CLASSIC STRAINS: CHEESE ››

A DANK AND POTENT LEGEND CONTINUES TO STINK UP GARDENS AROUND THE WORLD Cheese

Cheese, the first-ever commercial Cannabis strain from the UK, dominates the international weed scene to this day. Sativa Diva

Strain Name: Cheese (clone-only) Breeder: Exodus Crew Genetics: 75% sativa / 25% indica Origins: Skunk #1 (Possibly x Afghani or Northern Lights) Flowering: Around 48 days Outdoor Harvest: Mid-September through early October

Strain Name: Cheese Breeder: Big Buddha Seeds Genetics: 60% sativa / 40% indica Origins: Cheese x The Kali (Afghani) Flowering: 49 to 63 days Outdoor Harvest: End of October through early November

History of the Origins of Cheese

Cheese is regarded as the most famous variety – if not the only one that the majority of folks know about – originating in the United Kingdom. Single-handedly

carrying the torch for ‘British weed’, the Cheese has a storied past that is directly attributable to two different breeders, Big Buddha Seeds and the Exodus crew – a.k.a. the ‘Luton Massive’.

Rumour has it that, back in 1988 or 1989, a special female phenotype was selected after growing a pack of original Skunk #1 from The Seed Bank (pre-cursor to the Flying Dutchmen and Sensi Seeds) in the Chiltern area of England. The scent was particularly dank and cheesy, while the large buds were impressive and sturdy. This selection was cloned and dubbed ‘Cheese’. Some folks speculate that the Skunk #1 selection was then crossed with an Afghani or Northern Lights, due to its spicy undertones and bud structure,

although others insist that the original Cheese was simply a specially-selected Skunk #1 pheno.

Seven or eight years later, in around 1995, a clone was given to the Exodus crew, a community living near Luton in Haz Hall, known locally as ‘The Manor’. A bastion of tolerance and self-preservation, Exodus was famous for promoting an alternative lifestyle, throwing generous parties, Cannabis cultivation and its support of pot legalisation efforts in the UK. Exodus was also responsible for launching CANABIS, the Campaign Against Narcotic Abuse Because of Ignorance in Society.

In the late 1990s, Big Buddha crossed a Cheese clone with a spicy Afghani male known as ‘The Kali’, then back-crossed this result with the Cheese mother plant over the course of two years. Stable genetics resulting in variable, yet desirable, phenotypes offered experienced growers the

opportunity to select the perfect blend of sativa and indica, as well as specific flavours, flowering time and yield. This was also the first time that Cheese genetics would be publicly offered in seed form, rather than difficult-to-source clones.

Cheese is a good strain for sativa lovers who live in climates with shorter growing seasons

Cheese Cultivation, Phenotypes and Effect

The Exodus cut shows slightly more sativa than the Buddha version, with thinner leaves and a more ‘leggy’ appearance. The wild lateral development of this version requires the employment of stakes, yoyos or other means of plant support, in order to keep up with the medium to heavy yield that will tax slender lateral branches. However, if the original genetics are accessed (clone-only), the results will naturally be much more predictable and consistent.

The Big Buddha Cheese or BBC stretches slightly during pre-flower and the internodal spaces will continue to lengthen throughout the flowering period. The Afghani indica content assists in shortening the flowering cycle and balancing out the heady high of the Colombian and Mexican genetics. Although the scent may not be particularly remarkable during the early weeks of flowering, in the final weeks, a pungent aroma that only intensifies after harvesting is released, in addition to explosive trichome production.

The BBC strongly resembles the classic Skunk #1 from the Flying Dutchmen label, while the Exodus cut tends to exhibit slightly more sativa-dominant phenotypes. The BBC can easily be trained to grow fat and bushy, with good lateral branching. Leaves showcase a definite 60/40 blend, with the sativa dominance thinning the leaves and adding a golden tone to the typical dark green Afghani foliage.

Colas are perhaps more spindly than those of more indica-dominant strains, but the density and tendency of the flowers to cling to the stalks provide much more yield than is first apparent. Buds are compact and may appear slightly smaller than expected during the early flowering stages; while the yield may be lower than preferred, the potent, creeping effect means that less weed needs to be smoked in order to achieve complete intoxication. In spite of this compact quality, the strain is known for being relatively mould-resistant.

