The Photoperiodism of Medical Marijuana

The Photoperiodism of Medical Marijuana

Thank goodness my Chow’s winter coat is in, because it was freezing this morning. The geese also seem ready to pack up and fly on their cool weather mission. The animal kingdom contains built in regulators for mating, shedding, hibernation, and much more. In the plant world, there are several in house regulators as well. One of the most fascinating plant receptors, the one which will tell your Medical Marijuana to bud out, is photoperiodism. Botanist researchers have found that it is length of darkness that influences plant growth.

The most important decision regarding cultivation of Medical Marijuana is which strain to use. Your seeds will need to be compatible with the photo period. In California, outdoor growing of Marijuana is as simplistic as, 1-2-3. Toss out some seeds during a spring rain, then periodically cultivate, and when the plants sense the summer day length waning, she’ll begin to flower. In warm weather climates, Medical Marijuana gardening is easy, and you may use Cannabis Sativa (the big plants), Cannabis Indica (the shorter, bushy plants) and finally a mixture or cross of the two, Indica/Sativa.

However, no need to fret my cool weather friends. Most seed banks can accommodate any planting climate zone. For example, in Vancouver, Canada – many growers are lyrical over the “Early Skunk” strain. Seed banks also have Marijuana varieties that “automatically” flower, regardless of photoperiod. I prefer my own seeded crop, as my strain is now indigenous to the area, including climate and photoperiod.

Light duration involves the length of exposure to light in a 24-hour period. Plants have an internal mechanism for keeping track of light exposure they receive each day. The length of days can have a direct effect on the growth of many plants. Greenhouse crops like chrysanthemums and poinsettias will begin to flower naturally in the fall when the day length is shorter. They are said to be short-day plants. These plants grow vegetatively when the days are long.

In order to produce enough vegetative growth on the plants, growers have to extend the day by artificially lighting the plants at night. Incandescent lights are turned on from 10pm – 2am. This is usually done with the aid of timers. Flower initiation, or development of the flower’s buds, begins when the days are short. If the days are naturally long, growers shorten the days by pulling a light-proof cover over the plants. The covers are pulled automatically or by hand around 5pm and removed about 8am. This shortens the day and induces flowering. If you choose to grow your Medical Marijuana indoors, you control the length of days. You’ll bring on one of two plant responses. The plants will be kept in a vegetative stage of growth or encouraged to flower.

Indoor lights are usually on for 18-20 hours, so once you cut back on your Medical Marijuana crop, the plants flower. A HPS (High Pressure Sodium) bulb is a nice addition to your indoor garden, as it emits an orange-red glow.  This band of light triggers hormones in plants to increase flowering/budding. As you can see, indoors, YOU are Mother Nature! Which ever way you go have fun, and keep growing American.

Medical Marijuana & the Greenhouse Effect

Medical Marijuana & the Greenhouse Effect

Even in a warm climate growing State like California, gardeners still make use of the Greenhouse. The so-called “greenhouse effect” ensures that heat from the sun is trapped inside the greenhouse. Sunlight enters as short-wave radiation which can pass through glass. Once reflected by the plants and soil, it becomes long-wave radiation which cannot penetrate the glass to get out.

The Medical Marijuana grower now takes over, and nature is relegated to a back-seat driver status. Cultivation under the Greenhouse effect allows for total control of the plants environment – soil, water, temperature and light.

The object of the Greenhouse is to increase the range of plants grown, or to lengthen their useful season Medical Marijuana is also afforded some privacy, as prying neighbors or rip-off artists, do not need to see your lush medicinal wonderland. The best type of Greenhouse is one with a topsoil bottom. A 10×10 box frame of corrugated fiber-glass and 2×4s works wonders. This type of lay-out is great for growing huge Sativa strains or Sativa/Indica mixed varieties. When the plants reach ceiling high, the main stem (cola)
can be cut, or topped off. You may be hesitant to do this at first, but it makes your plants fill out all around, similar to pruning.

