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Homegrown Happiness: Growing Cannabis

December 10, 2019 , , , , ,

What: Laws and regulations about growing cannabis in MA

home grown cannabis plants

Cannabis has earned the name “weed” for good reason. While careful allotments of light, humidity, soil, and nutrients affect its health and potency, cannabis is a resilient plant, built to thrive even in the harshest conditions. With its natural flexibility, cannabis growth can be an enjoyable hobby for people who are interested in growing their own medicine, either for the pleasure of attending to a growing plant or the joy of saving from the costs of dispensary products.

There are regulations and firm restrictions in place for how many plants can be grown in a home and any potential impact on visibility to neighbors. In Massachusetts, each adult may grow up to six plants, themselves, and no more than 12 plants per household with more than two adults.  The plants must be grown in a secure, preferably lockable location, and they may not be visible from a public place.

It’s also important to know that just because it is legal for adults to grow cannabis, landlords and private living facility operators like nursing home or assisted living facilities often have the final say on the cultivation of cannabis on their property.

In general, gardening has been associated with reducing stress, depression, and anger. Considering these benefits, and the positive effects that cannabis medicine offers, once the crop is ready to be cured, cultivating one’s own cannabis is quite an attractive option.

Of note: Cannabis consumed from a home grow should still be lab-tested. Cannabis is a plant especially skilled at absorbing micronutrients (and micro-toxins) from its environment. Even when grown in “organic” soils, undesired contaminants can seep into the plants. Lab testing facilities exist and are easily accessible in all states with legal medical cannabis, and typically cost anywhere from $0 to $100 dollars for basic testing of final plant products.

References:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/marijuana/2019/12/03/man-charged-for-growing-marijuana-plants-says-thought-could-grow-with-medical-marijuana-card/1j4tpYIWZCvGVuC3v7fT5M/story.html

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/marijuana-in-massachusetts-whats-legal

The forgotten history of hemp growth:

https://www.farmcollector.com/farm-life/strategic-fibers

CED Videos:

https://youtu.be/6-45GAws-Hc

did you know the world's first paper was made of hemp

https://youtu.be/LHA-vUM4D38

early colonial times, hemp was a major american crop
Benjamin Caplan, MDHomegrown Happiness: Growing Cannabis
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Recent Study Reveals Natural Method for Improved Crop Growth (Microbiome!)

November 25, 2019 , , , , ,

Plant-derived coumarins shape the composition of an Arabidopsis synthetic root microbiome

In Summary:

While investigating plant molecules that inhibit parasitic growth, researchers have uncovered a new method for improving crop growth and overall yield. Small molecules, such as flavonoids and coumarins, improve the microbiome of plant roots in order to help them grow and maintain their health. While investigating how the absence of coumarins and flavonoids affect the growth of a common weed the authors stumbled upon a molecular mechanism that will facilitate efforts to grow crops in iron-deficient soils.

Dr. Caplan and the #MDTake:

The natural machinery of Cannabis supports the production of tremendous numbers of flavonoids, coumarins, and microbiome-supporting compounds. Over millennia, cannabis has evolved fastidious attention to detail, and an integral role in the animal ecosystem. Although this natural role has historically been disagreeable to many oppressive movements (religious and cultural), it is nonetheless, self-evident as modern society returns to embrace the science of cannabis. The scientific, medical, textile, farming, nutrition, recreational, and materials construction industries are all wishing only that they had come back to cannabis sooner.

plant microbiome image

the gnotobiotic platform used to investigate the effect of plant metabolism on root microbiome composition
root coumarins shiting the microbial community of plants
root-excluded purified coumarins shiting the microbial community of plants
purified coumarins shiting the microbial community of plants

View this review (yellow link) or download:

Plant-derived coumarins shape the composition of an Arabidopsis synthetic root microbiomeDownload

This paper is also stored here:     http://bit.ly/2rtpc9m    inside the CED Foundation Archive

To explore related information, click the keywords below:

Benjamin Caplan, MDRecent Study Reveals Natural Method for Improved Crop Growth (Microbiome!)
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How to store cannabis

July 22, 2019 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

If stored properly, cannabis can last up to two years.
We are starting to see ground-breaking technology rising in the industry, including filtration of humidity built into packaging, as well as permeable membranes that support the wise guarding of both hydration and terpene/flavonoid concentration.

https://www.leafly.com/news/cannabis-101/how-long-is-my-cannabis-good-for-leaflys-guide-to-storing-cannabi

Benjamin Caplan, MDHow to store cannabis
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Medical cannabis doctors left to handle “backlash” from patients over lack of availability

July 19, 2019 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Though UK doctors have been able to prescribe cannabis since November 2018, very few prescriptions have been issued, because most forms of medical cannabis have not been approved by the government.

