Cultivation of Cannabis Sativa, Indica, Afghan and Ruderalis.

 

Dream it.

I would like to legally grow Marijuana and Hemp varieties of Cannabis at my residence or another location of my choosing. Limiting the number of plants is not a solution, only encouraging people to grow giant trees. A better solution is to estimate cubic volume of growing area, and estimating the amount of biomass that willl be generated at harvest (cut from the roots). At harvest time inspectors can verify the amount of biomass grown and taxes can be paid based on posession, gifting, or sale. This is important because I would like to grow several varieties of cannabis just like I grow several varieties of tomatoes and hot chili peppers each year in my garden.

Build it.

Also, unless you are a breeder or looking to make a seed crop, the male plants must be removed and seperated or harvested immediately to avoid pollinating the female plants and ruining the Sinsemilla process where seedless female flowers produce copious amounts of terpenes and cannabinoids. So the impact of male plants must be factored into the growing regulations. I would like to breed new strains of cannabis that fuse high-THC and high CBD varieties with heirloom and anicient varieties from seeds gathered from around the globe. I had once attempted this but the extreme stress of prohibition and the draconian laws that include prison time and forefeiture of home and property depressingly led me to abandon my efforts. Now that New Jersey has legalized recreational marijuana, I hope that New York (It ain’t real yet unless there is freedom for all of Long Island too!!!!) and the US Federal Government follow suit quickly!

Grow it.

Seed and clones should not only be sold at dispensaries, but there should be an over 21 section in regular nurseries so that people can purchase cuttings, clones, and seeds at normal garden stores as well. This will help destigmatize the plant and it’s users. I should be able to gift or trade some of the harvest with friends and family a certain amount tax free without declaring it. There should be indoor, outdoor, greenhouse, and hybrid (part indoor, part oudoor) licenses. Small Connaisseur Growers shouldn’t have to register if they are very small scale, but cash croppers must register with the government.

Also, there should be communication between growers to avoid wind pollination conflicts that may arise. Neighbors should have some recourse to complain about strong odors that the plants may produce; all efforts should be made to settle these disputes amicably.

 

Processing

Any processing of the cannabis harvest should be allowed as long as it does not endanger the health and property of others. So, for example, butane extraction of hash oil would need to be regulated for saftey, but creation of hand pressed, sieved or ice water hashish should have minimal to no regulation.

Manufacture

I envision Cannabis being sold as produce (“fresh”) with minimal to no packaging, as well as consumer packaged goods (“preserved”) or processed products (blended, modified, etc.). The danger is that Giant Corporations (Monsanto for Genetic Modification), Altria and Big Tobacco (prerolls and vaping) big Alcohol and Beverage (drinking tinctures, energy drinks, etc.) and big Pharma (Pfizer et al) could dominate too much of the marketplace, and with a zealous drive for profits, could have a negative impact on the post-prohibition business and consumer landscape. The Government must make sure that all stakeholders are fairly treated.

Safety

Some type of security measures should be taken by growers to prevent minors from accessing the plants without adult supervision or stealing the harvest. Some type of fencing to deter a raid as well as video surveillance should be advised for all growers. The Growers should be educated about the dangers of heavy metals entering the plants from contaminated soil and should also be informed on what fertilizers and pest control are allowed and how to prepare the cannabis for smoking, vaping, processing, or consumption, including flushing the plants from fertilizer so excessive chemicals are not consumed.