UNLOCKING SECRETS
BUDS & BLOSSOMS
The Mapping of the Cannabis Genome
Beneficial Arrangements to Love
LAGANJA ESTRANJA BALANCING GAY RIGHTS, CANNABIS AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
STATE DIRECTOR NOTE
SEPTEMBER 2015 THE ANNIVERSARY ISSUE ISSUE 08
10 STRAIN OF THE MONTH BIO DIESEL
12
CANNA-NEWS MAPPING THE CANNABIS GENOME
EDIBLES-EDIPURE-PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE AND STRAWBERRY GUMMI
22 CANNA-NEWS
THE ROLLER COASTER RIDE OF CANNA BUSINESS LICENSING
36 GARDEN
RX GREEN SOLUTIONS
RECREATIONAL STORE
EDIBLES
20
40 BUSINESS ADAGIO BED + BREAKFAST
16 PREFERRED ORGANIC THERPAY
26 HEALTH
CANNABIS EFFECTS ON SPERM
PIECE
SHANE SMITH DAB CREATION
30 CANNA-NEWS THE BUSINESS OF CANNABIS
44
56 68 HEALTH
PTSD & CANNABIS
ROAD TRIP
BUDS AND BLOSSOM
^
Cannabis
kitchen Cookbook . Fe e l-Go od F ood f or home cooks
52
62 Photogra phs by
FEATURE
LAGANJA ESTRANJA
Pov y K en da l Atc his o n
Fo rewo rd by Jan e West
80 SEX
CANNA WE GET IT ON?
6 |
My story is not dissimilar to many others who share a passion for cannabis, disdain for authority and give zero F’s about what society thinks we should be doing with our lives. We all ended up in Colorado or Oregon or Washington or wherever, and we all came from places that we may wish to never return to. We are happy knowing we made the right choice. “Natives” who remind us that they lived here before cannabis was part of the economy rarely consider our previous lives, or look at things from our perspective when delivering these tongue-lashings. I’m not now, nor will I ever be sorry for following and living out my dreams. Nobody should be. I celebrate instead, everyday, with dabs and joints and conversations and friendships. I let everybody know that there is nothing to be scared of. We are not doing anything wrong or illegal. We are not ashamed to be part of this community and movement.
Counter to the public opinion of many of Colorado residents, I hope thousands more hard working, educated, dedicated and passionate people move to this state and continue to create a safe, healthy and sustainable economy though cannabis and hemp.
the
CANNABIS KITCHEN COOKBOOK Robyn G ri g g s Law re nce
Two years ago, just as the flood was beginning to submerge Boulder, I waded into a sea of green. With cannabis leafs in my eyes and the intention of using my modest but unique skill set to make a difference in the cannabis space, I began to hustle. I got beat down, turned away, laughed at and looked through as I began making moves. I worked for free and I volunteered. I made connections. I found this job on Craigslist!
Dissent and ridicule can be expected and are hallmark reactions from those who do not recognize the cultural and political shift resulting from the dedicated work to reform cannabis policy both home and abroad. The people in life that truly care about and respect you won’t take issue with where your passion takes you; it excites them. Keep them close and get away from everyone else.
60
PRODUCT
Anniversaries can commemorate all sorts of things. Births and deaths of beards, one’s high bowling game or the number of years since the Chicago Cubs have won a World Series are marked on many people’s calendars. Anniversaries call for personal reflection; they remind us that the world keeps moving and that we shouldn’t waste any more time or effort on pursuits that will not bring happiness.
ISSUE 08 THE ANNIVERSARY ISSUE dopemagazine.com
I know my anniversary. When is yours? Stay DOPE, Emmett H.W. Nelson Colorado State Director
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MEDICAL STRAIN OF THE MONTH
PRESIDENT
SALES MANAGER
EVAN CARTER
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
SALES EXECUTIVE
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STATE DIRECTOR
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
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CHRISTI TURNER ANTHONY DIMEO
ART DIRECTOR
DAVE HODES
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LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER ALLIE BECKETT AD DESIGN
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DOPE is a free publication dedicated to providing an informative and wellnessminded voice to the cannabis movement. While our foundation is the medical cannabis industry, it is our intent to provide ethical and research-based articles that address the many facets of the war on drugs, from politics to lifestyle and beyond. We believe that through education and honest discourse, accurate policy and understanding can emerge. DOPE Magazine is focused on defending both our patients and our plant, and to being an unceasing force for revolutionary change.
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UNLOCKING SECRETS
BUDS & BLOSSOMS
The Mapping of the Cannabis Genome
Beneficial Arrangements to Love
LAGANJA ESTRANJA BALANCING GAY RIGHTS, CANNABIS AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
STRAINS BIO-DIESEL
8 |
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STRAIN OF THE MONTH
Bio-Diesel
WRITER
PHOTOS
ANTHONY DIMEO
JENA SCHLOSSER
MEDICINAL BENEFITS Opting for the real Bio-Diesel, patients quickly realize why it’s won numerous awards in past years. Often referred to as “The All-Encompassing Medicine”, Bio-D has excellent sedative properties that ease chronic pain and stimulate appetite. Denver Relief has consciously made this strain potent, helping patients consume less.
24.82% THCA • TESTED AT • Cannlabs
FLAVOR There is a subtle sweetness of coffee beans that is very noticeable after the first toke. The peppery zest of the Sour D is much heavier in the mix, and it’s definitely felt in the sinuses. Sweet and spicy, Bio-Diesel has a unique flavor profile clearly masterfully engineered by elite growers and genetics.
LOOKS
AROMA
Firm cone-shaped buds break apart in a nice, crisp fashion. Yellowish-green sections congregate with darker green calyxes, and once broken this premium bud shimmers with amber trichomes, and thick, cylindrical red hairs are everywhere. This is a beautifully manicured specimen.
Super-sticky buds right from the jar give off a sweet, smooth note of coffee beans combined with a slightly skunky, scent of semi-burnt rubber. Once ignited, the union of skunk and sweetness creates a pungent cloud that will permeate everything with that incredible, signature Sour Diesel funk.
GENETICS Denver Relief’s Bio-Diesel is the same powerhouse that took 1st place at the 2009 Medical Marijuana Harvest Cup, thus inspiring many imitators that fail to live up to the elite status of this strain. This particular cross comes from Sensi Star X Sour Diesel, which is rare to see as the only two strains constituting Bio-Diesel.
10 |
EFFECTS The onset of energy blew me away. During the work-week grind, strains like Bio-Diesel are the fuel that keeps the engine running. After partaking during lunch I found myself plopping down at my desk, refreshingly alert, with a new focus on the day’s tasks. That satisfying mid-day jolt eventually faded into mellow comfort late in the afternoon.
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COURTESY OF Denver Relief AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY at Denver Relief
Broadway St A150, Denver, CO 80203 303.420.MEDS www.denverrelief.com Instagram: denverrelief
EDIBLES
EdiPure’s New Peanut Butter Bites & Wild Strawberry Gummies Make it a PB&J Kind of Day!
WRITER ANTHONY DIMEO
PHOTOS ALEXIS EMBREY
EdiPure was granted the first medical license in Colorado, back in 2009 and since then, they’ve set the standard for how cannabis companies operate and how to affect a positive impact on the community. As a pioneer EdiPure made it a priority to provide accurate dosing of their edibles. This means if it says 10 mg of THC, it’s going to test at that amount; no more guessing games with dosages, potency, and effects on users. EdiPure is not only known just for their high-quality products, but also the ways in which they spread knowledge within the community, because social responsibility is a main tenet of what they do.
DIPURE HAS rolled out so many
choices for lovers of their precisely infused treats over the last several years. Two of their latest additions are the Peanut Butter Bites and Wild Strawberry Gummies. These two savory snacks have a sweetness of differing consistencies; yet together pack a punch stronger than Tango and Cash.
If there were an allocation for the Best TagTeam amongst Colorado edibles, both of these options would hoist those delicious belts. The crunchy Peanut Butter Bites taste just like something out of the snack aisle at the supermarket and make the ultimate impromptu PB&J sandy in unison with the sweet, semi-tartness of the Wild Strawberry Gummies. This potent combination gives another meaning to the term “candy-flipping”.
Since setting the industry standard in 2009 with their precisely measured THC dosages, EdiPure products always provide consistent results. Both 10 mg edibles produce a laid-back vibe that starts with the satisfying cannabisfree taste of their delicious treats. Maximum potency is noticeable because EdiPure does it the hard the way, allowing all of their varieties of edibles to infuse in their kitchen for a minimum of three full days for the utmost effect. EdiPure also recognizes that social responsibility is a must for companies in the cannabis industry to contribute to. They’ve taken the lead on important issues such as safe development and usage of products, community advancement, and ways in which to always keep irresistible edible concoctions like these in the hands of us big kids only.
www.edipure.com
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ISSUE 08 THE ANNIVERSARY ISSUE dopemagazine.com
Each one of EdiPure’s many varieties of candies and edibles take three full days to fully absorb all of the THC that they are externally infused with. Lab-grade methods ensure accurately measured doses that taste amazing.
“EdiPure does it the hard the way, allowing all of their varieties of edibles to infuse in their kitchen for a mini- mum of three full days”
CO-OP
Preferred Organic Therapy aka POT Not Just Another Clever Name IDDEN WITHIN a maze of parking lots and retail storefronts
along South Colorado Boulevard is a glistening gem by the name of Preferred Organic Therapy. Conveniently located next to a head shop and a guitar store, Preferred Organic Therapy is one of those ideal neighborhood cannabis boutiques that goes above and beyond what a lot of dispensaries in town have to offer. The quality and variety of flower is evident as soon as the lid comes off the first jar. Preferred Organic Therapy utilizes their own grow operation to coordinate with breeders across several different states. These partnerships result in regular cycles of rare and unique phenotypes, of which only the best of the best are kept long-term for your consumption. Buds like CBD-rich Ambulance #3, and budtender favorite Amnesia Haze, are grown cleanly and with no pesticides, and their cultivators are truly growing the distance by sweetening on the vine for maximum flavor and potency. Concentrate powerhouses like TerpX routinely commend Preferred Organic Therapy for their standout buds, at the source of POT’s concentrates dubbing it some of the “best in the city.” Amber-tinted windowpanes of shatter like Chem Kush Haze come out looking terrific and the zesty terpene profiles are certainly amplified. Medical pricing on flowers and concentrates is already so low there’s no need for discounting here. Recreational customers always enjoy daily specials like solid eighths of Bubba Bruce at a steep discount. All of the staff at POT is attentive and in the know, taking great measures to ensure a well-stocked, clean and contemporary sales floor that immediately puts the customer at ease. The day I stopped by, a clone bar was also being installed as a nice addition to the fantastic options here waiting to be discovered.
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ISSUE 08 THE ANNIVERSARY ISSUE dopemagazine.com
WRITER
PHOTOS
ANTHONY DIMEO
JENA SCHLOSSER
1569 S. Colorado Blvd. Denver, Co 80222 (303) 867-4768 MON-SUN 9am – 6:45 pm www.preferredorganictherapy.com Instagram: preferredorganictherapy
“Medical pricing on flowers and concentrates is already so low, there’s no need for discounting here.“ dopemagazine.com ISSUE 08 THE ANNIVERSARY ISSUE
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CANNA-NEWS: RESEARCH
Unlocking Secrets:
The Mapping of the Cannabis Genome
OW THAT the cannabis legaliza-
tion genie is out of the bottle, investors and entrepreneurs are churning out binders of business research and plans. There’s clearly no stopping the growth of this brand new industry with its built-in consumer base of millions across the planet. Something is being lost though, amidst all the legislative action, the rush of startups, and the quickly expanding consumer demand. It’s a mystery most in the industry don’t even know exists: What exactly is cannabis and what does the cannabis genome look like? The answer to that question is a big one that the entire industry needs to know. This knowledge will benefit us all as cannabis users, but mostly it will help patients who still rely on
20 |
largely anecdotal information to treat their serious ailments. This will also help regulators and lawmakers who need to have reliable scientific information to discuss the next steps in legalization. With legal constraints hampering much true scientific research, it’s now finally clear that the time for the quantification of cannabis has come, and that’s where evolutionary biologist Dr. Nolan Kane comes in. In a small lab inside the Ramaley Biology building on the campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder, Kane has studied what the untrained eye would perceive as mundane plants like sunflowers, mustard, and chocolate to discover their hidden properties. He now also knows more about the inside workings of the cannabis plant than any other scientist in
ISSUE 08 THE ANNIVERSARY ISSUE dopemagazine.com
WRITER DAVID HODES
the world as a result of the Cannabis Genome Research Initiative (CGRI). The project will sequence numerous specimens from the three species of cannabis - pure sativa, indica and ruderalis - to examine the relationships between the major lineages within the genus, the spread of cannabis throughout the globe, and the rates of historical hybridization. Dr. Kane and his team of seven evolutionary biologists have joined with graduate students and research assistants to do what no one has done before: mapping the genome of the cannabis plant. “I decided as a professor less than two years ago that I wanted to move in a different direction,” he says. “I still wanted to study sunflowers, but I wanted to do something in a way that was novel and interesting.” Then he heard from a colleague about the changes in the status of the legality of cannabis in Colorado.
