the green alternative FEBRUARY 2011
Volume 3 Issue 1
Top Ten Marijuana Victories in 2010
andrea Smoke Session with Doug Benson
NJ W eed M aN
The next William Penn, or should he be in the pen?
Yukmouth:
Free At Last!
Weed Nation: www.SpliffMagazine.com
+
krystal Angelique Green Pages Tech Spot & more!
Birth Of a Hero
Rushmore Casino Tons of bonuses, dozens of games, and one casino. Rushmore Casino is all about numbers. Whether it's the $888 new player promo, millions of dollars in random progressive jackpots, or almost 100 casino favorites, Rushmore Casino delivers superior gaming entertainment. Look a little further and you'll see just how many bonuses are available to play great looking RTG games in categories like slots, poker, roulette, craps, and blackjack. It's all done through the best casino software available, played instantly or through download, and with awesome options like free-play mode and a real time account tracker. If you want more info, go ahead and call the live customer service team, ready to help you 24/7.
Rushmore Casino is the evolution of online gaming – visit today and get acquainted with your new favorite!
Cherry Red Casino A $7,777 sign-up bonus is not your average welcome promotion – but Cherry Red is not your average online casino. Cherry Red has zoomed to the top of the casino world with outstanding games, graphics, service, bonuses, security, software… get the idea? Then get cracking by clicking on the www.cherryredcasino.com link. You'll be greeted with a very warm hello from the Cherry Red Girl, a friendly reminder about new player bonuses, and a list of almost $6 million in random jackpots. Oh, and then there are the games – around 100 casino classics in every category, plus some you've probably never seen before, and should definitely try. Cherry Red Casino makes it easy with a freeplay account and over a dozen banking options.
Cherry Red Casino is serious fun for serious gamers. US players are welcome
SPLIFF February 2011 3
SPLIFF MAGAZINE STAFF EDITORIAL FOUNDER AND EDITORAL DIRECTOR
Malik Akbar LifeStyle Editor Natalya Zihlavski Entertainment Editor Kareem Butler Writer Alisia Bolivar ART & DESIGN ART DIRECTOR
Alim Akbar PRODUCTION PRODUCTON MANAGER
Amanda Turner MARKETING MARKETING DIRECTOR
Roc Peebles ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER
Greetings! SPLIFF Magazine would like to welcome you, and thank you for supporting our GREEN Movement. By supporting cco-friendly digital publications like SPLFF you help decrease the amount of trees being destroyed to create paper products Our magazine is dedicated to promoting the natural healing and a eco-friendly sustainable lifestyle. We must stop waiting on the government for help, we must save ourselves, educate ourselves, and spread the word of truth - OURSELVES! Saving our planet and ourselves is not, and will never be a “fad”. The movement is here to stay. There are so many things we can do individually and collectively to start change. For example, you can share SPLIFF Magazine with your coworkers or even your annoying next door neighbor. In every issue of our magazine, you can see many Non-Profit
James Garvin
Organizations displayed all throughout our pages. It’s important that
CONTRIBUTORS
we’re all aware of these organizations as well as their mission - and
Green Energy News Melissa Philips Gene Davis NY Times WebMd Norml MMP SPLIFF MAGAZINE P.O. Box 451986 Los Angeles, CA 90045 www.SpliffMagazine.com For questions call us at: (510) 367-6988 or email Info@SpliffMagazine.com
SPLIFF Magazine is a registered trademark of The Akbar Group, Inc. No articles, illustrations, photographs, or other matter within may be reproduced without written permission. All rights reserved.
it’s important we all support their movement, and maybe even start our own. Peace and Blessings,. Editor
february contents... 10 News FREE!
L.A. Council Amends MMJ Ordinance.
18 save Our PlaNet: Reuse vs Recycle
22 HelPiNg HaNds Haiti Earthquake: One-Year Report
26 legalize it! Top Ten Marijuana Victories in 2010
28 tHis Budz FOr YOu 30 FaNtasY dOlls: aNgelique 34 tHis Budz FOr YOu 38 liFestYle It’s Just A Plant!
42 Feature: New Jersey Weedman
48 tecH sPOt Home Allotment Willow Planter
51 FaNtasY dOlls: aNdrea 58 BusiNess Finding Green Jobs and Careers Disclaimer SPLIFF Magazine would like to remind readers to be aware that the sale, possession and transport of viable cannabis seeds are ILLEGAL in many countries, including in the USA. We do not wish to induce anyone to act in conflict or disobedience with the law. We don not promote the germination, cultivation or growth of these seeds where prohibited by law. SPLIFF Magazine and its employees assume no responsibility for any claims or representations contained in this publication or in any advertisement. ALL material is for entertainment and educational purposes only! SPLIFF Magazine does not encourage the illegal use of any of the products or advertisements within. All opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of SPLIFF Magazine. Nothing in this publication may be reproduced in any manner, either in whole or in part without the expressed written consent of the publisher. All rights reserved. All advertised products and offers void where prohibited. Occasionally we may use materials we believed to be placed in the public domain. Sometimes it is not possible to identify or contact the copyright holder. If you claim ownership of something we have published we will be pleased to make a proper acknowledgement. All letters and pictures sent are assumed to be for publication unless stated otherwise. SPLIFF Magazine cannot be held responsible for unsolicited contributions. No portion of this publication can be reproduced for profit without the written consent of the publisher.
60 HealtH Food, medicine and excercise.
70 eNtertaiNmeNt Yukmouth: Free At Last!
88 FaNtasY dOlls: krYstal InternationalFireGoddess.com
94 grOw rOOm Setting Up The Grow Room
97 greeN Pages Support our merchants, Thanks...
99 did YOu kNOw?
NEWS + National
L.A. Council Amends Medical Marijuana Ordinance The council settled on 100 dispensaries based on how many it believes the city's short-handed departments can handle. The original ordinance would have allowed all existing dispensaries that registered under the moratorium to apply to remain open. An estimated 135 dispensaries followed the city's rules and are still in business. Those operators have objected strenuously and passionately to a lottery that could eliminate some of the most law-abiding and best-run dispensaries. California -- The Los Angeles City Council, fearing that it risked a return to the days when medical marijuana dispensaries were opening at an astonishing clip, amended its medical marijuana ordinance Friday to alter key provisions that a judge declared unconstitutional last month. In a significant change, the ordinance sets up a different process to limit the number of dispensaries. A lottery will choose 100 from among those dispensaries that can prove they were in existence on Sept. 14, 2007, the date the city's moratorium on new stores took effect. The changes were forced on the council by the judge's decision to issue an injunction that barred the city from enforcing parts of the ordinance. On Friday, the city filed notice that it intends to appeal. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Mohr has stayed his injunction, but it will take effect if the dispensaries that asked for the ruling are able to post a bond. Jane Usher, a special assistant city attorney, warned the council that Mohr had made clear that without a new ordinance, his injunction would leave the city with little power to shut down new dispensaries. "He's put our feet to the fire," she said. "That is what he's done." The council, with some members voting reluctantly, adopted the revisions on a 12-0 vote, a threshold that could allow the ordinance to become effective within 10 days. Attorneys for dispensaries that sued the city said they expect to post the nearly $350,000 bond soon.
10 February 2011 SPLIFF
"I understand that this is not fair to many of the operators who are doing the right thing," said Councilman Ed Reyes, but he urged the council to adopt the ordinance to head off another period of lawlessness. "This lottery is what we can do now, as much as it hurts." The council's decision came despite an appeal to slow down and write a better ordinance from former talk-show host Montel Williams, a multiple sclerosis patient who suffers from chronic pain and who has become one of the nation's most prominent medical marijuana activists. "Holding feet to the fire? Let me explain something to you. For the last 10 years, from morning til night, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, I have absolute neuropathic pain through my feet, my shins, my side and my face," he said, his voice quavering. "You walk in and out of here every day and don't think about your feet. Mine I have to think about every second of the day." He told the council that its ordinance does nothing to ensure the city is choosing the highest-quality operators, noting that the last time he got marijuana in Los Angeles it was tainted with butane. "You're not solving any problem for patients," Williams said. Williams, who met Thursday with some council members, appeared to have influenced several and they treated him with unusual deference.
