Evercannabis, July, 2017

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EVERCANNABIS evercannabis.com

formerly Spokannabist

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

IN THIS ISSUE 6 Unwanted aroma Not always easy to remove ‘that’ smell

for your wedding 12 Green Why some couples are seeking hemp options

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Boating with your bud(s) Remember local laws when recreating

When kids need cannabis Parents exploring natural possibilities

...Whenever I

start a new project, I like to learn its history first. Since I happen to be employed at a wonderful community resource, there’s no end to research opportunities on just about any topic, from home prices on the South Hill in 1924 to the comics pages from 1938. (Oh, Alley Oop, I still don’t understand …)

Our EVERCANNABIS way-back machine has been unearthing all sorts of news about the Spokane area’s interactions with marijuana, mainly in the form of lots of arrests.

In the last decade, we’ve also seen stories appearing that show what could be called the ‘human element,’ or at least the entrepreneurial spirit of medical marijuana growers and sellers. These led to DEA raids of local dispensaries in 2011, but also planted the seeds of the larger legal economy we have today.

One interesting part was a weeklong series in December 1971 showing Spokane’s scary drug culture. It

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referenced a Spokesman-Review series launched two years prior, which I haven’t run across yet, but declared, “it’s much worse now than it was then, and we don’t know what to do.”

Authorities described how the kids don’t care, parents are clueless, the police can’t do anything, and crime is spiraling out of control to tragic levels.

The piece also included an image of local teens with blurred faces sharing a hookah, complete with black bars covering their eyes. Another article in the series showed a “pot party” at a local college, and warned about marijuana being smuggled into Washington in the remains of fallen soldiers from Vietnam.

Frightening stuff for sure, but society appears to have continued, perhaps even progressed, from those dire warnings.

With EVERCANNABIS, we promise not to be so scary, or at least back up any community concerns with legitimate reasons for them. Hopefully the ‘reefer madness’ days are as firmly in the past as 8-track players and phone booths, and people can look ahead to learning more factual, even interesting info! Please continue to share your ideas and questions!

Joe Butler, Managing Editor

Interested in being an EVERCANNABIS FREE distribution location?

Please contact 509.459.5095 or evercannabis@spokesman.com Marijuana and marijuana-infused products are legal for Washington residents 21 years and older.

It has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. It can impair concentration, coordination and judgment. There may be health risks associated with consumption.

EVERCANNABIS VOLUME 2

ISSUE 2

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman-Review

www.evercannabis.com evercannabis@spokesman.com 509.459.5095

DIRECTOR, SALES & MARKETING Kathleen Coleman PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Dan Fritts MANAGING EDITOR Joe Butler

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Anne Potter

LOCAL CONTRIBUTORS Allison Hall

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Trish Merryman

Staci Lehman

SALES LEAD Wes Ward

Courtney Dunham Derek Brown

THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW EDITORIAL TEAM Betsy Z. Russell

www.spokesman.com 509.459.5400 news@spokesman.com

Sarah Bain

Proud member of

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

By JOE BUTLER

CINDER OPENS DOWNTOWN STORE

warehouse, offices, a service station, and other one- and twostory businesses. The renovation The rules of economics tell us included all sorts of interior and that customers are the real winners exterior demolition, and there’s in a competitive market: when there more to come. are a lot of choices, it’s easy to switch to whoever provides the best Peterson hopes visitors will price, the best flavor, and the most enjoy the new look which features convenience. warm walnut tones but still shows elements from its industrial past.

Justin Peterson, owner of Cinder, knows this, which is why he likes “I had some high standards going hearing that customers only shop in, and wanted to keep the exposed at Cinder’s locations that include beams and natural wood,” he said.

North side, Spokane Valley and a Part of the Cinder experience is newly opened downtown Spokane budtenders and managers who are shop. always ready to help customers.

“The other day I was up at our “We want to provide the best North store, and ran into one of our levels of customer service and be earliest customers,” he said. “This completely knowledgeable about guy had to have been one of the everything we’re selling,” Peterson first 100 to come in when we first said. opened years ago, and he still loves People seeking medical marijuana coming back.” products can privately consult with With more than 30 cannabis a trained employee in a separate retailers in Spokane County room. alone, and about 400 statewide, Cinder’s approach is also to Peterson expects people to check recognize local processors and out different establishments to see what kind of products, atmosphere producers as much as possible, and the shop plans to create different and experience they like. But he’d displays featuring Spokane-area ultimately like Cinder to be the top growers and processors. choice.

