Hydrolife Canada December/January 2017
grow. heal. live. enjoy. DEC/JAN 2017 // CAN LEGALIZED. what happens next? BITCOIN: A NEW CURRENCY FOR A NEW INDUSTRY
- Page 8 and 9: inside 08 from the publisher / 10 o
- Page 10: ROW, LIVE, HEAL & ENJOY from the pu
- Page 13 and 14: 5 6 7 8 5. Stardust Instant THC, de
- Page 16: grow CUT AND DRIED: A MONTHLY LOOK
- Page 20: grow will begin with a confession:
- Page 24 and 25: grow Which strain is best for your
- Page 26: grow RISE Why More Cannabis Greenho
- Page 30: grow Let’s step back for a moment
- Page 34: heal Herbal ASK A NURSE: TIPS FOR T
- Page 38: heal “During what’s touted as A
- Page 41 and 42: myhydrolife.ca grow. heal. live. en
- Page 44 and 45: heal Helping Children Heal by Sharo
- Page 46 and 47: heal So Close to Success As treatme
- Page 48: heal STORMEBUD: CHASING CALM by Chr
- Page 51 and 52: myhydrolife.ca grow. heal. live. en
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
DEC/JAN <strong>2017</strong> // CAN<br />
LEGALIZED.<br />
what happens next?<br />
BITCOIN: A NEW CURRENCY<br />
FOR A NEW INDUSTRY
inside<br />
08 from the publisher / 10 own it / 12 ask a grower / 32 ask a nurse / 74 the chill list<br />
grow.<br />
14 Cut and Dried<br />
16 Trust the Facts,<br />
Not Gut Feelings<br />
22 Classifying Cannabis:<br />
Indica vs. Sativa vs. hybrids<br />
24 Rise & Shine: Why More<br />
Cannabis Greenhouses are<br />
Cropping Up<br />
heal.<br />
34 California Dreaming<br />
42 Sophie‘s Story<br />
46 Stormebud: Chasing Calm<br />
6<br />
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myhydrolife.ca
live.<br />
50 Baking A Fool of Myself<br />
54 Beyond Girl Power:<br />
Creating a Truly Diverse<br />
Cannabis Industry<br />
58 Outside Your Mind<br />
62 A New Currency for a<br />
New Industry<br />
enjoy.<br />
64 Getting to the Good Stuff:<br />
Cannabis Extraction Methods<br />
68 Humboldt’s Finest: This<br />
Cannabis-Flavoured Vodka<br />
is Legit<br />
70 Three Strains to get You<br />
Through the Holidays<br />
myhydrolife.ca grow. heal. live. enjoy. 7
ROW, LIVE, HEAL & ENJOY<br />
from the publisher<br />
8<br />
American citizens voted in some big changes on Nov. 8. Yes, Presidentelect<br />
Donald Trump is a big change, to be sure. But so is California,<br />
Nevada, Massachusetts, and Maine all legalizing recreational cannabis<br />
for adults aged 21 years and older. California’s referendum success is<br />
seen as a gamechanger since it’s the most populous state in the US (and<br />
the sixth largest economy in the world) and could become Ground Zero<br />
for marijuana production. These changes could also prove to be the death<br />
knell for federal prohibition because before, only a handful of Congress<br />
representatives were from states that had legalized cannabis. Now, more<br />
than 100 are. November’s outcomes will more than triple the number<br />
of Americans living in states where recreational cannabis is allowed.<br />
Before the vote, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and the District<br />
of Columbia allowed recreational weed. On Nov. 8, Florida, Arkansas,<br />
and North Dakota also voted to allow medical marijuana, resulting in<br />
a total of 28 states that now allow cannabis for medicinal purposes. All<br />
these states will soon get to work to creating frameworks and issuing<br />
licenses and permits that allow the recreational and medical marijuana<br />
industries to operate. <strong>Canada</strong> will soon follow suit as Prime Minister<br />
Justin Trudeau has promised to introduce federal law that will legalize<br />
recreational marijuana across all 10 provinces and three territories. As<br />
the movement goes boldly forward, so, too, does <strong>Hydrolife</strong>. In this issue,<br />
we explore Bitcoin and its use in the cannabis industry; how to best<br />
insure your growing business; and how dosage is tested. Ontario-based<br />
craftsman Jay Hawley tells us how marijuana inspired him to create<br />
Stormebud. With these stories and more, it is clear that the marijuana<br />
industry is becoming accepted in virtually every segment of society, and<br />
it’s just a matter of time before federal governments on both sides of the<br />
49th parallel see the value in legalizing it.<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
<strong>December</strong> 2016/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
volume 1 - number 5<br />
CONTRIBUTORS<br />
Chris Bond<br />
Isaac Cedillo<br />
Jessica Ferneyhough<br />
Colleen Graham<br />
Cory Hughes<br />
Gibson Lannister<br />
Sharon Letts<br />
Lacey Macri<br />
Jodi McDonald<br />
Alan Ray<br />
Alex Rea<br />
Lindsey Schiller<br />
Jessica Skelton<br />
Watermelon<br />
Published by<br />
<strong>Hydrolife</strong> Magazine<br />
Inquiries to<br />
info@myhydrolife.ca<br />
No part of this magazine may be reproduced<br />
without permission from the publisher. The<br />
views expressed by columnists are personal<br />
opinions and do not necessarily reflect those<br />
of <strong>Hydrolife</strong> or the editor.<br />
Publication agreement number 40739092<br />
Printed in <strong>Canada</strong><br />
myhydrolife.ca
own it<br />
1<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4<br />
own it<br />
1. Perfect for the on-the-go<br />
smoker, the iChief case<br />
features a built-in rolling<br />
tray and a compartment to<br />
keep your standard rolling<br />
papers safe and handy.<br />
Made in California, the iChief<br />
case combines style and<br />
durability with a one-of-a-kind<br />
function. The handcrafted<br />
iPhone 6/6s case features a<br />
rubber protective casing for<br />
durability and a natural handfinished<br />
bamboo rolling tray.<br />
The iPhone 5 and 4 editions<br />
are made of either black<br />
or clear eco-friendly and<br />
recycled materials.<br />
- ichiefsupply.com<br />
2. Jazz Dispensary: Holiday<br />
Treats invites you to take a trip<br />
on Santa’s sleigh through 10<br />
tracks of holiday cheer. Side<br />
A presents funky chestnuts<br />
from the likes of Booker T.<br />
& the MGs, Electric Jungle,<br />
and The Jive Turkeys, while<br />
Side B contains adventurous<br />
outings from Kenny Burrell,<br />
Rotary Connection, Pharoah<br />
Sanders, and more. Housed<br />
in an eye-catching gummythemed<br />
cover and pressed on<br />
candy-red vinyl, this limitededition<br />
collection is designed<br />
to elevate your holiday<br />
listening experience. Holiday<br />
Treats follows on the heels of<br />
the much sought-after four-LP<br />
collection, Jazz Dispensary:<br />
Cosmic Stash.<br />
– jazzdispensary.com<br />
3. The Black Rock Originals<br />
Safety Case is a stylish,<br />
versatile, and discrete stash<br />
box for professionals on<br />
the go. Its non-porous,<br />
smell-proof stealth design<br />
ensures no one notices your<br />
stash, and the taped zipper<br />
and WeatherTex exterior<br />
wrap protect your supplies<br />
from the elements. Inspired<br />
by travel and influenced<br />
by adventure, there is a<br />
pocket-sized Safety Case kit<br />
for every type of smoker, no<br />
matter if you’re into pipes,<br />
vapes, or rolling.<br />
- blackrockog.com<br />
4. Google Daydream is a VR<br />
platform designed with<br />
immersive experience and<br />
mobile technology in mind.<br />
Hundreds of apps and games<br />
are incoming, including<br />
games, Hulu programming,<br />
YouTube channels, and<br />
Street View tours. The<br />
platform’s VR headset,<br />
called the Daydream View,<br />
emphasizes comfortable<br />
fabrics over hard plastics and<br />
further reduces the distance<br />
between the average<br />
consumer and VR technology.<br />
Other phone manufacturers<br />
and tech developers will<br />
have access to the Daydream<br />
platform, making it even<br />
more accessible.<br />
– store.google.com<br />
10<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.ca
5<br />
6<br />
7<br />
8<br />
5. Stardust Instant THC,<br />
developed by Ed Rosenthal,<br />
is pure CO 2-extracted<br />
cannabis oil that has been<br />
converted into a fine powder.<br />
It is an innovative way for<br />
cannabis consumers to create<br />
their own edibles, anytime<br />
and anyplace. Dissolve it<br />
in hot coffee, sprinkle onto<br />
pizza, add it to soup, and<br />
even blend it into a smoothie.<br />
Results are typically felt in less<br />
than 30 minutes. Currently<br />
available in single-serve<br />
packets containing a reliable<br />
15-milligram dose of THC,<br />
Stardust is the medicated<br />
edible of your choice.<br />
– stardustinside.com<br />
6. Dope Jewelry from Ian<br />
Campbell is handcrafted<br />
and features either images<br />
or real wildflowers and<br />
plants such as cannabis,<br />
wheat straw, hops,<br />
lavender, pine cones,<br />
and more. The pieces<br />
are hardened with an<br />
eco-friendly hemp-based<br />
medium, and the patented,<br />
proprietary process is so<br />
clean the flowers retain<br />
their fragrance. Custom<br />
pieces are available upon<br />
request. What could be<br />
cooler than your favourite,<br />
personalized, long-lasting,<br />
real flowerbud to wear?<br />
– dopejeweler.com<br />
7. The easy-to-use Plazmatic<br />
lighter provides<br />
environmentally friendly and<br />
reliable lighting power in<br />
even the windiest conditions.<br />
Instead of butane or other<br />
combustible fluids, this<br />
lighter relies on a longlasting<br />
lithium ion battery to<br />
create dual electric beams<br />
that provide heat at over<br />
480˚C. Simply plug it into<br />
a standard USB port for an<br />
hour or two and receive 50-<br />
100 lights per charge.<br />
- plazmatic.com<br />
8. The Chuck II Waterproof<br />
Mesh Backed Leather Boot<br />
defies the elements with<br />
a water-resistant upper.<br />
Other features include a<br />
Nike Lunarlon insole for<br />
cushioning, a water-resistant<br />
inner sleeve that helps keep<br />
out rain, a rugged rubber<br />
outsole for superb traction,<br />
and a neoprene collar that<br />
enhances warmth and<br />
comfort.<br />
- converse.com<br />
myhydrolife.ca grow. heal. live. enjoy. 11
ask a grower<br />
Q<br />
What would be the<br />
most efficient set-up for<br />
maximizing a 10x10 room<br />
with an eight-foot ceiling?<br />
I’m asking specifically<br />
about the lighting and<br />
hydro systems. I was<br />
also wondering about<br />
products for odour<br />
sealing the room.<br />
—Anthony<br />
Do you have a<br />
question for<br />
a grower?<br />
A<br />
Hi, Anthony,<br />
There are several<br />
ways for you to<br />
maximize the<br />
utility of your small<br />
space. Each has its<br />
pros and cons. If you were looking<br />
to grow a strain that gets large, i.e.<br />
four feet or more, I would consider<br />
using an expandable drip system,<br />
which is where plants are grown<br />
in large containers connected with<br />
tubing. The nutrient solution is dripor<br />
mist-fed to the plants, and then<br />
gravity brings the solution back<br />
to the reservoir to be recirculated.<br />
This type of system is ideal for<br />
large plants with explosive growth<br />
and plants that take longer to veg<br />
and flower. With the continuous<br />
drip system, there is no risk of the<br />
system drying out if the drippers<br />
don’t clog.<br />
Flood and drain tables are another<br />
tried-and-true method that can fit<br />
many small to medium plants, i.e.<br />
one- to three-feet tall, into a small<br />
space. It would be tight, but you<br />
could cram two 4x8 tables and flood<br />
them off a single reservoir.<br />
To properly light either of these<br />
hydroponic methods in a 10x10<br />
room, you would need at least one<br />
1,000W HID or the LED equivalent,<br />
if not more. I would suggest two<br />
600W HIDs running on two light<br />
rails to evenly and effectively light<br />
your garden.<br />
Another viable option for small<br />
spaces are rotating gardens and<br />
vertical gardens. These all-inone<br />
hydroponic gardens are<br />
designed to hold a very large<br />
number of small plants, i.e.<br />
plants that don’t get larger than<br />
one-foot high. In other words,<br />
you would have to grow a very<br />
small strain and force it to flower<br />
as soon as it has taken root. The<br />
plus side is that this method<br />
reduces the time between crops<br />
by focusing entirely on flowering.<br />
These package gardens seem<br />
complicated, but are rather<br />
beginner-friendly and can hold<br />
hundreds of small plants.<br />
In terms of your room’s<br />
environment, small spaces with<br />
lights running in them for hours on<br />
end are going to get hot. Invest in<br />
a high-quality fan and vent your<br />
room often. I cannot stress enough<br />
how important this is. Keeping<br />
the air in your room in the 18-26°C<br />
range will promote growth; prevent<br />
the contents of your reservoir from<br />
evaporating and becoming toxically<br />
concentrated; prevent the growth<br />
of harmful moulds, bacteria, and<br />
fungi; and limit the likelihood of<br />
a damaging insect infestation.<br />
Finally, venting through a carbon<br />
filter will remove all odour from the<br />
vented air. This is the most effective<br />
method I know of for odour control.<br />
There are sprays and UV purifiers<br />
available that are effective as well.<br />
I hope this advice helps point you<br />
in the right direction. If I can point<br />
you in another direction, head to<br />
your local hydroponics retailer. The<br />
people there can be an invaluable<br />
source of information and can help<br />
guide you through the process of<br />
setting up your grow.<br />
—Gibson Lannister<br />
Email editor@myhydrolife.com<br />
to get an expert answer.<br />
Gibson Lannister, a former hydroponics shop owner, developed a green<br />
thumb as a child, having been born into a family of experienced gardeners.<br />
12 grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.ca
grow<br />
CUT AND DRIED:<br />
A MONTHLY LOOK AT DIFFERENT MMJ STRAINS<br />
BY ALAN RAY<br />
An indica to its core, Afghan Kush produces a stress-relieving<br />
and meditative body high. A word of warning, though;<br />
too much of this strain could lead<br />
to a case of couchpotatoitus…<br />
Afghan Kush<br />
Born in the rugged Hindu Kush<br />
mountain region of Afghanistan<br />
and northern Pakistan, this<br />
sweetly aromatic indica will<br />
have you speaking in tongues if<br />
restraint is abandoned.<br />
Long known for its sedating and<br />
meditative properties, Afghan Kush<br />
(AK) is a hearty plant that is highly<br />
prized for its heavy resin production.<br />
It also has a distinguishable “hashy”<br />
taste; hence why it’s a favourite plant<br />
amongst hashish makers.<br />
A Little History<br />
Afghan Kush first hit the shores of<br />
America sometime in the mid-70s<br />
and it gained a reputation of being<br />
almost therapeutic with its relaxing<br />
and calming effect. Nonetheless, AK<br />
remained relatively unknown until<br />
the British firm GW Pharmaceutical<br />
chose it, along with other potent<br />
strains, for commercial use.<br />
Today, AK is one of the most popular<br />
plants for growers and consumers<br />
alike. Many medical marijuana<br />
dispensaries specialize in the strain<br />
as it is well known for its tensionrelieving<br />
and quiescent properties.<br />
It is a Canadian favourite, and it is<br />
also homegrown in many parts of the<br />
Lower 48 states and Alaska.<br />
Afghan Kush is also used heavily<br />
in breeding. Strains with shorter<br />
flowering times (even those with<br />
auto-flowering) have been created<br />
using original AK as the mother<br />
ship. OG, Larry, Lemon, and Russian<br />
Master, to name a few, owe their<br />
existence to AK. Afghan Kush also<br />
served as the cornerstone for legends<br />
