NOVEMBER 2013 COUPONS INSIDE
AWARDS EDITION
This magazine is intended for individuals ages 21 and over.
Call Today To Reserve Your Rental 303-635-6281 Ext. 3
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A LETTER TO OUR READERS The November issue of THC Magazine marks two years since our first publication hit the streets of Colorado. You are the reason we are striving to become the best cannabis magazine on the planet. Words can’t describe our heartfelt appreciation. So in the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, we wish to list some of the many reasons we have to be thankful. We are thankful for . . . Our Readers - without you we would have no reason to do what we do. Thank you for being fans of THC. Our Advertisers - without you we would not be here for our readers. Thank you for trusting us to present you in a professional manner. Cannabis Activists - thank you for fighting the fight all these years. Your efforts have paid off. The prohibition of cannabis is on its last legs and reefer madness is no longer an epidemic in the United States. Thank you for your relentless pursuit of spreading truth. Cannabis legalization across the country has higher approval ratings than our politicians. Thanks to you, Colorado had its first hemp harvest in over 60 years. Brave Politicians - thanks to those lawmakers who stand on the side of common sense treatment of cannabis. It takes courage to bring positive change. Cannabis Attorneys - for protecting the patients, businesses and activists in pursuit of cannabis freedom. Patients - thanks to those who have gone out on a limb to share your stories and face persecution for promoting cannabis as a medicine. Doctors and Healthcare Professionals - thanks for standing up for the healing properties of cannabis. We give thanks for living in these exciting times. We are grateful for being part of an awakening, a civil rights movement, an industry with the potential to heal people and save our environment. Living in the great state of Colorado! Our Families, Friends and Loved Ones. Your support has sustained all of us We love you! From the THC Family to All of You, We Wish You a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving! Peace, Love and Hempiness,
David Maddalena Editor-in-Chief David@thcmag.com 4 November 2013
“Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses.” ~Alphonse Karr
Blazing a trail isn’t easy. But you don’t have to go at it alone.
The National Cannabis Industry Association is the only national trade association dedicated to representing legitimate cannabis businesses, from medical marijuana providers to ancillary products and services. Our mission is simple: Change federal law so that cannabis businesses can be treated like any other industry in the U.S.
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Is your business part of the solution yet?
Join NCIA today for...
• Unified and coordinated industry advocacy • Educational events and B2B networking • Industry legitimization • Exposure to a national market If you share our vision for a responsible, legitimate, and prosperous industry, get involved today at TheCannabisIndustry.org or by calling (888) 683-5650.
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The Hemp Connoisseur, LLC Editor-in-Chief
David Maddalena david@thcmag.com
Art Director
Christianna Lewis christianna@thcmag.com
Managing Editor
Rick Macey rick@thcmag.com
Editor
Caroline Hayes caroline@thcmag.com
Layout Designers
Caroline Hayes Christianna Lewis
Director of Sales and Marketing Christianna Lewis christianna@thcmag.com
Josh Davis is a professional actor, singer and voice-over artist. He has appeared in: Law and Order, One Life to Live, As the World Turns, Les Miserables and produced and acted in the feature film The Graduates. He first learned about hemp when he was given the book The Emperor Wears No Clothes and became a hemp enthusiast ever since. He lives in New York City. Caroline Hayes graduated from Ball State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a focus in Magazine Design and Writing. She moved to Colorado after college to pursue a career and enjoy the scenery. Caroline started as a freelance writer for The Hemp Connoisseur and has furthered her position there as Director of Editorial and as a page layout designer. Erin Hiatt is an instructor of musical theatre, dance, and voice.
She also works in the financial industry in New York City. She has a BA in Musical Theatre Performance from Weber State University in Ogden, UT. Erin is an actress who has appeared in film, television, commercials, plays, and print, most recently for Oprah magazine. She is an avid hiker.
Rick Macey is an award-winning newspaper, magazine writer
Interns
Kim Fariello Matt McCoy DJ Reetz Sam Reeves
and television producer. Since 2000, Macey TV has won several broadcasting awards for sports, live music, talk shows, and alternative lifestyles programs. Macey TV contributed to A NORML Life a Los Angeles PBS Emmy award-winning documentary on medical marijuana in CA. CannabisTube - the world’s first broadcast quality TV marijuana website - is one of Rick’s recent projects.
Contributing Writers
Monocle Man is a responsible, educated MMJ patient who en-
Hazy Cakes Joshua Davis Caroline Hayes Erin Hiatt Rick Macey Monocle Man DJ Reetz John Schroyer Susan Squibb Christopher Tucker Steven Turetsky
Contributing Photographers Christianna Lewis DJ Reetz Laura Leathem Kim Sidwell Cannabis Camera
Illustration Sam Reeves
Cover Art
Christianna Lewis
Printer
American Web 4040 Dahlia Street Denver, CO 80216 ph 303.321.2422 fax 303.321.6636 The Hemp Connoisseur magazines are presented by The Hemp Connoisseur, LLC. All contents are copyrighted 2013 by The Hemp Connoisseur, LLC. For advertising or subscription info, please email sales@thcmag.com.
6 November 2013
CONTRIBUTORS
joys the thrills of the cannabis industry. He takes all factors into thorough consideration and approaches each review with an open and objective mind. His knack for the trade assists him in creating valid reviews.
DJ Reetz is a writer, cynic and marijuana enthusiast born and raised in Denver. As a native of the city he lives, breathes, and – on occasion – eats and drinks all that is Denver and the state of Colorado. Driven by a questioning mind, he seeks to inform readers and expose truth; and possibly have a good-ass time in the process. John Schroyer covered politics and policy in Colorado for more
than seven years, including the Democratic National Convention in Denver in 2008. Since January 2013, he has been the video editor at The Colorado Springs Gazette and made himself famous by posting footage online of his car getting swamped by a flash flood in Manitou Springs. He moved to Colorado from Chicago in 2002 after finishing college and has vowed to never again live anywhere that doesn’t have mountains.
Susan Squibb writes the marijuana manners column, Ask Lady
Cannabis. An innovative cannabis business and market developer, Ms. Squibb produces cannabis events including the annual Mother’s High Tea. Ms. Squibb is an Anthropology graduate of University of Colorado-Boulder. Unlike the proper Lady Cannabis persona, Ms. Squibb enjoys cavorting.
Chris Tucker is a contributor for the LocalMC as a member of their review board. He does content writing/copywriting for various websites and his first novel, an action/adventure novel, is due out within the next few months. Steven Turetsky is a senior biology and economics double major
at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA. Steven is an active member of the cannabis reform movement. He founded Students for Sensible Drug Policy on his campus and is planning to present the first university-sponsored educational symposium on cannabis this April at Pitt. Steven worked at Dixie Elixirs during Summer 2013 as the company’s first intern. After graduation, he hopes to continue his work in the cannabis industry by aiding in policy reform and educating the population, especially back east.
Shatter & Butter
NOW AVAILABLE!
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Contents 4
A Letter to Our Readers
12
The Green Scene
14
Holiday Gift Guide
18
Featured Artist
Great gift ideas for the connoisseur in your life
26
Beautiful glass art by Homegrown Handblown
20
Tasty Meds
22
Lady Cannabis
Reviews of some of Colorado’s best edibles and smokeables
Hooray!
Industrial Prison Complex
44
Arcview
47
Fruit Tree Parks
48
Hemp Military Ban
Highlights and winners from the 2nd annual THC Championship
49
Sam Caldwell
Competitive Bearding
50
K2 Spice
Hemp Eats
24
Cannabis News Around the Globe
31
Colorado Hemp Harvest
42
Patients have questions, she has answers
23
26
38
Thanksgiving recipes Nationwide headlines
The Hemp Connoisseur Championship
Boulder Facial Hair Club Competition
Prisoners for Profit
Investor conference comes to Denver Community park of the future Military bans super food Casualty of the War on Drugs It’s not marijuana
32
High Performance Hemp
52
Big Marijuana
34
Shop Local
37
Oil Pulling
55 63 65
Denver Dispensary Guide Coupons Index
BMW’s new electric car
Mid Mod Mall and Sol Shine
Gross or grossly good for your health?
32 8 November 2013
38
MMJ corporate takeover?
Dispensary Guide
DENVER
56 Cure Colorado 60 The Clinic 57 The Hemp Center 57 Mind, Body, Spirit Wellness Clinic 58 Northern Lights Natural Rx 58 Physician Preferred Products 61 Southwest Alternative Care
COLORADO SPRINGS
56 FRAM 59 Rocky Mountain Miracles
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10 November 2013
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The GREEN Scene
E V E N T S
Now through Thanksgiving Turkey Drive 2013 Drop off frozen turkeys or donate online 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily Denver Rescue Mission 1130 Park Ave. West Denver, CO 80205 www.denverrescuemission.org November 1-10 Denver Arts Week Theater of Performing Arts 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily Denver Rescue Mission 1130 Park Ave. West Denver, CO 80205 www.denverrescuemission.org November 5th Dab-O-Ween Norad Dance Bar 821 22nd St Denver, CO 80205 www.daboween.com November 7th NCIA’s 3rd Anniversary Banquet Emerald Downs 2300 Emerald Downs Drive Auburn, Washington 98001 www.mmjbusinessdaily.com November 8-10th Homegrown Handblown at the Colorado Country Christmas Gift Show 451 East 58th Ave. Denver, CO 80216 www.homegrownhandblown.com November 14th Every Vote Counts: Community Discussion on Regulating Cannabis like Alcohol The Warehouse Restaurant and Gallery 25 West Cimarron Street Colorado Springs, CO 80903 Facebook.com/EveryVoteCountsRAG November 24th-28th The 26th Annual Cannabis Cup Amsterdam www.cannabiscup.com November 27th The Last Waltz Revisited The Ogden Theater, 8:30 p.m. Denver, CO www.ogdentheater.com
12 November 2013
Every Friday - 10:00a.m. River Rock South Sessions 990 W. 6th Ave. Denver, CO www.riverrockcolorado.com
PlantCatalyst by Dr. Willard’s
Reviewed by Pauli R. Audacious Farms, Denver, CO. “Those of us who have been growers for many years have established a routine that we consider to be sacred, and it’s not easy to get us to change ANYTHING about how we grow. I believe my routine yields the best plants. Period. So when I was introduced to Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst I have to admit that I was initially very skeptical and reluctant to add it to my nutrient routine. But I got some free samples so I started experimenting on a couple of plants and I noticed some good results. Then I noticed more results. Then I added it to my entire nutrient routine. I’ve now been using Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst as part of my nutrient routine for more two years and I couldn’t be happier with how it’s working. Dr. Willard’s augments the plant’s natural growing mechanisms by boosting early root growth and making them more resistant to extreme indoor heat, temperature changes, and stress which leads to greater plant vigor, especially in the early growth stages. My plants actually perform better in heat stress situations! My plants also flower earlier with more, I get better density in my buds, more flowers, greater yield, and better tasting product. On top of that it’s saved me a ton of money because I’ve been able to reduce the amount of nutrient I’m using and have totally replaced my micronutrients as well. Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst costs so little to buy and the results are so astounding that I don’t see why everyone isn’t using this product.” www.plantcatalyst.com
AD SPACE
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT Products We Love
Holiday Gift Guide
No matter if it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or just a celebration of life, ‘tis the season to show somebody how much you appreciate them. So sit back and relax as we take you through this season’s neatest gifts for the connoisseur in your life.
Gifts under $15 I-Tal Hemp Wick - $1.95
I always have some hemp wick around the house and one of my favorites is I-Tal. Comes in pretty handy, not only for a smoking session but great item to take camping. I love using mine for smoking bubble hash to control the flame and not having to taste a bunch of butane. Wrap it around your lighter to help identify your lighter when you have a sticky fingered friend around. www.italhempwick.com
Marqaha Hemp Lip Balm - $3.00
Great stocking stuffer for anyone that loves hemp or lip balm or both. This lip balm is packed with great ingredients and is certified organic. I am an absolute lip balm addict and I love this product, it should be in every stocking. www.marqaha.com
Bargain Ballz - $5.99
Bargain Ballz lighter holders are sold in packs of two and can also be purchased individually. Never lose your lighter again with this soft, colorful, light weight solution. Put this in your loved one’s stocking this year. www.bargainballz.com
14 November 2013
Chrontainer - $5.99
Another great item for a stocking stuffer. The Chrontainer is great for the person who spends a lot of time outdoors and needs to protect their stash. You can easily fit your meds and a small pipe or a bunch of joints you want to keep dry. Waterproof and smell proof makes this a perfect item to take anywhere. www.chrontainer.com
Hemp Authority Hemp Ankle Socks - $8
Perfect for man or woman. Hemp material is extremely breathable and helps prevent growth of bacteria. Perfect for summer or winter. 50% Hemp, 40% Organic Cotton 7% Nylon, 3% Lycra Socks. www.hempauthority.com
Hit Stands - $9.95
Do you have friends who have a knack for breaking pipes? Give them the extra help they need with the Hit Stands. Made from a single piece of 100% eco-friendly silicone, and makes for the perfect stocking stuffer. The Hit Stands will protect your pipe and looks pretty cool too. Buy a dozen and get one free! www.hitstands.com
P端rr Smokey Joint Holder - $14+
Do you have a friend who loves smoking joints? This joint holder from P端rr is an affordable glass piece that is classier than a roach clip. No more burned finger tips while smoking your j's in style. www.purrsmoking.com
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Gifts Under $100 Seebinger Hemp Massage Oil - $15 There’s a reason we have featured Seebinger Hemp’s Premium Body Care Products in two issues-they are simply divine. Made with “passion and love” this plant-based delicious lavender massage oil is the perfect holiday gift for those who like to pamper themselves. Leaves skin feeling soft and smelling good. Perfect for the conscious consumer. www.premiumbodycare.com
Apothecanna Gift Pack - $30
This gift pack comes with three 2oz bottles of massage lotion; Calming Creme, Stimulating Creme and Pain Creme. These are the perfect gift for anyone who has chronic pain or just needs to de-stress. These wonderful lotions are all infused with hemp seed oil and can be purchased on the Apothecanna website. www.apothecanna.com
Pürr 14mm Slim Beaker - $90+
Who says size matters? Pürr's mini beaker bong may be small but it packs a punch. Affordable for the shopped on a budget. Another convenient product from Pürr for people who don't want to spend the money on a big expensive rig. Available with a dome or bowl. www.purrsmoking.com
Pürr 14mm Pocket Sherlock - $80+
This mini bubbler rig from Pürr is portable and convent. Put it in a protective case and it can go with you on your dabventures. Great for lightweights who can only handle baby dabs. This little guy will quickly become your go-to piece. Available with a dome or bowl. www.purrsmoking.com
16 November 2013
Could Penz 2.0 - $79.99
Cloud Penz is one of the better priced portable vaporizers available on the market. This is geared toward the concentrate smoker. Small sleek design makes for a fun night on the town. With a wide selection of colors to choose from, you can easily find the right style for anyone. www.shopcloudpen.com
Gifts Over $100 Indica Vaporizer - $200.00
Looking for a new portable vaporizer for someone special or maybe just want to treat yourself? The Indica Vape is a sleek quality product that is sure to please. The five different heat settings give you complete control on your vapor and herb. The packaging alone will having you smiling ear to ear. www.indica2.com
Green Flash Juice Box Bubbler $260
The Juice Box from Green Flash is a clean design and perfect for the person with a higher budget to work with. It smokes like a champ and has smooth hits. Grab your tastiest concentrate, sip on the Juice Box and forget all of your problems. www.greenflashglass.com
Silver Surfer Vaporizer $270.00 & Up
This is for the cannabis connoisseur. Silver Surfer Vaporizers are one of the more expensive items on the list but well worth the money. Mine sits on my night stand so I can ride the wave and drift into a peaceful dreamland. Not only do they have amazing artwork to choose from but you can customize your own. www.sliversurfervap.com
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Featured Artists
Kirk and Katie Howlett of Homegrown Handblown by Caroline Hayes
It’s pretty amazing when artists collaborate. It’s even more amazing when they are husband and wife. Kirk and Katie Howlett of Homegrown Handblown have a pretty cute story and a strong mission. Friends for the better part of a decade and married for three years, they are crushing it together, creating 90 percent of their art collaboratively. They have been at the torch for a little more than five years and are going strong in the glassblowing community of Colorado’s cute mountain town, Buena Vista as well as Denver’s scene. For Kirk and Katie, inspiration comes from a variety of things such as the beauty of nature as well as other glass artists. “I love to portray happy and uplifting emotions in my art,” says Katie. It shows, especially through her flowers, which are in high demand and often accompany Kirk’s more elegant pieces. “Two of our teachers (Eric Stecker and Ross K) really taught me the concept of ‘keeping glass sexy.’ To me this meant to make art that appeals to every eye, male or female, smoker or not,” says Kirk, which is very apparent in his work. There is a sleek grace in the pieces produced by Homegrown Handblown. Perhaps it’s Kirk and Katie work so well together.
