BKC Blog

January Recipe

leah@boulderkindcare.com — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 23:39:00 GMT

Burrrr! 2011 has been a cold one, thus far! Stay warm—and toasty ; )—with this yummy chile recipe. It'll warm you right up!

Chile Bean Pot as seen in Cannabis Cookbook by Tim Pilcher

Ingredients
2lb pinto beans
1lb bacon, chopped
2 cups red wine
4 tsp chile powder
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp chopped MMJ
1/2 cup mushroom, chopped
beef or vegetable stock, cube optional
salt and pepper
rice or nachos, and sour cream, to serve

Directions
1. All the ingredients go in a big pot with enough water or stock to cover.
2. It's brought to a boil and then left to simmer for about an hour, or until it tastes right. Salt and pepper can be added to taste.
3. This dish is great served with rice or nachos, and a spot of cooling sour cream.

Enjoy!!

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Gaia's Garden: The Cloud 9 Experience Review

leah@boulderkindcare.com — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 01:40:00 GMT

What could possibly be better than milk chocolate, pretzels, marshmallows, caramel and coconut? None other milk chocolate, pretzels, marshmallows, caramel and coconut oil infused with cannabis of course! Gaia's Garden certainly chose their most popular bar's name well: The Cloud 9 Experience. Due to it's namesake, my coworker Britanny's rave reviews and of course it's irresistable ingredient combination, I had high expectations. And I am happy to report that The Cloud 9 Experience did not dissapoint! It was sweet, salty, smooth, perfectly moist and fluffy. With my first bite, I completely forgot it was an MMJ edible. Seriously Gaia's, you should consider selling your recipe to Hersey. It's that good! I want to share it with everyone, cannabis infused or not. Cloud 9, as well as Gaia's other products from what I've been told, are stand-outs in a sea of the sometimes strange-tasting MMJ edible industry. The only downfall to the Cloud 9 is it's deliciousness! Beware, it's very difficult to stop eating this bar once you start. If you dare to eat this tasty little bomb in one sitting, you will feel the effects. My advice, savor the flavor and the high and consume in thirds.

Come and grab your own Cloud 9 Experience at Boulder Kind Care today!

Enjoy,

Leah Fielding
BKC Blogger
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November Recipe

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 22:44:00 GMT

Pumpkin Muffins as seen in The Marijuana Chef Cookbook
by S.T. Oner

12-14 muffins

Ingredients
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ ground all spice
1 cup of packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup of Cannabutter (sold at Boulder Kind Care for $35)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (15 oz) of pumpkin puree (as used for pumpkin pie)

Cooking Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Start by mixing the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the light brown sugar, granulated sugar, Cannabutter and eggs.
4. Add your dry ingredients and mix until smooth.
5. Whisk in pumpkin puree.
6. Place paper liners in your muffin tray and fill halfway with batter.
7. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a toothpick inserted in the center come out clean — about 20-25 minutes (consider more time for higher elevations).
8. Let cool. Chow down!

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19 Reasons to Support Cali's Prop 19

leah@boulderkindcare.com — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 19:25:00 GMT

As people who live, breathe and love the medical marijuana industry, we talk about the dream of legalization, but it’s very refreshing to know that right now the entire country is tuned into the conversation. California’s Prop 19 is the hot topic for the 2010 mid-term elections and it’s created the perfect platform to expose the rest of the U.S. to MMJ’s benefits: for our bodies, law enforcement, corrections facilities availability of resources, balancing state and municipal budgets, the growth of small business and the creation of an environmentally sustainable industry.

After almost 100 years of marijuana prohibition in California, marijuana is more popular and accepted than ever.

“The war on marijuana has clearly failed,” said Boulder Kind Care owner Lance Smith.

If passed, this legislation “would make lawful the possession and sharing of one ounce of marijuana outside the home and allow for personal cultivation of a small marijuana garden and possession of its harvest in the home. California cities and counties would be able to opt-in to commercial sales, regulation, and taxation of marijuana (http://blog.norml.org/2010/10/25/19-reasons-for-prop-19/).” Despite the opposition’s claim that “everyone will just be high all the time” and “how will anyone get anything done” and “think of all the car accidents that will be caused by stoners,” current laws regarding working under the influence and driving under the influence would be maintained.

Coloradoans owe their thanks to Californian legislator’s who are doing just what representatives are supposed to do — listening to their constituents! Let’s hope that Coloradan legislators can step up to the plate in 2012.

“I know legalization is going to happen eventually,” said Lance, “And Lord knows we could use the tax revenue to save this crumbling bridge.”

