In our last article, we covered a lot of practical planning considerations before you start your caregiving service. In this planning article, we want to discuss the equipment powering your grow, because you are now caregiving for others. Because we believe that cannabis is medicine, we need to start thinking about medicinal-quality products, and the best methods to produce them.

In our How-to-Grow 100s series, we talked about growing in a tent in soil, generally inside your own home. We brought up a variety of different pieces of equipment and tools you might want to use, including lights, nutrients, and watering systems. As we get more advanced by growing for others, we should start opening up our horizons to other pieces of equipment and more advanced ways to grow.

Now that said, there’s nothing wrong with continuing the model of growing we introduced in the 100 series. If you want to grow in soil, that’s ok! Plenty of professionals do too. You can even see them on our Canna Cribs series. If you want to continue using LEDs, plenty of professionals do too. What we want to do is simply open you up to the possibility of new avenues of growing and let you choose for yourself what works for you.

The first thing we should discuss is what medium you are growing your cannabis in. In our 100s series, we primarily focused on growing in soil. Soil is still one of the most common mediums for growing cannabis, but it’s not the only medium, nor is it always the best. Soil often takes up a lot of space, and is harder to control than other mediums. However, unlike other mediums, it is self-regulating with microbes and requires fewer nutrients and less monitoring. It is also what plants evolved with, so they are best suited to it.

But if you want to save on space or have more precise control over your grow, you will want to consider other mediums. These mediums are often referred to as “inert” because when you buy them, they contain no nutrients and no microbes. They are simply a platform for roots to grow off of.

Here are some of the more common ones you will hear about on a frequent basis:

1. Coco Coir, or “Coco” is made from the husks of coconut shells. Many growers often mix coco and soil together as a sort of “hybrid” medium which has microbes in it already, but easier to regulate.
2. Rockwool is a medium that is created when rock is superheated and extruded into thin strands. These thin strands are then spun into cubes or blocks that are completely inert, but are great for roots to take hold of. Rockwool is a bit more finicky, but allows for very precise control.
3. Clay/Sand/Pebbles are “classic” mediums of hydroponic growing when it first started. They allow a plant’s roots to grow and are totally inert, but may be harder to work with than rockwool or coco coir. However, they are sterile and relatively easy to work with.

Picking what works best for you is often a matter of preference and the amount of time you’d like to spend on your plants. Growers who like to focus on the fine details may prefer more labor-intensive mediums like rockwool that provide more control, and growers who want to have their hands off of the process may lean more towards soil. Try experimenting with the different types to find out what works best for your style of growing.

In our How-to-Grow 100s planning article, we recommended using LED lights for first-time indoor growers, due to their relative ease of use and fewer side effects.

But as we move into a caregiving role, it may be worth considering HID bulbs or even hybrid lighting systems. HID bulbs come with significant trade-offs that may be worth it to a small caregiving operation: They are cheaper and put out significantly more light per fixture, with the downsides that they draw more power, generate significantly more heat, and must be placed further from the plant canopy.

There are several types of HID bulbs, and each is slightly different:

1. Single-Ended vs. Double-Ended -- While not technically a bulb “type,” single-ended bulbs represent an older HID technology, and double-ended bulbs are a newer, more efficient HID technology.
2. Metal Halide (MH) -- Metal Halide lights produce a bluish-white spectrum, and may commonly be observed in stadium lighting. They are very bright, but are a slightly older technology as well. Their spectrum is best suited for the vegetative stage.
3. Ceramic Metal Halide or Light-Emitting Ceramic (CMH/LEC) -- CMH/LEC represents an advancement in metal halide lighting technology, and also emits a bluish-white spectrum. They are more energy-efficient than MH, but also more expensive. Their spectrum is best suited for the vegetative stage.
4. High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) -- HPS lights use entirely different compounds to produce a strong orange/yellow light. HPS is energy efficient, and contains a spectrum ideal for the flowering stage.

One other thing worth mentioning is hybrid lighting technology. We’ll discuss it more in the 300s How-to-Grow articles, but hybrid lighting essentially brings the sun indoors, similar to a greenhouse. Hybrid lighting design requires you to own whatever facility you’re looking to modify (or have a rent agreement that allows facility modification), so we won’t get too much into it just yet.

As your grow gets larger, you may want to consider automating certain basic tasks such as watering or lighting. Most growers interested into getting into automation start with timers that can regulate when the power is on or when the water is flowing. As you start to get a sense for how these automation tools work and you get some more cash flow, you may consider leaping for more advanced controllers that can manage multiple machines and control the environment, including factors such as humidity. If you know a thing or two about programming, you might even be able to design your own controllers with a Raspberry Pi.

