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

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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!

Undermining again..

So now the Oregon Senate has sent a bill giving localities the ability to delay the opening of legal cannabis dispensaries until May 2015 to Governor Kitzhaber's desk for signature. Why did they wait until applications were being accepted? Cynicism suggests that it was intentional to derail new dispensaries from opening..maybe for good. The cost to business owners should the Governor sign this nonsense bill will be huge. It instructs the Oregon Health Authority to refund the $4000 license fee, but that's only the tip of the iceberg for these places. The security measures alone that have to be implemented are extremely costly. To not be able to recoup their expenses may put some out of business before they even start. How is that fair?

I suppose it can be argued that any dispensaries that existed before they were legalized shouldn't have existed anyway because the voters in Oregon voted against them. Yet, they sprung up everywhere. Truth is an interesting motivator. Cannabis will be legal here at some point, and it looks like that just might happen in November. Why not embrace the spirit of the green rush that's coming? Oregon could lead the nation on this. Washington isn't turning out to be a patient friendly state anymore. Why does Oregon have to follow suit? Oregon could show far more compassion and let the dispensaries go forward without any further restriction. Not everyone wants to grow their own medicine. Some simply are too ill to do it and legalizing dispensaries is a godsend for these folks.

And what will happen to the dispensaries that now exist? If a city decides to invoke the moratorium, it must do so by May 1, 2014. Do existing businesses need to then close until May 2015? How many people will lose their jobs in the process? And how can a city that has so far looked the other way suddenly become concerned and impose a moratorium? And will they?

Instead of giving in to fear, why not educate the localities that have concerns over dispensaries? The knee-jerk reaction to cannabis is based upon lies anyway. Isn't time we started living in truth? Delaying the opening of dispensaries won't fix the problem. Only truth will do that. People might as well get accustomed to hearing facts about cannabis given that legalization is likely soon. 

There's a trend developing in this country. When one party doesn't like a law, they do everything to circumvent it by enacting new laws to get around it. Face it. We don't always get what we want and sometimes the majority wins. It doesn't help the situation when the Oregon Senate disrupts prospective new business this way. Even if you remove patients from the equation, dispensaries bring jobs and revenue to whatever city they're in. Preventing that from happening at a time when so many are still unemployed makes no sense at all.

We have to start somewhere. Maybe vetoing this bill is the beginning of reason and sanity returning to the conversation. Please, Governor Kitzhaber..protect patients. Veto this bill. 

So, they're running out of weed in Colorado..

I don't know if Colorado distinguishes between medical dispensaries and retail outlets. I hope they do so that patients aren't affected by all those legally happy folks out there. Don't get me wrong..I'm totally pro-legalization. I'm not actually complaining, even though it sounds like it. Patients need their meds. So, I hope they got their priorities straight there.

I predict that Oregon will legalize this year. It would be nice if the legislature would do it, but it looks like it's going to be on our ballot next time. Oregonians won't sit tight while other states around us do it. We've had medical cannabis since 1998, so this is a natural step for us. Our Board of Pharmacy has already rescheduled cannabis from schedule one to schedule two, allowing for research. We almost did it last time, so fingers crossed.

Washington has chosen to let their Liquor Control Commission decide how legal cannabis unfolds in their state. Patients are at real risk there. Medical cannabis has been legal there since 1998 as well, and what I've been reading in the news has been troubling. Opponents to legalization will always exist and I hope that their voices aren't influencing the outcome there. Too many times, cannabis is legalized or decriminalized in some way, and then immediately, cities pass rules making it impossible for anyone to use it. This, in effect, circumvents the law in an effort to curtail if not completely stop any successful implementation. Some cities in Oregon tried this when the legislature legalized dispensaries earlier this year. Thankfully they were told they can't do that. Patients in Washington are encouraged to make their voices heard on this issue before their existing rights are taken away. 

Americans love their cannabis. It's not going away. Cannabis kills cancer. High CBD strains are useful in treating severe epilepsy. PTSD is alleviated by cannabis. Multiple Sclerosis responds well to cannabis. Diabetes apparently does as well. My RA was so severe that I thought I would die. Fifteen years I suffered - the last twelve were excruciating. Cannabis saved my life as it has countless others.

Those of us who have experienced what this plant can do to return us to health will not stand down on this issue. We can't. It's too important. We're done being lied to by our government about this safe plant. We're done being dismissed as stoners who lie about being sick to get their cannabis legally. See, we produce medical records because we actually have medical records which document our health problems. We don't get our cards here in Oregon unless we do that. So no one is getting over on this.

