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5 Questions Interviews Skunk Magazine

DEEP DIVE WITH DOC’ GAGE AMSLER – BROTHERS MARK CANNABIS/VETERAN OWNED AND OPERATED 501C3

What a pitch. How could I say no? I was and am stunned by the depth of this interview. It digs so deeply that my words are trite in reply. There is really nothing for me to say other than thank you for your service, sir. 

Warren,

A true pleasure! We are thankful for your support, and I look forward to speaking with you.

As a new Veteran owned and operated cannabis brand with a non-profit, distribution network, and outdoor/light dep grow, we have developed an incredible mission plan to offer premium cannabis products to Veterans at a discounted price, and proceeds from every sale go directly towards our mission:

Our Mission:

“We support the use of medical cannabis to treat the symptoms of combat-related Post Traumatic Stress, PTSD, and other military service-connected disabilities.”

The use of medical cannabis is known to address profound symptoms of mental and physical health issues that are difficult to treat otherwise. There is currently an epidemic of opioid overdose and veteran suicide in America that we hope to prevent by easing pain and anguish with medical cannabis use.

Support Group                                                                                  

Access donated cannabis for local veterans and other veteran advocate groups 

Discuss the medicinal uses of cannabis     

Promote and support other veteran advocates

Resource Center     

Help veterans file VA disability claims 

Provide a list of other veteran advocacy groups

Help navigate VA benefits/services

Disseminate Information via Conference Calls

Educate

Cannabis use and methodology

Dosing and getting started

Talk about VA Mental/Health services

Networking

Create a Strong Veteran Coalition

Veterans doing business with Veterans

Veterans supporting Veterans

Veterans hiring Veterans

Job Placement 

Help veterans find employment in the cannabis industry.                

I have a personal story to share that led to joining Brothers Mark Cannabis (BMC). I first wrote and self-published my book in 2015 while trying to drink myself to death after coming home from war/s it was my therapy that blossomed into a small bio I felt was important to publish for several reasons…. ‘The Strains of War.’

Cannabis saved my life more than once.

I first got my book in Malcolm’s hands (Dan Skye) at a High Times event in Michigan. A small article was first written in April 2017 issue. https://www.amazon.com/Strains-War-story-still-growing-ebook/dp/B015EKU7J4/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+strains+of+war+amsler&qid=1649350711&sprefix=THE+STRAINS+OF+WAR+%2Caps%2C202&sr=8-1

  The Strains of War: a true story, and still growing… – Kindle edition by Amsler, R.Gage. Health, Fitness & Dieting Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

The Strains of War: a True Story and Still Growing – Kindle edition by Amsler, R.Gage. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phone, or tablet. Use features like bookmarks, note taking, and highlighting while reading The Strains of War: a True Story and Still Growing: www.amazon.com

HOUR Detroit Magazine published an article when I tried the first time to build a brand https://www.hourdetroit.com/health/war-on-drugs/

I have advocated for several Veteran organizations, including Patients Out of Time, and the Cannabis Nurses Network.

Been R&D my Afghani strain over the last eight years….looking to release my first Hybrid strain through BMC and our beautiful outdoor grow in Sonoma County. Sharon Letts published this not too long ago https://hightimes.com/activism/higher-profile-r-gage-amsler-the-strains-of-war/

After 18 months of talks, Jeremy Freitas (Veteran owner of BMC and the Veterans Cannabis Group 501(c)(3)) and I have agreed to build this brand together, so I left my other professional career and my life, packed my things, and drove from Michigan to Cali. 

I would not have taken this job if we could not produce excellent medicine. It is obvious with the products we are just now releasing through distribution how incredible this brand is already starting out. We pride ourselves on growing only premium flower and working with the finest extraction/production companies to deliver these products. 

Letter w/menu to retailers:

MILITARY VETERAN BRAND 

BROTHERS MARK CANNABIS IS A MILITARY VETERAN BRAND. 

OUR FARM IN SONOMA COUNTY, ‘PATRIOT VALLEY FARMS’, IS WHERE WE GROW PREMIUM CANNABIS FOR THE BROTHERS MARK BRAND. 

WHAT WE FOUND IN RETAIL STORES 10% – 20% OF YOUR PATIENTS ARE MILITARY VETERANS. IN FACT, MOST RETAILERS OFFER A VETERAN DISCOUNT AND HAVE IDENTIFIED THEM IN THEIR POS SYSTEM. 

