“All I can say to you is that a warrior is never available; never is he standing in the road waiting to be clobbered. Thus he cuts to a minimum his chances of the unforeseen. What you call accidents are, most of the time, very easy to avoid, except for fools who are living helter-skelter.”
As much as we have tried to fuse science with medicine, much of the practice of medicine is not scientifically based. Much of what the physician does in practice is dictated by authority. – F.H.K. Green et al, Lancet, 1954
There is suddenly a lot of interest in people who may have received a placebo vaccine.
According to media reports, scientists have uncovered evidence that a large quantity of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine deployed in the European Union may in fact have consisted of placebos – and that the German regulator knew this and did not subject them to quality-control testing. The basis for this assertion is a March 2023 Danish study published in European Journal of Clinical Investigation.
However, the evidence in the Danish study is unclear. The results are based only on color coding of batches (yellow = harmless, blue = very bad, not so bad = green). What did the vials contain? Explain the demographics of the populations (age, sex)? What made up the placebos?
People who opted to get an experimental vaccine in the U.S. may rightly wonder if they, too, got a placebo or something else. A placebo is supposed to be harmless, used for experimental purposes to identify a legitimate baseline or control group.
Placebo definition:a harmless pill, medicine, or procedure prescribed more for the psychological benefit to the patient than for any physiological effect; used as a control in testing new drugs.
However, most people may not be aware that in “Vaccine Science” there is commonly no true placebo for control groups. Thus, there are no true control groups in vaccine trials. That means people receive a false placebo.
Why a false placebo? Because vaccine scientists want everyone to know that they care.
Vaccine Standard of Care
The World Health Organization (WHO) does not want to deprive anyone from receiving the benefit of any vaccine. That would be unethical, says WHO. So, according to the WHO’S Standard of Care, a placebo can be either:
an older version of the vaccine being tested, or
an adjuvant such as aluminum hydroxide, an ingredient common to all vaccines to increase a reaction (i.e, side effects).
…. randomised, placebo-controlled trial designs often raise ethical concerns when participants in the control arm are deprived of an existing vaccine. Furthermore, testing a new vaccine against placebo is scientifically and ethically fraught when the hypothesis being tested is whether an experimental vaccine is more efficacious than one already in use in the same or in other settings.
The False Placebo
The authority on vaccines, The World Health Organization (WHO), recommends using an older vaccine for saline in a placebo.
Meaning, if they are testing a new vaccine it would be unethical to test it against saline when an older, proven safe version exists. So, they can use the older versionas the placebo and, therefore, not deprive the study participant of the protection. It is also considered ethical to use an adjuvantin lieu of a vaccine when the vaccine being studied has that adjuvant in it. So, you can use an aluminum adjuvant as a placebo if the adjuvant has been around enough to have been studied for safety.
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An acceptable Standard of Care in vaccine trials means that the control group could receive either another vaccine, such as the Hep B vaccine, or an injection with an adjuvant (ie., aluminum hydroxide).
…paediatricians, responsible for administering the vaccine schedule for children, seem in particular, to be uninformed about the properties of aluminium adjuvants and their mode of action in vaccines. This apparent ignorance of the published scientific literature is unexpected in those charged with the wellbeing of neonates and infants and especially in the light of Janeway’s description of alum adjuvant as ‘the immunologist’s dirty little secret’ [2]
The moral? To give a false placebo means that adverse events between the control and experimental groups in a study show little to no difference. The vaccine is declared “safe and effective.”
The word ‘ethics’ is derived from the Greek word, ethos, which means custom or character. Ethics is the systematic study of values, so as to decide what is right and what is wrong.
“The value of biomedical research is such that many commentators believe that society has a strong obligation to conduct, support, and otherwise encourage it.”
But what about an obligation to protect its members from harm? The author goes on to refer to a quote by Hans Jonas, professor of Philosophy:
Our descendants have a right to be left an unplundered planet; they do not have a right to new miracle cures. We have sinned against them if by our doing, we have destroyed their inheritance.
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History proves that the inhumane Tuskegee experiments occurred from 1932-1972, well after the Hippocratic Oath made its initial appearance around 400 BCE.
The evidence of Tuskegee shows how medical doctors do not always take the opportunity to help their patients get well. During Tuskegee, doctors knew how to successfully treat Syphilis, but instead chose to watch their patients suffer and die after lying about the diagnosis and giving a placebo instead of the standard treatment.
How many guidelines and principles are required to ensure no harm to human subjects?
Informed Consent
Informed consent is both an ethical and legal obligation. It is a doctor’s duty to explain and disclose the consequences of treatment and non-treatment. Thus, patients have the right of self-determination.
