Nov. 2019 — Northwest Leaf

#113 | NOV. 2019

THE ENLIGHTENED VOICE

THE HARVEST ISSUE BLUE CITY DIESEL, OG WRECK, XJ-13 AND MORE GROWING AT ACME DIESEL IN EPHRATA, WASHINGTON

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Warning: 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 the consumption of this product. For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of the reach of children. Marijuana products may be purchased or possessed only by persons twenty-one years of age or older.

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THE HARVEST ISSUE 11 Editor’S Note

12 NATIONAL news 14 clones for veterans 16 helping hands 20 bring it to bonnie 22 jerry whiting 26 vaporgate 32 budtender q&A 36 cannazone bellingham 40 STRAIN OF THE MONTH 44 acme diesel 46 gorge gold 48 culta sungrown

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50 tko reserve 54 urban pharms 60 smokey point productions 64 patient profile : porter williams 68 edible of the month 70 CANNABIS RECIPES 74 on the road 78 STONEY BALONEY

nov. 2019

44

PLUSHBERRY GROWING AT ACME DIESEL IN EPHRATA, WASHINGTON.

PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS

the HARVEST ISSUE

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46

EXPLORING THE WONDERS OF SUNGROWN CANNABIS AT GORGE GOLD IN QUINCY, WA.

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GARDEN HIGHLIGHT

nov. 2019

PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS

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

ABNEY

Editor’s Note ON THE COVER THE HARVEST ISSUE

The Eastern Washington sunshine was out in force on our visit to Acme Diesel in Ephrata last month, highlighting the colors of the harvest season. Brothers/Cofounders Myer and Jack Gold take us on a garden tour pg. 44-45. photo by daniel berman @bermanphotos

CONTRIBUTORS

PUBLISHER

Steve Elliott National News Bonnie Fong Legal Danielle Halle Writing Mike Ricker Stoney Baloney Meghan Ridley Editing Pacer Stacktrain Highly Likely 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.

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We’ve been publishing our harvest issues for many years now, and it continues to be one of my favorites.

There is something truly special about outdoor Cannabis, and the people who put their livelihoods on the line to grow a plant for six or more months with no guarantee of success. Welcome to farming!

On top of the sacrifices and risks they face, they also face stigma about the quality of the product they have worked so hard to produce.

I ENCOURAGE But let me tell you this. . .

ALL OF OUR Cannabis is a plant and the natural expression of READERS TO FLIP terpenes and flavors that the plant produces when THROUGH OUR exposed to sunlight can never be replicated in an indoor environment.

SCENIC HARVEST I encourage all of our readers to flip through SPECIAL, READ our scenic harvest special, read the stories of true THE STORIES OF farm life, and enjoy this magazine that we worked TRUE FARM LIFE, so hard to create. But I also challenge you to go AND ENJOY THIS next month and purchase sungrown Cannabis, and experience the plant in a natural form.

MAGAZINE THAT Believe me when I say that while it may look WE WORKED SO different than indoor flowers, it’s no less beautiful HARD TO CREATE. - and much more tasty than the mid-grade indoor Cannabis flooding the market.

On a sustainability note, our planet, societies and industries are all at a turning point decided by us as enlightened consumers. Do we want synthetic, harmful products for our bodies? Do we want hothouse grown and pesticide sprayed vegetables, or weed? My vote goes to organic fruits and veggies for our families, and an agricultural system that gives back to the Earth. So, what impact do we want our favorite recreational plant to have on our planet?

Society votes and decides its future with dollars, and I hope that everyone reading this gives outdoor Cannabis a try. It supports both the farmer and the environment. Not to mention, both your head and your heart will thank you for it!

As always, thank you for reading, and please enjoy our Harvest Issue while samping the bounty of this year’s crop!

-Wes Abney nov. 2019

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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

Thanks for picking up The Northwest Leaf Harvest Issue!

NATIONAL NEWS

West Coast

WASHINGTON STATE TEMPORARILY BANS FLAVORED VAPE PRODUCTS Starting October 10, Washingtonians aren’t able to buy flavored vape products. The Washington State Board of Health approved a 120-day emergency ban during its regular meeting, despite overwhelming 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. More coverage of Vaporgate pg. 26-29

legalization

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YOUTH MARIJUANA USE DECLINES AFTER WASHINGTON STATE LEGALIZES Fewer adolescents in King County, Washington reported past month Cannabis consumption after marijuana became legal for adults in the state, according to a new federally published study, reports Marijuana Moment.

After Washington voters legalized weed in 2012, marijuana use decreased or remained stable through 2016 among King County students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12, according to the study.

Researchers with Public Health-Seattle and King County analyzed the data from the Washington State Healthy Youth Survey, which is conducted statewide every two years to assess health risk behaviors among public school students.

While Cannabis opponents often express fears that ending prohibition will lead to more teens using weed, such concerns simply aren’t supported by the data.

The results were published in October by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

FEWER ADOLESCENTS IN KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON REPORTED PAST MONTH CANNABIS CONSUMPTION AFTER MARIJUANA BECAME LEGAL FOR ADULTS IN THE STATE

NOV. 2019

EAST COAST

MARYLAND COPS LEAVE MAN PARALYZED AFTER PULLING HIM OVER AND SMELLING WEED Maryland officers left a man paralyzed from the waist down after pulling him over for expired tags in October, then smelling marijuana.

Cops claimed Demonte Ward-Blake refused to place his hands on the steering wheel, so they removed him from the car, reports the Pinac News. Once they cuffed him, they claim he tried to escape by elbowing a cop in the face while being searched.

Video evidence suggests it was actually Ward-Blake’s words, not his elbow, that made the cops mad.

The cops left him with a critical spinal cord injury and a broken nose.

“He wants to keep running his mouth, he’s going to jail,” a cop tells Ward-Blake’s girlfriend once he’s in handcuffs. Her videos show a cop standing over Ward-Blake with his hands cuffed behind him, his body slumped forward.

WEST COAST

The SOUTH

GEORGIA’S MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROGRAM STALLS AFTER 6 MONTHS DUE TO FOOT DRAGGING Six months after Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed a law allowing companies to grow and sell low-THC medical marijuana in the state for the first time, the program remains stalled because Kemp and other top politicians still haven’t appointed members of a commission to oversee the expansion, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Aides to Kemp, Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, and House Speaker David Ralston haven’t said why there still aren’t any members for the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission. Until they take action, the expansion is effectively mothballed.

House Bill 324 gave the seven-member Commission vast powers over the state’s medical Cannabis program, including selecting which businesses can grow the plant. The commission is also in charge of developing licensing requirements retailers must meet to sell medical Cannabis.

More than 50 candidates have already stepped forward seeking licenses.

The delay in appointing the commission is a big disappointment for patients and their families who celebrated the law’s passage, believing it would help provide much-needed treatment for severe seizures, terminal cancers, Parkinson’s disease, and other illnesses.

“It’s extremely frustrating for medically fragile patients to finally get a bill passed that allows the distribution of medical Cannabis oil, and then still be waiting on Governor Kemp to establish the commission,” said Blaine Cloud, whose daughter Alaina suffers from a severe form of epilepsy that could be treated by Cannabis.

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WEST COAST

GOV. NEWSOM’S CAUTIOUS APPROACH TO CANNABIS ANGERS CALIFORNIA LEGALIZATION ADVOCATES California Governor Gavin Newsom supported the campaign to legalize Cannabis in his state three years ago.

But he has since angered some industry figures and activists by refusing to allow medical marijuana in hospitals, and outlawing its use on tour buses and in limousines, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Newsom also signed several bills in October that will ease weed restrictions, including measures waiving taxes on free marijuana provided by charities to people with serious heath problems, and allowing parents to provide medicinal Cannabis products to their sick children on K-12 school campuses.

It was the governor’s first chance to act on marijuana laws since he supported the Prop 64 campaign in 2016, which successfully legalized recreational weed. By the October 13 deadline for the year, Newsom signed or vetoed more than a dozen pieces of marijuana legislation.

“The 2019 legislative session has been a mixed bag for the Cannabis industry, but with priority bills signed by the governor in the final hours, the industry is optimistic about future partnership with the administration,” said Lindsay Robinson, executive director of the California Cannabis Industry Association.

STORIES by STEVE ELLIOTT, AUTHOR OF THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF MARIJUANA

leafnationmd.com

House Bill 324 gave the seven-member Commission vast powers over the state’s medical Cannabis program, including selecting which businesses can grow the plant. The commission is also in charge of developing licensing requirements retailers must meet to sell medical Cannabis.

Recreational weed is legal in California, but local authorities continue their crackdown on black market marijuana dispensaries, reports ABC 7.

Complaints from residents in East Los Angeles about illegal dispensaries led to a massive response from the LA County Sheriff’s Department Narcotics Unit. Authorities raided two locations that had already been shut down previously.

“We have about 300 identified illegal dispensaries in unincorporated LA County,” said Captain Holly Francisco of the sheriff’s department. “We have closed approximately 140 of them.”

“When we take this off the market, this black market marijuana, it could save a life,” Francisco claimed.

After 21 months of legalization, there are 874 licensed dispensaries in California, according to the Bureau of Cannabis Control. An audit by the United Cannabis Business Association found there are almost 3,000 illegal dispensaries and delivery services in the state.

According to BDS Analytics, the legal Cannabis market is on track to reach $3.1 billion in 2019, but the illegal market will hit $8.7 billion.

national news

CALIFORNIA BATTLES ILLEGAL CANNABIS DISPENSARIES

national news

healthcare

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FREE CLONES FOR VETERANS This is not a cautionary tale. Sadly, especially for those who have served this great nation, we are in the midst the deadliest decade since World War II. We have lost more veterans to suicide this last decade than in every war the United States has fought since September 2, 1945 - the day World War II ended.

Depending on whom you speak with or what data you believe, we have lost anywhere between 60,000 and 80,000 American service men and women to suicide.

Sadly, these statistics come from the richest and most modern country in the world.

This approaching Veterans Day will be the last we celebrate this decade. During this time, Twenty22Many emerged and has been doing as much to end veteran suicide as it can as a small, all volunteer, nonprofit - most of which was made possible by the support we have received from the Cannabis community.

Looking to Cannabis to heal this deadly epidemic has been a journey, and nobody really knows where we are heading. If indeed there is a light at the end of this tunnel, we have yet to catch a glimpse.

When your job is to eliminate veteran suicide and still each and every day as many as 22 of your brothers and sisters continue to take their own lives, it’s profoundly difficult to measure any type of success. So, how can the Cannabis community make a difference in a veteran’s life?

