Grow Life 420

CANNABIS CULTURE – Israeli-based Technologies firm Eybna says a recently discovered combination of terpenes and CBD has the potential to manage the symptoms of COVID-19, and may even prevent infection altogether. 

Nadav Eyal, CEO and co-founder of Eybna

“We used our database and advanced data-mining and formulation design methodologies to research and isolate terpenes with elevated anti-inflammatory properties and optimize their ratios.” Says Nadav Eyal CEO and co-founder of Eybna. “This enabled us to develop and manufacture a patented data-driven terpene formulation that is effective, safe, and synergetic.”

For the last 6 years, Eybna has been studying the therapeutic benefits of the cannabis plant and its phytochemicals for use in adult wellness products.  When COVID-19 first emerged, Eybna partnered with CannaSoul to analyze the potential of terpenes and cannabis phytotoxins.  Eyal states, “With the lack of safe anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical drugs, we decided to put our knowledge and formulation technology to the test – by demonstrating their efficacy versus dexamethasone, a steroid which has many unknown side effects. The results of this study exceeded our expectations.”  

Aptly named NT-VRL, this formulation consists of terpenes from sources such as eucalyptol, beta caryophyllene, and citral, added with CBD.  Eybna claims the composition to be safer and more effective than the majority of the pharmaceutical products on the international market currently used for COVID-19.   Eyal explained, “The 30-ingredient natural formulation avoids the high concentration of single-ingredient, and therefore is much safer to cells in our body than synthetic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients. The data-driven formulation works via various mechanisms of action in our body, making it more effective.”

NT-VRL terpene composition is being peer-reviewed in 11 studies currently, including studies that show protective agents could also prevent inflammatory illnesses in vitro directly related to COVID-19.  Testing is starting with Human Coronavirus strain E229 (HCoV-E229), which has similar properties to COVID-19 but is regarded as safer to work within lab settings.  There are a variety of COVID-19 strains now active worldwide, and Eybna plans to work with these in the near future.  

In reference to Eybna’s discovery and its value in relation to the pandemic, the journal Life wrote, “Even though the vaccination of the world’s population against COVID-19 has begun and is expected to proceed gradually, there is no clear expectation of completion. However, some individuals will not be vaccinated due to personal choice or health limitations. In addition, several population groups such as younger age groups will be the last to get vaccinated. A natural antiviral solution with minimal side effects that can be used alone or in conjunction with vaccines as a preventative treatment may be a safe and relatively easy way to reduce infection in those populations.”

Eybna looks forward to being able to continue their research into highlighting the proven scientific benefits of cannabis and evolving it into effective, safe, targeted use.  According to Eyal, “Research and technology are quickly evolving to help access the huge untapped potential of terpenes. We believe that we are positioned to have a major contribution to that evolution, and we’re working hard to continue investigating the full scope of can

nabis phytochemicals functional uses for health and wellness.”

NT-VRL is already on the market along with partners such as Esteem and Provacan and Loop Labs with products such as the Nano Mist Inhaler and Oral Spray canister designed to optimize delivery, with more planned to be introduced to the US, Canada, and EU markets in Q3 of 2021.  

Eybna is currently expanding by opening a new facility in the United States and developing new partnerships, and their research potential is expected to continue to grow exponentially.  Cannabis has so much still-unrealized potential in the medical field, and Eybna plans to be at the forefront of this progress. 

CANNABIS CULTURE – Health Canada’s Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has added chloropicrin to the list of pesticides permitted to be used in outdoor cannabis farms. As a soil fumigant, it is cheaper and more effective than currently approved overground pesticides, but is it also more dangerous than Health Canada is leading us to believe?

Previously stockpiled by the US military, chloropicrin was used as a chemical weapon with effects similar to tear gas.  Minimal exposure has been associated with acute eye irritation, coughing, and severe gastrointestinal effects, such as extreme nausea, colic, and diarrhea.  

