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inside
contents 7.2019
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EXTRAVAGANT ENDEAVORS Grammy Award-winning rapper 2 Chainz confidently expresses the highest entrepreneurial passion for his line of cannabis products. ON THE COVER:
PHOTO BY JOHN RICARD
features 30
Embracing Change These top four concentrate-related buzzwords show that the culture of 710 is evolving.
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Health and Happiness Find inspiration in the story of River, a brave young girl who has found miraculous relief with medical cannabis.
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The More You Know Educate yourself about the complex world of concentrates with this selection of unique extractthemed books.
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Industry Insider Susan Hwang’s impact on the industry might just change how people shop for cannabis.
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Luminous Visuals As winner of this year’s 2019 High Art contest, Nick Sullo’s ’90s and cyberpunk-inspiration reveals stunning and creative works of art.
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departments
news 12 By the Numbers 14 Healthy Living 16 News Nuggets 17 Local News reviews 18 Cool Stuff 20 Entertainment Reviews in every issue 40 À La Carte 42 Growing Culture 44 News of the Weird
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Online Exclusive! d Patients Treat Arthritis With Cannabis d
710 Dab Day Facts
VOL 11 ISSUE 1
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jamie Solis ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ashley Kern EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Benjamin Adams EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Matthew Abel, Hilary Bricken, Devon Alexander Brown, Jacob Cannon, David Edmundson. Caroline Hayes, Carl Kozlowski, Alison Malsbury, Kiara Manns, Madison Ortiz, Denise Pollicella, Nicole Potter, R. Scott Rappold, Ed Rosenthal, Kimberly R. Simms, Lanny Swerdlow, Simon Weedn, Laurie Wolf PHOTOGRAPHERS Steve Baker, Kristopher Christensen, John Gilhooley, Joel Meaders, Mike Rosati, Eric Stoner, Bruce Wolf ART DIRECTOR Steven Myrdahl PRODUCTION MANAGER Michelle Aguirre ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Angie Callahan, Kim Cook, Casey Roel OFFICE MANAGER Mikayla Aguilar
CULTURE® Magazine is published every month and distributes magazines at over 600 locations throughout Washington. No articles, illustrations, photographs, or other matter within may be reproduced without written permission. CULTURE® Magazine is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. 815 1st Ave | #220 Seattle | Washington | 98104 Phone 888.694.2046 | Fax 888.694.2046 www.CultureMagazine.com
CULTURE® Magazine is printed using post-recycled paper.
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The number of votes from the Oregon House of Representatives, out of 57, that were cast in favor of approving a bill that would lessen the time it takes to expunge a cannabis conviction in the state: (Source: KTVZ)
The number of wastewater treatment plants that were used to obtain sewage samples in a recent study to determine how much cannabis that residents had consumed in the Puget Sound area: (Source: King 5)
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The number of years that researchers spent analyzing sewage to better understand cannabis consumption trends in the Puget Sound area: (Source: News Medical)
The rank of Oregon on a scale of states that have the best climate for hemp cultivation, according to Vote Hemp: (Source: The Oregonian)
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The estimated percentage of people participating in a study who said that cannabis’ medical benefits are a very important reason for legalization: (Source: Gallup)
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The estimated amount of money, in millions of dollars, that the New Zealand government announced it would be investing in a company that develops technology for agricultural crops such as cannabis: (Source: The New Zealand Herald)
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The number of votes from the Louisiana House of Representatives, out of 82, that opposed a bill that would allow medical cannabis patients to inhale cannabis, but not smoke it: (Source: The Advocate)
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The approximate number of hemp cultivators that have been licensed in Tennessee by the Department of Agriculture in 2019 as of mid-June: (Source: WREG)
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Bellingham Budfest WHEN: Sun, July 14 WHERE: Zuanich Point Park, S Harbor Loop Dr., Bellingham WEBSITE: bellinghambudfest.com Bellingham Budfest’s first-ever event is kicking off this year, just in time for the warm weather. Catch some live musical acts, which will be provided by Super Sonic Soul Pimps, The Sky Colony, Machine Animal, Willdabeast and more. Bellingham Budfest is a proud member of The Cannabis Alliance, with plans to stay involved in the community. With a strong goal to be a Total Zero Waste festival, sustainability 12
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will be a key part of the event, with a ban on single-use plastic products. Filtered water will be provided instead of plastic water bottles. There’s also a silent disco and two DJs spinning at a time, with eight DJs total. Bellingham is continuing to rise as a cannabis leader with one of the most concentrated areas of I-502 licensees per capita, according to event organizers. Take part in the excitement!
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NEWS
HEALTHY LIVING
WEIGHING THE RESULTS
Vape pens are the consumption method of the 21st century
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By Lanny Swerdlow, RN leek, fashionable, convenient and most of all discrete, cannabis vape pens have undergone a meteoric rise in popularity. Unfortunately, many still view vape pens in the same category as e-cigarettes. So here’s a look at the benefits of using vape pens in lieu of smoking. Utilizing cannabis oils and the process of vaporization, vape pens deliver the potency of THC and other cannabinoids without any of the carcinogens found in the smoke produced when smoking joints and using pipes. Vape pens produce considerably less odor, making it far less noticeable when consuming cannabis in public, which remains illegal in most states that have legalized cannabis. With the advent of disposable vape pens, it is not surprising that the product’s use has skyrocketed. BDS Analytics, a leading cannabis marketing company, has documented that the most significant trend in cannabis has been the emergence of the vape category with 2018 vape sales accounting for 22 percent of revenues at dispensaries in Arizona, California, Colorado and Oregon. Originally cannabis oil was made by allowing butane to flow over cannabis flowers producing a liquid that was evaporated and purged of the butane. Known as butane hash oil (BHO), it developed a very bad reputation as the butane was not always totally removed from the final product, and because it also resulted in hazardous and sometimes deadly
explosions. Other distillates using advanced extraction equipment including supercritical extraction using CO2 instead of butane are now being used, making its commercial production far safer, but it is basically the same process. With the advent of legalization and the requirements for laboratory testing for contaminants, cannabis oils found in vape pens can now be depended on to deliver the goods without the dangers. Concerns regarding vape pens remain with cutting agents such as polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin used in the manufacturing of cannabis oils to produce a homogenous product, increase shelf-life and create a mellow, pleasant vapor cloud. Although recognized as generally safe by the FDA, it should be noted that there are no scientific studies documenting the safety of inhaling these cutting agents that have been heated or burned. Like any product on the market, the consumer needs to weigh the dangers with the perceived benefits. Surely the elimination of the carcinogenic smoke with the use of vape pens mitigates the exceedingly lesser dangers of the other ingredients found in cannabis oils. Admittedly hospitals are not overflowing with patients in hospital beds due to smoking cannabis, unlike smoking tobacco, which is the cause
“Like any product on the market, the consumer needs to weigh the dangers with the perceived benefits.”