“I thought about it, and it sort of took on a life of its own.” Kane wanted to address basic biologic questions about cannabis, such as how the evolutionary aspects of the plant work, the genetics of adaption, and how a wild species was turned into a domesticated crop. The role of hybridization between distant members of the species to create different sub species is also an area of interest. “Those were many of the same questions that I had been addressing in sunflowers for a long time,” Kane says, “But the difference is [with cannabis] there is so much that is so wide open because it’s really understudied, relative to every other high value crop. It’s really complicated once you get into it.” One of those basic questions is the origin of the Y chromosome. “Our own Y chromosome evolved a couple of hundred million years ago,” Kane says. “Whereas in cannabis, it’s clearly quite recent. It’s an incomplete evolution of the Y chromosome, and it’s ongoing, but what that does is enable us to study some things that happening recently [in the plant’s evolution].” “Feminized seeds [in cannabis] is a trait that has evolved very recently, and there are some varieties that are hermaphrodites, and others that are male and female. It’s so recent that it hasn’t become fixed in the whole species,” he says, which may explain why cannabis seeds are so difficult to sex. His 18-month-old CGRI research of cannabis has already helped accelerate the understanding of the plant. One of Kane’s students recently graduated with one of the first PhDs in cannabis, and they are doing research to analyze the sequence of 67 genomes found by both Kane’s lab, and other labs. Kane says, “That really opened the door to understanding the species and how lineages are evolving,” he says.
The sequencing work will also lead to much easier, faster, cheaper and more reliable testing of the plant for THC levels, CBD, and other active compounds. “Another thing that surprised me is we actually don’t know why these plants evolved these compounds,” explains Kane. “We have a lot of ideas, but nobody has really demonstrated what these plants do with these compounds in the wild, what benefit these compounds provide for the plants, and why they make such a diversity of compounds.” His theory about the purpose of these compounds is that they may serve to attract mammalian herbivores in order to disperse the seed. “We have no idea, and to me it’s surprising that it’s such an important plant, used medically for thousands of years, and we don’t really know why the plant makes these compounds.” The work on crossing breeding to create various strains of cannabis for recreational use, usually attributed to California growers in the mid-60s, gives scientists like Kane many interesting questions, and potentially interesting ideas, regarding what is really going on within the plant, he says. “Very little of it has been formally published or quantified. So it’s been a lot of it anecdotal stories where someone says ‘Hey I noticed this’ or something, but those observations haven’t been followed up on rigorously,” Kane says. “Now it’s time to follow up on those things and see what is going on with all of them.” In Kane’s lab, on the campus of a federally funded university not able to allow work on a schedule 1 narcotic, he is only allowed to grow low THC cannabis. To keep his work clearly on the right side of the law, and he defaults to these conservatively low THC varieties in the studies. “What that means is that we can’t really do many of the kinds of studies that we would like to be able to do,” he says.
Other studies would include collaborations with other scientists in psychology and neuroscience, to understand the neurological effects of cannabis and its other properties. “We can exchange information and exchange ideas, and if I know something about the genetics, and they provide me information about some various traits, I could probably place things onto the genetic map,” he says. He says that, for example, right now people are providing him information on all kinds of medical and recreational varieties of cannabis, which is enabling him to place of a lot of interesting traits onto the genetic map that he couldn’t directly assess himself. “But that means I have a lot less control over it because I can’t directly quantify these traits myself, and I have to rely on other people to provide that information.” Dr. Kane finishes by explaining that as they put the cannabis genome together and associate some of the different traits, they will publish a fully mapped genome, placing all of the sequences onto the chromosomes. This will be a momentous occasion when it arrives, and a report on their process and progress of the mapping will publish soon in a scientific journal, but for now, it’s one step at a time. “As far as any ‘A-ha!’ moments, I expect a lot of smaller steps that build on each other,” Kane predicts. “Much of what we are doing now is building tools to understand the plant better. Once we do that, I’m sure people will be applying it in all kinds of different ways, and we will finally be able to understand the Y chromosome evolution and the origins of that important trait.”
“Much of what we are doing now is building tools to understand the plant better. Once we do that, I’m sure people will be applying it in all kinds of different ways” - Dr. Nolan Kane dopemagazine.com ISSUE 08 THE ANNIVERSARY ISSUE
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CANNA-NEWS BUSINESS
The Roller Coaster of Cannabis Business Licensing
ICENSING YOUR cannabis business – whether serving the recreational side or medical side or both – is still under construction in many states as the industry grows. But the process is slowly changing and adapting to this new industry, and, even more slowly, getting simpler and easier. The licensing process for a cannabis business may be complicated, but in the end it is essentially an endorsement of a business by the state’s department of revenue. Licenses are issued for any cannabis business that operates as a producer, processor, wholesaler or retailer. The eligibility is usually determined by a point system (based on scores after a review of business criteria (type of security, background checks, operation plan, financial investigation), or by rules enacted in tandem with legalization (such as Measure 91 in Oregon). The licensing process can take from six months to a year or more from start to finish, depending on the state. This lengthy process can take the wind out of the sails of
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even the strongest businesses, which is why many are now hiring consultants to help them navigate the tricky ins and outs successfully. Avis Bulbulyan, CEO of Bulbulyan Consulting Group, is a full service cannabis industry consultant, and one of the leading consulting firms in the cannabis business that knows the drill well. In January, 2013, Avis worked with a group to prepare and submit for a license in Massachusetts, where his client was able to score highest on the point system used in that state, being awarded three out of the three available licenses. Bulbulyan says the licensing process in Massachusetts generally takes over a year in Maryland by the time the state approves a license. Hawaii announced recently they will accept applications beginning in mid-January and award winners in April. New York is the fastest, he says, By the time everything is finalized and the application is accepted in New York, it’s less than two months, but it really
ISSUE 08 THE ANNIVERSARY ISSUE dopemagazine.com
depends on the state. An applicant needs to start as soon as possible no matter what state.” There are trap doors everywhere in this young industry, “The licensing process can be very difficult,” explains Chelsey Joseph, contract consultant for the nationally recognized cannabis consulting firm, Denver Relief Consulting. Joseph has assisted with cannabis business license applications in Canada, Colorado, Connecticutt, D.C., Florida, Illinois Massachusetts, Nevada and Washington, “It can also be very self-discovering,” she says. Bulbulyan says that the toughest piece of the puzzle for applicants is often property acquisition. “That, and getting the client to the point of really understanding the amount of capital that is needed to participate in this industry,” he says, “Initially they don’t think it’s a heavy lift.” For example, he says, in Maryland, the landlord of a property that was being looked at by a dispensary developer wanted $200,000 to just hold the property until
WRITER
PHOTOS
DAVID HODES
ALLIE BECKETT
Tips about getting a license from Avis Bulbulyan, CEO, Bulbulyan Consulting Group a decision about licensing was given. Bulbulyan says a common mistake for applicants is believing they can, on their own, compete for a license against an organization of twenty or more people who are lined up with attorneys and supported by lobbyists. “You can be the jack of all trades in the cannabis business,” he says, “But that’s not going to go over well on the application. I don’t know of any group that got a license that didn’t have a lobbyist on their side, so I focus on lobbying from the beginning.” Lobbyists help work through zoning rules and other ordinances, among other things, that may affect the availability of the land for use as a dispensary. Peter Schweda, co-founder and master grower at Natural Care Consulting, who operates a large, licensed cultivation center in Illinois, says that people wanting to get licenses don’t think about lawyers or lobbyists, because there is a well-known expense related to working with those professionals. “But quickly you learn that you definitely need to have a lobbyist, because you get tired of false information from the press,” he says. “Everyone has an opinion, and the information you get from your lobbyists or attorneys, I keep saying, is never 100% accurate, but it’s the most accurate information that you are going to be able to obtain.” He says that’s because lawyers are trained to sift through stuff in the process that is not valid, and latch onto the points that are more critical to succeeding in the licensing process. “I quickly learned that lobbyists and lawyers were worth the money,” he says, “Even though the costs are shocking at first.” Schweda explains an applicant should be willing to spend $500,000 to $1 million in consulting fees to those lawyers and consultants.
Understand your financial requirements.
Understand what kind of organization you are putting together.
Understand what you want to accomplish. Are you going for one license or more than one, to take over the state or the region?
Designate one person as your point person. You don’t want “too many cooks in the kitchen.” Background checks of owners and employees can be one of the real sticking points during the licensing process as well, where problems can surface from a shadowy past in cannabis business, creating an obstacle. “Many of these growers today have a dirty background of some kind,” Schweda says. He says that he had several people among his list of employees who didn’t even pass an initial background check. “We started asking them before attempting to get a license, ‘Was there any time in your life that you were arrested? Let’s start with a speeding ticket. Let’s talk about child support’”, he says. Sometimes they will respond with a story about getting busted with a joint at a concert. “And they’ll say ‘Oh, but that was nothing.’
Start with your lobbyist and be upfront with them. You want a comfort level with them, and name recognition, because when licensing officials review those applications, the names that they are familiar with get more interest and more advice. No, that wasn’t nothing. That means everything in this process. So I say to those ‘Nice to meet you. Have a good day. Goodbye.’” In the final analysis, the licensing roller coaster is fundamentally the same as in any other industry, Schweda says, “There is no way around it. If you want to be a real serious competitor and have a serious chance of achieving your goal of getting your license, you have to pay attention to the laws, and have the ability to go with the ebb and flow of challenges along the way. “This is not rocket science,” Joseph says, “Retail and agriculture have been around for years and there is really nothing new here. It’s just that the cannabis industry is so new.”
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CANNABIS AROUND THE WORLD
A Midsummer Night’s Blue Dream
WRITER R.Z. HUGHES
Kentucky’s High Hopes For Self-Snitching In Franklin County, Kentucky, the sheriff’s office is offering “drug dealers” a way to corner the market and get rid of rivals. In what seems like a trap designed to catch only the most gullible among us, a flyer was posted to their Facebook asking merchants of the black market to turn in their competition via mail or text. The pot leaf plastered form looks completely unserious, aside from the fact that they’re asking for a lot of personal information. This tactic – playing off the hugely misguided notion that cannabis users and the people who sell it are spineless rats – has been used by law enforcement elsewhere in the US, and exposes Franklin County’s finest for their ineptitude, laziness, and overall misunderstanding of the community they purportedly serve.
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Noted wordsmith and bane of high school students everywhere William Shakespeare, may have enjoyed a higher inspiration from our dear friend, Mary Jane. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis by University of Witwatersrand has revealed residues of cannabis (and coca leaf) on pipe shards excavated from the playwright’s garden in Stratford-upon-Avon. Some experts dispute that the bard would have never used cannabis, blaming the pipes on dastardly neighbor boys, but the evidence is pretty clear. Cannabis is known as a friendly muse that enhances artistic minds and it’s apparently maintained this reputation diligently for centuries, even throughout the stuffy high-society of Victorian England.
Cannabis With No Memory Loss? What was that again? Research done in Barcelona has shed new light on the ways THC interacts with neural receptors and produces certain effects. It turns out cannabinoid and serotonin receptors are part of the same structure – a heteromer – and that many of the negative side-effects associated with cannabis such as short-term memory loss, are actually due
to the serotonin receptor. By blocking this pathway in mice, effectively severing the connection between the two receptors, it was found that the THC still exhibited medicinal benefits, such as anti-nausea and pain relief with no psychoactivity, anxiety, or memory problems.
Mexican Pot Farms Get A Modification A raid in the Mexican state of Jalisco has uncovered over 7,000 pot plants and landed twenty-five people in jail. The authorities found three greenhouses crammed full of clones and what they described as ‘genetically modified marijuana’. The alleged GMO grass had over 10% THC compared to the apparent Mexican norm of 3%. While it is not out of the realm of possibility, it seems unlikely that the cartels have funded research into DNA-splicing. Instead, better genetics from the U.S. and Europe, thanks to selective breeding along with more sophisticated grow techniques, are the likely culprits for the potent mota.
Snoop Dogg No Longer Down With S-weed-en The Doggfather was detained for a short time in Uppsala, Sweden after a performance, and forced to submit a urine sample to police due to suspicions he might have been driving under the influence. Sweden’s draconian anti-drug laws allow for search of property, and they can conduct compulsory pee tests simply over the suspicion that one might be having a good time with the aid of foreign substances. This didn’t sit well with Snoop who, being released shortly after, posted an onslaught of online videos accusing the Swedish police of racial profiling and swearing to never to return there.
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CANNA-NEWS: HEALTH
Cannabis Effects on Sperm:
WRITER JESSICA ZIMMER
GRAPHICS 8THDAYCREATE .COM
The Research to Date and How to Encourage Better Science
ANNABIS APPEARS to have negative effects on sperm,
which can lead to the failure of a man to impregnate a woman. Sperm with an abnormal size, shape, or speed may have a reduced chance of reaching and penetrating the egg. Some studies indicate that Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) causes sperm to swim too quickly and too erratically.
Burkman said research she conducted in 2003 showed the velocity and amount of vigorous swimming of sperm is actually comparatively high in cannabis smokers. “It is possible that the elevated, vigorous hyperactivity may lead to early sperm burnout,” said Burkman.
Dr. Lani Burkman, associate professor emerita of gynecology at the State University of New York at Buffalo’s School of Medicine and founder of LifeCell Dx, a Buffalo fertility clinic, has been researching the effects of cannabinoids on reproductive health for over ten years. She said doctors need to ask more “probing” questions about cannabis use.
Dr. Allan Pacey, professor of andrology (the study of diseases and functions unique to males) at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, published a survey in 2014 on the lifestyle choices of 2,249 men at 14 fertility clinics in the UK. Data indicated men who smoke cannabis have irregularly sized and shaped sperm.
