Harry Resin Returns!

How does one start an article when asked to re-introduce yourself to the world? Especially for a cannabis magazine.

How can I write this so that it does not come across as corny and arrogant? Well, for anyone who knows me, the latter is probably the most difficult, although I’d replace arrogant with confident.

That confidence was something that grew inside me over the years and I have one girl to thank for that: Miss Mary Jane. She has been an amazing teacher and companion all these years.

I still find it remarkable how much a plant can teach you, even one as special and unique as cannabis.

Cannabis for many people means many different things: for some it is a lifestyle, others a medicine and still others it is even a way to earn a living. As diverse as this plant is, so too is its relationship to all the people in the world it has touched. In some instances it can be both a blessing or a curse. Many have prospered as a result of coming into contact with it, but many have suffered as a result of being incarcerated for it.

Watching her grow and interacting with her was the start of a rebirth, a sort of red pill that freed me from the box of the matrix. She opened my mind up to different avenues of perception and forever changed me. One of the most important traits cannabis has is the way in which it brings people together and creates community. By consuming it she can open your heart and connect you to all things.

Growing up in Amsterdam and spending a great amount of my time in the coffeeshops was really the first place I got to experience this connectivity. You’d have Arabs sitting with Jews, White people with Black people, and socialists sitting next to capitalists, but for that very moment as they consumed this magical plant together, their differences melted away and they were united in the one love of this gracious lady: cannabis.

Had you asked this young kid from Montreal 30 years ago if he ever thought the right to consume this plant would be legal he’d have laughed at you. And yet here we are. I suppose in this lifetime stranger things have happened. The process of legalization has been a long and arduous journey presenting many challenges and obstacles along the way. One of the most positive things to come of it is the destigmatization of the plant. No one should go to jail for growing or possessing a plant Mother Nature intended for us to have and consume. We are, after all, built with an endocannabinoid system.

Through my connection to the plant I have had the pleasure of traveling and living in many different places as well as meeting countless individuals who have also been greatly and positively affected by the plant. I’ve watched the culture shift evolving from secret smokey rooms to upscale consumption venues to cannabis being offered as a gift in the Oscar gift bags.

As the cannabis culture has evolved and gone mainstream many new advances in the cultivation, extraction and consumption of the plant have occurred. This has opened up the opportunity for more research into the medical benefits or the plant as well as how the plant’s various compounds function in relation to each other and our own endocannabinoid systems. I really do feel like the best is yet to come.

Seeing how quickly things have evolved with the industry in the last five years I believe we are in for some radical new developments. I’m looking forward to seeing more sustainable ways of farming and growing the plant. Certainly on the genetic side we will see a rise in more stable cultivars and even improvement in the plant’s yield as more stable seed stock becomes available.

Science is also pushing forward with more clinical trials surrounding the active compounds found in the plant and the ways in which they affect us. This will lead to greater understanding of things like flavonoids and other new cannabinoids we have yet to discover. This is an exciting time to be in the industry. Of course, as with all new things, we are not without our own issues and problems that have risen as a result of overtaxation, packaging restrictions, and the influx of non-cannabis chads to the industry.

As cannabis moves more and more into the mainstream, and the barrier to entry no longer involves possible jail time, this becomes the trade off to seeing the plant evolve as well as the reduction of the stigma around it. I do believe it is up to us, the long time members of this community, to remain steadfast in our drive to protect this plant while at the same time educating new users to its benefits and helping shape what’s to come.

As a long time breeder and cultivator I’ve always been attracted to the diversity the plant has. Seeing how many different flavors, shapes and colors can occur within the plant’s genetics has been a joy to see and experience.

The plant is one of the strongest most resilient plants I’ve ever seen. Seeing a plant go from almost dying because someone forgot to water it to popping back up and making happy leaves has helped inspire me to also be resilient. For me this plant is more than just something to grow and consume, she is an inspiration and a powerful companion that has been with me for the better part of the last thirty years, providing me with insights, clarity, and strength.

For that I will always be grateful for having her in my life.

By Harry Resin for High! Canada Magazine - 2023