Sensi Magazine-Denver/Boulder (August 2016)

D E N V E R // B O UL D E R

TOPICAL TREATMENTS oh &

lotions, balms patches,

my!

MONEYON

MIND THE

CAN THE Green Rush SAVE OUR Schools?

SPECIAL REPORT

{ FORMER } Bronco

Jake Plummer HAS ON

BRAIN

T HE

TASTE FOR ADVENTURE

extraordinary tasting rooms ART E SCAPE !

{ SANTA FE }

THE NEW NORMAL

08.2016

contents.

ISSUE 4 // VOLUME 1 // 08.2016

FEATURES 32

32

JACKED

UP! 36!

S PEC I A L R E P O R T

This is Your Brain on Cannabis

Former NFL players are speaking out for cannabis, especially CBD, as a treatment for pain, depression, inflammation, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Will the NFL listen?

36

School’s In

40

Highly Topical

The story of the family behind Jack’s Law, which now makes it legal for medical-card-carrying minors to have non-smokable forms of cannabis on school grounds.

The localized, body-pleasing benefits of

cannabis-infused lotions, patches, oils,

and balms are propelling topical treatments into the mainstream.

ON THE TOPIC OF TOPICALS

© RANDY ROBINSON

16

40

RAISING THE BAR

The best in beverage sampling

EVERY ISSUE 6 8 1 0 14

Editor’s Note Ask Leland/Q& A Sensi Buzz Perspectives LUNCH MONEY

16 EdibleCritic EXTRAORDINARY

26 TravelWell

3 0

SANTA FE, NM

AroundTown THE CLIN IC CHARITY CLASSIC

48 Sensi Scene

RIDE FESTIVAL 2016

TASTING ROOMS

Sensi Magazine is published monthly in Denver, CO, by Sensi Media Group LLC. © 2016 SENSI MEDIA GROUP LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

AUG UST 201 6

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5

editor’s

NOTE

masthead.

A SUMMER OF

FUNEMPLOYMENT

sensi magazine

ISSUE 4

VOLUME 1 08.2016

EX ECUTI VE Ron Kolb, CEO, SENSI MEDIA GROUP

FOLLOW US

LAST AUGUST, I WAS ENJOYING THE WANING MONTHS OF WHAT I WAS CALLING MY SUMMER OF FUNEMPLOYMENT. I MOVED TO DENVER FROM MIAMI AT THE START OF JUNE, SEEKING THAT

coveted work - life balance THAT ELUDES SO MANY ON THE EAST COAST. I CAME FOR GOOD PEOPLE, CLEAN AIR, FOUR SEASONS, A BOOMING ECONOMY, A FIT LIFESTYLE, AND OUTDOOR

RON.KOLB @ SENSIMAG.COM

Tae Darnell, PRESIDENT, SENSI MEDIA GROUP TAE.DARNELL @ SENSIMAG.COM

Alex Martinez, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER ALEX.MARTINEZ @ SENSIMAG.COM

Rob Feeman, CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER ROB.FEEMAN @ SENSIMAG.COM

Jesse Levine, V IC E

P R E S I D E N T, SA L E S

JESSE.LEVINE @ SENSIMAG.COM

ACTIVITIES. LEGAL CANNABIS WAS A PART OF THE DRAW, LARGE-

Amber Orvik, CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR

LY BECAUSE LEGALIZATION SPEAKS TO A CERTAIN ENLIGHTENED

AMBER.ORVIK @ SENSIMAG.COM

sensimediagroup

LOCAL POPULATION I WANTED TO BE A PART OF. And by gosh I found all of that and more. In fact, I was so enjoying not working during the summer months, spending my days wandering the trails just outside of my new home city, to worry too much about finding a job.

And then Sensi hit my radar.

At the time, this magazine was just a dream in the mind of our founder and CEO, Ron Kolb. But once he explained the mission, I wanted in. Sensi isn’t a pot magazine; it’s a new kind of magazine, one that embraces cannabis as a part of the Colorado lifestyle. We seek to create a publication that highlights the medicinal and recreational benefits of the plant while chronicling the new normal as the country moves toward what we hope is national legalization. And we want to do this while showcasing the way of life that draws so many of us to Colorado in the first place.

To do so, we assembled a group of expert editors and contributors who have long roots in the city and/or the industry. Leland Rucker, our senior editor, has been writing about cannabis for years (and, as he likes to say, has been writing on cannabis for decades). Our edible critic John Lehndorff has been covering the elevated dining scene in Colorado for just as long. Contributing editor Randy Robinson studied molecular biology under cannabinoid researcher Robert “Dr. Bob” Melamede before pursuing a career in magazines. This month, Brittany Driver, whose name you may recognize from the Rolling Papers documentary about the first year at The Cannabist, and Robyn Griggs Lawrence, author of The Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook, add to our list of contributors.

I first joined the founding team as managing editor under the guidance of Rob Feeman, who is moving into an advisory role as our chief content officer as I step in as editor in chief. To the table, I bring relentless curiosity, enthusiasm about my new home state that can border on excessive, and a ton of experience making lifestyle magazines. I believe in the power of print, and I believe in the power of cannabis—as medicine, as an economic driver, as a recreational aid, as a mind-opening substance. (And as a delicious dessert, I have a thing for yummy edibles.) By combining the two powers, we hope to do good things here at Sensi.

E DI TORI AL Stephanie Wilson, EDITOR IN CHIEF

STEPHANIE.WILSON @ SENSIMAG.COM

Leland Rucker, SENIOR EDITOR

LELAND.RUCKER @ SENSIMAG.COM

John Lehndorff, FOOD EDITOR

EDIBLE.CRITIC @ SENSIMAG.COM

Randy Robinson CONTRIBUTING EDITOR /PHOTOGRAPHER RANDY.ROBINSON @ SENSIMAG.COM

sensimagazine

Brittany Driver, Robyn Griggs Lawrence CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Christina Odette, EDITORIAL INTERN

CHRISTINA.ODET TE @ SENSIMAG.COM

ART

&

DE S IGN

Jennifer Tyson, DESIGN DIRECTOR

JENNIFER.TYSON @ SENSIMAG.COM

Stacey Jacobs, DESIGNER

STACEY.JACOBS @ SENSIMAG.COM

sensimag

B U S I NE S S

& A DM I N IS T R AT I V E

Tyler Tarr, PUBLISHER

TYLER.TARR @ SENSIMAG.COM

Mark Basser, ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER MARK.BASSER @ SENSIMAG.COM

Alec Varipapa, BUSINESS ANALYST

ALEC.VARIPAPA @ SENSIMAG.COM

The Bank Boss Tubes Cannabis Clean Cannabis Insurance Services Cannabis Patients Alliance Concentrate Supply Co. Denver Custom Packaging EndoCanna Extract Craft

Happy reading!

Stephanie Wilson

Extracted Colorado Green Mountain Harvest GreenHouse Payment Solutions High Society Jett Cannabis Kind Love Lab Society Loopr Lucid Mood marQaha

Mighty Fast Herbal Infuser Mountain High Suckers Neos Pathways Natural Wellness Center RxCBD Simply Pure Terrapin Care Station TinctureBelle Wana Brands

EDITOR IN CHIEF @ STEPHWILLL

6

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M E D I A PA RT N E RS National Cannabis Industry Association Students for a Sensible Drug Policy Women Grow

KIM SIDWELL © CANNABIS CAMERA

A DV I S O RY B OA R D

ask

Leland Rucker

LELAND

Highly Healthy ONE OF THE HALLMARKS OF THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST MARIJUANA HAS BEEN THE INSISTENCE BY GOVERNMENT AGENCIES LIKE THE INFLUENTIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH TO CLAIM THAT MARIJUANA IS DANGEROUS

or at least harmful to the health of people who use it. Under pressure, the NIH is changing its ways, but for years its only mission was to study the ill effects of illegal drugs.

