About 5 days a go, I shared that I am in the process of exercising my Canadian right to grow my own medicine as a medical cannabis patient. I have been using cannabis to treat a disease called Multiple Sclerosis since 2008 and this harmless plant has put my autoimmune disease into remission.
Starting the process was a historic day in my life and what this really means to me is... freedom.
I will no longer be forced to buy the cannabis plant medicine, that my body needs through a government facility that is over-charging and gouging people through a monopoly that is trying desperately to be secured.
In a peaceful way, by exercising my right to grow, I am adding my voice to the growing number of other Canadian medical cannabis patients who have also decided that the current model, a monopoly on the sale and distribution of cannabis, doesn't work for them either.
As this new licensing is in process for me, 
Only 2 days after my paperwork was filed, we found some gently used growing equipment advertised for re-sale in our area. We'd been researching what we would need for quite some time and when this little package of hardware was listed, we jumped at the chance to go and look at it and we decided to buy it.
Here's what we bought, second hand for $210 Canadian:
- a cool tube 600 watt light with a digital, dimmable transformer;
- a metal halide bulb; (not ceramic)
- a high pressure sodium bulb;
- a 6 inch fan with a charcoal filtre;
- a 600 watt dimmable transformer;
- and a variable speed controller.
Then we bought "new" heavy gauge 6mm plastic that is black on one side and white on the other. The white will let us use more of the available light from the light itself. Plus, we bought an 8 foot length of aluminum duct work so that we can vent any smell that might be left after passing through the charcoal fitre and the heat outside. In the winter, we will vent inside to recapture the heat and keep the plants more comfortable in their remote location.
Here's the stages of our build so far:
Freshly dry-walled and light coloured painted walls with new electrical outlets, wired in. We also have access to a "spring water well" in this corner. In addition, we also have access to a complete reverse osmosis system and are collecting rain water, on-site too. This will give us complete control over the ph of the water that we are using to water the plants with.
Installing the heavy gauge 6mm plastic in order to get the most we can out of the 600 watt light.
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Then, a small shelf was installed that's 1 foot deep by 5 feet long. This will accommodate 3 seedling trays that are 10 inches deep by 21 inches long. Each tray can hold 24 seedlings, giving us room for 72 seedlings at any one time if we want to.
Next, the light was installed.
The floor was marked to determine the exact centre of the light, using a plumb-bob. This will provide a guide for the ultimate plant placement. The light is rated for a 4 foot by 4 foot growing area. Hopefully it will accommodate 6 plants...four for sure.
The fan is now in place, along with the transformer and the speed controller.
The charcoal fitre was next to be installed and it will be ducted outside through a 6 inch dryer vent for summer-time operation when extra heat is an issue. In the winter, we are going to duct inside to re-capture some of the heat when it's minus 30 below and the heat generated could be used.
Here's what the set-up looks like from a different angle.
Lit-up! (Yahoo!)
In stage two, walls will be made with 2 by 2 (s) ripped from 2 by 4 (s) and covered with the same heavy gauge 6 mm plastic. A doorway will be made at the front.
It's very cool and I can't tell you how excited I am to be able to be growing for myself.
To have control over how my plants are cared for and what they are fed provides me with an incredible amount of piece of mind and relief.
Considering that, 4 of the government sanctioned growers have been caught red-handed using ban pesticides on their plants, in the last 3 months. It's made already sick people, even sicker and there is currently a class-action law-suit filed. I feel like the only people that you can trust right now (in the Canadian Cannabis industry) are people who you know really well, personally... and yourself.
I welcome your comments and I invite you to follow me on my journey.
~ Rebecca Ryan