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20features inside

northern california’s premier cannabis lifestyle magazinekush

20 Bob MarleyThis Month in Weed History features the king of reggae who was born in the month of hearts, fl owers and chocolates. How apropos that such a internationally loved icon would represent the month of Valentine’s.

44 John Popper on Touren route to his upcoming California Tour, The Blues Traveler talks to Kush about his new band, and, well, Kush.

56 Day Trippin’ In Sonoma Kush shows you how to savor Sonoma with Washingtons instead of Benjamins!

62 Let There Be Light Tricks that let you make the most of your precious lumens!

72 Chef Herb As they say in French “Laissez les bons temps rouler” or “Let the good times role”, a Mardi Gras expression you can say when you entertain with our resident Chef Herb’s Mardi Gras recipes. Happy Fat Tuesday!

12 | Living Well: Meditation by Charlotte Cruz

24 | Health Report: Smoking by J.T. Gold

26 | Hempful Hints by Valerie Fernandez

32 | Strain Review: Skywalker by Bic Pho

35 | Model 419 by John Green

36 | Unfairly Taxed by Luigi Zamarra

38 | Get Hook(ah)ed by James Dohnert

46 | Best Wine Bars in S.F. by Julie Cole

52 | Steep Hill Labs by Anna Grabstein

58 | Growers Grove by Jade Kine

64 | KUSHCON II Speakers

68 | Live Music Roundup by Dillon Zachara

76 | Dailybuds.com Dispensary Directory

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northern california’s premier cannabis lifestyle magazine

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any of you may be wondering why Kush Magazine has a “Valentine’s Day”

themed cover when the date of the magazine is weeks after Valentine’s Day. First of all,

we believe that everyday should be filled with love and therefore in our hearts, the entire

month of February is dedicated to Sharing the Love.

We at Kush are especially grateful to the support we get from the organizations

depicted on the cover. Each one of these organizations is dedicated to the elimination of

marijuana prohibition and is helping to fight the battle against the stigma associated with

the misclassification of marijuana as a Schedule One drug. Irrespective of whether or not

you support legalization or believe marijuana should maintain its medicinal classification,

it is imperative that we as a group work to continue the right for a patient’s safe access to

their medication and the protection of the caregivers and providers who are compassionate

to the needs of their patients.

Many thanks to MPP (Marijuana Policy Project), NORML, Students for Sensible

Drug Policy, Safer, Sensible Colorado, ASA (American’s for Safe Access), NCIA (National

Cannabis Industry Association), LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition), The Drug

Policy Alliance, American Cannabis Association and UF4A (Unconventional Foundation

4 Autism). Each of your endeavors to educate and eradicate the prohibition against

marijuana and taking the lead in legislation in each state to promote medical marijuana

laws is whole heartedly appreciated. We know Kush would not be here without you.

With Mardi Gras in March and spring just around the corner we’ve featured great

Fat Tuesday recipes from our own Chef Herb beginning on page 72. For those of you into

music, check out the interview by Kush Magazine’s new assistant editor with John Popper

from the Blues Travelers who will be performing in Northern and California this next

month (p 44) or the lineup of concerts coming your way in the music round up on p 68.

We also have Part 1 about the price of cannabis on page 58 from Jade Kine owner of Cann

Academy, as well as a feature story on tripping around Sonoma on page 56.

So, enjoy what remains of your month of love and remember to share it with

someone.

T kushA Division of Dbdotcom LLC

from the editors

Publishers | Dbdotcom LLC

Founder | Michael Lerner

Editor | Lisa Selan

Assistant Editor | Wasim Muklashy

Chief Executive Officer | Bob Selan

Business Development | JT Wiegman

Art Director | Robb Friedman

Director of International Marketing & Public Relations | Cheryl Shuman

Director of No Cal Sales | Amanda Allen

Advertising Sales Reps | Christianna Lewis , Denise Mickelson, Charlene Moran, Kyle Ragan

Designers | Avel Culpa, Marvi Khero, Joe Redmond

Traffic Managers | Alex Lamitie, Kevin JohnsonRyan Renkema, Jordan Selan, Rachel SelanDistribution Manager | Alex Lamitie

Contributing Writers Julie Cole, Charlotte Cruz, Jonathan Cutler, Tyler C. Davidson, James Dohnert, Valerie Fernandez, J.T. Gold, Anna Grabstein, John Green, Chef Herb, Josh Kaplan, Jade Kine, Wasim Muklashy, Dillon Zachara, Luigi Zamarra

Accounting | Dianna Bayhylle

Internet Manager Dailybuds.com | Rachel SelanDailybuds.com Team | JT Kilfoil & Houston

northern california’s premier cannabis lifestyle magazinem

SUBSCRIPTIONSKUSH Magazine is also available by individual

subscription at the following rates: in theUnited States, one year 12 issues $89.00 surfacemail (US Dollars only). To Subscribe mail a check

for $89.00 (include your mailing address) to : DB DOT COM

24011 VenTURA BLVD. SUiTe 200CALABASAS, CA 91302

877-623-KUSH (5874) Fax 818-223-8088

KUSH Magazineand www.dailybuds.com are

Tradenames of Dbdotcom LLC.

Dbbotcom LLC24011 VenTURA BLVD. SUiTe 200

CALABASAS, CA 91302877-623-KUSH (5874) Fax 818-223-8088

To advertise or for more informationPlease contact info@dailybuds.com

or call 877-623-5874Printed in the United States of America. Copyright ©2011. All rights reserved.

no part of this publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without the written written permission of Dbdotcom LLC.

Kush Editorial Board, www.dailybuds.com

Each of your endeavors to educate and eradicate the prohibition against marijuana and taking the lead in legislation in each state to promote medical marijuana laws is whole heartedly appreciated.

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Living Well:Meditation

hen you think of meditation, maybe you imagine a peaceful monk sitting cross-legged

in a temple somewhere in Asia. Meditation is something everyone can benefi t from and you

don’t have to study for years to achieve the state of calm and nothingness to your path to Nirvana

to understand its value. Meditation requires mental discipline and the practice is all part of the journey. Th ere are dozens of types of meditation and several ways to practice, but the roads all lead to the same place - tranquility, clarity and focus. If you have ever noticed a professional athlete before a big game, you oft en fi nd them in a sort of laser-focused daze; even that is a form of meditation.

The benefits of meditation affect mind, body and soul. Mentally, meditation increases serotonin levels, which make us feel happy and balanced. It decreases anxiety and stress, allowing us to open our minds to positive things. Depression is often lessened and even the most stressful situations are more easily tolerated by those who practice meditation regularly. Physically, meditation has been known to decrease blood pressure, increase oxygen flow, relieve muscle tension and improve sleep and the immune system. Many people who meditate experience an “inner peace” and understanding of the world around them, as well as a heightened awareness of inner self.It’s pretty spectacular to think that all of those things could be achieved by sitting in silence or chanting rhythmically, but

it has been working since antiquity and believe it or not, it’s tougher than you might ever think.

Th ose new to meditation oft en do well focusing the mind on breathing or even an object, word or image. You can also focus on a state of being or feeling, like compassion or faith, which is a wonderful way to invite all of those things into your mind. As you become better at quieting your mind and emptying it of thoughts, the real search for Inner Self begins, and ask anyone who meditates…it’s a lifelong process.

Meditation keeps a lot of people balanced and feeling comfortable in their own skin everyday. If you have never tried it and think it could help you (it can!), here are some very useful tips: Meditate daily. A good place to start would be twice a day for at least 10 minutes each time. Sit in a place where you will not be disturbed. Focus on a pleasant memory before you start and allow your breathing to become regular and focused. Tell yourself that any thoughts, plans or suggestions you have for yourself can wait until aft er you are done (they can!). You’ll soon fi nd that thinking about nothing takes a lot of discipline, but if at fi rst you have a diffi cult time clearing your mind, give yourself a break. It’s called the “practice” of meditation for a reason.

Once you get in a fl ow, you’re sure to realize that meditation is a wonderful gift to give yourself every day. Th e world isn’t going anywhere, but wouldn’t it be nice to know you can escape it for a few minutes a day and come back with a more positive outlook, as well as a healthier body and mind?Be well!

by Charlotte Cruz

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It’s hard to find another iconic figure (from any genre) as universally loved, admired, and recognized as the King of Reggae - Bob Marley. Born Nesta Robert Marley February 6th, 1945, in the village if Nine Mile in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica. His father was a white Jamaican of English descent, and his mother was an Afro-Jamaican. Although faced with questions about his racial identity, he once reflected:

“I don’t have prejudice against meself. My father was a white and my mother was black. Them call me half-caste or whatever. Me don’t dip on nobody’s side. Me don’t dip on the black man’s side nor the white man’s side. Me dip on God’s side, the one who create me and cause me to come from black and white.”

This higher level and perspective on his own existence may have been the impetus to his elevation to “icon”, or do I dare say…”God”-like status. To those who are religious, it might seem strange to elevate a mere mortal (in comparison) to GOD, or “a god.” To some it may even seem blasphemous, but to Native American Hopi and Havasupai tribes, Marley is considered to be the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy, while some in Nepal consider him to be an incarnation of the Hindu God Vishnu. Very few mortals reach such a collective status, and rarely from the world of music.

Bob Marley transcended music. He wasn’t merely a musician with great songs. His music spoke from the heart, and the world could definitely relate, all the while remaining colorless. His compilation album Legend (1984), released three years after his death, is the best-selling album, going ten times Platinum (Diamond) in the U.S., and selling 20 million copies worldwide. His lyrics, although specific to his life’s story, continue to speak to people of all races, genders and creeds. His pioneering of the Dub and Reggae music we know and love today are paramount, and arguably unmatched. His name, songs, and likeness are such a part of Reggae music, he has become synonymous with the genre as a whole. Besides his musical genius, his humanitarian work was so true and earnest. His intense and often life-threatening work bridging the gap between political parties has been heralded. I’m not sure what Bob thought his job here on earth was, but his music simply became a conduit for positive energy around the world. This by my definition is “God”-like. His energy lives on in some place, every second, of every minute, of every hour, of every day, somewhere on this planet. Does this quantify Omnipotence? Maybe not quite, but his positive vibrations continue to ripple through our airwaves, into our eardrums, and through the rhythms’ of our bodies.

If what we know as “GOD” is ever-present, and powerful - emotionally calming and empowering - and touching the lives of the masses (or anyone willing to listen), then I think Bob Marley qualifies.

