Oregon Leaf - Aug. 2016

OREGON LEAF THE PATIENT’S VOICE since 2010

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Aug. 2016

ISSUE 26

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AUG. 2016

license to frustrate

40 ACCESS REVIEW

TJ’s Organic Provisions, Eugene

44

CONCENTRATES

Electric DS Full Melt by Pua Extractions

DIANE DOWNEY She did everything right.

All her paperwork was in order and recognized.

But then her license did not get approved like the state made it seem.

S tory by We s A b n ey | P h o t o by D a n i e l B e r m a n

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11 14 17 18 20 22 24 26 30 32 36 40 44 46 50 54 58 62 66 70

E D I TO R ’S N OT E N AT I O N A L N E WS EVENT CALENDAR STAT E T R AC K I N G P R I S O N E R U P DAT E H I G H LY L I K E LY PROTECT OMMP REBEL SPIRIT SIMONE FISCHER T H E R E G U L ATO R C E N T E R FOL D ACCESS REVIEW C O N C E N T R AT E TASTY RECIPES BEGINNER BOOK H E A LT H & S C I E N C E GROWING OLD ELECTRICAL PLANS BUDSHOT BEHIND THE STRAIN PHOTO by DANIEL BERMAN STYLING by MALINA LOPEZ PROPS by CHIPPER GARDENS This summer set shows off a variety of plants.

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growing old

58

A couple learns to reject reefer madness and cultivate medicine

Story & Photos by Bob Montoya for Oregon Leaf

OREGON LEAF

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

editor’s note

AUG. 2016 ISSUE #26

Times are tough out there for patients and it’s more important than ever to stay vocal! this month’s issue

features a set of opinions about changes affecting Oregon patients and recreational users. The first has to do with Oregon’s pivot on allowing out-of-state access to the OMMP, which had been allowed since 1998. Not anymore.

But the state has chosen to allow out-of-state owners in the recreational industry.

Long story short? If you live out of state, Oregon does not want to give you access to medicine. But if you live in Dubai, New York, or wherever else, feel free to buy in....

Not surprisingly, Oregon has put profits before patients, and it is disgusting. The only people benefiting from out-of-state money are out-of-state funders and locals who want to sell out, which is all good, but not when patients are OREGON’S SYSTEM IS denied access in the same legislation that allowed big money.

MOVING FURTHER AND The second opinion involves the fact that Oregon is recording FURTHER AWAY FROM information from every recreational pot purchase in a database that has nebulous uses.

HELPING PATIENTS The truth of the matter is that Oregon’s system is moving further and further away from helping patients, and that is really disappointing. Even more frustrating is the myriad medical dispensaries that have chosen to only pursue recreational ends, abandoning the system and patients that allowed their businesses to start. The same has happened in Washington, where dispensary owners in the recreational market shun patients and their needs while flaunting profits.

We need to remember where the industry comes from and those who need Cannabis for quality of life, not just those who want to get high. And then, once patient needs are met, let’s get everyone invited to the party and smoke one together.

Contact editor Wes Abney to place an ad or to become a monthly drop-off location.

Please feel free to share your thoughts, pitches, articles, story ideas and news tips. This is all our plant and we want to hear from you. Thank you for reading and supporting Oregon Leaf!

FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

wes abney NWLeaf@gmail.com Cellphone: (206) 235-6721

PHOTOGRAPHER & DESIGNER

Daniel Berman daniel@bermanphotos.com CONTRIBUTORS

Wes and Kori Marie

OSCAR AVELLANEDA-CRUZ STEVE ELLIOTT, NATIONAL WILL FERGUSON, REVIEWS SIMONE FISCHER, WRITER PAUL GRZELAK, EDITING MALINA LOPEZ, STYLIST KORI MARIE, PRODUCTION SEAN O’NEILL, ILLUSTRATION DR. SCANDERSON, GROWTECH DR. SCOTT D. ROSE, HEALTH ERIC SKELTON, DESIGN PACER STACKTRAIN, FEATURES BRANDON VOSIKA, ILLUSTRATION LAURIE & BRUCE WOLF, RECIPES

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

Portland Dispensary Investigated for Fraud Cannacea closes its doors following

Washington’s Medical Marijuana ‘Transition’ Off to Rough Start Patients and dispensaries are experiencing frustrations as they attempt to adapt to Washington’s new laws.

Washington state’s version of “folding” the medical

medical system, but many dispensaries didn’t seem interested in participating.

As of July 15, just 69 stores out of 341 in the state with medical endorsements actually had a medicinal Cannabis consultant on staff and were issuing patient recognition cards. A total of 1,665 patient cards have been issued so far for adults, and two for minors, according to the Washington State Department of Health.

Washington labs still aren’t ready to test for heavy metals and mycotoxins because those rules weren’t even finalized until recently, said Aaron Nelson, senior vice president of operations for 2020 Solutions, which has two recreational pot stores in Whatcom County.

No labs have even been certified to test for all of the state requirements yet, Rossellison said. “And certainly not one lab that could do all of it, so now you’re sending multiple samples to multiple labs, which just increases the cost to the patient even more,” she said. “The whole thing is so frustrating.”

Less than 17 percent of growers said they would have Cannabis that meets the state’s medical rules ready by the July 1 deadline.

“IT’S NOT AS SMOOTH AS ONE WOULD HOPE.”

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OREGON NEVER ISSUED A MEDICAL DISPENSARY LICENSE TO THE BUSINESS.

Photos via Creative Commons

marijuana industry into the legal recreational side of the business is proving rough going.

“It’s not as smooth as one would hope,” admitted Danielle Rosellison, co-owner of Trail Blazin’ Productions, a marijuana grower in Bellingham, reports Kie Relyea at The Bellingham Herald.

Medical marijuana dispensaries, which have existed in the state for close to a decade after voters approved a 1998 medicinal Cannabis law, are being shut down, and patients are being encouraged to enter a state database. While patients can be exempt from a 9 percent sales tax if they enter that database, they still have to pay a whopping 37 percent excise tax on their medicine.

While Rosellison remains optimistic that patients’ needs will eventually be met by the recreational marijuana system, she said, “it’s just not going to be timely, and there will be this murky period for the next few years.”

Dispensaries that couldn’t get approval from the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board were required to shut down by July 1 on the supposed public rollout of a new recreational/

A Portland marijuana dispensary has become the first Cannabis business to be investigated for fraud since Oregon legalized weed in 2014.

Cannacea has shut its doors after it was learned that Oregon never issued a medical dispensary license to the business.

Tisha Siler, Cannacea’s founder, came to Oregon in 2014 to open the business after she got what she thought was a letter welcoming her to open up shop, reports Shaunee Flowers at The Inquisitr. It turns out Siler wasn’t licensed at all after paying $25,000 to Green Rush Consu l ti ng, de s pi te receiving an officiallooking letter that said she was awarded seven dispensary licenses.

The Oregon Department of Health began investigating Siler last year; that’s when it learned the letter was fake and that Green Rush Consulting had some real explaining to do.

Siler’s previous contact at Green Rush has prior felony convictions for financial schemes, and she’s accused the company of creating marketing materials with false information in addition to the fake letter she received.

The exact role Green Rush Consulting played with Siler and Cannacea is being investigated. She also has some very unhappy investors now that her Portland dispensary has been shut down.

Quoted “REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS ALIKE SEE THE NEED TO REDUCE HARSH SENTENCES FOR DRUG OFFENSES, SO IT IS ESPECIALLY CRUEL TO DEPORT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, SOME OF WHOSE MOST SERIOUS OFFENSE RELATED TO A SMALL AMOUNT OF MARIJUANA.” — MICHAEL COLLINS (deputy director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance) on the benefits of the “Veteran Visa and Protection Act,” which will establish a visa program allowing certain deported veterans to re-enter the U.S. as lawful permanent residents.

Alaska Entrepreneurs Want to Show Tourists The Cannabis Industry New business venture Juneau Cannabis Tours hopes to guide visitors through the state’s marijuana

Keith Crocker and business partner Mitchell

Knottingham have created Juneau Cannabis Tours with the idea of giving tourists a look at the state’s new marijuana industry in action.

The company’s website encourages visitors to “live the Alaska high life.” Crocker said once the state’s recreational marijuana industry is operational, his company hopes to take people to see things like cultivation facilities, edibles manufacturing warehouses and Cannabis retail shops, with “an overview of what’s going on with the whole industry,” possibly combined with food and drink tours.

Crocker said tours with his company

might cost around $125, which is about what he paid for a similar tour in Colorado.

The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development expects the state’s bars, restaurants and hotels to add 300 jobs this year after gaining 700 last year. About one million of the state’s 2 million annual visitors visit the state on tour ships.

THE COMPANY’S WEBSITE ENCOURAGES VISITORS TO “LIVE THE ALASKA HIGH LIFE.”

Quick Hits!

1 14.9 Billion dollars worth of recreational marijuana sales have been made in Washington pot shops since July 2014.

Million dollars have been generated in tax revenues from recreational Cannabis sales since January, translating into about $60 million in sales.