such as White Widow, AK-47, Sensi<br />
Star, and others.<br />
In the Growroom<br />
True to its indica roots, AK has<br />
broad, dark green leaves and<br />
grows with branches outstretched.<br />
In other words, this plant likes<br />
elbowroom. It can also reach<br />
impressive heights if left to its<br />
own devices, though AK is usually<br />
grown as a medium-sized plant.<br />
No matter how tall, however, it<br />
produces a heavy canopy of resinglistening<br />
buds loaded with THC.<br />
With its low maintenance, good<br />
yield, and ability to reach full flowering<br />
in less than two months, AK<br />
is a must-have on your grow bucket<br />
list. It’s a well-established and<br />
stable plant that is easy to grow,<br />
making it perfect for both the novice<br />
and the seasoned grower. Afghan<br />
Kush also thrives both indoors and<br />
out. Optimal indoor yields will<br />
produce 400 grams per square<br />
metre, while outdoors will produce<br />
500-600 grams per square metre.<br />
Physical Effects<br />
Edgar Allen Poe would have liked<br />
AK. Perhaps he did.<br />
While there is some respectable<br />
cerebral euphoria, this indica strain<br />
is almost narcotic in its effect on<br />
the body. It’s excellent for reducing<br />
tension and stress, and produces a<br />
calm and relaxed state of being—a<br />
state of transcendental meditation,<br />
if you will. Afghan Kush also<br />
helps to ease chronic pain and is<br />
recommended for a series of maladies,<br />
ranging from migraines to arthritis.<br />
It’s also wonderful for patients<br />
whose medications or treatments<br />
make them not want to eat.<br />
Remember, though, too much of<br />
anything is not good. Afghan Kush is<br />
most relaxing and enjoyable when<br />
consumed in moderation. Possible<br />
side-effects of AK are cotton mouth,<br />
red and/or dry eyes, dizziness,<br />
paranoia, and couchpotatoitus.<br />
Alan Ray has written five books and<br />
is a New York Times bestselling author.<br />
Additionally, he is a multi-award winning<br />
songwriter with awards from BMI and<br />
ASCAP. Alan lives in Tennessee with<br />
his wife and two dogs: a South African<br />
Boerboel and a Pomeranian/Wolverine mix.<br />
14<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.ca
grow<br />
Trust the Facts,<br />
by Jodi McDonald<br />
Growers often have a pretty good idea of the<br />
THC and CBD levels their plants will produce,<br />
but only a lab test can tell them the exact<br />
cannabinoid levels their cannabis contains.<br />
16<br />
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myhydrolife.ca
grow<br />
will begin with a confession: I am a<br />
I lab geek. I love the lab and I enjoy<br />
solving mysteries that come from<br />
unexpected data. I really love knowing<br />
that, in my geeky way, I can help<br />
someone truly understand something<br />
they have a gut feeling about.<br />
This is especially true with cannabis.<br />
(Another confession: I enjoy hearing<br />
about all the attention and care that<br />
goes into raising healthy and productive<br />
plants.) The growers I have met are<br />
extremely tuned in to their growing<br />
processes and thus have a good idea of<br />
what results they’ll get out of their plants.<br />
They particularly have a good sense of<br />
what delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)<br />
and cannabidiol (CBD) levels they’ll<br />
see from a strain. Most often, their gut<br />
feeling is right; however, the only way<br />
they can know for sure is with a good<br />
lab test. Through this process, other lab<br />
geeks and I can let growers know exactly<br />
what their crop contains, including the<br />
levels of other medically important<br />
cannabinoids beyond THC and CBD.<br />
Cannabinoid Testing<br />
If you want to know what medically relevant<br />
elements are in your product, get a cannabinoid<br />
potency and profile test. A good test will list<br />
the most commonly occurring cannabinoids—<br />
such as those in Table 1—and measure the<br />
concentration of each in your cannabis.<br />
Sometimes, this list will be separated<br />
into carboxylated compounds (that<br />
is, the acid forms; for example,<br />
tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, or<br />
THCA) and decarboxylated<br />
compounds (or, neutral forms;<br />
for example, THC).<br />
Reliable product testing will<br />
also give an indication of how<br />
recently the cannabis was<br />
harvested. It does this by looking<br />
at the levels of carboxylated<br />
(acid form) cannabinoids and of<br />
a decarboxylated cannabinoid<br />
known as cannabinol (CBN).<br />
High levels of CBN, which is<br />
formed from the breakdown of<br />
THC, indicate that a cannabis<br />
TYPE CANNABINOID USE<br />
Decarboxylated<br />
Carboxylated<br />
Cannabichromene (CBC)<br />
Cannabidiol (CBD)<br />
Cannabidivarin (CBDV)<br />
Cannabigerol (CBG)<br />
Cannabinol (CBN)<br />
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)<br />
Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV)<br />
Cannabidiolic acid (CBDA)<br />
Cannabigerolic acid (CBGA)<br />
Tetrahyrdocannabinolic acid (THCA)<br />
Anti-inflammatory, antifungal,<br />
antibiotic, analgesic<br />
Anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory,<br />
antipsychotic, antispasmodic, analgesic<br />
Analgesic, mood disorder<br />
treatment, anti-inflammatory<br />
Antibiotic, anti-inflammatory,<br />
antifungal, analgesic<br />
Sedative, anticonvulsant,<br />
antibiotic, anti-inflammatory<br />
Euphoriant, anti-inflammatory,<br />
analgesic, antiemetic<br />
Appetite suppressant, analgesic,<br />
antiemetic, anti-inflammatory, euphoriant<br />
Antiemetic, anti-inflammatory,<br />
antibacterial<br />
Analgesic, antibacterial,<br />
anti-inflammatory,<br />
Antibacterial, antibiotic<br />
Table 1: Medically Important Phytocannabinoids<br />
18<br />
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grow<br />
TECHNIQUE PROS CONS<br />
Colourimetric<br />
Inexpensive, rapid, can be done by a grower<br />
Only able to show presence of<br />
THC or CBD over a threshold<br />
Thin Layer<br />
Chromatography<br />
(TLC)<br />
Inexpensive, rapid<br />
Semi-quantitative method (the<br />
compound is present or absent<br />
over a certain concentration)<br />
Enzyme-linked<br />
Immunosorbant Assay<br />
(ELISA)<br />
Simple, can be sensitive (able to correctly detect<br />
the presence of the compound of interest)<br />
Only able to detect THC and<br />
CBD, cross reactivity with other<br />
compounds known to occur<br />
Gas Chromatograph<br />
(GC)<br />
Excellent for measuring small concentrations,<br />
sensitive, specific (able to differentiate between<br />
the compound of interest and compounds that<br />
may interfere with the test), accurate (measuring<br />
closely to the true value)<br />
Unable to easily differentiate<br />
between carboxylated<br />
and decarboxylated<br />
compounds, measures total<br />
of each cannabinoid<br />
High Performance<br />
Liquid Chromatography<br />
(HPLC)<br />
Highly sensitive, very specific, accurate and<br />
precise (two or more measures agree), able<br />
to differentiate between carboxylated and<br />
decarboxylated compounds<br />
Less efficient than GC,<br />
time-consuming<br />
Table 2: Comparison of Analytical Methods for Cannabinoid Potency<br />
product has been sitting around<br />
for a long time. Same goes for low<br />
levels of acid-form cannabinoids.<br />
Carboxylation is the presence of<br />
a carboxylic acid molecule on a<br />
cannabinoid. Heat, light, or alkaline<br />
conditions can remove this molecule<br />
in a process called decarboxylation,<br />
which creates the active, neutral<br />
form of the cannabinoid. So, as plant<br />
material ages, its levels of acid-form<br />
cannabinoids begin to decrease.<br />
Quantitation of<br />
Total Cannabinoids<br />
A lab test can also report a total<br />
value of the cannabinoids. This<br />
is a calculation of what neutral<br />
forms of the cannabinoids would be<br />
present if there was a completely<br />
efficient decarboxylation process.<br />
A conversion factor is used to<br />
calculate this value.<br />
For example, the levels of THC<br />
and THCA would be converted<br />
to a total measure of THC. If<br />
a sample had 10 per cent<br />
THCA, the total value of<br />
THC would be calculated<br />
to 8.77 per cent.<br />
Available Testing Methods<br />
There are a variety of rapid and highly sensitive<br />
methods for analyzing a product’s cannabinoid<br />
profile. Licensed producers, under Health<br />
<strong>Canada</strong>'s regulations, must use a validated<br />
method that measures THC and CBD, but other<br />
growers have the option to choose a method that<br />
best suits them. The most common tests available<br />
are outlined in Table 2, which also looks at the<br />
benefits and drawbacks of each method.<br />
As you may have guessed, thinking about the<br />
exciting and changing world of cannabis testing<br />
is my kind of fun. It can turn gut feelings into<br />
hard facts, which also makes it an extremely<br />
useful tool for a grower. Cannabinoid testing can<br />
confirm what you know about your growing skills<br />
while showing you a world of other medically<br />
important cannabinoids that you have access to<br />
in your own garden.<br />
Jodi McDonald is the president and founder of<br />
Keystone Labs and is a medical microbiologist,<br />
inventor, and super science-geek. She has 20<br />
years’ experience in the quality control, regulatory,<br />
and quality assurance environment for the<br />
pharmaceutical industry. Jodi believes testing is<br />
essential for taking control of your personal health.<br />
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Which strain is best for your highs, your lows, and your<br />
everything in between?<br />
by Lacey Macri<br />
CLASSIFYING CANNABIS:<br />
Which strain is best for your highs, your<br />
lows, and your everything in between?<br />
Indica<br />
VS<br />
Sativa<br />
VS<br />
Hybrids<br />
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Whether you are new to the world of<br />
cannabis or just looking to expand<br />
your horizons, it helps to understand the<br />
differences between indica- and sativadominant<br />
strains. While they do share<br />
a lot of similarities, there are a few key<br />
areas from seed to medicine that set<br />
them apart.<br />
Grow<br />
For those looking to join the grow<br />
revolution, deciding between sativa<br />
and indica is an important choice. The<br />
obvious physical differences between<br />
cannabis sativa and cannabis<br />
indica are debatably most relevant<br />
in the grow sphere, where spatial<br />
limitations, legalities, and timing often<br />
become issues.<br />
Sativa plants are known for their large<br />
stature, some stretching to a whopping<br />
25-feet tall if given the headroom.<br />
Heavy sativa-dominant strains are best<br />
suited for outdoor growing. However,<br />
if you are looking to grow some of<br />
these, check with your local laws<br />
before beginning. Also, before growing<br />
outside, take into consideration privacy<br />
concerns from nosy or unsupportive<br />
neighbours, and other uninvited<br />
visitors like pests, which can present an<br />
increased threat in rural areas.<br />
If any of the above are deal-breakers,<br />
cannabis indica could be better for you<br />
as it can be grown indoors more easily.<br />
Indica plants are usually smaller and<br />
stouter with a slightly shorter growing<br />
cycle. Many hobby gardeners also find<br />
this makes the plants somewhat less<br />
of a commitment over their towering<br />
sativa counterparts. Another difference<br />
between the two strains is that leaves<br />
of cannabis indica plants generally<br />
appear darker green in colour, and the<br />
blades are much shorter and wider than<br />
the long, skinny leaves of sativa plants.<br />
Heal<br />
The medicinal value of cannabis<br />
seems to have more to do with the<br />
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and<br />
cannabidiol (CBD) content of different<br />
strains and the effect these chemicals<br />
have on users than it does the indica<br />
vs. sativa classification. However, some<br />
trends do seem to exist between the two.<br />
Traditionally, cannabis sativa plants<br />
were known for having higher concentrations<br />
of THC, the psychoactive element<br />
in cannabis. As a result, cannabis<br />
sativa has been described as producing<br />
a more energized, uplifting head high.<br />
Patients suffering from depression, lack<br />
of energy, and some forms of anxiety<br />
look for strains that are more dominant<br />
in THC content than CBD to help counteract<br />
their symptoms.<br />
On the other side, cannabis indica<br />
plants were known for having higher<br />
concentrations of CBD, which produces<br />
a more calming, body-high effect. People<br />
suffering from pain, restlessness, lack of<br />
appetite, or stress look for strains more<br />
dominant in CBD content to help balance<br />
their symptoms.<br />
Conflicting theories about the THC and<br />
CBD content of sativa vs. indica strains<br />
are common. Many researchers have<br />
reported very little difference in the<br />
genetics of sativa and indica strains, and<br />
that, combined with the emergence of<br />
a plethora of new hybrids, the variance<br />
continues to grow.<br />
Enjoy<br />
Patients suffering from<br />
depression, lack of energy,<br />
and some forms of anxiety<br />
look for strains that are more<br />
dominant in THC content<br />
than CBD to help counteract<br />
their symptoms.<br />
With the legalization of recreational<br />
cannabis starting to pop up in some<br />
states, and becoming a big possibility<br />
in <strong>Canada</strong>, many users have identified<br />
additional benefits beyond just its medicinal<br />
value. For both professional and<br />
hobby artists, cannabis has been found<br />
to stimulate the creative workings of the<br />
mind. This experience is most likely due<br />
to high levels of THC in the marijuana<br />
consumed by its users. In other words,<br />
finding a nice, purebred cannabis sativa<br />
strain may help those wishing to crush<br />
their writer’s block.<br />
Users who experiment with recreational<br />
sativa strains while enjoying physical<br />
activity also report a mild boost in<br />
energy and motivation.<br />
It should be noted, however, that users<br />
who suffer from certain diagnosed<br />
mental illnesses or conditions, such<br />
as attention deficit disorder, may<br />
experience a sensory overload with some<br />
cannabis sativa strains. It is generally<br />
suggested that these users stick to<br />
indica-dominant or hybrid strains if they<br />
are looking to play it safe.<br />
Remember, it is important to use any<br />
form of cannabis safely. Practice<br />
designating a safe driver, keeping usage<br />
light while in public, and increasing<br />
dosages gradually as your body<br />
becomes accustomed to the medicine.<br />
Lacey Macri works as head of sales<br />
at CleanGrow Ltd., focusing her time<br />
on business development within the<br />
company. She received a bachelor’s<br />
degree in communications and<br />
psychology from the University of<br />
California, Davis, in 2011, where she<br />
worked at the California Aggie student<br />
newspaper on campus.<br />
myhydrolife.ca grow. heal. live. enjoy. 23
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RISE<br />
Why More Cannabis Greenhouses are<br />
CROPPING UP<br />
Traditional greenhouses have presented challenges for cannabis<br />
growers, including security and environment control. Hybrid<br />
greenhouse technology is changing that, filling the niche<br />
between indoor and outdoor grows. Lindsey Schiller<br />
