By Derek Cornet

Local cannabis users seek to end stigma as legalization nears

Apr 20, 2018 | 2:00 PM

With 4-20 celebrations underway across the country today, cannabis users from the tri-communities want to end the stigma about the drug as decriminalization nears.

Wayne Bird and Ambrose Charles consume medicinal marijuana on a daily basis to relieve ailments that are typically treated with pain medication or other pharmaceuticals. Bird receives his government-issued prescription in the mail and said he uses a combination of cannabis oil and bud to manage his pain. In December 2017, he underwent a back surgery and noted when he was released from hospital, he was prescribed pills similar to morphine.

“Today I’m not on any pain medication,” Bird said. “I vape, I eat the oil and that’s been helping me manage my pain. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with pain and can’t sleep. I’ll take some of the oil and I’ll go right back to bed.”

Bird said he is excited for the upcoming legalization, which is expected to happen this summer. He said the drug is less destructive than alcohol and he believes people will be surprised to see how many residents use it when cannabis stores open. Currently, Bird said users are still seen by many people in society as criminals and that must change.

That same message was shared by Charles who uses cannabis to relieve spinal pain. He said 4-20 has always been used as a way to promote the drug in a positive way, adding for users the day is akin to Christmas.

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“It’s an anniversary of freedom of oppression to allow us to use our natural medicines in a way that’s not stigmatized,” Charles said. “The stigma of cannabis is what’s harming people. The most dangerous thing about marijuana is getting caught with it.”

Meanwhile, 4-20 didn’t go unnoticed by the provincial government who announced in a press release today that the Saskatchewan Gaming and Liquor Authority (SGLA) received close to 1,500 applications for cannabis permits. In La Ronge, 27 applications were submitted to operate a store in the town and the SGLA is now accepting applications for wholesale cannabis permits to supply the market.

Barrett Halkett, owner of CL Vape and Glassware along La Ronge Ave, confirmed he was one of the people who submitted an application for the town’s permit. In the past, he noted he also used marijuana for pain and he said he knows a lot of people who use it for that purpose. Halkett said he believes more people need to change their attitudes about pot.

“We have to get rid of this taboo because there are drugs out there that are for medicine,” he said. “I see it as a good medicine whether it’s used recreationally or medically.”

derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno