Chasing the Rainbow...

High there and welcome to this first big spring push into the Canadian events circuit. Starting with the Lift&Co. Expo, followed by the O’Cannabiz Conference and ending in BC with the Growup Conference. The highly anticipated Grow Up Conference and Expo is arriving on the West Coast and we are pretty excited! With its inaugural B.C. conference to be held in Victoria from June 20-22, 2022, at the Victoria Conference Centre.

We named the Growup Conference the Best Cannabis Conference of 2021 and this year at Grow Up they have upped the ante considerably. There will be a hub of more than 3,000 industry experts, businesses, and professionals connecting about the latest in cannabis and psychedelics. Some of the highlights of the Grow Up Conference and Expo include:

Keynote Speaker: The conference will be headlined by keynote speaker Jim Belushi, performer, farmer and star of Discovery Channel’s Growing Belushi. In a Fireside Chat on June 20th at 4pm, Jim will be sharing his journey creating Belushi’s Farms, the cannabis connoisseur will discuss the passions that spurred his entry into cannabis and the challenges he’s faced in growing and remaining nimble in an ever-changing industry.

Grow at Home: Hands-on Workshop: Hosting some of the most interactive cannabis workshops in the industry, Grow Up in Victoria will feature the first Grow at Home hands-on workshop, led by expert cultivators such as Ed Rosenthal and Remo Colasanti. During the one-day event, new and seasoned growers will learn all there is to know about the magic of growing safely, legally, and deliciously.

The Extraction Zone: Grow Up’s Extraction Zone showcases a new world of opportunities as experts delve into the science, equipment, methods, and services driving cannabis extraction’s evolution.

The Psychedelic Summit hosted by me - Cy Williams: This day-long summit presents experts in psychedelics that will cover intellectual property, inspection, quality control and distribution, with the panel looking ahead to a legal, regulated future for psychedelics.

There is also an amazing Psychedelic Summit being held at the O’Cannabiz Conference on June 1st in Toronto. I love that there is one in Toronto and then another two weeks later in BC.

I am pretty excited about O’Cannabis as High! Canada Magazine is up for a Best News Source Award, our Ontario Editor Tammi Stanhope is up for Social Media of the Year and I am up personally for Advocate/Activist of the Year. Just being nominated makes us smile because the best kind of nominations are those that come from our peers. Thank you from the bottom of our cannabis fueled hearts for the support.

This is a month that I have been reflecting quite a bit on loss and growth and the cycles of life we get to accustomed to. A few years ago we lost our Assistant Editor to mental health issues, over the pandemic I lost a few friends, some adjacent family members and my Mom as well. For a while I felt that these losses hurt me and while I mourn the loss of my dear friends and my family members - I realized the other day that I continue doing what I do in part to honour the people who have passed in and out of my life, in and out of my world and in and out of the orbit of the magazine.

Following your dream in the cannabis industry can be a difficult thing and there will be more challenges and hurdles then you ever thought possible. The trick is to believe in yourself, believe in the power of the plant and believe in community. Projects will stall, financing will fall through, forged in steel partnerships will dissolve and there will be sometimes when you absolutely hate the entire cannabis industry and all the craziness that statement implies... Sometimes... but the trick it not to fall into that kind of thinking, the trick is to believe in yourself and your ability to make a difference and you find a way - if you believe in it enough, if you believe in yourself enough...

Ok with that pep talk in mind - get out there and have the most successful cannabis show circuit ever!

Break!

Stay Lifted!

Cy Williams

editor@highcanada.net

Digital Downloads available at www.highcanada.net