Northwest Chronicle - Northwest Chronicle Spring 2015

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The Northwest Chronicle

Educate. Celebrate. Elevate.

With the historic passage of Initiative 502, Washington citizens made their voices heard: it is time to embrace the legal, responsible, and regulated, recreational use of marijuana. There has never been a more exciting time to be a cannabis enthusiast than right now: what was once relegated to the shadows is now loud, proud and out in the open. Washington has a reputation for growing some of the finest indoor marijuana in the world, and the Okanagan Valley is garnering a well-deserved reputation as being the “Napa Valley� of Cannabis for Sun Grown marijuana.

There are nearly 150 recreational marijuana stores throughout Washington, with more coming online every day. Coupled with over 1000 licensed producers there is an abundance of products and different places to shop for them. Life is all about choices and the Washington cannabis scene ensures that there is something for just about everyone.

Welcome to Washington. Come see why we are called the Evergreen state!

Eric Gaston Founder, The Evergreen Market

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is produced by

Vice President & Regional Publisher: Lori Maxim Classified/Telemarketing Manager: Marcy Balajadia-Aguigui Production & Layout Design: John Rodriguez Advertising Sales: Cathy Harry Editorial Content: Leslie Kelly Cover Photos: (top) Stuart Isett, (bottom) Anna Erickson

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How marijuana can legally be consumed in Washington State

BY LESLIE KELLY | lkelly@soundpublishing.com

Smoking Marijuana:

Cannabis smoking is the inhalation of smoke or vapors released by heating the flowers, leaves, or extracts of cannabis. Smoking releases the main psychoactive chemical in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is absorbed into the bloodstream via the lungs.

Cannabis can be smoked in a variety of pipe-like implements made in different shapes and of different materials.

Joint is a slang term for a cigarette rolled using cannabis. Cannabis joints are made with pure herbal cannabis or with cannabis mixed with tobacco or various non-addictive herbs; a filler is often used to help hashish burn in a joint. Specially manufactured rolling papers are most often used in industrialized countries; however, recycled brown paper and newspaper are commonly used in the developing world. Modern papers are now made from a wide variety of materials including rice, hemp, and flax. A joint typically contains 250‚ÄÏ750 mg net weight of cannabis and/or fillers.

A blunt is cannabis rolled with a cigar wrapper (usually tobacco leaf, which may contain nicotine).

Pipes made for smoking cannabis, sometimes called pieces or bowls, are made of a variety of materials, including blown glass, metal fittings, ceramic, Borosilicate glass, stone, wood, bamboo and other materials (preferably not aluminum). Subtypes include one-hitters, bubblers, chillums, glass blunts, corn cob pipes, and standard hand pipes. Pipes vary greatly in shape and materials, and most are handmade. The common thread between them is having a narrow screened receptacle ("bowl"), a "stem" (which may be a long flexible tube as on hookahs and vaporizers), and a "mouthpiece". The smoking material is placed in the receptacle and affected with a heat source while air is drawn through the bowl and stem to the user.

Blown-glass pipes and bongs are often intricately and colorfully designed. In India and Jamaica, the most commonly used pipe is the chillum.; in the UAE, Continued on Page 9

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Continued from Page 8 midwakh; in Morocco, sebsi.

A bong is similar to a pipe, only it has a water-chamber through which cannabis smoke passes prior to inhalation and a wide "mouth" typically around 3.8–5.1 cm (1.5–2.0 in) in diameter. Users fill the bong with water, sometimes also adding ice in order to cool the smoke. This cooling effect allows a larger amount of cannabis to be consumed at once while reducing the discomfort caused by the heat of the smoke. The bowl and stem assembly of most bongs is removed briefly after the cannabis is burned, allowing clean air to circulate and clear the smoke chamber, ensuring no smoke dissipates without being properly consumed.

Edible Products:

Read labels and go slowly. Don't hesitate to ask questions. Legal marijuana edibles are often made with concentrated cannabis oil, meaning they may be much stronger than edibles you have tried in the past. Depending on your body type, edibles can take up to two hours to fully take effect and may impair your ability to drive, work, or operate machinery safely for a longer period of time. Be careful. Start with a single five-mg serving or less, and don't take more until you wait a full two hours. Most importantly, keep edibles far away from children and pets.

