Evercannabis, June, 2017

MAY 2017

EVERCANNABIS

formerly Spokannabist

evercannabis.com

Your Guide to Marijuana in Washington State

SPOKANNABIST Growing everyday

WEED AT WORK WHAT EMPLOYERS NEED TO KNOW

CHANGING THE CONVERSATION DECADES OF ANTI-DRUG RULES DEBUNKED

COOKING WITH CANNABIS EASY RECIPES INSIDE

EXPLORE BACK ROAD CANNABIS SHOPS

April 2017

IN EASTERN WASHINGTON

EVERCANNABIS formerly Spokannabist

CONSUMER CHOICE What coffee drinkers can teach pot growers

SPOKANNABIST

GORGEOUS GLASS Local artists enjoy sharing talents

Your guide to marijuana in Washington State

MORALITY OF MARIJUANA Religious community conflicted

Your Guide to Marijuana in Washington State

Spokannabist

SPOKANNABIST

Growing Every Day

MARIJUANA HELPING VETERANS WITH

TRAVELING WITH YOUR WEED INTERSTATE, INTRASTATE

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FROM

PTSD

HIPPIE TO HIPSTER WHY POT IS STILL PROHIBITED PART 1 OF 2

TEACHING MARIJUANA ONLINE COURSES NOW AVAILABLE

BACK TO SCHOOL IS ON-CAMPUS ENFORCEMENT CHANGING?

VALENTINE’S DAY GOODIES

POT SHOP TOURS

Sp kannabist

Happy New Year!

SPOKANNABIST

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Your guide to marijuana in Washington State

Your Guide to Marijuana in Washington State

Learn about the new recreational marijuana industry s 7HAT S LEGAL VERSUS ILLEGAL s (OW MUCH MONEY 7ASHINGTON BRINGS IN FROM NEW CASH CROP

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Spokannabist

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Growing Every Day

Your Guide to Marijuana in Washington State

SPOKANNABIS

T

ton State

na in Washing

Your guide to marijua

namaste ...

STONED

What’s that smell?

Pet Precautions

Air Quality & Pot Farming

Storing Your Pot Safely

HOLIDAY SHOPPING

CREATIVE BAKING

IDEAS FOR EVERY BUDGET

TASTY HOLIDAY EDIBLES

FEELING POPULAR CB

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CONFUSED? JOIN THE CROWD

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BRIGHT GROWING IDEAS

MEET MR. HAND

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STRAINS

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WASHINGTON STATE REQUIREMENT

COMMON ONES AND WHAT THEY DO

HOW TO READ THEM

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

IN THIS ISSUE 6 Weed to Know Info campaign combats public smoking

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Law and order Area attorneys educate, litigate pot cases

18

Slow and steady Crystal Forest Farms aims for quality, not quantity

20 Women and weed Female entrepreneurs a big part of industry

Interested in being an EVERCANNABIS FREE distribution location?

Please contact 509.459.5095 or evercannabis@spokesman.com

...Happy something-or-other! Is it a birthday? An anniversary? Maybe a clever stoner phrase that likely will evoke a big eye roll? Happy Bongday? Joyous Day of Dabbings?

Whatever you call it, we’ve hit our first! In May 2016, The SpokesmanReview Marketing Team launched the state’s first general news print section that focuses exclusively on the cannabis industry, a bold experiment for one of the state’s largest and oldest newspapers.

We felt – and still do – that it is vital to provide a closer look at something that has fans and foes, and look beyond the daily headlines to help make sense of this newly legal world – plus include some history of how perceptions of this product have changed over the years.

When recreational cannabis became legal in Washington, readers had all sorts of questions about the industry, especially surrounding money, health and legalities. People wonder what goes on in the stores or farms, what they should or shouldn’t be asking for when they visit a store, how to avoid being

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arrested and how they can get in on some of the big money going around.

Retailers, processors and farmers want people to know they have the same challenges as any other business venture, including hiring good people, inventory management, customer service and (blech!) taxes.

We also had to educate ourselves, since a lot of our sales and writing team knew more about modern media operations than we ever did about the many ways to grow, ingest and enjoy marijuana.

Over the last year, our team has met incredibly bright and kind people who remain excited about what we are trying to accomplish. But many also are serious about making sure we get the details right. And we are too.

With one year under our belt, we’re already planning the next year of EVERCANNABIS and beyond. We now include the work of Spokesman-Review journalists in this magazine. We also have a growing list of story ideas and suggestions (but we always want to hear yours!). We have a new name, and an online version up and running. Feel free to visit evercannabis.com for new and past stories!

Finally, to make our happy supercanna-weeda-terpena-day even more memorable, we’re inviting readers to have some fun with our first-ever coloring contest! Check out the drawing on page 23. Make it look cool and send it in, and we’ll display some of our favorites in a future issue.

“Ever” thankful to all of you!

Joe Butler, Managing Editor

Clarification Glassblowers Ryan and Tim Bohr, who were included in an April story about local glassblowing, are cousins. Incorrect information was provided about their relationship. Tim Bohr has also worked with glass for 20 years. A different time frame was reported.

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.

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

EVERCANNABIS VOLUME 2

ISSUE 1

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 GRAPHIC DESIGNER Trish Merryman LOCAL CONTRIBUTORS Erika Prins Simonds Tyler Wilson Dan Webster Allison Hall Staci Lehman Gary Bailey Nicole Skinner THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW EDITORIAL TEAM Adriana Janovich Kip Hill Jim Camden Chad Sokol Mike Prager Colin Mulvany Jesse Tinsley Dan Pelle

www.spokesman.com 509.459.5400 news@spokesman.com EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman-Review

Proud member of

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By ALLISON HALL

EVERCANNABIS Correspondent

Newcomers trying to comprehend the world of cannabis sometimes get stuck on the differences between the flower and the other forms.

