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Journeymen Collective: Magic Mushroom Retreat – Cannabis | Weed | Marijuana

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What is the Journeymen Collective magic mushroom retreat? Contemporary shamans Gary Logan and Rob Grover sat down with CLN the other day to discuss what really happens in a psychedelic treat.

Is it a type of psychedelic therapy? Not really, says Rob. 

It’s more along the lines of personal development. We recognize that there are clinical uses, there are recreational uses, and we’re in somewhat of the middle. What we’ve done is we’ve combined about sixty years of experience in personal metaphysical, spiritual teachings, and professional development as well. And we bridged all of those realms together to create what we know as the Journeymen Collective.

This B.C.-based collective uses psilocybin mushrooms to help guide executives, entrepreneurs, and other professionals. The goal? “We want to help people move from business to conscious business,” says Rob. 

But what does that mean?

Journeymen Collective: Magic Mushroom Retreat

Journeymen Collective

Magic mushroom wellness retreats are becoming more mainstream. But there’s still a lot of stigma to plant-based medicines like psilocybin. As well, not every psilocybin retreat is created equal.

Rob and Gary use their decades of experience to ensure a safe and secure environment. Since 2018, when they founded the collective, the results have proven it.

The success stories from the Journeymen Collective range from business executives who were unhappy with their careers to artists and performers who felt lost and anxious.

“A lot of the time it’s people are looking for a deeper level of connection,” says Gary. “And they don’t know how to access it because the cultural paradigm that we live in hasn’t granted them the opportunity to go into that aspect of self.”

Rob agrees. The people who’ve come through their retreat always leave “more consciously aware of who they are.”

They’re more deeply connected to who they are. They’re more passionate and purposeful with the work that they’re providing the world. And as a result, they’re actually making a greater contribution to the people that they work with… Basically, they’re more aware of how they can actually make a greater impact in another person’s life, whether that be in their company, and their relationships. We see it, taking place whereby people come and work with us and they’re not quite sure how it fits into the business. But then once they come through an actual Journey with us … one of the things that happens is they start to see opportunities to help their people at work.

Fostering a deeper connection with the people you work with can only have positive benefits. Indeed, the success stories Rob and Gary recount lend credence to the benefits of magic mushroom retreats.

What’s the Purpose of a Retreat?

What’s the point of a luxury magic mushroom retreat? If one is feeling down and wants to try psychedelic plant-based medicine, why not visit one of the many illegal psilocybin dispensaries popping up all over Canada?

The answer, of course, is that you need a guide. If you’re feeling depressed and take mushrooms to alleviate the depression, without proper set and setting, you could make your depression even worse.

However, some critics contend that psychedelic retreats like the Journeymen Collective aren’t the proper set or setting. Only white coats with PhDs in sterile medical clinics should provide psychedelic plant-based medicines – if they do so at all.

One argument against psychedelic retreats is that the experience may intensify your feelings of depression or anxiety. But Rob says that’s kind of the point.

“Maybe you actually do have to feel the depth that intensely and that’s what’s actually going to help you.” Adding that he and Gary have nothing but “respect and professionalism for the people that we work with.”

“If someone’s skeptical,” Rob says, “Chances are, they won’t be our client.” Both men emphasize that interested parties should do their due diligence.

“I think the biggest thing is that people aren’t skeptical,” says Gary, “They’re scared.”

Another common misconception is that psilocybin retreats don’t require any work on the client’s part. Sometimes, you get a sudden shift in thinking or concepts that benefit you. But other times, the conscious change is subtle. It requires you to be an active participant, not merely a passive observer.

But even without a big psychedelic-induced breakthrough, Gary says, “you’ll have the tools moving forward to deal with whatever comes up in your life because the old habits of thinking and doing and being are being addressed.”

What the Journeymen Collective is All About

Journeymen Collective
Rob (left), Gary (right)

The Journeymen Collective luxury magic mushroom retreat is about addressing your fear head-on and watching it run the other way. And even though Rob and Gary provide a safe location with proper set and setting, the power remains in your hands at the end of the day.

