Last of three parts: A new book explores the world of cannabis growers, and their competition to choose the world's best weed I didn't really expect the cannabis seed business to be so lucrative. Of course, now that I think about it, try telling that to Burpee or Monsanto. The trade in cannabis seeds isn't quite as big as those kings of agribusiness, yet it is still a multimillion-dollar-a-year endeavor. Make no mistake, Green House Seeds, DNA Genetics and the other big seed companies - Sensi Seeds, T.H.Seeds, Barney's Farm, Kiwiseeds and Dutch-Passion Seeds, to name a few - are all jostling for a share of a very robust market. While these companies develop their own strains, there are dozens of secondary seed brokers, like the Attitude, a "Cannabis Seed Superstore" operating out of England, the Vancouver Seed Bank in Canada and sweet Seeds in Spain, that act as retail outlets for seed companies. [continues 1136 words]
In a new book, Mark Haskell Smith explores our relationship with the cannabis plant Franco walked into the coffee shop dressed head to toe in yellow and black motorcycle racing leathers. He had asked me to meet him for lunch at the Green House United Coffeeshop on Haarlemmerstraat. It's one of several coffeeshops owned by Green House and Green House Seeds, where Franco is a partner. I had been sitting under a vibrant gold-colored mural depicting what looked like the ancient Phoenician or Minoan alphabet and watching the ornamental carp swim back and forth in the massive fish tank installed under the glass floor. [continues 1277 words]
In a New Book, Mark Haskell Smith Travels to the Netherlands' Infamous 'Coffeeshops' To Find the Perfect Joint Cannabis, artisanal or not, is technically illegal in the Netherlands. Not that you'd know it from walking down the street. The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains Dutch drug laws and the rationale behind them on its website. They make a distinction between hard drugs, "substances which involve an unacceptable health risk, such as ecstasy, cocaine and heroin," and cannabis. Possession of cannabis for personal use - up to 30 grams - is a minor offense that is rarely, if ever, enforced. [continues 1288 words]
