Sunday Discussions - Is the commercialisation of the cannabis industry a good thing?

[seymore_budz]

Hey Growroom420,

Though this would be a nice change from the usual money shots and how much calmag you've adding or how many worms does it take to class yourself as a real organic grower

The cannabis industry has grown considerably in the last decade with lots of investment and research piled into it. We're now seeing shit like cannabis plant and utility patents and closed source r&d all for profit. My question to you is; do you think this is a good thing? I have my own opinions on the subject and they're very mixed. I feel on one hand this new money and freedom will transform cannabis just as they did with crops like wheat and we will see a massive improvement around quality as well as information regarding the active ingredients and all that good stuff but I very much doubt that the wealth will filter down into the hobby community. This concerns me a lot because they're standing on the shoulders of giants. Years of fighting, people loosing their rights and freedom just for them to take all that and capitalise while pushing the pioneers to one side. You see this a lot within the Opensource software community where a big fish will come along, take someone's free opensource project, extend it a little then charge clients millions of pounds while contributing nothing back to the community.

What are your thoughts on the subject? If you like these, we could make it a weekly thing? :)

[Keeno]

Im getting old and miserable, lol. Or it at least seems that way. The commercialization side of cannabis legality... Ruins it. You only have to look at Instagram, and Facebook, commercialisation is destroying the communities there. Everyone wants to get paid now, green rush is over folks, only ones getting paid will be the big big boys with big big bank roles.

The word "community" and weed is frankly a joke as well. The feeling we all had before of being in a struggle together, hiding in quiet corners of the net to lear, teach, that feeling of being in a struggle, a fight, something bigger than all of us, and all of us hoping that putting ourselves out there just a bit may help things move in the right direction.

If I thought putting myself out there would get us to where we are, girls with tits out, huge Chinese companies rolling up smaller kit manufacturers, companies sitting in boardrooms as we type, planning the aggressive push when legalization comes... I'm sat here trying to grow medicine, waiting to get locked up lol.

What is legalization?

A whole different convo, but its not what any of us think. Legalization unless we can produce our own, is actually commercialization. They are planning the commercialization in every country atm. Profit margins, bottom lines, burying competition, outdoing the next guys, being ahead of the competitor. Do any of them words sound like "community", "cannabis", "one love". They are polar opposites.

We are headed down a dark road, at one point in time, I and GMPO spoke of Islands of growers passing each other in the night. The dream, for many, was to connect these islands. The issue was when these are not island communities when they merge to huge communities, they need to be fed, they need to cater for.

Our stoner way of thinking, hippish, laid back, we had no chance once the sharks smelt the extra pennies to be made.

I'm like a broken record with this next bit. The best we will ever have it as growers is now in the UK. Its not cost-effective to police, they done want us in prisons. What to flows is not going to suit the 1% of weed smokers, the growers, its going to affect the other 99%, the stoners.

There is no money in letting me grow my own meds. But we are 1% as mentioned, 99% will buy their new canna meds at high prices points and taxed up, the long train of commercialization is coming, shortly followed by convenience buying...

How do we fight that? Simple, do what we always have. Keep information free. As long as its free and available to growers, stoners, they can learn to grow themselves. As long as info form real growers, the pioneers, is still available we can show them they are being sold shit or being told to grow shit.

No all doom and gloom. Instead of looking to join the islands of growers onto 1 group as was a nice way of describing growers and uniting them 10+ years ago, now we need to arm our growing communities, not with protest, not with weapons, but with information. The same free info we have always been lucky enough to have at our fingertips on places like this.

[Greenfingers]

"Is the commercialisation of the cannabis industry a good thing?" ........... NO it's not as it bringing way to much bullshit with it

[seymore_budz]

@Keeno Such a shame right? I mean thankful for what knowledge that already exists and there are some great guys out there including yourself and the team keeping the knowledge free and accessible but I feel like we're being shafted by big business. I think we will see a bigger divergence between the pharmaceutical growers and the hobby/recreational growers.

Here in the UK that's already happening as you can grow medical cannabis if you grease the right palms and have a shit load of cash but the hobby growers are still being criminalised for a victimless crime. We're not going to even see the door to put our foot in so to speak! My guess is it will be medical only, prescription or mail order buds with a THC limit and the blandest smoke with no flavour.

What legalisation across the water has shown us is that the black market will still continue to run. I don't think even big business can compete with large scale illegal farms as all this r&n isn't cheap and eventually has to return a profit. Add on top all the regulatory requirements and sky rocketing operational costs; the bud won't be cheap. I'd say within the region of £15-20 per gram.

