How To Be A Responsible Cannabis Grower And User?

Spiderman’s Uncle Ben said, “With great power comes great responsibility,” but what he forgot to add was that with great responsibility comes great liability. How is this relevant to growing and consuming cannabis?

Growing cannabis comes with a lot of responsibility, not just for the little plant you’re tending to in your backyard but also for your health, your neighborhood, the local environment, and Mother Earth. 

Be irresponsible with your cannabis cultivation operation, and you’re opening yourself up to a lot of liability. This can include various issues, including failed crops, ruined soil, and subpar results, but in worst-case scenarios, it can lead to your neighbor plowing down your cannabis plant, calling the cops on you, or worse, their dog chewing down your cannabis plant. 

As a cannabis grower, it is your responsibility to be responsible with your cannabis plant. How do you do that? We’ve got your back. Here is everything you need to know about being a responsible cannabis grower and user. 

1. Know Your Limitations and Push Them the Right Way 

One of the first things you should keep in mind when growing cannabis is your own limitations and how you can get better at this, regardless of whether you are a hobby or a commercial grower. So, here are some tips on the same.

• Always Select the Right Strain 

Cannabis comes in hundreds of varieties or strains, and each strain offers unique flavors, aromas, and effects. But that doesn’t mean every strain is right for you as a grower as well as a user. Some strains will always suit you better than others. 

Take this for an example; you are an intermediate grower looking for something challenging but you end up picking a strain that’s totally not suitable for your environment. At first, you might enjoy the challenge but quickly realize you’re dragging a rock up a hill for it to roll down again. 

It’s easy to become Sisyphus while growing cannabis. You will spend hours tending to your plant and a lot of dollars getting the environment right for the plant. Sometimes, it may work if you are adamant enough, but it may fail just the same. A compromised yield will leave you with hundreds of dollars (sometimes thousands) into the drain, hours wasted, and no cannabis buds to relieve you. 

That’s not all. What if you end up growing a strain that is too potent for your preference or one that produces a high that you don’t enjoy? 

Yes, it’s a learning experience but it doesn’t need to be such a difficult one. Look for challenges that push you, not break you. And that starts with picking the right kind of cannabis strains. 

Always purchase cannabis strains from reputable seed banks that have been lab-tested by a third-party firm and offer all the information you need for it. And pick strains that suit your skills, environment, and setup. 

• Learn the Basics Before Moving Up the Ladder 

Everyone wants to become a better grower and grow groundbreaking cannabis plants, but it’s a process. Everything about growing cannabis has a learning curve, and as a responsible cannabis grower, you must respect the curve and learn through it, not fight it. 

So, when it comes to the proper techniques, using the right nutrients and soil, tuning in the light and temperature/RH, etc., you must do your homework well before you execute anything. 

It won’t help your plants (and yourself) if you simply keep popping tiny CO2 canisters in your grow tent to improve CO2 PPM for your plant. Instead, learn what CO2 does for your plant, what PPM levels are best, and the ideal ways to administer CO2 to your cannabis plant. This applies to everything you do for your plant. 

Once you get the basics right, build on top of them. Instead of jumping straight to expensive LED grow lights as a beginner, learn to grow a couple of plants with CFL lights and then upgrade to LED lights that suit your needs. These CFL Lights won’t be wasted, as you can use them along with LED lights to provide light to the lower branches. You can even use them for household purposes. 

• Seek Help From Experts

As mentioned earlier, growing cannabis is about continuous learning and you’re bound to run into various problems along your way. Happens to the best of us. When this happens, you can fix some by trial and error and others by looking it up online, but there may be a few problems that simply have no solution — seemingly. 

In such a case, don’t hesitate to seek help from someone more experienced than you. You’ll be surprised to know how many expert growers are willing to lend their expertise to fellow growers. This can be something as little as finding the right nutrient balance for the seeds you imported from a breeder abroad. 

2. Reduce Your Cannabis Garden’s Environmental Footprint 

As much as vegans would like you to believe growing plants is good for the environment, it’s probably not in many cases. Cannabis gardens can have a massive impact on the local environment, from water consumption to light pollution. Here are some tips to keep your garden’s pollution in check. 

• Invest in Energy Efficient Electrical Components 

One of the most effective ways of reducing your cannabis operation’s carbon footprint is by investing in components that consume less energy while producing similar results. These include equipment like fans, humidifiers/dehumidifiers, and grow lights that are energy efficient. 

The biggest culprit here is your grow lights, especially HPS and CMH lights. Such high-intensity lights consume a lot of energy to produce light and they aren’t the most effective — the reason why they produce so much heat, too. This is the reason why commercial setups pay thousands of dollars in energy bills. 

Instead, invest in LED grow lights. LED lights consume a fraction of the energy to produce the same light quality as other lighting panels, and these lights also last well over ten years with minimal maintenance.

Yes, energy-efficient components will have a higher upfront cost, but they are more than worth it. There’s always the benefit of saving hundreds of dollars in energy bills every month! 

