A Stoners Guide 2 Oh Cannabis News y Views!

Hi! Hi! High! 

Here's yer stoner news from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the US and around the world, basically in that order. Updates are added in large type. Lots more links are available! To access them, follow me on Twitter. Or just wait for these blog compendiums. 

In short, Oh Cannabis is an inclusive, user friendly, medical and recreational pro-weed site, written from a progressive, counter cultural perspective. Hopefully, it's enlightening. Plus lotsa stoner fun!


So inhale! Hold! Exhale! Smile! 

THEN READ OH CANNABIS NEWS + VIEWS:

From 2021 On -See my archives top left of your screen!

From 2020 @ Fall @ Summer @ Spring @ Winter

From 2019 @ Fall @ Summer @ Spring @ Winter

So To 2018 @ Fall  @ Summer @ Spring  @ Winter 2 @ Winter 1 

A La 2017 @ Fall 2 @ Fall1 @ Summer @ Spring 2 @ Spring 1 @ Winter

Starting in 2016 @ December 

Oh Cannabis -we stand on guard 4 thee ...

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL FIND: 

HEADLINES: An overview. A guide ....

OH CANNABIS: News from Toronto, Ontario and across Canada ....

IN THE NEWS: Ditto, from the US and around the world ....

GREEN MARKETING: The latest on the Cannabiz sector ....

HIGHER LEARNING: Know your stuff ....

HIGH TIMES: Some Kannabis Kulture intrigues .....

PLUS REMEMBER:

Follow my tweets for lots more @ davidchiarelli 

Pax!

DAVID C

COMMENTS:

Teacher Free Speech Winter 2019 News y Views!

HEY hO! kEEP ChECKing BAcK! LaTeR AdDITIoNs WiLL bE AddED In LaRgE TYpe SeT! mY Acronym Guide IS @ hErE! ... LegaLIZation nEws noW Moved to "Oh Cannabis!" @ [] MuCh, mUch morE to coMe .....

US Donald Trump Continues to Wow's 'Em On The World Stage!

EDUCATION BEAT

Sex Ed Rights: In Canada nobody should be above the law, including the Ontario Ford government. Nor anybody below the law. That includes our province's LGBTQ children and their parents. Now, the CCLA [Canadian Civil Liberties Association], and the ETFO public elementary teachers are taking the MOE [Ministry of Education] to court, claiming that the province is violating LGBTQ rights and freedoms, and thereby putting the province's teachers in an untenable professional and legal position. Sadly, Premier Ford is under intense political pressure from the parties sanctimonious, social conservative wing, to scrap the elementary level LGBTQ components of our province's 2015 sex ed curriculum, But will his actions hold up to a legal court challenge? ETFO's case @ ETFO The MOE's @ MOE  More @ CBC @ Rabble

Ontario Teachers claim a win with a first court ruling rebuking Ford's threat to punish teachers who exercise their professional judgement to be "inclusive, tolerant and respect diversity" within the classroom. That goes far beyond the new social conservative hellfire his government has imposed upon the province's Health/ Sex Ed curriculum. But this isn't over yet! Expect plenty more legal challenges ahead. @ ETFO

Hooray! Pennies in Savings y Dollar Rot Gut Beer!

Education Cuts 101: Yup! Ontario Premier Ford's fulfilled his promise of "beer for a buck". Also to save us a few extra pennies on a litre of gas. But now the bills are coming in! How to pay? Surprise! Autism services, primary grade class size caps and perhaps even full day Kindergarten are now on the chopping block. Ha! Who needs that?!? When we can buy cheap beer instead!?! With a few pennies left over to toss in the fountain n' wish for better daze?!? Sigh. Alas. It's going to be a very long, nasty four years til we can turf the Dufus out. Quite predictably, Dougie doubles down and digs in his heels, as the anger starts to boil over. It's not undoable, far from it, but don't hold your breath. Nor gamble on it, just yet @ ETFO @ Global

