DOPE Magazine October 2014 Issue

Page 1

STONED LOCAL

WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO SPECIAL FEATURE

THE NFL & POT The story of Clayton Holmes

and the rough road ahead for cannabis acceptance in football. STRAIN OF THE MONTH

>MAUI BUBBLE GIFT

OCTOBER

2014

VII FREE




96

TABLE OF CONTENTS

HERBAN MYTHS Defective Cannabis Products

October 2014 The Health Issue

16 08 18 10 22 14 28 16 32 22 36 28 40 32 44 36 56 38 62 56 70 60 80 64 82 72 92

Cover photo and this photo by Allie Beckett

STRAIN OF THE MONTH Lucy STRAIN OF THE MONTH Maui Bubble Gift EDIBLES Oakor Strips FEATURE CO-OP Canna Daddy’s Wellness MARIJUANA NEWSCenter Marijuana Deficiency EDIBLES Jolly Green’s “Magic Troches” HEALTH Pain Killers MARIJUANA NEWS Bradley Steinman Interview FEATURE Clayton Holmes MARIJUANA NEWS Marijuana FEATUREDeficiency CO-OP Chronic Releaf HEALTH Pain Killers VENUE FEATURE Herbal Releaf FEATURE Clayton GROW Holmes How i-502 Works EVENTS High ROADTimes TRIPCup Recap Farmer’s Market MARIJUANA NEWS ADA Co-op Access HEALTH ALS ROAD TRIP Farmer’s PIECES Market Happy Daddy Nail HEALTH ALS GROW Monkey Grass Farms PATIENT FEATURE Joe Football EVENTS High Times Cup Recap EVENTS ICBC ASK DR. FREE Sports & Cannabis



DOPE is a free publication dedicated to providing an informative and wellness-minded 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.

JAMES ZACHODNI Editor-In-Chief

EVAN CARTER

TREK HOLLNAGEL

ALLIE BECKETT

RYAN JOHNSTONE

Editorial Director

Sales Director

Lead Photographer

Oregon Director

JESUS DIAZ

NATHAN CHRYSLER

Graphics/Operations

Sales Director

ONLINE MARIJUANA DESIGN Advertising Design & Administration

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS / PHOTOGRAPHERS Sharon Letts Michael Condon Jr Heath Laslo Simone Fischer Emmet Fraser Lindsey Rinehart Daniel Erich Frank Leeds Photography

COPY EDITOR Alison Baird

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EMAIL US AT INFO@DOPEMAGAZINEONLINE.COM Dope Magazine and the entire contents of this magazine are copyright 2014 Dope Magazine LLC, all rights reserved and may not be reproduced in any manner, in whole or part without the written permission from Dope Magazine LLC. Published in Seattle, Washington 98109



STRAIN OF THE MONTH CANNABINOID CONTENT 8.9% THC 19.2% CBD Tested by 3D Analytical

Maui Bubble Gift WRITTEN BY SIMONE FISCHER PHOTO BY DANIEL ERICH

8

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GENETICS

LOOKS

SMELL

FLAVOR

EFFECTS

Bubble Gum crossed with Maui Wowie and God’s Gift.

CBD flower strains are interesting because they are not the most beautiful of buds out there. The light green leaves are bigger and airier, reminiscent of indica strains. Although the formation of the plant varies in comparison to other strains, the density is still solid as a light glaze of trichomes clings to the buds.

The MBG wasn’t extremely pugent, but I enjoyed the funky-sweet aroma that was inherited from the Maui Wowie. The MBG has a subtle, coffee-like aroma about it that is very unique.

My first hit of MBG tasted like a warm cup of coffee. The slightly bitter taste complimented the overall earthiness of the strain, and during my first exhale I was able to experience the sweetness of the strain coming through. This CBD strain was unlike any other flower I have ever smoked.

After my first hit of MBG, a wave of relaxation and warmth settled within. My body ultimately felt buzzed, as the tension that settles in my lower back began to release. I am an avid concentrate user, and the MBG flower touched a whole new level of relief, as I felt calm and centered, without any strong psychological effects.

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FEATURE CO-OP

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FEATURE CO-OP

Canna-Daddy’s Wellness Center Farmer’s Market Approach to Patient Care WRITTEN BY SIMONE FISCHER PHOTOS BY DANIEL ERICH

WHAT’S INSIDE

For this month’s co-op I had the pleasure of interviewing Jessica McKinney & Brad Susman who represent CannaDaddy’s Wellness Center, located off of Division on 169th, its a cozy dispensary overlooking Mt Hood. I enter the front office area and I’m quickly buzzed back to the bud room, which was open and spacious with a huge wall of flower. Patients and employees bustle through the room sharing stories and expertise, and I finally get to sit down with McKinney to discuss what exactly sets Canna-Daddy’s Wellness Center apart from the rest. Compassion and knowledge are their two main secrets for success. CDWC provides knowledge for all levels of the industry, whether you’re an OMMP patient, or completely outside of the community. CDWC is one of the only dispensaries that does not have a house grower. Instead, they invite members in the community of established Oregon growers to set up shop and provide a quality selection of strains for OMMP patients. McKinney believes that there are so many people doing great things, they just need a little guidance on how to enter the dispensary arena successfully. Currently, CDWC has over seventy strains of flower on the shelves, all sourced through different growers. It is refreshing to see this farmers market approach for dispensaries because it does wonders for the cannabis community, allowing OMMP patients, growers, and vendors of all sorts to interact with one another all under one roof. I spoke with Bud Master Luke McKinney on his opinion of the best products on the shelf. I am an avid concentrate fan so he sent me away with some Acapulco Gold, a taffylike shatter that was terpy and delicious. The Durban Poison grown by TJ Gardens really blew me away! I tried my first Squib 100 and that was a game changer for me as well. Luke more than qualifies for his Bud Master position, coming from a third generation growing family. Now an OMMP patient, he medicates for a mental health condition. His immense background on cannabis, health and activism, helps train the rest of the team to best serve their patients. Management appreciates what their employees do everyday to help build the Canna-Daddy dream. For some of the best selection and staff, you will want to give them a visit!

ADDRESS: 16955 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97236 PHONE: (971) 279-4932 WEB: facebook.com/pages/Canna-Daddys-Wellness-Center

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EDIBLES

Jolly Greens “Magic Troches” Your Stylish and Subtle Go-To WRITTEN BY SIMONE FISCHER PHOTO BY DANIEL ERICH Our issue this month focuses on the health aspect of cannabis, which I wanted to reflect upon in the edible review, however, October is also the month of everything Halloween, like candy and pumpkin spice lattes. I didn’t want to sacrifice all of the flavor, even in the name of health! Luckily, I was contacted by the wonderful owners and creators of Jolly Green’s “Magic Troches”, Matt and Justin. When I first met them I wasn’t quite sure what to expect because of the common hit or miss nature of edibles. I was immediately blown away with the packaging of the product, and I loved the “bewitching” labels that fit the spooky Halloween spirit. The troches are packaged in amber colored childproof glass containers. The silver holographic label is classy, unique, and HB 3460 compliant as well, and the troches themselves are perfect disk-like shapes coated in a thin powder. Their flavor line is impressive with Blackberry Mint, Strawbana Cream, Ginger Peach, Lavender Lemonade and Apple Cinnamon. My two favorite flavors out of the bunch are Blackberry Mint and Ginger Peach. I love these flavors not only because they are unique, but because they absolutely worked! Mint and ginger help calm GI tracks, and seriously help my stomach issues. I can honestly say I enjoyed every single flavor I tried. I loved this product because although it tasted delicious, it is vegan, gluten, and GMO free. Each troche has 20mg of activated THC in it, making it easy to adequately dose yourself. For me, one works well to medicate and relax my body without clouding my mind or stunting productivity. Two troches in and I was definitely couched and ready for bed. I can only speak myself, but I enjoyed the strength each troche provides. Jolly Greens can be found in many dispensaries around Portland, and I suggest them to all patients. If you are new to edibles I highly suggest starting out with these because one will not send you over the edge. The labeling is eye-catching and the packaging is safe enough to keep them out of the hands of children. If you are looking for a favorite new way to discreetly medicate on the go, make sure to give Jolly Greens Magic Troches a chance!

FOR MORE INFO GO TO www.jollygreens.net

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SITTING DOWN WITH CANNABUSINESS

LAWYER BRADLEY STEINMAN By Lindsey Reinhart

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MARIJUANA NEWS Bradley Steinman is the lawyer behind Green Business Law LLC, and is a lawyer with a focus on cannabis business laws in his practice in Portland, OR. He is a recent graduate from Lewis and Clark Law School in OR, and is now taking clients from around the state. We recently caught up with Bradley to pick his brain about starting your own business in the industry in OR, the recent Federal raids of concentrate makers, as well as the general purpose of his work. This is what he had to say. DOPE: Please briefly tell us about your role in the cannabis industry. BS: “As a lawyer, I am a member of the legal profession, a representative of my clients, an officer of the legal system, and a public citizen with a special responsibility for the quality of cannabis-related justice

DOPE: What are some steps that people should take when they are thinking of getting into the cannabis industry as a dispensary? BS: “Think twice. Do you have what it takes? Do you have the ability and desire to bust your ass and still possibly fail miserably? There are some business industries where if you fail, you fail, and that’s it. Then there’s the cannabis industry. If you fail here, it might just be the beginning of your troubles. My recommendation is that someone should obtain the advice of legal counsel, at least to determine whether or not what you wish to do would be legal or not, possible or not, or a good idea or not. Think twice. Know what you’re getting into.”

“Treat your work like a business, don’t do it out of your house or garage.” in Oregon. As a representative of my clients, I perform various functions. My primary role tends to be legal advisor - I give my clients my professional legal opinion with regard to what the law actually is, and not merely what my clients or I wish or hope it might be. I have to be able to spot issues before they arise, to give my clients peace of mind, and to be able to give my clients value or ‘bang for their buck’ by giving them my full attention, skill, and loyalty. I help my clients become legal and stay legal at the state and local level, while making them aware of federal prohibition.”

