Canada Legalization Guide: Things to know

by Travis C | Oct 17, 2018 | 420 News, Blog, Business, Culture

It’s October 17th. Canadian cannabis is now fully legal. And it’s a big deal.

What makes the legalization of Canadian cannabis so important is that Canada hasn’t just decriminalized cannabis like some states in the US and other countries. They fully legalized it.

That makes Canada the second country in the world (behind Uruguay) and the first G7 country to legalize the production, distribution and consumption of cannabis.

Being a first-world country with a very large economy, it’s fair to say that all eyes will be on the nation up north to determine the viability of widespread cannabis legalization. While big business and governments are watching for success, we the people get to enjoy legal, Canadian cannabis anytime we visit the Great White North.

But before you grab your jacket and head to Ontario, here’s the essential information to know about Canadian cannabis legalization.

Where to buy legal Canadian cannabis

Each province in Canada is different when it comes to how cannabis will be sold. In some, consumers can only buy their cannabis from the government through an online store. Other provinces will have privately owned and operated dispensaries opening their doors to Canadian cannabis lovers.

For now, it would appear that most cannabis sales starting out will be through the government. Quebec now has 12 government-run dispensaries open, with government employees taking up the positions of budtenders. Saskatchewan will have 51 privately owned stores, and Alberta will have 17 as well as online sales through the government.

What’s the legal age for Canadian cannabis?

In the majority of provinces the legal age for cannabis consumption is 19. Quebec has their current legal age at 18, but will most likely raise the age to 21 in the near future.

Just like alcohol, supplying cannabis to minors carries a heavy offense, with up to 14 years in Canadian prison.

How much can I buy?

This one is simple enough. Country-wide, Canadian cannabis consumers will be allowed up to 30 grams (just over an ounce) of legal cannabis. Since Canada will not be allowing the sale of edibles or concentrates for another year, there is no need for a policy like that of Colorado.

Colorado’s policy allows consumers to purchase one ounce of flower per day, or the THC equivalent. That means that instead of an ounce of flower, a Colorado consumer could instead get 8 grams of concentrates or 800mg of edibles, roughly the equivalent THC of an ounce of dry flower.

Where can I smoke?

Similarly to how age limits in provinces are set, so are the local laws regarding consumption of Canadian cannabis. Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta will allow people to smoke cannabis wherever cigarette smoking is allowed. This makes streets and parks fair game in Ontario, but British Columbia has blocked smoking in parks or community beaches.

Halifax will actually have designated smoking areas on municipal properties that consumers can find through a Google Maps-esque website with green smoking signs signifying the safe zones. While there aren’t any legal cannabis clubs for social consumption, there have been many operating in the black market for years.

Vancouver and Toronto are a couple of Canadian cities known to have thriving cannabis cafes and lounges that fly under the radar. So for most, the enjoyment of legal Canadian cannabis will be at home or a friend’s in a private setting.

If you live in Canada, there’s more to know about growing you own cannabis, driving high and criminal records that you should read up on. And while you enjoy that tasty, legal, Canadian cannabis, tune into the new episode of The Real Dirt Podcast!

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE

Refugee Squirrels Wreak Havoc on Cannabis Farmers

by Travis C | Oct 9, 2018 | 420 News, Blog, Broscience Mythbusters, Culture, Growing, Stranger Than Fiction

400,000 acres burned in California this year from wildfires. In those fires, squirrels lost their nuts.

Hundreds of thousands of refugee squirrels have made their way up north from Southern California to escape the fires, finding new homes in the many cannabis farms in the area. As funny as it sounds, it’s bad.

What these squirrels do is nothing short of murder…plant murder.

The refugee squirrels problem

While most are happy that the squirrels are safe from danger now, many aren’t so thrilled with where they have taken up. Mainly on cannabis farms.

Climbing on the plants, breaking off branches when they climb, and even chewing on the cannabis plants is making the refugee squirrels a not-so-welcome guest in the Emerald Triangle. But this is a new problem, with no well-known solution.

