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ONE LOVE
11 Editor’S Note 14 national news 16 bring it to bonnie 20 jerry whiting 24 stoner owner eric gaston 28 budtender hayley greelman 32 shop review high 5 cannabis 36 STRAIN OF THE MONTH
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40 LEAF GOES TO amsterdam 44 LOWELL FARMS’ CANNABIS CAFé 46 glass legend bob snodgrass 50 a century of cannabis & music 52 how to appreciate visual arts 54 women in weed | stoned + toned 58 holiday cannabis recipes 62 espresso & do-si-dos reviewed 68 on the road: amsterdam
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78 STONEY BALONEY
THE CULTURE ISSUE dec. 2019
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LEAF NATION’S TOM BOWERS CHATS WITH EUGENE, OREGON GLASS ARTIST BOB SNODGRASS ON HIS INCREDIBLE CAREER, DEADHEADS AND WHAT’S NEXT.
PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS
the culture issue nwlEAF.COM
10
dec. 2019
ARTWORK by JOSHUA BOULET @JOSHUABOULET
E S TA B L I S H E D 2 0 1 0
T H E E N L I G H T E N E D VO I C E
WES ON THE COVERs THE CULTURE ISSUE
For years, Northwest artist Joshua Boulet has wielded his considerable talents to create iconic holiday illustrations for Northwest Leaf, Oregon Leaf and Alaska Leaf’s December issue covers. See more of his work at JoshuaBoulet.com art by joshua boulet @joshuaboulet
CONTRIBUTORS
PUBLISHER
Tom Bowers Features Jesse Codling Photos Mike Early Photos Steve Elliott National News Simone Fischer Features Bonnie Fong Legal TJ Gagnier Reviews Danielle Halle Writing Mike Ricker Features Meghan Ridley Editing Pacer Stacktrain Features Jonah Tacoma Features Jerry Whiting Hemp Laurie & Bruce Wolf Recipes
WES ABNEY | founder & editor-in-chief Wes@nwleaf.com 206-235-6721
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Daniel bermaN | photography & design daniel@bermanphotos.com
ADVERTISING Shane vancamp | ADVERTISING SALES shane@nwleaf.com 253-561-6837
We do not sell stories or coverage. We are happy to offer design services and guidance on promoting your company’s recreational, commercial or industrial Cannabis product or upcoming event. We are targeted and independent Cannabis journalism. Email or call to discuss advertising.
N O RT H W E S T L E A F / O R EG O N L E A F / AL AS KA L E A F / M A RY L AN D L E A F
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DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Due to a design error, the Table of Contents in the Nov. 2019 edition did not list our Patient Profile on Porter Williams by Danielle Halle.
Editor’s Note Thanks for picking up The Culture Issue of The Leaf!
I AM A STONER. I want to start this by making that statement as a father, business owner, creative professional and overall happy person. I was a stoner as a college athlete, when I worked my first newspaper job, and when I had my first daughter. Cannabis helped her mother through the birth, and to celebrate our new life. But that wasn’t something I could always say with pride. I remember being arrested for pot, being called a drug user by the criminal justice system, and having to fight for freedom over a few grams of flower. I’ve had church members tell me that they pray for my THERE ARE family to escape the clutches of sin for using a plant that AMAZING I believe is a gift from God. I’ve seen cancer patients called fakes and stoners when testifying before legislature PEOPLE WHO for the right to treat their condition with a plant. GROW, SELL AND Over the last 10 years of publishing Leaf magazines, USE CANNABIS the narrative of Cannabis has evolved from the shadows to the mainstream as the healing and recreational EVERY DAY, FROM benefits are becoming undeniably accepted. But even as CELEBRITIES TO Cannabis generates billions in taxes, provides jobs and TEACHERS TO heals our people, the stigma of using it still exists. And that has got to change. POLITICIANS. Cannabis culture has come a long way since Cheech WE NEED TO and Chong and Pineapple Express, though those cultural BRING THE icons paved the way. Today, being a stoner is almost like being the wrong ethnicity or orientation in a culture. It’s CULTURE OUT OF okay to be you, just don’t show it or acknowledge it. But THE SHADOWS why should we have to hide our culture, our identity, and AND BE PROUD TO our medicine of choice? The simple answer is that we shouldn’t. Cannabis has PROCLAIM THAT long influenced culture, while developing its own lingo, WE TOO ARE attitude and vibe that touches many sub cultures and STONERS. genres. I’m here to proclaim loud and proud that it’s high time we celebrate our own culture! There are amazing people who grow, sell and use Cannabis every day, from celebrities to teachers to politicians. We need to bring the culture out of the shadows and be proud to proclaim that we too are stoners. Nobody should be afraid to share or use a healing plant, or have to hide their identity that is rightfully shaped by the plant we all know and love. That’s why we celebrate with our Culture Issue, to protect and share what is perhaps our greatest asset. The love for a plant that connects us through healing and recreation, art and music, and is fast becoming a mainstream influence on the entire world. That is why I’m proud to claim my title as stoner, and seek to share the truth about the most misjudged plant in history. Thank you for reading, sharing in our culture, and not being afraid to stand up for your right to be accepted.
-Wes Abney
DEC. 2019
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ABNEY
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NATIONAL NEWS
WEST COAST
WASHINGTON STATE PUTS NEW BAN ON VAPING CHEMICAL
legalization
BIDEN STANDS ALONE AGAINST CANNABIS LEGALIZATION AMID DEMOCRATIC FIELD
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Joe Biden differs from his 2020 Democratic presidential rivals in at least one important respect: he doesn’t back the legalization of Cannabis. Biden in November claimed that the scientific community doesn’t know enough about whether weed is a “gateway drug” to harder stuff. “The truth of the matter is, there’s not nearly been enough evidence that has been acquired as to whether or not it is a gateway drug,” the former VP claimed at a campaign event in Las Vegas. “It’s a debate, and I want a lot more before I legalize it nationally.” The scientific debate on the gateway theory, of course, was over years ago. The mainstream source, TIME Magazine, even declared it scientifically dead almost 15 years ago. Biden does at least grant that marijuana shouldn’t be a crime. “Anyone who has ever been convicted of using marijuana and put in jail, they should immediately be released,” he said. “Their record should immediately be expunged.” Among the top tier of Democratic presidential candidates, only Biden has declined to endorse federal legalization. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have explicitly outlined plans to legalize Cannabis, with Sanders making it one of the central issues of his campaign.
West Coast
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WASHINGTON STATE TEMPORARILY BANS FLAVORED VAPE PRODUCTS Washingtonians are now in the second month of a statewide ban on flavored vape products. The Washington State Board of Health approved a 120-day emergency ban during its regular meeting, despite vocal opposition from a raucous audience which chanted “shame,” reports the Seattle Times. More than 350 people packed the meeting, with about 60 testifying during the public comment session. As ban opponents watched the vote, the ballroom at the SeaTac Marriott filled with the smell of vapor. The emergency ban leads into the 2020 legislative session, where the issue is all but guaranteed to arise. A law passed during last year’s legislative session, to raise the age to buy tobacco and vaping products to 21, goes into effect in January.
dec. 2019
A new regulation started November 20 in Washington state, expanding its ban on certain vaping products, reports KUOW. Health officials have had trouble pinning down exactly what it is about vape cartridges that’s caused hundreds of cases of severe lung disease across the nation. But the Centers for Disease Control in November found that vitamin E acetate was present in all 29 patients they reviewed. Products containing that compound are now banned in Washington state. “This new data shows that the vitamin E acetate is actually at the site of the injury deep in the lungs,” said Dr. Kathy Lofy, Health Officer for the state. “This does not prove that vitamin E acetate is causing lung injury, but it did strengthen the association.” The ban that’s already in place on flavored e-cigarettes and vape carts will remain, she said. Both bans last 120 days. An industry group, the Vapor Technology Association, has sued over the flavor ban, but hasn’t opposed the vitamin E acetate regulations.
ILLEGAL WEED SALES OUTPACE LEGAL POT IN CALIFORNIA California’s legal Cannabis industry is undergoing several growing pains. Almost two years after recreational weed became legal for adults in the Golden State, the black market still dwarfs legal sales. Owner Phil Blurton at All About Wellness in Sacramento says that means an uneven playing field. “Our city license now is $20,000 a year,” Blurton said. “The state license is $96,000. Then we pay 8.75 percent sales tax to the state.” Blurton said he also pays an additional four percent Cannabis tax to the city, on top of an additional 15 percent to the state, “which is making the cost of our product so expensive, the black market is booming now.” He’s not kidding. California’s illegal Cannabis market brought in $8.7 billion in sales this year - more than double the legal market, according to industry experts BDS Analytics. BDS found that there is just one legal Cannabis retailer for every 35,137 adults in California. That compares quite poorly with Colorado, which has one dispensary for every 4,240 adults, and with Oregon, which has one pot shop for every 5,567 adults.
