How do you get seeds for a plant that’s illegal to possess or grow at the federal level and in 22 out of 50 states? Here’s a rundown.
Live in a Legal-Weed State
For millions of Americans, procuring seeds as easy as getting a medical marijuana card and visiting a local dispensary. Legal and well-regarded seed-bank websites provide access for millions more. While laws differ from state-to-state on seed distribution and growing (some legal-weed states still prohibit them; some don’t even require a medical marijuana card), nearly 60% of us are just a few speed bumps away from high-quality seeds. Assuming you don’t live in one of those states or don’t have an intrepid, helpful friend who does, it’s a headache.
Find Them in Your Illegal Stash
“Duh,” you say—though it’s worth noting that only some of the “wild” seeds you find here will be viable. While the environment of your grow system is a major factor in determining whether a plant will be male (non-smokable) or female (very smokable), genetics plays a significant role as well. Further, some seeds are simply duds. If three out of five stash seeds you plant produce healthy, female plants, you’ve more than beaten the odds.
Add to all this the fact that modern breeds are low in seeds and that correct growing and harvesting methods prevent plants from producing them, and collecting “beans” through this method takes time, chance, and a lot of smoking. That said, when you do find yourself with a strong female plant growing from a seed found in your stash, it’s like free money! There’s nothing better. An added benefit is that you’d already be familiar with the strain you’re growing.
Hit The Web
As said, marijuana (and, thus, marijuana seeds) remains illegal at the federal level, thus transporting them over state or international borders is a crime and U.S. customs has every right to seize your incoming beans and the police have every right to knock on your door. Still, the chances of being caught are slim and the web is full of people trying to hook you up. Legal, semi-legal, and fully illegal seed banks and individual sellers operate on both the open internet and on the TOR-accessed “Dark Web”. However, buyers should be very, very wary.
As distribution remains illegal and the market unregulated, customers can’t sue clandestine seed banks or report them to a better business bureau. Consequently, fraud is common and there’s no recourse for a paying customer who’s been supplied with dead seeds, bird feed, or no seeds at all. While many Dark Web marketplaces feature a system of seller ratings similar to eBay, and Reddit and other websites keep a running tally of the best banks on the open web, it’s always going to be a roll of the dice.
That said, if you’ve installed a secure browser, surfed your way across the Dark Web to the latest incarnation of the Silk Road, and collected cryptocurrency, don’t let us stop you. It’s your Bitcoin. As for ordering from seed banks on the open web, here’s a solid list of reliable ones.
As said above, be aware that you are having illegal substances delivered to your address, thus there’s an unavoidable risk of being caught. What exactly that would mean for you differs from place to place, law-enforcement agent to law-enforcement agent, and prosecutor to prosecutor.
Shop Smart
Generally, you should expect to pay about $10 to $15 per seed (steep, we know). As well, you’ll see a lot of offers for “feminized” or “autoflowering seeds”. The first variety have been sprayed with one of several substances or collected from very carefully bred plants to make sure that each seed produces a female plant. The drawback here is that, quite often, these seeds produce hybrid male/female plants instead. Buy them only from the best retailers to avoid these. “Autoflowering” seeds are an interesting option as they require a less complicated grow process, though you have to plant them immediately. Due to this and questions about the quality of the weed they produce, it’s probably best to skip them.
Make Them Yourself!
Yes, if you already are an experienced grower, you can make seeds. Simply allow a crop of specially selected males and females to go through the process of germination et viola! It’s complicated, but for those who grow regularly and want to experiment with crossbreeding favorite strains, it’s worth it.