Many countries have banned chloropicrin’s use in agricultural settings due to its severe health risks, yet North America has continued to use it for soil fumigation and in stored grains to prevent infestation, despite its ability to be systemically absorbed through ingestion, inhalation, and contact with skin.  In fact, the Canadian Environmental Protection Agency recommends against exposure greater than 0.1ppm.  

Chloropicrin would be injected into the fields well before cannabis crops are planted. 

Although it would seem that this would make its use safer, the off-gassing from chemical breakdown and exposure to heat can have devastating effects.  A study published in 2009 out of California called Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology found “decomposition of chloropicrin may release the following toxic gases and vapors: phosgene, chlorine, carbon monoxide, nitrosyl chloride, and oxides of nitrogen,” all potentially very dangerous to humans, animals, outlying soil, and water sources.  

According to the CDC, off-gassing of the vapors, which are heavier than air, can lead to “hazardous concentrations that may develop quickly in enclosed, poorly-ventilated, low-lying, or confined areas (e.g., sewers, basements, and tanks).”  The danger seems to be made all the more real by reading the CDC guidelines for preparing an on-site morgue if workers applying the chemical are fatally exposed.  

Iron, zinc, and other light metals also corrode with exposure to chloropicrin, and metal contact, in general, can actually lead to flammable hydrogen gas.  Extreme heat or introduction to oxidants may also lead to explosive reactions.  Some forms of plastics, rubber, and other coatings are vulnerable to deterioration as well, which may make it challenging to chemical barriers around grow locations that would prevent seepage into the nearby property and water sources. 

At the current threshold limit value (TLV) set for chloropicrin of 0.1 ppm for an 8-hr time-weighted average exposure, California still reported over 1000 cases of people becoming ill from chloropicrin use between the years 2000 and 2015.  During human tests with an exposure slightly higher than 0.3 ppm, despite no one being able to sense the presence of the chemical, the maximum tolerance was between 3 and 30 seconds before serious symptoms began to develop.  

Health Canada maintains that chloropicrin is not a carcinogen but many scientists disagree. 

Health professionals and scientists in California banded together to urge the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) to re-evaluate the evidence that chloropicrin indeed does contain cancer-causing agents.  In a collective statement, the group said, “When chloropicrin was evaluated as a Toxic Air Contaminant, the toxicologists from DPR who wrote the Human Health Risk Assessment, the scientists from the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), and the Scientific Review Panel (SRP) who peer-reviewed it all concluded that chloropicrin is a potent carcinogen with a low threshold for acute eye and respiratory irritation. A comprehensive chloropicrin risk assessment completed by DPR toxicologists last year reaffirmed DPR scientists’ conclusion that chloropicrin is a carcinogen and severe irritant.”

The research was done by the California scientists and professionals also found that chloropicrin exposure was only tested on young, healthy adults with no history of chronic respiratory illnesses, and having not had smoked, used recreational drugs, or had any evidence of sickness within a year of the study.  Children, the elderly, and vulnerable populations were not included in the testing.  In addition, exposure was limited to 60 minutes, which was then translated into a recommended exposure over an 8-hour period, without this period of time actually being observed.  Concentrations of soil fumigation vary over time, and at peak levels were found to be well above safe limits, which means the results of the study over 60 minutes “will not be protective of the health of even healthy individuals, and could pose very serious risks for vulnerable populations.”

The OEHHA reiterated the dangers of chloropicrin in its response to DPR’s Risk Management Directive, writing: “OEHHA respectfully disagrees with DPR’s conclusion that evidence on the carcinogenicity of chloropicrin should be viewed as equivocal.  Chloropicrin has been observed to induce gene mutations and chromosomal damage.  The DPR chloropicrin document, the OEHHA chloropicrin findings, and the (Scientific Resolution Panel) chloropicrin findings all state that chloropicrin is a genotoxic carcinogen and can be assigned a cancer potency factor of 2.2 (mg/kg-day).”  The letter continues, “The combination of the animal studies and the in vitro studies indicate that there is no question that there is evidence of carcinogenicity.”