The buds of marijuana plants are commonly sold as flower, which can be smoked or used as an ingredient in food. Growers can also extract oils and other substances from the plants to make material that’s more potent.

A variety of products can be made from cannabis concentrates, however, the more advanced the methods, the more it should be left to professionals – the process can involve high pressure and a high risk of explosion, along with precise blends of ingredients.

One of the more common extracts is Butane Hash Oil, commonly known as BHO. Depending on its form, texture and

composition, it can be known as wax, shatter, oil and live resin.

The process The extraction process separates the plant material and essential oils. The percentage of THC in BHO can be between 6090 percent, whereas marijuana flowers naturally have a range between 8-20 percent.

This specific concentrate requires blasting the plant with butane at high pressure, freezing the

mixture, then straining the liquid product in order to boil it until the butane evaporates from the mixture. You are then left with the oil, wax, shatter or other form.

Once the extract is created, it can be smoked, placed on the end of a cigarette, rolled into a joint, added to an edible or mixed into a topical solution.

Though BHO is common and considered safe because the butane is burned off, some in the industry avoid it due to fears of possible residual butane.

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

‘Puff Puff Pass’ but only in private

Health district, SPD reminding community about the risks of public smoking

By STACI LEHMAN EVERCANNABIS Correspondent

Summer is coming, which means more people will be outside enjoying warm weather, which often includes imbibing a cold beverage on the patio of a local bar or restaurant – or enjoying marijuana.

But area law enforcement wants to remind users that weed use is still illegal if it is within sight, or at least smelling distance, of the public.

Despite existing law, the sight or aroma of pot is common in downtown Spokane, so it’s evident not everyone knows the rules, or may not care.

“I think there is still a lot of misconception about what you’re allowed to do in public because marijuana is legal for those over 21,” said Paige McGowan, Tobacco, Vaping and Marijuana Prevention Coordinator for the Spokane Regional Health District. “I have heard some people say they’re just smoking with the other (tobacco) smokers in the smoking area. So there really appears to be confusion over what’s allowed and what’s not allowed.”

Last summer, complaints from downtown businesses and customers about public marijuana smoking led the Downtown Spokane Partnership to ask their Security Ambassadors to hand out cards explaining laws pertaining to marijuana use and possession.

The cards, designed by the SRHD, are part of the district’s “Weed to Know” education campaign that focuses on the safe and legal use of marijuana. The cards also attracted the attention of the Spokane Police Department, which began handing them out.

Christina Huggins, right, Downtown Ambassador, shows a “Weed to Know” brochure to Jen Menzer, manager at Boo Radley’s.

Photo by Gary Bailey/EVERCANNABIS

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

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Wineries, Breweries and More! www.TUMBLEWEEDTOURS.com McGowan said close to 2,000 cards were distributed to local businesses and directly to people observed smoking marijuana in public. While there was no data to track to determine if the education campaign was successful in reducing the numbers of smokers or at least redirecting them to more private locations, McGowan says the SRHD received positive feedback.

“Anecdotally, the DSP told us they felt like it was helping,” she said.

Police officials also don’t have data on how many people they have contacted for smoking in public, but agree with the educational approach the SRHD is promoting.

Capt. Dave Singley from the SPD’s Downtown Precinct said officers can give citations for smoking marijuana in public and they also can give warnings and the SHRD cards, depending on the situation and the officer’s discretion.

“It’s certainly not at the top of our to-do list,” he said. “I haven’t established an official policy per se. It would be up to the individual officer, but my sense is that the vast majority of the time, officers are going to disseminate those cards and give warnings.”

Singley is fairly new as Captain of the Downtown Precinct. His predecessor had advocated a warning period, then ticketing offenders, but Singley prefers operating on a case-by-case basis.

Officers have already started handing out a new batch of the information cards this spring in an effort to get ahead of the issue before summer arrives.

Even if you’re not downtown, it is probably not a good idea to risk smoking in public, such as in a city park. Cited adults face a $103 fine. Anyone under age 21 can also be charged with misdemeanor possession or minor in possession.

While marijuana use in public may not be one of Spokane’s biggest problems, some officials believe it can have a negative effect.

“It’s just really bad modeling for youth about marijuana,” said McGowan from the Health District. “We decided to use some local dollars to target adults because if we want kids to stop or not start smoking marijuana, we have to reach the parents to not give it to them or not to store it on the kitchen counter.”

Singley is also concerned that marijuana smokers will detract from a message that downtown Spokane is for everyone.

For more information on where marijuana can legally be consumed, visit Spokane Regional Health District’s Weed to Know page at www.srhd.org/WeedToKnow. If you are a business owner experiencing people using marijuana in or around your property, you can download posters that explain legal smoking options.

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

Growth Mode Continues at

GrowState

By NICOLE SKINNER EVERCANNABIS Correspondent

Last year Chris Leeper, head grower at GrowState, had great plans and ideas to help take the indoor cannabis operation to the next level. Nearly a year later, he feels like he’s done that and then some.

Since last summer, the Tier 3 facility located in the former Costco location on Third Street in Spokane has added automatic watering in the bloom rooms and new air conditioning units in all the rooms.

“The automatic watering system assures the perfect amount of water at the perfect time, which allows employees to use their time maintaining and grooming the plants,’ he said.

Leeper said new air conditioning units are more energy efficient and better circulate air, which is vital for quality indoor cannabis.

He has also been busy adding more strains to the company’s lineup; there are more than 20 that can be found statewide.

“I really like the Qrazy Train we just harvested,” said Leeper, “It has a rainbow of

colors and is super frosty. There are several other great ones that will be heavy sellers, but Qrazy Train is my favorite.”

The team has also been focusing on maintaining quality nutrient lines, which makes for a great product with higher yields.

Growers have also built up a huge selection of stock plants and offer clones to other local growers.