We’ll talk about some of the more-advanced automation techniques in the 300s course, where labor becomes more critical as your scale increases. Automation allows you to reduce a significant amount of labor needs without a significant reduction in quality.

In the course of our How-to-Grow series, we will not be explaining how to perform extractions, because they are often dangerous and require serious technical knowledge to perform properly. If you would like to learn more about how to perform extractions, it’s hard to go wrong with chemistry classes at a community college or university. Of course, there are always resources online, but their value may vary. We do NOT want you blowing yourself up.

However, as a caregiver, some of your patients may ask for more than just cannabis flower to consume. While a caregiver is not required to provide edibles or extracts, it is a service you may be interested in providing to increase your clientele base. To that end, there are a few basic types of extraction:

1. ”Traditional” Extractions
   1. Traditional extractions require relatively few materials beyond ice, sieves, and pots or pans.
2. Solvent-based Extractions
   1. Solvent-based extractions primarily require a solvent, cloth, and trays or pots.
3. Hydrocarbon Extractions
   1. Hydrocarbon extractions use carbon-based chemicals to pull cannabinoids out of the flower.
4. Rosin Press
   1. Rosin presses use heat and temperature to "squeeze" oils and materials out of the flower.
5. Supercritical/Subcritical CO₂ Extractions
   1. Supercritical/Subcritical extractions use high pressures and a variety of different temperatures to pull all the goodies out of flower.

Hydrocarbon, Rosin Press, and Supercritical/Subcritical CO₂ extractions all require specialized equipment to perform properly.

Alright! That covers most of what we need to for equipment for your caregiving grow. Remember that a lot of these equipment choices are based on your personal preference and what you think works best for producing healthy medicine for your patients.

We’re almost done with the planning stages for your caregiving grow, but we have a few more things we need to touch on before we release you!

Hi there!

If you’ve made it to this point in our “How to Grow” series, you’ve already determined that you can legally grow cannabis for other individuals and patients. Today we’ll be discussing some real, practical concerns around growing for multiple people. So let’s get down to brass tacks, shall we?

Pokey.

First, let’s address something that’s really important. The rules and laws surrounding caregivers are often… vague, to put it politely. Even states or countries with explicit rules surrounding caregivers may not specify everything you need to know for your operation. Lawyers may only be able to give you a shrug as their best answer to a question, as some of the specifics may actually need to be worked out in a court.

Just remember to always be polite and courteous to law enforcement, and present any and all documentation they ask for. It is not wise to carry weapons or alcohol while you are working with cannabis, as this may incite further investigation. Police are often just trying to do their best given their current understanding of the law, and they are not lawyers.

One of the first practical questions you’ll need to tackle is where you can grow. Some jurisdictions are specific about where or how you can grow, and other jurisdictions are less restrictive. Based on your country/state law, and your county/city law, you may only be able to grow in specific areas and specific zones. As part of this process, you may need to draw up several maps and refer to city planners or city clerks to determine what is an appropriate location.

In this instance, we’ll use Tucson, Arizona (where I live) as an example. Arizona law dictates the following for caregivers:

1. May only cultivate cannabis if your patient(s) are greater than 25 miles away from the closest dispensary. Note that this rule does not define where you as a caregiver may grow.
2. You must operate as a non-profit, as defined by the state.

Seems simple right? But wait, I’m in Tucson. Tucson has its own rules too.

1. Caregiver cultivation sites may be in the caregiver’s residence.
2. Caregivers who are growing for more than one patient must cultivate in city zones of C-2, C-3, I-1, and I-2 (Commercial or Industrial Zones).
3. Multiple caregivers may cultivate in the same location PROVIDED that the total cultivation size is under 250 square feet.
4. All conditions applying to dispensary cultivation sites also apply to caregivers, except for the ability to grow at your place of residence.

Now let’s say you’re a caregiver in Tucson, and you don’t want your whole house smelling like cannabis all the time. Fair enough, you’ll just find another facility, right? Well, then there’s an entire set of other rules that applies to you. These rules denote “setback” distances dependent on your location relative to other things such as:

1. Other cultivation sites (Setback by >2000 feet in commercial zones)
2. Schools (Setback by >1000 feet in commercial zones, >500 feet in industrial zones)
3. Churches, libraries, public parks (Setback by >1000 feet in commercial zones)
4. Rehab centers and halfway houses. (Setback by >2000 feet in commercial zones)

Additionally, these rules also note that the structure in which cultivation takes place must be considered a permanent structure, not temporary. As you can see, these rules are extensive, and many caregivers opt to grow on their own personal property.