Clearly, the fact that carcinogenicity is being denied by Health Canada, yet insisted upon by other health organizations, is a massive red flag of chloropicrin use.  Another concern is that soil fumigation renders the earth essentially dead, killing off not only the bad bugs and microbes but also the good ones.  Many farmers prefer to have healthy living soil, which leads to better and stronger crops.  The cost of fumigation, however, is significantly less than that of overspray pesticides, so some growers opt to sacrifice quality for overall profit.  

Ultimately farmers will have the choice of whether or not to use chloropicrin in their crops. 

Many will likely continue to use overspray pesticides to protect their agriculture, soil, and provide the best quality products, but undoubtedly there will be those swayed by the low-cost and effective chemical application, especially since labeling of products grown in fumigated soil is not required.  If cannabis quality decreases due to these cost-cutting measures, this could lead to an increase in black market sales as consumers continue to search for the most potent products available grown in ways that impact the environment less substantially.  

In the interim, Health Canada has said that their last review of chloropicrin was in 2018 and that they “continue to monitor for new information related to pesticides and will take appropriate action if any risks of concern to human health or the environment are identified.”  Considering how many risks have already clearly been identified, and since the main motive of fumigants over safer and more sustainable pesticides seems to be monetary in nature, it seems that only time will tell how the use of this chemical compound in our soil will truly affect both the short-term and long-term welfare of our agriculture, pesticide applicators, and everyday citizens. 

CANNABIS CULTURE – The Kansas State Legislature has begun hearing arguments on House Bill 2184 to decriminalize cannabis for medical use, a bill largely spearheaded by the Kansas Cannabis Business Association (KCBA).  Kansas is one of several states where cannabis is still illegal in all forms with the exception of CBD.  

Two years ago the KCBA began working with a coalition of pro-legalization groups, and they will be presenting to the House as lead proponents as well as responsible for coordinating relevant testimony. 

In an interview with Cannabis Culture, KCBA co-presidents Erin Montroy and Andy Ericson spoke about what they hope to achieve in this round of the legislative process.  “This is the first step,” said Ericson.  “Our main goal is to bring about a market for the state of Kansas, and one that brings about the most economic value, with the end goal to bring recreational (cannabis use) to the state.”

Over the last decade, Kansas has introduced more than 18 cannabis bills to try and get the cannabis market to the state, and only 1 or 2 of the bills have made it past the initial committee. 

Ericson says, “Kansas has an incredibly Conservative legislature and has for quite a long time.  This session we are faced against a supermajority of Conservatives, and so our goal has been to feel it out and see what we can get done.”

Hindering the movement of previous bills as well as the fact that Kansas does not have a ballot initiative, which is how most states have passed decriminalization.  However, in Kansas, the only way of getting a vote pushed is to have a legislator carry it. 

They also have one of the shortest session times in the country.  When you factor this alongside the strong conservatorship of the state, it can be easy to see why KCBA has described this process as “a political obstacle course.”

Some of the opponents expected to speak in the next few days include law enforcement officials and even a few doctors, one, in particular, being Dr. Eric Voth.  According to KCBA, Voth has testified previously that marijuana increases opiate use. 

They claim he is reaping the benefits of keeping cannabis illegal because of the profit he makes from opioid addicts as his wife purportedly runs a local addictions center. 

“These are some of the outright falsehoods that are being presented to lawmakers,” stated Montroy.  “It is not only a bad thing to do, but it is also harmful to the process.  Some of the older legislators may not know that this information is flat out untrue.”

Despite the challenges previous bills have faced, KCBA now believes that their success is inevitable.  “If any bill is going to pass this session, we believe ours is the far most likely,” said Montroy.  “They (the legislators) see that we are surrounded by states that do allow some form of use to their citizens.  Our state was struggling economically before COVID hit, and now that it has, they are looking at an incredible deficit and looking to bring in new strains of revenue in a way that will not cost the state anything.”  

In fact, cannabis has proven to be nearly recession-proof during COVID, where its market value only improves as people continue to use cannabis for medical and personal means.  The benefits extend to ancillary businesses as well, such as construction and insurance companies, adding to the economy immensely and often not being calculated into the tax revenue worth of legalization.  

