Fat Nugs Magazine - Volume 11

DARE To Teach Kids THE TRUTH ABOUT MARIJUANA

'Breaking The Stigma' HELPS DISPENSARIES REACH THE HEIGHT OF CUSTOMER DELIGHT

The Bullshit Machine THAT IS ME

Historically High

JOHN F. KENNEDY: BLUNTS, RUSSIANS, AND A STONER’S SPECULATION

How Cannabis Compassion AWAKENED THE HEALER WITHIN

Official November-December Sponsor

The Women of Weed WENDY KORNBERG ANGELENE JESTER SUE CARLTON ERICA GALVAN

DUSTIN HOXWORTH

Letter From the Editor Dear Reader, Seasonal shifts are always destined to inspire us to move toward change, whether or not the weather in our individual locales does the same. Cannabis has shown me that, no matter what my external world looks or feels like, I am the leader of my own internal landscape. Be it summer or winter, there is always an inner sun warming my center, nourishing and healing me from within. The power is all mine, and that is one of the most comforting truths I could ever have imagined receriving as a result of my relationship with cannabis.

You see, cannabis is more than a good time. It’s more than a moneymaker, portfolio builder, and social lubricant. It contains the medicine for so many ailments that accompany the human condition on physical, mental, and spiritual levels. Its healing properties cannot be attributed to one or two cannabinoids alone. No, they cannot, for in so doing we limit cannabis’ potential to lift us up and out of the dark holes of doubt we often find ourselves in midway through our unique hero and heroine’s journeys.

This sentiment is reflected in the articles written by Russ Hudson and Jessica Reilly-Chevalier, who explore the fact that there is more to cannabis than the wonderful, ever-popular THC molecule. Our interviews with Irene Donohue and Steven Philpott Jr. further enforce the understanding that fullspectrum cannabis and the entourage effect are where the real potential is cultivated. Healing happens in so many ways when it comes to cannabis - and embracing the plant in its entirety is the key.

Stigmatizing the plant and the culture that surrounds it is another way that the healing potential of cannabis is limited. Many are quick to denounce all cannabis lovers as useless stoners or drug dealers who just want to get high and make millions. Anyone who has familiarized themselves with the industry knows this isn’t true, but the damage done by such mistruths is plentiful. That’s why many of us have decided to take the power back into our own hands so as to give cannabis the love and understanding it deserves.

In this issue, we chose to feature community members who answered the call to do better by cannabis.

They include growers, chefs, authors, compassion providers, and even those who don’t consume - such as the teenage daughter of a well known cannabis industry professional located in beautiful Southern California. Their reasons behind why they advocate for better education, healthier grows, cleaner products, welcoming dispensaries, and a reframe of what the plant is here for are inspiring, to say the least. Through reading these articles you will come to find that there are many of us who have joined the industry because we simply had to. It was a calling, and we’re totally here for it. Elevating that which elevates humanity is simply a matter of reciprocity and gratitude, and that’s why Fat Nugs exists in the first place.

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In Unity,hill Kaitlin Cog

Contents Pg. 4

THE WOMEN OF WEED Wendy Kornberg Angelene Jester Sue Carlton Erica Galvan

By Dustin Hoxworth

Pg. 30

FROM HOWITZER CANNONS TO CANNABIS: STEVEN PHILPOTT JR. AND THE INTERSECTION OF SERVICE AND PASSION

By Dustin Hoxworth

Pg. 34

WE LIVE IN A POCKET UNIVERSE

By Dan Russell

Pg. 10

CANNAMAN

By Conor Macleod

Pg. 38

Pg. 12

I’VE KNOWN THC WASN’T THE ANSWER SINCE 1995

By Russ Hudson

CBD: AN ESSENTIAL MOLECULE FOR A BALANCED EXPERIENCE

By Jessica Reilly-Chevalier

Pg. 40

CHEF + RECIPE SPOTLIGHT: WEEDISH MEATBALLS

By Renae Blackhall

Pg. 44

IRENE DONOHUE DOES CANNABIS RIGHT

By Matthew Dean

Pg. 15

'BREAKING THE STIGMA' HELPS DISPENSARIES REACH THE HEIGHT OF CUSTOMER DELIGHT

By Kaitlin Coghill

Pg. 20

FIRST CLASS TICKET TO FUNK TOWN - GANJIER REVIEW

By Matthew Jerome

Pg. 48

DARE TO TEACH KIDS THE TRUTH ABOUT MARIJUANA

By Mia Farrar

Pg. 24

HISTORICALLY HIGH JOHN F. KENNEDY: BLUNTS, RUSSIANS, AND A STONER’S SPECULATION

By Duh Ginja Ninja, aka Josh Neumeier

Pg. 52

THE BULLSHIT MACHINE THAT IS ME

By Guy Borgford

Pg. 56

LETTERS FROM AFRICA: KENYA SPEAKS

By Wilfred Maina

Pg. 60

HOW CANNABIS COMPASSION AWAKENED THE HEALER WITHIN

By Mike Robinson

Pg. 28

'MEMBER CHEWBACCA? GANJIER REVIEW

By Rob Sanchez

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The Women of Weed

By Dustin Hoxworth

REBEKAH JENKS

GROWERS SPOTLIGHT

T

here’s something special about the people who grow our favorite plant. They are bringing life and love into existence, while creating medicine and joy all at once. There are few other things in this world that a human can do to manifest something so sacred. Since much of Cannabis Culture is built around respect and reverence for nature, respect for our growers, and acknowledgement of the people that worked so hard to get us to this point, it’s only right that a true Cannabis Culture publication showcase these phenomenal humans that provide us all with the thing we love most in this world; the most beautiful flower to ever exist.

Fat Nugs Magazine: When did you first connect with the plant?

Wendy Kornberg: I’m a second-generation cultivator from Humboldt County (still farm with my mom) so I feel like I’ve been blessed to always be connected with this incredible plant. But really in college, studying chemistry and environmental science, was when I knew for certain that there was no better path for me than the one that blended my always-hobby of growing plants with the ever-fascinating complexity of the chemical makeup of cannabis and what that could mean for the future of our human-plant relationships.

FNM: What do you consider your specialty?

WK: Cultivation in all aspects is something I’m extremely well versed at, but my specialty and personal passion is consulting with new or existing cultivators that want to reach into truly sustainable and regenerative methods. I love watching the growing process as pieces click into place and peoplesee that there are ways to cultivate that produces superior product at a much more cost-effective price point, and they get to truly feel good about what they do. Every step toward regenerative practices is a good step to take, and anything that achieves “beyond organic” is an achievement to be celebrated.

FNM: What is the most important part of what you do?

WK: I prove out my regenerative methods on my farm and make sure that I am producing incredibly high-quality cannabis at a low cost, as well as making sure that we are caring for and improving the land we are stewards of. The other part is educating the consumers and public about the importance of where and how your cannabis is grown.

FNM: Why do you grow Cannabis?

WK: I just simply love everything about this plant; the ability it has to help people with so many problems, the genetics that are so complex, the far-reaching implications for human health, and quite simply the smells, sights, and feelings she has.

Wendy Kornberg Southern Humboldt County, California.

Outdoor and Open-Air Light Deprivation Hoops Favorite Strain/Variety: Apricot Sundae, Green Apricot Goddess, and Surfin’ Bird Grows for personal use and grows commercial cannabis for the state of California.

FNM: What are your plans for the future?

WK: We plan to launch our topical line in Oklahoma this year, licensing agreements for our pain salve and anti-aging line are in the pipeline, branded flower on the shelves of California, and next year we begin our Budtender trainings based on both my sales and hospitality background and the importance of understanding how to quantify quality, as based on the Ganjier program through Greenflower Media, of which I am blessed to be a council member, instructor, and exam administrator.

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Fat Nugs Magazine: When did you first connect with the plant?

Angelene Jester: The first time I connected and started learning about the plant and how to get my hands dirty was 10 years ago.

FNM: What do you consider your specialty?

AJ: Being hands-on and putting in those long hours to get it right, while also being open enough to learn from this plant everyday so I can continue to discover what varieties to grow that will help best with pain and inflammation.

FNM: What is the most important part of what you do?

AJ: The most important part of what I do is to not only heal my own body, mind, and soul, but to be able to learn to teach others how to heal themselves by using one of Mother Nature’s most powerful medicines, cannabis.

FNM: Why do you grow cannabis?

AJ: My soul needs hands-on action with soil and cannabis. A calling from a higher being sometimes sends us in the direction that not only is best for us, but for others as well. I have been living with spinal pain from an accident I experienced at a young age, and, after learning how to heal myself, I have been called to pay it forward and help others.

FNM: What are your plans for the future?

AJ: While patiently waiting for the legal end of things to go through in Georgia, we continue to develop more products with other cannabinoids to help people keep their bodies balanced. For the future, we hope to grow our business to offer more healing products, and also teach others how to grow their own medicine. Mother Nature provides indeed, and I am blessed in so many ways to help contribute to the healing of the entire planet.

Angelene Jester 6

Georgia Outdoor Favorite Strain/Variety: Painted Lady Grows for personal use

FAT NUGS MAGAZINE

Fat Nugs Magazine: When did you first connect with the plant?

Sue Carlton: My journey with working in the cannabis field started a decade ago through medical farms in Northern California and Oregon circa 2013. I grew up on the east coast and dreamed of working with the plant, so I moved out west when I was 19 years old to manifest my life and farm as it is today. I started my farm five years ago in Oregon while working on my Master of Science in Public Health Administration. Three years ago I relocated my small farm to Central Valley, California, to be with the love of my life, better growing conditions, and business expansion.

FNM: What do you consider your specialty?

SC: Cultivating in tandem with the land, people, and animals through sustainable and regenerative techniques. As a medical patient who uses CBD as my own hormonal regulator, it was super important for me to set the bar for smokable hemp flower to meet the medical standard, complete with full-panel COAs free of pesticides, metals, and toxins.

FNM: What is the most important part of what you do?

SC: As a Latina, it is big for me to represent and advocate for my community and the BIPOC communities, specifically by uplifting, collaborating, and hiring minorities. It is my favorite thing to hear that I inspire Black and Brown women to go after their passions after seeing what I do. That is what makes me feel like I know my purpose is bigger than just growing. It's creating a safe, welcoming space to blossom into your own nirvana.

FNM: Why do you grow Cannabis?

SC: It’s about producing and creating life. As someone who suffers from chronic PCOS and endometriosis, to be able to make babies (seeds) grounds me in to loving myself and my role as a steward of the land. I would say it’s how I express my femininity to the fullest, other than modeling in the garden and rocking acrylics and red lipstick 365 days a year on the farm.

FNM: What are your plans for the future?

