Any Old Time B.C. cultivators still around?

Charles U Farley

Well-Known Member
Haven't really noticed if any B.C. cultivators participate here on RIU. In the mid- late 90's I spent quite a bit of time online and one of the very best resources, especially for the nascent web, was the website of the BCGA (British Columbia Grower Association) and its developer Vic High. I probably learned more about cannabis cultivation and development from him than anyone else, with the exception of Ed Rosenthal and Mel Frank. Here's some things I've previously written about my experiences:

"Another invaluable resource in the late 90's was the Web based forum of the British Columbia Growers Association (BCGA). Someone by the nym of Vic High established the site to bring together local people who were interested in growing, cultivating and developing cannabis. It didn't stay local for long. Soon people found out about it via adpc and fantastic information, as well as seeds, were doing the cross border shuffle. This of course drew the attention of law enforcement organizations (LEO) and soon they were sniffing around trying to identify who was doing what and where they were doing it. Lots of BC busts starting filtering down to the U.S. about the time Overgrow, Cannabisworld and other sites began gaining momentum. I wonder what happened to Aeric77? Can’t find any info now on how his bust was resolved. Even though his forum was moderated, Vic did it in the most excellent way possible. Face it, people become unbelievably brave when they're behind a keyboard and easily transform into assholes. Objectively dealing with opinionated jerks is difficult, Vic did it with grace and dignity. "


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"In 1999, I take a cruise to Alaska via Vancouver. I had heard about a place called the Blunt Brothers from the BCGA forum, so I made plans to visit. I walked into the store, lurked around for a while then went up to the counter and asked if he'd seen Vic High around. He gave me a WTF look but someone else asked how I knew Vic. I told them via the BCGA site and I was hoping he could hook me up with some BC bud I'd heard so much about. The guy gave me a real skeptical look, so I said, "Look, I didn't want to be the first dumbass American to get caught smuggling buds _into_ BC, so I didn't bring any of my own." He started laughing and told me where to go. A couple of streets down, I go into a basement area of a building, ask "What do you have for sale?" and the guy uncovers a display area with different kinds of buds and hash. Holy fucking moly! I'll take some Skunk, a couple of grams of hash and what was my second choice from Jock, Northern Lights. After we get onboard, my wife and I completely agree, the Skunk smells better but the Northern Lights _is_ better. In fact, it’s even better than the hash. "

"This reminds me of the kind of “advice” that used to be given by “experts” in the first, very formative stages of overgrow.com’s development. A couple of minor, inexperienced participants in the BCGA forum and a.d.p.c used to advocate cutting the _bottom_ out of a plastic container and placing it directly into the larger pot when transplanting before the veg phase, supposedly to avoid transplant shock. That makes absolutely no sense if you have an even a rudimentary knowledge of botany. How utterly preposterous, yet all the newbs who had just discovered overgrow took it as God’s honest truth. Can't remember which one of them fucked up Vic High's organic soil mix, guess they didn't understand more doesn't always mean better.

One was an old HVAC guy who was below where it was not warm and the other had a three letter nym. In reading through the reconstituted overgrow.com site now, it looks like they became "gurus" there. Funny thing is, a couple years previously one of them posted on the BCGA forum “… it seems my genetics could be better.” No doubt he was correct, so I’d pass on any of the bubblegum related bullshit he’s peddling, at least he’s not calling it Orange Sunshine... yet."

"If you've read through almost any of the Journal section of the site, you'll notice the nym Vic High. He was responsible for developing the very first Web based forum dedicated to cultivating and developing cannabis over 20 years ago, at great risk to his personal freedom. Except for Frank and Rosenthal's Grower's Guide, I learned more about cannabis genetic selection from Vic's BCGA website than any other reference source. In reading through the forum at International Cannagraphic, I learned he died about a month ago. I have no idea how old he was, if he had a wife/children or anything else about him but I do know that without his efforts, the BC and to some extent, the U.S. cannabis scene would not be anything close to what it is now.

Not to mention the U.S. based seed slinger ******* (guy's dead now, I won't trash a dead man who can't defend himself) would still be repairing HVAC systems instead of passing off Vic's genetics and organic soil as his own and CAP-CAP-CAP (this guy's dead now too) would still be trying to figure out why his genetics sucked and whoring his seeds on CBay. In addition, Mr. Soul would still be trying to figure out how to cube his Jack Herrer hermie and turn it into Cinderella 99. I digress.

As is almost always true, especially in the U.S., the real innovators and revolutionaries do the hard work and spread their knowledge to others because they have a real quest for acquiring knowledge and enlightening others. Inevitably, asshole U.S. capitalist entrepreneurs take that knowledge and make a product to pimp and whore to the public with the sole purpose to make m-o-n-e-y, with no regard or respect to those who actually did the work to make the product possible.

Vic High was an innovator and a revolutionary in cannabis and the current online cannabis community has no idea who he was or what he did, unfortunately."

When I first dipped my toe in web based cannabis fora 4 years ago, I discovered that Vic had died. Found out a couple of months ago that the other driving force behind the BCGA website, the nym OT1 had just died as well. He was a U.K based cannabis developer and was instrumental in the development and growth of overgrow. Without these two people in the past, you would not be reading RIU, or probably any other cannabis forum, today.

Hope you BC growers are still around, realize how much you all did to advance cannabis development and are proud of what Vic High did.
 

decrepit digits

Well-Known Member
There were other forums at the time also, Emery had one sweetleaf? and a few others. Before them there were news groups I think they were called not quite forums but informative. I think there are a few posts I made in that archive. They say once its put on the internet it lasts forever that's not true lots of info has been deleated.
 
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