If you’re a wine snob, you probably know that Sonoma County Chardonnay is distinct to chardonnay from the Finger Lakes, New York. Likewise, those with a sophisticated taste for weed understand that a joint from rolled from Mendocino flower is not the same as that sourced from Washington state. The bottom line: the provenance of cannabis matters, because the flower expresses a sense of place. Enter the concept of cannabis terroir.

What is terroir?

Terroir was initially used by the French to refer to the complete natural environment in which a wine was produced. Nowadays, growers of artisanal chocolate, tobacco, honey, and coffee may also identify terroir as fundamental to the flavor and quality of their product.

Growers in the Emerald Triangle–cannabis heartland for the uninitiated–are currently organizing to recognize the importance of terroir for cannabis and establish appellations of origin (AO). Appellations of origin (AO) labeling provides consumers with protected certification of the terroir in which cannabis has grown.

“Terroir is the climate, the water, the surrounding trees, and vegetation–even the weeds and the insects–it is the topography, the minerals, the biome, and the microbiome,” explains Swami Chaitanya, co-founder and head farmer for the Swami Select brand of organic sun-grown cannabis. “Beyond all that, it is the culture of the community of cultivators. It is as much about how the crop is grown, as it is about the cultivars or varieties.”

“Terroir is the climate, the water, the surrounding trees, and vegetation – even the weeds and the insects”

Terroir encompasses all the qualities of the region in which cannabis grows that contribute to the density, flavor, terpene and cannabinoid profile of the bud. The nutrients present in the soil and hours and intensity of sunlight affect terpene profiles, according to Swami. “This is demonstrated by the fact that indoor factory-grown cannabis rarely has the terpene saturation that long-season sun-grown flowers have.”

Terroir also recognizes the significance of the culture surrounding cannabis cultivation, which often differs substantially between long-time heirloom growers and large-scale initiatives emphasizing quantity over quality. The ethos of the grower, and care with which she or he attends their buds, strongly influences the final product.

Benefits for cannabis growers and consumers

The adoption of appellations offers advantages for both growers and consumers. “Growers stand to benefit from terroir based on their branding skills and ability to create a high-end product grown in the native soil without the use of synthetic fertilizers or chemicals,” explains Russell Pace III, president of the Cannabis Horticultural Association. This is beneficial for heritage, artisanal and heirloom cultivators who are threatened by excessive regulations and the invasion of big business.

Those such as Swami, who have been carefully tending their soil with local organic compounds and familiarizing themselves with the way certain cultivars respond to the climate for decades, can profit from sharing their consciously grown buds with discerning consumers.

Consumers benefit from knowing the flower they are purchasing is pure, florid in flavor, and free of contaminants. This is ideal for those who want to avoid consuming the buds of cannabis produced with petrochemical fertilizers, insecticides or chemical pesticides. One recent study found that up to 69.5% of pesticide residues can linger in smoked marijuana and pose a toxic threat to smokers. Purchasing cannabis with certified AO protects the buyer from plants grown in non-organic substrates.

Ultimately, terroir will most likely resonate with cannaisseurs–those seeking a quality, high-end cannabis experience. “People are just now developing palettes sophisticated enough to discern the complexities of cannabis flavor profiles,” adds Pace. “People are teaching cannabis sommelier classes which I believe will help bolster the development of the cannabis terroir model.”

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As cannabis becomes mainstream, where it comes from and the growing method is also starting to come into play.  

Much like how you may seek out organic fruits, free-range chickens, and grass-fed beef, so, too, you may also want to find a nice batch of outdoor-grown, sun-soaked cannabis rather than those under a grow light.   

Or, you may prefer the benefits of indoor grows, hyper-focused, controlled, formulated for exactly what you want it to do and be.  

But in order to get to that level of specification in your cannabis use, you need to first learn about what the differences are between an indoor grow and an outdoor grow.  

Where (and how) the plant is cultivated affects the resulting flower’s aesthetics, aromatics, chemical breakdown, and taste. All this, in turn, can affect the type of high you get, which is a critical part of the process.  

Aesthetics 

Cannabis with an outdoor growing method tends to be a darker green or a richer purple and produce larger buds than its indoor counterparts, with stems verging on brown.  

Indoor cannabis is often bright green or light purple and the color is more consistent throughout.  

