Jean Guy

As you might have guessed, 7ACRES Jean Guy’s origins are deeply rooted in our francophone, culturally distinct “Belle Province.” Named by prominent marijuana legalization activist Marc-Boris St-Maurice, the strain represents a long Québécois struggle for acceptance.

Jean Guy’s beginnings lie in the Montreal Compassion Centre, a non-profit founded in 1999 by St-Maurice and members of Québec’s legalization-based political party Bloc Pot. Its purpose was to provide cannabis-based relief to those who needed it, and to serve as a campaign base for de-criminalization. Despite its peaceful intent, the MCC was certainly not met by the authorities with open arms. Since its founding, the MCC was a subject of controversy and several police raids, and its founders frequently arrested for drug trafficking. But St-Maurice and his party refused to end their push for legalization. In true Québec fashion, they knew that forcing change lay in open civil disobedience. Even before the SQDC (Société Québécoise du Cannabis) came around, peacefully protesting Montrealers had filled Rue St Catherine with smoke for decades.

A true Canadian cannabis pioneer, St-Maurice began to develop his own strains. While Jean Guy’s parent strains are unknown, many speculate that its genetics come from White Widow. Even the strain’s name doesn’t betray its mysterious origins. “Jean Guy” is actually a francophone in-joke: when trying to come up with a fitting title for his new strain, St-Maurice tossed the name into the ring as the most Québécois thing he could come up with. The name stuck, and the rest is herb history.

7ACRES’s offering of Jean Guy is slightly, a milder tribute to the original, very potent strain. Its aroma reminds us of hiking through the Laurentians, with a heady blend of earth, wood, and evergreen. When smoked, the flavour changes to a citrus base, with sweet and sour flavours of lime, cedar, and mint.

7ACRES Jean Guy is a sativa-dominant strain that is ideal for a wake and bake session; the high is sloping and gentle, with subtle bursts of elation and energy. It might not be the best thing before work, though, as it’s prone to make us distracted and a bit scatter-brained. We like it best for a weekend morning before heading out for some fun, hiking with friends, tending our vegetable garden, or cleaning the house.