WE HAVE WORKED WITH MANY OF THE RETAILERS TO DO MARKETING EFFORTS IN REACHING OUT TO YOUR 10% – 20% VETERAN COMMUNITY. OUR BRAND OFFERS FLOWER, PRE-ROLLS, CONCENTRATE PRE-ROLLS, AND MORE 

Please tell me about yourself. Where are you from? How did you discover the plant? When was the first time you discovered it? Where? 

I grew up mostly in southern California but moved often. My father abandoned us when I was eight years old, and my mother married six more alcoholics after. While most kids were growing up and discovering the world and their purpose, I was just trying to survive in a severely abusive household. My PTSD started quite early. My mother abandoned me in my senior year in high school, so I dropped out to work. Through unfortunate events, I ended up homeless at 18yo in Orange County. My best option was the military, so I achieved my GED and went to the recruiting office. All four doors/branches in one location…whoever talked to me first was my calling, I had no idea where I wanted to go. I entered the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman in 1990. Kuwait was just gearing up, and the Marines needed combat field medics, so I went to the green side as an 8404 FMF Combat Field Medic with 1st Recon LAV, 1st Marine Division out of Camp Pendleton, San Diego. I went to support the Kuwait Liberation in 1991-2 for six months. 

After my four years, I decided to move on with my GI Bill. I was accepted to the University of Michigan for a medical student program and moved there in 1994. After growing up mostly on the beach, then the military and war, I found out I could not stand to be indoors, so I quit that program and decided to become a paramedic in 1996. I advanced in trauma, cardiac, and pediatric emergency medicine. In 2000 I then became a professional Firefighter in Dearborn, Michigan (the largest Arabic population per capita outside of the Middle East) for the next five years. I was at Station #4 the morning of 9/11. I wanted to support our country again, but I could not go back into the military; this is when private contracting really took off like Blackwater, Triple Canopy, and SOC. A military buddy contacted me who was recruiting for these contracting companies. They are paying big money for medics with my type of military background. It took almost a year to the day, and I received my secret security clearance. I trained in Reston, VA, and became WPPS (World-Wide Private Professional Securities) certified by the Dept. of State. I dropped boots on the ground in Basra, Iraq October 2005. 

I spent the next four years all over Iraq.

I decided to take a break and took some time at home. My PTSD was full throttle at this time. It was 2008-9, and Michigan had just gone legal for medicinal cannabis. A friend introduced me to growing and the possibilities of financial gain. I was intrigued by the holistic patient care side, and the idea of making a living doing this seemed like a great plan. I dove headfirst into everything cannabis. Read Jorge Cervantes’s Marijuana Bible three times, and I finally had that AHA moment! When you realize the absolute truth about this plant, the government’s sick intentions and the abuse of so many were gut-wrenching. Changed my entire perspective…… and my life. I obtained a caregiver license and began growing medicine I believed would support my patients’ symptoms. It went well for a little while; unfortunately, it was not enough, and there were many learning curves. So, I ended up going back, but to Afghanistan this time in 2010. 

I was handpicked for a 4-man SpecOps Team to directly support security operations for USACE (Army Corps of Engineers) as we were tasked to build small FOBs (Forward Operating Bases) along the mouth of the Taliban Trail near the border of Pakistan in the Paktika Province. Including other extreme operations, we were tasked with, I did this for another four years. 

In the second week of November 2013, we were in search of a new area for building a new FOB. We were a bit off grid and accidentally came across the plants growing almost out of rock at 8000′ with a little bit of snow coverage on the ground. With the cannabis knowledge I had and the medic in me, I had some sort of epiphany on top of that Kush mountain. Some of the plants were dropping seeds, so I grabbed what I could.

Over the course of the next year, I made the realization these seeds were worth risking my life for. I found a way to bring them home. It was a harrowing experience I did not put in my book. In 2015 I began researching these genetics and started phenohunting. My complex PTSD was on a different level, and it was a bad time in my life, locking myself away on thirty-four acres and pushing everyone away in my life. I began to drink myself almost to death. At this same time, as I was also growing, I began to write my story, first, just for therapy. As I continued to write, I realized maybe this story was worth telling others, maybe to help them in some way through my pain and suffering. Since I was only growing and could not use cannabis if I wanted to visit my local VA due to my mental health, I was drinking… heavily. In fact, at one time, I tried to drink myself to death until I began bleeding from my eyes, and I woke the fuck up. Moving forward, I began to mix other favorite strains with my Afghani, and I started MERAKII Genetics. Giving away the medicine I grew to Veterans and others with mental health concerns was also therapy for me.

Almost eight years later and California calls me back. 