explains why cannabis growers now have another option.<br />
by Lindsey Schiller<br />
photos courtesy of<br />
Ceres Greenhouse Solutions<br />
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“UNTIL RECENTLY,<br />
cannabis growers<br />
faced two choices<br />
for housing a grow<br />
operation: indoor<br />
or outdoor.”<br />
Imagine the perfect cannabis growing<br />
environment—high light intensity,<br />
precisely controlled environment, CO 2-<br />
rich air, automated systems, minimal<br />
energy usage…this is the Holy Grail<br />
for many cannabis growers, and with<br />
advances in greenhouse technology, it is<br />
one that is now within reach.<br />
Until recently, cannabis growers<br />
faced two choices for housing a grow<br />
operation: indoor or outdoor. Outdoor<br />
growers commonly tout the higher<br />
yields and lower costs of growing<br />
at larger scales under natural light.<br />
Indoor growers swear by the added<br />
climate control afforded by an enclosed<br />
environment where light, temperature,<br />
CO 2<br />
, and airflow can be controlled with<br />
the punch of a button.<br />
As a category, greenhouses occupy<br />
a middle ground on this spectrum.<br />
However, until recently, standard<br />
greenhouse structures presented their<br />
own challenges for cannabis growers.<br />
Advances in greenhouse design and<br />
technology are changing that, allowing<br />
greenhouses to provide the best of both<br />
worlds: both natural lighting and a<br />
precisely controlled indoor environment.<br />
SHEDDING LIGHT ON<br />
TRADITIONAL GREENHOUSES<br />
Though artificial lights are becoming<br />
more efficient, it is still hard, if not<br />
impossible, to compete with the giant<br />
free lamp in the sky. On a clear day,<br />
indoor light levels in a greenhouse are<br />
in the range of 1,000-1,500 micromoles/<br />
m 2 /second. That wordy unit describes<br />
of the amount light that plants use,<br />
called PAR light, hitting a surface at<br />
a single point in time. In comparison,<br />
light intensity one metre away from<br />
a 1,000W HPS lamp is in the range of<br />
500-800 micromoles/m 2 /second. Light<br />
intensity under a 400W HPS lamp is<br />
only 200-400 micromoles/m 2 /second.<br />
In short, natural light usually dwarfs<br />
artificial lights in its intensity. It’s<br />
also full-spectrum, providing all the<br />
wavelengths plants use. But most<br />
importantly, it’s free. By not having to<br />
run lights 12-18 hours a day, greenhouse<br />
growers dramatically reduce the costs<br />
of year-round cannabis production.<br />
Though estimates vary, most analysts<br />
predict a greenhouse will save 50-90<br />
per cent in energy costs compared to an<br />
indoor growroom.<br />
So, why not greenhouses? Historically,<br />
the top reason has been our legal system<br />
and the underground nature of the crop.<br />
Greenhouses have traditionally been<br />
seen as less secure and durable than an<br />
opaque metal warehouse. Greenhouses<br />
have also been seen as more difficult<br />
environments to control compared<br />
to enclosed growrooms. Standard<br />
greenhouses are constructed out of thin,<br />
uninsulated materials, making them<br />
more prone to temperature fluctuations.<br />
With natural light comes natural heat,<br />
and in sunny climates, greenhouses can<br />
potentially overheat.<br />
To control overheating and humidity<br />
levels, commercial greenhouses are<br />
heavily ventilated. Constantly flushing<br />
the greenhouse with outdoor air<br />
increases exposure to pests, diseases,<br />
and pathogens, making it more akin<br />
to an outdoor farm than an indoor<br />
growroom. Another recent risk is<br />
airborne hemp pollen. If a greenhouse<br />
is in the vicinity of outdoor hemp grows,<br />
pollen can enter through vents or fans<br />
and pollinate flowering crops. The result<br />
is hermaphroditic, or seeded, cannabis<br />
that loses much of its value.<br />
Greenhouses also experience variable<br />
light levels. A heavily overcast day, for<br />
example, typically has only 10 per cent<br />
of the light compared to a clear sunny<br />
day. If growing year-round, a greenhouse<br />
normally requires supplemental lighting<br />
and light deprivation systems to achieve<br />
the right photoperiod.<br />
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grow<br />
Let’s step back for a moment to<br />
differentiate between greenhouse<br />
strategies. Many cannabis greenhouses<br />
are seasonal; they provide added<br />
protection for a crop during the normal<br />
outdoor season, but close down over<br />
winter. Other growers use greenhouses<br />
to achieve year-round production<br />
for vegetative or flowering crops, or<br />
supplement part of a larger year-round<br />
operation. In many cases, a grower may<br />
use a growroom for cloning and as a<br />
veg room, and then move plants to the<br />
greenhouse for the flowering stage.<br />
Controlling the photoperiod for flowering<br />
crops requires both supplemental<br />
lighting and light deprivation<br />
systems. Artificial lights extend the<br />
short days of the winter, and light<br />
dep systems allow for a 12-hour<br />
photoperiod during long summer<br />
days. Some growers note that adding<br />
a light dep system increases the<br />
cash outlay for a greenhouse compared<br />
to growroom. However, due to<br />
the avoided costs of running lights,<br />
it is one that is quickly recouped.<br />
Overall, greenhouses have often<br />
been seen as a more natural<br />
growing method, but one that<br />
sacrifices some control over the<br />
growing environment.<br />
THE NEXT WAVE<br />
OF GREENHOUSES:<br />
HYBRID STRUCTURES<br />
To accommodate for these<br />
drawbacks, a new variation of<br />
greenhouse has emerged. Part<br />
warehouse, part greenhouse, hybrid<br />
greenhouses combine insulated<br />
walls with standard glazed roofs.<br />
From the outside, the greenhouse<br />
looks like a warehouse and is<br />
nearly as secure. Constructed with<br />
metal framing, they are also as<br />
durable as a standard commercial<br />
building. Most hybrid greenhouses<br />
can be rated for any wind or snow<br />
load, making them well-suited for<br />
growers in harsh winter climates.<br />
Beyond security and durability,<br />
hybrid structures are far more<br />
energy efficient than standard<br />
greenhouses. An insulated wall<br />
typically has an R-value of 10-20.<br />
Most glazing materials, in comparison,<br />
have an R-value of less than two.<br />
Replacing glazing with a durable,<br />
insulated structure creates a vastly<br />
more energy-efficient structure and<br />
more stable temperatures for yearround<br />
production.<br />
For these reasons, hybrid<br />
greenhouses are emerging as a new<br />
niche in the spectrum of growing<br />
options—one that is more high-tech<br />
and controlled than a standard<br />
greenhouse, but still relies on natural<br />
light. Some growers are taking this<br />
one step further and completely<br />
enclosing the indoor environment.<br />
Sealed greenhouses are an emerging<br />
trend that allows for even greater<br />
control over climate conditions.<br />
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These structures reduce or eliminate ventilation,<br />
so the crops are not constantly exposed to foreign<br />
contaminants like moulds and pests from outside.<br />
Dehumidifiers, heat exchangers, or energy-efficient<br />
heating and cooling systems control the climate,<br />
providing air circulating and a CO 2-rich environment<br />
without ventilation.<br />
Adding to this, growers are integrating new lighting<br />
technologies to create consistent light levels and<br />
a precisely controlled photoperiod. Innovative<br />
lighting and control technologies can respond to<br />
outdoor conditions, only supplementing as much<br />
light as needed. For example, on a cloudy day, a<br />
sensor detects the light levels in the greenhouse. If<br />
below peak intensity, controls automatically turn<br />
on supplemental lighting, but automated dimmers<br />
only turn lights on as much as needed. In this way,<br />
greenhouse growers can take advantage of natural<br />
sunlight as much as possible while still ensuring<br />
consistent peak intensity lighting, eliminating one<br />
more disadvantage of the greenhouse grow.<br />
Other technologies involve motors that<br />
automatically raise and lower lights to provide<br />
intense lighting when they are on, and minimize<br />
shading when the lights are off. Finally, automated<br />
light deprivation systems seal tightly to the<br />
“HIGH-TECH greenhouses now sit squarely in<br />
the middle between the indoor and outdoor<br />
grow, blending the best of both worlds.”<br />
greenhouse frame, creating 100 per cent blackout<br />
conditions equivalent to an indoor growroom.<br />
With these advances, high-tech greenhouses now<br />
sit squarely in the middle between the indoor and<br />
outdoor grow, blending the best of both worlds<br />
while eliminating many of the sacrifices of each.<br />
As growers continue to demand more controlled,<br />
automated, efficient, and durable structures, hybrid<br />
greenhouses will certainly be here to stay. Moreover,<br />
they will evolve along with the industry, carving out<br />
a significant niche in the spectrum of structures and<br />
inching growers one step closer to that perfect grow.<br />
Lindsey Schiller studied at the University of Arizona’s<br />
Controlled Environment Agriculture Center before<br />
delving into sustainable greenhouse design after she<br />
moved to Colorado. In 2011, she co-founded Ceres<br />
Greenhouse Solutions to enable people to design and<br />
build their own sustainable, year-round greenhouses.<br />
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heal<br />
Herbal<br />
ASK A NURSE: TIPS FOR THE HEART<br />
Q<br />
Dear Nurse Jessica,<br />
I heard that cannabis can prevent heart attacks. Is this true? And is there any evidence to<br />
prove it? Could you explain exactly how cannabis works to prevent heart disease?<br />
Thanks,<br />
Tonia<br />
Dear Tonia,<br />
A<br />
Thank you for writing<br />
me and keeping<br />
me on my toes for<br />
evidence-based<br />
opinion. Information<br />
is one thing, but in general<br />
medicine, it can come across as a<br />
little hippy dippy without studies<br />
to solidify the facts.<br />
The truth is, though, we need<br />
more studies to prove what people<br />
know intuitively about cannabis<br />
and countless patient profiles<br />
continue to identify. Until then,<br />
there are some things in life that<br />
can only be guided by the heart<br />
and followed by the trusted self.<br />
To me, with the right patient,<br />
cannabis is a teacher plant who<br />
calls to those who listen.<br />
There are so many different factors<br />
that play into quality heart<br />
health for me. The core ones are<br />
nutrition and hydration, enjoyable<br />
physical activity, expanded consciousness,<br />
and cannabis use, both<br />
medically and recreationally.<br />
When cannabis is utilized with<br />
precision, and the intake methods<br />
are diversified, this plant has<br />
the ability to heal, inspire, relax,<br />
ignite, and optimize heart health.<br />
Now, this being said, I’m not<br />
saying hit the bong all day and<br />
rock a bag of chips for dinner.<br />
This medicine must be treated like<br />
a goddess. You must understand<br />
how to approach her and<br />
recognize there is comfort in ritual,<br />
but ignition in diversity. Also, you<br />
can only be as healthy as what<br />
you put in your mouth, drop under<br />
your tongue, vaporize in your<br />
device, roll in your paper, apply<br />
with infused lotions, or insert<br />
where necessary and ingest.<br />
Growing cannabis is also an<br />
essential component to a healthy<br />
heart. Getting close to your<br />
medicine and seeing it flourish<br />
can bring an incredible sense of<br />
self-sufficiency and deep healing.<br />
I feel blessed when my patients<br />
open up to me about growing. Like<br />
children at Christmas, their eyes<br />
radiate and the ailments we were<br />
discussing before seem light years<br />
away. These truths cannot be put<br />
into pills.<br />
Your question is best supported<br />
by one of my go-to indexes, The<br />
Cannabis Health Index by Uwe<br />
Blesching, PhD. In this text,<br />
Blesching quotes a few studies,<br />
suggests cannabis particulars,<br />
provides affirmations, and sheds<br />
metaphysical light on the heart<br />
with nutrition and lifestyle.<br />
One of Blesching’s quoted referrals<br />
was from Brazil in 2009. They<br />
explained that “CBD calms the autonomic<br />
responses to stress, such<br />
as rapid heart rates, by engaging<br />
receptors that select serotonin to<br />
achieve a calming effect.” Another<br />
was from New Zealand in<br />
2007, when a team reviewed the<br />
influence of cannabinoids and the<br />
heart. This study unveiled that<br />
cannabinoids positively influence<br />
“vasodilation, cardiac protection,<br />
modulation of the baroreceptor<br />
reflex in the control of systolic<br />
blood pressure, and inhibition of<br />
endothelial inflammation and the<br />
progress of atherosclerosis.”<br />
Take some time to read through<br />
these two studies; I think you’ll<br />
enjoy them.<br />
Lifestyle and consciousness<br />
are at the centre of our wellness,<br />
Tonia. Prevention of heart disease<br />
can be assisted by expressing our<br />
emotions and asking ourselves the<br />
tough questions that keep popping<br />
up. It’s hiding from the kids to puff<br />
a little so you can actually enjoy<br />
them without screaming or feeling<br />
filled with guilt or anger. Ganja<br />
brings lightness to a heavy layer<br />
of concrete and chemicals. She<br />
reminds us that a healthy heart is<br />
a liberated one. One who knows<br />
what works for oneself and can<br />
articulate boundaries in a loving<br />
way. The more ganja I let in, the<br />
more gentleness I express to<br />
myself and those around me.<br />
May you walk from the centre of<br />
your being and allow your heart<br />
to guide your deepest bonds,<br />
self-love, altruism, and truth.<br />
Although I like to chirp, my<br />
advice cannot be substituted for<br />
your physician’s recommendations<br />
or treatment plan. My hope is that<br />
there was something here you<br />
resonated with.<br />
Nurse Jessica<br />
Jessica Ferneyhough, a registered<br />
practical nurse, brings a unique<br />
approach to care, empowering patients<br />
as a medicinal cannabis nurse<br />
and horses for healing advocate.<br />
Do you have a question for Jessica?<br />
Email editor@myhydrolife.com.<br />
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Dreaming<br />
The Golden State Goes Green<br />
by Sharon Letts<br />
When Canadians elected Justin Trudeau, they voted for<br />
the legalization of recreational cannabis. Recently, our<br />
neighbours to the south did exactly that. In this article,<br />
<strong>Hydrolife</strong> contributor Sharon Letts examines what the future<br />
holds for California’s marijuana industry in the wake of Prop<br />
64—and what we could possibly expect when our turn comes.<br />
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“During what’s touted<br />
as America’s last great<br />
surge of the human<br />
spirit and revolt,<br />
California became the<br />
meeting place of those<br />
looking to change the<br />
world and do away<br />
with the status quo.”<br />
Politics isn’t pretty. In the United<br />
States’ 2016 election, up to 50 per<br />
cent of all eligible voters avoided the<br />
ballot box, with apathy garnering the<br />
largest percentage at the polls. But<br />
where cannabis is concerned, the people<br />
have spoken. Four out of five states<br />
