Smoke Signals, Oct 2010

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OCTOBER 2010
BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE UMASS CRC
Rolled Up
Inside
CRC Current Events
Proposition 19
Primus Review
Tips for growers
ST
DANK
NUGS!
RA
M IN
O O
NT F
H T
!!! H
E
Concentrates
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SMOKE SIGNALS
CRC Current Events
Signal Back
Hello everyone and welcome to
Smoke Signals, a regular newsletter published by the Cannabis Reform Coalition. The writing
staff is made up of members
of the CRC. Our mission is to
present a wide spectrum of information regarding marijuana
and its inherent culture. In order
to to be sucessful, to produce
the headiest magazine possible, Smoke Signals needs your
help. We want our readers to be
Oct 28
Jill Stein, Rainbow Green Party Gubernatorial
Candidate
Oct 23 &
Oct 24
PHiSH at the Mullins Center (what?!)
Oct 29 &
Oct 30
Baked Sale in the Campus Center
Nov 2
Election Day, Vote Yes on Question 4!
Nov 3
Closet Stoners coming out day /
CRC tableing the lot...
Marijuana rally & parade
The CRC will celebrate the passing of Prop 19!
involved, informed and intoxicated, and to get as much out of
this magazine as possible. After
all it is written for you. Stop by
our office, located in the Student
From the Offices of the CRC...
Union Room 322, or contact us
online via Facebook, Campus
Pulse or www.umasscrc.org. The
CRC contact information can be
found on the back cover. From all
of us here at the CRC and Smoke
Signals we want to say thank you
Hi, my name is Adam Freed. I am the chief editor of Smoke Signals and the
sectretary of the Cannabis Reform Coalition. I joined the CRC last year and
am forever grateful for that decision. I have cared about the legalization of the
marijuana plant for the past decade. Now, given an outlet for these aspirations,
for your continued support.
I can effectively work towards the easily attainable goal of cannabis legalization.
Write for
Smoke Signals
There are many reasons why this harmless panacea should be legal: they are
If you are interested in writing
for Smoke Signals we would love
to have you as part of our team.
From an occasional article to a
regular column, we are looking
for input. Drop by the office
Tuesdays at 6 pm (or whenever
else) for Smoke Signals meetings.
littered throughout this edition! My main project is Smoke Signals, though I try
to get involved in all of the CRC’s various activities (like civil disobediance). I am
a huge phan of live music, especially PHiSH and the Grateful Dead--not to be a
stereotype--and I attend music and camping festivals in the summer. You can find
me in the office, in Earth Foods, basically anywhere near the Student Union. Stop
by and introduce yourself. I am always down for chillin’ with new friends!
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Proposition 19
Michael Basmajian
What is it?
Prop 19 is a ballot initiative in California. If over 50% of
voters in CA vote yes, cannabis will be controlled similar
to alcohol, allowing adults 21 and over in California to
possess up to one ounce of cannabis, to be consumed at
home or licensed establishments. It will also allow the
cultivation of 25 square feet of cannabis plants.
Why It’s A Good Idea
Controlling and taxing cannabis will:
- Generate $1.4 billion in revenue each year for
California, helping to fund jobs, healthcare, public safety,
parks, roads, transportation, and more.
-Generate an additional $12 - $18 billion a year for
California’s economy from spin-off industries and
tourism.
- Create between 60,000 and 110,000 new jobs and $2.5
- $3.5 billion in new wages for workers each year.
-Save hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars every year
by focusing police priorities on violent crime.
- Cut off funding to violent Mexican drug cartels that
currently generate 60-70% of their revenue from the
illegal U.S. marijuana market.
Tips for activists
Ben Rudnick
Imagine you’re working a table gathering signatures
for a ballot question or phone-banking for
California’s Prop 19, and you come up against a
person who isn’t hearing what you’ve got to say. It
might be easier to just give up and move on to the
next one, but maybe you can pry this person’s mind
open just a bit if you have the right crowbar.
