Sensi Magazine Michigan - February 2021

MUSH LOVE

Shrooms spice up the bedroom

MICHIGAN FEBRUARY 2021

HIGHER LOVE

How cannabis supplements sex

DOGGEDLY DETERMINED Local musher prepares to brave the Iditarod

SWEET RELEAF

Debut album from Sensi Presents

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MICHIGAN SENSI MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2021

sensimediagroup @sensimagazine @sensimag

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FEATURES

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SPECIAL REPORT

Higher Love

Exploring the amorous side of cannabis

Mush Love

How fungus could fun up your Valentine’s Day

DEPARTMENTS

11 EDITOR’S NOTE 20 THE LIFE Contributing to your health and happiness 12 THE BUZZ WRAP IT UP Valentine’s News, tips, and tidbits to keep you in the loop DIVERSITY Cannabis and social justice go hand in hand.

PROTEIN ON THE GO Fruit pouches for grown-ups LET LOVE FLY A book, podcast, and playlist for V-day

Day gift guide

RECIPE Homemade hot

chocolate bombs HOROSCOPE What the stars hold for you

40 THE SCENE Hot happenings and hip hangouts around town

FARMER UP-FRONT

ATAVISTIC URGE

Michigan issues its first microbiz cannabis license.

MOOD MAKER Drop this bath bomb on your Valentine.

SENSI PRESENTS The debut album from our new record label benefits the community.

A Michigan-raised musher has her eye on Alaska’s Iditarod.

CALENDAR Fill your February with these live and virtual events.

ON THE COVER ORIGINAL PHOTO BY BLUEORANGE STUDIO, ADOBE STOCK PHOTO EDITS BY JOSH CLARK

52 THE END Sensi gets a shout-out on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

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ADVISORY BOARD

1 Unit Executive Protection LLC. (DeShawn Robinson) Personal Security Aronoff Law (Craig Aronoff) Licensing Law Firm Cannabis Counsel Cannabis Law Firm Etz Chaim Attestations Great Lakes Hemp Supplements Hemp Supplements Great Lakes Natural Remedies Lakeshore: Provisioning Center GreenHouse Payment Solutions Payment Processing Kush Design Studio Cannabis Facility Design & Build LC Solutions Michigan PLLC Accounting/CPA Services LEGC, LLC Concentrate Vaporizer Michigan Creative Branding MRB Solutions Human Resources Northern Specialty Health Upper Peninsula: Provisioning Center Oh, Hello Branding Promotional Marketing Pain Blocking Oil Cannabis Topical Perry & Drummy Inc. Commercial Insurance Pure West Compassion Club Caregiver Connection & Network Rair Medical Flower Seed Cellar Cannabis Genetics Solutions by Dr. Dave West Michigan: Hemp CBD Helping Friendly Hemp Company Hemp Topicals MEDIA PARTNERS

Marijuana Business Daily Minority Cannabis Business Association National Cannabis Industry Association Students for Sensible Drug Policy

EXECUTIVE

Ron Kolb Founder, CEO ron@sensimag.com

Stephanie Wilson Co-Founder, Editor in Chief stephanie@sensimag.com

Mike Mansbridge President

mike@sensimag.com Fran Heitkamp Chief Operating Officer fran@sensimag.com Lou Ferris VP of Global Revenue lou@sensimag.com Chris Foltz Director of Global Reach chris@sensimag.com Amanda Patrizi Deputy Director of Global Reach amanda.patrizi@sensimag.com Jade Kolb Director of Project Management jade.kolb@sensimag.com Kristan Toth Head of People kristan.toth@sensimag.com EDITORIAL

Doug Schnitzspahn Executive Editor doug.schnitzspahn@sensimag.com Tracy Ross Managing Editor tracy.ross@sensimag.com Robyn Griggs Lawrence Editor at Large robyn.lawrence@sensimag.com Helen Olsson Copy Chief Dan McCarthy, Mona Van Joseph Contributing Writers

DESIGN/PRODUCTION

Jamie Ezra Mark Creative Director jamie@emagency.com

Rheya Tanner Art Director Wendy Mak, Josh Clark Designers

Neil Willis Production Director neil.willis@sensimag.com PUBLISHING

Jamie Cooper Market Director jamie.cooper@sensimag.com Kyle Miller Media Sales Executive kyle.miller@sensimag.com Leah Stephens Media Sales Executive leah.stephens@sensimag.com Constance Taylor Media Sales Executive constance.taylor@sensimag.com

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A

EDITOR’S NOTE

Magazine published monthly

by Sensi Media Group LLC.

© 2021 Sensi Media Group. All rights reserved.

Ah, February and its

most commercialized holiday,

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

FAC E B O O K Like Sensi Media Group to infuse your newsfeed with more of our great cannabis lifestyle content.

TWITTER Follow @sensimag for need-to-know news and views from Sensi headquarters.

I N S TAG R A M Pretty things, pretty places, pretty awesome people: find it all on @sensimagazine

Valentine’s Day. No other number on the calendar excites as much loathing in me. It might have something to do with $7 Hallmark cards that never try to be original or that flowers–no matter how lovely and fragrant—end up wilted. More likely, I cringe because it brings back all of those years when the cheerleaders at my junior high got flowers from their boyfriends while mine came from a “secret admirer.” (I knew damn well it was my mother.) Or maybe Valentine’s Day has just gotten too commercial and boring—in which case, here is an alternative way for you to celebrate, as the Romans did, back in the third century BCE. Forget poems, rose petals in baths, and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. The Roman festival, known as Lupercalia, was the original pagan lovers’ feast, complete with blood, violence, animal sacrifice, random matchmaking, and humans coupling in the hopes of warding off evil spirits and infertility.

During Lupercalia, practitioners met in a special cave and sacrificed two goats—a representation of sexuality (go figure). This was followed by cutting strips of the goats’ hides and using them to whip any woman within striking distance (it’s said the women liked this, believing it facilitated fertility). Rumor has it that a man would randomly choose a woman’s name from a jar and couple with her for the duration of the festival, sometimes staying together and even getting married. Later, when nakedness lost its popularity, Lupercalia became more chaste, but the women still received their lashings via fully clothed men. (The plausibility of this matchmaking lottery has been called into question by some historians, citing a lack of verifiable evidence.)

Sometime during the fifth century CE, the Catholics came along and gave the holiday to Saint Valentine, the patron saint of lovers. But it’s unlikely the pope who made the declaration wanted it to commemorate love and passion. And thus, a holiday that started out weird, outrageous, and bloody morphed into the puritanical Valentine’s Day we know today.

I don’t know about you, but I could use a change-up of this forced February holiday.

I just don’t know if goats need to be involved—or the whipping with their flayed skin.

But just in case you need some ideas to spice up your love life, there you have it: celebrate your own private Lupercalia.

Lupercalia, a holiday that started out weird outrageous and bloody, morphed into the puritanical Valentine’s Day we know today.

Yours in the new normal,

Tracy Ross @writertracyross

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Diversify and Flourish At Fluresh cannabis company, leaders believe that cannabis and issues of social justice and equity go hand in hand. That’s one reason the company launched

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the Fluresh Five Accelerator Mentorship Program, a business incubator dedicated to diversifying Michigan’s cannabis industry.

Fluresh opened its doors in 2019 and now employs 200 people in two grow labs and retail stores in Adrian and Grand Rapids. So, it knows something about finding and building upon success.

But giving back is just as important, says corporate impact strategist Denavvia Mojet. “We’re proud of how we’ve scaled and grown. In Grand Rapids, we took a factory that had long been the target of neighborhood revitalization and

invested in making it a state-ofthe-art facility. The number one priority of Grand Rapids legislators was equity, and we agreed not just to be a part of it but to lead it.” Enter the Fluresh Accelerator, which is a free, long-term program for a small cohort of entrepreneurs who will get to learn all facets of the cannabis industry and see where those opportunities lead them. “This is our pilot year.

