umass amherst crc's "smoke signals," april 2011

April 2011

BROUGHT TO YOU BY UMASS AMHERST CRC

From the Offices of the CRC...When I first came to the CRC I didn’t really know what to expect. That remains true to this day, even after a semester of meetings. These people are crazy. I mean that in the best of all possible ways, I really do. It is a rare occasion when I am not amused by CRC shenanigans.

I got involved because a longtime friend, Freed, is an officer of the organization, and he kept nagging me to get involved. I’m glad I got involved, even though I’m being forced to write this blurb (on a Sunday!).

I’ve greatly enjoyed being part of the movement which will surely overturn our draconian drug laws. After meeting our goal of legalizing cannabis in this great nation, this group could go on to take over the world (if they so wished). The proof is in the pudding, as they say. This year’s Extravaganja will be the biggest and bestest to date. Yes, bestest, deal with it... That is all.

-Martin P. Havel

Apr 16

& 17

Apr 20

Apr 28

Apr 30

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Signal Back Hello everyone and welcome to

Smoke Signals, a regular news-

letter published by the Canna-

bis Reform Coalition. The writing

staff is made up of members

of the CRC. Our mission is to

present a wide spectrum of in-

formation regarding marijuana

and its inherent culture. In order

to to be sucessful, to produce

the headiest magazine possi-

ble, Smoke Signals needs your

help. We want our readers to be

involved, informed anand 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 Union Room 322, or

contact us online via Facebook,

Campus Pulse or www.umasscrc.

org. The CRC contact informa-

tion can be found on the back

cover. From all of us here at the

CRC and Smoke Signals we want

to say thank you for your contin-

ued support.

Write for Smoke Signals

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. Send submissions to

[email protected] or

drop by the office whenever.

SMOKE SIGNALSCRC Current Events

20th Anniversary Extravaganja!

Two days, from noon till dusk, on the Amherst Town Commons, smoking is permitted

Happy Holidays! Come join us on the hill. Yes, more smoking

Hemposium: Suffolk University celebrates hemp history week (which is actually May 2nd-8th)

Fill the hill: Concert on the Central Hill.

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Saturday:

Kids on a Hill (12:00-12:30) Lorraine KerzSolo Sexx (12:50-1:30) Norm Bie -> John SinclairDanny Pease & the Regulators (1:50-2:30) Sketch 22Primate Fiasco (2:50-3:30) Terry Franklin -> Vermin Supreme -> John SinclairKung Fu (4:00-5:20) Dick EvansProblemaddicts (5:30-6:30) Final Announcements

Extravaganja SCHEDULE

Sunday:

Orange Television (12:00-12:30)Fine & Dandy Trio/Bella’s Bartok (12:30-1:30) Juggling/Circus ClubDownbeat Keys (1:50-2:30) Long ImprovEcho Movement (2:40-3:40) Terry Franklin -> John SinclairSpiritual Rez (4:00-5:20) David LensonRoots of Creation (5:30-6:45) Final Announcements

All About ExtravaganjaAdam Freed

This year is the 20th annual Extravaganja music and freedom rally. It will be held in the Amherst Town Common on April 16th and 17th, from noon till 7:00pm. If you did not already know this...Well, where have you been? Tonight is the final meeting before Extravaganja, but if you still want to help out, stop by the CRC table during the event. This being our 20th year smoking marijuana openly, we have been hard at work to make this the most impressive, innovative, and exciting Extravaganja to date. Please show up to support your favorite UMass RSO, the Cannabis Reform Coalition, put on an a-blazing weed rally. Note: You can smoke mari-juana, in any form, within the boundaries of the Common (located at the intersection of South Pleas-ant & Sprint Street). You cannot smoke marijuana off of the Common; you cannot sell marijuana anywhere; marijuana is still illegal...but please take advantage of the two days in the year when you can smoke in front of all your friends (and police officers) without having to worry about getting a ticket or going to jail. What’s in store...

