Alaska Leaf – July 2018

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July 2018

ISSUE 27

THE CONCENTRATES ISSUE

GOOD AK CANNABIS LIVE RESIN SUGAR

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CONCENTRATES

contents

OUR 2ND ANNUAL CONCENTRATES SPECIAL ISSUE

By WES ABNEY/ALASKA LEAF | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN

| EMAIL NWLEAF@GMAIL.COM

JULY 2018

26

MATANUSKA CANNABIS LLC Founder Chad Ragsdale chats with Alaska Leaf

30 GOOD AK CANNABIS

Exploring the vertically integrated Fairbanks facility

60 TASTY RECIPES Cannabis-infused summer snacking ideas

40

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS HASH ROSIN

Learn everything there is to know about all things extracts, dabbing and more in our 2nd annual guide!

11 12 16 18 20 22 26 30 36 40 41 42 44 45 46 48 49 50 52 56 60 64 66 68 70

EDITOR’S NOTE NATIONAL NEWS OPINION ALASKA UPDATE BUDTENDER OF THE MONTH PATIENT PROFILE MATANUSKA CANNABIS LLC GOOD AK CANNABIS STRAIN OF THE MONTH THE CONCENTRATES ISSUE DABBING 101 CARTRIDGES HYDROCARBON CO2 OIL FULL-EXTRACT DISTILLATE THC-A SOLVENTLESS ROSIN PRESS BREEDER PROFILE TASTY RECIPES HEALTH & SCIENCE GROWTECH GUIDE BOOK REVIEW HIGHLY LIKELY

ON THE COVER GOOD AK CANNABIS / pg. 30 Live Resin Closeup

PHOTO BY BOOM MEDIA

BACK ISSUES/OREGON//ALASKA

WWW.ISSUU.COM/NWLEAF

contents THE CONCENTRATE ISSUE JULY 2018 ALASKA LEAF

KUSH FAMILY ORIGINALS OG JUANITO X PURPLE PUNCH DIAMONDS

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Reviews by Wes Abney | Photos by Daniel Berman

ALASKA LEAF

the truth about the plant you thought you knew, IN every issue.

editor’s note

Thanks for picking up this special edition!

Contact editor Wes Abney to place an

advertisement or become a drop-off location to display our magazine. You can also feel free to just share feedback, send pitches, articles, story ideas and hot news tips. This is all our plant.

NWLeaf@gmail.com // 206-235-6721

The Concentrates Issue is my favorite of the year for one simple reason: I love dabs!

My first dab was around 2011, in the century-old boiler room below the nowclosed Northern Cross Collective Gardens, and I remember feeling the oil touch the red-hot nail as the vapor burst into my lungs with the force of a thousand bong hits.

FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Wes Abney

PHOTOGRAPHER & DESIGNER

Daniel Berman

CONTRIBUTORS BOOM MEDIA, PHOTOS SARAH CLIMACO, EDITING STEVE ELLIOTT, NATIONAL NEWS SIMONE FISCHER, HEALTH & SCIENCE DR. SCANDERSON, GROWTECH DR. SCOTT D. ROSE, HEALTH ALIZA SHERMAN, FEATURES PACER STACKTRAIN, FEATURES BRANDON VOSIKA, ILLUSTRATION LAURIE & BRUCE WOLF, RECIPES NATE WILLIAMS, PRODUCTION

ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Joshua Stahle Josh@AKleaf.com 907-317-2536

Please email or call us to discuss print and online advertising opportunities in an upcoming issue.

We do not sell stories or coverage. We are happy to offer design services with Kush Creative Group and can provide guidance on the best approaches for promoting any medical, recreational, commercial or industrial product and pursuit. We are targeted.

FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF FOLLOW US @AKLEAFMAG FREE DIGITAL ARCHIVES: ISSUU.COM/NWLEAF VISIT WWW.A K L EAF.COM

Department of Corrections

The cover of our June 2018 Travel Issue was labeled #25.

It was actually Alaska Leaf issue #26. We regret the error.

JULY 2018 ISSUE #27

The world closed in around me, and I felt the reverberation of raw THC as it pulsed in my blood and mind, sending me away for the next few hours humming with a high that was unlike anything else.

Over the last eight years of publishing and working in Cannabis I have personally witnessed the concentrate world evolve from Rick Simpson Oil featuring Naptha (Coleman camp fuel) and open-blasted butane hash oil to highly medicinal mono-Cannabinoid extracts, vaporizable concentrates of all kind, and the precursor to a new world of edibles, topicals, capsules and more. For our Concentrate Issue, we sought out the best examples of the different types of extractions, share how they affect the body, and the science behind the scenes.

It’s such a wonderful experience to meet and sample extracts from the best processors on the West Coast.

Concentrating Cannabis means exactly what it sounds like - taking a full plant and using a process or solvent to extract the purest essence of the plant. Concentrates have the ability to impart healing values that flower alone cannot replicate and deliver a pure flavor and effect dab that will have the headiest wook sweating and smiling from the terps. Concentrates cover every aspect of Cannabis, from the medicinal to the “recreational,” and everywhere in between.

Our comprehensive Concentrate Issue covers the different extraction methods, terminology, ways to consume and everything in between.

So, take a dab, flip through this beautiful and informational issue, and learn something new that you can share with someone in need of Cannabis, as a plant, and as a medicine.

As always, thanks for reading!

SEE PAST CONCENTRATES SPECIALS AT WWW.ISSUU.COM/NWLEAF

IT’S SUCH A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE TO MEET AND SAMPLE EXTRACTS FROM THE BEST PROCESSORS ON THE WEST COAST.

—Wes Abney juLY 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

/11

national

STEVE ELLIOTT is the editor behind tokesignals.com, an independent blog of Cannabis news and opinion.

NEW STUDY FINDS 8 OF 10 PARENTS GET HIGH BEFORE WATCHING TV WITH KIDS

Some television shows — especially ones aimed at kids — can be difficult viewing for parents. But if part of being a good parent means spending together time while the little ones enjoy their favorite programs, what is one to do?

Smoking weed helps. According to a new study from NYC-based Miner and Co. Studio, 8 out of 10 parents surveyed who use marijuana admitted they “regularly” get high before watching TV with the young ones. Expanding the consciousness a bit makes parents more “engaged, present and mindful,” reports Adweek.

For decades, parents were afraid to admit, even anonymously, that Cannabis played “Cannabis plays a any part in their lives. No toking parent wants a visit from Child Protective Services; positive role with horror stories abound. parents, according All this is especially true when it came to actually beinging under the influence to the study.” of weed while actively “parenting.” So, for Cannabis to be reported as an experience enhancer, i.e., a positive part of a family experience, is nothing less than epochal, when you think about it.

The parents who reported using Cannabis are adamant they are good parents.

Nine out of 10 respondents who used weed self-identified as “professional, active, open-minded, passionate, mindful, present, engaged and relaxed.” That doesn’t sound much like the negative stereotypes of incompetent, bumbling stoner parents from the bad old days.

Cannabis plays a positive role with parents, according to the study. This is because they are “better able to put aside the impatience that is such an entrenched part of today’s adult experience and take the time to read and bond with their kids,” Miner said.

Cannabis-consuming parents say they’re more engaged in discussing their kids’ favorite TV shows with them after consuming Cannabis. Interestingly, 80 percent of them are more likely, while high, to seek out shows from their own childhoods to share with their kids.

Part of the image problem, according to the experts, comes from mass media itself. Over-simplifying and trivializing the image of those who choose to use pot comes all too easily.

“The stoner stereotype is so prevalent and persistent in TV and media that it continues to stigmatize those for whom Cannabis is part of their active and healthy lifestyle,” Robert Miner, president of Miner & Co. Studio, told Adweek.

Eight out of 10 parents in the survey said they are mindful of, and discrete with, their Cannabis consumption. They said they’re careful not to use too much.

According to the study, they are more likely to consume edibles than to smoke or vape before watching TV with their kids.

Cannabis parents said that portraying a character on TV using Cannabis shouldn’t be any more a big deal than showing someone having alcohol. Seven out of 10 said they’d like to see more realistic portrayals of that on the tube.

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NEW CANNABIS LICENSES PAUSED

BY OREGON REGULATORS announced that they’ll temporarily stop processing marijuana business license applications received after June 15.

The move from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission aims to help clear an application backlog. Growers, processors, and retailers are all facing challenges in an already crowded industry, reports the Portland Business Journal.

Applicants that arrived after the deadline “will be set aside for processing until the OLCC processes outstanding applications and renewals in the queue,” according to the commission.

Oregon had 1,863 active licensed recreational marijuana businesses as of May 23. That number included 1,001 growers. “Assigned applications” covered 847 licenses, with another 477 “ready for assignment” in the queue.

The Oregon Cannabis Association, representing legal marijuana businesses in the state, said it’s keeping an eye on the situation.

The decision to pause applications comes after the OLCC announced Oregon’s recreational marijuana retailers sold only 108,330 pounds of weed last year.

That left 891,670 pounds unsold, according to the commission’s numbers.

OREGON CANNABIS REGULATORS

30 ARRESTED AT POP UP MARIJUANA EVENT IN DC arrests at a “marijuana pop-up event” in Northeast DC netted 30 people and pounds of weed, police announced on June 18.

Marijuana was seized from 28 vendors. Cash totaling more than $10,000 was also confiscated at the event, according to police, along with three firearms.

Marijuana possession is legal in DC, as long as its two ounces or less, and you’re at least 21 years old. It’s also legal to give an ounce or less of weed to someone else, as long as they are at least 21 and there’s no payment or exchange or other goods and services.

Selling pot is still illegal, as is smoking it in public. Police have recently been cracking down on “giveaway” events where vendors sell customers a small item such as a sticker and then “give” customers marijuana as a bonus.

A SERIES OF

36130 PINE STREET, SOLDOTNA AK 99669 HOURS: MON - SAT 10AM - 10PM SUN 11AM - 8PM 907-260-3330 This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of reach of children.

national

STEVE ELLIOTT is the editor behind tokesignals.com, an independent blog of Cannabis news and opinion.

DENVER CRACKING DOWN ON POT TOUR BUSES

EVEN IN LEGAL STATES,

you can get an expensive ticket for smoking weed in public. Smoking while behind the wheel can get you in even worse trouble. So, what’s a stoner to do? Pot tour buses have been an answer to that question for many. That may, however, soon be changing — in Denver, at least.

Undercover Denver cops pulled over two of the buses on Friday, June 15. They cited 31 people who were smoking during the ride. One person was also arrested for driving under the influence of drugs. The two buses involved were affiliated with My 420 Tours and Colorado Cannabis, reports 9 News.

The Denver Department of Excise and Licenses said the pot tour buses are operating illegally. While Cannabis is legal in Colorado, pot tour buses apparently are not.

His office has already sent letters to the tour bus companies, warning them they are operating unlawfully, said Eric Escudero of the Department of Excise and Licenses.

There’s “no legal way” for the pot tour buses to become legal, according to Escudero.

Enforcement of the laws on pot tour buses is complaint driven.

Jay Casillas, spokesman for the Denver Police Department, said he didn’t know how many complaints police have received about the buses.