Concentrates:

Marijuana concentrates come in a number of forms: oils, hashes, waxes, kiev and amber glass. If marijuana was compared to alight beer, then concentrates would be a stiff whiskey drink. They are strong and have a quick effect, so begin with a small amount.

Vaporizer Pens:

Vaporizer pens are relatively new to the legal marijuana market and work similarly to electronic cigarettes. Be careful and go slowly when using them because they often use concentrated cannabis oils.

Be safe and sensible:

Marijuana affects people differently and it can be misused or abused. It can be habit-forming. Marijuana can impair coordination and perception, affect learning and memory and can increase anxiety, panic and paranoia.

Continued on Page 10

10 The Northwest Chronicle Continued from Page 9 Marijuana should not be used by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. It and marijuana-infused products should be kept out of the reach of children and away from pets. In the event of a poisoning, call the Washington Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222.

If your marijuana use ever interferes with your health, or has a negative impact on your life, help is available at the Washington Recovery Helpline at 1-866-789-1511, or www.WaRecoveryHelpline.org.

Source: Washington State Liquor Control Board

Buying Recreational Marijuana: A Beginner’s Guide

BY STEVE ELLIOT | Editor, TokeSignals.com

Recreational marijuana stores have been open in Washington state for just over year now, and according to the latest numbers, they’ve started to catch on, big-time.

Cannabis sales in the state are skyrocketing, with recreational pot shops recording roughly $180 million in revenue for the first year of sales, according to the Marijuana Business Daily. That total includes nearly $32 million in June alone, the biggest month yet.

That trend was very noticeable when visiting cannabis stores in July; there were lines at every store I visited. Thankfully, I never had to wait more than 10 minutes or so for service, with the average wait being much shorter.

Disclaimer: 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 and older. Keep out of reach of children.

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Continued from Page 10 When selecting your marijuana, you should know the basic difference between sativa and indica varieties.

Sativas are more appropriate for daytime, with energetic, head-centered effects, while indicas are more often used at night, with soporific, “couch-lock” effects; hybrids combine aspects of the two in various ratios.

Many residents, while definitely interested, still haven’t been in a marijuana store. Fear of the unknown is almost certainly a factor for those who haven’t yet made the plunge, but the good news is, almost all the stores we visited “get it” when it comes to friendly, helpful customer service. They want you to feel comfortable in their place of business, and they’d love for you to know about all their cannabis-related products.

When I visited Port Orchard’s 420 Spot Shop (1374 SE Lund Avenue, Port Orchard), I was delighted with their excellent, on-point customer service and friendly attitude. After consulting with a budtender, I decided on an eighth-ounce (3.5 grams) of Big Apple Kush.

According to the label, these tasty flowers came in at 24.4% THC (the primary psychoactive ingredient in cannabis), and they were quite effective.

A stop at Seattle’s Uncle Ike’s Pot Shop (2310 East Union Street, Seattle), for comparison purposes, yielded a somewhat less personal experience, but still a positive one. Uncle Ike’s had a line out the front door, but the wait was ameliorated by a friendly doorman on the outside, and by very informative menus once inside. I found some spectacular Middlefork, a hybrid strain measuring a hefty 25.6% THC, and was very pleased with it. A two-gram jar of this strain cost $35.

Back in Port Orchard, Greenway Marijuana (4851 Geiger Road, Port Orchard) has $10 grams available, considerably cheaper than the $15-$20 grams which seem to be the norm. Other than having been on the shelf awhile (according to the label, the Tommy Chong’s Washington Berry (18.5% THC) I selected was harvested in October 2014), the weed was good but not spectacular – probably a reasonable compromise at the price.

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12 The Northwest Chronicle Continued from Page 11 Bremerton’s HWY 420, located right by the battleship at 1110 Charleston Beach Road, was business-like but helpful as I perused their selection of $10-15 grams.

The tasty sativa strain Blue Dream weighed in at 23.4% THC and was a satisfying smoke. The weight was also generous, 3.72 grams for an eighth-ounce (which, of course, is 3.5 grams).

Remember that almost all of these shops also sell marijuana-infused edibles and also hash oil (a cannabis concentrate smoked in “dabs”). Also available at most of them are smoking supplies and paraphernalia, including glass pipes.

HAPPY SHOPPING!

What you need to know about medical marijuana

BY LESLIE KELLY | lkelly@soundpublishing.com

Although medical marijuana has been legal in Washington state since 1998, Gov. Jay Inslee recently signed Senate Bill 5052 into law which changes some things about how medical marijuana patients will operate.

