At the beginning of the Pandemic, we met Eric Greening. He wanted to start a craft cannabis operation just outside our hometown of Dauphin. We check in with Eric and see how pandemic construction has been going, and as a preview for our eventual facility tour! Trevor and Kirk also discuss what Trevor is and is not allowed to tell patients about cannabis as a pharmacist. Our My Cannabis story is HiND. They make special jars for your cannabis and other fashion items.
E81 - Greencraft Cannabis Update with Eric Greening - Part 1
Meet our guest
Eric Greening
Research Links
Music By
Emma PetersonDesiree Dorion
Marc Clement
(Yes we have a SOCAN membership to use these songs all legal and proper like)
Episode Transcript
Trevor: Kirk, we're back.
Kirk: We are back, i haven't seen you in a while. How are you?
Trevor: No good. Busy. I'll do my pharmacist whine. I'm tired of poking people in the shoulder for COVID shots. Yeah, I know it's important. It's good, it's yada yada yada. But that that's my that's my every Wednesday and I can't even whine that much. I seem to be doing about 50 a day, on my Wednesdays. One of my colleagues, Barrett, seems to be going out to all the they are not personal care homes, what would call them, like seniors homes and giving them shots there. Then, you know, he, I did 50 on Wednesday. He did, I think, 70 on Friday. And then, you know, because apparently he loved it so much, he said, you know, I'll even go in on my Saturday and do another 50 and, you know, good for him because I'm tired. Yeah, it's good. It's good. The pandemic is these are good things, but I'm tired of poking people in the shoulder.
Kirk: Yeah, when I was when I was actively working up north, we were actually knock on doors and say, Hey, we got we got your jab right here. Do you want it now? So we were actively doing that at one point trying to ensure people got vaccinated. This pandemic is running: a little long, man. You know, my research tells me that the average pandemic lasts for, what, 18 to 20 months. We're getting into the 20th 21st month. It's time to move out.
Trevor: Time to wrap this one up.
Kirk: This one up? Yeah, I don't know. I don't know. Anyway, this isn't a podcast on on pandemics, but
Trevor: Us whining: about pandemics. We we we've got it up. The local boy. We've we've got local boy made good. Eric Greening: on.
Kirk: God, yeah.
Trevor: So Kirk. Kirk, remind. Remind everybody who Eric is and that we've talked to him a couple of times.
Kirk: Oh, well, thanks for that. Let me let me find the episode. You know which one,.
Trevor: OK, I'll do the quick. So Kirk will find the episode. I'll do the quick run over that he. So he's been involved in the, we'll call it, the construction industry, the project management industry for over a decade. And but, you know, also had it a deep interest in cannabis and growing and medical use and all that other good stuff and thought he would finally bring his two passions together and start his own craft cannabis production facility just outside the City of Dauphin. And so we talked to him when he was sort of in the planning: stages and you would talk to him again along the way. And this time we got to talk to him when there is an actual building up. So, Kirk, what episode was he on before.
Kirk: Episode 55, Greencraft Cannabis with Mr. Greening? He it's kind of cool. You know, we've often said people in this podcast, we live in a small community. We choose to live here. And obviously, because we're in the middle of the centre of Canada, we don't often get out and, you know, mingle and rub shoulders. Not that we can in a pandemic, but we're not out there in the cannabis industry. You know, you don't often see us at Toronto gigs or Vancouver gigs. We sort of stuck to the prairies. And what's kind of neat about this, this this story is that it's our back door and and we've been able to watch how he has, how he has come to it, while he's part of the community. How he's brought this new project to the community and how the community has basically embraced it. We we see it as more jobs, we see it as industry. We see this taxpayers tax income, right. He's going to be, you know, he's going to pay taxes and it's all going to be local. He's got local lawyers, local construction guys. He's buying his lumber local.
Trevor: all the sub trades. You said he's been doing his best to have local sub trades and local suppliers. And yeah, he's you know,
Kirk: He's creating, he's creating an economy.
Trevor: good news story all around.
Kirk: He's creating an economy. Yeah, yeah, it's kind of cool to see and it's kind of cool to have the opportunity to to embrace this, you know, and to watch him do it.
Trevor: Yes. Yes, all of those good. So before we just go into Mr Greening and his upgrade, yeah, well, I'll tell you were really impressed with his website.
Kirk: What else do you guys website is kind of cool because it's very community minded and the same guy that helps us with our web pages is his webmaster is the same webmasters as ours. But, but but when people listen to the interview, he's in a he's in a room, but it sounds hollow, like he's in it, behind him or a bunch of screens. He's I think I counted four large flat screen computer terminals behind him, but there was that hollowness of an empty building and I could feel that I could feel that fact that that building is still under construction, just from listening: to it. Did you pick up on that?
