2 3 4 5 6 7 First Amended Site C For The - Oregon: Fill & Download for Free

Method 1Petition against the FDA 201ff3bii under the FD&C Act & DEA patent 6630507 sign my Petition https://www.change.org/p/norml-the-fdaclaims-natural-hemp-produce-are-adulterated-why-chemical-drug-investigation-cbdHow to Grow Organic Cannabis Indoors1Know the law. Currently 28 states and DC have enacted laws to legalize medical marijuana.[1] A handful of states have broader laws, allowing for recreational use as well. It's important to know the laws where you live. If you are getting into this business and live in the wrong place and/or do not have a doctor's recommendation for the use of medical marijuana, you are in violation of the law. •Check up on the policy for where you live. Though legalization seems to be the way of the future, plenty of places are lagging behind.2Know the difference between the strains. Marijuana can be categorized into two main strains: Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Indica. The former gives the feeling of euphoria and content; the latter gives the classic, heavier, stoned feeling. However, most strains available today are hybrids, which means they have a mix of indica and sativa traits. •Indicas tend to be shorter and more compact in size; Sativas are longer and leggier.•There is also a "ruderalis" or "auto-flowering" strains of cannabis. These strains are hybrids that have been bred to have an ability to start making buds automatically after a few weeks. Auto-flowering strains are usually ready to harvest in about 3 months, and they are available in many popular or famous strains.3Get your mitts on some seeds. Surprisingly, this isn't super hard. There are a number of companies that are "reputable" and can get the deed done swiftly and discreetly. The best seed sources offer a guarantee. •Herbies – Located in the United Kingdom they have over 2,500 different seed strains. They deliver worldwide and offer excellent customer service.•Sensi Seeds – One of the oldest and most respected seed companies based in Amsterdam. The guys over there have spent millions of dollars on their seed stock production and they always offer amazing quality. They do not always send worldwide but you can usually buy their branded seeds from companies that do, like Herbies Sensi Seeds.•Bonza Seeds – They ship worldwide, free discreet shipping, fully tracked delivery no signature required, delivery guarantee. Bonza mate!•Gorilla Cannabis Seeds - These guys are UK based and offer great strains like Super Cheese Feminized with historically high 20.94% THC levels and Jack Herer Feminized by Green House Seeds. Contact is excellent with Gorilla Seeds, they actually have a phone they answer and a price-match guarantee.4Choose a spot and/or method. There are advantages and disadvantages to choosing how and where to grow your plant. You can do it indoors, outdoors, or hydroponics style. It's all up to you. •Growing weed indoors has many advantages when compared to the risks associated with growing marijuana outdoors makes, what with threats from theft and possibly the law if it is illegal to grow where you live. By growing marijuana indoors you can control the ambient conditions just exactly as you want them and grow a nice healthy cannabis plant.•Growing your plant in the wild allows you to avoid any nosy neighbors and avoid being caught red-handed, but it does force you to relinquish an element of control: You can't control the weather, disease, thieves, or how they grow. However, outside also eliminates the need for an indoor growing room, saving you loads of money initially.•Hydroponics is the term for growing plants (any kind) without soil. Believe it or not, they don't actually need it. While soil is obviously a source for nutrients, they can be had in alternative ways.Method 21In early June, buy yourself some pre-fertilized potting soil. Although this is not usually organic this will be the easiest route and considering that the grower will probably be suffering from a condition of some kind, this will be better. It must have: •Sufficient nutrients. If you pick up a bag and it says "N-P-K = x%-y%-z%," it's a keeper. This is indicating the levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium within the soil.•A pH between 5.9 and 6.5. You can change it yourself, of course. Even the organic fertilizers you buy in the store tend to have pHs that are too low.[2]2Fill a small paper cup with enough of the soil to fill to just below the rim. Moisten the soil and plant the seed about one centimeter deep (1/2"). Do this for each seed you wish to grow. Place the cups in a warm (approx. 70 degrees° F (21°C)) sunny area. •Water your plant and keep it warm. When your plant sprouts, keep the soil moist and let it grow until the seedling becomes root bound. The entire pot will be filled with roots and will hold the shape of the cup when removed.3Fill a 5 gallon (18.9 L) bucket with holes drilled in the bottom with the soil. Gently remove the seedling from the original container by turning it upside down and gently shaking the container. Gently insert the roots into the soil by making a small hole in the center of the 5 gallon (18.9 L) container and cover the stem to about 2 centimeters (1") from the first set of leaves.4Water your plant until the soil is completely saturated and water only when the soil becomes dry to the touch. Fertilize after about one month with nitrogen fertilizer (follow the instructions for the fertilizer as if you were growing vegetables). Keep the plant in a sunny area at least 8 hours a day and use a natural pesticide if necessary. •You will hopefully have more than one seed to work with because this is the dicey part. If your plant starts to grow small pods that eventually split and release pollen, you have a male plant -- this contains less of the medicinal qualities and is mostly useful only for cooking. When a male appears, quickly separate it from the other (presumably female) plants and harvest it for cooking (simmering the dried plant material in butter is the most effective way).5Keep an eye on it. The arrival of the male plants (usually in August) will be your cue to fertilize for budding. Use a high Potassium plant food for this and discontinue adding nitrogen. Potassium accelerates the budding process and promotes bud production.6Be patient. When small clusters of white "hairs" appear you will know you have a viable female plant. Wait until the buds are completely mature, usually