Source: HC01 Auto-Bomb Official Test 11/04/2012

http://youtu.be/PSKJrgGqx_E

Source: WHEN WE GROW, This is what we can do (Full Documentary)

EFFECT OF LIGHT QUALITY ON CANNABINOID CONTENT

OF CANNABIS SATIVA L. (CANNABACEAE)

PAUL G. MAHLBERG AND JOHN K. HEMPHILL

Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405

Plants of a drug strain of Cannabis sativa L.-grown 33 days under daylight, shaded daylight

conditions, filtered green, blue, and red light, and darkness---were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography

for their cannabinoid content. The highest content of cannabinoids, predominantly áƒ⁹- tetrahydrocannabinol

(áƒ⁹-THC) in this strain, occurred in the youngest leaves of daylight-grown plants.

Leaves at successively lower nades of this contrai condition and ali treated plants subsequently grown’

in daylight contained progressively lower leveis of cannabinoids. Leaves from plants grown under

filtered green light and darkness contained significantly lower leveis of áƒ⁹-THC than those from plants

grown in daylight. However, the áƒ^9-THC content of leaves from plants grown under shaded daylight

and filtered red and blue light did not differ significantly from the áƒ⁹-THC content in daylight contrais,

indicating that these conditions did not a! ter the synthetic rate of this cannabinoid. The cannabichromene

(CBC) content of plants grown under filtered red and green light and darkness differed from the

CBC content in plants grown in daylight, indicating that the formation of this cannabinoid was

independent of áƒ⁹-THC. Leaves from plants grown under filtered red and green light and darkness

recovered the capacity to synthesize typicallevels of áƒ⁹-THC and CBC when placed under daylight

conditions. Plants from ali light and dark treatments, when subsequently placed under daylight conditions

for 66 days, attained leveis of cannabinoid synthesis comparable to the daylight contrais.

Introduction

Both qualitative and quantitative variability in cannabinoid composition among numerous vari­ eties of Cannabis have been reported (SMALL and BECKSTEAD 1973; TURNER et al. 1975; HEMPHILL, TURNER, and MAHLBERG 1980). Aside from arti­ factual differences induced by sampling techniques (FAIRBAIRN and LIEBMANN 197 4; TURNER, HEMP­ HILL, and MAHLBERG 1977, 1978), the factors con­ trolling the cannabinoid profile in plants are only partially understood. Both genetic and environ­ mental infl.uences probably contribute to their can­ nabinoid composition. The effects of light and, in a broader relationship, of the photosynthetic ap­ paratus on cannabinoid production are incom­ pletely understood. CROMBIE (1977) reported that albino and green tissues on green plants contained cannabinoids. Green plants placed in the dark continued to possess cannabinoids (FAIRBAIRN and LIEBMANN 197 4; HEMPHILL, TURNER, and MAHLBERG, unpublished). VALLE et al. (1978) sug­ gested that photoperiod can infl.uence cannabinoid content in that increased daylength increased the tetrahydrocannabinol content in plants. Cyclic or rhythmic changes in cannabinoid content in plants have been reported to occur in which A•-tetrahy­ drocannabinol (áƒ⁹-THC) content varied through­ out the growing season in comparison with that for other cannabinoids (PHILLIPS et al. 1970; TURNER et al. 1975), although LANYON et al. (forthcoming) could not detect any rhythmic pattern for the prouction of cannabinoids in an in-depth 2-yr study of three clones.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of light quality on cannabinoid composition of C annabis. Plant populations of a Mexican drug strain were used and examined periodically during a growth period under daylight, filtered red, blue, and green light, and darkness to assess the infl.uence of light quality on cannabinoid formation.

Material and Methods

Plants of a Mexican drug strain of Cannabis Sativa L. (HAMMOND and MAHLBERG 1977, 1978) were grown from seed in a greenhouse in a uniform

soil mixture in peat pots maintained in flats, each containing ca. 50 plants. Plants were grown under different light treatments, including daylight, two conditions of shaded daylight, green, blue, and red filtered light, and darkness (tables 1, 2). For day­ light conditions, flats were maintained on a green­ house bench; the two shaded conditions were prepared by covering a frame around the flats with multiple layers of cheesecloth, which shaded plants to selected light levels. Green, blue, and red con­ ditions were established by placing flats under cu­ bic chambers, 30 inches on each side, made from Rohm and Haas Plexiglas (green, no. 2092; blue, no. 2045; red, no. 2444) that possesses spectral properties applicable in wavelength studies (RAG­ HAVAN 1973; GALSTON and SATTER 1974). Each filter chamber was placed over a 30-inch central opening in a light-tight wooden base, 48 inches square X 6 inches high. The base, open at the bottom, was placed on the gravel bed of a green­ house bench. Air circulation in these chambers was

provided by two light-baffled 4-inch ports in the base. A 3-inch fan was mounted in one port and was in continuous operation during the experi­ ments. All flats were watered from the exterior and received measured volumes of water periodically, All plants and chambers were maintained in an air-conditioned greenhouse with temperatures ranging between 20 and 30 C during the experi­ ments. Plants grown in chambers were never ex­ posed to white light. Plants grown in the dark were maintained in similar chambers covered with black cardboard and placed in a shaded area of the green­ house.Light level in the greenhouse at noon during spring on a sunny day measured an average of

1.5 x 105 ergs em-' s- • with the thermistor shaded from direct sunlight (YSI-Kettering Radiometer, model 65). The two shaded conditions averaged

4. 0 X 104 (condition A) and 3.2 X 104 (condition b ergs cm-2 s-•. Light level at noon under green, blue, and red light was adjusted to a similar level,

5. 5 X 104 ergs em-' s-•, with one or two 200-W incandescent bulbs suspended over the chambers. These bulbs were on from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. to supplement normal daylight.

Leaves or shoot tips from ca. 10 plants in each treatment were harvested at night under dim green light after 33, 66, and 99 days of growth. All treat­ ments at these times were sampled the same night without exposing the plants to white light. Har­ vested tissues were immediately oven dried at 60

C for 12- 14 h. Dried tissues for each sample in each treatment were randomly divided into threelots, except that only one sample was available for green, blue, and red treatments at the 33-day interval.

All samples were extracted for analyses of cannabinoids by gas-liquid chromatography (HEMPHILL et al. 1980). Each datum value in the tables

represents the mean from analyses of the three lots for each sample, except where indicated below.

The remaining plants after the 33-day treatment were removed from the chambers and maintained under ambient daylight conditions along with daylight

controls. Leaf samples from specific nodes (tables 2--4) of several to 10 plants were collected again after 66 and 99 days of growth (33 and 66days in daylight, respectively, for plants from chambers). Leaf samples were collected and analyzedas described above.

This experimental study was repeated three times during a 2-yr period. Data presented in this report represent those derived from the third study; however,

data and trends for cannabinoids were similar in the several studies. The t-test was used to examine significance of áƒ⁹-THC and total cannabinoids

in tables 1 and 2.

Voucher specimens of several ages of the Mexican strain of C. sativa are deposited in the departmental herbarium.

