Sensi Magazine - Southern Colorado (April 2018)

S OU THER N COLOR ADO

SPECIAL

ISSUE

{PLUS}

Iconography of the Fan Leaf Teri Robnett: Mary Jane of Pain When Will the Springs Get Rec? + More

THE NEW NORMAL

from Reefer Man to Method Man

4.2018

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sensimag.com APR I L 2018 1

2 Southern Colorado A P R I L 2 0 18

ISSUE 4 // VOLUME 2 // 4.2018

contents

34

FEATURES 26

Musical Muse: From Reefer Man to Method Man

30

The Mary Jane of Pain

SPECIAL REPORT

The elevating effects of cannabis take lyrical appreciation to new heights.

Teri Robnett is not only one of the most prominent cannabis advocates here in

Colorado, she’s also a cannabis patient.

34

Iconography of the Fan Leaf

The pointy cannabis leaf, once a badge of the counterculture, may be in danger of becoming an overused marketing tool and cringe-worthy cliché in legal states.

GET REC'D Is adult-use finally coming to the Springs?

12

ISSUE

EVERY 5 Editor’s Note 6 The Buzz 12 NewsFeed

WHERE IS REC?

16 CrossRoads

CAPTIVE AUDIENCE

20 AroundTown

TONY ’S TRIVIA

4 8 {SoCO}

BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

Sensi Southern Colorado is published monthly by Sensi Media Group LLC. © 2018 SENSI MEDIA GROUP LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

sensimag.com APR I L 2018 3

mast sensi magazine

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head.

cheetos &

A DV ISORY B OA RD

We got a lot of reasons to celebrate this April. But we still have a lot of work to do, too.

ISSUE 4 VOLUME 2 4.2018

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GOLDFISH

editor’s

NOTE

Back in November 2011, Colorado’s voters gave the greenlight to Amendment 64, a constitutional amendment that recognized our adult right to grow, possess, and transfer (not sell) cannabis. The morning after the November election, Gov. John Hickenlooper famously quipped that “federal law still says marijuana

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is an illegal drug, so don’t break out the Cheetos or [Goldfish] too quickly.”

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to the press. Since then, eight more states and the District of Columbia legal-

PAYMENT PROCESSING

It’s been over six marvelous years since our governor made that statement ized, with a handful of additions eyeing recreational cannabis in the near future.

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And here we are, ground zero in the place that ignited a legalization wildfire

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federally legalized the plant. Australia also federally legalized at a limited,

MMJ & HEMP WASTE MANAGEMENT

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across not only the country but the entire world as well. Recently, Canada medical level. Portugal long decriminalized all drugs over a decade ago, and number of EU nations may soon follow suit.

But as we celebrate legalization, or springtime, or an obsolete New Year that no one has observed for centuries (read: April Fool’s Day), we need to remember that we haven’t won outright. Although cannabis prohibition is ending

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one state at a time, the War on Drugs rages on. Except now the authorities are

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ceuticals. The tipping point approaches, but we’re not quite there yet.

Monte Fiore Farms //

caught between fighting illegal street narcotics and FDA-approved pharmaWhile passing the spliff among friends and strangers on April 20, remem-

RECREATIONAL CULTIVATION

ber there are still people incarcerated for doing exactly what you’re doing. Re-

Nacher Apothecary //

member that our citizens with cannabis convictions on their records still have

CONSUMER EMPOWERMENT

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a tough time finding housing, jobs, or general societal acceptance. Remember that our most judicially vulnerable peers —people of color and the impoverished — remain severely underrepresented in America’s fastest growing industry.

Until we’ve corrected all of the mistakes from our collective past, legalization will only be a shallow victory. To truly be an overwhelming success, we’ll need to accommodate those most affected by the drug war, and that means

TRANSPORTATION

keeping the pressure on our legislators until anyone and everyone has a gen-

Show Me Kindness // CAREGIVER

uinely equal shot at this new version of the American Dream.

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a trail of glory. Toast to yourself and toast to them, too. We’re all in this togeth-

Taste Budz // CONFECTIONS

er, as we have been from the start.

By all means, party on. We deserve it—as do those left behind as we blazed

M EDIA PA RT N E R S Marijuana Business Daily Minority Cannabis Business Association National Cannabis Industry Association Students for Sensible Drug Policy

Randy Robinson

MANAGING EDITOR

SENSI SOUTHERN COLORADO

sensimag.com APR I L 2018 5

the

buzz

THE NE W N O R M A L

Inquiring Want to Know

On April 26–28, Colorado State University in Pueblo will host the second annual Institute of Cannabis Research (ICR) Conference. Last year, Dr. Raphael Mechoulam visited Pueblo in person to figuratively smash a champagne bottle on the side of this metaphorical ship. ICR is a multidisciplinary program studying the effects of legal cannabis on the economy, medicine, and environment. This year’s conference features some of the latest and most cutting-edge discoveries in the first state to go legal. Dr. Vincenzo Di Marzo, a biomolecular chemist who runs Naples’s Endocannabinoid Research Group, will deliver the symposium’s keynote address.

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ifornia’s ska/dub powerhouse formed

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tic constructions, fine local din-

Sublime, is coming to the Springs for everyone’s favorite feel-good pastime: consuming copious quantities of quality cannabis.

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ing, and, of course, wine. Lots and lots of wine.

The First Friday Artwalks take place between 23rd Street and 27th Street. Things kick off around 5 p.m. and wrap up around 8 p.m., so don’t be too fashionably late.

If you happen to miss 2018’s first artwalk on April 7, you can make up for it by hitting the next one on May 5. Fun. Fun. Fun.

6 Southern Colorado A P R I L 2 0 18

THE

mother OF ALL

celebrations It’s time to break out the glass and the rolling papers. While Denver’s massive 420 celebration may be Colorado’s biggest cannabis party, Southern Colorado will finally bring some heat to this oh-so-special day in 2018. Because 420 falls on a Friday this year, expect a weekend-long extravaganza across the Pikes Peak region.

The Speakeasy Vape Lounge for the Colorado 420 Fest and the world’s only weed-friendly comic book convention, Chromic Con. During the 420 Fest, catch performances by LoveRance (4/20), Lethal Injektion (4/21), and Layzie Bone of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (4/22).

Chromic Con April 20 2 p.m.‒5 p.m.

Colorado 420 Fest April 20–22 9 a.m.‒ 12 p.m.

Speakeasy Vape Lounge and Cannabis Club 2508 E. Bijou St. Colorado Springs (719) 445-9083

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INK Smoke MEETS

NEARBY MUNCHIES: Grab a bag o’ burgers at Short Stop (485 N. Circle Dr.) for some quick eats. Or, for an atmospheric dine-in experience, swing by China Village (203. N. Union Blvd.).

The Altered Reality Events Center, known for the Colorado Springs Comic Con, will host its first 420 bash with an edgy twist: they’re partnering with Ink magazine to hold a tattoo and piercing convention in the same building on the same day(s).