SC: My dreams for the future continue to build. I have a manifestation, aka dream mood board, in my office...some of those things include expanding the farm with a 30x100 greenhouse for year-round seed production, being on the cover of Vogue, winning the Emerald Cup this year, and continuing to practice kindness, understanding, and support for all.

Sue Carlton Central Valley, California.

Sustainable and Regenerative Sungrown with Korean Natural Farming Techniques Favorite Strain/Variety: Frida (her own) Grows for personal use, over 200 retailers, and has a direct-toconsumer model through her website, rancherafamilia.com

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Erica Galvan Desert Hot Springs, California Sealed mixed lights Green House with Climate Control Favorite Strains/Variety: Garlic Breath, Green Crack, and Fire OG Commercial grow for a multiple-award-winning cultivation team, also for personal use.

Fat Nugs Magazine: When did you first connect with the plant?

Erica Galvan: I first connected with cannabis in high school. As a student with focus and anxiety issues, along with a Central Auditory Processing disorder, I decided to become an advocate for my own health, instead of taking all kinds of prescription medications.

FNM: What do you consider your specialty?

EG: Learning, I love growing cannabis with people who have more experience than I do. It gives me the chance to soak up new things, different ways to grow, and even teach others.

FNM: What is the most important part of what you . do?

EG: Learning/teaching innovative and healthy ways of caring for ALL plants, as well as the amazing benefits of cannabis.

FNM: Why do you grow Cannabis?

EG: I've been growing cannabis for about five years, but I'm not just a cannabis grower - I love growing all kinds of crops and other varieties of plants. Plants are our life, and that's why I dedicated my time and passion to Mother Nature.

FNM: What are your plans for the future?

EG: I decided to increase my knowledge in plant science by putting myself through school. I’m in the process of getting my Plant Science degree, and eventually a Mycology degree. I’m also looking for the opportunity to join a medical grow with a focus on helping people with disabilities

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sungrown

DUSTIN HOXWORTH

I’ve Known THC Wasn’t the Answer Since 1995 By Russ Hudson D

uring an illicit deal conducted in the back of a smoke-filled car in Vermont in the frosty winter of 1995, it suddenly occurred to me that THC wasn’t the “holy grail” of cannabis. At the time, I didn’t even know that THC was a molecule – I had merely consumed the common knowledge that it was the “magic” of cannabis; it was the chemical that got you high. I pondered this oddly as I sat in the backseat of an old Renault with my friend, Eric.

Eric held in his lap a bag containing a quarter pound of some of the finest cannabis ever grown. The bag was one of many driven down from Canada by two grizzled men who sat, half-turned in the front seats, watching us intently through the haze. Those dudes were tightlipped mules, not growers, so we never learned much from them about the weed. We only knew from direct wide-eyed experience that it was the cleanest, most fragrant, seedless, stemless, highest potency cannabis we had ever had the joy of smoking.

Prior to 1995, I had already long been a street kid, hustling nickel and dime bags to eek out a meek living.

Most of it was Mexican brick weed smuggled directly from the source and sold at $25-$30 per eighth ounce.

Sometimes, I was able to cop and flip homegrown during harvest season in New England, and, rarely, some New York City Diesel would mystifyingly and fleetingly appear in the most-secret and least-shared stashes of old heads. But all of it paled in comparison to this bud coming from the far north.

The Renault’s heater and radio cranked on continuously while we sat and smoked, white-walling the car as we sampled the product we’d already tried dozens of times. I lost focus on the conversation, and melted into the high a bit as I settled back in my seat. I thought about how intensely high this weed got me, and then I found myself musing about how those effects tended to lessen after smoking the Canadian bud for multiple days in a row.

TRUCK USED BY RUSS HUDSON TO SMUGGLE MEXICAN WEED INTO THE U.S.

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I’d find myself taking short “tolerance breaks,” during which I’d resume smoking the seed- and stem-filled, over-compressed, dried out, dirty Mexican weed – which, somehow, would still get me remarkably high.

But, how could that be? If THC were the sole chemical responsible for the effects of cannabis, it wouldn’t make sense that I could get extremely high from the allegedly low-THC Mexican weed after regularly consuming the presumptively high-THC Canadian bud. This seemed especially true considering how mistreated the cheap stuff was.

I delved further down the rabbit hole while the Renault’s engine ticked slowly along, keeping us warm, delivering the peppy melodies of Gin Blossoms and Collective Soul. Why did distinct types of weed feature different types of highs? Why did some weed not really get me high at all, even if it looked and smelled good? Why did some weed make me feel energized, while other types put me to sleep? None of these features were consistent with the effects of one single chemical. THC could not be the only answer – it just didn’t make sense. I remember thinking, wouldn’t it be cool if you could study weed and learn about what’s really going on?

RUSS HUDSON AT TROUBLED SCHOOL FOR BOYS

"What I learned confirmed my red-eyed hunch of 1995 – that THC was only a small part of the story of cannabis and its effects."

And then Eric’s hand was waving slowly in front of my face, eliciting chuckles from the Canadians in the front seats.

“Russ,” he said hesitantly, “you get too high?”

THE SCIENCE OF CANNABIS Twenty-three years later, I had experienced the wild variations in the effects of different types of cannabis thousands of times. I had also listened to the theories of others in the industry – laypeople and cannapros alike – and was astonished at what seemed to be a never-ending stream of misinformation about cannabis spread via various media. Finally, while working as a licensing, social club, and cultivation consultant in Spain, I became frustrated with troublingly inconsistent products, and my shoulders ached from cringing at the myths and conjecture spewed with good intentions by virtually every budtender I met.

I gave up my consulting and licensing work and dove into the science of cannabis, spending three years reviewing more than 3,000 studies about phytochemicals in the plant.

What I learned confirmed my red-eyed hunch of 1995 – that THC was only a small part of the story of cannabis and its effects. This work led me to author The Big Book of Terps – the world’s largest scientific textbook about terpenes, flavonoids, and synergy in cannabis. The book is massive at nearly 600 pages, yet I write about THC very little because it is not the most important compound in the plant.

Now that I’ve spent 32 years working in the industry, I know that I am not alone – a LOT of us knew that THC wasn’t the answer. If we had been allowed to study this plant freely way back when, we would have unlocked these and other secrets a long time ago.

Today as then, we need more education. We need more testing. If we approach cannabis as fascinated citizenscientists and are enthusiastic enough about it to I knew that I had to move into the science of cannabis. I doggedly pursue that intellectual allure – that biting needed the answers to those questions I’d been asking ache to know something – then we can help other since I got a little too high in the backseat of a Renault people, other mammals, and other creatures upon this two decades prior. But now, the need was amplified. I’d earth while also satisfying the inner dorkiness of watched friends die of cancer. My mother was one of intelligent stoners everywhere. Because ultimately, to them. I wasn’t the only one who needed answers. " truly love something, you must know it.

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DUSTIN HOXWORTH

'Breaking the Stigma' Helps Dispensaries Reach the Height of Customer Delight

l il h g o C in l it a K By

U

pon becoming fully immersed in the cannabis industry, a truth is revealed to you. The truth is that an incredible amount of cannabis professionals found themselves called to this work as a result of losing someone to opioid addiction. This truth is tragic, and disgusting - especially when you learn that the opioid endemic was intentional, and that those in the pharmaceutical industry who created it have essentially not been held accountable.

Charlena Berry, one of the most badass women working in cannabis, knows this truth intimately, as opioid addiction stole her brother from her just a short time ago. Deeply influenced by his life story and his passing, Charlena found herself called to write her bestselling book, Breaking the Stigma, in the interest of revealing the dark history of cannabis prohibition, the upsetting story of how the opioid endemic came to be, and the countless ways that the cannabis industry specifically the dispensary model - can structure itself so that we not only make a profit and heal people, but we also break the stigma of cannabis use in our culture overall.

The subtitle of Breaking the Stigma is “Racism, the Opioid Endemic, Lies, and Inviting Grandma to the Dispensary” all of which are such rich topics to explore when creating what is undeniably one of, if not the, most informative, well-written, thorough, and thought-provoking books on the topic of running a cannabusiness. Charlena begins the book with a clear and concise recounting of the beginnings of cannabis prohibition, setting the stage for where we are at now on our journey toward full acceptance of the plant as a legitimate and valuable healing modality.

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“I didn’t really care about the history of cannabis before getting into the industry,” she shared with me during an inspiring call we had together in September. “When I figured it out, it was fury. I was angry. The selfishness of a handful of men many years ago, who decided that they needed to create a prohibition that’s lasted nearly one hundred years so that they could keep their jobs... It was a ‘how dare they’ moment. Those details were amplified by the death of my brother. This prohibition created systemic racism and the opioid endemic. It was a huge gaslighting campaign to convince people of misinformation. It begs the question, how did we let it get to a place where social policy is used as a tool to hurt people of color?”

Charlena explores all of this and more in the first few chapters of her book, writing about the beginnings of the demonization of cannabis all the way to the modern day stigma that continues to plague the burgeoning legal industry. She understands the importance of knowledge when it comes to creating real change in our world. How can you be a real advocate for what needs to be changed if you don’t understand the roots of how it all came to be?

“My book is a tool for advocacy, and reading and recommending it is an act of advocacy as well, Charlena stated. “My intent is that this book will help people settle the stigma within themselves. If you talk about all the lies you were told and you call it what it is, you can now potentially have a relationship with the plant or help people have a relationship with the plant.”

One might assume that, with so much passion for the forward movement of cannabis, Charlena is a regular consumer herself. In so assuming, one would be wrong.

Charlena doesn’t use anything more than topicals and bath bombs when it comes to cannabis, and yet she humbly understands that this plant has the power to end the opioid endemic because it can provide a much safer form of pain relief to many, many people - including those living with chronic pain and even those recovering from surgery.

Cannabis is a viable option for an abundance of health situations and circumstances for which doctors have consistently been prescribing opioids over the past few decades. What makes cannabis the better, if not best, option is the fact that it is not at all addictive or harmful in the same ways that pills are. Not even close.

Many cannabis consumers, and thus dispensary visitors, are seeking some sort of relief from an ailment - be it physical or mental. In Breaking the Stigma, Charlena makes it very clear that it is our responsibility as members of the cannabis industry to understand the various reasons why people seek our insight and input as perceived experts. When we have a strong foundation of empathetic understanding for the way humanity has

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suffered as a result of both prohibition and pill-pushing, we can be of better service to our customers, especially those who are just beginning to familiarize themselves with the plant.

“As a cannabis retailer, you are in the business of pain management,” Charlena writes in her book, “and by providing people with an alternative to addictive opioids, you could literally save lives.” In other words, working in cannabis is so much more important than most people realize.