Trevor: I did, but I also. Thank you. You made a good call about him feeling like we're sitting at the control panel of the Starship Enterprise, like this is not, not going to be a rinky dink, you know? Not that, not that any of the craft cannabis guys we've talked to have been. But you know, when people say craft cannabis, I think we're all picked still picturing, you know, that that guy that you knew who grew some stuff in his basement. That's not what this is. This is high tech. Well controlled. Many, many sensors controlling many, many things. It's but it's going to be a state of the art facility.
Kirk: Yeah. And as you say, it was it's an update on a local business and and he was part of our part of our learning: about what craft cannabis will be. So and what it is. So yeah, let's let's listen to the interview.
Trevor: Let us go to Eric.
Trevor: Welcome back, everyone. Online today we have Eric Greening from Greencraft Cannabis. Hello, Eric. We chatted with you, feels like a year and a bit ago, or it's pre-COVID. So forever ago or at the very beginning: of COVID, I think, was when we were last talking with you. But at that point, you were a craft cannabis grower without any physical anything. That's changed a lot. How about sort of update us, folks? What's what's been going on in Green Craft?
Eric Greening: Sure, you bet. Thanks for having me, guys. We're getting close, actually getting the most produce. And last time we spoke and we were just digging a hole that was last last fall. So we gave a pretty good year. Over the winter, we got our building up. So it is basically completed now. We're just kind of working on the last few items here to get it ready to up and grow things. It's slowed down a lot over the last year with the regular construction pace that did not happen. We're going to waiting on a few more things right now still. Some of our air conditioning: parts are suppose to show up in September or still not arrive. So. We're getting real close, you know, I would hope and we'd be up and growing around now with the last little bit of issues we had and kind of some slowdowns. It's we're almost there now. So it's been quite the journey over the last year, but we're getting darn close. yeah.
Trevor: Excellent because of one of our previous episodes. A few months ago, we were in Calgary. We're at a conference there and we had sort of a panel of craft growers and they spent the whole time talking about our red red tape. So how's it been dealing with Health Canada and the Manitoba regulatory authorities? And I was, how's the red tape been going during during the building and whatnot?
Eric Greening: You know, at this point, not bad at all. I have to say Health Canada has been great. We're still waiting to see that our Site Evidence Pack to hear what will happen in the next few weeks and month, we'll start working a little bit closer to Health Canada. But honestly, I have no complaints from their end. Locally as well. Provincial government's been, you know, just fine and we're getting along how we have to be getting some more business deals here once we get up and going as well with them. The RM of Dauphin. Absolutely amazing. like our rural municipality. We've been dealing with them a lot over the whole build throughout the years, preparing and whatnot and forth and grade through them. So, you know, so far we've been we've been lucky. We have some great support from the community, like I said and we've been able to kind of just proceed here as we go.
Trevor: And how about just because everyone's getting used to Zoom everything How about even things like inspections, I assume at some point health Canada got to inspect you. Or maybe they've done that already. Are they allowed to physically send out inspectors? Do you walk around with an iPhone? How do things like that happen?
Eric Greening: Actually, yeah, the first steps are kind of like walk around your phone or video camera to get on the site evidence package and so they can kind of see what you have. You have a site inspection which is, you know, which is great. Every producer has to go through that, make sure everything's up to par. Everyone's safe, so they will have to come out and have a look at things. There is plenty of room of out here, space to stay safe, separating everything you know. So we have a way to get our inspections done and hopefully move along nice and quick. You know building inspection. Same thing as we've been going along the building inspectors has been out and we have to keep our social distancing, keep our masks on. And so we're lucky we're still going to construction being an industry that's been allowed to keep going through the pandemic type thing.
Trevor: And I know you've been previous. You were heavily involved in the construction industry, so you have some inside knowledge as it been as hard as, you know, as ly people hear about getting construction materials and prices, construction materials and getting trades working on stuff has that's been a pandemic problem. I imagine it absolutely has.
Eric Greening: Yeah, that that was one of our biggest issues here. Materials becoming huge issues say in spring summer last year, fall. Another thing that people understand. We've added to the draw materials, if you want to say, is in Canada with all the natural disasters down south and a bunch of floating and all that has to be rebuilt, right? So, you know, that's extra. On top of all that, thousands and thousands of projects that are already going in the area type thing, so when you add a loud like that and material in the construction industry, it definitely slows it down. Honestly, I have never seen anything like this the way the industry's been going. If we were to start this project right now or anybody starting a substantial sized construction project, it's it could be trouble right now. It's getting pretty scary. Luckily, we just got it in time. Basically had everything locked down, ready to rock and roll just as the pandemic was setting in. Save on our pricing. It's tough right now, I got to say for sure.
Trevor: And and obviously you won't give away any of your your your brand secrets. But again, talking to other craft growers, it always seems to be an interesting waiving of the wand to get seeds and plant material in at the beginning: to get your genetics up and going. Again. There'll be things you call things you can't. But how how's that been going and how? How does that work: out? How does a craft cannabis producer get their genetics started? And what's that process like?