GrowState currently employs around 30 people, and Leeper appreciates their devotion to quality.

“I’m so impressed with our team’s level of professionalism,” he said.

This summer, GrowState plans to build out two more flower rooms, which Leeper said will increase production by 33 percent.

All growers have their unique nurturing methods, and Leeper’s is classic rock. After years of growing experience in California, he is convinced that plants do well when exposed to playlists that include The Eagles and The Rolling Stones. “Hotel California” and “Start Me Up” seem to be especially beneficial.

Along with the daily pressures of cultivating cannabis, the team at GrowState is also being filmed, as part of a documentary and reality show project called “King of Green” that chronicles the daily adventures of owner Cip Paulsen.

“We’ve had drones flying around the grow area, filming our every move and doing interviews. Having a drone flying right next to you as you take clones and fill up bloom rooms is pretty memorable,” Leeper said.

Much of GrowState’s products find their way to the west side of the state, mostly because there is a larger population there and more retail stores. With production increases though, Leeper hopes that it will be easier to find locally.

Currently, products can be found at both Satori shops, Lucky Leaf, The Vault, Cannabis Tree, and The Hidden Joint.

Info: www.growstate.com GrowState continues efforts to improve quality and variety of its cannabis plants.

Photo courtesy GrowState

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

BOHDI HIGH

By ERIKA PRINS SIMONDS EVERCANNABIS Correspondent

The white-walled post-processing room at Bodhi High’s production facility conjures both chemistry lab and commercial kitchen. In one corner of a room, a man crouches over his science project, while a series of bubbling glass tubes and hoses yield a small, slow drip of amber liquid.

“That’s a short-path distillation apparatus.

What that does is it uses temperature and vacuum to help separate the molecules that make up the cannabinoids,” said Erik Herr, vice president of production and processing.

He doesn’t want the process photographed.

“It’s not necessarily proprietary, but a lot of

Processor developing reputation for top quality concentrates

people want to know what we do and how we do it.”

Across the room, a long-haired man uses a spatula to scrape honey-like HTE — highterpene extract — from something that resembles a casserole dish. On baking sheets lined with parchment paper, thin layers of golden “shatter” sit out to crystallize after having emerged from the vacuum ovens on the wall behind him.

“In the (cannabis) concentrate world, people are very particular about the type they want.

The biggest difference is just the consistency,” Herr said. The product can range from the light, brittle “shatter” to a darker, stickier version. “It just depends on how you want to smoke it and what your desired method is.”

Fewer terpenes means less flavor. While darker color can indicate lower quality, high terpene content may also give the extract a darker hue, Herr said. Mason jars filled with the final product sit on the counter, colorful names inked onto the labels.

“We have our own brand lines, but we also process for other companies. So, what you saw there, this is something that we’re actually doing for Phat Panda,” said Lacrecia Hill, vice president of business operations.

(Phat Panda is another processor.)

Details about a product — from where the cannabis is grown, any pesticides used, its processing facility and more — are, by law, disclosed on the product label.

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

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In the warehouse area of the Spokane-area facility, the cannabis plants arriving from local farms are graded, weighed and inspected.

When it’s time for extraction, the product is placed in metal tubes to extract the oils and terpenes.

“This is a 4,000 gram tube, so that’s roughly 8 pounds of cannabis,” Herr says. Behind a door, the extraction process is, raucously, underway.

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“What we have here is a real basic system of transferring gases.

We have chilled hydrocarbon gas — in this case, butane and propane.

Then the gas is introduced into the [column] where it washes all the cannabinoids and the terpenes out of the material,” Herr shouted over the commotion of two noisy but rhythmic machines.

The extract, at that point a liquid gas, is forced out of the plant and collected in a chamber below.

“I believe we recover about a pound every seven minutes,” he said. “All the pumps in here are pneumatic, so they run off an air compressor, so there’s very minimum electricity that runs in here.”

Upstairs, a team weighs and portions out the product, then packages and labels it before it’s sent to retailers.

“We started out in the medical community, so our stronghold in Eastern Washington has been pretty hard so far,” Hill said.

Bodhi High products can be used in cartridges and vape pens, plus Bodhi Essentials, a line of high-CBD body care products designed to relieve aches and skin irritation without the psychoactive effects of high THC. These products contain cannabis oil and other natural ingredients like shea and cocoa butters.

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

Law & Order & Marijuana

By TYLER WILSON EVERCANNABIS Correspondent

And then there’s the elephant in the room. Cannabis remains a Schedule 1 controlled substance under federal law, and there is growing concern that the Trump administration is looking for ways to increase enforcement efforts.

“If Trump or (Attorney General) Jeff Sessions wake up and decide to enforce federal law, there isn’t anything we can do about it,” Cikutovich said. “Dozens of growers are scared of losing what they’ve invested. Big growers have spent millions and some have failed to even make a profit.”

Washington’s Initiative 502 made possession and sales of recreational marijuana legal, but things are still tricky, at least from a legal perspective.

“We thought I-502 would change or limit our business, but really it’s tripled our business,” said Frank Cikutovich, of Spokane’s Stiley & Cikutovich, PLLC, a Spokane firm that specializes in criminal law including marijuana.

Much of his work stems from persistent misconceptions about what ages can use or possess pot. Legally, you have to be at least 21, but that may not stop an underage college student from trying pot at a party. Cikutovich said people need to know how a conviction could affect their life.

“It’s not a free-for-all,” he said. “You can get kicked out of school. You will lose the ability to get student loans. It’s terrible what happens to these kids.”

Possession of larger amounts of marijuana beyond ‘personal use,’ driving-related charges and the growing of unlicensed or unregulated marijuana are also areas in which “weed law” remains active in state criminal courts.

“When medical marijuana first passed, our firm would conduct weekend classes open to anyone,” Cikutovich said. “Our focus has always been to educate so that the government will hopefully stay out of their lives.”