The Belmont Report stressed three basic ethical principles: 1) respect for person, 2) beneficence, and 3) justice. These were applied in the form of informed consent, assessment of risks and benefits by ethics committees and selection of subjects. However, today we know that patients are not provided full informed consent before agreeing to medical or experimental procedures.
The condition/disorder/disease that the patient is having/suffering from
Necessity for further testing
Natural course of the condition and possible complications
Consequences of non-treatment
Treatment options available
Potential risks and benefits of treatment options
Duration and approximate cost of treatment
Expected outcome
Follow-up required
Ethics Vs. Morals
Currently, there is conflicting guidance on how to evaluate the use of placebo controls in vaccine trials.
Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay” width=”300″ height=”300″>
Most ethical guidelines for research do not address vaccine trials specifically; and, in those that do, the guidance regarding placebo use is limited [2], [3].
Moreover, general ethical guidelines for research – authored by both national and international bodies – offer conflicting guidance on the use of placebo controls [4], [5], [6], [7], [8].
Some guidelines call for exclusion of placebo use altogether when there is a proven or established effective intervention against the condition under study.
The ethics of vaccine science asks why use a true placebo when testing a new product when you can substitute an older product?
Use of placebos in certain self-limiting conditions or in patients with high psychological overlay or in those who insist for some form of medication is justified as there are high chances of benefit to the patient with negligible risk. Revealing the truth to the patient takes away the very purpose of administration of placebo.
The authors of the Journal Vaccine study conclude:
The lack of consistent guidance on the use of placebo controls raises significant ethical concern… a lack of clear guidance may result in the conduct of placebo-controlled trials that are ultimately unethical.
Since the time of Hippocrates, human ethics has devolved. Regarding informed consent for any procedure, the question should not be whether you received a placebo, but rather, what is in the placebo?
So, you’re taking a vacation. Good for you! And you’ve thought of everything, right? You cleaned out the fridge of stuff that’s about to go bad, your friend is taking your dog, and you have an automated feeder for your fish. But what about your plants? How will you water them while you’re away? Before you freak out and cancel your flight, calm down and check out these easy DIY suggestions, which will work for outdoor garden beds and houseplants.
Another Person
You know that friend dog sitting for you, the nearby family member or the neighbor with whom you’ve swapped house keys just in case either of you gets locked out? Why not ask one of them if they can drop by for 10 minutes while you’re away and water the plants?
Grab an empty wine bottle (with an aluminum cap) or an empty plastic water bottle. For the wine bottle, you’ll need to puncture a few holes in the cap, fill the bottle with water and then turn it upside down with the cap end stuck a couple of inches into the soil (make sure it’s deep enough not to fall over).
For the water bottle, puncture the holes on the sides and the bottom of the bottle, and dig into the pot of soil so that the cap end is sticking up about an inch or so.
For either method, you’ll want to water the plants right before doing it so that they don’t drink up all the bottled water right away. Your plant’s mileage may vary, but you can generally expect to get about 4-5 days out of them.
The Wick Method
Here’s a brain teaser for you: you have a potted plant, and right beside it, you have a jar/bowl of water. How do you get that water to the plant without moving either container? A piece of cotton string, of course.
Ensure the water container is elevated slightly higher than the plant pot. Place one end of the cotton string in the water and the other buried in the soil about three inches deep at the base of the plant. Water the plant to get things going and let the string do the rest.
This is an ideal method for plants that need watering about three times a week.
Depending on how much water you leave in the container, this could last up to three weeks.
The Bathtub
While the other methods involved bringing the water to your plants, this one brings your plants to the water.
Fill up your bathtub with a couple of inches of water, then lay down some towels to protect the base of the tub from getting scratched up. Place your plant pots on the towels. Make sure the plants are in pots with ample drainage so that the roots can soak up all that delicious, life-giving water, and they should be good for about a week.
This is a method worth considering for plants that need lots of water. They have to be in pots, though. Be sure to consider how much sunlight, or lack thereof, your bathroom gets and what plants would be okay with that.
Hugelkultur
Hugelkultur is worth considering when designing future garden beds and containers. This method involves placing decomposing logs and branches at the bottom of the bed or pot and layering them with rotted leaves and other organic material.
You won’t be sorry; an established hugelkultur bed requires almost no watering, even in dry spells!
Health Canada announced an additional $1.4 million in funding for a project exploring cannabis substitution of alcohol as a component of managed alcohol programs at the University of Victoria in BC. This was part of an announcement of more than $20 million to help address harms related to substance use across British Columbia and the Prairies.