Colorado Springs 420 Fest & Tattoo Art Expo Altered Reality Event Center 3960 Palmer Park Blvd Colorado Springs

NEARBY MUNCHIES: There’s a trifecta of Asian restaurants within walking distance. Pho fanatics should check out Tan Phat Vietnamese (1512 Academy Blvd. N.). If Japanese is more your thing, BBQ-style fare can be had at the House of Yakitori (1612 Academy Blvd. N.); for

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those hankerin’ for some flame-grilled hiba-

April 20 –22

chi, try Musashi’s (1765 Academy Blvd. N.) just

12 p.m.–7 p.m.

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{newsfeed }

by RANDY ROBINSON

WHERE THE HECK IS REC? It’s been six years since Colorado legalized recreational, or adult-use, cannabis. Yet the state’s second largest metropolitan area, Colorado Springs, maintains its ban on retail cannabis stores as nearby cities rake in record revenues.

On July 23, 2013, Colorado Springs city council vot-

64 passed by 5,000 votes in Colorado Springs out of

ed 5-4 to ban retail pot stores within city limits. The

200,000 ballots, which some members of city council

decision to “opt-out” came nearly six months before

took as an invitation to challenge the state’s new le-

the state launched its first recreational sales, long be-

galization framework.

fore anyone could realistically anticipate the effects of legalization.

The prohibitionists on city council employed a rather creative argument: each sitting council member rep-

Several attempts have been made to overturn city

resents one of the city’s nine districts, and they voted

council’s ban, and all of them have failed. However, a

according to their districts’ majorities rather than city’s

community-led group composed of activists, business

overall majority. City council can repeal its ban, but so

owners, and industry members may reverse the city's

far, no vote has taken place. Starting this month, how-

course by taking the question to the voters—again.

ever, recreational cannabis may get another shot.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

BANNING THE BAN

It’s no secret that Colorado Springs was, and still is,

Rich Kwesell, one of the owners of the Strawberry

a fairly conservative town. Although Colorado is now

Fields dispensaries, is the spokesman for Citizens for

deemed a purple state, El Paso County traditionally

Safer Neighborhoods, an organization campaigning for

votes red. Given its proximity to four military bases

retail cannabis sales in Colorado Springs. Citizens for

while calling itself home to the nation’s largest popu-

Safer neighborhoods is planning to petition Springs

lation of evangelical Christians, it shouldn’t be too sur-

residents to get recreational cannabis on the ballot, so

prising that Colorado Springs resists the New Normal,

voters can finally put the legalization issue to rest.

even as Pueblo, Manitou Springs, and Denver boom due to legal pot sales.

For Citizens for Safer Neighborhoods, the effort to allow retail cannabis is two-fold. First, recreational

Although city council has the power to pass its own

cannabis will generate much-needed revenue for the

regulations through ordinances, ordinances are sup-

city government, especially in a town that traditionally

posed to respect the will of the people. Amendment

votes against tax increases. Second, rec will help elim-

12 Southern Colorado A P R I L 2 0 18

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO GET REC’ED

Write letters to your city council members. Let them know why legal cannabis is important to you and your community.

Speak honestly and respectfully with family and friends about the issue.

Vote in the November municipal elections.

If you’re not registered to vote, get registered. Then….

VOTE. VOTE. VOTE.

inate black market cannabis in Colorado Springs.

“By allowing the sale of retail cannabis, Colorado Springs will have access to a new revenue stream worth

to pay for education or enforcement. However, due to TABOR, an additional tax would need to be approved by voters as well.

millions of dollars without raising taxes,” Kwesell wrote to Sensi in an email. “This is important as cities across

MONEY GROWING ON TREES

Colorado are struggling to find funding for basic services.”

On the revenue end, Citizens for Safer Neighborhoods

Furthermore, according to city law enforcement of-

commissioned economist Jack Strauss at the University

ficials, Colorado Springs has become a base for black

of Denver to conduct an economic impact study for rec-

market cannabis. Under the shield of Amendment 64,

reational marijuana in the Springs. In the past, Strauss

black marketeers can grow massive quantities of weed

performed similar studies for Boeing, Walmart, and Kro-

with little fear of detection. The product either gets trans-

ger. The economic assessment he wrote for Colorado

ported to a non-legal state at markup or is sold locally

Springs, he says, was “fairly standard.”

at a remarkable discount.

"More than seventy cities and towns across Colorado have voted to allow the sale of retail cannabis in

According to Strauss’s study, Colorado Springs would collect at least $24 million in taxes and licensing fees per year. Over 1,300 jobs would be created.

their community and have benefited from much needed

Mayor John Suthers, who has openly opposed legal

revenue,” continues Kwesell. “The best way to combat

cannabis since his stint as the state’s Attorney Gener-

black market sales of cannabis is a well-regulated in-

al, issued a statement last August rebutting Strauss’s

dustry–we look forward to the day Colorado Springs

study. Although the mayor’s retort did not cite any stud-

can experience that as well."

ies of its own, it claimed the Strauss study’s “estimates

Citizens for Safer Neighborhoods anticipates recreational cannabis stores within city limits would put the kibosh on the black market. And because their ini-

are widely optimistic.”

“Nobody’s going to change my mind about this,” Suthers declared.

tiative would pay for itself through licensing fees, the

Strauss defends his assessment to Sensi. “I did noth-

city wouldn’t have to pull funds from its tight budget

ing fancy, and the numbers are high, but I didn’t have sensimag.com APR I L 2018 13

Providing quality

cannabis and

concentrates

here in Pueblo, CO

to spin the numbers at all,” he says. “They’re high because Colorado generates a substantial amount of marijuana sales–like a billion dollars last year.”

“We know how much revenue would be collected,” Strauss continues. “The data is on the state website.”

To Suthers’s other criticism, that the study was cooked up by the cannabis industry and “people hoping to profit greatly from it,” Strauss says that’s “partially true”–and not in the way the mayor framed it.

According to both Michael Elliot, the former chief strategist for Citizens for Safer Neighborhoods, and Strauss, Strauss was commissioned by the organization to conduct the study. However, Strauss says he received no direction, input, or other leads from Citizens for Safer Neighborhoods. “They paid me, and then they went away,” Strauss says. Besides, anyone with a working knowledge of 6th grade math can double-check his calculations.

Furthermore, Strauss notes he has no stake in Colorado’s marijuana. He’s a fulltime university professor and hasn’t invested in any cannabis businesses.

“I don’t know what he could say,” Strauss notes, admitting he did not read Mayor Suthers’s response. “All I did is multiply and divide. It’s not a difficult type of analysis.”

CITY COUNCIL CHIMES IN Currently, city council may remain split on the issue of retail cannabis sales in the Springs. Jill Gaebler, the council’s president pro-tem, has long supported recreational marijuana in the city. However, she would prefer to take a more cautious approach than what’s being proposed by Citizens for Safer Neighborhoods.

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“Both the president of city council, Mr. Skorman, and myself are interested in finding a way to make recreational sales legal,” she tells Sensi. “But the impasse comes in how to go about doing that.”

