UK 2022 01

THE CANNABIS NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985

www.softsecrets.com | Issue 1 - 2022 18+ For adults only. Soft Secrets is published six times a year by Discover Publisher BV Netherlands

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Germany Moves To Legalize Cannabis The new German coalition government has said is that it would allow “the controlled sale of cannabis to adults for recreational purposes in licensed shops”.

The proposal to establish a regulated market for adult sale and consumption of marijuana and to promote a broader drug policy — including regulated and taxed dispensaries, quality controls and effective youth protection laws — was featured in the deals agreed among the German coalition parties negotiated in strict secrecy after September elections.

The center-left government led by Olaf Scholz, a Social Democrat who replaced the longtime center-right chancellor Angela Merkel, works in coalition with the progressive Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats. Former Chancellor Merkel’s Christian Democrat party had blocked the proposal for years.

Although no timetable has been set for the introduction of legislation, “the plan could still turn out to be a game-changing precedent for the global business of growing and selling marijuana, one that will be closely watched by other countries toying with liberalising their drug laws,” reported the Financial Times.

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While not illegal to consume cannabis under current German law, purchasing the drug is outlawed. The plan, which would open a significant market for growers and dealers, includes a reevaluation of the new law and its

repercussions after four years.

Germany would be the largest nation in the world to legalize cannabis after Uruguay, Canada, Malta and 18 states in the Unites States. The German initiative follows that of Malta, the European Union’s smallest member state, which recently became the first European Union country to legalize the use and growth of marijuana for recreational purposes.

Malta’s new rules allow people to carry up to seven grams of marijuana and to grow up to four plants .

The Malta government said that “the new law was aimed at ending the criminalization of people for smoking the drug and at reducing criminal trafficking,” wrote the New York Times.

The German and Maltese decisions are likely to be followed by other members of the Union. A referendum in Italy obtained the necessary number of signatures while Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands are discussing the introduction of new drug regulations that move toward legalization.

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BITCANNA (BCNA)

THE SOLUTION FOR THE CANNA BUSINESS

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TANGERINE DREAM

A TRULY DREAMLIKE FRUIT STRAIN

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16

INTERVIEW ETHAN RUSSO

NEUROLOGIST, PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY RESEARCHER, FOUNDER AND CEO OF CREDO-SCIENCE.COM

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SWEET CHERRY PIE® AND BRUCE BANNER AUTO®

YOUR STASH IN PERFECT SYMBIOSIS

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26

GROW REPORT: GLUEBERRY OG

PRODUCT

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PRODUCT

ROOT POUCH Root Pouch offers the largest, most comprehensive selection of fabric nursery pots for the professional grower, producing all their fabrics and pots themselves.

Using 21st-century technology, Root Pouch breathable fabric has proven to produce a better, denser fibrous root structure, which produces better plants and larger yields.

The natural fiber blended fabrics offer thermal protection and moisture control that no other fabric bags can offer. Perfect for use in can-yards, greenhouses, indoor grow rooms, and more—corporate offices located in Oregon USA, with global distributors worldwide - all shipping daily. No excuses. No delays.

Email: info@rootpouch.com

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THE CIGAR X1 VAPORIZER BY BLACK LEAF® The CIGAR X1 vaporizer by Black Leaf® vaporizes dry herbs and, when the stainless steel pad (or vapewool) is inserted, also wax and oil.

The highlights at a glance:

• Glass mouthpiece for unadulterated taste • Furios mode for fast maximum heating • Adjustable air supply To ensure that the inhaled vapour tastes pure aromatically and unadulterated, the heating chamber is made of white ceramic, and the magnetic mouthpiece is made of glass. In just 35 seconds, the CIGAR X1 is from 0° C to 240° C (0° F up to 464° F).

Retail: www.blackleaf.eu

Wholesale: www.neardark.de

5

GROW WITH STONEY TARK

By Stoney Tark

BIG PLANTS VS. LITTLE PLANTS Essentially there is no right or wrong answer, however it should be based on a number of variables, such as space, time, budget, skill level, strain being grown, light intensity, nutrients, vegetative times and basically what is more practical for you as a grower. In this article, we explain the benefits associated with each and break down the pros and cons of growing Cannabis indoors with big and small plants.

SMALL PLANTS The definition of a small plant is one that is 60-90cm final height with good sized buds.

Small plants can be grown in 6.5 - 10 litre pots and will oftentimes be organically fed.

You will need to fill a room or tent out in a Sea of Green set up to maximise your space and production levels when growing small plants, especially if you want to cover your return on investment with electricity bills, nutrients and seeds.

The Advantages of Small Cannabis Plants • Small plants will finish faster during flowering than large-sized plants due to the size.

• Ideal for SOG where a large volume of small-sized plants are grown closely together.

• Vegetative times (18/6) will typically be around 2-3 weeks meaning cheaper electric bills.

• It is easy to remove infected small-sized plants without losing too much of the final crop.

• You will have more opportunity to grow many different strains in one large-sized space.

• Small pots use less nutrient solution than large saving costs on nutrients.

• A beginner grower will be better off growing smaller-sized plants at first.

• Dry back period will occur quicker ensuring the roots are receiving plenty of oxygen.

• Rotating a Sea of Green every 7-8 weeks is much easier with small Cannabis plants.

• Trimming smaller-sized plants is easy and will take a few hours each to complete.

• Perfect for home growers with limited grow space, height and experience.

The Disadvantages of Small Cannabis Plants • Yields can be below average and often disheartening to a beginner grower.

• Some lower buds may not be as consistent as the prime top nugs.

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There is a significantly greater plant count so may not work for licensed growers.

It is not possible to SCROG small plants as the vegetative time is short.

Plant training applied may be counterproductive and cause the shortest plants.

BIG PLANTS Large-sized Cannabis plants will grow as tall as 150cm - 180cm and will be heavy yielding plants. These plants will have been grown in a 20-50 litre pot and have been grown in a vegetative state (18/6) for 6-10 weeks, where during this time plant training techniques such as topping, supercropping, fimming, tying down, and pruning will systematically be applied. Light intensity will be optimal and oftentimes the grower will supplement their room with carbon dioxide to increase production further.

The Advantages of Big Cannabis Plants • The yield from one plant will be the same as growing 4-5 small sized plants together.

• There will be a higher volume of nutrient solution used resulting in big plants.

• Hydroponic systems are capable of growing enormous yielding Cannabis plants.

• Using a screen (SCROG) and growing large plants can reward ultimate yields.

• Supplementing Cannabis plants with CO2 can make plants huge and increase yields.

• If you have the grow space, large-sized plants can really thrive under intense lighting.

• Working with sativa dominant hybrids is more practical and less problematic.

• Plant training can be applied during 18/6 to encourage the plants to grow to maximum potential.

The Disadvantages of Big Cannabis Plants

This grower will flower these indica plants at this height to finish around 70-90cm tall.

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The vegetative stage can take up to 10 weeks as the plants establish themselves.

Losing one large-sized plant to pathogens such as Botrytis can be a devastating loss.

Plant maintenance needs to be at an all time high, so vigilance and enthusiasm are key.

Plant count will be lower, resulting in a limited number of strains being grown at once.

The return on investment is much longer in comparison to a fast SOG harvest.

Large-sized plants can easily overwhelm an amateur grower and can be problematic.

Flowering time will take longer than anticipated to compensate for the large yields.

The cost of nutrients will be high

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especially when growing with hydroponics.

Electric bills will be much higher than growing smaller plants.

TOP TIPS ON PLANT SIZE TIP #1: If you are a beginner grower, aim to grow smaller-sized plants that require less maintenance. Until you have more experience, it is best to start small and don’t fall.

TIP #2: A room full of small plants will normally yield the same as a room with 5 large plants inside. Decide in advance if you want a fast rotation or a long-winded 4-5 month project.

TIP #3: Growing large sized plants is an excellent way to get hands on and practice the different styles of plant training, ranging from low to high stress techniques.

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NORDÉS Absolute Cannabis Seeds www.absoluteseeds.com

8

CRYPTOCURRENCY by sudestfam@protonmail.com

BITCANNA

THE SOLUTION TO ONE OF THE BIG PROBLEMS IN CANNABUSINESS In the previous issue of Soft Secrets, we talked about cryptocurrencies – such as Bitcoin – and analysed the technology on which many of them are based and their usefulness, especially in the world of cannabis. A very interesting project in this area is that of Bitcanna, a cryptocurrency created by a group of leading cannabis companies in Europe and designed for the cannabis trade.

As far back as in 2018, articles appeared in this magazine announcing its launch and Bitcanna is now a reality.

Bitcanna was initially created to solve problems related to the obstacles that banks pose in carrying out transactions involving cannabis products. Over the years, there have been numerous cases of financial institutions refusing to make payment instruments available to companies involved in the sector and – in the worst cases – we have seen their bank accounts frozen, which has brought these companies to their knees.

Bitcanna is the solution to these problems as it allows you to make totally secure and anonymous purchases of any products from companies that are members of the Bitcanna network. This cryptocurrency is the perfect payment method for all those involved in the legal cannabis sector, such as growshops, seed banks, coffeshops, CBD distributors or light-cannabis shops.