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of death for over 400,000 Americans every year. Since neither cutting agents nor cannabis smoke is causing an uptick in debilitating ailments, it is up to the consumer to decide which they prefer based more on convenience and personal preference than any perceived danger. The ability to use cannabis oil vape pens is more impacted by the reactions of elected officials to e-cigarettes, which basically utilize the same vaporization process as cannabis vape pens but dispense the nicotine found in tobacco, rather than the THC found in cannabis. Cigarettes are the number one cause of preventable death in the United States. It is the smoke produced by burning tobacco that causes the monumental increased risk of stroke, heart attack, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, diabetes and most cancers. E-cigarettes contain a cartridge of a fluid containing nicotine. They do not produce smoke, thereby significantly reducing the most dangerous aspects of tobacco use. Although nicotine increases heart rate and blood pressure and may lead to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, the dangers of nicotine pale in comparison to the smoke released from burning tobacco. All too often the mad rush to ban e-cigs winds up including all vape products, including cannabis vape pens. If government officials truly wanted to improve the health of their citizens, they would ban all tobacco products and encourage the use of cannabis as a viable and much healthier alternative. c
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NEWS
NUGGETS
Study Suggests Legalization Increased Cannabis Use and Diverted Illegal Sales A team of researchers from University of Puget Sound and University of Washington published a paper on June 18 that suggests legal cannabis sales increased cannabis consumption and diverted sales away from the black market. To determine this data, researchers analyzed wastewater samples and measured for tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC) levels. THC metabolite levels increased in the wastewater at an average of nine percent per quarter, from December 2013 to December 2016, which was in line with the rollout of recreational cannabis sales. “A wastewater-based measure of cannabis consumption suggests a significant increase in consumption in Washington, USA following legalization, and that legal sales appear to have displaced a large portion of the illicit market,” researchers concluded. The findings were published in Addiction, a journal created by the Society for the Study of Addiction, and partial funding was provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
HEMPFEST Files Lawsuit against Liquor & Cannabis Board On June 4, the organizers behind HEMPFEST filed a lawsuit in Thurston County Superior Court against the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) for overreach based on new advertising restrictions. The LCB recently imposed Bulletin 19-01, which bans any licensee from participating at events like HEMPFEST in any way that involves “any sign” that “references” the business, and bans signs and booths at HEMPFEST that identify sponsors. “We believe that the new interpretation of Washington 16
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State’s 502 ad guidelines are so overreaching and restrictive as to be unconstitutional,” said Vivian Peak, director of HEMPFEST. “It is imperative that Washingtonians have access to accurate and up to date information regarding the cannabis products they purchase and consume, and that those citizens and others are able to identify the source of that information.” HEMPFEST lawyers claim that the new advertising restrictions impose on the event’s right to free speech.
Researchers Find Evidence of Cannabis Smoking Dating to 500 BCE In a paper published in Science Advances on June 12, a team of researchers described the “earliest directly dated and scientifically verified evidence for ritual cannabis smoking.” In East Asia, the team found evidence of psychoactive cannabis being burned in crude wooden bowls at a burial site. “This phytochemical analysis indicates that cannabis plants were burned in wooden braziers during mortuary ceremonies at the Jirzankal Cemetery (ca. 500 BCE) in the eastern Pamirs region,” researchers wrote. “This suggests cannabis was smoked as part of ritual and/or religious activities in western China by at least 2,500 years ago and that the cannabis plants produced high levels of psychoactive compounds.” Hemp seeds and fibers are commonly found in archaeological sites, but few have any evidence of cannabis being consumed for its psychoactive properties. The discovery was highlighted in National Geographic, which generated widespread interest.
NEWS
LOCAL
Bite of Seattle
SHIELDING THE ISLANDS
San Juan County continues moratorium on cannabis growing and processing
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By Jacob Cannon an Juan Islands in northwest Washington State are a wellloved home to many and a tourist destination to others. Visitors and residents often enjoy whale watching, hiking, biking, kayaking and other adventurous activities on the islands. While cannabis businesses aren’t completely banned on the islands, the San Juan County Council decided on May 21 to continue its six-month hold on licensing cannabis cultivation or processing businesses. The council was required by law to conduct a hearing on its cannabis moratorium within 60 days of enacting it back in April. According to the county’s Resolution No. 1-209, “the San Juan County Council desires to receive input from the community, recommendations from the Planning Commission and a proposed work plan from the Department of Community Development, and develop appropriate regulations for licensed marijuana production and processing.” Council Chairman Jamie Stephens reiterated the intention of the hearing. “This is not concerning new regulations, but about the moratorium,” Stephens said. Citizens of Lopez Island shared both
support and opposition of the current moratorium. Resident Kurt Fuller, a member of a group called Say No Lopez, shared that the benefit of the moratorium would be to disallow businesses from operating in a way that could potentially threaten the fragile environment of the islands. “I think the moratorium is a muchneeded tool to allow time for reasonable regulations [to be] established that all county residents can live with,” Fuller said. “I think those regulations should include but not be limited to a ban on tier 3 grow operations due to the impact on sensitive island resources.” The moratorium was enacted after cannabis farm proposals were submitted to Lopez officials. A majority of the San Juan County Council voted to enact this six-month moratorium on cannabis manufacturing and production facilities in April. However, Councilmember Rick Hughes opposed the ban, explaining its potential impact on current cannabis business operations if they choose to expand or sell. Joey King, deputy prosecuting attorney, commented at the hearing, saying that the
“I think those regulations should include but not be limited to a ban on tier 3 grow operations due to the impact on sensitive island resources.” hardest work still lies ahead. “So now that the public hearing is over, the easy part of adopting a moratorium for six months is complete, and you can move on with deciding what to do when the six months are over,” King said. Councilmember Bill Watson replied that the council will reach a conclusion in time, stating, “We have to do something prior to that date.” The area’s cannabis moratorium, as it stands currently, is set to expire on Oct. 2. Hopeful cannabis entrepreneurs who’d like to operate or expand businesses on the islands now must wait to get clarity toward their next steps. c
Voted “Best Food Festival” in 2016 and 2017, Bite of Seattle is a sensory journey into the delicious and unique tastes of the northwest. Over 60 restaurants will be offering some of their best cuisines with ethnic foods that you may have never dared to eat before. Broke? Don’t worry, because “Just a Bite” items are all under $5, so prices are reasonable for everyone! Cooking demos will be offered, and competitive cook-offs between esteemed chefs will turn up the heat. Stick around for the Free Bite Movie Night for the fan-voted movie, Wayne’s World. Three stages will provide live music from over 70 bands or musical acts, and virtually every type of taste will be included in the lineup. WHEN: Fri, July 19-Sun, July 21 WHERE: Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St., Seattle WEBSITE: biteofseattle.com
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REVIEWS