Previous proposals would have allowed any of the city’s 130 medical dispensaries the option to convert to recreational sales. Gaebler believes that “is going a little too far.” She’d rather set some limits on the number of retail stores in the area, similar to what Manitou Springs and Pueblo have done.

Gaebler adds she’d like to see the Springs’s cannabis industry “compromise” with city council. Regardless of where that goes, she says she “hopes” recreational cannabis becomes a hot-button issue this election cycle.

Time is critical, however, due to shifting attitudes in Colorado Springs. Citing the problem with black market grows, “More people are becoming resistant and opposed to recreational marijuana because of these issues that aren’t relevant to

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14 Southern Colorado A P R I L 2 0 18

recreational marijuana,” Gaebler says. “[The home grow issue] is an enforcement problem, not a recreational one.”

City council may be deadlocked on the topic, but voters are not. We’ll soon discover if the Springs’s residents are ready to join their sibling cities on riding the wave of legalization. Assuming, of course, city council doesn’t devise another clever way to stall rec’s roll-out.

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sensimag.com APR I L 2018 15

{crossroads}

by RICARDO BACA

WE HAVE LIFTOFF On celebrating cannabis, the tamer of a captive mind.

I loved long flights when I was younger. I was obsessed with the sheer spectacle of modern flight, and I even looked forward to those monster, super long treks to Asia and Australia, perhaps misapplying the ad-

understand the best way to store their roller bags in the overhead compartment.

It can get to be a lot—unless, I’ve found, you have a head full of cannabis when you’re boarding the plane.

age of the journey being as important as the destination.

I’ll never forget my first time flying high. I was wrap-

But I’ve lost most of that awe at 40, when even the

ping up my last day at a weed business conference in

two-and-a-half hours flight is something I don’t gen-

San Francisco when I remembered the edibles stash in

erally look forward to. The shrinking seats, the germy

my backpack, the one I wasn’t planning on flying home

everything, the recycled air, the incessant subconscious

with (because that’s illegal, dear friend). After a quick

marketing and the travelers who inexplicably still don’t

assessment of my near future—taking the train to

16 Southern Colorado A P R I L 2 0 18

sensimag.com APR I L 2018 17

the airport, grabbing food, flying three hours home to

the immensity of what all these random people and I

Denver, and hopping another train to the city from the

were doing at that very moment.

airport—I saw the opportunity ahead.

No driving. No heavy machinery. No real responsibility for the foreseeable future.

And that flight was fucking fantastic. From an un-

Hundreds of people, in a giant metal machine, flying. So much fuel, sigh. But still, lifting off like some magical dragon from the San Francisco Bay and landing a few hours later in the Colorado Rockies.

precedented deep-dive into my iPhone’s psyche to

And that’s one of marijuana’s wonders, right? Its abil-

organizing the busy work week ahead to going cov-

ity to temporarily reset some our mind’s settings back

er-to-cover on the mediocre in-flight magazine star-

to its childhood defaults.

ing at me from the seat-back pocket, I was that awe-

Thank goodness for it, be-

struck little kid again—finding pleasure in what was

cause sometimes my adult

in front of me, ignoring my neighbor in the center aisle, appreciating the complimentary Canada Dry and legitimately dumbfounded at

18 Southern Colorado A P R I L 2 0 18

mind resents being held captive.

It’s pretty much the same if I’m sitting in an airplane,

Thankful I’m not driving crosscountry. Thankful for the

a corporate-sponsored rock show or a movie theater.

singular views. Thankful for the quiet baby in the row

I’m getting something out of that experience, sure, but

in front of me. Thankful that air travel remains mostly

I’m also paying a business for a service—and I’m being

affordable. Thankful for the tucked-in hygiene of the

marketed to in the process. And that construct of me

beefcake in the center seat. Thankful for modern con-

paying you so that you can then advertise further to

veniences. Thankful the guy in front of me didn’t recline

me when I’m most captive can be tough to stomach,

his seat while I was writing this column. And thankful

even for a lifelong journalist who just opened his own

for cannabis, which helps tame my aging brain in the

full-service agency.

dreadfully captive situations I dislike the most.

I’m thankful for the respite cannabis provides when

So here’s to getting lifted before you lift off, friends.

my mind is in that prison of captivity-induced anxiety.

Because even though your

When I’m sitting in the movie theater ever-so-slightly

body is about to be restricted

lifted, I remember the excitement of the film trailers

to an ever-shrinking seat, the

and view them as entertainment instead of advertis-

doors to your mind’s subcon-

ing. At the rock show, I forget that I’m sitting inside the

sciousness are already flung

an arena known as the Pepsi Center, and I enjoy

wide open—leaving your

the light show. In the airplane, I look out at the

anxieties and other baggage

Sierras, the gradient blue sky, the checker-

out of sight while amplifying

boards of houses and the dense forest lands

your ability to focus on what

below and take a moment to be thankful.

matters most.

Ricardo Baca is a veteran journalist, thought leader and founder of The Cannabist. His content agency Grasslands works primarily with businesses and individuals in the cannabis and hemp industries on thought leadership, publicity and marketing projects via thoughtful, personalized content campaigns.

sensimag.com APR I L 2018 19

© JACQUELINE COLLINS PHOTOGRAPHY

{lifestyle}

by BECCA STINE

TONY’S IS OUR T URF Tuesday nights, the limbo between the Manic Mondays and the Humpy Wednesdays. What to do, oh, what ever is there to do on such a night?

Although downtown Colorado Springs may appear

Tony's Trivia operates by the "Geeks Who Drink"

somewhat drab on a Tuesday evening, the red light

standard, a set of rules designed for pub settings

glowing from the sign "Tony's," a sports bar on North

that originated from the birthplace of pubs and triv-

Tejon, hums as vibrant energy resurges behind the lo-

ia culture: Ireland and the UK. Each game consists of

cale’s doors.

eight rounds with eight questions per round—with

Tony's begins to bustle around 7 p.m. on Tuesdays

the exception to round two that focuses on song rec-

as it bristles with people of all ages, contestants ready

ognition—and the final round which consists of six-

to try their hands (and heads) at a two-hour game of

teen questions. Tony's has been hosting Trivia nights

trivia. Typically, students from Colorado College occupy

on Tuesdays for the past three to four years, that are

most of the table and bar space, sitting in teams wait-

open to anybody, and free for everybody. The first-

ing to test their liberal-arts-educated minds through a

place prize knocks $20 off a drink tab. Second place

question game in return for free beer. With colorful, lit

takes off $15, and third place receives a $10 discount.

beer signs and football collectibles, Tony's nurtures a

Think you know it all? Think you can handle your suds?

unique vibe compared to other bars in downtown Col-

Prove it. What else are you doing on a Tuesday night?

orado Springs: inspired by Midwestern dive bars and founded by a native of Wisconsin, Tony’s serves as the “headquarters” for Colorado’s Packers fans.

