the way it came in.
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fter 10 days in the hospital recovering, I was finally released home. I stayed in bed another month recuperating and changing my own bandages from a post-opt reopening of part of my incision to check for infection. (They didn’t bother to re-close it for scarless healing. Now it looks like I have two belly buttons... lucky me. Reborn)
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gest, like raw celery, whole peanuts, raw carrots, etc… were on the nono list for me. They could easily get blocked by the intestinal scar tissue and force my stomach to spasm sharply just like it had done when this all started.
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o my dismay, I found out he was painfully correct. For some reason I thought a night of snacking on broccoli, orange juice, and handfuls of salted peanuts would be fine. All bad. The next 24 hours of a return to severing cramping, puking, and stabbing pains told me ignorance was pain, not bliss.
y Uncle Tony, who has had multiple stomach surgeries for various reasons was able to coach me through my healing. He warned me I now had to be careful with what I ate as there was scar tissue where the small inteshankfully by my side there was tine was reattached, and it doesn’t my new favorite old friend, stretch like the other parts of the the magical medicine called Cannaintestine. So foods that were high- bis, to ease my pains and help me ly fibrous and more difficult to di- get through another fearful night.
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That, and apple juice. Uncle Tony told me apple juice was a great diuretic and helped break the food down. It also happens to be one of my favorite sweet drinks, so winwin there.
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nd though I have watched my diet more carefully since then, I have still had a few more attacks that still suck just as much as the first, are totally debilitating, and I would only wish on my worst enemies. But I don’t fear future attacks so much as I have a wonderful weapon, self-proven to stop cramping cold. I rest assured I will be ok whenever I have miraculous medicinal marijuana by my side.
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HIP TO STAY FIT: Live Long & Smoke Weed By Frank Lauria
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scored my first nickel bag in 1958. However it wasn’t until 1961 that I began smoking Boo (among the many names given to Cannabis) on a regular basis.
shit; the Real from the propaganda we had been fed most of our young lives from authority figures of every stripe be it religious, political, or IBM (they actually assigned neighborhoods according to your pay he first noticeable health ben- scale). efit was mental. One of weed’s most beneficial qualities was as a y brain turned on and bedeprogrammer. It enabled one to gan to shift into real balance, separate the True from the bull- discarding the baggage of years of
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half-truths and downright lies. And suddenly mind and body started to unite.
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t the time, I was a young actor fresh off Broadway. Parts were scarce so I settled in for the long haul. As an acting student I became increasingly aware of the importance my body -known in dramatic circles as “your instrument”.
Images of Eugen Sandow German pioneering bodybuilder (1867 – 1925) courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
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ym memberships weren’t very prevalent in 1962, so I would go to a park on the Lower East Side that had a track and a couple of pull up bars. I started running and worked up to the amazing distance of a whole mile.
the tutelage of a Master learning to unlock the power of macrobiotic food. While still smoking cigarettes and living on hamburgers and coffee, I started paying more attention. I don’t recall many hippies drinking alcohol much back then. It was something done by the older genater, lounging around listening eration, cops, and uptown types. to Miles, Bird, Lenny Bruce or Marijuana and mushroom belonged Lord Buckley in a pot-hazed pad, to Us. my friends would profess amazement that I was running a whole n contrast Kerouac, Jackson Polmile. Thing was--however primlock, Larry Rivers and the rest of itive those early workouts seem the established artists who hung at now -I was feeling good. the Cedar Tavern in the West Village were confirmed drinkers--and n ‘62 the drugs on the scene in- they gathered there every night to cluded Acid, Mushroom, Peyote, prove it. Mescaline, Heroin, Tobacco and Alcohol. Coke was on the back ome to think of it, that might burner. Once in a while someone have been the line of demarwould fall by with some weed doc- cation between Allen Ginsberg (a tored with DMT but it was consid- Cannabis enthusiast) and Jack, an ered a low rent Psychedelic with alcoholic, who decried the hippies little power to EXPAND YOUR in his later years. Again I digress. CONSCIOUSNESS.
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freighter to Beirut. I returned to Italy in very good shape seeing as how I walked miles every day and ate a Spartan diet.