“You can create greater anxiety or depression or you can create greater well-being from that fear,” says Rob.

The problem, says Rob and Gary, is that culturally, we “haven’t been given the permission slip to step into the unknown and create something from the unknown.”

Rob adds, “The only permission you need is the permission from yourself and the permission to create.”

The fear people have – whether going to a retreat or clutching their pearls at the thought of a psychedelic retreat even existing – is tied back to how we structure our society.

Rob rattles off how fear and control begin right from our childhood. “Raise your hands to go to the bathroom; stand in line. You’re only allowed to colour inside the lines.”

Education will change public perception, which is why Rob and Gary emphasize education more than any other aspect of the retreat.

“That’s one of the reasons why we do interviews like this,” says Rob. “So that we can educate people that you are not going to lose your mind. You’re going to find your mind.”

But it also means education on what to expect from a retreat. Rob and Gary recount horror stories of other less-reputable retreats where multiple people are in a single room, and you must share your guide with others.

“And as a result,” says Rob, “They’re leaving more traumatized than they were when they walked in.”

Education is Important

This is not the case at Journeymen Collective, where Rob and Gary prepare you for a personalized journey and stay with you for the entirety of the experience.

“Education is a massive, massive thing that we are committed to,” says Rob.

I never thought that that would be something that we’d be stepping into when we started the Journeymen Collective. However, it’s becoming increasingly clear that we have to step into that and educate people. This is what an actual psychedelic Journey needs to include. It needs to include the personalized aspect. If there are 20, 30, 40, or 200 people in an actual ceremony, I would step away and find another way.

Gary echoes this sentiment. He lambasts the 60s and 70s narrative that magic mushrooms could cause you to lose your mind. “We have to change that narrative. That’s what needs to be done because it is a paradigm people get stuck in, and that’s all they know about.”

Rob and Gary agree that many old stories stem from inexperienced people tripping in their backyard with friends. This differs entirely from a guided journey, where Rob and Gary recall some people sitting and meditating for hours.

Rob says, “Sure you can do it on your own, but what is the set and setting and are you able to work through the stuff that’s coming up for you?” He warns of negative thinking loops that may make your problems worse.

Hence, Rob and Gary suggest a guided journey. “It’s not about looking at trippy pictures,” says Rob. It’s about an experience where “you can actually trust the person that you’re with and allow yourself to go deeply within and unearth some of the uncomfortable places within the self.”

Journeymen Collective: Magic Mushroom Retreat

Of course, some people want proof beyond testimonials. They want studies and papers and peer-reviewed research. As mentioned, if you’re genuinely skeptical of plant-based psychedelic medicine, odds are, you won’t be a client of the Journeymen Collective.

But if you’re on the fence, the story of one client and his Apple watch may persuade you to check it out further.

“He got a notification on his Apple watch to say that your heartbeat has dropped eight beats per minute,” says Rob. “What’s going on? It was after his journey. Well, his resting heart rate decreased eight beats per minute.”

Likewise, another client had a benign brain tumour that prevented her from being able to smell or taste. But one morning after her journey, “she was sitting having breakfast with us and basically was like naming every single ingredient in the omelette,” says Rob.

Evidence-Based Plant Medicine

This may not be scientific proof everyone accepts, but it’s clear something beyond the placebo effect is happening. But greater scientific and clinical acceptance is a double-edged sword.

Rob and Gary are concerned that clinical regulation could downplay the spiritual connection that makes psychedelic plant medicines successful. But they remain hopeful.

Says Rob, “My hope is that people who are guiding have the depth of knowledge and understand the science and the mind. And the mystical side, the spiritual side of what’s actually taking place here.”

You can learn more about the Journeymen Collective here and how to connect with Rob and Gary.





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2021 EMCDDA

EMCDDA Report: What EU Drug Market Looks Like

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The legal landscape of cannabis is changing in the EU; but how does this affect its illicit presence, or the overall illicit drug market? New EMCDDA report gets into it.