The council voted to consider a plan to create an advisory panel to devise a method to set up an additional 10 dispensaries that would be subject to higher standards. The amended ordinance is almost certain to draw more legal challenges. Long Beach, which used a lottery to cut the number of its dispensaries to no more than 23, has drawn eight lawsuits. "We think the lottery is defensible," said Robert Shannon, the city attorney. He said Long Beach has just started enforcement efforts against losing dispensaries that have refused to shut down. In Los Angeles, more dispensaries have begun to open, emboldened by the injunction. "We probably get reports of 10 new ones opening each week," Usher said. She said that it takes between six months and two years to shut them down, but that the amended ordinance could help. "Clarity should lead us to much more success than we had in the second half of last year while we were in litigation," she said. By John Hoeffel, Los Angeles Times Source: Los Angeles Times
SPLIFF February 2011 11
NEWS + World
Reuters
Joint Effort: Dutch Utilities Help Police Smoke Out Pot Farmers Personal Use Is Ok; the Target Is Growers Who Steal Power; Scratch-and-Sniff Cards By John W. Mier ROTTERDAM, Netherlands窶認ire up a joint in the Netherlands? No big deal. Grow marijuana? That's a crime. Getting smoked: the nation's power companies. Volt-hungry pot farms have been stealing hundreds of millions of dollars of electricity a year. The problem has gotten so bad that one firm has blown a fuse. Stedin Netbeheer BV, a grid operator with 1.8 million customers, is now sending employees on raids with armed police officers, using sophisticated grid analysis to unearth pot plantations. Last month, it launched an anonymous hot line and mailed out 30,000 scratch-and-sniff cards that smell like fresh cannabis. "People have this image of a nice hippie smoking," says Wolter Meijer, the company's top antifraud official. "The reality is danger and crime." Growing weed indoors requires water, carbon-dioxide generators and intense light and heat, which leads to hundreds of accidental fires a year. Heavy electricity use is a big red flag for investigators, so cultivators try to avoid detection by tapping into the grid before the meter. That costs Stedin $15 million a year. It's all part of the country's dissonant attitude toward marijuana. On paper, it's illegal to smoke, buy, sell or grow pot. But the ban on smoking hasn't been enforced since 1976, and coffee shops are licensed to sell small quantities. The paradox puzzles even Dutch law enforcement. "You can smoke it, but you can't grow it," says Erik de Borst, the nation's top anticannabis official. "Where are you supposed to get it?" From all over Holland, it turns out. There are an estimated 40,000 marijuana plantations in the country. Every year, 5,000 are destroyed, and 5,000 pop back up, police say. The coffee shops are allowed to stock only 500 grams, so they need frequent resupplies. "The authorities would love
12 February 2011 SPLIFF
to know where we get our weed," said Myriam Kobus, as she oversaw smokers lining up for "White Widow," a popular strain, at the Game, a coffee shop she manages in The Hague. "We don't tell them." Police say most suppliers are gangs that carve up production, often among lower-income citizens who get paid to turn their residences into grow houses. A batch of 200 plants can be harvested five times a year, with each crop generating $30,000. Growers are supplying more than the home market. Dutch marijuana goes out by ship and by highway all over Europe, says Peter Reuter, an expert on drug policy at the University of Maryland. The Netherlands produces $3 billion a year, 90% of which is exported, the police estimate. Pot farms turn up in villas, tomato greenhouses and working-class flats. One gang in Rotterdam has used six trucks as mobile farms, with one batch always ready for selling and smoking, police say. Pot has been found growing in shipping containers buried under swimming pools. It keeps Mr. Meijer's team of 32 at Stedin busy. They're on the lookout for eight-hour spikes in power use, corresponding to heat-lamp patterns, and for outside air filters, convoluted wiring and roofs that quickly melt snow. The company first held talks with police in 2004 and has worked increasingly closely with authorities since then. This year, Mr. Meijer sent out the scented cards and asked customers for help. "We wouldn't ask people to spy," he says. "Just sniff on this card, and if you smell that in your neighborhood, give us a call, and we'll do the rest." Mr. de Borst, the antidrug official, helped make it happen. Police petitioned the district attorney Reuters in Rotterdam for the right to distill 40 kilograms of hemp, seized during a raid, into 50 centiliters of oil. Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, was removed. They found a printer in France to make the cards and secured exemptions from French and Belgian customs. The 30,000 pamphlets were posted in early November. If the campaign works, it will be rolled out for the whole country. Loek de Lange, a spokesman for Enexis BV, another grid operator, says his company also works with police, but not as closely as Stedin. "It's a problem for all power companies, and we have to fight together, with the police," he says. Stedin's anonymous hot line receives one tip per day, on average. Each is investigated, "even if we know it's probably somebody smoking or neighbors who don't like each other," says Mr. Meijer. On a recent day, two teams set out in unmarked cars from Stedin's headquarters in this port city. Gangs frequently protect their plantations with booby traps, including electrified doors, holes covered by doormats and paint-ball grenades.
SPLIFF February 2011 13
NEWS + World Dutch power company Stedin mailed out 30,000 scratch-and-sniff cards that smell like fresh cannabis to customers, asking them to contact authorities if they smelled pot or suspected growers. John Mulder, a safety inspector for the city, pointed a hand-held heat camera at each suspect home. A dark concentration of heat in an attic is a good clue, he said, "but it can also be a washing machine."
Stedin
Loek de Lange, a spokesman for Enexis BV, another grid operator, says his company also works with police, but not as closely as Stedin. "It's a problem for all power companies, and we have to fight together, with the police," he says.
Stedin's anonymous hot line receives one tip per day, on average. Each is investigated, "even if we know it's probably somebody smoking or neighbors who don't like each other," says Mr. Meijer. On a recent day, two teams set out in unmarked cars from Stedin's headquarters in this port city. Gangs frequently protect their plantations with booby traps, including electrified doors, holes covered by doormats and paint-ball grenades. John Mulder, a safety inspector for the city, pointed a hand-held heat camera at each suspect home. A dark concentration of heat in an attic is a good clue, he said, "but it can also be a washing machine." They knocked on doors, checking up on tips called in by neighbors who thought they had smelled something. One middle-age occupant, Younes Kamel, said simply: "I smoke joints." The investigators nodded and left. Just before noon, one of the teams struck gold at a three-story brick row house. It was unoccupied, so police knocked down the door. Each room on the second and third floors contained more than 100 flower pots brimming with rich, black soil. Marijuana had just been harvested. A trash bag stuffed with stems lay in the front room, near a punching bag. A panel in a side corridor held transformers and wires to run the lamps. Stedin technicians dismantled it. A new conservative government, which won elections on a law-and-order platform, wants to shut many of the country's 700 coffee shops and 400 "grow" shops, which legally sell equipment needed to farm hemp. Advocates are putting up a fight. "It's making marijuana illegal that causes crime and violence," says Fredrick Polak, an Amsterdam psychiatrist who says he smokes a joint every other day. "During prohibition, people weren't killing each other because they were drunk, it was because they had to become criminals." "It's a good business," says Ms. Kobus, the coffee-shop manager, who says her store takes in several thousand euros a day. "Pot is here to stay." Write to John W. Miller at john.miller@dowjones.com
14 February 2011 SPLIFF
SAVE OUR PLANET
Reuse vs Recycle Think reuse before recycle The recycling movement has gathered plenty of steam in recent years which is wonderful as there is far less waste hitting our landfills and far more resources being reclaimed. However, there is concern building that the recycling wave is allowing us to still be rampant consumers, a throwaway society; and recycling some justification for maintaining this mindset. Take for example those very handy cans of gourmet tuna. These are great to pack in a lunch box but I can empty the contents with a single mouthful! I can alleviate my guilt somewhat by recycling the can, but in order to get that mouthful of tuna, an awful lot of resources have gone into the packaging - and that's not to mention the added costs in purchasing products using "convenience packaging". What's more economical and energy efficient is buying a larger can of tuna and spooning out the equivalent amount into a reusable container. The only problem there is if the contents of the larger can aren't eaten and food waste is another massive environmental problem. It's the same sort of situation with a plethora of other products - cans vs. large bottles of drink, traveller packs of anything - all these handy sizes which cost us more can be recycled; but we forget the amount of energy it takes to do so. While the energy required to recycle the aluminum in a drink can is one twentieth of that to produce the can from raw materials; when you start thinking in terms of billions of cans; it's still a lot of energy consumed. You can buy the equivalent of 5 cans in a plastic PET recyclable bottle and I suspect (I'm not sure on this) that the recycling process would require less energy (although PET bottles are actually downcycled). The downcycling aspect is another trap many of us fall into - downcycling is different to recycling in that the packaging being processed is made into something of less value. True recycling is where more of the same product is made; but the term has been extended to cover a variety of different actions. The case for reuse In terms of larger items, let's say an old busted washing machine - we can send it to scrap merchants who may strip it of useful components for recycling which is great; but Fred from down the road is handy with washing machines and he may find that it just needs a fuse or some cheap component. Fred may be able to make use of it or resell the item. Reuse extends the life of a product before it has to hit the recycling stage. You may have saved Fred (or someone else) some cash in having to buy a new washer, so there's also a definite feel good aspect to re-use aside from the consumption issue. According to a (rather old) article on the US EPA's Institute for Local Self-Reliance site, "New recyclingbased manufacturers create 25 times the number of jobs as landfilling. Some reuse operations employ 200 jobs for every one job at a disposal facility." 18 February 2011 SPLIFF
With the growing number of people understanding that reuse is the first option before recycle, all sorts of groups have started up where you can offer your items for free to others who can make use of them. One such service is The Freecycle Network™ which currently has nearly 7.6 million members globally. Another interesting service is ecofreek; which searches over 45+ sources for free and swappable items being given away by people who no longer need them I've read some amazing stories of people who believed *no-one* could make use of their junk, only to find it snapped up when posted to these sorts of sites. There are also an increasing number of trash removal services that will sort through your waste for you, diverting whatever possible for composting, recycling and reuse. These services cost a little more, but in my opinion are well worth the money. So, recycling (in all its forms) is bad then? While some will understandably frown upon the heavy emphasis of recycling for the reasons above; I still think that recycling is an incredibly important thing to encourage. Aside from the reclamation of resources, recycling is a "gateway" green action. So many people start their green journey by recycling. It's these easy actions than can encourage bigger changes down the track. For those of us down the green road a little however, the reuse vs. recycle issues are something we should bear in mind. Even more importantly, we need to reduce the amount we consume - that's why the 3R's of green living are in the order they are - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Michael Bloch Green Living Tips.com Green Living Tips is an online resource powered by renewable energy offering a wide variety of earth friendly tips, green guides, advice and environment related news to help consumers and business reduce costs, consumption and environmental impact .