on the ballot legalized recreational<br />
use, giving the country a total of eight<br />
states promoting the recreational use<br />
of cannabis and a total of 28 states now<br />
legal for medicinal use.<br />
Proposition 64, sponsored by Napster<br />
founder Sean Parker, was California’s<br />
second try at legalization under the<br />
Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA),<br />
winning with 56 per cent of the vote.<br />
All eyes are now on California, as the<br />
progressive state sits between Mexico<br />
and <strong>Canada</strong>—two countries poised to go<br />
forward on legalization.<br />
Having grown up in Southern<br />
California, then transplanting to San<br />
Francisco in my 20s, then working<br />
in media in Humboldt County at the<br />
top of the state for nine years, this<br />
California girl can safely say the state<br />
is divided by more than geographical or<br />
weather differences. Where cannabis is<br />
concerned, there are no greater contrasts<br />
than the division of big business to<br />
the south, farming to the north, and<br />
activism from both sides. In fact, during<br />
the 2016 State of Marijuana conference<br />
held historically on the Queen Mary<br />
in Southern California, no debate was<br />
hotter than the one participated in<br />
by farmers to the north, big business<br />
interests to the south, and activists<br />
wanting to free prisoners and reduce<br />
sentencing from America’s failed War<br />
on Drugs. Farmers spoke of losing their<br />
way of life, big business looked to the<br />
future, and activists demanded freedom<br />
from persecution.<br />
HISTORY OF WEED<br />
IN CALIFORNIA<br />
Photo by Sharon Letts<br />
To understand the fight, it helps to<br />
know the history of the plant in the<br />
country’s most progressive state.<br />
During what’s touted as America’s last<br />
great surge of the human spirit and<br />
revolt, California became the meeting<br />
place of those looking to change the<br />
world and do away with the status<br />
quo. In 1968, after the Summer of Love<br />
ended in San Francisco, the hippies<br />
who congregated from every state in<br />
the union made their way north. They<br />
called themselves Back to the Landers.<br />
They lived off the land and grew<br />
cannabis. When the first harvest was<br />
taken to town for sale, distribution on<br />
the black market began.<br />
For the last 40 years, cannabis has<br />
been hybridized to the recreational<br />
plant we have today, with THC—the<br />
psychoactive compound of the plant—<br />
counts skyrocketing. Ironically, in<br />
the past 30 years, the same plants<br />
were hybridized back down to what<br />
some call the “God plant,” which has<br />
lower percentages of THC and higher<br />
concentrates of CBD—one medicinal<br />
compound of the plant now widely<br />
recognized to treat many ailments. The<br />
tally for cannabis already produced and<br />
distributed from California throughout<br />
the country is estimated to be upwards<br />
of 10 to 20 million pounds a year.<br />
So, this is where we are today,<br />
legalizing for recreational use a plant<br />
that has been customized to heal, with<br />
fourth-generation California cannabis<br />
farmers who were traditionally covert<br />
now dominating a cottage industry<br />
soon to explode.<br />
FARMERS AT<br />
THE FOREFRONT<br />
Humboldt farmer, medicine maker,<br />
and cannabis advocate Chrystal Ortiz<br />
has been vocal on the pros and cons of<br />
California’s Prop. 64. Once in the closet<br />
herself, in the past two years, Ortiz has<br />
joined Women Grow, a national organization<br />
for women in the cannabis<br />
industry; became involved in local pot<br />
politics; and was recently interviewed<br />
on National Public Radio on her plans<br />
for the future of farming in the region.<br />
Ortiz is also the manager of True<br />
Humboldt, one of the first farming<br />
cooperatives to come out of the smoky<br />
closet and start promoting its organically<br />
sun-grown strains in a big way.<br />
One of the greatest fears of farmers<br />
is their way of life changing, of not<br />
being able to keep up in a corporate<br />
environment. However, while Ortiz<br />
says she feels that one point of the<br />
proposition—allowing a five-year grace<br />
period until commercial licenses are<br />
available—should give small farmers<br />
a chance to compete. “Under current<br />
medical regulations, there is no direct<br />
market access,” she explains. “All herb<br />
has to be fronted or sold to a distributor.<br />
If you told all our farmers’ market<br />
vendors that their produce had to be sold<br />
to a distributor, few would survive.”<br />
Under AUMA, onsite consumption,<br />
bud and breakfasts, and microbrewery<br />
businesses are viable options. Ortiz<br />
feels these would be good models for the<br />
small farmer to not only continue to exist<br />
in, but thrive in.<br />
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State of Marijuana Debate in California.<br />
FROM COTTAGE INDUSTRY<br />
TO MILLIONAIRE<br />
When Colorado legalized cannabis,<br />
there were more than 250 medible<br />
companies existing in its medical<br />
market. During the first six months of<br />
legalization, most of them folded due to<br />
both the cottage industry’s inability to<br />
meet supply and demand combined with<br />
a lack of wherewithal to step up. Case<br />
in point: Love’s Oven, based in Denver.<br />
Within one year’s time, it was forced<br />
to lease a larger warehouse space,<br />
purchase automated equipment, and<br />
hire a chef to run such a kitchen. It went<br />
from grossing $50,000 a year as a cottage<br />
industry to $1.5 million in the first year of<br />
the new market. This poses the question<br />
to California’s cannabis industry: Are<br />
you ready to go big?<br />
“The ability for tourism, retail sales,<br />
and auction-type clearinghouses gives<br />
me hope,” Ortiz says. “We have five<br />
years to show the state we have more<br />
than enough in production. We’ll also<br />
have better testing regulations,” she<br />
adds. “With six million tourists visiting<br />
California yearly, I’m betting many of<br />
them would love to see a real Humboldt<br />
County herb farm.”<br />
ORGANIZING FOR<br />
THE GREATER GOOD<br />
Hezikiah Allen is executive director of<br />
the California Cannabis Association,<br />
an organization split down the middle<br />
on legalization in the state. His main<br />
concern after the vote is to make sure<br />
the next gold rush in the state benefits<br />
everyone. “From business owners to<br />
workers at the trim table, to casual<br />
consumers, to patients in need of lifesaving<br />
medicine, we must make sure the<br />
green rush doesn’t come at the expense<br />
of our irreplaceable natural resources<br />
and our quality of life,” he said the day<br />
after Prop. 64 passed.<br />
Allen’s suggestions for the future<br />
were detailed and included imposing<br />
a living wage standard, a social<br />
justice and equity committee to<br />
ensure opportunity, environmental<br />
responsibility in enforcing standards<br />
in sustainable water use, and a<br />
call to rally together to protect the<br />
industry’s tradition and heritage<br />
of independent farms. “There is an<br />
irreplaceable value—economic and<br />
cultural—that small farms provide<br />
to our communities,” he says. “From<br />
urban agriculture to permaculture,<br />
cannabis is a unique opportunity<br />
for California to model the future of<br />
sustainable farming.”<br />
#LEGALIZETOLITIGATE<br />
And what of the more than 6,000 people<br />
currently serving federal sentences<br />
in the state on cannabis charges? The<br />
Drug Policy Alliance that sponsored the<br />
proposition campaigned strongly on<br />
this point, with many voting yes on the<br />
proposition for this very reason.<br />
California attorney Omar Figueroa<br />
says that just days after the proposition<br />
passed, he witnessed numerous defendants<br />
who were ordered released after<br />
Photo by Sharon Letts<br />
felony possession with the intent to sell<br />
charges were dismissed, while others<br />
were reduced to misdemeanours. “One<br />
particularly memorable defendant was<br />
an elderly African American gentleman<br />
who appeared in custody. He was<br />
charged with felony possession for sale<br />
and apparently had been sitting in jail<br />
for months unable to bail out,” recalls<br />
Figueroa. “Thanks to Proposition 64,<br />
the case was dismissed, since the 11359<br />
charge was now a misdemeanour, and<br />
he had already served the maximum<br />
sentence of six months.”<br />
Figueroa confirms California’s Health<br />
and Safety Code, saying, “A person<br />
currently serving a sentence for a<br />
conviction, whether by trial or by open<br />
or negotiated plea, who would not<br />
have been guilty of an offense or who<br />
would have been guilty of a lesser<br />
offense under the Control, Regulate<br />
and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act,<br />
had that Act been in effect at the time<br />
of the offense, may petition for a recall<br />
or dismissal of sentence before the<br />
trial court that entered the judgment of<br />
conviction in his or her case to request<br />
resentencing or dismissal…”<br />
Cheri Sicard, a mainstream author<br />
turned cannabis author and activist,<br />
corresponds and lobbies for prisoners<br />
of the failed War on Drugs on behalf of<br />
the Marijuana Lifer Project. Working<br />
with those serving life sentences for<br />
cannabis, she says it’s a two-step<br />
process and prisoners must take the first<br />
step. “First, we need to get California<br />
cannabis prisoner priors knocked down<br />
to misdemeanours at the state level,” she<br />
says. “Once that is done, then we start<br />
dealing with the feds. Strategy sessions<br />
are being facilitated right now, so it’s still<br />
too early to tell how this will all play out.”<br />
Though there are no perfect propositions<br />
in any of the states, the eight states<br />
now legal for the recreational use of<br />
cannabis are poised to bring cannabis<br />
into the mainstream and prosperity<br />
into the market place. Time will tell<br />
how ordinances will work in real time.<br />
One thing is certain, with Colorado<br />
leading the way with some $120 million<br />
made each month, the plant prevails.<br />
Those already reaping the benefits of<br />
cannabis as medicine are hopeful for<br />
more research leading to education and<br />
wellness for the masses.<br />
Sharon Letts began her life’s work as a<br />
gardener in Southern California and now<br />
calls Humboldt County home. She’s a<br />
writer and photographer. When she isn’t<br />
writing about gardening, she is outside<br />
working in her own garden.<br />
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Helping<br />
Children<br />
Heal<br />
by Sharon Letts<br />
Sophie Ryan was just eight months old when she developed a twitch<br />
in her right eye. Her parents, Tracy and Josh Ryan, said she had<br />
been a happy and seemingly healthy baby, with no difficulties to<br />
speak of from a normal pregnancy and delivery.<br />
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The diagnosis of a low-grade, slowgrowing,<br />
optic pathway glioma (OPG)<br />
brain tumour in eight-month-old Sophie<br />
Ryan was eventually realized with sobering<br />
facts. Success rates are high, but<br />
doctors said Sophie would be completely<br />
blind in her left eye, and partially, if not<br />
completely blind, in her right eye.<br />
Studies found within the National Institute<br />
of Health came up short on OPG,<br />
providing little insight as to the cause<br />
of the rare disorder comprising five per<br />
cent of childhood cancers.<br />
According to cancer.org, more than<br />
4,000 central nervous system tumours<br />
are diagnosed a year in children and<br />
teenagers in the US, with three out of<br />
four children surviving at least five<br />
years after their diagnosis. Brain and<br />
spinal cord tumours are the secondmost<br />
common cancers in children (after<br />
leukemia), accounting for one out of four<br />
childhood cancers.<br />
Through their own research and in<br />
working with experts, Tracy and her<br />
team created organic, solvent-free CannaKids<br />
Honey Gold Cannabis Oil. “We<br />
work with hundreds of patients directly<br />
affected by cancer, epilepsy, and other<br />
childhood illnesses by informing them<br />
on the beneficial uses of cannabis oil,”<br />
says Tracy. “Three different doctors<br />
told one three-year-old child’s parents<br />
with a brain stem tumour that chemo<br />
would not work and they could not save<br />
her life. A few months after reaching a<br />
medicinal cannabis dose, the parents<br />
opted to try chemo, even though doctors<br />
said it would not shrink her tumour.<br />
After only 10 weeks of using cannabis<br />
oil and chemo, the tumour is now 50 per<br />
cent gone.”<br />
Working up to just a tenth of a gram<br />
initially, due to unknown factors<br />
of psychoactivity with THC<br />
(tetrahydrocannabinol), Tracy says<br />
Sophie did remarkably well, with<br />
the only side effect of Sophie being<br />
a little sleepy, which faded as she<br />
became used to the oil. Now at a much<br />
higher dose of around 300 milligrams<br />
of CBD, 100 milligrams of THC, and<br />
50 milligrams of THCa, Tracy shares,<br />
Sophie’s only side effect is hunger.<br />
“When parents come to me with<br />
concerns in relation to the THC getting<br />
them high, I remind them what it is<br />
these doctors are putting them on–<br />
these horrific opiates and damaging<br />
pharmaceuticals that are not only<br />
damaging to their organs, but are<br />
highly addictive,” says Tracy. “The<br />
oil also protects their bodies from the<br />
chemotherapy drugs that are highly<br />
damaging to the immune system.”<br />
Months of Misery, Then<br />
Slight Improvement<br />
Thirteen months of chemotherapy was<br />
recommended for infant Sophie, with the<br />
dismal promise of the tumour shrinking<br />
only slightly as a best-case scenario. Her<br />
parents, Tracy and Josh, took a serious<br />
look at the alternative therapy of cannabis,<br />
with a nod from Sophie’s oncologist.<br />
After creating the Prayers for Sophie<br />
Facebook page, a friend put Tracy in<br />
touch with celebrity and cannabis advocate<br />
Ricki Lake, who was filming a documentary<br />
about cancer, cannabism, and<br />
pediatric patients with filmmaker Abby<br />
Epstein. “I was originally inspired to try<br />
for a natural birth after watching The<br />
Business of Being Born, so I knew if these<br />
ladies were now focused on a film about<br />
cannabis, there had to be something to<br />
it,” says Tracy on youshareproject.com.<br />
Soon Lake and Epstein were<br />
networking for Sophie, putting Tracy<br />
and Josh in touch with some of the top<br />
oil makers and experts on cannabis<br />
as medicine in California, prompting<br />
Tracy to share the wealth by creating<br />
CannaKids, an informational portal and<br />
oil resource for caregivers of kids with<br />
cancer and other serious ailments.<br />
Thirteen months of chemotherapy<br />
was recommended for infant<br />
Sophie, with the dismal promise of<br />
the tumour shrinking only slightly<br />
as a best-case scenario.<br />
CannaKids Creates Miracles<br />
On savingsophie.org, Tracy lists more<br />
than 155 studies proving cannabis is<br />
effective in killing cancer cells, with just<br />
3.8 per cent of government funding spent<br />
on pediatric cancer research. With 15,780<br />
children diagnosed each year, it doesn’t<br />
take much to realize something is wrong.<br />
