Hydrolife Magazine August/September 2016 (USA Edition)
Welcome to the third edition of the new Hydrolife. At this point, all we can say is “wow”. The response from readers, industry professionals and those who use cannabis to heal themselves has blown away all expectations. When we started Hydrolife with a medicinal cannabis theme, our intent was to connect growers, medical practitioners, patients and health enthusiasts by providing information related to this powerful plant. As we continue to do that, it is becoming apparent that passion in the medicinal cannabis revolution runs deep.
Welcome to the third edition of the new Hydrolife. At this point, all we can say is “wow”. The response from readers, industry professionals and those who
use cannabis to heal themselves has blown away all expectations. When we started Hydrolife with a medicinal cannabis theme, our intent was to connect
growers, medical practitioners, patients and health enthusiasts by providing information related to this powerful plant. As we continue to do that, it is becoming apparent that passion in the medicinal cannabis revolution runs deep.
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
+HOMEGROWN HOW-TO<br />
• BIO-CONTROL<br />
• LIGHTING TECHNIQUES<br />
HEMP<br />
REVIVAL<br />
THE<br />
FREE<br />
CANNABIS TOPICALS<br />
FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT<br />
AUG/SEP <strong>2016</strong>
<strong>Hydrolife</strong> June/July <strong>2016</strong> myhydrolife.com<br />
ZFO<br />
CROP<br />
(HOL<br />
PLACEMENT<br />
[ ] PICK UP/NEW-<br />
Please attach a copy of the<br />
(i.e: BWGS_120402_F<br />
O<br />
[ ] NEW-T<br />
Please note when the clie<br />
_______________________
LD<br />
KING<br />
LY)<br />
[ ] YES [ ] NO<br />
RECEIVED-FILED<br />
ad with the filename visible:<br />
P_<strong>USA</strong>_May2012.tif)<br />
R<br />
O COME<br />
nt will be sending the file:<br />
_______________________
inside<br />
14 our crew / 16 from the publisher / 18 own it / 20 ask kyle / 58 ask a nurse / 90 the chill list<br />
grow.<br />
24 The Benefits of Bio-Control<br />
30 BC's Best Bud<br />
38 Bud Light<br />
46 Cut and Dried: Strain Report<br />
heal.<br />
50 Can Medical Cannabis Relieve<br />
Rheumatoid Arthritis?<br />
56 Canna We All Be Happy?<br />
60 Baking a Fool of Myself:<br />
Life On Wreck Beach Was Golden<br />
48 Is It Time to Say Goodbye to Your<br />
Fan Leaves?<br />
10<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
live.<br />
68 Minerals: An Essential Part of<br />
Cannabinoid Production<br />
70 The Hemp Revival<br />
enjoy.<br />
80 Big Book of Buds<br />
86 Cannabis Cocktails,<br />
Mocktails & Tonics<br />
72 Emerald Triangle Grows<br />
and Grows<br />
myhydrolife.com grow. heal. live. enjoy. 11
our crew<br />
Chris Bond<br />
Amanda Brown<br />
<strong>August</strong>us Dunning<br />
Jessica Ferneyhough<br />
Colleen Graham<br />
Cory Hughes<br />
Kyle Kushman<br />
Kyle L. Ladenburger<br />
Gibson Lannister<br />
Lee G. Lyzit<br />
Lacey Macri<br />
Jenn McGarrigle<br />
Monica Rakowski<br />
Ed Rosenthal<br />
Tony<br />
Watermelon<br />
<strong>August</strong>/<strong>September</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />
volume 6 - number 1<br />
Published by<br />
<strong>Hydrolife</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong><br />
3773 Howard Hughes Parkway<br />
South Tower, Suite 500<br />
Las Vegas, Nevada 89169<br />
Inquiries to<br />
info@myhydrolife.com<br />
No part of this magazine<br />
may be reproduced<br />
without permission from<br />
the publisher. The views<br />
expressed by columnists are<br />
personal opinions and do not<br />
necessarily reflect those of<br />
<strong>Hydrolife</strong> or the editor.<br />
Printed in the <strong>USA</strong><br />
Distribution<br />
P.A.I.N. Distribution | 310.488.1911<br />
magazinedistribution.org<br />
14<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
from the publisher<br />
Welcome to the third edition of the new <strong>Hydrolife</strong>. At<br />
this point, all we can say is “wow”. The response<br />
from readers, industry professionals and those who<br />
use cannabis to heal themselves has blown away<br />
all expectations. When we started <strong>Hydrolife</strong> with a<br />
medicinal cannabis theme, our intent was to connect<br />
growers, medical practitioners, patients and health<br />
enthusiasts by providing information related to this<br />
powerful plant. As we continue to do that, it is becoming<br />
apparent that passion in the medicinal cannabis<br />
revolution runs deep. As state governments slowly<br />
begin to accept the benefits of medicinal cannabis<br />
—25 states and the District of Columbia have legalized<br />
MMJ to some degree—an astounding number of<br />
beneficial products are being rolled out and, just as<br />
enlightening, stories are being told of how MMJ has<br />
changed peoples’ lives for the better.<br />
This emergence from the shadows is captured well by<br />
this month’s edition of Watermelon’s column, Baking<br />
a Fool of Myself. From her idyllic, sun-filled days on<br />
the beach to ‘the arrest’, Watermelon went from being<br />
carefree and innocent to being targeted by the police.<br />
She emerged stronger, thanks largely to love and<br />
support by the people who helped fight for her.<br />
Those early struggles by Watermelon and others<br />
helped break down the stigma attached to cannabis.<br />
As the walls begin to crumble, more and more people<br />
are being helped. In many cases, people are turning<br />
to products they wouldn’t have considered even just a<br />
couple of years ago.<br />
One of those people is Joanna Clifton. For years she<br />
battled depression, migraines and lacked joy. She<br />
turned to CBD oils as a last resort —and the results<br />
turned her life around. Monica Rakowski tells Joanna’s<br />
story in this issue.<br />
There are many more positive stories to tell, and<br />
through <strong>Hydrolife</strong> we are happy to tell them as we<br />
continue to connect patients, practitioners and products<br />
as we all Grow, Live, Heal and Enjoy.<br />
GROW, LIVE, HEAL & ENJOY.<br />
16<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
1<br />
2<br />
4<br />
3<br />
own it<br />
1. AnnaBís Whoopee<br />
Vape Cases fit perfectly<br />
inside your tote or handbag<br />
when all you need are the<br />
essentials: medicine, a way<br />
to consume it, and your<br />
charger or lighter. Dressed<br />
in Italian leather outside<br />
and AnnaBís’ Odor-Loc<br />
technology inside for<br />
maximum discretion, the<br />
Whoopee is convenient,<br />
beautiful and incredibly<br />
functional. AnnaBís is on a<br />
mission to make women feel<br />
free and sophisticated when<br />
they carry their medicine,<br />
recreational supplies, or<br />
both. Available in hundreds<br />
of styles and sizes, from<br />
clutches to cross-body bags.<br />
– annabisstyle.com<br />
2. You love your ink, but you<br />
also love healthy skin. The<br />
original Hustle Butter<br />
Deluxe is a 100 per cent<br />
cruelty-free, petroleumfree<br />
and certified vegan<br />
tattoo lubricant. Used as<br />
a tattooing glide, tattoo<br />
aftercare or just as a daily<br />
moisturizer, Hustle Butter<br />
Deluxe is made with shea,<br />
mango and aloe butters<br />
and is loved by tattoo artists<br />
and clients worldwide. It<br />
is available in a variety of<br />
sizes and should be used<br />
before, during and after the<br />
tattoo process.<br />
– hustlebutter.com<br />
3. SunPort is the world’s first<br />
smart-grid solar delivery<br />
device. Its proprietary<br />
measure-and-match<br />
technology enables any<br />
plugged-in device to run<br />
on real solar energy from<br />
certified solar farms. Once<br />
you plug in your devices<br />
into a SunPort, the device<br />
measures the electricity you<br />
take from your wall outlet<br />
and automatically upgrades<br />
it to solar power by<br />
purchasing small fractions<br />
of a solar energy certificate.<br />
SunPort gives you a way to<br />
purchase solar energy in tiny<br />
chunks instead of installing<br />
your own solar panels.<br />
– sunport.co<br />
4. Firefly 2 vaporizes looseleaf<br />
and concentrates, heats<br />
in seconds and delivers<br />
consistently superb vapor<br />
quality. It’s 55 per cent<br />
lighter and 33 per cent<br />
smaller than Firefly 1, with<br />
customizable temperature<br />
settings, an efficient<br />
fast-charge battery and<br />
delightful ease of use. The<br />
convenient charging dock<br />
provides a hassle-free home<br />
for this device, and it is USB<br />
3.0 compatible. An extra<br />
battery is also included so<br />
you’re always ready to vape.<br />
The Fire 2 also comes with<br />
a cleaning kit and three<br />
concentrate pads.<br />
– thefirefly.com<br />
18<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
6<br />
5<br />
8<br />
7<br />
5. GoJoe Coffee Brewer<br />
and Mug is the world’s first<br />
travel mug that allows you<br />
to brew coffee anywhere<br />
at the touch of a button.<br />
To use, simply insert the<br />
special Hey Joe coffee pod,<br />
add water and hit power. In<br />
just four minutes, you’ll be<br />
enjoying a 10-ounce coffee.<br />
Monthly pod subscriptions<br />
make the mug even easier<br />
to enjoy. The GoJoe runs on<br />
a rechargeable battery.<br />
– heyjoecoffee.com<br />
6. Besides being hand-crafted,<br />
durable, and reusable, No<br />
Smell Bags feature ‘No<br />
Smell Technology’. The<br />
No Smell approach utilizes<br />
unique design features<br />
and incorporates a special<br />
patented activatedcharcoal<br />
material into each<br />
bag, delivering unrivaled<br />
smell-proof performance.<br />
This state-of-the-art material<br />
is currently used in the<br />
British military’s chemical<br />
warfare suits, and is battleproven,<br />
so you know it is<br />
effective. No other bag can<br />
boast such credentials. Why<br />
use ineffective plastic bag<br />
imitators now that there is<br />
‘No Smell’?<br />
– nosmell.com<br />
7. DL Wholesale’s best<br />
trimmer just had a baby!<br />
TrimIT Dry 1000 is<br />
everything you already<br />
know and love from the<br />
TrimIT Dry 5000, now<br />
featured in a more compact<br />
and portable design. TrimIT<br />
Dry 1000 has all of the same<br />
features and attachments<br />
available from the 5000,<br />
including the stand, locking<br />
pin, protective plexi shield<br />
and alternate saddle for<br />
use with more delicate<br />
plant material. TrimIT Dry<br />
trimmers offer a full oneyear<br />
warranty on all parts<br />
and manufacturers defects.<br />
Trim your harvest with a<br />
TrimIT Dry today!<br />
– dlwholesale.com<br />
8. ONYX Digital Scales<br />
from American Weigh<br />
feature touch-activated<br />
keys embedded in a clean,<br />
elegant design, fluid ounce<br />
and milliliter modes for<br />
liquid measurements and<br />
four high-precision G-Force<br />
load sensors. Ultra-thin at<br />
just 0.6 inches tall, each<br />
scale is powered by two<br />
long-life lithium batteries,<br />
has a backlit reverse<br />
LCD display and has a<br />
stabilization time of three<br />
to five seconds. Available in<br />
nine different colors.<br />
– awscales.com<br />
myhydrolife.com grow. heal. live. enjoy. 19
ask kyle<br />
Q<br />
What<br />
Photo by Kyle Kushman.<br />
are your top recommendations for drying the most fragrant buds?<br />
I don’t want to compromise quality at this stage in the game!<br />
a<br />
I want to start by saying<br />
that drying and curing are<br />
two distinct and separate<br />
processes. Flowers must<br />
be properly dried before<br />
you can begin to cure them. Curing is<br />
much more difficult and requires some<br />
trial and error before you can achieve<br />
a true cure. Experience will be your<br />
best teacher.<br />
In contrast, properly drying your bud is<br />
a fairly straightforward process but you<br />
must pay close attention to get it right.<br />
What follows is my favorite technique<br />
for producing the most flavorful buds<br />
with all the qualities I desire when<br />
smoking flowers.<br />
Plants should be hung upside down<br />
on a line, whole and intact, for five to<br />
10 days. How long they need to hang<br />
will depend on flower size and density.<br />
Ambient temperature and humidity also<br />
greatly affect drying times. Higher temperatures<br />
and low humidity will hasten<br />
drying, so you want to be able to control<br />
the environment. For this reason, many<br />
people use their growroom for drying.<br />
Kyle Kushman is an internationally renowned marijuana<br />
cultivator whose collaborations have earned 13 Medical Cannabis<br />
Cup awards, including three US Cannabis Cups for Best Flowers. As<br />
the creator of Vegamatrix, the only line of vegan and organic nutrients<br />
designed for growing cannabis, Kyle continues to make advances for<br />
people who want to cultivate the purest, cleanest medicine possible.<br />
Do you have a question for Kyle?<br />
Email editor@myhydrolife.com to get an answer.<br />
The optimal humidity level to begin drying<br />
is 50-55 per cent. After three to five<br />
days you can lower the dehumidifier to<br />
45-50 per cent. The optimal temperature<br />
for drying is 70-72°F. Better a little cooler<br />
than a little warmer.<br />
You don’t want your dehumidifiers to<br />
suck moisture from the plants. You only<br />
want to remove the excess humidity<br />
from the room, allowing the plants to<br />
dry out naturally. You also don’t want<br />
fans blow-drying your flowers either.<br />
Just a little circulation in the room is all<br />
you need. Quick drying causes harshness<br />
in the smoke. Hanging whole<br />