NOV. 2019

And how can we know we are actually making a difference? Twenty22Many grew out of a patient advocacy project from the Washington state medical Cannabis dispensary, Rainier Xpress. Putting Cannabis in a veteran’s hands help them use far less medications - the ones that list overdose and suicide as their very side effects! But putting Cannabis in veteran’s hands does even more, as it provides a relationship that requires daily upkeep and a form of occupational therapy.

This is why every state needs a Free Clones for Veterans Project!

We believe there is no greater remedy and nothing more therapeutic and empowering to a veteran than being given the ability to grow their own natural medicine, and then use said medicine to heal themselves.

In just a short period of time, we’ve seen this project be incredibly effective in the healing process. Ultimately, this will get 8,000 Cannabis clones into the hands of 8,000 veterans.

As part of this fully comprehensive project, we will not only provide veterans with clones of some of the best genetics in the world, we will also provide them with seeds, lights, equipment, grow nutrients, grow classes, free medical Cannabis authorizations based upon income, and a 24/7 grow hotline.

This project has one single goal - to turn veterans into growers.

We believe there is no greater remedy and nothing more therapeutic and empowering to a veteran than being given the ability to grow their own natural medicine

H O W I T WO R K S

You may grow Cannabis in Washington state as a registered medical Cannabis patient. Every other month we offer $22 medical Cannabis authorization days, and free for homeless veterans. Once the veteran has received their legal patient card, they visit our Twenty22Many headquarters in downtown Olympia for initial consultation.

We always have amazing genetics readily available, either in the form of clones or seed.

The best part of this project is the fact that every clone, seed, light, barrel, reservoir and nutrient are all donated to us by the Cannabis community - the most compassionate and generous community in my eyes. For all the good and the bad in our industry, I have seen compassion win the day more times than not.

If not for compassion and the generosity of our Cannabis community, Twenty22Many would have packed up long ago. It is absolutely incredible how so many have come out of the woodwork to help us with the Free Clones for Veterans Project and we look forward to meeting more.

By PATRICK SEIFERT, TWENTY22MANY | TWENTY22MANY-OLYMPIA.ORG | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN

cannabis news

RAFFLE WINNER JACK GOODWIN

WITH GRATITUDE Special thanks to Seattle Children’s Hospital and NW Family for Autism for also being a part of the action.

Stay apprised for next year’s event through Northwest Leaf Magazine as we’ll be previewing the raffle in the spring.

And if you’d like to do something more immediately, please contact Helping Hands Food Bank at HelpingHandsFoodBank.org.

Special thanks to Russell Sign Company, Tanks Only and Cyclepath for their help getting the bike in mint condition.

Two Wheels Good

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E

xperienced entrepreneurs will tell you that when you start a business endeavor from scratch you should hold low expectations for success in your first two calendar years.

But then there are canna-preneurs.

And when these ambitious heat seekers put their minds to it and band together as part of collective organization, you can throw all that naysayer stuff out the window.

Unless you’re on a wicked, 2003 Hooligan hardtail chopper. Because you have no windows. Such was the case for this year’s winner of the First Annual Motorcycle Raffle, where Jack Goodwin from Lake Stevens took home the shiny machine with the purchase of one simple ticket.

The real winners, however, are the Helping Hands Food Bank who saw a nice uptick in their ability to feed

NOV. 2019

hungry kids. That’s right, $10,000 was hand-delivered, which equates to a lot of meals for those who aren’t yet old enough to get a job and fend for themselves. In fact, with the cost per pound of food for Helping Hands at just four cents, that equates to a lot of satisfied future leaders receiving sustenance and having the ability to learn.

After all, a hungry kid is a kid having a hard time focusing at school.

“It’s amazing what you can do when a village steps in,” says Rebecca Larsen, Executive Director of Helping Hands Solution Center.

This significant windfall, according to Larsen, has taken their ability to feed 100 kids a week to nearly 1500 with the help of the folks who put all this together - Floyd’s Cannabis founder, Justin Freet, and his associate, Rick Becker.

They were able to wrangle the likes of Rogue Raven Farms, Buddy Boy Farms,

CANNABIS COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER FOR HELPING HANDS FOOD BANK

Captain Chronic, Mister OG, and his own Floyd’s shops for this much-deserving cause.

The direct beneficiary is a program called CHOW, initiated by Helping Hands, where these children are delivered food with the help of Skagit Valley Herald drivers making their deliveries.

While the reality is that although they are provided meals at school, often there are bare cupboards at home on the weekends. All families are self-identifying, so there are no qualifications needed, just empty bellies. Freet and Becker had been supporters of CHOW for awhile, but when they realized how well the program was working, they got the idea of doing an auction on a bike.

Then on September 21st at the 3rd Annual Sedro Woolley Brewfest, the winning ticket was snatched up from the 2,000 that were sold all over the state in Cannabis establishments.

“We help each other out when we can, and everybody came together for this one. We’ve got the drive, the fun and the vision to pull this off for next year, too. It’s going to be bigger and better!” shouted Becker with delight.

STORY by MIKE RICKER @RICKERDJ | PHOTO by ROGUE RAVEN FARMS

expert OPINION

Harvest time is one of the most exciting times of the year for the Cannabis industry. For many licensees, the harvest season is the time of year where all or most of their Cannabis is made for the entire year. With increased production, many Cannabis licensees find themselves in a stressful position of dealing with growing pains (pun intended).

At this time of year it’s important to remember to not cut corners, which can put your business at risk.

First and foremost, do not create any True Party of Interest issues. It is common for licensees to need large influxes of money during harvest time to account for the increased needs of production, including employee wages, machines, supplies, packaging costs, and transportation.

Do not accept funds from investors who have not

Don’t let your entire year’s worth of work be ruined because you rushed the process in the final lap of the marathon.

been approved by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board prior to your receipt of the funds. Approval of financiers or new owners can take at least six weeks, so be sure to plan ahead.

Second, be sure to adhere to packaging and labeling requirements. Your end Cannabis consumer can only rely on your packaging for your product information, so be sure to have all of the standard Cannabis warnings on your labels and doublecheck the test results on your packaging to make sure they are correct. Finally, make sure the packaging is thick enough and is safe to use for Cannabis products.

Finally, be kind to your Cannabis. Be careful to dry, cure and store your Cannabis correctly, in order to avoid mold or mildew issues.

Once a crop is deemed unusable after test results, it cannot be used for human consumption. Don’t let your entire year’s worth of work be ruined because you

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BRING IT TO

BONNIE

rushed the process in the final lap of the marathon. Be smart, and make the best Cannabis product you can for this harvest season.

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.

CULTIVATING SUCCESS nwlEAF.COM

I T S E E M S L I K E T H E R U L E S A R E C O N S T A N T L Y C H A N G I N G R E G A R D I N G P E S T I C I D E U S E , A P P L I C AT I O N , A N D R E C O R D K E E P I N G . H O W D O I E N S U R E M Y P R O D U C T I O N FA C I L I T Y I S I N C O M P L I A N C E O N M Y M O S T R E C E N T H A R V E S T ?

THANKS FOR THIS VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION. Pesticide use on Cannabis plants is one of the most crucial parts of Cannabis production for many licensees, and one of the top safety concerns for many Cannabis consumers.

Especially considering recent events revolving around vaping and additives, consumers now more than ever are carefully choosing their Cannabis and Cannabis products. First, it is critical to understand what kinds of pesticides are allowed, which are prohibited, and what falls in between.

Under WAC 314-55-084(1), the only kinds of additives and pesticides that are allowed are pesticides registered by WSDA under chapter 15.58 RCW, commercial fertilizers registered by WSDA under chapter 15.54 RCW, and potting soil, crop production aids, soil amendments, and other growing media available commercially in the state of Washington.

Under WAC 314-55-084(2), plant growth regulators not allowed for use on food crops are not permitted on Cannabis production. Examples of these ingredients are Ancymidol, Chlormequat chloride, Clofencet, Colchicine, Colloidal silver, Daminozide, Dikegulac-sodium, Flumetralin, Flurprimidol, and Paclobutrazol. The insecticide DDVP, also known as Dichlorvos, is explicitly prohibited as well. Any other kind of crop production aid that is not

NOV. 2019

registered by WSDA under RCW 15.58 as described above is not permitted to be used on Cannabis crops. Once you determine the compliance of the pesticides and crop production aids, you must be sure to maintain proper records of pesticide application.

Under WAC 314-55-087(1)(f), licensees must maintain records of each daily application of pesticides applied to Cannabis. These records include the full name of each employee who applied the pesticide, the date the pesticide was applied, the name of the pesticide or product name listed on the registration label which was applied, the concentration and total amount of pesticide per plant; and for outdoor production, the concentration of pesticide that was applied to the field. The best way to maintain these records is to create a form for all employees when they apply any kind of crop production aid and to keep these records on file for at least three years.

Finally, after you ensure your business is in compliance with all pesticide and crop production aid regulations, it’s imperative to stay up-to-date on the current rules and any amendments thereto. The best way to get instant updates on any changes to the rules regarding pesticide use is to sign up on the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) at lcb.wa.gov.

STORY by BONNIE FONG, PARTNER, C3 LAW GROUP | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN

YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE GO TO

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EXPERT OPINION

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BY JERRY WHITING LeBlancCNE.com/podcast

Hempcrete

THE NEW UP AND COMER

nwlEAF.COM

Mention hemp to anyone these days and CBD is the first

They’re big and expensive and because hemp hasn’t been grown in the U.S. for decades, decordicators are hard to come by. thing that comes to mind. Keep talking about industrial Ideally, hemp grown for fiber should be close to the processing facility, or transportation costs eat into profits. Therein lies the hemp, and hempcrete is mentioned more than any other catch-22, as many aren’t growing for fiber without a way to separate hurd from bast, and with farmers growing large amounts of hemp for product. But what surprises me is that while many people the fiber market, decordicating one’s crop will remain expensive - if have tried hemp-based CBD products, hardly anyone has possible at all considering the logistics.

My advice? Farmers learn how to grow hemp using the current CBD even seen - let alone worked - with hempcrete. market as your learning curve. Read up on hemp for the fiber markets, both construction materials and textiles.

