Hallo, ik ben Theo Van Zon, ik ben een professionele biomedische technicus met veel ervaring in het totale beheer van zorgtechnologie en biedt oplossingen die organisaties helpen hoogwaardige patiëntenzorg te leveren door middel van tijdige, nauwkeurige en kosteneffectieve zorg. Sterk vermogen om technische gegevens en elektrische schema's te begrijpen en te begrijpen; getraind om problemen tot op componentniveau op te lossen.
The European continent is in the midst of a cannabis policy revolution. For many years, medical cannabis reform was the ‘hot’ policy area for cannabis enthusiasts and observers, and rightfully so. However, things are really starting to heat up on the adult-use cannabis policy side of the equation as well, with a handful of countries exploring such reforms.
Germany recently made international headlines when the incoming governing coalition announced plans to legalize cannabis for adult use and to launch a regulated recreational cannabis industry. Other countries such as Luxembourg and Malta have also made legalization announcements, although the policy changes differ and appear to be more limited compared to what is being proposed in Germany, at least from an industry standpoint. The differences in proposed policies across Europe have a lot of people wondering what constitutes actual adult-use legalization?
Is There Already Legalization In Europe?
In many people’s minds, no country has legalized cannabis for adult use in Europe. However, there are forms of legalization already in place, at least in some nuanced ways. One of the most notable is in Switzerland, where low-THC cannabis products have been sold legally since 2017. Cannabis products that contain less than 1% THC are sold all over the country and are very popular.
Another notable example of semi-legalization can be found in Italy, where the country’s highest court (no pun intended) ruled in late 2019 that ‘small scale’ cultivation for personal use is legal. While the court’s ruling provided some legal protections for cultivators, it left many unknowns, including the limits to ‘small scale’ cultivation. Until lawmakers pass a legalization measure, there will always be confusion regarding what is legal and what is not in Italy.
Another legalization trend that is ramping up in Europe is adult-use cannabis pilot programs. Countries like the Netherlands and Switzerland are allowing limited adult-use policies to occur in select cities with the goal of gathering research and insight for crafting nationwide adult-use cannabis laws and regulations. For people that live in those areas, cannabis legalization is basically a reality. However, it’s still not considered to be full legalization since it’s not permanent or nationwide.
Who Will Be First To Legalize In Europe?
With news that lawmakers in Germany, Luxembourg, and Malta are close to legalizing cannabis for adult use in some fashion, there’s a lot of debate about who will be first to legalize in Europe. However, as discussed in this article, it’s still unclear what truly constitutes legalization. For instance, in Luxembourg, plans for legalization have been parred back to no longer include regulated adult-use sales. Legalization in Malta is expected to take on a similar form.
On the other hand, Germany has plans to create a robust, regulated adult-use industry. If/when that proves to be the case, Germany’s legalization model will likely be far superior compared to Malta and Luxembourg, assuming those nations only allow cannabis legalization for personal cultivation and use. Conversely, if Germany does not allow home cultivation, some in the cannabis community consider that not to be true legalization either. Ultimately, what constitutes legalization in Europe is in the eye of the beholder, yet one thing is clear – all forms of legalization are better than cannabis prohibition, which has ruined countless lives on the European continent for far too many years.
Hey-hey Skunkers! Soil amendments and pH, when growing cannabis in containers especially, is uber important to at least have some kind of a grip on. Once a grower said to me: “Almost every issue is a pH issue at its core.” I whole heartily agree with that, however, there are important things all around that statement, some of which I will get to today.
Many pH Up and Down Products are Indeed Organic but a Very Bad Idea to Use on Living Soil
Controlling your pH with things like pH-Up or pH-Down in a living soil is sacrilegious and does way more harm than good. The “good” is fleeting much like using any kind of liquid amendments when leveraging living soil growing in containers. pH-Down (phosphoric acid) dives the pH hard and kills a great number of bacteria. pH-Up (potassium carbonate or potassium hydroxide) is so chalked full of mineral salts (potassium/K) that they accumulate in the root zones effecting pH in those zones negatively, sometimes a month later. Not to mention a straight up P or K overdose is ugly.
I’m going to enlighten those of you unfamiliar with pH effects brought about by using certain (or not using certain) additions to your soil. From messages I have gotten from many of you there is a lack of basic pH understanding of additions, like neem seed meal, as one example of many. Let’s boogie…
Soil Amendments and pH: The Rhizosphere
The Rhizosphere Illustrated Above
A: Amoeba. These guys eat bacteria and supply the roots with NH4—AKA, highly available nitrogen.