in mid October. The buds will have hairs that are all orange to a reddish-purple color and be covered in resin containing tiny tri-chromes. Use a magnifying glass and when these turn an amber color they are ready for harvest.7Cut the plant at the bottom and place in a warm, dry, well-ventilated area. The rafters of a barn or garage are usually good for this. By no means is any moisture good; mold will quickly grow and destroy the buds. Hang the plant upside down with newspaper underneath to catch any parts that fall off. •Cut off all the buds. After they have become "crispy" on the outside, put them into a large plastic bag. On the following day remove the buds and put them in a paper bag for another week or so.8Making sure the buds are completely dry, store them in mason jars for storage and place in a cool dark area. •This article in no way condones the illegal sale, cultivation, or use of this plant by anyone except those with a valid medical condition and a state issued license. This is intended as a reference only.Method 31Master the lighting. When growing outdoors, the sun is all these guys need. But since you're working under a roof, you'll need to recreate the power of that big ball of fire. When they're young, the plants need blue light; when they're older and budding, they need yellow, amber and red light. You have a few different options in building your system: • High Intensity Discharge (HID) lights such as High Pressure Sodium (HPS) and Metal Halide (MH) lights. These lights produce a lot of heat and are quite powerful, but they use more energy than other types.• Fluorescent lighting. This type is great for young plants and doesn't use very much electricity. However, once your plants get older, you'll need to get them more light somehow.• Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs). These are easy to find and also don't use much electricity -- because of that, you'll need to stock up. These may be better used as a supplement to a different type of lighting. CFLs should be kept as close as possible to plant leaves without burning them.• LED lights. As far as types go, LEDs use less electricity and produce less heat than their competitors. Though when you go about purchasing some, know that certain brands well outrank others in efficacy and durability of product.[3] •The technology behind LEDs is getting more refined and the new trend is in broad-spectrum LED grow lights. They cover the 420 to 730 growing range and use 82% less electricity than the narrow-spectrum devices. They generally keep cool, don't emit a lot of heat, and last for up to 60,000 hours.2Set up your hydroponic system. There are number of methods to choose from and a plethora of devices that are out there just waiting to be bought. Do the research before you go about choosing anything. [4] • Wick system: This uses just one pump to keep the solution aerated and a grand total of zero to keep it moving -- super easy for beginners to maintain and use successfully. The plant actually takes in just the amount of solution (nutrients) it needs through the wick (a thick acrylic cord works well), giving it only what it needs.• Ebb and flow system: This system uses a timed pump and reservoir to give the plants their food about 4 times a day (at least to start). You simply place the plants in pots, then place those pots in a tray that holds about 6" (15 cm) of the nutrient solution you're using. If you're using Rockwool, this system is ideal.• Top feed growth system: This system is one of the more complex, at least mechanically. Each plant is fed at its base and any run-off is drained back into the reservoir. If you do choose this method, a 15-minute feed 3 or 4 times a day is where you should start.3Get the right hydroponic nutrients. As mentioned before, when you go about purchasing plant food and/or solutions, look for the N-P-K format on the label. Generally, your two options will be 15-15-15 and 20-10-5. •If you are buying hydroponic nutrients, get the powder kind that mixes with water. It is much cheaper over the long run when you compare it with already mixed solutions.4Germinate your seeds. The standard thing to do is use a Rockwool cube to start the seed on and surround it with whatever growing media you use. Keep the Rockwool cube so that the bottom 70% or so is submerged when the water is at its maximum, but keep the top part above the water so that the seed is never submerged. [5] •You may also use Vermiculite, Perlite, or clay pellets (in addition to soil). Beginner growers are usually better off buying a medium from the store, whether that be brands like Pro-Mix or Sunshine. When you become more advanced you will want to save money by creating your own medium and generally they are created using the same bases such as sphagnum, peat moss or coco coir.[6] •That being said, the main advantages of soil are its natural buffering ability in keeping pH constant and it is very forgiving in the event of electrical or mechanical failure when feeding or watering.•After the seeds have germinated and the root is about a quarter of an inch long, place the seed, root down, on your grow cube or media in your hydroponic cups.5Watch for the first stage. The first phase of marijuana growth is called the vegetative phase. If you plan on using LED, MH or HPS right away, start with about 20 inches or more above the top of the plant (less for LEDs) and lower the light an inch or so daily until you think the height is right. Too close and the plants will dry and turn brown; too far and the plants grow too tall as they stretch to get closer to their light source. •Start high and lower the light an inch or two daily until you think the height is right and the light emitted is being caught well by the plants.•During the first stage of growth, keep the light on 18 to 24 hours a day minimum. The longer it is on, the faster the plants will grow (but the higher your electricity bill will be).6Watch for flowering. This is when the THC, CBN, and CBD are produced -- the ingredients needed to reach a high. It's only produced on the females and the process is fairly evident; the growing process will slow as the plants devote more energy to creating the buds. •When the plants are at least 6" (15 cm) high and have 4 sets of leaves, you're in the clear to start the flowering process. For most hydroponic plants, this takes 2-4 weeks, so be patient. When you think your greens are ready to flower, cut the light back to 12 hours a day.