Special Ed Integration: Everybody in Ontario has the right to a public education. This inclusitivity also extends to our province's challenged Special Education students, behavioural and otherwise. They too have the right to be integrated within the regular classroom setting at school. However, often the proper funding and supports needed to make this work are desperately lacking, contributing to the spiralling violence in our schools. More @ Globe

Defending Working and Learning Conditions: Watch for the Ford government to manufacture a crisis to attack the province's teacher union's for his hater buddies as contracts expire this year. "Unnecessary" sick day leave is often front and centre of any such attack, conservative or liberal. ETFO explains why teacher sick days are necessary. Also why their use is on the rise @ ETFO More on the school violence issue @ InSauga

OH CANADA

Fake News Redux: 2019 is a federal election year in Canada. Expect the troll farms and twitter bots to be very busy indeed. There's lotsa election meddling ahead @ Walrus @ CBC 

Oh ya? Take that!

Jagmeet Singh: The Federal NDP is finally back. After a year and a half without a sitting party leader, in the House of Commons. Hopefully, the Jagman's just in time for this fall's Canadian election. But even with Liberal PM Justin Trudeau on the ropes over the SNC-Lavalin affair, is it a case of too little too late? Neo Conman Andrew Smear must be licking his chops, as the hapless Jag stumbles about trying to get up to speed @ Mac @ Mac2!

SNC-Lavalin: Seems Trudeau's highly hyped appointment of MP Jody Wilson-Raybould, as Canada's first indigenous Attorney General, was just fancy window dressing. Certainly didn't stop her from being unduly bullied nonstop by our corporate bootlicker of a Prime Minister and his neo lib cabinet. Why? To grant bad biz boys SNC-Lavalin a dubious "Deferred Prosecution Agreement". To avoid another ugly Lavalin legal mess. And ostensibly "save jobs". So Jody gets shuffled about to clear the way. But resigns, with the whole affair blowing up in Trudeau's face @ NP

Next up? Justin's Principal Secretary and BFF Gerald Butts! He hands in his walking papers too. Blames everything on a simple "misunderstanding" he somehow missed @ NP

Finally, the PM claims that Jody just needed to say something. The bullying would've stopped. Hopes everyone can just agree to disagree, or something like that. So that it'll all just somehow go away. As if @ Global

On and on it goes. No matter that CPC opposition leader Andrew Sheer is a complete corporate toady too. Throw enough Liberal shit at the news wall? Something has to stick! @ NP

With a fall election looming, Trudeau's stuck spinning his wheels. Without even an apology seemingly in the works. Add the indigenous, treaty pipeline mess. More gas on the fire! 

Kaboom? Perhaps, but the whole stink fest is just soooooo boring. Plus most Canadians probably can't, or won't even bother try, to make much sense of Justin's "existential" threat. He'll just have to try falling back on his Trudeau charms! More @ Macs

Trudeau/ Butts: Heh heh heh ... Er ....

Hard Turn Right: Welcome to Doug Ford's Ontario @ CD

Whither Too The OLP/ ONDP: Sadly, CPC Ford's regressive neo soc con attack on our progressive Ontario values has few political checks and balances. The leaderless provincial Liberals have been reduced to a stump party, while the opposition NDP continue to crash in the polls. Can they get their act together to mount a credible challenge to the non stop onslaught? Before the next provincial election at least?!? @ NP

No Police State: Disturbing questions over Ontario Premier Doug Ford's role in hiring buddy Ron Taverner as the province's top OPP cop is raising eyebrows across the province. Also raising concern is the Premier's request that the OPP secretly provide him with an "large camper type vehicle". We Torontonian's know our Dougie! These incidents alone are very scary abuses of power and privilege. Lots more will follow, if they are left unchecked. For now, Taverner's appointment is on hold. The premier's confusing denials just don't add up. What next? More @ Star @ Globe

Ontario Police Street Carding/ Checks: Have your say! Read the Ontario Ministry of Community Services review and attend the cross province public consultations @ SCR