changed. Right now our artistic concentrate pieces have really been selling well for us, and Katie’s flowers and marbles have really been in demand.” There are so many things you can make with glass, not just smoking objects so I had to ask what they prefer the create the most. “I find the most joy on my torch when I get the chance to really push my limits in terms of size and weight. Recently I have found myself working on fully handmade, honeycomb worked mini-tubes and I really enjoy them. Growing up, anytime I went to shop for a water pipe I always liked what I saw to some degree, especially the later Jerome Bakers, and the earlier HVY brand water pipes with the extra artwork,” says Kirk. Katie says she strives to create girly glass, especially as an avid smoker. “I’m working really hard to create unique flowers as well as realistic flowers. I also enjoy making Christmas ornaments because there’s a real flow that I can get lost in, kind of trance out. This next year I’m really going to push myself to make more organic life forms, trees, butterflies, fish, etc.,” she says.
“We actually do the vast majority of our work as a collaborative team, including our production art even. We really do our best to always allow one another to work within the areas of lampworking we are most proficient at,” says Kirk. Teamwork prevails!
“Becoming a successful glass artist requires as much time outside of the studio as within the studio, and most of us find ourselves in a studio at least 50 hours a week. Beyond that, one must find time to advertise, distribute, pack, ship, or otherwise move your wares. And somewhere in between all that, the most important part, is to make yourself happy every day so you can continue to produce art with the love it requires,” they both say.
So what sells the best for this creative couple? Kirk explains that, “For a very long time in our careers, we sold probably 90 percent spoons and hand pipes but things have really
I think the message is clear here: love each other, love the work you do, appreciate your surroundings and take note from other successful people in your industry.
18 November 2013
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Tasty Meds
reviewed by Monocle Man and Hazy Cakes
Groovy Granola Bar by Julie and Kate
I know what you are thinking: How exciting could another medicated granola bar be? Well, in the case of Julie and Kate’s granola bar, it’s actually very exciting! The Groovy Granola Bar is made up of wonderfully healthy and tasty ingredients including good-for-you coconut oil. It is extremely chewy and moist, and went down smoothly with minimal medicine taste. It’s also free of GMOs, refined sugars and gluten. Specifically, I tried the Velvet Fog, which is a blend of the strainCritical Mass, Bruce Banner, L’Eagle Sativa, and Perma Frost weighing in at 75 percent indica and 25 percent sativa with 75 mg. Thank goodness for the sativa or this would have laid me out. Only a few bites in and I started to feel it. I decided to go big and eat about three-quarters of it, and boy was I glad I didn’t have anything to do! The indica side made me feel lazy but the sativa side made it so I could still at least think. The high was euphoric and although it was mostly an indica high, I didn’t feel dumbed down. Perfect for the health conscious cannabis consumer or anybody looking for a savory snack. www.julieandkate.com
Nice n’ Krispie (Sativa) by At Home Baked Ever wanted to make your own edibles at home? At Home Baked is the perfect solution for you with their brownies, blondies and the new Nice n’ Krispies. They have the same look and feel as the brownie and blondie packaging and are available in sativa 800mg and indica 600mg. For this review I tried the sativa. At Home Baked provides all the ingredients, all you need is a saucepan, baking pan and heat. You can even make these outside of the kitchen and bring a box with you on your next camping trip. There are instructions on the box, but this is so easy to make. From start to finish it took about 30 minutes with five east steps. Once they were done chilling in the fridge I cut them into 10 pieces to try and get around 800mg a square. Obviously it is going to be hard to get a perfect mixture of ingredients for precise dosing but you can ballpark it. I had one square after dinner and had to grab another one shortly after. They were delicious and didn’t have much of a weedy taste to them. It was hard to walk away after eating the two but I knew I wouldn’t be getting much done if I had any more. I could feel the body high slowly start to take over. Made me feel relaxed and relieved me of stress from a long days work. I threw on a movie and melted into my bed. I slept like a baby and had minimal lingering effects when I woke up. I can see the Nice n’ Krispes being a big hit come holiday season. Visit At Home Baked’s website to see where you can find all of their potent products. www.athomebakedcolorado.com 20 November 2013
Akimbo Vapor Cartridge 500mg by Standing Akimbo
Standing Akimbo is well known for their award-winning Bubble Brownie and Pecanna Bar. They have some new products that are coming out into the market and one of them is the Akimbo Vapor Cartridge. Each cartridge is filled with 500mg of strain specific hash oil. The cartridge conveniently fits on to most battery pens with five threads. I tried it on my Atmos and Ego batteries and it worked perfectly. The cartridge has 1.6ml of light golden hash oil. I was floored by how well the cartridge hit. My first hit was a doozy as I held the button down for the full time and coughed out a huge cloud of vapor. This was the best flavor profile I’ve experienced with pre-filled hash cartridges. It’s a great way to get quality concentrates discreetly without the dab rig. There was a slight smell but definitely less than smoking a bowl or joint. The next time you are buying a hash cartridge, try out the Akimbo Vapor Cartridge. You can find the Akimbo Vapor Cartridge at centers that carry Standing Akimbo, or by visiting their dispensary in Denver. www. standingakimbo.org
Grape Ape Bubble Hash by 3D
If you haven’t been to Denver’s Discreet Dispensary (aka 3D), then this is the perfect reason to do so. 3D has a nice selection of quality organic cannabis and in-house bubble hash. For this review we tried out their Grape Ape Bubble. It looked like good old school bubble hash, a nice dark slab that glistened in the light. I broke open the slab and it had a light earthy smell. For my first sampling I put a small ball of the bubble in one of my pipes. Whenever I am smoking bubble, I use a hemp wick to control the burning of the hash. The hash bubbled and sizzled away like any good bubble should. The taste really blew me away and tasted even better as a bowl topper. The high was very heavy behind the eyes and had me couch-locked watching TV. This is a perfect smoke after a long day’s work and you need to relax. I later tried the bubble broken up as a bowl topper with some indica flower. That made for quite the nightcap. People seem to forget about bubble hash with the craze of concentrates. Check out Denver’s Discreet Dispensary today and make sure to see their awesome viewing corridor of their indoor grow. www.3dmmc.com
Tangie Nug Run Shatter by The Clinic
The Clinic’s Tangie is quickly becoming one of the most sought after strains in Colorado. They have been cleaning house in competitions when it’s been entered. This year they took home first place in High Times for the sativa flower category, first place sativa shatter terpenes, and second place sativa shatter in The 710 Cup. When you see and smell it you can easily tell why it has been bringing home so many awards. For this review I got to try the infamous Tangie Shatter made from a flower run. I fell in love as soon as I open container and the smell of rich terpenes quickly overloaded my senses. I probably sat and smelled the Tangie for a good ten minutes before I busted out my rig for a dab. The Clinic needs to figure away to make that scent into cologne because I want to smell like that all day long. The shatter had a beautiful dark amber color and looked like some delicious maple syrup. The flavor was just like the smell and seemed to linger for a while after I did my dab. It was great for some mild pain and a slight headache I had. The Tangie was a great sativa high that had me focused and motivated well after smoking. I managed to get a lot done, even with dabbing through out the day. My hat goes off to the talented extract crew at The Clinic, they make some of the best concentrates in the state. www.thecliniccolorado.com
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Ask Lady Cannabis
As you know, Gentle Reader, consuming marijuana is a safe and enjoyable way to relax and spend time with others. There is a proper way to do this and several improper ways. Lady Cannabis addresses questions regarding the etiquette of responsible adult consumption of marijuana in various social settings. What is your question for Lady Cannabis? Email ladycannabis@thcmag.com with your questions.
Dear Lady Cannabis, The headlines about the odor of marijuana being made illegal in Denver has me thinking about where to smoke marijuana when I’m around town. I don’t want to offend, but I’m not going to quit either. I usually pause for an afternoon break and take a puff. What do I do now? Hustlin’ Harder Dear Hustlin’ Harder, We are living during interesting times. Voters legalized recreational cannabis use and then elected officials unsuccessfully try to make the smell illegal, thereby making cannabis illegal again. We are at the forefront of addressing and creating what appropriate use for cannabis looks like. In the past, as an illegal activity, public cannabis use was never considered appropriate. Now with cannabis consumers coming out of their closets, so to speak, and openly smoking, we are creating the guidelines for socially appropriate use. One appropriate rule is make sure children are not involved or nearby. Another sensible recommendation is avoid smoking in your vehicle. For a personal smoke break in your day, choose places that offer relative privacy. It’s advisable to maintain a somewhat reserved awareness. No need to hide just be private and discrete and you’ll likely be fine. Dear Lady Cannabis, I have lived in Colorado for several decades. I am not a marijuana smoker myself. I was never interested in it, but I am supportive of the changes and making it legal. I have out-ofstate family coming to visit in January. It would be fun to offer my guests some newly legalized marijuana during their visit. I think they would get a kick out of it! What do I do? Sally Voter Dear Sally Voter, Out-of-state tourists are frequently in amazement at the presence and openness seen here in Colorado. Still, not
22 November 2013
every Coloradan smokes cannabis. In offering cannabis as a novelty, for out-of-state and adult guests, be a knowledgeable hostess. First, create a designated activity and time. Pick a time when everyone is in the mood to relax. A nice group activity is visiting a nearby park on a warm afternoon during their winter visit. Offer cannabis either before or after a park visit or nature walk. Other nice possibilities are watching a comedy or crafting a creative art project. Your home, most likely, will be the most comfortable and private spot to share cannabis. Provide a couple of options. Joints and brownies are classic and easy. The joint is very easy and familiar to most people. Brownies are familiar and appealing to people who would rather not smoke. Both pre-rolled joints and brownies are available at state licensed cannabis centers. Cannabis centers are stocked for connoisseur consumers, so the options are numerous. For joints, select from hybrid varieties either a classic strain or a strain with a creative and appealing name. Joints are easy to smoke. Light it, inhale and pass it. Have a little tray nearby to catch the ashes. Smoke and pass the joint until everyone feels satisfied. Buy brownies produced with the cannabis dosage determined by lab tests for each lot. This is important for accuracy, consistency and enjoyment of the cannabis experience. As a general guideline, a single serving size contains 20-50 mg activated THC for a normal sized adult. In serving cannabisinfused brownies, conservative portion sizes are important. If needed, cut the brownies in approximately 20 mg pieces. Begin with 20 mg portions and wait an hour before offering more cannabis brownies. Cannabis infused food is not recommended for mindless snacking. If the cannabis brownie portions are small, serve other snacks or desserts to satisfy hunger. With some planning and preparation, your guests will enjoy their experiences and have delightful stories to share when they return home.
HEMP EATS
Indulge in tasty hemp-infused recipes that offer some nutrition without sacrificing flavor
Stuffing with Hemp Milk
Preheat oven to 325˚ Ingredients: 1 loaf of white sandwich bread 1 loaf of whole wheat sandwich bread ¼ cup of fresh flat-leaf parsley 3 tablespoons of fresh sage Salt Pepper 3/4 cup of hemp oil 1 tablespoon butter 1 large yellow onion ½ cup of chopped fennel ½ cup of chopped celery 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth ½ cup hemp original flavored milk Directions: Lightly brush each side both the wheat and white bread with hemp oil. Toast in broiler until crunchy. Let bread cool completely. Break into breadcrumbs by placing in a plastic bag and lightly hammering. In a large bowl, add breadcrumbs, parsely, sage, salt and pepper. Next, add the rest butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat and melt; add onions and sautée until transparent. Add fennel and celery. Stir occasionally until vegetables have softened. Place vegetables in a bowl with the toasted breadcrumbs. Add eggs, stock, cream and toss gently with hands. Place mixture to a pre greased shallow baking dish. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. To brown the stuffing, uncover and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
Butternut Squash and Cranberry Risotto with Hemp Seeds
Makes 12 servings Ingredients: 7 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth 3 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 3/4 cup chopped onion 3 cups Arborio rice 1 cup dry white wine 12 ounces frozen butternut squash, thawed 3/4 cup shelled hemp seeds I cup dried cranberries 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese salt and white pepper to taste Directions: Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat to low; keep warm. Melt butter with oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook until soft, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add rice; cook until translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add wine. Simmer until all liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently. Stir in squash. Add 3/4 cup broth to rice. Simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently. Continue adding broth, 3/4 cup at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding more broth. Rice should be tender but still firm to the bite and mixture should be creamy. This should take about 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in dried cranberries, hemp seeds and cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Be creative this Thanksgiving by giving old favorites a new twist. Up the ante on nutrition by incorporating hemp seeds, hemp milk, hemp oil and hemp flour into your recipes. Grandma will be so suprised!
Have a delicious Thanksgiving! thcmag.com 23
Cannabis News
by John Schroyer
Mexico City Marijuana
Moves
To
Legalize
Marijuana Could Help Treat MS and Prevent Diabetes
Mexico City’s nearly nine million residents may soon be able to legally grow and smoke marijuana, under a series of bills on the way from city officials.
