Calling all experts!

[inthegorge]

Tweedy.....I have been part of the fight to save medical cannabis in WA state for much longer than I have been trying to get my recreational license. I am sorry but this argument is getting old and I am afraid I just have to call bullshit on making it an either/or, a medical or recreational issue! Blaming the recreational system is just a waste of your and my time man. The fact that the legislature is trying to change medical cannabis by using the recreational system does not place blame on recreational growers. I am the first person in the room to say that the WA Liquor Control Board should have NOTHING to do with medical anything! Every person on the planet should have the right to grow and consume cannabis, for medical purposes or to just get blazed because they want to. Limiting it to medical only is just as bad as limiting it to recreational only and I have used medical cannabis for years. That would be penalizing the majority of human beings for the rights of the few meaning there are literally millions and millions of people that use cannabis recreationally compared to the hundreds of thousands that use it medically although the point could be made that we all actually use it medically for one reason or another. There should be no limits.....period. You are totally right that I502 is not true legalization or anything close. It is the first step however and from this I am hoping for real and actual legalization in our future.

The fact is that WA state has one of the most un-regulated medical cannabis policies in the whole US. We have enjoyed this status for years now. To think that it would remain that way is short sighted. The WA state legislature asked the LCB, the Dept of Revenue and the WA health dept to come up with recommendations for medical weed here. How stupid is that? Neither the LCB or the Dept of Revenue has any concern for patients, only their bottom line of taxation and fees. Spend your time trying to influence those that are actually trying to reduce your freedom in regards to medical oversight! That is what I do and countless others in WA state that are trying to make a reasonable policy and get legislators to vote on it are doing. Or start a ballot measure that puts the language in stone for reasonable medical use. The door is not closed at all on medical weed here yet. We have until the legislature reconvenes in January to get something workable in place for medical. I am living proof that government can be convinced. I live in one of the most conservative counties in the state and I got the county commissioners to lift their moratoriums on weed businesses here which many thought was hopeless. If that can be done here, anything is possible:-)

I am sorry that you think I am part of the problem and I am not trying to be a jerk in my response. I doubt my words will change your opinion unfortunately. I can say though that I am trying my best to make a positive difference in regards to legalization of this wonderful plant, I work towards that goal every single day for you and for everyone else that uses cannabis whether as medicine or just to relax at the end of a day.

 

[HeadGrow]

congrats!!! ive followed this thread since ya came to the farm. im from Snohomish county. Man the trips i had to the Gorge.... not to mention Pullman.... go cougs lol! your place looks phenomenal, im glad everything is working out for you and your crew. Now the hard part awaits, my only suggestion is to keep a strict system and keep logs of day to day activities. Dont forget about pest prevention as well. build that into a regimen. that is a heaven for some pests and on that scale, an infestation can get crazy. keep up the good work and keep us posted!

Congrats again
:cigar:Z

Snoho County represent! hahaha cool to see more people from the area on here.

 

[Tank333]

Snoho County represent! hahaha cool to see more people from the area on here.

I miss living in SnoHo! I loved my little place up in Gold Bar!

 

[inthegorge]

What a happy long week! So much to do but we just keep plugging along:-) Here are a few pics of our first influx of plants. We have to barcode each one within 24 hours of bringing them onto the property and "put them into inventory" in our "15 day" window to bring plants on the premises. Here are a few shots of the first ones to be brought into inventory:

Still have about 1200 to bring in and process into inventory and we are keeping all 10 cloners going as fast as they can make roots. Getting soil delivered for our outdoor area on Friday and a rented a ditch digger so we can dig trenches for the ladies that will be growing outside. Had a very warm 2 days and that messed with us until we got our exhaust fans working correctly and now it is pretty well regulated.

It is so interesting having a number of different strains because they all become familiar to you and you can recognize most of them on sight and really distinguish unique characteristics, not only between strains, but in different plants from the same strain sometimes even. Differences in cloning time, resistance to pests, which plants require different feeding regimes and a myriad of other details that are very specific to each plant which of course will eventually include flowering times, yields, THC content etc. If I had my life to live over again I would have become a microbiologist and this is just so much fun when you approach it with a scientific viewpoint:-) So far so good!

 

[Seamaiden]

Well, well well. Is it me, or have you now become the expert here?

 

[baba G]

So, you only have a 15 day window to bring genetics in? What if a newer varietal becomes known after that window and it's the best cbd varietal or something that has major medicinal benefits, can you bring in new genetics in future?? Seems odd that you have a window to get plants, you should be able to bring in plants whenever, I mean you have thousands of plants in a building and can multiply them why the window to get plants in?

 

[inthegorge]

You are so sweet Seamaiden but I am hardly an expert....but it sure is fun:-)

I don't make the rules Mr. G so unfortunately so I have to follow what is set in place by the WA Liquor Control Board. I agree it is a stupid rule but nonetheless I have to comply with it. After the 15 day magical period when we can bring any plants onto the property we are only allowed to get new strains from an already licensed grower here. I am sure it will change with time as there will be new strains everyone wants outside of WA state but for now that is how it is and that is how I will need to operate. We have about 75 strains now which hopefully will be attractive to newly licensed growers that need growing stock but who the heck knows in this crazy process.

