Cannabis is a hot topic at the moment. Over in the US, there is a domino effect of states rapidly legalizing weed, for both medical and recreational purposes, and there are signs that similar reforms could start spreading across the European continent sooner rather than later.
We all know what cannabis plants look like, even if it’s only from watching illegal growers being busted on those fly-on-the-wall police shows on TV. But every one of those plants comes from a single seed, and cannabis seeds have some intriguing stories all of their own.
They can be male or female
Cannabis plants come in both sexes, every cannabis seed is either male or female. It’s the female plants that create the buds, so that’s why when you see a seed shop promoting seeds for a popular strain like kush or amnesia haze, they will specify that the seeds are feminized.
But they all look the same
There are all sorts of old wives’ tales out there about how to tell the difference between a male and female seed by looking at it. Unfortunately, all of them are works of fiction. Experts can tell by laboratory analysis, so that’s why it’s best to buy from a reputable seller. If you have a “Jack and the beanstalk” style pack of magic beans, the only option is to plant them all and later remove the male ones, which are obvious once they start to mature.
They are delicious and nutritious
Cannabis seeds are gaining something of a reputation as a superfood. They are high in omega 3, omega 6, Vitamin E, antioxidants and all sorts of other good things. In other words, they really pack a nutritional punch in a small package. They can be sprinkled raw over a salad, yogurt or smoothie, and you can even roast them to make a delicious snack that’s way more healthy than peanuts laden with salt and oil. Also, note that they won’t get you high – the cannabinoid that has psychotropic properties is only present in the buds of the plant, not in the seeds.
Size is irrelevant
It’s an axiom in so many aspects of life, and it also holds true for cannabis seeds. The seeds themselves can vary dramatically in size, with some barely larger than a tomato seed and others almost pea-size. But the size of the seed has absolutely no bearing on the size or yield of the plant it can become.
You can buy them in the UK
In areas like gambling, the UK is way ahead, but when it comes to cannabis, the US is the more progressive nation. Still, while growing cannabis in the UK is still not permissible, buying cannabis seeds is just fine. Some buy them to eat, although for this purpose, it is more cost-effective to purchase hemp seeds than carefully produced feminized weed seeds. More commonly, they are bought by collectors who store them somewhere cool and dark in preparation for the day when they can legally plant them.