Marijuana is already being used by patients across the medical spectrum, from those stricken with cancer to glaucoma to PTSD. Now add multiple sclerosis and diabetes to the list of ailments cannabis could help treat and prevent.
The city’s assembly, which is run by the liberal Democratic Revolution Party, has enacted a number of progressive laws in recent years, including legalizing gay marriage and abortion. Now, those same city leaders want to free up police to deal with more serious crimes than marijuana possession and consumption. Bills being floated include allowing for possession of up to 30 grams (just over an ounce) and the establishment of marijuana clubs, where dues-paying members could grow their own plants. That would be an end-run around Mexican federal law, which prohibits the sale of marijuana. Under the Mexico City proposal, members would be paying for a place to grow plants for personal use. Four years ago, Mexico decriminalized marijuana possession of up to five grams (roughly a sixth of an ounce), but law enforcement officials are still cracking down on those caught with any more than that. More than 2.4 Million Registered Medical Marijuana Patients in U.S., Finds Study Medical marijuana, which is now regulated in 20 states and the District of Columbia, has garnered a serious following. A recent study by ProCon.org found that roughly 2.4 million people across the United States are medical marijuana users. According to Forbes, the medical marijuana industry was worth approximately $1.7 billion in 2011 and is expected to be worth a booming $9 billion by 2016.
24 November 2013
and dismiss the cases,” said attorney Matthew Pappas, of the Institute for Justice, which was representing at least one of the landlords. “I think it’s a major victory for patients, for citizens in general.” UK Liberal Democrats Suggest Legalizing Marijuana and “Some Club Drugs”
A new study published in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology found that chemicals in marijuana helped prevent inflammation in the brain and spinal cord, and a study published in the American Journal of Medicine found marijuana users are less likely to be obese and are at a lower risk of developing diabetes.
According to the United Kingdom’s Sunday Times, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is expected to propose in a report before the end of the year that the British government follow the lead of Colorado and Washington state, and legalize marijuana along with “some club drugs.”
The MS study, which comes from an Israeli university, is just beginning to work on tests with mice. Chemicals found in marijuana have “a lot of potential,” according to one report.
Clegg, along with other liberal Democrats, have reportedly become convinced that a new approach is needed and that the government is losing its war on drugs.
The diabetes study, which involved 4,600 men and women over a five-year span, found that on average, regular marijuana smokers were slimmer, had better cholesterol, and more positive insulin levels. California U.S. Attorney Drops Charges Against Landlords Renting to Marijuana Dispensaries In early October, a California U.S. district attorney dropped charges against several landlords who were renting to marijuana dispensaries. It is another sign that the Obama administration is taking a hands-off approach to marijuana. Cases against landlords in Anaheim, Eagle Rock, Santa Ana and other southern California locations were all dismissed on the same day. One expert observer called the move “pretty unusual.” “It’s pretty amazing for them to come up
Industrial Hemp and Marijuana Supporters Rally for Legalization in Cincinnati Cannabis supporters put on a rally in downtown Cincinnati in October in an effort to get more attention for their push to legalize medical marijuana and industrial hemp. The Ohio Rights Group, which is attempting to get a ballot measure before voters next year, needs to gather 385,000 signatures to make the ballot. As of midOctober, they had 30,000. Telluride Passes Marijuana Regulations
Recreational
The tiny Colorado mountain town of Telluride approved regulations for retail marijuana shops in September, becoming one of just a few municipalities across the state to set up a formal framework for prospective legal cannabis entrepreneurs.
Across the Globe Current medical marijuana dispensary owners in Telluride will be allowed to sell both medical and recreational marijuana under the new ordinance, or they can transition to recreational-only sales. The town council also required that marijuana stores be at least 500 feet away from schools, and prohibited advertising that is “misleading, deceptive or false or appeals to minors.” The ordinance makes Telluride an oasis on Colorado’s West Slope for marijuana enthusiasts, since other towns in the region — including Montrose, Grand Junction, and Durango — have either banned recreational sales or issued moratoriums on recreational marijuana business licenses. Retail marijuana sales will begin in Telluride and across Colorado on Jan. 1, 2014. Massachusetts Considering Bill to Legalize Marijuana The Massachusetts General Assembly is looking at following in Colorado and Washington’s footsteps when it comes to legalizing marijuana, and legislators are doing it without a vote of the people. The Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act was referred to a legislative committee in early October, and if ultimately approved, would permit marijuana to be grown, processed and sold to those 21 and over. This is not the first time such a bill has been introduced in Massachusetts. Similar measures have been put forth and nothing has come of them, so supporters agree the most recent bill has a long way to go. Massachusetts voters approved decriminalizing marijuana possession in 2008, and gave the thumbs up to medical marijuana last year. Forty states have proposed or enacted laws regarding marijuana use.
U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Federal Ban on Marijuana Prescriptions America’s highest court declined to hear a lawsuit against a federal prohibition on marijuana prescriptions, marking another judiciary defeat for medical marijuana patients and advocates. The court’s rejection means the federal government’s classification of marijuana as a dangerous drug with no reasonable medical uses will remain in place, at least for the foreseeable future. Marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 substance, along with other drugs such as heroin, LSD and cocaine. But the group Americans for Safe Access had sued, arguing that more than 200 medical studies have concluded that marijuana has medicinal benefits. The Supreme Court, however, decided to rely on the judgment of the Drug Enforcement Administration, which doesn’t agree with the lawsuit. The DEA responded in 2011 to a 2002 request from Americans for Safe Access that marijuana be reclassified as a drug with potential uses, saying that there hadn’t been enough long-term studies involving marijuana’s effects. Cannabis Farmers Market Re-Opens in Seattle A first-of-its-kind farmers market was shut down for a month in Washington state, but has now reopened, to the joy of marijuana users and sellers alike. The Cannabis Farmers Market, which was originally located in Tacoma, has moved to Seattle to accommodate a business license problem encountered by the market’s owners.
The market, which plans to be open every first and third Sunday of the month, appeals to both medical marijuana patients who can try various strains of the plant, and dispensary owners who can sell off their excess product. Hickenlooper Supports Banking Reforms
Marijuana
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, who opposed Amendment 64 last year, is now backing federal reforms proposed by two Democratic congressmen that would allow marijuana business owners to open bank accounts. Currently, they’re not allowed to use federally regulated banks, since marijuana is still illegal under federal law. Hickenlooper, along with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, sent a letter to federal officials asking them to reconfigure banking regulations so that marijuana businesses wouldn’t have to operate on a cash-only basis. “Our states will soon be licensing hundreds of retail stores, each of which will, without a normal banking relationship, be forced to conduct business on an all-cash basis. This creates an unnecessary inviting target for criminal activity,” Hickenlooper and Inslee wrote to the heads of the Federal Reserve, the Department of the Treasury and more. U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Golden, along with Washington’s U.S. Rep. Denny Heck, introduced a bill in the House of Representatives in July to give marijuana dispensaries access to bank accounts. The bill is still working its way through House committees, and has not yet seen a vote.
On its first day in its new location, more than 2,000 medical marijuana patients visited the unique market.
thcmag.com 25
2 nd Annual
THC
THE HEMP CONNOISSEUR
by DJ Reetz
The Hemp Connoisseur Championship of 2013 was a smashing gala celebrating the excellence of Colorado cannabis. The event drew over 400 people to Casselman’s Bar and Venue to celebrate the best cannabis one is likely to find anywhere in the world. “I think it was a great success,” said David Maddalena, publisher of THC Magazine. “A stellar event,” said Brett Mouser, co-founder and owner of Mahatma’s Extreme Concentrates, which captured the trophy for best overall. “I think [THC Magazine’s] going to need a bigger venue next year, and I think that’s a good problem to have. The three big dogs on the block are you guys, the 710 Cup, and the [High Times] Cannabis Cup.” The THC championship enjoyed the unity that can only come from marijuana. Peace, love, and hempiness was in full effect. “I’ve worked the door here for two years and I’ve never seen a crowd like this,” said Brian Curran, doorman at Casselman’s and a well-known charcoal artist (featured in last month’s issue). “Everyone was smiling and laughing and having a great time.” Attendees were welcomed into Casselman’s with an open bar, free to choose their drink of choice or step outside to the smoke-filled patio. Judges received gift bags containing a selection of goodies. Inside the venue, a chill experience in comfortable swankiness, with tables set up for contestants and a special VIP lounge for the judges. Attendees puffed on portable vaporizers.
26 November 2013
The crowd cheered in wild exuberance as the winners were announced. Plaques were handed out for winners of patients’ choice, best tested, and connoisseur choice. Best overall went to Mahatma Extreme Concentrates for its MK Ultra wax, powered by bud from Patients Choice. “It’s nice to be received and rewarded,” Mouser said. “I don’t think it’s an easy [title] to walk away with.” But the party didn’t end with the awards. A DJ set and live bands backdropped an amazing Cirque du Soleil-style performance. With chilled reggae jams pumping, Leigh Ann DeLoach climbed and twirled through two hanging sheets of fabric in a show of sexy strength and dexterity. The post-award party raffle offered the chance to win one of several Silver Surfer Vaporizers. The vibe of the night was summed up when Levi Taylor a recent transplant from Indiana found a raffle ticket for a Silver Surfer on the ground. When it was called as a winner later in the evening, he sought Mary Rice the original owner to give her the prize. Levi, welcome to Colorado, we like you already. “The overall event was a reflection of the really positive energy that’s been building in the cannabis industry,” said Maddalena. Next year, THC Magazine’s publisher wants to host an even better party. Mr. Maddalena, wait a minute, a swanky, chill party with awesome entertainment, Colorado’s best cannabis businesses and products. Can this be topped? We will see in 2014.
2013 Champions Best Overall
Mahatma Extreme Concentrates - MK Ultra Powered by Patients Choice 1st Runner Up - The Green Solution/IVXX Infuzionz - Cindy White Ice Wax 2nd Runner Up - Sweet Mary Jane - Key Lime Kickers Sativa 1st Place - Physician Preferred Products - Citrix 2nd Place - The Green Solution - Grape Stomper 3rd Place - Natural Remedies - Cindy 99 x White Patient’s Choice - Physician Preferred Products - Citrix Connoisseur’s Choice - Physician Preferred Products - Citrix Best Tested - Patients Choice of Colorado - Chem ‘91 Indica 1st Place - The Clinic Colorado - Kosher Kush 2nd Place - Natural Remedies - Banana Kush 3rd Place - Denver Relief - OG18 Patient’s Choice - Natural Remedies - Banana Kush Connoisseur’s Choice - The Clinic Colorado - Kosher Kush Best Tested - The Clinic Colorado - Kosher Kush Hybrid 1st Place - The Green Solution - Cindy White 2nd Place - Fox Street Wellness - Girl Scout Cookies 3rd Place - River Rock Wellness - Leeroy Haze Patient’s Choice - The Clinic Colorado - Grunk Connoisseur’s Choice - The Canna Center - Kill Shot Best Tested - The Green Solution - Cindy White
Shatter Concentrate
1st Place - The Green Solution/IVXX Infuzionz - Golden Goat 2nd Place - The Clinic Colorado - Tangie 3rd Place - Stay Concentrated - Pre ‘03 Kobe Patient’s Choice - The Clinic Colorado - Tangie Best Tested - Sweet Mary Jane/Better Concentrates - Venus OG
Wax/Budder Concentrate
1st Place - Mahatma Extreme Concentrates - MK Ultra Powered by Patients Choice 2nd Place - The Green Solution - Golden Goat 3rd Place - The Canna Center - Super Lemon Haze Patient’s Choice - The Canna Center - Super Lemon Haze Best Tested - Mahatma Extreme Concentrates - MK Ultra Powered by Patients Choice H2O Concentrate 1st Place - The Green Solution/IVXX Infuzionz - Cindy White Ice Wax 2nd Place - The Green Solution/IVXX Infuzionz - Grape Stomper Ice Wax 3rd Place - The Canna Center - Kill Shot 90 Micron Bubble Hash Patient’s Choice - The Green Solution/IVXX Infuzionz - Cindy White Ice Wax Best Tested - The Green Solution/IVXX Infuzionz - Grape Stomper Ice Wax CBD Concentrate 1st Place - Greenwerkz - R4 Oil 2nd Place - The Green Solution/IVXX Infuzionz - Shark Shock CBD Shatter Patient’s Choice - The Green Solution/IVXX Infuzionz - Shark Shock CBD Shatter Best Tested - Greenwerkz - R4 Oil Edibles 1st Place - Sweet Mary Jane - Key Lime Kickers 2nd Place - Medically Correct - Incredibles Monkey Bar 3rd Place - MarQaha - Lemonade/Black Tea aka One Eye Open Patient’s Choice - Sweet Mary Jane - Key Lime Kickers Best Tested - Medically Correct - Incredibles Monkey Bar
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:
28 November 2013
thcmag.com 29
Congratulations!