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We have all heard the groans: Quitting smoking is harder than kicking heroin! Or that you have to quit 7 times for it to stick. Maybe neither is true, maybe both are true, but the biggest truth is, cigarette smoking is just about the toughest habit to break but the one with the most benefits. I am a smoker and I promise you that if I could go back to one day in my life and have a do-over, it would be the day I started smoking. Smoking is my best friend. It is there when I need a break, when I’m scared, when I’m nervous, when I’m happy, when I’m having drinks with friends; it even joins me for coffee in the morning. But here’s the harsh reality; half of the people who continue to smoke die of smoking-related illness.

Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body, and nearly half a million Americans die every year from smoking-related illness, yet is the leading preventable cause of death in the nation. If a food killed 500,000 people, we would call it a tragedy and certainly wouldn’t sell it in stores anymore, but smoking is a choice; one we choose regardless of all the irrefutable information available to us. Once it gets its grips on you, it’s very hard to break free. But not impossible. And this is the year I promised myself I would quit, so when I had to come up with my first Health Report topic for February, I knew exactly what it would be.

The immediate benefits of quitting are very obvious. Your clothes and hair smell better, you spend less money, your breath is better, your smile is whiter, your car smells and looks cleaner. The ben-efits over time, however, are where it gets interesting. According to the American Cancer Society, after 20 minutes of quitting, blood pressure normalizes. 12 hours after quitting, carbon monox-ide levels in the blood stabilize. After weeks and months, lung and heart functions improve and after a year, the risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.

So how much is mental and how much is physical? Any smoker will tell you it’s 50/50. Dealing with the physical gives you options of nicotine replacement in gum, patch, lozenge, spray and I’m sure other forms. Nicotine is a tough cookie and the cravings are real. A lot of people prefer to go cold turkey and just stop alto-gether so not to be dependent on another thing, but that’s entirely up to the person. Mentally, you just need to know that you can’t just have one - like an alcoholic can’t have one drink. There is smoking and there is non-smoking. Don’t kid yourself in to think-ing that you can only smoke when you drink or after a meal. In order to quit, you have to quit! It will be the best thing you ever do for your body. So do whatever it takes—patches, support groups, knitting, sunflower seeds, whatever you need to do to avoid the horrific diseases caused by smoking. Besides, nobody likes to kiss someone whose mouth tastes like an ashtray.

Think about it.

For more information, check out smokefree.gov and thetruth.com

HEALTH REPORT

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by VALERIE FERNANDEZ

RAWGANIQUE

YOUR ONE-STOP, ECO-FRIENDLY SHOP

Hempful Hints

It’s rare to fi nd a business that puts ecology before economy. One that puts Mother Nature before their bottom line. One that believes in sustainability, integrity, fair pay, and quality of life, allowing the stay-at-home artisans making their goods to produce their products outside of a dreaded sweatshop. But we’ve found one, Rawganique.com, and their line of cotton, linen and hemp products are on a whole nother level.

Making sure their vast line of products are free of harsh elements like PVC, formaldehyde, dioxin, pesticides, heavy metals, acids, or chemicals shows Rawganique’s commitment to the bigger picture, and this sentiment of conscious concern is not just for fad or fashion (though their clothes are). This is the mentality in which the company is built upon, a company whose co-founders live totally off the grid on a small island off the Strait of Georgia. With solar and wind power, and a totally organic garden, these people are truly ”walking the walk.”

Since 2000, this family business has been producing men’s and women’s wear, footwear, bed linens, bath products (including soaps, deodorants and shampoos), kitchen products, paper products, books, bags, rugs, fabrics, pajamas, hammocks, yoga mats, and even specialize in elegant hemp wedding clothes for brides, grooms, and the whole wedding party. Their wedding line has both formal and informal options. With beach and eco-friendly weddings on the rise, Rawganique has become “Hemp Wedding Central,” with their casual, yet stylish garb. This line is both dashing and classy, while remaining uniquely different from the normal rent-a-tux penguin suits found at the mall.

Rawganique clothes come in Standard, Plus & Petite sizes, and Big & Tall sizes up to a 50” waist, and 38” inseam. Their selection ranges from everyday shorts, jeans, and shirts, to an array of jackets, sweaters, blouses, and dresses. The line of bed and bath linens are just as vast. Hemp sheets, pillow cases, and Duvet covers made with organically grown hemp fi bers without chemicals, heavy metals, dyes, or synthetics make for very comfortable and cozy linens. With “green” hotels, resorts, and spas becoming popular, Rawganique hemp sheets are used in some of the most prestigious around the globe.

If the kitchen is the main room in your house, Rawganique has an eco-friendly selection for you too. They have everything from aprons, towels, place mats, napkins, table clothes, oven mitts, and pot holders. With Organic Hemp foods, Sundried Fruits, Organic Nuts and Butter, Maca and Vegan foods, and even a Raw Cuisine Turbo Blender to help you get healthy, this site seems to be a one-stop shop for you healthy Hemp nuts. They’ve even got 100% biodegradable cleaning products using Soapnuts, used for laundry detergent, house cleaner, hair shampoo, pet shampoo, or dish detergent. Rawganique has covered just about everything.

For more information on Rawganique’s products, or just to browse through their web-store, go to www.Rawganique.com. With so many eco-friendly products to choose from, it’s really worth a visit.

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YOUR ONE-STOP, ECO-FRIENDLY SHOP

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The naming of OG Kush has become the stuff of smoker legend. The story goes that upon consuming the Kush, one smoker surmised that the reason for its quality was because it was grown in the mountains. The breeder responded in jest, “this Kush is Ocean Grown Kush bro.” The tag line stuck and history was made. From that day forward she was commonly known as OG Kush, and sometime later cultivators distinguished her from the multitude of other variations and hybrids (i.e. Larry, Raskal, Fire OGs, etc.) by nicknaming this cutting the “Skywalker OG.” Thousands, perhaps millions, of OG cuts have been

grown in the San Fernando Valley and beyond, many with their own unique traits and characteristics. And yet they can all be traced back to the seminal, generous time when the original breeder shared his elite germplasm with others. The wide dispersion of this original Kush is what has created the multitude of phentoypes and flavors we see today. Is Skywalker OG the “Original” OG Kush? Maybe it is, maybe it’s not, but our panel of experienced growers has concluded that it is (no doubt) the most full power of all OG’s…and based on its growth structure and its full effects, we believe it to be the SFV Sativa dominant phenotype.

The Review: This is, by far, my favorite strain. It always helps me get

into a great mood any time of the day under any circumstance. Skywalker OG is the most powerful full body and mind medicine we have encountered. The name fits the “no-ceiling high” that will leave you soaring up into the stratosphere, walking on clouds. This is a full cerebral high without the anxiety and paranoia that sometimes result from some other sativas. Shortly thereafter a wave of warmth will melt all pains away down to your toes. Skywalker OG’s sativa side gives you energy and makes you feel powerful with increasing awareness, sensitivity and creativity, while the Indica in it keeps you balanced and anchored. You can medicate with it and handle massive workload under stress or you can simply pass right out without any problem at all. The balanced

equilibrium of Sativa and Indica genetics makes for the perfect hybrid for potency and efficacy.

When a chronic user develops tolerance to other strains, Skywalker OG never fails to deliver in medicinal effect. Skywalker OG has a powerful OG scent that is mainly sour fuel. The earthy citrus taste lingers on your pallet longer and stronger than almost any strain out there and the high endures as well. Partaking in the Skywalker OG can certainly assist one in tuning into the Force.

“The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” —Obi-Wan Kenobi

—Bic Pho is the Executive Director of the Yerba Buena Collective

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THEIR WEBSITE SETS FORTH THE FOUR STAGES OF HOW THE FILTRATION CHAMBER WORKS:

STAGE 1: Th e smoke is pulled down from the bowl and circulated through helical ports, which spins it into the fi rst collection chamber. Here larger particles and debris collect on the chamber’s walls.

STAGE 2: Th e smoke speeds up as it is drawn through parallel ports. Here, more debris is collected from the air while the increased air speed helps keep the ports from plugging.

“Doesn’t it get hot?” were my fi rst thoughts when looking at the all steel pipe from Model 419. Heat and taste have been two major problems faced by manufactures who venture away from more traditional smoking devices and into metallic territory. However, Model 419 seems to have addressed both issues with high-quality materials and a unique design.

Th e pipe is made in the USA out of 100% stainless steel, which is corrosion resistant. It also is polished by hand, with a high luster and will not discolor or lose its shine with continued use. Stainless steel has a high rate of heat absorption and the confi guration of the pipe captures most of the heat when lit in its central heat sink, keeping the outside of the pipe and fi ngers cool. As smoke is drawn through the pipe, a four-stage fi ltration process cools and cleans the smoke circulating it through a series of intricately engineered ports and chambers to remove particles and debris before inhaling through the mouthpiece.

Model 419 might look compact but has a generous bowl that delivers a uniform burn so nothing is wasted. Th ey manufacture the pipe with precision so the parts create a perfect seal with no need for rubber o-rings or extra parts to purchvase.

More information can be found about where to buy, the design, and the fi ltration and cooling process online at www.model419.com

STAGE 3: Th e smoke passes into a second chamber where it slows down to pass through a stainless steel micron fi lter. Th is fi lter is fi ne enough to stop particles the size of pollen and large coal dust.

STAGE 4: Th e smoke passes through a third chamber before traveling up the mouthpiece. Here you should see a fi ne fi lm of residue from the smoke collecting.

Th e result is a cool, smooth, clean hit. Th ere is a noticeable diff erence smoking out of the Model 419 steel pipe, though it is not off -putting and many users will likely come to prefer the features off ered and how smooth it is compared to other pipes. Cleaning is easy requiring only a cloth and warm water as long as you keep

track of all the individual parts. Overall, the Model 418 is a pretty cool pipe and provides an enjoyable smoking experience.

by LUIGI ZAMARRA, CPA

In the past several years, public opinion regarding the medical use of cannabis has been changing rapidly. So far, 14 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation legalizing the dispensing of cannabis for medical purposes and, according to Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), a non-profi t policy think-tank, 17 additional states recognize the medical value of cannabis, some of which are considering legislation to allow dispensaries themselves.

However, the Internal Revenue Code has yet to be amended to recognize the legitimacy of medical cannabis dispensaries, in large part because cannabis, or marijuana, continues to be treated as a controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act, a federal law passed in 1970. As a result, Internal Revenue Code Section 280E disallows claiming otherwise completely legitimate business expenses that are incurred in a trade or business, simply because the business is associated with medical marijuana.

History of IRC Section 280EIRC Section 280E was enacted in 1982 during the Reagan

administration, long before the general public understood the medicinal value of cannabis. It was enacted largely in response

to public reaction to the Tax Court case of Edmondson v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo 1981-623. Th e Tax Court ruled in this case that the taxpayer could deduct his telephone, automobile and other business expenses because they were “ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in connection with the taxpayer’s trade or business” of selling illegal drugs. In fact, although the IRS challenged the amount of the expenses, it did not challenge the principal that such amounts were deductible.