I contacted Aaron Augustus with the Veterans Cannabis Group when I found out about the wonderful resources they were offering for Veterans. I was then introduced to Jeremy Freitas, and their BROTHERS MARK CANNABIS brand. After much discussion, I made a visit to the farm to see for myself what this brand has to offer. Absolutely incredible medicine sun grown/light-dep flower from the terroir of Sonoma!!

Toda I have left my career and my family (for now) to live on the farm in Sonoma County as the Director of Sales and Marketing & Brand Ambassador for BROTHERS MARK to help build an owned and operated Veteran cannabis brand with a 501c3 that is a beacon for all Veterans to find support with.  

Please tell me about your company, what do you do? What makes your work different? What are your six and twelve-month goals? 

The Brothers Mark team believes in safe access to medicinal cannabis to all those who seek it. We aim to provide clean, quality, and affordable products to our military veterans and those who support them. Today the scientific community is finding that cannabis has many medicinal properties, and that’s how we view it as a medicine.

We support the use of medical cannabis to treat the symptoms of combat-related Post Traumatic Stress, PTSD, and other military service-connected disabilities.

The use of medical cannabis is known to address profound symptoms of mental and physical health issues that are difficult to treat otherwise. There is currently an epidemic of opioid overdose and veteran suicide in America that we hope to prevent by easing pain and anguish with medical cannabis use.

The Veterans Cannabis Group offers:

Support Group                                 

Access donated cannabis for local veterans and other veteran advocate groups 

Discuss the medicinal uses of cannabis     

Promote and support other veteran advocates

Resource Center     

Help veterans file VA disability claims 

Provide a list of other veteran advocacy groups

Help navigate VA benefits/services

Disseminate Information via Conference Calls

Educate

Cannabis use and methodology

Dosing and getting started

Talk about VA Mental/Health services

Networking

Create a Strong Veteran Coalition

Veterans doing business with Veterans

Veterans supporting Veterans

Veterans hiring Veterans

Job Placement 

Help veterans find employment in the cannabis industry  

What kind of obstacles do you face? How do you anticipate removing them? Who is your mentor? What are you smoking right now that is just brilliant? 

As a newer brand in the great “green brand rush” there is of course, competition from all angles to be recognized and accepted as a brand you can trust that will consistently bring premium medicine to the market. Currently, we have a fully legal 172-acre farm offering full-sun and light-deprivation cannabis along with two greenhouses. We procure the finest northern California genetics that offers, in our research and opinions, incredible opportunities for those with PTSD and related conditions. The continuing drought has a lot of farms desperate for water, and many may fall victim, including to other issues like over regulations and taxes. We have been lucky to have the knowledge, dedication, and support to make this brand sustainable. We just tapped a well on our tallest hill that shows incredible return, so we will be in Cloverdale for a while as we develop this brand and grow incredible flower. The best way to remove obstacles to building this brand is to network, and let everyone know who we are and that we bring the same integrity, passion, and dedication to this medicine and brand as we did in the military and our previous successful careers. I have been introducing myself all over NorCal, and as the events begin this year, we will find many opportunities to find Veterans and others who could benefit from our flower and products. We have wonderful distribution for the entire state, and so far, Brothers Mark is in many retail stores already. 

Who is my mentor? Anyone who shares the same passion (or more) than I do about this plant certainly has the knowledge and a perspective I am always curious about. I would say my mentors are those who have always viewed this plant as medicine and non-harmful and have fought the law in some way or another to use or provide this to others. The laws on this plant are unnatural, and natural law is my first law. The underground breeders that have developed so many of these amazing strains.

If I had to name a few; Jack Herer, Mila Jansen, Dennis Peron, Cheech & Chong, Willie Nelson, Steve DeAngelo, Terrence McKenna, Jorge Cervantes, Al Byrne, Mary-Lynn Mather, Nurse Heather, the list of canna-warriors goes on like this.

What am I smoking now that I am loving? There are a few, and of course, it looks like I am biased, but I am truly loving Brothers Mark Apricot Papaya for my daytime smoke. (Papaya x Green Crack x Papaya) is a very uplifting and creative smoke that offers a real focus. Another daytime is Gold Seals ‘Congolese’ cultivar. It’s a 13-week sativa that offers incredible energy and focus, and the taste is absolutely unique. While in LA recently, I picked up some Apples & Bananas by Blaze Mota, a beautiful hybrid and absolutely craft flower. I am really liking this for later in the day. 

