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Category: Adventure

420 – Ours to Keep

The name “420” has become synonymous with the cannabis lifestyle and a celebration that occurs every April In many parts of the world, it’s a day when people come together to get high and enjoy cannabis infused foods, drinks and music. But the origins of this cherished date are so complex that it can be challenging to figure out where it came from and what it means.

Originally, the term 420 was a code that five high school students in San Rafael California, used to refer to their daily meeting at 4:20 pm. They called themselves the Waldos and met at a wall outside their school to discuss weed.

They had heard about an abandoned marijuana crop based on a treasure map, and they decided to search it out. They drew a map, found their meeting time, which just so happened to be 4:20, and planned to go to the Louis Pasteur statue on campus to start their search.

Their plan was to light a joint at the Louis Pasteur statue and then drive around the area in their car looking for the plot. They didn’t find the plant they were looking for, but they did make a plan to meet again at 4:20 pm and light a joint again, which became the basis for 420.

They later passed on this code to their friends, who also began saying the word 420. Eventually, the term spread throughout California, and it was also adopted by Grateful Dead fans, who started to use the phrase as well 420 has become a part of the language of cannabis culture and there is no end in sight!

Cheers!

Hilltop Gardens Hash Camp

On The Hunt For Hash Rosin

Hash Camp 22’
By Brook Miller

Quality rosin are certainly synonymous terms
when I describe my opinion of Hilltop Gardens.
Connor and Jono, founders of the Hash Camp,
also know how to host a great event.

I had the opportunity to attend Hash Camp 22. It
was full of good vibes, good food, and amazing
people. We were given specific GPS coordinates
to navigate to the event. This was an added touch
to keep the location discreet. That was a pretty
cool experience in itself. Between GPS
coordinates and camping under the stars…the
vibes were set.

Upon arriving I ran into some familiar faces and
connected with everyone there. The rosin that
was entered into the contest. This was certainly
the first thing on the menu for me. There were
seven different entries into the Hash Camp
competition. The Holy Goat, Evok, Chrome6,
Nature’s Kiss, Live Source Labs, Kanati and High
Rise. This, in my opinion, was an incredible line-up
of some of Oklahoma’s top brands offering hash
rosin.

The entire evening was full of incredible hash,and
authentic homemade tamales to top it off. “Some
of us” were able to get our camping areas set up
before the rosin kicked in.

The winners were announced after we ate and had a
change to try. I have to say, they were all on point.

3rd – Chrome6 – with an amazing King’s Hawaii packed
full of all the “Terple terps” you could handle.
2nd – The Holy Goat – with a very smooth Brandy Wine
that carried some serious weight with floral, citrus gas
notes.
1st – Nature’s Kiss – with their Chem-D that packed an
extreme punch of diesel and citrus.

All of the entries were top tier in my book. My personal
favorite was The Holy Goat’s Brandy Wine. Definitely a
contender against the Chem D that Nature’s Kiss put up.
Cheers to everyone that brought the heat to Hash Camp
and helped continue the vibes into the evening. I am
super grateful we set the tent up before we started
playing merry-go-round with the hash rosin.

We all had a great time with some talented, incredible
people. At one point we were all around the fire taking in
the experience we had been a part of throughout the
day. Picture all of us by the fire with full bellies, laughing
and having fun. Smoking hash, listening to great music
and enjoying each other’s company by the campfire. It
was the best vibe. I am already looking forward to Hash
Camp next year and what’s in the future from Hilltop gardens!

 

 

Restore

by Michael Kinney

 

Technically, the residents in the Clara Luper Corridor have only been in a food desert for two years. When Smart Saver closed unexpectedly in August 2019, that left thousands of households without a grocery store for miles in any direction.

 

However, in actuality the east side of Oklahoma City has been a food desert for much longer than that, according to Ward 7 Councilwoman Nikki Nice.

 

“We’ve all had restless nights because we know people are going hungry,” Nice said. “We’ve had restless nights because we know food access is possible even in a community in which they say it’s not. We’ve had restless nights because people say ‘yeah, we’re going to bring something, but give us time.’”

According to Nice that time came and went with none of the promises fulfilled.

 

But the wait came to an end April 21 when the Market at Eastpoint opened its doors for the first time to the public. Just a few blocks from where Smart Saver was located, the new grocery store brings hope to a community that desperately needed it.

 

Tyler Dodd Rides The Wind By Michael Kinney

“We’ve been setting the shelves all week over here with the Homeland team and to see neighbors knock on the door and peek their head in and see the produce just burst into tears,” said Caylee Dobson, Executive Director at Restore OKC. It’s so exciting to see shoppers appreciate that and excited to buy it.”

Restore OKC teamed up with the Homeland Grocery chain to create The Market at Eastpoint (1708 NE 23rd). The organizations came up with a plan for a public-private partnership that would allow them to co-operate the grocery store.

 

Restore OKC was able to focus efforts on fundraising and securing product donations and partnerships that could help sustain the store through the early years, while Homeland used its expertise in the grocery industry to streamline the process and provide oversight and infrastructure.

 

“We are thrilled to see our public-private partnership with Restore OKC come to life. We have an opportunity here to serve our community in a deeper way and make an impact on food security and this store is a great way to do that,” Homeland CEO Martin Jones said. “This is an important project for our employee-owners, and we are proud to work hand in hand with the community to make it a reality.”

It took just six months for the plan to come together and for the grocery store to be built. According to Councilwoman Nikki Nice, it just took people willing to invest in the community instead of giving lip service and fake promises.