Congress caught wind of this case and enacted IRC Section 280E in response. In the legislative history the Senate Finance Committee noted that:

“On public policy grounds, the Code makes certain otherwise ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in a trade or business nondeductible in computing taxable income. Th ese nondeductible expenses include fi nes, illegal bribes and kickbacks, and certain other illegal payments.” Th e report went on, “Th ere is a sharply defi ned public policy against drug dealing...such deductions must be disallowed on public policy grounds.”

Th us, it seems clear that Section 280E was enacted based upon public policy concerns at that time. Well, public opinion changes over time.

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Changing Public OpinionCalifornia passed Proposition 215 in 1996. Since then more

than a dozen other states have passed similar legislation to legalize medical cannabis dispensaries. Even the larger business community now recognizes the legitimacy of this new industry (see Fortune Magazine, “Is Pot Already Legal?” September 28, 2009.) There are similar movements afoot in many countries around the world. The larger public has learned to differentiate, and it no longer lumps medical cannabis together in the same basket with cocaine and heroin usage. Few people dare to maintain the untenable position that cannabis has more detrimental social effects than alcohol. Public opinion regarding the medical use of cannabis is rapidly changing.

The Internal Revenue Service has begun to audit the tax returns of cannabis dispensaries that are legally operating under state laws. They are aggressively applying Section 280E to disallow many ordinary and necessary business expenses.

While changes to the tax law lag behind changes made by business enterprises and changes in public opinion, the tax law usually does eventually catch up. Now is the time to amend Section 280E.

Federal Internal Revenue Code Should Remain Neutral

Under the federal Controlled Substances Act, cannabis is a Schedule I controlled substance, even though it may be medically recommended by a physician to benefit the health of the user. Thus, the federal law continues to assert a position that contradicts state law, at least with respect to the 14 states that have enacted medical cannabis legislation. Although the Supreme Court has supported this position (See U.S. v. Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Coop., 532 U.S. 483 (2001)), it continues to be the subject of debate among theorists on Constitutional law.

It cannot be denied that the Internal Revenue Code is federal income tax law. However, does this give the federal government the right to disallow valid business expenses to medical cannabis dispensaries that are operating legally under state law? That is just too “back door.” If the federal government wants to fight the medical use of cannabis, it should do so via the Controlled Substances Act and face-off against the states in criminal court.

It should not use IRC Section 280E to punish dispensaries with a hidden “fine.”

The Internal Revenue Code should remain neutral, and provide fair rules for taxpayers that are operating legally and legitimately. There should be an exception to the application of IRC Section 280E for any medical cannabis dispensary that is operating legally under state law. This change is clearly supported by the interplay between the legislative history of Section 280E and the change in public opinion that has transpired since its enactment.

To Change Administratively or Legislatively?It is not clear if this change could be made administratively. But even if it can be, it appears the IRS, the only party empowered to make this change this way, might be unwilling to do so, given the gusto with which it has wielded Section 280E against dispensaries under examination. Thus, it seems that this “technical correction” (a term-of-art used by tax professionals for a change in the tax law that is necessitated by changes in industry that have transpired since enactment of the original tax law) will need to be made legislatively.

Making this change to IRC Section 280E is the right thing to do. Medical cannabis dispensaries are legal and legitimate businesses; they are good corporate citizens who pay significant amounts of taxes to local and state governments as well (governments that have begun to depend upon these revenues). It is only fair that they be entitled to the same business deductions as other taxpayers. Denying them deductions because of public policy concerns does not comport well with favorable current (although recently changed) public opinion concerning medical cannabis.

Luigi Zamarra, CPA is the Chief Financial Officer of Harborside Health Center, recognized as one of the largest medical cannabis dispensaries in the United States. He has a BS in Commerce and an MS in Accounting from the University of Virginia. He worked with the Big 4 accounting firms for twelve years, rising to the position of Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers, before starting to work with regional businesses as a public accountant in San Francisco. Luigi now lives and works in Oakland, CA. He can be reached at luigi.zamarra@harborsidehealthcenter.com

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You shuffle your way past the street vendors and the burly Middle Eastern men arguing in a language you don’t understand. Continuing down a dirt road past the coffee shops you start to make out your destination. You see elderly men with wise beards puffing on something you’ve only seen caterpillars use in Alice in Wonderland. As the smell of Moroccan cuisine dissipates you be-gin to grasp the faint scent of apples and watermelon. The aroma carries you until the man you were told about begins to wave you in. You mumble some Arabic you picked-up from a friend and are finally seated in front of the mysterious hookah you’ve been told so much about… Or at least that’s what I hoped it would be like.

In reality, hookah lounges are like any other bar or club. Except instead of sharing a drink with friends you’d be sharing a hit of flavored tobacco from a water pipe which traces its origins to the Middle East. What started as a cultural staple in places like Morocco has now become big business throughout the world. It’s a growing market taking its foot hold in college towns and major cities. One doesn’t have to look much farther than San Jose to see just how big the venture has become. The city has the three best lounges in the south bay, each with their own style and am-biance. So while they may not let you get in touch with your inner Indian Jones they’ll at least give you one hell of a good time.

IN SAN JOSETangerine Hookah Bar 30 Fountain Alley, Suite 150San Jose, CA 95113408. 294.2247www.tangerinehookah.comTangerine is the polar opposite of my travelogue fantasy. With its modern décor and glowing orbs hanging from the ceiling it’s more nightclub than Moroccan café. Decked out with television projectors and a sound system rocking Michael Jackson remixes the lounge shows off a far more western sensibility. Tangerine should really be the go to place for those looking for something to do before hitting the real nightclubs. It makes a great primer for a night out on the town with friends. Its bouncy atmosphere will put you in the right mood for an evening of dancehall bliss. Not to mention the exclusive house flavors are too good to pass up. Abi’s Giggly Fizz has become my go to at the bar and it’s without a doubt one of the smoothest flavors one can get from a hookah. With its one of a kind mixes and unique styling’s it’s the place to go for something a little different in the hookah scene.

The Swinging Hookah386 S 1st StSan Jose, CA 95113408. 298.4829www.TheSwingingHookah.comAh, my first foray down the rabbit hole. The Swinging Hookah was the first lounge I ever went to and holds a special place in my heart. With its chill lighting and ample space it’s the perfect mix between the traditional and the contemporary. Its relaxing atmosphere is the ideal spot for a lazy evening out with friends. The fantastic fresh fruit hookahs are some of the best in the city. Its topnotch servers and open floor plan also add a sense welcoming to the whole establishment. If you’re looking for a simple evening out with a small group of friends you can’t go wrong here.

Giza Hookah Lounge18 N 1st StSan Jose, CA 95113408.998.4622Giza is only place that gets my Indiana Jones fantasy. An Egyptian themed lounge with some of the coolest art in downtown, this is defi-nitely the place to go for the traditional environment. With furniture directly imported from Egypt it wins the authenticity award hands down. No other hookah spot in San Jose offers the kind of vibe you get here. Purely for those looking to take a minute and relax, Giza asks you to take a puff and calm your nerves. If you’re looking for the place to take a date or get into a conversation about life, do it here. Its menu of tastes is diverse and appealing. You can’t go wrong with the basics but if you’re adventurous be sure to ask your server for a recom-mendation; Giza’s friendly staff will be sure to hook(ah) you up.

by James Dohnert

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IN SAN JOSE

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Over 30 different strains • edibles • ClOnes • drinks

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OK, SO HE MAY BE A FOUNDING MEMBER OF ONE OF THE most respected successful and beloved acts of the past quarter century, a Grammy Award winning band that’s had 3 Gold Records and 2 Plati-num Records (one of which, 1994’s “Four,” went 6x platinum), but like any blues man, sometimes you just need to be alone.

WHILE THIS BLUES TRAVELER HAS TAKEN SOLO TRIPS BEFORE, this is the most serious he’s been about moving out. Hell, he and his fresh handpicked auditory outlaws purposely holed themselves up in the mountains of New Mexico for a month to record the self-titled “John Pop-per and the Duskray Troubadours,” out March 1 on 429 Records. “It was a perfect environment,” Popper tells KUSH. “I kind of wanted to ride o� into the mountains out west and make a record!”

AND MAKE A RECORD HE DID, ALTHOUGH IT WASN’T EXACTLY as simple or straightforward as it sounds. As a matter of fact, it’s a journey that began almost a quarter century ago. ¡ e reason being his absolutely unwavering intention of making the record with acclaimed producer and musician Jono Manson (¡ e Worms). “He’s someone we opened up for in the early days and he’s sort of a mentor for all of us,” Popper con¢ des. “Jono was the guy that we all looked up to…the elder statesman that we learned from. We always planned to work together and it really took this long.” While Popper admits to the di¤ culty in waiting almost 25 years, he doesn’t hesitate in proclaiming, “I was not disappointed with the results. I had high expectations and it surpassed my expectations.”

WHILE THE WAIT WAS A LONG ONE, ITS WORTHINESS IS perhaps a reason that could only be subjectively analyzed in hindsight. ¡ e time gave John Popper and the Blues Travelers the chance to build the formidable entity that they have become, and if they didn’t have that

chance, then this natural evolution and opportunity may very well never have had the chance to § ourish. And now, John has become admittedly wise enough to recognize this as the growing opportunity that it is.

“THIS WAS A MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH FOR ME,” Pop-per confesses. “¡ e idea of working with a songwriter outside of my self…collaborating…was a very new thing. I think with Blues Travelers, because we grew up together, we felt we had to do it all in house and I was getting very worried that we were getting too formulaic.” But with ¡ e Duskray Troubadours, “I was able, through this adventure in songwrit-ing, to really focus on much stronger melodies and that enabled me to sing a lot prettier and enabled me to play a lot prettier. I had a melody I could hang onto, and the dynamic could be a little so ̈er and I like that.” As I gave a minute for this to sink in, he went on to make a statement that’s almost impossible to comprehend:

“THE WAY I PLAY HARMONICA ON THIS ALBUM IS UNLIKE THE WAY I’VE EVER PLAYED BEFORE.”