When it comes to influential work that goes against long held cultural narratives based on falsehoods, the struggle is real. “One year in cannabis is like seven years in mainstream business,” Charlena divulges. “It’s not for the fainthearted. You need to be prepared to overcome obstacles at any given moment. And it’s not for the weakstomached. You’re always going to have paths and barriers and problems to get through. I try to prepare my clients, especially the new ones, by telling them that this isn’t a walk in the park - sometimes I’m even trying to talk them out of it, asking if they’re really sure they want to do this.”

Charlena’s book is a gift to those beginning their commitment to cannabis work - particularly if their greatest desire is to start a dispensary. While the first two chapters focus on the stigma and reality of the cannabis plant and how it is perceived by different facets of the culture particularly in the United States, the following eight chapters focus on the business of cannabis, diving deep into topics such as the customer experience, branding, merchandising, omnichannel, marketing, and store operations. In other words, Charlena has created an incredible resource for every single person who wants to enter the cannabis industry, whether they wish to be a store owner, manager, budtender, or really anything else.

“As a cannabis retailer, you are in the business of pain management, and by providing people with an alternative to addictive opioids, you could literally save lives.”

FAT NUGS MAGAZINE

CHARLENA BERRY (LEFT) PICTURED WITH THE CAKE HOUSE TEAM AT BATTLE CREEK

There are many additional components to Breaking the Stigma that make it worth the read, such as the recurring Q&A with Tively CEO Betty Mitchell, whose shares are highly informative, and subsections highlighting key components of each big topic addressed. The personal story aspect of the book is especially powerful, and Charlena’s ability to weave her truth and experience throughout its entirety is noteworthy. It reads so smoothly, making you eager to learn from Charlena, who makes it immediately apparent that she not only very much knows what she’s talking about, but she also knows how to teach it to you in a way that both makes sense and sparks the creative, altruistic passion within.

“I’m fundamentally a writer,” Charlena shared. “From age 11 to age 30 I kept a daily journal. I wrote poetry and essays, and have always had a love for writing.” That being said, she never imagined she’d be writing about cannabis.

“If you knew me before cannabis, you never would have said ‘Oh, she’s gonna work in the cannabis industry.’ But, one day I decided that I didn’t want to work for ‘The Man’ anymore. For women, glass ceilings are real, and I felt that I had reached the peak of my career in the corporate world.

I had to essentially learn for myself if I could run my own company. I didn’t know what I was going to do, I just knew that I didn’t want to work in a corporate environment anymore.”

Charlena spent more than a decade in Supply Chain and Retail Operations for Fortune 500 companies like Whirlpool and Office Depot/Office Max before deciding to make a massive change. After leaving the corporate world, she became not only a published author but also a successful CEO for her company, Cannabis Business

Growth, and a valuable COO for The Cake House, a multistate cannabis company focused on providing high-end retail spaces for cannabis consumers. Her story of transition is an inspiration, to say the very least, and a testament to the ways in which a greater power of some kind is ready to support those who choose to change paths in the interest of self-respect and consistent personal growth.

“As a cannabis retailer, you are in the business of pain management, and by providing people with an alternative to addictive opioids, you could literally save lives.”

“My first Monday after leaving Office Depot, I was Uber driving. I spent three months driving Uber. During that time I resettled into getting to know myself again. I thought I would start a consulting company based on supply chain.

Posting about this on Facebook led to a comment from a friend that put me in front of David Kotler. He had a huge volume of clients that wanted to get into Florida’s emerging medical marijuana market. He hired me on the spot and I walked out with a check. That was in March, and

by July of that same year I had to get rid of all of my noncannabis clients because I converted to strictly writing for cannabis - there was THAT much work in the application writing field. That was on the verge of all the laws changing in California, and I somehow got picked up by the California market, landing more and more application writing gigs.”

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The more Charlena got to know the industry, the more she came to understand that it’s not just business as usual. This revelation shaped her consulting in such a way that the personal referrals kept coming through. Her research and relationship-building quickly revealed that those working in the cannabis industry have the power to change people’s lives one by one, as well as the power to change the culture at large brick by brick. In essence, those working in cannabis have the power to change the world.

One of the main takeaways Charlena has gained from her work thus far has been how impactful having diverse dispensary models is in regard to the destigmatization of the cannabis plant itself. After all, the more variety there is in regard to the shopping experience, the bigger the reach.

“The diversity of the dispensary models is what’s going to help us continue to break down the stigma,” she said, “because there’s something for everyone. Some business models are more spa, health, and wellness focused, and I think there’s value in that. Others allow you to walk around, shop, and put your items in a basket.”

And then, there’s The Cake House. “At Cake House, we are focused on personality and experience. We focus on embracing traditional cannabis culture. We’re not trying to hide from it, nor are we trying to be that boring ‘everything is green’ model. All of our stores have a piece of art featured as well, in addition to fun, colorful, bright lights. At one of our dispensaries we have a large painting of a spaceman pointing at a piece of cake, and at another we have a visual representation of strains as our newest art feature, which has become a conversation piece with customers.”

to when breaking down exactly what it takes to run a successful dispensary and build customer loyalty.

Breaking the Stigma is a breakthrough read that couldn’t have come at a better time. It should be required reading for every new hire at every dispensary, as well as the big guys up top who may or not be a bit disconnected from the roots of cannabis culture in the U.S. Our history with the plant is brutally shameful, and it is time for us to collectively elevate this plant that has the potential to heal the minds, bodies, and hearts of all people - simply by achieving destigmatization.

As Charlena’s relationship with the plant proves, one doesn’t have to be a daily consumer to understand the value of cannabis. Rather, one only has to accept that cannabis isn’t the evil, life-destroying drug we were taught that it was for far too many decades. A lack of resistance will allow cannabusinesses and their customers to thrive. With Charlena’s advice in your hands, you can be confident that you’re already off to a successful beginning in breaking the stigma that cannabis has while simultaneously cultivating peace in your community.

You can learn more about Charlena by buying her book and reading it from the very first page to the very last. Not one page is wasted on unnecessary information, and learning about Charlena’s evolution from child to adult to caregiver to mother makes her message that much more powerful. “I don’t ever want someone else to suffer the way my family has,” Charlena confided, “and that’s why I’m so passionate about cannabis.” Breaking the Stigma can be found wherever books are sold.

Of course, there is so much more to running a dispensary than the decor. Vibe matters and is what creates the energetic sphere within which employees work and customers make their product choices. Both prefer to feel inspired, capable, supported, appreciated, and set up for success - all of which Charlena understands and speaks

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REBEKAH JENKS

First Class Ticket to Funk Town Ganjier Review

e m o r e J w e h t t a M y B

I

n a cannabis landscape ripe with so many new and exciting flavors, it's rare to come across cultivars these days that retain that distinct and nostalgic tang of some of the late ‘90s cultivars of yore. For those that experienced and remember good cannabis from the ‘90s and are anything like me, we are always looking for that cannabis that takes us back to the good ol’ days, when things frankly didn’t suck as much as they seem to as we age. Yes, getting older has its benefits, but who doesn’t want to reminisce about being gradenine-high again, causing a ruckus with your friends or simply hanging out with the munchies watching Simpsons Halloween specials, chopping up the latest harvest with the crew? These were wholesome times when smoking cannabis wasn’t about stress or escape, but rather pure exploration and fun.

I can't promise that Ghost Drops’ First Class Funk will take you back in time, but If your palette is anything like mine, after a few puffs it’ll wind your brain back a few years, perhaps all the way back to when Funky Town was bumping.

in Canada, our frankly archaic and completely over the top packaging regulations make it hard to even get a product on the shelves, let alone one that stands out.

With FCF, even before you get to the goods you are hit with a distinct, neon pink jar, which promises bright and uplifting things to the packaged look of something (I am all about the quality inside), it is important to say that this packaging was immediately eye-catching. I grew up in Toronto and am very familiar with literal Ghost Drops (if you know, you know), so it reminded me immediately of the often imitated, rarely replicated, legacy market days.

Upon opening the package, you are almost literally hit with a pungent, tangy aroma that is sure to load the senses. I had strong hints of pleasant floral undertones, as well as an overall salty earth/loam that reminded

"Who doesn’t want to reminisce about being gradenine-high again? These were wholesome times when smoking cannabis wasn’t about stress or escape, but rather pure exploration and fun. " Picked from Chris Lynch’s Compound Genetics lines, First Class Funk is a cross of GMO x Jet Fuel Gelato, and is a definite winner. As someone who has had the privilege of smoking both parental lineages, I’d say that this pheno leans more on the Chem D and Jet Fuel dominant sides of each lineage. I was a huge Chem D smoker in my early days, and I’m sure that this is why some part of my brain finds this cultivar so nostalgic and time shifting. As a guy who doesn’t place much weight on I rarely comment on packaging, but it's noteworthy this time because, here

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FAT NUGS MAGAZINE

ANDREW INTERISANO

me of walking through the dense forest after a heavy rain. An almost fermented tang that comes from something fully being able to express itself in nature, grinding it up opens even more of the pleasant aromas - which is a welcomed change from most legal cannabis.

I've learned to hold my opinion about a lot of cannabis I've smoked until the very end of the joint, as looks and even smells can be deceiving. With FCF, lighting up was enjoyable from tip to roach thanks to the rush of sugary sweet tang that stays true to its aroma. It's without a doubt been a welcome addition to my personal cannabis lineup.

ANDREW INTERISANO

Appearance The buds were ideally cut and trimmed with a proper bounce back when pressure was applied. In the jar were some fat, healthy nugs with a very nice structure.

I’m thoroughly impressed that it's legal.

Aroma Upon opening the jar, I was hit with a distinctly nostalgic "sour" aroma that reminded me of the diesels of the ‘90s. It’s a heavy and rich aroma, with a dark, deep, and briny undertone. FCF possesses a mossy, earthy underlying tone as well, with a pleasantly fermented floral base. This is a highly attractive, strong, fresh, and intense aroma. When ground, the aroma intensifies significantly, showing that the strain truly lives up to its funky name.

Flavor FCF had a much sweeter flavor than expected, even three or four pulls in. The aromas described above hold true through to flavor, however, the sweet and sour comes out much more in the smoke, overshadowing the deep floral. The thick, full-bodied smoke is consistent, pleasant, and intense. The smoke became a bit harsher through the second half, but remained very manageable. Notes of teakwood came through later on as well. A clean burn with grey ash throughout and no canoes, there are no signs of chemical burn or PGR.

"FCF possesses a mossy, earthy underlying tone as well, with a pleasantly fermented floral base."

Experience This strain engaged me with a clean takeoff and a balanced mental/physical experience, which soon became a more relaxing experience with a smooth takeoff, freefall, and reconnect. It had a strong cerebral effect that engaged the munchies about 20 minutes after finishing the joint, and left me relaxed but not useless. I also had a burst of slight creativity with a bit of a brain rush shortly after.