SPLIFF February 2011 19
HELPING HANDS + UNICEF
Haiti earthquake: one-year report For children and families in Haiti, the long road from relief to recovery NEW YORK, USA, 6 January 2011 – One year on, children in Haiti are still reeling from the lingering impact of the 12 January 2010 earthquake, the single largest catastrophe to hit the country in centuries. Uneven access to basic services – combined with the risks posed by disease, exploitation and unsanitary conditions – remain as threats to Haiti’s children and families, according to a new UNICEF report, ‘Children in Haiti: One year after – the long road from relief to recovery.’ The report points out that more than 1 million people, including approximately 380,000 children, are still living in crowded camps in the earthquake zone. Despite the efforts of the Haitian authorities and the international community, the recovery process is just beginning. Child rights denied Recurrent crises have hit the population over the past 12 months, with the recent cholera outbreak claiming thousands of lives and slowing the pace of recovery. “Children, in particular, suffered enormously over the course of the year and continue to suffer,” said UNICEF Representative in Haiti Françoise GruloosAckermans. “They have yet to fully enjoy their right to survival, health, education and protection.” Still, the UNICEF report takes note of gains that have been made. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, for example, UNICEF, the World Health Organization and other partners conducted emergency campaigns to immunize almost 2 million children against preventable diseases such as measles, diphtheria and polio. And a distribution of 360,000 bed nets reached 163,000 households in the malaria-endemic southern coastal regions. 22 February 2011 SPLIFF
Sustainable solutions Meanwhile, the establishment of schools by UNICEF and its partners – either temporary tent classrooms or new semi-permanent structures – have allowed lessons to resume for some 720,000 children. About half Haiti’s children still do not attend school, however, and school construction continues to be hampered by rubble clearing and land-tenure issues. In the wake of the disaster, children who had been separated from their families in the earthquake were registered and reunited with relatives by the interagency Child Protection Working Group. And today, almost 100,000 children in quake-affected areas have access to child-friendly spaces that provide a measure of normalcy in their lives. UNICEF and its partners have also provided more than 11,300 latrines and regularly de-sludge 600 latrines to maintain safe sanitation standards, which were in decline in Haiti even before the disaster struck. Investing in long-term sustainable solutions, such as community-led sanitation and water systems, is crucial to overcoming decades of underinvestment. Long-term support While much has achieved under difficult conditions, the UNICEF report acknowledges that there is much more to be done to address long-standing inequities that have left many Haitian children impoverished and without access to basic services. “It is very clear – the year 2010 was probably the worst year in living memory for most Haitian adults – but UNICEF is working hard to make sure that it is hardest year that Haitian children will ever have to bear,” the report states. “Since UNICEF will remain a partner in Haiti for the long run, it will be possible to ensure this and to see through the expansion of the protective environment, and the progressive fulfilment of children’s rights. In partnership, with sustained support and a collective vision, we can ensure that children born today not only survive but thrive in a Haiti fit for children."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=valsJjRhrwc
© UNICEF/NYHQ2010-2603/LeMoyne
People walk past a collapsed building in downtown Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital. Nearly a year after the earthquake, many buildings still lie in ruins.
UNICEF correspondent Jane O'Brien reports on relief and recovery efforts, and the challenges faced by children and families, in the year since the 12 January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Produced by Bob Coen.
© UNICEF/NYHQ2010-2659/LeMoyne
Children carry jugs of water at a camp for quake victims in the Delmas district of Port-auPrince, Haiti. Nearby, people collect water from a spigot.
©© UNICEF/NYHQ2010-2446/Dormino
In November 2010, men carry emergency medical supplies to a UN helicopter at the airport in the port city of Gonaïves in Haiti's Artibonite Region,
SPLIFF February 2011 23
LEGALIZE IT!
1. NEW JERSEY LEGALIZES MEDICAL MARIJUANA 2010 started with a bang when New Jersey's outgoing Democratic governor signed a bill that made New Jersey the 14th state to legalize medical marijuana. (Unfortunately, the new Republican governor has conspired with his state health department to delay and subvert the new law from taking effect and -- now one year later -- patients still do not have legal access to medical marijuana.) 2. WASHINGTON, D.C. LEGALIZES MEDICAL MARIJUANA Voters in our nation's capital passed a medical marijuana initiative with 69% of the vote in November 1998. After Congress blocked that law from taking effect 11 years in a row, Congress finally removed the federal ban in the fall of 2009, and in 2010 the D.C. City Council passed legislation to implement the local law. While the D.C. law is more restrictive than we'd like, five medical marijuana dispensaries will be opening up within a short cab ride of Capitol Hill by the middle of 2011. 3. ARIZONA LEGALIZES MEDICAL MARIJUANA By a mere 50.13% to 49.87% margin, Arizona voters passed MPP's medical marijuana initiative in November, making Arizona the 15th state to legalize medical marijuana. As a result, approximately 125 dispensaries will open up around the state by mid-2011. This campaign was successful despite severely limited resources, with MPP spending only $0.10 for each Arizona resident. 4. CALIFORNIA INITIATIVE DEMONSTRATES RECORD SUPPORT FOR LEGALIZATION While Prop. 19 failed at the polls on Election Day, this ballot initiative still represents significant progress for our movement. First, the initiative received the highest level of support (46.54%) of any of the eight legalization initiatives ever to be placed on a statewide ballot. Second, the initiative received support from mainstream political institutions, such as the California affiliates of the NAACP and SEIU, the Latino Voters League, the National Latino Officers Association, and the National Black Police Association. 26 February 2011 SPLIFF
Third, the initiative generated gobs of in-state and national news coverage, making marijuana legalization a respectable topic of political debate. Fourth, the campaign inspired the local governments and voters of three cities to pass laws that will automatically tax marijuana sales once they are legal under state law. 5. MARIJUANA-FRIENDLY GOVERNORS ELECTED IN THREE STATES For the first time in memory, three gubernatorial candidates who are well known to be supportive of decriminalizing marijuana and legalizing medical marijuana were elected on the same day -- Neil Abercrombie (DHI), Dan Malloy (D-CT), and Peter Shumlin (D-VT). As a result, all three states are likely to pass favorable legislation in 2011. 6. THREE STATES REGULATE/EXPAND MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAWS While state governments sometimes tweak their existing medical marijuana laws, Colorado's government did much more than that in 2010 when it passed a new law for issuing approximately 2,000 licenses to medical marijuana retailers, growers, and kitchens; as a result, medical marijuana businesses are now scattered around the state like pharmacies. Also, Maine's health department issued regulations to establish eight medical marijuana dispensaries, building on the MPP-authored ballot initiative that Mainers passed with nearly 59% of the vote in November 2009. And, to close out 2010, New Mexico's health department increased the number of dispensaries in the state to 25. 7. LOCAL INITIATIVE VICTORIES IN FOUR STATES In Massachusetts, voters in nine legislative districts passed initiatives recommending that medical marijuana be legalized on the state level; in another nine legislative districts, Massachusetts voters recommended that marijuana be legalized entirely. In Wisconsin, voters in two local jurisdictions urged their state legislature to legalize medical marijuana. In California, voters in two cities blocked dispensaries from being banned. And in Colorado, voters in 8 cities and counties voted to allow dispensaries (this overt support is significant, even though voters in another 34 Colorado municipalities decided to ban dispensaries). 8. VETERANS AFFAIRS RECOGNIZES MEDICAL MARIJUANA For the first time since 1978, a federal agency recognized marijuana's therapeutic value when the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs issued a new policy in 2010, stating that veterans who use medical marijuana legally under state law would no longer be denied other prescription medications or treatments. 9. TWO GOOD COURT DECISIONS IN CALIFORNIA In the "Anaheim" case, a California appellate court found that federal law doesn't prevent cities and counties from licensing medical marijuana dispensaries. And in a separate case, a California superior court blocked an L.A. City Council ordinance that would have wiped out most dispensaries in the second largest city in the U.S. (Neither case has reached its final conclusion yet, however.) 10. CALIFORNIA IMPROVES EXISTING DECRIMINALIZATION LAW In 1975, California decriminalized marijuana, meaning that people who were apprehended with up to an ounce of marijuana could not face jail time. In 2010, the California government improved this law by changing marijuana possession from a criminal misdemeanor to a civil infraction, meaning that -- in addition to not facing jail time -- small-time marijuana offenders will no longer have to appear before a judge, pay court costs or hire a lawyer, or get stuck with a criminal record. SPLIFF February 2011 27
THIS BUDZ FOR YOU + Sugar Cookie
28 February 2011 SPLIFF
Sugar Cookie Medicinal Traits: General relaxation (both physical and mental), light pain relief, mood elevation, anti-anxiety, ocular attention, moderate appetite stimulation, and relief of minor stomach issues.