Here are a few nuggets to have ready in case you can
find an opening in any of these areas that relate to
overturning pot prohibition. Any one of these might
be just the thing you need to get them to listen to
you long enough to convince them to sign your
petition or get out and vote in favor of legalization…
If they want to conserve the forest:
Remind them that hemp could easily save as much
as 70% of the trees used to make paper. According
to a U.S. Department of Agriculture study released
in 1916, one acre of hemp, in annual rotation over
a 20-year period, would produce as much pulp for
paper as 4.1 acres (17,000 m2) of trees harvested
over the same 20-year period.
The most recent poll, taken by the Public Policy Institute
of California on September 30, 2010 shows 52% of
respondents supporting Prop. 19 and 41% opposed.
If they think there are too many people in prison:
There are over 25,000 people incarcerated right
now for marijuana crimes, at a yearly cost of over
$1 billion. The Office of National Drug Control
Policy claims that only 1.6% of the current prison
population was convicted of “marijuana only”
crimes, which does not even include the people who
are in for crimes related to the prohibition-caused
black market. Yet, even the tiny percentage given
by the government represents over 25,000 people
behind bars.
What You Can Do To Help
(Continued on the next page)
Why It Matters To You
Although California is far away on the West Coast,
the legalization of marijuana there will probably spark
a chain reaction across the country. If Prop 19 passes,
Massachusetts will likely be one of the first states to
follow in California’s footsteps.
What Are Its Chances?
-Volunteer to call Cali voters through YesOn19.com/call
-Vote YES on 4 in the Massachusetts elections on
November 2nd . Question 4 is non-binding and polls for
support of the legalization of marijuana in Massachusetts.
This is the first step to getting marijuana legalization on
the ballot for Massachusetts in 2012!
Vote Dan Melick
Amherst State
Repsentative
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Hemp: the other Reason to legalize it
Jean-Luc, the Hempster
We all know that Cannabis should be legalized, for
both medical and recreational use. But did you know
that the same plant that millions of people smoke can
also be used to make paper, fuel, and health food? It’s
true!
An acre of hemp can yield an average of four times
as much fiber as an acre of forest. Since Cannabis
grows like a “weed”, manufacturers could use hemp
instead of trees to make paper and would be considerably more eco-friendly. In fact, the Chinese already
thought of that idea about 200 years before paper
from trees was even invented. Benjamin Franklin
owned a mill that made hemp paper!
Hemp can also be used to create biofuels. Filtered
hemp oil can be used directly to power diesel en-
gines. BMW is experimenting with hemp materials
in their automobiles as part of an effort to make cars
more recyclable. If people were to start using hemp to
power their vehicles, the world’s dependency on fossil
fuels would drop and we would reduce our carbon
footprint.
Hemp is not only good for our environment: it’s also
good for you! Hemp food products are similar to soy
food products. Hemp oil has many good nutrients
in it, including a rare nutrient called gamma linoleic
acid, which can also be found in mother’s milk.
There are many more reasons why hemp should be
legalized, and I’ll get into more detail on those in
future columns, but a bong just got packed…
More Tips For activists...
If they are concerned about security on our
southern border:
The single biggest source of income to the
Mexican drug cartels is marijuana trafficking. As
much as 70% of the money that the Mexican
cartels make is from the smuggling and sale of
marijuana. If pot is legalized, it would defund
the criminal activity of the cartels, which also
includes smuggling human beings into the
country.
If they are worried about healthy eating:
The oil extracted from the hemp seed is even
more healthful than the best extra-virgin olive
oil. It is high in Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids,
which are a part of a healthy diet, and is better
than flaxseed oil in providing these important
nutrients. Hempseed oil is highly unsaturated,
but requires no preservatives for storage, and can
even be frozen to increase its shelf-life.
If they know someone with cancer, Alzheimer’s
Disease or HIV/AIDS:
The active ingredient in cannabis, THC, has
positive impacts on patients afflicted with all of
these conditions. From giving appetites back to
chemotherapy patients, to combating the formation
of Alzheimer’s “plaque” in the brain, to pain relief
for AIDS patients, pot has been shown to have
tremendous value in hundreds of different medical
applications. However, studies have also proven that
extracting the THC and ingesting it is not as effective
as inhaling it from the source.