Eric Greening: Sure. Yeah, we have a special declaration through Health Canada, so the wand has been waved for Greencraft. We've actually got all of our stuff kind of together ready to go. That hasn't been too bad. Shipping wise has kind of been an issue the last few months, but the same thing there. We saw things slowing down quite a few months ago when we're able to secure a bunch of stuff ready to go. So in that form, Greencraft is in a great place. We have some absolutely amazing strains there and you start, you know, no one else will produce anything like some of these we have coming in. So we're really happy, really excited to get going, get these out to the public and let people enjoy it.
Trevor: Cool. I'm going to see if Kirk has some questions before I throw more at you, Kirk. You're still awake.
Kirk: Oh, yeah, yeah, no. I'm just I'm just looking at your web page, man. Now, just trying to get prepared to talk to you and ask you some critical questions. But no, I'm excited for I am yet to come out and have a look at the site I was waiting to see when, when it actually opens up. But have you had a chance to listen to some of our episodes? We've been talking to other craft brewers?
Eric Greening: Absolutely. Yeah. You know, your last craft panel, I think there's four of them talking all together and that was a good one to hear too definitely. It kind of neat to hear everyone's stories. You know, different setups, different situations they are in. Different areas, provincial wise to the differences that are out there. It's now that we neat to hear, yeah, I cannot say the same as those guys kind of different for us is our facility, right? Like, we have probably the best micro cannabis growing facility in Canada here. This is absolutely brand new. From scratch, designed for one thing. I know some other guys are still working with SeaCans or some quality houses or something. But one thing that is going to set us apart is is this facility put together here.
Kirk: Do you share some of the concerns that panel talked about, and some of it had to do with how you have to sell your product to government to be able to buy your product back. Because if I remember correctly at one point you said you wanted to get into retail as well.
Eric Greening: Absolutely. Yeah, yeah, that is is still plan for us to get our location open up in the city here. You know farmgate isn't really possible right now in Manitoba. Honestly, the way the rules are changing, Saskatchewan is doing great. They're doing this pretty much privatized so we can call up a store in Saskatchewan and say, Here you go, here's our product with out getting government involved. Manitoba, you know, basically every province is trying to get their cut out of the cannabis sales, right? So every year, every few months, they're kind of easing up. If you want to say, let in some more deliveries go out. Changing this. So, you know, issues, yes, but are all of us dealing with it? Yes, it's just kind of the way it is for us in my mind.
Kirk: So I'm sorry. I heard you say, City, are you talking about Winnipeg.
Eric Greening: City of Dauphin ?
Kirk: You live rural. So Dauphin is the city to you is that it. Okay.
Eric Greening: Well, basically, after high school, I moved away it became a city but, so it is still a little town to me. But yeah, We are calling ourselves a city now.
Kirk: OK. And obviously those are those screens in the background, those computer screens?
Eric Greening: Yeah. we are in my office here in our all set up kind of all of our security and digital systems, everything all set up and where we're running on site here right now. If you want to say just kind of go out that door, put my work: boots back on here, in a couple of minutes to start hammer away again.
Kirk: So you're in the construction phase?
Eric Greening: Yeah, yeah. Well, the construction basically done. Installation phase, you want to say. Finishing up the equipment. installing the final items,
Kirk: you look like the command centre the US enterprise back there
Eric Greening: Absolutely, the command centre of Greencraft Cannabis headquartered right here. You're inside,
Kirk: Thanks, Trevor. I was trying to be quiet. I'll move on. i will mute myself..
Trevor: I just thought I'd give you a chance. I know when we're pre-Construction, you're talking about some of the cool equipment you were going to have in there. Everything from CO2 to lights to H-vac. Any of those sort of really going, Oh, this is cooler than I thought, like, for example, me, I had no idea you would add CO2 to a growing operation to change how it grows, any, any sort of cool pieces of equipment that are going in that ended up being even neater than you thought.
Eric Greening: Absolutely. You know, some of our control systems is pretty darn neat too. We have full control actually like in the headquarters here, we can basically run on the entire facility. If we lose a degree in temperature, rise one one bit too high and maybe a light bulb burns out if pipe is leaking. We get notified. It's going down our drain. The irrigation systems is pretty neat too. We have automatic watering draw in all our growrooms. CO2, real high control in each grow room as well. We're a fully sealed facility, so we have no outside air mixing with our plants at all. It'll keeps everything nice and safe, but we have two negative pressure anti-chamber entrance rooms. Similar to hospital entrance rooms. If we want to stay in isolation areas which we enter our facilities through. And then this like working in a hospital, working in a lab throughout our whole facility. So yeah, it's just going to be neat. It's the control we have in a facility like this is unnatural to be able to take excellent care of all of our plants in there every single day to. We are not just popping by once a week to check on them, right? We have a 24 seven watch on those plants growing.
Trevor: Now that that's been great and this Segways nicely into a sort of a teaser for the audience that when we're allowed where we promise not be beating on the door yet, but in the new year when we're allowed, Eric is going to take us on a tour of the new facility and we we hope to post some videos and pictures and whatnot online and do sort of a follow up interview to this. Eric, anything else that you wish we'd asked about where you are right now?
