Seizures of Magic Mushrooms by Authorities Rose as Demand Grew

Seizures of Magic Mushrooms by Authorities Rose as Demand Grew

In the last couple of years, we have seen interest in psychedelics increase as more studies uncover their hidden benefits. Interest in psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in hallucinogenic mushrooms, has increased significantly following evidence of its benefits for a range of mental-health conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

However, drug busts of magic mushrooms have also increased, with data from new research showing that the amount of psilocybin seized by authorities has more than tripled in the period between 2017 and 2022. The author of this new research, Joseph Palamar, stated that the study’s findings indicated that the availability of psilocybin mushrooms had been increasing.

The study determined that between 2017 and 2022, the total amount of psilocybin shrooms seized by officers rose to 1,800 pounds from about 500 pounds. Of this total, a majority of the drugs were busted in the West.

Washington University’s Dr. Joshua Siegel, who wasn’t part of this research, stated that the study came at a time when a psychedelic renaissance was happening in the United States. Siegel, whose research focuses on how psychedelics impact the human brain, noted that there was increasing scientific and public interest in the potential therapeutic effects of psychedelics for a range of behavioral and mental health issues.

This comes as more states decriminalize psychedelic substances and allow their use in supervised settings.

The director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Dr. Nora Volkow, stated that the study’s results suggested that there was a growing demand for psilocybin. This, she continued, meant that more individuals were using psilocybin, which allowed sellers to sell more of the product.

The research was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Its results were reported in the “Drug and Alcohol Dependence” journal.

The study’s results align with prior research, including one 2022 study, which found that between 2002 and 2019, the use of psilocybin grew and was primarily driven by individuals aged 26 and above. Additionally, figures from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration suggest that psilocybin is the most popular psychedelic in America. The body’s data showed that in 2022, more than 11% of individuals aged 12 years of age and older revealed that they had used the substance.

At the moment, however, the use of psilocybin for therapeutic use is yet to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Initial studies have suggested that the use of psychedelics is associated with a risk of psychosis and, in some cases, suicidal ideation.

These seizures by the authorities make it more urgent for psychedelic drug developers such as atai Life Sciences N.V. (NASDAQ: ATAI) to do everything possible so that their pipelines yield approved drugs. In this way, people currently self-medicating with shrooms can have licensed alternatives to address their clinical needs.

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Budtender’s Guide: Cannabiziac Book of the Month

Budtender’s Guide: Cannabiziac Book of the Month

Whether you’re an aspiring budtender or want to be your own budtender, tune into Dale Sky Jones on Cannabiziac’s Book of the Month virtual chat 7 p.m. EST, Wed., Feb. 28, 2024.

Dale is Executive Chancellor of Oaksterdam University (OU) and co-author of The Budtender’s Guide: A Reference Manual for Cannabis Consumers and Dispensary Professionals. She’ll talk about how to navigate the constantly changing landscape of cannabis varieties, products and legalization policies. She’ll also discuss the chemistry of cannabis, and how people can help dispensary patients and customers — or themselves — to read product labels to get the effects they desire safely and consistently.

Along with the in-depth book discussion, the three-hour online event includes author insights, networking opportunities, time for questions and giveaways. The cost is $15 for non-members, free for Cannabiziac members.

The Budtender’s Guide was published by Oaksterdam Publishing as an ebook in 2022 and a print edition in 2023. An essential addition to any dispensary or cannabis consumer’s library, it is written and peer-reviewed by the world renowned faculty of Oaksterdam. OU faculty comprises professionals, academics, and subject matter experts who have taught more than 80,000 alumni from 110 countries, many of whom have become successful business owners and industry leaders as the cannabis industry continues to grow.