Best Overall CHAMPION
MK Ultra Powered by Patients Choice www.mahatmaconcentrates.com www.patientschoiceofcolorado.com
Event Coverage
Boulder’s Beard Bash Raises Money for Flood Relief by DJ Reetz
Facial follicle aficionados unite! This the call made by the Boulder Facial Hair Club in the first annual Boulder Beard and Moustache Competition. The contest drew a bevy of bearded badasses to Boulder’s Bohemian Biergarten in a show of furious facial hair, cheered on by a crowd of supporters there to see some hardcore facial hair action. First up: the Soup Strainer category. Contestants sauntered across the stage with their most dapper moustaches, attempting to sway the panel of judges from the Boulder Facial Hair Club and win crowd support. Contestants sporting classic handlebars, some in costume, showed off their best lip warmers, many meticulously styled. Notably absent was the 70s porn star ‘stache, leaving the field wide open for next year. Next up was the Show Me Some Skin category, a place for those who grow a serious beard but don’t want to go fullwoodsman. Contestants sporting a slight trim – no product – attempted to woo judges with crafty configurations of goatees, musketeer ‘staches and the like. The winner took home the gold thanks to his spot-on Amish chin curtain and ensemble. Third up on the stage was the Real Heat, for those who don’t need any pansy-ass styling aids or trimmers - the rusty razor category. With the largest turnout of any category, two waves
of contestants took the stage, some in costume, one sporting a baby as Zack Galifianakas of “The Hangover” fame. Kenney Greensweight took home the winning trophy in hillbilly overalls while chewing a corncob pipe, eliciting a roar from the crowd with his hoedown on stage. And finally, the true showman’s category: Work of Art. For this category anything goes, including trimmers, styling gel, black magic, anything at all. Also referred to as the freestyle category, the daunting challenge seemed to deter some and brought out the fewest number of contestants. Eric Brooks took home the title with his whimsical, curled beard, which he claims takes him up to two hours to prepare. This was the second competition for Brooks. Beard groupies swarmed him after the show. He gave this advice to future competitors: “Eat your vegetables and don’t be afraid, no matter what anybody says.” Greensweight was crowned best of show with his formidably rustic beard, going home with a plaque and the symbolic “gold” hatchet for his dedicated two-year growth. When asked for advice for the kids looking up to him, Greensweight responded: “Just let it grow; throw away the razor and have fun.” The camaraderie that can only come from beards was in full effect, the crowd united by the fellowship of facial fetishism. Donations were made to Conscious Alliance flood-relief efforts, and a good time was had by all. Check out the Boulder Facial Hair Club’s Facebook page for upcoming events.
thcmag.com 31
Hemp Goes High Performance in BMW i3 Electric Car by Rick Macey
I have to admit a bias, which will undoubtedly show through in this article about BMW’s new electric vehicle: I am a fan of BMW. I drive a 2006 330xi. It’s the best small high-performance automobile I’ve owned. It’s my favorite among the fast, fun-to-drive cars I’ve had over the years, edging out the 1968 Camaro I fell in love with in my early 20s. So if I have nothing but good things to say about BMW’s i3, which was rolled out at auto shows in New York City, London, and Beijing in late summer, you know I come by it honestly. The buzz about the i3 is that it incorporates hemp fibers. It’s not the first BMW model to do so, but an electric car that is environmentally friendly in more ways than one is an instant attraction. The interior doors are lined with hemp fibers. The door panels add to the quiet ride BMW drivers have come to expect,
32 November 2013
and they subtract from the i3’s weight, which is a mere 2,700 pounds. Chevrolet’s Volt and Nissan’s Leaf weigh in around 3,500 pounds. The hemp reduces the weight of the doors by more than 10 percent. The i3 is powered by a single lithium-ion battery, so being lightweight adds miles to its roughly 100-mile driving range. “A small loft on wheels,” is how Benoit Jacob, leader of the i3’s design team, described the ride. For now, we have to take his word for it, since it may be months before the i3 graces the showroom floors of local BMW dealers. Schomp BMW of Highlands Ranch, and other dealers across Colorado, are accepting pre-orders of the i3. Along with the hemp panels, the i3 has “responsibly forested
eucalyptus” dashboard trim, and incorporates other natural plant fibers. What’s not to love? Along with Mercedes, Audi, Volkswagen, and others, BMW began testing and using natural fibers in the early 1990s, when European governments encouraged car manufacturers to use recyclable materials. Although Mercedes was first with plant fiber materials, using jute-based door panels beginning with the E class in 1994, BMW is a leader in utilizing hemp fibers. Hemp panels have been used in BMW’s 5 series since 2006. It’s a bit ironic that American car companies lag behind the Europeans in utilizing natural fibers and bio-degradable platsics. American automobile pioneer Henry Ford designed hemp body parts for cars in the 1930s while advocating hemp-based ethanol for automotive fuel.
In the last 20 years, researchers around the world, notably in Australia and England, predicted that plant-based cars will inevitably replace vehicles with metal and plastic components. While the completely bio-degradable car belongs to the future, the i3 is more than another zero emissions, environmentally friendly entry into a growing market. It’s the German car manufacturer’s first high-performance electric vehicle, accelerating from 0 to 60 in seven seconds on 170 horsepower. With a sticker price of $41,350, the i3 will appeal to people (like me) who are increasingly ecologically conscious about our consumer spending. It has me thinking “trade in.” Or more accurately, “trade up.”
thcmag.com 33
Shop Local
by Susan Squibb
Creating a comfortably furnished home is important for entertaining guests, relaxing and getting shagged more often. Do you need to get shagged more often? Maybe you need better décor in your dwelling.
ture for every room in the house. Incredible items currently in stock include a 1950s teal kitchen dinette, a tiki bar, and new original artwork from local artists.
Go directly to Mid Mod Mall and furnish your home or pad with the coolest mid-century modern furniture and accessories in Denver. You will soon impress your guests with your swanky and sleek retro style.
Create your own mod living room or den with a couch, lounge chair, coffee and end tables, and record player. Add floor and table lamps, wall art and a colorful party ashtray to the space. Don’t forget to serve drinks in kitschy highball or Collins glasses.
Located at 3434 Brighton Boulevard in the Denver RiNo District, Mid Mod Mall is a locally owned green business dedicated to recycling classic furniture and accessories from the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s. All items are in good to excellent condition, and the prices are affordable.
Now your “shagadelic” room is ready for a good time! If you like to party while you shop, Mid Mod Mall hosts a huge First Friday every month. A live band, catered food, and copious drinks create a festive time to find the unique mid-century modern furniture you can’t live without from Mid Mod Mall.
The two-room warehouse showcases a huge variety of furni-
Website - www.midmodandmore.net
by Caroline Hayes
Sol Shine is a conscious fashion boutique featuring the finest of goods. From fair trade to 100 percent recycled to organic cotton, every thing sold is mindful and hails from the United States. Owner Dannie Huggins donates a portion of her proceeds to a group home in Colorado Springs, as does clothing line Spiritual Gangster for every item you buy. Sol Shine is the perfect store to find a little something for everybody on your list. From sharp looking button downs for your man to inspirational journals for that deep thinker or brighten up somebody’s day with a Himalaya Salt Lamp. Flasks from Trixie and Milo $29.99
Let’s face it, girls love earrings! Suprise her with a pair of these unique hand cut wooden earrings from Green Tree Jewlery $17.50
Sol Shine
1501 Boulder St. Denver, CO 80211 (303) 955-7743 34 November 2013
Inspiration for the every day yogi. Yoga Notes
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Precise control of temperatures for pure vaporization. Outstanding capacity within a clean, pocket-friendly design. The look is subtle, the experience isn’t. Learn more at indica2.com
50 October 2013
Could your plants use a little more juice? For more than 15 years MMJ growers in British Columbia have been using Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst® to enhance nutrient uptake and improve plant health, growth and yield. This product is now available to Colorado growers so request your free sample today!
PlantCatalyst
®
“Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst® is a nutrient
Dr. Willard’s PlantCatalyst® is a nutrient absorption enhancer that can be added to any nutrient routine. It has been tested on over 100,000 plants including cayenne peppers, micro and potted spathiphyllum and ‘Northern Lights’ cannabis and the benefits include: · Larger and/or greener plants · More blooms and/or earlier blooming · Sturdier stocks and/or more extensive root systems · Greater resilience in stressful growing environments (e.g. dry, hot weather) · More yield per plant, larger fruit/flowers and enhanced flavor and aroma
absorption enhancer for plants invented by award winning chemistry professor, Dr. John W. Willard PhD. This ground-breaking product is specially formulated using an extensive and patented manufacturing process, developed by Dr. Willard, in which a colloidal particle called a micelle is created. When the PlantCatalyst® micelle is added to ordinary water (tap water, purified water, well water, etc) the micelle, according to Dr Willard, causes a change in the structure of that water and it becomes a more efficient delivery system for nutrients. This altered structure serves as a catalyst or transport medium that can enhance the uptake and assimilation of nutrients in plants. Dr. Willard’s
www.plantcatalyst.com Free samples available by visiting our website or by calling toll free at 888-379-4552
PlantCatalyst® is not a nutrient, but a vehicle for carrying nutrients throughout the plant’s cells”
Oil Pulling: Trend or Trick of the Trade? by Caroline Hayes
In a time of trendy health fads, who knows what to believe and who really has time to try them all? When I first heard of oil pulling, I didn’t know what to think except ewww gross. After thorough research and a talk with the doc, as a some-what health freak myself, I am now a full supporter of oil pulling. Dr. Bruce Fife, author of Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing, has shed some light into this health remedy. Oil pulling is an Ayurvedic remedy that consists of swishing oil in the mouth for 15-20 minutes without swallowing it. Never swallow the oil because, after swishing for the recommended time, the oil contains things that are no good to your body anymore. Think: waste. You are pulling bacteria from your mouth, deep inside your gums and teeth, and spitting it out. How healthy your mouth is can greatly impact your overall health. “The most obvious benefit is a healthier mouth—whiter teeth, fresher breath and healthier gums. Chronic and acute oral infections clear up also,” said Dr. Fife So has this ever helped anyone? Dr. Fife says, “I hear many incredible success stories so there isn’t just one that stands out above the rest. For example, one person was scheduled to have an abscessed tooth pulled. A week or so before the dental appointment she started oil pulling. When she went to the
dentist to for the extraction the infection was gone and the tooth did not have to come out. In another case a woman was racked by severe arthritis in her legs and back. She used to be very athletic but due to the arthritis she could not walk up one flight of stairs without experiencing excruciating pain. She had had two back surgeries and her doctor recommended she have a third. She started oil pulling and her arthritis went away. She was able walk up stair and run again without any pain and she no longer needed back surgery.” Sometimes it’s just the little things you can do daily to help your overall health. Oil pulling can also help aid the symptoms of PMS, chronic fatigue, migraines, diabetes, inflammation and sinus problems. It also supports healthy kidney function and may clear up acne. Any oil can be used. Dr. Fife said he didn’t see a benefit to hemp oil over olive oil or coconut oil but said he recommends coconut over any of the others due to the overall benefits of coconut oil. Oil pulling steps: 1. Do this first thing in the morning, before eating or drinking anything, even water. 2. Place 1-2 tablespoons of oil into the mouth.
3. Swish the oil for 15 to 20 minutes. DO NOT SWALLOW. Softly chew or use the tongue to help swish around. 4. After 15 to 20 minutes, spit oil out into toilet or trash. Experts say not to spit into sink because it could clog pipes. 5. Thoroughly rinse mouth with salt water or apple cider vinegar. 6. Brush teeth. There you have it folks, a brand new health remedy to try. Go ahead and give it a whirl. It can’t hurt. You may even be surprised by how great you and your mouth feel.
thcmag.com 37
Hemp Is Back!
Colorado Farmer Loflin, Cannabis Enthusiasts Hand-Harvest First American Crop in Decades by Rick Macey
Photo by Kim Sidwell/Cannabis Camera
On October 5, 2013, Springfield farmer Ryan Loflin and a group of enthusiastic migrant workers hand-harvested America’s first hemp crop in more than a half-century. It was a pleasant early autumn Saturday in southeastern Colorado. By day’s end, a two-foot high pile of hemp plants lay in a barn on the sprawling Loflin family farm. This is how history is made. “It was time,” Loflin said with a grin and a shrug of his lean shoulders. “It had to happen.” Next year, the wheat and alfalfa crops in this part of the state will begin to give way to the cannabis plant. There are more than 50,000 acres here - not including the farms of Loflin family members, friends, and neighbors - that could be growing hemp in 2014. Earlier this year, Loflin started with 70 acres and did several dry land tests, to see how hemp would do without irrigation in this semi-arid climate. The hemp was overtaken by weeds. So he settled on a plan for 60 acres underneath spring clearance and kept the crop irrigated. After evaluating several varieties from all over the world, Loflin decided to plant two different strains, one from Canada, the other from England. A promising Asian variant had to be ditched because it contained too much THC. He said it was hard to get information about the hemp. The seeds had to be smuggled into the United States.
38 November 2013
As they grew, both hemp strains had to battle weeds like Colorado’s notorious foxtail. “The European variety did better by far than the Canadian variety,” Loflin said, “in both height and seed production.” Loflin is encouraging hemp farmers for miles around. He intends to build a 32,000 square-foot hemp oil processing facility. He wants to become the go-to guy for the state’s new hemp industry. Hemp is one of the most versatile crops in human history. And Colorado is not alone in seeing its value as 10 states now have industrial hemp laws. Yet it is here, in Colorado, that Loflin and his volunteer workers took that important first step, pulling up hemp in a day’s hard labor in defiance of federal law. A Trade Show For a bunch of federal outlaws, the workers who hand-picked Colorado’s first 21st century hemp harvest were courteous and unusually knowledgeable. “It’s amazing here,” said Matthew Watrous. “A lot of the people who showed up are hemp leaders. It’s kind of like a trade show.” Except the federal government doesn’t sign off. Colorado won’t issue licenses to grow hemp until early next year. So who are these iconoclastic pioneers?
Among them are visionaries and activists who helped clear the path to this historic occasion. And there were folks like Neil Watson, a plant nutritionist from Nebraska. He was introduced to the group by Agua Das, a long-time proponent of hemp fuel and founder of Hemp I Scream - hemp-based vegan ice cream.
modern hemp legalization bill sponsored by then-Colorado state senator Lloyd Casey.
“We are networking, trying to meet as many people as we can,” Watson said. “We basically met 50 new friends in a bonding experience.”
Hunter conceded that the 2010 state government resolution was symbolic, and did not legalize the plant. “It was a good start,” he said.
He said all of the volunteers gained an appreciation for mechanized agriculture. “It’s pretty tough pulling the roots of hemp plants out of the ground.” The harvesting had to be done by hand because Loflin’s combine shredded the plant.
Six months later, Parker told Hunter about Jason Lauve, who had just helped Colorado representative Wes McKinley write a hemp phytoremediation bill.
As the sun slowly set on the historic scene at the farm, Watson walked to the back of his pickup truck and pulled a souvenir into view. It was a solitary hemp plant. “There were very few other hemp plants around it,” he said. “There’s a strong probability that the seeds on this plant were self-pollinated from the plant itself.” “I had to wrap my hands around it and pull as hard as I could, because the fibers on it are so strong,” Watson said.
Ten years later, as she pondered what to do after retiring from Yellow Pages advertising sales, Parker chose hemp legalization.
“That’s why I took this step. It’s time. Our country needs something right now like this multiple tasking crop that is useful in so many industries.”
The plant has two dozen nodes closely spaced on the stalk, the rough equivalent to staple length on cotton.
Phytoremediation is basically soil restoration. Hemp has been shown to absorb soil contaminents, including heavy metal deposits. Parker and Lauve asked Hunter to testify at committee meetings. The three of them formed Hemp Cleans and lobbied hard for the bill’s passage. With crucial support from representative Suzanne Williams, the bill passed with broad support and was signed by governor John Hickenlooper in June 2012. Political momentum was building.
The next legislative victory came at the ballot. Amendment 64, which legalized cannabis - both marijuana and hemp was passed in November 2012. Colorado was joined by Washington and became the first two states to legalize.
“If you have long staple length cotton, it’s a premium. You can make really good thread count sheets,” Watson said. “So this plant is probably a really good parent for selecting out fiber strains in industrial hemp.”
With input from cannabis trade group lobbyist Samantha Walsh and others, Colorado’s legislature approved a bill to allow commercial cultivation of hemp this past May.
Watson’s new keepsake may prove useful in construction, for concrete, wall panels, and hybrid bio-degradable plastics.
Although still illegal under federal law, that set the stage for Loflin’s historic harvest.
If you look at hemp under a microscope, the fibers have barbs that lock together. “All you have to do is compress it, and it makes a pretty darn good building material,” Watson said.