According to Senate sources, the law is aimed at reconciling the generally unregulated medical marijuana industry and folding it into the existing, tightly-controlled recreational market.

The changes in the law have been widely criticized by patients, according to Leafly, a marijuana news source, for significantly reducing their possession limits from 24 ounces down to three ounces, as well as limiting the number of plants they can grow from 15 down to 6.

After much debate, a clause was included that would allow a doctor to recommend a larger amount of canContinued on Page 14

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14 The Northwest Chronicle Continued from Page 12 nabis, based on the patient.

Additionally, one of the biggest criticisms of the law, Leafly said, is that medical marijuana dispensaries will no longer exist in their current state; instead, they will be forced to close or incorporate themselves into another existing licensed retail cannabis shop.

When a patient receives his or her medical recommendation, he or she will be entered into a new database for record-keeping, but there will no longer be a patient registry (another source of contention among medical patients who were concerned about privacy).

With a medical recommendation, patients will be exempt from sales tax but not from excise tax, which will be set around 30-37 percent for both medical and recreational customers.

Collective gardens were also under fire in this piece of legislation and patients in rural areas with limited sources were concerned that they would lose their access points, but Inslee preserved grow co-ops, allowing up to four patients at a time to form a co-operative.

The law was scheduled to go into effect July 1.

Other information for medical patients: Patients can legally have 48 ounces of marijuana-infused product in solid form, 216 ounces of marijuana-infused product in liquid form, or 21 grams of marijuana concentrates.

Qualifying conditions include: Cachexia, cancer, Crohn’s Disease, epilepsy, glaucoma, hepatitis C, HIV or AIDS, intractable pain, muscle spasms, Multiple Sclerosis, nausea, seizures and other conditions subject to a doctor’s approval.

Research on the national level shows that marijuana can also help with the following conditions: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and insomnia.

Patients mus be a resident of Washington in order to purchase marijuana from a medical marijuana store.

Tourists can not make purchases there.

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20 The Northwest Chronicle

What you need to know: Marijuana use in Washington State The facts about legal marijuana in Washington: Q: Who can use marijuana in Washington state?

A: Only adults 21 and older can purchase and possess marijuana.

Q: Where can I purchase marijuana?

A: Marijuana can only be sold and purchased at state-licensed retail stores. A valid photo ID is required and no one under age 21 is allowed on the retail premises. Many retail marijuana stores only accept cash Q: How much can I buy?

A: Adults 21 and over can purchase up to one ounce of usable marijuana (the harvested flowers or bud) 16 ounces of marijuana-infused edibles in solid form, 72 ounces in liquid form, and seven grams of marijuana concentrates.

Q: How much does marijuana cost?

A: The price will vary according to the quality and availability. Some strains are considered better than others. Most stores aim at $10-$12 per gram, although that price can go as high as $25. There are 28 grams in one ounce, the amount that can be legally purchased at one time. Typically, that amount can cost $300 and up.

Q: Can I resale what I buy?

A: It remains a felony for anyone but a licensed retailer to sell or provide marijuana to anyone else. Providing or selling marijuana to a minor under the age of 18 is subject to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Q: Can I use marijuana in public?

A: It remains illegal to consume marijuana in public view.

Q: Can I drive if I have used marijuana?

A: It is illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana, and doing so may result in significant legal penalties.

Q: Can I take marijuana outside the state of Washington?

A: The simple answer is “No.� Doing so may result in significant legal penalties.

Continued on Page 21

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Continued From Page 20 Q: Do hotels in Washington allow me to use marijuana in my room?

A: As with tobacco, smoking marijuana in any indoor location is subject to the restrictions in the Washington Smoking in Public Places law. The law prohibits smoking in public places or places of employment, and within 25 feet of entrances, exits, open windows and ventilation intakes. If the establishment permits it and you are either vaporizing or strain in a room where smoking is allowed, it is legal to consume marijuana in a private hotel room.

Q: What about while boating, hiking or skiing?

A: According to the U.S. Coast Guard, if you are in navigable waters, they will enforce federal law. Possession of marijuana is still illegal federally. This is also true at national parks. And it is never OK to operate a boat while impaired by marijuana or any other drug. The law against marijuana use in public view applies to state parks, public hiking trails, and ski resorts.