Walking The Talk? PM Justin Trudeau is always quick to tune in with an apology for past injustices against our First Nation peoples. Frequently whistling a Truth and Reconciliation overture too. But not when it comes to natural gas pipelines! Suddenly, all the fine talk rings very shallow. A case in point -the RCMP are sent in to bust up a Wet'suet'en camp defending treaty lands against the development of the BC Coastal Gaslink Pipeline.  Even though the hereditary chiefs ultimately have the law on their side, in rejecting a "pipeline deal", it's a truth he's all to quick to overlook. One wonders: Would Trudeau so readily dismiss the concerns of some corporate patriarch flexing a lil' good old fashioned oil company muscle to assert their cherished property rights, if the shoe was on the other foot? Ha! No way! What BS next?!? More @ Tyee

New Colonialism 101

Multicultural Attack: Watch out for CPC Party Leader Andrew Scheer. Like his right wing counterpart, so called "People's Party of Canada" extremist Max Bernier, Andy's  got something special planned for this year's Canadian Federal Election! So too their buddies at the Toronto Sun and Rebel Media. Like in the US, they are all very busy spreading outright lies, and misinformation. The goal? To inflame some of the white vote's hidden, latent, racial animosity by demonizing Canada's minority groups, then score an election win @ Cable

Canadian Immigration -5 Right Wing Myths: Let's not let the Trump North forces mislead us with a stateside hate on for immigrants come the fall federal election. Know the facts from the lies @ Cable

Right Wing Watch: In France the "Yellow Vests" are taking to the streets! Why? To end austerity measures and tax breaks for the rich. In Canada? Because they hate immigrants and want to lock Trudeau up for not fully supporting the fossil fuel industry. Ho boy! Be aware. Very aware @ Facebook @ GStraight

Charles McVetty Verses The CBSC [Canadian Broadcast Standards Council]: So Con Evangelical "leader" McVetty has got Doug Ford's ear with his nefarious LGBTQ hate mongering and anti sex ed spiels! However the CBSC warn that his proselytising definitely violate their Broadcasting Code of Ethics. P.U. -That's some company our Dougie keeps! Better hide the kiddie from them! Quick! More @ Rabble

Xtra! Xtra! Read All About It: Toronto Church St. Gay Village Serial Killer Bruce McArthur pleads guilty. The LGBTQ community avoids the dire, court repercussions of a lurid media circus. But will there now be a full reckoning on how the proper authorities failed to protect some of our most vulnerable citizens? Seems not @ Xtra!

IN THE NEWS

Look! Up In The Sky! It's Berd! It's A Plane! It's ...

Manufacturing A Crisis: US President Donald Trump stages a faux pas JFK style Presidential Address to drum up support for his partial government shutdown and much ballyhoo'ed Mexico wall. Forget that domestic terrorism is resulting in non-stop mass shootings across the US! Once again the facts don't matter, as he engages in a whack of immigrant scare mongering. Indeed, the Trumpster chooses to ignore the real stats showing illegal immigrants are actually much less likely than the average American to be involved in violent crimes. So what happens when a real crisis happens? When he desperately needs to be trusted and believed? At home? Abroad? What a fucking stupid mess! Transcript and video @ ABC More @ NYT @ WP @ PRI @ Fox 

The Chuck and Nancy Show: Hot on their mid term win in the US House of Reps, the Democrats lash out at Trump's "Presidential Address" reminding Americans he claimed, during the election, that Mexico would actually pay for the wall. Also that the symbol of America should be the Statue of Liberty and not a ridiculous Trumpian border wall. More of their focus is on the 800,000 plus public employees whom are out of work or not get paid as a result of the Trump shutdown. However, their grim-and-mad-but-not-altogether-disappointed mom and dad style rebuttal also quite arguably fails to inspire much hope or inspiration. The American public remains gravely divided on all things Trump. Video and transcript @ Time @ Vice @ NYT