FANTASY DOLLS + ANGELIQUE
30 February 2011 SPLIFF
FANTASY DOLLS + ANGELIQUE
SPLIFF February 2011 31
FANTASY DOLLS + ANGELIQUE
32 February 2011 SPLIFF
SPLIFF February 2011 33
THIS BUDZ FOR YOU + Bruce Banner
Bruce Banner Medicinal Traits: Energy, mood elevation, lots of head and eye pressure cycling (possible migraine and ocular relief), and some late relaxation.
34 February 2011 SPLIFF
SPLIFF February 2011 35
RECYCLE
36 February 2011 SPLIFF
LIFESTYLE
It’s Just A Plant! By Nataya Zihlavski Do you wonder how exactly you will explain to your child(ren) what marijuana is and what its use entails? Are you adamant about refusing to have them learn about cannabis from the biased opinions of schools, organizations, and politicians? It’s Just A Plant by Ricardo Cortés is your ticket. It’s Just A Plant is a children’s book that aims to present kids information about the origins, uses, and laws concerning marijuana and provide them with an overall understanding of what cannabis really is. Now, before I get into how the book presents this information and what the storyline is, let me tell you a little about the book. It’s Just A Plant was self published in January of 2005 by Ricardo Cortés. Along with publishing and writing it he also illustrated the entirety of the images in the book. There are currently two editions of the book. A third, and possibly final, edition is in the works. It’s Just A Plant is centered around a young girl named Jackie, who, after waking up late at night and smelling something funny, finds her mother and father smoking a joint. Naturally she questions them about it. Her mother reassures her that they’ll go on a bike ride the next day and she’ll learn all about marijuana. Their first destination on the following day is the farm where Jackie’s mother gets her vegetables to see the farmer. The farmer shows them a marijuana plant that is growing among his other fruits and plants. He discusses a short history of cannabis and asserts that many people from various different walks of life use the marijuana plant in many ways. They continue on their way, this time to the family doctor. The doctor talks to Jackie about how cannabis can be a strong medicine with many healing affects. She warns Jackie that medical marijuana is only “for adults that can use it responsibly” and that it is not for children. After visiting the doctor Jackie smells a familiar aroma outside and has a short conversation with the group of men smokingbefore they are promptly arrested. She is confused as to why they are being apprehended. The officers explain that marijuana is illegal and that a small, 38 February 2011 SPLIFF
powerful group of law makers determined that there should be a law against smoking it. In the end, Jackie concludes that she will vote for cannabis legalization when she is old enough to vote. The book obviously has a debatable message it’s trying to convey so naturally there is much controversy surrounding it. Entertainment Weekly has said the book is “an outrage.” Another instance of negative review is when Ricardo Cortés appeared on The O'Reilly Factor to talk about the book. On the show, It’s Just A Plant was highly criticized by Mark Souder, a Republican representative of Congress from Indiana, who asserted that the book promoted and supported the use of marijuana by children. On the other hand there is quite a bit of critical acclaim for It’s Just A Plant. Dr. Andrew Weil, a well known physician and author of many books, said this about the children’s book: "A delightful book... a glimpse of what enlightened drug education could be." In addition, the New York Post gave It’s Just A Plant a positive review and rated it 3½ out of 4 stars. The publication concluded that the book is “funny...offbeat...a riot, with a series of characters explaining the glory of cannabis to a young girl and her mother.” Whether you believe it’s an outrage or a wonderful tool for learning, It’s Just A Plant is one of the only books that discusses the subject of cannabis with children as the intended audience. Because of this, it is a stepping stone for truthful books looking to educate children without bombarding them with biased information. For more information go to http://www.justaplant.com.
SPLIFF February 2011 39
FEATURE + NJ Weedman
New Jersey Weedman by Alisia Bolivar
The next William Penn, or should he be in the pen? Déjà vu? It was a decade ago that Edward Forchion, also known as the New Jersey Weedman, was on trial for a series of possession charges, in which over 40 lbs of his marijuana was confiscated by a New Jersey drug task force. Today, it is not uncommon to enter his Liberty Bell Temple II on Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood California and hear discussion of his new upcoming trial in New Jersey and America’s changing views on marijuana. The charges are similar—possession. On April 1, 2010 he was pulled over by a New Jersey state trooper with one pound of Kush in his trunk. One major difference being anticipated by Forchion and his supporters is the outcome. He is hoping he will escape conviction this time, via jury nullification. One of the greatest powers within the American legal system, jury nullification is the ability of a jury to acquit a defendant of criminal charges, regardless of any evidence or belief that the defendant is, in fact, guilty. Should a jury decide to opt out of enforcing some law(s), this is a decision that not even a judge can overturn. It is an incredibly effective and patriotic means of protecting our fellow Americans from unjust laws and manipulations of well-intended laws. While juries of state and federal courts retain 42 February 2011 SPLIFF
the power to nullify any law, not all juries will be informed;an attorney must be granted permission by the judge before he/she may inform the jury of its ability to engage in jury nullification. If an attorney were to explicitly tell a jury without having first received consent, he/she may face a threat of disbarment. So what does all of this have to do with William Penn? He, along with William Mead, was a defendant in the revolutionary Hay-Market case of 1670 in England—the case that resulted in jury nullification becoming part of common law. Penn (who later founded the colony of Pennsylvania) and Mead were being charged with unlawful assembly—a very serious law which criminalized the preaching or practicing of religions unrecognized by the English monarchy. While both defendants technically broke the law by preaching Quakerism, and while the judge demanded a guilty verdict, the jury refused to enforce the law on the basis that the law itself was unjust. The jurors were imprisoned, until one appealed to the Court of Common Pleas, and the Justices agreed that it is unacceptable for a jury to be punished for its verdict.
English common law thereby acknowledged that a jury that cannot acquit is not truly a jury. A century later, as the founding fathers of America were carefully and passionately constructing a democracy to free to people from the corrupt government they were escaping, jury nullification was adopted as a central part of American court proceedings without a question.
resident marijuana-smokers to vote, the book he published entitled Public Enemy #420, and of course the various public demonstrations he has engaged in (including smoking marijuana at the Liberty Bell Monument in Philadelphia, and smoking in front of the entire State Assembly at the Statehouse in Trenton)… many find it hard to not view him as a patriotic, positive, and valued activist for marijuana rights in America.