Source: Washington State Liquor Control Board.

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Marijuana tourism industry booming

BY LESLIE KELLY | lkelly@soundpublishing.com

When the use of marijuana became legal in the state of Washington, a tourism industry popped up.

Tours of pot-growing farms, stores and even marijuana-friendly hotels and bed and breakfast inns surfaced.

One such company offering these tours is Kush Tourism. The company has everything from “The Original Kush Tour,” to “Sky High Gardens Grow Tour,” to “Cannabis Friendly Painting classes.”

According to Michael Gordon, CEO of Kush Tourism, tours are open to anyone over the age of 21 and the tours are legal in the state. They are similar to touring a winery, distillery or brewery tour.

“When we knew that it (marijuana) was going to become legal in Washington, we saw an opportunity,” said Gordon. “It was a totally new idea to us.”

Gordon said he’d talked with friends who had traveled in Amsterdam and “they weren’t going there for the windmills and bicycles,” he said. The idea came to him to offer tours of various aspects of the legal marijuana industry in Washington state.

“This has never existed in history,” he said. “We thought, ‘How do you define the cannabis culture?’”

They sought out those in the growing industry and the retail industry who wanted to work with them and came up with the best tour ideas they could.

“We networked, networked, networked,” he said.

“This had all been done behind closed doors for so many years that some people were a bit reluctant to come out.”

Having a business background, and having created startup companies before, Gordon put together a team of about eight tour guides and employees to promote the tours.

“They all have an extensive knowledge of the products,” he said. “And they are people who are great with people.”

The knowledge is important because most of those Continued on Page 23

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Continued From Page 22 who take the tours are from out of state and want to know about the legal marijuana industry.

The number of folks taking the tours is growing every day, Gordon said.

“We need 24 hours notice,” he said. “But we have people who have booked out about three months.”

The best part about the tours, he said, is that they are small groups and those on the tour get to see “behind the scenes.”

“It’s very unique,” Gordon said. “When they see hundreds of pounds of pot for the first time…when they see the sea of green and smell the giant jars of nubs, their faces light up. It’s like a wine tour, only they’re tasting with their noses.”

A graduate of the University of Puget Sound who grew up in St. Louis, Gordon came to the Pacific Northwest because of his love of whitewater kayaking.

He began a kayaking company. He also had a peer-topeer loan company in college and he began a company that provided fresh fruit to hospitals. He’s also been a music festival promoter.

As for Kush Tourism, he anticipates growth.

“We were the first to do this,” he said. “Some others have tried it, but so far we’re the only successful company in the area. Since marijuana is now legal in Colorado, Oregon and Alaska, and medical marijuana is legal in 23 states, I think more states will follow us.

It may take 15 years, but ultimately all states will ‘go green.’”

And when they do, Kush Tourism will be there.

The Original Kush Tour cost $150 and includes three and a half hours of visiting the Best Of the Cannabis Culture and industry throughout Seattle. The tour leaves from 1300 S. Dearborn St., Seattle. You will be immersed in the culture and see how companies grow plants on a commercial scale, how artists create handblown pipes and how cannabis is used as a medicine.

The Grow Operations Tour at Sky High Gardens is $49.95 and includes a one-hour tour of a 21,000 Continued on Page 24

24 The Northwest Chronicle Continued From Page 23 square-foot Tier 3 commercial production facility on Harbor Island, near Seattle. You’ll learn what it takes to be an industry leader as a producer/processor in Washington. Be ready for 75 degrees and a sunny atmosphere.

A cannabis-friendly painting class, called “Toke ‘n Brush” is $49.95 and offers folks a two-hour class with vaporizers provided. All art supplies are also provided.

Be ready to create while under the influence.

There are also private tours that can be arranged and are perfect for couples or groups who want to have a great time diving into the area cannabis culture.

A custom itinerary can include glass blowing, growing, extraction, medicine and more. Cost depends on what the tour includes.

Kush Tours also offers vacation packages where they will pick you up at the airport and provide a personal guide to access marijuana-friendly lodging, retail stores, and a selection of the area’s best attractions based on individual interests.

The company partners with Amy’s Limousines to offer travel from the airport to the Seattle Cruise Ship terminals. They say they will hook you up with a local retailers of marijuana on the way.

Also offered are “layover specials,” if your connecting flight isn’t for several hours. During that time you will be paired with a vaporizer rental. A minimum of three and a half hours is needed for this.