20 Southern Colorado A P R I L 2 0 18

326 N. Tejon St., Colorado Springs (719) 228-6566 // TONYSDOWNTOWNBAR.COM

sensimag.com APR I L 2018 21

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sensimag.com APR I L 2018 23

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sensimag.com APR I L 2018 25

MUSIC & MARIJUANA The Muse: From REEFER MAN to METHOD MAN

#thenewnormal

by LELAND RUCKER

Where there's MUSIC, there's often CANNABIS. GANJA AND SONG SEEM TO CROSS ALL BORDERS. TODAY MORE THAN EVER. THE OCTOGENARIAN COUNTRY ICON WILLIE NELSON (“ROLL ME UP AND SMOKE ME WHEN I DIE”) IS PEDDLING HIS BRANDED WILLIE’S RESERVE STRAINS JUST AS HE DOES HIS ALBUMS. YOU CAN PICK UP A COUPLE GRAMS OF KHALIFA KUSH TO ENJOY ALONGSIDE THE LATEST WIZ KHALIFA RECORD, AND SNOOP DOGG AND THE CHILDREN OF BOB MARLEY ALL HAVE THEIR OWN BRANDS. EVEN COUNTRY SUPERSTAR TOBY KEITH, THE BIG DOG DADDY HIMS E L F , L A S T F A L L R E L E A S E D “ W A C K Y T O B A C C Y ,” A N O T - S O - S U B T L E W E E D E N D O R S E M E N T .

26 Southern Colorado A P R I L 2 0 18

It’s really no secret. Musicians love marijuana. Always have. I have spoken with many of them about it over the years. Some love to perform while under the influence, others only for composing, and many like to do both. As guitarist and oud master Neil Haverstick, who uses it for creativity, puts it: “I surprise myself. And that is the key word: surprise. I am often able to create new shapes, patterns, something that did not previously exist. And I assure you that, for many artists, that's the greatest moment of all—the moment of discovery.”

Or as Louis Armstrong (and we'll get back to him in a bit) told his biographer, “We always looked at pot as a sort of medicine, a cheap drunk and with much better thoughts than one that’s full of liquor.”

Not surprisingly, it’s not only musicians. Many people who listen to music like it even better after a little elevation. And if you don’t, you know somebody who does.

REGGAE {&}CANNABIS FOR MOST LISTENERS, REGGAE AND CANNABIS ARE A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN. Even more than jazz or rock or hip-hop, reggae music has always been associated with marijuana, mostly because of its association with Rastafari, a loosely defined religion and social movement developed in Jamaica in the 1930s that celebrates a god named Jah who lives inside humans. Many Rastas believe that Haile Selassie, the Ethiopian emperor from 1930-1974, was the reincarnation of God on earth.

More importantly in this context, Rastas consider cannabis as a sacrament. Its most famous musical disciple was Bob Marley, an ardent Rasta who became an international musical star and celebrity, who talked openly about his marijuana use and was often pictured with a large spliff between his fingers.

Americans caught onto the music in the 1970s, and there were plenty of ready/steady musicians on the island to accommodate the growing taste for the music. Reggae today is considered world music and still almost perfect for enjoying with cannabis. —LR

Keith’s “Wacky Tobaccy” represents perhaps the complete mainstreamization of marijuana songs, and

We remember the miracles of the world.

the most recent example of how music about can-

We remember those far and near.

nabis has always reflected the culture in which it is

We remember.

created. Here’s a guy who’s as all-American as they come, who’s known for his patriotic songs, and on the

The Jazz Age: Vipers and Reefer Men

video for “Wacky,” Keith and his boys are grinnin’ and

Perhaps the first popular song to be upfront about

tokin’ on the tour bus just like Snoop or Dr. Dre or Un-

cannabis in the United States was “Have You Ever

cle Willie Nelson (who appears in the video) might.

Met That Funny Reefer Man?” The tune, a.k.a. “The

You can bake it in some brownies, smoke it through

Reefer Man,” ostensibly about a guy, obviously stoned,

a bong

who “trades dimes for nickels and calls watermelon

Roll up a great big fat one like ol’ Cheech and Chong

pickles,” was performed by Cab Calloway in the 1933

Burn it through a hole in a can of Budweiser

film “International House” and is still popular. Like-

If you can't take the heat, son, vaporizer.

wise, jazz violinist Stuff Smith, playing off the Har-

Before Recording: The Smoking of Dagga It hasn’t always been out in the open like that. Before sound could be recorded, there are, of course, no

lem term for a pot user, had a regional hit with his “You’se a Viper,” in 1936, and it became perhaps the best-known cannabis song after pianist Fats Waller became the first of many to record it in 1943.

concrete examples of pot songs. But to imagine that

What we know of the connection of jazz and can-

marijuana was first used by musicians after they

nabis in that period comes at least in part from the

started recording in the last 100 years sounds pretty

autobiography of Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow, a white

unrealistic, right?

clarinetist better known for his pot dealing during

We know there was music for the Parisian elite

the 1930s than for his own musical prowess. Mez-

that included Charles Baudelaire and Alexandre Du-

zrow was an odd fellow who considered himself a

mas, who came to Club des Hashischins for séances

black man, even getting himself placed in the black

and hashish experiments. Cannabis historian Chris

prison ward after being arrested in 1937. But his writ-

Bennett has found written records of dervish sects

ing about how cannabis was intertwined with jazz

and African tribes with music dedicated to hashish.

reached far beyond his own generation.

A 1913 report, “The smoking of dagga (Indian hemp)

Mezzrow’s book included passages like this one,

among the native races of South Africa and the resul-

recounting a dancing woman at a party: “The rhythm

tant evils,” included a cannabis smoking song of the

really had this queen; her eyes almost jumped out of

Besotho people who settled there:

their sockets and the cords in her neck stood out stiff

We smoke it and it reminds us of different things.

and hard like ropes.” sensimag.com APR I L 2018 27

Lyrics like “The Reefer Man” and comments like that also drew the attention of Harry Anslinger, who, upon being appointed director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics in 1930, began waging a campaign of arrests and disinformation against cannabis that lasted several decades. By all accounts a nasty piece of work, Anslinger peddled the cockamamie story that jazz musicians on marijuana were creating extra beats in the music that were making listeners, like the Mezzrow woman depicted above, go crazy. As silly as this seems today, Anslinger was able to use it to harass black musicians, especially those who flouted him.

Then there was Louis Armstrong, who began using it in the 1920s and whose affinity for the plant became legendary. Though busted a couple of times, he somehow escaped Anslinger’s wrath—I even found a clip of him joking about getting high while a contestant on the 1960s TV quiz show What’s My Line.

“One reason why we appreciated pot, as y’all calls it now, the warmth it always brought forth from the other person—especially the ones that lit up a good stick of that ‘shuzzit’ or gage,” Armstrong once said. Anyone who has shared a joint at a concert with the stranger next to you surely can appreciate exactly what Armstrong was talking about.

But relatively speaking, during World War II and beyond there were few references to cannabis in popular song. General public acceptance for cannabis was at a low. But jazz culture, and Mezzrow’s book, caught the attention of others, like influential poet Allen Ginsberg, writer Jack Kerouac, and others of the so-called Beat Generation, who picked up on his language and style, which they found wasn’t that different from their fledging, marijuana-influenced writings.