Let us see how it works and how to use Bitcanna in a few simple steps. Bitcanna uses a ‘proof-of-stake’ security protocol, i.e. a network consensus protocol that requires each user to prove they have a certain amount of currency, making

it much more efficient than Bitcoin’s ‘proof-of-work’ protocol, where the proof of consensus involves solving complex calculations that consume significant amounts of electricity, making this method untenable.

Let us move on to the practical part. First, you need to download a digital wallet, the Bitcanna Crypto Wallet available for computers and smartphones with both Windows/Android and Mac/iOS operating systems. This is a virtual wallet that allows you to store, send and receive your cryptocurrencies.

Once you have a wallet and have registered, you will be given a 12-digit key, which will be used to access your wallet. This key should be carefully stored since, if you lose it, you will no longer be able to access your funds. In addition to the security key, you will also be given an address to be used whenever you need to receive cryptocurrencies in your wallet.

Next, you need to convert your money into BCNA, the Bitcanna coin. You can buy BCNA by credit or debit card through the Indacoin cryptocurrency exchange platform, which is easily accessible from the official Bitcanna website.

The first time you make a purchase, you need to pass an identity verification process through a system known as KYC, a step that takes a few minutes.

You will then have to enter your address corresponding to the Bitcanna wallet in order to convert any amount of money into BCNA, with a minimal commission going to the exchange platform.

This will give you the opportunity to make purchases from the online shops that support BCNA as a payment method by simply scanning the QR code for a desired product and, in a few seconds, the transaction will be completed without the risk of it appearing in your bank statement.

The Bitcanna network, as explained by CEO Jan Scheele, is intended not only to solve the financial problems of the cannabis sector but also to increase the level of transparency on the origin and quality of the products purchased (as a form of control over the entire supply chain), to create a system of trust and reputation through business analysis and to encourage the adoption of platforms for digital identity security and review systems.

How do they intend to achieve these goals? One of the main steps is the adoption of a new blockchain on which

to develop Bitcanna based on Cosmos, a new type of blockchain equipped with an IBC (Inter-Blockchain Communication) system capable of making every blockchain on this network interact, for example with giants such as Ethereum or Coinbase. This will make it possible to bring Bitcanna to all the major exchange platforms. In addition, Cosmos offers greater versatility and freedom of development than blockchain 1.0 technology, which is not at all userfriendly.

Now it is on the test bench; on 17 June this year, Bitcanna announced the successful completion of the first phase of the testnet and the full launch is planned for September. To date, more than 80 companies in the cannabis sector have become members of the Bitcanna network and its dissemination seems unstoppable. Using Bitcanna makes your purchases safer and helps support this great project.

9

BARNEY’S FARM STRAIN STORY Words & Pics: Green Born Identity – G.B.I.

Tangerine Dream: A truly dreamlike fruit strain

Tangerine Dream is a big name in the world of music – this German band, that was at the peak of their craft in the 1970s, is world-famous and counted among the pioneers of electronic music. So if a renowned cannabis seed bank like Barney’s Farm gives one of their strains this famous band’s name, the bar is set high of course, folks expect nothing else than a breeding masterstroke. Looking at its genetic composition reveals that without a doubt, Barney’s Farm’s Tangerine Dream strain potentially has what it takes to fulfill these expectations as three legendary varieties are at its core: G13, Afghan and Neville’s A5 Haze. The use of such long-established genetic building blocks to create Tangerine Dream is a pretty nice match – 1970s oldschool genetics for a variety with a 1970s oldschool name.

The genetic amalgamation of those three classics led to a plant with a slight sativa tendency (60%) that grows medium tall and completes its flowering stage within 60-65 days. Due to an early outdoor finish in the first to second week of October, Tangerine Dream is a good candidate not only for inside but also outside. In any cultivation scenario, this Barney’s Farm strain promises a bountiful harvest, indoors, for instance, 600 grams per sqm. are not uncommon with good growers. Buds so voluminous and heavy sprout from the branches that they may need support near the end of flowering. As a matter of course, a cannabis variety carrying the term “tangerine” in its name should live up to this and produce distinct citrus notes, and so it is with Tangerine Dream – it gives off an intense smell of citrus fruits and berries, taste-wise this may translate into a dominant orange/tangerine note, in any case the taste is a tropically sweet and citrusy one. Being smoked or vaped, the buds instantly deliver a double effect which is uplifting and buoyant in the head but relaxing and unwinding in the body.

The veg stage: Express germination and vigorous ramification Who else than all-oldschool grower The Doc should have dealt with this strain for testing purposes? Having witnessed the heyday of the Tangerine Dream band in the 70s, he instantly was on fire when this strain came into play. The two feminised beans sown had come off the ground after about 2.5 days already, exhibiting that typical Barney’s express germination speed.

Remarkably early and full of verve, the two plants started to branch out which resulted in a bushy, heavily branched shape by the end of the veg stage. After three weeks of vegetative growth, The Doc triggered flowering by switching from 18/6 to 12/12, with the plants standing 30 and 33 cm tall.

Branches were clothed with thin shade

leaves that looked more like sativa than the 60:40 sativa/indica ratio had suggested.

The flowering stage: The two Tangerine Dreams plunge into a real silver rush The stretching phase whilst flowering was unusually long, extending over five weeks and leaving the two plants with more than twice their previous height. Nevertheless they had kept their compactness – “that’s a pretty handy indoor plant size”, The Doc commented. Right from the start, they displayed enormous flowering vigour so that after six weeks of blooming they had piled lots of bulky buds on their numerous branches, endowed with an extraordinarily high calyx-to-leaf ratio. Trichome formation turned out to be overly generous – already in the early and medium stage of resin production, the two Tangerine Dreams had

created a plethora of crystals, but in the last three weeks they plunged into a real silver rush then! They sugared themselves to the max and became so incredibly sticky that The Doc said “this feels like some instant adhesive, once touched I can hardly unglue my fingers from these resinsoaked buds, awesome!” What impressed him likewise deeply was that fact that both plants produced practically no loose scrawny flowers, all the way down to the bottom buds were of amazing density and solidness, even the smallest ones.

“And then they also have a notably low leaf count, I think I’ll be able to harvest them blindfolded…”, The Doc reported.

While bud consistency was in a class of its own, the flower scent even capped it all off as Tangerine Dream lived up to its name aroma-wise, with the buds of both plants really exuding a heavily citrusy

fragrance that unmistakably reminded of tangerines or oranges. “It’s an intensity and distinctiveness in this regard that’ve never experienced before, and this certainly means something!”, said The Doc, full of astonishment. One of the plants developed attractive purple hues on its sugar leaves in the second half of flowering which added to its bewitching beauty. Barney’s Farm’s official flowering schedule wasn’t exceeded, just in time after 64 days buds appeared well-cooked and The Doc lopped the plants off. Since there was very little leaf material to be trimmed and the final heights of 65 and 76 cm allowed for easy handling, he was expectedly able to make quick work of harvest.

Post-harvest results: Tangerine Dream becomes another member of The Doc’s 100 g club

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and strikingly smells of tangerines Given those vast amounts of large-sized heavily swollen Buds, it was The Doc’s firm expectation that the two Tangerine Dreams would enter into 100 grams yield zone, and this was going to happen then, indeed, with a combined dry bud volume of 223 grams.

“Sooo goood and sooo muuuch, that makes my old grower’s heart leap with joy”, The Doc cheered. Fittingly, pistils looked orange after drying, so this was another nice match to the strain name.

Much as nice and most tantalising was the super-frosty resin encrustation covering the dried buds silvery-white. They fortunately hadn’t lost their tangerine-like scent over the drying process – instead, thanks to

the absence of chlorophyll this tropical odour signature had arrived at the peak of prominence now.

Vaping it: Tangerine dreams come true… and pack a sativa wallop With the usual 0.5 g load in his Crafty+ vaporizer, The Doc started his vaping test.

Exquisite tropically fruity tangerine vapour billowed out of the device into The Doc’s mouth and made him exult “pretty amazing, this weed tastes just like it smells. Oh yes, this lovely delectation is a real tangerine dream!” In accordance with Barney’s description, the effect set in very rapidly, after three hits, The Doc had his head high up in the clouds, filled with felicity. In a great typical sativa manner, Tangerine Dream

put him in an upbeat mood and brought positivity into his world of thought, blowing away his mental fatigue after a long working day. He began to make post-corona holiday plans: “Maybe in a country where tasty tangerines are growing… Spain, watch out for me!” That breezy head buzz was soon joined by physical relaxation, Tangerine Dream proved to be not only an invigorating mental tonic but also a soothing muscle relaxant, melting his previous overall tension away so that he could move more fluently again. With a more than two hours duration of effects, Tangerine Dream had proven to be highly potent.

“It meanwhile has become routine, but once again after a cultivation test I’ve got to sing a great hymn about a Barney’s Farm strain, Tangerine Dream gets maximum points from me in all departments! This is as good as it gets. And Barney’s Farm again and again manages to surprise me with something special – this time it was that dazzling tangerine flavour. With such a rich harvest in my storage jars, I’ll enjoy a lot more heavenly tangerine dreams anytime soon…”

Green Born Identity – G.B.I.