MIDWEST
EIGHT MORE ILLINOIS SHOPS APPROVED TO SELL RECREATIONAL WEED Illinois in November awarded eight more Cannabis dispensaries licenses to sell recreational weed in the state starting January 1, 2020, reports the Chicago Tribune. That brings the total number of stores licensed around the state to 22, including four in Chicago, approved to start selling marijuana to adults. Two of those licenses, however, are for stores in Naperville and Arlington Heights, which have banned recreational sales. Under Illinois law, municipalities have the Dispensaries won’t be allowed along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, the Loop or large chunks right to ban sales. o f t h e R i v e r N o r t h a l o n g t h e l a k e f r o n t. Illinois has 55 medical marijuana dispensaries. All were able to apply for licenses to sell recreational Cannabis from those locations. They can also apply to open a second shop, but the state hasn’t yet started to award those secondsite licenses. Dispensaries won’t be allowed along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, the Loop or large chunks of the River North along the lakefront. Chicago’s recreational Cannabis rules created seven zones for marijuana sales, with no more than seven dispensaries allowed in each zone. By STEVE ELLIOTT, AUTHOR OF THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF MARIJUANA
expert OPINION
I’ve talked a lot about how to be a good citizen with Cannabis. Long before I was a Cannabis attorney, I was a Cannabis activist. And I often get asked how to be an activist without being in the public eye. I believe this includes being a good citizen. Don’t drive intoxicated. Don’t flaunt a lit joint in front of children. Don’t over consume. Be respectful and responsible. Every day that we show the world how normalized Cannabis use can be, is another opportunity for us to change the minds of those against its use. Don’t conform to the stoner stereotype - let Cannabis conform to your lifestyle. Be smart, be respectful, and be happy. The best way to be a Cannabis activist is to set an example of how normal and respectful Cannabis use can be. I regularly engage in conversations with non-users about the effects of alcohol, cigarettes, and other legal stimulants versus Cannabis. I explain the medical benefits of Cannabis and how THC and CBD literally save lives. I challenge their perception of industrial hemp and ask them to provide one good reason why our American farmers should not be able to produce hemp. When non-users hear these compelling points from a calm and rational advocate, they are more likely to be receptive and change their minds. I’ve recently thought a lot about how being a Cannabis activist
The best way to be a Cannabis activist is to set an example of how normal and respectful Cannabis use can be.
has changed a lot since I entered the Cannabis scene about a decade ago. Back then, Cannabis was not legalized for recreational use and most the public was not openly supportive of Cannabis legalization. The challenge was getting people to talk about this divisive issue without being labeled a stoner or drug seeker. Now the challenges I face as a Cannabis attorney are related to getting courts and the state to catch up to the realities of Cannabis legalization. Some courts still refuse to recognize the legal status of Cannabis, which has drastic effects on legal issues and rulings. My challenge these days is not convincing people Cannabis should be
16
legal; it’s getting our legal system to catch up with the times.
BRING IT TO
BONNIE
To that end, I know there’s still so much work to do in the Cannabis field and although the plant is now legal, we are far from enjoying the rights and benefits of other industries. Here our duty remains the same: Be a good Cannabis citizen and keep pushing for full Cannabis freedom.
SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO BONNIE@C3.LEGAL The information contained in this column is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established.
BUSINESSCULTURE nwlEAF.COM
M Y C A N N A B I S C O M P A N Y P R O D U C E S A N D P R O C E S S E S C A N N A B I S P R O D U C T S . L AT E L Y S A L E S H AV E B E E N S LO W , S O I WO U L D L I K E T O H I R E A T E A M O F S A L E S C O N S U L T A N T S T O H E L P G E N E R AT E S A L E S . W H AT S H O U L D I B E C A R E F U L O F D U R I N G T H I S P R O C E S S A N D D O Y O U H AV E A N Y R E C O M M E N D AT I O N S ?
IT’S NOT UNCOMMON for producers or processors to seek help during a period of slow sales. The Cannabis market can be difficult for producer/ processors with the limited amount of retail Cannabis licenses. Getting outside help or guidance on sales can be a useful tool. However, be sure to utilize your outside help in a way that is compliant with Cannabis regulations. First of all, “consultants” are now under a microscope with the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board. A party who is deemed a “True Party of Interest” is required to pass a WSLCB investigation, including a criminal background check, residency requirements, and a financial investigation. After many actors in the Cannabis field were attempting to avoid “True Party of Interest” issues by creating “Consultant” contracts, the term “Consultants” are specifically regulated. Under WAC 314-55-010 (5) “Consultant” means an expert who provides advice or services in a particular field, whether a fee is charged or not. A consultant who is in receipt of, or has the right to receive, a percentage
DEC. 2019
of the gross or net profit from the licensed business during any full or partial calendar or fiscal year, is a true party of interest and subject to the requirements of WAC 314-55-035. A consultant who exercises any control over an applicant’s or licensee’s business operations is also subject to the requirements of WAC 314-55035(4). This means that you cannot compensate consultants with a percentage of profits, and the consultants cannot exercise any control over the business operations. If you share profits or give them control over your business, you may be required to go through a WSLCB investigation. Failure to do so may cause a cancellation of license upon the first offense under WAC 314-55-530. Additionally, you may be required to disclose your contracts with those consultants. Sales consultants can really boost your bottom line, but failure to properly contract with said consultants could cost you your license. Be careful with how much compensation and control you give them!
STORY by BONNIE FONG, PARTNER, C3 LAW GROUP | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN
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EXPERT OPINION
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BY JERRY WHITING LeBlancCNE.com/podcast
In 2019 American farmers grew over 90 million acres of corn, 90 million acres of cotton, and 80 million acres of soybeans. What makes you think hemp won’t be grown on literally millions of acres of farmland in the next few years?
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Hemp at Red Wing Farms in Oregon
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published interim final rules covering hemp October 31, 2019 (yes, Halloween). Let me give them credit for not instituting a seed certification program. That said, their recommendations are still potentially disastrous to the hemp industry. The USDA assumes that hemp will only be grown for cannabinoid extraction and therefore focuses on restricting the amount of THC allowed. Their obsession with restricting the trivial amount of THC in hemp threatens to choke the entire hemp industry before it matures. It’s almost 2020 and two out of three Americans want Cannabis legalized, yet the FDA treats hemp as if it’s pot. THC isn’t harmful and they don’t need to protect us from it. A more enlightened approach would use hemp rules and regulations as a stepping stone to full legalization at the federal level, which is coming sooner than the USDA seems to think. The individual states’ Departments of Agriculture are perfectly capable of doing testing and enforcement without the federal government’s involvement, especially the DEA. Sampling can be done by state agencies and testing labs can be state certified, not DEA certified. Hemp plants that test above 0.3% THC need to be destroyed. This too can be done by state authorities, unlike the USDA interim final rules which mandate it be destroyed by law enforcement, not state Deptartment of Agriculture staff. While policing hemp farms that grow for CBD extraction may be doable, what happens when farmers grow for food, fiber, textiles and uses we haven’t discovered yet? Yes, the 250,000 acres of hemp grown in 2019 can be inspected, but what happens when literally millions of acres of hemp are
DEC. 2019
needed for hempcrete, the textile market, and food? Sound outlandish? In 2019 American farmers grew over 90 million acres of corn, 90 million acres of cotton, and 80 million acres of soybeans. What makes you think hemp won’t be grown on literally millions of acres of farmland in the next few years? THERE ARE NUMEROUS RIDICULOUS PROVISIONS IN THE FINAL INTERIM RULES:
A lot is defined as “a contiguous area in a field, greenhouse, or indoor growing structure containing the same variety or strain of Cannabis throughout the area.” What if I grow on multiple parcels that aren’t contiguous? Farmers lease land down the road all the time. “Testing methodologies under this part will refer to the presence of ‘phytocannabinoids’ as either THC or CBD.” Oh please. What about CBG and other cannabinoids, of which there are literally dozens? The proposed licensing process is from Aug 1 to Oct 31, with outdoor farmers in mind. What about indoor and greenhouse farmers not bound to a summer growing season? “...the total potential delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol content, derived from the sum of the THC and THCA content…” What about the other cannabinoids like CBN, THC-V, THC-VA, etc.? Should we breed hemp varieties with total THC above 0.3% based on two and only two specific cannabinoids? RESTRICT INDUSTRIAL HEMP CULTIVATION and processing in America and the industry will flourish in other countries. Does the USDA want to encourage foreign competition at the expense of Americans? To quote one of my favorite memes: Make America Hemp Again. Ultimately the Farm Bill itself is flawed. It lumps all forms of THC together in an effort to establish hemp as non-intoxicating and in doing so puts a genetic ceiling on what can be grown. Worse yet, by not breaking with the past, the Farm Bill of 2018 continues the myth that THC is evil and to be avoided. The USDA’s final interim rule builds on the Farm Bill, and in doing so perpetuates the War on Drugs. Apparently the USDA didn’t get the memo. The failed War on Drugs is over. Spoiler alert - we won!
PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS
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stoner owner
CO-FOUNDER & CEO
ERIC GASTON
EVERGREEN MARKET ERIC GASTON is the co-founder and CEO of Evergreen Market, a Cannabis retailer with five locations that are rooted in respect for Cannabis culture. A former attorney who chose a new career in Cannabis, Gaston breaks the mold when it comes to owning a dispensary. As a Renton Chamber of Commerce Board Member who openly celebrates his love for the plant, Gaston leads his team and community by representing the Cannabis industry with a positive, Stoner Owner style. We sat down at the Renton flagship location to hear how working with the Cannabis culture has led to success for Evergreen Market. HOW DID CANNABIS COME INTO YOUR LIFE?
The first time I smoked I was in fifth grade at an ACDC concert. I smoked a little in junior high, but I don’t remember getting high as a kid. We were so young, it was more of a rebel thing. By high school I had cleaned up my act and was more into studying and school. I smoked a little in college and law school. I then practiced law for almost 20 years and was at a place in my career where I wasn’t happy. I was a litigator, hired to go into battle every day, and I started to not like who I was. The turning point was coming home and my daughter - who was in kindergarten at the time - had drawn a picture of my family and it showed her next to my wife and her older sister and brother, but I wasn’t in the picture. When I asked where I was, she said, “You’re over here on your phone.” It was like, all right, I need to change. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START A DISPENSARY?
Around that time Washington had this lottery [for retail licenses] and a colleague told me about it and said, “Why don’t we try to get a Cannabis license?” I recruited a couple friends, we applied for licenses and I got drawn in Renton and Arnie Nelson (cofounder alongside Jeff Anderson) got one in Auburn. That was a real turning point for me. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY AFTER COMING FROM YOUR LAW BACKGROUND?
I want to give back to this industry every day because of what it has given me. I feel like it gave me my life back. I run into people now and they tell me I’m a different person, I look and act differently. I started smoking and what was remarkable to me is that it’s
“I GUARANTEE YOU I AM A BETTER FATHER AND A BETTER HUSBAND BECAUSE OF CANNABIS. I’M NOT SURE THAT NARRATIVE HAS BEEN SHARED LOUDLY ENOUGH OR OFTEN ENOUGH, AND THAT’S WHAT WE’RE ABOUT.”
almost impossible to be a dick when you smoke Cannabis. It’s such a catalyst for connection and mindfulness, and being aware of how you are presenting in the world around you. That’s what I’m excited about now. Creating that opportunity for other people, a narrative around using Cannabis not just to get super roached, but to really elevate yourself to where you can connect. I guarantee you I am a better father and a better husband because of Cannabis. But I’m not sure that narrative has been shared loudly enough or often enough, and that’s what we’re about.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES TO BEING IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY COMPARED TO OTHER WAYS YOU’VE MADE A LIVING?
