FREE 18+ For adults only. Soft Secrets is published six times a year by Discover Publisher BV Netherlands
Issue 6 - 2012
Jacqui Smith returns to UK politics and admits ‘I got it wrong on cannabis reclassification.’
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Atomical Haze ® In this issue:
What happened to the Weedpass? ›› 16 AUTOFLOWERING CANNA BIS: HOW IT ALL HAPPENED Just a few years ago Autoflowering cannabis was the new kid on the block. However, most people, including some seedbanks, had serious reservations. Would yield and potency ever amount to anything? Or was it one of those silly lost causes that history would look back and laugh at. ››
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Reverse Osmosis ›› 28
The former Home Secretary then goes on to repeat her hard-line ‘no cannabis legislation’ stance to appease all the other politicians who will doubtless accuse her of being soft on drugs. So although everything has changed, nothing actually, is different. When she was Gordon Brown’s home secretary Jacqui Smith decided it was time to revisit the cannabis issue with a view to reclassifying cannabis to a more serious B class, from a less serious C class. Famously the governments own drugs advisors (the ACMD), then chaired by Pharmacologist Professor David Nutt, were canvassed for their learned opinions. There then followed over 12 months of drug debate carried out mainly on the front pages of the tabloids, and funded by an alcohol industry which was as always, keen to see cannabis firmly outlawed. The ACMD then came back with their findings. They were, that cannabis has
NOT become 50 times stronger. The suggestion that cannabis will actually make you mad was tenuous at best, and their primary recommendation? That the use of legal sanctions is not likely to stop people trying cannabis, a substance which is statistically far
safer than either tobacco or alcohol. Making cannabis prohibition an expensive waste of resources. So everyone knows this even though they never actually said it. Even the Continues on page 3
3 Continued from front page experts had tried cannabis and had gone on to earn good degree’s and positions within government. So they themselves, including Jacqui ‘I never inhaled’ Smith had used cannabis whilst in university, with no ill effect. The ACMD then went on to recommend the government investigate other avenue’s to control the uptake of cannabis. Moving away from criminal sanctions and more toward an education & treatment based approach. But Jacqui Smith ignored all that expert medical advice to use cannabis as the hobby horse which would save the Labour party at the forthcoming general election.
This plant is known for its spectacular and intense aroma and sweet fruity flavor. She is a winner of numerous awards throughout Spain. Its effect is very powerful because of her Afghani and Skunk parents. Kritikal Bilbo is especially appreciated in Bilbao, in Basq Country, where she originates from. The plant has a medium height and grows fast. Flowers in bloom produce fat and very heavy buds with few leaves, that are packed with very aromatic resin. Pay attention because she has a strong smell. The plant matures after 45 days of flowering. Genetics: Production: Flowering indoor: Outdoor Harvest:
Afghani x Skunk 400-450 gr/m2 45-50 days September
Breeder: Genehtik Seeds
Kritikal Bilbo
As a result police actions against cannabis growers became prime time
viewing as a whole new genre of reality TV washed over our TV screens. It was under the instruction of Jacqui Smith that the term ‘cannabis factory’ really took hold and tactical police teams were soon cruising our housing estates in minibuses looking for growhouses to bust in a high profile and expensive display of anti-drugs policing. The mission brief? Find just enough cannabis to build a single joint and all the damage caused during entry is down to the tenant whilst the smug, holier than thou copper brandishes a tiny amount of weed to the camera and claims ‘a good days work.’ The Labour party were already under fire from anti-substance abuse charities for cosying up to the alcohol industry with 24 hour drinking now within the bounds of the law.
ing games with cheap booze. Or that our town centre’s were no go zones from 7pm every night as drunken yobs rampaged in the streets. Alcohol is a money spinner and as we’ve since found out over many expense scandals, MP’s are all about money. So why is she back? There’s a general election on the distant horizon and Labour leader Ed Miliband is grouping his forces to see who is actually on his side and not his brothers. So its fair to suggest the press and media will soon be crawling with former government ministers all looking to back Ed Miliband in the hope that if Labour do oust the con-dem coalition there may be jobs going at Whitehall. For the god-fearing cannabis users amongst us nothing really changes whoever may be in charge at No.10.
We still live our lives in a state of introverted secrecy and paranoia whilst parasites like Jacqui Smith use politics to feather their own nest and build on their own personal celebrity. For more on that just Google ‘Nadine Dorries MP’ or ‘Louise Mensch MP’. Election time is a great time for screwing political candidates and making them talk about things they really don’t want to talk about. Lets face it the science is in on cannabis. Two US states have legalised it outright for recreational use, yet we still live with the fear of having our front door kicked in at 6am in the morning. For the most part that is as a direct result of Jacqui Smith and her skewed politics. You have been warned.
It didn’t seem to matter that our kids were killing themselves playing drink-
Red Dragon @ UK Cultivator.net
higher yields are possible.
pass it on!
Check our brand new website www.plagron.com for tips&tricks
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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!
Hi there here are my mohan ran autos 1 week from done using bio nova and ionic nutes hope you like Welcome to the jungle! Awesome job mate.
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!
E-mail: SSUK@softsecrets.nl
SAM No explanation needed for this one Sam! You look like the kind of guy we’d like to have a beer with in the pub, but maybe not meet down a dark alley!
Dear Soft Secrets, Times change and Tonto has lost his lands that i grew outdoors on. So I’ve upgraded my indoor growshow. Cuboard size increased to, 1.2w x 1.7l x 1.7h. Wattage boosted with 1000watt’s in a Sun System Blockbuster aircooled reflector, on a Jupiter 2 light mover. Plants are at 7 weeks, now growing in coco, using a 6 pot Multiflow flood and drain system. Up the back I’ve got 3 Dinafem Critical Jack’s. The left one being a juicy sweet Herer phenotype. Front, centre and right, are Female seeds WW xBB and hiding behind the sexy Mrs Ranger, Paradise Seeds Jackie White. Thanks for the seeds you sent me, for reader’s wive’s, a couple of years ago. Critical Jack is so good i’m still growing it! LONE RANGER We hope you don’t mind us saying... we’re glad Tonto lost his land!! One thing we love to see here at Soft Secrets – apart from nice naked ladies - are pictures where a grower has their room completely dialled in. This is one of those pictures! A multi-strain grow with a beautifully even canopy, being fed from a single system – we’ve heard great things about the Muli-Flow flood and drain – just perfect!
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Dear SSUK Great paper love the readers wives pages thanks so much for printing our photos in the previous edition couldn’t wait to take some more photos hope you like them. Here you will see two Ultimate from dutch passion fed on vitalink additives using 600W sodium bulbs as you can see one of them got the top cut off and stuck in an old pot for the photos.Keep up the good work COUPLE FROM HAMPTON PS Special thanks to Mark1 Mark2 and Luke. Ultimate by name, ultimate by nature! That strain is an absolute monster isn’t it? Truely breath taking buds, just a shame they are obscuring our view of that magnificent body! Oh... and nice shoes by the way!
I must firstly say that we are great UK fans of Soft Secrets magazine. I have included a few photos taken of my girlfriend and my White Widow cross Big Bud crop. This was grown under a 600w HPS light in a 1.2 x 1.2m tent. I used Canna for coco with a large dose of TLC. I hope you will be a pleased as I am with my outcome, through years of dedication. Watch out though as there is a tiger loose in the jungle and I am not sure if the Rasta security is just too smoking’ hot to catch it!! Thank you Soft Secrets! A DEVOTED GROWER & GIRLFRIEND
Nice gangster chick! Looks like your devotion and TLC has really paid off my friend, just look at the size of that single cola! That’s a great crop for a single 600w. Keep on growing mate!
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Hi guys, just finished a bumper grow of LA Cheese, top smoke, 50oz in total! BARRINGTON, UK What a harvest! Much respect Barrington! That is a text book looking grow; big, dense multiple colas and you’ve kept your plants nice and compact. All very nicely modelled by your good lady, who it seems you’ve persuaded to help out with the harvest. That’s our kind of girl! Awesome effort.
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These are my Northern Lights plants growing outdoor (!) in Ireland, last 2 weeks flowering still nice weather. Outdoor in Ireland? Fantastic work! If you can pull off an outdoor grow there, then there is hope for us all. You sir, are an inspiration!
I just thought I’d share with you a few pix of my first ever grow as a little thank you for the invaluable help I’ve had from your back issues on-line and the ‘Growing for Dummies’ supplement. My Super Lemon Haze Girls are approx 2wks from harvest now and will be starting their flush in a few days, after a few teething problems with low ph and nute deficiency, probably caused by ‘lock out’ due to low ph they seem to have turned the corner and I’m quite please with how they’ve turned out for my first ever grow. Anyway, hope you enjoy the pix In our eyes, any first time grower that manages to get to harvest time and pull a decent bit of smoke has had a success. You should be proud of these girls.... all of them.... especially the one at the back! Bit of advice for next time; those pots look pretty big for the size of plants, stick to smaller pots and just pot up if you need to – your plants will grow quicker and if you make a mistake with your nutrients, the flushing process will be much quicker. Good luck with the next grow.
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GROWMED 2013
as the best cannabis product in Europe. Following the success of the last European Product Awards ceremony – an exotic festivity with camels, dancers and fire-eaters – the next edition will be held for the first time at the headquarters of Growmed Valencia, where manufacturers from all over Europe will be exhibiting their products. The selection of finalists will start soon, so contact Growmed if you are a producer or distributor of a product that should be in the running.
GROWMED 2013 WILL BE HELD ON THE 19, 20 AND 21 OF APRIL.
The leading medical cannabis fair in Europe Growmed is the leading medical cannabis fair in Europe. Its 2012 edition was a great success. The Growmed team is already working hard to ensure that the 2013 edition will be bigger and better, with plenty of new features and surprises. The fair will be held on the 19, 20 and 21 of April at Feria de Valencia, one of the most important fairgrounds in Europe.
brand with a very clever marketing campaign, which establishes them as a modern, professional brand with a well-looked-after image. At Growmed,
Medical Area At Growmed, medical cannabis is very important, so a space will be devoted
Daisy from Soft Secrets and Wim from Plagron closing the deal on Growmed 2013. Entrance to Growmed 2012, Valencia fairgrounds. Soft Secrets was the organiser of the renowned Highlife fairs – pioneering hemp fairs in Europe, with editions in places like Amsterdam, Utrecht and Barcelona. After a few years of pondering in search of a different model, we came back with Growmed 2012. This is a new proposal that brings a medical perspective to hemp fairs, more in touch with its actual use within society and going beyond the already outdated discourse on the industrial applications of hemp.
medical growers and cultivators who demand the highest quality. Pleased with its sponsorship of GrowMed 2012, Plagron has decided to become the main sponsor of the 2013 edition. The shared goals of the two companies completely validate
we have the same aspirations, so we are very happy for them to be our main sponsor”, said the director of Growmed.
European Product Awards In the years we had to make do without
Growmed Style Since its first edition, Growmed has become a reference point among European medicinal fairs. In this show we wanted to present a professional, clean and well-organised concept that looks toward the future and that can be easily assimilated into society. This is why we chose Feria de Valencia. The fair is located on the third floor of the main building, a prime and spacious location with all the necessary amenities for Once again, providing medical information will be one of exhibitors and visitors.
Plagron: main sponsor Plagron is another company that is committed to creating a serious, professional and forward-thinking brand. They are convinced that their highquality vermicompost land and their algae-based biofertilisers are ideal for
Growmed’s strongest points.
this decision. Both the Plagron and Growmed teams expressed their satisfaction with the agreement, as they believe it will enhance the image of their respective brands. “Plagron is a
to discussions on the subject by various experts. Doctors and lawyers comprise the main groups of speakers, but we are also inviting various associations and activists to join the discussion.
the Highlife fair, our spirit was kept alive through the European Product Awards, a ceremony held for several years in Amsterdam, during which we selected the best products of each country as well
For two days, the international cannabis guru Jorge Cervantes will also honour us with his presence. He spends part of the year in California and part of the year in Spain, making him the ideal person to explain what is going on in the American medical scene to the European public. Jorge Cervantes will also present the awards ceremony at Growmed 2013.
Rototom/Woodstock Area The outer corridor surrounding the pavilion will once again become a designated smoking area. Growmed has an agreement with Rototom, the most important reggae festival in Europe; the Rototom team will set up their sound system and give us a preview of Rototom 2013. We will also have an area meant to honour the spirit of the Woodstock festival, also located outside of the pavilion. This is a brief summary of Growmed 2013. We will announce new confirmations shortly. Go to www.growmed.es for the latest developments.
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PRODUCT FLASH
BATMIX FROM PLAGRON
Coco Slabs
Growing for the best taste and smell
Bio Nova has created a superior coconut substrate slab that has especially been developed for “top” results. Coco Slab is a professionally developed growing medium, which complies to the strict RHP-norms (i.e. Regulation for Trade of Potting Soil).
Plagron has a comprehensive range of substrates. Each substrate is unique and has quite a few characterizes you only can expect of Plagron quality substrates. One of these unique substrates is Batmix. Plagron Batmix is a mix of the finest, carefully selected types of peat. It contains various types of fibre and perlite which results in a high level of lightness and oxygen. The abundant presence of unique Plagron worm castings ensures vigorous plant growth and increased water retention. The main nutrient in Batmix is bat manure (Bat Guano). Bat manure creates an end product with a strong taste and smell. Choose Batmix if you think a top quality end product is the most important. Batmix is naturally rich in phosphorus and potassium, because of the extra added bat manure. This substrate is flavour- and smell-reinforcing, stimulates the flowering and increases the resistance of the plant. Batmix is pre fertilised for about six weeks. When you have to start giving nutrients depends on the development of the plant. Once the leaves become more yellow (approximately after six weeks), you can begin giving nutrients.
The substrate consists of an UV-resistant foil filled with finely flaked coconut fibres, which have been treated extensively for diseases, vermin, and excess substances. Compared to media such as rock wool, BN Coco has a great number of benefits: - obviously a high yield - a natural substrate - no longer problems with waste matter, coconut can be re-used outside as highquality compost - the slabs are ready-to-use - pure materials with a very low EC (0.6-0.8 ms/s) - it has an ideal pH-value of 5.8 - coconut has ideal proportions of water/air - the slabs can be re-used - Coco Slab is very easy to use The coco slabs can be applied into existing substrate systems without a problem, since they have the same size as rock wool slabs: 100x15x7 cm. (7 cm. high after soaking). Bio Nova has developed a special fertilizer for the Coco Slabs, Coco Nova A-B nutrients, this is a two-component growing and flowering nutrient solution, which contains all elements required for a top success. Ask your specialist shop for the special fertilization scheme. There are thus many reasons for using Coco Slabs. In case of further questions ask your supplier or contact Bio Nova. INSTRUCTIONS: put the slabs in the system. Pump approximately 4-5 litres of water or a low dosage of nutrient solution into each slab, wait for 30 minutes (the coco slabs will swell up) and are ready to use. After the swelling, cut in the slabs at the surface for drainage. Subsequent fertilization occurs according to the Coco Nova fertilization scheme.
