2012 04 UK by SoftSecrets

FREE 18+ For adults only. Soft Secrets is published six times a year by Discover Publisher BV Netherlands

Issue 4 - 2012

100 Years of the International Drug War

by Sativa Diva

In this issue:

AutoFem’s making people Think Different ›› 14 DON’T GET COMPLACENT! When you’re new to something, you make mistakes; it’s a fact of life. You learn to write, you make a few spelling mistakes. You learn to drive, you dent a few bumpers. You learn to grow, you kill a few plants. We’ve all been there. Soft Secrets keeps you focused. ››

Colombia Travel Report ›› 42

In 1909 the US assembled 12 other nations in Shanghai for a meeting known as the International Opium Commission. The multi-country unification of drug control policy was a result of intense international pressure placed upon the Chinese government due to their large-scale opium export. This led to another, even more effective policy-writing assembly, one that would permanently define our society’s modern history of – and relationship with – drugs. Last month marked the centennial of the signing of a single document, ushering in 100 years of ‘war’ on drugs around the world. The International Opium Convention formalized the International Opium Conference, attended by representatives of the US, the Netherlands, Italy, the UK, France, Germany, Portugal, Russia, China, Japan, Persia (Iran) and Siam (Thailand), and was signed on the 23rd of January, 1912. Hosted by the Hague, the Conference established the world’s first official international drug policy agreement.

the mid-1920s, again signing and ratifying the treaty (between then and 1949, seven more nations would join.) The Convention was revised in Geneva in 1925; this version simultaneously took effect and was registered in the League of Nations Treaty Series (for the second time) three years later. It established a ‘Permanent Central

By 1915 the document had been implemented in the US, Holland, Norway, China and Honduras; four years later the Convention applied globally after being incorporated into the Treaty of Versailles. Every country in the world was now expected to control the distribution, cultivation/production, importation or exportation, or sale of opium, morphine, heroin or cocaine – or any alternative form of these drugs. In 1922 the document was registered in the League of Nations Treaty Series. Nearly 60 countries had become members by

tries was clarified, and finally provided with a statistical, measurable system. Concurrently Egypt, supported by the US and China, implored for hashish to be incorporated into the list of prohibited drugs. The addendum dictated that: “The use of Indian hemp and the preparations derived therefrom may only be author-

Sadhu offering charas to Shiva in India (Photo: Mannaseejah)

Opium Board’, under the auspices of the League of Nations. The ‘control’ that member nations were expected to exhort over their local drug indus-

ized for medical and scientific purposes.” It went on to recommend addiContinues on page 3

3 Continued from front page

AutoMazar is a remarkably heavy-yielding autoflowering hybrid between Dutch Passion’s legendary Mazar and a Ruderalis/Indica. Mazar is a triple prize winner, a best seller praised for its potency, high yields and soft taste. AutoMazar produces sticky, generously proportioned buds and grows to a height of 70 to 80 cm. AutoMazar is a typical Indica, a strong-growing dense plant with big leaves and yields of 50 to 125 grams per plant. Best result so far is a plant that produced 205 grams outdoor in Southern Europe. It is a robust strain that is easy to grow and guarantees a heavy early summer harvest of superior quality when grown outdoors. The stable genetics ensure that AutoMazar is resistant to pests and diseases. The flavor and aroma of this resinous variety are that of an original earthy Indica. The intense “body-high” is very pleasant. AutoMazar is a must for all Indica lovers, not at least for it’s tremendous yield. Highly recommended. Genetics: Mazar x Ruderalis/Indica Seed to Harvest: 11 weeks Height: 70 – 80 cm. Effect: Body high Suitable for indoor and outdoor growing Photo: Dutch Passion

AutoMazar (100% AutoFem)

tion of resin (hash) to the existing ban, stating that not only were there were no medical applications for charas, but that it was “susceptible of utili[z]ation for harmful purposes”. India and other countries protested the language of this provision, illuminating the cultural, religious and ethnobotanical history of Cannabis in certain regions. As a result, the hashish clause was ultimately rejected, in favor of rewording the ban to include international export of Indian hemp. Resin and related products were to be highly controlled, and illicit international drug trafficking curtailed. Certain loopholes are still taken advantage of today – such as in Dutch coffeeshops – where domestic consumption is not as strictly legislated.

Opiates have been prescribed for many years (Photo: Mpv_51) This document stood as the unifying international drug policy until 1961, when it was superseded by the UN’s Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.

Charas is traditional, hand-rubbed Indian hash (Photo: Wikiknowledge)

Opium poppies (Photo: SuperFantastic)

higher yields are possible.

pass it on!

Check our brand new website www.plagron.com for tips&tricks

Attention Readers! Fancy a FREE packet of FEMINISED seeds from ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS? Then send us a picture of your grow room or best cannabis plant, including a visible copy of Soft Secrets, and we’ll send you 3 seeds. Should your photo happen to feature your beautiful wife or girlfriend wearing a sexy microbikini or super hot lingerie, you will receive 6 seeds. Photo of the Month will even receive 9 prime quality feminised seeds. With compliments of Soft Secrets and Royal Queen Seeds!

Dear Soft Secrets, These are my 2 Pineapple Express G13 labs, grown in canna coco, canna A&B, cannazyme, canna boost, canna pk13/14. Canna all the way!! There are other strains in my grow room, confidential cheese and red diesel hopefully some more decent pics will follow. The lovely assistant is my fiance who is knelt down as plants only grown small in height. Keep up the great work SS look forward to every issue A & D.X Top marks. Small, but well formed! Those buds look like snow capped mountains and the leaves are still green and healthy, you’ve looked after these girls. Looking forward to seeing the pics of the other two strains mate (and maybe some more revealing pics of your lovely fiance!

E-mail your entries to SSUK@softsecrets.nl. NOTE: All entries are handled with the utmost discretion. We don’t publish out of focus pics, and we don’t like photos of plants in veg stage. It’s fat buds & sweet babes we want to see!

Here’s a couple of pics of my second grow. The two strains I have going this time around are Casey Dawg and Blue Dream. They are in their 6th week of flowering under one 1000w light. Thanks for an awesome rag with lots of great info! LENNY

E-mail: SSUK@softsecrets.nl

Welcome to the jungle, Lenny! Good effort! Always worth thinning back those big fan leaves under the canopy, as they won’t be utilising the available light and are using up energy that could be directed to those (nicely developing) buds. Stale air can get trapped in between heavy foliage and start to cause issues like mildew, so get pruning!

Hi there iv attached a few pics off my grow there’s a selection of cheesy dawg , bubblisious , kings kush , and cheese freeze 89. hope you like the pics i would be really happy if at least 1 of the pics would get in your next copy of soft secrets. I would also love to let you know that iv been reading your paper since 2006 that was when i first visited NL ( maastricht ) i really love your country and i really really love you paper. I get a copy everytime it comes out and i read page to page. I visit Den Haag allot as i have friends at the dizzy duck coffee shop. RYAN 23 YEARS OLD FROM THE NORTH EAST

Great pics Ryan. Looking at those neat, manicured buds; we bet that you run a well organised grow room! Glad to hear that Soft Secrets has helped you on the way. Keep flying the flag and we’ll look out for you in the Dizzy Duck!

6 White Widow + Purple Jack hydro with the beautiful SoSexy Ooh la la! Crazy hot lady and some sweet looking girls! Once we stopped checking out the awesome underwear, we spotted those tasty looking purple buds. Love them! Those French growers are massively into using Ebb &Flood systems. Filling the table with clay basically turns it into one giant pot, which will be filled with a mass of roots. One piece of advice, switch to flowering a little earlier or use a scrog net, those plants are nearly outgrowing the tent.

FROM A READER IN FRANCE Another top effort from over the channel. Our French readers are turning on the style this issue!

Dr underground melon gum strain under one 600 hps Second grow Shorty south west wales Wow! Not many sights could upstage that melon gum... but your lady managed to do it! That is one sexy girl. Nice effort with the buds too, we like seeing big plants. Good work Shorty.

8 Dear Soft Secrets, Didn’t think I’d be writing this sort of letter to you, but as a distributor of your magazine I feel justified in responding to your ‘article’‘Fake Drugs’ (uncredited) on page 58 of your most recent issue. Contrary to your usual habit of producing well researched and written articles especially on your core topics I found myself reading a lousy piece of unbalanced, ill researched polemic. Apart from the rather juvenile style of prose I really resent your tone and your description of Head Shop owners as callous and Unqualified Legal Drug Dealers but you’re happy for us to distribute your magazine get a fucking grip or an editor who reads your stuff before it’s printed. I will happily argue the toss with anyone about what adults should be allowed to put into themselves - it certainly won’t stop someone doing it who wants to. I do think a properly run Head Shop is better than a totally unregulated situation, and, contrary to what you seem to think, we like our customers to enjoy their chosen product and come back and buy it again, NOT die. I’m not a chemist, my suppliers are, and bloody clever ones at that. They also don’t like killing their customers. Am I saying that there aren’t rogues in in this field hell no, any more than there are selling dodgy alcohol or dodgy illegal drugs. They never last long. The world is and always will be like that. As for your ‘writer’s’ point about not being tried and tested, they have clearly made no attempt to research this area. Legal Highs can be sold in the UK because of an anomalous legal situation which bans specific controlled substances with a specific chemical formula, but not their almost identical analogues. Our legal highs are these analogues ie very similar to controlled Class A/B substances. I don’t sell anything that isn’t very close in formula to your ‘traditional illegal hallucinogens and uppers which have been tried and tested on millions of people (including youths) worldwide’ (your words). Why because there are relatively few compounds that have these psychoactive effect on the human brain. But, then again, you also omit to mention that some people die from ingesting your ‘tried and tested, traditional’ illegal substances (cannabis excepted). ALL (not many as you say) Legal Highs have to be sold with the disclaimer on them ‘Not For Human Consumption’, again an anomaly that allows their sale and for the Government to collect VAT on them with a ‘clear conscience’. You have a picture of Salvia on your page a bit symptomatic again of poor research as it is an natural entheogen that has been used for millennia by shamans in rituals - and incidentally, a seriously mind altering natural product that I refuse sale of to someone who hasn’t tried it, unless they start with the weaker extract. Actually very few of my customers are youths. Typically they can’t afford what I sell and again, typically prefer to use illegal substances when they do have the money! Most of my customers are people in work, often professionals and increasingly subject to MDT (Mandatory Drug Testing). They just want to get high and know I supply products of a consistent quality which are going to give the same experience each time they use them (something else you failed to consider given the ‘quality’ of your research) . Given the many ways illegal drugs are adulterated (sometimes dangerously) just in this place they also know they are buying something which is a lot safer! Reporting on the comparatively minute number of deaths attributed to legal highs neglects to mention the fact the unfortunate was also high on a variety of other legal and illegal substances - including the biggest misery causing one of the lot, alcohol, which is my chosen stimulant. Unrestricted and unregulated alcohol use causes infinitely more misery and death every day of the week in this country, another major omission in your ‘article’. I wouldn’t be surprised if your writer supports the BS being put out by the US Government and puppet media that legal highs turn people into zombie cannibals, even though in Miami the medical report discovered no trace of legal highs in the perpetrator! I hope to see a bit of balance re this article in your next issue. It’s just not pleasant to be promoting something that then turns round and kicks you in the teeth which is effectively what you’ve done to every decent Head Shop owner here. Simon Shiels HEDZUP Birmingham UK The said article was written by Lazystrain and it reflects his opinion, not that of SSUK.

Dear Soft Secrets My girlfriend posing with my latest crop of 3 x Nothern Lights and 1 x Mandalay, grown under a 600 watt sodium light, using all CannaBio growing products, in soil. Last yield of 4 plants was 18.5 ounces, obviously we’re naturals! This time I managed to persuade my girlfriend to take some pics with my buds and as you can see all the buds look pretty amazing. To add a bit of humour she posed on top of the washing machine, I’ll leave it to your imagination to think about what happened next....lol. We’re going to try our ‘green fingers’ at a couple of 100% pure Sativas, wish us luck. I’m sure my girlfriend could be persuaded to pose again with the next crop - so let me know if you have any preferred positions or poses - within reason, easy tiger! GUY FROM BOURNEMOUTH, UK Good luck with those tricky sativas, make sure you have plenty of head room under your lights. Those girls will grow big. As for a preferred pose.... we’d like to see your lady on all fours!!

Hi SSUK These were done a couple of years ago and as I can remember there were 12 super skunk fem seeds from sensi planted in two NFT trays the photos show them after 5 had been harvested. they had 2 x 600 lights on a mover with some CFL lights on the side. They were fed canna nutes. Top tip dont use bamboo canes from the garden as you might get spider mite! COUPLE FROM HAMPTON Now that’s the kind of police officer we’d like to get a visit from! We’d be happy to be under lock-down with her! Those NFT trays are great for loft grows. They’re low level, so don’t use up much growing space and the narrow design means you can get them through the loft hatch easily. Plus, they produce awesome buds like these! Nice tip on the bamboo canes, they can turn into a haven for pests. We stick to plastic canes or use yoyo supports.

BBBB $

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Guaranteed Quality

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FLOWERING %OXH 0\VWLF 6KRUW 5LGHU %XEEOHOLFLRXV -RFN +RUURU 1RUWKHUQ /LJKWV

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PRODUCT FLASH

B’CUZZ ROOTSTIMULATOR Just like you are used to Atami has here necessary supplements for each stage. A plant undergoes different phases during the growth; one of the first stages, and perhaps the most important is the root stage, and in particular it is often underestimated. Sinse 50% of the plant is under the ground, a large and healthy root system is of great importance since a healthy root contributes to a better development of the plant. After all the plant gets its suply from the roothairs. The B’cuzz Rootstimulator is one of the most powerful root stimulators on the market and specially developed for this first stage. This root stimulator ensures the explosive growth of the root system and a powerful production of the root hairs. Not only all this but the root stimulator also has an inhibiting effect on soil and root diseases and soil life gets a good boost. Plants with a well-developed and anchored root system absorb the nutrients easier, and will ultimately be healthier and stronger resulting in a better yield. The B’cuzz Rootstimulator is applicable to any medium and irrigationsystem, it is a 100% organic product and is not harmful to the environment. The B’cuzz Rootstimulator is ideal for use in combination with the B’cuzz Booster. www.atami.com

ORGANIC PH DOWN pH Down has always been based on Phosphoric or Nitric Acid (Which is an aggressive chemical) and there has been no real alternative until recently, with NRG Horticulture bringing out its advanced science range, backed by over fifty years of experience in the horticultural market. You can now use a complete Organic pH Down which is ideal for soil and coco grown plants as it does not interfere with the plants nutrient balance (Phosphoric Acid breaks down to become Phosphorous in the plant, upsetting the plants nutrient balance especially during the growing stage.) By using NRG Organic pH Down the plants have the best chance to reach their potential, as the plant will readily absorb the natural acids used to make the Organic pH Down. NRG Organic pH Down is made from Carboxylic Acids Including Ascorbic, Tartaric and Citric Acids, which do not interfere with the carefully prepared nutrient balance as happens if Phosphoric or Nitric Acids are used. Ultimately these Carboxylic acids will break down to harmless salts and be taken up by the plant. Giving a valuable energy boost to the plants photosynthesis. Available in handy 250ml, 1ltr bottles and 5ltr containers Available from your local grow shop Trade customers please contact Down to Earth Kent Ltd Email:- downtoearth@btconnect.com For more info call +44 (0)1233 500 633

Dutch Passion cooperation with the CBD Crew ! Dutch Passion will be working with the CBD-Crew to produce CBD-rich versions of some Dutch Passion varieties. The seeds will give rise to regular and feminized cannabis plants with a roughly 1:1 ratio of THC to CBD. The work is being done to support the growing demand from medical marijuana users that want CBD-rich cannabis to help with medical problems. The CBD-Crew are Howard Marks, Shantibaba and Jaime of Resin Seeds. Bringing the cannabis knowledge and breeding skills of this team together with Dutch Passion will allow some important new varieties to be produced. CBD levels in the marijuana could reach 10% or 11% with similar levels of THC.

Dutch Passion will be working with various medical grow cooperatives to assess the results from these new varieties. Medical research is now consistently saying that CBD is a powerful antiinflammatory with other medical benefits for people with a range of needs including pain relief from cancer, multiple sclerosis, anti- spasm properties and numerous other medical applications and problems. Every year there are new journals and new studies explaining the growing importance of CBD. Dutch Passion are determined to be able to make a good contribution for the medical marijuana users. If all goes well some exclusive Dutch Passion varieties will be available for sale later in 2012

PRODUCT FLASH

Sugar Royal from Plagron

Powerful organic flowering stimulator Plagron has a comprehensive range of additives. These UNIVERSAL products can be used with all substrates and can be combined with all fertilisers from Plagron. One of these unique additives is Sugar Royal. Sugar Royal, formerly ‘Repro Forte’, is a powerful organic flowering stimulator. It stimulates the production of chlorophyll and, consequently, the formation of sugars and resin. Sugar Royal contains a complex mix of vitamins and trace elements. It guarantees a high yield and is an ideal product for every grower.

Uso Shake well before use. Add a maximum of 2 ml of Sugar Royal per 1 litre of water (1:500). Give the plant this plant food solution once a week, starting the second week of the growth phase through to the third week of the flowering phase. Sugar Royal is available in 100 ml, 250 ml, 500 ml and 1 litre.

Pass it on! More information can be found on our new website, www.plagron.com. Here you will find loads of information on Plagron products and growing in general. The info on Plagron products will be easy to find on this site, giving you useful tips, showing you our related products and FAQ’s for each product. This is an interactive website, where one grower gets to meet the other and can share his/her experience or opinion on Plagron products with other growers. Exactly how our slogan ‘pass it on’ is meant to be. Keep a close eye on our website for the latest news and developments of our products and for growing in general. Don’t forget to check out our Facebook page for extra tips and tricks (facebook.com/plagron). Of course you can also contact our servicedesk via servicedesk@plagron.com.

MICROMIX TRACE ELEMENTS SOLUTION

DOSAGE: In case of deficiencies add 25-50 ml. per 100 litres of nutrient solution.

This product contains: 0.36% Fe (iron HEEDTA); 0.08% Mn (manganese EDTA); 0.4% Bo (boron monohydrate); 0.09% Zn (zinc EDTA) and 0.06% Mo (sodium molybdate).

In case of a basis for a complete mix continuously add 25 ml. per 100 litres of water.

Trace elements are very small amounts of various elements, which are indispensable for a great number of biological processes.

Note that when you are already using one of Bio Nova’s main fertilizers it is not necessary to use MicroMix. www.bionova.nl

A deficiency of such elements immediately manifests itself in the malfunctioning of a great number of the plant’s functions, eventually resulting into all sorts of deficiencies and ultimately the dying off of the plant. A deficiency of trace elements always manifests itself in the young leaves because the trace elements can no longer be transported within the plant. This trace elements-mix should be used in order to solve deficiencies or as a basis for a complete nutrient solution. A dosage of 1:1000 increases the total amount of: Fe by 100 umol Mn by 25 umol Bo by 140 umol Zn by 16 umol Mo by 5 umol

From just plain simple to highly sophisticated, all Bio Nova ways are incredibly effective.

You decide which way to grow!

Would you like to grow things, but lack a green thumb? No problem! Use The Basic Way and be overwhelmed by the success of your effortless input! Are you a passionate grower who wants high quality? Use The Dedicated Way of growing, it will blow your mind! Or are you that perfectionist, who knows exactly what he is doing and why? The Professional Way will be your path to ultimate satisfaction!

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Your green companion in every way!

AUTOFLOWERING

AutoFem’s making people Think Different.

