I think everybody should grow their own botanicals and here is why!
A) Conservation- Many ethnobotanical plants are in danger of extinction, but this is not true for all ethnobotanicals, however most ALL psychoactive plants are under pressure from government organizations which would likely be happy if these amazing plants went extinct (See the U.S. policy on Peyote for an example). So it is up to us, the ethnobotanical community to preserve these plants and save them for future generations.
B) Legality- I think that eventually the ethnobotanical trade will be taken notice of, this is already happening in the U.S. with Salvia and in Russia they banned a number of smoking herbs including Lotus.
I believe by growing our own ethnobotanicals we can take pressure off the ethnobotanical companies and "fly under the radar".
C) Potency/Freshness- Freshness of the ethnobotanicals material can mean the difference between having a profound entheogenic experience and getting sick and claiming "this shit doesn't work". I believe most ALL ethnobotanicals "work" but it's a matter of knowing how to work with the plants and get super fresh, potent plant material.
D) Selective Breeding- ??
E) Respect- ???
I'm not saying that you must produce all the ethnobotanical material that you use (such as mimosa bark), I'm just saying that you should at least have 1 or 2 plants of each species you use, as back up, so to speak, as well as continuing to order the material.
We ask a community must restrict and police ourselves if we wish for the government to stay out of our business.
TO BE COMPLETEED
WARNING: DO NOT INGEST ANY BOTANICAL WHICH YOU HAVE NOT FULLY RESEARCHED AND CORRECTLY IDENTIFIED!!!I am
Teotzlcoatl, older cousin of
Quetzalcoatl. My most famous physical incarnation was
Nezahualcoyotl, but I have taken many forms since the dawn of the cosmos. In this realm I manifest as multiple entities at a single time. I am many, I am numbered. I am few, but more than one. I am a multifaceted being, a winged serpent with many heads. We are Teotzlcoatl.
"We Are The One's We've Been Waiting For" - Hopi Proverb