Cannabis Myths Exposed

Because the government has always been so vocally against cannabis and the growth of marijuana seeds, quite a lot of myths and legends have sprung up around the drug to make it seem more dangerous. Here’s some of the more memorable myths related to marijuana:

Marijuana is a Gateway Drug

What we have here is a lazy interpretation of statistics. This misnomer is based on the fact that cannabis is the most popular illegal drug around, and as such the people who have used the less popular, harder drugs are likely to have tried marijuana as well.

If you’re still in doubt about this one, consider this: since cannabis was partially legalised in Holland in the 1970s, usage of heroin and cocaine have dropped substantially. If cannabis were a gateway drug, then the legalisation of it would cause an increase in these harder drugs, not a drop!

Cannabis is a More Dangerous Drug than Tobacco

While it’s true that smoked cannabis contains around the same number of carcinogens as a similar amount of smoked tobacco, this is a pointless comparison because of the relative usage. While a heavy smoker may easily work their way through 10-20 cigarettes in a day (and often significantly more), it’s very rare to find anyone who smokes marijuana in quantities even approaching that.

A 1997 UCLA study backs this up further, and states that even prolonged heavy marijuana use causes no serious lung damage. Meat, salt and dairy products present a bigger cancer risk than the humble joint, and for those who are still worried remember that all cancer and respiratory risks can be sidestepped by taking cannabis in baked goods!

Cannabis Contains Over 400 Chemicals, Which Proves it’s Dangerous

This is a half truth – yes, cannabis can contain this many chemicals, but this is very much a scare number. Not all chemicals are deadly, and to put this into perspective coffee contains 1,500 chemicals, while rat poison contains just 30. The take home message of this? The number of chemicals in a product has no relation as to how dangerous it is!

The Slang Term ‘420’ Comes From Police Codes

This is just plain wrong. 420 (pronounced “Four-Twenty”) is not police radio code for anything, and is not related to penal code. Nor is it because of Hitler’s birthday (April 4^th), the date of the Columbine school shootings (this was terminology years before then) or based on the number of active chemicals in marijuana. The term actually comes from San Rafael High School in the 1970s, where some of the students would meet up at 4:20pm after class. The code was developed so they could talk openly about their plans without alerting their parents to their drug use!

Nowadays the code is so well known that this won’t work as a strategy. Some people use the term “420 friendly” to show their acceptance of marijuana use, and April 20^th has become National Pot Smoker’s Day in homage to the students – who are now in their 50s.

Cannabis Damages the Brain/Reproductive System/Immune System

All of these claims have been levelled at cannabis on the back of some fairly shaky science. Let’s tackle these one by one:

• The brain damage accusation was the result of an experiment by Dr Robert Heath from the late 1970s. It claims to demonstrate brain damage in rhesus monkeys as a consequence of marijuana. It was however reviewed by a distinguished panel of scientists in 1982 and was found to have severe weaknesses: the sample was too small (just four monkeys), it failed to control experimental bias and crucially misidentifying a normal monkey brain structure as damaged! Subsequent studies have shown no evidence of brain damage.

• The claim that marijuana damages the reproductive system is based on two bits of research – one based on isolated tissue cells in petri dishes, and the other based on animal research. Both are invalid – the scientific community has stated that  isolated cells cannot be compared to full human beings, and the animals in question were given near-lethal dosages of cannabinoids – far more than one would get from a ‘normal’ dose. Further to this, the animals that didn’t die in the testing returned to normal within 30 days. Suffice it to say, no studies of actual human populations have demonstrated any evidence of this!

• The immune system myth has the same problems as the reproductive ones – animals were given close to lethal dosages of cannabinoids making comparisons invalid. In fact, a couple of studies undertaken in 1978 showed that cannabis and hashish may actually boost the immune system in some!

People Have Died as a Direct Consequence of Cannabis Abuse

Not true. Scientists have carried out experiments on animals, and the results show you would need an extraordinarily high dosage of cannabis to be lethal. In fact, the amount of cannabinoids required to get a person stoned relative to the amount needed to kill is around 1:40,000. To put this into everyday sense, you would need to consume 40,000 times as much cannabis as would get you stoned to have a lethal dosage.

Let’s put this into further into perspective. Alcohol’s relative intoxication to death ratio is between 1:4 and 1:10. No wonder alcohol is responsible for the deaths of more than 5,000 people every year.

Cannabis is More Potent Today Than in the Past

This is a common myth based on bad data. The researchers who made these claims measured the THC content of marijuana seized in the early 70s, but fail to take into account the poor storage of the samples in question, which will have lead to a decline in its potency before any tests could be undertaken. Independent assessments on unseized street cannabis from the 1970s shows the potency is roughly the same as it has ever been.

These are far from the only myths around cannabis, and the drug is sure to attract more in the future. Remember, if it sounds dubious then look up the facts yourself. The old adage of “don’t believe everything you read” should apply doubly when dealing with facts about cannabis and marijuana seeds.

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company sells marijuana seeds and informational books on marijuana to customers all over the world.

5 Songs about Marijuana

Many legendary rock groups have done their best work under the influence of marijuana or other drugs, but here’s a selection of songs that have been argued to be about cannabis itself:

Ben Harper – Burn One Down

Ben Harper’s Burn One Down is one of the more blatant songs about marijuana, and on a live DVD he tells stories about people so uptight they need to take a hit, and others who smoke so many that they lose sight of their dreams. The song uses marijuana as a reference point but is more about allowing people to do their own thing:

“My choice is what I choose to do

And if I’m causing no harm

It shouldn’t bother you

Your choice is who you choose to be

And if you’re causing no harm

Then you’re alright with me”

…but also exposes the fact that Ben’s rather fond of a spliff now and then:

“Herb the gift from the earth

And what’s from the earth

Is of the greatest worth

So before you knock it try it first

You’ll see it’s a blessing

And not a curse.”

Is it about weed? Almost certainly.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Last Dance with Mary Jane

There is some debate over whether the Mary Jane in the song refers to marijuana (Mary Jane being common slang for the drug) or his ex-wife Jane, who he had divorced from one year earlier. Even The Heartbreakers’ guitarist Mike Campbell didn’t seem to know for sure, stating that “My take on it is it can be whatever you want it to be. A lot of people think it’s a drug reference, and if that’s what you want to think, it very well could be but it could also just be a goodbye love song.” The main reason the drug explanation has stuck is thanks to the chorus:

“Let’s dance with Mary Jane

One more time to kill the pain

I feel summer creeping in

And I’m tired of this town again”

With marijuana’s well known pain-killing properties, it would seem obvious. Even if you don’t think this particular song is related to cannabis, Petty often discusses the drug at his live concerts, and includes the lyric “But let me get to the point, let’s roll another joint, and turn the radio loud, I’m too alone to be proud” in the song “You Don’t Know How It Feels”.

Is it about weed? Possibly not.

Black Sabbath – Sweet Leaf

This is one of the more straight forward songs to call: it’s definitely about cannabis. The band say so in the notes to their greatest hits, and the lyrics are pretty straight forward too (though interestingly the song coined the phrase ‘sweet leaf’ as slang for the drug):

“Straight people don’t know what you’re about

They put you down and shut you out

You gave to me a new belief

And soon the world will love you sweet leaf”

Is it about weed? Definitely.

Bob Dylan – Rainy Day Women #12 and 35

At first this song seems clear cut, with its chorus of:

“I would not feel so alone

Everybody must get stoned”

The original recording also sounds like the band are all under the influence of cannabis as well. However, the song is also said to be about judgement of women (as in the punishment of stoning from biblical times.)

Another point often raised is that if you multiply the two numbers in the song (12 and 35) you reach 420: common code in America for cannabis usage. But even this evidence needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, as the term did not become common code until around 5 years after the song was written. Another explanation of the numbers is that it was Dylan correctly guessing the ages of a mother and daughter who came into the recording studio out of the rain. Chalk this one up to an inconclusive.

Is it about weed? Inconclusive.

Afroman – Because I Got High

This one is surely about as clear cut as it gets: Afroman got to number 1 in the UK charts with his ode to cannabis: “Because I Got High” – a song with a not altogether positive message about days spent smoking and growing cannabis seeds:

“I was gonna go to court before I got high

I was gonna pay my child support but then I got high

They took my whole paycheque and I know why

Because I got high, because I got high, because I got high”

As the lyrics suggest, Afroman wrote the novelty song as a joke for his friends, but based it on the personal experience that plans for the day tend to go abandoned upon taking a toke.

An interesting postscript to this: it was reported in the news that a Massachusetts judge ordered a 17 year old boy to listen to the song and write a three paragraph summary of the song as part of his punishment for being caught driving under the influence of cannabis and alcohol in a car without licence plates.

Is it about weed? Oh yes.

While all these songs are debatably about marijuana, one song commonly claimed to be about a high that isn’t is Peter, Paul and Mary’s “Puff the Magic Dragon.” The allegations suggested that lyrics referring to “Puff”, “little Jackie Papers” and “autumn mist” were a veiled reference to smoking cannabis. At various points, the folk trio and author of the original poem have insisted that it’s simply a kids’ song about loss of childhood innocence, but perhaps Peter Yarrow explained it best when he argued that: “When ‘Puff’ was written, I was too innocent to know about drugs. What kind of mean-spirited SOB would write a children’s song with a covert drugs message?” Conclusive proof that Peter, Paul and Mary were not trying to start kids growing cannabis seeds!

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company sells cannabis seeds and informational books on marijuana to customers all over the world.

5 Historical Cannabis Facts

This history of cannabis is long and confusing, and only relatively recently has the possession of cannabis been a criminal offence. Here’s a look back at some of the peculiarities of its history…

It’s been a Medicine for 4000 years

Although the debate about medicinal marijuana is a relatively new one in the West, in India, China and the Middle East, cannabis’ medicinal properties have been celebrated for around 4000 years. In China it was used to treat all manner of conditions from malaria to constipation! It took a long time for it to be used as medication in the west – around the middle of the 19^th century. Queen Victoria was proscribed it to relieve period pain, and it could be freely purchased in shops throughout the United States.
Towards the end of the century, its usage in western medicine faded with the invention of the syringe. Injected drugs took effect far faster, and cannabis (which could not be dissolved in water and thus injected) fell out of favour. Over the last few decades of course, the debate over medicinal marijuana has reopened.

Founding Fathers Grew Hemp and Cannabis

While it is unclear as to whether any of the founding fathers actually used the drug recreationally, it is clear that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers grew hemp, as documented in their own diaries. Jefferson imported seeds from China, while Washington notes that he was attempting to get his gardeners to separate the male and female cannabis seeds – “began to separate the Male from the Female Hemp at Do – rather too late”. Some have suggested that maybe Washington’s insistence on separation of the crop implies he used the herb medicinally to treat his renowned tooth aches. Whether or not you believe this, you can’t deny the significance of hemp to the history of the USA: the declaration of independence is written on hemp paper!

Hemp for Victory!

More recently, and an area of US history the government is very keen to brush over is the 1940’s “Hemp for Victory” campaign. During the Second World War, imports of hemp were restricted, meaning that marine cordage, parachutes and other military essentials were in short supply. The government responded by distributing free cannabis seeds and allowing men to defer the draft if they agreed to stay home and support the war effort by growing hemp. By 1943, American farmers had harvested 375,000 acres of hemp.

Marijuana a Truth Serum?

Yes, for a time in the 1940s, the United States’ Office of Strategic Services (OSS) experimented with cannabis as a truth serum. They noted in their trials that the drug made a subject (in this case a member of the mafia) “loquacious and free in his impartation of information”.