What is EMCDDA?

If you keep up on international politics concerning drugs, you’ve probably heard of this agency. The EMCDDA is the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. This agency was established under the EU in 1993, but was modified via a 2022 bill, which includes a renaming of the agency to the European Union Drugs Agency.

The agency acts as a knowledge base for the EU drug world; including all member states. It’s goal is to provide reliable and objective coverage of drug topics; like usage rates, addiction potential, and health complications. The organization serves Europe and the EU; but the group works with lawmakers and scientists around the globe.

The EMCDDA operates under a stated mission, which involves three basic points: 1) To provide for the EU and beyond, ‘factual, objective, reliable and comparable information at European level concerning drugs and drug addiction and their consequences.’ 2) To obtain and assess information on emerging trends in the drug world, with a focus on multi-drug use, and the combination of legal and illegal drugs. And 3) To offer best practices information to the member states of the EU, and to help the states institute these practices.

Arrests and seizures are the main source for illicit drug market info
Arrests and seizures are the main source for illicit drug market info

How accurate is the EMCDDA? It’s hard to say. Like any government agency, it can only officially account for what’s official. Perhaps it has good feelers in the illicit world, and really knows the ins and outs of whats not reported. And alternatively, maybe its used as a way to form beliefs in the general public. If nothing else, a recent report gives us some new talking points regarding the EU, and its illicit cannabis drug market.

Report – EU Drug Market: Cannabis

The EMCDDA’s EU Drug Market: Cannabis report was published in November, 2023. It “describes the European cannabis market from production and trafficking, to distribution and use. It details the processes, materials and players involved at different stages and levels of the market. The module takes a threat assessment approach, identifying key issues and defining recommendations for action at EU and Member State level.”

The report notes that cannabis is both the most commonly used illicit drug worldwide, as well as the basis for the largest black market in Europe. It estimates that 84 million between 15-64 years of age, have used cannabis at least once in life; and that 22.6 million used it in just the past year. The report indicates that a larger choice for products is available on the black market; including oil and hash oil, vapes, edibles, and other concentrates. This is in contrast to how it was not many years ago; when the main products were flower and hash.

In its ‘key points’ section, the report states the belief that most of the cannabis ‘detected,’ is thought to be grown in the EU. It states that seized drug amounts peaked in 2021, for cannabis and resin; the highest in 10 years. And that while Spain is a key player for illicit cannabis in the EU, Morocco is still the biggest hash provider to Europe.

It comments on the expanding market, with new product offerings; as well as the increase in potency of cannabis products, and the entrance of synthetic (or semi-synthetic) cannabinoids products, like HHC. According to the report, “Violence, corruption and the misuse of legal business structures are key enablers used by the diverse, adaptable and flexible criminal networks involved in the illicit cannabis market in the EU.” And that “The environmental impact of illicit cannabis production in the EU is considerable.”

A few more points from the report

The EMCDDA report estimates the minimum value of the EU cannabis black market to be EUR 11.4 billion. While it states that indicators point to it being a stable market; it also states that between 2015-2021, prices went down for cannabis flower and hash products. The discrepancy likely indicates that stability is in general market size and number of users; while pricing for individual products, does vary through time. The falling prices in these categories mirrors falling prices in the US and Canada as well.

Illicit market offers many more products now
Illicit market offers many more products now

In terms of increasing potency, the report states that flower went up 60% in THC potency, while hash went up 200%, in the years from 2011-2021. Seizures indicate that whereas hash used to be consumed more than flower in Europe, that now flower is the more common product, with more seizures finding flower, than hash. The biggest seizures came from countries like Spain, France and Italy; which are on trafficking routes. The report indicates that the Western Balkan region is a big part of the illicit cannabis trade; and both cultivates and imports products to Europe.