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met a lady in Rome and we ended up on the Island of Ischia off the coast of Naples. A volcanic island, Ischia sits atop some still active remnants including bubbling hot mud and mineral baths prized for their healing powers. The hut we rented for a hundred bucks a month included a bath that drew its hot water directly from an underground mineral hot spring.
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or three months I swam, hiked and ate fresh food grown on the island. Even better I was holding a nice block of great hash I had scored in Baalbek Lebanon, known for its incredible ancient temples and the valley where they produced superb hashish.
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very day after lunch I would smoke a J and dive into the cool green water. And it was then I discovered how Cannabis could unite mind and body into a transcendent experience, something surfers and basketball players know full well. Three months later I was tanned, toned and practically glowing in the dark from the radioactive qualities of my primitive mineral water showers.
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ecause that was the whole fucking point. Not to get fucked up, but to realize the untapped potential of your mind. Both Pot and Psychedelics were considered Sacraments as opposed to disco drugs.
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decided if I were going to pursue my dreams in the fast lane I should be aware of what I was ingesting and try to stay healthy. This early regimen consisted of pushups, sit ups, and lots of walking. Less tobacco and the diet expanded from hamburgers to Chinese food.
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ut I digress.
t was about the same time I discovered the joy of running in ’61 - ’62 that a new awareness of Nutrition came to the tenements of the Lower East Side. Tiny Zen restaurants and Macrobiotic Cafes were springing up. Indeed, two pals: Chic Ciccolini, a Broadway actor; and Dave Simon, who later joined Jim Kweskin’s Jug Band, had spent the entire summer on an island off the coast of New England under
n those days people tended to decline physically in their thirties. Remember the typical business lunch consisted of two martinis and three Marlboros (the filters were supposed to make them safe—doctors on TV swore to it). orty was the new heart attack.
ast forward to 1967. I had taken a freighter to Tangier and Italy, crossed Greece, and took another
stayed in and fell out of shape over the next years having thrown myself into the world of publishing, especially writing my novels which were selling briskly back then enabling me to travel to Morocco and Europe often. ast forward to 1981...
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fter a particularly nasty break with my ex I embarked on an extended affair with coke and scotch which lasted too many years. When I woke up my stomach was lying next to me.
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determined to get back in shape. It took a while, two years in fact. I would smoke a J and go for a run along the East River. There was a park at Cherokee Place that had pull up bars, parallel bars and overhead ladders. When I’d finished my run I would drop into the park and work out. On the way home I’d stop at a local health food store for carrot juice and seaweed.
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t night however I was still drinking (alcohol is highly addictive). Fact is, if you’re doing cocaine you can drink all night and never get drunk. Problem is… when you stop doing Coke you discover you’re an alcoholic.
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ossibly because of the postblow Rehab Generation--and Calvin Klein--a new body awareness was emerging in our culture. People were joining gyms, health clubs were opening. True story: I had occasion to meet a young Tom Cruise in a friend’s kitchen one Christmas morning. Now mind you I was unfamiliar with his work having not seen Risky Business. Therefore I was somewhat taken aback when the very first words he spoke as we shook hands were: “I’m usually much thinner than this but I haven’t been running lately”.
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ut it wasn’t until Ellen and I moved to California that it all came together. I was 55 by then and had the opportunity to run the Marin hills, work out at a good gym and go vegetarian. Marin County: the world’s most beautiful convalescent home.
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t 60 I took up basketball and kept playing until I was 77 when a knee sprain took me out of the game. Nothing like a good J and a hot game of 3 on 3 to get your Zen on.
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ow 80 I still lift, run and balance my mind and body with o we were all in this fitness the sacred weed. game together. I kept at my routine of smoking a s written by Paul Bowles “A J then meditate, stretch, work-outpipe of Kif in the morning in-the-park five days a week until gives a man the strength of a hunI was in pretty decent shape. Mari- dred camels in the courtyard.” juana kept the whole thing moving and in balance.
