Cannabis and church: not two items that typically go together. But, in Denver, Amazing Grace Community Church and Lightshade dispensary are working to change that.

In December, as part of Lightshade’s corporate and local-level giving initiatives, the dispensary’s Federal Heights location partnered with neighboring Amazing Grace Community Church to give food to people in need. To do this, Lightshade supported the church’s food pantry as well as its bi-monthly meal service through financial contributions and volunteer hours. And starting in January, Lightshade agreed to fully fund the church’s food bank.

It’s what most would consider an unlikely partnership, but one that is making a big difference in the Federal Heights community. It’s also a partnership that makes sense for both Amazing Grace Community Church and Lightshade.

It all started in 2011 with the creation of the Pastor’s Pantry as a way for Amazing Grace Community Church to help out local neighbors that needed food. From there, it quickly evolved into offering hot meals for free and, under its new name Dinner for a Dollar, feeds as many as 150 people each night.

However, its quick growth meant that it needed help, and that’s where Lightshade came in.

“Our friends at Lightshade found out about these programs and sent representatives to a meal. An immediate partnership was forged, and Lightshade began to donate a portion of their profits to feed the hungry of the community,” explained Pastor Kent Replogle. “But their support did not stop there. Employees of Lightshade have come to the Dinner for a Dollar to serve and meet those that show up for dinner. These are people that really care about the community and once they have witnessed the need are willing to jump in and help out.”

However, that didn’t mean it was always an easy partnership. At first, the church and Pastor Kent were hesitant about accepting donations from a cannabis organization. But they quickly realized that accepting help from the cannabis industry wasn’t any different from accepting donations from a bar owner or an employee selling tobacco products. So, in the end, any concern was mitigated, especially after meeting and working with Lightshade.

“The donations from Lightshade are coming from a place of care and concern for those that are in need, and we have never been asked to publicize their donation from the pulpit of the church,” Pastor Kent said. “Lightshade filled a huge gap in our ability to serve those that are hungry. It takes over a thousand pounds of food a day to fill the hunger needs of this community, and the ability to get a sustainable food source is always a challenge. Through the gifts from Lightshade, we are coming closer to meeting those needs.”

“Taking care of our communities is very much a part of the cannabis culture.”

As for Lightshade, working with Amazing Grace Community Church was a natural fit. They found the church through their partnership with kindColorado, an organization that connects communities and cannabis businesses to give back. Lightshade’s goal was to partner with a non-profit focused on hunger relief and who was ingrained in the community.

“Amazing Grace checked the boxes and had little to no reservations about working with a business in the cannabis industry,” said Shannon Brooks, the VP of Marketing for Lightshade. “Pastor Kent is a kind and generous man, and a sincere pleasure to work with. He has accepted us with open arms and without judgment.”

So far, it’s been an incredible partnership. Beyond regular donations and volunteer hours, Lightshade teamed up with Amazing Grace Community Church to serve Thanksgiving dinner to those in need. And that’s just the start of how Lightshade makes a difference in their communities.

Giving back is a huge part of the Lightshade culture. They were the first Colorado dispensary to institute a Cannabis Social Responsibility program that looks for local initiatives to support, and they take their responsibilities seriously.

Lightshade has an ongoing partnership with The Gathering Place, a daytime drop-in center in Denver service women, children, and transgender individuals who experience extreme poverty or homelessness. Each month, Lightshade volunteers to pay for, serve, and clean up lunch for their members. They also work with their career center to help match members with open job positions within the cannabis industry. They’re also a major donor for The Gathering Place’s annual fundraiser.

In addition, Lightshade works with Grant Street Reach, Senior Support Services, Denver Urban Gardens, and Colorado Homeless Families. For each organization, Lightshade offers their time and funds to make a difference.

“We feel that it is our duty to give back to the communities who have been so kind to allow us to conduct business as their neighbors,” Shannon explained. “We feel that it is important to be an integral part of the communities that we serve and to help elevate the collective good of its residents. We have skin in the game. In addition, we want to instill a spirit of giving in our employees by creating opportunities for them to engage in charitable work.”

So, while it might seem that a church and the cannabis industry have little in common, when it comes to helping those in need, they’re on the same page. “Taking care of our communities is very much a part of the cannabis culture,” said Shannon.

Lightshade is a premier dispensary in Colorado with eight locations located throughout the Denver metro area. Their Federal Heights location was the one to partner with Amazing Grace Community Church’s food initiatives. However, each of the company’s eight locations gives back to the community through the company’s Cannabis Social Responsibility program. Lightshade supports The Gathering Place, Denver Urban Gardens, Grant Street Reach and other local non-profits, and has a partnership with CDOT for an awareness campaign to prevent driving under the influence.

The post End 4/20 Shame: A Dispensary, a Church and an Unlikely Partnership appeared first on Dope Magazine | Cannabis News and Reviews.

I get Mary’s voicemail. Again. Her name isn’t actually Mary, but that’s beside the point. I’m standing outside her office building, Amazon’s Day One South superstructure, located in Seattle’s depressingly concrete South Lake Union. It’s now called the Invictus building, but when I worked there it was Day One South. Jeff Bezos, the richest man in the world as of this writing, supposedly has an office in Day One North (now known as the Cricket building) just across the courtyard. One time I saw him in the little plaza separating the two buildings, walking briskly to a silver car so fancy I couldn’t even tell what brand it was. I was tempted to ask him for twenty bucks, just to see his reaction. I didn’t.

Anyway. I’m standing outside my old office, Day One South, or Invictus, or whatever the hell it’s supposed to be called, waiting for Her-Name-Isn’t-Actually-Mary. We agreed to meet for happy hour. It’s so far past the time we’d agreed to meet I know she’s ghosting me. I ring her one last time. Voicemail. Again. I start to trudge home. Over a lunch break back when we were coworkers, Mary disclosed to me that she hated her job. She was a regular, full-time employee; I was a contract worker. I asked why she didn’t start looking for something else—she was bright, had good experience. “I can’t afford to,” she admitted. I thought she simply meant the salary was too lucrative to give up, but it wasn’t until later I realized what she was referring to. Mary was from China, here in the United States on a H1-B visa.

Amazon, started in 1994, is home to over 500,000 employees worldwide. In its South Lake Union headquarters alone there are around 40,000 employees—a staggering jump from just 5,000 in 2010. There have been many stories about Amazon’s infamous work culture—how it breaks people, how it’s sink-or-swim, the rampant sexism (which was so overwhelming when I worked there, it almost became comical…almost), the incompetent managers who knew nothing about their teams but made staggering amounts of money. We’ve all read the exposés. What we often don’t hear about, however, is how Amazon ropes people—specifically, foreign workers—into their web, making it nearly impossible to leave.

I rang up an old friend—who still works at Amazon, and, unlike Mary, returns my calls—who had his own theories about how the company exploits workers from other countries. Let’s call him Charlie. He’s worked at Amazon for nearly ten years in various roles, never making less than six figures, and has no plans on leaving the company any time soon. Charlie works on a team with mostly foreign coworkers, the majority from India and China, but a few from Australia and Europe as well. “H-1B is their visa program,” he explained. “Theoretically, an employer must pay [foreign workers] the same as [American workers] and prove there isn’t an American candidate more qualified for the role under this visa. My guess is that the foreign worker is paid the same as an American, but it’s all about control—foreign workers can’t leave their jobs as easily as their American counterparts.”

“It’s all about control – foreign workers can’t leave their jobs as easily as their American counterparts.”