Here are 19 reasons to be pro-Prop 19 according to one of our favorite pro-marijuana organization, whose Web site NORML.org’s is our constant resource in finding relevant, factual MMJ information:

For the Concerned Parents

1. To make pot more difficult for kids to buy. It might seem counter-intuitive to some, but illegal marijuana is much easier to acquire than regulated marijuana because weed dealers don’t check ID’s. Four out of five high school seniors, more than three in five sophomores, and two in five middle schoolers (8th grade) say marijuana is “fairly easy” or “very easy” to get. One third of 16-17-year-olds say marijuana is easiest to buy, not cigarettes, alcohol, or prescription drugs. Two out of five teens say they can get marijuana in a day; almost one in four can get marijuana in an hour. Obviously letting unregulated dealers control the marijuana market is not protecting your kids from access to marijuana. On the other hand, aggressive enforcement of ID carding for minors, combined with public education have led to some of the lowest rates of teen alcohol and tobacco use ever recorded. Prop 19 enacts the same common sense ID carding for marijuana as we use for martinis and Marlboros.
2. To make pot more difficult for kids to sell in school. Regardless of what regulations we put on marijuana, like alcohol and tobacco, there will be some kids who manage to get a hold of it. But part of what makes marijuana so easy for teens to buy is that they can all find in their high school one of the one million teens nationally who are dealing it. Legal access to marijuana for adults removes the criminal risk markup that makes pot so profitable. After all, when was the last time you heard of a beer dealer in a high school hallway? Prop 19 eliminates the huge profit that entices youngsters to sell marijuana.
3. To make pot less available for transfer from young adults. Governor Schwarzenegger signed a decriminalization bill that makes it an infraction, not a crime, to possess and share of up to one ounce of marijuana between anyone 18 and older. Prop 19 adds a stiff punishment of up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for any adult aged 21 or older who shares marijuana with anyone aged 18-20, just like we punish adults who furnish alcohol to those under legal age. When it’s tougher for those 18-20 to get marijuana, it’s tougher for them to share it friends under 18. Prop 19 treats marijuana like alcohol as a privilege for age 21 and older.

For the “Law and Order” Crowd

4. To decrease the profits of violent criminals. Prohibited marijuana brings with it the same problems as prohibited alcohol did – gangs and violence. We don’t see bootleggers shooting up the streets over whiskey distribution any more. We don’t see clandestine wine grape vineyards sprouting up in national forests. Providing California’s adults a legal way to grow or buy their own marijuana means violent drug gangs lose customers. No, these gangsters won’t stop being gangsters, but they will become gangsters with lower budgets and fewer associates. Prop 19 brings the dangerous underground marijuana market into a safe, regulated, inspected, and taxed legal market.
5. To increase public trust of law enforcement. Currently more than 1 in 10 adult Californians smoke pot every year. It is unknown how many of these 2.9 million annual users fail to report crimes for fear of police interviewing them and discovering the marijuana they possess or grow. Prohibition also creates fear and paranoia that lingers long after the joint is smoked for these adults whenever they see police, fear that even talking to police could end in a ticket or arrest. Prop 19 allows otherwise law-abiding cannabis consumers to trust and help law enforcement.
6. To prioritize our law enforcement. It is estimated that including the arrest, jail, prison, court, and marijuana eradication costs, California spends $200 million per year on marijuana law enforcement. Then there is the time and space we can’t afford in our overworked court system and overcrowded prisons. Prop 19 alleviates much of those problems while maintaining the current laws against irresponsible use of marijuana, such as driving under the influence and giving marijuana to kids. Prop 19 focuses police priorities away from adults who enjoy marijuana responsibly and onto real crime.

For the Medical Marijuana Patients

7. To protect your medical collectives. Over the fourteen years of medical marijuana in California we’ve seen numerous raids on medical marijuana collectives, or “dispensaries”. Many are conducted by state or local authorities, some by DEA but always with the cooperation and assistance of local law enforcement. Prop 19 forbids state and local law enforcement from seizing, attempting to seize, or even threatening to seize lawfully cultivated marijuana – medical or personal. Prop 19 makes it impossible for local law enforcement to assist federal prosecution of medical marijuana collectives.
8. To provide easier access to cheaper medicine. Currently a patient has to see a doctor and pay for a recommendation to use medical marijuana. The patient has to carry around that recommendation to prove medical use to the police. The patient can designate a caregiver to grow for them or buy from a dispensary at grossly inflated prices. After Prop 19, you can use marijuana simply because you decide to, no doctors, no notes. Any number of your friends could be growing marijuana for you. There may even be Prop 19 stores that open in your city. Prop 19 will lower marijuana prices and provide greater access to patients without need for permission slips.
9. To allow you to grow a lot of marijuana. For adults who decide not to get Prop 215 recommendations, you will be allowed under Prop 19 to cultivate a plot of marijuana not exceeding 25 square feet. The DEA has concluded that the average yield of cannabis bud per square foot is about one-half ounce – that’s over three quarters of a pound from a 5’x5’ garden. Prop 19 allows you to keep the results of your harvests; the one ounce limitation only applies to taking your marijuana out of your residence. Prop 19 does not impose arbitrary plant and possession limits at your home grow site.