EXCUSE ME? THIS? COMING FROM THE MAN WHO INVENTED a holster that holds 12 of the instruments tuned to all 12 musical keys, of-ten times switching between them in the course of a song, and wore them as suspenders for budssakes? Ok, ¢ ne, I’m in! AND SPEAKING OF BUD, AND, WELL, THIS BEING KUSH Magazine, we just had to know…sativa or indica? “I refuse to be pigeon-holed from one or the other because I am a man of the road,” he states de¢ antly. “You travel here and they have this and you travel there and they have that. I just throw them all into one big pile like a salad. So one day you might be really sedate and one day you might be really peppy. I

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February 28 in San Francisco @ The Independent628 Divisadero StreetSan Francisco, CA 94117415.771.1421TheIndependentSF.com

March 1 in Los Angeles @ The Key Club9039 Sunset BlvdWest Hollywood, CA 90069310.274.5800KeyClub.com

March 3 in San Diego @ Anthology1337 India StreetSan Diego, CA 92101619.595.0300AnthologySD.com

John Popper and The Duskray Troubadoursfacebook.com/JohnPopper

CATCH THE ROAD WARRIORS AS THEY MAKE THEIR WAY THROUGH CALIFORNIA, WITH STOPS IN SAN FRANCISCO, LOS ANGELES, AND SAN DIEGO:

kind of like not knowing. I say throw it all in the gumbo and see what bites you get.” Not surprising coming from a master of im-provisation. And while he has no problem admitting that he’s writ-ten “some of the most brilliant shit being stoned,” that statement doesn’t come without a proper caveat and chuckle; “you always have to give it the next day test.” Naturally.

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Wine is serious business for us Bay Area dwellers. Not only is it serious commercial and economic business for the region, wine is personal to us. We take pride in our vintages and people from col-lege kids to retail workers to the unemployed can oft en discrimi-nate and tout the diff erences between a 2005 and 2008 Pinot Noir. Our precious city has a deep affi nity for good food and good wine. In fact, the restaurants of San Francisco are our city’s celebrities. We revere our culinary accomplishments with the utmost praise and our gastronomical bar is set very high. With wine being such a big part of our culture, it is a daunting task to put a “best of ” label on the plethora of options the city has to off er the foodie and wino. Wine bars are not for everyone but if you have a desire to learn and expand your palate, happy hour can be spent at any number of wine spots in the city and it is most likely that the person working the wine bar will off er am encyclopedic guide to the pours. Take advantage.

Th ere is something wonderful about walking into a neighborhood wine bar and mixing with the locals over wine, and Swirl is a per-fect place to sample the local fl avor. Th e staff is extremely knowl-edgeable, helpful and friendly. Oft en you will fi nd the owners with a glass in hand chatting up the customers and making recommen-dations. Th ere is nothing pretentious about this quaint little spot and for $10, you can get 3 healthy pours and hours of conversation. Swirl does a great job of keeping interesting bottles on the shelves so if you want something new and diff erent, get your Swirl on.

Dogpatch may be rough and tumble to some and in certain cities the neighborhood would seem a little rough, but in San Francisco, even our rough neighborhoods have great wine bars on the corner. Yield is no exception and even takes it a gentrifi ed step further by off ering only wines that are made by employing environmentally sound practices and organic growing conditions. In true form with a fringe neighborhood, you can get appetizers for dirt-cheap and sip on interesting wines for less than the cost of a movie ticket.

If venturing into West Portal wasn’t enough of a time traveling treat for the senses, Que Syrah is the perfect way to really send yourself into one of the city’s great time warps. West Portal is a neighbor-hood that was left in 1955 and never bothered to catch up and that is what makes it so perfect. Que Syrah specializes in small pro-duction wines from around the world. Th e small plates and tapas are wonderful and the husband and wife owners keep it cozy and welcoming. If you need a bottle to take to a party or give as a gift , try Que Syrah—it’s as unique as you are!

in

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California has always been ahead of the curve. We are the state that brought you jeans in 1873, medical cannabis in 1996, Google in 1998 and now standardized packaging for medical cannabis in 2011. Word travels fast and it has long been said that trends start at the coasts and work their way into Middle-America. Medical cannabis has now spread to 14 states across the country.As the medical cannabis sector unites, most agree that some form of regulation is essential. In recent history, quality control

and standardized packaging have been largely left out of the conversation. In order to address this issue, Steep Hill Lab has developed custom packaging specifi cally for bulk medical cannabis in order to promote best practices, ensure safety and to reduce degradation. It is important to note that from a quality control standpoint, this model encourages testing of larger batches and improves the quality of data while reducing the cost to the client.Th e packaging program is designed with the needs of

STEEP HILL LABBY ANNA GRABSTEIN

The SafeCannabis seal represents to patients cannabis that has been

tested for potency, microbiological contaminants and pesticides.

(continued on page 54)

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STEEP HILL LAB

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Two units of SafeCannabis Certified medicine in standardized packaging.

everyone in mind: growers, caregivers, dispensaries, patients, and the greater community. The bags are nitrogen sealed and tamper evident with a window so purchasers can get a visual representation of the product. They are labeled with batch numbers and lot numbers that directly correspond to verifiable lab analysis for potency, microbiological contamination, and pesticide residue. This is a way for growers and caregivers to demonstrate to law enforcement, collectives, and patients that they are committed to legal compliance, self-regulation, and quality assurance worthy of the term medical grade cannabis.

Joe Rogoway, co-founder of the Cannabis Law Institute and Felony Trial Deputy at the Law Office of the Public Defender, County of Sonoma said, "For persons who are engaged in the transportation of medical cannabis on behalf of a collective, the use of Steep

Hill's SafeCannabis™ packaging system could foreseeably enhance defenses available in a California criminal court." Unfortunately for caregivers engaging in bulk medical cannabis production, the laws guiding them have been ambiguous and confusing. Steep Hill’s packaging program represents just one aspect of the larger conversation that the cannabis industry needs to have to outline a unified vision for an acceptable model of quality assurance going forward.

“If we don't organize and answer these questions, then politicians may look to unqualified individuals for answers that have no basis in the real world. The end result will be more bad policy based on unsound or absent data. The patchwork of uninformed and contradicting legislation will grow, and rendering a comprehensive regulatory strategy for medical cannabis will become all the more difficult,” said David Lampach, president of Steep Hill Lab in his speech at the Next Steps Cal NORML conference in Berkeley, California on January 29, 2011.

At the conference, a sentiment of unification around reform was the theme of the day. Activists working to get a new proposition for legalizing cannabis on the 2012 ballot now seem to agree that some type of quality

Anna Grabstein is the CEO of Steep Hill Lab, California's premier cannabis analysis laboratory

control guidelines should be put in place. There were also multiple acknowledgements that production and distribution should be more clearly addressed - a concern voiced by many growers as well as Oakland City Council member Desley Brooks, who is working on a revised cannabis ordinance for Oakland.

Change is inevitable and innovation is exciting. 2011 will be a game changing year for the medical cannabis distribution network with the introduction of standardized packaging paired with laboratory analysis of bulk product. The plant-to-patient model that currently exists where collective dispensaries directly provide medicine to patients will most likely remain, but will continue to grow and become more professional and legitimate. Tamper evident, safe packaging is not an original idea in that it has been done in other industries for decades, but what makes it truly unique is that it has never been done for medical cannabis. Until now.

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Sonoma…Say the word and vivid images of rolling hills and ver-

dant vineyards spring to mind. And the crazy thing is, even in these

times of out-of-control commercial hype, the picture you’re visual-

izing is still exactly what Sonoma is all about.

Just 45 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge, this sweet

little burg is centered on the historic plaza, where time moves more

slowly and locals on the street smile and say hello. There is a warmth

and honesty about this wine-making town dotted with world-class

restaurants, old family wineries, olive orchards, champion Clydes-

dale horses, 100 year-old barns and a resident population with a

near mania for growing heirloom tomatoes. How can you not love a

place where tomatoes are a very big deal?

Maybe it’s the air (it actually does feel different here) or maybe

the water, but grapes, olives, pets, vegetables and people all thrive

on a delicious quality of life.

Sonoma…Say the word and vivid images of rolling hills and verdant vineyards spring to mind. And the crazy thing is, even in these times of out-of-control commercial hype, the picture you’re visualizing is still exactly what Sonoma is all about.

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If you decide to treat your sweetie and your psyche to a dose of

the springtime Sonoma experience, here are a few off-the-beaten-

track things to do, all cost-free and guaranteed to boost the human

spirit in the space of a few hours.

The Clydesdales. Walk a block east of the plaza on

Spain Street, just past the Mission, and you’ll come to the pictur-

esque Castagnasso Farm. With a little bit of luck and good timing,

you’ll find a couple of these gentle giants grazing in their pasture.

They have hooves the size of dinner plates and huge wise-looking

faces that say I’ve seen it all before. Clydesdales are friendly and

gregarious animals with a distinct sense of humor and a penchant

for joking around. But maybe the most striking thing about these

horses is how they position themselves with one another, then stand-

ing motionless, still as statues. And, if you’ve been really good, you

might get to see them run, and if they do, the ground beneath your

feet will thunder and shake as they work off some pent-up energy.

See them once, and you’ll never forget it. Note: The Castagnasso

family asks that you refrain from feeding these charming moochers

tho’, as they do have sensitive stomachs.

BarTholomew Park. This is the mother of all gor-

geous picnic spots. Grab a boxed lunch at the Basque Bakery (First

Street East, next to the vintage Sebastiani theater) or pick up the fix-

ins’ for an al-fresco feast at the Cheese Factory (next to the General

Vallejo’s barracks on Spain Street), then hike, bike or drive east to

the park. Here, you’ll

Find ancient heritage oaks and plenty of other century-old speci-

men trees, rolling lawns, a pond and scattered picnic tables with

perfect vineyard views and serenity, which is the whole reason you

go on a picnic in the first place. And, don’t miss a peek at the home

of the “Father of California Viticulture,” Count Haraszthy, on this

amazing preserve set in Bartholomew’s vineyards. Like a glass of

Vin to wash down that lunch? Just pop into their winery next to the

park for a bottle of something memorable.

To get there, head east on Spain to Fourth Street East. Turn left,

then right on Lovall Valley Road. At the stop sign, take a left onto

Seventh Street East. After the next stop sign, choose the middle of

the three roads (Castle Road) and follow it to Bartholomew Park.

mounTain CemeTery and The over-look Trail. Now that you’ve gorged on grilled veggies and

locally produced bread and cheese, an easy 3-mile hike to counter-

balance the meal is just the ticket. Want to experience an exhilarat-

ing, bird’s eye view of Sonoma and the surrounding valley? Then

take a bottle of water and stroll a country mile to the Overlook Trail

Head at the north end of First Street West. This well-maintained

walking loop is open all year from dawn to dusk and there’s even a

small parking area right past the Veteran’s Memorial Building next to

the Mountain Cemetery.

Figure to hike for about an hour, and good sturdy shoes are the

way to go. Then, if you’re so inclined, stop and visit the old cemetery

where California’s first governor, General Mariano Vallejo is buried.

Heads up to photographers…this is a wonderfully overgrown and

decadent final resting place…like a scene out of “Midnight in the

Garden of Good and Evil.”