By Tony, Dutch Passion

Autoflowering cannabis varieties first hit the scene around 5 years ago, but have only really made a big impact in the last two years. Since 2011 we have seen a lot of feedback from pleasantly surprised autoflower growers. One of the key reasons that autoflowering feminized (or ‘AutoFem’) varieties have been popular with the self sufficient homegrower is down to the speed that they can deliver heavy harvests. AutoFem’s have the ability to flower under 20 hours of daily light and can therefore grow large blooms very quickly and even outgrow traditional varieties. In the last couple of years we have seen our most popular AutoFem’s start to significantly outsell some of our better selling traditional varieties and I am sure other quality seedbanks have seen the same trends with their auto’s. The rise of AutoFem’s has been far faster than anyone predicted. In fact I don’t think even the most enthusiastic AutoFem fans expected results this good after just 5 years of breeding and genetic refine-

ment. The rise and rise of AutoFem’s has surprised both the AutoFem fans as well as the AutoFem critics. Nowadays many growers will tell you that the quality seedbanks offer AutoFem varieties with potency levels right up there with good quality traditional varieties of cannabis. THC levels of 15%-20% are not at all uncommon from a good AutoFem. Not just that, but the seedbanks have been steadily refining the genetics to produce large yields. A well grown autoflowering plant now looks, smells, tastes and smokes just like a good quality traditional variety. Looking at a good quality AutoFem in 2012 it is hard to believe that there is any Ruderalis genetics left in them, apart from the photogene which allows the plant to bloom under 20 hours of daily light. The days of spindly AutoFem plants producing 10 grams of medium strength bud are long gone. Dutch Passion recently saw a remarkable Think Different AutoFem which delivered a staggering 271g of dry bud

from a single plant grown under just a 400W HPS light in a 6.5 litre pot of coco fibre. The grow can be found on the popular growers from UK420, the grower was Organic Jim, and you can see photo’s of it illustrating this article.. Think Different is a strain with a reputation for surprising the grower, the genetics come from a very special AK47 hybrid of ours which we named AK420. The first public grow of it by LED & AutoFem pioneer Seymour Buds was an epic grow, a massive plant, with a YouTube video and grow diary which received over a hundred thousand views each within a few weeks of the grow finishing.

Organic Jim planted some Dutch Passion AutoFem’s in early 2012, the first few weeks were under a 400W metal halide light before switching to HPS. AutoFems often develop a dominant main cola alongside a dozen (or so) side blooms. In the right conditions each of the side blooms can approach the size of the main cola. Organic Jim used a parabolic reflector and the Think Different developed a number of well proportioned heavy blooms. The blooms got steadily fatter and longer. Normally AutoFem’s are ready to harvest around 10-11 weeks. But on this occasion the plant continued into its 13th week.

15 These are often referred to as superauto’s or Amazonian auto’s and deliver XXL yields. They don’t need daily light hours reducing from 20 hours down to 12 hours, they simply need a couple of extra weeks to ripen, and during this time they will continue to add extra layers of bud and resin. We even get some customers saying they would like

AutoFem’s to be tuned to finish in 13 weeks as standard. It’s an interesting thought, but the general consensus from AutoFem growers is that the normal 10-11 week life cycle is about right. AutoFems are increasingly popular with indoor and outdoor growers. Outdoors they allow the grower to crop a decent early-season harvest much faster than is possible with traditional varieties. This is a bonus for those growing in climates with short growing seasons such as northern European, Canadian and even

Siberian summers. Indoor growers love AutoFems for the ability to deliver fast 70 day crops in ever-increasing quantities with potency levels that were impossible just a couple of years ago. A question we get asked all the time is ‘where do AutoFem’s go from here? The answers are not clear even to us since the results are improving each year, and at quite a rate too. 5 years of AutoFem breeding is actually quite a short period of time to a seedbank, and in that time AutoFem’s have improved out of all recognition. But the AutoFem breeding process has not yet reached its limit, far from it actually since we feel there is still a lot more to come from them. Another question we are often asked is whether AutoFem’s will ever replace traditional varieties. Here we are pretty sure that AutoFem’s will complement, rather than replace, traditional varieties. Traditional varieties have many decades of breeding behind them and the traditional varieties have large established fan bases and numerous repeat growers. Traditional varieties of marijuana will always be with us, we are sure of that. But we are also sure that a lot of people that grow traditional varieties today will be growing AutoFem’s in the future as well.

Work is ongoing to push AutoFem’s into new areas with some exciting projects which will be thrilling if they succeed. The aim will be to offer some novel and inviting benefits to medical and recreational growers. If all goes well you will see exactly what we are thinking about in the next year or two. Results like the ‘Think Different’ you see here would not have been thought possible until very recently. The serious AutoFem seed-

banks continue to find ways to further refine the breeding process, meaning that performance levels should continue to improve. Expect the seedbanks that are active with AutoFem’s to continue to put lots more effort into new varieties, and expect to be surprised by the results. It will be interesting to see what AutoFem’s will be achieving in a couple of years time!

SCIENCE OF CANNABIS

Why Cannabis Gets Us High

Buddy Kush

A BRIEF GLIMPSE INTO THE HUMAN ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM Following recent developments in the medical field, it is important to remember that modern research into Cannabis is still in its infancy, though it has been advancing at a rapid rate since THC was first isolated in Israel in 1964. The subsequent discovery of cannabinoid receptors in the human body and the endocannabinoid system (ECS) have led us to better understand the role endocannabinoids have in regulating our bodies and, of course, of the medical potential Cannabis has in helping us treat all manner of ailments. Dr. Raphael Mechoulam identified two cannabinoid receptors in the human body back in the 1980s. The CB-1 receptor,

high. What is clear is that the human body produces chemicals that connect to these receptors: these are endocannabinoids. Five have so far been identified – arachidonylethanolamide (AEA; anandamide), 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG), 2-arachidonyl glyceryl ether (noladin ether), virodhamine, and N-arachidonoyl-dopamine (NADA). Anandamide affects both cannabinoid receptors in the human body, and is quite similar to THC. This endocannabinoid has been shown to impair working memory in rats, and to be a key element in stimulating appetite and regulating our moods. We now also know that it has the potential to inhibit the prolif-

CANNABINOID RECEPTORS ARE ALSO TO BE FOUND IN MOST ANIMAL LIFE FORMS, INCLUDING THE SEA CUCUMBER. found predominantly in the brain, is also located in other parts of the body such as various fat and muscle cells, the liver, lungs, digestive tract and kidneys. It has various functions, including the conversion of fats in the liver. The CB-2 receptor is primarily located in the immune system, and is widely distributed in the brain and the digestive system, where it is thought to moderate inflammation. While it has been suggested that the presence of these receptors is a clear sign that humans are meant to use

eration of human breast cancer. 2-AG is a CB-1 receptor ‘agonist’ (meaning that it provokes a biological reaction upon binding to the receptor) and is present in high levels in the central nervous system. The compound has been shown to be an analgesic produced in relationship to stress-related pain (such as a sport injury) in order to protect the body temporarily. Noladin ether’s function in humans is not yet known. Similarly, virodhamine is found within the brain but is relatively under-researched thus far. NADA is an agonist of the CB-1 receptor.

THUS FAR, 421 CHEMICAL ELEMENTS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED  INCLUDING 85 DIFFERENT CANNABINOIDS Cannabis, these same receptors are also found in most animal life forms, including the sea cucumber – demonstrating that they play a wider role in our organism than just allowing us to get

Hemp seeds and stalks: solutions to the food and oil crises (Photo: Deedee)

Today, an increasing amount of interest is paid to the study of the ECS, not only to understand the role it plays in the regulation of the metabolism but also to understand the psychoactive effects of individual cannabinoids and how they work in combination. Despite strong restrictions limiting the amount of research into Cannabis, we have gained a fair understanding of the way the elements contained in the plant can affect the human body. Thus far, 421 chemical elements have been identified – including 85 different cannabinoids whose exact effects on the body are still being investigated. Through focusing on the most prevalent natural cannabinoids – THC, CBD and CBN – we have a good understanding of the interaction between them and our own ECS. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the primary psychoactive element in Cannabis, responsible for the high you can experience from ingesting it. It has

been shown to be efficient in moderating pain and connects equally to the CB-1 and CB-2 receptors in the body. CBD (cannabidiol) is a non-psychoactive compound that does not connect to the cannabinoid receptors but rather influences the ability of other compounds to connect to the receptors. This compound is rich in medical properties: an antipsychotic, an anxiolitic (tranquilizer) and anti-depressant; it also helps to relieve convulsions, inflammation and nausea and is structurally very similar to THC. CBN (cannabinol), on the other hand, is the main product of THC degradation: there is little in a fresh plant but levels increase when stored. One can observe this reaction occurring on Cannabis flowers subjected to lengthy exposure to light and air, as the resin glands turn from milky white to amber. Interestingly, CBD and CBN were discovered in the 1940s, decades before THC was first isolated. The advances we have seen in the medical applications of C. sativa have been spreading in waves in recent years. Worldwide debates about the necessary end to the plant’s prohibition has reached the level of groups such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and groundbreaking work, including this first publication of an entire Cannabis genome, continues to fuel hope. From chronic pain to muscle spasticity, lack of appetite to sleeping disorders, psychosis and schizophrenia: the medical value of Cannabis has been shown to be vast and controversial, and still far from entirely understood. Understanding the reasons behind this could lead to developments not only for the medical field but also in enhancing strains for other sectors such as textiles and nutrition. Industrially, we could develop more efficient industrial hemp strains, concerning both fiber production for the textile industry; and to enhance hurd/shive production (woody, fibrous core of hemp stalks) in order to provide even more efficient alternatives to petroleum products such as plastics. The possibilities are endless. We are now beginning to understand how different chemicals combine in Cannabis to produce its various compounds. More specifically, we understand the pathways undergone to produce some of the cannabinoids upon which scientists are focusing today – not just THC, CBD and CBN but also the less famous cannabinoids, including CBC (cannabichromene). THC, CBD and CBC are the result of bio-synthesis from the same substrate: cannabigerolic acid (CBGA). This substrate synthesizes into three enzymes: tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) and cannabichromenic acid (CBCA),

420+ chemical compounds... just a coincidence, right? (Photo: Deedee)

Even this cuddly koala can get high (Photo: Yenhoon)

which in turn synthesize into THC, CBD and CBC, respectively. Identifying these pathways and the permutations undergone to produce the resulting cannabinoid compounds gives us the first insight into how genetic manipulation could enable the development of ailment-specific strains, through directing these permutations. Tailor made strains for tailored needs... fiction seems one step closer to becoming reality.

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More strains in www.sweetseeds.es C/ Dr. Nicasio Benlloch, 36-38 · 46015 · Valencia · España · +34 963 890 403 · +34 963 473 730 / +34 963 404 289 (Wholesalers) · Fax +34 961 934 843 Sale prohibited to people under 18 years old. Seed for coleccionist use exclusively. It´s ilegal to make them germinate. They´re not for agriculture purposes. Consult laws about cannabis aplied in your place of residence. Sweet Seeds will not be acountable for ilegal use of this seeds done by third parties.

HOME GROWING

Don’t Get Complacent! When you’re new to something, you make mistakes; it’s a fact of life. You learn to write, you make a few spelling mistakes. You learn to drive, you dent a

most experienced grower will do well to remember.

1. Check your levels One of the biggest mistakes that an over confident grower will make is to stop checking their pH and nutrient strength levels, even when mixing up a fresh batch of nutrients. It’s easy to think that if you keep all variables the same for each grow; the room, lights, nutrient, media and strain, that there will be no fluctuations. However this overlooks two important factors. The first is that the pH and background EC of your tap water can change over time, so this needs to be measured and monitored. The second – and most important – is that plants are living things and are constantly changing and are therefore unpredictable. On the subject of measuring, it’s important to clean and calibrate your meters frequently. Check the manufacturers’ recommendations on how often to calibrate your meters and which calibration solution to use. If you’re going to use a tool for a job, it might as well be working!

2. Upscale effectively

Don’t neglect the basics – keep your pH and EC levels in check few bumpers. You learn to grow, you kill a few plants. We’ve all been there. As you develop your skills, it’s easy to get complacent. You don’t check your

If you’ve been growing for a while, every now and then, you’ll be likely to upscale your operation; add an extra couple of lights (or an extra couple of rooms!) to get a bit of extra bud in the jars. The over confident grower can make the mistake of forgetting that increasing the size of your grow, means you increase the size of your workload. If you normally grow 25 plants and decide to start a 50 plant grow – aiming to get double the yield - you should expect to double the amount of time you spend maintaining your plants. If you don’t put the extra time in, then your plants won’t reach their full potential and you won’t get anywhere near the yield you’re looking for.

never blames his tools’? Keep it in mind when you’re performing your maintenance checks before starting a new grow. You don’t want to be the grower complaining about being down on yield because your bulbs were too old! Have a checklist in your head of what needs to be done before your plants go in and stick to it.

of how to use the products. It’s always good fun to return home with a new toy and try it out. Just keep one thing in mind; you can only properly evaluate the effect of changing one of the variables in your grow, if everything else stays the same. For example; you buy some new lights and a new line of nutrients and get a

IT’S NOT SO SIMPLE TO ASK THE NEIGHBOURS TO POP ROUND AND WATER YOUR PLANTS IF YOU’RE GOING AWAY FOR A WEEK Replace your bulbs every other grow and don’t touch them with your skin, the oils can damage the glass. Polish your reflectors and keep them clean throughout the grow, this will ensure that they direct the maximum amount of light towards your plants. Don’t spray any liquids - pesticide or foliar feed onto or around hot bulbs, it can weaken the glass and cause them to shatter. Also, clean your filters; replace the dust sleeves after every grow. The cleaner the filter is, the less pressure it will put on your fan. It’s also a good idea to check that there are no leaks in your ventilation system and that all the joins are properly clamped or sealed up with tape.

better yield than with previous grows. Was it the light or the nutes? And are you going to swap one of them back to find out which one it was? Lots of good growers get stuck using certain products because they don’t exactly know which product is helping them achieve their yields. Then they won’t try anything new because they don’t want to risk the yields that they’re achieving. Don’t get stuck in a rut!

5. Plan ahead It’s important to think in advance and plan accordingly. How will the weather change throughout your grow? Will you be dealing with extra heat or falling temperatures? Factor this in from the start.

4. Change one thing at a time Whether you’re growing for yourself or to pay the bills, it’s always tempting to try something new in the pursuit of

Many growers will get started in September to ensure they get a nice crop in for Christmas, take some time

LOTS OF GOOD GROWERS GET STUCK USING CERTAIN PRODUCTS BECAUSE THEY DON’T EXACTLY KNOW WHICH PRODUCT IS HELPING THEM ACHIEVE THEIR YIELDS spelling so much. You don’t check your mirrors as frequently. You don’t check the basics when you’re in your grow room. Be careful, because one day this over confidence will catch you out. When you’ve been growing for a good few years, you’re likely to have your watering and feeding dialled in, you know how to deal with different kinds of pests and you can spot the signs of a micro-nutrient deficiency at twenty paces! But don’t forget the simple stuff. Here are a few tips that even the

It’s certainly possible to reduce some of your workload when you upscale. For example, getting yourself a hydro system that keeps your plants watered for you, is much more time efficient than hand watering. But for most plant maintenance jobs; transplanting, topping, pruning and training, you need to be prepared to put in the extra graft.

3. Keep your equipment maintained Remember the phrase ‘A good workman

Upscale your grow and reduce watering workloads – use a hydro system more yield or improved quality. Most good growshops hold an impressive display of products; nutrient ranges, growing media, lamps and reflectors. Most good growshop owners are enthusiastic about what they are selling and are happy to talk you through the details

off to visit family and friends and then start up again in the New Year. It’s not so simple to ask the neighbours to pop round and water your plants if you’re going away for a week! Happy growing!

ENDANGERED STRAIN GUIDE

Greece has a long history of cultivating Cannabis – mostly sativa varieties that could be selected for fiber and seed as well as to produce higher-THC cultivars. It is likely that the prevalent phenotype for centuries, if not millennia, was a compact sativa with some indica characteristics – similar to other Eastern Mediterranean strains still in existence (such as those found in Lebanon and Egypt). The wideranging explorations of the Greeks in their golden era, and its prominence as a destination for sailors from all corners of the globe, must have yielded genetics from many sources. It is also believed that the original Greek strains may well have been influenced by some of the Kali Mist purest African sativas, as well as those from Asia. Many of the secrets of Cannabis that are only now becoming common knowledge to us were known thousands of years ago to the ancient Greeks. Although much of this learning has been lost to the general populace through increasingly harsh domestic drug policy, a handful of lineages were able to flourish up until recent times. In Crete there is a fair amount of culti-

ond city of the Peloponnese (a region on the south coast of mainland Greece that enjoys a very pleasant climate). Kalamata pot is a closely guarded secret and examples are exceptionally rare. It is sativa, and we can possibly trace its lineage back to East Asia around 1,100 AD when the advancing Mongol armies invaded Asia Minor. They brought their own Cannabis genetics, which then interbred with the

THE ORIGINAL GREEK STRAINS MAY WELL HAVE BEEN INFLUENCED BY SOME OF THE PUREST AFRICAN SATIVAS, AS WELL AS THOSE FROM ASIA. vation to this day – attitudes towards mainland Greek policy are hostile and many Cretans are prepared to defy the law of the land. On the mainland itself, the pot-smoking population relies heavily upon imported hash from Morocco or Spain, and low-quality weed from Albania. High-quality local cultivars that were widely available in the 1980s are now almost impossible to find, due to police crackdowns on outdoor grows and excessively harsh penalties. One that does apparently remain (albeit in massively reduced quantities) is a strain developed and made famous over many generations in and around Kalamata, sec-

Un ejemplar de sativa local de un cultivador de Kalamata (Copyright Kali Mist).

as with so many of the exceptional landraces out there, Kalamata has virtually disappeared off the map as a producer of this unique sativa. But if you ever find yourself there and you have a trusted

connection to help you navigate your way around the tricky politics of local weed cultivation, be sure to find the last few remaining guys who grow it and beg for a seed sample.

local sativas of the time. Kalamata is high in THC with an intense, racy effect. The flavor is reported to range from citrus to woody, with long, compact flowers that may have a rosy or reddish coloration, and a flowering time of around 14 weeks – very similar in description to many African landrace genetics, as well as some Thai and Cambodian. It can grow up to 15 feet tall and can yield up to five pounds per plant when well-tended. Alongside (and arguably due to) police crackdowns, growers who still manage to finish a crop are increasingly choosing quicker-flowering Skunk varieties, and

Much of the Peloponnese region is characterized by low-lying, well-drained pasture land. ©Ulrichstill

MALE CANNABIS

Let’s Hear It for the Boys! For most growers, the first sign a plant shows of being male is their cue to rip it up and dispose of it – but is there any use for the males besides causing your precious females to be ruined by seed growth? Unless you are a breeder, you’ve probably never thought much about it. It’s a terrible feeling staring at a bunch of males, knowing that they must be removed from the grow straightaway and that all the care and attention you’ve lavished upon them up to now was wasted. But male plants do have their uses, and this article will tell you a little about them. Any alternative to simply throwing them in the trash has got to be worth considering.