But if scientific studies about the possible positive effects of cannabis might be in short supply in the U.S., researchers haven’t really found much to

I RE AD A LOT OF CONFL ICTING HEADLINES ABOUT

indicate that even long-term use of cannabis is hazardous to your well-being. (The government could, of course, try studying the 50 million Americans who admit to using marijuana, but perhaps that’s too much to ask.)

I always say beware of studies. There are too many of them, and they are

WHE THER MARI-

easily misinterpreted, especially when in search of a click-bait headline. But

JUANA IS GOOD OR

they aren’t finding the adverse effects we have been promised ever since

BAD FOR YOUR

Reefer Madness became a stoner hit in the 1960s. The most recent study,

HE ALTH. WHAT ’S

published in May in the Journal of the American Medical Association, traced

YOUR TAKE ?

more than 1,000 New Zealanders from birth to age 38, either marijuana or

V I N C E N T LONGMONT

tobacco smokers or abstainers. After assessing everything from lung function to inflammation, blood pressure, body mass, waist circumference, and much more, the study could only find that more cannabis users lost teeth than non-users, according to Avshalom Caspi, a professor of psychology at

ask it.

Got a question about anything marijuana related?

Duke University. Researchers could only guess that it was perhaps because smokers experience dry mouth.

“What we’re seeing is that cannabis may be harmful in some respects, but possibly not in every way,” Caspi said. “We need to recognize that heavy recreational cannabis use does have some adverse consequences, but overall damage to physical health is not apparent in this study.”

There are also claims regularly being made these days about the dangers

Email your query to: ASKLELAND @ SENSIMAG.COM

of higher THC levels, but beyond finding that the levels are indeed higher

and if we answer your question,

today than they perhaps once were, I can find nothing in the literature that

you’ll get some cool Sensi merch.

supports the idea that increased THC levels make cannabis more “dangerous” than the mythical “marijuana your grandmother smoked.” As long-time users well know, legal Colorado cannabis is among the highest quality in the world, and if anything, most of us just use less.

8

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KIM SIDWELL © CANNABIS CAMERA

Our curious cannabis expert, LELAND RUCKER , answers your questions about all things pot related.

THE NE W N O R M A L

sensi

buzz

Heads Up! PERSEID

M E T E O R S H OWE R The annual summertime sky show known as the Perseid meteor shower is upon us.

According to NASA, a good number of PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE WILSON

“shooting stars” should be visible every night from late July through August 24, but the peak viewing is August 11 -12. A waxing gibbous moon on August 11 inter-

A

D IF F E R E N T K IND

OF

M O U NTA I N B I K ING

BIKE PIKE’S PEAK If you haven’t yet gotten your fill of Colorado adventures this summer, there’s still plenty of time. And even if you aren’t necessarily in what mountain bikers around here refer to as “midseason shape,” you can still feel the rush of adrenaline that comes with speeding down one of Colorado’s most famous 14ers on two wheels, without the arduous, self-propelled trail climb to the top. The BIKE PIKES PEAK MOUNTAIN BIKE TOURS ( WWW.BIKEPIKESPEAK.COM ) takes groups to the summit of the 14,115-foot peak via van, horse, or cog railway ride. From the top, the small group begins a 7,000-foot descent down the paved mountain roadway that goes through five separate climatic life zones. It is led by a pacesetter and followed by a van, which offers protection from motorized vehicles sharing the pavement.

The tour offers plenty of photo stops to take in the stunning 360-degree views. Good thing, too, because when you’re on the bike, you’ll want to keep all eyes on the road.

{ local } GE AR

rupts the best views, but as dawn nears on August 12, you may be able to spot up to 100 meteors sparkling across the sky each hour. What better excuse to escape the city lights and head up to the high country for an overnight excursion way closer to the action than those poor people at sea level. PRO TIP : there's

–STEPHANIE WILSON

L I M I T E D - E D I T I O N P R I N T S M A D E FOR T HE A C T I V I T I E S C O L OR A D A N S L O V E

Stir the nature-loving, mountain-wandering yogi in you with COLORADO THREADS YOGA GE AR .

You won’t only feel good in the super cute and functional workout apparel, you’ll be doing good by supporting a hometown company while helping out the environment. A good portion of the sustainable activewear, designed and produced in Denver, is made out of recycled plastic water bottles—saving about 30 plastic containers from potentially ending up in the ocean per patterned pair of stretchy pants. Whatever look you choose, from the funky pants emblazoned with a Red Rocks motif to the state flag tanks, you won’t have to worry about the up-cycled garments being as sheer as a water bottle. Because after an hour of sun salutations, no one wants to find out that they were totally flashing the class. – CHRISTINA ODET TE 10

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no need to pitch your tent, just put a sleeping bag on the ground and watch the natural spectacle.

–STEPHANIE WILSON

AUG UST 201 6

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sensi

buzz

{ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 }

&

G E T UP GET GOING “THE COFFEE” BY

CANYON CULTIVATION

Canyon Cultivation’s “The Coffee” may be the perfect thing for a morning buzz without the couch-lock.

Brewed from fresh Guatemalan coffee beans, each bottle contains 10 mg THC on top of 110 mg of caffeine.

I, however, am as much a snob with my coffee as I am with my cannabis.

So I put this kief coffee to the test: I tried it cold, and then I tried it hot.

When served over ice, The Coffee carried a slightly saccharine quality.

Served hot, The Coffee tasted like any other cup of lightly roasted joe.

Water will never exceed 212°F (ask a chemist why), so those precious cannabinoids should hold up, even if you nuke your Coffee in a microwave. In both cases, I had to wait about an hour before the THC took effect. The timing worked out, because it takes about that long for caffeine to fully take hold, too.

Whether you’re simmering down on a hot day or gearing up for a cold one, The Coffee can keep you movin’ while you’re groovin’.

–RANDY ROBINSON

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{ perspectives }

by R ANDY R O B IN S ON

LUNCH MONEY While cannabis now helps fund the educational institutions that once brainwashed Coloradans to fear marijuana, the Green Rush won’t save our schools.

It’s 1993. I’m in the fifth grade. My class, the much glorified

mon’s a druggie!” they’d chime. “Simon’s a dumb pothead!”

“Class of 2000,” got selected for a special anti-drug program

And look where we are today. Who’s laughing now, Drug-

called “Project 2000.” It was brought to us by the scientifically illiterate organization D.A.R.E. Its aim? To make the class of 2000 the nation’s first drug-free class of graduates.

To us youngsters, Project 2000 was awesome. For an entire week, we didn’t have to waste our sacrosanct childhood

Free Class of 2000?

Ironically, for most students who graduated in 2000, that year was the first time they could vote. And in Colorado, they voted for Amendment 20, the law that created our medical marijuana program.

learning about boring, useless things like reading, writing,

It’s been a long time since Project 2000 became a distant

history, math, or science. Instead, under this delightful, fed-

memory. Although we still have anti-cannabis propaganda in

erally funded program, we got to act out poorly scripted

our schools, Colorado does things a little differently. Thanks to

skits, pretend to witness the horrors of addiction, and, in the

Jack’s Law, medical cannabis can be administered to our stu-

end, sign a pledge swearing we’d never, ever touch illegal

dents on school grounds. And despite legalization, surveys

drugs like the dreaded marijuana.

show our teenagers smoke less pot than teens in other states.

Then there’s all that tax money. Cannabis, demonized for

The annual price tag for our schools is about $6 billion, which means our weed taxes only paid for 0.4 percent of the state’s education budget. That ’s not even a full 1 percent.

decades, now funds the very schools that brainwashed us to fear marijuana. Since 2014, our schools received tens of millions of dollars spilling in from cannabis tax revenues.

None of this money, however, goes to training or hiring new teachers, or toward much-needed education reform.

Rather, this money goes to school construction and repair.

Consider, too, that the total cannabis tax revenue reserved for our schools is only $40 million. And we’ve never actually hit that mark: the highest was in 2015, for a mere $25 million. And yes, given these numbers, I can totally write “mere.”