And at day’s end, when it’s time to pack up and head home, you

can expect to leave reluctantly…already thinking about when you

can return to recharge and renew again.

mayBe iT’s The air (iT aCTually

does feel differenT here) or mayBe

The waTer, BuT graPes, olives, PeTs,

vegeTaBles and PeoPle all Thrive

on a deliCious qualiTy of life.

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photo by: Lanny Udell

retail home in the smoky living room of Mr. Some Guy. You’d go directly from the grower that raised you to Some Guy’s house. Some Guy would pay between $3500 – 4500 for you and then introduce you to lots of people who you would all make very happy. Your final retail price was typically between $50 and $60 per eighth depending on how late in the eve-ning the consumer called Some Guy looking for a hook up. But as times moved forward, your turkey bag traveled to storefront Cannabis cooperatives – we’ll call them “Canna-bis Stores” for economic simplicity. The view was slightly dif-ferent, but similar. No matter what your quality level, there was a home for you somewhere on the menu. When you looked your best and made people very happy, you still were valued at $4000+ per pound. There weren’t very many of these retail places yet, and because of that, you could still be valued ac-cording to the former market’s economics. Despite the fact that the Cannabis Stores had many more costs associated with them – labor, security, rent, legal fees, etc. - You still sold for your normal price of $50 – 60. The consumers were hap-pier with you than ever. Not only could they now get a variety of Cannabis, they could get it legally, in a safe environment, from knowledgeable staff, during regular store hours. Best of all, consumers didn’t even have to pay more for these costly features. Because the Cannabis Store could offer a better business than Mr. Some Guy, they could turn over more prod-uct faster and absorb the extra overhead costs in the process. Now let’s fast forward to about 2007. The so called “Green Rush” explodes onto the scene. Even before presi-dent Obama was elected, there was a major surge in Canna-bis Stores in California. Perhaps it was excitement for the end of the Bush dynasty and its anti- medical marijuana policies. Or maybe the exponential growth was inevitable and simply exploded because the movement crossed some critical thresh-old of social acceptance. Whatever the reason, the number of Cannabis Stores started to grow rapidly. Then the Obama Administration’s Attorney General, Eric Holder, expressed the administration’s reluctance to prosecute Cannabis businesses that were “unambiguously in compliance with state law”. The number of Cannabis Stores skyrocketed. The only thing that multiplied faster than the Cannabis Stores during this time was pounds of marijuana, just like you. Well, maybe not just like you.

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The Cannabis Movement is at an economic turning point. Shifts in politics and local regulations have created a massive influx of new growers and new dispensaries in re-cent years and a new generation of Cannabis consumers has evolved as well. These new consumers who came to know Cannabis through medical Cannabis dispensaries in the last 5 years have always known a market represented by storefront Cannabis shops, a wide selection of Cannabis products and relatively low prices. For those of us that have seen the transi-tion from the days of simply knowing “some guy” who had weed and the now flooded market of the “green rush”, it’s important to note what has changed and, perhaps more importantly, what hasn’t changed. Some economic principles are timeless and some overhead is fixed. As the old saying goes, “It’s not about what you spend, it’s about what it costs you”. Well, what we’ve spent is less and less. What it’s costing us is both quali-ty and genetic diversity. To discuss it plainly in terms of current market trends will undoubtedly irk a wide variety of people in the Cannabis industry. Still, my loyalties have always been to the plant itself and I’m not going to hesitate to call out anybody who is taking advantage of the plant or the growers. For now, let’s take a look at the last 10 years of Cannabis evolution from a totally different perspective. Sit back and take a few tokes, because we’re about to take a journey through the last decade – not through the eyes of the consumer or the dispensary or the grower, but from the perspective of the pot itself.

Life as a Pound of Pot: Looking Back at a Decade of Getting Smoked

Imagine, for our purposes here, that you’re a pound of wholesale marijuana in California in the year 2000. You live in a quaint, one room turkey bag with a constantly chang-ing view. It’s a very exciting time and place to be a pound of wholesale marijuana. It’s a time of acceptance and love. Everyone wants you and there is never enough of you to go around. You may be lighter or heavier, from good genetics or common genetics, but no matter what type of pound you are – you will fetch a good price. But the odds are – you’re either very good or excellent. You’ve most likely been raised by a grower that has been growing for many years, since most of the Cannabis on the market at this time comes from expe-rienced growers. Up until recently, you’ve found your final

GROWERS GROVE

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Many of the new pounds on the market were now coming from new growers. In many instances, they learned how to grow from other beginner growers who had barely started to get the hang of Cannabis growing when they started to teach their friends. The new pounds of Cannabis in the market look somewhat similar to other pounds, but now they often smoke harsh and are less potent – mere sub-par dop-pelgangers of the real deal. Despite the fact that you were a difficult but prized variety of Cannabis to grow and are of a higher quality than other pounds on the market, your value has now started its freefall. Over the coming few years, the price of wholesale Cannabis pounds like you will plummet. For many varieties other than a few high-yield hybrids, the prices will drop below the point where it is feasible to grow them. Sadly, the genetics at this time represent a peak in the diver-sity of excellent Cannabis varieties and many of them have been disappearing like rainforests. Newer growers eager to establish themselves in the market start to turn over low quality Cannabis for rock bottom prices. They grow only high yield-ing varieties or designer varieties (especially purples) and the new consumers in the market who have never seen high qual-ity Cannabis start to believe that the “top shelf” of the Can-nabis Stores is actually the highest quality level that can be obtained in the market. In addition, lower quality pounds now find a home before you do because you are the wrong color. But these new consumers in the market don’t just judge you by your color. Perhaps you’re a Sativa. Long flow-ering, lower yielding Sativas are now largely a thing of the past in most medical Cannabis markets. Replaced by short flowering hybrids with only slight Sativa characteristics, these outstanding Sativa plants produced flowers that are amaz-ingly potent with lots of cerebral characteristics but were loose and airy in their structure. What was once known as the most exquisite of Cannabis experiences is now simply pot that looks “too spindly” to many Cannabis buyers - some of whom have little clue what less common forms of Cannabis look like. Sadly, some young buyers have never even seen real 12 week Sativas because the growers simply don’t work with those varieties anymore. Displaced by an increasingly ig-norant market, many of these outstanding Sativa genetics are being lost to the world despite the many years of breeding and care put into developing them. Throughout history, hu-mans have payed the price for decreasing the genetic diver-sity of plants. In a particularly dramatic example, reliance on one variety of potato in Ireland led to the devastating famine that changed the course of both Irish and American history.

The Market Value of Risk

There’s a common belief that the current price of Cannabis is comprised mostly of compensation for the risk taken to grow it where it’s prohibited. The assumption then follows that if Cannabis is legalized, the price will drop drasti-cally. The amount of the price drop has been widely debated in the last year as California approached a vote on legaliza-tion. The RAND Corporation, a former cold war think tank that now does analysis of social issues, came in with an ex-treme low prediction of $38 per ounce. Now, they did say it

would be difficult to predict. One thing that is not difficult for me to predict is the fact that if there were $38 ounces, they would definitely not be a high quality medicine. That’s just a fact. You might get some mid grade commercial out-door for that price, but no fine, controlled environment prod-uct will sell for $40 an ounce anytime soon even if we do legalize it. I mean, not unless the cost of all resources and materials also suddenly decreases. Cannabis gardens re-quire a considerable amount of resources to produce good medicine: labor, hardware, energy to name just a few. In the last decade, the price of metal, plastics, fuel, electricity and just about every other tangible resource commodity has increased in price. The wholesale price of Cannabis, how-ever, has dropped dramatically and the profit margin on grow-ing Cannabis, once imagined to be quite lucrative, has been crushed between rising costs and falling wholesale prices. For consumers, the retail price has stayed relatively stable, but the availability, selection and ease of acquisition have all gotten much better than the days of the black market. De-spite these major improvements in the Cannabis industry, the consumers still pay the same amount for pot today as they did 10 years ago despite the overhead of storefronts now used to sell Cannabis. While compensation for risk is also part of the price, I think the price of physical resources and other self limiting factors will hold the price of medical grade Cannabis at values far above $38 an ounce, even in a legal environment. The idea that most of the price of marijuana is simply a fat lay-er of profit over a small amount of production cost is typically what non-growers imagine when they think of a pot grower. In fact, this is one of the fundamental assumptions that have fueled the demise of whatever margin the grower did have.

Everybody Wants a Piece of the Grower’s Pie

Over the last decade, one of the biggest misconcep-tions of the Cannabis industry is that Cannabis growers are wealthy by virtue of their trade. The idea is that the produc-ers of Cannabis get their Cannabis essentially “for free” and bask in the easily obtained financial rewards of an extremely profitable crop. Having been a part of many gardens over the years for large medical marijuana dispensary chains, un-derground growers and my own head stash alike, I can tell you this idea of the wealthy pot grower is now largely a story from the past and there’s a lot more work involved in good medicine than you might imagine. Outdoor growers can still enjoy a wider margin than indoor growers, but in the cur-rent market, there is less margin than ever before for grow-ers across the board. Over the last decade, the wealthy pot grower fable has spurred a massive influx of pot profiteers disguised as entrepreneurs that have flooded into the industry all looking for a piece of the grower’s margin. It started with the explosion of the hydroponics/indoor gardening industry – many manufacturers of hydro products increased their con-sumable product lines like nutrients and additives. The less scrupulous ones told growers they need to use 20 different bottles on every watering, hiked the prices, watered down the products, and increased the application rates. Plus, growers were told they’d need lots of high-tech, expensive gear if they wanted a good crop. No one was sponsoring information on

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do-it-yourself gardens or cost-effective methods to grow safe and potent medicine. With every grower and every product, the basic selling point always seemed to be some version of “You need it.” And lots of growers have been swept up in the overwhelming consumerism of the hydro industry ever since. But it’s not like the hydro industry was the only one gobbling up the grower’s margin. The rise of the modern Cannabis store has been built on the grower’s margin, not a passed along price increase. Again, consumers who once paid $50 - $60 per eighth of Cannabis from Some Guy where they had little if any selection, no security, no regu-lar store hours, no staff to support them are still only paying $50 – 60 per eighth. Despite the massive drop in wholesale prices, retail prices have changed very little. In essence, the growers have directly sponsored the rise and continued existence of dispensaries, since they have sacrificed much of their margin in order to sell to legitimate dispensaries in the hopes that it would also mean lower risk. This can be beneficial to the growers in many cases, but only if the de-crease in margin is proportional to the decrease in risk.

