Seattle’s First Proposed Weed Lounge

March 9, 2015 By Kevin Ross

One of the most disappointing aspects of the way I-502 was structured was that it included a couple important provisions that essentially banned the possibility of the weed lounges a lot of us hoping to see one day. There were already a few factors which make this difficult, from the state ban on indoor smoking to the numerous restrictions on smoking “in view of the public.” Perhaps the most important, however, is the stipulation of I-502 that states that marijuana cannot be consumed at the place at which it has been purchased.

At the rate at which these laws change, it will be a while before we see Seattle’s first cannabis lounge – but what will a marijuana lounge look like when one finally opens? By skirting some of the rules, and outright ignoring some of the others, let’s take a look at Cascadia Cannabis Lounge, Seattle’s first hypothetical proposed weed lounge.

One of the biggest problems facing the process of opening a weed lounge inside of Seattle is figuring out where you can place it. The 1000 foot rule, which is designed to keep places selling marijuana away from schools and parks, means that the most densely populated areas are ineligible for any sort of dispensary or weed lounge. We’re going to toss that rule out the window and put Cascadia in the heart of Capitol Hill, possibly someplace in between Broadway and 12^th, within blocks of some of the Capitol Hill’s best restaurants, music venues and coffee shops.

With a location like this Cascadia can bring real value to the neighborhood. One of the most basic is to add a service to the area that is both unique and complementary to the neighborhood at large. Just as like-minded people gather at coffee shops and bars to take part in shared interests, from espresso and news at Stumptown Coffee to music and drinks at Nuemos, so will people be able to enjoy cannabis and socialize at Cascadia Cannabis Club. By providing a safe, accessible place for adults to purchase and consume marijuana during most of the day, probably from 10am to 12am, Cascadia Cannabis Lounge will help accomplish what I-502 purports to do – taking marijuana distribution out of the hands of dealers and consumption out of the view of the public.

What will Cascadia Cannabis Lounge look like? As the first cannabis lounge in Seattle, we want it to be demonstrative of how a well-designed marijuana lounge can definitively add value to its surrounding neighborhood. To that end, Cascadia Cannabis Lounge is going to be a classy joint. Not stuffy classy, no one should feel intimidated to hang out there, but someplace with lodge-like qualities that celebrate the heritage of Seattle and Washington, and with clean, industrial lines. Imagine a cross between Smith and Café Vita, if you would.

image from: http://www.seattleite.com/

Image from www.Seattleite.com

Image from: skypencil.com

Image from www.skypencil.com

Cascadia Cannabis Lounge would be staffed by experienced industry professionals, providing product guidance and to-order joints. A large selection of edibles would be available, and a full coffee bar would be open from 10 am, alongside other medicated and non-medicated beverages. A small stage would host low-key performances and music in the evenings.

All in all, Cascadia Cannabis Lounge would be dedicated to providing a professional, enjoyable cannabis experience that would bring real value to a community that could easily benefit from it. Hopefully, one day this dream can become a reality.

5 Marijuana Apps You Can Use Locally

February 9, 2015 By Kevin Ross

There are a ton of smart people making great apps that you can use to help you find and learn about marijuana in Seattle. Unfortunately, the developers of these apps sometimes encounter difficult relationships with Google and Apple, meaning that useful sounding apps may get kicked off the Google Play Store or Apple’s App store. In addition, there are also lots of dead apps flooding these markets whose information may be outdated and not helpful. We took a look and compiled a list of the best marijuana apps available for your iPhone or Android device right now.

Leafly

Leafly is arguably the king of marijuana related apps. Leafly compiles user reviews of strains, edibles and other cannabis products and then connects it too an in-app map to help you find out where you can pick those products up. The app also compiles marijuana news articles and lots of other cannabis related knowledge, making it a one stop resource for anything you need to know. Combined with a beautiful and functional interface, this is one app that almost invaluable these days.

Weedmaps

One of the oldest marijuana related apps still on the market, Weedmaps provides a fairly similar service to Leafly, but has an even longer history and index of strain reviews. Weedmaps also has an integrated map function to help you find where you can score the bud, edibles or other products you might want. While Weedmaps might not necessarily outshine Leafly, both are free and well worth the download, especially if you’re having trouble finding the information you want with just Leafly.

Grasscity Community

Grasscity Community is a fairly simple app that connects to the Grasscity Community forums. The best thing about this app is the strength of community that has been cultivated on the Grasscity forums. Well moderated and very large, with more than 500,000 users, Grasscity Community is an excellent place to go if you want to join or start a conversation about anything weed related. If Leafly or Weedmaps reviews aren’t getting you the answers you hoped for, cruise over to Grasscity and you’ll likely find someone who knows about whatever you’re curious about and would be happy to share.

High There!

This brand new app has been grabbing national headlines with its Tinder-like approach to connecting local smokers to one another. Swipe left and right to start meeting people in your area who share an interest in marijuana with the fun and addictive interface. While this app is new so the user base is still growing, given a couple weeks there should be plenty of fellow marijuana enthusiasts ready to get linked up with High There!