BL & BU: Different species of bacteria that feed on sloughed off root cells etc.
RC: Root derived carbon.
SR: Sloughed off root cells.
F: Fungal Hyphae
N: Nematode
The above illustration of the plant’s rhizosphere makes it a tad easier to wrap your head around the real zone that pH influences effect the most. Regardless of your soil’s pH, the pH in the rhizosphere (mostly manipulated by the plant) is what really matters and is where additions of too many minerals/salts accumulate and matter the most.
On the flip side of the coin, bombing your container with organic acid concentrations tends to kill off a lot of the good bacteria. This allows the fungi an “open door” situation in the rhizosphere with no resistance from bacteria. Plus, the lower pH is highly favored by the fungi. A fungus dominated rhizosphere equals a low pH rhizosphere below 6.2 normally, which does not make cannabis happy at all and often kills plants, ugly.
Soil Amendments and pH Effects: Peat Moss
Soils that contain high ratios of peat moss are tough to handle when using the living soil in containers. However, outdoors in the ground or in raised beds, this type of peat moss heavy soil often works fantastic when mixed with the native soil, especially clay heavy soils. Peat moss is jam-packed with fulvic acid. As an acid it tends to lower the pH of the soil. This is especially problematic in containers growing cannabis.
In containers, your soil is already insanely high in organic matter, compared to mineral matter. Decomposing organic matter tends to lower pH in the soil. So, if you double down, using rich organic soil that is also high in ratios of peat moss, you get pretty epic pH diving going on in those containers. This kills off much of the good bacteria that need a pH above 6.8ish. Cannabis favors a bacteria dominant soil, so that’s bad-bad out of the gate.
If you are thinking about recycling your soil like in the True Living Organics method, this high ratio peat moss soil continues to tend to lower the overall pH and tends to get fungal dominant easier; both are bad for your cannabis plants. Coir makes a better soil cut than peat moss, pH-wise, but coir must be thoroughly rinsed off (flushed) with plain water first, or toxic salts/minerals (like potassium) will kill your plants ugly. Coir should be used lightly, if at all; in living soil mixes.
Lime Usage as a Soil Amendment and pH Raising
The Rev
The kind of lime you use in your soil matters quite a bit. Hydrated lime for example, can take your container soil up to 11.0+ pH quickly. If you don’t know, trust me here when I say that is very-very bad. Dolomite lime is your best bet here when growing cannabis in containers, and this is because of two big reasons: 1-Dolomite lime brings calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) to the plant, and cannabis has full pull need for both of these nutrient elements. 2-Dolomite lime is a true buffer. What I mean by that is, dolomite lime takes the pH towards 7.0 pH, no matter if it starts higher or lower. Most lime or calcium soil amendments tend to take pH upwards to various degrees of intensity.
You don’t have to use proper lime for pH considerations in a custom soil mix. You could use ground up oyster shells, DE (diatomaceous earth, food or agricultural grades only), shellfish meal, or wood ashes. Something like wood ashes you would use very lightly like a teaspoon’s worth per gallon of soil mix. Something like crushed oyster shells would be more like 1 tablespoon per gallon of soil mix.
By keeping your soil pH at or above 6.8 is important for the bacteria to get established in the containers’ soil. Once established they can do things via their excretions to keep the pH up higher where they like it, much like fungi can do in your soil keeping it at a lower pH. Cannabis prefers soil pH where the bacteria like it.
Rev’s Tip
Almost all amendments, including lime, need to be composted, or fast composted (cooked) first, before coming into contact with living roots.
The Soil Amendments and pH Effects Bullet List
Here’s a list of some common soil amendments and pH effects they tend to have on your soil. Anything calcium heavy will always take pH upwards, so will most potassium (K) heavy amendments. Container soil is always very high in ratios of organic to mineral matter, and organic decomposition without any kind of pH buffering/controlling tends to lower the soil’s the pH rapidly.