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1. Eyce Collector Fly on over this way to buzz like a bee and sip on some nectar— the team at Eyce has you covered. The Eyce Collector’s platinum cured silicone body screams function and durability. With a multi-percolating water filtration, taking a pull of your favorite concentrate will not overpower lungs. Not your average nectar collector, get your buzz on with the Eyce Collector’s built-in container for storage, plus a heat shield. This device comes in green and black, pink and black and blue marble. Get greedy—collect them all! Price: $44.99 More Information: eycemolds.com 2. Aluminum Pipe Vaporizer What do you get when you cross old school swagger with new school technology? Put on your top hat, and get yourself an Aluminum Pipe Vaporizer. This CNC anodized aluminum pipe comes with a stainlesssteel bowl, with your choice of wood or color for the top. If you want to know the secret to this vape tech—all we can say is you’ll have to look into VaporGenie’s patented flame filter. You’re welcome. Price: $65 More Information: vaporgenie.com 18
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3. Envy Glass Dichro Coated Recycler Ready to have all eyes on you? The Envy Glass Dichro Coated Recycler will make sure that everyone within eyeshot stares lovingly at the coolest rig this side of the Mississippi. With dichro coating that resembles a psychedelic oil slick, this recycler was made using the highest quality Boro Schott Glass by Envy Glass Designs. Anyone who steps up to bat with this bad boy will experience a hit delivered with smooth churning action and quick drainage. Price: $399.99 More Information: 420science.com
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4. GRAV Labs Fire-Button Portable E-Nail This universal and portable e-nail will ensure that you’re partying like a rock star this 710. If you’re in a rush to get the celebration started, the fast heat-up and cooldown times won’t slow you down! Plus, its high capacity battery means you’ll be able to pass this baby round and round without having to charge in between sessions. Bring everything you need to dab with friends this 710 on-thego, so you can make it happen quickly, conveniently and no matter where you find yourself this holiday. Price: $169.99 More Information: www.everyonedoesit.com
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REVIEWS
entertainment
RELEASE DATE: JULY 26, 2019 AVAILABLE ON: PC, NINTENDO SWITCH, PLAYSTATION 4, XBOX ONE, GOOGLE STADIA
MOVIE GAME
Us
Wolfenstein Youngblood
Dir. Jordan Peele Universal Pictures
Ed Rosenthal Pub. Quick American Publishing
Dev. MachineGames, Arkane Studios Pub. Bethesda Softworks
Looking to grow cannabis like an expert? Look no further than the revised and updated version of Marijuana Garden Saver by expert cultivator Ed Rosenthal. This go-to field guide will help you learn how to prevent problems in your grow, while also quickly identifying potential problems if trouble does arise. Whether you’re growing outdoors or indoors, using a hydroponic system or soil, Rosenthal is the most trusted authority in the cannabis cultivation space. Don’t let lack of information be a pest in your garden. (Jacob Cannon)
Wolfenstein games have been around for decades, but the goal always remains the same—eliminate the Nazis. The newest installment in this series, Wolfenstein Youngblood, is a first-person shooter game that takes place in an alternate world where Nazi Germany won World War II. It features two sisters looking for their father in an alternate Paris, France in 1980. This cooperative game allows two players to proceed in the game together and discover an arsenal of new weapons, gadgets and power armor abilities. Get rid of the bad guys, and save your dad! (Nicole Potter)
Us marks comedian Jordan Peele’s second foray into the horror genre and lands with even more scares than his first film, Get Out. The film follows the trials and tribulations of an African American family as they attempt to survive a terrifying encounter with a set of doppelgangers of themselves while on vacation in Santa Cruz, California. Both graphically and psychologically terrifying, Us stands alongside classics of the genre like The Thing and The Exorcist with its ability to not only provide visually horrifying scenery and action, but also go deeper and create an atmosphere of dread that lingers long after the film is over. (Simon Weedn)
BOOK
Marijuana Garden Saver
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MUSIC
Perfect Version Julia Shapiro Hardly Art Perfect Version marks Julia Shapiro’s first solo release and finds the Seattle musician at her most accessible, but not far from her roots. Perhaps best known for fronting dreamy, psychedelic quartet Chastity Belt and the more punk rock Childbirth, Shapiro’s new album finds her building on the foundations of her previous work, but with a bit more of a 1990s alternative flair. In addition to a more enveloping production, the songs seem a bit more light-hearted than her work in the past, though still with the same depth and intimacy that Shapiro is known for. (Simon Weedn)
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FORTUNE AND GLOR 2 CHAINZ DISCUSSES HIS INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH CANNABIS AND LUXURY B Y B E N J A M I N M. A D A M S
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PHOTOS BY NABIL
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s a chart-topping artist and beloved television host of VICELAND’s popular series Most Expensivest, 2 Chainz’s continual fascination for luxurious extravagance and fine cannabis has never faltered. Last fall, he partnered with Green Street Agency and Mazel Management Group to launch GAS Cannabis Co., a premium line of cannabis products geared towards connoisseurs of fine cannabis products. Soon after, Green Street Agency began the process of expanding to a massive seven-story, 67,000-square-foot building in downtown Los Angeles, California, which will be one of the largest U.S. buildings dedicated exclusively to showcasing fine cannabis brands including GAS. With two decades of experience in the entertainment world under his belt, 2 Chainz knows exactly what he wants at this point in his career. Over 20 years ago, the rapper and his childhood friend Earl “Dolla Boy” Conyers formed Playaz Circle, and they popularized the sound of southern hip-hop and the style of music coming from greater Atlanta, Georgia. 2 Chainz entered the mainstream charts in 2012 after he signed with Def Jam Recordings, with his first solo offering going Platinum and leading to a long string of hits. 2 Chainz has won numerous awards including a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance and five additional nominations, as well as a Soul Train Award and multiple BET Awards. The rapper also boasts several number one albums on the Billboard 200, the
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U.S. Rap and U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop charts. His fifth full length studio album, Rap or Go to the League, released in March, also rose to the top of the U.S. Rap and U.S. R&B/ Hip-Hop charts. Two years ago the veteran rapper began hosting VICELAND’s Most Expensivest, and on each episode viewers are invited on a tour of the shiniest, most opulent and over-the-top luxury items on the market. Spending six figures or more at a time is a challenge for almost anyone else, but not for 2 Chainz. Anyone who knows the rapper knows that he does not settle for anything that is less than top-shelf—from upscale jewelry to lavish clothing and luxury vape pens. Season 3 of Most Expensivest premiered on June 11, and for the first episode, the rapper invited Amber Rose to explore luxurious adult products. Tune in to VICELAND to catch 2 Chainz on the rest of his journey this season, which includes appearances from Erykah Badu, Jerry Rice and Mark Cuban. The rapper’s cannabis line is available as pre-rolls and 3.5 ounce packages at select locations throughout California. With three corresponding colors, the line comes in three categories representing grades of gasoline. According to 2 Chainz’s own words, GAS is an acronym for “Good Ass Shit,” but the line incorporates a unique theme centered on refueling at the gas station. Just as you’d select unleaded, unleaded plus or premium gasoline at the pump, there are three grades of cannabis that 2 Chainz himself helped conceptualize and develop. His wise investment in the cannabis industry puts him in a position to collect more revenue. CULTURE was able to catch up with 2 Chainz in a private setting to discuss what he has planned for the cannabis industry.