“I’m now working with Ryan to expand this operation,” Hunter said. “We are talking about processing seed and trying to figure out how we can get more.”
Activists and Enthusiasts
He is also working on a hemp food product. He won’t say what it is. “Not until I’ve signed a contract,” he laughed.
Watson and Watrous were joined by a sort of “Who’s Who” of the Colorado hemp world. “I couldn’t be more pleased with this amazing group of people who are dedicated to this industry,” Loflin said. “It shows how much they want this to succeed.” Let’s follow the political journey of one of them, a passionate hemp advocate and researcher named Dr. Erik Hunter. He was a relative latecomer to Colorado’s hemp scene when in 2011 he saw Lynda Parker’s website. “I called her and asked her, ‘How do we get hemp legalized in Colorado?’ She had worked on the 2010 initiative where the legislature unanimously voted to urge the federal government to allow the growing of industrial hemp,” Hunter said. Parker is the pivotal figure in Colorado’s hemp legalization movement. In 1996 she was taking a political science course. One of her assignments was to report on the nation’s first
Hunter is also one of the prime movers behind the Rocky Mountain Hemp Association, a hemp advocacy organization that supports industry projects. Was Hunter surprised to find himself here in Springfield, pulling hemp plants from the ground, just three years after first getting involved? “I am,” he admitted. “I really didn’t think it was going to work when Lynda and Jason asked me to testify at the committee meetings. It had been so long since hemp was legal.” Hunter also recounted how others around the country had tried to grow hemp. “They were all stymied by the DEA,” he said. Their efforts, though, led the way for Loflin. Pioneer Hempsters The first modern USA hemp farmer was Dave West in Hawaii,
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who in 1999 received permission from the DEA to grow hemp. The feds shut him down following 9/11. More recently, North Dakota representative Dave Monson and farmer Wayne Hauge took legal action against the DEA after years of awaiting approval for hemp cultivation, which has been legal in the state for more than a decade. The lawsuit is still unresolved and Monson won’t plant hemp until it is. Alex White Plume of South Dakota’s Oglala Sioux Tribe openly planted a hemp crop on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Federal drug agents raided his farm and destroyed the crop. Hunter recalled DEA’s veiled threat of charging Colorado lawmakers with conspiracy if they voted for senator Casey’s hemp bill in the 1990s. So he had reasons to be skeptical. What changed his mind? The sight two years ago of Colorado’s legislators thumbing their noses at the federal government. Hunter will never forget as the local affairs committee began deliberating on the states rights vs. federal rights dilemma. “After about a minute or so, one representative says, ‘Is this a 10th Amendment charge up the hill.’ Somebody else says, ‘Yes it is.” And he says, ‘OK, we’re all for it.’ “At that moment,” Hunter said, “I knew it could happen.” And it’s now happening at the federal level.
“Now hemp is getting people’s attention, especially because it’s showing up in places other than some local health food outlet.” Hunter cracked a few jokes at the feds. What’s the DEA going to do, he asked rhetorically, raid Costco? As Loflin and his happy - and tired - workers relaxed, the sun disappeared below the scraggly horizon. A sense of exultation permeated this scene. But it was never certain that federal agents would not show up and put an abrupt halt to the harvest. Loflin’s Bold Move As we celebrate hemp’s resurrection in Colorado, it will be Ryan Loflin’s name that will join the pantheon of hemp heroes as the farmer who boldly took this first step. Some of cannabis’ most iconic figures did not live long enough to see this - like author Jack Herer, whose 1985 book “The Emperor Wears No Clothes” marked the start of the modern hemp movement. And Loflin wasn’t sure the feds would allow it. Since planting the first seeds this past spring, Loflin said he’s been looking over his shoulder, waiting for the long arm of marijuana prohibition to smack him down and put him in his place.
“There was definitely a lot of hesitation,” Loflin said. Colorado congress“Investing this time Adam Dunn of Hoodlab, Photo by Kim Sidwell/Cannabis Camera man Jared Polis is and money and not one of the primary knowing whether it sponsors of the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013, which would get to harvest, whether the DEA would come and take was approved with bipartisan support even as the overall it.” Farm Bill was voted down. Loflin doesn’t receive federal agricultural subsidies nor crop Hunter said hemp is a matter of political survival for some of loans, so he figured that what he had to lose - even jail time the unlikely allies of Polis, such as Kentucky congressman was worth the risk. Mitch McConnell. This harvest merely scratches the surface of hemp’s potential “What else are they going to do? There’s nothing going on in as America’s crop. Loflin’s short-term interest is in hemp oil, Kentucky. Nobody likes cigarettes anymore. They’re closing and the protein and edible fiber from hemp seeds, which he down the coal plants and shutting down coal mines. Nobody wants more mountain-top removal. What else are they going envisions as a nutritional supplement powder. to plant there, except tobacco, which kills 430,000 Americans every year. Marijuana kills zero. Hemp kills zero,” said Hunter. The cracklling of a bonfire, the chatter of voices as people mill around a country food buffet, accompany Hunter’s soliloquy. He lacerates the hypocrisy of the anti-cannabis forces. “The last three presidents have smoked it,” he said.
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By autumn of 2014, Loflin anticipates that his hemp oil processing facility will become a destination for hemp farmers. “We want to do everyone’s crop in the area,” he said. “That means that more people will get down here a lot more. I’ve got three cousins who farm down here and one of them is all ready to go,” he said.
“Things are going to move big time next year. Hemp farmers will get permits and know the Colorado law will be in effect.” He predicts specialization of hemp around the state. “Certain regions will be better able to produce a fiber crop, so those farmers will be able to focus on that. Others will figure out what works best for their climate. I think that’s what is going to make this such a powerful crop. It’s going to be a big game-changer in agriculture.” “Hemp is a great thing. I want everyone to reap the benefits. Locally, I want to help the economy and build this processing facility and put people to work. I know how many products can be created from this crop.” “That’s why I took this step. It’s time. Our country needs something right now like this multiple tasking crop that is useful in so many industries.” Now that Loflin’s historic harvest is a page in hemp’s history book, few people believe the federal government can put this genie back in the bottle. “It’s very unlikely,” Hunter said. “Nothing is certain. We could get hit by an asteroid and not be around tomorrow, but the chance of that is very unlikely too. So I’m putting it in that category.” Above the crowd of jubilant hemp enthusiasts around the bonfire this evening, the stars shimmer in the night sky, flickering dots from horizon to horizon. No sign of an asteroid.
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Cagey Business Partners Private Prisons, Lawmakers Collaborate to Incarcerate by DJ Reetz
Last month, THC magazine featured an overview of the prison-industrial complex. We outlined some aspects of the companies that have garnered infamy by profiting from human suffering. We introduced some of the players in this game of misery, most notably Corrections Corporation of America and GEO Group, the two largest private-prison corporations in the world. These two companies have attracted attention from a multitude of human rights and sentencing reform organizations for their ceaseless ability to violate basic human dignities. But one does not simply start a massive, international business specializing in keeping humans in captivity by going to the bank and asking for a small business loan. No, if you want to pursue your passion for incarcerating people for profit, you need to have the proper political connections. Without the necessary influence, companies like CCA and GEO Group can’t acquire the human kindling to stoke their furnaces. Like many massive corporations, they routinely engage in activities designed to influence policy and the lawmakers who craft it in order to further their own interests. A system of political influence guides taxpayer dollars into the pockets of these corporations, and some of that money is then spent peddling influence among elected officials. It’s a self-sustaining system in which politicians can indirectly move public funds into their own re-election campaigns and private prisons can insure their own financial success. For CCA, political influence was part of the company’s inception. Tom Beasley, Robert Crants, and Don Hutto founded the company in 1983 in response to overcrowding, high employee turnover rates and budget problems in the
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Tennessee prison system. Beasley observed these issues as chairman of the state’s Republican Party. At the time, Hutto was president of the American Correctional Association. Crants is a doctor with a Harvard MBA degree. The Justice Policy Institute’s 2011 report on private prisons titled “Gaming the System” reported how each man brought connections and expertise to the business. “The combination of Beasley’s political connections, Crants’ business savvy, and Hutton’s correctional credentials allowed for easy access to the necessary contacts and investors to launch America’s first private prison company,” it noted. The Justice Policy Institute’s report chronicles the methods used by both CCA and GEO Group to ensure a ready source of prisoners and to influence legislators willing to send them to private facilities. “If you’re outside of the criminal justice field, the likelihood of being aware [of private prisons and their influence] greatly decreases,” says Paul Ashton, Research and Grants Coordinator for the JPI. According to the JPI, these companies use a three-pronged strategy: influence elected officials through campaign contributions; hire lobbyists to push for friendly legislation; and maintain close relationships and associations with policy makers. Campaign contributions by private corporations and their political action committees aren’t considered bribery. According to the U.S. Supreme Court’s “Citizens United” ruling, they represent free speech. However, at times it
seems there may be a twinge of quid pro quo in the practice. Such appears to be the case with Linda Lingle, Republican governor of Hawaii from 2002-2010. In 2004, she received the maximum allowable contribution of $6,000 to her re-election campaign from CCA. While a large campaign contribution from a PAC representing a large corporation is nothing out of the ordinary, what is slightly unusual is that Lingle wasn’t up for reelection until 2006. At the time of the contribution, Lingle was part of a push to move more of Hawaii’s prison population into private facilities on the mainland. According to information obtained by the JPI, the number of Hawaiian inmates housed in private facilities increased by 58 percent under Lingle. The practice continued until allegations of prisoner abuse caused Hawaiians to reconsider. One such allegation came from right here in Colorado at the Brush Correctional Facility, where the female prisoners alleged widespread sexual abuse. CCA and GEO Group have both spent millions of dollars on campaign contributions, but a direct correlation between campaign contributions and policy enactment is circumstantial at best. There remains no illegality in this practice. “It’s hard to draw the absolute, direct lines [from contributions to policy]” says Ashton. While campaign contributions are generally reported to election officials, what may be slightly harder to know is the amount of money spent on lobbying. Unlike campaign contributions, lobbying dollars are not tracked. When information is released, it can only be inferred as to which side lobbyists were pulling for.
conservative legislation. Its focus is mainly on state governments. Membership in ALEC is made up of legislators who are charged $50 for the privilege, as well as business representatives who can pay thousands of dollars for access. CCA and GEO Group both have representatives on ALEC’s public safety task force. Through this avenue, both companies are able to not only hobnob with politicians, but actually craft sample legislation. You read that correctly: craft sample legislation, which is often enacted. According to the JPI, of the roughly 1,000 pieces of sample legislation created by ALEC every year, around 20 percent is enacted as law. ALEC has produced legislation requiring mandatory minimum sentences, truth in sentencing laws (which mandate that prisoners serve their sentences without early parole) and the always-controversial “three strikes” program. All of this leads to a larger number of people incarcerated for longer periods of time.
Lobbying may seem to be the most ambiguous area in which prison profiteers influence law makers.
Greater accountability is the goal of the Private Prison Information Act, which has been introduced to the U.S. Congress three times, never making it past committee. The act mandates that private prisons receiving federal dollars would be subject to the same scrutiny as government-run prisons in the form of Freedom of Information Act requests. That’s right, private prisons aren’t accountable in ways that publicly funded prison facilities are. CCA has been lobbying hard on the issue. Again, we can’t possibly know if CCA is pushing for or against this legislation, but it seems doubtful it wants the public to be more involved in their dealings. Lobbying may seem to be the most ambiguous area in which prison profiteers influence law makers. Campaign contributions may be the most law-abidingly crooked, but what is perhaps most shocking is the ability of these companies to control policy directly through personal relationships with lawmakers. It is a process accomplished through organizations such as the American Legislative Exchange Council, a nonprofit dedicated to passing
One of the most glaring examples of this process in action comes from Arizona. In 2011, Arizona passed SB 1070, also known as the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, or the “Where are your papers?” act. The law essentially mandated the profiling by law enforcement of suspiciously brown-skinned individuals for the purpose of rounding up illegal immigrants.
Who would come up with a law that so blatantly flouts civil liberties? The law was conceived and drafted at an ALEC meeting which included representatives of CCA. Of the law’s 36 co-sponsors, two-thirds were members of ALEC, and 30 received campaign contributions from CCA or GEO Group. More recently, as taxpayers and legislators begin to see the inability of private prisons to deliver the promised savings that they sell themselves on, there has been a move to relinquish ties with the private prison industry. But for the shrewd minds at CCA and GEO Group, this just means they have to move into more stable markets, such as immigration detention facilities. “The larger shift toward immigration really points to the rolling back at the state level,” says Ashton. For Ashton, the backlash against private prisons isn’t solely based on their inability to deliver the savings promised. It is also a sign of the collective distrust for large corporations following the 2009 recession. Despite public outcry, the world-leading incarceration rates in the United States will most assuredly allow companies like CCA and GEO Group to reap profits for years to come. The influence that these companies wield will not be easily dissipated.
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Event Coverage
Growing Cannabis Business Investors and Entrepreneurs gather for Arcview meeting in Denver by DJ Reetz
Troy Dayton and Steve DeAngelo of Arcview, Photo by Kim Sidwell/Cannabis Camera
Last month, many of the movers and shakers of the marijuana industry met for one of the largest investor meetings one is likely to find dedicated to cannabis. The Arcview Investor Network meeting drew a crowd of over 60 investors to the historic Denver Athletic Club to watch pitches from 22 different companies in an event that may have appeared to an outsider to be just another investor meeting. “This is an industry to be really proud of,” says Troy Dayton, CEO and co-founder of Arcview Group, in his opening remarks to the crowd gathered under the enormous chandelier in the posh ballroom. On either side of the stage sit marijuana plants in the early stages of budding, the only indictor that this isn’t a conference for a more mainstream, slightly more legal, industry event. The crowd is mostly businessmen in suits. Some have orange dots on their name tags indicating their desire to remain out of any photos snapped by the press in attendance. But despite the apprehension of some attendees, this is a crowd brought together behind a burgeoning market, and the fears about the legality of it are overtaken by capitalistic instinct to get in on the ground floor of a new industry. This is the first time the investor meeting has taken place somewhere that has fully legalized marijuana. It shows in the turnout, which Dayton says is the largest he’s seen. “It’s so liberating and freeing to be in Denver, the home of the free,” says Dayton, referencing the plants flanking the stage. Dayton demonstrates the exuberance of the conference; businessmen eager for a new opportunity, prepared to make strides in a still-forming industry. “Three months in this industry is like seven years in any other industry,” he says, describing the rapid industry growth and flux of regulations. But through it all, Dayton is clear: the success of the industry depends on businesses being responsible, respectable, politically active and profitable. When marijuana-centric businesses can demonstrate these qualities to the public,
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he says, “The chance of things moving forward becomes exponential.” Following Dayton in addressing the crowd is Steve DeAngelo, president and co-founder of Arcview. Those in the industry may recognize DeAngelo from his outspoken activism, or as the founder of Harborside Health Center in Oakland –widely accepted to be the largest medical marijuana dispensary in the world. Those slightly less familiar with the marijuana world might recognize him as the pig-tailed, fedora-sporting entrepreneur from Discovery’s Weed Wars. If Dayton is the businessman driving Arcview, DeAngelo is the healer. DeAngelo brings the knowledge that can only come from an industry giant, and he is quick to point out that potential investors and business operators should be well aware of the tumultuous flow of regulation that comes with a budding industry. “The regulatory model drives the business model,” says DeAngelo, urging attendees to understand the downstream effects of such regulation. “Study those regulations and know them well,” he warns. DeAngelo speaks about the extraordinary opportunity coming to the marijuana industry following the recent testimony of Deputy Attorney General James Cole in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, basically giving the green light to lawful marijuana businesses. “The last shadow that was hanging over us, the shadow of the federal government, has been resolved,” he says. As a long-time purveyor of medical marijuana, DeAngelo isn’t solely about profit. He makes a special point to draw attention to the recent flooding that plagued Colorado in the days leading up to the event. For at least this moment the compassionate nature of the industry that is so present amongst medical marijuana providers is laid bare, even in this room of financially motivated businessmen. “We’re here to give, not just take,” say DeAngelo, who directs attendees to donate at www.fundraise. com/coloradoflood.