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THE NEW SMOKER PRESENTS
COMEDY, CAKE, & CANNABIS 66
Photography by: Ben Droz. Facebook @Ben Droz Photography , Insta/Twit - @bendroz , bendroz@gmail. com
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n February 22th 2016 The New Smoker hosted our first public “Puff Puff PopUp” event Comedy, Cake, & Cannabis in Downtown Los Angeles at the Think Tank Art Gallery as a part of Break Bread LA’s month long exhibition.
Put together by Katie Parlow of Littleface Productions, the night featured some of LA’s funniest rising stand-up comedians: Kate Berlant, Ibo Brewer, Brendan Cooney, Dennis Gubbins, Megan Sadd, Jackie Tohn, and Brandon Wardell. Open to medical marijuana card-carrying patrons only, it was also sponsored by a select group of classy cannabis businesses such as Kiva Confections, TKO Edibles, Silver Echo Express Delivery, Spliffin’ Vaporizers, & Transcendental Treats. Plus there was a vape lounge with edibles & cannabis cocktails. (Free gift bags of canna-goodies!) The night was filled with high art, high humor, and overall high-larity. The comedians were on point, and the cake was delicious, and cannabis was enjoyed by all! In fact it was such success, we are planning more events in the LA area in the near future. (Sign up on our website’s email list to find out about our next event.) Here are some of the high-lights:
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How I Fought Cancer
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without Chemotherapy, and Won! by Gloria Mattioni*
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loria Mattioni is a writer, blogger, speaker and documentary producer. She has been cancer-free for over three years by using natural therapies and cannabis oil after having a tumor in her breast removed surgically.
*REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM PREVIOUS ARTICLE IN RESET.ME
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round June 2011, I wasn’t feeling myself. I was tired beyond tiredness, had almost constant headaches and my energy level— usually very high—had dropped dangerously low. Everybody tried to reassure me that everything was ok, but I wasn’t convinced. Long story short, after ten blissful years without ever setting my foot in a physician’s office, I decided I had to figure out the causes of my symptoms. I signed up for health insurance and checked into a hospital lab for tests. Good thing I did. Never believe people who tell you that cancer is a silent killer. If you are in touch with your body and your feelings, you’ll know it before you read it on your lab results. And talking about lab tests, don’t be satisfied with a normal blood work. In many cases, cancer does not show up there. I realized I had to be in charge of my health and not allow anybody else to make decisions on my behalf, so I insisted on more tests. In the end, here I was with the news that I had, indeed, breast cancer. My distrust of the health system possibly increased when I was told this on the phone by the same nurse from the radiology department who also refused to tell me what stage my cancer was for “privacy reasons.” Apparently, the only one entitled to discuss this “detail” was the surgeon she scheduled me to see… two weeks later. And so I was left to wonder how bad it could be.
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spent the following two weeks trying to sort out my feelings about it on one side, and surfing the web for possible alternative treatments on the other. One thing was in fact crystal clear to me since day one. I wouldn’t allow anybody
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to poison me in order to ”kill” my cancer, possibly killing me as a delayed “side effect”. I don’t have a bad relationship with death, which I consider a rite of passage already inscribed in every living being’s future. You don’t need psychic powers to know we all have to die at some point. We just don’t know how and when. “When” never concerned me much. I’d rather live a short, healthy and fulfilling life than a long, mediocre one. That’s why I never spared myself, diving head first with passion in every adventure worth exploring without fearing the risks. “How” is the real thing. No way I’m going to die in a hospital with needles stuck in my veins, throwing up and too weak to get up and walk (my true medicine has always been hiking in the woods.) Having said that, despite my relative peace with the idea of a possible accelerated rescheduling of my departure from earth, I had a son who lost his young wife to brain cancer barely six moths earlier, and an infant granddaughter without a mom to raise her. I was no longer free to make decisions only for myself.