 

“This is what a six-month commitment to a community looks like,” Nice said. “There have been others who have said we’ll bring you something in six months. It’s been over a year, we’re still waiting. This conversation began with the ribbon-cutting in October. It’s April. That’s what a six-month commitment to a community looks like. This is what happens when you invest in the community that you’re serving. This is what happens when you pull everyone together and say let’s do this together. This is what community looks like.”

 

The Market is a full-service grocery store. Everything from fresh foods to frozen pizzas and water can be found inside the 7,000-square-foot building. It also has a section in the back for ready-to-eat hot foods prepared by Community Chef Brandi Jones of the former Family Affair Restaurant.

 

Much of the organic and healthy food options will be grown at Restore OKC’s 5-acre urban farm which is managed by led by 18 high school students from the northeast Oklahoma City community. But they also have regularly delivered produce as well.

 

“Because food access is important for our communities and we can’t thrive if we’re not being fed,” Nice said. “And it starts with us being able to feed our neighbors. So this was a long work in progress, even though it took a short time for us to get here.”

 

The Market’s business neighbors include Urban Wellness Dispensary, Hybrid Cures and Amazing Cannabis Co. Strainz.

 

According to the USDA, there are more than 19 million people in America who live in a food desert. Their definition of a food desert is any place where at least a third of the population lives greater than one mile away from a supermarket for urban areas, or greater than 10 miles for rural areas.

 

Until the Market arrived, Northeast Oklahoma City residents had to travel three miles to the next closest full-service grocery store.

 

“What you have is a lack of food access,” Dobson said. “And when that’s anchored in a community that also has a high rate of single-parent households, and they’re very transportation dependent, what you start seeing is just all of the effects of that exacerbate cycles that have been perpetrated by history and by cycles of injustice that just get worse.”

 

The Market is located in Ward 7 of Oklahoma City. Of its 61,674 residents, 50 percent are black and 23 percent are classified as living below the poverty level.

 

Getting residents access to healthy food can be a game-changer for not just northeast Oklahoma City, but throughout the state, according to Nice.

 

“This speaks to what food access looks like. We look at food justice, food insecurity, food apartheid, and people have to realize it’s not just communities that are underserved or purposely ignored,” Nice said. “It’s also your affluent communities that are also in food deserts because it’s about the access to food options. So, it’s now working through the process of having an example, such as this store, to mimic other parts of our community throughout the city and throughout the state.”

 

Do Your Best

By Taylor Brophy

 

My daughter begged me to sign her up for Cub Scouts. There were girls on the flyer, and it honestly looked like something she would be into so I said, “Why not? Let’s go!”

She was over the moon excited, and because she was so happy my momma heart was smiling. The sign-up station was outside, (because, yah know, Covid) and so of course Emma was running around trying to find as many bugs, birds, frogs, and other lifeforms as she could. I was halfway through  filling out the registration form when I noticed there were no other little girls around, so I asked, “What is Cub Scouts?” The designated parent that was there for sign-up day explained the basics of what the kids do in the program. I listened and nodded, trying to muster up the courage to ask, “So is this Boy Scouts?” The parent laughed and said, “Well kind of.” They explained that in first grade you aren’t considered a “Boy Scout” yet.

You have to be a little older to be an actual member of the troop. Emma would be a Cub, or more specifically a Tiger. I laughed, and explained that I had no idea that Cub Scouts was a lead up to Boy Scouts because the flyer the school sent home showed lots of girls. I knew it wasn’t Girl Scouts, but I had honestly thought that maybe this was some sort of Hybrid. I felt the need to explain that we were not trying to take over Boy Scouts, and that my daughter is simply in love with nature and begged me to sign her up. They reassured me that she was welcome, but the pessimist inside of me was still waiting for the fallout from my baby girl’s decision to become a part of this organization that, for the majority of its existence, has been all boys.

I have been trying to think about what I was expecting from our Cub Scouts experience. I have arrived at the conclusion that I had no idea what we were getting into. I knew very little about the program when we started. If you have never been a part of Scouts, you might not realize how much parent involvement goes into it. I know for a fact that if I had known how much I would be participating I would not have signed Emma up. I will say that not knowing ended up being a major blessing. While I won’t pretend that I enjoyed Scouts from the very first meeting, I will admit that it grew on me. Cub Scouts brought me joy for many reasons. The most obvious being how much my daughter enjoyed it. There is just something about seeing your child happy and excited about an activity that automatically makes you a little more excited to participate yourself. Her excitement is what got us to meetings every week, but what convinced me to sign her up for another year is more complicated.

Cub Scouts put Emma right in her element. I watched her bloom in ways that I did not realize she could bloom. I watched her learn the Scout motto, the pledge, the oath. I watched her become serious during the presentation of the flags. I watched her become part of something bigger than herself, and thrive within it. I also watched myself gradually become more willing to get involved. Each meeting saw me come out of my shell a little more. I began talking to the other parents. I got to know them as people. I became more open to forming friendships with them, something that is not a small accomplishment for me. Letting people in is not something I would describe as easy. My perception changed from, “This is Emma’s thing. I’m only here because she wants to do this, and it is my duty to support her”, to being genuinely excited to go on the end of year camp out. I can’t pinpoint when exactly this shift came for me, but I do know that Cub Scouts has had an effect on more than just Emma.

On May 7th, I watched my child graduate from a Tiger to a Wolf. The amount of pride I felt is indescribable, and was unexpected to be honest. I felt so much happiness in my heart, not just for Emma and the progress she made, but for myself as well. Emma and I had achieved so much together on this journey. We showed up to every meeting. We went to extra activities with our den. We learned rules and guidelines that we had not previously needed to learn. We went camping overnight in a place we had never been. We learned how to play marbles, and how to make a bag to hold them. We met new people whom we might not have met if it were not for Cub Scouts. We became part of an organization that I would have never imagined being a part of. All of this because my little girl wanted to learn about nature and all life that inhabits it.