Those seeking spicy, old-school pot flavours should stock some Cheese in their library. A woodsy, musky scent that can only come from this strain makes it easy to identify by smell alone. Anyone who has tried to carry some Cheese around in public knows full well that double-bagging is a minimum requirement, although it is probably best to just leave this one at home in your rolling tray. Growers have reported unusually high rates of police raids when cultivating this strain, second only to NYC Diesel in its ability to get growers busted from smell alone.

Both the Exodus Cheese and the BBC respond well to the bonsai technique of removing the central cola, as well as topping and FIMing, although sea-of-green (SOG) and screen-of-green (SCROG) techniques are also possible. Either version can be encouraged to grow short and stocky, plus, the relatively short flowering time makes this a suitable variety for colder regions, where a limited growing

season usually makes sativa cultivation difficult or impossible.

Big Buddha Cheese offers dense, tightly-packed buds that drip with resin towards harvest time The flavour of this outdoor Cheese will be imbued with the power of natural sunshine

Hybrids Related to Cheese

Big Buddha’s Blue Cheese (Blueberry x Cheese) is an indica-dominant gem that provides mostly Cheese genes with a hint of Blueberry, due to a special selection process and growing out copious amounts of progeny. For Diesel lovers, the Chiesel (Cheese x NYC Diesel) combines two of the stinkiest strains in history to offer an extremely unusual, fuel-like flavour with a trippy sativa high. What Cheesewreck (Cheese x Trainwreck) lacks in flavour is made up by its potent couch-lock effect. Old-school aficionados will appreciate Cheesus (Cheese x God Bud), Toe Jam (Cheese x Flo) and Swiss Cheese (Cheese x Swiss Miss), while devotees of Soma should check out SoGouda (Blueberry x Cheese x G13 Haze).

SPOTLIGHT ON…. Bristol Cannabis Social Club

The South West of England has always held a special place in our hearts; the beautiful rolling countryside, gorgeous coastline and prehistoric monuments make it a great place to visit. Awesome scenery aside another big draw to the South West is its laid back almost ‘hippyesque’ cannabis scene, some of the best companies in the industry are based in that part of the country. So, when we got an email from the newly formed Bristol Cannabis Club inviting us for a chat, we didn’t have to think twice about heading down to see them.

We spoke to Jo from the club to see what he had to say…

SSUK: Guys, thanks very much for taking part in this interview. Please tell us a bit about your club.

Bristol Cannabis Club started as a Facebook page on 1st May 2012, as part of the UK Cannabis Social Clubs initiative, the page passed through several groups of admins until finally becoming a functioning club with its first meeting at the end of May this year

Why did you decide to start the club?

The current group of admins came together because of their mutual interest and passion in both cannabis and cannabis law reform, and a common desire to drive change to the current system and laws and provide a point for patients who use cannabis as medicine to be able to source information and education.

How does your club differ from the other UK Cannabis Social Clubs? We’ve heard that you’re currently fundraising for community projects?

Many of our club members are keen horticulturists and part of our current fundraising proceeds will be dedicated to supporting a local community garden project in Bristol, helping to provide fresh produce. We are also raising funds to be able to contribute towards the cost of patients traveling to Spain for therapeutic treatments.

Tell us a bit about your members. Is there a ‘typical’ type of member?

No not really, our members come from all walks of life, including an Infrastructure Manager, Sales Manager, Rope Access Technician, Care Home Manager, Medical Herbalist, Senior Analyst, Students, Quality Control Technicians, house wives and gardeners.

What sort of activities do you organise for members and how often do they take place?

We organise monthly public social evenings in a local pub or community centre in the St Pauls and Easton areas of the city, where people can relax and chat with other likeminded individuals. The club admins meet in a private location every 2 to 3 weeks to work on our future plans and website. We held a Feed the Birds evening which we organised with help from Finn and a cannabis information picnic on The Downs, Clifton on August 16th which attracted a large crowd of people, and we were able to raise funds by raffling items donated by UK Skunkworks and Tangy Gifts of Bristol.

Our next public event is a Fright Night party on Friday 31st October at our regular venue at The Prince of Wales, St Pauls, Bristol from 8pm

How can our readers who are local to you join the club? Does it cost to join?

Local readers can attend any of our public events, details can be found on our Facebook page, website www. bristolcannabisclub.uk or email info@ bristolcannabisclub.uk We also have a mailing list which people can sign up to by registering their interest via our email address.

Bristol Cannabis Club is not currently charging membership fees, and will not start to do so until we have membership packages available and the systems in place to provide a secure and regular membership service. Until this service is ready we are raising funds by raffling items donated by local and national allied businesses. The main raffle prize available for our Christmas party in December is in the photo below. Tickets for the party and raffle will be available shortly through our website.

