The Grist Mill and Gardens in Keremeos had people believing they were headed in a new direction with a well-timed April Fool’s Day prank.
On April 1 they released a detailed post, including quotes from the Grist Mill manager, on their social media account announcing they received final approval to “open Canada’s first heritage seed bank for Cannabis Sativa.”
“With the impending legalization of marijuana in Canada, it only seemed fitting that we use our long history of heritage seed saving and research to share and preserve the incredible genetic heritage of this infamous plant,” says Chris Mathieson, operator/manager of the Grist Mill heritage site. “From George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to David Suzuki and Stephen Harper, North America has a long history of pot use, and we’re looking forward to being pioneers in telling that story.”
The prank post said they had a grant from Destination B.C. and the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association with the hopes to leverage the seed collection into being the centre of “Kush tourism” for the province. To celebrate the Grist Mill announcement said they would have an official launch event called “Baked at the Grist Mill,” featuring fresh bread made from flour ground at the waterwheel and hashish straight from the collection of the Royal B.C. Museum. It had some of their followers believing the partnership was real, even if only for a bit.
“The best April Fool’s Day pranks are the ones that could almost be true. Our kitchen would sell a lot more snacks, for sure,” the Grist Mill Facebook moderators wrote under the post.
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