Start small, but grow hemp for fiber this summer. In many ways it will HEMPCRETE is a building material made from hemp hurds, the inside be similar to wheat, corn and other crops you’re already familiar with. of the stalks, and lime. It’s a lightweight insulating material that acts Explore potential buyers now, before you plant. Educate yourself and as a moisture regulator. While similar to concrete in some ways, share with other farmers. The market won’t take off until it scales, and it is not meant for weight bearing walls and cannot be used for a no one farmer alone can make this happen. building’s foundation. On the plus side, it isn’t as brittle as concrete It takes acreage to make money in hemp. Consider dual purpose and resists cracking under movement, making it ideal for earthquake crops. There are cultivars that produce seed for food and prone areas. oil, as well as stems for fiber. Cut the tops and shunt the We all know that hemp grows faster than trees, We all know that hemp seeds to some processors. Go back and cut the stems and requires fewer chemicals when grown, and it grows faster than trees, sell them to hempcrete processors. Dual use, dual sales. sequesters carbon. Yes, hemp clothing will soon be requires fewer chemicals We all know hemp is more than just CBD. the norm. But until then, hempcrete may be the plant when grown, and it If only a fraction of the current wood building materials fiber product to go mainstream first. are made with hemp, it’s still a lucrative market. If the The reality is that hemp is being grown for CBD sequesters carbon. Yes, buzz and chatter about hempcrete is any indication, the extraction, not fiber. It’s being grown for the flower, hemp clothing will soon market is there. Given the chance many will incorporate not the stalks. Farmers will have to plant fiber seeds, be the norm. But until hempcrete into construction projects large and small. Talk not CBD varieties. That’s the easy hurdle to cross. then, hempcrete may be about bragging rights! What’s cooler than a hemp wall?

Yes, planting for fiber makes harvesting with Who needs adobe when there’s hempcrete? Add bamboo machines easier, but what do you do then? the plant fiber product to furniture and you’ll be the envy of your friends. The planet Separating the stems into hurd (inside) and bast go mainstream first. will thank you too! (outside) requires a machine called a decordicator.

nov. 2019

PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS

“U High University” By @ffilmskii

This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming.

Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment.

Smoking is hazardous to your health.

Should not be used by women who are pregnant or breast feeding.

Do not operate a motor vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug.

There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product.

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.

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NOV. 2019

Health & science

VAPOR CRISIS

27

As the nation grapples with vaporizer related illnesses,

and states rush to fend off the next death, Northwest Leaf Editor Wes Abney wonders: Are our fears misplaced? of fruity and sweet flavors. Adding further light to his intention behind the ban, Gov. Inslee said, “Look, when you addict a 12-year-old kid to nicotine, you’re just wrong.”

What was missing from the decision was any mention of the illnesses and deaths in other states.

At time of print Washington has not had a single resident die from vaping, and only two reports of vapor related illness.

The entire catalyst for the crisis is missing in this state, nonetheless, flavored vaporizers are now denied to users seeking Cannabis recreationally and medicinally, and those who choose to vape instead of smoking cigarettes.

With no data to correlate and no death tolls adding up, it would seem that there is little justification for Governor Inslee’s action on flavored vapes.

Continues pg. 28

STORY by WES ABNEY/NORTHWEST LEAF @BEARDEDLORAX | PHOTO by DANIEL BRENNER @DANIELJBRENNER

nwlEAF.COM

THE AIR is slowly clearing following a historic flavored vaping ban that removed hundreds of thousands of Cannabis and nicotine products from Washington shelves, revealing a less than clear crisis around electronic vaporizing.

An international media frenzy erupted this fall as a mysterious illness tied to vaping claimed 33 lives, gripping the country in fear from a health scare that has been hazy to interpret.

Reactionary politicians in states around the country have enacted bans to further stoke the fires of fear, even as flavored vaporizing products continue to be sold internationally without illness or concerns.

When Washington State Governor, Jay Inslee, announced his executive order at an Olympia press conference to ban flavored vaporizers on September 27 he said, “These kids get hooked,” [on flavored e-cigarettes] in an unfiltered assault on industry use

Health & science

VAPOR CRISIS Continued from pg. 27

What’s in a Name?

nwlEAF.COM

28

The last 20 years have ushered technology into the Cannabis and tobacco worlds, changing how products are sold and consumed. And while these innovations in inhalation were once considered an underground culture for early e-cigarette users, they’ve now developed into a term of art for a multi billion dollar industry.

The confusion lies in the ambiguity of vaping in both pop culture and practice.

What is vaping? Websters defines it as “the action or practice of inhaling and exhaling the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device.” This vague definition has been applied defacto to a category of thousands of types of products between the tobacco and Cannabis industries. Does it mean vaping nicotine e-juice? Or using a cartridge to vaporize Cannabis extracts? What about traditional vaporizing of dried herbs or flowers? People have been vaping Cannabis flower, concentrates and e-cig juices for over a decade without deaths or incident. With mainstream media focusing almost exclusively on nicotine-based vaping and the threat to our youth, an entire conversation surrounding the categories of vaping has been overlooked.

Banned Vape Flavors in Washington Fruit, Chocolate, Vanilla, Honey Candy, Cocoa Dessert. Alcohol Menthol, Mint Wintergreen Herb, Spice

NOV. 2019

The modern concept of an e-cigarette began in 2003 in China, although tobacco companies have been developing aerosolized options since the 60s.

Vaping emerged as a safe alternative to tobacco in the last decade, exploding into an unregulated industry with major conglomerates and mom-andpop companies alike mixing and selling e-juice.

During that same period, Cannabis concentrates started appearing in cartridges - blending the world of vaping into two distinct categories. Cannabis and nicotine. With over 95% of cartridges, flavors and products being manufactured in China, the lack of regulation and oversight that allowed vaping to flourish is not comparable in modern society to any other vice-related product. But with no deaths, and many people crediting vaping to helping quit cigarettes, it’s amazing that it took until 2019 for people to get sick. As the death toll began to rise in September, one common link began to reveal itself amongst all the cases. One that has been almost completely ignored by regulators and media alike - black market weed carts.

Illegal Cartridge Sales This September I was in Florida recording an episode of Leaf Life Podcast about the ensuing Vapor Gate crisis, and I made a statement that has proven haunting: “The only good thing to be said about [the crisis] is that Cannabis hasn’t been blamed yet.”

Within weeks of the vaping crisis the media coverage was pushing the narrative towards flavors and children, while police around the country began raiding and shutting down massive black market cartridge operations. From Minnesota, where a raid netted 77,000 illegal carts worth $3.8m, to New Jersey, Phoenix, and even licensed California Cannabis companies, illegal cartridges have been found and distributed around the country. Often filled with cutting agents like Vitamin E acetate or harmful solvents, cartridges have been found with everything from CBD and THC to synthetic Cannabis, or flavors and nicotine without any drugs at all.

“Through e-cartridges, we now have a pathway where our children can ingest literally any drug,” Sheriff Penzone of Phoenix said in an interview last month.

“That creates a whole new challenge for us that we’ve never seen in the past.”

A recent bust in California involved a CBD “pioneer” - Janell Thompson - who created the Yolo brand of vaporizers, full of synthetic Cannabis marketed as CBD, that has been linked to multiple deaths in the UK. Thompson was operating a legal Cannabis brand, selling tested and clean cartridges locally, and then shipping contaminated products under the Yolo brand nationally - leading to hundreds of cases of sickness from the synthetic ingredients. What was once a low priority item for law enforcement suddenly became a priority, even as regulated sales of e-cigarettes and legal Cannabis cartridges continued around the country without impact or illness.

“Honestly, I think we kind of missed the boat a little bit because we’ve been dealing with opioids,” said Chief Fusaro of Groton, Connecticut police.

“In some respects, we didn’t see this coming.”

Lawsuits in Washington and Oregon Shaping the Cannabis Industry For licensed and regulated manufacturers of Cannabis and nicotine cartridges, the last several months have been a rollercoaster with no end, and a lot of casualties outside of hospitals.

Last month Puyallup Tribal Police Officer Charles Wilcoxen, 44, filed his lawsuit in Pierce County Superior Court, two weeks after getting sick with a vaping illness his lawyers claim was tied to legal Cannabis products. Beside the fact that an officer was using narcotics, the real blow to the Cannabis industry was that he blamed regulated products.

His lawsuit blamed every single cartridge he had used over the last year, with no direct correlation to a specific product. The response was immediate on a regulatory level as Wilcoxen’s attorney, Mark Lindquist, is a former Pierce County prosecutor known for an anti-Cannabis stance, voted out of office after using taxpayer funds to defend multiple claims of misconduct.

“We regulate beer, we regulate bourbon, we regulate just about everything Americans consume and millions of Americans consume marijuana,” he said.

“There’s urgency to the issue - people are being injured every day.”

Lindquist has been out of the headlines since leaving office, but found a way to continue his anti-marijuana stance by pressing a lawsuit without a direct cause against myriad Cannabis manufacturers, and the effects were felt around the industry.

Days after the lawsuit was announced, Gov. Inslee announced his ban on flavored vape products, which have not been tied to any illnesses, and continue to have no effect on the illegal sale of cartridges nationally. The ban gave the tobacco and Cannabis industry less than two weeks to remove all flavored products from shelves around the state.

For Cannabis and vaporizer companies, the ban has had a tremendous impact. Companies that have been selling these products for as long as a

“It is also important to note that flavored alcohol products like whipped cream and Fruit Loop flavored vodkas are still sold in stores where children are exposed to alcohol marketing nationally, including options directly appealing to children like alcoholic root beer and orange soda.” decade without incident suddenly found their products illegal, and consumers who choose them were left out of luck. Oregon Public Broadcasting noted that 3,400 jobs were lost or threatened in Washington in the nicotine vaping segment alone, and small to large Washington Cannabis companies alike are feeling the pain of the ban.

“We are advocating for science-based decision and policymaking,” Lara Kaminsky, Executive Director of The Cannabis Alliance told The Stranger.

“There has been no evidence to show that only allowing Cannabis-derived terpenes is safer.”

Oregon Governor, Kate Brown, followed Washington’s lead with a vape ban in October that was quickly halted by the court of appeals after pushback from the Cannabis and nicotine industries. But the ban only halts action on nicotine, leaving Oregon Cannabis brands to suffer the effects of knee-jerk regulation.

“Governor Brown continues to urge Oregonians to heed the public health warning of the Oregon Health Authority and to stop vaping immediately,” press secretary Charles Boyle wrote in response to the ban reversal.

What’s Banned in Washington & Oregon?

The difference in dispensary and vaping shelves over the last several weeks is striking.

All Cannabis products flavored with non-Cannabis derived terpenes or flavors are banned for at least six months in both states, with no remedy in sight for businesses and consumers affected by the loss of products.

In addition to Cannabis products, Washington has also banned all flavoring in e-liquids beyond traditional tobacco flavors. The list of banned flavors includes menthol, a long standing cigarette flavor. The only flavors allowed in Cannabis products in both states must come from the Cannabis plant.

While purists and connoisseurs alike might celebrate this action, the economic impact of lost jobs, plus sales and tax revenues will affect many lives and cost millions of dollars, without addressing the cause of the illnesses directly. Black market vapes made consumers sick, and the ban increases the viability of black market sales by forcing consumers outside of regulated storefronts and back into the shadows of the illegal cartridge market.

