Aeroponics

Using aeroponics, cannabis roots are suspended in the air and are fed water and nutrients via a fine mist. Aeroponics doesn’t require any type of medium or substrate, and the growing style is commonly used to develop clones. This is done through the use of cloners, or mini aeroponic systems that blow a mist over clones to allow growth. The lack of a medium usually ends up meaning less space per plant, and the roots don’t have to fight for space. One of the cons to aeroponic growing is that when the pumps break down, the roots die quickly without an alarm and a fast response. Since growers are dependent on timers, valves, and pumps working properly, there are plenty of ways to mess up the system if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Aquaponics

This relatively rare method combines aquaculture—small fish, crayfish, prawns, or snails—with hydroponics, feeding the plants with natural nutrients produced by aquatic animals instead of synthetic nutrients. The main reason growers experiment with aquaponics is for sustainability and eco-friendly purposes. It abandons any reliance on fertilizers that are mined and manufactured, so you can be sure no synthetic fertilizers end up in the final, chemical-free product. Online, some people say aquaponics is a complicated, overhyped process with few rewards, while others praise the benefits.

Hydroponics 

Hydroponic cultivation is the process of growing plants in a water-based nutrient solution that doesn’t use soil. Roots are grown in substrates like vermiculite or perlite (porous minerals), as well as coco coir (coconut husk fiber). They absorb water and nutrients like a sponge and roots grow around them. Hydroponics ideally provides a more controlled grow site, promoting faster growth, potentially higher yields, and higher nutrient uptake. Growers often take drastic measures to ensure their hydro setup is sterile, and they have to deal with pesticides less often. 

Sea of Green

The Sea of Green (SOG) growing technique is designed to maximize the yield per square foot of a grow operation by growing lots of small cannabis plants rather than fewer larger ones. It creates a dense canopy that can be harvested earlier with the plants growing a single large bud instead of branching out. A variation, the Screen of Green (SCROG) method, utilizes horizontal netting to create uniformity. SOG and SCROG setups are typically created by commercial operations that deal with larger-scale grows. These ways can be maximized through super cropping and other pruning and suspension techniques.

Soil-Grown

Keep it natural, the way nature intended, by growing plants in soil. Generally speaking, it’s easier to maintain a plant grown in soil than in most growing methods and it’s a great medium for beginners. Soil is also an abundant source found everywhere, while quality varies. Living soil, a variation of this technique, is when the soil contains organic matter, minerals, water, air, and microorganisms that work together synergistically. Cultivating in living soil is believed to maximize the terpene and flavor profiles of plants.

This article was originally published in the April 2024 issue of High Times Magazine.

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South Africa’s first ethically-approved cannabis clinical trials have begun in Johannesburg with the goal to determine if cannabis can replace opioids for pain management, according to a June 21 press release. More and more, cannabis shows potential for reducing or replacing opioids for certain types of pain management.

Biodata, subsidiary of Labat Africa, “is the brainchild of Dr. Shiksha Gallow, a cannabis clinician, and the principal investigator in the trials, which took over 18 months to get official clearance,” the announcement reads. Dr. Gallow is a South African pioneer in the field of international medical cannabis research.

Researchers will observe 1,000 participants who have been taking opioids for pain management for at least three months and are prepared to switch to cannabis as an alternative. Two chemovars currently being used are Tallyman and Exodus—sourced from Labat’s Sweetwaters Aquaponics SAHPRA-licensed facility in the Eastern Cape. Aquaponics is a cultivation technique believed to allow for more benefits. The third strain to be introduced shortly, 9 Pound Hammer, will be next—chosen because of its high THC and CBG profile, and being rich in beta caryophyllene and myrcene.

“We are currently recruiting patients, and data-capturing all the questionnaires and feedback from the patients for the live study,” Dr. Gallow said. “It has been fairly slow. However, more options have been introduced in the live study as suggested by the patients in the pilot study. The pilot results of the study were very promising, as it showed 98% of the patients have some sort of pain relief from the cannabis.”

Researchers were able to wean patients off their opioid treatment. Flower contained a high amount of THC, 15-25 mg THC, with 0.5 mg of CBD. The Oil (1:1 ratio) balanced formulation contained 15-20 mg THC/15-20 mg CBD. In the pilot group of patients under 55 years old, they preferred to smoke flower, while patients over 55 years old preferred the oil. Patients who smoked cannabis gained relief almost immediately, while the oil took time.

Dr. Peter Grinspoon is a medical cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, as well as the son of psychiatrist and longtime cannabis advocate Lester Grinspoon. You can watch him discuss America’s opioid crisis on HarvardX or similar topics on TEDx.

“First of all, I think cannabis is really good for mild to moderate pain,” Dr. Grinspoon tells High Times. “I don’t think it works for severe pain. So I think it depends a little bit on what the patient’s conditions are and how severe their pain is, and it’s not just a question of being on cannabis and opiates or off cannabis and opiates. Together, they work very well. Synergistically, they co-work on some of the same receptors.”

Grinspoon added that people who resort to that alternative can achieve a better quality of life, and cannabis is generally safer than opiates. “But I think for other people they’ll probably achieve a dose reduction, which will also be a huge harm reduction [benefit]. So again, it’s not really binary, like off opiates or not off opiates.”

There’s evidence showing other people have reduced opioid use with the help of cannabis—which is what makes it incredibly stupid to test people on opiates for cannabis because it is probably helping them.

“There’s no reason for a pain specialist to view it as the enemy,” he said.

“We don’t really know how effective opiates are,” Dr. Grinspoon added, since there are people under withdrawal symptoms who have pain that’s hard to separate from chronic pain. But then again, there are people with severe pain like phantom limb pain who absolutely need opioids.

“It’s either opiates non-steroidals which, you know, like your Advil, your Motrin, and those aren’t safe either,” Dr. Grinspoon says.

“Those things are really dangerous, and can cause heart attacks, gastric ulcers, and a lot of kidney damage. So the question is like, what is the least harmful medication to use for chronic pain? There’s no free lunch. All medications have side effects, cannabis certainly have side effects, but I always ask myself, ‘what is the least dangerous thing to use and often?’”

Cannabis is definitely safer than opiates, he said, and he wonders if in some cases it’s safer than the non-steroidals.

In the meantime, research showing the true potential for cannabis in the field of pain management is growing. Dr. Gallow’s team of researchers in South Africa renewed this study for another year.

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