So now the question is, will Forchion be the next William Penn… freed from the injustices of an imperfect legal system? Will he even go on to become a founding father of the American Marijuana Revolution?
Despite his diligence in inspiring the social and political changes he seeks, his character is not in question. Rather, it is whether or not he broke the law…
Many already consider him among the first profound icons of this revolution. Considering his founding of the Legalize Marijuana Party in 1998, running for several offices (including but not limited to: Governor of New Jersey, 2005; US Senator, New Jersey, 2006; 3rd Congressional Seat, New Jersey, 2008), the political commercials he produced and aired (and was imprisoned for) to motivate his fellow underrepresented New Jersey
But like William Penn’s jurors and the Justices who freed them, Forchion makes the point that sometimes the law must be brought into question, too— especially during a time of widespread political shifts (i.e., now). Among the shifts presently taking place are those regarding the American marijuana prohibition. While over a dozen states have decriminalized some form(s) of use, most states still attempt to enforce
SPLIFF February 2011 43
FEATURE + NJ Weedman + Cont... When asked to describe himself recently as we spoke inside of his Liberty Bell Temple II, he sincerely stated that he is “a peaceful, proud, patriotic pot-head, and Rastafarian spiritual herb user.”
complete prohibition of the widely used wonder herb. As with any major political shift in which certain behaviors move from being criminalized to decriminalized, or from otherwise taboo to more widely acceptable, the court system tends to play a key role by establishing precedents as new models for evaluating the behaviors at hand. Examples include Brown v Board of Education (states’ laws for racebased segregation of schools ruled unconstitutional), and Roe v Wade (constitutional rights to privacy extended to women’s right to abortion). One case that may just be considered a reasonable precedent to assist Forchion’s defense, though it did not involve the Supreme Court, took place in 2009 in rural Illinois. 59-year-old Loren Swift was arrested after a drug task force found over 25 pounds of marijuana and “50 pounds of growing plants” within his residence in 2007. Facing drug charges and mandatory jail time, he was acquitted from all charges via jury nullification. Although Forchion and Swift have faced similar charges, they are two very different people; Swift is a disabled, Caucasian, Vietnam War veteran with bad feet and knees, who reports to use marijuana for relief from physical pain as well as post-traumatic stress. Forchion, on the other hand, has been known as an up-front, in-your-face, African-American marijuana activist who has earned various monikers over the years. 44 February 2011 SPLIFF
Despite these and other differences, both men report legitimate reasons for their use. It should be noted that Swift’s reasoning for marijuana use (along with the fact that his jury did not believe he had intent to sell) was reported by at least one juror to be a major reason for his acquittal (treat his suffering). Yes, Forchion may be a self-described pot-head and spiritual smoker, but he also chooses to treat headaches, back aches, and stress with marijuana, and his physicians in California publicly and proudly support him. Although Forchion does use marijuana medicinally, he firmly disagrees with legislation that limits permissible marijuana use to medicinal purposes only. In his opinion it violates the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution by only protecting certain individuals from prosecution. As he states in his 2006 campaign commercial (the one for which he was jailed), the War on Drugs has become what is “really a war on individual liberties, and that’s just un-American.” Let’s hope he can convince his jury. About the author: Alisia Bolivar was born in Panama, and spent most of her life in rural Pennsylvania. She moved to Los Angeles in the summer of 2010 after graduating from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, where earned a B.A. in Psychology. Contact Alisia: alisialosangeles@gmail.com
Click here to see NJweedman Jury Nullification video. Or Visit: http://vimeo.com/11030959
TECH SPOT
Home Allotment Willow Planter The Home Allotment Willow Planter helps you to grow fresh salad, vegetables, or herbs at home. The natural looking planters are a great way to make use of small outdoor areas, such as a balcony, patio or roof terrace for home growing. The Home Allotment Willow Planter has been designed to provide you with a stylish and natural looking planter to help encourage use of even small outdoor areas for the growth of plants. Each planter is made from willow panels that are provided in flat pack form and are easy to put together, this allows you to be able to disassemble the planter for winter storage. The planter includes a Home Allotment planting bag to plant your crops into.
The Home Allotment Willow Planter is available in 3 different sizes, herb planter, salad planter and potato planter. The herb planter is 40 cm (15.7 in) wide x 30 cm (11.8 in) deep x 20 cm (7.9 in) high and has a 19 litre capacity, the salad planter is 70 cm (27.5 in) wide x 35 cm (13.8 in) deep x 30 cm (11.8 in) high and has a 62 litre capacity, and the potato planter is 40 cm (15.7 in) wide x 40 cm (15.7 in) deep x 50 cm 19.7 in) high and has a 69 litre capacity. The Home Allotment Willow Planter is a beautiful, natural looking planter to allow you to start to grow you own vegetables and herbs at home. The planters are great for making the most out of small areas during the growing months and are easy to store away during the winter. Growing your own food helps you to know what went into it, does not require the long distance transport that supermarket veg can have caused, and the plants help to add a bit of cheering greenery to your home.
The Home Allotment Willow Planter is yours for just ÂŁ19.95. 48 February 2011 SPLIFF
50 February 2011 SPLIFF
FANTASY DOLLS + ANDREA
SPLIFF February 2011 51
FANTASY DOLLS +ANDREA
52 February 2011 SPLIFF
Andrea Edwards Newport News, Va About Andrea: Andrea started doing professional photo shoots since January 2009. Having worked with renowned photographers in the Hampton Roads and surrounding states, she has developed a true passion for her craft and being in front of the camera "Thanks to the guidance of so many wonderful influential people with in the modeling industry, I've been able to showcase my special talent for modeling and develop a better understanding of the industry" said Andrea, "I'm extremely versatile and love trying different looks, it's much better to stick out than to blend in"
SPLIFF February 2011 53
FANTASY DOLLS +ANDREA
54 February 2011 SPLIFF
FANTASY DOLLS +ANDREA
SPLIFF February 2011 55
FANTASY DOLLS +ANDREA
56 February 2011 SPLIFF
SPLIFF February 2011 57
BUSINESS
Finding green jobs and careers By Green Living Tips
By identifying issues within the company you work for and presenting solutions, you never know - you may wind up becoming that company's first Environmental Officer!
Green jobs and careers - how and where to find them A natural extension of pursuing a green life at home for many is to seek employment more in line with their environmental views. I've been fortunate enough to work in green-type jobs for nearly a decade now and fell into a green-oriented career by accident - if there's any such thing. What is a green job anyway?
A word of advice - do this initial footwork on your own time, not the company's - just in case. Some employers may not take too kindly to you performing unauthorised tasks on the company's dime. Also be careful in how you present the information. Approach it from an "I'd like to suggest" style rather than "thou shalt". Very important, don't just focus on the warm and fuzzy treehugger aspects, but also bottom line stuff - how going green could save the company money. Gaining green employment is often a journey
Green collar employment often stirs up visions of solar panels and wind turbines. While it's very true that green careers are heavily based on sustainability concepts and often around cutting edge, high tech equipment, it doesn't necessarily mean they are about these themes all the time. It's just a matter of perception.
As mentioned, I found my green career path somewhat by accident. I have no formal qualifications in areas related to topics such as renewable energy and I certainly don't have what's commonly known as a "Green MBA". Heck, I didn't even finish high school and the first 10 years of my post-school life was a haze consisting mainly of getting into trouble, doing jobs here and there and certainly nothing glamorous.
For example, it could be said that any employment that involves telecommuting is a green job as commuting to and from work daily involves a substantial environmental impact (unless you ride a bicycle or walk of course). Working in a recycling center on a sorting line is a very green job to my way of thinking - and by the way, cheers to all those folks engaged in that sort of work - you are environmental heroes!
My background since the mid 90's was computers (pretty much self taught), then moving on to online marketing and web site content development (also self taught). In 2001, I began working for an online service with an owner who was environmentally conscious. We simply started weaving some of those leanings into day-to-day business and in the process I was starting to establish a little green street-cred.
Making your own job a green one
Around 4 years later, I started Green Living Tips as the green bug had really bit me in a big way. I was horrified by what I was learning about our modern lifestyles and fascinated with solutions. I also started a project to clean up and monitor local bushland.
Something to consider if you're loathe to change jobs is to help the company you work with "go green". Many companies are switching on to the concept of green business being good business and the triple bottom line, but they just need some help to find their way. By identi-
fying issues within the company you work for and presenting solutions, you never know - you may wind up becoming that to find their way. 58 February 2011 SPLIFF
Shortly afterwards, consultancy jobs relating to various green businesses started being offered to me - and it wasn't just my "green" activities business owners were interested in; it was also my previous history related to the online world. The fact I understood green living
concepts was a bonus as they knew I would go about activities a little differently to traditional approaches.