It is also important to note that flavored alcohol products like whipped cream and Fruit Loop flavored vodkas are still sold in stores where children are exposed to alcohol marketing nationally, including directly appealing to children via options like alcoholic root beer and orange soda.

If you or your company have been affected by the vapor ban in the Pacific Northwest we want to hear from you!

Please email Wes Abney at nwleaf@gmail.com with your story to help change the narrative on this subject, and help overturn nonscientific bans on products that consumers have a right to choose.

Moving Forward To claim the bans have not affected the public health crisis is something that only time will offer clarity to, although the signals coming from the top are crystal clear.

“We don’t have evidence at the moment that the flavoring chemistry itself is the reason for the disease,” Governor Inslee said in September. “But it is the reason for the disease in the first place, because it is hooking our kids on the product in the first place.”

If the flavors aren’t making people sick, and the Governor admits there is no science correlating the illness to the banned products, the case for a reversal is clear. Vapor Gate in the Pacific Northwest has nothing to do with health, or safety.

A classic example of baseless regulation to maintain the appearance of action, the effects of the ban will be told not in illnesses - but in lost jobs, lost revenues, and an ultimate loss of trust for the regulators and the products they are bound to oversee in a fact-based manner. Time will be the true judge of Vapor Gate, even as the media has moved on to the next hot topic of the day.

U.S. Annual Deaths by Category

Cigarettes 480,000 Alcohol 88,000 Automobile Crashes 40,000 Prescription Overdose 70,000 Shot by Law Enforcement 998 Vapor Illness 33 Cows 20

STORY by WES ABNEY/NORTHWEST LEAF @BEARDEDLORAX | PHOTO BY DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS

29

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northwest leaf budtender of the month YOU O R IG I NAL LY WO R K E D I N T H E VI DE O G RAP H Y F I E L D . HOW DI D YOU R T RAN S I T IO N TO CAN NAB I S HAP P E N ?

I shopped here and had a friend who introduced me to the owner, Maryam [Mirnateghi]. Once we started talking Cannabis, she threw me an opportunity and I stuck with it. I mean, why not?

D O YOU EV E R SE E YOU R SE L F US I NG CAN NAB I S WI T H YOU R FAT H E R ? He’s retiring soon and

I think they’re moving to Vegas, so I think it’s going to happen at some point. I want it to happen.

DI D YOU SE E YOU R SE L F EV E R B E I NG I N T H I S I N DUST RY ?

“THERE’S A LOT There’s a lot of Cannabis OF CANNABIS being grown in Kentucky BEING GROWN where I’m from, so a lot IN KENTUCKY of my friends who wanted WHERE I’M FROM, to be a part of the new SO A LOT OF MY legalization movement FRIENDS WHO ended up moving to WANTED TO BE A California. When I went PART OF THE NEW out for a visit, I ended LEGALIZATION up seeing a number MOVEMENT of those facilities and took a great interest in ENDED UP it then. So yeah, I had a MOVING TO subconscious directive in CALIFORNIA.”

32

mind, I suppose.

S O , K E N T UC KY I S N ’ T J UST K N OWN F O R B L U EG RAS S ?

No, they’ve got the greenest of grasses, as well.

YOU R FA M I LY I S O R IG I NAL LY F RO M I RAN .

WHAT I S T H E I R O P I N IO N O F WHAT YOU D O F O R A L IVI NG N OW ?

nwlEAF.COM

angle of how the plant helps people. That is the angle. It’s the reason I’m in it - because I’ve seen it help people with different issues in many ways.

Well, to be honest with you, I wasn’t forthcoming with what I was doing for a living in Washington. But they came to visit me this year, and to my surprise, they were quite open to it. In fact, my dad was quite interested in the industry. He saw a future in it.

CANNA WEST SEATTLE 5440 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA | (206) 466-1465 | CannaWestSeattle.com

nov. 2019

WHAT D O YOU T H I N K T H E Y WOUL D TE L L FA M I LY M E M B E R S I N I RAN AB OU T YOU R CAR E E R ?

I think they would tell it from the

WHAT I S I T YOU LOV E M OST AB OU T B U D TE N DI NG ?

It’s getting to talk with the people and helping them find relief, and then seeing them come back to let me know how well it worked for them. That makes everything worth it.

WHAT I S YOU R P R E F E R R E D M E T H OD O F US I NG CAN NAB I S LATE LY , AN D WH IC H I S T H E L UC KY P RODUC T ?

For the past two years it has been concentrates, dabbing straight off a nail. Lately I’ve been using SubX and I’ve been really happy with their live resin.

I F YOU COUL D S M O K E A B L UN T AN Y WH E R E I N T H E WO R L D , WH E R E WOUL D I T B E ? It would have

to be either Fiji or Tahiti. A totally secluded island.

N OT I N I RAN ?

Not so much, no. I mean, if there weren’t any politics involved, then absolutely. Maybe some ancient Persian ruins, or some of the castles they have there - I would be totally down with that.

INTERVIEW by MIKE RICKER @RICKERDJ | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS

PHOTO BY @BERMANPHOTOS

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CANNAZONE Bellingham Mon-Thurs 8am-10pm Fri. & Sat. 8am-11pm Sun. 8:30a-10pp

NOV. 2019

5655 GUIDE MERIDIAN B, BELLINGHAM, WA | (360) 392-8069 | CANNAZONEBELLINGHAM.COM

AMBIENCE Sometimes entering a pot shop can feel like a small vacation. So, being in snow country, the objective for the purveyors of this fine gathering place was to create the feeling of a lodge, where you can stretch out your feet on some comfortable couches and take in the seasonal accoutrement. With wood floors and columns that create the aura of being surrounded by nature, the stresses of the busy life outside momentarily disappear, the precursor to the warmth you’ll soon feel at your own home after you’ve gathered your bounty. They even sell unique, hand-crafted wood tobacco pipes if you’ve got a warm fire and good book awaiting.

PRODUCT SELECTION What makes for a thoughtful Cannabis shop is when the curators of the selection provide something for every budget. CannaZone really hits this target, starting with every strain of flower, cart and pre-roll offered by Artizen. One exceptional favorite in the edible selection are the Blue Roots Cake Bites - don’t overlook these tasty treats! First and foremost, CannaZone is very proud to offer a wide selection of CBD products due to 75% of their clientele being above the age of 40, as they recognize the many benefits that help with people’s daily ailments.

HISTORY & VALUES CannaZone’s owner, Juliethe Jreidge, is originally from Colombia and her husband is Lebanese, so she felt the importance of recognizing the diversity of cultures accepted into the Cannabis fold, and to integrate that openness into the way she develops her stores. And with the shop as close as it is to Canada, you’ll see that CannaZone is a shining representation of the melting pot that exemplifies the receptiveness of Cannabis. And speaking of Canada, one of the most common inquiries taken at CannaZone from our northern visitors is, “Is there a place I can smoke this?”

Soon, friends, soon…

BUDTENDERS & SPECIALS “Always represent the customer by being a walking menu.”

When a budtender tells you that, you know customer service is a priority. “And there’s nothing more gratifying than to see relief on people’s faces when they return with their friends and family proclaiming that they feel better from recent product suggestions.” Yes, this is the life of a good budtender.

And it isn’t difficult for the ones at CannaZone, with specials like Morning Flower with 15% off all bud from 8-10 all week.

Also, from 7:10-close you’re in the Late-Night Dab Club with 15% off all concentrates, and Waxy Wednesdays you get 25% off all concentrates. And lastly, why call it a senior discount when you can call it a wisdom discount?!

QUICK HIT Tucked just beneath the belt of the international border with Canada is a unique, stand-alone structure housing two competing Cannabis retail shops that have found the benefit of coming together for the greater good of the people that support it. One of these forward-thinking environs holds the philosophy that so long as Cannabis lovers leave happy and properly suited, their goal has been accomplished.

REVIEW by MIKE RICKER @RICKERDJ | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS

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Ripping into a bowl sends a quick tingle of sativa euphoria to the mind, settling into a stoney yet energetic hybrid high.

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The flowers have a solid density with a healthy covering of trichomes and a well cured stickiness that lingers on the fingers after snapping a juicy nugget open. Ripping into a bowl sends a quick tingle of sativa euphoria to the mind, settling into a stoney yet energetic hybrid high that is both calm and happy at the same time. It brightens up a crisp Fall day, where smoking a bowl outside for a daytime buzz will result in heightened sensory awareness and a happy-go-lucky attitude, perfect for fighting off the onset of a Pacific Northwest Winter.

CannaSol Farms began growing recreational Cannabis in 2014 using no pesticides, chemicals or synthetic inputs in their plants. Founder Jeremy Moberg is a passionate advocate for clean Cannabis, and has used his platform as a grower to advocate for sungrown Cannabis and growing Orca Safe, using no electricity from hydroelectric dams.

CannaSol is a perfect example of how well Cannabis can be grown outdoors in Washington state, with all the flavor and none of the artificial inputs that come with most commercial indoor gardens.

Look for CannaSol Farms products at your favorite recreational dispensary, and give sungrown Cannabis a try as we celebrate our Fall harvest season!

CannaSol.net @CannaSolFarms

Available from Ganja Goddess, Cascade Herb Co. and Walla Walla Weed Co.

REVIEW by WES ABNEY @BEARDEDLORAX | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS

the HARVEST ISSUE

EPHRATA, WASHINGTON

FUTURE GREENHOUSE

WHILE THE LEGAL CANNABIS GAME IS A LITTLE SAFER THAN THE HILLS OF HUMBOLDT IN THE GRAY MARKET MEDICAL DAYS, THE CHALLENGES OF GROWING WEED HAVEN’T LESSENED IN ANY WAY.

nwlEAF.COM

44

ACME DIESEL BROTHERS & COFOUNDERS MYER & JACK GOLD

NOV. 2019

BCD

In

PLUSHBERRY

BLUE CITY DIESEL & OG WRECK

XJ 13, A JACK HERER CROSS

the heart of Washington’s central agricultural zone is a farm with roots in Humboldt and a leadership team focused on delivering high-end sungrown Cannabis in a pristine environment.

Acme Diesel is a family affair, with brothers Myer, Solomon and Jack Gold working to manage a trio of tier 3 grows in Ephrata.

Raised in the Seattle suburb of Edmonds, Myer took off to Oakland, California as a high school senior in a search for adventure that would become a lifelong passion and career in growing Cannabis.

“My mom was diagnosed with cancer when I turned 18, so I started growing medical Cannabis,” Myer said.

“I was growing herb in the Oakland hills, so the whole medical aspect played a huge part in my life,” he shared.“Then it became my passion! I’ve always been a grower and mad scientist. I do a lot of it by feel and touch, getting my hands dirty.”

After spending years working in the hills growing medical Cannabis, including working with legendary breeder Ken Estes, creator of the strain Grand Daddy Purple, he turned his eyes back home and began a legal Cannabis grow in 2016.