DOPE: So, let’s say someone has thought twice, and they want to produce or process cannabis for a dispensary, what should some of their first steps be, to make sure that they are compliant with OR law? BS: “Registered Grow Site Laws. Talk to a lawyer.” DOPE: What would you recommend a first step process be for someone trying to make edibles for dispensaries? BS: “Registered Grow Site Laws. Talk to a lawyer.”

DOPE: What types of situations do you help people through? BS: “Since I’ve been practicing law, I’ve been able to help save a marijuana festival, created new business entities out of thin air and helped such entities organize their legal structures. I’ve helped businesses become lawful at the state and local level by helping my clients apply for and secure certain local registrations and permits that give them an unprecedented level of legal protection for what they do. I’ve helped negotiate and draft leases, drafted a ton of contracts, appealed administrative decisions, drafted intellectual property licensing agreements, written employment contracts and IC agreements, organized a nonprofit, and helped defend medical marijuana patients in criminal court. I have also worked extensively on planning and zoning issues, drafted a local government initiative to repeal a county moratorium on the establishment of MMF’s, helped draft Oregon’s medical marijuana dispensary law, and helped finalize the language of Measure 91, which was a dream come true for me.” DOPE: What are some circumstances that people should seek out a cannabusiness lawyer that they may not think of? BS: “One would be if you registered any business or non-profit with the Oregon secretary of state and have yet to ‘duly organize’ the business or do anything besides submit the application. Or if you have yet to ‘winddown’ or formally dissolve a former business or non-profit. If you need to know your legal rights, duties, and potential legal liabilities and risks, seek the advice of counsel. Basically, if you are in business at all or plan to go into business soon, it would be wise to establish a relationship with an attorney before making any significant investment of capital and time. That goes double for cannabis.”

DOPE: With the recent Federal raids in WA of concentrate processors, things have seemed tense for some. What are some steps that oil makers can take to protect themselves from being raided? BS: “Registered Grow Site Laws. Talk to a lawyer. Treat your work like a business, don’t do it out of your house or garage. Don’t blast around children. If the laws … and industry develop in a lawful, professional sort of manner that is oriented toward raising the compliance bar, improving public safety and public health, and managing public relations well, oil makers have the best opportunity to raise the bar and push things forward – or to fuck it up for themselves and the entire cannabis industry by blowing everything up, so to speak.” DOPE: Unfortunately, until prohibition ends, some people may still face being raided. What is the best advice that you can give anyone dealing with law enforcement during a raid? BS: “The best advice I know for this is to remember to be polite, but to assert your legal rights. Say the following magic words in your most clear, confident voice: “Am I free to go Officer?”, and “I do not consent to any searches. I do not wish to answer any questions. I assert my right to remain silent. I wish to consult with my Attorney.” Say nothing else until one of my esteemed colleagues, John Lucy, Lee Berger, or Amy Margolis is there on the phone or with you. And also, know that this too shall pass. Soon enough, if we can unite as a cannabis movement here in Oregon, from North to South, from medical to non-medical, and just get behind legalization, we’ll help make raids a thing for the history books, rather than something our loved ones have to suffer the trauma of going through.”

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MARIJUANA NEWS

Are you Marijuana Deficient? By David Bailey

AND WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS?

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MARIJUANA NEWS Know anyone with IBS, Crohn’s or Colitis, or perhaps some more talked about condition like migraines, fibromyalgia and glaucoma? All of these disorders have shown to respond well to marijuana as a medicine and it’s not a coincidence. Our bodies produce a very important chemical that has only been mimicked by one plant and you might be lacking in it. The different systems in our bodies help to regulate many important behaviors from birth. Our feeding, sleeping, pain, inflammation, and even instinct for survival are all controlled by our endocannabinoid system. Believe it or not, it’s our endocannabinoid system that

their AEA levels, the results showed their levels to be considerably lower than average. For years, people suffering from these conditions have sought relief through cannabis in many different ways, unknowingly seeking to regulate their endocannabinoid system. The obvious problem many have encountered is all of the side effects that come along with a psychoactive chemical such as THC. We often lump the side effects into the word “high”, but when considering patients that need to function fully and normally on a daily basis and still consume large enough amounts to receive the necessary relief from their condition, this “high” side effect is too overwhelming for

doesn’t do anything, when in actuality, THCA has as much or greater medical potential than its counterpart THC. THCA has the same beneficial effects on the body as THC, it is an anti-inflammatory, an antispasmodic and a pain reliever, without the side effects. All of the conditions listed above benefit tremendously from those effects by supplementing the body’s natural endocannabinoid. Even better yet, just as with THC, you cannot overdose and the body neither becomes overly tolerant or chemically dependent. One key benefit for many patients is that a market targeted toward THC production means that THCA can actually be

“THCA has as much or greater medical potential than its counterpart THC.” gives Tylenol the ability to moderate pain and inflammation. Some of the most common misdiagnosed or diseases of unknown cause are likely due to an under regulated or unregulated endocannabinoid system. In all of our bodies we produce a chemical called anandamide (AEA). This is an endocannabinoid, and its make-up and function in our bodies is very similar to our favorite extocannabinoid, THC. Anandamide plays a very important role in our health by regulating our eating and sleeping behaviors, digestion, pleasure, motivation, and even our immune system. AEA acts as a natural pain reliever, anti-inflammatory and even an anticancer agent. The same way the body absorbs anandamide is the way the body absorbs other extocannabinoids like THC(A), CBD(A), CBG(A) etc. and it may be the reason they can have so many medicinal benefits. An interesting discovery has surfaced in recent years connecting many disorders of unknown causes such as IBS, Crohn’s and colitis to others like migraines, fibromyalgia and glaucoma which were previously thought to be largely unrelated. When patients enduring these conditions were tested for

some, and ultimately may lead to the use of other, often harmful medicines to control their condition. What is worse is that opiates, the most common pain reliever, can often worsen the AEA deficiency. While the majority of the medical marijuana community hasn’t adapted just yet, largely due to laws and culture, there is actually a rather simple solution to treating these conditions that has been under our noses the entire time. Raw cannabis buds, it’s as simple as that. Due to an over all focus on the mind altering effects of THC, our culture seems to be trapped into producing mainly THC rich products and even high testing plants. The beauty of this is we can use the same high THC testing plants our CBD constituents often argued against, to our enormous benefit. On the growing plant, and even on dried and cured buds there is little to no THC, but instead its non-activated version called THCA. For years we have been burning, heating and chemically activating this chemical to its psychoactive version THC. When you consume THCA, because it is non-psychoactive, many don’t recognize a difference. Very wrongly so, we have interpreted this lack of a “high” to mean that it

more affordable than CBD and more readily available. You can even grow your own plants, as long as you live in a legal state of course. The recent craze of cannabis as a food and juicing raw cannabis isn’t a fluke, it’s because the raw form maintains all of the chemicals in their most wholesome state such as THCA. A patient can take 300mg of THCA in their morning smoothie and receive all-day relief from potential migraines or Crohn’s flareups where even 50mg of THC in a morning smoothie would put most of us back to bed. CBD has likely seen such success for the same reason, because it too acts in regulating the endocannabinoid system as well as the immune system without the psychoactive effects. While there has been debate for years over this plant, and marijuana has all too often been referred to as “the devils weed”, cannabis has a unique and direct interaction with our bodies unmatched by any other medicine. As crazy as it sounds, you could be marijuana deficient, and now there is a solution.

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HEALTH

CAN CANNABIS REALLY REDUCE OPIOID OVERDOSES? BY HEATH LASLO

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HEALTH Prescription opioid painkillers like Vicodin (hydrocodone) and OxyContin (oxycodone) have been under intense scrutiny because of the increasing number of overdoses and deaths associated with their inappropriate use. We have seen this played out time and time again typically grabbing headlines when a celebrity passes away from an accidental overdose of prescription medications. What the media doesn’t typically report is the large numbers of regular American’s that loose their lives every day due to pain medication overdoses. According to the CDC, currently in the U.S., an average of 46 people each day, or 17,000 per year die from overdosing on pain medications. While the DEA & FDA trolls/scrutinizes state level prescription-monitoring programs (PMP) databases for physicians who prescribe copious amounts of opioids or patients

failure or death. This is especially problematic when opioids, benzodiazepines, and alcohol are mixed together; this is a recipe for disaster. Heath Ledger right after his exceptional performance as the Joker in Batman, is a sad example of this. In 2008, Mr. Ledger was found dead in his NY apartment due to the combined drug toxicity of oxycodone-generic name (OxyContin-brand name/extended release opioid), hydrocodone (Vicodin/ immediate release opioid ), alprazolam (Xanax/ benzodiazepine anxiety, panic attacks), diazepam (Valium/sleep, anxiety, muscle relaxant), temazepam (Restoril/benzodiazepine sleep med.), doxylamine (OTC sleep med.). All of the drugs mentioned above are CNS depressants with extremely long half-lifes with the exception Xanax and Vicodin, (half-life of a drug is the number of hours it takes for ½ of the drug to clear your blood stream) resulting in

as a condition of the treatment contract. If you breach the contract, your pain management physician can and will likely show you the door and categorize you as a drug seeker in your electronic healthcare records (thank you Mr. Obama) which will follow you to your next healthcare provider. This creates quite a dilemma for patients who can’t get by using cannabis alone to control their pain. On a federal level we need cannabis removed from its current schedule I status. This will alleviate some of the liability concerns physicians have regarding recommending cannabis use in chronic pain patients. Multiple studies have shown the synergistic effect of cannabinoids and opioid interactions in chronic pain. The most recent study that comes to mind is, “Cannabinoid-Opioid Interaction in Chronic Pain”, by Dr. Abrams, et al., 2011: Journal of Clinical Pharmacology

