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chemicals on plants to save a potentially multi-million dollar crop. Health Canada has since changed the regulations to mandate pesticide testing, but it is not every single gram that is tested but a sample of each batch. There are also 20 currently registered pesticides permitted for use on cannabis, many of which have a 0 day pre-harvest interval. This means a producer can spray the crop the day it is to be harvested with an approved pesticide. These approved pesticides are not screened for during lab analysis, and it is not clearly understood what effect burning and inhaling these residues will have on human health.
My personal journey into this industry started after a serious motorcycle accident in 2004 left me with chronic pain that a myriad of pharmaceuticals could not alleviate. It got to the point where I was taking 7 different prescriptions to try to deal with the pain and the side effects that came with the pills. They made me feel dull and listless. They pain was still there, I just didn’t care about anything, including the joys of life. Cannabis was the one thing I had accidentally found that had the power to change my relationship with pain. It didn’t remove it either, but made it manageable and improved my mood significantly to the point I wanted to be active and pursue other natural remedies. I made the conscious choice to stop all pharmaceuticals and switch to cannabis exclusively. This lead me on a decade long journey of research, trial and error, and connecting with individuals who had similar experiences.
Making the decision to pursue medical cannabis as a professional career was not easy at the time. This was prior to the inception of the MMPR and there was practically no legal industry to speak of. When I met an acquaintance at a holiday party in 2013 and first heard of Tweed I knew that was my next step. They were conveniently setting up shop 25 minutes from my house and I decided I would do whatever it took to get hired. After 4 resumé submissions and 2 impassioned in-person interviews I was offered a job. I spent nearly 2 years with them in production, R&D, Control System & Special Projects. This was invaluable experience and solidified my determination to start my own patient centric LP.
Today I work for Rambridge Wholesale, a cannabis hydroponics and lighting distributor in Canada and the US. We work with and sell wholesale products to LP’s and hydroponic shops, allowing me to deal with both sides of the industry on a daily basis and meet many wonderful people. I recently launched Burnstown Farms Cannabis Company, which will produce world class cannabis products primarily for medical patients, at prices they can afford. We seek to be global leaders in outdoor, sustainable cannabis production and eco-wellness. We’re currently raising seed money, you can connect with us on Twitter @burnstownfarms.
For anyone seeking to grow their own I can attest it is well worth the effort and red tape. You may even make a new career out of it. Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @spearster55 for grow advice, help with the ACMPR or just to say hi.