Eric Greening: You know, I really appreciate the update. You guys were out here. One of the things want to add is just another thank you to all our supporters and talent here. The Material suppliers have been bending over backwards McMunn and Yates, Dauphin Decorating, Home Hardware, Sammy Farm Supply. You know, it's tough to get into something like this one in a small city. Trying to stay with all local and luckily we've been able to. They've been doing stuff for us at the big city stores can't even do. And then even our sub-trades too, you know, our some trades working through this. It's just, you know, working great with Bob's Electric Steiners Plumbing and Heating. all our sub-trades are local, highly skilled, highly qualified guys and stuff. Just a thank you to them too for the working for us throughout the year.
Kirk: Actually, Eric, I'm going to I'm going to comment on your web page. Do you thank a lot of people you saw and also appreciate that you do a direct link to to our podcast as well from your web page? Remind us if you're growing primarily recreational, are you also going to get into the business both?
Eric Greening: Yeah, it'll be both. So basically about your medical customer you can come directly to Greencraft, order your cannabis through us as your medical provider? Or we'll have our product available in recreational stores as well?
Kirk: So you so you have you have a license to both?
Eric Greening: Correct. Yes.
Kirk: OK. And so people will be able to buy their medical cannabis from your web page.
Eric Greening: Correct. Yeah. Order through Greencraft. Get a Prescription from a doctor. You register us, as registered with GreenCraft as your medical provider, and it works the same way as any other medical provider in Canada. So if they're familiar with using a different provider and they're finally ready for some good quality cannabis being available at a better price, we'll be ready for you soon.
Trevor: we love that you're still the salesman that's that's prefect.
Kirk: And and will you have compassionate pricing for the medical side.
Eric Greening: You bet ya. yeah, yeah, you know, you honestly all our pricing is going to be a little more where it should be. It's getting ridiculous out there in the stores. There is no way cannabis should be sold for 18 or 19 dollars a gram nowadays, you know, we're going to get it back closer to what people are used to paying for the last 15, 20, 30 years of cannabis purchases right?.
Kirk: And so, Eric, will you will you be able to sell under your brand or like like you like in the in Alberta and many of those craft growers are selling their products to larger companies that sell under a different brand?
Eric Greening: Yeah, that's what we're not doing, right? This is this is what Greencraft is absolutely to avoid. We don't want our product being mixed with anyone else's product or mistakenly added to someone else's inventory. This is you're buying Greencraft cannabis you know, you're getting Greencraft cannabis grown right in this facility here. There's a lot of other smaller craft growers and even the large craft growers are now trying to trick people saying, Hey, we have a craft division too, which is actually just another corner of their giant 500000 square foot facility that we're calling craft. And they're saying we have craft growers or, you know, buyer beware, you have a look at where your cannabis is actually coming from. Make sure you are supporting a micro product right. A Micro license, a standard licenses are much different.
Kirk: Yeah. Well, listeners might remember we sort of started with you in our in our quest to understand craft cannabis. And what I've what I've come to understand about craft cannabis is I think anybody can grow good cannabis. It's what happens to cannabis after it leaves the facility. You know, in a sense, after you cut it down, dry it. What happens to cannabis? And now, like you say, farmgate. So I'm wondering if so you won't have to. You won't fall into that problem. Like, are you packaging all your own cannabis in-house.
Eric Greening: We will be packaging inside as well? Yes.
Kirk: Okay, so there it'll leave your building with your brand on it.
Eric Greening: Exactly. Yeah,.
Kirk: That's that's that's a huge advantage for you.
Eric Greening: It absolutely is. You know, a lot of these people do, they're harvesting a drop and they're selling a truckload across the country in a giant bag and it's squished. They put it through a bunch of machines on that side of the country, and handle it another 20 times put it back in a truck and send it across the country. We want to avoid all that right. There's there's no need. A lot of these places do have some good co-packaging setups where, you know, some of the smaller craft growers don't have the set up yet. They're using a co-packager, which is, you know, it's an option that works too. But you know, the more control of your product start to finish in my opinion, you want to keep it.
Kirk: That's that's what we're learning, Eric. That's exactly what we're learning. So you're packaging plastic or glass.
Eric Greening: Bags, plastic or glass. A lot of people like bags, just as it doesn't take as much space, not so much recycle. Plastic does work: good, or glass for keeping your bud nice and fresh and not broken. So yeah, that's not 100 percent sure yet what will be coming in? We did look into biodegradable. Unfortunately, right now, the market just isn't up to snuff. If you want to stay in Health Canada standards.
Kirk: well, it's a problem, you know, do you want to keep a small carbon footprint or do you want to have more profit?
Eric Greening: Well, I don't know that that side interviews also move on real quick on the stock. Jane, there's a lot of companies involved now that are moving things forward. You know, give it a year or two and things will make a lot more sense with the packaging anyway. Yeah. So thinking about it, actually.