The legalization dominoes are falling everywhere. More states are legalizing for medical purposes and more are talking about full legalization. And with countries like Uruguay legalizing, and more interested in doing so, this will be a done deal before long. We need to embrace this..if only for the purposes of truth. Our government needs to stop lying to us. It's always done to increase corporate profits at the expense of the American people. Think about it. What if cannabis had never been prohibited? What if industrial hemp had never been prohibited. Where would we be now? Would as many people have died from cancer? Would we be in a different place energy-wise? Industrial hemp could be grown and processed into ethanol without the problems that corn creates. Hemp can be used for just about anything.

Legalization in Washington and Colorado gives me hope, even with all the inevitable stumbling blocks that occur, that some sense is returning. Lives can be saved with medicinal cannabis, and industrial hemp production will provide jobs and environmental protection in the process. Throw in a little marriage equality, a living wage, gun control, leaving constitutionally protected rights for women alone, and single payer..I'd be in liberal heaven.

Rumor has it 2014 is the year of the progressive. Let's make that a reality! And how about legalizing cannabis on a federal level? Who knows, a few bong hits during House sessions, we might get some compassion out of these guys. They might forget all the animosity and posturing and remember why they're there.  Alcohol breeds anger..cannabis, on the other hand, love, baby, love!!

They Can't Be Serious..

And here we go. Washington State Liquor Control Board, in its infinite lack of wisdom, is proposing to allow over 200 possible pesticides on cannabis sold in the new retail outlets. I guess that's one way to control people..make them sick, or worse. And rumor has it they're trying to gut the medical cannabis law as well. No home grow..just pesticide-laden cannabis sold to consumers. Great work, people.

In case anyone was confused on this issue, when voters vote yes on a new law, city, county, and/or state officials cannot then try to circumvent in some way the new law. Oregon's legislature said yes to dispensaries and several cities, including Medford, said no. So the state's attorneys issued a letter stating they couldn't do this. Since it looks like we will be legalizing soon, this is a positive omen. 

I have to believe the problems we're beginning to see in Washington, similar to those in Colorado, are a reflection of those in power disagreeing with the new law. These are the same people who disagreed with the medical cannabis laws, so none of this is really surprising. The nonsensical 5 nanogram DUID limit is an example of giving something, yet making it impossible to have. If it were actually based on fact, then fine, but we all know it's not. So let's lock up some more people for doing something legal.

Oregon has published the rules for dispensaries for comment. One problem I see with it is that it does not require dispensaries to send their cannabis for testing to an independent lab. I would imagine with all the comments I know have already been made, and the comments pending, this will be changed. I wouldn't feel comfortable buying anything from a dispensary that did its own testing. That's why Washington's 200+ pesticide rule is so nuts.

Look, bugs aren't okay, because you know..fecal matter and all. But pesticides aren't okay either. We have to stop thinking in terms of acceptable loss. Elevate the standards for once. (I was going to say, set standards high, but that was too punny.) People with compromised immune systems cannot ingest fecal matter or pesticides. Nor should anyone else. So let's make sure the labs are doing their jobs correctly and require dispensaries to use them. And no icky stuff..please.

I've read that patients in Washington are organizing and responding to the proposed new rules. Please reconsider some of what you're proposing. And leave patients alone. Leave the dispensaries alone. If anything, make life better for patients. When people are that ill, and nothing else works, cannabis makes the difference between health and illness. And sometimes, between life and death. 

#Peace4Patients.. and everyone else..

Legalize..just respect patients in the process..

Washington State has written their cannabis rules. Most will need legislative approval. Personal growing has been banned. Evidently this would apply to patients as well. Current law allows up to fifteen plants. Once again, legalization is accomplished at the detriment of patients. Not everyone buys their meds at a dispensary. Many of us grow our own. Oregon just decided to legalize dispensaries, which will help the existing dispensaries that started under the guise of "clubs". We voted no last time on dispensaries. But that didn't stop enterprising dispensary owners from opening businesses. Depending upon where they opened, some were harassed and raided, and some weren't. It probably would have been better to wait until they were legal, but those of us who really understand the benefits of cannabis on our health sometimes become exuberant and do things anyway. I'm not talking about drug traffickers here. Some of these dispensary owners are patients themselves. They only want to help people and have taken the risk to do so.

I have said many times that I believe in ending prohibition. It was based upon a lie anyway and countless lives have been ruined to further that lie. But to legalize at the expense of patients doesn't make sense. We don't have to make patients' lives more difficult by allowing the recreational laws to influence or apply to the medical laws. Patients use cannabis to become healthy. I know for some this seems odd. But that's why we do it. And it works! We get healthy! I'm living proof of this.

