The Fertilizer of Economic Growth

[keyplay]

This thread is nothing more than a joke. I still do not see what the big fuckin deal is over all of this? Going by what is said on here, I must work for the fuckin DEA too b/c I had to have clearence and special Gov't permits to do my internship when I was getting my organic chemistry degree.

The thread is not a joke! I want a true and concise history from people who are trustworthy and stand nothing to gain or lose from the truth.
There are many very sinister elements involved that surprise and attempt to defeat.

Sorry if I jumped on board late and I mean not to be painfully redundant.

 

[shantibaba]

Hi All

listen as it is a touchy topic depending upon the side of the water you are on, let`s call it a difference of opinion based on similar evidence. The point to all of this is that certain things are documented well and have been covered in Holland by a radio program that authenticated their facts before going to air. Make of it what you wish to believe and let`s be civilised in discussion or remain silent. I do not wish to begin to tell off people or ban them so please do not make me start....all the best Sb

 

[bigherb]

its all very interesting and still overwhelming this seems to be reality


sams has told me that the truth will be known in the end and ty reports r lies

as for now there are still on goin legal matters so its not in open disscussion



1luvbigherb

 

[Skunkha]

change of opinion

Hi All

listen as it is a touchy topic depending upon the side of the water you are on, let`s call it a difference of opinion based on similar evidence. The point to all of this is that certain things are documented well and have been covered in Holland by a radio program that authenticated their facts before going to air. Make of it what you wish to believe and let`s be civilised in discussion or remain silent. I do not wish to begin to tell off people or ban them so please do not make me start....all the best Sb

If professional investigative journalists such as from the radio program state this...well, this adds credibility of some involvement

 

[joaquin386]

Why not use a translator? Skunkha you dont show probe of anything. Apart on my side what might appear in Radio dont constitude a truth byitself if it is such an important matter as a CI. Appart from that the idea of CI is quiet wierd.

TY reports even dont make sence.

 

[Skunkha]

change of topic

Academically I led a team researching the use of IP to protect seed traits. Also, I have been a grower of very many other crops prior to medicinal Cannabis.

I was hoping to discuss more economics with Cannabis not criminality. I am disabled and medically legitimate where I live, therefore Sam's status is not ultimately important personally.

 

[joaquin386]

Ok sorry then.

 

[Skunkha]

respekt

I'm really disappointed that Jesse wrote this article. I don't think it's well written or researched at all. There is a lot more info I have read and the story is very complex.

I've extensively researched a lot of things to do with this whole Sam, Neville and others controversy and gave up because the negativity of it all got to me and I decided just growing weed was much more fun and an in-depth knowledge of the history wasn't as important to me as I used to think it was.

One big thing that led me to decide to not publish any further writings on this subject was shantibaba's attitude to it all. I think shanti is a damn good bloke and an honest one too, damn rare in the canna business. So if shanti is content to focus on the genes and plants and let sleeping dogs lie then I think everyone else should too, it helps no-one to drag up old controversies and it detracts from what should be the long term goal of all us - to achieve legalisation of our beloved herb.

I really hope jesse gives up with the muck raking, it's already caused enough trouble and done nothing to help anyone in any way.

Hi bh

Nice heart-felt post.

The negativity got to you and you decided to stop research and focus on positive aspects of the herb. Great for you. JessE makes decisions for himself as anyone. He will have to come to his own conclusion.

JessE has every right to call bs on the postings of the 800 pound gorilla over at ICMAG. This is the place to do it as the other forum is moderated by said gorilla.

How has JessE caused any trouble? JessE is not responsible for other poster's reactions. If you are not interested in the topic, then stick to other topics. Your research has unvieled complexity to you and somehow a negative element additionally from somewhere(you do not attribute source). If JessE is interested in detailed history, he should be able to ferret out evidence to his own satisfaction. Let's not stifle examinations of history.

A member of this forum has provided a translated link to Dutch Parliamentary discussions privately to me. The information states that Sam was arrested in the U.S. (presumptly) with the charge of: cultivation for sale purposes. Though this information is not a 'smoking gun' for anything nefarious 'on its face', it does show gaps in credibility.