Cultivation data: Genetics

Tangerine Dream (G13 x Afghan x Neville’s A5 Haze)

Vegetative stage

three weeks (after germination)

Flowering stage

64 days / 60-65 days in general

Medium

Plagron Grow Mix soil, 11 litre pots

pH

6.2-6.6

EC

1.2–1.8 mS

Light

up to 7 x SANlight Q6W = 1505 watts

Temperature

19-28°C

Air humidity

40-60%

Watering

by hand

Fertilisation

Organic Bloom Liquid from Green Buzz Liquids

Additives/stimulants

Living Organics, More Roots, Humin Säure Plus, Big Fruits, Fast Buds and Clean Fruits from Green Buzz Liquids

Tools

CleanLight Pro for mould prevention

Height

65 and 76 cm

Yield

together, 223 g

12

GROW REPORT WITH STONEY TARK

By Stoney Tark

TOP TIPS ON CHOOSING THE RIGHT GENETICS With more choice than ever before, it can be difficult knowing which genetics are best to grow. This decision can be down to multiple variables such as skill level, experience, how much time, and space you have and the overall end goal. In this article we provide our top tips for choosing the right strains and what to consider!

YOUR SKILL LEVEL

afford to overlap past 50-56 days.

Our tip here is to grow some of the older school strains such as Northern Lights, Skunk, and Hindu Kush. These are all fastflowering strains that have stood the test of time and are well known for commercialscale gardens.

This should be the most important part of which strain you invest your time and money into next, regardless of how tempted you are by the latest hype strains. If you are new to growing then it is advised to work with cultivars well known for their easy to grow nature and maintenance required.

ARE CLONES GOOD?

Our top tip here is to spend time researching which strains are best for beginner growers, as many seed banks will explain in the strain description. Working with indica dominant and fast flowering Cannabis plants will be the easiest route to take for a beginner-level grower.

This depends entirely where the clones have been sourced from, if they have any industry hype or backing, if they are contaminant free of powdery mildew and free of spider mites, thrips, and many other unwanted pests.

If you have been offered a box of clones that can shave a few weeks of your indoor garden, then if everything checks out to be good, then clones have their advantages.

WHAT ABOUT EXPENSIVE SEEDS?

Just because a pack of seeds is valued at £200 does not mean they are superior over most other seed banks. Of course, the genetics they offer will be top shelf, however you can easily find world-class breeders offering quality work for a much lower price.

Our tip here is to think twice before investing hundreds of pounds with a brand who may be hard work to get hold of in the future, and instead try many other seed banks and find out first hand. European brands will always be much more affordable than U.S brands.

I NEED MEDICINE!

If your goal is to produce your own homegrown organic medicine to help treat a medical condition, CBD hybrids are the next best thing. Thanks to the evolution in CBD and meticulous breeding programs, it is now possible to choose from a variety of ratios that reflect the amount of CBD and THC present.

Our tip here is to grow out as many feminized CBD hybrids as possible, to allow yourself to have access to the wide range of cannabinoid and terpene profiles. The quality of flowers these plants produce is simply superb.

REGULAR OR FEMINIZED?

If you are browsing through a seed catalogue and notice the genetics are available as regular or feminized form, then this simply means one will produce male and

Seeds are the variety of life. female Cannabis plants, and one will produce all female Cannabis plants.

Our tip here is to work with feminized seeds if you are not planning on making seeds and using a male and female plant. If your intention is to fill up as much space as possible without sexing the plants and removing potential males, then feminized seeds are extremely practical and will save time, space and nutrients.

then it is a good idea to work with plants that are fast flowering, resistant, and solid performers. Perhaps your intention is to create a crop rotation every 7-8 weeks and cannot

Our tip here is to always check where the clones came, and if you do have second thoughts about possibly infesting your garden with mites or mildew, then resort back to popping seeds and take your own clone that way which you know is totally safe. It is not worth finding out the hard way the clones were contaminated and now you are back to square one.

LIMITED GROW SPACE

Not everyone can have the luxury of a converted loft or cellar and are restricted to a space with limited height. If this is the case, then avoid tall-growing sativa dominant plants that have a tendency to stretch up to 200-300% times their original size once flowering is underway.

Our tip here is to grow plants that will not exceed a height of 120cm, meaning indica dominant plants such as Afghani crosses or auto flowering will be best suited. These plants will only stretch a small amount when the timer is changed to 12/12.

FAST TURN AROUND TIME

If you are on a tight budget and schedule,

This sativa dominant hybrid has stretched tall once flowered.

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PRODUCT “I have one goal: becoming the fastest human on the planet without the use of an engine.”

In 2001, Corentin and his family moved to France. They permanently moved into the house that had been their holiday home until then. To Corentin’s joy, they moved to winter sport paradise where he could ride snowscoot from dusk till dawn.

HOW LEGENDS ARE MADE One man. One goal. One mission.

Becoming a legend by being the fastest man on the planet without the use of an engine. Of course, Plagron is there to support him. Because: THEY EMPOWER THE PASSIONATE TO BECOME LEGENDARY! And they are always searching for opportunities to take this to the next level.

Meet Corentin Desbois: 38 years old and riding snowscoot in the South of France

in a place called Pra Loup, one of the biggest ski resorts of France. Corentin was born in Belgium and spent his youth there with his parents and two brothers.

His fascination for extreme sports arose at a very young age, so he became a fanatical BMX rider.

One day, he discovered a picture of a snowscoot in a BMX magazine. It was on that day that a boy lost his heart. “I went straight up to my parents to tell them I needed to ride this thing.” From then on, his parents rented a snowscoot for him every winter.

Eventually, Corentin started looking for some mates to share his passion with.

In 2003 he joined the snowscoot team in Pra Loup. “It was the only real snowscoot team with sponsors, since snowscoot is still a very small and unknown sport.” In 2004, Corentin took part in his very first snowscoot competition: the Pra Loup World Championships. From then on, he rode dozens of competitions every year, for seven years long. In 2011 he competed in a competition called Speed Masters for the first time and promptly set the snowscoot record at 151,490 km/h.

“I was having the best time of my life riding snowscoot with my friends, travelling around the world.”

At the age of just 13, had fallen head over heels with what soon became his biggest passion: riding the snowscoot.

Corentin studied mechanics for four years to become a mechanical engineer.

This led to his first job, which (of course) was creating snowscoots. At the age

of just 23, he founded his own brand: Dr. Jack. Under this name he started making boards, developing frames and creating snowscoots. Unfortunately, the market for this was too small, so he had to find something else to make a living. That’s when he opened his first grow shop. What followed were six years of hard work, without any snowscoot competitions. But there was good news too: he got to know Plagron! So, when Corentin made his comeback in 2017, they were there to back him up. And did he come back with a bang…the world speed record for snowscoot was still on his name on that time, and of course he improved it straight away. That’s how legends are made!

“When I was young, my dream was to create snowscoots for everyone.”

But then… bad luck kicked in when in 2019 the weather and slope conditions were too bad for the Speed Masters event to take place. In 2020 and 2021 COVID-19 ruined the fun. On top of that, in 2020 Corentin broke his elbow during a training while preparing for Speed Masters. Since Plagron has got your back during the good AND the bad, of course they kept empowering Corentin during the last three rough years. But they are more than ready to race again.

Fingers crossed!

Guarantees that matter Quality - Performance - Availability

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14

THE BUD DIARIES

By Rich Hamilton

24K TANGIE Every issue, Rich Hamilton shares an extract from his "bud diaries" with us. This month it is something special, a cannabis anomaly.

STRAIN 24K Tangie is sometimes known as "Kosher Tangie" or "24K". It is a great all-rounder in terms of flavour, potency, and effects! The resin count is the best, making it an excellent choice for hash and concentrates.

GENETICS 100% feminised seeds from Boutique Breeders "White Jesus Genetics," 24K Tangie is an Indica dominant (60%40%) hybrid. It was created by crossing the potent 'Kosher Kush' with the scrumptious 'Tangie'. Both of which are previous multiple Cup winning strains in their categories. The result is nothing less than an insanely beautiful bud that tastes and feels just as good as it looks.

it "Albino" or "white weed" or just the innocent victim of light bleaching? I was unsure at this stage, but I couldn't wait to try it!

FLOWER 24K Tangie has earned its name from its frosty yet golden appearance. The bud is draped entirely in glistening golden amber crystal trichomes. This Super icy treat is complemented further by its orangey-copper pistils. The unique white patching that this particular plant had experienced just made it look even better.

This 24K Tangie was grown under Sunlight LED's in Bio Bizz all mix soil.

Flowering time of an average of 9-10 weeks. The "Demon Nutrients" feed range was used from start to finish.

Interestingly, as it moved into Flower, the top of this bud turned white! Was

and sweet sugar long after smoking. As you would expect, the fruity citrus notes of tangerine are most notable, backed up by a classic Kush profile.

I can only go on my own experience.

There is no science to back it up, but if I had to say how the white colouring affected this weed, I would say that it has improved it. The guys at White Jesus also feel the same as I know they have taken cuttings of this plant and are trying to breed it with these characteristics to produce more white buds.