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So Close to Success<br />
As treatment continued with both<br />
chemotherapy and cannabis oil, with<br />
every follow-up scan, the tumour<br />
presented smaller and smaller–an<br />
anomaly with this type of tumour. “At<br />
just nine months of treatment with both<br />
chemo and the oil, the tumour was 50 per<br />
cent gone,” says Tracy. “By 13 months, it<br />
was 90 to 95 per cent gone. We were told<br />
initially the cyst would remain and it’s<br />
gone, too. We were told she would lose<br />
her vision and it’s saved. The doctors<br />
themselves agreed the cannabis oil<br />
destroyed her tumour.”<br />
Chemotherapy was stopped in<br />
November 2014. With a 95 per cent<br />
shrinkage rate, the downside is an<br />
average of 75 per cent of cases reoccur.<br />
Sophie’s first scan post-treatment<br />
showed tiny specs of cancer in an<br />
area where there was nothing prior,<br />
prompting chemo a second time. After<br />
getting a second opinion, the Ryans<br />
were told that Sophie should have never<br />
been taken off of chemo in the first place<br />
since her tumour at the time was still<br />
shrinking on treatment, hence this new<br />
recurrence happening so quickly.<br />
The good news is that because of<br />
Sophie’s cannabis use her immune<br />
system is stronger than ever during<br />
the traditional treatment of chemo<br />
that typically knocks an adult to the<br />
ground with infections, pain, wasteaway,<br />
and more.<br />
Proof, Protocols, & Patents<br />
In a paper published on the National<br />
Institute of Health’s site, via the<br />
National Cancer Institute (updated<br />
<strong>January</strong> 2016), help from cannabis with<br />
Sophie’s brain<br />
tumour sample<br />
has been sent<br />
to Israel with the<br />
hope that they<br />
will find a perfect<br />
match from more<br />
than 150 strains<br />
of cannabis.<br />
side effects of chemotherapy are listed,<br />
with nausea, waste-away, and pain a<br />
given. And though Israel first reported<br />
THC putting tumours into remission<br />
in the late 1960s, only recently has<br />
the institute added verbiage stating,<br />
“Cannabis has been shown to kill<br />
cancer cells in the laboratory.”<br />
“Her immune levels hardly ever drop<br />
below a normal range on the oil. And if<br />
they do, they are in the upper range of<br />
low,” Tracy reports. “She’s the only child<br />
during chemo breaks that doesn’t have<br />
to have her labs drawn.”<br />
Doing laboratory work can often be<br />
difficult for anyone. For a child, it can<br />
add to the physical and emotional scars<br />
already received from the ailment itself.<br />
Tracy says due to the persistence of the<br />
cancer, she has what is called a portacath,<br />
or portable catheter, in her chest<br />
where chemo drugs are delivered. “You<br />
can see all the thousands of tiny holes in<br />
her chest from the thousands of needle<br />
sticks she’s had,” says Tracy. “I’ve had<br />
to hold her down while they put this big<br />
plastic thing on her chest, with an IV<br />
running out of it, and blood running in a<br />
tube right in front of her face. Yes, labs<br />
are very traumatic.”<br />
When asked if they are able to do the<br />
cannabis treatment without the chemo,<br />
Tracy said it didn’t work for Sophie. “Sophie<br />
is CannaKids’ only optic pathway<br />
glioma patient who hasn’t responded to<br />
just the cannabis oil off-treatment,” she<br />
says. “We are trying to get to the root<br />
of the problem to find out why her body<br />
doesn’t respond to a maintenance dose<br />
of oil to keep the cancer away. We are<br />
working with researchers in Israel now<br />
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to determine which cannabinoids and<br />
terpenoids are going to most effectively<br />
kill Sophie’s tumour.”<br />
Building a Brain Trust<br />
While Sophie continues treatment with<br />
both chemo and cannabis, Tracy’s latest<br />
project is to bring together what she<br />
calls a brain trust of doctors, scientists,<br />
and researchers from around the world.<br />
Sophie’s brain tumour sample has been<br />
sent to Israel with the hope that they<br />
will find a perfect match from more than<br />
150 strains of cannabis, with the goal of<br />
putting Sophie’s cancer into remission<br />
for good. “I am determined to keep my<br />
child from having to go through this<br />
any longer,” says Tracy. “And I’m just as<br />
determined to help keep other children<br />
from going through this.”<br />
Sharon Letts began her life’s work as a<br />
gardener in southern California and now<br />
calls Humboldt County home. She’s a<br />
writer and photographer. When she isn’t<br />
writing about gardening, she is outside<br />
working in her own garden.<br />
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STORMEBUD:<br />
CHASING CALM<br />
by Chris Bond<br />
recently had a chance to catch<br />
I<br />
Taking medicinal marijuana<br />
for anxiety and depression,<br />
and watching his chosen<br />
profession fall upon hard<br />
times due to the economic<br />
downturn, Jay Hawley<br />
changed course and founded<br />
Stormebud, a company that<br />
produces elegant basswood<br />
cannabis storage products.<br />
<strong>Hydrolife</strong>’s Chris Bond<br />
caught up with Jay briefly<br />
to discuss Chasing Calm.<br />
up with Jay Hawley, founder of<br />
Stormebud, a discreet cannabis<br />
storage product. Jay’s product is a<br />
high-quality “book” titled Chasing<br />
Calm, designed to store cannabis<br />
and related items in a way that<br />
is discreet and classy. Inside are<br />
compartments to separate up to four<br />
different strains of your medicine.<br />
Think of it as a grown-up version<br />
of the book you hollowed out to<br />
stash your various contraband as a<br />
teenager (or was that just me?).<br />
Jay was unwinding recently at a<br />
Toronto bar on a Saturday evening<br />
after Zoomershow, a lifestyle expo<br />
geared toward the 45-plus crowd.<br />
Medical cannabis was among the<br />
many topics featured at this year’s<br />
show, largely because of its increasing<br />
acceptance politically and medically.<br />
I asked him if he was there to sell<br />
product or learn more about the<br />
industry. He said he was there to drum<br />
STORMEBUD:<br />
up business for his unique product.<br />
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“<br />
Medical cannabis did change me. I am much more empathetic than I ever was before.”<br />
STORMEBUD:<br />
Jay’s full story can be found on his<br />
CHASING CALM<br />
website at stormebud.com, but I<br />
was specifically interested in how<br />
a highly skilled cabinet maker and<br />
woodworker who comes from a long line<br />
of craftspeople in southern Ontario got<br />
into the medicinal marijuana industry.<br />
He seemed honestly excited about his<br />
product, though in typical Canadian<br />
fashion, his energy was mixed with<br />
equal parts humility and politeness.<br />
CB: What prompted the switch from<br />
building cabinetry to making cannabis<br />
storage products?<br />
JH: My family had been making cabinets<br />
in the southeast Ontario area since<br />
1944. The area is known for its quality<br />
cabinetry, but like many other industries,<br />
it has been hit hard. Many companies<br />
have shut down. I wanted to do<br />
something else. I decided to build these<br />
since there wasn’t anything else like<br />
them around that I had seen.<br />
CB: Did you research the market to see<br />
what was out there before coming up<br />
with your design? I know your website<br />
references saying goodbye to the days<br />
of keeping your supply in sandwich bags<br />
between your couch cushions.<br />
JH: I did. There was nothing quite like<br />
it out there. My products are high-end<br />
and unlike anything else on the market.<br />
With my books, your medicine is<br />
protected from light and UV radiation.<br />
It is also odour-proof.<br />
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CB: Why did you choose basswood<br />
for your material?<br />
JH: Basswood looks like paper. Much<br />
of the paper produced in the area is<br />
made of basswood, so the book has<br />
the colour of paper. It is also one<br />
of the lightest hardwoods, and is<br />
sustainably sourced from what would<br />
otherwise be wasted material.<br />
CB: What about the book cover and<br />
the lettering; how do you do that?<br />
JH: They are actually done by a printer.<br />
I called around to find one that did<br />
quality bookbinding work. The cover<br />
material is high-quality vegan vinyl.<br />
CB: Can I ask how much the product<br />
costs and where folks can order it?<br />
JH: The book is CND$200, which<br />
right now is about US$154. We ship<br />
to the US for $20 and in <strong>Canada</strong> for<br />
$12. For the moment, it is available<br />
from the website only, but we hope<br />
to be able to get it into multiple<br />
places. We just started promoting<br />
these last September.<br />
CB: Let’s get back to you and why<br />
you decided to switch gears and join<br />
the medical marijuana community.<br />
You are a patient yourself, correct?<br />
JH: Yes, I use it to treat my anxiety<br />
and depression, also what is<br />
probably a case of undiagnosed ADD.<br />
I was a non-licensed user for about<br />
a year and a half and then when I<br />
decided to launch Stormebud, I got<br />
my medical cannabis card.<br />
CB: So, you can attest to the<br />
effects of cannabis; is the<br />
difference night and day?<br />
JH: Night and day. It’s all about<br />
education and making the effort to<br />
learn about the effects of different<br />
strains and their possible side<br />
effects. For me, the side effects are<br />
that I am happy more often, or at<br />
worse, there are no side effects.<br />
Medical cannabis did change me.<br />
I am much more empathetic than<br />
I ever was before. Getting into<br />
this business has allowed me to<br />
meet many other people who it<br />
has helped. I didn’t know before<br />
just how much medical cannabis<br />
could fix medical issues for so<br />
many people.<br />
Chris Bond is the manager of the<br />
McKay Farm and Research Station at<br />
Unity College in Maine. His research<br />
interests are with sustainable<br />
agriculture, biological pest control,<br />
and alternative growing methods. He<br />
is a certified permaculture designer<br />
and certified nursery technician<br />
in Ohio and a certified nursery<br />
professional in New York, where<br />
he got his start in growing.<br />
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CAPTURING<br />
a Moment<br />
50<br />
by Watermelon<br />
A FOOL OF MYSELF<br />
A Cannabis Culinary Column<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
Prior to selling watermelon slices<br />
and pot cookies on Wreck Beach,<br />
Watermelon learned everything<br />
she needed to know about<br />
food and business at that same<br />
world-famous clothing-optional<br />
locale. She has a lot of memories<br />
of this “once thriving mecca of<br />
free enterprise and nudity,” and<br />
she’d like to share a few tales<br />
with you before they fade like the<br />
photographs rarely taken during<br />
her time at the beach.<br />
Photos were not a big part of our<br />
history. After all, the proverbial<br />
selfie only captures moments; it does<br />
not experience them.<br />
I bring up the selfie because it is also<br />
possibly the true villain at clothingoptional<br />
beaches these days. You can’t<br />
swing a rescue cat without knocking<br />
over a photo shoot of zero importance.<br />
Camera phones are omnipresent and<br />
the people wielding them are fierce.<br />
I am convinced this is the No. 1<br />
contribution to nudists becoming<br />
endangered species.<br />
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Until recently, cameras were strictly<br />
prohibited on a nude beach. If a photo was<br />
taken, it was with explicit consent. There was<br />
also a custom to bring the photo back once it<br />
was developed and present it to the person<br />
in the photo; if all parties okayed it, the photo<br />
lived on. The only other times photos were<br />
permitted were for special events like Wreck<br />
Beach Day or the Bare Buns Run.<br />
For the most part, though, we nudists are<br />
one big, happy family experiencing life,<br />
not capturing it. Nudist —or naturists, as<br />
many prefer to be called—should never be<br />
confused with exhibitionists. Exhibitionists<br />
need attention. Naturists want to be nude in<br />
nature without a bunch of self(ie)-important<br />
“rubberneckers” as the back drop.<br />
Something amazing happens when you first<br />
decide to get over yourself and get naked. You<br />
leave your camera in your beach bag and you<br />
start to rejoice in nature and your place in it.<br />
Many of the tales I chronicle in this<br />
column aren’t trapped in a phone. They<br />
are captured in my mind. Here are a few<br />
I’d like to share with you:<br />
I first went to Wreck Beach in 1992. It was<br />
busy; weekends would easily attract up<br />
to 4,000 people on a sunny day. I didn’t get<br />
naked my first few times. Mostly, we went<br />
down to get stoned and day party. Who<br />
doesn’t love a good day party? Often, we<br />
went down at night as well to eat mushrooms,<br />
laughing till it hurt. Nobody to disturb.<br />
I went top-free around my fourth time.<br />
Certain areas on the beach were unfriendly to<br />
“textiles” (people with clothes on), and I was<br />
so enthusiastic to fit in. I got the message and<br />
dropped my drawers, too. Free of clothes, I could<br />
frolic into any groovy scene on the beach.<br />
That’s because naturists don’t discriminate.<br />
Anybody, absolutely anyone, can be a nudist;<br />
just take your clothes off. Once it’s over, you<br />
can stop obsessing about being naked and<br />
accept yourself.<br />
One perfect day, a beautifully tanned girl with<br />
long, curly hair was floating down the beach<br />
wearing only a crown of fresh flowers. She<br />
looked angelic; radiant. Most likely, though,<br />
she’d eaten some magic mushrooms. Slowly,<br />
she traversed past throngs of people crowding<br />
the shore, occasionally stopping to kiss a few<br />
chosen foreheads as if to bless them. I was<br />
spellbound watching her trajectory. She had<br />
presence; she had grace.<br />
She broke my trance with a kiss upon my face.<br />
I was chosen.<br />
Her name was Anne. Turns out, she sold magic<br />
mushrooms in wonderful flavour combinations<br />
like Bavarian chocolate mint, dark chocolate<br />
almond, and white chocolate cranberry. She also<br />
took conscious vending to a whole new level.<br />
She would first ask customers if they had any<br />
allergies, then go on to explain what they could<br />
expect from her dose of mushrooms. Anne was<br />
also the first to offer money-back guarantees.<br />
She was very ethical in her “drug dealing.”<br />
She became my mentor and lifelong friend.<br />
The level of freedom and expression Anne<br />
embodied was clearly not for everybody,<br />
but man, was it for me! I was young. I was<br />
entrepreneurial. I was extroverted.<br />
I also met my new best friend, Paddy, right<br />
away. He was a vendor of cigarettes and<br />
candy bars, shuffling along and singing out<br />
his slogans.<br />
“<br />
ANYBODY, absolutely anyone, can<br />
be a nudist; just take your clothes off.”<br />
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“<br />
THE LEVEL of freedom and expression<br />
Anne embodied was clearly not for<br />
everybody, but man, was it for me!”<br />
Quiche Your Ass Good Night!<br />
... with shallots, bacon, and cilantro<br />
4-5g toasted shake flour *<br />