100

cities and counties in Eastern Oregon have banned licensed marijuana businesses under a law approved by the Legislature in 2015.

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national

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

Washington Marijuana Sales Top $1 Billion since rec legalization Washington state pot shops have sold more than a billion dollars worth of recreational marijuana since July 2014, generating more than $250 million for the state through excise taxes, reports the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

The amount of recreational weed sold since I-502 took effect passed the billion-dollar mark in June, which set a record of $86.7 million in pot sales, according to the report. June 2016’s yield of $20 million in taxes nearly doubled the amount generated in June 2015.

“There would have to be some fundamental things about the regulations as they are right now that would have to change in order to allow

Washington companies to succeed on a national scale,” said Seattle business attorney Andy Aley, reports the PostIntelligencer. “And I think one of the biggest disadvantages that we have, especially compared to Oregon, is the restriction on out-of-state actual ownership of the licenses. Probably the biggest problem that my clients have is access to capital.”

WASHINGTON STATE POT SHOPS HAVE GENERATED MORE THAN $250 MILLION FOR THE STATE THROUGH EXCISE TAXES

THE DEA HAS PUT UP BUREAUCRATIC ROADBLOCKS TO LEGITIMATE SCIENCE AND

SEVERELY LIMITED, IF NOT COMPLETELY OBSTRUCTED LEGITIMATE RESEARCHERS WHO WOULD STUDY CANNABIS’ BENEFITS.

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Whoopi Goldberg to Speak at CALIFORNIA Cannabis BIZ Event International star and Cannabis entrepreneur Whoopi Goldberg will appear at the San Diego Cannabis Conference & Expo as a keynote speaker at the San Diego Convention Center.

Rory Mendoza, the CEO and event producer of Let’s Educate a Future, made the announcement. “We reach for the stars and Whoopi is certainly the best representative we could ask for to represent the new face of Cannabis,” Mendoza said.

Goldberg recently entered the Cannabis industry with her company Whoopi & Maya‘s signature line of medical products designed specifically to help relieve menstrual discomfort.

Goldberg will take center stage from 6 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 7, in San Diego.

Whoopi is one of a very elite group of A-list artists who has won a Grammy, Academy Award, Golden Globe, Emmy, Daytime Emmy and a Tony.

“Whoopi exemplifies the high-quality individual who makes Let’s Educate a Future events stand out from other Cannabis conventions across the country,” Mendoza said.

Drawing Cannabis companies, experts, entrepreneurs and activists, conference attendance is expected to exceed 6,000 individuals and is open to the public. Attendees interested in entering the Cannabis industry will learn more about the laws affecting them and how the Cannabis industry is evolving in California.

Quoted — AARON SMITH (Executive Director of the National Cannabis Industry Association) during Senate Judiciary Subcommitte on July 13, where Senators heard from witnesses from the FDA, the National Institute for Drug Abuse and medical professionals about the pros and cons of medical marijuana.

CALENDAR

OREGON INDO EXPO PORTLAND AUG. 6-7 | THC FAIR COMES TO MEDFORD/ASHLAND AUG. 20-21 THC FAIR ASTORIA SEPT. 3-4 | CELEBRATE HEMPSTALK IN PORTLAND SEPT. 24-25 CANNABIS SCIENCE CONFERENCE PORTLAND OCT. 4 | THC FAIR SALEM OCT.15-16 THC FAIR BEND OCT. 22-23 | EXPERIENCE THE 420 GAMES IN PORTLAND OCT. 29

WASHINGTON SEATTLE HEMPFEST WORLD’S LARGEST POT PROTESTIVAL AUG. 19-21 | NORTHWEST LEAF’S HERBIN CAMPOUT SEPT. 3 EVERGREEN FEST AT WHITE RIVER AMPHITHEATER SEPT. 17 | PIPE MASTERS COLLAB OCT. 19-29 | CANNACON SEATTLE FEB. 2017

ALASKA

WEED WEEK ALASKA SEPT. 6-11 | CANNACON ANCHORAGE SEPT. 9-10 | ALASKA LEAF CANNACON AFTERPARTY SEPT. 10

ELSEWHERE AND INTERESTING

HIGH TIMES CANNABIS CUP RETURNS TO THE AUTO CITY SPEEDWAY IN CLIO, MICHIGAN FOR THREE DAYS AUG. 26-28 THE INTERNATIONAL CANNABIS BUSINESS CONFERENCE TAKES OVER DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER, BC OCT. 13-14 MARIJUANA BUSINESS CONFERENCE AND EXPO LAS VEGAS NOV. 16-18 | THE EMERALD CUP CALIFORNIA DEC. 10-11

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opInion

By OREGON LEAF STAFF | ILLUSTRATION by BRANDON VOSIKA

A

Hand over your ID and all your info There’s no state database for who’s buying alcohol or tobacco, yet tracking legal recreational Cannabis purchases is allowed.

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merica was built on the rights to privacy and equal access.This is a country where you can buy alcohol or cigarettes with only an ID, guns in many states without a record of sale and every form of vice or pornography online. Nobody’s tracking that. Our country’s gun show laws have made headlines for years. Whatever side of the fence your politics lay, we can all agree that if an adult can buy a gun with just an ID and cash without a record of sale, there is no reason for a state to collect personal information during pot sales.

Currently, medical dispensaries with a recreational permit are allowed to sell to adults up to 7 grams of Cannabis flower, plus small amounts of medibles and concentrates and four plants per year.

The OLCC has required dispensaries since sales began to track all recreational purchases, claiming a need to audit dispensaries.

Where is the need (or the manpower) to audit dispensaries? The average dispensary sees thousands of patients monthly, and busy locations easily see tens of thousands. The state is wasting resources checking to see if the average Joe has bought too much of a legal product.

Why does Oregon insist on keeping a record of every recreational Cannabis sale? Ostensibly, it’s to make sure that people aren’t abusing the 7 gram per day sale limit.

This is a worthless excuse.

There is every reason to be worried about tracking Cannabis sales — potential data

hoarded by the state could be extremely valuable. Which means it’s dangerous.

Would public sector employees still shop at the local pot store if they knew the risk to their retirement and employment? The database is a liability. Oregon has a registry for medical Cannabis patients, which has been accessed by federal DEA agents in documented accounts. And that’s just what made the nightly news. What about hackers?

Anyone paying attention to the WikiLeaks or Anonymous hacks of late knows that almost all data stored by government is improperly protected and easily accessed. If even the federal government cannot protect high security clearance material, what chance does our lowly info have for staying in the shadows? That data in the right hands could be downright hazardous, or, at the very least, a privacy oversight and massive breach of public trust. The important note here is commercial value.

My instinct is to follow the money, but what this list represents is worth more than cash. Oregon has undertaken a statewide experiment by allowing adults to purchase medical Cannabis and the devil’s in the details. The demographic information alone is priceless, let alone potential sales trends and product data.

The records are a treasure trove of information that is unparalleled in other states.

And we’re being sold out.

Marijuana is safer than alcohol, cigarettes, guns, Tylenol and even cows. It doesn’t deserve to be tracked to death.

THE STATE IS WASTING RESOURCES CHECKING TO SEE IF THE AVERAGE JOE HAS BOUGHT TOO MUCH OF A LEGAL PRODUCT.

PRISONER UPDATE

NEWS FROM THE FRONT LINES NORTHWEST NEWS

EUGENE A. FISCHER Remembering the life of a freedom fighter who truly walked the talk.

A couple of days ago, I was asked to write a memorial for a personal hero and man I would like to call a brother in arms, even though we never met each other in person. With a heavy heart, I write this for the greatest man ever arrested for pot, Eugene A. Fischer, Sr. Unfortunately, Eugene Fischer is a name not many know, yet should. Ordinarily, Eugene never made public qualms about what he was arrested for, which was against the law at the time; then again, so was marriage between interracial couples. Enlightened people see the world for what it truly is and in the case of marijuana law, it’s wrong. More than an outlaw, Eugene was a freedom fighter who truly walked the talk. After serving part of a life sentence for pot, which could have very well equaled a death sentence, he never forgot others entangled with the law regarding the non-crime of marijuana use.

Arrested at age 47, after five years of running what was the largest marijuana operation of its time, Eugene embarked upon his first fight, Eugene Fischer v. United States. His succeeding battle was even more histrionic, like that of a Hollywood movie.

In 2012, after serving 25 years in prison, Eugene won his freedom and immediately embarked on a mission to help all his brothers and sisters still locked up for pot. That’s how Eugene viewed everyone: a brother or sister.

I saw Eugene when he was volunteering for The Human Solution International, where every Sunday he would co-host, sharing his story and bonding with fellow prisoners of the Drug War such as Craig Cesal. I was moved by his voice and passion; I knew there was absolutely no shit this man would take. He held his head up by abundantly taking moral initiative and helping others that suffered like him. After his release, he assisted his old partner Randy Lanier in finding freedom via the same legal embarrassment for the government that freed Eugene.