KCBA also plans to present cannabis use during the pandemic as being important due to its anti-inflammatory effects, as well as the fact that marijuana can help reduce other COVID symptoms and improve overall mental health.  

If Kansas sees Bill 2184 pass, this would require the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to have their regulations for the patient and caregiver certification within 60 days of passage.  The part of the governing body that would oversee enforcement would be required to have their regulations finished within 6 months of passage.  This means that within 2 months, patients would be able to start moving forward to get this treatment, and operators would be able to begin applying for licenses as early as July 1, 2021.  

CANNABIS CULTURE – And if a recent court ruling stands — they could take yours too.

Wayne and Rachelle Street say their four children were taken from them in September of 2017 by Child Protective Services because a case worker was offended by the smell of doctor-prescribed cannabis. 

Now,  Judge S. Frame has decided to place the children under a continuing care order and the Streets face mounting legal bills to overturn the court’s decision.

This is not the first time the Street family has been broken apart by government intervention.

In 2013, Street’s daughter Victoria was seized at birth, and although he was given no official reason, Street says he can only assume it was because of his well-known history of activism and fighting for cannabis reform dating back decades.  Victoria came home after a few brutal weeks apart —  the damage had been done. The baby had developed thrush, lost significant weight, and exhibited the tragic signs of failure to thrive.  

Shortly after Victoria’s return, Street was diagnosed with throat cancer and obtained a prescription for cannabis to use in conjunction with chemotherapy.  His personal supply was with him when he fell very ill during a family trip and had to be taken to the hospital.  A nurse offered to help his wife grab some items from their vehicle and noticed the smell of marijuana, and immediately reported it to CPS.  

This time Street says CPS interrogated the children for days and eventually transferred them out of province without his knowledge.  He then had to spend the next 3 months proving he and Rachelle would provide the children with a safe and stable home before their return.  

However, once again in 2017, he would be persecuted for being a cannabis user.  He was home without his wife and children smoking his prescribed dosage when a social worker entered the home unannounced.  The Social Worker was furious about the smell, and returned a few weeks later with the RCMP to remove the children from the home.  

Since 2017 the children remain separated from their parents and each other in foster care and group homes.  They are only able to see them supervised for 1.5 hours weekly in a small room at the social work offices or at church, and they may speak over the phone for 20 minutes weekly.  

Street and his wife are fighting for the return of their children and raising money for the release of court transcripts and for lawyer costs.  They are asking for a judicial review to overturn Judge Frame’s ruling and recuse the judge from the case due to a conflict of interest. Judge Frame presided over an unrelated trial in 2017 where Street was acquitted of all charges except resisting arrest.  Allegedly, Judge Frame has been vocal in her belief that cannabis use and effective parenting cannot coexist. 

Street worries this case could establish a the nightmare precedent of social workers able to remove children from loving and responsible families because of cannabis use in the home. 

As Street says, “This is just one more battle in the war on drugs, because if they can take away your children for cannabis, imagine how that is going to hurt the share prices of the licensed producers when they learn that their customers can lose their children over the smell of their product.  A multi-billion dollar industry could be hit hard by this decision.”  

A crowd-sourcing campaign for the Street’s legal bills has been launched here.

CANNABIS CULTURE – In a recent survey of over 7000 Washington citizens performed and published by YouGov.com, 70% of respondents supported expunging non-violent cannabis convictions.  The details of the survey were released this week.  This poll was taken from a socially diverse group of US citizens in Washington, and the results clearly showed an overwhelming number in agreement with the proposal to eliminate the criminal records of incarcerated individuals involving cannabis-related offences, with only 17% saying that they were in opposition.  

Also this week, the US House of Representatives held a vote to pass the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act, with the final vote being 228 to 164 in favour of the act.  This will allow the removal of marijuana prohibition at a federal level, eradicate federal cannabis-related convictions, and allow states to expedite the review and abolishment of state-level marijuana records. The MORE Act passed with 81% Democratic approval, 69% from Independents, and 57% from Republicans with only 5 Republicans voting in favour of the bill.  