The 24K Tangie high isn't quite as bright as its taste, but it will help you relax after a long and stressful day. With an average THC content of between 18-24% THC, it hits you first with a lifted euphoria that infuses your mind with pure happiness and a sense of relaxation. As your mind soars to new heights, this relaxation will wash over the rest of your body, pulling you into a slightly couch-locked state that can leave you sleepy.

As each sticky little nug is broken apart, bright scents of fresh citrus and sweet candy are released accented by a pungent, sour skunkiness as the nugs are burned. The most abundant terpene in 24k Gold is myrcene, followed by pinene and limonene.

As I don't smoke tobacco, and this was a special occasion, I rolled it pure in a tobacco-free blunt wrap with a handrolled unbleached card roach. It was lit with a RAW wick light. We all rolled up at the same time and light one after another. We sat and smoked without saying a word for almost half an hour. It was that good.

CONSUMED

TASTE

This is what I would describe as unicorn weed. Why? well, let me put it like this.

The flavour hits you instantly and lingers on your tongue as fresh orange, Citrus

ODOUR

GROW INFO

Have you ever smoked white weed? Very few have, so it was a rare and almost mythical experience for me. I smoked this with 2 of my best crew members as I wanted to share the pleasure of this once in a lifetime occurrence.

STONE

Medical marijuana patients choose 24k Gold to relieve stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. The relatively high percentage of THC makes 24K Tangie perfect for treating chronic pain, bipolarity, inflammation, chronic fatigue, and arthritis.

Thank you again to the people at White Jesus genetics for giving me the chance to handle and smoke such a rare form of cannabis.

16

INTERVIEW

By Fabrizio Dentini

DR. ETHAN RUSSO SSUK: From the point of view of the chemical richness, cannabis is a molecular factory.

Does a unique and comparable research model exist when the object of study are cannabinoids?

I agree that cannabis is a pharmaceutical factory. That said, an interesting way to experiment is to compare an isolated cannabinoid versus a complete extract and this has been done numerous times. In Israel, Ruth Gallily conducted a cannabidiol study in which she examined rodents’response to pain.

Ethan Russo, MD, is a board-certified American neurologist, psychopharmacology researcher, founder and CEO of credo-science.com.

What happens when you use cannabidiol alone is that the answer is the following: too little drug doesn’t affect pain, when you have enough drug it does but when you increase the dose further you loose the benefit on pain. This is what is called a bi-physic dose response curve. Now they did the same experiment with the same amount of cannabidiol but as part of an extract and when they did that as the dose went up the pain control continued. This is a demonstration that, in most cases, the full spectrum extract is more effective than the pure compound.

Previously, Director of the International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute (ICCI) based in Prague; from 2003 to 2014 he served as Senior Medical Advisor to GW Pharmaceuticals for numerous Phase I-III clinical trials of Sativex®.

He is a Past-President of the International Cannabinoid Research Society and former Chairman of the International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines.

His research interests have included correlations of historical uses of cannabis to modern pharmacological mechanisms, phytopharmaceutical treatment of migraine and chronic pain, herbal synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid, serotonergic and vanilloid interactions.

At the heart of the global medical cannabis industry as a physician and entrepreneur, Dr. Russo chatted with us in late 2021 about the state of the art, future developments, and the most interesting prospects for this very important remedy for the health of citizens in the twenty-first century.

SSUK: Then for medical application is it preferable to use full spectrum extractions?

Let me give you another example: there is another controversy about the fact that there are a lot of companies trying to make cannabinoids from yeast or from E.coli bacteria. That is interesting and the science behind is fascinating. However my beliefs, after studying this for many years, is that those isolates will never have the breath of the activity than the complex mixture produced from the plant can have.

An again, we are in a context where we know in the plant at least 150 different cannabinoids. So it is not just THC, it is not just CBD and it is not just CBG as there are at least 147 other chemicals. In Italy, last year, was isolated a new cannabinoid, the tetrahydrocannabiforol, which is 23 times more potent than THC. So there

17

is more to come and then, beyond the cannabinoids, there are 200 different terpenoids that have been found in cannabis. It just demostrate that this plant has this amazing capability to produce different chemicals.

is not heroin. There are differences and if we bind substances like these together, the result tends to be highly inaccurate and counterproductive.

Now it doesn’t do it to get us high or to make medicine for humans. What it does it for is because they serve ecological needs of the plant wheter it is in defense against insect attacks, resistence to deseases or to fungi.

Basically we are just making use of the wonderful fact that this plant is so versatile in producing chemicals that are beneficial to our health.

SSUK: What do you think of the demarcation that exists in most laws on the planet between cannabis users for medical reasons and users for non-medical reasons?

Is there really this difference?

SSUK: In Europe, there are still those who say that clinical trials on marijuana are lacking. If on the one hand this is true, on the other hand, don't you think a different approach is necessary for a medicine like this? How to make the most of the anecdotal experiences of thousands of patients? How to work, from a data point of view, to develop a drug that will be more effective when highly individualized?

The first reason we don't have that much research is a question of access and funding. Most biomedical research around the world is still funded through the US National Institute of Health. Their budget, however, has been cut and that also due to American laws that emphasize the dangers of cannabis rather than its benefits. There have been many road blocks to research.

Having clarified this, it is absolutely false to say that we do not have enough evidence because these are very strong for a number of things such as for the treatment of pain in adults, for the treatment of nausea and vomiting, associated with chemotherapy and then, in the case of cannabidiol, for the treatment of severe epileptic syndromes.

Then there is a lot of evidence, less convincing, but still remains evidence of benefits over a further wide range of disorders. Finally, we have the experience of millions of patients around the world who have not undergone the slightest control study, but who are seeing benefits and are abandoning more dangerous drugs such as opioids.

What we need to do is get legal changes nationally and internationally.

Cannabis is not cocaine, cannabis

This is one of those questions we could debate endlessly. I don't think there is a clear distinction. There are people who might say their use is recreational, but why are they actually consuming?

They do it to relax, they do it because it helps some people sleep, they do it because it can ease the pain after a hard day's work, or they do it because they want to forget how mean their boss was towards them. These are all things other people may want to solve by drinking alcohol, but ineffectively, I would add.

Also, there are many people who are healing something without realizing they are doing it. Thanks to cannabis, many people notice that they get better results. Some of them may have an attention deficit disorder that has never been treated or they may have underlying anxiety or depression that cannabis helps. I am guilty of using this demarcation myself, but I think this is a bit artificial and that differences often overlap to a great extent.

I therefore hope that it is not made a black and white problem, because there cannot be a total separation of these two reasons that lead people to use cannabis.

SSUK: The mission of your company Credo Science is to commercialize patented products generated by the investigation into cannabis and the endocannabinoid system, making this medicine safer and better. What does it mean to make cannabis safer and better?

I would start by disagreeing with people who say that cannabis has no side effects. While cannabis use can certainly represent therapeutic benefits for most people, there are people with a predisposition to develop psychosis and, for them, cannabis can be dangerous. Then

there is a small group of people who shouldn't use cannabis because they tend to develop cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, nausea syndrome, vomiting, abdominal pain, and the only thing that would prevent them from having these symptoms is the interruption of consumption. What we aim to do, therefore, is to produce a pharmaceutical product in which we will see the benefits but with fewer side effects.

For example, we know that in addition to THC, there are many ingredients in cannabis that can affect pain and inflammation. Now, to work in these situations, a little THC is extremely helpful, but too much of it could produce side effects, like anxiety or paranoia, that people don't want.

When cannabis medicine is prepared correctly, we can make sure there are pain or spasticity benefits or improve sleep with fewer side effects.

SSUK: So how do you work to maintain the benefits and reduce the unpleasant effects?

We work with the knowledge of what the different components of cannabis do and how they can be produced in a way that will make them better and safer.

In our case we like to produce vigorous, disease-free plants and a lot of these results come from both selective breeding and processing and extraction techniques. Part of our mission is to encourage organic and regenerative cannabis farming.

We want to see fewer industrial-type productions that use pesticides and products of that type.

They are not necessary and they are a problem and we want to reduce the problems. For example, there are many cannabis concentrates available and, generally, they are made to produce large quantities of THC to the exclusion of the other components that would make the same product safer.

From this point of view, we are not trying to spoil anyone's enjoyment, but rather to produce a better therapeutic experience and potentially a better recreational experience as well.

SSUK: Speaking of cannabis as a safe medicine, you are referring to breeding and processing work. What

do you think of the cultivation itself as an important curative expedient intended as phytotherapy?

The phytotherapeutic action is something that really happens with cannabis because people are really involved in the cultivation process.

On a small scale I am myself an organic producer of fruit and berries and it is a very pleasant activity. Of course, talking about cannabis in a situation where the patient has the ability to grow legally, because it really provides a nice diversion and a feeling of empowerment, in the sense that patients feel they are in control of the situation.

When they have the skills and when they are authorized to do so I believe it is a very powerful thing for patients and so whenever possible I encourage people to really think in these terms.

SSUK: In light of your experience, at the beginning of the second twenty years of the millennium, in which sectors is international research on cannabis heading? What are the most interesting areas for the development of research on médical cannabis?