Subsequent to his hard work at THSI, Eugene

OREGON

Photo by Tom Korby

founded VOW (Voices of the Cannabis War) with Kristin Flor and Mindi Griffiths, attempting to continue the efforts of ending the Drug War by bringing the greatest weapon: hope. Hope to prisoners already locked up, hope to those in the industry who may fall into trouble, hope that there are others out there who are like-minded, hope that you are not alone — instead, it’s we.

We are seeking justice, so we can have peace.

This man has been a hero and a guiding light to countless of whom there seemed to be terrible darkness. Eugene stood unwavered against the horrible machine known as prohibition. Displaying an invariant commitment to social justice not only on behalf of his and others’ personal freedoms, but for an overall social balance that would reduce carnage amongst minorities and police alike. The failed War on Drugs harbors real prisoners and victims, and they’re all Americans, just like you and I. Eugene Fischer needs to be remembered with the likes of Jack Herer and Dennis Peron, for these men have forged reform in the marijuana conversation by being living examples of why the war on marijuana is wrong. Notwithstanding, Eugene lived life to the fullest in his four years of post-prison freedom, as he recognized the value of time and how little of it we have to get this right. Rest in Peace Eugene, the Earth lost a brilliant mind and heaven gained another angel on July 7, 2016.

THIS MAN HAS BEEN A HERO AND A GUIDING LIGHT TO COUNTLESS OF WHOM THERE SEEMED TO BE TERRIBLE DARKNESS.

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According to reports, the first federal Cannabis case in Oregon since 2011 targets a local teenager. Nineteen-yearold Devontre Thomas can now be counted among those still facing lifelong consequences for consuming a miracle plant. The case was filed in April, approximately one year after the supposed crime, for one count of marijuana possession. Reports state Thomas was not even in possession of Cannabis at the time, while his friend had only fragments and remnants; therefore, it is unclear why federal prosecutors are pursuing this case. Apparently, even in “legal” states, the government still locks up otherwise law-abiding and productive citizens for possession of a plant. Federal statistics indicate prosecutors

WASHINGTON

Every August, the most amazing marijuana event in the nation takes place in Seattle at Hempfest.

This year, two former prisoners of the Drug Mizanskey War will speak at the event: Jeff Mizanskey and George Martorano, who each served over 20 years of their life sentences for pot. People on the outside continually uplifted both of these men. George was gallantly sponsored and supported by Seattle Hempfest during the last leg of his sentence. Hempfest will also feature clips from the documentary “Lifers” by Jeff Eichen.

NO VICTIM = NO CRIME =

NOT GUILTY. NO ONE SHOULD BE CAGED FOR CANNABIS!

Reporting by

KRISTEN FLOR / Mindi Griffiths / Miggy 420 Becca Nichols / Danielle Vitale-O’Brien for Alaska Leaf, Northwest Leaf & Oregon Leaf

New Home Raid Hotline

On June 30, patient possession limits were reduced and many access points were closed in Washington. If you are a recently raided MMJ patient, you are urged to check out 420Leaks — they may be able to assist! The newly formed service has been set up to help you: - Find attorneys, paralegals, healthcare professionals and other victimized patients to consult for support.

- Learn how to obtain your own records, scout media contacts and draw publicity to a case if desired.

Determine if the case qualifies for emergency financial assistance through small grants from local nonprofits, businesses and individuals in an extensive statewide network.

-Enlighten yourself on the topic of government corruption by gathering public records.

420Leaks has been there and can offer support.

Find out more by calling 206-915-3450. You can also learn more about using public records to confirm the corruption of our government at www.420leaks.com.

KETTLE FALLS FAMILY

The family is still fighting for appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, however, their briefs are not due until December.

Moreover, the cases of Harborside Health Center and Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana are helping to set precedents at the federal district court level, accordingly giving their Section 538 amendment argument a considerable deal of strength.

chris williams

Chris Williams, an ex-Montana MMJ caregiver who is now a federal plant prisoner serving his time at the SeaTac Bureau of Prisons in Seattle, was recently sent to the “SHU” (Solitary Housing Unit, otherwise known as solitary confinement) as a consequence for a fight with another inmate. Chris cannot have visitors, talk to other inmates, make phone calls or leave his prison cell.

Chris can still receive mail and needs you to send him a letter to lift his spirits. His address is: Christopher Wayne Williams #11839-046, FDC SeaTac, PO BOX 13900, Seattle, WA 98198.

Similar to Lance Gloor and other non-violent inmates, Chris would not be in prison today if the jurors who may have believed the law was unjust knew that they could have voted not guilty, a judicial right known as jury nullification. To find out more about Chris, visit his website freechriswilliams.com, and for more information on what our plant prisoners go through in solitary confinement, listen to the VOW radio show at goo.gl/95NkUV.

JUDGE BIXLER: “THE POTFATHER?” As marijuana is increasingly grown, produced and regulated for profit, the faces of cultivators are changing. Gone are the small-timers who were once harvesting for the mere love of the plant and its medicinal properties, not the profit to be derived. Up and coming are the high-profile power hitters such as: Las Vegas’ very own Judge James Bixler, president of Southern Nevada Growers, Inc., with licenses to cultivate and produce Cannabis in North Las Vegas; Clark County attorney Stephen Pingree, who is heading Symbiosis, LLC with a cultivation license; and Assemblyman William Horne, who is receiving a license for production under C.W. Nevada, LLC. Of particular interest is Judge Bixler, who was publicly quoted as saying that he plans to recuse himself from a case that involves medical marijuana if his applications for cultivation and production are accepted, yet he made several rulings on the case in the summer of 2014, a few months after applying for the licenses. Despite stating, “our old War on Drugs is a farce ... we need to start treating drug addicts like drug addicts instead of prisoners,” Judge Bixler’s ruling was to set bail at over $100,000 and deny the medical marijuana

defense strategy. As a result, the defendant spent over seven months in jail.

These rulings appear to go against Bixler’s stated views on the need to approach drug cases in a different way. More recently, during this same defendant’s sentencing, Judge Bixler presided yet again, despite recusing himself from the case due to an obvious conflict of interest almost two years prior. Appropriately, members of The Human Solution International attended the sentencing to stand in solidarity and show support. Mike from THSI stated that prior to once again recusing himself, the judge said that he used to think medical was just an excuse to get high, but that he thinks differently now.

Nevertheless, this raises the question of why he altered his views on medical marijuana. Could Bixler’s personal investment in the newly flourishing industry be the reason? A judge holding cultivation and production licenses for medical marijuana is a blatant conflict of interest. A decision on whether a judge can hold licenses for the production, cultivation or dispensing of medical marijuana was due to be released at the time of the writing of this article.

Let’s hope the correct decision is made.

A JUDGE HOLDING CULTIVATION AND PRODUCTION LICENSES FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS A BLATANT CONFLICT OF INTEREST

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highly likely

By PACER STACKTRAIN for OREGON LEAF

Column # 13

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

RUNNIN’ DOWN A BLUE DREAM TOM PETTY IS A TRUE AMERICAN ORIGINAL. A world-class

Over the years, Petty has become more and more outspoken about his use of Cannabis, likely thanks to relatively relaxed tolerance in modern society.

TOM PETTY

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rock ‘n’ roll superstar that came from humble beginnings and brought the people he grew up with along on his amazing journey. He’s also a certified hit machine, creating a seemingly endless supply of catchy songs with the staying power to last decades in the public consciousness.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Petty has been a consumer of Cannabis throughout his career. He didn’t, however, really talk much about his love for the herb until recently — most likely due to a change in acceptance and attitude from the general public.

When Petty’s first producer/manager Denny Cordell was asked in 2007 about how difficult the band was to manage on the road in the late 1970s, he answered that they were easy, but that they “smoked way too much reefer.” By all accounts, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were a band that loved to get blazed.

There’s the tale of their first European tour in the early 1980s where they were so excited to be in Amsterdam, one of the few places in the world at the time where one could purchase Cannabis legally, that they bought blocks of hashish. The band planned on smuggling the goods to nearby Germany for the rest of the tour when they were pulled aside and searched at customs. Petty threw out his hashish in time, but knew bassist Ron Blair had not.

When the authorities went to search Blair’s bag, they only found a pipe. Astonished, Petty turned to Blair, who returned a toothy smile with black hashish all over his teeth.

That night, the band performed on German television and one can see a visibly glassy-eyed Blair playing his heart out on bass.

In a 2013 article with Rolling Stone, Petty noted that he’s not a medical user of Cannabis, at least not a licensed one. “I don’t have a prescription card, but I’m certain I’ve smoked medical marijuana, yeah. It’s everywhere. I don’t smoke as much pot as I did at one point in my life. But I think the cat’s out of the bag, it’s gonna be legalized.”

Over the years, Petty has become more and more outspoken about his use of Cannabis, likely thanks to relatively relaxed tolerance in modern society.

His most recent interview, a 2015 print article in Men’s Journal, tells the tale of a lifelong passion for American history and the herb.

According to the article, one of Petty’s favorite things to do is “wait until it’s really late, get stoned, go to the Jefferson Memorial and just sit there and read the walls. I’ve done that a few times.”

Which makes a lot of sense. Petty’s music personifies freedom and captures the wanderlust of the American soul.