EVERCANNABIS Writer

“We want to be where everyone can go and feel welcome,” he said. “Some shops focus more on younger customers, older customers, serious smokers, or people only wanting the most affordable stuff. But anyone can come here and find something.”

Cinder’s third store and first downtown location opened in mid-May, after more than a year of major renovations at the Second Avenue location. The other two shops opened in 2014.

Cinder Locations: North Spokane (7011 N. Division) Spokane Valley (1412 N. Mullan Road) Downtown Spokane (927 W. Second Avenue)

www.cindersmoke.com

“After everything we did, it probably would have been cheaper and less work to knock it all down and rebuild,” he said. “But I like how it all turned out – this is really something we can give back to the community.”

Since at least the 1920s, the downtown space has been a

“We believe in local support, and we’re trying to work with local bands and get involved in the community in other ways,” he said. “We’ve been wanting to do something like this for a long time.”

Peterson also makes sure to recognize his employees, many who have been with the company since the beginning.

“We have some great people, and now we’re proud to offer them health benefits as well,” he said.

“They get full medical and dental, and we’re trying to figure out a 401K.” De’Aysana Williams is a budtender at Cinder’s new downtown Spokane store.

Photo by Trish Merryman/ EVERCANNABIS

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

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CBD oil study reports success:

Savory Sensations

Seizures sharply reduced in children with severe epilepsy In February, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reported that the drug appeared to be helping Idaho kids, and requested expansion of the state program to up to 39 children, to accommodate all those on a waiting list; Otter and lawmakers approved the expansion, at a cost of $128,600 in state funds.

By BETSY Z. RUSSELL, reporter The Spokesman-Review

Epidiolex, a drug derived from the marijuana plant that’s been tested in research involving children with a severe form of epilepsy – including two dozen children in Idaho who are receiving the drug under a “compassionate use” program – is sharply reducing violent seizures suffered by the children, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The drug, whose main ingredient also is known as cannabidiol, cut the median number of monthly convulsive seizures from 12.4 to 5.9 in 52 children with Dravet syndrome who took the medication over a 14-week test period; 56 children using a placebo saw the number of seizures drop only from a median of 14.9 to 14.1 per month.

Gov. Butch Otter vetoed legislation in 2015 that would have allowed Idaho parents of children with intractable epilepsy to treat their children legally with cannabidiol, or CBD oil.

Following the veto, he issued an executive order allowing up to 25 carefully screened Idaho children to receive Epidiolex under a compassionate use program.

All Idaho kids in the program receive the real drug, not a placebo. But the Washington Post reported recently that Epidiolex is not available anywhere in the world, except to about 1,500 children who are receiving it from the manufacturer, GW Pharmaceuticals, under compassionate-use rules for Dravet syndrome, a condition that causes ongoing seizures, cognitive problems and risk of early death.

GW Pharmaceuticals CEO Justin Glover told the Post the company plans to submit the drug for approval by the Food and Drug Administration in the middle of this year with the hope that it could be available by prescription in 2018 for children with Dravet and another severe form of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. The company announced in March 2016 that an earlier stage of the study had shown the drug to be effective.

“The important thing for us is that patients like this deserve a pharmaceutical solution,” Glover said. The firm conducted 18 years of basic research before beginning development of the drug three years ago.

Epidiolex is not psychoactive; it lacks the intoxicating component of marijuana.

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

A smelly situation Smokers, growers still look for ways to mask skunky aroma

By ALLISON HALL EVERCANNABIS Correspondent

Way before legalization, marijuana smokers tried all sorts of methods to keep the smell away from parents, roommates, employers, neighbors, the cops or maybe even the kids.

Solutions were sometimes as simple as masking the smell with stronger aromas, such as deliberately burned popcorn. Or the classic cover-up scents of incense or patchouli oil.

Today, even though pot’s legal status has changed in Washington, and there’s less risk of being seriously busted if detected, some users may not necessarily want others to know they’re partaking, or may not want the smell to linger in their clothes or hair, or their home or car.

This

isn’t just personal use either: producers and processors also want to minimize the smell of growing plants from lingering in employee or visitor clothing, or bothering neighbors.

Try some of these tips and tricks to remove smells: Spray Spray air fresheners can cover airborne aromas relatively quickly. Try Febreeze, Ozium, Green Air Cleaner or Squelch.

Each of these can help reduce or remove smells for around $15 (8 oz).