For the Business Community

10. To create much-needed jobs. California’s marijuana market is already the largest cash crop in the state at an estimated $14 billion annually. This estimate only includes the marijuana itself and not all the ancillary industries a legal pot market would bring, from accessories to fashion, from tourism to retail, and all the incredible markets for marijuana’s non-drug cousin, industrial hemp. Prop 19 creates new job and business opportunities and opens the door for industrial use of hemp.
11. To bring in much-needed tax revenue. It’s true that Prop 19 allows localities to opt-in and regulate commercial cannabis sales and some places may not opt-in, reaping no marijuana taxes. But marijuana for personal use will still be legal and many of the ancillary industries could flourish in a “dry county” (e.g., marijuana bed’n’breakfast) and that would produce tax revenue. Prop 19 brings in more tax revenue from marijuana than we’re bringing in now.
12. To bring fairness to workplace drug testing. Prop 19 maintains an employer’s existing right to address marijuana impairment in the workplace – nobody gets to go to work stoned any more than they get to go to work drunk. But Prop 19 frees employers from the burden of disciplining, firing, or not hiring safe, productive workers for their personal use of marijuana away from the job site. Prop 19 treats employees who use cannabis responsibly in their private life like those employees who drink alcohol.

For the Latinos and African-Americans

13. To end the disproportionate arrest and harassment of people of color. African-Americans in California’s 25 largest counties are arrested at rates two-to-four times greater than their white counterparts, despite whites using marijuana at greater rates. In the 25 largest cities, the arrest disparity ranges from twice-to-thirteen times the rates for whites. Arrest rates for Latinos also exceed the rates for whites. Prop 19 removes the probable cause for law enforcement to harass people of color for merely possessing marijuana.
14. To end street-level dealing of marijuana. Marijuana’s profitability and scarcity create the open-air street-corner dealing that plagues many communities of color and utilizes juveniles to perform the transporting and selling of small amounts of pot. The profit enriches gangs and leads to violent confrontations over turf. Prop 19 will reduce the cost of marijuana and provide a regulated place to buy it that will undercut the street dealers.
15. To strike back at the murderous drug gangs in Mexico. Many Latino Californians worry for the safety of friends and family back in Mexico. Residents in northern border towns face violence and murder rates usually only found in war zones. Law abiding Mexicans don’t know if their law enforcement and government officials are corrupted by the wealthy gangs. Prop 19 is the first step in nationwide legalization that can be the only solution to Mexico’s drug war violence.

For the People of All Political Ideologies

16. To energize and connect with the progressive Democratic base. Prop 19 is overwhelmingly supported by the young, progressive, liberal voters that are the base of support for Democratic politicians. Many of these voters are not as enthusiastic about the Democrats as they were in 2008 when they turned out in record numbers. Prop 19’s passage forces the Democratic Party to recognize the get-out-the-vote potential of the marijuana legalization issue for future elections.
17. To build a new, younger Republican base on conservative principles. The Republican Party faces a decline in its numbers due to the aging of its core base of white male supporters. Younger, libertarian-leaning, “Tea Party” activists are calling for a return to conservative principles of states’ rights, less government, personal responsibility, and cutting wasteful government spending. Prop 19 affirms the right of states to set their own policies and begins to dismantle the most ineffective government program of all time – the War on Drugs.
18. To show the traditional political parties they aren’t responding to the people. Candidates for the highest offices in California from both major political parties refuse to endorse marijuana legalization even though more than half the citizens have used marijuana and support its legalization. Prop 19 reminds the major parties that they are the servants of the people and the people’s will is sovereign.

For the Future

19. To change the world. Prop 19 is not just another California initiative. Prop 19 is being watched in all fifty states and throughout the hemisphere as the “shot heard round the world” in ending the prohibition of marijuana.

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Fresh Republic: Honey Hit and Peanut Budder Review

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 20:04:00 GMT

Boulder Kind Care is now offering several new edible choices; one of our new favorites is Fresh Republic’s Honey Hit Sativa and Peanut Budder Indica Squeeze Packs. Don’t let these 21.5-gram packets fool you! They are infused with 35 mg of activated THC.

