Cannabis cultivation for medical purposes has been made possible for eligible individuals in Canada through the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) program. This federal law allows patients to grow their own cannabis or designate someone else to do so.
An essential step after the harvest of the home-grown cannabis is drying, a process that ensures its longevity, potency, and usability. This article will discuss the importance of the ACMPR license and provide a comprehensive guide to drying and preserving your cannabis harvest.
Understanding the ACMPR License:
The ACMPR license, issued by Health Canada, gives individuals suffering from certain health conditions the legal right to cultivate and possess medical cannabis. Patients must provide medical documentation indicating the necessity for medical cannabis from a healthcare practitioner.
Once their application is approved, they’re permitted to grow a certain number of cannabis plants based on their prescribed daily cannabis amount.
The Importance of Drying Your Cannabis:
Drying is an essential step post-harvest as it significantly impacts the quality, potency, and safety of the cannabis. Properly dried cannabis enhances the product’s flavor and aroma, and also ensures the degradation of harmful substances like chlorophyll and other toxins that can influence the overall experience.
The Drying Process:
1. Harvesting: Once the cannabis plant has matured and is ready for harvest, cut the branches and prepare them for drying.
2. Trimming: Remove excess leaves from the buds, known as “trimming.” This can be done before or after drying, but doing it before tends to speed up the drying process.
3. Hanging: Hang the trimmed branches upside down in a well-ventilated room with controlled humidity (around 50%) and temperature (ideally between 15°C-21°C or 60°F-70°F). Darkness is preferred as light can degrade the cannabinoids and terpenes in the cannabis.
4. Drying: The drying process usually takes about one to two weeks. The buds should feel slightly crunchy on the outside, but still a bit spongy when squeezed.
5. Curing: After drying, the buds are typically cured, which involves storing them in air-tight jars and regularly opening them to exchange air and release moisture. This process helps to further enhance the flavor and quality of the cannabis.
6. Storing: Properly cured cannabis can be stored in a cool, dark place for a long time without losing its potency.
The ACMPR License and Drying Cannabis:
Under the ACMPR license, license holders can legally dry and cure their harvested cannabis. It’s vital to understand and follow the regulations surrounding home cultivation, including the limitations on the number of plants and the amount of dried cannabis you can possess.
Obtaining an ACMPR license offers Canadian patients the ability to control their medical cannabis supply, from cultivation to processing, ensuring they have access to their needed medication. The drying process is a crucial stage of home cultivation, as it directly affects the quality and potency of the final product.
By mastering the art of drying, ACMPR license holders can effectively preserve their cannabis harvest, optimizing the therapeutic benefits they seek from this versatile plant.