“IT’S ALL ABOUT LUXURY. IT’S ABOUT TASTE FOR ME. I DON’T WANT TO DUMB NOTHING DOWN FOR NOBODY. THIS IS ABOUT HOW I ENJOY HIGH LUXURY.”
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“I’VE ALWAYS SMOKED CANNABIS. I’VE ALWAYS LOOKED AT IT LIKE THAT. IT’S NEVER BOTHERED ME. THAT’S HOW I WENT ON ABOUT MY LIFE, AND I NEVER DEALT WITH THE CONSEQUENCES AS IT WENT ON.”
The cannabis industry is booming across the nation. What led you to become involved in the cannabis market? My whole thing in life has been to exceed expectations—and I think that’s what I’m doing with my GAS brand. It’s all about legal distribution. It’s about having all the documents that you need together. It’s all about really changing something that used to be taboo or something bad, especially in my community, as far as doing things like trapping and selling weed. It made me come up with my own brand, my own strain of legal cannabis 28
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flower. It’s made up of three very potent levels of flower all stemming from the lingo, which is really about gas. I’m happy to be taking it to higher levels with our marketing ideas and even advertising concepts that I can really have that correlation with my music. That’s why it’s so easy for me. I’m so excited about this, because I did all of this. We noticed that you have GAS flower branded as unleaded, unleaded plus and premium for the theme of your cannabis line. We were really impressed at the strategy that you’ve taken.
We’ve got it stored in a gas can right here! [Pointing to a prop containing GAS cannabis.] This is an actual gas can. This is more for people that want to have a supply of the GAS and serve the monthly subscribers. It’s like you’re at the gas station and you need to know which kind of gas you’re looking for based on what you need. We’ve got the premium. We’ve got the other levels. It’s all about luxury. It’s about taste for me. I don’t want to dumb nothing down for nobody. This is about how I enjoy high luxury.
Everybody’s excited about recreational sales rolling out nationally and internationally. Do you like it better now that the cannabis market is going recreational, or when it was medical-only? Whatever it was, it never bothered me. That was exactly the same thing I was doing. I’ve always smoked cannabis. I’ve always looked at it like that. It’s never bothered me. That’s how I went on about my life, and I never dealt with the consequences as it went on. But I kept on smoking weed and getting into trouble and getting fines. I kind of just kept going on, not worrying about the charges. That’s basically my argument. That’s the only drug that I do, and it’s just like I say to myself, “That’s it for me.” I might have a joint. That’s just my flavor. That’s what I do. And so it feels good now to have it legal and to not being so nervous to just be doing something that you consider normal and something that is not hurting anyone else. Have you always been a daily cannabis smoker? Yes. What do you have planned in the next upcoming few months? I plan on changing my family’s life with this right here. [Motioning towards his GAS products.] Legal cannabis. I plan on making enough money to be able to invest in all the things that I want to do. Just being an entrepreneur and a leader in my community.
Competition is fierce in the commercial cannabis market. Do you have more GAS products that you plan on rolling out? Sure. I have all of that coming. But this right here is about kicking around and making myself comfortable. So that’s what this GAS is, even the concept, the marketing, the colors and everything. It’s about my position in this sort of chill space, whether they want to give me the top shelf or whatever. People will see these colors and know that it’s a representation of me. You’ll know that it has a lot of my personality, and you’ll at least try it. Once you try it, you’ll know where it came from. Can you explain the green, yellow and black color scheme for your product line?
Yes. So the green is 87. We have three different types of gas or octane that we serve. It’s 87, 89 and 93. Eighty-seven will be something that is for like a car that is not a 2018, 2019 model. But at the same time, it’s strong enough to actually get the job done. I like to call it “the morning” or “the wake-up.” I have this hybrid. This yellow one in the middle is our 89. This is in between the others for a reason. It’s as strong as the green but not as strong as the black. It’s something that I think you can do throughout the day, such as when you’re on [a] lunch break. When you’re at work and you don’t want to be totally stoned. This black is more for the really laid back and chill nighttime kind of thing. This one I really enjoy. I smoke
the strongest all the time, even in the morning. But that’s me. Some people might not be able to handle that. It’s for those people who really enjoy that super duper body high. That’s what the 93 is for. The color scheme is fascinating. What do these colors mean to you personally? These are actually Jamaican flag colors. So, I just knew that they were colors that would stand out. What kind of cannabis do you prefer to smoke in your free time? This is my product and what I actually smoke. I smoke my own weed. c www.2chainz.com
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TOMORROW’S TRENDS
These concentrate buzzwords will be trending this 710 By Benjamin M. Adams Looking forward into 2020 and beyond, the trend forecast for cannabis concentrates looks promising. Today, the search for the most potent forms of concentrates is old news. Daytime consumption and concentrate microdosing are more appealing to adult professionals. While products that are infused with cannabidiol (CBD) are quite literally flying off the shelves in drug stores, beauty stores and dispensaries—cannabis consumers are beginning to shift interests to the plant’s other compounds, as well as new forms of delivery. Curt Robbins is an author of more than 500 articles regarding the science of cannabis and hemp. While he no longer uses the moniker
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Gooey Rabinski, has authored or helped to develop several cannabisrelated, science-based books under that handle. As far as the 710 industry is concerned, Robbins predicts a shift away from the oversaturation of the most popular cannabis compounds. “This may be the year that the industry evolves beyond THC or CBD in marketing [techniques],” Robbins told CULTURE. “I think the turning point is when the average middle class American realizes that the plant is much more than merely a single psychoactive cannabinoid.” The new trends might include terpenes, precision dosing, emulsion processes and the lesser known compounds that also have various medical benefits. Here’s a rundown of a few trending buzzwords in the world of concentrates.
Terpenes
CBN-rich Dabs
Experts predict that terpenes will continue to rise in popularity. Many consumers are just beginning to learn about the synergistic effects of combining cannabis compounds—the way nature intended. “The entourage effect, the idea that cannabinoids and terpenes work together synergistically to create additional and greater efficacy is embraced by many, but still—officially—a theory,” Robbins admitted. Robbins helped to popularize #TerpeneTuesday on social media to spread awareness. “Decades ago, it was thought that terpenes merely added aroma to cannabis and hemp and little else,” he said. “Although we need more research, there are literally thousands of research studies that illustrate the medicinal value of terpenes. Most of America knows about one of the more than 400 molecules in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Their mindset is typically limited to THC and thinking of the plant as inherently psychoactive.” The medical properties of terpenes add a whole new facet to cannabis. “The fact that terpenes offer solid medicinal efficacy, beyond merely an attractive aroma, will allow products to be created that go beyond ‘luxurious bathing’ and other creature comforts to deliver true health benefits and wellness.”