Kirk: Well, it's a moving target is what we're learning. Have you as has anything changed in regards to government regulation since you started this process? Have you had to do any pivoting in that regard yet?
Eric Greening: Nothing huge. No, actually. we were approved in 2019. So when we were kind of getting everything rolling. Right after we got in and if you want to say got approved. There were some major changes, which thankfully we beat. But you know, since then there have been any major. There's there's lots of changes constantly coming through. They are tweaking things here and there, which is how it is going to be how it will be for the next five years, right? This is just such a new industry it has to be expected.
Kirk: Well, it's interesting because again, Trevor: and I have learned so much more since we last talked to you. And what I'm getting from you is you're still you're still you're the general contractor for your building, which means that you're intimate with the building. You're going to be the grower for your product and you're going to package your product there with your own brand on the containers and you are going to sell it to Manitoba government. And you're also talking about going directly to consumers in Saskatchewan. Is that all still part of the plan?
Eric Greening: Definitely. Yeah. Yeah, you bet it is. You know, honestly, any province when it comes time to say all you know, that we got a good relationship with some B.C. store or the government out there, you know, it is possible to go anywhere in Canada. I would say, with having that control, I designed and built this facility. So, you know, every little thing in there, if I was going to spend it's over to somebody, I would be worried to how they're going to figure out how to run an operation like this. But with having full design, control and full control of facility. I believe that's an advantage for us myself growing. Our master grower has over 40 years of growing experience as a legacy grower. He there every single day, right?
Kirk: So you do have a master grower. Last we talked to you hoped to be your own master grower, so you have a master grower.
Eric Greening: Now I will spend most of my time in the headquarters, punching buttons on these supercomputer.
Kirk: Be careful what you ask for a man. You might just get it right.
Eric Greening: Yeah, no. Yeah, we are a great grower and a great team coming here with an experience with cannabis. it can't be beat, right?
Kirk: Well, I am really appreciate your webpage. I'm glancing through it. And it's like, it's definitely a small town group of people. I mean, Trevor: and I probably know 90% of the people that you're working with. So it's kind of cool to have a small business doing what you're doing. It's going to be, I think I think you're going to be a great guest of ours in the coming years. Often. So we'll be following you.
Trevor: We know you're a busy guy, Eric. So we appreciate the time. And yeah, we're looking forward to that tour in the new year
Eric Greening: you bet ya, you too guys we will get it ready for you.
Trevor: Kirk, Kirk, that was a really nice talk with Eric. It was really nice to catch up with him. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I saw Eric in person. And just to reiterate, we're in a small town.
Kirk: Yeah, the last time I saw him sitting were sitting in my driveway. We brought out three lawn chairs and I think we were eight feet apart. And we're sitting, we're sitting in the in our driveway because Eric, Eric is we've spoken to spoken to him as a small business guy in Canada and Dauphin, similar to the Greenhouses that are growing right. It becomes an investment opportunity. So the last time we talked toEric we were sitting in my driveway talking about it being an investment opportunity. I'm not in a situation right now because I'm in pre-retirement mode where I can, I can get cash to invest in his company. I think his company, I think it's a good business model. I think there's I think there's a potential for investors to do well. I just can't I just could not get into it at this time. It's a real shame.
Trevor: Yeah, well, and any investments at risk. So for God's sakes, don't take investment advice from us.
Kirk: Yeah, exactly.
Trevor: Well, that is not our thing, but I, you know, to to be transparent to our audience. I did invest in Greencraft Cannabis. Now I don't. I know some people will go... the rest of this is.
Kirk: and advertisement.
Trevor: An ad for something that Trevor: invested in, it's not. We would be talking to Eric regardless. Yeah, this is, you know, this is a local cool cannabis story that's happening: in our backyard. We'd be talking to Eric regardless. But yeah, it's for the sake of transparency. I am one of the I am one of the investors in in this operation.
Trevor: But you know what, I have an investment in is is our web page.
Trevor: Yes. Yes you do. Kirk, what? What can people... nice segue.
Kirk: Thank you.
Trevor: What can people find if they went to reefermed.ca?
Kirk: Well, I tell you, I've had a lot of fun. I've had. I've had lots of opportunities to sit in front of my computer. I told you how I spilled water on my computer.
Trevor: Yes.
Kirk: Yes.
Trevor: That doesn't go.
Kirk: Oh shit. Oh shit. You know, I had I have so many. I've had so many issues with my old computer. What is now my work: computer? You know, in the summer months, the motherboard went, so I lost my computer for about three weeks as it was getting repaired. But anyway, so yes, our web page. Trevor, we've opened up a whole bunch of stuff. We've added some new pictures to it. We have a Blog segment. I'm starting to I'm starting to find I have time to speak to some of the issues that we're learning: about. I posted a I posted a whole essay on on the government providing a Safe Supply of Cannabis in regards to the whole addictions pandemic we're having with the opiate crisis and the number of people that are dying from addictions. So I did a little rant on that. The one I'm working on now is I'm I'm wondering if the government asked the wrong question when they look to legalize recreational cannabis.