Music: Opening up each day of Extravaganja will be two UMass bands. Kids on a Hill will kick off the festivities on Saturday, and Orange Television will continue the fun on Sunday morning, followed by local act Bella’s Bartok (also featuring a UMass student...). They will be joined by their friends, the Fine and Dandy Trio, so be sure to catch this amazing, Student Union inspired, wake and bake. We have brought back some old favorites, Solo Sexx (yes, we love UMass based-bands), Primate Fiasco, and the Problemaddicts, all of whom are performing on Sat-urday. We have also added a few new bands to the lineup, like locals Danny Pease & the Regulators and the DownBeat Keys from Syracuse, New York. This year the CRC put up some big bucks on our stage set-up to accommodate a few big name acts, not to take away from all the other music at the festival. Kung Fu, comprised of members of RAQ and The Breakfast (a Butterfield creation who played Extrava-

ganja a decade ago) will be headlining on Saturday. Sunday we have a spread of exotic acts, starting with Echo Movement, whose big hit “I think god smokes weed” caught our attention. Next we have the Boston based reggae-jam band Spiritual Rez. Closing out the festival will be Roots of Creation a hard reggae band from Keene, New Hampshire.

Speakers: Terry Franklin and Norm Bie, long term members of the CRC, will both be speaking through-out the festival. Terry has invited along his friend, and frequent Presidential candidate, Vermin Supreme. Vermin can be found on the streets of New Hamp-shire, where he regularly campaigns. Northampton-based lawyer Dick Evans will be shedding some light on the issues of prohibition. Professor David Lenson, who teaches a course on drugs at UMass, will also be speaking at Extravaganja. Last, but far from least, we will have poet/activist John Sinclair as our key note speaker. John was arrested in the late 60s for giving two joints to an undercover officer. He was given a 10 year prison sentence for his minor offense. John Lennon, Frank Zappa, and a group of musicians came together to put on a benefit show for Sinclair, who was released from prison shortly thereafter.

Attractions: Other than the wafting smell of mari-juana filling a small football field worth of lawn... The UMass Juggling and Circus clubs will be featured at Extravaganja. Two UMass comedy groups will be performing on stage: Sketch 22 and the Long Improv group. There will be a DJ tent in the back corner of the Common. There will be an Art Tent behind the CRC table, where we will be selling awesome mer-chandise (see the front and back covers). We will be body painting, hair wrapping, tie-dying, painting a canvas...Come join us and buy our stuff! Finally, there will be lots of marijuana smoking, with live music bumping all day, and the nice backdrop of your fa-vorite Town Center. Please come and celebrate with us, rain or shine. You do not need sunshine to get high, but I have my fingers crossed nonetheless.


Recently the Faculty Senate approved a

bill making UMASS Amherst a ‘smoke-

free campus’ by the year 2013. This bill not

only applies to both tobacco and marijuana

smoke, but also bans chewing tobacco and e-

cigarettes, both of which produce no smoke.

While I am in opposition to this legislation

on the grounds that it is an overreach of

power and a violation of student rights, I can

sympathize with those in support of the leg-

islation because I too have grown weary of

these ‘inconsiderate smokers’. These smokers

litter, often smoke too close to entrance

ways and are inconsiderate of those that

do not want to accidently inhale cigarette

smoke. This is true of some smokers, but

not true of all smokers. This legislation aims

to punish all smokers by forcing them into

quitting, which does not solve the underly-

ing problem. The ‘inconsiderate smoker’ will

continue to be inconsiderate, regardless of a

smoking ban.

In defense of the opposition, smokers are

being unfairly treated on campus. There are

no covered areas for smokers in inclement

weather. Smoking poles are located close to

building. There are no signs saying where

smokers are allowed to be. Even the most

considerate smoker should not be expect-

ed to try to light a cigarette in the rain or

abide by vague rules. A much more effec-

tive measure to minimize the amount of

second hand smoke inhaled would be to

provide smokers with these resources. It is

ludicrous to expect students, especially those

that reside in the dorms, to walk a mile into

Amherst in order to have a cigarette.