“the federal government is now fueling the largest resurgence of heroin use we have seen in decades.” who doctor shop for drugs, multiple states agencies have found alternatives to their opioid overdose problem, medical cannabis. An interesting study was recently published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) which demonstrated that states that have legalized cannabis for managing chronic pain have significantly fewer deaths from prescription painkiller overdoses each year. Researchers looked at medical marijuana laws and death certificate data in all 50 states between 1999 and 2010. During that time, only 13 states had medical cannabis laws in place. “We found there was about a 25% lower rate of prescription painkiller overdose deaths on average after implementation of a medical marijuana law,” said Dr. Marcus Bachhuber, lead author on the study. “We think that people with chronic pain may be choosing to treat themselves with cannabis rather than prescription painkillers, in states where this is legal”. Typically patients will run into trouble when combining multiple “CNS depressant” type drugs, (including alcohol) above prescribed dosages. A cocktail of multiple pharmaceuticals alone or in concert with alcohol, slows down breathing, heart rate, and blood flow to the brain causing the body to shut down and go into cardio respiratory

high blood concentration levels that build over time. As you can see from my explanations in brackets above not only are all these drugs CNS depressants, they are also redundant (same class of drugs) in many cases. WA State has had a PMP program in place since 2007, which means any healthcare provider (physician, pharmacists, hospital, etc.) can access the last 7 years of your prescription history. According to the Washington State Department of Health, the PMP program is a patient safety tool, and practitioners have access to the information before they prescribe or dispense drugs. This can help prevent overdoses and misuse, and promote referrals for pain management and treatment of addiction. Inevitably, these patients are going to be pushed from a primary care setting to a pain management clinic/physician. Most pain clinics require patients to sign an opioid contract agreements. This document includes language regarding use of federally scheduled I drugs, i.e. cannabis, along with other illegal drugs, and doctor shopping, which they confirm with the state’s PMP before they prescribe anything. These pain contracts also require patients to provide random UA to ensure the prescribed medication is being taken and not diverted. Additionally, these UA will test for all illicit drugs including cannabis

and Therapeutics. I quote, “pain was significantly decreased (average 27%) after the addition of vaporized cannabis. We therefore concluded that vaporized cannabis augments the analgesic effects of opioids without significantly altering plasma opioid levels. The combination may allow for opioid treatment at lower doses with fewer side effects.” If reducing mortality associated with pain medications is the goal, why are we ignoring the science that suggests patients are able to control their pain better with the addition of cannabis and were able to achieve this with lower doses of opioid pain medications, i.e. less chance for overdose. We all know you can’t OD on cannabis so where is the harm in trying this approach? Due to the efforts of the DEA/FDA on pain pill abuse and the recent rescheduling of the #1 most commonly prescribed medication in the country, hydrocodone (Vicodin), the federal government is now fueling the largest resurgence of heroin use we have seen in decades. The problem of addiction hasn’t gone away, if anything the demand for opioid narcotics in any form including heroin will be increasing in frequency. Now drug abusers are financing the Mexican drug cartels instead of pharmaceutical companies. People have traded one evil for another, so goes the war on drugs.

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AN NFL STORY CLAYTON AND CANNABIS Written by Michael Condon Jr. Photos by Allie Beckett

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PATIENT OF THE MONTH

“Even today’s players are full of drugs. Vicodin being tossed about on planes after hard-hitting games from team doctors” It’s been a hell of a year for football. The national spotlight of scrutiny has zeroed in on the NFL, its players, its hated and dishonored commissioner, and everything will be different. Within a month’s time, the billion dollar business that is professional football in the United States has altered their rules and punishments regarding both domestic misbehavior, due to a much maligned elevator incident, and drug usage, after intense scorn and unrelenting public pressure…and it’s only October. Drugs have been a fixture of the NFL for a long, long time, even leaving out the steroids. Heroic tales of mass alcohol consumption and cocaine fueled the likes of legendary New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor (LT was known to stay up all night on Saturday pounding pitchers of Kamikazes and railing countless lines of blow then, without sleep, recording three sacks on game day), Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin, the amphetamine riddled Chargers of the early 70’s, and nearly the entire NFL during the 70’s and 80’s. Even today’s players are full of drugs. Vicodin is tossed about on planes after hardhitting games from team doctors, Wes Welker was possibly popping Molly at the Kentucky Derby, DUI’s pepper the roster of every team and, of course, WR Josh Gordon is staring down a year-long suspension for his third marijuana positive test. A suspension so egregious, it forced the NFL to reconsider and renegotiate their current drug policy. One retired NFL player is all too familiar with the league’s drug policy. Clayton Holmes was a rare and exceptional athlete when he was drafted in the third round of the ’92 NFL Draft by the rebuilding Dallas Cowboys, a team on the rise. He was a spry, quick defensive back and a special teams ace with a 4.22 40. The late 80’s Cowboys were somewhat of a joke, finishing the decade with a 1-15 season, and it didn’t take long for the new owner Jerry Jones, and new coach Jimmy Johnson, to turn things around. By the time Clayton was drafted, the Cowboys were building a modern dynasty with quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, and wide receiver Michael Irvin just to name

a few of the dozen or so Pro-Bowlers. The year Clayton was drafted the Cowboys won a Super Bowl. Then another the next year, and another two years later. With millions of dollars and three Super Bowl rings, what could possibly go wrong? After his fourth year in the NFL, Clayton began smoking cannabis. Immediately he felt the benefits on his sore, beaten body. “Growing up my father had rules about smoking weed.” Clayton told me, “He’d say, ‘First of all you have no money. Wait until you’re a man and making your own money. Second, you better not be doing it in my damn house.’” Unfortunately, a month and a half after he started smoking, as an adult making his own money, Clayton was drug tested by the NFL and tested positive. The first positive required that he enter a Narcotics Anonymous class and he was tested three times a week (“For years I hated seeing FedEx Trucks. They brought the tests.”) while placed in the NFL’s drug program. Within that drug program, from 94-96, he received what he called a “free education” about ecstasy (which was just making a name for itself in Texas nightclubs in the early 90’s) and cocaine. Then he tested positive again… and again…and again. The first time he used cocaine was when it was sprinkled in a blunt that he was offered. In 1995, with Clayton facing a suspension and starting cornerback Kevin Smith suffering from a season-ending foot injury, the Cowboys sought out another legendary defensive back football fans may have heard of... Laughing, Clayton tells me, “Dion (Sanders) can thank me for that ring.” A yearlong suspension essentially ended his career with the Cowboys and another positive test, after being signed with Miami, ended his football career entirely. Since Clayton’s NFL days the world has been exposed to the medical benefits of marijuana and opinions on the substance have lightened while the NFL’s opinion on marijuana hasn’t. Even the new threshold for positive test, 35 ng/ml versus 15 ng/ml, is far below the standards set by the World AntiDoping Association (WADA), which is used for the Olympics and has a threshold of 150 ng/ml. Clayton, now a medical marijuana

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FEATURE patient and budtender in Wenatchee, Washington, hopes that will soon change. “When I went into treatment, the doctors couldn’t help me. I was diagnosed at 24 with dyslexia and ADD. The NFL wouldn’t let the doctors prescribe me what I needed. Marijuana saved my life, it helped me with my depression and my ADD. It helps me eat.” Clayton still has occasional uncontrollable muscle spasms also alleviated by cannabis. He doesn’t want to see current NFL players suffer like he did. “The NFL is made up of guys that grew up like me. They need to be more concerned about the mental health of the players.” Currently there’s a lot of science coming forward about the neuroprotective qualities of cannabinoids. Especially when used directly after massive head trauma. Something rather common in the hard-hitting, bonecrunching NFL. Clayton stresses the need for the NFL to review the medical evidence. He had numerous concussions on the field himself, one of which caused a blackout that lasted for hours. I asked Clayton what he would ask Roger Goodell if he were right next to him. “I’d ask the main reason why he believe marijuana should be banned. I’d ask him to look at the research and see the benefits.” Clayton is also optimistic about the future of marijuana in the NFL hoping it’d be outright legal in the league within 5 years, “I don’t see how they can’t.” If not, he hopes punishments can be reduced to fines not suspensions. Marijuana is already the most used illicit drug in the NFL. “They need to teach the younger players about marijuana and its medicinal properties. They need to respect the plant.” Clayton is in a much better place these days. After a few dark, suicidal postfootball years, an ESPN article helped invigorate an impoverished Clayton. He became a personal trainer and motivational speaker. “What I believe in…Marijuana and religion. I’m me. I’m a soul searcher. I’m free. It feels good.” He’s looking forward to his future, he’s recovered two of his previously pawned Super Bowl rings and is hoping to set up his own medical marijuana dispensary and is working towards changing the drug policy of the NFL even further. “I want to run a medical marijuana store. It would stay medical to educate and help patients.”

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EVENTS High Times Cup 2014

PHOTOS BY ALLIE BECKETT

Thousands of Cannabis enthusiasts from all over the West Coast showed up to the Comcast Arena early September to partake in seminars, visit vendor booths and take some legal tokes in the fenced off smoking area. High Times awarded Cannabis Cups for the best pot, hash and edibles in medical and US Cup categories. Phenotype Farmers took home the Indica cup with their Kosher Kush, while Olympia

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Mike snagged the Sativa Cup with his Super Lemon Haze. Solstice took home Best CBD Strain with their Sour Tsunami #3, and A Greener Today won the Best Hybrid with Zeus OG as well as taking grabbing the win with their Pineapple Express 73u 5 Start Bubble Hash (partnered with Goat Organics). Much cannabis was shared and enjoyed the entire two days and as you can see, everyone was on their best behavior.