One example of its usage was in the interviewing of Augusto Del Gracio, one of Lucky Luciano’s enforcers. After being given a cigarette spiked with THC concentrate, he talked openly about the gangster’s heroin operations. So successful was the experiment that for the next meeting they upped the THC dosage in the tobacco – but this proved to be too much, and the mobster simply passed out for two hours.

Many US Government Funded Studies have Extolled the Virtues of Cannabis

Many government funded studies have been brushed under the carpet after they failed to turn the negative results intended. Studies have shown all kinds of things, from cannabis’ failure to increase death rates (Sidney, S et al. – ‘Marijuana Use and Mortality’), its lack of long term consequences (Eisen SE et al. ‘Does Marijuana Use Have Residual Adverse Effects on Self-Reported Health Measures, Socio-Demographics or Quality of Life?’), that it may prevent cancer (multiple studies) and that it does have medicinal value (Joy, JE, Watson, SH and Benson, JA. ‘Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base’). The latter of these has been largely ignored by the government, and caused the co-author John A. Benson to tell the New York Times that the government “would rather it never happened.”

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company sells cannabis seeds and informational books on marijuana to customers all over the world.

Politicians on Pot

A politician with a marijuana fuelled past is nothing new – but actually coming out and admitting it is still something of a rarity. Despite this, there’s still been a fair few who have bitten a potentially damaging bullet and admitted their past use of drugs. Of them, none have had it ruining their careers which perhaps means that the electorate are less concerned about drug abuse than traditional thought would suggest!

Norman Lamont

The former Conservative Chancellor Norman Lamont is the first cannabis MP on our list and sets a familiar tone of “Yeah, I did but I didn’t enjoy it, so I can still be in favour of a ban.” He revealed that he had once eaten marijuana in a “space cake” – “I have not smoked cannabis, but I did eat a tiny bit of cannabis cake and all I can say is I enjoyed the cake but that is all.”

John Hutton

John Hutton, the business, enterprise and regulatory reform secretary is the next MP with cannabis in the closet. According to a spokesman “he now regrets doing it, having seen the damage that cannabis can cause among some of the young people in his constituency.”

Al Gore

Al Gore had previously admitted to smoking cannabis on an “infrequent and rare” basis in his youth, but if the 2000 book “Inventing Al Gore: A Biography” is to be believed this is a huge understatement. The former politician’s marijuana usage is highlighted in a section which reads “Warnecke and two other friends from Gore’s Nashville days say Gore was an enthusiastic recreational user, smoking sometimes as often as three or four times a week; after hours at Warnecke’s house, on weekends at the Gore farm or canoeing on the Caney Fork River.”

Bill Clinton

Former president Bill Clinton was the first high profile politician to announce he had tried Marijuana all the way back in 1992 when he was still a presidential hopeful. The former politician’s marijuana history was famously played down: “I didn’t like it and I didn’t inhale and I never tried it again.”

Jacquie Smith

The Home Secretary wins an award for bad timing for admitting her cannabis use – the day after it was announced that she would head up a review of UK drugs strategy, including a review of the laws relating to cannabis.  The MP’s admission went: “I did break the law… I was wrong… drugs are wrong.” Following the pattern of playing down her usage, she said she had taken it “just a few times” and had “not particularly” enjoyed it.

Michael Bloomberg

You really have to admire the gusto with which New York mayor Michael Bloomberg answered the question when put to him during his 2001 mayoral campaign. Instead of dodging the issue or playing it down, the future politician’s cannabis fuelled past was confirmed emphatically: “You bet I did. And I enjoyed it.” He has since said he regretted it coming out, after it was used in a full page newspaper advertisement.

Alistair Darling

On a 2007 day when 5 Labour MPs’ cannabis history came to light, Chancellor Alistair Darling was the most senior to own up. Mr Darling said that he had taken the drug “occasionally, in my youth.”

Barack Obama

The Democratic nominee for the 2008 presidential election wrote in his 1995 memoirs “Dreams from my Father” that he used “pot… and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it.” He reverses a trend in this list by possibly exaggerating his drug use rather than trying to deny it, as more than three dozen friends, classmates and mentors of his say they have no recollection of him as heavy drug user.

His Republican opponent for the presidency by contrast says he has never smoked marijuana. When asked directly in the 2000 presidential nomination he said “No. Also remember my age: 63.” Now 71, McCain was apparently referring to the fact that marijuana usage only became common with Vietnam soldiers after he was taken prisoner.

Boris Johnson

London’s new mayor is rumoured to have taken both cocaine and marijuana in his time, but has a habit of contradicting himself when questioned directly. Nonetheless, The Guardian quotes him as saying he had smoked “quite a few spliffs” before he went to university. “It was jolly nice. But apparently it is very different these days. Much stronger. I’ve become very illiberal about it. I don’t want my kids to take drugs.”

George W Bush

President George W Bush has consistently refused to confirm or deny abusing cocaine and cannabis in his younger days, but a taped conversation with his appropriately named (presumably former!) friend Doug Wead appeared to prove the current leader did indeed once smoke cannabis.

When Mr Wead asked Bush over why he didn’t answer any questions on drugs he said “I wouldn’t answer the marijuana questions. You know why? Because I don’t want some little kid doing what I tried.”

He also took the opportunity to mock then opponat Al Gore’s more open stance on marijuana saying “Baby boomers have got to grow up and say, yeah, I may have done drugs, but instead of admitting it, say to kids, ‘don’t do them’”. Personally I think politicians’ cannabis usage is a sure fire way to get impressionable children to swear off marijuana seeds for life, but whatever you say Mr President!

Bonus “Refused to Comment”: David Cameron

There are also a number of UK politicians whose cannabis use is open to speculation thanks to their refusal to comment, most prominently Conservative leader David Cameron, despite being outed in a biography about him. The book – “Cameron, The Rise Of The New Conservative” – was serialised in the Mail on Sunday, and discusses how he was in trouble at Eton at the age of 15 for cannabis usage – an incident the police were called in for. The book claims Mr Cameron was not expelled like several other boys because he was not dealing – instead he was set the school’s traditional punishment: copying out hundreds of lines of Latin poetry.

Robert Kane works for Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company sells souvenir marijuana seeds and informational books on cannabis to customers all over the world.

The Best Places for Cannabis in the World

Different regions and countries in the world have different cultures, cuisines and traditions. This is obvious, well known and often reflected in the purchasing choices people make; people buy anything from steel to coffee to electronics from different places because of quality, price and necessity. But when it comes to marijuana and cannabis seeds, people often forget that country of origin makes a difference. We have a look at some of the most famous areas of the world for cannabis use and production.

Acapulco

Most people in the world have heard of Acapulco Gold, though some don’t know exactly what it is or think it’s a precious metal. Acapulco Gold is actually a strain of cannabis known for its potency as compared to other varieties. Originally only from the area around Acapulco, this marijuana strain started out being called “Gold” because of the yellow/golden colour of its leaves. However, the quality and premium nature of the marijuana it produces lead to a high price, and the “Gold” moniker came to represent this high class nature rather than the colour. The higher than normal level of THC (the main psychoactive substance in cannabis) in Acapulco Gold has made seeds from this marijuana strain a hot commodity.

America

You wouldn’t think that America, with its bizarre categorisation of marijuana and hard line views on the drug, would be a good place for cannabis. But you’d be wrong. One part of California in particular is famous for being the pot capital of the US. An area called the Emerald Triangle in northern California is the country’s largest area of cannabis production. It started as a cottage industry, where anyone with a few marijuana seeds and a garden had a small stash for themselves and perhaps a little money on the side. Today the industry has become much more commercial (though still illegal) and has spread across this part of California. The Emerald Triangle is perfect for the purpose because of the mild climate and vast stretches of secluded landscape for growing away from prying eyes.

Jamaica

Jamaica has a long history with marijuana dating back over 150 years. The island is often associated with ganja (cannabis) thanks to connections with Rastafarianism and famous proponents of marijuana use such as Bob Marley and the Wailers. While cannabis use isn’t as endemic as popular culture might have you believe (it is technically illegal in the country), it is a definite part of the country’s culture, and often a component of Rastafarian rituals and religious practices. Those who follow the religion see marijuana as a powerful substance that opens people’s minds and aids meditation, and Rastafarianism champions ganja use over the consumption of alcohol or use of other drugs.

These are just three areas of the world that have strong links to marijuana and where planting marijuana seeds is an alternative to planting other crops for cash or personal use. However, there are many more, with many new strains of varying potency being developed every year.

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company sells cheap marijuana seeds and informational books on cannabis to customers all over the world.

Gonzo and Marijuana

First things first: what is Gonzo? On hearing the name, many people will think of a purple Muppet “Whatever” or even a Japanese anime studio. However, Gonzo is a term that’s usually applied to journalism, (though it can be applied to other forms of creative output and situations). It’s a type of journalism that involves the writer in the story, eschewing the usual journalistic detachment in favour of full frontal, sometimes fictional, descriptions of the story subjectively and in the first person. Put another way, if I were to start writing and talk about the way I was sitting, the lucky jar of marijuana seeds on my desk and their relationship to anything I write, that would be gonzo journalism.

Though I don’t have any marijuana seeds on my desk, you might find that many people who espouse this type of writing do. Started in the sixties and seventies, Gonzo journalism was about centring the writing on a particular idea, news story or prevalent theme of the time. Almost uniquely American, the issues questioned were those of the time: war, government, civil rights, cannabis and harder drug use and personal freedoms. This often meant involvement in some or all of these issues, and it’s hard to think of one Gonzo journalist who wasn’t involved in most if not all of them. Use of cannabis and much harder drugs was obviously common, and it can be argued that this in turn fuelled the Gonzo style itself.

Hunter S. Thompson

While a series of journalists embraced Gonzo, it is Hunter S. Thompson who was the king of the genre. Thompson’s colourful life included running for sheriff in Aspen on the “Freak Power” ticket, riding with and writing about hell’s angels, and documenting the 1972 campaign trail in his own inimitable way. Arguably, his most famous work is “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey into the Heart of the American Dream”, often shortened to just Fear and Loathing. In the text a fictional version of Thompson and his attorney travel to Las Vegas to write an article on the mint 400 race. Marijuana is just one of the many drugs consumed along the way in a text that examines excess, American life and the American dream.

Thompson didn’t stint on drugs. Famous for his use of anything (from using a lightbulb as a bong to chomping on raw Marijuana seeds) to try anything, the link between Gonzo and Marijuana becomes fairly obvious at this stage. Fear and Loathing is a bible for writers in the same style, and as you can imagine the genre attracts people who already have an affinity toward iconoclasm, drug use and living outside the usual views of society.

When the patron saint of the style championed Marijuana use, and the drug is central to some of Gonzo’s ideas, it is clear that the drug had at least some effect on the genre as a whole. The main question is less “Is there a link” and more “how much has one affected another?” the problem is, with a mix of such artistic, fictional, pharmaceutical and journalistic forces, you may as well ask “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company sells marijuana seeds and informational books on marijuana to customers all over the world.

