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Home , Cannabis smoking, Kief

I am not encouraging you to do anything illegal. This is not legal or medical advise.

Social History and Context Humans have been using for at least 10,000 years, likely longer. Early use seems to be material, but soon became culinary and then medicinal and sacramental. spread from the middle east, Asia and India to Europe, Africa and the Americas. Cannabis in all forms was widely used until the 20th century when Cannabis prohibition came into effect. Prohibition has always been about the oppression of minorities and the poor, not about public health. In the 21st Century Cannabis prohibition seems to be coming to a end. Let's all push to end the failed war on , release all those imprisoned for currently legal drugs and expunge the records of those sentenced under the ridiculous laws of the past. • 8000BCE – Earliest documented human use, as a fiber plant • 6000BCE – Earliest documented use as food • 2737BCE – Earliest documented use as medicine • 700BCE – Earliest documented religious use • Cannabis products and cultivation slowly spread throughout the globe. • 100AD – Imported rope reaches England • 1549AD – Cannabis brought to the Americas by Angolan slaves. • 1616AD – Jamestown settlers plant first cannabis in North America, as a fiber crop. • 1764AD – Cannabis listed in The New England Dispensatory as a medicine. • 1850AD - The U.S. Pharmacopoeia lists Cannabis as a medicine • 1930AD – Harry Anslinger starts his personal campaign against “Marihuana” • 1936AD – Propaganda film Reefer Madness published • 1937AD - Marihuana Tax Act taxes and reguolates Cannabis sales • 1941AD - Cannabis is removed from the U.S. Pharmacopoeia • 1944AD - La Guardia Committee Report finds Cannabis not addictive in the medical sense • 1951AD - The Boggs Act and the Control Act usher in harsher penalties. • 1960sAD – Counter culture and adopt Cannabis • 1970AD – NORML founded • 1972AD - Shafer Commission recommends legalization of Cannabis • 1976AD – Federal Government allows Compassionate Use research program • 1976AD – Maine Decriminalizes possession of small amounts of Cannabis • 1986 AD – Federal begins under Reagan • 1992 AD – Federal Government ends Compassionate Use program as many AIDs patients apply • 1996AD – California legalizes Cannabis for medical use • 1999AD – Maine legalizes Cannabis for medical use • 2012AD – Colorado and Washington legalize recreational Cannabis • 2016AD – Maine legalizes recreational Cannabis • 2018AD – Federal Farm Bill legalizes growing of industrial hemp* Botany • There are generally considered to be 3 species in the genus Cannabis: sativa, indica and ruderalis, although recent taxonomic work shows ruderalis is probably a subspecies of sativa. • All species are annuals and usually dioecious (having male and female flowers on separate plants. • All species are native to central Eurasia, but through cultivation have spread nearly globally

Types and Uses: There are 2 main types of Cannabis in cultivation, Hemp and Cannabis.

Hemp: • Usually C. sativa • Low in • Grown for: Food (seeds and oil pressed from them), Fiber (for fabric, rope, etc), Building Materials ( and others), Paper, Biomass, Bioplastics and others. • Legal in most of the world, including the USA, as long as THC levels are below 0.3%. • High CBD hemp, blurs the line between the 2 types Drug Cannabis or : • Usually hybrids of sativa and indica, but could be either species. • High in cannabinoids, containing high levels of THC, CBD or a blend of both. • Used for medicine, recreation or spiritual use. • Can be psychoactive (THC dominant) or not ( CBD only) • The psychoactive effects of a strain are often described as sativa dominant (energetic, cerebral, talkative, anxious) or indica dominant (stoned, sedated, relaxed), while different strains do have different effects, the link between species and these groups of effects is actually quite weak. Legal Restrictions • Please read the statute found at https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/statutes/28-B/title28- Bsec1501.html for more details. • You must be 21 years or older to cultivate, posses or use Cannabis legally, except for medical use with the recommendation of a doctor. • You are not supposed to use psychoactive Cannabis products in public places and definitely not while driving or operating heavy machinery. • Each adult is allowed to cultivate: 3 mature marijuana plants, up to 12 immature marijuana plants and an unlimited number of seedlings. These terms are not defined in the law. • This cultivation can happen on the land where you live, other land you own or on any land where you have written permission from the land owner. If you rent the place where you live you need permission in writing from your landlord. • Your plants can not be visible from the road or other public way. • You must “take reasonable precautions to prevent unauthorized access by a person under 21 years of age“, basically they should be behind a fence. • Each mature plant needs a tag showing the person's name, driver's license number or identification number, and a notation that the marijuana plant is being grown for personal adult use. • Your municipality may set extra restrictions on Cannabis cultivation, so check your local ordinances. • You may participate in both the recreational