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"the perfect day is a high-hike in the Smokey Mountains"

DH

DUSTIN HOXWORTH

Historically High: John F. Kennedy BLUNTS, RUSSIANS, AND A STONER’S SPECULATION

a j in N a j in G h u

By D ) r ie e m u e N h s o J a k (a W

ith the better part of a century at its back, the United States has been on a tyrannical public smear campaign of Lady Ganja since the 1930s.

Hailing from a family of bootleggers and overall PNW mountain men/women, I have a few stories that made their way down the ol’ family tree. One of them is the story of John F. Kennedy and his love of cannabis, experimentation, and ladies.

Now that I’ve painted an outline of the generality of my simple lineage, let’s talk about a grandma story.

My grandmother was quite the adventurer, like myself. She always told me, for no real reason, and had said in no real order, “Listen to the trees, JFK was a pothead, aliens are real, and never take the first drink of shine.” I still adhere to these four things and often speculate about why she brought up JFK so much as a kid. I dug around for a bit on the internet and couldn’t believe that I found some half-baked evidence on these few things my g-ma used to chat about.

I sifted through a lot of BS on the internet for the last month or so trying to determine whether or not g-ma was right about JFK. It seems she was half-right, but I found nothing that proved he was an actual stoner.

A few historians have tried to broach the subject of “alternative medicine” used by our pain-riddled former president. We do have those iconic photos of JFK smoking a rolled-up substance, which look like he’s rippin’ a joint. There’s one of him in the Oval Office, rollie in one hand, phone in the other, with a plume of smoke leaving his mouth. There’s another of him in public with what appears to be a blunt, or another blunt-like rollie, being lit while he walked up to whatever he was walking up towards.

Trees and nature, in general, have been proven to have healing effects on mental and physical ailments, so that one is true. Aliens…well UFOs are real. She got another one. Taking the first drink of moonshine that isn’t boiled down/finished can actually make you insanely sick and give you long-lasting effects blindness being one of them. Clearly my grandmother gave me some solid life insight.

"Let’s dive into why the Leader of the Free World at the time would be rippin’ doinks in the Lincoln Room."

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REBEKAH JENKS

As we move a bit further on this, I want to be clear, I couldn’t find jack for definitive proof on JFK and his stoner ways. I never found anything super-legit nor 100 percent accurate regarding his documented cannabis use. It makes sense that the man with nuke codes to his right and the Cold War to his left probably should not go on record about the dopest dope he’s ever smoked. But, there is this one piece that I have deemed “unofficial proof.”

REBEKAH JENKS

These photos could easily be taken as him being an avid cigar smoker, but any real “Highly Educated” stoner will argue that he is for sure smoking a blunt. Let’s dive into why the Leader of the Free World at the time would be rippin’ doinks in the Lincoln Room.

John F. Kennedy lived most of his life post-military in severe pain and agony. He was riddled with chronic back pain as a result of sport injuries and Addison’s Disease. Addison’s is a horrible endocrine disease that is characterized by abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and so on. He also had a surgery that left a healing resistant open wound on his back, which resulted in speculation that perhaps he smoked all day to keep the pain and inflammation down. It pretty much seems as though he felt like a piece of shit all day, which we all know is horrible, but cannabis was there to serve the president in his time of need. Weed for the win, per usual.

JFK loved the ladies, and not just First Lady Jackie O. He had quite the lil’ black book, which contained the names of actresses, socialites, and even his CIA homie’s wife, Mary Meyer. I plan on writing more about Mary Meyer and her very odd murder that occurred just three years after smoking and hookin’ up with JFK, but for now I’ll share the following: As the story goes, Mary, JFK, and another homie, James Truitt (reporter for Washington Post at the time), all hung out and were seshin the night away.

Mary brought six joints to the house and, after smoking three of them, JFK tapped out with, “No more. Suppose the Russians did something now.” This quote can be found all over the internet and in many other published works. If that isn’t confirmation that one of the most legendary dudes in the United States of America’s history blazed to ease the edge of the day, then I don’t know what is.

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A Joint A Day

Keeps the opioids Away

'Member Chewbacca?

Ganjier Review

By Rob Sanchez

S

eason twenty of South Park introduced us to the sentient fruit character(s) today’s cultivar is named after. The Member Berries were designed to introduce nostalgia through the remembrance of pop culture icons and more from the ‘80s and ‘90s. This sample definitely brings on the thoughts, whether they are nostalgia related or not.

Member Berry is a cross of Skunkberry x Mandarin Sunset created by Ethos Genetics. It’s known for great yields, dense big buds and a skunky grape/citrus aroma and flavor. Skunkberry is Blueberry x Purple Skunk, and Mandarin Sunset is believed to be Orange Velvet x Herijuana. Both sets of genetics are distinguishable in the sample I tried from NuLeaf in Las Vegas. The Skunkberry lays down a spicy bassline, letting the Mandarin Sunset’s guitar solo shine.

Starting with the appearance, these were fat nugs for sure - bulky and dense. This sample was hit with a heavy trim that left it looking rounded out and “shaved” in areas that we don’t like to see. It’d be great to see this cultivar live or freshly harvested. The bud had decent trichome coverage on the outside with very dense coverage inside. Dark stigmas are seen winding their way through the forest green flower with lighter green pops of color.

Flavor is up next, dry hitting a hand rolled joint of this was surprising with bold, forward citrus/grape notes.

This sample was cured well, as the smoke was moderate and smooth. The inhale brings on flavors of peppery citrus while the exhale gives a toasted herbal finish that’s good until the last hit.

Effects here in my experience were slightly delayed but long-lasting and heady, with a balanced profile throughout that settled into very relaxed after effects.

The age of the sample can be attributed to some of the sedative qualities here. Overall this was very enjoyable for a daytime/afternoon session. For those with lower tolerances, this would be more of a nighttime smoke.

If there’s anything to ‘member here other than Chewbacca and The Goonies, it’s that this cultivar is worth trying. It’s currently uncommon to see it in Las Vegas outside of the NuLeaf dispensaries. Check your harvest and package dates to make sure to get a fresh sample and enjoy!

The aroma was clean and brought a skunky sweet citrus to the nose, not unlike tangerines or baby oranges. This scent was fleeting, though, as if running from comprehension; this sample has been on the shelf for five months. During this time, the volatile terpenes have diminished noticeably. That being said, the aroma it had was definitely a good one considering the time frame.

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DUSTIN HOXWORTH

From Howitzer Cannons to Cannabis: Steven Philpott Jr. and the Intersection of Service and Passion

By Dustin Hoxworth S

omewhere between the myriad of Hippie Crippler kief joints and a constant need to find and connect with the most interesting cannabis people in the world, I reached out to someone I knew nothing about, but felt the love and passion permeating from every word he shared. I could tell he had an interesting past that guided him to our favorite plant. After about a year of watching him and having a few brief interactions, I thought it time to have a much deeper conversation and really find out what makes an obviously tough and rugged military veteran turn into a full-on cannabis science geek.

My conversation with Steven Philpott Jr. lasted over two hours and was one of the few times that someone I interviewed carried the conversation by telling a true linear story, building it like a movie, hitting all the right points with a childlike enthusiasm and passion rarely matched. There’s nothing like someone who can capture the feeling of a moment as they tell you about it, and Steven was able to do that. Especially as he talked about his buddy who beat cancer twice and introduced him to smoking weed for the first time, or when he mentions his grandfather and how he was arrested during a chemotherapy treatment because he had a bag of weed in his pocket.

THE EARLY DAYS Born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1990, Steven and his family moved around a lot, eventually finding themselves in a rough neighborhood where violence and bullets flying through the house forced them into the suburbs. The decision to move made by his

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parents ended up being the best thing possible and probably saved his life. Although he may not have fit in at first, he soon found a tribe of friends with kids who were “different” and lived rough lives like himself. Sports were also the great equalizer for Steven, allowing him to not only fit in, but to also excel. That and the fact that his high school drug tested all athletes kept him from consuming cannabis early in life.

Ultimately, Steven didn’t do very well in high school.

Things like laying his grandfather to rest, wrapping his car around a tree, being in a home with alcoholism, and seeing friends shoot and kill each other proved that survival was more important than grades. Like so many of us at a young age, after graduating high school, Steven found himself without a direction in life, no college plans, and barely making enough money to pay bills. That’s when he decided to go into the military at age 19, shocking his family, girlfriend, and friends.

"The crossover between mental health, athletic performance, and cannabis science is where Steven found his true passion."

SERVICE The military was where Steven truly began to find himself through camaraderie. He smashed every goal presented to him and quickly became the top of his

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punit; his past propelling him along the way. Steven worked on Howitzer Cannons while also being an operator and leading a team of other men. He was deployed to Libya in 2011 during the Libyan “Civil War” debacle for a total of 13 months. I was surprised to learn it was the longest emergency Marine Corps deployment in the history of the United States.

During his four years in the military where he lived all over the world and in some of the harshest conditions on the planet, Steven began to realize that he was building a very real and very personal connection and bond with nature. One could say this was to be expected after experiencing 120 degree temperatures for months at a time, heading straight into hurricanes, or even walking hours and hours through endless deserts. At one point during one of these desert excursions, Steven found himself crying, talking to himself, and sort of having an out-of-body experience.

“No one knew I was crying or going through this, I had my glasses on, looking forward, but this was a moment that changed everything,” Steven said.

CIVILIAN LIFE After coming back from deployment, Steven quickly realized that, while some people seemed to be healthy and normal, others weren’t so lucky. He describes a very real fear and, of course, stigma of possibly being diagnosed with PTSD, which ended up “contributing to so many well-respected service men, who were simply looking for relief in places other than alcohol, pharmaceuticals, or suicide, being kicked out of the military for consuming cannabis.”

Instead of reenlisting, Steven decided to take on the next phase of his life and career by becoming a student of the human body. He began earning and teaching fitness, movement, performance, eventually becoming a strength and conditioning coach for some of the world’s top athletes.

After attending the number one public research institute in Illinois, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Steven ended up landing an opportunity to serve as a coach for six years at Northwestern and other schools around the NCAA. He learned that “these athletes are smoking a ton of weed looking for relief.” So, the crossover between mental health, athletic performance, and cannabis science is where he found his true passion.

"There is a connection between mental health and athletic performance, and I plainly want to understand what happens within the body and mind when people consume cannabis."

SCIENCE IS LIFE hough Steven loved his work, the corporate sports science world took its toll. The pandemic hit and Steven needed another change. “Why are athletes consuming cannabis?” Steven repeats over and over

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during the interview. “There is a connection between mental health and athletic performance, and I plainly want to understand what happens within the body and mind when people consume cannabis.”