“There are two general theories about H-1B,” he continued, specifically referencing H-1B visas for roles that involve software coding. “One, that programming is really hard and there aren’t enough people in the world to do it well, let alone in the U.S. Two, that it’s some weird indentured servitude thing to suppress wages and unionization since people on visas will be terrified of doing anything that could lose their visa. I think it’s a bit of both.” To make matters more interesting, when regular, full-time employees sign on with the company, they’re awarded a hefty signing bonus. “When I signed on,” he disclosed, “I got 20k—half when I started, half a year later. This has doubled now, from what I hear.” If a H-1B holder wanted to leave Amazon for a competitor, or quit due to job dissatisfaction, their signing bonus must be paid back—a hefty sum for someone new to the country, especially if the money has already been spent.

The main criticism behind H-1B is the clear monetary preference for employers to hire foreign workers over American ones, but for me this isn’t about Americans losing out on opportunities. Rather, this is a call to examine the preference to hire foreign employees who just so happen to have extremely sticky contracts surrounding their employment, not to mention little incentive to speak up against mistreatment. Amazon is already notorious for pushing workers to the brink; purposefully hiring workers who will be less likely to complain seems perilously convenient.

According to myvisajobs.com, “Amazon Corporate Llc has filed 6395 labor condition applications for H1B visa and 3076 labor certifications for green card from fiscal year 2014 to 2016,” with the highest number of applicants hailing from India and China, followed by Canada, Australia, Mexico, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, South Korea and Turkey. “When an employee renews or transfers his H1B visa or changes work location under some circumstances, he will also file a new LCA application,” states the website. As there are only 85,000 slots for applications a year, refiling for a new application when you’ve already received your visa is an enormous gamble. Staying in your current role is the only option for most, particularly when visas are awarded via a lottery system due to enormous demand.

I’m not surprised Mary didn’t get back to me. It’s risky to speak ill of the Amazon monolith, even under anonymity. Hell, I’m writing this piece anonymously. Who dares go against Amazon? Not me, certainly. And as they destroy more small businesses, as well as completely reshape retail and what we expect from online shopping companies, how can we protect workers who fall into their visa trap? Is it even possible? As much as I dislike Amazon, there’s a part of me that always wonders: Will I have to go back one day? Will it be my only option in a world where Amazon has destroyed so many industries, and I have no other options? So for now, I’m Anonymous. Sorry. I might need to trudge back to Day One South again one day.

Related – High Cost of Living: Legalized Cannabis Spikes the California Real Estate Market

The post The New Indentured Servitude: Amazon Preys on Foreign Workers-And Gets Away With It appeared first on Dope Magazine | Cannabis News and Reviews.

State Flower Cannabis – Las Vegas, NV & San Francisco, CA

When the team at State Flower Cannabis first started growing together, they had a modest four-light operation in Co-Founder Daniel Wacks’ Santa Cruz apartment. Over time, the group honed what is now their uniquely green, environmentally friendly cultivation process. 14 years later, State Flower boasts 60,000 square feet of space between their Las Vegas and San Francisco facilities. They may have plenty of room to grow, but the folks at State Flower are rooted in their humble beginnings. Each harvest of State Flower’s clean, green bud is treated with the same small-batch love as their first, and each team member must learn what that means by starting out in the trim room.

“Our trim room is our incubator,” Wacks told us. “Everyone starts in the trim room. We’ve had some really talented people from companies like Apple and Google join our team, and they started there, too. We’ve found that when people start by learning what the finished product should look like, they get to work their way backwards through the cultivation process and have a better understanding of the goals.” Being the first in Nevada and California to become Envirocann certified means Wacks and his partners have done everything they can to cultivate cannabis with the most sustainable, natural techniques possible. State Flower is dedicated to cultivating indoors without the use of synthetic pesticides or chemical plant growth regulators.

During regular certification inspections, Envirocann tests for pesticides throughout all the growth phases of the plant, not just the final flower. Reclaiming water from the building’s HVAC system and using only fully-compostable grow mediums are just some of the ways State Flower is raising the bar for sustainable indoor cultivations. “Recently, we’ve started working closely with GRODAN—who manufacture the grow medium we use—to develop a composting program,” Wacks details. “GRODAN is a recyclable material made from recycled products. In Europe and Canada, recycling this medium is common practice. We are hoping to help our industry catch up quickly.”

stateflowercannabis.com | Instagram: @ourstateflower

The post State Flower Cannabis: Standardizing Sustainability for the Industry appeared first on Dope Magazine | Cannabis News and Reviews.

Have you grown your own cannabis before?

With recreational / medical prices being taxed as much as 35 percent in some states, it makes growing your own flower that much more appealing.

Maybe you’ve thought about growing your own but it just wasn’t realistic because of where you live.

It’s 2018. A lot of us live in urban areas or compact apartments without access to outdoor growing spaces.

The environment is a factor as well, because of the daylight cycles we can really only grow outdoors in the summer.

So, what’s the solution?

Let me tell you about a little thing called hydroponics.

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants that assists you in growing and tending to your plants:

 Indoors

 Any Season

 Soil-Less

 25-35% Faster Growth

 Energy Efficient

 Conserves MORE water

This method of growing is especially ideal if you want to grow within a small space such as an apartment, or if you’re trying to grow a plant in the dead of winter.

It allows you to grow year-round, unlike traditional growing methods with soil outdoors.

How does Hydroponics work?

There are a few methods of hydroponics, one method is DIY…. If you’re into that. But it will require a hefty chunk of research, time, testing, and of course cash.

Your other option is to go with an automated system, like GroBox.

These are great because the work is already done for you and GroBox will water your plant FOR you and follow whatever lighting settings you prefer. Convenient, right?

GroBox uses the ebb & flow hydroponic method.

This is ideal because it prevents root rot, and allows your plant’s roots to breathe and receive the exact amount of nutrients they need.

Unlike outdoor growing, you get to choose when your plant flowers or stays in a vegetative state. With traditional growing, we can’t grow in winter because the amount of sunlight in each day shortens dramatically, forcing your plant to flower pre-maturely.

Automated systems like the one developed by GroBox make this whole process controllable, it’s easier to create the most optimal conditions for your plant’s growth and your own growing preferences.

Reason #1: It Pays For Itself

Yes you can absolutely grow some killer tomatoes and rare chili peppers in a hydroponics system but let’s be serious.

Like any wise investment, if you’re paying for an automated system it should eventually pay for itself, right?

GroBox does just that. Feedback from beta testers has proven that GroBox will literally pay for itself within the first few grow cycles.

The GroBox Team’s goal since day one has been to create the BEST system with the best value price on the market for you.

Hydroponics & Home Growing is the FUTURE.

In 2017 alone Washington state’s cannabis industry topped 1.1 billion in revenues.

With tax rates inflating prices for medicinal and recreational cannabis (it’s taxed at 35% percent in California) it only makes sense to grow your own for personal consumption.

Reason #2: You Can Grow Anytime, Anywhere

Hydroponic growing can be done in any season, almost anywhere!

With Hydroponics, you laugh in the face of winter. No longer do the seasons control your amazing cannabis grows, you grow what you want, when you want.

Reason #3: Your Plants Grow 25-30 Percent Faster

Remember when we said GroBox gives you complete control of your growing environment?

This type of control allows you to optimize the greenhouse environment to best suit your plant’s needs.

You can set the lighting cycle on 24hrs or less than that. Each grower has their own methods of doing things, depending on who you ask.

Taking advantage of all of the setting features, your plant could grow up to 30 percent faster than it would in an outdoor grow.

Reason #4: You Save Water

Water is one of the world’s most valuable resources, yet it has often been treated as though there is an endless supply.

How do hydroponics help solve this problem?