We’ll start small and grow with the goal to close the knowledge gap, especially for communities of color,” she says. fluresh.com

PHOTOS COURTESY FLURESH

Financial success is one thing. But to this Michigan company, racial justice and equity are a top priority.

CONTRIBUTORS

Dawn Garcia, Helen Olsson, Tracy Ross, Doug Schnitzspahn

BY THE NUMBERS

21%

POUCHES OF PROTEIN

These healthy fruit crushers are made for grown-ups.

Noka Superfood Smoothies are vegan smoothie pouches that may look like a toddler’s snack, but they’re actually full of antioxidants, the right fatty proteins, and killer taste combinations. “At Noka, we believe you can do more with each day when you’re fueled by the best ingredients,” say founders and friends Adam Steiner and Ryan Werner “We think eating healthy should feel good, taste good, and do good.” Noka is the solution to dense protein bars that never seem to taste good (read: taste like cardboard). From superfood smoothies such as the blueberry beet and cherry acai to sweet potato goji and strawberry peanut butter, these are filling, delicious, healthy, made with the highest quality sourced ingredients, and affordable. With eight different fruit, flax, and plant protein combinations, each pouch has everything you need and want in a grab-and-go organic superfood smoothie with minimal waste and worthy flavor. Each pouch contains 5 to 8 grams of protein with no added sugar.

EDITOR’S PICK: Blueberry beet $15–$18 per 6-pack / nokaorganics.com / @nokaorganics

The percentage of the world’s fresh water that’s contained by the Great Lakes, providing drinking water to some 34 million people. Due to climate change, the average annual temperatures in the region are increasing at a higher rate than the rest of the continental US. SOURCE: Environmental Law & Policy Center

144

The percentage increase of hunting license sales to hunters ages 10 to 16 from March through October 2019. The number of female hunters applying for licenses increased by 24% SOURCE: Michigan Department of Natural Resources

$3

BILLION

Amount of money economists from Michigan State University projected in a March 2020 report that sales of adult-use cannabis will surpass within several years

Let Love Fly Given the chaos of early January, it feels like the country has taken a turn away from tenderness these days. Stop that madness with these three ways to enhance your propensity for love.

Book: In Tiny Love Stories: True Tales of Love in 100 Words or Less (Artisan, 2020) writers Daniel Jones and Miya Lee collect 175 true stories of romantic love, self-love, brotherly love, platonic love, family love, LGBTQ love, heartbreak, and everything in between. Told in voices that are honest, vulnerable, tender, and wise, each story is as moving as a lyrical poem and conveys a universally recognized feeling, each in fewer than one hundred words. Read it in the tub with a CBD-infused bath bomb or aloud with your lover sucking your ... big toe.

Podcast: Seattleite Dan Savage launched The Savage Love podcast back in 2006, and it’s been going strong ever since. He builds his show around questions callers ask (call in your own at 206-3022604) in episodes with titles like “Sex Advice from a Former Republican Operative,” and “Let’s Hear It for the Pelvic Floor! with Doctor Rachel Gelman.”

Tune in for weekly “sexess” stories, covering topics such as “a woman willing to indulge her boyfriend’s drool fetish” and “how to turn your tiny quarantine apartment into a home sex-club discotheque.”

Listen under the covers with your favorite edibletattoo artist or during naked yoga with poses you make up to suit each episode’s content.

Playlist: We love Björk, the Icelandic singer of the ’80s indie band The Sugarcubes, so we googled “best Björk songs to have sex by,” and wouldn’t you know it, we found 17, carefully arranged on this Spotify list: sex: björk, a playlist by Erick Rivera.

With songs like “Generous Palmstroke,” “Come to Me,” “History of Touches,” and “Blissing Me,” it’s sure to enhance even the most rote of sex routines (you, your partner, missionary, light-sleeping kid in the adjoining bedroom).

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DISCOVER WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WEST MICHIGAN’S CANNABIS INDUSTRY

WANT TO LEARN MORE? CONTACT JESSICA LAIDLAW AT JLAIDLAW@GRMAG.COM OR 616.401.8703 GRMAG.COM

THE BUZZ

Question: Will you get the coronavirus vaccine? Why or why not?

VOX POPULI

CONNIE MAXIM SPARROW

BRANDON HALL

Executive Director, Michigan Canna Coalition Association Muskegon

Political Consultant and Research Specialist Petoskey

___________________

___________________

JONATHAN HERREMANS Licensed Operator Nunica

___________________

No, unless it’s Randy’s I’ll be taking the vaccine Pandemic Special from South Park. because our governor deemed cannabis essential and didn’t shut down an infant economy. I expect everyone in cannabis to get in line for the vaccine. It’s owed!

One-hundred percent, hell, no. This is part of a longer agenda to push mandatory vaccinations. It’s a completely new form of vaccine (RNA) that has never been tested on humans.

CALEB WORPEL

DREW PHILLIPPY

Lead Patient Advisor, Fluresh Hudsonville

President, Purple East Grand Rapids

___________________

___________________

One-hundred percent, yes. As a cancer survivor who works in a high-volume retail store, I’m extremely high risk.

History has proven that the sooner we all get vaccinated, the sooner we can move on with a new sense of normalcy.

I’m skeptical of untested long-term side effects.

But if it’s mandatory for returning to concerts and events, I’ll probably have to get it because I know the long-term effect of being away from my culture is depression.

STICKY SITUATION

PHOTO COURTESY BEN KOLASA

Michigan issues its first-ever microbusiness license to a craft cannabis farmer.

Ben Kolasa, owner of Sticky Bush Farms

You know something’s working when what you love starts paying the bills. That’s what happened to Ben Kolasa last September, when the 33-year-old stepped into the world of craft cannabis entrepreneurship.

Kolasa had been growing his own weed since 2009 as a way to have some control over the quality of his buzz, though he admits that back then he had no clue what he was doing. Fast forward 12 years, and he’s now the proud owner of Sticky Bush Farms in Onaway, about 45 minutes from Mackinaw City.

At first, Kolasa used personal plants as medicine for his health issues. Turns out his medicine was good enough to bring him customers. By 2018, he had six medical marijuana customers and 72 plants.

Then Michigan voted to legalize marijuana, creating a commercial recreational cannabis market.

Kolasa began brainstorming how he could upscale his operation. In mid-September 2019, Michigan gave him the state’s first-ever microbusiness license, which allows growers to cultivate up to 150 plants; process the harvest for sale as flower, oils, and edibles; and sell them from their own storefront. What the license-owners can’t do is intermingle with other aspects of the recreational market. But Kolasa’s win is a boon for the “smaller guy,” says Sensi Michigan publisher Jamie Cooper. “Ben is the first person in Michigan to get such a license. He operates a true craft grow and is proof that the little guy can be a part of an industry.”

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THE BUZZ

BILITIES

BY STEPHANIE WILSON, EDITOR IN CHIEF

1 AIR TIME Don’t let the “aqua” in the name of the 11th astrological sign in the zodiac fool you—Aquarius is a visionary air sign represented by the water bearer. The 10th largest constellation in the zodiac, Aquarius is also one of the oldest, first documented in the second century by a Greek astrologer.

2 FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH Greek mythology links the constellation Aquarius with Ganymede, who, as the story goes, was the hottest dude like ever—so hot that Zeus, the god of thunder himself, just had to have him. The details vary depending on which ancient text you’re reading, but basically Zeus abducted Gany and brought him to Mount Olympus to serve as a cup-bearer and quench his thirst.

(The original thirst trap?) Ganymede was rewarded with eternal youth, which explains why I, an Aquarius, don’t look a day over 39 when by the end of this month I will be 28 days over it.

