Want to grow weed in your California home? Don’t break the law — but follow these tips

The image of marijuana has taken a dramatic shift in the last several years — from underground activity to a white-collar booming industry. But the rules on how an ordinary person can legally grow their own cannabis is nuanced.

And to grow it yourself, you may want some tips on how to do so legally and successfully.

In 2016, California voters passed the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, allowing adults 21 and older to legally grow, possess and use cannabis for recreational use. Five years later and the rules surrounding residential cannabis cultivation are extensive and getting it wrong may cost you a fine or imprisonment.

The state allows those 21 and older to grow up to six plants at their residence for personal use only. Those cultivating at home cannot use volatile solvents — butane or propane — to process the cannabis, according to the California Department of Cannabis Control.

“If you have a medical recommendation from a physician and the physician said you need more plants to satisfy whatever it is that they are providing you the medical recondition for, then it can be more than six plants,” said Christina Dempsey, the acting deputy director of external affairs of the California Department of Cannabis Control. “But generally, six plants is the main rule of thumb at the state.”

However, as soon as someone exchanges home-grown cannabis for money or other goods, it’s no longer classified as personal use and you need a license. Other than that, the state law leaves it to cities and counties to reasonably regulate the cultivation of residential cannabis.

Dempsey said she warns residents to do their research and determine what rules to follow based on where they live.

Grow your own cannabis indoors

Comedian and columnist Ngaio Bealum said you can start a successful indoor home grow any time of the year with a clean dark space, grow box, light, timer, fan and nutritious dirt. When first starting, the lights should be left on at least 16 hours a day and when the plant is at a decent size — change the light to a 12-hour cycle and then the plant will start to bloom.

“And you’ll be able to tell because it’ll start to form the little crystals that makes the nugs, it’ll start to look like cannabis that you would buy,” said the Sacramento resident.

Bealum, who stared in the marijuana-infused, reality TV cooking competition series, “Cooking on High,” was the show’s cannabis expert, as an activist for marijuana legalization with some knowledge of cooking with the drug. He also performs marijuana-inspired comedy routines around the world and writes a column for Leafly, a website focused on cannabis education.

Bealum said to check plants and soil for pests and mold throughout the entire process to avoid your plants deteriorating — which would result in the need to start the process over again.

Fans should be positioned to provide direct, even airflow. There should be comfortable airflow both above and below the canopy and it shouldn’t blow directly onto plants because it’ll cause the leaves to recede into a claw-like deformation, according to Leafly.

“All of a sudden you are replacing the whole ‘planet,’” Bealum said. “So you’re the sun and the wind and the rain and the moon and all the things that would cause a plant to thrive and grow and be delicious.”

What seeds should you buy?

Cannabis plants can either be male or female. Female plants have plump flowers or buds with psychoactive compounds like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which gets you high. While male plants yield much smaller flowers that people don’t usually consume.

Bealum said when purchasing marijuana seeds, half the seeds will be unusable as far as growing buds because half will be male. Instead, try to purchase specifically feminized seeds or a feminized clone.

“If you can buy that, you already have a feminized plant ready to go so you don’t have to worry about boys sneaking into your garden and fertilizing all your female plants that you’re trying to smoke,” he said.

Indoor cannabis growing starter kit:

• Lights

• Clean dark space or a grow box

• Fan

• Timer

You can visit Pacific Seed Bank’s website to buy marijuana seeds in California.

Check the laws regulating your area

As Dempsey said, you’ll want to check the regulations in your city and/or county before starting your grow.

For example, if you live in Sacramento, the city is the local authority for cannabis. But if you live in an unincorporated city or town like Fair Oaks or Carmichael, the county is the local authority for cannabis.

Incorporated Sacramento area

Visit the City of Sacramento website for additional rules and regulations on the residential cultivation of cannabis. Here’s a rundown of the main regulations:

• Regardless of the number of people within the private residence, violations of the six-plant rule are subjected to $500 a plant.

• No cannabis — at any stage of growth or cultivation — may be visible from the outside of the private residence. So, you can’t grow outdoors.

• You can grow as much cannabis as your six plants produce. You can only carry 28.5 grams, equivalent to roughly one ounce in public.

Unincorporated Sacramento area

Visit the Sacramento County website for additional information and see if you live within the unincorporated area of Sacramento. Here’s a rundown of the main regulations:

• You cannot grow cannabis outdoors. You can grow up to six plants inside a private residence or fully contained within a permitted accessory structure.

• A violation is a misdemeanor and violators and property owners are subject to penalties of $1,000 per plant, per day that the property remains in violation.

• Reasonable regulations apply for personal cultivation, including requirements for landlords and tenants of rental properties.

This story was originally published November 1, 2021 at 5:00 AM.