In California, it’s estimated that 80 percent of water used by humans is used for agricultural purposes. When growing using soil, water will often evaporate, or get lost within the ground.

Since GroBox is an enclosed system, any water not used by the plant will be recycled thus reducing water waste by up to 90 percent!

With that in mind…not only will you help contribute to saving one of our most valuable resources, but you’ll also be able to reduce your water bill!

Win-win, right?

Reason #5: Did You Say… No Pests?

If you’ve ever grown plants outdoors or in a soil based environment, you’ll understand how troublesome pests and disease can be for your plants.

Nothing hurts more than when it’s harvest time and you notice a million tiny caterpillars wrapped intricately around your buds. What a nightmare.

Most of us would rather take a scooter to the ankle than to ever have to spend hours handpicking those little green monsters out of our buds.

This is the beauty of GroBox. No pests.

The controlled hydroponic environment puts the ball in your court.

Now, here’s what’s important for you to do to control pests and disease in your hydroponics system:

• If transplanting a clone CAREFULLY monitor it daily & quarantine any pest or disease-ridden clones
• Keep your hydroponics system clean
• Ensure you don’t accidentally bring in any pests or diseased clones

If you’re transplanting a clone from an outdoor garden, quarantining pest or disease-ridden plants at first-sight is extremely important to stopping it from spreading.

The biggest reason why a contained grow system like GroBox can help you prevent pest and disease from attacking your plants is because of the design of the contained grow house—there’s NO entrance for pests.

Take-Aways

Growing plants quickly, easily, and sustainably within a small space is now more possible than ever using an automated system like GroBox.

So let’s recap:

 It pays for itself

 You can grow in ANY season all year long

 Your plants grow faster and stronger

 It’s sustainable and efficient

 NO pests

Hydroponics is an amazing solution to growing your plants easily and sustainably in any location.

You can get your own all-in-one GroBox HERE

The post 5 Reasons Why You Should Grow with Hydroponics appeared first on Dope Magazine | Cannabis News and Reviews.

We’ve been talking about cannabis data quite a bit lately, and for good reason. We’re finally at a place in the cannabis world where we have reliable scientific data to share with consumers, giving credence to an unfairly stereotyped industry. Data is our path to credibility, and compliance is one of the best measurements to test industry practices.

Adherence Compliance is one of the many companies working to make cannabis regulations easy to understand and implement so our business owners can focus on their craft—rather than a bunch of red tape. They recently released data from 2017, “compiled from physical premise compliance inspections using the Adherence SCORE App.”

Although their report details compliance statistics for multiple categories, we’re going to focus solely on the top five compliance issues found among medical cannabis retailers, where regulation is of the utmost importance. Adherence Compliance reports that “inventory is the top failure item for all marijuana license types” and that “75% of all marijuana licenses fail at least one inventory requirement.”

Here are the “Top 5 Medical Dispensary Infractions,” according to Adherence Compliance:

1. Inventory not up to date.
2. Operations logs not up to date (“visitors, security, and/or waste” logs).
3. Lack of proper local and federal documentation.
4. Products missing “all required public health and safety warning statements.”
5. Surveillance issues; cameras don’t show entire premises, have “blind spots or sight obstructions.”

Interestingly, Adherence Compliance found that states with a longer history of legal medical cannabis (California, Washington, Colorado) did worse on compliance testing than their newly-legalized counterparts (Maryland, Illinois, Nevada). The highest-scoring state for medical dispensaries was Illinois, with a 95.6 compliance rating; California came in last, with a 76.8 rating.

We reached out to medical dispensaries from around the country to hear their opinion on Adherence Compliance’s findings.

Kevin Heiderich of Washington state’s Carlton Cannabis, Tacoma House of Cannabis and Tonasket House of Cannabis didn’t seem surprised by the findings: “With so many areas to run afoul of compliance,” he explains, “only the most steadfast and detail-oriented persons will be able to maintain that compliance, and as volume of the store scales, so will the opportunities to fall out of compliance.”

Heiderich’s advice for retailers? “Maintain superior communication with your governing authority, and let them take the lead on direction of how to stay in compliance.”

We also wanted to know how one of the higher-scoring states felt about the findings. I spoke with Jeremy Unruh, Director of Public and Regulatory Affairs at PharmaCann, based in Illinois and New York (with plans to expand to Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Michigan). He says it’s quite clear why newer markets are excelling at compliance, as compared to “legacy” states: limited licenses in the Midwest and East Coast, as opposed to a “free-for-all” market in the West.

“In the western states,” he told me, “the number of licenses is basically limited only by the ability to find suitable real estate and the appetite of local governments to host cannabis operators . . . in contrast, the eastern, newer markets were basically created from scratch . . . The number of licenses are limited by law, and each is given out on a competitive basis. Only the best, most sophisticated and economically-sound operators win licenses in the east. Because each of these license-winners has so much at stake, there is a natural focus on ensuring compliance obligations are met. This tends to keep enforcement activity down.”

Unruh also points out that the sheer number of dispensaries in the West versus the East plays a large factor in compliance. With more sites to cover in the West, there’s more room for things falling through the cracks: “In Illinois, for example, there are only about 20 cultivation/processors. Those sites are visited by inspectors weekly. Regulators have a much tighter grip on the operators in states where they can spend more time at each facility. In the West, where there are hundreds, if not thousands of licensees, regulators have far less contact with the individual operators. When the cat’s away, the mice tend to play.”

As the industry gallops ahead at its breakneck pace, will we see the trend of newer markets dominating compliance continue? For now, understanding the issues our regional markets face regarding compliance is key to remaining informed consumers. Residents in Washington state may seem dismayed that their state scored so low, and those in Illinois may be ecstatic, but understanding the nature of the industry—how many licenses were awarded in this region? What exactly are dispensaries being tested on?—may explain why it’s so difficult to get a perfect compliance score.

Related – Cultivation Compliance

The post Top 5 Medical Retail Shop Infractions Exposed appeared first on Dope Magazine | Cannabis News and Reviews.

Who Is Affected?

After rolling back Obama-era federal protections on some of the nation’s most pristine National Parks and Monuments in late 2017, the Trump Administration has continued to auction off swaths of the West in an attempt to attract new lease sales for fossil fuel drilling, fracking and mining. Although it’s true there are several oil-rich areas that will offer up substantial energy benefits and resources on government-leased territory, there are still many regions and states affected by these new policies that don’t see an upside for residents.

Take, for instance, the microsystems that supply beauty and life to the high deserts of eastern Nevada. According to Nevada hydrologist Tom Myers, Ph.D., the effects of drilling and fracking in the proposed lease areas in eastern Nevada containing sensitive groundwater basins “threatens the hydrogeology of the area, including regional springs and intermittent and perennial streams. The potential impacts include both contamination and depletion of flow.” Meyers published his findings in a report entitled “Review of Hydrogeologic Aspects of the December 2017 Oil and Gas Lease Sale, Ely District Office.”

With such critical ecosystems at risk, the implications of what could happen to the entire region’s fauna, flora and groundwater are seemingly obvious. However, in Trumpland there has been no apparent environmental concern whatsoever. Gas, gold and oil have taken precedence over food, health and water.

Which states are impacted?

 We’ve seen federal downsizing of historic proportions in Utah, expanses of California and Nevada auctioned off, and plans for offshore oil drilling along the entire Pacific Coastline—and that’s just the beginning. As reported by Keith Schneider of the L.A. Times, “The Interior Department reported that auctions of federal drilling leases earned $316.2 million in revenue in 2017, about 61% higher than the $196.7 million that the government made from leasing in 2016.”

What types of eco-disasters are we facing?