What Steven ended up doing was something so brilliant I almost couldn’t believe what he was telling me. He became both a dispensary manager and a strength and conditioning coach at the same time! I’d never heard of anyone doing that before. That was one of the things that stuck out the most during the interview. It's phenomenal proof of what drive and passion can do.

Steven also found himself taking scientific cannabis courses at the Trichome Institute, and from that point he was hooked. After receiving his Cannabis Consulting and Interpening certifications he learned that “people don’t actually care about cannabis, they care about what’s inside the trichome.” I found that to be a statement you don’t often hear, but absolutely holds water in many respects.

WHAT’S THE FUTURE HOLD? In 2021 Steven was officially diagnosed with narcolepsy after realizing he’d been battling it his entire life. He described the condition as being foggy at times and having a very tumultuous relationship with sleep that affected him every single day. Steven now uses cannabis to treat his narcolepsy, which may seem counterintuitive to some, but it makes perfect sense to those of us who understand the plant.

ental biologist and researcher in trichome morphology.

In this realm, Steven studies trichome density, and how those affect secondary metabolite production at different parts of the same plant. Essentially his work involves measuring cannabinoid profiles from all parts of the plant - top, middle, and the lowest flowering node.

Steven has also created the Illinois Minority Growers Association, teaches growing techniques at Olive Harvey Community College, is on the advisory board of the Cannigma, and, best of all, he’s created his own cannabis consulting firm called Anzisha, where he focuses on “providing services to ‘non-traditional,’ niche and craft brands without bleaching the culture that connects to customers.”

One perfect sentence that sums up Steven’s feelings about our favorite plant is, “cannabis is much more like blueberries, grapes, corn, and wheat than it is a pharmaceutical drug.” Keep an eye on Steven, and if you’re in the state of Illinois or anywhere close, I highly recommend personally connecting with him. If you’re not in the area you can find Steven on LinkedIn and Instagram - @coachjackpott.

As Steven continues to grow within the cannabis space, he’s experienced everything from what it’s like to work in the largest MSOs to becoming an environm32

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"cannabis is much more like blueberries, grapes, corn, and wheat than it is a pharmaceutical drug."

Steven Philpott Jr.

DUSTIN HOXWORTH

We Live in a Pocket Universe

By Dan Russell S

toners love pockets. We love places to stash our stash. A friend of mine once told a story of being in a different country and needing to hide a bag of weed in a beach town for a few days until his travels brought him back through that town. He told this elaborate story about digging a hole in the ground to bury his stash. As he’s telling this elaborate story of hiding illicit drugs in a foreign land, I can’t get over the thought that he isn’t digging a hole, but rather, a pocket. A pocket in the earth. In fact nobody digs holes, they dig pockets. Holes go through, but pockets hold things.

Pockets dug into the ground typically hold treasure… or bodies. My friend’s pocket held the treasure of half an ounce of pot meant to get him through the rest of his backpacking trip. There is a scene in Yellow Submarine where Ringo is wandering through a field of holes and he picks one up, examines it for a bit, and then places it into his pocket while declaring, “I’ve got a hole in me pocket,” which is funny because the last thing you want in your pocket is a hole.

I digress. Stoners love pockets because we seem to collect and accumulate paraphernalia and we need someplace to store it all. The world is awash in pockets. I have pockets in my desk (some call them drawers) packed with edibles, a haphazard collection of mostly empty oil cartridges, a bag of Boveda packets that I received at a conference, emergency chargers, rolling papers, and an old glass pipe. I even had a glass chillum once, which was kept in this wonderfully plush pouch for protection. The best thing about this pouch is that it had a little pocket for a lighter sewn onto its outside.

"Stoners love pockets because we seem to collect and accumulate paraphernalia and we need someplace to store it all."

DUSTIN HOXWORTH

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My garage is a pocket universe unto (maybe into) itself. It is a Russian Doll of Pockets, inception-like and escheresque as one pocket fits inside the other all the way down to a contact lens case with a few seeds I snuck out of Amsterdam back in 1999. The garage is a pocket that holds my car and a mounting accumulation of stoner misfit toys and items I’m hesitant to throw away….because I might need that random piece of gutter or pvc tube.

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I don’t consider myself a hoarder, but ‘90s era pockets would tell a different story after a night-long psychedelic bender. They’d spill their guts as they tossed out a scavenger’s hunt list of varied items ranging from paper clips to pens to peanuts - in the pocket-like shell of course - and many random items beginning with letters other than P: lighter and matches, water bottle, rolling papers, flask, little notebook (to make note of the aforementioned items decades later), my wallet - thick like George Costanza’s - playing cards, keys, and remnants of a bag of weed.

Basically, it will get the job done if you need to sneak something small into somewhere. It really amuses me that, in today’s mostly post-prohibition world, there’s little need to sneak and hide things, but that doesn’t stop the world from producing hats with pockets that appeal to stoners. Nor does it stop stoners, like myself, from falling in love with a basic “dad cap” just because it has pockets (that I’ll probably never use). This further proves that, legal or illegal, twenties or forties, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

I assume that it’s as true today as it was then that you could roll up to any college party and pull out a baggie of weed from your pocket with some papers and be a welcome (but strangely random) addition to the mix. I had pockets like some have purses. Again, it was the ‘90s, so I wore really baggy corduroy pants with very deep pockets. I sometimes grew strangely attached to random items I’d encounter on my journeys and filled my pockets with the treasure.

Nights are long and it’s always best to be prepared.

"I don’t consider myself a hoarder, but ‘90s era pockets would tell a different story after a night-long psychedelic bender."

Working in the promotional item industry, I see all sorts of items with pockets, from the unexciting padfolios and backpacks to the truly innovative - like the silicon wallet. This wallet added a pocket to the back of everyone’s cell phone, thus freeing up one of my pockets which previously held my Costanzaesque wallet.

I recently received a sample of a standard “dad cap” with nothing to distinguish it from another save for the two hidden zippered pockets on each side. Small enough to be hidden but large enough to hold anything ranging from a few nice nugs and papers to a driver’s license to an emergency $20 bill.

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DUSTIN HOXWORTH

CBD: An Essential Molecule for a Balanced Experience

r ie l a v e h C y l il e R a ic

By Jess C

annabis culture is obsessed with THC. It makes sense; when something is illegal, it’s hard to get (and risky to do so). When you do get your hands on a precious baggie of weed, it better get you high - and quickly.

to a dispensary and ask for something under 20 percent THC - budtenders stare at you like you’ve grown another head.

Cannabis prohibition had the unintended consequence of changing weed. THC percentages are through the roof and today’s strains are up to 200% stronger than those smoked by our forefathers and mothers. Walk in-

Everyone’s limit is different, but I’m not talking about being able to rip a fat blunt or a huge dab and snooze on the couch. I’m also not talking about medical patients. I’m talking about integrating cannabis into your daily life in a way that maximizes its benefits and minimizes its pitfalls.

But, this isn’t Captain Marvel. We don’t need to go “higher, further, faster baby.” In fact, when it comes to It makes sense; when something is illegal, it’s hard to the truly beneficial effects of cannabis, less is more. get (and risky to do so). When you do get your hands It’s easy - perhaps easier than many stoners realize - to on a precious baggie of weed, it better get you high overload your endocannabinoid system. and quickly.

And to do this well, you need less THC and more CBD.

"Type II cannabis has the potential of opening up cannabis to a group of people who don’t need much THC but still like the boost it provides."

DUSTIN HOXWORTH

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THC is a great molecule. It’s medicinal, it’s fun, it’s the life of the party. But too much of a good thing is still too much, and, for many people, THC has some side effects that make it a molecule to treat with caution. The anxiety, paranoia, increased heart rate, munchies, or inability to stay awake can turn many people off of the plant entirely because they don’t know there’s another option when it comes to reaping its benefits.

FAT NUGS MAGAZINE

DUSTIN HOXWORTH

Our market, both legal and legacy, focuses almost entirely on Type I cannabis - the chemotype that has high quantities of THC and few other cannabinoids.

The CBD and industrial hemp market are focused on Type III cannabis - the chemotype dominated by CBD. But there is another option - Type II cannabis - where THC and CBD grow together, if not in equal parts.

Type II cannabis is remarkably hard to come by, and many informed stoners (like yours truly) resort to making their own blends. Adding a pinch of CBD flower into your grinder is the perfect way to achieve a soaring high, without a racing heart or increased paranoia. The CBD doesn’t make you less high,” but it does make your high more balanced.

"High-quality CBD deserves more attention, and it deserves more shelf space at dispensaries instead of being relegated to CBD stores and gas stations."

ng qualities of THC, they see little reason to include it in their next smoke sesh. And it’s true that if you’ve used THC - particularly heavily and for many years - you won’t notice the effects of CBD. For people who have never consumed, THC interacts almost exclusively with your CB1 smoking CBD has noticeable effects, and receptor in your endocannabinoid system. It has a lock including it in a joint means they can smoke the and key mechanism that’s plain to see by any scientist whole thing without getting “too high.” who knows what they’re looking for. But CBD is different. It doesn’t interact with your ECS in a clear Despite it being added to every product from way. It also doesn’t bind with the CB2 receptor, and it toothpaste to pillow cases, CBD still isn’t getting may antagonize the CB1 receptor slightly, but not its due. High-quality CBD (particularly locallymuch. Scientists still aren’t sure exactly how CBD grown CBD flower) deserves more attention, and interacts with your endocannabinoid system, but the it deserves more shelf space at dispensaries mitigating effects of THC are apparent. instead of being relegated to CBD stores and gas stations.

Type II cannabis, whether grown to be such or customblended, has the potential of opening up cannabis to a I don’t know how to make growers or consumers group of people who don’t need much THC but still sit up and take notice that they’re not getting all like the boost it provides. Creating a 2:1, 3:1, or even of their options presented to them. I don’t know 5:1 blend makes your high extraordinarily functional how to convince legacy smokers that CBD does, while also giving you the benefits of both CBD and in fact, have a kick to it. But I do know CBD is an THC. important molecule. The cannabis industry needs to give CBD the attention it deserves so as to There are many hardcore members of the legacy grow cannabis consumption in a meaningful way community who scoff at CBD. Without the intoxicati- and reduce the stigma around weed entirely.

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Weedish Meatballs

By Renae Blackhall

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FAT NUGS MAGAZINE

JANIS SMITH

Tis’ the season! Fresh outdoor is abundant and we are all looking for that perfect “POT-luck” dish!

I am very fortunate to come from a little mountain community known for over 50 years of guerilla gardening. Since it's no longer necessary to hide in the hills, most of the community enjoys their six-plant allowance in their backyards amongst their vegetable gardens and fresh flowers.