•If your plant has reached that 6" mark and you start flowering anyway, it'll keep growing for up to a month. It should then stop, putting all its energy into producing flowers. If you wait for it to mature a bit more, the process should only take around 10 days.[7]7Consider limiting the height of your plants. Though your first thought should be to mess with the area, not your actual plant. The easiest thing to do is to adjust the height of the light. You can experiment with growing stunted plants, but each method takes a lot of skill and expertise and therefore won't be outlined here.8Be patient. If you did go the hydroponic route, it'll take about 3 to 4 months for your plants to flower. However, there are two methods that speed up the process, though they're quite difficult and should only be left to the pros. But if you're curious: •Sea of Green, or SOG, is a way of growing cannabis that forces the plants into the flowering stage when young and small. By starting the flowering phase of your marijuana plants after about two weeks of vegetative growth you can harvest many weeks earlier than you would if you grew your plants to full size.[8]•Screen of Green, or SCROG, is one of the most productive systems for growing weed that there is. Cannabis plants are trained through a horizontal screen placed above them, spreading the tops of the plants along a horizontal plane and encouraging bud formation along the normally neglected branch stems.[9]9Make it dark. You want to get as close to simulating a patch in the woods as possible. During flowering, everything should be dark, dark, and darker still. That means no room light, sunlight, or any other light for half the day (that's 12 hours). The only light that's even remotely acceptable would be equivalent to that of the moon. •Light that is any stronger could delay flowering. Your plant could become stunted and stay in the vegetative phase, never flowering at all.•When you start seeing light white hairs near the buds, your plants have started to flower. This should happen just short of or up to 2 weeks into the flowering light cycle. When your plants hit this stage, remove the male plants. Unless you have all female clones, that is. Once alone, the pistils will become the red or white hairs that turn into beautiful buds.10Flush the plants with clean, nutrient-free water. Do this once during the flowering phase and again after 6 weeks and then again just before harvesting. This will help remove any build up of fertilizers within the plants or growing medium, making for a cleaner smoke.11Harvest your plant. It's absolutely imperative, once again, that you are patient. No one can tell you the exact time to harvest your plant -- it varies plant to plant and strain to strain. Normally, the process takes around 2 to 3 months. Once you've been to the rodeo a few times, you'll know. •As the female flowers grow they form heavy "kolas" or cones. You will notice each ovary swell and tiny crystals will be visible around the flowers. The flowers will become sticky to the touch and the aroma will become pungent. As the flowers swell the white pistils begin to darken, growing from white to a reddish brown. Most growers wish to harvest marijuana plants when THC production has reached its maximum. A rough guide is to wait until around 60% of the white pistils have darkened.[10] •During this time, you may notice some of the larger leaves yellowing and wilting. This is not cause for alarm and is perfectly natural. Remove these, if you'd like, to allow more light to the rest of the plant.12Dry your marijuana. Leave only the buds when you're ready to dry your weed. Attach them to a wire or string and hang them upside down in a cool, dark room. Get the fan circulating or turn on the air as plenty of air movement is necessary for adequate drying. However, know that buds that are forced to dry too quickly get a nasty "green" taste (this is due to the retained chlorophyll). •Allow your plants around 4 – 7 days to dry completely. Squeeze the buds between your forefinger and thumb -- is it dry? When they are, you should seal them in an airtight jar or bag. For the next few days let them breathe for 15 minutes, twice a day. This cures the buds, ensuring all water is removed and makes them better to smoke -- they get a smooth, sweet taste and have an even burn.Method 41Pick your site. Choosing the right location is crucial to having a successful harvest. The last thing you want them to be is detected by humans and the second to last thing you want them to be is detected by animals, so choose carefully. Look for tracks and choose an area that you can get to, but that isn't too obvious. Here's what to consider: •A good, reliable source of water is mandatory. A site situated by the side of a river or stream is ideal, but remember that flooding is a risk in spring or autumn. Look for high water marks, debris in trees or water marks on rocks.•Avoid areas with pine trees -- the soil is probably too acidic; go for the grassy knoll. Look at what else is already growing at the site. If there are plenty of grasses, weeds and nettles then chances are the location is already blessed with decent soil and water. Woodland sites may also be worth investigating, but think about how the sunlight will filter through the canopy. When inspecting the site, think about how it'll change over the course of the next few months. The sun will get higher (making it hotter) in the summer, getting your plants baked before you do.•Find a place where your plant can get at least 5 hours of direct sunlight a day. Where will it hit in the morning, the day, and into the evening? How about over the course of the seasons?2Prepare the site. It's easiest to start with a smaller number of plants -- each one should have about 10 feet (3.0 m) in diameter from the next. That sounds like a lot, but it's only 5 feet (1.5 m) on either side for the leaves to grow from. And keep in mind that they could grow up to 5' (1.5 m) tall! •Clear away any weeds in the immediate vicinity and dig some decent size holes; they should be at least 2 feet (0.6 m) deep and two feet wide. It is best to replace the original soil with your own "clean" soil from the garden supply shop which should include compost and fertilizer. The original woodland soil will usually harbor a number of pests and diseases and may not be of the best quality anyway. It is a good idea to add a thick layer of mulch to the top surface of the growing area to help keep moisture in the ground below.3Plant your seeds. Planting should take place early in the season, around April or May, after the last frost. Obviously the exact timing will depend on where you live -– this is based on the Northern hemisphere (i.e. in time for spring and summer). •For the southern hemisphere (where spring begins on the 1st of September), watch for a warm spell after that date. Marijuana plants will not tolerate frost so it’s better to be safe than sorry.