Canary

Canary is another fairly young app and is in fact still in invitation only beta testing. Canary was developed in Seattle by two UW students and is a delivery service for medical marijuana patients aiming to provide the same convenient sort of service that many users would expect of uber. Canary was launched with a lot of buzz and some very positive reviews, but it’s worth remembering that marijuana delivery is very much so in a legal gray area and the future of such services is still in question.

Winterlife Cannabis

February 2, 2015 By Kevin Ross

When Winterlife Cannabis decided to ends its recreational marijuana delivery service last summer the coop was sorely missed by its thousand plus customers. However, Winterlife has been reborn as a recreational processor, and its first batch of concentrated cannabis extracts and edibles began arriving in recreational stores over the last couple of weeks. We spoke with Evan Cox about the transition from running a delivery service to becoming a processor, their experiences operating under the recreational marijuana bureaucracy, and what Winterlife has planned for the future.

For those who are not familiar with the former delivery service and to give a more in-depth recap: Winterlife was originally a wildly popular recreational marijuana delivery operation that received national media attention for the service it was providing. The delivery service operated in the legal gray area that existed after recreational marijuana was legalized, but before there were any legal retail stores open where adults could purchase pot.

Winterlife created what they described as a ‘legally defensible strategy of distribution’ by only selling to adults who would legally be allowed to be in possession of recreational pot, and quickly gained a reputation for their quick delivery of high quality product. In addition, their drivers, all of whom assumed animal based pseudonyms like Badger or Wombat, were known for their professionalism, and the operation grew rapidly, employing over 60 people towards the end and turning a tidy profit for Winterlife.

We asked Evan about how the process of transitioning from a delivery service to a processor has been, and he told us that while Winterlife was already experienced with packaging ready to consume cannabis products and was able to transition into the day-to-day work of processing products, it was not an simple process.“It was extremely difficult. Unlike many of the delivery companies that popped up in the wake of Winterlife’s success we had always planned on transitioning into the legal market. This meant that once stores started opening up, our ‘job’ of filling a void where the state hadn’t provided any safe access to legal cannabis to adult citizens had effectively ended.“

Evan also pointed out the heavily reduced profit margins that resulted from the transition, which were compounded by the current regulations and taxes that are levied against recreational marijuana processors and retail stores. He candidly explained “The individuals working at the Liquor Control Board are trying as hard as they can but Washington State has set them up for many more failures to come. The licensing system strings licensees along from one requirement to the next and the people prior and aft have no clue what this one does and so on. Much of the information you’d require to anticipate your operations isn’t disseminated until you already need to know. It’s a real mess right now.”

While Winterlife is experiencing more than its fair share of its frustration as it makes the transition to becoming a fully legal processor, Evan remains optimistic for the future of recreational cannabis. He ended our conversation on a positive note, stating “I think that those of us who can weather the storm of initial bureaucracy will do well from and for the future of this industry with the potential for some of us to do extremely well, but there is definitely a lot of hard work for narrow margins ahead. Right now it is very much a numbers game.”

Winterlife currently has three vegan friendly cookie varieties, honey oils and pre-rolled cones available at local recreational stores. Evan also told us about all the excellent sounding products Winterlife has planned for the future, such as infused nuts and chocolate raspberries and possibly peanut butter pretzels. In addition, they are hard at work developing a new infused beverage and will release a new exclusive ethanol extracted shatter, a stable concentrate that can be smoked or vaporized.

UPDATE: You can find Winterlife Cannabis products in Seattle marijuana stores.

3 Marijuana Strains For ‘Hawk Fans That NEED to be Created

January 26, 2015 By Kevin Ross

By now, you’ve heard of Beast Mode O.G, the strain bred by Nate “Diggitty” Johnson in honor of Marshawn Lynch’s unstoppable presence on the field and his dominating role in the Seattle Seahawks’ 2014 Super Bowl victory. But have you heard that Johnson has created a new version of your favorite Seahawks-themed buds, Beast Mode 2.0, to celebrate the Seahawks’ upcoming trip to Phoenix?

Even better yet, Seattle-based I-502 producer/processor Life Gardens has come up with The 12^th Gram, a kush-based strain perfect for your Super Bowl festivities. Here at High Above Seattle, we’ve been thinking a lot about cannabis’ involvement in the occasion, and have come up with 3 strains for Hawks Fans that NEED to be created. Break out your blue and green, get ready for the big day, and imagine smoking these sweet Seahawks-inspired varieties to support your favorite Hawks!

Dangeruss Diesel

Much like the Seahawks’ fearless leader, you need to keep your head in the game on the big day, and you don’t want to be bogged down by a heavy indica. Hit a bowl of some crystal-encrusted Dangeruss Diesel to stay focused when it really counts. Familiar chemical, diesel flavor and a heady buzz will hit right away and stay with you throughout the game without getting too frenzied or paranoid. You’ll be ready for anything, just like Russell, with these nugs.