Soil Amendments that Tend to Raise the pH
Coconut coir fiber (this must always be rinsed/flushed thoroughly first before use)
Shredded bark, twigs, dried brown leaves
Wood ashes
Langbeinite (use only with extreme caution as OD is very easy, and a K overdose is a death sentence to your plants)
Oyster shells
Greensand
DE (diatomaceous earth)
Ground gourd or squash seeds (ground seeds in general)
Rice
Shellfish meal
Feather meal
Bone meal
Kelp meal (minimal but noticeable)
Soil Amendments that Tend to Lower the pH
Blood meal
Bat and bird guanos
Humic Acid ore
Coffee/tea grounds and all green plant materials
Raw fish and fish meal
Raw barnyard manures, also rabbit poop
Cottonseed and Neem meal
Alfalfa and soybean meal
Gypsum (this will initially lower pH then switch it up and slightly raise pH which is why it is awesome when constructing a soil mix before composting “cooking” it)
Soft rock phosphate
Peat moss
Afterword
One thing that is really a nice countermeasure here if it’s too late, and your containers’ soil pH is diving, you can buffer your water using dolomite lime. To make dolomite lime water: bubble 1/8th teaspoon of dolomite lime in a gallon of low PPM chlorine free water for 24 hours. You will end up with water that is just about 7.0 pH and around 60 PPM which will buffer all but the most insidious pH dives, like dives driven by anaerobic activity in your containers’ soil. Which also loves uber low pH.
Speaking of anaerobes… Using coir as a growing medium, or even in high ratios in your soil mix can turn deadly fast. Initially the coir is actually an aerating type amendment but as it decomposes it becomes aggregated hunks of water holding non-aerated biomatter.
Remember that low PPM water has no buffering abilities, so if your soil mix has no buffering either it will tend to dive that soil hard into low (deadly) pH zones.
L8r G8rs…
Hope you enjoyed today’s article and that it helped clear you up on your basics when understanding soil amendments, and the pH effects that will likely result. Grab yourselves some killer healthy genetics over at Kingdom Organic Seeds and start your all-natural cannabis garden right. Check out this article: Using Lime in Growing Containers – Skunk Magazine, by yours truly, for more insights on lime usage when growing container cannabis. Byeeeeee…
The Pacific Plastic Patch is growing, and hemp is the only plausible solution. Ditch polythene for pure hemp bags and do your bit in saving the oceans and the planet. Read how hemp bags can help. The Trash Island. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The Plastic Island. The Pacific Trash Vortex. The Pacific Plastic Patch. Irrespective of what you call it, the floating mass of debris accumulation between California and Hawaii in the North Pacific Ocean is growing each day. It is already twice the size of Texas and three times the size of France. That’s a slap on the face of the earth. Marks of which you can view from thousands of miles above in the air. Over 1 million seabirds and 100,000 marine animals are affected by it each year. And the microfibers from the plastic patch can break down to become nanofibers and enter the food chain through fishes. It would pose grave health concerns for us. But did I cause it? Am I responsible? Not really. The plastic found in the patch is several decades old. Maybe you weren’t even born then. When it was first discovered in 1997, you didn’t even have an ounce of contribution to it. What can I do about it? I don’t live near the place. I am not the one dumping plastic there. But you are continuously contributing to its growth. By using plastic carry bags. 80% of the debris in the patch comes from the land, which predominantly includes plastic bags, bottles, and consumer products. Is this a rant about asking me to stop using plastic bags? Show me a legit alternative, and I’d stop. No, this isn’t a rant about the problem of the infamous plastic patch. I have a solution that I wanted to share. I know you, and I cannot just clean up that patch overnight. Cleaning efforts are underway. UN and other international organizations are at it. But the least we can do is not keep adding to the ocean debris. And I do have the perfect alternative to plastic: HEMP. Clearing The Air of Confusion Around Hemp Hemp isn’t marijuana. The super crop has faced many legal hassles because of its close ties to Mary J., but it isn’t anything like it. They share the same plant family, sure. (They are both from the family called Cannabis Sativa) But hemp isn’t psychoactive. It has less than 0.3% THC (the substance that gives the euphoria-like feel.) So when you’ll keep your groceries (or anything else) in a hemp bag, it won’t negatively affect them. And neither will using a hemp bag alter your mental state. What it will change is the production of plastic waste. It will be significantly reduced. And thereby, you’ll be contributing less to the growing Pacific Plastic Patch. Now changing litigation around the use of plastic — banning it completely or adding a deterrent in the form of a plastic tax — is not under my control. But I can offer you an alternative in the form of reusable hemp bags. If you can cut down on your polythene usage, among other things, we can work towards a healthier planet. At