Has OGI caused brain disorders in NB? Study, Yeast Causes Alzheimer’s

Cannabis use has not yet caused a single death. However, a licensed cannabis producer in Canada, Organigram (OGI), indirectly led to the unfortunate death of Jumpin’ Jack Proud. Back in August 2019, CBC reported internal emails from the cannabis producer regarding cooling towers clogged with bacteria. In December 2020, Organigram admitted 16 cases of Legionnaires’ disease came from their cooling fans. In another year, OGI settled 11 lawsuits, but another four dozen people remain with unrelated brain disorders in New Brunswick. (1-4)

Organigram has been producing cannabis in Moncton, New Brunswick since 2013. A previous lawsuit proved problematic for the company after it sprayed banned pesticides on medicinal cannabis.

A new neurological disease

A mysterious neurological disorder emerged in Moncton, New Brunswick in 2013. 11 more cases emerged in 2019, 24 more in 2020 and another 6 in 2021 – several people have died after the disease was diagnosed. The timeframe of previous cases at least excludes 5G, Covid-19 and new vaccines. Years later, however, no doctor found the cause. dr Alier Marrero, the neurologist who identified the condition, was even disqualified from the case.

Symptoms include dizziness, forgetfulness, muscle spasms, and behavior changes in those 18 years and older. A previous memo from the Chief Medical Officer of Health even called it a new disease. Every test they’ve run since has ruled out any possible root cause. The tests covered many aspects including but not limited to heavy metals, unusual fungi, bacteria and known human prion proteins. (5)

Legionnaires’ Disease and Org Chart Guilt

It is unknown how Organigram clogged its cooling fans with Legionella in 2019. The source was a new phase of his facility in Moncton. At the time, the company was experimenting with fermentation, which is the production of smaller cannabinoids from genetically engineered yeast. In any case, genetically modified novel mushrooms are full of mysteries.

Cannabinoids act as efficient antibiotics and ultimately pose a challenge during fermentation. Processors must therefore develop innovative solutions to successfully grow cannabinoids from genetically engineered yeast – a process previously proven safe by other companies.

Genetically engineered yeast, the first site for prions since eukaryotic organisms

The mysterious illness found in Moncton is similar Creutzfeldt jakob Disease, a human form of mad cow disease caused by prions. A brain begins to fold abnormally when infected with a prion, a protein previously found only in eukaryotic cells. However, in 2017, prion-like substances were discovered after introducing certain proteins into the same yeast and bacteria used to grow cannabinoids.

Two events take place after a specific protein fragment has been introduced into bacteria. First, the medium becomes more resistant to alcohol, which could be seen as an advantage in cannabinoid production. However, the second result is the production of prion-like proteins. Another study instead found that enzymes in genetically engineered yeast are able to fold into a prion-like genetic element.

Folded yeast proteins as causative agents of Alzheimer’s disease

Fortunately, infectious prions are not easily transmitted from one species to another. However, modified non-human yeast prions can induce Alzheimer’s disease in humans. This novel effect was discovered by researchers in Switzerland in 2022 and published in the Alzheimer’s Association Journal. (6)

By 2021, autopsies were being performed on patients who died after contracting the mysterious disease in Moncton. Alzheimer’s and other independent causes of death have been identified. However, no prion infections were found in the deceased. The research was not made available to the press or the public. However, it was concluded that the unknown disease was nothing more than a collection of misdiagnoses. (7)

However, there is now a scientific possibility that yeast proteins that can trigger Alzheimer’s were released from a facility in Moncton, New Brunswick. (6)

The search for answers justifies all theories

Two years after Organigram spread bacteria in Moncton, 11 people and their families were eventually shut down. Nevertheless, beyond their presence in Moncton, there were initially no causal links between any of the 16 patients affected by Legionnaires in 2019. And Organigram vehemently denied their role with a defensive legal strategy before finally admitting the truth. (1-4)

Unfortunately, four dozen other members of Moncton have yet to close. The unrelated condition they are suffering from has no cause, leaving doctors unable to find answers. Public health officials are now questioning the authenticity of the neurological condition as no link can be found between the reported cases. In retrospect, would the 16 cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been considered invalid if Organigram had not been blamed through leaked emails?

The state cover-up

Public Health has defended Organigram in the past and challenged their suspicions on the current case. Like everything else, the suggestion that Organigram caused the brain disorder in New Brunswick remains a hypothesis, untested and built purely on mechanistic reasoning. To suggest that Organigram (with Hysasynth) tested a modified yeast strain that unannounced them produced new proteins capable of triggering Alzheimer’s disease in people as young as 18 years old. With health officials keeping all possible causes in the dark, will testing ever disprove the company’s role?

Could parts of a novel protein made up of a complex molecular matrix have been missed in all of these tests?

The environment was ranked as a suspect for the mysterious New Brunswick brain disorder rather than Organigram. (8) During this period, to ensure no environmental tampering, CLN sent a request for all records under the Weather Modification Information Act. We have received 800 pages from Alberta’s hail suppression project, although we are still awaiting more records from the Department of the Environment.

In the meantime, let us know in the comments if you think Organigram is responsible for the mysterious brain disorder in New Brunswick. Or do you think the disease is nothing more than a collection of misdiagnoses??

timeline

• 2013 – The first cannabinoid biosynthesis patent is given priority
• 2013 – Organigram is founded.
• 2013 – A case of CJD was reported in Moncton, New Brunswick.
• April 2016 – Montreal-based Hyasynth Biologicals announces its successful attempt to ferment CBG and CBGv.
• 2018 – Organigram and Hyasynth begin testing experimental strains of genetically engineered yeast for cannabinoid production.
• 2019 – Bacteria released from the cooling towers of cannabis producer Organigram infected 16 people with Legionnaires’ disease.
• 2019 – 11 cases of a mysterious brain disorder with symptoms resembling a prion disease emerged.
• 2020 – New discovery shows yeast prions can trigger Alzheimer’s disease in humans.

swell

1. Magee, S. Dec. 2020. Org Chart Acknowledges Role in Moncton Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak. NB. CBC
2. Magee, S. Oct. 2019. Jumpin’ Jack Proud wants to dance again after battling Legionnaires’ disease. NB. CBC
3. Magee, S. July 2021. 12 complaints org chart of Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in 2019. NB. CBC
4. Magee, S. Dec. 2021. 11 lawsuits against Organigram over Legionnaires’ disease outbreak end. NB. CBC
5. Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health. 2021. New Brunswick Cluster of Neurological Syndrome of Unknown Cause. NB.
6. Flach M, Leu C, Martinisi A, Skachokova Z, Frank S, Tolnay M, Stahlberg H, & Winkler DT (2022). Transseeding of Alzheimer-related tau protein by a yeast prion. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, 10.1002/alz.12581. Online Advance Release. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.12581
7. Donkin, S. 2021. Public Health Now Questions the “Validity” of New Brunswick’s Mystery Brain Disease. NB. CBC.
8. Sutherland, M. 2021. Environment a Prime Suspect in a Mystery Neurological Disorder Found Only in NB CBC.