 The complications from groundwater contamination and depletion could be devastating to the region’s agriculture, fish and wildlife, ranching, recreation and, most importantly, its drinking supply, leaving behind a wide range of carcinogenic complications for future generations to come. And though some of the richest oil reserves lie just off the Pacific shoreline, are Trumponomics worth another disaster like BP’s Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010? Unfortunately, those who have made attempts to thwart federal lease auctions have been met with jail time or have been personally targeted by the government.

However, that doesn’t mean we stop the fight to protect our Earth. We must become the watchdogs of the government and those buying land leases to ensure the land remains protected, and take drastic measures to protect our environment—and our future. We must put pressure on politicians and corporations to divest from fossil fuels, endorse businesses with sustainable practices, strive every day to reduce our carbon footprint, and, most importantly, we must speak out. We only have one planet. Don’t let it become Planet Trump.

Related – Vox Populi: Focus on Local Politics, Not Trump

The post Will Trumponomics Destroy The West? The Environmental Cost of Trump’s Energy Policy appeared first on Dope Magazine | Cannabis News and Reviews.

Test Results: 99.99% THCA | Tested By: Steep Hill Labs, Inc. 

Pure THCA Crystalline Dabs by Guild Extracts

Crystal clear, densely pure THCA Crystalline requires raging hot 700+ degrees Fahrenheit to melt. Guild Extracts designed this crystalline for those who find solace in a strong dab. Two main catalysts for decarboxylation to occur are heat and time. The THCA molecule alters into Delta-9 THC, which shapes to bind with the CB1 receptor in the brain and central nervous system. When the CB1 receptor is activated, dopamine cascades. “Coming in with a 100% pure product, we hoped to usher a new paradigm,” shares CEO Mike Clemmons. The Guild sought to change the game and shift focus from potency to form following function.

Guild Extracts’ THCA dabs exhale Palo Santo essence; rather smooth, earthy and efficient, inducing vibration behind the eyes and nose. Sensation tingles from my head to my legs. As Mike describes, “If it were music, I’d say it was all treble.” I experienced rousing creativity and intense pain relief. Patient success stories that share wondrous relief of THCA “puts the wind in [Guild’s] sails,” Mike notes, with pain relief reported from cancer, neuropathy, Parkinson’s and MS patients.

Website: guildextracts.com | Instagram: @getguild | @guild_extracts_

Available At…

1. Berkeley Patients Group: 2366 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702
2. SPARC: 1256 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94103
3. Barbary Coast: 952 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94103

The post The Guild of Relief: Advocates for Pure THCA Potency appeared first on Dope Magazine | Cannabis News and Reviews.

On Sunday I went horseback riding for the first time in six years. Thanks to my twice weekly sex schedule, my body is in the best shape it has ever been, but I am still still woefully out of shape for horseback riding. There is a beautiful agony the day(s) after riding when you become painfully aware of a series of muscles in your core, glutes and thighs that you didn’t realize existed. I am SORE. I also had a date scheduled with my boyfriend, B, on Monday. Knowing that my muscles were going to be stiff and tender, I decided to use cannabis to help address the pain so that I would be able to be present and enjoy my date. In other words, I was not about to let sore muscles stop me from getting laid.

Sunday night, I smoked a high CBD strain, Harlequin, and drew a hot bath, adding a 3:1 bath soak from Square Grouper so that I could help keep my muscles from getting too stiff. After the bath I toweled off, applied two different cannabis topicals (Humble Flower Company Pain Relief Salve and Papa & Barkley 3:1 Pain ReLeaf Balm) and massaged them into my upper legs, thighs, and pubic region. I stretched and took a quick walk around the block to get the blood moving in my legs, then curled up and fell asleep.

Monday morning, I texted B to request that he bring his magical massage machine over for our date.  A few months ago he bought a car buffer with a fluffy polishing cover that he uses to massage me, and because he’s an engineer, he hooked it up to a dimmer switch so I can modulate the intensity. I know plenty of friends who use the Magic Wand vibrator for massages. This is similar to that, except infinitely more powerful.

I did a dab of high CBD oil, put on some soothing music, lit some incense, and laid down to let him work. He started by massaging me with his hands, using Humble Flower Company’s infused massage oil. Once he’d tackled the especially tender spots with his hands, he brought out the buffer. Starting at the back of my knees he worked his way up my thighs and into my low back. He even did my shoulders for good measure. My body felt thoroughly relaxed afterward, although the intense vibration made my skin feel a little buzzy for a few minutes so he covered me with a soft blanket and rubbed me down over that to help bring me back to Earth. After all that, we had amazing sex with no pain whatsoever. I had full flexibility with zero painful distractions. I feel lucky to have an incredibly attentive, loving partner who wants to help me feel good. This whole experience is just one small example of how cannabis helps me have amazing sex, and helps me take care of my body.

Related – 4 Ways to Use Cannabis For a Better Sex Life

The post Hump Day High: Cannabis, Sex and Sore Muscles appeared first on Dope Magazine | Cannabis News and Reviews.

Release date: March 9, 2018 | Directed by: Nash Edgerton | Starring: Joel Edgerton, Charlize Theron, David Oyelowo | Rating: R | Run time: 1h 50 min

Gringo (2018)

Based on the poster for Gringo alone, one could guess that this film is about cannabis, pharmaceuticals and hijinks gone awry. None of those things are true. Well, that last part is technically true, or, at least, what I assume the filmmakers intended; typically, however, “hijinks” implies some sort of fun was had. There is no fun in Gringo. Just wooden characters slogging through scene after scene. Sometimes Sharlto Copley (District 9, Chappie) and his manic comedic energy show up. That’s fun. Sometimes David Oyelowo (Selma, A United Kingdom) manages to rise above the screenplay and get a laugh—but only because he’s so damn good at acting. Please don’t credit Gringo with your laughter. Only Oyelowo.

So what is this movie about? It centers around Harold Soyinka, played by Oyelowo—the cliché mild-mannered businessman who plays by the rules. His bosses, Charlize Theron (Monster, Mad Max: Fury Road) and Joel Edgerton (Bright, Red Sparrow) are over-the-top greedy, manipulative executives. Speaking of Netflix’s big-budget nightmare experiment (that would be Bright), Gringo was financed by Amazon Studios. While writing this, I’ve been seeing ads to order Mexican food via Amazon Restaurants to celebrate the release of Gringo; this is wrong on many levels, but there’s a stupendous irony in a marketing campaign for a film that criticizes corporate greed synergistically suggesting I purchase Mexican food from their parent company.

Anyway. Edgerton’s brother, Nash, directed the film. He’s been a stuntman and stunt coordinator, and this is only his second time in the director’s chair on a full-length feature. Edgerton’s inexperience unfortunately shows here. Movies should say something—anything—and Gringo’s premise sets up a wealth of opportunities for commentary. Corporate greed. Big Pharma. The commercialization of medical cannabis. U.S.-Mexico relations. Playing by the rules versus taking what you want. And yet…nothing. This movie has fat jokes and jokes about deaf people, though, if that’s something you’re looking for, for some reason.

In case you’re still interested in the plot: Oyelowo’s company has created a cannabis pill called Cannabax. They’ve set up a grow operation in Mexico and, for various reasons I am too annoyed to explain (and I suppose to avoid giving you spoilers, though what’s the point, since I hope you don’t see this movie), Theron, Edgerton and Oyelowo must go on a business trip to meet with their Mexican colleagues. Things go awry. Antics ensue. It’s all so…tedious. The film’s only saving grace once the action starts is Sharlto Copley. Copley can do just about anything, and I’m delighted. Am I biased? I don’t think so. Empirically, Copley is a delight. He plays Edgerton’s brother, a mercenary-turned-humanitarian tasked with rescuing Oyelowo. They buddy around town, and their scenes were the only time throughout the film I didn’t find myself wondering when it would be over.