The legislation not only aims to punish

smokers, but also goes as far as to ban

chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes. With this

addition to the legislation, the smoking ban

ceases to be a ban on smoking, but is instead

a declamation of the Faculty Senate’s per-

sonal opinion on the negative side effects of

nicotine on the individual.

Repealing the legislation will require conces-

sions from those in support of the legislation

and those in opposition. Those in support of

the ban must be willing to give all smokers

the resources needed to become ‘considerate

smokers’ and those in opposition to the leg-

islation need to be more considerate to non-

The repeal of smokingKelly Jo Fuller


Budder: a THC concentrate with purity higher than 90 percent. Budder is a stoner legend, more potent than any hash; a few dabs will knock even the most frequent toker on his or her feet. But how is the mythical concentrate made?

It starts with butane honey oil (BHO). BHO is obtained by using butane to extract the THC from the plant material, and since butane boils at room tempera-ture, most of what’s left is pure THC. A quick trip to the local hardware store can get all the supplies, besides the bud, for your BHO. All that’s needed is cheese-cloth, a pipe, a hose nipple (pictured), a screw clamp, a Pyrex dish, a larger dish of boiling water, some razor blades, and some butane, as the name implies.

Affix the cheesecloth to one end of the pipe with the screw clamp and the hose nipple to the other end (pictured). Stuff the inside of the pipe with an ounce of mid-grade bud or a half-ounce of high-grade headies. Place the Pyrex dish into the boiling water to buffer the tempera-ture of the BHO as it’s extracted. With the cheesecloth end of the pipe over the Pyrex dish, align the nozzle of the butane canister to the hose nipple and press down so that liquid butane moves through the plant material, extracting the THC (pic-tured). NOTE: you will want an oven mitt to hold the pipe, it can get cold during the process and any residual butane left on your hands would be dangerous. Two to three 8oz canisters of butane should be sufficient to extract all the THC in the plant material.

Once the butane evaporates off of the BHO in the dish, you can scrape the dish

with the razor blades and get a nice chunk of BHO (pictured). While the product you have at this stage is quite pure, it is not yet budder, the desired concentrate. In order to refine the product to yield budder, a hotplate is needed. Place the Pyrex dish with the BHO onto the hotplate set on LOW heat. As the BHO heats up whip it using a paperclip or sewing needle (pic-tured). Once the BHO hardens and turns into a gummier, tougher substance, you will have budder (pictured).

This sounds like a lot of trouble, why should I make BHO when I can just smoke my marijuana? Budder is an extremely pure concentrate with a taste and a high that can’t be paralleled. Concentrates are becoming increasingly popular in the medical marijuana and compassion-ate care industry. They provide a much purer and longer lasting high, and often circumvent the couch lock that heavy Indica strains cause. For any smoker who wants something more out of their high, or wants a clearer head high while still getting a relaxing body buzz, concen-trates are the way to go. y


BUDDER: A MORE REFINED SMOKEKevin McGrath

Cooking with cannabis:CHOCOLATE BEET CAKE

Ingredients

* 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour* 1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda* 1/4 teaspoon salt* 1 can (15 oz.) whole or quartered beets, drained* 1/2 cup juice from beets* 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar* 1 cup canna-oil or canna-butter* 3 large eggs* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract* 4 ounce squares unsweetened chocolate, melted* 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with non-stick foil.

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt.

2. Puree drained beets in a food processor or heavy-duty blender. Scrape into a large bowl. Add sugar, vegetable oil, and 1/2 cup reserved beet juice to the pureed beets and mix on me-dium speed until combined. Add eggs and vanilla extract, blending until completely in-corporated.

3. Add flour mixture to the beet mixture. Using medium speed, mix until combined, at least two minutes, scraping down sides often. Add melted unsweetened chocolate and mix until combined.

4. Pour into baking pan. Distribute chocolate chips evenly over the top of the batter. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not over-bake or it will become dry. Let cool to room temperature.