This is where the problem comes in. Mites, aphids or other small critters are easy enough to deal with, every grower has to deal with them at some point. But no grower has ever really had to deal with squirrels, let alone so many.

Desperate times

Farmers in NorCal have resorted to pellet guns and small arms in so instances to eradicate the squirrels. There are still too many refugee squirrels to get rid of them all.

Compared to other small rodents growers might have to deal with, the sheer amount of squirrels sent there by the forest fires is too much for most to handle. Some have lost their entire crop to the influx of squirrels.

It’s rough in the Emerald Triangle right now. Nut-starved, weed-hungry squirrels are wreaking havoc on farmers all over, and a lot are still trying to figure out how to deal with them.

Will there be a war? Who knows. Maybe the squirrels will realize they like nugs more than nuts. Let’s hope not.

Hear more on the new episode of The Real Dirt! Part 3 of the Harvest Special addresses the squirrel issue, talks trimming and more.

Trimming Cannabis: 3 ways to trim

by Travis C | Sep 26, 2018 | 420, Blog, Growing, Science & Technology

It’s a big debate among growers and trimmers alike. When it comes to trimming cannabis, is there a best way?

In short, yes. Trimming cannabis does not need to be a difficult process, and it can be very hands off. However, it can also be the opposite.

When it comes time to trim up your cannabis, there’s a couple things to consider. The biggest factor is how much you actually need to trim. Knowing this will help you figure out if it is something you can even do by yourself. From full hands-on to minimal effort, here are three of the most common way of trimming cannabis.

Farmer’s Trim

trimming cannabis the farmer way

A pretty rare sight to see these days, you won’t usually see bud with a farmer’s trim on dispensary shelves. The name farmer’s trim comes from farmers enjoying the fruits of their labor without much of the processing that goes in before it is actually sold.

A grower that does farmer’s trims may just snip off the bigger, more noticeable leaves on the bud, without going after every little leaf that sticks off the bud. This gives the nug a more natural look. Proponents will argue that a little more leaf on your bud means it could still have some of that extra THC found in the leaves.

Others will say it’s just lazy trimming, and the “extra” THC is negligible compared to a better looking trim job. Usually, more experienced growers and smokers won’t mind a farmer’s trim.

Hand Trim

trimming cannabis by hand is best

The farmer’s trim with more effort. Trimming cannabis by hand is the preferred technique by boutique and more small-scale growers as it lets the trimmer shape the bud how they like, while taking care to avoid damaging the bud itself.

However, a bad hand-trim job can ruin the look of a nug, so it’s important to know what you’re doing, or hire someone who does.

A lot of people prefer hand trim for the “handmade” aspect. It’s good to know that the product you are smoking was meticulously looked at and trimmed to look its best just for you. Other people don’t care so much about that, and want their cannabis to look as generic and “presentable” as possible. They probably machine trim.

Machine Trim

trimming cannabis with a machine is lazy and you should avoid it

Now, there isn’t anything wrong with trimming cannabis with a machine. Just like there isn’t anything wrong with using a machine to scoop up crops in a large agricultural plot. Sometimes, there is just too much cannabis to be able to efficiently trim it all by hand.

There are plenty of different trim machines that utilize different degrees of blade sharpness, rotation speed and more to get as close to a hand-trimmed look as possible. However, any seasoned cannabis consumer will easily be able to distinguish real, hand-trimmed cannabis from something that was just dropped in a machine.

Just because you may have a ton of product and not enough hands, doesn’t mean you can’t get more. A lot of people will get a machine just to save them the trouble, when they could also hire some extra hands for harvest. There is a migration of people who move into popular cannabis growing areas solely to work as a trimmer during harvest season.

Finding these people is as easy as a Craigslist ad. With just a few extra, hard-working hands, you will be shocked at how much more you can accomplish.

No matter how you decide to trim your cannabis, the most important thing is that you pay attention the process. Don’t cut too close with the scissors, don’t leave your nugs in the machine too long, don’t run the trimmer too fast.

Hear some more trim and harvest tips on The Real Dirt Harvest Special! Just click here!