Results

The cannabinoid content of 33-day-old plants grown in daylight possessed a characteristic distribution of cannabinoids for leaves along the vegetative

axis (HEMPHILL et al. 1980). The youngest leaves at node 1 (N- 1) contained the highest concentration of áƒ⁹-THC (2. 24 mg/ 100 mg dry weight

[DW]), as well as lower concentrations of cannabichromene (CBC), cannabidiol (CBD), and cannabinol (CBN) (table 1). Older leaves on subjacent

nodes (N-2 through N-5) contained progressively lower concentrations of áƒ⁹-THC and other cannabinoids.In plants grown for 33 days under different light

conditions, those grown under daylight contained an average of 0. 77 mg áƒ⁹-THC/ 100 mg DW tissues (table 2). This value represented the average content

for leaves from all nodes, N- 1 through N-5 (table 1). The youngest leaves on the daylight control plants (N- 1 and N-2) contained considerably

greater quantities of áƒ⁹-THC (2. 24 mg and 0. 95 mg/100 mg DW, respectively) than leaves on lower

nodes. The average value of Ll 9-THC for daylight controls was compared with the total Ll 9 -THC con­ tent for other experimental conditions because it was not possible to distinguish among leaf nodes on plants under ali treatments at the end of 33 days. Partia! shading of plants grown in daylight (shaded A, 0.41 mg Ll áƒ⁹-THC; shaded B, 0.33 mg Ll áƒ⁹-THC) resulted in a trend toward a decreased cannabinoid content (table 2). Young leaves (N-1) of daylight plants had a significantly greater quan­ tity of cannabinoids (as Ll áƒ⁹ -THC) than shaded plants, but when the average (O. 77 mg Ll áƒ⁹-THC) was compared withLl áƒ⁹ -THC content in shaded plants, there was no significant difference for this

cannabinoid between these sets of plants.

The cannabinoid concentrations in plants grown 33 days under filtered light and in the dark showed a trend toward a lower concentration of Ll áƒ⁹-THC compared with the daylight controls. The Ll áƒ⁹-THC content in the top node of the daylight control was significantly greater than the content in leaves from ali filter treatments as weli as for plants grown in darkness. However, the average Ll áƒ⁹-THC content in the daylight controls did not differ significantly from leveis present in plants grown under red and blue filtered light.

The levei of CBC, another prominent cannabi­ noid in this strain, remained comparable to day­ light controls under most treatments, including those plants grown in the dark. Under red filtered light, the plants contained over twice the levei (0.69 mg) of CBC present in the daylight controls (0.30 mg). Under daylight and shaded daylight conditions, the Ll áƒ⁹-THC content always exceeded the CBC con­ tent. However, the ratio of CBC to Ll áƒ⁹-THC be­ came reversed under ali filtered light and dark conditions. A relatively high levei of CBC, but very low levei of Ll áƒ⁹-THC, occurred in plants grown in the dark (table 2).

Leaf tissue of plants from ali treatments, after being placed in daylight for 33 days, was coliected and analyzed for cannabinoid composition to de­ termine whether treated plants could recover from imposed light-stress conditions (table 3). Sufficient

leaf material had developed on all plants during the 33 days of growth in daylight to make it possible to analyze leaves from three nodal positions: young leaves from nodes near apex (table 3, sample 1), leaves from subjacent middle nodes (sample 2), and leaves from lower nodes (sample 3).

Total cannabinoid and /áƒ⁹-THC content in young leaves (sample 1) contained increased levels for these compounds in all treatments (cf. tables 2, 3). Plants derived from red and blue light treatments showed a trend toward higher total levels of cannabinoids than daylight-grown plants, while those from green light and shaded B conditions contained lower cannabinoid levels than other treatments (table 3, sample 1). Samples 2 and 3 contained progressively lower cannabinoid and /áƒ⁹-THC levels under all treatments, a trend consistent for plants grown under daylight conditions (table 3, samples 2 and 3). CBD and CBN synthesis are typically low in this strain. However, for plants grown under blue filters and in darkness, no CBD was detectable, while plants grown under red filters synthesized appreciably greater quantities of both CBD and CBN than other treatments (table 3, sample 1).

Sample 3 for plants originally under filters and in the dark represented leaves that had formed during the first 33 days of treatment and subsequently enlarged when exposed to daylight for the second 33-day growth period. Some /áƒ⁹-THC synthesis occurred in these leaves upon exposure to light during this second growth period since the CBC to /áƒ⁹-THC ratio, greater than 1.0 in filterand dark-treated plants (table 2), was restored to the more typical less than 1.0 ratio (table 3, sample3).

Plants were maintained for 66 days in daylight (99 days of total growth) and again analyzed for cannabinoid contents to determine whether plants after an extended growth period in daylight developed a pattern of cannabinoid synthesis comparable to daylight-grown plants. Sufficient new growth had occurred on plants during their 99-day growth period to provide leaf materials from different nodal positions for analysis (table 4).

Leaves from nodal regions at three different levels along the axis, including those from N-1-3, N-7-9, and N- 17- 19 (table 4), were sampled for cannabinoid composition. Plants transferred to daylight from the dark remained somewhat smaller than other plants, and leaf samples were derived from nodal positions indicated in table 4. The total cannabinoid and áƒ⁹-THC contents in young leaves (N-1-3) in most treatments were similar (no significant differences) and were also similar to these values for plants in table 3. Plants transferred to daylight from blue filter treatment and darkness contained somewhat lower cannabinoid levels than those from other treatments.

The cannabinoid contents for daylight-grown plants (3. 48 mg áƒ⁹-THC and 4.99 mg total, table 4) are comparable, within the range of sample variation, to the contents of N- 1, N-2, and N-3 of young plants grown in daylight (3.66 mg áƒ⁹-THC and 5. 94 mg total, table 1). CBD, in blue filtered light and dark treatments

remained undetectable in plants subsequently grown for 66 and 99 days in daylight (tables 3, 4). The CBD concentration decreased in plants previously grown under green filters as well as in daylight after a total growth period of 99 days (table 4). Factors contributing to this altered CBD content remain unknown.

Discussion

Results from this study show that light quality and quantity affect cannabinoid synthesis in the growing plant. The effects were evident on the concentration of the principal cannabinoid component (áƒ^9-THC) of this strain, although other cannabinoids, particularly CBC, also were influenced by light. Cannabinoid content decreased progressively and rapidly with aging of leaves for plants grown 33 days under experimental conditions. The áƒ⁹-THC content of the youngest leaves in the daylight controls was significantly greater than for young leaves of treated plants. However, when the average áƒ⁹-THC content of the control was compared to treated plants, no significant differences were evident among most treatments. Only under green filtered light was cannabinoid synthesis significantly reduced (0. 05 level) over controls. Decreased light level may reduce the pool of precursor substrates available for cannabinoid synthesis. The factors influencing the progressive decrease in cannabinoid content in successively older leaves for all treatments, as shown here and reported in other studies (HEMPHILL et al. 1980; TURNER, HEMPHILL, and MAHLBERG 1980), require further study.

Presence of cannabinoids in plants grown in darkness indicated that their synthesis can occur in the absence of light since mature nongerminated seeds of this strain lack detectable cannabinoids (HEMPHILL et al. 1980). Substrates for cannabinoid synthesis in leaves apparently were derived from seed storage materials. CBC was the most prominent component in dark-grown plants, whereas áƒ⁹-THC was the only other detected cannabinoid. Synthesis of áƒ⁹-THC in darkness, although very low, indicates that light is not essential for formation of this cannabinoid. Synthesis of cannabinoids occurred under each light condition in this study. Accumulation of a high level of CBC, in particular, resulted in an altered ratio between this cannabinoid and áƒ⁹-THC in plants under green, blue, and red filtered light as well as darkness. The synthesis of each of these cannabinoids is independent of that of any other, which supports the interpretation that they represent products of an alternate pathway derived from cannabigerol (CBG) (MECHOULAM 1973; SHOYAMA et al. 1975). The pathway leading to CBC is little affected by the presence or absence of light, although the enhancement noted for filtered red light requires further study. The significant reduction of áƒ⁹-THC under filtered green light and in the dark indicates an active, but imprecisely known, role for light in áƒ⁹-THC synthesis. New leaves that developed on all plants after 33 and 66 days under daylight conditions, following their transfer from filtered light treatment, synthesized cannabinoids in a pattern typical for leaves grown in daylight. Only plants grown previously under the blue filter and in darkness did not appear to attain levels of áƒ⁹-THC synthesis recorded for other treatments. In general, the leaves at different nodal levels showed the typical decreasing trend for each cannabinoid and their total content from young to maturing leaves. Young leaves, originally formed under filtered light and darkness and then exposed to daylight, retained the metabolic mechanism to synthesize typical levels of cannabinoids even during the protracted period of stress treatment. Leaves initiated under filtered light conditions and darkness and subsequently exposed to daylight increased their áƒ⁹-THC content and altered the ratio of áƒ⁹-THC to CBC so as to reflect the typical levels of cannabinoids present in leaves developed under daylight conditions.