Mainly the people. Cannabis, I’m learning, is all about community and the Cannabis culture. As a group of people that share a passion, the Cannabis culture has been maligned for a long time and that builds deep ties - a culture and a sense of having each other. That’s been really amazing to be a part of and witness. HOW DOES YOUR ROLE ON THE BOARD OF RENTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HELP TO NORMALIZE CANNABIS BUSINESSES AND CULTURE?
First, we really want to be a part of the communities that we’re in. We wanted to be the leader in the space to demonstrate that we can be a productive member of the business community, and joining the Board was ramping that up a little bit. It’s important work to be sitting at the table with other business leaders and demonstrating that as a pot shop owner, I’m just like them. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE VALUES THAT YOU SEEK TO IMPART ONTO EMPLOYEES?
We have some outward facing core values that drive how we operate as a company, and how we present for our customers: Educate, Celebrate, Elevate. Those three things drive everything that we do, that’s kind of our true north. For our employee-facing core values, they are: Community, Respect, Integrity and Passion. Everyone is told that those are the things that we will hire and fire for.
TELL ME SOMETHING YOUR PARENTS TAUGHT YOU THAT STILL RESONATES TODAY WHEN IT COMES TO RUNNING YOUR BUSINESS.
I think my mom taught me a lot of tough love about hard work and not settling, and I think my dad taught me a lot about kindness. He was probably the kindest, gentlest man I’ve ever known. He passed just about two years ago. Of the two, I think the latter is probably more important. I’m always trying to tell my kids to be kind. IF EVERGREEN MARKET WERE A REALITY SHOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE CALLED?
This industry is so nuts. Our store is a combination of people who are passionate about Cannabis - but there are gaps, like our CFO who has never drank or smoked. There’s this interplay. Maybe Oil and Water? But probably THC - The Human Connection, because that sounds better and is a core value. HOW DID YOUR PASSION FOR CANNABIS LEAD TO CREATING THE EVERGREEN CUP?
I’m super passionate about Cannabis and wine, and the wine industry has always had blind tastings and events where you celebrate the grower and the end product. When I looked at some of the past Cannabis Cups, it seemed to me it was more about who took out the biggest ad or is bigger on social media, and less about who grows the fire. So we designed this to be all double-blind. I’m really fascinated by Cannabis and that there are so many different strains and genetics. And really the most important part of it for me was celebrating the farmer and grower. WHEN YOU NEED TO GET AWAY FROM THE GRIND, WHERE IS YOUR HAPPY PLACE?
The kitchen. I love to cook. For me there’s nothing better than being able to make really good food for people that you love. That connection is similar to growing good weed. You’re giving somebody something that they will put in their body and hopefully enjoy. We even published a Cannabis cookbook! Jeff told me the other day that my last name, Gaston, means host. I love to open my home up and share both those experiences. EV E R G R E E N M A R K E T T H E EV E R G R E E N M AR K E T. CO M
A Stoner Owner is a Cannabis business owner who has a relationship with the plant. We want to buy and smoke Cannabis from companies that care about their products, employees and the plant. You wouldn’t buy food from a restaurant where the cooks don’t eat in the kitchen, so why buy corporate weed grown by a company only concerned with profits? Stoner Owner approval means a company cares, and we love weed grown with care. Look for the Stoner Owner stamp when purchasing fine Cannabis, and let’s retake our culture and reshape a stigma by honoring those who grow, process and sell the best Cannabis possible.
INTERVIEW by WES ABNEY @BEARDEDLORAX | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS
Leaf Life Podcast is an entertaining exploration of All Things Cannabis For All People. @beardedlorax
@rickerdj
Join Ricker and The Bearded Lorax for insightful discussions with Cannabis industry influencers. THIS MONTH:
Show #37: Things To Do In Florida When You’re Stoned Show #38: The Controversy of Organic Show #41: Cooking With Cannabis
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THANKS TO OUR SPONSORSis
21+ Marijuana products may be purchased or possessed only by persons 21 or older. This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgement. 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 twenty-one and older. Keep out of reach of children.
interview
W H O ’ S Y O U R F AV O R I T E B U D T E N D E R ? T E L L U S W H Y ! E M A I L N O M I N A T I O N S T O N W L E A F @ G M A I L . C O M
Hayden Greelman northwest leaf budtender of the month YOU ’ R E 2 5 - Y EAR S - O L D WI T H T WO C H I L D R E N , G OI NG TO S C HO O L , AN D ALS O B U D TE N DI NG . HOW I S T HAT WO R KI NG OU T F O R YOU ?
WE REFER TO IT AS MOM’S MEDICINE AND WE ALWAYS USE IT IN A SEPARATE ROOM. IT’S IMPORTANT TO BE HONEST WITH THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT IGNORANT.
It’s working. I’m literally busy from morning to night, so it’s a full plate, but I love it. The fact that we’re open from eight in the morning until midnight affords me flexible hours to fit everything in. D O YOU F E E L T HAT AN Y AS P EC T O F B U D TE N DI NG I S B E N E F IC I AL F O R F U RT H E R I NG YOU R E DUCAT IO N ?
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Yes, knowledge building. There are things you learn in school like chemistry and biology that I find go hand-in-hand with Cannabis, and how they can help your body and mind. D O E S CAN NAB I S H E L P O R H I N DE R YOU R AB I L I T Y TO D O W E L L I N S C HO O L ?
I find that I function very well, being able accomplish everything I set out to do with the help of Cannabis. It doesn’t inhibit my brain, in fact, for me it actually helps to cope with the pressure.
nwlEAF.COM
I F YOU COUL D G E T A H IG H E R DEG R E E I N AN Y AS P EC T O F CAN NAB I S , WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE?
THE SHOP DISPLAYS ART BY @GARRETTPRICEART
FREEDOM MARKET 971 14th Ave #110, Longview, WA | (360) 703-3229 | TheFreedomMarkets.com
dec. 2019
I couldn’t see myself as much on the business side as I could on the behind-the-scenes aspects, and what the plant can do for you from more of a medical perspective. A lot of doctors aren’t for it and the stigma needs to be broken. More studies and more research needs to be done, and they need to open their eyes - I could see myself in that role as an educator. WHAT ARE YOU STUDYING?
Dental hygiene. Not really related to marijuana.
WHAT P RODUCTS HAVE YOU BEEN USING LATELY?
I’ve been into hash rosin, the old school bubble hash like when my dad first introduced me to weed. That was what he liked, so I’ve been playing a lot with it. Heavenly just released their bubble hash, that’s really good. I’ve been using the Bacon’s Grease out of Washougal. The guy’s last name is Bacon, like Kevin Bacon. Their bud is Bacon’s Bud. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT YOU RSELF THROUGH BUDTENDING?
I’m a people person and I never really thought myself to be a people person, but when I became a medical consultant within the company a couple years ago — it allowed me to open up and become more in touch with people, getting on a personal level with them. It’s nice that I get to connect. I’ve been here almost five years, kind of an OG, I guess. I pride myself in that and I love my bosses at Freedom Market. They’ve helped me grow. HOW DO YOU ADDRESS CANNABIS WITH YOU R TWO DAUGHTERS?
We refer to it as mom’s medicine and we always use it in a separate room. They don’t see it as a problem because we don’t make it a problem. They are eight and seven years-old, so it’s important to be honest with them because they are not ignorant. IF YOU COULD SMOKE A JOINT WITH ANY MUSICIAN IN THE WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE?
Janis Joplin. Yeah, yeah, definitely. I think she would have wild stories and I feel like I could connect with her.
INTERVIEW by MIKE RICKER @RICKERDJ | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS
Hygge (“hue-gah”) is the Scandinavian concept of comfort and coziness in body and mind. At Hygge Farms, our comfort is founded upon the wonderful people and natural surroundings that forever enrich our lives. Create your own Hygge, and enjoy our products responsibly.
Available at these locations 1628 Dexter Ave N, Seattle,
410 W State St, Sedro-Woolley,
Auburn -402 16th St NE Ste A 100 Auburn
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14421 E Trent Ave, Spokane Valley
Kirkland -11438 NE 124thSt Kirkland
721 6th St, Clarkston
841 Ness' Corner 10384 Silverdale Way NW suite 101, Silverdale Rd, Port Hadlock,
South Renton -4242 E. Valley Road – 2nd Floor Renton
North Renton -409 Rainier Ave N Renton
Marijuana products may be purchased or possessed only by persons 21 or older. This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgement. 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 twenty-one and older. Keep out of reach of children.
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SHOP REVIEW
HIGH 5 CANNABIS
Vancouver
Mon-Thurs 8am-10pm Fri. & Sat. 8am-11pm Sun. 8:30a-10pp
nwlEAF.COM
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“THE TEXTURE OF THE ROOM BLENDS WELL WITH THE EARTHY PERSONALITY OF THE PRODUCTS, LENDING AN INDIGENOUS CONCEPT THAT THE ELEMENTS OF EARTH ARE WHAT CREATE BOTH PLANTS AS WELL AS RUST.”
DEC. 2019
6511 NE 137TH AVE, VANCOUVER, WA | 360-947-5404 | HIGH5CANNABIS.COM | 8AM-11PM DAILY
AMBIENCE You gearheads will love this place because of the old vintage car, garage scheme. At first glance, the front wall lined with a license plate from every state in the country will catch your fancy as they’re nailed into a surface of worn aluminum siding. The texture of the room blends well with the earthy personality of the products, lending an indigenous concept that the elements of earth are what create both plants as well as rust. Then in the far corner you’ll see the complete frontend of a 1960s Ford truck being utilized as a product shelf. There’s even a wooden map showcasing the locations of all the respected farms carried.
PRODUCT SELECTION There are shops offering a huge selection of products, and then there are shops like High 5 offering a huge selection of quality. Know the difference! Beginning with a massive array of at least 50 available concentrate companies, you’ll see locals like Skörd showcasing their delicious Sour Tangie and Chocolatina PHO, as well as features from other areas around the state that include Oleum’s Honey Crystals and Canna Organix’s Terp Crystals. The higher end pre-rolls sell very well here, too. Look for Freddy’s Fuego, Magic Time, and From the Soil who do an eight-pack of joints split evenly between sativa and indica, giving you the variety you’re looking for to keep your day aimed for the finish line.
