1203

ISSUE 3 2012

ESTABLISHED IN AMSTERDAM, 1985

18+ For adults only. Soft Secrets is published six times a year by Discover Publishers USA, Inc.

It’s Growing Warmer...

The warm summer months are upon us (in spite of some crazy weather patterns occurring over the past few months), the time when we carefully cultivate our blooming balcony plants, backyard gardens, or clandestine guerrilla grows. Our precious ladies are currently in the stage of growing big, healthy and green, storing up energy for their push into the flowering phase a few months from now. For this reason, our latest installment of SSUSA is a little on the plant-heavy side.

In This Issue:

Cannabis Culture Awards

›› 4

Mutant Mary Jane: Explore the weird and wonderful world of mutant Cannabis plants... ›› 7

Neem: The Blessed Tree of India ›› 13 Like Water for Cannabis: Water is essential; find out more about how it keeps your girls gorgeously green... ›› 18

Word from the Lebanese Street ›› 21

While outdoor growers are basking in nature’s warm, bright glow, appreciative of the luminous sunlight that is responsible for photosynthesis – and consequently packing loads of succulent flavor into outdoor buds – indoor growers are already initiating the annual spider mite Hunger Games.

These nasty pests thrive in hot, dry conditions, so now is a good time to be on the lookout for the famously destructive and stubborn pests. If you need a hand with some organic pest control, veteran reporter and grower Grubbycup has penned an in-depth piece exploring the history and current uses of neem oil, a precious gift from the Indian tree of the same name.

Mutant forms of Cannabis are also explored in this issue, highlighting the strange-looking or unusual phenotypes that occur across the world, sometimes quite naturally. Webbed leaf patterns, variegated colors, vine-type plants... it’s all covered. Cloning is also explored, in case you need to squeeze a few more plants into your allotted space before the season wears on, and Cannabis roots are discussed at length.

Find out how to keep the roots healthy and protected – the better your root system is, after all, the better the plant above the soil’s surface will be.

To round out the science lesson and quench your summer thirst, we also feature a special article on water, giver of life. How does water work inside the plant? What is the chemistry behind it, and how does it scientifically provide the plant with what it requires during photosynthesis? Contaminants are discussed, as well as ways to clean the water, such as reverse-osmosis, and how to minimize collateral damage if you are unable to raise the quality of your H 20.

rary summer vacation from politics.

Don’t worry – the legal analysis is on its way, and we would like to officially state: President Obama, we’ve got our eyes and ears on you: please continue to make history; back off of the medical Cannabis patients and caregivers. Stop the federal raids. It’s difficult to reconcile the positive, liberal attitudes being adopted across the nation regarding personal freedoms with not lifting the repressive, nonsensical and religion-based laws in the US that relate to and imprison those who are involved with Cannabis.

As 2012 is an election year, and Americans are currently swamped by the campaigning, we thought it would be best to provide you with a tempo-

But let’s keep things upbeat. For now, pull up a deck char, stir that hemp milk piña colada, and enjoy the latest issue of SSUSA.

3

SSUSA Seeks Strong Sales Staff:

Are you interested in sales? Do you have a few years of experience? We are looking for dedicated, motivated and enthusiastic individuals to staff our sales team.

Job responsibilities include – but are not necessarily limited to – calling, emailing, or pursuing other forms of contact with interested advertising clients, in addition to attempting to bring in fresh potential advertisers. Required attributes include strong networking, communication and interpersonal skills, plus the ability to tackle problems in a creative manner.

Applicants should possess a valid driver’s license and medical Cannabis card.

The ability to travel is a definite requirement. Sales are focused in California; the position on offer is as an independent contractor, paid on commission.

Please contact Jeroen@softsecrets.nl to submit your resume or to have any pertinent questions answered.

Outdoors, with full sunlight, plentiful soil and water and wide spacing, the plants will become practically trees, which grow to nearly ten feet tall (3 m), and you will have a harvest of up to 1,500 grams per plant (!) in optimal conditions. The flowering period is quite fast indoors (60 - 70 days). Outdoors the plant is ready by mid-October, with good mold-resistance inherited from its sativa parent plant. Moby Dick is already a legend in its own right, and is destined to become one of the great classics of this new century!

Genotype: Haze x White Widow Genetics: Sativa/indica with sativa dominance Flowering Period: 60 - 70 days Outdoor Harvest: From October 10th to 25th THC: Very high (16 - 21%) CBD: Low Production: Very high Outdoor Height: Can reach 11.5 ft. (3.5 m) Photo: Dinafem

in this issue:

Moby Dick

Moby Dick is Dinafem’s most psychoactive strain, with a concentration of up to 21% THC and the presence of THCV, a substance (present in equatorial Sativas) produced in response to the sun’s ultraviolet rays; this substance makes the effect of the THC stronger, to the point that the effect can be felt after just two or three hits. The low CBD concentration helps make the effect psychoactively intense and lasting; it speeds you up both physically and mentally and the comedown is long, slightly physical and noticeable. It makes you very hungry and thirsty, so it is advisable to eat and drink well, after smoking, to counteract its effects. Due to this increase in appetite, Moby Dick is recommended for treating the secondary effects of chemotherapy and anorexia.

It’s Growing Warmer 1 FROM THE EDITOR Page 3 Girl: Moby Dick 3 STRAIN REPORT SSUSA Seeks Strong Sales Staff 3 FROM THE EDITOR Cannabis Culture Awards 4 ACTIVISM Eat, Drink, Vaporize or Smoke?

5 WEED 101 Mutant Mary Jane 6 CANNABIS BOTANY Cloning for the Future 8 CULTIVATION 101 Mega Worm 9 PRODUCT FLASH Maui Waui 9 ENDANGERED STRAINS Hy’s Deli by oz.

9 COMIC Ice 10 Poster Amsterdam 420 Smokeout 12 MARCHES & DEMOS Neem: Blessed Tree of India 13 ORGANIC CULTIVATION Gone Fishing 15 SMUGGLER’S TALES Barcelona Balconies 16 Poster Like Water for Cannabis 18 SERIOUS GARDENING Grow Diary: Moby Dick 20 STRAIN REPORT Word from the Lebanese Street 21 CULTIVATION ABROAD More Roots = More Fruits 23 SERIOUS GARDENING A Stoned Selection 26 MUSIC REVIEWS 27 CULTIVATION ABROAD Gun Battles and the Revolution Cannabis Warrior 29 MIND, BODY, SPIRIT Daniel Chong 30 GREEN PRISONERS Colophon 30 FROM THE EDITOR Index of Ads 30 FROM THE EDITOR

4

Amster-rant

Cannabis Culture Awards 2012 The Cannabis Culture Awards are conferred to those who have “distinguished themselves in the struggle for acceptance of Cannabis in all of its forms, working to ensure that this extraordinary plant has a future where it is fully utilized and a history that is fully known.”

Buddy Kush Times are changing. While several European nations are realizing that drug policies need to change, one of the founders of a tolerant approach to drug use (most specifically our favorite green plant) is making a 180-degree turn, progressively establishing an increasingly repressive policy: the Netherlands. While many thought that the extravagant claims of the Dutch government would eventually by dispelled by the lack of rational thought behind it, we were wrong.

drugs in general. In order to celebrate this, Amsterdam’s Hash Marihuana and Hemp Museum (founded by Ben Dronkers) has organized the Cannabis Culture Awards.

This honor was previously known as the Cannabis Cultuurprijs, awarded to Cannabis pioneers including former Dutch Prime Minister Dries van Agt, responsible for the Dutch tolerant stance; Ed Rosenthal; Eagle Bill, inventor of the ‘Shake and Vape’; Dutch poet Simon Vinkenoog, Dr. Hans-Georg Behr and Jack Herer. All these honorees have had an impact upon how we view and use the Cannabis plant.

ist and an authority in the field of drug use. Dr. Polak naturally expressed his gratitude for the award, but quickly expressed his frustration with the political direction taken by the authorities, claiming the recent fall of the Dutch government would hopefully “lead to the termination of the new rules for coffeeshops and the so-called ‘weed pass’”.

The plan to close coffeeshop doors to non-Dutch residents is in place. It is now active in the southern part of the country and is scheduled to go nationwide as of January, 2013. It seems the majority of smokers will simply turn towards growing their own. It is sad that think that these people will now have to risk legal prosecution simply in order to avoid having to use the low quality and potentially dangerous products that will readily be available... back on the street.

This year, the awards were presented via two major events. The first took place in the stunning Bethaniënklooster monastery in Amsterdam on April 26th; the second occurred in Barcelona, Spain on May 9th in the beautifully refurbished Palau Mornau, now home to the brand new Hemp Museum Gallery.

The second award was bestowed upon the Global Commission on Drug Policy, represented by many former heads of state (including Ernesto Zedillo, former president of Mexico, and Kofi Annan, former secretary general of the United Nations) for publishing the report War on Drugs in June, 2011. The prize was accepted by Thorvald Stoltenberg, former Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs in Norway, and one of the moving forces behind the changes in approach to drugs in Norway. “Hope is almost as important as life itself,” he concluded after accepting the award.

Despite this gloomy turn of events, there are a few who have decided to celebrate the achievements taking place over the last few years. There are those who, through their achievements, have helped shift the misinformation and irrationality surrounding the use of Cannabis, or

It was former winner Dries van Agt who opened the first act with a speech, in which he openly attacked the repressive approach taken by the government, labeling it “devastative nonsense.” He then awarded the first accolade to Dutch psychiatrist Frederick Polak, MD, tireless activ-

Sir Richard Branson, entrepreneur and founder of the Virgin Group, accepted the award on behalf of the Global Commission on Drug Policy during the Barcelona ceremony. Despite not having been able to stay at the ceremony for long, Sir Branson took the time to be led through the

Award winners with Ben Dronkers in Amsterdam (Photo: Claudio)

museum by Ben Dronkers himself before being presented the award. Following a question from the crowd, he clarified that he disagreed with the recent tactics employed in Holland: “I will get in touch with the commission to make sure we put out a statement, a very strong statement, saying how big of a mistake it was.”

Lester Grinspoon, Professor Emeritus from Harvard University, was also awarded a Cannabis Culture Award. He was unable to attend the ceremony due to ill health but a video conference was shown in which he accepted his award, thanking the Dronkers family for preserving Cannabis genetics through their seed bank, Sensi Seeds, and emphasizing the importance this plant has as a medical resource.

Another award was granted to Todd McCormick (American activist, author and photographer) by the co-founder of Cañamo magazine, Moisés López, for his efforts in countering misinformation and striving for the recognition of medical Cannabis. He gave a heart-felt speech in which he called for Cannabis supporters to get out of their comfort zones and step up to push the movement further along.

He also congratulated Ben Dronkers on his Museum and his work in allowing people to learn about the Cannabis plant’s past, present and future.

The final distinction was awarded to Spanish Cannabis activist Fernanda de La Figuera – the first person to be acquitted for Cannabis cultivation in Spain – who later became involved in regulating Cannabis laws by founding and taking part in diverse European initiatives, including the F.A.C. and ENCOD (European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies). She was loudly applauded when she was presented the award, clearly supported by the attending crowd. She explained the necessity of social clubs in Spain and the importance of helping people obtain the medicine they need.

The Cannabis Culture Awards were a clear message to the world stating that, despite the misinformation and concealment still restricting people’s ability to access and learn about the Cannabis plant, there are still those activists whose dedication and efforts will allow for progress and a greater understanding to prevail.

Sir Richard Branson accepting on behalf of the GCDP

2012 award winner Fernanda de la Figuera (Photo:

(Photo: Ericcrama.com)

Ericcrama.com)

The only question remaining is, will you do your part?

5

Weed 101

Answering beginner’s questions that you’re too ashamed to ask...

In this installment of the Weed 101 series – an introductory column aimed at educating less-experienced smokers and growers – we reveal the differences between smoking, vaporizing, consuming, or topically applying Cannabis as a medicine.

AIDS wasting syndrome/cachexia patients – medicating with Cannabis is necessary in order to lower pain levels and stimulate appetite. Many prescription drugs actually work better when taken with food (obviously you should consult your doctor or pill instructions); however, if someone is debilitated by nausea, they are often unable to eat for days. In such cases, a ‘space’ cake or other ‘medible’ will not necessarily help, since the patient is unable to eat anyway.