“They don’t have any questionnaires to ask if a patient has used cannabis, in what form, and (whether the woman) had a miscarriage,” said Burkman.
“[Packaging of DNA in the sperm head] is a normal process which happens as sperm are created. [Cannabis use appears to have] influenced the eventual size and shape of the sperm head,” said Pacey.
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Burkman says her clinic requires men who are trying to get their partner pregnant stop cannabis use and take a year to recover.
She also states that eggs are less vulnerable to harm than male reproductive organs.
“THC is stored in fat cells. When you exercise, fat cells get reduced in size and number. They release THC into the blood system. It may feel for a while like you’re smoking again,” said Burkman.
“For the most part, eggs are at rest. It is hard to damage them. Men are constantly reproducing sperm, but there are ways to cleanse the male reproductive system that would not be burdensome for most men. One example is discontinuing drug use…before trying to conceive,” says Daniels.
Burkman recommends six months of heavy exercise followed by two full sperm maturation cycles (two and a half months each) to restore sperm quality. Interpreting data about cannabis and reproductive health is a political act. Many individuals who work with businesses, organizations, and educational institutions question the validity of past studies. Ian James, vice president of business development at Canna Advisors, a Boulder-based consulting firm that helps cannabis-related business secure licenses Says, “When you talk about the research that’s dated [from the 1960s and 1970s], you ask, what was the government trying to achieve? It was focused on prohibition.” Dr. Carl Hart, associate professor of psychology and psychiatry at Columbia University, who has conducted research on drugs that people commonly abuse, said, “My concern is that the conclusions drawn about the effects of specific drugs are unjustifiably negative.” Lynn Paltrow, Executive Director of National Advocates for Pregnant Women, a New York-based nonprofit that protects the rights of pregnant and parenting women, says the fact that cannabis remains illegal under federal law makes it hard to discuss the drug’s effects.
Burkman said the best way to study the effects of cannabis on reproductive health would be to implement studies on men and women in different age groups of reproductive age who use cannabis, “from teenagers all the way up to women who are 45 and men who are 70.” Burkman said it is important that studies focus on the moments leading up to fertilization. “As the sperm are passing through her cervix, uterus, and then ovary, if she’s using cannabis too, the sperm get washed with a second dose of cannabinoids,” said Burkman. Burkman says studies should look at how sperm affected by cannabis swim, focusing on whether they pursue a direct, speedy route to the egg. “The egg cell has a cover on it called the zona,” said Burkman. “The acrosome, a cap on the sperm head, releases chemicals which dissolve through the zona. The sperm then gets through and touches the egg cell. The egg pulls that sperm inside. That’s when fertilization has happened,” said Burkman.
“In an environment in which drugs are criminalized, people who use drugs are stigmatized,” said Paltrow.
Tom Angell, chairman of Marijuana Majority, a D.C.-based advocacy group for cannabis legalization says, “Scare tactics don’t work. We need to have access to good, unbiased information that keeps people safe.”
She expressed concern that research about the effects of cannabis on reproductive health is “often reported without any sense of awareness of how data will be politicized in a highly sensitive environment.”
Sara Arnold, co-founder of The Family Law & Cannabis Alliance, a Massachusetts-based organization that provides non-legal advice about cannabis and family law, agreed.
Cindy Daniels, professor of political science at Rutgers University and author of the 2006 book “Exposing Men: The Science and Politics of Male Reproduction,” says entities that conduct research about cannabis’ effects on reproductive health can act responsibly by explaining what types of studies are needed and what data may reveal.
“Any change that would allow cannabis to be studied in terms of its current and historical uses would be helpful. Scientific inquiry, especially about the benefits of cannabis, has been stifled thus far,” said Arnold.
“Drugs can damage sperm but not negatively impact male fertility. It takes fairly big studies to track cannabis use and its reproductive outcomes,” said Daniels. She says she would be cautious in warning about the effects of drug use. “We’ve exaggerated the negative effects of female drug use, especially occasional or casual drug use. For example, with alcohol, if a woman has a glass of wine but [eats at the same time and] is well nourished, there are not severe negative effects,” said Daniels.
“My concern is that the conclusions drawn about the effects of specific drugs are unjustifiably negative.” Dr. Carl Hart, Associate Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at Cholumbia University
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GROW
Keeping It Clean
WRITER DUTCH MASTERS
Avoiding Toxins in Cannabis` ITH MORE nutrient manufacturers and products
appearing on the shelves at every visit to the local garden supply store, it is of the utmost importance a grow enthusiast does their homework to pick the safest and most efficacious plant material for consumables. Not all of these products are created equal, and not all are marketed for use on consumable crops that need to be safe and free of contaminants. Our goal is by the end of this reading, many will be better informed about how to choose the right nutrients and additives for their cannabis grow, based upon their efficaciousness, purity, and safety. Many already operating in states that have legalization bills on the books have grown quite accustom to the stringent (and rightfully so) testing parameters for final product. These tests not only provide a glimpse at potency and cannabinoid/terpenoid content, but also screen for contaminants (i.e. pesticides, heavy metals, microbial contamination, pests and foreign matter, etc.) While states are still enacting more specific testing parameters, it’s important to note that testing for toxic heavy metals will be gaining ever-increasing scrutiny. Why would toxic heavy metals (i.e. Cadmium, Chromium, Lead, Mercury, Arsenic, etc.) be appearing in our cannabis? A lesser-known fact: Many nutrients and additives, both inorganic and organic, that are currently being applied to plants frequently around the globe, are in fact a hidden source of toxic heavy metals. A quick search on databases provided by state-specific agricultural departments (free and accessible to anyone) yields some surprising results regarding commonly used nutrients and additives, indicating the true content of some “high-grade” products. There are various grades of elements available to nutrient manufacturers and obviously they, and you, get what they paid for. A majority of nutrient companies use stock constituents that are considered “agricultural grade”. This means less testing and less requirements are mandated – often resulting in a lower quality product, possibly containing contaminants. This isn’t a major issue when using fertilizers on a rose garden, but we’re now talking about consumable and smokeable crops. While these less-than-stringent guidelines are great for some nutrient manufacturers’ bottom lines, the long-term health effects for those consuming the final product grown with these products is yet to be ascertained. We do however know the effects of direct exposure to toxic heavy metals, which includes renal damage, anemia, seizure, coma,
Alzheimer’s disease, Wilson’s disease, and cancer, just to name a few. What can be done to ensure that a garden is fit for consumption while providing the best nutrition for the plants? For starters, growers can research the conditions and standards of the manufacturing facilities involved in making the products. What equipment do they mix their chemicals with? Which filtration methods do they use? What are the quality control/assurance measures in place? There are third party standards and protocols that manufacturing facilities can meet, such as those regulated by the International Organization for Standardization. They issue issue ISO Certification, such as ISO 9001, a Quality Management System ensuring standardized quality across all areas of the business including facilities, people, training, services and equipment; ISO 14001 for an Environmental Management System, providing assurance that environmental impact is being measured; and ISO 13485, certifying the manufacture and supply of chemicals meets the requirements of medical components for healthcare customers. Next, look at the grade of materials being used in their manufacturing process. Although agricultural grade material may be more to likely contain contaminants in the form of toxic heavy metals, this isn’t the only culprit to look out for. Yes, “organic” products often have some of the highest heavy metal content – particularly bat guano, a notorious heavy metal accumulator. Be sure the nutrient manufacturer has registered their heavy metals report with organizations such as AAPFCO (Association of American Plant Food Control Officials www.aapfco.org/metals.htm) to qualify acceptable levels. If excessive heavy metals are discovered in a grower’s current nutrient regimen, a serious reassessment of cost versus benefit needs to occur, factoring in human health. As more states begin to wise up to legalization, we will begin to see more mandatory testing requirements surface where consumable products are concerned, particularly around toxic heavy metal content. Once this occurs, a significant shift will occur within the cannabis cultivation community, and we’ll begin to see safe product labels for our plants indicating pharmaceutical grade quality, currently upheld in more typical medical manufacturing and much like pharmaceutical grade compounds produced for human consumption.
“Many nutrients and additives, both inorganic and organic, that are currently being applied to plants frequently around the globe, are in fact a hidden source of toxic heavy metals.” dopemagazine.com ISSUE 08 THE ANNIVERSARY ISSUE
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CANNA-NEWS
Cannabis Funding
O I have to admit, I have never owned stock in my life. Some-
thing about the whole system just seems so random, arbitrary, and confusing. This month I spent time talking to some of the bright lights in venture capital and asset management who have been targeting cannabis opportunities for investors. According to ArcView’s Market Report (January 2015) the industry expanded by a whopping 74% in 2014—with even the most conservative estimates predicting even more growth in the future. That makes cannabis the fastest-growing industry in the U.S. by about a mile, and an increasingly tempting industry for investors and investment firms. Aside from the fact that it is inherently risky, there is significantly less competition for investors in cannabis than in other cutting-edge industries, and there are significant returns to be made. The opportunity of healthy profits looks even better when combined with the ”fringe benefit of being in the history books as instrumental in ending prohibition,” according to Anthony Davis of Anslinger Capital. Demand is high, and still growing, and there are a lot of passionate entrepreneurs ready to capitalize. The opportunity for investors is clear—and the value proposition grows clearer every day as publically traded cannabis companies gain traction. Company valuations are becoming both more realistic, with higher numbers, and the quality of management teams is on an upswing. As Emily Paxhia of Poseidon shared with me in a phone interview, “The time is now. [Investors] are never
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again going to find the deals at the price points that we are seeing. The talent, drive and passion of the founders entering the market now really has us excited about the future of the industry.” The barriers are equally clear: cannabis is still illegal at the federal level. The role of regulation in creating the market varies wildly from state to state. There are challenges in banking and in access to capital because of this uncertainty. “It’s such a bizarre paradox to have states calling their own shots while on the federal side of things this is still illegal. There are a lot of risks associated with that. There are a lot of unknowns,” said Jessica Geran of Dutchess Capital, “what it really comes down to is the regulations, number one, and the fact that this is still considered an illegal drug, whether it’s medical or adult use. I could go on and on about the variables, but once you sign that check it’s a risk. You cross your fingers and hope for the best. We do tons of due diligence to make sure that we can mitigate as much of the unknown as possible.” Another major barrier is the sluggish rate of change in the social conversation around cannabis, especially for adult use. “Everyone needs to start talking about it, and come out of the closet,” said Davis. “We are taking an industry that has a really negative connotation and demonstrating that it’s a good community. We aren’t taught how to do that in school. It’s really challenging to start organizations with this negative connotation. To walk into family firms and ask for million-dollar investments in cannabis, you get looked at like you are crazy. People are afraid about
the recreational side, and it’s so much less dangerous than alcohol.”
WRITER
Geran sees the change that is taking place: “In regards to the federal aspect of it, this thing is moving so well. The toothpaste is out of the tube. We have to get people to understand that the entrepreneurial type, the employee, the artist, the mom, the dad, the patient… everyone is a potential customer.”
MELANIE BIGALKE
The long and short of it is that venture capital is beginning to make major moves in cannabis. For consumers, this means an expansion of the products available as well as innovation, collaboration and the growth of the industry as a whole. It means that investors have an opportunity right now to make the history books. And it means that I am investing my next paycheck with one—if not all—of these smart, savvy firms, thanks to the advice from Morgan Paxhia of Poseidon: “For those who are looking to get in, funds exist for a reason. It’s a lot of work. There’s so much passion. It’s a really fun industry, and it’s a really great time to get involved.”
Company Profiles THE NEWCOMERS
THE SPECIALISTS
Poseidon Asset Management is a Californiabased cannabis hedge fund that offers wealth management services and invests in innovative, cutting edge cannabis businesses. They offer a significant service in their exhaustive due diligence. According to the company manifesto, “investing in this industry demands exponentially more time and energy than most of our clients would prefer. We aim to remove this “friction” by providing our clients with access to our carefully curated portfolio focusing on the cannabis industry.” Co-founded by Morgan and Emily Paxhia (a brother and sister team), Poseidon is poised to exploit market dislocations—the real undervaluation of companies in the industry. Both Morgan and Emily are world-class competitive sailors, and they are ready to ride this wave all the way. Poseidon is looking to be a visionary fund in the industry—and they have a strong vision. “Cannabis will bring in new technologies and efficiencies to a drought-stricken California and beyond,” said Morgan in a telephone interview. “Farming 2.0 will come out of this movement.”
THE GLOBALISTS
Dutchess Capital is a manager of global investment funds. Founded in 1996, they have made over 400 investments globally—with a total transaction value exceeding $2 billion. Dutchess is not solely focused on cannabis, offering services to start-ups, pre-IPO (initial public offering) businesses, and publically traded companies. This diversified fund has been actively investing in the industry since 2012. According to their website, “Dutchess portfolio companies are uniquely positioned to benefit with respect to the latest data, trends, products, services and ever changing regulatory environment. Further, in the quest for earnings growth, our legalized cannabis portfolio companies have successfully engaged in cross-pollinating with one another, which have resulted in business agreements, strategic partnerships or joint ventures.” Dutchess Capital brings global experience and risk management and expertise to the table. Many investors are attracted by the chance to get their toes wet in the cannabis sea while still investing in other industries. Jessica Geran, Head of Corporate Finance, said “This is the riskiest industry that we’ve ever been involved in— but there has never been an industry, or an opportunity, like it. We were very early on the scene. Dutchess got into it really as a fun little side project…then after some serious research and a lot of due diligence, we realized the scope of where this could go: the actual size of the potential market, and the fact that there weren’t a lot of other investors in it.”