•Plant the seeds, sideways, around 1.25cm (1/2”) deep into your prepared soil. Make sure that they are well watered and will not dry out if there are some sunny days. In addition, make sure you keep them moist at all times. After approximately 48 hours you should start to see the first signs of the seed cracking open and the first shoots coming out.4Give your plants a constant source of water. One of the best solutions is to have a stream, river, or lake nearby and hook up a small solar powered pump with a timer on it. That said "best," not "easiest." Think about watering the plants in the early morning and then in the early evening. •Another solution is to devise your own sort of wick system, as discussed previously. Cut a small half pea size hole into the bottom of a 5 or 10 gallon (or more) bucket or plastic container. Place the bucket near the plant and use a cloth or cotton rope to form a wick that funnels the water (or nutrient solution) from the hole in the bucket to the soil near the plant.•You have to get the amount of water down pat. Too much and your plants drown (you'll know when the leaves turn yellow); too little and they just don't grow. You'll end up using around 20 to 40 gallons (75.7 to 151.4 L) each season. It all depends on the type of soil you use, the strain, and the amount of sun your plants get.5Feed your plants with fertilizer. Once established your seedlings will soon enter a vigorous vegetative growth stage. From such fragile beginnings plants quickly become full and robust. It is a good idea during this phase to feed your plants well with some quality, nitrogen rich, fertilizer. •Unlike growing marijuana indoors you have no control over the duration of the vegetative growth stage and over the course of a summer plants can become huge. But hey, at least there's no marijuana in your house.6About 3 weeks after planting, go and weed around your plants. If your garden is out in the wilderness, unfriendly (and threatening) weeds will soon take over and overcrowd your loveable little seedlings. There’s no need to start a forest fire; just clear an area about 3 feet (1 m) around each plant. •Repeat this process again around 3 weeks later. It may be necessary to repeat it again after a further 3 weeks, depending on your site. Most plants, by this time, should be strong enough to make their own space and crowd out weed growth.•If the weather has taken an unfortunate turn of events, go check your plants for damage. Heavy winds, rains, and drought can all take their tolls on your efforts. However, don't jump the gun -- these plants can hold their own, so don't panic if you live in Seattle.[11]7Sex the plants. Although generally considered one of the trickiest parts of growing your own marijuana, sexing is quite straightforward and will become easier as you gain more experience. The reason for sexing your plants is so that you can remove male plants before they have a chance to pollinate the females. If this occurs the females will start to develop seeds and this will divert their energy from THC production. •Towards the end of the summer, as the hours of daylight decrease, changing light levels will trigger your plants to produce flowers. The appearance of pre-flowers at branch junctions is what you are looking for.•Male pre-flowers should be clearly visible to the eye, although a magnifying glass will make your job easier. Male flowers form at the junctions of the branches and stem and the pollen sacs form little balls. Remove these.[12]8Watch for flowering. The female flowers will start to form kolas around the branch junctions with a main one at the growing tip of the plants. If you look closely you will see the seed pods and these will swell; either with seeds if your plant has been pollinated or with THC as false pods if you have removed the males. •As the flowers become ready for harvest the pistils will darken and the seed pods will be swollen and sticky with resin and THC trichomes. Once most of the pistils are dark, you're ready!9Harvest your crop. Plan this one out (and plan it well) because, if everything goes according to plan, you will be venturing back home with a load of smelly, sticky bud in your trunk. If possible, a nighttime visit would be preferable (you probably figured). Ideally plants will be ready to harvest when the buds have darkened, swollen and are glistening with THC crystals. •However, guerrilla gardening isn’t always ideal, so keep an eye on the weather forecast. If extreme weather, or worse, an early frost is imminent and your plants are budding, but not fully ripe, it might be worth harvesting early. This is a judgement call and no guide can fully cover all eventualities.•Harvest the buds with a clean, sharp knife. The fan leaves are usually discarded although some growers like to use them for cooking.10Dry your marijuana. Don’t spoil it now (so close!) by being impatient. The best smoke will come from buds that are dried slowly. Hang the buds separately in a cool, dark, well ventilated area. Allow around 5 days for them to dry properly. •Some growers use microwaves to dry them out more quickly but this is detrimental to both the quality and the taste of the smoke. Don't do it. 