My420 Tours is “at the forefront of Cannabis tourism, offering visitors a glimpse into the cutting-edge world of Cannabis legalization and marijuana news in Colorado and beyond,” according to its website. The company says it’s been around since 2013. It says it offers not just bus tours, but complete vacations with “420-friendly hotels” with prices starting at $1,295.

Colorado Cannabis bus tours cost $99. The company calls it Denver’s “longest running Marijuana Tour.” The bus tours have a duration of four hours and 20 minutes, the site announces. The website appears to still be accepting reservations.

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Enforcement of the laws on pot tour buses is complaint driven.

BY THE NUMBERS

1

The first marijuana dispensary in Florida with a drive-thru opened in June 2018.

9 Vermont became the 9th recreational marijuana state!

Adults over age 21 will be able to possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana, as well as two mature marijuana plants and four immature plants.

1309 PLANTS & 171.56 LBS Seized from a grow site in Calalveras County, CA that was legally registered but not legally permitted.

OREGON U.S. ATTORNEY CHARGES 9 IN FRAUD, MARIJUANA SCHEME prosecutor in Oregon has charged nine individuals with financial and drug crimes. Their scheme, according to U.S. Attorney Billy Williams, involved defrauding banks and using the money to the start black market marijuana grow houses. The money was also used to fund an interstate ring to distribute the weed, according to court documents filed June 12.

The case is the first filed by Williams involving Cannabis charges since he issued a memo criticizing Oregon’s weed surplus. Williams at that time had called on state regulators to more closely control the amount of marijuana leaving the state.

The case began as a fraud investigation, then grew into a drug probe. It stretched into California and Illinois, according to a filing by federal prosecutors in U.S. District Court in Eugene. Three of the defendants have been arrested, with the other six still at large.

The money also funded Corvallis Cannabis Club, a state-licensed recreational marijuana store in Corvallis, Oregon, prosecutors claim. Excess weed was secretly packed, vacuum-sealed and shipped out of state in suitcases and by mail, according to the filing. Corvallis Cannabis Club was raided by the DEA on June 12.

At one point, some defendants drove 60 pounds of weed to Chicago and sold it there, prosecutors allege. Weed was also sent to California and Peoria, Ill., where state authorities have their own investigation underway.

Tens of thousands of dollars from the scheme were deposited in multiple bank accounts in Oregon and California, according to prosecutors.

THE TOP FEDERAL

JULY 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

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opinion

Matthew Meyers is a Cannabis journalist, activist and regular contributor to Alaska Leaf.

By MATTHEW MEYERS

DAB DEBATE Discussing the role of Cannabis concentrates in the modern era

W

hen it comes to modern hash, I believe people judge the torch itself more than anything else in the dabbing process. This, I can understand, given the history of what torches have been used for. But now that dabbing hash is here to stay, we need to shift the perspective of these flamethrowers. For better or worse, the quickest and best way to heat your banger is a torch.

Now that hash and dabbing have become more mainstream, there are some amazing alternatives being developed to work without a torch, but in my opinion, none of them are fully competitive with a torch. A torch is the best tool, but it’s also a great responsibility. Just like any other power tool, when you use one you need to be responsible for yourself and the others around you.

In terms of production, hash plays an important role that you might not have considered before – it takes pressure off farmers to continuously boost the potency of the Cannabis they are growing. A process that normally involves constantly feeding your Cannabis with chemical steroid-like nutrients and salts.

Isn’t it a better idea to grow normal, non-steroid weed and then just make it into hash for the people who prefer stronger? By not needing to focus only on potency, producers can develop richer terpene profiles for their harvest. Hash also allows the potential for varieties of Cannabis that are not very aesthetically pleasing but are rich in important terpenes or other medicinal qualities. Those more practical strains (with less bag appeal) wouldn’t have much of a future without hash to turn them into something beautiful.

HASH TAKES PRESSURE OFF FARMERS TO CONTINUOUSLY BOOST THE POTENCY OF THE CANNABIS THEY ARE GROWING.

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In my opinion, hash is also much more efficient and easier on your lungs when consumed properly at a low temperature. Through extracts, you are using a smaller amount of product less often than you would with just flower. However, I should note that if potency is an issue the best idea is to take a tolerance break when you can. You can use the money you save from the break to be pickier with your hash and flower if/when you start again.

I can never understand why dabbing extracts is so taboo and yet vaping worse quality oil in carts is the hippest trend. I’ve found that some people don’t make the connection between what’s in the carts and dabbing concentrates. Even though what’s in the cartridge is normally worse quality oil than you would dab, despite being a higher price and being disposable.

The whole dabbing process can seem quite complicated, so I call on budtenders everywhere to be patient yet persistent when explaining the importance of low temp dabbing and responsible torch use.

The truth is, be picky with every product that you consume, whether it’s food, drink, or Cannabis.

Let’s not forget how hard it is to find an organic beer or cider despite both those crops relying on use of the pesticides and herbicides to be grown. We’ve already seen a huge movement by consumers away from conventionally (somehow that means with chemicals) farmed products. As our understanding of these chemicals progresses hopefully they are removed from all of our production systems!

Remember that we are all role models for Cannabis regardless of if we work in the industry, educate and look out for each other. There are no shortage of challenges these days, seek out how you can contribute to the solutions; act collectively and constructively.

(1) "Marijuana has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming and addictive;” (2) "Marijuana impairs concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under its influence;” (3) "There are health risks associated with consumption of marijuana” (4) "For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of the reach of children;” and (5) "Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breast feeding;”

INDUSTRY UPDATE

By ALIZA SHERMAN for ALASKA LEAF | ILLUSTRATION by BRANDON VOSIKA

JULY CANNABIS NEWS AROUND ALASKA

WA S I L L A M A R K S T H I R D A N N UA L H E M P F E S T A celebration of the hemp plant took place in Wasilla in June and included booths carrying a variety of items ranging from scarves and stash jars to paintings and pipes. A hemp museum displayed products made from hemp including fabric swatches, an insulation “brick,” and various ropes.

This year’s theme was “Community Health & Wellness.”

The three-day festival also included food trucks, an over-21 area, music, speakers and workshops. Four-time Iditarod and Yukon Quest champion Lance Mackey was the keynote speaker.

Alaska is experiencing a surge of interest in growing hemp, with over 200 applications already into the state requesting a permit to grow. The Hempfest in Alaska is connected to the Seattle Hempfest, an event that was founded in 1991 and now attracts thousands of hemp enthusiasts every year.

A N C H O R AG E WO N ’ T I N C R E A S E C I T Y P OT TA X The proposal from Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz to raise the city tax on Cannabis retail sales from five percent up to seven percent did not fly.

The Anchorage Assembly voted against the to percent tax increase toward the end of June voting 8-2.

The Assembly has the ability to increase taxes on Cannabis sales by two percent every two years with a cap of 12 percent. The tax has not been raised since it was set in 2016.

ALASKA CANNABIS TESTING LABS FOUND TO LACK PROPER PROCEDURES A recent report submitted to the Alcohol Marijuana Control Office (AMCO) from the Alaska State Environmental Health Laboratory reviewed the potency and microbial data from Cannabis product samples tested by two Alaska-based Cannabis testing labs. Equal samples were given to CannTest and Steep Hill, both operating in Anchorage at the time of the test.

The report stated that the labs used different extraction protocols to measure potency, but they used similar analytical techniques. The report determined that “several pieces of documentation needed to support the data were missing and there is a general lack of accuracy assessment occurring at the labs.”

The recommendations summarized in the report boiled down to making a complete assessment of lab operations, incorporating accuracy controls into lab activities, and establishing regular oversight of the labs, something that will require an update to regulations. At press time, Steep Hill was no longer in business, but CannTest was operating. The lab, New Frontier Research in Wasilla, was not included in the test.

The report stated that the labs used different extraction protocols to measure potency, but they used similar analytical techniques.

ALASKA CANNABIS CLASSIC FOUNDERS FACE FINES An Oregon couple responsible for organizing the Alaska Cannabis Classic was fined $10,000 by Alaska state regulators after photographs appeared on Facebook showing an alleged Cannabis bake-off and attendees smoking Cannabis.

Founded by Cory and Kendra Wray, the event, in its fourth year, took place on May 19th at the Fiesta Room in downtown Anchorage.

Previous Alaska Cannabis Classics drew scrutiny over on-site consumption and VIP gift bags purportedly containing Cannabis. The Anchorage Police Department became involved, and management of the Dena’ina Center, where the 2016 event took place, were not pleased.

The Alaska Cannabis Classic sells “judgeships” for $350 to anyone who wants to sample Cannabis flower or concentrates, essentially selling Cannabis without a license, an illegal act in the state of Alaska. The Wrays were fined an additional $10,000 for illegally selling Cannabis without a license.

According to a memorandum from Erika McConnell, Director of the Alaska Marijuana Control Office to the Marijuana Control Board, the Wrays “have held this competition at past Classic events, despite being told that their actions are not legal in the state of Alaska.” The recent fine levied against the Wrays was eventually set at $5,000 with $15,000 suspended.

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Marijuanahas intoxicating effects andmaybehabitforming andaddictive.Marijuanaimpairs concentration,coordination,andjudgement.Donotoperate vehicleormachineryunderits influence.Therearehealthrisks associatedwithconsumptionofmarijuana.Foruseonlybyadults 21andolder.Keepoutofreachofchildren.Marijuanashouldnotbeusedbywomenwhoarepregnantorbreastfeeding

budtender of the month

INTERVIEW by WES ABNEY

Each month, the Alaska Leaf crew meets to select one special budtender that stands out above the rest! Tell us who you think should be the next Alaska Leaf Budtender of the Month and why they deserve it!

KIM PANNEL HOW DID CANNABIS COME INTO YOUR LIFE? I tried it a couple times in high school but didn’t really get into it though, it just made me sleepy. I have scoliosis, and at 18 I was supposed to have full surgery with metal rods in my back, and I said no thank you. After I had my first son at 19, I began using Cannabis fo my back pain. I’ve been using Cannabis to help with pain ever since and I’ve never had to take pain pills.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE STRAINS AND PRODUCERS?

KIM PANNEL is a budtender who started

using Cannabis in her early 20s to help with back pain from scoliosis. Today she enjoys heavy indica highs and helping steer customers towards the best Cannabis for their personal use and advising people about how Cannabis is safer than pharmaceuticals.

HOW DID YOU BECOME A BUDTENDER? Once the industry started picking up and stores were hiring I knew I wanted to get into the industry, because I think it helps a lot of people, especially those trying to avoid prescription meds. I don’t like pills and that is a big reason I turned to Cannabis, and I think it helps people in so many ways that I wanted to be a part of it.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE JOB? Meeting different people from all different walks of life, seeing the different reasons people turn to Cannabis. It’s fun to see the different reasons and ways it helps, and the strains and combinations people use. There’s a lot of good things about it.

HOW DO YOU PREFER TO USE CANNABIS?

Flower. I’m a flower person. I like to load my bowl while tinkering around the house, take a few hits and tinker some more, smoking through the day except for when I’m at work. I’m an all-day smoker in between doing my thing, and I’ll throw some CBD powder on a bowl when I have extra pain or use a pen for convenience if I have to be out and about or doing things. But I just don’t get the feeling that I want from the vape pens for concentrates. It seems like the flower itself does a better job for me, so I stick to that.