Trevor: All right. Putting on my cynical hat, I think they put on the how how can we make money off of tax and cannabis? You know, I'm sure, I know it was more involved in that, but my cynical hat says that was that was a driving force.
Kirk: Well, my brain is as I ramble and stumble through. Because I am, I'm doing some work: on the side and researching cannabis for a project I'm working on. But so what I've been finding is that the government holds the whole stick is that they have created recreational cannabis laws and regulations to just keep us safe from cannabis. OK, so their whole premise is that they've built a series of laws to keep us safe. And I, as I read through their documentation and I say, I think they've asked the wrong question, because when you ask a negative question in research, you tend to find solutions and recommendations that tend to solve the negative right. So if the question is how do we say, how do we keep people safe from cannabis, then you're going to come up with regulations that keep us safe from cannabis and such as, you know, in Manitoba, we're not allowed to grow our own homegrown cannabis, our own four plants, because they want to protect the youth in Manitoba. I still don't understand that argument. But so they've built, they've built, they've built their argument to protect the youth. So and you know, and to hold the whole thing about keeping cannabis stores away from schools and all this sort of stuff. And and so it's all about it's all about keeping us safe. So when I when I say that they've they've they've asked the wrong question. I can't help but think that maybe they should have asked the question "What are the benefits of cannabis?" you know? And I think, how do we how do we create how do we create an environment where the benefits of cannabis can be used to draw in taxes and create revenue for government, right? And I think that would have that would have by answering that question, I think they would have had less less less difficult laws. Does that make sense?
Trevor: But I'm going to cut you off and say, save the rest of that for your Blog. And now people are going to have to go, go there and read, read how, how, how you resolve that. I think that's a very interesting take.
Kirk: Well, and I'm working on that. Yeah. So it all comes about research and asking questions. And the other thing we've done with the web page is that we've added a whole section of relationships, all the all the organizations and individuals that have helped us build this podcast. They're recognized on the web page also, and which episodes they they helped us specifically with. What we've also done, Trevor, is that I have a group of crafty people who put together, some hop pillows.
Trevor: Kirk, why would I want a hop pillow?
Kirk: Well, I love the way you segue me and you open the door for me to spill out my my understanding of hops, hops, hops are, of course, a cousin to cannabis, which really is not an issue. But in this matter, but hops. Hops have glands in them that are called lupulin glands and lupulin glands tend to calm us. So when you breathe in fresh hops, it's a calming effect. So what we've done is that we've built these sachets of hops, lavender, rose buds, dry roses, rose petals sorry and camomile. And they're in repurposed hemp material, and they're available for people to purchase from us as a way for us to to to to to create some cash to perpetuate this passion project of our. So we're sort of actively soliciting people to help us out here. This passion project,
Trevor: they could find the hop, the hop pillows through the website,
Kirk: through the website, Trevor, they can go to the Relationship Page on a Website. They'll see some beautiful pictures of these repurposed hemp fabric sachets, and they can let us know they're interested in one and send us send us a little bit of cash, and I will send out and push them a beautiful hop pillow sachet and it will give. And it's called Hoppy Dreamzzz and it will assist with your dreams.
Trevor: That is fantastic, but we should probably talk a little bit more about Greencraft before we can sort of wrap this up. So what did you think of the interview and how things are going with with Greencraft in the building.
Kirk: To be announced? Really, I mean, the whole, the whole. The whole point of this episode was to catch up with Eric and he he gave us a catch up in and I'm looking forward to the tour trying to think I've been to several home gardens over my my years.
Trevor: you did go to the big one in Winnipeg.
Kirk: Delta9
Trevor: Delta9, lost that for a second.
Kirk: Yeah, and I'm trying to think of I've been to other I don't think I've had a chance to go and you think you'd remember this stuff? So I'm looking forward to I'm looking forward to going and seeing what a small operation looks like, and it does look pretty cool. The man the man is a contractor who has built a building specifically to grow cannabis. That's kind of cool.
Trevor: I really like the update with Eric. And yeah, hopefully we know for sure we'll get you on the tour, but depending on my work: schedule, whether or not I'll get out there. But like I said during the interview, did one of the parts of still interests me the most is are these CO2. Adding CO2 to a plant's environment and sort of changing how it grows and what it produces. And that kind of thing just kind of blows my mind a little.
Kirk: Well, yeah, it's a science, isn't it? That's the thing that I get a kick out of cannabis. It truly is a science. So and they're growing it as a science. So it's kind of cool. I've also liked the fact that he's going to be on the medicinal side, too. I think that's kind of cool.
Trevor: Yeah. Well, as a nurse and a pharmacist, that is kind of important to me and just completely anecdotally, it seems a little more or I won't say a torrent, but a little more every day I get a, you know, Dr. So-and-so said it would be OK if I try cannabis, but said that you'd be the person to do the paperwork: for me. Can you help me? So I I won't say every week, but you know, a few times a month now I'm getting that. So, you know, and the clientele I see
Kirk: have you built yourself a template?