Interceptor O.G.

After smoking this heavy hybrid, you’ll be imagining partaking with Richard Sherman! Number 25 himself couldn’t hit harder. While O.G. Kush’s origins are tough to trace, we think its enigmatic, best-of-both-worlds smoke are a perfect pair for the intense interceptor Sherman is known to be. These buds will have that characteristic O.G. flavor, with a solid heady buzz and a strong body high. You’ll feel like the best in the game after a bowl of Interceptor O.G – just make sure not to run your mouth afterwards.

Bam Bam Kush

Tae Rhee of Rain City Cannabis came up with this one in an interview with High Above Seattle earlier this month, and we’re glad he did! We’re hoping someone can come up with a strain that is as heavy hitting as Kam Chancellor. A nice kush hybrid will have a Kam-worthy body hit, but won’t be so overwhelming that you can’t keep your eyes on the big game. You’ll be relaxed and ready for anything, without losing your focus or your attention span. Bam Bam Kush is ideal for keeping you levelheaded while you sit on the very edge of your seat to cheer on Kam’s big hits.

Who else on the Seahawks deserves their own strain, and what kind of strain do you think it should be? With so many great players it can be hard to narrow it down to who deserves it the most, but what about Earl Thomas III? Brandon Mebane may be out for the season, but who can forget that incredible belly roll dance? Or maybe just a strain for the entire Legion of Boom? Let us know what you think in the comments, and have a great time watching the Hawks in the Super Bowl!

420 Inspired Sounds: Real Don Music 7″ Release Show Friday At Lo-Fi

January 23, 2015 By Kevin Ross

Seattle based Real Don Music is playing a show at Lo-Fi on Friday the 19^th to coincide with the release of their “Emeralds and Angels”/”Smoke By Day” 7”. Real Don Music is the brainchild of Kirk Huffman, a veteran member of the Seattle local music scene. I spoke to Kirk about the show, the band and his opinion about recreational marijuana in Washington.

Real Don Music got its start in 2013 when their first track, “Emeralds and Angels,” was released late that year. Kirk, lead vocalist and creator of the group, is perhaps best known as the former front man of Kay Kay and His Weather Undergrounds, who opened for RX Bandits and Portugal. Drawing from a variety of influences, Real Don Music uses samples, deep, groove-filled bass lines, sharp synths and a live horn section alongside Huffman’s striking vocals to achieve smooth swing in their lively sound.

If you watch the brilliantly animated music video for “Emeralds and Angels,” it’s not hard to hear comparisons to James Mercer and Danger Mouse’s collaboration, Broken Bells. Kirk’s vocals alongside futuristic synths give the song an almost ethereal quality, with the horn section working alongside deep bass lines to give the song a slick slide.

A far cry from Broken Bells comparisons is the record’s other side, the excellently titled “Smoke By Day.” Sampled vocals and the horns give the song unmistakable swing and stomp, giving it what one reviewer referred to as a “new age rat pack” vibe. When those horns pull back with an almost haunting quality, even a first listen is rewarded with a sense of intricacy and depth.

With a song titled “Smoke By Day” I couldn’t help but ask if marijuana was a part of Kirk’s creative process. “Yeah, Definitely.” Kirk wrote back, “If you’ve never smoked marijuana and listened to music, here’s a tip: it sounds SUPER COOL, some would even argue much better than without marijuana.”

We also spoke about the state of recreational marijuana and the impact of I-502 in general. Kirk wrote “I voted for I-502, knowing full well that it wasn’t a perfect plan from my perspective, but I was primarily concerned with getting away from dealer/black market culture and the high number of poor and young colored people being incarcerated for small amounts of marijuana and figured we needed to just “get with the future” and legalize, tax and regulate store purchased marijuana while understanding that over time the people’s climate would dictate the kind of change I wanted to see.”

Kirk, well-versed in the specifics of the law and how the government could improve their methods of managing recreational marijuana, ended with this. “I’m for legal home growing for personal use and a regulated supply and demand-based economic system for 18+ recreational marijuana purchasing that is free of the Washington state LCB oversight (they’re under-funded and under-staffed as is) and instead regulated by the states agriculture department like any other vegetable, fruit, grain or herb and taxed fairly depending on product use… otherwise, people will get marijuana however they can and that’s going backwards instead of forwards.”

When I asked what was in the future for Real Don Music, Kirk told me that they just returned from filming a music video for “Smoke By Day” in the Mojave desert, and that they would be releasing the much anticipated 6 song “Dank Sinatra” EP in the early spring, followed by some touring after that.

Real Don Music plays at Lo-Fi on Friday, January 23^rd with Bardot, Uh Oh Eskimo, and Sunshine Subconscious. ”Emeralds And Angels” is available on iTunes.

Check out more photos of the band.