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One of my first favorite strains from when I started here was the Opium, a 50/50 hybrid that can lean on the indica side for some people. I think it has a really nice balance of stoniness and helps with pain and relaxation. I’m an indica person. Another recent one I’ve tried is Critical Kush, and that’s a really flavorful one. Both those strains are in-house grown.

But there is a really nice sativa-dominant strain I like called Red Dragon from Green Rush Gardens.

It has a nice potent orange rind smell, and it’s nice and stoney. I always go for the stoney stuff. I like to be stuck on the couch even though I can still function on that kind of stuck on the couch stuff.

HOW DO YOU FIND THE RIGHT CANNABIS FOR A CUSTOMER? By asking them what they prefer, if they know if they prefer indica or sativa. If they don’t know, I’ll explain to them what different strains and effects are and we’ll go from there. I like to go by sight and smell and have people smelling and looking at different strains in a category. The THC craze is not really my thing, because a lot of the lower THC strains are more stoney and powerful. A lot of the high THC strains don’t do much, which I think most people don’t understand. I’ve had several people come back to me and say “your right.” As I turned them onto a lower THC product by smell. And they’ll be like “yea, that was good.” It might not be all about THC, and that makes me feel good to help people learn a little bit more of what to look for in their Cannabis.

WHY DO YOU LIKE WORKING AT PINE STREET?

“I DON’T LIKE PILLS AND THAT IS A BIG REASON I TURNED TO CANNABIS...

I THINK IT HELPS PEOPLE IN SO MANY WAYS THAT I WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT.”

I like the environment here, They’re really nice people to work for, and it’s a fun place to be even though we are busy. It’s a busy fun! I like that they do everything here, they grow, they process it and sell it. It’s nice.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES OUTSIDE OF WORK? My hobbies are taking care of my kids. I have 3 kids, from 22 down to almost 13, and hanging out with them. I also like to watch movies and I have a couple of cats that I take care of, I’m kind of a homebody myself. I’m usually the one upfront the most behind the register, and that’s ok, but after work, I’m all about chilling out and relaxing.

PINE STREET CANNABIS COMPANY 36130 Pine St, Soldotna, AK PineStreetCannabis.com (907) 260-3330

Send your Budtender of the Month suggestions to nwleaf@gmail.com

BUDTENDER

Profile

BRADWELL BELIEVES CANNABIS HELPED HER THROUGH ACUTE DETOX AND WITHDRAWALS

By SIMONE FISCHER/OREGON LEAF | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN

NIKITA BRADWELL Nikita Bradwell is one of those rare, born-n-raised

Portland gems who still resides in Oregon. Bradwell got her first OMMP card in 2014 after enduring a traumatic foot injury. Her thoughts on mental health, addiction and recovery, offer insight to those with similar life experiences.

She described a tumultuous childhood where anxiety and depression were omnipresent. Cannabis helped her survive.

B

radwell starting using Cannabis as a pre-teen. She came from a family where Cannabis use was a staple in family events, and remembers her mother growing Cannabis for herself. “I was raised where Cannabis wasn’t on the hush.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t paraded around me. I definitely found my dads stash at the young age of 5 - but who didn’t find their parents stash back in the 90s? I can look back on today as an adult and see my parents, aunts and uncles were coming together to enjoy each other.”

Bradwell’s relationship with Cannabis started when she was very young, she said.

“I started originally with my friends just to get stoned. But really started noticing it was helping me eat, sleep and calm myself through everything I was going through as a pre-teen with no parents,” Bradwell said.

“When I was 13, I was raising myself and on my own. I was going through major things like losing relationships with my parents at age 11 and 12. I was also dealing with anxiety and depression as a child and figuring out how to survive.”

Dealing with the heartbreak of a dissolving family, she turned to harder drugs to cope.

“At the age of 15, I started using meth on a daily basis. Cannabis completely managed those long nights of coming down and going through withdrawals. At 16, I started going back to school and managed to get myself off meth using Cannabis. When I attended an alternative school that gave random drug tests, [having Cannabis in my system] was sketchy. It was my only opportunity to deal with the withdrawals, and everything else that comes with.”

Bradwell believes Cannabis helped her through acute detox and withdrawals. Even at such a young, impressionable age, going back to Cannabis kept her clean. She continued to use Cannabis for mental health and eventually became interested in growing the plant herself.

“I officially got my medical card in 2014, due to a freak glass accident I had back in 2011 involving my foot. I was still pulling the glass out of my ankle three years after it happened.

Plus, I figured having a medical card would protect me from getting in trouble for possessing and using Cannabis. I had of plenty reasons, plus I wanted to learn how to grow the plant.”

Q & A I’M BUDTENDING, BUT IT’S UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE ME WHO HAVE A PASSION FOR WORKING IN THE GARDEN AND CAN’T FIND FARMS TO WORK IN.

BETWEEN MENTAL HEALTH AND DEALING WITH CHRONIC PAIN FROM YOUR SUSTAINED INJURY, WHAT CANNABIS PRODUCTS HAVE PROVIDED YOU THE MOST RELIEF IN YOUR EXPERIENCE? “I will always be a flower child. Joints all day right here. But when I feel my body speaking to me, I immediately run to my Luminous Botanical tincture and Empower THC roller. It’s like doubling down all at once. Luminous just works almost instantaneously - it’s like I can feel it running through my body and just knocking out the pain. Even my ankle gets a bit of relief. I use a roller from Empower and pain is just gone. I get full flexibility in my ankle, I can walk on it without feeling the glass that’s still in my ankle, it’s pretty incredible.”

I AM ALWAYS GLAD TO SEE ACTUAL OREGONIANS WORKING IN OUR CANNABIS INDUSTRY. WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO KEEP WORKING IN THE FIELD OF CANNABIS? “In the summer of 2015, I budtended a wedding and met people from all over the country. They just loved the fact they were in Oregon and could enjoy some of the best Cannabis you can find. And it just kind of stuck. With 10 years in retail and over 10 years of consuming Cannabis, it made sense that I made the transition once it went fully legal. I opened a clone business and that was short lived. One of Hifi Farms directors got word I owned/ran a cloning company and asked me to help them in the clone room. Next thing I know, I’m running HiFi propagation. I’m not with Hifi anymore, but I’ve been at different farms since. Right now, I’m budtending, but it’s unfortunate because there are a lot of people like me who have a passion for working in the garden and can’t find farms to work in. But, I’m lucky I enjoy budtending and the retail side as well.”

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By WES ABNEY/ALASKA LEAF | PHOTOS by BOOM MEDIA

MATANUSKA CANNABIS LLC

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BLUE DREAM

Inside the new Cannabis shop and garden JULY 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

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By WES ABNEY/ALASKA LEAF | PHOTOS by BOOM MEDIA

Chad Ragsdale and his wife began in the medical Cannabis world in Washington state nearly a decade ago when they worked to provide HIV patients with much-needed Cannabis. Chad comes from a retail background, having worked for Starbucks and Target for a combined 20 years, opening stores and learning to manage people and retail environments.

When work brought the two to Alaska, they decided to jump into the legal pot industry and Matanuska Cannabis LLC was born — with the shop opening this month!

B/witched by @matsugrower

DJ SHORT BLUEBERRY

when we arrived it was legalized up here. So, I looked at my wife and said, “I want to go after this.” I started putting together a plan and started a smoke shop, Alaskan Pipe Dreams, that I thought would work with the laws and start as a smoke shop before becoming a retail store.

CHAD RAGSDALE / GENERAL MANAGER & OWNER / MATANUSKA CANNABIS LLC What brought Cannabis into your life and how did you get involved in the industry? It goes all the

way back to Washington. We lived in Spokane from 2008 to 2013 when we came up here, and one of my neighbors was HIV positive and in a little collective garden (medical Cannabis network) with other members, and he approached me one day having a hard time getting ahold of good Cannabis. I discussed it with my wife, explained that he had a medical card, explained the legality, did some research and then grew a plant to show her what it was. It brought her

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When did the smoke shop open? We opened in summer

over to the other side, and she saw it’s just a seed, a plant, and a medicine. I became his designated care provider and started growing for his collective, and that going me going learning about Cannabis.

of 2015. We went through the moratorium in the Valley, and rule changes, and the location didn’t quite meet the 1,000-foot restriction. So, I kept running that place and looking for another site to do things on. Our current location for the dispensary, the original owner of the property came into my shop one day looking for a pipe, and he said I have a place I’m selling on the butte, and I came out and looked and saw the potential.

How did you end up in Alaska? I grew medically for

What came next? I had sunk a lot in to get Pipe Dreams

them for about five years, and then it was legalized in Washington right when we were moving to Alaska for Starbucks, they brought me up here. I was looking at the legal market in Washington and realized it was a bad system. Then said, let’s go to Alaska, and right

going, and realized we needed a partner, so we went to Patrick McKay. We showed him our business plan and where we wanted to go, and we talked to the owner and from there it was boom we bought the property and were off to the races.

Owner Chad Ragsdale

CINDERELLA 99, WHITE FIRE OG AND DUTCH TREAT

BLACK JACK, MASTER KUSH AND CINDERELLA 99

Is Pipe Dreams staying open? It is open and it’s still doing fine, it’s a viable business and pays for itself.

The business has gone down since everyone has glass in their dispensaries that keep opening, but it’s still doing good and we want to open a second location on the Palmer Wasilla Highway and move into a new rec shop eventually.

How has your background helped you envision and create these businesses? I worked for Starbucks and Target for 20 plus years as an executive manager, and I’m still technically an employee of Starbucks on a sabbatical. Both those companies have very good branding and marketing, and they’ve spent an enormous amount of money to turn me into a good manager of people and retail, and so when I came into this place I knew it was important, and started building a social media presence immediately and building a brand. I grew up in PDX in the 90’s, so the microbrew thing was a big deal back then, all these cool little brew pubs micros at first and then they became macros, when I was 21 we could run through Portland from brew pub to brew pub, and working for Starbucks i saw so many stores with great vibes and people smiling, it’s the kind of branding iii was looking for.

How is that microbrew vibe translated into your new store? The building is an old auto body shop,

so we left some of the detail in. With the garage door still there and exposed conduits, and industrial light fixtures with a lot of wood and brick in here. I

wanted it to feel like your down in the Mission or Pearl District of Portland, in a light industrial but cool feel to it like a good coffee shop or a brewpub. I want people to walk in and say wow, that’s not what I expected, not a Cheech and Chong dispensary or a sterile medical feel, but a place they enjoy walking into.

The company is vertically integrated, and you have a window looking right into your limited cultivation grow room. What made you want to DO THAT?

The idea I ran by our lawyer Lance Wells and asked, “is there anything that says we can’t let people look into the grow room?” And he said no!

I got the idea when we went to Amsterdam in 2010 to see Dave Matthews and toured seed banks and universities and coffee shops. There, you would go into the basement of these seed companies and they’d let you look into the grow rooms and see plants growing and people working through a window. That was super interesting to me, and there’s nothing that says we can’t do that, so I chose to put a 6-foot window that looks right into the back.

Not everyone has had the chance to see Cannabis growing, and when you walk in the door that’s the first thing you see: big colas right there in front of you.

We even have a TV above, displaying the social media feed, so when people tag themselves on Instagram or Twitter they can end up on the TV!