Now you have the necessary ammunition to advocate
for the legalization of one of the most powerful
substances ever known.
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AN INTRODCUTION TO THC CONCENTRATES
Kevin McGrath
For smokers who are seeking a cleaner, more pure and
powerful high concentrates are the way to go. From
Pressed Kief Hash to the illusive budder, these extractions come in all concentrations, textures, and tastes to
satisfy any smoker’s needs. Hashish, commonly called
“hash”, is a concentrate of THC. Hashish may have
a variety of consistencies and potencies depending on
how it was made. A popular method, involving filter
bags, makes Bubble Hash, a high-potency hash that
usually has a tar-like consistency and color.
The simplest form of hashish is called Iso-Hash.
It is named for the isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol)
with which it is made. This is the easiest form of hash
to make, and can be made in a variety of ways depending on what materials you have around. There are 3
main ways: teapot method, kief method, and trim/
powder.
The teapot method is the original process by
which hash was made in modern times. Some of our
parents probably even used this method when they
were in college! You need an electric hotplate/stove to
start. Because of how flammable alcohol and its vapors
can be, no open flames are allowed. (Editor’s note: to
avoid danger, only heat alcohols in a well ventilated
area!) You will also need ground up bud, 91% isopropyl alcohol, available at any pharmacy, a coffee filter,
twine, and, as the name suggests, a teapot. Place the
ground up bud into the coffee filter and tie it off with
the twine, so that you have your own herbal teabag.
Fill the teapot with some isopropyl-alcohol and place it
on the stove. Tie a weight to the teabag (I use a knife
or spoon) and place the bag into the teapot so that it
is submerged in the alcohol. Let the alcohol heat up
but not boil away. If the alcohol evaporates away too
soon, it will not dissolve and separate the trichomes
of THC on the bud. Make sure to keep the heat low
to prevent drying up. After about 2-4 hours the hash
should be ready and you can boil off the excess alcohol.
You should have a sticky, black compound in the tea
bag. You can always re-boil the teabag for a more
refined concentrate, but the potency will not increase
significantly after the first boil.
Kief iso-hash can be made with the spare kief
in your grinder’s pollen tray. Fill your grinder with
rubbing alcohol so that the kief screen is submerged
(you might have to open your grinder to do so), and
let it soak for 24-48 hours. After that, simply pour
out all of the isopropyl-alcohol into a dish and heat
the dish until the alcohol evaporates, and you can
scrape up your hash. Usually, I just throw my kief tray
onto a frying pan and boil off all the excess alcohol.
When doing so, make sure to let the alcohol evaporate,
but once the substance dries up, remove it from heat!
Scrape the tray of your grinder for some fine kief isohash. You will need a fair amount of kief to get any
significant amount of hash.
The third and final method is the trim/powder
method. For this method, unless you are a grower with
trimmings from your pant, I recommend purchasing a coffee grinder ($17 at Target), and using a fine
setting to grind up your bud. Place the bud in a glass
jar, submerge it in alcohol for 48-72 hours, and then
it should be ready to make hash. Run your mixture
through a mesh-screen strainer and collect the alcohol
on a plate or Pyrex dish. Let the alcohol evaporate, or
make a hot water bath by boiling a pot of water and
placing the dish in the water so that the dish is indirectly heated. Scrape your dish for an amber colored
concentrate, smoke, and enjoy!
Yellow Pressed Hashish
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Cooking with cannabis: Butter Basics
Adam Freed
General Info
Grind up the marijuana into a moderately fine substance
Use cheese cloth to sift out the marijuana and to squeeze
the butter out
Place the water/butter mixture in the freezer over night so
that the water will separate, leaving a layer of primo weed
butter
Double-Boiler Method
Prepare two pots in a double-boilDirect heat in pot/pan
er configuration, with a pot for the
Melt the butter in a pan on very
butter and marijuana placed inside
low heat and insert marijuana. Add
a larger pot of boiling water. The
water throughout the process, so as
boiling water maintains the temperanot to burn the THC-bound butter.
ture of the butter (much like in the
Stir consistently until the mixture
direct heat method). Remember to
becomes very dark in color. Do not
add water to the large pot as it boils
let the butter darken too much as it
off. You can cook for longer in a douwill burn.
ble-boiler because it maintains temperature more efficiently.