A Canadian aerosol product called 420 Clear is also available for personal use or commercial use to remove cannabis plant and smoke smells in small or large areas.

Sizes include a 100 ml-personalsized spray bottle for around $15 or a 3.78 liter jumbo industrial size jug for around $75. (get420clear.com) Smoke Filter Using a design similar to safety rebreathers, Sploofy covers your mouth and lets you inhale and exhale smoke through a filter. The base unit costs around $15-$20 plus any replacement cartridges. (sploofybrand.com/) Some industrious DIY smokers craft their own ‘doob tubes’ or ‘sploofs’ by stuffing a

toilet paper roll or paper towel roll with dryer sheets or fabric lightly soaked in Febreeze. Users inhale normally, and exhale through the tube, which is supposed to transform the weed smell into a fresh laundry smell. This may not be the wisest solution, health-wise, due to the additional toxins you’ll inhale.

Vape Pen Vaporizer pens deliver cannabinoids directly to you in a few seconds, so there’s not a lot of lingering scents or smoke.

Disposable pens cost between $30-$50, while multi-use ones run as high as $200.

Windows Opening a window and placing a fan blowing outward draws smoke out, even though downwind neighbors may not appreciate it. This helps the smell from settling inside, especially if you’re smoking near the fan.

Cooking Cooking with onions or making popcorn can mask odors since food smells linger longer than pot smoke.

Exhaust Vents Turn on your exhaust vent in the bathroom and light a few matches.

The sulfur will reduce the smell while the vent removes the aroma.

Go Outside Join your nicotine-loving pals outdoors, provided you’re on private property. Blow smoke up and away.

Don’t forget classic sneaky strategies like brushing teeth or chewing gum. Some marijuana smokers sometimes also switch to tobacco after they finish a joint since more people are accustomed to this smell. Use a hand sanitizer to remove the smell and any residue.

Growing

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

(older)

By DEREK BROWN EVERCANNABIS Correspondent

PAINS

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How seniors can benefit from cannabis

Concern about side effects of narcotics and interest in more legal medical choices are leading to more seniors looking into cannabis options.

According to the National Survey of Drug Use and Health, between 2011-14 in Washington state, the number of people who have used cannabis over the age of 65 increased from 0.9 percent to 2.4 percent.

At Cannabis & Glass, a Spokane retailer, none of the senior customers interviewed wanted to comment due to concerns about marijuana’s lingering social stigma and the current political climate.

However the store staff said business from people in their 60s, 70s and older continues to grow.

“I have a 93-year-old customer that comes in a couple times a week,” said budtender Jacob Falconer. “She uses it for her arthritis because she doesn’t want to use opiates.”

Falconer said many older customers prefer cannabis that’s high in CBD, a molecular compound that doesn’t cause psychoactive reactions – the “high” associated with marijuana – but is believed to reduce pain and anxiety.

“We have this younger lady come in with MS and she swears by it,” he said. “We also get a lot of older people coming in and they don’t know anything about CBD.” Last year, Washington merged its recreational and medical marijuana systems, which Falconer said may have confused some medical patients, especially more elderly

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

ones. They may have known what they liked and how to get it from a dispensary, but not necessarily the distinctions between CBD and THC, another compound. They also may not have known what to do at the rec stores, or had fears that they can only buy items to make them high.

“I have customers with a plethora of issues that they use cannabis for,” said Nadya Kulinich, another budtender at Cannabis & Glass. “One older lady came in looking for relief for menopause with her friends. She was told that hormones could help her, but didn’t want to go that way -- she wanted to go with something more natural instead.”

Neither Kulinich or Falconer have medical training, and only one employee at Cannabis & Glass has medical experience in how to talk about medical marijuana. But they are happy to help customers with their selections and explain the current system.

“We tell customers, ‘We’re not doctors, so we can’t tell you how to use it medically,’ but we can tell them what we’ve researched ourselves, and our own experiences,” Falconer said.

Kulinch has met several customers with damage to their digestive system due to chemotherapy who have found relief with cannabis.

“It makes me feel absolutely ecstatic that older people are able to find an option other than what they‘ve been prescribed,” Kulinich said. “It makes me relieved that people realize there are options out there that are not as damaging and destructive as opioids or other things that they’ve been prescribed.”

A recent study, “The Increasing Use of Cannabis Among Older Americans: A Public Health Crisis or Viable Policy Alternative?” indicated that cannabis use in senior-aged people may be a viable alternative to prescription medications, including pain relief.