While Cikutovich doesn’t specialize in cannabis business consultation, his office regularly receives questions about the complexities of the state’s growing industry and how to get into it.

industry like any other business sector.

“The more money they make, the more taxes the state collects,” he said.

Another legal resource is Spokane attorney Lisa Dickinson, who specializes in business inquiries like lease contracts, employment law, zoning issues and compliance with state regulations. She advises anyone looking into the industry to do their homework.

“Beware of the ‘new’ folks advertising to say they do marijuana law or consulting – it has only been around for a couple years,” Dickinson said. “You are much better off working with an experienced business attorney and accountant who is also knowledgeable about I-502 laws and rules.”

“The regulations are mind-blowing,” he said.

Dickinson is also concerned about a potential shift in federal policy, which would impact the role of attorneys.

He sees over-aggressive security measures, documentation of individual seedlings, waste management, firearm restrictions and limited banking options as just some of the difficulties businesses face.

“If the federal stance changes, our ethical rules may not allow us to ethically represent these kinds of businesses,” she said.

“We’d like to see looser regulations on the industry,” he said. “(In the beginning) everybody was hypersensitive about marijuana, and it’s not necessary.”

The projected fear of robberies at these businesses has proven to be minimal, he said, so the state would be better served to treat the

Still, Dickinson remains optimistic.

“There is still a lot of opportunity for people to get into this industry, and I hope to help them navigate the rules and regulations,” Dickinson said.

Attorney Frank Cikutovich has seen more clients following marijuana’s legalization.

Photo by Joe Butler/EVERCANNABIS

Attorneys who specialize in cannabis clients: Stiley & Cikutovich, PLLC, 1408 West Broadway Ave., Spokane. (509) 323-9000, www.LegalJoint.net.

Dickinson Law Firm, PLLC, 1020 N. Washington St., Ste. 3, Spokane. (509) 3260636, www.dickinsonlawfirm.com/ Christopher Wright, PLLC, 522 W. Riverside Suite 611, Spokane, (509) 279-2793 Vieth Law Offices, PLLC, 912 E. Sherman, Coeur d’Alene, (208) 664-9494

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

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A campaign to get the NFL to relax its anti-marijuana standards has local ties.

Retired Denver Broncos and Arizona State University quarterback Jake Plummer recently created a nonprofit called Athletes for CARE. Although the part-time Sandpoint-area resident and competitive handball player has said he avoided marijuana growing up, and even tried to avoid opioid painkillers while playing, he said he came to appreciate CBD, a compound in marijuana considered to reduce pain and inflammation.

In a column he wrote for Sports Illustrated last summer, he described how he tried a hemp extract called Charlotte’s Web in 2012 while recovering from his second hip surgery. He credits it with reducing joint pain and headaches and stopping muscle spasms.

Now he wants the NFL and the NFL players union to offer players the choice to try CBD products responsibly, rather than a blanket ban on all cannabis products and a push toward opiates. He is also searching for current and former NFL players willing to be part of a study on pain relief.

He’s also an official spokesman for CW Botanicals, a Colorado hemp oil producer. They have both worked on a video called “When the Bright Lights Fade,” to show how medical marijuana can help NFL players.

Athletes for Care, Plummer’s new organization, is dedicated to raising awareness of health issues facing pro athletes and the public, including addiction and chronic pain, along with access to alternative medicine and mental health resources.

Info: athletesforcare.org

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

Some athletes a

By DAN WEBSTER EVERCANNABIS Correspondent

By now, pretty much everybody knows Michael Phelps. Olympic swimmer. Holder of seven world records (three individual, four relay). Winner of 28 Olympic medals, 23 of them gold.

Now 31, Phelps also holds another distinction: he may be the most famous athlete ever caught smoking marijuana.

It was in February 2009, when Phelps was photographed at a party taking a hit from a bong. He ended up being suspended from competition for three months, and he lost a sponsorship deal with the Kellogg food company.

To his credit, Phelps apologized for his actions, blaming them on his age (he was 23) and what he described as his “bad judgment.”

Since that time, other than a few interviews, Phelps has been mum on the issue. But like it or not, he has become the poster boy for those who claim that marijuana can actually enhance athletic performance.

Some claim that marijuana provides a boost during actual competition, though that likely would violate any number of

substance use rules. (Phelps, one of the most closely observed athletes in history, has never failed a drug test.) But it could help in other ways as well.

A 2009 Forbes magazine story claimed that “many top athletes in a variety of sports use marijuana because of its medical effects as a painkiller, muscle relaxant and antidepressant.”

Among those athletes named in the article: former Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams, former Dallas Cowboys lineman Mark Stepnoski, WWE wrestler Rob Van Dam, former NBA player Charles Oakley and Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati (who won a gold medal during the 1998 Winter Olympics).

“After a game, you need something to relax,” said Stepnoski, who retired in 2001.

“I’d rather smoke than take painkillers.”

As with most issues involving marijuana, such information is largely anecdotal.

Though now legal in one form or another in 28 states and the District of Columbia, marijuana is still considered by the U.S. to be a Schedule 1 controlled substance – placing it in the same category as heroin and LSD. At least as a partial consequence, studies on the effects of marijuana usage have been sorely lacking.

Even anecdotal many critics as it Men’s Journal cite Drusinsky as som marijuana is a go “Marijuana rela go into a controlle Drusinsky said. “W smarter and focus On the other ha British Journal of that regular use o in “changes in be as well as inconsi concentration, or In covering the Insider magazine “decreased anxie decisions.” Or me Phelps can bear w Health question “There is also a heart rate assoc marijuana,” said article, “which side effect for a complication fo pre-existing hea

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

t over opioids And the legal consequences bear mentioning. Even in Washington, where marijuana use is legal, you aren’t allowed to consume in public.

Nor are you allowed to drive while under the influence.