On a recent trip back home, my neighbor gifted me some of his organic outdoor. This plant has never been sprayed or treated with anything other than natural soil amendments. It was grown from seed in the clean mountain air, making it a perfect product for my culinary delights.

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Ingredients and Directions The strain I used for this recipe is called Seaweed. Well known for its earthy undertones and musky flavor, this outdoor strain is perfect for savory cooking. Hitting around 12 to 15 percent THC also makes this plant very desirable for edibles.

The Sauce: · · · · · ·

I.5 cups of demi-glace, or one cheater pack of sauce 1/3 cup heavy cream Small knob of butter 1 tsp minced garlic 2 tsp minced shallots Splash of red wine

The Meatballs: · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

1 lb ground beef (freshly ground is best) ½ cup ground “gouda” flavored Triscuits 1 tbsp finely chopped Italian parsley - fresh 1 tsp finely chopped thyme - fresh 1 tbsp finely chopped basil - fresh ½ cup finely diced red onions 1 tbsp finely diced garlic ½ tsp garlic powder ½ tsp fresh ground pepper ½ tsp sea salt Dash of nutmeg 1 egg 1 tbsp Dijon mustard A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce 2 grams of finely ground “freshly dried” raw outdoor cannabis flower (can use decarbed or raw flower since this is a baked item)

Thoroughly mix all ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl. Ensure everything is well homogenized for accurate dosing. Always remember to wash hands after working with raw meat.

Once mixed, use a small ice cream scoop to assist with portioning. The aim is to make a “two-bite” meatball, so keep that in mind for size.

This recipe should make 20 “two bite” meatballs at 10 mg/ball.

Line a tray with parchment paper and place meatballs directly on top with a minimum of one-inch spacing between them.

Bake in a convection oven at 375 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown and no longer red in the middle.

Do not overcook these beauties, as they will dry out.

While the meatballs are baking, work on the sauce.

Over medium heat, melt butter in a small saucepan.

Add shallots and garlic, cooking until they absorb the butter and slightly caramelize.

Add red wine and simmer for a moment. Add demi-glace.

Once mixed, simmer again for a few minutes.

Remove from heat and add cream to finish.

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RENAE BLACKHALL

FAT NUGS MAGAZINE

Irene Donohue Does Cannabis Right

By Matthew Dean G

reetings Fat Nugs family and friends, Matthew Dean is my name, but you knew that! For this issue I was blessed to interview Irene Donohue, a legacy cannabis advocate and medical cannabis professional from Canada. Grandmother to ten, Irene first began using medicinal cannabis in 2014, and since then has dedicated her life to studying its many benefits. As is apparent in the interview to follow, Irene is truly a steward of the plant.

"I personally believe in only full spectrum or whole plant medicine for ailments. The best results come from the entourage effect that is achieved when all aspects of the cannabis plant are utilized."

Fat Nugs Magazine: Tell me about your first experience with cannabis and what you like about it.

Irene Donohue: I don’t remember my first experience as I have been a consumer for over 45 years. I do remember the first few times gave me the giggles and everything wasn’t so bad with the world. I also remember that, even back then, I preferred smoking a joint over drinking.

FNM: What would you like everyone to know about medical cannabis?

ID: First off, I would like the world to know that it is not the miracle cure for everything. Secondly, it very well can be the miracle cure for a person’s ailment, depending on their condition and endocannabinoid system. Cannabis therapy does facilitate healing and symptomatic relief for many, many ailments. One does have to be committed to this therapy, as it is not an “instant fix.” There’s so much to say about cannabis therapy for medical purposes that we could be here all day! I would like to point out how happy

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my clients are with this type of therapy as opposed to pharmaceuticals. It’s nice to have a legal alternative to pharma.

FNM: How did you first start using cannabis as medicine and for what and when? When did you become active/excited to begin studying medical cannabis?

ID: I became a medical patient in 2014. I was diagnosed with osteo-arthritis in my early thirties and refused to take NSAIDS, as I was very well aware of what prolonged use does to our kidneys and liver. Over the years I had tried the gambit of treatments and was then referred to a pain clinic, wherein the doctor suggested I “manage my arthritis with a permanent fentanyl patch.” Now, Fentanyl has its place (trauma and post surgery recovery), but I sure as hell wasn’t going to manage anything with it! A friend of mine suggested cannabis therapy, as she was in the federal medical cannabis program for her MS, so I decided to give it a try and started a dosing protocol with RSO. I haven’t looked back since. In addition to arthritis, I suffer from severe migraines. Cannabis has all but eliminated them for me. I do get the odd one trying to come on, but stave them off with cannabis therapy. I mean this when I say, cannabis is the only medicine that prevents my migraines – I have suffered with them since I was a child. Today I am mostly migraine free and when one does try to come on, I take a tincture stacked with inhalation and can continue on with my day.

FNM: When did you become active/excited to begin studying medical cannabis?

ID: I was curious to know how cannabis works medicinally and started researching immediately.

There was more information out there than people realize, and I started following renowned cannabis doctors, studies, and anecdotal sites. I then looked around for courses that offered educational certification. I have successfully completed certification from Green Flower Learning (USA) and

FAT NUGS MAGAZINE

Cannabis Educator from Michener Institute here in Canada. In 2016 our country started the process of legalization for recreational purposes. All of a sudden so much information was becoming available. I was fortunate to enter into the emerging industry as part of a group of stakeholders, and was involved in roundtable talks with the federal and provincial governments.

FNM: How were you able to use that knowledge to better help yourself, and was there anyone else you were able to help as well?

ID: I think the biggest advantage for me at the time was learning about consumption methods and how to dose for success. I started out ingesting a grain-sized amount of RSO, and the more I learned, the more I was able to dial in what I needed for myself. I live in Canada so I was able to obtain a personal production license, which has not only enabled me to grow my own medicine, but it has also enabled me to experiment and produce my own products.

"I would love to see the naturopaths as the “medical gatekeepers” of medical cannabis, as they are educated in natural products. Big Pharma would just want to synthesize for profit – no thanks."

Around this time, my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. When she saw how well I was doing, she asked if maybe cannabis could help her. We started her on cannabis therapy in 2015 and she is still consuming for medical purposes. It has not stopped the disease from progressing, but it had been her only medication up to about six months ago. She has added meds now, but is still doing well despite being in the beginning of the final stage of this horrible disease. It has helped her with anxiety, sleep, appetite, and general well being.

REBEKAH JENKS

I was being approached by others (at first it was cancer patients) that had a variety of ailments and I was able to help them. During all this, I took a cannabis education course and worked with industry leaders that included lab owners, university chemistry professors, physicians, nurses, and provincial government policy makers.

I now specialize in working with seniors to educate and implement cannabis therapy for their needs. This includes cannabis education, tailored consumption, and dosing strategies with follow up. In addition, I am in the process of introducing a topical product to the retail market. This topical was created for my hands and I carry a jar in my car, my golf bag, and my purse. It comes in handy, especially if the weather is cold or wet. A focus group study has shown that it is very effective - with the average rating being 4.5 out of 5.

This includes people that suffer from arthritis, fibromyalgia, gout, and muscle aches, just to name a few.

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FNM: Do you believe in full spectrum/whole plant medicine?

ID: I personally believe in only full spectrum or whole plant medicine for ailments. The best results come from the entourage effect that is achieved when all aspects of the cannabis plant are utilized. Recent studies are showing anti-inflammatory benefits from three separate acids in addition to some of the cannabinoids and terpenes. Only utilizing certain cannabinoids is kind of like having a peanut butter and jam sandwich without the peanut butter. Sure, you’re getting full from the jam, but you are missing out from the protein and other benefits of the peanut butter.

Same thing with cannabis.

FNM: What other cannabinoids do you favor?

ID: Depends on what function I need at the time, for instance, if I’m having a bout of insomnia, I would age my cannabis for CBN. During the day, I am partial to Limonene for a few reasons; first of all, I am attracted to the citrus smell of strains featuring limonene. It also has the anti-inflammatory compounds I need for my arthritis. I also enjoy its ability to reduce stress and anxiety.

FNM: How do you incorporate them into your daily life/diet?

ID: Every which way I can! Seriously, I use it all the time in many forms. I experiment and make products to incorporate into my therapy. For example: infused salts for bath; cannabis oil (RSO) for massages – you should see if your massage therapist will give you an infused massage (to die for!); raw leaves that I gather when I trim are great in salads or smoothies; tinctures, oils and gummies for daytime dosing; and joints – cause I enjoy them. I pretty much ingest, apply, soak and smoke! Did I mention I love this plant?!

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management. Uppercut Punch from Alberta Bud (licensed micro producer) is really nice too!

FNM: Does Canada currently cover any medical cannabis under socialized medicine?

ID: Great question. Currently the only socialized coverage available is to our veterans, otherwise most insurance companies will cover some or all costs with a medical authorization from a doctor. Our seniors’ social coverage does not reimburse for cannabis at this point. We are advocating for change in that regard. It will come - hopefully sooner rather than later.

FNM: With cannabis legal in Canada, is there a difference between provinces in the medical program?

ID: Unfortunately, yes. Most provinces don’t require doctors to register with their association, and they can authorize cannabis for medical use. Alberta and I believe one eastern province do require that their doctors apply and register with them in order to authorize. Also, most provinces only require yearly reviews for renewals, but Alberta has just now decreased required visits from every three months to now every six months. Recreational legalization, in a way, has hurt progress for our medical cannabis programs. It can be difficult for patients to navigate the system for authorizations and access. Some doctors are telling patients, “It’s legal now, so just go buy some at a dispensary,” and then complain when patients self-medicate incorrectly. A question I have for the medical community is: why is the endocannabinoid system not being taught about in medical school?

FNM: How many patients do you grow for and how many plants does that involve?

ID: Here in Canada, we are restricted to four grows per residence. My husband and I both have personal production licenses and we each have a designated grow license for two others. Total plant count is over 100. Plant counts depend on indoor or outdoor, or a combination of both (can’t grow indoor and outdoor at the same time per license). We grow the majority of our plants outdoors in the summer as they yield more.

FNM: What is your opinion on Big Pharma getting into medical cannabis? What damage, if any, could you see them doing?

ID: Can’t say I agree with it at all. I would love to see the naturopaths as the “medical gatekeepers” of medical cannabis, as they are educated in natural products. Big Pharma would just want to synthesize for profit – no thanks. I do like that more studies are being conducted. How many studies are being done on benzos or opioids? I mean how many medical articles state “we need more clinical trial studies” with pharma compared to cannabis? One of my personal concerns with Big Pharma getting involved with cannabis is that they will (and already are) trying to patent compounds.

I think allopathic medicine should stay in its own lane.

FNM: What cultivars/strains/phenos are you partial to growing medicinally?