“I have 12 years of growing experience in Humboldt, and went to Humboldt State University to get my degree in geography and liberal studies,” Myer said passionately. “But my real degree was in the streets and the hills, on the side of a mountain with binders of medical prescriptions, no cell service and turkey bags filled with weed.”

While the legal Cannabis game is a little safer than the hills of Humboldt in the gray market medical days, the challenges of growing weed haven’t lessened in any way The brothers bought the property that houses their grows five years ago and spent about two years building infrastructure and fighting for permits before a single plant was ever planted.

“Growing out here and learning how to adapt to the environment was grueling after coming from Humboldt,” Jack explained.

“It was a lot of hours and running crews all day and all night, with neither of us taking a break for the last couple years. A lot of blood, sweat and tears, you know?”

Both brothers lived in a house on an unlicensed part of the property for the first several years, waking up each morning on the farm and putting in the long hours it takes to bring a quality product to market.

For younger brother Jack, the opportunity to work with Myer in Washington was a special opportunity.

“Every summer since I was in college I was apprenticing under Myer. I saw how the business of weed worked down there, so in many ways coming up here was an evolution of our experiences. The rules made certain things easier, but the business end of legal pot is a whole different thing,” Jack intoned.

“I started trimming for my bro and went from there to water, to soil, to cuts and

clones. One step at a time, and throughout the years I became a grower,” he said.

Walking into the pristine rows of plants on the farm is testament to the care and knowledge the brothers have for the plants they spend months nurturing.

The field featured on the cover of our magazine began as clones in late May, heading into the field in July to begin the growing process.

The first six weeks the plants were accelerated into growth using light deprivation techniques, which involves pulling tarps over the rows of plants to simulate a 12-12 cycle of sunlight and darkness.

“It’s an old Humboldt secret to speed up the growth and help flip the plants into flower,” Myer explained, squeezing a thick cola of Blue City Diesel and giving an approving nod. “I learned this through my medical work with patients, becoming a plant warrior for the sick before I ever grew commercially.”

Once the plants are fully into flower, the light dep tarps are left on the ground, and the plants finish as full term outdoor plants that are harvested in mid-October.

The plants thrive with the early surge of growth before settling into the long summer days of August and September, with the beautiful sunny and dry climate of Ephrata.

The Blue City Diesel did especially well, with beautiful purple buds covered in pink hairs and tons of trichomes.

The Plushberry thrived in the garden as well, with bright green leaves and purple buds that have a beautiful color contrast and a sweet, fruity flavor.

“There’s a million ways to grow Cannabis, but we found this worked really well this year,” Myer said excitedly.

Just behind the outdoor garden is a massive greenhouse ready to go into production in 2020 and deliver Acme Diesel flower yearround, in a controlled environment.

While the trio of brothers are focused heavily on the future and providing Cannabis to the Washington market, Myer still carries the activist attitude into the garden after all the years spent fighting for freedom for a medicinal plant.

“The times have changed. We are outside of the redwood curtain and it’s mainstream, socially acceptable and legal, and it feels great to provide such a service to the community. Now people have accessibility to medical and recreational Cannabis, which is really important to create social change.”

With this year’s harvest wrapped up and the plants curing and preparing for sales statewide, the brothers can finally breathe and celebrate their success. The Acme Diesel team is already making plans for next Spring when the 2020 plants will hit the dirt.

“It felt really fulfilling after years of hard work culminating in the fruits of our labor, to harvest the plants this year was a great experience. We’re going to keep building and reworking, and never stop growing weed.

It’s what we love to do.”

ACME-DIESEL.COM | @ACMEDIESEL

INTERVIEW by WES ABNEY @BEARDEDLORAX | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS

45

the HARVEST ISSUE

QUINCY, WASHINGTON

46

GORGE GOLD

STEPPING BEYOND THE GATES AND INTO THE GROW IS AN AWE-INSPIRING EXPERIENCE, AS GORGE GOLD HOUSES SOME OF THE LARGEST CANNABIS PLANTS IN THE STATE.

\BLUE DREAM

nwlEAF.COM

PURPLE SOUR DIESEL

GARDEN MANAGER ERIK NELSON

NOV. 2019

DEDICATED TRIMMERS

T

he biggest difference between a plant and a tree is that you typically can’t smoke trees, although, the over 14-foot-tall Cannabis plants at Gorge Gold push the limit of how big a plant can actually be.

The Central Washington grow site in Quincy is within a few hundred yards of a gas station and the delicious Sage Coffee House and Bistro, where we stopped for a tasty bacon and caffeine filled fuel-up before walking amongst the giant plants that peek over green tinted security fencing. Stepping beyond the gates and into the grow is an awe-inspiring experience, as Gorge Gold houses some of the largest Cannabis plants in Washington state.

The farm sits on the sandy remnants of the Missoula Floods that occurred during the last ice age, when what was once the world’s largest lake burst to create the Columbia Gorge, leaving behind a rich sandy soil perfect for growing Cannabis. The plants are dug right into the soft mix, with their roots reaching deep into the native soil for a natural growing environment.

HARVEST IN THE AIR

RIPPED BUBBA

AK47 AND BLUE DREAM

We toured the garden as the fourth annual harvest was just commencing, with a team of 20 helpers cutting down plants, bucking leaves and preparing the plants for drying and trimming.

For Garden Manager Erik Nelson, the experience of managing over 1,700 plants is a lot like traditional farming.

“It’s the same as the folks growing tomatoes or corn, we all deal with the same factors of weather and the harvest,” he said, explaining the unusually cold weather and high winds had made this year’s harvest a stressful process.

“It was gorgeous all summer long and in late September it took a turn for the worse. It was an absolute panic, but we came together as a team and made it through the season.”

Walking through the giant plants waving in the warm October wind, it’s hard to imagine the carnage of an early freeze and winds big enough to blow plants completely over. Farming is a guessing game when it comes to factors outside of mortal controls, which is what makes finishing a season all the more special.

“It feels good to be at the end! We will have 3,500 to 4,000 pounds in dry weight by the time we are done. It takes about a month of constant trimming with our Trim Broz machine to work through the crop,” he explained.

“About 80% of the harvest will be sold as flower and the other 20% will be used for extraction to be turned into diamonds and sauce.”

From the start of May when clones are planted in the soft soil, to the end of October when harvest is ready, the whole company is focused on the singular goal of cutting down the best plants possible. Now that the harvest is complete, yet another cycle begins - bringing the beautiful outdoor flowers to market. Look for Gorge Gold at your favorite retailer, and give this year’s outdoor harvest a taste!

GORGEGOLD.COM | @GORGEGOLD206

INTERVIEW by WES ABNEY @BEARDEDLORAX | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS

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CULTA SUNGROWN

OUTDOOR, ORGANIC, NO-TILL, SUNGROWN MEDICAL CANNABIS HAS COME TO THE EAST COAST AT LAST, AND IT’S NO SURPRISE T HAT CULTA IS LEADING THE CHARGE.

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CAMBRIDGE, MARYLAND

NOV. 2019

EVERYONE HAS AN OPINION on indoor versus outdoor grown product, and I am not here to tell you which growing method produces the best Cannabis. However, I am here to tell you that indoor and outdoor grown products have different attributes and require different methodologies, genetic varieties, and people to cultivate it.

The endeavor that is an outdoor farm comes with a whole world of obstacles and challenges that indoor growers barely have to consider, and given

that medical Cannabis has not been cultivated outdoors legally on the East Coast since prohibition, most of the best outdoor medical varieties have been bred for the West Coast climate or indoor systems.

To pioneer this daunting challenge, one of Culta’s own, Dave Myrowitz, stepped up to the role of Culta’s new Director of Outdoor Cultivation.

This noticeably positive and happy dude was kind enough to take us around the one acre plot of plants that

“The endeavor that is an outdoor farm comes with a whole world of obstacles and challenges that indoor growers barely have to consider, and given that medical Cannabis has not been cultivated outdoors legally on the East Coast since prohibition, most of the best outdoor medical varieties have been bred for the West Coast climate or indoor systems.”

they had just begun harvesting, and show us everything he has accomplished this season.

As you might imagine, with Culta resources in his corner, Dave was able to accomplish quite a lot.

Their new outdoor garden is approximately one acre of no-till, live soil beds with dozens of cultivars in varying stages of their flowering cycle.

I mentioned that Dave and his team had just started their harvest, meaning that some of the sickly and early flow-

ering plants were chopped, leaving hundreds of the larger cultivars for our viewing pleasure. As Dave explained his setup, you could really see his love, pride and excitement over the living organisms under his care oozing out of his being - exactly the sort of attitude you want in someone growing your medicine!

With 48 different, 120-foot hand assembled live soil beds - totalling over 240 tons of hand mixed live soil, giving life to over 50 different cultivars

IN THE FIELD

and over 500 different phenotypes - Culta required someone with a strong work ethic and true passion for sungrown Cannabis to make something happen in uncharted waters.

And while granted they only just started their harvest and plenty of things can still go wrong, they have a fully functioning acre of outdoor Cannabis growing from scratch with almost no time to spare.

Now, Dave is a very humble and positive guy - very quick to give praise and credit to the people around him. But as HEAD GROWER someone who has helped start DAVE MYROWITZ up my own fair share of grows, I cannot understate the amount of work needed to be done, and be done well. I am quite positive that Dave slaved over this acre plot on a 24/7 schedule for months at a time, with nothing more than a smile on his face and his sleeves rolled up.

In a world where so much profit can be made by cutting corners and dropping your quality standards, it’s truly refreshing to have a company that took the time to cultivate leaders like Dave who are dedicated to the production of clean and safe medicine, the hallmark of true Cannabis quality.

Finding that kind of passion in the emerging corporate Cannabis world is rare, and both Culta and Dave have that energy in spades.

In this case, it’s Dave’s leadership and grow design itself that is the product, since this is an experimental grow after all. Meaning that before we can count on a consistently fire outdoor grown product, we first must decipher what to grow and how to grow it in the Maryland environment. This requires an experimental grow and a good old-fashioned pheno-hunt, in which the best suited Cannabis genetics are found, stabilized, and propagated to Maryland’s specific terroir.

In short, it is Dave’s responsibility to not just grow product, but to grow literally hundreds of phenotypes of dozens of strain varieties, track their metrics throughout the year, and zero in on one or two phenotypes from four or five strain varieties to breed into stable lines. To do this, Dave chose a no-till setup which minimizes their environmental impact, a live soil feeding bed which brings their plant inputs down to just water, and hand assembling/ mixing everything.

Cannabis has been a lifelong passion for Dave and I am quite confident in his ability to steer the direction of East Coast outdoor medical Cannabis towards one that reflects the needs and standards of the patient community.