Deafening Church Silence: If your church isn't speaking out loudly for universal love, mercy and goodness nowadays, then maybe Jesus has left the building. Perhaps it's time for you to do so too. So much for preaching social justice in the era of Trump! It's time to walk the talk, one way or another @ JP

GOP Autopsy: The 2018 mid terms have resulted in a divided US congress. Still, the Republicans are far from down for the count. No matter that history let alone democracy doesn't seem to be on their side @ Int 

Syria: International confusion continues to swirl around Trump's plan to withdraw-but-not-withdraw US military forces from Syria because-or-rather-perhaps-when ISIS is defeated. On and on the BS goes ... Meanwhile the mortified allies such as, well, let's start with the Kurds, have been left high and dry. Will Trump cut and run on the US War Against Terrorism in Syria or not? And what happen's next? @ Independent @ WP

Afghanistan: Ditto again! Trump's also claimed that he's about to cut US forces in the War against Terrorism here too. However, the Taliban are balking at a ceasefire and joining peace talk as the US bimbo in chief continues to play at being president on the world stage. Hmmmm. Didn't the US once claim it wouldn't negotiate with "terrorists" @ ET @ Reuters @ Fox

Is Trump Making America Great Again? Better hope he knows more than his generals and the US military establishment. Secretary of State Mattis has resigned rather than betray America's allies. Read his resignation letter @ CNN So too the US special envoy for Syria! Letter @ Politico More @ FP 

World Reaction: Alas! Also let's not forget! Post 9/11, the US recklessly led it's allies, often rather grudgingly and under pressure, into an open ended War on Terrorism around the world. It was a very bad mistake from the get go. Now, 18 years later, der Trumpster wants to cut and run? Leaving everybody else holding the bag?!? Fortunately Canada was wise enough not to commit to Syria. However, did we senselessly sacrificed our young men in Afghanistan for this?!? There isn't a good way, or good time to end the military madness. But to do so without any proper allied consultation, warning or concern? Who'll trust the US the next time there is a world crisis? And who's watching and waiting in the wings? Ready to take advantage of the division and chaos? Welcome to 2019! More international analysis and reactions @ NPR @ BBC @ OC @ CBC 

17 Investigations and Counting: One bombshell after another continue to explode in Washington. Most every aspect of the Trump administration and his family financial dealings come under investigation. Moreover, mounting evidence suggests that we don't know the worst. It's still coming! Hang on tight! We haven't seen everything yet @ Wired Also check out Robert Mueller's 2019 "to-do" list @ Wired

Final Word: Newly elected Democratic Congress woman Rashida Tlaib accuses the Donald of ... er ... having sex with his mother. Well, who knows, he's done it with everybody else!!! Just kidding! Still, it looks like there's finally a new, next generation of US politicos. One whom isn't about to take nay BS or cut Trump any slack, in no uncertain terms @ TMZ

Venezuela Sure. Trump hates dictators. Unless of course, they are from North Korea, or Russia, or China or or or ..... anywhere as long as it's "over there". But if the supposed "dictator" is from Cuba, or Venezuela, then God forbid! Have no doubt -the US has militarily intervened in South and Latin American 56 times over the years. Are always very busy! Stirring up shit down South America way, then crying foul! Why do you think all those refugee "convoys" are always desperately trying to escape somewhere/anywhere else anyway?!? Now it's Venezuela's turn. Again. It's all about oil reserves. The defeat of Socialism and Chavismo. Another example must be set. So nobody gets out of line. Smash. Grab. And then? Who cares? More @ PR @ PR @ WP Here we go again @ PR

"New Cold War Blues"  or "One Nuke Can Ruin Your Whole Day": Get this -Der Trumpster has dumb foundedly decided to rip up a Reagan era nuclear treaty! Yup! It's one of many which effectively ended the Cold War between Russia, during the late 80's/ early 1990's @ [NYT] [Hill] [Conv] More specifically, it placed limits on INF's [Intermediate Nuclear Forces]. Theses nuclear tipped missiles are primarily for use in Europe, to deter a Rooskie invasion. Not that that could happen anymore, eh? In all fairness, successive presidents put off updating America's nuclear treaties with Russia, let alone include China, for decades. Now, we've got a complete nincompoop dangling the nuclear sword of Damocles over our heads, to get the job done. Not much comfort! Or collective security! How we got here @ FP