Anslinger Capital, founded in May 2015, is an early stage venture capital fund focused on the emerging cannabis industry. Ansligner is based in Winter Park, Florida with offices in Seattle, Washington and has already completed 3 investments. Co-Founder Anthony Davis is a successful serial entrepreneur who has a proven track record of founding startups in the technology sector. After his recent stint as the CEO of Leafly (“the world’s cannabis information resource”), Davis and partners Christopher Male and Brett Gellein founded Anslinger Capital to create the future of the industry—and to make money. “I am an unapologetic capitalist. People never know how to react when I say this, my partners get a kick out of it—but I’m not joking,” said Davis during a telephone interview, “I use my capitalism for really good things. I am a major donor to three non-profits in the Seattle area and do a lot of advising to and for the startup community. I look for things that make a lot of money, so that I can afford to keep giving. There’s a ton of money to be had in the cannabis industry.”
“This is the riskiest industry that we’ve ever been involved in, but there has never been an industry, or an opportunity, like it.”
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CANNA-NEWS: HEALTH
Living with Disability: Understanding Cripple Punk Culture
WRITER JOHHNY HALFHAND
GRAPHICS 8THDAYCREATE .COM
ISABLED PEOPLE have the ironic fate of being simultaneously watched and ignored. In Seattle, when the bus stops to lower the ramp for someone with a wheelchair, it is not uncommon to hear some commuter sigh audibly, and drop their eyes to their phones when the individual finally boards the bus to get situated. In the US, it seems people want to watch and judge, more than smile, accept, or even help. With so little representation in TV or movies, it’s really no wonder that we are such objects of interest to the average bystander.
“They put together a punk philosophy for the disabled folks who are simply fed up with trying to fit everybody’s expectations.”
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We are watched and monitored by a skeptical public. It seems everyone wants to keep tabs on us to safeguard their tax dollars at work and to make sure we’re not all scamming our way to the top. Those with invisible disabilities such as chronic fatigue syndrome and Crohn’s disease have been reporting harassment from bystanders for “not being really handicapped.” Many seem to think a wheelchair is the sign of a bonafide, bluestar disabled person. Perhaps this policing of handicapped folks is meant for the public good, when really, it is simply harassment. Much of the tension comes from the mythos of the ‘Good Cripple’. Similar to the ‘Magic Negro’ archetype, the Good Cripple is always smiling, patient, compassionate, selfless, and because of this, loveable. Good examples of this might be Tiny Tim, who is pitiful yet adorable - or Professor X, whose immense mental powers trivialize his physical difficulties. However, when one is crippled by illness or injury, it is far from a walk in the park. It takes years to find some degree of acceptance, and many people struggle to find it, battling through their lives with rage, depression, or substance abuse issues (Think House, the polar opposite of the Good Cripple). A lifetime of intense struggle is difficult for all but the most resilient soul. Many able-bodied folks hear of such struggles and try to “fix” them by recommending yoga, exercise, whole foods, alternative medicines, and so on. Sometimes it seems like it will never stop. This constant onslaught of “Have you tried…?” begins to feel like an interrogation and a massive invasion of privacy. After all, this is our personal medical history. It’s about time we handicapped folks reclaim our dignity, our freedom, and our individuality.
Physically disabled people wanting to be a part of the movement who are uncomfortable using the slur may refer to it as “cpunk”
In this vein, the Cripple Punk movement was born on Tumblr. User ffsshh, who was fed up with experiencing ableism, laid the groundwork for a new kind of movement for the physically disabled, which doesn’t give a shit about social expectations or pandering to able-bodied observers for pity and adoration. They put together a punk philosophy for the disabled folks who are simply fed up with trying to fit everybody’s expectations. This is more than just folks with disabilities wearing tattered jeans and black hoodies. It’s a philosophy that encourages the handicapped to deal with their limitations in their own way, at their own pace, and with their own personal style. It builds confidence to battle one’s daily struggles, and acts as armor against the ableist attitudes that keep striving to fit the disabled into an ableist mold. The Cripple Punk ethos states they’re for the bitter cripple, the cripple who smokes or drinks, the cripple who doesn’t have the wherewithal to be an inspiration, the cripple who hasn’t “tried everything” or who struggles with denial, anger, or addiction. Cpunk fights internalized ableism, fully supporting those struggling with it. It provokes important conversations with the able-bodied: are handicapped people obliged to smile all the time? Is it improper to ask a disabled stranger about his/ her/their medical history? Is it insulting to respond to uncomfortable facts of disability with ‘Have you tried yoga/reiki/crystal healing?’ The cpunk movement has gained a lot of attention on Tumblr and is beginning to grow beyond it. Commenting on the impact of their work, ffsshh said, “I’m just really happy & proud of how much cripple punk has grown & how many people have
Able-bodied people may never use uncensored slurs themselves (such as cripple, a reclaimed slur) but never censor our language
been touched by it.” In time, hopefully it will help more and more people be free to just be themselves, and this subculture will blossom into a beautiful punk flower. Kick ass fellow cripples, and just do ‘you.’
RULES ‘Cripple’ is a negative slur to many disabled individuals, so refrain from using it if you are not disabled.
Cripple punk is not conditional on things like mobility aids & “functioning levels”
Always listen to those with different physical disabilities & different intersections than yourself. Do not speak over them.
Disabled people do not need to personally identify with the words “cripple” or “punk” individually to be a part of cripple punk.
Able-bodied people wishing to spread the message may only ever amplify the voices of the disabled
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GARDEN
RX Green Solutions One Company’s Quest for Superior Cannabis Growing Practices
BVIOUS LARGE green letters painted on the back wall of their grow room read, “Grow Better,” a motto at the Denver research facility of RX Green Solutions. Owned and operated by a nutrient company, they’re one of the only existing R&D facilities specifically focused on cannabis. They are using their 4,000 square foot facility to improve cannabis cultivation one trial at a time, and perhaps atypically for the industry, sharing their findings with Colorado’s grower community at large. “We bring sophisticated, high-level technology that’s way ahead of where the industry is today,” says CEO Todd Brady from RX’s New Hampshire headquarters. The company got its start producing fertilizers for traditional agricultural crops, and only branched out into specialized products for cannabis after it realized growers were experimenting with existing RX products on their cannabis plants. Cannabis is becoming a larger part of their business every day, Brady says, and their focus is to lead the industry in sharing data-driven growing techniques and practices. “The RX comes from the fact that we have technology that makes those nutrients available to the plants right away,” says Leandro Mang, head of
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WRITER CHRISTI TURNER
PHOTOS CHRISTI TURNER
R&D for RX. RX uses what it calls a “biomineral” approach to creating the best nutrients for growing cannabis. That means that their fertilizers and other products combine organic ingredients with patented biotechnologies. Types of biotech that (without getting too specific - it is proprietary technology of course) help the plant or its rhizomes to better absorb nutrients; or, enhance a plant’s production of terpenes, which affects its aroma, flavor and even medicinal properties. RX head grower Jonathan Nielson, who has been growing cannabis for nearly a decade, assures that all RX products are food-safe, non-toxic and environmentally friendly. The company is against using the active ingredients in prohibited products like Avid and Eagle 20 – potentially carcinogenic pesticides that many growers were found to be using earlier in 2015. The harshest ingredients they use are “25B class”, or “minimum risk” pesticides – rated so safe by the Environmental Protection Agency that they are exempt from regulation under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. These include ingredients like cinnamon oil, lemongrass oil and rosemary. For example, “One [product] we use is isopropyl alcohol-based, with soap bark,” Nielson says. “It’s safe enough to wash your hands with, but very effective against mites and mildew.” Nielson also says RX takes
an “integrated pest management” approach to growing, and to testing their products – an environmentally sensitive approach to pest management uses broad-spectrum pesticides as a last resort. They report that residual heavy metals – like arsenic, mercury and lead, which can negatively impact human health effects – are “virtually nonexistent” in the plants harvested from their trials, with levels around 20x lower than the most stringent regulatory requirements. “We welcome even more regulations in the industry,” Brady says. “It helps ensure the end consumer is getting a safe product.” At the research facility, RX tests its fertilizer in every aspect possible. “We can ramp up our rates to extremely aggressive feeding, all the way down to really light feeding, and really specify the feeding to certain needs of the plant,” Nielson says. “We want to learn the limitations of our products within different parameters…We’re very technique and information driven.” At present, a number of their trials focus on soil pH. PH measures alkalinity and acidity; the higher the pH the more alkaline the soil, and the lower the pH the more acidic the soil. dopemagazine.com ISSUE 08 THE ANNIVERSARY ISSUE
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It’s a soil property that Nielson says is almost sacrosanct in the cannabis growing community. But the results of some of their trials, which run the same nutrients at different pH levels, are calling the sanctity of pH into question. “People are indoctrinated to have their pH at a very certain rate,” he says. “But what we’re finding in our trials is that pH doesn’t necessarily matter, and that the plant can kind of adjust the pH.” The products and the testing focus on improving yield, quality, flavor and even the potency of cannabis. Thus far, RX trial results have shown a 44 percent yield increase overall and a 2 percent increase in potency, compared with a major competitor in the cannabis fertilizer industry. And, CEO Brady says, the trial plants are testing around 5 percent more potent than the industry standard for THC – or tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis. As of August, there were seven trials running concurrently at the Denver facility. But technically speaking, this is a licensed retail marijuana cultivation facility, and RX Green Solutions is also growing cannabis for commercial sale. Through a partnership with the iVita Wellness dispensary, the cannabis that RX uses for its trials – obtained by cloning existing plant stock – ultimately end up for sale in iVita’s dispensary in Denver’s Lower Highlands neighborhood. The company publishes findings from its trials on its website. And on a typical day, Mang and Nielson say they spend a few hours giving tours to local growers, and answering questions about their trials. “We’re very transparent,” Mang says. “We constantly share what we’re doing.” We want people to be successful,” Nielson adds, and hopefully to do so using RX products. “We want people to get it right, and do it right, and not keep going over hurdle after hurdle.”
“We’re very transparent,” Mang says. “We constantly share what we’re doing.”
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CANNA-BUSINESS
Adagio Bud & Breakfast
WRITER CHRISTI TURNER
PHOTOS CHRISTI TURNER
Family, comfort, gourmet wake-and-bake… ORNING LIGHT streams through the windows as
guests settle in at the long breakfast table, the patio garden dappled in sunshine outside. Candied walnut pancakes, huevos rancheros and fresh fruit grace the platters, and the smell of fresh espresso mingles with the aroma of frying bacon. There’s also the smell of cannabis, as one seated guest rolls then lights a joint. A silver tray of glass pipes sits on a side table, a box of gourmet tea bags on another. This is the Adagio after all, Denver’s premiere bud and breakfast. I sit on a cozy sofa in the living room and a steaming espresso appears before me, in the hands of hostess Sarah Rodkey, just as I realize I’m craving one. The Adagio is, indeed, a place where hosts anticipate guests’ needs and prioritize their comfort – and use their expertise in cannabis in the process. It’s not just about providing deluxe room and board, but about creating a safe, comfortable space to share and enjoy cannabis. For most guests, it’s the only place they’ve ever been able to do so. Unsurprisingly, there’s a consummate hostess, passionate cook and self-described neurotic perfectionist behind the scenes. “I thought I was coming out here to retire!” says Lisa Schneider, although she’s clearly in love with her new round-the-clock profession. As Director of Hospitality for Mary Jane Group, the company that owns the Adagio and its two sister locations she says, “I want to make sure that every guest feels like they’re the only guest here.” Lisa and the hostess know every guest by name, and greet many with hugs. They know why they came and where they’re from. There are two parties from the New York – New Jersey area; Schneider and her husband Joel, CEO of Mary Jane Group, are Long Island natives themselves. “We used to kid around with our friends about opening a bed and breakfast in upstate New York, near Woodstock,” Lisa says. When Colorado set itself on a path to legalization a few years back the two started taking road trips from NYC, staying for weeks at a time, exploring aspects of the nascent cannabis industry Joel might be interested in. “I don’t smoke pot, so I don’t even know measurements,” Lisa says although a passionate cannabis advocate, she’s more of a martini girl. “It was a tiny little bit of each one. My husband was a securities attorney in New York for thirty years, he was miserable doing what he was do-
ing, and a major cannabis enthusiast,” she says. After Amendment 64 passed, he’d be smoking in his Colorado hotel room, blocking the door with towels, and remarking to himself how absurd it was that visitors could buy cannabis but had nowhere to smoke it. Lisa remembers him calling her from a solo trip to share his epiphany: “We need a hotel.” In April of last year, the two found the Victorian-era Adagio for sale (previously a regular bed and breakfast), and made the purchase that has transformed their retirement into a new career. In October they opened their Silverthorne location, a Bud and Breakfast with a mountain lodge ambience. Then just a month ago, the Schneiders opened the Hotel San Ayre in Colorado Springs, a cannabis-friendly mix of suites and cottages. As if to confirm the strength of the business, Brent and Jenny Stolle, a smiling couple at the breakfast table, tell me they drove 16 hours straight from California to stay at the Adagio. “We extended our stay,” Brent says. “We were supposed to leave today and head to Utah, but instead we’re headed to the other bud and breakfast in Colorado Springs.” Here at the Adagio, it’s all about the communal experience – from the breakfast-with-cannabis, to the 4:20 happy hour complete with hor d’oeuvres, to the non-smoking policy for the guest rooms. There used to be a “Bud Bar,” with small samples of indicas, sativas and hybrids for guests to try together, to help them make informed choices at the dispensary – but the City of Denver said the bud bar had to go (although it’s still allowed in Silverthorne, under Summit County regulations). “I don’t smoke pot, so I don’t even know measurements,” Lisa says, “it was a tiny little bit of each one,” not like a dispensary. No matter: the Adagio is committed to operating completely within the law, and continues to allow its guests to do so. Tears in her eyes, Lisa shares a story of one particular guest, a quiet older veteran, who surprised her with a hug as he checked out. He told her it was the first time he’d smoked cannabis; he’d been a nervous wreck, but the Adagio staff made him feel safe. “He said, ‘this is first time I’ve felt good in two decades,’” she says. “That makes it all worthwhile. It really does.”