Characters in Gringo take action because the script told them to do so, not because it makes sense with their backstory, characteristics, wants or needs. Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia!, and yes, you better fucking believe I’ll be seeing Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again in theaters multiple times this summer, ABBA is life) is a blank slate of a human. She exists because someone needs to take care of Oyelowo, I guess. Oyelowo goes from a man too afraid to confront his wife about her tens of thousands of dollars of credit card debt to someone who shoots people in the face. Characters need to have arcs, sure, but maybe not face-shooting arcs that come out of nowhere.

The main problem with dark action comedies is that they just…don’t work most of the time. Mixing crime and comedy comes off, for the most part, pretty wanky and self-satisfied. Some examples of when it’s done right: Fargo, In Bruges, The Big Lebowski. Basically any Coen brothers film. When done incorrectly, everything seems a little too contrived, too self-aware; it’s like seeing a one-act play put on by high schoolers who just saw Boondock Saints for the first time. It makes you cringe and want to mutter, “Oh, sweetie, no.” Most people grow out of that phase. Others grow up and make Gringo.

 On a scale of 1 to 10—1 being oregano, and 10 being top-shelf kush—we give Gringo a 2. And that 2 goes mostly to Sharlto Copley and David Oyelowo, who made something out of a nothing script. As Copley tells Oyelowo at one point in the film, summarizing how I feel about this movie: “This shitshow could only be the work of an amateur.”

Related – Jennifer Lawrence Still Shines in Cliché Thriller: DOPE Reviews Red Sparrow (2018)

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The Zendo Project

Sara Gael is the definition of an angel. When you’re at a festival and a psychedelic experience gets too weird or scary—as they tend to do from time to time—Sara and the Zendo Project are there to comfort you. Zendo is the beacon of light when someone’s trip plummets into dark places, and Sara’s soothing, perfectly-pitched voice is soul-centering, reaching out to you like the voice of Gaia herself as she comforts you in the palm of her hand, reminding you that it’s all going to be okay. When you’re having a bad trip, it can be the only thing that keeps your psyche hanging on to your third eye.

Sara Gael is the Harm Reduction Coordinator at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and the Co-Founder of the Zendo Project, a “psychedelic first aid for festivals and events.” She has an MA in Counseling Psychology from Naropa University and a BA in Geography and Environmental Studies from the University of Hawaii, followed by years of experience as a therapist and counselor. Sara is what I think of when I hear the term “Life Coach.”

The Zendo Project is a peer-to-peer support group that looks to bring harm reduction to festivals and events where psychedelic drugs (and drugs in general) might be used by those in attendance. Zendo’s goal is to ease a difficult drug experience a person may be having, and creates a safe space that alleviates fear—the key ingredient for numerous bad psychedelic trips. “We talk people through [bad trips], not down,” Sara emphasizes. “At Zendo, we create a culture where we take care of each other, allow difficult experiences and be there to hold space for those experiences, rather than push them away. When that kind of environment is created, people feel safer whether they are taking psychedelic drugs or not.”

But that’s not always easy here in America, thanks to former Vice President Joe Biden, who, back in 2002, helped push through The RAVE Act: “A bill to prohibit an individual from knowingly opening, maintaining, managing, controlling, renting, leasing, making available for use, or profiting from any place for the purpose of manufacturing, distributing, or using any controlled substance . . .” Since the RAVE Act took effect, concert and festival promoters discouraged groups like the Zendo Project and Dance Safe at their events. Promoters could be fined $250,000—or worse, shut down entirely—if such groups were permitted on the premises.

Luckily, the tides are turning. Thanks to larger festivals such as Burning Man, Lightning In A Bottle and Envision Festival, promoters are seeing the immense benefits of having harm reduction groups present at their events. Not only do promoters see the benefits, law enforcement and emergency response teams have noted the extensive positive effects as well. As one Burning Man volunteer put it, “If [Zendo Project] weren’t present, we’d have an uncomfortable situation escalate into a bad situation before you could mumble whatever ‘safe word’ you may have.” Essentially, the Zendo Project prevents hospitalization and arrests for those that may have ended up there otherwise.

The War on Drugs has failed us. It has failed us as a society, as a country and as a planet. People are going to use substances, and psychedelics will continue to be the drug of choice for those looking to expand their psyche. It’s been a part of our earthling culture since the first stoned ape chomped down on psilocybin mushrooms while hunting and gathering. The least we can do now is give psychonauts a place to feel safe when the whole universe is big-bangin’ in their brains. “It’s the responsible thing for us to do as humans, as a community, as festival culture, to provide psychedelic harm reduction and psychological first aid,” Gael reminds us.

You can trip like Ram Dass or you can trip like Hunter S. Thompson, but try and make your festival experience a pleasurable one. It’s all a state of mind, and you get to choose your own adventure. Just remember that when the adventure gets too mentally strenuous, walk, wander or crawl over to the Zendo Project. Those angels will help guide you back to the brighter side of life.

The post Have a Safe Trip: The Zendo Project Guides Festivalgoers Through Bad Drug Experiences appeared first on Dope Magazine | Cannabis News and Reviews.

Test Results: 21.7% THC | 60% Sativa | 40% Indica | Tested By: Ace Analytical Laboratory

Shangri-La by Deep Roots Harvest

Aromatic, earthy and smooth: Shangri-La by Deep Roots Harvest is a flawless balance of elegance and rustic flavor. Packing a pungently sweet, tropical fragrance, Shangri-La’s aroma alone can put you into the calm state of mind its potent cannabinoids provide.

The effects combine a sense of heightened awareness and euphoric relaxation. I found myself fully centered with a focused ambition to explore my spiritual side. Sitting on a red sandstone outcrop outside the bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip, I was able to find peace of mind and an uplifted happiness. I recommend this strain to those looking to relieve feelings of anxiety, depression or stress, as well as those looking for peaceful clarity.

Producer: Deep Roots Harvest | Provided By: TGA Genetics | Instagram: @deeprootsharvestnv

Available At…

1. Deep Roots Harvest Dispensary: 195 Willis Carrier Canyon, Mesquite, NV 89034

The post Find Your Shangri-La: A Peaceful State of Sativa appeared first on Dope Magazine | Cannabis News and Reviews.

When you think of a drive-through, what images come to mind? Perhaps you imagine a traditional fast food drive-through, where you order and purchase your desired fast food without leaving your vehicle. Or perhaps you imagine a pharmacy drive-through, where you pick up your prescription medicine from your car as opposed to walking into the store. Maybe you don’t imagine either of those designs, and instead picture one of the three unique marijuana drive-throughs scattered around the U.S.

Convenience, quality customer service and fast transactions hold significant value in our fast-paced society. Fortunately for us cannabis users, there may soon be no need to leave our vehicles to pick up our desired products. As of August of 2016, a Gallup poll found that 13 percent (33 million) American adults admitted to current marijuana usage. From this figure, it’s clear there’s a significantly high demand for marijuana, and dispensary drive-throughs are viewed as the next monumental step to help marijuana businesses stand out in this ever-changing, progressive industry.

Tumbleweed Express in Parachute, Colorado:

On 4/20, 2017, the Tumbleweed Express in Parachute, Colorado, became the world’s first marijuana drive-through. It’s housed in a former Parachute car wash, which initially sparked the idea for this convenient drive-through service. Mark Smith, CEO of Tumbleweed Express, stated the following about their progressive business model: “We have a lot of customers who don’t want to get out of their car for a host of reasons, so we added another level of convenience for them. We wanted to go the extra mile to serve customer needs.”

