{"id":34129,"date":"2019-03-31T05:00:03","date_gmt":"2019-03-31T13:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2019\/03\/31\/fragrant-possibilities-craft-cannabis-in-canadas-legal-market\/"},"modified":"2019-03-31T12:46:15","modified_gmt":"2019-03-31T20:46:15","slug":"fragrant-possibilities-craft-cannabis-in-canadas-legal-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2019\/03\/31\/fragrant-possibilities-craft-cannabis-in-canadas-legal-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Fragrant Possibilities: Craft Cannabis in Canada\u2019s Legal Market"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Canada may have recently become the first G-7 nation to fully
\nlegalize adult-use cannabis, but the country has deep roots when it comes to
\ncultivating. So-called \u201cBC bud,\u201d born in the temperate climates of British
\nColumbia on the country\u2019s west coast, has been well-known to canna-sseurs
\nthroughout the world for decades. Today, the longtime cultivators of this BC
\nbud find themselves on the edge of the industry, as they look to transform the
\nway the world views Canadian cannabis.<\/p>\n

Since Canada\u2019s legal cannabis market opened for business on Oct. 17, 2018<\/a>, much of the mainstream focus has been on mega-companies such as Aurora<\/a> and Canopy Growth<\/a>, both of whom are publicly traded and are licensed to produce tens of thousands of kilos of cannabis annually. In the Canadian system, the federal government grants approval to all companies operating in the cannabis industry, which they have termed \u201cLicensed Producers.\u201d Because there are less than 150 Licensed Producers in the entire country as of the end of 2018, the companies can get quite large.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
FooFighter x Grateful Breath.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\"\"
Sherb Breath.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

But Canada\u2019s craft cultivators are still patiently waiting for their piece of the pie. Tending their gardens, experimenting with genetics, carefully harvesting their creations and trimming by hand, these growers are keeping the true art of growing marijuana alive.<\/p>\n

LadyBud is one of those cultivators. A Canadian medical marijuana<\/a> patient licensed to cultivate for herself and two other patients, LadyBud has been making waves across social media, where she shares gorgeous photos of cannabis flowers, bursting with frosty trichomes, bright orange hairs and flecks of green, gold and purple. Her work is breathtaking and inspiring, and offers a glimpse inside the mind of a true artiste<\/em> as she works tirelessly to develop the perfect plant, unwilling to settle for anything less than la belle fille<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I think about not [growing]\u2026 I mean, sometimes I\u2019ve
\ntaken a break for whatever reason, and it almost feels a bit like one of my
\narms is cut off,\u201d she says. \u201cI have to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Illegally Healed to Cannabis Elite<\/h4>\n

LadyBud, who asked we not use her real name, began exploring cannabis as medicine 30 years ago after suffering chronic pain<\/a> as an endurance athlete. <\/p>\n

\u201cAn old friend passed along a [cannabis] cookie, and I
\nremember [that night] I slept well for the first time in a very long time,\u201d
\nLadyBud says. \u201cIt was the first thing that really worked for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite cannabis being illegal in Canada at that point,
\nLadyBud began experimenting with growing her own and found she had a unique
\nknack for cultivating exquisite flowers. Once medical marijuana was approved in
\nthe country in 2001, she was able to obtain a license and began officially
\ncultivating for herself and two other patients, four plants per adult.<\/p>\n

\u201cI finally felt like I was doing what I was supposed to do,\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s a magic around it. After doing this for so many years, I\u2019m just as excited about starting a seed as I was the very first time I did it. From seed to plant, right to harvest day, I just don\u2019t get bored.\u201d<\/p>\n

Completely self-taught, she enjoys growing many different cultivars, but has a certain penchant for Gorilla Glue and Cookies<\/a> strains, saying she loves their \u201cprocess.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"
High School Sweetheart. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Recently, LadyBud began photographing her plants as a way to celebrate her talent, but she never expected her art to go viral. After posting some pictures on Instagram under the name @fragrant_possibilities<\/a>, LadyBud found herself thrown into the world of canna-fame, with over 17,000 followers and counting.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a little bit surprising just to discover that
\nothers like my photos,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s a bit humbling, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Great White North\u2019s Cannabis Challenges<\/h4>\n