Sativa Diva

Glass bongs and pipes are less safe It’s nearly impossible to watch American television without becoming inundated than vaporizers (© Shutterstock) by prescription drug commercials. After being regularly subjected to the various worrying claims of the actors, it’s not sur- are metabolized in a different way than prising that many people are so easily when inhaling the substance. This feeling convinced to alter their body chemistry may take anywhere from twenty minutes by swallowing piles of pills. With sixteen to two hours to kick in, regardless of your states having adopted some form of pro- level of experience, frequency of use – pot legislation (at press time, Connecticut or whether weed or hash was used in was attempting to become the seven- its production. Patients seeking an inditeenth), it’s obvious that the general ca-style ‘down’ effect usually benefit from public is curious about this non-chemical consumed Cannabis, minus the negative alternative, having been fed so much dis- consequences associated with smoking. information about the plant. Therefore it is imperative that new medi-weed patients If you want to eat some weed, baked goods are not your only option. Cooking oils, become as informed as possible. butter, tinctures, sodas and other drinks, In spite of its herbal nature, it is important spreads, and much more are available to consult your doctor(s) or other medi- these days; often your local dispensary (or cal practitioners before introducing any local hippie) will be able to provide at least medication into your system. However, as one of these smoking alternatives. While Cannabis has been subjected to so much the non-smoking approach is preferable stigma and repression in the US, many for health reasons, some ailments are actumedical professionals are still either unwill- ally better treated with metabolized weed ing – or unable – to responsibly and effec- rather than inhaled. The downside to this tively dispense information along with the application is that dosage is often arbitrary, medi-weed prescriptions. The following is and the time from consumption to onset intended as a rough guide to the differ- of effect is unpredictable – even seasoned ences between the three major methods users find that the same dosage of the same cake, for example, takes different of medicating with Cannabis. amounts of time to work and imparts varyConsumption (eating, drinking, ing strength of effect each time they eat it.

tinctures, etc.):

Eating a Cannabis-infused food product, savory or sweet, tends to impart a relaxed, sedated effect, as consumed cannabinoids

One exception to the delayed-effect rule may be tinctures. Offered in various forms, including sublingual (‘under the tongue’) drops, sprays, oils, etc., tinctures are sometimes faster-acting, as they consists of a solution of cannabinoids dissolved in alcohol and generally absorb directly into the body via mucous membranes.

Inhalation (smoking, vaporizing):

Vaporizers take the smoke out of smoking

Inhaling cannabinoids, either through smoking or vaporizing, would appear to be preferable to smoking. In many cases the relatively immediate action of Cannabis being absorbed through the lungs into the bloodstream delivers better therapy to those suffering from certain ailments, such as asthma, nausea or glaucoma. In the case of nausea sufferers – specifically chemo or

Inhaling weed, hash, hash oil, ‘budder’, etc. is preferable in a vaporizer, which heats the product to the melting point of the active substances, the cannabinoids. As the temperature is not high enough to trigger combustion – unless the product is over-vaporized or the temperature is set too high – the trichomes are heated to the point where they burst, turning from liquid to vapor. The patient only inhales the helpful cannabinoids, which are all released at slightly different temperatures, forgoing the harmful carcinogens, smoke and other contaminants. Vaporizers generally impart a high, happy feeling, whereas smokers receive the more intended effect of the original strain: high/energized from sativas and hazes, and stoned/relaxed from the indicas.

Smoking should be considered a ‘last resort’; some patients are either unaware of the positive attributes of a vaporizer, unable to purchase one, or simply incapable of making certain models or methods work properly due to the constraints of their illness. If your ailment requires inhaled cannabinoids and vaporizing is not an option, bongs (water pipes), pipes, screens and other smoking paraphernalia should be glass – not plastic, wood, metal, etc. Joint smokers must be mindful of the contents of their rolling papers, filter tips, and any mixing ingredients, whether tobacco or herbal tobacco alternatives.

Even the butane sucked from your lighter through the joint or bong should be considered. All smokers should do their best to source responsibly-grown, organic products. Many test labs are springing up in pro-pot states, particularly in California, so these days it’s actually possible to find out if you’re smoking high quality weed free of contaminants, or commercially produced garbage.

What exactly is in that joint? (© Shutterstock)

while supplementing it or treating other diseases internally by eating small doses of the product.

Lotions, creams and tinctures containing cannabinoids also tend to have a similar effect to topical anesthetics, lending to a less painful recovery period for burns, blisters, etc. For thousands of year, hemp flowers (and sometimes leaf material) has been pounded into poultices, mixed with other helpful and healing herbs and applied directly to the skin. Psoriasis, eczema – and even herpes – have been treated via this method, capitalizing on hemp’s antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, as well as others.

Do some research – you may find that an alternative Cannabis consumption method may be right for you, and help you even more.

Topical Application (tinctures, hash oil, creams, lotions, poultices, etc.):

Perhaps the least-known approach to Cannabis as medicine is through topical application. Rick Simpson famously advocates this method, popularized through his website (www.phoenixtears.ca), which involves applying high-grade hash oil externally to ailments such as skin cancer,

Hash oil is effective internally or externally (Photo: Ryan Bushby [HighinBC])

6

Cannabis Botany

Mutant Mary Jane

Kali Mist

The Weird and Wonderful No, we’re not referring to GMO weed, although that’s worthy of scrutiny – but for different reasons. These mutants are merely the strange anomalies that seem to recur through various different breeding and selection practices, and in many cases there is no clear cause for their appearance. There are a handful – which various breeders across the world have attested to inadvertently stumbling upon – that have become relatively well-known, and occasionally established as strains in their own right. These include the creeper, hugeupright, whorled phyllotaxy, variegated, and web-leafed phenotypes, but no doubt there are a lot of others out there still to be found – or yet to evolve.

Early attempts to stabilize the ‘mongy weed’ (Spice Bros)

Ducksfoot leaf showing the webbed characteristic (Mahony)

Ducksfoot ‘webbed’ Cannabis, developed by an elusive Australian breeder known as Wally Duck, is a classic example of a random mutation that has been cultivated into a true-breeding strain; when grown from seed all individuals exhibit the webbed phenotype, although there can be variation in cannabinoid content, bud structure and yield. Ducksfoot is mostly sativa – although web-leafed indica strains have also been established – and efforts to grow it anywhere but outdoors in a sub-tropical or tropical location have proven disappointing.

However, the seeds are no longer available and there are fears that the breeding program has stopped.

Other interesting leaf mutations can also occur, and breeders are paying close attention to them all for their potential in stealth growing. The Australian Bastard Cannabis (ABC) – sometimes known as Dizzy, depending upon the breeder – is another true-breeding example, which apparently originated somewhere near Sydney. The local growers who discovered wild populations of this apparently established mutation colloquially dubbed it ‘mongy weed’. This singular plant has an appearance unlike any other form of Cannabis: the leaves are non-serrated, succulent and usually no greater than two inches in length, the overall structure is short and shrub-like, and the smell the growing plant gives off is faint.

Although the original strain is thought to be mutated ditch-weed with low cannabinoid content, efforts to cross it with more potent varieties have been occasionally successful. It has the added advantage of being extremely frost-resistant, and displays little of the hermaphroditism common in inbred wild populations. The trait is recessive: crosses have yielded mostly ‘normallooking’ plants, but the few F2 offspring that exhibit the trait have produced quality pot with a spicy taste and a euphoric sativa high. This is definitely a type of Cannabis to look out for in the near future, as it was discovered relatively recently and research is ongoing.

The large, splayed leaves closely resemble the feet of an aquatic bird, and are not immediately recognizable as Cannabis. The webbed trait is controlled by a recessive gene: it requires two copies of the allele to express, and if crossed with an ordinary compound-pinnate variety the Ducksfoot will produce non-webbed and webbed offspring in an approximate three-to-one ratio.

It is unclear where the first webbed Cannabis genetics originated – although there have been several Hawaiian examples over the years, usually more on the indica side of the spectrum. There are many indicas that exhibit a slight degree of webbing, particularly in very wide- The Dizzy/ABC type has some vine leafed varieties, but entirely fused leaves characteristics (Spice Bros) are much more unusual.

Another mutation that is of much interest to stealth gardeners is the creeper (or ‘vine’) phenotype – although it is possible to train most ordinary Cannabis plants to follow a similar growth pattern. Specimens typically grow upright at first; upon reaching a maximum of one meter or so in height, the main branches begin to bend strongly downward until they reach the ground. These branches may even form roots along points of contact with moist and mulch-y soils, which can boost the plant’s productivity and eventual yield.

When flowering begins, the buds grow back up towards the light as normal, and usually become large, airy structures reminiscent of Thai or southern Indian strains. Creeper phenotypes almost always occur in cultivated sativas, due to their great height and abundant branching, and usually have large leaves with long, thin leaflets.

This mutation is highly sought after by growers who have height limitations, and as well as its stealth advantages one can usually expect a high yield due to the extra roots and increased supply of nutrients to the buds. Very little is known about the circumstances that lead to creeper mutations in Cannabis, and it is believed that it is not strain-specific.

The huge upright phenotype is another mutation that mostly occurs in cultivated populations, usually as a result of hybridization between certain indica and sativa varieties. There is very little information on this phenomenon, but it is thought to be most common in North American populations. The structure of the plant is very similar to the Hindu Kush, with a tall, straight central stalk and a Christmas-tree

shape, but the height is closer to that of the largest tropical sativas, at up to 13 feet tall. This mutation appears to be non-specific in origin, and a great deal more research is needed. But hybrid vigor is far from unknown, and it appears this may be merely one particular example of this phenomenon.

Extreme examples of hybrid vigor may occur as a result of polyploidy, rather than a specific set of gigantismcontrolling genes – unlike dwarfism, which is a genetic trait that has been stabilized into true-breeding varieties on numerous occasions. Cannabis is normally diploid (i.e., it possesses two full sets of chromosomes); polyploid plants possess extra chromosome sets, and often exhibit greater size and yield potential than their diploid counterparts.

However, polyploid individuals usually cannot be crossed with diploid varieties (most are in fact sterile). If polyploid individuals are crossed together, subsequent generations will usually revert to diploid. Therefore, despite much initial furor surrounding their discovery, interest in breeding circles has somewhat waned. This is also due to the fact that polyploidy is an apparently random mutation, and the only way to artificially induce it involves the use of the toxic chemical colchicine, a tricyclic alkaloid that inhibits mitosis.

The ABC can become quite potent if handled correctly (Spice Bros)

Usually, a healthy cell undergoing mitosis splits its chromosomes into two exact copies before dividing entirely; if colchicine is introduced at the point immediately before total division it will prevent it from occurring. The cell will remain undivided, with two full chromosome sets. However, plants treated in this manner do not all end up polyploid – the few that do are often sickly and non-viable. There is speculation that the Australian Bastard Cannabis was actually the result of a colchicine experiment gone wrong, but there is no hard evidence. Furthermore there is little evidence to demonstrate beyond doubt that polyploidy is even a greatly desirable condition for Cannabis; while polyploids of other plant species such

7 as wheat, oats and tobacco have exhibited increased vigor, quality and yield, it is not the case for all plant species.

pot, although it is generally accepted that yields are low, and growth slow.

successful grows shows that demand for such genetics would be high.

However, there are reports of naturally-occurring (and even some artificial) Cannabis polyploids growing up to be large, beautiful and high-yielding plants, and we may well unlock the secrets to the process at some point.

Another mutation, often mistaken for polyploidy, is whorled phyllotaxy.

This comparatively common muta- A leaf divided almost perfectly by tion is not due to complete chromosome doubling as a result of arrested variegation (Prezdev) mitosis, but rather is controlled by variations of a gene or group of genes.

Perhaps the most striking mutation ‘Phyllotaxy’ refers to the arrangement of leaves on the stem: Cannabis begins to occur in Cannabis is variegation, life with decussate (opposite and per- where the genes that control chloropendicular) phyllotaxy, developing phyll production do not fully express, into an alternate pattern with the and the buds and leaves develop streaks and patches of pure white, due onset of flowering.

Beautiful variegated Vanilluna from DJ Short (DJ Short/ Attitude Seedbank)

Although there may be exceptions, variegation in plants mostly occurs as a result of cytoplasmic inheritance, which differs from normal chromosomal inheritance. The cytoplasm of the cell contains its own set of extra-chromosomal genes, which do not adhere to the rules of Mendelian An example of whorled phyllotaxy (Rabid)

A whorled pattern refers to an arrangement of three or more leaves on each internode rather than the usual two; usually a triple or ‘trilateral’ pattern (erroneously termed ‘trifoliate’, whereas this term applies to a compound leaf with three leaflets), with the three leaves arranged at equal 120-degree angles around the stem, although fourleafed patterns have been observed.

Whorled plants usually occur randomly and often revert back to decussate on attempts to achieve true-breeding

to the lack of pigment. Lack of chlorophyll prevents photosynthesis, so fully-albino Cannabis specimens with dual faulty or ‘switched off’ copies of the gene that controls its production do not usually survive long, although they do occur. Those that have one working copy of the gene can exhibit stunning patterning – even leaves that are exactly divided along the length, half white, half green.

