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Is My Medicine Dank?
Published: 10/13/2011 by Uncle Mark Jones
The Medical Cannabis industry is at a crossroads as I see it. We've won some limited rights to use medical cannabis in some of our states but the battle is far from over. For the purpose of this article I'm going to ignore some of the bigger issues associated with the varied legalities surrounding the plant and focus on one thing I think important, which is establishing some standards in the industry.
I think that for the next steps in legalization to take place it's very important that all providers of cannabis have the medication they are providing tested on a regular basis for not only THC content but also for other primary cannabinoids as well as for pesticides, spider mites etc.. To me this seems to be important in getting medical cannabis to be recognized as the valuable medication it truly can be. After all you wouldn't go to a drug store and buy any medication that doesn't clearly list all ingredients. As much as is possible this should hold true for the medical cannabis industry also.
The need for this can be easily seen in reviews of cannabis that appear here and almost every place online or in print. Let's face it describing a medication as 'dank' leaves a lot to be desired as far as helping a person determine what strains are helpful for their medical conditions. I've been smoking cannabis for over 30 years and I can't tell you I know the meaning of the word dank. In fact I just looked it up online and found that it's meaning varies but usually means good....not a very precise description in my book. Unfortunately the help at most dispensaries have little real training or knowledge of marijuana let alone of medicine so the information they provide often seems to be of little real value.
Obviously ultimately it's going to be individual consumers who decide what variety of medication helps the most. But if they had complete information from testing it would be an important step in finding what medication works best for them. Unfortunately just going by the name of a strain means very little in the end as one growers "sour diesel" can be drastically different from what someone else grows that goes by the same name. This can be due to the level of experience of different growers and grow environment, but also can be due to drastically different genetics that are sold under the same name. Sure there is also a need to describe not only the chemical fingerprint but also the subjective experience that each different type of marijuana provides. People will always want to know what smokes best, what tastes good etc. But at the same time there is also the need for testing on a regular basis to determine the cannabinoid make up of each strain of medication being reviewed or offered for sale. I think that type of definitive quantifiable information on each batch of medication available at each store is a very important first step in helping patients help themselves.
-Uncle Mark Jones
Thank You
Faith from Arvada, CO - 12/30/2011 - 08:30 pm
Thanks Uncle Mark, for your clarity and logic. You make a common sense point. If marijuana is to be taken seriously, we need to treat it as such. Obviously, dosing and mode of treatment is a separate issue to be decided with one's medical adviser, but it seems that people often confuse the medicinal with the recreational, wanting the fun and freedom of pot, and even the rebellion against authority. Can we retain the current pot culture, while embracing standards in the field? Time will tell. Would love to hear you elaborate. You have a lucidity that is sometimes lacking when it comes to emotional issues such as these.
Dank Meds
Captain Obvious from Asheville, N.C. - 11/21/2011 - 04:20 pm
This guy really knows his stuff! I do however have a few comments being that I have thought about this a time or two myself. I agree with the need for standardized testing for the medicine available at the dispensaries, however if the aforementioned tests were being applied to these regulated meds there would be obvious avenues to explore beyond what Uncle Mark and many others have outlined. Hate to name drop but Greenhouse Seeds and several other companies in Amsterdam have been testing the effects of the differing terpene levels and concentrations of their plants and noticing the possible medical benefits or even recreational benefits (if there is a difference) that these terpene levels can produce. Also there has been much research and documentation of ways to test for purity, terpene levels and their various effects and the ways and means of increasing the effectiveness of many varieties by the likes of Robert Connell Clarke and many other cannabis gurus. A much more thorough testing procedure is what the industry and consumers deserve as this plant is utilized often enough by so many people. Captain Obvious 11/2011
Crossroads
Aldo Barriga from Woodland, CA - 11/08/2011 - 03:12 am
As i read through this article i couldn't help but to nod my head with so many valid points you made. With your stance on ignoring legality issue completely understandable. Still though there is Many underlying issues in this new age prohibition era we live in that is going to hold back any progress that can be made. The 1s & most important issue ( in my opinion) that leads to a perspective on the topic is Medical vs. Recreational use. Until there isn't an Actual seperation of the two there will NEVER be a set guideline for ANY type of testing whethere it be for potency, pesticides, mold, or even simple common side-effects.
Now im not blaming your normal average-joe smoker for all the bad reputation, most of which is exagerated myth & folklore, that this not so simple plant has attracted., BUT 8/10 times this is the face associated with marijuana.Lets face it the common consumer doesn't care much for names like indica or sativa, hydroponics or outdoor, much less the difference between THC to CBD. Living life as a Northern California resident constantly on the search for the best medicine to alleviate my chronic insomnia, depression symptoms that lead to a malnourished diet, & residual knee pain from a torn ligament injury(to name a few), I'ved noticed far Too much indifference from your regular cannabis club to the contempt of a high yielding plant by average licensed growers. Now without the proper education/information of the positive properties this plant holds these talks, & movement will not take any more steps forward to any type of improvement in all the fields associated with cannabis
The bottom line though, Until the public can understand & comprehend that cannabis is a safe responsible alternative to alcohol & tobacco, it will not be taken serious for any medical purpose by the general public. In a time where we seem SOO close to the freedom of medicating without prosecution, we've never been further from it. That is unless we as user's take the responsibility and the 1st steps to stand out in the light and dispel the common misconceptions between Blazing, to simply being medicated.
-Aldo Barriga