Also for young plants Batmix is maximally fertilised. Young plants, not yet accustomed to high EC values, may have difficulties when they are planted suddenly in much richer soil. Rinse the plant with one liter of water per liter Batmix, before you put him in the Batmix. This will rinse the direct absorbable fertilisers. Because of this the young plant doesn’t immediately experience the rich fertilising of Batmix. After that, the EC value in Batmix will increase again. The plant is able to acclimate gradually.
www.bionova.nl
Pass it on! More information can be found on our website, www.plagron.com. 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 the slogan ‘pass it on’ is meant to be. Keep a close eye on the Plagron website for the latest news and developments of the products and for growing in general. Don’t forget to check out the Plagron Facebook page for extra tips and tricks (facebook.com/plagron). Of course you can also contact the servicedesk via servicedesk@plagron.com.
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!
Atomical Haze
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PRODUCT FLASH
BLT Flex-Wing Brand (BLT) New “Measured at three points” on average, the BLT Flex-Wing provides significantly more light compared to similar reflectors. With ALMECO reflector material, Brouwers Lichttechniek b.v. has created, through “an already patented” stepless adjustable reflector, the ideal light distribution for your crop. By using anodized aluminium, its reflection, with respect to the cheaper polished aluminium, is maintained many times longer. Due to the innovative stepless adjustment, the tension that occurs in the material at the usual adjustment does not occur. Your reflector always retains its original form. The distribution can be set exactly as desired, and not, unlike all other reflectors, only in three or four pre-selected positions. The measured values in the next 3 positions have been improved dramatically in comparison to other reflectors. 1. Depth distribution 2. Medium distribution 3. Width distribution The Flex-Wing is available as a single reflector, but also as a complete electronic dimming fixture. For more information about where to find this new innovative product, please email us at: info@brouwerslichttechniek.nl or info@blttrading.com or call 0031-13-4671888. Brouwers Lichttechniek, your reliable partner in lighting solutions for the past 56 years! www.blttrading.com
Blossom Builder Liquid Atami’s latest product is the Blossom Builder Liquid. Since plants in the flower phase have a greater need for phosphorus and potassium Atami has developed as a follow up for the Blossom Builder Tabzz a liquid product namely Blossom Builder Liquid. Because of the unique ratio of phosphorus and potassium, respectively 20% and 32%, Blossom Builder Liquid ensures strong, healthy, beautiful and well scented flowers and or fruits. The desired result you get by this unique formula ( P:K ¤ 1:1.5). Blossom Builder Liquid is highly concentrated (0.25ml to 1 ltr or 1 ltr makes 4000 ltr irrigation water) and because of this very economical in use. Do you want to try this Hi Tech product yourself? Ask your dealer for a trial bottle or call for the nearest dealer Atami BV 0031 (0) 73 522 32 56 www.atami.com
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FESTIVALS & EXPOS
High Times Cannabis Cup 2012 From November 18th to the 22nd, the Amsterdam Roest hosted the annual High Times Cannabis Cup. Presenting perhaps the smallest expo in the Cup’s history, the format also changed slightly, resembling a more typical American festival layout. The main expo was housed in an old warehouse, with a trendy bar/café and outdoor eating space just beyond. Behind that was a large, ‘indoor’ tent with a lounge area, plus the stage where the speakers and daytime performers appeared Sativa Diva before varied audiences.
chat with the vendors while checking out their entries. Evening events for the several-hundred judges included smoke, vape and dab sessions at various coffeeshops and the free cannabinoid testing at the Cannabis College Amsterdam. The obligatory concert series and awards ceremony at de Melkweg (The Milky Way) featured musical acts such as Ghostface Killah, N.O.R.E., Styles P and DJ Scram Jones. A major highlight of the nighttime parties was the ‘Phat ToonzDay’ Hemp Hoodlamb fashion show, accompanied by a Fun Lovin’ Criminals DJ set, Amsterdam DJ favourite Adi-J, the Hoodlamb Rebel Soundsystem and the Cheeky Monday crew. A smaller, more intimate festival than usual, it seems as if the Cannabis Cup is returning to its roots: a group of weedloving folks gathering together to celebrate the harvest, in good company.
HYBRID First: Loud Scout – Loud Seeds Second: Rock Star – Bonguru Beans Third: Rug Burn OG – Rare Dankness Seeds HASH First: The Wheezy – Reserva Privada Second: Tangerine Compound – Rare Dankness Seeds Third: The Tangie – DNA Genetics CBD AWARD Lion’s Tabernacle – Cali Connection Coffeeshops: CANNABIS CUP First: Flower Bomb Kush – Green House Second: Shoreline – Green Place Third: Evergrey – Grey Area NEDERHASH First: Lemon Crystal – Green House Second: Grey Crystal – Grey Area Third: M.O.G. – Green Place
And the winners are... The Founders Cup expo was much smaller than in past years Attendees of this year’s Founders Cup were hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s police intervention. The 2012 event did begin with minor police involvement; however, the cops simply showed up early in the festival to remind people of, and enforce, the five-gram limit. Exhibitors’ booths were checked and only one competitor came in over the possession limit, the surplus of which was confiscated – no charges. In fact, it seems as if this enforcement led to nearly zero coffeeshop representation at the expo. Twentyfour seed banks, plus glass merchants, wholesalers, hemp producers, etc. were in attendance (American, Dutch, Canadian, British – even Japanese) but the coffeeshops themselves promoted their entries almost solely through their retail establishments, a first in Cup memory. Another surprise was the absence of the Barney’s franchise among the list of competitors.
last long anywhere, much less at the Cannabis Cup.
Keeping the possession limit in mind, one can imagine how difficult it would have been for the coffeeshops to exhibit their strain entries: the various dabs, bong rips, vaporizer hits, pipe tokes or free joints that are usually offered to judges are nearly impossible to supply with only five grams per staff member. The larger coffeeshops, with more workers at the expo, would theoretically be able to smoke up more people; however, those big booths are often more heavilyvisited and therefore require more weed and hash in stock. Smaller coffeeshops would have even less of a chance, with some only bringing one or two people to staff their stand. Five grams doesn’t
The separation between the performers’ tent and the expo meant that Cup visitors had to choose to attend one or the other, often missing parts of speeches or performances. Lecturers included Wernard Bruining, founder of Positronics, explaining his method of producing ‘Rick Simpson oil’, Robert Connell Clarke, international expert on Cannabis botany and author of Hashish!, Marijuana Botany and others, Mila’s ‘Concentrates v. Hashish’, and Nol van Schaik discussing the Weed Pass situation. Of course there were also cultivation FAQs, hemp information and more. The plus side to the smaller expo was that attendees had more time to alternately attend seminars and then
Rumours attributed the reduced size of the expo to the looming threat from the members-only ‘Weed Pass’, which has been implemented in the southern provinces of the Netherlands for nearly a year. It seems irrational that would-be judges declined to attend for fear of being unable to enter the twenty-five Amsterdam coffeeshops that were competing, as the Pass was not even scheduled to outlaw foreign visitation until January of 2013. At any rate, the Mayor of Amsterdam’s recent refusal to implement the Weed Pass alleviated any such concerns. This legal conundrum shall be revisited and re-contemplated next year, which potentially explains the suggestion that 2012 presented the last-ever Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam. However, for the past five years or so, murmuring about the ‘last Cup ever’ has been rife.
Freedom Fighter of the Year: Mason Tvert, instrumental in the passage of Colorado’s Amendment 64 Dutch Master Award Honorees: Wernard Bruining and Nol van Schaik Counter-Culture Hall of Fame Inductee: Steve Hager, Founder of the Cannabis Cup Seed Companies: INDICA First: Kosher Kush – Reserva Privada Second: True OG – Elemental Seeds Third: S.F.V. OG Kush – Cali Connection SATIVA First: Amnesia Haze – Soma’s Sacred Seeds Second: Sour Amnesia – HortiLab Seed Company Third: Green Shack – Strain Hunters Seedbank
IMPORT HASH First: Sharkberry Cream – Green House Second: Twizzler – Green Place Third: Maroc Lemon Haze – The Bushdocter Expo: BEST BOOTH First: Big Buddha Seeds Second: Cali Connection Third: ROOR BEST PRODUCT First: Big Buddha Seeds Goodie Bag – Big Buddha Seeds Second: PUFFiT Inhaler/Vaporizer – VapoShop and Discreet Vape Third: Tiny Sister – ROOR BEST GLASS First: Drill Bill – ROOR Second: Puk Pipe – Puk Pipe Third: MF Doom Borch – DNA Genetics and Hitman Glass
Visitors’ samples were analysed for free by Cannatest, with Alpha-CAT
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LEGISLATION
What’s Up With the Weed Pass? It is hard to avoid certain clichés when introducing the one city that has come to represent Cannabis throughout the world. One could carry on about its cultural heritage, the enormous influence the city had on the world during the Dutch Golden Ages, the beauty of its canals or – for the raunchier ones among you – the area it set up to cater to sailors’ needs to release the tension built up after long months at sea. Yes, ladies and Buddy Kush gentlemen, this one’s about Amsterdam!
The infamous green city has been an icon of Cannabis tolerance in the world for decades – the rendezvous point for the marijuana-loving community, welcome to
ther underground. Even the most fervent weed pass supporters started backtracking lately, no longer able to justify the mounting police costs and increasingly
the coalition’s manifesto (published on October 29th).
Before you start celebrating the death of this disastrous measure, though, it is important to underline the exact content of this agreement concerning coffeeshops. It states that, whereas the pass in itself is gone, access to coffeeshops is still to be limited to Dutch residents alone, that the fight against drug tourism and organized drug crime will carry on, and that THC content shall remain bound to a maximum level of fifteen percent.
IN THE SOUTHERN PROVINCES, THE PASS LED TO THE OBVIOUS INCREASE IN CRIME ONE WOULD EXPECT FROM PUSHING THE INDUSTRY FURTHER UNDERGROUND. enjoy all aspects of the plant in peace. However, over recent years this liberal approach and the freedoms it entailed have slowly been eroding, placed under continuous attack by conservative and right-wing political parties. This distasteful, irrational and counter-intuitive move slowly culminated into what most activists had originally rejected as unthinkable: the ‘wietpas’ or ‘Club Card’, commonly referred to as the ‘weed pass’.
loud civil outcry for things to return to the way they were before.
So does this mean that tourists are now definitely going to be barred from enjoy-
ability to apply these measures in the way they see as most suitable. Specifics are not mentioned in the document, making it quite vague, but it did not take long for Amsterdam mayor Van der Laan to state that tourists will remain able to access
Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan (© Patrick Ravensbergen) the city’s 220 coffeeshops, come January 2013. Despite a quick response from an officer of the Ministry of Justice stating that Amsterdam would not be exempt, Mayor Van der Laan was quick to maintain his position during a televised interview, implying that he was more aware of Minister of Justice Ivo Opstelten’s position on the subject than his own officer seemed to be.
Many of you will have heard of this discriminatory measure; for those of you who haven’t, the weed pass was set up Coffeeshops are here to stay, and you are all still welcome! by the Dutch government in order to reduce ‘incidents’ linked to Cannabis sales to foreigners, and their consump- It was heart-warming to see the slow ing the mouth-watering delicacies on offer tion of the drug. This was mainly due to rise in consciousness regarding this in the Dutch capital? Well, no. The agreeissues occurring in the southern prov- issue throughout the country. Even the ment mentions that a flexible approach will be applied, with each city keeping the
The situation is far from definitive. Too many loose ends still need to be tied and the country remains far from a reasonable, legal, regulated Cannabis market. However, the good news is that everyone remains welcome to come and enjoy the pleasures of Cannabis in its European capital.
A FLEXIBLE APPROACH WILL BE APPLIED, WITH EACH CITY KEEPING THE ABILITY TO APPLY THESE MEASURES IN THE WAY THEY SEE AS MOST SUITABLE.
Amsterdam’s Red Light District inces, linked to drug tourists driving to Holland to purchase Cannabis before driving back over the border. The idea was simple: limit coffeeshop access to Dutch residents only, while obligating said residents to officially register as a Cannabis smoker to obtain a (weed) pass, which allows them to purchase their herb or hash of choice. This measure was actually put in place in October 2011 in the southern provinces, leading to the obvious increase in crime one would expect from pushing the industry fur-
media, slowly but surely, started taking an anti-weed pass stance, communicating this through their newspapers and during the evening news. The arrival of new elections for the Dutch parliament in September could only mean one thing: the weed pass was going to get it! And boy, did it ever… the weed pass is now officially dead. Following the formation of a new coalition government, the decision was officially made to lay the weed pass to rest, once and for all, putting it down in writing in
The Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum in Amsterdam, an intrinsic part of modern Dutch culture
18
GENETICS
Autoflowering cannabis: How it all happened Just a few years ago Autoflowering cannabis was the new kid on the block. However, most people, including some seedbanks, had serious reservations. Would yield and potency ever amount to anything? Or was it one of those silly lost causes that history would look back and By Tony, Dutch Passion laugh at. Dutch Passion, and a few others, saw enough potential in the genetics to persevere with them. Today the best quality AutoFem varieties have potency on the same level as traditional varieties and the yields are comparable, and often much better, than traditional varieties grown over the same 10-11 week timescale. This is partly due to the ability of AutoFems to grow under 20 hours of daily light. The extra photo-
growing small plants in his dorm room and the adjacent woods. These “extracurricular” activities, in time, turned out to be the beginning of a career in Cannabis research.
spaces, using unrelated genetics. I think that making the most of small spaces is a strong recurring theme’”
Later, while traveling, the Joint Doctor observed ganja plantations, wild patches of Cannabis, towering hemp fields, and even ornamental hemp, learning a great deal about the incredible diver-
The idea stuck, and gave new direction to the Joint Doctor’s projects. About the same time, he began to trade seed with a new friend, Antonio, a spry, dreadlocked Mexican expatriate who
YOU CAN BE CROPPING SEVERAL OUNCES OF REALLY STRONG POT IN AS LITTLE AS 10 WEEKS AFTER THE SEEDLING EMERGES. synthesis is put to good use producing lots of buds. In the last couple of years Dutch Passion have collaborated with the original pioneer of autoflowers, the man that did more than anyone to bring them into mainstream growing, the Joint Doctor. As well as creating the StarRyder collaboration our ‘joint’ venture has given us a glimpse into the real story of how autoflowering cannabis came about. For those of you interested in autoflowering cannabis history, here it is: Growing up on a farm, the Joint Doctor took an early interest in Cannabis cultivation. Bringing some seed with him to college, he supplied his head stash by
sity of this species. He soon became convinced that nearly anything is possible in the marijuana breeding department. To create new, better varieties, he reasoned, all that was needed was some diverse sources of high-quality genes, a keen eye for observation, lots of time and patience, and as it turns out, a bit of luck. “I have always been attracted to novel and unusual characteristics in plants. Living on a farm, I started playing around with unusual varieties of food crops with seeds brought from exotic places at about the same time I started experimenting with Cannabis – over 20 years ago. Later on, I attempted to create smaller strains of Cannabis for myself, to grow in small
hardy, although the potency was low to medium. At first, I crossed it with a Northern Lights #2 that I knew was also a compact plant, but more potent. These F1 seeds gave some really nice, vigorous moms, and although they weren’t autoflowering, they were quick and compact. As I understood much later, the autoflowering trait wasn’t expressed in the F1 since it was recessive. Not really knowing what I had done, I decided to cross this F1 with a few different varieties, of the best clones I had” Without specific expectations, the Joint Doctor crossed the Rudy with a Northern Lights #2 female, then with a William’s Wonder clone. It was the offspring of the experimental 3-way cross that brought back the recessive autoflowering genes into the equation, almost certainly inherited from
had been collecting and growing unusual strains for 30-plus years. One of the types of Cannabis seed the Joint Doctor acquired from Antonio was called “Mexican Rudy,” a strain which stayed short and flowered earlier than anything else he had. He didn’t know too much about it. At first the name seemed contradictory: “Rudy” almost certainly stood for Ruderalis, a mythical, rare subspecies of wild Cannabis from Siberia which has a short growth habit and quick life cycle; but he failed to see the link with Mexico, though it was the country of Antonio’s origin. Was this simply an unrelated Ruderalislike plant from Mexico, or did it have a link to the real thing?