Right now, we are harvesting the second run of my own hybrid I have developed from my Afghani genetics…. Trigger Hippie Hindu Kush. Over the last 7 years, I have developed several hybrids with my Afghani, and this one pheno has proven herself. This cultivar offers me the perfect daytime smoke that gives me true energy, no jitters, and attention to detail as I enjoy laser-sharp focus on whatever I am doing, then relaxes me without knocking me out. I am very proud of this and am working to release this soon. 

What kind of food do you enjoy? Favorite restaurant? Do you cook? Is there anything that you go to when you’re imbibing cannabis? 

I went plant-based about three years ago, so I find the most enjoyment in a veggie pizza or Mediterranean food; all that garlic and hummus is my favorite!

I love to cook. In fact, I learned to be a pretty decent cook when I was in the fire department. It was not easy at first, cooking for a bunch of demanding, judgmental guys, but I learned fast. I then learned to enjoy cooking and have always ever since. In fact, I do 90% of the cooking in my house. When I am stoned, I go for anything I can eat with my hands I don’t have to cook. Old pizza, trail mix, ice cream cone, and of course, anything chocolate.

What is your passion? 

What inspires me? After so many years learning about myself and what drives me, I have found that I truly love and support Mother Nature and the Earth that offers us everything we could ever need. As a bridge or ambassador of some sort to connect people to what Mother Nature has provided to a better life through health and wellness is an honor and a path. I have found myself continuously on from a Recon medic, paramedic, firefighter, security, and now breeder and grower of natural medicine. My passion IS this journey. 

https://www.skunkmagazine.com/deep-dive-with-doc-gage-amsler-brothers-mark-cannabis-veteran-owned-and-operated-501c3/?v=7516fd43adaa

                                         

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5 Questions with Leo Stone Aficionado Humboldt


https://www.linkedin.com/in/leo-stone-603797175/
Leo Stone; Aficionado Humboldt Photo from LinkedIn

1. Please tell me about yourself, where are you from? Where are you living now? What was your path to the plant?

I originally grew up in Yokohama, Japan till I was 20 and moved to the Emerald Triangle several years later after completing my service in the Intelligence Community while enlisted in the Army.  For me, cannabis was used as a means-to-an-end to wean myself off of anti-depressants and the heavy alcohol use that often plagues most combat veterans who suffer from PTSD.  I discovered cannabis at a time where if I never found it at that exact moment, I would’ve continued down an already reckless path of severe alcohol & drug abuse.  Shortly after my tour in Iraq, I was stationed in Germany and found that I often didn’t get along with other service members so I mostly hung out with German locals, and became close with two biology graduate students from the Guttenburg University of Mainz who happened to grow weed and sell hash on the side.  It was shortly after connecting with these guys where my travels and partying escapades eventually led to my first intimate experiences within the illicit hash trade and the underground cannabis grow culture in Europe.

The ultimate blessing during this period was learning that cannabis was able to alter my consciousness and lower my anxiety far better than alcohol or antidepressants could ever dream of.  I noticed that the more I smoked, the less I drank.  The less I drank, the less anger I had. The less anger I had the more control I wielded over my PTSD. This first, deep, much needed connection with cannabis allowed me, for the first time, to look deep within and address my issues at their root rather than settling for the sedated haze that awaits most vets swimming in pool prescription drugs.  This sold me.  I was a true believer and there was no stopping it. This plant taught me I didn’t have to end up with the same fate as other vets addicted to or dependent on pharmaceuticals.  As my passion grew so did my hunger for knowledge and my forays into the cannabis world deepened quickly.  My cannabis use ultimately led to the end of my Army Intelligence career, so after receiving my honorable discharge I headed to California to go all in.  It was sink or swim.  I dedicated my life to cannabis the minute it changed mine for the better. There was no looking back and no regrets.

I now reside in Humboldt County, California. Humboldt County is my Mecca.  My true north. My Jerusalem of Cannabis.  This is where the true believers go.  This is where the best of the best make their pilgrimage to grow the best cannabis in the world. There’s a deep romance and connection I have with Humboldt.  It’s name is ubiquitous within the cannabis industry for having arguably and consistently THE BEST cannabis in the world. There’s an acceptance and tolerance of pot-grower culture found here that is nonexistent elsewhere in the world. There’s a certain mystique surrounding this county and many will argue that the emerald triangle is home is the world’s largest homogenous community of career outlaws.  It’s this outlaw culture of freedom and free expression that is the beating heart and magic of Humboldt.  To me, Humboldt means FREEDOM. It’s this free-wheeling outlaw spirit that lies at the core of decades of hard earned cannabis grow-knowledge that makes Humboldt a phenomena in the world of ultra-fine cannabis.