This past Thursday, Manitobaformally proclaimed legislation to end the collection of social responsibility fees from cannabis retailers retroactive to January 1, 2022. The legislation passed earlier in the year, but finally made it through the final stage of approval last week.
The London Free Press also gave more attention to Ontario’s ongoing issue with cannabis store window coverings, speaking to Marga Vertolli, the owner of Lux Smoke, and Marie Ross, the owner of two Bob’s Bud Emporium locations.
MJBiz shared press releases about a counterproposal by a “syndicate” of parties that tried to stop a proposed agreement between Fire & Flower and Alimentation Couche-Tard. The attempt was rejected by an Ontario judge. The ruling from the Ontario Superior Court also approved the proposed sale and investment solicitation process (SISP) brought by the Couche-Tard affiliate.
In the US, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent cease and desist letters to six companies that make cannabis edibles that mimic products like Oreos, Doritos, Nerds, and others.
A new study from Texas said that the overuse of cannabis is linked to a variety of complications after major elective surgery, including blood clots, strokes, breathing difficulties, kidney issues and even death.
Also in the US, Politico posted a piece highlighting the challenges of legalization in New York.
SFGate noted that a group of scientists at Medicinal Genomics, a Massachusetts-based company, announced that they had accidentally discovered that one of their cannabis plants appears to be partially resistant to HLVd.
And finally, in international cannabis news, Germany shared new details about its adult-use legalization measure, which builds upon and refines previous details shared in April, including raising the age of access from 18 to 19, limiting adults to a 25-gram possession, and details on the operation of non-commercial “social clubs” for growing, similar to Uruguay. It also proposes a 10% THC cap.
My wife Stella, who is an amazing healer, is facing the contention that bodywork and alternative medicines are elitist. “Only those with disposable income can afford them, and predominantly white privileged women indulge in them.” I’ll respond to this concern as a specific illustration of the point of my recent piece, Notes on Privilege.
It is certainly true that our current system puts most non-mainstream healthcare options beyond the reach of the underprivileged. However, this is not the fault of the alternative therapies themselves. It is the fault of a system that makes them “alternative” in the first place.
Natural, alternative, and holistic therapies are intrinsically cheaper and more accessible than high-tech medicine. But are they as effective? For some acute conditions, they are not. But for the chronic conditions that afflict most Americans, they are more effective. That’s why people pay for them out-of-pocket, even when they can barely afford them.
“Show me your evidence!” “Prove they are more effective!” I could cite research, but would the skeptic read it? Research is systemically biased toward profitable therapies, but even so, a vast literature is available affording a glimpse into an alternative universe where our most intractable diseases are easily cured. One compelling book comes to mind right now, Ancient Secrets of a Master Healer, by Clint Rogers, about the legendary Vedic lineage-holder Dr. Naram. Even after thirty years in the alternative health universe, I was deeply affected by this book.
Some people argue that if alternatives really were so effective, they would be incorporated more fully into our healthcare system. Ironically, this argument affirms crucial assumptions of the edifice of privilege. It assumes that the system of pharma-funded research, regulatory agencies, and for-profit medical institutions is sound. It assumes that the authorities are trustworthy guardians of the public interest. It assumes that those practitioners and therapies that are left on the margins are there because they have less merit.
Think about all the races, cultures, and people who have been left on the margins. Is that because a merit-based system has justly found them to be less worthy of inclusion? Well, the same mechanisms that exclude whatever doesn’t serve power and profit operate in the world of health alternatives too.
Taking for granted the soundness of the existing system, health equity is simply a matter of improving access to that system. If, however, the existing system serves power and profit better than it serves people, we have to look sympathetically at what it excludes.
The realm of the alternative, natural, and holistic has the potential to return medicine to the people. It can reempower people to take charge of their own health, aided by practitioners who don’t need an expensive high-tech infrastructure behind them, or expensive patented drugs. Such a system would be far more egalitarian than the current one, and the general level of well-being far higher.
Stella offers the following comment:
In my decades of treating thousands of clients and teaching hundreds of students, I have learned that you don’t actually need highly specialized knowledge to access miracle-level healing. Anyone can learn it. This is why I began teaching Resonant Attention—to remind people how powerful their own hands and minds really are.
What I teach is just one of many easily accessible modalities of energy medicine and healing touch. These new-and-ancient technologies are in reach for almost everybody and should be common knowledge, taught in grade schools. The fact that they’ve been marginalized and undervalued mirrors the treatment of the people for whom they are currently inaccessible.
In other words, far from being accessories of privilege, these practices have the potential to erase an important aspect of privilege.