Light quality influenced the ratio of CBC to áƒ⁹- THC accumulation in leaves. The high ratio of CBC to áƒ⁹-THC under filtered light conditions and the very high ratio for dark-grown plants indicated that the CBC pathway functioned under lightstressed conditions. CBC production was maintained at comparable or greater levels than those in daylight and shaded conditions. Importantly, these same leaves, when exposed to white light, were capable of d9-THC synthesis, resulting in the reversal of the CBC:áƒ⁹-THC ratio. Synthesis and accumulation of áƒ⁹-THC, therefore, can occur independently of these processes for CBC. V ALLE et al. ( 1978) also reported a change in the ratio for these cannabinoids in plants grown under different daylength conditions. The change in ratio between 33 and 66 days of daylight may be a reflection, in part, of increased day length under greenhouse conditions during our study. However, the basis for the differential between plants formerly grown in the dark ( 1:7) and those grown in daylight ( 1:3.5) after 66 days in daylight may relate to a more direct effect of the presence or absence of light. Thus, the mechanism for cannabinoid synthesis can be partially inactivated in light-stressed leaves but can be reactivated when such leaves are placed in daylight, resulting in the production of a cannabinoid profile characteristic of the plant strain.

The protoplasmic site of cannabinoid synthesis, as yet unknown, is under study at this time.

Full Archive: Effect of Light Quality on Cannabinoid Content of Cannabis sativa L.(Cannabaceae)

Good reading.

Peace.

Source: Effect of Light Quality on Cannabinoid Content of Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabaceae)

CANNABIS AROMA & FLAVOR

Oxford Study Shows Caryophyllene (terpene) as a Dietary Cannabinoid

What does this mean? Cannabis ususally contains a significant amount of a terpene called beta-caryophyllene (BCP), which contributes to the aroma and flavor of cannabis. The study shows that this terpene, also found in other legal herbs, spices and food plants, activates the CB2 receptor and acts as a non-psychoactive anti-inflammatory. Because it binds to a cannabinoid receptor, it is considered a cannabinoid. WOW!

Question: Does non-psychoactive BCP compete with psychoactive compounds for receptor binding?; Can high BCP content reduce the psychoactive effects of cannabis?

Introduction to Cannabis Aroma and Flavor

The aroma and flavor of cannabis is manipulated by selective breeding for the biosynthesis of various classes of compounds. These include terpenes, flavonoids, alkanes and esters. Aroma and flavor molecules are generally volatile and posses lower boiling points than cannabinoids, thus they are released during vaporization processes.

Let's take a look at a class of molecules known as a terpenes, which contribute to give cannabis its unique bouquet and flavor. Some terpenes are said to modulate the physiological and psychoactive effects of cannabis. Additional research is needed into how these legal compounds participate in providing medicinal properties to marijuana. Unfortunately, unjust Schedule I classification makes it illegal to extract perfectly legal compounds from cannabis.

Cannabis-Science recognizes that many terpenes in the botanical world exhibit medicinal properties and that a great number of modern pharmaceuticals were derived from this fact. Many cannabinoids are considered terpenes since they contain 'terpene-pieces' (moieties) assembled by the plant. Often, terpenes in the plant kingdom serve as evolutionary defense mechanisms to ward off predators and pathogenic microbes such as fungi and bacteria.

TERPENES

Terpenes (isoprenoids) are small molecules that consist of repeating units of a compound called isoprene. Terpenes play many important roles in the plant kingdom from deterring insect predation, protection from environmental stresses and as chemical raw materials for more complex molecules, like cannabinoids. Many plant terpenes act synergistically with other terpenes and some serve to either catalyze or inhibit formation of other compounds within a plant. Understanding the role of certain terpenes will allow scientists to manipulate cannabinoids to desired ratios, for example.

Terpenes are made by many types of plants and are often the components of "essential oils". They are often times the building blocks to make more complex plant molecules, such as in certain hormones, vitamins (Vitamin A), pigments, sterols and cannabinoids. Others terpenes have antimicrobial properties, including some found in cannabis. Many of terpenes act as natural defense mechanisms against insects as resins are often sticky (i.e. amber, sap), while other terpenes such as limonene induce 'relaxation' and have their own unique pharmacology. Because of this diversity in the many functions of terpenes, whole cannabis (a.k.a. poly-pharmaceutical cannabis) has a higher therapeutic index than single-component THC (Marinol). This means, and medical marjuana patients affirm, that raw cannabis is superior in treating various ailments versus THC alone.

There are over 120 kinds of terpenes in cannabis, some only in trace amounts with others in double-digit percentage. Being able to measure these volatile compounds before and after a breeding experiment will offer the cannabis scientist endless opportunities for developing new flavors by basing breeding decisions on real analytical data.

More on Terpenes: Glossary and here.

CITRAL A & B Geranial/Neral/Lemonal. These are terpenoid compounds that contribute lemony scents to sinse. Check out wiki's definition w/ molecular structure.

CANNABIS TAXONOMY

The cannabis scientist should not only consider the genus Cannabis, but the entire botanical family Cannabaceae (aka Cannabidacea), which also contains the genusHumulus that includes the vine called hops. Understanding the terpene profile and biosynthesis in Humulus may provide cannabis breeders with insight regarding flavor/aroma profile manipulation.

Cannabis and Hops each contain some of the same essential oils. For example, each has significant amounts of oils called myrcene andcaryophyllene which contribute to their characteristic smells. They are both aromatic terpenes that contribute to the spicy smell in both flowers. Limonene, also present in Cannabaceae, is an oil with citrusy notes, and it happens to also be found in citrus fruits. Perhaps there lies utility in this genetic similarity for developing new flavor/aroma lineage. Attempts to cross-breed and graft the two species have failed. But today, cannabis scientists can influence the biosynthesis of certain compounds with advanced genetic technology. Understanding how theHumulus vine is influenced may provide insight into the nature of cannabis, and vice versa.

ARTICLES & PAPERS

• Aroma Chemistry - Random Facts by Terry Acree
  
• "Why Does My Beer Smell Like Weed"
  
• More on Terpenes from Cannabis-Science.com
  
• Marijuana Odor Perception: Studies Modeled from Probable Cause Cases - A paper that disproves some claims that cannabis odor was detected by LEO.
  
• The Volatile Oil Composition of Fresh and Air-Dried Buds...
  

MAKING IT HAPPEN - Becoming a Cannabis Scientist

The kinds of scientists whose work involves dealing with flavor, taste and smell includes Flavor Chemists, Fragrance Chemists, Oenologists, Biophysicists, andNeuroscientists to name a few. Biologists,Geneticists, Botanists and Horticulturists also get involved in manipulating flavor, smell and overall behavior of plants.

HOW TO MEASURE AROMA & FLAVOR COMPONENTS

The majority of compounds responsible for flavor and smell are volatile, they tend to evaporate over time, going liquid to gas. To take advantage of this, Gas Chromatography is used to measure and identify the volatile components in a sample.

For example, say that you want to know the flavor/aroma profile for bananas. A sample of the banana would be dehydrated and then powdered. In theory, many of the compounds of interest are next extracted and dissolved by mixing the powdered bananas with a solvent. The exact mass of the powder and the exact volume of solvent allows easy calculation of %, later.

Meanwhile, a known volume of the solvent/flavor extract is fed into the gas chromatograph (GC).. The GC displays a peak graphic for each compound. The size of the peak is relative to how much is there. So in our example sample, we found that the banana has... 8% iso-amyl acetate (classic banana smell), 2% amyl acetate and 1% nitrocelluslose.