plants upside down forces a slower and<br />
more even drying over the entire plant.<br />
Moisture within the branches leach<br />
water into the flowers until the capillaries<br />
begin to harden. The plant’s tips<br />
harden first, cutting off moisture from<br />
the top buds, while the smallest buds<br />
at the bottom of the plant will continue<br />
to receive small amounts of water. This<br />
technique ensures all the buds are<br />
crispy and ready to be trimmed on the<br />
same day. There is much debate over<br />
the choice between trimming wet or dry;<br />
that is, either to trim the leaf from the<br />
buds right when you harvest, or wait<br />
until the flowers are dried.<br />
Oxidation, a fancy word describing the<br />
evaporation of essential oils, is what<br />
happens when you put dozens of scissor<br />
gashes in fresh flowers. Once the flowers<br />
have dried out, the capillaries that transport<br />
water through the plant have also<br />
dried out. The same concept of capillary<br />
action applies here. The more access<br />
points you create for air, the quicker the<br />
plant will dry out. If your goal is smokability<br />
and the tastiest flowers, then you<br />
absolutely want to hang your plants<br />
whole and trim after the bud is mostly<br />
dry.<br />
During the drying process, avoid<br />
squeezing the flowers. Check the stems<br />
daily and monitor the level of dryness.<br />
When they begin to stiffen you may start<br />
to check the dryness of the flowers. They<br />
should be crispy on the outside and<br />
you’ll start to be able to separate the<br />
flowers from the stem by hand. Take into<br />
consideration you will need time to chop<br />
the plants up and remove the flowers.<br />
Leave enough moisture in the flowers to<br />
make it through trimming. I like to call<br />
this bucking the flowers.<br />
I’ve dried many crops with no controls<br />
at all. Northern California is pretty<br />
hospitable. The main killer of great bud<br />
is low humidity and high heat. Make the<br />
best of every situation by being vigilant.<br />
Take it down before it is bone dry so you<br />
never find yourself in the awful situation<br />
of trying to rehydrate cannabis that has<br />
been over dried.<br />
20<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
grow<br />
THE BENEFITS<br />
OF BIO-CONTROL<br />
by Amanda Brown<br />
When it comes to pest control and your crop, it pays to arm yourself<br />
with good bugs before the bad bugs take over. Crop protection<br />
specialist Amanda Brown provides an anecdote and helpful insight on<br />
how to ensure the good bugs win and why bio-control is beneficial.<br />
24<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF<br />
Making the best of<br />
nature work for you.<br />
Use biological control as your first line of defense! It is good for you,<br />
your staff, your crop, your customers and the environment.<br />
Success starts with knowing the enemy and learning how to prevent<br />
them from establishing in your plants, using our many species<br />
of beneficial insects and predatory mites. Work with one of our<br />
consultants to design and maintain the bio-control program tailored<br />
specifically for your operation. Contact us at antonin@biobest.ca<br />
DISTRIBUTED BY<br />
BIOBESTGROUP.COM
grow<br />
War of the Bugs<br />
I walked into the room looking pretty cool with my<br />
sunglasses over my glasses, decked out in a Tyvek<br />
suit four times too big, and braced for the worst. What<br />
I saw was even worse than that. A sea of spider mite<br />
webbing covered the entire crop, flowers and all. The<br />
entire facility was infested and sprays that had long<br />
ago stopped being effective were being applied every<br />
two days. Needless to say, this was not the best time to<br />
start a bio-control program, but the growers were left<br />
with no other option. So we began strategizing. It’s the<br />
quintessential Good Bug vs. Bad Bug conflict, and we<br />
had to be sure that good would prevail.<br />
“A BIO-CONTROL PROGRAM INVOLVES<br />
RELEASING BENEFICIAL ORGANISMS<br />
THAT WILL FEED ON OR KILL THE PESTS<br />
THREATENING YOUR CROP. ”<br />
Bio-Control<br />
Bio-control for cannabis makes<br />
perfect sense. It reduces the time<br />
required for spraying and exposure<br />
to employees, it eliminates the need<br />
for chemicals on a medicinal crop,<br />
it’s affordable and it works. A biocontrol<br />
program involves releasing<br />
beneficial organisms that will feed<br />
on or kill the pests threatening your<br />
crop. With a preventative approach,<br />
growers know that the good bugs<br />
are in their crop working hard before<br />
anyone, even an experienced scout,<br />
has spotted a pest yet.<br />
Bio-Control Agents<br />
Bio-control agents can be<br />
predatory mites, parasitic wasps<br />
or entomopathogenic nematodes,<br />
just to name a few. They are your<br />
warriors, and it is always wise to<br />
build your army before the pests<br />
build theirs. Some bio-control agents<br />
can feed on other food sources,<br />
and so can be released with this<br />
alternate food before any pests are<br />
present in the crop. Other bio-control<br />
agents are so specific they will only<br />
feed on spider mites, for example.<br />
In this case, we sometimes release<br />
them preventatively, knowing<br />
they will die if they don’t find food,<br />
but that they will save you from<br />
headaches later if they do find their<br />
food source.<br />
Spider Mites Bio-Control<br />
You’re wondering what happened<br />
to that spider mite infestation,<br />
aren’t you? The webbed crop was<br />
vacuumed and much of it damaged,<br />
but we immediately implemented<br />
a preventative bio-control program<br />
in all the upcoming veg plants and<br />
clones. Four weeks later I returned<br />
to the facility and the plants in that<br />
same room were literally spotless.<br />
Within three months the entire<br />
facility was clean and spider mites<br />
were no longer an issue.<br />
How Did We Do It?<br />
Californicus is a predatory mite<br />
that feeds on spider mites, but<br />
also feeds on other small mites<br />
and pollen. These mites come in<br />
small waterproof packages called<br />
sachets which can be hung from the<br />
branches. Californicus sachets were<br />
hung one per plant as soon as clones<br />
were transplanted. This means<br />
that the californicus has enough<br />
food in the sachet to stay alive<br />
and reproduce for up to six weeks,<br />
providing a protective army during<br />
that time.<br />
26<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
grow<br />
“IT IS ALWAYS WISE TO<br />
BUILD YOUR ARMY BEFORE<br />
THE PESTS BUILD THEIRS. ”<br />
For extra precaution we also hung<br />
a small box from each plant in veg<br />
(called bioboxes) and filled them<br />
with a small amount of Phytoseiulus<br />
persimilis (a.k.a. persimilis) each<br />
week. Persimilis is a bright orange<br />
predatory mite with a voracious<br />
appetite for spider mites, and only<br />
spider mites. Since they refuse to<br />
feed on anything else, we assume<br />
they die within five days of not<br />
eating, and thus, release more in<br />
small amounts each week. Since<br />
the rooms and mother plants were<br />
infested with mites, we were quite<br />
safe in assuming there was food for<br />
them, at least initially.<br />
We also made sure to sprinkle<br />
persimilis over the canopy of the<br />
clones as well to make sure they<br />
were protected from the start. The<br />
weekly persimilis applications<br />
into the bioboxes were all the way<br />
through veg and flower, initially,<br />
but once control is achieved and the<br />
sources of contamination have been<br />
cleaned up, you can back off.<br />
Photo submitted.<br />
Keys to Success<br />
Bio-control is exciting, fun to watch<br />
and can be incredibly successful.<br />
It does, however, require some<br />
patience and problem solving<br />
occasionally to determine exactly<br />
which strategies work best for your<br />
facility and growing style. In the<br />
best case scenario, a plan should be<br />
in place before you even have plants<br />
in plugs. In the worst case scenario,<br />
you need to persevere until things<br />
have cleaned up and then<br />
implement a proactive and<br />
preventative approach. It<br />
also helps to have someone<br />
who loves bugs and is<br />
willing to look for them and<br />
release them, and you need<br />
to be patient with them when<br />
they occasionally spend an<br />
entire 10 minutes watching<br />
a predatory mite devour a<br />
spider mite. It comes with the<br />
territory, extreme bug nerds<br />
need apply!<br />
Amanda Brown works with<br />
Biobest Canada as a Biological<br />
Crop Protection Specialist.<br />
She has 10 years’ experience<br />
in IPM and works in food,<br />
ornamental and medicinal<br />
crops. Amanda strongly<br />
believes that using biological<br />
control is safer, effective and<br />
the way of the future. Products<br />
in the <strong>USA</strong> are distributed<br />
through Urban-Gro.<br />
28<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
grow<br />
BC’S BEST<br />
BUD<br />
BY JENN MCGARRIGLE | Just south<br />
of Nanaimo, a city of about 85,000<br />
people on Vancouver Island in British<br />
Columbia, is one of the largest<br />
and most sophisticated medical<br />
cannabis cultivation facilities in the<br />
world. Tilray offers pharmaceuticalgrade<br />
medical cannabis products to<br />
patients, pharmacies and researchers<br />
in Canada, Australia, the European<br />
Union and the Americas. CEO Greg<br />
Engel shares a few more details for<br />
<strong>Hydrolife</strong> readers.<br />
30<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
myhydrolife.com grow. heal. live. enjoy. 31
grow<br />
"WALK INTO THE COMPANY’S STATE-OF-THE-ART, $26-MILLION<br />
FACILITY ON ANY GIVEN DAY AND YOU’LL SEE ROUGHLY 40,000<br />
PLANTS GROWING IN 31 CULTIVATION ROOMS."<br />
If you want the best, most reliable, consistent and potent medical<br />
cannabis available in Canada, make sure you’ve got Tilray on speed<br />
dial. The owners of the Nanaimo, BC-based company jumped into the<br />
green scene three years ago, after legal conditions became just right<br />
for large commercial growers who were able to offer consistent, highquality<br />
supplies of cannabis grown in controlled conditions.<br />
At the time, the Canadian government changed the rules regulating<br />
access to medical cannabis, allowing patients to choose from<br />
multiple licensed producers. Privateer Holdings, Tilray’s parent<br />
company, along with investors from around the world, all of whom<br />
believe in access, saw an opportunity to dive into the medical<br />
cannabis business.<br />
The company’s name was selected by the Privateer team in<br />
collaboration with Heckler Associates—the same branding company<br />
that helped name Starbucks. “Til” is meant to represent or call to mind<br />
the tilling of the earth and “ray” refers to rays of the sun.<br />
In April 2014, the first order shipped out, and the company has grown<br />
in leaps and bounds since then to become one of the country’s largest<br />
and most respected licensed producers. Tilray has also begun to<br />
offer its pharmaceutical-grade products to patients, pharmacies and<br />
researchers in Australia, the European Union and the Americas.<br />
Walk into the company’s state-of-the-art, $26-million facility on<br />
any given day and you’ll see roughly 40,000 plants growing in 31<br />
cultivation rooms, as well as three labs and 10 manufacturing and<br />
processing areas. Tilray grows more than 50 different strains of<br />
medical cannabis. “We started out with a much broader selection<br />
of strains and then in response to feedback from our patients, we<br />
reduced the offering to a core group of strains to ensure patients have<br />
a consistent supply of the same strains to meet their personal needs,”<br />
explains CEO Greg Engel. “Having discreet rooms with controlled<br />
conditions enables us to manipulate different variables, such as<br />
water amounts, light exposure, nutrient delivery systems and more,<br />
on a strain-by-strain basis at different points throughout the plants’<br />
life cycles.”<br />
32<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
grow<br />
Growing cannabis in such controlled conditions<br />
allows Tilray to offer its customers peace of mind<br />
through unparalleled quality and consistency.<br />
“Thousands of patients across Canada depend on<br />
us for consistent access to safe, reliable, pure and<br />
effective medicine every day,” says Engel. “Our team<br />
of experts, which includes PhD research scientists,<br />
professional managers, manufacturing executives,<br />
patient advocates, botanists and horticulturalists, are<br />
industry leaders in their fields who are on the cuttingedge<br />
of advancing the science, safety and efficacy of<br />
medical cannabis for physicians and patients.”<br />
Tilray’s dried flower products include both THConly<br />
strains and CBD strains that contain some THC.<br />
With the Supreme Court of Canada’s historic ruling<br />
earlier this year affirming Canadians’ constitutional<br />
right to possess non-dried forms of marijuana, the<br />
company is also able to offer patients alternatives to<br />
smoking. The company’s line of extract products—the<br />
widest selection available under the federal MMPR<br />
program in Canada—is produced using state-of-theart<br />
ethanol and CO 2 extraction methods to preserve<br />
delicate cannabinoid and terpene content. “Some of<br />
our patients, for instance pediatric patients wishing<br />