The Best of 1930s Anti Cannabis Propaganda Films

Everyone loves looking back at the straight faced seriousness of 1930s propaganda films, and laughing at the ignorant scare mongering that was once taken as fact. The cannabis world has some excellent examples of that, and these three films have recently been released as a box set for marijuana seed growers everywhere to see the ‘evil’ of their ways…

Marihuana (1936)

This follows a familiar theme of the exploitation film, and the promotional poster really showed these routes nicely. The phrases “daring drug expose” and “shame, horror, despair” appear above the subheading “WEED with ROOTS In HELL” and the promise of “Weird Orgies, Wild Parties” and “Unleashed Passions” appear at the bottom. With this in mind, surely the film can’t disappoint? Well, judge for yourself with its outlandish pot-plot: Berma is a typically good young girl who gets addicted to marijuana after one puff at a party… which turns deadly!

One of the revellers drowns as they all head naked down to the water. The dealers hide the body, and our heroine, out of her mind on the film’s version of marijuana, gets pregnant. To cover the costs, her boyfriend gets a job working for some of the dealers, before getting promptly shot on his first day ‘at the office’. Berma, now impoverished, is forced to give up the baby and become a drug pusher herself. Jealous of her sister who has managed to have a daughter of her own, the increasingly drug addled Berma decides that kidnapping said child for a $50,000 ransom is a great idea – only it turns out that the child is actually her own biological daughter. All this culminates with the dealers getting arrested, and our heroine taking an overdose of harder drugs and dying – and all because she smoked marijuana, kids.

Reefer Madness (1936)

Very much viewed as the ‘Casablanca’ of 1930s Cannabis exploitation films, Reefer Madness has gone down in folklore as such a classic that 20^th Century Fox released a colourised version of the film straight to DVD in 2004. The unrealistic colours used add to the campy humour its now seen as, and an especially nice touch is the smoke from the marijuana, which is made to appear blue, green, orange and purple with each shade showing a different level of addiction.

The plot is a little too complicated to explain here (it makes The Usual Suspects look like The Fast and the Furious), but hopefully the movie’s idea of cannabis side effects will inspire you to rent this legendary flick:

• Manic laughing while committing hit and run manslaughter
• Having sex with people you don’t like
• Accidentally shooting your friends
• Memory loss to the degree you don’t remember being framed for murder

And most hilariously of all:

• Playing the piano faster than humanly possible.

If you know anyone who does these things, you should probably stage an intervention or something.

The film, which takes the form of a parable told by a high school principal, finishes with said educator warning the parents that similar consequences could happen to their children. He states “the next tragedy may be that of your daughter’s… or your son’s… or yours, or yours…” before finally pointing to the camera and dramatically stating “or YOURS!” The words “tell your children” appear across the screen, and we fade out, left to worry that one day we too may play the piano exceptionally fast.

Assassin of Youth (1937)

Probably the least entertaining of the three, but not without its charms, Assassin of Youth has a more focussed plot. An elderly woman is killed in a car crash with a cannabis addicted youth (naturally). Her inheritance is left to her pure but simple grand daughter Joan on the condition that she leads a moral life. If she fails in this, the money goes to her evil drug dealing cousin. Unsurprisingly, the evil one goes out of her way to make the heroine look like a depraved, drunken and high reprobate by way of getting the money.

The best thing about the film (aside from the hilariously over the top side effects of marijuana) is just how terrible the dialogue is. At one point, our favourite simpleton Joan is approached by a stranger who has just spiked her drink:

Joan: “Gee, this tastes funny.”

Stranger: “Don’t worry. Just drink it.”

Joan: “Okay”

With a quick wittedness like that, you have to worry for her happy ending, where she does indeed get the money. She probably ended up investing in some magic beans.

It’s her sister Margie that lives up to the film’s promised marijuana abuse though, and eventually ends up in a coma, having almost killed someone and been diagnosed by a doctor as “a hopeless psychopath” – another example of the excellent dialogue.

If this has whet your appetite for stoner movies with a difference, all three films can be bought as part of a boxset from all good DVD sellers. For the full effect, make sure you watch them back to back – they really are comedy gold for marijuana seed growers everywhere!

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company sells marijuana seeds and informational books on marijuana to customers all over the world.

Hogwart’s obese bully, Vincent Crabbe, has finally been put in his place, having found himself on the wrong side of the law this July. Jamie Waylett, the young actor that plays Vincent, has been arrested for growing quantities of strong cannabis from seeds, and for having several bags of the Class B drug in his car when he was stopped by police.

So it appears Jamie likes to indulge in his own magical spells whilst off-set, and when officers raided Jamie’s house and found ten plants next to his X-box, I imagine he wished Harry Potter was handy to make them disappear. The Metropolitan Police seized what is estimated to be several thousand pounds worth of plants he had grown from cannabis seeds. UK legal guidelines put in place by the Home Office suggest that the worst the weed-loving Hogwart’s wizard might face are five years for possession and up to fourteen years for cannabis production.

But Jamie might expect some of the leniency that celebrities such as Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty have come to expect. After all, he hasn’t been beating up photographers and driving erratically under the influence. The penalties the courts hand down for cocaine offences tend to be significantly more strong than cannabis seed-related offences, because one is class A and the other class B.

Currently, it’s perfectly legal in the UK for cannabis seeds to come into your possession. However, germinating the seeds and cultivating them into plants is not. This means you can buy marijuana seeds online so long as you resolve to do nothing with them.

Certainly you are asking for trouble if, like Jamie Waylett, you grow large volumes of plants from cannabis seeds in the UK, because the police cannot be sure that significant quantities aren’t intended for distribution rather than personal use.

It’s a very different situation in the United States, where 11 million Americans admit to using the drug regularly and illegally. Each state sets its own penalties for possession, use, sale or cultivation of marijuana, but in general the drug policies are less tolerant than in the UK. Cannabis seed cultivation in America remains a serious issue.

It has recently become a more publicised issue, too, as activists in California have paid for television adverts that attempt to reason with the state government by tempting them with a new source of income. The adverts suggest that legalisation could mean new opportunities for controls and taxation of cannabis, claiming that “taxes from California’s marijuana industry could pay the salaries of 20,000 teachers.” In a state suffering from severe budget issues, such a windfall could be welcome.

But until laws soften, American marijuana users will have to be careful. Although in Europe it is possible (and legal) to buy marijuana seeds online many companies will not mail their products to the USA where the penalties for possessing them are relatively strong. Cannabis seeds are safe in the hands of Europeans, it seems, but those Americans just can’t be trusted with them.

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company offers you the chance to buy strong cannabis seeds online at very competitive prices. They also offer a wealth of other products to browse as well as online articles and forum discussions.

Are Assassins on Cannabis Coming For You?

History is populated with uses for marijuana, from cannabis seeds being used as food in 6000BC China all the way through to British sailing ships using hemp rope. One of the main uses has always been narcotic, and cannabis has been at the centre of centuries of debate about drugs in general, especially focusing on their relative deadliness. While marijuana studies show that cannabis is not deadly in and of itself, there is one use that may have been: Its use in Assassinations.

What is the link?

Since the fourteenth century, stories have abounded about knife wielding crazy men from the Middle East, high on cannabis and baying for blood. These were supposedly ‘Cannabis Assassins’, fuelled in their blood lust by the drug and visions of a paradise to come. It’s a terrifying idea to imagine, let alone to be confronted with. But where does it come from?

The legend stems from Marco Polo’s famous account of his travels. He describes visiting Alamūt (“Eagle Peak”) fortress, also know by the more gruesome Qal‘atu l-Mūt, “The Castle of Death”! The explorer writes about the previous inhabitants of the fortress, focusing on Al-Hassan ibn-al-Sabbah, head of an Islamic sect who’s military wing included the first documented assassins. Not at all complimentary about Al-Hassan’s religious, political or military views, Polo is also quick to throw marijuana into the mix.

Marco Polo presents al-Hassan ibn-al-Sabbah as the peddler of cannabis, alcohol, women and young boys to his personal cult of assassins. After drugging the men into a stupor, Al-Hassan transported them to a garden of earthy delights where he would present himself as a divine messenger and tell them to follow him. He promised them more of the same if they carried out killings for him or died trying. Cannabis and cannabis seeds would be integral to the experience, heightening the mystical feeling and being used in liquid form to put the men to sleep for movement in and out of the garden.

Fact or fiction

While this sounds exotic and entrancing as a legend, it seems just that. Legendary, but false. Al-Hassan ibn-al-Sabbah saw cannabis – along with alcohol – as forbidden by the Qur’an, so his assassins were always clear headed, both when recruited and when on missions. Because of this belief it’s very unlikely that cannabis was even allowed in Alamūt fortress. The story gets stretched even thinner when you consider the time scale involved. Marco Polo visited Alamūt almost a century later than the assassin’s control over the site, long after it had fallen to the Mongols (who were much more likely to have used cannabis than the Assassins ever were).

Etymology

Other people think that the etymology of the word assassin proves their connection with cannabis. The meaning of the Persian word haššāšīn, which translates to “herb sellers” or “healers” became blurred in meaning with hashish, which is the resin from cannabis flowers. Haššāšīn is the base of the word “Assassin”, but it is almost uniformly agreed that this means “follower of Hassan”, and that the blurring of meaning is once again a product of Marco Polo’s spurious account.

Are Assassins on Cannabis Coming For You?

The evidence is very much against the idea that of cannabis crazed fanatics. Assassins were very clear headed, targeted at key individuals and deadly. They used knives because a bow or poison might leave the target alive. They were schooled in the use of blades, throws, and grapples, they were disguised, they were careful, and they were much more terrifying for their subtlety. So, were assassins on cannabis ever coming for you? You’d have to smoke a lot of marijuana to think so.

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company sells marijuana seeds and informational books on cannabis to customers all over the world.

Every website that legally sells marijuana seeds offers a curious option to buy so called feminized seeds, usually at two or three times the price for the same quantity of ordinary seeds. But what are feminized marijuana seeds? And why do people buy them if they cost much more?

What are they?

Marijuana plants are either male or female – the male produces flowers that fertilize the female plant, which develops buds and seeds. A standard pack of cheap marijuana seeds will produce a mixture of male and female plants in a roughly 50/50 ratio.

Feminized marijuana seeds are produced by cloning and “shocking” female plants by spraying them with a silver solution. This prevents them from developing as males. The seeds from plants that have been treated in this way will only produce female plants – hence they are called feminized marijuana seeds.

Why do people buy them?

There are number of reasons why many experienced growers choose to buy feminized marijuana seeds. Most male plants have very low levels of THC, so they cannot be harvested for marijuana. Furthermore, if a crop has a mixture of sexes it is necessary to identify and separate the male plants as soon as possible to make sure they do not fertilize the females – unfertilized female plants produce bigger, riper buds, while fertilized females produce smaller buds that are filled with marijuana seeds. Good growing can still be done with ordinary seeds and mixed sex plants, but it can take a lot more effort, and yields can vary greatly.

Feminized marijuana seeds will produce all female plants. This saves this hassle of identifying and separating the male plants in a crop before they can fertilize the females, and it also means that out of a pack of ten seeds it is possible to produce ten plants that can be harvested for marijuana rather than (on average) five plants. Most growers will naturally have a limited amount of space, and a guaranteed all female crop can help to make the most of a smaller growing space.

Of course, growers want to produce more plants without having to repeatedly buy marijuana seeds, but it is possible to do this without breeding plants – more experienced growers prefer to clone their plants by taking a good cutting from a mature plant and then replanting it. Not only does this allow them to maintain unfertilized females and maintain a high yield from all their plants, the clone will maintain all the characteristics of its “parent”, meaning that the best quality plants can be reproduced exactly.