HISTORY & VALUES High 5 Cannabis is a prime example of how a great vision coupled with a never-say-quit attitude can get you to the winner’s circle. Husband and wife, Jon and Calista Britt, come from blue collar beginnings as humble as the auto workers who built the car they steer to the shop. And that mentality of loyalty and dependability reflects directly onto their employees and clientele. Just ask Dawda Sowe, who was simply a regular turned friend until Calista made him part of the pit crew. “Dude, you need to be part of the team,” she said. That was two years ago and now he holds a management position with every intention of staying in the race.
BUDTENDERS & SPECIALS
THE GLASS SHOP next door offers a wide range of smoking and culture accessories to suit your every whim.
Speaking of Dawda, his entire mindset is hyper-focused on moving the conversation down the track, believing that education is paramount to the long term success of the Cannabis industry, as well as the wrench turners who make the engine purr. “The more we advocate, the better our chance to get health care and benefits,” he declares. And the success of the store is directly related to the happiness of the folks who support it. That said, High 5 offers great specials every day of the week, with Munchie Monday, Senior Tuesday, Waxy Wednesday, Topshelf Thursday, and a Vendor Day every Friday with up to 50% off - which then kicks off the weekend special. Their military discount is 10%, with a medical discount at 20% with your medical card.
QUICK HIT
MANAGER TYLER, second from left, with budtenders Rachel, Alex & Rita.
W hen the I-5 corridor has got you yearning for a change of direction, Vancouver’s High 5 is just the ticket. Speed over to the east side and see that this booming part of town is well-covered with one of the most fun stores in the state. And with one of the only attached glass shops in the area, all your Cannabis needs will be met with friendly faces, and hands up high for a good old-fashioned slap! Leave the corporate attitude back at the office and get your wheels rolling along the black top on your way to the checkered flag.
REVIEW by MIKE RICKER @RICKERDJ | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS
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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 TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER. KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN.
STRAIN OF THE MONTH
Amaretto’s buds are impossibly frosty, with purple tipped nuggets that look like a THC snowblower came by for a thick dusting of highness.
nwLEAF.COM
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AMARETTO
dec. 2019
Grown by HIGH TIDE CANNABIS COMPANY
T
CAPTURE THE HOLIDAZE SPIRIT WITH BRIGHT PURPLE BUDS THAT ARE SO FROSTY THAT EVEN THE SNOW PEOPLE ARE JEALOUS!
his scrumptious cut of Amaretto by High Tide Cannabis is bursting with rich, cherry-almond gas and a sharp citrus finish that excites the taste buds as a truly festive treat. Amaretto’s buds are impossibly frosty, with purple tipped nuggets that look like a THC snowblower came by for a thick dusting of highness. A beautiful cross between Super Lemon Glue and Goji OG X Overflo Stardog, bred by Rare Earth Farms, this fresh new strain is sure to be a hit. The first inhale from a fat joint of the Amaretto is bright and sweet, with a creamy citrus tang that tickles as the smoke enters into the lungs. The exhale is smooth, with a fuelly and earthy kush flavor that leaves lips sticky and tasting like lemony glue. A quick toke from a pipe confirms the smooth burning and easy toking nature of the Amaretto, dropping a relaxing high that is a real Christmas treat. Effects set in quickly and dance between indica and sativa as the mind melts slowly into the body. There’s a definite happy, giggly-ness to this strain, but a mellow and floaty body high balances this into a classic, chillaxed 17.4% THC hybrid high. I found myself glued to the couch with a glazed grin on my face, excitedly debating where to have lunch delivered from (because I wasn’t ready for driving, even with the munchies). Depending on your level of activity, this is a perfect strain for day or night - but be prepared to enter the stoned zone when enjoying the Amaretto. While this grown-with-love cut will not make your weird uncle’s MAGA hat or Grandma’s judgemental jokes about millenials and reefer any more tolerable, it will ensure that you enter the holidays with a sappy grin that everyone will mistake for festive cheer. Don’t worry - we won’t tell everyone that you’re totally stoned. @HighTideCannabis
Available at all Evergreen Markets, Bakeree’s and Nirvana locations.
REVIEW by WES ABNEY @BEARDEDLORAX | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS
When a green thumb meets the worldwide green rush. Welcome to the boom. The masses are clamoring for premium CBD products, and we hold the keys to a new green future in our hands. Why? Because we’re expert medical farmers who’ve dedicated our lives and careers to the highest-quality, sustainable farming. With our GreenFarms Consultancy Program, we’re looking to share our passion for going beyond organic with farmers like you. Soon, a new generation of hemp farmers committed to high-quality, sustainable medical farming will obliterate substandard growers and oversee a world in which everyone has access to the purest CBD products.
Let’s grow together. GreenFarmsCBD.com
Coffee Sho
the culture ISSUE nwlEAF.COM
40
THE DOLPHINS
dec. 2019
THE BULLDOG
op Culture The Leaf goes to Amsterdam STORY by MIKE RICKER @RICKERDJ | PHOTOS by EARLY/LEAF NATION
Continues next page >>
the culture ISSUE nwlEAF.COM
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The first thing they tell you when you get to Amsterdam is to watch out for the silent killers. Because where cars have little authority in a city bound by canals, bikes dominate the passageways and there’s no engine noise to forewarn you when stepping into the crosshairs of a bustling society.
A
couple times of casually meandering into the designated travel lanes, only to be narrowly whiffed by an upright cyclist or two, and you realize that when you step foot into this brick dominion, hearing is a vital sense to keeping you out of the impact zone and safely in the fun zone. It is this that attracts most of the 20 million visitors to this rare air annually. And that air is scented with the perfume of the Red Light District and the incense of Cannabis wafting over the bent streets and raised bridges. Prostitution is more legal than weed here, and far more regulated. In fact, much to many people’s surprise, Cannabis is not legal at all, only tolerated. Meaning you can still be arrested and prosecuted. Some will say that it was the counter culture rebellion, led by the hippies in the 1960s, that got the Cannabis conversation of tolerance started - when it appeared that the propaganda of the first half of the century began to show a figurative crack in the leaking dike of Cannabis misinformation. And like the lore of the Dutch boy who saved his country by putting his finger into the
dec. 2019
hole, it could be argued that a guy named Henk de Vries - and his risky endeavor of selling marijuana over the counter - had the same effect, unknowingly creating an epicenter of Cannabis tourism in this unlikely city. But why not Amsterdam? It would make sense that a smaller country with less conflicting politics would be the ripe place for the ruling governance to look the other way for the benefit of leading its population into a new realm of global attention, not to mention benefit from the taxation of a growing number of visitors. However, since the early days of 1975 when de Vries opted to call his weed dealing hub a coffee shop, rather than the standard tea shop, the city has made very few changes to keep pace with the international legal Cannabis movement. And this befuddles those in the Amsterdam Cannabis industry. In fact, many would tell you it has gone backwards in some ways, as the number of shops has dwindled from its peak of over 300, to the current number of around 170. And legalization is no closer than six years away, as the government has elected to undertake an experimental trial. You see, currently under Dutch law, although it is legal to sell Cannabis over the counter in licensed coffee
Henk de Vries founded The Bulldog, Amsterdam’s first Cannabis coffeeshop, way back in 1975.
Canal Life
Prix D’Ami
Taking a seat at Prix D’Ami, a three-story Cannabis coffeeshop in the heart of Amsterdam. shops, it is illegal to produce and supply the drug. Which makes getting the product grown and delivered a tenuous problem. Any one coffeeshop is allowed a maximum of 500 grams of any form of Cannabis on the premises (concentrates are still illegal in Holland), which leads to a quagmire, because in a busy establishment like the Bulldog Café, the bins have to constantly be refilled. How do they do it? Illegally, through a system of black market growers and runners who make the pick-ups and deliveries. As for the “weed trials” starting in 2021, cafés in 10 cities will get a legal supply of “quality” Cannabis as part of a four-year experiment. In this experiment, Cannabis will
be cultivated by growers who are approved by the government, and the coffee shops in these cities will be obliged to participate, unallowed to procure their flower from illegal growers. The culture, however, is as thriving as ever. One visit to the three-story Prix D’Ami - with a countenance of 450 people at any given time - will tell you everything you need to know about Cannabis’ popularity. Seeing enthusiasts basking in the hazy glow of modern lighting and vintage furniture proves to any bystander that by the look of relaxed comfort on the patron’s faces,
they are fully confident of facing no reprimand for their pleasures. And it is this languid body language that tells the story of how when Cannabis is enjoyed in the comforts of a non-threatening, communal situation, everyone benefits. The government makes money that people are happy to spend. Crime goes down, health improves, and the world becomes a better place. And what you’ll find in these holy places of Cannabis immunity is a plethora of delicious treats like homebaked cakes and muffins, tropical smoothies and crafted milkshakes. The parched tongue will revel in a tall glass of fresh squeezed orange, or pear juice. Also, the décor is carefully curated to attract the fancy of those in an altered state of friendliness with smooth liquid, soft electronic music, afro jazz, or dancehall reggae. Meanwhile, the craft of rolling joints or vaporizing flower from attractive pieces designed specifically for this eagerly accepted art, is employed through the many available devices strewn about the rooms. Here, it’s easy to see that the future of Cannabis is in good hands, as
Seeing enthusiasts basking in the hazy glow of modern lighting and vintage furniture proves to any bystander that by the look of relaxed comfort on the patron’s faces, they are fully confident of facing no reprimand for their pleasures.
Edibles at The Dolphins millennials make up the majority of those who frequent these establishments - therefore ensconcing the fact that the demand is growing and hugely viable. And although the vibe is conscious and consistent from shop to shop, aesthetics vary. Pop over to the Green House and you’ll see pictures on the wall of celebrities like George Clooney and Mike Tyson who’ve partaken in the local fare. At a shop called The Dolphins, you’ll find a scheme that imitates a world through the perspective of the respective finned mammal. There’s a finely crafted coral reef that persists throughout the place along the walls and bar, designed by an imaginative Australian artist who has been adding to his creation over the years with each brief residency. These shops are proud of the heritage and unique signature they leave, and this shines through the veil of dangers they’ve faced over the years and, as it appears at present, will continue to face for at least six more. But then, nothing seems to be a safe endeavor in the city of Amsterdam - especially crossing the street on foot.