A handful of companies have called cannabinol (CBN) the “most underrated” cannabinoid. THC transforms into CBN via oxidation, or THC’s vulnerability to oxygen. CBN is touted to be useful for treating insomnia and other ailments. With concentrates, higher concentrations of CBN turn the appearance of the concentrate to a rusty color. While a cultivar may be lower in THC, it may have higher levels of CBN, which in effect has its own benefits. “One trend is going to be away from a focus on THC and CBD to the other 111 cannabinoids manufactured by the cannabis sativa genome,” Robbins reiterated. “Some companies will focus on cannabinoids such as CBN to reduce anxiety and act as a sleep aid.” As Robbins said, the usefulness of CBN is most noticeable in its suggested ability to control and modulate sleep. “A mix of CBN and the terpenes myrcene (the most common in cannabis) and linalool is also good for sleep disorders, which affect 80 million Americans,” Robbins pointed out.
Precision Dosing Until recently, it’s been exclusively up to cannabis consumers to control the size of each dose— but that is now changing. Santa Monica, California-based Dosist offers a product that has the capability of delivering even doses every time. Dosist’s pens vibrate when a consumer has inhaled for three seconds, providing similar hits each time. Obviously, it didn’t take long for celebrityendorsed brands to follow suit. Last May, Snoop Dogg’s venture
“This may be the year that the industry evolves beyond THC or CBD in marketing [techniques].”
capital firm Casa Verde Capital invested in Indose, a company that manufacturers vape pens capable of delivering precise dosages of THC. The devices have small lights that allow users to control how much THC will be delivered in each hit. They measure THC in increments of 0.5 milligrams, up to 3 milligrams, which is close to an average hit of cannabis, according to the company.
Nano CBD Concentrates Who says that all cannabis concentrates need to be oil-based? CBD nanoemulsification may sound high tech, but it’s simply a way to describe thousands of tiny globules of CBD oil infused into water through microemulsion. It’s created to optimize drug delivery within the body. The tiny beads of CBD can range from 100-1,000 nanometers, or even as small as 25 nanometers. Nanoemulsions allow the sustained, controlled release of CBD. They can be engineered through high pressure homogenization, among other processes. The rise of nanaoemulsificiation techniques confirm that concentrates don’t necessarily need to be oily. Varying emulsion processes have been used to make CBD and other cannabinoids dissolveable in water for edibles, products and concentrates. c CultureMagazine.com
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RAISING RIVER CBD is improving
River’s quality of life By Addison Herron-Wheeler River “Ducky” Barclay’s father, John Barclay, remembers the exact date that his daughter was diagnosed with Batten disease—Nov. 16, 2017. And he remembers when she first had a seizure, on St. Patrick’s Day, after eating junk food for dinner and complaining of a headache. It’s not surprising that he remembers these dates, considering that River’s diagnosis of Batten disease changed the course of his life. At first, River was just complaining of headaches and having vision issues. Her eyes were crossing, and John initially thought his daughter simply needed glasses. Soon, she began having seizures, and John was faced with finding a way to treat his daughter. 32
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River began experiencing frequent seizures that required a lot of medication. She was having small seizures, drop seizures and at times, John observed her having about 300 seizures a day. There were times when she seemed to stop and would almost catch herself seizing, and other times when she would jump or launch herself into the air and would need to be caught and protected from hurting herself. All of this meant she had to be heavily medicated. “There was definitely this sense of taking her spirit,” John explained about the effects of the medications. “The two medicines she was on also took her speech; she stopped swallowing; she stopped doing everything. She was holding her saliva, and I couldn’t get her to go to school or to do anything; she was on the couch all the time. It was just horrific.” Finally, River was taken off the medication and given cannabidiol (CBD). Her family learned about CBD from a doctor who discreetly passed on the knowledge that it was something they could try. And now, despite suffering from a degenerative neurological disorder that is destroying irreplaceable brain cells, she is experiencing fewer seizures. As residents of Washington State, it was easier for Barclay to get his hands on medical cannabis than it would have been in other states. “Michelle, my ex, was an asset manager and worked with a medical marijuana dispensary,” he explained. “They had this CBD tincture, and I thought, ‘It can’t hurt.’ There were supposed to be two milligrams [of CBD] for every 10 drops, which of course is still inaccurate, but she tried it, and we started to see results.” Soon, they began getting more tinctures and trying higher amounts of CBD with River. Although it did not restore their daughter’s health to her previous state before her brain cells were damaged, she could now do things without having to be held or restrained for fear of constant seizing. “She started doing so much better, and we thought this is literally liquid gold,” he explained. “But we still had to keep upping her dose because her condition is so bad. Right now, we’re on about 260 milligrams per day, and she just goes through so much CBD.” “It was getting so expensive, but it
“She started doing so much better, and we thought this is literally liquid gold.” didn’t matter that we were spending $1,000 a month on CBD, because it was helping,” John added. “But then I realized I could grow it too, so I started doing that.” Batten disease is a specifically tragic condition, one that easily makes parents feel hopeless and lost. But John has a message for parents of children with this disease, or other parents with children who are suffering who want to try CBD, “Don’t give up.” “If there aren’t any
results, don’t give up; try another kind of CBD,” he said. “It’s like a headache. You know, if you take a Tylenol for the wrong kind of headache, or aspirin for the wrong kind of pain, you switch and take another medication. It’s the same thing with CBD, for cannabis. Give it a shot; test it a little bit; record the results. Then you can keep track of what actually worked. We started small at first, but when we gave her more, we saw better results. If I didn’t see anything after so much time, I gave up and went on to the next thing. And share the knowledge, because what didn’t work for you could work for someone else.” River is getting help and relief from CBD, and for John and the other people who love her, that makes all the difference. c
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ENGAGING EDUCATION
Explore the wondrous world of cannabis extracts with these useful books By Nicole Potter
The world of cannabis concentrates is vast. If you strive to have a better understanding of anything in this industry—from extraction to business operations—it will either come naturally to you, or you must work hard to educate yourself. Online articles and videos are informative when it comes to brief selfeducation, but nothing beats a good book written by an industry expert. If you’re looking for an educational source on concentrates, look no further than books such as these, which touch on extract processes, concentrates as medicine and so much more. 34
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Beyond Buds: Marijuana Extracts— Hash, Vaping, Dabbing, Edibles & Medicines BY ED ROSENTHAL
No list is complete without a cannabis book written by Ed Rosenthal. This revered cannabis author has written books about every question that one can ask about cannabis. Many of his books explore cannabis cultivation and cannabis flower harvesting techniques, but this particular book educates readers on the various types of cannabis concentrates and how to consume them. Defining everything from sift to hash, and comparing butane hash oil versus CO2 oil and vaping versus dabbing, are just a few examples of the complexities of cannabis concentrates that Rosenthal mentions.
Cannabis Extracts: The Marijuana Handbook BY JAMES HENDERSON If you’re looking for a beginner’s guide to all things concentrates, then this book takes the cake. It contains basic information about the many types of extracts such as kief, hash, rosin and Rick Simpson Oil. Additionally, it presents guides on how cannabis extract can be used, and how readers can safely make their own concentrates at home.
