Charity Cannabis Calendar for Veterans Censored by State
By
Kat Thomas
You
can't fight City Hall, but one group of Cannabis Pin-Ups is doing
just that to help raise money for Veterans suffering from PTSD!
From
Betty Grable donning the nose of WW2 fighter plane to Rosie the
Riveter arching her back for the cause, throughout history pictures
of pretty ladies have help raised money for Active Duty Service
Members and Veterans. So with that in mind, in August of 2017,
Cannabis photography company Dope Foto and Cannabis entertainment
group The Green Light District came together to create the inaugural
issue of The Emerald Dames of Sin City, a Las Vegas Charity Pinup
Calendar.
“For
us, creating the calendar is a way to rally public support for
Veterans rights to utilize Cannabis once they’ve returned home from
serving our country,” notes producer Julia Reed Nichols, who's
company Do Right Industries produced the calendar. “Thus, 10% of
the proceeds from The Emerald Dames of Sin City will go to the
award-winning Cannabis non-profit Grow For Vets.” Grow for Vets is
a tax exempt organization that helps Veterans with PTSD, TBI, chronic
pain, and other serious medical conditions obtain and grow Cannabis.
In 4 years since forming, the group has served more than 40,000
Veterans and given away $1.5 million in free Cannabis to Veterans in
states where medical Marijuana is legal.
A
Marijuana user due to epilepsy, the combination of Pin-Ups, Cannabis,
and raising money for Veterans was the perfect fit for Nichols. The
last of those being something she knows quite a lot about. In the
last three years Nichols' entertainment company Pin-Ups on Tour (a
division of Do Right Industries) has donated $50,000 in free Veteran
tickets and monetary donations to Veteran non-profits such as AmVets,
Heels For Combat Boots, Recon Sniper Foundation, Pin-Ups For Vets,
American Legion posts, VFW posts, and Grow For Vets. Her Pin-Ups on
Tour shows have been performed in 45 states bringing together 9,000
people to support our troops. She has been able to donate over 2,400
tickets to Veterans, and have been able to entertain close to 3,000
Active Duty and Veteran Service Members in our nation's VA Hospitals
and Veterans Homes.
The
cost of the creation of the project (photography; hiring models,
makeup artists, and hairstylists; wardrobe; and printing of the
calendar) was offset by potential sponsorship of each page month (and
the cover) by a different Marijuana brand. In the end 4 Cannabis
brands chose to participate, 3 of which are MMEs (Medical Marijuana
Establishments).
Although
the calendar itself is a piece of editorial work, sponsorship of a
month by an MME was considered advertisement which required the MME
submit it to the Department of Taxation, the Marijuana Enforcement
Division.
The
6x6 inch calendar was printed in early November and pre-sales
commenced. An article was even published in Civilized during
Veterans Day week about the work we were doing. All that was left to
do was wait for State approval for our 3 MME sponsored pages. But on
11/29, weeks after our MMEs had submitted, 2 out 3 of our MME
pictures were rejected by the Department of Taxation.
The
two images in questions: January which was an image of a stylish lady
in a sequined sparkly gown holding a unlit joint in one raised hand
and a jar containing Marijuana flower in the other; and February
which was an image of a Pin-Up chef holding a flour dusted wooden
spoon close to her happily grinning mouth. According to the State,
both indicated “Intent to Consume.”
This
rejection this was a surprise to both the producers and sponsors.
“As a photographer in the Cannabis industry for 3 years, I am
plenty aware of the state regulations in regards to consumption of
Cannabis in photographs,” notes calendar photographer and producer
Shannon Dorn of Dope Foto. “We made sure all models were in the
safe zone at all photo shoots; no one was to consume and no one was
to look as though they were consuming.”
But
with the potential for the sponsors to be fined $50K or more, The
Emerald Dames of Sin City had to figure out a solution. Within
24hrs, we sent our contact at the Department of Taxation, Marijuana
Enforcement Division alternative photos from which they could chose a
replacement image. Thus, allowing us to sticker over the censored
images and release the calendar while still including our sponsors.