Sam is a 'blowhard' at the very least imvho. JessE calling bs on him can not be conducted at icmag. I support JessE's expose.

 

[Skunkha]

clarification attempt

Ok sorry then.

Hey Joaquin, hope you are well.

To provide continuity to other readers I want to 'fill in some gaps' of our discussion.

I speculated in a post (now deleted) that someone at icmag posted how they were 'shocked' by their research about Sam in Dutch Parliamentary records. I stated that I PMed the poster without success of further information. Joaquin thought thought I had the information but untranslated. I stated to Joaquin that I did not have the information, but, that the poster did not reply to me.

I hope this clears up any gaps.

 

[genegenie]

JessE has every right to call bs on the postings of the 800 pound gorilla over at ICMAG. This is the place to do it as the other forum is moderated by said gorilla.

The reason there are no mods here in MNS, is that until recently there was no need for any, as all members showed a bit of respect in their posts.

Calling Sam a gorilla twice in your post,only after Shanti just asked us all to show a little bit more repect to the site, is IMO not good

I agree with what BH posted above, but as you said Skunkha, everyone's entitlied to their view, I just think you could show a bit more class when your expressing yours.

Peace
GG

 

[Ronin]

..........

 

[JessE]

A member of this forum has provided a translated link to Dutch Parliamentary discussions privately to me. The information states that Sam was arrested in the U.S. (presumptly) with the charge of: cultivation for sale purposes. Though this information is not a 'smoking gun' for anything nefarious 'on its face', it does show gaps in credibility.

Hi Skunkha,
Thought provoking post mate, nice work . Below is a quote from the Skunkman on related grounds.

 

[hempy]

I'm really disappointed that Jesse wrote this article. I don't think it's well written or researched at all. There is a lot more info I have read and the story is very complex.

I've extensively researched a lot of things to do with this whole Sam, Neville and others controversy and gave up because the negativity of it all got to me and I decided just growing weed was much more fun and an in-depth knowledge of the history wasn't as important to me as I used to think it was.

One big thing that led me to decide to not publish any further writings on this subject was shantibaba's attitude to it all. I think shanti is a damn good bloke and an honest one too, damn rare in the canna business. So if shanti is content to focus on the genes and plants and let sleeping dogs lie then I think everyone else should too, it helps no-one to drag up old controversies and it detracts from what should be the long term goal of all us - to achieve legalisation of our beloved herb.

I really hope jesse gives up with the muck raking, it's already caused enough trouble and done nothing to help anyone in any way.

british_hempire i told you i worked out who you were you my friend i would like to ask you why you seam to say one thing here yet say other things at icmag you belive every thing sam says yet here you say diffrent here.

you have sed....

This Haze controversy gets right to the heart of a major conspiracy and I'm not sure I believe all or even part of the conspiracy theory but it's quite entertaining in a way. High Times, Rob Clarke, Sam Skunkman, Ed Rosenthal, Jorge Cervantes, Mel Frank, there are very few major characters in the accepted history of modern drug cannabis, but as we all know, history is written by the winners and those guys are very definitely the winners in modern cannabis history

Let's give Sam credit for what we know he did for sure - turn up in Amsterdam in 84/85 with a shitload of seeds of high quality genetics and the knowledge to grow and breed with them, he kickstarted the modern seed scene and for that he deserves a lot of kudos.


Hempy, your Neville fanboy-ism is wearing pretty thin now. I am happy to give Neville full credit for what he did do, but he bullshitted so much and you seem to have swallowed it all!


Neville built his reputation on the back of the work of others, it would have been nice if he gave some credit instead of making up stupid stories like the G13 myth he started. Remember, when the work to create the genetics Neville profited from was done, Neville was a little kid, he didn't even have the idea to sell seeds until 1982 and Northern Lights, Haze, G13, Early Pearl, Hashplant and all the other genes he used had already been in existence for man years.

