Totnes

Now Totnes can be found at the top end of the river Dart in south west England, it is not really a coastal town , but through some magic or mystery it clings to the banks of the river in the same way the population clings to its very own identity, the tree lined river gives the impression of something almost dutch in its construction ' Holland on a hill '.

The Natives here really have done something .... and most importantly are continuing to do something, the Totnes pound was a pioneering scheme to keep the economy local and it is something that has not only been proven through means testing here , but has done such a great job that other small rural economies have taken to attempting their own versions based on the success of this model.

The overall ambience is collective and eclectic an interesting collection of alternative business' and stalls talks lectures film showings and gatherings for which the participants are just as interesting as the varied commercial theme, a bit like a festival with structural integrity, you can of course find the new developers trending and speculating .... but they are everywhere these days throwing up glass and steel facades regardless of local character considerations!

I would thoroughly recommend a visit to this little town whether you are just shopping or sightseeing a beautiful little spot on the river ! a fantastic range of independent galleries representing local and national talents alike .... some of which are very experimental and progressive well worth an explore , however I would suggest checking online for up to date activities and exhibitions lists prior to your visit due to the constantly changing range of activities.

No GMO in my THC !

It cannot be denied that international law has caused some problems in the past hundred years when it comes to so many peoples favorite plant!

The rampant prohibition of one of the most medicinal herbs by a minor cross section of society has affected every recreational and medicinal user around the globe.

From the racial stigmas that came with the early under classifications of 'bhang' and 'kiff' samples from the middle east, the demand for the properties embodied in this single little plant have always been in strong demand, but only in the last 50 years have we really begun to understand the chemical and cultural value of the plant itself .

The failing enforcement of 70+ years of prohibition in the western world is all based on some nonsensical allegations originating from the American legal classifications in the 1930's and it has left a great deal to be desired! It has made it difficult or even dangerous to freely partake in, and in some cases even talk about the controversial cannabis plant.

public opinion on the world stage does appear to be shifting , but I am sure that the hippy's have been saying that for decades ! but with so many areas around the world beginning to slowly introduce the much needed reforms to the legal classifications of this particular medicine. I feel that it is important to acknowledge all that has been afforded to the cause by the independent breeders, growers and distributors that face prosecution and even imprisonment on a daily basis, and yet have maintained a dedication.

Most of all let us not forget that which has been made available through the dutch tolerance system over the last 40 or 50 years and the importance of that heritage which is has been of benefit to so many growers and users around the world today!

AMSTERDAM!

The name of the city itself brings obvious mental imagery of barges ,canal houses , Van Gogh , bicycles, tulips and yes even redlight windows and coffeeshops too.

In the early Daze when the coffeeshops were more social gatherings than an internationally recognized and celebrated multi million dollar industry. people would just sort out a bit of weed or hash ( depending on regional availabilities ), and friends or locals would drop by to pick up whatever was available for either a private or social smoke. As the authorities tolerant approach to this kind of triviality gained notoriety -smokers from all over the world would come to Amsterdam to enjoy not only the city but the liberty of indulging in the harmless herb!

During the 1960's and the 1970's while Nixon was poisoning thousands of Mexicans and the unions in the U.K were bringing trade and industry in the country to its knees! The netherlands was quietly and gently getting on with business as normal and the police agreed that they had better things to do and so the 'hippy trails' brought about new awareness of both regional variations and differing regional production techniques, and as these new genes and informations made their beleaguered way back to the west much of it converged in Amsterdam!

Coffeeshops as we know them today exploded across the city and further afield in the Netherlands too, different establishments now catering to a steady international market began to compete for potency and diversity, different coffeeshops offering different selections , and in some cases exactly the same selections with different names to appeal to the THC tourists that continued flocking to the city through the 1980's and 1990's making Amsterdam and even specific strains such as ' northern lights' and 'skunk' household names to those that know.

As things progressed into the new century various coffeeshops began openly competing for quality and variety in their weed stock pushing breeding programmes into a frenzy and ultimately for the sake of a competitive edge reducing the genetic integrity of some very rare original landraces ( it is suggested that some may well even be extinct today )

In 1990 there were an estimated 500 coffeeshops in the greater Amsterdam area and yet by 2001 there were as few as 270 left with more of them under pressure today than ever before with the introduction of muting and restrictive neo conservative legislation in recent years, although tightening regulation has been met with mixed reviews, for many the international image of Amsterdam as a city where ' anything goes' began attracting a larger percentage of less welcome visitors and the city for a short while might have tturnedinto a seedy version of blackpool beach in the U.K or a seedier version!

It is no surprise to any regular visitor to the city that the local authorities over the past 15 years have introduced measures to reduce the accessibility of licences ( yes even coffeeshops have licences and a heavy tax levy that is an immediate benefit to social programmes ), and a specific task force now looks to regulate the amounts strengths and availabilities of weed stock that a coffeeshop can have on the premises.

This in its self is no real problem -the introduction of the smoking ban and the postcode dismissal scheme have again added an unnecessary area of red tape to such an iconic element of trade and again regular visitors will be familiar with the attempted introduction of the weed pass .... which thankfully was thrown out as the tat that it was !

Unfortunately that doesn't mean that it will be the end of it - any seasoned traveler will know that the rise of conservatism amid the european union has been a strong force over the past 15 years in almost every country little surprise that this happens during an international economic crash , as outdated aristocracies and nobilities reluctant to release the strangle hold they have maintained over the worlds resources for centuries, the attempt to preserve some forbears accumulations from generations ago through theft from an indigenous people or other.

and its seems that aside from dismantling any kind of social enterprise these people that would attempt t preserve the legacy of some great great great grandparent that actually did nothing more than steal great wealth from some indigenous peoples or other, that they would like to launch a fresh attack on this mischievous little plant for which they hold so much contempt.

Thankfully the grassroots campaigns ( no pun intended )  are fighting back.

However something that we members of the international community must be wary of is market manipulations and predictable concessions, specifically targeted market manipulations ....... for these are indeed the machinations of truly greedy and evil men ( and women ).

When an international arms or pharmaceutical company want to do anything- they first enable the enacting of product trials. We see this everyday between the U.K and the U.S a certain medicine or drug has been approved for public use in one country , but not the other, and this is based on the governing bodies decisions based on the differing criteria of differing clinical trials.

The same can be seen with all sorts of things the international bill of human rights and its applicability by country does play a large part in where inquisitions can take place - Guantanamo Bay is another less than fine example of this kind of legislation manipulation.

And with this comes my concern.

With all that is taking place - and goodness knows there are plenty of distractions taking place on the global stage. could we really live in a time and a place where a multinational corporate interest could field test a narcotic amongst a voluntary consumer base in a deliberately closed liberal political environment, only to later encourage a massive reduction in that liberal policy to then bring about an explosive uptake of legislation in a neighboring or foreign country where food and drug administrations are far more lenient in terms of corporate accountability or even pesticide usages.

Have we been led into a position where MONSANTO will patent the new legality of the weed in the U.S and eventually the world .....MMMWAHH HA HA HA !

Building on all of the published findings of independent researchers and rebels only to end up dominating the market with some new genetically adulterated , THC reduced , chemically treated , biologically sterile, government approved cannabis .... GOD I hope not!!

but I wouldn't put it beyond the realms of possibility ?

so just in case we must be ready to unite, as people are doing over more and more topics .....  Black Lives Matter ! Occupy the CURRENT Paradigm! Frack Free ! and definitely NO GMO in my THC!