The 1960s and Beyond: Everybody Must Get Stoned Perhaps the most important beneficiary of the Beats was Robert Zimmerman, who changed his name to Bob Dylan after moving to New York in 1961 and became close friends with Allen Ginsberg soon afterwards. (That’s Ginsberg hanging in the alleyway behind Dylan in his iconic video for “Subterranean Homesick Blues.”) One early song, “Mr. Tambourine Man,” seemed to many listeners to be about someone under the influence (“Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin’ ship/My senses have been stripped, my hands can’t feel to grip/My toes too numb to step”), especially after it became a massive hit for The Byrds in the summer of 1965.

Less than a year later, his own single, “Rainy Day Women #12 and 35,” with its leering, wheezing horn chorus screaming “everybody must get stoned,” reached No. 2 on the US charts, which, not surprisingly, most listeners took as an appeal to indulge. Interestingly enough, neither song mentions cannabis, but both were immediately and have been forever associated with it.

The floodgates opened, and as the youth counterculture embraced rock and roll as its music of choice, those musicians began writing and recording songs about cannabis. For anyone growing up then, there seemed to be a tune for every situation. Anyone growing up back then knew exactly what Commander Cody was talking about when he sang about being down to “Seeds and Stems Again,” or what an “Illegal Smile,” as described by folkie John Prine, looked like in the mirror. Highend strains like Panama Red and Acapulco Gold were celebrated in song, and titles like “Don’t Bogart That Joint” became buzzwords.

Country star Merle Haggard even penned a reaction to the hippies’ cultural dominance, and “Okie From Muskogee” (“a place where even squares can have a ball”) became a monster hit in 1969. Most listeners never realized that the song’s point of view was written tongue-in-cheek by Haggard, a user himself, who in 2015 wrote 28 Southern Colorado A P R I L 2 0 18

and sang, with Willie Nelson, “It’s All Going to Pot.”

{high-minded}MEDLEYS JAZZ //Compiled by LELAND RUCKER 1 “Have You Ever Seen the Funny Reefer Man,” Cab Calloway and his Orchestra 2 “You’se a Viper,” Fats Waller 3 “When I Get Low I Get High,” Chick Webb & His Orchestra 4 “Here Comes The Man with the Jive,” Stuff Smith & his Onyx Club Boys 5 “Wacky Dust,” Ella Fitzgerald & the Chick Webb Orchestra REGGAE

Compiled by JOHN LJFRESH GRAY 1. “Easy Skanking,” Bob Marley 2. “Smoke Two Joints,” Sublime 3. “Come Around,” Collie Buddz 4. “Police in Helicopter,” John Holt 5. “Unda Mi Sensi,” Barrington Levy

HIP-HOP

Compiled by JOHN LJFRESH GRAY 1. “I Got 5 On It,” Luniz 2. “The Weed Song,” Bone Thugs ‘N’ Harmony 3. “The Recipe,” Kendrick Lamar 4. “Mary Jane,” Rick James 5. “Blueberry Yum Yum,” Ludacris

ROCK AND ROLL //Compiled by LELAND RUCKER 1 “Planet of Weed,” Fountains of Wayne 2 “One Toke Over the Line,” Brewer & Shipley 3 “Seeds and Stems (Again),” Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen 4 “Illegal Smile,” John Prine 5 “Rainy Day Women #12 and 35,” Bob Dylan Nelson is his own story, and except for perhaps Bob Marley, the most iconic marijuana character of all time. He worked the outside fringes of the country music industry for a couple of decades, living off a couple of standards he wrote while his career went nowhere, before finally chucking Nashville for Austin, where he hooked up with a nascent batch of other similarly minded, former Nashville hasbeens and wanna-bes like Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson who became known as leaders of the Outlaw movement.

Today, at 84, Nelson is arguably the best-known musician espousing the new normal, a common-sense voice for cannabis, seniors, and sensible drug laws. As he puts it, marijuana won’t kill you “unless you let a bale of it fall on you.”

Hip-Hop: Snoop, Wiz, and Cypress Hill With the ascendance of hip-hop as the dominant music form in the US, marijuana made the complete transition to the mainstream. Before hip-hop, there was generally always the wink and the clever turn of phrase to alert those in the know to what was going on.

That went totally out the door with hip-hop. Using the relatively new medium of video—which debuted on MTV in 1981—hip-hop musicians ran with it. By the early 1990s, everybody was hitting the blunts and the bongs and celebrating the wicked weed in song and rhyme, all in front of the camera. Rappers and reefer became synonymous.

Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg, Method Man, and bands like Cypress Hill built their songs, recordings and live shows around cannabis use. That hasn’t stopped, and today rappers who deny cannabis use are in the minority. The smell of cannabis can be detected at nearly every live music event—trance and EDM to country—especially in states where cannabis is legal. “Wacky Tobaccy” rules. The reefer man has become the method man. Cannabis and music have finally come full circle, and perhaps we have reached a time when they are just indicative of #thenewnormal.

“It has a lot to do with calming the nerves,” good old Louis Armstrong once said, “which makes the creative juices flow a little easier.” Snoop Dogg adds, “It makes me feel the way I need to feel.” May it ever be so.

sensimag.com APR I L 2018 29

TERI ROBNET T is not only one of the most prominent CANNABIS ADVOCATES here in Colorado, she’s also a CANNABIS PATIENT.

by RANDY ROBINSON IF YOU’VE BEEN FOLLOWING OUR LEGAL SCENE HERE IN COLORADO, CHANCES ARE YOU’VE HEARD OF

Teri Robnet t . S H E C U R R E N T L Y R U N S T H E R x M A R Y J A N E B L O G ,

WHICH DOCUMENTS HER EXPERIENCES AND THOSE OF OTHERS IN THE MEDICAL CANNABIS COMMUNITY. LEGISLATORS AT THE CAPITOL BUILDING KNOW HER AS THE FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CANNABIS PATIENTS ALLIANCE, AN EDUCATIONAL AND ADVOCACY GROUP THAT CAMPAIGNS ON BEHALF OF PATIENTS—PATIENTS TOO EASILY F O R G O T T E N I N T H E M A E L S T R O M O F M A R I J U A N A L E G A L I Z AT I O N. 30 30 Southern SouthernColorado ColoradoAAPPRRI LI L2 2001818

{ CONTINUED ON PAGE 32}

sensimag.com APR I L 2018 31

Robnett understands the need to protect medical cannabis programs because she herself is a patient. In 1987, a car accident triggered Robnett’s fibromyalgia, a neurological condition that causes chronic pain, fatigue, emotional distress, and a hazy amnesiac state known as the “fibro fog.”

Fibro fog may one of the more troublesome aspects of fibromyalgia, because it can impede concentration for day-to-day tasks. Until the past few years, many doctors believed fibromyalgia was a myth, a phantom disorder perpetuated by “hysterical” women. Recent developments in medicine confirmed that fibromyalgia is most definitely real, and it affects men, too. A simple biopsy procedure can confirm its most telltale sign: excessive growth of nerve endings throughout the body.