But there are also studies that have opposite conclusions: “The effect of cannabis use on memory function” by Tabea Schoeler and Sagnik Bhattacharyya indicated that long term use of cannabis has been linked to a decrease in memory. Some users can experience anxiety, paranoia, dry mouth, and a range of other minor side effects, Falconer said “lack of side effects” is a consistent reason why older customers come in.

“They’re already on other medications and a lot of them come in trying to get off those,” he said. “That makes it worthwhile right there.”

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

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TERPEFESTIVAL, SEATTLE Terpefestival, Seattle. Celebrate the wonder and science of terpenes. Growers can have their strains professionally analyzed in the Terpene Tournament. cannabisandsocialpolicy.org/terpestival-2017 420 GAMES, BOULDER, COLO. Walk, run, ride or skate a 4.20 mile route around the Boulder Reservoir. Annual ďŹ tness event concludes with beer tasting, speeches, music, comedy and a trade show.

420games.org/events/boulder-2017 HEMPFEST, SEATTLE The 26th annual ‘protestival’ celebrates the value of hemp and advocates legal reform. Enjoy music, crafts and speakers while learning about human rights, equality and freedom. www.hempfest.org

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

HEALTH CARE Fully insured?

Cannabis businesses explore offering health benefits

By STACI LEHMAN EVERCANNABIS Correspondent

While working for a small business has many advantages, employees sometimes may lack health care.

Insurance plans can be expensive and employers may conclude that good benefit packages are sometimes beyond the scope of what they can afford.

That includes businesses in the marijuana industry.

However, this view is starting to change, as more businesses are exploring how to provide coverage for their people. At the same time, insurance companies are learning more about the industry.

“I think what’s happening is… (cannabis) is starting to be seen as a legitimate business,” said Drew Toomey, an independent consultant for the insurance industry. He’s based in Poulsbo but helps businesses throughout Washington State obtain coverage for companies and employees.

Due to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) laws, large, prominent health insurers can’t comment whether they insure businesses in the marijuana industry, such as retailers or processors.

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

Toomey is also bound by HIPAA laws, but because he technically doesn’t insure anyone directly, he can elaborate a little on different business types.

In the last year, he has seen a definite increase in cannabis companies contacting him for help, sometimes out of increasing financial stability, sometimes just to offer another benefit to employees.

“I think having the economy be on the uptick again, people seem to be making money again and want to invest it in maintaining a happy and productive workforce,” he said.

Many of the cannabis businesses Toomey works with are small businesses that need help determining what plan works best for them. There is also a lot of confusion over whether to choose a plan under President Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) or find something outside of the public exchange environment.

“It doesn’t cost anything to have a broker help out,” Toomey said.

There currently aren’t any insurance companies that are specifically focusing on the cannabis industry.

Companies that provide health insurance plans in the area, such as Kaiser Permanente and Premera Blue Cross couldn’t comment on what kinds of businesses purchase their plans, but a Premera spokesperson says the company doesn’t discriminate based on business type.

“We are required to provide quotes to any group that meets the definition of a small business, as determined by the state Department of Licensing,” said Melanie Coon, Senior Communications Manager at Premera. According to Coon, the state’s definition of “small” is “more than one, but less than 49 employees.”

Local cannabis retailers that offer benefits include Cinder and Treehouse Club.

The Treehouse Club Manager Shawn Durkin said health care has been an option since not long after the business opened in October 2015.

“The owners really wanted to take care of us here,” said Durkin. “And as a result, we have really good (employee) retention.”

Toomey said creating a customized insurance plan can help employers attract and retain people.

The Treehouse Club pays the bulk of costs associated with the benefits, rather than passing it on to the 13 employees. It doesn’t provide dental insurance but offers a dental stipend.

Many small businesses aren’t able to provide benefits and not all companies can fill the eligibility requirements.

A company has to be able to pay 75 percent of employee premiums and have 75 percent of eligible employees willing to participate.

“It’s a family-run business,” said Durkin, “To be a successful business, you have to have happy employees and to have happy employees they have to take care of themselves.”

If you run a cannabis business, or any small business, seeking health insurance, there are many resources available, including answers to common insurance questions at www.wahealthplanfinder.org.

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

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502

By COURTNEY DUNHAM EVERCANNABIS Correspondent

Every bride-to-be wants her wedding to be special. And trying to incorporate cannabis into your festivities is about as unique as it gets.

