Good for the Environment, Good for You

Clean Green Certified clones now available in San Jose

By Goose Duarte, Assistant General Manager, Harborside San Jose

Browse through the selection at Harborside Health Center and you'll see that some of our medicine features a Clean Green Certified sticker indicating the highest levels of quality control available in the production of cannabis. The Clean Green Certified program was founded by a licensed California attorney who is also a USDA Organic inspector. The program is modeled on the USDA National Organic Program, to ensure environmentally clean and sustainable methods are used for the production of medical cannabis. This means that when you choose a strain that's been Clean Green Certified, you can rest assured that your medicine is free of synthetic additives, pesticides or other contaminants, and that it has a minimal carbon footprint; it's good for you and good for the environment.

Clean Green certification starts with a thorough review and inspection of growing methods and facilities. Every aspect of the operation is considered, from the source of seeds and clones, nutrients being used, the source of water and electricity, and cleanliness of the facilities, to the processes for  feeding, flushing, harvesting, drying and curing the medicine. By combining a review of the growing methods with a standard agricultural crop inspection, even the environmental impact of the crop on its surrounding areas-and vice versa-are considered. However, this is just the beginning of the process. For a batch of cannabis to retain its Clean Green Certification all the way to the patient's hands, the dispensary processing the medicine needs to be Clean Green Certified as well.

Both Harborside Health Center facilities are Clean Green Certified. Every aspect of our operation has been inspected and reviewed to determine that no contaminants are introduced into Clean Green Certified medicine during processing and packaging. A yearly inspection of our facilities ensures our ongoing compliance with the Clean Green Certification-approved methods and materials. This year, we are thrilled to announce that our certification includes crop production, which means that we will be able to offer our patients Clean Green Certified clones and plants in our facility in San Jose.

A Clean Green Certified plant has been sufficiently flushed and fed only approved nutrients to ensure that there is no chemical residue in the plant tissue or roots. Clean Green Certified plants, like the processed medicine, will be clearly labeled with a certification sticker for your assurance and peace of mind. Our Clean Green Certified clones and starters are vigorous and free of contaminants, allowing you to give your crop the best possible starting point for a clean and bountiful harvest.

You may also notice some of our medicine is labeled "Best Practices." This labeling denotes items that have been grown and processed using the same methods and guidelines as the Clean Green Certified products, but utilize a limited and responsible amount of synthetic chemical fertilizers generally needed for hydroponic operations.

Look for Clean Green and Best Practices Certified medicine at Harborside Health Center to ensure you are only consuming medicine that was grown and processed following the highest levels of care and integrity. We'll see you soon!

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Don't let the myth of risk stop you from working in a rewarding industry

By Andrew DeAngelo, General Manager, Harborside Health Center

Ask Americans these days if they would be interested in applying for an entry-level job that pays almost double the federal minimum wage with health care, 401k, and a 40% discount on medical cannabis, most of them would answer with an emphatic, "YES." Despite the overwhelming need in our communities for well-paying jobs, medical cannabis dispensaries like Harborside Health Center are having difficulty recruiting entry-level workers, as well as management-level talent. How can such a problem exist during the greatest depression since, well, the Great Depression?

The crackdown by the federal government on medical cannabis dispensaries in California has played a major role in the problem. Many patient workers won't apply or work at places where they fear they may face arrest if there is a raid while they are on the clock. While the threat of arrest for staff or even managers is low, the anxiety persists. In addition, the fear of association with medical cannabis taints workers' motivation to jump into our industry. They are understandably concerned that any work in medical cannabis may jeopardize future career opportunities.

As this pressure on California dispensaries intensifies, the fear and anxiety among our current and future workers increases. The stress on their families also mounts, as many conclude that having loved ones in such a volatile industry is not worth the price, despite the generous pay and benefits. The fact that patient workers must find lower-paying jobs in this economy because of this treatment is shameful. It's yet another example of the federal government making things worse instead of better.

Working at places like Harborside Health Center is not as risky as it may seem on the surface. The threat of arrest for any staff member during a potential raid of HHC is miniscule. In addition, our collective stands by our staff and managers. We advocate for them and provide assistance to them when they may be confronted with Child Protective Services or other agencies. We have a free employee assistance program to help folks out when they are faced with difficult problems in all areas of life. The HHC Human Resources Department also stands by our workers with a variety of training programs to help them grow and progress their internal and marketable skills. In addition, HHC has purchased a variety of protective insurance policies that can help workers stay safe on the job and help protect them from work stoppage events.

And lastly, the stigma associated with working in medical cannabis is melting away. Community outreach, public research, support from the medical industry, our television program, "Weed Wars," and other educational efforts have transformed the mainstream attitude towards medical cannabis. A whopping 70% of Californians now support safe access to medical cannabis and over 50% of all Americans believe in ending criminal penalties for cannabis. This seismic shift in attitudes ought to give our potential patient workers comfort, and inspire their confidence. The day has arrived when workers in medical cannabis are considered pioneers of a new and compassionate industry. My brother Steve and I heard the word "heroes" when we were on the road promoting "Weed Wars." But the real heroes of "Weed Wars" were the staff and managers of HHC. They were the ones who proudly stepped in front of the cameras and showed the world that this type of work is positive and helps heal communities.