Schools, too, have their own rules regarding both drug and alcohol use.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association adopted strict regulations “intended to discourage the use of alcohol, tobacco, legal drugs, controlled substances and paraphernalia.” Violation of such rules could lead to ineligibility.

Overall, then, the jury is still out on whether the overall effects of marijuana on athletes is good or bad.

In some obvious ways, however, the detriments clearly outweigh the attributes.

Particularly if you hope to see your face on a cereal box.

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

Spring Pea Ravioli with Prosciutto, Mint and Marijuana Adapted from theyellowtable.com by Stephanie Lamb

By ADRIANA JANOVICH, reporter The Spokesman-Review

For the pasta dough 2 cups all-purpose or “00” flour, plus more for flouring surface 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon cannabis-infused extra-virgin olive oil 4 eggs For the pea-ricotta filling 2 cups frozen (or fresh) peas, blanched 2 teaspoons lemon zest 1 garlic clove, minced 1/2 cup fresh ricotta 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint 2 tablespoons cannabis-infused extra-virgin olive oil Salt and pepper For serving 1/4 cup salted butter 2 slices prosciutto, chopped 1/2 cup blanched peas 3/4 cup pea shoots 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon lemon zest 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint Freshly grated Parmesan Make the pasta dough. Combine the flour, salt, oil and eggs in a food processor.

Process until the dough comes together in a rough ball. (If you don’t have a food processor, mound the flour in the middle of a clean work surface. Make a hole in the middle and add the salt and eggs. Slowly beat the eggs with a fork, incorporating flour gradually until you have a sticky ball of dough.) Sprinkle additional flour on a clean work surface and knead the dough for 2-3 minutes,

sprinkling flour onto the dough if it’s too sticky, until a smooth ball forms. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes.

Make the pea-ricotta filling. Pulse the peas, lemon zest, garlic, ricotta, Parmesan and mint in a food processor or blender. Add in the cannabis-infused olive oil and pulse until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Roll the pasta dough. Set up a pasta machine on a large work surface. Remove the pasta dough from the refrigerator and divide into 4 pieces. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Run the first piece of dough through the widest setting on the machine a few times, lightly flouring as needed. Move the rollers to the next thinnest setting and run the dough through, gradually working down to the thinnest setting. Trim the sheet so it makes a large rectangle and place it on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining dough balls, laying the pasta rectangles between sheets of parchment paper.

Make the ravioli. Lay one sheet of pasta on a lightly floured work surface.

Spoon the filling by heaping teaspoonful, about 1 inch apart. (If you have a pastry bag, this works wonders here, as you can keep the filling much more uniform.) You should be able to fit about 14-18 dollops of filling. Take another pasta sheet and gently lay it on top of the first sheet and the dollops of filling.

Using your fingers, gently press around each mount of filling to release any air that might be trapped, then gently press on the edges to seal. Using a pizza wheel or a knife, make vertical and horizontal cuts between the fillings, to create square ravioli. Carefully transfer the ravioli in a single layer onto a parchment lined baking sheet, dusted with flour. Repeat with the remaining pasta sheets and filling, and place on another parchment lined baking sheet. Let the ravioli dry for an hour in a cool, dry place. If you’re not planning to use the ravioli immediately, place the trays in the freezer for an hour, and then transfer to a zip-top bag to freeze until ready to use.

Cook and serve the ravioli. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the ravioli in batches, so as not to crowd the pot, about 5 minutes per batch. Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add prosciutto and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until beginning to crisp. Add peas and pea shoots, and cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until the pea shoots have wilted. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and zest. Add the ravioli to the pan and toss a few times to combine.

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

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509.309.2130 1919 E. Francis Ave., Spokane, WA This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of marijuana. There are health risks associated with the use of this product. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of reach of children.

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

M R E T LONG H C A O R APP

By JOE BUTLER EVERCANNABIS Writer

On Jennifer Dawson’s first day at Crystal Forest Farms, it was 4 degrees outside and the snow came up to her knees.

This would be an extra chilly winter day for anyone. But at the Airway Heights cannabis farm, she and other employees were scrambling to keep the cold and snow away from a batch of plants that were ready to be harvested. Even getting people from the office to the greenhouse, and then moving the hand-

trimmed plants to the processing g area in a blizzard became a logistical challenge.

“This was one of those things that we never thought of, that no one else in the industry had dealt with, and there weren’t YouTube videos you could watch about how to do it right,” said Dawson, a sales associate for the Tier 2 producer that released its first batch of products last month for 4/20.

Crystal Forest Farms produces a variety of cannabis flower and extracts under the Aura Cannabis brand. The company tries to

distinguish itself from other gro growers by putting extra attention to detail and quality at every step of the production process.

“We focus on natural ingredients, cleanliness, and integrity,” said grow consultant Ezra Kille. “We’d like to be more known as an artisanal brand, more like a Tillamook or Dagoba, versus something more Budweiser-like.”

This focus starts with the plants themselves.

Rather than harvesting everything that grows, and pushing everything out the door, Kille and staff only hang onto the best-growing and most promising specimens.

“We’re the kind of place that starts with 200 plants and actually only grows 100,” Kille said.

“We plant a lot that we know we’re not going to need. Or, if we decide something may not work for flower, it may still be A-grade for prerolls or oils. We have a stream for everything.”

The company has been experimenting with natural essential oils around the perimeter of the greenhouses to keep bugs away, rather than chemical pesticides. Organic soils contain special salts, guano and oyster shells to better break down the dirt.

For future snowstorms, or at least to provide consistent temperatures, radiant heating coils have been installed in the floor of each greenhouse. Greenhouse roofs can be opened to provide sunlight on warmer days.

“I came from a medical marijuana background so it’s important that we take this seriously and not have anything foreign or harmful,” Kille said. “Some people are going to be using our products to help their health problems, not add more. We don’t grow anything we wouldn’t use ourselves.”