In colder climates, it’s probably best to use large pots of soil medium/fertilizer mixes for your plants. Utilizing the winter sun to keep the Greenhouse effect, is foremost in the colder States.

Many growers have an indoor garden, outdoor garden, and Greenhouse – operating all at once. The indoor garden may be a “seeder crop”, designed to produce an abundance of seeds, possibly leading to the next hybrid as well. The outdoor garden could have only the smaller Indica plants growing, and the Greenhouse could have Sativa’s, mixes, and sometimes year-round cultivation going on. As long as your plants are fairly warm, you’ll enjoy the Greenhouse effect.

Caution: make sure you are well hydrated before entering in the Greenhouse to work. While weeding, watering, or checking for pests, you may get a little light headed from the heat build-up, especially during summer months. Try to garden in the morning or late evening, to avoid the Greenhouse effect, affecting you. Have fun, and keep growing American.
Joyce

Medical Marijuana & the Greenhouse Effect

Medical Marijuana & the Greenhouse Effect

Even in a warm climate growing State like California, gardeners still make use of the Greenhouse. The so-called “greenhouse effect” ensures that heat from the sun is trapped inside the greenhouse. Sunlight enters as short-wave radiation which can pass through glass. Once reflected by the plants and soil, it becomes long-wave radiation which cannot penetrate the glass to get out.

The Medical Marijuana grower now takes over, and nature is relegated to a back-seat driver status. Cultivation under the Greenhouse effect allows for total control of the plants environment – soil, water, temperature and light.

The object of the Greenhouse is to increase the range of plants grown, or to lengthen their useful season Medical Marijuana is also afforded some privacy, as prying neighbors or rip-off artists, do not need to see your lush medicinal wonderland. The best type of Greenhouse is one with a topsoil bottom. A 10×10 box frame of corrugated fiber-glass and 2×4s works wonders. This type of lay-out is great for growing huge Sativa strains or Sativa/Indica mixed varieties. When the plants reach ceiling high, the main stem (cola)
can be cut, or topped off. You may be hesitant to do this at first, but it makes your plants fill out all around, similar to pruning.

In colder climates, it’s probably best to use large pots of soil medium/fertilizer mixes for your plants. Utilizing the winter sun to keep the Greenhouse effect, is foremost in the colder States.

Many growers have an indoor garden, outdoor garden, and Greenhouse – operating all at once. The indoor garden may be a “seeder crop”, designed to produce an abundance of seeds, possibly leading to the next hybrid as well. The outdoor garden could have only the smaller Indica plants growing, and the Greenhouse could have Sativa’s, mixes, and sometimes year-round cultivation going on. As long as your plants are fairly warm, you’ll enjoy the Greenhouse effect.

Caution: make sure you are well hydrated before entering in the Greenhouse to work. While weeding, watering, or checking for pests, you may get a little light headed from the heat build-up, especially during summer months. Try to garden in the morning or late evening, to avoid the Greenhouse effect, affecting you. Have fun, and keep growing American.
Joyce

Medical Marijuana as an analgesic versus Narcotic analgesics

Medical Marijuana as an analgesic, versus Narcotic analgesics.

While visiting a convalescing friend, she asked if I could run down to the pharmacy and pick up her pain prescription. One was ready and I agreed to sit for whatever duration until the second was complete. While waiting, I began reading the admonitions on the prescription package required by law.  I was completely flabbergasted at the information, especially in comparison to the heat and controversy applied to Medical Marijuana, and just Marijuana in general. My friend’s pain pills were classified under the “Narcotic Analgesics” category.

In addition to individual drugs within the category, the following effects are common to most narcotic analgesics. Respiratory: Respiratory depression, apnea. CNS: Dizziness, lightheadedness, sedation, lethargy, headache, euphoria, mental clouding, fainting, idiosyncratic effects, including excitement, restlessness, tremors, delirium, insomnia. GI: N&V, vomiting, constipation, increased pressure in billiary tract, dry mouth, anorexia. CV: Flushing, changes in HR and BP, circulatory collapse. Allergic: Skin rashes, including pruritus and urticaria. Sweating, laryngospasm, edema. Miscellaneous: Urinary retention, oliguria, reduced libido, changes in body temperature. Narcotics cross the placental barrier and depress respiration of the fetus or newborn.