Still, the meeting is about making money, and the topic of industry creation soon takes center stage. DeAngelo encourages potential marijuana businessmen to create a new kind of industry, one that is committed to community engagement and safety. “Continued progress is going to depend a lot on us following through on the promises we’ve made,” DeAngelo says. “We’ve made a lot of claims we’re going to have to follow through on.” With the stage set by Arcview’s co-founders, the business pitches begin. First up is a quick game of investor musical chairs, in which pitchers sit face to face with investors for a matter of minutes before swapping seats and making their micro pitches again. The first presentation comes from See Change Research, a company that is dedicated solely to creating an accurate market projection for the marijuana industry. With potentially billions of dollars to be made, a more involved and accurate market projection is needed and the pitch is one that would not be out of place in any other industry. What follows is a medley of companies pitching a range of products and services. Portable vaporizers, concentrate extractors, security and compliance services, nutrient and soil mixtures, lighting systems, even a movie based on the book “Herb Trader.” Companies are varied in demand and origin, some seeking investments in the thousands of dollars, others looking for millions. At least one company, Abattis Pharmaceuticals, is publicly traded on the Canadian stock exchange. The experience is surreal. Men and women dressed in traditional business attire, pitching to a room of capital investors prepared to pump millions of dollars into companies they deem worthy.
“I see it as a way to get activists interested in business and business people interested in activism,” he says. For DeAngelo, the meeting shows serious growth in the industry. Prior meetings had been made up mostly of people already involved in cannabis, compared to the more heavy presence of people coming from investment backgrounds at the Denver meeting. But this assessment is not something DeAngelo thinks spells out the inevitable superimposition of profit over ideology. “The plant has its own special and magic effect on people,” he says, and it can make those with only the motive of profit see the compassionate side of business. For now, the industry will remain in the hands of small businesses, both Dayton and DeAngelo agree. That’s due at least in part to regulations mandating vertically integrated dispensaries and barring out of state businesses from getting involved in the trade. Dayton and DeAngelo would clearly like to see these regulations lifted to allow for larger, more adaptable businesses, similar in structure to most other legal industries. The involvement of large corporations is something that both of Arcview’s founders see as an inevitability, but it’s something they both hope won’t change the fundamental nature of cannabis. “I hope that in 30 to 40 years looking back we will have created not just a new industry, but a new kind of industry,” says DeAngelo. “I hope that it is us that changes corporate America rather than corporate America that changes us.” No matter what happens, Colorado will likely be ground zero for those changes.
It is so far from the stereotypical stoner affair one might expect that it almost seems as though the industry is now under the control of straight-laced business people. It is a group united by financial goals built on the progress that has already been made, rather than a shared ideology. The move toward a more strictly money-oriented business model may terrify some as it seems to signify the arrival of the oft-maligned “big marijuana,” but it’s not something the founders of Arcview are too concerned with. For Dayton, the involvement of larger and larger companies is well worth it if it means a freer society. He sees the ability to make money as the driver of change. “I’m not in this because I like cannabis, I’m in it because I like freedom and I like free enterprise,” reflects Dayton. Make no mistake, Dayton is still an activist. He was a co-founder of Students for Sensible Drug Policy and currently serves on the boards of both the National Cannabis Industry Association and the Marijuana Policy Project. “My goal is to make sure there is not a single adult punished for this plant,” he says. As for the threat of the cannabis industry being taken over by large, perhaps less-than-ethical corporate giants, it’s not something Dayton is particularly worried about. “It’s certainly something we want to watch out for,” he says. He believes the marijuana industry is in a unique position to avoid the mistakes that have been made by the tobacco, pharmaceutical, and liquor industries. According to Dayton, marijuana will not likely be severed from its activist roots, and the capability for it to be both legal and profitable will only drive more people to the cause of social justice.
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48 October 46 November 20132013
Have Your Forest and Eat It Too! Seattle Leads the Way With Park of Edible Vegitation, Colorado soon to Follow by Erin Hiatt
If you’ve ever wandered through the produce aisles at Whole Foods, picked up a plump apple then put it back down because you can’t drop $3 a pound, the city of Seattle has a solution for you. The Beacon Food Forest, a sevenacre plot just 2.5 miles from downtown, is being planted with fruit and nut trees, vegetable plots, berry patches, and practically anything else you can think of, and it’s literally ripe for anybody to pick. For free. Taking its cue from permaculture, the all-organic, non-GMO food forest was designed to grow like a literal forest. “It’s a system that tries to mimic nature’s systems,” says Bradly Nakagawa, an active volunteer on the site development committee. “No one has to water or fertilize a forest for it to it flourish, so we are having that same principle.”
great things in store. Plans include an edible arboretum, community garden, a kid’s area, berry patch and nut grove. Anyone can come and harvest at any time, unlike the community “P” patches that only certain groups can harvest. And Mr. Nakagawa doesn’t worry about homeless people overrunning the park, a concern for some saying, “We don’t want any produce to hit the ground.” Closer to home, the city of Basalt, Colorado and the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute are planting the seeds of their own food forest. But this project goes a step further: they will give the seeds of the food forest’s harvest back to the community. The Basalt Library already has a seed catalog in place, and anyone with a library card can go and take seeds home for their own gardens. Currently, the ground is being mulched and irrigated with the first planting going in next spring.
Each year the vegetation goes through its natural cycles, continually adding to the lushness of the environment. But instead of non-edible plants like branches or grass, they’re “making sure all of the ecosystem is human friendly plants.” The focus is on seeds that are compatible with Colorado’s arid climate and bringing the community together for the The forest’s goals are to bring the community together for a harvests. The first one should spring up in the summer of common cause, educating the public about food and where 2014. And just like the Beacon Food Forest, anyone can it comes from, and last but not least, the harvest itself. harvest for free. Volunteers maintain the forest and anyone can pitch in. Pumpkins, anyone? Just two of the seven acres are ready to pick but there are
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Hemp Products are the Military’s Latest Targets by Rebecca Chavez
In August of this year, Chobani yogurt made headlines in the worst way possible. A recall was announced for the company’s products after a discovery of a certain kind of mold. The products deemed unsafe were pulled off shelves across the nation, but in Air Force commissaries an extra item was being pulled. The Blueberry Power Chobani Flip was removed from shelves, not because of mold, but because of hemp. The yogurt came with a side of walnuts and hemp seeds to be mixed in before consumption. Air Force instructions 44-120 and 44-121 prohibits “the ingestion of products containing or products derived from the hemp seed or hemp seed oil.” Chobani is just the latest company to feel the sting of the hemp ban. Earlier in 2013, the Army pulled Purgatory Vodka off of shelves because it is distilled from a mix that included hemp seeds. Army regulation 600-85 “prohibits soldiers from using hemp or products containing hemp oil.” This ban on hemp products in the military may come as a surprise to those who see hemp products on shelves everyday, but the armed forces claim there is a good reason behind the regulations. They fear that food and products containing hemp will cause a false positive on their routine drug tests. The current threshold for federal drug tests is 50 parts THC per billion. A 2001 study by scientists Leson, Pless and Grotenhermen titled “Evaluating the Impact of Hemp Food Consumption on Workplace Drug Tests” found that a person would have to consume .6mg of THC per day in order to test positive. This person would still be below the cutoff of 50mg/ mL and would have to consume 300g of hulled hemp seeds. If hemp products are unlikely to cause a false positive, why
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is the military concerned with soldiers consuming the products? These are the same products that can be found on grocery stores across the country and there is hardly an outcry from civilian workplaces concerning the number of people testing positive for THC. The problem stems from common misconceptions about hemp. While medical marijuana seems to be sweeping the nation, hemp is simply not as popular. Twenty states and Washington D.C. have medical marijuana. Only three states allow for the legal growth of hemp. The majority of hemp products are imported from Canada. The resistance to hemp stems from its resemblance to its much more intoxicating relative. Arguments against hemp often stem from a fear that farmers disguise marijuana plants amongst the much more benign hemp. This would be nearly impossible because the hemp plant is grown in a significantly different way than marijuana plants are grown. Due to cross-pollination, most farmers who are serious about marijuana would avoid growing outdoors and next to hemp because it would weaken their product. Other detractors worry about the fact that hemp products might inadvertently cause them to get the high connected to THC, while ignoring the fact that the THC in hemp products is not enough to get anyone high. Some argue that the legalization of hemp would normalize marijuana use for young people, while ignoring that hemp and marijuana serve two completely different purposes. It seems that the military is on the anti-hemp bandwagon for now, and go so far as to suggest that members of the Armed Forces be careful of what they eat while away from active duty, though they cannot control what a person purchases while off base. Some view this as a setback for hemp, but the publicity brought by the removal of hempbased products could be enough to tip the scales in other directions. Hopefully, hemp will prevail.
Reefer Badness?
Colorado’s Sam Caldwell: Marijuana Prohibition’s First Victim by Rick Macey
“I consider marijuana the worst of all narcotics, far worse than the use of morphine or cocaine. Under its influence men become beasts. Marijuana destroys life itself. I have no sympathy with those who sell this weed. The government is going to enforce this new law to the letter.” These are the words nearly eight decades ago of Judge Foster Symes of Colorado, who inaugurated the jurisprudence inquisition that would propel the War on Drugs until the present day. His victims were an itinerant farmer, Samuel R. Caldwell, and a Mexican migrant worker, Moses Baca. The 58-year-old Caldwell sold two joints to Baca on October 2, 1937 - on the day the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act came into effect. Later that same day, FBI agents and Denver policemen raided the Lexington Hotel and arrested both men. The Marihuana Tax Stamp Act of 1937 was a sort of halfmeasure that went all the way in its dire consequences. It criminalized cannabis even though the plant remained technically legal. To grow and possess cannabis required a $1 government stamp that was not for sale. Caldwell became the first victim of marijuana prohibition. He was sentenced to four years of hard labor at Leavenworth Penitentiary and a $1,000 fine. Baca was found guilty of possession and received 18 months behind bars. Both men served every day of their sentences. The cannabis plant, which includes hemp and marijuana, is one of the most versatile and useful agricultural crops in human history. Cannabis was literally woven into the fabric of the nation’s history. President Abraham Lincoln admitted that smoking a pipe of “sweet hemp” and playing his harmonica helped him cope with the pressures of the Civil War.
Consider that within a year of Caldwell’s release from prison, the federal government required farmers to grow hemp during World War 2. In the 1930s, cannabis users came under attack for various reasons, including racism and competing business interests. The country’s first drug czar, Harry Anslinger, built his career on “Reefer Madness.” The number of ruined lives is staggering. While Caldwell and Baca were the first victims, this nefarious roll call has not subsided. According to the FBI Uniform Crime Report, nearly 750,000 Americans were arrested in 2012 for possessing, selling and g r o w i n g cannabis. More than 650,000 were charged with possession alone.
marijuana offenses since 2000.
More than 800,000 a year nearly 10 million Americans - have been arrested for small-scale
Neill Franklin is a former Baltimore city police captain and executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), an organization of former cops and prosecutors who support legalization. Franklin is appalled at the statistics. “These numbers represent a tremendous loss of human potential. Each one of those arrests is the story of someone who may suffer a variety of adverse effects from their interaction with the justice system,” said Franklin, a cop for 34 years. “Commit a murder or a robbery and the government will still give you a student loan. Get convicted for smoking a joint and you’re likely to lose it. This is supposed to help people get over their drug habit?” Every year, approximately 20,000 students are denied a federally guaranteed loan because of a marijuana conviction. As public policy, marijuana prohibition is a nightmare. It’s time we woke up from it.
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Sour Taste of Spice
Designer Drugs Mimic Cannabis, Pose Serious Health Risks by Steven Turetsky
“John,” who requested his identity not be revealed, is a student-athlete at a Division I university. He recreationally consumed cannabis throughout high school as a way to relax after long hours at the gym followed by late nights of homework. “There’s a lot of pressure that comes with being a studentathlete. It was nice to smoke a joint at the end of the day because I never liked the way alcohol made me feel,” he said. Upon entering college, John found out drug tests would be a regular occurrence. He could no longer medicate with cannabis. He was then introduced to a legal alternative that wouldn’t show up on a drug test. The seniors called it “Spice,” which along with “K2” is one of two commonly used brand names for the psychoactive designer drugs. “They told me it was ‘weed but better’ and at first I loved it. The highs were more intense and I even hallucinated,” he said. However, for John, the highs quickly turned to lows. When he tried to quit, he developed horrible withdrawal symptoms. “If I didn’t smoke that day, I would vomit every few hours.” He was forced to quit the team after the withdrawal symptoms became too severe. He eventually checked into rehab. “I’m better now, but I wish I could have just enjoyed some weed so none of this would’ve happened.” Spice or K2 is an ever-expanding group of synthetic drugs intended to produce effects similar to marijuana. Marketed to contain natural herbal buds, Spice is typically an amalgam of designer chemicals sprayed on dried plant material. The cannabinoid-like molecular structure of these drugs allows them to bind to CB1 receptors, the same destination as THC. That is where the similarities end. Synthetic cannabinoids are known as full agonists, which means they bind completely to cannabinoid receptors rather than the partial excitation seen in natural cannabinoids. This enhanced binding ability leads to more intense and dangerous side effects while creating the possibility for overdose never seen before from cannabis. Spice leads to a more disorienting high combined with many reports of dissociative hallucinations. Anxiety, intense paranoia, agitation, vomiting, increase in blood pressure, increased risk of heart attack, stroke and coma are the other common side effects.