Outdoor harvests can also be more rushed, so you can often spot this flower by its longer stems. This, in addition to its coloring, has made growing cannabis outdoors less desired by dispensaries, since it’s not as “attractive.”  

Of course, with California’s new container regulations, it’s harder to judge a book by its cover. 

Aromatics and taste 

Anyone with a refined palate will tell you that about half of every taste is the smell. Different strains will have their own signature scent, but grows can inform how that develops. 

Because indoor growers have more control over the environment, it’s easier for them to cultivate stronger smelling marijuana and manipulate the elements for a certain flavor profile.  

Plus, indoor growers are more likely to take their time with the curing process, which affects your taste and smell experience.  

That being said, terpenes are produced in higher quantities when the plants receive natural sunlight. A seasoned grower can get dynamic flavors out in the field, but it’s hard to match the specificity of strains grown indoors. 

What happens to the good stuff? 

The larger buds of outdoor cannabis make it more difficult for the trichomes (where a lot of the cannabinoid and terpenoid magic happens) to grow as densely as they would indoors.  

One might think — and for a long time, most of the industry did — that plants with fewer trichomes create weaker marijuana. As it turns out, sunlight doesn’t just lead to more terpene production; it improves cannabinoid production as well, generally producing more potent cannabis. 

Indoor farmers, however, still have the element of control, and often lead the charge when it comes to creating highly potent strains. The main difference in intensity is that many indoor strains are cultivated to produce more THC. Conversely, the sunlit flower has a broad spectrum of high cannabinoid content. 

Price 

By now, you might be picking up on the cold shoulder sun-grown cannabis gets in the industry. As legalization picks up steam, indoor cultivation is favored because it’s easier to regulate.  

However, indoor growers incur much higher upkeep costs, resulting in more expensive flower.  

Want the best of both worlds? 

The newest wave of marijuana production occurs in greenhouses. Growers get all the benefits of natural light while still being able to control other environmental factors.  

This form of cultivation is in its relatively early days. It can be very close to traditional outdoor growing, extremely reliant on technology, or somewhere in between. It’s impossible to give a monolithic overview of the cannabis produced this way because everyone’s approaching it differently. 

The only thing that everyone can agree on is that greenhouses will play a major role in the future of flower and the indoor/outdoor dichotomy won’t last. 

Regardless of how and where it’s grown, all cannabis needs to pass pesticide and heavy metal testing before it can hit the shelf at your trusted dispensary. Don’t be afraid to include a certain brand or strain’s test results into the list of questions you have prepared for your budtender when you head to the storefront.

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Over the years, cannabis developed a myriad of titles that diminished the beneficial potencies uses that we know exist today.  

“Weed,” “dope,” “pot,” “reefer.”  

These monikers all carried from the ‘70s into the early 2000s. Before that, in the early 1930s, cannabis was unfortunately added to the list of Prohibition-era banned substances. The same fear that surrounded the use of alcohol was displaced onto cannabis, despite using the herb in America as early as the 1600s.  

In the 19th and 20th Century, the United States Pharmacopoeia documents that cannabis extract was a patent medicine used to treat various illnesses. It was one of the most popular medicines in America and used to curb the addictions of morphine and other opioids.  

It’s popularity shifted when a heavy focus on Mexican immigrant’s use of “hashish” developed and the term “Mexican marihuana” was invented. Soon became the advent of anti-cannabis propaganda, such as “Reefer Madness,” and the modern stigma we know so well was born.  

Cannabis and all terms associated with the plant took on a negative connotation, often lumped into stereotypes of immigrants, criminals, or dirty hippies. As politicians campaigned around the negative uses of cannabis the phrase “loco weed” appeared.  

Thus, by 1937 cannabis had become completely illegal.  

Much of what we know of the slang terms used for cannabis today are variations of Spanish words. Reefer, in Spanish, translates to “grifo,” which is a slang term to describe the effects. “Pot”, which in Spanish is potiguaya, simply refers to the leaves on the plant itself.  

Change in perception over time  

It wasn’t until the past decade that we’ve seen a shift in the language.  

Much of the shift in stigma is a result of medicinal uses of cannabis that removed the negative pop culture stigma, despite being known about since the Victorian Era.  

A decade ago, 67% of Americans felt cannabis use should not be legal and did not believe there were any medical uses for the plant.