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Thanks for helping us achieve our mission of helping everyone learn how to do anything.How to Grow Marijuana Outdoors, LegallyMonday September 12, 2016By PotGuide.com StaffGrowingCultivationHelpful GuideGrowingWhen I drive through the high deserts of northern New Mexico, back to my home in Colorado, I sometimes fantasize about being the Johnny Appleseed of weed. I’d like to plant plants hither and dither creating little cannabis nurseries in the wild.According to author Michael Pollan, in his book The Botany of Desire, Johnny spread the useful and healthful apple tree as a form of religious devotion and faith in humankind. Even though I don’t smoke pot, or benefit from it financially, that’s how I feel about the flashy green plant.Cannabis is a Link Between Man and NatureCannabis represents a dynamic link between man and nature, two species leaning on each other for mutual benefit and survival. Man receives medicine, paper, cloth, and visions. Cannabis gets cultivation, transportation, and pollination.In modern life, these natural links seem to be missing, or disappearing beneath the tides of an acidic ocean and the hot blasts of the latest “worst ever” heat wave. When I find these links, they give me hope. Hope that our species might survive, despite our best efforts to exterminate ourselves. These links encourage the daft idea that contrary to the evidence, we might even thrive.In my road trip fantasy, I picture a giant, healthy weed growing up between the posts of the "Welcome to Colorado" sign. Its iconic, five-pointed leaves wave like flags of liberty in the breeze, whispering to all who notice it that freedom is good and right, and that a humble ditch weed can be just as American as apple pie.Alas, I'm no Johnny Appleseed — and although I think highway ditches overgrown with cannabis would make for a brilliant piece of living guerrilla art — the authorities, I'm sure, would see it differently. They might even see it as something sinister.So, in an effort to bring my fantasy to the right side of the law, I spoke to experienced weed farmer and master grower, Cole Whitaker, about how to grow weed outdoors — legally. Whitaker regularly coaxes hundreds of cannabis plants to bud for the benefit of the patrons of Santé, a medical and recreational marijuana dispensary with locations in Denver and Durango, Colorado. At Santé, he grows his plants indoors using a deep water culture and hydroponic techniques.Santé uses hydroponics to create a highly controlled growing environment that allows Whitaker to daily feed his plants a nutrient cocktail of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous. According to Whitaker, with hydroponics, "you get more buds per plant and a higher THC profile." In addition to growing in water, Whitaker has grown marijuana outside, and in a greenhouse. But he prefers to use hydroponics because "it's cleaner." When you grow indoors using soil and water — the soil and water make mud, and sludge — and you end up "spending hours cleaning it up."However, growing outdoors does have distinct advantages, says Whitaker. "Outside, flowers bloom riper because they grow off the sun," which makes them stronger and more potent. "And you can grow completely organic."I brought my questions about growing outside to Whitaker during a recent phone call. "How would I go about, landscaping my yard with weed, like they do in Jamaica?" I asked."You'd start with a fence and a padlock," I learned. And that's just a start. In Colorado, the current law states that marijuana must be grown in a fully enclosed space, to modestly cover its blushing buds and fanning leaves.The Colorado.gov marijuana website interprets the home grow law conservatively, arguing that the plant can’t even be grown outside. After some digging, I found that the Colorado Constitution Amendment 64 states, in section 3 governing the personal use of marijuana, "the following acts are not unlawful...provided that the growing takes place in an enclosed, locked space, is not conducted openly or publicly, and is not made for sale."As a gardener and chronic bootstrap do-it-yourselfer, I'm still surprised by this hardliner stance. I’m encouraged that in the other states that have legalized, the laws are more pro-gardening. For example, in Alaska, you can grow up to six plants as long as someone can’t see them “without the use of binoculars, aircraft, or other optical aids.” Meanwhile, in Oregon you can grow up to four plants out of public view). And although Washington state still does not allow home grown marijuana for recreational use, it does allow a group of licensed medical marijuana users to form a cooperative garden that grows “up to a maximum of sixty plants” behind an 8-foot fence. However, it’s worth noting that in Washington, DC you must grow indoors.As a gardener and an American, I'd like to see these laws progress. And someday I'd like to try my hand at growing marijuana outside. For now, I'll bring this article into the theoretical, because for me, landscaping with weed isn't a legal option. If I had my pick, I'd grow six of these valuable and highly regulated plants under the sun. I'd like to put one beside my barbecue grill, one in a pot on my porch, and a few in showy clumps along my fence. They're beautiful, and unique plants, even if you don't harvest any part.Guard Your GrowWhen you do harvest marijuana's fall bounty, it can be worth a lot of cash — and this sometimes attracts unwanted attention to you and your plants. The law's requirements for locks and gates isn't just for childproofing. It's meant to deter garden thieves too. Whitaker wisely advised me, and now you, that when encountering masked marijuana bandits, to just, "let them steal, and call the police."Even though pot farming comes with potential legal troubles, and thieving troubles, and all the customary gardening troubles with blights and pests such as powdery mildew and spider mites that eat cannabis — you might be surprised to hear that Whitaker still thought growing marijuana outdoors was worthwhile. Rewarding even. Plus Whitaker pointed out, growing your own is a cheaper way to get your medicine, and makes it easier to make your own juices and edibles. Selfishly thinking of myself, and my goal of growing weed, I asked Whitaker, "Do you think if more people were to grow marijuana it would make a difference?""Yes," he said. "I do."It certainly could improve the chances of marijuana being reclassified by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA, and that in turn, could lead to a change in regulations. Currently, the DEA still considers marijuana as one of "the most dangerous drugs," and classifies it as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin. Schedule I drugs are considered to be "drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence." A damning pronouncement for marijuana. So, in the spirit of freedom and liberty, here's what I learned about growing marijuana outdoors — should I ever have the opportunity — broken down into five easy steps.Step One: Heed the Rules"I recommend people do their research first and get the laws. Once you know the law, then go for it," Whitaker said. I second this opinion. Although buying weed no longer takes a lot of research, growing it legally still does. Be prepared to spend some time on