ID: I have been growing CB Dutch Treat (2:1) ratio for about seven years. This cultivar is a staple for me and my mom for daytime consumption, and White Widow for my mom’s night time consumption. We mix up our THC cultivars and make a blended oil out of most of it. I am partial to Pineapple Express for

When not assisting patients in Canada, Irene is a lover of golf, enjoying food she doesn't have to cook, and traveling the tropics. Time spent close to home with family is where she is happiest, both on her property where she grows cannabis and in her lab formulating many different products to help her patients. Irene can be reached on Linkedin and through the organization Medical Cannabis Health Services.

FAT NUGS MAGAZINE

All Cannabis Use Is Therapeutic DUSTIN HOXWORTH

DARE to Teach Kids The Truth About Marijuana

By Mia Farrar

I

knew something was off from the second that my dad told me he was working in the fertilizer business.

I had found a business card on the kitchen counter, black with bold white lettering that spelled out “ELITE,” and had promptly demanded to know why the name “Graham Farrar” was listed under the Hmm. Any other plant? Any other plant. So he had a contacts for this unfamiliar company. specific plant! My adolescent brain was working overtime, carefully reviewing every comment I could “It’s my new fertilizer,” he said, in his classic self- ever remember him making about plants. I supposed he righteous, prove-me-wrong voice. His claim felt like a liked vegetables well enough, though maybe not quite challenge, and oozed with the type of humor that enough to base his livelihood off of them. Flowers? I always went over my head. imagined him behind the counter of a florist shop, inviting customers to look at his hydrangea assortment.

I was a modest nine years old, but did he really think I That didn’t seem right. My father was a lot of things, was going to be so easily deceived? Did he really think but he was definitely not a florist.

I had forgotten about our trips to his downtown iStoryTime office, with its floor-to-ceiling chalkboard “What do you grow with the fertilizer, Dad?” walls and fake-grass floors? I knew he had worked at Sonos, I knew he had worked at Software.com, and I “Well, you can grow anything: tomatoes, carro-” knew he could fix just about anything that involved the internet. I couldn’t make much sense of the mysterious “But what do you grow?” (It goes without saying that I conundrum that was the adult workforce, but I wasn’t was annoyingly persistent in my pursuit of the truth, a buying the “tech nerd to soil-enthusiast” overnight character trait that I think my parents both appreciate transformation story that I was being sold. and abhor.)

"My father was a lot of things, but he was definitely not a florist."

Essentially, I knew he was full of it.

“Elite specifically focuses on marijuana, Burner.”

(Note: nickname for my whole life, long story, based loosely off of the golf term “Worm Burner”.)

Now, I didn’t know exactly what marijuana was, but I knew it was a drug, and I knew this was bad, bad news.

My life flashed before my eyes as I grimly accepted my fate. My father, the weed seller. How embarrassing!

“It’s just like any other old fertilizer,” my dad told me, “The same kind of fertilizer that you’d use to grow any I looked at him, square in the face, and yelled, “WHAT other plant.”

AM I SUPPOSED TO TELL MY FRIENDS?”

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before turning on my heel and running to my room, careful to slam the door as loud as I could.

In the years that followed, I grappled with what it meant for my dad to be at the forefront of the emerging industry of medical and recreational marijuna. I spent my elementary school years slowly warming to the idea, though not without incident.

To set the scene, 2016 was not necessarily the hallmark year for progressive ideas about marijuana legalization and the role it had the potential to play in society. That is to say: teachers and parents alike preached incessantly about the dangers of weed, while they no doubt indulged in it themselves. My role as Graham Farrar’s daughter offered me an important perspective on the paradoxical nature of the way children are taught about marijuana: the same kids who told me, “My dad would never smoke pot.” had a father who picked up a little bag from my front doorstep every week. The result: I understood at a very young age that parents didn’t know how to talk to their kids about marijauna.

“Your dad is a drug dealer!” I was 12 and on a camping trip when I was confronted with this sentiment by a boy a year or two older than me.

the adolescent brain, but no one had told me that CBD was being used to treat seizures in people who had exhausted all other options, or cancer in my childhood friend’s mom. I had been taught that weed was more detrimental than alcohol because, after all, one was the thing adults had a glass or two of every night, while the other was a drug.

The argument had seemed pretty sound at the time, but I did my best to counter. “He’s not a drug dealer in that way!”

It is important to educate today’s youth on marijuna, the good and the bad. Growing up, I had the fortune of seeing the adults in my life experience healthy relationships with weed - relationships that they didn’t feel the need to hide from me. A few nights a week, my dad takes a hit or two off a joint. I’ve never once seen him overdo it. My mom knows that she doesn’t enjoy consuming marijuana, so I’ve never seen her smoke or ingest it. They have neither encouraged nor villainized it, and I believe that I have an accurate, level-headed perspective on weed as a result.

The boy had laughed mockingly, turning away to rejoin his band of friends. Was my dad a drug dealer? I considered it. The term “drug dealer” conjured up a mental image of a dark alley, a frightening man wearing a black hood, and a suspicious plastic baggie.

That wasn’t my dad. Just as he wasn’t a florist, he was also definitely not a drug dealer.

Marijuana is becoming increasingly prevalent in American society, to the point where we would be doing children a disservice by under-educating them on all aspects of it. My generation, as well as the generations to come, are entitled to an unbiased, unfiltered discussion about marijuana and the role it’ll play as it becomes more and more available.

In the years to come, my view of my dad’s job would evolve from a point of contention to a cause for pride.

My elementary days, spent telling teachers and friends that my dad worked a 9-5 office job, were eventually abandoned once I began to understand that the countless D.A.R.E. campaigns that I had endured in school weren’t gospel.

I believe our primary goal should be harm reduction.

While nothing is absolutely harmless to everyone, there are many compounds that present far more risk, like tobacco and alcohol, yet these are much more readily accepted by society. I would love to see us focus our education - both in schools and through various forms of media - toward reducing harm rather than villainizing and moralizing a plant. I hope to see our society come to understand both the potential benefits and areas of caution where cannabis is involved, and begin to cultivate a healthy, wellinformed relationship with marijuana.

“No, he’s not,” I’d said, immediately offended.

“He is! My mom told me he sells marijuana, and that’s a drug, so he’s a drug dealer!”

My initial feelings about my dad’s new job were not formed of my own conscience, but were rather handed to me in a way that hadn’t offered much room for questions. I knew that marijuana was harmful to

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DUSTIN HOXWORTH

The Bullshit Machine That is Me

d r o f g r o B y u G y B

M

y father was killed when I was 12 after the helicopter he was flying blew up in a hot summer sky. A few years later, my mother was murdered in her home. She was stabbed 27 times by someone who was never convicted of the crime, but now is dead - as is the cold case around her slaughter. I guess we’ll never really know. My sister died a few years later from complications of alcoholism at way too young of an age.

I stare into the rushing current of the emerald green river. My eyes fix on the chaos of the turbulent waters, while each ray from the hot, summer sun fractures into an electric shattering of light across the powerful flow.

Closing my eyes and inhaling long and deep, my prana dances up my spine in its own sparkling display. A long slow exhale aligns my energy with the flow of the beautiful river before me and I bring my hands together in gratitude for just being.

As for me, I was bullied and never felt like I really fit in. I was ashamed of who I was on so many levels, and this doesn’t even consider the volumes of epigenetic trauma packed away in my DNA. So I sealed the pain and numbed myself for decades. Yet, according to me, I was absolutely fine - more fine than most people I knew. The stories we tell ourselves and the lies that become truths…what demons can be manifested from our shadows? Trauma lives there - back in the darkness of our self, weaving its many ways and putting our poor little egos into overdrive with its lies.

The previous night was a long one. I’d decided to consult with the mushroom about “what was next.”

I’ve been up at the cabin for a year now. I left the city after living in an urban environment for nearly 40 years. The draw into nature was an incredible force, one which I didn’t fully understand, but followed without question initially. Then, every couple of months after moving up here, I began to consult with the mushroom and question the sanity of it all.

Through this process, something would be invariably revealed or resolved.

“What was next” is a common intention for my entheogenic journeys, as the question itself is a sort of statement of surrender to the pending non-ordinary state of consciousness. With the sacred mushroom, the more your body, mind, and spirit are in stillness and surrender to the experience, the more profound and beneficial the outcomes. The mushroom knows what’s best for you, and the ageless wisdom of these fungi delivers loving insight direct from the Collective Consciousness.

After fasting for the day, I made a lemon tek tea with 3.5 grams of dried psilocybe cubensis, which is on the high side of a medium dose for me. I took some rapeh and puffed on a cigarette of nicotina rustica to cleanse and strengthen my Being for the experience that was about to get underway. Then, I thanked the mushrooms for their love and guidance and knocked back the tea in a few chunky gulps.

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Laying down, I began a body awareness meditation, focusing points of relaxation and awareness in my hands, feet, and jaw, which I’ve found to be very effective in getting into the ‘floating state’ of being with a completely quiet mind. It’s my favorite place in the world, and a perfect runway to the Mushroom Consciousness.

"With the sacred mushroom, the more your body, mind, and spirit are in stillness and surrender to the experience, the more profound and beneficial the outcomes. " I felt myself slipping away as the mycelium took the wheel. Gently breathing into the entheogenic trancelike experience obfuscated this consensus reality, and, before long, I was definitely not running the show. I felt the purging bubbling up from deep inside me, a common theme in my mushroom journeys - and an indicator there was energy clearing taking place. This wasn't going to be a journey of iridescent unicorns and undulating rainbows. This was going to be work.

When I purge in the Mushroom Consciousness, there’s no vomit, but what comes out is much more damaging and debilitating than a bowlful of Kung Pao chicken left out in the sun all day. With a massive heave, a long-time addiction exploded forth in a forceful wretch. It had come up in mushroom journeys before but I chose to ignore their message. This time, the mycelium was going to win - as was I. I don’t know how long I purged for, but I will never forget the force it took to release the addiction that no longer served me.

Like a surgical procedure, the mushroom delivered “what was next.” After the blockage was taken care of, I came back into a semi-lucid state, clear enough to feel the healing that had just occurred and break into gasping sobs of gratitude, all while being wrapped in unconditional love.

As the medicine wore off, I was able to process what had just happened. I thought about the lies I told myself in order to keep up a practice that I knew damn well wasn’t good for me. Mushrooms are very good at truth and very adept at putting things bluntly, albeit with love and often framed with sharp wit. This time around they thought it fitting to give my ego a tagline, as if the mushroom morphed into the persona of some sassy junior copywriter at a Madison Avenue advertising agency.

"The Bullshit Machine That Is Me,” they pronounced.