The Tumbleweed Express process should be familiar to customers: just like at a traditional car wash, drivers pull up to an opening that allows customers to drive their car into the building. A door then closes behind you once inside. Ultimately, customers can be inside the main dispensary but remain within their vehicle while waiting on their desired marijuana products. Next time you’re in the Colorado Rockies, stop by Tumbleweed Express and take your marijuana experience to a higher level!

Nuwu Cannabis Marketplace in Las Vegas, Nevada:

Nuwu Cannabis Marketplace is not only the world’s largest marijuana drive-through, it’s also open 24 hours a day. Rather than walking into the 15,500-square-foot dispensary, customers can take advantage of the drive-through option, which was intended for elderly and handicapped customers who have difficulty leaving their vehicles.

There’s also no tax imposed on cannabis purchases made at Nuwu, as the establishment is located on Paiute Native American tribal land. If you’re looking for a top-of-the-line marijuana dispensary and drive-through that’s open all day and night, check out Nuwu Cannabis Marketplace to see what Nevada’s momentous drive-through experience is all about.

All Greens in Sun City, Arizona:

Due to a recent in-state relocation from Surprise, Arizona, to Sun City, All Greens implemented a drive-through with the intention of providing convenience and fast transactions to elderly and disabled medical marijuana customers. According to Bret Idaspe, All Greens’ Sales Manager, the average age for All Greens drive-through customers is 40 years old, and many of their medical marijuana patients have walkers or wheelchairs. All Greens receives a steady 50-60 patients daily, and overall customer traffic has recently increased. Positive feedback continues to accumulate, and, thus far, a wide range of customers have tried out the drive-through to see what it’s like, according to an All Greens employee.

Overall, convenience, fast transactions, quality customer service and safety are the main benefits cannabis drive-throughs have to offer. It’s only a matter of time before other U.S. states introduce their own unique drive-throughs—which state will be next?

Related – Marijuana Mega-Mart: NuWu Cannabis Marketplace Goes for Mass Appeal

The post The Success of the Marijuana Drive-Through: Will They Eventually Replace Traditional Dispensaries? appeared first on Dope Magazine | Cannabis News and Reviews.

You devoured our last roundup of mind-expanding stories, so we’ve curated six more of the weirdest, WTF-inducing items sure to send you into a google tailspin. Perfect for first date conversation starters (depending on how cool your date is), philosophical smoke sessions, and generally weirding out your loved ones.

Get your tin foil hats ready once more, and let’s dive in!

1. This creepy Emergency Alert System that ran hours before a train crash in Hoboken, New Jersey:

Coincidence? Possibly. Here’s the text that ran on WKTV’s Emergency Alert System: “Civil Authorities have issued a Hazardous Materials Warning for The United States. Effective until September 29, 02:16 AM EDT. Would you. Could you. On a train? Wait for further instructions.” The next day, one passenger died and over 100 were injured after a train crashed in Hoboken.

2. There’s another Bermuda Triangle…in spaaaaaace!

Known as the “South Atlantic Anomaly,” astronauts have reported seeing unexplained blinding flashes of light while orbiting over the South Atlantic sea. The radiation from these SEU’s (“single event upsets”) mess with computer and satellite systems, resulting in a lack of recorded data while in this so-called triangle.

3. Unusually large parasites have been found in a North Korean defector:

We all remember the news last year of a North Korean soldier fleeing to the South Korean border. Turns out he was hosting a plethora of worms in his intestines, which is not uncommon for citizens of impoverished nations. Doctors, however, were dumfounded by the size of the worms, one of which was “11 inches long.”

4. We’ve had the technology to teleport since WWII, but don’t know how to do it without people’s limbs gettin’ all mixed up:

In 1943, the USS Eldridge left Philadelphia to become the unlucky maiden test voyage of a “new kind of magnetic field,” supposedly enabling the craft to remain undetected by radar. According to witnesses, the ship disappeared, showed up momentarily in Virginia, then reappeared in Philadelphia a few hours later. Members of the crew were “found partially embedded in the steel hull of the ship; still alive, but with legs or arms sealed to the deck.”

5. Illuminati meet at the Denver airport:

With weird art (see below) and supposed underground bunkers, many believe there’s something strange going on at the Denver International Airport. This theory has everything: Nazis, the Illuminati, secret lairs, numerology…your layover just got a little more interesting.

6. As our lifespans increase, we’ll have to reframe our ideas about the “stages of life”:

 Less freaky, more “huh, I never thought about that.” A nice palate cleanser, if you will. 200 could become the new “middle-aged” in a world where we may live to be hundreds of years old, and society is going to have to catch up. How will our family units change? Our careers? Our romantic partnerships?

Freaked out once again? Me, too! Leave your favorite WTF stories in the comments so we can keep this weird train runnin’!

Related – Six Weird Stories That Will Make You Question Reality

The post Six More Weird Stories That Will Make You Question Reality appeared first on Dope Magazine | Cannabis News and Reviews.

Maritime Cafe – Gladstone, OR

The DOPE crew headed out to Gladstone, Oregon, to meet Tracy and Mario, owners of the Maritime Cafe. The shop is a family-run business, with their sons taking care of the day-to-day operations. The dispensary was a lot smaller back in 2011, when they were the only game in Clackamas County. They even had a smoking lounge running before the state took it away. (By the way, OLCC, we need somewhere to enjoy this stuff without forcing us to break the law—thanks!).

I love that the Maritime Cafe’s flower is stored in massive glass jars, which helps customers get a full terpene profile and ensures you’re getting the best nugs they have to offer. Maritime Cafe has their own line of cartridges, as well as all the typical industry big-hitters. They also have an impressive amount of clones, going through about a thousand plants a month. I know I’ll be checking out those babies soon to prepare for my summer grow!

Being right next door to The Stash smoke shop, I had to wonder if there’s any competition between stores. Tracy told me, however, that Maritime Cafe customers get a discount to The Stash, and they even sell some glass works from next door. While a lot of head shops are losing business to dispensaries, it’s heartwarming to see these two businesses supporting each other.

I saved the best for last: the titular Maritime Cafe inside the dispensary! Shop for some amazing flower, then sit down and relax with a caffeinated beverage of your choice. Industry reps tell me this is their favorite place to demo product because of the warm, inviting atmosphere. If you’re looking for a unique shopping experience, or to enjoy a cup of joe while relaxing in and around a dispensary setting, you need to check out the Maritime Cafe!

17417 SE McLoughlin Blvd, Gladstone, OR 97267 | (503) 305-8307 | maritimedispensary.com | Mon-Sun: 10AM-9PM | Twitter: @maritimecafe420 | Instagram: @maritimedispensary

The post Gladstone’s Maritime Cafe: A Place To Gather on the High Seas appeared first on Dope Magazine | Cannabis News and Reviews.

Test Results: 31.86% THCA | .9% CBD | Sativa-Dominant Hybrid | Tested By: Digipath Labs

Trippy Slippers Pure Cannabis Oil by VVG Labs

Imagined and produced by Mitch Wilson, Owner and Master Extractor at VVG Lab, Trippy Slippers pure cannabis oil is a custom blend of two sativa-dominant hybrid strains: LSD and Glass Slipper. After going through a CO2 extraction and chemical-free purification process, the result is golden-hued, pure oil rich with terpenes.

The VVG Trippy Slippers Oil Twistable came with instructions detailing the various ways you can consume the fully activated oil: Vape. Dab. Eat. Apply. So, I decided I’d make a daytrip out of it and try all of them over the course of one day. I started the morning off with a beautifully floral wake n’ bake dab. Feeling inspired—and hungry—I created what I feel was the greatest invention of my life: a plain glazed donut with Trippy Slippers oil drizzled on top. This donut tasted like magic dipped in buttery sugar.