to access our CBD products, do not wish to consume<br />
a dried flower product via smoking, and the extracts<br />
GETTING TECHNICAL<br />
JOSHUA EADES, TILRAY’S<br />
VICE-PRESIDENT AND CHIEF<br />
SCIENCE OFFICER, SHARES<br />
SOME OF THE COMPANY’S<br />
SECRETS TO SUCCESS IN<br />
THE GROWROOM:<br />
“In a largescale,<br />
high-tech<br />
cultivation<br />
facility like Tilray,<br />
technologies<br />
that allow for<br />
automated,<br />
precise control are paramount.<br />
For instance, our automated<br />
nutrient delivery system allows<br />
our horticulture team to easily<br />
control and monitor delivery of<br />
water and nutrients to plants. These<br />
systems allow customized nutrient<br />
recipes that can be administered,<br />
for instance, to different strains in<br />
different rooms. The same is true for<br />
automated environmental controls<br />
that ensure the temperature and<br />
relative humidity in each cultivation<br />
room is at the perfect level to<br />
promote healthy plant growth.<br />
All data from these systems is<br />
logged and tracked, allowing for<br />
the monitoring of trends that may<br />
impact plant growth. The most<br />
important investment we made,<br />
in addition to bringing in the best<br />
employees possible, was our<br />
environmental control systems.<br />
In terms of our extract-based<br />
products, we have invested in hightech<br />
equipment to maximize the<br />
extraction of beneficial compounds<br />
found in the cannabis plant. We are<br />
able to accurately formulate these<br />
products to ensure precise dosing<br />
for our patients. This extraction<br />
equipment uses supercritical liquid<br />
CO 2 , which evaporates from the<br />
final product as a harmless gas,<br />
and is thus considered a solventless<br />
extraction method.”<br />
34<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
grow<br />
To learn more and view patient<br />
videos, visit tilray.com.<br />
"MEDICAL CANNABIS HAS ENORMOUS POTENTIAL TO SUPPORT PATIENTS<br />
AND PHYSICIANS LOOKING FOR ALTERNATE TREATMENT OPTIONS."<br />
are an excellent alternative for these patients,” says Engel. “These extracts<br />
offer patients and physicians more precise control over dosage as well as a<br />
convenient alternative to smoking or vaporizing. Extracts are also critically<br />
important for the future of research investigating medical cannabis as a therapy<br />
for specific conditions. We currently offer both THC and CBD drops, which are<br />
oil-based products.”<br />
Engel believes medical cannabis has enormous potential to support patients<br />
and physicians looking for alternate treatment options. To better understand<br />
the possibilities, Tilray is funding clinical research to advance the scientific<br />
understanding of the safety and efficacy of cannabis as a therapeutic treatment<br />
option for patients with various conditions, and is working on several clinical<br />
trials in Australia, Canada and Spain. In <strong>2016</strong> and 2017, the company also plans<br />
to open additional production facilities in Australia, the EU and the US.<br />
Jenn McGarrigle is a writer, editor, gardener, mountain biker and nature lover who has lived on the<br />
West Coast all her life. When she’s not telling stories and helping people get the word out about the<br />
exciting things they do and why they do them, you’ll find her on the trails or in her garden.<br />
36<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
grow<br />
Bud<br />
Light<br />
LIGHTING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR FOR ANY INDOOR GROWER.<br />
QUALITY, EFFICIENCY, COST AND COVERAGE ARE CRITERIA TO BE CONSIDERED WHEN<br />
PURCHASING LIGHTS FOR YOUR GROWROOM. TONY, A LIGHTING EXPERT FROM DUTCH<br />
PASSION SEED COMPANY, OFFERS THE LOW-DOWN ON THE LATEST IN LIGHTING.<br />
BY TONY<br />
38<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
myhydrolife.com grow. heal. live. enjoy. 39
grow<br />
"THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY<br />
FOR YOU DEPENDS ON<br />
YOUR BUDGET, APPROACH<br />
TO NEW TECHNOLOGY, AND THE<br />
CHALLENGES YOU FACE IN YOUR QUEST<br />
FOR HOME GROWN SELF-SUFFICIENCY."<br />
Indoor growers have never had as much choice for<br />
grow light technology as they do today. In addition to<br />
the faithful old HPS technology there are competitive<br />
newer technologies such as the rapidly maturing LED,<br />
and the emerging ceramic metal halide lights which<br />
offer something completely new.<br />
The right technology for you depends<br />
on your budget, approach to new<br />
technology, and the challenges you<br />
face in your quest for home grown<br />
self-sufficiency. Here is an overview<br />
of the main options and latest<br />
developments.<br />
HPS<br />
Without<br />
doubt HPS is the<br />
lowest cost mainstream way to buy<br />
yourself an indoor grow light capable<br />
of serious bud production. HPS may<br />
be cheap to buy but it doesn’t boast<br />
the lowest running costs due to<br />
the inherent inefficiency of ageing<br />
HPS technology. HPS was adapted<br />
to work for indoor growing rather<br />
than designed specifically for<br />
it. HPS produces a lot of heat, and<br />
it uses a lot of energy producing<br />
less useful orange and yellow light<br />
wavelengths. The heat can be dealt<br />
with through extraction, and in hot<br />
climates air conditioning can be<br />
used to reduce heat to manageable<br />
levels. HPS running costs also include<br />
regular bulb replacements after three<br />
to four cycles.<br />
For a 4x4 foot growroom a 600W HPS<br />
is often recommended. A 400W HPS<br />
is often recommended for a 3x3 foot<br />
growroom. 1,000W HPS lights tend to<br />
be used only in larger rooms, such<br />
as 5x5 foot or more. However, many<br />
growers feel superior performance<br />
and better light spread is achieved by<br />
swapping 1,000W HPS lights for larger<br />
numbers of 600W units.<br />
40<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
grow<br />
LED<br />
LED is slowly entering the mainstream as<br />
component costs reduce in price while LED<br />
intensity improves year-on-year. LED has a higher<br />
purchase cost than HPS, but the running costs<br />
are lower. The LED grow light market is confused<br />
by the presence of premium quality suppliers<br />
(including some of the US-manufactured grow<br />
lights) and the lower quality imports from the<br />
far east. Comparing apples with apples is not<br />
always easy and the buyer is advised to do their<br />
research carefully. A good quality LED with a 400W<br />
power draw can replace a 600W HPS and use 33<br />
per cent less energy than a 600W HPS in a typical<br />
4x4 foot growroom. In addition, there is less waste<br />
heat generated, no bulb replacements and a much more<br />
precise light spectrum. Anyone with a 3x3 foot growroom<br />
looking to use LED should be looking for around a 250W<br />
power draw from good quality components. The better quality<br />
LED manufacturers use LEDs which convert 40-50 per cent<br />
of the electricity into wavelength specific light. Scrutinize<br />
specifications carefully, because many of the lower cost<br />
imported LED grow lights use cheaper LEDs which convert<br />
only 25 per cent (or less) of the electrical energy to light. They<br />
may still have the same power draw as a more expensive grow<br />
light but they are producing significantly less light than the<br />
market leading LED chips.<br />
"MANY PROFESSIONAL<br />
GROWERS ARE SEEING THE<br />
SPECTRAL FLEXIBILITY, REDUCED<br />
RUNNING COSTS AND REDUCED<br />
COST-OF-OWNERSHIP AS THE MOST<br />
COMPELLING REASONS TO SWITCH TO LED."<br />
LED grow lights are also programmable, this allows<br />
variable levels of blue and red light to be introduced<br />
at varying stages of the grow. Red wavelengths<br />
will promote more stretching, blue light will do the<br />
opposite. Red is more useful in bloom, blue is more<br />
useful in early veg growth. Many professional growers<br />
are seeing the spectral flexibility, reduced running costs<br />
and reduced cost-of-ownership as the most compelling<br />
reasons to switch to LED. The main objection to LED for<br />
home growing has been the high purchase price. But<br />
a few quick calculations show that LED grow light<br />
technology eventually pays for itself through energy<br />
savings after a few grow cycles.<br />
Plasma<br />
Light emitting plasma (LEP or simply ‘plasma’) is a<br />
premium priced grow light technology that appeals to<br />
those looking for maximum quality. The wavelengths<br />
produced by plasma are similar to the sun—full spectrum<br />
growing. Plasma enthusiasts will claim that the quality<br />
of the smoke is enhanced by the more natural spectrum<br />
which includes some of the wavelengths missing in HPS,<br />
including UV. Many growers will add a plasma light to<br />
complement (rather than replace) the existing lights—it’s<br />
a good way of improving the light spectrum available to<br />
the plants. But the cost still deters many.<br />
CMH<br />
Ceramic metal<br />
halide (also<br />
known as<br />
light emitting<br />
ceramic) is an<br />
emerging new<br />
technology<br />
previously<br />
used in<br />
photographic<br />
lighting. Traditional<br />
metal halide lighting<br />
uses quartz to provide<br />
the light source, with CMH<br />
a ceramic material is used for the light source which<br />
improves both the efficiency and the spectral output of<br />
the resulting light. The improved spectral output and<br />
efficiency improvement have been attractive to indoor<br />
growers and the results are impressive. CMH, like LED,<br />
seems to be a more progressive approach to lighting<br />
technology than HPS and offers some benefits. Research<br />
and development continues with CMH, and many<br />
expect it to be an area which will see further<br />
development in areas such as spectral output and power<br />
improvements. One of the more common options, a 315W<br />
CMH light is well-suited to a 3x3 foot growroom and will<br />
be a good replacement for a 400W HPS.<br />
42<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
Apache Tech THE LED introduces TRUE the first ...<br />
rue 1000 1000 Watt WATT Replacement!<br />
REPLACEMENT.<br />
Apache Tech LED-AT600WR214 at 36”<br />
White/Red LED ratio 3:2<br />
Using a Apogee MQ-210 Quantum sensor calibrated for LEDs<br />
120 360<br />
125<br />
341<br />
628<br />
333<br />
900<br />
730 731<br />
1024 1115 1060<br />
1125 1243 1110 330 625 980 911 625<br />
1 Ft<br />
1009 1100 1011<br />
310<br />
BEST PAR<br />
IN THE INDUSTRY<br />
719<br />
2 Ft<br />
860 720<br />
312<br />
3 Ft<br />
680<br />
320<br />
121<br />
4 Ft<br />
350 121
grow<br />
"ONE OF THE BIGGEST FIXED<br />
COSTS FOR COMMERCIAL<br />
CANNABIS CULTIVATORS IS<br />
THE ELECTRICAL COSTS FOR<br />
RUNNING DOZENS OF 600W<br />
HPS FIXTURES."<br />
Impact of New Plant Genetics<br />
Many home growers have started to grow autoflowering<br />
cannabis varieties in the last couple of years. These grow<br />
under 20 (or even 24) hours of daily light from seed to harvest<br />
in around 70 days. Often, the harvests from an autoflower<br />
exceed those from a photoperiod variety grown under the<br />
same conditions in the same time period. That’s simply<br />
because autoflowers have the advantage of blooming under<br />
20-plus hours of daylight with consequential advantages in<br />
biomass for autos compared to a photoperiod variety which<br />
has just 12 hours of photosynthesis in bloom. The result for<br />
home growers is that the grow light is often running for 20 or<br />
24 hours per day instead of 12. This allows heavier harvests<br />
in shorter timescales, something all home<br />
growers love. But the trade-off is higher<br />
electricity costs. That’s another factor<br />
accelerating the adoption of high<br />
efficiency lighting such as LED.<br />
Commercial vs.<br />
Home Growers<br />
One of the biggest fixed costs for<br />
commercial cannabis cultivators is the<br />
electrical costs for running dozens of 600W HPS fixtures. A<br />
number of commercial growers have started swapping out<br />
their 600W HPS lights for good quality (300W-400W) LED<br />
replacements. The reduced electricity costs mean that the<br />
payback on the LED lights can be achieved within a couple of<br />
years. Many expect the trend away from HPS towards LED will<br />
continue, but that is expected to be an evolution rather than a<br />
revolution simply because of the upfront costs to upgrade.<br />
The self-sufficient home grower is often operating to a<br />
different set of parameters. Quality rather than efficiency<br />
is frequently the main motivator. Many home growers<br />
regard their growroom as one area of their life where<br />
compromise is not necessary. For the enthusiastic hobby<br />
grower, cost is sometimes no obstacle to the onward and<br />
upward improvements to their grow room. And that quest for<br />
continued performance and better quality cannabis, both for<br />
commercial and domestic production, will ensure continued<br />
investment and advancement in growroom lighting<br />
technology for years to come.<br />
Tony has been part of the Dutch Passion Seed Company<br />
for 10 years, with a lifelong love of the cannabis plant<br />
and cannabis breeding. He has a particular interest in the<br />
evolution of autoflowering cannabis, selective breeding of<br />
varieties rich in minor cannabinoids, and unusual genetic<br />
lines. His ambition is to see cannabis widely legalized and<br />
made available as a mainstream medicine.<br />
44<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
grow<br />
Cut and Dried:<br />