Cannabis Extracts in Medicine: The Promise of Benefits in Seizure Disorders, Cancer and Other Conditions BY JEFFREY DACH, M.D., ELAINE A. MOORE AND JUSTIN KANDER Cannabis has become especially mainstream thanks to its ability to help treat many people’s medical conditions. Nowadays it isn’t enough to just consume cannabis concentrates but to understand the science behind them. This book teaches of the intricacies of the endocannabinoid system, and how medical cannabis extracts interact with the human body to treat conditions such as seizure disorders, cancer and chronic pain. Best of all, it has an entire chapter dedicated to successful research studies on cannabidiol (CBD), and it also addresses the legal issues and hurdles surrounding the industry as well.
CBD: A Patient’s Guide to Medicinal Cannabis--Healing Without the High BY LEONARD LEINOW AND JULIANA BIRNBAUM This book is another great tool geared toward educating readers about the benefits of CBD products in “oil infusions, tinctures, capsules, topicals and extracts.” Specifically geared toward medical patients, it provides a comprehensive look at informing the reader about the biology and chemistry of the cannabis plant, the endocannabinoid system, the most popular medicine delivery methods, dosage guidelines, side effects and so many other things to consider with cannabis medicine.
Essential DIY Cannabis Extracts and Concentrates
is right for them. It also offers how-to guides on simple and safe ways to prepare cannabis extracts at home.
DIY Cannabis Extracts: Marijuana Extraction Guide - Step by Step BY JAY SANDERS Whether you’re a novice cannabis consumer in general, or simply a flower enthusiast ready to take the next step toward concentrates, this book is for you. It’s a short one, about 40 pages, but this quick read provides enough information to help readers understand and choosing which extracts are right for them. Those who are interested in getting this book can learn the basics of making rosin and cannabis oil, so they can be self-sufficient in the future.
Cannabis Oil QuickStart Guide: The Simplified Beginner’s Guide to Cannabis Oil BY CLYDEBANK ALTERNATIVE One of the best ways to learn about cannabis is to obtain an all-encompassing book that tells readers everything they need to know. This one is a winner under that criteria, offering a variety of information of cannabis, its many uses, the basics of cannabis oil, the complexities of plant cultivation and cannabis as medicine.
Cannabis Extracts: The Ultimate Guide on How to Make Marijuana Extracts For Cooking in Your Home, Including Cannabis Cookbook With 10 Recipes For Tasting Cannabis Cookies BY MONICA JACOBS
BY AARON HAMMOND Those looking for an easy-todigest guide about a variety of extracts will find everything they need to start right in this book. With this tool, readers can educate themselves on the most popular methods of extraction, while exploring which concentrate
Cannabis extracts are potent pain relievers and muscle relaxers, but infusing food with cannabis oil is also becoming a popular way to consume. This particular book targets how to create cannabis oil at home with the specific intention of using it for culinary use. Learn the basics of extraction and how to make it taste delicious by adding it into entrées and desserts. c CultureMagazine.com
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Industry Insider
LAVISH LOCATIONS
The early beginnings and luxury dispensaries of entrepreneur Susan Hwang By R. Scott Rappold
You’ve heard the phrase “living hand to mouth.” That’s how Susan Hwang was forced to run her first medical cannabis dispensary—taking the day’s sales revenue to Phoenix, Arizona to buy more cannabis to sell the next day, spending eight hours a day driving around. Even when the dispensary was making $1 million a month, she said, home was a one-bedroom apartment, not that it mattered. Who had time to be home sleeping? Such were the hazards of diving into the nascent cannabis business without a big chunk of cash or the backing of wealthy investors. “I had to do what I had to do. I didn’t want to sell ownership to a big investment group,” she said. “I didn’t want to be one of 20 board members. I had a vision, and I wanted to execute it.” Execute it she has. The 32-year-old now owns a chain of medical cannabis dispensaries and associated cultivation operations, as well as cannabis consulting firm SH Management Services—not bad for someone who immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 12 with nothing but a suitcase shared with her father and sister. And she’s just getting started. Hwang just might be changing how people shop for cannabis. 36
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H.
Humble Beginnings
Hwang didn’t speak a word of English in the late 1990s when her family fled South Korea’s economic crisis that cost them everything. The family moved to Los Angeles, California, then Tennessee, scraping by the best they could, sometimes living with friends and working multiple jobs. She spent nights after school working in the family’s janitorial business. After graduating high school she went to college at Arizona State University, graduating in 2009 with a biochemistry degree. Her parents hoped she’d be a surgeon someday. “They didn’t want me to an entrepreneur, because of what they’d been through. They wanted me to take the safe route,” she recalled. She was studying for a master’s degree when Arizona began implementing voter-approved medical cannabis. Despite her parents’ worries, and despite the fact she’d never even tried cannabis, she had an “innate entrepreneurial spirit” that couldn’t resist the possibilities of this new industry. Arizona implemented a system with stricter limits on the number of dispensaries than states like California or Colorado, so when Hwang was approved for one of the precious few licenses, it was off to the races.
O.
Off the Beaten Path
While many dispensaries were focusing on the population centers of Phoenix and Tucson, Hwang took a different approach. She opened a dispensary in Eloy, population 19,000, about halfway between those two cities. She opened a dispensary in remote Yuma, which is still that city’s only one. Both are named Jamestown. She chose off-the-beaten-path locations because she didn’t want to compete with other dispensaries selling $5 grams. That’s the same reason she hasn’t considered expanding into crowded marketplaces such as Colorado or Washington. “If it’s too easy to get licenses, I don’t go for it,” she said. Since most of her initial money went to licensing and dispensary construction, the pace of growth was necessarily slow. “Because I got into the industry with no money, I couldn’t do what people with money were doing,” Hwang said. “I needed to leverage existing business to continue to build.” Still, she was eventually able to move from her onebedroom apartment to a house, and she was able to actually spend some time there. She obtained a third dispensary in California. Instead of driving around buying product, her chain was growing it. She even tried cannabis, found she liked it and came out of the “cannabis closet” publicly. Through it all, she resisted the urge to pull in
“I’m introducing some different concepts that the market has not seen. The words ‘smoke shop’ and ‘luxury’ don’t always go together.” major investors or become publicly traded, for fear of losing control. “I’m not in it [to] get big, get a high valuation, sell out and retire,” she said. Rather, she wants to use her science background to learn more about the plant and educate others. That’s a mission of her consulting firm, and it’s something she hopes to further with a novel approach to selling cannabis.
L.