Also, current law allows patients or caregivers to possess 24 ounces of useable cannabis. The new rules would drop that amount to 3 ounces. Here's the problem with that. Many patients process their cannabis into other forms for medicating. Some make oil, tincture, or capsules to medicate with. This takes more than 3 ounces to do. Expecting this from patients doesn't make sense and could change the course of their return to health. Some patients also use raw cannabis in their diet. They include it in smoothies and juice. The health benefits of raw cannabis are only now being discovered and the news is great! I use raw leaf and small buds in my morning smoothies. Ingestion in some form is typically more effective than smoking for many conditions. Using raw cannabis, for example, doesn't even result in a high. And now growers are creating varieties that are higher in CBD and lower in THC which will also have less of a high. Tinctures made from high CBD varieties are what parents are giving to their kids with constant and severe seizures. It stops them. (Watch Sanjay's special)  Smoking or vaporizing is optimum for some kinds of pain as well as muscle cramps. It's great when you need to relax and to clear your mind of troublesome thinking as many survivors of PTSD have discovered. And yes, you'll get high from that. And you'll feel better. Trust me on this. I'm a survivor and cannabis has helped calm my mind without the resulting side effects of an anti-depressant.

The point is, patients figure out what works for them and then they get well. Colorado left patients alone. I hope Oregon does as well when we legalize. I know letting go of long-held beliefs is at the bottom of these decisions. Sanjay Gupta's special aside, people still believe in the whole "reefer madness" propaganda.  It's not easy to suddenly believe that cannabis is a safe plant that should be available to everyone.

But as we legalize, please leave patients alone. In the mean time, we need to reschedule cannabis federally so that research can begin in earnest. We did this in Oregon and rescheduled from Schedule 1 to Schedule 2. Cannabis is a safe plant and should be scheduled even further down the list, if not removed completely. Stop trying to control something that is a personal decision. I still use Humira for my RA, but cannabis is what put my disease into clinical remission. I was so ill for so long that it may take time to discontinue the Humira. I also take Sulfasalazine, although it's been reduced by half. It would be nice to only take that one. The Humira scares me. I was also able to discontinue the anti-inflammatory drug, the narcotic, both blood pressure pills, and I'm down to 1 Metformin, which is also ending soon. This would have not happened without cannabis. I have no problem with western medicine. I just wish medical schools also included natural medicines in their curriculum. My medical experience has been lop-sided and would have been richer if I could have had meaningful conversations with my doctors about all forms of medicating. They shouldn't have to fear losing their medical license for talking to me about cannabis. So I don't tell them. And that's sad. It's not what I want. 

Prohibition must end. Simple as that. No one needs to freak out about it. States with existing medical cannabis laws must either leave them alone or make them better. States without medical cannabis laws need to enact them. And for pity's sake, keep the pharmaceutical companies out of this. It's the whole plant that heals. Not an unreasonable facsimile of, which is what these pill factories pump out. If what they produce isn't what we do in our kitchens, then it's not medicine. Sorry about that. A guy in front of a booth at Hempfest this year stopped me and try to sell me some cannabis oil. I thanked him and said I make my own. And you know what? He got a really odd look on his face. And it didn't seem like he was puzzled. It seemed like he understood what I was saying.

States should take a lesson from my experience at Hempfest and never underestimate the empowered patient. Because guess what else we are? Voters. Yes, we vote, among other things like raising families, holding down jobs, and helping our communities understand the truth about this wonderful plant. We're chatty like that..

Legalize..just respect patients in the process.
 

At the Portland VA yesterday...

So my husband had a root canal scheduled yesterday at the Portland VA Hospital. He's a disabled VietNam vet and the VA takes care of him. I know all the problems that exist with the Veteran's Administration, particularly now, but in my husband's case, his care has been pretty good. We left before we were supposed to one time, and the eye doctor he was seeing actually called us while we were driving down I5 (we were taking our youngest son at OSU out to lunch). Although we really felt foolish, we didn't go back that day. But the doctor was concerned, so he called. I thought that was really nice of him. Now there's an eye clinic in Bend so we don't have to drive all the way to Portland for that. We only do it for the dentist. But that wasn't always the case. In the beginning, he had to go there for everything. Then, the VA decided that they would pay private doctors over in our area to treat disabled vets. That worked okay, but the payment was less than doctors typically charged and not all would take a vet as a patient. Then a miracle happened! The VA opened a clinic in Bend.

Awesome! Except it doesn't have dental yet. But we're hopeful. And recently, they moved to a larger space which is really nice. The staff is really great and I know Jerry appreciates everything they do for him there.

So back to the Portland VA Hospital. It has become such a welcoming place. I have to say that years ago, like in the 80's, I didn't have that feeling. I think it was last year or so that we walked in the front door and were greeted by some delightful nursing students who asked if Jerry had had his flu shot yet. He said no, and they took him over to the flu shot table and he got his flu shot. Everyone in the lobby was in such a great mood. People were visiting with one another, smiling and laughing. It was wonderful there that day.