The National Cancer Institute acknowledged the me-dicinal properties of marijuana, making them the first federal agency to officially promote marijuana as medi-cine. They concluded that “the health care provider may recommend medicinal Cannabis not only for symptom management but also for its possible direct antitumor effect.” The latter portion of the statement was removed five days later, which may have been due to the con-troversial statement and that fact that it contradicted previous statements made by the federal government regarding marijuana’s medicinal value. Several studies have been released (one which this author recalls reading in 2004) which report the possible antitumor effects of marijuana. Since then, numerous findings have shown that marijuana can stop the growth of cancers in the brain, lungs and breast. I was personally shocked to find out that cannabinoids could be a pos-

MEDICAL GOES FEDERAL - NEW CONTROVERSY BUDDING

sible, even probably, cure to cancer. I can only imagine what the reaction would be if the rest of the nation was clued into the true medical nature of marijuana. The federal government has played a significant role in dissuading the marijuana’s medicinal value, possibly in an attempt to keep the substance illegal. In 1998, the DEA ignored Chief Administrative Law Judge, Francis L. Young’s statement that “marijuana has been accepted as capable of relieving the distress of great numbers of very ill people, and doing so with safety under medical supervision.” Even if the DEA and federal government are not interested in support-ing marijuana for recreational use, this author hopes that they will seriously consider the medical value of marijuana--and to stop hindering its progress. If marijuana cures cancer, then lets use the plant to save millions of lives. First, we need to research.



AMERSTERDAM ADVENTURE PART 2SB

There was a small window and counter at about hip height where you put money and receive a ticket from the operator, so I bent over and asked to buy a ticket. If only I had seen the spot in the glass for speaking into... Buying the ticket he made a gesture towards a hemisphere attached to a pole by the door, which I did not understand so he grabbed my ticket and put it to the hemisphere where a green light clicked. Since I had already been to Amsterdam I should have remembered that this was the pro-cedure for boarding and exiting the trams... I was still only half aware, and I thought that this whole ticket buying process had lasted several minutes which made me a bit paranoid: here I am, obviously a tourist too high to function trying to find my way around- the perfect target to scam or pickpocket right? These paranoid delusions kept cycling through my head and before I knew it I was at the Central Station. Upon entering the main train station I was confronted with a bustling crowd of people as well as a mass of security, both of which made me a bit claustrophobic and even more paranoid. I had no idea where the train to the airport left from or even how to buy a ticket, and after several minutes of aimless wandering I finally got up the courage to ask a security guard which trains went to the airport. “Track 15” was his reply and, feeling pressures of a time constraint closing in upon me, I literally ran to track 15. Once there, however; I came upon the realization that I was still ticket-less, so I asked a group of three girls (I’m guessing mother, daughter, and grandmother) where to get them. They told me that I’d have to go back to the main entrance to a blue machine and buy them there, so I once again ran back to the entrance. There were blue machines everywhere so I stepped up to the first available one and tried to figure it out. At first everything went fine; there was a button for English and everything seemed fairly straight forward until it became time to actu-ally buy the ticket. The machine only had a spot for credit cards or bank cards or some kind of card

(I honestly can’t remember), so I went to another machine which had a slot for coin insertion. After going through the same sequence of button presses, I had the ticket ready to purchase but the coin slot wasn’t opened! Time began pushing on my con-science so I abandoned this machine and spied on someone else paying with coins. Realizing my mis-take (there’s an additional option on the machine for paying with coins which you have to press to open the coin slot...), I was finally able to buy my ticket and ran back to track 15. Just in time too, since a few minutes later a train showed up and brought us to the airport! Upon arrival my first priority was to find my gate and terminal. I hopped off the train and en-tered the main lobby and looked up to the board: arrive, Boston, Gate, _ _ _ . This concerned me since every flight above and below that one had a specified gate, so my next thought was just to walk towards the part of the airport designated for (or at least I thought was designated for) international flights. Luckily on the walk to wherever I was head-ing (I wasn’t even sure of this at the time) a specific gate and time finally appeared on the monitor. I made haste to the gate only to find myself to be several hours too early but having made it put me at ease. I still had a mind that was high in the sky, so my next stop was an airport cafe where I paid too much for a large coffee and made myself a sandwich. I took about an hour to relax, drink my coffee and reflect upon my Christmas and how much fun it had all been. This hour or so of meditation did me a lot of good and brought me down a little bit, but alas, the time had finally come: I had to leave the cafe and go check through security. Upon arrival at the correct gate, I got in line and went through the security procedure. The first part consisted of an agent who questioned me: “Did you pack these bags yourself?” “Where did you pack these bags?”, etc... I tried to answer these as