“It’s not just about providing deluxe room and board, but about creating a safe, comfortable space to share and enjoy cannabis. For most guests, it’s the only place they’ve ever been able to do so.”
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The Adagio isn’t just for out-oftown guests. It’s an ideal venue for weddings, birthdays, holiday parties, even staff retreats for the cannabis-friendly workplace – or your very own luxury stay-cation.
1430 Race Street Denver, CO 80206 303.370.6911 www.budandbfast.com
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PIECE
Shane Smith’s Dab Creation
WRITER ANTHONY DIMEO
PHOTOS JAMIE KRAUS
Colorado Glass Gallery OOKING LIKE some gnarly
beast from a far-away land, this incredible glass creation from Shane Smith available from Colorado Glass Gallery contains kinetic curls, whirls, and splashes of color that radiate throughout the intricate design.
RETAIL PRICE: $2200
Everything on this impressive 16” dab piece is skillfully shaped from borosilicate glass; from the body to the vac stack color pallet. The removable custom-cut stem and joints are all hand spun and worked, while a donut around the neck acts as a splashguard. Fine opals are also used in some of their creations, fashioned into a variety of shapes that emphasize both their psychedelic stained-glass color schemes and artist Shane Smith’s colorful personality. Smith doesn’t typically name his pieces, but if one were to conjure up a fitting name for this wonder it might be “Neo” for how the light easily navigates through the stunning dot matrix patterns flanking its sides. Detailed work like the symmetrical dot matrix design requires individual color rods, which are used one-byone, easily absorbing an entire day or more of time. It’s the little details like this that make this type of art severely under-appreciated. This bad boy comes complete with a matching pendant that echoes the same awesome design and color elements. Colorado Glass Gallery offers this masterpiece and other amazing rigs at their Boulder location, as well as on their website, www.coloradoglassgallery.com.
“Detailed work like the symmetrical dot matrix design requires individual color rods, which are used one-byone, easily absorbing an entire day or more of time.”
AVAILABLE AT: Colorado Glass Gallery 5290 Arapahoe Ave. Unit H. Boulder, Colorado 80303. (303) 954-0386 coloradoglassgallery.com, instagram @coloradoglassgallery
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PRODUCT
FunkSac Odorless Storage With FunkSac
WRITER CHRISTI TURNER
PHOTOS CHRISTI TURNER
If you’re in the market for dog poo bags, baby diapers or adult diapers, try OdorNo – the parent company and patented technology that brought you the FunkSac. FunkGuard child-resistant bags can be branded with your logo. Bonus: They’re 100% recyclable.
Got heat? If you heat seal your harvest into a FunkSac, the bag becomes totally tamper-evident as well as smell-free.
“Not even bears can smell what’s inside a FunkSac.”
F YOU google a phrase like “hide smell of weed,” you
might find instructions to put buds into film canisters or seal them in a Tupperware. Not ideal, because a) who has film canisters anymore? And b) when you seal your sandwich in that Tupperware later on, get ready for a funky sandwich.
Enter FunkSac. FunkSac is a veteran-owned company with Americanmade products, crafted with an odor-proof technology first developed for use in diapers and pet waste baggies. Smokers can look for the FunkZip, a resealable bag that looks like a green, slightly stiffer version of a Ziploc. For growers, there’s the FunkSac namesake itself – slightly darker green, larger, with tamper-evident clips instead of zips. Both bags have built-in UV protection and are tearresistant, plus the FunkSac is even good for curing your weed.
FunkZip (10 pack) MED $7.99 LG $8.99
Then there’s safety to consider. If you’re a responsible user, your cannabis storage should keep the weed smell in while keeping little hands out. The child-resistant FunkGuard will get the job done: store your separate FunkZips inside, and zip the top. The FunkGuard zipper is tricky enough that even this clever adult took a minute to figure it out. If you’re concerned about more dexterous and determined hands, there’s the FL3, the same storage bag but with a comically large, highly effective plastic lock on the outside. How do you know the odor-barrier magic works? In one product trial, testers put a 21-day old salmon carcass inside a FunkSac and another inside a competitor’s odor-proof bag, and left them out for the grizzlies. The bears went for the other brand. Ergo, your weed smell should be undetectable. But please don’t store dead fish in your FunkSac.
www.funksac.com
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FunkSac (5 pack) MED $7.99 LG $8.99
SOLD AT: Smoker friendly locations & grow shops
GREAT AVERY BOULDER FEST
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CONCENTRATE
Incredible Extracts: Black Label Sour Band Shatter Incredibly Good
WRITER
ANTHONY DIMEO
PHOTOS ALEXIS EMBREY
THCA 81.8% • TESTED AT • Gobi Analytical
AROMA Opening the thick black envelope for this shatter lends a mild high-level espionage feel to this experience. Once ‘Operation Bag Open” is complete though, a striking diesel aroma bursts forth, blending with the power of the sour for a complex olfactory experience. This pungency contributes to a thick, skunky aura that hangs around long after partaking.
GENETICS Plenty of incredible Extracts have hit store shelves lately, and this Sour Band is from their limited run of Black Label shatter. Their Black Label branding signifies this mix of Sourband ‘09 and Headband ‘11 is grown at incredibles own garden, in a crouton hydroponic setup that is never sprayed with pesticides, fungicides or folar nutrients.
FLAVOR Prominent sour notes dominate with a pungent diesel delivering a double punch of flavor. A strong, citrus aftertaste leaves a fruity zing on the palette - truly a tasty experience. All we have to say is be prepared to skunk things up a little, because the thick, pleasantly sweet smoke from this shatter really lingers. Terp fiends rejoice!
LOOKS Once unwrapped from the parchment, a thin puddle glowing with a radiant, lemonadeyellow color reveals itself. Like a piece of Turkish taffy, this shatter pulls apart in long, sticky strands, adhering to whatever comes into contact with it. The luminous appearance is the result of a grow produced specifically with BHO extraction in mind as the end product.
EFFECTS Fuel for the fire of everyday life, this energetic strain is great for a morning time perk-up or a little mid-day invigoration to stay in the zone. Be prepared to take on the world with clear-headed productivity but we still recommend you make a priority list to stay organized during your blissfully energized euphoria.
MEDICAL BENEFITS Fatigue and sluggishness get a helicopter kick to the dome here. The motivation and energy that is great for patients looking for a real pick-me-upper or even just something to get them on their feet. Anyone suffering from a lack of appetite can also expect to have that change quickly after a dab or two.
PROVIDED BY INCREDIBLE EXTRACTS www.incredibleextracts.com incredible_extracts (instagram)
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FEATURE
Celebrity Advocate: Laganja Estranja EXAS TRANSPLANT, California cannabis patient,
and drag queen with a cause, Jay Jackson, is celebrating a big win near and dear to his heart this year, the right for same sex couples to marry on a national level.
“The Supreme Court ruling was historic,” the 26 yearold performer said from his home in Los Angeles. “The fight for equality is something incredibly important to me. The fact that my sister and her wife can now renew their vows and have their marriage legally recognized in our home state of Texas; there’s no greater joy.” The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn DOMA, the “Defense of Marriage Act,” passed by Congress and signed into national law by then president, Bill Clinton in 1996, had the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) community dancing in the streets. While progress is being made within the Queer community, Laganja’s other passion, the progression to end the prohibition of cannabis is painfully slow, with persecution still prevailing in legal states, medical or otherwise.
Alright for us, not for you The rights for cannabis patients are being decided on state, county and city levels, with much contradiction. The most recent conundrum being both the addition of PTSD’s to Washington State’s list of ailments, while Colorado announced to disallow it, within days of each other. While veterans of war are typically first in line for a diagnosis of PTSD, followed by anyone else who has experienced trauma, those in the LGBTQ community are very frequently effected from lifetimes of discrimination, abuse, and bullying.
Fearlessly Defending Our Plant One Heel in Front of the Other WRITER SHARON LETTS
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PHOTOS SCOTT KIRBY
ROBIN SLONINA
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In January of 2014 Laganja was chosen to compete in season six of the Logo TV’s RuPaul’s Drag Race. When Jackson showed up for production in his hometown of Los Angeles, he says an intensive search was done of his belongings by the production company. “It wasn’t like a bag check at a concert where they quickly look in your purse and wave you past,” he explained. “I arrived with bins of hair, make-up, accessories, wigs, and costume’s, and they went through all of it, while the other girls told me their search was fairly simple. They made me choose between my career and my medicine, and when faced with that decision, I sacrificed my medicine.” Jackson is all too familiar with discrimination. He’s dealt with it all his life, whether for who he is or how he chooses to medicate, making PTSD situations all too common.
“My point of view is controversial, my medicine has a stigma, my stage name is a trigger – I get it,” he said clearly frustrated, “but the show was filmed in California and I’m a legal cannabis patient here. Prior to filming I attempted to hand the production company my medical card, and let them know that I am a patient and medicate for real issues, but they said it wasn’t enough. I don’t have any bad feelings for RuPaul, the network, or the production company. I will just be happy for the day when my medicine is understood and accepted.” Request for comments on the search itself or information on the company’s policy on medical cannabis in production went unanswered. “Jackson said a producer called him with an additional reminder of its non-disclosure agreement (NDA).” It seems details regarding the way he was treated and the policies surrounding the search is confidential.
Medicating For A Lifetime of Pain Jackson’s ailments are extensive, both emotionally and physically, as he suffers from a childhood of stresses relating to his sexual orientation, on top of physical damage to his body from performing. Without cannabis we can safely assume he would be prescribed anti-depressants and an anti-anxiety medication, at the very least. As a lifelong athlete dealing with pain, he would typically be prescribed painkillers or be addicted to an opiate derivative by now. The amount of medication he’d need prescribed by a doctor to replace the various forms of cannabis he uses as medicine is daunting, to say the least - but it all would have been allowed on national television with no search necessary. “I medicate with cannabis for a number of purposes in many different ways,” he explained. “My initial use came from a dance injury in college, and I now have replaced my western pills with the herb. I no longer regularly take sleeping pills or pain killers, and the herb keeps me calm under pressure, keeps my emotions level, and combats the physical pain of getting into drag.”
ous dance tricks! Cannabis really does help me be my best, most relaxed self – it’s integral to my success and well-being.” Without the herb the participation on Drag Race was challenging. Emotions ran high, tears flowed, her body ached, and Laganja was not at her best. Her medicine would have made all the difference in her performance, but the education wasn’t there. Due to her talent, she “sashayed away” with her chin up and her popularity at an all-time high. The stress of the ordeal sent her to the bottle during a PTSD episode. Eight months ago, Jackson came clean, is now shunning alcohol and is working with fellow Drag Race star Gia Gunn on a #TeamTooMuch tour, with health being a top priority.
The physical torture of drag is little known to the outside world. It’s a way of life, a practice, and takes tons of taping, tucking – and a whole lot of topical cannabis salve. “A tuck is when a female illusionist takes his genitals and hides them from view – partially inside him with tape,” he shared. “It’s something I’ve gotten used to, but it’s especially uncomfortable and painful when done for an extended period of time. Tape is often used on the edges of the face to give a ‘lift,’ and around the hairline to secure the wig. I do crazy tricks when I perform, so my wig has to be on tight! The bobby pins are pressed hard into my skull and the tape is constraining.” Aside from physical changes in appearance leading to pain, Laganja’s performances, her signature “Death Drop,” a move putting her feet above the stage, then plunging her back down to the ground in the splits – all the while wearing eight inch heels and a wig – would send anyone to big pharma begging for help. “Cannabis helps me relax while dancing,” he shared. “If there is too much tension some of the moves I perform are very dangerous. The ‘Death Drop’ and all the variations can be really painful if not done correctly. It takes training, strength, and the ability to relax to accomplish these physical feats. I tuck, I tape, and I wear killer heels, corsets, and do dangerdopemagazine.com ISSUE 08 THE ANNIVERSARY ISSUE
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Supporting Sisters Laganja made many connections during season six of Drag Race, but “Gia Gunn,” otherwise known as Chicago native Scott Ichikawa, became a partner in advocacy with “#TeamTooMuch,” the duo’s touring production that advocates safety and sobriety within the drag community, and beyond. Ichikawa, who had family support coming out as a teenager, came to terms with his own self-medicating to quell emotions, about the same time Jackson fessed up to abusing alcohol post Drag Race. “I’ve never been a big fan of alcohol,” he shared. “Drugs can be fun, but [they] wear on the body. Being sober and finding clarity has really helped me realize that I need my health to keep going. Recently I started to get that anxious feeling and wasn’t sure where it was coming from. I felt uncentered and had to make a change, so I went to Colorado and discovered natural oils, cannabis, yoga and spiritual healing – all positive ways of selfmedicating, allowing us to ‘escape’ without harming our bodies.” As far as Ichikawa is concerned, acceptance is one thing and understanding is another, but the labeling and judgements that continue, he feels, are a huge problem. “People need to accept that a lot of things are not black and white, yes or no, gay or straight,” he explains.” Sometimes it’s all of those things. I would love people to have a better understanding of themselves, so they can better understand others.” I have found that becoming more open with myself – which has caused great discomfort – has allowed me to be more at peace with others. Especially in dealing with gender issues – the answer is not always ‘right there,’ and that’s alright – we just need to understand the concept!”