If you’d like your cannabis club or society to be featured in Soft Secrets, please email BCC first meeting 31st May 2014

The club’s official logo

How The Light Gets In Festival By Little Lebowski

The ‘How The Light Gets In’ Festival is the largest philosophy and music festival in the world. Its’ thought-provoking debates, talks and courses are spread over 10 days and feature 180 speakers and 150 bands performing across 6 stages; a staggering total of 520 events in all. That’s enough to open anyone’s mind!

The event ran from 22nd May to 1st June in the tranquil setting of Hay-on-Wye. This year’s theme was Heresy, Truth and the Future and the full programme featured world-leading experts in neuroscience, psychology and pharmacology, including David Nutt, Anders Sandberg and Richard Bentall, together with figures from the worlds of politics, philosophy and culture to debate everything from psychiatry to the future of drug policy. All set against a backdrop of live music and DJ sets from some of the UK’s most exciting talent. This event promised festival-goers the opportunity to discover which of today’s heresies will become the truths of tomorrow.

Scrolling through the programme our attention was drawn to plenty of the debates and discussions, but a couple really spiked our attention;

Rationality and Drugs

Fired by the Home Secretary for comparing the harms of ecstasy and horse-riding, hear David Nutt makes his case for a rational, evidence-based approach to drug policy.

Morality, Hypocrisy and Health

Alcohol and tobacco, largely made in the West and exported to the rest of the world, kill 25 times as many people worldwide as all illegal drugs put together. Could it be that illegal drugs are not banned to protect our health but to protect the West’s deadly exports? Under the guise of morality is the West pursuing an economic goal, or is the war on drugs a genuine attempt to improve our wellbeing?

Senior Drug Policy Advisor to the Obama Administration Kevin Sabet, live from Boston, award-winning columnist and broadcaster Mary Ann Sieghart, and drug tsar to Tony Blair Mike Trace confront the west’s relationship with drugs.

With our interest well and truly tickled, we contacted Tom Phillips from the organising body, The Institute of Art and Ideas, and asked her for his low-down.

SSUK: Tom, thanks for talking to us. How did this year’s event go?

By all accounts it was a huge success. We had more events than ever before (over 500 across 10 days), bigger audiences and, we hope, some very satisfied festivalgoers. I think we took the event to a new level this year, in terms of the scale of the project – we even hosted our own university on site, the iai Academy!

The discussions surrounding pharmacology and drug policy are of particular interest to our readers. David Nutt is held in high regard round these parts, was his talk well attended?

TP: It was indeed. He’s a Bristolian - we’re just over the border in Wales, so that might have helped! But really he’s respected by our audience because of his conviction. He stood up to the establishment in the pursuit of what he believes to be right. You don’t see that very often, and I think it gives the public real hope. So he was exactly the sort of modern-day ‘heretic’ we were after. Buteay esespect because of his convicthe establishment in e believes to be right. ery often, and I think eal hope. So he was odern-day ‘heretic’

And how about the talk featuring Obama’s Drug Advisor, Kevin Sabet?

It was fascinating. Unsurprisingly, Sabet took a strong prohibition stance. But Mike Trace, who wrote the UK’s first comprehensive anti-drugs policies under New Labour, is now very sceptical of that approach. He argued that the West has created a system to control the drugs that it’s worried about, whilst keeping its own drugs of choice free for trade and practice is key for us, and I think that’s what draws the audiences in.

e talk featurAdvisor, Kevin

nsurprisingly, ong prohibike Trace, who st comprehencies under New y sceptical of that ed that the West has o control the drugs out, whilst keeping hoice free for trade

vals and events?

You can learn more abou – accommodation, prog – at www.howthelightg our events are filmed on our video platfo tv, which has 100 and talks on eve human clonin verse theory.

and consumption. So his position has changed markedly over the past decade! The West clearly has to ask some deep questions about its own history and morality on this topic. On the question of legalisation though, Sabet and Trace found an area of agreement. They were both sceptical about floating new drugs on the market. They both asked the same question: would the drugs trade really be any better in the hands of capitalists than it is in the hands of cartels?

Tell us a little bit about the festival, how long has it been operating and when did it all begin?