STORY by MIKE RICKER @RICKERDJ | PHOTOS by EARLY/LEAF NATION
the culture ISSUE
44
HOLLYWOODHIGHS The high-end interior is cozy and also elegant
LEAF NATION’S DANIELLE HALLE EXPLORES LOWELL FARMS
T H E C O U N T R Y’ S F I R S T RECREATIONAL CANNABIS CAFÉ
P
ulling up to the valet in the West Hollywood parking lot, I half expected to see smoke billowing from the roof of Lowell Farms’ Cannabis Café. We were greeted by young, attractive staff members at every corner as we made our way through the entrance and bar area, where we were led to a lush green patio radiating with the excitement of smoking Cannabis in public. While my friends settled in at our table and began pouring over the 22-day old menus, I pulled aside my friend Koi, who had just clocked in as a flower server for the day.
nwlEAF.COM
Server Koi is ready with all the flower recommendations
I had to know, was this place completely full of tourists, or was it mostly Cannabis consumers who knew how to handle themselves? Koi said that, at the moment, it was about 50/50 split, but lots of people who were passing through town and looking for something to do came in to check it out. “I even see some of my old patients from Greenhouse Herbal Center on Hollywood Boulevard,” Koi remarks, telling us that the other half of guests she has seen so far are connoisseurs who have been following the brand for years. Even a few of the more eclectic guests Koi has served have come from the entertainment industry, but I couldn’t pry any
DEC. 2019
celebrities’ names out of her. Girl knows how to keep things on the DL. Koi and I met while she was working at one of my local Cannabis shops, Leaf and Lion in Long Beach, so I knew she’d have amazing recommendations on Cannabis, but I wanted to test her server knowledge as well. She also has a background in hospitality, which is incredibly important and an asset to those looking to get into any type of guest-facing Cannabis job, such as at a retail location or a consumption lounge. “I always recommend the pulled pork, that’s my favorite,” she proclaims although the vegan nachos are a widely popular item as well. Naturally, prerolls are at the top of the list for popular Cannabis menu items, and for first-time smokers, Koi suggests trying the Caliva preroll packs which tested at only 8% THC, to ease into the experience. For those newbies who want to dip their toes into the world of edibles, Koi pointed out the Social Tonic as an excellent option. Containing only 2mg of THC and 4mg of CBD per tonic, Koi notes, “You’re not getting the psychoactive feeling, just a relaxed body high. So, you can enjoy with your friends.” One of the biggest differences between Lowell Farms Cannabis Café and other
restaurants, as observed both by myself and described to me by Koi, is the fact that you have two different servers coming to the table to take separate orders for food and Cannabis. “It’s different because you have a lot more hands-on customer service in that aspect. When was the last time you went to a restaurant and saw ashtrays on the table? Besides the Cannabis, there’s not too many things that make this restaurant different than any others.” Okay, hold up. Two servers coming to my table? I’ve worked in restaurants before. If there are two servers coming to the table, who gets the tip? Do Cannabis consumers tip well, does anyone tip in weed, and do I pay cash for weed and card for food?! I had so many questions. Koi explained that the tipping practice in the café hasn’t exactly been standardized. “I don’t think people understand that we don’t pool tips. So, whatever the flower server gets, that’s theirs to keep. And whatever you leave on the table at the end is going to be for the [food] server. It’s new, so people don’t realize they can tip us too.” Aside from the confusion on how to tip multiple servers, Koi is excited for the opportunity to be a part of history in the making. She says it’s the best part about working for Lowell Café.
Stoner grub elevated for Cannasseurs
45 Take a seat, hang out and relax awhile
A lot of her coworkers, including herself, cominaccessible, especially when you include the mute for at least an hour from all over Southern $30/person fee that you’ll be charged if you California to be a part of history. decide to bring your own greens to smoke. “West Hollywood traffic is murder anyway, but There were, luckily, plenty of amazing brands other than that, I love it here.” to choose from, so bringing your own isn’t Now I bet you’re wondering what it was like really necessary when the menu is packed as a guest to experience the history that is Lowell with high-quality products such as 710 Labs, Cannabis Café. My first thoughts upon writing this Space Coyote, Stone Road Farms, Maven, review were that I knew I had to state the facts. and more. We wanted to be fancy and rent This may be the first licensed Cannabis café in the gravity bong, but it was just slightly out of the U.S., but we can’t talk about making history our millennial budget. without going back in history. We stuck with our Sour Diesel eighth and Cannabis cafés in Amsterdam have were brought complimentary been around for years, but, only in Amrolling papers and tips, plus a “We wanted sterdam. That’s fair. But, what about the grinder to borrow. to be fancy Northwest Cannabis Club in Oregon? For a swanky Cannabis café in Maybe Lowell’s isn’t the ‘first’ Cannabis West Hollywood - an incredible and rent the café, but they’re technically the first legal novelty experience - the price gravity bong, one. You don’t have to be a member to is completely justified. Because but it was just honestly, where else are you attend, and there are licensed products from other legal producers available for slightly out of going to be able to have both purchase. The menu and atmosphere is Cannabis and food delivered to our millennial completely cultivated to give you an unyour table and enjoy them tobudget.” forgettable experience and peek into the gether without getting in trouble, future of public Cannabis consumption. or offending the people at the Speaking of the menu, I was initially a bit table next to you? Chef Andrea Drummer’s disappointed to find the Lowell Farms Sour Diesel creations are genius, with the vegan nachos I originally ordered was out of stock, and instead starring as the epitome of LA stoner munchI was presented with a replacement Sour Diesel ies, which has been proven by the orders in by a different brand. For the average consumer, the first month that the café has been open. I found the Cannabis menu prices to be slightly Although the atmosphere is incredibly
I honestly cannot speak highly enough about the visual experience of both the inside and outside areas of the café. I encourage you to go and see this piece of history for yourself, because no matter what, you’ll leave knowing you just experienced something that people across the country are dreaming of one day being able to do. Those of us in legal states are so incredibly lucky to witness the change firsthand and take part in the molding of our industry and community.
relaxed and laid-back, you must realize that visiting the Lowell Café is a luxury treat, one where everyone can feel like they’re having a special experience. I sincerely hope it becomes more accessible for the average Cannabis consumer and patient. For now, I’ll be visiting only if my out-of-town relatives want a truly unique experience and an inside look at California Cannabis culture. LowellCafe.com
STORY & PHOTOS by DANIELLE HALLE @SWEET.DEEZY for LEAF NATION
THE CULTURE ISSUE
We built Cannabis culture on a foundation of glass. Since day one, a well-crafted piece has stood as more than a mere implement - it was a conversation piece, a point of pride, a signal that you’re not a tourist. Glass helped create the “head” community. It was the most underground thing you could buy legally, even if you had to lie and say it’s for tobacco. Fading are the days when head shops had to post signs that said, “If it rhymes with ‘song,’ we don’t sell it.” Bongs, spoons, sidecars, steamrollers, dab rigs - they’re now ubiquitous. It’s easy to take for granted, but it wasn’t always like this. All this beautiful glass had to come from somewhere. And that somewhere is Bob Snodgrass’ studio.
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Bob SNODGRASS From Eugene, the pioneering glass art legend chats with Oregon Leaf about his esteemed career, The Grateful Dead, and what’s next. STORY by TOM BOWERS @PROPAGATECONSULTANTS | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS
dec. 2019
“I believed pot was something that was good for you from the get-go. This is mental health food. This is something that makes you better.”
LONG TOPHAT SIDEBOWL, MR. HAPPY, AND DEADHEADS
BORO FUMED #20 CRUCIBLE DIPPED SKULL
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everently referred to as the “Godfather of Glass,” Bob Snodgrass developed new techniques for lampworking and glassblowing and invented pipe styles that now seem commonplace. He’s credited with the “sidecar” pipe (“I was tired of setting my pipe down on the bed and having it roll over,” he says), and perhaps most notably, with developing a coloring process called “fuming,” which involves the melting of precious metals between layers of glass. The effect is a pipe that looks transparently translucent at first, but develops rich color patterns as it is used. “I started trying to improve my glass work by using a little bit of color, and that’s how I discovered fuming,” Snodgrass said over the phone the morning after a late night spent at the premier of “Pipetown, USA” - a new documentary featuring him. “Putting down silver vapor on a piece of glass, I put down a dot and melted that flat, so I could put another piece of glass on top of that without trapping air. A dot on top of a dot was the beginning of what is now.” The method opened up a world of design possibilities. “I like to draw pictures in the glass,” he said. “As I stack up layers, I like to make a decorated can on a pipe. It’s not about the shape of a pipe as much as it’s about the art that goes into it.” Like so many people in the evolving Cannabis community, Snodgrass applied ingenuity to existing products and invented something greater. But unlike a lot of people in the industry, who protect such breakthroughs behind teams of intellectual property lawyers, Snodgrass shared his discovery. “I had a flashback back to algebra class when our algebra teacher used man’s learning as a way to explain the bell curve,” he said. “Our teacher said that during man’s lifetime, we’d reach the time when the bell curve was going straight up. I asked, ‘What do you mean?’ And he said, ‘An end to the time of secrets.’ So when I thought of keeping my discovery a secret, I had a flashback to that, and decided to share it with everyone.” He and the culture at large have come a long way from the early days, when he learned the art of lampworking from his friend Chuck. Like most in the then-nascent Cannabis world, Snodgrass said he had to find the friendly spots. “I met Chuck in early ‘71, and he had been selling to local record stores,” he said. “Head shops were a thing, but they weren’t a niche that was easy to find. You had to go look in the phone book for boutiques and record stores. We would travel to different cities and find places that were selling tie-dyes and pipes, and whatever else was considered hippie gear.”