It is thought that variegated Cannabis

It is unclear where the first webbed Cannabis genetics originated – although there have been several Hawaiian examples over the years. strains – although there are claims that stable strains are in the pipeline. There is no apparent consensus on whether whorled phyllotaxy is good or bad, but breeders generally accept that it is usually unlikely to hinder the plants, and most will probably end up male.

Some claim higher yields from whorled female plants, due to the extra bud sites and increased ability to photosynthesize, but this is purely anecdotal.

is generally not as potent or highyielding as fully green varieties, due to its reduced ability to photosynthesize. However, there has been some success with breeding programs, and there are a few seed strains available today (such as some from DJ Short) that will produce a percentage of variegated specimens. There are growers out there who will testify as to the amazing quality of their variegated

The list of known Cannabis mutations does not end here: purpling, crinkled leaves, conjoined twins, buds that grow on fan-leaves... whether spontaneous or artificially-induced, these mutations testify as to the astonishing variability of this unique species. There are many potential uses for mutated

Creeper phenotypes almost always occur in cultivated sativas, due to their great height and abundant branching. inheritance as chromosomes do. In normal reproduction of Cannabis, the male parent provides just a nucleus to the zygote (the newly fused sperm and ovum), and the female parent provides the remaining needed genetic material, including the cytoplasm itself. For this reason variegated genetics are passed down by the mother only; male pollen from variegated plants will not replicate the trait in their offspring.

To add further complexity, seeds taken from the female plant will exhibit traits according to where on the plant they are found. Seeds from all-white sections produce white, non-viable plants, seeds from the green section are normal, and seeds from variegated sections gave varied results: some normal, some white, some variegated.

It is unclear if variegation in Cannabis is cytoplasmic, but the fact that available strains claim around 15% variegated plants gives credence to the theory. It is clear that further research needs to be done, and it is ongoing – the excitement generated by the few

strains, beyond those for stealth growing and increased yield, and as we learn more about their nature and occurrence we will simultaneously learn much about what they can do for us from a medical and recreational viewpoint.

Breeders seeking to artificially induce mutations must exercise caution, as we could inadvertently create undesirables that will spread and dominate our existing strains. This is unlikely, as most true mutations have been unable to spread far on their own; however, the speed at which we have seen temperate indicas invading the sativa-growing regions since their introduction shows that we must take steps to limit genetic overlap in the wild. Limiting such experimentation to an indoor setting is the responsible option, and breeding for traits rather than forcing them to appear with chemical use is kinder to the plant.

That said, good luck to the mad scientists among our readers – now let’s see what else we can come up with.

Big Low (Automatic)

Image: Seeds of Life

9

Endangered Strains / Product Flash

Maui Waui

Mega Worm from Plagron Kali Mist

A prime bud of Maui Waui (© Nickel

Cannabis is abundant in Hawaii’s

Bag of Funk)

fertile countryside (© Todd Huffman)

Maui Waui (or Wowie, Wowi) is a famous sativa strain from Hawaii, established over the centuries after the initial introduction of Cannabis to the islands by European or East Asian sailors. Since commencing in 1979, aggressive air eradication programs by the DEA have brought many landrace strains to the brink of extinction, and the existing breeding stock of the Maui is becoming so small that the health and viability of the gene pool is rapidly depleting. Hawaii consistently ranks in the top five US states for total eradication, with 97,333 plants reportedly destroyed in 2010.

The Maui is very well established in seed banks worldwide, and numerous crosses are available, but existing stock will only last for so long before the strain begins to fade from the seed catalogs due to lack of fresh and reliable genetics – unless decisive efforts are made to establish long-term breeding programs away from the DEA threat.

A tall, leggy sativa, the Maui has long been the basis for indoor crosses due to its straight, sparsely-branched central stalks (which allow for dense growth and formation of huge central colas) and its ability to flourish in a sea-of-green regimen. It is a high-yielding plant, with a loose, airy bud structure and a dense

coating of small, sparkling crystals. It is relatively short-flowering for such a sativa-dominant strain, and can easily be harvested in nine to ten weeks.

Due to the tropical climate of Hawaii, the Maui can happily withstand high temperatures and humidity. If left to grow unhindered outdoors, it will develop into tall, graceful plants that may require some staking and tying to prevent topheavy branches from bending under their own weight. The variety is also fairly resistant to pests and stress. The flavor contains elements of citrus and pine, and is smooth and cool on the throat.

Unfortunately, despite its many positive attributes, the Maui Waui genetics are less highly prized than many others due to their relatively low potency, and as such it is possible that the required efforts to preserve the genetic lineage may not be made. However, there is a growing trend among Cannabis users to seek out strains that are not as overwhelmingly powerful as many of the current commercial favorites, and efforts are being made to re-establish the disappearing strains of our parents’ and grandparents’ generations; if this trend continues, there may well be renewed interest in strains like the Maui.

Powerful worm humus with a new name...

Plagron has a comprehensive range of additives. These UNIVERSAL products can be used with all substrates and can be combined with all fertilizers from Plagron.

One of these unique additives is Mega Worm.

This additive recently got a new name and new packaging. Mega Worm, formerly ‘Worm Humus’, is a natural soil improver based on composted plant remains. It creates optimum balance in the soil so the plant can grow and flower profusely.

Mega Worm has a very high organic content: it contains a quantity of trace elements, enzymes and minerals, like mycorrhiza and Trichoderma, which protect and feed the plant.

Distinguishing Manure Mega Worm provides a rapid germination of seeds, a strong root development, increases resistance and stimulates growth. Formerly, Mega Worm was only available in the famous green bag. Now it is available in purple pots of one liter, buckets of five liters and bags of twenty-five liters. Plagron has grown because of the worm manure. Our worm humus still stands because of the extensive analyses we perform on the nutrition of worms. We only select the best manure.

Pass it on!

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

Ice

Image: Royal Queen Seeds

12

Marches & Demos

“Weed Pass Can Smoke My Ass” On Friday, April 20th, at exactly twenty minutes past four, a curious phenomenon was observed in Amsterdam’s town hall. As the minutes ticked away, dense smoke from hundreds of joints combined to create an unmistakable smoke signal that must have been visible all the way to the Hague.

Why twenty minutes past four? Because we’ve adopted the US code for smoking dope, 420. The number refers to the time that the American universities and high school students take a break from learning for a relaxing reefer. As the tradition has grown in America so has it in the Netherlands, as at twenty past four in parks and universities Dutch stoners (and expats) gather together to smoke a joint. These events are often called ‘smokeouts’.

Thanks to initiator Peter Lunk, the Netherlands has now joined this beautiful tradition of a globally-connected celebration on 4/20, although this year it was decided to approach the 2012 smokeout as a sort of a flash-mob.

Interested parties gathered at half past two in Amsterdam’s city center to await the announcement of the exact location of the smokeout. The impetus was showing the authorities that Cannabis users are not going to swallow the ‘weed pass’.

There were many foreign activists and pro-pot pundits among the nearly one thousand participants. Brits, Belgians, Germans and Americans followed the original protest vibe, sharing their opinions on the new, discriminatory coffee shop policies. “Weed pass can smoke my ass,” stated one protestor’s sign. Udo, a civilized German fortysomething, had traveled a few hundred miles to Amsterdam to state his message: “Keep the Dutch values, tolerance.” The boys and girls from coffeeshop Far Out in Dedemsvaart let there be no misunderstanding, as they declared, “Down with that thing!” And there were joints, many joints, in all sorts of varieties. All in all, a very successful event.

Jan Sennema / Translation: Sativa Diva / Photo Credit: Photos by High Life

13

Organic Cultivation

Neem: The Blessed Tree of India Although proper garden hygiene can reduce the frequency of insect infestations, occasionally even the best kept gardens can suffer an attack.

Grubbycup Neem oil is often used to treat a variety of insect problems. Pests that can be treated with neem include: aphids, beetles, cockroaches, flies, fruit flies, fungal infections, grasshoppers, leaf miners, mosquitoes, moths (and unfortunately butterflies), nematodes, snails and thrips. It is an EPA approved pesticide that is not only fairly non-toxic to people and animals but also to beneficial insects, including bees. The active ingredients are not stable and quickly degrade. Predators eating treated insects and humans consuming produce from treated plants do not appear to be noticeably affected.

Neem oil is extracted from the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), which can be grown either outside as a large tree, or inside as a houseplant. Originally from India and Burma, where an estimated

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

It is a good thing that the leaves also contain the active ingredients, since a new neem tree will take about three to five years before it is mature enough produce seeds, and ten years to be fully productive. Although cross-pollination is more common in neem groves, it is also able to self-pollinate, so a single

well known for its ability to fix carbon dioxide, so while it is good for cleaning indoor air, it may slightly lower available CO2 levels. When outdoors neem can quickly grow to twenty meters; in a container indoors it can be kept to a manageable height with care and trimming. It responds well to several bonsai-style training techniques, staying a manageable size. When the tree grows too large, it can be trimmed back (including a third or so of the roots) and returned to the original pot as needed to maintain a manageable size without becoming root-bound. Neem trees can recover from quite severe pruning, even to the extent of regrowing from stumps.

One reason for the attractiveness in using neem as a pesticide is that its active ingredients are composed of only carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The

Neem oil is extracted from the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), which can be grown either outside as a large tree, or inside as a houseplant. eighteen-million-plus neem trees still grow, this relative of mahogany has white, honey-scented flowers that are known to be a good source of pollen for bees, and bears clusters of yellow, oliveshaped fruit. The leaves have a mildly astringent flavor, and leave an earthy, woody and slightly musty aftertaste, reminiscent of sandalwood.

tree can produce fruit. Neem prefers a dryer growing media than most plants, and over-watering is much more likely to cause problems than under-watering.

While generally pest resistant itself, it is vulnerable to certain types of scale, powdery mildew, some blights and root rot – although root rot is almost always a result of over-watering.

Honey made from neem pollen does not contain the insecticide properties.

Timber cut from neem trees is naturally termite-resistant. It is a broad-leafed evergreen tree that, as a tender perennial, cannot withstand freezing temperatures. Neem trees grow well in hot, dry conditions in poor soil, but cannot withstand over-watering or frost.

Neem is photoperiod sensitive, so indoor plants should be kept under lighting with short dark periods for continued growth, so they are better off in your vegetative room than your flowering room for vigorous growth. Neem is

residue does not contain the toxic chemicals that are common in many chemical pesticides. However, this does not mean that it should be used to excess, as hydrogen peroxide shares this non-chemical residue trait, and H202 can be quite damaging in high concentrations.

While consumed by millions in modest quantities for health benefits and even used in cosmetics, mild over-consumption of neem has been used as form of birth control for both men and women (males take it orally; females insert the oil vaginally prior to coitus as a spermicide), and as such, I would recommend

Artifacts written in Sanskrit show that the use of neem dates back at least thousands of years. It is one of the few plants able to withstand locust swarms, and may even have a calming effect to help them revert to their non-swarming form. Neem can be used against hundreds of insect pests, as well as mites, nematodes, and some pathogenic fungi. The popular pesticide Azamax® is made from neem extracts. Corporate bio-pirates have even made unsuccessful attempts to patent this traditional Indian common knowledge as if it were a new discovery.

Neem trees can be started from seeds Neem’s evergreen leaves create shade havens in its native climate or cuttings; however, the seeds have an

limiting exposure to couples trying to conceive a child.

Further research is needed to scientifically examine the medical effects of neem, but since it is a non-patentable treatment, funding for trials is much harder to come by than it would be for a new chemical-based pharmaceutical.

This is similar to some of the troubles that face the beneficial effects of other natural products such as Cannabis, where it is easier to get research funding for the synthetic equivalent to THC (used in the commercially-produced Marinol) than natural THC, which is present in Cannabis. This, in spite of the fact that Marinol has a higher fatality rate than the naturally occurring THC found in buds (when smoked normally, it does not appear to be possible to consume enough to raise THC levels to a toxic level, if that is what caused the deaths associated with Marinol).

Sativex and Cesamet are two other pharmaceuticals that are based on Cannabis, so apparently it has been decided that something is ‘medicinal’ as long as the pharmaceutical companies get their cut, and illegal in most areas where they do not. Neem has had a similar problem in that, in the right environment, it is also easy to grow and use without having to pay for the privilege. Since this is contrary to the financial interests of those who believe they should be paid as often as possible by as many people as possible, this puts neem in a similar category as ‘cures’ – that is, less financially advantageous than long term recurring treatments, so not encouraged. Extreme over-consumption of neem by people is rare in adults, but can cause liverand other health problems. Exposure to

Neem oil is an amber liquid, often used as ‘soft’ pesticide

14 salannin and meliantriol, which both inhibit feeding, and nimbin, which has antiviral properties.