Cannabis Culture had the opportunity to get a statement about the importance of this poll and the recent vote by the US House of Representatives from NORML, an organization that works to fight anti-marijuana propaganda, acting as a voice for cannabis users and pushing for cannabis rights and legal reform.  

“Millions of Americans, a disproportionate percentage of whom are young people and people of color, have been subject to marijuana-related arrests and criminal conviction,” said Paul Armentano, the deputy director of NORML.  “Branding these individuals, many of whom are at an age when they are just beginning their professional careers, as lifelong criminals results in a litany of lost opportunities including the potential loss of employment, housing, voting rights, professional licensing, and student aid, and serves no legitimate societal purpose. The imposition of such lifelong penalties is even more punitive in instances where the criminal conviction is related to behavior or activities that have since been legalized and regulated.”

In April of this year, NORML testified in the Federal Registrar campaigning for the changes that the Act would bring into effect.  Armentano explained, “In the interest of justice and fairness, NORML maintains that adult-use legalization policies must include legislative provisions to facilitate an automatic review of prior criminal records and also include a mechanism to allow for the expungement of such records in instances where the activity is no longer defined as criminal under state law. Providing such relief is a publicly popular solution that assists in righting the past wrongs of America’s failed marijuana prohibition.” 

Obviously with the overwhelmingly positive results of the poll and passing of the MORE Act, the voice of the American people is being heard, and groups like NORML are certainly helping to amplify these voices and advocate for change.  As these types of legislative changes continue to be enacted, justice for those incarcerated for cannabis-related offences in a world of legalization is closer than ever to being realized.  

You can support NORML in their work of fighting injustice and ending cannabis prohibition by visiting NORML.org and clicking Donate.  

CANNABIS CULTURE – The Last Prisoner Project (LPP) has launched a joint effort with Kush.com to send holiday letters to people in jail for cannabis. 

 “Your mail is a steady flow in the beginning, but anything after 2 years and those letters start to dwindle,” says Evelyn LaChapelle, a former prisoner and now organizer for the Last Prioner Project. 

Once a Prisoner — now an advocate, Evelyn LaChapelle.

“Every time the mail is slid under your door or left on your bed or called at mail call, there is a piece of excitement that comes with that.”  LaChapelle says correspondence with the outside world was a lifeline during her sentence — so much so she’s kept all the letters.  “It shows you the magnitude, how important these letters become, how important that communication to the outside world becomes.  Even if you don’t know that person or you assume that this is just frivolous, on the inside we are drawn to that.  There is no frivolous mail.”

LaChapelle was fortunate enough to have secured her release as a constituent of LPP and now works for them as a re-entry coordinator.  In 2009 she was arrested for depositing profits of cannabis sales into her bank account, and in 2013 she was sentenced by the federal courts to 87 months despite marijuana already starting to make its legal pathway in her home state of California.  As she told her story, she passionately explained why she stands so strongly behind this letter-writing program.  “This will be a way for inmates to know that America, that there are people outside who are paying attention, who are concerned, and who are dedicated to see their release, and that’s what this is about,” said LaChapelle.   “This is bringing a little heart to that mission.”

Craig Cesal, a truck mechanic convicted of conspiracy. Released under the care act, he faces re-incarceration when the Covid crisis ends.

Craig Cesal was recently released to home arrest thanks to the First Up Act of 2018 and the CARES Act of 2020.  Before prison, he was in the business of servicing work trucks.  Some of these trucks ended up being used to transport marijuana.  One of the drivers was arrested, and Cesal was charged with conspiracy to distribute.  Despite having no criminal record, he was sentenced to life without parole.  When COVID is no longer a concern, the reality is that he could get called back to complete his sentence.  As Cesal says, “What we always hear is that marijuana crimes are victimless crimes. But the truth is the victims are the people that are in prison.”