With his dedication to quality, organic and sustainable Cannabis, Maryland patients have nothing but the promise of increasing amounts of consistent relief for any number of ailments.

STORY by TAYLOR MARTIN @MDCANNAINSIDER | PHOTOS by WYATT EARLY @ERRLYWYATT | CULTA.IO

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TKO RESERVE

BLUE CITY COOKIES

NOV. 2019

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decade ago, Allie and Charlie Cassidy couldn’t have possibly predicted that their Seattle-based medical Cannabis delivery service would lead them to Oregon. Yet in 2015, when the burgeoning recreational industry dampened the Washington medical market, the couple embarked on a journey that transformed them into influential pioneers of the Oregon Cannabis industry.

“It was a blessing in disguise,” Allie said. “We took the plunge and moved down here.”

Now they feel right at home in the rolling Rogue Valley hills, tending to full-term and hybrid greenhouse gardens, living among the trees and their transitioning harvest-time colors, producing flowers that earn hard-won respect among the region’s Cannabis connoisseurs.

CREATING A CANNA-SANCTUARY After making their home in the Rogue, the Cassidys quickly grew their farm family. Not with people, mind you, but with friends that were a bit, well, furrier.

“It just kind of happened,” Allie said. “It all started because we wanted alpacas for our compost.”

In short, TKO has cultivated a second life as an animal rescue sanctuary, all because they wanted alpaca fur. The oil-rich fur combines with the other organic matter generated by the farm to create nutrient-rich compost. The Cassidys came across a sanctuary in Jacksonville that was housing some rescued alpacas, and decided to take some home.

“We only wanted one or two, and we ended up leaving with all eight of them,” Allie said. “They totally play a role in everything we do.

They contribute to our compost, they mow down our fields.”

WALKING THE ROWS OF FULL-TERM CANNABIS ON TKO RESERVE’S FARM IS A PHENO-HUNTER’S DREAM.

Fast-forward to the present, and aside from alpacas, the farm has 30 rescued chickens, a few head of steer, and a couple of pigs that would make Wilbur jealous. >> TKO RESERVE PG. 52

OWNERS CHARLIE & ALLIE CASSIDY

STORY by TOM BOWERS @PROPAGATECONSULTANTS | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS

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TKO RESERVE

DRAGON PISS

CONTINUED FROM PG. 51

STRAIN HUNTING On our visit, the farm’s dozen outdoor rows were packed with 20 strains comprising more than 400 phenotypes. All the colors and smells of the rainbow - some of which can probably make you smell colors.

The farm crew will collect pollen and keep clones for breeding the best of the best, so TKO can keep ahead of the curve on bringing new strains to market.

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They’re currently working through some killer phenos. On our visit, we were blown away by a sweetly spiced Jaeger, sticky Superglue, and an absolutely stunning Blue City Cookies (White Tahoe Cookies x Blue City Diesel), with dark leaves and bright purplish-pink pistils.

When you ask Charlie what he’s most excited for, his face lights up and he immediately mentions the Unicorn Piss — ZOZ BX Skittlez crossed with Cat Piss. But he’s really excited for a Banana OG x Do-Si-Dos cross, plus a strain they’re calling Slurp Juice.

LA CONFIDENTIAL X CHERRY PIE

NOV. 2019

“It’s just so resinous, it’s insane,” he said of the Papaya x Purple Punch plant, which, along with the Banana OG x Do Si Dos, is a collaboration with Deo Farms. “But I won’t know my favorite until we harvest.”

20 STRAINS & 400 PHENOTYPES

CLARISSA WALDON, PAULA NEALEY AND TERRI THOMAS TRIMMING MASTER KUSH HEMP LAST MONTH

CULTIVATING THE FUTURE Though they still hang their hats on THC-rich Cannabis, the crew at TKO Reserve jumped into the CBD-rich hemp flower game in 2018.

They own multiple hemp farms in multiple states, and currently farm 8:1 hemp to Cannabis on their home farm in the Rogue Valley.

But Charlie doesn’t see that as the future of TKO. “We’re just practicing for THC on a large scale,” he said while walking the rows of beautiful full-term THC-rich genetics that make TKO famous.

FARM LIFE

The Cassidys and TKO Reserve plan to keep innovating in the strain game long into the future. Fans of their Mochi Gelato will be happy to hear that.

TKORESERVE.COM | @TKO.OREGON

STORY by TOM BOWERS @PROPAGATECONSULTANTS | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS

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MEDFORD, OREGON

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URBAN PHARMS NOV. 2019

GROW OPS MANAGER CARSEN MACIAG, LEFT, AND OWNER SETH MARSH, WITH SOME OF THEIR 15-FOOT TALL PLANTS.

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icturesquely situated between two wineries in Oregon’s beautiful Rogue Valley lies one of the most impressive Cannabis growing operations we’ve come across to date.

Despite there being well over 1,000 production licenses issued to hundreds of farms across the state, Urban Pharms is truly a uniquely scaled and professional operation, headed by owner Seth Marsh and Grow Operations Manager Carsen Maciag. While Urban Pharms currently operates a single tier 2 license at their Medford property, the additional infrastructure and how they’ve constructed the grow makes the operation feel significantly larger.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the farm’s full-time security guard, who manages the flow of workers and visitors into and out of the licensed portion of the facilities each day. We furnished IDs and made our way onto the farm.

As we approached the field, a frenzy of activity unfolded before us. Dozens of laborers, mostly seasonal labor, were harvesting, bucking, big leafing and hanging plants as fast as they could.

With an ant-like flow, plants were being cut and driven over to big tables, where teams of workers would then buck down branches, remove the water leaf, and stack the flowers in bins. Once a bin was filled, it was snatched up and transported to Urban Pharms’ brand new drying facilities, where they were then emptied and hung onto one of dozens of large metal racks suspended from the ceiling of each room.

With five rooms in total capable of drying a staggering 40,000 pounds of freshly harvested Cannabis, Urban Pharms’ new drying facilities are decked out and ready for scale. With plans to add a second tier 2 license on an adjacent plot next year, they’ll need every square inch of the 8,000 square feet of drying space they added this year to pull off a successful harvest. >> URBAN PHARMS PG. 56

STORY by NATE WILLIAMS @NATEW415 PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS

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verything about the operation is big.

Their custom built greenhouses for propagation and vegetative stage plants are over 20 feet tall. The in-house made grow pots hold a whopping 360 gallons per pot. The field in which all the plants are in is big seven acres big to be exact - and the property itself is a sprawling 290 acre plot.

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The team plants not one, two, or three, but four plants into each pot, each of which are grown out into massive Cannabis trees. The plants clearly love their homes as these are some of the largest ladies we’ve encountered anywhere, with some plants reaching 15 feet tall or larger. Each 360 gallon pot has been expertly placed so that afternoon and evening shadows don’t fall on neighboring plants, and each is receiving maximum sunlight.

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About 70% of the field came from clones taken off of the team’s collection of tried and true mother plants.

The other 30% of the field was planted from seed, a mix of new and highly sought after varietals like Symbiotic Genetics’ Mimosa, Hermetic Genetics’ Key Lime Poison and Sour Dough Kush, and Blueberry Headband from Humboldt Seed Organization. All in, the team grew about 70 different varieties this season, with about 10 being tried and true Rogue Valley favorites and classics like SFV OG and Critical Mass, and 60 being new trials.

THE PLANTS CLEARLY LOVE THEIR HOMES, AS THESE ARE SOME OF THE LARGEST LADIES WE’VE ENCOUNTERED ANYWHERE NOV. 2019

“Each variety or even specific phenos have different watering and fertilizer needs, as well different finishing times. Being blind to these factors can make crop planning and fertilizing a bit difficult. But like most growers, we’re constantly on the hunt for new and better genetics - and the outcome can usually yield two to three great new production strains, like the Key Lime Poison,” Marsh said as we walked through the seemingly endless field. To avoid being blindsided by the unknown, the team samples and tests both soil and tissue culture weekly.

SC ALING WITH EXPERIENCE Urban Pharms uses an all peat medium combined with in-house mixed fertilizers, plus a full irrigation system helping them deliver each plant exactly what it needs nutrient and water wise. With Marsh’s years of experience growing indoor, he’s adopted techniques from that world and implemented a hydroponic-style approach, outdoor. This allows them to have direct control over the growth of each plant and produce ultra high-grade product in a full sun environment.

Thanks to Oregon’s medical program, Marsh and Urban Pharms had a head start developing infrastructure that works not only for a growing business, but for its staff as well. “We now provide industry training, healthcare and retirement plans to our employees. We also pride ourselves as being one of the higher paying Cannabis farms in the region. This has made it easier to find more talented and professional employees, and in turn results in smoother operations,” explained Marsh.

Backed by a seasoned and diversely experienced staff, Urban Pharms is prepared to scale up this coming year with additional greenhouses and expanded outdoor canopy space at their current grow in Southern Oregon, as well as with production licenses for California’s emerging market.

Urban Pharms products are distributed exclusively through The Sweet Life distribution company and can be found at finer dispensaries across Oregon.

With nationwide legalization on the horizon, we are excited to see where this Oregon born-and-raised business winds up in a few years time.

URBANPHARMS.COM | @URBAN_PHARMS

8,000 SQ. FEET OF DRYING SPACE

CONNIE CANAVAN IS ONE OF THE MANY DEDICATED TRIMMERS WORKING ON THOUSANDS OF CANNABIS PLANTS AT THE PEAK OF HARVEST.

STORY by NATE WILLIAMS @NATEW415 | 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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THE RETURN OF SMOKEY POINT PRODUCTIONS IT’S THE SUM of the parts that makes a company whole, and the family of 140 employees inside Smokey Point Productions - one of the largest employers in the city of Arlington - is showcasing just that as they reshape the company together, from the CEO down to the plants.

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The concept of “it takes a village” can be easily applied to the Cannabis industry, where multimillion dollar operations are dependent on every single link in the chain from seed to sale. There’s no automating a Cannabis farm of any size, especially when it comes to producing quality products.

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NTERING THE IMMENSE BUILDING that houses Smokey Point Productions is an experience that puts the concept of scaled Cannabis into full perspective. The extensive facility is the size of a sports stadium, and the daily home for over 130 employees and thousands of plants in cycle from tiny clones to harvest, fueling the development of products sold in over 300 stores statewide.

Each team member and step is vital as plants are grown, harvested and processed into products ready for testing and distribution to consumers who love the Cannabis that comes from this small town in Northwest Washington. This is what makes the family concept of the company a reality - where each team member is dependent on the others for a positive outcome.