Treatments with neem can take up to two weeks to complete, but insectcreated damage should dwindle during the process. One study showed no developed resistance in diamondback moths, even after thirty-five generations of exposure. Neem can be used around

Neem leaves are attractive, and can prevent infestation

small amounts from using it on plants in a garden is generally considered safer than many of the more common overthe-counter pesticides.

To make a primitive but effective insecticide from neem plant material: Crush and steep the leaves and/or seeds (seeds have more oil – the inside kernels are almost half oil, but leaves can also be used) in water or alcohol, strain, and apply. Water is commonly used, but alcohol creates a much more potent product as the desired limonoids are not very water-soluble, but dissolve readily in alcohol.

Adding a small amount of dish washing soap to the water as an emulsifier can help suspend the neem in water; sesame oil has shown indications of improving performance as well. Effective when fresh at very low concentrations, the active components will degrade in about a week when exposed to UV light, so store in a lightproof container. If practical, only prepare a week’s worth (at most) at a time, to ensure freshness.

tion appeared to drop sharply within a week. Plants sprayed with a neem solution appeared to improve in about three days, and the spray method used less neem overall to achieve the desired effect. If buying neem oil I would recommend using it as a spray, but if a gardener has a neem tree or access to neem cake (the leftovers from neem oil extraction) the cost drops dramatically, so applying through the root system may be a viable option.

Neem is not a fast acting toxin, but it interrupts the life cycles of unwelcome invaders. The method of protection varies, depending upon the invader.

Neem’s built-in ‘friend or foe’ system works on the principle that unwanted pests are those that eat or damage plant material. Beneficial insects that crawl on the surface of plants appear to be generally unaffected. Neem sprayed on plants will create a thin coating that will either dissuade insects from eating it, or effect changes in those that do. There are several leaf-eating insects that will not eat neem, or plants sprayed

are often made by chewing the end of a neem twig. Neem oil is also commonly used topically in skin creams. To reiterate: while one of the traditional uses of neem is as a ‘cure-all’ taken internally, there is also some indication that at high doses it may have a temporary inhibiting effect on human reproduction. As such, at least until further studies have been conducted, exposure should be limited for pregnant females and cou-

Neem’s built-in ‘friend or foe’ system works on the principle that unwanted pests are those that eat or damage plant material. bees, spiders and ladybugs. Nectar collected from plants appears to be safe for bees, and insect predators like spiders and ladybugs appear to be able to consume treated insects without harm.

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

Neem leaves have been used for hundreds of years to prevent weevil infestations in grain stores in India. In some parts of the world neem is used in toothpaste, and makeshift toothbrushes

ples actively trying to conceive.

Neem has a variety of uses in the garden, and in moderation can be good for plants as a ‘soft’ pesticide – especially when used at early stages of an insect invasion. Growing neem at home can inexpensively supply a gardener with a steady supply of leaves that can be used as needed. By home-crafting your own neem pesticide, unnecessary packaging, transport and other carbon costs can be avoided.

Peace, love and puka shells, Grubbycup

Corporate bio-pirates have even made unsuccessful attempts to patent this traditional Indian common knowledge as if it were a new discovery.

These simple recipes have, in some circumstances, been effective enough to rival or exceed commercial pesticides such as DDT and Malathion.

Some plants (e.g., tomatoes) can absorb neem though their roots, and use their own vascular system to spread protection to untreated portions. This allows the plant to become a ‘poison pill’, awaiting a malicious insect’s bite.

From personal experience, I believe that Cannabis can take up neem through the root system and spread it internally to the rest of the plant, but the amount of neem and time required for treatment is greater than what is needed for external spraying. I treated a whitefly infestation with neem applied strictly to the root system, and the whitefly popula-

with neem extracts – even under threat of starvation. Neem extracts have also been shown to repel some biting insects better than DEET, which is a common chemical ingredient in insect repellents.

One of the most potent components is the limonoid azadirachtin, which causes some insect larvae to be unable to be metamorphosed, and thus prevents them from becoming adults and reproducing. Azadirachtin is similar in structure to the hormones produced in insects to control their development.

Once introduced, it blocks the normal functioning of these hormones, and prevents the insects from becoming sexually mature. It is also responsible for a fair amount of neem’s repellant properties. Neem also contains the limonoids

Whiteflies are resistant to many pesticides, but often susceptible to neem

15

Smuggler’s Tales

Back in the ‘80s, in an attempt to infiltrate the smuggling scene in the Netherlands, Dutch Customs allowed the importation of large amounts of hashish, marijuana and cocaine. Unbelievably, they actually let in over a hundred tons and did not bust a single person – what a bunch of suckers! They didn’t even confiscate any money either, so there was lots of it around.

O’Riodon into the Bay of Bengal. Due to all the delays, plans had changed and the cargo would have to be picked up at sea.

A rusting hulk

It was about this time that I was invited on a fishing expedition. No ordinary fishing trip, this involved sailing a 900-ton, deep sea fishing trawler back from Japan, with a stopover in Pakistan to do some shopping. The pay was a hundred grand plus bonus, and I have to say I was tempted – all that sea air... problem was, it was three months of sea air and I had other plans, but a close friend agreed to go and it is his account that I pass on to you.

It was a crew of eight that finally flew out to Japan, a mix of English, Dutch and Danish, all with sailing experience. They arrived to find the ship a rusty hulk in bad shape, and certainly not worth the $185,000 they had paid. Only the promise of extra money kept the crew from flying straight home.

Three weeks and twenty grand later they sailed out of the harbor in Yokohama. They had three months of food and enough fuel to get to Pakistan and beyond. They were also carrying five tons of cement – but more about that later.

The journey through the South China Sea was pretty uneventful, involving lots of sunbathing and making a hole in the 4,000 cans of beer they had on board.

Eight days out and it was all going a little too smoothly, then the port engine began to overheat. The cooling manifold had cracked and was not salvageable – this meant an unscheduled stop in Singapore.

Rounding Sri Lanka and Southern India they sailed toward the rendezvous coordinates. The crew began removing the cement ballast. In hundred-degree-plus temperatures, down in the bilges with jackhammers, it was thirsty work and the beer was disappearing fast. They had to stop when the Indian navy appeared and shadowed them for a while, but the navy lost interest and left.

The crew reached the coordinates on a moonless night and were met by four fishing boats. One by one they drew alongside, and the cargo was craned aboard. The total load was fifty tons, yes: fifty thousand kilos – and five thousand kilos more than they were expecting, non-returnable.

The next days were spent stacking bales along the keel and covering them with cement, but when they had finished they still had five tons left. Right then they should have thrown them over the side, but they didn’t. Instead, aided by our good friend, greed, they welded them behind a bulkhead in the engine room.

The original plan had been to sail through the Suez Canal, but ships were being searched due to the Iraqi sanctions; it was decided to sail south around Africa, but they’d need more fuel. Mozambique would be the safest place, en route and corrupt enough to pay off any suspicions they aroused. They sailed into Maputo harbor without incident and left on the next tide, but unfortunately they were noticed. Four hours out they were intercepted by the South African Coast Guard who searched the ship. They didn’t find anything, but were suspicious enough to put the ship on a watch list.

The journey home

days out into the southern Atlantic, the drive shaft seized. They drifted for two days while trying to fix it, but repair was impossible. In the end they had no choice but to radio the Cape Verde islands for a tugboat. Two hours later a British warship showed up. In the area already, they had offered assistance. At this point my friend jumped into the garbage chute.

Because the boat was on a watch list, it was armed when the Brits boarded. They confined the crew to quarters while they were towed in. Back in port, customs officials found the five tons within a few hours and everybody was arrested – everyone except my friend. Hidden under a ton of garbage, he escaped when night fell, and swam ashore. A panicky collect call to Holland alerted the investors and various loved ones, and things sprang into action.

The next day, six figures was being offered to recruit a team to get them out; things had to move fast, but the Cape Verde islands are a long way off. My friend, now

in a hotel and with funds, arranged the lawyers and kept those back home informed.

Under the right circumstances, breaking them out wouldn’t be too difficult, but getting off the island would. The lawyers were talking about ‘buying’ them a light sentence, but this would not happen if the authorities found the other 45 tons.

After three weeks things were looking very positive. The lawyers had delayed the trial and bail was a real possibility.

A large amount of cash had arrived on a chartered plane, along with two of the investors, and they set about trying to buy the trawler back, but unfortunately the ship had already been sold to a local company. A week later the rest of the hash was discovered. Bummer!

The captain and crew got nine and seven years respectively, but happily escaped after just eighteen months. Six months after that another smaller trawler made the same journey, but this one made it back home.

At this point my friend was beginning to have a very bad feeling and asked to be put ashore, but the captain refused. Four

The coast guard cutter appeared as soon as they entered Malaysian waters, but their papers were in order and a search turned up nothing, so they left.

Five days later, repairs complete, they Fifty tons of this sailed through the Malacca Strait and on

HMS Montrose: Need a tow?

Balconies full of Cannabis in Barcelona, Spain (© Mikhail Zahranichny)

18

Serious Gardening

If the starting water is not pure (such as filtered- or tap water), or if a contaminant is added (like coffee, tea or sugar) then the water will boil normally.

Water is such a fundamental requirement for gardening, however it is paradoxically often given little thought. As small children we learn that plants need water to grow, but then the subject passes by without much in the way of further explanation. For those willing to look Grubbycup a little deeper, here is some of the rest of the story...

Water occurs naturally on Earth in three forms: solid (ice), gas (steam, vapor, humidity) and liquid (water). It also possesses unusual but useful surface tension properties. These make water necessary for a variety of biological purposes.

At sea level, water will freeze under 32 degrees Fahrenheit (zero degrees Celsius), and boil at 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius). Freezing water will cause it to expand and become less dense than its liquid state, which is why ice will float on water. Frozen snow and ice are important for water storage that releases in summer months, when plants need additional water for growth.

At higher elevations, the boiling point of water is lower due to the drop in pressure. The higher the altitude, the lower the boiling point of water – and the longer food must be boiled to heat to a given temperature. For example, water boiling at 212 degrees will cook eggs faster than water boiling at 190 degrees. Pressure cookers use the other side of the same principle: water under pressure boils at a higher temperature, so immersed food heats faster.

Reverse-osmosis water is also a very pure form of water, but incurs a high wastewater cost as part of the process. Neither distilled nor reverse-osmosis water contain nutritional elements in significant amounts. In contrast, as long as tap water is suitable for drinking, it should be suitable for growing plants (the reverse is also true – if you can’t grow a plant in your tap water, don’t drink it). EC or ppm testing of available tap water will give an indication of suitability.

Two common contaminants for tap water are calcium carbonate salt and magnesium, which are found in ‘hard’ water. Since this can be a source of calcium for plants, nutrients developed for hard water generally take this into account, and therefore contain little or no additional calcium. Another common contaminant in city water is chlorine, which plants do not need in very high quantities. To vent off chlorine from tap water, fill watering containers each time just after watering. Checking the quality of the source water will assist in fine-tuning a garden, but tap water clean enough to drink will often work well enough.

Water vapor is caused by the evaporation or boiling of water. The amount of water vapor in the air is recorded as humidity. High humidity gardens are prone to mold, and low humidity gardens are prone to spider mites and other insect infestations.

While not technically a nutrient, but rather the transport agent for nutrients, water is an important requirement for growing healthy plants. Slight underwatering is less detrimental than slight over-watering, so if in doubt, run towards the dry side. The quality of the end solution is in part determined by the quality of the initial water used for the base liquid. If local water is of poor quality, reverse-osmosis (RO) filters or other filtering systems can be used to clean it.

Under normal circumstances and pressure, the temperature of liquid water will not exceed its boiling point. At sea level, water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius), and won’t get any hotter, since at that point it will turn into a gas and escape. Rice cookers use this principle to tell when the water has boiled off. As long as the bottom of the cooker doesn’t exceed the boiling point of water, the device knows to continue cooking. When the temperature rises past the boiling point of water, it means that the water has boiled off, and cooking is done.

Distilled water has been boiled into steam, which has then been collected and cooled back into a liquid. It is the purest form of water generally available. ‘Pure’ water such as distilled should be microwaved with care, as when it is heated in a clean, smooth container it’s possible for the water to become ‘superheated’, which means that the temperature in its liquid state is above the normal boiling temperature. This can become Surface tension draws water dangerous when a contaminant or edge is introduced, such as dipping a spoon together to form concentric in it, as that can trigger a violent and shapes almost instantaneous boiling response.

Water (H2O) is comprised of a collection of molecules having two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, and is a requirement for photosynthesis. Light energy is absorbed by the plant, which divides the water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is com-

bined with carbon dioxide (CO2) to form glucose. Water is also particularly well suited as a solvent for many materials. Hydrophilic (water loving) materials, like many of the salts, dissolve easily in water, while hydrophobic (water fearing) substances, such as oils, do not.

Because water molecules have a positive charge on the side with the two hydrogen (H) atoms, and a negative charge on the oxygen (O) side, they are attracted and attach easily to many other molecules.

One reason that salts are so often used as nutrient sources is that they also have a positive and negative side, but are held together with a weaker ionic bond.

Water molecules attach themselves to either side of the salt molecule and break them apart, dissolving the salt into the water and releasing the nutrient element in the process. This is why many chemical hydroponic solutions make use of salts dissolved in water.

Potassium nitrate, for example, will separate into both potassium and nitrate (NO3), which can allow it to provide two of the macronutrients: nitrogen (N) and a heavy dose of potassium (K). Organic nutrients are often less miscible, and should be shaken to create a suspension each time before use.

Pure water has no electrical conductivity, so an EC or ppm meter will read zero conductivity. As the water becomes more contaminated with salts and other conductive materials from fertilizers, the nutrient solution will become more electrically conductive, and the meter will show higher values. The information gathered with a meter – coupled with

19 the specific nutritional needs of the plant – can be invaluable in maintaining a suitable nutrient solution; however, keep in mind that EC and ppm meters only display the total amount of electrically conductive contamination present, not specifically what the contamination is.

These meters do not give specific N-P-K values. A solution with a high nitrogen content, for example, may give the same reading as a solution with a high phosphorus (P) content.

Under-watering is a smaller error than over-watering. If plants are slightly under-watered, they will usually signal by getting droopy, and respond favorably within hours when watered. Overwatering is both more traumatic and requires a longer recovery period. If you do happen to drown your plants, don’t give up, just try to learn from the experience and try again. If your tap water is of a very poor quality you may have to filter it before use, or use drinking water to hydrate your plants.

In order to denote how acidic or basic a liquid is, a pH value between zero and fourteen is assigned. Pure water has a pH of seven; solutions with a pH value lower than seven are acids, and solutions with a pH value higher than seven are considered alkaline or basic. Strong acids will corrode and dissolve many substances, and strong bases such as lye can cause deposits and damage to organic tissues.

The ideal range for nutrient solutions is around 6.0 to 6.2. If you are within a half point or so, don’t bother adjusting it.

Proper pH is more critical in hydroponic systems than soil gardens due to the additional buffering properties of soil.

Radically incorrect pH can cause physical damage to plants due to the caustic properties of acids and bases, and less severe imbalances have an impact on the solubility of plant nutrients.

Adjustments to pH are made by adding an opposite. Acids have positive hydro-

Pollution is reducing the amount of clean water available to support life

gen ions, and bases have a matching, negatively-charged acceptor. When the two combine they do so in order to neutralize each other. If the solution has a pH value too low (is acidic), add a base to raise the pH. If the solution is too basic (pH too high), an acid is added to lower it.

Water has a high surface tension – it sticks to itself very well (cohesion).

Submerged molecules can attach on all sides to each other, but the molecules on the surface do not have water above them to attach to, and so they hold tighter to their neighboring water molecules. This creates tension along the surface, allows water to bead into droplets, and allows for capillary action to force water to rise within a narrow tube. The water will stick to the walls (adhesion) and surface tension will pull

to try to form a droplet (cohesion), supplying an upward force. This allows for both the transport of water up growing media to plant roots, and up the roots and along the rest of the plant as part of respiration.

A key component to plant health – particularly in hydroponic systems – is a sufficient amount of available oxygen. While oxygen is a major component of water, the plant also requires oxygen in a more available form. The level of freely available oxygen in water is known as its dissolved oxygen, or DO, content. Air stones and fountains are both used to increase DO. Since the amount of air that water will hold is dependent upon temperature, the warmer the water, the less air it will hold, and the more important proper aeration becomes. Cool winter water tends to have higher DO than warm summer water.

If the amount of dissolved oxygen drops too low, it creates conditions for anaerobic (air hating) bacteria to develop.

Anaerobic bacteria are the rotting and spoilage bacteria responsible for the foul odors in stagnant water. Properly aerated water is conducive to aerobic (air loving) bacteria, the beneficial bacteria that assist in composting and healthy plant development. One way that the plant will use the oxygen it absorbs is the eventual creation of tetrahydrocannabinolic acid.

During heating or curing, the tetrahydrocannabinolic acid will release its carbon dioxide and become tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in a process called decarboxylation. This is why cured bud can become more potent with age as it cures, and why Cannabis used for cooking should be heated at some stage.

During smoking or vaporization, the high temperatures allow for rapid decarboxylation, but this may be incomplete – particularly in only partially-dried buds. The longer the time period used, the lower the temperature requirement for the reaction.

Water is an important part of gardening, and an improved understanding of its properties can help us to understand how many gardening concepts fit together. Like people, plants will die from lack of water faster than from a lack of nutrition, and also like people, drowning will kill faster than dehydration. This precious resource is one of the fundamental necessities of practically all life, but due to its current abundance, is all too often treated without the respect it is due.

Peace, love and puka shells, Water: the single most important requirement for healthy Cannabis growth

Grubbycup

20

Strain Report

Grow Diary: Moby Dick Moby Dick, our current Page 3 Girl and winner of the Soft Secrets Girl of the Year Award (2010), is one of Dinafem’s best known and most popular cultivars.

Dinafem sells its seeds packed in Eppendorf vials, with absorbent colorchanging silica beads to help ensure seed viability. Be mindful of the printing of the cultivar on the label itself, which smudges easily when touched.

All the seeds were plump and healthy looking, and sprouted quickly in a domed seedling tray. The plants were grown in a small, white plastic-lined indoor closet (.75 m x 1 m x 2 m). For the growth phase, they were kept under a vented 400-watt MH light, set to eighteen hours on, six hours off. Once well-sprouted in plugs (day seventeen), they were planted into labeled 12.7 cm square pots filled with perlite. Perlite starts as a volcanic glass with water trapped inside.

When exposed to high temperatures, the glass melts, and the water turns to steam, which inflates and puffs the glass before escaping. The resulting material is light and airy, similar to a small, heavy Styrofoam.

The pots were set in a tray, and handwatered with a hydroponic nutrient solution. This type of passive hydroponic system is similar to using soil in pots and is commonly used by both novices and experts. One advantage to using a hydroponic media over soil is that the plant containers can be smaller. The plants remained in these pots for the entire grow. Perlite is difficult to over-water, and is forgiving of minor errors in watering. It can be used alone, as in this grow, or as part of a mixture. Another benefit of perlite is that it can be rinsed and reused repeatedly. The Fox Farm line of nutrients was used, and no deficiencies developed.

Moby Dick is a medium sized plant with very nice structure and regular, opposite leaf pairs. All the plants from the same packet grew recognizably similar to each other. The leaves were fat and indica looking. The plants did not show much stretch.

Lighting was changed to HPS bulbs with a 12/12 regimen on day forty-two. Once they started to form, the flower clusters were very firm and tight. Dinafem only sells feminized seeds, so sexing was not an issue. Flowering finished one day shy of five weeks; the Moby Dick was ready for harvest in fifty-nine days, one day shy of the sixty- to seventy-day window given by Dinafem. The final plant height was 101 cm.

She’s the picture of health Manicuring the buds was easy and fast.

Dried buds are attractive and hold togeth- on Day 22 er well. While not a heavy producer, it is a respectable one. Buds were hung for three days, then went into a closed plastic container to allow inner moisture to work its way out to the leaves. The container was opened at regular intervals to allow condensation to evaporate, and then the buds were enclosed in jars to finish curing.

Grubbycup

Moby Dick Environment: Indoor closet Grow Light: 400-watt MH Flower Light: 400-watt HPS Method: Passive hydro Nutrient: 'Fox Farms' brand Days in Growth: 42 Days in Flower: 59 Harvest Weight: 44 g wet, 13 g dry Grams per Day: 0.129 Plant structure: Single cola Bud Structure: Dense Scent: Mild, spicy, sweet Rating: 9/10

Moby Dick is a very nice offering from Dinafem: the Haze x White Widow heritage has given this strain dense, tight buds and a strong effect when smoked. It is very mild when dried, and benefits well from a good cure, as the subtle flavors develop as they mature.

Mildly spicy in aroma, with a nice mental stone, she’s more psychoactive than most. When dried, the buds hold their integrity well. Moby Dick is worth getting your hands on to try at home, perfect for sitting around with a group of friends, relaxing and talking over snacks. I will definitely make room to grow more of this, next time around.

The wide, indica leaves are prominent by Day 35

You will soon invite her back Buds are dense but air flow is not a problem

Moby Dick on Day 66

into your grow room

21

Cultivation Abroad

Word from the Lebanese Street For such a small country, Lebanon really does have a big pair of balls. It also has a well-known history of Cannabis cultivation.

Production of their famous Red Leb was pretty much eradicated after the long and brutal civil war that ended in 1990, but rumors have been flying around that the old ganja fields have sprung to life again. Soft Secrets checked it out to see if there is any substance to these tantalizing rumors.

On the eastern side of the Mount Lebanon range lies the Bekaa (Beqaa) Valley. It’s no secret that the northern half of the Bekaa is where the vast majority of Lebanese hash cultivation takes place; Baalbek – the gateway to and administrative town of the North Bekaa – was our starting point.

This is a town planted firmly on the tourist trail thanks to its spectacular Roman ruins. It is also a town where you can buy Hezbollah T-shirts in most of the shops and the cops are swarming, strapped with

napped somewhere in the Bekaa (they were all later released after being held hostage for 113 days).

Just as we were settling in and getting a feel for the place, around midnight on our first night in town, we were treated to the ear-splitting CRACK! CRACK! CRACK-ing of a couple of hand guns being fired only a few yards away from our hotel room – this mission was obviously going to require a good deal of tact and caution.

The Professor

wasn’t afraid to take a stranger deep into the pressure cooker of the Bekaa. This was a lot easier said than done. After making friends and building trust with some of the local hoods in the pool hall we managed to get a bit of a handle on the situation. The locals are scared of the cops; spies and informants are common. It’s a familiar story – people who get busted are pressured into giving up the names of other smokers, those unlucky enough to be ratted out get a call from the cops and are told to give themselves up for a piss test. A positive test can mean anywhere up to five months in jail if they can’t afford a decent lawyer. Several weeks to one month are common sentences.

Some of the local guys were obviously smokers – their bloodshot eyes, tattoos and cagey attitudes gave them away.

These guys kept their distance from us though, they didn’t mind having a chuckle

Power in the North Bekaa rests within two main, mafia-style families.

These families are scary enough to keep the Hezbollah, the cops and the Lebanese army out of their territory.

M16s and dressed in military-style city camouflage – they’re basically urban soldiers. A few weeks before Soft Secrets arrived, seven Estonian cyclists were kid-

The first step in gaining access to these fabled fields of green was to try and find a local guide: someone who knew the business, had the right connections and

with us but they left it to the friendlier few to give us some of the information we were asking for. Maybe our lack of a common language was the only real barrier; whatever the case, it was clear that under the circumstances we’d have to hang around a lot longer than we could afford to before they’d give us any more than a general conversation about our favorite subject matter.

It was time for a change of tactics.

Once we got out of town and did a bit more digging we found people more willing to talk. Power in the North Bekaa rests within two main, mafia-style families – the Zeaiters and the Jaafars. These families are scary enough to keep the Hezbollah, the cops and the Lebanese army out of their territory. They are also engaged in a hot conflict with each other. They don’t count their money, they weigh it, and they don’t use banks either – they use their own stash houses, have their own security forces and make enough dough to keep some useful politicians on their payroll. Pot isn’t their only business either – they’re mixed up in a whole load of other nefarious activities, but that’s none of my business or yours. The guys who run the North Bekaa are serious motherfuckers.

Soft Secrets also found out that back in 2009 pot growing was again becoming a popular earner for a lot of small-time Lebanese farmers. This effectively dropped prices and started to infringe upon the busi-

ness of the Zeaiters and the Jaafars, so they called in some political favors from their pocketed politicians. External pressure was also being applied to the Lebanese government to ‘do something’ about the country’s increasing hash production. A new policy of zero tolerance was adopted and a big show was made of burning fields of weed and blocks of stash, busting small-time growers and bullying users – hence the dicey situation in which average Lebanese smokers now finds themselves.

Another traditional pot growing region of Lebanon is the Kadisha (Qadisha) Valley.