Crystal Forest Farms has been relying on the advice of Second Sun Grow, a multi-state cannabis consulting company that focuses on cultivation, production and management.

Consultant Chris Kelly, an industry veteran with advanced training in plant genetics, has

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

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provided recommendations on sustainable growing methods along with machinery and automation processes.

when opened, the cans are easy for stores to stack, display and keep longer.

Both Kelly and Kille like how Crystal Forest Farms blends current automation with a philosophy in line with permaculture, a longterm agriculture strategy.

The company has invested in a machine that quickly fills preroll joints, and another that seals product in cans with nitrogen.

Besides preserving the flavor and providing a satisfying “puff”

“Some of the stores have told us that their customers prefer to see their product in clear jars, which we do offer,” Dawson said. “But we also hope people will enjoy the cans because they know we have a high reputation for quality in everything we produce.”

“I like the permaculture mentality of one hour of work, but 100 hours of planning,” Kelly said. “We’re already thinking how things are going to be in 10 years. Our goal is always to go in a slow, slow, and sustainable manner.”

Part of the automation efforts at Crystal Forest Farms, a new Spokane producer, include nitrogen-sealing flower in cans. It also can be found in jars for shoppers who want to see the product.

Photos courtesy Crystal Forest Farms

Crystal Forest Farms Airway Heights Tier 2 Currently produces: The Aura brand, including strains such as Permafrost, Candyland, Sunset Sherbert, and Purple Sour Diesel, plus pre-rolls and concentrates. www.crystalforestfarms.com

502

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157

RETAILERS

PRODUCERS/PROCESSORS

REVENUE APRIL 2017 SPOKANE COUNTY

$

10,870,586

CONSUMER PURCHASED

$

6,260,324

PRODUCER/ PROCESSOR SALES

$

2,935,852 EXCISE TAX SOURCE:502DATA.COM

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Women

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

play leading role in emerging marijuana businesses in Washington state

By MIKE PRAGER, reporter The Spokesman-Review

Shilo Morgan, co-owner of the Lucky Leaf Co. marijuana shop, prides herself on running a clean family business.

Working in the shop with her are her brother, Ben Turento, and cousins Sergio Deleon and Justin Fulten.

“When you come in it’s like a family feel,” Morgan said.

She is among a number of women in Spokane who are taking leading roles in the emergence of the recreational marijuana industry in Washington state.

Last week, Morgan was on the sales floor greeting her customers and offering hugs to some of the regulars.

Morgan and her husband, Daniel Morgan, opened their first marijuana retail shop in Pasco, but were blocked by city zoning regulations.

They moved to Spokane to keep from going bankrupt and haven’t looked back.

“Spokane is wonderful,” she said. “Everything is so welcoming.”

To encourage good business practices, Morgan started an Eastern Washington Cannabis Association, which has been working on developing a hemp festival in Spokane, intended as an educational affair, not a smoking event.

Morgan said she wants the public to know that marijuana businesses and their customers are “just like everybody else.”

Crystal Oliver, a grower and processor in Spokane County, said she is thrilled to be on the cutting edge of a new industry.

“How often do you get the opportunity to enter a brand new industry in its infancy?” she said.

Her business goes by the name of Washington’s Finest Cannabis, which distributes primarily to shops in the local region. They grow their marijuana outdoors in the vicinity of Deer Park.

Her roots in the business date back to the 2012 Initiative 502 campaign that succeeded in winning voter approval for recreational marijuana. She then worked with the state on developing regulations.

Oliver is on the board of the Cannabis Farmers Council and a member of Women in Weed, a national organization that meets locally for private social events.

She recently appeared on a program about marijuana at the South Side Senior and Community Center in Spokane where she said she fielded a lot of questions about the medical benefits of marijuana.

Morgan said she tries to spend ample time on the sales floor. “I like to come down here and see all my happy customers,” she said.

She carries a wide range of products from marijuana flowers for smoking to topicals that can be applied to the skin and edible products for ingesting instead of smoking.

Another product is known as a “pre-roll,” what was once called a “joint” in street slang.

Morgan said she tries not to use the term weed. “It’s not called weed,” she said. “It’s flower.”

Samples with any of the drug in them are not allowed under state law.

The Lucky Leaf Co. has 450 customers in its loyalty program.

The age range of customers is skewed toward adults age 40 and older, including Baby Boomers, many of whom use marijuana to ease aches and pains and other health concerns, Morgan said. However, the store does not sell medical-grade marijuana products.

The Morgans have two children, a 14-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son.

Shilo Morgan said she has been open and honest with the children, explaining that marijuana is an adult product and

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

should not be used by minors. So far, the children have been listening, she said.

Morgan hands out brochures from the Spokane Regional Health District that discourage illegal use by people under 21, which is the legal age for purchasing and using recreational marijuana.

Women tend to bring an air of respect to the marijuana business, Morgan said.

Oliver serves as an executive assistant for that organization. She is married to Kevin Oliver, the executive director of Washington NORML, an organization that has advocated for legalization for more than 40 years.

She also served on an advisory council for developing fire code regulations for marijuana extraction and worked with the Spokane Clean Air Agency on rules to contain odors at marijuana farms.

“I am busy,” she said. “I do a lot of advocacy work.”

Oliver also is on advisory committee for the Washington State Cannabis and Liquor Board.

As a grower, Oliver said she has been interested in working with seed cultivars to develop disease resistance and variations in the essential oils in marijuana.

Her products, which can be found at retail shops in Spokane include a variety known as Maui Sunset that can be traced back to the days of undercover growing in Hawaii, she said.

Another cultivar, Blue Dream, is a high producer. The variety called Diesel is an old strain that turns purple in the fall prior to harvest.

Oliver’s reserve strain is a type of cannabis from Afghanistan that is good for making hash.