I was not anticipating the guidance my daughter would get through this program. I knew there would be people there to teach her things, but the overwhelming support was unexpected. The day following our end of year camp out was filled with a lot of new experiences. Emma learned how to shoot a bow and arrow. She actually hit the target a few times too. Her and I both shot a BB gun for the first time. It was unexpectedly empowering, and something I would like to do again. She watched as an older scout worked to make a fire using twigs and dryer lint. By the time we got to the wrist rockets, or as you may know them: slingshots, Emma was exhausted and hungry.

When she wasn’t able to make the wrist rocket work on the first try, she became frustrated. She said, “I can’t do it. It’s too hard.” I went into mom mode automatically. I encouraged her. I told her to keep trying. I explained that most people are not able to learn a new skill on the first try. None of my encouragement or brave words worked. She became more and more upset and frustrated until there were literal tears rolling down her cheeks. I had no intention of letting her walk away from the slingshot station until she had at least completed the task once, but I’ll admit, I was starting to get frustrated with her and her tears. Just when I was about to lose my “nice mom” tone of voice the instructor swooped in. He had a calming presence about him. For whatever reason he was able to get Emma to a state of mind that would allow her to give it another go. Patience radiated from him as he gave her tips and encouragement. Finally, she shot the target.

As we walked back to the meeting area together, I put my arm around her. She was still exhausted and tired, but now she had a sense of accomplishment that comes with completing something you previously thought impossible. As she ran to meet back up with the rest of her den, she shouted, “Guys I did it. I hit the target!” The instructor had given my daughter ten extra minutes of his time, but she left with a lesson that is not always organically learned. He made her promise to never say “I can’t” again, and reminded her that the Cub Scouts motto is “Do Your Best!” Would she have learned to persevere in some other stage of her life? Absolutely, but what Cub Scouts has given us is another opportunity to learn that lesson, and to establish it as a foundational skill for the rest of her life.

I often think about how much of a blessing being Emma’s mom is. She has taught me so much just by being in my life. The love I feel for her is overwhelming. I have truly seen how much I am capable of just through the experience of motherhood. What is surprising to me is how she is able to get me out of my comfort zone so effortlessly. If it wasn’t for her desire to sign up, I would have never given a second thought to Scouts. I am so thankful for the opportunities we have been presented with through this organization, and can honestly say I am excited to see what next year has in store for my little Wolf. I am looking forward to watching her grow more and more with each year.

 

Tyler Dodd Rides the Wind

by Michael Kinney

In 2020 Tyler Dodd found himself sitting face to face with boxing legend Mike Tyson in Los Angeles. At the time Tyson was training for his comeback exhibition fight against Roy Jones Jr., but was carving out time from his schedule to meet with Dodd.

Dodd, who is the CEO of Arco Bellum, was brought in to meet with the iconic boxer to pitch him on how he could help Tyson Ranch, a packaging and licensing company founded by Mike Tyson, find a home in Oklahoma.

However, there was a problem. According to Dodd, there was a mix-up and his meeting hadn’t been scheduled and the executives who run Tyson Ranch had no idea why Dodd was there. According to Dodd, the pitch he and his team had worked on for days was all but forgotten. As he put it, he was choking in what may have been the biggest moment of his business career. “My entire team put in a lot of hours on this pitch, we did a very elaborate pitch with slides and graphic designs. It was very personalized for Tyson Ranch,” Dodd said. “I just instantly choked. I didn’t know what to say, I didn’t know what to talk about.”

That is when Dodd fell back on what he knows best. He started to tell the room of his life journey and the remarkable tale of how he was not supposed to even be alive right then.

“I just started to talk about my story,” Dodd said. “That’s really all I had in my tool belt in that moment. “I’m completely aware of absolutely absurd my story is. I’ve seen it all. It’s the wildest thing you’ve ever heard. I say this no with ego, but disbelief. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a story, fiction or non-fiction that compares to mine.”

Dodd was born and raised in and around Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Early on in life he quickly found he was
drawn to the street life.

Dodd said by the time he was 15, he had the makings of being a really talented boxer. However, he was still living the street life and everything that went along with it.

“I couldn’t really get separated from it,” Dodd said. “I ended up, like a lot of people, a causality of the opioid epidemic. It started off with prescription pain meds back when I was 15. By the time I was 21, I was completely homeless, living under bridges, shooting heroin.”

Dodd said a major turning point in his life came in 2002 when his father died of Cancer. The family was
so engrained in poverty, they didn’t have the money for his cremation.

“That is when it went downhill,” Dodd said. “I was certain I was going to die on streets.”

Dodd said starting in 2003, for almost a decade, his existence was that of a homeless man and drug addict on the streets. From Oklahoma to Florida, he was living day to day panhandling for money to get his next high.

“That was my existence,” Dodd said. “I thought I was going to die like that way.”

Then, in 2011, Dodd was sent to prison in North Carolina for obtaining narcotics by fraud. He was locked up close to a year before being let out.

During that year, Dodd said he had been clean of drugs and started seeing resemblances of his former self.

Unfortunately for Dodd, he didn’t find himself any better situation than when he went in.

“They let you out of prison and they put me on a bus right back down to Florida,” Dodd said. “I was 30 years old and going right back into that life without a choice. I didn’t have options. There weren’t any options for someone like me. That is when I realized it was next to impossible for someone who is chronically in this position to get out of it.”