EVENTS

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MARIJUANA NEWS

ADA ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES AMONG OREGON DISPENSARIES OMMP Patient Interview with Jeremy Robbins Written By Simone Fischser

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Despite the legalization efforts of Measure 91, the medical marijuana program in Oregon will remain untouched. HB 3460 allowed only medicinal dispensaries to operate that are regulated through the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). Although all facilities currently operating within Oregon consider themselves “medicinal” dispensaries, many locations are not up to standard with the American’s with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). In order to best serve the OMMP community, I wanted to find out how dispensaries can make sure their buildings are manageable for those with disabilities. I had the honor to interview patient-activist Jeremy Robbins, who is a huge advocate among the disabled community in Portland. He is a member of the newly formed Oregon Growers Association and supporter of Measure 91. Robbins reached out to me at a cannabis event, lamenting on the horrid experiences he has dealt with on the topic of accessibility in dispensaries. We met up at Oregon’s Finest, a Portland dispensary that consulted Robbins about ADA accessibility issues through their building process. Robbins is a paraplegic man who relies on a wheelchair to get around. “It’s hard enough for these people to even manage to get out of their house, let alone deal with the embarrassment of trying to access a dispensary not up to ADA code” Robbins explains. Robbins has done a vast amount of work within the OMMP community on behalf of those with disabilities. From Robbin’s point of view, his disabled community has always rallied behind cannabis efforts, especially for the treatment of their own health problems. Cannabis provides disabled patients like Jeremy with a quality of life, free of addictions. It frustrates him because the disabled are some of the neediest patients, yet they cannot successfully access various Portland dispensaries. Robbins believes that dispensaries have got to start doing more around ADA regulations in order to accommodate and include those in the disabled community.

This article isn’t to bash dispensaries, but instead to educate our community on how we may better serve OMMP patients with disabilities. Some things to consider as a dispensary operator is ramps, walkways and rails. Many people with a disability use wheel chairs or walkers to get around, and it is important that ramps are at the correct slopes (and wide enough). An example is that a ramp should only be raised 1 inch for every 12 inches

“It’s hard enough for these people to even manage to get out of their house, let alone deal with the embarrassment of trying to access a dispensary not up to ADA code” of length, and handrails must be set at the height of 33-36 inches and rounded. Portland is full of old (but beautiful) architecture, which is not very ADA friendly. Even two-stair stepups prevent access for anyone in a wheelchair. Robbins explains that many doors are too narrow, or contain a threshold that prevents access. Robbins explains the importance of disability parking. Many patients require time and space to enter and exit their vehicles. Many dispensaries only offer street parking which isn’t doable for people with disabilities. Traveling is already a burden for them and a safe, spacious parking space does wonders. Robbins also notes that it is important for “curb-cuts” to exist in disability parking zones so people can open their car doors safely. Robbins has been a victim of countless parking

tickets due to his disability. Dispensary owners must be in community with those who deal with disability on a daily basis. One of the topics Robbins expanded on was what he called “check in help”. This means that front office staff are trained to assist people with disability as they checkin. Things like filling out forms on behalf of patients with poor hand coordination, or helping patients take OMMP cards out of their wallet. I hope most dispensaries around Oregon do not purposefully forget about ADA accessibility issues, but it is a topic we must address especially if they consider themselves legitimate medical facilities. Many dispensary owners do not own spaces but instead rent. The financial burden of bringing certain buildings or spaces to ADA code might be out of the question. Although monetary restraints limit us, the conversation doesn’t have to end there. Child-proof packaging is also extremely difficult for those with disability to handle. Robbins explains that the law is focusing so hard on keeping it out of children hands that it is starting to affect how adults can access their medicine. ADA bathrooms are another issue that prevent those with disability from attempting to enter dispensaries, if they cannot have their basic human needs served. Robbins also raises the point of people with disability being the targets of theft and crime in parking lots or on the streets. Robbins highly suggests hiring security personal to escort OMMP patients to their cars at night for shops that stay open late. People unfortunately prey on populations that have a harder time defending themselves such as the elderly, women, or people with disability. Getting Oregon dispensaries up to standard will not be easy, and Robbins is happy to help owners trying to accommodate those with disabilities at the dispensary level. If medical dispensaries are serious about their claims to be medical, then ADA standards must be upheld. We thank community leaders like Jeremy Robbins for leading the way.

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ROAD TRIP

Stoned Local Oregons best places to visit while stoned. WRITTEN BY LINDSEY RINEHART Everyone likes to have fun, but some great spots are even better to visit on your favorite herb! These are found mostly in the Portland area, please travel safe, use common sense, and have fun! HAVE THE MUNCHIES? Voodoo Donuts is sure to impress, patient and recreational users alike with all its gooey goodness! There are three Oregon locations, two in Portland and one in Eugene. These folks have a donut to satisfy whatever craving you’re having and there is something for everyone here. The menu is creative, diverse, and delicious! A couple of items have our eyes more than others, like The Rappers Delight, which is comprised of three donuts named Old Dirty Bastard, Marshal Mathers, and The Maple Blazer Blunt, all for $4.20! If that isn’t enough, have you heard about the new study touting the effects of eating mango while on cannabis? It’s said to increase thc effects, so that sounds like a great excuse to have a Mango Tango, which is, you guessed it, a mango filled donut, and for a great meal The Maple Bacon is a community favorite. Our favorite, The Memphis Mafia Donut, is filled with banana chunks and cinnamon, then covered in chocolate frosting, peanut butter, peanuts, and chocolate chips. A true

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dream paired with a Sativa! voodoodoughnut.com NEED TO EXPLORE? Mount Tabor is a volcanic cone shaped mass in the middle of Portland. Frequently called “Hippy Hill” by the locals, Mount Tabor is a frequent destination for those looking for an escape right in the middle of it all. Mount Tabor is a 191 acre park that features enough hiking to keep any hippy busy for hours and there’s a basketball court, playground, leash-free dog park, volleyball, tennis courts, and spectacular views from all around. When it’s time to dine, enjoy a handicap accessible picnic area complete with paved trails so everyone can truly get together for a good time at this park. www.portlandoregon.gov/parks NEED TO TRAVEL? The Applegate River Lodge could be your destination for gorgeous fall drives appreciating the changing colors in Southern Oregon. Looking to head out? You may want to check out a concert in the Applegate Valley which is soon to host Left Over Salmon Featuring Bill Payne on both October 7th and 8th. Following on October 15th, the Scott Pemberton Trio will be


ROAD TRIP

playing, and Moonalice will take the stage on October 22nd. The final get-down of the month is a Halloween Event with concert and costume party all rolled into one!! Attend on Oct 29th for the free Peoples Concert and Costume Party!! This lodge keeps it interesting with seven themed suites if you decide to make it a night, with everything for a romantic get-a-way, like private decks overlooking the river with a jacuzzi on each of them, providing a cozy relaxing way to enjoy those beautiful fall leaves. www.applegateriverlodge.com NEED TO GET TRIPPED OUT? While in Southern Oregon, could check out the World Famous House of Mystery, AKA The Oregon Vortex, until October 31st. It was originally named The Forbidden Ground by Native Americans after their horses repeatedly refused to enter the area. The land was later developed in the early 1920’s even though “odd things” had been documented there for a very long time. The house has been featured on several TV shows trying to explain its secrets, but to no avail. Just to give an idea of the things that go on there, things rolling “backwards” or “uphill” are common. People appear shorter or taller than they actually are, or in comparison to one another. The vortex itself is thought to create a whirlpool,

or whirling mass effect, that leaves visitors feeling as though they have been tricked by nature.www.oregonvortex.com NEED TO RECONNECT WITH CHILDHOOD? Check out the OMSI in Portland (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry)! This hands-on museum has revolving interactive displays and there is something to touch and play with around every corner! If you are looking for more adult things to do, but still bring out your inner child, the Laser Light Show is in the super cool Planetarium and still features Laser Floyd Fridays and Saturdays at 9:30pm thru the end of 2014. The Galactic Odyssey Show plays daily at 3pm and Saturdays and Sundays at 11a.m. and 1p.m. Regular Planetarium Shows include Starry Nights Livewhere you can learn about the planets and constellations daily at 12p.m. and 2p.m. as well as Saturdays and Sundays at 4p.m. www.omsi.edu

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HEALTH

ASK DR. FREE

Cannabis Use Among Athletes WRITTEN BY DR. KIMBERLY FREE The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) includes cannabis on its list of substances that are considered to improve an athlete’s performance in sports. They explain that while cannabis can cause motor impairment, loss of executive function, and memory loss it can also reduce anxiety, and improve sleep and recovery time. These, along with its illegal status in most countries, were the criteria for Cannabis’ inclusion on the list of Prohibited Substances. Cannabis, as a simple herb and plant, is very useful as a dietary nutrient in the support the health and well-being of the training and competing athlete. The vitamins, nutrients, and cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant are as helpful to the body as water and vitamin C. Cannabis contains vitamins, amino acids and nutrients which nourish the nervous and immune system. These nutrients reduce inflammation throughout the body, decreasing muscle spasms, reducing pain, and improving circulation in even the smallest blood vessels. Cannabis is very versatile, coming in many usable forms. When raw or unheated, cannabis does not have a psychoactive effect. The primary psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, THC, is activated by heat, so no heat, no buzz. This makes it very useful and usable without the fear of negative or adverse effects on the state of mind, thinking or decision making ability. Cannabis in its topical form, used as a lotion or body oil is completely non-psychoactive. It does not store in the blood or body tissues. Topical cannabis reduces inflammation in the joints, and reduces spasms and pain in the muscles. MRI evidence shows, it prevents osteophytes, bone spurs and calcium deposits from forming in the joint spaces, thereby preventing the arthritic changes in joints and increasing joint health. Cannabis nourishes nerves, healing neuropathy and peripheral nerve damage. Cannabis is also being intensively studied for its ability to help heal the brain post head injury. Athletes are prone to concussions and head injuries which over time cause brain damage, depression, and other cognitive deficits. Cannabis in its inhaled or edible forms, reduces inflammation in the brain, improves the response of the microglial or immune system cells of the brain to heal an injury, and improves circulation in the brain by reducing constriction in the blood vessels. New evidence is demonstrating that cannabis also prevents plaques from forming within the blood vessels and nerve tissues of the brain. As the research continues, we are finding Cannabis is more of a health food than a health hazard.