“So let’s get to the point, let’s roll another joint. Let’s head on down the road.There’s somewhere I gotta go.”

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opinion

By MATTHEW MEYERS

OMMP HOW OREGON CAN HELP THE

THE TIME IS NOW TO SPEAK UP OR FOREVER HOLD OUR PEACE! It’s also worth mentioning the difference in iniWith the burgeoning Oregon Cannabis martial success of the adult use market in Washington ket expected to generate more than $300 million versus the one in Oregon. Tax revenue collected in in sales and $46 million in wages, it’s relevant to Washington could have been much greater if the reexamine our societal bias and current legislative tax level and controls weren’t so onerous. agenda against medical marijuana.

Oregon’s 25 percent state Cannabis tax raised The mainstream has always been hesitant to ac$3.48 million in the first month of sales of flowcept Cannabis for medicinal use, mainly due to the er alone, reports Noelle Crombie of Oregon Live. propaganda campaign waged against the plant over Washington’s combined tax rate of roughly 59.5 the last half-century. percent yielded only $1 million for Washington in This hesitation is also due in part to two societal the same time, according to Reuters news service. judgments about medical Cannabis; the first judgOregon demonstrated that you need a realistic ment is people are abusing the medical system to approach to be competitive with the black market. get access to legal Cannabis and the second is the The key to success isn’t stricter controls on growmedical market is feeding the black market. ers or patients, but more reasonable strategies to Our legislative branch has reflected these sentitaxation and accessibility. According to a report by ments. Oregon Senator Ginny Burdick, who was Joseph Henchman of Tax Foundation, Washingco-chair of a joint committee working on marijuaton has since reduced its tax rates to roughly 44 na issues in 2014, worried that “if we can’t get our percent to be competitive with Oregon, which is hands around the medical market, it will undermine currently considering lowering its tax rate to insure the recreational market, ” reports Hillary Borrud of the new adult system captures more the Portland Tribune.

Share your story market share from the black market.

Senator Burdick is voicing another Email unpublished personal Now that we can be more confipopular concern with medical Canexperiences using, growing, dent in the success of Oregon’s new nabis: that it will compete too heaviliving/working in the Cannabis world (max 750 words) adult use market, we can re-evaluate ly with the new adult use market and to nwleaf@gmail.com our legislative tone and societal judglead to a loss in potential tax revenues.

Anonymity is okay but this ments regarding medical Cannabis.

Two years later, the success of the is about our community.

House Bill 3400 has forever new adult use market should demonchanged the OMMP, implementing strict daily strate to officials that there is incredible demand for limits for medical purchases and a radically new Cannabis in the state of Oregon. We cannot fully reporting and control system for growers, procespredict the success of the new OLCC regulated syssors and access points. HB 3400, like all changes, tem based off the current situation, but the tax revhas positive and negatives elements depending on enue collected should speak for itself; Oregonians your perspective. For example, HB 3400 finally want safe and affordable access to Cannabis.

24/aug. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

changed the definition regarding mature and immature plants, which allows growers to now posses an unlimited number of immature (now defined as non-flowering) plants.

But HB 3400 also put a strict four clone per day purchase limit on medical patients. Trying to regulate Cannabis is difficult, but new limits like this discriminate against patients who live in rural areas, forcing them to waste valuable resources to insure a healthy supply of clones.

With the amount of change in the industry, it’s easy to worry about the future of medical Cannabis in Oregon, especially in light of Washington’s recently departed medical system.

It’s up to us as Oregonians to stand up and hold our legislators responsible to create the future we want to see for medical Cannabis. Colorado demonstrates that you can have medical and adult use systems working synergistically to achieve their respective intentions.

It’s past time to start the conversation about the future of one of the greatest medical systems in the nation. If you value Cannabis as medicine, you must discuss the future of the OMMP with peers, family and community leaders. The success of the rec market shouldn’t threaten existing medical systems; the two should continue to develop synergistically, as many of the innovations can be applied to both frames of mind.

As Oregonians, we cannot lose our history.

Patients and medical growers fighting for safe access sacrificed their freedom to lay the framework for the new adult market’s success. Let’s make sure their efforts weren’t for nothing!

SENSISWEETSOREGON.COM

feature

By WES ABNEY | PHOTOS by DANIEL BERMAN

LICENSE TO FRUSTRATE

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annabis regulators and legislators seem to have a penchant for using the term “good actor.” No, this isn’t a Shakespearean reference; the term refers to businesses that have gained the state’s favor.

This is accomplished through efficient applications, transparent intentions and good business practices.

All good things, right?

That’s what Diane Downey and her husband and partner Chris Bechler thought at Rebel Spirit Cannabis Company. When license applications were opened earlier in the year, the team at Rebel Spirit pushed hard to prepare as quickly as possible for state regulators. Zooming through due diligence, the family invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into their farm.

With multiple greenhouses and outdoor growing space, plus indoor canopy, the farm was a major project. So was being a middle school teacher on the side. Downey focused up and felt the farm was abuzz as they headed into the licensing phase.

“We jumped into this industry with both feet,” Downey said. “We didn’t get our license until May 25, but we started getting our greenhouses running and thought that we could get our first crop off by early summer and start serving the marketplace.”

But when she found out the legal license meant she couldn’t legally sell pot until October at the soonest, she felt like the state had played a cruel trick on her and other license holders.

Let’s grab a refresher course on Oregon’s current state of Cannabis sales. Statewide, there are hundreds of licensed medical dispensaries. These dispensaries have had the option since October to apply for a permit to sell recreational Cannabis.

This means that although the products in the store come from medical producers (patients), they can sell for profit to recreational customers.

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DIANE DOWNEY ON THE In January, the state enacted a 25 percent point of sale tax on Cannabis for recreational sales, but has largely left dispensaries and producers alone, allowing the already in place OMMP to provide recreational weed — fueling millions in sales.

Here is where things get tricky. Medical producers are allowed to transfer their medicine to dispensaries only until October, when all producers must be licensed recreationally to sell recreational pot, and dispensaries must be licensed to receive and sell products.

The catch is that licensed producers can only sell their products to licensed dispensers, and those licenses won’t begin being issued until

October. Current recreational dispensaries are only temporarily permitted to sell recreational weed.

“In one way, it makes me feel proud to have really done things legally and on the up and up, and that’s how we sell ourselves. On the other hand, it kinda makes me feel like a chump,” Downey said.

“We had to go back and borrow extra money to store products, keep our $25,000 in payroll afloat, and we’re really going out on a limb and really need to make it work, and are determined to do so, but it’s pretty nerve-wracking.”

For many other early license holders, it feels like the state left compliant businesses out to dry.

“If the OLCC’s goal is to defeat black market in

STATE’S MISTAKE Oregon, keeping legal growers from selling legally until October is not the way to do it. Not that I would turn to black market, but they need to be practical and keep the endgame in sight,” she said.

“It’s not difficult to find people bending the rules and in some ways getting ahead of us.”

By denying licensed producers a pathway to sell their legally grown products, the state has put their “best actors” in jeopardy of financial failure. These farms were expecting to have product sales now, and telling them to wait until October at the earliest is a major stretch. But that’s assuming October even happens.

At the time we went to print, the state has pro-

Oregon created a loophole in the licensing process that put the first companies to finish applications into serious legal limbo and real distress.

cessed roughly 10 percent of recreational production licenses. With potential for over 1,000 total license applications in the system, it could take a full year to get through the influx. But that’s just producers and processors. The state has also set its own deadline of Oct. 1 to have licensed dispensaries for recreational purposes, and not a single dispensary has finished that process to be approved for October sales.

For now, all Downey can do is hope that the state realizes the predicament she and others have been put in, and either create a window for sales or dedicate significant resources towards ensuring 100 percent of license holders are processed by the

fall deadline. Right now, she doesn’t have much hope for either.

“To their credit I do believe they want things to work, but they don’t have the manpower or resources.”

For Downey, the experience has managed to teach her a lot about dealing with a state agency and an emerging industry.

“Do your homework with regard to start-up costs, and then bring your checkbook. It’s still going to cost a lot more than you think, and an under-capitalized company will never make it off the ground,” she wrote in a follow-up email.

“Access the expertise of those [working] in ancillary businesses: the power company, the electrician, the security company, the building supply company, the farm equipment company, the soil amendments dealer, the dispensary owners.

They have an interest in your success. A great thing about the industry is that it is providing economic growth to entire communities, so we can all get excited about growing together.”

aug. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

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STORY & PHOTOS by SIMONE FISCHER @SIMONEFISCHERR

Matthews explained that with struggle comes opportunity and the chance to make your own way in a new industry.

Advice for the next generation What are the challenges of navigating the new Cannabis industry? How do you get your start?

Students at Oregon Episcopal High School got to wrestle with these complicated questions when they hosted a discussion last month with Stash Cannabis Company's Chris Matthews, an established and down-to-earth Cannabis professional.

30/aug. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

E D I TOR ’ S N OT E : The author works as a budtender at Stash Cannabis Company in Beaverton.

