The Final Draft by StoneyXochi

El Rincon De Maria: Guia De Cultivo

9/12/2016

I'm Mexican, not Spanish. If you don't know the difference, Google is right there. Mexico is a country that has been deeply effected by the war on drugs, plagued with violent cartels that have left some Mexicans paralyzed with terror. Most of us know that the Cannabis we consume isn't coming from Mexico, although I'm sure it has. In a country where drug use is stigmatized for more than what it is, in my experiences, it is much harder for Mexicans (and most Latin American honestly) to accept Cannabis as anything but an illicit substance. Surprisingly enough, many ingenious peoples of Latin America and older generations recognize the benefits of Cannabis, making alcohol based rubs to ease pains.
Convincing my family that my lifestyle is healthy has been a challenge. Since I started smoking as a 15 year old, I knew it was something my parents wouldn't be okay with. While the heavy use of alcohol is a regular thing in Latin cultures, with parents and kids as young as 15 throwing beer back like it's water, 'marihuanos' are often considered the lowest levels of society.
Simply talking to my family about Cannabis was never enough. I needed books, I needed information in their language that I could show them. And when I traveled to Barcelona for Spannabis 2016, I found what I was looking for. The expo was handing out a ton of free literature, mostly published by Cáñamo Magazine, and I picked up the book Cannabis Como Medicamento, a book I have also seen in English. But today I want to share a Cultivation Guide provided by El Rincon de Maria, an online grow shop.
I think it's important for those who know nothing about Cannabis to understand how it's grown, harvested, and cured. I think people forget how easy it can be to grow something yourself, and think that the ones growing these 'illicit' substances must be doing something that turns the Cannabis plant into a 'drug.' As we know, that's not the case. Anyone is capable of cultivation. I think that if people know what substances are being used to grow a plant, they can determine for themselves how safe it is or not. Granted, this can take a level of plant knowledge that not everyone has, but I think transparency helps people feel better about things they don't know so much about. Which is why I want to share this information, with whoever wants to read it. It's in Spanish, and I won't translate. I hope that other Latinos share this information with their family so they can better understand Cannabis. And of course, help more people across Latin America grow it. Stay safe and happy cultivating!