The higher the heels and bigger the hair, the closer to God This past month Laganja was invited to be on stage with Miley Cyrus as she hosted the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs). Cyrus at just 21 years of age has proven to be a faithful proponent of the plant and an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ community, dawning Laganja’s designer jewelry in Instagram posts, and learning a few of her moves. With Cyrus’ non-profit, “Happy Hippies Foundation,” she recognizes the need for support within the LGBTQ community. Her foundation reaches out to the growing number of traumatized and homeless youth on the streets, offering support and services. Inviting Laganja on stage with her to a mainstream event, such as MTV’s VMAs was a statement and show of support, both for the plant and the LGBTQ community. Jackson said he’ll continue to dawn the wig and heels to advocate for his good medicine, dealing with any trauma and stress as the drama plays out. He’s used to it, as he’s been dancing around difficult situations all his young life. “Within the LGBTQ community I’m known as a voice for legalization and the decriminalization of cannabis,” he shared. “However, it has been slightly difficult for me to gain exposure within the cannabis community. I’ve been told it may be due to an imbedded brand of homophobia, but there are exceptions! For my last photo shoot for Dope Magazine (October, 2012), I had the opportunity to stay at a farm owned and operated by LGBTQ women!” Laganja’s hopes are high to someday be included in the world of weed, recently recording a rap song, “Hot Box,” a nasty, playful song that he hopes can build a bridge to connect more deeply with the cannabis community. And while she’s eternally grateful for Dope Magazine for giving her an opportunity to shine (this cover is a first for a drag star in a top weed magazine), she still feels she’s a long way back in the line for dabs, so to speak. “My dream is to perform at one of the cannabis festivals,” Jackson said. “I’ve got my fair share of negative commentators, but who cares? All the honesty, positivity, and healing outweighs the haters. I have great relationships with farmers and dispensaries, and I’m in talks on getting my own branded Laganja ganja. I’m still going to be me. I exist at the crossroads of counter cultures and the tide is changing. I just want to put it out into the universe – I want to be your weed Queen! Let me dance for you!” (and DOPE loves you too, beautiful!
• • • •
Laganja Estranja www.laganjaestranja.com Gia Gunn www.logosrupaulsdragrace.wikia.com/wiki/Gia_Gunn RuPaul’s Drag Race on Logo www.logotv.com/shows/rupauls_drag_race Laganja’s single, “Hot Box” launching Sept. 4 on iTunes
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HEALTH
Stressed, Gay & Stoned? Not A Problem.
WRITER SHARON LETTS
Cannabis Provides Support for PTSD in the LGBTQ Community
PAPER published in the Harvard Gazette (2012) recognizes the occurrence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSDs) for those associating as Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, or Transgender (LGBT) as being much more frequent starting at a younger age than with heterosexuals suffering with the same disorders. The study, previously published online in the American Journal of Public Health, states the long term ramifications of these types of disorders stem from years of internal confusion based on sexual orientation, and reoccurring instances of public discrimination founded on misinformation. Lead author, Andrea Roberts, research associate at the Department of Society, Human
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Development, and Health for the Harvard School of Public Health explains, “We looked at a group of people who were at the cusp of adulthood and found much higher levels of PTSDs in sexual orientation minorities compared with heterosexuals. We found that differences in PTSDs by sexual orientation already exist by age 22. This is a critical point at which young adults are trying to finish college, establish careers, get jobs, maintain relationships, and establish a family.”
ability to function normally in daily life. Negative changes in thinking, combined with negative feelings about one’s self or other people starts to come into play and the inability to have positive emotions or feel good about things are common. All sited as being part of PTSD are feelings of being numb, a lack of interest in activities once previously enjoyed, feeling hopeless about the future, problems with memory, and difficulty maintaining close relationships.
“Triggered by a terrifying event, either experiencing it or witnessing it,” is how the Mayo Clinic describes the disorders that include “flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.” Not all involved with a traumatic event are affected long term by PTSDs, but those who are could be challenged for months to years, with the condition interfering with the
According to the Mayo Clinic’s description of the disorder, changes in emotional reactions, such as irritability, angry outbursts, or aggressive behavior is noted, with overwhelming feelings of guilt or shame, trouble concentrating, and being easily frightened. It’s no surprise the Mayo Clinic’s definition of the disorder ends with information for a national suicide hotline.
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Lost-n-Found One year ago, then 18 year-old Daniel Ashley Pierce was beaten, denounced, and thrown out of his home by his Christian parents and grandparents in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. During the intervention gone wrong, Pierce was able to film some of the altercation. It went viral of course, causing an outpouring of support and nearly $100,000 to be donated to a GoFundMe campaign, helping him to start over. Immediate support came from an Aunt, who opened her home to him. But he said he would not have known how to begin without the help of Atlanta non-profit organization Lost-nFound, created in 2011 with a mission to assist Atlanta’s documented 750 homeless youth.
Lost-n-Found’s website informs that 53% of the youth they have helped had nowhere to turn after being kicked out of their home stating, “There are only about 48 hours from the time a kid becomes homeless before 33% of youth begin to engage in risky behaviors such as theft, drug activity or selling their bodies for money to survive.” Pierce is one of the lucky ones. According to a story posted on Lost-n-Found’s website, one year later he is doing well, happy in a relationship, working as a paralegal, and planning a trip to relocate to the West Coast with his supportive partner.
Gender-bending in Utah Twenty-three year old Utah transplant, now California patient, Marval A. Rechsteiner is currently going through a medical transition from a biological male to female. A graduate of Humboldt State University (HSU), Rechsteiner found his medicine in Northern California, and will continue to medicate through myriad compilations from hormone therapy and subsequent surgeries pending. Though Gays, Lesbians, and Bi-Sexually identifying people are somewhat more accepted now, transgender people, often referred to as “gender-benders,” such as Rechsteiner, have been traditionally unable to fit it. This is due largely to being perceived by many people as confused for dressing or acting as the opposite sex in order to feel alright in their own skin. “Growing up in Salt Lake City in the 90s, by my very biology as a gender-bending person, I was an outsider and rebel from a young age,” he shares. “I had crushes on the young girls my age and felt that the boys were often competitive and mean to each other. The strict gender norms of either male or female confused me greatly and caused me stress from a very early
age. I began to disassociate with my body around the onset of adolescence, and high school became a time of secrets; secrets around the core of my identity and gender. Basically, as a teenager, I felt my body had betrayed me.” Stress, anxiety, panic attacks, agoraphobia, and eating disorders – all this and more are symptoms most LBGT youth deal with on a daily basis. “I have trigger points in relation to my gender identity,” Rechsteiner shares. “I’ll have a panic attack because of fear and internalized self-hatred that looks very much like a PTSD episode. Other gender-nonconforming people have told me of similar attacks where it feels like the world is about to collapse in on them. Look at it this way, if your very identity is constantly made invisible or stereotyped negatively, you disassociate from integral parts of who you are – and what that means is years and years of unpacking the hatred inside yourself to find yourself again, and find love.” Rechsteiner said Queer people often use cannabis in a negative way, just like
any other substance used to bypass emotional hurting. But he also acknowledges how it has helped him deal with all sorts of issues surrounding his identity. “In the past when the panic attacks began I was prescribed Xanax to calm me down,” he explains. “Now, I use cannabis in specific ways. During my transition with hormone replacement therapy I was smoking, as it lifts your mood fairly quickly. Tincture is by far my best option in terms of calming my fear down. I don’t get blazed out of my mind on it, and it helps me to get into my body and feel good inside it – which is deeply healing for someone like me, who has disassociated [with my body] for such a long time.” With a BFA in Sculptural Ceramics from HSU, Rechsteiner said his future includes using the arts for activism, saying “I’m about to head to a trans conference known as ‘Gender Odyssey’ in Seattle. I’ll be helping its guest artist set up a show to talk about trans and racial intersections of identity. It’s an exciting opportunity - and I get to meet some famous names in the transgender community!”
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Tests, Trials & Lab Rats Both the FDA, and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services have given a green light to Suzanne Sisley, researcher at the University of Arizona, to conduct research on cannabis use for PTSDs. The 10-week study, which would examine fifty veterans, is yet to be approved by the DEA. With more than 7.7 million Americans suffering from PTSDs nationwide, Sisley is hopeful for approval. “Although there is a mountain of anecdotal evidence that cannabis helps with PTSDs, there has been no controlled trial to test how cannabis suppresses the symptoms, including flashbacks, insomnia and anxiety,” Sisley told USA Today (March, 2014). In an article found in the Huff Post’s “Science” blog, Carolyn Gregoire reports findings from a study published in the journal Neuropschopharmacology on the
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dosing of synthetic cannabinoids to rats after a traumatic event and the prevention of behavioral and physiological symptoms of PTSD by “triggering changes in brain centers associated with the formation and holding of traumatic memories.” In other words, the study found that when synthetic cannabis (with a THC component) is administered after a traumatic experience (in this case electro shock to the poor rat’s feet), the incidence of future PTSD episodes from the event were minimized. To realize these findings, researchers gave synthetic cannabis to the rats post electrical impulse, and then prepared a false shock. Those rats treated with cannabis beforehand did not exhibit symptoms common to PTSD, such as “impaired extinction learning, increased startle response, changes in pain sensitivity and impaired plasticity in the brain’s reward center.”
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The rats not treated with the compound, however, displayed all symptoms. It’s interesting to note, the rats not treated with cannabis were given the SSRI antidepressant sertraline, otherwise known as Zoloft, with “mixed results.” Also surprising to some, cannabis can help the disorder from occurring, and even better to know - another study published in Science Daily (May 2014) shows a 75% reduction in PTSDs while using cannabis when the disorder is already diagnosed. With the national acceptance of same sex marriage, the door was opened for further education and subsequent acceptance of the LGBTQ community and its struggles. Add enlightened cannabis users, and help may just be on its way to begin the emotional healing following decades of misunderstanding on both subjects.
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CANNA-NEWS
Buds & Blossoms Beneficial Arrangements to Love
LORIST BEC Koop, owner of Cannabis Concierge
Events and Buds & Blossoms in Denver has been playing with flowers since she was eight years old, helping alongside her mother in her mom’s best friend’s flower shop outside in her chilhood home town of Washington DC.
“I started my own flower business in 2011 while working part time for a dispensary in Alma, Colorado,” she explained. “I had some extra flowers from an event and was cutting down a plant out of my own garden when I had my ‘A-Ha’ moment. I put the two together and have been in love with the fusion ever since!” Koop said she initially used fresh bud in the arrangements, but then began adding dried bud on long stems, allowing the bud to be enjoyed after the celebration. “My motto is, ‘Straight from your bouquet to your bowl!” she laughed. “I also help my clients ‘bring the cannabis theme to any scene.’” This can be done in a variety of ways with a little imagination. Nearly everything necessary for an event can be done using hemp or cannabis, and Koop says she procures hemp wedding dresses, invitations and other paper goods, infused appetizers, entrees, and the wedding cake of course. Custom hand blown glass pieces via jewelry or pipes can also be created for special guests, bridal parties, and party favors.
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Koop’s services keep expanding as she and client’s imaginations run wild. “The possibilities are endless,” she adds. “I’ve coordinated dispensary holiday parties, corporate events and conferences; Valentine’s Day celebrations, birthdays, and anniversaries.” As with any cannabis business, legalities in procuring and distributing the plant material are a consideration. Koop said policy dictates her clients purchase their own plant material at their own dispensaries, and then deliver all to her for arranging. Photographers Andrea Burolla and Denise Chambers are co-owners of “Lollylah Wedding Photography” of Denver, and team up with Koop, covering weddings and other events involving cannabis. Neither one partakes medicinally nor recreationally, but they both appreciate what’s happening with cannabis in their home state, and their association with Koop has educated them both regarding the good medicine. “Denise and I have backgrounds in travel photography,” Burolla explained. “One day we were discussing what drives people here – aside from the mountains. We started talking about cannabis, and how every time we leave the state it’s the first thing anyone outside Colorado brings up. We found ourselves fascinated by all the different types of people coming out of the cannabis closet – HR reps, teachers, working professionals – people who definitely didn’t fit the pot smoking mold.”
WRITER SHARON LETTS
The two decided to put together “styled” photo shoots to blow away the perceptions of the “typical stoner.” “After some deliberation we decided to make the shoot more relevant to what we are currently doing,” Burolla continues. “We started pulling together vendors to create a cannabis themed wedding photo shoot that was sophisticated, classic and refined – sure to blow stereotypes out of the water.”
PHOTOS LOLLYLAH WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY,
ANDREA BUROLLA
DENISE CHAMBERS
“The amount of research going into this amazing plant is really just starting to get recognized and respected,” she surmised. “With that in mind, I see this movement continuing to grow exponentially. It will be exciting to see our world being helped in so many ways, with food, medicine, fiber, or fuel. I can see my own little businesses expanding, and I’d be willing to consider franchising with anyone interested in this type of company in other states.”