Editor’s Note: All distances are measured “as the crow flies,” in a circular radius around any of these facilities.

Second Editor’s Note: I also took a look at Pima County rules on cultivation sites (since Tucson is located in Pima County), and fortunately all Pima County rules are included in Tucson city rules, so it would’ve been redundant to add them to this article.

These rules such are fairly typical for cities that have made rulings on cannabis cultivation in their jurisdiction. Your city may or may not make these rules easily accessible, and it is your responsibility to find these rules if you are a caregiver. If your municipality has not made any ruling on cannabis cultivation, then only county, state, and country rules shall apply. Just remember that if the rules change, you’ll need to keep an eye on them!

Whoa Nelly! You thought the zoning restrictions and location restrictions were a lot? Well, if you’re not already asleep, this next section will help even the most stubborn of insomniacs.

About how much coffee you should have on hand.

Now let’s talk about finances. I have a few questions for you that should help guide your business plan.

1. What is your goal as a caregiver?

1. If your goal is just to take care of a patient or patients, finances may not be a massive concern to you. You’re essentially just upgrading your personal grow to include a few extra individuals. In this case, you may decide a specific amount you’d like to charge your patients, assuming that you want to charge them at all.
2. If your goal as a caregiver is to supplement your income, that’s great! You can charge a rate that nets you a positive over the cost of materials, while still doing your day job.
3. If your goal is to make a career or a living out of caregiving, you’ll need to take several additional factors into consideration.

2. What are your costs?

As a caregiver, you are entering a little bit of the business world. In business, there are two factors to determine your success: Your costs and your revenue. When revenue is higher than costs, you have made a profit. When revenue is lower than costs, you have experienced a loss. Operating at a profit (or breaking even) is critical to the success of the business.

We should start by examining your costs. What will your ongoing costs be and what will your fixed costs be? Once you calculate your ongoing costs and your fixed costs, you will get a sense for how much money you need to make per month to strike even or turn a profit.

Your fixed costs will generally be equipment that lasts a long time. This includes things such as tools, reusable hydroponic equipment, processing/extraction equipment, and other mostly-permanent items. Your ongoing costs will include things such as labor (salaries!), rent/mortgage, nutrients, electricity bills, and water bills. It may take a few months to determine your ongoing costs, so be prepared to lose some money at first.

3. What is your revenue?

Now I’m sure you’re thinking, “Gee, my revenue comes from sales, genius!” And you know what? You’re not wrong.

But if your goal is to make a career out of cannabis caregiving, revenue is a very important question to answer, because your sales matter. How will you get your product to your patients and sell it? How will your patients transfer money or pay you? How many patients should you have to turn a profit (or break even) without also running out of product?

This question is absolutely critical if you want to make a living being a caregiver, and it leads into our next topic...

And last, but certainly not least, we should discuss your patients. You may enter caregiving only looking to help one or two patients you know personally, and we fully support that decision!

But you may also enter caregiving looking to make a living. In that case, your patients are also your clients and your customers. Finding regular clients is important to the success of your business! You may consider joining an online community or Facebook group to find patients who are looking for caregivers. Some growers I have spoken to have agencies that find patients for them. Or you can even try word of mouth and referrals. At the end of the day, finding clients is an important business function.

Caregiving can be deeply rewarding and (potentially) profitable! But it is a business, and carries with it a significant number of business questions. We at Growers Network hope that we have answered some of your practical questions, and have you thinking about caregiving as the next logical step in your growing career!

Resources:

1. Want to learn more about subjects similar to those touched upon in this article? Check out our articles on subjects such as:
   1. Farm v. Boutique: Quantity v. Quality?
   2. Airflow: Think Positive
   3. 5 Awesome Cannabis Strains for Small-Space Growing
   4. Writing a Resume for the Cannabis Industry
   5. What are GMP or Good Manufacturing Practices for Cannabis Cultivation?

So you want to be a caregiver?

Well, that’s pretty cool. Cannabis not only needs qualified growers, it also needs business owners who know what they're doing. Providing cannabis as a caregiver is an intermediate step that allows you to start your own cannabusiness without overburdening yourself by jumping into the deep end.