The Science of Isolating Terpenes

by Travis C | Sep 18, 2018 | growing, Science & Technology, The Real Dirt Podcast Episodes, Tony Don't Smoke OG

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Isolating terpenes is relatively new, but it has completely revolutionized the way people process and consume cannabis. Now, any cartridge you buy at the dispensary will be packed full of flavor.

While the uninformed consumer may think that these tasty new vape pens are the result of well-grown cannabis being extracted along with its full terpene profile and flavors, this is hardly the case.

Cannabis that is grown well will most likely bring a solid flavor profile along upon extraction. However this flavor is minimal, as the main focus of extraction for vape pens is THC content, which is extracted through a distillation process.

THC itself is odorless and tasteless (for the most part), and so flavors must be added in to make the distillate more tasty. Originally, this was done by either adding in signature e-juice flavors or using non-cannabis derived terpenes from other fruits and plants that carried similar terpene profiles.

This failed pretty quick. The e-juice made the cartridges taste more like an e-cigarette than a cannabis vape pen. Additionally, the non-cannabis derived terpene mixes may have smelled the same as cannabis terpenes, but chemically were not similar to cannabis’ unique terpene profiles.

The Werc Shop solved this issue by figuring out the science behind isolating terpenes. By individually separating each terpene through their own proprietary distillation process, the Werc Shop is able to create specific terpene and flavor profiles with natural cannabis.

If you want to hear more on how this is done, just listen to this week’s episode of Tony Don’t Smoke OG! In this week’s episode, Chip, Tony, I225 and Colin talk terpenes, strains, and more.

Terpenes explained here!

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California Legalization: farmers stand up!

by Chip Baker | Aug 31, 2018 | 420, Blog, Business, Culture

California cannabis farmers: We have been fighting for cannabis legalization for 80 years. On paper it is finally coming all over the country and the world.

Some of the most restrictive places in the country like Arkansas and Nevada have embraced legal cannabis. Colorado has pioneered the legalization and regulatory environment.

We have literally paved streets that haven’t been fixed in years, and millions and millions of dollars are going to the school systems in association with cannabis sales. On the surface, it appears that the tide is changing. We need to check the tide chart.

The fight is not over. Throughout every single legal state there are county representatives, the board of supervisors, mayors, sheriffs, parent groups and political organizations that are quietly applying pressure to the regulated cannabis movement. Just because the governor or your state representative or your voters change the laws on cannabis regulation does not mean that cannabis is legal commerce in your state or town.

California cannabis legalization

Specifically throughout California, the cannabis legalization movement is being challenged by regulatory agencies and special interest groups. While the good farmers of America are tending their crops, back room deals and political pressure will make it difficult to operate a regulated legal business.

On the surface the cannabis regulatory environment has been successful in Humboldt County. A common stat that is used is that we have 20% of the licensing in the state. These are all temporary licenses and not permanent ones. I believe many of these temporary license holders will not be able to gain a permanent license.

There are absolutely political forces against the cannabis grower to be successful.

Regulation roadblocks

One of the first struggles in legalization is between the policing agencies. The sheriff, the police and Fish and Wildlife have all been responsible for policing the cannabis industry in the past. Many of these people have embraced new cannabis regulations. But there is an old guard that does not agree with government and voter passed laws.

They are the ones who are out to get us.

It isn’t paranoia. These are just facts. We’re not playing cops and robbers anymore, however many people in the policing arena still want to play that game. Environmental and neighborhood groups that are in the minority are speaking up against cannabis legalization. In our current 2.0 designation for new cannabis operations, many outrageous restrictions have been inserted into these new laws.

Unrealistic zoning designation and industrial controls are currently being placed on the cannabis industry.

Is it discrimination?

I spoke recently with Steve Lazar of the Humboldt County Planning Department, and he feels that cannabis is not like other crops and should be treated totally different.

I’m pretty sure we all call this discrimination. To treat one group of people differently than you treat another people. Or in this case to treat one business differently than you treat another business. If a hog farm, chicken farm or dairy farm has certain regulations then those are the type regulations the cannabis industry should have. They should not be any easier or more restricted than any other agricultural product.