10-15% taller than female- and has thinner stalks; the fiber is finer but lower in tensile strength. Through history, weavers have used the earlier-harvested male fiber to make fine linen-style items such as towels, clothing and bedding. Some, such as the almost silk-like fabrics manufactured by some Italian weavers, were worldfamous. The coarser, stronger female fibers were used for ropes, sacking and canvas. The dioecious nature of Cannabis and the different uses for male and female hemp were recorded as early as 221 BC in an early Chinese dictionary, around 1,900

In the drug Cannabis industry, strong males are prized by breeders. Yes, female plants can be cloned for many generations, but at some point male pollen should be introduced and new seeds grown as the genetic begins to weaken. A good, stable father can be the basis for hundreds of successful crosses. When selecting males for breeding, the observable traits that are most desirable are low hermaphroditism, vigor, good height (neither too short nor too tall), and rapid maturation rate. Scent and floral structure may be discernible from male plants also, but the effect a male’s genes will have on the overall look and potency of his daughters can only be known by growing out the progeny to maturity. Various males must be allowed to pollinate identical groups of female clones to ascertain which male produces the most viable offspring. It is impossible to create and stabilize a new variety without doing it the old-fashioned way (breed- A flowering male hemp plant showing abundant pollen production ing males with females). Feminized seed ©Erik Fendersson 2006 crops must be treated repeatedly with colloidal silver or gibberellic acid to prevent normal flowering, and strains of the normal dioecious growth. Having years before Western botanists ‘discovcultivated monoecious hemp must be males and females is an integral part of ered’ sex in plants – also by studying male Cannabis! For this reason alone, the male of the species deserves a special place in the annals of botanical history.

A GOOD, STABLE FATHER CAN BE THE BASIS FOR HUNDREDS OF SUCCESSFUL CROSSES re-developed from parent stock every few generations to prevent reversion to

A male Super Silver Haze plant in

the Cannabis plant’s nature – just as it is for humans – and maintaining unnatural reproductive cycles for many generations is impossible without great effort. Apart from the world of breeding highpotency Cannabis, male plants have a very important place in hemp farming. They are obviously vital for seed production as, without their pollen, new healthy generations cannot emerge. But their fibers are also prized, and their properties have been long-studied. The archaic English word ‘fimble’ (from the old Dutch femeel) specifically refers to the male hemp plant and male hemp fiber. Male plants mature faster than females, release pollen, die and are harvested for fiber.

full flower – part of a breeding program ©Rikva 2009

The females then ripen and are harvested for seed and fiber. Male hemp grows

by Kali Mist

if the males are cut just before the flowers mature and begin to release pollen, the stalk and foliage may be treated in various ways to extract the psychoactive compounds, either in the form of hash, oil – or butter for cooking. Some enthusiasts claim the products they create are comparable to or even better than those produced from female plants. The method to produce butter from males is identical to that for females. The plant matter is ground up as small as possible, and stirred into melted butter (or a mixture of butter and water to prevent burning) with reportedly good results. It is improbable that good results would be yielded from most methods of hash-making. On the other hand, as THC levels are so low: in many traditional hash-making communities (such as Morocco) males are not separated from females – except for very select crops – and hash containing male pollen is said to be yellowish and lower in strength and overall quality. However, some indoor growers of highpotency strains have attempted to make ice-o-lator from males, and some have reported producing hash of medium- to good quality. It is said that males make good oil – when extracted by soaking the plant matter in high-quality ethanol – and it is possible that this is the best use for your grow room or greenhouse males. When attempting any of the above methods, remember that a higher quantity of male plant matter will be needed than for female plant extraction. So perhaps, armed with these facts, you’ll be a little more forgiving when you next find yourself staring at a tiny, newlyformed male flower basking in the glow of your expensive HPS lights. Console yourself with the thought that you’ve actually got some usable THC, weeks before your girls will be ready. Don’t throw them away – try making a batch of brownies, or an eighth of ice-o-lator or oil – who knows, by the time you next have to cut down your males you may be looking forward to it!

Although levels are low compared with female plants, male specimens of psychoactive Cannabis strains do contain varying amounts of THC and other cannabinoids. The male matures much faster than the female: it is already producing pollen and is ready to die in the initial few weeks of the female’s flower period, allowing pollination to occur and seeds to develop within the flower as it grows. Therefore THC production has already peaked by this point. In Traditionally, male hemp fiber was used to make fine items like a greenhouse or this linen-style cushion. ©Rayela Art 2008 indoor grow room,

SPECIAL

New amazing and mindblowing strains by Paradise Seeds 2012 Paradise Seeds would like to let all our readers know that they has introduced 6 great new varieties. Two feminised varieties are dating back to the late nineties (classics ) And four Autoflowering varieties are selected from famous ancestors for their superb genetics .

The brand new releases by Paradise Seeds are Original White Widow (IBL) and Original Cheese (IBL). Yes the names are familiar, but they are different ... these are the original classics! They come straight from the source, true breeds given to Paradise Seeds by the original breed-

Auto Jack

Auto White Berry

Auto Acid

Original Cheese

ers years ago, and only now released to the world. They are excellent breeding material and are far superior to most varieties with these names. Paradise also releases four new Autoflowering varieties of the finest quality. The time that autoflowering plants are tasting similar to hay or Ruderalis is

over, at least for Paradise Seeds varieties. Auto Acid, Auto Jack, Auto Wappa and Auto White Berry are all potent and tasty. These plants become strong and yield copious amounts of resinous buds . Due to the great genetics that Paradise Seeds has used in the breeding program, they are guaranteed to satisfy. Paradise Seeds is proud to be on the fore front of cannabis breeding and to

23 have taken Autoflowering varieties to the next level. Autoflowering varieties start flowering regardless the amount of hours (sun) light per day. Therefore autoflowering plants can finish early outdoors, within 2,5 months after germination. It is ideal for colder regions to harvest in summer, end of July, beginning of August, when the sunlight is still strong. Even in the month of June it is possible to start germinating seeds to be able to harvest on time, before it gets to cold or humid! In warmer climates multiple harvests outdoors per year are possible. In tropical are as you can grow these the whole year round. In all Paradise Seeds autoflowering varieties there is a small part of Ruderalis which is responsible for the autoflowering effect. The art of breeding is to select plants that have the autoflowering gene without the lesser quality of the Ruderalis plants. This can only be achieved over several generations of breeding. Paradise Seeds wishes you good Cannabis!

Auto Wappa

Paradise Seeds wins the Treating Yourself Medical Cannabis Cup 2012! Last month Paradise Seeds was in Toronto, Canada where the Treating Yourself Expo was held in the Metro Toronto Convention Center. It has been a great expo this year. Marco Renda had even organised live Glassblowing and as always many medical cannabis users were present during these 3 days. A smokers lounge was placed for the ill so that they didn’t need to go outside to medicate. It is a real medical convention with good information and valuable advise given by guest speakers such as lawyers and doctors and also scientific researchers. It has been the third time for Paradise Seeds at the TY expo and they enjoyed it very much ! Paradise Seeds have given feedback on their varieties to patients and to licenced growers. Many people are seeking information for their illnesses, and are finding that the pills they get from the pharmacy are often not helping them while that they are truly benefiting from Cannabis. Paradise Seeds is grateful for being part of this movement and encourages that more research should be done in the field of cannabis as a medicine! Atomical Haze

The city of Toronto is great , millions

of people live here and the majority is kind and friendly, It is a city with many cultures, people from everywhere come here and are adapting quite easily. It seems there is no crisis at the moment ,

the city is buzzing and the skyscrapers are magnificent. The guys from Paradise Seeds visited some vapour lounges where people come together to smoke. On the last day of the expo Paradise Seeds heard that they were going to win a Cannabis Cup for the best Marijuana in the Sativa category with their latest haze variety Atomical Haze! It has won the first Prize! Atomical Haze was grown from a seed that was given to Paradise Seeds the year before by a local grower who had enough nice buds to share. Paradise Seeds is very happy with this great victory and achievement.

The Schizophrenia Debate

Kali Mist

ONE PLUS ONE DOES NOT ALWAYS EQUAL SCHIZOPHRENIA! There has been an abundance of research in recent years into the link between Cannabis and psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia. However, the need to make sensational headlines, coupled with an almost willful lack of understanding of the key points of the science involved, has led to media coverage of this very significant work to be woefully inadequate. There are now hundreds of studies to read, and while we will not exhaust you with the details of them all, we aim to get you up to speed on the real science behind the claims of the mainstream media. One study from 2007, which has been cited innumerable times by the tabloid press, suggested that Cannabis-using participants (who were selected on the basis of having no signs of mental illness) were 41% more likely to experience onset of psychosis than the general population. In this case, whereas many reports claimed an increased risk even for those who had only ever smoked one joint, the 40% increase was derived from an assessment of people who had smoked Cannabis once or more. This makes it factually incorrect to state that one joint increases the risk by 40%, as the risk increase for heavier smokers wildly skews the overall figure. A small mistake, one might think, but in practice the difference is huge – and such errors of interpretation could be making countless Cannabis users wrongly fear for their sanity.

Cannabidiol (CBD) may counteract the effects of THC (Photo: Ayacop)

There has been no increase (and indeed no real variation) in absolute rates of schizophrenia in the population over time, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) – even while Cannabis usage rates have fluctuated substantially. The lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia in the general population is believed to be around 0.4%. Throughout time, records suggest that at no time has more than 1% of the population been schizophrenic. With 25% of schizophrenics regularly using Cannabis, this equates to a maximum of around 0.25% (and an average of 0.1%) of the population potentially being a schizophrenic, habitual Cannabis user. On the other hand, rates of Cannabis usage vary between ten- and fifteen percent of the population – so numbers of non-schizophrenic (and non-susceptible) Cannabis users always far exceed schizophrenic users. As this is common knowledge, available to anyone, it is misleading to argue that any one individual is 40% more likely to become schizophrenic from smoking just one joint; even if that were the case, an increase in the absolute number of schizophrenics would be tiny. Alongside this, false positives may be made due to the intoxicating effects of Cannabis, which may have certain points of similarity to psychotic symptoms. Furthermore, while results may imply that Cannabis leads to schizophrenia and other forms of psychosis, they may simply show that those with latent psychotic tendencies are more likely to use drugs. The aforementioned study looked only at those who had no existing psychosis, as it is known that diagnosed sufferers of mental illness are more likely to use drugs – but it was not possible to ascertain that no undiagnosed or future schizophrenics were included. Schizophrenics particularly are known to be around twice as susceptible to habitual substance abuse than non-schizophrenics

Up to 90% of schizophrenics smoke cigarettes, and around 25% smoke Cannabis (Photo: Joshua Rappeneker)

Smoking Cannabis when the brain is still developing could increase risk of psychosis even without genetic predisposition (Photo: Valentin Ottone)

– in fact, almost 90% of schizophrenics smoke cigarettes; of those, 68% smoke heavily (in the general population, percentage of smokers varies between approximately 20 - 30%, with only 11% considered heavy smokers). Most schizophrenics begin smoking cigarettes before the onset of their illness, yet cigarettes are not blamed for the schizophrenia when it appears. If an undiagnosed schizophrenic begins to smoke Cannabis before the onset of their illness, Cannabis is likely to be blamed – yet there is no proven causal link. By the logic of the tabloid press, one would surmise that smoking tobacco was in fact a far more significant trigger for schizophrenia than Cannabis. Conversely, one can view it more realistically: 90% of schizophrenia sufferers smoke cigarettes and, as could be interpreted from the 2007 study, are 41% more likely to use Cannabis (a Canadian study states that 25% of schizophrenics are habitual Cannabis users, compared to around 14% of the general popu-

lation, which is indeed a little over 40% more). People suffering from schizophrenia are statistically around twice as likely to use all drugs habitually, and in fact Cannabis is fairly low on the list of the average substance-using schizophrenic. It is believed that schizophrenia and related illnesses are caused by developmental factors, including during gestation, and that there may be a genetic propensity for the disease. If this is the case then Cannabis may well be a trigger for acute episodes in certain individuals, but is unlikely to be an independent cause. It is likely that those who have become schizophrenic after smoking Cannabis would have become so without using the drug, but the implication in the reactionary press is, of course, that they would not. However, there is indeed some link between habitual drug use, including Cannabis, and schizophrenic illnesses. The compulsion to regularly get high, or

26 If the Val-Val genotype is truly responsible for addiction, the fact that almost twice as many schizophrenics exhibit it could very well be relevant to the fact that twice as many schizophrenics are likely to become habitual substance-users. Accordingly to an Australian study from 2005, those with the Met-Met genotype showed no susceptibility to Cannabis, and carriers of the Val allele showed increased rates of onset of schizophrenic symptoms subsequent to Cannabis use.

Pure THC can have effects similar to psychosis (Photo: Benjah-BBM27)

in some way intoxicated, seems to be a tenet of the schizoid behavioral pattern. This does not mean that all habitual users are schizophrenics, or vice versa; yet the processes at work seem to be very similar. It also appears to be the case that in a significant number of ‘prodromal’ individuals (those exhibiting early signs of the disease, before onset of full symptoms), use of Cannabis leads to early onset of schizophrenic symptoms – as much as two-and-a-half years earlier than average, according to some.

increasing with the amount and regularity of consumption during development. Even with no known genetic predisposition, early Cannabis users may be more likely to experience psychosis – for this reason Cannabis is viewed by some as a truly independent risk factor. It is believed that the presence of introduced cannabinoids can alter the development of neural pathways that are vital to normal adult functioning, and that symptoms of psychosis could develop as a result. However, far from being an independ-

ERRORS OF INTERPRETATION COULD BE MAKING COUNTLESS CANNABIS USERS WRONGLY FEAR FOR THEIR SANITY. However, male schizophrenics typically experience onset by around age 19, compared to age 22 in females. Male are also around four times more likely to use Cannabis than females. This fact alone could be enough to explain the apparent role of Cannabis in early-onset cases – at the very least it demonstrates the need for further studies that are a little more precise in how their controls are established, and able to prove a link that clearly goes beyond the gender difference. The process of chemical intoxication from Cannabis is in some ways reminiscent of the chemical processes at work during an acute schizophrenic episode. There is also evidence to suggest that the endocannabinoid system is affected by schizophrenia: CB-1 receptors are found in greater abundance in the brains of schizophrenics than in the general population, and the endocannabinoid anandamide is present in increased levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of schizophrenics, including prodromal individuals. It is believed that increased anandamide levels may regulate psychotic tendencies and prevent acute symptoms. Some research suggests that a variation of the COMT gene, which may play a part in CB-1 receptor activity, is the true cause of schizophrenia. While genetics may play a part, some research suggests that while the brain is in its developmental stage it can be adversely affected by habitual usage of Cannabis, with the risk of schizophrenia later in life

ent cause of adult-onset schizophrenia, Cannabis is simply part of a complex system of interactions between humans and our environment. In susceptible adults, it may act as a trigger for psychosis; or, it may in essence provide a precedent for future similar psychotic episodes without the need for any chemical trigger. When injected into the bloodstream of healthy human subjects, pure Δ⁹-THC can have effects remarkably similar to psychosis – including delusions, hallucinations and social withdrawal. The long-term ‘demotivational’ effect experienced by some regular Cannabis users is also seen with many schizophrenics. In fact, the effects of Cannabis ‘psychosis’ more closely resemble those experienced by schizophrenics than the psychosis caused by abuse of other drugs, such as amphetamine and cocaine. For this reason, Cannabis is used as a model when studying the pattern of schizophrenia and its onset. However, much remains still to be ascertained: for example, it has long been thought that CBD (cannabidiol) has antipsychotic qualities that counteract the effect of THC. Given the close association between the endocannabinoid system and schizophrenia, further research would not only provide further insight into the nature of schizophrenia itself, but may well demonstrate that some schizophrenics could benefit from an individually-tailored course of cannabinoids, avoiding the serious sideeffects of many conventional medications.

Again and again, what the research Conventional schizophrenia medications really shows is that for a small number of susceptible individuals, Cannabis such as Thorazine can have life-threatenmay have consequences unlike those ing side-effects (Photo: James Vaughan) experienced by the average user. More specifically, people with particular genetic variations affecting the endoAgain, it is important to remember that cannabinoid system may find that their each individual is different, and the genetic response to Cannabis is unusual – a expression of schizophrenia can vary wildly conclusion that seems almost laughbetween sufferers. Recent research dem- ably obvious, given that the active cononstrated that 44 individuals in a sample stituents of Cannabis evidently affect of 190 schizophrenia patients had a strik- the endocannabinoid system! While it ingly increased susceptibility to Cannabis, is of course immeasurably important which equates to around 23%. This fig- to learn whatever possible about this ure, although very close to the figure of link – not only for sufferers themselves 25% of schizophrenics who habitually use but as a potential key to unlocking the Cannabis, is made up of a range of individ- absolute fundamentals of human brain uals with different usage rates. Therefore it function – it is highly questionable to is possible to be a schizophrenic, habitual conclude, at this stage of our overall user of Cannabis, but to still be free of the level of knowledge, that Cannabis is increased susceptibility factor – and there- inherently harmful to schizophrenics. fore potentially at no further psychological or physical risk from the drug. At this stage it is impossible to be clear on the precise link between Cannabis Interestingly, this study demonstrated that and schizophrenia. It is apparent that a the individuals who were most suscep- link exists; we must expect that any such tible to Cannabis were far more likely to link, however tenuous, will be ferociously have close family members who also suffer seized upon by the mainstream media as from psychotic illnesses – suggesting a the basis for exaggerated and spurious genetic cause. The COMT gene occasion- scare-mongering. ally expresses the Val allele instead of the ‘normal’ Met allele: in those with one Val As we discover more about the workallele and one Met allele (Val-Met), there ings of the endocannabinoid system, is a slightly increased risk of psychosis; and the nature of schizophrenia itself, those with two instances of Val alleles (Val- we will doubtless gain far deeper Val) have a significantly increased risk. It insight into the actions of introduced is thought that the Val-Val genotype is cannabinoids on the human brain. present in around 47% of schizophrenics Until then, these sensational articles (35% have the Val-Met genotype, and 18% must be taken with a very large pinch display the Met-Met variant), compared of salt, as there remains absolutely no with 30% of non-schizophrenics (for the evidence of an increase in the rate of latter group, 43% exhibited the Val-Met, schizophrenia, due to Cannabis or any and 26% the Met-Met genotypes). other environmental factor.

In the future, it may be shown that medical Cannabis could benefit some schizophrenics (Photo: MJ Presson)

MEDICINAL MARIHUANA

Marijuana In Our Blood WHO OWNS COPYRIGHTS TO MOTHER NATURE? Discovery of the cannabinoid system in our bodies is considered a new breakthrough in medical science. Currently, over 100 research teams in renowned hospitals and universities in many countries explore this new territory. Numerous patents have been filed by major drug companies. The patents claim that cannabinoid receptor drugs have the potential to cure many serious conditions, including MS, Parkinon’s and Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, epilepsy, mental illnesses, heart disease, and cancer. Finally, Big Pharma is beginning to see the medical value and the lucrative business in (synthetic) drugs By Sebastian Daniel derived from cannabis.

One of the cannabinoid receptors (CB1).