So with that said, let's ask some legal questions before we immediately jump in!

Editor’s Note: Much of the information presented in this article will focus on the United States, which is where Growers Network is based. However, the information should still be applicable regardless of what country you live in.

At Growers Network, we’re about the legal cannabis industry. None of that black market stuff. So the first question you’ll need to answer when planning for your legal caregiver grow is… can I even grow? This should go without saying, but if you live in a state or country where cannabis isn’t legal for consumption, then the answer is a definite no.

But, if you happen to live in a state or country where cannabis is legal for consumption, then you’ll need to answer a few questions:

1. Are there MMJ laws on the books?

To answer this question, you’ll need to do some research or speak with a local expert. If you live in the United States, there are some handy resources online that can give you a rough estimate on your state’s outlook on cannabis.

If you live in another country, both Wikipedia and Cannabis Business Times can help you determine what laws are on your country’s books.

In either situation, take the time to read the laws surrounding cannabis use and production thoroughly. Legalese can be a bit of a headache, but the old adage of "measure twice, cut once" really applies in this case.

2. Has your state (or country) established a caregiver program?

Once you’ve confirmed that your state or country allows medical cannabis, you then need to know the rules surrounding production and sale of the cannabis. If you live in a state or country that has decriminalized cannabis use, but has not legalized cannabis production, you are probably out of luck. Alternatively, if you live in a state that has legalized cannabis production, but has no program available for caregivers, you may run into trouble.

If you live in the US, I recommend first checking the NCIA’s detailed map on cannabis rules, and if you’re feeling confident, calling the state agency responsible for monitoring cannabis. If you live outside of the US, your best bet is to speak with a lawyer who is familiar with cannabis law in your country. They should be able to tell you what programs are available for production and if a caregiver program is in place.

Some states, such as Arizona (where I live) provide useful resources online for all relevant statutes. Look for helpful resources such as these in your search!

3. Does your municipality or county allow cannabis production?

This is a somewhat finer point, but at least in the United States, municipalities and counties can veto cannabis production in their jurisdiction altogether, even if it is legal in your state. You will need to call up both your city and county clerks and ask them what the rules are regarding cannabis cultivation there. If it’s not allowed, your only recourse will to be relocate to a different jurisdiction, or elect officials who will change the rules.

Editor's Note: We have spoken with several grows that have had to relocate due to county or municipality rules. This is an important question to answer!

4. Presuming that you are allowed to be a caregiver, what are the steps required to become one?

The rules for how to legally become a caregiver will vary by jurisdiction. In Arizona, for example, a qualified patient must legally designate you as their caregiver. Depending on the jurisdiction, rules may be more or less stringent.

Every jurisdiction is different. You will need to go online or call your state or country’s cannabis control agency and find out what the process looks like for you. Get all the relevant forms you will need from the agency, and check in with a lawyer about the process. You want to have all angles covered in the event of liability.

5. Where in your locale can you legally cultivate?

While we will cover the practical concerns of cultivation, you also have to pay attention to your state's or country's rules regarding the physical location of your grow, in addition to your city’s zoning laws.

For example, in US state law, it is not an uncommon requirement for any cannabis cultivation site to be located several thousand feet to a few miles away from any school. In Arizona, caregivers additionally may only produce cannabis for patients who are >25 miles away from their nearest dispensary. These kinds of legal restrictions can place a massive burden on your cultivation, so it is an important thought to consider.

If the rules regarding cultivation as a caregiver are too prohibitive, it may be wiser to try getting hired by your nearest producer or dispensary.

Once you've answered these legal questions, you've gotten a lot of the groundwork done. There are other legal considerations involved in cannabis grows, but most of those will depend on specific local zoning laws and taxes, which is a bit too specific for the scope of this article. Remember that if you’re ever in doubt, call the government cannabis control agency for your jurisdiction, and consult with a lawyer. Nobody should be going to jail over a plant.

And if you’re still with us on this journey, that’s awesome! We’ll go over some more practical details in the next set of planning articles.

Resources:

1. Want to learn more about subjects similar to those touched upon in this article? Check out our articles on subjects such as:
   1. Marijuana Licenses in California – Part 5: Growth and Comparisons to Other States
   2. Writing a Resume for the Cannabis Industry
   3. How to Grow Cannabis 151 - Basics of Flowering (Weeks 1-3)
   4. Applying Traditional Agricultural Technology to Cannabis - A Projection
   5. Canna Cribs Episode 4: Los Sueños Farms -- Pueblo, Colorado