Inside Maryland’s Medical Marijuana Industry

by Travis C | Mar 19, 2019 | 420, cannabis industry, Cannabis Law & Compliance, Commercial, growing, Season 3, The Real Dirt Podcast Episodes

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Maryland has always been relatively progressive compared to its neighbors when it comes to cannabis. The state decriminalized small amounts in 2010, and enacted a full medical marijuana program in 2012. Now we’re in 2019, but where does the Maryland medical marijuana industry stand?

Inside Culta’s Cultivation

Culta opened in Baltimore, Maryland in 2018 with the goal of bringing exclusive, high quality genetics from successful seed banks and breeders to the Maryland medical marijuana industry.

They built their cultivation facility from scratch inside an old factory right in the inner harbor of Baltimore’s downtown. They also designed one of only four vertically integrated cannabis businesses in the state. This means from seed, to processing, to sale, Culta handles it all in-house.

With over 400 lights in the facility, separate rooms for genetics testing, vegetation and flowering, Culta is by far one of the most technologically sophisticated cultivation facilities in the state. Plus, they sourced some of the most experienced cultivators in the country to build their genetics.

Maryland Medical Marijuana

In this episode of The Real Dirt Podcast, Chip talks with Jay and David, Head Grower and Cultivation Manager of Culta.

Together the three of them dive into the design behind Culta’s facility, the benefits of being vertically integrated, the issues new businesses are dealing with in an industry that is still finding its footing and more.

Roll one up, relax and enjoy the first episode of Season 3 of The Real Dirt with Chip Baker!

This episode is brought to you by Cultivate Colorado, the top grow store in Denver with two locations in the metro area. Cultivate supplies Real Dirt listeners and guests with the grow gear they need to succeed in the garden. Check them out on Instagram @cultivatecolorado for the latest updates and deals.

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Check out Culta on Instagram @cultaig!

Connecting to Your Cannabis: Tony Don’t Smoke OG

by Travis C | Nov 27, 2018 | cannabis culture, growing, The Real Dirt Podcast Episodes, Tony Don't Smoke OG

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It can get stressful in the garden. Believe it or not, your plants can feel that stress too, and it can impact their health.

Just like how science has proven that plants will react to various genres of music differently, the energy or vibrations your body can give off to its surroundings may have a similar effect. Obviously this isn’t as scientifically proven, but if you’ve been growing for a long time, you know.

Throwback Episode

In this week’s episode of Tony Don’t Smoke OG, Chip, Tony and I225 talk about how they relax in the garden when they get stressed. I225 has utilized meditation in his grow to help cope with stress. He believes it also helps him connect with his plants, feel how they are feeling and vice versa.

Then the crew talks about the 2016 election, which candidates they were for and against during the race, and why there hasn’t been a president that has really been good for cannabis yet.

Another short and sweet Tony Don’t Smoke OG episode for your enjoyment.

Looking for something a little longer? Listen to last week’s episode about finding work in the fastest growing industry in the country.

Is Hemp Constitutional in Colorado? Harvest Special Pt. 5

by Travis C | Nov 6, 2018 | Cannabis Law & Compliance, growing, Season 2, The Real Dirt Podcast Episodes

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What makes hemp, hemp? Is it where it’s grown, or how its grown?

It all depends where you live at this point. The Agricultural Act of 2014 allowed farmers to grow industrial scale hemp legally, as long as the THC content was .03% or lower in the plant.

Seems simple enough. But when states have the right to make their own laws, the Agricultural Act becomes basically irrelevant. Some states require .01% THC or less to be considered legal. Other states require .05% or less, and some are even considering raising it to 1% or less THC.

Colorado’s hemp laws

Colorado is the only state in the country that actually includes cultivation in the state constitution. This means that Coloradans have the right to cultivate legally in Colorado. But that could all change soon.

A new measure being voted on this midterm would take the laws regarding hemp in Colorado, and make them statutory rather than constitutional. While the constitutional law currently allows legal cultivation of plants containing .03% THC or less, Amendment X would change that law to better reflect the federal law.

What if?

What if the people vote no on Amendment X? Hemp will remain in the constitution of Colorado, with a mandatory THC level of .03%. If the federal government were to reclassify hemp tomorrow and say the new limit is 1%, Colorado could be stuck. With the delays between introducing new laws and voting on them, it could be upwards of 2 years before Colorado could catch up with the rest of the country.

What if the people vote yes? Hemp will become statutory, not constitutional, putting it on par with federal regulation. Growing will no longer be a right, but a regulated law organized and voted on by lawmakers. There will be little noticeable change at first, as the constitutional definition of Colorado hemp is near identical to the federal definition already. But should the federal definition change to lower the plant’s controlled substance status or raise the legal THC limit, Colorado will be on par with the rest of the country.