Certainly, someone working two jobs at minimum wage to support a family isn’t going to have time or money for hour-long healing sessions in a quiet room somewhere at $150 a pop. But why are people so economically desperate to begin with? One reason is healthcare costs, which consume one-fifth of US GDP. (It was about one-twentieth in 1960.) These costs present a huge economic burden to individuals, organizations, and government. One hundred million Americans are saddled with medical debt, which is involved in over half of all bankruptcies.
We could, and should, distribute these costs more fairly, but much of the cost is inherent in the high-tech modalities that dominate today. It doesn’t help anyone, privileged or not, to offer false medicines, to uphold disempowering paradigms, or to apply expensive and complicated technologies when simple ones would do.
The transformation of our healthcare culture won’t happen by leaving it to the very institutions that profit from our chronic disease and disparity. Real equity comes from reclaiming our bodies, reskilling medicine, and returning medicine to the people.
What does it mean to evolve? Without going into ‘official definitions’ I would humbly say it is to learn how to recall our ability to live happy, healthy and creatively free lives. Simple as pie and even more delicious. On the onset all new tasks can seem daunting. When I first began baking, due to my allergic reactions to sugar which ‘forced’ me to find alternative ways to provide the breads, cookies and cakes I still loved, it seemed almost impossible to develop the skills required to make these wonderful creations become as good as what I had to give up.
Those ‘store bought’ sweets looked and tasted so good to me at the time…I was certain that ‘professionally speaking’ my attempts would fall far short of those ‘delectable treats’. But what a surprise I was in for when I began that journey only to find my personal creations far surpassed, in both health and taste, the once imagined ‘out of reach’ delights I yearned for.
In short, as with my baking, our personal changes towards evolution can appear that way at first; daunting and unachievable. I may not be the best writer ever, far from it, but for myself I have become the best at seeing, dreaming, imagining and then acting on creating the new directions my life is inspiring me to take/make.
I became so good at baking I had to be careful not to eat too much and gain the weight I was losing with my new healthy lifestyle. Practice in evolution can become as that was for me…easy over the hard, wonderful over the mundane, sweet from the sour and power from once being powerless.
Here you can join us for 3 wonder filled days on 48 beautiful acres in warm and sunny Florida: For an event like no other. There may be others but there will never be one like this again. The space came to us through love allowing us to offer this unique experience for an affordable price with a small group assuring an intimate experience for your ‘Practical Evolution in Life’.
Cheers Lorenzo
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Last week, Italian lawmakers presented proposals aimed at regulating Italy’s booming low-THC cannabis industry. Dubbed “cannabis light,” Italy’s industry is now home to multitudes of retail outlets selling cannabis with low levels of THC. Although legislators didn’t initially set out to legalize recreational cannabis, a measure meant to legalize industrial hemp, a type of cannabis that has little to no THC, opened a loophole that allowed the cannabis light sector to take root.
The government is now working to regulate the sector. On June 20, 2023, Italian Prime Minister Gorgia Meloni proposed amending tobacco legislation and extending it to cover low-THC hemp flower as well. Meloni’s proposal would have laid out a tax framework for low-THC hemp and created an authorization system via the Customs and Monopolies Agency (DM).
However, a day after the recently instated prime minister tabled the proposed amendment, the government withdrew the proposal. Industry sources and local media still believe that lawmakers will soon reintroduce the proposed amendments in another bill.
The tax framework created by the proposal would tax the sale of cannabis-light products at 56.5%, the same rate as tobacco. Local marijuana industry association Canapa Sativa Italia notes that this high level of taxation would hamper the development of Italy’s hemp industry. The proposal would also limit places that could sell cannabis-light products to tobacconists with a specialized license. These authorized tobacconists would have to use “authorized tax warehouses” under “supervisory measures,” the proposal stated.
Tax warehouses are buildings in Italy where businesses can store and process imported and domestic products without paying any VAT with the guarantee that the goods will not be sold in the warehouse. Such warehouses keep goods in free circulation and allow businesses to pick up goods without having to go through time-consuming formalities.
Some industry players fear that while these measures will provide a regulatory framework for Italy’s cannabis light industry, they will penalize artisanal producers and small businesses that have been in the game for years. Smaller businesses would have an especially hard time managing tax warehouses and ensuring product quality while in these warehouses.
According to industry association Canapa Sativa Italia, the proposed measures would lead to the growth of a new black market because illicit sellers wouldn’t be subjected to high taxes or strict operating requirements. And major cannabis states such as California have proved that it can be extremely hard to compete with a cannabis black market once it has taken root.
Implementing effective strategies to contain the black market isn’t only beneficial to enterprises that directly deal in marijuana. Others, such as Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX), may also see an uptick in business if all industry players are adhering to the same rules or standards.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/ACTX
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A cannabis producer in BC is trying to let retailers know they are not affiliated with the BC government.
BC Cannabis Inc. is an Indigenous-owned micro cultivator based in Sooke, BC, licensed in April 2021.
Albert Eppinga, the company’s owner, says he and his team were excited to launch their first products recently in BC. However, they have received feedback that some cannabis retailers are under the impression the company is connected to the BC government.
Because of pent-up animosity some retailers have towards both the BC LDB, which handles distribution in the province, and the government-run BC Cannabis Stores, Eppinga says some retailers have been hesitant to buy their new BC Cannabis Inc products.
“What we were finding is quite interesting,” explains Eppinga. They think BC Cannabis Inc is a brand from the BC Cannabis Liquor Board or the BC Cannabis Store. Since some stores are opposed to the BC LDB and BC Cannabis Store, they don’t want to buy our products because they think we’re a part of the government.”
As an independent, Indigenous-owned cannabis grower in BC, he says he has been working overtime to ensure retailers know more about his company and who they are—and that the BC government does not own them.
“It’s becoming a bit of a controversy. We were all excited to get into the BC LDB, and now we’re finding that people don’t want to purchase from central delivery, and they think we’re a part of the government.”
While some retailers might not be familiar with the brand, two StratCann spoke with said they not only know it, they have gone out of their way to support it because of their appreciation for Eppinga and his unique, small-scale operation.
“I love Albert’s weed,” says Mike Babins of Evergreen Cannabis in Vancouver. “I never thought about the name issue. I really want his company to succeed!”
Andrea Dobbs, at Village Bloomery, also in Vancouver, says she’s been happy to carry the product because she’s familiar with it. However, she can see why some retailers might be confused by the somewhat corporate-sounding name.
“I think Alberta is great, he’s a great grower, and I think it would be great if he had a brand that better reflected his expertise, his knowledge, and his personality.”
Laina Yates, who works as the western sales manager at Mercari Agency Limited, which markets cannabis products including those from BC Cannabis Inc., says she can understand the confusion, and agrees that producers need to ensure their brand conveys the unique aspects of their personality.
“Your name really needs to reflect your brand and personality,” says Yates, “and we can see here how that can be very important.”
(Globe Newswire) Vancouver — LEEF Brands, Inc., a leading vertical cannabis operator is excited to announce a strategic partnership with Farming First Holdings, LLC, a prominent player in the cannabis cultivation industry. This collaboration marks a significant milestone for LEEF as it solidifies its supply chain for the upcoming winter season.
Under the terms of the agreement, Farming First will cultivate 27 acres of biomass cannabis material exclusively for LEEF. This partnership ensures a steady and reliable source of high-quality biomass material, contributing to LEEF’s commitment to providing exceptional concentrate products to its customers. The planting of the cannabis crops is expected to commence over the summer, with an anticipated fall harvest.
LEEF anticipates that this collaboration will yield approximately 65,000 lbs. of biomass material, further establishing the Company’s position as a leading concentrate provider in the California cannabis industry. By securing this robust supply, LEEF is well-positioned to meet the demands of the winter season and maintain a competitive edge.
“We are thrilled to partner with Farming First on this project. This strategic collaboration allows us to enhance our supply chain and ensure a consistent flow of high-quality cannabis material. We are confident that our customers will greatly benefit from this partnership, as we continue to provide them with exceptional concentrate products.” — Micah Anderson, CEO, LEEF Brands
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In addition to the current agreement, LEEF has also secured a right of first refusal on an additional 27 acres of biomass cannabis material for the 2024 season. This option provides LEEF with the opportunity to expand its production capacity and meet the growing market demand.
“We are proud to join forces with LEEF. LEEF’s reputation for excellence in the cannabis industry aligns perfectly with our commitment to cultivating premium cannabis material. This partnership marks an exciting chapter for both companies, and we look forward to a fruitful collaboration.” — William Terry, CEO, Farming First
With this strategic partnership, LEEF continues to demonstrate its dedication to innovation, growth, and providing top-quality concentrate products to its customers. As the cannabis industry evolves, LEEF remains at the forefront, constantly seeking opportunities to improve and expand its operations.
The company is also pleased to announce the successful completion of a fundraising round, securing $600,000 USD through a note payable arrangement. The funds were raised through a private arms length offering, with the note payable featuring a competitive flat interest rate of 12 per cent. The note will be payable in full on January 20, 2024.
The company is also pleased to announce that it has successfully raised $100,000 USD in capital funding through the issuance of 4,721,528 common shares. These shares were priced at $0.0288 each and were acquired by an arms-length entity.
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