Separated from Bekaa by the Mount Lebanon range, Bsharri (Bcharre), the largest town of the Kadisha, is the stronghold of the Maronite Christians and the Christian militia known as the Lebanese Forces. The Lebanese Forces were prominent during the days of the civil war and word is that

they’d get fully blazed before they went into battle – evidence of the fighting in Bsharri can still be seen in a few bulletridden garden gates.

I’d managed to hook up with a new wing man for this little trip into the mountains – Rocky is an ex-US soldier with an Arabic family name, Arabic language skills and retired on a disability pension. He is also a recovering heroin addict. I was looking forward to seeing what doors this guy’s name and language skills might open for us, but his unbound enthusiasm nearly screwed us within the first five minutes of arriving in town. We went to ask a couple of locals directions to somewhere, they answered and then Rocky just blurted out, “You have any hashish?”

They looked like we’d just asked them to shoot a baby: “No, no, no! No drugs in this town, no hashish.” Then we realized we were standing right outside the police station – there were a couple of cop cars and cops milling about. Every time we ventured into town after that the uniforms were never too far away. We kept a low profile for the next couple of days.

Two days later, minus Rocky, we made ourselves known in the local shisha bar. It was here that we turned up our first promising leads of the mission; we accepted an invitation to a poker game at the home of a daily stoner, Bob (*name changed). Bob is a very interesting character – only half Lebanese, he’d already been to prison three times in Lebanon for possession and is currently waiting for his fourth trip to court for the same offense. The first time he got caught he did two weeks: “If you get caught with hash out here you’ll probably go to prison.

They’ll piss test you to see if you’re a smoker – if your test is negative but you get caught with some shit they’ll charge you

22 the crop is harvested in the autumn it gets chopped up and left to dry in sealed rooms. As the plants dry, their oily residue collects on the walls of the room.

When the plants are dry the trichomes get bashed off and sieved in a similar fashion to how they do it in Morocco.

The oily residue is then scraped from the walls of the drying rooms and added to the hash powder before it is blended and pressed – this is what gives the hash its famous red coloring. As for the hit, true Red Leb is a trippy, long-lasting creeper, and a strong one at that.

Red Leb isn’t the only type of hash they produce in Lebanon, either. The second quality is known as Yellow Baaly – this is hash produced in the traditional North African way, dried and pummeled. The Yellow Baaly hits the smoker quickly but doesn’t last as long as the more potent Red.

with intent to supply. If you give someone a puff, just one puff, then that’s sharing and they can lock you up for three years if they want. If you sell a little bit to someone then that goes up to five years.”

Bob was born into the Thoauk family. The Thaouks (or Chaouks, Tawks) are the major

across the mountains – that and the fact that the local cops were obviously enjoying the upper hand in the pot game at the present time.

Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon, has its own smoking scene, and its own troubles.

The locals explain:

off. It cost him a lot of money.”

There are still a lot of smokers in Beirut, but after the 2009 clampdown fear of grasses, spies and potential prison time, the circle is pretty much closed to outsiders. People don’t like to smoke in their houses either; cars are one of the last safe places left for people to smoke so they spend a lot of time

Despite merciless cops and their corrupt political class, the Lebanese are strong people, and they hate being bullied. A lot of the post-civil war generation are divorcing themselves from their parents’ conservatism, racism and politics of division; they’re getting into acid, ecstasy, one love and fuck the government, and once they’ve gotten a few beers inside them they’re quite willing to talk to foreigners about

A new policy of zero tolerance was adopted and a big show was made of burning fields of weed and blocks of stash, busting small-time growers and bullying users. mafia-style family of the Kadisha, they’re also rumored to be the force behind the major Lebanese crime gang operating in Australia. Typical of our luck so far on this trip, Bob had been out of smoke for a few days and was still trying to re-up: “I have a friend in Beirut, he’s got some great hydro but it’s $300 (USD) an ounce. Because of the police clamping down on the outdoor fields and chains of supply, people in Beirut are starting to grow hydro weed in their houses. In the Kadisha now there’s no real organized grow-ops; some people have a few plants in their gardens.”

He also told us that a fair price for our sought-after Red Leb was between $100 and $150 (USD) an ounce. (For those with good connections over in Bekaa, $150 is said to buy 200 grams.)

He tried a couple of other people he knew but drew blanks on every call, stating that the delay was unusual. I suspected that a big part of their difficulty in scoring lay in their bad relations with their Muslim neighbors just

“Smoking in Beirut is very risky; four years ago a friend of mine got into trouble and he ratted on a lot of people. I’d been friends with him since kindergarten but he still ratted me out – the cops called me up and told me I had to go for a piss test, the test was positive and I had to spend a week in prison. I was only a 21-year-old college student but I got locked up with rapists and murderers – it broke up my relationship and my parents took it really badly. I haven’t smoked a joint since then.”

on the roads. One guy, another student, told me: “I love to smoke, last year I did 37,300 miles in my car!”

So, what is it that makes Red Leb so unique? What makes people risk prison time every day of their lives just for a smoke? Why is it said to be the strongest hash in the world? Soft Secrets has found all that out for you as well! When

their way of life and the problems they deal with. Considering all the other problems the country is plagued with (rocketing property prices, low wages, religious and political turmoil, stubborn conservatism, corruption, gross inequality) it is obvious that pot smokers are being targeted and scapegoated by politicians and cops who are too complicit or too scared to deal with the real problems of the country.

“A lot of the dealers in Beirut are dangerous people. A friend of mine went to see a dealer to score some hash; when he left the dealer’s house the cops were waiting right outside for him. He went to prison.”

The cops in Beirut are corruptible as well; another smoker told us that “it’s legal but not legal, everyone does it but it’s taboo.

A friend of mine got caught smoking a joint in his car but he comes from a very wealthy family so he could pay the cops

Panoramic view of the Great Court of Baalbek temple complex, World Heritage Site (© Guillaume Piolle)

Kadisha Valley (Courtesy of Bontenbal)

23

Serious Gardening

More Roots = More Fruits!

Top end growth may well be your ultimate goal, but don’t neglect the foundations on which your plants are built. Concentrate on developing a healthy root system and you’ll achieve healthier growth and bigger yields.

First off, let’s all agree on one thing: the roots are the most important part of your plant, as they are responsible for delivering water and minerals. The amount of water and nutrient a plant uptakes is directly related to its rate of growth, and ultimately the size of the fruits it produces. Without a well-developed root zone, you are not going to achieve welldeveloped buds.

But roots just take care of themselves, right? Well, in most cases, yes – to an extent. But when roots are not given what they need they can become damaged,

Rhizoctonia flourishes in wet and warm environments. If it is present, ensuring plants are not over-watered and that grow room temperatures are not too high can keep it suppressed (as will an early application of Trichoderma). If you do lose a crop to Rhizoctonia, ensure that you dispose of all of the soil in your grow room and remove all dead plant material before thoroughly scrubbing down and starting again.

Pythium

Of all the pathogens that attack plants,

or generally poor hygiene in the grow room. It is also believed that fungus gnats and shore flies may be involved in moving Pythium from place to place.

Pythium can cause severe root rot because it has few competitors to check its activity. If Pythium infests a cutting bed, or if contaminated water is used in propagation, large losses occur. Root tips – very important in taking up nutrients and water – are attacked and killed first; Pythium spores then take over the root zone

1. Keep things clean from the beginning – seedlings and cuttings are most at risk because they are young and still developing. Ensure your propagation area is clean and choose your propagation medium carefully.

2. Use sterile cutting tools – cutting a plant provides an opportunity for pathogens to enter, so keep those items clean.

3. Change your mother plant regularly – a healthy mother may still contain pathogen spores, which will then attack any cuttings that are taken from it. If

When stressed, the roots will emit a hormone called ethylene; this hormone is recognized by some plant pathogens as a sign of weakness and a motivation to attack. and this is where the problems start. A damaged root zone is vulnerable and nature will step in and attack. Diseases (or ‘pathogens’) will invade a root zone and, at best, slow down growth; at worst, they can ruin an entire crop.

So, how do you prevent attack? Firstly, provide roots with what they need. A well-draining, aerated root zone that is clean and kept at the right temperature (as close to 72° F/ 22° C as possible) will keep roots healthy and happy. One important fact that should motivate you to take care of the roots is that, when stressed, the roots will emit a hormone called ethylene; this hormone is recognized by some plant pathogens as a sign of weakness and a motivation to attack!

The Invaders (a.k.a. The Bad Guys): Root problems develop when pathogens attack the roots. Put simply, a pathogen is an organism that induces sickness in a plant. They live all around us (and in some cases on us) and remain harmless – as long as the plants are in good health. However as soon as your plants become damaged or stressed, they attack. Know your enemy... here is a quick explanation of two of the most common root zone pathogens:

Rhizoctonia

This soil borne fungus causes root rot and collar rot in seedlings and young plants. When a plant is infected, small white threads may be visible in the soil and reddish-brown spots may appear on the leaves and stem. When Rhizoctonia causes collar rot, a ring of fungus will develop on the stem, cutting off the supply of nutrients to the rest of the plant.

When it infects the main stem of a seedling, the whole plant will die.

Pythium is the one that strikes fear into the heart of the home grower – particularly the home grower using bare-rooted, recirculating hydro systems, such as NFT or aeroponics. Pythium is better known as root rot or ‘damping off’. Its symptoms are easy to spot: the growth of the plant will become stunted, leaves will become yellow and eventually die, and the roots look brown, become ‘sludge-like’ and are easy to break off.

and can even spread up the main stem of an established plant.

How to Manage Pathogens: It may sound cliche, but when dealing with root zone pathogens prevention really is the best cure. Keep your plants healthy and they will be far less susceptible to attack:

you are consistently having problems with your cuttings, the issue may well be your mother plant.

4. Transplant gently – a damaged root allows pathogens to enter, so ensure you are gentle with young plants when transplanting and potting up.

5.

Maintain good ventilation and air movement – replacing the air in the

It is a spore that lives in air and water and it will be present in your growing area, no matter how clean it is. There are plenty of opportunities for it to enter your room. It will enter on your shoes, your clothes, your hands, etc.

It will also come in with your water, especially when your water supply comes from wells, rivers or streams.

It is therefore important to keep your growing environment clean – and make sure that you use clean water to feed your plants.

So if Pythium is everywhere around your plants anyway, why don’t all your crops go down from root rot? One thing to remember is that Pythium is a ‘secondary infection’: it will only attack your plants if they are already sick or damaged, or when growing conditions are not at their best. It takes advantage of sick or wounded tissues to colonize the root, causing damping off and root rot.

In nature, Pythium is often found in field soil, sand, pond or stream water, and dead roots of previous crops. It can sometimes be found in commercially available soil-less potting mixes and is easily introduced into a root zone by using dirty tools, dirty pots

Healthy, hydroponically-grown roots

24 grow room ensures plants remain healthy; air movement is important as it will help prevent leaf mold, which can weaken plants.

Nature’s Helpers (a.k.a. The Good Guys): So, you have scrubbed down the grow room, checked the health of your mother plants and have been extra careful not to damage the roots of young plants when transplanting – all important housekeep-

as a root extension, increasing nutrient uptake and speed of development.

and issues familiar to every indoor gardener, new and experienced!

Mycorrhizal fungi increase the uptake of nutrients because the fungus forms a fine network of threadlike strands – called hyphae – that serve as an extension of the plant’s root system. There may be up to ten feet of hyphae growing out from each half-inch of root that is infected by mycorrhiza. The diameter of a

Trichoderma

Trichoderma are fungi that are present in nearly all soils and other diverse habitats. In natural soil, they are typically the most commonly occurring type of fungi. The majority of compost-based growing media available from your local grow shop will have Trichoderma present,

Pythium is a spore that lives in air and water and it will be present in your growing area, no matter how clean it is. ing factors in maintaining healthy plant roots. If you are looking for a little extra help, Mother Nature has some tricks up her sleeve, but they may seem a little strange. Say the word ‘fungus’ and what springs to mind? Moldy bathrooms and leftover food? (Put down that spliff and go clean your house!) While it is true that some types of fungus are undoubtedly a bad thing, Mother Nature sometimes lends a helping hand to home growers.

Mycorrhiza

The word ‘mycorrhiza’ literally means ‘fungus root’. Mycorrhizal fungi invade the root zone of a plant to obtain nutrition.

In doing so, these fungi assist the roots in uptake of minerals from the growing medium – the added nutrient uptake leads to faster development and quicker growth. When added to soil or cocos, the mycorrhizal fungi quickly establishes itself and forms a symbiotic relationship with the roots, breaking down elements and making them available for the plants (while feeding on the carbohydrates that the plant produces). Think of them

Roots, glorious roots!