What’s your vote?

What would you vote if you were a Coloradan in this situation? Would you want hemp to stay in control of the state, enshrined in the constitution, only to be changed by the people’s vote? Or, would you want to join the rest of the country in a unified federal regulation of hemp?

Hear what Chip is planning on doing on this week’s Real Dirt episode! In the FINAL Harvest Special, Chip talks about the new bill and what it could mean for Colorado and the country.

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Seed Breeding: luck or skill?

by Travis C | Oct 30, 2018 | growing, The Real Dirt Podcast Episodes, Tony Don't Smoke OG

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Seed breeding is a job few take on. It takes a lot of patience and skill to hunt phenotypes, but also some luck.

You can plant 100 seeds and get 99 males, or you can plant 5 seeds and get 5 females. That’s the thing about seed breeding. There’s a lot left up to chance.

Seed breeding

Seed breeding itself is simple enough. You get your seeds, you plant them and monitor them, eventually you start to notice the sex of your plants, and you get rid of the males to ensure your females don’t pollinate, but instead flower. As simple as it sounds, it gets more complicated when you’re breeding for specific profiles.

You can plant a bunch of seeds that come out female, but the genetics of those seeds just might not be up to par. Some will take those matured plants and cross them with another to try to find the qualities the grower wants. Others get everything they want in the first try, and that’s just lucky.

Luck or skill?

In this week’s installment of Tony Don’t Smoke OG, the gang smokes on some OG and Cookies while they talk about their struggles with breeding. Purple Trainwreck is one of the favorite strains of the Tony Don’t Smoke crew, and all of them have tried breeding it themselves.

While they eventually got the right qualities, somebody else had already beat them to the punch, with just a couple seeds. It just goes to show you can be the most skilled breeder in the world, but it just takes a little bit of luck to strike gold.

Listen to the episode here on The Real Dirt, or click below to listen on iTunes and Spotify

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Maintaining Cannabis Quality: Tony Don’t Smoke OG Ep. 107

by Travis C | Oct 23, 2018 | growing, The Real Dirt Podcast Episodes, Tony Don't Smoke OG

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Cannabis quality isn’t everything when it comes to growing, but it’s definitely at the top of the list.

Chip, Tony and i225 are back this week with a new episode of Tony Don’t Smoke OG. In this episode, the three talk about cannabis quality.

i225 Grew some great Cookies that the gang puffs on during the episode, and it brings up the topic of growing great tasting weed, consistently. While it may be as simple as i225 puts it — just making sure your plants get what they need when they need it — it ain’t always that simple.

How plants are grown, how far apart plants are places in the garden, air flow, etc. All of this plays a factor in how your plants turn out. But being consistent with how you grow your plants, regardless of how well you’re actually growing them will always produce similar results.

That’s why it’s always best to stay on top of your schedule, take care of your plants just right, and do it consistently. Don’t over-pour your nutrients or over water to compensate for not watering often.

Hear more on consistency in the garden in the full episode of Tony Don’t Smoke OG!

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Cannabis Culture and Community: Harvest Special Pt. 4

by Travis C | Oct 16, 2018 | growing, Season 2, The Real Dirt Podcast Episodes

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I don’t know if we cultivate cannabis, or cannabis cultivates us.

Another harvest has come. Soon, it will be over. Unless you’re an indoor grower, you have some time until planting season.

One thing that is overlooked during harvest season is the community and cannabis culture that develops from the entire group coming together around one plant. Cannabis connects us together as humans, but there is also an unspoken connection that we have with cannabis.

Cannabis culture and community

Whether it’s through sitting around the trim table together or just enjoying cannabis frequently with friends, the cannabis culture that has developed from these connections is a beautiful thing. Movies, TV shows, radio shows and more have also helped to bring cannabis into the mainstream.

Stoner comedies, informative documentaries, news series, and more have all helped propel cannabis into the spotlight. But it’s the regular enthusiasts like you and I that really helped build up — and continue to build — the cannabis culture we enjoy today.

Harvest season is the reason

It might not be the reason, but it’s definitely one of them. Getting the whole gang together to trim up your big harvest is a great way to connect, talk about the growing season, changes to be made, etc. And let’s be real, you’re blazing up the whole time you’re trimming ‘cus that shit sucks, especially if you’re trimming by hand.

I hope that you’ve been enjoying these Harvest Specials as much as I have enjoyed sharing some harvest knowledge with you. It may not be the most scientific or researched tips, but I’ve been in this industry long enough to know how things work, and how to do things the right way.

So, enjoy this week’s Harvest Special while you trim up some beautiful ganja with your team, or roll one up and relax after a long day at the grow with The Real Dirt Podcast.