A campaign behind a UK-based study to research the effects of marijuana use on the brain is struggling to recruit Black and Asian volunteers who smoke cannabis regularly. The lack of adequate representation in the volunteer pool has raised concerns that the study’s findings would not be truly representative of the United Kingdom’s population.
With £2.5m ($3.04 million) in funding, the King’s College London study seeks to understand how cannabis use can lead to psychosis and paranoia in some users but have no such effects in other users. Findings from the upcoming study could open the door to expanded therapeutic use of cannabis and increase the safety of illicit recreational cannabis use.
But while White people have volunteered for the study in relatively large numbers, few Asian and Black cannabis users have volunteered for the study. After 18 months of working to build a 3,000-strong pool of marijuana users from the London Area, the “Cannabis and Me” campaign still needs to recruit hundreds more Asian, Caribbean and Black people.
Understandably, these two communities have met attempts to collect data about illicit drug use with suspicion and distrust. A 2021 analysis by the Liberal Democrats found that Black people in the UK are around 12 times more likely than White people to be arrested and prosecuted for marijuana possession.
Former police chief and the Liberal Democrat’s House of Lords home affairs spokesperson Brian Paddick said at the time that law enforcement’s focus on marijuana possession was undermining the Black community’s confidence and trust in the police. Asian and Black people also have an 11.8 cannabis possession conviction rate compared to White people, at 2.4 times even though they have lower self-reported rates of cannabis use.
The two communities’ unwillingness to participate in the cannabis study points to a deeper issue in research science: Black people and other ethnic minorities have little representation in clinical research. This underrepresentation was especially present in clinical trials for coronavirus vaccines even though the pandemic had a significantly larger impact on minorities such as Asians and Black people.
Marketing consultant and head of the campaign’s recruitment drive William Gadsby-Smith says that for people who have had their trust in the government and law enforcement eroded by years of corrupt and racist police, saying no to participating in such initiatives is extremely easy.
An advocacy group based in Brixton that tackles racism in the UK’s legal system called Unjust refused to help the campaign recruit participants from minority groups. According to Unjust’s founding director Katrina French, the study’s findings on cannabis and psychosis could potentially lead lawmakers to expand cannabis criminalization among Black males while ignoring the effects of cannabis prohibition.
The fact that licensed companies such as Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (CSE: TRUL) (OTCQX: TCNNF) are permitted to operate in certain jurisdictions in the world doesn’t mean that all forms of prohibitionist policies were rolled back. The struggle for an end to prohibition is an ongoing process, and the reluctance of Blacks to enroll for the study above is testament that more still needs to be done.
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The OCS posted a cannabis product recall on October 4 for Port North’s Lemon Z Rosin solventless gummies.
The reason for the recall was that the product may contain mold. The package date for the product is September 14, 2023, lot number 0Z-03-08-07.
Health Canada has not listed a recall for this product as of publication of this article. OCS also issued two cannabis recalls in September, due to labelling errors.
Psychedelics have taken over the mainstream public’s attention in recent years due to increasing reports on their potential mental-health benefits. A growing body of scientific literature has found that psychedelics may be effective at treating a plethora of mental-health conditions at small doses and with minimal side effects, prompting an explosion in public interest.
However, with several states working to legalize therapeutic psychedelic use and amid nationwide efforts to develop psychedelic-based treatments, it seems the women who played a major role in psychedelics’ history have been overlooked. Initial research into psychedelics began more than 50 years ago when women such as Ann Shuglin, a New Zealand-born psychologist and psychedelic therapist, made major contributions to psychedelic science. Although Shuglin passed away in July 2022, her contributions to psychedelic history informed future research efforts and opened up psychedelic science to women.
Women were instrumental in plant psychedelic use in numerous indigenous communities over the centuries, accumulating vast stores of knowledge about the use of psychedelics in fields such as midwifery that were traditionally filled with women. They also played various roles in religious and traditional ceremonies that used psychedelics, acting as curanderas or shamans in cultures that allowed women to step into such roles.
Even when women weren’t permitted to assume religious roles, they were essential in other aspects of these ceremonies, such as protecting water and other vital ingredients, singing, and harvesting and cleaning the plants used in the ceremonies. The latter duty likely required a deep understanding of entheogenic plants and fungi, which was undoubtedly passed down from one generation of women to the next.
In the 1950s when psychedelic research was picking up steam, women also played a significant role in early experiments. However, many of their contributions aren’t as well known as their male counterparts. Early psychedelic experimenters such as Aldous Huxley and Jean-Paul Sartre admitted to experimenting with psychedelics, including LSD and mescaline, with their wives.
Their wives aided in furthering psychedelic science by acting as recorders, listeners, interpreters and even psychedelic guides in some instances. Furthermore, researchers’ wives often assisted in writing experiential reports from psychedelic experiments and even prepared reports designed to help their husbands use simple explanations to articulate their experiences.
This process of articulating the specifics of a psychedelic experience can now be described as the initial steps of psychedelic integration, the process through which psychedelic users apply the insights they made while under the influence to their lives.
This history shows that the work that is currently being done by startups such as Mind Medicine Inc. (NASDAQ: MNMD) (NEO: MMED) (DE: MMQ) is building on what pioneers, including numerous women, did decades ago so that modern researchers could have a basis for further inquiry using the latest technology.
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Health Canada has issued a recall for a cannabis vape pen with more than twice the CBD on the label.
The recall is for one lot of Emblem Cannabis’ Divvy Nebula II CBD 510 Vape Cartridge, sold through authorized retailers in Ontario and Manitoba. The amount of CBD listed on the label was 222.3 mg.g, while the actual amount is 496.2 mg/g
To date, neither Health Canada nor Emblem Cannabis Corporation have received any complaints or adverse reaction reports for the recalled cannabis product lot.
There were 2,540 units of the product sold from May 12, 2023 to October 3, 2023. The lot number is Lot 5214-1
Health Canada says that if consumers wish to return the affected product, to contact the retail store where the product was purchased.
Inaccurate labelling is one of the most common reasons for a product recall in the cannabis industry in Canada.
Ever since I began holistic health practice in 1978 I have been aware of the importance of the emotional and unconscious mind relationship to overall wellness. I have refined my practice over the years as new discoveries are made, and the rekindling of old knowledge comes to light.
In the 1980’s there was a surge of interest in creating positive affirmations, and several best-selling books (such as those of Louise Hay) fueled the movement. In the later 80’s, the field of “energy psychology” was born(technically called cognitive somatic practices), and trained health professionals were able to observe real-time in their practices that positive affirmation statements frequently do not produce positive outcomes because the subconscious mind does not believe the positive statement, and it overrules and defeats the intention of the affirmation.
The 1990’s saw a great deal of interest in physical techniques to restore body/mind balance such as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), that utilizes tapping of acupuncture points (along with other procedures) with the objective of eliminating unhealthy mind patterns.
With the dawning of the new millennium, the FlorAlive® UNCUT Flower™ transformation process was born which was an evolutionary step in the use of flower vibrational frequencies to enhance wellbeing. The conceptual framework of FlorAlive® is elegant, simple, and really quite profound. That is because it explores and is able to utilize higher dimensional forces that we define as divine programming to “overwrite” negative thoughts, beliefs, and memories.
The first FlorAlive® flower essences were sold to select health professionals in the 2000 to 2001 period. Those individuals spread the word to colleagues and patients, and FlorAlive® grew. Many new essences were developed, now amounting to nearly 100. Many of the essences are not presently sold, and are “in the wings” waiting a time when they will be called upon.
As recounted in my book, The Floral Hand of God: Secret Healing Codes of Flowers Revealed, FlorAlive® was born from spiritual impulses, and has always dealt with the sacrosanct. So it is fitting that the non-denominational, non-sectarian Living Light Ministry (LLM) oversees production and distribution of FlorAlive products that are classed as floral sacraments. LLM is a private membership association.
What is truly remarkable is that selected flowers, pointed out to me by Higher Guidance over many years, have the greatest relevance in society just now. For in this period, where personal liberties have been trampled, and a global regime with anti-human objectives is determined to enmesh earth’s inhabitants in an artificial intelligence framework they control, there is a genuine need for conscious individuals to be empowered in embracing innate liberties, self-determination, and personal sovereignty.
Therein lies the strong alignment between FlorAlive® and those intending to step out of the mainstream to encounter the wonderful opportunities that lie within the homestead movement and with the formation of intentional communities. In a general sense, FlorAlive® empowers the discovery of our authentic self, and helps to free us from the threat of domination. It can strengthen many of the traits that are essential for success in self-determination.
I am amazed and forever grateful that inspired serendipity has defined much of my life. How is it that I was given Guidance over the last two decades in the discovery of quantum vibrational frequencies from selected flowers that remove (overwrite?) disabling programming thrust into our unconscious mind from so many directions?
Now, as the movement to rural lands is gaining momentum, what a perfect opportunity exists for my family to find just the right people to populate the FlorAlive® forest and farm – the intentional community we see developing. As I discover those that are in alignment with our mission, they will be delighted to enlarge the substantial infrastructure of the homestead we have built already, and help the creation and definition of a truly joyful living space.
In my last post, we talked about the incoming energy of the Shift of Ages, and what it means for our physical and spiritual evolution. The energy is transforming our perception whether we realise it or not, and many people are waking up to the truth about our world. The veils are slowly falling. We have lost trust in our governments and their alphabet agencies, lost trust in big pharma and their poisonous drugs, and we are beginning to see the electromagnetic control grid being constructed all around us. We are awake.
Birth certificate identity
We have been deliberately programmed by the education system to identify with what John St Julian calls the ‘birth certificate identity’. It is the core paradigm of how we function in this reality. We introduce ourselves as this name, sex, race, nationality, career etc, and the linear progression through life which gives us our self image and personal history. This is who we are. When we begin to awaken, the programming kicks in. The awakening process is supposed to wipe out the labels people identify with…the straight jackets that define us. But, because we are mind controlled by the core paradigm the opposite happens. We just add being awake to all the other labels that define us. This shows a superficiality of consciousness because if we were awake spiritually, there would be no need for labels.
Bursting the five sense bubble
The only way to burst the five sense bubble and make room for spirituality is by observing self in action, thought and deed. It takes a brave spirit to confront the ego self. And, sometimes it’s quite shocking to discover the petty and spiteful nature of our thoughts and the violence that erupts within self when an emotional raw nerve is touched and triggered.
Self reflection allows us to deeply investigate our motives for the things we do. Are they selfless or selfish?
Until we investigate deeply into our inner workings, confront and dissolve our shadow side, we will not be able to resonate with the spiritual worlds. …there is no room. For the world of labels and self inflated ego’s is too much with us…all consuming.
Who are you?
When you check in and listen to your thinking, sometimes you’ll find yourself bitching and complaining, scheming and blaming. The mind seems to have a will of its own and if left unattended can wander down strange roads. Through observation of self, we soon find out that we are sharing our awareness with another being we perceive as ‘I am’ the me… when it is not. Something lives its life through us. An AI, a parasite that can change perception like the tapeworm that can override and transform the consciousness of an ant. Anything is possible in this world of inversion and deception.
Once we discover the presence of the intruder, it retreats. The understanding that the you…you think is you… maybe another force altogether is revelatory, and as a result of our realisation another veil falls away…and the birth certificate identity narrative disappears and is replaced by our Source connected self. We wake up to what we really are. Divine beings trapped in a fallen matrix. See my post Prisoners of the Voice.
Fighting a spiritual battle
A lot of ‘spiritual’ people tell me they are fighting a spiritual battle against dark forces that are destroying our world…but how can we fight a spiritual evil with a physically labelled consciousness and an ego bound awareness?
It is impossible!
Before one can combat spiritual evil in high places, one must first do the inner work and face the spiritual evil within.
Doing the inner work
Here is a poem by T.E.Brown called Indwelling. These few lines express the responsibility imposed on each of us to open to our higher Self, and connect to Source Creator.