Dr. Kimberly Free graduated from Bastyr University in 2005 as a Naturopathic Physician. She is a member of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians and a member of the American Academy of Cannabinoid Physicians. She sees patients in her private practice in Shoreline for comprehensive health and cannabinoid medicine education. For more info visit www.drkimberlyfree.com www.cannabinoidmedicine.info

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MARIJUANA NEWS

GONE DADDY’S MEDICATED MEDIA REVIEWS WRITTEN BY GONE DADDY

My goal at Gone Daddy’s Medicated Media Reviews is not to keep you abreast of what is newest or hottest on the charts. I’m not interested in box office numbers or Oscar buzz. These reviews are based on a set of criteria specific to cannabis culture. In short, will this film be enjoyable while I’m high, and why? I will be combing through the decades to give you the dry-eyed view of both obvious classics and some lesserknown alternatives to expand your library. With any luck, we can make being housebound and high the most enjoyable part of your day!

THE SECOND COMING OF LED ZEPPELIN

DEAD ON BEAUTY

We’re going with classic stoner rock of the 70’s this go round and Led Zeppelin II is a perfect example. Few records have endured within our culture like this one. It’s heavy. It’s bluesy. It’s dripping with sexuality, and its simply a great rock record. Jimmy Page hits you right off the bat with a heavy, infectious riff before being joined by the voice of the incomparable Robert Plant on “Whole Lotta Love,” the album’s opener, progressing into the realm of dirty blues with “The Lemon Song.” By the time “Living Loving Maid” arrives you should be sufficiently high, but don’t worry, the next track is familiar territory. Sit back and let your mind “Ramble On” for a while before the band gets a bit funky. “Moby Dick” isn’t just a great funky blues song though, with a huge dose of John Bonham and an intense drum solo that spans the entire second half of the track. Now that your mind has been blown to pieces by the god of thunder drums, its time to relax with the classic blues style of the “Bring it on Home” intro, but don’t get too comfortable, because they truly do bring it home with one last explosion of blues rock, the likes of which only Zep can provide. This is a Saturday afternoon “turn it up loud and piss off your neighbors” record. If you can’t get away with the noise, then get yourself a decent set of headphones, because this has got to be played loud to be fully appreciated. So, draw the curtains, light some incense, put on your favorite concert t-shirt, and plop down on the nearest beanbag chair/papasan/ sofa you can find. It’s time to get the Led out.

On the lighter, more flower-powered end of 70’s stoner rock you’ll find the Grateful Dead’s American Beauty. This legendary jam band has long been associated with pot counterculture and this album is a highwater mark for the genre. With a blend of blues, bluegrass, folk, rock, and even a touch of country, American Beauty lives up to its name. Its a stoner-friendly rock and roll salute to American music roots while conveying the spirit of the love generation through the lyrics. If you’re already a Deadhead, then you’ll recognize the strum along intro to “Box of Rain” right away. If not, welcome to one of the most comforting songs you will ever hear. Next we saddle up for a run from responsibility with “Friend of the Devil” and take a quick trip South with “Sugar Magnolia”. Get hung up with “Operator,” and get up to no good with the “Candyman.” Let the twangy sounds “Ripple” through your mind on our way to that “Brokedown Palace” where we can chill out “Till the Morning Comes.” Finally, enjoy a drift through “cloudy dreams unreal” in “Attics of My Life” before you get “Truckin’” to the next adventure. I grew up listening to the Dead, and this record especially so. My old man introduced me to The Dead as a kid, and as an adult I’ve found a whole new appreciation for them. American Beauty is a great record to listen to when you’re sharing a joint and fond memories, or it can be a perfect pick-me-up when you’re feeling down and out. So get out your tie dye and lava lamp, break out the good shit and invite an old friend or family member to come hang and talk about old times. Once that record starts spinning, the world seems to pause, and because this album isn’t as “jam” heavy as other more improvised recordings from The Grateful Dead, American Beauty is a great introductory album for newcomers. Heck! Even country boys tend to like this one.

Featured track: “Moby Dick”

Standout track: “Box of Rain” 46

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MARIJUANA NEWS HALF BAKED, COMPLETELY GOOFY

ENGLISH GRACE

Every so often a film comes around that is so silly, so farfetched, so dumb that it becomes a comedy classic in spite of itself. Half Baked is one of these films. In the grand tradition of stoner comedy you’ll be treated to an unlikely silly plot perpetrated by underachieving potheads thanks largely to luck and the bumbling villains/law enforcement. Thurgood Jenkins is an unassuming janitor at a research facility, and he and his roommates Scarface, Brian, and Kenny (a kindergarten teacher) settle in for their evening toke ritual when they decide that it’s Kenny’s turn to go out for munchies. A classic scene in the film, all goes well until he decides to feed a police horse tethered to a lamppost. Unbeknownst to Kenny, the horse is diabetic and as a result, dies from his snack, landing Kenny in prison for cop killing with a bail set at a million. While the roommates try to figure out how to raise the bail money, Thurgood learns that they are testing medical marijuana in the building he cleans via a lazy and generous scientist who kicks down a sample. One taste and its clear this herb is the answer to their fundraising problems. The plot thickens as Thurgood has to pretend to be anti-weed for his new girlfriend Mary Jane, and the entire operation is discovered, first by a local notorious drug dealer and then by the cops. This film is definitely not academy award material, but it was never intended to be. This is a goofy, laugh-at-the-stupid chuckle fest that the twenty-something crowd is more likely to identify with, but even a seasoned old hippie will dig. Besides, Willie Nelson is in it.

I am a Craig Ferguson fan and Saving Grace is definitely a Ferguson joint. It’s a dry, witty British take on the fundraising stoner movie genre with a little bit of class. Matthew is a mediocre landscaper who works for a recently widowed super-gardener named Grace. They live in an extremely picturesque coastal town where Grace’s house is a prized estate. Jobless Grace discovers that her late husband has squandered their wealth and put up the house as collateral in a failed business venture. She is desperate to keep her home. Meanwhile, Matthew is failing to grow his own stash because of poor English growing conditions. Desperate as well, he calls on Grace’s gardening expertise to rescue his grow, and after saving his plants, Grace talks Matthew into a large scale cultivation to raise the funds to save the house and pay his wages. Of course, there are bumps in the road. How do two small town newbies move 20 kilos in the city? How do they hide a grow that lights up the whole town at night? Can Grace keep Matthew out of trouble while his pregnant girlfriend fears he’ll get busted? Things continue to spiral out of control when a scummy French crime boss, nosy townsfolk, a quack of a doctor, and a hippie pot dealer known only as “beardy weirdy” come together via the mistress of Grace’s late husband. The whole endeavor goes to “pot” when an overzealous salmon poaching-obsessed police officer calls in reinforcements. Feel free to enjoy this twice in order to pick up all those subtle jokes through the thick accents, but don’t let this or the awful music during the opening and closing credits sway your opinion of an otherwise unique and entertaining “puff” piece.

Standout performance: The guy on the couch

Standout performance: Tea drinking old ladies

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GROW

FRANK’S GIFT A Strain with a Story Frank’s Gift THC: 9% CBD: 24.6% Tested by: OG Analytical & Cascadia Labs By Simone Fischer Photos by Frank Leeds Photography

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GROW

Every month I receive the honor of writing strain reviews, one of the best perks of the job! October is Dope’s official health issue, and I wanted something special, beyond CBD percentages. I was informed of a lead, involving a strain that was created to help a patient beat cancer. The Micro Growers Guild based out of Eugene, Oregon created the strain “Frank’s Gift” which is now available to the public. This strain tests in at over 26% CBD, arguably one of the highest percentages on the west coast. What ultimately caught my interest was Frank himself. Grower Adam Jacques who befriended Frank Leeds over ten years ago. The cancer first appeared after an initial doctors visit about tooth pain, which was ultimately caused by stage-four squamous cell carcinoma in his throat. Frank immediately started radiation treatment before he ever considered cannabis usage. Grower and close friend Jacques, suggested cannabis oil therapy in conjunction with the hospital treatment. Frank’s cancer resided in his mouth and throat, which nixed the idea of smoking any cannabis. He was encouraged to try alternative cannabis options such as tinctures or oils. Frank’s biggest issue, as with many patients, is how to medicate enough to fight the cancer, without being loopy 24/7. Cannabis with high percentages of CBD medicates patients adequately, without some of the strong psy-

choactive effects cannabis is known for. Jacques began working like a mad man to breed a strain that yielded those high CBD percentages, and fifty strains later Jacques did finally breed a plant that produced sky high test results, at an astonishing 24.6%. “Frank’s Gift” was tested eight times by OG Analytical to absolutely verify those numbers, which stayed true. I was shown test results from Cascadia Labs, which also confirmed the CBD percentages. Unfortunately, as Jacques realized the strain’s success, Frank’s recent biopsy tested in as malignant, confirming his cancer had returned. Jacques named the strain after Frank Leeds, personifying his gift that will hopefully put his cancer back in remission. Frank’s Gift was derived from Cannatonic X Silver Haze X Skunk #1, “the classics” as Jacques would describe it. After speaking with Frank personally via interview, his spirit was strong and hopeful. He is currently on cannabis oil therapy using his very own strain. Jacques and Frank decided to make this strain public, both in the form of flower and FECO, because they know a vast number of sick patients who could benefit from this wonderful strain specifically. Frank and the rest of the Micro Growers Guild have our complete support in their mission to save Frank, and many other patients young and old.

“‘Frank’s Gift’ was tested eight times by OG Analytical to absolutely verify those number which stayed true.”

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MARIJUANA NEWS

The

Times

October 2014 Edition

by Michael Condon Jr

POT AROUND THE WORLD

Anti-Pot Crusaders are Terrorists ISIS, or ISIL depending on who you ask, released a video in September showing their brand of freedom fighters burning down a marijuana field in North Syria. The video was posted on YouTube, a known terrorist haven, and shows the religious extremists denouncing drug usage as they chop down and burn the crops. Masked ISIS turds scared away the farm owner and operator by claiming it’s against Islamic

law (doubtful) to take drugs. No word so far on ISIS’s opinion on caffeine but judging by their actions in the video, they have too much energy and far too much time on their hands as they’ve banned cigarettes, alcohol and other various drugs in the areas they control. Kevin Sabet and Patrick Kennedy have a lot in common with terrorist cells it appears.

Wisconsin Police Chief Calls for Legalization While many law enforcement agents have joined the effort to legalize cannabis, calling it a waste of police resources (which it so obviously is.), it’s something else when it comes from a major Police Chief in the Midwest, especially Wisconsin. From Madison.com “Madison Police Chief Mike Koval endorsed the legalization of marijuana last week, saying the drug should be

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regulated and taxed, with revenues used to fund treatment programs for harder drugs.” Chief Koval isn’t alone in believing there are more important things to worry about than people toking up, Old Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper is an active and outspoken leader of the organization L.E.A.P. which stands for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.


MARIJUANA NEWS

10/20 the New 4/20 in Philly Well Philadelphia “Flyers” can now breathe a bit easier in the fair city of the Liberty Bell. The city is not only always sunny, but on October 20th of this year the city will decriminalize up to 30 grams of cannabis for personal use. Mayor Michael Nutter declared that he will sign the City Council approved decriminalization on that fair, fair Monday in October. Those caught with marijuana will now be fined $25 instead of arrested and fined $500. The Mayor stresses this is not legalization… but it’s a positive step in the right direction.

Australia PM Pro MMJ

The Australian Prime Minister, that Americans know and love, Tony Abbot has come out in support of a recent proposal to legalize medical cannabis in Australia’s largest and most populous state, New South Wales. Abbot scribed in an upbeat letter, “I have no problem with the medical use of cannabis, just as I have no problem with the medical use of opiates…I was under the impression that the personal use of cannabis was no longer an offence in NSW. If a drug is needed for a valid medicinal purpose however, and is being administered safely, there should be no question of its legality. If a drug that is proven to be safe abroad is needed here, it should be available.”

New Study Suggests Marijuana May Prevent Domestic Violence Yet another reason for the NFL to allow their players to use pot. A recently published study from the journal Psychology and Addictive Behaviors showed couples that use cannabis don’t beat each other up. Go figure. Analysts from Yale, Rutgers and the University of Buffalo studied 600 couples to find out if cannabis use was predictive of domestic violence, also known as intimate partner violence (IPV). Turns out those relationships were less physically violent as opposed to alcohol consuming couples in which the IPV rate is much higher. Authors of the study determined that “marijuana usage days did not increase the odds of any type of aggression,” while “On any alcohol usage days, particularly heavy usage days (five or more standard drinks) the odds of physical and sexual aggression perpetration increased.” Tell us again why alcohol is legal and cannabis isn’t…It’s getting harder and harder to understand.

School Suspends Girl for Marijuana References A girl in a Missouri school district was suspended for “possession of a controlled substance” without ever being caught in possession of a controlled substance. The peculiar case involves the girl’s lost notebook journal, which contained references to her past marijuana use, which was in turn found by school administrators. The girl had never been in any sort of scholastic trouble prior to this incident, or non-incident. The girl has been suspended for a whole seven months (!) because she wrote the word “marijuana” in her private, personal journal. So much for freedom of speech, I guess.

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ROAD TRIP

WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHED BY SHARON LETTS

Cannabis Farmers Markets in California Nor Cal comes out of the closet, while So Cal gets driven back in

Ever since the first farmer piled pounds of potatoes onto a cart and pushed it into town, food has been brought to market. America was fed from 10 acre “truck farms”, as a local farmer could raise enough food to feed his family and offered up the rest. Sustenance, seeds, and stories were shared, as the country grew. When industrialized farming began in California’s central valley, newly crafted agricultural regulations prohibited the small farmer from selling his crops anywhere but in a retail store. In the summer of 1977 a surplus of peaches were left to rot for lack of distribution options, prompting farmers to protest. Then Governor Jerry Brown relaxed the guidelines,

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allowing farmers to sell their produce at specially arranged markets. The first market was in the Los Angeles suburb of Gardena and was so successful the Mayor of the coastal town Santa Monica sanctioned another, in an effort to boost the community’s economy, and the modern Farmer’s Markets we see today - comprising more than 8,000 across the country - were born, putting a face on the farmers who grow our food and giving us a connection back to the land. MEDICINAL FARMERS With the same inspiration that began traditional farmers markets,


ROAD TRIP Photographers caught young women serving up bud in bikinis, rather than focusing on the fifty-something woman with the jars of salve in front of her, ready to take your pain away completely. SO CAL’S MARKET FAIL Los Angeles’ first attempt at the market in its Boyle Heights neighborhood, an industrial suburb of the city, was a huge success, although it shut down after its second opening a week later, with city officials sighting newly voted in “Measure D” not allowing for “multiple vendors” selling under one roof. Curious, as that is the exact model used in dispensaries throughout the city – many vendors and many products, all coming together under one roof for good medicine and healing. The thought process on the preliminary injunction, then subsequent ruling given by the Superior Court of Los Angeles prohibiting the market from re-opening, makes this Nor Cal patient wonder about the health of cannabis in her home region of So Cal, as well as the serious lack of education regarding good medicine within the confines of politics there. OB Gold is co-founder of Medi-Fresh, a humidification and storage system distributor based in Southern California. Gold said he stood behind what seemed like seventy or so people waiting to get in at the LA market, and was saddened at its demise. “It’s sad, and a symbol of the completely broken cannabis distribution system in Southern California,” he said. With Los Angeles County’s hundreds of dispensaries lining its streets (documented and otherwise), it seems silly to shut down the one place where you can actually put a face on the people who cultivate and make our medicine. The larger travesty is limiting another true safe access point for good medicine straight from the source, and more competitively priced than retail dispensaries. While Los Angeles’ market organizers remain hopeful to relocate its event to a friendlier local venue, the folks in Northern California are untraditionally coming out of the closet, and setting up their own tables full of goodness, with great success.

Washington state cannabis farmers decided to set up tables on the heels of legalization, offering up bud straight from the grow - when a surprising thing happened - good medicine came out of the closet. A successful Cannabis farmers market is a place where real medicine and, more importantly, real medicine makers can sit at a table and share important information on healing with the plant; information that, up until recent years, was stifled under the veil of prohibition. Legalization makes the sharing possible, but the misconception is the markets are just another place for stoners to get stoned. You can see this in the national coverage of the first ever Cannabis Farmers Market in Los Angeles.

NOR CAL GETS ORGANIZED With the sting of failed Proposition 19 now subsiding in California, it is rumored legalization is on the horizon once again, with a hopeful nod to 2016 in the Golden State, now turning a lovely shade of green. Growers and others supporting the ancillary business of the industry of Mendocino, Humboldt, and Trinity counties, comprise what has long been referred to as “The Emerald Triangle”. They are hopeful for a future of freedoms to grow, medicate, and heal as they please. Longtime Cultivator Tim Blake is proprietor of “Area 101.” One hundred and fifty acres of a self-proclaimed spiritual healing sanctuary, open to all religions, cultures and views sits just off Highway 101 in Mendocino County in the heart of the redwoods. The event location and newly designated dispensary has its own kitchen, indoor event area, and an outdoor stage flanked by a circular lawn where vendors can set up their wares. Former location of the infamous “Emerald Cup” competition, Area 101 proved a welcoming spot for Mendocino’s “Healing Harvest Farmers Market,” with its first market held this past August. HISTORY & HEALING IN THE HILLS The Emerald Triangle’s history of Cannabis is also the history of hybridization of cannabis in America, and the growers and

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ROAD TRIP medicine makers involved are serious about what they do – right down to the science of the plant. A chat with a Humboldt healer is a precious gift, indeed - for up until just a few short years ago, they were locked in their own closet, and rightly so. America’s failed “War on Drugs” took the plant off the list of botanical medicinal plants and put it right alongside heroin, instilling fear where healing used to be. This is in stark contrast to vendors at Nor Cal’s first market, with family members lined up behind tables of flower, sporting brand names such as “3rd Gen Family of California” or the brilliantly named, “Humboldt Oil Cartel” pitching pride and irony in the face of politics. While there was plenty of bud presented at the Nor Cal market, and a good amount of wax and dabber stations set up, there were also real organic farmers at the table, offering up the area’s finest in produce and other locally crafted items right next to good medicine in all shapes and forms. TRUE HARVEST CELEBRATION Husband and wife farmers Casey and Courtney of Happy Day CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) brought their apple press, and baskets of apples fresh from the tree, offering refreshing apple juice beside produce from their farm for donation. The couple’s newsletter welcomed harvest time and provided recipes and blessings for the season ahead. For the first time in ever in this historic and illicit agricultural region, legitimate jars of jam share space with long covert medicated tinctures and salves. Its a gift, being able to speak to the makers – who often have decades of experience in strain management, a bevy of recipes, coveted dosing information, and are ready to educate and enlighten. Past hybridizer Lawrence Ringo may be tending other gardens now, but his high CBD strains were represented by longtime partner Kathleen Hart, via bottles under the umbrella of the “Lost Coast Botanical Cooperative,” with seeds provided by “SoHum Seeds,” bottled by the “Statewide Collective.” One bottle of oil labeled at 15% CBD from Cannabis (not Hemp) is a great find for those wanting healing without the psychoactive effects of THC. SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS Husband and wife team Rosebud and Scott of Emerald Heart Farms are known for their “Veganic Sun-Grown Medicine,” with Rosebud offering up medicated raw ginger snaps in the shape of hearts and information on healing by the handful. It’s a bodacious, joyful happening” Rosebud exudes, “ It’s a place where patients join together in elated conversations revolving around sustainable practices, biodiversity, rich cannabinoid profiles, the entourage effect, the Endocannabinoid system, terpenes, and every topic on plant biochemistry.” With the private life of the plant in the past, Rosebud said they come to the market in a “dance of trust and gratitude,” echoing back to the days of discretion when those in the know had to draw a leaf in the loamy soil as a connection to the Emerald Triangle. Today, all they need to do is bring a table, a chair, and the knowledge from the years of work they were formerly persecuted for. “Every whiff of sweet, clean mountain air is infused with the uplifting scent of kindness, and the loving intentions that abound at this long awaited for community celebration!” Rosebud surmised. “Where food is medicine and medicine is food.”