Most people focus on pain and sleep treatment where we already know cannabis can work and it's just a matter of figuring out what will be best. There are four aspects that I would like to emphasize: first the use of cannabis as an antibiotic, second as a primary treatment in cancer, since cannabinoids have the unique ability to kill cancer cells while remaining protective with normal cells and this is very promising.

The third area is psychiatry with the role of cannabis in the treatment of anxiety, an extremely common problem, especially in the era of covid where everyone is more anxious than they were previously.

We need better drugs that are nonaddictive, non-intoxicating, and address the problem, and cannabis may be the answer. The fourth area has been totally ignored so far and I refer to the treatment of women's diseases as gynecological problems.

In the nineteenth century, when cannabis medicine was really developed in Europe, some of the most frequent uses were for obstetrics and gynecology and we seem to have forgotten this.

18

GROW WITH STONEY TARK

By Stoney Tark

6 TOP TIPS ON SETTING UP YOUR INDOOR GROW ROOM As the new year begins, it is a good time to drop bad habits and strive towards becoming the best amateur grower you can be. In this article we cover 6 top tips to consider when setting up your indoor grow room, that will ensure you have every basis covered and are well on your way to being a discreet and successful grower.

Keep It Clean!

My number one priority when it comes to growing Cannabis is a clean grow tent or converted room. This means dirty floors, black mold in the corners, organic material on the floor, old pots, leaves, and any other organic material that can attract insects and mites.

My top tip here is to keep a dustpan and brush, bleach, peroxide and mop bucket close by and to become disciplined enough to thoroughly sweep any debris on the floor or mop up any spill of liquid nutrients. Try to keep the floor and walls as clean as possible and reduce the chances of insects.

Sound Proofing If you are new to growing Cannabis indoors and find the noise output of the exhaust fans and oscillating fans to be far too loud for your own liking, then you always look at sound proofing your tent. There are multiple ways to do this ranging from using acoustic ducting, silencers, wooden-framed acoustic boxes, and fan controllers.

My top tip here is to be prepared to invest in the equipment mentioned above as when all of these are combined together, the noise output is significantly lower giving a home grower the peace of mind they need.

Negative Pressure This concept applies to an indoor grow room where the amount of air being exhausted outside is greater than the fresh air being pulled in from outside.

It is very important that the amount of

air that enters the tent is recycled up to 20 times per hour, ensuring fresh Co2 can circulate around the plants, and there is no risk of stagnant air flow.

My tip here is for example, make sure that the exhaust RVK fan is 150cm in diameter and the inline TT fan is 100cm in diameter.

As the two are both working simultaneously, the air flow inside the tent will have negative drag and gently pull the walls of the tent in slightly.

Alternatively, you can open the vents at the sides of the tent and let the air to suck in that way,

Carbon Filters in Check A carbon filter can be a lifesaver so making sure that yours is still working well after a few grow cycles, is the difference between getting a knock on the door or never needing to worry.

Carbon filters can lose their ability to mask smells as the carbon becomes less efficient over time.

Fabric Pots are a good long-term investment.

is extremely important.

As tempting as it can be to want to grow 6ft plants that fill a room or tent from wall to wall, you have to think about the practicality for you as a grower to get hands on, especially in the event of an emergency.

to give your Cannabis plants plenty of space to grow into.

My tip here is to always leave room around the walls so you can walk around the edge of the grow room, and

Air Flow Is Essential

My tip here is to replace your carbon filter with a brand new one after every third harvest.

Establishing a good level of air flow inside the grow room before you put any plants inside is very important, and maintaining a consistent rate of fresh air around the plants is very beneficial.

It is necessary for the carbon dioxide from outside to enter the grow room and be absorbed by the stomata on the leaf.

SKeeping stagnant and hot air recycled is also essential at maintaining a wellbalanced temperate and humidity ideal for the vegetative or flowering.

It may sound like an inconvenience especially if you work with large sized and expensive ones, however the risk to reward ratio is worth it in my opinion, especially when growing out pungent varieties of Cannabis strains.

Space To Work Giving yourself the freedom and space to access your plants from all sides, and to work on them one by one if need be

Overcrowding can be a shortsighted mistake that only inhibits the production of the other plants.

Always make sure your temperature and humidity are right.

My top tip here is to be extra careful and vigilant once the buds have started forming. Fresh air blowing around the tops, centre and lowest parts of the canopy will keep Botrytis and powdery mildew at bay. Hot air and poor air flow is the fastest way to invite pathogens and spider mites into your garden.

19

GROW WITH STONEY TARK

By Stoney Tark

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE

TO BENEFICIAL MYCORRHIZAE… AN INTERVIEW WITH ARI SINGER Plants and trees have co-existed since the start of time and continue to grow all around us providing us with healthy forests, fruits and vegetables. It is with beneficial fungi and bacteria that the plant kingdom is able to thrive, so I sat down with Ari Singer from DYNOMYCO who is an expert in the field of mycology and fungi to find out more…

WHAT ARE MYCORRHIZAE AND CAN YOU EXPLAIN ABOUT ENDOMYCORRHIZAE? Myco means fungus. Rhiza means root.

So mycorrhizae is literally a fungus that lives in symbiosis with plant roots.

Endomycorrhizal fungi are associated with approximately 85% of plants on the planet ranging from herbs, vegetables, leafy greens, and of course Cannabis.

Endomycorrhizal fungi penetrate into the root cells and exchange nutrients with the plant. They do not produce any fruiting bodies, i.e mushrooms, and reproduce underground.

WHAT ARE ECTOMYCORRHIZAL FUNGI? Ectomycorrhizal fungi associate with trees, mainly conifers and hardwoods, and produce fruiting bodies, i.e the infamous amanita muscaria. They do not penetrate into root cells like the endomycorrhizal fungi do. Using ectomycorrhizal fungi for growing vegetables will not produce any benefits to the plant as the fungi don’t associate with these plants.

HOW DOES MYCORRHIZAE INTERACT WITH A CANNABIS PLANT’S ROOTS? The endomycorrhizae penetrate into the plant’s roots. This is done by a chemical signal that the plant secretes which the fungi can detect. Once the fungus penetrates the root, it begins to grow between the cells and also penetrates some of them.

The fungus then begins to spread outward from the roots in search of food sources for the plant. The fungus creates arbuscular structures which are tree-like-looking structures where the fungus exchanges nutrients in return for carbohydrates from the plant.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

BENEFICIAL FUNGI AND BACTERIA? They are completely different kingdoms!

They have different modes of action! For instance, mycorrhizal fungi penetrate the plant cells so that certain bacteria do not enter the plant at all, but rather remain in the rhizosphere and not in the plant itself.

DO BACTERIA AND FUNGI OFFER THE PLANT ANY PROTECTION AGAINST DISEASE AND PATHOGENS?

ing! Also, be sure to run a side-by-side comparison so you understand why you should never grow without mycorrhizal fungi again!

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR KEEPING A WELL-BALANCED SOIL FOOD WEB? In my opinion, it all starts with the mycorrhizal fungi. They are the key. They were the key to having plants survive

They rely on the soil food web for this.I would look for a good mycorrhizal inoculant, and a solid bacterial inoculant to go along with it. Adding Humic and Fulvic acid can certainly help as well.

FINALLY ARI, WHERE CAN OUR READERS FIND OUT MORE ABOUT YOURSELF AND THE BRAND YOU REPRESENT? Be sure to check out our website, dyno-

Absolutely! There are many fungal and bacteria species that combat specific pests. For instance, beuavaria bassiana is a known bio-insecticide which can help combat whiteflies, termites, aphids, thrips and more. An example of a bacteria that can help with pathogens is bacillus thuringiensis can help plants by inhibiting insect larval growth.

HOW ABOUT USING TRICHODERMA AT THE SAME TIME AS MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI? Trichoderma has many benefits in pathogen management. It is a very aggressive type of fungus. So aggressive that at times it can outcompete all the other fungi, including mycorrhizal fungi if they’re not already properly established with the plant. We recommend applying trichoderma about 2 weeks after applying mycorrhizal fungi.

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR A FIRST TIME GROWER USING BENEFICIAL MYCORRHIZAE? Make sure the fungi make direct contact with the roots, either by mixing it in the growing media or placing it directly into the planting hole for optimal results.

The earlier you apply the fungi, the sooner the symbiosis will begin and the sooner you and your plant will reap the rewards. You can even use it when clon-

A great example of a healthy and vibrant root zone. moving from water to land and they continue to be an integral part today, 450 million years later. Besides that, I tend to think that less is more.

There’s only so much a plant can uptake and adding salt based fertilizers can impact the soil food web and damage it. In nature, no one runs around with a bottle of NPK and fertilizes the trees.

myco.com and our Instagram page, @ dynomyco. This is where readers will be able to find the most videos from trials, plants grown with DYNOMYCO, facility tours of DYNOMYCO growers and more!

I also just recently opened my own personal Instagram account which is @ aridynomyco so you can follow me there if you want to see what’s going on in my personal world.