Today over 50% of Americans support the use of recreational and medicinal cannabis and this percentage is growing.  

Much of this shift started in the 1970s when local citizens began advocating for the medical use of cannabis. States like Oregon and Maine loosened their laws against cannabis use while groups such as the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) began grassroots campaigns advocating legalization.  

The benefits of the work of citizens and interest groups in small states made a mark over the years resulting in more states legalizing cannabis for medical use. 

Evolution of quality 

Could the changes in the quality of cannabis itself have an effect on the stigma behind the plant?  

Back in the day, the flower looked different from the green and gold hues we know now. Much of what was shipped to the United States, illegally exported from Colombia or Mexico, was raw flower.  

The cannabis itself was filled with stems and looked like it was freshly plucked from a dirt patch. It was densely packed together and had a dry texture to it.  

Doesn’t sound appealing, right?  

The reason behind this lackluster quality is because cultivators weren’t as knowledgeable about caring for the plant as we are today.  

In fact, the modern hydroponic systems that are used to improve cannabis agriculture weren’t developed until the 1980s.  

Today, quality has increased by nearly 20%, with THC and CBD content nearly tripling over the years.

With this increase came stronger effects. Over time, this allowed consumers to use less of the plant but experience greater benefits.  

Cannabis went from being a low-quality, “hippie drug” with racially-charged legislation that was only used on the fringes of society to a high-potency cure for pain and other major medical ailments.  

There’s been more acceptance of the plant now in the past decade because not only the product is better, but we’ve learned more about the medical miracles the plant is capable of producing on a daily basis.  

View of cannabis today 

We no longer talk about cannabis in the same language we once did, colloquialisms that were designed to depreciate the value of the plant and scare consumers away from something that was once widely accepted.  

As policy and quality shifted, society became more accepting of cannabis. It’s no surprise that someone would turn up their nose when the plant is called “pot” today because of its profound benefits and uses.  

As we’ve learned more about the capabilities of cannabis, it’s grown beyond the lowly nomenclature that was used to villainize it less than a hundred years ago. 

Yet, there’s still some form of a stigma surrounding cannabis. In order to defeat that, take a look at how you can talk to your friends and family about cannabis use. Also, research and learn about different ways to ingest it that allow you to present yourself in clear and bright ways, not just clouded in smoke.  

The post Cannabis culture: How the plant’s stigma changed appeared first on Flowertown.

It’s no secret that this summer has been a traumatic one for many California residents. With our state ablaze, over 1 million acres burned, thousands of homes and farms have been affected.

Last year, the raging wildfires delivered what Business Insider referred to as “the worst year on record” for California’s cannabis industry. The Emerald Triangle seemingly can’t catch a break as of early August, the Mendocino Complex fire has “burned more acreage than any blaze in California history,” including popular cities for large-scale cannabis farms.

Mendocino County alone is home to more than 10,000 cannabis growers. To add to the industry’s sense of urgency, there are still limited options to insure land for cannabis cultivation. This means that once a cannabis farm is destroyed or affected, there is little that can be done to restore the damage.

The Emerald Triangle up in smoke

For many, the majority of harm done to their crops is not caused by fire, but its smoke. This summer, the smoke was so thick and wind so consistent that other legalized states, such as Colorado, became concerned for their own cannabis crops.

In Northern California, growers reported early flowering due to the thick smoke and overcast sky that ensued for weeks from the Mendocino and Carr fires. Early flowering is a problem for farmers because it means a smaller yield (less income), and less product for both suppliers and consumers.

During summer months, farmers usually depend on consistent California sunlight to inundate their plants with the UV rays they need at a specific point in their growth process. Because of the smoke and subsequent overcast sky, farmers scrambled to mitigate the crisis of early flowering.

Many turned to nitrogen (a necessary nutrient for plants) and added more lighting equipment, which can be costly. For startup growers, the lack of insurance, costs to rectify early flowering, and loss in sales might be too big of hurdles to overcome. Because early flowering results in a smaller supply, many consumers are also concerned that the smaller supply will lead to rising prices in the coming months.

While there haven’t been reports of this issue affecting retail prices yet, it is a possibility that if the fires continue to wipe out or diminish crops through early flowering, price increases might hit the industry.

Too early to flower, too early to tell

Like the case of early flowering, the lingering effects of fire have been most devastating for outdoor cannabis grows, which for many reasons have been the backbone of California cannabis cultivation long before legalization.