Even the Health and Human Services Division of the prohibition-driven U.S. federal government holds a patent called Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants, issued October 2003, which

variety of oxidation associated diseases, such as ischemic, age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example

For decades, experiments on men and animals have indicated that cannabinoids, compounds found in cannabis, can reduce tumors, kill microbes, lessen symptoms of many serious diseases, and help with chronic pain, anxiety or insomnia. The discovery of recent years is that the human body makes its own cannabinoids. Cannabinoid receptors have been found in practically all animal species which shows the critical role they play in maintaining physiological functions in living organisms. Scientists have just discovered how complex our own internal (endo) cannabinoid system is. We all have an Endo-Cannabinoid System (ECS) in our bodies that regulates our health and well-being. Doctor Robert Melamede from the University of Colorado explains that everything in our bodies is regulated by marijuana-like compounds that our bodies produce: the immune system, the nervous system, and the reproductive system are all coordinated by cannabinoids. The number of receptors is much higher than that of other neurotransmitters. The previous discovery of similar systems of dopamine and serotonin was considered a giant step in science and a real breakthrough in medicine - and the number of cannabinoid receptors is 12 times higher! Scientists talk about an approaching revolution in medicines for depression, insomnia, and many other mental disorders, as well as serious physical diseases. First, researchers discovered anandamide (from Sanskrit for “happiness”). Now science knows 4 other transmitters, and

two vital organs by means of the same tool. Many cannabinoid receptors can also be found in cells of the immune system and major organs: kidneys, liver, or pancreas. The ECS is activated in humans during exercise. Blood concentrations of anandamide more than double in trained healthy volunteers after strenuous hiking. Mother’s milk contains excep-

tionally large quantities of our “internal marijuana”. Among some African nations children who are no longer breast-fed are given a nutritious gruel of hempseed. Cannabis contains anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and probably anti-cancer compounds. Doctor Raphael Mechoulam from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem with fellow researchers have identified nearly 30 separate therapeutic effects in cannabinoids other than THC. They include anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and anti-stroke properties, as well as neuroprotection. In 2006, Professor Barbara Malinowska of the Medical University of Białystok and Professor Eberhard Schlicker of the University of Bonn received the Polish-German Copernicus

EVERYTHING IN OUR BODIES IS REGULATED BY MARIJUANALIKE COMPOUNDS: THE IMMUNE SYSTEM, THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, AND THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM ARE ALL COORDINATED BY CANNABINOIDS. reads: “Cannabinoids have been found to have antioxidant properties, unrelated to NMDA receptor antagonism. This newfound property makes cannabinoids useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of a wide

in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and HIV dementia.”

expects many more. The 2nd ECS, separate from the brain system, is located in the heart. Protective measures exerted by cannabinoids on a damaged brain or heart are just as if nature protected the

Scientific Award for research on the influence of cannabinoids on human brain. Mitch Earleywine, Associate Professor of Psychology at the State University

29 of New York at Albany and an expert on addiction, writes in Understanding Marijuana: a New Look at the Scientific Evidence: “Research on smoked marijuana, THC, and other cannabinoids, though often hampered by bureaucratic obstacles, still shows possible pharmaceutical use.” Earleywine has not found any data to justify the proposition that marijuana causes social problems like aggression, careless driving, lessened productivity, or lack of motivation. He writes: “We are close to a point where people can tolerate those who think differently. Perhaps we can tolerate people who want to use marijuana without doing harm to themselves or others.” Natural vs. Synthetic: Struggle for Billions Studies suggest that in some cases marijuana in its natural state may be still the most effective form. The pharmaceutical industry, however, would rather

business or corporation against competition; there can be no monopoly on the production and sales of such medicaments. Where Mother Nature is concerned, knowledge is common, and everyone can copy ideas or prescriptions; it is hard to keep trade secrets. Pharmaceutical companies do not see any prospects for high profits. What is more, they perceive natural medicaments as a threat to their trade. The executives of pharmaceutical corporations do not take a Hippocratic Oath to become members of the respected medical profession. The interests of the private business sector are often totally different from the public interest, let alone the interests of the patient. For stock market quotations of pharmaceutical multinational corporations, natural or holistic medicine means only bad things: low profits, as competitors can react immediately while prices cannot be jacked up endlessly; low sales to patients who are

MOTHER’S MILK CONTAINS EXCEPTIONALLY LARGE QUANTITIES OF OUR “INTERNAL MARIJUANA”. use compounds they can possibly make pills with, under patent, and thus profit from the sales. The medical establishment continues to reject the idea that

simple natural products like plants can have medicinal value. There is also the question of the mode of ingestion: after the invention of the syringe, the idea of incense and inhalation as means of transporting active chemicals to the body disappeared like smoke. The ideology of Western treatment is synthesis, and the base of the pharmaceutical industry is patent law. According to industrial medicine proponents, nothing from nature can be trusted, and only artificially manipulated and patented medicines should be studied, developed, and eventually sold. Naturally occurring substances cannot be patented or protected from competitors in order to earn a fortune on them. Doctor Andrew Weil, author of The Natural Mind and one of the pioneers in cannabis research, states that pharmaceutical companies are quite threatened by the idea that people may have direct access to substances that heal. There is great effort to scare people away from natural medicine and convince them that synthetic products are much safer. However, in Dr. Weil’s opinion quite the contrary is the case: natural medicines are usually much less dangerous than synthetic ones. It is difficult to patent common natural substances or, in other words, secure a

thus able to heal themselves by growing medicinal plants or finding the necessary substances in nature. And what’s the real nightmare of the stock market machine, a.k.a. the medical industry (a term recently invented by the media, as opposed to old-fashioned “health care”)? A cheaply treated patient and a healthy society. Will the interests of public health or big business prevail? The international crusade of the pharmaceutical corporations against natural remedies is easy to understand. Natural substances are not attractive to the big pharmaceutical industry, and cannabis is not the only case. The most striking examples are substances used to treat conditions which conventional medicines provide only limited relief to, such as drug dependence. Treatments with many potent psychedelic medicines hold great promise for chronic alcoholics and other drug addicts or people suffering from trauma. Ibogaine, a psychedelic drug from Western Africa, has been shown to help people withdraw from opiate addictions; it may be also useful in overcoming or reducing other addictions, including dependency on nicotine, alcohol or amphetamine. Not only do these natural drugs remain undeveloped, but they have been made illegal in the US and many wealthy countries, which makes all serious scientific research practically impossible.

Double Standards Plants have no lawyers, and natural drugs continue to be the focus of a smear campaign launched by the media and the modern pharmaceutical industry. It is a pity that governments do not show such concern about public health when it comes to the synthetic drugs of big pharmaceutical companies or legally available products like nicotine and alcohol. Considering the constant criticism cannabis and other natural remedies

receive, much worse things can be said about universally administered synthetic drugs for depression, anxiety, insomnia

or even the common cold. Many of them cause serious side effects, liver or kidney damage, or may even kill. Although as many people as a quarter of the world’s population have used hemp as a drug for thousands of years, there have been neither numerous nor serious adverse effects recorded. Seldom can something like that be said about other medicines, not to mention our legal ‘highs’. A growing number of people are learning about natural remedies and starting to apply natural medical treatments as cheaper, safer, less toxic, and less addictive. And this is not about substituting one pill for another, an herbal drug for a synthetic one. Natural remedies are paving a path to a holistic approach toward one’s life and to a healthy lifestyle. Even a skeptical establishment starts to admit this can be a proper attitude toward the future. In the opinion of a growing number of specialists, the reluctance to look for natural solutions is a big mistake. Doctor Arnold Demain, a biochemist from Drew University in Madison, New York, points out that nature is much more capable of creating interesting chemical molecules than chemists: by ignoring natural sources, the industry is losing a great deal. Instead of creating totally new products from scratch, they could be developing ready ideas. After all, these have been tested in the laboratories of evolution for millions of years. Clearly, the pharmaceutical industry seems to have forgotten about the success of penicillin

and many other well-known medicines obtained from nature. Medical science has achieved undisputed success in the struggle for human life and good health. Physicians battle and win against epidemics; great progress has been made in surgery and emergency rescue; in fighting contagious diseases, heart attacks, hemorrhages. Some successes are truly spectacular. Traditional herbal medicine can do little in such cases. However, this does not mean that plants have nothing to do with the successes of modern medicine. Famous medicines like penicillin, aspirin, or quinine are of natural origin. Aspirin was synthesized as salicylic acid from willow bark. It is the number one medicine all over the world. Plants often are the only effective remedy (e.g. against malaria). They act as natural antibiotics (garlic) or hormones. Recently, a Norwegian fungus has enabled more effective organ transplants. Many heart and cancer medicines are produced thanks to plants. In 2012, researchers from the Endocannabinoid Research Group in Italy reported that cannabidiol (CBD) and several cannabis extracts reduced viability of prostate cancer cells. The plant extracts were more effective than single cannabinoids! However, cannabis - as a naturally occurring and inexpensive source of better and safer relief, is particularly offensive to the modern concept of medical treatment. Synthetic marijuana pills would cost patients hundreds or thousands of dollars a month, while growing organic medicine would be practically free. Today, patents which were supposed to bolster the development of science are being used to block it. In the light of regulations concerning genetic engineering, even the deaths of patients exposed to experimental treatment are kept secret. Best-selling author Michael Crichton, a Harvard Medical School trained physician, calls this a crime: science used to be commonly understood as research carried out in order to improve human lives, and not as a profit-making enterprise.

MEDICAL CANNABIS BIKE TOUR

Cycling for medical cannabis research

Sports activities and good causes are a popular match. The most famous Alpe d’Huez, giving up is not an option in example is Alpe d’Huez in France, in which six amateur cyclists cycle up the the Medical Cannabis Bike Tour. infamous Alpencol Alpe d’Huez to raise money for cancer research. Suffering Cannabis shirt advertising to ease the suffering of others. Two cannabis-loving cyclists came up with Despite the suffering, the adventure left them wanting more. Luc: “Next year the bright idea of applying a similar concept to medical cannabis. This result- we want to organise another tour, we ed in the first three-day Medical Cannabis Bike Tour, held in late April during are aiming for forty participants. Many have already pledged that they the GrowMed cannabis fair in Spain. The birth of a glorious cycling tradition. people want to participate, so there is clearly plenty of interest ...” The pilot edition of the Medical Cannabis Bike Tour began very modestly, with only two participants, who also happened to be the only sponsors. Matej from the Slovenian rolling paper producer Snail played the role of leader, while Paradise Seeds frontman Luc was just happy to even at a great distance - keep up. You might expect the director of a successful seed company to ride a flashy ultra-light carbon road bike, but you would have been in for a surprise. The Paradise frontman did not even ride a racing bicycle, but rather something that could best be described as a leisure bike. A decrepit Gazelle from the eighties, which he purchased for 50 Euros. “The saddle was more expensive than the whole bike!” Laughs Luc. As a relative beginner Luc hardly knew what he had gotten himself into. He claimed to have “trained a lot” at

home. As it turned out, an hour of cycling a few times a week in the flat area around his home was not the ideal preparation for covering a distance of 400 km in three days. Certainly not in Spain, where it is often sweltering in April and where a flat surface is virtually impossible to find. To say that Luc struggled is an understatement: it was torture. Team-mate Matej was better prepared, and even added on a 170 km trek to Alicante the day after the tour. It was not the dreaded Spanish hillsides that almost wiped out the men, because there were few on the flat route along the coast. Luc: “We had a not inconsiderable amount of opposing wind for 400 km. It blew so hard that crests formed on the sea, we later heard that it had been force five. After 100 kilometres I wanted to get off, I was so exhausted.” But, as for the participants in

The purpose of the tour is to raise money for research into the efficacy of cannabis in the treatment of cancer. To find a suitable project for this, the IACM (International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines) was contacted. Nothing is yet fixed, but Luc’s imagina-

can see that cannabis users are not just apathetic people sitting at home smoking a joint, but also stand for something.” It is incidentally not the intention of the Medical Cannabis Bike Tour to pin itself down to Spain. “As far as location is concerned all possibilities remain open. The intention is however for the tour to coincide with a cannabis fair somewhere in Europe.” The website that will soon go online will keep you informed of all options and plans. Luc can already picture it. “In all the villages along the route there are people cheering by the roadside. There are motorcycle escorts and a helicopter, and of course the police will close off

THE SADDLE WAS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE WHOLE BIKE! tion is already running at full speed. “One idea is the possibility of getting sponsors to pay per kilometre. The more riders participating, the higher the amount raised. Participants will wear shirt advertising with the names of the sponsors, and we may even put a cannabis leaf on our helmet. This way people

the roads for us.” Like a true cyclist, Luc declines to answer the inevitable question of whether doping will lead to a distortion of competition at this tour. “What do you think?” he asks with a sly grin. www.medicalcannabis-biketour.org/

GROW WITH ED ROSENTHAL

Another strategy is to place the lamps high up so the heat from the lamps doesn’t affect the plants below. High light placement without a glass protector helps keep bulbs safely away from water, but without the right reflectors to direct light to the plants, light will stray to other parts of the room. However, high placement provides a distinct advantage towards the end of flowering, when plants respond to UVB light by increasing potency. Metal halide (MH) lamps (not high pressure sodium (HPS) lamps) produce UVB light. If there is a reflector with bottom glass, it will absorb the UVB light. So having no glass between bulb and plant results in higher potency buds. To take advantage of this, substitute the MH for HPS lamps during the last two weeks of flowering.

HOW TO FIX THIS GARDEN

ALL MESSED UP

No, no, no This garden is all messed up. Numerous potential hazards may lead to disaster. Here are some of the problems in its design: 1. Light: The bare light bulb is a danger: it is likely to explode if water happens to falls on it while lit. The bulb is hanging in a low, vulnerable position where the gardener is likely to bump into while doing chores, or where it can be easily splashed by water drops. Most of the light produced by the bulb is wasted — without a reflector to direct down to the canopy, light is disseminating around the room. Plants only use light that reaches its leaves. 2. Electrical: Unsupported wires hanging all over

and lying on the floor present an electrical and fire hazard. The ballast is an old-fashioned electricity-guzzling magnetic model. It is positioned away from harm’s way, which is good, but it is hard to reach. 3. Temperature and Ventilation: There is no sign of method of temperature control—no ventilation or air conditioning units are seen. 4. Air Circulation: The only air circulation is a pedestal, oscillating fan. Its draft doesn’t reach all the plants. 5. CO2: There is no indication of CO2 enrichment. Without adequate levels, the plants won’t grow. 6. The Plants: The plants are not robust and vital.

They most likely are not receiving enough light to flourish. Another problem might be that their containers are too small.

Soluciones Light: Reflectors are a must in almost all gardens. Without a reflector, light goes off in all directions. Only the light reaching the plants is used; the rest is wasted. If lamps are positioned close to the plants, protect them by using a reflector with a bottom glass plate protector. This way any splashes don’t reach the bulb. The glass plate is also needed if the reflectors are being air-cooled. Aircooling the lights removes heat from the room before it gets in, but the glass plate absorbs some useful light.

This 1.25m x 2.5m garden set-up was illuminated by three 600-watt high pressure sodium bulbs installed in air-cooled reflectors. Three 600-watt

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33 lamps are preferable to two 1000-watt lamps because the light reaches the plants from more directions. The lamps were placed high enough to illuminate the entire canopy but direct the light downward so most of it gets to the plants.

onto it (Photo3) a lot of light escapes, illuminating other areas of the room. 45cm-wide heavy duty aluminum foil is positioned with tape so that light is directed back into the garden, enhancing growth. The technique works with both HPS and MH lamps. Foiling the

ELECTRICAL WIRING: Notice the electrical wiring on the ceiling, far from harm’s way. In this narrow garden reflectors with a narrow focus were used.

The lights are mounted high above the plants so their heat stays above the plant canopy. They are far from splashing water so they need no bottom glass for protection. These reflectors spread the light throughout the garden so each plant received ambient light from many directions resulting in more plant parts receiving direct light. Electrical: All wiring should be to code. Large systems should have their own dedicated circuit breaker. All exposed wires should be protected using metal tubing or Romex. Avoid using extension cords. Do not use 3-prong converters to plug appliances into 2-prong wiring. Here you see all controls are neatly labeled and organized, keeping maintenance simple.

LIGHTING TI4 Use aluminum foil to modify your reflector to direct more light to your garden. This is a photo of an induction fluorescent fixture. Before the foil was taped

sides of the fixtures along the perimeter of a garden increases the total light plants receive. [Photos to be taken at night to show change in reflectivity using additional reflective material.]

Fire extinguishers: Install fire extinguishers in all garden rooms which use electrical lighting. Make sure the extinguishers are effective for electrical fires.

34 Ballasts: Digital ballasts are easy to mount. Use high quality digital ballasts, not magnetic. Digitals have overwhelming advantages: They weigh less: Magnetic ballasts weigh about 9 kgs while digitals weigh about 3 kgs. They use less electricity: Magnetic ballasts use 200 watts to convert 1000 watts to proper voltage. Digital ballasts use only 100 watts. That saves 1/12 or about 8.5% in the electricity that it takes to run the lights. Digital ballasts produce much less heat than magnetic ballasts: This is very convenient because they can be placed in the grow room without fear of significantly warming the garden. Digital ballasts are also safer, shutting off automatically should a short occur. They re-strike the bulb after an electrical interruption, can be adjusted to vary light output—dimming the bulb when needed (young plants, clones, slowing growth to accommodate garden timing), and they can accommodate both MH and HPS lamps. CO2 (Carbon dioxide): Carbon dioxide is one of the two ingredients used by plants for photosynthesis. Water is the other ingredient. Light is used to power the process. When there is enough light (such as found in indoor gardens) plants grow faster when the air is enriched with more CO2 than is found in ambient air (380ppm). A 1000-watt light illuminating a 4’ x 4’ garden, a 16square foot area, provides enough light to support enhanced photosynthesis in the presence of air enriched with up to about 1300ppm CO2. This results in faster growth and higher yields. In fact, you could say that without CO2 a grower is essentially wasting electricity, since plants cannot reach their full growth potential it. [CO2 EFFECT. (Chart from “Marijuana Grower’s Handbook”) Higher concentrations of CO2 correlate to greater levels of photosynthesis, resulting in greater plant growth.

CO2 IN GREENHOUSES. (Chart from “Marijuana Grower’s Handbook”) In enclosed spaces CO2 is used up quickly once the lights are turned on (A). Its level rises again when lights off, as plants produce CO2 at night (B) and continue to metabolize, but not photosynthesize, during the dark period.

CO2 MINIGEN: A water-cooled CO2 generator.

Temperature and Ventilation: The garden should be kept in the low to mid20 degrees C if not supplemented with CO2 — and 25-30 degrees C with CO2 enrichment. If the garden must be cooled (usually the case, even when using air-cooled lights) you can choose between two methods, ventilation or air-conditioning. Both work well, but AC may be more convenient for several reasons: With ventilation the garden depends on outside air. This air varies in temper-

CO2 METER: Place the meter at the top of the plant canopy.

CO2 TANK: (Photo: from “Let’s Grow a Pound”) The attached unit regulates gas pressure, flow rate and opens and closes the valve.

REG-1 CO 2 TANK REGULATOR AND TUBING WITH MICRO-PORES: (Photo: from “Let’s Grow a Pound”) There are two ways to supply the gas to the garden—CO2 tanks, and natural gas or propane burners which generate it. Both systems are regulated using a CO2 meter, which is placed in the top of the plant canopy to measure CO2 concentration in the air. The tank is fitted with an appliance that regulates gas flow and shuts the system on or off. The gas is delivered to the canopy using leaky tubing that has micro-pores which allow the gas to escape. CO2 is heavier than air and is cool because of depressurizing as it comes out of the tank, so it sinks down to the plant canopy, where it is needed. Generators produce CO 2 by burning gas. This also produces heat and water vapor, which quickly increases the room’s humidity. Unless the room has to be heated to maintain temperature, the additional heat presents a problem. This can be rectified using a watercooled generator, which eliminates heat and much of the moisture. All generators release CO2 throughout the room rather than just on the canopy, so more gas is wasted if the room is ventilated.

ature from day to day, as well through each daily cycle. One day you might be cooling the garden with 15 degree C air and the next with 7 to 25 degree C air. As outside temperature gets warmer, ventilation is less effective. Air that is too cold inhibits plant growth. AC delivers a steady uniform temperature that encourages plant growth. Ventilated air may also carry infective insects and disease spores. For that reason it should be filtered. Filters on the tubing remove some infections, but an inline UVC light will kill disease spores and insects. When air is ventilated from a CO2 enriched space, all the CO2 is lost. The cycle goes like this: Air is enriched. Heat rises over time. The controller turns off the CO2 and turns on fans to ventilate and cool the room, removing CO2. Ventilation fans are turned off and CO2 is replenished. With air conditioning, the proper temperature is maintained throughout the light and dark periods regardless of the outside temperature. There is no evacuation of air from the room, so no CO2 is lost.