The report states cannabis as the most commonly used drug worldwide. It gives the statistic of 2,014 tonnes of resin seized in 2021, and 5,226 tonnes of cannabis flower. The former is an 8% drop from the previous year’s seizures, and the latter is an 11% increase. Spain was cited as being where 75% of plants were seized in 2021, as well as 650 tonnes of resin.

Things to remember

First and foremost, this is the report of a government agency on the black markets that operate within its borders. No direct production, sales, or transport information was given to any government, or used for this report. Like with all reporting on drug trafficking and black markets, the numbers grabbing headlines, are estimates made from what is obtained through arrests, seizures, and covert operations.

All three of these are dependent on how much money a government puts behind the efforts; which is something that often changes with new laws or new measures. What I mean by this, is that if a government isn’t looking for something one year, and then starts looking for it the next; it’ll appear in the news like it doesn’t exist at all the first year, but then pops up in the second.

Or, perhaps, efforts to stop a particular drug amp up, meaning more arrests, seizures, and covert operations. Let’s remember, the same report spoke of this as a stable market; which implies any increase seen in it, is really just an increase in law enforcement efforts against it.

In the ‘cannabis production’ section of the report, it says, “Little is known about the scale of illicit cultivation in Europe due to challenges in monitoring and reporting.” Of course, logically, if authorities don’t know much about production, they also don’t realistically know much about the rest either. A statement like this should act as a reminder that we’re only going off of guesses, that relate to how good the government is at intercepting these businesses, at a given time.

EU has almost no info on illicit cultivation
EU has almost no info on illicit cultivation

When we look at black market numbers from government reporting, what we’re generally looking at is how much funding an initiative gets, and whatever protocol is currently in place. So did the industry increase in 2021 in Europe? Or did Europe put more time and money into rooting out operations? Weed has been a staple black market drug for nearly a century, and was used throughout history before then. Aspects might change, like which country produces more; but the overarching idea of the market in general, remains the same.

Another thing to remember is that this kind of information can be used to inform policy, and personal opinions. As personal opinions relate to buying preferences, and therefore shape industries; and since companies are known to contribute so much to politicians; its not out of bounds to assume political agendas are pushed by way of molding popular opinions through reporting.

The report makes a reference to the ‘dangerous’ semi-synthetic cannabinoids and increased THC levels, of concentrate products and edibles. While it does seem increased THC has led to more ER visits; this has not been linked with increased deaths, nor did the EMCDDA offer a statistic for cannabis deaths or injuries. As a reminder, the EU is totally cool with allowing synthetic opioids, which according to an EMCDDA report from August 2023, were responsible (along with heroine) for 3/4 of drug deaths in Europe. Perhaps we should question how the EMCDDA defines ‘dangerous.’

Conclusion

I expect these reports come out for the sake of appearances – like that of maintaining control; as well as for whatever opinion-molding they can do. But the reality is, we don’t know much about what goes on in the EU illicit drug market beyond a point, just like we don’t know it about any other black market. What we do know, is that weed is big, it always has been, and attempts to thwart markets, or divert them to costlier legal markets; doesn’t tend to work.

Hello weed fans. We welcome you to Cannadelics.com, where we report on the drugs world at large, with a focus on marijuana. Come by often to stay updated on current happenings; and sign yourself up for the Cannadelics Weekly Newsletter; so you’re never late to get the news.



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After Massachusetts cannabis worker died from asthma attack, state pushes marijuana industry to take extra safety steps

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After a Bay State cannabis worker suffered an asthma attack and died, the state Department of Public Health is pushing the local marijuana industry to take extra safety steps to prevent work-related asthma.

A Trulieve Cannabis Corp. employee who was packaging ground cannabis into pre-rolls at the company’s Holyoke processing facility suffered an asthma attack and later died in the hospital last year. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated, and the company later settled with OSHA.

DPH and OSHA confirmed that the death of the 27-year-old production technician was the first known occupational asthma fatality in the U.S. cannabis workforce.

Read the rest of this story on BostonHerald.com.



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