The Budtender’s Guide serves as an optional textbook to Oaksterdam courses, including our Budtending Certification Course

High North Laboratories Joins Grow Up in Toronto as our Main Stage Sponsor

High North Laboratories Joins Grow Up in Toronto as our Main Stage Sponsor

We are thrilled to announce that High North Laboratories is joining us in Toronto, May 27-29, 2024, as the event’s main stage sponsor. This collaboration marks another exciting chapter in our ongoing partnership with High North Laboratories, Canada’s Largest Cannabis Laboratory and recipient of the Best Laboratory of the Year at Grow Up Awards in 2021 and 2023.

High North Laboratories has been a valued supporter of the Grow Up Conference and Expo since 2017, and their commitment to advancing the cannabis industry’s standards is truly commendable. Their return as the main stage sponsor for Grow Up Toronto 2024 underscores their dedication to our event and the broader cannabis community.

About High North Laboratories

High North Laboratories has consistently set the bar for excellence in cannabis testing and research. As the largest cannabis laboratory in Canada, they specialize in providing comprehensive analytical testing services to the cannabis industry, ensuring product safety, quality, and compliance. Their state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge technology enable them to deliver accurate and reliable results for cannabis producers, processors, and consumers.

High North Laboratories has demonstrated their commitment to innovation and excellence, which led them to be named the Best Laboratory of the Year at the 2021 and 2023 Grow Up Awards. This recognition speaks volumes about their expertise and dedication to maintaining the highest standards in the industry.

For more information about High North Laboratories and their services, we encourage you to visit their website at https://www.highnorth.com/.

Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with High North Laboratories at Grow Up Toronto 2024. Their presence as the main stage sponsor promises exciting insights and contributions to the event, further enriching the cannabis industry’s knowledge and growth.

As we eagerly anticipate our Toronto show, we extend our gratitude to High North Laboratories for their continued support and dedication to advancing the cannabis industry. We look forward to another successful collaboration and a memorable event that will benefit the entire cannabis community. Stay tuned for more updates on Grow Up, and be sure to mark your calendars for May 27-29, 2024. It’s an event you won’t want to miss!

Connect with High North Laboratories
High North Laboratories welcomes inquiries and collaborations within the cannabis industry. Whether you are a cannabis producer, processor, or a fellow enthusiast looking to learn more, you can reach out to High North Laboratories through the following contact information:

241 Hanlan Rd, Unit 7
Woodbridge, Ontario
L4L 3R7

Website: www.highnorth.com
Email: info@highnorth.com
Phone: (416) 864-6122  /  1-800-123-4567

Hours of Operations:
Monday to Friday – 8am-8pm EST
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*Weekends are not considered business days

Manitoba has now announced several new cannabis distributors

Manitoba has now announced several new cannabis distributors

On February 9, Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries announced five companies that successfully applied to provide cannabis distribution services in the province.

Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries (MBLL), which oversees the sourcing and distribution of cannabis to retailers in the province, first announced they were seeking new applicants to handle distribution in 2023.

The successful applicants, 100 Lbs., 1CM Inc, Lineage Distribution, Kief Cannabis Company, and Valiant Distribution Canada, have entered into twelve-month renewable agreements with MBLL and now must get a Cannabis Distributors License from the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba (LGCA), to be permitted to begin operations.

Several of these companies have already been providing distribution services in the province as holders of federal production licences, or in partnership with a federally-licensed cannabis producer. This new licensing process allows Manitoba to further regulate and oversee these activities. 

Graham Taylor, President and CEO of Lineage Distribution, is one of those companies that are already offering distribution services. He says he’s happy to see another evolution of the Manitoba cannabis market. Lineage also distributes cannabis in Saskatchewan and the Territories. 

“We’re thrilled to be officially announced as a distribution partner with the MBLL and to continue expanding our services to the Manitoba market and beyond,” Taylor told StratCann.

Another company listed in this new announcement, Valiant Distribution, is owned by High Tide, which also owns the Canna Cabana chain of retailers. Canna Cabana currently has three locations in Manitoba. 

