Christine Green
New Member
One of the largest producers of medical marijuana in the state, Outco, recently hired a woman who studied agriculture at Cal Poly to take charge of growing all of their plants.
As a certified hydroponicist, April Blundell brings state-of-the-art ag science to an industry that could explode in size in just a few more months.
"This is our O.G. Girl Scout cookie" she says, holding up a gangly green leafy plant.
Blundell is a former Marine, who saw a budding career path, so-to-speak, for civilian life.
"Class is set up for organic produce, but I figured, plants,... they all have the same principle," she says. "They all have the same scientific approach and so for me, I knew that, you know they don't have universities of marijuana out there. I mean if they do, I haven't heard of it, at least, then they didn't."
Blundell's interest in cannabis is also personal. She says a friend battling cancer had been using medical marijuana with remarkable results.
"This is the very specific oil that was being used for the stage four breast cancer," she says, holding up a small vile, "...and it's gone. Stage four."
"Do you attribute that to the marijuana?" I ask.
"Yes, I do. Absolutely," she says.
The list of ailments treated with medical marijuana continues to grow.
Christopher Chagnon, the cannabis specialist at Outco labs runs through the list.
"Everything from autism, to ALS, to breast, lung, different kinds of cancer, a lot of people with fibromyalgia. That seems to be a very common one. A lot of patients with arthritis as well, and a lot of patients who are dealing with workplace injuries, so a lot of chronic pain. Back issues are also pretty common," he says.
There's an astonishing choice of blends to treat the arrays of conditions.
"How's business?" I ask Lincoln Fish, Outco's CEO.
"You know, uh. it's good." He laughs. "It's good."
If recent polls are correct, it's about to get even better. More than 600,000 signatures were recently submitted to put an initiative on the November ballot to legalize recreational use in California.
"We saw it in Washington," he says. "We saw it in Colorado. When it goes recreational, there's a huge upswing in consumption."
Fish says the company already has a couple thousand square feet of growing space on a nearby reservation, 12,000 square feet going in El Cajon, and another 100,000 square foot facility under construction that'll be up and running by year's end.
"We are opening additional dispensaries, we're building manufacturing operations, we're building our own testing lab," Fish says.
He says Blundell is producing the best, most prolific crops he's ever seen.
"These are excellent products, grown well, grown the right way," he says.
"Because of the science that we learned in the school, we're able to fully understand what the plants' needs are and if there's a particular strain that we might not have been introduced to yet," Blundell explains. "We at least know how to do the research specifically for that plant and what that plant's needs are."
Come November, we're likely to hear a lot more about the needs of the market. If the initiative known as the "Adult Use of Marijuana Act" makes it to the ballot, recent polls suggest up to 60 percent of likely voters would support recreational use.
News Moderator: Christine Green 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana cultivation grows into big business in California - KSBY.com | San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Area News
Author: Dan Shadwell
Contact: 805.541.6666
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: KSBY.com | San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Area News - KSBY.com
As a certified hydroponicist, April Blundell brings state-of-the-art ag science to an industry that could explode in size in just a few more months.
"This is our O.G. Girl Scout cookie" she says, holding up a gangly green leafy plant.
Blundell is a former Marine, who saw a budding career path, so-to-speak, for civilian life.
"Class is set up for organic produce, but I figured, plants,... they all have the same principle," she says. "They all have the same scientific approach and so for me, I knew that, you know they don't have universities of marijuana out there. I mean if they do, I haven't heard of it, at least, then they didn't."
Blundell's interest in cannabis is also personal. She says a friend battling cancer had been using medical marijuana with remarkable results.
"This is the very specific oil that was being used for the stage four breast cancer," she says, holding up a small vile, "...and it's gone. Stage four."
"Do you attribute that to the marijuana?" I ask.
"Yes, I do. Absolutely," she says.
The list of ailments treated with medical marijuana continues to grow.
Christopher Chagnon, the cannabis specialist at Outco labs runs through the list.
"Everything from autism, to ALS, to breast, lung, different kinds of cancer, a lot of people with fibromyalgia. That seems to be a very common one. A lot of patients with arthritis as well, and a lot of patients who are dealing with workplace injuries, so a lot of chronic pain. Back issues are also pretty common," he says.
There's an astonishing choice of blends to treat the arrays of conditions.
"How's business?" I ask Lincoln Fish, Outco's CEO.
"You know, uh. it's good." He laughs. "It's good."
If recent polls are correct, it's about to get even better. More than 600,000 signatures were recently submitted to put an initiative on the November ballot to legalize recreational use in California.
"We saw it in Washington," he says. "We saw it in Colorado. When it goes recreational, there's a huge upswing in consumption."
Fish says the company already has a couple thousand square feet of growing space on a nearby reservation, 12,000 square feet going in El Cajon, and another 100,000 square foot facility under construction that'll be up and running by year's end.
"We are opening additional dispensaries, we're building manufacturing operations, we're building our own testing lab," Fish says.
He says Blundell is producing the best, most prolific crops he's ever seen.
"These are excellent products, grown well, grown the right way," he says.
"Because of the science that we learned in the school, we're able to fully understand what the plants' needs are and if there's a particular strain that we might not have been introduced to yet," Blundell explains. "We at least know how to do the research specifically for that plant and what that plant's needs are."
Come November, we're likely to hear a lot more about the needs of the market. If the initiative known as the "Adult Use of Marijuana Act" makes it to the ballot, recent polls suggest up to 60 percent of likely voters would support recreational use.
News Moderator: Christine Green 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana cultivation grows into big business in California - KSBY.com | San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Area News
Author: Dan Shadwell
Contact: 805.541.6666
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: KSBY.com | San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Area News - KSBY.com