50 November 2013
So why have teens and young adults turned to spice if there were more therapeutic and safer options available? First, for reasons of accessibility and legality. Until 2008, the Drug Enforcement Agency was not even aware that this class of drugs existed. Spice was completely legal and sold as potpourri, herbal incense, and herbal smoking blends widely available in gas stations and convenience stores for prices similar to cannabis. Enter the frightening case of Emily Bauer. After ingesting Spice, she ended up in the hospital. The teenager suffered several major strokes and her doctors put her in a coma to protect her. Her recovery from severe brain injury has been slow as she relearns to use her right arm, and recognize colors. She cries about having to wear a diaper. After cases like Emily’s started to appear, the DEA instituted emergency prohibition of five types of synthetic cannabinoids. Twenty-six chemicals were banned in 2012 when President Barack Obama signed the Synthetic Drug Use Prevention Act into law. Unfortunately, designer drug chemistry has thwarted lagging government research. The White House reports that 51 new synthetics were discovered in 2012, up from two in 2009. There are Walter White types who are one step ahead in tweaking these compounds, thus creating a ‘brand new’ chemical and subsequently a new ‘legal’ spice. As long as they are marked “not for human consumption,” new spice derivatives can be bought on the Internet and shipped to your house or college dorm. It’s a vicious cycle driven by legal loopholes. Why has this dangerous synthetic drug market developed? It’s a market that 11.3 percent of high schoolers have indulged in, making it the second-most consumed recreational drug after cannabis (not including alcohol). Many academics argue that prohibition of cannabis is responsible for the Spice epidemic. People are always going to use drugs. Drug use is a choice, and in most cases, people make the choice to use a drug rationally and responsibly. Simple cost-benefit analysis illustrates that if a person in our society is to choose between
an illegal and a legal drug, there is a higher propensity to select the legal drug because of less tangible repercussions and ignorance due to imperfect information of the side effects. From a governmental standpoint, it is not rational to keep one of the safest and least toxic recreational drugs illegal, thus artificially creating demand for dangerous and dubiously legal alternatives. Of course, there will always be those who irresponsibly use drugs. If these drugs users would ‘abuse’ regulated cannabis instead, they would incur less risk for dependency and health implications. Legalizing cannabis drives down prices through competition, allows for safer accessibility, and improves quality standards.
They have taken a specific stand toward the NFL drug policy, which still includes cannabis as a banned substance. Players face suspension without pay and temporary expulsion from the league for multiple offenses.
Anxiety, intense paranoia, agitation, vomiting, increase in blood pressure, increased risk of heart attack, stroke and coma are the other common side effects [of the spice].
These are all potential incentives for Spice users to stop consuming the chemicals, since Spice is primarily a drug of last resort for those without access to - or prohibited to use - cannabis. Many advocacy groups, such as Marijuana Policy Project and Students for Sensible Drug Policy, are voicing this point of view associated with cannabis legalization.
As a result, players take to alcohol and Spice as substitutes. The league already has a problem with retired players committing suicide and suffering mental illness resulting from repeated concussions and brain damage. Why encourage them to turn to substances that are heavily correlated to dependency and psychosis? The unfortunate truth is that stories like John’s are becoming increasingly common in recent years. New and innovative policies must be implemented because prohibition has proved time and again to create more problems than it solves.
Devon Tackles, outreach director for SSDP, likes to apply a quote from Albert Einstein. “Insanity (is) doing the same thing over again and expecting different results.” Through education about the benefits of cannabis and the dangers of designer drug substitutes, we can combat ignorance and help rewrite history.
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by Erin Hiatt, Illustration by Sam Reeves
Watch out! “Big marijuana” is about to dominate the cannabis industry with paid lobbyists and pharmaceutical drugs. At least that’s what some people would have us believe. Is this an impending reality? Or is it an illusion? On July 27, 2013, Byron Tau reported via Politico that the “big marijuana” lobby was working on legislative measures to stop marijuana legalization. This article came shortly after the defeat of Maine bill LD 1229 proposed by Rep. Diane Russell, D-Portland. The bill would have allowed Maine residents age 21 and older to possess as much as 2.5 ounces of marijuana and to grow six plants. If approved by the Maine Legislature, it would have been put on the ballot in a statewide referendum. But the bill went down in defeat by four votes, 71-67. David Boyer is the Maine Political Director for the Marijuana Policy Project. He worked closely on the bill with Rep. Russell. “Legislators thought they knew better than the people that sent them there in the first place,” Boyer said. In an ironic twist, people who make a living from the legal distribution of medical marijuana lobbied to defeat the bill. Is this the emergence of a “big marijuana” lobby?
If medicinal marijuana caregivers will lobby to defeat marijuana legalization, are there other disturbing “big marijuana” scenarios on the horizon? Will large pharmaceutical companies soon dominate the American market for medical marijuana? After all, the medicinal marijuana market is quickly expanding across the United States. Dispensaries are legal in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Clearly, the market for medicinal cannabis is large and growing larger. According to the “State of Medical Marijuana Report 2011,” the legal cannabis industry could reach nearly $9 billion by 2016. There is, however, an almost insurmountable obstacle in the way of corporations which - presumably - would want to dominate that market.
“Is Big Pharma set to corner the American Market on medical marijuana?”
Boyer explained that “there are two types of ways to get medical marijuana in Maine, and that’s either through a dispensary or a caregiver.” There are eight dispensaries in the state of Maine. They are non-profit and are strictly regulated by the state. Caregivers, who are not associated with the dispensaries, have to register with the state, and once registered, are allowed to grow and provide medical marijuana for up to six patients. While people associated with the dispensaries did not take a position about the bill, that was not true of the Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine (MMCM). A trade association representing a few hundred registered caregivers, the MMCM had a paid lobbyist working on its behalf. Paul McCarrier, in his written testimony to the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Commission, said that LD 1229 would “place an astronomical tax on the plant” and would “encourage more smuggling of marijuana into Maine to compete with the legal, regulated market.” McCarrier and the MMCM did not respond to THC magazine’s requests for comment.
Federal law classifies cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug with high potential for abuse and no currently accepted medical use. It is strictly regulated in states where it is legal. Dispensaries are overshadowed by the constant threats of Drug Enforcement Agency raids and Internal Revenue Service audits. Some observers see potential for dominance of the cannabis market by big pharmaceutical companies in the form of cannabis drugs derived from the whole plant - Sativex, for example.
Developed by UK-based GW Pharmaceuticals, Sativex is in the process of approval by the Food and Drug Administration. Kris Hermes, spokesperson for Americans for Safe Access, said the FDA process has been stalled for a few years. Would FDA approval of Sativex result in cannabis being rescheduled as a Schedule 2 drug? That is an “interesting question,”says Paul Armentano, Deputy Director of NORML, since the active ingredients in Sativex are the Schedule 1 substances THC and CBD. “In addition to receiving FDA approval, I believe there will have to be regulatory changes at the federal level and scheduling changes at the federal level to reschedule these compounds when they exist in some sort of standardized pharmaceutically produced substance,” Armentano said. Sativex is not a synthetic laboratory concoction like the more widely known cannabis pill called Marinol, but actual organic constituents from the marijuana plant. Sativex is currently legal in Canada, the UK, and many other countries for Multiple Sclerosis. If it gains FDA approval, a big pharmaceutical company like GW may have keen interest in seeing its product become available in every possible market. In the US, those markets are limited to dispensaries.
thcmag.com 53
With nearly $9 billion possibly on the table, it may be worth it for GW to lobby for rescheduling cannabis. However, Otsuka America, the US partner for GW Pharmaceticals which is overseeing the FDA process of Sativex, has spent a measly $150,000 so far in 2013, according to opensecrets.org.
Betty Aldworth is the Deputy Director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, the only organization representing cannabis businesses at the federal level.
Would medical marijuana customers buy Sativex? ASA’s Hermes said that the problem “is that Sativex, as helpful as it might be to people with MS and other medical conditions, is really just one strain. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of different strains. And each of them have [sic] a different effect on one’s health or medical condition.”
She explains that most business “regulations developed when there was already an industry in place and there were already industrial habits, if you will, and for marijuana that’s not the case. The industry is developing on a parallel path to regulation, if not a little bit behind regulation. You will find that we don’t have the entrenched interests that other types of manufacturers or agricultural or medical products might have.”
The money spent by MMCM is the tiniest of stars in the lobbying galaxy, but some insist on smelling a rat. The American Independent writer Kyle Daly asked, “Is Big Pharma set to corner the American Market on medical marijuana?”
Boyer, who lobbied for the Marijuana Policy Project on behalf of LD 1229, joked that the “wining and dining” of his lobbying efforts was composed of Subway sandwiches. Ah, the romance of “big marijuana.”
The article in The American Independent goes on to say “the very existence of a lobbying organization ... seems to herald the arrival of nothing less than Big Pot.” So far the only suspect for “Big Pot” is Sativex, which is mired in the FDA approval process.
Armentano said the prospect of “big money” dominating the marijuana industry is a sideshow, a distraction. “What is troubling is the fact that we as a society have arrested tens of millions of Americans and ruined their lives over the use of this plant,” he said. “That is exponentially more troubling to me than worrying about will Marlboro get involved in marijuana production in a legal market.”
For lobbying to be really effective, there needs to be a financial reward at the end for the legislator, most often in the form of campaign donations. At this point in the medical marijuana journey, there doesn’t seem to be enough financial reward to make it worthwhile. The medical marijuana market is difficult for lobbyists to navigate because there is no set structure in place since laws vary from state-to-state where it is legal.
54 November 2013
Aldworth just laughed when asked about the term “big marijuana,” saying “Well, that’s a prohibitionist term being used as a scare tactic to suggest that the marijuana industry might become like the tobacco industry, which I think is an ill-informed position.”
DISPENSARY GUIDE
DENVER
56 Cure Colorado 60 The Clinic 57 The Hemp Center 57 Mind, Body, Spirit Wellness Clinic 58 Northern Lights Natural Rx 58 Physician Preferred Products 61 Southwest Alternative Care
*
SCAN THE QR CODES AT THE TOP OF THE PAGES FOR MORE INFO AND SPECIAL OFFERS!
Colorado Springs 56 FRAM 59 Rocky Mountain Miracles
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D E N V E by DJ Reetzwww.curecolorado.com R
CURe COLORADO
Cure Colorado is located at Yale & Monaco, just east of Yale and I-25. A jewel in South Denver, Cure is one of Denver’s top dispensaries offering a great selection of expertly grown marijuana.
6200 East Yale Ave Denver, CO 80222 720-296-2857
Monday - Saturday 10:00am - 7:00pm Sunday 12:00pm - 6:00pm
C O L O R A D O
At Cure Colorado our patients come first. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff is happy to help you find the right product for you. We not only cultivate well-crafted cannabis but also a discreet, professional atmosphere. We offer membership specials for our patients. For those of you that prefer non-smoking options, a wide array of edibles are available from a variety of quality local vendors. We also carry various Vaporizer products, glass and accessories. Come try our proprietary and customer favorite strain OGP, and Hebrew Hammer. You will be glad you did. You can find us on Facebook at: Facebook/CureColorado or scan the QR code for special pricing offers. Check out our coupon in the back of the magazine.
www.csweed.com
S 5913 North Nevada Avenue P Colorado Springs, CO 80918 R 719-213-0118 I Monday-Saturday 10:00am-7:00pm N Sunday G 12:00pm-5:00pm S 54 September 2013
Front Range Alternative Medicines, aka FRAM is Colorado Springs Premier Medical Marijuana Center for patients from all over Colorado. FRAM is conveniently located just off I-25 & exit 148. Family owned & operated since 2009, FRAM is compassionate about patients and their needs. Our friendly knowledgeable staff will help you select the correct choice of medicine for your body, mind & soul. Known to some patients as “The Edible Warehouse”, FRAM always has a LARGE assortment of new and popular edibles to choose from. They offer a good selection of house hashish and a bunch of popular waxes & shatters from around our state. Maybe you need high CBD tinctures, topicals & capsules, well FRAM has it. Vapes, pens, glass, titanium, quartz accessories, yup FRAM has that too. Why shop around when you can just go to one place that has it all? “Your one stop shop”, FRAM. Good pricing for all, great benefits & a competitive rewards program if you designate FRAM as your MMC. Brand new patients are always welcome with a tour of our dispensary. Like us on Facebook for daily specials. Stop in today, it may be a life time experience that you’ve never expected!
www.the-hemp-center.com The Hemp Center Is The Heart Of Littleton! Located in beautiful old town Littleton, The Hemp Center is a spacious boutique shop nestled inside a charming historic building and boasts not only the finest medical cannabis around but also a large selection of all natural hemp based health and wellness products. Our educated, friendly and professional staff is eager to educate and assist every patient by offering a relaxed and personalized experienced tailored to your individual needs. We carry fine organic flower as well as a vast array of edibles, concentrates, tinctures, salves, and more. We offer amazing member benefits as well as daily specials all day every day for everyone! We offer a rotating stock of our top shelf house strains to entice every palate and heal whatever ails. The front of our store offers whole body holistic health solutions, specialty apparel, custom made artisan hemp accessories and original artwork available to all. The Hemp Center is handicap accessible with two convenient locations; Main Street in Historic Downtown Littleton and Colorado Springs at 25th &CO Ave.
2430 West Main Street Littleton, CO 80120 303-993-7824 Monday-Friday 10:00am-7:00pm Saturday 11:00am-6:00pm Sunday 12:00pm-5:00pm
www.mbswellnessclinic.com Great selection of strains, edibles & concentrates in Lakewood. MBS has knowledgeable friendly Budtenders that will help you find just what you’re looking for. Awesome specials every week. Check out “2 fer Tuesday” Buy two ounces of any two strains for only $275 or our crazy “Wax Wednesday” Buy two of any hash and receive a third for free! Stop in and check out our awesome selection. We have experienced professional growers that produce superior quality bud that we sell for a competitive price. A little off the beaten path located on Mississippi Ave between Sheridan & Wadsworth but we have free parking and are handicap accessible. Great weekly specials make it even better.
L I T T L E T O N
6745 West Mississippi Avenue Lakewood, CO 80226 303-934-9750 Monday-Friday 9:00am-7:00pm Saturday 9:00am-7:00pm Sunday thcmag.com 55 10:00am-6:00pm
L A K E W O O D
E D G E W A T E R
www.nlnaturalrx.com
Professional care and personal attention are in full bloom at Northern Lights Natural Rx.