AutoMazar the Mexican Rudy.
Although no-one can be sure until some type of genetic fingerprinting is done, it’s possible the Mexican Rudy was actually an experimental cross of Russian Ruderalis and Mexican Cannabis, made sometime in the 1970s. The Joint Doctor thinks this may have come from the University of Mississippi or the University of Ottawa. In any case, the strain was kept and grown out in Canada for several years previously. The Rudy was indeed a short, quick-flowering strain, but with medium potency. However it provided Antonio and his friends with some well-needed stash in mid-summer, before normal plants had even thought about budding.
AutoMazar
Here are the Joint Doctor’s memories of Mexican Rudy. “It was very fast-maturing, and very
“I was beginning to have an eye for novel characteristics. I had a tendency to keep seeds and strains that many a grower would have thrown out for being too weird. When growing out the next generation of seedlings, in particular a batch of William’s Wonder x (NL#2 x Rudy) seedlings, my buddy and I noticed some very unusual male plants that flowered immediately, when they were still basically seedlings. This was unheard of, especially in a room receiving 24 hours of daily light!” It was a real Eureka moment. Fortunately, the Joint Doctor kept the unusual plants and was able to stabilise the autoflowering trait in them, while many growers would have rejected the plants. These novelty plants
19 seen growers produce decent harvests from the tiniest of grow rooms. There has been an increase in the number of ‘micro-growers’ using compact fluo-
even the veg room can become productive. AutoFems are proving as versatile as they are popular. In Dutch Passions case our best sellers such as AutoMazar,
“RUDY” ALMOST CERTAINLY STOOD FOR RUDERALIS, A MYTHICAL, RARE SUBSPECIES OF WILD CANNABIS FROM SIBERIA WHICH HAS A SHORT GROWTH HABIT AND QUICK LIFE CYCLE rescents and low powered HPS lamps inside the smallest of grow cabinets. For these growers the compact nature of AutoFems is incredibly convenient. Outdoor growers in can be cropping before summer really arrives and growers in sunny climates can get 3 successive crops a year.
Think Different were kept for further multiplication, and all the subsequent generations retained this “autoflowering” characteristic. The hybrid, dubbed simply Willy’s Automatic at first, became the eventual basis for Lowryder. “I used these “freak” dwarf males as pollinators, and lo and behold, my next generation consisted exclusively of tiny
Think Different plants that matured automatically at no more than 12 inches and less than 60 days from seed. An ideal closet cultivar. It seemed incredible. And the taste and potency were great too, retaining the
structure and scent reminiscent of the William’s Wonder, coupled with a sort of wild, earthy but pleasant aftertaste inherent in ruderalis. The hybrid, dubbed simply Willy’s Automatic at first, became the basis for Lowryder. All the subsequent generations retained this autoflowering characteristic. I grew the variety out on a small scale, in a closet in the winter, and in my garden during the summer, selecting the best specimens, for several generations before it was released on any scale.”
Other growers keep a couple of AutoFem’s in their veg cabinets with their favourite mother plants, this way
Think Different and AutoBlueberry are outselling some of our time-honoured classic traditional varieties. Many of our customers now routinely grow AutoFem’s and love them. So it is with great appreciation that we acknowledge the efforts of the Joint Doctor. When many breeders would have thrown away the freaky dwarf plants, the doc kept them and played with them. We like his style!
Today you will see lots of people growing AutoFem varieties. The main reason the self-sufficient grower uses them is simply for the speed of production. You can be cropping several ounces of really strong pot in as little as 10 weeks after the seedling emerges. And the pot really is just as good as that from traditional varieties, especially if you buy AutoFem seeds from a good supplier. Some people still don’t believe this. Other growers like AutoFem’s because they are convenient for winter crops in cold grow-rooms such as those in lofts. The 20 hours of daily light used for AutoFem’s allows grow rooms to be kept warm by the lights. Some growers find that AutoFems are the best solution for small grow-rooms and limited growth space. We have
AutoBlueberry
Innovations offer growers more options
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22
TRAVEL
Ganja, Guns and Gringo Greenbacks April 2012: By The Professor
...mix all that with a changing of the political guard, a militarisation of national police forces, ruthless billionaire karaoke-loving cartel leaders and an evolution in the cocaine industry and you have the main ingredients for what has become Mexico’s intensely bloody ‘drug’ war. It is, though, impossible to talk about the drug violence in Mexico without first recognising the influence of the ‘Evil Empire’ to it’s north - the USA. The US is the highly profitable market place for most of the drugs produced in Mexico; the laws, punishment and policing policies of the US which make the Mexican drug game so cut-throat; the total lack of gun control in the southern states of the US which has seen a flood of weapons pour over the border into the hands of Mexican cartels; and, the US$1bn+ (2008 - 2010) of resources (training, intelligence and equipment) given to the Mexican government by the US government under the Merida Initiative which has contributed greatly to the appetite for and severity of the conflict. The rest of this article will focus on Mexico itself but one must always bear in mind the structural parameters, or context, in which the violence is happening... So, armed with a healthy disregard for travel warnings and an unshakeable faith in the hospitality of Mexicans, SSUK braved the madness and took a stroll into the war zone of Chihuahua, Northern Mexico to gather a few stories from the street... You don’t need to be in any shootouts or hang out with any gangsters when you’re up in Northern Mexico to feel the intensity of the vibe up here. The first thing you notice is the convoys of battle-ready military jeeps cruising around
town - three jeeps to a convoy, eight fully armed soldiers to a jeep and all jeeps complete with a mounted machine gun meaty enough to take down a herd of rampaging dinosaurs. Ten minutes later
of the business. One day the boss told his buying team to go and buy a load of weed, he gave them the money and they brought him back the weed, perfectly normal. Then, later the boss found out that his buying
Is this all about weed though? “Up here in this town, and in this area it’s all about the weed, but the cartels are much bigger than that. About ten or fifteen years ago the Colombian cartels were the biggest - they used to get their coke to Mexico and the Mexican narcos would take about 20% of the profit for getting it across the border to the US. Now the Colombian cartels are not so powerful as the Mexicans - we go to Colombia, buy the coke there and take it all the way to the US, now the Mexican narcos are making 80% of the profit from the Colombian coke that they
we watch a convoy of pick-ups drive past; four or five pick-ups to a convoy, extra-fat rims on raised suspension, four or five ‘soldiers’ to a pick-up, and music blasting from amplifiers strong enough to rattle the teeth out of your mouth. The cartel soldiers are enjoying themselves - hanging out of the windows, singing loud and shouting to their mates in the street. Cocaine exuberance. “What are they listening to? It sounds bloody awful” “A lot of the big bosses love to sing karaoke - they go out to these real expensive restaurants and video themselves doing karaoke... They put the videos on youtube and their soldiers download the songs and put them on CD so they can listen to them in their trucks - it’s a way of showing loyalty and also showing who you work for!” During a week in town we saw both sets of convoys several times but they never seemed to cross paths.
team had cheated him - they killed the people they bought the weed from so they could keep the money - after that the weed got more expensive and no-one wanted to sell it to them so the boss got really mad. When he found out what happened he had the whole buying team murdered and the head and hands of the leader were cut off and put up on a cross in town, next to it there was a sign written in blood that
move. The narcos are also into meth and people smuggling in to the US, and they bring a lot of guns back into Mexico from the US - there’s a lot of rich and powerful people getting very rich and very powerful from this war.” So what’s the score with the cops and the army - who are the good guys and who’re the bad guys?
AFTER A COUPLE OF WEEKS KNOCKING AROUND NORTHERN MEXICO, ALL THE SMOKERS AND FARMERS ALONG THE WAY HAD SHOWN THEMSELVES TO BE KIND, GENEROUS, DECENT, FUN-LOVING PEOPLE “This is a small town, but it gets really crazy sometimes. The main cartel in town is the Sinaloa Cartel, they’re really big. They have their business very well organised, like the military - there’s one team that goes to
buy the weed from the farmers, another team for transport and then another team in charge of distribution - they do this for security so if one team gets caught they can’t tell anything about the other parts
all thieves had better watch out because the boss was going to clean up the town. For a couple of weeks after that a lot of the local thieves got murdered - you can leave your bag in the street now, no-one’s going to steal it.” “There are two cartels fighting for control here - the Sinaloa Cartel is Chapo Guzman’s cartel, he’s the biggest dealer in the world right now, and the other is run by a guy called ‘El Viceroy’ - his cartel is much smaller but the fighting gets bad... Not long ago the Sinaloa crew got a tip-off about a meeting of El Viceroy’s top command. Sinaloa controls the local police so they were all told to leave town while the Sinaloa soldiers went to ambush the meeting. They rolled up in their trucks, surrounded the big hacienda and massacred everyone in there - they used thousands of bullets and killed everything that moved, but they got the wrong address. They killed 13 people from an innocent family, and there was a little kid there as well. It was three hours before the police came back into town, three hours with all that blood and all those bodies just lying there...”
“Nearly all the local cops in Mexico are corrupt, especially the ones in the cartel controlled areas. They all come from the same villages and same families as the narcos, and they have their own families to feed as well so they do whatever they need to do to stay alive. The government is fighting the war by moving the local police into different areas and using the army and the federal police to fight the cartels - these people don’t want to be here though, they don’t know the local people or anything about the places they’re sent to so there’s a real disconnection between them and us... The old government used to work with the cartels, they would let them do what they did because they took bribes from them but they also knew that there are a lot of poor people here who rely on the money the cartels bring to Mexico. Now the new government wants to shut the cartels down but there’s no other way for local people to make money, there’s no jobs here so what are we supposed to do? A friend of mine used to work in a boat building yard owned by a cartel guy, the wages were good and it was skilled work - it was a good
23 legal business but because the guy who ran it was a gangster the government took the business and shut it down. Now all the
weed - it’s the best thing for everyone’s security and the cops always do what they’re told!”
Where are you going? For a walk in the mountains No! You stay here and drink with us!
THE ATMOSPHERE WAS A LITTLE INTIMIDATING AT FIRST, BUT THE MACHETE AND BASIC SPANISH SKILLS WENT A LONG WAY TO GAINING THEIR RESPECT, employees have to try and find other work but there’s not much to go around, and definitely not as good or as skilled as they had at the boat yard.”
All of these stories came from the first small town I rolled up in, and there wasn’t even any weed in the ground for miles around... So I decided to move on to a known cultivating area. “Yeah man, there’s a lot of weed in these mountains, but you’re crazy if you want to go there! If you go into the fields they’ll probably shoot you! Maybe you’ll be ok because you’re a tourist but the narcos have total control here - there’s only one route out of town from the mountains so the narcos own the police - sometimes they drive through town in convoy, maybe seven or eight trucks with their music really loud, and they’ve always got guns; they drive right past the police station and the police do nothing, sometimes they even stop to talk to the police! If you’re a tourist you’ll be ok, but if they see a Mexican they don’t know then that guys going to stopped and asked a lot of questions... When they need to move any big consignments out of town they tell the cops to arrange a training day in the city or something like that - they always make sure the cops are in a different town when they have to move the
Warnings heeded; I packed a few rations of food, enough cash to pacify a bandit, picked up my machete and wandered into the mountains early enough in the
Okay, thanks You smoke? Sometimes, with my friends at a party Try this - this is good weed! Marijuana,
morning not to be noticed by anyone. Beautiful countryside, hot sun and dusty tracks... Horned cow skulls fixed to giant cacti... Four hours up the road, at about 9.30am, I was joined by a small crew of drunk locals. I played the role of the non-smoking hiker, but being a lone tourist deep in the mountains with a machete in hand I was a bit of an oddity. We made small talk and they invited me for a drink at their village where a load more drunk farmers greeted us:
motta, intiendes?? Yeah man! He passed me a pure joint rolled in a page from an exercise book. I smoked, it was good weed. You smoke good man, you like it? Here. Have this. He gave me a good half ounce wrapped up in another page from the exercise book...
This is what we grow here, now the motta is growing so we have no work to do - this is why we can drink all day! The atmosphere was a little intimidating at first, but the machete and basic Spanish skills went a long way to gaining their respect, and a willingness to sit down and drink with them meant that very soon we were all having a good laugh riding a donkey around the square and having mock machete fights... We ate. Mountain lion stew apparently. After
the meal I told them I’d like to carry on for another few hours walking into the mountains... No! You stay here and drink and then you go back. Ok, I ain’t gonna argue with that! I’d been told down in southern Mexico that the farmers were good, simple people: ‘they’re not involved in the violence and weed has been grown on their land for as long as they can remember... The weed and the land are good for each other - to a lot of the farmers it’ just another crop, and the land needs it for fertility.” After a couple of weeks knocking around northern Mexico, all the smokers and farmers along the way had shown themselves to be kind, generous, decent, funloving people - typical Mexicans in every way, and typical of the people you meet travelling the Green Streets of the world... Any half-wit can see that it’s not cannabis causing the violence in Mexico; it’s the laws, money and weapons associated with the criminalisation of all drugs that has created this insanity of destruction. Legalisation is the only solution.