Oregon is poised to become a national leader in forging a safe, bountiful Cannabis market.

tance of Cannabis advertisements in Oregon, they asked if that was helping propel Matthews’ business.

Unfortunately, not all advertisement can be written off in taxes (like any other business) because of current law. Any paid advertising is costly and completely out of pocket, no write-offs allowed. Luckily, social media (Instagram, Facebook, Mass Roots) work as excellent drivers for connecting the Cannabis community. Not to mention entirely free!

Matthews explained how vital social media has been within Cannabis business. Running a responsive, well-curated media presence allows his business to interact with customers.

The major downfall to social media is risking getting your page deleted and having to build your following base back up from zero. There is sometimes no reasoning behind the actions. Legitimate, licensed Cannabis businesses get the short end of the stick from social media. It’s free, but you risk losing your page at any given time.

The hour-long conversation was coming to a close when one of the students asked why he got into this business if it’s so difficult? Matthews smiled and said, “because this is what I want to do. I’ve always dreamed of owning my own Cannabis shop.”

At the end of the day, Matthews’ passion continues to drive his legacy forward. If Oregon’s youth are looking to join the Cannabis sector, it’s important we show them how to do it legitimately.

Matthews also noted that we need Cannabis-friendly auxiliary businesses like accounting, lawyers, judges and councilwomen and men. We don’t live in a vacuum and you don’t necessarily need to work directly within the Cannabis industry to benefit from it.

Giving youth the opportunity to talk about these issues allows them to plan for their futures, or maybe discover a business idea they never considered before.

Oregon is one of the national leaders in Cannabis and Cannabis research. Educating our youth is vital to the longevity and success of a blooming industry.

Rather than leaving our youth in the dark and continuing to make Cannabis taboo, facilitated discussions on legal business practice in Oregon are needed to properly guide the next generation.

Matthews’ story is a tale of adversity and overcoming real obstacles. Competition within the cannabis industry is tougher than ever. Establishing your business or brand isn’t an easy feat for anyone, and not every Cannabis company will make it in the end. Keen business strategy is needed more than ever.

It takes passion and constant dedication to properly run any business, especially so in the Cannabis realm.

Although green jobs may appear glamorous at first, grueling paperwork, dizzying fees and less-than-clear political hoops are the reality of this new industry.

Opportunity abounds, but it doesn’t come easy.

State economists predicted that Oregon would take in today is another costly hurdle.

4 million dollars per year from the sale of recreational After hearing about steep fees, security measures, Cannabis. Turns out that demand for Cannabis is much paperwork and required diligence, the students bestronger than expected: Consumers made $3.8 million gan to realize Cannabis is a labor of love — no difin purchases within the first month of the program! ferent than any other craft industry.

Employment and business opportunities are rife in Running a pot shop means understanding and the Cannabis industry and it’s important to show how handling a specific set of challenges. Between dealit’s done legally and correctly. The “silicon forest” is ing with OHA inspections and registering with the alive with potential for generations to come.

OLCC, it takes a business-savvy professional with So where does the next generation fit into that? the ability to adapt and stay up to date on Cannabis One of the first questions students had for Matthews regulation implementation to succeed in this market. was something they could all likely relate to.

Students brought up the issue of “home grows” “What was your first job?” one asked. (the allotted four Cannabis plants per residence) “Target,” Matthews replied humbly. The idea of ownand wondered if they had any negative effect on dising a legal pot shop was a distant dream at best, he pensaries. If people are allowed to grow their weed, said. Before joining the Cannabis industry, Matthews could it hurt business? ran a successful IT business for 20 years.

Contrary to popular belief, recHe left his cushy tech job for Cannabis THE HOUR-LONG CONVERSATION reational grows do not harm recreand refuses to look back. ational sales. Matthews likened buyWAS COMING TO A CLOSE Despite how romantic that may seem, ing recreational Cannabis to the fun it certainly wasn’t a cakewalk. After Mat- WHEN ONE OF THE STUDENTS of dining out. thews’ home was raided in Kansas (by ASKED WHY HE GOT INTO THIS Just because you have a kitchen a SWAT team), he moved to Portland BUSINESS IF IT’S SO DIFFICULT? doesn’t mean you want to prepare in 1995. He began cultivating Cannaevery meal. Convenience is king and bis prior to the passage of the Oregon CHRIS SMILED .“BECAUSE THIS growing high-quality Cannabis isn’t IS WHAT I WANT TO DO. I’VE Medical Marijuana Act in 1998. exactly straightforward.

Owning a storefront was always ALWAYS DREAMED OF OWNING Setting up a home Cannabis grow his original dream, and after waiting MY OWN CANNABIS SHOP.” can quickly become expensive, not eighteen years House Bill 3460 finally to mention hefty power bills and the passed, allowing dispensaries to set up shop in 2013. very real cost of quality materials and nutrients.

As the discussion began to bloom, many students Growing consumes your precious time as watering, had questions about the current challenges of opening maintenance, harvest, trimming and curing become a Cannabis dispensary. Matthews explained securing essential deadlines. approved locations while new regulations are simultaAll of these things require action, and when you neously churned out is a convoluted mess. work full-time, the thought of coming home to a Once students began to feel the weight of regulation three- to five-hour garden session isn’t appealing to and marijuana’s federal status (Schedule I drug), the most. Not everyone has the needed space, ability or glitz and glamour of owning a licensed dispensary lost health to grow. a bit its initial appeal.

Students had many questions on advertising and Matthews spoke about how he worked with the Beasocial media presence. Given the general accepverton City Council for a year to figure out the logistics of obtaining a license.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the Cannabis indusSimone Fischer is a Portland OMMP patient and Cannabis advocate. She is a contributing editor try follows suit. Nothing happened overnight. Dealing at Ladybud Magazine and a graduate of women’s and gender studies from Portland State University. with moratoriums that many counties still have in place

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PROFILE

THE REGULATOR

By ALIZA SHERMAN for ALASKA LEAF PHOTO by OSCAR AVELLANEDA-CRUZ

32/aug. 2016 FACEBOOK.COM/NWLEAF

SARAH DALTON OATES

B

efore her role as program coordinator and principal assistant to the director at the Alaska Alcohol & Marijuana Control Office (AMCO), Sarah Dalton Oates worked for Alaska’s Division of Motor Vehicles in the Anchorage Driver Licensing unit. Today, her responsibilities include direct management of both Alaska’s alcohol and marijuana licensing programs and the development of all legislation related to AMCO licensing programs as well as drafting regulations. A far cry from marine biology, her initial major in college.

So, how did the daughter of wildlife biologists in Alaska go from dreams of a career in marine biology to dealing with the inner workings of alcohol and marijuana regulation?

“I was focusing a lot of my energy on other things like traveling all over the Pacific Northwest to ski, and I wasn’t 100 percent committed to my schooling at the time,” Oates admits. “There are so few marine biology jobs available, and I ultimately had to figure out if I really wanted to buckle down and devote myself to the marine biology field.”

Oates decided that she wanted to explore more and wasn’t ready to take on massive debt from student loans. She moved back to Alaska and shelved her marine biology dreams, although she still has two bookshelves in her house packed full of books about sharks — a personal passion along with a love of hunting and fishing.

When not battling 90-mile-per-hour winds and horizontal rain on a sheep hunt, she and her AMCO team tackle the enormous task of managing both alcohol and marijuana regulations in the state.

The AMCO consists of the director (and Oates’ boss), Cynthia Franklin, and 16 staff who serve the licensing, administrative and enforcement needs of the alcohol and marijuana licensing communities as well as two regulatory and quasi-judicial boards. Oates says that as a regulatory agency, AMCO hears from many members of the public, the Cannabis industry, local governments, public health and safety officials and other states who contact them regularly to voice discontent with new or proposed laws or with the amount of time it takes for

questions to be answered or documents to be processed.

“The addition of marijuana regulation to our staff ’s duties has more than tripled our workload the past two years,” Oates explains. “Many people don’t realize the enormous amount of work that comes along with implementation of a new, highly controversial, regulated industry. I certainly didn’t.”

As of July 2016, no businesses currently hold Alaska marijuana establishment licenses. However, 12 licensees have had applications approved by the Marijuana Control Board (MCB) and are in the “active” status, meaning they’re credentialed into METRC — Alaska’s marijuana inventory tracking system — and will be handed their licenses to begin operation once a preliminary inspection

by AMCO enforcement is complete. Oates says that so far, the board has approved all applications with delegation to the director, which means the licenses will be issued once all necessary approvals have been received and once a preliminary inspection has been performed.

Public misconception is a challenging part of Oates’ position. “I cannot believe how many times I’ve read and heard the AMCO staff being accused of intentionally delaying the licensing process so that it can be repealed by the Legislature, or of being ‘underworked, overpaid government employees,’” says Oates, who points out that the opposite is true and that her team takes pride in being efficient, effective and helpful.

“When Ballot Measure 2 passed, many of us in the office were excited for the task ahead of us. We were excited to help this industry get going and to make a difference in the lives of many Alaskans,” Oates recounts. “We thought it would be fun and that the people in this new industry would be laid-back and easy-going. We have met quite a few really great people who are applying for licenses. We believe that we’re going to have some amazing superstar licensees, and we’ll have some difficult ones, and that’s true in any industry.”

