The Autumn cornucopia overflows with the ripe fruits and vegetables of the season and here in California the harvest includes cannabis. Northern California is where the culture of cannabis cultivation rose up in reaction to the early twentieth century prohibition of the common weed. The so-called “ditch weed” of the early twentieth century was still to be found growing wild along seasonal river beds, in dry temperate mountain ranges, off the ocean coasts and even tucked into the tundra lands of Siberia. These wild strains are now referred to as “land races”, these originals are the genetic stock of the strains we know today. Some of you may remember these land race strains from the reefer heydays of the 1960’s and 1970’s: Acapulco Gold, Congolese Red, Afghani Kush, Durban Poison, Lambs Bread, Thai Stick, Panama Red, their names are associated with their place of origin, their “terroir” .

Cannabis prohibition legislation in the 1930’s demonised cannabis and subdued the proliferation of marijuana culture across North America. Thirty years later, from the 1960’s onwards there was a rebirth in cannabis cultivation, ironically through the return of military personnel from overseas in Asia and Africa, who brought cannabis seeds back with them. The cannabis boom that occurred in the decades ahead, could not have happened without the natural symbiosis of cultures between veterans, surfers, and “off-grid” independent thinkers throughout the expat communities in the world and isolated communities in the Sierras and Rockies of North America.

From the legacy of the landrace strains a few medically-minded breeders have created some of the world’s most powerful CBD varietals. The Synergy Wellness library is stocked with these CBD-rich varietals: Cannatonic, derived from the Congolese strain Reina Madre, Remedy, which is the great great grandchild of the infamous Afghan Kush, Harlequin, which carries the heritage of Columbian Gold, AC/DC , a Cannabis Cup winner, with strong Ruderalis genetics, signaling Siberian origins and Ringo’s Gift, a sativa- rich hybrid of ACDC and Harle-Tsu.

The 1970’s and1980’s saw many rebellious entrepreneurs committed to guerilla growing or rogue farming. Through these years, much was discovered, developed and improved upon in seed propagation, cultivation and harvesting techniques. Growing cannabis is not unlike growing grapes: both plants enjoy hot dry days, with a cool evening, ideally some fog in the morning , and then another hot dry day. Some varietals prefer sandy loamy soil, similar to most fruit trees, some do just fine in rocky mineral clay, while others love an aerated dried-out river bed where their tap root can go to China and back. These would be what we call “terriors” and the best cannabis cultivators only grow in the most favorable micro-climates. A cultivator is nothing without quality soil, quality water, and quality sun. Only the best for the best.

Through the years of building our genetic library of CBD-rich varietals, we have had the good fortune of building healthy relationships with our cultivators, taking the opportunity to learn more and more with each harvest. Through the years we’ve discovered that the farms at higher elevations, above 3,000ft , produce a slightly higher cannabinoid profile. The reason for this is that at higher altitudes, the plants are receiving a higher dose of UV-A and UV-B rays from the sun. Interestingly, cannabis is providing itself with a natural sunscreen from these strong UV rays by virtue of the oil, resin and trichomes it produces.

By mirroring the synergism of our medicinal practices our cultivation practice is becoming synergistic itself: by choosing specific varietals to be grown in selected micro-climates, understanding that place matters and that each varietal has a preference for a particular environment. This kind of innovation can only happen when we pay close attention, echoing those pioneering cannabis farmers who had everything to learn and everything to lose.