The annual price tag for our schools is about $6 billion, which

As luck would have it, my teacher picked me to be the

means our weed taxes only paid for 0.4 percent of the state’s

character “Simon.” Simon was the clueless kid in our Project

education budget. Look at that again. That’s not even a full

2000 skits who just couldn’t grasp why marijuana was so

1 percent.

terrible. My classmates made fun of me during recess. “Si-

14

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Although Colorado’s economy is booming right now, our

schools aren’t. Education Week’s Quality Counts report gave

taxes for necessities like, oh, I don’t know, preparing our kids

Colorado a D+ for school financing, making us 38th in the

for the real world. We especially couldn’t be bothered with

entire nation. A study from Rutgers University gave us an F

tax increases after the 2008 financial meltdown, when

for funding.

school funding really started to plummet. Obviously, those

So, no, cannabis isn’t going to save our schools. No more than the Lotto did.

of us who voted against the tax increase needed that extra $16 per year for—for what, exactly?

How’d this happen? Back in the 1990s, we voted for this

As the new school season rolls in, keep your sights set

thing called the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. TABOR required all

on November. Our schools desperately need money. They

new tax hikes to be approved by a popular vote. The TABOR

appreciate what they can get from cannabis taxes, but they

campaign sold it to us as a way to control where our taxes

need more. A lot more. Without this funding, they rely on

went, and that we’d save money in the long run.

stupid programs like Project 2000 to make up for shortag-

Surprise: we got duped.

es. Feel free to spend your cash at a local dispensary, but

In a purple state like Colorado, which leans more Libertar-

while you enjoy your elevated state, don’t forget to get to

ian than anything else, we don’t like taxes. That includes

the polls.

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{ ediblecritic }

by JOHN LEHNDORFF

So there I was, inhaling scented oxygen and sipping on a blueberry water kefir when I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror behind the bar at Tonic Herban Lounge. I guess nobody ever looks great with a cannula stuck in their nose, but when everyone around you is wearing one, well—you go with it.

One key to a memorable tasting room experience is to embrace it all—the rituals, the history, the equipment, the terminology, and the ambience. It helps to have an open mind when you take your first sip of “archie” kava from a bowl at Denver’s Kavasutra. The greyish liquid has an odd root-like flavor and slightly numbs your tongue.

RAISING THE BAR Step up to local bars for mind-expanding samplings of kava, perry, port, jun, Ulos Batak, and Pittyvaich.

Tasting rooms for craft breweries and distilleries have proliferated, and big festivals draw crowds almost every weekend in the Denver metro area. However, consuming is not tasting. Whether you are quaffing ale, kava, or whiskey, you hit the point where your ability (and desire) to pay attention drops pretty fast. At the following out-of-the-ordinary Colorado tasting rooms, your guide is often the person who brewed the perry, kept the bees, crushed the Riesling grapes, or roasted the coffee beans. Ask them what they taste, smell, and feel when sampling the beverage.

{ 1 } Oxygen and Jun : Open 15 years, TONIC HERBAN LOUNGE is best known as an oxygen bar where you buy scented O2 in 10-minute increments. Many a tourist who ignored warnings about the altitude has been revived here, along with some who simply overindulged the night before. The subdued lighting, meditative music, cool vibe, and couches make relaxing hard to avoid. I hooked up to the oxygen (with my personal

TONIC HERBAN LODGE

disposable cannula) with lavender-accented “Joy,” one of many aromatherapy blends.

The packed 12-page menu is only available as plastic-covered sheets in a binder and not online. Besides hot tea, French press coffee, organic wine and sake, and various cocktail combinations with added potions and herbal elixirs, the roster features jun. Jun is a slightly effervescent drink like kombucha, fermented from green tea and honey.

Tonic’s water kefir is fermented from water and fruit juice or honey, not milk. I did overhear some only-in-Boulder, otherworldly conversations but I saw no one at Tonic glued to their smartphone (including me). I departed feeling nicely rebooted.

TONIC HERBAN LOUNGE // 2011 10TH STREET, BOULDER, CO // 303-544-0202

K AVASUTRA K AVA BAR

{ 2 } Kava : It makes a certain sense to locate a bar celebrating South Seas tranquility in one of the noisiest, grittiest urban stretches in Denver. Colfax disappears when you walk into K AVASUTRA with its cool feel, mesmerizing flatscreen videos, and pulsating

LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIM LONG

ambient tunes. Kavasutra, part of a five-location group, serves kava, a legal island root that is made into a beverage found to be relaxing

16

and good for calming anxiety. Two varieties are sipped from plastic bowls that look like coconut shells. Milder tasting Van Kava and the manlier Archie Kava are served in single, double, and triple pours. I had an Archie and felt a mild, pleasant sense of well-being. To avoid flavor qualms, enjoy a frozen kava piña colada or margarita or stay simultaneously perky with a “Kavachino” made with cold-brew coffee.

The menu also includes hot teas including matcha and yerba mate and bowls of acai sorbet, granola, coconut flakes, banana, bee pollen, and honey. The bar’s $1 happy hour is at 1 p.m. and 1 a.m. but the kava must be gulped down by 1:01 p.m. or a.m. to get that price.

K AVASUTRA K AVA BAR // 1232 EAST COLFAX AVENUE, DENVER, CO // 720-708-5651 // WWW.KAVASUTR A.COM

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do tell.

Please share your favorite Colorado tasting room experience.

EDIBLE.CRITIC @ SENSIMAG.COM

AUG UST 201 6

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{ 3 } Perry and Cider : Benjamin Franklin had the right idea. “It’s indeed bad to eat apples. It’s better to turn them all into cider,” the founding father wrote. Hard apple cider is now the fastest-growing alcoholic beverage in the U.S., but sadly most of those are sweet commercial cider beverages. STEM CIDERS in Denver’s Ballpark neighborhood is just the ticket to alter your perception of how fruit-based beverages can taste. Order your flight of four semi-dry, lightly fizzy ciders at the bar and settle in to sample the range of tastes from red Zinfandel barrel-aged Le Chêne to Branch & Bramble brewed with raspberries. My favorites are the seasonal dry perry, made from pears and aged in French oak, and the game-changing NovoCoffee Cider, great coffee cold brewed in apple cider. Every week, small firkins of experimental flavors such as Strawberry Basilare are tapped. Me? I’m coming back for the monthly cider pairing with four flavors of

STEM CIDERS TAP ROOM

freshly baked minipies.

STEM CIDERS TAP ROOM // 2811 WALNUT ST., DENVER, CO // 720-443-3007 // WWW.STEMCIDERS.COM

{ 4 } Port : Almost everything about BALISTRERI VINEYARDS is a surprise for first-time visitors.

Start with its location near a power plant in an industrial neighborhood off of I-270, where the winery sticks out as a cool wooded oasis with a winery tasting room, patio, and event center.

Winemaker John Balistreri favors rich flavors, ripe fruit, and a slightly higher alcohol content that charm visitors wondering about Colorado wines. He started me off with a not-sweet 2015 Colorado Riesling—nice spicy floral aroma—and continued with his 2015 Colorado Sangiovese and 2014 American Tempranillo (using some grapes from a family farm in California). Another revelation is a worth-the-drive lunch menu starring crusty bread and olive oil, salumi and cheese boards with lots of tasty grilled and marinated vegetables, plus hot Italian sausage with peppers and avocado soup. Finish up with a tour of the cool downstairs barrel room that includes kegs of dessert-like Colorado Cherry Wine aged in Stranahan’s Whiskey barrels and a wonderful aged Port.

BALISTRERI VINEYARDS

BALISTRERI WINERY // 1946 E. 66TH AVE, DENVER, CO // 303-287-5156 // WWW.BALISTRERIVINEYARDS.COM

{ 5 } Coffee : Are you a cupping virgin? Do you know your full-bodied Ulos Batak beans from your juicy Ojo de Agua? One of the best ways to elevate your coffee consciousness is to experience one of the Friday tastings at Denver’s NOVO COFFEE . A cupping of various beans and roasts with the head roaster really helps you identify what you’ve always been tasting in your morning mug. The group tour includes the roasting room, and attendees leave with a bag of fresh coffee beans. Reservations are required.