Dodd decided he needed a change of scenery. He hustled up some money and bought a bus ticket to Daytona Beach from Miami. Once he got on the Greyhound, he noticed the final destination was Boston, Ma.

Instead of getting off in Daytona, he stayed in his seat and rode the Greyhound all the way up to Boston.
Yet, while his surroundings changed, Dodd’s way of life didn’t. He continued to be homeless and a heroin addict. The only difference is the winter months made his existence that much worse.

After a year of living that way, Dodd decided to take advantage of state-funded treatment programs that Massachusetts offers.

He said he went to detox for the first time. It was the first of several trips there as I tried to get clean.

Finally, in 2013, Dodd said he found some success and got sober. However, the state couldn’t find him a bed in a halfway house.

“I knew this was my last chance,” Dodd said. “I had been homeless for 10 years. I had been on life support multiple times for multiple different things. Really almost died multiple times. Major surgeries, overdoses that required life support. I just knew that if I didn’t get somewhere and like really get some help, that I was going to die.”

Not wanting to go back to living on the streets, Dodd said he brought back to life a lie he had been using when he was homeless and panhandling in San Antonio. He told officials he had been in the military.

“I ended up in a halfway house for veterans. They let me in without having to show my discharge papers,” Dodd said. “I was there for a few weeks when a guy came to speak. For whatever reason, I identified with him. I don’t what it was, I asked him to be my sponsor. That’s kind of what you do with these 12 step programs. He ended up taking me through the steps and for the first time I told him I was never in the military. I was just a junkie trying to live.”

Dodd was expecting his new sponsor to be grossed out by the revelation. He knew how serious it was to impersonate veterans.

Instead, Dodd was told he just needed to go back to the halfway house and tell the truth.

But even that seemed too much for Dodd.

“I told him I won’t tell the new lie anymore, but if I go and tell these guys, then they are going to beat me up,” Dodd said. “I will be kicked out of the house and I will be homeless again.”

The sponsor told him to pray for willingness and he did.

Three days later, it was April 11th and he still hadn’t told the residents at the halfway house about his lie when he left that morning to look for work. It just happened to be the same day of the Boston Marathon and Dodd said he found himself near the finish line when everything went crazy.

“I heard the bombs go off,” Dodd said. “It turned my stomach. I noticed a police officer standing across the street and her reaction after listening to her radio, I could tell something bad had happened.”

Dodd told the officer he had EMT basic training with an emphasis on mass causality from when he was 18. She told him to go to 800 Boylston street because “they are going to need all the help they can get.”

According to Dodd, there was just one other guy running toward the bomb site. He turned out to be an emergency room doctor and drafted Dodd to be an extra set of hands for him.

While working in the marathon’s medical tent, Dodd’s life was about to change, but he didn’t know it.

“I came across a girl and actually thought she was dying in front of me,” Dodd said. “She was white and had a tourniquet on her leg. She was terrified.”

The then 20-year-old lady was Victoria McGrath and she had been standing five feet away from where the first bomb exploded and a one-inch piece of shrapnel had been lodged into her leg.

McGrath was hysterical and thought she was going to die.

Just days earlier, Dodd had promised he would never lie and say he was a veteran again. But in order to help calm down McGrath, he told her the scar on his arm came shrapnel he had received in during military service in Afghanistan.
‘I told her I bled worse than she did and I know the tourniquet hurts. You are going to have a scar like mine, but you are going to live,” Dodd said he told her. “I felt immediately guilty for lying about being in the military again. When I was done, I went back to the halfway house kind of shook. It was a pretty crazy experience.”

It turned out McGrath was the daughter of a pair of wealthy IBM executives who had connections with the state’s democratic party.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick visited McGrath in the hospital and asked what he could do for her. The only thing she wanted was to find this war hero named Tyler who saved her life.

During his national press conference that night, Patrick asked for the veteran named Tyler to come forward and be recognized.

After speaking with his sponsor, Dodd called the number Patrick had provided the media and told them he was the one they were looking for. When the local media arrived, Dodd told them he wasn’t in the military, but he wasn’t able to tell them why he lied about it.

It wasn’t until the next night when Dodd went on a series of different TV shows that he was able to tell his story and explain how the lie came about. That included the Today Show, ABC World News and the Pierce Morgan show twice.

“He wasn’t a combat soldier in Afghanistan — he wasn’t in combat,” McGrath told NBC News . “I don’t regret it — I don’t regret him telling me that, and I hope he doesn’t either. I hope he’s proud of it.”

During Dodd’s last appearance with Pierce Morgan, Morgan told Dodd he had a feeling he would not be unemployed much longer.

Morgan was right. Dodd’s decision to run toward danger and to help others during the Boston Marathon bombing completely altered the direction of his life.

“It changed my life for sure,” an emotional Dodd said. “It’s crazy how everything happened the way it did. It’s absurd. It changed every aspect of my life. My family has been in generations of poverty since the trail of tears. Not only did it change my life, but potentially change the lives of generations in my family. It’s a heavy thought.”

Dodd went on to work at a radio station in Boston before getting an opportunity to move back to Oklahoma with his daughter where he was making $200,000 a year selling cars. He said it was impossible not to be grateful because for much of his life, he would have been grateful just to have had a car to sleep in.

Dodd went through a downturn in 2017 and said he lost his mojo and couldn’t sell cars anymore. He was on the verge of filing for bankruptcy and selling his house.

“That is when State Question 788 came up,” Dodd said. “I said there is no way this is going to pass. My family has been cultivating cannabis in Oklahoma for three generations. So I was like I know how to grow weed. And the law passed and the licenses were only $2,500 and they allowed
fucking felons to get them.”