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hile I was sent an “informative” breast-cancer package to explain why chemo and radiation therapy are such great things, I dedicated infinite hours researching on the internet and reading books (one of the best, btw, was Outsmart Your Cancer by Tanya Harter Pierce- I highly advise reading it.) The day of my appointment with the surgeon, I was told that my cancer was stage one. I was offered the option of a mastectomy or a lumpectomy (removing only the malignant nodule, instead of the whole breast.) To go the lumpectomy route, though, I had to commit to the follow up
treatments: chemotherapy and 10 weeks of radiation. My research had convinced me that getting rid of the malignant “mass” was a good idea. But I wasn’t sold on chemo or a long radiation term. In fact, the usual prescription for ten weeks of radiotherapy for a similar case is, in my opinion, swollen by the financial agenda of hospitals, fattening up on this costly treatment. My intention was already set on refusing chemotherapy and submitting myself to only three weeks of radiotherapy, per my research findings. Being truthful is one of my main values so having to lie wasn’t very nice. And yet, in times of war, you find yourself resorting to all possible weapons trying to assure your victory. I was at war, against cancer as well as against a system that considers the patient just an organ assemblage, and symptoms something to immediately be suppressed and eliminated.
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uring this time, I had also realized that my breast cancer wasn’t such a big surprise. In the previous few years, I had experienced loss elevated to the maximum power with the deaths of my still young sister and daughter in law, whom I tried to “nurse” back to health with all my strength but couldn’t. These were the first failures in the life of an over-achiever, who always obtained whatever she set her mind to. I also had to closely witness and monitor the agony of my mother on her death bed (in her own house thanks goodness, after I ‘kidnapped’ her from the Italian hospital where she had been checked in just to die). Last but not least, I had also just lost my long time dog-companion to cancer. On top of this, to cope with the stress of seeing so many of my loved ones dropping dead one after the other, I 71
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had slacked on my diet and exercise regimen. And here I should open a different chapter about nutrition and stress management, something a regular oncologist would not discuss with you beside some generic advice to “eat healthy and exercise half an hour a day five times a week”. Try to inquire more about what a “healthy diet” means, and they will give you a prescription based on the FDA approved pyramid where grains and dairy still count for the bigger percentages. Cancer cells feed on sugar. This doesn’t mean that cancer is directly caused by sugar and that you cannot enjoy your slice of tiramisù for dessert, provided that you’re healthy. If you’re diagnosed with cancer, though, your best bet is to keep your glycemic index as low as possible. Grains, even if they are “whole”, quickly turn into sugar in your blood stream. Keeping their consumption at a minimum is very important, and even better would be eliminating all gluten products. Dairy products cause inflammation and inflammation creates an environment where the process of natural healing is already compromised. I heard oncologists advising patients on chemo to eat pizza to cope with the weight loss, but I never heard a word about using marijuana to lighten up and relax, instead of dangerous antidepressants.
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charted my own therapy path. I had surgery in December 2011, followed by a week of detoxing retreat, raw food, yoga and meditation at the Optimum Health Institute in San Diego to quickly push out the toxins left in my body by the anesthesia, and get some much needed energy to face the three weeks of radiotherapy in February that I had chosen to accept. I had, meanwhile, informed my oncol-
ogist that I would not go through chemotherapy. When she realized that I was firm on my decision, she asked me if I would be interested in participating in a trial to determine IF chemotherapy was indeed useful for women at my stage of cancer. I agreed to the trial, thinking that many women could benefit from the findings. My oncologist
Gloria Mattioni successfully fought breast cancer by eliminating estrogen-raising foods like dairy, coffee, gluten and red meat from her diet and using only natural supplements like Chrysine, Bioperine and cannabis oil.
explained the details. They’d send half of the women in the trial to chemo, and half to only radiotherapy, following them closely with lab testing every three months. The frequent lab testing sounded good to keep an eye on my hormone levels since there was no way I would allow Tamoxifen, a highly controversial medication with plenty of frequent side effects, to chemically induce menopause. My genetic risk potential of recurrence was set low at 17%. I intended to keep an optimal hormone level eliminating estrogen-raising foods like dairy, coffee, gluten and red meat from my diet and use only natural supplements like Chrysine, Bioperine
and cannabis oil.