DEPENDENCE AND TOLERANCE

All drugs of this group are addictive. Psychologic, physical dependence and tolerance develop even when clients use clinical doses. Tolerance is characterized by the fact that the client requires shorter periods of time between doses or larger doses for relief of pain. Tolerance usually develops faster when the narcotic analgesic is administered regularly and when the dose is large.

I won’t even list the OVERDOSE MANAGEMENT section, but one symptom is death. Upon further investigation, I obtained a 2007 edition of PDR, Nurse’s Drug HANDBOOK (George R. Spratto & Adrienne L. Woods) THE INFORMATION STANDARD FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS AND NURSING CONSIDERATIONS.

Just browsing through this handbook, you’ll begin to realize that narcotic analgesics aren’t alone in stacking up the side effects, versus therapeutic benefits, and Medical Marijuana pales in comparison to the majority.

Hopefully, I can continue with the physical blessing of good health. However, if I’m ever convalescing and in need of an analgesic, I’ll opt for Medical Marijuana and simply contend with a slight increase in appetite.

Joyce

Medical Marijuana & the Greenhouse Effect

Medical Marijuana & the Greenhouse Effect

Even in a warm climate growing State like California, gardeners still make use of the Greenhouse. The so-called “greenhouse effect” ensures that heat from the sun is trapped inside the greenhouse. Sunlight enters as short-wave radiation which can pass through glass. Once reflected by the plants and soil, it becomes long-wave radiation which cannot penetrate the glass to get out.

The Medical Marijuana grower now takes over, and nature is relegated to a back-seat driver status. Cultivation under the Greenhouse effect allows for total control of the plants environment – soil, water, temperature and light.

The object of the Greenhouse is to increase the range of plants grown, or to lengthen their useful season Medical Marijuana is also afforded some privacy, as prying neighbors or rip-off artists, do not need to see your lush medicinal wonderland. The best type of Greenhouse is one with a topsoil bottom. A 10×10 box frame of corrugated fiber-glass and 2×4s works wonders. This type of lay-out is great for growing huge Sativa strains or Sativa/Indica mixed varieties. When the plants reach ceiling high, the main stem (cola)
can be cut, or topped off. You may be hesitant to do this at first, but it makes your plants fill out all around, similar to pruning.

In colder climates, it’s probably best to use large pots of soil medium/fertilizer mixes for your plants. Utilizing the winter sun to keep the Greenhouse effect, is foremost in the colder States.

Many growers have an indoor garden, outdoor garden, and Greenhouse – operating all at once. The indoor garden may be a “seeder crop”, designed to produce an abundance of seeds, possibly leading to the next hybrid as well. The outdoor garden could have only the smaller Indica plants growing, and the Greenhouse could have Sativa’s, mixes, and sometimes year-round cultivation going on. As long as your plants are fairly warm, you’ll enjoy the Greenhouse effect.

Caution: make sure you are well hydrated before entering in the Greenhouse to work. While weeding, watering, or checking for pests, you may get a little light headed from the heat build-up, especially during summer months. Try to garden in the morning or late evening, to avoid the Greenhouse effect, affecting you. Have fun, and keep growing American.
Joyce

The Benefits of Medical Marijuana Include The Placebo Effect

The Health Benefits of Medical Marijuana Include, “The Placebo Effect”.

The health benefits of Medical Marijuana include something known as the placebo effect. The placebo effect is a phenomenon where a patient’s belief in the treatment or medicine will change his/her condition. When the patient’s condition improves, we can then say that the treatment or medicine had a therapeutic effect. In reality, the patient’s pill may have been inert, one without medicine in it- a fake medical intervention.