A Monthly Look at Different MMJ Strains<br />
This month’s featured strain, Purple Berry, grows well in indoor environments because<br />
of its average-sized stature. Best enjoyed at the end of a long day, the finished product<br />
is perfectly dense and delivers a welcoming combination of sativa and indica effects.<br />
by Lacey Macri<br />
Blazin’ Purps<br />
Blaze, of Sacramento, California,<br />
describes her favorite all-around strain<br />
to grow, as well as medicate with: Purple<br />
Berry. She reports that it is a great<br />
medicine for beginners, whether they are<br />
growing it or consuming it.<br />
Origin & Genetics<br />
Blaze’s particular strain of Purple Berry<br />
is bred from seed from a cross between<br />
DJ Short Blueberry and Purple Kush.<br />
Unlike its name, DJ Short Blueberry can<br />
actually stretch fairly tall in its early<br />
developmental stages of growth due to<br />
its sativa roots. Purple Berry picked up<br />
some height from DJ Short, but it doesn’t<br />
get so huge it cannot be grown indoors.<br />
This heavy hybrid is characteristically<br />
indica-dominant in nature, but due to<br />
its extensive lineage, Blaze’s strain has<br />
some renowned sativa effects as well.<br />
Physical Description<br />
The flowers of Purple Berry are generously<br />
frosted and the color appears to<br />
be on the cooler end of the spectrum,<br />
including pastel shades of greens, blues<br />
and purples. Blaze says another perk<br />
about this medicine is its perfect density;<br />
patients do not need to use a grinder<br />
to avoid waste when preparing their<br />
medicine as it can be easily pulled apart<br />
by hand. However, it has been known to<br />
leave you with pretty sticky fingers when<br />
it is fresh. Not so oddly enough, Purple<br />
Berry smells just like berries right off<br />
the plant. It’s sweet and earthy, and will<br />
produce a thick plume of smoke or vapor,<br />
leaving the room smelling rich with<br />
traces of pine and even chocolate.<br />
Medical Uses<br />
Purple Berry is a well-rounded medicine<br />
that will help with a number of different<br />
conditions. Patients will experience the<br />
mild euphoric head high you get from<br />
a sativa, while relaxing your body and<br />
reducing pain like after medicating with<br />
an indica. Some patients may experience<br />
moderate mental cloudiness if too<br />
much is consumed, so it is advised to<br />
save this strain for the evenings when<br />
all of your responsibilities and chores<br />
have been completed. Patients suffering<br />
from depression and listlessness may<br />
also find positive effects while using<br />
this strain, as it is uplifting in nature<br />
and typically doesn’t spawn any sort of<br />
paranoia or heart-pounding like some of<br />
the heftier strains out there.<br />
Growing Patterns<br />
This strain grows well in an indoor<br />
environment because of its averagesized<br />
stature. However, healthy plants<br />
will likely fill your whole grow tent to<br />
maximum capacity. Blaze grows this<br />
strain year-round in a sterile environment<br />
using an ebb and flow system and highquality,<br />
super-soluble liquid nutrients.<br />
Purple Berry is known to be highly<br />
resistant against pests and diseases,<br />
so assuming proper cleanliness and<br />
conditions are met, Blaze says she rarely<br />
runs into devastating issues.<br />
“ It’s sweet and earthy,<br />
and will produce a thick<br />
plume of smoke or vapor,<br />
leaving the room smelling<br />
rich with traces of pine<br />
and even chocolate.”<br />
The first time she ever grew this strain,<br />
she was slightly taken aback by a peculiar<br />
development in the later stages of<br />
flowering. “There were these long chutes<br />
that would literally shoot up way beyond<br />
the rest of the colas that made them look<br />
like quails,” she says. At first she was<br />
worried something had gone wrong, but<br />
after doing some research, she determined<br />
that this was a classic trait of this<br />
particular phenotype. “There is nothing<br />
wrong with the elongated chutes; they<br />
are actually very potent,” she says. “We<br />
typically use them to make concentrates<br />
and edibles, but they definitely need to be<br />
trimmed away because they are severely<br />
lacking in sexiness.”<br />
Overall, Purple Berry is a heavy yielder<br />
and overall very forgiving plant in most<br />
any situation that comes your way.<br />
Lacey Macri works as head of sales at<br />
CleanGrow, focusing her time on business<br />
development within the company.<br />
She received a bachelor’s degree in<br />
communications and psychology from<br />
the University of California, Davis in 2011,<br />
where she worked at the California Aggie<br />
student newspaper on campus.<br />
46<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
grow<br />
Is It Time to Say Goodbye<br />
to Your Fan Leaves?<br />
by Cory Hughes | Dense canopies can cause a<br />
variety of problems in your growroom. By taking<br />
the time to get hands-on with your plants and<br />
removing excess fan leaves, you can save yourself<br />
a ton of heat and moisture related problems.<br />
By far, one of the most overlooked practices in maintaining<br />
a pest- and mildew-free environment for your cannabis<br />
plants is the manual removal of fan leaves. Removing<br />
excess fan leaves and creating airflow to the central,<br />
denser areas of your canopy is essential in maximizing<br />
yields. Balancing your temperature and humidity is a good<br />
start, but it’s not enough to produce the end results you are<br />
looking for. You need proper ventilation and air circulation<br />
in order to optimize your plants’ ability to take in the<br />
rich atmosphere around them. Sometimes, however, due to<br />
the density of your canopy, airflow can become restricted<br />
despite having a good HVAC and ventilation system.<br />
If your plants are in late stage and looking great, but you<br />
find pockets of powdery mildew when you dig into the<br />
dense canopy, manual removal could have probably saved<br />
you some heartache. Powdery mildew is a fungal disease<br />
that at a glance looks like baking flour dusted on your<br />
plants. It thrives in warm, moist conditions. Sometimes this<br />
“dust” can be ejected from the plant, resulting in a small<br />
puff. Gross. The manual removal of fan leaves located deep<br />
in your canopy opens tunnels through which fresh air can<br />
flow. Why do you need tunnels of air? Opening up your<br />
canopy keeps temperatures cool in those deep, dark places.<br />
When the density of your canopy reaches a certain point,<br />
temperatures and humidity can rise. The fresh, cool air<br />
from your HVAC just can’t efficiently reach the central<br />
dense areas. Having pockets of warmer, moist air doesn’t<br />
always lead to problems with powdery mildew. If the<br />
spores aren’t there, then they just aren’t there, but to not<br />
find powdery mildew, and to some degree mites, in a home<br />
or commercial grow, is rare.<br />
Another problem that may arise is an infestation of spider<br />
mites. Spider mites, much like powdery mildew, love warm,<br />
humid conditions. These are pests that are hard to completely<br />
remove. As a friend of mine once put it, it’s about integrated<br />
pest management, not integrated pest eradication.<br />
The time you really want to watch for dense pockets of fan<br />
leaves is in the mid to late stages. In early stages, density<br />
is not a problem. Plus, in early stages you want your plants<br />
to grow up and out, using as many fan leaves as possible to<br />
suck up energy from your lights. Now, this might be obvious,<br />
but I have to say it anyway: if you are not concerned with<br />
maximizing weight through plant count, and are growing<br />
for more aficionado purposes, then odds are you are not<br />
going to have many of the same problems with your canopy.<br />
The only manual removal that should probably have been<br />
done in this instance is your basic bottom pruning. But if<br />
weight is your goal, plant count will get you there, and<br />
manual removal is your friend.<br />
Here is my strategy for manual fan removal: I like to<br />
imagine a point deep in the canopy—one I obviously cannot<br />
see. From there it is as simple as removing the fan leaves<br />
that are blocking my view. Walk along the side of your tray<br />
or growing space and look between each cola. If you can’t<br />
see into the heart of the canopy, feel free to start plucking<br />
leaves, but be careful not to remove the precious sugar<br />
leaves that circle your colas. Those tiny crystalline beauties<br />
can go on to make extractions, so you might want to leave<br />
them. At first you should only be concerned about removing<br />
the large fan leaves that are obstructing airflow to the core<br />
of your canopy, and then approach the removal process from<br />
different angles. Stand above your plants and look down.<br />
Are there any colas being blocked from the light by excess<br />
fan leaves? They should be removed to not only open airflow,<br />
but to clear paths of light to areas that may have fallen<br />
into the shadows.<br />
If you have to manually remove powdery mildew-covered<br />
leaves, it won’t entirely remove the problem, but it’s a start.<br />
You are really only removing the leaves to prevent the<br />
mildew from spreading further. At this point, you really<br />
should have tackled the problem sooner. Not much consolation,<br />
I know, but I’m here to help you prevent these problems<br />
in the future. Monitoring your canopy and tackling fan leaf<br />
removal early enough will save you a headache later on.<br />
Growing cannabis is one heck of a balancing act. The<br />
manual removal of fan leaves to control pockets of humidity<br />
and prevent fungal infections is just one part of a larger<br />
pest management program. Keeping away the critters and<br />
the mildews may seem challenging, but putting to use best<br />
practices of an integrated pest management system works.<br />
Manual fan removal is one of the easiest and best ways to<br />
boost the health of your plants.<br />
Cory Hughes is a former police officer turned full-time<br />
commercial grower in Denver, Colorado.<br />
48<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
heal<br />
Can Medical Cannabis Relieve<br />
Rheumatoid Arthritis?<br />
Physicians are still advised to counsel against cannabis-based<br />
medication as a first response, but as research increases, evidence<br />
shows cannabis does reduce pain. Chris Bond sources recent<br />
studies to explain why cannabis can play a bigger role in pain relief,<br />
beginning with rheumatoid arthritis.<br />
By Chris Bond<br />
Cannabis as a medical treatment for individuals suffering<br />
with pain and inflammation is becoming a more accepted<br />
treatment, especially in the United States and Canada. A 2014<br />
article from the journal Arthritis Care and Research reports<br />
that up to 80 per cent of patients in the United States and up to<br />
65 per cent of patients in Canada that seek medically prescribed<br />
cannabis do so in order to alleviate the severe pain<br />
inflicted from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or other musculoskeletal<br />
pain.<br />
As a pain reliever, cannabis has been known to be<br />
effective for at least 5,000 years. In clinical trials in<br />
Western medicine, however, it has only been seriously<br />
studied for the last 20 years. Indications of its efficacy<br />
in controlling symptoms of RA specifically are<br />
somewhat lacking according to an article as recent<br />
as 2014 in the International Journal of<br />
Clinical Rheumatology. The medicinal<br />
use of cannabis is, of course, known<br />
to relieve stress, promote sleep and<br />
increase appetite for those that are<br />
in need of either gaining weight or<br />
increasing their nutrition. There<br />
are side effects for many though<br />
that should be considered before<br />
using cannabis as a treatment for<br />
RA. The stimulation of appetite<br />
may not be a desirable outcome<br />
of individuals that may already<br />
be overweight or obese. Cannabis<br />
use, especially if over-used<br />
by those self-medicating, can<br />
have mood effects, cognitive<br />
and psychological impairment<br />
and changes in the cardiovascular<br />
system. Those individuals that<br />
smoke cannabis as opposed to taking it<br />
in a pharmaceutically prepared form such<br />
as a pill or spray may also experience negative<br />
respiratory symptoms. Despite these side<br />
effects, there are several forms of cannabinoids<br />
that, due to extensive study, do have known efficacy<br />
and predictable side effects for individuals<br />
suffering from arthritis.<br />
50<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
heal<br />
“As a pain reliever, cannabis has<br />
been known to be effective for at<br />
least 5,000 years.”<br />
The same 2014 issue<br />
of the International<br />
Journal of Clinical Rheumatology<br />
as referenced<br />
above cites three<br />
such examples of<br />
these cannabinoids.<br />
A synthetic<br />
“analogue” of<br />
tetrahydrocannabinol<br />
(THC) is the product<br />
Nabilone. Dronabinol is another, which is a stereoisomer of<br />
THC. A spray form has also been developed, Nabiximols.<br />
These pharmaceutical developments have been created to<br />
have more long-term anti-inflammatory effects and fewer<br />
psychoactive effects than the recreational forms of cannabis.<br />
A 2006 article in the Journal of Rheumatology cites yet<br />
another cannabis-based medication (CBM), Sativex.<br />