“When I traveled around the country, I’d blow glass in my workshop that was in a bus,” he said. “We started traveling away from home and doing small events back in the end of the 70s. And by the early 80s, I’d do carnivals, I’d do little festivals, arts and craft shows, and I’d even do flea markets. We did that for about a decade before I went to my first Grateful Dead show. I’d have a handful of pipes on a table in the corner, and I’d have marbles with a sign that said, ‘No two alike. Genuine replacement parts for those who’ve lost a few.’” Touring with the Dead, Snodgrass would set up shop in the parking lot and show off his skills. Back then, there was always an element of danger to being part of the culture. “We used to be so paranoid,” he said. “You’d think it was the weed that was making us paranoid, but it was the laws around it that were making us paranoid.” That was when his reputation really started picking up steam, and the culture was never the same. The entire Cannabis community, especially the lampworkers, owe Snodgrass a debt of gratitude for sharing his discovery. His influence can be found everywhere - especially in his family. Snodgrass and his wife Marie live on their land in Eugene, where they share two houses and three workshops with their daughter Ginny, her husband Jonathan, Ginny’s son Ryder, and Ginny’s dog and cat. Both Ginny and Jonathan blow glass, as do the majority of Snodgrass’ other children and grandchildren. “My 5-year-old grandson, Ryder, he’s even made a marble,” he said. “My oldest son blows glass, his son blows glass. My oldest daughter’s two sons both blow glass. One of them, that’s how he makes his living. So I’ve got my whole family involved … They all at one point had an income coming in through glass.” Snodgrass sees his own contribution as being part of a larger movement, and sees the legalization and normalization of Cannabis culture as largely positive. “I’m just so impressed that there are so many strains, and so many effects that help people,” he said. “There’s just so much research that was hushed up. And the fact that the research is now happening and people can release the information … I believed pot was something that was good for you from the get-go. This is mental health food. This is something that makes you better.” The key to the future, he says, is for those who truly care about Cannabis culture to preserve the positive nature of what he and other pioneers have built. “We’re always going to make some kind of change,” he said. “Whether it’s a progressive one, that’s our question. I’m always hoping we’re going to make things better.”
Snodgrass.net
the culture ISSUE
TEN YEARS OF
GRASSROOTS CALIFORNIA Max Urquhart is Chief Operating Officer of Grassroots California, a Denver-based company that has been producing counterculture apparel since 2009, with roots in Venice Beach. What began as a documentary project and pop-up hat sales on the boardwalk, has evolved into a powerhouse apparel design company producing at least one new design daily for their limited run model. We hopped on a phone call with Urquhart to hear about the history of Grassroots, how Cannabis culture has shaped their past, and how the company is defining it into the future.
WHAT INSPIRED CREATING GRASSROOTS CALIFORNIA?
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The inspiration for Grassroots was from founder Ryan “Ruga” Connoly, who had moved to California from Colorado when California’s medical Cannabis scene was blowing up and MMJ was spreading across the country. If you visited California back then, they were the first with the big weed culture where it was acceptable, and what Ryan was really doing was creating a documentary film about the grassroots movement in California.
HOW DID A DOCUMENTARY PROJECT BECOME A CLOTHING COMPANY?
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Ryan always had this idea that he would make merchandise for the movie too, so he had a design mocked up of our original California green hat. That was the first Grassroots hat that was ever made. Unfortunately while filming, a stranger attacked them and ruined their camera equipment, so Ryan decided to try and earn back the money he had purchased hats with and got a permit to sell on the Venice boardwalk. The hats sold out in two weeks and he realized that selling clothing might be a better idea.
WHAT WERE THE NEXT STEPS FOR BUILDING THE COMPANY, AND BARRIERS TO GETTING STARTED? One of the initial things that drew us in was rejection. We went to New Era and they said “Sorry, we won’t make hats with marijuana leaves on them.” Right there we saw a huge opportunity because the weed culture was about to take off. Now it’s a completely
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different game with companies like Huff or Cookies that are doing a lot of weed merchandise, but back then we were super early in that game, and lucky that in 08/09 Facebook and Instagram weren’t pay to play. So we were able to use social media to not only grow the brand, but also not pay for ads. So we spent our resources traveling the country to every concert and event to show people Grassroots.
TELL US ABOUT THE COMPANY’S ROOTS IN CANNABIS CULTURE, AND HOW THAT VISION DEVELOPED. First and foremost, myself and Ryan have always smoked weed. For our entire lives. From when we were in high school through college it has played a major role in our lives. From being one of the first people to open a smoking club in Denver, which did unfortunately get shut down, to throwing weed events and loving the plant. The main thing with us is that we really felt that we were part of the weed culture because that’s what we like. So we tried to bring the music culture and hip-hop culture, plus a bunch of other scenes, and bring all those cultures into one: Cannabis. So when we would throw events we would have our friends with Nightmare Snowboards or Dab Logic come set up booths, and we’ve done a lot to combine those elements into our brand.
The company designs and creates environmentally-friendly hats you won’t find anywhere else. WHAT ROLE HAS ART PLAYED IN THE SUCCESS OF GRASSROOTS?
Art is a lot like music, in that it can show the culture of weed in a real-time, general way. Art has always shaped culture, from back in the biblical days to the 60s, and especially today. With us we want to make more than quality merchandise, but we also want to show respect and love for the artists who create the styles and fashions. We are big supporters of artists from glass to music to visual, and we find ways to grow together by combining our fan bases and showing that these are our people.
WHEN IT COMES TO MERCHANDISE, YOU GUYS ARE NONSTOP! HOW DO YOU KEEP DESIGNS MOVING, AND WHY DO YOU ONLY PRODUCE LIMITED RUNS? We started out as a limited edition company, partly because when you do a full run of something it can take months for production, so once it sells out, you can’t reprint and wait to restock.
Clockwise from left 1/ Grassroots California Chief Operating Officer Max Urquhart, left, with Owner Ryan Connolly. 2/ Sales representative Gianni Betoni fills a wholesale order 3/ A flat bill hat designed by GC. 4/ Sales manager Chase Brasher, and sales representative Gianni Betoni look over product manager Christian Ameling’s shoulder to see a new design last month. 5/ Fourth year designer Curt Holzer works on a pin
But mainly it was a desire to be unique and know that when you buy a hat it’s not one that every kid on the block has. It’s crazy - just three years ago we hit 365 designs in a year, and now we are over that number with clothing and hats in the 7,000 piece design range. We are also able to work with companies to have lower minimums and can produce designs as limited as 100 units, with our hat runs bumped up to 420 units because it’s a convenient number. We are at a total of 16 employees, with three in-house designers and our art director. We also have a group of independent designers we use to keep up with projects and demand for fresh flavor. We also have a warehouse team and two flagship stores, one in Denver and one in Chicago. When we aren’t working festivals or events, our sales team also pitches in at the warehouse.
HOW IS CANNABIS CULTURE SHIFTING NATIONALLY, AND WHAT TRENDS DO YOU SEE HEADING OUR WAY? It’s a huge shift,
where it’s so acceptable now. It’s not just Cheech and Chong or the movies, it’s almost corporate. And it’s becoming so much more mainstream that we are starting to see the big mesh of skateboard and streetwear intertwining with the weed scene now. So weed culture is becoming a streetwear influencer culture.
DO YOU THINK IT’S GOOD THAT WEED IS GOING MAINSTREAM?
It seems like every day there is another celebrity with a weed or CBD company, so it really has shifted, but there is still that diehard weed fan base. Those are the people who know dispensaries and strains, and for those people, Grassroots will always be there. But what’s also great is that
a lot more people are starting to come into the weed scene, and we are able to help those people with merch or events and develop the culture further. We have major production companies asking us how to throw weed events now. So we are seeing the major shift we need, from the hush-hush to mainstream.
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE FUTURE OF GRASSROOTS CALIFORNIA?
The goal is to be more influential and to be a bigger name in the streetwear scene. We are waiting for the day we can open another smoker’s club and have a retail environment as part of that. We are ready for weed to be a lot more free than it is here or now, but we are going to wait and be there when it is. This would be our lives whether we had a business or not, so we’ll see what happens. Us being there originally and not changing who we are is in our roots, and I’m hoping in the end, it will pay off for all of us.
GrassrootsCalifornia.com
INTERVIEW by WES ABNEY @BEARDEDLORAX | PHOTOS by DANIEL BRENNER @DANIELJBRENNER
the culture ISSUE nwlEAF.COM
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1920s
1930s
1940s
It all started with jazz - the first type of “popular music” which coincided with recorded, and thus mass-produced music. In the mid-20s, clarinetist Sydney Bechet wrote a song called “Viper Mad” - a hit that had a long shelf life. The lyrics sing the praises of Cannabis, but one line “wrap your lips around this stick of tea, blow this gage and get high with me” reads like a sort of proto-hip-hop anthem if you substitute some of the words for modern slang around Cannabis.
In the early 30s Cannabis had yet to be made federally illegal, and one of the greatest jazz musicians of the time, Louis Armstrong, was a fan. He travelled with a lot of Cannabis, and was eventually busted by police in Hollywood on tour in 1931, spending nine nights in jail for possession. On the East Coast in Harlem, Fats Waller’s concerts were quite the scene, fueled by the high-grade weed of promoter and impresario Mezz Mezzrow (who’s namesake still graces the club “Mezzrow’s” in Manhattan to this day). Cannabis was federally banned by 1937.
With Cannabis federally illegal, the 40s became the era of the “reefer songs” as the prohibition of the herb led to more usage among the subcultures in society. Specifically speaking, more ‘lingo’ entered the lyrics and titles of songs. Barney Bigard’s take on the jazz standard “Sweet Georgia Brown” - which he renamed as “Sweet Marijuana Brown” showed how Cannabis was still very much in use in the jazz and blues scenes.
1950s
1960s
1970s
The United States was at its conservative zenith in the middle of the 20th century. This decade was about as white-bread as it got when it came to artistic expression. Even a home-run Cannabis song like Ray Charles’ “Let’s Go Get Stoned” was at the time said to be “all about gin.”
This was the decade dominated musically by the The Beatles, who went through their own transformation as they experimented with mind-altering drugs. This is the decade that gave rise to hippie culture. Songs like The Fraternity of Man’s “Don’t Bogart Me” is a typical example of a song singing the praises of Cannabis with a tinge of humorous sarcasm.
If the 1950s were the most conservative decade, then the 70s were most druggedout decade in America over the last century. So much so, that it seemed like the U.S. was on a trajectory to legalize Cannabis. Inside the counter culture, songs like Brewer and Shipley’s “One Toke Over The Line” and Rick James’ “Mary Jane” emerged as anthems nodding to the social acceptance of Cannabis. Bob Marley’s “Kaya” and Peter Tosh’s “Legalize It” were also notable.