2045 Sheridan Blvd. Suite B Edgewater, CO 80214 303-274-6495 9:00am-7:00pm Daily
N O R T H G L E N N
2nd Place CBD FLOWER
Husband-and-wife team Mitch and Eva Woolhiser use their healthcare and business acumen to provide patients a unique and comfortable experience. A true mom-and-pop dispensary with a knowledgeable and engaging staff, Northern Lights works intimately with patients to help them decide which strains and products suit their specific needs. The Woolhisers are passionate about the plant and their raw product is patiently soil-grown from hand-picked plants offering the best genetic profiles, then cured slowly to ensure that quality shines through. Along with a robust selection of strains, Northern Lights features 10 different lines of edible products that are tested in-house to ensure potency and effectiveness. A flexible exchange policy ensures that patients are fully satisfied, making it easy to see why Northern Lights is also a favorite with people in the industry. Their convenient Edgewater location makes Northern Lights a favorite citywide.
www.pppmeds.com Physician Preferred Products is proud and honored to continue to provide the highest quality products and customer service to the North Metro community!
2100 East 112th Avenue Suite #5 Northglenn, CO 80233 303-974-5966 Monday-Saturday 10:00am-7:00pm
We are extremely excited to be a part of this historical time for the Medical Marijuana industry and want to thank our loyal customers for their devotion throughout the years. It is this customer support that drives us here at PPP to create a comfortable, friendly environment for your MMJ needs. Up front, our Bud-tenders strive to continually update their knowledge of strains and products in order to provide you with the most educated MMJ shopping experience around. In the back, our growers work tirelessly to bring only top quality strains into our garden. These strains have been, for the most part, grown from seed and hand selected from many phenotypes to ensure top quality, award winning genetics. We feel this combination of customer service and absolute dedication to quality amounts to a superior MMJ experience!
www.rockymountainmiracles.com In the heart of Colorado Springs, Rocky Mountain Miracles prides itself on delivering all-natural MMJ products for patients all over Colorado. Family is very important to owner Ali, who operates Rocky Mountain Miracles with daughters Jessica, Mandy, Shelly, and son Mike. The growers and trimmers are all family as well. You are welcomed and cared for like family too. Part of what makes RMM stand out is its quality selection of medication. RMM offers over 80 top-shelf quality, hand trimmed strains, with new strains introduced regularly, as well as hash and caviar. It’s all about providing the right medication for your medical needs. Also, RMM boasts a wealth of medicated edibles - from cooking ingredients to snacks, teas, coffees, and drinks, plus items for diabetics. Medicated tablets, chewables, tinctures, and more provide great alternatives to smoking. But there’s more to this dispensary than the products it sells. Trained staff members happily provide consultation on marijuana questions, pain management, and offer evaluations for patients to determine how MMJ could help alleviate pain and improve quality of life. At Rocky Mountain Miracles, MMJ is provided with expert counseling while friendly service offers unparalleled relief. Check out our coupon in the back of this issue.
2316 East Bijou Street Colorado Springs, CO 80909 719-473-9333 Monday-Saturday 11:00am-6:45pm Sunday-Monday Closed
C O L O R A D O S P R I N G S
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D E N V E R
www.thecliniccolorado.com The Clinic Colorado 3888 East Mexico Ave., Ste. 110 Denver, CO 80210 303-758-9114 The Clinic Highlands 3460 West 32nd Avenue Denver, CO 80211 303-997-7130 The Clinic Capitol Hill 745 East 6th Avenue Denver, CO 80203 720-536-5229 The Clinic on Wadsworth 3600 South Wadsworth Blvd. Lakewood, CO 80235 303-484-8853
The Clinic is an award winning medical marijuana center with six Denver metro locations! The Clinic is Denver’s premier medical marijuana center having won over 20 awards for both its high quality cannabis, concentrates and charitable contributions! The Clinic’s staff is extremely knowledgeable and friendly while the atmosphere at their locations reflect the immense amount of care that they provide to their patients as well as their medicine. The Clinic is also a long time supporter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, as it’s a cause that directly affects their patients, friends and family. As such, The Clinic has raised more than $100,000 for the Colorado-Wyoming Chapter of the National MS Society since they first opened their doors in 2009. The Clinic has remained at the forefront of the medical marijuana movement by raising the standard for medical marijuana centers everywhere, not only through their patient driven mission but through their dedication to the community! Make sure to stop by The Clinic and see why their mantra holds true: Our Patients Live Better.
The Clinic on Colfax 4625 East Colfax Avenue Denver, CO 80220 303-333-3644
9:00am - 7:00pm Daily
Concentrates
Strains
Earwax is butane-extracted concentrate which is carefully purged and cured, capable of reaching potency levels nearing 90-percent pure THC. However, our Luca Brasi earwax has reached a potency level of 30-percent CBD. Nectar is butane extracted concentrate made only from select buds.
2012 High Times Cannabis Cup (Denver) Patient’s Choice Winner
Earwax & Nectar
Awards 2013 The 710 Cup
2nd Place Best Sativa Shatter - Tangie 1st Place Best Sativa Shatter Terps Tangie
2013 High Times Cannabis Cup 1st Place Sativa - Tangie 3rd Place Sativa - Stardawg Guava 3rd Place Hybrid - Ghost OG
2012 High Times Medical Cannabis Cup
1st Place Best Sativa - Stardawg Guava 1st Place Patient’s Choice - Kosher Kush 2nd Place Best Concentrate - Strawberry Cough Nectar 3rd Place Best Hybrid - Raskal OG
Kosher Kush
Stardawg Guava
2012 High Times Medical Cannabis Cup Pre ‘98 Bubba Kush (Denver) 1st Place Best High Times Cannabis Cup: Highest Sativa CBD Strain
The Hemp Connoisseur Championship
Grape God Bud
2010 CO Caregiver’s Cup Triple Crown-win2nd Place Indica and Connoisseur’s ner and 2nd place 2011 Choice - Kosher Kush Aspen Cannabis Crown, 1st Place Sativa and Patient’s Choice this is the hottest indica - Stardawg Guava in town. 3rd Place Hybrid and Patient’s Choice - Ghost OG Raskal OG 1st Place Concentrate and Connois- One of the most visualseur’s Choice - Earth OG Nectar ly appealing and potent OG kushes around with Grape God Bud a distinct diesel fuel aroSpring 2010 Colorado Caregiver’s ma. 2012 High Times Cup Winner: Patient’s Choice, Best Medical Cannabis Cup Aroma, Most Photogenic 2011 Aspen (Denver) 3rd Place Best Cannabis Crown, 2nd Place Overall Hybrid
LA Confidential
Winner of the 2008 Indica High Times Cannabis Cup, this DNA Genetics strain has opened new doors in the world of MMJ.
Ghost OG
THC Champions Cup 3rd Place Overall Hybrid & Patients’ Choice Hybrid. 2013 High Times US Cannabis Cup 3rd place best hybrid winner
Fall ‘97
This indica-dominant strain is a sweet tasting cross between OG Kush and Purple Urkle.
Skywalker
Edibles Beverages
CannaPunch, Dixie Elixirs, Keef Cola, Green Dragon, and MarQaha
Seeds 60 November 2013
OG
This clone only pheno of OG Kush has quickly become a patient and staff favorite.
Super Lemon Haze
Winner of the 2008 and 2009 Sativa High Times Cannabis Cup
Tangie
2013 High Times US Cannabis Cup 1st place best sativa winner
Pre ‘98 Bubba Kush
2011 High Times Denver Medical Cannabis Cup highest CBD strain winner
Platinum OG
Purp x Master Kush x OG Kush - Strong kush aroma with sweet and smooth taste.
Durban Poison
A classic landrace sativa from Africa that is mouth watering and known for it’s soaring cerebral effects.
Baked Goods/Candies
Sweet Grass Kitchen, Julie & Kate Baked Goods, Mountain High Suckers, The Growing Kitchen, Mile Hi, Incredibles, and Cheeba Chews.
Reserva Privada Colorado: The Clinic carries the full line of Reserva Privada Colorado’s Confidential Collection and Sour Series.
www.southwestalternativecare.com Southwest Alternative Care, your neighborhood medical marijuana center. Their mission is to provide Colorado patients with the best alternative medicine and services at the lowest possible prices. At Southwest you’ll find a large selection of top shelf medicines and edibles, all at affordable prices. Southwest Alternative Care provides the most potent Earwax and Shatter BHO in Colorado. We work with 2012 Cannabis Cup winners Top Shelf Extracts to stock our shelves with the best of the best. We also provide high quality cold water, full melt, extracted bubble hash. We offer a variety of strains from 25 micron to 190 micron. We haven’t met a center yet that didn’t claim to grow “fire” but unlike many, Southwest can back it up. With an award-winning grow team, legendary genetics, and perhaps the cleanest facility in the state, Southwest Alternative Care has redefined what it means to produce top shelf medicine. Southwest Alternative Care has over 25 top shelf strains, all hand trimmed, including Glass Slipper, Kool Aid Kush, OGre 99, Bubba Kush, Golden Goat, Moonshine Haze, Tangerine Haze, Dairy Queen and many more. The extracts they cull from these high-grade selections set a new standard in terms of quality. Find ‘em on Facebook for a current menu. Check out our coupons in the back of the magazine.
1075 South Fox Street Denver, CO 80223 303-593-2931 3937 West Colfax Avenue Denver, CO 80204 720-287-3934 Monday-Sunday 10:00am-6:50pm
Staff Favorites
Edibles
Testimonials
Concentrates
Golden Goat (S) Glass Slipper (S) Banana Kush (H) Sour Diesel (S) Flo (S) Grape Ape (I)
OG Ghost Train Haze (S) The White (S) Kool Aid Kush (I)
Best Meds in Colorado Southwest Alternative has the best meds in Colorado hands down. Pricing is spot on with the meds. All the employees are amazing. Makes you feel like you are a regular your first time in. AWESOME!!!!! - seige55, weedmaps.com
Dr. J’s Dixie Elixirs Canna Punch At Home Baked
Edi Pure Incredibles Bakked
Earwax and Shatter BHO 2012 Cannabis Cup winners Top Shelf Extracts Full Melt, Bubble Hash Vape Pens
This place is the best kept secret in Denver I have been a member with Southwest for about a year now, and have nothing but raving reviews. But the original shop wasn’t very close for me as I do not drive. With this new location in the heart of Denver has made buying my meds even easier. Best benefits in town, they give out the most free stuff for members by far. - FACEwreck5360 weedmaps.com thcmag.com 61
D E N V E R
62 November 2013
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66 September 2013
ATM On Site 07 Emerald City Organics 57 MBS Wellness Center 58 Northern Lights Natural Rx 58 Physician Preferred Products 10,11 River Rock 59 Rocky Mountain Miracles Award Winning 46 Canna Caregivers 46 The Canna Center 60 The Clinic 57 The Hemp Center 30 Mahatma 58 Northern Lights Natural Rx 10,11 River Rock Body Care Products 57 The Hemp Center Books & Education 46 Canna Caregivers 46 The Canna Center 57 The Hemp Center 58 Northern Lights Natural Rx Cash Only 07 Emerald City Organics 58 Northern Lights Natural Rx 10,11 River Rock 59 Rocky Mountain Miracles Charity/Community Outreach 60 The Clinic 10,11 River Rock
Daily Specials 07 Emerald City Organics 56 FRAM 57 The Hemp Center 57 MBS Wellness Center 09 MMD of Colorado 58 Northern Lights Natural Rx 10,11 River Rock Educational Classes 57 MBS Wellness Center 58 Northern Lights Natural Rx Evaluation Clinic/MMJ Doctor 54 Amarimed 63 Colorado Medical Marijuana 63 Relaxed Clarity Free Parking 46 Canna Caregivers 46 The Canna Center 56 Cure Colorado 07 Emerald City Organics 56 FRAM 57 The Hemp Center 58 Northern Lights Natural Rx 58 Physician Preferred Products 10,11 River Rock 59 Rocky Mountain Miracles 46 Solace Meds 9, 61 Southwest Alternative Care 41 Walking Raven Happy Hour 07 Emerald City Organics
Clone Bar 57 MBS Wellness Center 09 MMD of Colorado
Hemp Products 57 The Hemp Center 10,11 River Rock
Clothing Items 46 Canna Caregivers 46 The Canna Center 60 The Clinic 07 Emerald City Organics 57 The Hemp Center 58 Northern Lights Natural Rx 10,11 River Rock 59 Rocky Mountain Miracles
Holistic Health 57 The Hemp Center 59 Rocky Mountain Miracles
Credit Cards 46 Canna Caregivers 46 The Canna Center 57 The Hemp Center 57 MBS Wellness Center 09 MMD of Colorado
Internet Wi-Fi 57 The Hemp Center 10,11 River Rock
Infused Products 62 At Home Baked 46 Canna Cappuccino 30 Mahatma 46 Solace Meds
Live Music 10,11 River Rock
Local Artist Program 10,11 River Rock Massage Therapy 57 The Hemp Center 57 MBS Wellness Center 10,11 River Rock Member Discounts 46 Canna Caregivers 46 The Canna Center 60 The Clinic 56 Cure Colorado 07 Emerald City Organics 56 FRAM 57 The Hemp Center 57 MBS Wellness Center 09 MMD of Colorado 58 Northern Lights Natural Rx 58 Physician Preferred Products 10,11 River Rock 46 Solace Meds 9, 61 Southwest Alternative Care 41 Walking Raven Member Loyalty Program 46 Canna Caregivers 46 The Canna Center 56 FRAM 57 MBS Wellness Center 10,11 River Rock MMJ Doctor/Evaluation Clinic 54 Amarimed 63 Colorado Medical Marijuana 63 Relaxed Clarity Multiple Locations 46 Canna Caregivers 46 The Canna Center 60 The Clinic 07 Emerald City Organics 57 The Hemp Center 57 MBS Wellness Center 10,11 River Rock 9, 61 Southwest Alternative Care
07 Emerald City Organics 57 The Hemp Center 10,11 River Rock Patient Appreciation Events 10,11 River Rock Private Dispensing Rooms 46 Canna Caregivers 46 The Canna Center 07 Emerald City Organics 57 The Hemp Center 57 MBS Wellness Center 58 Northern Lights Natural Rx 10,11 River Rock 9, 61 Southwest Alternative Care 41 Walking Raven Pre-Order Medication 46 Canna Caregivers 46 The Canna Center 07 Emerald City Organics 57 The Hemp Center 57 MBS Wellness Center 10,11 River Rock 59 Rocky Mountain Miracles 9, 61 Southwest Alternative Care Seeds 60 The Clinic 10,11 River Rock Senior Discounts 57 The Hemp Center 58 Northern Lights Natural Rx Signature Concentrates 60 The Clinic 30 Mahatma 57 MBS Wellness Center 58 Physician Preferred Products 10,11 River Rock 46 Solace Meds
Nutritional Consulting 07 Emerald City Organics 57 The Hemp Center
Signature Edibles 07 Emerald City Organics 57 The Hemp Center 58 Northern Lights Natural Rx 10,11 River Rock 46 Solace Meds
Pain Management Consulting 46 Canna Caregivers 46 The Canna Center 60 The Clinic 56 Cure Colorado
Signature Strains 46 Canna Caregivers 46 The Canna Center 60 The Clinic 56 Cure Colorado
thcmag.com 65 67
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