Nuclear Deterrence: The threat of nuclear war is all or nothing. If it works, it deters war! But if it fails? Kaboom! We all die! Plus miscalculation on either side is always a huuuuge risk. So. Think the Donald can play nuclear poker smartly with Vlady and the Kremlin boys? Has a firm grasp on the "escalate to de-escalate" strategy behind the new generation of battlefield INF's? Some insight into Russia's Nuclear doctrine @ CSIS

KULTURE KULT INK

Kold War Kulture: The Cold War between the US and Russia ended not with a bang, but a whimper. That's because pop culture went to war too, helping finish it off. Ironically, blue jeans and the Beatles were sometimes more of a threat to the Russians than the nuclear bomb. Here's how pop bizarrely celebrated, and helped win the Cold War, in the US, Russia and around the world @ Shmo @ Tele

Atomic Cafe: This pop culture artifact perfectly captures the utter madness of the cold war era. It uses a fantastic collage of authentic pop music and film clips from back in the day. Here we go again? @ Youtube!

Duck and Cover: Yup. Today it's gunmen and lockdowns. Back then, they use to show kids this flick at school, in case of atomic attack. To be safe, we were supposed to hide under our desks ... The Cold War -Believe it or not! @ Youtube!

COMMENTS:

Oh Cannabis: Welcome To 2019!

Welcome to 2019! It's hard to imagine. Sounds like a science fiction movie, eh? But for me each year has felt the same, since ... oh, let's say 1984! 

Sadly, the daily news headlines make at least one thing very clear. The future we once dreamed of has arrived. But it's totally dystopian, a complete horror show. Very Orwellian. And a perverse, brave new world. Hardly what many of us expected, as idealistic baby boomers, back in the day. 

Still, this is our indisputable reality. The one in which we must live and die, every day of our lives, in real time. While the hands of the clock tick tock off the seconds, minutes and hours of the daze.

My blog site's been up and running for over 7 years now. The counter top right of your screen shows that I hit the one million reader mark long ago. That was my original goal. A personal gold record of sorts, for me. Some folks collect points and levels with online video games. Here's how I amuse myself instead: 

One day I checked out Google Analytics. Wondering, when is a million hits, a million hits? And what exactly is a reader anyway? Which are actually bots? How many of you just take but a quick look at my site, then leave? Or read my blogs? All the way through?

Unable to stop, I collected an extra half million hits for good measure. Then more and more. Still wondering if I've actually reached my one million mark yet! But realizing that I might never know for sure. Truly, it boggles my mind!

Then again, it doesn't really matter much. I write. That's just what I do. 

I began this writing project of sorts as a teacher free speech blog site in 2011. Focusing on current events, social justice, civil liberties, educational issues and my political activism, both as a Toronto high school teacher and union rep. After I retired in 2013, it slowly morphed into a cannabis activism site along much similar lines. I use the same skills set. Only now I work for nobody but myself. Am completely independent. Still, my focus remains progressive. To seek a better way forward. To hopefully develop some real alternative to the craziness, the mediocrity and the mundane all around. But strictly as I see fit.

You'll also find travel blogs on my blog site because I love to travel a lot. Expand my horizons in different ways. There's lots on music and entertainment, because I was a radio programmer and DJ in another of my life lines too! Always there's a big focus on media literacy and counter culture issues. They are all a big part of my framework of reference here on the site.

The links to my blogs are collected in my Teacher Free Speech Archive on the top left of your screen. They cover the good, the bad and the ugly. That includes the story of how the Ontario teacher protest movement, was sold out vis a vis the OECTA MOU of 2012. Also, the story of the much more successful Canadian civil disobedience struggle, resulting with the legalization of cannabis in 2018. Then there's the ongoing going fight against Prohibition 2.0. that still rages. And so it goes. On and on and on....