One of her passions is to support the small family businesses that make up much of the marijuana industry.

She said she is concerned about big corporate money trying to take over.

“The small independent farmers are struggling,” she said.

Crystal Oliver (top right), owner of Washington’s Finest Cannabis, smells a plant in the cannabis farm operated by her and her husband Kevin near Deer Park.

Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review.

Shilo Morgan (lower right), owner of Lucky Leaf in downtown Spokane, is one of the women who are a major force in the local cannabis business scene.

Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

CANNABIS NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

WASHINGTON WATCHING FOR EBT FRAUD AROUND POT OLYMPIA – If you are trying to trade

state food benefits for marijuana, Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services may be watching.

In early February, Puyallup police arrested a Tacoma man after investigators with the DSHS Office of Fraud and Accountability saw a social media post offering to trade “great organic” marijuana“ for “EBT vehicles electronics.”

A DSHS press release said the investigators notified Puyallup law enforcement, which set up an exchange of an EBT card for the marijuana. Martin Alan Dorr, 28, was taken to the Pierce County Jail on two felony charges: unlawful delivery of a controlled substance and food benefit trafficking.

According to the DSHS, Washington is a national leader in identifying individuals using social media to commit benefits fraud. The Fraud and Accountability Office received a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2014 to hire additional investigators and perform online sting operations.

“As social media evolves, fraudsters do too,” Office of Fraud and Accountability Senior Director Steve Lowe said.“It is so important that we keep up with them to ensure that taxpayer dollars are protected.

This should send a message to potential traffickers that they will be caught.”

HEMP STATUS MAY BE CHANGING OLYMPIA – The Washington State

Department of Agriculture finalized rules in April for growing hemp, one day after state lawmakers approved legislation that threatens to undercut the program.

WSDA planned to start issuing licenses to grow and process hemp May 15. The Senate, however, voted to take hemp off the state’s controlled substances list, potentially taking away the department’s authority to stop unlicensed hemp cultivation.

The licensing program was set up to protect the seed supply and keep farmers who want to test hemp within federal law.

Unlicensed hemp farmers could gain a competitive advantage by not paying licensing and inspection fees, and increase the risk of hemp and marijuana cross-pollinating.

Washington has tried to fit its hemp program under the limited freedom granted to states in the 2014 Farm Bill.

WSDA policy adviser Steve Fuller had cautioned senators about this move.

“Our concern is that if the state de-schedules hemp, it will not have any enforcement tools to deal with someone who chooses to grow hemp without the required license,” Fuller said. “The experience of other states suggests that this would lead to confusion about hemp being grown and a lack of clarity among law enforcement.”

The bill was signed April 27, 2017.

IDAHO BACKERS KICK OFF PETITION DRIVE

POSTAL SERVICE KEEPING ALASKA RETAILER FROM PAYING TAXES

MOSCOW – Marijuana advocates were hoping for plenty of ink on their medical marijuana petition during Moscow’s Hemp Fest.

The 21st annual event last month featured speakers, music and vendors.

Visitors could also sign a petition for the legalization of medical marijuana.

The Idaho Medical Marijuana Association is pushing for a medical marijuana initiative to appear on the 2018 ballot, according to greenmajority. com. The effort needs about 47,000 valid signatures. If it gets on the ballot and passes, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter cannot veto it.

Green Majority is Idaho’s first legally operated dispensary and headshop but can’t legally open.

Adam Assenberg, a 57-year-old Colfax, Wash., resident and medical marijuana user, told the crowd how he was attacked in 1985 and broke nine vertebrae. He said medical marijuana is the best at reducing chronic pain.

If marijuana is legalized in Idaho, he thinks the state needs to make sure recreational marijuana does not absorb medical marijuana, which happened in Washington, when both types merged last year.

“You used to get an ounce of marijuana for anywhere from $75-$100 an ounce,” Assenberg said. “Since they went ahead and put medical into the recreational market, that same amount now costs you $500.”

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Juneau’s first

Source: Moscow-Pullman Daily News

Source: Juneau Empire

legal marijuana retailer, Rainforest Farms, was turned away by the U.S. Postal Service when one of its owners attempted to mail a regularly scheduled state tax payment.

The only city in the state that accepts cash deposits is Anchorage, and businesses are being told to bring money in person.

“Any proceeds from the selling of (marijuana) is considered drug proceeds under federal law, so you can’t mail that,” Postal inspector Aaron Behnen said.

Ken Alper, director of Alaska Department of Revenue Tax Division, said the state needs to find a way for “legitimate businesspeople to pay their taxes.”

“We thought we had done that, and this throws a tremendous wrinkle into our processes,” he said.

Marijuana is still federally illegal, and any business that deals with it — or its proceeds — violates federal law.

None of Alaska’s state-chartered banks or one credit union have said they are willing to accept marijuana businesses.

That leaves Alaska’s marijuana businesses to use cash.

“People like cash, but it does take a lot to move it, especially when you have to account for it properly,” said James Barrett from Rainforest Farms.

He estimates that he has to devote the equivalent of one day a week to cash: counting, distributing, and entering receipts into accounting software.

Source: Capital Press Source:KREM

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

EVERCANNABIS

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

Color and Win!

Adult readers wanting to show off their artistic talents and mad coloring skillz can enter our first-ever EVERCANNABIS Coloring Contest. Between now and the end of June, take the opportunity to draw, paint or color this image in whatever colors strike your fancy.

We know we’ll love them all, but our team of connoisseurs of fine-ish art will choose our very favorite contribution and award the artist with a very cool collection of EVERCANNABIS merchandise. This limited-edition goodie bag includes a bag, pens, T-shirt, lanyards, and other fun stuff.

When you’re done, please submit your marijuana-inspired masterpiece to EVERCANNABIS, c/o The Spokesman-Review, PO Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

The deadline to mail your creative contribution is 5 p.m. June 23. We’ll publish the winner and other selected contenders in the July issue.