Before Sam arrived in Holland, Neville was selling seeds picked out of coffeeshop imports and a handful of low quality lines he either bought or bred, if you look at his 1984 catalogue there is nothing apart from Northern Lights that was good enough to last the test of time:

So Neville made a shitload of money selling seeds to the US. If we look at his 1987 catalogue, it's all genes he bought in from other people and some F1 hybrids he made from them:

Haze x Northern Lights, a simple F1 of two lines bought in and Ruderalis, a piece of crap picked from a Hungarian roadside, three pages in there is precous little evidence of Neville doing much breeding work.

NL1 and Four and More (later Four-Way) two more lines Neville purchased frompeople in the US.

In 1984, Neville had nowt but shite, within 3 years all apart from Ruderalis and NL had disappeared to be replaced with genes either purchased from Sam or purchased from people on the west coast of the US, that is the bare facts, so let's give Neville credit for what he actually did do - track down and commercialise a load of great lines.

After 87, Neville did 3 years of solid breeding work before he got bust, it was in those years that he made the NL5 x Haze, Skunk x Haze, G14xHazeand Hashplant x Haze crosses that became the foundation for all the later Haze work.

So credit where credit is due, but hempy, FFS, please stop trying to build Neville up into something he wasn't!

Joe Pietri reckons Neville's Haze was really something from Australia made up of Thai and Colombian genes but Joe doesn't really know, he's just guessing but he's adamant Neville never got real Haze beans.

I think Sam has lied a fair bit about the Haze Bros to be honest, probably to over up details and protect identities. It's hard to pin down anything concrete but Sam has said that the Bros were growing Haze from 1970 to 1975,


BTW I can't believe some folks are convinced Neville (who disappeared years ago) spoke the gospel truth about the origins of his Haze. It's not much of a stretch to come to the conclusion that when Neville met Sam in Holland in the 80s, Sam was already a legend and Neville a reformed junkie aiming to make a name for himself,

Originally posted by British Hempire
The DEA arrested Neville Schoenmakers in Australia in 1990 for sending a load of seeds from Holland to New Orleans, he's kinda been in hiding ever since so good luck tracking him down and getting him to tell the truth



I will let your wards do the talking for me.

I am not takeing jesses side here but jesse has as much of a right posting what he feels is importent as does you or i and any one i my self know off the radeo report and much more and no i did not hear any of it from shanti infact i and shanti have never spoken about it fact is it threw me back and i dont whant to even post on it.

You and me will not be enemys but i will not be your friend ethir i have lost all respect for you and you know why have a great day and i will from this point on try very hard to ignore you.

 

[Skunkha]

same definition?

The reason there are no mods here in MNS, is that until recently there was no need for any, as all members showed a bit of respect in their posts.

Calling Sam a gorilla twice in your post,only after Shanti just asked us all to show a little bit more repect to the site, is IMO not good

I agree with what BH posted above, but as you said Skunkha, everyone's entitlied to their view, I just think you could show a bit more class when your expressing yours.

Peace
GG

Hey genegenie,

Did not try to offend, honest. Maybe you don't have the same definition for the term? Here is the definition that I meant:

"An overbearing entity in a specific industry or sphere of activity. A seemingly unbeatable presence always to be reckoned with; whose experience, influence, and skill threatens to defeat competitors with little effort.
In the software industry, Microsoft would be considered the 800-pound gorilla." (Urban dictionary)

Also, Sam calls people "fleas" who disagree with him. I would just like a forum that folks are able to express more than one side of an argument.

Best regards, S.

 

[shamazar]

Hello Skunkha,


" seeking the righteous herb since 1965 "

Welcome to MnS, your hunt is finished

 

[EnglishSpringerSpaniel]

The reason there are no mods here in MNS, is that until recently there was no need for any, as all members showed a bit of respect in their posts.

Calling Sam a gorilla twice in your post,only after Shanti just asked us all to show a little bit more repect to the site, is IMO not good

I agree with what BH posted above, but as you said Skunkha, everyone's entitlied to their view, I just think you could show a bit more class when your expressing yours.