Over time, I've narrowed down much of my blog writing into two main features; Teacher Free Speech News and Views and Oh Cannabis. I also post single or two and three part features on various topics and initiatives that I think help forward my site's progressive, activist agenda. But being retired now, I like to relax. I write less. Much more selectively. Only picking and choosing whatever interests and excites me. Really turns my crank. 

So what are my plans for the year ahead? Well, I plan to stay the course, though not so rigorously. Figure I've more or less got my gold record at 1,560,261 hits. That's pretty good for a blog site, whichever way one cuts it. Regardless of what that really adds up to in the cyber sense, or lack thereof. 

A blog site helps me share my thoughts. Organize my life and times meaningfully. It provides me with a creative and intellectual outlet. Using the various, skill sets I've worked hard to develop over the years. Keeping me active. Moving forward. 

Moreover, it's how I see our life and times. Plus, it's a lot of fun.

Whatever. Like I said, I write. Always have. Always will. This is what I do.

Perhaps in some small way, you the reader will also find it useful. Insightful. Encouraging you not to give up the good fight for a better world either. So that hopefully, we can someday rise above and beyond this awful, swirling mess and confusion all around us. 

If not? Maybe this is the just the last of my youthful optimism? Naw. I myself don't ever want to give up hoping and fighting for a better world, like we did back in the day.

Love it or hate it! Take it or leave! This site is what it is. But I hope you stick along for the ride .....

2019 certainly promises to be very interesting year! But I ramble. Some blogging notes on the path forward:

The Straight Goods: Teacher Free Speech News y Views!

Teacher Free Speech News y Views: Under the influence! Above the ignorance! I plan to continue these current event blogs as quarterly, ongoing posts, adding onto and developing them as need be. This year, the Trump shit storm south of our border is about to finally hit the fan! Big time! 

New Year's finds the Democrats about to take control of the House. Hold Trump accountable. Feet to the fire. Most every aspect of his administration, even the Donald himself, will finally be under very close scrutiny and investigation. Expect plenty of big surprises! Lotsa nasty, MAGA splatter! 

In Canadian politics, PM Trudeau's floundering Liberal government will face the divided Conservatives during this fall's federal election. Lots of important questions need to be asked. Many timely, critical issues raised. But don't hold your breath! Especially with Jagmeet Singh's New Democratic Party all but MIA!

In Ontario, Premier Ford's Conservative government is headed for disaster. The honeymoon is clearly over. The political good fight ahead might well make the Harris Year's look like a piece of cake. The provincial Liberals have been decimated. The NDP "opposition" are just haplessly spinning their wheels.

Watch for Ford to soon target the province's teachers. Contracts expire this year. It's pure red meat for the party faithful. Are the teacher unions up to the fight? It could be very painful. Devastating. The union infighting too. OECTA Provincial, in particular, had better watch out. Remember the OECTA Roadmap? Bill 115? What we reap, we sow. Now, there's no more Liberal butt to kiss. Nowhere safe left to seek cover ....

Cannabis Activism: Oh Cannabis News y Views!

Oh Cannabis: In Canada, legalization aka Prohibition 2.0 is one, huge, legal mess. The necessary changes will take years to make their way through the courts. Get sorted out. Pardons? Impaired driving charges? Apartment and condo pot bans? Edibles? Recreational sales? Med pot rights? Expect many, endless, mind boggling, legal challenges to be launched, in the year ahead ...

Oh Cannabis will continue to champion our right to cannabis, both medical and recreational, as a Canadian civil liberty issue. With a big focus on fighting the corporate weed agenda. While exploring constructive, counterculture alternatives for we small time, everyday folk, whom somehow always seem to get lost in the mix ....

Remember: Guest blogs are always welcome! Don't be shy if you too have something important and constructive to say!