Luxury Boutiques
Why, Hwang asks, does society glorify alcohol with expensive wine, fancy craft beer and upscale bars, yet cannabis is often sold out of boring, nondescript buildings, often in the seedier parts of town? So, she wants to bring some luxury to cannabis with high-end cannabis boutiques with top-dollar smoking and vaping implements—think the Louis Vuitton or Neiman Marcus of cannabis. “I’m introducing some different concepts that the market has not seen. The words ‘smoke shop’ and ‘luxury’ don’t always go together,” Hwang admitted. It’s a way to challenge the stereotypes people have about cannabis consumers. She is also eyeing places most sensible cannabis investors aren’t even looking at. She says she is prepared to enter the medical cannabis markets of Georgia, Texas, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and even her native South Korea, which legalized medical cannabis nationwide in 2018. Hwang takes a lot of pride in accomplishing so much out of humble beginnings. “I’m very honored and grateful and thankful,” she said. “All the adversities and hardships and challenges I’ve been through as a child and am still going through today are what helped me and molded me and shaped me.” “When people ask me what it feels like to be successful, I don’t know how to answer,” she said. “My definition of being successful is inspiring others and elevating other peoples’ lives and lifestyles. There are so many people I want to inspire. I want to continue to change their lives. I want them living like me but better than me.” c CultureMagazine.com
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“Adjoin” by xsullo
HOVERING HEIGHTS
Award-winning artist xsullo takes High Art to a new plane By Addison Herron-Wheeler Influenced by cyberpunk, anime, the future and the massively trippy, xsullo’s art is everything you want to see in a contemporary artist. It’s no wonder he took the High Art prize this year with his piece entitled “Adjoin.” xsullo, whose real name is Nick Sullo, transforms images of people into futuristic cyborgs who are still very much in touch with spirituality, and his art depicts cannabis culture in a completely uncommonly fascinating way. Too often, the marrying of styles can seem hacky or overdone, especially in the world of cannabis art and when working with contemporary subject matter, but xsullo pulls it off without a hitch. CULTURE talked to Sullo about his art, his recent win and the gorgeous works he hopes to craft for years to come.
How did you first get started making art, and how did that coincide with your cannabis journey? I started getting into art as early as four or five, just doodling, coloring in coloring books, everyday kind of kid things with drawing. When my family and teachers noticed I had an interest in it, they tried to keep it alive. I had a teacher who noticed I had a passion and helped me pick up more of a skill set. I started learning about painting, watercolors, all kinds of art, and just noticed I really had a passion and just absolutely loved it. As I got older, I realized I wanted to do art for a living. Then things started to become more digital, and I started learning even more. This was around the same time I started to learn about and have a relationship with cannabis. I got into Photoshop, which is great, because you can just sit down and use so many tools to create. It all kind of just went from there. How would you describe your style and the kind of art you create? I would say it’s a lot of ’90s, cyberpunk-influenced kind of stuff. There’s definitely an influence of anime, like when I was a kid and
“I think a little more critically and creatively when I smoke. Sometimes I have a kind of breakthrough into a different kind of creative realm artistically.” Dragon Ball Z started to get so big in the U.S. Then it kind of got more surreal when I got into college, so I think the artwork I was creating back then was more like pop, and then I got more into surrealism. That’s kind of what you see me doing now, the marriage between pop and surrealism. Which piece that you’ve created so far are you the proudest of? I think that would have to be the one with the guy pretty much ripping off his face and revealing his skull. It was a really fun, powerful kind of in-your-face piece that I had a lot of fun coming up with; I always think about that because it was always a turning point for me. There has always kind of been an homage in my art to all the things I grew up with, like Northern
California and technology, and a fusion of those things. How did you find out about the High Art contest, and what made you want to enter? They actually reached out to me, which was awesome. I think they reached out to several artists to kind of get the momentum going. I was really excited when I heard there was going to be a technology theme. I thought it would be a great chance to get my art out there. Why do you think this contest is important, both for art and for cannabis? It’s great that some of the award money for the award gets donated, so you get to donate to a great cause. Also, I think cannabis and art definitely go hand-in-hand. For me, I think cannabis is a great creative outlet. It’s a way for me to kind of relax. Everything kind of calms down, and I don’t have as much heavy judgments on myself. I think a little more critically and creatively when I smoke. Sometimes I have a kind of breakthrough into a different kind of creative realm artistically. I also think art can really help with cannabis, because with legalization, it’s great to have a nice piece of artwork attached to the product and a nice logo. That’s definitely what draws the customer’s attention. It creates a nice, positive environment to have artwork associated with cannabis. c www.instagram.com/xsullo CultureMagazine.com
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T H E G R E AT OUTDOORS
America has many traditions, but few are more classic than preparing and cooking grilled food. While we celebrate freedom on Fourth of July, we also celebrate our ability to choose specific barbecue sauce, spices, meat choices, methods of preparation and the use of various “herbs.” Best of all—it is all delicious. Celebrate your Independence Day the right way with these American barbecue recipes, topped through-and-through with cannabisinfused goods. Be sure to exercise extreme caution when cooking with high-heat tools like a grill while consuming cannabis, and you’ll be able to enjoy many of the freedoms that this great country provides.
I N S T R U C T I O N S: 1. Mix all the ingredients for meat marinade in a plastic bag. Cut sirloin steak into one-inch cubes, and place in marinade for at least 1 hour (or a maximum of five hours).
K ABOBS I N G R E D I E N T S:
ME AT M A RIN A DE
SKEWERS
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak
1/8 cup olive oil
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons cannabisinfused olive oil
1/8 cup cannabisinfused olive oil
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon black pepper
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1 green bell pepper, cut into cubes 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into cubes
1 red onion, cut into cubes
Salt and pepper
1 red bell pepper, cut into cubes
Skewer sticks (either wooden or metal)
2. Alternate vegetables and meat as desired onto a skewer stick. Cover skewers evenly with infused olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. If there is reserved marinade, use it to cover the skewers as well. 3. On a high-heat grill, cook skewers for 10 minutes. Flip onto different sides throughout cook time.
GRILLED CORN I N G R E D I E N T S:
I N S T R U C T I O N S:
4 ears of corn
1. Remove corn from husks and strip away remaining silk.
4 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon cannabisinfused butter Kosher salt Pepper 2 limes 1/2 cup Cotija cheese Fresh basil
2. Lather corn evenly with infused and non-infused butter. Season well with salt and pepper. Squeeze lime juice directly onto the corn. 3. Place corn on grill and cook for 15 minutes, turning frequently until grill marks are present on all sides. 4. Sprinkle desired amount of Cotija cheese onto cooked corn. Rip up fresh leaves of basil and place on top.
PULLED PORK SANDWICHES I N G R E D I E N T S:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white onion, minced
1 teaspoon pepper
1/8 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 cup cannabisinfused olive oil
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 boneless pork shoulder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Buns
I N S T R U C T I O N S: 1. Add salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, minced onion and olive oil into a bowl. 2. Prepare pork shoulder and press the rub mixture all over the protein.
3. Place on a grill over indirect heat for 3-4 hours, or until the meat is easily pulled apart. 4. Remove from heat until cool. Shred meat and place on desired buns. Top with barbecue sauce of choice, if desired.
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GROWING CULTURE
GARDEN FE VER
L
By Ed Rosenthal
ast month I wrote about setting up a new indoor garden and described the germination method. Since then, most of the seeds germinated but the foam and hydrocorn method I was testing was not ideal. Some of the seedlings had trouble staying in position, because the hydrocorn did not hold the foam in place securely. My solution to the problem was special care— manipulating the foam to give the seedlings better positioning. The seedling did well under the four high output fluorescent tubes, which had an input of 200 watts over the eight-foot tray. Sixteen days after germination, I placed them in their final growing and flowering space. The garden space is a single 4’ x 8’ tray. The bottom of the tray is outfitted with heaters, which turn on when the water temperature goes below 72 degrees, four eight-foot lines of porous tubing connected to a powerful air pump that release air along the length
The greenhouse during the day. The plants get about five hours of direct sunlight, and an additional five hours of indirect bright light.