 

[Tank333]

That's looking freaking awesome in there!!! I'll bet it was a load of stress lifted to take those very illegal plants from your hiding places and put them into a completely legal and licensed facility!

Baba, there will almost always be opportunities to introduce new strains, provided the LCB doesn't change the rules mid-stream again... Every time a new license is given out, that producer has the same opportunity to introduce new (illegally bred) strains to the legal marketplace.

 

[FiveAM]

So, you only have a 15 day window to bring genetics in? What if a newer varietal becomes known after that window and it's the best cbd varietal or something that has major medicinal benefits, can you bring in new genetics in future?? Seems odd that you have a window to get plants, you should be able to bring in plants whenever, I mean you have thousands of plants in a building and can multiply them why the window to get plants in?

I wonder how clueless the LCB is about growing plants, let alone some weed. I mean you could register any countless number of names, would they even have a clue that you have it or dont have it? I doubt it highly.

 

[inthegorge]

You are absolutely correct FiveAM...they have no idea at all but.......whatever I say I have stays in their traceability system so when we market our products we have to stay with what we have said they are all along. It would be a bit tricky to place a strain into inventory that you do not actually have, not at first, but when you want to market it. Also...we have no idea what new strains will come on the market so it would be impossible to put the new best strain into place when we don't even know the name of it yet. Tank is correct that if or when the LCB allows more licensing others could bring new strains in but I am sure the LCB will make some new rules for new strains eventually as it is to their advantage of course to have the new best thing selling and making all that tax money for them.

 

[FiveAM]

How would they know that strain "xyz" you registered with them is actually the newest chronic-cookie-crack-candy?

 

[inthegorge]

They would not know but it would need to be labeled whatever it is I said it was in their traceability program and the consumer could perhaps know the difference. Honestly.... I am playing by the rules if and when I can and this just does not seem to be a big deal to me personally. I know when the next best thing is all anyone at a retail shop asks for the LCB will be right there doing something to make sure the business goes through them instead of on the black market and not taxed. It is totally a money issue for them so they will figure out how to introduce new strains although it may cost the growers big bucks to get them. That really is why we wanted so many strains to start with even with most of the people commenting here that we are screwing up with so many. It is the way the LCB has it structured so I figured to play the game I needed as many as I could gather just so my bases are covered. Who knows if I am right or wrong until a harvest or two down the road? If I need to purge a bunch of strains it will happen but right now I am just getting to know each one to see what does the best for us and that is the most fun I have had in a while with all this compliance junk we have been going though:-)

 

[FiveAM]

No way am I advocating anything, if i can see the loop hole thousand miles away, literally. I'm betting there's more. Not being negative, I'm an idiot and surprised to see such an obvious one.

 

[inthegorge]

I doubt you are an idiot Mr. AM:-) Loopholes are my specialty normally and if there is an angle I for some reason can find it, so much so that I think I could have a rosy future as a loss prevention specialist! This system is rife with loopholes and it is a process in the making, so much will change in the future of "legal" weed here in WA state. Since there is soooooo much to lose for me I just want to stay under every ones radar that has anything to do with the LCB so I will be avoiding loopholes until this whole thing is not so "iffy" like the plague. I just want to give it a chance at a future of actual legalization and if I play by the rules hopefully it will help the process to become something that looks like true legalization eventually.

 

[FiveAM]

I'm betting the less those people know, the better for everyone involved like yourself. Great pics, happy to see the updates.

 

[lost360]

i see the tribes trying to set up too i wonder how that will pan out for the taxed growers

 

[Texas Kid]

Print off a giant ass seed list and bring them into your inventory before the window shuts, whether you have the specific seeds listed or not ;)

 

[inthegorge]

Done and done:-)

 

[HeadGrow]

You're doing it great intheGorge! I really hope all 502 growers go about it the way you have. I still think it's going to be lots of hard work to get the whole crop to produce top quality but if anyone can do it, it seems like you've got the crew. A couple of my buddies that applied are still waiting for their inspection dates and licenses. And I still don't think one shop has been awarded their retailers license. I'm not even sure if the lottery has been set up for that. The LCB better get their rear in gear if they are planning to make the June/July kick off date.

I'm loving the pics. It's quite the operation you've got going. :)

 

[inthegorge]

The lottery drawing for the 334 retail shops is on the 25th and they will announce to the public by May 2nd according to the LCB emails.

If your buddies would like a little inside info they can get in touch with me.....seriously really happy to help:-) It is nice for most people going through this to talk with someone that has gotten to the end of the goofy process just to alleviate some of their worries if nothing else but I already understand their traceability and exactly what they are looking for in the documents that had to be submitted and at their inspection so give them my email and it would be no problem to give them the details. [email protected].....of course:-)