After a slow start in the business that saw him losing most of the money from his investors, Dodd decided to gamble it all on the belief he could make it big in this new and growing industry.

Dodd got his hands on $5,000 to get 11 entries in the High Times Cannabis Cup, which was coming to Oklahoma for the first time in 2019. Dodd walked away with four awards, including Best Hybrid Flower with Emerald Wholesale.

That led to an invitation to a celebrity Madden 20 event that Snoop Dogg was hosting during Superbowl weekend. After Snoop posted a photo of the two hanging out. Dodd was solidified in the industry.

Dodd quickly went on to co-found Arca Bellum in 2020 with Zeke Newsom. Its mission is to ‘collaborate with operators throughout all the investment and fundraising stages. To understand the type of companies and we tend to work with, take a look at some of our current and past partnerships.’

Arco Bellum struck big deals with Cookies and some of the biggest names in cannabis.

That is what led Dodd to not only getting to know Tyson, but also become a business parter as Tyson Ranch expanded into Oklahoma late last year.

“With this being one of the hottest cannabis markets in the United States, it was a no-brainer to partner with Tyson Ranch to bring the best in health and wellness to the cannabis community in Oklahoma,” Dodd said. “It’s an honor to be able to partner with Mike and his team, and to help them execute their plans to expand into this new market.”

Dodd is living the dream life he never imagined was in store for him. He is hanging out with celebrities, training with the same boxing coach that trains Tyson and traveling the country in style just a few years removed from living under a bridge and not knowing where his next meal was coming from.

When he looks back on where he came from and what he has gone through, he knows it’s an amazing story.

“I’m just blown away this is my life,” Dodd said. “I never would have guessed this. Not in a million years. If would have asked me to write down everything I dream of three years, I would have sold myself short.”

But while he is making sure to enjoy the new life, Dodd said he will never forget those who have not been as fortunate. And as much as he is invested in building his brand and businesses, he is just as, if not more focused on those who are still living the life he left behind.

“With the miraculous nature of my story, it would be a slap in the face to whatever orchestrator you want to call it for me to not drag some other people out of the mud,” Dodd said. “There is a huge portion of me when I was homeless that felt I wasn’t valuable. I believe I didn’t have anything to offer. I think it’s important that there are voices that can tell these people there are so much more out there. Everybody has something they can offer.”

Bicycle Day

by Anna Ervin

When I was a kid, my friends and I used to google our birthdays to see what kind of weird holidays they fell on. Mine was April 19th, and to my horror, I learned that in some parts of the world this is considered Terrorist Day.

Trust the Process, by Anna Ervin

Of course, at the time I wasn’t even aware of the unofficial holiday that fell one day after my birthday. Once I did eventually figure out what the 4/20 culture was all about, I found myself even more disappointed. I tease my mom often, “you couldn’t have waited just 4 more hours to birth me?” To be fair, I was already 6 days behind schedule and making my debut in the world at a whopping 10 lbs.

So, I had come to terms with my fate… Until recently learning that I share my birthday with another odd holiday, one that’s much less aggressive (well, depending on who you ask).

Bicycle Day. Seems pretty innocent, right? Wrong. Bicycle Day has a really interesting origin story, one that actually has very little to do with bicycles.

Around mid-April 1943, amidst a dark time in world history, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann accidentally discovered the psychoactive effects of Lysergic acid diethylamide, a substance more commonly known today as LSD or “acid.”

According to his writings, the synthesis of LSD-25 had previously been intended to obtain a “circulatory and respiratory stimulant.” However, the substance was deemed useless and set aside without testing for nearly 5 years, when Hofmann decided to revisit the studies. In the process, he managed to drop a small dose on his skin, resulting in what he reported to be a “remarkable experience.”

Hot Flash, by Dondi Cobb

To ensure that this state of mind was in fact influenced by LSD-25, he made the bold choice to experiment further. On April 19th, 1943, at precisely 4:20pm (I know, right?), Hofmann dosed himself with ten times the amount he had absorbed through his skin just days prior. According to his journal, his experience ranged from dizziness and anxiety, to “visual distortion, symptoms of paralysis, and desire to laugh,” but the most notable part of his trip was the bike-ride home:

“Kaleidoscopic, fantastic images surged in on me, alternating, variegated, opening, and then closing themselves in circles and spirals, exploding in colored fountains, rearranging and hybridizing themselves in constant flux.”

If you know, you know.

I have a pretty good idea how the majority of you will be celebrating April 20th this year, but what about April 19th? Obviously, LSD is still considered a Schedule I substance by the DEA, although clinical studies on the therapeutic effects of the substance are taking place across the globe.

So, while I cannot, in good conscience, recommend that you explore such a dangerous and deadly substance (I hope you can feel the sarcasm dripping off your page), I would like to recommend picking up a book by Albert Hofmann himself. Or, I don’t know, maybe ride a bike?

Lotus Letters

What Did You Call Me?!

Looking up from the letter with furrowed brows, you sit with it in your hands trying to understand why the contents feel so familiar. As if you’d written it yourself knowing you’d be exactly where you are now. In a chair, talking to a cat….

You must have looked hilarious trying to make heads or tails of it, to have conjured such a musical laugh from Howligree: “Relax Starseed, you act as if you are supposed to have a hempcrete understanding of everything right this very instant!”

Your expression delves further into exclamation and she just grins. For you couldn’t possibly know everything in this now moment, it would be too much in too short of a timeframe! After all, you’re partially human, you’d combust!!

“Here, let’s try this,” she murmurs handing you another letter. 

Dearest Daring Divine,

I see you haven’t up and abandon our correspondence, good. I have loads to tell you!

What’s this though? You seem a bit rattled…Ah, 

You’ve met Howligree haven’t you…Mmhm, curious being isn’t she. Well, I suppose I should explain some things before we dive further into other topics. Let’s see now… Oh! Of course! You are probably wondering what the bloody hell a ‘Star Seed’ is. 

In short, you are. Haha, but that’s not enough, is it? No, I suppose not. Alright, alright. 

A star seed is typically referred to as a human being with an origin outside of Earth.  A being who incarnated on this planet to experience life as a human, with tangible senses. 

For some, it’s as simple as that! It’s exciting to be human! It’s akin to taking a vacation to the space between worlds of density and lightness. We get to bask in aromas and flavorings. We get to feel the cool ground beneath our feet as we run and listen to the winds many songs. As if all of that wasn’t enough…we have the honor of making love into corporeality. 

It sounds like a dream! And that’s the rub, to most of us that’s precisely what it feels like. You see Earth has a sort of checkpoint if you will, a veil. When we pass through it on our way in, we tend to forget our cosmic roots. All of our knowledge. Countless ‘lifetimes’ and experiences.  

But why?  Well, for most star seeds this isn’t spring break. It’s a mission, a test…one in which no cheat sheets are permitted. Coming here means you must make yourself remember. For each step you take in remembering who you are, you radiate the frequency of recollection to you, your fellow star siblings, and furthermore to those who originate here on mother Gaia. Whom which I might add know nothing but this world and its difficulties. Can you imagine the uprising once they realize they aren’t just human?  But rather, HUMAN. See what happens when you switch the word you emphasize? A fair amount of beings have experienced harrowing trials as a constant. You and I both know negativity tends to make a more prominent impact than positivity here in this version of reality.

Look, what I’m so eloquently trying to say is this: Existing means to operate by way of frequency. And frequencies act like dominoes. 

For Star Seeds to come from an energy of such unconditional love and sovereignty to a world whose inhabitants primarily believe they are helpless and restrained in bondage…you do the math. There’s no stopping a chain reaction. 

Just by being here, just by reading this, you have opened a door for you and countless others. Nothing is expected of you, you need not brandish a sword nor scream your perspectives from rooftops if you don’t wish to. 

You only need to know that you are the embodiment of love and truth. Both will set you and this world free. 

Thank you from the deepest wells of my heart. This is no easy feat. In fact, I dare say this is the most difficult dimension I’ve ever visited…but here you are anyway. Amazing.

Until we read again

Fondest and proudest regards,  the YOUniverse

Texas Again

by Brittiany Ralls

Here we are in Texas! Seeking legalization in a big way for Texas patients. Like I said in my last piece ”Houston is Home,” there is legalization in Texas, minimally. But legalization does exist in Texas. There are also areas of decriminalization too.

As patients, we need to demand more.
Spreading the Word of Cannabis, by Brittiany Ralls

Texas needs to catch up soon. This period of time I’m subtly calling “The Herb Age.” Throughout history, there are periods of time labeled “ages.” I can’t “officially” deem this time we are in as “The Herb Age,” being that I am not a historian or whoever names ages, but I’m doing it anyway! Welcome to The Herb Age!

What a better way to help de-stigmatize, by educating. Here we are in an age of herb with so many opportunities for change within so many communities. Being able to influence how the world will see cannabis in the future and de-stigmatizing something that is so beneficial to the human body leaves most of us in the cannabis community elated.

We will see cannabis infiltrate every other industry. Cannabis can create a more sustainable world. Cannabis can help create happier humans. Those of us who have started to see some of these changes are so excited to show the rest of the world how amazing cannabis is.

It’s just the beginning. We will see it make huge changes to our world and the ability to sustain it. Being back in Houston with the goal of helping de-stigmatize cannabis is exciting! Houston is so diverse with a background in philanthropy that is driven by wealth that has been created here. It’s a great place to start. So much of the cannabis community is rooted in giving back and helping so many in need that merging the two should be a lot easier if we start with a commitment to helping the community we hope to be a part of.

There are a lot of people in Texas on both sides of cannabis. There is a lot to prove. With diligence and a support, the cannabis community can make it happen in Texas.

All Gassed Up

by Micah McKamie

As I opened my door at Sunnyside Diner a blast of air hit me in the face.  It was a little colder than I expected, however, it felt invigorating in a way.   I was super excited to be there!  Training Through Terps had been marketing this run for almost a month and I was curious to see how it all came together.  The wind was coming off the lake in gusts, but as I walked up to the “Gassed Up Group Run” you could tell everyone was in “high” spirits!  The gaggle of runners was about 25-30 people in various brightly colored workout attire and amazingly some people had just come to be supportive even though the weather hadn’t completely cooperated on the chosen Sunday.  The group’s co-founders Kenny And Micah started this group to make a valiant effort at changing the perception of cannabis users in our society.  “ Ultimately our goal is to help non-medicators see that just because you use cannabis, does not mean that the lazy stigma has to be how people see you,” said Kenny, “We are out here Breaking the Stigma and changing peoples mindset while promoting a healthy lifestyle!”

Out of the 28 people that showed up for this frigid frolic, fifteen ended up running the route while the others took advantage of Sunnyside Diner’s excellent hospitality!! “Overall,  just having people out, being able to share in our passion for cannabis and fitness, as well as, being able to link up some pretty amazing people, has made us feel like this has been a huge success,” said Micah.  “We have these planned out for the next six months and have located these events all over Oklahoma, including one in Tulsa for Armed Forces Day in conjunction with Sherweed Forrest, which is a group of cannabis advocates who are changing the industry through media and art,” he added.   As I walked around and talked with each of the participants, before the run, I realized the eclectic group in which had been assembled.  People from all walks of life and backgrounds had come to be a part of this community practice!!! As we moved up to the starting line the mood became more lively and pumped.  Everyone was highly medicated by this point and as we started off on our route it became evident to me that this was going to be a big deal.