Prior to the passage of Amendment 20, the bill that legalized medical cannabis in Colorado, Robnett tried conventional treatments for her fibromyalgia, including benzodiazepines and opioid painkillers. “Benzos would just knock me out, and Tylenol with codeine #3 made me itchy,” she recounts. Since pharmaceuticals didn’t control her symptoms, she looked to alternative treatments. For years she relied on a good diet, regular exercise, and tried her best to get decent sleep.

For those who suffer with fibromyalgia, lack of sleep may be one of the worst symptoms. Sleep deprivation can aggravate the condition, leading to greater anxiety, pain, and intensified fibro fog. At one point in her life, she simply accepted that an obscene amount of sleep deprivation would just be the way of things. But when Robnett discovered cannabis, her life It took some time, but Robnett eventually figured out a process for self-medication that worked for her. In addition to exercise and diet, she eats a cannabis-infused edible before bed. While waiting for the edible to kick in, she may vape or smoke a small amount of bud to get her body primed.

When the inhaled medication starts to wear off, that’s when the edible takes effect. Cannabis, she says, “makes the pain better, it makes the exhaustion better, it makes the fibro fog better.” And most impor-

THE

{ GOOD } LAB

One of Robnett’s newest ventures is a service that was, until recently, denied to cannabis patients. She’s the co-owner of The Good Lab, the only certified lab in the state of Colorado that will test cannabis samples for consumers and patients.

Prior to the establishment of The Good Lab, only licensed marijuana companies could submit samples for testing.

32 32 Southern SouthernColorado ColoradoAAPPRRI LI L2 2001818

KIM SIDWELL CANNABIS CAMERA

changed dramatically.

“

W H A T H A P P E N S I F YO U D O N ’ T G E T E N O U G H

E N D O C A N N A B I N O I D S ? YO U G E T F I B R O M Y A L G I A A N D IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME. WHEN I FIRST HEARD A B O U T T H A T, I F E L L T O T H E F L O O R A N D C R I E D.

A N D T H E N I G O T M A D.

THE ONE THING THAT COULD SUPPLEMENT WHAT M Y B O D Y C A N N O T M A K E I T S E L F, T H E G O V E R N M E N T I S P R E V E N T I N G M E F R O M H AV I N G .

tantly, it allows her to get a solid six to eight hours of sleep every night.

”

Today, Robnett serves as a living testament to medical cannabis. She’s at the top of her game because she

Although fibro patients may find relief in medical

has to be. Even though Colorado is seen as a haven

cannabis, every case is different. “Just try it,” Robnett

for both medical cannabis refugees and recreational

says in regards to self-medicating. “If it doesn’t work

users, some legislators and lobbyists are quietly work-

the first time, keep trying it in different ways. You can

ing to chisel away medical cannabis programs—but

even try topicals,” such as creams or salves, “which

not on her watch.

won’t get you high.”

sensimag.com APR I L 2018 33

34 Southern Colorado A P R I L 2 0 18

iconogr a phy OF THE FAN LEAF: FAN

Leaf?

NOT A

OF THE

by ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE

The pointy cannabis leaf, ONCE A BADGE OF THE COUNTERCULTURE, MAY BE IN DANGER OF BECOMING AN OVERUSED MARKETING TOOL AND CRINGE-WORTHY CLICHÉ IN LEGAL STATES—BUT IT’S OUR ICON, AND WE’RE STUCK WITH IT. LET’S LEAD WITH TASTE AND RESPECT.

I own two pieces of clothing with cannabis leaves

When I visit my family and friends in the conserva-

on them: warm, fuzzy socks that were a gift from a

tive Midwestern state where I grew up, I leave those

dear friend and a three-year-old Women Grow t-shirt,

items at home. I’m a sissy rebel—or maybe no rebel at

vintage in this young industry and soft from many

all—because I wear them only in legal states, where

washings. I love wearing both in Colorado and Califor-

cannabis leaves are a networking tool, not a counter-

nia, where they spark good conversation.

cultural icon. They’re so ubiquitous in Colorado and sensimag.com APR I L 2018 35

California these days, in fact, that I might not wear my

Jacquie Aiche Sweet Leaf jewelry and clutches featur-

socks and shirt to industry events because I’m slightly

ing that leaf.

embarrassed about what a cliché that pointy leaf has become.

But let’s face it: Mara and Margot weren’t breaking new ground. They’re all following Gram Parson, who

If you’ve been in the cannabis industry for a minute

had suits with cannabis leaves embroidered on them

or two, you can’t help but catch the yawn. It’s been

made for him and his Flying Burritos Brothers band-

three years since Mara Hoffman dressed her New

mates to wear on the cover of their first album in 1968.

York Fashion Week models in dresses and pants wo-

The mainstream fashion world may still get a little

ven with green cannabis leaves and two years since

titillated by the leaf’s countercultural edge—so Che

Alexander Wang worked them into a black leather

Guevara—but in the cannabis industry, we’ve all seen

skirt that Margot Robbie wore on Saturday Night Live.

that guy wearing a suit plastered with leaves at a few

We’ve all gotten used to seeing celebrities flash their

too many events. (Just because you can doesn’t mean

RESPECT: eat your leaves Fan leaves, still considered a waste product by industrial and home growers because they deliver very minimal THC, are coming into their own as a nutritional and medicinal powerhouse, largely thanks to the work of Dr. William Courtney. The physician credits cannabis leaf juice with putting his domestic partner into remission from lupus, interstitial cystitis, and rheumatoid arthritis. As food and medicine, the non-psychoactive leaves are finally getting the respect they deserve.

If you don’t or can’t grow your own cannabis, fresh fan leaves can be a hard-to-come-by delicacy. Here’s to seeing that change.

If you do grow your own, stop composting fan leaves when you remove them. Wash them in water and vinegar, then blend them into juices and smoothies, toss them into salads, sprinkle them into soups and over fish, and add them to pesto and tabbouleh. They add an earthy, slightly bitter taste and deliver vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

you should.) We’re classing up this industry, and as a friend recently pointed out, you don’t see people walking around wine festivals wearing leggings covered in grapes or earrings shaped like grapevines.

Our ennui is a problem of privilege—albeit one that should be a right for all—and I do know how lucky we are that we can display cannabis leaves as a universal symbol of pride, solidarity, and advocacy without fear of persecution. Because in the end, though there are more subtle ways of letting the world know we’re pro-cannabis—jewelry shaped like THC and CBD molecules make great gifts for friends in the Midwest— nothing says “I love weed” like the leaf.

It’s our icon, and we’re stuck with it. Let’s try to be tasteful.

Enemies of Society, Waiting for Our Emoji The cannabis leaf has history. The oldest depiction found so far dates to the Neolithic era (10,000–5,000 BC) and was painted on a cave wall on the coast of Kyushu, Japan. Many believe the pointy leaf often shown above the head of the ancient Egyptian idol Seshat, goddess of architecture, astronomy, astrology, and mathematics, was a cannabis leaf.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, when cannabis was a common ingredient in over-the-counter elixirs, the leaf could be spotted on medicine bottle labels— though it wasn’t nearly as ubiquitous as it is on cannabis products today. It went underground with the advent of prohibition in 1937, largely forgotten until it re-emerged, along with tie-dye and peace signs, in the 1960s.