Oates’ advice to anyone interested in applying for a license to do business in Alaska’s Cannabis industry is to read up on the statutes starting on the AMCO website, attend some MCB meetings, contact your local government early for permitting, be a good neighbor in your community and, most of all, be patient.

“

MANY PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE THE ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF WORK THAT COMES ALONG WITH IMPLEMENTATION OF A NEW, HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL, REGULATED INDUSTRY.

OATES IS PROGRAM COORDINATOR AND PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT TO THE DIRECTOR AT THE ALASKA ALCOHOL & MARIJUANA CONTROL OFFICE

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has continually supplied the OMMP community with quality flower and this Orphan OG is no different. The nugs are surprisingly light in color, with vibrant light pink hairs leaping from each calyx. Floral notes with hints of roasted coffee beans crept into my nose first.

Breaking down the buds for a joint revealed the classic OG funk with what smelled like heavy notes of caryophyllene.

Each joint burned clean white ash with an even, smooth smoke. The flavor was subtle, but enjoyable as each pull tasted like lavender funk. The effect is a balance between cerebral functionality and sedative relaxation, making this strain ideal to medicate with any time of day.

I would recommend this strain to consumers looking for a relaxing yet functional hybrid that is ideal for medicating with during the workday, or while doing chores around the house.

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Reviewed

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Edibles 4/5 THE SHELVES were well-stocked on a recent visit with Cannavore gummies, Echo Electuary Honey and Lunchbox Alchemy shrapnel all available for recreational and medical users. The prices range from $5-30 per edible, depending on quality of ingredients and the desired amount of medicine inside. Don’t miss tinctures from PNW Potions and Lean Back Sizurp by Dirty Arm Farm, for paincare.

Concentrates 4/5 IF YOU LIKED one of TJ’s house strains, most are

available in concentrate form. The Durban Poison is a patient favorite with its uplifting, functional effect and mouthful of pine trees flavor. Hash rosin from Lucid OG and Loaded Organics is available as well in the form of the strain Blueberry Trinity. CO2 from Evolvd Organics and rosin from Willamette Valley Alchemy rounds out solventless options.

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Environment 5/5 FRIENDLY STAFF and one of the most well-decorated medicine and waiting rooms I have come across greet me when I walk in. The assortment of air plants and crystals lend the waiting room a warm and inviting vibe. An interactive map of all medical and recreational states lets consumers see where similar Cannabis laws exist and what states may be next on the green rush bandwagon.

Durban Poison is one of the only landrace sativas that

can be found around Oregon dispensaries. This classic sativa is known for having incredibly energetic and uplifting effects. This shatter from TJ’s Organic Gardens is stable, yet flavorful. Low-temperature dabs reveal a terpene profile heavy in limonene and pinene. Effects are INCREDIBLY instant; I immediately felt a warm sensation behind my eyes. The smoke is smooth, yet ENERGETIC, expansive. I would suggest this concentrate to UPLIFTING consumers looking for an energetic, functional EFFECTS. high that is perfect for daytime use.($35/g)

Overall 18/20 ENJOY IT ALL: high-quality medicine, a solidly stacked back budroom, knowledgeable staff and a fun, welcoming interior. TJ’s status as one of Oregon’s premier Cannabis purveyors is rightly deserved and their location is convenient for those west of Eugene or in Junction City & Cheshire.

THE SCORE

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By LAURIE WOLF for ALASKA LEAF | PHOTOS by BRUCE WOLF for ALASKA LEAF

Grilling requires patience.

Back when I was at the Culinary Institute of America we used to have a little grilling joke: “when it’s black, it’s done!” Don’t forget about what’s on the barbie and you can grill your food to perfection. Summer is a great time to relax, be outside, get a buzz and have a blast.

If you have some fresh or dried herbs, you can throw them on the fire just before cooking.

Don’t turn things too fast: it ruins everything.

I S S SE

GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN with PINEAPPLE + PEACHES IN A BALSAMIC ROSEMARY MARINADE INGREDIENTS

½ cup orange juice concentrate 3 tablespoons pineapple juice 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1-2 tablespoons canna-oil 1 minced garlic clove 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary 1 teaspoon ground allspice Salt and pepper to taste 8 thin boneless pork loin slices, about 1lb.

8 thick slices fresh pineapple 4 peaches, cut in quarters, pit removed 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

*

1. In a dish that will hold the meat and the fruit, combine the orange juice, pineapple juice, vinegar, canna-oil, garlic, rosemary and allspice, salt and the 8 slices of pork.

Mix and allow to marinate for several hours or overnight.

2. Let the meat come to room temperature for an hour.

Add the fruit to the marinade, turning once. Prepare your grill. When medium-hot, place everything on the grill at the same time. Cook the pork and the fruit for 4-5 minutes per side. Sprinkle with mint and serve.

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E K SMO N O recipes

GRILLED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS

CHICKEN SATAY INGREDIENTS

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in strips

2 tablespoons lime juice 1 tablespoon canna-canola oil 2 teaspoons soy sauce ½ teaspoon grated ginger 4 tablespoons roasted peanuts, no salt 1 tablespoon lite coconut milk 2 tablespoons lime juice 1 teaspoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon brown sugar Pinch cinnamon 1 tablespoon chopped scallion 1 tablespoons sesame seeds 6 cups lettuce 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons lime juice

*

1. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, lime juice, canna-canola oil, soy sauce and ginger. Marinate for 2 hours. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry. Thread the chicken on bamboo skewers that have been soaked in warm water for at least 30 minutes.

2. In a food processor or blender, combine the peanuts, coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Add the scallions.

3. Prepare the grill. When the grill is ready, cook the chicken on the skewers for about 3-4 minutes per side. Divide the greens on 4 plates and drizzle with the olive oil and lime juice. Place the skewers on the greens and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Serve with the peanut sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

*

Eight 4-5 inch Portobello mushrooms 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup good-quality mozzarella, cubed 2 med.-ripe tomatoes, seeded & chopped 8 tablespoons shredded basil 2 cups arugula, cleaned and dried 3 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons canna-olive oil 14 walnut halves 1 teaspoon oregano ½ teaspoon salt

1. Brush mushrooms with 2 tablespoons olive oil and grill for 4-5 minutes per side. Remove to a plate.

///

All recipes serve four

INGREDIENTS

2. In a medium bowl, combine the cheese, tomato and basil and allow to sit while preparing the pesto.

3. In a food processor, combine the arugula, lemon juice, oils, walnuts, oregano and salt. Process until smooth. Spread the pesto on the inside of the grilled mushrooms. Top each mushroom with the cheese-tomato mixture and serve.

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Reviews

By STEVE ELLIOTT Editor, Tokesignals.com

MARIJUANA HORTICULTURE FUNDAMENTALS B y K O F T R ICHO ME T E C H N O LO G I E S, 4 4 2 PAGES, $30

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO CANNABIS CULTIVATION AND HASHISH PRODUCTION

W

hen discussing the most renowned marijuana cultivators in the world, names like Jorge Cervantes and Ed Rosenthal come easily to mind. Not so much “K from Trichome Technologies” (also known as Kenny Morrow), but this book could change that.

“Marijuana Horticulture Fundamentals” teaches beginners how to get it right from their very first grow, and how to speed up harvests while reducing production costs.

Covering hydroponic, soil and organic marijuana gardening, the book explains and explores many different systems, from your basic hand-watered soil garden to industrial-sized hydroponic cultivation facilities — and everything in between.

K presents Trichome Technologies’ symbiotic rotation cycle grow system, which he says will allow any grower to achieve industrial-grade yields efficiently. As the founder of Trichome, Morrow has combined his scientific knowledge with three decades of

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Kenneth “K” Morrow

Cannabis cultivation experience to produce an easy-to-follow guide.

This isn’t a slim, sketchy collection of knowledge we’re talking about here. “Marijuana Horticulture Fundamentals” has some heft to it, with 442 pages and hundreds of gorgeous color photos. There’s an entire chapter on cloning, another on pests and diseases and one chapter each for cloning, vegetative growth, flowering, harvesting and curing.

As an added bonus, the reader learns Trichome Technologies’ advanced hash-making techniques, providing easy methods of extracting THC and CBD from your plants and producing hash and hash oil for medical and recreational uses. That chapter alone contains 30 bucks worth of information, and is thus worth the price of the book.

THIS BOOK TEACHES BEGINNERS HOW TO GET IT RIGHT FROM THEIR VERY FIRST GROW, AND HOW TO SPEED UP HARVESTS WHILE REDUCING PRODUCTION COSTS.

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health & science

gut feelin’

BY OREGON LEAF SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR DR. SCOTT D. ROSE

Probiotics are the healthful bacteria and fungi

that live in and on our bodies. We have more cells of these microorganisms than we do cells of our body.

And we can’t live without them.

M

ore than 500 species of bacteria can populate the human gut. A virus differs because it doesn’t have a cell wall -- it is noncellular, much smaller and infects cells with no benefits.

