Medical Cannabis. A seed bank perspective.

Cannabidiol, or CBD, is one of the active ingredients in cannabis. Known as a ‘cannabinoid’ it is receiving in depth research for uses in medical conditions as diverse as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and anxiety. To be classified as CBD-rich, the convention in the seed business is that the variety must have 4% (or more) CBD in the dried buds. THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) offers great mental pleasure and relaxation as well as numerous uses to medical users such as appetite enhancement and pain relief. A recent personal experience has involved enjoying a research medical variety that has produced 2.5% CBG (Cannabigerol) alongside 20%+ THC levels. It was a deeply enjoyable experience from a recreational perspective and has encouraged our team in their efforts towards a future CBG-rich variety. We wonder what the eventual medical benefits and uses of a CBG-rich variety might be?

There are still more questions than answers on the subject of medical cannabis. Its a testimony to the tragedy of cannabis prohibition that the medical community is just getting access to legal cannabis for trials and studies. Remember that for many years the only cannabis studies that received funding were those looking into the negative aspects of cannabis use. For those living in countries where cannabis is illegal, the best way to supply your needs is to grow it yourself. Its also the cheapest way to get cannabis. Go to any grow shop and buy a budget grow tent, light and equipment and it will probably pay for itself on the first grow. But the real benefit of growing your own medical cannabis is that you can choose the genetics that work best for you. For some its an indica, for others its a sativa. Some people prefer CBD-rich varieties and others just adore a particular variety grown from a specially selected mother plant. Many medical growers are satisfied with a general high-THC variety. These are easy to grow from either feminized autoflowering seed or feminized photoperiod seed.

These days a lot of home growers find that autos are the most convenient way to keep themselves constantly supplied. Just set the light timer for 20 hours of daily light and germinate a new seed every couple of weeks. That way you get plants maturing every couple of weeks from a single tent. Whether the auto is a seedling or a mature female they are all happy under the same light schedule and for many medical home growers that makes growing very convenient. Its interesting to see that, even in countries where cannabis can be bought legally from dispensaries, many of the most serious medical cannabis users still have a strong preference for their own home grown cannabis. Perhaps part of that is the knowledge that home grown cannabis has been cultivated from proven genetics and is uncontaminated with pesticides etc. Whether medical cannabis is legal or not, for many medical cannabis users the best way to secure a low cost supply of top quality meds is still to grow your own. By Tony, Dutch Passion Seed Company