20

CULTURE

By Rich Hamilton

ROCK AND ROLLERS There's no denying the relationship between Weed and music, especially Rock and Roll with its rebellious roots.

Cannabis has reportedly motivated many artists to pen some of their most imaginative works, with many claiming that they could not create without it. However, this source of inspiration doesn't come without its issues.

Here are some true weed stories of some original Rock and Roll legends.

Bob Dylan got The Beatles stoned for the first time While staying at New York's Delmonico Hotel in 1964, the Beatles met with Bob Dylan and his stash. After sparking up, Paul McCartney, feeling as if he was

"thinking for the first time," asked roadie Mal Evans to follow him around and write down everything he said.

John Lennon's version of events was typical of most people the first time. "I don't remember much," he said.

"We were smoking dope, drinking and generally having a laugh". Less than a year later, when shooting their second film, Help!, in February 1965, Lennon claimed that the group "were smoking marijuana for breakfast". "Nobody could communicate with us; it was glazed eyes and giggling all the time".

The Only Time Gene Simmons Got High Most rock stars on this list are seasoned cannabis users. Gene Simmons from Kiss, however, claims that he's only gotten stoned once in his whole life. The Kiss rocker consumed three brownies in a textbook amateur error, only to realize they contained Weed too late.

Simmons began asking lots of questions as the brownies started to hit, questions such as "Are my feet big? Does my head look funny? Is it really small? Why are my hands so big? Are my teeth shiny?" A Journalist, who was with Simmons at the time, said that it was like observing "E.T. tentatively discovering the wonders of planet Earth".

David Bowie and Iggy Pop; Busted in New York

In March 1976. The two were touring the U.S. to support Bowie's Station to Station L.P. Following a March performance in N.Y., Bowie, Pop and associates were busted in their hotel suite. Vice-squad detectives and a state police investigator confiscated "about half a pound of marijuana."

The group reportedly faced "a minimum of 15 years imprisonment on the drug charge but could get as little as five years probation if convicted." However, after appearing in court the following day, the charges were on none other than April 20th or 4/20.

Aerosmith Bail Out Their Fans At an Aerosmith concert in October 1978, cops arrested a group of audience members. Many were charged with smoking weed and underage drinking charges. In the Aerosmith biography Walk This Way, the band state that they became aware of the arrests mid-way through the show and began calling the cops names from the stage. After the show, lead singer Steven Tyler reportedly paid the bail for 28 of its busted fans.

Paul McCartney, repeat offender Everyone always thinks of John Lennon in his hippie phase as the "stoner" of the Beatles. Still, Paul McCartney had more than a few run-ins with the police over Weed!

In March 1973, the Beatle was busted for growing marijuana plants on his Scottish

farm. McCartney claimed that a fan had given him the seeds, and he didn't know what they were. He eventually conceded, paid a $240 fine and was handed a conviction for "illegal cultivation."

In 1975, the rockers luck ran out again whilst running a red light in L.A. When cops pulled him over, they found the vehicle was full of marijuana smoke.

Paul's wife, Linda, took the fall, accepting the subsequent fine and arrest.

The most infamous of McCartney's weed incidents occurred in Tokyo after customs officers discovered roughly a half-pound of Weed hidden in the musician's luggage in early 1980. "I still am hazy about how that happened," he told chat show host James Corden in 2019. "I had some marijuana in my suitcase, and I ended up in jail for nine days. Scary."

Lynyrd Skynyrd Smoke With Snoop. When Rap and Rock collide Marijuana brings people together, and there are no more unlikely smoking buddies than Lynyrd Skynyrd and Snoop Dogg.

The Southern rock band and the beloved rapper got together and sparked up at a 2019 convention in San Jose, California.

Both parties posted images from the session to social media. In one video, Skynyrd guitarist Rickey Medlocke also suggested that Snoop collaborates with the group. That would be one song I would love to hear.

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23

SEED BANKS

By Tommy L. Gomez/ Photos Sweet Seeds®

Sweet Cherry Pie® and Bruce Banner Auto® YOUR STASH IN PERFECT SYMBIOSIS my grow tent ready to harvest just a few weeks later. And so it started, with 3 seeds of Bruce Banner Auto® outdoors in 30 litre pots and 4 seeds of Sweet Cherry Pie® indoors also in 30 litre pots.

All the seeds sprouted in less than 72 hours. The outdoor team started in 1 litre pots and the indoor team started with 500 ml pots. All the plants were grown together in the first 14 days, under a total of 68 watts of CFL lights. At day 14 they were transplanted to the final pots, as previously mentioned, and placed in their

growing and flowering areas. The 3 Bruce Banner Auto® were placed in a sunny balcony where they received direct sun from early morning to sunset. The 4 Sweet Cherry Pie® were placed in a 80cm x 80cm x 160cm grow tent, which is ideal for 4 plants in 30 litre pots.

At day 21 all the Bruce Banner Auto® plants were already totally adapted to the sun light and they were growing fast, reaching to around 20 cm in height. The Sweet Cherry Pie® plants were slightly

on ed select s st ra i n 2 m 1-3-202 Valid fro3-2022 until 31-

Sweet Cherry Pie®.

There are times when you can’t make up your mind about simple decisions, like choosing the strains you will be growing next. Sometimes the best choice is to go with two complete different strains.

Especially if you have two separate growing areas or if you grow indoors and outdoors. In my case it happened just when the outdoor season was starting, so I decided to get Bruce Banner Auto® (SWS91) for my outdoor garden and Sweet Cherry Pie® (SWS92) for an indoor adventure. Two new releases from Sweet Seeds® that are the perfect opposite of each other in many ways. Bruce Banner

Auto® is a mostly Sativa autoflowering strain and Sweet Cherry Pie® is a mostly Indica photoperiod-dependent strain.

I could have chosen Sweet Cherry Pie® for a full season outdoor grow, with a long vegetative stage, from March to July and maximum production, but it was a bit risky as the plants would only be ready in September and sometimes it rains by then where I live. Like this, germinating all the seeds in April, I would have the autoflowering plants in my garden ready to harvest by late June or early July and the photoperiod-dependent plants in

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24 behind at this point, as expected, with around 16 cm in height. The soil mix used was the same for all the plants and I also added 50 grams of powdered bat guano in the lower layer of soil in the pot, where the roots will reach a bit later during flowering, and 1 litre of worm humus per plant in the top layer of soil, to help with the Nitrogen (N) supplies during the first stages of flowering. At day 28 the outdoor team started to show the first pistils and in the same day I changed the photoperiod from 18/6 to 12/12 in the grow tent. The light used was 400w HPS, which I find ideal for this area with my RVK 125mm air extractor.

Between the 28th and 35th day the plants stretched like real champions, with Bruce Banner Auto® reaching to around 40 cm in height and all the Sweet Cherry Pie® plants with heights ranging between 34 cm and 38 cm. As there was still a good amount of empty space in the tent and the plants were growing a lot vertically, I decided to do some Low Stress Training (LST) to lower the tallest branches and get a more even canopy.

With this, the 4 plants were levelled to 25 cm in height. The outdoor team was not subjected to any LST as they can get a good amount of sun everyday from the lower to the upper branches, evenly.

Instead, they had a bath with neem oil as a

preventive, because in previous years I had some problems with pests in this balcony.

At day 42 from germination the outdoor plants were already crowding up together the pistils in all their bud sites, forming beautiful flowers. The 3 plants of Bruce Banner Auto® just kept growing and growing as if there was no tomorrow, under the intense sun of late May in South Europe. At this point they already looked like pine trees, with lots of strong and firm side branches, reaching to around 65 cm in height. The resin production was already becoming very visible and most of the buds were starting to get covered in trichomes with fresh and fruity aromas. I expected to have them ready to harvest 3 to 4 weeks later so at this point I decided to give them their first watering with flowering liquid fertilizer. The plants responded very well and were truly grateful for it, showing me superb flower development.

By the same time, the indoor team with the 4 plants of Sweet Cherry Pie® was a bit behind, but the plants had most of the flowers very well horizontally levelled, as a result of the LST session performed a couple of weeks ago. Some trichome production was already visible and a bit of its forest fruits aroma was definitely present. Just a couple of weeks later, with 56 days (28 of which in the flowering

Sweet Cherry Pie®.

stage) the plants already had some nice buds forming in the tips of all the branches. Sweet Cherry Pie® (Cherry Pie x Gelato) is a mostly Indica strain (75%) that produces attractive, compact, thick buds covered with aromatic trichomes and this became noticeable right after the 5th week of flowering.

At day 63 the 3 Bruce Banner Auto® plants were mature and ready to harvest, with all the buds showing beautiful colours and fantastic fragrances. Sweet aromas with fruity and floral notes, reminiscent of the Diesel family, in a background of earthy tones. I just waited two extra days for a more relaxed effect and proceeded to harvest the 3 monsters. They were very big in both ways (vertically and horizontally) with a bushy shape. I estimated to have it ready to sample in about 2 weeks, possibly when the indoor team was going to be ready to harvest.