NOVO COFFEE // 3008 L ARIMER ST., DENVER, CO // 303-295-7678 // WWW.NOVOCOFFEE.COM

{ 6 } Mead : MEDOVINA , one of Colorado’s finest makers of honey wine, doesn’t have a tasting room, but meadmaster Mark Beran offers private group seminars at the Niwot meadery, where Medovina’s bees produce the honey it uses to make mead. If all you know about mead is that it is too cloyingly sweet, Medovina offers an eye-opening range of styles from the off-dry Classic Mead—a rich, earthy, and floral sipper—to the lighter, easy-drinking Summer Solstice that’s best served chilled. These tastings also allow visitors a sip of exotics like Stinging Rose Mead infused LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIM LONG

with local rose petals. A tour of the bee yard and production area is included. Bonus: Free espresso

18

is available along with mead, fine chocolate truffles, and beeswax for sale at the end of the tour.

JOHN LEHNDORFF once tasted and rated 50 kinds of kombucha for an industry report and once judged 40 pies in four hours. After an unfortunate habanero incident, he no longer judges salsa competitions. He hosts Radio Nibbles at 8:25 a.m. Thursdays on KGNU (88.5 FM, 1390 AM, WWW.KGNU.ORG ).

MEDOVINA // NIWOT, CO // 303-845-3090 // WWW.MEDOVINA.COM

{ 7 } Whiskey and whisky : Besides pouring many excellent ales, PINT­’ S PUB boasts one of the largest collections of single-malt whiskeys in the U.S. The more than 275 bottles on the walls range from the Lowlands to the Highlands, including Lagavulin, Pittyvaich, Glenugie, and Oban, plus “whisky” from Ireland, India, and the U.S. PINT’S PUB // 221 W. 13TH AVE., DENVER, CO // 303-534-7543 // WWW.PINTSPUB.COM

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S P E C I A L A D V I S O R Y B OA R D S E C T I O N

AS T H E C A N N A B I S INDUSTR Y GROWS, SO DO T H E N U M B E R OF NICHE EXPER TS WITHIN

The Workday in the Life of a Cannabis Trimmer

by Susan Chicovsky of G R E E N M O U NTA IN H A R V E S T

I TRIM CANNABIS FOR A LIVING. AND I LOVE MY JOB.

Trimming is the step between curing the buds and placing the buds on the dis-

IT. C O N C E N T R AT E S .

pensary’s shelves. Our job is to ensure the buds are clipped and shaped according to

EXTRACTION. EDIBLES.

the client’s needs, which always results in flowers that are both pleasing to the eye

GROWS. AND SO MUCH MORE. SENSI MAG ASKED THE TOP LEADERS IN

and easy to consume.

The typical work day goes something like this: first, I arrive on site fresh and early in the morning. Green Mountain Harvest handles up to 14 jobs per day with 2 to 30 trimmers per job, and today I’m here with a handful of my fellow trimmers. I also

EACH OF THESE SECTIONS

make sure I’ve got my Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) badge with me, since

TO J O I N W H AT W E ’R E

only badged employees may handle the plant product.

CALLING THE SENSI

We wear gloves to keep the product clean. Some trimmers work while sitting, oth-

S P E C I A L A DV I S O R Y

ers work while standing, and some switch between standing and sitting throughout

BOARD. THESE LEADERS ARE INVITED TO IMPAR T

the day. On some days, we may be trimming a dry product which is completely cured.

On other days, we may trim a wet product. Different growers prefer different processes, and we always trim to their needs. One of those consistent needs is producing a

SOME OF THEIR INDUSTRY

specific amount of weight each day. Typically, this weight is about a pound of dry prod-

KNOWLEDGE WITH OUR

uct per person or a minimum of 5,000 grams of wet product per person, per day.

READERS IN THIS SPECIAL

Looking around the table at my fellow workers, I see people from different cul-

ADVISORY BOARD SECTION,

tures, a variety of backgrounds, and ages. It’s amazing to see so many happy people

WHICH APPEARS IN EACH

who love their job. We are blessed. Everyone is passionate about cannabis.

E D I T I O N . T H I S M O N T H, WE H E A R F R O M T H E PROFESSIONAL TRIMMING SERVICE TEAM AT G R E E N M O U N TA I N H A RV E ST.

Break time has come. We follow the Division of Labor’s rule, which is a ten-minute break within a four-hour period. In case you’re wondering, trimmers do not smoke cannabis while we work. Regulations state we cannot smoke within 500 feet of the work site, so trimmers who do smoke usually wait until lunch to consume offsite. Thankfully, Green Mountain Harvest does not require drug testing, so enjoying a lunch-smoke is completely acceptable. After the break, it’s time to get back

For a full list of our Advisory Board Members, turn to the masthead on page 6.

to the trim table.

The average work day lasts about eight hours. Trimming cannabis all day may sound tedious, but it’s not. It’s definitely hard work, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. There is always great conversation between us fellow trimmers. Trimmers may also listen to music through earbuds while they work, but they must always leave one ear free so they can hear what others are saying on site.

Whether we’ve got music playing or we’re discussing our favorite TV show with other employees, we remain focused on our tasks. It takes concentration to trim the bud in the precise way required by the job, but once we’ve got the process down, the work feels like a Zen moment in time.

Did I mention that I love my job?

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P R O MOT ION A L F E AT URE

NEOS for Life NEOS IS FOCUSED ON THE FUTURE, CREATING REVOLUTIONARY TECHNOLOGIES TO BRING THE SAFEST, MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO CONSUME CANNABIS.

Vape pens with preloaded cartridges are one of the coolest things to happen to cannabis since, well, legalization. They’re slim, easy to carry, and fairly inconspicuous. Vape pens generate a sweet smell rather than the dense skunk that wafts from a freshly torched bowl. However, the most popular methods for making vape pen oils tend to leave out one crucial set of ingredients: the terpenes.

We want terpenes because they are responsible for many of the best qualities we get from cannabis. The scents, the moods, the medicinal benefits—these come from terpenes as much as they do from THC. NEOS is the only vape brand that retains the terpenes in its oil. Using a unique method, NEOS extracts all the good stuff from our favorite plant’s flowers, not just one or two components. And only lush flowers go into its oils. That’s because flowers contain the highest amounts of cannabinoids and terpenes compared to other parts of the plant, such as the trim. When you vape with a NEOS cartridge, you’re receiving the fullest entourage effect possible from the terpenes and the cannabinoids working together.

“Our vape pens are one of the only solvent-free products on the market,” says Guy Rocourt, a co-founder and partner at NEOS. Rocourt works closely with the company’s engineers to continually improve and refine their products. “If you put quality flower in to your product, you’re going to get good, flavorful extract that gets refined into a delicious vape oil.”

With the terpenes, the vape’s heady effect carries a much more balanced feel. The THC works marvelously, but with the addition of the terpenes, the overall experience is much closer to smoking or vaping a strain’s actual buds rather than vaping relatively pure THC. Retaining the terpenes also transfers the characteristic scent and flavor of an individual strain, yet like any other vape pen, there’s no lingering burnt flower smell.

NEOS designed its Premium line of cartridges and vape pens for busy cannabis enthusiasts on the go. The sleek mouthpiece fixed to each cartridge contours to any lip

NEOS is the only vape brand that retains the terpenes in its oil . Using a hydrocarbon method , NEOS extracts all the good stuff from our favorite , plant s flowers, not just one or two components.

shape, so every draw is both comfortable and efficient. The CE3 cartomizer seals in the vape oil, preventing leaks and spills in the event the pen tips over for any reason. And NEOS rechargeable batteries can be turned on and off with just a few taps of the finger, which means longer battery life in the long run.

