cannabisnews.com: Grow Tips Grow Tips Posted by CN Staff on October 20, 2004 at 13:14:50 PT Nüz Source: Metro Santa Cruz With the county OKing a marijuana limit that allows patients up to 3 pounds for medical use and a 100-square-foot plant canopy, Nüz visited the WO/MEN'S ALLIANCE OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA's garden to see what those limits really look like. Visiting on a sunny Sunday afternoon, we were hit by the unmistakable skunky smell of weed before we even saw the garden, where Christmas was apparently under way in October, with coop members harvesting plants the size of fir trees. One 6-foot plant, endearingly named VICTORIA, filled the county's canopy limit all by herself, but WAMM co-founder MIKE CORRAL warned growing isn't as easy as it looks, especially if, like WAMM, you don't spray plants with anything but "some old seaweed concoction against timber rot." As it happens, WAMM members have already hand-picked 1,000 caterpillars off Victoria, who is billed as "Our country's first federally protected plant," and was planted May 1, after WAMM got an April 21 injunction which prohibits the feds from raiding the garden, at least for this year. Corral says growing the green stuff is a constant battle with gophers (which he deters by planting root balls in wire baskets), not to mention chipmunks, squirrels, bunnies, rats and mice (which use the plant as bedding) and deer, which like to nibble the leaves. "I have a hard time harvesting 3 pounds from 100 square feet, and that's after 30 years of experience and growing it in the best of circumstances," says Corral, noting that a plant grown in a 1-gallon pot has a way smaller canopy and yield than one that's grown in the ground, using methods that mimic grape growing, and fertilized frequently. With an estimated 4,000 medical marijuana users in the county, of which only 200 are WAMM members, Corral worries that many won't have the necessary time, space, energy and know-how to grow to county limits, which come eight years after the passage of Prop. 215. Noting that Prop. 215 didn't impose any limits, Corral says, "In that sense, any kind of guidelines are against state law, since Prop. 215 can only be altered by another initiative." He figures a lawsuit must be filed against such limits, including those in SB 420. (We kid you not about that bill's name.) For now, WAMM members are busy drying and curing the 2004 harvest before the rains set in. SUZANNE PFEIL, who has post-polio syndrome and was woken at gunpoint in the DEA raid two years, says the 2004 harvest is particularly sweet. Using crutches to move from plant to plant, Pfeil says, "The feds thought we'd go limping away. They couldn't conceive that we'd come back twice as strong, that out of all the rough stuff would come the first federally protected medical marijuana garden. It's a weed that wants to grow, but it needs watering, harvesting, trimming and a whole bunch of labor. It takes a whole village to produce." WAMM awaits the Supreme Court's Nov. 29 review of the case of ANGEL RAICH and DIANE MONSON, who successfully argued that their marijuana use wasn't part of interstate commerce and therefore was exempt from federal law--a decision that a federal court later applied to WAMM, thus allowing it to recultivate its garden. Beyond that, Corral believes the feds should reschedule marijuana. If they do, he says, the bottom of the black market will fall out. "At $450 an ounce, marijuana is more expensive than gold, but it could cost $60 an ounce, and be just another tool in the pharmacopoeia." Source: Metro Santa Cruz (CA)Published: October 20-27, 2004 Copyright: 2004 Metro Publishing Inc.Contact: nuz metcruz.comWebsite: http://www.metroactive.com/cruz/Related Articles & Web Sites:WAMMhttp://www.wamm.org/Mike & Valerie Corralhttp://freedomtoexhale.com/valc.htmAngel Raich v. Ashcroft Newshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/raich.htmState Backs Medical Pot Case Before Court http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19640.shtmlMedical Pot Limit Raisedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19605.shtmlCounty OKs Pot Limithttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19600.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #9 posted by Hope on October 20, 2004 at 19:28:31 PT FoM Me, too. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by FoM on October 20, 2004 at 19:24:27 PT Hope Yes I did and it really made me smile. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Hope on October 20, 2004 at 19:18:10 PT FoM! Did you notice the caption on the last pic at the WAMM site that Shishaldin posted? [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by ekim on October 20, 2004 at 18:48:47 PT bunker built after 93 attack just reading Amy Goodman -- the exception to the rulers== page 16 says Mayor Giuliant's command center in the world trade center included 130,000 gallons of oil. -- i have never heard that before. http://www.leap.cc/events [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by mayan on October 20, 2004 at 18:18:16 PT Green Gold Beyond that, Corral believes the feds should reschedule marijuana. If they do, he says, the bottom of the black market will fall out. "At $450 an ounce, marijuana is more expensive than gold, but it could cost $60 an ounce, and be just another tool in the pharmacopoeia."The government doesn't want the bottom of the black market to fall out because they are a part of the black market. Why else make bud worth more than gold? They know very well that they will never "win" this war. They only want to get rich off of it! As many here have said before, anyone that supports the drug war is either ignorant,has a job that depends upon it or is a drug dealer thamselves.Here is a very sickening article...Third-Graders Face Felony Charges For Bringing Marijuana To School: http://www.wftv.com/newsofthestrange/3837061/detail.htmlThe way out is the way in...The 9/11 Secret in the CIA's Back Pocket - The agency is withholding a damning report that points at senior officials: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-scheer19oct19,0,4411992.column?coll=la-news-comment-opinions9/11 Stanley Hilton Lawsuit: http://www.911review.org/Wiki/StanleyHiltonLawsuit.shtmlThe 9/11 Secret in the CIA's Back Pocket - The agency is withholding a damning report that points at senior officials: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-scheer19oct19,0,4411992.column?coll=la-news-comment-opinions9/11 Stanley Hilton Lawsuit: http://www.911review.org/Wiki/StanleyHiltonLawsuit.shtmlUPDATED - Demand Letter Sent To Bush By Corp CEO: http://rense.com/general58/demand.htmScrambled F15s From Otis Air Force Base: Mach 1.5 or Cruise Speed? http://globalresearch.ca/articles/VRI410B.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on October 20, 2004 at 17:39:48 PT Shishaldin It's good to see you. Yes I agree with you about WAMM. They're good people and I love the pictures. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Shishaldin on October 20, 2004 at 17:25:36 PT Mike and Valerie I know I posted this before, but for those who missed it...The 2nd Annual WAMMFest took place on Sept. 5th, 2004 http://members.cruzio.com/~dwgross/WAMMFest.htmBig UP to the tireless folks at WAMM!Peace and Strength,Shishaldin [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on October 20, 2004 at 15:03:08 PT Heads Up: Abrams Report Now! Yes on 2 Alaska on Abrams Report/MSNBC TONIGHT Ken Jacobus of the Yes on 2 Alaska campaign is scheduled to go on the Abrams Report on MSNBC at 6pm EDT today (10/20/04); he will be debating the head of CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) and they will be showing the AK initiative campaign commercials.--Krissy Oechslin, Assistant Director of Communications Marijuana Policy Project [ Post Comment ] Post Comment