3 THE AGE OF AQUARIUS But who cares? Age is just a number.

Lying about your age just perpetuates the idea that whatever age you are is somehow bad, that by being that age you are worse than you were before. The Aquarian in me finds this to be bullshit. Don’t buy into the labels, don’t let anyone put you in a box, just be yourself …

4 THIS END UP Oops, I got distracted. That happens to Aquarians.

We’re a bit all over the place because we’re interested in everything. But we don’t like to label ourselves as out-of-the-box thinkers, because we despise labels, we question assumptions, and we do not like being told what to do. Besides, we didn’t see the box anyway; we were lost in our thoughts, which are always flitting from one topic to another as we move through life with an aloof detachment that can come across as cold.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIFE ELEMENTS

5 LET THE SUN SHINE IN We are cold; we’ve always been cold.

We came into this world in the middle of the winter when the planet couldn’t be farther from the sun. We’ve been chasing that sun ever since. It’s fun; you should come with.

6 DON’T CHA HEAR ME CALLIN’ TO YA? Think of your most free-spirited, eccentric friend—the person you call when you’re in the mood for an adventure but avoid when you’ve gotta be up early the next day: they’re probably an Aquarius. You should call and wish them a happy birthday.

Bath Time

Try this bath bomb for a soothing explosion.

Want to have a steamy stay-at-home Valentine’s date night? Put Barry White on the sound system, spark up a few rosewood candles, draw a hot bath, and drop in this bath bomb from Life Elements. Named after the Goddess of Love and crafted with 300 mg of organic CBD, the Venus bath bomb will set the mood. Natural ingredients such as sweet orange and sandalwood are blended in to promote intimacy and relaxation. Once you’ve toweled off, play back-rub club with the brand’s small-batch Plant-Based Body Oil, which blends 600 mg of full-spectrum organic hemp-derived CBD and shea butter with ancient nature-based ingredients like Tepezcohuite, a bark extract used by the Mayan culture in the 10th century to treat skin ailments. In addition to serving as a massage aid, the Body Oil can also go undercover in the bedroom as a lubricant.

Venus Bath Bomb, $28; Body Oil, $58 / lifeelements.com

“We’ve learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed!”

—Joseph R. Biden Jr., 46th president of the United States

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Discover something out of this world.

NEW WANA TARTS

wanabrands.com

THE BUZZ

David Starfire

SWEET RELEAF

PHOTO COURTESY DAVID STARFIRE

The first compilation album from Sensi’s new record label drops with a mission to bring justice to those incarcerated for cannabis offenses.

Sensi has always been more than just a magazine—it’s a concept and a community. And now it’s a record label, Sensi Presents. The initial offering will not just provide the soundtrack for everything from cooking at home to Zoom dance parties to ski trips, it will make a difference. Fifty percent of the proceeds for the sale of the first album, Sensi Releaf ($22, available through April at sensimag.com/presents), will go to the Last Prisoner Project (lastprisonerproject.org), a nonprofit working to reform cannabis criminal justice and fight inequity when it comes to those serving time for activities that are no longer crimes. A version of the album to be released in April will include commentary from Last Prisoner Project’s Andrew and Steve DeAngelo.

“The main goal of Last Prisoner Project in 2021 is to build on the momentum of 2020,” Andrew DeAngelo

says. “We want to get more cannabis prisoners out and home. We want their records expunged. We want them re-entered into society with good paying jobs, housing, health care, etc.” Andrew is hopeful that new leadership in DC will work with the nonprofit toward that end. “LPP and many others in the cannabis social justice movement are hopeful of partnering with the Biden administration. It remains to be seen if that partnership meets our expectations, but there is optimism right now.”

All the artists on Sensi Releaf are on board with the cause. “I think the Last Prisoner Project is an amazing organization. I’m a firm believer in social justice, and I think it’s wrong to incarcerate people for drug crimes,” says California-based multi-instrumentalist and producer David Starfire, who remixed Dub FX’s track “Fire Every

Day” for this project. “I hope that with this album project that there is more awareness about this issue.”

Releaf will deliver positive vibes as soon as you press play. A wide range of cuts—from Tubby Love and Amber Lily (with Trevor Hall) channeling classic reggae beats in “Chant Up Zion” to transpersonal psychologist AshEL SeaAll SeaSunz dropping mindful funk on “Lady Justice”—keep this compilation moving.

“Sensi Releaf raises money for the cause, and that money goes to get people out of prison,” Andrew says.

“That’s the transactional benefit. The music itself also has many beneficial messages regarding justice that are done in a way that inspires and rejuvenates the soul. It’s a great album to play in the background while working.

It’s also a spectacular cannabis session album for after work.”

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HEART OF STONE Love in Bloom Porcelain Heart Vase $99 / shopatmatter.com

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Spread the Love

PUT ON A HAPPY FACE Not Pot CBD Glow Oil $50 / notpot.com

Check out these fun, sexy, cool products Sensi editors really, really want you to try.

Couples that play together stay together, but after almost a year of quarantining together in the same ole space, it can be a challenge to keep your flame burning eternal. Or if you’ve been riding solo all this time, you’re no doubt ready to mix things up a bit. Sensi editors to the rescue. We’ve rounded up some fresh ideas for gifts to bestow upon yourself, your pad, or your pod-partner so you can spice things up a bit. Have fun, and stay lit.

AS YOU WISH Urban Outfitters Get Naked Rainbow Shower Curtain $39 / urbanoutfitters.com

PEES IN A POD Sam Boyce Designs “I Just Wee’d” Art Print (8” x 8”) $19 / society6.com/shitandroses SECRET’S OUT Pink Coco Chill Bath Mat $25 / victoriassecret.com

SPARK OF FUN The Adventure Challenge: Couples Edition $40 / theadventurechallenge.com

HIPPIE AT HEART Face Mask Tie-Dye Kit $38 / uncommongoods.com

BAKED WITH LOVE Wood Envy Baked with Love cutting board $63 / etsy.com/market/ woodenvydotcom

STICK IT IN Love is Love DIY Embroidery Kit $32 / uncommongoods.com

PINK SLIP Nécessaire The Sex Gel $20 / nordstrom.com

RUB A DUB DUB Vertly Soothing Floral Soak Bath Salts with CBD $55 / nordstrom.com

PERMANENTLY BONDED Handpoke Tattoo Kit $49 / etsy.com/shop/manifestoworks

PUFF PIECE Summerland Chongo Bong $195 / welcometosummer.land

ROLLING IN THE DEEP Love is Art Kit—Custom Edition $70 / us.loveisartkit.com

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THE LIFE RECIPE

Cannabis Cocoa

Spoil your sweetie with cannabis-infused hot chocolate bombs.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day and stay cozy this February with the latest trend in chocolate: hot cocoa bombs. Califor-

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nia’s Garden Society partnered with two California cannabis businesses, San Francisco’s Mellows marshmallows

and the Bay Area’s OM Edibles, to create cannabis-infused hot chocolate bombs that help you relax and unwind.

TEXT JENNY WILLDEN

Find Mellows products online, but you’ll have to go to California to buy Garden Society and OM Edibles.

THE LIFE RECIPE

Cannabis Hot Chocolate Bombs Recipe from Garden Society / Servings: 6 / Dosage per bomb: 15 mg THC + 10 mg CBD

INGREDIENTS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GARDEN SOCIETY

6 ounces high-quality chocolate in bar form or couverture discs, at least 65% cocoa 6 pieces infused spiced dark chocolate 6 tablespoons raw CBD cacao, divided 6 Mellows Handcrafted Marshmallows, divided Sprinkles

• Pour some chocolate on parchment paper and pop it in the fridge for 5 minutes. If it appears shiny and it snaps sharply when you break it, it’s tempered and ready to go into the molds.

PART 2: Mold First Layer

• Use the paintbrush again to spread the second coat of chocolate in the mold.

• Use the virgin chocolate you set aside to add additional heft to the top rim.

• Refrigerate for 5 minutes to set.

• First make sure the insides of your molds are clean; any PART 5: Assemble residue will cause blemishes. • Release the half spheres from the molds.

• Pour about 2 teaspoons of • In a circular motion, press the melted chocolate into each rim of the half-sphere against INSTRUCTIONS mold. Using a clean paintbrush, a warm plate to create a spread it around to make an PART 1: Temper Virgin clean, flat edge. Repeat until even layer. Refrigerate for Chocolate 5 minutes to set. Set aside you’ve completed six. These • Finely chop bar or disc leftover chocolate. will be your bottom halves. chocolate and place in each of the bottom microwave-safe bowl.

PART 3: Temper Infused Chocolate • Fill halves with 1 tablespoon • Microwave for 30 • Finely chop dark chocolate raw cacao and one Mellows seconds. Stir with rubber and place in a microwavemarshmallow. spatula, moving chocolate safe bowl.

• Melt the rim of the remaining from the outside edges • Microwave for 30 seconds. half sphere by pressing it to the center to evenly Stir. Microwave for 15 against the warmed plate. heat it. Microwave for 15 seconds and stir again.

Place it on top of the bottom seconds and stir again.

Repeat in 15-second intervals half to form a full sphere.

Take the temp of your until the chocolate is melted.

Press gently together to seal. chocolate to make sure Repeat until all six bombs are it’s not above 90ºF. PART 4: Mold Second Layer formed.

• Repeat process 2 to 5 times, • Divide the melted infused • Drizzle with chocolate and in 15-second intervals, until chocolate evenly between decorate with sprinkles. chocolate is almost melted. twelve 21⁄2-inch diameter Then continue stirring • Place the hot chocolate bomb silicone spherical molds until the chocolate is fully in a mug and pour 8 ounces (about ¾ teaspoon per mold). melted from the residual of hot steamed milk on top.

Even distribution ensures even dosage.

Stir and enjoy. heat of the bowl.

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THE LIFE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mona Van Joseph is a professionally licensed intuitive reader in Las Vegas since 2002.

Author, radio host, and columnist, she created the Dice Wisdom app and is available for phone and in-person sessions. mona.vegas

HOROSCOPE

FEBRUARY HOROSCOPE What do the stars hold for you?

TEXT MONA VAN JOSEPH

JAN. 20–FEB. 18

AQUARIUS

life. This will be the month where karma will reward you from all directions. Just be grateful; you’ve earned these marvelous gifts from the universe.

While you know you’ve worked diligently in the last two years, the reward and accolades are still a little bit of a surprise. There is an amazing offer coming to you APR. 20–MAY 20 in the next three months, TAURUS and it will be tempting.

Forces are conspiring for you to pay attention to yourself FEB. 19–MAR. 20 and make sure you nurture PISCES your emotions, body, and viYou are no longer tolerant of tality. An opportunity presentserving other people just be- ed at the end of the month is cause you’re “nice.” Recent worth your consideration. news is compelling you to pay attention to your emoMAY 21–JUNE 20 tional and physical health.

GEMINI Don’t sacrifice your well-be- If you would just sit still ing just to take care of some- long enough to tap into your one else’s lack of planning. creative abilities, the solution to a work issue will MAR. 21–APR. 19 present itself. Ask your highARIES er self for help. The best People have reincarnated to solution will allow you to be your co-creators in this follow your heart.

JUNE 21–JULY 22

CANCER

Avoid going down the rabbit hole and jumping to the worse possible conclusion.

There is help from all the people you’ve helped in the past. Your intuition is trying to nudge you toward a better set of circumstances.

JULY 23–AUG. 22

LEO

Acting on your ideas in the first seven days of the month will connect you with someone of like mind and energy. He or she could be a past work associate, and the reconnection may offer you a job or a worthwhile project.

AUG. 23–SEPT. 22

VIRGO

Your “old life” has proven not to be as beneficial or enjoyable. You’ve had an eye-open-

AQUARIUS, THERE IS AN AMAZING OFFER COMING TO YOU IN THE NEXT THREE MONTHS, AND IT WILL BE TEMPTING.

ing event in recent weeks. has forgotten it). Act as though What you did last month has you are already a success. aided your renewed vision.

Freedom from limits and pain NOV. 22–DEC. 21 is in your vibration.

SAGITTARIUS One of the things you do really SEPT. 23–OCT. 22 well is looking for the best in all LIBRA the people around you. Publicly There’s super powerful vali- present the other things you do dation that the path you’ve well—cooking, sports, leaderchosen over the last two ship, innovation, connection, years will bring you the de- skill, and creativity. sired outcome. Your unique skill set will get the atten- DEC. 22–JAN. 19 tion it deserves.

CAPRICORN You’ve been expecting a disOCT. 23–NOV. 21 ruption for the last several SCORPIO months. It may be your spirYou’re a star—no excuses, no it doesn’t want to be manipprocrastination, and no doubts. ulated into an uncomfortJump into the spotlight and let able situation. Your peace of the pain from the past be for- mind is more important, and gotten (because everyone else you initiate change.

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Higher

SPECIAL REPORT

Exploring the amorous side of cannabis.

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love

TEXT DAN MCCARTHY

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annabis is often championed as a cure for bedroom ailments, while at the same time often being misunderstood or simply (if cautiously) being introduced as an acceptable commonplace component to one’s love tackle-box, much like a bottle of wine and 1970s R+B is for some or a Tinder match on a Tuesday night and fistful of Viagra is for others.

Seth Prosterman, a San Francisco–based certified sex therapist, told Vice in 2017 that weed isn’t a one-way ticket to pleasure town, but it can help you get there.

“While pot can help bring out our most sexy selves, disinhibit us, or relax us during sex, I would highly recommend that people learn to be in the moment and deeply feel and connect with their partners without using enhancing drugs,” says Prosterman. “Pot can give us a glimpse of our sexual potential. Working toward our sexual potential, with our partners, is part of developing a higher capacity for intimacy, passion, and deep connection.”

Depending on what social media feeds you’re attuned to, it’s not hard these days to get at least one story fanned your way in a month about something to do with weed and sex.

Sure, some of it is just fluffy prose, and some of it just states the painfully obvious. You don’t need Cosmopolitan to tell you that “getting too high can backfire on your sex life [because it] it makes you too sleepy to have any. Don’t eat a whole pot brownie, and then expect to feel horned up and ready to go.”

That said, there are more and more mavens and mavericks—as

well as manufactured goods, experiences, and bold claims—orbiting the Stoned Sex star. Take, for example, Ashley Manta, sex coach, relationship educator, and proud “cannasexual”—one who’s concerned with mindfully combining weed and sex for desired positive results.

Speaking to the men’s culture publication MEL magazine in 2017, Manta made it clear she’s not a blanket proselytizer intent on turning every client into a cannabis-forward sex enthusiast.

“I’m not out to convert people,” she says. “If people are happy not having cannabis in their sex lives, I’m not going to tell them they’re wrong for not wanting to consider including it. My approach is more like, if you already consume cannabis or you’re open to the idea of it, here are the best practices for mixing it with sex. The idea of being cannasexual isn’t limited to one specific sex act either, or even just partnered sex. I speak of it in terms of one’s overall relationship with their body, sexuality, and self-care.” If you want to see her theory in action, her Instagram (@ashleymanta) is rife with content to back it up.

Manta is known for her cannabinoid-enhanced “play parties.” If you’re imagining a swinging group of couples gathering under the banner of self-exploration, relationship tonic, or just consenting group sex fests with weed lube, that sounds about right.

A satisfied customer, presumably still reeling in coital bliss, posted this feedback on Manta’s website: “Over the course of the night, I watched from my spot at the vape bar as [Ashley] shifted seamlessly from teacher to partic-

Check online at ashleymanta.com to find out how COVID-19 restrictions may have impacted events.

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ipant to confidant to chaperone ...

Nobody and no body was neglected by her. She guided the underinformed on the mindful marriage of cannabis and sex. She allowed the calming rituals of medicating with cannabis to bring those who indulged in it to that place of body-peace that only the right combination of carefully selected strains can induce.”

A glowing review, for sure. However, the science is still out about the use of specific strains as particular keys for unlocking sexy-time happiness in a universal sense.

Blazed in Love Alcohol, on the other hand, has no shortage of both anecdote and hard facts about the good, bad, and ugly regarding drunk sex. Depending on body factors, two or more alcoholic beverages will depress the central nervous system, leading to limp noodles for men, reduced clitoral sensitivity in women, and unsatisfying romps.

There are plenty of positive studies coming out about general findings on cannabis and sex interacting. In 2018, Stanford researchers released findings on the largest study to date that compiled info on sex and marijuana. The data set included 28,176 women and 22,943 men, average age 30, who formed a reasonably representative sample of the US population, according to a Psychology Today column, which reported: “Compared with cannabis abstainers, men who used it weekly reported 22 percent more sex, women 34 percent more.

Among those who used marijuana more than weekly, sexual frequency increased even more. This study did not ask if participants found

ive us “Pot can g f our a glimpse o ntial. sexual pote [this] d r a w o t g n Worki is part of potential… a higher developing macy.” i t n i r o f y t i capac erman, sex

—Seth Prost

therapist

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“I could make jokes, but I believe it’s actually a good thing. That we’re comfortable even mentioning sex with cannabis is part of the breakdown of generational stigma.”

—Dr. Jordan Tishler, cannabis therapeutics expert

cannabis sex-enhancing, but to an extent, that can be inferred.”

No study exists to confirm that cannabis can totally impair sexual function the way alcohol can, but that doesn’t mean all green means go. Dr. Jordan Tishler knows that well. He’s the founder of the Cambridge, Massachusetts–based Inhale MD, which specializes in cannabis therapeutics, including the intersection of cannabis and human sexuality.

Tishler says people read things on the internet, dive into discussions about different strains and cannabis topicals (see: weed lube), or cook romantic-dosed dinners for loved ones, and that’s fine. “Those things certainly play a factor,” he says, “but generally it’s not my

recommended approach regarding cannabis altering sexuality.”

It comes down to a lack of a standard of research and understanding. If you were to ask 20 casual CBD preachers about its positive effect during sex, you’d get 20 answers. To those who claim it’s the golden ticket to getting laid, Tishler says keep it in your pants.

“CBD for sexuality is a nonstarter,” he says. “It doesn’t provoke libido…. It may help with anxiety or pain if that’s an issue, but what we’re really looking at in treatment of sexual dysfunction or enhancement with cannabis is how it’s used to create healthier relationships.”

Which isn’t to say the new canna-sex specialists creating new

businesses and products or hawking themselves as “experts” are necessarily a bad thing in these early days of legal weed. That there are people doing this and finding an audience suggests bringing such topics and experimentation to light is meaningful to people.

“I could make jokes, but I believe it’s actually a good thing,” says Tishler, who was once asked to advise a company trying to invent a dildo that squirted out weed lube during use. “That we’re comfortable even mentioning sex with cannabis is part of the breakdown of generational stigma.”

Unlike Manta, Tishler thinks having specific strains for bedroom activities isn’t going to make a huge difference. Additionally, sexual lubricants and toys set the mood, but a successful liaison is more about body type, effect, and all interested parties being in sync with each other. Or, for those on a solo mission, in sync with one’s self.

It’s about how cannabis introduced into sexual settings or relationships is a means to stimulate the big sexy organ everyone has above their shoulders, and that, of course, is where the Infinity Stone of getting it on rests for everyone.

“Cannabis can help facilitate situations and discussions and different levels of honesty and intimacy in relationships that need it,” Tishler says. “But what we know about humans is that over 90 percent of what’s going on [to enhance and improve] sex is going on between your ears.”

Don’t let that stop you from sparking a joint next time the mood strikes. It just may take your bedroom bliss to new heights.

A B O U T T H E AU T H O R

Founding editor of Sensi New England, Dan McCarthy is a seasoned journalist, speaker, and content expert whose bylines have appeared in Vice, Esquire, the Daily Beast, and the Boston Globe.

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PHOTO BY KICHIGIN19, ADOBE STOCK

Fungus could fun up your Valentine’s Day. TEXT ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE

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PHOTOS (FROM TOP) BY ANDERSPHOTO, ADOBE STOCK; KATOBONSAI, ADOBE STOCK

n the South Pacific, legend tells of women writhing in sexual ecstasy after eating mushrooms they found growing wild in the forest. Normans fed grooms a dish made from a pound of mushrooms to prepare them for their wedding night, and Mataco Indians in Chiapas, Mexico, rubbed the red underside of bracket fungus on their faces to boost their sex appeal.

In the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church banned highly sought-after cardoncello mushrooms for the unforgiveable sin of making parishioners horny.

When it comes to sexy time, shrooms have a history.

Flesh colored and globular, they come by their reputation naturally. But not all the 14,000 species of mushrooms have the power of sexual persuasion. Only a handful have stood as aphrodisiac champions down through the centuries. Here’s a rundown of the naughty mushrooms and a little bit about how to eat them, something to chew on when planning your Valentine’s Day.

TRUFFLES Ancient Greeks believed truffles were created when lightning impregnated the earth with its seed, and they’ve been called the earth’s testicles. They have been legendary since ancient Rome, when Pliny offered six ways to prepare the delicacies in his compendium of aphrodisiacs. Napoleon was said to be a fan.

“Truffles. As soon as the word is spoken, it awakens lustful and erotic memories among the skirt-wearing sex and erotic and lustful memories among the beard-wearing sex,” European

gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote in 1825. “This honorable parallelism comes not only from the fact that this esteemed tuber is delicious, but also because it is still believed to bring about potency, the exercise of which brings sweet pleasure.”

Also known as white diamonds, truffles are one of the most coveted foods in the world, and their price tag—anywhere from $1,500 to $4,000 per pound—reflects that. Like caviar and fine champagne, they seduce by being elusive and expensive. A fungus that lives symbiotically with tree roots, truffles can be found in only a few places on earth. They emit a chemical called androstenol, which is nearly identical to a male pig sex hormone and also found in men’s underarm sweat (there’s no accounting for what turns us humans on). While we swoon for the smell of truffles after they’ve been harvested, human noses don’t have what it takes to find them underground. Pigs and dogs can be trained to root them out

for us, but that’s not cheap.

In Brillat-Savarin’s day, the upper classes showed off by stuffing hens with truffles.

That’s not the best way to enjoy them. To get the most out of truffles, serve them raw, grated or sliced with a truffle slicer (yes, there’s such a thing) over fresh pasta, sauces, soups, risotto, or scrambled eggs. You can also make truffle butter—use it to sauté mushrooms for a real treat—or truffle honey, which is amazing when drizzled over gorgonzola crostini or baked brie. (You can also buy truffle butter and truffle honey in gourmet stores or online.)

MAKE YOUR OWN

TRUFFLE HONEY INGREDIENTS

½ ounce fresh black or white truffles, cleaned 8 ounces raw organic honey INSTRUCTIONS

CORDYCEPS In India and China, Cordyceps sinensis has been used as an aphrodisiac for centuries. Also known as “Himalayan Viagra,” it’s a rare fungus that gets inside a ghost moth caterpillar burrowed in the soil for the winter, then slowly consumes and digests it from within. In the spring, the bright yellow, wormlike fungus blossoms

• Using a microplane grater, grate truffle into honey. Stir until well integrated.

• Replace lid and refrigerate for 48 hours. Keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Congregating Cordyceps The “caterpillar fungus” is said to be the world’s most valuable parasite.

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Good Shiitake These powerful mushrooms have antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties.

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up and out of the ill-fated caterpillar’s head. Legend has it that Tibetan yak herders were the first to notice their yaks had more energy and vitality when they ate cordyceps, and now it’s being touted as an alternative to pharmaceuticals for combating sexual dysfunction. Eating powdered cordyceps supports blood flow and oxygen supply, and clinical studies have found it supports healthy blood circulation in the penis and increases sperm count and quality.

Wild cordyceps will run you $20,000 per pound and up, but you can buy much cheaper cultured Cordyceps militaris, which is vegan-grown on brown rice or soy (no caterpillars have to die). Eat them raw, cooked in food, or made into tea. They can be sautéed or stewed with meat if you’re a carnivore.

Cordyceps powder can be blended into coffee or chai or added to stirfries, soups, salads, or pasta.

PHOTOS (FROM LEFT) BY ALEXKICH, ADOBE STOCK; JAROSLAV MACHACEK, ADOBE STOCK

REISHI In Asia, reishi mushrooms have been known as the magic mushrooms of the bedroom for thousands of years. Reishi supports the kidney and urinary system, which is the seat of sexual power in traditional Chinese medicine. Great for the brain, emotional well-being, and the immune system, reishi can help the body become more resilient to stress—the No. 1 cock blocker—over time. If you’re considering this one to spice up your Valentine’s Day, be aware that reishi can also put you to sleep.

Reishi powder and dried reishi are readily available at health food stores and online. When buying reishi powder, look for organic brands that use hot-water extraction,

GREAT FOR THE BRAIN, EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM, REISHI CAN HELP THE BODY BECOME MORE RESILIENT TO STRESS—THE NO.1 COCK BLOCKER— OVER TIME. which retains the most nutrients.

With a smoky, almost chocolaty flavor, reishi is great in smoothies, teas, and as a coffee alternative.

SHIITAKE Fleshy and juicy, shiitake mushrooms check all the aphrodisiac boxes. They’re full of zinc, which gets the blood flowing and boosts testosterone, and lentinan, which is believed to enhance erectile function. In a study of voles fed shiitake extract for three weeks, males with withering libido saw their sexual motivation restored

with 1.5 times more ejaculations.

Donko shiitake, which have white designs on their tops, are believed to pack the most punch.

You can find shiitakes at your local grocer. Slice the meaty cap and sauté it in olive oil or duck fat. Shiitake pair well with onions, garlic, and ginger. They’re great in stir-fries and soups (miso in particular).

PSILOCYBIN If you believe ethnobotanist Terence McKenna’s Stoned Ape theory of human evolution, the psilocybin mushroom’s aphrodisiac qualities were key to humans’ survival as a species. McKenna wrote that primitive humans’ experimentation with high doses of magic mushrooms increased male potency and opened up worlds of possibilities, like inventing languages and having group sex. “Everyone would get loaded around the campfire and hump in an enormous writhing heap,” McKenna is quoted as saying. These magic mushroom–fueled orgies led to genetic diversification, making humans more disease-resistant.

And with no way to trace who was whose daddy, communities formed to raise children—another leap for humankind.

That’s something to think about, though it’s admittedly a little academic for Valentine’s Day. Bottom line is that many people, including famous ethnobotanists, consider psilocybin an aphrodisiac even though it doesn’t in and of itself increase libido. It does open your mind and cause your brain to pump out the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin. Your skin gets more sensitive, and touch feels more

MAKE YOUR OWN

VEGAN REISHI GOLDEN MILK

Servings: 2

INGREDIENTS

3 cups plant milk (almond, coconut, oat, cashew) 5 teaspoons maple syrup 1 teaspoon reishi powder 3 teaspoons ground turmeric ¼ teaspoon ground ginger 2 cinnamon sticks 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cardamom Ground pepper, to taste INSTRUCTIONS

• In a saucepan over low heat, whisk ingredients together until well combined. Pour into mugs and serve.

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Psilly Cider

PHOTO BY KICHIGIN19, ADOBE STOCK

Recipe by Kate Avruch / Servings: 2

pleasurable. With the right person or persons, magic mushrooms can spark intense, intimate conversation, mind-blowing orgasms, and cosmic-level cuddling.

Psilocybin mushrooms should be heated to at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit and preferably above 200 degrees Fahrenheit to release their nutrients, get rid of harmful pathogens and toxins, and soften the tissues to make them more digestible. You can eat them fresh, dried and ground, or made into tea. Pairing them with mint and lemon can help ward off any early nausea they might induce.

Legality varies, so find out what you need to know based on where you live if you’re considering a Valentine’s Day trip.

INGREDIENTS

• Loosely layer mushrooms into honey jar in pot of simmering water to warm gently. bottom of a clean half-gallon mason jar. Add the vinegar.

• Taste vinegar mixture and add Place a layer of parchment warmed honey, 1 tablespoon at paper between the metal a time, to taste. lid and the top of the jar so • Store in a glass jar in a cool, the acidic solution doesn’t dark place for up to 6 months. deteriorate the metal rim of the lid. Seal the jar, enclosing the EQUIPMENT N OT E S parchment paper underneath.

Coffee grinder, blender, or You can step up this infusion’s • Place the jar in a warm location knife potency by changing the ratio (but out of direct sunlight) and Two 32-ounce wide-mouth of mushrooms to liquid and allow the vinegar to infuse glass jars enjoy it as a solo shot or in a for a minimum of 7 days and smoothie or your favorite tea.

Wax or parchment paper a maximum of 4 weeks. Shake Avruch also suggests adding Fine mesh strainer the jar daily. other beneficial ingredients, Cheesecloth or coffee filters • Line strainer with cheesecloth including reishi mushrooms, or coffee filter, place over funFunnel garlic cloves, horseradish nel, and strain the liquid into root, grated ginger, rosemary, the second jar. Firmly squeeze INSTRUCTIONS cayenne pepper, citrus, out the mushrooms through oregano, sage, echinacea, • Make sure shrooms are thorthe cheesecloth or coffee filter. cinnamon, black peppercorns, oughly dry. Chop or grind them into small pieces or powder. or rose hips.

• If honey is cold, place the 3 grams dried psilocybin mushrooms 3 ounces unpasteurized apple cider vinegar, or enough to cover the mushrooms Raw honey, to taste (optional)

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PHOTO BY BLUEORANGE STUDIO, ADOBE STOCK

Atavistic Urge Michigan dog musher Shaynee Traska is looking to make some noise in Alaska’s Iditarod this year, despite the ways COVID-19 has made training difficult. Here’s what she has learned about cold and sleds growing up in the Wolverine State and running dogs through the middle of the night.

AS TOLD TO TRACY ROSS

As a shy kid growing up in Gladwin, Michigan, Shaynee Traska would hook her family’s pet Labradors up to a kid’s saucer sled and try making them pull her around. It never worked, she says, but it showed the early signs of a unique passion.

Fast forward a couple of decades, and Traska is a professional dog musher who moved to Alaska in 2012 with her eyes set on running the world-famous 1,000mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. In 2018, she completed her rookie race, and in 2019, she scratched 300 miles

from the start. But this year, working with limited resources after COVID-19 dinged the tourist rides she and her husband do to support their kennel, she is doing the bulk of the training while he works a 9-to-5 job. She’s looking forward to her third Iditarod start on March 6. In January, we talked to Traska from her cabin in Two Rivers, Alaska.

The following interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

My favorite thing about running dogs and mushing is the opportunity to spend F E B R UA RY 2021

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THE SCENE

To watch a team be born and then grow to run 1,000 miles across Alaska with you is a pretty special thing.

The adventure and love that we can share with these dogs is what makes all the hard work a true blessing.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHAYNEE TRASKA

Shaynee Traska

so much time with my best friends (the dogs) in beautiful country.

Almost all our dogs we have bred and raised ourselves. We don’t borrow dogs to race with or buy dogs regularly, which is rare in this sport. The dogs we compete with are deeply loved and cared for by my husband and me. The bond that we form with them from

newborns is what makes the sport so special.

To watch a team be born and then grow to run 1,000 miles across Alaska with you is a pretty special thing. The adventure and love that we can share with these dogs is what makes all the hard work a true blessing.

Where I grew up, in Gladwin, it wasn’t the

easiest place to train a team. There just weren’t longer trails to run on and lack of snow could be a problem. I remember doing loop after loop on state land trails to get in miles to run the 90-mile Midnight Run [which starts in Marquette].

Doing loops is boring for the dogs; they don’t want to keep going over the same terrain (and

neither do I!). But there are some great places in northern Michigan to run—the UP, of course, gets dumped on with snow and has a lot more space. Alaska reminds me of the UP, and I always enjoyed racing up north.

For the past several years, my husband and I have been living off-grid. It’s a perF E B R UA RY 2021

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THE SCENE

How to Watch the Iditarod In a normal year—that is, not during a pandemic—the best way to watch the 1,000-mile race, which usually starts near Anchorage and ends in Nome, is with Talkeetna Air Taxi, Alaska’s premier flight service, floating overhead in one of owner Paul Roderick’s Cessnas. Explore the lead mushers’ route by air, follow the sleds over the Alaskan wilderness, stop at checkpoints along the way to cheer on humans and dogs, and celebrate the winner’s victory. This year, things are different (including the route, an 860-mile loop that starts and ends in Willow) because local villages have been hit hard by COVID-19. But check in for updates so you can plan and start saving for the spectator event of a lifetime in 2022.

PHOTO BY WHITNEY MCLAREN PHOTOGRAPHY MUSHINGPHOTOS.COM

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fect location to train because of access to hundreds of miles of dogsled trails. Since my husband now works a “real job,” I’m out running dogs on my own nearly every day. Right now, the training has been pretty intense, getting

ready for our first longer race of the season (the Copper Basin 300 this weekend). So last week, I put over 200 miles on the race team within just a few days, including a 300-mile round trip drive to the Denali Highway for a training run.

I don’t really get scared while out running dogs in the middle of the night in winter. People often ask about animals, but we don’t see many of them because what animal wants to mess with a group of 12 or 14 dogs?! I trust the dogs to get me safely to where

we need to be. There are places where I know it could be dangerous, say the Dalzell Gorge in the Iditarod, which is a steep descent through a mountain pass bouncing back and forth over an open river and sections of glare ice. I know this is a scary spot, so I do get nervous, but places like this are rare. You just deal with the dangerous places when you get to them, and I do a lot of praying! But typically, it’s just a beautiful ride on the back of the sled during the quiet of night. Sometimes we get to enjoy the northern lights or a bright, full moon. Night can be just as beautiful as day.

It takes several things to be a good musher, starting with really knowing your dogs and how to read them.

To be able to tell when someone gets injured or is tired. To care enough for your animals to take good care of them. My husband and I spend a lot of time checking the dogs over for injuries and massaging them.

We’ve been doing some homeopathic stuff as well, like using lasers.

I believe the bond that you have with your team and the time you put into them is really beneficial. In long distance F E B R UA RY 2021

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racing, being able to push yourself through sleep deprivation is huge. So much of our time is spent caring for the dogs in races that there is little time for us to sleep ourselves. And being mentally tough is huge. When you get tired and hungry and are 10 days into a race in the middle of nowhere, you need to be able to stay positive and strong enough to tell yourself to keep going. It’s very hard and something I struggle with.

It’s a beautiful ride ... during the quiet of night.

Sometimes we get to enjoy the northern lights or a bright, full moon. Night can be just as beautiful as day.

For the 2021 Iditarod, as always, my goal is to fi nish. Of course, everyone wants to do well and place high, but in a race like this, with the limited resources we have to get a team to the starting line, just crossing that fi nish line is huge.

More people have summited Mount Everest than have fi nished this 1,000-mile race, so anyone who fi nishes has accomplished something pretty amazing. I am compet-

itive and want to do well, but in the end, if the dogs are healthy and we can cross the entire state of Alaska together and have an incredible adventure doing it, then that’s what I’m in it for. It’s pretty awesome to be able to cross such extreme landscapes, from mountain passes to frozen rivers to tundra to sea ice.

How could you not be thrilled with just being able to do that with your best friends?

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THE SCENE CALENDAR

LEFT: DETROIT PISTONS VS. INDIANA PACERS RIGHT: FALL IN LOVE WITH MOTOWN AGAIN

Double Features at the Drive In Through Feb., 8 p.m.

Ford Wyoming Drive-In Theatre, Dearborn forddrivein.com

The Pound! Igloo Musicologist Dr. Lounge Mike Daley tells the

Dual Vision

incredible story of Motown/Tamla Records, the independent Detroit-based record company that revolutionized popular music in the 1960s and ’70s.

Registration starts on Feb. 11, so you can receive a link to watch the lecture as many times as you wish.

Feb. 5–Aug. 8, Thu.-Sun., 11 a.m.

Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit mocadetroit.org

Detroit Pistons vs. Indiana Pacers

Reserve an igloo on the rooftop overlooking Mill Pond, where you can stay warm in comfy chairs (food and drink minimum).

Cultural Calendar Midwinter brings a big slate of events, both online and in-person, to the Wolverine State.

TEXT STEPHANIE ANDELMAN

A short month of heartfelt midwinter hope, this February in Detroit offers engaging entertainment and education.

Tune in from your living room or kitchen for painting, cooking, or cocktail classes. Grab a friend and head out to a drive-in movie, dinner in an igloo, art exhibit, park adventure, live music show, or lovingly frightful haunted house. However you join these activities, stay safe while appreciating the moments.

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View 20 individual projects produced by 40 Detroit artists working in pairs, where sculpture, sound, fiber, and lens-based media display dual creativity as one.

ABK Feb. 6, 7 p.m.

The Token Lounge, Westland tokenlounge.com

Feb. 11, 7 p.m.

Little Caesars Arena, Detroit nba.com/pistons

Watch the game on Fox Sports Detroit and alley-oop from your couch.

Virtual Love Story and Cocktail Party Feb. 11, 7 p.m.

Virtual event @pacesoutheastmichigan

Fall in Love with Motown Again

Buds of Love: Sensuality and Cannabis

Feb. 11–Mar. 4, 11 a.m.

Virtual event @ElisPlaceCentre

Feb. 11, 8 p.m.

Virtual event sarapayan.com

PHOTOS (FROM LEFT) COURTESY OF DETROIT PISTONS, DR. MIKE DALEY

Through Feb., Tue.–Sun., 3 p.m.

Downtown Brighton’s Entertainment District @ThePoundBarandGrill

THE SCENE CALENDAR

LEFT: BUDS OF LOVE: SENSUALITY AND CANNABIS BELOW: THE COMEDY TEST KITCHEN RIGHT: VALENTINE HAUNT

Be Mine: Virtual Valentine’s Day Paint and Shop Feb. 14, 4 p.m.

Virtual event @CollegeBound313

Tacos, Turntables & Tequila Tuesdays Feb. 16, 7 p.m.

Magic Stick, Detroit @MagicStickDET

PHOTOS (FROM LEFT) COURTESY OF SARA PAYAN, HUSH HAUNTED ATTRACTION, MARK MASTERS

Entering Cannabis: Join Sara Payan (The Apothecarium Recreational Cannabis Live San Francisco’s Virtual Summit public education officer and cannabis demystifier) as she leads a session on sensuality and cannabis. Learn how cannabis can be a tool for getting you in the mood for love while empowering your exploration.

Make Valentine’s Day Desserts Feb. 12, 10 a.m.

Eastern Market Online Cooking Class @easternmarketdetroit

Valentine Haunt Feb. 12, 7 p.m.

Hush Haunted Attraction, Westland hushhauntedattractions.com

Take your date through an elaborate haunted house during three nights of thrill and chill.