25
BACKGROUND
Cannabis and Crime It’s a perennial question: do drugs cause crime? More specific to our purposes, does cannabis cause crime? As ever, there doesn’t appear to be a definitive answer to this, other than “it depends what you mean...” Does cannabis “cause” crime in the sense that it somehow “makes” the user act in a way that’s against their fundamental nature? Does it “make” good people do bad things? This has been one of those immovable cornerstones of anti drug rhetoric since the early decades of the twentieth century; it persists to the present day. However, persistence doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily true. Let’s consider this further. In academia, substance use of any sort other than (arguably) alcohol gets off to a pretty bad start. In Psychology, the subject is usually lumped in as “abnormal”,
“criminal” or “forensic” (all pretty negative). In the case of Sociology, it’s usually classed as “deviant” or “subcultural” (again, pretty negative). Pharmacology tends to focus mainly on the physical and/or mental harms caused by drug use, and the treatment substance use receives from Criminologists is pretty self-explanatory. Nowhere, to our knowledge, is there an academic discipline of any sort that openly celebrates the positive or benign aspects (and really,
there are many of these) of non-medical substance use. Certainly, even the most ardent anti-prohibitionist would have to admit that there is without doubt a connection of some sort between cannabis and crime. In the most obvious level, this stems from the legal status of cannabis; in most countries, dope is illegal, and therefore if caught in possession without an officially or medi-
Tripartite Framework” in an attempt to disentangle all of the different strands of evidence, fact, myth, rumour and downright lies surrounding the whole question of drugs and crime. Goldstein was at this time specifically concerned with violent crime, but the theoretical framework he came up with works well when applied to any sort of “drug-related” crime, which is what we’re going to do here; just because someone uses a lot
Dr John Dee
Psychopharmacological Crime This model “suggests that some individuals, as a result of short or long term ingestion of specific substances, may become excitable, irrational, and may exhibit violent behaviour.” While this can probably be applied to some substances, for example uppers, cocaine and/or crack, and - particularly - alcohol, there’s very little in the way of evidence
ORGANISED CRIME HAS MOVED INTO THE CANNABIS MARKET AND ALONG WITH THIS HAS COME SOME BUSINESS PRACTICE PREVIOUSLY ALIEN TO THE SCENE. cally approved reason - together with an accompanying permit from the appropriate governmental department - is going to lead to legal problems of some sort. Therefore, individuals who may otherwise be completely law abiding citizens but who enjoy a smoke of weed of an evening as a relaxant, social lubricant or whatever immediately - in the eyes of the law at least – fall under the classification of “criminal”. If actually apprehended, then these individuals become public criminals and the consequences of being labelled as such can potentially be quite far reaching. While all of this is correct hypothetically it should be said that, where tokers truly are model citizens in all other walks of their lives, the chances of being busted are in actuality quite remote. The point of this is to make it clear that on a very obvious level it could be said that cannabis use is linked to crime. At the risk of sounding pedantic, a more accurate way of expressing this would be: “cannabis use in countries where it’s illegal makes the user a criminal in theory but only if they are apprehended while in possession of cannabis will this become a reality.” In 1985, a guy called Paul Goldstein put together a thing called “Goldstein’s
of weed but never touches, say, cocaine, does not disqualify them from involvement in violent crime. This whole idea that stoners are a peaceful bunch is a
myth like so many others (consider, for example, Charlie Manson and various Family members). But I’m getting ahead of myself...we’ll come back to all of that in a while. This “Tripartite Framework” is not without its flaws, but we still think it covers all of the bases and we still refer to it in our work today. Essentially, Goldstein broke drug related crime into three types: Psychopharmacological, Economic Compulsive and Systemic. We’ll look at each of these in order.
to indicate that it applies to cannabis (nor, come to that, the opiates). Smoking or eating weed even for decades seems unlikely to result in the sort of psychological changes required to “make” most users violent. Where the user has pre-existing, underlying mental health problems is, of course, a whole other ball game. As applied to cannabis and opiates, Goldstein says this is “largely discredited” and points out that it had been even in the 1920’s when a guy called Lawrence Kolb – in a staggering example of common sense thinking, given the date – described as an “absurd fallacy” the whole notion of crime committed while on drugs. This notwithstanding, even as late as the 1950’s, stories would appear in the press concerning “deranged negroes”, Hispanics, Chinese, and pretty much any other ethnic minority group “running amok”, “raping and pillaging” while under the influence of the “evil weed marihuana”...or variations on that basic, highly racist theme. Fact: in the case of most users, this scenario is simply not true. However, the truth or facts of the matter didn’t stop people believing it, and – amazingly - we still come across individuals who adhere to this view even now. It should be noted that one place this line is trotted out from time to time is in
26 the law courts as a defence of some sort for a (usually) reprehensible act. In these situations, drug use is presented as a sort of defence or excuse for criminal actions; simply put “it was the drug that made me do it”. There was a protracted court case in Scotland back in the early years of the last decade involving the highly unpleasant murder of a teenage girl by her boyfriend. As part of his defence, the lawyer for this odious specimen told
spurious case in line with the one above where straws are being clutched at by criminals in an attempt at justification, I’ve found absolutely nothing to lend any credence to this in relation to cannabis.
money here and there, this is largely no longer the case. Where the attitude used to be “there’s plenty of trade and therefore money to go around”, this is largely no longer the case.
Systemic Crime
In the past decade or so, organised and highly criminal groups have taken an interest in cannabis wholesaling and dealing. The chances are that this was always the case with resin, but a lot less so with weed. Where these characters used to focus on drugs with a high
This one “...refers to the traditionally aggressive patterns of interaction within the system of drug distribution and use” and as such is where we find most of the crime associated with drugs. Basically, it’s about the crime, violence
boss; Punishment for failing to pay one’s debts. In short, all of the nonsense commonly associated with the movement of “hard” drugs. There is one part of organised crime that always seems to attract people who are in it purely for the kick of the violence. “Enforcers” is one name for them; “sadistic thugs” is another. These characters are there because of the omnipres-
HERE IS ONE PART OF ORGANISED CRIME THAT ALWAYS SEEMS TO ATTRACT PEOPLE WHO ARE IN IT PURELY FOR THE KICK OF THE VIOLENCE. “ENFORCERS” IS ONE NAME FOR THEM; “SADISTIC THUGS” IS ANOTHER. the court that the accused was smoking several ounces of cannabis a week in the months leading up to the time of the murder. Fortunately, neither the jury nor the judge bought any of it and this character is currently serving a long, long stretch. “It was the drug that made me do it”: piffle.
Economic Compulsive Crime This part suggests that some drug users engage in economically oriented crime, e.g., robbery, in order to support costly drug use; so “economically oriented crime” on the part of the user to generate income for their drug of choice.
and general mayhem the goes hand in hand with trafficking and dealing. This goes from low level local dealing right up to international cartels worth gazillions of pounds. One would traditionally have associated this kind of thing as specific to substances with a – supposedly – high addiction potential, so cocaine and heroin. And conversely, the kind of thing commonly associated with cannabis trafficking and dealing is something altogether more benign, laid back and non violent. In the past, we’ve interviewed grower/ dealers about how they might handle,
dependence potential (heroin, cocaine) they’ve been looking more towards more sustainable and lower risk revenue streams (cannabis can be grown in the UK easily whereas heroin and cocaine still have to be imported and there are a lot of risks attached to that).
ent potential for violence and mayhem that exists in that world. Money can be an attraction, drugs as well, but it’s the violence that gets these guys’ motor
So organised crime has moved into the cannabis market and along with this has come some business practice previously alien to the scene. Again, we return to Goldstein for more about this. He lists a number of examples of systemic violence traditionally associated with “hard” drugs. We would suggest that he
running. If they weren’t involved in trafficking and dealing they’d be smuggling people, organs, weapons; anything, in short, that’s got the promise of bloodshed with it.
I don’t think there’s a lot of need to dwell on this too much when it comes to cannabis users, although I can see where it applies to users of certain other substances. Let’s be honest, the extent of most cannabis users involvement in this sort of thing probably extends as far as a bit of dealing in order to fund and guarantee their own supply, or they might set up a few lights and grow a couple of plants. I’ve searched high and low for evidence to indicate that cannabis users commit acquisitive crime (robbery, mugging, shoplifting etc) in order to “feed their habit” and, other than the odd highly
say, a non-payment situation. None of them indicated that they’d be prepared to resort to violence – though to be fair, this very much depended on the amount in question – and would much rather simply not have any further dealings with the person; further, they’d put out the word that this person was a bad debt risk and not to be trusted. While this was the case a decade ago, the whole scene has very much changed now. Where one would find individual dealers (a lot of them students) or a loose confederation of dealers working primarily for themselves but prepared to front each other a few ounces of weed or some
revise this to include and incorporate big time cannabis dealing. Here are a few examples: Disputes over territory between rival drug dealers; Assaults...committed within dealing hierarchies as a means of enforcing normative codes; Robberies of drug dealers and the usually violent retaliation by the dealer or his/her
I recently saw Oliver Stone’s new film “Savages” in which two weed growers find their easygoing, freewheeling lives going to shit when a Mexican Cartel decides to muscle in on their patch. It’s fiction, for sure, and the UK isn’t America with Mexico just over the border. However, some gentlemen of my acquaintance in British Columbia, Canada and in Arizona, America tell me they have had visits from representatives of, respectively, the Hell’s Angels and a Mexican Cartel making overtures about some sort of business alliance. Needless to say, my acquaintances are none too keen, but wonder whether they’ll ultimately have a choice in the matter. Ah, drug hubris and folly. Ultimately, all of the above comes back to one fundamental issue: cannabis is illegal. Just because it’s illegal doesn’t stop people from wanting it (and getting it). What’s the answer to this? That’s pretty obvious, in our view.
Resource: Goldstein, PJ (1985) The Drugs/Violence Nexus: A Tripartite Conceptual Framework. Journal of Drug Issues 15(4): 493-506. Kolb, L (1925) Drug Addiction and its Relation to Crime. Mental Hygiene 9:7489
28
GROW WITH LITTLE LEBOWSKI
A BEGINNER’S GUIDE
Reverse Osmosis Growing plants is simple, right? Treat them nicely, give them enough light, water and food and they’ll reward you with some tasty buds. Filtered water is just for posh kids and yummy mummies with too much time and money on their hands, not for plants. If water from the tap is good enough for us to drink, why spend money on filtering water for your plants? Plenty of people give their garden plants tap water and they do just fine. But, if you’re looking to push your girls to their absolute maximum and give them the best of everything, maybe you should take a look at Reverse Osmosis. Think about it, you’ve spent your hard grown cash on creating the perfect environment; a shiny digital ballast and state of the art lamp shade for the best quality light, intake and outtake fans connected to a fancy controller that regulates temperature and air flow in your room, an automated feeding system set to deliver expensive nutrients and additives at precisely the right time. Doesn’t it make sense to mix your fancy nutrients with pure water, or is it just a gimmick?
son; we’re British and we can drink our tap water. Unlike many countries across mainland Europe and the rest of the world, we’ve been blessed with an abundance of clean tap water that can be drunk without fear of shitting out all of your internal organs or worse! So, quite logically, if the water is safe for us, it is safe for our plants. This is in stark contrast to the US, where the tap water is – to put it bluntly – shit! In many US cities the tap water is, at best, impure or, at worst, completely undrinkable. Therefore, if you venture into any grow shop in the US you are very likely to see a range of filtration and Reverse Osmosis systems that have been created specifically for hydroponic growers. So, why exactly would you want, or need, to remove the impurities from the water that you give to your plants? Well, there are several reasons, the first and probably the most important is pretty simple; to get the most out of your expensive nutrients.
High background EC? You may need an RO system Reverse osmosis systems aren’t a common sight in UK grow shops and many grow shop owners themselves may not be 100% sure about how they work or what they are used for, and for good rea-
Read any decent nutrient manufacturers feed chart and you’ll notice that they recommend adding nutrient to your water until a desired strength is reached – measured in either parts per million (PPM) or electrical conductivity (EC). For example, feed young plants a nutrient solution of 1.2 EC.
That sounds simple enough; just use an EC meter to measure your solution until you reach the desired strength. BUT, this recommended EC of 1.2 assumes a starting EC value of 0 and your tap water already has an EC value to start with.
Reverse Osmosis systems are available to
are fed by two or three different reservoirs and can receive soft water in the mornings and hard water in the afternoons! This makes it almost impossible to set an effective feeding schedule. An RO system will solve this. Removing alkalinity from the water will prevent build ups of mineral salts in irrigation pipes, drippers and sprinklers. Growers in very hard water areas will no longer have to check their irrigation systems for blockages or add cleaning agents to their reservoirs in order to keep things running smoothly.
the home grower in a variety of sizes
Your tap water will contain elements such as calcium, magnesium and sodium. The harder (more alkaline) your water is, the more of these compounds it will contain. Tap water differs depending on the area of the UK you live in, different areas have different compositions and may contain additional elements such as iron, potassium, sulphur, nitrates and trace elements such as boron, copper, manganese and zinc. You may have a starting EC anywhere in the range of 0.2 to 0.8 (or higher) and the key thing is; you don’t know what the composition and the ratio of these elements is. So, the balanced elements in your expensive nutrients can become unbalanced when added to tap water, causing deficiencies or nutrient lock out and restricting the growth of your plants. RO water provides you with a ‘clean sheet’, a pure and neutral base for you to add your nutrients to. So you can be assured that your plants are receiving the right elements in the optimum balance. Plus, complete changes of your nutrient reservoir are needed less frequently, because you have the confidence that the starting EC level was completely balanced. RO provides a consistent base supply of water; you can be assured time after time that your water EC won’t fluctuate and so can get into a routine of setting nutrient strength and pH. This is especially important for growers in regions that are fed by more than one water supply, for example in some areas of Northern England homes
Purified water is also very handy for growers that regularly use humidifiers in their rooms as it stops the build-up of minerals forming as white dust on their plants and grow equipment, therefore prolonging the life of their carbon filters and grow lights. Finally – and maybe unexpectedly – growers that use organic nutrients and additives or brew their own compost tea will also find filtered water produces better results. This is because UK tap water contains chlorine – a cleansing agent – either in the form of chlorine or combined with ammonia to form chloramine. It’s
Reverse Osmosis systems are available to the home grower in a variety of sizes widely accepted that letting tap water sit for around 24 hours allows the chlorine to evaporate off, but that is not the case for chloramine – which would take months to completely evaporate. Growers that add beneficial bacteria and micro-organisms, like Trichoderma and Mycorrhiza, may find the effects of theses microbes are
29 neutralised when added to unfiltered tap water containing chloramine.
it difficult to deliver a consistent nutrient programme. An RO system would help.
Running tap water through a granulated carbon filter – usually the second stage filter in an RO system – effectively removes both the chlorine and chloramine present, allowing beneficial microbial life to flourish.
If you use a hydroponic system or just a simple irrigation set up and notice a build-up of mineral salts in the pipework, drippers or pump, then an RO system will help to prevent this.
So, how does a Reverse Osmosis system work? It involves forcing a solution containing a mineral content through a very fine, semi permeable membrane (think of it as an ultra-fine filter) that allows solution (water) through but prevents any larger molecules from passing through – therefore purifying the solution of all dissolved minerals and producing pure water. One of the most widely used applications for Reverse Osmosis is to produce pure drinking water from sea water, be filtering all salts and other dissolved substances that are present. RO systems used in hydroponic gardening usually consist of three filtering stages; 1. A sediment filter – this stage removes any fine particles that could damage the Osmosis membrane 2. A granulated carbon filter – this stage removes any chlorine, chloramine and organic elements 3. The semi permeable membrane – this stage removes the vast majority of dissolved minerals, leaving you with virtually pure water
If the background EC is very high – over 0.8 – then it may be worthwhile investing. As a reading this high indicates a high level of compounds present, which have the potential to unbalance the nutrient solution that you feed to your plants.