35 are grown with wind strong enough to move them back and forth, tiny tears are created in the tissue. The plant repairs the break by growing new tissue which increases stem strength. Later the thin stems will not able to support large buds, but the plants with the thick stems, that have been continually tested, will have no problem supporting them.

Twists and turns taken by the ducting from the air-cooled lights impedes airflow. Every turn creates more resistance.

and humidity controlled. Portable air conditioners and units installed outside are often more convenient to use.

The second reason air circulation matters is subtler: Visualize the leaf surface that comes into contact with air. The air in the microenvironment is being depleted of CO2 by the leaf and being replaced with oxygen (O2). O2 is the gas released during the photosynthetic process. Not having access to adequate amounts of CO2 slows photosynthesis because it is one of the two ingredients used in production. To improve growth, the depleted air at the leaf surface must be removed quickly and replaced with CO2 enriched air. Outdoors, wind replaces depleted air. Indoors, fans are required. Oscillating fans are excellent because they change the direction of the draft, blowing the stems in multiple directions. Position the fans to blow across the plants, rather than from above, so hot air won’t be blowing on them.

Set the room air conditioners so to remove heat from the room but not to exchange the air. All of the CO2 is retained in the room. The air in the room can be conditioned using UVC lights to kill mold spores and insects, and air temperature

Air circulation: Air circulation is important to plants for two reasons. First, stems grow thick, stout and strong from stress. When plants are grown without draft or wind they grow tall and thin. When they

All the lights in the room are on an “elevator” so they can be raised or lowered easily to get the light closer to the plants.

The oscillating fans provide a constant breeze in the canopy, removing CO2-depleted air and bending the stems, which makes them stronger. Unfortunately, the ducting and fans for the air-cooled lights were not installed. If plants don’t look as if they are suffering from deficiencies, but they don’t look particularly robust and vigorous either, there could be several factors at play. We know that CO2 deprivation, low light intensity, and possible temperature problems can play a role in robbing plants of their full growth potential. However, something as simple as small containers may also be a problem. When plants are given the same canopy space but different sized containers, the ones in the larger containers grow larger, faster, and eventually yield more. *** There are myriad ways things can go wrong, but specific ways that your garden can thrive. When your garden is well-planned and organized, and based on sound technique and plant science, not only will it will be a safer and more pleasant place to work in, your plants will respond by growing bigger and better buds that will make you proud.

CERVANTES

LED Lamps This is the first part of a two part article about LED lamps. The second article will run next issue of Soft Secrets. LED lamps are everywhere. You see them in stop lights, flashlights and household lighting, Christmas tree lighting, etc. The technology has come a long way since it was developed in the early 1960s, when LEDs were found in appliances and generated a faint 0.001 lm/W. New LED technology is advancing rapidly and they are becoming much brighter and more electricity efficient. LEDs are available across the visible spectrum, and from ultraviolet through infrared. Gardeners are successfully using LED lights to cultivate medical cannabis. But, there are so many different types and so much “sales” information is available about LED lamps that it is difficult to understand which specific LEDs work best as a light source to grow medical cannabis.

Outdated LED lamps that produce less than one watt are not as bright as new 1, 2 and 3-watt bulbs. Also some bulbs of the same wattage are brighter than others. See “Brilliance” below. Rather than a ballast, a series of resistors or current-regulated power supplies is necessary to deliver precise voltage and current to operate most efficiently. The power supply can be decreased to dim lights. Some bulbs have a dimming range of 20-100 percent. The necessary hardware is hardwired and soldered into a small (circuit board) fixture that is connected to a power supply. When purchasing a fixture, consider how bulbs will be replaced. Individual clusters of bulbs that can be replaced within fixtures are the most economical and practical.

QUESTIONS TO JORGE Jorge Cervantes is the author of: Marijuana Horticulture: the Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower’s Bible in English and Spanish, Jorge Cervantes’ Ultimate Grow DVD, Indoor Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor Bible, Marijuana Indoors: Five Easy Gardens, Marijuana Outdoors: Guerrilla Growing and Jorge’s Rx. He writes for 12 magazines in 6 languages. Jorge’s books are published in Dutch, English, French, German and Spanish.

Turn on a LED and electrons recombine with electron holes in the bulb and release photons (light energy) in the process of electroluminescence. Peak performance depends on operating temperature. To date the most efficient LED is 1 watt. Larger wattages run hotter and are less efficient, producing fewer lm/W. For example a 3-watt LED produces only 35 percent more lumens than a 1-watt bulb. The extra electrical energy is converted to heat rather than light. You can see each LED bulb soldered onto the white plastic panel. The bulbs must be covered to protect circuitry from moisture and malfunctions.

This small LED garden is just going into flowering and looks just as good as if it were One company, Hydro Grow LED, protects LED bulbs with magnifying optics that

growing under CFL lamps.

concentrate light in a tight pattern.

LED (light-emitting diode) lamps use solid state semiconductor energy to produce light. The technology is similar to that found in the computer circuitry. They do not use filaments found in incandescent and tungsten halogen bulbs, or gas which is used in HID, fluorescent, and compact fluorescent bulbs. LED lamps generate very little heat and are rated for regular household current—120 V and 240 V. LED light output continues to increase with improved materials and technological advances while maintaining solid state efficiency and reliability. Solid state components are difficult to damage with external shock.

If ambient temperatures in the operating environment climb too high, LEDs overheat and “droop” producing less light. Similar to solid state computer chips, LED bulbs fail sooner when overheated over time. LED bulbs are driven in miliamperes (mA). Some LEDs are driven at lower mA to increase efficiency. The science and data behind all the circuitry is more complex than the scope of this book. The best way for average medical cannabis gardeners to discern the brilliance of bulbs or a fixture is to measure light output with a light meter. Much information about LED lights is available on the internet. Go to www.google. com and search for “LED grow lights” and you will have hours of reading. I personally like the videos found at www.youtube.com. There is a lot of inspiration to be found!

To date LED bulbs and fixtures have been too expensive for the majority of gardeners. The prices have been coming down and the technology has been improving at the same time.

LED lamps are used for propagation, vegetative and flowering in cannabis horticulture, as well as some experiments with inter-lighting in greenhouses. They are NOT a replacement for HPS in greenhouses.

Cost New technology is expensive and cost has been one of the biggest impediments to LED light use in gardens. They have been too expensive, dollar per lumen. Bulbs in 2010 were producing from 40-60 lm/W. This year, 2012 they are producing more than 10 percent higher lm/W readings. The technology is changing every few months and it is difficult to keep up with it! Prices range from $40 for a 15-watt incandescent retrofit bulb to $600 for a 300-watt fixture. In 2009 a 90-watt LED fixture cost $600, about three times more than in 2012. Today a small bulb costs about $2.50 per watt and a large fixture costs about $2.00 per

watt. You can purchase HID light at the rate of $0.35 per watt. The good news is that LED technology is improving and production costs are dropping quickly. The Hydro Grow LED is manufactured with lenses that increase light output up to ??? percent. (see graph). The technology pays for itself with electric power savings over the long term, after the initial cost of the fixture, $2,199 is paid. CFL that produces 800 lumens uses less than 15 watts and costs about $75 of electricity per year. According to manufacturers, LED bulbs that produce the same 800 lumens draw less than 8 watts of power and cost about $30 per year, and last 50,000 hours or longer. LEDs that produce UV light are too expensive to manufacture to be practical to use in the garden.

Brilliance and Spectrum The best way to decipher LED bulb output within the following equation –

39 amperes x voltage = watts (Ohms Power Law), otherwise light output can become quite complicated and confusing. For example, a 3-watt LED that runs at 350mA (mA = milliamps) yields 1 (one) watt of light.

colors. LEDs with different spectrums can be grouped together to form a spectrum that is perfect for plant growth.

Depending upon manufacturer, modern LED bulbs produce from 40-60 lm/W (lumens per watt). New bulbs produce more than 200 lm/W. Cree Incorporated announced a LED lamp in 2011 that generates 208 lm/W, in early 2012 the bulb was not yet on the market. Brighter and brighter LED bulbs are continuing to be developed. But, the small LEDs heat up quickly and loose efficiency, which is light energy converted to heat beyond a specific operating temperature. The operating temperature is a function of electric current (mA) input.

Remember LED lamps convert light energy into heat as the wattage of bulbs increases. Just because a bulb is a higher wattage does not mean it will be more efficient. Humidity is detrimental to circuits. LED circuitry is exposed (foto) and must be protected from humidity to avoid corrosion. The LEDs must be enclosed to isolate them from exterior humidity. The optimal temperature for each color of LED ensures an accurate rendering of color spectrum. At maximum temperature or too high of a temperature the lamp will fail. That is, if too much current is run through the little LEDS they get too hot, become inefficient (light energy is transformed into heat) and they fail, burn out. LED bulbs are designed to focus light. One innovative company, Hydro Grow LED, takes advantage of the ability to focus the light emitted and directs it with a lens, just like beam of light is “projected” in a movie projector. The light output is not only concentrated and intensified, it is increased. Their fixture couples special little lenses for the LEDs to increase light output. Once manufactured, LEDs are tested for brightness and sorted into different bins. Some LEDs are brighter than others and fetch a higher price. For example, LEDs are sorted into bin 1, 2, 3. The LEDs in bin 1 are brighter and more expensive than the next brightest in bin 2. Those in bin 3 are the least bright. LEDs come in a variety of spectrums and are unique in that they are available in monochromatic wavelengths producing specific nanometer wavelengths and

The monochromatic spectrum is difficult to get used to! Seeing green plants turn shades of red is just plain weird! LED technology allows manufacturers to literally dial in the spectrum of fixtures to produce incredibly high PAR ratings. This point alone makes them more efficient per watt. But the PAE rating efficiency is not rated in lumens as lamps that are designed for human vision. NOTA: The spectrum of each LED bulb may also dictate the brilliance, light output.

DOCUMENTARY

What if Cannabis Cured Cancer? THIS MINDBLOWING FILM EXPLAINS HOW AND WHY WE GET HIGH FROM CANNABIS, AND WHY WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO DO SO FOR THE SAKE OF THE HUMAN RACE. Ever wondered why Cannabis gets you high? It’s no accident. After millions of years of evolution (beginning with the humble sea squirt) humans have developed a sophisticated system of receptors – one of the densest of its type in the human body – specifically designed to accept the exact chemical compounds produced by the Cannabis plant. However, their original intent was to receive the same compounds when produced by the human body, known as endogenous cannabinoids, or endo-cannabinoids. Sativa Diva

The documentary begins with a brief education on the ancient relationship between Cannabis and humans. Anthropological conjecture exists over whether Cannabis consumption somehow stimulated early human language skills; in other realms, such as ethno-botany, scientists claim that hemp was the first intentionally cultivated plant, causing a shift from hunter/gatherer societies to static, agrarian ones.

You read that correctly: human beings produce the endogenous version of the herbal cannabinoids responsible for the myriad effects brought about by the consumption of weed. Whether you ingest, drink, smoke or vaporize it, the unique combination of these compounds, plus a few others, blends together to present the exact flavor, smell, effect and duration of each of your favorite strains.

This means that our very most precious and essential systems are being aided in function and control by the ECS, including the nervous-, circulatory-, reproductive- and immune systems. If Cannabis (and the drug compounds therein) is so dangerous, then why do we produce nearly atomically-twin substances that our body requires to survive? According to Di Marzo (1998), we need our ECS for mechanisms that help us to ‘relax, eat, sleep, forget and protect’.

Writer and director Len Richmond has stunned viewers with a masterpiece documenting the bio-chemistry of Cannabis: What if Cannabis Cured Cancer answers questions that viewers perhaps never thought to ask. Activists from within the community will rejoice: the merits of med-

Whether or not the above are true, one cannot argue about the proven role and functions that cannabinoids (endogenous- or herbal) have in the human body. Most animals and other organisms also have cannabinoid receptors, but research diverges here as the functions sometimes differ between species. The endo-cannabinoid system, or ECS, is responsible for modulating energy intake, nutrient transport and metabolism, and storage.

Forget what? According to Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, the man who discovered THC in 1964, ‘We need to have a way to forget, or we... will burst.’ It is a known fact that the lack of pain memory is one of the

noids. Many of its protective and therapeutic effects may be attributed to the ability of these substances to move freely through the ‘brain/blood barrier’, which protects the brain from infection and other harm. Due to the oily nature of the cannabinoids (the stuff that spreads all over your fingers when you handle buds) the compounds are easily able to slip between the two parts of the body, and this is especially important for brain cancer patients. Not only does smoking moderate amounts of weed NOT cause cancer, but cannabinoids actually have a semiprotective effect on the body, shielding healthy cells and inciting the ‘suicide’ of cancer cells. It is this action that takes place when certain cannabinoids pass into the brain, where they can then destroy cancer cells in a carefully-guided attack. THC has also been medicallyproven to slow the growth of breast- and lung cancer tumors, as well as virusinduced leukemia.

Some important cannabinoid functions: THC: Mimics the body’s own ECS; bronchial dilator, anti-depressant, encourages cancer cell death, slows growth of lung- and breast cancer, virus-induced leukemia CBD: Non-psychoactive, sedative, antiinflammatory, fights diabetes, malignant tumors and bacterial infections, neuroprotector, anti-epileptic, anti-psychotic, anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) CBN: Primary product of THC degradation; affects the impact of THC THCV: Mostly in S. African/Thai strains;

LEN RICHMOND HAS STUNNED VIEWERS WITH A MASTERPIECE DOCUMENTING THE BIOCHEMISTRY OF CANNABIS: WHAT IF CANNABIS CURED CANCER ANSWERS QUESTIONS THAT VIEWERS PERHAPS NEVER THOUGHT TO ASK. ical Cannabis are explained empirically, providing physical, scientific evidence that will only fail to silence opponents to medical marijuana if they choose to entirely ignore the research. Hard facts replace conjecture, presenting a quick, but extremely in-depth, education into the physical workings of these substances.

more important evolutionary aspects of our bodies. Perhaps short-term memory isn’t such a bad thing after all. In addition, the ECS regulates our moods. One of the reasons that Cannabis does not physically addict is because of our ECS – our bodies recognize cannabi-

makes ‘high’ come on faster but last less time; fights Type II diabetes, has protective, preventative effect against malignant tumors CBC: Found in extremely low levels; may act as anti-depressant, anti-inflammatory; strongly inhibits tumor growth in leukemia and breast cancer

This documentary will be one of the most important films you ever watch.

Cannabinoid impact on cancer: Seeking out cancer cells and preferentially killing them Anti-proliferative (inhibits cell growth) Anti-angiogenic (prevents fresh blood supply to tumors) Anti-metastatic (stops cancer’s ability to spread) Apoptopic (hastens death of cancer cells) Many people like to believe they truly ‘know everything there is to know about Cannabis’. If you haven’t seen this film, then that’s definitely not true. Even if you already knew much of the information covered in What if Cannabis Cured Cancer, be assured that your education will still have been expanded through the watching of this astonishing film. If nothing else, you will obtain the peace of mind that comes with certainty: everything we’ve been saying for years about the benefits of Cannabis has been true, and is now scientifically-proven. Naysayers, doubters, growers, smokers, activists, doctors; anyone who has ever had an opinion about Cannabis must watch this film and truly become enlightened. Written and directed by Len Richmond Narrated by Peter Coyote Edited by Massimo Mazzucco Running Time: 60 minutes - Color - Stereo - DVD www.lenrichmondfilms.com

Kurt Cannabis (Malcolm McDowell) and

These four cannabinoids are considered

Connie Cannabis (Roseanne Barr) lighten

among the most important of the 400+

By 1942, all Cannabis-based drugs had

Cannabis pharmaceuticals present a less-toxic

the mood in a special comedy short.

compounds found in Cannabis.

been removed from US pharmacies.

alternative for individuals who are already ill.

TRAVEL

Guerrillas, Grasshoppers and Extortion in Colombia What images spring to mind when you think of Colombia? Left-wing guerrilla armies kidnapping rich people? Right-wing paramilitaries running riot with US-sponsored military hardware? Footballers getting shot for scoring an own goal? Pablo Escobar? Abandoned half-built smuggling submarines stashed in mountain caves? It’s all true, but it’s

For a good forty years now, ‘the drug problem’ has been the major political issue in Colombia. Cocaine is obviously the big money spinner, corrupter and headline grabber but pot is up there in a significant second place. Most of the weed in Colombia is produced in the south western provinces, which are

but he’s a fucking evil bastard – I wasn’t really looking for any weed or coke but he offered me both, I don’t like coke but I said okay to a few grams of weed. As soon as I gave him the money and he gave me the weed he turned nasty, he was real friendly at first, but he told me that his friend just down the road had filmed the deal and that he had a cousin in the police – if I didn’t give him a million pesos (about £330) he was gonna show the video to his cousin and I’d have to give the police even more money to stay out of jail. I didn’t believe him and I’m not that easily intimidated so I told him to get fucked but apparently an English guy paid him the money last week.”

By The Professor

Santos to call for a global reorientation of drug policy. When asked about legalising ‘soft’ drugs in the context of stopping drug related violence by www.metro.us he replied that “Yes, that could be an answer, provided everyone does it at the same time.” He then argues: “We must discuss a new approach [to international drug policy], looking at all the components: The profit and the crime that follows drug trafficking, the fight against money laundering, trade with arms and so on. These are all effects of drugs.”

Corruption is another big problem, especially for tourists in the coastal towns:

nowhere near as chaotic as it used to be. Colombia has come a long way since the crazy days of the eighties and nineties when her big cities were the battlefield of rival drug cartels, a corrupt political establishment and a gangsterised police force. A lot of lessons have been learnt from that blood-drenched chapter of history and right now there are some very interesting goings-on with regards to drug politics in Colombia. So off we go to find out what’s been happening in this famous land of beauty and violence… According to www.thcfarmer.com, cannabis was first brought to Colombia from

notoriously difficult to police due to the mountainous terrain and their remoteness in terms of transport infrastructure. Much of the weed produced here is produced out of necessity rather than lust for power and money; the alternative crops of coffee and bananas don’t pay enough to put food on the table and even the lowest quality ganja returns twice as much as coffee.

“Me and the lads were after some gear for the weekend, you know, a few grams of coke and a bit of the old ganja. There were a couple of guys hanging around the hostel outside and they seemed like good fellas so me and yer man here went down to see them. We got a few grams of coke and a small bag of grass but after we got it off them we’d only walked about three steps and we got rushed by the cops. Lucky yer man here was quick and he threw the bags over the cops heads when he put his hands up in the air so they didn’t find anything on us, but they still took us down the cop shop and roughed us up a bit, and they gave us the old cavity search – that was a none too He went on to qualify and embellish these comments in an interview with The Guardian by explaining that: “We are the country who has suffered most of any country. Hopefully the world will enter into a fruitful and dynamic debate on this issue and if they find a new solution I’ll be even more than happy to support it.”