Peace
GG

I don't want to get in the middle of this argument, but I think the '800 lb. gorilla' comment wasn't meant as name-calling or anything personally insulting towards Sam. The term 'the 800 lb. gorilla' (typically the full phrase is 'the 800 lb gorilla in the room') usually refers to an unavoidable, unignorable situation/scenario that eventually must be confronted. One of the other implications of the phrase is that people would like to avoid or ignore the '800 lb gorilla' if they could.

That said, I don't agree with the premise that this issue can't be left alone. If the people who have been primarily affected can move on and let this issue be, the rest of the community should let them do just that instead of stoking the fires of controversy.

ESS

 

[JessE]

This line is not without controversy, for a former business partner of Nevils’, known as Sam Skunkman (who according to Frank Bovenkerk headed to Holland in 1985 with Ed Rosenthal)

Hi all
I was recently going through some old literature of mine and ran across an interesting add in the back of one of the books. This particular piece of literature, "Marijuana Growers Handbook Indoor/Greenhouse Edition" by Ed Rosenthal has been in my possession for a very long time now, though I had not noticed the add until today it was like looking back through time in a way when my attention was brought to this original "The Seed Bank" ad from many years ago.

Also of interest was an add from one company in particular (at least) that sounded very familiar. Applied Hydroponics.

“At first I thought I was being set up, so I called the DEA and was told that it wasn't true. It turned out that I'd had three shipments from Applied Hydroponics—all for a defective light meter which was being exchanged—and they'd gotten my name from a mailing list. I had joined the American Orchid Society at the beginning of the year and got their ad (Applied Hydroponics’) from the American Orchid Society bulletin. So the issue here isn’t marijuana at all; it’s Fourth Amendment stuff, consent searches. And this experience has sort of activated me. I've often felt that I should be more active in trying to get marijuana legalized, but I just kept quiet. This experience has made me decide to take a public stand.” - Joe Hoberman

Below is a link that was posted originally on the first page, but I highly recommend every member of the cannabis community familiarize themselves with this information on Operation Green Merchant from former High Times writer Peter Gorman. The above quote is just one of many interesting pieces of information contained within Mr. Gorman's work. (Also interesting to note is the presence of another Green Merchant target, 'Sinsemilla Tips'.)

http://petergormanarchive.com/green_merchant.html

 

[JessE]

Hi Namaskar,
Thank you for this contribution below, as Ive mentioned before its amazing what one can find with a little bit of research. I found the information below quite significant, in that it clearly shows Hortapharm is providing samples of cannabis (presumably Skunk #1 and other common varieties used in today's modern breeding scene) which are being used to "establish conspiracy in the cultivation of marijuana" among other things listed below.

How many varieties of cannabis are hybridized with Skunk#1, or Northern Lights, White Widow, Haze, etc? If these samples are sent to testing facilities funded by the United States government, which are then being used as evidence in conspiracy charges against growers and maybe even breeders, think of the ultimate implications of Hortapharms cooperation with the Drug Enforcement Administration. If you've got a variety of cannabis related to the samples provided by Hortapharm, and find yourself on the wrong end of the law and your plants are then analyzed and found to be genetically related to the samples provided by Hortapharm, that information can then be used as evidence to support a conspiracy in cultivation charge not just against you, but perhaps those who provided the seeds to you and even the breeder themselves.

With some time pondering over the ultimate outcome(s) that this research could yield in terms of potential legal ramifications against many well known names in the industry today, one can not take this information lightly or simply over look it as so many of you have chosen to do thus far. Potentially anyone not associated with Hortapharm could find themselves a target from the samples of cannabis provided to the US government for this research. Pillars of the breeding industry such as Skunk #1, Northern Lights, Haze, White Widow etc. are the basic building blocks of commercialized seed today. Their prevalence in breeding programs around the world today is not questioned, thus making professional and amateur seed alike related in some shape, form or fashion to these lines extremely common. And thus rounding into the potential for anyone not associated with Hortapharm to become a target simply based on genetic relation of their strains to those of the samples Hortapharm has provided the government to use in the aiding and abetting of bringing conspiracy of cultivation charges against anyone who finds themselves on the wrong end of the law.