2014 was the sixth year of the festival. It was begun by our Director Hilary Lawson because he wanted to help put big philosophical conversation back into public life. We bring together speakers of all hues - academics and non-academics, policymakers and commentators, establishment figures and outsiders, celebrities and unknowns. No single speaker is pandered-to or wrapped in cotton wool - no theory or world view is safe. Challenging received wisdom s sae. Caeg g ece ed sdo

And how many visitors have you had over previous years?

The festival now has a footfall of around 30,000, whereas in the first year we had only a few thousand. The response has been incredible really.

Tell us about the past themes and guests that you’ve had.

In 2013 our theme was Error, Lies and Adventure. The idea there was that we usually think of errors as things to be avoided, covered up or papered over. But it’s through error that we find new ways to act and imagine. So we were looking for the errors in our thinking across philosophy, politics, science and technology that might lead us on a new path – on a new adventure.

We’ve noticed that there are some great accommodation options for the festival… you can put us down for a super luxury yurt next year! How can our readers find out about future festivals and events?

You can learn more about the festival – accommodation, programming etc – at www.howthelightgetsin.org. All our events are filmed and released on our video platform, www.iai. tv, which has 100s of debates and talks on everything from human cloning to multiverse theory.

Are there any upcoming Are there an events that you believe the events that yo Soft Secrets readers would Soft Secrets re be interested in? be interested i

Certainly! We’ve just released Certainly! We’ve debates on dark energy, the debates on dar limits of logic, the science of limits of logic, th sex, and the relationship between sex, and the relation fantasy and truth. We’ll be releasfantasy and truth. We ing information about the 2015 festival ing information about the soon. So watch this space! soon. So watch this space!

INTERVIEW WITH THE EXTRACTION CHAMPIONS NERD EXTRACTIONS

Alot of people are now breaking into extractions, armed with a blow torch and rig they strive for the most potent and flavour filled shatters and extracts they

can make at low budget cost. So to clear the air on a new subject to a lot of people, Soft Secrets UK caught up with Lorenzo ‘ The Nerd ‘ to find out about his work and his recent cup success.

SSUK: How did “NERD extractions” begin?

Lorenzo: NERD Extractions began basically after I decided that I wanted to make and have the best hash that there was. I was personally fed up with the low quality and some of the terrible things that were out there. I have been all over the world and wanted to use my experience and knowledge I gained from the States to start my own extractions. Now I have been extracting under ‘NERD Extractions’ for the past 2 years, moving around Europe. making unsafe extractions and using techniques and methods that make an end product that is contaminated and can do damage. I also give as many seminars

as I can to teach people on the correct and safe ways to do extraction. Safety first is the most important thing.

You are an Italian national. How was life growing up in Italy?

Sucks...Italy is one of the most beautiful places you can imagine but the government are hard work and the weed policy means you cannot even have a joint. So that is one of the other reasons I started to fly around and by the time I was 23, I had already been to Amsterdam 52 times. After the 53rd time, I decided to move there. Living there I knew I could learn ten times more knowledge and make connections than I could get anywhere else.

What is it you specialize in at ‘NERD Extractions’?

Hash and every kind of hash. I am currently improving my techniques on clear extractions and holy waters, like my good friends in America are doing right now. Now I am trying to make new kinds of hash that have not been seen before on a commercial level, which I am very excited about but will keep Soft Secrets updated in the next few months.

What is de-waxing during oil extraction?

De-waxing is a chemical process which is used to separate the plant waxes from the part that you really want to smoke, all of the essential oils. Think about the trichome like an egg. We are cracking the eggs and removing the shells. Those shells are the waxes and we just want the insides. This the most basic way to describe the wax part of extraction.

Is there a difference between using bud and leaf trim for extraction?

Yes. There is a big difference. There are two ways to do a run which is with nugs and with trim. The nugs runs are more costly but the quality is much better. In terms of taste and smell and flavor. Please don’t get me wrong, you can do a run from trim that is almost as good but the most important thing is the starting materials. If you have good terpines you will end up with good terpines.

What is your opinion on purging and what is the correct way?

Purging is very important and something that a lot of people are unaware of. It is the process that allows the butane for instance to be removed to ensure a clean extraction has taken place. This means you have an oil that should have no impurities in.

Can you tell us more about your recent success in Barcelona?

It was a collaboration with ‘ Top Shelf Extracts ‘ based in Colorado. ‘Big D’ down there taught me everything I know about extraction. It was a ‘Sour Diesel’ crumble that was super tasty that won us first prize. It had been purged for more than 110 hours as everyone should always do. In the beginning I was nervous about the competition but still happy because I knew how good my entry was. I was more happy that I won because I was against good competitors from Amsterdam and America and now it is time to see how High Times will go in November!