The
Nevada Marijuana Enforcement Division's decisions on whether
advertisements are acceptable are ruled by committee. “Their
choices can seem very arbitrary at times,” states Nichols. “It's
like that old statement about pornography... I'll know it when I see
it.” Recently an advertisement for a Cannabis infused beverage
company's Mango flavored product was rejected by the State because it
included shots of Mango fruit in the ad. The explanation: Kids like
fruit and thus the picture could potentially be advertising to
children...
In
mid December, two weeks after our MMEs resubmitted their images, our
December month MME received an email stating that their January MME
picture (the same MME sponsored January and December, just with
different specific brands) was rejected because the model was holding
an alcoholic beverage. Yet that statement is erroneous as the
January model is holding, as previously noted, a jar of flower and
not an alcoholic drink.
The
Marijuana Enforcement Division also informed this MME that The
Emerald Dames of Sin City cover image and our June page were also
reasons the calendar could potentially get rejected. Their rational
was that the cover image involved consuming vape pens. But although
the pen is near our models lips, it is not in fact touching. And as
for our June image, the State was inclined to dismiss it because the
image showed “the model with what would assumed to be an alcoholic
drink. Yes it technically 'could be juice,' etc. but the perception
of a martini glass or a glass of anything at what appears to be a
party would be alcohol.”
It
is illegal for advertising images to include both alcohol and
Marijuana in the same shot. Yet our model held in her hands a
martini glass full of blue sugar water and nothing more. The glass
was chosen to indicate a classy time not alcohol, to indicate
sophistication not booze. A glass is just a vessel, technically
defined as “a drinking container.” What is inside of it, ice
cream, water, or alcohol, defines it's specific use.
But
these details are unimportant as the Department of Taxation,
Marijuana Enforcement Division does not have a right to regulate
these images at all as these pictures were editorial pages from the
calendar, not MME advertisements.
All
of this red tape is never good for business. “We had numerous
pre-orders on this charity calendar from Veterans across the nation
wanting to give it as a Christmas gift...,” notes Nichols. “We
were sitting on 3,000 calendars that we couldn't legally distribute.
Calendars are timely in nature; they usually only sell from a window
of November to February. This means to raise the most money possible
for Grow For Vets the product needs to be available as soon as
possible.” To add to the frustration, this calendar is the fastest
selling pinup calendar Do Right Industries has ever produced.
Due
to the seasonal nature of calendars and the fiduciary responsibility
we have to Grow For Vets, The Emerald Dames of Sin City has decided
to sticker over our 3 MME sponsored pages of the calendar (and the
back cover with their logos). This will make the calendar fully
editorial. “Once our MMEs have heard from the State, we'll be
happy to sell the complete calendar,” notes Nichols. “But until
then, this was our only course of action without having them receive
a hefty fine.”
“On
a larger note, we felt we needed to let the world know the state of
bureaucracy when it comes to Cannabis advertising policies in the
state of Nevada,” continues Nichols. “We set out to make a fun
charity calendar to bring the Cannabis Community of Las Vegas
together, but the degree of hoops we've had to try and jump through
on this experience has reached Kafka-esque levels. This is a
Marijuana experience that needs to be more known by people looking to
do Cannabis business in Nevada.”
But
for right now there's stickering to be done! Because despite a few
bureaucratic bumps, there's still 3,000 calendars to be distributed
and sold. With The Green Light District negotiating shows for the
upcoming months in Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle, The Emerald
Dames of Sin City with be hitting the road as merchandise at these
events.
For
at the end of the day the focus has always been about raising money
for a great Cannabis non-profit. “There are Veterans out there who
need help, and contributions from this calendar do our part in making
this happen,” notes photographer Shannon Dorn. “It's only right
that we do what we set out to do: raise funds Grow For Vets so they
can help Veterans find a safer and alternative medicine through
Cannabis.”
You
can order your calendar for The Emerald Dames of Sin City online at
thegldexperience.com You can either purchase one for yourself or
donate to a Veteran allowing your calendar to be distributed in GFV
Cannabis care packages.
Kat
Thomas is the Co-Owner of The Green Light District, a Las Vegas/Los
Angeles Cannabis entertainment company. She is also the CEO of the
creative media company This Way Adventures.