this step. I found the marijuana information website NORML.org helpful with this step.Step Two: Choose Your PlantYou'll choose between Indica, Sativa and Indica-Sativa hybrid strains. According to Whitaker, Indica's are the prettier plant, with fat, dark green leaves. They're smaller than Sativa, but can still grow a full six feet tall and can stretch six to eight feet across.If you're looking to harvest, Indica's are a good bet, with a shorter growing season. To encourage higher yields, Whitaker recommends staking Indica plants like a tomato and cutting the bushes into a lollipop shape just before they bloom.Sativa, on the other hand, can grow an impressive, and hard to conceal, 15 feet tall. However, most ring in at 10 to 12 feet tall. They're a little narrower than Indica, growing four to five feet wide. Their leaves are as big as your hand, with long slender fingers. Since I'm not that interested in harvesting buds, and I like impressively large plants, I'd probably grow some of these just for their looks. Whitaker recommends Panama Red, Golden Goat, and Blue Dream as good Sativa strains to try.Step Three: Pick Your SpotAs I've discussed earlier, you may be limited as to where you get to grow. If you're lucky enough to grow outdoors, put your marijuana inside a tall locked fence in full sun. During my research, I saw some people using smaller movable pots to regulate the sunlight their plants got when they had difficult growing conditions.In a more perfect world, Whitaker thought weed might look nice in the backyard next to a swing. But he said "it's gonna stink," its blooms producing their iconic skunky smell during harvest time, and "your neighbors might not like it." So keep your plant's stench in mind when you choose your location. Or you could find yourself trimming away the offending parts.Step Four: Buy Seed from a Seed BankPotGuide recommends Growers Choice Seeds. Growers Choice offers high-quality feminized seeds in popular strains that are guaranteed to flower. Feminized seeds often make the process of growing at home easier by ensuring all your plants are female. Due to the limits each state sets on the number of plants one can grow, using feminized seeds helps to avoid growing non-flowering male plants.Step Five: Plant OutsideFor my area of Southwest Colorado, Whitaker recommends planting outdoors around the 12 or 15 of June. Adjust for your location accordingly. You're trying to keep your plants climate at 30 percent humidity, Whitaker said. That may be a bit challenging outdoors, so don't be surprised if your plants suffer.Keep in mind that weed is a bit more difficult to grow than some other plants. Whitaker said first-timers have a fifty-fifty chance of keeping their plants alive long enough to have a successful harvest. However, he added, second timers show a marked improvement, with an 80 percent chance of bringing in their crop in mid-October or November.Whitaker described weed varieties as being similar to ski runs. You have "blues, greens, and blacks," from expert to easy. So if you're new to growing, or don't have green thumbs, look for the easier strains. If you run into powdery mildew Whitaker recommends spraying with a mix of apple cider vinegar and water, diluted three tablespoons to a quart.To fight spider mites, Whitaker makes his own organic and dangerously potent habanero spray, but it's something I wouldn't try at home. He cooks up one pound of habanero until it turns to a paste, adds it to water and sprays. While literally wearing a HAZMAT suit. He warns that this spray will burn you, but it won't harm your pretty plants.Final verdictEven though today I can’t legally grow a bamboo-looking Sativa privacy screen for my home in Colorado, I’m encouraged that someday I’ll be allowed to. I think that with talented growers like Whitaker, and the others like him working in the marijuana industry — who freely share their knowledge and expertise, there will be a day in the near future where both you and I can plant outdoors. Until that day, I’ll keep a spot in my garden reserved for a few leafy plants.5 Horrible Things Nobody Tells You About Legally Growing PotWe're not interested in taking one side or other in the whole pot-legalization thing. Maybe you're passionate about legalization, maybe you're not. Maybe you use the stuff, maybe you don't. We're not here to make assumptions.But unless you're rich (and you're not -- we will make that assumption), you've surely thought about what an easy life it must be for people who are able to legally grow the stuff, right? After all, nothing pays like drugs -- you'd be like Scarface, without the part where he gets shot at the end. Or maybe you'd keep it small, and just be a laid-back dude hanging with the stoners. In some states, all you need is a license to grow medicinal marijuana and you're set.Or, maybe not. Before you renew that subscription to High Times and quit your day job, there are some things you need to take into consideration ...5Even Where It's Legal, the Regulations Will Make Your Life HellSay you're an aspiring pot grower living in one of the states where medicinal marijuana is legal. First you have to stop and realize what "legal" means. In California, arguably the most lenient of the "legalized" states, they've seen a string of raids on medicinal marijuana dispensaries, even after Obama and the DEA said they wouldn't prosecute legal growers in states that allow it if the number of plants does not exceed 99.GettyPresident Obama, seen here demonstrating the largest legally acceptable blunt size.Confused? Well, there are all sorts of loopholes that can give the DEA an excuse to come down on a grower. For instance, you are not legally allowed to grow or distribute anywhere within 1,000 feet of a school, or more specifically, anywhere where children may gather regularly. That could technically mean a church, a local park, a zoo, a movie theater or even neighbors' houses, if they have children.