Burolla says the lovely photo shoot gracing the pages of this story took two months to plan, with many vendors involved. Buds were used for a “Budonniere” on the groom’s lapel, the bride’s bouquet, hair pieces, and table top bouquets. Her dress was custom made from hemp, and hemp and cannabis-infused delicacies lined tables with other items offered as well like fancy vape pens, hemp jewelry, and hemp wedding invitations. A patient in her own right, Koop is also a recreational user – with no apologies. “I started using cannabis in college for endometriosis and pain relief from sports injuries,” she says, “but I will never deny I enjoy the high, as well.” According to the National Institute of Health’s website (NIH, www. nih.gov), approximately 75% of women with pelvic pain and as many as 50% of women with fertility problems are diagnosed with endometriosis - a disorder where tissue that normally grows outside the uterus, grows inside, causing extreme pain. Once the lesions heal, nerve pain from scar tissue can be equally painful. The condition includes painfully debilitating menstrual cramps that increase with time, pain during or after sex, pain in the lower abdomen or intestine, painful bowl movements, or painful urination during menstrual periods, with bladder or other chronic gastrointestinal issues. Smoking is Koop’s mainstay for warding off symptoms, but she also ingests medibles, and recently discovered juicing leaf. Working for medible makers, and in-house at a dispensary, has given her a wealth of education on cannabis, and she says it has enabled her to help others. She elaborates, “My professional start in the industry began in 2013, prior to everything going recreational here in Colorado. Working in a dispensary helped me to see just how much cannabis works for patients. I was brought to tears many times watching patients in extreme neuropathy pain and discomfort, barely able to pull money out of their wallets to purchase their meds being instantly helped by this plant.” The future of Koop’s blooming business is looking bright green and with so many other states lined up for legalization, she knows the possibilities will only continue to grow.
“We started pulling together vendors to create a cannabis themed wedding photo shoot that was sophisticated, classic and refined – sure to blow stereotypes out of the water.”
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PRODUCT
Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook
WRITER R.Z HUGHES
Feel-Good Food For Home Cooks
^ ^ e th the
annnCoaokbboisok CCannabis kitche
kitchen. Cookbook . for hom e coo ks Fee F e el-G l- Good o o d Foo F o odd f o r h o m e co o ks
Law ren ce ggs Gri yn Rob R o by n by G r i g g s L aw r e n c e Pov y Kend al Atch ison
Photo graph s P hoto g r a p hs by
P ov y K e n da l Atc h i so n
Fore word by Jane West Foreword by Ja n e West
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PHOTOS ASHLEE BURKE
The Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook: Tips for Buying and Dosing Choose a store that’s right for you. With options that range, from Mom & Pop shops to mega-superstores and everything in between, find a place you feel comfortable with.
Follow your nose. Everyone has different tastes and preferences, the best way to find a strain that works for you is to find one with an enticing aroma.
Ask a lot of questions. Is it organic? Has it been tested for mold or pesticides? How long was it cured for? Asking for a personal favorite from a budtender is never a bad idea.
Start low and go slow. No one has ever had a bad experience from taking too little cannabis on their first time and it can take a long time to kick in.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Robyn Lawrence Griggs has been teaching America about the beauty of simple living since 1999. As editor-in-chief of Natural Home Magazine, she visited people around the country, learning about innovative and sustainable practices for gardening, building, decorating, and cooking. With previous works published on the beauty of imperfection in home décor, The Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook seeks to bring healthful, responsibly prepared meals to tables everywhere.
$19 available at retailers including Barnes & Noble and Amazon or www.cannabiskitchencookbook.com
UTHOR AND advocate for sustainable, natural living Robyn Griggs Lawrence, has graced the culinary world with the Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook; a tome of mouthwatering recipes that incorporate cannabis in exciting new ways. Rather than infusing sugar-laden brownies or unhealthy candy bars, this book views cannabis as a superfood and treats it accordingly, serving it alongside wild-caught salmon and seared Wagyu beef. Gluten-free, vegan, AND raw? There’s something for you too, including fresh juices, guacamole, and plenty of goji berries.
gredients, and how to properly enjoy the recipe with company.
The book features well over one hundred recipes, provided by fourteen renowned chefs, nutritionists, bakers, and barkeeps. The result is nothing short of extraordinary. Photographs of an extensive medley of gourmet fare jump off of the page, inducing stomach growling simply by thumbing through. Each recipe has its own story and The Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook not only explains the dish’s conception, it also educates about the importance of nutritious in-
There are gourmands among us who may, indeed, know what furikake is, that pemmican is the early Native American hybrid of jerky and trail mix, or how to properly make a kheer from scratch. For the average home cook, however, this book is a culinary journey across cultural divides. This is a chance to experience cuisine from across the world, honed over the centuries and tweaked by modern masters of the kitchen who have added our favorite organic herb.
When pondering over her favorite dish to indulge in, Lawrence laughs, unable to pick just one out of the immense library. She eventually lands on the trail mix because “It’s so easy to make and take on-the-go,” however, as far as entrees go, “the fan leaf pesto is great for its use of the nutritious leaves normally treated as waste.” All of the plates are crafted with respect for food as medicine, and cannabis as a miraculous bounty from the natural world.
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The Clinic Paris 5098 Paris St. Denver CO 80239
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The Health Center 2777 S. Colorado Blvd. Denver CO 80222
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Terrapin Care Station 11091 E. Mississippi Ave. Aurora CO 80012
Buddy Boy Brands 468 S. Federal Blvd. Denver CO 80219
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Good Meds Network 3431-G S. Federal Blvd. Englewood CO 80110
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Good Meds Network 8420 W. Colfax Ave. Lakewood CO 80215
Terrapin Care Station 11900 E. 33rd Ave Aurora CO 80010
DANK 3835 Elm St. Denver CO 80207
The Clinic Colorado 3888 E. Mexico Ave. Ste. 110 Denver CO 80222
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The Clinic Highlands 3460 W. 32nd Ave. Denver CO 80211
Buddy Boy Brands 155 N. Federal Blvd Denver CO 80219
Native Roots Edgewater 5610 W. 20th Ave.Edgewater CO 80214
Native Roots Denver 1555 Champa St. Denver CO 80202
Native Roots 4990 Dahlia Denver CO 80216
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The Clinic on Colfax 4625 E. Colfax Ave. Denver CO 80220
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Buddy Boy Brands 4012 W. 38th Ave. Denver CO 80212
Buddy Boy Brands 3814 Walnut St. Denver CO 80205
Buddy Boy Brands 777 Umatilla St. Denver CO 80204
The Clinic on Jewell 12018 W. Jewell Ave. Denver CO 80228 The Clinic on Wadsworth 3600 S. Wadsworth Lakewood CO 80235
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Native Roots South Denver 2645 S. Sante Fe Dr, Unit D Denver CO 80223
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The Green Solution 389 Wadsworth Denver CO 80226 The Green Solution 470 Malley Dr. Northglenn CO 80233
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The Green Solution 6020 W. 20th Ave. Edgewater CO 80214
The Green Solution 14301 E. Colfax Ave. Aurora CO 80011
The Green Solution 5231 S. Sante Fe Drive Denver CO 80120
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The Green Solution 1450 Havana St. Aurora CO 80010
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The Green Solution 350 S. Potomac St. Aurora CO 80012
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Rocky Mountain Organic Therapy: 511 Orchard Street, Golden, CO 80401 720-230-9111
Preferred Organic Therapy (P.O.T) 1569 S Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO 80222 (303) 867-4768
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Terrapin Care Sation 5370 Manhattan Circle Boulder CO
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Headquarters Cannabis Company 537 Canyon Blvd. Boulder CO
MMJ America 1 909 Broadway Boulder CtO
Green Tree Medicinals 5565 Arapahoe Ave. Boulder CO
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Headquarters Cannabis Company 4497 Ute HWY Longmont CO The Farm 2801 Iris Ave. Boulder CO Boulder Botanics 1750 30th St.Boulder CO Village Green Society 2043 16th St. Boulder CO Lyons Finest 4071 Ute HWY Longmont CO Green Tree Medicinals 5565 Arapahoe Ave. Boulder CO Green Dream Health Services 6700 Lookout Rd. Boulder CO The Peaceful Choice 7464 Arapahoe Ave. Boulder CO Karing Kind 5 854 Rawhide Ct. Boulder CO 14er Boulder 2897 Mapleton Ave. Boulder CO
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The Green Room 2750 Glenwood Dr. Boulder CO
Boulder Wellness Center 5420 Arapahoe Ave. Boulder CO
Root Organic 5420 Arapahoe Ave. Boulder CO
Elements Boulder 1 534 55th St. Boulder CO
Helping Hands Herbals 1021 B Pearl St. Boulder CO
The Station 3005 28th St.Boulder CO
LivWell Boulder 3000 Folsom St. Boulder CO
The Bud Depot 138 E. Main St. Lyons CO
POLITICS MEDICAL STRAIN OF THE MONTH
Saving America With Cannabis
“Jack believed America needed to shift its consciousness and think differently, and that cannabis was a short cut to cultural acceptance and enlightenment.” • Jack Herer Photo by Eve Lentz
ACK HERER, author of the Emperor Wears No Clothes, inspired the cannabis movement starting back in the 1970’s, which, after all these years and through much hard work, created a new billion-dollar industry for America. “Hemp Can Save the Planet” was his battle cry, and Jack promoted the use of cannabis for food, fuel, fiber, and medicine. But, he also believed that America needed to shift its consciousness and think differently, and that cannabis was a short cut to cultural acceptance and enlightenment.
Herer travelled with the Hemp Tours, which hit the road at the height of the War on Drugs campaign, hosting over 1500 advocacy events between 1989 and 1996. Constitutional protections were at an all time low, and police were profiling people across the nation, looking for cannabis. At the time, police could stop and search people for merely for having a Grateful Dead sticker on their car, or for simply ‘looking like’ they used cannabis. During this time, our nations prison became bloated with people there for nothing more than simple possession of drugs.
As Barry “Plunker” Adams, co-founder of the Rainbow Family, and expert on the constitutional right to gather says, “Cannabis users share a common creed. Basically, it’s simple, we tolerate each other, and we like to share cannabis. Then, we begin to share other things, like coffee and a meal. ”
Many of the leaders of the industry got their start with Herer during this time, including people like Steve DeAngelo and Ed Rosenthal, whose membership in the Youth International Party (the infamous Yippies of the 1960’s and 70’s) inspired the cannabis movement to stay fun, fresh, and radical. If you look closely, you’ll find many people through out the cannabis industry who got their start at Hemp Tour events and in the
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other major advocacy groups. In short, all of these people started in activism to promote a mission, which was, and still is, to make America a better place by ending cannabis prohibition.
WRITER DEBBY GOLDSBERRY
PHOTOS VARIOUS CREDITS
Unfortunately, all of the original cannabis dispensaries have closed, including Dennis Peron’s original dispensary in San Francisco, and their former leadership is largely silenced, worn down by police action after police action. Jack Herer passed away in 2010. Now, with the cannabis industry expanding at lighting speed, many of its new entrepreneurs missed cannabis prohibition all together. Being harassed by the police, arrested for cannabis, and spending time in jail, like how many of the industries pioneers did, created a powerful force for more activism and change. In other words, rather than being crushed by prohibition, our advocates became stronger through struggle. Enter the neuve cannabis entrepreneurs. They see what happened before is laced with stigma, and they want no part of it. Going to jail for cannabis or battling the War on Drugs in the streets for our freedoms is at many times not in their wheelhouse. Instead, their battle cry can often be, “We are here to clean that all up,” somehow without realizing that they are [not only] talking about the existing cannabis industry, but also their [current] clients. This situation would be more worrisome, but cannabis users are perceptive and can spot a fake, because their creed is real. To people with friends in prison, who are still harassed on the streets, and who know people denied cannabis medicines by prohibition, it’s important to build an industry that stays mission and values based, like we have always been. Done right, cannabis legalization will have a long lasting positive effect on America.
• Jack Herer Photo by Allan Erickson
Cannabis, when consumed, gives people the opportunity to interrupt their normal thought processes. People actually start thinking differently, relating facts and ideas together in ways they had not imagined before. This is, in fact, the crux of creativity. But, for the brain to manage these internal thought-based processes, it takes a little more time. Cannabis users like to ponder ideas, often literally hashing things out in their mind. Using cannabis for business may actually give companies a competitive edge, because in entrepreneurial industries, innovation is key. At the International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) in Portland last fall, conservative pundit Andrew Sullivan spoke about how the mission and the vision of or first cannabis industry is changing America as a whole. This must stay the goal, while we also build great businesses. As Alex Rogers, ICBC founder says, “Make money and be successful, and no one else has to lose.”
•Alex Rogers and Andrew Sullivan
So, as the cannabis industry builds, let us stay focused on keeping the 44% of Americans who have used cannabis out of harms way from prohibition. People should unite around developing sound businesses, but also around culture, politics, and advocacy…and most important, be kind.
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Growing Greener The benefits of being small in a changing cannabis market ARLIER THIS year, when the Marijuana Enforcement
Division cracked down on the use of unlawful pesticides in Colorado’s cannabis industry, at least one small company used the opportunity to make big changes.
