Paul McGovern 🇨🇦🏳️‍🌈

Moby sounded great last night!

Hey X! Haven't posted in a while - lost my mojo for the cyberworld but I'll give this a go again after a break. First up, a reminder for concert lovers that @Coachella began yesterday. Livestreams & replays for all 7 stages available this weekend & next youtube.com/coachella.

It's a snowy Boxing Day in Toronto. Not a bad day to stay in and enjoy some cannabis and recharge the batteries with some quality rest!

Merry Christmas!

You don’t want to miss the vibe as @burnaboy lights up Toronto tonight and tomorrow 🔥 Limited $50* floor tickets available with promo code ENERGY. Get yours now: bit.ly/4pjJOZj *Plus taxes and fees, while supplies last.

Among the things they’ve done well on the cannabis file (like private retail & public consumption), our provincial PC government wrote into law restrictions to prevent municipalities from discriminating against retail cannabis stores, rightly requiring that they be treated as any other (see below). While I am not a lawyer, I understand the Constitution rests all authority for cannabis regulation with the province, who in this case requires that municipalities treat cannabis retail the same as any other retail. That's the law. The attachments in this thread indicate that Toronto City Council is moving to “request [from the Province]… amendments to the Cannabis Licence Act" to allow them to discriminate against legal cannabis stores by treating them differently than other types of retail. However, I anticipate that any such “request” will receive an answer similar to the speed cameras, so go ahead and request away, Mr. @gordperks and @cityoftoronto. But let's not kid ourselves, these folks at the City are smart - they must already know what the answer will be from the province to their "request"! So is this move about optics? Or maybe giving attention to a VIP or a squeaky wheel in a constituency? As a Toronto resident and taxpayer, I would like to know, does Toronto City Council not have more pressing business to consider? Do they really believe this is a good use of their time and energy? If so, perhaps they should consider debating the number of coffee shops allowed in each Ward, or how many places one can buy booze, or how many bakeries there are serving up sugary products and bad health. What a complete waste of time and taxpayer money, nevermind ignorant and ill willed. Legal Cannabis retail stores in Toronto provide many hundreds of good jobs to Torontonians, along with generating untold taxpayer riches and improving the health of people in our communities. So I wonder just what Mr. @gordperks' problem is with legal cannabis retail stores, especially given that they ask practically nothing of him or society, unlike bars, strip clubs, gaming establishments, etc. If I may suggest, what about being thankful that more cannabis consumers than ever are shopping legal and not on the black market? Why? Because they are less likely to get sick over time from exposure to toxic contaminants (the danger is real), or does Toronto and its agencies like @TOPublicHealth not care about consumer safety and public health? We don't hear them talking about that in the context of legal (regulated) cannabis, do we? Why else should Toronto Council be thankful for legal cannabis stores? Because big money is now flowing to society via the government through licenced stores and to ancillary businesses, in Canada's most vibrant city, and elsewhere throughout our amazing country. A lot of money is no longer going to organized crime as it was before, which is a very good thing since we know they would use it to fund other crimes like weapons & human trafficking. Also because we know that cannabis is so much safer than alcohol, or the countless other things widely available that are known to cause real harms - not just perceived ones that linger from last century. #ReeferMadness must end! PROHIBITION IS OVER. Excerpt from the Cannabis Licence Act, S.O. (2018) s.42 Restrictions on by-law making authority Planning Act by-laws 42(2) The authority to pass a by-law under section 34, 38 or 41 of the Planning Act does not include the authority to pass a by-law that has the effect of distinguishing between a use of land, a building or a structure that includes the sale of cannabis and a use of land, a building or a structure that does not include the sale of cannabis. Same 42(3) A by-law passed under section 34, 38 or 41 of the Planning Act, or an order made under section 47 of that Act, is of no effect to the extent that it conflicts with subsection (2).

This is definitely targeting regulated cannabis shops as we are the only ones abiding by the law. How can the city put a cap on cannabis stores per ward yet allow over 100+ illicit shops to operate freely across the city? Make it make sense @StratCann @NORML @citizensof416

Congratulations to @RubiconOrganics for their continued growth and commitment to quality! BLACK ZOAP is interesting and delicious (soapiness comes through). In my experience, soapy cultivars aren't common, but @SimplyBareOrgnc does a great job with this one, grown in living soil.