The units are relatively expensive to buy and maintain, for example the smaller hobby versions are around £150 to purchase. The carbon filter and sediment filter needs to be replaced every 3-4 months, but the semi permeable membrane will last for around two years. One interesting downside with RO systems is that as well as removing all of the minerals that unbalance your nutrient
need to be supplemented alongside your base nutrient. This is because many of the nutrient companies formulate their recipe to cater for hard water – already containing relatively high levels of calcium and magnesium – and so reduce the amount of these elements in their recipes in order to prevent overfeeding. Using these nutrients in RO purified
It is worth bearing in mind that an EC pen won’t provide you with any information on the actual mineral composition of your water. For that it may be worth speaking to your local grow shop to see if they can supply a testing kit or have a search online for a kit. At a recent UK trade show, Canna was inviting attendees to bring a sample of their tap water for analysis – very helpful! So, it can’t all be good, what about the downsides? Every positive carries a negative and RO systems are no exception. Firstly they are relatively wasteful in the sense that they produce waste water in the approximate ratio of 1:3. So, for every litre of purified water produced, there is 3 litres of waste water. If the water supply is
The RO system is fairly simple to install, attaching directly to the copper pipe of your water supply. The back pressure of your mains forces the water through the Use a high quality filters. A variety of systems are available magnesium calcium supplement starting at a ‘hobby’ size - producing a to get the best from RO purified water maximum of around 200 litres per day up to huge industrial units with an output of thousands of litres. particularly hard or mains pressure is low, then more waste water is produced. So, how do you know if you need one? The first step is to test the EC of your tap This means that a hobby RO system water, using a standard EC pen and do it would require 800L of tap water to proat various times during the day. If different duce 200L of pure water, wasting 600L of time periods give vastly different readings water. For any grower on a water meter, then your mains water supply may be this would probably rule out a purchase coming from different sources, making immediately!
Put the best in and you’ll get the best out! solution, they also remove the minerals that are helpful for your plants. The bicarbonates and carbonates that are present in tap water create an alkalinity that helps to buffer the pH of the water. These compounds help to raise the pH and neutralise the effects of any acids that are added to water – including those that are present in your nutrients and also the ones that are put out by your plants as waste. By removing those completely with an RO system the pH will be unstable. To counteract this, once the water has been purified by the system, a small amount of tap water or baking soda needs to be added to bring the EC up slightly and provide the buffer. Calcium and magnesium – both essential to plant development – will be removed by the RO system and may
water can lead to calcium and magnesium deficiencies, which can lead to serious problems in the flowering stage; when the plants uptake of phosphorus and potassium rises, so does its need for magnesium and calcium. If these elements aren’t present, then your expensive PK booster will basically stop working, because your plants won’t be able to uptake it. Adding a high quality calcium and magnesium supplement to your RO water before adding base nutrients will prevent the problems from occurring and ensure your plants remain healthy and green through to harvest. RO water is more than just a gimmick, if your plants suffer from regular nutrient imbalance or you grow in a hard water area; it may be a necessity, and if you’re looking for a shiny new toy for your grow room it’s well worth an investment.
30
U.S. LEGISLATION
Blue States, Green Ideals Just in time for the holidays, three ‘blue’ states experienced major victories on the Cannabis front. Colorado and Washington legalized pot for rec-
In addition to an increase in available police resources for tackling real crime, a further long term benefit would be the homogenization of the recreational weed
reational purposes, becoming the first states in American history to allow adults to partake in peace, although similar attempts in Oregon failed. Massachusetts said ‘yes’ to medi-weed, joining the ranks of seventeen other states, plus the District of Columbia, to offer patients this herbal alternative. Medical Cannabis was also voted upon in Arkansas and Montana, but no pro-pot progress was made. A majority of voters in five major Michigan cities supported medi-weed measures; however, authorities have already vowed to maintain their prohibitive stance.
industry. Colorado and Washington state will serve as templates for implementation that, if successful, will assist legalization efforts across the country.
Aside from the immediate effects of the November Cannabis victories, the long term benefits for society present a far healthier approach than incarceration. The legislation in Colorado and Washington aims to dissolve the issue of criminal drug dealing, not only by allowing for the creation of legal retail establishments for Cannabis, but also slowly removing the stigma from lowlevel dealers by morphing that former crime into a legitimate, taxable job. Thus, drugs would be removed from the hands of ‘criminals’, in theory allowing for the proliferation of safe, regulated locations from which the public may purchase their stash. Even if drug dealers drop their prices, legal retailers can offer their customers safety features that are likely to sway sales in their favour. Regulation of quality, testing for potency and contaminants, etc., will be made even more attractive when combined with uniform, professional packaging. All of this will need to be done by someone – and the growers will be busy in their gardens – thereby requiring specialized staff. This is just one of the ways that legalization creates jobs (although drug dealers losing customers to these impending pot shops might disagree).
Colorado: Amendment 64 Back in 2006, forty-one percent of voters in Colorado supported legalizing possession and consumption of Cannabis; this past November, that number had risen to fifty-five percent. The legislation amends Article 17 of Colorado’s constitution, and it means that adults will now be treated as adults, free to relax at home with a
joint or bong instead of – or in addition to – a cocktail or frosty beer.
Sativa Diva
Simply legalizing pot possession is a huge step towards ending the War on Drugs. However, the authors of Amendment 64 were also careful to include home
As each state successfully implements an approach similar to the regulation of liquor shops or tobacco counters, the risk of children having access to Cannabis is greatly reduced. These arguments have been promoted by the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like
growing. Sean McAllister, a long-time Cannabis advocate and former assistant district attorney for Colorado, details the new freedoms: “People can grow their own and keep their own harvests, even if it is over one ounce. They can share up to an ounce at a time with friends, for no money, and that is legal. They cannot sell to anyone; they cannot distribute through the stores.”
Alcohol (www.RegulateMarijuana.org), a group whose efforts were essential in the passage of Amendment 64. They feel that legalization will help to control Cannabis access, thereby reducing usage rates among teenagers, strongly curtailing availability for non-adults, minimizing pot smokers’ hard drug exposure, and re-directing drug dealers’ profits towards the infrastructure.
32
ED ROSENTHAL
A LOOK AT THREE GARDENS OVER TIME 23 JULY FIELD REPORT
How does your garden grow Part 1
been rolled out. Together they are wider than the roof, so one frame sits gently on the other. The south-facing front is blacked out using black-out curtains, commonly available at hydro shops. They hang from curtain rods at either side of the door. The glass greenhouse door’s window has its own roller curtain.
Where the garden is situated in the San Francisco Bay Area, the temperature stays fairly cool, usually under 26 degrees C. Heat is currently controlled using an exhaust fan set at 23 degrees C and a 16” oscillating fan. A portable heat exchange air conditioner is installed but hasn’t been turned on because the CO2 tank system has not yet been installed. This will happen later this week.
I have been tracking three marijuana grows this year for SOFT SECRETS. We are half way through the season here. The light deprivation plants have been harvested or will be harvested shortly. The first garden is a personal garden and the other two are commercial ventures sponsored by a medical dispensary. THE HOME GARDEN In northern California’s inner cities, land is valuable and all available spaces are used, even if they are imperfect. The greenhouse we are watching was constructed in a space between two buildings and is 4m long x 3.5m wide. The roof slants down slightly from 3m. The roof and one wall are open to light. This side faces is covered with clear corrugated plastic. A walkway in the middle divides the garden area. Only one section is used for cannabis. The other side holds a table of orchids in containers. The cannabis garden receives only four or five hours of direct sunlight each day. This is supplemented with two Inda-Gro induction fluorescents, each of which uses 420 watts ,and a Bad Boy 4 tube T-5 fluorescent fixture. The two lamps were initially hung above the plants, but the fixtures were blocking sunlight. One lamp was secured against the back wall at a 45 degree angle. The other was installed at the corner of the wall and the roof, under wood framing that was already blocking light. Almost all the light generated is falling on the plants. The T-5 fluorescents had been on a recycling lighting regimen of 90 seconds on every 4 hours. This brief period of light broke up the dark period, and kept the plants in full vegetative under natural light and abbreviated period of bright
sunlight. When the cycle was changed to flowering, the T-5 duty was switched to supplementing light with the two induction fluorescents. The three fixtures provide light from 9:00 AM to noon, and again from 4:00 through 8:00 PM—periods when the plants receive only indirect light.
5/10 Close-up of the transplanted clone.
Today, July 23, dawn and dusk were 05:36 and 20:55, a total of 15 hours, 19 minutes. However, with light deprivation the plants have been receiving less than 12 hours of light daily since July 1. The darkening technique is simple but effective. Two opaque shade cloths are drawn over the top of the roof each evening and then rolled back up later in the day. The shade cloths presented two problems at the beginning. First they weren’t wide enough for complete coverage, and left a light opening. Taping a strip of white/ black opaque polyethylene plastic over the uncovered plastic solved this. The second problem with the shades is that they are about 60cm shorter than the length of the greenhouse, leaving a large light gap. This was solved by making two frames using 1cm pvc pipe. Each is 2m wide and 65cm long. One frame is covered in w/b polyethylene and the other with black woven shade cloth. The white/ black film is lighter weight and generally easier to place and construct than the shade cloth. Both are placed over the roof from the front, after the shade has
5/10 The four seedlings are planted into General Hydro’s Mega Farms.
5/30 The four plants have been growing 20 days. Two small plants have been added to the garden they are growing in planting mix. Lights have been installed. In the back you can see the T-5 fluorescent fixture which is lit 90 seconds every 4 hours throughout the day. This prevents premature flowering.
5/30 This plant has tripled in size
33
6/13 Two weeks later the plants have filled 5/30 The stems of the plants were bent to promote more
out. The new plants have been transferred
branching and to keep the height low.
into large containers with planting medium.
6/25 All six plants have grown into vigorous bushes
6/25 The first sign of problems. Powdery mildew has appeared on the plants. They were sprayed with a mixture of Ed Rosenthal’s Zero Tolerance™ and Seranade™, which was made by adding ERZT to ready-to-use 7/3 A growing tip two days into light deprivation.
Seranade. One thorough spray was enough to eliminate the problem.
7/3 The plants have almost filled the space and will fill out more as they flower. The lights are on 8 hours a day, in the morning and towards evening. The T-5 (on the left)
7/10 The plants growth pattern has changed and the plants are starting to produce flowers.
duty has changed from regulating flowering to supplemental lighting.
7/10 A young bud.
7/17 The shape of the plants are changing from the 7/10 The bushy plants are creating lots of buds.
7/17 Individual buds are beginning to fill out.
new growth.
34
7/17 Twisted leaves and edges turned up indicate over-fertilization. The solution: drain some of the nutrient solution and then dilute the remainder with pH’d water.
MENDOCINO GARDENS I have been visiting a number of gardens in the hills of Mendocino, one of the counties that make up the famed “Emerald Triangle,” known for its connoisseur grade bud. One of them is an outdoor garden; the other is a light deprivation greenhouse.
The outdoor garden was on a high plain between higher hills in the distance. A small backhoe had been drawn to service several years earlier. The native soil was dug out in a wide swath about 1m wide and 1m deep, and replaced with a special landscape mix sold by the local garden center
7/17 The greenhouse under wraps.
which also stocks a surprisingly large selection of fertilizers and budding supplements. The soil is supplemented annually with nutrients, and mycorrhizae. Bamboo poles tied together hold the netting in place. The branches grow
6/18 The plants were placed about eight feet
6/18 A top in full vegetative. Notice the long slender leaves of
apart in rows that are widely spaced.
the mostly sativa variety.
through it and are supported in part by the string, so they are less likely to break or suffer damage from the wind. It also keeps them from leaning over into their neighbor’s space. These are all Blue Dream, which don’t grow much taller than 1.5m. They will ripen in early October.
6/18 One plant had a lesion on its stem. Reason unknown.
7/18 A month later, in mid July the plants are already in the first stage of flowering The branches that will soon be holding big bud are already poking 7/18 The plants, though spaced widely apart are almost touching.
through the plant’s bush symmetry.
35 7/18 The lesion area is colonized by a f ungus that has grown a white, 7/18 A nascent bud. Soon it will enter a
cottony layer. It is being treated
period of rapid growth.
I was in a greenhouse that was built inexpensively from metal framing covered with clear polyethylene. A white/ black polyethylene curtain was laboriously placed over the top of the 5m arch greenhouse in early June. The plants are expected to be harvested the first week in August. The plants are in 75-L containers in a planting mix similar to the one in
with Ed Rosenthal’s Zero Tolerance™.
the trough garden above. During the vegetative stage they were fed an inexpensive commercial fertilizer, Grow-More 15-16-17, which is formulated for soilless mixes so it has extra micro-nutrients. The irrigation water was enriched to about 300 ppm using a Dramm injector. About two weeks after they started flowering the fertilizer was switched to a 5-25-25 formula, also at 300 PPM.
7/18 At the entrance. The greenhouse is 45m long, so the rows stretch way back.
7/18 It’s a jungle of buds inside the garden. The buds are about two weeks from harvest.
6/18 Plants in the Greenhouse about 10 days after light deprivation was started. The entire garden was planted with Blue Dream. 7/18 Two buds poke above the canopy to get more light.
7/18 Bud close-up. In two weeks the stigmas will turn brown, the flowers 6/18 The plants will grow through the netting so the buds will be firmly supported.
behind the stigmas will enlarge a bit, the glands will bulge with resin and the odor will become outrageously intense.
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37
GROW WITH JORGE CERVANTES
The Backyard Garden After a decade of living in Spain where I could legally grow cannabis for personal consumption, I returned to the USA. Even though I was examined by a doctor and prescribed a “Medical Marijuana Certificate” from the State of California, my new “home,” I still felt uncomfortable with the legal system. When I left the USA “criminal medical cannabis gardeners” received long prison sentences and their homes and assets were confiscated under civil law. It took me a few months to warm up to the new life in California. This is a brief 3-yeary history of a backyard garden located at in California at 38 degrees north latitude and is influenced by maritime Pacific Ocean weather. It is in Sunset Garden Climate Zone 14. This simple history demonstrates that soil is the essential base of the garden. Sunlight, temperature and varieties grown are the next most important factors. Once these elements are in balance, growing outstanding medical cannabis is easy! The first year the soil was very bad, heavy clay littered with river bottom rocks. Drainage was slow and little oxygen and organic matter was in the soil. Water would accumulate on soil for after heavy rains. I started amending the soil in February, tilling in plenty of organic matter – compost, bark dust, sand, and used indoor soil – extra chicken manure was added to help break down bark dust. Bone and kelp meal but no lime or other supplemental fertilizers were added. The soil texture transformed. Water drained readily with good retention. The soil still lacked the proper balance of organic life that would take two more years to attain.
The plants in a 6 x 10 foot bed raised 8 inches are covered with 50 percent green shade cloth. The shade cloth was extended over one side to help block ocean breezes. A week after transplanting they were slow growing. July days were hot 85 degrees F but the nights were cool, 45 degrees F. The shade cloth over plants kept them cooler during the day and warmer at night.
2010 Backyard Garden
By August 4th, plants were growing well. The shade cloth cooled soil and lowered water consumption.
My first crop maintained low profile growing three of each Bubba Kush and OG Kush. The varieties, purchased from a local medical cannabis dispensary, were developed to grow indoors under lights. I transplanted the clones in rockwool cubes into one-gallon (3 L) containers. I let them harden-off for more than a week and patriotically transplanted the 12-inch-tall (30 cm) clones on the 4th of July, Independence Day in the USA.
This OG Kush plant receives plenty of light for rapid growth.
38
The garden is located between a two story wall and a tall fence. Once the sun disappears behind the trees and walls, the garden receives low levels of light. When the sun is directly above on June 21 all plants receive almost 6 hours of direct sunlight, but the first of October the sun is lower in the sky and just over half of the plants receive 1-4 hours of direct sunlight and the rest receive only ambient light. Plants in the foreground also subjected to light from an adjacent window. Shade cloth helped block the nighttime light and all parts of plants matured at the same time.