Cesal, now a vocal public advocate for the Last Prisoner Project says inmates enjoy receiving letters where people simply talk about their life like they would to a friend.  Cesal recalls fondly, “I can remember one of my favourite letters from about 2 years ago was from a man who worked in a cannabis business in Colorado and just said, ‘Hey, I found out you’re serving a life sentence for marijuana.  Here’s what I am doing in the marijuana industry,’ and that was one of my favourite letters because here is a person on the outside and sharing his life with me, so there is nothing you can write wrong.  Just share yourself and reach out.  The prisoner can effectively live vicariously through what you are doing.  It makes a big difference.” 

Things such as sharing what music you are listening to that day or talking about your favourite books can bring true joy.  Magazine subscriptions are also a hot commodity for reading and trading for other magazines, especially now with lockdowns being so intense.  These subscriptions are another tangible thing that can be done and really mean a lot to the recipients. 

LaChapelle encourages everyone interested in this program to not hold back, but also take some steps to make sure that your letters are received.  “For your first letter use white paper, white envelope, black or blue ink, because every prison system has their own restrictions.”  If you send a greeting card, the inmate may only receive a photocopy, but in your first letter you can ask what the mailing restrictions are in their system so that you know what will be accepted. 

Currently in the United States, more than 40,000 people are incarcerated for crimes related to cannabis, with an estimated minimum of 2000 in Michigan alone despite cannabis being legal in Michigan for medical and recreational use since 2018.

What it all boils down to is that there are people in society actively working in and benefiting from the cannabis industry, while others sit in prison serving lengthy federal sentences for being tied to cannabis-related offences.  They need to know that they are remembered and that they are not alone, especially during this holiday season. 

You can access more information and get involved with the letter-writing campaign by visiting Last Prisoner Project. 

CANNABIS CULTURE – Kenny Abbe took an Oklahoma growhouse by storm when he started growing some of the most beautiful cannabis plants without having the benefit of being able to actually see them.  

“Disability is only a true disability if the person suffering from it allows it to disable them,’ Abbe said. 

In 2014, Abbe was living life as any other family man, working and raising his children with his wife, Shayana.  Then tragedy struck.  A horrible single-vehicle accident saw Abbe thrown through the windshield, nearly decapitating him, and left his wife severely injured as well.  Both spent several months in the hospital recovering.  Unfortunately, the long stay in hospital meant that they lost many of their worldly possession to pay bills and survive, but the repercussions did not end there.  Abbe had not been expected to survive, and the damage to his skull was to the extent that neither of his eyes could be saved.  While doctors did manage to save his life, both eyes had to be removed.   

Now living in a world of darkness, Abbe had a choice to make.  Would he succumb to the inevitable fear and depression that followed this life-changing and traumatic incident, or would he use it as an opportunity?  After much time struggling with this, he made the wholehearted decision to continue to make something of his life for he and his family.  Abbe had a skill, growing cannabis, and with his other senses now heightened, he began to use his vast knowledge of cannabis with his increased sense of smell and touch to grow cannabis with the help of his wife, who was fortunate enough to have also survived.   

Abbe’s extensive knowledge of growing marijuana plants stemmed from been taught at a young age about natural growing and how to nurture plants and identify their needs.  Before even hitting his formative teenage years, Abbe had connected with a local man who was an “old hippy-type” home grower.  There he was able to learn skills, such as making cost-effective and highly efficient fertilizers.  Through the years, his abilities continued to improve to the point that he could essentially sense what the plants were needing for optimal growth.  His strains grew more potent, his plants became taller and healthier, and he learned how to adjust his custom fertilizers to suit exactly what each plant was lacking or overabundant in.  He realized that just because he had lost his eyes did not mean that he had lost his skill, and he was determined not to give up.   

After legalization in 2018, Sil Malone was looking to hire a grower for a legal cannabis grow operation in Oklahoma.  Abbe applied and sent Malone some photos of his plants, managing to completely blow him away.  They were some of the most beautiful plants that Malone had ever seen, and he was intrigued as to how a man with no vision had been able to perform such a feat.   