Jerry Rubin, the flamboyant radical who told hippies never to trust anyone over 30, anointed the leaf when he said: “Smoking pot makes you a criminal and a revolutionary. As soon as you take your first puff, you are an enemy of society.”

In 1966, the Saturday Evening Post described college students who used marijuana as fitting into “a

36 Southern Colorado A P R I L 2 0 18

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general pattern of rebellion against society’s values.”

with animals (54.6 percent) and basketball teams with

The very fact that marijuana was illegal, according to

basketballs (52.6 percent) scored higher—and it’s not

a 1967 Life magazine article, was part of its appeal for

just about pictures. Think about how many cannabis

PEACE OUT

A HANDFUL OF YEARS BEFORE THE CANNABIS LEAF EMERGED AND BECAME FOREVER INTERTWINED WITH IT AS SYMBOLS OF REBELLIOUS TIMES, THE PEACE SIGN WAS INVENTED AS A BADGE FOR THE CAMPAIGN FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT. THE COLD WAR WAS ESCALATING WHEN BRITISH DESIGNER GERALD HORTON CREATED THE PEACE SYMBOL FOR A 1958 ANTI-NUCLEAR MARCH IN LONDON. HE BASED THE DESIGN ON HIS OWN PERSONAL DESPAIR, REPRESENTING AN INDIVIDUAL WITH HANDS STRETCHED DOWNWARD AND OUTWARD LIKE SPANISH PAINTER FRANCISCO GOYA’S DEPICTION OF TERRIFIED PEASANTS BEFORE THE FIRING SQUAD DURING THE SPANISH RESISTANCE TO NAPOLEON’S ARMIES IN 1808.

HORTON’S ORIGINAL DESIGN LOOKED MORE LIKE A PERSON, WITH THE LINES WIDENING TO MEET THE CIRCLE WHERE FEET, HANDS AND A HEAD WOULD BE, BUT THE LINES WERE STRAIGHTENED AND SLIMMED DOWN IN THE 1960S UNTIL HIS DESIGN BECAME THE BOLD, UNIVERSALLY RECOGNIZED ICON WE KNOW AND LOVE

young people. “Seeing themselves in rebellion against

companies you know with the word “leaf” in the name.

the empty, materialistic striving of their parents, they

We could talk all day about the irony of baby boom-

turn the whole pot scene into a protest tool which they

ers exploiting the freedom leaf to make money as part

use to mock a middle-class culture they disdain,” the

of the very middle-class culture they once disdained—

article stated.

but let’s save that for a sesh.

We all know what happened next. Hippies became

The fan leaf is our icon, and

yuppies, Nancy Reagan told us to “just say no,” and can-

we’re stuck with it. Let’s try to

nabis leaves disappeared even from rolling paper la-

be respectful of its defiance.

bels and dorm room posters as the plant was forced

Those of us who get to experi-

deep underground. When Adidas attempted to unearth

ence the normalization of a

it by replacing its corporate logo with a cannabis leaf

symbol that once sparked con-

to market hemp sports shoes in 1998, US drug czar Lee

flict and controversy need to

P. Brown slammed the company for attempting to “cap-

keep working toward universal

italize on the drug culture” and implying that drugs are

acceptance, even as we fold it

associated with the “magic” of sporting achievement.

into our marketing materials.

Prohibition is ending. Despite Attorney General Jeff

We’ve come far, but we’re

Sessions, attitudes are changing, and the leaf has nev-

not there yet.

er been more popular. In 2016, a survey found that 44

We will have arrived when

percent of logos registered as trademarks for canna-

our phones come equipped

bis businesses included leaves—only veterinarians

with cannabis leaf emojis.

38 Southern Colorado A P R I L 2 0 18

Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook author Robyn Griggs Lawrence recently launched a company, Cannabis Kitchen Events, that includes a tiny turquoise cannabis leaf in the logo.

PHOTOGRAPHS © POVY KENDAL ATCHISON

TODAY.

sensimag.com APR I L 2018 39

PAT PEN

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

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To the uninitiated, these products may all seem

In other words, Pat Pen’s cartridges are as close to vaping cured buds as it gets.

How does Pat Pen pull this off? The oils in the

the same: plug and puff.

Pat Pen is a little different.

Other vape pen products stick to the basics. The brass-tacks of basics. And these basic cartridges will pretty much only deliver THC along with filler oil such as polyethylene glycol, otherwise known as PEG or vegetable glycerin.

“We like to keep the full spectrum,” says Pat Leonard, one of the cofounders of Pat Pen. “We really think our products should be at the highest quality at a fair and reasonable price.”

The Pat Pen vape cartridges have a reputation of the best cannabis oil on the market and customers don’t have to empty their wallet to receive a quality vape pen. Every Pat Pen cartridge is filled with distilled CO2 cannabis oil, that is why Pat Pen prides themselves on the purity of the product the consumer receives.

company’s pens are made with CO2, the cleanest

Pat Pen vape products demonstrate top-tier qual-

and safest method for cannabis extractions. Each

ity by using only “full spectrum” oils. Full spectrum is

Pat Pen vape pen is strain specific. Furthermore, noth-

another term for “whole plant,” meaning the com-

ing else goes into Pat Pen’s cartridges other than

plete cannabinoid and terpene profile of the flower

the CO2 oils and terpenes. With cartridges packed

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anced effect on mood as well as medicinal applica-

less, why vape anything else?

tion. Terpenes, the little compounds that give can-

“No vegetable glycerin, no coconut oil, no cut,”

nabis its characteristic flavors and aromas, boast

Leonard says. “It’s a tasty cartridge. That’s what sets

several purported health benefits, too.

it apart.”

40 Southern Colorado A P R I L 2 0 18

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@MCIA.org

sensimag.com APR I L 2018 41

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

CRAFT 710

Master of the Craft CRAFT 710 KNOWS A THING OR TWO ABOUT CONCENTRATES. IT ’S BEEN IN THE GAME SINCE THE CRAZE BEGAN, AND AS THE HYPE EVOLVES INTO MAINSTAY, IT ’S HERE TO STAY, TOO. We’ve come a long way since the days of rolled

This month, be on the lookout for Craft’s newest

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Craft 710, with facilities in Pueblo and Denver, makes them all. And it continues to push the boundaries of conventional concentrates to new, novel products tailored to any dabbers’ needs.

“Our hash really is the best hash out there,” says John Morgan, Craft’s sales manager. “We put the quality in it and let the product speak for itself.”

Founded in 2015, Craft 710 has developed meticulous methods for ensuring only the finest concentrates make it to the dispensary shelves. The company has spent years perfecting its processes, and the experience shows after inhaling just one puff of Craft’s delicious live resin, a plume that embodies the subtler notes of tropical fruits and flower bouquets.

