Parenting and Cannabis

If people would simply stop lying about cannabis, so much would be resolved. A parent using cannabis for recreation is no different than a parent who has a beer after work. Well, at least cannabis is healthy..not so sure about the beer. But then I'm biased..I've never liked the taste of beer. And I don't drink anymore, so there's that. It's not a hard and fast rule, but I feel better when I don't drink alcohol.

Anyway, I read that in Colorado, our legalization Mecca, a bill was introduced which, if passed, will potentially complicate everyone's lives there. It seems that some lawmakers think that if a parent uses a controlled substance (which unless I missed something, cannabis is just that), medically or otherwise, it's time to take the kids away. SB 178, a gem of a bill, defines a "drug endangered child" and imposes criminal penalties on the child's parents if manufacturing or possessing controlled substances. Cannabis is a federally controlled substance, even though it's legal in Colorado. Although the bill's author seems to suggest that this doesn't apply to cannabis, no one really believes that.

I agree that kids shouldn't be around certain drugs. You know, like heroin, cocaine, meth and drugs like those. But cannabis is not a drug. It's a plant. Yes it has psychoactive properties. It also has medicinal properties. Typically we don't see the level of spousal abuse amongst those who use cannabis that we do with those who use alcohol. Plus, there's the added benefit of no addiction. And we have cannabinoid receptors all over the place that are just waiting to connect with the various compounds found in cannabis. It's what keeps us healthy. It's so funny that since I became a patient four years ago, my health has returned, so much so that I walk eight miles every morning. Right..cannabis is a bad thing..

It seems to me that every time something positive happens with respect to cannabis, some lawmaker finds a ridiculous way to circumvent it. If cannabis is legal in Colorado, then you can't take away kids from parents who use it. You can't make it impossible for parents who are also patients to use cannabis medicinally to deal with their health issues. They shouldn't have to fear losing their kids while getting well. No other patients have to deal with these kinds of things. Cannabis patients should be no different. If SB 178 doesn't apply to anyone using cannabis, then revise the bill to include that specific language. Otherwise, Coloradoans who use cannabis are at risk. Surely there are other laws on the books that define what "drug endangered" children are along with penalties for those who disregard them. Why does it need redefinition?

Last summer, the Oregon legislature legalized dispensaries. We voted them down, but they sprung up anyway, and the legislature decided to do something positive for all of us by legalizing them. And then, just before the application process began in March, they decided to let local areas temporarily ban them for one year. Never mind that they had roughly nine months to get used to the idea. And never mind that they looked the other way as the dispensaries opened without benefit of law. Now they suddenly are so overwhelmed by the possibility of a dispensary opening (or continuing to operate) that, oh my Goddess, they have to have a moratorium on them for a while longer. Spare me.

Washington state, our legalization problem child to the north, has legal patients who are going to trial federally in July, I believe, for following state medical cannabis laws to the letter. So, if this can happen in Washington, it can happen in Colorado as well. I also read an article that suggested the Feds might not deliver water to cannabis growers up in Washington as well. In my opinion, this is chicken shit. The Federal Government is going to have to deal with legalization sooner than later. They know it's safe and they know it cures all kinds of things. People are incarcerated for nothing at all. Lives are continuing to be ruined..all to preserve a lie told long ago.

Cannabis users are not criminals, nor are we unfit parents. Isn't it time the charade stopped?

End prohibition. Live in truth and with integrity. Legalize cannabis.

New Grow Journal!! 1st day of flower!

The ladies are ready for flowering! They've been grown under LED exclusively since they were seedlings. I'm so pleased with the Dominator XL's I'm using from Lush Lighting. LED has really become the way to grow. They're still really expensive, but at some point they'll start to come down in price. Even at current prices, they're well worth the investment. Plus they have less of a carbon footprint than other lights have, so there's that.

Here's a shot of the room from above the canopy..

This grow is special because each strain is new. 9lb Hammer, Cuvee', Mickey Kush, Honeymoon Mix, Galactic Jack, and Dr. Who are growing well and I can't wait to see how the buds develop. Here's a shot of each plant at the beginning of flower:

9lb Hammer

Cuvee'

Dr. Who

Galactic Jack

Honeymoon Mix

Mickey Kush

As always, our strains are from TGA Genetics Subcool Seeds. Sub and MizJill are so caring and awesome and work tirelessly creating medicinal cannabis seeds for patients. Their quality has made all the difference, and somehow thank you doesn't seem to be enough, but I extend my appreciation and gratitude anyway.