Beneficial bacteria help digestion, elimination, and the manufacture of certain vitamins and fatty acids. Many bad actors can directly contribute to disease of the body, but research is showing a positive interplay between these beneficial bacteria and the immune system.

Most people carry a negative view of bacteria and fungi. Those organisms are often associated with diseases of the body. Sexually transmitted diseases and most fungal infections occurring on the surface of the body are due to bacteria.

Systemic fungal infections are more common in immunocompromised people, including those who have HIV/AIDS, have had organ transplants and are on anti-rejection drugs, and those being treated for autoimmunity. So yes, many bacteria and fungi can cause disease in the body.

Probiotic organisms, however, are beneficial and necessary.

On the skin, in the mouth, in the lungs and down the esophagus and through the intestines to the anus and vagina, these microorganisms are arranged in biofilms that spread over and coat tissues, including the skin and the gut wall, that serve

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as the barrier to the outside world. These healthful organisms that have a symbiotic relationship with our bodies are called normal flora. The microscopic organismal flora of the body is known as the microflora. The beneficial bacteria establish the balance of the microflora in the gut.

The fetus is sterile until moving through the birth canal. The normal flora is first established while moving through the birth canal -- with C-section rates higher than 30 percent in the United States, many babies are missing out on this important step.

The healthful bacteria coat the intestines and keep unhealthful bacteria from growing. As a population of a certain bacterial strain takes root and proliferates, it might inhibit or even promote other bacterial populations.

The healthful bacteria are involved in the diges-

tive process, and they capture free radicals that are at the root of the oxidative process of diseases such as cancer. The microflora also neutralizes toxins in the gut and keeps fungal organisms in low number. Those bacteria aid in the synthesis of B vitamins for energy and metabolism, vitamin K for proper blood clotting and butyrate, which is a fatty acid that keeps the intestinal cells healthy.

Much in the modern world can alter the gut microflora, including a diet with overly processed nutritionless food, high stress levels and medications. Antibiotics, which only target bacteria, are a medication type that has been abused for a long time. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are often used because the specific bacteria targeted are seldom identi-

Yogurt is the most well-known source of probiotics. The product must say “active” or “live cultures.” Acidophilus (Lactobacillus acidophilus) and bifidobacteria are the two major players to look for.

Other food sources include fermented foods such as cheese, kefir, Korean kimchi, soybean tempe, honey and even pickles.

PHOTOS BY FLICKR/8SKEINSOFDANGER FLICKR/ALANDD & FLICKR/EMAGINEART

fied -- it’s often a viral infection, which antibiotics do nothing for. This type of antibiotic lays waste to many of the beneficial bacteria in and on the body.

This opens the door to unhealthful bacteria and allows the fungal organisms to gain a stronghold, which throws the normal flora out of balance.

Unhealthful bacteria are known as dysbiotic flora and are known to cause disease. The first time an antibiotic is used, that person’s flora is never the same again.

It is now known that an interaction and influence exist between the microflora and the immune system. Basically, when probiotics are abundant, it is harder for bacteria and other organisms that cause disease to enter. They also play a role in food allergies, too. The microflora are constantly sampling the food stuff that goes by them in the gut.

They take in the food stuff and then display cellular markers on their cell walls to communicate to the immune cells what they have found. When this information is seen as a foreign invader, then a response might be mounted.

The use of supplemental probiotics have been helpful in immune issues such as chronic urinary tract infections and allergies.

Probiotics and prebiotics come in many flavors. Prebiotics are fibers found in foodstuffs that are food for the healthful flora. Yogurt is the most well-known source of probiotics. A quality yogurt

Much in the modern world can alter the gut microflora, harming digestion and nutrition intake, including a diet with overly processed nutritionless food, high stress levels and medications.

with strains of beneficial bacteria that will stay and populate your gut is necessary. Many brands use inferior-quality strains of bacteria to ferment the dairy or heat has been used in the process, killing the bacteria.

The product must say “active” or “live cultures.”

Acidophilus (Lactobacillus acidophilus) and bifidobacteria are the two major players to look for.

Other food sources include fermented foods such as cheese, kefir, Korean kimchi, soybean tempe, honey and even pickles.

Supplemental probiotics and prebiotics are easily accomplished through nutritional supplementation of beneficial strains. It is quite likely that we might not be able to consume adequate amounts from dietary sources.

A whole industry is built around pro/prebiotic supplementation. Many strains are proprietary -- good quality is usually not cheap -- and most should be kept refrigerated.

There might be a strain identifier listed, including Lactobacillus acidophilus EEX-1, and levels are labeled in CFU (colony forming units). Often, people discover probiotic supplementation through the support or treatment of a specific disease, but one could build a strong argument that regular supplementation might be a good

part of the wellness plan for anyone.

Our bodies are made of 10 trillion cells (give or take a few trillion) and 100 trillion cells of the microflora are in and on our bodies. That is 10 times more bugs in and on our bodies than we have cells of our bodies.

The healthful normal flora should be established from the moment of birth. We are doing a lot in modern society to interrupt our relationship with the healthful microflora, including high cesarean rates, improper diets, sterile diets or a lack of traditional fermented foods, high stress, alcohol abuse, antibiotic use, IBS and chronic fatigue syndrome, to name just a few.

We have a mutually beneficial relationship with our healthful bugs. They might be microscopic organisms, but they do outnumber us even on a cellular level. We should pay homage to our healthful bacterial and fungal organisms and cater to their health as they cater to ours.

Dr. Scott D. Rose has written extensively on the topics of Cannabis and health for years in the pages of Northwest Leaf and Oregon Leaf. He is an acupuncturist with a pain resolution clinic in Seattle.

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Growing

Old

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WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD, WHERE TAKING PILL AFTER PILL IS THE NORMAL WAY TO DEAL WITH OUR AGING BODIES … EXCEPT FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE GREATEST GENERATION. FOR THEM, SHEDDING THE REEFER MADNESS THEY HAVE KNOWN ALL OF THEIR LIVES IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY COMMON. STORY & PHOTOS

by BOB MONTOYA for OREGON LEAF

The chemical cocktails they used to survive on have all but been replaced by some form of Phyto-cannabinoid from the Cannabis plant. The common sense of not treating side effects with yet another pill is taking hold with the 70 and over crowd.

RJ and Diane began switching to this nutraceutical plant in edible, topical and combusted forms. In their kitchen, from the garden, the medicine is made using common appliances. Diane makes a mild edible oil for daily use like a vitamin or other nutritional supplement. Steeping Cannabis in hemp oil (purchased at the grocery store) in a crock pot overnight produces nutritional oil that is rich with all the goodness of hemp and the miracle of Cannabis. She fills #1 gelcaps with an eyedropper to ensure consistent dosing and avoid undesired effects.

The potency is approximately 10 mg total active cannabinoids. RJ grows indica and indica-dominant hybrids to help him sleep soundly; just a couple puffs is all it takes.

This year’s garden is just four plants, enough for both of them because they require so little to be well. Powerful strains such as 100 percent indica Fucking Incredible and indica-dominant Platinum OG are their strains of choice for pain relief and sedation. Diane is a lifelong professional executive and entrepreneur. Her green thumb is evident in the lush gardens surrounding their beautiful home near Tenino, Wash. RJ is a veteran of the Army and Air Force.

An accomplished writer and photographer, RJ took to the idea of Cannabis as a replacement for harsher drugs seriously and has enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in his health and vitality.

The current condition of Washington state’s abandoned medical program forces many to sustain themselves. Growing Cannabis to be healthy and well is a serious thing when there is no longer an option to have safe access to clean and organic medicines over the counter.

Recreational stores are just that: fun and games. But living a long healthy life is serious business. Seniors are showing their wisdom and waking from the Big Pharma fog they have been thrust into — trusting while being lied to for a profit.

Cheers to this power couple, showing the guts and fortitude to take responsibility for their health and wellbeing.

GROWING CANNABIS TO BE HEALTHY AND WELL IS A SERIOUS THING WHEN THERE IS NO LONGER AN OPTION TO HAVE SAFE ACCESS TO CLEAN AND ORGANIC MEDICINES.