“Playing college football and being on a National Championship team really instilled the team atmosphere in me, and really this is about building a team,” explained new CEO Douglas “Burl” Bryson. “There is no one person of greater or lesser importance on a football team, you’ve got 100 different guys that are performing different jobs, and it’s the same thing with this company.

There’s no lesser person because they aren’t the CEO of the company. Each job is critical and has to be performed correctly, or else the whole thing collapses.”

NEW CEO DOUGLAS “BURL” BRYSON WITH SOME OF SMOKEY POINT PRODUCTIONS’ CREWMEMBERS

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T RAN S I T IO N I NG LEADE R S H I P

Founded in 2014, the Smokey Point Productions team developed from the early medical Cannabis days to become one of the largest and most respected recreational companies in the 502 landscape.

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IVEN THE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS invested and success of SPP, there’s bound to be scrutiny from consumers to regulators, especially in a fledgling industry where rules are evolving on a constant basis. Compliance is a major issue facing every Cannabis company in Washington, where plants are treated like hardcore narcotics and a single mistagged plant or bag of weed can land a company in hot water. In this highly competitive and overregulated marketplace, a simple mistake that would never bother a brewery or alcohol distributor can bring big headaches for a Cannabis company.

This fall, Smokey Point Productions welcomed Burl to help steer the company and the lives that depend on it towards smoother waters - with a focus on compliance and passion - ushering SPP into a new phase of growth.

“It was a difficult transition when Brian Lade [the company’s original CEO and founder] left, so our message was really about solidarity and the people in this company, so it’s not about me or anyone else.

There are 130 people in this company that built it from the ground up,” Burl explained.

“So my message was simply that I’m going to come in and do whatever I can to support the employees in making great products. And they are proud and passionate about SPP, so I’m privileged to be working in this company.”

Replacing a CEO is never an easy task, but for Burl the change was less about ousting the original founder as it was about breathing new energy into a huge operation.

“The Liquor and Cannabis Control Board handed down an order and said that because of the number of violations that we’ve had and the compliance issues, that [ex-CEO Lade] could no longer have any part of this company or a 502 license for a period of two years in the state of Washington.”

Following the successful transition of leadership, Bryson said SPP is singularly focused on company and brand development through a vision of the future, not the past.

“Our message [to any questions] is that we are going to answer any questions by making great products and filling the shelves of our retail partners, making the best dabs, prerolls, flowers and edibles possible. And our answer will be - look at the quality we are making.”

COMPANY CULTU RE MEETS CANNABIS CULTU RE

As the developing industry wrestles with how to become corporate while honoring the grassroots nature of Cannabis production and sales, Burl has a different approach to leading the team of employees at SPP. “I don’t come from a corporate background, although I’ve worked in corporations, as we all have.

But I’m a passionate Cannabis enthusiast, I really believe in it,” Burl explained.

He told us how he had recently done an interview where his passion for Cannabis was brought up, and how he used the opportunity to educate the interviewer. “They were saying [I am] a great figurehead for Cannabis because I’m not a typical stoner. And I said - wait, I am a typical stoner! I use Cannabis every day and I have for 30 years. I love the plant, it’s been my medicine of choice and I can’t imagine not using Cannabis.”

Burl studied law at Willamette University in Oregon, and went into the profession before realizing he was unhappy working as a lawyer. He got into growing medical Cannabis for a decade, and spent years building non-Cannabis companies before becoming CEO of Lunchbox Alchemy in Oregon.

Starting as employee number nine at Lunchbox, Burl helped build and scale the company into one of the largest in Oregon, and one of the few to successfully transition from medical into recreational sales. An avid outdoorsman and traveler who has seen much of the world, Burl’s fearless drive that pushed him through the world of extreme kayaking is the same energy that drives him to lead SPP. This energy is contagious amongst the employees, who love their jobs and find pride in producing the many products from seed to sale.

“I like working at SPP because we are large. So we can compete on the stage of Washington Cannabis.

I also like the fact that we are very diverse - we have our extraction lab, our grow, the kitchen. And to me it’s a company that’s going to make it, to continue to grow and thrive,” said Chase Neumann, the new Head Grower and Production Manager of SPP. “We have a lot of opportunities for all of our employees. I’ve worked at other 502 companies where there isn’t a lot of headspace for moving up, and I think this is going to be a good place to be.”

Opportunity for success is critical when maintaining a staff of 130 employees, as are the stability and benefits that come with working for a fully developed company. Employees start at a living wage and receive full benefits once the probationary period is complete, which is not common in the world of legal pot. By offering a stable work environment, employees are less concerned about individual survival or for the company, and can instead focus on innovation and new product development.

“For me the biggest thing was the opportunity.

Coming from medical and having to bridge that gap of 502 is huge. What am I going to do?

That was a big fear. I went to a smaller company first and didn’t feel like I had the freedom to be

creative and put products out that I wanted to. So when I came here and I saw how big it was, I knew there would be more opportunity here,” said Lori Schnetter, the Kitchen Manager at SPP. “We’re coming out with new products and also researching the science behind it. A lot of what we do in the kitchen is science based, and expanding on that knowledge allows us to create edibles that have a bigger impact.”

With a full commercial kitchen pumping out products ranging from savory pretzels to delicious cookies, there are a ton of options for eating your weed at SPP. “I like the pretzels, the savory options,” Schnetter said with a smile.

FUTU RE FOCUSED

Opportunity comes to those who seek it, and under Burl’s leadership, SPP is seeking success with a long term business strategy.

Using the foundation of the last six years as a springboard, the company focus is finding success in the upcoming decade for the products and the people that combine to make the brand.

“I’ve been really lucky to come into a great team,” Burl said excitedly. “We are going to try and set the bar high and hit the intersection of quality and price points on our products, which is how this company has made its headway in the market and had appeal to the mass consumers.”

With a new CEO at the helm who brings a valuable combination of education, passion and experience, the sky’s the limit for the entire Smokey Point Productions family.

“I’d love to see this company blow up! I think this brand has the gravitas to go out of state and potentially out of the country as well. I don’t know what the top end for this company is yet. We’ve got unlimited potential as far as I can see.”

WE ARE VERY DIVERSE - WE HAVE OU R EXTRACTION LAB, OU R GROW, THE KITCHEN. AND TO ME IT’S A COMPANY THAT’S GOING TO MAKE IT, TO CONTINUE TO GROW AND THRIVE. STORY by WES ABNEY | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN | SMOKEYPOINTPRODUCTIONS.COM

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INTERVIEW | PORTER WILLIAMS

CANNABIS TO HELP DIABETES

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urrently, searching for scientific articles related to the use of Cannabis for diabetes will yield few, if any, affirmative results.

According to the 2010 study ‘The Role of Cannabis and Cannabinoids in Diabetes,’ scientists have not yet been able to quantify “the potential risks and benefits for diabetic patients” with regards to herbal Cannabis.

that will always be necessary, as it helps her balance her blood sugars, relieve cramps, regulate sleep, and even makes an appearance in her skincare regime.

As she says, “It’s a forever type thing.”

Although she is still waiting for science to determine which flower is the best cultivar for insulin-dependent, type 1 diabetics, Porter has a couple of favorite options when it comes to consuming.

“I’ll always be a flower girl,” she remarked. “Nothing However, experimental research with optimistic results indicates beats the almost meditative experience of it all.” For that the endocannabinoid system plays a role in “mechanisms the photoshoot, she brought along one of her current central to diabetes.” These functions include “the regulation of body favorites: Sapphire Kush by Northern Emeralds. weight and food intake, and the development of insulin resistance.”

SK’s balanced high helps her alleviate nerve pain while Furthermore, those who have experimented with THC in various allowing her to have energy to function. models have shown the molecule to “interfere with both the action She also enjoys Trident CBD, a balanced CBDof insulin and its release.” dominant flower from Marley Natural.

This just goes to show how much further we need to go to Working in the Cannabis industry has introduced Porter research the effects Cannabis has on humans. to new information about how to protect When I interviewed Porter Williams over the herself from unsafe products. of Cannasafe for this patient profile, She notes that she’s had to suspend last 17 years, the main question she wanted to have use of certain brands because they porter’s reasons WHAT’S answered by Cannabis research was: made her feel unwell. for using Cannabis WORKED “What can’t Cannabis do?”

Now that she is employed at FOR HER have developed Like many of us, Porter has a very Cannasafe, one of California’s top “I’LL ALWAYS BE A from recreational, FLOWER GIRL,” special relationship with Cannabis.

Cannabis testing facilities, she said she SHE REMARKED. to almost entirely She began using it at the age of feels empowered to make informed “NOTHING BEATS THE medicinal.

15, but over the last 17 years, her decisions when purchasing her ALMOST MEDITATIVE EXPERIENCE OF IT ALL.” reasons for using Cannabis have Cannabis. developed from recreational, to “I think, as we all know, it’s important almost entirely medicinal. for all of us to have access to clean Cannabis, but Porter uses Cannabis to stabilize her life with an autoimmune especially for a person with an illness,” Porter said. disease. She explained how living with type 1 juvenile diabetes “Learning on a daily basis and getting that firsthand look presents her with “many small fires within my own body daily and into what is really in everyone’s products helps me. I now Cannabis helps with all of them.” Cannabis has a role in her life only purchase things that are tested at Cannasafe.”

apR. 2019 nov.

2019

INTERVIEW & PHOTOS by DANIELLE HALLE @SWEET.DEEZY for NORTHWEST LEAF

Porter says Cannabis has a role in her life that will always be necessary, as it helps her balance her blood sugars, relieve cramps, regulate sleep, and even makes an appearance in her skincare regime.

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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 twenty-one and older. Keep out of the reach of children.

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EDIBLE OF THE MONTH

WAGON WHEEL CIDER & SINNERS & SAINTS BUTTERSCOTCH HARD CANDY

BY EVERGREEN HERBAL

NOTHING TASTES LIKE HARVEST SEASON MORE THAN APPLE CIDER, AND THE WAGON WHEEL 100MG VERSION FROM EVERGREEN HERBAL HONORS THE TRADITION OF A CELEBRATORY DRINK WITH A HEADY INFUSION THAT WILL LIGHT UP THIS THANKSGIVING.

W

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nwlEAF.COM

THE WAGON WHEEL CIDER IS A MAJOR HIT, WITH A MILDLY SWEET TASTE AND A CRISP FINISH THAT HONORS THIS CLASSIC AMERICAN BEVERAGE.

nov. 2019

e’ve all had the bad holidaze experience.

Stressed out over family, cooking, traveling, and that one uncle who insists on wearing a MAGA hat to the dinner table.

Thankfully, Evergreen Herbal has two holiday treats that deliver tasty flavor and a heady high, and are perfect for getting Grandpa to chill out with a butterscotch treat reminiscent of his childhood.

Both products are infused with distillate processed by Evergreen Herbal in their SODO facility, where over 10,000 hard candies of varying flavors alone are produced every single working day.