Even the doctors have started to get in on their piece of the grower’s margin. Doctors, who live comparably risk-free existences compared to growers have begun to sell ex-pensive “grower’s licenses” to new patients who aren’t yet aware of the fact that there is no such thing as a “grower’s license”. This product is one of fantasy, with no legitimate basis for its existence. Let me make this very clear: if you are a legitimate medical Cannabis patient with a doctor’s recom-mendation, you have the legal right to grow your own Can-nabis. You do not need to buy a “grower’s license”. In ad-dition to this, in California, a state supreme court case found that plant number limitations are unconstitutional. (Just google “Kelly Case Marijuana California” for more info.) That means that while there are terms used like “reasonable amount for the patients needs” to define the amount people could grow; there is no specific number that you are or are not allowed to grow. (The only consensus is to definitely stay under 100 plants per growing site to reduce the risk of federal prosecu-tion which typically only occurs at levels of 100 plants or more.) Now, there is a provision in the law that does allow doctors to specify that their patients can grow larger amounts of Cannabis if there is a need and the doctor specifies an amount. This little known provision is intended to allow termi-nally ill patients to grow larger gardens because of the nature of their ailment. Basically, it’s a way of saying that if you have something like cancer, grow a big garden. You shouldn’t need a green thumb to consistently produce your medicine. Just throw lots of plants at it and, even if you don’t have a green thumb or the nicest garden, enough of the plants should be-come medicine to meet your needs. The idea is that seriously ill patients shouldn’t be scrutinized on the number of plants in their garden. The doctor’s statement saying you can grow up to a certain number of plants is supposed to be some-thing that will help you in court by providing additional legal recourse. It does not actually authorize you to grow Canna-bis, your recommendation does that. This extra statement is supposed to make your case look even more legitimate. It’s

so the judge will recognize the severity of your ailment and your patient status without question. However, if the judge sees that your “grower’s certificate” was generated at some place that simply advertises and sells these products for a hefty fee, then it’s not worth the paper it’s written on and loses all legitimacy. Exploiting a loophole in such an obvious and flagrant manner is bad for the image of medical Cannabis. Not to mention it directly takes advantage of a legal exemption that was put there to ease the suffering of seriously ill patients. When people exploit these exemptions, the entire medical Cannabis community suffers and we risk losing important le-gal exemptions like this one because of these irresponsible abuses. New growers are better off investing those several hundred dollars in their gardens to grow better medicine.

In Part 2 of this no-holds-barred look at the price of pot, we’re going to delve deeper into the shifting economic landscape of Cannabis, both in the medical Cannabis mar-ket and in the re-surging underground market. Crop-specific limiting factors that influence the economy of scale will be discussed in relation to the recent “mega-farm” prospects. We’re also going to take a closer look at the Green Rush and some more of it’s unfortunate side effects for both grow-ers and consumers. To cap it off, we’ll dissect what really goes into those pounds of premium Cannabis. What’s inside might just surprise you. All this and more next month – the inside stories you can only find here in the Grower’s Grove.

Jade KineGrowers Grove writer Jade Kine is a former greenhouse manager for the medical Cannabis industry with over a million plants worth of experience. He is also the founder of Can-nAcademy, a trade school dedicated solely to horticultural training for growers.

Got a grow question for Jade? Drop him a line at JadeKine@gmail.com Complete bio at JadeKine.com

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Light powers the engine of growth for any photosynthesiz-ing creature, from microscopic phytoplankton in the sea to the tallest sequoia in California. The more light, the better- but don’t forget about the heat also generated by powerful indoor lighting systems. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to maximize useful light to your plants without breaking the bank on bunches of expensive light setups- and of course the necessary cooling systems to keep your grow room from going nova. The ideal light source will emit a broad spectrum of light energy from indigo and violet to orange- red wavelengths. An artificial environment of course needs the same, and many HID bulbs, ballasts, reflectors and other forms of lighting out there can do a great job. For de-tailed information about them, look at any of a range of cata-logs, brochures and publications with this data inside; no need to repeat it here. Rather, in this month’s installment of tips on how to get the most out of your indoor garden I’ll tell you how to get the most from your precious lights AFTER you’ve got-ten them home. So, faithful growers, here’s how to crank up your lumens on leaves ratio without jacking up your wallet! The central principle of indoor lighting, and the reason for being of many of these tips, is the fact that the intensity of light diminishes as the square of distance from its source. You’ve probably heard of this before; that light is only ¼ as intense at 2 units (feet or meters, or miles, for that matter) from the source as it is at one unit (foot or meter or mile; the important thing is to keep your units the same), and only 1/9 as intense at 3 units, etc. Among other things, this means that contrary to popular belief, painting the walls white in your grow room is useless- unless your plants are right next to them. No, where you really want these reflective surfaces is as close as you can get to your plants without actually shading them.

Sooooo… where is that, exactly? Good question- back to the source for a moment; the bulb and reflector. I’ve seen the slick brochures and diagrams where bulb and reflector makers love to show the light dispersion from their systems as a square. NOT TRUE! That square is designed to show the only the total surface area of adequate light lit by that source, not its actual shape. Don’t believe me? Grab a pencil and some graph paper, and make an accurate diagram of your grow room. Keeping the intensity principle above firmly in mind, draw a line around your light source at the furthest limit of useful light from your source. For example, using a 1000 watt HPS bulb, that works out to about 4 ½ feet. Funny how your line becomes a circle around your light, huh? Yes, yes, yes, I know most reflectors are squares (not to men-tion the engineers who designed them!), but that doesn’t change how light behaves! I bet you also noticed that line you drew cut the corners off your growing area, unless you have lots of (wasteful and costly) light overlap. It’s in these corners where I usually find the spindly, lanky plants that aren’t producing. The solution is to rearrange your growing space so that from above it looks like a circle, or at least a stop sign, centered around your light source. Use quality reflective materials such as mylar to ‘cut the corners’ and follow the line you drew more closely. This trick will save you from wasting valuable space, expensive nutrients and costly equipment on plants in dark corners. Even better, it can actu-ally increase the useable space under your light! Because the reflected light will make the edges of your garden per-form more like the center, you can push the edges out an additional six inches to a foot in every direction from your light source! And that is Free Growing Space you can use!

Indoor Cultivation Consultingindoorcultivationconsulting@gmail.com

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Here’s another trick I borrowed from fruit tree cultiva-tion. Fruit tree growers spend a lot of time carefully plat-ting their fields before planting fruit trees because they want to be certain they get as much productivity as pos-sible from a layout they’ll have to live with for many years. Simply arrange your plants on a hexagonal or honeycomb basis instead of in a square grid pattern. This trick is beau-tifully simple, and it can raise your grow room productiv-ity by about 17%. Fruit tree farmers copied nature and dis-covered this increase in productivity, and now we can too! I have seen the discussion about using many smaller watt-age lights to spread light more evenly over a given area in-stead of fewer big lights. It works, but my gripe with this ap-proach is that I just don’t feel like spending more coin on lights, ballasts and bulb replacements, etc, than I have to. Doubling the number of fixtures, bulbs and ballasts adds cost fast and it’s really unnecessary. Between the tips men-tioned above and this last one below, I promise you will never have to worry about whether you should have gotten more smaller bulbs instead of the bigger one you really crave… Move your lights. Yep, sounds simple- and it is. Aren’t the best tips usually simple? I don’t mean hauling up and re-hang-ing your bulb and reflector in a different spot every day, nor am I necessarily recommending any of the array of light mov-ers currently on the market, for reasons I will explain shortly. A widely known fact in plant biology circles about photosyn-thesis- yet all but unknown to the rest of us- is that while plants begin photosynthesizing within seconds of receiving adequate light, it turns out that they will continue doing it for anywhere between 3 and 5 full minutes AFTER the lights are turned off! Most light movers currently available market them-selves as merely emulating ‘the sun’s arc through the sky’ as the day goes by and so only slowly move the light in a period of some 20 minutes to several hours. While this helps reduce the effects of leaf shading and is better than nothing, speed DOES matter. Twenty minutes isn’t nearly fast enough to take advantage of this principle- all it really accomplishes is to move the shade around! I’ve built light movers that conform to this principle by completing a full cycle in a suitably short time period and I can help you build one, too- email me for plans. Finally, astute readers will remember last month’s col-umn about topping and training plants to best capture ar-tificial light by making them broad and flat across the top, and may be wondering if those techniques are compat-ible with these strategies. I assure you that they are, and you’re gonna love the results! That’s it for now, grate-ful growers, so until next month, safe and happy growing!

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Cannabis has Captured the attention of the world. from deCember 17 thru the 19th of 2010, the Colorado Convention Center was buzzing with the nation’s top medical cannabis political leaders, endocan-nabanoid experts, cultural movers and shakers in the largest Cannabis lifestyle convention to ever take place on planet earth -- Kush Con ii.

the international media capitalized on the “stiletto stoners” phe-nomenon fascinated by women’s use of cannabis. Celebrities like melissa etheridge and alanis morissette are putting a new face on this controver-sial plant. highlighting what the media referred to as the “united nations of the Cannabis industry” was the newly launched norml women’s alli-ance fundraising weekend that began with a business to business net-working event sponsored by the medical marijuana business alliance and Kush magazine on thursday, december 16th where the elite of the can-nabis industry gathered together to celebrate the movement and organize product and service giveaways that raised thousands of dollars for the charity.

heading up the speaker power panels was former beverly hills norml executive director Cheryl shuman. shuman is the director of public relations and media for the Kush brand including Kush maga-zine, KushCon and dailybuds.com. “it’s my job to remove the negative stigma and stereotypes of a cannabis user. real women and men behind the marijuana reform movement are taking a stand to make a change by boldly coming “out of the closet” to educate the public at KushCon ii,” states Cheryl shuman.

Kushcon ii made history by featuring the most incredibly extensive list of guest speakers ever assembled in the cannabis movement. each of the three days showcased a diverse set of panels that, in their entirety, covered every aspect of the growing cannabis industry.

friday, the first day of the convention kicked off the weekend with the “national Cannabis political powerhouse panel”. headlining the panel was former new mexico Governor Gary Johnson speaking about his plans to take on a 2012 presidential bid focusing on legalizing cannabis. this informed and dedicated panel featured the elite of the industry including, Keith stroup, founder of norml, the national organization to reform mari-juana laws; steph sherer, executive director for asa, americans for safe access; stephen deangelo, president of Cannbe and harborside health Centers; steve fox and aaron smith of the newly formed nCia, national

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Cannabis industry association; russ belville, host of norml’s daily audio stash and writer for the huffington post.

the second panel featured on friday was the “medical science breakthrough panel” giving in-credible insight into the increasing amount of sci-entific research being performed on the cannabis plant itself. dr. robert melamede, C.e.o. of Cannabis science, inc. spoke about breakthroughs in curing cancer and other illnesses that are currently being documented by Craig sahr, executive director of the phoenix tears foundation. full spectrum labs rep-resentative, buckie minor shared specific research that they are conducting as well as how science is legitimizing the medicinal benefits of cannabis build-ing effective treatment plans. soon, these companies will have case studies ready to submit to the fda for possible clinical trials with patient case studies. har-vard trained dr. alan shackleford of amarimed dis-cussed with the audience specific case studies and the need for the medical community to seriously re-evaluate their practices to include cannabis as medi-cine. book author, activist and federal Cannabis pa-tient irv rosenfeld shared his experiences being one of only four living patients that is provided medical cannabis through the government for free. timothy tipton finalized the panel sharing the work he does with the Cannabis therapy institute. Cheryl shuman shared 25 years of experience working with media, celebrities, marketing and health care in beverly hills explained to the audience her personal cancer survival story using cannabis and the importance of using celebrity and media power to spread the word on a mainstream level.