They cost buyers more. Cheap marijuana seeds can be produced very easily, but it takes some serious time and effort to produce feminized marijuana seeds. Since these seeds produce more valuable plants, they are consequently more expensive. But they remain popular amongst growers. They save growers the trouble of identifying and separating the male plants, and also give a guaranteed female from every marijuana seed that is bought, leading to more buds and higher yields.

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company sells feminized marijuana seeds and informational books on cannabis to customers all over the world.

Stoners may seem to make for unlikely film heroes, but there are so many films out there that centre around cannabis smoking that it has established its own genre: the stoner movie. At the core of these films is usually a classic comic double act; two ordinary guys who just want to get high in peace but are constantly sidetracked by events beyond their power to control or ability to comprehend. Some of these great film stoners have been forgotten, others have gone down in movie history – here are five of the best partnerships in stoner movie history…

Cheech and Chong

Originally a stand up comedy double act, Cheech and Chong became the original stoner duo once they got into films. Cheech and Chong starred in ten stoner movies in total; their first, Up in Smoke (1978), established a template that many stoner films follow: the cannabis fuelled road trip, dangerous encounters with sadistic authority, accidental involvement in some kind of far reaching conspiracy, and the now staple scene where the villain of the piece (in this case an aggressive police officer) smokes cannabis with the two heroes near the end and discovers it’s not so bad after all.

Best Film: Up in Smoke (1978)

Bill and Ted

This one is controversial, as Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) don’t so much as touch a single cannabis seed, let alone a joint, during either of their family friendly films. But the evidence is suspicious; are they really that thick, or is their something else that is clouding their thoughts? Could their entire journey through time in their first film be one long cannabis fuelled fantasy? Is the sequel, Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey, where they are killed, travel down to hell and play Twister with Death, the purest cinematic expression of cannabis paranoia ever written? Only the writers know for sure…

Best Film: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)

Jesse and Chester

The two heroes in Dude, Where’s My Car, start with a simple mission to find their missing car after a heavy night out, and end up with involved in a quest to “save all of existence” after accidentally getting their hands on a powerful alien artefact (disguised as a Rubix’s cube). Jesse and Chester (played with affable dimness by Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott) are now stoner film icons, and the title of the film has entered pop culture as a stereotypical example of “stoner speak”.

Best Film: Dude, Where’s My Car? (2000)

Redman and Method Man

Only one film so far from Method Man and Redman, hip hop duo and cannabis fans turned stoner film stars (How High in 2001), but the movie is already regarded as a modern stoner movie classic, and a sequel is reported to be in the works.

Best Film: How High (2001)

Harold and Kumar

The young pretenders to the cannabis king crown, it is too early to tell whether Harold and Kumar, the Asian and Korean stars of two films to date,  will find a place in stoner movie history or not. But their most recent film, Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay, can probably claim to be the first and only stoner movie satire about the War on Terror – quite an achievement by anyone’s reckoning!  

Best Film: Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay (2008)

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company sells souvenir feminized cannabis seeds and informational books on cannabis to customers all over the world.

Marvellous Marijuana Stories

Cannabis news is always cropping up in the papers and online. Whether it’s the latest MP venting their opinion on the dangers of the drug, before admitting they used to take it or a celebrity busted by police over possession, it’s pretty hard to avoid. Then there are the oddities – the marijuana stories which are funny, strange or just plain weird. Here are the best from the last few years:

California introduces Pot Vending Machines

Before you all pack your bags and head over the Atlantic, I should point out that it’s strictly for people with a medical prescription to use marijuana as part of their healthcare – and there are safeguards in place to prevent non-prescribed folks from using it. Patients will be required to provide their prescription, give a fingerprint and then have their photo taken.

This cannabis news remains controversial because although medical marijuana is legal in some states, the federal government does not recognise its medicinal properties.

Utah Teenager Reports Pot Theft to Police

This is one of those marijuana stories that make you appreciate just how some stupid some people can be. Not only did an 18 year old burglar report his stolen cannabis to police, but he accepted an invitation to come in and identify the stash when the robber was caught. No sooner had he confirmed the marijuana was his, then he was arrested and charged on possession with intent to supply.

Sniffer Dog Fails to Find Planted Pot

After planting some marijuana in a customer’s luggage to train a new sniffer dog, customs officials were left embarrassed when this cannabis news story hit the headlines:  the mutt failed to find the goods! The mistake, combined with the custom officer’s failure to recall which bag he’d put it in, meant that one passenger left with a free cannabis gift in their luggage. A spokesman for the airport’s customs’ office made a plea for its return: “If by some chance passengers find it in their suitcase, we’re asking them to return it.”

Burglars and Police Raid House at the Same Time

One of the most unlikely marijuana stories in this list: Two Australian burglars broke into a house being used to grow hydroponic cannabis only to discover it was full of police officers raiding the place to search for drugs! The burglars fled, but were caught a few days later by police.

Pot Smoker Reports Dealer to Police over “Bad Weed”

A 52 year old Darmstadt cannabis smoker was arrested for the possession of illegal substances after reporting his dealer to the police for selling him some “completely un-enjoyable” marijuana. The cannabis news article explains that the man had previously taken it up with the dealer directly, who refused to issue him a refund of the £270 he had paid for the drugs.  Upon taking his “fraud” allegations with police, he was charged for his crime, despite the “absolutely mediocre quality” of the drugs involved.

Cannabis Plants Cause Police Station Closure

Billericay police station in Essex needed to be evacuated after the stench of confiscated cannabis plants became overpowering. 150 seedlings and mature plants grown from cannabis seeds had been seized from the home of a pro-cannabis campaigner and were kept in the station’s cell, where their strong odour swept through the whole building. One source said “The smell even filtered into the public reception area and people might have got the wrong idea.”

Rock Star Charged with Wanting to Smoke Marijuana…in 1994

An Argentine rock star was charged with informing spectators that he felt like smoking a joint – a decade after the cannabis news story broke. In November 1994, Andres Calamaro told 100,000 fans in La Plata: “I feel so good that I could smoke a joint”. Attempts were made by morally offended parents to bring charges against the rock star, but these were dismissed by the judge in 1995. A decade later a less liberal judge was found, and the case was reopened for the musician, then 43.

Cannabis Smoker Celebrates 120^th Birthday

A 120 year old Indian woman living with her 92 year old daughter and 72 year old grandson is baffled by her longevity: “I don’t know how I’ve survived so long. Many relatives much younger than me have died”. One theory suggests it’s her habitual drug use. According to the Sun, the 120 year old Fulla Nayak smokes cannabis cigars and drinks strong palm wine, and this could be the secret of her success.

Paul Delorde is the managing director of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company sells souvenir cannabis seeds and informational books on cannabis to customers all over the world.

Marijuana users have always sought legal loopholes in countries where it is illegal to own or smoke it. Many people choose to buy marijuana seeds (which is legal in many places), then grow and smoke their own (which is not!) But every marijuana smoker has probably dreamed at one point or another of living in a country where marijuana is legal – or at least where the “rules” concerning possession.

Most people know about Holland’s famously relaxed laws regarding marijuana (which is why it doesn’t feature on the list below!) While no other country has achieved such high profile recognition for making marijuana legal, a number of places around the world have quietly relaxed their laws concerning possession for personal use. In most of these countries, possession still remains technically illegal, but penalties are not enforced if you are within certain guidelines – this is known as decriminalisation.

So, if living in a country where marijuana possession isn’t punished by the law sounds like heaven, here are five places you should consider emigrating!

Argentina

After a recent court debate about whether or not to punish those who buy and grow marijuana, Argentina has effectively made marijuana legal if it is in small quantities for personal use. A leading judge in Argentina even decided that it was “unconstitutional” to legislate against marijuana possession! Those who buy marijuana seeds and grow their own are also leniently treated, so long as they are growing a small number of plants. The country is also notably supportive of several medical marijuana programs. 

Australia

Before you go booking a one way ticket to Sydney, make sure you do your research. Different regions have different rules, but Western Australia, Southern Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland have all decriminalised marijuana to a certain degree. In Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland, police have taken to “ticketing” those caught with less than 50 grams of marijuana rather than arresting them, and Western and Southern Australia have instituted on the spot fines for minor possession rather than official warnings or arrests.

Belgium

Since 2003, the Belgian government has made the possession and use of marijuana legal under the following conditions:

• The amount possessed is 5 grams or less
• You are over 18
• You do not smoke in the presence of minors
• You do not smoke in public

You can buy marijuana seeds and grow them in Belgium without penalty – however, you are only allowed to own one female plant. The purchase and sale of marijuana is still illegal, but most Belgians simply get their marijuana in Holland.

Colombia

Colombia, has had relaxed laws concerning drug possession for over ten years. Possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, one gram of cocaine and one gram of heroin is not considered to be illegal, although things may change – recent conservative governments have considered repealing this law to combat Colombia’s drug culture.

Nepal

Unlike the other countries on this list, Nepal doesn’t have an actual decriminalisation policy towards marijuana – it’s rather that the laws they have are hardly ever enforced! Marijuana used to be legal in Nepal, making it a hippy Mecca in the 1960’s and early 70’s. It has been illegal since 1973 – not that you’d notice. Marijuana is widely available and used, especially by Nepalese holy men. Note that smuggling and growing are punished, but possession and personal use rarely are – if the police catch you smoking they will stop you, but only to collect a small bribe!

Paul Delorde is the managing director of Sensible Seeds.com, where you can buy marijuana seeds and informational books online. The website sells its products to customers all over the world.

Stoner Slang – Marijuana Lingo Translated

Whether you are a casual smoker or you are looking to buy cannabis seeds (remember – for souvenir purposes only!), you’ll inevitably come across some weird and wacky slang terms if you spend any time around cannabis smokers.

When cannabis became part of the 1960’s counterculture, it also developed its own slang and inside jokes. This is partly for practical reasons – after all, smoking cannabis is against the law (although I hasten to add that it isn’t illegal to buy cannabis seeds!) and so smokers and growers have always used euphemisms for cannabis to stay out of trouble and avoid the authorities.

But cannabis smoking slang has also developed for less practical reasons. Cannabis smokers are a community, and every community develops its own lingo. It is a way of identifying those who are in the know, sharing jokes and just having fun. And, over time, cannabis smokers have developed a truly remarkable collection of strange and wonderful slang words to describe cannabis, the act of smoking, the effects of the drug, and much more.        

There are some very comprehensive cannabis slang dictionaries out there on the web, but this is a selection of some of my personal favourite euphemisms and expressions…

Assassin of Youth, n. There are (literally) hundreds of nicknames for cannabis, but this one is perhaps the most melodramatic! It is named after a 1930’s film that was intended to warn people of the dangers of cannabis, but (predictably enough) it has become a stoner movie classic (much like “Reefer Madness.”)

“You up for some fun tonight? You, me and the Assassin of Youth?”

Bogart, v. This characterful piece of slang refers to Humphrey Bogart, who seemed to go through a number of 1950’s film noirs with a cigarette permanently attached to his lower lip. To “Bogart” a joint is to hold on to it too long before passing it on.

“Hey, pass it along. Don’t Bogart that joint!”

Boxed, n. When you’ve smoked so much cannabis that you’ve lost control of your legs (like a boxer who tries to stand after being knocked out.)

“Sorry I didn’t come and see you last night. I couldn’t move, I was boxed!”

Dutch Oven, n. What happens when you smoke cannabis for a long time in a small, poorly ventilated room, a phenomenon more commonly known as hotboxing.

“We were smoking for hours in that tiny room…it was a real Dutch Oven by the end of the night.”