M
y oncologist was an open-minded person, willing to work with my strong convictions despite her own. The radiology department, on the other hand… not so much. The head of the department saw me only for the initial visit despite my repeated requests to meet her after experiencing excruciating burns during the “treatment”, administered by technicians whose only advice was to “put on more moisturizer.” She minimized the possibility of secondary cancer caused by radiation, dismissing my inquiry on the spot. She seemed to remember about me only after she was informed that I had interrupted radiotherapy at the end of the third week. She made sure I was called every single day for the next two weeks by various nurses trying to scare me. But their terroristic approach only reinforced my decision. I imagined how many other women would give up and become the silent, obedient patient they want you to be.
A
t the time of my diagnosis. I had made another big decision. I didn’t intend to allow cancer to rule my life. I never pitied myself. I wasn’t going to allow others to do so. Therefore, I never publicly discussed my cancer. Only very few of my close circle knew, and knew better than talking about it when they met me.
T
his is the very first time I’ve openly revealed to be a cancer survivor. My reason to do so is exactly to encourage others to explore any possible alternative treatment before poisoning their minds and bodies. 73
THE NEW SMOKER
F
or instance, my experience with cannabis oil proved to be extremely useful in eliminating insomnia, making me sleep like a baby and having delightful, vivid and entertaining dreams as a lovely “side effect”. It also helped me to be calmer and more relaxed. The only downside is that I do feel lightly stoned in the first hours of the morning and I have a little harder time focusing and gearing up for work. An easy remedy to it, I discover, is allowing myself half an hour of “me time” walking my dog in the canyons before starting the day, even before breakfast.
T
he other remedy is determining your own dosage, which can be done only by trial and error. I had a couple of pitfalls on the path, when I tried to increase my dosage (evidently too optimistically) and I almost fell when waking up at 3 am and trying to reach the bathroom. Generally speaking, I found out, “half a grain of rice” measured on a plastic toothpick with a spatula is the dosage for a woman of my weight and height (130 lbs, 5.6”), at least for the first couple of months.
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It can then be slightly increased to one whole grain of rice, which will bring monthly consumption to about 5 grams, for a cost of about $300: expensive but not even comparable to the cost of the prescribed treatments. If cannabis oil is used to fight active cancer cells, this dosage should be increased to 18 or more grams a month. In this case, you should realize that fighting cancer with natural medicine should be your absolute priority for the time of treatment. Better giving up on pushing to keep up with a “normal” life and work schedule. Three months is all it takes to see results and know if the oil is working. And at the end of the day, a three month-vacation (or partial vacation) from usual routine to allow your mind-body connection to be reset doesn’t look like a big sacrifice. Or does it? Update for TNS from Gloria on February 2, 2016: “It has been now 4 years and half since my diagnosis and I feel totally back on tracks. My energy level is great, blood work shows complete control of the hormone levels without
Tamoxifen and all values are fine. I followed a mainly plant based diet with the exception of pasture eggs and wild salmon and skip all bakery products. But I’m not strict or rigid. If I feel like enjoying a pizza once in a while or a glass of good red wine, so be it. And when I’m in Italy, I do drink espresso. Twice a year, I do a month of liver detox and that helps me to keep everything in check. More than anything, I MOVE. Yoga, long walks, bicycle rides, surfing, swimming.”
Gloria Mattioni is the author of “Reckless-The Outrageous Lives of Nine Kick-Ass Women”, published in October 2005, and “Dakota Warrior-The Story of James R. Weddell“, published in February, 2014, both available in selected bookstores and on Amazon.com. She previously published in Italy a novel, Con Altri Occhi, and three non-fiction books , Guerriero Dakota, Wild Women, and La Tribù dei Mangiatori di Sogni. They were written in Italian and are available through Amazon.it. Please, visit the author at her blog, www.be-reckless.com.
THE NEW SMOKER
Healing Songs Music to Feel Better By Curated by
Chris Holmes
C
hris Holmes is a music aficionado, producer, remixer, member of the band Ashtar Command, and opening DJ on Paul McCartney’s World Wide Tour going out again this month.