A double-blind, five-week long study conducted by British<br />
researchers from the departments of Rheumatology at<br />
Northampton General Hospital, Selly Oak Hospital, the<br />
Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases and the<br />
Cannabinoid Research Institute at Oxford studied the efficacy<br />
of Sativex on 58 individuals suffering from RA. They<br />
found statistically significant improvement from the individuals<br />
actually receiving Sativex and not a placebo. These<br />
improvements ranged from the patients achieving more and<br />
better sleep to experiencing less pain and attaining better<br />
scores on the standard inflammation activity measure test,<br />
the DAS28. The improved sleep resulting from the use of<br />
Sativex was postulated by the researchers to be due to the<br />
pain relief of the medication, and not from any hypnotic effect<br />
of the medication.<br />
Israeli researchers as cited in a <strong>2016</strong> article from the<br />
Israeli publication Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal<br />
are not as sure, but still suggest that CBMs could help with<br />
the pain associated with suffering from RA. Only 17 per<br />
cent of the Israeli rheumatologists who were surveyed suggested<br />
that there was “no role” for cannabis as a treatment<br />
option for those suffering from symptoms of arthritis. Those<br />
83 per cent who did feel there was a role were “willing<br />
to prescribe herbal cannabis if other treatments failed.”<br />
A noted shortcoming of this study, however, was its low<br />
response rate from professionals that could be unfairly<br />
influencing its outcomes.<br />
Evidence cited in the Journal of Experimental and Integrative<br />
Medicine is supportive of the role of cannabis in<br />
treating pain and suffering associated with RA. It notes the<br />
role cannabis plays as an anti-inflammatory agent and pain<br />
reducer. Cannabis can remove harmful stimuli and help to<br />
begin the process of healing the damaged tissues that can<br />
result from arthritis. Additionally, rheumatoid joints contain<br />
high numbers of receptors for cannabinoids making this<br />
particular treatment highly effective. The article further<br />
states cannabis’ ability to inhibit edema, a sometimes sideeffect<br />
of inflammation where fluid can accumulate between<br />
the joints and the skin.<br />
52<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
grow heal<br />
“Cannabis can remove harmful stimuli and help to begin the process of healing<br />
the damaged tissues that can result from arthritis.”<br />
More recently (June 2015) here in the US, the Obama administration<br />
removed the Public Health Service (PHS) review, which<br />
had previously made available funding for research into the<br />
health benefits of medicinal cannabis use extremely scarce<br />
and difficult to obtain. This will also increase the amounts<br />
of cannabis that researchers can have on hand at<br />
any given time during their study. Ironically, this<br />
same review initiated during the Clinton presidency<br />
was intended to make research funds available<br />
to start looking into the health benefits of cannabis.<br />
Its cumbersomeness ended up creating unintended<br />
roadblocks and impediments for researchers. Researchers<br />
Fabian Hernandez and Sathees Chandra<br />
of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of<br />
Nursing and Health Sciences at Barry University, stated<br />
in a <strong>2016</strong> article in the Journal of Experimental and Integrative<br />
Medicine that this removal “will initiate the next<br />
generation of research on cannabis. By permitting more<br />
federal funding and access to samples, the medicinal<br />
benefit and their bio-molecular pathways will be better<br />
understood… as federal funding for cannabis research<br />
increases all over the world, a better understanding<br />
of these healing benefits will be reached.” Hernandez<br />
and Chandra cite the undeniable evidence of the benefits of<br />
cannabis to sufferers of not only RA, but other inflammatory<br />
ailments as well as its benefits to those afflicted with anything<br />
from insomnia, broken bones and cancer.<br />
It seems as if there is hope for those suffering from the painful<br />
effects of rheumatoid arthritis to be found from CBMs.<br />
Physicians, though, are still obligated to counsel<br />
against their use as a first response. Factors such as<br />
a patient’s past recreational use of cannabis, their history<br />
of addiction and family history of mental and psychoactive<br />
disorders must all be taken into account before<br />
a health professional will likely prescribe a cannabisbased<br />
pharmaceutical for sufferers of RA.<br />
Chris Bond is the horticulturist at Case Western<br />
Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and host of<br />
the Keeping It Green radio program. His primary<br />
role is co-ordinator of the university’s Farm Food<br />
Program, but Chris also teaches classes about<br />
growing food. His research interests are sustainable<br />
agriculture and alternative growing methods.<br />
54<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
For Retail and Distributor Information Please Call 1.877.384.9376 (Toll Free)<br />
BIOFLORAL.COM
heal<br />
Canna<br />
// We All Be Happy? //<br />
Joanna<br />
Clifton's<br />
Story<br />
BY MONICA RAKOWSKI<br />
In pain, numb and depressed, Joanna Clifton spent years feeling<br />
unfulfilled and emotionless. She eventually turned to cannabis<br />
oil to ease her migraines, and it worked. It also opened up a<br />
brighter new world full of joy and empathy. Monica Rakowski<br />
shares her story.<br />
These days, an average day for Joanna Clifton, 33, might include playing<br />
with her kids, volunteering at the local food bank or painting in her<br />
backyard. The joy these activities bring Joanna<br />
eluded her a few years ago. Back then, Joanna<br />
was experiencing painful migraines on a<br />
regular basis, fighting depression, and barely<br />
felt her emotions. She was not the happy woman<br />
I know, and truth be told, she didn’t know what<br />
happy felt like.<br />
// Her genetic<br />
mutation<br />
caused a<br />
disruption<br />
in her<br />
methylation<br />
cycles. //<br />
56<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
Studies<br />
are also<br />
showing<br />
evidence that<br />
cannabinoids<br />
reduce<br />
chronic pain<br />
and improve<br />
mood. //<br />
THE DIAGNOSIS<br />
When a DNA test revealed to Joanna that she had a genetic mutation<br />
causing these problems, she was able to begin understanding<br />
her condition. Her genetic mutation caused a disruption in her<br />
methylation cycles. The methylation cycle is important because it<br />
converts vitamins and amino acids from our food into the energy<br />
our bodies need to work properly. It removes toxins, fights infection<br />
and creates healthy cells. The cycle also produces neurotransmitters<br />
such as serotonin and dopamine, the chemicals responsible for<br />
balancing our mood.<br />
If your methylation cycle is functioning properly, you will be in a<br />
good mood and feel full of energy. If it is not functioning properly,<br />
you will be more susceptible to infection and your mind will feel<br />
foggy. You’ll feel depressed, tired, irritable and run-down. Needless<br />
to say, Joanna didn’t feel good most of the time. Her genetic mutation caused her<br />
to feel emotions at about a 70 per cent lower level than most people, and she<br />
constantly battled depression.<br />
THE CANNABIS CURE<br />
Although she didn’t care for it when she was younger, she decided to try<br />
medical cannabis to treat her extreme migraines. She found that CBD oil and<br />
Rick Simpson oil were the most effective in treating her pain. Over the course of<br />
the next eight years, her migraines became less frequent and eventually went<br />
away altogether.<br />
She began experiencing other positive benefits as well. For the first time in her<br />
life, she was feeling her emotions at a heightened level. Her face lights up when<br />
she talks about feeling empathy for the first time in her life. These new feelings<br />
pushed her to take steps that ultimately pointed her life in a happier direction.<br />
With less pain to wear her down and more empathy in her heart, Joanna has<br />
learned to experience situations from other people’s perspectives. She says<br />
cannabis helped her to reflect on and process the ugly parts of her past in a way<br />
she had never been able to before. She realized we are all broken and fighting<br />
our own battles. She apologized to those she hurt, and in the process lost her<br />
ego and gained humility.<br />
THE SCIENCE<br />
Recent studies support Joanna’s experience using cannabis to treat her migraines,<br />
depression and emotional health. Our bodies have an entire endocannabinoid<br />
system, and studies are showing that endocannabinoid deficiencies play a role in<br />
migraines, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, chronic pain and<br />
a growing list of other medical conditions. In fact, a substantial body of evidence<br />
suggests the endocannabinoid and opioidergic systems interact symbiotically in<br />
areas of the brain associated with emotional and pain processing.<br />
Studies are also showing evidence that cannabinoids reduce chronic pain and<br />
improve mood. A study published in The Clinical Journal of Pain (February <strong>2016</strong>)<br />
ascertained that the treatment of chronic pain with medicinal cannabis resulted in<br />
improved pain and functional outcomes, and a significant reduction in opioid use.<br />
Results of a study published in Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior (June<br />
2010) show that THC and other cannabinoids exert antidepressant-like action and<br />
contribute to the overall mood-elevating properties of cannabis. A study published<br />
in Neuropharmacology (April <strong>2016</strong>) concluded that CBDs could be a fast-acting<br />
antidepressant drug. Once again, cannabis is gaining prestige as an effective<br />
antidepressant and pain reliever.<br />
Studies offer us facts, figures and scientific explanations of how cannabis heals<br />
our body, but Joanna is a living, breathing success story. Her quality of life has<br />
increased dramatically since she started using medical cannabis. Before, she was<br />
in pain, emotionally numb and depressed. Now her days are spent creating fulfilling<br />
memories with her loved ones. Cannabis has accomplished what nothing else could,<br />
and it has made all the difference.<br />
Monica Rakowski has<br />
been an avid gardener<br />
for seven years and<br />
currently owns KP Indoor<br />
Garden Store in Lakebay,<br />
Washington. She is<br />
passionate about<br />
gardening, sustainable<br />
living and holistic<br />
health. Monica writes<br />
about these topics in<br />
her column for her local<br />
paper and on her blog at<br />
thenaturelifeproject.com.<br />
myhydrolife.com grow. heal. live. enjoy. 57
heal<br />
Herbal<br />
ASK A NURSE: APPETITE & ECZEMA<br />
Q<br />
Dear Nurse Jessica,<br />
My mother is a cannabis patient and she is currently<br />
undergoing chemotherapy. She loses her appetite<br />
completely after treatment and says that her food<br />
tastes “off” when she tries to eat. She also has<br />
restless leg syndrome and bad eczema on her hands<br />
and arms. Any suggestions?<br />
Daughter<br />
Dear Daughter,<br />
Working in conjunction with your mother’s doctors<br />
A<br />
and holistic practitioners to support her process<br />
is highly recommended. Please note that my<br />
suggestions as a nurse are meant to be taken as<br />
guidelines derived from my personal experiences<br />
with patients and research. Enduring chemotherapy is exasperating,<br />
not only for the patient but for the family and friends<br />
connected. My heart goes out to your mother and your family<br />
during this time of healing.<br />
Appetite loss was designed for Mary Jane in my opinion.<br />
Common strains for appetite stimulation that patients<br />
gravitate to include White Widow, Jack Herer, Super Lemon<br />
Haze, Girl Scout Cookies, Afgan Kush, Northern Light<br />
Special and Lemon OG Kush.<br />
Trying a cannabis tincture/oil to stimulate the palate and<br />
activate the salivary glands may assist. The concentration<br />
of the oil will provide longer cannabis relief as she rests and<br />
allows herself to sleep and heal. Using affirmational healing<br />
and meditation may also assist with your mother’s discomfort.<br />
Louise Hay’s book You Can Heal Your Life is a personal favorite,<br />
especially for positive motivation.<br />
Eczema can be treated topically with a thick infused salve or<br />
a light lotion. Both are used often by patients I see and seem to<br />
clear up dryness and relieve pain. Hydration and water intake<br />
are key. Internally, eczema often indicates that digestion is not<br />
in a good place. She can find great herbal support here with<br />
cannabis and with other readily available plant medicines.<br />
Some other common herbs that might be used for digestive<br />
issues include:<br />
• Plantain: This herb is soothing and can help to heal scars<br />
in the lining of the stomach. Great as a calming cup of tea.<br />
• Lemon balm: A garden plant that’s easy to grow and widely<br />
available at nurseries will help to ease tension in the digestive<br />
system while acting to calm the nervous system.<br />
The emotional aspect can be dealt with through the use of another<br />
kind of herbal remedy called vibrational flower remedies.<br />
