Ode to Franklin

The hemp industry is a vibrant and varied one. While there are some large farms that produce many of the smokable hemp varieties in circulation, smaller farms are also producing hemp that has some unique characteristics. Franklin hemp by Veteran Grown is one of these hemp strains.

Franklin hemp was created purely by accident and will forever go down in hemp lore. With a combination of factors, including abnormal weather, Veteran Grown was able to produce one of the most unique and controversial hemp strains in recent memories. What makes Franklin so special is the high THCa %, legal Delta-9 THC limit, and also a low CBD %; all these combined make Franklin an almost 1:1 strain of THC to CBD.

THCa is the precursor acid to delta-9 THC. THCa will convert to delta-9 when exposed to heat. With this in mind, smoking Franklin will produce some psychoactive effects given the 6% THC content. Now, the original 2018 Farm Bill only had provisions that limited the delta-9 THC content in flower to 0.3%. The oversight on the Fed’s part is that delta-9 THC is not very present on flower and its mostly THCa. They fixed this by issue by implementing a new “Total THC” rule which was defined as D9-THC content plus .87 of the THCa content and that rule goes into effect in November which will make Franklin illegal.

But for now we can legally purchase and enjoy Franklin. Franklin is not the prettiest hemp flower, it is not the best tasting hemp flower, but Franklin does exactly what it is supposed to do. It reminds me of the low-grade cannabis I was able to purchase in high school and even college. It does the job and with all the benefits of ordering off the internet and getting it shipped to my house; my what a time to be alive!

Franklin is the type of hemp that’s good for rolling a couple joints and going on a hike in the woods. You don’t go to outer space but get into a good mood to enjoy the hike. I also find myself using Franklin while relaxing around a fire or just winding down for the day. It pretty much is a good anytime strain to chill or, when consuming in higher quantities, is good for recreational reasons.

Adventures in Delta8 – Mixing a custom cart

Having enjoyed retail Δ⁸ vape carts for the past couple months, I noticed that the options were lacking in terms of variety. All the manufacturers are using a high purity Δ⁸ distillate and mixing in botanical terpenes. Some are starting to use hemp derived terpenes, but those are currently only a few. While Δ⁸ by itself is a decent experience, I found that mixing it with other cannabinoids(like smokeable hemp) really brought out the effects to be more well rounded and enveloping thanks to the entourage effect. With the variety of options available in terms of Δ⁸ and hemp distillate, I decided to start making my own.

To start, I picked up some Δ⁸ distillate from Greene Rush Hemp. Their supplier has been putting out higher and higher purity products and also tested the distillate against a full panel for purity, pesticides, metals, and residual solvents.

Having tried botanical terpenes and experienced the harshness, I was focused on finding hemp or cannabis derived ones as others have reported them to be much smoother and encourage the entourage effect. I purchased a few hemp distillates, but for this first cart I used some purchased from Apical Greens and having Sour Diesel terpenes, which they report to be cannabis derived.

Mixing the cart was pretty easy, but I did prepare with several supplies. To start, I warmed all the distillates and CCell vape cart in my oven at 190F for 15 minutes. I had a beaker sitting on a hotplate and glass stir rod ready for when everything was at temperature. Taking everything out of the oven, I put roughly .25mL of the hemp distillate and .75mL of the Δ⁸ into the beaker and gave it a quick stir for a 3:1 Δ⁸ to hemp ratio. After that I sucked it back up into a syringe and dispensed it into the CCell.

I waited a day to vape the cart to let the air work its way out of the ceramic of the cart(atleast, that is what I read should be done). First thing I noticed was that the vape was incredibly smooth, way smoother than the retail carts using botanical terpenes. It still took roughly 20 minutes to feel the effects of the Δ⁸ and the experience was what I was hoping for.

A full mix of cannabinoids provided a significant entourage experience where I found myself not wanting to smoke any of the hemp I had to enhance the feeling. It provided significant relaxation compared to the normal Δ⁸ I have grown accustomed to. I think this is my new favorite mix of cannabinoids and I look forward to further experiments with ratios.

The Adventures of the Great Neblinksi – Book Review

I don’t always review books, but when I do, it is for good reason. Creative fiction is subjective, however, when it combines all my favorite elements of cannabis, adventure, and magic; I am all in!

I became aware of the author, JRR Tokin, on Twitter. I saw some friends share his posts and started to follow. I wasn’t sure what to make of it at first, but his posts were quite entertaining and one day I said “screw it, what do I have to lose?” and ordered a copy of the book.

Side note: the author is an amazing artist and his clay sculptures are a sight to behold.

Boy was I entertained. After the first chapter of the book I was hooked. The book follows the adventure of a Gnome, erm, a G’nome who is sent by his people’s lost deity to spread the word of their holy herb(cannabis!) and undertake a perilous journey. Along the way he befriends a group of mercenaries who assist him throughout his journey.

The book is chalked full hilarious anecdotes and gratuitous consumption of the holy herb. To put it in perspective, the only other book I have ever laughed out loud at was Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. If you try to keep up with the characters in the book and their partaking in the holy sacrament, you’ll soon be saying Holy Shiddumbuzzin!

To top it off, this book has it all. The story is wonderfully written with great character development. The author does a fantastic job of storytelling and brings the reader in with plenty of suspense, mystery, and intrigue. I won’t give away the plot within the book but I am desperately waiting for the second book to come out to see where this story goes!

You’ll laugh, you might cry, you might also just get really high from the amount of smoke billowing out of the book! I highly suggest checking it out and getting a copy!