What do you want people to feel when they come into the store? Out here in the Butte, we have the

older clientele already coming to us, and we want a

professional look with team members in polos with our logo, repping a good brand. When you see the employees, they will have smiles, and people 55 and up see their kids and grandkids in them and that makes them feel good. We want to move away from the stoner stigma and show that this is a professional industry and business and that it’s here to stay. We’re bringing it out of the shadows, and everyone can be involved in it. For years, I grew up with the propaganda of the social rejects or deadheads or the subculture, but it’s not that anymore, anyone can partake in this and can enjoy this.

What advice do you have for other businesses from your experience in the corporate world, and how will you implement that advice yourself? We want to keep

growing and are hoping that this takes off and that we can move into edibles and product manufacturing. But first, we have to get this one of the ground and start building brand loyalty. That’s what it’s all about with customers, making sure they enjoy us and look at us and say we are loyal to your brand. If they like your price point, your people, your products, you will succeed, and making sure they stay loyal to us is a key point. You have to offer what the customers want, and always be listening to them, because once you fall behind and lose a customer you might never get them back.

how does it feel to put in all this hard work and be opening the shop this summer? Wow, it’s been over-

whelming to this point. We’re within days of it happening, and it’s pretty exciting. The feedback is good, we’ve been marketing with social media, flyers, stickers and word of mouth. We’re even going to be in the paper and on the radio. I’ve really been pushing the marketing and I’m excited for what’s about to come. But there’s a little fear there, we’ve been building to this and now it’s go time.

I’m really excited that we’re here, and once we get going it’s going to be all about having fun with this.

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By WES ABNEY/ALASKA LEAF | PHOTOS by BOOM MEDIA

FAIRBANKS

GOOD AK CANNABIS

Keeping it inhouse with high-quality extracts & flowers 30/july 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

BUDTENDER TOM BOWEN HELPS OUT CUSTOMERS

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By WES ABNEY/ALASKA LEAF | PHOTOS by BOOM MEDIA

TANGIE LIVE RESIN SUGAR

FAIRBANKS

707 HEADBAND

Christian Hood is the Co-Founder and Owner of Good AK Cannabis, a vertically integrated company producing, processing and retailing Cannabis. We talked about what brought them into the Cannabis industry, what the brand stands for as a retailer and wholesaler of products in nearly 40 stores statewide, and why she loves living and doing business in Fairbanks.

Hell’s Fire OG Crumble

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What brought you into the Cannabis industry?

My background is in athletics and personal training and my husband was getting his Ph.D. at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Fisheries, so he had a job working for a nonprofit studying fish and birds. He’s from BC and he’s done really well for himself and we had planned on moving out of state, so he could keep pursuing science, but then the vote came around and we decided to invest in something and it’s ironic that it’s in Cannabis.

How has the experience been? It is a learning process.

We are all really hands-on as owners, whether it’s making extracts or working on branding or working with customers at the retail counter our owners are very involved. One is in charge of the grow, one the retail, and one oversees us all at the same time, so we have a very strong group involved in the business.

What does the brand mean to you? The idea of being

good, having good products, it’s a strong name in itself, it stands out. It’s so easy to have a name that reflects Cannabis, like “Green” this or “Weed” that, but we wanted to be different and hold that level of professionalism, which reflects in how we run the business and interact with our community.

The community is a big part of why you stayed in Fairbanks, where you’ve lived for the last 10 years. What do you like about the borough, and how does it play into the Good business model? We try to be real com-

munity involved, and we want to do good for the state and community and be well rounded that way. But honestly, it would have been that way if we had invested in a yoga studio or any other business, it just happens to be Cannabis. Fairbanks is known as the Golden Heart City, and people truly look out for each other and it’s great to see the community accepting Cannabis. For example, we recently had leftover pots we needed to get rid of, and a team member asked around to see if anyone needed soil and pots, and within hours the Stone Soup Cafe group and the Fairbanks Water Soil Conservation District wanted to be involved, and we donated two truckloads of pots. We always come together as a community, and it was really cool to see how we could spread the word so quickly.

CHRISTIAN HOOD COFOUNDER & CO-OWNER GOOD AK CANNABIS Speaking of word spreading quickly, the Good brand has spread across the state! How did you build your business model? We were really fortu-

nate to get the location we did, and we had to sit down with the borough assembly to get ordinances changed to be able to be here. But before we had started one of our owners, Greg Allison, along with myself and my husband were watching documentaries about Cannabis and came across Denver Relief, a consulting company in Colorado. Originally, we wanted to be a really small business, not vertically integrated, but Denver Relief told us the importance of being vertically integrated, and the complications Denver was facing as an industry, and we kept growing and decided to do the full process.

Tell us about your production and processing facilities and what you are making. In cultivation,

our head grower Barrett Goodale has been a real professional and the best decision we’ve made.

He’s in charge of three flower rooms, veg, propagation and mother rooms, with a team of five that’s down there daily. We have about 12 strains, we tried not to overload and instead focus on strains we can be recognized for, like our Durban Poison, 707 Headband or the DJ Short Blueberry. There are new strains coming soon too from our R&D division, including OG 18 and Bio Jesus. We produce between 50 and 80 pounds a month, and the flower all gets sold in our retail, and the trim is processed into concentrates in our lab.

GG #4 BADDER

What types of oil are you making? And you just launched an edible line, tell us about that!

What do you want Good to stand for statewide as you spread your products to stores? I think

We’re making wax and shatters and crumbles and one of the things I think is unique to our company is that we continue to make live resin sugar. We cut the plant right at harvest and within 30 minutes are processing it, and getting terpene levels over seven percent, with the intense flavor that you look for in concentrates. We also launched our gummies, and our chef has brought an all-natural, no chemicals gummy with nice grape and grapefruit flavors. When we started manufacturing we were in 10 stores, and we ended up in 38 stores at this point.

what it stands for having the quality you expect and not hope for. We are also conservative and respectful to the stores that have participated with us in the very beginning, and we have respect to competition as well. We don’t want to sell to stores right next door to each other, we have a lot of respect for asking hey are you ok if you sell to this store in hopes they understand. It’s a big market, and we’re looking to sell our product but try not to offend anyone by driving down their business either.

So, your products go out statewide, but you also have a beautiful retail store with an open format and a great vibe. What made you choose the vibe, and the strains you carry from outside growers?

what are your hopes for the future of good ak?

We are very outdoorsy people, so our favorite things to do is be outside every weekend hiking and fishing, and we wanted to bring that vibe into the store. Our artist Megan Perra, helped bring in the arctic animals and the caribou, and our chalkboards with local artists who help create the environment and our menus.

When we look for Cannabis from other producers, we shop by strain and not by brand, like the Mercy Tree Blackberry Cream, a personal favorite, or the Permafrost Frost Cookies, or Black Rabbits Fruit Punch.

People come in and know what to expect, what strains we grow and carry, and they come in for that reason, which is really nice.

For our company specifically, we are excited to roll out vapor cartridges and fractional distillation. We will be doing strain specific oils and the pen market is a whole new market in itself. As for the industry, as we continue to get larger we expect to see us separate ourselves as this turns into a competitive market, and it will be interesting to see how the industry grows. We really need onsite consumption, and for the community to understand that this is not bad, we’re here to be helpful, and participate as another local business. Alaskans are very evolved people and want to see other businesses and people thrive and be successful, and we want the industry to succeed and our visitors to be safe and enjoy Good Cannabis.

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This is a marijuana product. Marijuana has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming and addictive. Marijuana impairs concentration, coordination and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under its influence.

There are health risks associated with consumption of marijuana. For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of reach of children. Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

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Grown by AMERICAN WEED

BOWSER 36/july 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

full of relaxing myrcene sure to induce couchlock

STRAIN OF THE MONTH REVIEW by ALASKA LEAF | PHOTO by BOOM MEDIA

Beautiful lime green buds with shiny trichomes of THC that are coated thick on this flavorful and terpy locally bred strain.

23.4%

THC

The Bowser is the result of a local phenotype hunt and combines two very unique strains, the Blood Orange from Bodhi Seeds and the White Sage from Karma Genetics.

The cross blends the best of both cuts, bringing the sweet flavor and uplifting high from the Blood Orange and pairing it with the heady but calming hybrid high of the White Sage.

First tokes of the Bowser are all bright and orangey, with a woodsy-earthy exhale and a hint of spicy funk is released in smoke, or snapping into the center of a sticky nug.

Relief comes quickly, with a heavy Indica couchlock for lower tolerance users, and a high that seasoned smokers will be able to find stoned motivation with.

With 2.43 percents terpenes and half that coming from Myrcene, a relaxing and calming terpene, it’s no surprise that couchlock hits with this strain.

We really loved the fact that the American Weed team chose to test for terpenes, and that they put quality and information out for consumers to learn from and enjoy! Look for more of their tasty strains at your local dispensary, and ask for the Bowser today.

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MARIJUANA HAS INTOXICATING EFFECTS AND MAY BE HABIT FORMING AND ADDICTIVE. MARIJUANA IMPAIRS CONCENTRATION, COORDINATION, AND JUDGEMENT. DO NOT OPERATE A VEHICLE OR MACHINERY UNDER ITS INFLUENCE. THERE ARE HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH CONSUMPTION OF MARIJUANA. FOR USE ONLY BY ADULTHS TWENTY-ONE AND OLDER. KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN. MARIJUANA SHOULD NOT BE USED BY WOMEN WHO ARE PREGNANT OR BREAST FEEDING.

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BY ARTIFACT EXTRACTS Photo By Nate Williams

CONCENTRATES 2ND ANNUAL SPECIAL ISSUE 41 42 44 45 46 48 49 50 52

DABBING 101 CARTRIDGES HYDROCARBON CO2 FULL-EXTRACT DISTILLATE THCA SOLVENTLESS ROSIN PRESS

WHETHER YOU’RE NEW TO CANNABIS CONCENTRATES OR ALREADY A LEVEL 10 DABBER, ALASKA LEAF EDITOR WES ABNEY IS HERE TO HELP YOU NAVIGATE A SEA OF PRODUCTS TO LEARN WHICH CONCENTRATES WORK THE BEST FOR YOUR CANNABIS STYLE.

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WAM OIL Lemon Remedy CO2 Oil

DABBING 101 Concentrates are extractions of Cannabis

produced with or without a solvent such as butane, ethanol or CO2. Anyone consuming concentrates for the first time should do so with extreme caution.

Dabbing is the act of vaporizing Cannabis

concentrate and inhaling the vapor for medicinal or recreational effects.

The vapor acts as a quick and easy delivery system for Cannabinoids, and is not meant to be held in for longer than three to five seconds.

Dabbing can involve a torch and a vaporization surface, commonly called a nail, attached to a water pipe. The nail is heated until hot before a small amount of concentrate is touched to the surface. Nails can be quartz or titanium, and heated externally or by a plug-in heating element, called an e-nail.

The user inhales through a water pipe and the vapor is exhaled without excessive smoke or coughing, assuming a proper dosage. Patients can also use dab pens or vapor cartridges, which allow for vaporizing in a portable manner and don’t rely on having a torch.

Temperature is critical.

Concentrates that are dabbed too hot will burn off the terpenes, leaving a bland taste behind. Concentrates that are dabbed too cool might leave pooled residue and not fully vaporize.

