The Plant is Life

Since our beginning, Farm Bug Co-op has been both intentional and exploratory about our process of forming a cooperative in the cannabis industry. In that spirit, we’ve strived to be a completely transparent organization that looks for feedback and guidance from enthusiastic consumers of cannabis as well as growers because that’s who we are and that’s also who we will serve as we enter the cannabis market. We intend for our new blog to be a space where we can continue to share stories and connect with those that share a love for the cannabis plant and all that surrounds this crazy new legal industry as well as what we refer to as the “traditional market.” Many folks call it the “illicit market.” We use the word “traditional” to acknowledge that this market has always been here prior to the legalization of medical and adult use cannabis.

Farm Bug has always been open about its commitment to ensuring that traditional market growers have a pathway to the regulated market and that those individuals who are the casualties of the drug war are not only included in this industry, but, also, have a pathway to ownership. Ownership, for us, means that one is a cooperative owner of the business and participates in the democratic decision-making of the co-op. We’d love to see more cooperatives formed in the cannabis industry as well as more ownership opportunities from workers that traditionally have not had access to become an owner of the business that they were/are working for.

That is just some of what is on our minds as we enter into the blogosphere to provide cannabis consumers and growers with the stories that you are interested in. Because, for us, this industry has always been about the stories—about how we all got here; about where we’re going; and, yes, about the failures of the legalization of cannabis.

For me, as a Founding Member of Farm Bug Co-op, this has been a journey with many ups and downs. Even as I write this, I have my own questions about my relationship with the cannabis industry—both traditional and regulated. I came at this space as an advocate and began growing cannabis in my home shortly after Massachusetts voters passed Question 4, the initiative to legalize adult use cannabis. I’ve had some success in growing marijuana and greatly expanded my knowledge. But, I also have had epic failures, like my last run that had a huge spider mite problem that came late in flower. They ruined the trichomes and, thus, terpenes on my plant. But, as I’ve learned, all growers go through failures like this. You have to learn from your mistakes and move forward.

The plant is life. It can be beautiful. It can also be completely unforgiving. As a consumer, I also see the plant as life. If you consume cannabis, it is part of life—it is a ritual; it is a culture; it is part of who you are. You’ve had some strains that you’ve fallen in love with that you couldn’t find again. You’ve probably also met some strains you didn’t much like (or, at the least, didn’t like as much as others). These are the kinds of conversations that we want to delve into in our new blog. We want you, friend, to be a part of our journey.

We welcome guest bloggers of all kinds on the topic of cannabis. We want to bring you the stories that aren’t being told. Our co-op has always been very open about our advocacy and the political policies that we support. We don't see too many issues being off the table. We want more stories to be told. So, let’s get started!