Pure ‘root porn’

fungal hypha can be one-fifth of the size of even the smallest root hair and may be many times longer, allowing it to explore areas of the growing media that the roots of the plant would not be able to reach on their own. By accessing the previously untapped nutrients in the growing media, the plant receives overall better nutrition and is more likely to reach its optimum potential (i.e., bigger yields).

Mycorrhizal fungi are especially beneficial in helping the plant access nutrients that are not particularly mobile in your growing medium, such as phosphorus and potassium – key elements required for packing on buds! Products containing mycorrhizal fungi can be purchased and applied to artificially introduce the fungi into soil or cocos.

When applying these products, the hope is that the mycorrhizal fungi will not only increase plant growth and vigor, but will make them more tolerant to stresses, such as temperature fluctuation, over- or under-watering, and attack from root pathogens... stresses

and with good reason. Trichoderma is an aggressive fungus that will readily colonize the roots of the plant. The most competent strains can be added to growing media, or even to seeds, and are able to grow on roots as they develop. This is why many growers choose to dip their cuttings in Trichoderma, as the fungi will remain present on the roots of the plant throughout its life cycle (although it is a good idea to reapply every thirty days to keep numbers effective).

The strains of Trichoderma available at your local grow shop are known to control every pathogenic fungus for which control has been sought. They work on two levels: Trichoderma is a parasitic fungus that actively takes over a root zone and makes it difficult for damaging pathogens, such as Pythium and Rhizoctonia, to compete for space on the roots and for nutrients. Once established on the roots of a plant, Trichoderma will detect other organisms within the vicinity and grow towards them. The Trichoderma then coils itself around the organism

A bad case of root rot

and breaks down the cell walls by releasing enzymes, paralyzing the offending organism and rendering it inactive!

Once they come into contact with roots, Trichoderma will colonize the root surface and penetrate a few layers into the root itself, which actually induces plants to ‘turn on’ their natural defense mechanisms, making them stronger and less susceptible to attack. Compare this to when you have your vaccinations before going abroad – when your body is attacked it produces antibodies to fight the attacker, similar to what happens here. By fighting against the attacking Trichoderma, the plant bolsters its defenses, marking it harder for any pathogen to penetrate.

So, it’s mycorrhiza for faster development and increased growth rates, and Trichoderma for pathogen control and defense. But hang on, those of you paying attention may be thinking, I want the best of both worlds, but if Trichoderma is so aggressive, won’t it attack any mycorrhiza I add to the root zone? Many scientific studies have been carried out to monitor the effects of adding both fungi to the root zone and the consensus is that both perform separate jobs and can work in synergy, rather than canceling each other out.

Ultimately, the key point to remember is that the level of beneficial fungi activity in the root zone will reach a saturation point, depending upon the amount of food available for the fungi.

So, keep conditions right, reapply your beneficial fungi at least once every thirty days, keep the root zone well fed, and let Mother Nature do her work.

Happy growing!

26

Music Reviews

ested him: “John Sinclair had more of a community political agenda than many of the other prime movers at the time. I was fascinated in him because I’m fascinated in poetry, and especially the beat poets of the ‘50s and ‘60s.

John was a Detroit angle on that; he was like a mixture of Ginsberg and Bukowski. He was also the political guru and main visionary behind MC5; he famously came out with the phrase ‘If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem’”.

John Sinclair: Beatnik Youth (Track Records) It has been forty years since John Lennon and Yoko Ono headlined at the huge ‘Freedom Rally’ benefit gig in Ann Arbor that demanded, and achieved, the prison release of counter-culture activist, poet and beatnik extraordinaire John Sinclair. Amidst difficult times of war and state oppression, in a tale that has become an underground folk legend, John was deemed a danger to society and set up like a bowling pin. After handing a couple of joints to a hassling hippie who turned out to be an undercover narcotics agent, he found himself on the bad end of a ten-year jail sentence.

Becoming a cause célèbre, he was released following the giant concert.

The album takes as its starting point the tradition amongst ‘50s and ‘60s beat poets to recite their poetry with a free jazz or bebop-style backing.

In order to recreate this authentic feel, while being free to move in contemporary directions, Youth brought together a special group of players and formed the Beatnik Youth Orchestra.

Comprised of three drummers, four or five guitarists, sax, bass and percussion, they create a fluid musical trip that mirrors the passion, the colorful poetic detail and the evocative intensity of the Big Chief ’s words.

Sometimes sounding reminiscent of the groundbreaking psychedelic band, Can, the album passes through different moods and atmospheres.

The inclusion of guest vocalists such as Angie Stone, Mark Stewart, Bobby Gillespie and Larry Love, along with other instrumentation on most tracks, adds to this process.

working on the album: “I enjoyed it very much, and I enjoyed the collaborations with all the other people very much – it was a great experience.

Youth had a great grasp of what I wanted to do and he created musical settings for my pieces. It was exciting for me to add choruses to my poems with back-up singers, and to have great big drum crashes in the middle of verses. Also he had tracks that he had constructed that were jazzy and psychedelic. We work well together and he is a powerful guy and I’m really happy with the outcome.”

Equally excited by the project, Youth explains, “Where the twist comes in, is that we’re gonna go, of course, to Detroit and reference the dirty blues of Detroit and MC5, Stooges... which is incredibly relevant today and forms part of many young bands’ vision and manifesto. I think that’s to be encouraged and promoted. My main motivation is to promote the spirit of Detroit, John Sinclair, the underground – and make it current.”

Beatnik Youth sees its live debut, performed by the orchestra, at A Freedom Rally Celebration in Memory of John Lennon, held at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire in June. John is joined by a host of special guests, including Mr. Nice, Howard Marks.

Congo Sanchez: Congo Sanchez vol. 1 (ESL Music) As a drummer and multi-instrumentalist, Congo Sanchez has spent the last few years as the back beat of the Washington DC party scene. While drumming with Thievery Corporation, as well as being both a sought after producer and player for dance bands and world music ensembles alike, he has developed his own unique blend of Afro-Latin dub, and this release is his solo debut.

Now, no less active and spending his time hosting a radio show, writing, recording, performing – and moving, grooving and talking his way around America and Europe – John Sinclair is proud to remain totally underground.

Possessing a tenacity of spirit and larger-than-life character, he does as he has always done: exactly as he wants.

His most recent emission, a free jazz inspired album called Beatnik Youth, is an exciting collaborative venture made with an interesting bunch of artists and musicians, co-written and produced by Youth (internationallyrenowned producer, founding member and bass player of Killing Joke). As is often the case with John, the meeting with Youth that sowed the creative seeds was a matter of stoned synchronicity, or serendipity. Providing a musical environment for John’s intense spoken word poetry, Youth describes how John has always inter-

Usually associated with the music production and sound design for film and animation, Nosolo is the experimental, electronic, hip-hop, dub and rap-rock arm of bass player and producer David Jenkins. This latest release is a bass heavy, laid back and witty foray into the wonderful world of marijuana with raps on its cultivation, varieties and strains, and effects – medical as well as hedonistic. An adventurous and sharp production style makes it edgy without slipping over the edge. This is fresh from the fields and full of flavor!

(Available for free download)

Nosolo: Green Midas (audiokin.com)

Sitting in one of his favorite haunts, the 420 Coffee Shop in Amsterdam (where he is poet-in-residence), John Sinclair tells Soft Secrets USA about

The Audiokin headquarters and studio nestles deep within the majestic, rolling hills of Marin County, California, just thirty minutes north of that hotspot of musical innovation: San Francisco. Out of this den of tranquility arises, brand new from Nosolo, the excellent Green Midas, completely dedicated to all things ganja.

With a keen interest in world music, Congo began learning of the Yoruba and Fon traditions of West Africa, and how they remained vital throughout colonization, from an early age. At the same time, he was rediscovering these rhythms and melodies in music he listened to growing up in suburban America. With only a few exceptions he produces and performs everything on the EP. His superlative sense of rhythm, along with the multi-layering of percussion tracks, mingles effortlessly with subtle keyboard textures, giving the music an otherworldly vibe rooted by his earthy back beat.

27

Cultivation Abroad

Gun Battles and the Revolution healthy, relaxed and proudly selling some of the finest hash on the planet, his own Paki/Afghan combination. His four kids were in school, the kitchen cupboards were stocked, and the family was being looked after. Then came the first wave of the great repression, harvest time 2009.

“The King, the army and the police, they come into the mountains and confiscate all our hash crop, everything, they pay us compensation and burn all the plants – people go crazy. I cannot work on the farm anymore; if they come again then I go to jail, my village still runs the farm but this year we have no more quality like last time, I can still get you Mustafa quality but not for same price.”

Mustafa’s clothes were looking old. He hadn’t shaved for a week or so and the stress of hustling was written all over his face. “Money is difficult now, I take my daughter out of school. If you want good quality I can get it for you, how much you want? Twenty dirham a gram.”

Let’s talk about politics and economics: Riffian ganja politics and economics, to be precise. If you don’t already know, the people of the Rif Mountains in Morocco produce more than sixty percent of the world’s hash, but like a few other economies of the day, the ganja economy of the Rif has taken a bit of a battering over the last couple of years. Stories have been circulating of army-orchestrated crop slashing, crop confiscations, and running gun battles between Riffians and the Moroccan state authorities, so we put on our hiking boots and wandered up into them there hills to see if we could find out what the Ketama had been going on...

Rewind to the end of 2008: with Morocco keen to join Mediterranean free trade agreements (and potentially Euroland) they have to be seen to be responding to pressure that the EU and US apply with respect to clamping down on the pot trade. The trouble with this is that the laws that give the Ketamese people the right to grow Cannabis are royal

laws (circa 1950s) as opposed to governmental laws. This means the government can’t throw its weight behind any clampdown without the say-so and support of the current king, Mohammed VI, and he’ll be responsible for starting a separatist war in the Rif if he dishonors his predecessor’s word and outlaws Cannabis farming. So, legally and politically, it’s a bit of a sticky situation.

In order to deal with the issue transparently and to let the Moroccan nation know what was going to happen, the issue was debated live on TV in a series of debates chaired by Mohammed VI himself. At the end of the debate it was decided that the laws of Ketama would be honored, but the elements of the trade that were spilling over the Ketamese borders would be policed with zero tolerance.

Mustafa was a small-time farmer who lived just outside the province of Ketama in a small agricultural village. The first time we met he was well-dressed, fit,

The 2009 harvest seizures could not have come at a worse time for another farming family on the edge of the Rif. In the summer of 2008 Abdul, the old man of the family, had broken his leg in a fall on the mountain; he had needed an expensive operation that the family had actually been able to pay for, courtesy of the previous year’s pot profits. After his operation the doctors put him on strong painkillers – these came with side-effects though, so the doctors prescribed him more expensive chemical medication to combat his nausea. His son detailed their struggles: “They take all our crops, todo. Compensation small – we need money for [my

the Red One father’s] medication. Doctors no good, they make sickness and now we pay mucho dinero to make doctor’s sickness good. If we grow food is not much for money, now no hashish? Is crazy my friend, crazy – this is the Rif mountains, this is Ketama. Why they say we no Ketama? Government line on map is stupid, is wrong. Next year I grow hash anyway, 600 plants for this field,]; I must, to look after my father and my family, but if police come... Insha’Allah.”

These actions of the state had been expected, though, and as drug purges go this one had been relatively civilized.

So, despite all their bluster and troubles, the families weren’t too fazed by all the drama; they’d survive, it wasn’t the first time something like this had happened to them.

Then, something totally unexpected occurred the following spring, planting season 2010. Totally unannounced, the cops and the army went up into the mountains of Ketama and started arresting farmers who were planting new crops. They slashed and burned any plants that were already growing, and raided hash stashes. The situation exploded. The Riffians took up their guns, swords and daggers and fought to keep the cops and the army off their land for, sometimes, days and nights at a time.

Mustafa gave us a glimpse of what was going on with this dynamic situation.

“One of my good customers, he want some hashish, good Mustafa quality, so I have to go other village. In the daytime is dangerous with the police on the roads so I go by taxi en la noche. The taxi he take me near to the village, then I have to follow goat tracks. I hear guns: pow, pow, bang, bang! I go to my brother’s house,

28 the police; he asked us where we were from and where we were coming from and then he told us to hand it over – he knew we had some. We gave him our ball and he laughed. ‘Is that it?’ he say to us, then he say he have to confiscate it. We were so upset but we made a joke with him, and in the end he let us pay him twenty euros and twenty percent of our hash – Moroccan police are not so bad if you know how to deal with them.”