The bud mold infected about a dozen big buds. I let them go to see how it would grow. At the end of the experiment, I decided the best way to banish the mold from buds is to send it up in smoke! Caution: Do not try this at home!
2011 Backyard Garden The second year clones were transplanted a couple of weeks earlier, June 14. The soil absorbed water and retained it much better; 12 months of biological activity helped the soil mature. The varieties – Chemdog, Headband, Blue Dream – grew taller and were more robust and more resistant but not immune to powdery mildew and bud rot (botrytis cinera). At planting time dispensaries offered the best commercial cuttings available and the easiest to acquire. Of course my research was based on convenience and I choose from stock on hand. The indoor varieties were not acclimated to the rigors of outdoors. Stems must be strong and growth sturdy and fast. The garden was easier to tend because weather was milder and clones were established when hot weather arrived in late July. Water penetrated the soil better. I watered by hand every few days, about 10 gallons per plant, using an aerating watering wand and local tap water. On 10 August female flowers are starting to grow under a 13 hours 50 minutes of sunlight! By the end of the month flowering is in full force under 13 hours of daylight and 11 yours of darkness. Five pounds of bat guano was applied and cultivated into the top layer of soil August 1. The bat guano was expensive but it helped buds swell and also imparted a sweeter taste.
By the 20th of August plants were growing robustly and female flower stigmas and bracts were just starting to grow. Branches blew in the wind and many of them could not support the weight of the newly forming flower buds. I installed a nylon horizontal trellis consisting of 6-inch squares. I fastened it to lightweight stakes in the ground. Installing the horizontal trellis was the most work after transplanting. It took two hours to press the posts into the ground, string the trellis, bend top branches and clean up.
Two weeks before harvest all foliage is green including large leaves. A heavy dose nitrogen (chicken manure) was necessary to combat the bark dust in the soil. All six plants grew to about three feet tall with big thick flower buds. The first signs of powdery mildew and bud mold started in mid to late August as buds began to thicken. The mold became progressively worse when control measures were not taken. Serenade® was applied as a spray at one-week intervals until the first of September. This appeared to keep the disease at bay, but it did little for the disease that migrated inside the plant. Bud mold progressed and was cut out when visible. The cannabinoid-potent crop was harvested branch-at-a-time, on the first of October. Branches with large amounts of bud mold were left in the ground so the disease would progress.
39 The last day of August more small flower buds were forming and branch tips elongating. The extra 8 inches of sideboard added to the raised bed increased the height to 16 inches. I also added compost-enriched soil to fill the void. The bed warmed sooner in spring, but got too hot in summer until plants covered the soil.
Buds are starting to plump up by the 20th of September. Branches of big buds will be harvested in 30 days. Lower branches are left to fatten-up a week or more before harvest.
The 2nd of October a big rainstorm blew in. Headband a leafy variety with a narrow stem is lying over in front. Strong stems, few leaves and compact buds keep the variety, Green Crack, in the background has standing upright.
The 6th of September just over half the plants receive 2-5 hours of direct sunlight and the rest receive only ambient light.
The first bud with a two-ounce (56 gm) flower was taken the 4th of October. Flower buds ripened at different rates extending the harvest two weeks.
Maybe it really is time to get wise?
Dr John Dee
A number of years ago, I attended an LSD/psychedelics conference in Switzerland where I met – among many others – Rick Doblin, the president and founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). During one of our discussions, Rick said (I paraphrase, but you’ll get the gist): “It’s time we moved beyond the rights of the individual to use this or that in the privacy of their own home. Sure, it’s still important, but we need to move on from this and look at the bigger, global picture. It’s time to get wise: these substances have a function in medicine, and we need to start working towards moving them (back) into the medical mainstream.”
to alter their consciousness/get high (in my book, this is a given, within limits), but we need to move on from this to more important matters in the realm of medical marijuana. At this point, I should clarify; when I talk here about medical marijuana (MM), I’m not talking about the usual “an excuse to get stoned based on spurious claims and/or a defence I can use in court if I’m busted” type MM. What I’m talking about here is hard medical science, most of which will a) preclude the act of smoking dope, and b) won’t get the user high as such either.
Jump forward, and now MAPS organise and run Psychedelic Science conferences completely leaving behind the “I’ve used such-and-such for years and it’s never done me any harm but in the eyes of the police I’m a criminal” style whinging of old, moving instead into presenting the results of properly run clinical trials investigating - to use one example - the use of MDMA to treat PTSD.
As readers will probably be aware, the cannabis plant contains several hundred different chemicals and compounds other than the one everybody knows about (THC). Due to the illegality of cannabis, carrying out systematic scientific investigations of these has proved troublesome. However, a small number of papers have appeared in the scientific literature over the past 4 or 5 years that tentatively raise the possibility of cannabis-based medicine being brought into the mainstream. Let’s consider a few of these;
While I have a number of ideological/moral/ethical problems with the pharmaceutical industry per se, on the whole I agree with Rick; the same needs to be done with cannabis. It’s all fine and good talking about the right of the individual
Cannabidiol (CBD) is increasingly regarded as one of the most medically significant compounds in the cannabis plant. I’ve written at some lengths in this column and other places about the possible benefits of CBD in treating
depression and psychotic illness. However, more recent (2009) work indicates a further range of uses outside of mental illness: Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, obstructed blood flow in the brain, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. There’s also Cannabinol (CBN), of considerable interest due to its unique antibacterial properties. It has been found to have extraordinary properties in reducing/halting nasties such as MRSA and other antibiotic resistant superbugs responsible for many deaths and ward closures every year in the UK. Along the same lines, Cannabigerol (CBG) also displays usefulness in the treatment of bacteria resistant to conventional antiseptic antibacterials. Lastly, consider Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), a compound showing considerable promise in the healing of fractures along with anti-inflammatory and analgesic qualities. The above are just taster examples. The fact is that there are still hundreds of compounds unique to the cannabis plant waiting to be investigated and their uses revealed. They’re natural, non-toxic and their source is very easy to obtain. And yet...and yet...pharmaceutical industry involvement bothers me. On the MAPS website there’s a statement regarding making these substances “...safely and legally available for beneficial uses, and where research is governed by rigorous scientific evaluation of their risks and benefits.” Great sentiment, well expressed. If we could add “not for profit” in there as well, I’d be a very happy man.
41
GROW WITH GRUBBYCUP
Organic vs Synthetic Side by Side There are some differences of opinion that get argued over more that others, and a common topic for debate is the difference between organic and synthetic nutrients. The amount of conflicting information available on the topic is staggering. I have heard both sides of the fence hurl claims and insults at each other with vehemence and by Grubbycup determination. Gentle Reader, I thought I’d take a few plants, and a few nutrients, and see what I could find out for myself on the topic. I took 3 drip/dwc hybrid systems, 3 clones,
with the synthetically fed plant, with a final harvest of 71 g dry smoke. The two organic plants came in well behind with 32 g for the commercial line and 24 g for
It is more like smoking out of a vaporizor than smoking a joint. On the down side, it shares the same drawback, in that it is almost too smooth to feel fulfilling. Comments from the panel also remarked on the mildness, although not always as kindly, with one respondent calling it “bland” and other remarks such as “No fruit nor floral fragrance. No fruit flavor. I missed the fruit and floral notes in this one.” and “Had a very smooth taste, like an ultralight cigarette. Hard to tell for sure that you got a hit until you exhale.”
scent and pineapple-mango taste on the top notes.” and “has layers of flavor, and it’s easy to detect the florals, the fruit and the woody earthiness. This is my favorite of the three.” The highest praise came from a respondent that wrote: Liked the mildness and gentleness to things 3 and 2. Didn’t feel like coughing at all. Wrote a little poem afterwards. “Thing 1 is done, Thing 2 is through, Thing 3 is free Hooray for me!” 1st place with 12 points, Synthetic (General Hydroponic Flora Series). When I tried it, I found it to be both smooth, and pleasant, with a mild fruity flavor on the tip of the tongue on exhale. Panel members remarked that it was “detectably fruity on the inhale; smooth and no harshness on the throat.” with a “berry-fruit-light citrus taste and scent”. The “strong grape notes” were said to have “a stronger taste, more substantial and satisfying.”
The synthetically fed bud on the left appears very similar to the organically fed bud on the right. and 3 sets of nutrients to see what I could see. I’m not claiming this is the definitive test on the topic, I’m just reporting what happened with a particular three plants. The three plants were all taken from the same mother, a Purple Lady from G13, and started indoors under a 1000 watt metal halide lamp. One was fed a preprepared line of organic nutrients, one was fed on traditional organic nutrients including bone meal, blood meal, alfalfa meal, guano, kelp, and potash, and the last was fed a line of synthetic nutrients. The traditional organic plant suffered from gardener error, and was mistakenly overdosed with a K (potassium) in early growth, stunting it. The commercial organic line grew well, and did not show indications of nutrient deficiencies, but appeared to be a fair amount smaller and busier than the commercial synthetic fed plant.
the traditional organic plant. A double blind panel of ten was used to taste test the results. Only after all the comments and rankings were documented were the identities revealed. Since my “poker face” isn’t the best, I thought it prudent if I didn’t know the identities of each of the samples, so I wouldn’t influence the panel in their responses. I hid the true identity of each of the three in the lids of a set of three matched jars. The jars were mixed, shuffled, randomized, and otherwise spun about so that I had no idea which was which. Then each was assigned a label, “Thing 1”, “Thing 2”, or “Thing 3”. Joints rolled from Thing 1 had one stripe, Thing 2 joints had two stripes, and Thing 3, three. When panel members responded, they adressed their remarks
They were moved outside at 4 weeks from seed for two reasons. One, so the long nights of fall would trigger flowering, and two, because that was when my 1000 watt digital ballast died. The natural lighting The commercial synthetic line produced in the area I had available to use was not 71 grams to the organic line’s 32 grams. ideal, but some light is better than none at all, and the same goes for harvests. only by “Thing” and the number, since the During flowering, the plants looked very true identities of each was hidden. similar, with no noteworthy differences in bud structure appearance between the And here are the results: three. The synthetic plant continued to 3rd place with 7 points: Organic (Traditional). enjoy a lead in size throughout the grow. At harvest, root development was best I thought it was the smoothest of the three.
The synthetically fed plant I was pretty surprised at the result. I had been led to believe that the difference had the largest roots. between cannabis grown with organic nutrients would taste substantially betI believe that the comparatively lighter ter than the one grown with synthetics. nutrient regimen allowed for a cleaner The is a noticeable difference between flavor, but that the low ranking may be the two. The synthetic tasted fruiter, and a reflection that too light and clean of a the organic tasted more floral, but the flavor may not be the most popular. answers as to which tasted better was almost split down the middle with only a 2nd place with 11 points: single point between them. Apparently, Organic (General Organics GO Box). personal preference plays a key part. This was my favorite, and only a single point separated 2nd place from 1st in the A single test with a couple of plants isn’t flavor rankings. I thought it was the most a very large sample, so this may be an floral tasting of the three. exception and not representative of normal results, but each time things are testPanel members agreed with comments ed, and each time results are reported on, like : “Fresh cut florals! Fresh berries and the body of knowledge that we all share citrus!” gets just a little bit bigger. and “The scent and taste is both woody and floral, with a light, berry-citrus fruit
Peace, love, and puka shells. Grubbycup
When the lid disks are flipped, the secrets are safe.
42
BACKGROUND
Porsche Power! Dutch luxury car owners have fallen victim to hard up dope growers looking for a free lighting solution for their grow room! Porsche owning residents of Amsterdam were left scratching their
An unlucky Porsche Panamera in Amsterdam heads when they woke up and found their pride and joy had been the victim of theft; but, rather than stealing the expensive alloy wheels or even the
As any of you out there lucky enough to own one may know, to replace a head light bulb in a Porsche the entire light unit must be removed. Porsche – being the masters of German engineering that they are – have made this process quick and simple. A couple of turns of a single locking mechanism Another Panamera in pain will release the light fixture in seconds. Unfortunately, this dedication to driver efficiency also means that any enterprising grower, who happens to be short on cash, can liberate the lights with a few turns of a screwdriver and a bit of brute force. Prising the lights from their sockets results in a few thousand pounds worth of damage to the surrounding body work and electrics, on top of the hefty bill of replacing the stolen head lights
LAMPS THAT PORSCHE UTILISE IN THEIR PANAMERA AND CAYENNE MODELS ARE GREAT FOR GROWING WEED
few valuable possessions worth surveying – one of the incidents has been recorded by a home surveillance camera, giving us a perfect view of how it all happens.
By Little Lebowski
The whole thing is over in less than a minute! Drop this into the address bar of your web browser to see the thief in action: http://youtu.be/AQdXZO315kU We know what you’re all thinking…. do the lights work? Well, as it stands at the moment, we don’t have any grow reports and we aren’t expecting any! Some of you old school growers may remember pilfering security lamps to light your rooms back in the day, they
AROUND 20 PORSCHE OWNERS IN THE DUTCH CITY HAVE BEEN TARGETED BY ROGUE GROWERS Late at night, a guy walks onto the well-lit drive of a nice looking house and makes his way to the business end of the owner’s Porsche Panamera.
whole car, thieves had taken just two items – the head lights. According to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, around 20 Porsche owners in the Dutch city have been targeted by rogue growers who – rather than Amateur eye surgery on a Cayenne sell the lights as spares to put in other Head lamp thieves in action cars – take the parts to rig up over their precious plants. Crouching down to the head lights, themselves. Clearly the car owners in he uses a screwdriver to break the clip It seems that a rumour has spread question aren’t too happy about this. mechanism that holds the light fixtures amongst a certain community of growin place. Once the clips on both of the ers that the high intensity discharge The thieves target the Panamera and lights are dealt with, he gives the first (HID) lamps that Porsche utilise in the Cayenne ranges in particular, so one a couple of hard pulls to release their Panamera and Cayenne models you may want to watch your car if you it – setting off the car’s alarm system in are great for growing weed; producing own one of these two models! the process. He then moves on to the huge quantities of usable light and second headlight and quickly pulls it using far less power than conventional As we live in a modern age – and free before casually making his escape grow lamps. Porsche owners are likely to have a into the night.
didn’t perform half as well as some of the budget modern grow lights that are available in your local grow shop. Obviously, Soft Secrets doesn’t condone the theft of other people’s property, so we don’t recommend you try this one at home!
A pair of stolen lamps
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UKCULTIVATOR.NET
Cannabis Seeds: Fool-Proof Germination For many cannabis growers germinating a pack of cannabis seeds is the trigger for a chain of events which mimic’s the countdown to the launch of the space shuttle.
ting the container gently in the airing cupboard. He will then check the seeds every four hours looking for signs of life. What a pullarva. With seeds costing upwards of £80 a pack for a decent strain, its fair to want to give your seedlings the best possible start in life. But is all that fuss really necessary? I think not. Here’s how I do it.