“the therapeutic value of socialization and the building of family and community should not be underestimated. the right of patients to peaceably assemble -- to socialize and build family and com-munity, and network and organize -- is paramount for their health and recovery. KushCon ii is the center of the universe for patients and activists,” states shuman.

saturday was host to three extensive panels, including the “Colorado political power”, “Cannabis and hemp wellness” and “women’s political pow-erhouse” panels. Colorado is currently viewed by the media and cannabis experts as the epicenter for Cannabis law reform. Governor Gary Johnson again addressed the audience on the probabilities of cannabis legalization benefits as well as discuss-ing the specific role of Colorado’s political leaders in forming new policies. Congressman Jared polis ar-rived to the panel a few minutes late, but received a standing ovation for his support of the industry and movement. the most respected legal minds and leaders for Colorado soon chimed in with their mis-sion and insight moving towards legalization in 2012

including attorneys, warren edson, matt Kumin and rob Corry. powerful activism leaders including mason tvert of safer and brian Vicente of sensible Colorado shared their vision and game plan for Colorado. dan hartman of the state of Colorado greeted the audience to share how Colorado is now the role model for the na-tion being the first to implement a system working with patients and business owners that works well generat-ing millions in revenue for Colorado. denver mayoral candidate Councilman doug linkhart shared his vision for the city if he is elected.

legendary growing expert ed rosenthal conduct-ed three full days of hour long seminars sharing his expertise in cannabis cultivation for free to the Kush-Con ii crowds who were excited to learn every aspect of learning to grow their own medicines focusing on staying green and organic.

the Cannabis hemp and wellness panels boasted stephen deangelo sharing the business role model of the well respected harborside health Centers allowing patients to leave the shadows and enter the light of what is considered to be the finest in the nation by vari-ous media sources. Colorado Cannabis hemp and well-ness experts speaking included, Chloe Villano of Clo-verleaf Consulting; deanna Gabriel of plant magic, inc.; Kerrie badertscher of otoke’ horticulture; patrick har-rington of Kindness; bret bogue of apothecary Genet-ics; Vincent palazzatto of mmapr; and Vivian mcpeak from the world famous seattle hempfest. many speak-ers spoke of the way the federal government (dea) is enforcing laws versus current laws that states are passing, and explained the nuances of what the laws are and what people can do to help change them. they also informed the audience of the many new uses of cannabis as medicine, including topicals and edibles, with the overall goal urging everyone to help educate the general public about the cannabis plant.

the women’s political powerhouse panel show-cased the most prominent and influential women in the cannabis movement. named by the media as one of the top five most influential political activists in the nation--Kush’s director of public relations and media, Cheryl shuman opened up the panel sharing her experience as a single mother struggling to survive a terminal ill-ness diagnosis. shuman’s medical case was one of the first cases accepted for study by dr robert melamede of Cannabis science, inc. and Craig sahr of the phoenix tears foundation. shuman’s case if she survives the endocannabanoid therapy program outlined by these organizations could be the first medical case to be ac-cepted for fda clinical trials. steph sherer, executive director for asa, american’s for safe access spoke about the differences between the legalization of medical cannabis vs. the possibility of full legalization for marijuana for responsible adult recreational use. founder of the norml women’s alliance, sabrina fen-drick addressed the issue of women in the movement

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and the efforts to “class it up” by Kush’s institution of a dress code for the convention, which was another first in the industry. she also spoke about the importance of more young women becoming activists. other women representing the diversity in the norml women’s alli-ance included attorney anne davis, executive director for new Jersey norml discussed the issues involved in new Jersey’s latest medical marijuana laws. Geor-gia edson “came out” of the closet officially regard-ing her involvement in the cannabis community by not only being the wife of respected attorney warren edson and their lifetime of activism work with norml, but by addressing the issues of being a mother to young children. Greta Gaines, world champion snowboarder and nashville recording artist discussed the difficulty of openly discussing her activism work with norml women’s alliance in an “illegal” state of tennessee. amanda rain flew in from California to discuss her role in proposition 19 and how California is revamping it’s policy to move towards legalization in 2012. sarah lovering of mpp, marijuana policy project discussed the importance of women in activism and mpp’s role in legalization efforts nationwide. Kandice hawes flew in from oC norml and discussed her personal experi-ence being arrested for cannabis in college and how it influenced her to become one of the youngest women in the activism movement in a republican county. stephanie bishop addressed the crowd on the health benefits of hemp seed as well as her role as an orga-nizer in the outrageous successful seattle hempfest.

sunday took on a different tone, as both panels were largely concerned with the business and invest-ment side of the cannabis industry. business to busi-ness led the way with a panel including J.b. woods of Greenpoint insurance discussed business owners needs; Corky Kyle, the lobbying pro spoke about the importance of meeting with state and federal repre-sentatives; Joel russman spoke about the specifics of compliance with hr 1284 in Colorado and mark Goldfo-gel of mJ freeways shared a revolutionary approach to software programs in the cannabis industry.

the “investors and business panel” highlighting stephen deangelo described the risk and rewards of becoming a “ganjapreneur,”acknowledging that get-ting involved in the industry can be a risky business move. but in addition to the risks deangelo inspired the crowd by declaring that this is “our opportunity to create a new industry. not just a new industry but a new Kind of industry.” he spoke of his vision of the cannabis industry as a “cauldron of creativity” where the good-nature and strong morality of the cannabis movement carries over into the actual business itself. bret bogue, consultant for apothecary Genetics told the crowd about surviving a rare form of cancer--using his knowledge to build a company that is the only ameri-can winner of the world famous high times Cannabis Cup in amsterdam. apothecary Genetics is set to raise

millions in capital to expand their brand to other ancil-lary businesses within the field. robert Kane shared business plans and the momentum of brands such as Kush magazine, KushCon and dailybuds.com and how this media powerhouse is changing the future of america’s economy through media and social net-working. Vivian mcpeak of seattle hempfest addresses the audience about the importance of respecting the political activists who have lost their lives, homes and children fighting for political changes in policy. mcpeak also spoke about the annual gathering of hundreds of thousands of people each year for the seattle hemp-fest and of the importance of forming smart strategic alliances to push the movement forward. attorney matt abel spoke to the audience about emerging markets and business opportunities in new legal medical mari-juana states such as michigan. paul stanford, founder of thC media foundation spoke to the audience about how the media will influence our future.

“we as a modern society can fiscally improve our budget by moving cannabis from the criminal sector into the lawful sector. this is not a left or right issue -- it’s really common sense. regulation and taxation of marijuana could produce billions of dollars in ad-ditional tax revenue as well as save on the enormous costs of law enforcement. bottom line is the prohibi-tion of marijuana has been a fiscal fiasco,” says Cheryl shuman.

“marijuana prohibition makes the difficult job of parenting even more difficult by the state and fed-eral governments not actually controlling marijuana use, cultivation or distribution -- notably by american youth,” states anne davis, executive director of new Jersey norml.

these diverse speakers brought a contemporary approach to the public policy debate, and proudly represent the interests of modern, mainstream profes-sionals who believe that the negative consequences of marijuana prohibition far outweigh any repercussions from marijuana consumption itself.

for complete album of photos from KushCon visit dailybuds.com

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BB King 2.26.11 @ Silver Legacy Casino (Reno)At the ripe age of 85, B.B. King owns the crown of ‘King of Blues.’ Even at that climbing age, B.B. continues to tour the globe relentlessly, despite saying ‘farewell’ numerous times since the mid-2000s. It’s almost hard to believe that we still have the opportunity to see this living legend live! However, he may not be playing live shows for too much longer, so seize your opportunity to see him at Silver Legacy Casino in Reno. bbking.com

Best Coast w/ Wavves2.26.11 @ The Regency Ballroom (SF)This is definitely a stoner friendly show, with the lead singers of both bands openly supporting the use of cannabis. Bethany Cosentino and Best Coast bring their lo-fi surf rock to San Francisco, sounding crisp and tight in opposition of their purposefully crummy recorded sound. Catchy songs and good energy make this a show of high interest for anyone paying attention to today’s ‘buzz’ bands. See you at the Regency on the 26th! myspace.com/bestcoast, myspace.com/wavves

Eric Clapton3.02.11 @ HP Pavilion (San Jose)3.02.11 @ Arco Arena (Sacramento)Eric Clapton, the three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has played as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and influential guitarists of all time, ranking fourth in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” and fourth in Gibson’s Top 50 Guitarists of All Time. He puts on an absolutely amazing live show, and if you have an opportunity to makes one of these dates you DEFINITELY should! ericclapton.com

Crystal Castles 3.04.11 @ The Warfi eld (SF)Crystal Castles are an electronic band from Toronto, made up of producer Ethan Kath and vocalist Alice Glass. They are well known around the world for their chaotic live shows and energetic yet lo-fi productions. The duo released several vinyl EPs between 2006 and 2007, and two eponymous albums in 2008 and 2010 to widespread critical acclaim, helping them build a solid, devoted fan base. Definitely worth the trip to San Fran, no matter where you reside in NoCal. crystalcastles.com

Starfucker 3.09.11 @ Rickshaw Stop (SF)The Portland based indie electronic band Starfucker, or STRFKR for the language sensitive, have been pumping out great music since 2006. Their sound is very accessible for music fans of all kinds, and their live show is really, REALLY good. All members are multi-instrumentalists, making for a very active and energetic stage performance. With two full lengths, two EPs, one B-side album already released, and plans to release another full length this year, these guys could become huge really quick, and the Rickshaw Stop will be a very intimate setting to catch their live set. Don’t miss it! facebook.com/starfucker