100% Indica FI

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growtech

Creative Commons images via Pexels

PLAN YOUR

ELECTRIC

I

ELECTROCUTE

YOUR PLAN

n setting up new growing spaces, I recommend doing as detailed plan as early as possible — especially before materials have much as you can by yourself, and I encourage adherbeen purchased — allows many aspects of your build to go smoothing to a “try it yourself first and see” sort of approach. ly and quickly. When you know what sort of electrical loads and

BY OREGON LEAF Electrical is the exception. infrastructure you will need in advance, you can better inform SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR Here, the potential for dangerous circumstances your electrician of your needs, which will maximize the operating DR. SCANDERSON and errors that result in hazardous environments is simefficiencies of your grow space. This will save you time and money. ply too great to risk, in my opinion. Notwithstanding the Another advantage of planning your room’s schematics in detail potential for injury and equipment damage, working with a licensed is the ability to plan the maximum capacity of each circuit and ensure professional will give you access to a coveted knowledge base that can creplenty of residual capacity for small changes in room design during conate shortcuts and tools that will save you costs, increase ease of use and limit struction, as well as future upgrades that only become apparent after working potential failure points. A good electrician is an essential and valuable resource in the room for a round or two. By keeping the running load for most devices for anyone running rooms that extend beyond a tent. at 50-60 percent of the maximum capacity — as opposed to minimum safety Setting up new gardens further demonstrates tried and trusted rules folrequirements that allow up to 80 percent — you will have fewer capacity islowed in the garden. For instance, it’s always best to take the build as far as you sues and the flexibility to improve the load in the future. can, as fast as you can take it given your resources and materials. Laying out a When you know the intended end result and have the flexibility of cre-

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ating your own electrical infrastructure, you can centralize devices and limit or eliminate hazards like extension cords and hanging wires. Centralizing your devices that perform the same function will save you money and increase efficiency. For instance, devices that adhere to the same operating schedule — such as oscillating fans, reservoir pumps, passive air scrubbers and dehumidifiers — can be controlled on a single dedicated timer that can be placed outside the growing space. This reduces the need to enter the garden to test the devices or change their programing.

Climate and CO2 regulation equipment can also benefit from your detailed schematics. Where probes and measuring devices are needed to control the devices they are connected to, you can eliminate long extension cords by hardwiring the devices and their regulators into different spaces. This way you can, for instance, separate your CO2 monitor — which actually reads the concentration of CO2 in the garden — from the box that interprets the reading and tells the solenoid valve when to open and release CO2 into the grow space and when to shut it off and place the tank and valve itself all into separate and appropriate spaces.

You may want your CO2 tank and regulator outside the grow space altogether, and have the brain that reads and displays the level of CO2 in the garden in a control area and the monitor dead set in the middle of the canopy or where you believe concentration is likely to fall fastest. The CO2 valve can be placed outside the grow space and plugged into an electrical receptacle, which can be controlled by the brain set in the control area that plugs into an adjacent receptacle, telling the CO2 valve what to do. From there, a low-volt wire can control the monitor itself so that you can easily place it in the grow space as far from the brain as you like.

You can install override switches that will automatically shut the lights down should a certain temperature be exceeded, fan overrides that can evacuate an open room regardless of climate conditions and have an automatic generator for backup power that will kick on in case the grid line power goes down for any reason. This is all made possible when the gardener plans out the space in as detailed a manner as possible and a qualified electrician is dedicated to created an ideal growing area.

While all this may sound super advanced, it’s actually a lower-cost way to set up a garden. I felt so conditioned by the world of do-it-yourself “garden specific” grow equipment designed to

be easy to install. I never stopped to think that you wouldn’t need a box of outlets to plug all your lights into if you just plugged your hoods into an outlet that was powered by the ballast outside the garden. With some inexpensive parts and minimal additional labor, you can circumvent the need for any “specialized” grow-specific electrical equipment that is expensive, prone to failure and nowhere near as safe as a standardized installation.

Last and certainly not least, it’s imperative that you include time to have your electrician on-site or at least available and on call for your initial firing up with all your equipment running. Not only do boxes or circuits commonly need adjustments of some sort, electricians can see things that may not be apparent.

Even if all your devices appear to be running properly, your electrician can use tools like their voltage meter to ensure that the proper load is being delivered and carried by each receptacle and circuit. They can look for any surges or unanticipated loads that can come from small changes during construction or unanticipated draws.

ELECTRICAL IS A ONE-TIME INVESTMENT THAT WILL NOT NEED MAINTENANCE WHEN PROPERLY INSTALLED

Having an electrician on-site provides an additional layer of safety and protects your equipment from needing early replacement due to being run under less than ideal conditions. It’s also a good idea to have them back after a month of running the rooms just to ensure the longer-term electrical load is being carried safely and effectively. Any good electrician will insist on these sorts of integrated safety checks and rechecks in addition to providing efficiency and ease of use of your garden.

Having a trustworthy and knowledgeable electrician in your life is essential if you intend to pursue indoor gardening at any serious and long-term level. In general, good work isn’t cheap and cheap work isn’t good, but electrical is a one-time investment that will not need maintenance when properly installed and provides the essential lifeline to run your garden.

To my personal electrician (you know who you are), who has helped me well above and beyond the call of duty and assisted me to elevate my growing and knowledge base to a higher level, I offer my infinite gratitude.

As always, Happy Gardening!!!

Follow along

Instagram @DrScanderson_gT

Drop me a line

thegreengardengroup@gmail.com

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@OREGONLEAF #OREGONLEAF

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OR

LEAF

OREGON LEAF

BUDSHOT

PHOTOS by @OREGONBREEDERSGROUP | RANDY P.

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SIRIUS BLACK Got sweet garden/bud photos?

Share them with us and they might appear here next month! Email your top 2-3 not-taken-witha-phone-unless-they-were-superduper-steady high-resolution images to nwleaf@gmail.com along with the usual details on what’s being grown and who to credit (please see corner for the information to include with your email).

BUDSHOT

PHOTOS by @OREGONBREEDERSGROUP | RANDY P.

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BEHIND THE STRAIN

Drop me a line

thegreengardengroup@gmail.com

Watch a video

YouTube.com/DrScandersonGt

KOSHER KUSH

Flowers in 68-70 days

BAG APPEAL & SMOKE REPORT like many of my favorite Kushs, Kosher has a decent but not

overwhelming look to it. Average amounts of frost coat very tightly formed light green calyxes interrupted only by the ample amount of deep red hairs. When the jar cracks, the hype is immediately on you.

Unheard of potency in scent pours into the room the jar enters.

The sharp acrid scent of skunk and ammonia create an almost tearjerking response. Razor-sharp cleaner tones only lay the foreground for the more sophisticated Pine-Sol and earth scent with a touch of sulfury kush to it. The blooms’ smell lets you know you’re messing with something requiring a warning label; bring your protective outerwear.

HOW IT GROWS

A quick onset would seem to be the most accurate description but more than 40 minutes later, I found myself in the shower shampooing for the third time

BY OREGON LEAF SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR DR. SCANDERSON

GENETICS: Kosher Kush (clone) x Kosher Kush (rev’d) BREEDER: DNA GENETICS SUMMARY: Although intrinsically difficult to grow, Kosher Kush is

something that will quickly move to the top choice for most who are able to enjoy properly run and flushed blooms of this flower. The overwhelming connoisseur kush flavors and smells combined with a shockingly potent cannabinoid profile makes learning to grow this plants an ongoing and often educational experience whose spoils far surpass its requirements.

LINEAGE

Initially, this famed cut of OG Kush was held tightly by a Jewish group of growers in the Los Angeles area who called the cut Jew Gold. The cut was reportedly procured by Don and Aaron of DNA Genetics who used it in future breeding projects that placed first at several Cannabis Cups under the more politically minded renamed variety Kosher Kush. The precise genetic lineage of this Kush is not confirmed but by my estimation, it seems to be a ghost cross of sorts.

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this variety has all the notoriously difficult characteristics of the most elite cuts of OG Kush when selecting for the Kosher Kush pheno. Slow to veg, this lady wants to throw tightly grouped multi-tops of stretchy, lanky nodes and that’s all before flower.

Experience in height mitigation techniques including topping and very frequent training is necessary to establish a shape and structure that will produce a moderate yield. Nutrient-sensitive and with a high thirst for calcium, the classic balance of low-nutrient concentration combined with nutrients that tend to increase conductivity found in many Kush grows is present in spades with Kosher Kush.

She will increase in stretch approximately 100-150 percent and I have found that LSTduring stretch maximizes yield and creates a moniker of stability to the otherwise shoestring stems.

Proper thinning and site selection will avoid the smaller popcornstyle flowers this OG can be notorious for producing when training and branch selection are not optimized. Once stretch has completed, be sure to have ample support and watch the flower sites bulk themselves right into a medium-light to medium yielding finish.

EFFECTS

the All Murphy Oil/Pine-Sol cleaner flavor absolutely

explodes off a spring board of sharp pepper and hashy spice as soon as I clear the tube’s chamber. No subtle flavors to distinguish here; terps relentlessly pound your taste buds with a heavy chemical, ammonia, pine, and lemon cleaner, leaving a spicy, earthy taste. The simultaneous sensation of my eyes inflating like a balloon while my lungs contract to the size of marbles lets me know I’ve just ingested something that tests wicked high in THC. I can feel beads of sweat forming on my brow as pillows of kushy, piney, eggy smoke bellows from my face. The pressure in my eyes deflates into my mind as my lids sink comfortably into a relaxed position. Confused at first, I swear I feel like I’ve been smoking concentrates, but all I can see at my station is the remnants of the mouth-pleasing, heart-racing Kosher Kush blooms. A quick onset would seem to be the most accurate description but more than 40 minutes later, I found myself in the shower shampooing for the third time ‘cause I simply forgot about the first two, realizing I could contribute all of my symptom relief to one (just one) extra-large water pipe ingestion session with Kosher Kush.

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