↓And even if you steer clear of all of their rules, there are hundreds of other little conditions to consider, like the number of "mature" plants you are allowed to have (and what qualifies as "mature") and how much "manicured" product you're allowed to carry at any given time. Having it in your home is fine, but legally you can't drive very easily with it in the most lenient states.Getty"Alright, we'll overlook the pot, but we've got to ticket you for not buckling it up."But even if the DEA doesn't come knocking, many homeowners' associations have their own stringent regulations that forbid residents from setting up pot farms in the suburbs. Basically, growing weed for a living is like willingly adding your name to the sex offender registry: Your neighbors no longer trust you, and the authorities forbid you from coming into contact with children.Read Next5 Big-Time Players In Your Fav Movies (Who Got NO CREDIT)And then there are all of the regulations surrounding the disposal of damn near everything in a grow operation. We'll get into the logistics of growing in a moment, but let's just say there are all sorts of heavily regulated chemicals involved, and waste that is even more heavily regulated. Like synthetic fertilizers. The word "synthetic" is the big operator here, because a lot of them are toxic. Dump that out improperly, or in the wrong area, and a person could be charged with purposefully contaminating the groundwater, which qualifies as terrorism. Is growing weed for a living worth having a Toby Keith song written about you? Think it over.GettyDon't worry, though -- contaminating plain old river water is perfectly legal.That doesn't just mean your waste water, either: Your medium (whatever it is you grow your plants in, be it dirt or rock wool) is also contaminated with toxins. Legally, you're supposed to dispose of all of this much like you would toxic waste.Then, if you navigate that legal minefield, there's still the particular social stigma that goes along with being a marijuana professional. In short, people who think drugs are immoral and outlawed for good reason don't suddenly start thinking more of drug dealers and users just because weed is technically legal. You think you can just keep it from them? You're not going to be leaving home on any daily routine, and your neighbors are going to be asking questions. Expect things like: "What do you do?" Getty "So you're basically a wussier version of the guy from Breaking Bad?" "Do you live alone?" "Are you planning to murder anyone with a hammer?" Now ask yourself: How much excuse do you think they will need to call the police on you the moment they think you've stepped out of line? If you're so dedicated to the task of growing medicinal marijuana that you're willing to deal with all that, then you'll need to buckle down and raise a whole bunch of cash. That's because ...4Getting Started Costs More Than a Used Car Let's say you find a handful of marijuana seeds in the cushions of your couch. Toss in some dirt and light and you should be on a direct path to indoor weed farming glory, right? Just put the dirt and the seeds into a pot, set it on the windowsill like a spider plant and wait for the magic to happen. Hell, it's like growing money! Getty Better, even. Smoking cash just gives you a terrible lung inflection.↓Well, not quite. We'll address the lights first. We're not talking about buying a four-pack of 100-watt GE bulbs and calling it good. We're talking very specialized, highly powered, eye-burning-bright lights. Unsurprisingly, they retail for a wallet-burning $300 each. Any at-home weed operation will need at least six of these lights if the goal is to make any sort of cash at all.SearsThat's $1,800 spent, and you aren't even high yet.And then we have the dirt. As in, you really can't use it. Growing pot at home isn't like growing tomato plants on your balcony -- growing in dirt brings all sorts of uninvited guests to the smoke party, like spider mites and other bugs that will damage the plants, and maybe even your health. So if you're serious about growing weed indoors, you need equipment ($850 for each unit, and it usually takes four of these systems to generate enough crop to turn a profit, so we're talking about more than $3,400). That's right, aspiring pot kingpin -- you're more than five grand in the hole before you've grown a single plant.And we're not done. All of that shit runs on electricity -- an at-home weed farmer faces electric bills that run as much as $1,500 per month. If you aren't lucky enough to have a private well, water bills can scale to similar heights. Then you factor in other random necessities like timers, extension cords, pest control, carbon filters and countless other bells and whistles that keep a grow operation growing. An enterprising young pot farmer will need to come up with nearly $13,000 in investment money just to get started. Getty Dropping a few seeds in your neighbors salad garden just won't cut it. OK, so you max out all of your credit cards and come up with the 13 grand. That's all right -- the sweet, sweet weed money is about to come rolling in! Actually, most grow operations don't even turn a profit for three months at least, so every joint sold is going to be paying down start-up debt for a long, long time. Getty "Here's a quarter pound. Can you put half in my IRA?"↓And the money is just part of the cost. Next you have to deal with the fact that ...3It's a Shitload of Hard Work Have you ever tried to create an environment identical to the outdoors? One meant to sustain not just life, but exceptional life? You know, playing God? It's absolutely as difficult as it sounds, and it's absolutely what you must do to successfully grow weed at home. Getty He's only laughing because a stray tear could throw off the pH balance. Plants are living, breathing things that require ideal conditions to thrive. On top of providing all the air flow, 24 hours a day, you'll need an entire room that, in the middle of the day with the lights off, looks like this all over: That's not nearly as easy as it seems, and it has to be done every time you add a fan or make a correction to a grow room. Then you have the heavy equipment that needs be set up, as well as running high voltage (read: DANGEROUS) wiring and industrial-quality ventilation to your new weed cave. Grow Works It looks kind of like a thermos ... and it costs $244.