The Safest Agriculture on Earth!
“Good news is rare these days, and every glittering ounce of it should be cherished and hoarded.”
- Hunter S. Thompson
“Bad news travels at the sped of light. Good news travels like Molasses.”
- Tracy Morgan
Today the Team at Healthy Swap can bring some excellent and positive consumer news! It turns out that the very product our movement and philosophy is based on (Legal Cannabis), is the cleanest, purest, and most tested and regulated of any agricultural product in existence! Transparency, quality control and trust are the cornerstones of the process to get a cannabis seed cultivated into a consumer product, which is far different that what we face with everyday food and beverage choices.
The term “organic” is meant to describe food that is not genetically engineered and is grown without the assistance of toxic chemicals and synthetic fertilization. It was first coined in the late 1940’s, and until the first Whole Foods Grocery Store opened in Austin, Texas in 1980, it had no meaning for 99.9% of Americans. According to statistics gathered by National Grocer Associations, the organic food market has steadily grown by an average of 15% per year over the last 10 years, and by 2024 is projected to be worth $323 Billion! In addition to the term “Organic”, consumers are now are bombarded with similar jargon on any trip to the grocery store. “Cage Free Eggs”, “Grass-Fed Beef”, All Natura Cereall”, “Antibiotic Free Pork “, “Free Range Chicken”, “Super Food Berries”, “Non GMO Pasta”….and on and on. All of them are targeting our inherent human desire to try and consume food that is good for our bodies, and is free from toxicity and chemicals that have negative impact on our health. It has gotten so competitive amongst food producers with the healthy buzz-words, that consumers are overwhelmed and confused, and food scientists are baffled. As an example, you check out the popular pre-made lunch kit for kids called “Lunchables”, and they aggressively promote that their included drink is 100% Juice! Unfortunately for parents who think they are giving their kids something healthy, the “100% juice” included contains a whopping 20g of sugar (a full size Hershey chocolate bar has 17g) and is certainly not something healthy to promote.
(Morgan Spurlock showing off his “free range” chicken coop)
Consumers’ best intentions to make healthier food and beverage choices are being derailed by sneaky marketing and meaningless buzzwords. In the provocative and satirical 2017 documentary “Super-Size Me 2: Holy Chicken” created by award winning filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, there is a poignant scene where he is on the phone live with the FDA trying to understand what the term, “free-rage-chicken” actually represents. Instead of an idyllic outdoor farm with happy chickens grazing peacefully in the sun, it only means that the chickens inside of a commercial chicken coop have access to a 4-foot by 4-foot square of outdoor space. That is all, which really undermines the point of trying to choose a healthier chicken option.
No matter what statistics and data is reviewed, consumers are at least trying to actively seek out and purchase food and beverage products that they believe have some health benefit, even if that benefit is unproven or false. The attempt is what counts for most people.
In this confusing climate, The Healthy Swap Team ruminated on how wonderful it would be if a world existed where there was actual intelligent government oversight, strict food growing and processing guidelines to protect consumers, and stringent independent testing to ensure 100% product consistency and safety. We can all dream!
And on the wings of that wonderful dream we bring you…LEGAL Cannabis in the United States. State by state, they have been incredibly successful implementing systems and guidelines to ensure complete consumer protection and safety.
On a recent tour of a modern cannabis grow facility for a Michigan-based Company, it was incredible to witness firsthand the level of sophistication and infrastructure required for a modern, legal cannabis grow house. The old myth and dated image of a slacker growing cannabis plants in his basement could not be further from the truth. The tour of the grow house honestly felt more like a tour of a Nasa Space Command Center than an agricultural facility.
Some tidbits from the visit and tour:
- There is extensive physical and digital security to restrict access to the facility and ensure no one can enter without authorization. Think of a large jeweler and how they must protect their physical inventory, as that is where the value of the busines is derived.
- Every employee must wear protective clothing and coverings to ensure that outside contaminants are not brought into the building.
- Every door has secure key-card access and no one is allowed to enter without an authorized guide.
(Hyper Logic Water Filtration System for Cannabis)
- Starting with the “cloning” phase, where seeds are grown into small plants, all of the water used in the process comes from state-of-the-art water treatment and filtration systems, each with digitized filtering and monitoring systems. Many growers use reverse osmosis systems to remove all minerals and contaminants from water in order to control the nutrients levels precisely. The thought is that if they have removed all minerals from the water then the plants are only receiving those being added deliberately.
- The air circulated throughout the entire grow facility must go through extensive filtration and purification systems that remove all of the mildew, mold, bacteria, viruses and fungi from the air. Sophisticated digital humidity systems are also used to maintain the purified air at set humidity levels throughout the process. Cannabis plants are somewhat needy and finnicky, and require very specific levels of humidity, light and air.
(AiroClean 420 Air System for Cannabis)
- The Soil used for growing the Cannabis plants is truly 100% organic, without any toxic chemicals or pesticides of any kind. It is completely natural and comes from each grower’s own blend of natural products to create a perfect growing medium.
Even after all of this incredibly detailed and meticulous cultivation of a cannabis plant, it all still must be tested by an independent 3rd party laboratory to ensure that the products are pure and consistent. The labs’ role as an independent testing facility means that there is no affiliation whatsoever with the cultivator, manufacturer, consumer, or the brand, and they have no vested interest in the outcome of the testing. The Testing Labs conduct rigorous tests to look for:
1) The Potency (levels of THC) and consistency in each dose. Each product has a different cannabinoid make up, so the testers will help verify what each product contains so consumers can make educated decisions.
2) Ensure that there are no trace pesticides found in the cannabis.
3) Testing Residual Solvents to ensure that there are no harmful additives or chemicals that appear in the products
4) Microbial screening to ensure that no mold or bacteria are present in the product.
In summary, what does all of this information mean for the average cannabis consumer? Simply that you can enjoy some peace of mind that the products you consume are guaranteed to be the safest, healthiest, and cleanest products possible. Everyday grocery store products that claim to be healthy and “all-natural”, really have very minimal governmental guidelines or enforcement whatsoever for their products. These are just marketing buzzwords to make people feel better, but, are mostly meaningless. The legal cannabis industry did it the right way, in cooperation with state governments, to formulate specific rules for growers to follow, and very strict 3rd-party testing requirements to ensure that legally purchased cannabis products are of the highest quality and safety. Not only will cannabis help you live a happier and healthier life, consumers can take solace that they never have to worry about the constant product safety issues and recalls that plague our everyday food chain.
Enjoy the Day,
Your Friends at Healthy Swap Life