Genetic Variation in Hemp and Marijuana (Cannabis sativa L.) According to Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms*
Shannon L. Datwyler, Ph.D. 1,2 ; and George D. Weiblen, Ph.D. 2
1 Department of Plant Biology, University of Minnesota, 1445 Gortner Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55108.
2 Present Address: Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Sacramento, 6000 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95819.
Correspondence to Additional information and reprint requests:
George D. Weiblen, Ph.D
Department of Plant Biology
University of Minnesota
1445 Gortner Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55108
E-mail: gweiblen@umn.edu

*HortaPharm B.V. (the Netherlands) and Kenex Ltd. (Canada) provided controlled substances for research registered and permitted by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy with support from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation and the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station. The study was first presented at the Botanical Society of America Annual Meeting in 2004 at Snowbird, Utah.
Copyright Copyright © 2006 by American Academy of Forensic Sciences
KEYWORDS
forensic science • DNA typing • amplified fragment length polymorphism • analysis of molecular variance • heterozygosity • DNA fingerprinting • sex linkage

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT: Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabaceae) is one of the earliest known cultivated plants and is important in the global economy today as a licit and an illicit crop. Molecular markers distinguishing licit and illicit cultivars have forensic utility, but no direct comparison of hemp and marijuana amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) has been made to date. Genetic variation was surveyed in three populations of fiber hemp and a potent cultivar of marijuana using AFLP markers. Ten primer pairs yielded 1206 bands, of which 88% were polymorphic. Eighteen bands represented fixed differences between all fiber populations and the drug cultivar. These markers have practical utility for (1) establishing conspiracy in the cultivation and distribution of marijuana, (2) identifying geographic sources of seized drugs, and (3) discriminating illegal, potent marijuana cultivars from hemp where the cultivation of industrial hemp is permitted.

Received 17 Dec. 2005; and in revised form 21 July and 3 Oct. 2005; accepted 22 Oct. 2005; published 13 Feb. 2006.

Another one

Identification of candidate genes affecting Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol biosynthesis in Cannabis sativa
M. David Marks,1* Li Tian,2† Jonathan P. Wenger,1 Stephanie N. Omburo,1 Wilfredo Soto-Fuentes,1 Ji He,2 David R. Gang,3 George D. Weiblen,1 and Richard A. Dixon2

Plant growth and gland isolation
Seeds from the marijuana cultivar Skunk no. 1 were provided by HortaPharm BV (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and imported under a US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) permit to a registered controlled substance research facility.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2736886/pdf/erp210.pdf

Interesting articles BTW

Namaste

 

[JessE]

Originally Posted by JessE
With some time pondering over the ultimate outcome(s) that this research could yield in terms of potential legal ramifications against many well known names in the industry today, one can not take this information lightly or simply over look it as so many of you have chosen to do thus far. Potentially anyone not associated with Hortapharm could find themselves a target from the samples of cannabis provided to the US government for this research. Pillars of the breeding industry such as Skunk #1, Northern Lights, Haze, White Widow etc. are the basic building blocks of commercialized seed today. Their prevalence in breeding programs around the world today is not questioned, thus making professional and amateur seed alike related in some shape, form or fashion to these lines extremely common. And thus rounding into the potential for anyone not associated with Hortapharm to become a target simply based on genetic relation of their strains to those of the samples Hortapharm has provided the government to use in the aiding and abetting of bringing conspiracy of cultivation charges against anyone who finds themselves on the wrong end of the law.

Hi all,
Below is a quote from Sam_Skunkman recently posted over at Icmag.com which relates to the topic at hand.

Can anyone find any points of contention with the statement below?

As for me being the DEA, lets cut to the bone, where are all my victims?This is so fucking ridiculous, I have been in the public for 25 years and am easy to reach, MARCO could of easily contacted me before his snitch rag outed me, to ask if there was any truth to any of the accusations, but I have been told by people that work with MARCO that he does not care who he hurts as long as it increases his rag TY's circulation. MARCO is a parasite who lives off of creating controversy for his rag.
If you think he is a friend of Cannabis medical patients ask why the fuck did he let his magazine be used by crazy Joe as a forum to attack me, a Cannabis medical patient?

We do not need people like this that help destroy innocent people all the time claiming "Freedom of the Press" means they have zero responsibility to assure the facts of any accusations in his rag.

Also many seed companies here in Holland have complained about his business methods, his knocking off of name brand genetics and selling the all female versions under the original breeders names. He may have well helped a few folks along the way, good for him, but this guy is not a friend of Cannabis or medical Cannabis patients, he is just another guy who has hitched his wagon to Cannabis as he smelled the profits. And he has no sense of what is right and what is wrong, I mean to out a persons real name, repeatedly over and over, put your self in my shoes for one minute and for that one minute assume I am innocent, how do you feel?

My question to you is who will be the next unfortunate you will out and maybe ruin his life, all to sell a few more mags or advertising in the mag?

And to the readers I ask how would you feel if your real name was outed and you were accused of destroying the Cannabis genepool and being in league with the DEA? Would you still love MARCO even if he did not write the article but just published it without trying to confirm if there was any truth in any of the accusations before publishing?

If he would of just checked about me selling all female seeds he should of gotten a little suspicious about the rest of the article, maybe?

-SamS

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=2957825&postcount=92

Speaking at the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) conference in Montpellier, Dr Geoffrey W Guy, Chairman of GW Pharmaceuticals, said that HortaPharm will provide GW with exclusive access to its entire range of cannabis varieties for the development of medicines. The worldwide rights acquired by GW for an undisclosed sum cover varieties grown to date with certain exceptions and all varieties to be bred in future.



In addition GW will fund HortaPharm's botanical research and HortaPharm scientists will assist in the UK Glasshouse propagation, cloning and cultivation programme.

Dr Guy, said: "There has been much speculation as to the exact role of the various chemical components of cannabis in treating patients with illnesses such as Multiple Sclerosis and AIDS wasting syndrome. In particular THC (the psychoactive constituent chemical) has received much attention. Historical medical reports and more recent work may point to the influence of cannabidiol (CBD) in epilepsy and stroke for example. We wish to explore the therapeutic benefits and the potential for reduction in unwanted effects that may be offered through administration of complete extracts containing various defined ratios of the principal cannabinoids."


Mr David Watson, Chief Executive of HortaPharm commented "HortaPharm leads the world in its understanding of cannabis botany and has built up over many years the most extensive 'Living Library' of Medicinal Cannabis varieties. As soon as Dr Guy's clinical research indicates the exact desired composition our scientists can breed and register new medicinal varieties".

http://production.investis.com/gwpharmaceuticals/releases/1998-07-23/?version=1

http://www.gwpharm.com/Details%20released%20of%20collaboration%20between%20GW%20Pharmaceuticals%20and%20Hortapharm%20medicinal%20cannabis.aspx

"It looks like dope, but really it's hope," explains the proprietor, American entrepreneur David Watson. What he means is that many of these plants have been specifically bred not to produce an intoxicating resin or hashish. Indeed, HortaPharm hopes to thwart the aims of the average recreational user.


The team are already close to finding their own commercial Holy Grail - seeds that will produce a one-off, female, seedless crop of plants with no psychotropic effects (or THC highs, to the layman) for the consumer. Why, you might ask, would they want to do that?

Mr Watson and his Dutch colleague, biochemist Etienne de Meijer, are confident that by using their own exclusive cross-breeding methods, they can develop healthy plants which will combine only the desired chemical make-up of individual medicines.


There will be no generational deterioration and no genetic difference between each plant because they will be bred from themselves: they will be cloned. "You can clone a plant 10 times," explains Mr de Meijer, "and every time it will be exactly the same."

Mr de Meijer has developed his own technique of "self-progeny" - or "selfing" - where he turns half of one female plant temporarily into a male. Fertilising a plant with itself in this way means the same genetic make-up can be reproduced.


"I can make 20,000 clones with 'selfed' parents in two weeks," he says. "Humans may degenerate from inbreeding, but these plants do not. I'm sure I am the first person to apply this method of inbreeding to cannabis and I found the selfing process was amazingly simple."