For the technical side check out the CHEMISTRY page.

Eliminating Odor

Although medical marijuana gardens are state-legal in 25% of the U.S. the federal fellows can still spend thousands of dollars to hire siz or seven guys to bust your three legal plants. More so, anti-cannabis neighbors remain ignorant about the cannabis community, often reporting medical gardens to authorities. Although your medical garden is perfectly legal, do you want to be served with a warrant and have your property searched, your rights ignored, rifle-bearing SWAT team break down the door, flash grenades, etc? Unfortunately, even legal medical marijuana patients should approach the situation from the federal standpoint and operate under the assumption that a permit is a failsafe, not a license to be overt. Legal medical gardens (even if only two plants) should be operated as clandestinely as possible and this means addressing odor issues…

The odor given off by flowering cannabis plants can be pungent and overpowering. The smell can be difficult to eliminatea while flowers are present, so it’s important to understand how to address such odor problems. The bottom line is to use multiple types of treatment at once.

Cannabis odor varies somewhat with maturity of the plant. Like formation of the cannabinoids, aroma molecules such as terpenes are made by the plant over a period of time. Several of these non-psychoactive oils are reported to have medicinal qulaities such as anti-inflammatory properties. Early in flowering these odors begin as light, flowery and sweet, and they increase in strength with flower maturity and resin production. Depending on the strain (genetics), the odor profile of cannabis generally develops into a skunky and sweet aroma as complex and variable as fine wines. There may be great variability in the aroma profile between two cannabis strains and/or even hybrid plants from the same mother.

With time, so much of these volatile oils are released into the air that eliminating the smell of flowering cannabis can be seemingly impossible. This challenge is best handled by attacking the problem from multiple angles at once. Cannabis odors are unique and to simply spray an aerosol deodorizer only adds to the odor profile, it does nothing to eliminate the odor. Use of Super Cinnamon Spray will give you the smell of cinnamon plus skunky cannabis.

Humans have a relatively keen sense of smell and can detect certain odors at very low concentrations. Often, the amount of odor-causing molecules in the air is at a level of parts-per-million (ppm). With this in mind it’s easy to see how an inefficient treatment regimen, perhaps a leak in a duct or use of an expired carbon filter, can still leave behind ppm-level odors that are still quite strong.

Because of the fact that use of sprays and incense only masks cannabis odor, many folks seem to think that deodorizers have no place at all in keeping odors from escaping the area. However, the key to fighting odor problems is to understand and utilize every tool toward the goal. This includes masking agents, but they serve a narrow purpose and it’s important not to overuse them; for your yard to smell strongly of PineSol on a daily basis is out of place and this could be a tip for already suspicious neighbors with a poor understanding of cannabis culture and truth.

Your cannabis odor treatment arsenal consists of:

• Mechanical
  
  • Influx of Fresh Air (intake)
    
  • Removal of Soiled Air (odor exhaust)
    

  [*]Adsorption - Charcoal Filtration w/ Pre-filter

  [*]Chemical Destruction - Ozone

  [*]Electronic

  [*]Ionizers

  [*]Electrostatic Precipitators

  [*]Cooking Food

  [*]Aerosol Sprays/Oils

  [*]Incense/Candles

  [*]Carpet Powders

  [*]Bubbling Solution

  [*]Masking Agents

Ideally, the air in the grow room is contained by ensuring that the room is sealed, doors remain closed and the only openings include intake and exhaust ducts. Intake ports should be located near the floor. Exhaust ports should be located diagonally opposite (“kitty cornerâ€) and on or near the ceiling so as to remove warmer, lighter air that collects near the ceiling. Because CO₂ gas is heavier than air, the concentration tends to be lower near the ceiling and higher on the floor (CO₂ monitors should be at plant level). The net effect of this intake exhaust arrangement is that cooler air is brought in near the floor at one end of the room and the exhaust air exits at the ceiling on the opposite side of the room. This creates an air flow that most efficiently uses CO₂ and expels excess heat. Rooms that utilize CO₂supplementation are more efficient since fewer air exchanges are necessary to keep the CO₂ level optimal, and fewer air exchanges reduces the frequency that soiled air is exhausted.

MECHANICAL

The movement of air is critical for every treatment regimen and the mechanical aspects are foundational. Without proper mixing and movement, even the most effective treatment leaves stagnate pockets of foul air, especially in corners. For this reason, among others, it is critical for the air within the grow space to be circulating at all times. This is generally accomplished with an oscillating.

Mechanical treatment involves the physical movement of fresh and soiled (smelly) air to or from the grow space. With the use of fans and rigid or flexible ducting, fresh air is brought into the grow space and the net effect is dilution of the air, or a decrease in the concentration of odor molecules (ex: 100ppm to 20ppm). But keep in mind that any air pumped into an enclosed room will result in the same volume of smelly air being forced out of the room via displacement. This displaced air is considered exhaust. If the room is sealed then the untreated exhaust must exit through ducts or cracks and this becomes a liability.

Although dilution and removal of soiled air from the grow space may make the immediate area less smelly, the untreated exhaust may be headed directly for the neighbors house. Unless your grow space is equipped with an industrial smokestack that injects fouls air far above the community, then mechanical intake of fresh air and exhaust of soiled air is only effective at reducing odor within the grow space and adjacent rooms. Meanwhile, the once contained odor is now on the loose in the neighborhood, attic, basement, or wherever the exhaust duct exits. Additional treatment is required.

ADSORPTION- Carbon Filtration

Carbon filters designed for horticultural applications come in various sizes. Their official purpose in the market is to address the foul stench that sometimes comes along with use of organic fertilizers in confined spaces; otherwise, if designed specifically for cannabis cultivation, they would likely be outlawed.

Typically, carbon filters come in the form of a canister made of rigid duct components ranging from about 40cm to 1.5 meters in length. They are rated by airflow volume in units of CFM, cubic feet per minute (metric: cubic meters per minute) and the filter should be paired with a squirrel cage style blower of about the same rating

Carbon filters are a highly effective means of removing unwanted odors from air but there are a few things to keep in mind when using one. They have a limited lifespan and effectiveness depends on the age, odor load, humidity, size of the carbon particles, rate of airflow and air temperature.

As smelly air is drawn through the filter it passes over the carbon and the odor molecules (volatile organic compounds, VOCs) are adsorbed onto the carbon while the clean air passes through. Adsorption is the physical attraction of gas or liquid molecules to the surface of a solid. This attraction occurs because airborne odor molecules have a slight positive charge and are attracted to the cavernous activated carbon.

Essentially, a carbon filter is hung near the ceiling and attached to an exhaust blower using duct. The filter may be attached to either side of the exhaust fan – soiled air may be drawn into the filter or it may be expelled through the filter. In order to keep the filter cleaner and more inconspicuous, it is usually placed inside the grow space on the intake port of the exhaust fan.

For CO2 supplemented rooms that have no problem with heat buildup, keep in mind that instead of fresh air intake and subsequent exhaust, room air may be recirculated through the filter. This simplifies the setup, reduces vibrational noise, keeps the air moving and provides for more efficient odor removal.

Most carbon filters come wrapped in polyester batting that serves as a pre-filter that prevents dust particles from clogging the pores of the carbon granules. Activated carbon may be thought of as a sponge full of tiny pores and microscopic passage ways. Effectiveness of the filter is dependent on the number of pores present in carbon particles; the more pores there are, the higher the surface area of carbon and the greater the odor-removing capability since odors are adsorbed onto the surface of the carbon. Pore cloggage lowers effectiveness, impedes airflow, and generally leads to use of more electricity, so it is important to use the pre-filter and regularly clean it.

In the end, carbon filters are one of the most effective tools in your odor treatment toolbox. For those that are serious about odor removal, the extra cost is likely worth it.