I’ve seen this type of attitude for years. While good cannabis folks are working hard, toiling away in their businesses and being successful, they were still judged by neighbors and peers for having an easy life. We’ve all heard, “I should just grow a ton of weed and everything will be OK.”

Those of us that have done this know how hard that statement is, and that you deserve any payment associated with your hard labor.

Time to take the reigns

I’m here to say if we want a legal, functioning cannabis system in Humboldt, the farmers are going to have to step up!

You are going to have to embrace your neighbors and talk to them. You have to bring up the conversations about what you’re doing and how you’re doing it, because many of them still have this projection that you’re a mega diesel grow dumping crank oil into the creek.

We have to come out of the dark and tell people what we’re doing.

Ganja farmers need to realize how to be political and call up your representatives at the local and state level. Whether it is a board of supervisors or the school board or the Waterboard it is time for us to come out of the darkness and be the leaders that we are. To all the outlaws out there who are bucking legalization, I want you to think back to how it used to be before 215. It will go back to that.

Without a 215 defense the whole cookie crumbles. In the past all you had to do was have your script and maybe some scripts of other patients and you could grow as much as you wanted. If interdiction showed up they would take everything and maybe you would receive three years probation. This is all going to change, and it’s going to change rapidly. I do not want to see my friends or family in jail again over cannabis regulations and laws.

The time is now. Your phone is already in your hand, so call up your local representative and express concerns. The Board of Supervisors knows the importance of cannabis farmers. They will listen.

The Profit bob Marley said it best, “get up stand up, stand up for your rights,” and now is the time to stop singing and start doing.

Cannabis Seeds Explained

by Travis C | Aug 10, 2018 | Blog, Broscience Mythbusters, Growing, Science & Technology

If you’re looking to start breeding, or just want to grow cannabis the traditional way, it’s important to know how cannabis seeds work.

The most important thing to know about traditional cannabis seeds is that they are dioecious, meaning that cannabis produces male and female seeds. Typically, this results in about a 1:1 ratio of male and female seeds that will be produced through breeding. In other words, when you buy a back of 10 seeds, there’s a good chance that half of them will be male. The biggest issue with traditional cannabis seeds is that you can’t actually tell the sex of the seed until it’s already planted. Not only that, cannabis plants typically won’t reveal their sex until the flower cycle starts, meaning you can be caring for male plants for months before you find out they’re male.

Preparing cannabis seeds

Due to the unpredictable nature of cannabis seeds, it’s important to be prepared. Since it’s likely half your seeds will be male, a lot of growers will buy double the amount of seeds they need, so when they inevitably have to throw out the males, they will still have the amount of females they originally wanted.

Remember, if you don’t buy extra seeds, after a couple of months, a once promising yield can be slashed in half by getting rid of the males. This is why you need to decide whether or not you want to produce your own seeds. If you decide to leave the males with the females, they will pollinate and produce more seeds.

Not for everybody

With the risk of growing male plants and reducing yields, growing from traditional cannabis seeds is not for everybody. Newer growers may try out feminized seeds or auto-flowering seeds. These kinds of seeds both guarantee that your plants will be female, and auto-flowering seeds will even grow on their own, regardless of their light cycle.

However, a new grower can also greatly benefit from the lessons learned by growing traditionally. If you’re just growing for personal use and have a few plants, you won’t lose all that much if you plan ahead, get 6 seeds, and expect 3 of them to be male. Plus, should you end up growing a strain you really like, you can keep the male plants separate until you’re ready, then pollinate the females to create more seeds.

It’s comes down to preference

Growing cannabis from traditional male/female seeds may be more difficult, but it can be just as rewarding. The ability to breed your plants, and pick out the ones you eventually don’t want gives the grower a certain amount of control over their plants. However for some, the risk may outweigh the cost, as having to buy double the seeds to get the desired amount of females can add up.

Hear what Caleb from CSI Humboldt has to say about growing from traditional seeds on the new episode of The Real Dirt with Chip Baker. Listen to the episode on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts!