Gerald

I grew up in a small town in Alberta. My mother is a Metis and my father is an Irish immigrant. Due to this mix, I am probably the only person in Canada with Irish Citizenship and Aboriginal status.My mothers family was very traditional. I worked on a trapline with my uncle and helped harvest moose with my mothers family.Like most Metis youth I dropped out of school at the first opportunity. However, I later went back and went on an educational binge: high school diploma; B.A. in Chinese language, University of Alberta; Chinese language studies, Heilongjiang University, Harbin, China; Japanese culture studies, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan; M.B.A. in marketing, Rotman School of management; M.B.A. Exchange program, National University of Singapore; and, my law degree, Juris Doctor, University of Toronto.I have worked as a lawyer and as an upper level manager in the Canadian Federal Government bureaucracy. But now, I am happy in my work. I work in the best head shop in Toronto. Petite Amsterdam on the lakeshore. (www.GreenCanadian.com).Our shop sells everything related to cannabis culture, except, unfortunately, the herb itself. I also sell a wide range of ethnobotanical herbs that are used by Aboriginal people around the world in their rituals, spiritual practices and shamanistic healing ceremonies. Many of these herbs have hallucigenic effects that equal or exceed the numerous herbs that Government has decreed as illegal. My belief is that these sacred plants are the patrimony of all of mankind and no government has the right to forbid me my human right to consume these plants as I wish.I also believe that the spirtual practices of Aboriginals have evolved over a period of time that greatly exceeds the time that any organized religion has existed. Organized religion has developed at the same time of civilizations. Aboriginal shamanistic spiritality has helped our ancient ancestors cope with their surroundings and has showed them the way of survival.We should preserve this tradition.