After the run, we all congregated on the porch at Sunnyside and ate brunch, and just talked about weed.  As if just hanging out with other canna-centric fitness nuts wasn’t enough, they had at least 4 vendors there with merch for the participants, as well as, all sorts of deals from local dispensaries.  As the day ended and we started to say our goodbyes, I realized that we had been there for a while.  The group met at 9 and the last people didn’t leave until 1:30ish, which was surprising considering that this was a short cannabis fun run, but it flew by!  With all the great people that showed up, the poignant conversation, excellent food, and amazing products, the “Gassed Up Group Run” was an awesome success and made for an amazing day!!  As I got in my car to head out I thought to myself, I cannot wait for the next one!!!

Upcoming Gassed Up Group Run events:

-Saturday March 20th Western/Paseo District

-Tuesday April 20th Stillwater

-Saturday May 15th Tulsa

-Sunday June 6 OKC D-Day run

Strain of the Month: March 2021

by James Bridges | Herbage Magazine

 

SLYMER

Sativa Dominant Hybrid

2.79%   Terp

20.98% THC

 

Effects:

Uplifted

Hyper Awareness

Appetite Suppressant

 

Bored.  Sometimes I get that way with my meds.  Just boring ole meh, yeah it works, medicine.

So it’s time to hunt.

Shuffling through the lists of strains to try can get a little overwhelming.  Luckily I know just the remedy.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe… Slymer is the way to go.

Someone told me once that if I can find a strain that shakes the dust off a tired brain as well as give you an uplifted euphoric high then they would bow down to me and say they were wrong.

Get those knees ready.

I was no longer bored.  Once my decision was made Slymer organically became the perfect choice.  I was able to no longer imagine myself cuddled in a bed and doing literally nothing to actually looking forward to my next tasks..  I was very hyper aware without being too uncomfortable.  The haze between the eyes is such a pleasant feeling.

The only downside, if you want to call it one, is that I actually had to have several conversations with myself reminding me that I need to eat.

Want to get things done and still enjoy the most out of your meds?  Try Slymer.  Not to be confused with Slimer.  Ask for it to be grown by

Strain of the Month

by James Bridges

Herbage Magazine

Love is in the air! Or something… I decided to go try and find some of this so-called “love”.  I was nudged by someone to give this a try.  Maybe something would come from it.

LOVE SEED

Strain origins are unknown.

Positive effects:

Uplifted

Euphoric

Appetite Suppressant

 

Trying something new.  It’s my forte’.  It’s also one of my biggest fears.  Go figure.  Without going about it in a roundabout way of not going in circles just to get right to the point, this time I was really scared…

What if all of the coming of age movies were really a training course and I have now landed on this path which is now called the Love Seed?  What if it’s like “love potion #9” and it really works?  I mean… I’m pretty much over all that.  However, that’s not why I was afraid. I was simply afraid to try something with unknown origins called “love seed”.

Of course I dove in head first.  The smell out of the jar was quite nice actually.  I caught a hint of a sweet earthy and almost a fruity twisted aroma while busting the nugs open.  The density was average.

Wet mouth… something must be good in there.

I smoked with a glass water bong so I could get the full flavor.  Mild smoke and a sweet smell.  What could go wrong?

The THC level was a bit low for my needs.  It’s not that bad of a thing if my body tells me I need to smoke more of a good thing and this was a good thing.  I was very pleased with the taste and smell.  It was the perfect flower for me in the middle of an afternoon when I felt drained.  Its overall get up-and-go feeling paired with a body euphoria set me just right to take on the rest of the day.

Maybe found love can simply come from a plant.

Showcasing Love through a Pandemic

by James Bridges

All of the “make 2020 disappear” jokes aside, I was on a mission to find some magic. As with many, I am ready to move on and find something wonderful to experience.

On a very routine basis I find myself in the bottom of a well looking up at no ladder and realizing that I was actually the one who removed the ground which created the well to begin with.

Touch the Fire by James Bridges

I then step back and recall a voice of wisdom that once told me to just let the universe guide you. “Who the hell do you think you are. Do you really believe you are incredible enough to guide the universe?”

That’s usually when the magic starts to happen.

I allowed the universe to take control. Anthony Bruno was now in my car talking about… Magic.

“Magic is something that I’ve always had a love for, but I’ve never really had a chance to showcase it.” Anthony seemed a little out of place at first. Could have been the microphone being shoved in his face. Who knows? But once he started actually talking about his talent he lit up.

“I’ve always done tricks or magic for my friends. I consider myself pretty good at it. So I needed an outlet. The pandemic actually helped me with that.” Anthony spoke carefully. “I’m not saying it’s a good thing. But it actually helped me focus on what I needed to do next for myself and my passion.”

“I saw David Blain do his first street magic special back in 1996 and I was hooked. I was probably about 5 or 6-years old and I just kind of fell in love with it. Then I picked up a deck of cards. I started teaching myself card tricks. I’ve always been a lover of magic. Off and on throughout my life I’ve had the opportunity to dabble. So I would say yeah, probably about 20 years so far and I do not see myself stopping.” Anthony glowed.

He described magic as if it were simply an everyday part of his life. Tricks, magic, illusions… whatever you call it it was fun and uplifting for Anthony and those that have experienced his craft.