Continued on the next page


AMERSTERDAM ADVENTURE PART 2 CONTINUED

calmly and inconspicuously as possible, yet I seem to remember sounding confused and taken aback. The questioner seemed satisfied with my half-baked answers (she probably sees lots of young adults baked out of their wits and reeking of weed) and allowed me to proceed to the next step, the critical moment: the baggage scan. I took off my leather jacket, took everything out of my pockets, put my laptop down, put my backpack down, and stepped into the body scanner. The entire time my eyes were fixed on the other side of the bag scanner. I was expecting the worst to happen at any moment: the man on the other side of the scan-ner would open my backpack, rummage through it, and find the contraband. There would be no way of playing dumb since they were still in their original packaging saying that they were extremely potent and contained 1.25 grams of marijuana per piece. After I was scanned by the full body scanner, I went to my baggage and felt the weight of the world lift from my shoulders: my bag had not even been touched, and I quickly snatched up everything and went to take a seat and wait to board the plane. Whether they didn’t notice the two space cakes buried in my bag or they just didn’t care enough to rummage through my stuff (their main concern is probably weapons, not some stoner with space cakes) made no difference to me; I had done it! Two space cakes through security! All of the half-baked planning, distractions, determination, it had all paid off! To reward myself, I went to the bathroom and had about a third of a slice. The taste was very interesting. It definitely had an undertone of mari-juana yet it wasn’t over powering, it tasted sweet, buttery, and even a little lemony. Carefully packing it back up, I sat down once again. I was starting to get semiparanoid again that opening the packaging would lead a drug sniffing dog to where I sat, but none came (in fact I saw none in the airport!). About a half hour later I boarded the plane, got into a nice talk with the person I was sitting next to, and began to relax and watch the end of a film.

By the time the film finished, about a half hour through the flight, I wasn’t really feeling the effects of the cake so I ate half of the remaining two thirds in the bathroom and began to watch the film: Incep-tion (in German!). About halfway through I decided that having such a little amount left I was better off finishing the first space cake, so I took it out and ate it then and there, not even bothering to go to the bathroom. For the last half hour of the movie I was in severe need of a nap, so I finished the movie, put some music on, closed my eyes and began seeing the world around me transform. Images kept com-ing into my mind like in Inception, in which people and events seem to blend into each other. The music also took on a different form and I started seeing very lucid images that went along with the music; the whole experience could be described as being like a minor mushroom trip! It was the best plane ride of my life... Upon arrival I had a bit of anxiety since I still had customs to get through and I was convinced that there would be a thorough baggage scan, drug sniffing dogs, etc. Fortune would have it that these were all paranoid fantasies, and I got through cus-toms with no problem. Now I’m in possession of a single remaining space cake and another pressing question still remains: who should I eat it with...?

SB


Jessica Charnley

ASK A STONER

What band are you most excited for this Extravaganja and why?

EXTRAVAGANJA excites me. Not one particular band or event; the whole festival is just going to be super awesome.

Spiritual Rez! These guys throw DOWN! They are so funky and always keep the crowd dancing. I saw them for the first time at Strangecreek ‘10 and I fell in love. Everybody should DEFINITELY check these dudes out.

I am most excited for the Bella’s Bartok set. They are going to shake things up a bit, hopefully bring-ing out a few friends from the Fine and Dandy Trio. I cannot wait for Sunday!!! Or Saturday!!! I cannot fucking wait.

