I just got back from two days of playing in the snow and learning about cannabis with 19 fashion and lifestyle influencers and the alternate title for this post was: How Cannabis Got Me to Go Play in the Snow because it takes something very special and unique to get me to willingly go where there is snow on the ground, particularly as its October and I’m still in denial of autumn let alone being anywhere near ready to think about winter. The event in question, which took place at the Azuridge Hotel Estate just outside of Calgary, Alberta was hosted by Symbl Cannabis, the new adult use brand affiliated with Emblem Cannabis, a licensed producer of medical cannabis based in Ontario, Canada.  

Luckily, Symbl managed to deliver on that something special with a two day retreat designed to introduce people to cannabis legalization and more importantly to educate them on responsible cannabis use. This is particularly important as at the time of this writing we are just over one week away from Canada legalizing recreational cannabis at the federal level making this country the very first G7 country and only the second country world-wide to do so. The theme of the retreat was #GetCurious and if you search that hashtag on Instagram you’ll see images from both the Calgary event and an earlier session that took place in Toronto.

Attendees got to participate in an excellent workshop called Cannabis 101 hosted by Emblem Corp.’s Director of Product Strategy Jordan Rodness. Jordan explained in plain, easy to understand language what cannabinoids are, how the human body’s endocannabinoid system works, how terpenes affect flavour, smell and how each strain affects every person differently. He passed around packaging samples and explained what the warnings and symbols mean, how to read the label to understand what the product is and how potent the THC content is. He also went over safe consumption and repeatedly reminded everyone that they should start low and go slow when experimenting with cannabis, new products and higher potencies.

It wasn’t all weed talk though, there was another workshop that centred on self actualization and stripping back the layers of who we are as individuals apart from who we are professionally - something I found incredibly valuable, being the sort of person who often defines my existence by what I do rather than by who I am. 

We also had an early morning yoga session, that stretched us out and set us up for a successful day of workshopin’ and content creatin’. After all, this was a group of highly creative individuals who thrive on making beautiful content that speaks to their audiences. There was lots of time set aside to let us all do just that.

The handpicked group of participants was comprised of photographers, musicians, writers, bloggers, and instagram influencers, all very creative people who are now armed with much needed practical information about cannabis and legalization.

This can’t be stressed enough: Education is so, so critical as we move into this entirely new, mind blowing era post prohibition. There are millions of Canadians who don’t consume cannabis, millions more who do but lack education around what they consume and how it can effect them.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Education is the key to harm reduction and by spreading solid, fact based information in communities across Canada, Symbl is illustrating how much respect and love they have for Canadians. 

Between education and content creation we enjoyed fabulous food in a beautiful (albeit chilly) setting and had plenty of opportunity to chat with the people who actually work at Symbl/Emblem. It’s not unheard of for brands to create opportunities for face to face contact with consumers but this was different, they were all so approachable and open to chat. Moving forward that’s going to stand out to each of these influencers, they’ll forever remember that they have a personal connection with this brand and seeing Symbl’s products on shelves will be a reminder of that connection. I know I’m looking forward to trying Symbl’s product once its available - because while this was a weed event, there wasn’t any actual samples - maybe next time, after October 17th.

On the last night, we ate a huge meal all together family style as we watched the sunset over the horizon then wandered out to the lounge area to hang out and let loose. As DJ Sonidef rotated through a playlist featuring 90’s boy bands and Destiny’s Child along with a whole slew of crowd pleasing R&B, hip-hop, soul and disco I looked to my left and noticed a table covered with abobdoned cameras and cellphones. Everyone was on the dance floor, fully in the moment, making memories and enjoying life without needing to document and post about it. 

The dance moves were on fire and no one seemed to care about being “cool”, it was just about fun with new friends. We were all there for a shared experience, bonded by boy bands, and dare I say… Weed. #GetCurious