Case in point, many years ago I coached a freshman Cross-Country team. One of the biggest obstacles in distance events is the mental aspect, breaking through the fatigue factor. This may remain even after many strenuous work-outs. The day of our first race, I could tell that my athletes were extremely nervous and lacking confidence. This was in spite of excellent work-outs and training habits. On the bus to the meet, I passed out small pills to all the runners, and said, “Take these boys; it will make you run fast, with lots of endurance.” Upon completion of a victorious race on our part, the kids asked if they could always get these pills. I told them salt pills didn’t help them, it was their training! What my runners experienced was the “placebo effect.”

In 1955 Henry K. Beecher’s , “The Powerful Placebo”, has illustrated the phenomenon that has been considered to have clinically important effects.  In recent years however, many trials and studies have been conducted with controversy throughout. One thing for sure, the psycho-active properties of Medical Marijuana may enhance the placebo effect. Finally, the placebo effect points to the importance of perception and the brain’s role in physical health, especially when it comes to pain. Never in the history of modern medicine has a treatment or drug been as heavily anticipated as Medical Marijuana. With the anticipation there will be a lot of therapeutic effect, as the result of the placebo effect.

Well, whatever works, right?

Medical Marijuana & the Greenhouse Effect

Medical Marijuana & the Greenhouse Effect

Even in a warm climate growing State like California, gardeners still make use of the Greenhouse. The so-called “greenhouse effect” ensures that heat from the sun is trapped inside the greenhouse. Sunlight enters as short-wave radiation which can pass through glass. Once reflected by the plants and soil, it becomes long-wave radiation which cannot penetrate the glass to get out.

The Medical Marijuana grower now takes over, and nature is relegated to a back-seat driver status. Cultivation under the Greenhouse effect allows for total control of the plants environment – soil, water, temperature and light.

The object of the Greenhouse is to increase the range of plants grown, or to lengthen their useful season Medical Marijuana is also afforded some privacy, as prying neighbors or rip-off artists, do not need to see your lush medicinal wonderland. The best type of Greenhouse is one with a topsoil bottom. A 10×10 box frame of corrugated fiber-glass and 2×4s works wonders. This type of lay-out is great for growing huge Sativa strains or Sativa/Indica mixed varieties. When the plants reach ceiling high, the main stem (cola)
can be cut, or topped off. You may be hesitant to do this at first, but it makes your plants fill out all around, similar to pruning.

In colder climates, it’s probably best to use large pots of soil medium/fertilizer mixes for your plants. Utilizing the winter sun to keep the Greenhouse effect, is foremost in the colder States.

Many growers have an indoor garden, outdoor garden, and Greenhouse – operating all at once. The indoor garden may be a “seeder crop”, designed to produce an abundance of seeds, possibly leading to the next hybrid as well. The outdoor garden could have only the smaller Indica plants growing, and the Greenhouse could have Sativa’s, mixes, and sometimes year-round cultivation going on. As long as your plants are fairly warm, you’ll enjoy the Greenhouse effect.

Caution: make sure you are well hydrated before entering in the Greenhouse to work. While weeding, watering, or checking for pests, you may get a little light headed from the heat build-up, especially during summer months. Try to garden in the morning or late evening, to avoid the Greenhouse effect, affecting you. Have fun, and keep growing American.
Joyce

Medical Marijuana – Is It For Real?

The humble little cannabis sativa plant is the center of one of the hottest issues between politics, religion, and medicine in all of history. Amidst all of the controversy and regardless of where they stand on the issue, medical professionals must find themselves curious about it. Is marijuana the miracle drug it is purported to be in some circles, or is this a lot of media hype? And likewise, is marijuana the dangerous, addicting road to drug-addled debauchery that the moral crusaders would have us believe, or is that, too, a lot of hype?

The claims about the medical benefits of marijuana, if all true, would instantly make it one of the most versatile drugs in history. So far, researches have proposed that it could treat Alzheimer’s disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, diabetes mellitus, dystonia, fibromyalgia, gastrointestinal disorders, gliomas, hepatitis C, hypertension, incontinence, osteoporosis, pruritis, rheumatoid arthritis, sleep apnea, and Tourette’s syndrome. The reports of new finding pour in every day. The latest claim is that cannabis extracts may shrink brain tumors and other cranial cancers by blocking the growth of the blood vessels which feed them.