Four-Twenty, n, adj, v, etc. In America, Four-Twenty is more than just a piece of slang – it is a description of a way of life! No one quite knows how it started, though it is believed to have been the time of day when a group of friends would gather and smoke after school. It has now come to mean the act of smoking cannabis, an invitation to smoke, and generally stands as an exclamation that identifies you as a cannabis smoker. A person, place or even a country can be described as “420 friendly”, indicating that cannabis smoking is encouraged or at least tolerated.

Henry, n. An eighth of cannabis, named after the famous King Henry VIII. 

“Did you buy much?”

“Nah, just a Henry.”

Secret Agent, n. A Secret Agent is a joint that is cunningly rolled to look like a normal cigarette or a rollup. If you spark it up, of course, it won’t pass the smell test, but it will pass a quick visual examination. 

“I walked out of my house with a joint in my hand and a cop was right there! Luckily, it was a secret agent, so he didn’t notice…”

Wizard of Oz, n. An ounce of cannabis: oz is the standard abbreviation of ounce, while the “wizard” refers to the ‘magical’ properties of the substance in question.   

“No need to pick up for a while, I just brought home the Wizard of Oz.”

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company allows you to buy cannabis seeds and informational books on cannabis.

Who ‘Nose’ What They Can Find?

Sniffer dogs, or detector dogs, have of course been used for a number of years to track down all manner of things; from drugs, explosives and firearms, to cash, food items which have past their expiration dates and human remains.  In terms of drug detection, it was in the late 1960s that they were first put to use and one of the things that has made them particularly effective since then, is their ability to separate different scents.  No matter what lengths smugglers have gone to to try and mask the smell of their stash, the sniffer dogs have still been able to detect it even in tiny quantities.  Think about the size of marijuana seeds and a distance of 15 feet and you’ll get an idea of what they are capable of!         

From Freight Container to Teenager’s Bedroom

Of course, when we think of sniffer dogs, the first thing to come to mind are the trained animals used by the police and customs officers.  The concern of parents that their teenage children might be experimenting with certain illegal substances, however, has led to a new generation of sniffer dogs which are handled by private companies and used by clients to detect drugs in their own homes.  Trained to detect all the more familiar types of drugs such as cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, amphetamine and marijuana, these dogs will also ensure that teenagers planning on ‘growing their own’, will quickly find themselves grounded for weeks for the sake of a handful of marijuana seeds.  

Could Sniffer Bees and Wasps Be the Next Generation?

Dogs, however, aren’t the only creatures to possess incredibly sensitive olfactory organs and honey bees and wasps are already in use in the war against explosives and illegal drugs.  As bizarre as it might sound, scientists have discovered that these winged insects can also be trained to detect and distinguish between different odours.  What’s in it for the bees and wasps?  A food reward.  Apparently, after being presented only three to five times with the smell that they are being trained to detect, these canny little creatures get it right, and when they do they are rewarded with a delicious drop of sugar syrup.  It seems that even that little stash of marijuana seeds isn’t safe with the flying squad about!

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company offers you the chance to buy marijuana seeds online at very competitive prices. They also offer a wealth of other products to browse as well as online articles and forum discussions.

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The Beatles are sometimes regarded as the epitome of the chilled-out, frequently high, care-free society of the sixties, and their legacy will likely outlive them all. But the man behind introducing them to marijuana, which later became the drug of choice of this famous rock band, was none other than Bob Dylan himself. Dylan was an avid fan of cannabis, which he openly admitted. In an interview with Playboy in 1963, he is quoted as saying “Now these things aren’t drugs; they just bend your mind a little. I think everybody’s mind should be bent once in a while.” And Dylan certainly practised what he preached, even taking credit for introducing the most famous pop stars of all time to his mind bending ritual.

The Beatles were apparently living in happy innocence until they met Bob Dylan on the 28^th of August 1964. It was their very first trip to New York, and the foursome were staying at the Delmonico hotel on Park Avenue. Bob Dylan, whose reputation suggests that he cultivated his own marijuana seeds, brought over some of his best dope when visiting the singers. Sitting in their hotel suite on Park Avenue, Dylan offered his joint to Ringo Star. Ringo officially became the first Beatle to smoke a joint, and the remaining three followed suit shortly after.

The Beatles were so amazed by the wonder that Dylan offered to them, that it quickly became the inspiration for many of their future songs. One of their most famous songs to be inspired by the mischievous marijuana seed was With a Little Help From My Friends. By 1965, it was no secret that the Beatles had befriended pot, and in an interview that year, John Lennon discussed their habits saying “The Beatles had gone beyond comprehension. We were smoking marijuana for breakfast.” Perhaps Lennon’s words were literal, and the four would feast on cannabutter flapjacks or other such scrumptious cannabis recipes each morning.

Other well known songs similarly inspired are A Day in the Life, and Got to Get You into my Life. The latter was described by Paul McCartney as “an ode to pot “, and the title alone aptly illustrates the importance The Beatles placed upon their smoking habits.

One of the most amusing marijuana seed tales The Beatles ever told was about their hilarious act of rebellion against the ultimate British institution – the monarchy itself. The Queen decided to invest the four singers as Members of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, an award aspired to by many upstanding citizens. According to John Lennon, the group, perhaps feeling a little bewildered by the award ceremony, snuck into a room in Buckingham Palace and lit up a reefer, an act certainly worthy of revoking their royal reward. Whether or not the fabulous four really did smoke pot in the palace will never be known for sure, but Lennon certainly said they did.

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company offers you the chance to buy marijuana seeds online at very competitive prices. They also offer a wealth of other products to browse as well as online articles and forum discussions.

The Strange World Of Herbal Highs

Drugs legislation is a funny thing in the UK. Some drugs are taxed and legal (alcohol, cigarettes, and numerous prescription medications amongst them), whilst others are illegal. Between these two extremes are the unusual items that occupy a legal twilight zone, products like herbal highs and marijuana seeds. Quite why some drugs are banned and some are not is something a mystery, particularly given the powerful effects of many herbal highs!

Some herbal highs are just that – plants and leaves that have mind altering properties when smoked or eaten. Others are chemical substances that produce similar effects to illegal chemicals. They range from substances that produce a mild sense or relaxation or euphoria all the way up to powerful hallucinatory substances like salvia, or pills that claim to provide similar effects to drugs like ecstasy and speed.

It’s impossible to give a comprehensive list of herbal highs. New ones are being produced all the time, some products that were legal find themselves banned (like magic mushrooms), and there are so many brands and varieties out there that it is hard to keep track of them all. But here is an overview of some of the more common, famous (and infamous!) items you can expect to find online or at your local head shop…

Salvia Divinorum

With a name that translates to “The Seer’s Sage”, it’s no surprise that Salvia Divinorum produces some seriously powerful hallucinations and visions when it is smoked. What is surprising is that it is entirely legal! Believed to be used by Mazatec shamans as part of their spiritual practice (a common feature of most naturally occurring psychotropic substances), it certainly isn’t for the faint hearted, though the strong effects only last for a short period of time. 

Spice

Perhaps the most notorious herbal high of recent years, ‘Spice’ (now being sold under a variety of different names) refers to herbs that have been treated with a synthetic cannaboid, producing similar effects when smoked to marijuana. Despite various attempts to keep it off the radar of the Home Office, it is unlikely to retain its legal status for much longer in the UK – some fans are stocking up on supplies whilst they still can!

Kratom

Used for many years by the people of South East Asia as a medicinal plant and recreational substance, kratom is becoming an increasingly popular herbal high around the world. The leaf itself or a concentrated extract is chewed by itself or consumed in tea or yogurt, and its produces a mild euphoria and sense of relaxation. It is commonly consumed by manual workers in South East Asia, in much the same way that coca leaves are chewed by the people of Bolivia.

Marijuana Seeds

Not strictly a herbal high, but worth mentioning as a common product to be found in head shops. It’s a strange kink of the legal system that possession of marijuana itself is illegal, but that marijuana seeds can be bought perfectly legitimately from head shops or from online retailers. The marijuana seeds themselves have no mind altering properties themselves…but of course, given the right conditions, they do produce a certain well known substance that does have an effect if ingested…

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company offers you the chance to buy marijuana seeds online at very competitive prices. They also offer a wealth of other products to browse as well as online articles and forum discussions.

Countries with Harsh Cannabis Laws

While most fair people will argue that the laws against marijuana possession and distribution are harsh in the western world, perhaps we should be thankful for small blessings! While in many countries cannabis seeds and the fully grown crop are perfectly legal, there are many countries with far more authoritarian control that have been known to pass the death penalty for cannabis users, so if you plan on getting high anytime soon, you may want to avoid the following oppressive countries – if you value your life!

Used to Have Death Penalty…

The Philippines used to enforce the death penalty for a period of 4 years between 2002 and 2006. To qualify for this harsh punishment, you would need to have been carrying over 500 grams of cannabis or over 10 grams of cocaine, ecstasy, morphine, opium or heroin.

Occasional Death Penalty…

Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Borneo have all sentenced with the death penalty for marijuana related offences in the past. Although the majority of these punishments were for trafficking offences, it would still be considered ‘unwise’ to bring in any cannabis to the countries – even if it’s intended for personal use.

Dubai has earned special recognition for its zero tolerance approach to drugs. Earlier this year a 25 year old man was sentenced to four years in prison for a 0.003 gram speck of cannabis found on his shoe, and another man was detained for possessing 3 poppy seeds that had fallen off the top of a bread roll! The country uses incredibly sophisticated technology that can detect trace amounts of various drugs – and the mandatory sentence is 4 years, so be especially careful if flying to Dubai!

Frequent Death Penalty…

Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and People’s Republic of China all still use the death penalty for varying quantities of drugs including cannabis. Thailand made the headlines when it undertook its ‘war on drugs’ in which 2,275 people were killed, according to Human Rights Watch – and many of these were believed to be extrajudicially executed. For its part, China is estimated to kill 500 people per year over drugs offences – according to Amnesty International.

As a bonus nation, here’s a surprise inclusion: the USA. While it has never actually been law, in 1996 Speaker Newt Gingrich proposed a mandatory death penalty for second time offences of smuggling 50g or more cannabis into the country. The proposal failed. The 1994 Crime Act states that a possible death sentence for marijuana offences would involve 60,000 kilograms of the drum or 60,000 plants, or bring in a profit of more than $20,000,000 per year. Regardless, the Supreme Court has held that only murder and treason constitutionally can carry the death penalty.

So the next time you want to moan about your government allowing the distribution of cannabis seeds but making it illegal to grow them, just remember that more draconian governments can make your life far more difficult – sometimes by ending it! If you’re planning on travelling to the Far East, you should think twice before packing the bong and the marijuana!

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company sells cannabis seeds and informational books on marijuana to customers all over the world.

La Cucaracha

Unless you’re a Spanish speaker you probably wouldn’t have realised that the unofficial Mexican national anthem is in fact about a cockroach. Or indeed a cockroach so stoned from the effects of strong cannabis seeds that it can’t walk anymore. The chorus translates as ‘the cockroach, the cockroach/ can’t walk anymore/because it doesn’t have to, because it’s lacking the marijuana to smoke’. The song is said to have originated during the great Mexican cockroach scare of 1827. Marijuana was considered to be lethal to cockroaches so Mexican residents were encouraged to grow cannabis as a means of vermin control, now there’s an excuse to buy marijuana seeds online.

