Well, Oregon, we’ve come a long way. As of July 1, recreational marijuana use is legal for adults. Prohibition ends at last. Reefer madness, at least for now, has found its antidote, and it turns out it was legal, regulated marijuana all along.

We hope that this will be the start of a greener, brighter chapter in pot’s problematic history — an era in which cannabis research proliferates and the number of people in prison for marijuana offenses drops off; when all the benefits of marijuana are explored without fear or resistance.

In this special issue, we give you the lowdown on legalization (“Legal Weed 101”), designer marijuana strains and customizing your high (“Smoke the Rainbow”), the effects of marijuana on the developing brain (“No Brainer”) and the growing issue of pesticide use on marijuana, especially in concentrated forms like butane hash oil (“Dirty Medicine”).

But, buyer beware. On the eve of the repeal of prohibition, moonshiners still abound. And if the history of commodification tells us anything, when a substance goes from illicit to legal, snake oil salesmen will creep out of every capitalist corner. In a gold rush, or rather a green rush, it’s every man for himself.

So inhale, exhale, enjoy, be safe and educate yourself. Marijuana is a mighty substance, but we have a lot left to learn.

Dirty Medicine
Butane hash oil, illegal pesticides, unregulated labs and a looming public health threat

Legal Weed
101 Know the law before you light up

No Brainer
The impact of marijuana on developing minds

Smoke the Rainbow
The next wave in marijuana is a customizable high

ON THE COVER

“I’ve always been into concentrates,” says Darren Quardt, a Eugene entrepreneur who helps set up dispensaries in Eugene and Portland. Quardt, who has lived in Oregon for 25 years, says Oregon grows more weed per capita than any other state, and that it’s the cheapest in the country.

Originally from New York where he studied art at The New School’s Parsons School of Design, Quardt created the image seen on the cover of this issue, as well as the adornments in this story. “Each letter is hand-carved,” he says. Quardt explains that “Eugene” is made from “shatter” and “Weekly” is made from “pull and snap,” both forms of butane hash oil, a marijuana extract. Local concentrate producers Blazty and Earles Dabberhashery supplied the materials. Quardt is also an award-winning orchid cultivator.

Pictured above: Darren Quardt works on the cover image. Photo by Todd Cooper.