Tray of female only “London Lb. Cake x Watermelon” ready to sit at the big table. 42
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of the tray and a water pump. The tray is filled to the top with a vegetative growth nutrient-water solution at 750ppm and a pH of just over six. Two double-ended 660-watt HPS lamps light the space continuously. The tent has a frame of 2’ x 4’s and is larger than the tray so you can walk around inside. It is covered by panda film, white on one side and black on the other. The black side of the film faces the outside so the inside is reflective white. Each plantlet is growing in a 6” x 6” space. The containers they were started in were fitted into two-inch holes drilled into a one-inch thick Styrofoam board that fits perfectly into the 4’ x 8’ tray. The plants will grow for about two weeks to fill the canopy, then the lights will be turned back to 13 hours of light daily, to induce flowering. About four weeks later the lights will be turned back an hour to promote ripening. After I set up the hydro tray a friend brought over four “Ed Rosenthal Super Bud” single stems that were just going
into their second week of flowering. Then another friend came with some of their excess OG and OG crosses. A third brought some local varieties. It would have been heartless to turn these orphans away, so I decided to give them a home in my greenhouse. I set up a 2’ x 8’ tray for the adoptees. Both feed from the same reservoir. One group of plants is in 6” containers on a wick system in planting mix with supplemental drip sits on a platform above the tray with wicks trailing into the tray. The other group is in 2.5 quart containers, each made from two inexpensive plastic colanders. The bottom third of each sits in water so the plant’s roots can easily migrate into it. Look forward to reading more about this system in my next installment. c
GARDEN TIP
It’s not too late to plant. If you pick up some clones and repot them and place them outside, or in a sunny window they will grow vegetatively for about four to six weeks and then they will start to flower. You can be smoking your fall harvest in just a few months.
Greenhouse at night. This photo shows how the plants are lit using fluorescent and LED lights. They are on 7 a.m.-10 a.m. and 4 p.m.-8 p.m. to supplement natural light.
The hydro system: Colander containers hold the hydrocorn but allow a free flow of water. Notice that roots are beginning to grow into the reservoir.
Fitting the 2” round pots into the round holes.
The tray, outfitted with seedlings will support vegetative, then with a change of water, flowering. At harvest each plant will be a single stem of bud.
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NEWS of the
WEIRD
BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL
LEAD STORY—IT HAS COME TO THIS The Pokémon Co. has made Japanese brides’ dreams come true with its announcement that it is collaborating with a wedding planner to offer sanctioned ceremonies with its characters in attendance, dressed as a bride and groom. Yes, Pikachu will stand up with you and your betrothed (as long as you go to Japan to tie the knot), and the icing on the cake is Pokémon-themed food items and a Pikachu cake topper. Finally, United Press International reports, for your scrapbook, you’ll have a marriage certificate decorated with Pokémon imagery—surely an item you’ll want to preserve in a licensed Pokémon photo frame. STAY WITH ME HERE Around 1:40 a.m. on May 9, as an unnamed Cocoa, Florida, homeowner slept in her garage, a black Cadillac crashed into the structure, missing her by only inches, according to the 911 call. The Cadillac was stolen, it turns out, and was fleeing an Orange County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle— which was also stolen and being driven by someone impersonating a police officer. After the crash, WFTV reported, the imposter patrolman continued trying to pull over vehicles before speeding away. The patrol 44
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SUV was later abandoned behind a shopping plaza in Cocoa. LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINAL Police in Lincoln, Nebraska, responded to a call on May 21 about a domestic assault. They didn’t find the suspect, identified as Markel Towner, 26, in the residence, but someone who matched his description was sitting outside in a car. When questioned, the man said his name was Deangelo Towns, but a fashion faux pas led officers to suspect he was lying—a lanyard around the man’s neck clearly bore the name “Markel Towner.” After some resistance, KETV reported, Towner was finally subdued and arrested on a variety of charges. OOPS An unidentified man in Tuscumbia, Alabama, did what so many of us do every day: He went online to Amazon to order some household items. But when his package arrived on May 23, he was alarmed to discover a urine sample from a private citizen, not the shower curtain and rings he’d ordered. “When I reached in and pulled it out (it was) some kind of urine specimen or something like that,” he told WHNT. An Amazon representative said the company was “very sorry” about the mistake and would send his bathroom accessories right away, but declined to have him return the sample. BRIGHT IDEAS May 17 wasn’t the first time Dan Smith of Seattle
found a Car2Go vehicle left in the driveway of his rental property, so he erected a fence around it and posted NO TRESPASSING signs and other warnings. He then informed Car2Go’s parent company, Share Now, that he wanted $65 per day for storage, $300 for the fence and $500 for harassment. Share Now responded to inquiries from KIRO saying seven different customers tried to rent the car a day after it was left in Smith’s driveway but couldn’t because of the barricade. Asad Rasheed, who lives in Smith’s building, said the errantly parked vehicles are a common problem: “People are not made aware of where to park, where not to park and how to use them,” Rasheed said. Share Now has agreed to work with Smith but told the TV station they wouldn’t be paying him. Damon Hudson, 25, of St. Ives, England, first noticed his missing milk delivery on May 17. “My milk delivery means the world to me. My little brother and sister can’t function without their cereal in the morning,” Hudson told Metro News. He could see the thief on his doorbell video footage, but he didn’t want to bother the police with such a trivial case, so after two weeks of going milk-less, he set up his own sting. Hudson introduced a couple of new ingredients in the milk bottle: fish oil and his own urine. “Hopefully that’s the end. The weirdo deserves it.” No word on whether the thief has found a new target. STAR TREATMENT Gwen Lynch, the lone
2019 graduate of the eighth grade at Cuttyhunk Elementary School on Cuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts, will receive the accolades and advice of a celebrity graduation speaker, actress and comedian Jenny Slate, on June 17. The island, which has a year-round population of only about a dozen people, is familiar to Slate, whose parents live nearby, reported the Cape Cod Times. Gwen has also been working on her own speech. Graduation festivities will include a potluck dinner, and organizers expect a “packed house”: “Most of the town will be there,” predicted Michael Astrue, who secured Slate for the address. QUESTIONABLE JUDGMENT While students at Holy Family Catholic School in Port Allen, Louisiana, took a field trip to Washington, D.C., to learn about our nation’s founding and visit historic sites, their principal, Michael Comeau, had another kind of sightseeing in mind. In the pre-dawn hours of May 31, police were called to Archibald’s Gentleman’s Club in D.C. after “an intoxicated man refused to pay his bill,” according to the arrest report. The Advocate reports that officers found Comeau, 47, standing in a roadway, “refusing to move.” He was arrested for public intoxication and possession of an open container of alcohol. Comeau immediately resigned his position as principal, along with his role as a reserve police officer at the Brusly Police Department.
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