MMM Report Feature Artist: Dragon Wagon - by Hemptress Jolene

     Do you like bluegrass folk rock that takes you on an exploration of Americana music and a shot of whiskey? If you answered yes to both those things, then the Michigan Roots band Dragon Wagon just might be for you. Dragon Wagon may once have referred to a tank, now also refers to this tank of music.  Since forming in 2008, they have become a powerhouse of Michigan roots music.   The debut CD Dragon Wagon is definitely worth the download.

     As a huge fan of roots music, I first caught Michigan’s Dragon Wagon at Farmfest in Northern Michigan and what made me want to see them again was the energy and personality they brought their music.  This band made people get up and dance, their wasn’t a person in that crowd that wasn’t bouncing something.  To me, that is the sign of a good roots band, they make you move.  They make you dance, they make you want to sing right along with them, even if that singing comes out as a caterwaul.  It seems the are always good with whiskey! That first performance was something else and I truly enjoyed the energy and showmanship they bring to the table.

The Christmas Wish List - by Daniel L. Price, Esq.

     It’s that time of year again. Christmas is nearly here! You know, Christmas is such a wonderful time of year. Whether you believe that Christmas is a religious holiday or not, it does not matter. Christmas time is exciting and brings happiness and cheer to people. It also brings with it the spirit of giving.

     I like to view Christmas as the time of year when people come together and share the fruits of their labors of the year that is ending, not only with those they love, but also with total strangers. Of course we all have that Christmas wish list, whether we are young or old. So I thought I’d share my list with you, the readers. I do this because this magazine is dedicated to bringing information to those who are denied their freedom to ingest marijuana, making otherwise good people criminals. So here goes:

‘tis The Season... (as if it’s not always THE SEASON......) - by Adam Brook

     I appreciate the readers and the support I have gotten since returning to The MMMR. I was shocked that NO one knew Samuel R. Caldwell’s inmate number 18699. I thought that was an easy one..... This months contest is below......

     Here is a review of some of the products that have come my way. I found them to be worthy so I thought you may be interested in a short review..

Toledo’s Success, and Responsible Ohio Fail This Year: With Kevin Spitler and Sean Nestor - by Ben Horner

     Stepping into the Toledo Hemp Center and being greeted by super-activist Kevin Spitler, was like being reacquainted with a long lost relative. I brought in a couple dozen blankets for another one of Kevin’s blanket drivers for the homeless, which donated over 665 pounds of clothing this year. Mr. Spitler has been doing these for years. I fist met Kevin while participating in a meeting with other dispensary owners in an organization that many of us used to belong to. Kevin left Kalamazoo and returned to Toledo to take care of his mom.

     “When my mother was sick from cancer in Toledo I was driving back and forth from Kalamazoo to Toledo a lot. And I mean a lot lot. During the time I spent in Toledo I started networking with many like-minded people in the marijuana movement. That’s when I came across NW Ohio NORML. I ended up attending one of their meetings and they were discussing what they wanted to accomplish as an organization. See they were brand new. I brought up all the initiatives we have been doing in Michigan. I said to them how come no one in Ohio does local initiatives? I was confused. I said to them you could put anything on the ballot, anything you want. That’s when issue 1 was initially created. In my eyes the movement was inspired by my mother’s fight. As more cities follow Toledo’s path I know my mama is smiling down on me.”

Dream Pillows: The perfect stocking-stuffer that no one has... - by Rebecca Veenstra

     As the holidays grow near are you stressing over what to get all your great friends? Are you trying to budget for family and drawing blanks? Do you find yourself thinking you wish you could come up with the perfect little gift that no one has?

Ta Dah!... Let me introduce you to the fabulous, easy to make, super budget friendly stocking stuffer no one has... The Dream Pillow!

     What is a dream pillow you ask?
A dream pillow is a small pouch that contains one of many herbal recipes to induce calm slumber and restful dreams.

Historically dream pillows have been used in many cultures. Folklore from Medieval Europe says that certain herbs placed in a young woman’s pillow will induce her to dream of her true love. Many more cynical texts suggest that the practice originated as more of an air freshener in the days before Maytag and Febreeze.

A Simple Guide to Vaping with Pens - by Citizen Jay

     Vaping… it’s an entirely different world, especially these days. The term has come to refer to so many different styles of cannabis consumption as well as the umpteen number of new products on the market. Add to that the vast availability and popularity of e-cigarettes and the conundrum really becomes a jumble… This short guide to cannabis vaporizing—and in particular vape pens—will hopefully shine some light through all the fog. 

     Traditionally, vaporizing refers to the use of a convection heat current to warm cannabis flowers to the point of just before they are able to combust. This releases the essential oils from the plant without burning the actual plant material. In so doing, the consumer inhales the active cannabinoids without any of the nasty by-products that are produced from combustion—particularly those volatile carbon compounds and the accompanying nasty free-radicals that are purported to absolutely ruin you.

Santa Says: "Got Meds is Definitely on the Nice List!" - by Ben Horner

     A warm, festive atmosphere gives patients and caregivers a place to feel comfortable and enjoy some fellowship, and consume cannabis without feeling like second-class citizens. Got Meds is a one of a kind in Lansing. Nowhere else can you experience a fully equipped lounge, play pool, and smoke down with your homies. Cypress Hill would be proud of the sticky-icky Christmas tree, but for real, these guys have serious heart. Gathering Toys for Tots for the Salvation Army shows that they care about more then just smoking major chronic.