And so it happened, after 8 and a half weeks of flowering, the indoor team composed by 4 Sweet Cherry Pie®, was ready to harvest, also with outstanding fragrances. The sweet and fruity aromas evoked memories of home-baked cookies, cherries and earthy shades of acidic wild berries. Simply delicious. I was even sad when I harvested them, but it had to be. Thanks to the Grand Daddy Purple ancestry (from the Cherry Pie parental), some plants display purple of reddish tones in their leaves and flowers. In my case two of the four plants featured these wonderful coloration.

Bruce Banner Auto®.

At this point it was late June and I already had the outdoor plants ready to smoke/vaporize. I was also able to weight them, with an amazing yield of 372 grams from the 3 plants (124 grams per plant). This is an extremely aromatic strain with high THC levels that can reach to up to 25% or even higher in some plants. It features a potent longlasting effect that enhances imagination with an euphoric and happy mood.

Two weeks later the 4 Sweet Cherry Pie® plants were already dried and had a few days of curing, so it was time for a smoke report. The taste of home-baked cookies and cherries was very present in three of the four plants and it is really a feast to the taste buds. The plants produced 315 grams of the most delicious dried flowers, which is quite a nice yield for only 4 plants with 400w HPS. In regards to the effects, this plant is ideal for fans of indicasativa hybrids given its relaxing and wellbalanced effects that can help you to get creativity flowing while stimulating your focus and concentration. The THC levels usually range between 18% and 25%, hence the powerful effects.

It all started by the 14th of April. By the end of June, about 9 weeks later, I had the outdoor team with 3 Bruce Banner Auto® ready to harvest. And by the 10th of July all the indoor team with 4 Sweet Cherry Pie® plants was also ready. Both harvests got me enough stash for at least 6 months.

And the two strains are the perfect match to each other. It’s like a sweet symbiosis.

My Bruce Banner Auto® jars are filled with a mostly Sativa strain, autoflowering and grown outdoors. My Sweet Cherry Pie® jars host the most wonderful and tasty Indica strain, photoperiod-dependent and grown indoors. The best of both worlds, from Sweet Seeds®.

26

GROW REPORT WITH STONEY TARK

By Stoney Tark

DUTCH PASSION GLUEBERRY OG GROW REPORT

Seed Bank: Dutch Passion Strain: Glueberry OG Lineage: (Gorilla Glue #4 X OG Kush) x Blueberry Lights: SANlight EVO Series Pot: 10L fabric pot Grow Medium: Coco, worm castings, compost, and Guanokalong powder guano (1-10-1) Nutrients: EM1 microbes, Biobizz fish mix, Guanokalong Grow, Guanokalong Bloom, Guanokalong Bat Boost Vegetative Phase: 28 day Flowering: 60 days I was excited to grow Glueberry OG Feminized from Dutch Passion, as someone who enjoys Gorilla Glue, OG Kush and Blueberry by themselves. I will plant one seed into a 10 litre fabric pot and this will be a totally organic grow with a vegetative time of 4 weeks . As always I start the seedling off in a glass of water and leave overnight.

I plant the seed into the organic growing medium about 1cm deep with the root side facing down. I water slightly and leave the plants inside my tent where they will grow under SANlight LED. My hygrometer shows the temperature is 24 degrees and the humidity is 65%.

Glueberry OG stays short and compact, needing support.

Now the seedling has grown to a couple inches tall, I decide to feed Biobizz Fish Mix and Guanokalong Grow at a ratio of 2ml per litre and lightly water. I do not want to over water the seed early on and encourage the roots to search out and expand.

After 3 weeks the Glueberry OG is short in height but very top heavy, with short internodal spacing, that is characteristic of an indica dominant plant. I would describe the growth structure as bushy and stocky, so decide to pinch the top shoot to allow the canopy to become more bushy and compact.

I continue to feed the fish mix and Gunokalong Grow ratio this time have increased to 5ml per litre and water until drip through at the base of the fabric pot.

Her height after 25 days can be measured at 28.5cm with a horizontal width of 38cm.

Glueberry OG has a Christmas tree type of structure and so far has keep a low and easy to maintain profile. The temperatures in the final week of 18/6 are consistent at 23.7 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity of 62%. I feed one last time before switching the timer to 12/12 to begin flowering.

THE FLOWERING PERIOD 12/12

>>> In the final week of flush fed with an enzyme mix.

After the second week of flowering, she has shot up in size and has an abundance of thick stemmed side branches emerging up to the top canopy. I take this opportunity to

prune away all of the growth below the top nodes of every branch to allow the plants to focus on top heavy buds and also improve airflow.

Glueberry OG now measures at 55cm tall with a width of 68cm, making her the shortest plant I have growing in the tent, and a good strain to grow if you are limited with space and height. There is a lot of resin being produced from day 22 onwards and when I give her buds a squeeze, there is a very sweet, fruity, cherry, perfume type of aroma. I change my nutrients to Guanokalong Bloom and Guanokalong Bat Boost at a ratio of 5ml per litre.

Day 30 of flowering and Glueberry OG is chunky, dense and looking like an absolute beast. I have to support the side branches using small bamboo canes now the weight and resin is packing on. Stretching has stopped and now measuring at a final height of 64cm, I plan to feed nutrients for 3 weeks more and begin the flush.

Temperature and humidity are 23.7 degrees during the day and 17.5 degrees with lights off, and a consistent humidity level of 45% with a strong air flow from oscillating fans.

I check to see how dry the pot has become before feeding again.

40 days into 12/12 and Glueberry OG has a dense bud structure that is very greasy to touch, and will make some superb dry sift. There are pink and magenta hues throughout the plant as the leaves and tips of the frosted buds begin to mature.

I will flush the plants from day 46 onwards and replace my nutrients with only plain water and Cannazyme. I use a ratio of 15ml per litre and wash the pot with 2 litres of enzyme solution until it drips through. I do not want to over water the plants at this stage, but encourage them to use up any internal nutrients.

I check the buds on day 60 and see 60% of the trichomes are amber coloured, so will harvest now. The buds are also rock hard, packed full of terps and have a heavy resin profile. Overall a very easy to grow strain that stays low but packs on the weight!

27

HIGH CUISINE WITH BETTY GREEN

By Betty Green

BHANG!!

2. Add the cannabis flowers and leaves.

3. Cook for 10 minutes over low heat.

4. Remove the pan from the heat, add two tablespoons of milk and stir to mix.

5. Continue adding milk and the ground almonds, and stir.

6. Strain the mixture into a bowl to remove the plant matter.

7. Add the rest of the milk, cocoa, and grenadine.

8. Mix everything together while adding the sugar, ginger and garam masala.

9. Leave it to chill in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.

TOP TIPS! Bhang is made with fresh produce and ingredients, so consume it on the same day you made it, preferably within the first few hours. Treatit like a freshly made smoothie.

We have looked at cannabis food and concentrated on cooking with cannabis infusions like canna-butter and oil. I thought it would be cool to take it back to basics and look at a really traditional, uncomplicated and potent form of edible or "drinkable" that uses actual plant material in the recipe.

Although the cannabis industry has made great strides, the truth is our ancestors were way ahead of us in finding ways to enjoy cannabis in very different ways.

Cannabis has been traditionally used in India for thousands of years, and one of the most common ways to consume it is in the form of a drink called "Bhang".

The sale and cultivation of cannabis are forbidden in India, but Bhang is still allowed in some areas on cultural and religious grounds.

Unlike alcohol, Bhang is not stigmatised in India. It is common to see women selling Bhang goli (cannabis paste balls) in some regions, and there are stores where you can purchase ready-todrink Bhang. These establishments are government regulated and found in religious cities in Northern India.

Bhang is a vital part of Hindu culture.

The ingredients vary somewhat from recipe to recipe; however, Bhang or "Bhang Thandi" to give it its full name is a drink made with milk or yoghurt, spices and a marijuana paste containing leaves and flowers from the female cannabis plant.

Bhang is an integral part of many religious rituals, such as yoga practice and meditation. According to Vedism (the mother of Hinduism), cannabis is a sacred plant, and Bhang consumption is regarded as a way of worshipping the god Shiva. Aside from its connection to spirituality, Bhang is also thought to be useful for medicinal reasons, just as cannabis is used today. This includes treatment for physical pain and mental conditions such as depression and anxiety.

Before you try making your own Bhang, remember that this recipe produces a psychoactive effect. Like with all edible products, the impact of Bhang can vary from very mild to very strong depending on how you dose it. Always respect the recommended dosage and don't overdo it as you don't want to have a bad experience. Go too hard, and you could go on a long, unpleasant trip.

INGREDIENTS: • 250ml water • 4g of fresh cannabis flower and leaves (alter to suit tolerance) • 3 cups of warm milk • 600g cup of sugar • 1tbsp of cocoa milk • 1 tbsp of ground almonds • ½ tsp of ground ginger • 1 pinch of garam masala • 1 tsp of grenadine Directions: 1. Boil the water in a pan on the stove

Remember that cannabinoids are fatsoluble, so more THC and CBD will be absorbed if you use full-fat milk or yoghurt. Adding a spoon of cream, butter, or yoghurt to the finished drink will also increase the fat content and, therefore, the amount of THC. Vegans can use Coconut milk as the base of their Bhang as this contains the most fat out of the non-animal milk. Likewise, you can add coconut oil at the end to increase absorption potential.