With the increasing popularity – and legality – of hemp and cannabis products, trend watchers are predicting that we’ll start to see more of these elements in mainstream weddings.

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From gowns crafted out of hemp to sprigs of marijuana plants in floral arrangements to offering adult guests not only alcohol, but also legal recreational marijuana products, brides are finding more ways to make cannabis a part of their special day.

34 RETAILERS

One bride who went this direction last summer was Spokane native Teresa Foster, who started with the goal of wanting something environmentally friendly.

“At first I didn’t even think about a hemp gown; it was more about doing away with the extra plates and cups that are used at receptions,” she said. “We were at the age where we were going to several weddings every summer, and the excess garbage really turned me off having a big wedding.”

So she searched for ways to make her event as eco-friendly as possible, including finding a gown made of natural hemp fibers, and designing a sustainable menu.

Foster and her husband Paul decided to get married in Colorado since that state was a little ahead in the overall acceptance of hemp and related products. They remain Colorado residents.

The couple used Teresa’s mother’s china instead of disposable tableware, which also added more of a personal touch, plus less waste.

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

“I think it made her very proud – if not a little more uptight that something might happen to it though,” she said.

The couple made the food simpler to cut down on leftovers. Instead of a formal sit-down dinner, they offered multiple appetizers.

“Whatever wasn’t eaten, which wasn’t much, my sisters packaged up in recyclable containers and gave to guests who wanted to bring food home,” she says. “After several hours of dancing and partaking, we had many takers.”

Along with providing alcohol, the Fosters also chose to have a hemp and cannabis bar, where guests could enjoy hemp-infused drinks such as Hemplify, a beverage flavored with essential oils, and other non-psychoactive hemp plant ingredients. They also served THC-infused foods and elixirs

to guests who enjoy partaking.

“We told our friends to feel free to bring their vape pens, since a lot of them prefer to party with cannabis rather than drink,” she said. “We just wanted everyone to be as chilled and comfortable as possible.”

The first step, however, was the dress. Foster wanted to go with a material that was environmentally safe and also know where the fabric came from. She chose a hemp-silk blend fabric gown processed without chemicals from the Hempist, an eco-friendly online retailer. Her mom enhanced it with pieces from her grandmother’s wedding gown.

“I got married in August, so my comfort in the heat was essential,” she said. “Hemp gowns are just as uniquely beautiful, not to mention comfortable and cool.”

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

It’s not hard for cannabis enthusiasts to show their love of the herb – and their special someones – with hemp gowns, infused drinks, vaping stations and pot-leaf bouquets.

The Knot.com, an online resource for brides-to-be, recently asked members how they felt about cannabis at weddings.

More than 67 percent of the 1,000 survey-takers voted “Yeah! I’d love to go to that wedding,” whereas 22 percent voted “No! Drugs don’t belong at weddings.” The remaining 11 percent stated “I’m not for or against it.”

Proponents say that, in places where weed is legal, pot’s presence is no different than alcohol. Open bars are often a staple at weddings and some even have designated smoking sections.

However, before you invite your guests to smoke ‘em if they’ve got ‘em, make sure you’re abiding by state and local laws.

The Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board said marijuana consumption is illegal if it’s at a public venue, like a park. It’s also illegal if it’s at a private venue but can be seen by the public.

Banquet permits allow temporary liquor sales, but cannabis is prohibited. Caterers also aren’t allowed to provide cannabis-infused menus since this could be considered selling marijuana without a license, and event hosts who want to provide marijuana to guests may quickly exceed their individual possession limits.

But even with the restrictions, which vary from state to state, the wedding industry is trying to offer more services and products.

“Every year there are more and more weddings where cannabis is incorporated,” said Philip Wolf, CEO and cofounder of the Cannabis Wedding Expo, which holds annual bridal shows in San Francisco, Denver and Portland.

At Denver’s first expo last year, Wolf said 35 companies offered hemp gowns and “420”-themed bouquets, plus infused catering and bud-tending services and plenty of other elements. It was so successful that 1,500 attendees and 75 companies participated at expos in the other cities last year, and twice that many at the 2017 expos.

www.cannabisweddingexpo.com

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

This time of year, local boaters love bringing their beer and perhaps even good bud on their nautical adventures.

Summer Fun & Boating

However, local authorities want people to make sure they stay safe this summer and also follow local laws.