Along with creating high-quality vape pens, cartridges, and oils, NEOS’s next step is full, personalized customization of the vaping process. Rocourt envisions a day when all cannabis stores will offer strain-specific e-juice for custom vaporization kits. “That’s how the consumer is going to get the full efficacy out of vaporizing,” Rocourt says. With a custom kit, which will include a tank, a mod, and bulk oil, vapers can mix their own oil combinations to suit their needs.

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LE ARN MORE ABOUT NEOS AND WHERE TO FIND IT NEAR YOU.

HT TP : //LIVENEOS.COM

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{ travelwell }

by BR IT TANY DR IVER

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE A six-hour drive from Denver, Santa Fe, New Mexico, is an excellent option for road-tripping Coloradans seeking an otherworldly artistic escape.

The perfect road-trip destination is one that’s close enough to get to in six hours or less, and yet still far enough to feel like a world away. Colorado certainly has plenty of such spots within a few hours drive of Denver. But while my husband and I were planning our first family road trip, now that our son is old

MEOW WOLF ARTS COMPL EX: It‘s worth a trip to Santa Fe to check out this revamped bowling alley, home to a 22,000-square-foot explorable wonderland known as The House of Eternal Return.

enough to enjoy some of the gems this area has to offer, we opted to push to that six-hour limit and head south to Santa Fe, New Mexico—drawn by the wild new art complex I was dying to get a sneak peak at in real life.

That notion, “in real life,” is a big part of the allure. You see, within the Meow Wolf Art Complex in downtown Santa Fe is a permanent exhibition titled House of Eternal Return, which tech publication Ars Technica describes as a “walk-in science fiction novel” or a “cross between Disneyland and a massive, multiplayer, IRL game.”

It’s that notion that spoke to author George R.R. Martin of Game of Thrones fame. He’s a driving force behind the new art complex, which opened this spring after two years in the making; he owns the renovated bowl-

PHOTOGRAPHY © MEOW WOLF

ing alley that houses it and will serve as Meow Wolf’s landlord for the duration of its 10-year lease. He also spent $2.5 million on the alley’s transformation.

The resulting space is touted as a fully interactive and immersive experience, meant for children and adults alike. Consider my curiosity sufficiently piqued.

That transformation is visible from the moment you arrive. A bright, multicolored mural wraps the building’s facade, acting as a beacon for the creative types within Santa Fe’s emerging Midtown Innovation District. The parking lot displays a 30-foot-tall robot sculpture along with artist Christina Sporran’s giant spider, TaranTula. As my family approached the art complex, my son shouted in excitement while my arachnophobic husband shuddered in disgust. We weren’t even in the building yet, and the art was already affecting us all.

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what?

Meow Wolf Art Complex

Ticket prices: $18 adults $12 children under 13 {Residents of NM enjoy a discount.} WWW.MEOWWOLF.COM

AUG UST 201 6

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27

Within the up-cycled bowling alley, we checked in at the counter, got our wristbands, and traveled down a dark hallway and through a door that transported us to the quaint front yard of a two-story Victorian home. The story goes that something happened inside the home that dissolved the nature of time and space. About 135 artists participated in the creation of the 20,000-square-foot

About 135 artists participated in the creation of the 20,000-square-foot experience, which features “a wild new form of non-linear storytelling that unfolds through exploration, discovery, and 21st- century interactivity.” experience, which features “a wild new form of non-linear storytelling that unfolds through exploration, discovery, and 21st-century interactivity.”

We made our way into the house, which looked normal on the surface: photos on the walls, magazines on the tables. But a few odd things stood out. In the kitchen, when we opened the refrigerator, we discovered it was a

PHOTOGRAPHY © MEOW WOLF

portal to another world. The fireplace in the living room, too. To encounter a series of prehistoric caves, all you had to do was crouch down and walk through the secret passageway. (Or just walk through, if you’re the same height as my four-year-old son.)

In one of the caves, there’s a glowing mastodon skeleton. Pounding on its bones with a mallet makes an otherworldly music. In another space, drawings cover every surface—the walls, ceiling, desk, computer, everything wallpapered in fantastical designs. All this visual, but there’s a mentally stimulating element to the art as well. Study the books on the shelves, listen to the radio broadcast playing, or read the journal entries or pieces of mail on the table, and a new mystery presents itself: what happened to the family who lived there?

There are no maps, guides, or pathways through the exhibition’s 70 different

THE HOUSE OF E TERNAL RE TURN: Visitors are transported to fantastic realms such as the “Desert Trailer Dream” while discovering the many dimensional wonders of the permanent exhibition.

immersive spaces—let your imagination be your guide. Walk, climb, and crawl on a journey of discovery. In total, there are 100 hours of experiences to enjoy within the House of Eternal Return—including four tree houses and an interactive cave system. But once my son declared that he was going to spend the rest of his life atop a carpeted mountain, it was time to go.

On our way out of the art complex, which also features a community maker-space, learning center, and artist showcase, we passed through the gift shop and bought a magnet to denote the experience. Six hours later and back in Denver, we hung the magnet on our fridge, a reminder of our first family road trip. And with so many adventures just a car ride away from our home base, it is hopefully the first of many more to come.

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There are 100 hours of experiences to enjoy within the House of Eternal Return — including four tree houses and an interactive cave system.

{ aroundtown }

by CHRISTINA ODET TE

SWING FOR THE HILLS The Clinic puts on an annual golf tournament that not only raises money for a good cause, it raises the feel-good spirits of all in attendance.

While there are plenty of fancy galas and 5K charity rac-

tators and golfers alike will be entertained with vendor

es raising money for good causes, Denver-based dispen-

giveaways, fun games and prizes, and delectable refresh-

sary The Clinic takes a refreshing approach to their philan-

ments. This year The Clinic opened up six new sponsorship

thropic efforts. The 7th Annual Clinic Charity Classic Golf

opportunities, bringing in even more vendors anxious to

Tournament will be held at Arrowhead Golf Club in Littleton

meet the demand of the growing community interest to

on Friday, August 26, with proceeds going to benefit the

support locals who suffer from MS.

National Multiple Sclerosis Society, CO-WY chapter. Before

“The best part is that Colorado residents are able to di-

this festive day even takes place, the Clinic has already

rectly help and assist people near them who suffer from

raised some $300,000 over the years to fund MS research

symptoms of MS,” says Ryan Cook, director of operations

and to help those living with the debilitating disease.

for The Clinic. “All profits of this event will go directly towards individual’s needs, not CEO paychecks.” Last year

Last year, the Clinic Charity Classic raised $100,000 for the National MS Societ y.

alone, the Clinic Charity Classic raised $100,000 to go to

This is the first year that the Clinic Charity Classic will

from MS. Once The Clinic Marijuana Center was founded,

take place outside of Denver proper—but for good reason.

the besties converted their private game into a charity

Arrowhead Golf Club has been voted the No. 1 most scenic

classic to help those in the community.

30

the Colorado chapter of the National MS Society.

Cook has a personal investment in the cause, too. The tournament began 14 years ago among a group of best friends to honor one of their fathers, who passed away

public golf course by Avid Golfer, and one look at the course

“We wanted to turn something that we had done for fun

makes it abundantly clear why it earned that honor. The

with a group of friends into something a bit more meaning-

massive rock structures that surround the meticulously

ful,” he says. It’s been a rousing success so far, and this year

maintained greens make one conjure up thoughts of the

promises to be no different—just in a different, more ma-

natural beauty found at Red Rocks, only with a golf course

jestic setting.

in the middle instead of a stage. But that‘s not the only

Spectator tickets are still available for $50 per person,

reason golfers, spectators, and sponsors alike get a kick

and that includes access to a delicious barbeque, plus all

out of the fun day of charity in August. At each hole, spec-

sorts of other and festivities throughout the day.

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what

7TH ANNUAL CL INIC CHARIT Y CL ASSIC

when

AUGUST 26, 2016

where

ARROWHEAD GOLF CLUB // LIT TLETON, CO WWW.THECL INICCOLORADO.COM /CCC7/

AUG UST 201 6

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31

y

is

R

R

U B IN. A but,

THIS COULD BE YOUR BR A IN

* ON C ANNABIS *

Former NFL PL AYERS are speaking out for cannabis, especially CBD, as a treatment for PAIN, DEPRESSION, INFL AMMATION, and CHRONIC TRAUMATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY. Will the NFL listen?