I burst into uncontrollable laughter, repeating the phrase over and over, each time sounding funnier than the last. Guy, party of one! _________________ The rushing river darkens as the sun slips behind the deep blue mountains. I think about my ego's tagline and wonder if it was unique enough to trademark, then realize pretty much everyone has some element of a bullshit machine to them. But then again, that means it could become a best-selling t-shirt someday too.

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REBEKAH JENKS

Letters From Africa: Kenya Speaks

By Wilfred Maina N

AIROBI - James had been standing in line since 5 a.m. Nothing would stop him from voting for his chosen candidate. Neither cold nor dew nor the distrusting glances from others in line, unsure where his loyalties lay, would stop him.

Elections are always a tense time in Africa. A continent of young democracies, coups here are just as common as elections - albeit less predictable. African elections are as much about the spectacle as the democratic process, and nowhere is this more emblematic than in Kenya.

On August 9, the eyes of the world were on Kenya, the largest economy in East Africa and the seventh largest in Africa, as the people decided who would become the republic’s fifth president. It was a two-horse race with the world’s gaze focused on the two leading candidates perennial opposition leader Raila Odinga from the Azimio Coalition and the then Deputy President William Ruto from Kenya Kwanza.

While the two candidates enthralled the world, a dark horse Professor George Wajackoyah and his running mate Justina Wamae - drew the attention of the cannabis community.

They were the only ones who promised to legalize cannabis.

James was enamored from the moment they announced their candidacy.

SECRET PLEASURES, PUBLIC VICES Kenyans, especially 20-something-year-olds like James, love cannabis, but they love it privately because public admission invites immediate ridicule and could lead to prison time. So, when Wajackoyah announced his platform, many young people hesitated to voice their support.

21-year-old Vivian watched in rapt attention as the anchors on Citizen TV, Kenya’s most popular TV station, articulated Wajackoyah’s platform. She was excited; it spoke to her in a way no political manifesto did. It made her feel seen. Her parents, also watching the news, had an equally visceral reaction but on the other side of the spectrum.

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This man is mad. Why does he want to destroy our country? Bhang is the devil’s plant, and he should be in prison. I know you young people will vote for him, don’t bring that madness into my house.”

Her mom reacted exactly as Vivian expected, including the clear message that they wouldn’t tolerate any support for Wajackoyah.

She’d need to keep her support, like her cannabis use, a secret from her parents.

A POLITICALLY ACTIVE GENERATION There’s a common refrain within the Kenyan political establishment that young people (18-30) are not invested in politics. Every five years, we get the same rehashed opinion pieces lamenting voter apathy among the youth and how bad it is for their future.

These articles are great at diagnosing the issue, but they perennially tiptoe around the fact that most young Kenyans simply feel disenfranchised. They feel powerless in the face of a system constantly promising them that they’ll be the leaders of tomorrow, yet this tomorrow never comes.

From speaking with Vivian, it’s evident that Kenyan youth are interested in politics and will participate when the opportunity presents itself or when something speaks to them.

Lacking an opportunity to discuss Wajackoyah’s cannabis policy at home, Vivian turned to her friends, who, like her, love cannabis. The consensus, built around conversations that involved more smoking than talking, was that, while Wajackoyah’s cannabis policy was attractive, he couldn’t build a big enough tent to win the election. A vote for him would be a wasted vote.

While Vivian and her friends were covert in their support, James was overt. He openly tweeted #Wajackoyahthe5th, a hashtag that became popular among Wajackoyah’s supporters, discussed his polic-

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ies with friends and family, and even attended campaigns when Wajackoyah was in his area.

“It was electric; I really felt like we were on the cusp of something great.”

For a moment, I was tempted to agree with James and get swept up in the Wajackoyah legalization euphoria, but reality has a way of bringing you crashing back to earth.

THE DEVIL’S PLANT Vivian’s mother called cannabis the devil’s plant, and Pastor Solomon, a revered Nairobi pastor with a large congregation, agreed.

“We can’t legalize cannabis because, if we do, we’ll open the door to every kind of sin and immorality. We have to protect our children and society.”

He cut the conversation short when I pointed out that alcohol was legal and probably worse than cannabis.

Our brief conversation was a stark reminder that Kenya is a majority Christian country, and religion plays a significant role in people’s lives. So significant that, during election seasons, churches are less about fellowship and more about playing host to politicians eager to woo the faithful.

Religious leaders with large enough followings often feel like kingmakers keen to influence the country’s political future.

Murang’a Catholic Diocese Bishop James Maria Wainaina publicly condemned Wajackoyah’s cannabis policy, saying it would encourage drug abuse and promote trafficking. He repeated an oft-wrong point that cannabis would be a gateway drug for people to experiment with other drugs.

She eloquently discussed industrial hemp's uses, introduced many Kenyans to CBD and explained the benefits of medical cannabis.

Vivian's mother was watching.

“What is this CBD thing that Justina is talking about?”

That was the beginning of what Vivian described as the first fruitful political conversation she had with her mother.

While not convinced of the need to legalize cannabis, the seed had been planted.

In James’ eyes, Justina’s debate performance was a perfect home run. She was articulate, eloquent, and had shown Kenyans that there was an upside to cannabis. He proudly discussed the points she made, reshared the debate video and campaigned for Wajackoyah.

He was excited for election day.

AUGUST 9, 2022 Dark horses are great storytelling devices because they rarely win, making the few times they do so special.

On August 9th, 2022, James, Vivian, and nearly 62,000 Kenyans braved the cold cloudy morning to vote for Wajackoyah. Unfortunately, that wasn’t nearly enough, as the winner, current president William Ruto, received more than 7 million votes.

It was heartbreaking, but the seeds have been planted.

One day, they will flower.

“Talking of legalizing bhang is not only wrong but also overly unethical, and we cannot allow it since the vice has greatly affected our young people," Wainaina said. “The family unit is being threatened by drug abuse which leads to breakups, violence, and even deaths at times; hence Prof Wajackoyah’s proposal on bhang should not go unchallenged."

In an interview with Citizen TV, Wajackoyah put up a spirited defense, “We don’t have a problem with the church. The church is ganging up against me, telling me I'm ruining their children. Let me tell them to go back to the Bible and read it very correctly. They should find out why Israel has never abolished hemp.”

While Wajackoyah and the church were trading barbs, the constant conversation around cannabis was forcing people to confront their biases.

THE DEBATE During the Deputy Presidential debate on 19th July, Justina Wamae had a star-making performance.

DUSTIN HOXWORTH

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William Wordsworth

DUSTIN HOXWORTH

How Cannabis Compassion Awakened the Healer Within

By Mike Robinson A

decade ago, using cannabis meant nothing more than smoking a joint or loading a bong. Knowing it was medicine by law never stopped my seizures or controlled my chronic pain; it took a pile of pills to accomplish that - a total of 48 per day at the time of my first dose of cannabis oil in 2013.

The road to recovery from multiple illnesses all started with someone giving me CBD oil in a full-plant extract. With little knowledge to go on, including not even knowing the gift my roommate gave me was CBD, my life changed drastically and quickly.

After sharing on social media that a plan was in action to quit dozens of pills, I heard a knock at my front door. A stranger was there, and in his hand were six large oral syringes of cannabis oil. "You're going to need these." He handed me the bounty from nature and continued. "I'm a compassion provider; make sure you give something to someone else after you get better."

I didn't feel comfortable taking these oils from a literal stranger, so the questions started flowing. His manner was one of care and love, and his voice soothed my troubled soul. "Have you heard of Dennis

"After sharing on social media that a plan was in action to quit dozens of pills, I heard a knock at my front door. A stranger was there, and in his hand were six large oral syringes of cannabis oil."

Peron?" he asked. "He created this dream of giving, love, and compassion. It's your job to ensure other people have what you just got."

I didn't feel comfortable taking these oils from a literal stranger, so the questions started flowing. His manner was one of care and love, and his voice soothed my troubled soul. "Have you heard of Dennis Peron?" he asked. "He created this dream of giving, love, and compassion. It's your job to ensure other people have what you just got."

As a former Civil Rights Lobbyist registered in California, my knowledge of Peron was as front and center as it was when I had previously met him. The AIDS and cannabis activist championed the cannabis legalization cause in 1996, and was victorious with a team of co-authors in the passage of Proposition 215, California's Compassionate Use Act, which allowed patients to get a medical recommendation to use the plant legally.

As fast as this person came, he was gone. I was holding this grip of cannabis oils laden with THC precisely what I needed in order to quit eight drugs prescribed for severe refractory epilepsy, muscle spasms, chronic pain, and chronic lyme disease. At the same time, so many thoughts poured through the crevices of my mind.

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Who would be sought out to give oils to, and, better yet, where could they be obtained? What plan did this compassion provider have? Was he coming back for money I didn't have? It all seemed odd, as I knew just one of the large oral syringes was worth hundreds of dollars. Who would provide this gift, and why? The thought kept running through my mind that night as I dumped bottles of pills out after using a copious amount of the plant medicine I’d been given.

Over the following two months, I'd find myself completely free of seizures and the side effects of so many drugs. At the same time, CBD companies started sending me products due to the online posting I was doing. One huge MLM sent me case after case.

I had so much that, remembering what the compassion provider told me, I started giving away CBD oils to others.

a cast of thousands of other needy patients - like the tiny, iconic kids of cannabis made famous by CNN's Sanjay Gupta. The stories of Cannabis Compassion gave the world hope that a once marginalized and minimized plant could save the ill, while serendipitously providing an open door through which we could offer the oils to others who had also heard the good word.

"With an expiration date on my forehead, I walked away from the Cancer Treatment Center, and decided to ride out the balance of my life by giving away cannabis oils."

I reached out to him and started getting THC oils to pay forward. Before I knew it, I was on a Greyhound and then Amtrak, hitting the road to bring the precious cargo to others with epilepsy. At the time, I was unaware that the cancer I recovered from in 2003 had recurred alongside two other late-stage cancer types. By 2015, only two years into life without seizures, I was officially diagnosed with those cancers.

With an expiration date on my forehead, I walked away from the Cancer Treatment Center, and decided to ride out the balance of my life by giving away cannabis oils. The doctor told me I had only 12 to 18 months to live, so I thought I’d use them to build my Jacob's ladder. As a former racecar driver in my twenties, life was sinful, and the only way I could get into heaven was to atone. I had to do something huge to balance out everything else I’d done.

At this time, the Chronicles of Compassion began to take shape, and that’s when things got serious. With little time left to live, a network of healers and givers named the American Cannabis Compassion Alliance had been created. Dennis Peron was the honorary cofounder, as he was a recipient of the cannabis oils. He had become the mentor behind my plan, which continued for several more years until Compassion work created my family.

Cannabis Compassion, which essentially created the entire cannabis industry, was supposed to pave my way to heaven. Instead, it allowed knowledge gained at an alarming rate to be used to heal me and

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