Why grow your own cannabis?

Table of contents:

III. What you need to grow your cannabis

Today we started our series on cultivation, dive into our first text on the benefits of growing cannabis yourself!

If you smoke weed, we have one question: do you know exactly what you are smoking? Where does it come from? What is the quality of your pot? If your answer is yes, it is a great privilege, since most users buy from the illegal market. Prohibitionism, which aimed to end the use and production of drugs, including cannabis, has failed – leaving in place thousands of marginalized users, with little information, and people cultivating illegally without the most basic care to produce a high quality flower.

With the prohibitionist reality, all cannabis that arrives or is produced in Brazil is irregular – which means that it does not undergo any kind of quality control, and there is no way to know exactly what you are consuming. Unless, of course, you choose to grow your own cannabis.

Self-cultivation is the main harm reduction strategy for the consumption of cannabis and hashish, mainly in a therapeutic or medicinal way – as they seek specific effects in this huge range of terpenes and cannabinoids that this plant can provide. Although there are already some cannabis-based medicines on the Brazilian market, they are still extremely expensive and barely accessible to the majority of the population. In December last year, brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) approved the regulation of the use of medical marijuana for several cases, but there are still few changes in sight.

One of the points vetoed in this regulation was precisely the planting – on which the president of Anvisa, William Dib, has already declared to be in favor. Unfortunately, we know that this type of decision involves politics, and the governing base is openly against this advance.

However, as so many countries openly debate cannabis legalization and regulation, it is possible to have a little hope. If you have legal authorization to plant, live in a country where cultivation is legal, or simply want to know more about this rich subject, this post brings some of the information you need to understand why growing your own cannabis may be the best choice. Read more! <3

One way to take care of yourself

Here at Girls in Green, the rule is: your health must come first in all actions, especially if you choose to use cannabis. We have already told you a little, through Florzine, about the benefits of self-cultivation for those who focus on Harm Reduction. And there are plenty of good reasons. Among them:

Knowing the strain and the average amount of THC and CBD it contains is a way to avoid psychological discomfort, which can be experienced if you are more sensitive to THC – a substance that can cause experiences such as anxiety and paranoia in predisposed users.
Terpenes, also components of cannabis, are important for several purposes: there are anti-inflammatory drugs, relaxants, and those most concerned with pain relief. Each strain can have a different combination of them, and make it more or less effective for your specific problem.
The way you grow and harvest the plant are essential indicators for the final quality of your cannabis. You can say goodbye to the ammonia-smelling pressed, and hello to healthy, organic buds rich in phytotherapics. Shall we go a little deeper into this?

Quality-oriented cultivation

You might know that, when you do something for those you love, there is a lot of affection involved. And that’s why self-cultivation is great for those who want to follow each of the herb’s development processes, and make sure it is as natural as it can be. And yes, you can have a wonderful result without using pesticides or chemical inputs on your plant. You’ll just need to be careful with each cycle, respect the appropriate temperatures, use nutritious substrates, make appropriate watering… It seems like a lot of work, but we guarantee that it is filled with pure love.

What you need to grow your cannabis

In general, the ingredients for growing cannabis, whether indoors or outdoors, are the same. You must have:

Water: irrigation is important for every plant, and it is no different with cannabis.
Light: natural lighting is what allows plants to feed, through photosynthesis. Therefore, having an average amount of light is essential for the growth of the herb.
Air: a well-ventilated space is essential.
Cultivation medium: it can be dirt, hydroponics or whatever – cannabis needs to be planted somewhere. This medium must allow good irrigation, oxygenation and nutrient distribution.
Nutrients: the essentials are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which can be obtained from ready-made inputs or through composting.
Temperature: between 64F and 86F.

The therapy is not only in cannabis

Have you ever heard of biophilia? The first to use the word was the German psychoanalyst Erich Fromm, to describe the psychological orientation of attraction for everything that is alive and vital. It is this instinct that makes us want to surround ourselves with plants, or think that baby animals are specially cute and fluffy. And it is also what indicates the state of our mental health: this contact with nature is essential for a connection with our own essence.

The act of dealing with the land through gardening is more than a hobby. This experience can have multiple benefits, and even psychology professionals have explored how it can act on our brains. According to American studies, having greater contact with the earth helps human beings to better understand and find acceptance in natural cycles: germinate, vegetate, flower and die. Furthermore, planting improves our connection with ourselves, with others and with the world. And, of course, it still brings the benefits of healthy and organic crops even for those who live in the city, or for those who do not have resources or fairs nearby.

Legally, you need to know

In current Brazilian legislation, Law 11.343/06 establishes, in article 28, paragraph 1, that it is a crime to cultivate, sow or harvest, even if it is for personal consumption, any type of plant intended for the preparation of substances that may cause physical dependence or psychic. Thus, planting cannabis is still prohibited in the country. Those who grow marijuana for sale can be prosecuted and penalized for up to 15 years in prison.

There are already projects that aim to legalize controlled planting. However, the current rules must still be respected.

Did you like to know that? Stay tuned: starting today, our cannabis growing series begins! Each week, we will bring a topic for anyone who is interested in knowing what it is like to plant cannabis, whether to practice or just for curiosity.

Tell us here in the comments what you always wanted to know about the subject!