The best way to reach a happy medium is to use a carb cap, which sits on top of a nail once a dab is applied and holds heat and vapor in. A carb cap is designed to vaporize an extract at the lowest possible temperature. I find that letting the nail cool down sufficiently and then using the carb cap will produce a flavorful, fully vaporized dab.

Solventless extracts such as full melt bubble hash/ice wax should be dabbed at slightly higher temperatures. To determine whether your temp is right, check the color of the residue. If it’s blackish, the dab was taken too hot. If the residue is a light brown, it means the dab was vaporized at the optimal temperature. Experiment again!

THC percentages can range from 20 to 90 percent THC, and

can easily overwhelm first-timers or even more experienced users.

Start with just a grain of rice-sized piece of concentrate or smaller and go from there, understanding that you can always dab more!

Exhale within 3-5 seconds because you’re not absorbing more cannabinoids, you’re just depriving your lungs of oxyen.

GUIDES by WES ABNEY ||PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN/ALASKA LEAF

ONE OF THE BEST PARTS OF THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY IS THAT NEW PRODUCTS AND INNOVATIONS ARE CONSTANTLY EMERGING. The downside of this breakneck pace can be a lack of information, especially for average users. The perfect example of this knowledge delay has to be Cannabis concentrates. While most veteran patients are familiar with the likes of Rick Simpson and high-grade bubble hash, the dabbing era has caught many by surprise. A fad no more. This primer breaks down the many types of concentrates, attributes to look for (and avoid) and common lingo and prices you should expect.

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ALASKA LEAF

T H E C O N C E N T R AT E S I S S U E

CARTRIDGES

Guide by Wes Abney | Photos by Daniel Berman

THERE ARE A COUPLE BASIC RULES TO ENJOY THE BEST EXPERIENCE WITH A CARTRIDGE.

First, ask the budtender if it is cut with any solvent, or look on the packaging. We recommend avoiding anything cut with Propylene Glycol, especially for patients, because there are safer and healthier options available.

Also, avoid anything with an artificial sounding flavor like Blue Raspberry or Waffles. Look at the vape package to see if the flavor is naturally derived, and if so, go for it.

While there are no rules governing flavors in E-cigarettes or Cannabis cartridges currently, we feel that strain specific and naturally processed options are the best! Vaporization can be one of the most desirable and pleasurable ways to consume Cannabis, especially when discretion counts.

You should not vape indoors or where ever it is specifically mentioned, such as on an airplane or bus. Feel free to use outdoors when your vapor will not bother others or be near children.

Consumers will find a variety of battery options, from disposable types that have a non-rechargable battery and last about 200 hits, to ones with USB charging capabilities and changable cartridges.

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T H E C O N C E N T R AT E S I S S U E

HYDROCARBON BHO / PHO /NUG-RUN / LIVE RESIN HYDROCARBON EXTRACTION refers to Cannabis

concentrate processed with a solvent like butane or propane that is hydrocarbon based.

Properly processed in a safe environment with medicinal grade solvent, hydrocarbon extracts can be some of the highest quality and tastiest extracts on the market.

BHO or PHO are made by forcing the solvent over plant material at high pressure, stripping the Cannabinoids, terpenes, waxes and flavonoids from the plant and concentrating them into a delicious and beautiful extracted oil. BHO is known for capturing the essence of a strain, especially when using all nug-run material or live-resin style, which involves fresh frozen Cannabis.

Propane is often present in BHO extracts, as many processors use a blend of the two gasses. Pure PHO tends to have a lighter and more orange color and can generate a fluffy consistency that doesn’t appear with BHO. Propane is a quality solvent and can be purged from the extract in a shorter time and at lower temperatures than butane, which can help preserve terpenes and flavors.

When flowers are processed into concentrates, they need to be purged of residual solvents to be safe for consumption.

There are many harmful chemicals that can end up in the oil if it isn’t processed properly, and you should only buy tested and safe concentrates for consumption. Purging through heat and pressure is what removes the solvents, leaving only the delicious oil we all love to dab.

It’s also important to remember that with all concentrates, you are taking a large amount of plant matter and “concentrating” it into a small amount of oil. This takes the “good” aspects we desire, the Cannabinoids and flavors, but will also transfer anything “bad,” like pesticides or chemicals. Look for concentrates that are processed with material from sustainable and conscious farms, and never be afraid to ask for test results to ensure your oil is clean, and tasty!

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Guide by Wes Abney | Photos by Daniel Berman

HYDROCARBON EXTRACTION forces the solvent over plant material at high pressure, stripping the Cannabinoids, terpenes, waxes and flavonoids from the plant and concentrating them into a delicious and beautiful extracted oil.

BECAUSE OF THE CONSIDERABLE INVESTMENT REQUIRED TO PROCESS CO2 (ROUGHLY $75,000) THE AVERAGE GRAM RETAILS FOR AROUND $30-$60 PER GRAM.

CO2 CO 2 extraction is one of the cleanest and safest methods of extracting any type of plant matter. Carbon dioxide is pumped at often

supercritical temperatures under high pressure to pull cannabinoids from the plant material, leaving a pure concentrate.

CO2 is not toxic to humans and kills any microbial growth in the process of extraction. Plus, CO2 can be used to create natural essential oils in addition to Cannabis concentrates.

Mainstream products processed with CO2 include herbal essential oils, hops for beer and decaffeinated coffee. Because of the considerable investment required to process CO2 (roughly $75,000) the average gram retails for around $30-$60 per gram.

The cell walls of the Cannabis plant can sometimes contain large wax concentrations. Unfortunately for consumers, plant waxes are one of the leading causes of excessive coughing when dabbing. By washing the concentrate sample with alcohol, the wax will remain in the container and the cannabinoids will be absorbed into the alcohol and distilled off as the alcohol evaporates in a separate container.

Concentrates with higher amounts of plant waxes and lipids will require a higher temperature to dab and, as pointed out earlier, will cause more irritation on the throat and lungs. Special note: Any concentrate that has an ethanol wash should be tested for residual alcohol.

Residual alcohol at high ppm can be harmful if vaporized.

JULY 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

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ALASKA LEAF

T H E C O N C E N T R AT E S I S S U E

Guide by Wes Abney Photos by Daniel Berman

of beneficial cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids that are successful in treating a huge variety of conditions. It should only be made with pure alcohol, food-grade ethanol or grain alcohol, and should be properly purged of residual alcohol before ingestion. FECO should never be vaporized or dabbed because inhaling alcohol is bad for the central nervous system and the brain. When eaten, the alcohol is safe for use. While FECO should be made available at a compassion rate, the average price is $25 to $50 per gram in most recreational dispensaries and it can go higher.

FECO pulls a wide range

FULL EXTRACT CANNABIS OIL SKAGIT ORGANICS TRADITIONAL FULL EXTRACT CANNABIS OIL 65% Cannabinoids

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the plant in the most medicinal way possible, and the team behind Skagit Organics focuses on extracting the entire plant, using untrimmed flower to capture a broad spectrum of Cannabinoids. This FECO or RSO is lightly sweet and has an uplifting high from the Dutch Treat parentage and offers a balanced but lightly heady high that has a many of medicinal values. Available in high CBD and THC versions, strain-specific, and in Original or Gold versions, and always triple filtered and post-pure filtered, this is a product that you can feel safe consuming.

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in the range of 40-70 percent THC, meaning it has 400-700 mg of overall cannabinoids present per gram. Often the oil comes in CBD-dominant, THC-dominant or 1:1 ratios of THC and CBD, or can have a cannabinoid blend specific to the strain it is extracted from. Dosing FECO begins with a drop of the oil the size of a grain of rice, and can be consumed raw or in a capsule form.

To help common ailments and treatments of pain this dose size is a perfect starter, and can be built up from there to larger amounts.

FECO is often

to treat cancer or other life threatening ailments, a more rigorous dosing protocol of FECO is recommended. This can mean up to a gram of oil or more a day, which is a dose that often comes with “Green Sickness,� which is an overwhelming response to the massive amount of cannabinoids the body is taking in. This can lead to anxiety, nausea and general discomfort, but it is also masking what is happening internally. The cannabinoids are going to work. Those interested in treating a terminal illness with FECO should look into dosing schedules that slowly build up tolerance, and ensure that they are prepared fully before starting a treatment plan. For those looking to receive more average condition medicinal benefits, starting small is always the best bet, because you can always eat a little more!

For those seeking

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ALASKA LEAF

T H E C O N C E N T R AT E S I S S U E

CANNABIS DISTILLATE is a solvent-free process that extracts up to 99 percent THC in a refined and pure manner.

While every company has a different method, the most basic form of creating distillate starts with an already processed Cannabis product like bubble hash, FECO, BHO or CO2. The Cannabinoids (mainly THC) are pulled from the starting product with steam, and then fractionally distilled to refine the final oil into a pure form. The end result is a product that is often 80 to 96 percent THC and free of adulterants or plant matter.

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Distillate can be thought of as a Cannabis essential oil that is pure of residual solvents, including those from the starting material, and can be used for dabbing, cooking edibles, as a vapor cartridge or more. Distillate is sold either in a “raw” form, which is mostly flavor free or can be infused with Cannabisderived terpenes or natural fruit terpenes. As always, we don’t recommend consuming anything with unnatural or artificial flavoring, so if the flavor sounds fake, don’t try it. The best option for a tasty distillate dab is to add natural terpenes derived from Cannabis to the oil, making for an extremely tasty dab!

THCA Guide by Wes Abney | Photos by Daniel Berman

THC-A is the acid form of THC that is quickly becoming a highly sought after concentrate in the world of cannabinoid extractions.

Non-psychoactive in a raw form, this acid form of THC has many medicinal and recreational benefits. When the Cannabis plant is maturing, the THC that we all know and love starts out as THC-A. As the plant matures and is cured after harvest, the THC-A slowly converts into THC. This is natural process when the plant is curing, and any remaining THC-A on the flower is converted to THC when heat is applied while smoking.

Extracting THC-A is in most ways the reverse of that process. Extractors take a finished distillate process and through a heating, distilling and re-cooling method the distillate is turned into a vapor form, and as it cools the THC converts back into THC-A as a crystalline form, and the shards are collected like little miniature diamonds of cannabinoid gold from inside a collector. Note — this is a non-scientific description of a process that is highly valuable to the extractors who make these crystals.

Once the crystals are collected, they are the purest form of THC-A on the planet. Often in the 95-99 percent potency range, there are two main uses for THC-A: medicinally in an unactivated form or vaporized for an extremely pure and potent high. THC-A is known for anti-epileptic effects and is useful in the treatment of many other ailments.

The other and most popular way to consume THC-A is to dab it. Although it is inactivated raw, dabbing it converts the THC-A to THC, and delivers an extremely powerful and potent high. THC-A often sells for $100 or more for a gram, making it one of the most expensive concentrates on the market.

Dabbing it produces a strong THC high, and delivers it in a vapor that is for the most part flavorless and odorless.

What is most appealing about this treatment is that there is no psychoactive high and so it is a great treatment for those not seeking a head high.

a dab of THC-A inhales like a whisper and exhales like a dragon’s breath, imparting a stunning and heavy body high that overtakes the mind with waves of raw THC.

Holding a hit for a long time is recommended with this vapor, to allow the most cannabinoids to enter the body. We recommend taking a small dab of BHO or CO2 and then rolling it lightly in THC-A crystal, making for a dab that is high in flavor and potency.