The Beatles – Got to Get You into My Life

At first listen it would appear that this is a love song which Paul has written for a girl. However, the lyrics depict a love affair of a very different kind. This song was penned by Paul McCartney after sampling cannabis for the very first time at the bequest of Bob Dylan. So taken was Paul with the drug that he instantly penned this ditty declaring his love of strong cannabis seeds. He disclosed the real meaning of the song in Barry Miles’ book ‘Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now” and the public instantly recognised the real meaning of the lyrics which include ‘I took a ride, I didn’t know what I would find there’.

The Eagles – Hotel California

The meaning of this song has been argued and interpreted by many, but it’s now believed that at least some aspects of the song relating to smoking marijuana and the possibility of taking a bad trip whilst sampling strong cannabis seeds. The second line of the first verse relates to the heady smell of colitas in the air and colitas is known to be a Spanish term for the buds of the cannabis plant. The band have specified that the song is in fact about the high life in Los Angeles and many fans have taken that in its literal sense. The lyric ‘this could be heaven or this could be hell’ is also said to refer to the fact that you aren’t sure what you’re going to get when sampling strong cannabis seeds.

Puff The Magic Dragon

It’s been debated again and again whether this song is about cannabis use or not. The authors have specifically said it isn’t, but we’re aware that as authors of a children song they can’t say much else on the matter. The land of Hannah Lee certainly sounds a lot like the Hawaiian village of Hanalei, which is well known for the strong cannabis seeds which grow there. The lyrics appear to include many other drug references from the land autumn mist to little Jackie Papers, a euphemism for rolling a joint. But as the co-writer Leonard Lipton stated even Star Spangled Banner can be about strong cannabis seeds if you want it to be.

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company offers you the chance to buy buy marijuana seeds online at very competitive prices. They also offer a wealth of other products to browse as well as online articles and forum discussions.

10 Legal Uses for your Cannabis Seeds

It’s no secret that many countries ban the sale of cannabis. It’s slightly less known that in many of these countries the actual cannabis seeds are legally allowed to be bought and sold. We whole-heartedly support these measures and only recommend our cannabis seeds are used for novelty purposes, as you can imagine but often we get asked exactly what people should use them for. Well, here’s what we do with our spare cannabis seeds – hopefully it’ll inspire you!

1. One for the Mantle Piece

Impress your friends with your fine collection of rare cannabis seeds by putting them on display. I personally have a collection of 127 marijuana seeds, each one lovingly laid out on its own plush red cushion in a glass display case. Not only do they show you to be the expert collector you are, but they make great conversation starters.

2. An Expensive Form of Birdseed

If you’re in a country where the purchasing of cannabis seeds is legal, then there’s no reason not to feed them to your birds. Hemp is a common component of seed mixes for birds, and many report that our feathered friends will eat the cannabis seeds first. It’s no surprise when you consider how full of nutrients the humble marijuana seed is – each one is packed with magnesium-rich chlorophyll and protein, making it a nutritious and easy to digest treat. In 1937 when the bird seed companies testified before congress regarding the legalities of marijuana seeds, they are reported to have stated that “canaries won’t sing without it”.

3. Make Your Own Rainstick

A rainstick is a long hollow tube filled with beads of beans. When the stick is held up, all the filling fall down, and creates a sound like heavy rain falling. If you have enough cannabis seeds lying around, why not try your hand at constructing your own? Wholesome fun which is resolutely not illegal!

4. Make a Rattle for an Infant

If that doesn’t work (which it won’t), consider scaling down your aims and constructing a rattle. Simply drop a handful of cannabis seeds into an empty matchbox, securely fasten it shut and attach a pencil for a rattle on a budget.

5. Bring the Spirit of Summer with Miniature Boulles

Missing boulles on the lawn and the spirit of summer? Why not recreate the fun of boulles with your cannabis seeds. Paint each seed the colour you want, and then recreate the skilled sport of the elderly in your own living room.

6. Thrifty Christmas Presents

Economically speaking, times are hard and getting the money together for Christmas presents can be tricky. Although not the cheapest seeds, a bag of marijuana will still provide one seed each for all your family and friends – and when they see all of the novel, fun and, best of all, legal things they can do with their gift, they’re sure to offer you their sincere and whole-hearted thanks.

7. Leave a Trail to Find your Way Around

Hansel and Gretel had the right idea – they left a trail of breadcrumbs in the woods to find their way out. Of course it backfires on them when the breadcrumbs are eaten – which is why using cannabis seeds to find your way works best indoors. You should also make sure only to use them on white surfaces so they really show up clearly. Still, if you’re ever lost in a white floored palace, then you could use your cannabis seeds for navigation… I suppose.

8. Make Some Fine Cannabis Seed Art

Many of those who claim cannabis should be grown illegally point to the fine art that has been created by those using the ‘high’ of the finished drug. But kids, you don’t need to be high to make great art – try using the seeds themselves! You can paint the seeds and make them into a mosaic or a mural!

9. Make Yourself a Comfy Beanbag

Beanbags typically have thousands of polystyrene balls inside, but why not put your cannabis seeds to good use and fill a beanbag with them? Sure, it will cost a few thousand pounds more than buying polystyrene balls, but a beanbag full of cannabis seeds (probably) feels a lot more comfortable and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing yours is indefinably better.

10. Guess the Number of Marijuana Seeds in the Jar

A great way of recouping some of your losses on the marijuana seed beanbag is to put your remaining seeds in a jar, and have a competition amongst your friends over who can guess the correct number. If you put the price to play high enough, you could even make a profit on your comfy, comfy beanbag.

So use your cannabis seeds for any of these purposes, but make sure you don’t grow them under any circumstances! It can only end in tears.

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company sells cannabis seeds and informational books on marijuana to customers all over the world.

Grandma’s Ganja Habit

Fulla Nayak lived in the village of Kanarpur in the coastal district of Kendrapada, Orissa. She lived in a cow-dung hut with her 92 year old daughter, Jamuna Nayak, and her 72 year old grandson, Narayan Nayak, in a region where cannabis seeds are plentiful.

Fulla Nayak died in November 2006, at the ripe old age of 120. Before her death, she was the oldest woman in the world, with her competition, Maria Esther de Capovilla of Ecuador, dying at 116. A great number of people want to know the secret to Fulla’s good health in old age, and she herself attributes it to her use of marijuana. In India, cannabis seeds are something of a sacred symbol, and use of the plant is entrenched in daily life.

Fulla Nayak enjoyed a long and healthy life, and she certainly didn’t sacrifice any of life’s little delights. She smoked marijuana and cigars and drank strong palm wine, a life-style that is frowned upon by Western conservatives. But perhaps her permanent state of relaxation and joy allowed this intriguing woman to remain in perfect health for well over a century.

Cultivating marijuana seeds is common in the community, and Fulla Nayak used leaves to make tea and joints. Fulla is certain it is the pot that made her reach a Guinness World Record breaking age, and her grandson, Narayan, said he wanted to write to the Guinness World Record authorities and get his grandmothers name in its deserved spot.

Pot is a Part of Indian Culture

India has a long and varied history of marijuana use, and it has a strong connection with cannabis seeds. Marijuana’s use in religious ceremonies and practices dates back to 1500 BC, and is an integral part of religious rites.

Marijuana seeds have long been known to grow in abundance in various parts of India in the wild, and it has been recorded in the sacred texts of the Hindus, the Rig Veda, where a description of a drink called Soma can be found. It is believed that Soma was in fact a marijuana drink.

Reaching Spiritual Oneness with Shiva

Shiva, a significant Indian god, is strongly associated with cannabis. It is believed that the god loved its effects, and so it is thought that consuming the plant will lead to spiritual oneness with Shiva. While cultivating cannabis seeds and consuming the plant is illegal in India, an exception is made during the festival of Mahashivratri. This festival is known as the ‘Great Night of Shiva,’ and Shiva devotees consume cannabis in the form of Bhang on this special night.

Bhang is a traditional and delicious tea using cannabis leaves with a mixture of almonds, spices, milk and sugar. It is said that Shiva had an affinity for this tea, and the tea is thought to aid you in the journey to spiritual enlightenment, bringing you closer to Shiva himself.

Growing and cultivating marijuana seeds is an age-old custom of the peaceful Indian people. Perhaps Fulla Nayak serves as an example of the health benefits of living a relaxed and happy life.

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company offers you the chance to buy marijuana seeds online at very competitive prices. They also offer a wealth of other products to browse as well as online articles and forum discussions.

Raising the topic of making marijuana legal is dangerous to say the least if you’re a European Parliament candidate. But Elena Basescu, daughter of President Traian Basescu of Romania, made bold statements of how she would favour the legalisation of cannabis in Europe.

Celebrities have a similar problem to politicians, where their use of and discussions about marijuana are under constant scrutiny from the press, and whether they’re caught with cannabis seeds or a joint, public scandal will follow.

Politicians and Pot

Elena Basescu is a 28 year old model and politician, certainly an unusual combination. And she seems to have stirred some recent debate by making statements on television regarding the legalisation of cannabis. While you can legally buy marijuana online if it’s still in seed form, germination and consumption of marijuana is not currently legal in Europe.

Both Elena and her father, President Traian Basescu, are candidates for the European Parliament. And in an interview with a presenter on television show, Hard Talk, Elena Basescu said that she would agree to the legalisation of cannabis and other soft drugs in Europe, were she elected to the European Parliament.

She then went on to discuss her experiences of US university campuses, where she claims the use of soft drugs is essentially legal. Cannabis seeds are easy to come by, and whether students buy marijuana online or on the streets, cannabis seeds and plants are for sale just about everywhere.

A Romanian newspaper made claims that she used narcotics, a statement which she denied repeatedly. Whether or not she was using them will never be known for sure, but discussing making marijuana legal on television certainly did not make her appear any more innocent in the eyes of the public. Marijuana is considered a drug in Europe, and while cannabis seeds can be legally bought and sold, their germination remains illegal. Making these statements probably didn’t do Elena much good in aiding her campaign as a European Parliament candidate either.

Celebs Light it Up

Celebrities are constantly making the news for being involved with marijuana, with people continuously spotting and photographing them possessing one form of the plant or another, be it hemp soap, clothing with a marijuana leaf design, cannabis seeds or a joint hanging out of their mouths. Whatever the scenario, celebrities and marijuana make for hot news.

Paris Hilton is the perfect example. In May, she was spotted smoking a joint at the Cannes Film Festival, creating yet another piece of gossip for the media to grap hold of. Eminem has recently been heard raving about hemp soap, which though it may be legal, serves as another piece of cannabis gossip. The soap is made from cannabis seeds and olive oil, and the famous rapper raves about its multiple uses as soap, shampoo and toothpaste.

From Cameron Diaz to Amy Winehouse to Lily Allen, top celebs are frequently spotted (and photographed) enjoying a spliff. And whether its wanting to make marijuana legal or buying marijuana online, celebs and their cannibis dabblings make nearly weekly news.

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company offers you the chance to buy cannabis seeds online at very competitive prices. They also offer a wealth of other products to browse as well as online articles and forum discussions.

Weed and Wisdom, the Best Cannabis Quotes

(or ‘The Skinny on the Fatty Boom Batty’)

“Marijuana is the finest anti-nausea medication known to science, and our leaders have lied about this consistently. Arresting people for using medical marijuana is the most hideous example of government interference in the private lives of individuals. It’s an outrage within an outrage within an outrage.”

Peter McWilliams, Writer and Cannabis Activist.

I tried marijuana once. I did not inhale.

Bill Clinton, 42^nd President of the U.S.A. / Public Speaker

If you substitute marijuana for tobacco and alcohol, you’ll add 8 to 24 years to your life.