32

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UN T I L R E C E N T LY,

Jake Plummer

SPECIAL REPORT

by L EL A ND R UC K E R

D I D N ’ T R E A L LY T H I N K M U C H

A B O U T C T E O R C B D . T HE F O R M E R B R O N C O S Q U A R T E R B A C K R E T I R E D A F T E R T HE 20 0 6 S E A S O N A N D W A S B E G I N N I N G T O D E A L W I T H H E A LT H I S S U E S F R O M H I S F O O T B A L L C A R E E R W H E N H E H E A R D T H E N E W S I N M AY 2012 T H AT J U N I O R S E A U, A S T O R I E D , 20 YEAR NFL LINEBACKER, HAD DIED OF A SELF - INFLICTED GUNSHOT WOUND TO THE CHEST. L AT E R T E S T I N G O F S E AU’S B RA I N R E V E A L E D T H AT H E WAS S U F F E R I N G F R O M C H R O N I C TRAUMATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY ( CTE ), A N E U R O D EG E N E RAT I V E DISEASE THAT CAN LEAD TO D E M E N T I A , M E M O RY L O S S, A ND D E P R E S S I O N .

“I knew him a little bit, from events we had been at.

After studying the brain of former center Mike

He was a ferocious and vicious opponent, but very

Webster, Dr. Bennet Omalu discovered the first evi-

respectful, and fun to play against,” Plummer recalls

dence of CTE in an NFL player in 2005, even as the

during a recent interview. “ I had been retired for

MTBI criticized his work methods. After the NFL set-

awhile and was living in northern Idaho dealing with

tled a lawsuit that compensates former players and

my own injuries coming to the surface. It shook me.”

the league continues to refine its rules about contact

It seemed unimaginable to Plummer that a fierce

and concussions, Commissioner Roger Goodell reit-

competitor like Seau would wind up in that position. “It

erated that “there was no admission that anything

made me think, ‘What other guys might be like that?’

was caused by football.”

Guys out there that you think are doing well, but you

But for many current and former NFL athletes in

don’t know about how they are suffering? That there

Plummer’s generation who grew up and thrived in the

are more than bumps and bruises that you’re taking

“you-just-got-your-bell-rung-now-get-back-in-there”

away from the game? I had never thought about con-

days, Seau’s death was a serious wake-up call. The CTE

cussions. As a player you don’t think about it. It might

casualties mounted: Mike Webster, Ken Stabler, Andre

cross your mind, but you think, ‘Not me. Not today.’ I

Waters, and Justin Strzelczyk among them. Former

wasn’t a hitter. I took hits—probably my saving grace.”

Chicago Bear Dave Duerson shot himself in the chest

The subject of football and concussions has been

and urged doctors to check his brain for evidence of

around throughout Plummer’s career. While he was

CT E. It came back positive. A recent Department of

in college, in 1994, then-NFL Commissioner Paul Ta-

Veterans Affairs/Boston University study found that

gliabue dismissed notions about the relationship be-

96 percent of former NFL players suffer from CTE, and

tween the sport and head injuries, even after quar-

another multimodal study suggests that retired NFL

terback Troy Aikman was hospitalized during the

players are far more likely than the rest of us to develop

1993 NFC Championship and retired in 2001, citing

cognitive impairments as they age.

concussions as among his reasons for leaving. More

Beyond a few social occasions when he was young,

ex-players came forward with stories of chronic cog-

Plummer hadn’t used cannabis. In 2015, former Bronco

nitive disabilities at the same time the NFL’s Mild

Nate Jackson hooked him up with CW Botanicals, a

Traumatic Brain Injury committee, also known as

Denver hemp company that makes CBD oil. “They

M T BI, found no connection to CTE among former

gave me some to try, and I did it off and on. I started

and current NFL players and concluded that brain-in-

noticing a lot less inflammation in the fall. Cold weath-

jury fears were overblown.

er would make me achy and slow, and headaches AUG UST 201 6

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33

were popping up randomly,” he says. “I noticed that

he was rolling spliffs. That was my first exposure to

after taking CBD, my inflammation wasn’t complete-

consuming that was more civilized and educated,

ly gone, but I don’t have those achy, painful, throb-

rather than the pothead mentality where you just

bing joints,” he says. “It helped with inflammation,

get stoned and don’t have enlightening conversa-

and I haven’t had the headaches since.”

tions,” Sandy says. “It wasn’t utilizing the plant to

CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of more than 100 active

check out—it was to better relate to people around

compounds found in cannabis. Unlike THC, another

you. That was refreshing and opened up a part of my

more familiar compound, it doesn’t give that euphoric

brain that didn’t get used a lot up to that point.”

effect for which THC is known, i.e. it doesn’t get you

After studying CBD and contacting Realm of Car-

“high.” Clinical research and trials have shown CBD to be

ing, he decided to give it a try. “I think there are a lot

an effective treatment for arthritis, pain, depression, epi-

of anti-inflammatory benefits of THC/CBD, and even

lepsy, and other conditions NFL players face as they age.

so far as protecting yourself from concussions, of

The former players didn’t keep what they were

which I’ve had hundreds, if not thousands in my life,

learning to themselves. Former NFL tackle Kyle Tur-

depending on how you define the word concussion.”

ley formed the Gridiron Cannabis Coalition to increase

Sandy has experimented with cannabis strains

cannabis/CBD awareness and currently is providing

high in CBD and certain extracts and oils. “I find it

30 retired players with cannabis to help deal with their

greases your joints and is more of a body buzz, which

health issues. Offensive tackle Eugene Monroe, who recently retired at age 29 over concussion and health concerns, gave his own money to help kick-start the “When the Bright Lights Fade” campaign, sponsored

by CW Botanicals and the nonprofit Realm of Care Foundation for studies on current and former players about their cannabis use and to look at the pharmacokinetics of CBD.

We’re asking grown men “ to sacrifice their bodies . They should be able to choose what medication they want to use .

”

Plummer joined Jackson and NFL alum Reuben

JAKE PLUMMER

Droughns, Charlie Adams, and Tatum Bell to share

34

their stories for a “When the Bright Lights Fade” vid-

is important for me—anything that reduces joint in-

eo. What is most striking is that these are all young

flammation,” he admits. “I have a lot of cartilage is-

men in their early 40s, part of the first NFL genera-

sues. Some of the guys like to make fun of me be-

tion to become aware of concussions. They are most-

cause I’m a bit injury-avoidant. But at this point I’m

ly healthy, talking frankly about their experiences

in joint-maintenance mode.”

yet unsure of what’s ahead and determined to force

Despite the injuries, he isn’t bitter about his NFL

the NFL to allow them and others access to a drug

experience. “I got to compete with some of the fast-

that might help in the fight against CTE.

est, strongest humans on the planet and push myself

Justin Sandy is a former NFL safety who spent

to limits I had no idea I was capable of. I wouldn’t

four seasons with the Tennessee Titans and Cleve-

change that,” says Sandy. “But if you asked me if I had

land Browns. Sandy battled injuries throughout his

a child, would I encourage him to go into the sport of

career. He has had four surgeries on his knees. Like

football? No. There are a lot of different opportunities

Plummer, he had only rarely tried cannabis while an

to learn the skills of discipline and teamwork and

athlete, believing it might be detrimental to his per-

toughness and grit and those kinds of things.”

formance. “Even in my professional career, I was

All any of these former players would like is to see

scared to touch it—especially a guy like me, fighting

the league take a more proactive approach to a grow-

for my life for a position on a team—I didn’t have the

ing problem. “We’re trying to do some studies to show

breathing room to make mistakes.”