Trevor: Yeah, yeah. I've been through it most. It honestly. Not to go into all the stereotypes, but most of our clientele at the pharmacy are older. So honestly, most of the problems is how do I sign on to the website? How do I get registered? How do I order? That takes the majority of my time. And then then after that is a how do I dose? Because, you know, the docs ask me that too. So, you know, it's like I said, it is a small chunk of my day as a pharmacist, but it seems to be slowly increasing so long roundabout way to saying yes, there's lots of interest in medicinal cannabis, so I'm glad that GreenCraft is involved in that as well.
Kirk: You know what? You know what? I want to interview you for a second here, actually. So as a as a pharmacist who technically has been told by his College that you can't work: with cannabis?
Trevor: Yes.
Kirk: How, how how do you help people with dosing? What what resources are you using? How do you do that? Like, what are you using as resources? How do you dodge yourself around that little tidbit?
Trevor: Good. It's a good question. There are actually some nice resources. This is again, not plug for a specific company, but we'll plug specific company Spectrum Cannabis, which is the the the medicinal side of Tweed. They're all under there, literally all of the Canopy Canopy. They they've had a whole nice series of Zoom lectures, and they've got a nice basically how to start cannabis dosing guideline. And but it's not just they that it is based on studies. In fact, the the group that we interviewed a little while ago about cannabis and opioids, how to get people off opioids using cannabis.
Kirk: Yeah, yeah. That was episode that was Episode 78, I think.
Trevor: Yeah, they have a very maybe not exactly all the same people, but a lot of those people have now actually released a guidelines on sort of how to dose cannabis. And it's very similar to this one that I I using from Spectrum.
Kirk: 73.
Trevor: And yeah, so there really are there really aren't the double blind, placebo controlled trials, but there really is a lot of we'll call it a consensus expert consensus on how to dose cannabis and the the long and the short of it is start low, go slow. And especially with older people that I deal with start CBD only and slowly, slowly increase and see what happens. And yeah, yeah, I've got a lot. I've got. It's not rockets rocket surgery.
Kirk: I've had a lot of mileage out of Episode 73. That's opiate opiate tampers with cannabis guidelines. I think that's one of our strongest episodes from the perspective of medicinally using cannabis. But I guess and what I'm doing with our with the Blog is that I'm actually using a lot of our expert guests as my source material. So when I'm when I'm yeah, and that's another plug to our web pages that are our library is is plugged with source material. But the question you didn't you skirted around there my friend is, your pharmacist in Manitoba perpetuating the use of cannabis?
Trevor: I am. But the way the laws work, I can't sell it to a patient. Because it literally can't come into the pharmacy. So really, I'm giving advice on a medicinal product, which in my mind. And we'll see if the regulators agree with me, isn't any different than whether somebody, as you know, comes to the pharmacy or calls the pharmacy and asked me about cocaine, which is, you know, strictly illegal. Ginkgo Biloba, which isn't illegal, but, you know, has some science, has some not or like Enalapril , which is, you know, everybody agrees, is a a reasonable blood pressure pill. I'm asked questions about all of those all the time, and I think it's well within my purview if I know about it. You know, if I don't know, say for God's sake, say, I don't know. But you know, if I know about it to to give them advice. And so, you know, I am working with their physician because the way medicinal cannabis works in Canada, the physician, it is not a prescription. They write a medical document that goes to the Licensed Producer and then the Licensed Producer are the people who actually send it to the to the customer slash patient. I'm right now as a pharmacist, I'm in a weird outside role to give advice. But it is weird because again, I said a lot of my problems are just technical issues. A lady was having trouble, just literally she getting on to the website and ordering something. So she said, Well, can you just call them and see what's going on? And I did. And this is not that much different than me calling an insurance company or me calling a drug planner. I do that all the time. And as a pharmacist, if I call an insurance company or I call a drug plan, you know, if I identify myself as a pharmacist and I say, Yeah, I've got the patients, you know, insurance information, they talk to me because I'm a trusted health care professional. The people, to their credit, the people at the Licensed Producer I was talking to, wouldn't tell me anything because in their mind, I am not in the circle of care, which is right. I really am not. I am in this weird sort of other zone. So I I told them what I could. They couldn't really confirm or deny anything. And then basically I had the the patient call their their customer support herself. And as far as we know, things sort of got sorted out. But it was. It just sort of reiterated to me how at the moment, as a pharmacist, I'm in this when it comes to cannabis, I'm in this weird other zone. I'm not in the circle of care. I'm an outside consultant?
Kirk: Does the college, does the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba speak to cannabis? And again, Trevor, I don't mean to like to spear you, but I've been really immersing myself in the whole College of Nurses in cannabis because I'm I'm looking to move my practice exclusively into cannabis. So I want to know as a sole proprietor of a business, how does my College view this and to the credit of the College of Nurses and the Protective Society of Nurses. Cannabis is out there and they're giving us directions. Not not of not all of it good direction, but I'm in a situation where I'm actually giving feedback to the College on some of the draft proposals they have. Do you have that opportunity with the College of Pharmacists?