Jack Herer, Writer and Pro-Hemp Campaigner.

“I now have absolute proof that smoking even one marijuana cigarette is equal in brain damage to being on Bikini Island during an H-bomb blast.”

Ronald Reagan, Actor / 40^th President of the U.S.A

Cheech: Hey how am I driving, man?
Chong: [looks around]: I think we’re parked.

From the film Up in Smoke (1978)

“All day long we see those commercials, ‘Here’s you brain, here’s your brain on drugs’, ‘Just Say No’, “Why do you think they call it dope?” … And then the next commercial is [singing] ‘This Bud’s for yooouuuu.’ C’mon, everybody, let’s be hypocritical b******s. It’s okay to drink your drug. We meant those other drugs; those untaxed drugs. Those are the ones that are bad for you. Nicotine, alcohol… good drugs, coincidentally taxed drugs.

Bill Hicks, Comedian

The Big Lebowski: Are you employed, sir?
The Dude: Employed?
The Big Lebowski: You don’t go out looking for a job dressed like that? On a weekday?
The Dude: Is this a… what day is this?
The Big Lebowski: Well, I do work sir, so if you don’t mind…
The Dude: I do mind, the Dude minds. This will not stand, ya know…? This aggression will not stand, man…

From the film The Big Lebowski (1998)

“What is the different types of hash out there? We all know that it’s called the bionic, the bomb, the puff, the blow, the black, the herb, the sensie, the cronic, the sweet mary jane, the sh*t, ganja, split, reefa, the bad, the buddha, the home grown, the ill, the maui-maui, the method, pot, lethal turbo, tie, shake, skunk, stress, whacky, weed, glaze, the boot, dimebag, scooby doo, bob, bogey, back yard boogie. But what is the other terms for it?”

Ali G, Junglist MC

“That was marijuana you were smoking! It’s worse than cocaine! See those two punks over there, Marge? They were high a minute ago. Now they’re getting low. Soon they’ll be mean, ready to commit murder. Marijuana’s called the murder weed. Don’t you ever touch it again.”

From the film The Wages of Sin (1938)

Scientist: Private Miller, you’ve been smoking item nine for seven minutes and thirteen seconds. We’re going to ask you several questions. How do you feel?
Private Miller: Ah well sir, I feel like a, like a slice of butter… melting on top of a big-ol’ pile of flapjacks… yeah.

From the film Pineapple Express (2008)

“Why is marijuana against the law? It grows naturally upon our planet. Doesn’t the idea of making nature against the law seem to you a bit . . . unnatural?”

Bill Hicks (again…), Comedian

Mr. Hand: Aloha. My name is Mr. Hand.
Jeff Spicoli: Aloha, Mr. Hand.

From the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

[Bill and Ted are in Ancient Greece]

Bill: [approaching Socrates] How’s it going? I’m Bill, this is Ted. We’re from the future.
Socrates: Socrates. Hmm.
Ted: [whispering to Bill] Now what?
Bill: I dunno. Philosophise with him!
Ted: [clears his throat, to Socrates] “All we are, is dust in the wind”, dude.

[Socrates gives them a blank stare]

Bill: [scoops up a pile of dust from the basin before them and lets it run out of his hand] Dust.
[he blows the remainder away]

Bill: Wind.
Ted: [points at Socrates] Dude.

[Socrates gasps]

From the film Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company offers you the chance to buy marijuana seeds online at very competitive prices. They also offer a wealth of other products to browse as well as online articles and forum discussions.

Paul McCartney

August 28^th, 2009 celebrates the 45^th anniversary of the day that The Beatles first sampled marijuana at the bequest of Bob Dylan. The story goes that Dylan offered them a joint and had to be told by an embarrassed Brian Epstein that the boys had never sampled pot before. “But what about your song, ‘I get high, I get high, I get high’” proclaimed Bob referring to the chorus in ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’. It seems that Dylan had been unable to understand John’s Liverpudlian tones and had misheard the chorus ‘I can’t hide, I can’t hide, I can’t hide’. It was that night that the boys first sampled marijuana and so taken was Paul with the drug that he instantly penned the song ‘Got To Get You Into My Life’, which John Lennon later proclaimed was Paul McCartney at his best. Paul has since heavily campaigned to make marijuana legal even going as far as to take out a full page advert in the London Times in 1967 calling for the legalisation of the drug.

Megan Fox

Megan Fox, the Transformers actress has recently admitted that she enjoys smoking cannabis and hopes that marijuana is made legal. In a recent GQ Interview she stated that she regularly receives flack from other people because of her views on legalising marijuana and described the US governments war on drugs as nothing more than propaganda. Megan claims to have tried a range of other drugs but states that marijuana was only one that she actually enjoyed.

Kirsten Dunst

Another Hollywood Starlet that’s also a fan of cannabis seeds is Kirsten Dunst. Kirsten has regularly stated in magazine interviews that she believes the world would be a much better place if marijuana was legal. She even agrees with fellow starlet Megan Fox that the US government’s strict view on cannabis is ridiculous. Whilst Kirsten admits to smoking cannabis, she claims that she would never overindulge in the drug, as it may hamper her creativity.

Melissa Etheridge

Melissa Etheridge turned to cannabis when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 and now would like to see medical marijuana made legal. When chemotherapy left her feeling like death she didn’t want to turn to yet more prescription pills with their various side effects so she received a prescription for medical marijuana which is legal in the liberal state of California. She claims that the medical cannabis didn’t make her high, but actually allowed her to function normally. Melissa didn’t smoke the legal marijuana but instead used it to make cannabutter which she spread over food dishes. The state of California has over 200,000 registered to receive legal medical marijuana and with celebrities such as Hugh Hefner’s 19-year old twin girlfriends, Kristina and Karissa recently seen emerging from a legal marijuana store there are issues over whether California’s drug laws are too liberal. However, with some stricter states even making the sale of cannabis seeds illegal, we’re all for California’s liberalisation.

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company offers you the chance to buy legal marijuana seeds online at very competitive prices. They also offer a wealth of other products to browse as well as online articles and forum discussions.

The Age-Old Debate

Should marijuana be legal? This is a question that has been posed to many authorities many times. Certain countries will have more lenient marijuana policies than others, such as the Netherlands and India, for example. Conservatives will argue that it is a drug that should be treated in a similar way to cocaine and ecstasy, while liberals will argue that responsible adults should be able to make use of marijuana as they see fit.

This is perhaps a never-ending debate, and with no concrete argument from either side, it may go on for centuries. But recent research has shown the usefulness of marijuana as a medicine, presenting a new angle which needs to be considered in the argument around making marijuana legal.

Over recent years, research has shown that the cultivation of cannabis seeds may be more useful than simply creating a high, and one could go so far as to argue that it can be a life-saving medicine. From preventing disease in old age, to curing head-aches to aiding in controlling diabetes, the medical uses of marijuana are being discovered. And recent research shows that it could possibly lower the risk of death in swine flu sufferers.

Marijuana Could Save Swine Flu Patients

The latest flu epidemic to cause worldwide alarm is the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu. While the death toll in this epidemic has remained relatively low, the virus has caused alarm and anxiety worldwide. Recent research into the use of cannabis seeds as an aid to surviving swine flu has shown some interesting results.

Cannabis Science Incorporated has been conducting research into the uses of cannabis sativa, marijuana. Marijuana is currently still illegal in the UK, but cannabis seeds in their uncultivated form may be purchased legally. Many see this as the first step towards making marijuana legal.

Cannabis Science has been conducting research into the potential medicinal use of phytocannabanoids found in cannabis seeds. These elements of the marijuana plant have proved to reduce inflammation. This may be a groundbreaking discovery in the search for a swine flu medication, as the primary cause of death in swine flu sufferers is due to asphyxiation, which essentially involves the inflammation of the lungs. And if these phytocannabanoids can reduce inflammation, they could significantly lower the chance of death in swine flu sufferers.

Phytocannabanoids found in cannabis seeds are similar in structure and effect to endocannabanoids, which naturally occur in the body to control inflammation. Taking marijuana would allow phytocannabanoids into the body, and these in turn would mimic the response of the body’s natural inflammation controllers. The human body would not recognise the difference because they are so similar.

Making Marijuana Legal to Fight Swine Flu

If it can be argued that marijuana can prevent death from the H1N1 virus, making marijuana legal would be the next logical step. The cannabis seeds would need to be cultivated to produce the phytocannabanoids, which could then be used to prevent death in flu-sufferers. Perhaps the recent research into marijuana’s medicinal uses may tip the argument in favour of making not only cannabis seeds, but marijuana, legal.

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company offers you the chance to buy cannabis seeds online at very competitive prices. They also offer a wealth of other products to browse as well as online articles and forum discussions.

Katsu

Katsu is a very popular coffee shop and has now been open for over 20 years. It has a very extensive menu, selling 20 different strains of marijuana and 16 hashes from all over the world, including the Cannabis cup winning Crystal Clear ice-o-lator brand. If you see all that choice as actually rather daunting, then I highly recommend the Northern Lights brand of marijuana. Smoking tobacco indoors has now been banned in Amsterdam, but an American style pure marijuana joint will set you back just three euros. The fully stocked bar is well equipped for an attack of the munchies, with candy based snacks and fresh fruit pieces.

De Dampkring

This coffee shop gained notoriety when the cast of Ocean’s 12 decided to film a scene here, it was chosen by the producers for its unique interior which definitely sets it apart from the other coffee shops in Amsterdam.

Whether Clooney and co sampled any of the green stuff remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure, as far as marijuana is concerned – De Dampkring really knows its stuff. Marijuana isn’t just a means to a business for De Dampkring’s owners, but rather it is a way of life. The shop opened in 1993 as a place for marijuana connoisseurs, with a policy that customers could buy anything that they wanted with no profited bags full of standard amounts of cannabis. The shop is notorious throughout Amsterdam for its orange bud, and in 1998 this was proved when it won four out of six of the Cannabis Cup finals.

The Greenhouse

This is another coffee shop that knows a few things about winning the cannabis cup. The walls are adorned with pictures of celebrities as a testament to its popularity and famous faces that have frequented this joint include Britney Spears, 50 Cent and the Wu Tang Clan. The Greenhouse also owns a smart shop that enables you to buy marijuana seeds of your favourite strains to grow at home. The music here is suitably eclectic with anything from Pink Floyd to Snoop Dogg being played in a single visit. Drinks and snacks in The Greenhouse are very reasonably priced and your munchies are well catered for with dishes such as butter chicken and cheese toasties featuring on the food menu.

Amnesia

Amnesia is located in a very scenic location on the Herengracht with outdoor seating and spacious open windows, where you can smoke a joint of marijuana whilst watching the boats float past. The cannabis café is known for its American style soda fountain drinks which feature old classics, such as New York egg cream and lime rickeys. Smokewise, the Amnesia is known to be the best place in the city to buy organically grown marijuana, including the bio haze and amnesia varieties. Try and fit your visit around one of their famous vaporiser parties, which take place sporadically and are staffed by knowledgeable students from the nearby Cannabis College.

Hill Street Blues

Hill Street Blues doesn’t have an alcohol license, but they more than compensate with fresh fruit smoothies and cannabis related foodstuffs, including space cakes and space shakes. The cannabis café has a relaxed atmosphere, with cushy beanbags and attentive staff who are keen to deliver your order directly to your table. Hill Street Blues is located on the Nieuwmarkt in a prime location for people spotting and it is so named as it is located next door to a police station. Every square inch of the place is sprawled with graffiti, but keep an eye out for some famous scrawlings as Eminem had his photo taken on the Hill Street couches for the cover of his first album.

