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, which he's decided to make available for free.

Below, find the entire document, read an e-mail Q&A with Cranman, and check out our experts' take on his guide.

Westword: Are you based in Colorado?

Cranman: I live in Southern Colorado and have been a legal medical marijuana patient for several years. I moved to Colorado from another state... Medical marijuana was not a basis for the decision to relocate ,but I was pleased to discover the Colorado medical marijuana program after I moved, since I had been using marijuana illegally for many years to control my chronic pain, purchasing it from the streets as an alternative to my prescribed narcotics.

WW: Do you work in the medical marijuana industry?

Cranman: I do not work in the medical marijuana industry in any capacity. I'm just a patient who decided it was time to grow my own medicine... Experience with a couple of poorly run medical marijuana centers pushed me in the direction to grow. I have never sold marijuana. I grow the standard six plants as allowed by Colorado Amendment 20. I do not network with other medical marijuana patients and do not know anyone else who uses medical marijuana.

WW: What is your experience and level of expertise?

Cranman: I have a background in environmental sciences but it does not relate to horticulture. Like many, I am a self-taught grower who used books, forums and a number of online resources to educate myself on marijuana growing as a means of self-sufficiency.

WW: Why did you think a growing guide was necessary? And why did you decide to put it out for free, rather than trying to profit from it?

Cranman: The guide started as a compilation of my notes for personal reference. Then I realized that this information could help many other patients in need of reasonable access to medicine. Many of the grow guides I learned from were quite vague, lengthy and/or unprofessional, and I found interpreting the overwhelming amount of information frustrating and time-consuming. I designed my notes/guide to be very specific and geared towards complying with Colorado medical marijuana laws, and think it will be easy for any patient to follow.

I considered selling the guide or asking for donations, but I came to the conclusion that making a profit is not my goal. I want to give medical marijuana patients a means to grow their own medicine and I realize that charging people for the information would limit the number of people the guide could reach. I could sell it and educate a small percentage of medical marijuana patients or release it for free and help every medical marijuana patient with the desire to help themselves.

WW: Who would you like to help with this guide?

Cranman: I hope this helps patients with inadequate access to marijuana due to retail costs, local laws prohibiting medical marijuana centers, etc.

WW: Why are you reluctant to use your given name?

Cranman: Though medical marijuana is legal under state laws, it is still very much illegal under federal laws, and I am reminded of this often when reading the news. I may be a legal medical marijuana patient, but I still feel like a criminal for using medical marijuana. There are only a handful of people who know I am a medical marijuana patient and I have the right to medical privacy... being anonymous is the only way to maintain that privacy.