“My first little magic set it was a little deck of cards that if you went through them one way they all looked like different cards but if you went through them a different way they were all the same. That’s my first one that I remember performing it for my family. Obviously I didn’t perform very well but they acted like they were amazed. Seeing them react to it kind of got me hooked.

Countless numbers of talented people like Anthony are met throughout their struggle with authenticity with resistance. That can come from anywhere, especially from oneself. Anthony was and will continue to be at a fork or a decision point with his talents. Listen to the resistance and chalk this up to a need for attention? See past the attention and get to the core. You see…the attention is merely the conduite to which you can achieve your goal.

Call me Nuts – Gorilla Nut Review by James Bridges

“I really did like attention at some level but really on a deeper level it’s all about entertainment I just want to entertain. I want to put a smile on people’s faces, especially for you know covid-19 that’s going. People have so many bad things going on in their life. If I can just offer five, ten, or fifteen minutes of happiness then to me it’s worth it.”

Another interesting practice of Anthony’s is performing under a character. “So actually switch over. It’s still me and still Anthony but it’s like a different extension of myself. I’m able to be me but more. I’m able to express myself a little bit more than I normally would normally. I’m a little bit more introverted and kind of held back, but when I shoot into my performance mode I mean I’m just an extroverted. I’m wild. Out there. You know? I’m making jokes and so yeah it does it really brings out I would say probably the best in me for sure.”

Cannabis has become a part of Anthony’s performance as well. “I have one video where I have a poker chip and I change the poker chip into a joint but I am going to be working on giving some more cannabis influenced magic for sure in 2021. It’s going to be a fun year for me.”

“I struggled with social issues all my life and Cannabis helps me with that. When I got out of the military I went straight to Colorado. I was going to get in the industry. I started off wherever I fit in. Whatever I needed to do and here I am in the industry for around four years now.” Anthony said as if he had one last chance to say something. “It’s definitely a career that I love and I’m super passionate about and enjoy. It helps me a lot especially with anxiety and with performing and everything. Oh yeah it does 100%!”

Anthony Bruno Magic can be found on Facebook and Instagram

Booking Info: ☎️ 719-491-8687

San Francisco Bay Area- Original Cannabis Strains Highlight

 

Written By: Veronica Castillo

San Francisco Bay Area, the birthplace of medical marijuana. Many of the Cannabis strains that we love, originated in California, specifically, The Bay. This area’s major cities and nine counties are Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma. Strains like: Cherry Kush, BlackGirlMagicOG, and Crunchberriez- were born in The Bay.

There is a rich history here. There is also resilience born from pain. Oakland, one of the cities impacted the most due to the War on Drugs, saw this in 2015:

Cannabis arrests: White 4%, Black 77%, and Hispanic/Latino 15%.

And the resilience: A new equity permit program that provides disenfranchised African Americans with assistance in the medical marijuana market. The program provides Cannabis business permits that are prioritized for equity applicants. Equity applicants are defined as someone whose annual income is less than 80% of Oakland’s average median income, and who lives in one of the 21 police beat areas where Cannabis arrests have been most prevalent or, who was convicted after November 5, 1996, for a Cannabis-related crime.

bay

The Bay is home to some of the most famous genetics even under oppression and so; it’s only right to highlight the region for giving us some of the best meds! Cannabis Now says: “some of the best cultivators in the world ply their trade on the shores of the San Francisco Bay Area”.

Let’s take a look at some popular Cannabis strains born in the Bay:

  •  Mendo Breath
  •  Cherry Punch
  •  Gelato
  •  Gushers
  •  Blue Dream
  •  Cookies
  •  Granddaddy Purple
  •  Candyland

How many of us love these strains? These names are some of the most popular everywhere I travel. Definitely top shelf strains that have saved many of our days, mine for sure

Highlighting California Cannabis- Specifically, San Francisco Bay Area

Written by: Veronica Castillo

This week- the focus is California. Rumor has it, 80% of the Cannabis in America comes from California. To that I say, THANK YOU! A huge thank you to the state that has been supplying medicine for decades.

To many, Cannabis is California and California is Cannabis. Leafbuyer says that: “the Bay Area is ripe with a history that is riddled with marijuana benchmarks”. After all, California was the first state in the United States to legalize Cannabis for medicine in 1996. But before that was the San Francisco Buyers Club in 1992. Possible because of Proposition 215, which exempts patients and defined caregivers who possess or cultivate marijuana for medical treatment recommended by a physician from criminal laws which otherwise prohibit possession or cultivation of marijuana.

California

And before 1992, it was 1983. The year that Mary Rathbun, also known as Brownie Mary, a volunteer at San Francisco General Hospital, worked in the 1st AIDS-dedicated ward in the United States. She helped medical consumers by baking and giving away thousands of cannabis-infused brownies.

The Bay gave us greatness like:

  •  Oakland is the 1st city in the United States to decriminalize a wide range of entheogenic substances.
  •  Dennis Peron- organized the signature drive to put California Proposition 215 on the ballot.·
  • Richard Lee- founder of the Oakland Civil Liberties Alliance, which helped pass Oakland’s Measure Z making private sales, cultivation, and possession of cannabis the lowest law-enforcement priority. ·
  • 1st Lady of the West Coast- the first black woman to have a line of exclusive Cannabis strains.
  • Oaksterdam University- the first Cannabis school launched in a solitary area, bringing jobs and tax revenue to Oakland. ·
  • Blunts +Moore- the pioneer of Oakland’s Cannabis Equity Program; the 1st in the nation ensuring that the green rush doesn’t leave the people and communities that have already paid the heaviest price behind.

Stay tuned for my next one discussing cannabis strains born in the San Francisco Bay area.