Check these out. Edward Bach pioneered this work in the 1930s<br />
and as a result his products and other flower remedies from<br />
other sources are widely available in the marketplace today.<br />
Restless Leg Syndrome can really benefit from baths in cannabis<br />
infused salts, edibles and topicals that are applied all<br />
over the legs with generosity. There have been a lot of positive<br />
results with patients going for hands on bodywork from Cranial<br />
Sacral Healers, Reiki Masters and acupuncture from doctors<br />
of Chinese medicine. Energetic work is just as important to me<br />
as nutrition and rest.<br />
Jessica Ferneyhough, a registered practical nurse, brings a<br />
unique approach to care, empowering patients as a medicinal<br />
cannabis nurse and horses for healing advocate. Do you have a<br />
question for Jessica? Email editor@myhydrolife.com.<br />
58<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
heal<br />
Baking<br />
A FOOL OF MYSELF<br />
by Watermelon<br />
A Cannabis Culinary Column<br />
LIFE ON WRECK BEACH WAS GOLDEN<br />
The early days on Wreck Beach were sun-filled and idyllic. Then came the<br />
arrest. Through the uncertainty, Watermelon found love and support. She<br />
continues her story and shares her recipe for marijuana-infused bacon.<br />
There I was, working full time for myself, in the summer<br />
at least. I would skip along a log singing out my slogans.<br />
“Wata-wata-wata melon. Woo hoo for watermelon,” or<br />
“crazy cookies going like pot-cakes.”<br />
There were no coffee breaks. I skinny-dipped in the<br />
ocean instead. My work uniform was sunshine all over my<br />
body. My tan was all-over even. I smoked lots of pot and<br />
ate loads of free watermelon everyday on the job. I was<br />
happy. I was healthy. Life was glorious.<br />
It was many years before the law turned their attention<br />
to my pot cookies and me. I was that sweet girl who gave<br />
all the kids free watermelon. However, I also sold a great<br />
many of their parents, uncles, aunties and grandparents<br />
pot cookies. Chocolate mushrooms, too.<br />
60<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
myhydrolife.com grow. heal. live. enjoy. 61
heal<br />
THE ARREST<br />
Crime had steadily been getting more sophisticated than the<br />
police. The RCMP didn’t know how to go after real criminals<br />
committing real crimes, so they kept doing what they did best,<br />
arresting pot smokers. On <strong>September</strong> 8, 2001, I was arrested for<br />
the first time in my life. My knees buckled.<br />
I was vending to a group of lovely gentlemen at the farthest<br />
end of the beach when I saw the officer coming straight for<br />
me. I kindly asked the nice gentlemen to stash all my cookies<br />
behind their backs and they did. Imagine, desperately stashing<br />
gingersnap cookies from the police?<br />
I had nothing on me but a pair of sunglasses when the officer<br />
informed me I was under arrest. A bolt of adrenaline came over<br />
me and my mind began to race. Nothing prepares you for your<br />
first arrest. You become hyper-aware. You begin to prickle with<br />
terror and excitement of all the uncertainties. You are a wild<br />
animal ready for fight or flight.<br />
We had a long way to go back across<br />
the beach and up those 400 stairs. It<br />
was all I could do to stay standing<br />
and maintain my composure. After<br />
the fear subsided I became indignant.<br />
My legs were still working. We were<br />
walking across the front of the beach,<br />
so I began to shout at the beachgoers<br />
as we paraded by that I was, in fact,<br />
being arrested. Our ‘friend’ was trying<br />
to take me away very quietly. By the<br />
time we reached the halfway point<br />
where my clothes were, a crowd of<br />
more than 200 had gathered. Camera<br />
phones weren’t standard fair yet, but<br />
many photos got taken. A famous<br />
photographer named Lincoln Clarkes<br />
happened to be there sunbathing<br />
with his relic of a camera and started<br />
to roll film as I was escorted by.<br />
“<br />
By the time we<br />
reached the halfway<br />
point where my clothes<br />
were, a crowd of more<br />
than 200 had gathered.<br />
62<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
heal<br />
THE NAKED TRUTH<br />
Many beach goers were shaking their fists at the officer in<br />
anger. People were hugging and kissing me or holding up<br />
their crying children who wanted to hug and kiss me goodbye.<br />
Others ran to the top of the stairs naked and stood on the street<br />
demanding my release. My community loved me. They really<br />
loved me. It was the greatest day of my life. I celebrate my<br />
‘arrest-aversary’ every year by throwing a big party and getting<br />
everyone baked. I invite you to do the same on <strong>September</strong><br />
8 (any year you like).<br />
Three days after my ordeal the Twin Towers collapsed in New<br />
York and the whole world changed. This event really overshadowed<br />
my media coverage.<br />
Lucky for me, I went on to be arrested several more times. The<br />
RCMP couldn’t get enough of the cookie lady. Three separate<br />
provincial court trials. Three separate acquittals. In hockey it’s<br />
called a hat trick, in bowling it’s a turkey. In court … a stunner.<br />
I fought the law and I won! Look up Regina v. Dunsdon.<br />
None of these events ever made me want to quit my work.<br />
They have made me more determined. Only last week I<br />
completed an eight-week course and received a diploma in<br />
chocolate. It is more like a G.E.D. in chocolate, but I am thrilled.<br />
Soon I will begin a new line of coverture cannabis chocolate<br />
and mushrooms. This column will chronicle that journey. Until<br />
then I will discuss some time-honored classics of mine.<br />
CANNABIS CONVERSION RECAP<br />
In my first column I discussed the process we call cannabis<br />
conversion or decarboxylation. Let’s recap shall we? If you<br />
just eat dried cannabis you wouldn’t receive much, if any,<br />
psychoactive or medical results. Converting cannabis with<br />
heat, fat or alcohol knocks off the carbon molecule and allows<br />
your cannabinoid receptors to receive the blissful molecule in<br />
all its glory.<br />
Most everybody is familiar with the butter technique, but I<br />
am here to tell you many fats do a marvelous job converting<br />
cannabis. We will use the fat from bacon to convert our cannabis<br />
today and have your boy/girlfriend offering their hand in<br />
marriage soon after.<br />
Marijuana Infused Bacon<br />
(Flying Pigs)<br />
It won’t just be the pigs flying high.<br />
Ingredients:<br />
• 10-12 strips of thick-cut bacon<br />
• 4 grams of shake flour<br />
Steps:<br />
• Grind 4 grams of shake into fine flour, sift and pour<br />
into saltshaker.<br />
• On a large, clean cookie tray lay out the bacon.<br />
• Using saltshaker, generously sprinkle each piece of<br />
bacon with the super fine shake flour.<br />
• Bake in center rack around 300˚F until desired<br />
consistency is achieved. You can dust both sides of<br />
the bacon with shake flour or only one. It is entirely up<br />
to you and how high you want your pigs to fly.<br />
64<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
heal<br />
Marijuana infused bacon can be eaten alone,<br />
wrapped around, or served with the following<br />
delicious accompaniments:<br />
• Cantaloupe<br />
• Asparagus<br />
• Shrimps<br />
• Hotdogs<br />
• Hamburgers<br />
• Eggs<br />
My favorite is cantaloupe because not only is it<br />
cool and fresh tasting, you don’t have to cook it.<br />
Be warned, it’s delicious!<br />
The real goal in life is happiness. If you can find<br />
happiness in your heart you have mastered life.<br />
Thanks for tuning in.<br />
To watch Watermelon in action, check her out<br />
on YouTube. Baked: Cooking with Mary Jean is a<br />
special show that features one special ingredient:<br />
cannabis! Follow Watermelon, a.k.a. Mary Jean<br />
Dunsdon, on Twitter @weeddiva to never miss an<br />
episode, or sign up for updates at potent.media.<br />
66<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
live<br />
An Essential Part of<br />
Cannabinoid Production<br />
It’s official. Research has proven<br />
that the quality and potency of<br />
cannabinoids depends on the<br />
minerals in the soil where the<br />
cannabis is being grown.<br />
by <strong>August</strong>us Dunning<br />
Soil-borne mineral depletion has caused a crisis in the food<br />
supply. Mineral-deficient food-borne soil is causing disease<br />
rates to increase dramatically. Food is nearly empty of the<br />
genetic triggers—minerals—that help make the compounds to<br />
keep us healthy. This food-quality reduction is from the yearly<br />
depletion of soils due to harvesting without restoring mineral<br />
content to cropland.<br />
The cropland destruction has created both an explosion<br />
of illnesses and an explosion of vitamin companies and<br />
pharmaceutical products. Minerals are critical for the plant<br />
compounds we need for nutrition and soil minerals are<br />
taken up into plants to create the compounds we use as<br />
nutrients when we eat.<br />
Similarly, deficiency in mineral content can produce deficiencies<br />
in cannabis plants as well. In soilless hydroponic<br />
growing media, minerals have to be introduced every time<br />
you grow a crop. The quality and potency in cannabinoids is<br />
directly dependent on the minerals in soil where cannabis is<br />
grown. In the 2014 paper “Metals and Organic compounds in<br />
the Biosynthesis of Cannabinoids: A Chemometric Approach<br />
to the Analysis of Cannabis Sativa Samples” the relationship<br />
of minerals in soil were mapped to the synthesis of the various<br />
cannabinoid compound content in C. Sativa. In their abstract<br />
the authors state: “This work is an attempt to recognize correlations<br />
between the metal content in the different parts of cannabis<br />
sativa L. and the cannabinoids content, as a potential<br />
indicator.” Their results? “Correlations between metal content<br />
in plants and soil, analyzed by chemometrics unsupervised<br />
methods, highlighted partly their role in the biosynthesis of<br />
cannabinoids. It was recognized that the CBN and the psychoactive<br />
THC contents are manganese-dependent while the CBD<br />
content is iron-dependent.”<br />
The authors concluded that the contents of metals in the<br />
rhizosphere could be an indication of the cannabinoid content.<br />
This can be seen in the test results of numerous examples of<br />
the same strain. There is a wide variety of potency as seen in<br />
the Blue Dream samples, and it can be concluded that it is a<br />
nutrient deficiency in ionic minerals during growth that causes<br />
these dramatic differences. According to the same study quoted<br />
above, the high-THC sample had adequate amounts of manganese<br />
and the high-CBD sample had adequate amounts iron.<br />
In growth rate, the testing minerals have shown to accelerate<br />
growth and yields, beginning with rapid and thick root growth<br />
in identical untreated and treated clones at six weeks. Foliar<br />
ionic mineral spray applications in the late phase increased<br />
trichome numbers dramatically.<br />
Other benefits occur from healthier, strong, ionic mineraltreated<br />
plants: lack of pathogenic and pest attacks. If you want<br />
better medicine, you need to supplement it with ionic minerals.<br />
Most N-P-K fertilizer systems contain up to eight minerals,<br />
but plants need more than 50 minerals to function for optimal<br />
genetic expression. Water-soluble, ocean water-derived liquid<br />
ionic minerals work best because they contain some 60 different<br />
elements and are taken up into the plant fast because they are<br />
bio-available. As individual ions (atoms) they can pass directly<br />
through leaf and root cells. Mineral ions are critical. It is, after<br />
all, the iron in hemoglobin in the blood platelets that carries<br />
oxygen to our cells, and iron is critical for making CBD in cannabis.<br />
In other words, you’ve got to mineralize to energize!<br />
Want more? Check out the Wide World of Weed on Youtube.<br />
<strong>August</strong>us Dunning is the CEO of Eco Organics and is a physicist,<br />
chemist and an inventor. He is the former systems ops designer<br />
for the International Space Station and a former regional<br />
manager of liquid, solid and electric propulsion systems for<br />
Pratt and Whitney space propulsion.<br />
68<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
live<br />
The Hemp<br />
Revival<br />
by Lee G. Lyzit<br />
Although hemp has been used around<br />
the globe since the beginning of human<br />
existence, the stigma associated<br />
with marijuana (hemp’s cousin) has<br />
somewhat stalled its industrial uses.<br />
Fortunately, that stigma is starting to<br />
change, and we are seeing more hempbased<br />
products as a result.<br />
The biggest potential for hemp<br />
plants in promoting a culture<br />
of eco-sustainability is their use in<br />
building products. Hemp can be used to<br />
replace or supplement a wide variety of<br />
traditional building materials, mainly<br />
wood and concrete. Researchers in<br />
France have developed a way to use<br />
hemp fibers to create a natural cement<br />
with many admirable qualities. Their<br />
creation, Hempcrete, can be used<br />
in block-form in conjunction with a<br />
wooden frame construction, or mixed<br />
directly into a structure, similar to<br />
working with stucco or cob.<br />
Hempcrete is comparable in<br />
strength to traditional concrete but<br />
weighs one-eighth as much, which<br />