4 eggs<br />
1 shallot<br />
1/3 C cream/milk<br />
1C fresh spinach<br />
1/3 C fresh cilantro<br />
1/2 C sharp cheddar cheese<br />
dash of salt<br />
dash of pepper<br />
4-5 strips bacon (pre-cooked)<br />
12 tart shells<br />
• Pre-heat oven to 350°F<br />
• Cut pre-cooked bacon into 36 pieces<br />
• Set aside a few sprigs of cilantro for decor<br />
• Combine spinach, cream, cilantro, shallot, shake flour, eggs,<br />
salt, and pepper in blender and blend well<br />
• Place two pieces of bacon in the bottom of each shell<br />
• Pour egg mixture into each shell<br />
• Bake at 350℉ for 15 minutes<br />
• Remove from oven and top with sharp cheddar<br />
• Garnish with a sprig of cilantro and piece of bacon<br />
• Return to oven and bake 15 minutes or until golden<br />
• Cool and serve<br />
*Toasted shake flour is dried cannabis leaves that have been pre-toasted in the oven at 240 ℉ degrees for 20<br />
minutes before being ground into flour. This process increases the potency of the shake but is not necessary.<br />
Photo by mariacoletsis.com<br />
Paddy was around 76 years old at the<br />
time, but he coerced me into saying he<br />
was 80. When everybody was trying to<br />
look younger, Paddy wanted to look older.<br />
He thought it made him cooler. “First<br />
guy I ever sold a cold beer to down here<br />
was Captain Cook,” he liked to brag.<br />
I would call him over as he casually<br />
sauntered by; then, out of nowhere, he’d<br />
kick his feet out from under himself. He’d<br />
be suddenly lying on his side, head resting<br />
in his palm, saying something amusing<br />
like, “I thought you’d never ask.” I’d<br />
buy a smoke and light up, anticipating<br />
his bevy of well-rehearsed jokes.<br />
“Cops stopped me at the top of the<br />
trail last night and asked if I had<br />
been dropping LSD down here. I<br />
looked that cop straight in the face<br />
and said, ‘Shit man, you think I got<br />
this way smokin’ tobacco?’”<br />
When you got to laughing the hardest,<br />
he would spring up equally as fast<br />
as he fell and continue on his way.<br />
Always leave them laughing; Paddy<br />
taught me that early.<br />
It was during a cigarette purchase I<br />
asked Paddy if he would help me with<br />
my own comedy routine. I think I flattered<br />
him. We met at his apartment one<br />
rainy afternoon a few days later, where<br />
I sat on the floor at his feet, listening<br />
to him tell tales for four hours uninterrupted.<br />
He had been a comedic actor<br />
on CBC and a few other places, here<br />
and there. He boasted knowing Molly<br />
Ringwald’s dad, Bob, the blind piano<br />
player. He told me he once saw Betty<br />
Davis’s tits backstage. Then, we played<br />
some poker, listened to Tony Bennet,<br />
and ate steaks. I found my new life. I<br />
was Paddy’s new sidekick.<br />
Being unclothed and Paddy’s new<br />
best friend made me quick alumni<br />
down at Wreck Beach, able to sit<br />
most anywhere with anyone. If Paddy<br />
introduced me, I was okay. This is<br />
an important social tool on any nude<br />
beach where police can show up at<br />
any moment, uninvited, and you need<br />
to blend, or worse…hide your cookies.<br />
Both Anne and Paddy have passed<br />
now, taking something near perfect<br />
away from me. Such is the nature of<br />
perfection; it cannot last long, photo or<br />
no photo.<br />
To see Watermelon in action, check her<br />
out on YouTube. Baked: Cooking with<br />
Mary Jean is a special show that features<br />
one special ingredient: cannabis! Follow<br />
Watermelon, a.k.a. Mary Jean Dunsdon,<br />
on Twitter @weeddiva to never miss<br />
an episode, or sign up for updates at<br />
potent.media.<br />
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WOMEN<br />
54<br />
ROW<br />
BEYOND<br />
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GIRL POWER: CREATING A<br />
TRULY DIVERSE CANNABIS INDUSTRY<br />
by Jessica Skelton | The legal cannabis industry is<br />
so new that its members are still deciding on what it’s<br />
going to look like. For the North American organization<br />
Women Grow, that vision is not a male-dominated one.<br />
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Women Grow Leadership Summit 2016<br />
It’s tough, if not impossible, to name<br />
an industry in which everyone has<br />
equal opportunities for employment,<br />
wages, and management roles. The<br />
members of Women Grow (WG), however,<br />
do not want that to be the case in<br />
the regulated cannabis sector.<br />
“We’re starting a new industry,<br />
and let’s start it on the right foot,”<br />
says Shega A’Mula, founder of WG’s<br />
Vancouver chapter.<br />
The organization, which began in Denver<br />
in 2014 by co-founders Jane West and<br />
Jazmin Hupp, is particularly interested in<br />
tackling the issue of gender disparity. It<br />
suggests that the legal cannabis industry<br />
could be the first gender-neutral one,<br />
and since it’s a newborn sector, there is<br />
a unique opportunity to ensure sexism<br />
never ingrains itself at all.<br />
It’s an uphill task, though. The legal<br />
marijuana industry is related to a not-solawful<br />
one where negative female-centric<br />
advertising is as much a part of the game<br />
as Cheech and Chong. Some of these<br />
realities are trying to filter over, making<br />
it so women find it more difficult to enter<br />
and succeed in the cannabis business.<br />
But Leah Heise, who took over as CEO<br />
of WG in 2016, says her organization is<br />
working to divorce the industry from the<br />
image of the “booth babe” and bring<br />
professionalism in its stead.<br />
Women Grow takes a proactive<br />
approach to its goals. Each of its 40<br />
chapters, located across the US and<br />
<strong>Canada</strong>, hold monthly meetings to connect,<br />
educate, empower, and inspire its<br />
members. The organization also holds<br />
an annual national summit.<br />
Networking is a key aspect of these<br />
sessions, which can see anywhere from a<br />
dozen to 2,000 individuals in attendance.<br />
People have found jobs, investors, and<br />
employees through their connections,<br />
which often span across the organization.<br />
A’Mula, who works in community engagement<br />
for licensed producer Tweed, found<br />
mentors to guide her career. Heise, a<br />
regulatory compliance attorney, says WG<br />
helped her practice gain $200,000 worth of<br />
retainers in three months.<br />
Aside from connections, WG offers a<br />
space for members to learn about cannabis<br />
and marijuana legislation, as<br />
well as openly discuss business trends<br />
and industry policies. “It’s a space<br />
where women can get their feet wet,”<br />
A’Mula explains.<br />
These deliberations have led to real<br />
developments in the regulated market,<br />
including more equal employment<br />
opportunities for women. They’ve also<br />
made a difference in how cannabis<br />
businesses physically appeal to their<br />
customers. A’Mula says business owners<br />
are discovering they must present a<br />
space that makes cannabis consumption<br />
comfortable and attractive to everyone.<br />
As such, clean design, good lighting,<br />
thoughtfully laid out products, and<br />
well-trained staff are more in vogue. “It’s<br />
about the consumer,” she explains, adding<br />
that women often make the purchasing<br />
decisions at home.<br />
Convincing businesses to make legal<br />
weed more attractive to the everyday consumer<br />
also helps WG in its quest to change<br />
the face of a typical cannabis user.<br />
“The normalization of it is so important,”<br />
says Heise, reiterating that her organization<br />
wants to ease the “fear of the suburban<br />
mom” that marijuana will turn her kids<br />
into the deadbeat stoners depicted in film.<br />
The WG membership—which ranges from<br />
professionals to patients, entrepreneurs<br />
“Women Grow<br />
is the best PR<br />
campaign that<br />
could have<br />
ever happened<br />
to cannabis.”<br />
Leah Heise, Women Grow CEO<br />
to academics—reflects the message that<br />
cannabis users lead productive, fulfilling,<br />
and successful lives. “Women Grow is the<br />
best PR campaign that could have ever<br />
happened to cannabis,” says A’Mula.<br />
Until that public acceptance pervades,<br />
however, WG also offers itself<br />
as a safe space for marijuana users<br />
and those curious about cannabis.<br />
Photo by Grey MacKay<br />
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“With its renewed strength and focus, WG<br />
aims to continue creating an industry in<br />
which everyone has equal opportunities.”<br />
Here, anyone can find information,<br />
peers, and support without judgement.<br />
These messages, goals, and visions<br />
truly resonate, Heise says. They’re drawing<br />
people to the organization, turning<br />
it into what she calls “one of the most<br />
recognizable brands in the cannabis<br />
industry” in only two years.<br />
Another solution Heise sees to<br />
maintain WG’s growth is to diversify<br />
its membership. This is already<br />
happening naturally, with men who<br />
support a gender-equal industry<br />
flocking to the organization. In fact,<br />
Heise says that up to 45 per cent of<br />
WG members are now male.<br />
She thinks this occurred because<br />
the group is one of the few that<br />
encourages open discourse, which is<br />
attractive and beneficial to anyone in<br />
the cannabis business.<br />
Women Grow also actively tries<br />
to be a positive space for people<br />
of colour and those of different<br />
sexual orientations and genders.<br />
“Companies serving the community<br />
should look like the community,”<br />
Heise says, adding that diversity<br />
brings broad-thinking and strength<br />
to the organization. “I’d love to see it<br />
[WG] even more diverse.”<br />
Jazmin Hupp, co-founder of Women Grow,<br />
at the 2015 Leadership Summit<br />
Photo by C. Roese Ramp<br />
These solutions, of course, serve a<br />
greater purpose than just expanding<br />
the organization. With its renewed<br />
strength and focus, WG aims to<br />
continue creating an industry in which<br />
everyone has equal opportunities.<br />
Only time will tell if it can achieve<br />
this goal, but WG has already proved<br />
that it can instigate real change<br />
by bringing pride, purpose, and<br />
inspiration to its members. As A’Mula<br />
says, “It’s revolutionary.”<br />
Jessica Skelton is a journalist and<br />
editor based on Vancouver Island,<br />
British Columbia. Her work has<br />
appeared in magazines and newspapers<br />
around the globe since 2008.<br />
Of course, the question now is how<br />
WG is going to sustain its upward<br />
momentum after so much hypergrowth.<br />
One solution Heise sees is to gain<br />
control of the brand by developing a<br />
fee-based licensing program for new<br />
chapters. (Previously, anybody could<br />
open one for free). The upcoming<br />
program will help give WG a more<br />
consistent, robust structure by offering<br />
new chapters—and those grandfathered<br />
in—training and support in the WG<br />
message, she says. It will also provide<br />
member benefits such as a flagship<br />
store to sell member-made products, and<br />
discounts on industry-related services<br />
like insurance and virtual assistance.<br />
Currently, 541 locales—including<br />
several in Europe—have applied to open<br />
a chapter under the new regulations.<br />
The first of these will open in late <strong>2017</strong>.<br />
Women Grow, Lobby Days 2015<br />
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by Isaac Cedillo | Ahhh, the great outdoors. Fresh air, exercise,<br />
wildlife. Can it get any better? Isaac Cedillo thinks it can. He<br />
provides a few tips on how to enjoy your favourite strains under<br />
the sun or stars to make time spent in nature even better.<br />
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Passion is defined as “an intense<br />
desire or enthusiasm for<br />
something.” It can be a rarity. But<br />
when you find it, you hold on to it. You<br />
embrace it. You feed it.<br />
I have always been drawn to the<br />
wilderness. The weight of the world<br />
seems much lighter outside. The air is<br />
easy to breathe, the flowers sweeter<br />
to smell, the grass cooler on my feet.<br />
I discovered a passion. I thought it<br />
couldn’t get any better.<br />
Then cannabis came along; the<br />
sweetest flower of them all. The Mona<br />
Lisa to my Di Vinci. The milk to my<br />
honey. My enthusiasm grew for these<br />
two passions, so naturally, I began<br />
to experiment. Altering your state of<br />
mind in the middle of nowhere isn’t<br />
for everyone. Anything can happen.<br />
Things can happen. Your senses<br />
are heightened, the consequences<br />
for every decision you make are<br />
multiplied by infinity. But when it’s<br />
good, it’s good. You’ve suddenly<br />
developed a sixth sense, hell, maybe<br />
a seventh! The birds are singing—<br />
singing for you! The cool mountain<br />
air is dancing with every hair on your<br />
body. The stars are aligned, and the<br />
gods themselves look down with envy.<br />
These are my passions.<br />
“I have always been drawn to the<br />
wilderness. The weight of the world<br />
seems much lighter outside.”<br />
Below is a guide to enjoying canna and<br />
the great outdoors. First and foremost, be<br />
safe, use good judgement, and know your<br />
limits. Be mindful and respectful of your<br />
environment and, finally, enjoy yourself.<br />
ESSENTIALS<br />
• HYDRATION: Water is the elixir of life.<br />
Ideally, your body needs two litres each<br />
day. With the addition of strenuous<br />
activities, its advised to keep well<br />
hydrated. I pre-hydrate before my<br />
journeys by drinking a litre of water.<br />
This ensures you’re plenty hydrated<br />
before adventures while also taking<br />
the load off having to carry extra water.<br />
Depending on your activity, it’s best to<br />
carry one to two litres of water. This<br />
should be enough to stave off any<br />
cotton mouth you’re sure to encounter.<br />
• SNACKS: High calorie, salty, and<br />
crunchy snacks are always a<br />
favourite of mine on my adventures.<br />
I often don’t have an appetite when<br />
I exert myself, so I bring snacks I’m<br />
sure to eat. Be sure to have a hearty<br />
meal before to fuel your body until<br />
the munchies kick in.<br />
“There’s nothing like enjoying a<br />
good cup of joe and some canna<br />
while watching the sunrise.”<br />
• ENERGY: Caffeine is essential for me<br />
and is a great way to get that extra<br />
boost when your body is on empty.<br />
There’s nothing like enjoying a good<br />
cup of joe and some canna while<br />
watching the sunrise.<br />
• GEAR: Do some research and dress<br />
accordingly for your activity and<br />
destination. Don’t be caught off guard<br />
with weather conditions or rough<br />
terrain. It’s best to layer up, keeping<br />
your options open to changing<br />
conditions. A good pair of footwear<br />
goes a long way. No fancy equipment<br />
needed here. Many companies<br />
offer rental equipment or used gear<br />
at a discount. The point is to be<br />
comfortable, but most importantly,<br />
enjoy your surroundings.<br />
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“As a focusing agent, cannabis<br />
keeps you on pace and distracts<br />
from the discomfort you might<br />
endure from trail running.”<br />
TOOLS OF THE TRADE<br />
• STORAGE: Keep it simple when packing<br />
for your excursions. A waterproof<br />
bag or container is recommended to<br />
store all the fun for your day. This will<br />
keep things clean and organized.<br />
• WINDPROOF LIGHTER: Any lighter will<br />
do, but my favourites are windproof<br />