and programs, all plants must be labeled accordingly. Cultivation • First choose what you would like to harvest (Buds for medicine, Seeds for food, etc) • Next choose whether you will grow from clones or seeds: Clones: Seeds: Pros: Pros: • Already sexed • Cheaper • More of a known quantity then seedlings • More varieties available • Generally require less care then seedlings • You will have male plants if you want them • Ability to train or prune to any system. Con: Cons: • More expensive • Require more effort and time • Less varieties available • Males will need to be identified and removed • Can carry pest or disease issues in many cases. • Potential for less vigorous plants if clones of clones of clones are taken. • Some pruning systems won't work with some clones Now choose a strain from available sources that meets your needs. Indica dominant strains tend to do better in our climate. These strains are good options: Blueberry (most recommended), Northern Lights, Afghani and Pineapple Chunk. THC: CBD: • High feeling • Not psychoactive • • Moderation of THC effects • Stoned or sedated feeling • Anti-inflammatory • Anxiety • Anxiolytic (reduces anxiety) • Change of pace of thoughts • Reduction of seizures or tremors in some • Enhanced enjoyment of activities conditions • Psychedelic like effects • Moderation of pain • Increased pain tolerance • Anti-psychotic • Potential negative side effects THC and CBD: • Effects depend on ratio and strain • Risks of high THC use moderated • Best pain management with both • Historically most strains had both, THC only seems to be a result of recent breeding Auto-Flowering: Photo Period Sensitive aka Normal: • Generally flowers after a set number of days of • Grows leaves and and stems while days are growing, although some strains are effected to longer then 12hrs some degree by photo-period • As the fall equinox approaches plants switch • Simpler to grow into flowering mode, buds ripen after the • Smaller plants take up less space, but yield equinox. less. • When starting plants or waiting to set plants • Generally left unpruned, or pruned very out, they should be kept under 14-18hrs of lightly. light. Set plants out after memorial day. • These plants can grow very large and can yield multiple lbs per plant. • For many strains, feminized seeds are available, these seeds yield only female plants and are very useful, especially to beginners and/or people only growing a few plants. It's always a good idea to keep a eye out male plants before flowering begins, just in case. • Seeds or clones can be started as early as you want, but should be kept under bright lights for 14+ hrs a day, earlier starts yield larger plants and more harvest, although they shouldn't be allowed to become root bound, so plan on potting up to larger pots if you start early. • Cannabis is pretty adaptable, but grows best in full sun and rich soil. Conditions suitable for growing tomatoes should yield good results. Be sure to leave lots of space as these plants get big fast, 6' spacing for regular sized plants is good starting point, but some strains or pruning methods may need even more. Auto-Flowering plants can be spaced more like 2'-3' apart. • If your soil doesn't seem rich enough, I recommend bulk compost as a good place to start. I buy from Wilshore Farm in Falmouth, $35/yd3 207-797-4287 • A heavy organic mulch helps keep soil moist, check soil moisture a couple time a week and deeply as needed. Avoid over watering and soggy soil as they can cause root diseases. • Pruning: ◦ Before flowering begins, you can prune the top of cannabis plants, each time you “top” a stem both growth points immediately below the cut will begin to grow, creating 2 stems and bushier structure. This is desirable because the largest buds grow at the top of the plant on structures called colas. More tops means more bud laden colas. Avoid topping too late in the season. Stopping before mid-August is a good rule of thumb. ◦ Because of the risk of fungal diseases late in the season, it is a good idea to train the branches to a lower angle to create a more open structure. ◦ As plants move into flowering mode you may want to prune off excess leaves and lower buds, the extra air flow and light to the interior of the plant is well worth the lost photosynthesis. Starting in mid to late summer some large leaves may start to yellow, this is ok, yellow leaves should be removed. ◦ It is often a good idea to stake or trellis plants as the they begin flowering, the weight of the bugs can easily knock over unsupported plants. • Diseases and Pests: ◦ Cannabis plants grown in healthy soil are generally pretty pest and disease resistant. However there are lots of possible issue you may run into and two that are quite common in this climate. ◦ Powdery Mildew, this fungus looks like a white dusty coating on the leaves and spreads quickly in the mid to late summer. It is the same sort of fungus that often effects squashes and many other crops. The best defense is a healthy population of beneficial bacteria and fungi on the leaves, which can be helped along by spraying compost , compost extract, diluted whey, EM, or a commercial spray like Companion (Bacillus subtilis). If powdery mildew appears anyway, prune off and remove effected leaves. ◦ The other common disease issue is Bud Rot (Botrytis or Gray Mold), this tends to effect