Lots More @davidchiarelli

Please also note; my Twitter news service continues to provide lots more links. Along with lotsa kool stoner tunes, videos and movies too!

Stay tuned!

Pax/
Solidarity!

David C.

LINKS:

Blog Acronym List @ HERE!

Teacher Free Speech Archive @ THERE!

My Twitter Feed @ davidchiarelli

COMMENTS:

Oh Cannabis: Happy Holidaze!

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidaze! My Oh Cannabis blog is on a holiday break. Please enjoy my many features from over the past year by scrolling down the page, or checking out my directory top left of your screen. More holiday twitters, tweets, y music links will also be posted 
@ davidchiarelli

See you in the New Year!

Pax!

David C

COMMENTS:

Oh Cannabis: The Nugswap Bud Review!

Nugswap's usually held third Saturday of each month! Bring a bud to swap! More details via my Twitter feed @ Here!

Dankmasta P's second Nugswap is a big, 420 hit! It's Saturday afternoon. Outside Planet Paradise in Toronto's East End, a cold, wet, autumn day. 

Meanwhile, inside the converted bar-turned-weed lounge, the home grower's huddle down. Swapping buds with the crew. Sharing growing info. Firing up a storm. The reefer madness is hot and heavy! Endless joints are passed around!

Cannabis is now legal in Canada! So to is home growing, providing a great, grass root alternative to the government's corporate weed agenda. Seasoned home growers and medical cannabists know the score. Maybe our everyday, garden variety pothead will also soon discover this cheaper, more organic DIY [Do It Yourself] option to the dodgy, new OCS [Ontario Cannabis Store].

Back home in my man cave, I put on the stoner tunes; lots of Hendrix! Get out my "Mighty" Stortz and Bickell" and trusty Pax 2 vaporizers. Some Raw and Gizeh rolling papers. A standard, metal, hash pipe. Time to do a little grading. Nowadaze, these are my marking tools.

Sample Buds: The Grower's choice!

So how do the Nugswap homegrown buds rate? Here's my review of a handful or two or three from the last meet:

CBD OG Kush: The Dankmasta P's outdoor Dinamed medical bud hits me as very calm and relaxing; morning, noon or night. Left me very clearheaded and functional. There's no THC high. The sole focus is on the CBD's for pain relief, stress, melancholy, or fatigue -whatever ails. That's very helpful for an aging baby boomer like myself. Perhaps the Generation Anxiety toker too. Not big on rolling up my CBD's, I vaped P's bud. Long lasting. It smelled and tasted good. The verdict? Two thumbs up for when I'm sore or anxious. Need to relax and chill!

The Best: This Lollipurp and Island Sweet Skunk, JAH Seed strain yields a good outdoor grow. It's got a relatively high THC count. Provides a happy, relaxing, euphoric, buzz. It's good fun on the couch or in the easy chair, for listening to music and watching TV. Whatever turns you on. However, the buds aren't as firm or dense as Deadfoot's other samples below. 

Bubba Kush: This well known indica dominant bud has a groovy, body buzz and a decent head stone. Helpful for pain, stress, or when you are feeling down. Light green, covered in Trichomes, these Deadfoot buds felt less spongy to the touch than his "Best". Not quite as high power or supercharged a Bubba as I've come to expect, but a lot of fun all the same.

Bubba-Boom!

Bubba Kush: Here are 2 more Bubba's, one grown in water, the other soil! Both provided a sleepy, happy, couch lock but with a slight lift. Hey! That makes it a lot easier to get up to flip the tunes! So what's the difference? Which is best? Both buds were grown indoors, side by side under identical conditions, with the same light and nutrients. The same environment! The soil grown bud had a more earthy, organic taste, colour and smell. The water grown bud was blondish-khaki in colour and more subdued. Nothing much wrong with either, but I prefer the more natural feel. So the earthy, old school contender is the clear cut winner, for this boomer, in our battle of the Bubba buds!