Marijuana legalization in Canada has been hailed as a triumph
\nfor drug policy reform, yet it is far from a perfect system. While large-scale
\ncultivation licenses are awarded to deep-pocketed Licensed Producers,
\n\u201cmicro-cultivator\u201d licenses remain stuck in legal limbo, often because of
\npushback from local governments. <\/p>\n

Due to what she claims are discriminatory practices against small craft growers, LadyBud says she is not ready to enter the legal cannabis market.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem is [many] municipalities have put out a blanket
\nprohibition against issuing these micro-licenses,\u201d she says. \u201cFor someone like
\nmyself who does live in a smaller community, the last thing you want to do is
\ngo to City Hall and out yourself without even knowing if you\u2019ve got a chance of
\nthem approving you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
Purple Zkittelz. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\"\"
Dream Beaver. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

A lack of cultivation micro-licenses may also be part of the reason why many dispensaries across Canada are already experiencing product shortages. Dr. Rebecca Haines-Saah, a health sociologist and public health researcher from the University of Calgary<\/a>, is concerned about the burden medical patients may already be experiencing due to the shortages, as well as an overall shift in the legal cannabis market which appears to favor the recreational market in general. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is of grave concern to people accessing their supply
\nfrom licensed producers, because products are selling out and there\u2019s been less
\navailability,\u201d said Haines-Saah, who has been active in helping developing
\nregulations in her home province of Alberta. She has also noticed many
\nhealthcare providers shy away from endorsing medical marijuana.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people who are using this for health conditions want the advice and the treatment of a regulative physician,\u201d she says. \u201cThey don\u2019t just want to go to a recreational market \u2014 they also need to submit and have this reimbursed by their insurance providers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Purple Roze. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Back in her garden, LadyBud says she\u2019s in no rush to get a
\nrecreational license. The simple pleasure of bringing a plant from seed to
\nharvest is more than enough to keep her satisfied, something that she finds
\nmore rewarding than \u201clikes\u201d and \u201cshares.\u201d In the meantime, LadyBud has begun
\nexperimenting with macro photography, getting up close and personal with
\ntrichomes magnified to hundreds of times their size. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a little bit like a seed each time; it\u2019s exciting. I
\nwas talking earlier about the magic that I feel growing cannabis: It\u2019s the same
\nwhen you start doing some macro work, because you\u2019re not sure what you\u2019re going
\nto get,\u201d she says. \u201cYou zoom in and you get in there and you\u2019re like, \u2018Oh,
\nwow.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

This emphasis on the small scale also applies to her growing philosophy.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"
Nurple Gorilla. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019m much more interested in doing the smaller, craft stuff,\u201d she
\nsays. \u201cI find it very hard to believe that on the large scale, [the Licensed
\nProducers] can really maintain control of quality and really put the love into
\nthe plant that I think is needed.\u201d <\/p>\n

TELL US<\/strong>, how do
\nyou support craft cannabis growers?<\/p>\n

Originally published in Issue 35 of Cannabis Now. LEARN MORE<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The post Fragrant Possibilities: Craft Cannabis in Canada\u2019s Legal Market<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n


\n
\nRead More: Fragrant Possibilities: Craft Cannabis in Canada\u2019s Legal Market<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Canada may have recently become the first G-7 nation to fully legalize adult-use cannabis, but the country has deep roots when it comes to cultivating. So-called \u201cBC bud,\u201d born in the temperate climates of British Columbia on the country\u2019s west coast, has been well-known to canna-sseurs throughout the world forContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":97,"featured_media":34130,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[630,1476,50,6513,2487,180,5,85,1186,7260,6170,415],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34129"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/97"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34129"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34131,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34129\/revisions\/34131"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}