{"id":23841,"date":"2023-04-15T11:32:22","date_gmt":"2023-04-15T15:32:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=23841"},"modified":"2023-04-15T11:45:33","modified_gmt":"2023-04-15T15:45:33","slug":"episode-796-not-just-medical-marijuanawhere-are-the-tulips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=23841","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 796 NOT JUST MEDICAL MARIJUANA\u2026WHERE ARE THE TULIPS?"},"content":{"rendered":"
EPISODE 796    NOT JUST MEDICAL MARIJUANA\u2026WHERE ARE THE TULIPS?”<\/p>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
APRIL 15, 2023<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cALAN, I want you to help me find a tulip farm\u2026somewhere south west of Hamilton.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to find a tulip farm, Marjorie\u2026do not give a sweet goddamn about tulips.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI am the gardening convenor for our retired reachers\u2026just want to scout out tulips<\/div>\n
and need your help.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBeautiful spring day\u2026better things to do.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201c<\/div>\n
ALAN, I Need your help as navigator\u2026not asking much.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
So we took Highway 20, southwest from Binbrook. And a weird thing happened.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
NO TULIPS\u2026.WASTE OF OUR TIME<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cMarjorie there are no tulips in this village of Fenwick\u2026”<\/div>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s just ask someone\u2026\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cTulip farm?  Well, someone grows tulips way back in that field\u2026hardly a tulip farm.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cwasted the whole day in a god forsaken trip to nowhere.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cTulips are not up yet..too early.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Then a very strange thing happened as often occurs on our pointless kinds of trips.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cMarjorie, there is something odd about this huge greenhouse complex.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cOdd?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYes, why does a greenhouse need 8 foot chain link fencing\u2026brand  new fencing\u2026no sign of any pansy plants.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cOdd?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd why are there cameras at every building.  No one ever steels pansies or tulip bulbs.  This is a strange place.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd look at the signage\u2026All visitors must sign in at the gatekeepers office.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy would we have to sign in just to buy a geranium or box of pansies?\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
STOP \u2014 PLEASE SIGN IN WITH SECURITY<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy would we need security clearance to buy pansies, geraniums or sheep manure.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThis is a strange place.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd why is no one here\u2026empty picnic tables\u2026.locked security gate.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd  a small sign that says \u201cno jewelry on the premises\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s weird\u2026.do the owners  expect criminals?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSeems so.”<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd why all those security cameras\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
So we asked a lady walking by.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cOur village, FENWICK,  became famous in a way.  few years ago a bunch of investors<\/div>\n
built this place\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cCannabis became legal\u2026.medical maijuana.  Suddenly Fenwick  had a  big industry where<\/div>\n
285 people were employed.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI remember that.  Pot became legal under government controls.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cA lot of people thought they could get rich.  Heard that billons were poured into<\/div>\n
places like this one in Fenwick.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cIf Cannabis is legal, why is this huge place closed?\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
That question had a simple answer.Appparently a disgruntled employee became a whistle blower.  The Fenwick greenhouses were not just<\/div>\n
producing medical marijuana.   Government inspectors raided the place and found undeclared marijuana hidden away \u2026 to be sold to <\/div>\n
illegal dope pedlars.  The Fenwick greenhouses have been locked ever since.  (  <\/span>A surprise inspection by federal regulators in June 2019 uncovered 5,200 kilograms of unlicensed cannabis at the facility.)<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Investors in this company saw their share value drop to a fraction of a cent a share.  Bankruptcy followed.  <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cThe whole place\u2026acres and acres of top of the line greenhouses and a packaging plant are up for sale.  But no buyers.   <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The Fenwick company\u2026which has several names\u2026has no buyers.   Nobody can afford to raise pansies and geraniums on a high<\/div>\n
tech place like this.   So 285 people are now unemployed and a bunch of investors have had their wealth wiped out.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Apparently this has happened across the province of Ontario where the get rich scheme of producing medical marijuana has turned<\/div>\n
from a dream into  nightmare.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
THE TULIP FARM<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
What about the tulip farm we were searching for?   Directly across the road from the mariguana grow op, there is a broken down<\/div>\n
5 ton truck sinking into the mud.  And far in the distance behind the truck there is a tulip farm.   Closed right now.   But a week or<\/div>\n
so from now the tulip grower will welcome visitors at $18 a visit.   And visitors wil get a few tulip bulbs as an incentive<\/div>\n
to pay  a visit.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cMarjorie,  Is your group of retired teachers still interested?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201c\u201dProbably.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cCost us about $80 in gas to get here\u2026a lot of money for nothing.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNot for nothing Alan\u2026you discovered a greAt story \u201c<\/div>\n
\u201cYou mean the Grow Op?<\/div>\n
\u201cFor sure\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cReminds me of the great truth in the business world.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cIf the investment sounds too good to be true\u2026then it probably is.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cDo you think all those security cameras recorded our visit?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWe used their parking lot to turn around.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cAnd our white van has no signage.\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
POST SCRPT<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n