makes building with it much easier.<br />
Additional advantages of Hempcrete<br />
building materials are:<br />
• Thermal properties: Hempcrete<br />
helps regulate both high and low<br />
temperatures.<br />
• Low maintenance: Hempcrete is naturally<br />
mold and rodent resistant.<br />
• Longevity: Hempcrete has a long lifespan<br />
and is easy to repair.<br />
• How sustainable it truly is:<br />
Hempcrete is made out of plants,<br />
which grow back.<br />
Building with renewable, biodegradable<br />
materials equates to a healthier<br />
planet. While the hemp plant grows, it<br />
turns carbon dioxide into oxygen and<br />
also traps carbon dioxide within itself.<br />
Structures built with hemp products are<br />
carbon sinks, meaning they absorb more<br />
carbon than they release. Traditional<br />
concrete, on the other hand, is notorious<br />
for releasing large amounts of carbon<br />
dioxide when it is made.<br />
Hemp particle board can be made<br />
from both the short fibers from the<br />
core of the hemp stalk and the longer<br />
fibers found on the outer portion of the<br />
stalk. In terms of insulation, only the<br />
outer fibers of the hemp stalk are used.<br />
Hemp building insulation is being used<br />
consistently in newer construction and<br />
has great potential as an eco-friendly<br />
solution for retrofitting buildings.<br />
Other Uses for Hemp<br />
Hemp is also being used to make<br />
clothing, ropes, paper, wax and much<br />
more. Hemp seeds contain all the<br />
essential amino acids humans need<br />
and are arguably the single most<br />
healthy food source on the planet.<br />
They can be pressed to extract hemp<br />
oil, which can be used as fuel or as<br />
a natural sealant for wood. Hemp is<br />
also an active ingredient in beauty<br />
products and cosmetics.<br />
Another incredible use of hemp is<br />
in the automotive industry. Do you<br />
remember Henry Ford’s hemp body<br />
car? Due to the steel rationing of<br />
WWII in 1941, Henry Ford and George<br />
Washington Carver constructed a car<br />
body made out of soybeans and hemp.<br />
Although Ford’s hemp car never took<br />
off, today’s automakers are paying<br />
closer attention to hemp, as it can be<br />
used to make plastics and other composites<br />
that are stronger and lighter<br />
than their traditional counterparts.<br />
In fact, a Canadian company, Motive<br />
Industries, designed the world’s most<br />
eco-friendly car, the Kestrel, whose<br />
entire body is made of hemp.<br />
Humans are at a point where<br />
practicing a sustainable lifestyle<br />
is of the utmost importance. Just as<br />
the hemp plant was an intricate part<br />
of early man’s existence, I believe it<br />
will become an intricate part in ours,<br />
as more people start to embrace how<br />
versatile it really is.<br />
HEMP CAN BE used to replace<br />
or supplement a wide variety of<br />
traditional building materials, “mainly wood and concrete.”<br />
Lee G. Lyzit has been involved in<br />
the medical cannabis industry for<br />
nearly 15 years. His passion for natural<br />
healing drives him to learn as much as<br />
he can about the miraculous cannabis<br />
plant. Lee breeds his own strains<br />
of cannabis to create concentrated<br />
glycerine and coconut oil extracts.<br />
70<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
Emerald Triangle Grows & Grows<br />
live<br />
The Emerald Triangle is a nickname given to a portion of Northern<br />
California that is comprised of three mostly rural counties: Mendocino,<br />
Humboldt and Trinity. This area, with its pristine Redwood-laden<br />
forests and miles upon miles of breathtaking scenery, is renowned<br />
as the epicenter for outdoor cannabis production in all of the United<br />
States and perhaps the entire world.<br />
by Kyle L. Ladenburger<br />
72<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
live<br />
THE ORIGINS<br />
The origins of the Emerald Triangle region stem back<br />
to the mid-1960s—the same time as the summer of<br />
love. People in the San Francisco Bay Area looking to<br />
unplug from the societal woes of modern times packed<br />
up and headed north into the hills. Off the grid, they<br />
could remain self-sustainable and carve out a more<br />
natural life. More often than not they would grow their<br />
own food gardens and within those gardens there usually<br />
tended to be a cannabis plant or two.<br />
The Emerald Triangle area makes for the perfect<br />
place to grow your own. Covering more than 10,000<br />
square miles, the region is sparsely populated, has a<br />
long growing season and has a moderate temperature.<br />
Over the years, as growers continued perfecting their<br />
craft, the quality of the product increased and with it so<br />
did the demand. Cannabis quickly began a lucrative<br />
crop to grow. As the profits grew larger, so did the size<br />
of the gardens. With the passing of Proposition 215 in<br />
1996, California became the first state in the nation to<br />
legalize medical cannabis. Since then the cannabis industry<br />
in the Emerald Triangle has grown by leaps and<br />
bounds to keep up with the skyrocketing demand.<br />
“Over the years, as growers<br />
continued perfecting their<br />
craft, the quality of the product<br />
increased and with it so did the<br />
demand. Cannabis quickly began a<br />
lucrative crop to grow.”<br />
Today’s Emerald Triangle<br />
Today the Emerald Triangle cannabis industry brings<br />
in more than $1 billion of revenue annually that fuels<br />
the local economies. In this region, growing cannabis<br />
is not just considered a way of life but also as source<br />
of funding, through taxes, for projects like building<br />
schools or fixing roads. It is commonly believed that the<br />
majority of Emerald Triangle residents benefit either<br />
directly from the industry or indirectly by providing<br />
other services. Since there are few other industries<br />
in the region most local economies rely heavily on<br />
revenue from cannabis cultivation—removing it from the<br />
equation would be a big blow.<br />
The success Emerald Triangle growers have achieved<br />
is in no way unwarranted. The growers and breeders of<br />
the area consistently produce some of the highest-quality<br />
medicinal cannabis available. It is not uncommon for<br />
the strains they develop to gain international acclaim<br />
for their quality and potency. By carefully breeding<br />
plants and targeting specific traits, Emerald Triangle<br />
growers provide what is quite possibly the best outdoor<br />
cannabis the world has ever seen. For most growers it<br />
isn’t just a job, it is a lifestyle, and the culture of the area<br />
truly reflects this. I remember my first visit to the region.<br />
I stopped at a gas station and while looking around<br />
came across a bumper sticker that said, “Welcome to the<br />
Emerald Triangle. No, you didn’t run over a skunk.” To me<br />
this really sums up how prevalent and entrenched the<br />
cannabis industry is in the local culture.<br />
74<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
live<br />
The Highly Coveted Emerald Cup<br />
Every year the best of the best Emerald Triangle<br />
growers convene in one spot for a chance to show off<br />
their highest-quality product. This friendly competition<br />
is aptly named the Emerald Cup. Hundreds of<br />
different high-quality strains of medicinal cannabis<br />
are put to the test to see who will go home with the<br />
much-respected cup. This event began as a small, almost<br />
secretive get-together for the area’s best growers<br />
to show off and compare the fruits of their labor. It has<br />
now grown into a giant celebration of the local cannabis<br />
culture. In 2015 the Emerald Cup brought more<br />
than 21,000 people to the Sonoma County fairgrounds<br />
for the two-day event. This was triple the amount of<br />
2013’s crowd of 7,000 people, and I believe the event’s<br />
popularity shows no signs of waning.<br />
While working on this article I was lucky to get in<br />
touch with a lifelong Emerald Triangle resident and<br />
2015 Emerald Cup recipient. Blaze, an alias he uses<br />
to protect his anonymity, has been growing/breeding<br />
cannabis in the region for more than 10 years and<br />
earned his first Emerald Cup working with a collective<br />
named Blazing Oaks. Blaze is a third generation<br />
grower that began cultivating as a teenager and his<br />
family has been involved in the cannabis industry<br />
since his grandparents moved to Humboldt County in<br />
the 1960s. His story helps illustrate how entrenched the<br />
cannabis industry is in the area.<br />
We discussed the incredible success growers in the<br />
Emerald Triangle have had and what possible factors<br />
may have contributed to it. He was quick to point out<br />
that there is no one single factor but rather several key<br />
components that coalesced to create what the Emerald<br />
Triangle has become. “It began with the rough and rugged<br />
terrain that allowed early growers to hide in the<br />
hills and pursue their craft,” says Blaze. This, combined<br />
with ideal climates, including several micro climates,<br />
has resulted in an area where a huge range of cannabis<br />
strains can be grown to their full potential, he adds.<br />
The Emerald Triangle counties are also host to a rather<br />
favorable political climate. Blaze explained that over<br />
the years, cannabis growers have become the “real<br />
engine of our local economy” and this has led “many<br />
elected officials, business owners and others in the<br />
community to tolerate and even embrace the industry.”<br />
Blaze and I also talked about the overwhelming<br />
“In this region, growing cannabis is<br />
not just considered a way of life but<br />
also as source of funding, through<br />
taxes, for projects like building<br />
schools or fixing roads.”<br />
quality of the Emerald Triangle cannabis and what he<br />
thinks may have led to the area consistently producing<br />
such a high-quality product. Again, he pointed out<br />
there is not just one factor responsible, but he agrees<br />
wholeheartedly that the quality has increased exponentially.<br />
This is a fact he sees as undeniable. In his<br />
opinion the Emerald Triangle has advanced more in the<br />
last 10 years than in the previous 30 years combined.<br />
THE QUALITY HAS<br />
INCREASED EXPONE<br />
76<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
NTIALLY
live<br />
Today’s growers have been able to learn from and build upon what previous<br />
growers have done and can more easily communicate and collaborate with<br />
other growers. Growers have worked hard to develop sure-fire techniques for<br />
everything from growing to drying and curing the crop to perfection. Blaze says<br />
he believes the genetics produced by highly talented breeders have certainly<br />
played a big role in the overall narrative, with the focus being placed not<br />
just on potency, but on overall quality. The strain Watermelon Rancher, which<br />
earned Blaze’s collective an Emerald Cup, was not only high in THC but also in<br />
overall terpene content. Terpenes are what give cannabis strains their unique<br />
smells and flavors. They also have a wide range of medicinal effects. If growers<br />
continue to focus on breeding plants with their overall ultimate potential in<br />
mind, their qualities will only continue to rise.<br />
THIS IS A FACT<br />
The Future of Emerald Triangle<br />
This coming November, the chance for California to legalize cannabis for recreational<br />
use will once more be on the ballot. The last time it appeared on the<br />
ballot it did not pass due in part to a lack of support from growers who feared<br />
commercialization of the industry may result in smaller independent growers<br />
being cut out of the system. This of course would have a devastating effect on<br />
the area's local economies.<br />
I believe that if these growers are given a proper voice in the formation of<br />
the legislation surrounding legalization, then the Emerald Triangle has the<br />
possibility of becoming a true tourist attraction. The Emerald Triangle and all<br />
of its natural beauty could easily become the go-to destination for those of us<br />
that have a love for high-quality, locally grown cannabis, much like the Napa<br />
Valley is a prime destination for those who enjoy great wine. If recreational<br />
cannabis use is legalized, the industry will continue to grow and the local<br />
economies will flourish, providing a better life for all of the residents.<br />
Kyle L. Ladenburger is a passionate indoor and outdoor gardener. He is also a<br />
freelance garden writer. With more than 10 years of experience in the industry<br />
working for Age Old Organics, he is well-versed in numerous growing<br />
methods with a focus on soil health.<br />
78<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
enjoy<br />
SNEAK PEEK<br />
BIG BOOK<br />
OF BUDS<br />
GREATEST HITS<br />
For more than a decade, Ed Rosenthal’s Big Book of Buds<br />
series has been the connoisseur’s reference guide to the<br />
best marijuana strains from the world’s greatest breeders.<br />
Now get ready for the Big Book of Buds Greatest Hits, a<br />
compilation of the premier strains that have appeared in<br />
the four volumes of the Big Book of Buds series. Compiled<br />
and edited by Ed Rosenthal, these noteworthy varieties are<br />
the cream of the crop and have made gardening easier<br />
and results more predictable. Here is a little teaser from the<br />
book on one of its featured strains: Ed Rosenthal Super Bud.<br />
80<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.