Idaho Parks and Recreation warns that impairment from either substance becomes more hazardous on the water than on land. Maritime activity like noise, vibration, sun, wind and spray can increase fatigue, and decrease coordination, reaction time and overall judgment.

Here’s what you need to know to stay safe:

• Operating a boat under the influence of any substance is a misdemeanor in Idaho, with a possible maximum penalty of $1,000 fine and six months in county jail. The standard for alcohol impairment is .08 percent. Idaho’s standard for marijuana is “any detectable amount” – and passengers could also be cited for possession.

• More than 3 ounces in Idaho is a felony, and the user could face up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. People can also be charged with possession of paraphernalia, or being under the influence of marijuana on public property or private property open to the public, which are also misdemeanors.

•

Washington boaters found under the influence of drugs or alcohol face gross misdemeanor charges punishable by up to a $5,000 fine and a year in jail. The legal standard for alcohol in the bloodstream is .08 percent or 5.0 nanograms for marijuana. Any officer can request that a boat operator take a breathalyzer test. Operators can be cited for refusal, facing up to a $2,050 fine.

•

It’s also illegal to use marijuana in public or in private area that can be seen by the public.

• Coast Guard officials also have the legal right to inspect boats or investigate passengers for marijuana, and could levy higher federal fines or jail times.

We are a compassionate ssionate group of medical and administration professionals, helping lping patients in Washington State, ate, obtain the right to use cannabis bis medicinally.

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• Growing without a medical recommendation is a FELONY • All legal patients can grow 4 Online verification cation @ plants w/recommendation patientsforpatientsmedical.com smedical.com • If patient registers with WA. ST. DOH, they can grow 6 plants SPOKANE/YAKIMA KIMA • WA. ST. Registry is Optional.

888.204.1260 PHONE • PTSD and TBI are now qualifying 888.204.1280 FAX conditions. PTSD only needs a diagnosis to qualify.

• Any single patient growing over 4 plants must register with WA. ST. DOH • 2-4 patient Co-ops must be registered with DOH and licensed by the WA. ST. LC & CB (Liquor Control and Cannabis Board).

• Multiple patients can grow under one legal residence without registering up to 15 plants per household (meaning 3 patients with same address can each grow 4 plants without registering with WA. ST. DOH).

• Patients who do not register have an affirmative medical defense in court • Showing diagnosis of qualifying condition, and treatment or annual medical update of QD. • Patients with an extreme well documented medical condition or extreme growing conditions can ask their doctor for up to 15 plants but must register with the WA. ST. DOH to be legal to do so.

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

P Parents bbalancing m medical nneeds aagainst ccurrent laws

POT & KIDS WITH

EPILEPSY?

By SARAH BAIN EVERCANNABIS Correspondent

Ryan Day has never used cannabis in his life. But he grows it, and extracts its oil to produce a certain compound to try to save his son Haiden’s life.

It’s the last thing Day wants to do after work every day, but, like other parents who use it as part of their child’s medical needs, Day feels like he doesn’t have any other choice.

“

It’s simple market economics,” he

explained. “My son gets 150 milligrams of CBD per day.

The market price of that —

“

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if I bought it from a licensed store in Washington — would be about

$54,000 per year.

Instead, for medically fragile patients and parents of medically fragile children, nothing could be further from the truth.

The 2016 act merged medical and recreational marijuana dispensaries, and now patients must purchase their product in stores previously considered recreational. Sales tax can be reduced slightly if patients voluntarily enter a state medical database.

“It’s simple market economics,” he explained. “My son gets 150 milligrams of CBD per day. The market price of that — if I bought it from a licensed store in Washington — would be about $54,000 per year.”

Prior to the act, there were more than 1,500 medical dispensaries, and now only 220 stores statewide have received medical endorsements, meaning they have at least one employee trained to advise medical patients in their cannabis selections.

When Washington’s Cannabis Patient Protection Act was enacted last summer, the name alone might have suggested that patients who use medical marijuana would find additional relief when cannabis was legalized for recreational use.

Day’s 8-year-old son Haiden has a severe and rare form of pediatric epilepsy called Dravet syndrome that can produce up to 10 grand mal seizures per day, mentally incapacitating him and preventing him from meeting normal childhood developmental or behavioral milestones.

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

Dravet Syndrome, characterized by seizures in the first year of life, is heat induced and can be brought on by a fever, warm bath or even a warm day outside.

Individual seizures can last for hours; Ryan timed one of Haiden’s longest at 45 minutes.