Harvest time 2010 was pretty much a repeat of the previous year, inasmuch that farms on the outer fringes of Ketama were getting turned over again. Crop slashings and confiscations were par for the course, but it has to be said that we did not hear of any farms being targeted, two years running. It also seems that the 2010 harvest clampdown was less intense than the previous years – word is that the infrared satellite imaging of the Rif shows exactly how much weed is being grown in the mountains, so the authorities would have been well aware that their springtime raids had had their desired effect for the year.

Then the Arab world erupted, and the revolutionary fervor swept all the way across North Africa to the Maghreb.

Keeping control of the cities and policing the demonstrations and protests in Morocco had proven to be a full time job for the authorities in 2011.

The Riffian farmers were quick to realize what this meant: less cops and resources on their mountainous turf.

but my brother fight with police for three days and three nights. The police want to stop the hashish but this is no good, is against the King’s law, but he stay quiet – where is the King? We want to speak with the King again, tell him to come to the mountains and speak with us if he wants peace. Yesterday I no sleep, but today I have good quality, you want the Mustafa quality? We still have the good quality in the mountain – twenty dirham a gram.”

Other people were starting to get a bit panicky now as a result of the springtime raids. “Prices go up next year, maybe this is the end of hashish – if is the end of hashish then is the end of tourism; maybe this is the end of our lives,” is how one distressed soul put it to us.

But what was really going on? Most people first thought that the repression was to pacify the Western politicians and to grab a few headlines. This happens every five or six years to some extent, but this time the government was pushing a lot harder – why were the royal laws being violated?

Why were the Ketamese being punished for European tastes and demands? Were the authorities trying to gauge how far the locals could be pushed before they fought back? If they were, then they got their answer very quickly.

Regardless of the motivations and methods of the clampdown, the spring 2010 purge had two major effects: a lot of the planting was delayed until the last possible moment, so the crop was late; plus the 2010 crop was also a small one – despite being a great year for growing, in climatic terms. All this had other effects throughout Morocco and Europe as well, a list that includes the familiar dent in supply and availability, a rise in the cost and, worst of all, a sharp rise in the quantity of adulterated product on the market.

Morad, from Casablanca, told us about the lengths he and his friends had to go to sort themselves out with a bit of decent smoke: “The hash in Casa was terrible last year, so bad, so much henna; it was so bad, me and five of my friends drove to Ketama to get some good stuff, but no one trusted us! They’re so paranoid! I swear, sometimes it’s easier for foreigners to buy hash in Ketama than it is for Moroccans. We had such a difficult time, after ten days we had maybe twenty grams of good quality hashish but we had to go home again. When we were driving home we got stopped by

Having already been revolutionized by the previous couple of years, the farmers took to the streets as well.

Weekly protests are still taking place across Morocco, and they are dominating the time and resources of the state authorities. In a dramatic turnaround, the state forces have been pushed onto their back foot and the Rif mountains are, once again, loaded with a bumper crop – some say it is the biggest ever.

Add to this the fact that so many different varieties are now being grown in the Rif, and it looks as if the 2011 crop could be the biggest and most diverse crop ever produced. So, if you like your Moroccan hash clean, cheap and honest, the 2011/2012 smoking season should be a good one!

There is also a very valuable lesson we can all learn from what has been going on in the Rif over the last few years: if we are not protesting about the current repressions of the state they will just busy themselves by repressing other parts of our lives – these days, governments are getting so arrogant and invasive that we have to protest just to maintain the status quo. When you wake up in a fascist dictatorial state, and you have spent your whole life watching the world evolve on your TV with a bong in your hand, you’ve got no one to blame but yourself.

Recent events in the Rif are about so much more than hash – it’s all about the freedom to live as a human being.

Fight the power. Peace.

29

Mind, Body, Spirit

O’Riodon

A construction company laying railroad tracks in Holland recently uncovered an ancient archeological site. The find, important enough to bring work to a halt, attracted plenty of news coverage. An archeologist interviewed by the major media explained the importance of the discovery and explained that the site had been surrounded by fields of hemp. He added that it is an accepted fact that most Neolithic sites had hemp growing somewhere close by, and “wherever you find hemp, you find life.”

Hearst, Anslinger and DuPont

His words stayed me. It seems incredible that man’s evolutionary path has been through fields of hemp, a fact so conveniently airbrushed out of history. A hundred years ago hemp was the biggest industry on the planet, and what made America and Europe great. So what happened? What turned a benign plant into the ‘demon weed’?

cal industry going. Cannabis doesn’t make people sick, so why ban a benign substance that could generate enough tax revenue to pay everybody’s debts?

Never mind the fact that it could also help save us from the ecological disaster that is heading our way.

Well, we all know about the DuPont, Anslinger and Hearst conspiracy leading to the ban on cultivation, but back then it was industrial hemp that was the threat to the emerging plastic and paper industry. The US government, of course, was in up to its neck and ran the propaganda campaign that turned public opinion. Finally, with a crack of the gavel, hemp was condemned and wiped from the face of the modern Earth.

Seventy-five years on, hemp cultivation is still illegal and the propaganda machine is churning out the same old Where there’s hemp, there’s life lies – only now the reason is different. Hemp has a big brother, THC. It is almost as if the plant realized it was under attack and went on the offensive. The propaganda machine has done Its THC-rich brother turned everybody such a good hatchet job that no polition and recruited an army, the Soldiers cian dares talk about it. For those who of Pot. do, it is akin to suggesting that we shoot up babies with heroin, and guarCannabis has become so strong, it has anteed political suicide. So how did turned into a truth drug: a bullshit things get this fucked up? Politicians filter that allows you to see through believing their own bullshit has a lot to the lies. How many pot smokers do with it, along with greedy corporaconsider authority to be ‘friendly’? tions turning our planet into pocket Or trust a media controlled by big change. Then, of course, there’s you money? Governments are becom- and me and our acceptance of this ing so desperate that they want us to situation. Cannabis is going to change believe Cannabis is as bad as heroin. all that, because it’s not really the drug Meanwhile, we accept without murmur that is illegal, but rather the state of the annual death toll from tobacco mind it creates. That is what keeps poliand alcohol, cynically encouraged to ticians awake at night. create tax dollars and keep the mediCannabis – when used in the absence

of alcohol and tobacco – is anathema to the modern day dominating culture, because it disengages and deprograms its users from the accepted values. Its subtle psychedelic effect, combined with a healthy lifestyle, brings users into a more intuitive state of mind, less competitive, less aggressive... qualities that don’t fit in with the male-dominated, warmongering sea of consumerism in which we now live. Just look at how well that is going.

If they did legalize Cannabis, it would mean accepting a totally different way of life: one with a whole different social cohesion, less ego-domination – and with fewer guns. Can you see government going for this? Everyone actually being nice to one another? With the brief exception of the sixties, the last hundred years has been about control and mindless violence, brought on by decisions made under the influence of coffee and alcohol. The big lie is that it’s all been done for our own good, the wars, pollution and exploitation. We have been blinded by fear and fed a pack of lies. Legalizing Cannabis would sweep away the garbage and create a new society, one that is more in tune with nature. It’s a step the government will never accept, not while they’re in the control of the military complex, but maybe the decision will be made for them.

We are living in interesting times; science is talking about the fact that everything is connected. Life as we know it is really one big whole, the ‘one love’ that Bob Marley sang about. Cannabis can open up your mind to this love. It is a doorway to higher thought and the realization that you are in control of

your own reality. It’s easy: live clean and green, and feel the power the oneness can bring. It’s a quiet awareness that

Awaken the body and the mind

extends beyond the body, connecting you to everything. Cannabis has given us a gift that can awaken your body and mind and turn you into a Cannabis Warrior, armed with awareness.

We are all being controlled in subtle ways in an attempt to maintain a worn out and obsolete system. Advertising companies sow the seeds of envy and dissatisfaction to sell us more crap. The military sows the seeds of fear to convince us to fight in their pointless wars.

Every aspect of our lives is about separation and we have never been more alone than we are now. Cyberspace may connect us, but not with ourselves.

Cannabis can change this and help you become aware; it is our connection with nature that is important, because it’s there that we will find the connection to ourselves. Cannabis can show us an alternative, but it’s up to us to make it a reality. Feel the power – become a Cannabis Warrior.

One love

30

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Daniel Chong Arrested after 4/20 celebrations and allegedly abandoned in a holding cell for five days by the DEA, the UC San Diego student has filed a twenty-million dollar civil lawsuit.

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UCSD Student Daniel Chong (Photo: YouTube.com)

Like millions of others across the US, and even the world, 23-year-old Daniel Chong was hanging out with friends and celebrating the eponymous weed day, 4/20. The party was crashed the following morning by a DEA raid, in which agents claim to have seized “18,000 ecstasy pills, marijuana, hallucinogenic mushrooms, a Russian rifle, two handguns and thousands of rounds of ammunition.”

His account of the incident states that he was ultimately forced to drink his own urine several times in order to survive, as neither food nor water was provided, and that he lost fifteen pounds during the ordeal. In an interview with NBC San Diego, Daniel Chong recounts, “They never came back, ignored all my cries and I still don’t know what happened...

I’m not sure how they could forget me.”

The strange case took an even stranger turn when it was revealed that, after several days in captivity, starving and beginning to hallucinate, Chong had also ingested a white powder from a small bag that he had found wrapped in a blanket in the cell. Tests later confirmed the substance was methamphetamine. Whether from a combination of

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dehydration and meth, or due to his perceived hopeless situation, Chong apparently attempted suicide by shattering and swallowing a lens from his glasses. This, after first trying and failing to scratch ‘sorry mom’ on his arm with one of the shards. It was the fourth day of his ordeal and by this time the lights had been shut off in his cell.

The fifth day brought about his release, by which time he was showing signs of kidney failure. Chong was rushed to Sharp Memorial Hospital and was able to recount his experiences to an accompanying agent. Daniel Chong was nearly killed and has been left in stunned disbelief by the experience: “Since that’s so inconceivable, I... you keep doubting that they’d forget you.”

Whether or not this is true – or even plausible at a 4/20 party – he admits he was smoking Cannabis, and along with eight others was taken into custody, but was then told he was not under arrest. Chong was informed that he would be released without charge, and claims that one agent offered him a ride home.

However, due to an as-yet undisclosed error the agents allegedly left him, handcuffed, in a five-by-ten foot cell. In spite of his repeated cries for help, Chong was left unattended and unmonitored for five days. It is not clear whether he went unheard or was ignored, although authorities claim he was simply ‘lost’ in the system. Attempting in vain to alert the attention of passing guards and other employees, Chong repeatedly shouted, screamed, and kicked his cell door, to no avail. Those in the neighboring holding cells apparently heard him, as they were annoyed enough to tell him to shut up.

Colophon Soft Secrets USA is published six times per year

by Discover Publishers USA, Inc. Century Park Plaza 1801 Century Park East, 24th Floor, Suite 2400 Los Angeles, CA 90067 E-mail: usa@softsecrets.nl Editor-in-Chief: Kristie Szalanski Contributors: Grubbycup, Kali Mist, Buddy Kush, The Sativa Diva, The Professor, O’Riodon, F.RED, Kaz Peet, et al.

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Editorial Address: E-mail: Kristie@softsecrets.nl Advertisements: Email: usa@softsecrets.nl A word from the publisher: To the chagrin of the US Federal Government, almost half of the states have embarked on a process of relative liberalization towards the use of Cannabis, and Cannabis activists are engaged in broadening this progression. Some townships, mayors and police chiefs – on a local level – now actively support a ‘compassion club’ distribution system as a way of separating recreational stoners from the people who legitimately need therapeutic help, simultaneously decreasing the number of unnecessary arrests.

Whether they are finding their way to the local medical distribution point or growing for personal stash, Cannabis users are a menace to no one and are causing no discernible social problem. Some politicians, and even more non-users than ever, are calling for the outright legalization of marijuana. Taxpayers are frustrated with funding the incarceration of first-time, non-violent drug offenders (read: pot smokers) as well as the social toll that high numbers of imprisonment brings to some towns and neighborhoods. Now we must be patient and see how the debate develops during a period of relative peace between both sides.

In the meantime, the publisher hopes Soft Secrets will expose the positive aspects of the normalization of Cannabis use to the public, and is excited to offer a forum to both proand anti-legalization advocates. Soft Secrets forums operate under the assumption that the publisher does not necessarily agree with the views and opinions expressed in articles and advertisements therein. The publisher therefore distances himself explicitly from statements or images that might give the impression that an endorsement is being made for the illicit use or production of Cannabis. Soft Secrets does not advocate breaking any laws, whether local-, state-, Federal or international.

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The DEA is investigating the claims

Soft Secrets USA #4/2012 out: August 10th, 2012