Beyond medical treatment of existing ailments, marijuana is also claimed to be preventative of a whole larger spectrum of problems as well. It is supposed to prevent blindness, migraines, and depression. It is said that marijuana has both stalled the growth of and eliminated brain tumors in rats. Oh, and it fights hardened arteries and actually helps cleanse the lungs, preventing tumors. Come on, can it really be all that? What else, does it make whites whiter and colors brighter?

It could be argued that much of the news of marijuana’s health treatment uses are motivated by the desire to legalize it for recreational usage as well. After all, we are talking about a cheap, easily cultivated, low-dosage psychoactive narcotic with a mellow high, almost no side effects, and a low physical addiction rate.

Its effects can be felt merely by eating it, although smoking and, increasingly, vaporizing it are the preferred methods of recreational consumption. There have so far been no reported deaths or reports of permanent injuries sustained as a result of a marijuana overdose. There’s no sense fooling ourselves – people want to party, and those with a recreational motive might make up any fact they could get their hands on to justify their right to party.

A marijuana dosage and its associated high produce a group of psychoactive effects. The inebriated state is somewhat comparable to the effects of alcohol. Temporary impairment of memory functioning, motor skills, and cognition are all demonstrated. However, marijuana’s effects are largely dependent on the mood of the individual at the time of dosage. In short, a body at rest tends to stay at rest, and a body in motion tends to stay in motion. This variable effect is known as “set and setting”.

The illegality of usage and its demonized reputation as a gateway drug have created the flack in the opposite direction. Regarding international laws, it is legal for all uses in just under 10% of the world, decriminalized for medical use in about 50% of the world, illegal but unenforced in 10% of the world, and fully illegal in 30% of the world. Part of that is misleading, however – it is either decriminalized or legal for medical purposes in 18 states of the US as far as state laws go, but still illegal on a Federal level. Also, in parts of Europe, it is legal only in designated areas, so the whole country doesn’t really count.

Finally, “decriminalized” isn’t the same thing as “legal”, but only means that possession is punishable by a citation, confiscation, and a fine instead of by prison time.

It is probably logical to conclude that there is a substantial amount of propaganda and misinformation from both marijuana advocates and opponents due to the legal issues of marijuana, including the legal and political constraints on marijuana research, the firmly held beliefs of the public, and the religious beliefs against it. The most confounding factor in marijuana research is said to be the prevalent usage of other recreational drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, in the research subjects.

Such research complications demonstrate the need for studies on marijuana where stronger controls are used, and investigations into the symptoms of marijuana use that may also be caused by tobacco or other drugs. Much marijuana research in the United States is funded by government agencies that publish position papers which only cite research studies that report negative consequences of marijuana use. In light of this, some people question whether these agencies are making an honest effort to present an accurate, unbiased summary of the evidence, or whether they are slanting the results in favor of keeping it criminalized.

The medical field is caught in the middle of an ethical and scientific tug of war, which should be a familiar feeling to many. After the huge controversies over abortion, stem cell research, scientific findings pointing to evolution, cloning and gene therapy, cosmetic surgery, and artificial insemination, one could hardly blame medical researchers if they got disgusted and quit – or at least packed their bags and left the country for a place where they could do their job without quite so much politics getting in the way.

The medical marijuana controversy has reached a particularly poignant milestone just recently. The case is one Ms. Angel Raich, who is a long-term and terminally-ill medical cannabis patient in California. Ms. Raich is an Oakland mother of two who suffers from scoliosis, a brain tumor, chronic nausea and other ailments and complications.

On her doctor’s advice, she eats or smokes marijuana every couple of hours through the day to ease her pain and bolster her appetite as conventional drugs did not work. In spite of this, the hospice where she was staying got raided, and she faces criminal prosecution. Her doctor has protested that marijuana is the only thing keeping her alive, and the federal appeals court has now handed down the decision that she is to be prosecuted by the law – anyway!