KushConcertsLive Music Preview

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HARD Weekend w/ Simian Mobile Disco & Fake Blood3.11.11 @ Fox Theater (Oakland)One of the greatest live, electronic, dance shows on the planet, Simian Mobile Disco are a UK based production and remix team made up of James Ford and Jas Shaw, of the band Simian. SMD was formed back in 2005, churning out countless remixes and a slew of flawless original material. Ford is also a producer that has worked with bands such as Florence & the Machine, Arctic Monkeys, Peaches and Klaxons. This is one of the most amazing live music experiences in existence, so be prepared to dance your ass off and wake up with sore feet the next morning. See ya there! hardfest.com

Girl Talk3.18.11 @ Fox Theater (Oakland)One thing I’ll always remember is the first time I saw Girl Talk live. It was one of my first Coachella experiences, and I distinctly remember walking by and seeing a party...feeling a party…and hearing a party, so, naturally, I joined the party. Balloons, confetti, hot people on stage, and of course, the mashup. It was simply awesome. Greg Gillis, a Pittsburgh native, fittingly finds himself on the record label called Illegal Art. This show comes on his most recent North American tour, and it will be a crazy dance party. Guaranteed. facebook.com/girltalkmusic

Lady Gaga3.22.11 @ Oracle Arena (Oakland)3.23.11 @ Arco Arena (Sacramento)Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, or Lady Gaga, began performing in the rock music scene of New York City’s Lower East Side in 2003 and quickly enrolled at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Soon after, she signed with Streamline Records, an imprint of Interscope. During her early time there, she worked as a songwriter for fellow label artists and captured the attention of Akon, who recognized her vocal abilities, and signed her to his own label, Kon Live Distribution. It’s been a while since a new pop artist made her win in the music industry the old-fashioned way, paying her dues with seedy club gigs and self-promotion. Gaga is one rising pop star who hasn’t been plucked from a model casting call, born into a famous family, won a reality singing contest, or emerged from a teen cable TV sitcom. Through her music, Gaga is just trying to change the world, one sequin at a time. Her latest song “Born This Way” is another hit, and we will be watching this pop star for many years to come. Get your butt to one of these show for what will be an unforgettable production of epic proportions. ladygaga.com

Left Page: Starfucker Right From Top: BB King, Eric Clapton, Crystal Castles, Girl Talk, Lady Gaga, Best Coast

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CRawdaddY SPReadINGREDIENTS-1 package (16 ounces) frozen cooked crawfi sh tails, thawed -1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, soft ened -1 medium green pepper, fi nely chopped -1 medium sweet red pepper, fi nely chopped -1 small onion, fi nely chopped -6 garlic cloves, minced -1/2 to 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning -1/3 cup THC olive oil-1/2 teaspoon salt -6 to 12 drops hot pepper sauce Assorted crackers

DIRECTIONSChop crawfi sh; pat dry. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add the THC olive oil, peppers, onion, garlic, Creole seasoning, salt and hot pepper sauce; stir in the crawfi sh. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with crackers. Yield: 3 cups.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CHEF HERB &COOK WITH HERBGO TO WWW.COOKWITHHERB.COM

New Orleans Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Celebration

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YummY CoRn bRead INGREDIENTS -1 cup all-purpose fl our -1 cup cornmeal -1/4 cup sugar -1/2 teaspoon baking soda -1/2 teaspoon salt -1 egg -1 cup (8 ounces) reduced-fat plain yogurt -1/4 cup THC oil

DIRECTIONSIn a large bowl, combine the fl our, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda and salt. Whisk together the egg, yogurt and oil. Stir in the dry ingredients just until combined.

Transfer to an 8-in. square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until top is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm.

CRabbY gumboINGREDIENTS-1 pound fresh okra, washed, stems removed, and cut into 1-inch pieces (frozen okra may be used if fresh is unavailable) -1 large onion (about 1 cup), coarsely chopped -3 cloves garlic, minced -1/2 pound ham (preferably smoked), diced -1 small green pepper, minced -1 bay leaf -1 teaspoon salt, or to taste Generous sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper -1/3 teaspoon crushed red pepper -5 large tomatoes (about 2 to 2-1/2 cups), peeled and coarsely chopped -1/2 cup tomato sauce -1-1/2 cups water -½ stick THC Butter-2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and rinsed -3/4 pound back fi n crabmeat, cooked

DIRECTIONSCombine okra, onion, garlic, ham, green pepper, bay leaf, salt, pepper, red pepper, tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, and THC butter in a large heavy kettle or Dutch oven. Bring just to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Add shrimp and crab. Simmer for about 15 minutes more.

CaJun oliVe SaladINGREDIENTS-1 cup pitted brine-cured black olives, such as Nicoise, sliced -1 cup large (queen) pimiento-stuff ed olives, sliced -1/2 cup THC olive oil-2 Tablespoons minced shallots -2 Tablespoons fi nely chopped celery -2 Tablespoons minced fresh fl at-leaf parsley -2 teaspoons minced garlic -1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONSCombine black olives, green olives, THC oil, shallots, celery, parsley, garlic and pepper in a medium mixing bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

muFFuleTTa INGREDIENTS -1/2 cup fi nely chopped celery -1/2 cup sliced pimiento-stuff ed olives, drained -1/2 cup sliced ripe olives, drained -1/2 cup giardiniera-1/3 cup fi nely chopped onion -1/3 cup THC olive oil-1/4 cup fi nely chopped green onions -1/4 cup minced fresh parsley -3 tablespoons lemon juice -1 teaspoon dried oregano -1 garlic clove, minced -1/8 teaspoon pepper -1 round loaf (24 ounces) unsliced Italian bread -1/4 pound thinly sliced hard salami -1/4 pound provolone cheese -1/4 pound thinly sliced deli ham

DIRECTIONSIn a large bowl, combine the fi rst 12 ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons liquid.

Cut loaf of bread in half; hollow out top and bottom, leaving a 1-in. Shell (discard removed bread or save for another use). Brush cut sides of bread with reserved liquid. Layer bottom of bread shell with salami, half of the olive mixture, cheese, remaining olive mixture and ham. Replace bread top. Cut into wedges.

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SauSage and ChiCken gumbo INGREDIENTS -1 (3 pound) whole chicken -1/2 cup all-purpose flour -1/2 cup THC olive oil-1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped onions -1 (10 ounce) package frozen green bell peppers -5 stalks celery, finely chopped -1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning, or to taste -2 whole bay leaves -1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes -1 pound fully-cooked smoked beef sausage, sliced -1 (10 ounce) package frozen sliced okra salt and black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS Fill a large pot partially with lightly salted water, and place the chicken in the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook the chicken until the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear, about 1 hour. Remove the chicken from the broth, and crack open the carcass to allow the chicken to cool. Reserve the chicken broth. After the chicken has cooled enough to handle, pick the meat from the bones, and set aside.

While the chicken is simmering, make a roux by whisking together the flour and THC olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir the mixture, watching constantly to avoid burning, until the roux is a rich chocolate brown color, 20 to 30 minutes.

As soon as the roux has reached the desired color, stir in the onions, bell peppers, celery, Cajun seasoning, and bay leaves, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Pour in the reserved chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and beef sausage, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened, about 1 hour.

Mix in the reserved chicken meat and okra, bring back to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the okra is tender and the flavors have blended, 30 to 40 minutes.

Red beanS and RiCe INGREDIENTS -1 medium onion, chopped -1/2 cup chopped green pepper -2 garlic cloves, minced -2 tablespoons THC olive oil-1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro -3 cans (16 ounces each) red beans, rinsed and drained -1/2 teaspoon salt -1/2 teaspoon ground cumin -1/8 teaspoon pepper -3 cups hot cooked rice DIRECTIONS In a large nonstick skillet, sauté the onion, green pepper and garlic in oil until tender. Add cilantro. Cook and stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in the beans, salt, cumin and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Serve over rice.

king Cake

PASTRY: -1 cup milk -1/4 cup THC butter-2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast -2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) -1/2 cup white sugar -2 eggs -1 1/2 teaspoons salt -1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg -5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING: -1 cup packed brown sugar -1 tablespoon ground cinnamon -2/3 cup chopped pecans -1/2 cup all-purpose flour -1/2 cup raisins -1/2 cup melted THC butter

FROSTING: -1 cup confectioners’ sugar -1 tablespoon water

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DIRECTIONS Scald milk, remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of butter. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water with 1 tablespoon of the white sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

When yeast mixture is bubbling, add the cooled milk mixture. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the remaining white sugar, salt and nutmeg. Beat the flour into the milk/egg mixture 1 cup at a time. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. When raised, punch down and divide dough in half.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

To Make Filling: Combine the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, chopped pecans, 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup raisins. Pour 1/2 cup melted butter over the cinnamon mixture and mix until crumbly. Roll dough halves out into large rectangles (approximately 10x16 inches or so). Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough and roll up each half tightly like a jellyroll, beginning at the wide side. Bring the ends of each roll together to form 2 oval shaped rings. Place each ring on a prepared cookie sheet. With scissors make cuts 1/3 of the way through the rings at 1-inch intervals. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Push the doll into the bottom of the cake. Frost while warm with the confectioners’ sugar blended with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.

new oRleanS bRead Pudding INGREDIENTS -1/2 cup raisins -1/4 cup brandy or unsweetened apple juice -1/2 cup THC Butter melted and divided-1 tablespoon sugar -4 eggs, lightly beaten -2 cups half-and-half cream -1 cup packed brown sugar -2 teaspoons vanilla extract -1/2 teaspoon salt -1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg -10 slices day-old French bread (1 inch thick), cubed

SAUCE: -1/2 cup packed brown sugar -2 tablespoons cornstarch Dash salt -1 cup cold water -1 tablespoon THC butter-2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS In a small saucepan, combine raisins and brandy. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and set aside. Brush a shallow 2-1/2-qt. baking dish with 1 tablespoon THC butter; sprinkle with sugar and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, cream, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and nutmeg. Stir in remaining butter and reserved raisin mixture. Gently stir in bread. Let stand for 15 minutes or until bread is softened. Transfer to prepared dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. For sauce, in a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, cornstarch and salt; gradually add water. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Serve with bread pudding.

PeCan PRaline TReaTS INGREDIENTS -1 cup sugar -1 cup packed brown sugar -1 cup milk -8 large marshmallows -2 cups coarsely chopped pecans -2 tablespoons butter -1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Dash ground cinnamon DIRECTIONS Lightly butter two baking sheets or line with waxed paper; set aside. In a saucepan, combine the sugars, milk and marshmallows. Cook and stir over low heat until marshmallows are completely melted. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer reads 234°-240° (soft-ball stage).

Without stirring or scraping, pour hot liquid into another saucepan. Add the pecans, THC, butter, vanilla and cinnamon. Stir rapidly until mixture is thickened and creamy, about 3 minutes. Drop quickly by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared pans. Flatten slightly. Let stand until set. Store in an airtight container.

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