If you or someone you know is looking for work, please have them drop off a cover letter and resume to the HHC Human Resources Department. It is past time for all of us to step out of the shadows of unemployment and to step into the light of work with dignity and respect.

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CANNASSEUR CORNER

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Cannabis Historian, vol. 4: A View Through the Haze  

By Timothy Anderson, Purchasing Assistant, Harborside Oakland

SCENE: A Santa Cruz beach at dawn. It is the late 1960s, and hippie culture is in full-flourish. A lone surfer struggles to the shore on a golden morning. Mist lingers in the air, giving the atmosphere a hallucinogenic, dream-like quality. The sun scatters through the sparse clouds and across the sand in tie-dye patterns. The sound of seabirds calling echoes across the beach... or is that just an electric guitar squalling in the distance? The dripping-wet surfer drops his board and opens his hand; from it falls a few cannabis seeds. The wind catches the seeds and scatters them deep into the Santa Cruz Mountains. From these seeds, the Haze was born.

Original Haze is perhaps the most quintessential Californian cannabis variety (save for Skunk #1-that's another story for another day). The well-known myth of a surfer bringing the first few seeds that eventually became Haze may or may not be true, but it is worth considering. Certainly, surfers have always been notorious for their great appreciation of cannabis and, as the 1966 film "Endless Summer" shows, surfers were also prone to wandering the world in search of the next epic wave. It does not strain belief to think that a few cannabis seeds accompanied at least one of them on their return voyage home, and ended up in the hands of a willing cultivator. Other versions of the Haze legend say that a woman known as the "Haze Queen"-an adept flower gardener who also dabbled in cannabis-guided the Haze into existence. This much is absolutely certain: the Original Haze is a pure sativa hybrid that began its existence in the vicinity of Santa Cruz around 1969 as a Columbian/Mexican hybrid, and eventually came to incorporate South Indian and Thai genetics. Also, Haze represents perhaps the first well-known domestic cannabis "brand" not tied to its region of origin or cultivation ("Panama Red", "California Homegrown", etc.).

Though born in the United States, Original Haze started its rise to international celebrity (or notoriety, depending on your perspective) in the Netherlands. Brought there by an enterprising American in 1981 (along with other notable genetics that would make a deep impact on the cannabis world- including the previously mentioned Skunk #1, and many others), the Haze eventually made its way into the hands of an enterprising international cannabis breeder in Amsterdam. Nevil, owner and operator of the Seed Bank (later known as Sensi Seeds), hybridized the Haze with his prized, early finishing indica-dominant Northern Lights #5 in 1988 and sold the resulting seeds across the world. Perhaps the strongest cannabis of its era, NL5 x Haze (as it became known) made a great impact on both connoisseurs and cultivators. Nevil regarded NL5 x Haze as one of his greatest cannabis breeding achievements. He utilized it again in later years in two other legendary varieties often seen at Harborside Health Center: Sensi Seeds' Jack Herer and Greenhouse Seeds' Super Silver Haze.

These days true Original Haze is usually only found in the stashes of cannabis breeders, as its flowering cycle of up to four months (enough time to run two cycles of a shorter-flowering indica variety) is simply too long for the average cultivator to cope with. But the patients of Harborside Health Center will notice the Haze and its relatives appearing on the shelves quite frequently: Super Silver Haze, Jack Herer, NL5 x Haze (sometimes known as "the Cough") and countless other relatives of varying degrees. With a unique sweet, spicy flavor reminiscent of its Colombian ancestors and a soaring cerebral effect, Haze is bound to remain a favorite among sativa-seeking medical cannabis patients for many decades to come.

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 -John Brown, Web/Marketing Manager, Harborside Health Center Oakland

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FAQ OF THE MONTH:

What is a vaporizer?

A vaporizer is a device used to extract the active cannabinoid ingredients in the plant material of cannabis. Vaporization of cannabis is an alternative to burning (smoking) that avoids the production of irritating toxic and carcinogenic by-products. It does this by heating the plant material so its active compounds boil off into a vapor instead of combusting into a smoke. No combustion occurs, so no smoke or taste of smoke is present. Vapor ideally contains virtually zero particulate matter or tar, and significantly lower concentrations of noxious gases such as carbon monoxide. In 2007, a study by the University of California at San Francisco published in the journal of the American Academy of Neurology examined the efficacy of a vaporizer that heats cannabis to a temperature between 356 °F and 392 °F degrees, and found the following:

"Using CO as an indicator, there was virtually no exposure to harmful combustion products using the vaporizing device. Since it replicates smoking's efficiency at producing the desired THC effect using smaller amounts of the active ingredient as opposed to pill forms, this device has great potential for improving the therapeutic utility of THC."

With little to no smoke produced and cooler temperatures, less material is required to achieve a given level of effect. Hence, the irritating and harmful effects of smoking are reduced, as is secondhand smoke. This means that administering THC to the body via the vaporization method can be a healthy alternative to smoking a joint or water pipe.

 Omicron Vaporizer

 Magic Flight Vaporizer  

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