1)  ONE CANNABIS GROWER SAID TO CTV:  says he has another three years on his lease. With a rent of $6,000 per month, he admits that \u201cbankruptcy may be the only way to get out of here.\u201d He spent nearly $300,000 on his retail store, with his family lending him the bulk of the money.<\/p>\n

\u201cLicensing cost me $10,000 for this location. Then I had all my renovations, that was about $150,000. Then I had rent and operating costs, that\u2019s $60,000. Then I had an inventory of $50,000. So, we\u2019re already at $280,000, and that\u2019s not including payroll for employees and overhead like that,\u201d Kostanyan told CTV National News.<\/p>\n


<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
2)  Fenwick Grow Op  investors in March, 2022, they were issued common shares at a price of approximate <\/span>$0.009<\/span> <\/span>per share, implying that 10,000 shares had a value of<\/span> <\/span>$90<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
3) There is some evidence of potential therapeutic uses for cannabis or its component chemicals (cannabinoids) and many Canadians report using cannabis for medical purposes for health problems such as chronic pain, nausea\/vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy, and spasticity with multiple sclerosis. While cannabis can be used by some people for their health problems, determining whether cannabis is appropriate to treat an individual\u2019s symptoms is best made through a discussion with a health care practitioner.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\n

Health Canada has information for health care professionals and for authorized patients on the use of cannabis and cannabinoids for medical purposes. This includes information on potential therapeutic uses, dosing, warnings, and adverse effects. For more <\/p>\n


<\/div>\n
4) Although the exact underlying mechanism is still largely unknown, in some people, cannabis use increases the risk of developing mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. This is particularly true for those who:<\/div>\n
\n
    \n
  • start using cannabis at a young age<\/li>\n
  • use cannabis frequently (daily or almost every day)<\/li>\n
  • have a personal or family history of schizophrenia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Youth are especially vulnerable to the effects of cannabis, as research shows the brain is not fully developed until around age 25. This is because THC<\/abbr>, the substance which gives the \u201chigh\u201d in cannabis, affects the same machinery in the brain that directs brain development<\/p>\n

    You should also be aware that the use of higher potency cannabis products has also been associated with a greater risk of developing schizophrenia. Stopping or reducing cannabis use has been shown to improve outcomes; however, some health effects may not be fully reversible even when cannabis use stops.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n
    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    EPISODE 796    NOT JUST MEDICAL MARIJUANA\u2026WHERE ARE THE TULIPS?” alan skeoch APRIL 15, 2023 \u201cALAN, I want you to help me find a tulip farm\u2026somewhere south west of Hamilton.\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t want to find a tulip farm, Marjorie\u2026do not give a sweet goddamn about tulips.\u201d \u201cI am the gardening convenor for our retired reachers\u2026just […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23841\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}