Soft Secrets : How A Magazine Helped Change The World
The magazine first appeared in the UK. and then Europe, where it saw immense popularity. The rest, as they say, is history.
In 1984, after getting tired of poor-quality imported cannabis, Wernard Bruining wanted to help growers grow high-quality weed at home. To do so, he founded the world's first cannabis grow shop in Amsterdam: Positronics.
After learning about growing techniques and growing equipment from legendary Cali grower Old Ed, Bruining began stocking the shelves at Positronics with lamps, seeds, nutrients, and everything else needed to bring a cannabis plant to harvest. Local growers began producing cannabis with high-quality seeds, raising the standards of cannabis in the city.
The Birth of Soft Secrets
After founding a membership program, Bruining then began to publish a magazine to explain cannabis cultivation techniques. He titled the journal Soft Secrets and recruited the only person with enough free time and enthusiasm to become an editor: his wife.
My motto was “knowledge is power,” Wernard Bruining states in an interview published in 2019.
As explained on the Positronics website, in his book “Positive Cannabis,” Bruining shares his vast experience in the cultivation, use, and effects of cannabis. The book focuses on all the aspects of the cannabis plant addressing both the positive qualities and some of the common myths and fears.
The book covers many aspects of cannabis, starting with an introduction to the plants' history and culture. It then goes on to explain how the plant has been used by various cultures for thousands of years for its medicinal and spiritual properties.
Next, the author delves into the chemical components of the plant and their effects on the human body. Bruining explains how THC acts in the brain to produce the plant's signature effects, such as relaxation, euphoria, and alteration of time and space.
He also discusses CBD, another subject of great interest in recent years due to its potential therapeutic effects. Bruining explains how CBD acts in the body and how it can be used to treat a variety of medical conditions, including chronic pain, anxiety, and epilepsy.
Soft Secrets helped hobby growers in the grow room, but unfortunately, the publication came to a halt when Positronics closed down during the mid-1990s. However, it would soon receive a new lease of life.
How did Soft Secrets Return?
High Life magazine has been published since the mid-1990s with great success. Founder Boy Ramashai decided to expand and take on a new challenge. He took on Soft Secrets and hired the Dutch freelance journalist Cliff Cremer to come on board as the editor. Cremer quickly set out his idea for what Soft Secrets should be: a magazine for growers, by growers.
The magazine first appeared in the UK. Shortly after, Soft Secrets appeared in Spain, where it saw immense popularity. The rest, as they say, is history.
Of course, you the readers are the fundamental part of Soft Secrets, without your support, we wouldn't be able to carry on, so thank you very much!
More From Soft Secrets:
Soft Secrets, Perfect Grow, What Makes a Great Seed
Soft Secrets "How to Grow" Project
L
Liz Filmer
