| WeedMeds.org |
| Cultivation author Jorge Cervantes is currently writing a new book |
Toke of the Town got a chance to chat with cannabis cultivation expert Jorge Cervantes, author of the legendary Indoor Marijuana Horticulture, on Wednesday. We talked about changes in cultivation, promising work with genetics, and his new book project.
Toke: So, wow. Thirty years in the growing game now. Have things gone as you expected, as far as progress is concerned, both legally and botanically?
Cervantes: Actually it has been 29 years since I published the first cannabis cultivation book, Indoor Marijuana Horticulture. Never do things go as expected! I thought cannabis would be legal worldwide two decades ago!
Back in the early 1980s finding good information about cannabis was very difficult! This is when indoor growing first started and nobody knew anything about it. There were many rumors and much misinformation. But come to think about it, there is a lot of misinformation today!
| JorgeCervantes.tv |
Cannabis cultivation has spread throughout the world thanks to the internet. Now everybody everywhere can share information discretely. I never thought our company would be publishing my books in German, Spanish, Italian and Russian!
Toke: After being involved with the scene this long, what excites you the most about the present and future of cannabis cultivation?
Cervantes: Medicinal cannabis, which has been overlooked by modern medicine. Dr. Mechoulam isolated THC in 1964 and found the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 in the 1980s. Ironically US president Roosevelt’s administration outlawed cannabis in 1937 with the Marihuana Tax Act, before they even realized what it was. I think most politicians still have no clue as to its benefits.
The other things that excite me include the new varieties of cannabis that are being developed. Resin Seeds and Mr. Nice have collaborated to develop true breeding CBD:THC varieties with a 1:1 ratio. It took GW Pharmaceuticals more than a decade and millions of dollars to do the same. My good friends accomplished the same result in just over two years!
| Jorge Cervantes TV |
The new auto-flowering feminized seeds are also a major breakthrough. A grower who plants these seeds can harvest a mature plant that is a meter (40 inches) tall and weighs in around 100 grams (just under a quarter pound). The plants take 70-80 days from germination to harvest. The best part is that you can give them 24 hours of light a day or plant them to flower in mid June. They do not need 12 hours of darkness to flower!
Toke: What is the most common misperception among people who are just starting to grow marijuana?
Cervantes: Many have stars and dollar signs in their eyes. They think they will get rich quick or have all the cannabis they want with little or no work. Gardening and farming are work. There are a lot of fast and easy people out there that are getting rich on these dreams.
Toke: Will the U.S. legalize medicinal cannabis on a federal level? Will it legalize recreational use? Do you have a prediction when this might happen?
Cervantes: Legalization of medicinal cannabis is inevitable. People are not stupid, but a few powerful people can scare the masses into submission. Cannabis is a plant and found around the world. Making a plant illegal is an impossible task.
| DrugWarRant.com |
| Harry J. Anslinger, head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, was the one who pushed the hardest to prohibit cannabis |
It was legal for millions of years before the big con in the 1930s by Henry Anslinger, the head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) the precursor to the DEA. Anslinger was the one that pushed hardest to prohibit cannabis. It was made illegal without the testimony of one qualified doctor or expert.
First cannabis must be removed as a Schedule I drug that stipulates no known medical use. Heroin is in the same category! It must also be removed from the Single Convention Treaty of 1961 that binds nations of the world together in a single drug prohibition society. Both require a lot of seriously prejudiced people to get along and agree on ending prohibition. This could take a few more years.
I vote for Mother Nature and this resilient plant that was here long before weirdos like Anslinger.
Toke: Have you ever looked into the 12-1 growing method? If so, what is your opinion of this method?
Cervantes: Yes. The light regimen for vegetative growth claims to cut electricity bills and increase yield. This light schedule: 12 hrs light, 5.5 hrs dark, 1 light, 5.5 dark. Lights turn on and off 3 more times a day shortens bulb and ballast life even though less electricity is used. Any stress — temperature, pH, EC/PPM — can cause instability that manifests as intersex (AKA hermaphrodite) plants.
The plants stay in vegetative growth stage and use less light and electricity. Light is necessary for photosynthesis and stem, leaf, root and bud growth. According to some people plants grow more vegetative foliage and flowering sites.
| Better World Books |
Toke: Tell us a little about yo
ur most recent books, and how Toke readers might find them useful.
ur most recent books, and how Toke readers might find them useful.
Cervantes: It has been three years since Marijuana Grow Basics and six years since Marijuana Horticulture the Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grow Bible was published.
I have been collecting information for a new book for the last six years. I started writing daily about 18 months ago, but it has a long way to go. It’s a little early to give details; the book will take a while longer before we can set a firm publishing date.
Toke: Anything you’d care to add, as far as inspiration words or advice for growers and activists?
Cervantes: Support and vote “yes” for every medical and recreational cannabis proposal! Together we can legalize cannabis! Grow more cannabis! Teach your friends to grow cannabis, take pictures of your gardens and post them at www.tokeofthetown.com and www.jorgecervantes.tv and watch more than 40 HD videos of some very, very big cannabis plants!
Viva Sativa!