I filled up a ceramic atomizer, and, on the lowest temperature, vaped the earthy, aromatic tastes of caryophyllene, trans-nerolidol and guaiol all afternoon. To close out the evening, I used the twistable applicator attachment to delicately apply some Trippy Slippers to the second layer of a flower-oil-kief bowl that melted together in perfect harmony. Just like I did after a beautiful trip of a day!

vvglab.com | Instagram: @vvglab | Facebook: @VVGLab

Available At…

1. Euphoria Wellness: 7780 S Jones Blvd #105, Las Vegas, NV 89139
2. Sahara Wellness: 420 E Sahara Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89104
3. Reef Dispensaries: 3400 Western Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89109

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People have been smoking marijuana for hundreds of years. And, inevitably, some of those people have been parents. Today, as cannabis becomes legalized in more states across the U.S., parents are facing the challenges—both privately and publically—of how to talk about the substance with their children, as well as how to orient parenting around their own usage. To get a better sense of how parents make these decisions and to see what they’ve learned on the job, we reached out to a few for insight.

“My husband and I,” states Seattle resident Kelly Fleek, “neither one of us believe in lying to our kids. It’s an ineffective manner of parenting. So, we basically made the decision when they were little to answer any questions they had, age-appropriately but with honesty.” Fleek explains she and her husband, Alton, had drastically different upbringings when it came to cannabis, and notes, “We tried to strike a balance between the way both of us had been raised.”

The Fleeks didn’t take their decision to be open and honest (though age-appropriate) with their children lightly. And while they never smoked in the house or left paraphernalia around when their kids were small (the Fleek daughters are now 21 and 25), they did use cannabis recreationally and medically—and still do. “We have never been the kind of parents to have ‘The Talk,’” she says. “We didn’t treat our kids like little adults, but we did treat them with a lot of equity. And we stressed communication.”

Now that their kids are out of the house, Fleek says she and her husband’s marijuana use remains the same as it always has. “We didn’t want a separate life from our kids,” she maintains, “because when they find out about you—and if you were lying to them—they would be confused.” Furthermore, Fleek continues, using cannabis helped her be a better parent. “I do feel that, in the end,” she reflects, “my particular marijuana usage—especially in health from physical pain and controlling mental health issues—made parenting very positive.”

Seattle resident (and DOPE Magazine contributor) Kelly Guava Jelly agrees that cannabis has helped her be a better—and even more engaging—mom to her six-year-old son: “I’m more creative, more down-to-earth and engaged, for sure,” she asserts. Guava Jelly says she grew up around weed, and that she has conflicted feelings about how early she was introduced to cannabis (around nine years old). As a result, she has an understanding of when to talk about weed and how to feature it in her routine as an adult, without making it part of her son’s life. “I try to be honest and forthright about the world with him,” she acknowledges.

Guava Jelly says her son has even made comments about her smoking. “He doesn’t like it,” she admits. “He says, ‘Mom, don’t smoke, it’s not good for you.’ So, I recently got a vape pen. I definitely wouldn’t recommend for kids to smoke at all. I wish I didn’t smoke until I grew up. When he becomes a young adolescent, there’s a different conversation.” Her son is also half-Jamaican, she notes, “So there’s also a kind of spiritual aspect, too, with Rastafarianism.”

And while many might disagree with the idea of parents being open and honest about cannabis with their children—as opposed to, say, openly drinking alcohol in front of them—there are others who believe it’s appropriate to enjoy cannabis with their kids when they’re of age. “I waited until my son was 18 to smoke with him,” declares New Jersey’s Karin Gray. “Until he was about 15, he didn’t know I smoked. I always told him I’d rather him smoke than drink, though. Now, it’s a bonding time for us. I just remind him to take care of his responsibilities first.”

Related – Can Cannabis Cure Cancer?: Research with Human Subjects to Start Next Year

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Jaws’ initial release had people terrified to even be in the tub. Since then, the movie industry has figured out that the “man-killing shark” narrative is a major moneymaking idea. Unfortunately, this market for thrilling, man-versus-shark movies has also fueled the real-world stigma that sharks are evil man-eaters, ultimately contributing to the slaughter of hundreds of millions of sharks every year. While movie franchises like Sharknado satirize the idea of the killer shark, recent movies like The Shallows and 47 Meters Down still stick to the same basic formula of the aquatic predator thirsty for human flesh. Though this may make for an entertaining movie-going experience, the real-life consequences have been nothing short of a continuous, oceanic slaughter.

Sharks are responsible for maintaining the balance of the ocean’s ecosystem, keeping certain species of fish from overpopulating and destroying coral and other essential fish markets such as Tuna. The 1975 release of Jaws led to shocking global participation in shark-killing contests, and ecosystems felt the immediate effects. Research from acclaimed biologist Dr. Julia Baum suggests that, in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean between 1986 and 2000, there were massive declines in shark populations. Eighty-nine percent of hammerhead sharks, 79 percent of great white sharks and 65 percent of tiger sharks had vanished seemingly into thin air. Peter Benchley, author of the adapted, best-selling novel, has since stated that he never would have written Jaws if he had known what it would mean for the species.

Over 40 years later, the Columbia Pictures release of The Shallows—slated by producers of the film to be the “Jaws for this generation”—still depicted the clichéd, highly falsified portrayal of the killer shark out for revenge. The Shallows’ release sparked outcry from major national and international researchers, conservationists and university professors of the marine science research community, who wrote an open letter addressing the motion picture organization, asking them to donate two percent of the company’s profits from The Shallows to help create a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation fund to aid in continued shark research and preservation.

Despite the open letter and widespread attempts to bring awareness to the international decline of sharks, the overused, outdated storyline of the vengeful shark is still making its way into the hands of movie studio executives. The Meg, an action/horror flick directed by Jon Turteltaub (National Treasure), based on the novel Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror, stars Ruby Rose, Jason Statham and Rainn Wilson and is one of the more anticipated motion picture releases of 2018. The movie tells the tale of Jonas Taylor, who attempts to save a group of individuals trapped in a submarine from a massive, man-eating shark—an all-too-familiar plotline. With an estimated budget of $150 million, The Meg is another example of how movie studios continue to disregard the detrimental effects their films inflict on sharks while profiting off people’s fear of the species.

Fear leads people to commit unnecessary violence against that which is feared. The movie industry must cease portraying sharks as murderous, human-hunting beasts of the ocean before fear leads people to hunt the remaining endangered shark population to extinction.

Jaw-Dropping Shark Stats

Sharks have been unfairly portrayed in the media for decades, and something smells fishy. Let’s set the record straight.

• On average, shark attacks occur only 20 times a year in the U.S.
• For every human killed by a shark, humans kill approximately two million sharks.
• Over 11,000 sharks are killed per hour.
• The chances of being killed by a shark are 1 in 11.5 million.
• The chances of being killed by lightning are 94 in 1 million.
• The chances of being injured by a toilet are 96.4 in 100,000.
• The chances of being hit by a comet or asteroid are 1 in 75,000.

The post Profiteering Off the Fear of Sharks: Will Movie Studios Continue to Aid Shark Extinction? appeared first on Dope Magazine | Cannabis News and Reviews.

