Philly420: Growers can help fight 'corporate cannabis'

Voters in Ohio today stand a chance of ending marijuana prohibition in the Buckeye State. An initiative called Issue 3 is on the ballot and, if approved, will legalize both medical marijuana and personal use.

It also includes a provision that would allow adults over the age of 21 to grow their own.

That's right, along with tomatoes, squash and pumpkins, the fall harvest in Ohio next year might include cannabis. If the Ohio voters approve Issue 3, adults would need to purchase an annual $50 permit that would allow the cultivation of four flowering marijuana plants at any time and possession of up to eight ounces.

But don't jump the gun. As it stands now in Ohio, getting caught with any marijuana plants weighing a total of more than 100 grams will earn you felony charges. So those plants better be bonsai kush or just-sprouted seedlings.

Eight ounces equals 226 grams. Possessing that much in Ohio today also nets a felony.

So the ability to grow at home is a big deal.

The Ohio initiative is imperfect and controversy abounds because it limits retail production to 10 sites in the state. Those sites would supply 1,100 cannabis stores.

Detractors have decried the absence of free enterprise in the proposed initiative, painting it as creating a cannabis cartel. Many supporters of legalization have derided Issue 3, believing it only promotes "corporate cannabis."

Yet those arguments seem to ignore the provision that would allow home cultivation.

Consider Washington D.C., where marijuana was legalized last year. There are no retail outlets. It is only self grow and it seems to be working. Several groups regularly hold "seed share" events. News reports last week even highlighted an upscale D.C. condo development that has units with built-in grow closets.

Four plants may not seem like a lot. But using the proper techniques, it can certainly supply a decent supply of cannabis for personal use. The best part is the chance to break free of spending a lot of cash on buds as well as assuring a clean, pesticide-free, source.

Now I have never tried to grow marijuana. But resources are out there for the day I can hopefully (legally) try. The best reference, by far, is High Times magazine.

If it weren't for High Times, I'm sure America would still be smoking tons of brick weed from Mexico. The magazine has  studiously compiled the best gardening methods to grow potent strains of cannabis. Danny Danko, the cultivation editor, even offers a weekly audio podcast called Free Weed that is a great place to start for novice gardeners.

New Jersey was the first state in the nation to pass a medical marijuana law that excluded patients from growing at home. Instead, patients are forced to do business with a small cartel of six Alternative Treatment Centers. In addition, prices are very expensive ranging from $480 to $520 per ounce. That's 25 percent or more than underground street dealer prices.

Because of federal law, medical insurance does not cover medicinal cannabis. Patients must pay for it all out of pocket.

The soaring prices aren't limited to the no-Garden State. In Delaware, patients aired their grievances last week about the state's single medical marijuana dispensary. Although medical patients can posses up to six ounces in Delaware, most can't afford a half ounce. At $17 per gram, it is laughably more expensive than buying on the underground market. Growing at home is also excluded in the First State.

If registered medical marijuana patients are caught growing in Delaware, New Jersey, New York and other restricted states, they are afforded no legal protections.

Pennsylvania's pending medical cannabis bill is following the same track of tight regulations and no home cultivation. This is a proven recipe to keep patients from participating in the program and getting locked into exorbitant prices. Even more chilling is that right now, growing a single plant — of any size — is a felony in the Keystone State.

High prices aren't limited to medical-grade marijuana, either. Buying some legal recreational buds in Colorado, Oregon and Washington State still costs a pretty penny.

Becoming a fully licensed operator for medical or recreational marijuana is a rich person's game. There is little to no room for mom-and-pop marijuana operations. It can take millions of dollars to win the permits and get a growing facility up and running. There are no bank loans available for prospective entrepreneurs, again, because of federal law. They either have the money already in their pockets or know some rich investors. Otherwise they're out of luck.

In that regard, there is some real justification to the concern over business entities in the legalized market. Why are they basing their profits on underground pricing? Shouldn't legal weed come at a discount?

The answer is in your cluttered closet, basement or backyard shed.

If you are really worried about corporate cannabis, and the law allows it, learn how to garden.

Issue 3 in Ohio today is too close to call. I hope it passes. Otherwise it will be years before Ohio has another chance.

Perhaps Ohio voters can see through the business interests and plant the seeds of freedom next door.

Chris Goldstein is associate editor of Freedom Leaf magazine and co-chair of PhillyNorml. Contact him at chris@freedomisgreen.com.