But the unique research has no market in Holland. "Because the sale of the drug is tolerated in coffee shops, there is no interest - though people don't really know what they are buying," says Mr Watson.

As a result, the seeds that HortaPharm is producing are passed straight on to Britain to take their place in the soil at the ground-breaking facility set up this summer by Dr Geoffrey Guy in south-east England. "We hooked up with Dr Guy in January and right now all we are doing is providing the basic building blocks for his work," says Mr Watson. "We were rather surprised that it would happen in England first."

HortaPharm's sample plants are analysed in the laboratory with a gas chromatographer and with each new batch the team homes in on the plant's distinct chemical components or cannabinoids - THC, CBD, CBC, CBG and THCV. When Dr Guy completes his medical research in Britain, HortaPharm will breed plants to supply the right combination of active ingredients for his treatments. "Once Dr Guy has worked out what he wants in chemical form, we will find him the right physical characteristics, too, by combining desirable features from plants found around the world - high-resin production and resistance to disease," says Mr de Meijer.

HortaPharm is only interested in developing female plants that are sterile, but this is not just to protect their genetic copyright. "If a plant is not kept busy producing seeds, all its energy can go into resin production," says Mr de Miejer.


Sitting at his computer screen in Amsterdam, Mr Watson can keep an eye on the perimeter fence at Dr Guy's British farm via the internet. "The security he has there is amazing," says Mr Watson, who flew out to plant the first seeds there two months ago.

In June, Dr Guy's company, G W Pharmaceuticals, secured the first British licence to grow the plant for medical purposes. By arrangement with the Home Office, the doctor can farm cannabis plants and investigate their properties with a view to marketing a cheap herbal-based answer to the debilitating symptoms of MS, Glaucoma, Parkinson's, cancer, asthma and Aids.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/ca...s-1200871.html

There is no question that GW plans to enforce its patents on Sativex, which is a precisely dosed medicine. Warns Guy: “To protect our extensive investment, we have sought to identify and patent certain inventions throughout the growing, extraction and manufacturing process. My comments to Mr. Lucas were made as a friendly and, hopefully, helpful gesture as I did not wish him to invest a great amount of effort into obtaining approval for a product as a prescription medicine only to find that he did not have the freedom to operate in the first place.”

Guy’s warning was reiterated shortly after I arrived in England to interview him, when Mark Rogerson, GW’s grey-templed, elegantly dressed, public relations man, met me at the Oxford train station. “Once it’s approved and Sativex becomes a medicine under the law, there needs to be a minor change in legislation so it can be prescribed,” he said, as he steered his Hyundai (his Audi was in the shop) into near-gridlock. “The Home Office has already said they will do that, and then patients will be taking a legal medicine. But if you are an MS sufferer, it would still be illegal for you to grow cannabis at the bottom of the garden to treat your symptoms. Our medicine will be legal, but anything else will not be.”

http://www.walrusmagazine.com/print/2005.02-medicine-medical-marijuana-activist/

 

[JessE]

Speaking at the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) conference in Montpellier, Dr Geoffrey W Guy, Chairman of GW Pharmaceuticals, said that HortaPharm will provide GW with exclusive access to its entire range of cannabis varieties for the development of medicines. The worldwide rights acquired by GW for an undisclosed sum cover varieties grown to date with certain exceptions and all varieties to be bred in future. Plant registrations arising from the Dutch breeding programme will be owned by GW.

http://www.gwpharm.com/Details rele...ticals and Hortapharm medicinal cannabis.aspx

At a secret location in southeastern England, GW Pharmaceuticals has built what might well be the most high-tech pot palace on the planet. Surrounded by electrified razor wire, video cameras, and motion detectors, the greenhouse sprawls across more than an acre of land. At any one time, more than 15,000 marijuana plants are growing under its 14-foot ceiling, with its banks of lights. Inside is a sea of green, comprised of some of the world's most potent strains of pot: Hindu Kush, White Widow, Skunk, Northern Lights. Outside of the Netherlands, GW is the only commercial organization in Europe licensed to cultivate cannabis on this scale.

http://www.maps.org/media/fc021704_2.html