I am most excited for Echo Movement! I’ve been a fan for a year or so now and I NEVER thought I’d be able to get to see them live. “I THINK GOD SMOKES WEED AND HE WAS HIGH WHEN HE MADE ME... I CAN FEEL IT IN MY DNA!”

What is your number one smoking rule? Or what is the number one smoking faux pas that bugs you?

#1 Rule: Pass left. It’s an OCD thing. Just kid-ding, I don’t have any smoking rules; it’s a rule free activity. As far as faux pas are concerned, I dislike when people are concerned about the rules. Nothing irks me more than the one who is so concerned about the system: “Puff, or puff puff? Left or right? Should we pack alternately?” “Just hit the fucking blunt man, let your mind go.”

Smoking rules? I generally try to avoid rules al-together, rather, keeping only the age-old adage in mind, “It ain’t a microphone.”

When people TORCH the bowl on the first hit. Corner that shit and same some greeny goodness for the rest of us!

My number one smoking rule is to always give eve-ryone a green hit. The biggest faux pas is smoking large hits; a smoker should always take small hits when they are being shared so that others do not miss out.

What trippy/stoner song that means the most to you recently and why?

Sufjan Steven’s “The Age of Adz.” I didn’t even think about it as a trippy song until my dad men-tioned it once. It’s not about any association with weed (because there is none), but of how power-fully emotive that song is that I can truly feel the music inside me when I’m stoned.

As far as stoner/psychedelic music, I really like Time by Pink Floyd; the classic solos by Gilmour and the amazing nostalgic feel of a Golden Age in music.

Eclipse by Pink Floyd. Don’t tell me you can smoke a fat one and listen to that song and NOT have a semi-religious and orgasmic experience.

Great Gig in the Sky by Pink Floyd - The scream-ing sums up just about every emotion I feel in life. I sing to it at the top of my lungs every time and I don’t care how horrible I sound, hahaha. The song leaves me speechless and I think it is the absolute most beautiful creation of all time. I just have to listen to it at least once a day.

Smokey Taboo by Coco Rosie because it makes me think about doing yoga in a desert while trip-ping acid.

It’s because I love you too much.It’s DANGEROUS,you know that.

I licked the tinfoil wrapper,and the pink snow I walked on appeared.The beat shook with every stepI’m only lost in reality without you.but I’m coming back home.My eyes are wide,dilated fully.and it’s getting you high.It’s always been working in my blood“The lunatic is in my head”but I’m getting it out.

and my heart twists up againbecause of you.

and your shirt in the tree flew away with time.

little, little Lisa in the Snow with Daisies.I see the colors.

you’re that “safe place” inside my mind.the lunatic is out of my headand the lunatic is YOU.I licked the chemicals and it’s working, it’s working just fine.

“you shout and no one seems to hear.”but I’ve been hearing you in my head all this timejust fine.just fine, loud and clear.no one sings, touches, or feels like you anymoreno one can ever be you- my replacement in reality. it’s working, it’s working in my bloodand here I am in my mind with you“home, home again.”


Accidental Acid Trip

Artist’s CornerJess Charnley

CONTACT INFOWebsite - www.umasscrc.orgPhone - 413.545.1122Email - [email protected] Also find us on facebook!

Join the CRC!

Where - Room 322, Student Union When - Every Monday @ 7:00 pm

Disclaimer: The CRC is a Registered Student Organization at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. We are a political group with the mission to legalize marijuana and see an end to the War on Drugs. While we push for its legality, the CRC does not condone illegal activities, especially in those states where it is not decriminalized nor legal for medical use. Smoke Signals is nationally circulated via Facebook, offering up its informative content to readers across the country, many of whom can smoke marijuana according to state laws. In regards to the rest of our readers: Do your part to legalize marijuana in YOUR state!

Extravaganja’s T-Shirt Design by Rachel Mangieri


umass amherst crc's "smoke signals," april 2011

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