[Stickylemonz]

Great topic seymore!! I fully agree with ya there gf! Too much shit

"Is the commercialisation of the cannabis industry a good thing?" ........... NO it's not as it bringing way to much bullshit with it

[seymore_budz]

"Is the commercialisation of the cannabis industry a good thing?" ........... NO it's not as it bringing way to much bullshit with it

See, I think it could bring some benefits if implemented correctly but we got more chance of recreational cannabis being leagalised this year

Look at what has already been done with genetics etc using traditional methods. I'd love to see the day when I can buy a pack of seeds and I can guarantee that not only the THC, CBD and terpenes levels will be exactly as described I can also expect minimal phenotypical expressions.

[IMO]

I think it will ultimately be a good thing, even if they don’t include a personal plant count it legitimises the plant more and makes the act of growing less prosecutable the more wide spread it becomes, personal growing will still be a cheaper way to consume it, how much is an ounce of cannabis on the legal market it can’t be less than the equivalent of £100? it will benefit millions as I’d say most people don’t want the hassle and can’t give the commitment of 3 or so months for a grow, I know loads who love cannabis but wouldn’t grow it legal or not. Legalisation will bring investment and research and that can only ultimately be a good thing I think, reproducible clean cannabis that you don’t have to by off the unregulated black market, yeah companies will make money but then drug dealers already are it’s just goin in a different pocket. I had some black market stuff recently as my stocks are very low I had three different ones and they were all very disappointing even compared to my inexperienced grown bud.

[Tictok]

Great thread and an important one.

I think the inherent problem exists that for any legislation to be passed or law to be changed, it has to finacially benefit corporates or the politicians interests.

This seems to be a sad fact about modern politics. Lobbyists court the polititions, laws get changed, often with politicians being on the board of some of the corporates, or at least have direct or indirect interests.

So there is clearly money to be made, (Keeno's very well made point re commercialisation not legalisation).

As mentioned above, how does that affect hobby growers? It will either make it harder, with bigger punishments as corporates try protect their interests, or it will make it easier as attitudes change and hobby growing becomes either decriminalised or at least less punishable.

No-one knows which of these two it will be.

I think the very best we can hope for in the UK is a lessening of the punishments, perhaps a slap on the wrist for growing without a licence. But that is an ideal in my opinion. I'm predicting worse.

The recent lowering of the number of plants deemed for personal use has dropped to 7. If I want to preserve phenos by taking cuts, grow males for seed preservation, or even just pheno hunt, this is problematic at those numbers, but nothing ever leaves my house, so it's definitely personal use, yet I'm breaking the law growing my own medicine.

Why did they lower it? The cynic in me says it's exactly that preparation for commercialisation.

I think communities such as this are the last bastion of hope for serious growers but even if you are just popping a few autos for the first time, you are taking risks but you are continuing a legacy started by giants and legends that have risked far more, so you are part of the community too.

This forum has taught me almost everything I know about growing and after shopping around I am happy to call this place home. These communities and the work everyone does is essential, critical even to keep this plant going and to continue the legacy of those before us. Like our growing, we have to think of the future generations to come.

I only wish it was decriminalised so we could share genetics, cuts and seeds more openly to preserve lines that really deserve to be preserved.

We are making medicine, so I would love a way of being able to get that medicine to people. I know of people I work with that have cancer, how easy would it be for me to make something (oil, extract) that might save that person's life?! But I cannot, due to the false stigma and current laws that exist. This saddens me incredibly.

I consider us as custodians of the plant and its almost a duty to keep this going despite the current or future laws. Hence I for one will continue regardless, thus making any law or commercialisation irrelevant. I just cannot share it.

[Captain Beefheart]

well being part of the community for a short while now i see it like this ive not bought any dope for well over 15 years infact i cant remember the last bag i bought so this is my take on it....they can do the fuk what they wanna i wont be taking part,i will just keep things the way they are thanks...mr goverment bellend. i bet dr hillary got his fingers in the pie fuk em crack on let the dozy rich kids buy the rubbish.




look at jimmi saville go

[Captain Beefheart]

"Is the commercialisation of the cannabis industry a good thing?" ........... NO it's not as it bringing way to much bullshit with it

See, I think it could bring some benefits if implemented correctly but we got more chance of recreational cannabis being leagalised this year

Look at what has already been done with genetics etc using traditional methods. I'd love to see the day when I can buy a pack of seeds and I can guarantee that not only the THC, CBD and terpenes levels will be exactly as described I can also expect minimal phenotypical expressions.

Far too many variables in mediums nutes and growing experience for that to ever happen, perhaps locking down phenotypes but surely a loss of diversity intentional or not is a bad thing. Any further than a decent worked line will be problematic in the long run; lost expressions etc.

As for commercialisation: it's like taxi drivers, used to be a well paid job now there's so many got into it that they're all struggling.