There is also a good list of other green career resources on GreenCollarBlog.org.
Aside from Green Living Tips and a few other online projects, I now currently consult for a renewable energy company on a pretty much full time basis, from home.
Thinking outside the box
While I'm not saying you should start up a Green Living Tips type site as a magic bullet solution if you don't have relevant qualifications; if you run a blog or web site like so many people do these days, don't let your green candle be hidden under a bushel - strut your stuff, demonstrate your knowledge, express your passion. If you don't have a site or blog, consider getting involved in community environmental projects. Aside from the good you'll do, it may also help you make connections. Doing these things may not see employers beating a path to your door, but you'll have something to show them when you beat a path to theirs that demonstrates your interest isn't just a passing fad. Think also about your current skill set and how that could be useful to a green business or sector. Weave the transferability of your skills into your CV and application letters. Green careers resource sites Bear in mind that while green business currently gets a lot of attention from the media and green jobs are heralded as The Next Big Thing, the green employment revolution is just beginning. Green Career Central helps you make sense of the green economy, gain clarity about your green career focus and get results by taking focused actions to achieve your green career goals Green jobs can be hard to define and locate, but there are a few online destinations that have green career resources and/or job sections, including: GreenJobSpider.com, SustainableBusiness.com, EnvironmentalCareer.com, TreeHugger.com , GreenBiz.com, CareerOneStop.org, GreenJobs.com.
While researching these resources, I was amazed to see all the various new types of jobs being created - while many of them may seem to require some sort of formal qualification, don't let that scare you off from pursuing your dream green career. Dig into the positions descriptions; you may already have the skills needed for a position that has a very fancy or new title you haven't heard of before. If there is a particular sector you are interested in, research relevant organizations and businesses online - get a feel for their approach, the way they present themselves, their products and industry issues and then shoot them off a well considered cover letter and CV, remembering to relate your current skills to their sector. Cold calling for jobs has never been easier thanks to the Internet and you never know what you may turn up! Mention in your cover letter that if the company doesn't have any suitable positions available, any advice they could provide for finding work in your chosen sector would be greatly appreciated. You could also consider search for green versions of your current employment. Let's say you work in a tire factory - there are green tire manufacturers already up and running who may value your skills. The same goes for just about any other product too. When it comes to green employment, think outside the box a little. Look for opportunities in unusual sectors you may not have considered previously, be open to possibilities even if just a stepping stone, retrain if necessary through part time courses, some of which you can do online, such as a Green MBA. Make your own "luck"! And speaking of which, good luck in your green job hunt!
Michael Bloch Green Living Tips.com
SPLIFF February 2011 59
HEALTH + Food
Cinnamon History, Healing and Medicinal Uses of this Spice
60 February 2011 SPLIFF
http://www.asianonlinerecipes.com/herbs-health/cinnamon-healing-properties.php
History of Cinnamon The Ancient Egyptians used cinnamon in their embalming mixtures. By the Roman Empire, it was a highly valuable commodity for both medicinal and culinary purposes. While cinnamon is actually native to the West Indies, by the 18th century it was the Dutch who had monopolized the cinnamon trade and refused to allow any commercial farming of the tree until 1776. Some sources even claim Cinnamon’s rarity and near-sacred status as one of the factors that eventually spurred world exploration. Its impact is still evident today, as a popular ingredient in everything from toothpaste to pastries to potpourris.
Healing Power and Curative Properties Cinnamon leaves are used in the form of powder or decoction. They are stimulant and useful in relieving flatulence and in increasing secretion and discharge of urine. Cinnamon prevents nervous tension, improves complexion and memory. A pinch of cinnamon powder mixed with honey does the trick if taken regularly every night for these purposes. Common Cold Cinnamon is an effective remedy for common cold. Coarsely powdered and boiled in a glass of water with a pinch of pepper powder and honey, it can be beneficially used as medicine in cases of influenza, sore throat, and malaria. Its regular use during the rainy season prevents attacks of influenza. Cinnamon oil, mixed with honey, gives relief from cold. Digestive Disorders Cinnamon checks nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. It stimulates digestion. A tablespoon of cinnamon water, prepared as for cold and taken half an hour after meals, relieves flatulence and indigestion. Headache Headache produced by exposure to cold air is readily cured by applying a paste of finely powdered cinnamon mixed in water on the temples and forehead. Acne Paste of cinnamon powder prepared with a few drops of fresh lime juice can be applied over pimples and blackheads with beneficial results. Other Diseases Cinnamon is highly beneficial in the treatment of several other ailments, including spasmodic afflictions, asthma, paralysis, excessive menstruation and uterus disorder. It is sometimes used as a prophylactic agent, to control German measles.
Other Spice Remedies found in your Kitchen! 1. BASIL - Basil is an herbal carminative, that is, it can relieve gas and soothe stomach upsets. One possible explanation for its calming effect is a compound called eugenol, which has been shown to help ease muscle spasms. Research is still preliminary, but laboratory studies also suggest that compounds found in basil may help disrupt the dangerous chain of events that can lead to the development of cancer. 2. CAYENNE - Cayenne pepper is a hot red powder made from tropical chili peppers. It contains alkaloid capsaicin, which relieves pain by blocking the chemicals that send pain messages to the brain. If you eat cayenne at the first sign of any type of headache, with plenty of water as a chaser, this spicy herb may be an effective alternative treatment. Added to food, cayenne perks up appetite, improves digestion and relieves gas, nausea, and indigestion. The herb also thins phlegm and eases its passage from the lungs, thus helping to prevent and treat coughs, colds and bronchitis. 11. PARSLEY - Diuretic herbs such as parsley prevent problems such as kidney stones and bladder infections and keep our body's plumbing running smoothly by causing it to produce more urine. They also relieve bloating during menstruation. Also there's a reason for that parsley on the edge of the diner plate, its not just there for fancy decoration; it's an effective breath freshener because it contains high levels of chlorophyll.
SPLIFF February 2011 61
HEALTH + Medicine
Natural Remedies FOr migraiNes
According to the National Headache Foundation, Symptoms may include:
* Moderate to severe pain on one or both sides of the head * Pulsating or throbbing pain * Pain worse with physical activi ty * Nausea with or without vomit ing * Sensitivity to light or sound
62 February 2011 SPLIFF
more than 29.5 million Americans have migraines. By Cathy Wong, About.com Guide
1) Feverfew The herb feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) has been used for centuries as a folk remedy for headache, migraine, arthritis, pain, and fever in Europe. It became especially popular in England in the 1980s as an alternative to conventional drugs for migraines. Several studies have evaluated the effectiveness of feverfew for the prevention and treatment of migraines. For example, one study examined the use of a feverfew extract or a placebo in 170 people with migraines. There was a significant decrease in migraine frequency with feverfew, which decreased by 1.9 migraines per month, compared to the placebo, which decreased by 1.3 migraines per month. Not all studies have shown that feverfew is effective, however. A critical review of five studies on feverfew and migraines, involving a total of 343 people, concluded that results were mixed and did not convincingly establish that feverfew was effective for preventing migraine. Side effects of feverfew may include abdominal pain, gas, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and nervousness. People with allergies to chamomile, ragweed, or yarrow should not take feverfew. Feverfew may increase bleeding time, so it should not be taken by people with bleeding disorders or two to three weeks before or after surgery. The safety of feverfew in pregnant or nursing women or children has not been established. Feverfew may interact with "blood-thinning" medications, such as aspirin and warfarin (Coumadin) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). People taking these medications should consult a healthcare practitioner before taking feverfew.
2) 5-HTP 5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan) is a compound produced in the body from the amino acid tryptophan. It is used in the body to make the neurotransmitter serotonin and the hormone melatonin. 5-HTP is also available in supplement form. It is made from the seeds of an African plant, called Griffonia simplicifolia. Since supplements that affect levels of serotonin are used for migraines, 5-HTP has been explored as an alternative. Some research indicates that 5-HTP may prevent migraines and reduce the frequency and severity of migraines, however large randomized controlled trials are needed. In one study, 124 people were given 5-HTP (600 mg/day) or the drug methysergide. After six months, 5-HTP was found to be as effective as methysergide in reducing the severity and duration of migraines. Another study looked at 5-HTP or the drug propranolol for 4 months. Both treatments resulted in a statistically significant reduction in the frequency of migraines. However, the propranolol group fared better, with a reduction in the duration of episodes and the number of analgesics used for the treatment of episodes. For more information on 5-HTP, read the 5-HTP Fact Sheet.
