Ethical Principles Of Cannabis Cultivation

As the cannabis industry graduates from the black market, improved practices and large scale commercial agricultural growing methods have developed. Historically, cannabis has been grown in unregulated markets, without oversight. Thanks to advancements in research, cannabis cultivators are employing ethical cultivation practices that do right by the customer and the plant.

A Brief History of Cultivation

In an unregulated market, cultivators are pragmatic, and use whatever methods they can to achieve the largest yield per plant, and the highest profit.

Before the age of search engines, cultivators relied on their peers for solutions to cultivation obstacles, such as pests and root rot. This often resulted in the spread of misinformation (curing your buds upside down leads to higher potency buds, for example).

On the low-impact side of misinformation, a friend tells you to handle flower upside-down.  On the high-impact side, your friend could recommend spraying your plants with known toxins to kill pests. Without testing or oversight, who can say with authority that dousing cannabis with RoundUp is harmful?

Apply this general idea to the entirety of cannabis cultivation, and you’ll see how research and development can lead to better methods and products. In addition to growers being able to research, learn, and communicate their findings, the internet has enabled growers to view cultivation resources that can’t be found in general stores.

The Legal Cannabis Industry

The legalization of cannabis has necessitated a serious change in grow practices. As products are now available to the general population, and overseen by various regulatory agencies, we are learning what is and is not acceptable.

When cannabis was first legalized in 1996 for medical use in California, there wasn’t nearly as much information on which grow techniques needed restrictions, the State of California is  still adding to the list of what pesticides and fungicides are approved for use. Cannabis remains federally scheduled, and there are no Environmental Protection Agencyguidelines for approved pesticides or fungicides.

Luckily, the surge in available information brought about by legalization has helped. Increasingly, agencies regulate procedures and policies for product testing to help consumers learn about the cultivation of their products. This has led to the coinage of the term “Ethical Cultivation,” which mandates a right and a wrong way to cultivate cannabis. Cultivating a product that may pose risks to the consumer is ethically wrong.

Ethical Cultivation as Part of the Purchase Process

Brands and consumers are taking note of the ethical principles of cannabis cultivation, with the intention to deliver the best possible product to consumers. More and more, consumers are curious as to what goes into their cannabis, in the same way organically grown fruits and vegetables are rising in popularity.

Ethical cultivation is a point of differentiation. In a market where everyone is selling cannabis, Ethically Cultivated Cannabis stands out as a reliable, sustainable offering crafted with the consumer in mind.  Low-quality products are likely cultivated with low-quality growing practices.

That said, the price tag associated with a cultivar does not determine the quality, or if it’s been ethically cultivated. Growing without pesticides in an organic environment that may even go so far as to utilize permaculture or living soil techniques requires a more sophisticated skill set and facility than simply throwing seeds in a 25-gallon tub and hoping the plant is a female. As more cultivars are processed into edible and concentrated products, knowing the cultivation process is more important than ever.

Happy Valley’s 3 Principles of Ethical Cultivation

It’s impossible to have residual contaminants, pesticides, and harmful additives when you refuse to use them. Happy Valley is committed to offering cannabis that has been ethically cultivated according to our three principles:

  1. Happy Valley will never use pesticides in our products.
  2. Happy Valley is developing organic cultivation processes.
  3. Our cultivars are certified by Medicinal Genomics. When you purchase Blue Dream at Happy Valley, you know you are getting a genetic match to the Blue Dream cultivar.

To learn more about cannabis science, products, and Happy Valley’s contributions to cannabis science, subscribe to our mailing list at the bottom of this page.

Open 7 days a week

10am–9pm

Gloucester & East Boston


Are you over 21?