Chemical Brothers: Wide Open
F
rom the most recent release by the Chemical Brothers, this single featuring Beck gave me chills and reminded me of why I love the Chemical Brothers so much. There is a special kind of electronic beauty that few can capture like they do, in this song the soft distortion sounds that hits around 2 minutes in is perfectly out of control and hit me like a sugar rush. After listening to this on repeat I went back to listened to the first three records, and it made me feel like most electronic music acts (excluding Daft Punk) are diving deep enough into the bliss. This is a beautiful record. Link to video: www.youtu.be/BC2dRkm8ATU Link to song: www.open.spotify.com/track/2U5rN7uL5771qyOwErJCY8
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THE NEW SMOKER
Rostam: EOS
I
love this song. It is radiant. Reminds me of the feeling I got the first time I heard Paul Simon’s Graceland. There is some magical about it. It’s one of the only songs I can think of that starts off huge, and then sheds layers as the song progresses revealing more and more grace and beauty. I love the choir call and repeat at the beginning. This is one of the first releases of former Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij and I can’t wait for more. It is stunningly bare and perfect, makes fall in love with more than the song, makes me fall in love with music again. Link to video: www.youtu.be/Q8GNEFd306A Link to song: www.open.spotify.com/track/0l0X8CasihnENhRR9RNC5n
Viet Cong: March of Progress
T
his is song is great, but what I really love is the last 2 minutes of it. It has a Eno Taking Tiger Mountain/Here Come The Warm Jets. It has jagged and raw waves digital distortion like Primal Scream’s XTRMNTR builds like a slow burn, with 3 chord organ pattern and drum that grinds it’s way into your soul before the vocals start. The vocals might be too Eno-esque but when the arpeggiated baba o’reilly craziness kicks I forgive all. Everything crashes into perfection Link to video: www.youtu.be/GFNO-75Wl0k Link to song: www.open.spotify.com/track/2L5lWX4pagbHRIMV1YVBy5
John Martyn: Solid Air
I
was going to just suggest listening to “I Don’t Want To Know”… the lyrics are speaking to me these days. “I don’t want to know about evil, only want to know about love.” But I’m recommending the whole record because it’s absolutely amazing. Inspiration for so many souls and songwriters including one of my favorites, Beth Orton. Link to album: www.open.spotify.com/album/0QD0LEYQDkrJrtVcuRBcVp
Sufjan Stevens: Chicago
T
his is the perfect song.
Link to video: www.youtu.be/c_-cUdmdWgU Link to song: www.open.spotify.com/track/7Bo0xLcXWx3pdhqwthqGaz
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THE NEW SMOKER
The Flosstradamus SOURCE orb XL vape pen STYLE | VAPORIZER SUB-STYLE | WAX/OILS PRICE | $120.00 U.S. LINK | WWW.SOURCEVAPES.COM
WWW.SOURCEVAPES.COM IMAGES: Above & Opposite Page - Sourcevapes.com
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THE NEW SMOKER
THE SET UP w e i has teamed up with EDM pioneers of Trap music FLOSSTRADAMUS, to present the Rev SOURCEvapes SOURCE orb triple coil, grade 1 titanium vape pen. The piece touts that it’s “the most powerful vape ever”, designed for elite users looking to “Experience True Taste”.
S
OURCE orb XL quartz atomizers are double the capacity of the original SOURCE orb 3 atomizers and feature a 2nd generation Variable Airflow System, which all adds up to powerful, controllable, serious hits.
Leaf Rating :
THE BREAKDOWN
How It Looks: Suave. Bulky, but sturdy and sleek, the large battery and vape coil attachment is made powerful enough for the next Vape-King contestant who wants to show how they blow “sick plumes…” a bit excessive. The saving grace is the genie-in-a-black-bottle classy coil casing/mouthpiece.
How It Feels: Professional. Feels good in the hand. The titanium body feels so solid and well built you could probably accidentally run it over with you car again and it would still keep on vaping. How It Works: Overkill. This is for the truly committed with lungs of steel who can vape a heck of a
lotta of wax to their head. The chamber can fit a whole gram of wax, with 3 coils for wider coverage and quicker burn. It has control up and down buttons and display screen for precise temperature control. One disadvantage: a lot of wax is used at once.