butane lighters. Windy conditions<br />
can become a drag. Ensure<br />
your fun continues<br />
with a lighter<br />
that works.<br />
Carry matches<br />
as backup.<br />
• PIPES: My personal<br />
favourite, outdoors or not.<br />
Pipes are simple to pack,<br />
convenient,<br />
and easy<br />
to share.<br />
Because of<br />
the potential for breakage, it’s best not<br />
to bring your favourite piece.<br />
• JOINTS: Tried and true. These little<br />
bundles of joy are great in all situations.<br />
The only downside is packing<br />
out your butts. Pre-roll different strains<br />
to go with the flow of your day. Who<br />
knows what you’ll encounter.<br />
• EDIBLES: Confections offer convenience<br />
and relaxation capabilities.<br />
Being a heavier option, they are best<br />
saved for the campfire, recovery, and<br />
sleep aid. They can pack a punch, so<br />
be sure to dose out accordingly. Getting<br />
a great night sleep in the middle<br />
of nowhere is essential for the next<br />
day’s adventures.<br />
ACTIVITIES<br />
• HIKING: I love to push my limits on<br />
my hiking journeys, but that comes<br />
with experience and repetition.<br />
Take it easy when first partaking<br />
in cheeba and the outdoors. Only<br />
go on known hikes and keep them<br />
short, say one-quarter of the mileage<br />
you’re usually capable. When<br />
choosing a trail, look for those that<br />
are well-defined and maintained.<br />
Often, this could be a stroll down<br />
to your neighbourhood park or, if<br />
you’re lucky enough, a national<br />
park. Grab a map for exploring.<br />
• TRAIL RUNNING: As a focusing<br />
agent, cannabis keeps you on pace<br />
and distracts from the discomfort<br />
you might endure from trail running.<br />
Breathing becomes rhythmic,<br />
heart rate stabilizes, and time<br />
passes with ease. Cannabis has<br />
the most benefit here as a recovery<br />
agent. It soothes aches and pains<br />
while also aiding in the healing<br />
process. Amongst runners, edibles<br />
are king as there is no smoke<br />
inhalation involved. If timed right,<br />
an edible will kick in just when it’s<br />
needed most.<br />
• WATER ACTIVITIES: Being a<br />
self-proclaimed river rat, this<br />
would have to be my favourite<br />
activity with canna. It’s best<br />
to stick close to shore if you’re<br />
new to water activities. A cool<br />
swim, kayak, or paddleboard<br />
session under the sun could<br />
be just what you need to<br />
unwind, so dip your toes in.<br />
• PHOTOGRAPHY: These days you<br />
won’t catch me outdoors without a<br />
camera. Canna gets my creative<br />
juices flowing and always gives<br />
me a different perspective. Being<br />
able to share my experience with<br />
others is a bonus. I keep it simple<br />
when it comes to electronics. No<br />
need to invest in an expensive<br />
camera, often a phone camera will<br />
do just fine. Do a little research on<br />
camera angles and guidelines to<br />
get the perfect shot. Slap a filter on<br />
and you’re good to go.<br />
There you have it, a simple guide<br />
to enjoying the great outdoors<br />
and cannabis.<br />
Isaac Cedillo works as the marketing<br />
manager at Current Culture H2O in<br />
Fresno, California. He holds his bachelor’s<br />
degree from CSU Fresno and is currently<br />
pursuing his MBA in marketing. As an avid<br />
photographer, Isaac loves to travel the<br />
country, chronicling his adventures through<br />
his camera.<br />
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A<br />
NEW<br />
for a<br />
CURRENCY<br />
By Cory Hughes<br />
Cannabis businesses and financial<br />
institutions generally mix like oil and<br />
water; in other words, they don’t.<br />
Instead of relying on cash, however,<br />
some members of the burgeoning<br />
weed industry have turned to Bitcoin<br />
to securely store their money.<br />
The cannabis industry has been in<br />
full swing for nearly 20 years and<br />
has proven to be one of the biggest<br />
burgeoning industries in the world<br />
today. Despite the vast number of<br />
cannabis-related businesses popping<br />
up, however, dispensary owners still<br />
cannot utilize traditional financial<br />
systems. Federal law frightens most<br />
banks away from dealing with them.<br />
Currently, when you walk into<br />
a dispensary, you will probably<br />
find an ATM and have to pay<br />
cash. This is because it is difficult<br />
for dispensaries to legitimately<br />
accept credit or debit cards. Some<br />
dispensaries open accounts under a<br />
more legal alias, but forcing Jimmy’s<br />
Pot Shop to open bank accounts in<br />
the name of Jimmy’s Shirt Shack just<br />
to offer the standard convenience<br />
of a debit machine is just as wrong<br />
as the act itself. Still, opting to run<br />
an all-cash business opens up the<br />
danger of theft or robbery—not to<br />
mention tax evasion and cooking<br />
the books.<br />
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These roadblocks have driven pot<br />
business owners to get creative with<br />
their finances and seek alternative<br />
methods of accepting and storing money<br />
to solve their cash woes. Bitcoin is one of<br />
these solutions. Bitcoin is a completely<br />
decentralized digital currency, otherwise<br />
known as a cryptocurrency. That means<br />
anyone can buy, sell, and use Bitcoin<br />
anywhere in the world. All Bitcoin<br />
transactions post immediately—not days<br />
or weeks later—to one’s digital wallet<br />
and are fully confirmed by the network<br />
within around 10 minutes.<br />
Bitcoin operates on an open-source,<br />
distributed ledger known as the blockchain.<br />
This simple concept creates<br />
additional layers of transparency and<br />
digital security for its users. In a nutshell,<br />
when you purchase something with<br />
Bitcoin, the transaction is recorded onto<br />
a digital block. Each block is one small<br />
link in a chain of connected blocks—that<br />
is, the blockchain. When the transaction<br />
is confirmed, it is recorded by computers<br />
around the world that all store identical<br />
copies of the blockchain. The individuals<br />
who operate equipment and record transactions<br />
on the network are called miners.<br />
In a traditional computer network,<br />
documents can be taken, altered, or<br />
switched with fraudulent replacements<br />
if one server is hacked. This isn’t the<br />
case with a blockchain. Once a transaction<br />
has been recorded into a block, it<br />
is synchronized with a vast network,<br />
making alteration or removal of the data<br />
impossible. The same goes for the digital<br />
wallet that holds your Bitcoin; hacking or<br />
theft is nearly impossible.<br />
Still, for many years, there was much<br />
concern for Bitcoin’s longevity and stability<br />
whenever it was thrown into the<br />
cannabis discussion. Those were valid<br />
concerns; after all, why accept a currency<br />
that may be worth half as much the next<br />
day? Also, why trust a technology that<br />
pretty much came out of nowhere?<br />
Sure, no one knows much about the<br />
origin of Bitcoin and Satoshi Nakamoto,<br />
its creator or group of creators, but<br />
there is no denying the technology has<br />
grown rapidly since its inception in<br />
2008. Since 2014, it increased in value<br />
from just over $200 per coin to over $700.<br />
Some mainstream news organizations<br />
even post its daily value alongside<br />
gold and oil, if that tells you anything<br />
about its importance in a changing<br />
global market. Also, Russia, Poland,<br />
“DISPENSARY OWNERS STILL CANNOT<br />
UTILIZE TRADITIONAL FINANCIAL SYSTEMS.<br />
FEDERAL LAW FRIGHTENS MOST BANKS<br />
AWAY FROM DEALING WITH THEM.”<br />
China, Japan, and a consortium of<br />
western European nations are actively<br />
researching Bitcoin’s underlying<br />
blockchain technologies. These gains in<br />
popularity and rises in value are what<br />
make Bitcoin a stable alternative to<br />
traditional financial systems.<br />
It is hard to say what will happen with<br />
Bitcoin a decade from now, but the analysts<br />
can predict the next few years. With<br />
governments seriously looking at blockchain<br />
technology, Bitcoin has never been<br />
in a more likely position to excel. You are<br />
sure to see acceptance in local markets<br />
sooner than you might think. Companies<br />
like PayPal and Amazon are already<br />
accepting Bitcoin, and more are adding it<br />
as a payment option every day.<br />
If cannabis companies started to accept<br />
Bitcoin now, they would see a growth in<br />
value greater than any interest rate a<br />
bank or credit union could ever offer. Analysts<br />
see Bitcoin peaking at over $2,000<br />
per coin by 2020, making it a rock-solid<br />
way to get out of the cash-only game.<br />
While it has yet to be accepted as a<br />
standard, Bitcoin is already starting to<br />
work its way into the cannabis industry.<br />
There are a handful of dispensaries in<br />
Colorado and Washington that accept<br />
Bitcoin in lieu of credit and debit cards,<br />
and there are several online seed and<br />
delivery services that offer discounts<br />
for paying with Bitcoin. Besides being<br />
accepted as a currency, the Bitcoin<br />
blockchain is also now home to a<br />
database of cannabis genome sequencing.<br />
Called Kannapedia, the database was<br />
created by the cannabis testing laboratory<br />
Medicinal Genomics. It is the first<br />
database of its type to be stored on the<br />
same blockchain technology that registers<br />
all Bitcoin transactions. Again, this<br />
safeguards the information from hackers<br />
and preserves the integrity of the data.<br />
With blockchain technologies continuing<br />
to be the focus of the tech world, you will<br />
undoubtedly see an increased integration<br />
of cannabis and digital currencies in<br />
the very near future. Besides the ease of<br />
use, it provides an immutable database<br />
of transactions impervious to fraud.<br />
This will allow businesses to keep more<br />
accurate records of inventory, money, and<br />
other sensitive data. It will also ensure<br />
transparency in cannabis businesses,<br />
which could help bring legitimacy to<br />
an industry that is still viewed with<br />
a half-cocked eye by many.<br />
Cory Hughes is a former police officer turned full-time commercial grower in Denver, Colorado.<br />
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Good Stuff:<br />
GETTING TO THE<br />
CANNABIS EXTRACTION<br />
METHODS<br />
by<br />
Alex<br />
Rea<br />
Cannabis extracts are<br />
getting a lot of attention<br />
these days. Whether you<br />
need a more concentrated<br />
dose, prefer to vaporize<br />
oils, or like to cook with<br />
cannabis, an understanding<br />
of extracts will help you<br />
better navigate all the<br />
different products and<br />
ingestion methods.<br />
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Cannabis extracts have been prepared<br />
for hundreds of years. In fact,<br />
the use of cannabis resins in India and<br />
China may go back many thousands of<br />
years. No matter when it started, however,<br />
the basic processes behind making<br />
any extract relies on the fact that marijuana’s<br />
medicinal compounds are only<br />
present in the trichome resin glands.<br />
The glandular trichomes appear most<br />
abundantly on the surface of the female<br />
flower buds. They grow a microscopic<br />
globe of oil at their peak and are the<br />
only location of cannabinoids like THC<br />
and CBD. The plant is thought to use<br />
these chemicals to prevent herbivores<br />
from foraging on them and to protect the<br />
genetic material in seeds from UV rays.<br />
Once a female flower is pollinated,<br />
however, it will divert energy away<br />
from trichome production and move it<br />
toward seed formation and maturity.<br />
This is why farmed cannabis is usually<br />
grown without the presence of male<br />
plants. With pollination, cannabis<br />
buds contain about one to five per cent<br />
cannabinoids. Without pollination, cannabinoids<br />
can reach almost 30 per cent<br />
of the bud by weight. Steep Hill Labs in<br />
California states that the concentration<br />
of cannabinoids in the trichomes can be<br />
as high as 50 per cent.<br />
Extraction removes the oil found<br />
in the trichomes from the plant.<br />
Extraction methods can be grouped<br />
into two categories: physical removal<br />
and collection of the resin heads, and<br />
chemical removal of the resin with a<br />
solvent. The science behind extraction<br />
methods has become a broad subject, so<br />
we will focus for now on the safest and<br />
least labour-intensive approaches to<br />
making your own extractions at home.<br />
PHYSICAL REMOVAL<br />
FINGER HASH – The simplest and<br />
maybe the earliest form of extraction<br />
is live resin hash, known as traditional<br />
Indian charas or finger hash. You know<br />
that sticky brown buildup on your hands<br />
after an afternoon of trimming? Well,<br />
that’s what I’m talking about. It is one<br />
of the most potent forms of cannabis. A<br />
common extraction technique for finger<br />
hash is to trim with latex gloves on and<br />
let the resin from fresh plants collect<br />
on them instead of your hands. After<br />
trimming is complete, freeze the gloves<br />
inside out for 15 minutes. The hardened<br />
resin will easily collect and form a lump.<br />
Of course, the process of making charas<br />
like you’ll find in India is a real art<br />
handed down through hundreds of years<br />
of experience. Don’t expect this level of<br />
quality at home, but your own finger hash<br />
will still be a high-quality product with<br />
the most exquisite smells and tastes.<br />
“ Extraction METHODS CAN<br />
BE GROUPED INTO TWO CATEGORIES:<br />
PHYSICAL REMOVAL AND COLLECTION<br />
OF THE RESIN HEADS, AND CHEMICAL<br />
REMOVAL OF THE RESIN WITH A SOLVENT.”<br />
DRYING AND CURING – Another form<br />
of hash is produced from dried and<br />
cured cannabis buds. When the buds<br />
are dried, the stalks of the trichomes<br />
become brittle and snap off, making<br />
them easier to be collected through a<br />
screen in a process known as keifing.<br />
Buds can be banged on tight, fine-mesh<br />
screens or rolled in a tumbler known as<br />
a pollen collector to yield large amounts<br />
of high-quality, extremely potent hash.<br />
This powder, known as keif, can then be<br />
left as is or pressed into a puck, like the<br />
traditional hash from Morocco. When<br />
pressed together, the resin heads break<br />
open, exposing the oil inside to air. This<br />
Cannabis and Coconut Oil:<br />
A WINNING COMBINATION<br />
causes a brown colour and changes in<br />
smell and effect.<br />
ICE HASH – Trichomes can also be<br />
removed in a process known as ice hash,<br />
which involves using water and ice<br />
mixed with dried buds. The water is then<br />
filtered through fine-mesh screens that<br />
collect the resin heads. The wet resin<br />
is then dried to produce a brown hash<br />
of pure quality. There are also methods<br />
that involve using dry ice to make<br />
the trichomes cold and brittle, which<br />
can yield a higher purity as it doesn’t<br />
accumulate as much fibrous impurities<br />
as the water method.<br />
The extraction of THC into coconut oil is said to be the healthiest and<br />
most bio-available in comparison to other oils. Both coconut oil and<br />
cannabis provide numerous benefits for well-being, and edibles are a<br />
long-lasting effective method of medication.<br />
YOU’LL NEED:<br />
• 8 grams of dried decarboxylated cannabis buds for every cup of<br />
organic virgin coconut oil. (If using bud trim or shake, measure<br />
at ½ C for every cup of coconut oil.)<br />