In response to thousands of disappointed patients, the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee called for immediate clinical trials focusing on the treatment of intractable childhood epilepsy. 

View this review (yellow link) or download:

Medical cannabis: doctors left to handle “backlash” from patients over lack of availability, MPs sayDownload

This paper is also stored here:   http://bit.ly/2XXYrEJ      inside the CED Foundation Archive

To explore related information, click the keywords below:

Benjamin Caplan, MDMedical cannabis doctors left to handle “backlash” from patients over lack of availability
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Nutritional Supplements Modulate Cannabinoid Content

July 18, 2019 , , , , , , , , , , ,

Title: Impact of N, P, K and humic acids supplementation on the chemical profile of medical cannabis (Cannabis sativa L)

A recent study has come out revealing the effects of nutritional supplements (plant food) on cannabinoid content during the growth of the cannabis plant.

Researchers enhanced nutritional supplements such as humic acids and inorganic nitrogen and potassium and determined that the changes in supplement levels caused variations in the cannabinoid content of the plant organs. This research has demonstrated that maintaining specific nutritional supplements effects the chemical properties of cannabis plants and may play a role in standardizing the cannabinoid content in plants, no matter the region of growth. This knowledge may one day help cultivators with the process of standardizing cultivars, and perhaps help organize strain names and content across state lines.

This work spotlights the inconsistency between cannabis plants, even if they share the same name. The nutrients cannabis plants grow in have been proven to alter the cannabinoid content which changes (sometimes drastically) the effects felt by patients who consume that plant. Growers or enthusiasts who grow cannabis at home may be buying seeds from a known strain, but the same seeds produce a completely different strain, depending on the growing conditions. Standardizing growth conditions will hopefully help cultivators produce strains of the same name with consistent cannabinoid content, making buying safer and somewhat more uniformly regulatable. 

Tweet: A recent study has come out revealing the effects of #nutritional supplements on #cannabinoid content during #cannabis plant growth. Read this and other linked studies:

View this review (yellow link) or download:

Impact of N, P, K and humic acids supplementation on the chemical profile of medical cannabis (Cannabis sativa L)Download

This paper is also stored here:      http://bit.ly/2SigULd   inside the CED Foundation Archive

To explore related information, click the keywords below:

Benjamin Caplan, MDNutritional Supplements Modulate Cannabinoid Content
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Complex Genetics Underlie Cannabinoid Production

June 24, 2019 , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cannabinoid Inheritance Relies on Complex Genetic Architecture

Researchers have recently attempted to discover the genetic basis of cannabinoid production within cannabis plants, finding a complex genetic architecture. This study highlights the lack of knowledge surrounding cannabis cultivation, suggesting current producers record the phenotypic and genetic crosses they breed so that the community can further research the cannabinoids produced. Specifying which genetic profiles match up to the ratio of cannabinoids produced will benefit mass production and medical research.

The introduction of this article focuses heavily on the ratio of ∆-9-tetrahydrocannabinol to cannabidiol, yet there are therapeutic benefits associated with all of the other cannabinoids as well as flavonoids and terpenes produced by the plant. Multiple chemical components of cannabis strains have yet to be fully explored and preliminary findings warrant the same amount of attention in order to develop various therapies.

View this review (yellow link) or download:

Cannabinoid Inheritance Relies on Complex Genetic ArchitectureDownload

This paper is also stored here:   http://bit.ly/2L3PeIl      inside the CED Foundation Archive



Benjamin Caplan, MDComplex Genetics Underlie Cannabinoid Production
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