CBD’s ability to help with brain and stress and the anx-

After Sandy retired, he took time off to travel and

iety of an 18-week season,” says Plummer. “In the NFL,

learn to live outside the structured discipline of

more games means more money. We’re asking grown

high school, college, and professional athletics. “In

men to sacrifice their bodies. They should be able to

Costa Rica, I was traveling with this French guy, and

choose what medication they want to use.”

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school’s

by R ANDY R OB IN S ON

IN

Jack Splitt I S L I K E A N Y O T H E R T E E N A G E R . H E W A T C H E S S P O N G E B O B.

HE L I K E S H I S H A I R TO G R O W P A S T H I S E A R S. W H E N H IS M O T H E R, S TAC E Y L I N N, A S K S HIM A QUESTION, HE DOESN’T GIVE HER A STRAIGHT ANSWER. HE INSTEAD RESPONDS WITH A RATHER D I S A R M I N G S M I L E , O N E T H AT B E A M S W I T H A N AL AR M I N G LY B OY I S H C H A R M. “Are you sure? Is that a yes?” she asks. He blinks.

No, no, he was just kidding. Jack’s smile widens. Stacey Linn laughs.

36

when Jack’s muscles uncontrollably contract, causing his limbs to lock up in uncomfortable positions.

Jack didn’t always take cannabis oil for his cerebral

Jack was born with spastic quadriplegic cerebral

palsy. Prior to cannabis treatments, he relied on an ar-

palsy. Unlike most teens his age, he spends his days

ray of pharmaceuticals to control his muscle spasms.

in a wheelchair. Although he cannot speak, he and

Because his symptoms could be incredibly severe, his

his mother developed their own code between one

doctors often prescribed medications to him off-label—

another. Through eye movements and facial expres-

meaning those drugs weren’t designed for his symp-

sions, he can communicate with her.

toms, but because nothing else worked, they decided to

And unsurprisingly, at 15 years old, Jack is quite the

give these other drugs a try. The compounding toxicity

kidder. The past couple of years have been a roller

of his conventional meds took their toll on his liver,

coaster ride for this mother and son duo. Jack is one of

and Stacey Linn’s memories of her son before canna-

Colorado’s underage medical marijuana patients. One

bis were of a lethargic child, swollen in the face and

symptom of his condition is dystonia, which occurs

hazy-eyed from a cloud of tranquilizers.

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Eventually, Stacey Linn’s friends suggested she try

When Stacey Linn asked the doctor, “Are you sure

cannabis for Jack. She had her doubts, however, that

it’s the cannabis?” the doctor replied: “It couldn’t be

a simple plant extract could help. She also believed in

anything else.”

prohibitionist propaganda, and was concerned about what cannabis treatments would do to him.

Cannabis treatments gave Jack and Stacey Linn new life and new hope. He could finally go to school,

“I was worried about getting him high,” Stacey Linn

one of his only options for getting out of the house

says. “Ironically so. Jack on pharmaceuticals is stoned

and mingling with other kids his age. Fortunately,

out of his mind. He can barely even open his eyes. His

because they both live in Colorado, Jack has access

mouth hangs open. He can hardly smile. He’s stoned”—

to cannabis patches. These skin-adhesive strips re-

on approved drugs—“and not in a good way, because

lease the cannabinoids Jack needs over the course

there’s no euphoria in that. It’s just stoned.”

of a day. That’s perfect for Stacey Linn, too, who

After a year on cannabis, Jack became more lively.

The swelling in his face receded. His once-pallid skin

works a day job. She can press a patch to Jack’s wrist and send him off to school knowing he’ll be fine.

took on a blush of good health. He began smiling and

At least, that’s how it was supposed to work. In

laughing a lot more. According to Stacey Linn, the

2015, a nurse at Jack’s school noticed the patch. Under

sudden change for the best didn’t go unnoticed.

Colorado law at the time, cannabis products weren’t

Jack’s doctor noted that his dystonia was reduced

allowed on school grounds, medical card or no. The

by 70 percent, something even the most powerful

nurse informed Stacey Linn that Jack couldn’t return

pharmaceuticals couldn’t pull off.

to school with his patch, even though it was the very

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37

© CANNABIS PATIENTS ALLIANCE

SIGNING OF JACK’S L AW // DENVER, CO: Gov. John Hickenlooper signs Jack’s Law with Stacey Linn and Jack Splitt on June 6, 2016.

Jack’s Law { 2016 } Jack’s Amendment { 2015 } Both Jack’s Law and Jack’s Amendment allow medical cannabis in schools for students with registered medical marijuana cards. In Colorado, minors require the approval of two medical doctors for a medical card, as opposed to just one for adults. Only non-smokeable forms of cannabis are permitted on school grounds, including patches, pills, edibles, and oils. Smoking cannabis, whether it’s buds, hash, or waxes, remains banned. School officials aren’t allowed to administer the cannabis, but a parent or caregiver can, so long as it’s done out of the view of other students. Check out Cannability’s “Guide to Jack’s Law” at WWW.CANNABILIT YFOUNDATION.ORG for more information. thing that made it possible for him to attend classes

action led Stacey Linn to push for more legislation.

in the first place.

With the help of Rep. Jonathan Singer, they drafted an

This set off a chain of events that brought Stacey

entirely new law that not only forced schools to ac-

Linn and Jack to Colorado’s state capitol building on

knowledge child patient rights, but also to develop in-

multiple occasions. The first round of capitol visits

house policies for handling cannabis products. The

occurred in 2015 during talks for the so-called Care-

new bill was named Jack’s Law, a joint effort between

givers Bill. Under this bill, Jack’s Amendment was a

Stacey Linn, legislators, lobbyists, and school officials.

rider, and it permitted cannabis on school grounds.

Gov. Hickenlooper signed it into law in June.

Schools were free to make up their own policies re-

Today, Stacey Linn says her son takes only one-

garding medical marijuana. By refusing to make pol-

eighth of the pharmaceuticals he used to. A single

icies, schools effectively opted out of allowing medi-

patch has replaced all of those pills. With cannabis,

cal marijuana.

both Jack and his mother can live their lives to their

Access to cannabis for medical reasons, however, is not an option—it’s a necessity. The lack of school board

38

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AUGU ST 2016

fullest potentials. And through their efforts, they’ve ensured other families can live their lives, too.

HIGHLY

TOPICAL

by ROBYN GRIGGS L AWRENCE

The localized, body-pleasing benefits of cannabis-infused LOTIONS, PATCHES, OILS, and BALMS are propelling topical treatments into the mainstream.

40

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Kim Fraiser, A LO U I S V I L L E , C O L OR A D O-B A S E D H E A LT H C OA C H A ND M E D IC A L M A R I J U A N A PAT IE N T, USE S MED IC A L C ANNABIS FOR ONGOING PAIN FR OM T WO HERNIATED D I S K S I N HE R L UM B A R S P I N E A N D P I N C H E D N E RV E S A N D OS T E O P O R O S I S I N H E R NECK. A FEW YE ARS AGO, SHE DISCOVERED THAT APPLYING CANNABIS-INFUSED TOPICAL OINTMENT S E ASED HER PAIN WITHOUT FOGGING HER MIND, SO SHE BEGAN BUYING THEM AT D I S P E N S A R I E S A N D M A K I NG HE R O W N AT H OM E . A C OU P L E M O N T H S AGO, FR AZIER HAD HER FIRST MASSAGE W ITH C ANNABIS-INFUSED OIL AND FELT A “NOT IC EA B L E A N D PROFOUND B E N E F I T AND R E L A X AT I O N R E S P O N S E ” T H AT L A S T E D FO U R DAYS. W E E K LY MASSAGES WITH CBD OIL A RE NOW AN IMPORTANT PART OF HER HE ALTH PROTOCOL. “It’s just logical,” Frazier says. “The skin is our larg-

which opens the door for many patients who would

est organ. Topicals are a great way to get cannabis

like to experiment using cannabis treatment but

into the system and still be functional. They’re also a

would prefer not to ingest it or experience any kind

great way to introduce ‘newbies’ to cannabis, and

of mental high.”

even longtime smokers find benefits.” After applying cannabis-infused oil for three days, Frazier says, her husband’s eczema cleared up and he was able to stop using steroidal creams.