And lastly, another shot of the room:

Blessed Be my happy garden!

Grow Journal - Out with the Old, In with the New

It's a new garden! The last one was terrific! I'll make oil from Pennywise to see how that comes out. Actually, I'll make oil out of most of it, maybe a little tincture as well. Patients are typically highly pro-active when figuring out what works for us. Really though, what choice do we have? I envy those patients who can have the conversation with their doctors. We're a credible source because we never give up until we find what works. We'll tell you honestly what works and what doesn't. We essentially have to become our own pharmaceutical company, researching strains and medication methodologies, to find our path to healing. Because, at the end of the day, that's what this is all about..healing.

Trust me, it's not cheap to grow cannabis. I suppose it could be, but given the fact that it's medicine, we have to be extraordinarily careful how we do it. I don't use pesticides and thank the Divine Mother that we don't have mites or any other critters wreaking havoc with the plants. When you have a compromised immune system, which many of us have, you cannot afford to ingest any crap that can make you more ill. So, no molds, bug bodies, fecal matter or pesticides (poison). I love the instructions on some of those pesticides..they never tell you that some of these things become systemic in the plant and is there really an acceptable level of poison to ingest? Or is this just another version of acceptable loss that seems to drive corporations these days?

In any event, I'm growing all new strains this time. They're all from TGA Genetics Subcool Seeds. Dr. Who, Cuvee', 9 lb Hammer, Mickey Kush, Galactic Jack, and Honeymoon Mix. Honeymoon Mix isn't in Sub's lineup anymore I don't believe, and I only had one seed and it ended up being a female! Plus, I've had it a while, but you wouldn't know it to look at the plant. It'll be clone-only, though, now that I don't have any more seeds and probably can't get them now. I love getting new seeds because then we have the chance to collect pollen and then create our own strains. That's so much fun. Last time I pollinated a branch of Jack the Ripper with Pennywise, creating a strain I called RipperWise. Soon, I'll start a couple and see what I get.

And now for the ladies!

9lb Hammer

Cuvee'

Dr. Who

Galactic Jack

Honeymoon Mix

Mickey Kush

And then a shot of the room

And also, here are a couple of pictures taken when gender appeared on 9lb Hammer and Mickey Kush:

9lb Hammer

Mickey Kush

Another garden, another adventure in growing! Livin' life under the purple lush!

~ Blessed Be this amazing plant!

Grow Journal - week 8

I harvested Pennywise..nice bud structure and the top colas were large and very nicely shaped. Now it's drying and when it's done, I'll make oil. It's the first time I've used a high CBD plant for oil so it will be interesting to see what effect it has on rheumatoid arthritis. Research is suggesting that it does well for inflammation and pain, so I'm eager to see how it works.

My greatest concern over the CBD strains is that state legislators are confused about the need for THC as well for medicine. CBD is not psychoactive in the same way that THC is, so they're all excited...which is great...but they need to understand that THC is necessary as well for healing. As usual, they throw the proverbial baby out with the bath water in an effort to do what feels acceptable to them. But what they all miss here is the fact that they are operating under false assumptions. They need to deal in facts when crafting legislation, not the scare tactics of the anti-legalization crowd. Those people don't care about the truth, only profits, and that's at the heart of the lie. Rescheduling cannabis at least would allow for research, which would ultimately lead to everyone calming down and then legalization will happen. They can't stop it now. It's here to stay.

So, rant over..here's Pennywise outside the room..in front of my awesome new refrigerator. Which I love. My other one made a clunking sound when the compressor shut off.  Poor thing. I waved goodbye as the nice people from Lowes took it away.

day 53

done!