Raj Grover, founder & CEO of High Tide, says they are excited to expand their wholesale and distribution services into Manitoba through Valiant Distribution Canada. Valiant also wholesales cannabis products and consumption accessories in Saskatchewan, and consumption accessories through their Calgary warehouse, as well as its experience distributing in the United States and Europe.

“We look forward to building on our record of delivering efficiency and a high level of service in Manitoba and encourage other provinces to follow Manitoba and Saskatchewan’s lead in leveraging private sector expertise in wholesale distribution and fulfilment services.”

Three other companies, Delta 9 Logistics Inc., Open Fields Distribution, and Maqabim Distributors Inc., are currently licensed by the LGCA for cannabis distribution on behalf of MBLL.

The province’s goal in bringing on new cannabis distribution partners is to improve storage capacity to meet greater product demand while reducing delivery times, especially for small, rural, and remote retailers. 

Manitoba also still allows cannabis producers to bypass distributors and ship products directly to retail stores, which is how several cannabis distributors have been operating in the province. 

In June 2023, the MBLL announced it was seeking to improve lead times and retail receiving compliance, something many Manitoba cannabis retailers have been frustrated by, especially remote, rural stores. This included introducing a new 20-day purchase order deadline and a new five-day retail receiving requirement.

As of January 2024, Manitoba listed 198 privately-run retail cannabis stores, 115 of which are in Winnipeg (up from 194 in October).


420 with CNW — Virginia Assembly Committee Approves Cannabis Bill Permitting Sales

420 with CNW — Virginia Assembly Committee Approves Cannabis Bill Permitting Sales

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A recently amended measure, HB 698, advanced by a Virginia Assembly subcommittee, seeks to permit existing medical cannabis dispensaries and certain small businesses to commence recreational marijuana sales in January next year, with more retailers expected to be licensed by year-end.

A medical marijuana operator has to quickly establish six microbusinesses to capitalize on an early launch date. The present form of the law would provide $400,000 in funding to each of these microbusinesses. In turn, microbusiness licenses would require that at least two-thirds of the individuals directly controlling the enterprise meet certain social-equity requirements, with preference going to those who meet multiple requirements.

Delegate Paul Krizek, the subcommittee chair and the bill’s lead sponsor, noted that his proposal draws inspiration from Maryland’s approach to legal sales, including a gradual marketplace rollout. The bill is designed to ensure affordability through low taxes (9%), utilizing medical companies to address initial demand and implementing a robust social program to assist individuals most affected by cannabis criminalization.

Equity activists applauded the inclusion of prior cannabis misdemeanor convictions and people related to someone convicted (spouse, child, parent or sibling) as substantial additions to the qualifying requirements for microbusiness licenses. Additional criteria involve residence in historically underprivileged neighborhoods, school attendance in such areas, receiving Pell grants, or military veteran status.

The accelerator might be able to sustain 30 microbusinesses, given that Virginia currently has five medical cannabis providers. However, the measure would eventually allow more licenses for different marijuana-related activities.

Despite varied perspectives, there is general agreement that market control is necessary following the legalization of cannabis home cultivation, possession and use in 2021. Currently, legislators are trying to reach an agreement on a proposal regarding retail sales, despite the possibility of a veto from Governor Glenn Youngkin, who stated last month that he had no interest in legalizing Democratic-led sales bills.

When he assumed office, Gov. Youngkin stated that he was not opposed to permitting commercial sales in general. However, he noted that there were several Democratic measures, such as clauses requiring cannabis businesses to form labor unions, that he would not support.

Krizek’s amended measure is unique for allowing Virginia’s five existing medical cannabis companies to start recreational sales before new retailers receive licenses. While advocates argue that this speeds up the state’s legal marijuana sales, detractors warn that it would unfairly favor large out-of-state medical businesses over small and local enterprises.

Several advocacy organizations, such as Marijuana Justice and the Virginia chapter of NORML, are in support of the measure. Established cannabis companies such as Cronos Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CRON) (TSX: CRON) could also support the draft law because it would expedite access to licensed marijuana products instead of having customers taking chances with black-market products.