For more, contact Kush at 206-587-5874 or email Seattle@kushtourism.com. Check out www.kushtourism.com for more.

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This bed and breakfast caters to cannabis-liking guests

BY LESLIE KELLY | lkelly@soundpublishing.com

They call it “Bed Baked and Beyond.” And it’s located in the oldest residential neighborhood in Seattle.

Operated by wives Melissa and Abil Flynn, the bed and breakfast, where it’s completely OK for guests to smoke marijuana, opened in December 2013. Located in Cherry Hill, there are four bedrooms and three bathrooms and the entire house is available for family gatherings.

“We never really set out to have a bed and breakfast,” said Melissa. “It just happened.”

The house, a 1903 Victorian, was where Abil had lived since 1980. She lived there with several roommates. Melissa was one of those roommates when she moved to Seattle in 1989.

In 2006, when the owner had to sell the house, Abil didn’t want to leave.

“At the time she was studying at Bastyr (Center for Natural Health) and riding her bike to class 17 miles a day,” said Melissa. “She just wasn’t up for a move.”

So the two decided to find a way to purchase the home.

“It took a lot to make that happen,” said Melissa.

“But we didn’t want to leave it because it was our home.”

They kept their other roommates until 2013, when they decided to remodel it to become the bed and breakfast.

Continued on Page 26

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26 The Northwest Chronicle Continued From Page 25 “We wanted to be able to create an environment that we would like staying in, if we were traveling,” Melissa said. “We decided it would have a certain kind of ambiance.”

They did the interior decorating themselves, using items they had or could buy cheaply. They decided to use the “good money” on remodeling, adding another bathroom and a second hot water heater “so that every guest will have a hot shower when they want one,” Melissa said.

When Washington voters were “smart enough” to pass legal marijuana use, the two decided to add that to what they offered.

“It’s legal, so why not?” said Melissa. And soon they became known as a place to stay when in Seattle if you are someone who smokes pot.

To abide by state law, no smoking of any kind is allowed inside the house. There are specific outdoor locations reserved for that. One is around the fire pit where guests can sit and share stories. The other is at the “potting shed.”

“And it really is just an old potting shed,” Melissa joked.

There are gardens and open spaces for guests to gather in, off street parking is provided and every guest can share in a morning continental breakfast that includes fresh baked goods and locally grown produce. Melissa, who is the chef, will cater to dietary restrictions and will pack the breakfast to go if a guest has an early flight to catch.

The bed and breakfast has been very successful.

“We’re in a really good location,” she said. “We’re close to downtown and it’s a great neighborhood and there’s a bus (stop) close by. There’s just a real chill feel to our place.”

Melissa grew up around the hospitality industry. Her family owned the Willows Inn on Lumni Island. She grew up a “military brat,” while Abil grew up in Texas.

“I know from traveling around so much when I was Continued on Page 27

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Continued From Page 26 a kid, that that’s also why I feel I can be a good host,” Melissa said.

Abil is well-known for the tours she gives at Pike Brewing Company where she also works.

“We’re both extroverts and we like to entertain,” Melissa said.

Rooms can be booked through www.Airbnb.com.

The cozy Loft starts at $60 a night, while the Sweet Suite, with a king-sized bed, begins at $120 a night.

The house is almost booked for the summer and they have a “petite” wedding booked for fall. In all, they’ve had close to 200 bookings since they opened.

Guests have come from all over the world, Melissa said, including Singapore, Belize, Denmark, France, Spain and all parts of Canada.

The house itself was very “working class” when it was built. In fact, she and Abil have learned that during World War II, five families lived there.

“The children of the original owners have stopped by to see the house,” Melissa said. “They’ve been able to tell us some about it.”

They have no regrets about offering it as a marijuana-friendly location to stay. They think they offer something that can be hard to find.

“We respect our guest’s choices,” she said. “We tell every guest what’s allowed and where so that each guest can enjoy their time here.”

And when guests arrive, if they’re lucky they’ll be greeted by El Gato, a big orange and white kitty who also lives at the house. Melissa and Abil live on the third floor of the home with their two cats, the other one who likes to hide from strangers.

As for the name of the business, it wasn’t that easy to find.

“We were brainstorming one night with a friend,” said Melissa. “We went through a lot of names before choosing this one.”

28 The Northwest Chronicle