Look for THC-A at your local dispensary, and Google medicinal benefits for more information about how this cannabinoid can benefit you medicinally and recreationally!

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ALASKA LEAF

T H E C O N C E N T R AT E S I S S U E

Guide by Wes Abney | Photos by Daniel Berman

Solventless hash is rated generally on a 1-6 star rating system. Hash is also often priced based off the star rating, ranging from $10 a gram for 1-star up to $100 a gram for 6-star. Here is a basic breakdown of how those stars are rated and why.

SOLVENTLESS Solventless and bubble hash refers to hash or kief that has been processed and collected using only water and ice or a dry sift method to gather Cannabis trichomes and cannabinoids into a smokable form. It is one of the most labor-intensive ways to process Cannabis and takes a lot of patience and knowledge to create the highest-grade oils.

Done right, the concentrate produced from either water or sift extracting can be considered the best oil in the world — pure, solventless, and with a true representation of a strains’ effects and flavors. Today, a huge variety of extraction methods and tools exist for making hash. Still, we find the best way involves ice, water and a bit of elbow grease.

1-STAR

Varied color, very harsh earthy taste. When heated, will not fully combust.

This type of hash is best used for cooking, but can be smoked with patience.

Dabbable? No | Melt level: 1 (0% melt) | $10-$15/g

2-STAR

Dark green with an earthy flavor. When heated, forms a slight sheen and combusts.

This lower-grade hash is great for cooking or smoking, though will have a harsh and earthy flavor when smoked. Dabbable? No | Melt level: 2 (15-25% melt) | $15-$20/g

3-STAR

Dark brown, earthy with hints of original strain flavor. When heated, it forms small bubbles on the surface, then combusts. This type of bubble hash is perfect for loading on a bowl of flower or rolling into a joint. Dabbable? No | Melt level: 3 (50%) | $25/g

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4-STAR

Light brown, less pronounced flavor profile but showing stronger hints of original strain flavor. When heated, bubbles into a puddle. This is the lowest star level suitable for dabbing, as it will have a very earthy/planty flavor and may leave residue on the nail.

Dabbable? Yes | Melt level: 4 | (60-70% melt) | $30-$40/g

5-STAR

Fully melts into oil when heated but leaves a slight residue and flavor of plant matter when smoked. Dabbable? Yes | Melt level: 5 |(80-90% full melt) | $50+/g

6-STAR

Light/blond colored resinous gold, super fine texture. Forms into almost transparent slab when pressed. This should taste and smell like the purest nectar of the strain.

Dabbable? Yes | Melt Level: 6 | (100% full melt) $60+/g

ALASKA LEAF

T H E C O N C E N T R AT E S I S S U E

TEMPERATURE + BIG PRESSURE 200 F is the standard for Rosin, but can go down to 180 F and as high as 220 F. The flower takes on 20 tons of pressure!

You can press Hash using parchment, a MASH bag or another brand micron bag.

• • • • • • •

Gloves Forceps Scale MASH bags Parchment Dabber for collecting And a press

making rosin Kevin Hartman walks us through the steps to DIY. Turn on your machine, get ready to start heating and have all the products ready to go.

1

Turn the bag inside out using a pair of forceps, Why? it puts the seam on the inside of the bag and allows more oil to leave the bag in the pressing process and creates a cleaner separation, where the thread can potentially hold the oil in.

2

Pack the bags, removing large stems and ending up with 0.3 to 0.5 gram nugs, aiming to pack the bag out evenly so that it squishes evenly and you get even expansion across everything. These 2x3’s have 4 grams, we run 4/20 grams of these. We tamp down the bud until it is a snug pack.

3

Placement. Generally we will fold over the last bit of excess, and we place the bag directly on the center of the plates, so it slides into the plates and holds in place.

ROSIN Interview by Wes Abney Photos by Daniel Berman

technology has pushed the extraction of Cannabis forward with expensive machines, exotic solvents and methods requiring more advanced science year after year.

But Rosin is a method of Cannabis extraction that uses methods much simpler and cleaner than most solvent processes. Rosin is totally natural and uses only heat and pressure. So get squishing!

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4

First press. This is our manual setup, so you hand pump and follow the gauge, and with this manual press, we run up to 2,000 pounds per square inch, and that starts the process of mechanical separation, and starts the timer for exposure time. We gradually increase pressure every 15 seconds for about 45 seconds to one minute, to have peace of mind that everything has been extracted out, then release and pull out.

5

Remove bag immediately and peel off parchment paper, then use a scraping tool to collect the Rosin from the parchment paper.

We use a skillet tool, but generally a good skinny flat pointed dabber or a Rosin stamp for collection works well.

6

Collect the material into a ball through gentle pulling of the oil from the paper or mesh with a dab tool. If polishing is chosen, press the oil into a finer mesh and re-squish to polish If needed.

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ALASKA LEAF

INTERVIEW by SIMONE FISCHER | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN

BREEDER MONTH OF THE Shane Yoakam

What is your least favorite aspect of breeding? People seem to keep breed-

When did you start growing Cannabis? I had a fascination with Cannabis in my

teens. The first plant I ever grew ended up being a big male. In my late teens, I was running a hemp store and during that time Prop 215 was being set up. One evening I got a phone call from Jack Herer. He told me to stop selling hemp books and products and being treated like a criminal – and come get involved with medical marijuana in Oregon. [Then,] around 2000 is when I really got involved with growing Cannabis.

When did you start breeding Cannabis? The driving factor to start breeding was

when I got my medical card. It was really early in the program and back then, there wasn’t much genetic material being traded. People were keeping everything to themselves and not talking – it was a completely different era and time. When I got my medical card, I could grow Cannabis, but I didn’t know where to get clones or seeds - so growers like myself were pretty much on their own. There were all sorts of patients coming onto the program but there weren’t any resources or genetic diversity to choose from. And most of the varieties that were going around weren’t what I was looking for. It was all Blueberry, Beastir Bag Seed, Trainwreck and Trinity – a lot of Dutch stuff floating around. I began teaming up with TGA Genetics because they were creating new strains – it was different than everybody else. TGA in the original days was started as a medical collective to create great genetics for ourselves and share with the patients. Those were our core values and tasks. I eventually parted ways and continued expanding my genetic library.

Your work alongside T.G.A helped build the foundation of craft-medical Cannabis in Oregon. What is your favorite aspect of breeding? I wanted to

go beyond THC and potency because things like anthocyanins are important.

Anthocyanin-rich foods, blueberries, pomegranates and acai, all contain anti-oxidants, which are powerful tools for health. I read about these over 12 years ago along with flavonoids. Finally, these details are coming full-circle and more people are talking about them. I love the research. In the original T.G.A days, we were seeking fruit flavors – but weren’t associating them with terpenes. We didn’t have the research or papers that we have now. Plus, I love creating strains that people enjoy. It’s heartwarming to hear stories on how your cultivars helped someone. It’s not about winning cups; it’s the science and helping people. That’s what excites me and pushes me to keep working with Cannabis.

ing with the same genetic material, which ultimately puts you in a corner diversity-wise. Because of poor breeding practices that decrease the plant’s hardiness, plants these days are more vulnerable to pathogens, viruses, and viroids such as Fusarium and mosaics that we see quickly spreading in the gene pool and infecting nurseries. Solid breeding takes years of work and also requires sacrifice. Your entire room might get pollinated or variables you didn’t consider. Up until recently, people didn’t want to invest in the research of Cannabis, which has it made it really tough for breeders because science accelerates both sides.

What WAs the first strain you created & favorite cultivar you HAve bred?

The Lemon Freeze. It was Jack’s Cleaner crossed to Jack’s Cleaner Blueberry (JCBX by JCB). Which was a large backcrossing project. I really liked the lemon terpenes from the Jack’s Cleaner at the time, and the Blueberry softened it up a bit and added more structure. Shortly after that, I was lucky enough to get some true purple genetics and I started working with the Black Russian bred by Nebu.

Since I moved out to the West Coast, I was seeking purple Cannabis. That’s when I created the Neon Super Skunk and the Black Cherry. Finally, Double Purple Doja (DPD) was created and that’s probably my favorite strain I ever created for several reasons. It has a special place in my heart and I was putting a lot of love and energy into the project – so I knew it was going to be special. The DPD inspired me to do a lot of research on genetics. It’s thrilling and humbling to make something for a small community like Oregon. I wanted to make purple more prominent in my progeny and when you make purple strains; you get a ton of green phenotypes.

Originally, colors in Cannabis were recessive – back then colors weren’t dominant in the progeny. It was just practice and technique, but through research, I found anthocyanins were responsible for causing purple expression in Cannabis. To me, it’s about what you have that sets you apart from the rest of the industry.

Thoughts on protecting your strain library in a fast-evolving industry?

You can start with trademarking your brand, but right now it’s limited to find where out where to start. You can only do state trademarks - that allow you to do it.

Genetic markers are coming online and things are rapidly changing. The research is super important, which is why true breeding is so expensive. It all boils down to money. If I have a patent on my strain and you violate my patent - you go to court and see who can outspend who. It might cost me millions of dollars to protect my patent, so in order to have a patent - you must have a large backing. Other entities are trying to secure umbrella patents that cover a wide range of strains, which is completely scary. That’s why it’s important to find the right team. Genetically sequencing your work is really important because you have your genetic material backed up. It’s hard to find my work for a reason, but at the same time, it’s equally important to layout the history and lineage of genetics. It’s tricky to say the least.

Shane Yoakam is a low-key breeding enigma known as Suny Cheba during prohibition times. Yoakam is one of the

premier breeders of the Cannabis industry and responsible for creating such strains as Lemon Freeze, Double Purple Doja and Black Cherry. Currently, he’s a genetic consultant for large-scale agricultural entities at Dutch Consulting Company, headed by Sjoerd Broeks (The Dutchman, Genefinder OG). Yoakam was also responsible for helping to amend Measure 91, which made it so Cannabis seed stock could be legally sold in Oregon. Yoakam’s genetic work is rare and difficult to find – positioning him as one of the most sought-after creators of limited Cannabis genetics.

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SOLID BREEDING TAKES YEARS OF WORK AND ALSO REQUIRES SACRIFICE. YOUR ENTIRE ROOM MIGHT GET POLLINATED OR VARIABLES YOU DIDN’T CONSIDER. UP UNTIL RECENTLY, PEOPLE DIDN’T WANT TO INVEST IN THE RESEARCH OF CANNABIS, WHICH HAS IT MADE IT REALLY TOUGH FOR BREEDERS BECAUSE SCIENCE ACCELERATES BOTH SIDES. JULY 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

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AVAILABLE FROM SOUTHSIDE GARDEN SUPPLY

ANCHORAGE / WASILLA / SGSAK.COM

This is a marijuana product. Marijuana has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming and addictive. Marijuana impairs concentration, coordination and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under its influence.

There are health risks associated with consumption of marijuana. For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of reach of children. Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

This is a marijuana product. Marijuana has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming and addictive. Marijuana impairs concentration, coordination and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under its influence. There are health risks associated with consumption of marijuana. For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of reach of children. Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

recipes

By LAURIE WOLF | PHOTOS by BRUCE WOLF

AVOCADO BOWL Serves 4

2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted and brushed with lemon juice 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 ripe tomato, seeded and cut in pieces 2 scallions, thinly sliced 4 tablespoons cotija cheese, crumbled 2 tablespoons olive oil, best quality you can afford Pinch of salt and cumin

1.