Most parents of kids with Dravet Syndrome come to medical marijuana as a last resort, Day explained.

“At some point most Dravet families will have their doctor tell them that there are no other medications to try and they cannot increase the dosages of current medications. That is when we get truly desperate,” said Day. Day’s family moved from the East Coast to Seattle in 2013 because the cooler weather was more compatible with Haiden’s illness, plus medical marijuana was legal here.

Haiden, 4 years old then, had been steadily declining for two years and was in the process of losing all of his skills and functions.

By November 2013, he lost his ability to communicate. Most of his days were spent highly medicated and unable to walk. He ended up in the ER at least once a month, and he was given rescue medications two or three times a month for seizures lasting more than five minutes.

Amber D. Lewis, a contract lobbyist in Olympia for a variety of clients, including the licensed and regulated cannabis industry, has worked with Day and his family to look for ways to change state policies and update the Legislature on the positive effects of medical marijuana.

“I met Haiden and fell in love with him,” Lewis said.

“

She said parents want and need a clean product that they can afford to purchase. (continued on page 21)

The fact that parents have to grow and make their own medicine is ridiculous.

No parent should be doing chemistry in their garage for their medically fragile child,”

“

Day said. “In my ideal world, I don’t ever have to grow a cannabis plant again.

It should be produced at pharmaceutical grade, it should be available and it should be covered by insurance.

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

(continued from page 19) “There is very limited access to qualified medical marijuana in our state. We have parents that want to be guaranteed that it’s free of pesticides and safe for their children. There are no guarantees,” Lewis said.

Unfortunately, even if parents find that cannabis works for their children, payment options can be stark. Insurance does not cover medical marijuana, and an 8.8 percent reduction of sales tax for someone with a medical marijuana card is hardly a savings when they still have to pay the 37 percent excise tax.

Lewis said inorganic compounds such as lithium, a common drug given to children with seizures, are reimbursed, but can have significant side effects.

But a naturally occurring organic herb that often produces a significant reduction of seizures without the psychoactive results is not covered.

Dr. Brian Lawenda, a radiation oncologist, integrative oncologist and medical cannabis expert at Northwest Cancer Clinic in

Kennewick, said that as long as all cannabinoids are classified as Schedule 1 drugs, most clinical trials through federallysponsored institutions are going to prove difficult. (Schedule 1 is the same illegal, addictive category as heroin and cocaine.)

More studies are required to make cannabis a FDA-approved, medically reimbursable drug.

“It will require more safety research that proves to politicians that marijuana and the extracts of cannabis are safe. There need to be ways to monitor the use of these substances,” Lawenda said.

He also cautioned parents and medical users about stating that CBD-only products are safe.

“There is medical research now that shows that when CBD is used orally it does get converted to TCH when it passes through the gastric acid,” Lawenda said.

To Ryan Day, the ability to offer CBD oil has produced significant improvements.

When they moved to Washington, Haiden was on five different medications at maximum

doses. Today, four years later, Day has eliminated all but two, one of which is at a half dose.

Haiden now receives his medicine twice a day, mixed into spoonfuls of applesauce. He has gotten all of his language back and has been adding new words to his vocabulary weekly, including starting to form sentences for the first time.

Ryan Day said Haiden also has not been to an ER since moving to Washington four years ago.

“Think of what my use of CBD for my son has saved the medical community,” Day said.

“From the lack of ER visits to the reduction in rescue medications and seizure medications, we have saved tens of thousands of dollars a year, maybe even hundreds of thousands a year, by our use of cannabis.”

But Day still reflects on the changes to state recreational laws and the inability for cannabis to be directly prescribed, instead of the current set-up of medical cards and medical databases.

Oh summer,

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

CANNABIS NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

WSDA DEVELOPING ORGANIC STANDARD

CANADIAN PLAN ALLOWS 18-YEAROLDS TO SMOKE

WENATCHEE POT FARMING COULD HINGE ON GREENHOUSES

TORONTO (AP) –The most controversial

WENATCHEE – The future of outdoor

thing about Canada’s pending national legalization proposal is that 18-yearolds could be permitted to use marijuana.

Advocates for the measure, expected to pass Parliament next year, say moving the age to 21, like in U.S. states with legalized cannabis, would encourage the growth of a black market.

The task force that drafted the measure reported that experts said “that setting the minimum age too high risked preserving the illicit market, particularly since the highest rates of use are in the 18 to 24 age range.”