SPLIFF February 2011 63
HEALTH + Medicine + cont... 3) Magnesium Magnesium is a mineral found naturally in foods such as green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains and in nutritional supplements. Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions. It helps regulate blood sugar levels and is needed for normal muscle and nerve function, heart rhythm, immune function, blood pressure, and for bone health. Several studies have evaluated the effectiveness of magnesium for migraine and have had promising results. In one study, oral magnesium (600 mg per day) or a placebo were given to 81 people with migraines. After nine weeks, the frequency of migraines was reduced by 41.6 percent in the group taking magnesium, compared to 15.8 percent in the group taking the placebo. The only reported side effects were diarrhea in 18.6 percent of people and digestive irritation in 4.7 percent. Other studies have found that magnesium reduces the severity and frequency of migraine. Not all studies have confirmed it, however, so more studies are needed. High doses of magnesium may cause diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite, muscle weakness, difficulty breathing, low blood pressure, irregular heart rate, and confusion. It can interact with certain medications, such as those for osteoporosis, high blood pressure (calcium channel blockers), as well as some antibiotics, muscle relaxants, and diuretics.
4) Butterbur The herb butterbur (Petasites hybridus) is a shrub-like plant that grows in northern Asia, Europe, and parts of North America. Extracts made from the herb have been used to treat migraines, stomach cramps, coughs, allergies, and asthma. Several studies suggest that butterbur helps to prevent migraines. The largest study involved 245 people with migraine took either butterbur extract (50 or 75 milligrams twice a day) or a placebo. After four months of treatment, butterbur, 75 milligrams twice a day but not 50 milligrams twice a day, was more effective than placebo for migraines.Side effects were mild and included mild digestive complaints, predominantly burping. Side effects of butterbur may include indigestion, headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrha, or constipation. Pregnant or nursing women, children, or people with kidney or liver disease should not take butterbur. Butterbur is in the ragweed plant family, so people who are allergic to ragweed, marigold, daisy, or chrysanthemum should not use butterbur. The raw herb as well as teas, extracts, and capsules made from the raw herb should not be used because they contain substances called pyrrolizidine alkaloids that can be toxic to the liver and kidneys and may cause cancer.
64 February 2011 SPLIFF
It is possible to remove the pyrrolizidine alkaloids from butterbur products. For example, in Germany, there is a safety limit to the level of pyrrolizidine alkaloids allowed in butterbur products. The daily recommended dose cannot exceed one microgram per day.
Everyone should be using vaporizers! Benefits of Marijuana Vaporizers Why? Because you’re lungs will thank you. When smoking marijuana, you really want to smoke 2 ingredients, THC and CBN. Although you end up smoking the plant too, which contains harmful carcinogens. Vaporizers are great because they simply heat up the herb until pure THC and CBN’s are released, NOT burning the plant. This makes vaporizers a smart, and healthy method of using marijuana. Read below to discover the many health benefits of vaporizing marijuana.
How They Work... Vaporizers heat up marijuana to around 180190 degrees Celsius, where active cannabinoid vapors are released. Noxious smoke and carcinogenic toxins are produced at a higher temperature, 230 degrees. Vaporizers allow us to bypass these nasty toxins. Use Vaporizers for your health! Click and discover the benefits today!
Marijuana smoke contains hazardous toxins Its well known that marijuana smoke contains hazardous toxins which aren’t great for your respiratory system. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons are highly carcinogenic, and believed to be a leading factor in cigarette related cancers. California NORML and MAPS recently conducted a laboratory study and found that vaporizers are truly able to drastically reduce or eliminate harmful smoke toxins, while still delivering cannabinoids. Get more info on this study right here. To date, at least 4 vaporizer studies have been performed. Back in 1996 one study found more tar in the vapor, although the vaporizers were of a primitive design. Since, great leaps and bounds have been made in Vaporizer technology. A study in 2006 by researchers at Leiden University tested the high end volcano vaporizer and found this: “Our results show that with the Volcano a safe and effective herbal delivery system seems to be available to patients. The final pulmonal uptake of active ingredients is comparable to the smoking of them, while avoiding the respiratory disadvantages of smoking.”
SPLIFF February 2011 65
HEALTH + Exercise Managing Your Condition With Exercise
Need a reason to work out?
Here are 7 to start... What if someone told you that a thinner, healthier, and longer life was within your grasp? Sound too good to be true? According to a wealth of research, exercise is the silver bullet for a better quality of life. Not only does regular exercise aid in weight loss, it reduces your risk for several chronic diseases and conditions. Finding activities that you enjoy and that become part of your daily routine is the key to a long and healthy life. The list of health benefits is impressive, and the requirements are relatively simple -- just do it. Research has confirmed that any amount of exercise, at any age, is beneficial. And, in general, the more you do, the greater the benefits. The National Academy of Sciences has recommended that everyone strive for a total of an hour per day of physical activity. Sounds like a lot, but the hour can be made up of several shorter bursts of activity (it can be walking, gardening, even heavy housecleaning) done throughout the day. Physical activity is an essential part of any weight-loss program, to maximize your fat loss while keeping valuable muscle mass. But exercise has many other health and longevity benefits. It can help prevent or improve these conditions: 1. Heart Disease. Regular activity strengthens your heart muscle; lowers blood pressure; increases "good" cholesterol (high-density lipoproteins or HDLs) and lowers "bad" cholesterol (low-density lipoproteins or LDLs); enhances blood flow; and helps your heart function more efficiently. All of these benefits reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Researchers at Duke University suggest that the amount of physical activity, rather than its intensity, has the biggest impact on improving blood lipids (cholesterol). According to The New England Journal of Medicine, these researchers also found that any exercise is better than none -- although more is better. 2. Stroke. In an analysis of 23 studies, researchers found that being active reduces your risk of having and dying from a stroke. According to a study published in the journal Stroke, moderately active study participants had 20% less risk of stroke than less active participants. 66 February 2011 SPLIFF
3. Type II Diabetes. This disease is increasing at alarming rates -- by 62% since 1990 -- and 17 million Americans now have it. Physical activity can enhance weight loss and help prevent and/or control this condition. Losing weight can increase insulin sensitivity, improve blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and reduce blood pressure -- all of which are very important to the health of people with diabetes. In a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Frank Hu, MD, of the Harvard School of Public Health found that a brisk walk for one hour daily could reduce the risk of type II diabetes by 34%. Ward Off Disease continued... 4. Obesity. Overweight and obese conditions can be prevented or treated with exercise along with a healthy diet. Activity helps to reduce body fat and increase muscle mass, thus improving your body's ability to burn calories. The combination of reduced calories and daily exercise is the ticket to weight loss. And controlling obesity is critical, as it is a major risk factor for many diseases. Lowering your body mass index (BMI) is a sure way to reduce your risk of dying early and to live a healthier life. 5. Back Pain. Back pain can be managed or prevented with a fitness program that includes muscle strengthening and flexibility. Having good posture and a strong abdomen is the body's best defense against back pain. 6. Osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercise (such as walking, jogging, stair climbing, dancing, or lifting weights) strengthens bone formation and helps prevent the osteoporosis or bone loss often seen in women after menopause. Combine a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D with regular weight-bearing exercise for maximum results. According to The Journal of the American Medical Association, data from the Nurses' Health Study showed that women who walked four or more hours per week had 41% fewer hip fractures than those who walked less than an hour a week. 7. Psychological Benefits. Improved self-esteem is one of the top benefits of regular physical activity. While exercising, your body releases chemicals called endorphins that can improve your mood and the way you feel about yourself. The feeling that follows a run or workout is often described as "euphoric" and is accompanied by an energizing outlook. Exercise can help you cope with stress and ward off depression and anxiety.
And these are just a few of the ways exercise improves your health. Studies have suggested it can also help with certain types of cancer, improve immune function, & more Š2005-2009 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved. WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
SPLIFF February 2011 67
ENTERTAINMENT + Yukmouth
70 February 2011 SPLIFF
ENTERTAINMENT + Yukmouth + cont...
SPLIFF February 2011 73
ENTERTAINMENT + Smoke Sessions + Doug Benson
76 February 2011 SPLIFF
SPLIFF February 2011 77
www .TheFantasyDolls. com
78 February 2011 SPLIFF
ENTERTAINMENT + Smoke Sessions+ Doug Benson + cont...
