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Breaking the Stoner Stereotype

Breaking the Stoner Stereotype

Envision a “stoner” in your head. Do you see a tie-dye shirt, or a suit and tie?

The stoner stereotype is changing rapidly, and the old hippy growing ganja in his basement to sell to the high school kids is now operating a legal grow with lab tests to back it up. Yet so many people still believe the age old stereotype of the lazy stoner with the headband and flared out jeans.

Well it ain’t 1977 anymore, so get over it. Cannabis is a business, and business draws businessmen and businesswomen. While some of the “OG” industry leaders may stick to their hippy roots, many of the new faces coming into the industry aren’t like that.

Some of them might not even have experience with cannabis themselves, but see the monetary opportunity and go for it, as any smart business person would. Some may argue that this is causing issues, as people who have been in the industry since before it was legal start to butt heads with the newbies.

Ditching the Stoner Stereotype

Something that is ironic about this industry is that a customer might actually be more likely to trust a budtender that looks more like a hippy than the one rocking a polo shirt and khakis. And that is also part of the problem to some. People see the hippy-looking fella as trustworthy, simply because he looks like he smokes often.

Well, in this episode of Tony Don’t Smoke OG you’ll hear from Collin, who looks nothing like your typical stoner. In fact, you’re more likely to see Collin in a lab coat than tie-dye shirt. That’s the way this industry is headed. Professionals, business people and entrepreneurs are all getting their feet wet in the new industry, and with it they change the perception of the industry.

Some people like the stereotype though. Too many people are stressed, angry, working all the time. Why is it so bad for someone to be laid back, lazier, and happier? Maybe it’s just the emphasis our society puts on working all day every day just to get that pay check. But for some, money isn’t everything. But for a lot of new people coming into this industry, it is.

Maybe it’s a bad thing that the stoner stereotype is disappearing, but I don’t think so. The good pieces of the stereotype will remain. The light-hearted, happy stoner that isn’t stressing about every little thing doesn’t sound too bad. If we just get a little more professional, it won’t hurt.

Tune into the Finale of Tony Don’t Smoke OG Season 1 right now on iTunes and Spotify!

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Connecting to Your Cannabis: Tony Don’t Smoke OG

Connecting to Your Cannabis: Tony Don’t Smoke OG

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.

Seed Breeding: luck or skill?

Seed Breeding: luck or skill?

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

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

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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The Science of Isolating Terpenes

The Science of Isolating Terpenes

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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Smokin’ on Sativa: Tony Don’t Smoke OG Ep. 105

Smokin’ on Sativa: Tony Don’t Smoke OG Ep. 105

If you asked Tony why people always give sativa strains a bad rap, he would tell you it’s because they never smoked a good, well-grown sativa.

If you asked a bunch of growers why there isn’t a lot of good sativa out there, they would tell you that it’s because most growers don’t want to put the time and effort — but mainly time — into growing a good sativa strain. They would be right.

Sativas are hard to grow, they take longer than indica dominant strains, and a lot of the time due to how its grown commercially, is lower quality than their hybrid counterparts. But those who do put in the effort reap the rewards. A well-grown and cared for sativa will taste great and provide an uplifting, euphoric effect that anybody who knows a good sativa will crave. Luckily, Tony and the gang know a good sativa.

Sativa or indica, it’s about knowledge

It all comes back to knowledge and educating people about what they are are consuming. Much like beer, liquor or wine, cannabis has a variety of different strains, characteristics, flavors and effects. It can also be grown with the utmost care, or none at all.

Some people will always go for the cheap domestic beer or the convenience store wine because they don’t mind sacrificing quality to save money. Others will always want the best, and only drink craft beer and fancy wine to fill their appetite. It’s all preference.

Suffice to say as the industry spreads, a lot of people will prefer cheap cannabis. Those coming from a black market especially, where prices are often steep, the option to get a $10 eighth or $70 ounce will always be enticing. Sure, they could splurge and go for the quality cannabis for $200 an ounce, but with such a vast difference in price for the same amount, many will at least try the cheaper option.

This will change. Everybody has their honeymoon phase with legal cannabis. There are so many options at such affordable prices, its almost impossible not to buy a bunch of different cheap strains to see how they smoke. But over time, people will start to try the more expensive stuff, and the difference will be instant. Once someone tries well-grown, quality cannabis, it’s hard to go back.

In this week’s episode of Tony Don’t Smoke OG, Chip and Tony are joined by Colin from The Werc Shop, a research group that focuses on the science of cannabis and all its chemicals, especially terpenes. If you’ve ever enjoyed a flavored cannabis vape pen, you have Colin to thank!

Join the gang as they smoke on some Big Sur Holy Weed and talk changing tastes in the cannabis consumer, why sativas get such a bad rap, and more. Tune in and enjoy!

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