“If thou couldst empty all thyself of self like to a shell dishabited – Then might He find thee on an ocean shelf. And say this is not dead, and fill thee with Himself instead.
But thou art so replete with very thou and hast such shrewd activity. That when He comes He’ll say” It is enow unto itself. ‘Twere better let it be.
It is so small and full, and has no need of me.”
And there it is, my friends.
People are so immersed in their physical bubble reality, and the birth certificate identity training that there is no room for spiritual revelation and reality. Sadly, spiritual reality is atrophied by identifying with the labels that define us. The self image people have of being ‘spiritually awakened’ in most cases is a delusional ego pattern. It’s all just copy and paste. The birth certificate identity training that is called education is the core paradigm of how our ‘I Am’s’ function in this reality. We are slaves to a mind control programme. And those who wish for heightened spiritual awareness need to be aware that the internet and social media stimulates and reinforces the birth certificate identity, and the labels that define us. The spiritually blocking obstacles we are trying to escape from.
Everything in the world has spirit which is released by its sound-Oscar Fischinger
Harmonic attunement
Everybody has their own frequency or musical sound, and this sound will resonate with unseen realities that vibrate on the same wavelength. A good example of harmonic attunement is a piano tuner’s tuning fork. Whatever note he plays will affect a piano in the next room and it too will began to vibrate at the same cycles per second…the same tonal frequency as the fork. All living things have their own frequency and are affected by a “harmonic attunement’ where vibrations communicate more deeply than images or words. When the mind is quiet and not full of birth certificate identity stuff, we can harmonically attune to plants, stones, birds, animals….all living things. We can enter as state where there is no separation and merge into the ecstasy of the One Life.
Good or bad. it doesn’t matter
Harmonic attunement can be either positive or negative. The cosmos is indifferent to morality. We can tune into the dark side very easily. Think of the hysteria that is whipped up at a football match when mob rule takes over. Or the bright side, like fans at a live music concert that can synchronise harmonically with the band and become the music.
Changing frequency
In this incredible time of our lives, we have to be careful of our thinking. The frequency of the sun is changing affecting everything on earth. The magnetosphere is weakening and more cosmic radiation is flowing through us, mutating our dna. Cosmic rays are known to create evolutionary leaps and it is likely that those that can resonate with the new set of frequencies will regain their multi dimensional power and start vibrating beyond the narrow spectrum of visible light we call the matrix. With this power comes a challenge and that is: whatever we dwell upon in our minds will manifest in physical form almost immediately. We cannot afford to let the mind wander into dark places. Mindfulness is critical in this time of momentous change. The educational programming of the birth certificate identity has locked us into fear based speculation about the future…and what we think about we become.
We are far more than the birth certificate identity. We are powerful beings locked in the five sense world of self image and personal history. A reality that in many cases is nothing more than our memories….
Now is the time to be mindful. Now is the time to live in the Now. Time to take back our power and our thinking. If we do the inner work, drop our labels and open our hearts to true Creator, the spiritual worlds will find us. We are the power that gives us breath, and we are the power that leaves at death. We are not our birth certificate identity. We are a manifestation of divinity. It’s time to live it!
Elva Thompson was born in England in 1947 and moved to Rosebud Lakota reservation in 1987. She is the author of the Heartstar Series; Book One: The Key made of Air, Book Two: The Gates to Pandemonia, and Book Three: Walking In Three Worlds. Her other interests include organic gardening, ancient phonetic languages, sonic sound and their application in the healing arts. She is also a medical intuitive and teaches sonic re-patterning using sound, colour, and essential oils. Elva Thompson is on Amazon Author Central @ amazon.com/author/heartstar
When you check in and listen to your thinking, sometimes you’ll find yourself bitching and complaining, scheming and blaming. The mind seems to have a will of its own and if left unattended can wander down strange roads. Through observation of self, we soon find out that we are sharing our awareness with another being we perceive as ‘I am’ the me… when it is not. Something lives its life through us. An AI, a parasite that can change perception like the tapeworm that can override and transform the consciousness of an ant. Anything is possible in this world of inversion and deception.
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