dense bud areas towards the end of the season, especially when heat and humidity are high. Rain followed by hot weather is the worst. The same beneficial bacteria and fungi can help ward this one off too, and as with PM, be on the lookout and prune away any effected buds. Removing the large leaves that grow around the buds can also help. If bud rot is spreading rapidly, it is best to remove all infected buds and then harvest all the good buds, even if it seems like less then ideal timing. Better to have less potent plant material then none at all. Near harvest, as buds become denser, spraying anything can be detrimental, so get your protective sprays on early. • While there are lots of different opinions on the exact right time to harvest cannabis buds, generally you want to wait until the stigmas (thread like bits of female flower that collect pollen) start to turn from white to yellow/brown, then start to watch the trichomes (tiny hairs with a ball of oily resin on top). Density of the buds is another common indicator, if they are still fluffy and light when gently squeezed you may want to wait a few more days. When immature, the trichomes are clear, as they reach peak potency they turn milky. After peak potency the trichomes turn a light brown color, this is called ambering. When 15%-30% of the trichomes have ambered this is often considered ideal, but don't worry if you harvest before that. Along with ambering comes the change of THC into CBN. CBN is a medicinal cannabanoid that is quite sedating, ideal if you want to use cannabis as a sleep aid, but generally not desired in large quantities. Harvest and Curing • Plants often ripen unevenly, so feel free to harvest the top first and leave the rest longer. You can harvest individual branches or huge chunks of the plant. Once cut off the plant carefully bring them under cover to dry. A shed or barn is ideal, but in the house is fine too, but they will smell quite strong for awhile. While drying they should get plenty of air movement, be kept out of the sun and out of freezing temperatures. Branches or large chunks of a plant can be hung from horizonal strings by leaving a stub of a low branch. • The proper level of dryness is a little hard to describe, but amounts to dry to the touch, but not crispy. If your plant material gets too dry you can put it in a closed container for a day with a humidity source (fresh lettuce leaf, damp cloth etc). • Boveda humidity control packets can be placed in closed containers with buds and will control humidity in both directions. • Buds can be cured or partially cured on the stems if conditions remain suitable, or if not you can get them to the proper level of dryness once and cure in jars or other air tight containers. Closed containers should be opened once a week or so for a month or two, as some THC-A will naturally turn into THC, releasing CO2. • The flavor of curing buds develops over 1-2 months, although you can use it whenever you want. • If you will be smoking or vaping this material, it should be trimmed. Using small pointy scissors or precision pruners, trim away the excess leaves and stems away from the buds. This is a fairly time consuming / labor intensive process. As your tools get gummed up with resin, clean them with . If you don't want to get your hands covered in resin, you may want to wear gloves. You can collect the resin from your hands, gloves or tools, this is the simplest form of hash. There are machines for this process, but they generally don't do a great job and are kinda pricey. Potential Risks of THC dominant Cannabis • Children and teens should not use THC containing Cannabis unless directed to do so by a doctor. While arguably safer then alcohol for teens, all the risks of Cannabis are much worse for those under 25. The highest risk comes with daily use around adolescence. Cannabis is legal for anyone 21 or over, but for the ages 21-25 abstaining or limiting yourself to occasional use is a good idea. • Overdoses are not dangerous, but feel awful. Dizziness, nausea, anxiety are common in overdoses, in severe cases feeling “like you are going to die” is not unheard of. Fresh lemon juice and zest (eaten) or fresh black pepper (inhaling the scent) both have terpene chemicals that can take the edge off. Taking CBD can also help. Mostly you will just have to try to relax and wait it out. • Cannabis can slow your reflexes and impair judgment, so it is never OK to drive or use heavy machinery while high. • Cannabis may make it more difficult to learn or focus and this effect appears to last a little longer then the noticeable high effects, so best to leave some buffer time between Cannabis use and school. • For people with psychosis Cannabis can have a triggering effect, some studies suggest that in some rare cases it may cause short term psychosis in individuals that wouldn't otherwise have it. • Cannabis is not classically addictive, however some people do develop a dependency on it, for these people stopping a regular habit can lead to head-aches, depression like symptoms and other unpleasant effects. Luckily these effects usually don't last very long. • Smoking anything, especially very frequently, is bad for you. While smoking lots of Cannabis may damage your upper respiratory system, it doesn't appear to contribute to cancer risk. • Cannabis may cause short term negative effects