Cornerstone Research Collective – Los Angeles, CA

The History:

Cornerstone Research Collective is a medical cannabis collective focused on research. Founders Carlos de la Torre and Erica Campos opened doors in 2007 as one of the 135 dispensaries granted limited immunity in the California medical market, preceding the original moratorium on cannabis in L.A. back in November of that year. Carlos has always been a heavy hitter in the L.A. cannabis industry; we can all thank him for assisting in the creation of Prop D, among other legislations. Carlos has also been involved in L.A.’s political process for 10 years and sits on the Board of Directors for the UCBA Trade Association. With extensive knowledge of the industry, this collective stands as one classy L.A. joint.

The People:

I’m getting personal here: Cornerstone Research Collective is my collective of choice. I know for a fact I’m going to find a new type of satisfying toke every time I walk through their doors. I’m over 40 and love to surf—the body isn’t what is used to be, and the very knowledgeable budtenders do me right. Carlos only hires budtenders who steer each client in their desired direction to find the perfect dank. They even have a special researcher on board who analyzes each in-store strain and posts their findings, recommendations for specific medical symptoms and more.

The Product:

“We have a very selective way of working with the products,” Carlos explains. “We are always working with brands that have done testing, and care about that type of quality experience . . . About 50 percent of the products we carry are boutique brands you will not find at other dispensaries. Most of our flowers are either cultivated by us or other boutique cultivators. Small-batch stuff, as opposed to mass-produced brands.” Cornerstone was also one of the first dispensaries in California working with CBD oils, representative of the collective’s mission: to heal.

cornerstonecollective.com | Twitter: @CRC_LA | Instagram: @cornerstonecollective | Facebook: @cornerstonecollective | Address: 2551 Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041 | (323) 259-8993 

The post Cornerstone Research Collective: The Classy Joint! appeared first on Dope Magazine | Cannabis News and Reviews.

On November 8, 2016, Brand Strategist Miriam Stone woke up feeling energized. The election of Hillary Clinton loomed large, as did the upcoming birth of Miriam’s second daughter; her girls would grow up under America’s first female President. But the day after the devastating blow of Trump’s victory, Miriam’s thoughts were of her grandmother, a Hillary supporter and lifelong political activist.

“She would have shrugged and said ‘Ok, well, time to keep fighting,’” Miriam remarks. “Political action was part of my grandmother’s daily life—it didn’t matter who was in power.” But Miriam and her husband, Josh Krafchin, an entrepreneur and developer, lived in the decidedly blue city of Oakland. How could they make a difference?

Meanwhile in Amherst, Massachusetts, writer and teacher Ethan Todras-Whitehill was researching swing districts. With Republicans in control of the House and the Senate, Ethan understood that Democrats needed to work towards flipping the House during the 2018 mid-term elections. But finding solid information about swing districts was challenging.

Days after the election, Ethan and Josh, longtime best friends, had a call to discuss developing a solution: a tool that would connect people in blue cities to their nearest swing district. As the concept started taking shape, Miriam was quickly looped in. “Ethan had the initial idea, he was the most politically savvy of the three of us,” she explains. “Josh is the technical guy, the one who was really about bringing the vision to life. I was the branding, marketing and messaging person figuring out the story we should tell and how to tell it.”

Eight days after the election, Miriam sent an email with the subject heading “Turn your election grief into action,” seeking volunteers from among the many writers and creatives in her network. Leveraging personal connections, a team was quickly assembled. On January 19, 2017—the day before Trump’s inauguration—SwingLeft.org was live and viral. Within three weeks, they had 17,000 volunteer applications and over 300,000 people signed up, awaiting next steps.

Taking Back the House

 SwingLeft.org helps you find your nearest swing district and participate in campaigns and activities that work towards taking back the House. But why is this important? “Republicans control all three branches of government [currently], and it feels like Trump’s really unchecked,” Miriam cautions. “But we don’t have to wait three years for him to leave; flipping the House is the first thing we can do to put a check on him.”

In districts where Republicans won seats by small margins, it’s possible for a Democrat to be elected into the seat, allowing for greater accountability of an administration that seems increasingly out of control. Miriam references the Republican tax bill as an example, stating, “They pushed it through, but it wasn’t something that most Americans wanted. If the Democrats controlled the House, that would have been a lot harder.”

Like Flippable, Indivisible and several other organizations powered by the Resistance, Swing Left represents tangible activism that gives people easy ways to effectively donate their time and money. And with last fall’s Democratic successes in Virginia and Alabama, it seems that a blue wave is slowly rising. Still, Miriam is cautious. “If anything, the Trump election taught us that all core wisdom we thought we knew is out the window,” she declares.

Regardless of outcome, Swing Left is an example of what can happen when communities mobilize into action. Miriam remains a Senior Advisor on Swing Left’s Leadership team, inspired by her activist grandmother and the pursuit of a brighter future for her two girls. “We just have to fight like hell and hope for the best,” she asserts.

Swing Left hopes to flip the House via:

1. Voter Contact. Learn about districts, connect with local organizers, aid with voter registration in the months and weeks leading up to the mid-term elections.
2. Fundraising for Candidates. Donate to District Funds, which are given to the eventual Democratic winner of the primary.
3. Cultural Mobilization. Change the cultural narrative to get voters as excited about mid-term elections as they are about presidential elections.

swingleft.org | Twitter: @swingleft | Facebook: @swingleftorg

The post The Rise of Swing Left: Redirecting Anger to Fuel a Political Movement appeared first on Dope Magazine | Cannabis News and Reviews.

Paragon Space – Hollywood, CA

A new cannabis co-working space is coming to Los Angeles, California on July 1^st, 2018. Dubbed Paragon Space, the building will be available to companies, startups and freelancers within the cannabis industry who need an accessible location to work.

Paragon, a leading blockchain technology platform for the cannabis industry, purchased the building using only cryptocurrency (PRG), and services within the space are only available to PRG coin holders.

Inside Paragon Space

Paragon Space is the first co-working space set up by the company, and its creation, as well as its location, is all thanks to the Paragon community. Members voted for what they wanted to see using Paragon’s voting smart-contract technology, choosing the building and flagship location.

As for what will be offered within Paragon Space, members will find fly desks, lounging areas, offices, and conference areas all available for rent based on different plans provided exclusively through PRG. The rental cost is calculated based on the floor plan and capacity required, but Paragon expects that the average rent should be comparable, if not cheaper, than the current market.

Other communal areas in the new Paragon Space include a lounge and outside area, which will function as a space for meetings, events, and a communal area to relax and network. In addition, to keep everyone hydrated and fed, there will be a Paragon Café selling food and drinks.

According to the company website: “Paragon Space is a unique and bold concept, befitting to the modern crypto world. Paragon Spaces offer co-working desk and office space, as well as a café, conference spaces, and an in-house lab. These high tech spaces are accessible to all, provided you pay in PRG—we don’t accept any other form of payment.”

The goal of Paragon Space is to provide a welcoming environment where like-minded individuals can cross-pollinate great ideas and feel comfortable working in a cannabis-friendly location.

PITCH Concepts, led by Baky Soumar will head the design renovations for Paragon Space, transforming the building into a high-tech hub. Paragon is also in talks with FUNDANNA, a cannabis crowdfunding platform, to bring in like-minded innovators and startups.

About Paragon

Paragon is a technology company offering blockchain solutions and smart contracts to the cannabis industry. Its goal is to help improve experiences for individuals, companies, and countries worldwide, while also encouraging community collaboration.

On April 20^th, 2018, Paragon plans to roll out the first version of its online Seed to Sale (OStS) tracking system, mobile app, as well as an application/reservation system for its co-working space. To learn more, visit https://paragoncoin.com.

Related – The Heart of Art, Contained: The Container Yard in Los Angeles

The post Paragon Announces New Cannabis Co-Working Space in Hollywood appeared first on Dope Magazine | Cannabis News and Reviews.