How It’s Different: Extreme. This can melt your face off with the push of a button. It’s not for the meek. But it’s a bit unnecessary for the average person.
How Much It Costs: Quality. $120.00 seem the right price for the solid build and intense effect. If
you like blasting off straight to Narnia, this is the vape for you. But if you want something more discreet for a less intense high, this probably isn’t your thing.
I
THE SUM UP
f blowing huge pot plumes in the middle of the 2nd EDM tent at Coachella as you Trap beat yourself in another DJ dimension for an hour or two is what you’re into, then this is your jam!
Average Leaf Rating: 4 Leaves. It’s just what it says it is: a clean, extreme, vaping machine.
www.sourcevapes.com
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C
hef Tiff’s Recipes
By Chef Tiffany Friedman
Preparation Fill large saucepan with water. Peel sunchokes, one at a time; cut into 1-inch pieces and immediately place in pan of water to prevent browning. Add potatoes; sprinkle generously with salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sunchokes and potatoes are very tender, about 12 minutes. Drain well. Transfer sunchokes and potatoes to processor; add butter and puree until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Ingredients - Pickled Shallots • 1 cup red-wine vinegar • 4 tablespoons of sugar • 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
SEARED DRIVER reparation P SCALLOPS WITH SUNCHOKE PUREE AND PICKLED SHALLOTS
Bring vinegar and sugar to a simmer in a small saucepan. Stir in shallots and remove from heat. Place scollops on top of the purée, garnish and serve.
Ingredients - Scallops • • • • •
Grapeseed oil - 3 tablespoons Kosher Salt Black pepper 8 Diver Scallops cleaned off rinses and dried 1 cup barbecue sauce
Preparation Heat oil in sauté pan. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Sear until caramelized on both sides.
Ingredients - Sunchoke Purée SERVINGS: 8 • 2 1/2 pounds sunchokes (also called Jerusalem artichokes)* • 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes or German Butterball potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces • 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter 80
IMAGES: Provided by Chef Tiffany Friedman
Chef Tiffany is a lifelong student of the culinary arts. Her goal is to always continue to grow and direct her passion toward bringing people joy. She describes her culinary talent as,“a gift I hope to share with your taste-buds.”
THE NEW SMOKER
LEMON MERINGUE TART
Ingredients SERVING: 8 • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour • 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar • Kosher salt • 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced • 1/4 cup ice water • 4 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Directions
Combine the flour, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, and 1/2 Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. teaspoon salt in a bowl. For the meringue, whip the egg whites, cream of and 1/4 teaspoon salt in the bowl of an electric Put the flour mixture in the bowl of a food processor tartar, mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until frothy. about 10 times until the butter is in small bits. Add the ice water and process until the dough comes together. With the mixer still running, slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and beat until the meringue is Dump on a well-floured board and form into a disk. thick and shiny, about 2 minutes. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes. Immediately spread the lemon filling in the cooled tart shell and pipe the meringue over it with a large Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. star tip. Be sure the meringue covers the entire top and touches the edges of the shell, to prevent it from Roll out the dough and fit into a 9-inch tart pan with shrinking. removable sides. Don’t stretch the dough when placing it in the pan or it will shrink during baking. Cut Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, until the meringue is lightly off the excess by rolling the pin across the top of the browned. Cool to room temperature. pan. Line the tart shell with a piece of buttered aluminum Lemon Filling: foil, butter side down, and fill it with dried beans or • 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature rice. • 1 1/2 cups sugar Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and foil and • 4 extra-large eggs prick the bottom of the shell all over with a fork to • 3 extra-large egg yolks (save the whites for the allow the steam to escape. meringue) • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt browned. Set aside to cool. continued next page... 81
THE NEW SMOKER
LEMON MERINGUE TART: Continued... Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 1 minute. On low speed, add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, lemon juice, and salt. Don’t worry; it will look curdled. Pour the mixture into a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until thick, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Whisk briskly when it starts to thicken and cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t allow it to boil! It will be 175 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Pour into a bowl and cool to room temperature. Yield: 3 cups
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W W W. B I N G B A N G N Y C . C O M B I N G B A N G J E W E L R Y, N E W Y O R K @bingbangnyc #bingbangnyc
The Cheech & Chong Doobie Vape Pen by World Piece STYLE | PEN SUB-STYLE | WAX/HERB PRICE | $105.00 U.S. LINK | WWW.THEWORLDPIECE.COM
IMAGES: Above & Opposite Page - www.theworldpiece.com
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THE NEW SMOKER
iew v e R
I
THE SET UP
nventors of the Grinder Card, the V Syndicate, have brought their innovation and style to the vape pen world. Doing it big out of the gate, they’ve launched their “World Piece” brand and teamed up with Cheech & Chong to bring the “Doobie Vape Pen”.