Filly Bean

day 53

day 57

Timewreck

day 53

day 57

The Flav

day 53

day 57

Vortex

day 53

day 57

Orange Vision

day 53

day 57

Last shot of the last 5 plants in the grow

As you can see, the plants are in their final autumning off. We'll harvest the rest of them over the next week. Then we'll clean the area completely before bringing the six young un's in to finish vegging and then flowering. In Oregon, we're allowed only six that we can let grow to finish. We're allowed additional, but they must be no larger than a foot by a foot. So, everything has to be kept small until they can go into the other area. Sometimes that involves re-cloning off of existing clones to stay in compliance. Some of the small plants are used raw in smoothies, so something is always happening medicinally in the grow room. Raw cannabis has wonderful acids in it that are so healing. Everyone should be ingesting raw cannabis. Some use raw bud in smoothies; however, I don't care for the taste, so I just use leaf. And, it has the added benefit of being non-psychoactive, so healing without the high. I like that. Altered states are nice, but sometimes it's not appropriate, so I especially like the versatility of this plant.

Eventually, the worms will give us enough castings to make tea and to use when making our super soil and I won't have to buy them anymore at the grow store. I love that place, but I like to be as self-sufficient as possible, so currently the worms are living in my kitchen. Soon, however, they'll move to the flower room where they'll provide my ladies with natural CO2. 

It's a Lush life in the garden!

~Blessed Be!

Grow Journal - week 7

The ladies are almost done..another week probably..all in all, Lush Lighting makes some really great lights. LED is the way to go for sure for indoor gardens. Fuller light spectrum makes for better growth as well as increased resin production which is great when making tinctures and oil. Also, the worms are doing well, they're still working through the first section, or should I say eating through the first section. At some point, and I don't know when that is, we'll add another tray on top and begin feeding them there. We have four trays total I believe. 

And now for the ladies:

Filly Bean

day 47

day 50

Vortex

day 47

day 50

Timewreck

day 47

day 50

The Flav

day 47

day 50

Pennywise

day 47

day 50

Orange Vision

day 47

day 50

The Garden

I love growing things! We are all connected energetically..the earth, plants, the universe..all of us. Growing anything puts your energy into that life. Growing medicine that heals is the most satisfying thing I've ever done, whether it's herbs or cannabis. Cannabis has saved my life and brought my health under control. Anyone who still believes that cannabis isn't safe to use either recreationally or medicinally is buying into a lie that has destroyed lives through incarceration and ultimately death in the case of people suffering from cancer and other life threatening conditions. All those years ago, profits were preferred over people, and we haven't learned that lesson yet because prohibition is alive and well, even in states where it's either legal completely, or medically so. Laws enacted to protect patients are circumvented by local cities who continue to buy into the lie by delaying the opening of legal dispensaries and other roadblocks they put in place. Cynicism has triumphed over truth and patients suffer in the process.

Growing my own medicine has been such a blessing. I have always preferred truth over propaganda and to be able to heal myself this way when doctors were unable to do so has been so gratifying. We all possess an endocannabinoid system that has been depleted over time because we no longer consume hemp. Without replenishing the cannabinoids in our bodies, an imbalance occurs and we become ill. Not only can hemp (and cannabis) heal our bodies, but it can also save the earth. 

The insanity must stop. We must end prohibition. 

~ Blessed Be ~ 

Grow Journal - Week 6

Worms! They're finally here! We're feeding them vegetable scraps, banana peels, brown rice, coffee and tea grounds and shredded paper. Still have to figure out how much to feed them. We added some coco and perlite to aerate a little, plus it evidently adds carbon to the mix. Uncle Jim's Worm Farm folks are great to deal with and we're so happy we're doing this! You can devise your own system, but this was not expensive and it will be well worth the investment when we can use the worm castings and tea!



And now for the ladies!

Filly Bean

day 40

day 43

Vortex

day 40

day 43

Timewreck

day 40

day 43

The Flav

day 40

day 43

Pennywise

day 40

day 43

Orange Vision

day 40

day 43

And a shot of the grow..

The plants are nearing the end of their flower cycle..looks like Pennywise is first..autumning off now. LED lighting is expensive..there's no doubt about that, but it's worth the cost because the plants grow so well under them, particularly with resin production. We use Lush Lighting's Dominator XL series. Now they have a new version with even more lights in them. Well worth the investment, no matter what you're growing. LEDs provide a greater spectrum of light than HPS or any other light and the plants respond to it. And, it's a lesser footprint carbonwise, so it's a win/win. And with genetics from TGA Genetics SubCool Seeds, you can't go wrong!

Until next Friday..happy gardening!

~Blessed Be!