• Conserve Water 

An average cannabis plant consumes six gallons of water a day — it’s a thirsty plant species. Let’s assume you grow five cannabis plants that have a combined growth and bloom stage of around 200 days. How many gallons is your garden consuming? Over 5000 gallons of water each growing season. 

The best way to rectify this is to grow cannabis with hydroponics. A hydroponic system recycles water from a dedicated reservoir, consuming 90% less water than a soil-based cannabis plant. 

Again, a comprehensive hydroponics setup is expensive and complex, but you can always pick one of the simpler and cheaper hydroponic setups for your cannabis plant, like DWC, NFT, and more. These systems are cheap to DIY and easy to maintain. 

• Reduce Light Pollution 

Light pollution may not seem like such a big problem but it is. Not only does light pollution keep you from looking at the stars, but it can also ruin your neighbor’s sleep and disturb the local wildlife. This is a problem with greenhouse cannabis and some indoor grow rooms. 

If you are growing cannabis in a greenhouse or a grow room with windows, be mindful of the light cycle and light leaking into the surroundings. There are many ways you can reduce your greenhouse light pollution, such as the following:

• Use automatic timers for the grow lights 
• Grow cannabis in a grow tent 
• Cover the windows with blackout curtains or materials 
• Build a blackout tent or shelter for your greenhouse/polytunnel cannabis 
• Use a blackout tarpaulin on your plants 

Your neighbors and local wildlife will thank you. 

• Go Organic 

Chemicals aren’t inherently bad per se; many chemical insecticides and nutrient supplements are quite effective at growing cannabis and some are even eco-friendly. However, many synthetic solutions are not. 

They not only affect your health if you are exposed for long but synthetic supplements and pesticides harm the soil microbes under your cannabis plant. Extended use of such products can even render the soil unfertilized and unfit for growing cannabis. 

Additionally, the chemicals can seep into the local water sources and harm the wildlife, local plants, and even the local population that rely on that water for survival. Hence, it is always a good idea to go organic while growing cannabis. It takes more effort, but it’s worth it. 

Some of the ways you can grow organic cannabis plants are:

• Use living soil that is rich in beneficial microbes like bacteria, fungi, and some nematode species
• Use natural pesticides and supplements, like neem oil, compost, bone meal, seaweed, etc.
• Maintain a compost pile — it comes in handy in many ways in the form of nutrient supply, soil amendment, and waste management
• Use eco-friendly products for your garden, like fabric pots

3. Respect Your Neighbors 

You love cannabis, your friends love cannabis, we love cannabis, but your neighbors might not. Plus, your neighboring house may have kids living there. So, you should make sure your cannabis operation, regardless of the size, does not affect them in any way. 

And it’s not only about annoying the neighbors but unfortunately, stigma is still associated with cannabis in most regions despite being legalized. Growing cannabis out in the open can invite a lot of unwanted attention, leading to a heated argument at best or vandalism at worst. 

To make sure you are respectful of your neighbors while growing cannabis, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Install carbon scrubbers in your grow room or grow companion plants to mask the smell of cannabis from your property — the smell can be annoying for many 
• Bring down the noise levels of your electrical components and pumps in your grow room 
• Cover your plants with companion plants or fencing to keep them discreet and protect them from vandals 
• Ensure your plants are not accessible by kids or pets in any way — that’s a disaster waiting to happen 
• Insulate your grow room as much as possible so your plant’s ambient environment doesn’t affect the surroundings 

That’s it. Be a little more mindful of the impact your cannabis plant can have on your neighbors and you are sorted. 

4. Know Your Local Laws

Cannabis is legalized but that doesn’t mean you start growing hundreds of plants in your backyard. That can get you in a lot of trouble. So, it is always a good idea to know the ins and outs of your local laws regarding growing and selling cannabis. 

Start by understanding the basic regulations regarding cultivation, which include the number of plants you can grow, the type of cannabis you can grow, and, sometimes, even their potency levels. 

Next, look up the laws on selling or storing cannabis. It may be completely fine to grow ten cannabis plants in your state but illegal to sell them. Even if you sell your cannabis to your friend in exchange for a home-cooked meal, it can land you in trouble and earn you the label of a peddler. 

In most regions where cannabis is legalized, you’ll also need a permit to grow cannabis. Get the permit. It may cost some money, but it will give you the peace of mind that if someone comes knocking at your door, you are in compliance with the law and don’t have to check out the comfort levels of the cop car. 

5. Make Safety and Health Measures a Priority 

You’re growing a small plant, what’s the worst that can happen? Many things. The wiring can short and start a fire, your neighbor’s dog may eat your disposed buds, a kid can get access to your cannabis plant, and you can start a pest or fungal infestation in your backyard. Many things can go wrong. 

This is why you need to know your local laws about the safety of your cannabis garden, but that’s not enough. You must also go above and beyond to ensure your cannabis garden is safe for everything around it, including you, wild animals, neighbors, and visitors. 