About CNW420

CNW420 spotlights the latest developments in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry through the release of an article each business day at 4:20 p.m. Eastern – a tribute to the time synonymous with cannabis culture. The concise, informative content serves as a gateway for investors interested in the legalized cannabis sector and provides updates on how regulatory developments may impact financial markets. If marijuana and the burgeoning industry surrounding it are on your radar, CNW420 is for you! Check back daily to stay up-to-date on the latest milestones in the fast -changing world of cannabis.

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Take Note: ‘Whom the Gods Would Destroy they First Make Mad’

Take Note: ‘Whom the Gods Would Destroy they First Make Mad’

Take Note:

‘Whom the Gods Would Destroy they First Make Mad’

Julian Rose

Yes, and this is exactly what we are witnessing today. It means that the chief oppressors of humanity are not about to claim victory in their lust for world domination, but are in fact heading for a crash and are blindly living out their final days.

Their madness is already on view to anyone who follows the antics of the despotic globalist regime so brazenly flaunting its self contrived stardom. It’s not a pretty sight.

Drunk on power and super inflated egos, these less than human humans stand as high as they can on the world stage to project their pompous profiles – only to reveal their true colours as obsessed psychotic war mongers caught in the web of their own morbid megalomania.

However these architects of central control are not alone in being sentenced to an inglorious end. The madness bestowed by the gods also falls on those passive couch potatoes who ‘look on and do nothing’, burying their heads in the sand so as to avoid having to stand up against the rank injustices that stare them in the face.

Then a similar madness creeps up on those who turn away from anything which disturbs their ‘faux spiritual’ retreat into a world of passive inner contemplation. The gods do not smile on such misuses of genuine spiritual disciplines adopted by true aspirants striving to evolve into conscious, active and responsible human beings.

There is no route to a higher calling which does not incorporate service to humanity and confronting injustice. To turn away from such basic responsibility is a form of soul suicide – brought about in the mistaken belief that by shirking a natural humanitarian responsiveness towards the collective welfare of mankind one can remain ‘undisturbed’ in moving up some invisible stairway to heaven.

Then there are those ‘apologist’ professional men and women whose all consuming ambitions lead them to unquestioningly play by the rules of the game, trampling on others in order to make it to the top.

Do the gods smile upon such cowardly behaviour? No, they will increasingly cause such individuals to suffer the inevitable pain that results from going against their better conscience, of being complicit in the cause of evil.

Such people will, unless they change their ways, also be subject to a creeping state of madness. One that corrodes away the natural sympathetic qualities that keep mankind responsible, humane and sane.

What about those who accumulate disproportionately high levels of personal wealth and use the great majority of it to feather their nests and further bolster their sense of self importance over others less financially secure?

What view do the gods take about those harbouring obsessions of material gain?

They cause such people to feel increasingly insecure; increasingly afraid of losing the velvet padded ease of their sumptuous life styles. Cut off from the world of real people, real emotions and real human affection.

Perhaps such bloated examples of excess cause the gods to pass a message across their field of vision, such as “It is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle”.

How tormented such mindless millionaires become by not being able to completely dispel the poignancy of such a message. How empty they feel inside, in spite of all their exterior wealth. How easily they get irritated by small things or any challenges to the worthiness of their indulgences.

Yes, an ongoing form of madness awaits those who who try to deny that their greed is in any way responsible for fanning the flames of social depravation, jealously and ultimately war.

The human race, is spite of what sometimes appears to be the opposite, is evolving. Evolving from crude to subtle; from brutish to sensitive. This process cannot be stopped, only delayed.

We are entering a time when the contrast between the light and dark side of mankind becomes increasingly stark; increasingly recognisable.

So you might think that church/religious leaders would be open receptacles for such rising spirit energies, finding the courage to speak-out loudly about blatant acts of destruction on this planet.

For example, about the horrific evils being perpetrated on the people of Gaza; the vile persuasions of high ranking paedophiles; child molesters and traffickers for profit. The two faced politicians heading for the Masonic Temples in the Halls of Westminster. The producers and distributors of Covid bio weapon jabs. The overall pandemic of deception and lying of the big corporate bankers and news media chiefs; of government ministers and CEO’s of hegemonic global institutions – those who take it upon themselves to claim the authority to control every aspect of other people’s lives.

Of course the list goes on and on and on…but do the ‘holy men’ of the Judeo-Christian tradition – or any other ‘faith’ for that matter – step forward to put a stop to such mass degradation of the moral, ethical and spiritual values of our world?

Certainly not. With a few rare exceptions, they hide away in their vestries and synagogues and turn their heads from taking any kind of responsibility for the world outside – or from displaying the courage to practice as they preach.

The gods respond by publicly revealing these representatives of religious dogma to be fakes, parodies of virtue completely lacking any genuine spiritual convictions. Their particular variety of holy madness comes from suffering the indignity of being exposed as plagiarisers of the teachings of genuine spiritual masters while claiming the protection of their ‘holy church’ and of the State.

Such protection is generally granted, providing the bishops, priests and clergymen keep their side of the deal ‘not to get involved in politics’.

So now that we have dispensed with any lingering attachment to institutions falsely claiming to represent the will of God, we can turn our attention to the real issue: discovering in ourselves and encouraging manifestation of the true expression of our existence as reflections of an omnipotent
and omniscient Creator.

This is the only way of gaining sufficient inner resilience to rise above the essentially cowardly manipulators of manufactured darkness – and to finally overturn them.

Going head to head with the villains running this planet should not be a frightening prospect. On the contrary, it should be seen as a challenge to be fully embraced, coupled with a determination to develop one’s latent powers to become a spiritual warrior fully supported by the highest universal forces.

We have arrived at that point now, and there is nowhere else to go – nothing else left to do – other than enter into an honest confrontation with those who so cunningly vampire humanity’s God given powers.

Now we must finally break-out of the spell binding artifice of mass indoctrination that has been allowed to suffocate our fundamental freedoms, in exchange for the generally feckless adoption of an AI/IT ‘culture of convenience’. A spineless, superficial cul-de-sac of life which in turn opens a door to the techno-insanity of the Transhuman agenda.

No more! There is, at this very moment, a great ‘call to arms’ ringing out across the length and breadth of the planet. Respond to it we must. Rise up in unity we will.

Have no doubt that an extraordinary reversal of fortunes lies ahead. A gathering storm that will sweep aside all that which so desperately attempts to thwart the rising tide of human emancipation.

Human emancipation cannot be thwarted. A pulsating new dawn is gathering together its scattered radiances at this very moment. Who would not want to be party to paving the way for its dramatic appearance over the Eastern horizon?

Julian Rose is an organic farmer, writer, broadcaster and international activist. He is author of four books of which the latest ‘Overcoming the Robotic Mind’ is a clarion call to resist the despotic New World Order takeover of our lives. Do visit his website for further information www.julianrose.info

Overcoming the Robotic Mind – Why Humanity Must Come Through

Julian Rose is an organic farmer, writer, broadcaster and international activist. He is author of four books of which the latest ‘Overcoming the Robotic Mind’ is a clarion call to resist the despotic New World Order takeover of our lives. Do visit his website for further information www.julianrose.info

The Unexpected

The Unexpected

By Edward Curtin

EdwardCurtin.com

Despite calendars and clocks and all the mental gymnastics we use to control life and time, surprises are at the heart of existence. This may seem like a truism, but if so, it is one of those truths we often avoid in our desire for stability and the quelling of anxiety. Our expectations, a form of knowledge based on the past, are efforts to avoid pain and the joy of the new. They are often scarecrows to frighten away reality, as Ortega y Gassett put it. Habits of mind meant to forget that life is an experiment yet to be tried or known; that tomorrow is always unknown country. That death is the greatest surprise of all.