Who was your inspiration for what you do today? 

The man responsible for what I do today is known as OG Mendocino Mike.  OG Mike took me under his wing right after getting out of the Army. I owe it to my brother who got me into the industry by introducing me to Mike who, at the time, hired me as the head of his security.  OG Mike is the embodiment of the Emerald Triangle Dream. A true original grower and outlaw, he hitch hiked out to California in 1974 and gorilla-grew in Mendocino and Humboldt County where he would eventually buy his property and make the first of many fortunes.  Hailing from an Ashkenazi Jewish background and standing at 5 foot 7″ tall with a long silver beard and tatted from head to toe, he was deeply spiritual and connected with plants on an entirely different level.  He spoke about the vibrations the plants give and talked of the parallels between growing cannabis and teachings of the Kabbalah and giving off the right vibrations while in the garden. The most important lesson was he taught me early on that there’s two types of “growers” in the triangle: 1. Those strictly out for money and 2. Those out to grow the best possible cannabis.  He drilled into my head: “If you want to grow big scenes my place isn’t the place or you, quite honestly if that’s your goal you can fuck off. But if you want to grow the BEST POSSIBLE cannabis by giving your BEST POSSIBLE effort then you can stick around” he left it at that and I stuck around ever since. Mike is and always will be my biggest inspiration. 

2. What are your six-and twelve month goals? What obstacles do you face? How do you anticipate removing those obstacles? 

As cannabis goes global we’ve opened an office in Barcelona, Spain to meet growing demands and engage in the legal EU market.  Currently, we’ve been posturing to distribute our genetics to GMP Licensed cannabis farmers in federally legal countries around the globe. The largest obstacle to being a California based genetics company with huge demand is the large barriers to entry on the international market to engage with GMP-Licensed cannabis operators.  We anticipate overcoming these obstacles by choosing the best grower and investment partners in the EU area. 

3.Tell me about your company? What do you do that’s better than your competition?

Aficionado specializes in breeding and curating elite and heirloom genetics.  We’re credited as being the world’s first ultra-premium cannabis brand. Up until legalization our bread and butter was measuring our genetics through competing in many of the cannabis competitions found throughout the country. We’re the first company to demand ultra-premium prices for our genetics and our releases have consistently sold-out since our first release in 2011. I won my first Emerald Cup in 2012 and since then we have stacked up 21 awards in a total of 3 countries, and in 2017 was inducted into the Seed Bank Hall of Fame.  We’re known for crafting full-sun outdoor organic cannabis and seeds that demands the highest prices on the market. OG Mikes goal was always to grow indoor-quality cannabis outdoors, and that’s what we embody. 

What we mainly do differently is our approach.  We approach cannabis a lot like how a top-tier chef approaches fine cuisine.  It boils down to the 3 Pillars of Quality.  1. Selection.  2. Technique 3. Timing.  What separates a AAA top-shelf flower from low-end mids is akin to comparing the differences between a flat iron steak at Denny’s and a dry-aged cut of Wagyu from Nobu in Malibu.  The 3 Pillars of Quality is our roadmap to success. The ‘Selection’ and provenance of your ingredients. The ‘Techniques’ used to express and execute your vision. And finally, the Timing of each function within your process and the timing of your final presentation. These are the basics of what separates greatness from mediocrity.  Hard work, passion, and ruthless discipline is all you need to be successful in cannabis.

4. What is your favorite food memory from childhood? Do you cook? Who taught you? Favorite meal now?  

Japanese street food.  Growing up as a kid in Japan nearly everything food-wise had some sort of novel appeal to it.  But my favorite dish BY FAR then and currently has to be Japanese Beef Curry.  Unlike a Thai Curry which is a coconut milk and chili base, or an Indian Curry that employs the use of Turmeric and Garam Marsala with usually a tomato and cream base Japanese curry is made by creating first creating a roux of flour and butter and adding your Tumeric and Garam Marsala spices to your roux as it’s being whisked in the pot and you eventually end of with a curry-spiced beef gravy with chunks of ribeye, potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms served over white rice.  You can stick me on a deserted island and tell me all I have to eat for the rest of my life is Japanese Curry and I’d be perfectly fine with that- hopefully I brought weed and seeds to said deserted island then I’d be set.

5. What is your passion? 

Ultimately my passion is breeding cannabis.  It is something that I’m not obsessed with, but something I’m possessed by.  It’s a lot like love, there’s an invisible and unstoppable force that hurls you through the motions and destroys any fears.  This passion has been the greatest gift of my life, and it’s a great passion of mine to share it with the world.