They are the perfect medicated substitute for everything from a traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich, to fluffer nutters, to a peanut butter, banana and honey sandwich, plus the Honey Hit is a great additive to tea. One BKC employee was feeling under the weather recently, so she slipped some Honey Hit into her cup of hot tea, and it really helped her get through the day. It soothed her sore throat, calmed her headache, added honey sweetness and even gave her a little boost of energy. A much better choice for the body than Dayquil!

Basically the sky’s the limit in terms of the Honey Hit and Peanut Budder packet’s many uses. Some even like the strange, but surprisingly tasty pizza crust dipped in honey, try it with a Honey Hit for an extra sweet end to a delicious pizza pie. Plus, these packets are small enough to stash just about anywhere.

The Honey Hit is a made of a sativa blend and designed for daytime use, and takes effect within 15 to 30 minutes after consumption and lasts two to four hours, while the Peanut Budder is an indica blend and designed for evening use, it takes effect 30 to 60 minutes after consumption and lasts about four to six hours. Fresh Republic uses organic cannabis and organic and all-natural ingredients.

Boulder Kind Care sells Fresh Republic’s Honey Hit and Peanut Budder for $12 per packet. Come in and get your's today!

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Green Sky Confections Boulder Cookie Review

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:41:00 GMT

After a long, busy, saddening day—we discovered several more of our members/visitors have lost their homes to the tragic Fourmile Fire—I thought it appropriate to wind down with Green Sky Confections Boulder Cookie. I find that edibles give me a body high rather than a smoker’s heady high. I don’t always eat my MMJ, but when I do I’ve usually been very happy with its effects.

Because I have a nagging shoulder injury and recent knee surgery, which has thrown off my gait and posture entirely, I find myself in more and more pain in the evenings.

So I ate the Boulder Cookie, in "high" hopes that my physical ailments would wash away into relaxation and comfort. I ate a little less than a quarter of the cookie—I’m a light weight—and not 20 minutes later I was feeling much better. My shoulder and neck relaxed immediately. Yet, I still felt alert enough to do some computer work that needed attention. I didn’t have that stony, distracted feeling I sometimes get from smoking.

Plus, it tasted amazing! It’s made with organic chocolate chips, almonds, coconut and oats. It had a lovely homemade taste to it, like my grandma’s oatmeal cookies. It was perfectly moist, but not overwhelmingly buttery as some baked MMJ treats can be. The taste of weed was very subdued, which was nice, but also dangerous, because I wanted to eat the whole (1.1 gram) cookie in one sitting!

The Boulder Cookie is a wonderful, healthy take on a traditional chocolate chip/oatmeal cookie. I highly recommend this cookie to those who prefer wholesome treats to those that are very sugary or chocolately.

Boulder Kind Care offers Green Sky Confections Boulder Cookie and many more. Come by today and try one!

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Chef Rachel's Recipes

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:10:00 GMT

Here are some recipes that Chef Rachel from Baked at a Mile High shared with us at the Plant Medicine Expo and Healthcare Provider Conference in Denver last month:

Cannabutter
1/5 - 2 ounces of Cannabis-use the best whole bud you can find, we reccommend BKC Cannadiential
1 lb of butter

Grind up whole bud, and place in a crock pot with 1 lb of butter on low heat. Let cook on low for 24 hours. Strain bud out with a cheese cloth. Place in a sealable container, store in refridgerator.

Chocolate Cocunut Cannabis Bites

1/2 cup medicate coconut oil
1/3-1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup shredded coconut, lightly toasted (optional)
1 T. soy lecithin
1 t. vanila
1/2 t. sea salt

Melt all ingredients together in a sauce pot over medium low heat until combines. Pour into molds of your choice and place in freezer for 15 minutes. Remove from molds and tip with candied almond.

Bud Brandy Snaps

makes 20

1/2 cup medicated butter, unsalted
3/4 cup sugar
2 T. corn syrup
1 cup flour
1 T. soy lecithin
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. Brandy

Preheat over to 350 degrees and grease two baking pans. Melt the butter, sugar and syrup together in a small saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat and stire int he flour, ginger and brandy. Place teaspoonfuls of the mixture far apart on the baking sheet, as the mixture will spread, four cookies per tray. Bake for 7-10 minutes until golden brown. While baking, grease several spoon handles. Once slightly cooled, remove cookie from tray with spatula and shape over spoon for desired design.