After shopping around for superthrive drops and rhizotonic the careful grower then pH adjusts his water to a seedling loving 7.0, pre warms the water to a comfortable 21c, then he places his food grade kitchen rool into a sterilised ice cream container (the type with the pop top lid), wets it with the water and then tucks in his little babies before put-
Pre Treating Coco Over the last few years coco coir has really come to the fore as a serious option for cannabis growers looking for a medium to grow in. It brings together the ease and convenience of compost growing in pots with the mahoosive yields which are possible when growing in pure hydro. Its a naturally fibrous media which simply
doesn’t bind up and no matter how much abuse you give it. Meaning you can flood the media daily as part of a flood & drain feed regime and the roots of the plants will thanks you by producing dense tight nugs. Alternatively coco works well with a dripper system which its easy to automate with a timer, allowing you to sit back, wrap a
phatty and sip on your coffee while your watering system does the donkey work for you. Either way to get the best out of coco you will need some measuring sticks for pH and EC. The pH is the measure of acid/alkali ratio of your feed and the EC (Electrical Conductivity) is the feed strength. When we buy a sack of coco coir from the
I put a couple of inch’s of water in a child sized plastic beaker and I drop the seeds in. Job done. 24 to 48 hours later they’re ready to move on into your grow system. Easy as that.
grow shop the media needs to be treated before we put the plants in. Here’s how I do it. I’ll take a bucket containg around 5 litres of water and I will add nutrient until the EC meter reads about 0.6. Usually just a few mls initially. Then I pH adjust the water to 6.0, all the while bubbling the broth with a heavy duty aquarium pump. Also added to the blend is 10ml of Liquid Oxygen and I add Silicon where adjusting the pH up is concerned. After its bubbled for 20 minutes and I know the pH is stable I take each of my newly filled pots of coco and I submerge them in turn, into the feed bucket and let them soak through until they’re totally saturated. Its important to mention to withdraw them slowly otherwise they will empty their contents through the pot drains and into your bucket. With all 4 pots treated, the pH and the EC is set and I’m ready to add some seeds.
Foliar Feeding for Fast Improvement Your plants are sick, showing signs of discontent. If you grow hydroponically it can all go wrong pretty damn quickly. But don’t despair. There is a method for getting nutrients into the plant...FAST! Its called foliar feeding and its a method every grower should have in their armoury.
The most commonly used method of hydroponic plant fertilization is through the nutrient solution applied to the root zone. While plant root systems are in the most part highly efficient at absorbing mineral nutrients,certain conditions
can prevent optimal uptake rates of some of the elements plants require. When plants are stressed for some reason, have suffered root death or damage, are showing a nutrient deficiency or are being established from cuttings, then foliar feeding becomes a particu-
46 larly useful method of supplementary nutrient application. Foliar feeding,provides nutrients through the foliage of the plant which has the ability to absorb and translocate certain minerals within plant tissues and this is a technique which is widely used. Foliar feeding however can not be used to replace root based nutrition. In soil-less systems such as hydroponics, many nutrient interactions can occur within the root zone which makes it difficult for the plant to absorb certain minerals. Even well run hydroponic systems can become deficient in nutrients, either because of nutrient depletion, antagonism between certain elements, or due to elements becoming ‘bound’ and therefore unavailable for plant uptake. Imbalances in the combination of nutrients,pH levels which are too high or low for maximum plant uptake and poor physical properties of the media surrounding the root zone, including oxygen starvation are more common in soil less systems than many growers realize. Furthermore elements such as iron, an essential trace element, can not only be prone to becoming unavailable for plant use at moderate to high pH levels, but uptake by the plant can also be severely limited under certain environmental conditions such as cool temperatures. Iron chlorosis in many crops which are overly stressed by low temperatures can be a common problem where root uptake is the only source of iron for the plant.
Any situation which damages the root system or restricts its growth, development or physical process such as respiration affects the uptake of minerals. Plant pathogens such as Fusarium Pythium and Phytophthora can not only rapidly destroy a crop, but low, less damaging levels can restrict function of the root zone to the point where mineral uptake is affected. While the crop may not show signs of severe infection, mineral and water uptake can be restricted and therefore crop yields and quality are affected. Other plant stress conditions such as anaerobic conditions in the root zone where oxygen is deficient can limit nutrient uptake, with trace elements such as iron often affected to the greatest degree. Any other condition which stresses the plant, temperature stress, high or excessively low humidity levels, lack of light, high radiation levels, high plant densities, presence of pests or disease, will affect the ability of the root system to take up mineral elements. These conditions are common and occur in many growing systems from time to time without the grower even realizing that plant growth and mineral uptake is being limited in some way. Foliar feeding is also beneficial where a grower wants to apply organically based nutrients or ‘growth promotants’. Urea can also be used as part of a foliar spray, rather than as a nutrient solution addition. Adding large volumes of these types of organic products to the nutrient tank can result in
nutrient imbalances, oxygen depletion, bacterial growth, equipment and filter blockages as well as other undesirable effects. However these can be safety diluted and applied as a foliar fertilizer on a regular basis.
wetting or sticking agent is vital for foliar feeding. Wetting agents are necessary to ensure the adherence of droplets on difficult to wet leaves as well as assisting with the absorption of the fertilizer solution into the plant tissue.
Most leaves have stomata either only on the underside or on both sides of the leaf which enable gas to be exchanged for photosynthesis and respiration as well as releasing water vapour in stomata transpiration.
The foliar fertilizer solution should then be applied as a fine mist until ‘run off’ so that the entire leaf surface (both upper and lower surface) is wetted. The time of day when the solution is applied is also important.
The leaf with it’s epidermis can also function as an organ that absorbs and excretes water and substances which may be dissolved in it. So foliar applied nutrients can enter the plant leaf via the stomata, provided the stomata are open at the time of application One very important criterion of the effectiveness of nutrient sprays is the rate at which the foliar applied nutrients are absorbed by the leaves and translocated within the plant. The uptake of foliar nutrients is affected by a number of factors including environmental factors such as temperature, light, time of day and ‘spray solution’ factors such as concentration, application rate, application technique, wetting agent, pH and sticking ability. It would be difficult to ensure that all of these factors are optimal for foliar feeding at any one time, but some are more important than others. The use of a good quality, non ionic
Happy Seedlings = Big Healthy Buds In many British grow rooms the first week or two of a new seedlings life are often a nervy time. All of the money is spent and the grow room is ready. Now we just have to get the plants with some roots on them and we’re underway. Which sounds easy enough if you say it fast. But for some reason people will often fail at the seedling stage, losing pounds and pounds worth of seeds in the meantime. In fairness seedlings are pretty fragile. They are susceptible to heat, cold, humidity, you name it. But get your environment right and looking after seedlings is a breeze. As soon as your plants have the first non-serated seed leaves (Cotyledon’s)
Spraying early in the morning, when the lights have been on for an hour or so, but temperatures are still cool, or in the evening is best and conditions that allow the leaf to dry rather than stay wet for an extended length of time is also important to consider. Foliar solutions should not be applied during hot,bright conditions, if the plants are wilting or under water/ osmotic stress as the plants stomata are likely to be closed making application ineffective. Foliar feeding can by carried out on a regular,once-twice weekly basis or can be limited to the times when the crop comes under high nutrient demand such as early fruit set and heavy fruit loading. Often the greatest response to foliar feeding will occur during the active growth phases of plants (periods of exponential growth). During these active growth stages, leaves show a particularly high efficacy for absorbing nutrients. Canis Lupus @ UKCultivator.net
the plants need light but give them too much too soon and they will stretch. So if possible stay away from cracking seeds under HID lighting and stick with cool flouro’s or purpose built envirolites. Get the light down as tight to the seedlings as you can without them actually touching the light, and make sure they have a fan blowing air around the space but not directly on them. Off the scale hi-humidity is also another thing to avoid with seedlings (unlike cuttings). Allied to big hot HID lights and this is the absolute nailed-to-the-wall way to make your seedlings stretch out like beanstalks. So to recap; Cool flouro lights plenty of fresh air good circulation Temps around 23c Stick with these few criteria and never worry about stretchy seedlings again. Red Dragon @ UKCultivator.net
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INTERVIEW
Unsung Heroes from the East “Vitalij” is a well known figure in the Eastern European marijuana legalization movement: a former dealer and smuggler turned freedom fighter and pot activist. He’s currently behind bars in the Ukraine – but that won’t stop him from exposing the truth about the system to Soft Secrets readers! Welcome to the wild wild East! The names have been changed to protect the innocent! SS: Vitalji, please tell us something about yourself. Vitalij: I’m in my late 30s, and have been involved in the marijuana scene all my adult life, for almost 20 years now. I did some growing, smuggling, dealing, then
Guards keep the business going together with the spies, so if someone does not know the system or is not discreet and makes phone calls in the open, first they sell him the phone, and after a few days come to confiscate it and cause problems.
What kind of tiurma (in Russian: prison) are you are locked in now? It’s more like a prison camp, a ‘gulag’ if you know what I mean. There are more than 2000 prisoners in a couple of one-story buildings. It’s like a village surrounded by a wall and a belt of death – if you try to cross it, you can be shot without warning. Blocks look like school buildings. Most people live in large halls, 60 people or more in one room. Totally over-crowded - bunk beds, etc. People try to get a minimum of privacy with screens made from clothes or a blanket, but it helps very little. With this number of people there is always some shit going on. Unless you do a lot of weed or sleeping pills, you can’t really find peace during the day-time. Even at night it can be stressful.
IF YOU ARE CARRYING MORE THAN 5 GRAMS, YOU MAY GET 8 YEARS IN PRISON. THEY MAY EVEN PLANT DRUGS IN YOUR BAG OR JACKET. got involved in pro-pot activism. It can be a scary thing to do here in Ukraine – as you can see, I am now doing time in prison for my ‘sins’. We talk through Skype, and you’re being held in this maximum security prison. How is this possible, this live broadcast from prison? It’s not really maximum security, more like medium, at least the part that I’m in right now. I have Skype installed in my phone, as many others here in my block. It’s something normal. My guess is that this isn’t illegal? Of course not. But that’s nothing unusual. Phones, and many other things, are sold by the prison guards. They’re crazy poor, like everybody else, and they try to make some money this way. Typically, they form a ‘company’ with snitches.
They sell it to someone else again, and so on. Business is booming. Spies are everywhere. You are sitting on the same bed with them sometimes. They will be nice to you and smoke grass with you and then report to the guards what you have or are doing. And so it goes - selling, confiscating, selling again. To me, it sounds a bit like prisons in South America. How widespread is this phenomenon? Do you have firearms as well, as happens sometimes in a Colombian prison? No, we do not have real weapons, that’s too much (laughs). But the phones are popular. Depends where, of course – poor people without any money or friends have nothing, but there are blocks where 20 people have at least 15 phones. If you have the money, then there is no problem with buying anything.
and organized police work, y’know, you can see crazy shit happening. The policeman, prosecutor, judge, lawyer - they all know each other and share the money. And then a little is not enough. Even if you are clean and do not buy drugs from anyone, keep your eyes on your own things in a disco or a night club - they may plant some drugs in your bag or jacket. And do
What is your advice for Western visitors and tourists not to get into trouble while staying in Ukraine? Stay away from drugs! Of course, if you do not have good friends there. Often the dealers cooperate with the police and snitch on clients immediately after a transaction. Western tourists, in the eyes of the locals, seem very rich. Corruption is everywhere and the whole system will try to drain them, make them spend as much money as possible on lawyers, bribes, etc. Sometimes you can get away as a tourist with a small bribe at the first stage of the process – when you are stopped by traffic police officers or ordinary ‘street-walkers’. In this scenario, you should always have you an extra few hundred dollars with you (still preferable to Euros in this part of the world – and it’s cheaper for you), at least a hundred dollar bill, just in case. But with the planned actions and provocations,
Prison tattoos. Stars on the knees mean that this man will not kneel down before anyone.
not pretend to be an important and influential person, because then bribery may not help at all. They will be afraid –not of you, but of their bosses and the publicity
49
MEDICINAL MARIHUANA surrounding the case. To show that they are not corrupt, they may make you a scapegoat. Similar things have happened recently in Belarus, and the press warns tourists going there pretty much the same way you do. Well, of course, in the so-called Third World – the countries in Latin America, Africa, Asia – it’s also similar but there you also have some racial motives. Whites are often seen not only as rich, but also the class enemy, the former oppressor and aggressor. Here, it’s more relaxed I guess, no race war or hatred, just a game to steal your money. Not your life. I know that many Western tourists are quite afraid of an expedition to eastern parts of Europe, even to Prague. For them, it’s the wild East. They have a point - poverty breeds violence. Better not to try the product in a suspected den, because instead of grass you can ignite something that will be the worst trip of your life. After a few minutes you can come back from orbit utterly robbed and broke, even without your shoes. There are even drugs in the street, various military truth serums, used
Global Marijuana March in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.
by the mafia guys to make someone a passive zombie, and make him go with them to the bank and the notary, and give away his house, car, the money in a bank account, and all you’ve got. The best part of the story is the second day: he will not remember anything. Anyway, here it is not worth the risk even to drink alcohol with a stranger - you might drink some fuel and not wake up or go blind. With other drugs it is not so much different. Tell us some more interesting stories from the local drug culture. There is a bandit here nicknamed “The Devil”, and a second - “Madman”. Real
freaks and junkies, but also professional gang members. Charlie Sheen compared to them with his addiction to crack cocaine is a kid. Peasants weighing 120 kilos can drink a lot, or do a lot of drugs. The funny thing is that they used to forcefeed drugs to everyone around them. It was no joke. Then, with people crazy high, they could persuade them to do other crazy things, such as a mother and daughter or two sisters in a threesome or foursome to have sex. It happened sometimes that on the second day after the party, these women tried to commit suicide. Drugs are dangerous toys, you have to know your surroundings, your little sandbox. Life has taught me: no matter Global Marijuana March in Kiev, what kind of drugs you do, it’s important to know with whom you do these drugs. the capital of Ukraine. What would you advise to someone new in a Ukrainian prison? To be a decent man. A normal person, with principles of honor. Do not sit there too quietly or too loud, just be yourself. You cannot be afraid or pushed around. If people notice that someone is fearful, it may mean that he will not be too brave when dealing with the police or guards and will snitch. So better separate him from normal people and their things. If you follow the rules, you’re normal, you’re not a snitch - nothing bad will happen to you. There is no random violence or unpleasantness. What are you in for? I personally consider myself a political prisoner. As long as governments are able to arbitrarily decide which drugs are legal and which are not - contrary to facts and science, I will fight. We Slavs have a big problem with alcoholism. In Russia each year nearly one million people die of alcohol abuse! How many people have died
to live long enough to see your retirement money. This is a genocidal policy. Pot growers, dealers, smugglers are the real heroes of the underground, of the neighborhood. How’s the infamous police brutality? Yes, in this respect, not much has changed since the days of communism. If you’re local – if you’re a tourist, you have no reason to worry. But if you’re local, the questioning at the police station may be the last thing you will remember in your life. If you do not have any protection inside or outside prison, some sadists can scare you for life. Suicide or accidental deaths at the police station or in jail are not uncommon. The authorities allow such a possibility and the prison administration does not assume in this respect any responsibility. Of course, if everything is “normal”, that is probably about 5% in the total number of prisoners. A man here is a statistic, a number. I heard that you work hard for peanuts,
you crush stones, then you earn 200-300 hryvnias! Work is not mandatory, but if you are reluctant to work, the guards can disrupt your daily life. So, many people march to work every day - in leaky shoes, in rain or snow. Is cannabis popular in Ukraine? Sure it is. Our society is quite diverse ethnically. Even in Soviet times a lot of people from the Asian republics were smoking, where it is a normal part of the culture. Gypsies here have many plantations. Lots of young people grow it, there are many forests and green areas, although the penalties are severe. What is the penalty for drug possession? If you are carrying more than 5 grams of anything, you may get up to 8 years in prison. Admit it, 5 grams can be easily dropped on someone, even in your pocket. Once you reach for it, you leave
Ruderalis grows wild in many places. Hemp has always been a very important part of Eastern European culture. your fingerprints on it and you’re cooked. That’s how they arranged it for my friend. Thank you for your time and we wish you your freedom ASAP. Any last words for our readers? I wish you all more luck than I had, so that you never end up in prison. I know many young people fancy the idea of going to
IT IS NOT WORTH THE RISK TO DRINK ALCOHOL WITH A STRANGER YOU MIGHT DRINK SOME FUEL AND NOT WAKE UP OR GO BLIND. WITH OTHER DRUGS IT IS NOT SO MUCH DIFFERENT. from marijuana? Zero! For thousands of years of history. And where is the justice, public health care? Tobacco is not even worth mentioning. You are supposed not
like the prisoners in the United States. It’s true. The monthly rate is 120 hryvnias, which is less than 10 euros. One can buy with it a little watermelon (laughs). Unless
prison but trust me: it’s no fun. Freedom for hemp and amnesty for its users! Interview: Chronic User
Jack Plant
Advanced Seeds
52
SHOP REVIEW
Critical Hydroponics, Newcastle-under-Lyme This is one of the newest shops to open in the UK. It was refreshing to see that the owners did their research before opening the shop. They made efforts to visit other shops to gain a better perspective of what their shop should look like and where it would be best located. What stood out for me whilst speaking to the owner was his passion for the industry, experience of over 15 years as well as wanting to ensure that any customer coming into the shop would be able to leave with what they came in for, the owner said: ‘Too many times when visiting Hydro shops I would be told that they did not have what I wanted in stock but it could be ordered and in the shop within 24 hours. If I go into a shop looking for something I want to take it away there and then, not have to come back.’