What are your thoughts on the current movement and the medical break through?

I think that cannabis is a plant that everyone should grow but right now in Europe, the governments are trying to take hold of the market. I think people should be able to grow the medicine for themselves without the government being involved. If the government do want to get involved, then is for the right reasons and not for financial gain...I would be so happy.

What made you want to get into the industry?

I got into the industry for the competition side of things and to educate people on what the best quality product really is. There are a lot of people now who are

By Stoney Tark

Where do you see ‘NERD Extractions’ over the next 3 years?

The Sky is the limit really and I hope it won’t ‘shatter’..haha.

Do you have any tips for those readers who want to take their work to the next level?

I do not have any tips but can only say please travel around and really see for yourself. Teach yourself to want to be better and always keep improving. I am learning new things everyday and have real-

ized you can always go further than you think. Take the time to see other people work and when on internet forums make your own opinions and make connections and share knowledge. Don’t ever think you have the perfect product because you don’t and be humble because everyone can teach you something.

Photos courtesy of Growland Spain/ Soft Secrets Spain

The Blue Dream Scene

Here we go, stepping onto the stage, we have Humbolt Seeds Company’s Blue Dream, if you haven’t tried it, there is a good chance you have heard tell of it. This strain is a cross of Blueberry with Haze, it is Sativa dominant and is one of the top ten most demanded strains in California, in fact some have said it has become a tad oversaturated in the US market. There are a number of different phenotypes that have been observed with the Blue Dream strain, but at 17-18% THC, it is sought after for its medicinal properties and it is also said to be a strain that preserves a fine balance of both head and body effects. by Packed Nicely

A five pack of the seeds were germinated and within two days, all seeds were showing a root and were then transferred into Root Riot cubes and placed into a propagator to await the appearance of their hypocotyl. These showed through in a matter of a couple of days, with fresh white hairy roots appearing, pushing out of the bottom of every cube. A most pleasing sight. At this point the five seedlings were potted up into small square pots using a light soil mix and were watered in with a feed of Growth Technology’s Nitrozyme and Atami Wortel, used to encourage further root development. Then, taking advantage of the long hours of daylight during these summer months, the seedlings were allowed to bask in glorious sunshine until they were ready to be put into the tent and beneath the light.

The seedlings responded positively to the natural sunlight and in next to no time the plants were ready and potted up into 18L pots using Guanokalong soil mix, which were then placed in a 1.2m tent. To substitute the sunlight, for lighting I used a Maxibright Digilight Pro 400w dimmable digital ballast and a 400w dual-spectrum Sunmaster bulb fitted into a standard Euro reflector. The light was set to provide 18.5 hours of light for the first few weeks and the plants soon responded. For extraction I used an RVK 125mm fan and the appropriate Rhino Pro 125mm filter.

The nutrients used during this grow were the Canna Terra Vega and the Canna Terra Flores range and the suggested feeding schedule was adhered to throughout... well, up until the point of the selection of an additional bloom booster. To provide an elevated CO2 level within the tent environment I added an Exhale CO2 bag, which was hung from the top of the tent to take advantage of CO2’s property of being heavier than air. I kept an eye on the pH and I must admit I am quite impressed with the Guanokalong soil mix and its propensity to maintain quiet a stable and most acceptable reading that varied between 6.3 and 6.8 throughout the grow, regardless of the various nutrients in use.

These plants grew fast and were soon widening and branching as they stepped up to a more vigorous production of leaf in the later vegative stage. The lateral branches were expanding and the fan leaves were large, broad and almost appeared to be staking their claim on any of the available light. A clear sign that the roots were not slouching either, was their rather speedy emergence out of the holes in the bottom of each of the 18L pots. That said, from above, there was very little chance of spotting these roots through the ever thickening canopy of lush, green leaves that these plants were churning out.

The time came to change the light to 11.5 hours to initiate the flowering phase. At this point there was the usual two weeks of height gain, as the plants made room to accommodate their bud production. It was within around 9-10 days that the first female pre-flowers became discernible around the tops of these plants. As I mentioned earlier, when it came to a choice of bloom booster I made a deviation from the Canna schedule and decided upon using Atami’s Bloombastic. This was added through the final 4-6 weeks of the bloom phase at a rate of 1ml/L. Along with its stimulation of sugars and flower production, it also has stress preventing properties, not that these beauties looked in anyway stressed, but we were getting ever closer to harvest time. The production of tricombs on and around the bud sites was a satisfying and pleasing sight to behold... but then, let’s be honest, isn’t it always?