One of Craft’s secrets is making concentrates from the freshest, fullest flowers available. Extracting from flowers rather than trim ensures greater potency, more vivid flavors, and a wider spectrum of all the

a way that suits them best,” says Morgan. What bet-

good stuff that makes concentrates amazing both

ter way to ring in this year’s 420 than with state-of-

recreationally and medicinally.

the-art dabs with built-in customizability?

42 Southern Colorado A P R I L 2 0 18

sensimag.com APR I L 2018 43

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

KING'S CANNABIZ

King of the Hill KING’S CANNABIZ UNDERSTANDS THAT YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT—AND SMOKE. In 2010, Colorado state regulations made a big

extremely or chronically ill patients are sensitive to

change to the medical cannabis game: most can-

additives, King’s Cannabiz grows with all-natural prac-

nabis sold from a dispensary had to be grown by

tices—without any harsh pesticides or chemicals.

that dispensary. Before then, it was the Wild West,

“Everything we do, we ensure it’s the same qual-

and dispensaries could outsource buds from any-

ity I would feel comfortable giving to my mother,”

one and everyone.

says Cruz. “You need to be as clean with your med-

Today, any given dispensary sells cannabis it grew

icine as you are with your food.”

in-house. The most exemplary dispensaries employ

Best practices have served Cruz’s cultivation team

master growers, and King’s Cannabiz, a cut above

incredibly well. King’s Cannabiz’s award-winning grow-

the rest, is owned and managed by its head grow-

ers have claimed 2010’s Cronic Grower of the Year,

er, Angel Cruz.

the 2011 Caregivers Cup, and the 2012 420 Cup.

Cruz brings decades of hands-on experience to

The Bijou Street dispensary offers a wide array of

King’s Cannabiz’s cultivation. “I focused all my ener-

flower, concentrates, edibles, and clones. Newer pa-

gy on how to grow, to produce the best quality med-

tients or patients looking to grow their own medi-

icine,” he says. “The people I deal with are friends,

cine can find a second home at King’s Cannabiz,

family, friends of family. I want to make sure every-

too. King’s staff provides not only potent meds, but

one gets safe and effective cannabis.”

also advice, direction, and education “for anybody

Cruz witnessed the healing powers of cannabis firsthand when a close relative battled cancer. Because

44 Southern Colorado A P R I L 2 0 18

who believes they need cannabis in their life,” says Cruz.

Showcase your dispensary with great photos and video!

Indoor/Outdoor Grows Strains Products Headshots & Portraits Harvest Trimming Retail Space Events & Parties Blown Glass jacquelinecollinsphotography@gmail.com jcollinsphotography.smugmug.com @jackie_collins_photography sensimag.com APR I L 2018 45

S P E C I A L A DV I S ORY BOA R D S E C T ION AS THE CANNA B I S I ND U S TR Y G R OW S, SO DO T H E N UM BE R OF N I CH E E X P ER T S W I T H I N IT. FROM TOP-TIER DISPENSARIES AND EXTRACTION BRANDS TO EDIBLE MAKERS AND MARKETING SPECIALISTS, THESE COMPANIES ARE INCREDIBLE SOURCES OF INSIDER INFO ABOUT THE TRENDS AND ISSUES DRIVING THIS THRIVING MARKETPLACE FORWARD. THE SENSI ADVISORY BOARD IS COMPRISED OF LE ADERS FROM A VARIETY OF FIELDS WITHIN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY. EACH ISSUE, ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS SHARE SOME OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE WITH OUR READERS IN THIS DEDICATED SECTION. THIS MONTH, WE H E A R F R O M E X P E RTS AT K I N G ’ S C A N N A B I Z .

For a full list of Advisory Board Members, turn to the masthead on page 5.

The Healing Power of Smoking and Music

by King’s Cannabiz

CANNABIS AND GREAT MUSIC GO HAND IN HAND. SO TOO DO THEIR HEALING ABILITIES. Every lover of cannabis knows how the plant’s ele-

come clear: music works to holistically heal the body,

vating effects can amplify music’s magic. Musicians,

just as cannabis can. In 2014, Harvard Medical School

perhaps more than anyone, understood this relation-

held a conference composed of some of the nation’s

ship between cannabis and tunes as well. One of the

top medical doctors. The Harvard conference compiled

first songs about cannabis, "Muggles" by Louis Arm-

the newest, most cutting-edge research that showed

strong, was written in the 1920s. Ever since then, can-

music could help patients recover from strokes, main-

nabis has been a theme in every genre of music, re-

tain a healthy heart, and stave off the most devastat-

gardless of culture or background.

ing effects of chronic stress. Music therapy can boost

All facets of American music have celebrated cannabis. Reggae was one of the first musical genres to

moods, improve memory, and elevate cognitive performance. Sound familiar?

popularize marijuana. Rastafarian legends like Bob Mar-

As cannabis becomes more accepted by society, it

ley and Peter Tosh immortalized the plant as a sacred

makes sense to combine it with good music. Ameri-

herb that promoted health and peace. From the rural

cans are discovering that staying in good health means

sections of the United States, country musicians also

taking care of every part of the body, and that in-

sang about one of their favorite pastimes—weed—

cludes the brain, the mind, and

most famously mainstreamed by artists like Willie Nel-

the soul. So next time you

son, Johnny Cash, and Merle Haggard. More recently,

spark up some flower and

country stars such as Eric Church, Blake Shelton, and

throw on the iTunes, know

Toby Keith have all given respect to this matronly flow-

that you’re not just treat-

er through hit singles.

ing yourself. You’re tak-

While many cannabis patients understand the plant’s hundreds if not thousands of components can facilitate treatment and recovery from many illnesses, fewer people are aware that music can also complement the healing process.

Music as medicine has been studied for decades, but in recent years the scientific consensus has be46 Southern Colorado A P R I L 2 0 18

ing care of yourself, too.

sensimag.com APR I L 2018 47

{soCO}

by RANDY R OB INSON

As the seasons turn and the year cycles, trees and flowers bloom to signal the arrival of the new. The sun stays out longer, people reemerge from their homes, and old, packed snow gives way to verdant landscapes and streets that will soon be showered in flower petals.

In Cañon City, this cycle is celebrated annually. It’s called the Music & Blossom Festival, and it draws its roots from the springtime ceremonies of old.

The Flourish of Cañon City’s Music and Blossom Festival

The Music and Blossom Festival goes back to the 1860s, to a local event known as Fruit Day. Fruit Day, organized

by Cañon City’s farmers, once attracted tens of thousands of visitors from places as far away as Denver and La Junta. By 1900, Fruit Day became May Day. Then, in 1910, a wealthy estate owner began decorating his home with flowers and fruit blossoms; three years later, the private gathering grew so popular that Cañon City officials dubbed it a new holiday—Blossom Day—a jubilee to span the entire town.

Today, the Music and Blossom festival combines the traditions of harvest with the congregation of some of our state’s most talented teenage musicians, a massive gathering to commemorate the turning of spring. Join thousands of Coloradans on May 4–6 for parades, rodeos, and the Wright’s Amusements Carnival as we say goodbye to the past to greet a vibrant, promising future.

48 Southern Colorado A P R I L 2 0 18