Prices at source range from £6 a key for low quality bush weed and kilos of high quality, greenhouse grown imported varieties go for the staggeringly high price of £40! By the time the best stuff (such as

MUCH OF THE WEED PRODUCED HERE IS PRODUCED OUT OF NECESSITY RATHER THAN LUST FOR POWER AND MONEY Borneo by the US in 1930 (1). Apparently it was part of US Department of Agriculture project to promote the wide range of medicinal and industrial uses of this magical plant, but then, in 1937, the US criminalised cannabis and the project was abandoned. Then came the days of Reefer Madness. Despite abandonment by the US, the crops survived and by the late seventies and early eighties Colombia had become the biggest exporter of illegal marijuana to the United States – an ironic twist of fate if ever there was one. It is believed that today Europe has become the biggest foreign market for Colombian weed.

creepy/cripa) hits the streets of Medellin and Bogota it’s going for £1.80, or 5,000 pesos, a gram (2). Part of this increase in price is the tax that the embattled FARC are rumoured to levy on each kilo leaving the provinces, the equivalent of US$14 – it’s reported that some of the FARC groups get up to 90% of their income from taxing these weed crops. As well as the insurgent angle, there are the associated criminal rackets that accompany the illegal cannabis trade: “If you ever meet a guy called Ian Flowers (in Cartagena) don’t trust him and never buy anything from him! He speaks great English

pleasant evening I can tell ya! The guys we got it from were obviously working with the cops cos the cops didn’t touch them, they went straight for us.” The Colombian’s love of easy money means that crimes and criminals like these attach themselves to the illegal drug trade. This, along with the more serious issues of the guerrilla movements, the arms trade and money laundering, has led to the current president Juan Manuel

The legal status of marijuana in Colombia also has a very curious recent history. Possession of drugs was first criminalised here in 1964, and this remained the case until 1994 when a landmark ruling permitted the possession of twenty grams of weed (and one gram of cocaine) for personal consumption in one’s own home. However, the previous president, staunchly conservative Alvaro Uribe Velez, managed to get possession re-criminalised at his fifth attempt in December 2009, despite the Supreme Court finding in July of that year stating that ‘possession of personal amounts of drugs is an exercise of personal and private rights, so, provided no harm is done to others, it cannot be the object of any punishment.’ To get around this ruling Uribe had to have the national constitution amended with a clause that explicitly criminalised possession. This constitutional amendment didn’t even stand for two years though. On

43 “Here, sit down.” We sat down in a recessed doorway. “Here, take it, that’s 50,000, ten grams of creepy, put it in your pocket quick man, I don’t wanna get busted.” I had a look at the bags, ten grams my arse! Three at most, and it was dark green bush weed broken up into tiny little pieces... “Fuck off man, that ain’t creepy, and it’s only about three grams, I wouldn’t even insult my compost heap with that shit!” I threw the bags back into his lap and got up. “Okay man, okay, 30,000 – I have to make special delivery for this, this is good stuff, c’mon man, I paid for it already…” What can you do but laugh! “Mate, if it’s that good then go sell it to your sister. See ya later.” I got up and saw a local security guard laughing at the situation; he gave me a smile... “Hey man, where you from?” “England.” He nodded and gave me a lazy salute. “England people good people.” the 24th August 2011, under the watch of new President Santos, the Supreme Court found that the 2009 constitutional amendment “violates the constitutional right to free development of personality” and was thus an illegal law... So, in theory, back we go to the 1994 ruling that allows twenty grams of pot for personal use, but it’s still a bit of a grey area so it depends on where you are in the country and what sort of mood the local cops are in. So what about the weed itself then? The creepy we found in Medellin and Bogota was generally of a fine quality – not mindbendingly strong like a lot of the strains floating around Europe these days, and not polluted with anything sinister either. It was well matured, well-trimmed and dried to near perfection. The only criticism that can be made is that it still had noticeable traces of fertiliser left in it – the black ash that’s hard to knock off the end of your joint is the tell-tale sign of that, even so, it didn’t seem to affect the high too much. Both our sources claimed that the weed they supplied us with was local home-grown from their friends – it wasn’t produced on FARC controlled territory and the money wasn’t contributing to violence of any kind. The lower quality bush weed is another story altogether though. Maybe it was a rainy season crop doing the rounds but I’ve rarely seen weed as bad as the crap we were offered on the Caribbean coast... And the prices were nothing short of extortionate – for the price they were asking for a gram we could have picked up at least half a key down in the south west of the country!

“Hey, my friend, where are you from?” (They ask this question first so they know what level to pitch the price at.) “From my Mama.” “You from Australia?” (The easiest tourists to rip off with drugs) “Nah man, England.”

As well as coastal regions and mountainous regions, Colombia is also home to a large chunk of the Amazon rainforest. We managed to find a local smoker down here who explained some of the difficulties of producing crops in jungle environment...

“Ah, good, fish and chips mate! My name’s Tony Montana – you want some charly? I have some good weed as well.” “Yeah? You have creepy?” “I can get it for you, how much you want? 100,000 pesos, 200,000 pesos?” “A couple of grams would be a good starting place mate, how much for how much?” He avoided the question. “Okay, I get you creepy. Meet me here in one hour.” An hour later...

“I try to grow some plants a few times but I always have problems; usually the first problem is fungus infections in the roots so they just don’t grow. The sun is also very hot here so sometimes that burns the plants. You also have to be very careful when you put the seeds in the ground because of the winter (wet season). One time I got a plant to flower and I have it next to two tomato plants, I woke up very excited the day when I was going to cut it down and have a smoke, but when I got there I just found two and a half sticks in the ground and a fucking fat grasshopper was eating the last tomato plant! I think it started on the ganja flowers and then got really hungry so it ate all the tomato plants as well!” Nico, another jungle dweller, and a student of the shamanic ways, explained to us why he loves cannabis so much:

“Living in the jungle is really difficult; if it wasn’t for having some weed to smoke I wouldn’t be able to live here. The work is hard and the conditions are really tough – when I wake up in the morning I have some breakfast and then I roll a joint, I don’t smoke it all, six puffs works best for me. After I have that I can work hard all morning until I get hungry again. I have another six puffs after lunch and then work for another couple of hours. If I need to work anymore than that I need the coca leaves – weed makes my head good for dealing with the physical work but when my body gets tired I need the spirit of the coca plant to keep me strong for longer.” (In the Colombian jungle the coca leaves are toasted dry and ground into a fine powder before being left in the side of the mouth to slowly dissolve in ones saliva.) Being a shamanic student, Nico has an indigenous understanding of the plants in his garden; “All plants have spirits and it’s important to know the strengths and weaknesses of each plant’s spirit when you take it – the cannabis spirit is very creative and she helps people to understand the world, if I don’t smoke before I work in the morning the work is very difficult and time is much slower, but if I smoke too much then I just want to play my guitar!” So there you go. From US agricultural experiments to European markets; guerrilla political movements to street level extortionists and corrupt police officers; from high quality imported strains to ridiculously bad 1930s bush weed, and a seemingly enlightened president to flip-flopping law changes. And then there’s the fat, hungry grasshoppers and guitar playing shamans. The Colombian pot scene is as multi-dimensional as anywhere on the planet, just beware of the Ian Flowers and Tony Montanas lurking in the shadows of the Colombian streets.

(1) There are records of marijuana in Panama, formerly part of Colombia, before this date, probably of a Mexican variety. The strain/s from Borneo would have been more suited to the Colombian climate so it is likely these would have been the genetics that thrived and survive today. (2) There are numerous other strains such as Kryptonite and Red Point being grown as well, but we didn’t come across any of these during our time the country.

DREAM LOCATIONS

become noticeable to traffic using the bridge, and there is usually little or no housing nearby. As well as this, the air in the bridge space is much less warm than for example the attic of a house. The growers do though have trouble with moisture in the air. Since they want to reduce the chances of bud rot they decided during the bloom phase to suck air out only if the outdoor air was dry enough. The air that was removed was done so via a slit in the concrete to the outside world.

Bridges Imagine your ideal growing location: where would it be and how would you prevent it being discovered? The increasingly tough approach of the police and justice department in the Netherlands is making Dutch growers ever more innovative, and the possibilities open to them are effectively endless. In this new series on dream locations we will be describing how these dream locations might look, what their advantages and disadvantages are, and how you can set them up for yourself. By Guerrilla Daan

The idea This edition will be about an infamous bridge. This location came to light in 2008, when it was discovered that an attempt had been made to set up a growop inside the Willem Alexander Bridge in

Visitors Besides the four elements that need to The Willem Alexander bridge; a bridge that once housed be present in a grow op, there is one one of the biggest grow ops ever found in the Netherlands. other factor that needs to be taken account of; unwanted visitors. The guerrilla growers amongst us know also for carrying pipes and cables over a water from the river. They have a hose full well that even in the most isolated river. This is of course cheaper and safer passed through the concrete that enters spots, sometimes people crop up unexthan running them under the riverbed the river by the legs of the bridge. They pectedly. In a bridge this could be a or over the river on high-tension cables. chose a black hose, and attached this to tramp looking for a place to crash for The helicopter pilots who in 2007 man- the pillar in a professional looking way to the night or a waterways inspector aged to knock out power to the town of minimise suspicion. Because the quality doing his check ups. In the Netherlands Zaltbommel and the surrounding district of the river water is not as good as that at least, all ‘artificial constructions’ such know all about this. Bridge growers tap from the mains, the growers regularly as bridges and viaducts are inspected the power present in the bridge. Since control the pH and EC values of the water several times a year. This is mostly to they know full well that this is a life and if necessary make the appropriate do with the road surface and the outthreatening operation, they tend to hire adjustments to get the water at the right side of the construction. The bridge in some professional help. This is usually levels, stored in a vat. growers therefore do as much as they a good contact from the power compacan to keep unwanted visitors away ny, or an electrical engineer with high- Air from where they are growing. So for tension experience. To prevent creating With a bridge grow op, many of the most instance they built an extra false wall an explosion in the electrics, the grow-op common problems with a traditional with a door in it. They also installed an electronic squealer device that would send a message by SMS if this door were ever opened. Since this squealer in the bridge has no reach, the antenna is paced outside. In this way, the bridge growers know whether it is safe to return to their operation. is equipped with a transformer that steps operation are simply not an issue. There the voltage down. Less well-connected is barely any smell nuisance thanks to Conclusion bridge growers who cannot count a high the air circulation in the bridge. Thanks Not just bridges but any large convoltage specialist among their friends to the rapid transit, the smell will not crete construction is a potential candihave been known to tap the local street lighting. In certain cases this can even be a better alternative. The brave grower uses an aggregate, the least punishable choice but also a very awkward one to employ.

THIS INVESTMENT WILL CERTAINLY REPAY ITSELF SINCE THE LOCATION WILL BE USABLE FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. THE CHANCE THAT THE OPERATION WILL BE DISCOVERED THANKS TO THE FALSE WALL IS MINIMAL. the Dutch town of Echteld. This audacious plan failed due to a short circuit in a tapped high-tension electricity cable. When the growers tried to measure the 10,000-volt current running through the cable, the voltmeter they were using exploded. This created an unbelievably loud bang. The police stated also that a patch of urine discovered at the scene came from one of the growers - when he literally pissed his pants with fear.

Soil The idea behind this failed attempt though was ingenious; in concrete constructions there are often hollow spaces that are not used for anything. Such spaces are to ensure that the finished construction is lighter and they also save concrete. For the Willem Alexander bridge caper, use was made of two spaces around five metres wide and at least a kilometre long. This adds up to a hollow space of at least 10,000 square metres and a height of around three metres. Many growers have to make do with just a fraction of such a space. The most important elements for growing were already inside the bridge space, or could be easily hauled in: energy (light), soil, water and air. Let’s now take a look at how the growers came by these elements.

Energy Bridge growers know that bridges are used not just for the traffic they carry but

Since our bridge growers would prefer to remain as unobserved as possible as they go about their work, they disguise themselves as electricians, builders or some such professionals. For this they make use of a delivery van and work clothes of an established builders firm. In this way they can haul hundreds of kilos of soil and other growing materials into the space without creating any suspicion. The bridge grower after all never knows when a fisherman or hiker might have their attention caught by activities going on in the bridge. This is also why the growers always have a good cover story rehearsed to explain what they are doing here at the bridge.

Water Plants cannot survive without water, and under the bride there is plenty of the stuff. The bridge growers use a powerful pump to supply all their required

Via this cross section the space used in the bridge is clearly visible.

46 date for establishing a grow op inside of. A long search is usually needed to find such a suitable construction in which to build. On top of that a lot of research is needed to establish the chances of discovery and how they can safely get at a power source, as well as provide water and light. The bridge growers tend to be handy guys with a practical bent. On top of this they must be prepared for a considerable investment to establish the grow op. This investment will certainly repay itself since the location will be usable for long periods of time. The chance that the operation will be discovered thanks to the false wall is minimal. The chance that if it is discovered the growers will be caught is even smaller, since besides their visits there is nothing to connect them to the place. The bridge grower can expect a yield of 600 to 800 grams per square metre per year. Four harvests per year are certainly achievable.

Right under the noses of unsuspecting travellers was an enormous plantation.

Drug-driving law set to be introduced in Queen’s Speech Drug-driving in England, Scotland and Wales could become a specific offence with a jail term and fine, under a new law expected in the Queen’s Speech. Police have to show driving has been impaired by drugs to prosecute. But under the plans, drivers could face up to six months in jail for driving with certain controlled drugs in your body in excess of specified limits. Road Safety Minister Mike Penning said legislation would give police powers to “remove this blight”. In the future, police will be equipped

with handheld detection devices to test saliva at the roadside.

“We don’t know exactly how many because we’re not testing correctly so bring the technology through, give the police the powers and remove this blight.”

“You’ll be tested for drink first because, that’s the natural assumption, that if a policeman thinks you’re impaired, he’ll test you for drink,” said Mr Penning.

Mr Penning told BBC Breakfast it had taken so long to bring in such a law because testing had always been seen as “very complicated”.

He said five different roadside salivatesting devices were being considered at the Home Office which is expected to give approval by the end of the year.

He said in Germany, Spain and Australia this was already being done.

A scientific review panel is also looking at what drugs the devices would test for.

“If you pass that and he still thinks you’re impaired, he’s actually going to take a saliva swab from you at the side of the road so we’re going to replicate what happens with drink for all the legislation going all the way through.”

“What we are saying is drug-driving is blighting this country and people are being killed and seriously injured on a regular basis.

The exact drugs covered by the offence and the specified limits for each will be decided following advice from the panel and public consultation.

Offenders could face a fine of up to £5,000, a driving ban of at least 12 months as well as a prison term.

The law is to be included in the Crime, Communications and Court Bill. Source: BBC.co.uk

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The Marvels Of Silicon What does the word Silicon make you think of? Computer chips or, more likely, porn star tits! How about a beneficial supplement for your plants; one that will make them bigger, stronger, more resilient to pests and disease and capable of yielding more bud? There’s more to this element than you may have thought….. Silicon: don’t leave your plants without it

What Is Silicon? Here’s the science bit, pay attention! Silicon is the second most common element in the earth’s crust – only oxygen is found in a greater abundance – it is found as sand (silicate dioxide) and more commonly as sheet silicates. These are compounds containing silicon, oxygen and an additional metal or mineral and there are literally hundreds of different variations of them forming over 90% of the earth’s crust.

fungal pathogens and pests and can also be more vulnerable to any toxic metals that build up in the root zone. If you have ever grown hydroponically and thought that your plants seemed a little weaker or more susceptible than previous crops grown in soil, it may be due to a lack of Silicon. Hydroponic feeds do not contain Silicon in any viable quantity, if at all. The reason for this is that for Silicon to stay soluble,

By Little Lebowski

permanently deposited into the cell walls within 24 hours. These deposits form a silica-cellulose framework that are stronger and can be created quicker than they could have been without the inclusion of Silicon. Overall the plant can develop faster and grow quicker when it uptakes Silicon.

form of monosilicic acids, these occur naturally as mineral Silicon(silicate sheets) are broken down and dissolved into water. In hydroponic applications, the most common form of Silicon additive is Potassium Silicate.

Put simply, plant cell walls are like brick walls in a house. When Silicon is taken in by the plant, it is used like cement in a brick wall. So the walls are built quicker and stronger.

Once absorbed, Silicon is transported to where it is required by the plants transpiration system, it is deposited as either hydrated silicon dioxide (which effectively stores water molecules within the plant) between the plant cells or as silica

Once the ‘cement’ is in place, it cannot be transported elsewhere within the plant, so it’s important to continue to add Silicon throughout the entire growth cycle. This will ensure that all new growth in the plant benefits from the effects.

Silicon extracts itself from these sheet silicates in the form of monosilicic acid; this is how it is made available to plants. Soil water – run off from naturally occurring soils – can contain around 400 ppm of silicic acid, which is absorbed by plants. Studies of tissues taken from plants grown in naturally occurring soil show a Silicon content of up to 10% of dry weight. In some cases, Silicon can be found at the same % as calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. Certain grasses can even contain Silicon at a higher % than any other mineral. It is widely regarded and agreed that plants require 17 key elements to successfully develop. These are comprised of macronutrients; nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulphur, and micronutrients; iron, manganese, boron, copper, molybdenum, zinc, chlorine and nickel. Plus, the obvious elements of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. However with Silicon being found in such abundance in plant tissues, there is now an argument that it should be considered as a relevant macronutrient. White Rhino: Day 49. Grown with Plant Magic Bio-Silicon

Growing Without Silicon First of all, let’s avoid confusion and get one thing straight; it is widely accepted amongst the wider growing community (by that I mean, our community and

it requires a high pH – greater than 7. Therefore it cannot be included in a normal, hydroponic two-part feed as it would react with the other elements pre-

THERE IS NOW AN ARGUMENT THAT IT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS A RELEVANT MACRONUTRIENT that of commercial horticulture) that Silicon is not deemed an essential element for healthy plant development. As stated earlier, it is not one of the 17 key elements that are required for healthy growth and bloom. However, when plants are grown without Silicon, they run the risk of being structurally weaker than plants grown with. They may be more open to attack from

(a gel like substance) within the walls of the individual plant cells. Silicon effectively ‘builds’ the plant, acting as the cement between the bricks in the cell walls or between the actual cells themselves. It increases the structural integrity of the plant, making stems and branches thicker and stronger, and leaves greener and tougher.

sent and this would be very likely to lead to a nutrient deficiency.

The Benefits Of Silicon

For Silicon to be used as a viable additive for your plants, it needs to be kept separate from the basic feed. You could even think of it as your third part to go alongside your usual two-part feed.

The addition of Silicon to your feeding schedule can have an incredible effect on the growth, yield and overall health of your beloved ladies! But, how does it actually benefit your plants? Let’s break it down into bite-sized chunks….

How Does A Plant Use Silicon? Plants can only absorb Silicon in the

Improved Plant Cell Development – once your plant uptakes Silicon, it is

Balancing Uptake Of Elements – the presence of Silicon in a nutrient solution can positively affect the uptake and absorption of several macro and micro nutrients. Silicon increases Zinc uptake; an essential element in growth and photosynthesis. Silicon increases the availability of Nitrogen to the plant as its application (in soil) will reduce the loss of Nitrogen to Ammonia (a naturally occurring process in soil). Nitrogen is key in the vegetative stage of plant development as it promotes healthy new foliage growth. Silicon also balances the uptake of Phosphorus, reducing the risk of toxic levels being taken in by the plant. This is a particularly helpful characteristic to all you home growers that like to use a

49 ous effects of adding Silicon. Your plants will be visibly stronger, with wider, thicker stems and branches. The wider the stem, the more uptake and transpiration of water and nutritional elements is possible. So, in theory the plants will grow bigger and at a faster pace.

Some of the Silicon products available in the UK market concentrated bloom stimulator (or root stimulator, for that matter!) with a high PK value. Protection Against Metal Toxicity – Silicon is known to compete for uptake against certain metal elements that are made available to the plant. These metals include; Aluminium, Manganese and Iron, all essential for plant growth, but an excess of availability of any of the three elements can be problematic for your plants.