Trevor: Yeah, all the the last thing was basically don't have anything to do with it. And that was
Kirk: and that was a couple of years ago, wasn't it? Was that that was a few years ago?
Trevor: Yes. And and then, yeah, there there's been nothing since that. So yeah, basically, as far as I know, I don't have anything to do with it. Full stop.
Kirk: Interesting. Interesting. So in Manitoba, the College of Pharmacists do not support pharmacists helping people. Going back to my Blog, this is this is when I talk about when I talk about the ramifications of asking the wrong question in in research, I can't help but wonder if the College of pharmacists are sticking to that. You know, the harm of cannabis, you know, so it's best to stay away from it where rather than let's educate our members on possibly how cannabis can help. And then through that, how do we how do we then, you know, look for the contraindications? I'm just wondering, I'm just wondering, it's in four years of us doing this project. Has anything changed for you on that that at that area and in nursing, there's lots of changes.
Trevor: Not, to my knowledge. Not to my knowledge. So Kirk: we were, we keep saying this over and over again, but we were in Calgary. Yeah, and we collected some stories there, and we're sort of sprinkling them throughout the episodes as My Cannabis Stories. And I think they worked out really well. We we saw a booth with while they had fancy clothes and then they had some fancy jars. And what were they called again?
Kirk: HiND, really cool. Really, really cool marketing and labeling that they have.
Trevor: They were, and they're sort of claim to fame was their fancy little jars which were UV proof and glass, but they had a really good seal on them. So they should keep your your buds fresh much, much longer. Was there, was there claim and they had some cool little videos and stuff showing the experiments they had done. So that immediately caught my attention, and one of the HiED guys agreed to give us a quick little blurb.
Kirk: Yeah, I think I think it fits in really well with Eric's story in that we did ask Eric about packaging and what these guys are stressing is how you store your cannabis is extremely important. So yeah, let's hear a story about storing cannabis.
Trevor: Let's have a listen.
Kirk: Please introduce yourself and explain to me the reason and the purposes and what your product does for the cannabis industry.
HiND Guy: (sorry, we lost his name… maybe he will contact us so we can up date transcript?) And yeah, for sure. So it's HiND lifestyle. It's a brand that's for the high end connoisseurs of cannabis, predominantly flower users. We use a UV glass jar that we take from the Netherlands. We ship it to California. We do the applied ceramic labeling in California, where a lot of high end wine bottles are logoed. The bags they come in are done in the same factory that East Staint Laurent does their bags and a box are done here locally? We've spared no steps in terms of cost or how to do certain things. The logo is meant to be discreet in use. It's supposed to be, "if you know, you know," If you don't know it's not clearing in your face that has big cannabis in the background, the science of the jars or that UV glass light, UV glass prevents any light going through. Lights damaging to cannabis and organic molecules. The experiment that you're seeing there, actually, we took an ounce of cannabis from the seven different containers. Let it sit there for six weeks and just show how much the degradation of cannabis was going to be pulled from smell leaving it. Because our glass is 100 percent smell proof 100% seal proof it so all the turps, cannabinoids and all that stays within the things. Nothing comes out. So you can keep ounces of cannabis in your house in our jars, and no one's the wiser and on the smell comes out at all.
Kirk: So this is the glass allow the cannabis to age and culture and cure.
HiND Guy: So as you would see in the experiment, like when we did it in plastic jars or we didn't steal jars or metal jars, the cannabis would take the smell of the plastic or would take the smell or the metal ones would actually just petrified the cannabis. So all of the air and moisture would leave the jar and the cannabis would get really dry because our jars are smell proof and seal proof, nothing comes in or out. So light doesn't penetrate. None of the elements penetrate it. It is smell proof, so you keep a lot of cannabis in your home. It's discreet in its use, and they just look great. Like they're just better looking than everything else in the province. And then our peril is actually done by our award winning: designer who's in-house. We do all of our designs. We are direct to the factory, we design the cuts. Our fabrics are all high end fabrics. We use elastin, bamboo cotton. Our bodies and our zip ups have hand warmers and hidden pockets within a fully encapsulating wood because as soft as the softest materials and we skip no details when it comes to anything that's there for the high end connoisseurs of cannabis.
Kirk: Fantastic. Thank you, man.
Trevor: How about we wrap this one up. I don't think I've said yet. I'm a Trevor: Shewfelt I'm the pharmacist.
Kirk: Yes, I'm Kirk: Nyquist. I'm the Registered Nurse and we're ReeferMEDness - The Podcast and we encourage everyone to go to our web page reefermed.ca and encourage you to buy yourself a hoppy dreamzzz pillow and support this passion project of ours.
Trevor: Sounds good. That's been another good one. Talk to you later everybody.