Hemp Foundation, we have a range of beautifully designed and carefully crafted hemp bags that not just save the planet from being strangled by plastic but also keep your style quotient high. Oh, so because you have hemp products to sell, you feel hemp is the solution to Trash Island? Well, it is the other way round. Once I saw and understood how much hemp could help the environment, I decided to make hemp products available by growing, processing, and manufacturing these hemp bags and other products. Why only hemp? Aren’t there other alternatives to plastic? Yes, there are. But they all come with their own set of troubles. Cotton, paper bags, even bioplastic, nothing is even half as good as hemp. Don’t believe me? Read on to find out for yourself. Cotton Bags — They Are NOT The Answer People tell me that they are switching to cotton (some even say organic cotton). “Why?”, I ask. “Because it is good for the environment.” Well, that’s not true. Cotton isn’t doing any good for either you or the environment. Why? Because: Cotton is a thirsty crop. And 57% of world cotton production happens in areas with water shortage, which further makes drinking water scarce in those regions. 7% of world pesticide consumption is for cotton. 16% of world insecticides are used for growing cotton. Cotton production results in reduced soil fertility, which means more fertilizers are used later. 1098 liters of water is used to produce one cotton shirt. For an organic cotton shirt, the required water is 2,500 liters. Does that seem good for the environment? No, right? So reusable cotton bags, (even organic ones), aren’t actually good for the environment. Picking cotton over plastic is like going for the lesser evil. But it still is evil. The Pacific Plastic Patch isn’t our only concern. You need to be mindful of pollution, environmental degradation, and water usage as well. Also, you will have to use a cotton bag 173 times before it will compensate for the waste that it produces in production, processing, transportation, and end disposal. Not a possible option, you see? Paper Bags — The Hidden Enemy Of The Environment Paper? Enemy of the environment? That doesn’t sound right. Yes, paper bags can decompose within six months of disposal and would most probably make the soil fertile for further vegetation. But that’s no match to the environmental mess that is created to produce this paper. Also, when paper bags end in landfills, they take longer to decompose. No better than plastic. Here’s how paper bags aren’t even half as good as they seem: Manufacturing a paper bag requires four times as much energy as manufacturing a plastic bag. The world’s forests don’t have enough wood to feed the world’s gluttony for paper bags. And once we […]
Cannabidiol (CBD) use has been increasing since its introduction as a non-psychoactive form of cannabis with substantial positive health effects. So much so that you can find CBD products in many places, maybe even your grocery store.
Although CBD is present in many products, from cosmetics to prescription medications, the wellness industry is the most affected by CBD. While many people initially felt comfortable trying the substance because it is non-psychoactive, CBD has proven its worth. As a result, plenty of skeptics are now believers.
In a study by Moltke and Hindocha, 287 current and past users of CBD responded to an online survey. They reported their CBD use patterns, reasons for use, demographics, and effects on their sleep, anxiety, and stress. The respondents reported consuming CBD for anxiety, sleep problems, stress, and general wellbeing and health. More importantly, they noted the substance’s success in treating their symptoms. [2]
Study after study has demonstrated CBD’s relevance to health and wellness. Unsurprisingly, this has led to an increasing number of medical professionals who stand behind CBD as an alternative to prescription medications. Additionally, there are some medications that contain CBD that are FDA-approved for treating serious illnesses. One of which is Epidolex- a treatment for pediatric seizures associated with Dravet syndrome or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. [1]
With studies like these, it is no wonder CBD is moving out of the Cannabis space and into the health and wellness arena. Even the health professionals with the FDA have seen its value and encourage researchers to explore CBD further. [3]
CBD’s efficacy in treating pediatric seizure disorders indicates a level of trust in the substance that would astound anyone before the mid-2000s. It is safe. It is effective. And people can use it to treat and prevent many illnesses. That is why CBD is taking the wellness industry by storm.
2- Moltke J, H. C. (2021). Reasons for cannabidiol use: a cross-sectional study of CBD users, focusing on self-perceived stress, anxiety, and sleep problems. J Cannabis Res, 3(1):5. .
Japan is known to have some of the most prohibitive laws on cannabis when compared to other countries in East Asia. Although, this comes as no surprise, considering the entire region has a general opposition to anything considered to be a drug. Despite laws on cannabis becoming more liberal in other countries, law enforcement in Japan has increased cannabis-related arrests.
