Project Storm
A couple of months back, I received a text message from a friend of mine who, very excitedly, prompted me to search youtube for ‘Bud Buddies: Project Storm’. I watched the trailer and was amazed at what I saw. I knew it was a subject that would resonate with the Soft Secrets readers, so I got in touch with one of the founders of the group – Jeff Ditchfield - and asked him what it was all about. Special thanks to Mel Thomas for transcribing the interview with Jeff.
A couple of months back, I received a text message from a friend of mine who, very excitedly, prompted me to search youtube for ‘Bud Buddies: Project Storm’. I watched the trailer and was amazed at what I saw. I knew it was a subject that would resonate with the Soft Secrets readers, so I got in touch with one of the founders of the group – Jeff Ditchfield - and asked him what it was all about. Special thanks to Mel Thomas for transcribing the interview with Jeff.
A couple of months back, I received a text message from a friend of mine who, very excitedly, prompted me to search youtube for ‘Bud Buddies: Project Storm’. I watched the trailer and was amazed at what I saw. I knew it was a subject that would resonate with the Soft Secrets readers, so I got in touch with one of the founders of the group – Jeff Ditchfield - and asked him what it was all about. Special thanks to Mel Thomas for transcribing the interview with Jeff.
SSUK: Hi Jeff, firstly thanks for speaking with us. Please tell the readers a little bit about yourself and your background.I have been making cannabis oils for medical use since the late 1990’s and over the years I have been heavily involved in the campaign to end the prohibition of cannabis for both medicinal and recreational use.
I was one of the original founders of Bud Buddies which was formed in 2002, our non-profit organisation provided cannabis preparations and extracts for medicinal users from 2002 to 2007. We operated out of medical necessity. I was eventually prosecuted at Chester Crown Court for possession of cannabis with intent to supply and, after a lengthy trial, I was found not guilty. However, the authorities took the case to the Court of Appeal and they subsequently ruled that the defence of “necessity” or “duress of circumstances” cannot be used as a defence in cannabis cases.
I have written books on cannabis cultivation and I have a new book out later this year which I’ve co-authored with Mel Thomas on the medical application and administration of cannabis preparations. I have also lectured at The Royal College of General Practitioners and at John Mores University on the medicinal application of cannabis and I was the former proprietor of The Beggars Belief, the first cannabis coffee shop in Wales.
Over the years I have appeared on BBC1, BBC2, Sky TV, Radio 1, Radio 5 live, HTV, ITV, and also appeared live on the Parliament TV channel with John Reid MP.
What was the concept behind Bud Buddies?
The concept behind the Bud Buddies organization was to assist and supply people with a requirement for medicinal cannabis with standardised preparations such as capsules, tinctures, suppositories, and creams for topical application.
Over the years the Bud Buddies organisation has been through some major changes, the most significant was in 2007 when we relocated to Spain and switched our emphasis from helping people to relieve their symptoms to assisting only cancer sufferers.
What is Project Storm?
Project Storm is a documentary following the lives of six UK terminal cancer patients who have all been told there is nothing more that their doctors can do for them, however the brave individuals didn’t accept this devastating news and they started to research alternative therapies and their journey led them to Bud Buddies and “Project Storm”.
Our protocols for the project have been drawn up based on the research of Professor Manuel Guzman and his team at Madrid University who are pioneers in the research into cannabinoids and cancer, I’m very much looking forward to meeting them again at Madrid University next month.
Films like ‘Run from the Cure’ have inspired thousands of people but we wanted to make a documentary “in real time”, all the participants in the film started on the oil around Christmas last year, this isn’t a film to “prove” that cannabinoids “kill” cancer, it is the story of the six people in the film and their journey.
For me, the bravest people in this film are the parents who are using cannabis oil to treat their terminally ill children, despite the dangers from the UK authorities they feel it is important to let other parents know that there “is still hope” and I’m going to do all I can to help them.
How can our readers get involved with Project Storm?
The documentary has been entirely self-funded to date and we are reaching out to the cannabis community for help in financing the remainder. The cost has been quite substantial so far, however, we have raised some donations via our website www.cannabiscure.info
What advice can you give to readers who would like to produce their own cannabis medicine? Any tips in strain selection, growing or curing techniques?
My advice to anyone who is suffering from any illness that cannabis has been shown to alleviate is to become your own expert. Learn as much as you can about your illness and how it is affecting you.
Your treatment plan depends very much on your condition. If you are treating symptoms such as arthritis then you can simply experiment with cannabis strains and methods of ingestion that give you relief. When treating cancers the process is much more involved.
Your choice of strain depends very much on the cancer you are treating. Many conditions such as lung cancer respond well to high THC oils, however, if you are treating Gliomas or any form of brain tumour then we have found that a 1:1 THC/CBD strain is the most effective.
The University of Madrid’s research indicates that the most effective combination of cannabinoids to treat Gliomas is a 50/50 THC/CBD ratio, this combination was found to be more effective against Glioma cells than either THC or CBD on their own.
Which solvents & extraction techniques do you prefer?
Over the 15 years I have been making cannabis oils I have tried every solvent from ethanol (Everclear) and Isopropyl, to naptha and acetone and many more. My preferred extraction method is ‘Super critical CO2’, however, this is beyond the scope of most home oil producers and I’d suggest they use ethanol, either Everclear if it is available or an alternative like Spiritus.
A good ethanol extraction can give you an oil with a potency in the region of 60 – 70% cannabinoid content. You can make oils of 90% plus purity but you would require a non-polar solvents for the process. For more information on solvents and extraction techniques please visit our website www.cannabiscure.info. All of the information is available to download.
Where can our readers get more information on Project Storm?
To find out more about the amazing people in this project and to follow them on their journey please view the film trailer at
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Soft Secrets