on your reproductive system. If you are trying to make a baby, you should probably stop using Cannabis for a bit. There is a real lack of data regarding Cannabis use while pregnant or breast feeding, but it's probably not good. • Cotton mouth / Dry Mouth, the most common and minor risk of . Drink some water. • Unlike for humans, pets can be fatally poisoned by Cannabis, so be extra careful with edibles if you have pets around. • Probably preaching to the choir, but gas station CBD and should both be avoided. Cheap CBD products are often mislabeled, adulterated or just canola oil. Synthetics (k2, spice etc) are much riskier drugs and have no quality control, making dangerous overdoses a real risk. Consuming Cannabis as Food • Cannabis leaves are edible at any stage, young leaves are most palatable. Unheated they are not psychoactive and can be consumed in quantity. I personally like them in smoothies best, but they can be added to salads, stir-frys, juiced or consumed any way you choose. If you cook the leaves of high THC plants there may be a low level of psychoactivity, so be aware of that and don't feed them to kids or animals. • Cannabis seeds can be used in a manner similar to sunflower or other edible seeds, they are edible whole, hulled or sprouted. Nutritionally they are a good source of healthy fats, protein, potassium and fiber. You can also blend the seed and boil in water to make a milk substitute. • Chickens and other livestock enjoy Cannabis leaves as food. Consuming Cannabis for Recreation or Medicine Smoking Vaping Oral • Most common • Similar to • Material must be heated to • May damage , smoking, but decarboxylate it before especially with heavy use instead of burning consumption. • Very smelly the material, it is • THC processed through the liver • Fast onset simply heated is chemically changed into 11- • Shorter duration, 2-3 hrs until the hydroxy-thc , which is much is normal cannabinoids more potent and long lasting. • Less risk of overdose, evaporate off it • A different set of feelings then smoke a little, wait a and those are smoking Cannabis, including minute, if you want to be inhaled. psychedelic like effects at high higher, smoke a little • Equipment a little doses. more. more expensive, • Can take up to 2 hours from • Equipment easily $75-$200+ eating until full effects. improvised in a pinch • Less smelly • Easy to overdose because of the • Various types of pipe can • Less risk of delay in onset, start with a small used to smoke Cannabis, damage dose and wait 2+ hrs before or it can be rolled into a • Cannabis eating anymore (), Spliff concentrates can • Longer duration, 4-8 hrs, or even (cigarette of mixed also be vaped, longer. Duration depends on cannabis and ) or one form of this dose and individual () is called dabbing. temperament. Sublingual Topical Other • Sublingual ingestion is usually • No generally psychoactive, There are a myriad of ways done with a alcohol tincture, the although THC applied to a to consume tincture is held under the tongue mucus membrane (like your Cannabis or Cannabis and allowed to absorb into the rectum or vagina) will be extracts blood stream directly. This can psychoactive.) / concentrates,including: produce a similar effect to • Usually used as oil based • Suppositories smoking or vaping, although lotion or salve rubbed onto • Transdermal patches usually some or all of the areas with sore muscles or • Cannabis infused lube tincture gets swallowed and skin issues. processed through the liver. • CBD, THC or Both can be effective. Consuming Cannabis for Medicine • Cannabis has been used as medicine for thousands of years and is a effective treatment for many conditions, however it is certainly not a panacea and only certain strains may be effective for certain issues. • If you are trying to treat a serious condition, you should consult a experienced medical Cannabis provider, more minor issues can often be treated without much advice. • Because of the many profiles of chemicals in Cannabis you may have to try several different types before you find one that helps with your particular problem, start by trying different ratios of THC:CBD and different levels of indica : sativa genetics, from there you can start to examine different levels of various minor cannabinoids and terpenes. • The list of issues treated by Cannabis is long, ever growing and really beyond the scope of this class. However it is worth mentioning some broad categories where people often find Cannabis useful: ◦ Pain – Either acute or chronic, everything from menstual cramps to nueropathic pain to fibromyalgia to a headache. Especially over a long run, Cannabis is much safer then most other options. ◦ Nausea and Low Appetite – Cannabis can help mitigate or even eliminate nausea and most strains stimulate appetite. ◦ Cancer – While Cannabis certainly has anti-cancer properties, it's most common use is in managing the side effects of more mainstream cancer treatments. ◦ Anxiety, Depression and PTSD – While anxiety can be a side effect for some people with some strains of cannabis, many people can relief from these conditions. Cannabis can be used to mitigate everything from a stressful day at work to crippling PTSD and everything in between. Like everything, it doesn't work for everyone. ◦ Insomnia – If you wish to use Cannabis to help you get to sleep, or stay