     “I got 5 on it,” has new meaning. With $5 grams everyone can get down. Bring an unwrapped new toy that is worth at least $10 and get a free gram.  Turn in is December 20th,  so get yours by paying it forward. It’s the gift that keeps giving.  So show some holiday cheer. Come in out of the cold and hang out with the coolest cats in Lansing. Get certified at the clinic right around the corner.

Free the Weed 57 - by John Sinclair

Highest greetings from Amsterdam at the beginning of the traditional Cannabis Cup week, where for the first time since 1988 there will be no High Times Cannabis Cup in the marijuana capitol of the world and no Thanksgiving Day awards for the best weed grown in Holland.

     I first came to Amsterdam for the 11th Cannabis Cup in 1998, where I served as High Priest and performed at the Melkweg club nightly with my band of Blues Scholars from New Orleans. I had such a good time that I begged High Times to bring me back the next year, and that’s when I fell in with Michael Veling of the 420 Café. He sponsored my visits to the Cannabis Cup for the next three years and convinced me to relocate from New Orleans to Amsterdam after the 16th Cup in 2003, offering me a more or less permanent base of operations at his coffeeshop ever since.

VGIP Update December 2015 - by Ben Horner

    This month (December 2015) we face the biggest attack on the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act attempted yet. Some say the deal is done and Senator Rick Jones is poised to make good on his promise to give into the Michigan State Police demands to remove caregivers from the dispensary process, to tightly control all cultivation and create a per se limit for driving and marijuana.  Detroit is also making it’s move to regulate dispensaries and the same people that are trying to cut a deal with Jones and the MSP are hoping to remove as much of their competition as possible. The VGIP will be participating in a meeting in Ann Arbor that should shine some additional light to these events and by the first of the year, we should know what MI Legalize will be in 2016.

     In Gaylord, Al Witt and Chad Marrow have succeeded in passing the next stage the zoning amendment to allow “Provisioning Centers”. The Planning board of Gaylord unanimously passed the amendment as written, and sent it back to city council for a vote. The Council is meeting Monday the 14th, and hopefully they will make the final vote then to approve the petition language and create a safe environment for medical marijuana centers. The petition to zone these Provisioning Centers was drafted by the Cannabis Stakeholders Group, with the aid of the VGIP.

Next up is Cadillac.

Grow Tip - by Ben Horner

The Dominator 2x XL by Lush Lighting. $1699.00

Flowering with LED vs. HPS

     Recent innovations in LED lights are prompting new research comparing more traditional lighting, such as high-pressure sodium and double-ended bulbs side by side with LEDs. In the past, most LED’s on the market failed to produce full spectrum light in significant enough strengths to produce the needed light to satisfy the needs of a mature cannabis plant in full flower.

World News for December 2015 - by Rachel Bunting

Canadian Company Helps Brew the Morning Pot
VAUGHAN: CannTrust, a medical marijuana producer in Ontario, has created CANNCUP, a single-serve marijuana pod for coffee machines such as Keurig. Similar to the coffee pods already available, the CANNCUP will contain coffee, tea, or hot chocolate but will also contain dried cannabis. The pods will run between $3 and $4 a cup but the marijuana will not affect the taste of the drink.

     CannaTrust is awaiting approval from Health Canada for the license to begin selling the pods to medical patients. A statement released from Health Canada stated the agency is “working to determine if these pods would be permissible.” This is because up until June patients were only allowed to smoke the dried plant, but in June the Supreme Court ruled that patients were not restricted to smoking to consume the drug. While this ruling permitted cannabis companies to produce oils and fresh buds, it did not specify whether pot-infused edibles would be acceptable. The CEO of CannaTrust is optimistic that the new Liberal government will expand the rules and make access to medication easier.

National News for December 2015 - by Rachel Bunting

Alaska to Allow Smoking at Pot Shops
JUNEAU: While marijuana use was made legal, for people 21 and older, in Alaska in November of last year, it is still illegal to buy as no businesses have been licensed to dispense it. According to the Associated Press, the board is already ironing out the kinks in its laws, before accepting business applications in February, by changing the definition of “in public”. The initiative passed last year did ban public consumption but did not define the term “public”. In a 3-2 vote by the Marijuana Control Board “in public” was changed to allow for pot consumption in some of the shops that will be licensed to sell it. Chairman of the board Bruce Schulte, who proposed the amendment, believes there will be a demand for facilities that are permitted to have on-site consumption. Earlier this year regulators defined “in public” as a place where the public or a substantial group of people have access, but many felt this definition was too restrictive as it could ban consumption at weddings or office parties. The director of the board anticipates more changes in the future detailing types of marijuana that will be allowed to be consumed in the stores.

Michigan News for December 2015 by Rachel Bunting

 Police Reposition Opinion on Marijuana
LANSING: While most law enforcement officials in Michigan refuse to completely support any proposal to legalize marijuana in the state, they are not going to stand in the way either. According to mLive, Howell Police Chief said, “While law enforcement cannot support any legislation that by definition is illegal under federal law due to the classification of marijuana, what we can do is find a position not to oppose having a tough and tight regulatory framework.” This means that while police cannot support any legalization proposal, they will not fight against a proposal they see as detailed and well crafted.