↓Basically, you have to be a carpenter, plumber, electrician, gardener and some type of lab technician by the time you're finished just setting up that room. If plumber and electrician stick out as two skills that shouldn't be in the same room with each other at the same time, that's because they really shouldn't. So, if this for some reason sounds like the career path for you, study up on your electric skills, lest you wind up electrocuted to death like this poor fella.Of course, you can always hire trained people to do all of this work for you, adding to the start-up debt that you've already sold one and a half kidneys to pay. Getty "So this is for a home welding set-up? In your basement?" Hey, speaking of dealing with other people ...2Your Life Is Full of Crazy People Growing marijuana for a living puts a person in a "club" of sorts, and that club is stocked with crazy. The cost makes trying to run a grow operation alone a near impossibility, which means partnering up with all sorts of sketchy characters to handle things like trimming plants, selling the product and all the other stuff you need help with once you realize you're in way over your head. No matter what the movies may tell you, weed enthusiasts are not comprised entirely of laid-back stoners. For every one of those that you might encounter during the course of a business day, there are probably two or three who are more like the guy who uses an alligator as a guard animal. Probably not the person to bond with over a shared love of Bob Marley and Rastafarian culture. Getty The ones who reek of Nag Champa are usually safe. But then you've got that to deal with.↓When you're dealing with what still amounts to a quasi-black market fringe industry, it's inevitable that some of the people involved will be criminals, and they are going to rip someone off at some point. If you clicked that link, which points to a very brief story about a man who was ripped off by a "friend" in the industry, you may have noticed that it took all of two comments before someone chimed in with a transcript of a scene from the movie Snatch that explains how to properly dispose of a body. If you decide to set up a grow operation, these are your new friends. And very soon, one of those crazy paranoid types is going to be you. A person immersed in a life of selling drugs, legal or otherwise, is going to live in a constant state of paranoia -- it's just a fact of life. Part of that has to do with constantly walking such a fine line between legal and illegal, knowing that it doesn't take much of a mistake to get tossed in jail and to see your entire investment vanish. Getty Remember what we said about how easy it is to go astray of the regulations? Well, the police don't need much of an excuse to come in and inspect your operation. Like, for instance, if you have spent the last three hours trimming product. The smell of fresh marijuana being trimmed is almost as pungent as a skunk from the same distance, which is why so many ideas are thrown around to conceal the smell. After handling the plant at all, its scent is on your clothes, your hands and, most importantly, your hair. That pungent smell is enough to warrant a search in some states. And, as we established, even if you've got your license to grow and your prescription blown up to a wall-sized poster, chances are good the police will find a reason to take your entire operation away if they come knocking. Getty "This smells like either a skunk farm or the devil's lettuce!"↓And that's just the cops. What about the threat of home invasion from all those shady types who know your house is full of weed (and, they probably assume, cash)? Growers have been murdered during the process of armed robbery -- and that wasn't an isolated incident.Then when the police respond to that crime, they start treating you like a criminal, too. It happened to Steve Sarich, a weed activist from Finn Hill, Washington. Five men broke into his home and shot him. When police arrived and spotted his (perfectly legal) grow operation, the crime scene turned into a marijuana raid. And that's not even the most depressing thing about growing weed for a living. That would be the fact that ...1The Payoff Sucks After going through all of the bullshit listed here so far, a successful grow operation should come out the other end with five to six pounds of sweet, delicious weed to show for it. Guess what, though: That shit don't buy groceries, and it certainly doesn't pay the bills. So the next step is to take the harvested crops to a dispensary and cash in. And this is precisely where dreams of riches die for most people who enter into this industry. Getty "I'm sorry sir, but I can't take a jay in exchange for coffee." As shitty luck would have it, legal cannabis dispensaries don't pay very well. No matter how great the product, the guy behind the counter at that dispensary has seen it and better a million times before. These are licensed professionals doing stacks of paperwork and constantly watching their legal asses as much as anyone entering into the profession should.↓At the end of the day, after taxes, prices might not reach much higher than $2,800 a pound. If that sounds like a pretty sweet deal, let this message board full of people who would know far more about the matter reassure you how incorrect you are. When you factor in the exorbitant costs involved with keeping a grow operation going, $2,800 per pound amounts to about $4,200 in profit per month ... and that's before taxes (unless you're one of those legal weed farmers who doesn't bother paying taxes, in which case, enjoy prison) and before splitting the money with all those people brought on to help. And that's if everything goes perfectly, which it never does. Getty Sometimes the pot decides to smoke itself. Think about all of the factors earlier -- from the seed to the lights to the water to the temperature to the cops to plain old Murphy's Law. If any one of them goes wrong, it can ruin an entire crop. At best that's costing a few thousand dollars in baby plants, at worst costing an entire mature crop, meaning the loss of all the time and the rent and the power bills that went into growing it. And all of this occurs while you're trying to pay off those start-up costs we mentioned earlier. You're learning on the job, and every mistake costs money. It's at this point that most people decide all the time and effort wasn't worth it, leaving them with not much more than a few years of empty space on the "previous jobs" section of their resume. That might not all sound bad, except you're not 18 years old and behind the gym smoking pot anymore, you're an adult now, and you've come to the painful realization that you permanently crippled your ability to buy a home and become an actual member of society anytime in the next few years.Getty "We're really looking for someone with more of a background in Coke dealing, but thanks for your time. "Buzz kills don't get much bigger than that. For more insider insights, check out Why Tech Support Sucks: A Look Behind the Scenes and The 5 Most Impractical Aspects of Superhero Costumes.