Rec vs Med

Before answering, let’s breakdown the key differences between Recreational Cannabis and its far superior sister, Medicinal Marijuana. Only joking!

This is a brief, impartial look into the cultivation, classification and characteristics of both — the Three C’s.

Cultivation

One of the major differences between these two contenders are the environmental conditions the plant is raised, treated, grown, stored and distributed.

Recreational marijuana, at the highest levels of cultivation, is some of the best marijunana produced, with many strains being perfected over years by some of the best in the business. Cultivation methods range from intensive indoor hydroponics to totally organic and natural outdoor grows — all of which have their own benefits and issues.

Medicinal however has a very strict set of regulations and protocols to ensure uniform standardization crop after crop — being classified as prescription only medicine and for dosing, drug practitioners and users must know that the product being used is to the same strength and proportion everytime. Most medicinal marijuana starts life as a clone rather than from seed due to these strict requirements. Although all great cannabis is grown in a safe and controlled environment this can only be guaranteed with Medicinal Marijuna.

Classification

Classification, like cannabis, comes in many forms. Legal — Illegal, Indica — Sativa, Good quality — Nasty quality, Cheap — Expensive. I think you get the point. So let’s focus on what classifies recreational and medical cannabis when using those kinds of terms.

Legality. Medical marijuana takes a slight advantage, as in countries where you are free to smoke prescribed medicinal marijuna you will also be fined or even put in prison for essentially using the same thing recreationally.
Purpose. Recreational is usually classed as a leisure or wellness product, smoked with friends or when indulging in favourite pastimes — it could also be classified this way when used for treatment, but not through authorised channels. Medicinal is related to the treatment of a specific illness with a recognised dosage and usage program prescribed by a professional.
Characteristics

Strain, strength, purity and quality.

Medicinal marijuana has to comply with certain requirements in relation to these factors and more. THC/CBD levels are usually capped with certain strains being allowed for use for certain treatments. Quality here is important in relation to strengths and content however not so much when dealing with aroma, taste and visual aesthetic etc.

Recreational on the other hand can reach a whopping 30% THC and with hundreds of strains to choose from, this is all too much for most practitioners to comfortably prescribe. A lot more focus is dedicated to the taste, aroma, well being and the high that the user experiences.

Verdict

When all is said and done there can be a great or even little difference, physically, between Recreational and Medicinal Marijuana. Many of the elements that separate them are social, legal, economic and even political.

I don’t discriminate and love both, however, for the purposes of getting involved in a legitimate manner, there is no better way to enter the industry than via the Medicinal Marijuana crowd growing route.

Add that to that fact we are delighted to announce our partner facility in Limpopo has just expanded and added another 10’000 clones to support the fight for the medical side, then it makes sense!

Now just for that balanced impartiality I promised — i’m going to roll one and recreationally relax.

by DANIEL GAUCI

Daniel has dedicated much of his life to the wonders of Marijuana in both a medical and creative sense. He applies this with his love of the written word and other forms of media. Experienced in cultivation and extraction spanning various cultures, Daniel has visited some of the most ‘not so famous’ grows that Europe has to offer. Curiosity knows no bounds and a genuine interest in growers, extractors, distributors, caregivers and patients personal stories and struggles gives him an insight, drive and empathy needed to push the industry forward in any way possible. Marijuana is not just another business for Daniel, it is a lifestyle and very personal to him and his family having young children that suffer from autism and cancer, both of which are treated with cannabis derivatives. Daniel attests that this gives him the passion, drive and integrity to be an evangelist in all aspects within the cannabis space.