Place the avocado halves on your work surface.

In a small bowl combine tomato, scallion, cheese.

2.

Divide mixture between the avocados and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle each with salt and cumin. Serve with a handful of canna chips.

SUMMER

SNACKS CANNA-CORN TORTILLA CHIPS Serves 4

8 corn or flour tortillas 1-2 tablespoons melted canna butter or oil 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder ½ teaspoon garlic powder ¼ teaspoon salt

1. eating avocados just feels good.

TheSE chips are a “highly” suggested accompaniment.

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Heat oven to 340 F. Place the tortillas on a baking sheet or two.

2. In a small bowl combine the canna-butter/oil with the spices.

Brush the tops of the tortillas with the oil mixture.

3. Bake until chips are crisp

and golden brown ~ 11-13 min.

Crunchy, creamy and a simple summer pleasure.

BELL PEPPER POT PARTY

Serves 4

3 bell peppers, deseeded and cut into 4 sections. ½ cup ricotta cheese ¼ cup crumbly goat cheese 1-2 tablespoons softened canna-butter or canna-oil 2 radishes, thinly sliced and cut in pieces 2 scallions, trimmed and sliced 2 tablespoons toasted pecans or walnuts, chopped 1 teaspoon smoked paprika Salt and freshly ground pepper

1.

Place the pepper sections on your work surface.

2.

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese and canna-butter or oil. Spread onto the pepper slices.

ARTICHOKE BRUSCHETTA Serves 4

8 slices toasted baguette 1-2 tablespoons canna-olive oil 6-oz jar marinated artichoke hearts half-drained & gently mashed 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 4 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened Cilantro sprigs Hot sauce to taste Salt and pepper

pop the bruschetta under the broiler just before serving.

1.

Place the bread slices on your work surface. Drizzle or brush with the infused oil.

3.

Sprinkle toppings of choice, radishes, scallion and nuts on top of the cheese. Dust each section with the paprika and salt and pepper to taste.

2.

In a small bowl combine the artichoke, Parmesan, mayo, cream cheese and cilantro. If you are a cilantro hater parsley will work too.

Combine well. Add the hot sauce and salt to taste.

3.

Divide artichoke mix between the bread slices; serve immediately.

Laurie Wolf has been a monthly contributor to Northwest Leaf since 2015. Named the “Martha Stewart of Marijuana Edibles”

by The New Yorker, Laurie has published four Cannabis cookbooks, contributes to six Cannabis publications and runs Laurie + MaryJane, an award-winning Portland edible company.

got cannabis cooking questions? Laurie@laurieandmaryjane.com

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health & science

BY ALASKA LEAF CONTRIBUTOR SIMONE FISCHER

Sleep is one of the most important facets of our health. It’s the time when our bodies can heal themselves, and regain our strength spent throughout busy days. When we do not give ourselves an adequate amount of sleep, our health and immune systems begin to deteriorate.

The constant use of handheld electronics further inflames the problem because they don’t allow your brain to adequately turn off. As a person looking for a natural way to achieve sleep, I turned to herbs. I would drink chamomile and

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“sleepy time” tea to induce relaxation. At one point, I tried using melatonin.

It worked in the beginning, but I quickly grew a tolerance. After a while, melatonin became useless and expensive.

Luckily, Cannabis exists. When I first began using Cannabis as a sleep aid, I was told to gravitate towards indicas. But what does that mean?

Previously, I would look for aesthetic clues such as looks, smell or taste.

Indicas are historically known for their body highs, versus their cerebral sativa counterparts. Being couchlocked is a typical effect from indicas. They are extremely helpful for those experiencing pain or dealing with chronic pain.

Indicas have a reputation to help you sleep. Although I could certainly feel the effects of a solid indica, I wanted to know more beyond anecdotal

Photo courtesy of Nils Weymann

CBN:

The Natural Sleep Aid

CHOOSE AN INDICA-DOMINANT STRAIN WITH LOTS OF CBN FOR A BETTER NIGHT'S REST. evidence. Cannabinol, or CBN, is a weak psychogenic cannabinoid known to help induce drowsiness. Finding strains high in CBN will be ideal for those looking to get a good night’s sleep.

When it comes to growing, CBN is usually higher in strains harvested late. The overripening of the Cannabis plant raises CBN amounts. The longer a cultivator waits to cut down her/his crop, the higher the CBN ratio will be. With that said, looking for an indica-dominant strain high in CBN would be the most ideal for sound sleep.

Indica or CBN edibles are an excellent way to ingest cannabinoids without having to smoke.

Unfortunately, Oregon recreational users are limited to flower, seed and clone sales for now. The purchase of edibles, concentrates and topicals is prohibited at this point in time. Companies are beginning to create indica- and strain-specific edibles for the medical marijuana market, until it is legal to sell to those over 21.

Instead of addictive sleep aids like Ambien, Cannabis capsules are a viable option for those looking for smokeless forms of medicating. It seems like more people prefer ingesting Cannabis because they are used to being prescribed pills by doctors. Overall, Cannabis capsules and other edibles are more discreet than loading a bowl or torching a dab.

Without a healthy amount of sleep, our body’s ability to fight off pathogens is at risk. If you suffer from an autoimmune disease, not getting enough sleep could land you in the hospital. Americans are some of the most overworked people in the world.

Scholar and activist Audre Lorde reminds us: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”

Taking the time to let our minds and body heal is a crucial part of self-care. Adequate sleep and a balanced diet are vital keys to the quality of our health. Looking for strains high in CBN to use at night will help you achieve routine sleeping

hours. Turning off smart devices at least an hour before you go to bed will help you fall asleep faster.

The brightness of smart device screens causes our minds to feel awake when we are trying to fall asleep. Instead, try puffing on high-CBN Cannabis and read from a book (not a tablet!) before bed.

As a woman who suffers from an autoimmune disease, getting enough sleep is vital to make sure I can work full-time, write and still manage to enjoy my life. I have always favored indica-dominant strains, but I wanted to know how exactly they helped me sleep.

CBN is derived from Tetrahydrocannbinol (or THC) oxidation, meaning the more THC breaks down in its finished flower form, the higher the CBN count will be. Overripe or poorly cured Cannabis is usually a telltale sign of high CBN. When dispensary buyers purchase Cannabis, high CBN usually means it’s been sitting on the shelf for a while. CBN code: The older the bud, the higher the CBN. According to Steephill Labs, 5mg of CBN is equivalent to 10mg of diazepam, a common antianxiety medication. For people who use diazepam

for chronic pain or anxiety, CBN could be as effective, or better. Unfortunately, no CBN-specific Cannabis has been cultivated yet. But I’m sure it won’t be long until we can purchase cannabinoidspecific weed, edibles and concentrates.

Luckily for insomniacs like myself, CBN serves an important purpose beyond THC degradation.

The best avenue to find high-CBN Cannabis is asking your local budtenders what strains they carry test highest in CBN. A word of caution: CBN also stimulates appetite. If you smoke something higher in CBN and choose to stay up, expect the munchies to kick in. CBN is a great choice for those who need to increase their appetite, and you’ll sleep like a baby to boot.

One of the best ways to preserve your health is achieving adequate sleep. This goes double for those suffering from autoimmune diseases or compromised immune systems. Sleep is the best way to let your body heal itself, and sleep deprivation is one of the first steps to poor health.

Start taking your sleep seriously and feel the difference in your performance. Your body and mind will thank you!

CBN IS DERIVED FROM THC OXIDATION. OVERRIPE OR POORLY CURED CANNABIS IS USUALLY A TELLTALE SIGN OF HIGH CBN.

Simone Fischer is a Portland OMMP patient and Cannabis advocate. She is a contributing editor at Ladybud Magazine and a graduate of women’s and gender studies from Portland State University.

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GROWTECH

YOU’LL FIND YOURSELF FEELING GRATITUDE IN EVEN MUNDANE TASKS.

BECOMING

A GREAT GROWER D r . S c a n de r s o n s ha re s f i v e cr uci a l l e s s o n s

>> It’s more than a hobby: it’s a job, one requiring dedication and ample creativity on the daily.

L

in which the majority of my time is spent ife is as much about the choices in pursuit of cultivating this plant to we make as it is about what perfection. those choices bring into our

BY ALASKA LEAF I consider Cannabis cultivation to experience.

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR be a creative endeavor. The pioneers Maybe you have decided to follow DR. SCANDERSON of indoor Cannabis growing come your dreams and create a life where from a lineage shrouded in discretion, the pursuit of your passion is interwobut the majority of growers now gather ven with your vocation. The raw energy as much information as they can online, and unending enthusiasm can be a lot like from a buddy, from books, and just go to work. an enchanting romance in its honeymoon stage.

Unlike other trades where formal training, eduHowever, like all easily quenched desires of cation and experience can be gained well before the heart, time and repetition often create a dull your efforts provide a source of income, most familiarity that can extinguish what once seemed Cannabis growers are on the trial-by-fire track. to be bottomless pit of desire for your newly found It’s only recently that many of the most valuor created vocation. This month’s Grow Tech will able and tested methods of Cannabis cultivation examine some of the most valuable lessons I’ve recognized along the way toward creating a life have become widely known.

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Gardeners can now gather as much information as they feel comfortable with and make choices regarding which theories are closest to their understanding of reality. The way in which growers invent, create, test, and then provide their product to another individual for a completely subjective opinion, is similar to the work of an artist.

The product of a grower’s art is as much in the medicine they provide as the methods and procedures they use to cultivate it. As such, creativity remains unbound in the garden — innovations, techniques and methods being refined daily in all parts of the world provide the opportunity for invention that’s almost limitless. This can be as much of a trap as it can be an incentive, which brings us to my first tip.

PUT IN THE WORK

Lesson #1

Be professionally creative, not a creative professional. If you were raised in a conventional setting in America and find a way to earn your living through the practice of your passion, you likely feel as though you’re living in a dream. The trap is believing that all your experiences over the long term in working toward the mastery of your craft will come floating on a comfortable bed of inspiration, creativity and joy.

Most anything common has the tendency to become familiar, so even your relationship with the pursuit of your life’s passion will change over time. There will be times when tasks are required of you that you will not feel like doing and you cannot rely on the raw excitement of living your life’s passion to carry you through. Consequently, you need to make objective commitments and follow through with them even when you don’t feel like it.

Writer Steven Pressfield addresses the matter in his book, The War of Art. “Someone once asked Somerset Maugham if he wrote on a schedule or only when struck by inspiration. ’I write only when inspiration strikes,’ Maugham replied. ‘Fortunately it strikes every

morning at nine o’clock sharp.”

It’s important that you create the space for creativity and inspiration to occur. Creativity is a state of being, like love or frustration. As habit-forming creatures, those states can be generated through repetitive behaviors. It’s essential that you create and adhere to a schedule or at least a schedule of results. By doing so, intrinsic boundaries and guidelines exist in which we allow ourselves to be creative. It doesn’t stop there.

A sure indicator that you’re on the right path is when part of the “job” of pursuing your passion involves all the same sacrifices and compromises you might have previously only associated with a more conventional job. It’s also a clear indicator that you’re pursuing the right passion when you find that once you overcome the initial resistance to get started, you find yourself feeling gratitude in even the most mundane tasks.