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Accept Bankcards at Marijuana Dispensaries NO COST Payment Processing Regardless of volume or number of transactions

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Accept Visa and MasterCard in Store

We offer marijuana dispensaries a legitimate credit card processing solution. Our processing enables medical marijuana dispensaries to accept card payments much like traditional swiped card transactions. This program has no processing fees to the merchant, which is a huge savings compared to the traditional 5% rate. Additionally, it is the only legitimate and above board processing solution. Merchants can avoid handling large sums of cash and expensive ATM Machines by having their funds deposited into their account within 3 business days thru the Federal Reserve banking system. As opposed to traditional credit card processing, your account will never be at risk of shut off and your funds will never be frozen. Mazuma Merchant Services sales@mazumams.com www.mazumams.com 800-979-3257 “The leader in marijuana payment processing�


HEALTH

THE WEED BUCKET CHALLENGE IS CANNABIS A POTENTIAL TREATMENT FOR ALS? Written By Heath Laslo

"Cannabis is both an anti-oxidant and a neuroprotectant, as documented in the federal government's patent 6,630,507 on cannabis."

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HEALTH By now most have been inundated on social media with videos of people dumping buckets of ice water over their heads, otherwise knows as the “Ice Bucket Challenge”. Started by the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association back in July, the challenge dares nominated participants to be filmed having a bucket of ice water poured on their heads and then nominating others to do the same. A common stipulation is that nominated participants have 24 hours to comply or forfeit by way of a charitable financial donation to support ALS research. Ice Bucket Challenge went viral on social media sites in early August and donations have skyrocketed ever since to currently over $100 million dollars. To put this into perspective, the ALS Association has received $94.3 million in donations compared to $2.7 million during the same time period last year (July 29 to August 27). The majority of these donations came from 2.1 million new donors with help from celebrities, politicians, and thousands of participants from across the country. One of my favorite “challenges” came from a rapper by the name of B-Real from Cypress Hill, a well-known cannabis advocate. “I know we’re going through a drought with water and all that stuff, so we’re going to do it a little different, but I accept the challenge,” B-Real says in a video posted recently on YouTube, just before a large bucket of cannabis is dumped over his head. “Snoop Dogg, Willie Nelson, Woody Harrelson, you’ve got 24 hours to accept,” B-Real says at the end of the video, challenging three other‬ well known pro-cannabis celebrities. While the widely successful Ice Bucket Challenge continues to raise awareness and money for research, the majority of Americans remain unaware of the potential benefits of medical cannabis in ALS. What is ALS? ALS or more commonly known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease” in the US, and “Motor Neuron Disease” in Europe, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that attacks the neurons responsible for voluntary and involuntary muscle control throughout the body. Based on U.S. population studies, over 5,600 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS each year. (That’s 15 new cases a day.) It is estimated that as many as 30,000 Americans have ALS at any given time. Most patients that are diagnosed with ALS have rapid disease progression of muscle weakness eventually leading to paralysis and death (3-5 years) after the initial diagnosis. As ALS progresses, patients literally become trapped within their own bodies, due to loss of lower and upper bodily functions, while cognitive

functions remain intact. There are a number of patients that have defied the odds and have lived considerably longer than 5 years. The famous theoretical physicist Steven Hawkins has lived with ALS for 30 years now, although I doubt he would attribute his longevity to cannabis. There is one patient by the name of Catherine Jordan that has used cannabis to beat her ALS and has become quite the patient advocate for the deadly disease. Ms. Jordan was diagnosed with ALS in 1986 and was told by her Neurologist that she had approximately five years to live. She began using medicinal cannabis in 1989, which she credits with halting the progression of the disease. Ms. Jordan successfully stopped the disease from ravaging her body utilizing cannabis. Ms. Jordan is now recognized by the ALS Association as one of the longest living ALS patients. So how could cannabis benefit ALS patients? Cannabis is both an anti-oxidant and a neuroprotectant, as documented in the federal government’s patent 6,630,507 on cannabis. In the case of ALS, this is critically important because the neuroprotectant and anti-oxidant properties of cannabis may help slow the progression of the disease by protecting the motor neurons the disease attacks and kills (Gregory T. Carter 201). The anti-oxidant properties of cannabis help reduce the oxidative stress at a cellular level that contributes to cell death. From a disease symptom management perspective, cannabis can provide great relief for ALS patients. Symptoms of ALS patients and caregivers have to manage include; pain, involuntary muscle spasms, wasting, shortness of breath, drooling, and depression to name a few. A regimen of at least 7-8 different pharmaceutical medications would be required to make the patient comfortable and that could possibly be replaced by, or augmented with one drug, cannabis. Dr. Gary Carter, a Physical Medicine and Rehab physician at St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute in Spokane Washington, has been an outspoken proponent of medical cannabis use in ALS. In Portland Oregon earlier this year at the 2014 Eighth National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics - sponsored by Patients Out of Time and the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. Dr. Carter addressed the use of cannabinoids for the treatment of ALS and other neurodegenerative disorders. He says, “We know more about cannabis than 95% of all other medicines. Cannabis is custom made to treat ALS”. Dr. Carter is an expert in treating neuromuscular disorders and has seen many ALS patients benefit from the use of cannabis.

B-Real in the Weed BUcket Challenge

PHOTO BY ALLIE BECKETT

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PATIENT OF THE MONTH

Football, Cannabis & Healing

One young athlete’s story WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHED BY SHARON LETTS

Twenty-five year old former California State University football player “Joe” (pseudonym) has been playing sports since he could stand upright. Everything in his life that’s good he can pretty much relate back to a physical activity on a field – first soccer, where he says he gained “footwork skills,” then basketball, and finally football by his sophomore year of high school. “It’s just in my blood to do sports,” he explained from his home located in the Bay area of California. “Soccer was one of the best experiences in my life, because it conditioned me as a child for team sports. Then basketball took over my life and helped me transition to football more easily – football was a natural sport for me to play next.” The love of the game – any game – is often waxed poetically right down to the scent of the field, but the injuries sustained come fast, hard, and at a price, leaving most players at a loss for words at the end of the day, let alone an idea of what to do with the rest of their lives. SPORTS = INJURIES During Joe’s junior year of high school he tore his ACL in his knee, and it was the beginning of football season, so his doctor prescribed Vicodin to the 16 year-old athlete. “I thought my life in sports was over for me,” he said. “The injury had a negative effect on me physically and psychologically and I started slacking in my school work, I was depressed a lot – and worried about my future. Playing sports was all I knew…it was my life.” ACL, or “Anterior Cruciate Ligament” injuries, where the tissue surrounding the knee or elbow is sprained or torn, are common among athletes and more common young athletes who often play year round in competitive sports with little downtime between sprains and tears. According to the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, football and soccer are at the top of the list for ACL injury, with nearly 150,000 occurring each year at a cost of more than $500 million in health care alone. A paper published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) (April, 2014) reports that over the past 20 years more children have participated in competitive sports, making them more susceptible to injury. Pre-teens, they say, are especially subject as they enter into puberty, growing taller and heavier, increasing the risk of an ACL injury. The paper goes on to say that these tears can be long-lasting, with athletes being forced to leave a beloved sport or continue in pain – albeit heavily medicated – sometimes causing depression, thoughts of suicide, or poor performance in academics. HERE, SMOKE THIS. It was during this time, facing a possible end to his young athletic life, when Joe said a friend offered him a bowl. “My buddy was smoking out of a pipe – that was my first time seeing cannabis.” Joe said. “He asked me if I wanted to try, so I did. About this same time I had stopped taking my pain meds, as they made me feel worse. The day after I smoked I went to school and noticed I didn’t have the same pain in my knee that was always there. I didn’t think anything of it until I tried the cannabis again a few days later, and had the same results.” Due to the America’s stunted drug policy surrounding its failed “War on Drugs,” the Federal Drug Administration’s (FDA) hands are tied by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) placement of the herb as Schedule 1, alongside Heroin. With Colorado’s hefty mid-year profit margin in 2014 topping more than 250 million dollars, 9.5 million is said to be earmarked for trials, but a short history of cannabis abroad and at home tells another story entirely. KNOWLEDGE

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PATIENT OF THE MONTH

In 1964 Israeli Professor of Chemistry and Medicine Raphael Mechoulam isolated THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive ingredient in the plant. By 1973 they realized its potential in reducing tumors in lab rats. In 1974 the U.S. Government responded by hiring California physician, Dr. Todd Mikuriya to discredit the findings. He could not, and spent the rest of his life advocating for the plant, co-authoring what would become the country’s first legislation on cannabis as medicine in 1996 with Prop. 215, making California the first medically legal state in the union. Knowing the fruits of Israel’s findings via America’s response, it’s safe to say we can sight studies from the progressive county with confidence. Regarding pain, in a study published by the Journal of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy, a team of Israeli physicians noted, “A significant 45 percent reduction in pain intensity was noted 20 minutes post inhalation [of cannabis], turning back to baseline within 90 minutes. Tolerable lightheadedness lasting 15-30 minutes requiring no intervention was the only reported adverse event.” Though most studies are done using inhaled or vaporized cannabis from flower, there are many anecdotal accounts of patients ingesting the plant in a wide array of forms – tinctures, oil, etc. – proactively keep the inflammation and pain at bay. SELF-MEDICATING, KNOWINGLY Joe added to his injuries with a slipped disk, then a car accident was combined with the prior injury, and he was forced to leave football for good, college or otherwise. “I have bad back pain all the time now,” he shared. “I tried physical therapy, prescription pain meds – anything you can think of – but nothing works consistently like cannabis. Smoking helps immediately, but I just started using a medicated salve on my back and knee every day, and I ingest a tincture at night to keep the medicine in my system – that way I don’t wake up stiff and in pain.” A Psychology major at his university, Joe was realizing the damage being done to his young brain through years of competitive field sports, and it wasn’t pretty. “Football head injuries, or Hippocampus injuries, are the most important factor when it comes to the sport,” he said. “It’s downplayed to the point that the NFL isn’t doing much on prevention. If this part of the brain is struck too often on the field, players can suffer chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is common in contact sports. This is bad for the future of football and sports in general, as the number of players getting injured each year is rising.” PRO-SPORTS, PRO-PAIN, PRO-DEPRESSION In April of 2014 ESPN reported Pro Football Hall of Famers Tony Dorsett, Joe DeLamielleure, and former NFL All-Pro player Leonard Marshall all had been diagnosed as having signs of CTE, after undergoing brain scans and clinical evaluations at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) during a three month process. According to the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology, CTE has been on the radar of boxing enthusiasts for decades. Originally termed, “demential puglistica,” it is associated with memory disturbances, coupled with behavioral and personality changes, leading to depression and thoughts of suicide.

