Hey dudes!
Today we talk about the importance of Responsibly grown cannabis. What does that mean?? Well, It’s important to ask yourself a couple of questions when purchasing cannabis.
1. Does it contain pesticides?
2. Is it lab tested for mold and strength?
3. Did it come from a licensed dispensary, or some random dude?
I know what you’re probably thinking “weed is weed..” When I first started medicating 10 years ago, I thought that way too. This was also at a time before quality control was put on my cannabis. Dispensaries would give out cannabis in jars then.
The only label on the medicine was the plant's name. I still felt the therapeutic effects but I felt much more of the cannabis side effects then. I would panic a lot. Which kinda defeats the whole purpose of medicating to feel better so to speak. I would take breaks often because I couldn’t handle the downside. Looking back I don’t even want to know what I was ingesting.
Luckily, in recent years we are getting wiser about what we as a species ingest in food and in our medicine. Nowadays, for California cannabis this means...California dispensaries require a battery of tests on final products to ensure that they can legally enter the market. These include a pesticides screening, microbiological screening, heavy metals and foreign materials screening, residual solvent testing, terpene testing, and potency claim screening. Testing is actually required for an incredible number of different compounds (most obviously, THC and CBD). Your cannabis should be sealed in bags with lots of labels. Does all this make a difference? HELL YES. Ever since I started medicating under these guidelines, my body has never felt better. I never panic.
Now, we don’t always adhere to these rules because I do know some amazing lesser known growers that grow without pesticides. I also think if you have an opportunity to form a personal relationship with a responsible grower, SEIZE IT. The heart of a good local grower is something to admire and appreciate just as much as the farmers in the legal circuit! So, is it safe to smoke a random bag of weed? It won’t kill you, but there are no guarantees on how you feel after medicating. And if you are, in fact, medicating for health reasons you need continuity. It’s that simple. So, be responsible and know where your cannabis comes from and what’s in it. Your body and mind will thank you in the end!