The English psychoanalyst Adam Philips writes in Side Effects:

The fact of death has made us addicted to prophecy, and to its secular equivalent, predictability; and therefore to a strange relationship to time. The fact of conception could make us more wedded to randomness and accident [I would say mystery]. Surprise could replace mourning as our preferred depth-charge.

Seeking Truth in a Cou… Curtin, Edward Buy New $26.95 (as of 02:59 UTC – Details) I was thinking of this recently when I awoke to read about an outstanding professional athlete who was injured at the top of his game the night before. A shock to be sure, disappointing and depressing, yet not unheard of in the world of sports. He ruptured his Achilles tendon. Now his rehabilitation will offer him a chance to embrace the challenge and meditate on the vagaries of life. Sometimes we discover in difficult circumstances that courage and determination are central to our characters, as I think is the case with this young man who has overcome other challenges.

Sports in themselves are not important. They are fun to play and are big business, but who wins or loses the games doesn’t matter in any significant way. They are forgettable trifles, and as the word sport’s etymology tells us – desporter (Old French from Latin), to divert, amuse, carry away – they divert us from more serious matters. And while they can amuse and entertain us, they can also get us to muse about the nature of play and the significance of surprises along life’s way. How life itself is a play, in many meanings of the word.

Key to Freud’s genius, much of which he learned from the poets who understood that the free flow of words was a key to human liberation, was his invention of the therapeutic method of free association. To freely associate is to open one’s mouth to hear yourself say the unexpected. It is to step out of the cage of convention, to exit that play to play at catching a different form of consciousness. The possibility of freedom inherent in Freud’s idea is no doubt one reason why he has come under continual attack in recent decades. Nor is it an accident that we are living at a time when free speech is under assault by all shades of authoritarians who fear what people might say and whom they may associate with. Freedom is dangerous. Individuals, not just in psychotherapy but in social life, need to talk freely but are often fearful to do so. They may surprise themselves privately and publicly, and that is why speech must be controlled by the authorities, those outside and the cop inside.

It is also why great artists are in short supply today and art is under assault, for great art threatens safety while always venturing into unknown territory. To think that a book is brilliant because The New York Times calls it a bestseller – which seems to be the case for most new books on library shelves these days – is as naïve as to consider that newspaper of record a bastion of good journalism.

It is hard when caged in cells controlled by authoritarians to encounter the unexpected. Formulaic writing of all sorts is widespread. It is part of a larger spell of total and instantaneous propaganda and a movement for elite social control under the guise of social improvement. What we euphemistically call mass communication is mass seduction, and the desire to be seduced is one old truth that still holds popular appeal.

Historically it has always been the poets, essayists, and novelists who have led the way into a freer world. While it is still true, to find their voices amid the cacophony of today’s comingling of repetitive political, show business, and advertising rants is difficult. They have been marginalized, as have journalists who counter the propaganda of the corporate mainstream media. All has become show, the business of creating perpetual distractions from what is important.

“The modern version of hell is purposelessness,” wrote the English novelist John Fowles in a brilliant essay accompanying photographs of individual trees in an oddly titled book about trees, The Tree. While ostensibly writing about trees, Fowles writes about the need to get lost, to literally wander through the green chaos of forests and the mental greenwood of our psyches without a planned route – purposeless. He writes about art and the art of life as analogous to wandering through a dense woodland and stumbling in wonder upon a hidden treasure, something akin to Tolstoy’s green stick that contains the secret to happiness, no matter how brief. He argues that it is because so much of the natural surround is useless that there is so much hostility toward it. Everything and everyone has become commodified, and only valued for their use value. Science, as opposed to art, seeks to categorize and control us and nature; to impose on our minds the idea that nature is outside us, separate, alien territory to enter only with a map and shield. The wild green man or woman, open to the flow of experience, to wandering, to the serendipitous, the unexpected is a dangerous outlaw. That the woods have long represented places of freedom to our ancestors in fact and in fiction is not just because life was more rural then but because the wild world hidden among trees corresponds to needs of the soul. Fowles compares trees, the woods, walking planless through them, as the best analogue of prose fiction:

All novels are also, in some way, exercises in attaining freedom – even when, at an extreme, they deny the possibility of its existence. Some such process of retreat from the normal world – however much the theme and surface is to be of the normal world – is inherent in any act of artistic creation, let alone that specific kind of writing that deals in imaginary situations and characters. And a part of that retreat must always be into a ‘wild,’ or ordinarily repressed and socially hidden, self: into a place always a complexity beyond daily reality, never fully comprehensible or explicable, always more potential than realized; yet where no one will ever penetrate as far as we have. It is our passage, our mystery alone, however miserable the account that is brought out for the world to see or hear or read at second-hand.

I would say it is also the best analogue of living. Sitting still too much is the real sin against the Holy Ghost, said Nietzsche, who was a great walker “on lonely mountains or near the sea where even the trails become thoughtful.” And he was not alone. Thoreau, Rimbaud, D. H. Lawrence, Rousseau, Gandhi, et al. knew that only by getting off your ass and putting it behind you might you discover something new, an unexpected treasure only available to an outsider with no expectations, no plans, having relinquished control.

Speaking of control and planning, even with the best intentions, I am reminded of a lake with a little beach opposite woods up the hill from where we live and often walk. Since September 11, 2001 this town has been massively gentrified with mansions and upscale stores and venues. It has become a magnet for wealthy urbanites who have fled in fear from the New York/New Jersey area to this small town 130 miles north. Now the small rustic beach with its bumpy dirt parking lot and the road along the lake are being converted into a replica of all the imitative city greenways that have sprouted up across the country. Huge numbers of trees have been felled, an expanded asphalt parking lot is being constructed, and the road converted from cars to walkers, leading from the town’s choice neighborhood on the hill. This construction project is symbolically creating a gated community without a fence. Anyone having to drive to the beach will have to come from the other direction to the parking lot, directing all car traffic through that poorer neighborhood and part of town. All this in the name of saving the lake and making life better for the locals. But better primarily for wealthier residents, who now will have their own one way access to the area and much less traffic passing their way.

It is a good example of what Philip Slater wrote about in his 1970 book, The Pursuit of Loneliness: American Culture at the Breaking Point. Slater was writing about the rise of totalitarian tendencies in the U.S. as the U.S savagely bombed Vietnam and Cambodia [read Iraq, Gaza, Yemen, Syria, Russia, etc.], when the fear of the poor was widespread and wealth and power idolized, consumerism reigned supreme, and privatization was being carried out under the benevolent mask of an inchoate neo-liberalism that has since become a full-fledged monster. And he was holding a mirror up to “the grim monotony of American facial expressions [read masks] – hard, surly, and bitter – and by the aura of deprivation that informs them.” Central to this was the fanatical acquisitiveness of his compatriots and the fading of stable local neighborhoods where different social classes could flourish together. “It is difficult to become reaccustomed to seeing people already weighted down with possessions acting as if every object they did not own were bread withheld from a hungry mouth,” he wrote, upon returning from overseas. Deep-rooted social problems were being avoided by being flushed away under the guise of superficial improvements – what he called “the toilet assumption”: “the notion that unwanted matter, unwanted difficulties and obstacles will disappear if they are removed from our immediate field of vision.” In the name of social control, the country was coming apart. As is true now, the prettification of social spaces was serving as an unintentional pursuit of loneliness where the wealthy sophisticates and the “deplorables” would occupy separate worlds and their separate symbols [read Trump and Biden] would engage them in heated pseudo-debates.