The plants started to produce flowers in large dense buds and as the nine week flowering time finally elapsed, the plants were looking well the buds being nicely swollen and ready for harvest. Each plant produced just over three ounce of dry, crystal-cloaked bud. It has been said that this would be a good strain for commercial purposes, which may be the case, but I should say that I have experienced various other strains that have had better sized yields than the Blue Dreams grown for this report but we must also keep in mind that these have been grown beneath a single 400w light.

The aroma from these buds is a pine-like scent, probably due to high levels of the terpene Alpha-pinene and the taste of this strain could be said to be earthy and fruity, but the blueberry taste is still there, whilst also having a slight tang for good measure. The effects of the smoke began rather quickly with the immediate influence of the sativa high coming through at first, being euphoric and uplifting, though it doesn’t cloud the mind, but rather makes it focus and centred. These cerebral effects were long lasting and over time they slowly gave way to indica like effects of relaxation and the sense that this strain would also be suitable for that chill out period at the end of a hard day.

Blue Dream is considered a good strain for a variety of medicinal uses that range from being an anti-spasmodic to antiinflammatory and from Asthma control to various appetite and eating disorders, but then, it’s becoming well known to many that Cannabis has various health and medicinal benefits.

Peaking in Babylon Dr John Dee

The EU has decided that synthetic cannabis cannot be classed as medicinal. Actually, the “not medicinal” thing isn’t quite true, as I understand that whereas “real” weed has anti-emetic properties (it prevents vomiting and nausea), synthetic variants are emetics (meaning they induce vomiting). It sounds nasty, but I’m sure this has got some sort of medical use. I take the view that the EU is correct to do this, in the short-term at least. Potential medical benefits of synthetic cannabis is going to be a tricky one to figure out and requires consideration by people who know what they’re talking about. Something that is clear though, is that there’s no CBD in it; there’s barely any THC as such in it either.

The quickest and most direct way to solve this would be to legalise weed and let everyone get on with it. Why would anyone want to use synthetic when they could have the real deal? Colorado and Holland are evidence that this is the case. The big problem is that increasingly, politicians and political parties are answerable to their “backers” who are almost always big business. The backers/party donators seem to have an agenda of their own which is to be allowed free rein to make billions from every aspect of Joe Public’s day-to-day life. R&R, in the form of consciousness alteration is no different: it’s just another way to screw money out of people. Hence, the idea that people might grow their own weed – legally – and stay in getting stoned rather than going to the pub and drinking themselves sick on corporate beer is not what these people want at all.

It’s such a short sighted way of looking at it? I remember in the early/mid 1990’s there was a big noise made about how MDMA meant people would drink less alcohol = a huge drop in revenue. It proved to be the case, but only for a little while then people just incorporated booze into their raving armoire and everyone was happy again. Some of the biggest booze companies bought into (and continue to do so) music festivals, clubs, “organised” raves and all the rest. Similarly, a lot of tobacco companies have invested money in the whole vaping thing, as, let’s face it, it’s just another way of letting people do the same as they used to do (and even cheaper in terms of how much all the stuff costs to produce with a H.U.G.E. markup for Babylon).

There’s an element of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is up to here. There is a schism in big capitalism where you have “traditionalists” on the one side saying “no” to anything other than old school tobacco and alcohol, and then there are what I’d arguably call “progressives” who see that these are on the way out – certainly tobacco as we know it is – but that there are massive revenues to be made from the alternatives. They’re all just after one thing though: Joe Public’s hard earned dough. It’s all bread and circuses, people, and I really despise it, but I also am pragmatic enough to dig that any big and meaningful change will come from a corporate Babylon direction. They’ll just need to figure out how they can make most money out of it while understanding that there’s always going to be an element of the cottage industry (as there is with people who make their own beer and wine). The thing is, most people won’t be bothered growing their own weed and would rather have the convenience of letting someone else do it for them and then just nipping down to the dispensary for a quarter ounce once or twice a week.

Once the corporations get their greedy capitalist heads around the fact that they can’t stop people growing their own – they can’t stop it now with all the stupid laws in place! – and that there’s always going to be a percentage of the population who will ignore corporate weed in favour of Dealer McDope up the street, then things will change quickly and probably quite radically. And they’ll still make billions and billions out of it.