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PATIENT OF THE MONTH Fifty-nine year old former Cowboys running back, Dorsett, said he must constantly “remind himself of where he is, where he is going”, and has difficulty remembering the most familiar parts of his life, such as where his daughters practice soccer and volleyball. As quoted in the ESPN article, Dorsett, who has been diagnosed as clinically depressed, said of the outbursts his family must endure, “It’s painful, man, for my daughters to say they’re scared of me.” HARVARD STEPS UP TO THE YARD LINE In June of 2014 Dr. Lester Grinspoon, Assoc. Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and longtime advocate of cannabis as medicine, sent an open letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell urging the league to stop testing its players for cannabis use, stating it’s benefits.

hope for the future with advocacy such as Dr. Grinspoon’s. “I think Dr. Grinspoon’s letter was right on point,” he said. “He definitely explains how the skull works as far as doing its job protecting the brain to its best ability , but injury can’t be fully prevented with the equipment being provided to players now.” The plot continues to thicken, as on the heels of Prop. 215, established in California in 1996, as a team of physicians from the neuropharmacology, neurosciences, and pharmacology specialties began doing research assigned by the U.S. Government, represented by the Department of Health. By 2003 their work prompted the government to attain Patent No. 6,630,507 B1 with the following abstract: “Cannabinoids have been found to have antioxidant properties, unrelated to NMDA

SELF-MEDICATED OR JUST STONED? This month’s cover features Arizona Cardinal’s linebacker Daryl Washington and his extreme one year suspension from the game for using cannabis. Joe thinks it’s a sad day for organized sports, and a step back for good medicine. “You don’t get to hear Washington’s side of the story.” Joe said, emphatically. “The outcome is biased because the league is speaking for him like he’s done something wrong, saying ‘he’ll get the help he needs.’ What does that even mean?” Speculators say Washington will stop smoking cannabis and get his life back on track. Those in the know understand, that whether Washington realizes it or not, he’s doing his body a favor by using cannabis, even if he’s only smoking it.

“As a player and a lifetime athlete, I know it. Cannabis is the only medicine I’ve found that works - but it’s frowned upon by society out of ignorance. If people do the research, despite what our government says, they will see the truth and how this plant is a really positive thing in people’s lives that have the courage to use it.” “I am becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the growing specter that many of these athletes will pay the price of developing Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) to a greater or lesser extent as they grow older,” he states. “The skull is nature’s way of protecting this most important organ, the brain.” Grinspoon goes on to explain how, over the past two decades, the “interest, knowledge and use of marijuana has grown exponentially.” He shares how “cannabinopathic medicine” is neuro-protective and free of toxicity, with the cannabinoid (CBD), having non-psychoactive, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant properties. He goes on to list the challenges of funding for research in the U.S. and the politics involved, urging Goodell and the NFL to decrease the instance of CTE by using its “deep pockets” to fund a “crash research program” in order to determine the right combination of CBDs to THC needed to protect its players. Joe agrees with the good doctor and sees

receptor antagonism. This new-found property makes cannabinoids useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of wide variety of oxidation associated diseases, such as ischemic, age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limited neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and IIIV dementia. Nonpsychoactive cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol, are particularly advantageous to use because they avoid toxicity that is encountered with psychoactive cannabinoids at high doses useful in the method of the present invention. A particular disclosed class of cannabinoids useful as neuroprotective antioxidants is formula (I) wherein the R group is independently selected from the group consisting of H², CH³, COCH³.”*

*(Link: www.rm3.us/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/US6630507-Hampson-USDHHS-Antioxidants.pdf)

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“Really, Washington’s going to get his life back on track?” Joe questions the messenger. “He’s self-medicating. As a player and a lifetime athlete, I know it. Cannabis is the only medicine I’ve found that works, but it’s frowned upon by society out of ignorance. If people do the research, despite what our government says, they will see the truth, and how this plant is a really positive thing in people’s lives that have the courage to use it. I know I’ll never take another Vicodin again, that’s for sure.” While Dr. Grinspoon waits for a response to his letter, and the NFL decides to either wait for someone else to do the studies or tackle it themselves, Colorado is the only one crossing the field line on this play. Players will continue to self-medicate – even if they don’t fully understand the benefits – because humans and the plant prevail, one play at a time toward the finish line.


presented by

DECEMBER 13, 2014 THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY’S BIGGEST NIGHT Nominations Begin October 6 at WWW.DOPEMAGAZINEONLINE.COM supporting sponsor


CONCENTRATE OF THE MONTH

Pennywise CBD Oil

Produced by Geek Mike from Geek Farms

WRITTEN BY SIMONE FISCHER PHOTO BY TONY THEPKAYSONE

GENETICS

LOOKS

SMELL

FLAVOR

EFFECTS

Harlequin crossed with Jack the Ripper

The viscosity of the Pennywise resembles more of a honey oil or “holy oil”. Most people expect their concentrates to be stable like a shatter or wax, but CBD oil tends to look like a thick maple syrup, with a beautiful amber color, clear of any impurities.

When I opened the glass jar, I got a whiff of strong terpenes. It wasn’t over powering in smell, but it held its own.

After my first initial dab, it tasted like I had popped a cherry throat lozenge into the back of my throat, mixed with a calming, whiskeylike burn. The active cannabinoid, cannabidiol (aka CBD), often leaves the oil tasting like cherries, which isn’t unusual. Blowing out the smoke I was left with a peppermint like tingle on my tongue.

CBD products have been known to help conditions like MS, epilepsy, PTSD and various neurological disorders (ProjectCBD.com). However, after my first dab, I wasn’t stoned, but the relaxing body high made up for that. If you are trying to seek relief from pain without putting yourself in a coma, I sincerely suggest you try out Geek Mike’s Pennywise oil. I truly enjoyed CBD dabs, as the taste is terpy and delectable, especially if you are a fan of cherries!

CANNABINOID CONTENT THC: 37% CBD: 34% CBC: 3% CBG: 2% Tested by 3D Analytical

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Reed College

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190th Ave

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Portland Community College


EVENTS

International Cannabis Business Conference The International Cannabis Business Conference was a great example of just how far the Cannabis Industry has come, and ever since the last conference thrown by this group in Ashland, OR last January it has done nothing but improve. With over 800 tickets sold, there was an eclectic mix of everyone, young and old, business suits mixed in with the purple hair, buzz cuts and gauged ears. This plant never fails to bring us all together. The exhibitors were exciting and over twenty were present, from real-estate agents helping entrepreneurs find their compliant locations, to security firm Canna-Guard who provides security for the industry. MMJ Freeway represented their seed to sale tracking system, with representatives on hand to do software demos, and Viridian Sciences

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stepped up their game as well with a booth. Manufactures of concentrates, such as The CO2 Company, impressed the morning crowds along with local favorite, Voodoo Doughnuts. The CO2 Company also sponsored the special VIP Lunch with Ed Rosenthal giving a grow presentation, and a comedy show followed by Ngaio Bellum. Many other sponsors offered up a beautifully plated VIP Lunch with Andrew Sullivan, and topping it off, an after-party on Saturday night featuring Rocker T. The speakers were the highlight by far, and though too numerous to mention them all some of my favorites started with Andrew Sullivan who is the author of the well known blog, The Dish, and was one of the featured keynote speakers. He spoke of cannabis as medicine


EVENTS

WRITTEN BY LINDSEY RINEHART PHOTOS BY MATT EMRICH

and the current political climate surrounding cannabis. There were local Canna-Hero politicians present as well to update us on cannabis politics such as Earl Blumenauer and Floyd Prozanski. Don Duncan stood in for Troy Dayton speaking of the current opportunities of the industry and did a fantastic job! The Wild West Gets Regulated panel was a crowd favorite on Saturday, and Anthony Johnson was the moderator of representatives from OR, WA, CO, and OR as they discussed this heated topic. On Sunday the panel Advanced Cannabis Business was the highlight of the day, and later raved about as most inspirational and informative panel, included Amber Senter, Debby Goldsberry, and Diane Fornbacher. There were many unique exhibitors that deserve a mention as well,

like crowd favorite, Certified Kind, whose brochure describes them as “an alternative to USDA Organic Certification� . COMP- A Cannabis Online Marketing Platform was represented, as was Green Broz Inc. who boasts a trimmer that can quietly process up to two pounds of dry flower per hour. Single Seed Payments who provides rare merchant services to the cannabis industry, was obviously a popular booth consistently drawing a crowd. This successful conference certainly proved once again that the future of cannabis business is being born within events like these. I am inspired and excited to witness what will unfold as this industry continues to mature and evolve.

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