Abbe explained that he worked closely with his partner and wife, Shayana.  He would measure plants using his forearm to determine if their growth was appropriate, and then based on what he smelled, felt, and how Shayana would describe the plants themselves, Abbe would detail what needed to happen next.  He continued to make his own fertilizer using bat guano and other sources high in nutritional compounds.  Out of this teamwork and refined experience came potent, stunning cannabis grows. Between the trichrome definition and the colouring, Malone knew he had found someone special.   

Malone did have concerns though.  They operated out of a rather large warehouse, hundreds of square feet of floor space divided by pillars.  Surely this would be hazardous for his newest employee!  But after seeing the skill and passion from Abbe, Malone knew he had to have this man on his team.  The company then undertook the massive project of redoing to the entire grow floor to remove all the pillars and make it an entirely open space, and all for Abbe.  This proved to work well for Abbe, and within a short amount of time, he was Chief Grower.   

Much like a Head Grower in Canada, a Chief Grower in the United States has extensive responsibilities when it comes to a growing operation.  Not only are they responsible for the teams of growers below them, but also for every aspect of plant growth, including timing and rates of watering, nutrients, and light.  It can be a daunting task for anyone, but Abbe never let this slow him down.  His homemade nutrient mix of bat guano and other components combined with his knowledge and intuition about the needs of his plants continued to produce richly coloured and beautifully developed growth, and he quickly earned the respect of Malone and the rest of the team.   

Abbe continues to be a source of inspiration to those around him.  Malone now is proud to call him a dear friend, and speaks lovingly of the man who has faced so much adversity and overcome it.  “This story is unlike any other within the cannabis world,” Malone stated.  “It is truly an amazing and inspiring story.  A true and indelible story of resilience and an unrelenting human spirit.  An individual who would not allow his disability to quell his determination to live life.”  Malone continued, “Kenny Abbe lives in a world shrouded in darkness.  However, (his) spirit is as bright as a supernova.  A man whose passion for growing quality cannabis is only surpassed for his love of his wife and kids.  Through all of his challenges, Kenny never gave up on life, not to mention never giving up his pursuits of growing quality cannabis.”   

Nowadays, Abbe keeps much to himself outside of work.  He has a small and close-knit circle of friends, and is a proud father of 2 and loving husband to Shayana.  He has taken his disadvantages and turned them into beautiful positivity and light, finding a way to continue fulfilling his dreams.  He wants people to know that a disability does not have to end goals, dreams, and a satisfying and happy life, saying, “Dare to be different.  Don’t be afraid to stand out.  Don’t let the fact that you don’t blend in with everyone else hold you back.”

CANNABIS CULTURE – “It is well understood that people with schizophrenia should not take large dosages of psychedelics because it is destabilizing,” says Mark Haden, Executive Director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) in Canada.  “But we don’t know the effect of small dosages and how that can impact them.”

The future of psychosis treatment took a new turn when Haden met a young man named “John Doe,” who had experience in microdosing for his psychosis.   Several years ago, Doe had reached out to MAPS looking to tell a fascinating story.  The email made its way to Haden, and the two decided to meet for lunch.  Doe began to tell Haden about his harrowing journey, discussing his extensive battle with schizophrenia throughout his teens and young adult life, the extreme anguish of dealing with negative voices in his head every day, and the failure of traditional medications and intoxicants to improve his symptoms.  

Doe told Haden, “Everything was always my fault, and the blame was always 100% on me. I was seriously flawed, and the voices pointed this out to me all day. I had no way to escape them, and they were getting stronger and darker.”  But Doe appeared to have found a solution to his mental ailments through his ultimate discovery of the role that microdosing psychedelics could play in his mental health, and in this, he had captivated Haden’s attention.

Mark Haden Executive Director of MAPS

It was obvious that there were major improvements that could be made to how psychosis patients were managed, but as psychedelics were considered counterproductive and not a focus of research.  Almost all researchers and medical professionals would agree that psychedelics and cannabis can be problematic for patients who have been diagnosed with a psychosis, such as schizophrenia.  In fact, many such individuals who did experiment with things such as mushrooms or LSD saw a recurrence of their symptoms and severe destabilization.  Most of the time, patients are diagnosed potent cocktails of tranquilizing medications, which are beneficial for the staff at mental health facilities in handling psychotic patients, but offer no real solutions to those actually suffering from these disorders.  While technically effective, it robs people of the chance to live meaningful, symptom-free lives as active members of society.  