• Slow cooker<br />
• Cheese cloth<br />
• Metal-mesh strainer<br />
• Bowl with spout<br />
METHOD:<br />
1) Melt coconut oil in the slow cooker, add cannabis.<br />
Cook covered on low for two to four hours.<br />
2) Place the strainer over the bowl and line with a double layer<br />
of cheese cloth.<br />
3) Strain oil through cheese cloth to remove the dried matter.<br />
Squeeze the leftover matter to extract as much oil as possible.<br />
Discard the spent matter.<br />
4) The coconut oil is ready to use. Consume the oil as is, use in recipes,<br />
or rub on skin as a lotion. Store in a cool, dry place or the fridge.<br />
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CANNABIS-INFUSED CHOCOLATE<br />
One of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to consume your medical<br />
cannabis is by extracting the cannabinoids from the dried flowers (bud) into<br />
oil and making something edible with that oil. Making chocolate is easy,<br />
healthy, and very tasty. Here’s how to do it:<br />
YOU’LL NEED:<br />
• ½ C cannabis-infused coconut oil (see pg. 65)<br />
• ½ C organic honey or maple syrup<br />
• 1 ½ C raw organic cacao power<br />
METHOD:<br />
1) Combine all three ingredients. Mix until thick, but still runny.<br />
2) Spread the mixture into a small container, such as a sandwiched-sized<br />
Tupperware, or form a small bar on parchment paper. It will be about<br />
½-inch thick. Put into the freezer until it is set.<br />
3) Cut into ½-inch pieces and keep refrigerated. The chocolate is ready to<br />
enjoy. Just remember to go low and slow with your first dose of each<br />
batch to determine its effects.<br />
“Both<br />
COCONUT OIL AND CANNABIS<br />
PROVIDE NUMEROUS BENEFITS FOR WELL-<br />
BEING, AND EDIBLES ARE A LONG-LASTING<br />
EFFECTIVE METHOD OF MEDICATION.”<br />
CHEMICAL PROCESSES<br />
Other types of cannabinoid extraction<br />
rely on chemical processes that solubilize<br />
or otherwise liquefy the oils to remove<br />
them from the buds. There are two types<br />
of products that can be made with this<br />
method. The first is a tincture, in which<br />
the cannabinoids are left in a solution<br />
of alcohol, butter, coconut oil, vegetable<br />
glycerin, or propylene glycol. The other is to<br />
make a concentrated resin by evaporating<br />
the solvent from a cannabis-solvent<br />
mixture. This is how concentrates like<br />
phoenix tears, shatter, butane hash oil<br />
(BHO), and CO 2 oil are made.<br />
One of the simplest forms of the chemical<br />
extraction process is making cannabisinfused<br />
coconut oil. Coconut oil, as opposed<br />
to butter, is better at attaching cannabinoids<br />
to its lipid structure and thus making a<br />
more potent extraction. Another easy way to<br />
remove the oils would be to use an organic<br />
solvent like alcohol to remove the oil from<br />
the plant matter. Soaking cannabis in<br />
high-proof ethanol creates a tincture of the<br />
medicinal compounds that can then be used<br />
to dose in small amounts under the tongue.<br />
This mixture could also be evaporated<br />
slowly, which would leave a residue of<br />
cannabis resin on the container. The tincture<br />
can also be warmed to increase the rate of<br />
evaporation, but care must be taken that<br />
alcohol fumes do not build up because they<br />
can be flammable or explosive.<br />
ROSIN TECHNIQUE<br />
The last type of extraction is a newer method<br />
that involves heat to liquefy the oils and<br />
pressure to flow them away from the plant<br />
material. This process is known as the<br />
rosin technique, and it can be done at home<br />
using cannabis, parchment paper, and a<br />
hair straightener or a specially made heat<br />
press. Buds or hash are folded in a piece of<br />
parchment and squeezed in the hot press to<br />
push the hot oils from the cannabis. The pure<br />
oil that collects around the pressed product is<br />
a pure, full-melt resin that can be vaporized<br />
in oil pens or shatter rigs without the fear of<br />
ingesting harmful residual solvents, such<br />
as butane, that can be left in commercial<br />
products like shatter or BHO.<br />
Alex Rea is the VP of Homegrown<br />
Hydroponics in Toronto, Ontario, and the<br />
co-founder of Phytomedical, a cannabis<br />
consulting clinic. As a patient, advocate, and<br />
business person in the cannabis industry, Alex<br />
has a keen understanding of the political,<br />
economic, and social hurdles that underpin<br />
cannabis as medicine in North America.<br />
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Humboldt’s Finest:<br />
This Cannabis-Flavoured<br />
Vodka is Legit<br />
by Colleen Graham<br />
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“Humboldt’s Finest<br />
is the best of both<br />
worlds: the taste of<br />
cannabis without<br />
the legal or health<br />
implications of mixing<br />
weed and liquor.”<br />
You may be familiar with Humboldt<br />
County as the home of illicit growers.<br />
It is also home to Humboldt Distillery, a<br />
producer of fine, hand-crafted distilled<br />
spirits with a dedicated fan base.<br />
In an attempt to meet requests for a<br />
vodka with a “local” flavour, distiller<br />
Abe Stevens looked into creating a<br />
cannabis-infused vodka he could<br />
actually sell. The result of Stevens’<br />
pursuit is Humboldt’s Finest and it is<br />
now available throughout California<br />
and Colorado. It sells for US$29.99 for<br />
a 750-millilitre bottle and is 80 proof<br />
(40 per cent ABV).<br />
To make this vodka legit, the chemist<br />
and distiller needed to turn to THC-free<br />
hemp. Stevens found the perfect strain<br />
of cannabis sativa to capture the fresh<br />
taste of cannabis in a bottle without<br />
breaking any laws. Also, because<br />
there’s no THC in the equation, drinkers<br />
don’t have to worry about getting high<br />
from cocktails they make with it. As<br />
we learned with Warren Bobrow’s book<br />
Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails, & Tonics,<br />
mixing THC and alcohol in drinks is a<br />
touchy subject that can easily turn you<br />
into a zombie if you’re not careful.<br />
Humboldt’s Finest is the best of both<br />
worlds: the taste of cannabis without the<br />
legal or health implications of mixing<br />
weed and liquor. It is a botanical spirit<br />
that, at first sniff, is decidedly cannabis,<br />
yet the smooth taste and finish leave<br />
your mouth refreshed and invigorated.<br />
Sure, a few other companies have tried<br />
their hand at hemp vodka, but none have<br />
taken it as seriously or perfected it as<br />
well as Stevens and the small team at<br />
Humboldt.<br />
How to Drink Humboldt’s Finest<br />
When you first crack the bottle, give<br />
this vodka a taste without anything<br />
added to it. The herbal profile is pleasant<br />
and surprisingly refreshing. Next,<br />
pour a straight shot into a chilled glass<br />
and notice how the botanicals begin to<br />
open up. After this little tasting experience,<br />
your head will be swarming with<br />
ideas for mixing it, which is how this<br />
vodka shines.<br />
Treat Humboldt’s Finest like a gin or<br />
herbal vodka and you’ll have fantastic<br />
cocktails. As a gin substitute, you’ll find<br />
that the vodka mixes well into any of the<br />
clean, crisp drinks gin is best known for.<br />
This includes gin and tonics, as well as<br />
classic martinis. It’s a particularly good<br />
choice for people who don’t enjoy the<br />
piney flavours found in gin.<br />
Along those same lines, almost<br />
any vodka cocktail is a good place<br />
for Humboldt’s Finest. Just avoid<br />
extremely flavourful fruits like orange<br />
and many berries unless they’re used<br />
delicately in the recipe. Instead, pair<br />
this vodka with pears, peaches, and<br />
apples. You might also try a cucumber<br />
cocktail or any recipe that features<br />
fresh herbs.<br />
High Thyme Recipe<br />
Humboldt Distillery’s High<br />
Thyme cocktail is clean, lightly<br />
flavoured, and delicately balanced,<br />
just like the popular<br />
Gimlet (gin and lime cordial)<br />
that is clearly its inspiration.<br />
• 1.5 oz. Humboldt’s Finest Vodka<br />
• 0.75 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice<br />
• 0.5 oz. honey syrup*<br />
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme<br />
Gently and quickly muddle<br />
one sprig of thyme in the bottom<br />
of a cocktail shaker. Add vodka,<br />
syrup, and lime juice and<br />
shake well. Strain into a chilled<br />
double rocks glass filled with<br />
fresh ice and garnish with the<br />
remaining thyme.<br />
*To make honey syrup, dissolve two<br />
parts honey in one part hot water.<br />
Allow the syrup to cool before mixing<br />
the cocktail.<br />
Colleen Graham is a writer and freelance<br />
photographer from the Midwest who<br />
specializes in mixed drinks and covering<br />
the liquor industry. She is the Cocktails<br />
Expert for about.com and author of the<br />
book ¡Hola Tequila! Gardening and<br />
kayaking with her husband are two of her<br />
favourite pastimes.<br />
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by Gibson Lannister | Choosing which cannabis strains are<br />
right for a moment can be overwhelming. Gibson Lannister<br />
has a few suggestions to help ease the confusion.<br />
Of the countless strains of cannabis<br />
available to gardeners and consumers,<br />
here are three very different<br />
well-known strains guaranteed to get<br />
you through the holiday season.<br />
Super Lemon Haze<br />
Super Lemon Haze (SLH)<br />
is an incredibly potent<br />
bud that averages<br />
between 15-22 per cent<br />
THC and 0.1-0.3 per<br />
cent CBD. This sativadominant<br />
strain is<br />
known for clearthinking<br />
and boosting<br />
creativity, making it<br />
great for daytime use.<br />
SLH is also excellent<br />
for improving appetite<br />
and providing pain relief. Its effects<br />
are long-lasting with a mellow<br />
burnout. Due to its legendary strength,<br />
however, it is recommended for more<br />
experienced users.<br />
Super Lemon Haze produces small to<br />
medium compact buds. These choice<br />
nugs are extremely sticky and coated<br />
in THC crystals. SLH has an amazing<br />
scent and flavour profile featuring<br />
sweet notes of citrus.<br />
When growing SLH, you will want to<br />
start flowering while the plants are<br />
still small. They will continue to grow<br />
during the flowering phase, reaching<br />
between three to six feet. Flowering<br />
should last nine to 10 weeks for buds to<br />
fully mature.<br />
Blueberry<br />
Blueberry is a fantastic indica-dominant<br />
strain. It has a high THC-to-CBD<br />
ratio, averaging 15-20 per cent THC and<br />
less than one per cent CBD. Blueberry<br />
has a pleasant, medium-strength high<br />
that is not overpowering. Its relaxing,<br />
long-lasting, and full-bodied effects are<br />
also beneficial for pain relief, digestion,<br />
appetite, and sleep.<br />
Blueberry produces savoury tight nuggets<br />
that dry well and are easy to break<br />
up. They are light green to green/blue<br />
in colour and have a heavy coating<br />
of THC. As hinted to by its name, this<br />
strain has an intense aroma of fresh<br />
blueberries. There are also notes of<br />
melon, citrus, and earth.<br />
Blueberry seeds and clones produce<br />
hearty plants with thick stems.<br />
They are ideal for indoor growing,<br />
with a compact size of 20-40 inches.<br />
For best results, flowering should<br />
last eight to nine weeks.<br />
White Widow<br />
White Widow is a<br />
classic hybrid. A cross<br />
between a Brazilian<br />
sativa landrace and<br />
an Indian indica, this<br />
well-known strain has<br />
a high THC content<br />
of 20 per cent or more<br />
and less than one per<br />
cent CBD. It has been used<br />
to treat pain, inflammation, anxiety,<br />
depression, and appetite.<br />
White Widow gets its name from<br />
the intense white frosting of THC<br />
surrounding each of its buds. Scents<br />
of earth and wood combine with<br />
floral and citrus notes, making it an<br />
aromatic choice. It’s also a potent one;<br />
White Widow is notoriously strong<br />
and recommended for those with some<br />
previous medicinal cannabis experience.<br />
White Widow is a hearty, easy-to-grow<br />
strain that is a good choice for first-time<br />
growers. It is a relatively short plant,<br />
growing 18-30 inches tall, which makes it<br />
ideal for indoor gardens and small spaces.<br />
White Widow is also known for producing<br />
large yields of approximately 21 ounces<br />
of bud per 10 square feet of plant. For best<br />
results, allow White Widow to flower for<br />
seven to nine weeks.<br />
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GROW WITH US.<br />
Grow. Heal. Live. Enjoy.<br />
MODERN GROWING
EXPERIENCE<br />
THE FUTURE<br />
OF GROWING<br />
SAN JOSE, CA<br />
June 3-4, <strong>2017</strong><br />
San Jose McEnery<br />
Convention Center<br />
DETROIT, MI<br />
Sep 30-Oct 1, <strong>2017</strong><br />
Cobo Center<br />
mygrowx.com | #growx<strong>2017</strong><br />
Dark orange
y Gibson Lannister<br />
DONOVAN WOODS<br />
HARD SETTLE,<br />
AIN’T TROUBLED<br />
Donovan Woods is from a<br />
small town and his latest<br />
album, Hard Settle, Ain’t<br />
Troubled, reflects that<br />
closeness. The soft-spoken<br />
songwriter tells stories on six<br />
strings like no other. Never<br />
has soft music felt so loud.<br />
5<br />
LAKE STREET DIVE<br />
SIDE PONY<br />
Lake Street Dive proves<br />
the band's no one-trickpony<br />
with their newest<br />
album Side Pony. The soul,<br />
jazz, and R&B influenced<br />
pop band stays true to the<br />
style that has made them<br />
successful. Never scorn a<br />
woman as talented as lead<br />
singer Rachael Price. She’s<br />
liable to record an album<br />
about it!<br />
4<br />
MOBY & THE VOID<br />
PACIFIC CHOIR<br />
THESE SYSTEMS<br />
ARE FAILING<br />
These Systems Are Failing<br />
is the debut release from<br />
Moby under the new moniker.<br />
This reminds me a lot of<br />
vintage Moby. It is fast-paced,<br />
post-punk, and industrial<br />
wrapped around Moby and<br />
his signature sound.<br />
4<br />
Gibson Lannister has<br />
been a musician for<br />
more than 15 years and<br />
continues to expand his<br />
knowledge of theory<br />
and technique.<br />
SIMRIT<br />
SONGS OF RESILIENCE<br />
SIMRIT is an artist with a<br />
deep connection to her music.<br />
She was once an orphan<br />
in Greece. An American<br />
family adopted her and<br />
sparked an understanding of<br />
interconnectivity. Her music<br />
is inspired by the music of the<br />
world, fused with spiritual<br />
chant, polished off with<br />
modern electronica. Songs<br />
Of Resilience is unique and<br />
captivating to say the least.<br />
4<br />
ST. PAUL AND THE<br />
BROKEN BONES<br />
SEA OF NOISE<br />
Birmingham Alabama’s St.<br />
Paul And The Broken Bones<br />
are a soul revelation. Sea Of<br />
Noise harkens to a day when<br />
singers in smoke-filled clubs<br />
sang their hearts out and set<br />
the night on fire. St. Paul takes<br />
this and makes it vibrant, new,<br />
and something to behold.<br />
5<br />
THE HEAVY<br />
HURT & THE MERCILESS<br />
British indie-rockers The<br />
Heavy can boast of another<br />
killer album with their latest<br />
release. Hurt & The Merciless<br />
plays like all of their previous<br />
works, dripping in signature<br />
style sauce. They have notso-subtle<br />
influences of soul,<br />
funk, and R&B that coalesces<br />
into something that largely<br />
transcends genre. They are<br />
The Heavy and that’s all you<br />
need to know.<br />
4.5<br />
74<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.ca
myhydrolife.ca grow. heal. live. enjoy. 75