enjoy<br />
“SUCCULENT FLOWER FORMATION<br />
IS THE SUPER BUD STRAIN’S<br />
DISTINGUISHING FEATURE.”<br />
ED ROSENTHAL SUPER BUD –<br />
SENSI SEED BANK<br />
Sensi Seed Bank has released this elite<br />
strain in honor of Ed Rosenthal, the<br />
undisputed heavyweight champion of<br />
growing gurus. Literally decades in the<br />
making, this hybrid achieves a superb<br />
layering of traits from both the indica<br />
and sativa ends of the cannabis spectrum.<br />
This variety was refined from the<br />
Potent Evolved Hybrid project, where<br />
pure Afghani cultivars and equatorial<br />
sativa strains were interbred over many<br />
years, and their offspring selected for<br />
potency and yield at every step. The<br />
blend of tropical genes in ER Super Bud’s<br />
background is especially wide-ranging,<br />
representing sativas from all around the<br />
equatorial zone—Africa, South East Asia,<br />
Central America and the Caribbean.<br />
Ed Rosenthal Super Bud thrives<br />
outdoors in hot climates, and should<br />
be grown indoors in temperate or cold<br />
regions like Holland. Any medium is fine,<br />
and plants enjoy standard to generous<br />
fertilizer feedings. ER Super Bud is very<br />
manageable as she grows, with a surprisingly<br />
uniform growth pattern given<br />
her diverse heritage. This strain is suitable<br />
for sea of green; alternatively, both<br />
her indica and sativa phenotypes can be<br />
grown into excellent multi-stem plants.<br />
Succulent flower formation is the Super<br />
Bud strain’s distinguishing feature. All<br />
females exhibit flower structures bursting<br />
with indica density, made even fatter by<br />
the running sativa tendency. The result is<br />
buds that swell upwards and outwards to<br />
crazy sizes and sport a stupendous covering<br />
of full-sized resin glands. ER buds<br />
also have a unique pistil formation—the<br />
oversized antennae sprouting from each<br />
calyx are covered with a visible fuzz of<br />
tiny hairs, giving them a woolly appearance.<br />
Different individuals show<br />
extra sativa or indica influence through<br />
subtle variations in the development and<br />
structure of their resin-soaked buds. The<br />
sativa-leaning females make particularly<br />
good multi-stem plants and produce huge<br />
oval calyxes that spiral into crooked budpyramids<br />
large enough to bend branches.<br />
The indica phenotype’s flowers are<br />
distinct and impressive, building into voluptuous<br />
columns of snowy bud with main<br />
colas as thick as an arm. In other respects,<br />
phenotype variation is small, with a majority<br />
of plants flowering at the same speed<br />
and increasing their height by about<br />
150 per cent. A small proportion will show<br />
a jump at the onset of blooming, which first<br />
widens the gaps between internodes and<br />
later gives an even greater yield potential.<br />
All plants from this strain are sweetsmelling<br />
and taste of pineapple punch.<br />
As for the stone—get ready for an immediate<br />
body flush, a bright physical glow<br />
that’s not given to lethargy. Later, a cerebral<br />
high creeps up, subtle at first, yet<br />
longer-lasting than the body effect. ER<br />
Super Bud is sweetly relaxing, leaving<br />
plenty of energy for conversation and socializing<br />
with friends. Medicinally, this<br />
might be a good variety for chronic body<br />
pain and the blues that come with it.<br />
BACKGROUNDER<br />
From the inception of the modern cannabis<br />
revolution, Ed Rosenthal has been<br />
at the heart of the movement, a committed<br />
and fearless campaigner for truth,<br />
justice and sanity, which is to say, an<br />
end to prohibition.<br />
If you’ve ever grown ganja, it’s a safe bet<br />
that Ed has helped you out in a big way,<br />
whether directly or indirectly. He’s taught<br />
generations of growers about the science<br />
and art of cannabis cultivation, and helped<br />
them discover their green thumb as well as<br />
the joys and potential for personal enrichment<br />
that this hobby can awaken.<br />
82<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
enjoy<br />
“IF YOU’VE EVER GROWN GANJA, IT’S A SAFE<br />
BET THAT ED HAS HELPED YOU OUT IN A BIG<br />
WAY, WHETHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY.”<br />
As the brain behind the Ask Ed columns<br />
in Cannabis Culture and High Times,<br />
and the author of a veritable library of<br />
cannabis books that cover every topic<br />
from growing to law reform, Ed Rosenthal<br />
has done more than anyone we know to<br />
spread accurate, no-nonsense information<br />
on the world’s most delightful crop.<br />
It’s no exaggeration to say that Ed<br />
Rosenthal Super Bud has been decades<br />
in the making. Sharp-eyed cannabis historians<br />
and collectors of old seed catalogs<br />
might have seen the single printed<br />
reference to the breeding program that<br />
eventually led to the Super Bud strain. In<br />
1989, this Ed-affiliated strain was called<br />
Ed’s Potent Evolved Hybrid Type 1 (PEHT)<br />
when it was briefly offered in a limited<br />
edition of 1,500 seeds. It sold out very<br />
quickly and was never commercially<br />
offered again. Around this time, there<br />
was a big shift toward indoor cultivation<br />
and few growers had the time or space<br />
for experimental crossings. Sensi Seed<br />
Bank’s releases in the following years<br />
were geared toward this new indoor<br />
trend, featuring stabilized F1 hybrids—<br />
strains that could be relied upon for<br />
predictable behavior.<br />
As the years passed, and Sensi’s<br />
breeding-stock expanded into a truly<br />
comprehensive collection of traditional<br />
cultivars and legendary hybrids, their<br />
breeders found plenty of fascinating<br />
new possibilities to explore, and the<br />
PEHT program continued quietly in the<br />
background. With occasional infusions<br />
of promising new genetic material and<br />
dozens more generations of crossing and<br />
selection for yield and resin production,<br />
the program yielded several rarefied<br />
plants which proved to be valuable intermediate<br />
parents in complex hybrids.<br />
A desirably heavy, sticky form began<br />
to dominate the later PEHT generations.<br />
Breeders focused on stabilizing the finer<br />
points of the emerging strain. Unique<br />
flower structures and flavors discovered<br />
in the program were successfully reproduced<br />
as recurring traits and the ER<br />
seed strain neared completion. By this<br />
time, near the end of the 1990s, Holland’s<br />
tolerance for cannabis was in sharp decline,<br />
and professional breeding became<br />
much more difficult, as the large crops<br />
of test seedlings required for rigorous<br />
selection were no longer possible.<br />
As a result, the small amount of refinement<br />
required before releasing ER in its<br />
final distinct form took many years longer<br />
than expected, making this hybrid the longest<br />
single project in the Sensi Seed Bank<br />
collection. Sensi feels this world-class<br />
strain shows the years of work and care<br />
invested in its development. This gourmet<br />
hybrid promises to be a special addition<br />
to any serious aficionado’s garden.<br />
Look for the Big Book of Buds Greatest<br />
Hits starting <strong>August</strong> <strong>2016</strong>. It will be<br />
available at book stores everywhere<br />
and on Amazon. Pre-order from<br />
edrosenthal.com to receive a signed<br />
copy. The Big Book of Buds Greatest<br />
Hits will also feature:<br />
• 95 varieties from 26 seed companies –<br />
all commercially available.<br />
• Beautiful photography<br />
throughout the book.<br />
• A striking, brushed metallic<br />
gold tone cover.<br />
• Timeless information for<br />
growers and consumers.<br />
“ED ROSENTHAL HOLDS<br />
THE DISTINCTION OF<br />
TURNING MORE PEOPLE<br />
ON TO POT THAN CHEECH<br />
AND CHONG.”<br />
– TOMMY CHONG<br />
“MR. ROSENTHAL IS THE<br />
POTHEAD’S ANSWER TO<br />
ANN LANDERS, JUDGE<br />
JUDY, MARTHA STEWART<br />
AND THE BURPEE GARDEN<br />
WIZARD ALL IN ONE.”<br />
– NY TIMES<br />
84<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
enjoy<br />
Cannabis<br />
Cocktails,<br />
MOCKTAILS & TONICS<br />
Warren Bobrow’s New Book is<br />
a Cannabis Drinker’s Dream<br />
BY COLLEEN GRAHAM<br />
What’s a DIY drinker<br />
to do when they<br />
want to start mixing<br />
their medicine into<br />
their drinks? Pick up<br />
a copy of Cannabis<br />
Cocktails, Mocktails,<br />
& Tonics by Warren<br />
Bobrow. Released Warren Bobrow<br />
this summer, this<br />
new book is the ultimate guide to cannabis<br />
drinks. It will be the topic’s reference<br />
for years to come and a book that every<br />
cannabis user with a taste for fine drinks<br />
should consider essential.<br />
Its pages are filled with invaluable<br />
advice about drinking cannabis, including<br />
recipes for cannabis syrups, tonics,<br />
butters, infusions, bitters and tinctures,<br />
along with flavorful drink recipes that<br />
do not always include alcohol. All of<br />
your cannabis drink questions will be<br />
answered with a sophisticated vibe that<br />
appeals to the connoisseur of both cannabis<br />
and drinks.<br />
Bobrow has a colorful background that<br />
includes culinary training and a family<br />
of apothecaries, complete with genuine<br />
1960s hippies. He is the real deal and<br />
his past was a natural foundation that<br />
combined with his passion for sharing<br />
great drinks. “I had a dream and knew<br />
exactly what I wanted to do with this,”<br />
Bobrow says of his original inspiration.<br />
“It worked out well,<br />
ACTUALLY TOO WELL,<br />
and I had to ratchet it<br />
back a bit so it didn’t<br />
obliterate people.”<br />
He began by infusing almost any alcohol<br />
available with cannabis. “It worked<br />
out well, actually too well, and I had to<br />
ratchet it back a bit so it didn’t obliterate<br />
people,” he says.<br />
Bobrow created and tested each of the<br />
book’s 75 recipes, so it’s best to heed his<br />
advice on dosage and consumption, and<br />
even cut it back a little at first. He is also<br />
adamant that the book is not dedicated<br />
to alcohol. “These are health-giving tonics<br />
to which you don’t have to add alcohol,”<br />
he says. Many of the book’s recipes<br />
are non-alcoholic and can be drunk as<br />
a medicinal dosage or as a therapeutic<br />
and relaxing drink.<br />
86 grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
myhydrolife.com grow. heal. live. enjoy. 87
enjoy<br />
Candy Says<br />
Makes two cocktails<br />
One of Bobrow’s favorite recipes from his<br />
book, Candy Says is an approachable rum<br />
punch that will appeal to many palates.<br />
Ingredients<br />
Coconut water ice<br />
2 oz. 100-proof Rhum Agricole<br />
1 oz. non-medicated coconut cream<br />
2 oz. freshly squeezed orange juice<br />
1 handful fresh raspberries, crushed<br />
1 tsp. ground turmeric<br />
2 oz. Medicated Rich Simple Syrup*<br />
2 oz. cane syrup-based ginger beer<br />
6 drops aromatic bitters<br />
Fill a Boston shaker half full with the coconut<br />
water ice. Add the Rhum Agricole,<br />
coconut cream, orange juice, raspberries,<br />
turmeric and Medicated Rich Simple Syrup,<br />
and shake hard for about 15 seconds.<br />
Divide between two miniature coupe<br />
glasses. Top each with 1 oz. of ginger beer<br />
and dot with the aromatic bitters to finish.<br />
*Medicated Rich Simple Syrup<br />
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and reduce<br />
heat. Add 1 cup raw honey and stir until<br />
dissolved. Add 4 grams ground, decarbed<br />
cannabis, cover and reduce heat. Allow to<br />
simmer for about 30 minutes. Reduce heat<br />
again and add 1 Tbsp. vegetarian liquid<br />
lecithin and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring<br />
constantly. Remove from heat and strain.<br />
Where Should a Novice Begin?<br />
Cannabis Cocktails is accessible to<br />
everyone—no special equipment or<br />
training to get the drinks just right is<br />
required. From decarbing to dosage and<br />
flavor pairings with common cannabis<br />
strains, Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails, &<br />
Tonics contains all of the information you<br />
need to get started. Bobrow recommends<br />
starting out with one of his mocktails.<br />
A simple Turkish coffee like the Beside<br />
the Bosphorus recipe, made with one of<br />
Bobrow’s canna butter recipes, would be<br />
a great beginner’s drink.<br />
Balancing Alcohol and Cannabis<br />
As you might expect, combining cannabis<br />
and alcohol is tricky. Bobrow has<br />
learned from experience that you need to<br />
pace yourself when it comes to the cocktail<br />
recipes in his book. “It’s extremely<br />
important to know your tolerance level<br />
as two drinks can make you feel completely<br />
out of control,” says Bobrow, adding<br />
that one drink an hour is more than<br />
enough. “It’s not about getting drunk, it’s<br />
about holistic and homeopathic healing.”<br />
One cannabis cocktail a night may<br />
even be a better recommendation.<br />
This mindset is clear throughout the<br />
book; you can relate it to the effects of<br />
edibles: it may not hit you right away or<br />
all at once and you certainly want to take<br />
it easy. If you do find that even one drink<br />
is too much, there is an antidote of sorts:<br />
drink the fresh juice from one lemon and<br />
chew on a few peppercorns. The overwhelming<br />
feeling from having too many<br />
edibles will begin to subside.<br />
Cannabis Flavor Pairings<br />
One of the fascinating parts of the book<br />
is Bobrow’s cannabis strain profiles. He<br />
has dissected nine of the most common<br />
strains with amazing detail. Each has a<br />
flavor profile, a little background and a<br />
number of flavor pairings to use when<br />
creating drinks. The research put into<br />
this section alone is impressive. When<br />
asked to point out one that he found most<br />
surprising, Bobrow says, “Trainwreck,<br />
which I use in my version of a Bloody<br />
Caesar, called A Bloody Good Remedy.”<br />
It pairs with everything from Cognac to<br />
gin and the strain is good for both afternoon<br />
and evening consumption, making<br />
it a versatile cannabis, he adds.<br />
Colleen Graham is a writer and freelance<br />
photographer from the Midwest who<br />
specializes in mixed drinks and covering<br />
the liquor industry. She is the Cocktails<br />
Expert for about.com and author of the<br />
book ¡Hola Tequila! Gardening and<br />
kayaking with her husband are two of her<br />
favorite pastimes.<br />
88<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
y Gibson Lannister<br />
AESOP ROCK<br />
THE IMPOSSIBLE KID<br />
Aesop Rock’s latest album The<br />
Impossible Kid is fortifying<br />
what is already considered<br />
a legendary career. AR spent<br />
a year living and recording<br />
in a barn emerging with<br />
even more polished rhymes<br />
and an introspective look<br />
into the mind of one of hip<br />
hop’s greats.<br />
4.5<br />
ATOMS AND VOID<br />
AND NOTHING ELSE<br />
Atoms and Void is not a band<br />
in the traditional sense; they<br />
are a collective of artists<br />
including members of Foo<br />
Fighters and Sufran<br />
Stevens. Their work spans<br />
over a decade. Through<br />
chance encounters and<br />
shared files, And Nothing<br />
Else came to fruition.<br />
4<br />
BAHAMAS<br />
BAHAMAS IS AFIE<br />
Bahamas is Afie. Actually,<br />
Bahamas is Toronto musician<br />
Afie Jurvanen. His most<br />
recent album Bahamas is<br />
Afie is redefining the genre<br />
of roots-rock. It’s also as chill<br />
as can be. This album is so<br />
intensely real it is destined to<br />
be a timeless hit.<br />
5<br />
Gibson Lannister has<br />
been a musician for<br />
more than 15 years and<br />
continues to expand his<br />
knowledge of theory<br />
and technique.<br />
CHILDREN OF POP<br />
WHAT DOES 69 MEAN?<br />
Children of Pop is the<br />
experimental pop-project<br />
of Chase DeMaster. Many<br />
tracks from What Does 69<br />
Mean? were actually written<br />
for other great artists such<br />
as Drake and Madonna but<br />
were deemed too good to let<br />
go. This album keeps getting<br />
better with each listen!<br />
5<br />
FITZ & THE TANTRUMS<br />
FITZ & THE TANTRUMS<br />
California natives Fitz & the<br />
Tantrums return with their<br />
third and self-titled album,<br />
and it’s a blockbuster! This<br />
album is strictly dance<br />
floor gold. Every track was<br />
meticulously designed by Fitz<br />
& the Tantrums to make your<br />
body move.<br />
4<br />
KALEO<br />
A/B<br />
Bringing the heat with their<br />
album A/B is Kaleo. Kaleo<br />
originally hails from Iceland,<br />
but they now call Austin,<br />
Texas, home. Their down and<br />
dirty style of blues/rock and<br />
the dusky, soulful voice of<br />
lead singer/guitarist Jokull<br />
Juliusson create something<br />
incendiary. They’ll set your<br />
ears on fire!<br />
5<br />
90<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com
92<br />
grow. heal. live. enjoy.<br />
myhydrolife.com