Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/874703
f a l l 2 0 1 7 | 9 3 Not everyone has set up shop inside, how- ever. Led by generations of growers in North- ern California, some cannabis cultivators have tapped into isolated areas to grow cannabis, while cultivators and breeders have worked together to produce hybrid varieties climatized and adapted to growing in specific regions and terroir. You can't have terroir without terra, so this concept is still unexplored in the indoor-driven marketplace; as farmers increas- ingly focus on sungrown cannabis, though, this conversation will continue to evolve. Sungrown cannabis used to be called "outdoor" cannabis, and in the mind of the consumer was—and in some minds, still is— inferior to "indoor" cannabis. While test results and scientific data can prove cannabinoid and terpene levels can be superior in well-cultivat- ed sungrown cannabis, there seems to still be a disconnect in the mind of the consumer, who has not been taught to think about cannabis as a plant. There's such a perceived disconnect between plant and product, in fact, that few consumers even know to ask anything about the cannabis products they're consuming other than THC/CBD percentages, and, more broadly, indica versus sativa—which, by the way, are mostly meaningless categorizations, but we'll save that rant for another day (See sidebar for a primer. —Ed.). It's akin to wine consumers limiting themselves to drinking only "white" and "red" wines, and sommeliers only describing a wine's alcohol content, rather than flavor, nuance and blend. Yet these same apathetic consumers prob- ably buy Certified Organic, non-GMO produce and products and shop at farmers markets, because they're conscious about what they put into their bodies and know commercial agriculture is killing our planet and us—right? If that's the case, consumers who likewise demand more from their cannabis products will be pleased to find options for cannabis from smart growers practicing responsible farming are definitely increasing. But the farmers who are pushing the bound- aries of how we cultivate this plant are not growing in an old parking lot in Downtown Los Angeles: They're on the alluvial plane of the Eel River, dry farming cannabis using drought- friendly techniques that stretch back centu- ries. They're in Oregon's wine country, mostly following USDA Certified Organic standards despite there being no federally-regulated standards placed on pesticides or growing conditions for cannabis. While industry-wide regulations are needed that will go beyond voluntary testing and report- ing of results, the larger environmental effect of indoor cannabis production cannot be over- looked. With its roots in commercial agricultural practices, indoor cannabis is downright environ- mentally irresponsible: Beyond the scheduled watering, abundant fertilizers and occasional use of caustic pesticides during the cultivation process, the power needed to run these facilities creates a huge carbon footprint. By contrast, sungrown cannabis can be grown with minimal inputs using regenerative and sustainable practices. Even better, can- nabis soaks up carbon and nitrogen in nature, whereas indoor cannabis is vastly offset by the tons of CO2 being pumped into grow facilities, as well as the ongoing and unchecked runoff chock-full of chemical fertilizers. Without self-imposed regulations holding the industry responsible, it's up to consumers to demand higher standards from their cannabis cultivators. Ask questions at the dispensary level about pesticide use and growing condi- tions from the cannabis you're smoking. You might find that your budtender will assure you their indoor grow is top shelf and that sungrown cannabis isn't worth your time, but consider this: There's no "organic indoor" kale grown in a fiberglass cube for sale for two dollars more at your local grocery store. Why would you expect that of your cannabis? ■cr Indica Versus Sativa: Fact and Fiction Walk into any dispensary, and one of the first questions you'll be asked is, "Indica or sativa?" For years, these have been the two broad terms for cate- gorizing cannabis, with "indica" used to describe cannabis varieties with more physically sedating effects and "sativa" referring to uplifting and cerebral varieties. The second narrative applied to these terms references the plant's physical structure, with sativas noted for their long and skinny leaf and plant shape, and indicas classified as short and squat. The truth about these terms is . . . well, there is no hard and fast truth. In an era when breeders are able to collaborate with growers to offer fine- tuned luxury genetics for cannabis, terms like indica and sativa are increas- ingly meaningless. Instead, breeders are increasingly focusing first on cannabinoid content and terpene profiles—breeding plants that may have short, squat leaves and a great cerebral high, or long and skinny leaves, but a real couchlock situation. The result is a growing market for products that tout the effect a particular variety—or blend!—will have on you, the way it will make you feel or the event it is well-suited for. –Rachel Burkons Look for a story in the Winter issue of the Clever Root about how brands like Huxton are fine-tuning this concept!