Also, from a practical point of view, the thicker branches will be able to hold more weight without the need of additional supports. How many times have you got to the fourth or fifth week of flowering and realised that you haven’t put enough support in place to keep your buds stable? This will be less of a problem when using Silicon. Protection Against Pests and Disease – this is a really fantastic benefit, particularly for home growers who prefer not to spray their plants with pesticides or fungicides. The protection that Silicon offers against fungal pathogens is two-fold: 1. The Silicon that has been deposited in the cell walls effectively toughens the outer ‘skin’ of the plant. This makes it far more difficult for pathogens to

YOUR PLANTS WILL BE VISIBLY STRONGER, WITH WIDER, THICKER STEMS AND BRANCHES If there is a Silicon deficiency around the roots, then plants can uptake these metal elements to toxic levels. This can lead to problems that are not only detrimental to yield, but are also quite difficult to diagnose. So, you could go all the way through your grow, without rectifying the problem and be seriously down on yield at harvest time.

penetrate the plant in the first place. 2. If a plant is attacked by a pathogen, for example powdery mildew or pythium, the plant will transport and deposit any Silicon that it uptakes to the area of attack. This then stimulates the production of anti-fungal compounds that halt the infection process.

By increasing the dose of Silicon available to your plants, there will be a corresponding increase in the deposits of silica in the cell walls and Silicon will compete against the metals available in the nutrient solution, preventing toxic build ups. Therefore adding Silicon to your feeding schedule protects against metal toxicity.

The toughened outer ‘skin’ reduces the risk of infestation from sucking insects.

Maintain Cell Integrity and Plant Strength – this is one of the more obvi-

Overall Increase In Weight And Bulk – Plants grown with Silicon will have leaves that are darker green, increasing their potential for photosynthesis and better growth. This, together with wider, stronger branches and stems and resilience to disease and pests will ultimately lead to bigger yields.

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How To Apply Silicon To Yours Plants Like most feeds and supplements, Silicon can be administered to your plants in two ways; 1. Mixed with your regular nutrient feed and administered to the roots. This is relevant to the soluble silicate additives. 2. Sprayed onto your plant as a foliar feed. Within the UK hydroponics industry, there are a number of Silicon supplements and additives available. Most good and knowledgeable grow shops, should be able to point you in the right direction if you are after a Silicon product. Keep an eye out for the following products, as they are readily available throughout the UK; t -JRVJE 4JMJDPO o NBEF CZ (SPXUI Technology and probably the most wellknown and widely available Silicon additive in the UK. Commonly used a pH Up with added benefits t #VEMJOL o BO "VTUSBMJBO TPMVCMF TJMJDB additive, that can be added to hydroponic nutrient solutions t 3IJOP 4LJO o B QPUBTTJVN TJMJDBUF BEEJUJWF from the Canadian company, Advanced Nutrients. Soluble enough to be used in a hydroponic nutrient application t 1MBOU .BHJD #JP 4JMJDPO o B PSHBOJD Silicon additive, from a UK based company. Suitable for organic growers. Too thick to add to a hydroponic nutrient solution, however can be used as a foliar if you’re growing hydroponically t %JB)ZESP o OPU BO BEEJUJWF CVU BO BDUVBM growing medium. Made from fossilised shells of algae (Diatoms) it consists of up to 94% silica, which is released throughout the full growth cycle. No need to add a Silicon supplement with this medium Now that you’re aware of the powers of Silicon, don’t ignore its value. Regardless of your growing technique; you will benefit from using a Silicon compound as an additive. As a soil grower, you may be introducing Silicon to your plants in the form of silicates found within your soil mix anyway, but by feeding an additional Silicon compound either directly into the soil as a drench, or as a

foliar spray, you’ll give your plants extra protection against fungal infection and pest attack. Not to mention thicker, stronger stems and branches. Hydroponic growers, using a straight A+B feed plus root and bloom stimulators, are unlikely to be feeding their plants any Silicon whatsoever, as regular hydroponic feeds do not contain it. This lowers protection against fungal and pest problems, as well as your plants being potentially weaker and less stable than a plant that has been provided with Silicon. If you’re concerned about adding a soluble Silicon compound to your nutrient solution - blocking drippers and delivery systems, and increasing the pH of your solution - simply feed it as a foliar spray. Remember, Silicon is the cement that that sits between the bricks in the cell walls of your plants. Once it has been deposited it will not move around inside the plant, so it’s important to continuously feed Silicon throughout the entire life cycle. This will ensure that all new growth in your plants benefits from the effects. Happy Growing!

Some of the Silicon products available in the UK market

GROW WITH GRUBBYCUP

Mushrooms, Sweets and Rocks for Your Ladies Unless your lady happens to be a cannabis gardener, in which case a nice container of mycorrhiza inoculants, a jar of molasses, and a bag of rock phosphate tied with a bow may be an ideal gift, the ladies I mean are your female cannabis plants. Mycorrhiza fungi are beneficial and assist in nutrient collection and uptake. Adding carbohydrates to a nutrient solution is a old cannabis gardening trick for boosting garden performance going back to at least the 1960’s. Mycorrhizae (fungus-roots) are found naturally occurring in healthy “live”

Although commonly already present in healthy soil, mycorrhizae fungus levels can be increased by adding powdered spores (inoculants) available at garden and hydroponic shops. Sterile media and poor soils can be brought from a complete absence of mycorrhizae to abundance with the use of inoculants.

MYCORRHIZA FUNGI ARE BENEFICIAL AND ASSIST IN NUTRIENT COLLECTION AND UPTAKE. soil. They are caused by mycorrhiza fungi infecting a plant root and the two together are what is known as mycorrhizae. Cannabis with well established mycorrhizae tend to perform better than

If using mycorrhizal inoculants, apply at the beginning of the season to establish the colonies early. Once established, the infected roots should serve as a host to allow the fungus to spread throughout the root system. Plant improvements from inoculant use are particularly pronounced when used in poor or sterile mediums. Mycorrhizae thrive on carbohydrates, which is part of what they receive in payment from the plant in exchange for their services helping the plant thrive. One way to boost beneficial microorganisms including mycorrhizae is to feed them with a carbohydrate additive.

those that do not. The relationship between mycorrhizae and cannabis is a symbiotic one; both organisms benefit from their association with the other. The cannabis plant provides a carbohydrate source for the fungus, and in return, the fungus helps assist the plants in nutrient uptake, drought resistance, and blocking their environmental niche from pathogenic fungi. Mycorrhizae collect and process nitrogen, phosphorus and a variety of micronutrients and passed to the plant. Of particular use is their ability to increase phosphorus uptake, which dramatically increases over non infected plants. Most mycorrhiza fall in one of two camps, ecto-mycorrhizal, and endomycorrhizal. Ectomycorrhizae forms on tree roots. For most other plants including vegetables and cannabis, endonycorrhizae is the fungus of choice.

Carbohydrates (saccharides) are molecules with specific combinations of carbon and water. A subset of carbo-

arranged differently), blood sugar is glucose (C6H12O6) and so on. Carbohydrates store energy that many life forms can use, people included. The “sugar rush” from eating a lot of sweets is an effect from overindulging in sugars. Keep in mind that unwelcome visitors such as ants may be

enticed to visit if a carbohydrate banquet available, so make sure to clean up any spills promptly. The benefits to adding carbohydrates is mostly indirect; they don’t help the plants directly much, they feed the beneficial microorganisms which help the plants. These microorganisms use the ready energy available in carbohydrates to thrive and reproduce.

by Grubbycup

moderately priced, and molasses sold as a cattle feed supplement tends to be pretty cheap. Molasses sold for cattle feed is often mixed with a grain to add structure. The addition of grain will not only makes the molasses easier to work with, but adds organic material as an additional benefit. Personally, I tend to purchase molasses made for human consumption, as I don’t have a large garden; I like it on my pancakes, and in Shoo Fly Pie. Apply at two teaspoons (about 10ml) per gallon of water, or the same amount per pancake. To complete the trio, add a good dollop of powdered rock phosphate to the mix. Not only will this provide the mycorrhiza with a supply of phosphorous to supply to the plant, but it can also provide a suitable environment for other beneficial organisms to take up residence. Rock phosphate is available in two forms, “soft rock” phosphate, and “hard rock” phosphate. Soft rock phosphate contains a higher amount of imme-

Cane syrup, maple syrup, fruit juice, and molasses can all be used as carbohydrate sources. Dilute to two teaspoons (10ml) per gallon (3.8L) of water. Cleanliness is a must, as these may attract insects and leave a sticky residue. Ants may be attracted to the residue, and if hydrated (mixed with water) and allowed to go anaerobic (stale) these may encourage the wrong sort of fungal growth.

diately available phosphorous, and is usually the choice for container soil enhancement. Hard rock phosphate is better suited to improve a field where plants are to be grown for several years.

Molasses (also known as Treacle) is a byproduct of sugar refining, and contains not only plenty of carbohydrates

Mycorrhiza help bring phosphorous and other benefits to cannabis plants, and carbohydrates help mycorrhiza. Spring

EMBRACE THE FUNGUS AMONG US, FEED THEM, AND GIVE THEM PHOSPHOROUS TO CARRY. to add to your garden, but potassium, nitrogen, and iron as well. Many micronutrients are locked in their chelated form and require a chelating agent to unlock them. Molasses acts as a chelating agent (like Humic Acid), it makes micronutrients more readily available for nutrient uptake by the plants.

hydrates are the sugars ending in “ose”. For example, table sugar is sucrose (C12H22O11), milk sugar is lactose (also C12H22O11 , but the atoms are

Be careful when purchasing molasses as prices vary widely. Although all three are useable for gardening purposes, molasses marketed as a plant additive tends to be very expensive, molasses intended for human consumption is

is a good time to add inoculants with a packed carbohydrate lunch and rock phosphorous dessert to your growing media. Feeding your fungus carbohydrates regularly throughout flowering can have the end result of giving your plants a phosphorous boost. Embrace the fungus among us, feed them, and give them phosphorous to carry. Peace, love, and puka shells, Grubbycup

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Stanford Hydroponics Stanford Hydroponics is a new business, only open a few months. However, don’t let that deceive you as the people behind this company are well established in the Hydroponics industry, have been horticulturists for over 20 years and they are now bringing that wealth of experience and knowledge to their customers. Taking this into account can only install confidence in any customer visiting Stanford Hydroponics as they will only be sold what they need, always get a very competitive price and most importantly receive sound advice on their growing requirements. The shop is well located next to a Murco Petrol Station just past the railway station in Stanford-le-Hope with parking available to the front and side of the shop. It has been stocked to the brim with all the quality items the Hydroponics industry has to offer as

well as a few items that have been handpicked by the owners. The shop itself is an impressive show room displaying the products they have available and nutrients available for purchase include Plagron, Canna, Bio Bizz and others as well as being well stocked with tents, ventilation and fans and all other growing products. They will not be beaten on price but the most important thing is they will not be beaten on customer service, so be sure to drop in and see what is on offer. Stanford Hydroponics 16 London Road Stanford-le-Hope Essex SS17 0LD (t) 01375 678977 (e) info@stanfordhydro.co.uk

Dr John Dee

High CBD content weed: the way forward for medical users? A couple of years ago, I wrote a column extolling the virtues of good quality weed with more CBD and less THC in it. To very quickly recap, the basic facts of the matter appear to be thus: THC is the component that stoners all appear to want more and more of, hence the drive towards ever more potent strains of hybridised weed. The problem is that a plant – like pretty much anything else – has only got “X” amount of space available for the different constituents and therefore, the more THC that’s present, the less of something else is going to be there, in this case, CBD. At the time of writing the original column, the evidence was starting to indicate that rather than just being something that took up space for more and more THC, that CBD actually serves a rather crucial function in that it acts as a sort of gatekeeper, moderating or tempering the unwanted effects of too much THC; in fact, indications are that CBD has a completely opposite effect, so where THC is implicated in, for example, psychotic illness, depression, anxiety attacks etc, CBD is being investigated as a possible treatment source to treat those exact same conditions. If you like, CBD may be used to “put right” the problems caused by too much THC.

I keep looking at those words “too much THC”, and just know that there will be many, many people out there who will rankle at this: “Did he say too much THC? You can never have enough THC!” Except that these people would be very wrong. It has come to light over the past 12 to 18 months that Sativex - the only licensed cannabis based medicine – is made up of a mix that’s pretty much 50% CBD and 50% THC, as this was the combination that the manufacturers (GW Pharmaceuticals) found to be most effective with the least unpleasant side effects. While I’m not big on pharmaceutical companies sticking their noses into cannabis medicine, I would have to concede that they have probably done a lot of testing, trials and all that sort of stuff in order to get this just right. Not getting it right would almost definitely be a litigiously expensive way of doing. At any rate, a whole lot of people appear to have caught on to this fact and many online seed shops companies are (naturally) moving in to meet the demand for higher CBD/lower THC product. Who would have thought it? Personally, I think this is a very good thing and

a move in the right direction. I understand that in Holland, there are moves afoot to cap the THC content of weed at 15% or something like that. To my mind, this is still rather too high. Putting it bluntly: the higher the THC content, the more mental health problems the user is likely to encounter (this particularly applies if they’re novice users, and of course those under 17 or 18 years old should just avoid completely). The higher the CBD content, then – tentatively – the less mental health problems the user is likely to encounter (but the age rule really still applies: sorry). There’s also rather a lot of material online talking about how higher CBD content weed “won’t get you high”. This, readers, is largely bullshit, unless one is talking about genetically modified strains. Look around for Afghan seeds; Afghan dope is high in CBD (or so I’ve been told), and doesn’t hold back on the high either (and this I know from personal experience). High CBD weed: give it a shot and see what you think. One day you’ll thank me for this. Resource: http://projectcbd.org/

BACKGROUND THE CUTTING EDGE OF FRANKENSTEIN SCIENCE

New Medical “Cures” for Cannabis and other Addictions Academic conferences are strange occasions. I used to really enjoy going to them until I realised just how far out of step I was/am with “current” academic thinking around drug use and (especially) addiction. At that point I felt I was basically howling in the wilderness and decided to start giving them a swerve if only to Dr John Dee preserve my sanity. Academic drug (as in “misuse”) conferences are usually one of two different sorts. Firstly, there are the social science conferences, and these tend to be focussed on “soft” science, so stuff such as results of research projects using self completion questionnaires and so forth. Basically, the participants are asked questions about their drug use and they either answer them or they don’t. Various scales are used, depending on the nature of the project. Bottom line: it’s not rocket science, but it can be quite interesting as it allows the researcher to work and interact with people in specific drug using populations. The people working in this side of things are usually psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists (not “real” science).

went forward, he began talking about “vaccines” that he’d been developing with a number of colleagues against the full range of “abused drugs”. So we’re right into the territory of nonmedically supervised or condoned drug use being a medical problem that

ly elusive (these guys are American remember, so were specifically looking for vaccines against cocaine and methamphetamine). However, they

Putting the very basic and very real issue of ethics aside, there are a number of very clear and obvious – to me at least – problems here. Firstly, not getting an intoxication effect isn’t going to mean that, and this certainly

PEOPLE WITH SEVERE DRUG PROBLEMS TEND TO BE DEEPLY TROUBLED, CONFLICTED AND DYSFUNCTIONAL INDIVIDUALS LONG BEFORE THEY GET NEAR INTOXICANTS. were pretty sure they had vaccines that would be particularly effective against alcohol and cannabis (note: when pressed on cannabis, the great

Then you get the other stuff, the medical science conferences. People in this group tend to be psychiatrists and medical doctors of various stripes (very much “real” science). These things focus on “interventions” in the form of “cures” and that sort of thing. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on the latest, frankly, crackpot nonsense the medical guys come up with. Occasionally, it’s amusing, but unfortunately more often it’s utterly appalling.

applies to alcohol, there aren’t other effects going on that aren’t obvious. If you’re a kid and you want to get drunk, stoned, high or whatever, then being told you can’t because you’ve been inoculated against it isn’t probably going to stop you from trying; you may not get the mental effect you’re after but there remain the risks of overdose and accidental organ damage. Sometimes getting completely wrecked on something can tell you when it’s time to stop for the night. Another difficulty doesn’t really relate to cannabis but is worth mentioning anyway; inoculation against painkiller use/abuse is surely going to have the knock on effect of rendering any legitimate attempts at analgesia ineffective. So if, for example, you’re taken to hospital for treatment involving pain relief, then we’ve immediately got a problem. Someone actually asked the presenter about this specific point and he said that it wasn’t his job to think about the implications of his work (!) and that NIDA had given him the task of developing effective ways of stopping people using drugs and that’s what he was doing.

Anyhow, I went to my first conference in quite a while recently and it was of the medical “reductionist” variety. There were two much vaunted “cures” for addiction being trumpeted at this event (and when these guys talk about addiction, they’re talking about everything they don’t hold with, so you’d better believe that cannabis is in there). With the first of these, there was a presentation from an American (naturally) professor of neuroscience who was also a psychiatrist, author of many hundreds of academic papers in very esteemed learned journals. My immediate take on this man was that he was a deeply unpleasant individual, but that is neither here nor there. As his presentation

cines out across American primary schools (yes, you are reading this correctly) and effectively inoculate everyone of primary school age against the evils of drugs. What would happen is that inoculations against specific substances would be given; this wouldn’t prevent the inoculated from wanting to try the drugs, but they wouldn’t get any effect from them and therefore – the argument went – would be less inclined to bother with those drugs again.

