It is amazing how an event from almost 20 years ago can remain fresh in the mind. It certainly doesn’t seem that long ago that Canadian Ross Rebagliati rocketed down Nagano’s Olympic giant slalom snowboard course, ripping through the finish line to claim the first-ever Olympic men’s snowboarding gold medal despite starting the final run in eighth position. Since then, Rebagliati has become a cultural phenomenon and advocate of marijuana use, and it is no coincidence that since that foggy day on Mount Yakebitai near Nagano, how we perceive the use of marijuana in society has changed for the better. Hydrolife recently caught up with Rebagliati to talk about Nagano, his thoughts on marijuana, and the launch of Ross’ Gold.

One of the best parts about a budding industry like the marijuana industry is the personalities that emerge. For more than a year in these pages, we’ve worked hard to bring you the latest information, history, how-to methods, and products surrounding cannabis. In this issue, we’re focusing a little more on people, including Jim McAlpine, founder of the 420 Games and Power Plant Fitness. He graces our cover after working with San Francisco-based photographer Mark Rutherford.

To know where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve been. The same adage rings true for the modern cannabis industry, which is why this issue of Hydrolife takes a look back at the roots of marijuana and how the plant has traveled through history (History of Cannabis Part II), as well as how the industry may be affected by recent political appointments (Should the Cannabis Industry be Worried?)

Marijuana, be it medicinal or recreational, still has a long way to go to shake the stigma it has endured for decades in North America. It continues to be an industry struggling to capture acceptance and credibility despite its recent progress. This reality is perhaps just one of the reasons why losing Strain Hunter Franco Loja to cerebral malaria in January.

To know where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve been. The adage rings true for the modern cannabis industry, which is why this issue of Hydrolife takes a look back at the roots of marijuana and how the plant has traveled through history in North America (History of Cannabis Part II).

Without trailblazers and change-makers, people who put a cause for the greater well-being ahead of their own interests, change can’t happen. The cannabis landscape is what it is today because of people who, long before marijuana gained mainstream acceptance, risked it all so people could benefit from a plant that so many others, especially lawmakers, hated. These trailblazers could see the benefits of marijuana long before most.

For more than a year in these pages, we’ve worked hard to bring you the latest information, history, how-to methods, and products surrounding cannabis. In this issue, we’re focusing a little more on people. One of the best parts about a budding industry like the marijuana industry is the personalities that emerge, including Jim McAlpine, founder of the 420 Games and Power Plant Fitness. We hope you enjoy reading about McAlpine’s efforts to help educate the world about marijuana and its benefits.

Marijuana, be it medicinal or recreational, still has a long way to go to shake the stigma it has endured for decades in North America. It continues to be an industry struggling to capture acceptance and credibility despite its recent progress. This reality is perhaps just one of the reasons why losing Strain Hunter Franco Loja to cerebral malaria in January.

There is a lot of healing in this issue of Hydrolife. As medicinal marijuana gains acceptance in more jurisdictions, more stories are coming to the forefront revealing how cannabis healed a person where traditional drugs could not, or could but with severe side effects. We all want that miracle cure to be found where everybody is safe, where everybody is happy and where everybody is healthy.

For this issue of Hydrolife, writer August Dunning caught a few waves with Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (Rep., California), then sat down with him to discuss his role at the federal level on defending cannabis. The Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment (formerly the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment) says that all federal agencies, not just the justice department or internal revenue, are required to obey the laws enacted in the states that have legalized cannabis.

In this issue of Hydrolife, we cover all of that and more. For leading edge information on the dangers of pesticides in marijuana concentrates, check out Jodi McDonald’s insightful article on page 36. There is a reason why pesticides are measured in parts per trillion, and that’s because they are extremely dangerous to humans. In the meantime, New Brunswick’s Knalysis Technologies has been working hard to develop software that can match the appropriate cannabis strain to specific recognized ailments. It is ground-breaking technology that may take a lot of the guess work out of the equation for people turning to cannabis to address their medical needs. Knalysis’s feature can be found on page 32.

Welcome to the third edition of the new Hydrolife. At this point, all we can say is “wow”. The response from readers, industry professionals and those who use cannabis to heal themselves has blown away all expectations. When we started Hydrolife with a medicinal cannabis theme, our intent was to connect growers, medical practitioners, patients and health enthusiasts by providing information related to this powerful plant. As we continue to do that, it is becoming apparent that passion in the medicinal cannabis revolution runs deep.

Without trailblazers and change-makers, people who put a cause for the greater well-being ahead of their own interests, change can’t happen. The cannabis landscape is what it is today because of people who, long before marijuana gained mainstream acceptance, risked it all so people could benefit from a plant that so many others, especially lawmakers, hated. These trailblazers could see the benefits of marijuana long before most.

In this issue, we explore Bitcoin and its use in the cannabis industry; how to best insure your growing business; and how dosage is tested. Mark Ward describes how cannabis helped him get back on stage with his band Synthetic Mindset, and Jay Hawley tells us how marijuana inspired him to create Stormebud. With these stories and more, it is clear that the marijuana industry is becoming accepted in virtually every segment of society, and it’s just a matter of time before the federal government legalizes it. It’s an inevitability that even President-elect Trump will have trouble stopping.

In the new June/July edition of Hydrolife we explore how, rather than being a gateway, cannabis is actually reducing reliance on opiates used commonly for pain treatment. We also take a look at the many methods that can be employed for using cannabis for pain management. Our Ask a Nurse column provides helpful tips for those considering cannabis, and our writers have gone to great efforts to explain how various strains have different effects and qualities. So in this edition of Hydrolife we invite you to Grow, Live and Heal, but most of all, Enjoy!