The Wagon Wheel Cider is a major hit, with a mildly sweet taste and a crisp finish that honors this classic American beverage. But be warned!

It is very easy to guzzle one down in a burst of deliciousness, so those with lighter tolerances should head for the 10mg per bottle servings.

The 100mg is potent enough to put the headiest stoner to bed when combined with turkey’s secret sleepytime chemical, tryptofan.

The butterscotch candies are a perfect way to catch a low key buzz, whether you prefer to crunch the candy instantly or wait for it to melt away into a heady high. At 10mg per serving these are easy to moderate, and perfect for sharing with new-to-edible friends who want to experience a holiday high.

Founded in California and a heritage medical Cannabis company turned recreational, Evergreen Herbal is a trusted and respected brand with tons of different edible choices to delight the taste buds.

Check out their new line of infused teas and their classic range of options, from the famous 420 Bars to a full spread of yummy sodas.

Ask for Evergreen Herbal products at your favorite dispensary, and be sure to load up on edibles for a happy Thanksgiving experience!

ForEvergreenHerbal.com @Evergreen_Herbal

REVIEW by WES ABNEY @BEARDEDLORAX | PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN @BERMANPHOTOS

RECIPES nwlEAF.COM

70

INFUSED THANKSGIVING NOV. 2019

THREE INFUSED SAUCES, UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES. . .

Thanksgiving is approaching, and it’s time to start meal planning.

You may be a traditionalist, or have some unusual additions to the meal, but I’m guessing that at least one of these three sauces could make it into your holiday menu this year.

Adding Cannabis to the main attraction, be it the turkey or the pumpkin pie, makes it an adults only option - and that’s just not fair. So, my solution is to infuse the sauces and have your guests take charge of their own Cannabis consumption. Sauce on the side, pour at your own risk.

Happy Thanksgiving from Laurie and MaryJane. #Dontfeartheedible

BERRY SAUCE Makes 9 servings

1 lb raspberries, rinsed ¼ cup honey 2 tablespoons canna-coconut oil ½ cup orange juice 2 teaspoons cornstarch Pinch salt 1. In a small saucepan, combine the berries with the honey and canna-oil and heat on warm setting.

2. In a small bowl, combine the orange juice with the cornstarch. Stir to mix. Add the cornstarch to the berries and stir until the mixture begins to thicken (sauce will continue to thicken as it cools). Stir in the salt.

3. Remove from heat and pour into gravy boat, small pitcher, or vessel of choice.

CUSTARD SAUCE Makes 9 servings

2 egg yolks 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons canna-butter 1 1/4 cups whole milk 1 teaspoon vanilla Pinch of nutmeg 1. In a medium saucepan, whisk egg yolks, sugar and canna-butter until well mixed. Whisk in the milk. The mixture should not bubble, and it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

2. Remove from heat, add the vanilla and pinch of nutmeg.

3. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring frequently until thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir constantly for the final five minutes. Drizzle sauce over pumpkin pie or fave desserts.

CARAMEL SAUCE

Infused caramel sauce is a dream topping for ice cream, drizzling over waffles or pancakes, and for apple dipping. You will not believe how good this is.

Makes 9 servings

1 cup brown sugar ½ cup half-and-half 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons cannabutter Pinch of salt 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1. In a medium saucepan, mix the brown sugar, half-and-half, butters and salt.

2. Over low heat, stir the mixture for about 5-7 minutes.

The sauce will get thicker.

3. Once the sauce has thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

RECIPES by LAURIE WOLF | PHOTOS by BRUCE WOLF

MUNCHIE MONDAY

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BELLINGHAM 1840 James St. Bellingham, WA (360) 756-0000

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1510 N Wenatchee Ave Wenatchee, WA (509) 667-9999

Marijuana products may be purchased or possessed only by persons 21 years of age 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 while under the influence. There may be health risks associated with the use of this product. For adult use only. Keep out of reach of children.

THEJOINTLLC.COM

nov. 2019

74

Medford, OR H A RVE ST 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

hit the gas on the Dabstar wrapped Tahoe, ripping around a lumbering semi, the 8x5 trailer snapping into line behind us. Jessica and I had refurbished it into a tiny clandestine camper the summer before.

Bamboo floors, cedar tongue and groove walls, she was a rolling hotel room complete with a 55� inch curved screen TV and a battery bank. She was built for trips like this and we were excited to get her out.

nwleaf.com

It was harvest season on the West Coast and the happy sense of optimism that comes with with it pervaded the car. Harvest was the culmination of months of hard work and for Cannabis farmers, a time when they could breathe a little easier knowing their crop had made it past cops and rippers, which could be as bad as russet mites for those still growing off the beaten path cleared by so-called legalization.

For some, legalization was starting to look more

and more like regulation and many of the farmers - particularly in the fertile Oregon valleys - wanted nothing to do with it.

Our first stop was just outside Portland at the home of one Patrick Emerson. Pat was an old friend and industry buddy that had grown to become family, and these harvest trips had become somewhat of a tradition between us.

A smiling Pat was waiting with his bags packed

THE LAST OF A DYING BREED, THE BLACK MARKET GROWERS OF THE WEST COAST HAD PAVED THE WAY FOR THE MEGA-FARMS DOTTING THE HILLS TODAY, PRESERVING AMONG MANY THINGS, THE GENETIC HISTORY AND POTENTIAL OF THE PLANT ITSELF. when I walked in the front door. “Dabs?” he asked, as he held up a hot rig in one hand and dabber full of shatter in the other. A quick sesh and we were out the door to meet up with The Leaf crew.

I grinned when Pat told me where our first stop would be. An old friend was set up in the hills outside of Medford running a black market grow on 60 acres. The last of a dying breed, the black market growers of the West Coast had paved the way for the mega-farms dotting the hills today, preserving among many things, the genetic history and potential of the plant itself.

We headed up a winding mountain road which eventually gave way to a small dirt road. Our caravan stopped abruptly at a metal gate with a heavy lock hanging from an oversized chain. Pat did his best to keep up as we wound our way past the gate and deeper into the woods on the homemade road.

As we broke free from the tree line, a familiar tint of green caught my eye ahead. Embanked by large

chunks of timber was a long, thin stretch of Cannabis plants in full flower, the fall colors greeting us as we entered the open valley. We exchanged war stories over dabs and bong hits, burning up what little bit of sun we had left before saying our goodbyes and heading off once again to meet up with The Leaf crew.

Rising early the next morning we detached the trailer and assembled behind the bus en route for TKO farms, a working farm and licensed Cannabis grow ran by Allie and Charlie Cassidy. Allie was an old friend and one time Dabstar photographer, and I was excited to see the farm take off. The crew made its way across the fields of hemp, which seemed to dot the scenery everywhere you go in southern Oregon these days, towards a group of llamas and two giant pigs which were grazing nearby.

We hit three more farms that day as we wound our way through Applegate, including TH3 farms, whose stunning crop of outdoor was insanely being turned into prerolls. A glut of non-exportable Cannabis had driven down the value of weed to the point that it was more valuable to grind it all up and sell it as joints. I shook my head as I heard the news.

Humblebee Farms sprawled out over the remnants of an old buffalo ranch, took up the hillside as far as the eye could see with Cannabis strains manipulated to meet the requirements of hemp - the end result was smokable hemp that looked and smelled almost exactly like its THC counterpart. The landscape of Cannabis in the valley was certainly changing.

Rolen Stone rounded off day two and I was stoked

to see some green giants peeking over the fence as we pulled up. This time it was me who jumped out to take pictures, fumbling with my phone for a live broadcast. Drinks and sushi closed out the day and we hit the rack hard, passing out to The Godfather blaring inside the not so clandestine camper.

After a slower than usual start and some sketchy talk about green gel tabs in the morning, we were off to Urban Pharms. As we arrived, I could see why they saved it for last. More akin to an apple orchard, the sprawling expanse of neatly manicured tree-sized plants filled the horizon. Owner and founder Spencer introduced us to the trim team before leading us down into the rows of monster plants. “Each one is four plants planted together,” he confessed. It didn’t matter, each one must have had over 100 kolas on it. Tiny street signs bearing names like “Snow Land” and “Field of Dreams” served as navigational aides through the massive expanse.

As we hugged out our goodbyes with The Leaf crew and hit the road bound for Washington, I was struck by just how much things had changed in the last 10 years. Cannabis, more than ever, was becoming a true commodity. What that meant for the farmers in the hills or the shop owners advertising three dollar grams, only time would tell. But one thing was for certain, nothing would ever be the same again...

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SEPT. 2019

STONEY BALONEy

78

LMFAO

nwlEAF.COM

We all know what this means, right? But in case you’ve been held hostage in a dental office waiting room for the past decade, tortured with easy listening music and nine-month-old gossip magazines, it’s an acronym for Laughing My Fucking Ass Off. Which implies that someone is overcome with a howling expression of jubilation. And this reflex is so genuine that it goes beyond the ability to contain one’s composure. This is not a giggle, this is not a smirk - this is a response to something that is so inherently funny that it results in the physical release of happiness, expressed without restraint. The person is not just laughing. They are laughing hysterically.

However, he or she who is using this language - almost always through texting - is only chuckling.

They are not laughing hysterically at all. They are pretending to do so by channeling their emotions into contemporary terminology that seemingly does it for them, while the actual expression of this joy, whatever level it is, is still contained within their mind and body.

Kind of like being held captive in a dental office.

Imagine standing in front of someone and telling them that you are laughing your fucking ass off. They would say, “No you aren’t.” The reply would be, “Right, but I think it’s really funny.” And the other person would say, “Then why aren’t you laughing?”

Yet, when an individual sends this expression through their mobile device, their intent is to have us believe they are a fun-loving, outgoing friend who drinks up life with a reckless sense of humor.

Realistically, however, this person spends an average of 8-12 hours a day being entertained though a digital screen, with very little to no reaction at all.

Just because you say something doesn’t make it true. BTW, Cannabis is my BFF.

nov. 2019

More episodes at stoney-baloney.com

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HOUSE OF CANNABIS

VETERAN OWNED, LOCALLY OWNED SUPERIOR CUSTOMER SERVICE YOUR HOMETOWN CANNABIS STORE

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TACOMA - TONASKET - TWISP 2632A S 38TH ST TACOMA, WA 98409 (253) 212-3711

305 W 4TH ST TONASKET, WA 98855 (509) 486-0919

1017 E METHOW VALLEY HIGHWAY TWISP, WA, 98856 (509) 997-4200

Warning: This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Smoking is hazardous to your health. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. Should not be used by woman that are breast feeding. For use by adults twenty one or older. Keep out of reach of children. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. This product may be unlawful outside of Washington State.