OZONE

Ozone is by far one of the most effective methods of odor removal but it carries with it potential hazards that MUST be considered. Ozone is an unstable gas that consists of three oxygen molecules (O₃) and it has a very distinctive “electrical†odor. It is made whenever oxygen encounters a very high electric potential, and in nature lightning causes formation of ozone.

Because ozone is a high energy molecule, it doesn’t stick around long. It is a powerful, negatively-charged oxidizer and when it encounters odor molecules, it attaches to them and renders them odorless. The byproduct is oxygen (O₂). Any unreacted ozone naturally degrades to O₂ within about 30-90 minutes depending on the environment: temperature, humidity, etc. However, ozone itself can be hazardous to human (and microbiall) health because it such a powerful and reactive oxidizer. Ozone kills bacteria and fungi and so it can be useful in helping control funugus in humid enviromnets.

Some studies indicate that inhalation of ozone at very high concentrations can damage the lungs, eys or skin. For this reason it is critical that an ozone-treated space never be occupied by animals until the ozone has cleared naturally via degradation, or by fresh air exchanges.

Luckily, humans are able to smell ozone at low concentration. If you can smell it then get out of the space immediately and check back after an hour. It’s important to understand that ozone is a desensitizer and that brief exposures can decrease your ability to smell it minutes later, so never rely only on your sense of smell to determine whether ozone is present. As a condition, ozone should never be used unless you know how to calculate the exact amount needed, andit is prevented from entering living areas. This involves knowing the total air volume in the room being treated, and knowing the output of ozone from the unit, which is disclosed by the manufacturer. Concentrations greater than 0.04ppm (four tenths of one part in a million) are considered potentially unhealthy. Often this means that ozone generators may only need to run for 1-5 minutes. Anything more can be harmful to plants, pets and humans. Easy to use test kits are available that allow you to open a pouch and leave an indicator strip inside the ozonated room in order to determine ozone levels. Again, never use ozone in an inhabited area. With that said, a wall of skunk may be completely eliminated within minutes.

Ozone generators for horticultural applications come in a variety of styles. Some are safely contained and designed to be placed inline (inside of a duct) and use powerful UV lamps to produce ozone, which then enters the duct airflow and mixes with smelly exhaust gas to destroy odor molecules before exiting the duct. Other models use and electrical arc of several thousand volts to produce ozone. Some generators are external and designed to treat an entire room as opposed to the contents of a duct. Once again, it is critical to ensure that the air being treated is constantly mixed in order to distribute the ozone and eliminate pockets of foul air.

ELECTRONIC – Ionizers and Electrostatic Precipitators

Ionizers and electrostatic precipitators work on the same general principle by emitting negatively charged ions. Because odor molecules, dust, smoke, pollen and bacteria have a net positive charge, they are attracted to the negatively charges ions. The result is that the charge is neutralized, the odor molecule is quenched and it generally falls to the floor or sticks to the wall.

Ionizers or electrostatic precipitators are generally used in industrial HVAC air purification systems that handle large volumes of air, but are increasingly being used in home furnace and air conditioning systems. They are usually only one component of a multi-component system that may include pre-filters, de-humidifiers, HEPA filtration and carbon filtration, each component contributing to the overall cleaning of the airstream. Precipitators are large, stationary and depend on contaminated air being passed over them such that the contaminants are attracted to the charged metal blades, which require regular cleaning. Likewise, ionizers quickly acquire dust and this impedes efficiency.

MASKING AGENTS

Masking agents consist of chemicals and other odors that attempt to cover or hide pre-existing odors. They do not eliminate odors, they only manipulate the pre-existing profile in an additive manner.

Cooking

One of the most useful, most natural and inexpensive masking approaches is simply cooking aromatic food. Cooking is an everyday act that is never out of place to visitors or repairmen, and it often does a reasonable job at masking odors within habited spaces. Of course, cooking everyday all day long is impossible for many folks but there is a wonderful, effective alternative – The Crock Pot. It is the least expensive and longest acting method of masking, produces no additional waste, avoids use of synthetic chemical sprays, feminine odors, and is efficient since you have to use electricity to prepare food already.

A crock pot is a valuable component in your odor treatment arsenal and too few people take advantage, sometimes opting for overkill sophistication when it is unnecessary. It is encouraged that you experiment with your favorite foods and spices to find the most effective recipes that suit your taste. For now, here is an inexpensive recipe that works well and takes minimal effort: Beans!

One cup of dry pinto beans costs only a few cents. They are first soaked overnight in cold water in order to soften them a bit. The next morning before work, the beans are placed in a crock pot with about 6 cups water and the setting placed to “high†to achieve a simmer. To be most effective you must add aromatic herbs or spices to the beans. Use of powdered or granulated garlic, 3-5 bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, etc. are very effective and give your home a warm and welcome ambience when folks come through the door.

While the beans simmer all day long, they fill the house with the good smell of cooking food, and when you come home from work, you may be surprised to find that the smell of cannabis in the living area is well masked. At this point late in the day, you have the option of adding potatoes, carrots, etc. Eventually, eating beans each day gets old. Not to advocate wasting of food, but keep in mind that even a half cup of beans with spices is effective and minimizes waste should you choose to throw the food out. Basically, your crock pot becomes a new form of potpourri and a little garlic goes a long way. You may wish to experiment with simmering water, bay leaves and garlic as a less hearty, broth alternative. Give it a try. Maybe grandma’s marinararecipe will do the trick!

If this method of odor masking is not something you wish to practice, at least keep it in mind as a component that can be combined with other methods to stack the odds in your favor. You may wish to do this on days in which family comes for a visit or a contractor is performing repairs on or near your property. But be prepared to answer the question “What smells so good?â€

Did You Know? Did you know that many restaurants install ducts that carry kitchen odors to the entry and dining room so as to make the restaurant more appealing to customers and increase appetite?

CBD – The Non-Psychoactive Cannabinoid?

I don’t agree. I believe that CBD is psychoactive in its own right. The commonly held wisdom is that CBD counteracts or ameliorates the effects of THC, is anti-psychotic, pain relieving but non-psychoactive.

So, I have my own theory. The only evidence I can offer is from experience. Firstly my own, both over time and one particular, recent incident. Secondly, an experience we can all share that provides insight – even without consuming cannabis!

Before the evidence though, I just don’t think these four principal effects add up. Anti-THC, anti-psychotic, pain relief and non-psychoactive?

How can something be said to provide pain relief yet not provide any psychoactive effect? Why would nature evolve components that cancel each other out for no individual value?

In my experience, cannabis is nowhere near as simple as that. It is an anti-inflammatory and an analgesic in one. As well as CBD, THC provides pain relief in the sense of mood control. Many who use cannabis for chronic pain report that the pain is still there, it is just easier to cope with. We know that research is actively pursing the therapeutic effects of THCv, CBC, CBG and other cannabinoids. Even GW acknowledges that the less well known cannabinoids boost the effect of THC by up to 330%^{(see ref 1)}! (So much for the deception that Sativex is just THC and CBD.)

The complex effect of more than 100 cannabinoids in every natural cannabis product is a very long way from being fully understood. A hopeful sign is that Echo Pharmaceuticals of Nijmegen is now offering cannabinoid extracts from Bedrocan cannabis as shown in the table.

Echo Pharmaceuticals. Available Cannabinoid Standards

It’s not just cannabinoids though, cannabis also contains flavonoids and terpenes or terpenoids, all of which have an effect. This is why modern, reductionist medicine finds it so difficult to deal with cannabis, even though its safety and efficacy have been proved over more than 5000 years.

Of course, CBD does ameliorate or modify the effects of THC and here I turn to my long term, personal experience. In the 1970s, I was raised on Lebanese hash, Red Leb and Yellow or Gold Leb. It was gorgeous, moist and oily and although I had no idea at the time I can now look back and recognise that it was well balanced with CBD and THC and individual characteristics accounted for by other components. I don’t know whether they were cannabinoids, terpenoids or something else but they define each individual type of weed or hash and give each one a particular quality. This is where the analogy with wine is so appropriate. Cannabis can be understood and appreciated in a very similar way.

