Discover Sixty-Five: March 2023

Cannabis Corner
Since Cannabis
became legal in
October 2018,
it has become
much easier and
Terese Bowors safer to access.
We have three viable
options to purchase Cannabis.
Retail Stores
Retail stores in Canada all sell Recreational
labeled Cannabis that has
been purchased through their Provincial
Government. Retail stores do
not sell Medical labeled products nor
are they able to speak about Cannabis
for Medical purposes.
The benefits of accessing Cannabis
from a retail store include: you are
not required to have a prescription
but you must be 19+ in BC to enter
the store and make a purchase. Retail
stores offer easy access, many
communities have a store on every
corner, just like Tim Hortons. The person
working behind the counter is
called a Budtender. Budtenders may
be well educated about Cannabis or
they may not be, but Health Canada
restricts Budtenders from talking
about Medical situations, they are not
legally able to give advice on Medical
product selection. Know what you
need before you go.
Licensed Producer
Where to Source your Cannabis
All Medical Cannabis comes from
online Licensed Producers (LP’s) and
do not offer any storefront sales. You
do need a prescription from a Dr. or
Nurse Practitioner in order to access
Medical Cannabis. Your prescription
will be housed with your chosen
LP and this is where you order your
Cannabis from. Your prescription will
detail the amount of Cannabis per
day, in grams, that you can purchase
from the LP. For example, you may
receive a prescription for 2 grams per
day, so you could purchase 60 grams
per month spread out between oils,
dry flower, topicals, edibles etc. There
are hundreds of LP’s to choose from
across Canada. Some LP’s sell both
to the Recreational market and the
Medical market. These products are
identical - just marketed and packaged
differently. There is no difference
between Medical and Recreational
Cannabis, though Medical
Cannabis may offer higher potency
products with lower prices. You can
also write off your Medical Cannabis
purchases on your taxes.
Legacy
Prior to legalization, many growers
had licenses to grow under the previous
legislation. Some of these
growers may or may not be
in the process of obtaining
new licenses since legalization
in Oct 2018. These
products are considered
part of the ‘grey’ or ‘legacy’
market as they are long
standing products often
produced by very experienced
growers in the Cannabis
industry. These
products are not
legal as they may
not have a current
license; however,
the years of
knowledge and
expertise that these
growers have, may be superior
to what we see coming from the legal
market. A word of caution, there
are risks to consider with unregulated
products. It is important to review
what’s in the plant - we want to
avoid pesticides, fungicides and other
chemicals that impact our health
when ingesting Cannabis. If you find a
legacy product that you like, respectfully
ask for the COA (Certificate of
Analysis) and get to know the grower
and their growing practices. You may
find the perfect product for you and
you may also find some duds. A Cannabis
Coach can assist you in navigating
these unfamiliar terrains.
Terese Bowors,
Certified Cannabis Wellness Coach
www.terese.ca info@terese.ca
References:
https://terese.ca/product/
cannabis-dosing-course/
The information shared is
for educational purposes
and should not
be seen as medical,
nursing, nutrition
or legal
advice and
is in no way
meant to
take the place
of your health
professionals.
778-463-HERB (4372)
We’re your friendly destination for
Cannabis culture, which extends the
scope of quality goods and service.
Education, empowerment, harm
reduction, public health awareness,
and community enrichment are the
www.go2buddys.com
basis of what we do. We believe that
access to cannabis should be simple,
and that having
the knowledge and
tools to integrate it
into our lifestyles is a
big part of that.
358 Baker Street
Nelson
Hours: Mon-Sat 9am - 8pm,
Sun 10am - 6pm
1198 Pine Ave Trail
Hours: Mon-Sat 10am - 6pm,
Sun 10 - 7pm
8
March 2023
Discover Sixty-Five