The contest is open to Washington residents 21 and over. One entry per household. (And a word of caution from our friends at the U.S. Post Office: if you want to make sure it goes through, writing EVERCANNABIS is cool but please don’t include actual cannabis. Thanks.)

For official rules, visit www.spokesman.com/ evercannabis-coloring-contest-2017

NAME:______________________________________________________________________________________________________ EMAIL ADDRESS:____________________________________________________________________________________________ PHONE NUMBER:____________________________________________________________________________________________

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

Marijuana businesses see high 4/20 sales,

LOWER APRIL TOTALS

By KIP HILL, reporter The Spokesman-Review

A third straight year of strong statewide sales on April 20, the unofficial marijuana holiday, couldn’t prevent Spokane County’s legal pot industry from lesser earnings last month.

Washington’s legal pot sellers sold $6.5 million on that date, up from $4.8 million in 2016 and $1.5 million in 2015, the first year of legal recreational sales under state law. April 20 has typically been one of the busiest for marijuana stores in Washington, and the same was true last month, with the industry posting its largest daily sum of sales for all of April.

In Spokane County, however, the industry as a whole posted a 6 percent decline in revenue from the previous month’s total, according to

tallies posted by the Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board recently. The county’s 180 pot businesses, including 30 retail outlets, posted a sales figure of $14.2 million for April, down from March’s total of $15.1 million. The number marked a departure from last year’s trend, which showed a 6 percent increase in industry earnings between March and April 2016.

The county’s retail stores posted a total of $7.9 million in sales, off 5 percent from the previous month’s tally. Taxed at 37 percent, the county’s retailers returned $2.9 million to the state in revenue last month. Local shops do not report daily sales earnings to the Liquor and Cannabis Board.

For the first time since opening in December 2015, Trent Avenue shop Treehouse Club posted the largest earnings of any of the

county’s retailers, with revenues of $570,961.

Grow Op Farms paced the county’s marijuana processors with earnings of $1.8 million, while Green Source posted the largest earnings of any producer, with $123,699.

Harvested marijuana plants, called Blackberry, grow outside the greenhouses at a cannabis farm near Spangle.

Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

These stories were recently published in The Spokesman-Review. For continuing coverage of cannabis topics and other news items, visit www.spokesman.com/marijuana.

EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017

Washington tweaks marketing, promotion rules

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Plan for Deer Park Facility Withdrawn

By CHAD SOKOL, reporter The Spokesman-Review

A businessman has formally withdrawn his application to build a marijuana growing and processing facility in Deer Park.

The state Liquor and Cannabis Board previously suspended a separate application process after it was revealed that the owner of the Deer Park property is also an employee of the agency.

By JIM CAMDEN, reporter The Spokesman-Review

OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee recently signed new restrictions on the way cannabis can be advertized by the state’s licensed pot shops.

It restricts marijuana stores from using ads that could attract children or teens, with warnings that the products can only be purchased by adults.

It also bans stores from using toys, cartoon characters or other images “likely to be appealing to youth” in ads, and forbids them to hire a “commercial mascot” – a person in a costume or a mechanical device – to stand or walk outside the shop to attract customers.

Billboards would be limited to text that identifies the store and its location. They would be able to say it’s a marijuana store, but not have pictures of the plants, any of their products or have any images appealing to children.

Outdoor advertising would also be banned on signs in arenas, stadiums, shopping malls, state and county fairs,

farmers markets and video game arcades. Cities, towns and counties would also be allowed to pass even tougher restrictions on outdoor ads.

The new law permits marijuana delivery services, providing the person delivering the drug and the person receiving it are both 21, and as long as the product being delivered is not more than a half ounce of useable marijuana or limited amounts of edibles or concentrates.

The delivery also must occur “outside the view of the general public and in a nonpublic place.”

Rep. David Sawyer, D-Tacoma, said the changes were important to keep the state adhering to the Cole Memo, a set of restrictions from the Justice Department issued during the Obama Administration that said federal enforcement would essentially leave states that have legalized marijuana alone providing the drug is not being sold to children, connected to organized crime or moving across state borders.

Grant Bulski, a marijuana licensing specialist, was leasing the 25-acre parcel to Jeff Montgomery, a former Hollywood producer who owns a marijuana company called Farmers Distributors.

Montgomery said he withdrew the application for a Stevens County building permit primarily because of backlash from neighbors who feared that the pot farm would impact their water supplies and property values, among other concerns.

Bulski purchased the land, at 6351 W. Whitmore Hill Road, in 2007 after starting a job overseeing liquor stores in Eastern Washington.

He lived there until 2012, when the Liquor and Cannabis Board, then called the Liquor Control Board, eliminated his position and transferred him to Olympia.

Montgomery, who previously co-owned a growing operation in Tacoma, said Bulski was offering to sell the Deer Park land on Craigslist in September.

Aware that dealing with a marijuana grower could present a conflict of interest, Bulski consulted with Kate Reynolds, the director of the state Executive Ethics Board, in early October.

Bulski told Reynolds he had discussed the issue with his supervisor and would have no role in processing the pot-growing application or enforcing the operation. He also said he planned to sell, not lease, the property.

“I am selling the property at listing price and using an attorney for this transaction and I will not have any involvement with the applicant/licensee,” Bulski told Reynolds in an email. “In fact I have been dealing with an agent on behalf of the applicant/licensee and not the licensee himself.”

Reynolds said she gave Bulski informal advice on how to navigate the sale.

Less than three weeks after speaking with Reynolds, Bulski signed a lease agreement with Montgomery for $2,834 a month.

A spokesman for the Liquor and Cannabis Board said in late April that the agency still is investigating.

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EVERCANNABIS is a supplement to The Spokesman−Review • Friday, May 26, 2017