1980s
1990s
2000s
While the 1970s were a time where spirituality and tolerance seemed to be gaining ground in American life, it took one president, Ronald Reagan, to wash it all away. Reagan’s “War on Drugs” still continues to this day. In the 1980s, music about Cannabis became more and more scarce, and limited to underground genres and artists. At the end of the decade it was Tone Loc’s “Cheeba Cheeba” that would set the stage for what was to come in the hiphop scene.
The 1990s saw advancement after advancement in technology, from the personal computer to the widespread use of the internet at the end of the decade, but it was hip-hop and rap culture that truly cemented Cannabis as something that was becoming more socially acceptable. One could say that Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic” was the real turning point. Released in 1992, the album is a tribute to high-grade Cannabis. And like the jazz musicians of the 1920s, Dre and his partnerin-crime Snoop Dogg were more than happy to wax poetic about their favorite herb. The album is a classic, going platinum three times over in the past 30 years.
By the new millennium, the secret was out. More people were consuming Cannabis than ever before and public acceptance was on the rise. The failing drug war was everapparent, and people could (for the first time) use a resource like the internet to find out how un-harmful Cannabis really was. Whole musical movements like the freak-folk and dance-punk scenes celebrated ties to Cannabis counter culture. And, music started to tout a connection to weed in a more explicit way, with songs like Afroman’s “Because I Got High” and Amy Winehouse’s “Addicted.”
dec. 2019
STORY by PACER STACKTRAIN for LEAF NATION | PHOTO by ALEKSANDAR PASARIC
2010s
And here we are. In 20% of America, Cannabis is fully legal. In 41 states, it’s at the very least decriminalized. Only nine states remain where it’s illegal. These statistics are wonderful to celebrate as we prepare to enter the 2020s. This decade has seen the tide of public opinion turn back to where we were almost a century ago before Cannabis prohibition. And in music? Now we see pop artists celebrating their love for the herb in song and in public, like Justin Timberlake’s “Pusher Lover Girl” and Rihanna’s “James Joint.”
A CENTURY CANNABIS of
in
MUSIC W
hen it comes to culture, there are many ways that humans choose to express themselves in order to develop ideas that transcend daily life. Perhaps the most important of the devices in which we attempt to communicate this transcendence through is music. Music and Cannabis have enjoyed quite the relationship throughout the history of humankind. Sometimes this relationship has been sacred, and sometimes it has been secular. Here are some examples of how Cannabis influenced and inspired musical culture over the past century.
the culture ISSUE
Cannabis +Visual Art 52
It’s time to elevate stoner culture from the couch and into the world of visual arts. However, modern museums and galleries have the potential to intimidate those who aren’t privy to contemporary art or its history. Alas, I write to you dear reader, as a gentle guide with advice on how to orient yourself within an art space and build your visual vocabulary. Screens and devices have provided access to visual art from the comfort of our homes, but I beckon you to build a relationship to arts and culture deeper than your screens. Participate in the physical experience of art - you’re gonna love it high. High Culture
How to View Art
new experience for viewing it. The elevated state or “high” of Cannabis allows you to be more receptive and absorb the work in a novel way. It takes the edge off of being around people in a busy gallery and stimulates your mind - the optimal mix. Nothing complements a gallery walk like a joint in hand.
How does the color make you feel? What do the painterly gestures tell you through their application and composition? Is the paint thick and sculptural, or thin and glasslike? How does the composition speak to you on an emotional level? There is no wrong or right answer in art.
Cannabis is an ideal pairing for art because it provides a
Most writers will start with dry art history and direct you to stuffy
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museums, but I beg to differ. I advise you to support local living artists, instead of the dead ones. Not to say that both aren’t important, but dare to immerse yourself in the contemporary world of art. Skip the museum and peruse gallery spaces. Galleries are run by curators who have their ears to the ground when it comes to finding local talent who eventually end up in those fancy museums we previously spoke about. Galleries put you in conversation with local, national, and sometimes global artists around the world.
Cannabis is an ideal pairing for art because it provides a new experience for viewing it. dec. 2019
When it comes to viewing art, let’s start with a painting.
At best, art reveals the artist’s subjective experience, while allowing you to have your own. I find it helpful to view art through an emotional lens because you don’t have to rationalize anything. If a particular piece strikes you, learn more about the work through an artist statement, if provided.
Abstract art and sculpture can be especially difficult for people to enter the work because it seems more difficult to relate to. Instead of trying to earnestly figure it out, again, begin with how it makes you feel. How does the size of a sculpture speak to you? What does the texture tell you about the object? Is it shiny, dull, rough, smooth or sharp? Enter the work through the evocative breakdown of the form. Absorbing art in pieces allows you to build your visual prowess.
You don’t have to have an MFA or even be an artist to experience
the world of art. Art history serves its purpose, but don’t let it intimidate you out of the art community. All you truly need is an exempletory joint, a few good friends, and the urge to immerse yourself in visual culture. Cannabis further elevates these moments, while alleviating the stresses that come along with public interaction. An open mind and heart doesn’t hurt either, but be okay with not understanding everything. Not all art will speak to you, but when they do, for a moment the chasm of the universe will reveal itself. And in this moment, you will begin to know more about yourself or your perception of the world.
STORY by SIMONE FISCHER @SIMONEFISCHERR
the culture ISSUE
Women in Weed
Morgan English
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Stoned +Toned apR. 2019 DEC.
The Cannabis consumer has long played a vital role in the shaping of counterculture, but for the so-called stoner who wants to get ripped before getting ripped (or whatever version of fitness you’re engaged in), opportunities are few and far between. Until now, where Stoned + Toned is bringing the worlds together in the most wellness-based of ways. “IT WAS REALLY INCREDIBLE to see at the launch event how many people wanted to come out and smoke,” remarks Stoned + Toned Founder Morgan English. “I mean, I was honestly worried that people wouldn’t want to smoke, or they would just want to come work out and support us because they know us personally. Everyone wanted to smoke, and then the people who normally didn’t smoke before a workout came out and were like ‘I’ve never enjoyed working out so much.’ It was remarkable to be quite honest. We were completely blown away.” While people may have a difficult time envisioning weed and workouts working together in a productive fashion, English was sure to note that the synergies outpace the stereotypes in this arena. Here, what it means to be stoned takes on a whole new meaning. “Yeah, we’re stoned! Mindfully stoned,” says English. “A lot of people have said things like ‘how ripped do I have to be to do the workout?’ It’s really not about getting overly-high, it’s more about allowing Cannabis to bring you into the moment or to ease pain if you have inflammation, and it’s something that just enhances the workout.” THE WORKOUT
“So, in our videos online, you’ll often see us taking two or three puffs and then getting into the workout. We lean much more into the side of micro-dosing before the workout, as opposed to smoking a whole one gram joint.”
“You’re worth setting aside time in the day, you’re worth the energy that you’re going to give yourself.” “At our launch event, Molly and I definitely smoked a little more before our class than we normally do, but that was because it was a social setting. We weren’t too high - it was more of a way to be more present here in the moment, have your stress eased, and have your nerves about teaching the class alleviated. It allows us to just connect better with everyone in the room.” And with two ways to enjoy the class - both online and at the occasional pop-up - individuals have the opportunity to access this new age approach to working out from the privacy of their own home, or an invigorating space shared with others. As workouts and Cannabis can cause the occasional anxiety, having these two options makes the concept all the more accessible. “I used to hate working out. I’m not gonna lie. I used to despise it, and it was something that I always felt I had to do because I ate something, or because I wasn’t the right number on a scale,” says English. “And it wasn’t until I just combined working out with weed, that all those thoughts stopped, and eventually they changed into, ‘I can do this next 30 second sprint’ or ‘I’m strong enough to do this, I’ve been here before, I can do it again.’”
“It really fuels my workout,” says English. “And for someone with social anxiety, I don’t know if I ever would have been able to walk into a spin studio without consuming Cannabis beforehand, because I would have been too nervous. But, because of Cannabis, I was not only able to enhance my workout, I was able to make human connections.” BUILDING COMMUNITY
“I’m a part of a larger fitness community here in Long Beach, I don’t just do our classes online,” says English. “For pop-ups, we are trying to get into the groove of doing them more regularly. We are hoping to do more, especially throughout 2020 so that we can hit more cities. We definitely want to see more people sign up online. We love doing our film days and making workouts more accessible. Our memberships are just twenty bucks a month, so it’s not your 100+ dollar a month membership for a boutique studio, or something like that.” The team at Stoned + Toned also gives their online community access to videos four at a time, as opposed to dropping them weekly. “If you want to do them earlier in the month, you can,” says English. “I like to do one video multiple times in a
week and kind of see the strength that I build from the first time I did it, to the last time I did it on Friday. Your body is used to the movement and so you can get into it more, and your strength builds when you’re working the same parts of your body out. So we promote one video every Monday, but we release four videos at a time for the month.” “We film everything in one take,” English adds. “It’s just real. I drop my weights. Especially on the first day of filming - I was not nearly as strong as I am now. So, you see it in real time. That way, you’re on that journey with us. And who does 100% on every rep every time? It’s just not real. And we want it to be fun. We film every 30-minute workout in one take. Our intros we do until we get them right, and then from that we go straight into the workout. We film five to six of those in one day, so we’re dead afterwards.” GETTING RIPPED
“For someone with social anxiety, I don’t know if I ever would have been able to walk into a spin studio without consuming Cannabis beforehand, because I would have been too nervous.”
For those looking to incorporate Cannabis into their fitness regimen alongside fellow proponents of plant-based healing, Stoned + Toned is an outlet worthy of exploration. But at the end of the day, we could all use a healthy dose of self work. “It’s more than just the power of movement, it’s that you continuously show up for yourself,” says English. “Because that’s what working out is - it’s self work. You’re saying that you’re worth it. You’re worth setting aside time in the day, you’re worth the energy that you’re going to give yourself. And that will change your world. If you show up enough for yourself, it will filter into everything else you do. It really is awesome when you give it enough energy and put it in for weeks. Don’t just agree to do it for one week, but make it a habit.”