Your Face Belongs to U… Hill, Kashmir Best Price: $15.84 Buy New $15.69 (as of 03:29 UTC – Details)

What is our Achilles’s Heal? I suggest it is our rupture from nature symbolized in our efforts to control experience through planning. In Goethe’s Faust this is flipped so that Goethe’s ultimate salvation and happy ending is tied to his land reclamation project from the sea – engineering – and the conquest of nature. While such planning obviously has its place, it has become a modern paradigm that serves as a solution to so many of life’s problems [technological fixes] and a hedge against surprising discoveries. Only when one is willing to get lost, can one stumble upon Tolstoy’s green stick of happiness and discover truths authoritarians try to deny us.

The poet’s truth, as always.

Terra Incognito

By D. H. Lawrence

There are vast realms of consciousness still undreamed of
vast ranges of experience, like the humming of unseen harps,
we know nothing of, within us.
Oh when man has escaped from the barbed-wire entanglement
of his own ideas and his own mechanical devices
there is a marvellous rich world of contact and sheer fluid beauty
and fearless face-to-face awareness of now-naked life
and me, and you, and other men and women
and grapes, and ghouls, and ghosts and green moonlight
and ruddy-orange limbs stirring the limbo
of the unknown air, and eyes so soft
softer than the space between the stars,
and all things, and nothing, and being and not-being
alternately palpitant,
when at last we escape the barbed-wire enclosure
of Know Thyself, knowing we can never know,
we can but touch, and wonder, and ponder, and make our effort
and dangle in a last fastidious fine delight
as the fuchsia does, dangling her reckless drop
of purple after so much putting forth
and slow mounting marvel of a little tree.

Reprinted with the author’s permission.

The Best of Edward Curtin

Edward Curtin [send him mail] is a writer whose work has appeared widely. His website is edwardcurtin.com. He is the author of the new book Seekinging Truth in the Country of Lies.

Copyright © Edward Curtin

Christina Lake Cannabis completes acquisition of Midway farm

Christina Lake Cannabis completes acquisition of Midway farm

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An outdoor cannabis producer located in BC announced today that it has completed the acquisition of a new outdoor cultivation site in Midway, BC.

Christina Lake Cannabis (CLC) first announced the deal on February 5, which included the acquisition of outdoor cultivation facilities in Southern British Columbia, related harvesting and manufacturing equipment, and approximately 19,000 kg. of biomass for a total purchase price of $3 million.

The facilities, which include all associated lands, support buildings, and related equipment, along with the biomass, were formerly owned by BZAM. BZAM had previously also purchased a hotel in Midway to house its employees at the outdoor farm near the US border.

“This acquisition will solidify our position as a key supplier to the country’s top brands,” said Mark Aiken, Chief Executive Officer of Christina Lake Cannabis. “We are expanding our growing capability to meet rising customer demand. The increased capacity is a catalyst for robust topline growth and improved profitability by harnessing economies of scale. As the demand for our products has continued to grow over the last 2 years, we have had to supplement our own cultivation with tens of thousands of kilos of biomass supply from the wholesale market. The Midway acquisition secures our supply chain providing CLC with cost certainty and solid control over input quality.”

The Midway property is 342 acres, with just over 100 acres of licensed cultivation space. With this acquisition, CLC will expand its total licensed outdoor cultivation footprint to over 120 acres. Potential further expansion of additional acreage is available and could be licensed by the Company should the demand arise.

“Over the last 18 months CLC has focused on operational efficiencies and investment in their processing infrastructure,” said Jay McMillan, Chairman of the Christina Lake Cannabis Board of Directors, in a company press release. “This has resulted in increased productivity and expanded capacity. The investment in the Midway property now aligns CLC’s cultivation and processing capability, positioning the company for future growth.”

Christina Lake Cannabis plans to plant its first “proprietary” 80-acre crop in spring 2024, expanding to 100 acres in 2025. In the company’s most recent quarterly report for Q3 2023, it showed nearly $9 million in revenue and almost $500,000 in income.

Featured image via christinalakecannabis.com