An up-and-coming segment of the medical cannabis industry, “topicals” include cannabis-infused balms, lotions, oils, alcohol solutions, and transdermal patches that penetrate the skin to deliver cannabinoids, including THC and CBD. Cannabinoids are specialized signaling chemicals in cannabis that bind with CB receptors in our bodies and skin, influencing and regulating appetite, pain sensation, inflammation, temperature regulation, muscle control, metabolism, stress response, mood, and memory. Because cannabinoids don’t reach the brain or central nervous system through topical delivery, most medical researchers don’t believe they can deliver psychoactive effects.

Denver-based Adam Stone, who developed and sells

HOW TO USE

{ TOPICALS }

Adam Stone, who developed SweetStone Candy Luscious Lemondrop Lotion, an award winner at this year’s Cannabis Cup, offers the following advice for safe, effective topical use.

1. Read the labels and warnings.

2. Don’t eat them, no matter how

delicious they smell.

3. Always test on a small area first in case

of skin irritations or allergic reactions.

4 . Apply to clean skin at a time when

you won’t wash or sweat it off.

cannabis-infused SweetStone Candy Luscious Lemondrop Lotion, which took second place at the 2016 Michigan Medical Cannabis Cup, believes that’s the

Medicine Hunter Chris Kilham, a Massachusetts-

biggest benefit of using topicals. “They won’t get us-

based ethnobotanist and medical marijuana patient

ers high,” he says. “There definitely seems to be a

who writes extensively about cannabis and other

body buzz, but they are a gentler way to medicate,

medicinal plants, points out that “it’s entirely possible

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that some people taking transdermal THC-based lo-

heat source such as a neck warmer, they’re particu-

tion might get quite high.” His preferred method for

larly effective for neck and lower back pain, Cohen

a painful shoulder issue is a cannabis-based lotion

says. The former obstetrician, who delivered 10,000

from his local dispensary. Kilham discovered can-

babies in Colorado and was named “Best Delivery

nabis’s ability to relieve pain when he began smok-

Man” by Westword in 1993, uses Apothecanna Extra

ing and eating it after a car crash many years ago,

Strength Cream with arnica, juniper, pepper-

and he discovered topicals when he applied tamanu

mint, CBD, and THC for his own aches and pains.

oil to areas of his skin where he had residual nerve

CBD-only formulas, which are becoming very pop-

damage from the accident. “It’s actually quite mirac-

ular, appeal to people concerned about legality, psy-

ulous,” he says. “We’re in the very, very early stages

choactive effects, or passing a drug test—even though

of what’s likely to be a pretty exciting category in the

that’s highly unlikely with creams and oils because

cannabis industry.”

topically applied cannabis doesn’t enter the blood-

Graham Sorkin, director of business development

stream—but Cohen prefers a combination of THC

for Mary’s Medicinals, which sells transdermal patch-

and CBD. “The two generally work better together

es, gels and topical compounds to patients in Colora-

than one does alone,” he says. This is what’s known

“

T H E R E D E F I N I T E LY S E E M S T O B E A B O D Y B U Z Z ,

B U T T H E Y A R E A G E N T L E R WAY T O M E D I C AT E , W H I C H O P E N S T H E D O O R F O R M A N Y PAT I E N T S

W H O W O U L D L I K E T O E X P E R I M E N T U S I N G C A N NA B I S T R E AT M E N T B U T W O U L D P R E F E R N O T T O I NG E S T I T O R E X P E R I E N C E A N Y K I N D O F M E N TA L H I G H .

”

do, Washington, California, Oregon, Vermont, and Ari-

as the “entourage effect,” meaning the combination

zona, says more patients—particularly older ones—are

of cannabinoids found in cannabis is greater than

willing to try topicals because they carry less stigma.

the sum of its parts, and it’s why Stone uses canna-

“My grandma is never going to smoke a joint, but she

bis cultivars with a balance of both CBD and T HC

likes the patch,” he says. Mary’s Medicinals’ custom-

for SweetStone Candy Luscious Lemondrop Lotion.

ers range in age from 2 to 92, he says, and most use the

“Research has shown that this potentially has more

products for localized and broad-spectrum pain such

therapeutic advantages than CBD alone,” he says.

as arthritis. Patients also use them to help treat epilepsy, insomnia, and sleep disorders.

42

Frazier has found this to be true in her own experiments with massage at Nature’s Root spa in Long-

At Holos Health, in Boulder, Colorado, Dr. Joe Cohen,

mont, Colorado, where the same 90-minute massage

D.O., who integrates cannabis into his holistic func-

is exponentially more relaxing and effective when

tional medicine practice, often recommends sprays,

she upgrades from hemp-based oil to cannabis oil

creams, and lotions with a one-to-one THC-to-CBD

with a high CBD content. “I can honestly tell you, the

ratio to patients with joint and neuropathic pain and

difference is night and day,” she says. “With the ad-

muscle spasms. Cohen says topicals work locally to

dition of CBD oil, I have to be able to go home and not

reduce pain, inflammation, and spasms and can be

do anything that requires a lot of energy and brain

used as frequently as needed because of their limit-

power. I’m arranging my schedule so that I can al-

ed psychoactive effects. When applied along with a

ways go home and chill.”

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LE T IT R I DE

“Here’s to the thin air.” Eddie Vedder raises a bottle of wine and salutes the crowd of 7,000 fans gathered before him in Telluride Town Park, some 8,750 feet above sea level. As the Pearl Jam frontman attests to his love for Telluride, the setting sun is putting on a competing show, casting a golden glow on the historic mountain town that already appears as if it was pulled from the pages of a storybook.

Pearl Jam, celebrating its 25th year together, is on the stage in Telluride for the first time in the band’s history. For the occasion, the Seattle rockers put on a two-and-a-half-hour set marked by a mix of favorite hits, rare tracks, and stellar covers, including a rendition of Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.” But it was like Christmas in July for the super fans in the crowd, as the Seattle rockers busted out “Angel,” a 1993 Christmas single they hadn’t played live in 22 years.

Ride Festival, a destination show in its fifth year, is held in one incredible location. Telluride enjoys top honors as one of Colorado’s most picture-perfect mountain towns, and the iconic Fred Shellman Stage where the festival is held is almost smack-dab in the middle of it. Directly behind the stage, evergreen slopes rise to impressive elevations. Set in a box canyon, Telluride is surrounded on three sides by 14,000-foot peaks.

Which makes the destination a little harder to get to than most summer concerts; from Denver, it’s about a six- or seven-hour drive to Telluride, depending on the route.

Upon arrival in town, attendees are rewarded with ample outdoor activities from which to choose, from hiking, biking, and rafting to visits to some of the area’s hot springs. One must is a ride on the free gondola up to Mountain Village. At the top, the views of the quaint town below take your breath away—and not just because of that thin air Eddie Vedder toasts.

Perhaps because of the remote location, or perhaps because of the crowd Ride Festival attracts, this is one chill concert. Concert-goers are able to bring food and drink into the festival grounds, along with tents, chairs, and other creature comforts that allow for full enjoyment of the two-day lineup of bands such as Highly Suspect, The Temperance Movement, and Jerry Joseph & the Jackmormons. On Sunday, alt rock band Cage the Elephant closed out the weekend with a rousing set before attendees retreated back to their hotels, condos, or campsites. With a history of lineups that includes bands like Widespread Panic and artists like Jonny Lang, the Ride Festival is cementing itself as a summer staple for the mountain-loving jet set.

– STEPHANIE WILSON

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Lawson Hill is one of the campsites, located about 3 miles out of town.

Festival-goers bring along some creature comforts to Telluride Town Park.

sensi

SCENE

What: Ride Festival Where: Telluride, CO When: July 9-10, 2016

Highly Suspect on the Fred Shellman Stage in Telluride Town Park.

Take the free gondola ride to be rewarded with views like this.

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