Robert Plant and Suzi Dian were fantastic, as was their band SAVING GRACE! Their new music was easy to get into and I loved the cool retro-folksy sound. It was also a huge treat (for a young guy like me 😉!) to get to hear some LED ZEPPELIN, albeit with renditions that were a bit softer and easier than their youthful originals. Thanks to the entire band @RobertPlant who played so well (the guitar work was pure rock and roll at its best!), and to Massey Hall @roythomsonhall for an unforgettable night! 🙏☮ Memento clips are of the start of "Ramble On" (Led Zeppelin, 1969) - his voice sounded perfect! Me Generations have grown up listening to that voice. The crowd went nuts at the end of the song and Mr. Plant seemed really into it, which made it especially mind-blowing to witness and be part of! The other clip is one of the last songs they played before taking a bow, "Gallows Pole" (Led Zeppelin, 1970).

Looking forward to another concert this evening, this time at Massey Hall seeing the man that has been called the "quintessential rock voice of all time", Mr. @RobertPlant (formerly of Led Zeppelin). At 77 years young, Mr. Plant is still givin' it with lots of life and new music!

Please take a moment to honour and support Canada’s Veterans by making an online donation to the Legion Poppy Fund. Who will you dedicate your donation to? legion.ca/donations

Today, we reflect on and remember all of those who served our country with pride. We remember all of those who came home injured, those who came home with unseen injuries, and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for peace and freedom. #CanadaRemembers

Fun time seeing Duke Dumont, although me & my partner might've been on the older side (but not much)! 😉 In fairness, we were listening to his music a decade ago while they were still in grade school, so screw them for being young & beautiful! 🤣 They'll get old'ish someday too.

I'm looking forward to seeing a cool British EDM producer-performer tonight, @DukeDumont 🇬🇧 at Rebel nightclub (@rebel_toronto). This is a fun song of his called "The Giver" (2012/ 2015), which has an even more fun video to go with it! youtube.com/watch?v=6oAqOF…

Here's one more fun EDM song to mention from @DukeDumont called "Red Light Green Light". It has a wicked beat and features American model and performer, Shaun Ross @ShaundRoss 🇺🇸🏳️‍🌈. youtube.com/watch?v=BKzBy-…

HAPPY SATURDAY! I hope everyone has something fun planned for the weekend!! 🍁🚬😵 Here's a quick look at an ounce bag I recently opened from Purple Hills of Creemore, Ontario. It's a rotational product aptly named CHANCE. I've been liking Purple Hills these days so I decided to "take a Chance" and ended up with some nice KEY LIME PIE from an unknown grower. I care little about chemistry and everything about sensory, which begins with the eyes & nose. Most of the flavour we perceive comes from aroma, which is why aroma is so important. Aroma is also a good early indicator of quality. In this case, I got a beautiful citrusy aroma with some spice. I would've guessed it a hazy Equatorial but it's apparently a cut of Girl Scout Cookies (GSC). Bud development looked decent for the value price point. Moisture content was good (sticky buds) and the burn tasty & clean. In terms of effect, for me, it offered a nice lift without sedation and was overall a good smoke. To CEO @peterwjmiller and the team at Purple Hills @careofcommunity, keep up the good work, especially your amazing collaborative approach to working with other growers! 👍☮

@TheGuyFromWpg @1964supplyco Nice review, Doug! I've been hesitant on bringing them in because of the higher price point but I'll have to reconsider. IMHO, @1964supplyco/ @RubiconOrganics offers the only proper Blue Dream, at least in Ontario. In years past, BD was considered "America's Favourite Strain"!

Another 1964 510 to write about today, their Blue Dream cart. I bought it locally for $44. As usual, it came in their minimalist packaging promising 100% live resin.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN and GO JAYS!

@TheGuyFromWpg Thanks for sharing, Doug! 🙏 And that makes perfect sense and is helpful. I don't have very much personal experience with oils and have customers that love both, but of course the RSO is the heavy weight and clearly better for some things than others.

@mcgovern5487 Oils are not the same as RSO for me. The 2 commercial RSO products I’ve tried have been extremely sedative, which is great for my sleep disorder. I use the oil too because I need the extra THC for my neurological disorder. I can get alternatives, I just hate always changing.

Today I’m writing about the Nu THC 900 oil. I got it from Herbal Dispatch. When my usual nighttime oil disappeared from the medical system, I needed to find another one to try, so I bought this one, since I’d already had a great experience with the Nu RSO.

Another great review, as always!! 👍 Supply is still a tricky thing here in Ontario as well. Hopefully, you can find a good replacement if need be. I carry a similar one that's also a 30ml bottle with roughly 30mg of THC per-ml (30ml x 30mg-THC = 900mg-THC total). What do you think about these oil based THC products compared to actual RSO? Are they maybe equally good at the right dose?

Numeracy can make you nutty, especially numbers like these, the THC was 30mg per gram or 28.7mg per ml. No terpene information was provided. My bottle was packed December 12, 2023 in lot EIOL23084AQ02.