Cannabidiol, (CBD), on the other hand, is legal in Japan and starting to gain popularity. According to the New York Times, expert analysts are estimating the annual demand for CBD in Japan could be $800 million by 2024. This huge potential growth is being forecasted because of several ideal demographics of consumers the country has to offer. [1]
Japan is the third-largest economy in the world. The population has more older-aged adults and senior citizens than most other countries. Japanese society is super health conscious and the demand for health supplements is extremely high. CBD is already marketed as a supplement for healthy living, making Japan a perfect market for CBD products.
Governmental acceptance of CBD has only recently been swayed. In January of 2021, Japan’s Healthy Ministry held a panel to investigate the use of cannabis and CBD. Medical evidence and the societal impact were evaluated. The final report was released in June. It did not mention medical cannabis but did recommend that trials of pharmaceutical medications derived from cannabis be allowed for studying their medicinal efficacy.
There’s no question that the consumer market conditions are perfect in Japan. Enough to potentially position Japan as being a future leader in CBD sales and consumers. At the same time, government officials are still being cautious about cannabis in general. This is likely to change quickly as the global landscape of CBD and cannabis is continuing to expand at a rapid pace. As more countries legalize medical cannabis in East Asia, like Taiwan and South Korea, Japan is likely to do the same.
There’s no denying that the boom in cannabidiol- (CBD) infused foods continues. What’s also undeniable is that CBD-infused ingestibles are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In fact, FDA has unequivocally declared that companies distributing these products risk serious legal liability.
At its disposal, FDA has various tools for enforcing its regulations. At the lighter end of its toolbox is the warning letter, which has been the primary go-to for FDA when dealing with CBD-infused ingestibles. The warning letter is usually the first step in any action taken by the agency. Currently, it’s the only enforcement action taken by FDA in the CBD industry, besides a recall for a CBD product that contained too much led (not because it had CBD).
However, there are other actions available, such as the Form 483 letter. It is issued after an inspection comes up short. FDA may also seize adulterated products or products that have been mislabeled. This type of action is not common but recalls, another type of enforcement, are. Many are voluntary, but some are not. About 5,000 are issued on average each year.
Injunctions, also rarely used, can be issued by the agency through the Justice Department. They effectively seek to stop the offending action. Additionally, FDA may seek civil penalties for violations that can run as high as $389,550 per violation.
In more serious cases, FDA may recommend criminal charges to the Department of Justice. Charges may be brought at the misdemeanor and felony level and come with penalties ranging from $100,000 to $500,000, depending on the seriousness of the offenses and whether or not bodily injury or death occurred.
As stated earlier, FDA has not gone past warning letters for businesses selling and distributing CBD-infused ingestibles (besides the recall for lead). However, this is no guarantee that the agency will not begin to take further action in the future.
Hemp-derived CBD is legal in every state. Infused products are sold everywhere, from gas stations to dispensaries.
However, there are a few restrictions. In Idaho, CBD products can’t contain any THC. A 0% THC concentration is mandatory. By contrast, 2018’s Farm Bill legalized hemp that contains less than 0.3% THC.
According to the Idaho Office of Drug Policy: “CBD must both contain zero THC and be derived from one of the five identified parts of the cannabis plant, otherwise, it is illegal in Idaho under current law.”
Nebraska tried to outlaw CBD. In 2018, after the Farm Bill’s passage, State Attorney General Doug Peterson issued a memorandum classifying CBD as a controlled substance, writing: “Cannabidiol has been and continues to be included in Nebraska’s Uniform Controlled Substances Act’s legal definition of ‘marijuana.’”
However, in 2019, the state enacted the Nebraska Hemp Farm Act. This brought the state’s CBD regulations in line with federal rules.
Now, there are almost no restrictions on hemp-derived CBD in the country. A few states have rules regarding testing and proper labeling but don’t restrict sales that align with their guidelines.
For instance, California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed Assembly Bill 45 into law. The new rules will force hemp growers to comply with rules already in place for cannabis farm owners.
California’s new measures are intended to protect the consumer. When CBD is completely unregulated, misleading products often end up on the shelves.
“This unregulated industry with a high public demand and no requirements or oversight for quality, is at the edge of legality and is ample ground for nefarious activity,” explained Michelle Peace, associate professor in the department of forensic sciences. Peace spoke at a Food and Drug Administration panel on CBD.
While hemp-derived CBD has achieved universal acceptance, regulators are less kindly disposed toward cannabis-derived CBD. This compound is only legal in states with medical or recreational cannabis programs.