SPLIFF February 2011 79
SPLIFF February 2011 82
ENTERTAINMENT + Weed Natioon
SPLIFF February 2011 83
ENTERTAINMENT + Weed Natioon
84 February 2011 SPLIFF
SPLIFF February 2011 85
ENTERTAINMENT + Weed Natioon
86 February 2011 SPLIFF
SPLIFF February 2011 87
FANTASY DOLLS + KRYSTAL
88 February 2011 SPLIFF
FANTASY DOLLS + KRYSTAL
SPLIFF February 2011 89
FANTASY DOLLS + KRYSTAL
90 February 2011 SPLIFF
FANTASY DOLLS + KRYSTAL
SPLIFF February 2011 91
GROW ROOM
Setting Up the Grow Room Step-by-Step
Set up the grow room before bringing in any plants. Construction requires space and planning. Once the grow room is set up and totally operational, the room will be ready for plants.
Step One: Choose an outof-the-way space with little or no traffic. A corner in the basement or a spare bedroom is perfect. A 1,000-watt HID, properly set up, will efficiently illuminate up to a 6 x 6-foot room. The ceiling should be at least 5 feet high. Keep in mind that plants are set up about one foot off the ground in containers and the lamp needs about a foot of space to hang from the ceiling. This leaves only three feet of space for plants to grow. If forced to grow in an attic or basement with a low 4-foot ceiling, much can be done to compensate for the loss of height, including cloning, bending, pruning and using 400-watt lamps.
94 February 2011 SPLIFF
Step Two:
Enclose the room, if not already enclosed. Remove everything that does not pertain to the garden. Furniture and especially drapes and curtains may harbor fungi. An enclosed room allows easy, precise control of everything and everyone that enters, exits and who and what goes on inside. For most growers, enclosing the grow room is simply a matter of tacking up some sheet rock in the basement or attic and painting it flat white. Make sure no light is visible from outside. If covering a window, do so discretely so that it is not boarded up. Insulate windows and walls so a tale-tell heat signature does not escape. Often basement windows are painted to look like the foundation. Place some stuff – books, personal effects, household goods, etc. – in front of the window and build a box around the things so that a natural scene is seen from the outside. At night, bright light leaking
from a crack in an uncovered window is like a beacon to curious neighbors or bandits.
Step Three: Cover walls, ceiling, floor everything with a highly reflective, material like flat white paint or whitewash. The more reflection, the more light energy that is available to plants. Good reflective light will allow effective coverage of a HID lamp to increase from 10 to 20 percent, just by putting a few dollars worth of paint on the walls. Reflective white Visqueen® plastic is inexpensive and protects walls and floors. A vent fan and an oscillating circulation fan are essential to keep a healthy environment.
Step Four:
See "Setting Up the Vent Fan" in Chapter Six. Constant air circulation and a supply of fresh air are essential and often inadequate. There
should be at least one fresh air vent in a 10 x l0-foot room. Vents can be an open door, window or duct vented to the outside. An exhaust fan vented outdoors, pulling new fresh air through an open door usually creates an adequate flow of air. An oscillating fan works well for circulation. When installing such a fan, make sure it is not set in a fixed position and blows too hard on tender plants. It could cause windburn or in the case of young seedlings and clones, dry them out. If the room contains a heat vent, it may be opened to supply extra heat or air circulation.
Step Five: The larger your garden gets, the more water it will need. A 10 x10-foot garden could use more than 50 gallons a week. Carrying water is hard regular work. One gallon of water weighs 8 pounds, 50 x 8 = 400 pounds of water a week! It is much easier to run in a hose with an on/off valve or install a hose bib in the room than to schlep water. A 3-foot watering wand attached to the hose on/off valve makes watering easier and saves branches from being broken when watering in dense foliage. Hook the hose up to a hot and cold water source so the
temperature is easy to regulate.
needed, chances are they will be put to use. A good example is a Step Six: Ideally the floor hygrometer. If plants show signs of slow, sickly growth, due to high should be concrete or a smooth humidity, most growers will not surface that can be swept and notice the exact cause right washed down. A floor drain is away. They will wait and guess, very handy. In grow rooms with wait and guess and maybe figure carpet or wood floors, a large, it out before a fungus attacks and white, painter's dropcloth or thick the plant dies. When a hygromewhite Visqueen® plastic, will proter is installed before plants are tect floors from moisture. Trays in the grow room, the horticulturplaced beneath each container ist will know from the start when add protection and convenience. the humidity is too high and causing sickly growth. Step Seven: Mount a hook strong enough to support Step Nine: Read and com30 pounds for each lamp. Attach plete: “Setting Up the HID Lamp” an adjustable chain or cord and at the end of Chapter Two. pulley between the ceiling hook and the lamp fixture. The adjustable connection makes it Step Ten: Move seedlings easy to keep the lamp at the and rooted clones into room. proper distance from plants and Huddle them closely together up out of the way during mainte- under the lamp. Make sure the nance. HID is not so close to small plants that it burns their leaves. Step Eight: There are Move 400-watt lamps 18 inches above seedlings and clones. some tools an indoor gardener Place a 600-watt lamp 24 inches must have and a few extra tools away and a 1000-watt lamp 30 that make indoor horticulture inches away. Check the distance much more precise and cost efdaily. Hang a precut string from fective. The extra tools help the hood to measure distance. make the garden so efficient that they pay for themselves in a few weeks. Secure all the tools before bringing plants into the room. If the tools are there when
Necessary Tools: Thermometer Spray bottle pH tester Liquid biodegradable soap Hygrometer Pruners or scissors
Wire ties Sheetrock screws Screwdriver Measuring cup and spoons Pencil and notebook Moisture meter Light meter Yardstick to measure growth!
SPLIFF February 2011 95
GROW ROOM
What should I consider when setting up a grow room? Excerpted from Chapter One, Indoor Marijuana Horticulture, The Indoor Bible, by Jorge Cervantes
About Grow Rooms he best location for a grow room is in an obscure corner of a basement, where the temperature is easy to keep constant year round. Basements are well insulated by concrete walls and soil. A basement room can be enclosed and camouflaged with junk, a double wall, work bench or shelving.
T
Added security is afforded by installing a false door in a closet. The grow room is located behind the secret door. Another good secret location, except for the possible heat build-up, is the attic. Few people venture to an attic that is difficult to access. Some growers locate their gardens below a trap door covered with a rug. Law enforcement cannot use the electricity bill as sole grounds for a search warrant. But they can use it along with other “evidence” such as remnants of indoor growing visible outdoors, thermal image heat signatures, snitch testimony, etc. to secure a search warrant. As long as the marijuana grown is not sold or shown to a snitch, there should be no reason for any suspicion. Thermal image technology is easy to outwit. Just keep the lights on during daylight hours to confuse the technology. Or cool exhaust air and expel it under the well-insulated grow house so it does not leave a heat trail. Out buildings garages and barns not attached to homes are some of the worst places to grow. Often thieves and law enforcement do not look at entering a barn or garage as a crime, when they would not consider entering a home. Security is much better when the garden is within the home. Although less common, there are even grow rooms on wheels! Some innovative growers have remodeled trailer houses and busses into grow rooms. One of my favorite grow rooms was in a tricked-out trailer. Another was in a 60-foot sailing yacht!
96 February 2011 SPLIFF
The size of grow room determines the size and the number of lamps. HID lamps that work well to grow marijuana are available in 150, 175, 250, 400, 600, 1000 and 1100 wattages. Smaller wattages from 150 – 400, work well in closets or spaces with 9 – 21 square feet of floor space. Use 600-watt and larger bulbs for larger areas.
SPLIFF February 2011 97
98 February 2011 SPLIFF
DiD You KNOW ? * The University of Mississippi has grown marijuana (including a placebo with virtually no THC) for U.S. government-approved research since 1968. Each year the
university grows 1.5 acres, 6.5 acres, or none, depending upon demand.
*
In 1978 the U.S. government started the Compassionate Investigational New Drug (IND) program. Although closed for new patients in 1991, it still supplies 320-360 marijuana cigarettes monthly to each of the four seriously ill patients remaining in the program.
*
Marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 drug by the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, meaning it is considered to have a "high potential for abuse," "no currently accepted medical use," and "a lack of accepted safety." Rescheduling marijuana to the less restrictive Schedule II or III (45 KB) remains a contentious issue.
http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/viewresource.asp?resourceID=000091
SPLIFF February 2011 99
the green alternative
FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRES CALL (510) 367-6988 OR EMAIL ADVERTISE@SPLIFFMAGAZINE.COM