Can you grow organic marijuana?
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/politics/stories/can-you-grow-organic-marijuana
Prop 19 could allow ordinary people to legally buy and grow their own
weed in California. But growing it organically can be tricky.
Oct 29 2010
The state of California is abuzz with, well, the possibility of
getting legally buzzed. On Tuesday, Golden State voters have a lot
more than a new governor to consider as they decide to pass or nix
Prop 19, a measure that would legalize marijuana use for people 21
and older. If it passes, residents can grow marijuana, too, so long
as it's within a single 25-square-foot area.
California law already allows medical marijuana, and the new
proposition, if passed, would allow government to regulate and tax
cannabis sales, which are estimated to generate billions of dollars
in revenue. And this movement is not about hippies and
back-to-the-land types. It's about everyday people, a budding
industry (so to speak), and, apparently, world-class athletes, too.
At Game One of the World Series in San Francisco on Wednesday night,
pro-pot fans held up big signs featuring the team's young ace, Tim
Lincecum (who was previous busted for pot possession), reading, "TIM
IS NOT A CRIMINAL. VOTE YES ON PROP 19."
With the election just days away, and with several other states
considering legalizing medical marijuana, the countrywide cannabis
conversation made us wonder…is it possible to find certified organic pot?
THE DETAILS: The short answer, technically, is "no." Here's why.
Marijuana use, medical or not, is illegal under federal law, so the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) refuses to certify organically
grown pot under its National Organic Program. Still, even though you
won't find the green USDA-organic seal on jars displaying marijuana,
organically grown pot is actually on the market in California,
although it's not nearly as common as nonorganic.
Stephen DeAngelo, executive director of Harborside Health Center, a
nonprofit medical-marijuana dispensary in Oakland, California, notes
that there is another certification for organic marijuana. It's known
as the Clean Green Program. Garden inspectors check out cannabis
operations, looking at inputs, pest control, nutrients, and other
sustainability related issues. Growers can be certified two ways:
1. Clean Green, meaning growers follow all the USDA-organic guidelines.
2. "Best practices," meaning it's not an entirely organic operation,
but growers are using any more harmful substances "safely" and sparingly.
DeAngelo's center is heralded as the gold standard of cannabis
dispensaries, thanks in part to its third-party lab testing for
potency and molds. It does offer some Clean Greencertified cannabis,
and he pays these types of growers $100 more per pound for their
organic efforts.
Still, most marijuana growers use products banned in organic
agriculture. "To maximize yields, growers typically use
petroleum-based fertilizers," explains DeAngelo. But small-scale
organic can pay off. For instance, he says people pay up to $425 an
ounce for beautiful, organically grown cannabis grown by a master
gardener in a small plot. Mass-produced, it would cost at least half
of that. "Cannibus is much like wine. If you do not give it very
careful tending and personal attention, you'll end up with a product
with substantially less value," says DeAngelo.
WHAT IT MEANS: Should we be surprised that marijuana, the herb long
regarded as a natural remedy for everything from nausea and
nervousness to chronic pain and spasms, is usually grown with
chemicals? Perhaps not. Although pretty resilient, the herb is
susceptible to powdery mildew, and spider mites are common infesters.
DeAngelo says his customers tend to go for cannabis grown indoors
because the flowers are in pristine condition, since they were
shielded from the elements. With indoor growing, chemical inputs are
often used. "It is possible to grow organic indoors, but the costs
are higher and the yields are lower," explains DeAngelo.
No matter how it's grown, different strains of cannabis are offered
in different forms for different ailments. Insomnia and/or chronic
pain? A cannabis capsule is your best option, says DeAngelo. "It
passes through the digestive system, so the effective life of
cannabis is extended to six to eight hours." Early-morning nausea? A
liquid under the tongue might do the trick.
We'll find out soon enough if California will soon be abundant with
windowsill marijuana plantsand if legitimization leads to a surge in
commercial growers who add more toxic pesticides to the soil and
water. For more information about the state of legalizing marijuana
in your area, look for it on this map. To learn more about marijuana,
check out High Times. And if it's legal for you to grow, visit
OrganicGardening.com for basic gardening techniques that will give
you healthy plants without the use of toxic chemicals. (Just don't
tell them we sent you!)
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