We now know that the Moroccan hash that dominated the 1980s was balanced with THC and CBD. High THC charas (hand-rubbed hashish) contains far higher proportions of CBD than is found in modern, prohibition-fuelled, maxed out THC weed. It was a far more pleasant smoke. It was mellow. It’s true that some modern weed is far too buzzy, nervy. Yes, it is far more likely to make you a little para than a bit of hash. I have experimented with a few sprays of Sativex on a couple of occasions and it is easy to recognise the effect as being more like CBD rich hashish.

So it was with delight that a few weeks ago, for the first time in too many years, I found myself with a small piece of fine Afghani charas. It was delicious, in a smoochy, comfortable, completely relaxing way that I miss so much. I’m a pure smoker and have been for 20 years so I burned it in my small brass pipe and eked it out as for as long as I could. I remembered what well balanced cannabis is. In fact, what it would be to have a choice? That’s never been the case in Britain. All my life I’ve just been grateful for whatever Mr Big has on offer. Only very rarely and a long time ago do I remember being offered a choice. That was always the delight of a trip to the Dam and a few days with the equivalent of a box of chocolates or the cellars of some fine vintner.

My final evidence is the BBC documentary “Should I Smoke Dopeâ€. It’s actually an excellent programme, spoiled by the chav rock chick presenter who makes the whole thing come across as very trivial. In fact, it provides some fascinating information. In particular, when our heroine is fed intravenous THC alone and then combined with CBD. The results are revelatory and anyone who has experience of varieties of cannabis will recognise the truth in what is shown. It makes my point for me perfectly.

CBD doesn’t just cancel out THC. It modifies the effect of cannabis in a vital way. Those, much younger than me, who have been brought up on “prohibition skunk†are missing out big time and yes, are put at greater risk as a result. It is undoubtedly true that any negative effect of cannabis is likely to come from high THC content. Prohibition is a deeply harmful, self-defeating, dangeous and immoral policy.

It also prevents the delightful, positive, life-enhancing wondrous gift of cannabis from being at its best and that, in my opinion, is a sin.

References

1.The ingredients having the greatest effects on the cannabis taste would most probably be the fragrant terpenes within the essential oils. Some of these have their own pharmacology and have been cited as likely synergists in mixtures with cannabinoids (McPartland and Russo, 2001). The potential benefit of these ingredients was demonstrated in a test measuring pain relief in mice, in which unknown powerful synergists produced a 330% increase in activity compared to THC alone (Fairbairn and Pickens, 1981). Synergistically improved efficacy of cannabis extracts over THC-alone was also demonstrated in a mouse model which assessed their antispacticity effects (Williamson, 2001).

Thank you for reading.

Peace. : )

The Importance Of Matured Cannabis

I would like to outline some important considerations in regards to cannabis, the fact that unlike most all other recreational drugs, it is a high order plant which has complexities which are often not properly understood nor respected.

With cocaine, leaves of the Coca plant are basically washed in a solvent extraction process and one gets cocaine hydrochloride salts. With Heroin, Papaver somniferum reaches basic maturity and releases resin from the seed pods, resin is not produced until ripe, then all the resin is the same, refine it and one has heroin. With LSD, precursor LSA is chemically altered to diethylamide from the amide lysergic acid precursor. Synthetic designer drugs are chemical compounds processed to derive certain molecules.

Not much difference in the base to end product except for strength, most all drugs are the same thing, refined or synthetically created.

But psychoactive cannabis is different. It goes through two main stages, vegetative, then flowering, most people know that, but, as a high order plant, it goes through many other stages from seedling to mature plant. In vegetative growth, it is a factory, not only building up the cellulose structure of the plant but in the first few weeks of life it goes through many stages of development into a hormone factory. Various ratios of hormones trigger the later flowering stages when light cycles decrease and dark cycles of the days from spring through summer create a phytochrome build-up. This triggers flowering at around 12/12 light/dark hours give or take an hour or two depending on the strain/hybrid stages when grown outdoors or when switched to a 12 hour photoperiod if under artificial light. From flowering cycle being triggered the plants then begin creating the psychoactive and non psychoactive compounds we know as THCs, the main delta complex and the plant creates significant amounts of terpines which are primarily associated with the distinct smells. These oxidise into terpinoids and together with the THC complex and CBD, create the full personality and effect of the highs or stones of whichever strain or hybrid the plants are, at point of maturity and to the genetic potential of whichever strain/hybrid the plants are.

Basic THC Delta 9.

http://www.answers.c...hydrocannabinol

Tetrahydrocannabivarin or Delta 6/THCv

http://www.answers.c...drocannabivarin

also oxidant, cannabivarin CBV

http://www.answers.c...ic/cannabivarin

Most people just think of THC, mainly delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol, this is the stimulant THC we are all familiar with. Then there is another main one which over recent years more are becoming aware of, which is delta 6 tetrahydrocannabinol which is the more psychedelic factor found in equatorial and tropical sativa cultivars. THC D6 is found in all psychoactive cannabis but at higher levels in these strains and subsequent hybrids coming from the tropics and those plants whose ancestors come from high altitudes in lower latitudes such as the Hindu Kush and mountainous regions around Afghanistan and Pakistan, etc due to higher exposure to UVB spectrum in equatorial/topical and high altitude areas.

THC D6 oxidises in maturity of the plants to CBV, which like CBD, tends to balance the effects of the THCv.

The plants in vegetative stage, produce little THC D9, or any other psychoactive compound. Terpine levels are also low, it is when the plant factory becomes fully developed and phytochromes trigger the plants into bud production, that THC and terpines start being produced in abundance. CBD is produced later in the bud production cycle, the main flowering period, from shorter flowering indica to longer flowering sativa, the compounds which balance out the stimulant THC D9, which as we know is mainly CBD, but also CBV and a few others in conjunct, only appear later in the plants flowering cycle, as the earlier produced THCs and terpines oxidise to Terpenoids, prior to that, the plant produces mostly THCs and terpines are produced in order to protect the flowers, which are basically progenative ovaries to produce seeds to continue lifecycle of next generations.

Institute of Psychiatry.

In more recent times, there has been some attempt by the prohibitionist propagandists, to create a safer middle ground in their positions, part of this has been articles released by The Institute of Psychiatry regarding skunk, the deadly and evil super cannabis, supposedly.

See this item, one of many showing how this is being used…

http://www.mentalhea...org.uk/cannabis

This is so medicinal cannabis produced by extant pharma corps etc, products like Sativex etc, can be distinguished from this supposedly evil form of cannabis which makes everybody using it mentally deranged psychopaths. Because quite rightly, the ambiguity of these safe forms of cannabis the pharma corps are saying is safe, needs to be explained as to being different from the deadly cannabis recreational users are using and being made mental cases from, so now, there is apparently a clear dividing line. The skunk cannabis that the authorities are so concerned about has no, yes, they said no, asserted no CBD whatsoever, and of course, the medicinal forms all have CBD so it is relatively safe for pharma corps to provide as a medicament.

But the truth is, skunk does have CBD, all psychoactive cannabis plants contain a level of CBD the same as all other compounds found in all plants, just at varying ratios, according to the potentials of whatever genetic template, whichever strain or hybrid is grown. When grown to maturity all cannabis has CBD.

Even the most potent equatorial sativas which are renowned for being high THC/THCv, have a CBD ratio, when grown to maturity.

So too does the supposed deadly evil skunk contain enough CBD, and other oxidised compounds such as CBV, to round off the stimulant effects of THCs, so while what they are stating regards CBD is perfectly true, the attempt to cite skunk as still being a main offender which causes, they do not state triggers but cite causality, is a nonsense, because all psychoactive strains without exception contain CBD and other oxidase stabilisers of THCs and the highs they provide, some lower, some higher CBD, but all do.

