As we’re officially one month away from legalisation and the dawning of a new age (or the beginning of the end depending on your view) I thought I’d take some time to talk about a new movement that’s taking life, NugSwap.  Specifically because it’s a great example of the new possibilities that are opening up because of bill C45, despite the many flaws and problems it’s also creating.  It seems like a lot of people in our community are still fixated only on the negative, to the exclusion of seeing the burgeoning possibilities that are opening up.

So what exactly is NugSwap and why am I so excited about it?  It started on Reddit with the idea about growers meeting up after it’s legalised to trade bud and clones, specifically to empower people to grow their own instead of having to buy from government LP’s.  The gist of it is everyone would bring an ounce of greenery divided into 1/8th’s to give away and would get 8 different samples in return from others.  People ran with the idea and started talking about getting a clubhouse with rosin presses and other goodies.  They started organising group breeding projects to make feminised seeds available as an alternative to sharing clones but it also opens up the door for pollen chuckers and home breeding.  It didn’t take long for the idea to spread from Toronto across the country as people start organising groups locally.

What excites me about this idea is a couple things.  First and foremost it’s the fact that passionate people like myself will be able to get together openly and share their love for all things green and dank.  Regardless of skill or experience level we can all come together without fear or paranoia.  It’s not like this will be the first time something like this has ever happened, growers have been traded buds/clones/seeds for as long as we’ve been growing.  Whether in person or over forums, it’s not new.  What is new is that it’s fully legal and we don’t have to hide, which is both liberating and also means it’s accessible to beginners.  That coherency and building communities is a big step forward, also a critical one.

The more we solidify as a community, the more power our voice has, which is the other big advantage I see.  A practical problem that can be tackled right off the bat is the issue with landlords/condo’s trying to arbitrarily ban smoking/growing on in people’s private residence.  Obviously if it’s a no smoking building we have to respect the rules but for the majority of buildings which allow tobacco smoke but are trying to ban the wacky tobaccy, there’s power in numbers.  It’s even more true for home growing as people assume pot heads will be too lazy to grow it themselves and would rather buy it.  They underestimate how much we love our herb and how many people want to be able to grow their own.  Whether it’s a couple plants on the balcony, a tent or a room converted for growing.  A unified voice will make them realise it’s not just a few people hoping to break the law.  By working together we can ensure they respect our right and it also allows us to self regulate by teaching beginners how to properly grow so they don’t create fire or mold risks.

That’s where my mind naturally wanders when I think about the possibilities of NugSwap.  The chance for all of us to share our knowledge, learn from one another and help create a more informed consumer base that understands the difference between good, great and exceptional buds.  Essentially I see these morphing into a combination of horticulture and wine clubs without the pretentious attitudes where presenters come to talk about new technology, new processes or describe unique tricks and tips they’ve developed.  Field trips could be organised to LP’s and Craft Growers to see first hand what they’re doing, hopefully down the road we’d be able to plan bud trails and travel around visiting local growers and sampling their wares.  That possibility is a lot more likely the more coherent we are but likely won’t happen if we collectively decide to keep complaining about how it’s regulated and we can’t grow it like tomatoes.

Which is what really inspires me about this idea, instead of fixating on the problems and what’s wrong with legalisation, people are looking at the possibilities afforded by it and how we can use them to fight the corporate take over of the industry.  Look at how big of a bite craft beer is taking out of the big breweries now that people are developing more sophisticated palates.  Like I was rambling about last week in this post there’s a huge gap in terms of perceived and actually quality.  That’s the biggest advantage the big LP’s have now, it’s that their customer’s generally aren’t well informed and are easy prey for marketing.  So far NugSwap is the most proactive response I’ve seen to people being worried about legalisation as it’s a practical, direct way to address the issues while also being fun and engaging for those involved.  We should never underestimate the power of a positive experience, it’s a lot easier to motivate and organise people if it’s around something that’s fun vs stressful and hard.

If anyone is interested in learning more about NugSwap or wants to sign up for the first meeting at the end of Oct/early Nov you can check out;

2 thoughts on “NugSwap and New Possibilities”

Leave a comment