On Friday, President Joe Biden pardoned all federal offenses for cannabis possession and asked governors to do the same in their states. He also got the process started to potentially decriminalize the drug federally.
The President doesn’t have the power to legalize or decriminalize cannabis, but he has requested that Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Health and Human Services “expeditiously” review how cannabis is scheduled federally. They have begun that process.
Cannabis has been a Schedule I controlled substance since 1970, when the Controlled Substances Act was enacted. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, Schedule I drugs “are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Cannabis was first legalized for medical use in California in 1996 and is now medically available in 41 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Cannabis has also been legally available to adults for recreational use in Colorado since Jan. 1, 2014. Since then, 22 more states have legalized or decriminalized possession and consumption of cannabis by adults over the age of 21.
Cannabis has become big business in the United States, reaching $17.5 billion in sales last year and raising more than $10 billion in tax revenue since 2014. Cannabis tax revenue even exceeds annual alcohol tax revenue in some states.
Decriminalizing cannabis would surely increase home cultivation of cannabis, which is an industry that supports the switch industry. Here are some of the cannabis cultivation devices supporting switches and the E-Switch options for those applications.
Grow Lights
The most obvious switch application for home cannabis cultivation is grow lights, some of which can run up to 1200 watts and require switches rated for more than 6.5 amps. That’s why most of these light fixtures feature power rocker switches like the R1973 Series from E-Switch.
The R1973 Series power rocker switches are rated for up to nine amps of 125VAC with cURus agency certification. Illuminated and non-illuminated versions are available, and there are many options for markings, housing colors, and actuator colors as well. These switches would be ideal for lights meant for larger grow areas with high ceilings. For more enclosed spaces, a sealed rocker switch like the WB2 Series would be best.
The WB2 Series sealed, high current rocker switch is rated for up to 20 amps with cURus certification and provides protection from dust and moisture at an IP55 rating. This will assure that your switch remains operational despite all the dust and moisture being blown around by fans regulating the temperature of your grow space.
Controllers
Fans designed for grow spaces are typically connected to a controller that adjusts the fan speed to regulate temperature. This controller also serves as the timer for your lights, turning them off at night and back on in the morning. You can even check and change your programmable grow environment from an app on your smartphone, but most of these controllers feature tactile switches for programming a seven-day grow cycle.
Since controllers don’t necessarily need be subjected to the elements in the grow room, they can feature tactile switches like the TL3302 Series from E-Switch, which are affordable, offer reliable tactile dome contact technology, and have strong tactile feedback. If there’s a concern that the controller will be subjected to the elements of the grow space, a sealed tactile switch like the TL6400 Series would be ideal.
The TL6400 Series sealed tactile switch is surface mountable and protects against dust and moisture at an IP67 rating. It operates in temperatures ranging from -40 to 85°C, so a hot, humid grow room won’t be an issue for this sealed switch. Two actuator heights and operating force options are also available for this switch series.
Whatever your designs, E-Switch has a switch for your home cannabis cultivation applications, so if the drug is decriminalized federally and demand for your products increases, call on us to meet that demand.
**Editor’s Note: E-Switch neither condones nor condemns the home cultivation or consumption of cannabis.