In this regard, where they found negligible amounts or no CBD whatsoever in tested skunk plants, for those who understand how cannabis matures will know, it was immature skunk hybrid cannabis, and this brings me to my main points about “The importance of matured cannabis.â€.

And the fact that The Institute of Psychiatry and those expounding their findings regards psychoses and little or no CBD content in cannabis have unwittingly provided a significant argument for a legalised climate so all cannabis meant for recreational and medical use and sale can be regulated and spot checked for maturity so the main consuming public do not use immature cannabis, because we understand CBD comes from the final stages of flowering cycle and CBD content is potentated by the curing process which allows further oxidation of THCs and terpines to terpenoids

Final Stages of Flowering Cannabis Plants and Trichomes.

As many will undoubtedly know, after the main vegetative growth stage and phytochromes trigger flowering and calyx production, from age 2-4 weeks from germination, which collectively are the buds. To protect the calyxes/seed ovaries, the plants produce capitate stalked trichomes…

See picture here…

And it is these which contain the main THC complex and as is generally accepted, presence of the trichomes and THCs are to protect the calyxes from harms from UVB radiation, the more UVB the plants are exposed to during flowering, the more profusely abundant the trichomes become and for the plant, were it to be pollinated and seed bearing, the trichomes act like a radiation shield for the seeds, of course we humans who want to smoke the buds do not require seeded buds, we desire seedless sensimilla bud, but trichomes are produced regardless as calyxes develop and mature.

But until the plant reaches the final weeks of flowering, the main content are the THCs, terpines which are responsible for the increasingly powerful smells of whatever strain/hybrid they are, and have practically no CBD content and the terpines are still mainly smell and haven’t converted to terpenoids.

THC D9 is a potent stimulant and if plants are cropped too early, any cannabis will have little or no CBD and will only provide a very stimulant high, whilst not every cannabis user finds this adverse, many do, it is well known that a lot of novice or infrequent users who use cannabis which is immature, as in, were one to look, the capitate trichomes would be all clear, not all cloudy/milky or with a good ratio of amber coloured trichomes, but clear as crystal, will have a paranoid reaction, become confused, they will have physiological experiences such as heart palpitations and some break out into a sweat from elevated physiologicals, some start to have panic attacks.

The anecdotal evidences for the reactions people have to immature cannabis is all over cannabis community forums, of every country around the globe, especially on the cultivation forums, and that is where legislators need to go and look properly at what many academics involved with cultivation, many very experienced people who understand cannabis and the stages it goes through as a high order plant, so they can stop being guided by those who in comparison, have nothing but a basic and tenuous understanding of cannabis. They seem to think all cannabis is just cannabis, like an opium poppy is an opium poppy, cocaine hydrochloride is coke just as varying strengths but all the same drug, MDA/MDMA/MDEA and variants are just that, LSD is LSD so on so forth, they are all the same drug, but cannabis transitions through stages, where from around 4-5 weeks minimum or longer if vegetative stage is prolonged, leaves and developing buds from single calyxes at meristem internodes to the full bud masses have an increasing THC content, which rises as the number of calyxes increase into bud mass. They expand in size and stature to their full potential, whether pollinated/seeded and it is during the final weeks that early THC production in the trichomes on the leaves and buds increasingly start to oxidise and CBD and other high/stone stabilising oxidase are created.

In the final weeks of growth, in most indica’s and indica dominant hybrids the flowering cycle lasts between 7-9 weeks if indoor cultivation, or as indicated calendar window during the opposite natural photoperiod to the new growth of spring and the plants mature in the early to late autumn as they are influenced in their stages by “photoperiodism†and are long day plants, whose maturity mechanisms are cryptochromic.

http://en.wikipedia..../Photoperiodism

http://en.wikipedia....ki/Cryptochrome

In sativa and sativa dominant hybrids, the flowering cycles can be anything from 7-8 weeks in a few early sativas to 14-26 weeks on some very stimulant and/or psychedelic cultivars and landrace strains.

As is known, the vegetative stage indoor photoperiod mimics spring equinox, into summer solstice at 12/12 light/dark when veg’d enough and wanting to start flowering, and so if people cultivating for sale and wanting to hasten maturity, and actually wanted to bother, plants can easily be fooled into thinking the Autumn equinox is passing, winter solstice is nearing by giving the plants a longer dark period, to the same extents to using the spring photoperiod of 16/08 in the vegetative stage, as opposed to 24/00 vegetation, turning dark period up a couple of hours from 12/12 to a maximum of 08/16 but as much as 10/14 in the last few weeks is enough to hasten ripening by that last 10-14 days and so quicken the ambering, but so too does the grower need to be mindful of overshooting when speeding plants up like that as too amber %90+ is only good for cancer sufferer medication.

So now we have the crux of my pro legalised industry arguments here, which the Institute of Psychiatry and those expounding on, have unwittingly validated.

Because prohibition has led to a distinct lack of common knowledge in the regards I’ve outlined because it’s treated as a taboo subject and that is thus far very much an abstraction to what the entirety is, but main pertinencies are there.

We have as I see it, a few different groupings of those who do not grow cannabis plants to mature, most not curing either, no disrespect meant to any cultivators who endeavour to the, plus/minus %30 amber average.

The first, is commercial cultivators, aka, “cashcroppers†who are entirely focused on cultivating cannabis purely for profit and it is sad that many of these know damn well that there is a point of diminishing returns in the latter stages of development in the cannabis flowering cycle, where plants stop growing, they cease to put any more energy into increasing bud mass, which is weight, which is the saleable product after being dried, so many crop at that point, when the plant is pretty much at maximum weight for whichever commercial strain, they know this is a point when trichomes are mainly clear, depending on strain, clear into milky.

Here’s another picture depicting trichome maturity stages…

As you can see, emphasis is on yield, on the clear trichomes, but that also equates to completely raw THC D9 and totally stimulant with practically no other compounds present to round off the potent stimulant effects, then they state “cloudy†which is as they say the up and heady high, then the ambering, then they say about the mix of cloudy/amber.

But as I say, at the point of diminishing returns, the plants will have pretty much reached their maximum bud mass and weight, with most commercial strains, trichomes will be clear mainly and a small ratio of cloudy, or milky as I prefer to say, and that means fully stimulant, with no oxidase terpenoids or CBD/CBV etc to round off the high, not to mention the full personality and indeed beneficial qualities medicinally speaking, are not present either, the majority of the active compounds derive from latter stages of oxidisation.

It is at that stage, clear mainly, into milky, which makes a large amount of cannabis users feel paranoid and gives them adverse effects, and we all know, that paranoia, is a main psychological component in psychoses.

Raw, un-oxidised THC, acts on the brain receptors, in a similar way to amphetamines and prolonged use of amphetamines does trigger psychosis, especially in conjunction with long periods of sleep deprivation. An effect of raw THC is it will deprive people of proper sleep because it over rev’s the brain and chemicals usually produced by the brain during sleep periods which induce dream state are not produced properly and this leads to the detrimental effects as the cumulative consequences of over stimulating neurochemicals takes hold and the brain essentially snaps and misfires more and more, so a psychotic episode, even if they do get their heads down for a few hours through fatigue, if they use a lot of unripe cannabis with raw THC, they will be unlikely to achieve REM states, and that in regards to potential psychosis, is what matters, waking up again after a brief sleep period without REM may restore some physical energy, but then frequent users of unripe cannabis will drink that coffee etc, have another wake and bake spliff etc, and so the REM deprived person goes on and on day after day until that snap occurs, that, is what can seriously cause a psychotic episode especially when stress factors like troubled relationships, or familial difficulties, money worries, employemnt difficulties, prolonged personality clash dynamics etc and for example, are present and serve as triggers.