Amount of time: at least 1 hour
Initial Assessment
Quality of bud (shwag>beaster>heady)
Butter-bud ratio (1oz/cup>.5oz/cup>.25oz/cup)
Find a recipe that requires an appropriate amount of
butter (1 cup = 2 sticks)
Crock Pot Method
Pre-melt the butter and add it to the
warmed crock pot. Mix in marijuana
and let the mixture sit on a low temperature. You can also add water if you
are nervous about burning the butter,
but this is not necessary. Maintain the
temperature at 212 degrees Fahrenheit
(the boiling point of water) or at a low
setting, depending on whether or not
you use water. Again the key is to not
burn the butter, so keep temperatures
low to be safe.
Amount of time: 6 hours or more
(totally worth the wait)
Amount of time: at least 2 hours
Strain of the month - Island sweet skunk Federation seeds
The strain that put Vancouver’s pot-breeders on the map, the ISS
is an extremely potent (20% THC) Sativa-Skunk cross. The Island’s light green buds are complimented by bright orange hairs
and golden-yellow pollen. Thanks to its sativa parent, the ISS gives
off an extremely fruity aroma, almost tropical, with pleasing floral
tones. Even better, Vancouver Island’s fruit-punch stank comes
through in flavor, which ranges from melon to fruit candy. Finally,
odd phenomenon of this bud is that it can be recognized by afterstench, as the room is left smelling just like the ganja! The Island
is recommended for outdoors, where the plant can easily grow to 5
feet. The nugget is generally fluffy, but if it is chopped too early the
buds can be left wispy. The stone is on the sativa end, leaving the
smoker in a euphoric, upbeat state of mind. Though very powerful,
it can be the perfect morning smoke. Next chance you get, be sure
to take a trip down to the Islands mon. Or west to Vancouver, eh?
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PRIMED FOR AN ODDITY FAIRE - 10/10/10 ORPHEUM THEATRE
Adam Freed
Two large astronauts light up to the weird carnival
music inherent of a Primus concert. There is an unnatural feeling in the air, and it is clashing with that
of my typical concert experience. Suited up and ready
for action… Les Claypool’s whiny, nasal drawl… his
thumping, pumping slap bass, soon to be swelling up
into dark crevices of the old-timey Orpheum Theatre.
The anticipation was burning. And so was I. The house
lights faded to black as I sparked my readied chillum
of Trey Dawg and passed it to the left. Primus, whose
sound is formulated on the bizarre world that is Les
Claypool’s mind, is a mélange of metal and funk: a
heavy, thrashing tone with a funky almost danceable
groove. Throughout the night the band would draw
the music into a lull, before surging back into a frenzied Claypool bass line.
Claypool is a master of the slap bass and creates
melodies, with rhythm, unlike any other bassist. He
shines within several genres, though he is not an extremely proficient improvisational musician. Yet again,
he is extremely talented, has developed a unique sound,
and is mischievously creative. To put it bluntly, he is
sick and twisted in all the best ways. Claypool’s distinct sound is juxtaposed with Larry LaLonde’s amelodic guitar work that sends wails and shrieks coursing through your eardrum. Finally, the infamous Jay
Lane sweats behind his kit, varying between steady
tempo and masterful feats of improvisation. Lane is
an interdisciplinary drummer, having played with jazz
musicians, and most recently members of the Grateful
Dead.