Feb. 17, 12 p.m.

Virtual event enteringcannabis.com

The Driver Era Feb. 17, 7 p.m.

Majestic Theatre, Detroit majesticdetroit.com

The brothers from R5 released their debut album titled “X” in and have hit the road for their worldwide tour of sonic innovation.

The Comedy Test Kitchen Feb. 19, 8:30 p.m.

Virtual event markmasters.co/showcase

Go (virtually) backstage and watch stand-up comedians try new material in a fun and fast (30 minutes) format.

Jay Hunter from Detroit will be one of four comedians performing during this show.

Behind the Scenes Tour at The Parade Company Studio Detroit Historical Society Feb. 20, 11 a.m. detroithistorical.org

Immerse yourself in a wonderland of color and excitement at The Parade Company Studio, where you’ll marvel at the world’s largest collection of papier-mâché heads, 3,000 costumes, and 100 floats. Tickets

become available to Detroit Historical Society members on Jan. 11 and the public on Jan. 12.

Mardi Gras Bar Crawl Feb. 20, 1 p.m.

Greektown, Detroit barcrawllive.com

Innovation and Inspiration: Black Art and Artists

their creative contributions around the city.

Lantern-Lit Hike Feb 26, 5 p.m.

Seven Lakes State Park, Holly @SevenLakesStatePark

Jazz Virtual Winter Festival Feb. 27, 2 p.m.

Detroit Symphony Orchestra Digital Concert dso.org

A celebration of Detroit’s landmark jazz legacy, Mark Stryker hosts this five-hour event with Detroit is overflow- salon-style intering with innovative views and perforand inspiring art by mances by Marcus Black artists. This Elliot, Michael virtual tour will Malis duo, Robert showcase some of Hurst Group, and these artists and Charles McPherson.

Feb. 23, 6 p.m.

Virtual event detroitexperiencefactory. org/public-tours

Detroit Red Wings vs.

Florida Panthers Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m.

Little Caesars Arena, Detroit nhl.com

Watch on Fox Sports Detroit and puck it from your couch.

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DOUBLEBEARCO

DOUBLEBEARCO

DOUBLEBEARCONCENTRATES.COM

ADVISORY BOARD RAIR

Rair Expands in Western Michigan Pairing cutting-edge aeroponic technology with extensive cultivation experience, this Midwest cannabis purveyor bridges the gap between commercial and small-batch cannabis flower.

R

air Cannabis of Michigan, a leading vertically integrated cannabis brand with a provisioning center in Bay City, is opening a new outpost in Muskegon in mid-February.

This will be the first of five new stores opening in Western Michigan this year, including Big Rapids, Lowell, Kalamazoo, and Reed City.

Rair, which is both a grower, processor, and retailer, is owned and led by women in every division of its company. The company is committed to racial and gender equity in the cannabis industry and strives to be a company that leads the way in righting the wrongs that were created by drug laws of the past.

The Rair experience starts with aeroponics, the most unique growing method in Michigan. This allows Rair to produce the cleanest cannabis possible using cutting-edge automation. This greatly reduces the chance of contamination while allowing for real-time grow recipe adjustments.

The drying and curing process is critical, the company says. With environmental controls and patented curing-bag technology, Rair separates itself from the competition with cannabinoid levels and rich terpene profiles that continue to increase long after the harvest. The result is better flower that is consistently high quality every time.

But what about extracts and edibles? Rair uses cryogenic (minus 80

degrees Celsius) ethanol to create distillate oil for vape carts, tinctures, and edibles. This is the cleanest and safest method for distillate and provides a smooth and tasty vape cart as well as great tasting edibles with many different flavors and a dosage and efficacy that you can trust. Don’t miss the new Live Resin vape carts, which offer the elevated vape experience you’ve been looking for.

Dabbers, Rair has you covered.

With clean processes and solventless options, patients and consumers will have plenty of tasty options, including rosin, batter, crumble, and a wonderful, tasty, old school live shatter.

Finally, when it comes to brick-andmortar, you’ll see why Rair is different.

Rair’s retail space is designed to allow patients and consumers to move at their own pace. You can order online and pick up curbside, or you can come inside and ask questions from the shop’s highly trained guides. Many people have questions, and Rair’s knowledgeable guides will take the time to provide you answers.

Rair also delivers to your door with no delivery fees. Check out the new store at 1871 Peck Street in Muskegon, the flagship at 3772 Wilder Road in Bay City, or online at rairco.com.

Category: Medical Flower Author: Patrick Frakes, RAIR Director of Operations

The Sensi Advisory Board comprises select industry leaders in a variety of fields, from education to cultivation. They are invited to share specialized insight in this dedicated section.

For a full list of board members, see page 11.

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THE END

Contact High Freddie Miller returns to late night TV (and brings Sensi with him).

MINDFUL BAKING

Flour, sugar, and the flow

TRIPPY HEALING

The promise of psychedelics

HACKING THE FEAST

How the hippies did Thanksgiving

MICHIGAN NOVEMBER 2020

MEET THE MICHIGAN STONER Freddie Miller’s experience on Jimmy Kimmel Live

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When we first heard about Freddie Miller, it was on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show in December 2019, when he was about to become a breakout star of the cannabis industry, newly known to the world as “The Michigan Stoner.” Then we had the good fortune of interviewing him for our November 2020 issue. Miller was sweet, goofy, grateful, and transF E B R UA RY 2 02 1

parent—and we learned that his experience with Kimmel reached far beyond just augmenting his high. “Talking to Jimmy felt like I was talking to anybody—even myself!” Miller said. “The nerves that had been built up just died off, and I felt like I was talking to a friend.” Miller’s enthusiasm earned him a legion of fans—and a follow-up mid-January interview

with Kimmel, who called him “a magical creature.” Miller credits Kimmel with changing his life (since the first interview, Miller moved out of his mom’s house and got a job at Cannavista Wellness in Buchanan). And we credit him with giving new meaning to the phrase “contact high,” which we can all use a little more of in these times.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!

TEXT TRACY ROSS

STORIES THAT STICK

Excerpts from a new memoir

SPIRITS UP

Three delightful local cocktails

SWEET RELEAF

Debut album from Sensi Presents

MUSH LOVE

Shrooms spice up the bedroom

STORIES THAT STICK

Excerpts from a new memoir

SWEET RELEAF

Debut album from Sensi Presents

MUSH LOVE

Shrooms spice up the bedroom

N E VA DA

NEW ENGLAND

MICHIGAN

FEBRUARY 2021

FEBRUARY 2021

FEBRUARY 2021

HIGHER LOVE

How cannabis supplements sex

SWEET RELEAF

Debut album from Sensi Presents

DOGGEDLY DETERMINED Local musher prepares to brave the Iditarod

MUSHROOMS IN THE BEDROOM Which fungi are considered aphrodesiacs?

A TOUCH OF SUMMER Botanical gardens to green up your snow days

MUSH LOVE

Shrooms spice up the bedroom

STORIES THAT STICK

Excerpts from a new memoir

SWEET RELEAF

Debut album from Sensi Presents

MUSH LOVE

Shrooms spice up the bedroom

BE MINE

Valentine’s Day gift guide

SWEET RELEAF

Debut album from Sensi Presents

MUSH LOVE

Shrooms spice up the bedroom

NORCAL

C O LO R A D O

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

FEBRUARY 2021

FEBRUARY 2021

FEBRUARY 2021

ELEVATED ENTRÉES

Dinners for the canna-curious

SWEET RELEAF

Debut album from Sensi Presents

MELLOW MAGIC DRIPPING WITH PLEASURE

Infused ice cream in the heart of LA

High on Love’s products make sweet sexy

IT’S SHREDDING SEASON Where to go and what to know on the slopes

SEE ALL THE FEBRUARY EDITIONS NOW AVAILABLE!