Recently we were invited to participate in a trade show for Canadians who are into living environmentally friendly and sustainable lifestyles. Specifically the Cannabis portion of the Green Living Show taking place in Toronto April 6-8. The Green Living Show started bringing medicinal cannabis experts on to the stage in 2016 and has continued to expand its representation at the show as the sector and government support has grown. While Her(B) Life reps couldn't attend the show this year, we wanted to speak with Laurie Simmonds, President and CEO of Green Living Enterprises about the Cannaspace Exhibit and why she and her team felt it was important to highlight medical cannabis.

What made the organizers of the Green Living Show decide to incorporate cannabis into the event programming?

The volume of users, changes to regulations and prevalent anecdotal evidence have increasingly led to more discussion about medicinal use of cannabis. For patients living with chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, or other illnesses that could be supported by the benefits of cannabis, navigating the information can be intimidating, overwhelming, and can be challenging to determine if you’re getting your information from a reliable source. Being a relatively new field, many people are hesitant, either because of the associated stigma or they just don’t know where to start. 

As is the case with all matters relating to health, it’s crucial for consumers to be armed with information from credible sources so they can make informed decisions about what’s best for their health. The Green Living Show provides a forum for consumers to hear leading experts discuss and answer questions about alternative health therapies, including medicinal cannabis. 

I understand that there will be a stage at the show dedicated to cannabis - is this specific to cannabis? What sorts of speakers will be presenting?

Yes that’s correct! In addition to our main stage and our fitness stage,  we will also have a dedicated cannabis-focused stage in the Cannaspace section of the show which will feature a number of experts and doctors from the field including: Chris Mayerson, co-founder of Aurora Cannabis Inc. speaking on cultivating your own medical cannabis; Michelle Davis of Spectrum Cannabis offering a Cannabis 101 talk; (Her(B) Life contributor) Mika Unterman and Dr. Vishwanath Kishan Mahabir of Sail Cannabis discussing how we can transition our mindset on cannabis and anxiety; Certified Natural Health Practitioner Charlene Freedom will demonstrate how cannabis topicals can be made to treat specific ailments, and many more.

What are you hoping event attendees take away from the cannabis section?

The Cannaspace and its stage will be a resource for our audience to speak directly to experts and practitioners and get first-hand information in a safe, stigma-free space. We hope they leave feeling more confident in navigating the landscape of cannabis, and that they can make more informed decisions for themselves and their families.

Who usually attends the Green Living Show?

The Green Living Show attracts a very diverse audience of all ages who are interested in finding ways to lead a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

The Cannaspace Exhibit, in partnership with Aurora Cannabis, will feature doctors, licensed producers and leading expert exhibitors who will be providing credible and valuable information that can help you make well-informed decisions about treatment options for conditions that could be supported by medical cannabis.

To get your tickets click here.