Learn more and find out about classes at StonedandToned.com INTERVIEW & PORTRAIT by DANIELLE HALLE @SWEET.DEEZY for NORTHWEST LEAF | PHOTOS by IMAD BOLOTOK @IMADSHOOTS
RECIPES
HOPEFULLY you will have a little extra time this holiday to make a couple of these infused treats. But remember that less is more, and don’t operate heavy machinery. The folks at Laurie and MaryJane wish you a happy and healthy holiday. #Indulgeresponsibly #Dontfeartheedible
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HOLIDAY
TREATS SALTY CARAMELS 1 lb ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) canna-butter ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) butter 2 cups packed brown sugar ½ cup dark syrup / 2 cups heavy cream ¼ teaspoon salt / 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 tablespoons smoked sea salt
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1. Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper. 2. Melt the canna-butter over low heat in a medium saucepan, with a candy thermometer. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, one cup cream and salt. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally for 12 to 15 minutes, until temperature reaches 224 degrees. 3. Slowly add the remaining cream. Cook until it reaches 250 degrees, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle with salt. 4. Cool for a minimum of four hours. With a sharp knife, cut into 48 pieces.
DEC. 2019
I make these every year for my friends. They love white chocolate and agree that the hint of Cannabis is a delightful addition. I rarely enjoy the flavor of Cannabis, but for some reason, this combo is fire. And they’re delicious just out of the freezer, too.
WHITE CHOCOLATE POT PATTIES Makes 32 pieces.
2 lbs white chocolate, chopped 2-3 tablespoons canna-butter ½ cup dried cherries 2/3 cup crushed peppermint candy 1. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. In a microwave safe bowl combine the chocolate and canna-butter and process on high for 30 seconds. Stir and return to microwave for and additional 30 seconds. Continue until the chocolate is just melted, the melting process will continue after cooking. 3. Using a ¼ cup measure pour the chocolate onto the parchment paper. Sprinkle with the cherries. 4. Heat the remaining chocolate the same way. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cherries and sprinkle with the crushed peppermint. Allow to sit until fully set, at least an hour.
S'MORE ON A STICK Makes 30 pieces.
2 cups dark chocolate, chopped 2-3 tablespoons canna-butter 30 marshmallows 1½ cups crushed graham crackers
Though these look a bit complicated, they are incredibly easy to make. You can use any type of chocolate, and the dipping can be changed to include chopped nuts, sprinkles, or cookie crumbs.
1. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Making your own infused caramels is quite the thing. They’re not hard to make, though they do require a candy thermometer and your full attention. Maybe don’t be high when making your first batch. I don’t know about you, but when under the influence I am quite easily distracted. Caramels keep for three weeks in an airtight container, stored in a cool place.
Makes 48 pieces.
2. Using a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and canna-butter in microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir and return to microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Continue until the chocolate is just melted, the melting process will continue after cooking. 3. Using a fork, dip each marshmallow into the chocolate, completely covering the marshmallow. Immediately dip one side of the covered marshmallow into the crumbs. Place on the parchment on the graham cracker covered side. Place a skewer or popsicle stick in one side of the marshmallow. Allow the marshmallows to set completely, at least an hour.
RECIPES by LAURIE WOLF | PHOTO by BRUCE WOLF
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This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgement. 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 the reach of children. Marijuana products may be purchased or possessed only by persons 21 years of age or older.
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ESPRESSO & DO-SI-DOS Of all the coffee beverages, espresso is perhaps the most comparable to Cannabis. There is a ton of craft that goes into the production of both high quality weed and coffee. There is trial and error as roasters and growers change variables to perfect their end product. Espresso must be roasted to perfection, making sure not to over roast and burn the oils, and Cannabis must be cured properly so as to produce the most optimal representation of that strain. Each - in its perfection - should elevate your mood, enhance your day, and generally restore your faith in the abilities of your fellow man. EVERYTHING IS A BALANCING ACT. To produce the best tasting espresso, a barista must ensure that the espresso is neither over nor under-extracted. When you under-extract espresso, the end result is tart or sour, but over-extracted espresso leads to a bitter taste. Precisely done, espresso can have any number of tasting notes. Like wine, you can get bright, fruity flavors or caramels and chocolates. There might be a nuttiness or a stew-y, vegetal quality. These are all experiences that toking connoisseurs might expect out of their Cannabis. As such, one of the primary strains that really began highlighting its own flavors and attempting to imitate tastes was Girl Scout Cookies. A favorite iteration of Girl Scout Cookies is DoSi-Dos, and it pairs excellently with a well poured shot of espresso. Do-Si-Dos is a combination of OG Kush Breath, a Girl Scout Cookies phenotype, and Face Off OG. OG Kush Breath has a taste of roasted nuts and vanilla, which is what makes it a great genetic parent for a strain striving to replicate peanut butter cookies. Face Off on the other hand, with its OG Kush lineage, has light herbaceous and spicy notes reasserting some of the gas associated with most Cookies strains. This inherent nuttiness and sweetness of Do-Si-Dos pairs well with the syrupy and complex flavors of the espresso. Heightening each other, the espresso makes this Cookies descendant even more akin to its baked good counterpart. While the espresso brings you up, this indica dominant hybrid rounds out the caffeine’s edges.
DO-SI-DOS is relaxing and stress relieving from its OGKB parent, while its Face-Off OG side provides a right-behind-the-eyes, psychoactive high. This feeling with the uplifting effects of the espresso would pair well with taste-testing pastries around the neighborhood, or taking a ferry to one of the islands. Other activities that one might consider with this combination of coffee
Do-Si-Dos
and Cannabis would be thrift shopping for your ugly holiday sweater party, trying to find that little dumpling place you went to that one time when you were drunk in Chinatown, or working on that collection of short stories you’ve been pretending to write for the last three years. Or hey, maybe just go look for that next espresso shot and make a day of it. Just make sure to pre-roll those joints before your hands get too jittery.
While the espresso brings you up, this indica dominant hybrid rounds out the caffeine’s edges. dec. 2019
STORY by TJ GAGNIER | PHOTOS by JESSE CODLING | MARKETING
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dec. 2019 DEC.
66
Amsterdam
T H E C U LT U R E I S S U E E D I T I O N STORY by JONAH TACOMA @DABSTARS2.0 for LEAF NATION | PHOTOS by JESS LARUE @JESSICALARUE_420
I
adjusted my Oakleys and pulled my headphones down over my ears in preparation for the long flight from Philly to Amsterdam, a few more minutes and the half a Xanax I popped in the ticket line would be kicking in. Home to the original Cannabis Cup, Amsterdam had been a mecca for Cannabis enthusiasts since before I was born, many traveling thousands of miles to openly partake at the coffee shops that dotted the
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Red Light District. We were here for something equally ambitious. If things went well this voyage would mark the beginning of an important endeavour, one that could change our lives forever‌ I had been angling to do proper business in Holland for almost a decade, but in spite of all the freedom in Holland, dabs were scheduled like heroin. RSO and even
“WE WERE HERE TO L AUNCH T H E A M ST E R DA M L E A F A N D IF WE WERE SUCCESSFUL, IT WOUL D BE THE FIRST BIG C A N N A B I S M AGA Z I N E TO M AKE IT OVER FROM THE S TA T E S S I N C E H I G H T I M E S H AD L AUNCHED OVER 40 YE A RS AG O . ”
tinctures were strictly prohibited across the board. That said, you could still find some decent dabs if you knew where to look. Walk into the right coffee shop and ask for some dabable “isolator” with a wink, and you’re likely to see a small selection of budders and waxes being sold by the gram for a 100 euros plus. As the giant passenger jet lumbered down the runway I drifted off to sleep, still daydreaming of the events to come. We were here to launch the Amsterdam Leaf and if we were successful, it would be the first big Cannabis magazine to make it over from the states since High Times had launched over 40 years ago. This was a passion project paying homage to our city of birth and I was excited to be a partner in such an undertaking. The Dutch had always acknowledged that certain vices were always going to exist and had agreed that an ever shrinking part of town, affectionately named after the red lights glowing in the windows of the sex workers, would house them all. From mushrooms to
MDMA, anything could be found in the twisting and turning alleys of the Red Light. As long as you stayed in the boundaries and didn’t affect anyone else’s good time, it was anything goes and the tourists were lapping it up in spades. As the capital city of Holland, Amsterdam itself was a miracle of old world engineering. Built five feet below sea level, the city had grown from a small group of houses built up along the mouth of the river Amstel. Eventually, the Amstel Dam was created to manage the water, and Amsterdam as we know it was born. A smiling customs agent greeted me at Schiphol Airport. “Business or pleasure?” he said politely with one eyebrow raised. “Well it’s Amsterdam, so always a bit of both,” I replied, laughing in spite of myself at his good nature as he waved me in without further question. “Welcome to Holland!” he shouted as I passed through the gates.
SEPT. 2019
STONEY BALONEy
70
Karate Kids
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I’ll tell you something, in about 10 years, you bullies better watch your asses. That’s because you do not want to mess with a dude who has been well-trained in martial arts. And these days, it’s awfully popular with the youngins who aren’t too down with team sports. Some of them are nomads, riding solo, hanging in the shadows - maybe a little anti-social. At face value, they can appear to be easy prey. And the prima donna skilled in the practice of intimidation may want to swallow a pill of caution when the Saturday Night Fever is brewing. He has been at it since happy hour and now midnight is approaching. His blood is carbonated from the fiery liquid that’s loading the bulging trapezoids and it’s fueling his arrogance. He’s got his swagger in power mode, feeling alive, looking to step up the excitement, ready to entertain - an easy ass-whipping guaranteed for the primed crowd. But there are no guarantees in life, we all inevitably learn. And for some, the lesson comes hard. Everyone loves an underdog. Some of the most memorable events in history have featured a reluctant participant pushed to the corner with no alternative but to defend what is right. He is surprisingly prepared. And if you’ve never seen a skinny, undersized dude who’s trained to box handle a bodacious, drunk asshole until he’s beet red-faced and gassed, it is truly a delight to witness. I mean, I’m all for peace and love, but sometimes you get a meathead who feels compelled to put all his gym hours to use. And he fucks with the wrong guy. What he leaves with is called an epiphany. It’s when the lion learns that he no longer rules the pride. He just had to have that last shot. Dipshit should’ve smoked a bowl instead.
DEC. 2019
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