So, with this in mind the owner and his partner went about creating a welcoming environment ensuring they had enough stock to satisfy any demand. This does not mean they have lots of stock, what it means is they have chosen stock wisely so they can satisfy any requirements. They are also one of the first Hydroponic shops to have diversified into unique clothing and hat ranges, it was good to see other products in the shop! This is a great shop with plenty of good honest advice available and FREE local delivery. They are open 7 days a week, late nights on Wednesday giving the customer even more of what they want. Critical Hydroponics 61 George Street Newcastle-under-Lyme ST5 1JU (t) 0800 233 5016
Hush Shop, Exeter Hush is one of 4 shops under the Southwest Headshop Ltd banner. The guys behind this company have over 15 years experience between them and have ensured only the best products are available. When you visit any of their shops, especially Hush, you will have a great product selection to choose from which has been carefully chosen to satisfy all budgets. The shops are well laid out and have clean glass fronted display cabinets with plenty to see from your budget bongs and pipes, affordable herbal grinders and accessories to piercing jewellery. There’s a great choice of rolling papers and tips to purchase as well as alternative highs and between the shops they basically have all the leading souvenir seed brands available. If not, you are able to place an order and it will be in store within 24 hours! When visiting Head shops a good atmosphere is crucial and these shops have it in abundance. Hush has good
music playing, knowledgeable staff with manners and patience to answer your enquiries. If there is something you need that they don’t have they will always strive to find it for you and get it in stock for your next visit. Great shops with plenty on offer, be sure to drop in very soon!!
Hush Headshop 138 Fore Street Exeter EX4 3AN (t) 01392 420995 www.hushheadshop.co.uk
Red Eye Amazon, Birmingham Due to public demand they had to expand! The shop has now moved to Taunton Road as their premises on Ladypool Road were too small! Red Eye Amazon is now at No.4 Taunton Road (off Ladypool Road), Birmingham. 15 years experience and success in the industry has now resulted in Red Eye Amazon confirming itself as a leading Head outlet and the product selection available will suit all requirements/ budgets. A lot of effort has been made to ensure the shop stocks exactly what is required with the main focus on souvenir seeds which include: Royal Queen Seeds, Dutch Passion, Dinafem, Greenhouse and the well established Birmingham brand, Big Buddha + many more. What they don’t have can be in stock within 24 hours! The owner also prides himself on his collection of rolling papers/ blunts and tips. It is a great selection and any connoisseur would be happy to shop here with the great
choice available. The shop also carries a good range of scales, baggies (inc. Smelly Proof ), grinders, pipes and bongs as well as legal highs and room deodorisers such as ONA. Other products available include bandanas, flags and hats as well as a small choice of CD packs. Be sure to drop in soon to purchase all your smoking accessory requirements. FIND US ON FACEBOOK/redeyeamazon..
Red Eye Amazon 4 Taunton Road (off Ladypool Road) Birmingham B12 8BT (t) 07976 247920
53
EVENTS
CannaFest 2012, Prague Liberal drug laws, an incredible venue, thousands of enthusiastic growers, barrels of ice cold Czech beer and some of the most beautiful women in the world, all add up to make CannaFest one of the By Little Lebowski best trade shows ever! Now in its 3rd year CannaFest promised 130 exhibitors from over 18 countries, spread across a three day trade show, set in one of the world’s most incredible cities – Prague – and it certainly delivered. One of the reasons that the Czech Republic is such a great venue for a hemp show is that the country has implemented some very progressive, forward thinking drug laws. Before 2010, the law stated that people caught with ‘small amounts’ of cannabis would not be prosecuted. At the start of 2010, the laws were reformed from ‘small amounts’ to actual quantities giving a
it came to smoking joints in public, but we never realised just how open it was. In some of the cooler bars and night clubs the locals were firing up spliffs at the bar and passing them round – there was a real Dutch coffee shop vibe, although obviously there were no menus for buying bud over the counter. The locals were nice and friendly and asking a couple of the right questions will get you pointed in the direction of some nice weed.
are not made to waste their resources by cracking down on people carrying a little bit of dope on them for personal use. The guideline that decriminalised growing 5 plants for personal use has led to an explosion in the hydro industry; four years ago there were only around 25 shops in the country, now there are over 60 and they are not just centred around the big cities, just like in the UK every decent sized town has a grow shop.
Incheba Expo – awesome venue
criminal charge. Drugs are still illegal, but being caught with the following small amounts is not a crime, these personal amounts are decriminalised: Cannabis: up to 15 grams Heroin: up to 1.5 grams Cocaine: up to 1 gram Methamphetamine: up to 2 grams Amphetamine: up to 2 grams Ecstasy: up to 4 tablets Hashish: up to 5 grams Hallucinogenic mushrooms: up to 40 pieces LSD: up to five tabs So, as far as cannabis goes, you can have half an ounce in your possession without fear of prosecution and you can also grow up to 5 plants in your home. Anything over 5 plants results in a criminal charge. Selling weed is still totally illegal. For the smoker and home grower, the Czech Republic is an awesome country to live in. Smoking in public is also widely tolerated. We knew before our visit that Prague was a laid back place when
SSUK: Have you visited any grow shops in Prague? Jim: Yeah, I dropped into GrowShop and GrowLand, just to have a little look at what the set-ups are like over here. They’re quite similar to the UK shops in terms of the brands that they sell and both were decent sized shops, with friendly staff. The shops that I saw weren’t out of town in an industrial estate like they mainly are in the UK; these were walking distance from the centre of Prague in nice enough shopping or residential areas. They weren’t hidden away; they both
Coming from the UK to this was such a massive difference, it made us quite jealous! It’s fantastic that the Czech police
THE COUNTRY HAS IMPLEMENTED SOME VERY PROGRESSIVE, FORWARD THINKING DRUG LAWS clear guideline to the police and public. This means being caught with less than - or up to - the guideline quantity results in a misdemeanour offence, which can lead to a fine, but no actual
There were also some great new products on display from the manufacturers. One particular highlight that drew a lot of attention from anyone who saw it was The Neutralizer. This odour neutraliser has been around in Spain for a little while and is now making its way into the whole of Europe, including the UK. Rather than mask the odour of weed, The Neutralizer uses naturally occurring essential oils to….. neutralise it!
know that a show is a big deal when Canna turns up with a massive booth!
The Cannafest show itself was great, with every major player in the hydro industry in attendance, alongside seed banks and Czech hemp organisations, arranged over three big halls. The organisers had obviously spread the word about the show, because the general public turned up in their thousands. Friday was busy, Saturday was incredible – the place was absolutely heaving with people, all keen to check out the latest grow products and seed strains. As you can see from the pictures, one thing that set CannaFest apart from some of the other industry trade shows is the stunning Czech women and most of the exhibitors had some beauties on their booth, helping with translations and generally attracting in the visitors by looking gorgeous! From speaking with some of the exhibitors, the consensus was that the Czech growers love to learn about new things and are willing to try out new products – companies that had exhibited at the previous Czech shows had seen their sales increase afterwards – it’s always nice to hear that the trade shows do work!
Classy looking ladies The unit looks like a plug-in air freshener and works in the same way, gently heating the essential oils so that they evaporate out into the air. The Neutralizer guys had done some clever marketing and sponsored the exhibitor business lounge, setting up several units in the area. It was truly weird to walk into the lounge, see people smoking and rolling and not be able to smell weed at all. Amazing!
had big signs outside the front and glass windows with products on display.
While at CannaFest, we met up with a good mate of ours ‘Jim’ a grow shop owner from the south of England. I thought I’d ask him his thoughts on the show to get a UK perspective:
Both shops had a range of budget and high end gear in there; plant lighting, filters and tents. From speaking to the guys in the shop, I reckon that the majority of their customers are into the budget end products – which is understandable, considering the wages are lower here than in the UK, but the price of the grow equipment is pretty much the same. I don’t think they get
SSUK: How is the fair different from other fairs that you’ve visited? Jim: Considering it’s a hemp show, it’s actually very clean and professional feeling – it reminds me a bit of the hydroponics shows in the US and the UK – apart from the bud and leaf pictures everywhere! All the exhibitors seem to have made a real effort with their booths and have spent a bit of cash on them, they must see the Czech Republic and the surrounding countries as a lucrative market, and I can see why.
Obviously, one of the big differences with the shops here is that they openly sell seeds alongside the grow equipment. It’s quite interesting to see big posters from the seed banks stuck up all over the shops – would be nice if we could be that open in the UK!
A bevy of beauties! The show feels pretty different to the Spanish shows because there aren’t many people smoking inside, and I think that’s a really good thing, when I’ve visited the show in Barcelona it can get a bit too much at times and you’re walking through a thick haze of smoke all day! Even though it’s really busy at this show, it’s still pleasant to walk around because it feels, well…. clean, really!
many people coming in to spend half a month’s wage on a digital ballast! Having said that, they get a lot of people through the door – so although they may not get many big single item sales, they do get a large volume of sales overall. Plus, they sell seeds and there’s a very decent mark up on selling seeds.
It’s similar, in a way, to the Cultiva show in Vienna; that is a very professional and clean feeling trade show, but CannaFest is much bigger and it’s pulled all of the big names in from the industry. You
SSUK: How do you think the growers in Czech compare to UK growers? Jim: I think they’ve got a bit less cash, just because the wages over here aren’t as high as they are in the UK, although
54
INDEX OF ADS / COLOFON formula that’s given them a result, they are willing to try something new and will experiment with a few different products to pull a better yield. As a shop owner, that sounds really good to me. It makes your job more interesting when your customers ask for advice and are willing to try a new product that you’ve got in, rather than turning up with a list of products that they
Index of ads Name 00 Seeds Bank
Advanced Seeds
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Amsterdam Seed Center
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Angel Grow Hydroponics
35
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: info@softsecrets.nl
Atami
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Editor: Cliff Cremer
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Bio Nova
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Brit Crops
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Buddha Seeds
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Bushman
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8 Ball Hydroponics
Clever Green
Even the police are at it!!
Colofon Page 17 1
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Critical Hydroponics
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once they’ve done a couple of grows Try to maintain eye contact! they’ve probably got a bit more in their pocket… hahaha! The legal situation out here has meant only want because a mate has told them that there are loads of hobby growers. that they got a decent result off them. Getting caught with 5 plants or less just gets you a slap on the wrists, no record, SSUK: Any interesting products that so this is what people tend to stick to. have caught your eye at CannaFest? From talking to the guys in the grow Jim: Yeah, there are always a few decent shops, the majority of their customers bits and pieces at these shows. It’s are growing under one light in a 1.2 good to have a chat with some of tent. Since the law became more lenient the nutrient manufacturers and give a couple of years back there’s been an them feedback on the products; they’re influx of new growers into the market, always pretty friendly and good to have so the shops are shifting lots of pots and a beer with. all mix because – same as we find in the UK – when you’re learning how to grow As far as new products go, I’ve been and cash is a bit tight, hand watering and using a heavily fertilised soil is the easiest way to start off.
Dinafem Seeds
27
Down to Earth Kent
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One thing that has surprised me a bit is how widely hydro is used out here, considering that the market isn’t as old as say the UK or France, the guys in the shops said that about half of their customers use pure hydro. I guess because a lot of people in the cities live in apartments, they prefer not to carry loads of bags of soil up the stairs!
Some more colourful ladies
The Neutralizer stand drew a
blown away by The Neutralizer. I’d heard about it back in the UK, but I hadn’t seen it in action before the show. Having a beer in The Neutraliser business lounge surrounded by people skinning up and smoking joints, but not actually being able to smell any weed was a really surreal experience! That product will sell by the truckload!
lot of attention
From talking to some of the hydro manufacturers that were at the show, apparently the Czech market is really good for them and a lot of NFT tables and aeroponic systems get sold here. The growers seem to be a bit more switched on and willing to learn about new techniques, rather than rigidly sticking to a
I tell you one thing though, it was hard not to get distracted by all the Czech promo girls – I’ve never seen so many nice looking birds at a trade show. There’s something about these Czech girls, they’re different to any other European girls. Must be something in the water! Roll on CannaFest 2013!!
Dr. Blooms Hydroponics
1
Ed Rosenthal
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Grass-O-Matic
10
Grow Green II
47
Grow Room the
44
Growing Underground
51
Growryder
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Hesi Hollinwood Hydroponics Hydro 2 Grow
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Jorge Cervantes
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Justfeminized.com
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LTT
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Money Tree Hydroponics
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Mycologics
47
Nirvana
7
Paradise Seeds
1
Paradise Seeds
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Plagron
4
Plagron
20-21
Procare
47
Red Eye Amazon
43
Red Eye Amazon
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Seeds of Life
28
Smokin Vinyl
51
Southern Hydro Centre
51
Southwest Headshops
25
Stanford Hydroponics
1
Sweet Seeds
55
Triangle Hydroponics
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UK GroWorks
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UK Skunkworks
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Contributors: Ed Rosenthal, Jorge Cervantes, Lazystrain, Dr. John Dee, Red Dragon, Grubbycup, Little Lebowski, the Professor, Kali Mist, Buddy Kush, Sativa Diva and others 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.
Next issue out: February 22 2012
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