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October Recipe: Holy Cow Hot Chocolate

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 19:11:00 GMT

Holy Cow Hot Chocolate (Makes 2 Cups)

1 cup of milk (can substitute soy, rice or coconut milk, they all contain lecithin, which bonds with cannabinoid oils)
5 tbsp granulated sugar
1 cup light cream (substitute Soy Milk, vanilla will taste best)
pinch of ground cinnamon (can add more, Chef Rachel of Baked at a Mile High, says you can add double spice in any recipe to mask and work with cannabis flavor)
½ tsp vanilla extract
4 grams of cannabis, finely chopped (Chef Rachel says that you should always use whole bud in cooking, and the best strain available will maximize effect and benefit, we recommend BKC Cannadential).
150 grams (5 oz) of unsweetened chocolate
1 chocolate bar
garnish with whip cream (substitute Soy) and marshmallows.

How to Prepare:
1. The milk and sugar are combined in a pan on medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, all the other ingredients can be added, apart from the chocolate.
2. Bring to a boil, allow it to simmer for about 1 hour. Then it is filtered through a coffee filter. The fats in the milk will release the THC, making cannamilk.
3. The cannamilk is poured back into the pan so the chocolate can be added. With the heat off, it can be stirred until the chocolate has melted.
4. The drink is usually served in a mug, or mugs, topped with thick, whipped cream. Feel free to grate your favorite chocolate bar over the top or use as an edible swizzle stick—or keep it classic and break open a bag of marshmallows.

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Cancer and Cannabinoids: A Personal Story

leah@boulderkindcare.com — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 23:55:00 GMT

Boulder Kind Care co-owner, Lance Smith was diagnosed with lymphoma early in the spring of 2010. He is recently cancer-free, and attributes it to his access to medicinal marijuana.

“It was literally the only thing that made me feel better during my chemo treatments.”

Cannabis has been found to help cancer patients with pain and nausea, and recent research indicates it has tumor-reducing and anti-carcinogenic properties as well. It has proven highly effective at controlling the nausea associated with chemotherapy, and its appetite stimulation properties help combat wasting. Cannabis can also help control the pain associated with some cancers, as well as that resulting from radiation and chemotherapy treatment (Americans for Safe Access).

Because of his own success story, Lance is frustrated and saddened for all the other cancer patients in the U.S. who don’t have access to MMJ, especially considering how commonplace cannabis is discussed among the general medical community.

“In my initial consultation with the master pharmacists, one question was, ‘well, what about the herb?’” said Lance.

“Marijuana is one of the best-known nausea medicines in the world,” replied the pharmacist.

These aren’t MMJ-sympathetic, card signing doctors; these are every day oncologists and pharmacists prescribing marijuana. If MMJ is accepted in the general medical community, even as just a nausea treatment, excluding all the other health benefits (tumor fighting, anti-carcinogenic), then who is the federal government to say that it has “little or no health benefits?”

What’s more, is that overseas studies are finding that cannabinoid compounds have cancer/tumor fighting qualities:

More than twenty major studies published between 2001 and 2006 have shown that the chemicals in cannabis known as cannabinoids have a significant effect fighting cancer cells. We now know cannabinoids arrest many kinds of cancer growths (brain, breast, leukemic, melanoma, phaeochromocytoma, et al.) through promotion of apoptosis (programmed cell death) that is lost in tumors, and by arresting angiogenesis (increased blood vessel production). Recent scientific advances in the study of cannabinoid receptors and endocannabinoids have produced exciting new leads in the search for anti-cancer treatments. There is growing evidence of direct anti-tumor activity of cannabinoids, specifically CB1 and CB2 agonists, in a range of cancer types including brain (gliomas), skin, pituitary, prostate and bowel. The antitumor activity has led in laboratory animals and in-vitro human tissues to regression of tumors, reductions in vascularisation (blood supply) and metastases (secondary tumors), as well as direct inducement of death (apoptosis) among cancer cells (Americans For Safe Access).

Until the federal government loosens it’s chokehold on clinical MMJ supply, to allow for up to date, legitimate studies, little can be done for cancer patients outside of the 13 legalized states and Washington, D.C.

“How do we move past to our underground acknowledgement of benefits, to a mainstream understanding?” asks Lance.

We know who is blocking U.S. research of MMJ, but why, when there is so much irrefutable evidence that marijuana has significant medical benefits? Would legalization make other drugs obsolete? We can only assume that the powers that be don’t want to see MMJ legalization come to fruition.

“We’re talking about a plant. It’s in the pure form. Other drugs are processed beyond recognition,” said Lance.

Thankfully, we live in a state that has given us the opportunity explore MMJ’s health benefits. But let’s not let us forget about cancer patients, and other’s who are suffering from MMJ treatable illnesses. We must push the movement forward for them.

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Green Sky Confections Boulder Cookie Review

leah@boulderkindcare.com — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 19:17:00 GMT