Like many professionals before him, Haden personally had experienced patients with underlying mental health problems who would have extreme psychotic reactions after taking moderate-to-large doses of these drugs, so naturally he was skeptical at first when speaking with Doe.  He says, “It was so contradictory to what I understood.  I was just intrigued.”  

A few months later they met again, and Doe’s story remained very consistent.  Haden realized that there was actually very little known about the effects of small dosages.  “I decided to go into the academic literature and organized references, and I started searching, and I found 1 article that led me to believe there may be something to what he is saying, or at least that what he is saying has been documented before.”  

“It was a 1956 publication of a psychiatric hospital that held social groups for people with schizophrenia, and what they observed is normally either people didn’t talk, they sat there in silence, or they would talk, but… not in reference to anything anyone else in the group was saying.  They would just say their own thing going on in their own brain. “ Haden continued, “And then they (the hospital) gave them a small dose… of LSD, and they found that people that didn’t talk started to talk, and that they started to have a conversation with each other.”

At this point Haden began to ask colleagues who worked in the mental health field whether they had patients in their case load who had ever talked about psychedelics and had positive experiences with their psychosis, and he received enough positive responses to decide that this was something needing to be further explored.  The stories were out there, so the science needed to follow.  

Through studying Doe and looking through these prior publications, Haden was discovering that voices schizophrenics suffered from could begin to change from negative words of self-deprecation and worthlessness to positive and constructive reinforcements through appropriately-dosed psychedelics.  MAPS Canada then worked with Doe to write and publish his autobiography, How Psychedelics Treated My Schizophrenia.   “This is a true story about my life, my trauma and how I dealt with it.  I turned my trauma into something positive by using psychedelics,” Doe explained.  “I wrote this as part of my own healing journey, with the hope that it may help improve the lives of others who have been traumatized, oppressed and controlled.  I would like to show them that there is a way out of trauma; a light at the end of what feels like a very dark tunnel.”  

MAPS Canada is a legal research organization with multiple studies in the works and a goal to make cannabis and psychedelics widely available for medical access and research purposes.  They aim to internationally legalize psychedelics within the next 3-4 years.  As there is no believed cure for schizophrenia and other similar psychoses, an approach of lifelong microdosing management is required, a method that is only now beginning to really be researched and analyzed.  MAPS has begun with a 2-step plan for continuing this vital research.  

Step 1 has started with Doe, by sharing his autobiography widely and telling the world that his story exists.  “This autobiography marks the first instance where someone with schizophrenia has documented, in detail, an improvement in their conditions from using (a tiny amount of) psychedelics.  This observation opens up the possibility for further research and inquiry into this area,” notes Haden.  “This is one piece of a larger puzzle, where in the future psychedelics may play a role in the development of better psychiatric services in the treatment of major mental health disorders.”   

Step 2 is launching a survey on the MAPS Canada website, expected to go live in October 2020, looking into major mental health disorders and investigating the prevalence of these experiences and asking people if they have one of these disorders, if they microdose psychedelics, and if so, why?  This then allows the research team to move on to a small-scale clinical trial, and if the results show that this treatment is safe and has a positive effect on this group of people, they can then move on to comparing the usefulness of the new treatments to the currently available methods.  If this treatment works, patients like Doe need to be able to safely access psychedelics under the guidance of professionals instead of being forced to self-administer through the black market.  

MAPS mission for awareness and research development can change the way the medical world approaches the treatment of psychotic disorders as well as change the lives of those suffering with them.  To make donations to support the work of MAPS in psychedelic science, you can visit https://mapscanada.org/donate/

The inspiring autobiography How Psychedelics Treated My Schizophrenia can be read in its entirety at https://mapscanada.org/schizophrenia-biography/