Not only that, but this is not even the first time that medical marijuana has been denied as a treatment option, even to those terminally ill and even in states where it is legal for medical usage. This sobering state of events highlights the bind that the medical profession is in. There has seldom in history been such a case where criminal law and the Hippocratic Oath have been at such odds with each other.

The Legal Issues Behind Medical Marijuana in Colorado

Medical Marijuana is a term used to denote the administration of Marijuana for “debilitating” medical conditions such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, etc., or severe conditions with symptoms that can be eased by use of the drug – severe pain and nausea, seizures, multiple sclerosis, et al. There are important clauses and rules in effect since the year 2000 that the Colorado Marijuana Clinic wants every medical marijuana patient to be aware of, lest the patient or its parent/primary caregiver do something unlawful and punishable.

Before a patient can start the use of cannabis, it is necessary to ask his physician for three things:

1. The risks and benefits of medical use of Marijuana, especially in relation to the patient’s debilitating condition.

2. A written documentation signed by the physician stating that the patient has a debilitating condition that calls for the medical administration of Marijuana.

3. A patient should also never procure marijuana unless he receives the registry identification card.

Without procuring the above, no patient should self-medicate himself with Marijuana, according to the laws of the state, states the Colorado Marijuana Clinic. The section does not provide protection to any patient or caregiver to acquire, sell, manufacture and produce, distribute or dispense, or transport Marijuana for any use which is not medical.

A patient and his caregivers should also remember that Marijuana seized from them by local authorities should immediately be returned once the district attorney proves that the patient is entitled to such protection by the amendment. Confidentiality is a primary concern among many patients, and under not circumstances will any medical facility, marijuana dispensary or the Colorado Marijuana Clinic will reveal the patient’s names and identity.

Once a patient’s conditions are not debilitating anymore, he is required to return his identification card. No patient my posses more than two ounces of medical marijuana, and no more than six marijuana plants, with three or fewer flowering with mature seeds. Use of Marijuana is strictly prohibited in view of the general public or in public places. For patients under the age of eighteen, two physicians have to diagnose debilitating medical conditions. Notwithstanding all of this, the amendment was to provide medical patients with reprieve from their conditions, and most clauses can be “bent”, if and only if the patient’s medically debilitating conditions required so.

Why Physicians Oppose Medical Marijuana

If you are wearing medical uniforms, with health on top of your mind, will you suggest the use of cannabis to your patient? While the American Medical Association and other big health organizations supporting further research on any therapeutic benefits, physicians too, should have a clear stand on this issue.

As we can see, more and more states and cities in the U.S. are drafting and passing bills that would legalize ganja. However, amidst debate, pot shops are selling marijuana like candies; and they are sprouting like mushrooms. Within the 13 states where there is an existing marijuana law, its legal status is still behind the smoke. In fact, some so called patients end up in jails.

Why should doctors take a firm stand? Primary reason, marijuana is listed as Schedule I in federal drug laws, which means it has no legitimate medical use. Secondly, no medical authority recognizes it as effective treatment for any condition. It may bring some easing effects on patients with long list of diseases, medical conditions or symptoms, but scientific evidence is lacking.

Many physicians give their opinions why they are against it.  Medical marijuana procon website listed some of what physicians say about the issue. Richard Carmona, MD, U.S. Surgeon General, told New York Times Magazine, “I approach [the medical marijuana issue] not as a legal issue, but as a health issue and I cannot recommend to anyone that they smoke. First of all, smoking is so bad for you. I can’t say it would be safe to eat [marijuana], because no one has studied the long or short-term gastrointestinal effects.”

With the studies done on heroin, however, medical experts likewise opened the door for cannabis. What should this tell? That we wait until there is solid proof about the medical advantages of marijuana before it is widely and legally marketed. We are not closing doors on the possible medical gains. But it is also important to always go by what FDA says as safe drugs.

At this point though, what we can see is that pot vendors and users took advantage of legalization possibilities. Sadly, its effects are taking toll in communities, especially the young groups.

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