A professor of neuroscience, a psychiatrist, the author of many hundreds of academic papers in very esteemed learned journals; all of this and the man was still a total idiot who completely missed the point about why people use drugs and why some of them (a much, much smaller number) abuse drugs. can be managed by a vaccine, in the same way as flu or measles can. The presenter and his group had made great advances with their vaccine work, although the two they particularly wanted were proving to be stubborn-

man made the point that as this is the gateway drug, then it follows that it should be one of their primary targets. I kid you not, readers). The bigger vision that this man had was to roll these booze and dope vac-

Most people who use drugs use alcohol and/or cannabis and in all likelihood won’t progress to anything else other than the once or twice in a lifetime line of cocaine or ecstasy pill. Most people who are alcohol and/ or cannabis users will never develop

58 anything like a problem with either of these, so we really are talking about the non-problematic use of drugs. The esteemed speaker, however, was having none of this. No such thing as nonproblematic use, he exclaimed, only problem use in waiting. This is one big problem with the medical drug abuse conferences: no such thing as non-problematic as anything that’s used without medical supervision is de facto a problem. Listening to this, I thought that things couldn’t get any worse or any more sinister. But hey! I was about to be proved completely and utterly wrong. Until the day of this conference, I had never heard of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), and this smelled even more strongly of death camp science than the drug vaccine presentation. In essence, what DBS involves is the opening up of the skull and implants

was a physical manifestation of their underlying obsessive-compulsiveness, but never mind). So this revelation set all manner of new lines of intrusive and ethically questionable - research in motion. Ta-dah! Look; another cure for drug addiction! Isn’t science wonderful? To say that all of this stuff troubles me deeply would be an understatement. Vaccinating children against drug use? Open brain surgery for controlling natural behaviours that someone in a white coat deems wrong or inappropriate? Aldous Huxley and George Orwell suddenly become extremely relevant. During the lunch break, I found myself at a table with a very pleasant man who, it transpired, ran a residential 12 Step programme, and he was talking about how he was currently having problems finding spaces for a big influx of people from Holland “suffering from marijuana addiction” (!). To be

information, presumably because his treatment programme was providing him with a good income and because he could tell that I was quite incredulous about the whole thing. He did tell me though, that there is quite a big relapse rate. I suggested they might want to consider DBS, but this suggestion fell on stony ground: conversation well and truly over. I feel that I should probably say that I don’t think either of the people giving these “cure” presentations were in any way bad people, indeed I’m quite sure that their hearts are in the right place and that they’re very sincere in their desire to make people’s lives better, free them of their addiction slaveries and so on. But this is the thing with medical people: they don’t see the bigger picture. As I’ve said many, many times over the years, the main reason people smoke weed and/or drink alcohol is because they enjoy it. It helps them relax and unwind. In moderation

THE MOST UNFORTUNATE PART ABOUT ALL OF THIS IS THAT MEDICAL RESEARCHERS SUCH AS THOSE DESCRIBED ARE WHERE ALL OF THE MONEY IS GOING AND DISSENTING VOICES SIMPLY BEING IGNORED. inserted around specific drug receptor sites (these receptors are what make us, that’s to say, mammals, get a buzz, or “reward” from various intoxicants, so there are receptors for cannabis, alcohol, opiates etc). The implants pass some sort of mild electrical current into the receptor site and this, the scientists say, cuts the urge to use that specific drug. How they came up with this is worth telling in itself. It seems that in some places, DBS is a treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. When one of these operations had been carried out, the patient found that not only had their OCD symptoms gone, but so had their urge to smoke cigarettes (they’d previously been a compulsive smoker, but nobody appears to have thought that perhaps this

honest, I really don’t know what to tell you about this as I was quite stunned by the whole thing (I had a day of being quite stunned, as you’ll have gathered by now). Reading between the lines of what this man said, it

there’s nothing wrong with it. There’s nothing too wrong with the occasional excessive blowout either. A state of intoxication is – in my book at any rate – one of those necessities, a human universal, if you like. Many people

before they get near intoxicants. This isn’t true of all problem users: one does come across people who just absolutely love getting off their face and then find too late that they can’t put the brakes on. However the majority of problem users have any other problems going on in their lives and their drug use – usually highly visible and very problematic – is just a physical manifestation of this. Medical doctors have this idea that it’s the drugs that are the problem: stop people from taking them and their lives will be transformed into a beautiful place where the sky is blue all the time. They’re completely wrong about that, in my view. What they’ll see are highly troubled and dysfunctional people who no longer use drugs simply because they no longer “work”, meaning they can’t get the relief that heavy use brings them. What they do next is anyone’s guess, but I’d imagine that, for example, rates of self harm will start to rise. The most unfortunate part about all of this is that medical researchers such as those described are where all of the money is going and dissenting voices simply being ignored. Given that we live in financially straitened times, one can only hope that if good sense can’t prevail then economics might. The “cures” I’ve outlined are not cheap nor without a degree of risk, making them potentially open to litigation (not something I agree with but in this case am prepared to make

MEDICAL DOCTORS HAVE THIS IDEA THAT IT’S THE DRUGS THAT ARE THE PROBLEM: STOP PEOPLE FROM TAKING THEM AND THEIR LIVES WILL BE TRANSFORMED INTO A BEAUTIFUL PLACE WHERE THE SKY IS BLUE ALL THE TIME. appears that these were a bunch of Dutch wasters – in their late teens and early twenties – who come to Scotland for this “treatment”. The tab for this is picked up by Dutch insurance companies with some money provided by the government as well. The 12 Step man wasn’t at liberty to divulge any more

choose not to use any of these things and that’s fine, but considerably more people do use them and mostly never have a problem, as I’ve said already. People with severe drug problems tend to be deeply troubled, conflicted and dysfunctional individuals long

an exception). One just hopes that in the long run, rather than wasting billions on this sort of nonsense, perhaps these people might turn their attention to making safer drugs, honest and non-judgemental drug education in schools and proper care for mentally ill problem users?

MUSIC

Skanking tall and proud like a 10 ft. Ganja plant Hailing from upstate New York, surely one of the least likely locales for an authentic reggae act, 10 Ft. Ganja Plant are a mysterious roots and dub collective who deal with their passion for reggae music by creating more. They are as much connected with Jamaica as the sun, By Kaz Peet the sea and sensimelia. Using vintage equipment and instruments, the band generates a totally plausible, budding with magnetic energy, 70’s roots rockin’ sound. With releases, (always on heavy-weight vinyl), that come like newly unearthed recordings, buried in the foothills of Jamaica’s Blue Mountains for 40 years or so, brand new emission –‘Deadly Shots Vol III’, which features the incredibly groovy Hammond organ playing of Roger Rivas, is no exception. Living up to the magnitude of their name, the group propagates a healthy and dedicated attitude towards marijuana and it’s effects and this is a reoccurring theme throughout their graphics and videos. Soft Secrets UK hooked up with guitar player, Nate Silas, to find out a little more.

very competitive and exclusive and as a white male guitar player from a non-jazz background I was expendable. To shed the ego and play from a more heart-based place

Let’s see, well, pretty much the good kind. Clearly exposing myself as a neophyte, we don’t have the luxury of many choices. It’s kind of what comes by. What kind of reaction do you get with that name? It depends, of course, who we’re talking too. I sometimes abbreviate it to just 10 Ft., you know for grand parents and in some professional scenarios. Most of the time people get a real kick out of it and love it.

Have you got into the re-mix thing at all? Have any Ganja Plant tunes been remixed?

We have seen the video on YouTube of the band’s recording session with clouds of smoke billowing out of the studio door. Is this normal for you guys – just the way things are? That was obviously staged. There will be some smoking going on but to get that effect you would have to be wasteful! Are you basically making music to get stoned too? Yes, I would definitely say that is a valid statement. I think the reason that many people smoke is to get outside their everyday humdrum. It can really bring the awareness of what’s special about life to you, and certainly that’s what good music does for

just felt more in line with who I am and ever since then I have been in love with Jamaican music. Every couple of years my amazement with the genre has renewed just due to the depth of the catalogue. I thought I knew every Jamaican release from the 1970’s ten years ago and I’m still finding things I hadn’t heard before, and these are all old recordings. SSUK: It doesn’t take a genius to surmise from the band’s name that you guys like to smoke. Which variety of ganja do you most enjoy?

down, if you can’t just keep it in your mind, then we shy away from it. A very large percentage of Jamaican reggae, literally, is one part and you’re just skankin’ on that. The format can be no more than a two bar loop and you just feel that. The way the band has evolved means that we don’t get into complex stuff, everything is very stripped down and I think, in a sense that, that is what appeals to people about our music. It’s not slick and it’s not very produced in a modern sense. It’s very elemental.

me. Playing music can be very uplifting and gives you a little bit of a fresh perspective on things that you might not notice everyday, it brings a freshness to your average everyday flavours. Where does the band’s obvious passion for reggae music come from? Well we’ve been reggae junkies from ever since. I discovered Bob Marley first – Marley, Jimmy Cliff and Toots were my first three exposures to Jamaican music and it pretty much took over right away. I was in college right after that and simultaneously playing jazz and reggae in totally different scenarios. I would be playing reggae in the bars at weekends and jazz in school during the week. I found that the jazz scene was

It’s not just a reggae sound that you create - it’s reggae with a distinctly Jamaican flavour. UK reggae bands and artists tend to have a particular UK thing going on, for instance. Have you spent much time in Jamaica or do you simply just love the music? I’m the only one of the group who hasn’t actually been there. Definitely there’s a West Coast style, which we’re slightly pulling from bringing in Roger Rivas from The Aggrolites on our latest record. I certainly love the UK stuff – Aswad and Steel Pulse are the obvious ones; but I think for us, it’s definitely about the simplicity. This is a major driving force for us and as soon an arrangement starts to become more than about three parts or complex enough to have to write

Yeah. There’s definitely been a bunch of other folk who have done that with our music and if you search around on You Tube you can see a handful of them. We have particularly, in house, produced one or two tracks; for instance, we did an electronica track for the Easy Star All – Stars album –‘Dub Side of the Moon’. We did a version of ‘On the Run’, which is the second track on Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’. Also, just recently, we produced and contributed to a Beatles tribute album that’s going out in Argentina as a fundraiser for the building of a well in a small village. We did a version of ‘Hide Your Love Away’ by John Lennon; we mixed it up and put it in a minor key and basically made it our own. What is next for 10 Ft. Ganja Plant? Well, Vol. III of the Deadly Shots series is in the pipeline, we’ve done about ten tracks for that already. This time, it’s going to be guitar featured – assuming I rise to the occasion. Generally, we are greasing the wheels to get busier and I would love a tour of Europe or South America to come together. Forwarding the music is what we’re here to do – to create and spread the music.

BACKGROUND

Neem: The Blessed Tree of India Although proper garden hygiene can reduce the frequency of insect infestations, on occasion, even the best kept gardens can by Grubbycup suffer an attack. Neem oil is often used to treat a variety of insect problems. Pests that can be treated with neem include: aphids, beetles, cockroaches, flies, fruit flies, fungal infections, grasshoppers, leafminers, mosquitoes, moths (and unfortunately butterflies), nematodes, snails, and thirps. It is an EPA approved pesticide that is not only fairly non-toxic to people and animals, but also to beneficial insects including bees. The active ingredients are not stable, and

have a calming effect to help them revert to their non-swarming form. Neem can be used against hundreds of insect pests, as well as mites, nematodes, and some pathogenic fungi. The popular pesticide Azamax® is made from neem extracts.

havens in it’s native climate.

Neem is photoperiod sensitive, so indoor plants should be kept under lighting with short dark periods for continued growth, so they are better off in your vegetative room than your flowering room for vigorous growth. Neem is well known for its ability to fix carbon dioxide, so while it is good for cleaning indoor air, it may

Neem trees can be started from seeds, or cuttings. Neem seeds have an extremely short shelf life, usually staying viable only a few weeks. Fortunately I was able to get a couple of neem tree sprouts from Vicki Parsons, founder of Neem Tree Farms in Florida. Because of neem’s short lived seeds, and the tender nature of the sprouted plants, availability is restricted during the colder months. Vicki has been instrumental in raising neem awareness in the United States since 1992. Once a neem “mother” tree is established, seeds can be collected or cuttings can be taken to propagate.

slightly lower available CO2 levels. While outdoors neem can quickly grow to 20 meters, in a container it can be kept to a manageable height indoors with care and trimming. It responds well to several “bonsai style” training techniques to stay a manageable size. When the tree grows too large, it can be trimmed back (including a third or so of the roots) and returned to the original pot as needed to maintain a manageable size without becoming root bound. Neem trees can recover from even severe pruning, even to the extent of regrowing from stumps.

It is a good thing that the leaves also contain the active ingredients, since a new neem tree will take about three to five years before it is mature enough produce seeds, and ten years to be fully produc-

One reason for the attractiveness in using neem as a pesticide is that it’s active ingredients are composed of only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. The residue does not contain the toxic chemicals that are common in many chemical pesticides. However, this does not mean that it should be used to excess, as hydrogen peroxide shares this non-chemical residue trait, and H202 can be quite damaging at high concentrations.

Honey made from neem pollen does not Neem oil is an amber liquid, often contain the insecticide properties. Timber used as “soft” pesticide. cut from neem trees is naturally termite resistant. It is a broadleaved evergreen tree that as a tender perennial cannot tive. Although cross pollination is more withstand freezing temperatures. It grows common in neem groves, it is also able well in hot, dry conditions in poor soil, but to self pollinate, so a single tree can procannot withstand overwatering or frost. duce fruit. Neem prefers a dryer growing media than most plants, and overwaterArtifacts written in sanskrit show that the ing is much more likely to cause problems use of neem goes back at least thousands than underwatering. While generally pest of years. It is one of the few plants able to resistant itself, it is vulnerable to certain withstand locust swarms, and may even types of scale, root rot, powdery mildew,

While consumed by millions in modest quantities for health benefits and even used in cosmetics, mild overconsumption has been used as form of birth control for both men and women (males take it orally, females insert the oil vaginally prior to coitus as a spermicide), and as such, I would recommend limiting exposure to couples trying to conceive a child. Further research is needed to scientifically examine the medical effects, but since it is a non-patentable treatment, funding for trials is much harder to come by than it would be for a new chemical based pharmaceutical. This is similar to some of the troubles that face the beneficial effects of other natural products such as cannabis, where it is easier to get research funding for the synthetic equivalent to THC used in the commercially produced Marinol than natural THC which is present in cannabis, even though Marinol has a higher fatality rate than the naturally occurring THC found in buds (when smoked normally, it does not appear to be possible to consume enough to raise THC levels to a high enough level to become toxic if that is what caused the deaths associated with Marinol). Sativex and Cesamet are two

quickly degrade. Predators eating treated insects, and humans consuming produce from treated plants do not appear to be noticeably affected. Neem oil is extracted from the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), which can be grown

NEEM OIL IS OFTEN USED TO TREAT A VARIETY OF INSECT PROBLEMS.

other pharmaceuticals that are based on cannabis, so apparently it’s been decided that it is medicinal as long as the pharmaceutical companies get their cut, and illegal in most areas where they do not. Neem has had a similar problem in that it in the right environment it is also easy to grow and use without having to pay for the privilege. Since this is contrary to the financial interests of those that believe they should be paid as often as possible

NEEM OIL IS EXTRACTED FROM THE NEEM TREE AZADIRACHTA INDICA, WHICH CAN BE GROWN EITHER OUTSIDE AS A LARGE TREE, OR INSIDE AS A HOUSEPLANT. Corporate bio-pirates have even made unsuccessful attempts to patent this traditional Indian common knowledge as if it were a new discovery.

Neem’s evergreen leaves create shade

and some blights, although root rot is almost always a result of overwatering.

either outside as a large tree, or inside as a houseplant. Originally from India and Burma where an estimated 18+ million neem trees still grow, this relative of mahogany has white honey scented flowers which are known to be a good source of pollen for bees, and neem bears clusters yellow, olive shaped fruit. The leaves have a mildly astringent flavor, and leave an earthy, woody, and slightly musty aftertaste reminiscent of sandalwood.

by as many people as possible, this puts it in a similar category as cures, that is, less financially advantageous than long term recurring treatments so not encouraged. Extreme overconsumption of neem by

Neem leaves are attractive, and can be collected for use.

people is rare in adults, but can cause liver and other health problems. Exposure to small amounts from using it on plants in a garden is generally considered safer than many of the more common over the counter pesticides. To make a primitive but effective insecticide from neem plant material: Crush and steep the leaves and/or seeds (seeds have more oil, the inside kernels are almost half oil, but leaves can also be used) in water or alcohol, strain, and use. Water is commonly used, but alcohol creates a much more potent product as the desired limonoids are not very water soluble, but dissolve readily in alcohol. Adding a small amount of dishwashing soap to the water as an emulsifier can help suspend the neem in water. Sesame oil has shown indications of improving performance as well. Effective when fresh at very low concentrations, the active components will degrade when exposed to UV light in about a week, so store in a lightproof container. If practical, only prepare a week’s worth at most at a time, to ensure freshness. These simple recipes have in some circumstances been effective enough to rival or exceed commercial pesticides such as DDT and Malathion. Some plants such as tomatoes can absorb neem though their roots, and

62 use their own vascular system to spread protection to untreated portions. This allows the plant to become a “poison pill” awaiting a malicious insect’s bite. From personal experience, I believe that cannabis can take up neem though the root system and spread it internally to the rest of the plant, but the amount of neem and time required for treatment is greater than what is needed for external spraying. I treated a whitefly infestation with neem applied strictly to the root system, and the whitefly population appeared to drop sharply within a week. Plants sprayed with a neem solution appeared to improve at about three days, and the spray method used

CANNABIS NEWS / INDEX OF ADS / COLOFON One study showed no developed resistance in diamondback moths even after 35 generations of exposure.

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Neem can be used around bees, spiders, and ladybugs. Nectar collected from plants appears to be safe for bees, and insect predators like spiders and ladybugs appear to be able to consume treated insects without harm.

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Warm blooded creatures seem to not only show no ill effects from ingesting treated plants, but in some parts of the world neem itself is used in modest amounts as a health improving tonic. Neem leaves have been used for hun-

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NEEM CAN BE USED AGAINST HUNDREDS OF INSECT PESTS, AS WELL AS MITES, NEMATODES, AND SOME PATHOGENIC FUNGI. less neem overall to achieve the desired effect. If buying neem oil I would recommend using it as a spray, but if a gardener has a neem tree or access to neem cake (the leftovers from neem oil extraction) the cost drops dramatically, so applying through the root system may be a viable option.

Index of ads

dreds of years to prevent weevils in grain stores in India. In some parts of the world neem is used in toothpastes, and makeshift toothbrushes are often made by chewing the end of a neem twig. Neem oil is also commonly used topically in skin creams. While one of the traditional uses of neem is as a “cure all” taken internally, there is also some indication that

Neem is not a fast acting toxin, but it interrupts the life cycles of unwelcome invaders. The method of protection varies depending on the invader. Neem’s built in “friend or foe” system works on the principle that unwanted pests are those that eat or damage plant material. Beneficial insects that crawl on the surface of plants appear to be generally unaffected. Neem sprayed on plants will create a thin coating that will either dissuade insects from eating it, or effect changes in those that do. There are several leaf eating insects that will not eat neem, or plants sprayed with neem extracts, even under threat of starvation. Neem extracts have also been shown to repel some biting insects Whiteflies have developed a resistbetter than DEET which is a common chemical ingredient in insect repellents. ance to many pesticides, but still tend to be susceptible to neem. One of the most potent components is the limonoid azadirachtin, which causes some insect larvae to be unable at high doses it may have a temporary to metamorphosize, and thus prevent inhibiting effect on human reproducthem from becoming adults and repro- tion as well. As such at least until further ducing. Azadirachtin is similar in struc- studies have been conducted, limit expoture to the hormones used by insects sure for pregnant females and couples that control development. Once intro- actively trying to conceive. duced, it blocks the normal functioning of these hormones, and prevents the Neem has a variety of uses in the garinsects from becoming sexually mature. den, and in moderation can be good It is also responsible for a fair amount of for plants as a “soft” pesticide, especially neem’s repellant properties. when used early in an insect invasion. Growing neem at home can inexpenNeem also contains the limonoids salan- sively supply a gardener with a steady nin and meliantriol which both inhibit supply of leaves that can be used as feeding, and nimbin which has antiviral needed. By homecrafting your own properties. neem pesticide, unnecessary packaging, transport, and other carbon costs Treatments with neem can take up to can be avoided. two weeks to complete, but insect created damage should dwindle during Peace, love and puka shells, the process. Grubbycup

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Soft Secrets is published by Discover Publisher BV P.O.Box 362, 5460 AJ, Veghel, Netherlands Telephone: +31-(0)73-5498112 Fax: +31-(0)73-5479732 E-mail: uk@softsecrets.nl

Comics: Jim Stewart Editorial adress: E-mail: ssuk@softsecrets.nl Advertisements: E-mail: james@softsecrets.nl A word from the publisher: The UK government has embarked on a process of relative liberalisation towards the use of cannabis, and cannabis activists are engaged in broadening this engagement. Several local councils and police chiefs now actively support a Dutch-style coffeeshop system as a way of separating soft and hard drugs, as it has proven to do in Holland. Whether they are finding their way to new coffeeshops or growing for their personal supply, cannabis users are a menace to no one, and are causing no discernable social problem. Some politicians and commentators are calling for the outright legalisation of marihuana. Let’s wait and see how the debate develops during a period of relative peace between all sides of the argument. In the meantime, the publisher hopes Soft Secrets will show the public a positive side to the normalisation of cannabis use, and is anxious to offer a forum to both pro- and anti-legalisation advocates. This assumes that the publisher does not necessarily agree with everything that appears in articles and advertisements. The publisher therefore distances himself explicitly from published statements or images that might give the impression that an endorsement is being made for the use or production of cannabis. Nothing from this publication may be copied or reproduced in any format without prior permission from the publisher and other copyright holders. The publisher is not responsible for the content and/or point of view of advertisements. The editors take no responsibility for unsolicited submissions.

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