The first step is to invest in personal safety for yourself and anyone else who has access to your plants. Depending on your setup, this can include things like a face mask, eye protection, gardening gloves, work boots, gardening pants, etc. This will protect you from minor and major hazards in your garden, including nasty pests or sharp rocks. 

You also need to focus on the hygiene of your cannabis garden. Keep your cannabis garden as clean as possible and sanitize it regularly. Also, keep a particular set of clothes for entering your garden which you don’t wear anywhere else. You should also invest in HEPA filters to keep the air clean. 

You should also check your local laws and install fire and health safety equipment in your grow room or garden. This can include various things like smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, carbon monoxide detectors, specialized trip meters that prevent electrical shorting, and more. 

Next, you need to ensure your cannabis plant is protected from intruders and vice versa. Install a polytunnel over your plant or fence your plant with stakes or something similar. This will prevent kids, pets, and other animals from making their way into your garden. 

This especially applies to children and pets — cannabis may no longer be a “drug” legally speaking, but it is a psychoactive plant nonetheless. Of course, the kid is not going to decarb the cannabis before sniffing it, but cannabis can be toxic for pets, and kids possessing cannabis in any form is never going to go right for you. 

Lastly, learn how to dispose of your cannabis plant easily. You may have the permit to grow cannabis, but one discarded seed is all it takes for an unlicensed individual to grow their own cannabis plant. So, set up a compost pile and discard plant material in the compost, and when discarding other gardening materials, use specialized bags to dispose of them. 

6. Be a Responsible User 

Cannabis is an excellent plant that has various benefits, and of course, smoking cannabis is fun. However, cannabis can have some nasty side effects if you are not careful. 

Consuming the wrong type of cannabis or too much of it can lead to a bad trip or greening out, which are associated with the following symptoms:

• Feeling too high 
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Mental fog 
• Motor impairment 
• Paranoia 
• Anxiety 
• Panic attacks 

Cannabis has never killed anyone and a bad trip and its symptoms are temporary, which wear out within a couple of hours, but that doesn’t mean they are something you can get through easily. Ask any person who’s experienced a bad trip and they’ll tell you — they feel like the end of the world. 

So, how do you be a responsible cannabis user? Here are some tips. 

• Source Cannabis From Reputable Stores 

Unless you are growing your own cannabis, you should always source your cannabis buds or other products from reputable stores that sell high-quality products. Illicit growers and sellers use various techniques to make their products more appealing, ranging from wrongful marketing to lacing their weed with other drugs or chemicals. 

Here are some tips that ensure you always purchase high-quality cannabis:

• Ensure the seller has a license to sell the product 
• Purchase cannabis from well-known brands with consumer ratings
• Look for third-party lab tests that are carried out on each batch of cannabis produced by the brand 
• Look at the packaging label to know what kind of cannabis it is in terms of the type of high and THC/CBD content
• Read up on reviews about the seller before ordering 
• Don’t try to cheap out on cannabis; often, you get what you pay for, so it’s okay to spend a little more for higher-quality products

• Consume Cannabis Responsibly 

Lastly, you should know how to consume cannabis properly so you don’t end up with a bad trip. Here are some tips on consuming cannabis:

• Always make sure you are consuming cannabis in safe surroundings with minimal distractions or any factors that may induce stress in you 
• Do not consume cannabis if you are mentally unwell, whether you are feeling anxious, sad, or restless — cannabis can exaggerate these effects 
• Know the type of cannabis you are smoking — an anxious person should never smoke a strain that’s known to produce energetic or simulating highs
• Consume cannabis in moderation and be patient with the onset — some cannabis products take some time to show the effects, so don’t chow down five brownies because it’s not making you high YET
• Start with a smaller dose and work your way up 
• Know your limits; new cannabis users should never consume high THC (>25%) products like live resin on the first go — that’s a bad trip guaranteed 
• Make sure you smoke with a friend, who can calm you down if you start feeling any negative symptoms 
• Choose the right form of consumption — a joint is a good starting point, a bong will get you too high, and so may some edibles 

Summary: How to be a Responsible Cannabis Grower and User?

It may sound a lot at first glance, but being a responsible cannabis grower isn’t that difficult. You must know these basics so well that they become a part of your operation and come naturally to you, regardless of the number of plants you are growing. 

To summarize the entire thing, you need to essentially know your limits and grow the right kind of cannabis in a suitable setup. You should aim to reduce your cannabis garden’s environmental impact by reducing water, light, and chemical pollution; you can go a step further by using organic products. 

Additionally, you should know your local laws so you are always on the right side of the law. A drug-related call to court can turn your life sideways even if you made an innocent mistake. You may lose your permit, end up paying thousands of dollars in fines, or worse, get a state-sponsored vacation in prison. 

Lastly, make sure your cannabis garden is safe for everyone. Fire hazards are common in grow rooms, so make sure you prevent them as much as possible and have the right equipment to deal with them.