asleep, selecting the strain right strain and harvest time are important. Indica type effects are indicated. Processing Cannabis • Processing can be a great use for the material you trim off buds, small buds or even leaves. Using high quality buds will yield a stronger product, but good tinctures and fat extractions can be made from trim and leaves as well. • Alcohol tincture: Start by grinding up your plant material, this should then be decarboxylated in the oven, so spread it on some flat pans (ideally on parchment paper) and put it in the oven at 240f for 20-40 minutes. This will make your living space smell VERY strongly of Cannabis, which might be unpleasant for you or others, be warned. Once out of the oven, put the material in a glass jar and cover with high proof alcohol (I use 151 Rum). A medium strength tincture would use about 2 oz. Average potency buds in 1 liter of alcohol. Put the lid on tight and shake the jar. Steep for at least 24 hrs and then strain through a piece of cheese cloth or muslin, squeezing the ball of plant material to extract as much as possible. Store in cool dark place in a glass container. Will keep at least a year or two. Home made tinctures should always be used with caution the first few times, until you know how potent they are. You can also have them lab tested for $40 if you wish to know exactly what is in there. The local lab is www.testedlabs.com, with a drop-off site at Integr8 Health, 170 US-1 Suite 200, Falmouth, ME. • Fat extraction aka Cannabutter: cannabinoids extract very nicely into any kind of fat, olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil, butter, lard etc. These infused fats can then be eaten plain or cooked into anything you desire and (carefully) eaten (by adults). As with tincture, consume with caution until you know how potent the batch is, or get a lab test. Grind the Cannabis. Add to the oil and gently heat for 4+ hrs. Some people prefer to leave it on for 12-24hrs. I like to do this in a crock pot on low, but a double boiler on low works too. Either way, to avoid stinking up the house, I put the oil and Cannabis mixture into a jar, leave some head room and put the sealed jar in a water bath in the crock pot. This jar should be opened every once in a while to let off the CO2 released by the process. Allow the material to cool to a comfortable temperature and pour into a piece of cheesecloth or muslin and squeeze out as much oil as you can. Store in a sealed container in the fridge or freezer. You can compost the remaining oily plant material, or save it for use as a topical poultice. Fat extractions are generally made much less potent then alcohol tinctures, about 1/8oz buds to 1 cup fat. Always label anything infused with Cannabis! • Concentrates: These super-potent Cannabis extractions are beyond the scope of the beginning user, but are worth mentioning briefly. There are some preparations that can only be prepared using concentrates and if you want to have a really high dose concentrates are a convenient way to do that. There are two main types: Physical Concentrates: Concentrates: These focus on removing the sticky, oil laden These use a chemical solvent such as alcohol, trichomes from the buds and squishing them into a or CO2 to dissolve the cannabinoids from plant lump, commonly know as or hash. These are material, the are then removed (and hopefully pretty easy and safe to make at home and don't require recovered), leaving a clean concentrate behind. These much equipment. They are usually smoked or are the most potent form of Cannabis, suitable for vaporized. dabbing or vape pens. • Finger / Scissor hash – The sticky resin that • Butane (BHO) – Can be liquid or coats your fingers and tools while trimming, solid (Shatter). Butane is a more dangerous roll it into balls and save. and less environmentally sound solvent then • – trichomes separated from flowers using others. screens, many grinders have a chamber that • CO2 oil – Using CO2 as a solvent requires collects kief. expensive equipment, but often renders a • Bubble Hash – trichomes separated from liquid oil suitable for vape pens. flowers using ice water and special mesh bags • Rick Simpson Oil (RSO, Phoenix Tears) – The • Rosin – this method uses heat and pressure to only type of solvent concentrate easily made at extract a glassy, very potent concentrate. home. A alcohol extraction is made and then the alcohol is removed with gentle heat, leaving behind a like concentrate often used as a adjunct treatment for cancer and other serious medical issues. Fairly simple stills are commercially available that allow you to recapture ~90% of the solvent, making the process much more economical and sustainable. Further Reading: • Weed: The Users Guide by David Schmader. Very simple, quick read. Covers basic use and enjoyment of Cannabis. • Cannabis Pharmacy by Michael Backes . Good introduction to medicinal Cannabis, lots of good info in terpenes and strains. • Smoke Signals by Martin Lee. Social history of Cannabis, a very engaging read. • Leafly.com – resource for finding dispensaries, learning about strains and a ton of intro level article on many Cannabis topics • Facebook group: Growing Cannabis Outside in Maine. People are generally friendly and helpful, good place to ask questions of the internet and get local answers. https://www.facebook.com/groups/580776045464630