But then, other than parking, we usually have a positive experience at the VA hospital. The food in the hospital cafeteria is basically okay, because after all it is cafeteria food. The hospital staff treat everyone with respect and dignity. The dental folks are awesome. The eye doctors he has seen there are also great. 

But I do know "nightmare" and "VA" go hand in hand. It took years for us to have medical insurance for me and the boys - not because it wasn't available, but because no one at the time could figure out which section we belonged in. Finally a very nice woman in Salem took care of everything and we finally had insurance. But we didn't when my youngest was born and since both boys were C-sections, we had to pay out of pocket for him. We sold the truck to pay off the last $400 we owed on our beloved child. Of course, had we had insurance then, we'd probably still have that damn truck. It was an International. I hated it. So there's that. 

The VA has a backlog that is ridiculous and destructive. And shameful (thank you, Bush administration). It's taking far too long to get benefits established and care given. Every time I hear about a veteran not getting the care that he or she deserves and needs, I know that it's happening because our government has made that choice. I've seen the VA work the way it's supposed to work. These people work hard and care about the veterans they serve. Given the opportunity, they would gladly meet and/or exceed the needs of our veterans. But they can't do it without funding.

Our government has some interesting priorities. They take us into war on a lie. They don't give our troops the equipment or body armor that they need to stay safe. In a cavalier fashion, they take away our civil rights in order that our "freedom" is preserved. That's hilarious. And then they don't take proper care of our veterans when they return home. And this time, we didn't even have a draft. These people defended our country without being forced to do so. Our first priority should be their care. They risked everything. Everything. 

And to our government: please don't go to war again. You clearly don't understand your responsibility for those who do your bidding. And I'll just bet that when you finally do, we'll never go to war again. And pull your collective heads out of your collective asses and fix the backlog. Don't leave these people hanging while you try to repeal Obamacare one more time. Or whatever it is you idiots do to not earn your paychecks.

Has the Circle of Life become the Circle of Death?

So I'm reading the news and I see an article about Oregon temporarily banning pesticides that kill bees. We had a huge amount die in a Wilsonville parking lot a short time ago. Today I read something that seems to tie the bee homicides to pesticides..both by spraying as well as pesticide infused seeds. The so-called circle of life has now become the circle of death. Once the bees go, so does the planet. You know. Pollination. We sorta need it.

We do some cool stuff in Oregon. We recycle. We use alternative forms of transportation. We like organic stuff. Evidently we're a beer and wine mecca as well. We're a model for the country with our health insurance exchange. The legislature had a good session where they improved our cannabis laws and told SCOTUS what they could do with their Citizen's United decision. We have vote by mail (and we love it). We do things to protect our environment. The pesticide decision is not surprising.

But I wonder, when did scholarship and research become elitist and uncool? I thought we were supposed to aspire to achieve excellence. We have to stop turning a blind eye to what's clearly going on. The research is there. We know that genetically modifying our food supply isn't working out so well. Whoever thought that infusing seeds with chemicals for any purpose was a good idea was insane. A recent news report talked about pig stomachs having serious issues after being fed GMO feed..corn, I believe. And then we consume the pork and whatever else that's there.

We need another approach to feeding the planet. We cannot genetically manipulate our way to that end. At least not the way we're currently doing that. Science isn't supposed to kill us. It's supposed to elevate us. If Oregon can come up with some positive things, surely the other states can do the same. Ooh, and then maybe the states can, you know, share ideas..

We'd all be the better for it.

Medical Cannabis Laws are a Blessing...not a Given

I just read an article about a couple in Arizona who have medical cannabis cards and then flagrantly violated state law to open a "bakery" in their home, complete with customer counter and hours of business sign. Great.

I know our economy isn't great. Cannabis is prevalent and it's tempting to make money with it. Growers, in my opinion, violate the OMMP in Oregon all the time when they charge their patients x amount for an ounce of cannabis that belongs to the patient in the first place. To get reimbursement, growers are SUPPOSED to present the patient with grow store receipts as well as the patient's portion of the grower's electric bill.  But they get creative and decide that those fees result in an ounce costing the patient anywhere from $100/ounce to $300/ounce. Far as I'm concerned, this is illegal.  There's no way they can justify this cost. We can say the growers are confused, but it's opportunism at it's most egregious. They take advantage of sick people who can't grow for themselves and are afraid to say anything for fear they'll lose access to their medicine. If voters in Oregon had approved dispensaries during the last election, some of this would have gone away. But we didn't do that.

Thank goodness for the actions of diligent activists who have worked tirelessly to tell the truth about this plant. They are the unsung heroes of our movement. Medical cannabis laws are a blessing. They're not a given. If patients continually violate them, they'll be repealed. Stop it.