INTERNATIONAL CULTIVATION | Home Growing and its Controversies Around the World | by Papa0g

With technology improving every year, why aren't we taking full advantage of our ability to grow cannabis? The answer lies in current home cultivation laws and regulations. Currently, 38 states and three territories have cannabis consumption laws in place, while only 14 of those states permit home cultivation. Although most states agree that cannabis is medicinal, only a third of those states have established provisions for home cultivation.

Lawmakers have attempted to address the issue of patient access by legalizing commercial production; however, access to specific cannabis products is not guaranteed. This gap in the production of specialized cannabis strains can be effectively addressed with a home cultivation program. Providing caregivers can also accommodate patients who may be unable to produce the medication they need.

Why is home cannabis cultivation important? While access to cannabis is improving, access to appropriate and safe medications is not always guaranteed. Home cultivation allows cannabis patients to select cannabis strains that contain the type of cannabinoids and terpene profile that works best for them. Dispensaries offer great access for most patients; however, there are many patients whose needs cannot be met by commercially produced cannabis.

Access to appropriate medication is one of the many reasons for legislation on home cultivation. Another concern for medical patients is safety. In the recent past, cannabis consumers have discovered that cannabis products have been contaminated or tampered with in ways that can be harmful. Home cultivation allows patients to ensure that their cannabis meets their requirements for clean and safe medicine.

Home cultivation of cannabis opens up a world of possibilities for patients who need more appropriate and larger quantities of cannabis. Home growers have access to the entire plant and can make many different types of concentrates and extracts from their harvests. With so much acceptance of medical cannabis, we need to see more legislation on home cultivation to help close access gaps for patients.

I'm currently writing this article from California, where I've been able to enjoy home cultivation for almost ten years. In Puerto Rico, patients are not allowed to grow cannabis, and only commercially produced cannabis is permitted. Fortunately, Puerto Rican residents have access to quality cannabis. The need for legislation regarding home cultivation is urgently needed. In New York, medical patients can possess three actively flowering plants and three immature plants. Their access will be modified in 2024, so we'll see how that legislation turns out.

Access to cannabis will continue to expand as needs arise, and now is the time to begin speaking with legislators about access for patients who require more appropriate cannabis legislation. These laws will help protect some of the most vulnerable members of our communities.

References:

Legislation on home cultivation of cannabis

hFps://www.ncsl.org/health/state-medical-cannabis-laws

This link provides information on which states allow home cultivation.

Home cultivation is not permitted in Puerto Rico.

Law 42-2017 is the primary legislation on cannabis in Puerto Rico. Here is a link to that legislation.

Law 42-2017 - Puerto Rico Department of Health https://www.salud.pr.gov/CMS/DOWNLOAD/4865

New York Cannabis Law, Article 3, Section 41, Home Cultivation.

hFp://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/lawssrch.cgi?NVLWO:

This regulation is expected to be implemented in 2024 to allow wider access to home cultivation for New York residents.

ENGLISH

With growing technology improving every year, why aren't we taking advantage of our ability to grow cannabis? The answer lies in current home cultivation laws and regulations. Currently we have 38 states and three territories with cannabis consumption laws on the books, while only 14 of those states allow home cultivation. While the majority of states agree that Cannabis is medicine, only one third of those states have made provisions for home cultivation.

Lawmakers have attempted to address the issue of access for patients by giving the green light for commercialized production, however access to specific cannabis products are not assured. This gap in production for specialized cannabis strains can be met effectively with a home cultivation program. A caregiver provision can also accommodate patients who may be incapable of producing the medicine they need.

Why is home cultivation of cannabis important? While Cannabis access is improving, the access to appropriate and safe medicine is not always certain. Home cultivation allows Cannabis patients to select Cannabis that contains the type of Cannabinoid and terpene profile that works best for them. Dispensaries have great access for most patients, however there are many patients that have needs that cannot be satisfied by commercially produced cannabis.

Appropriate medicine is one of many reasons for home cultivation legislation. Another concern for medical patients is safety. In the recent past cannabis consumers have discovered that cannabis products have been contaminated or manipulated in a way that can be harmful. Home cultivation allows patients to ensure their Cannabis meets their requirements for clean safe medicine.

Home Cultivation of Cannabis opens up a world of possibilities for patients who need more appropriate and higher quantities of Cannabis. Home growers have access to the entire plant and can make many different types of concentrates and extracts from their harvests. With so much acceptance for medical Cannabis, we need to see more home growing legislation to help bridge the gaps in access for patients.

Currently I am writing this article from California where I have been able to enjoy home cultivation for almost ten years. In Puerto Rico, patients are not allowed to cultivate Cannabis and only commercially produced cannabis is allowed. Fortunately access to quality Cannabis is realized for the residents of Puerto Rico. Emphasis on the addition of home cultivation legislation is needed. In New York, medical patients may possess 3 plants in active flowering state as well as 3 immature plants. Their access will be modified in 2024 so we shall see how well that legislation turns out.

Cannabis access will continue to expand as needs arise, now is the time to start talking to law makers about access for patients in need of more appropriate Cannabis legislation. These laws will help protect some of the most vulnerable members of our communities.

References

Cannabis Home Cultivation Legislation

https://www.ncsl.org/health/state-medical-cannabis-laws

This link provides information about which states allow home cultivation.

Puerto Rico Home Cultivation is not allowed.

Act 42-2017 is the primary legislation for Cannabis in Puerto Rico. Here is a link to that legislation.

Law 42-2017 – Puerto Rico Department of Health https://www.salud.pr.gov/CMS/DOWNLOAD/4865

NY Cannabis Law Article 3, section 41 Home Cultivation.

http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/lawssrch.cgi?NVLWO :

A provision of this regulation is expected in 2024 to allow more cultivation access for New York residents.

Jake Hogan

@papa0g