And drug induced sleep deprivation psychoses are what mental health agencies have been dealing with or mental conditions very similar to that, with many of those it does also go into other substances they are using but raw THC itself can do it alone, the compounded and detrimental effects when mixing other drugs with cannabis is another issue which I will articulate at a later stage.

It is entirely true, CBD is anti-psychotic as much as is sedative, so plants with a decent ratio of CBD will do the exact opposite, it will allow the brain to achieve REM states properly and balance the stimulant THC D9 so the brain doesn’t ‘over rev’ too much.

And that is where prohibition has been actively causing the mental health issues prohibitionists and concerned, misled public cite as reason to keep it prohibited, because a main group who cashcrop, do not allow plants to mature and develop CBD in any useful amounts. They will crop the plants when they stop putting on mass, dry it and sell it and that is usually a good two weeks before plants start oxidising and the trichomes go from milky into amber. The plants are a saleable product at that stage, they will get people high, but with many it’s too high, and it is a minority who will have badly adverse reactions in occasional use, a smaller group still who will use far too much every day and give themselves REM sleep deprivation psychosis. The group who have mental health issues from other causality who will have adverse reaction to raw THC, but those wholesaling such cannabis are basically ripping everybody off for the sake of getting an extra crop or two in every year, or getting it out of risk of detection by police as quickly as possible, or don’t actually know about cannabis having to mature. I accept this is as much a consequence of small clusters of smaller time growers to supply a small area in whatever regions and there are a few reasons, as I mentioned, but it is mainly cash croppers and we know simple S.E. Asian farmers are forced into tending crops by organised criminals, so I wouldn’t expect them to understand the niceties of cannabis growing. I’m sure as far as they are concerned, they grow the plants until they slow down then crop it so others can make the profits.

Another way people can end up with unripe cannabis is by taking flowering period guidelines too seriously. If on a seed packet, it states 6 weeks, 7-8-9 weeks, it does not mean they flower them at 12/12 for exactly that amount of time and crop the plants, no, one has to check the maturation of the trichomes by using a loupe or macro function of a digital camera does the job, or snipping a small piece of bud off and putting it under a scope, but the guidelines for flowering period for a particular strain/hybrid are just that, guidelines, often stated as a little shorter to encourage people to buy them knowing hobby growers are looking for fast plants as much as cashcroppers want heaviest yields in as short a time possible. The number of weeks stated is usually a few weeks short of the reality. If they say 7 weeks on the packet you can be sure pretty much that the real number of weeks will be around 9-10 to have mature cannabis, at 7 weeks it will be at that clear into cloudy stage, no amber.

This is why there needs to be a reform in cannabis law, to allow a legal and regulated market, with people who actually know how to grow it to maturity and care enough to do so. Regular checks of product being sold as to ratio of amber trichomes on sampled herb, which for general sale should be at %30 give or take %10 amber and medicinal users prefer %50-70 but the milky/cloudy with amber just a few percent visible should be offered. All three final stage ratios would be popular and much safer than those given immature weed with clear trichomes to use.

I may like a bit of immature cannabis, many do, but too many people do have adverse reactions with unripe cannabis with raw THC and unless the consumer demographic knows they like it, they should only be sold cannabis which has matured to %30 (plus minus %10) with a choice of an earlier cropped product where trichomes are just about to turn amber, the clear and energetic high from milky trichomes is good when the trichomes are just starting to turn amber, up to %5.

There is nothing wrong with people using cannabis with clear or milky trichomes if they state a preference, because not everybody will use it regularly enough to develop the potential mental heath issues with constant use of raw THC. Some are not prone to ill effect and suited to speedy highs and other stimulant drugs and indeed many like the very stimulant high it gives, but it should be as a preference, on request from regulated vendors or those hobby cultivating at their own risk, general consumption people should use herb cultivated when around %30 amber and **cured**.

Curing allows for a further period of oxidation of active compounds and that is beneficial to a cannabis user on several levels. People also tend to use less if properly mature and well cured because the active compounds do everything they should do and is a superior high/stone than cannabis just cropped and dried for sale, very different to immature cannabis which tends to be a shorter lasting high and people use more as the brain tries to keep stimulated and this often leads the user to use too much, a common issue with speed actually and again a similarity between raw THC D9 and amphetamines. Curing is a necessary part of the process, something which is fast being forgotten in commercial weed terms.

But unless everybody in the currently illegal climate, carries a jeweller’s loupe with them, demands to see the product first, checks to ensure it’s decently matured cannabis, and rejects it if not, those who rely on cannabis from street level, which is most people, whose dealers procure their supplies from exactly the cashcroppers in organised crime rings or clusters of small time growers ignorant to the importance of mature cannabis, or don’t care, then the mental health of a small, but significant amount of people will remain at risk.

Whether it’s an equatorial sativa, or a skunk plant, or whatever, grown to a proper point of maturity, they will have a CBD ratio which lessens or completely negates risk of any psychoses in the user demographic of cannabis as much as the many other Oxidase stabilisers. Cannabis strains all have a balance at maturity which simply is not present in immature cannabis, even high ratio THC/THCv strains have that balance which lessens or negates risk of pyschoses, even though the CBD ratio may be low, nature has done a balancing trick, all have CBD without exception at maturity. As we know, some high CBD strains/hybrids can actually treat psychosis, not ruddy well cause it.

It isn’t any nasty evil new high potency strain which is any problem, a mature skunk plant will have CBD. They tested skunk which was immature is all, whether that’s a manipulation of the research, so easily done just by harvesting a test group 10-14 days before it should do and saying that’s indicative of all cannabis of that strain, or whether it was samples of seizures by police. Whatever, the skunk they based the Institute of Psychiatry findings on, was not mature grown skunk, simple as that. It is an unregulated market in the hands of growers who don’t know or don’t care about the importance of allowing cannabis plants to mature properly, nor usually do they cure the product meant for general sale.

There are many growers who do care, but then of course, decent people have had their grows demolished by police and they’ve been prosecuted just the same as any who are bad growers. So the cleverer organised crime suppliers to street level, the ones who do crop early because they care only about the money, stay at it while decent growers who would prefer to grow properly and offer people a quality and safer product, do not persist. So over the years and decades, inferior product which has more risk to mental health predominates the market, all caused because those who consider themselves knowledgeable on cannabis in governments and their advisors, don’t actually know that much about it and only see cannabis as cannabis, not the complex, high order plant which needs to be grown to full maturity.

Just the same as some people aren’t suited to alcohol, some not suited to speed, coke or whatever, not everybody is suited to cannabis use, that’s a fact, but generally speaking, decent cannabis is a safer drug than any other. It just needs to be grown properly by people who care about end product and the customers, not greedy criminals who either don’t care or don’t have enough intelligence to know. Either way, this is just another main reason among many others, why there should be a proper regulated cannabis industry. Last but not least, unripe cannabis is often a waste of money for those requiring it as a pain relief, because CBD is what they need, as well as those wanting it for spasticity etc, etc, which requires CBD, won’t find it in street weed often enough, because the cultivation is in the hands of many organised crime cultivators. They don’t know or don’t care about offering a properly matured and cured end product, which has a full personality with anti carcinogenic effects so as much a prophylaxis to recreational users as any using medicinally, because only mature plants offer the whole package. The younger the plants are cropped, the worse it is for medicinal users and the more a minority are risking their mental health.

I could expand layers of what i’ve written, go into things in much more detail, but you get my drift, as it were, so will leave it there for now.

The only sane way to treat cannabis, is a proper regulated market out of the hands of organised crime cultivators and those who don’t know or don’t care about giving people a properly matured and cured product, because that immature product has risks to mental health from those not knowing about such considerations, as much as it sells the end user short because unripe cannabis and raw THC is an inferior high/stone to mature with all active compounds present, end of, nuff said.

Thank you for reading.

Peace.