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company offers you the chance to buy marijuana seeds online at very competitive prices. They also offer a wealth of other products to browse as well as online articles and forum discussions.

Truth is always the first casualty of war, and no where is this more true than in the War on Drugs. In a misguided effort to stamp out rising substance abuse issues, anything that runs against the official line (loosely summarised as “all drugs are bad, all drugs are bad, all drugs are bad”) is inevitably swept under the carpet. Acknowledging that marijuana might have any positive benefits is tantamount to treason.

Yet marijuana has long been recognised within the medical establishment for its medicinal value. Noted for its capacity to relieve nausea, loss of appetite and chronic pain, it has been used with great success by sufferers of cancer, HIV, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis, proving time and again to be more effective than prescription medication.

History of Medical Marijuana

Using marijuana for medical purposes is no new development – many ancient cultures recognised its value. The Ancient Egyptians and Indians used it in their traditional medicine for a wide variety of purposes, ranging from the treatment of haemorrhoids to pain relief (especially for women in childbirth.) The Ancient Greeks made extensive use of marijuana seeds, steeping them in water and using the extract to treat inflammation and pain.

It continued to find use right up to the 20^th century – before the advent of asprin in the 19^th century, marijuana was the most commonly prescribed form of mild pain relief in most Western countries.

Medical Marijuana Today

After a long spell in the wilderness in the first half of the 20^th century, where it was demonised as a highly dangerous substance, the medical marijuana debate was reignited in 1972 by Tod H. Mikuriya’s groundbreaking medical study, “Medical Marijuana Papers”. Since then, numerous medical studies have supported and expanded upon his findings, and marijuana today prescribed in certain US states and European nations for a wide variety of conditions.

It isn’t all positive by any means – the majority of US states strictly prohibit the use of medical marijuana, and there has been no uptake from the majority of nations around the world (including the UK). Many people choose to get their medical marijuana illegally, running the risk of prosecution simply for seeking effective relief to chronic pain.

By all accounts, marijuana is able to provide the best form of relief for some of the most painful and debilitating conditions that people suffer from, yet draconian drug laws leave many people in unnecessary suffering.

The Future?

Many people feel that the medical marijuana debate is at something of an impasse. Some countries go so far as encouraging citizens to buy marijuana seeds and grow their own supplies, whilst many other countries (such as the UK) taking an increasingly strict line against the drug.

Medical marijuana faces an uncertain future; to be seen to be actively promoting an increased use of marijuana is to commit political suicide, even though countless medical organisations (ranging from the British Medical Association to the American Public Health Association) have argued for greater access to medical marijuana.

What the future holds, none can say – it seems that all the studies in the world that promote marijuana and marijuana seeds from a medical point of point can’t overcome the political paralysis. But with more and more people becoming aware of the benefits of medical marijuana, it is to be hoped that someday everyone can enjoy the benefits of the “healing herb”, not just the lucky few in the most progressive states and countries.

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company allows you to buy marijuana seeds and informational books on cannabis.

Smoking Catnip

Just a mere waft of this stuff has Tiddles rolling around in near ecstasy and purring to the hilts. Smoking catnip was big with the hippies in the 1960’s; but rather than make you purr like a pussycat, the effect is supposed to be mildly calming. Side effects from smoking catnip are migraines and malaise, which is if you can first get over the extremely rough smoke. Yet catnip is not all bad, drinking catnip tea is good for menstrual pains, measles, constipation and colds. Still after a high that will have you purring in ecstasy? Well scientists have concluded that the effect of catnip on cats is nothing like the same high people get from smoking marijuana, but rather it is a dopamine based high and we can achieve the same effects from tucking into a nice bar of Dairy Milk.

Drinking Bong Water

This was once rumoured to be a great way to get high. However, this rumour is nothing but pure myth. At the most you’ll achieve a slight psychoactive buzz, but nothing like the buzz that you get from smoking marijuana. This is because THC (the part of the marijuana leaf that gets us high) is not soluble in water. So, basic chemistry lesson for you, if it takes you 5mg of marijuana to get high, then you would have to drink 1.32 gallons of bong water to reach the same effects. THC is soluble in alcohol and if you use alcohol in place of water in your bong than this can get you high, but at the same time you’ll receive very weak hits from the marijuana that you inhale as most will soaked up by the alcohol.

Banana Skins

In the 1968, with the publication of ‘The Anarchist’s Cookbook’, the concept of bananadine was highlighted. This involved buying 15lb of ripe bananas, eating the fruit and then saving the skins. The insides of the skins would be scraped out, added to water and boiled for three hours. Once the mixture had achieved a solid paste consistency it could be dried in an oven for around twenty minutes and then placed in Rizla papers and smoked. It was believed that after four cigarettes you could finally get high. All this seems such a lot of effort for what is a very paltry hit; and when you consider how much easier it is to simply buy marijuana seeds, it’s no wonder that the phase never really caught on.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg can get you high but the reason that this is largely unheard of is because the high that it gives you has been compared to a hellish case of flu. Recreational users of nutmeg report suffering from dizziness, nausea, cottonmouth, extreme paranoia, difficulty urinating and the hangover from hell in the morning. To make it even worse, nutmeg takes six hours to kick in after ingestion.

Licking Toads

The concept of licking toads to get high was highlighted in the Family Guy episode ‘Let’s go to the Hop’. In this episode, a Colombian Cartel Plane carrying psychoactive toads crashes. These toads get into the hands of teenagers and the craze of toad-licking is born. However, it you thought this strange concept was invented purely for TV-based entertainment, then you’re very wrong. In 1970’s California toad-licking was a genuine issue. But these Californian teenagers would more likely have ended up with a tongue full of warts, then anything resembling a marijuana-based buzz. You can get high from toads but to do this you need to milk them under the chin for venom and then dry this venom out for use; again a lot more effort then choosing to buy marijuana seeds.

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company offers you the chance to buy marijuana seeds online at very competitive prices. They also offer a wealth of other products to browse as well as online articles and forum discussions.

Is Cannabis Actually Bad For You?

The dangers of cannabis and cannabis seeds are routinely touted in the media and by governments; in fact, the debate has been re-ignited in the press recently with the government’s decision to reclassify the drug from class C to class B. However, is it actually bad for you, and to what extent? We have a look at one of the country’s most contentious drugs…

What does cannabis do?

Cannabis ‘gets you high’, but what does this actually mean? In scientific terms, the use of cannabis has psychoactive and physiological effects; it changes your mood, can cause hallucinations, and increases your heart rate, lowers your blood pressure, reduces your coordination, concentration, and short-term memory. The noticeable effects can be comparable to a night of heavy drinking, depending on the user.

Is it very dangerous?

While some studies link cannabis to long term memory loss in some cases, they are inconclusive. There is also evidence to suggest that a minority of people would have a bad allergic reaction to use of the drug, similar to that of a mild to serious peanut or dairy allergy. The most serious effects of marijuana use stem from smoking the drug, but these risks are similar to those of smoking, and modern research has found that vaporisation eliminates these health risks.

Cannabis is in fact not as bad for you as legal drugs, such as nicotine or alcohol. Cannabis doesn’t show the same addictive properties or the long term health risks of either of these other drugs. Studies have also found that marijuana is not as socially destructive as either nicotine or alcohol use or abuse. The generally relaxing qualities of the drug (and the its illegal nature) mean it leads users towards private or secluded use as opposed to more dangerous ‘party’ drugs such as ecstasy or cocaine.

Heavy cannabis use (over 6 joint’s worth a day) has been linked to more serious health risks, but again most of these are linked to the smoking of the drug rather than effects of the drug itself.

Can it be good for you?

Many people claim the drug is good for you, and while most are users and proponents of the drug itself speaking with little scientific grounds, there are studies that champion the drug. Some scientific studies have found that cannabis is effective for its pain relieving qualities, while one study found certain chemicals in the drug to be useful in treating breast cancer.

While few people champion use of marijuana and marijuana seeds as the key to long life and health, the drug does not seem to be as dangerous as it first seems. It seems to be at worst on a par with and on balance not as bad for you as drinking or smoking, and the health risks involved seem to be effectively eliminated by vaporising or baking cannabis rather than smoking it. As stated, there are risks to a small percentage of people being allergic to the drug; however there seems to be a similar level of risk of allergies from almost all substances for certain percentages of the population.

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company sells feminized Cannabis seeds and informational books on cannabis to customers all over the world.

The Five Oddest Places to Find Cannabis Seeds

There are some places in the world where you would expect to find cannabis seeds, joints and hash cakes; finding a spliff in Amsterdam, late night comedy writer’s rooms and the green room for Bob Marley and the Wailers wouldn’t be much of a surprise. Like a duck to water, cannabis just goes naturally together with some places and images. It just seems natural. But what about the places you wouldn’t expect? There are some instances of marijuana turning up that you wouldn’t have imagined in your entire life. We have a look at the oddest places you could think to find cannabis and cannabis seeds…

5. Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and the People’s Republic of China

Whole countries rather than specific places, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and the People’s Republic of China are the last places you would look for weed. Or, to be more accurate, they are the last places you would want to find weed. These countries (and some others) have particularly harsh responses to most kinds of drug use, marijuana being one of the drugs that you can be executed for having! While many people still import and export cannabis from these countries, most people wouldn’t even think about running the risk, thinking it odd to have the drug there when in other countries it’s almost completely legal.

4.In an Open Field – in America

America has one of the least open or forward thinking policies on cannabis and cannabis seeds (though that may change soon). You would therefore think that it would be one of the last places to have vast open fields sown with cannabis seeds, but you’d be wrong. In one part of the country, orders for marijuana seeds are through the roof. The Emerald Triangle in northern California is the nation’s largest grower of marijuana plants, and though the authorities routinely route out and burn down the crop, people are planting and growing cannabis at a rate that’s faster than they can destroy it.

3. In Granny’s Bag

You may think “Sweet old Gran” would never have anything even slightly illegal or interesting, but you may be wrong. Marijuana is often championed for its pain relieving qualities, and was (and in some places still is) prescribed as a form of pain relief for many illnesses. The increase of silver surfers on the internet and the availability of cannabis seeds over the web has meant an increase of marijuana use among the elderly. So if you were to root around, you may well find that Granny has more than just Werther’s originals at the bottom of her bag…

2. In your drink

Putting cannabis seeds or straight weed in your drink may seem very odd, but it’s not as crazy as it sounds. Many guides and cookbooks that have sections of culinary uses for the drug suggest uses in your libation, creating a “Green Dragon”. It would be odd (and more than a little worrying) to find it in your drink if you hadn’t wanted it there or known that it was, but as a personal choice the ‘experts’ say it’s “Odd, but good”.

1. On the president’s desk

Ok, so it’s unlikely that any president (other than that of a banana republic) is going to plant marijuana seeds in a pot and let them grow on his or her desk as an indoor plant. But presidents and officials are more and more likely to have – or admit to having – planted, grown, harvested or smoked (or at least inhaled) weed. Unlike Bill Clinton’s famous “I smoked but I did not inhale” line, current president elect Barack Obama has stated that he “did inhale. That was the point!” So finding weed in the White House, though odd, may not be out of the question at some point down the line…

Robert Kane is the web editor of Sensible Seeds. Based in the UK, the company sells feminized marijuana seeds and informational books on cannabis to customers all over the world.