ALWAYS SIMPLIFY IT Lesson #2

You must strive to KISS — that always relevant phrase stands for Keep It Simple Stoner. Another creativity trap is associating complex and intricate growing systems or methods with being more advanced or something only highly skilled gardeners can pull off. With little exception, the higher skill in gardening is being able to simplify and streamline all of the elements of growing.

The letter K is first for a reason. People who can last in this trade and are regarded as having the best practices and best medicine consistently make simplicity a priority in their gardening through the maturity of their careers. Being able to identify in your own practices where things have gotten out of hand and are no longer simple is a skill. It’s honest self-reflection. If left unchecked, the solitude can leave a gardener rationalizing some pretty absurd practices.

STAY STREAMLINED

Lesson #3

This especially applies to gardeners who are using a common reservoir to supply nutrients to multiple plants. The benefits of running a limited number of strains at a time in those conditions are immense and not just for the obvious reasons.

Sticking with two or at most three complementary strains per one to 10 lights consistently produces the best results in production rooms.

You are able to gain the benefits of a mild amount of biodiversity while simultaneously giving all the plants what they need when they need it. All plants are on the same growing pace, not just finishing pace. This is important when considering the changes in biological functions and the effect on the environment and necessity for nutrition.

Even if two plants finish in 65 days, one might do the majority of its bulking and thickening at the end while the other might start fast and finish slowly. Consequently, each might have dramatically different needs for nutrients, thrive under different environments at different times and as a result, the best the gardener can hope to achieve is to maximize an average potential for both plants.

Either both of these plants will end up doing pretty well, or one’s going to do amazing, while the other performs only so-so. Do one thing well.

TRY NEW THINGS

Lesson #4

ditions and with the style you provide and how you enjoy them. As someone committed to pursuing a passion professionally, it’s imperative that the system you work in protects your ability to continue to work in it. This is the place to (if you must) take in clones and new genetics. You want to remove any risk of contaminating your production space.

Forego this step and you might find your passion influencing your choices in a counterproductive and costly way. Worse yet, without the proper channels to nurture and express your creative spirit, you’re left with a profession that slowly and inevitably erodes into a mundane job.

WORK LIKE A PRO

Lesson #5 Don’t run with scissors, but remember to play in the sandbox. It’s easy to lose sight of the financial The physical space you build out is the last place to side of your passion. Money alone often keeps the try to force practices if you want to make gardenmajority of people from pursuing their dreams ing your profession. It’s difficult to work around professionally and likewise spits those that make structural issues such as ceiling height, location the leap to being a full-timer right back to where and security concerns. I always put climate first. they came from — if they don’t take responsibiliIf you’re running a professional space, it’s essential ty for this aspect of the job. to your results, safety and happiness that you work Chances are you don’t just love growing Canwith commercial-grade equipment. nabis. You probably love growing, discovering Hiring a residential/commercial HVAC guy and smoking different types of Cannabis. After isn’t going do it. Gardening is a highly specialized all, working with multiple varieties teaches you climate to maintain and much different from the as much about yourself as it does about gardenneeds of residential and commercial heating and ing in general. However, another creativity trap cooling for humans. Getting a dialed-in climate, lurks here. The desire to unrelentingly pursue followed by getting the best lights/ballasts, are the your passion wherever it takes two areas I recommend going you can come with a cost. Failall out for. They are easily the Get in Touch ure to recognize the difference most costly to redo in most thegreengardengroup@gmail.com between servicing your passion circumstances. That’s critical to over your profession as opremember when planning how Like my Instagram posed to maintaining a balance many tons of AC you should Follow @DrScanderson_gT between the two can result in be running and how many catastrophe. It’s most helpful watts you should use. to segregate your space(s) into those that you Just as important as not pinching pennies is knowing that most all other areas can be complethave the most familiarity with, already know you ed on a budget. It’s almost always the case that the enjoy working with, already know your patients build-out takes longer and costs more than anticilove and reliably create a financial result that enpated. The additional time is a double cost because sures the security of the garden from those that we are always against time from a production primarily service your passion. standpoint in the garden.

You need a testing space to play in. This is Mixing your own soil, and brewing your own the spot to try out the new lighting, new techteas and nutrients are huge cost savers. Building niques, new nutrient programs, new mediums, your own system or being creative with your connew strains and learn how they grow in the containers/support system can save you thousands.

Getting $90 matching red and black wall-mount fans isn’t necessary. As with all growing gear, if you can make, build, fabricate, reuse, repurpose or redesign a non grow-related product into something you use in the garden, you’ll save lots of money.

“Our job in this life is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it.”

GETTING $90 MATCHING RED AND BLACK FANS ISN’T NECESSARY.

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/67

Reviews

By STEVE ELLIOTT Editor, Tokesignals.com

“THE 21 UNSPOKEN TRUTHS ABOUT MARIJUANA” This slim book purports to provide a look inside the medical effects of Cannabis.

114 pages | by Antoine Kanamugire, M.D. | Balboa Press | 2018 | $11.99

According to his publicist, “Antoine Kanamugire, M.D., offers a unique perspective in his informational book that introduces fresh discussion points win the topic of legalizing marijuana.”

While the book certainly offers some interesting perspectives, there’s something precious about it that is unique, and there’s almost nothing about them that’s informational.

What we get, instead, in a disappointing game of bait and switch, are the same tired old scientifically unsupported myths about the supposed deleterious effects of Cannabis.

If Dr. Kanamugire really wants to present himself as “an expert in the field” (and his publicist calls him exactly that), then he really should acquaint himself with the last couple decades of useful scientific research regarding the herb. I’m not saying that to be unkind, but simply to point out that the good doctor seems almost entirely unfamiliar with this vast and meaningful field of knowledge.

Now, if Dr. Kanamugire wants to make moral judgments about people who choose to use Cannabis — and trust me, he does, early, often, and obnoxiously in this book — then that is, of course, his prerogative. The problem arises when the doctor and his publicists then represent those

almost fact-free opinions as “factual information,” because it’s painfully obvious that they are no such thing.

Whether through laziness or ineptitude, in fact, Dr. Kanamugire fails to construct even a reasonably convincing facsimile of an argument against Cannabis use. Instead of presenting convincing scientific findings, or even impactful individual case studies, the doctor over and over goes to threadbare (and increasingly annoying) moralization. Even if Kanamugire repeats these unsupported points a dozen times during the dreary course of the book (and, unfortunately, he does), it doesn’t make them one bit more convincing, and in fact quite the opposite.

There is just about every discredited myth about Cannabis, and the people who use it is trotted out in this unfortunate volume as an “unspoken truth.” Whether it’s the debunked gateway theory, the supposed risk of lung cancer (which, in fact, was disproven by the largest study of its kind ever conducted). And of course it hightlights cannabis’ supposed tendency to make you unmotivated and lazy. (Really, Dr. Kanamugire? Am I having a 1970s flashback?)

The book attempts to further its sad masquerade at being “factual” by presenting some badly conceived “charts” riddled with erroneous assumptions and faulty stereotypes.

This is 12 bucks and two hours you’re never going get back.

“INSTEAD OF PRESENTING CONVINCING SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS, OR EVEN IMPACTFUL INDIVIDUAL CASE STUDIES, THE DOCTOR OVER AND OVER GOES TO THREADBARE (AND INCREASINGLY ANNOYING) MORALIZATION.”

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Column # 27

Snoop is about as synonymous with Cannabis as anyone on the planet.

SNOOP DOGG

By PACER STACKTRAIN | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN

Snoop grew up in Long Beach, California and became one of the most beloved rappers of all time when he launched his career as an MC on Dr. Dre’s masterpiece, The Chronic in 1992.

The album is a perfect tribute to the high-grade Cannabis that was just becoming more readily available in the early 90s due to advanced clandestine hydroponic growing techniques. It was this creative fuel (and MTV) that set a new course in hip-hop and made both Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg instant celebrities.

Snoop isn’t just an obvious choice because of his celebrity, though; he’s been a very important stabilizing force and voice in our movement for almost three decades. As a musician, actor, producer, businessman, spokesperson, talk show host and football coach – throughout each of his endeavors - he’s publicly embraced Cannabis unlike any other celebrity.

And all the while, he’s done it his way with his own unique swagger, helping millions of Americans and others around the world rethink how they feel about this sacred herb.

Perhaps one of the main reasons that Snoop been such a force for the normalization Cannabis culture in the United States is that he’s been arrested for Cannabis possession several times throughout his life.

Yes, he’s been persecuted for the use Cannabis throughout his 30-year career, but that hasn’t kept him from speaking out about reform.

“It’s from the earth,” Snoop told GQ in 2013.

“It’s not some man-made shit. It’s actually growing from the ground straight to you, so it’s just like eating a vegetable. You know what I’m saying? Cancer and diseases that never had a cure, now all of a sudden you got people taking chemotherapy, and they’re also having a toke, and they live longer.“ At Montreal’s C2 technology conference in May of this year, he was asked by a moderator what he thought about people getting rich off of Cannabis while people of color are incarcerated in an unfair and unjust system.

“I want to be their voice,” Snoop said.

“I just don’t want to be making profits when they are in jail. As a black man, I’ve been to jail for marijuana.”

But what makes Snoop one of our favorite advocates Born Calvin Broadus in 1971,

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Snoop granted a 39-second photoshoot with AKLEAF photographer Daniel Berman just before a meet and greet in Seattle for his Leafs by Snoop Cannabis product line, 4/18/16.

of all time? He’s one of the world’s great entertainers and he likes to get high as much as we do….err, okay maybe a little bit more than we do.

fOUR LEGENDARY SNOOP smoke stories 1. Snoop has celebrated 4/20 in Amsterdam with Willie Nelson (the two apparently visited several coffee shops together during the day).

2. He once smoked so much weed in his Melbourne hotel room that they had to call the fire department.

3. He admitted he smoked a blunt in the White House (no word on whether it was the Obama years but we’re betting on it).

4. Snoop recently revealed it was Tupac who first introduced him to blunts (at the wrap party for Poetic Justice, no less).

The story of Snoop Dogg is far from over, and he can now add media mogul to his long list of accomplishments after

launching MerryJane, a sort of HuffPost for Cannabis.

In the realm of Cannabis finance, Snoop is on track to be one of the biggest venture capitalists in the industry. In 2015 he founded Casa Verde Investments, which is funding startups in Cannabis to the tune of $45 million dollars (and counting). Finally, he has his own flower company, Leafs by Snoop.

And of course, there have been several strains named after him, particularly the Master Kush x Blue Dream combo “Snoop’s Dream.”

It can sometimes be easy to forget just how much stigma was placed on Cannabis consumption in the early 90s when Snoop and Dre started waxing poetic about smoking the best herb they could find.

Who knows where legalization would be today if it weren’t for artists like Snoop Dogg who stuck their necks out when it wasn’t cool to do so.

“I WANT TO BE THEIR VOICE,” SNOOP SAID. “I JUST DON’T WANT TO BE MAKING PROFITS WHEN THEY ARE IN JAIL. AS A BLACK MAN, I’VE BEEN TO JAIL FOR MARIJUANA.

Highlighting amazing Cannabis pioneers who helped pave the way to greater herbal acceptance...

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