“That’s when we really took note of our customer’s interest,” says Eric Eagon, general manager of Sticky Buds, a Denver dispensary with three locations. “Most people that are looking at this flower as medicine, that’s really what they’re hoping for: to get something clean, something grown with care and quality.” Plus, Eagon’s customers started asking what the company was using in its grows, and at the time he couldn’t answer that they had never used Eagle 20 – one of the potentially carcinogenic chemical pesticides widely used by growers, yet prohibited for use on cannabis by the Colorado Department of Agriculture (Sticky Buds was not among the companies cited by the CDA). So Eaton started looking at ways to set Sticky Buds apart and cement their guest’s trust. He contacted a consulting company called Cannabis IPM – Cannabis Integrated Pest Management, run by organic horticulturalist and L’Eagle Denver head grower John Chandler. Chandler has also helped lay the groundwork for the Organic Cannabis Association, planning to roll out true third-party organic certification for cannabis this year. “John took both our grows and turned them onto an organic pesticide regimen that has worked out really well for us,” Eagon says. Now both Sticky Buds’ grows – one hydro and one soil with hydro flowering – are fully organic. “We started with him in May, and we now have product on the shelf that’s been in that organic system the whole time.” Eagon and Sticky Buds are prepping for a grand reopening (September 4), touting the knowledgeable, individual, compassionate customer care that sets them apart already, while emphasizing their new identity as a fully organic dispensary. An Indiana-born son of an herbalist-reflexologist, Eaton is a loyal supporter of the farm-to-table movement and gluten-free eater. For him, the organic switch was just the right thing to do. “If that’s what nature intended for [plants], then that makes complete sense,” he says.
WRITER CHRISTI TURNER
GRAPHICS 8THDAYCREATE .COM
Eagon also points out that it’s the company’s small size that allowed it to react to the market, change its trajectory and work with Cannabis IPM to go fully organic. “That’s why we were willing to take on the organic pesticide movement; we were small enough to be flexible, quickly, and adapt,” he says. “We can make this change now, while it’s still feasible, it’s still reasonable, and nobody’s forcing us to do it.” “We are the neighborhood dispensary,” Eagon adds, and now he wants Sticky Buds to be the transparently organic, farm-totable – or “seed-to-smoke” – neighborhood dispensary. This doesn’t necessarily mean they’re thinking small for the long term. Eagon, who’s been the Sticky Buds GM since January, left his corporate career to help grow a cannabis business as big as he could. Now, he feels differently about just how big that should be. “One of the things that I think we have different than a lot of the bigger guys is the sheer volume they can handle – they have a larger inventory, they get a lot of lines and a lot of just trying to move through the sale,” Eagon says. “But we’re definitely not trying to be everything to everybody. I would rather we focus on every customer that comes through the door until they have their needs met, than cut it off short and say thank you, appreciate your business, and move onto the next one.” Staying small means a greater ability to monitor its supply chain. They can closely track the precise inputs of each Sticky Buds harvest, and invest in the company’s commitment to growing organic, connoisseur-grade cannabis, while becoming a leader in the field. “If you can set the standard early and avoid having to jump through hoops down the road, that makes life easier,” Eagon says. He says his growth plan for the company now is to create an organic model, applicable across state lines as recreational use becomes more widespread, without sacrificing the benefits of being small. Meanwhile, he’s not about to point fingers at the big guys. “Next month the authorities could come out with a new regulation that we aren’t in compliance with, and now we’re on the target list,” he says. “Everybody’s living in glass houses right now.”
“We’re definitely not trying to be everything to everybody. I would rather we focus on every customer that comes through the door until they have their needs met.” Eric Eagon, GM, Sticky Buds
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ERIC EAGON Organic enthusiast, farm-totable advocate and cannabis professional, Eric Eagon is also – perhaps surprisingly – a former Marine. “I’ve grown up with an affinity for understanding what plants can do for people,” he says. “I didn’t start smoking until three years ago, because I was in the Marine Corps until 2011, and it wasn’t an option.” He says the love he feels among his team at Sticky Buds is the only thing that’s reminded him of the camaraderie of the Marines. Now a medical cannabis patient himself, he’s also passionate about increasing veterans’ access to the plant. dopemagazine.com ISSUE 08 THE ANNIVERSARY ISSUE
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CANNA-NEWS
The Weed Closet
WRITER
Why It’s Time to Come Out to Your Family HE CANNABIS INDUSTRY
is beginning to be recognized in our society as a legitimate career choice. Laws acknowledging cannabis’ economic viability are passing with each election. It’s hard to go into a grocery store without passing a magazine cover with the latest sensational cannabis headline. Our grandparents are watching 420 specials on the news and asking what dabs are. There’s an incredible buzz around cannabis that there hasn’t been for decades, and everyone seems to be excited about it. Yet despite this, many of us involved in the industry (and outside of it as well) are having trouble being open with the most integral and influential people in our life: our parents. It’s worth acknowledging that this is not the case for everyone. Some cannabis entrepreneurs have been very open with their families, and even encouraged in the direction of cannabis since day one. A few are even second or third generation cannabis connoisseurs, but this is not the case for many. The term “cannabis career” is hitting the mainstream, and it’s time to have a conversation around the topic. After interviewing individuals who started cannabis businesses in Washington, one common denominator was apparent. The majority of them didn’t come from homes that one might stereotypically think a cannabis enthusiast would. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Most of these girls and guys came from families where they were encouraged to pursue a more traditional path to success. Their upbringing spans a vast range of socioeconomic classes, yet there is an unmistakable drive that is intrinsic to a cannabis entrepreneur. Until now, it has been an intimidating feat to look the people who raised you in the eyes and tell them you are a part of a cannabis revolution. It’s difficult to explain why the
ABIGAIL ROSS
same plant that may have gotten you in loads of trouble in your youth is now the backbone of your professional career. Using the words cannabis career is sometimes met with eye roles and inquisitive looks of concern. But guess what - the majority of the country believes cannabis should be federally legal. So now, more than ever, it’s important to gain support from family as you step into the final stretch of your fight for cannabis legality. Coming out to family can be empowering and important for success. Although you may have come this far on your own, the support of the people who raised you might set you free. You may be met with uneasiness at first, but as humans we have an uncanny ability for adapting to new ideas. It’s amazing how some people will change their minds regarding controversial topics they have previously dismissed, when someone they know and love is involved with it. The importance of exposing our families really hit home earlier this year after watching a long time cannabis grower walk his father through his I502 facility. This was the first time he was able to share his career after establishing himself for more than a decade within it. The relief that comes from the acceptance of family can be incomparably freeing, so be unafraid to seek it with diligence. Coming out to your family is important for the progression of the cannabis industry as a whole. Opening conversation about your job scope is essential to integrating your cannabis community into the recognized work force. Normalizing cannabis helps de-stigmatize and legitimatize everyone’s careers. Hopefully your families will positively talk to their friends and other family members when cannabis legalization comes up in conversation. At the end of the day, you are a part of changing history for the better and there is nothing but pride in that.
“It’s difficult to explain why the same plant that may have gotten you in loads of trouble in your youth is now the backbone of your professional career.”
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GRAPHICS 8THDAYCREATE .COM
CANNA-LOVE
Couples On Cannabis Is There Love In This Leaf?
OMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS can be uplifting, support you when you need it and provide a sense of deep love and understanding to each partner, or they can royally screw you up. Honestly, it’s the same way I feel about certain strains of cannabis as well. But unless you plan to dedicate yourself to complete isolation (and that’s no fun at all), odds are you’re going to find yourself in a romantic relationship at some point. And the one question that begs to be answered is, “How will using cannabis affect that partnership in the long run?” That was exactly the line of inquiry researchers at the University of Buffalo set out to answer. In the study, which included 634 couples over the first nine years of their marriage, the cannabis using habits of husbands and wives went under the microscope. The partners were examined for frequency of cannabis use and subsequent instances of intimate personal violence (or IPV). As the study progressed it became obvious that there was a correlation between how often couples used cannabis and occurrences of domestic violence, but the nature of this link wasn’t what the anti-pot crowd expected. Researchers found that instead of cannabis truly being “The Devil’s Weed,” leading sensitive husbands to mercilessly attack their wives, cannabis actually creates quite the opposite situation. The study’s abstract details the findings, “Couples in which both spouses used marijuana reported the least frequent IPV perpetration.” Not only are couples that use together the least likely of the pairs to be violent towards each other - the study also showed that a wife was less likely to be violent towards her husband if he had been using cannabis, even if he was the only one of them toking up. This point is proven over and over again in the cannabis industry, and pot power couples now fill the landscape. Jenn Lauder and Chad Dean, co-founders of the cannabis-centric digital media company Weekend Review Kit have been married for fourteen years. Lauder says that she has struggled with anger management issues in the past and estimates she’s done some “shoving, grabbing, and flailing [of] arms,” a few times in their eighteen years as a couple. She has found cannabis to be a great way to abate those tendencies, saying that part of the reason she takes it medicinally is to subdue those urges. “Chad keeps it much cooler,” she says, “[he] hasn’t ever been physically violent,” and they aren’t the only ones putting the proof in the pudding.
WRITER BRITTANY DRIVER
Liz Blaz Fitch and Will Fitch of Green Delta Consulting also work within the cannabis industry together. They manage to stay even keeled with each other throughout the long days and laborious tasks required to insure their client’s applications are approved. They spend most of the day together, and when it’s quitting time, they use cannabis to help relieve the stress that comes with running their own business. “Our strategy and joint approach to all stresses related to our work and marriage is the same - hit it head on, EARLY, or let it explode later,” says Liz, “cannabis plays a large role in our stress relief as well.” They’ve been together for eight years, married last year in August, and say “we’ve never had a violent incident in that time.” The chance that they’d be involved in any kind of domestic violence doesn’t really cross their minds. So does is this meant to imply that every couple should smoke cannabis? No, of course not. It may not be for everyone. It’s likely that cannabis isn’t the only answer to ongoing DV problems a couple has, but it can lead people to some real introspection, unlike other intoxicants people use to relieve stress. People are always comparing cannabis and alcohol, saying, “smoking a joint is just like drinking a glass of wine,” but it’s not the same. According to the Tennessee Association and Alcohol, Drug & other Addiction Services, research shows that “drinking precedes acts of family violence in 25-50% of all cases of domestic violence.” They also find that the “highest rates of abuse are found in moderate to heavy drinkers,” but if 25-50% seems like a low number, consider the statistics that many women don’t ever officially report their abuse. This makes the actual number inevitably much higher. Cannabis is a cure all, an equalizer, some even call it the great connector. It brings together people of all educational backgrounds, income levels, career paths and political views. You’ll rarely see a physical brawl within a group of cannabis users, and I can’t recall one to date that I’ve seen personally. Perhaps, unlike alcohol, marijuana allows the user the time needed to take a step back, and consider how to avoid a serious argument in the first place. When it comes to arguments, a little perspective (something cannabis never fails to produce) can mean the difference between agreeing to disagree, and a knock down drag out, call the cops because one or the both of you are bleeding, type of incident. So medicate or recreate responsibly, as always, and remember - it might just be saving your relationship.
“People are always comparing cannabis and alcohol, saying, “smoking a joint is just like drinking a glass of wine,” but it’s not the same.”
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ISSUE 08 THE ANNIVERSARY ISSUE dopemagazine.com
IGNITE YOUR PASSION www.thedopen.com
ERICH DEMERATH Emmy Nominated Director
www.manvsfilmproductions.com
CHAD COENSON Award-Winning Author/Screenwriter www.chadcoenson.com
SEX
Canna We Get It On?
Cannabis - The All-Natural Aphrodisiac
WRITER
GRAPHICS
MEGHAN RIDLEY
AL MOORE
ARY JANE is one sexy lady, and since this is DOPE’s anniversary issue and we’re basically lucky enough to be married to her we felt the need to do some between-the-sheets sexploration of our favorite all natural aphrodisiac. The following is a mash-up of both anecdotal, and research based findings meant to peak your curiosity and arouse both your body and mind.
SEXY STRAINS & PRODUCTS
NOW THYSELF
First and foremost, Foria sex lube has been making headlines for over a year now in everything from Women’s Health Magazine to cannabis publications. It’s a sexy mix of coconut oil and 2 mg of THC. It’s claim? To lengthen and intensify arousal and orgasm.
Keep in tune with what is being more and more often referred to as ‘stoner sexuality.’ The book Sex Pot: The Marijuana Lover’s Guide to Getting It On by Mamakind, has been heralded by Rihanna as her “new encyclopedia.” Needless to say, it comes highly recommended, and features all the tips and tools necessary to get high, hot and bothered in all the right ways.
Want to get down for a morning or mid-day romp? Sativas, including the rather common Green Crack, and the somewhat rare, Asian Fantasy, have both been reported to have a highly arousing effect for energetic daytime sex.
Understand that female sexuality gets increasingly complicated with age. Even a small dose of Mary Jane can go a long way in lightening the mood, easing the mind, and loosening the body. Know yourself. We all respond differently to sex and cannabis in isolation. Putting them together can be an exciting and potent mix, but keep it safe and stay aware of other’s personal boundaries and your own.
Looking for a more romantic, eveningtime love making session? While rare, the strain Yumboldt is allegedly one hell of a romancer, and it’s said that the legendary Grand Daddy Purple will keep lovers saying “Who’s your daddy?” all night long. .
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ISSUE 08 THE ANNIVERSARY ISSUE dopemagazine.com
DON’T YOU DARE Embrace silly studies that attempt to link cannabis and promiscuity. Get so high you become overly sensitive, orgasm too quickly, and find yourself sleeping on the couch with your bong. Get so stoned you’re a lackluster participant (lacking lubrication and/or being half-hard are surefire signs of a misfire in the bedroom). dopemagazine.com ISSUE 08 THE ANNIVERSARY ISSUE
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