Smoke can stress or kill plants, and smoke residue can threaten the quality and safety of the ones that make it out alive. Many growers who have spent months adapting to strict state regulations worry that the smoke can tarnish their lab test results.

For growers closer to the flames, smoke is not the only concern: Fire retardant, soot, and ash that settles after a fire contains a number of contaminants labs test for.

The fact that these materials may also affect the flavor of cannabis is the least of the industry’s worries when compared to the risk they pose to consumer safety. For this reason, it is important to stick with brands and dispensaries you trust that regularly pass laboratory tests.

Of course, the full effects of this year’s wildfires have yet to be realized. In 2017, the worst fires began in November and December, around the time wind speeds historically pick up. The damage of the most recent summer fires has been hard to assess as new fires seem to pop up every day.

What everyone can agree on is the worst is likely yet to come. It’s becoming more clear that annual large-scale wildfires are the new normal, and cannabis farmers need to adapt to this reality. For now, the future of many cannabis farms depends, literally, on where the wind blows.

As wildfires and seasonal storms become larger and more ominous, so too is the pressure on residents to get out of harm’s way. While cannabis still has the stigma of preventing productivity, many (including this woman in the path of Hurricane Florence) have been able to use it to get themselves and their loved ones to safety.

The post How wildfires affect California’s cannabis industry appeared first on Flowertown.

While it may seem like cannabis suddenly became part of the national consciousness during the tune in, turn on, drop out days of the mid-1960s, cannabis has actually been a part of American culture since the United States was but a gleam in our Founding Fathers’ eyes.   

Granted, depending on which way social and political winds were blowing, its ubiquity was often on the down-low, so its evolution can only be tracked in fits and starts. But slowly, over time, the plant has changed.  

And now within the last several decades, as states have legalized cannabis, growers have used research, technology, and good ol’ trial and error to dramatically improve the quality of US cannabis. 

From cannabis to cocaine, how Colombia fits in 

It’s possible to track improvements made to the plant and its byproducts thanks to the government’s 1970 decision to label it a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it was deemed to have no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. 

Since that controversial move, the Natural Center for Natural Projects Research (NCNPR) at the University of Mississippi has been testing cannabis confiscated in police/government raids.  

Confirming what plenty of users have stated anecdotally, today’s marijuana is as much as two-thirds more potent to the plant back in the ‘70s. The what was obvious. Cannabis has gotten more potent. The why is less straightforward. 

But the basics are this: In the 1970s three-fourths of the cannabis consumed for recreational use was imported illegally from other countries, most notably Colombia. Before it became the cocaine capital, Colombia was the largest cannabis supplier.  

But, like any agricultural product, cannabis has a peak shelf life. And it took time to package, transport, and distribute. So the cannabis of the ‘70s was on the stale end by the time it reached American consumers.  

Also, Colombian cannabis was raw, the equivalent of pulling an entire corn stalk out of the ground and shipping it off. They packaged up leaves and stems along with the flowers, which reduced the overall quality. 

The birth of the Emerald Triangle 

Then in the 1980s, as the number of local growers increased, especially in places like California, the quality of cannabis began to improve. Firstly, what is true for fruits and veggies is true for cannabis: local is better.  

At the same time, technology gave quality a boost. Hydroponic systems were popular because they enabled more Americans to home grow. These smaller, local growers started developing new strains—think microbreweries and their craft beers—which led to a boom in quality. 

Having a crop in your backyard also meant that growers could start conducting their own research by simply observing their plants. These growers learned, often through simple trial and error, how to refine their product.

US growers realized the flower, or sinsemilla, was what buyers wanted because that was the part of the plant with the highest concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. That breakthrough resulted in another dramatic increase in the quality and potency of US cannabis. 

Today, thanks to the legalization of medical and recreational cannabis in a growing number of states, quality continues to improve as the budding industry (pun intended) invests in more research and technology.  

As consumers gain access to farm-to-home cannabis, and the market expands to meet demand, improving technology, agricultural practices, and scientific understanding of cannabis is likely to see cannabis improve in quality for the foreseeable future. 

And, with that, comes improvements in the way in which we consume cannabis. From edibles to vapes, to tinctures, and everything in between. The market for cannabis innovations and improvements has yet to see its limitations.

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