Critical Mass: For me, this big yield, Indica dominant bud seemed the strongest THC contender among Deadfoot's three samples. Certainly, none of his grow was shabby, but this bud seemed the strongest and most up lifting. A higher high with a good body buzz for the pain and stress of the day, or night and day ... or ...and ...er ... Also, it was the best for taste and smell. Plus, methinks, the flush and burn. 

Oh No! It's Mr. Bill On Sift Hash!

Hashish: Take some outdoor grown Green Crack and Agent Orange herb. Dry sift through silk. You get DIY hash! It's cheap! And lotsa fun! This hybrid mix promises both an Indica uplift and a Sativa high with energy and focus to boot. It's a happy and relaxed high. Plus the smell, taste and appearance are good. It's really kool to toke some readily available hash again, especially when it's cheap and in ample supply! It's not a real, strong high but smoking this hash is refreshing and a helluva lotta fun. Just keep loading up your bowl! Yum!

Industrial Plant: This Dynafem hybrid Afghani and Thai bud gets the job done! It's an easy, high yield, outdoor grow. Provides a seemingly, endless supply of cheap, plentiful tokes. The THC count isn't overwhelming or spectacular but it's a relaxing, uplifting, creative buzz said to also be good for insomnia and fatigue. Overall, it scored well in most departments, a decent, everyday smoke. Simple, stoner fun for those who love to roll big, fat joints and toke up a storm! 

Zamal-delicious!

Zamaldelica:  This exotic, indoor soilless, Ace Seed African/ Thai, Sativa dominated bud basically scored best for taste, colour and appearance among all the nugs I tested. It smells and feels great while rolling a doob, or preparing a plug to vape. With it's trippy, tingly head stone, it's known to be good for pain relief, stress, insomnia, appetite and depression too. Good yield. Hard to grow. I got a quick high. Really soared. Didn't last real long. But a nice, soft landing.

In Summary:

Dankmasta P's Nugswap shows there's lots of great, high yield buds out there that are fairly easy to grow! Generally, those I tested, grown both indoor and out tended to be very natural, organic and robust. Providing a good body buzz. A trippy head stone. 

No these buds aren't quite like the THC supercharged quad A reefer that you'll find in the underground market. They are a lighter high, but I also noticed that I didn't feel anxious or overwhelmed when I got stoned. They really helped me relax. Worked great on my various aches and pains. The subtle indica, sativa and CBD characteristics of each strain really stood out. I had to smoke more for the THC buzz, but then again, I've got a high resistance level. Still, I definitely got high AF. Felt real good! Coming down was easy too -no hard, bumpy landings!  

Forget OCS bud! As for quality and variety? There wasn't any suspicious crud with these homegrown buds! The endless OCS order shortages and shipping nightmares? No problemo! The government's, icky, corporate, monopoly mindset? You can give the finger to that! 

Then there's the price difference! The taxes! Without doubt, there are lots of advantages to growing your own reefer! Nuff said!

For good measure, a few constructive criticisms come to mind. I'm not an expert on growing issues, so I had some of the lads over for a sesh. A few were sometimes poking around at the ash, wondering about the flush times. Like me, most usually prefer a much higher THC count too, mid twenties and up. But when good bud's cheap and plentiful, so what if it isn't too fancy or over the top? There's nothing wrong with any of the home grown nug's tested that stops them from being a damn good, solid toke!

Definitely, the humble home grow is an ongoing learning experience. The Nugswap scene is real laidback and cool! You meet lots of young and old professionals. Just everyday tokers. Medical and recreational. Hoping to be left alone to enjoy their homegrown herb, without the hassles and negative stigma, now that it is legal. Overall, the results have been great. Imagine the next batch of buds!

Be sure to attend Dankmasta P's Christmas Nugswap. It's downtown December 22nd at Vapor Central on Yonge Street in Toronto. There's going to be lots of trez kool cuttings, prizes and giveaways too! Stay tuned for more details in the daze ahead!

See you there!

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