Several songs into the set the tone remained heavy,
and as the eeriness settled in, Claypool busted into the
recognizable “Southbound Pachyderm.” This tune is
very dark and is dominated by Claypool’s frightening, flooding bass line, which is offset by melodic
themes that pierce through the tension. Claypool’s
voice sucked me in, forcing my body to thrash to his
bizarre beat, to glimpse his alien-like psyche. Note:
being in-sync with this freakish character is not a tranquil endeavor, nor representative of a casual Sunday
night. “Groundhog’s Day” featured LaLonde, who
plays a dreary yet oddly clean melody over Claypool’s
narration of his morning. If it wasn’t already apparent,
this led into a heavy metal section in which LaLonde
wailed his first comprehensive guitar solo of the night.
Soon to follow was Jay Lane’s drum solo, which was
my personal highlight of the evening. Lane’s role is
primarily to keep a heavy, steady beat throughout
the show, with his double bass drum rarely slowing.
Nonetheless, when given the opportunity, he cannot
keep from switching things up, and changing his beat
at every given moment. His improvisational skills, in
all realms of music, are outstanding, and he propelled
the show forward. Other highlights of the set were the
pumping “My Name is Mudd” featuring slap bass, the
funky set closer “Harold of the Rocks,” and the tour
closing, second encore “Tommy the Cat.”
Les Claypool’s show featured many antics. For
instance, the bassist donned ape and pig masks and
played an array of bases. In particular, the uncommon
Whamola…played by hitting its single string with a
drum stick and altering the string’s tension with a lever,
and the semi-acoustic Eko Bass. As well, Claypool likes
to mess with his audience and will narrate as much as
his fans allow. In fact, this relationship is exacerbated
by the fact that fans of Primus love to shout “Primus
Sucks!” throughout the show. At the Orpheum Theatre
Boston, Claypool apologized that, since it was the last
night of tour, the bands performance would indeed
suck. Later Claypool rambled on about his attraction to the city, telling a nonsensical story involving
a trip to Boston, an ex-girlfriend, and the true secret
identity of fellow-freak Buckethead: Jay Lane (sure…).
Claypool weaved his tale with a nasal twinge before
thumping into oblivion, as Primus ended their month
long Oddity Faire tour. Quirky fans poured out of the
majestic building, stumbling onto the cobbled stone,
which will likely be stained by the odd force that was
Primus.
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growing high-grade marijuana
Dr. Greenthumb
The first step in growing ganja is picking out your seeds.
Genetics are the most important factor in whether or
not your growing venture will succeed. Even if you do
everything else right, a bad plant will yield bad bud. Fortunately, there are a few simple guidelines you can follow
to help make this task easier. Some things you need to
consider are where you get your seeds, what kind of seeds
you’re getting, and how to safely acquire your seeds. I
know that this all can be a bit intimidating, so I’m going
to give you basic knowledge to grow the dankest herb.
Some wonder if growing a potent plant is important. You may ask yourself, “Why do I need to do all
this work?” It’s true, a marijuana plant is a weed and will
grow like one if left to its own devices. You could easily
get a shrub by throwing some seeds in some dirt, watering it and waiting for it to pop out of the ground, but it
probably won’t be any good. Unlike alcohol, more potent
cannabis will give you a better, longer lasting high with
less negative side effects (like the munchies). Ganja grown
with care tastes better, breaks up easier, contains no seeds,
smells better, and looks prettier. Do yourself a favor and
grow some heady weed!
Now let’s talk about picking seeds. The two main
types of Cannabis are Indica and Sativa. Both have unique
characteristics and produce very potent strains. Sativa is
best characterized by tall plants (from 4 to 15 feet) with
long un-patterned bladed leaves. Plants this tall aren’t
practical for indoor grow rooms, though through pruning
they can be made to fit. Sativa plants produce a “head
high,” which is hazy and cerebral. They have long spaces,
approximately 3 to 6 inches, between nodes (the place
where a branch grows out of the stem). Sativa has large
sprawling root systems to support the structure of the
plant. Outdoor growing is best suited for Sativa’s needs.