D
escribed on the World Piece website as “a portable vaporizer featuring extended herb and wax chambers as well as temperature control wheel for precise heat control.” The Doobie is rechargeable and comes with, USB charger, a cleaning brush, Dabit Card™ and a dual silicone container.
Leaf Rating :
THE BREAKDOWN
How It Looks: Classy. The box graphics look really nice. Just our style. They give Cheech & Chong an elegance they’ve never quite had before. The packaging is beautiful but a bit overdone. Like they all had a big smoke session meeting and tried to cram all the high-deas they had into one box. (A motion-sticker for instructions? Kinda cool. But what’s that little tear-drop window on the vape for...?). 4 Leaves.
How It Feels: Smooth. It’s well constructed. It holds well in the hands. The rounded rubber tipped
mouth piece allows for a deeper hit. The pen itself is a bit big. It would stay home more than go out in your clutch purse or pocket. 4 Leaves.
How It Works: Lackluster. This has the same failing as many other vape combo pens that tries to
vape herb and wax. It ends up doing both jobs not so well. Especially the herbal atomizer. With its spiral bottom coil, it doesn’t vape as much as burn, and is too small a chamber to bother loading and unloading all the time. You might as well pack a one hitter bat and go. The wax atomizer works on par with other pens, but only when its tiny top is screwed on, which can be messy after loading gooey wax. People want less parts to clean, not more. 2 Leaves.
How it’s different: Lackluster. As a vape pen, there’s really nothing that sets this apart. Its seems
like it’s just another pen with really cool packaging. The Dabit grinder card with its laser cut cleaning tools magnetically attached is the most uniquely cool feature. But it isn’t apart of the pen. 3 Leaves.
How much It Costs: Fair. $105.00. Not a bad price for the level of design that went into the packaging and piece, and card. But their Pinner model -which we haven’t sampled- seems a bit smaller and flatter and easier. Plus they sell for $79 and might be a bit more what one want in a portable wax vape pen. 3 leaves.
THE SUM UP
W
e really wanted to like this one. We love the V Syndicate grinder cards, and who doesn’t love Cheech & Chong? The packaging is so classy it begs for the vape pen to live up to it’s potential. But sadly it doesn’t quite do that. It’s trying to do too much, when all it needs to do is streamline and simplify. If World Piece wants to do an herbal vaporizer, we recommend it be a whole separate pen, designed specifically for that purpose. (Probably in the works). In the meantime, at least get yourself one of the multi tool Dabit cards. We love ours.
Average Leaf Rating: 3 Leaves. Good, but needs refinement.
www.theworldpiece.com
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Binge-worthy
ROTHCOPRESS www. R OT H CO P R E S S . co m
THE NEW SMOKER
S
o ends another fine & fun filled edition of THE NEW SMOKER magazine.
W
e hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed making it. We appreciate all the amazing,
positive feedback from you, our loyal readers. And we would love to hear more! Did you read something you love, or something you disagree with, or something we missed? Tell us about it! Email us your “Letters to the Editor� to: editorial@thenewsmoker.com, and we may even print your letter.
W
e would like to thank all of our wonderful, writers, design team, photographers, contributors,
and our proud sponsors, all without whom this magazine would not be possible.
S
tay tuned to your interwebs for news of Issue No.7 of THE NEW SMOKER coming in Summer 2016...
ish.
If you would like to contact us about anything is this magazine please send all questions, comments to info@thenewsmoker.com. 89