Greetings!

We're looking forward to another Far Out Year in 2012! Re-tooled, re-sized, and with a bit of our edgy investigative side showing, along with our festivals, recipes, and other reader favorites. We will be looking up close and personal at the issues, the politics and the festivals that matter to our community.
Yes! We will still have our festivals and positive articles promoting the light and the right. And, Yes! We will still have a growing list of Far Out Approved festivals with the hometown, homegrown venues and businesses highlighted and reviewed. We’re going to show folks the places to go and what do to have fun.
We will still be reaching a nationwide audience, but New England is our backyard. We are going to focus on New England where we have a deep and loyal following. We are growing and strengthening our friendships here to better serve our advertisers and our community. We will be found at the better smoke shops, dispensaries, doctors’ and lawyers’ offices as well at community events and festivals.
We've been a long time supporters of many local events and organizations such as the ones on Harry's Hill in Maine, the Boston Freedom Rally in Mass, THC Expo, as well as NORML and many, many more.
We are the Community publication.

We thank you for your support,
Editor
Far Out Magazine/Patient Handbook
207-355-1450 / editorfaroutmagazine@gmail.com




Greetings!

We are taking a new approach as a "crossover" grassroots magazine. Eddy Lepp wrote an intro in our very first issue (before we even had a name!) about the need for our kind of magazine saying, "I have met many people at these festivals who have touched my life deeply, some becoming life-long friends and confidants," and he marveled at the fact that there hadn't been one like ours until now. The response from the Community has been amazing and we wanted to say, "Thank you."
We are activists that believe festivals and events are an essential part of freedom. We support freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and all that the US Bill of Rights promises. We believe that if you do not exercise your rights, some ding-dong will try to stifle it. Use it or lose it, as the saying goes.

Festivals and Events do more than just provide great music and a good time; they are gathering places for like-minded individuals to meet and discuss their hopes, dreams and plans to make this a better world for all. Festivals are like the U.N. in a field free of the bureaucracy that hampers progress and inhibits change; people from many walks of life, many cultures, and many countries come together and when they join together beautiful things can happen. That is the power of the people.

As peaceful warriors we will continue to support those in the Movement that are working to improve the lives of many; and, as we grow we can increase our activist coverage, and promote the causes that matter to our readers. Emailing, calling and buying from our advertisers lets them know you appreciate that they support a free magazine, and that they are doing the right thing by working with us; and, while you're at it feel free to ask companies that aren't in our pages, why they aren't supporting a free grassroots magazine that doesn't charge $5.99 to $7.99 to take home? Keeping us free, allows you to spend your hard-earned money on other things.

We keep our costs low because we have great volunteers to do a lot of the grinding work that it takes to put out a magazine which is why we can offer a better content to advertiser ratio from cover to cover. We realize there are occasional glitches here and there, and thank you for helping us improve. We thank all of you who read our magazines, give feedback, and offer your stories to share with others on the journey.
Educating people and dispelling stereotypes about who, how and what we are will make an impact; and, as "all politics is local politics:" numbers matter. Be sure to support your local organizations and festivals when you attend events - bring a friend - bring a car full. We can overcome the prejudice and the oppression that has kept us down for too long. We have the numbers to make them listen, and we must make them listen, and it all starts with one voice.

Back in 1996, as Dennis Peron recalls, the "stars aligned" to make it possible for Proposition 215, aka the Compassionate Use Act, to pass. It took years of building bridges, passing smaller pieces of legislation, and even some missteps along the way; but, Dennis never gave up. Today there are a lot of people who have been working to continue changing and improving laws in California, Rhode Island, Maine, Colorado, Massachusetts, Oregon and many more states. This moment in history is the time to act, to take part, to make a difference; history is calling.
Never give up! Never surrender!

- The Far Out Folks @ Far Out Magazine

Far Out Magazine / The Patient Handbook Family
Editor: Top Gnome
Assistant Editor/Layout/Staff Writer: S.A. Stepford
Music-Band Guru/Staff Writer: Linda "KyndMamma" Kennedy
Staff Writer/Photographer: Travelin' Dude
Staff Writers:
J.D. Thompson
Donna Quixote
DumbAss Dirt Farmer
Proof Reader: J. Call

We do work with others periodically and staff may change over time; please confirm the affiliation of anyone presenting themselves as members of Far Out Magazine or The Patient Handbook @ editorfaroutmagazine@gmail.com