But health experts are worried that the provision will encourage use of a substance that can have long-term consequences on still-maturing brains.

“Our recommendation is still to postpone as old as possible, ideally after 25,” said Dr. Granger Avery, president of Canadian Medical Association, which proposed setting the age at 21 only after it became clear that the government wanted it at 18.

Legalization will inevitably lead more young people to smoke marijuana in the mistaken belief that it isn’t harmful, said Christina Grant, a professor of pediatrics at McMaster University in Ontario. “One in seven youths who have used cannabis will develop an addiction to cannabis and that impacts your life, schooling, job prospects, social and emotional relationships,” she said.

cannabis farming in Chelan County could depend on whether state law allows commercial, seasonal production in filtered, unheated greenhouses.

That was a key focus in early May during a public discussion of proposed new rules.

Commissioners Doug England and Kevin Overbay said they tended to favor not allowing outdoor, open-air farms, which have been criticized by some residents for smell.

Commissioner Keith Goehner leaned toward outdoor grows in rural areas, but with buffers possibly as wide as 2,000 feet from property lines. The county’s 24 growers have said that large buffers would put them out of business.

All three commissioners agreed on allowing cannabis farming in indoor, insulated buildings with odor filters.

Indoor farming uses artificial light and heaters to produce multiple harvests.

Overbay proposed a “hybrid solution” that would allow outdoor farms with unheated, uninsulated greenhouses.

They could allow sunlight, but still be enclosed and fitted with filters.

These farms would produce one crop annually, and wouldn’t depend on intense electricity for lights and heat..

England said that he would favor a ban on all outdoor growing if the filtered greenhouse proposal proves impossible.

Wider or even buffers may be necessary to address other common complaints of noise, excessive lighting, and security cameras that record across property lines.

OLYMPIA – The Washington Department

of Agriculture is developing a voluntary organic certification program for cannabis production.

Earlier this year, the Washington Legislature authorized and funded a program to establish production standards that are consistent with U.S. Department of Agriculture National Organic Program.

Due to federal bans on cannabis product, farmers can’t apply for or receive official USDA “organic” status even if they and their suppliers follow established methods in how they grow their product.

However, WSDA plans to create its own standards for qualifying cannabis products. The process will include an advisory board, a fee schedule; and an overall process that includes creating guidelines and acceptable standards, accepting applications, inspecting, sampling, testing, enforcement and a public awareness campaign.

Though participation will be voluntary, the WSDA will only allow growers who have gone through the program to use the “organic” certification in their marketing and labeling.

WSDA already has an Organic Certification program for crops, livestock and handlers of organic products. It’s considered the largest state-run certification agency in the country.

This is the first bill of its kind to add cannabis farming to existing organic programs. Anyone wanting to learn more or be part of an advisory group can email organic@agr.wa.gov for consideration.

Source: Washington Dept. of Agriculture

Source: Associated Press Source: Wenatchee World

PORTLAND PUSHES FOR CANNABIS LOUNGES PORTLAND – The City of Portland is

supporting efforts to create licensed cannabis lounges, similar to tobacco smoking sections or beer gardens.

“The same way as Oregon and our city celebrate our craft beer and wine industry, Portland wants to provide opportunities for our emerging craft cannabis industry,” said Mayor Ted Wheeler and Commissioner Chloe Eudaly, who oversees the Office of Neighborhood Involvement, in testimony submitted to the Joint Committee on Marijuana Regulation.

“SB 307 would provide the regulatory framework for tourists to enjoy the products from Oregon’s growing craft cannabis industry legally and safely, outside the home and outside of public view,” Eudaly and Wheeler said.

Licenses would be allowed in cities or counties that pass ordinances permitting them.

Advocates say the locations will benefit tourists who don’t want to smoke in public, plus residents who can’t smoke at home.

“Absent a legal, regulated, and safe place outside homes to consume cannabis … Oregonians may find themselves consuming cannabis in public view on sidewalks, streets, vehicles, and in parks,” they wrote.

Various health workers and officials testified against the bill, arguing that it could expose workers to second-hand smoke and send the wrong message to children.

“Our concern is that the normalization of smoking when it is allowed in public erodes the decades of work that we’ve done to roll back social norms around smoking products,” said Jennifer Vines, Multnomah County’s deputy health director.

Source: Portland Business Journal

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017

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Cannabis has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Cannabis can impair concentration, coordination, and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of the reach of children.

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, June 30, 2017