28

CANNABIS

By Rich Hamilton

JUSTIN BIEBER. NOW

YOU REALLY CAN "GET HIS WEED IN CALIFORNIA." health struggles. In his documentary series with YouTube last year, he said he first tried weed when he was just 12 or 13. Justin felt that he became dependent on it as a support as the world's attention focused on him from a young age.

outlook on cannabis. A generation that may not appreciate what things looked like before legalisation. If we want legalisation, we have to accept that it will eventually become a commercialised commodity like everything else.

Palms Co-founder, Noah Annes, hopes that by having Justin highlight these crucial topics, others would be encouraged to share their personal experiences surrounding mental health and how cannabis use helps them.

Bieber's message is centred around the "hot topics" of legalisation, not only mental health benefits but also the social injustices of existing cannabis convictions.

"Justin's vulnerability and openness about his mental health struggles impressed us. We knew he would be a great choice to have at the forefront of our first-ever collaboration."

We may have hit "peak" celebrity cannabis endorsement! Pop megastar Justin Bieber has announced that he will partner with LA-based cannabis company Palms to launch a range of pre-rolled joints called "Peaches".

Named after his 2021 hit single. Palms specialises in prerolled cannabis products, with its standard seven-joint packs currently retailing for $32 at pharmacies in Nevada and California.

The "Bieber Cheeba", as it is also known, will be available across four states. California, Nevada, Florida, and Massachusetts will retail at USD 50.00.

The limited-edition run is made up of seven 0.5 gram pre-rolls. The strain chosen is an Indica and Sativa hybrid with a "peachy' flavour.

Each pre-roll pack comes with a decorative box and an exclusive BIC lighter. A percentage from every pack sold will be going to two weed-related charities. One of which advocates for criminal justice reform for people with cannabis convictions.

The other is looking to explore the use of medicinal cannabis for army veterans.

Before "Peaches" launched, the press quoted Bieber saying that he was inspired to launch his cannabis line to help remove any stigma associated with cannabis. Especially for those suffering from mental health problems.

"I admire Palms and what they are trying to do. It is important to make cannabis more approachable and to destigmatise it. This is especially true for people who find it helpful for their mental health," A percentage of the profits from "Peaches" will be donated to "Veterans Walk and Talk". As well as to "The Prisoner Project" which is a charity addressing criminal justice reform surrounding cannabis convictions.

On his own experience with cannabis, Beiber had the following to say. "Weed was something that I felt people tried to make me feel bad for enjoying, but now I've found a place in my life for weed products that has been beneficial."

Bieber, 27, has been candid about the pressures of child stardom and how drug use contributed to his mental

Bieber may undoubtedly divide opinion.

However, he deserves credit for attempting to make this collaboration impactful and positive. Undoubtedly, many will still view it as just another clever marketing tool, and maybe it is, but at least the right message is still getting out there.

Superfan or not, Justin Bieber is a very influential pop culture figure for younger generations. A generation that is growing up with a different

The cannabis market is not Bieber's first foray into branching out beyond chart success. The pop icon turned entrepreneur has already dabbled in other businesses besides music, including a Crocs collaboration, his Drew House streetwear collection and investment in Spotify.

Bieber joins fellow artists like Drake, Snoop Dogg and Jay-Z, tapping into the lucrative cannabis market. It makes perfect sense for him to do it, as around 40% of the cannabis market is described as "Gen Z" and "millennials", according to the 2020 HQ Cannabis Brand Affinity Report.

Luckily this happens to be Bieber's exact target demographic.

29

MEDIA

By Rich Hamilton

SOFT SECRETS

HERE IS SOFT SECRETS MEDIA RUN DOWN OF WHAT TO WATCH LISTEN AND READ THIS MONTH.

LISTENCANNAINSIDER- APPLE PODCASTS

all kinds of weird and beautiful plants.

This 5 part series is split into episodes based on different ecosystems and the type of plant life that flourishes there.

Among the extraordinary things, you will see in "The Green Planet" include the blossoms of a Balsa tree refilling with nectar seven times in a night to attract pollinators.

Bioluminescent fungus in The Congo glowing in the dark as it releases billions of spores into the air.

A great listen for anyone with an— interest in weed—especially those who are considering heading down the entrepreneurial route.

Matthew Kind from the website CannaInsider delivers this well established and respected podcast with weekly interviews with prominent voices of the rapidly evolving Cannabis Industry.

READ- BONG APPETIT – AMAZON.CO.UK If you've ever thought about cooking with weed or trying something other than brownies or gummies, then Bong Appétit is perfect for you. Written by the team that brought you the Viceland TV series of the same name (and recommended by our own Betty Green), Bong Appétit features 65 delicious high-end weed-infused recipes.

Bong Appétit gives you an excellent foundation of knowledge too. From savoury to sweet, there is something for everyone. Bong Appetit breaks down the science of infusing oils, butter, milk, alcohol, and more with weed and features recipes including "weed butter-basted chicken", "weed chimichurri", and "weed brownie sundaes".

There is lots of helpful information for cooking with weed too. Such as the best equipment to extract cannabinoids, prepare the plants for cooking or storage and how to dose and pair strains and match complimenting flavours. Whether cooking for guests or just upping your edible game, this book's got you covered!

There are interviews with various experts, including cannabis chemists, dispensary owners, manufacturers of marijuanainfused products, seed companies, marijuana and cannabis investors and entrepreneurs.

Tune in and listen to discussions about the newest upcoming trends and technology that is helping to shape the industry. Each week you'll hear about; what is going on in the industry, politics and legalisation.

Additionally, there is lots of helpful information and tips on ways to invest in cannabis businesses. Recent episodes include "The Cannabinoid Science Nobody is Talking About", "Master Grower Shares Secrets of World Class Cannabis Cultivation", and "How Much Profit Is In Cannabis Oil Extraction?"

WATCH-THE GREEN PLANETBBC IPLAYER Tune in and join the nations Grandad "David Attenborough" as he explores

of leafcutter ants from 7000 different points, tracking them as they harvested leaves and carried them deep into their underground nest.

Tropical Worlds, Water Worlds, Seasonal Worlds, Desert Worlds and Human Worlds.

The Green Planet used groundbreaking technology to film this series. One example is a computer-controlled robot camera developed over a decade by a US ex-military engineer in his garage and dubbed The Triffid.

Mounted on a sliding ladder, "The Triffid" captured a multi-angle tree's eye view

One of the highlights was watching the petals of the gigantic, meter wide Rafflesia or "Corpse Flower" in a Borneo Rainforest, opening to lure and trap unsuspecting pollinators. This footage took 12 months to film, but thanks to the extraordinary time-lapse photography, it is revealed to us in just a minute!

If you have ever watched any other Attenborough docu series, you will have some idea of what to expect. It is simply fantastic television, whether you have a specific interest in plants or not.

30 COLOFON Soft Secrets is published by Discover Publisher BV Galvaniweg 11, 5482 TN Schijndel, Netherlands Telephone: +31-(0)73-5498112 E-mail: info@softsecrets.nl Web: www.softsecrets.com Editor: Cliff Cremer Contributors: Jorge Cervantes, Stoney Tark, Rich Hamilton, Mr. Jose, Green Born Identity (G.B.I.), Betty Green, TricomaTeam, Tommy L. Gomez, Fabrizio Dentini and others.

Comics: Jim Stewart Photography: iStock Editorial adress: readers@softsecrets.nl Advertisements: E-mail: info@softsecrets.nl A word from the publisher: Soft Secrets is a bi-monthly free magazine which is published in The Netherlands (called Highlife), Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Poland, Czech Republic and Chile.

World wide there is a process going on of relative liberalisation towards the use of cannabis, be it for medicinal or recreational purposes. Several countries

legalised cannabis as a way of separating soft and hard drugs, as it has proven to do in Holland. Other countries legalised the use of medicinal cannabis, including the right to grow cannabis plants for one’s own use.

The publisher wants to highlight the process of normalisation of cannabis use.

This assumes that the publisher does not necessarily agree with everything that appears in articles and advertisements.

The publisher therefore distances himself explicitly from published statements or images that might give the impression that an endorsement is being made for the use and/or production of cannabis.

Nothing from this publication may be copied or reproduced in any format without prior permission from the publisher and other copyright holders. The publisher is not responsible for the content and/or point of view of advertisements.

The editor takes no responsibility for unsollicited submissions.

The publisher has endeavored to reach all copyright holders of photos and/or images. Those who still believe they are entitled to these rights may contact the publisher.

INDEX OF ADS Name

Page

Advanced Seeds

2

London Seed Centre

1

Amsterdam Seed Center

27

Paradise Seeds

1

Atami

21

Paradise Seeds

23

Barney's Souvenirs

1

Root Pouch

13

Barney's Souvenirs

31

RQS

15

Canna Trade

7

Seedstockers

1

Cyco-Hortitec

11

Sweet CBD

1

Le Salon du CBD

3

Sweet Seeds

32

Next issue out:

April 16 2022

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On our new website it is even easier to find articles you like. So sit back, relax and find all you want to know about the world of cannabis on the new softsecrets.com.

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