By contrast, Indica plants are shorter and bushier. They
have rounded leaves with marble like patterns and have
smaller spaces between nodes (3 inches or less). The high
produced is a relaxed “body high”. Cannabis Indica is the
choice of indoor growers and breeders; its height ranges
from 6 inches to 6 ft (averaging around 4 ft) and is perfect
for a grow room. Indica plants have a shorter grow cycle
and, if grown indoors, can lead to multiple harvests.
Both Indica and Sativa cannabis can produce potent
strains. Cannabis’s potency depends on how man psychoactive chemicals, called cannabinoids, the plant produces.
The king of the cannabinoids is Tetrahydro Cannibinol
Delta-9 (THC). There are other cannabinoids that can
affect the high, making it last longer, come on quicker,
give the ganja a stronger smell, etc. These cannibinoids
only match about 10% of the strength THC can deliver.
My professional recommendation would be to pick seeds
with higher THC percentage, so you can properly reward
yourself for the hard work of cultivation.
Now that you know all the information needed to
pick seeds, it’s time to buy some. The best way is to get
the seeds from a friend whose ganja you like to smoke!
It’s great because you can get them for free while avoiding numerous security risks and you’ll never regret your
choice. However, if you’re not so well connected the internet is your next best option. The internet is filled with
legitimate seed banks based in locations where laws allow
their merchandise (despite it being outlawed here).
Of course there are problems that come with shopping on the internet, mainly the issue of trying to distinguish legitimate seed banks from the people who want to
rip you off. Jorge Cervantes is a notorious Cannabis activist/grower and has authored many growing books. His
website, Marijuanagrowing.com, has a list of legitimate
seed banks and their websites. If you are safe, anonymous,
and do your research, acquiring seeds shouldn’t be difficult at all.
Remember: the plant you pick should suit your grow
space’s needs. Indoor plants should be short enough to fit
in your grow room. In general, indica is short and stays
indoors, Sativa is tall and works best outdoors, though
there is flexibility in growing. Always grow cannabis with
high potency so your hard work pays off and put in hard
work so you investment pays off. Take precautions when
acquiring seeds, do everything safely and anonymously;
use cash and mail to another address. Seeds are the
most important part of a successful grow room, so make
sure you get the right ones! Look for more tips in Smoke
Signals’ Grow Column.
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Artistic submission
Jessica Charnley
THE ABORIGINIES
We take a sip of the gleaming water,
That expels the wisdom from our hands,
Telling us what is now,
But only the idea, of what is to come.
But we don’t need this water,
We’ve known this truth all along,
Hidden deep within our souls,
Vibrating our minds.
Allowing our souls,
To stream out purples and blues,
Into a grey and black world.
This light will change the way things are,
If the people look up from their own mind’s worries.
But does it even matter?
Our brains are now riding the fourth dimension,
To blast our streams of life with inner peace.
Don’t be afraid to swim,
In that washed out wavy shore.
It will carry you onto a life that lasts forever.
Awaken your soul,
And ride the wave to the next break of the shore,
Until the rush picks you up once more.
We can’t keep searching for answers,
Cause simplyWe will find nothing.
All we’ve known is now.
We have one chance to live.
You can’t pay for the truth,
With your ‘worldly’ money.
Burn it all,
And obliterate the truth
Out from society’s lies.
Don’t waste your blood’s pulse,
Make a change and find your inner beat.
Join us,
Join our tribe.
Of aborigines dancing in the moonlight,
Drink the paint,
And feel your own personal works of artYour every emotion.
Drench yourself in it.
Now let’s catch the moon,
And see what more wisdom it can feed us.
Some of us will never return,
We’ll get lost and glitter amongst the stars.
Some will awake,
And think it was all a dream.
And some will know that this is all so real,
In a game that can be so fake.
We’ll never leave the forestBut we’ll make sure others can come along.
Paint the sky,
Paint your hands,
And let your footprints lead your way.
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CONTACT INFO
Join the CRC!
Where - Room 322, Student Union
When - Every Monday @ 7:00 pm
Website - www.umasscrc.org
Phone - 413.545.1122
Email - smokesignals@umasscrc.org
Also find us on facebook!