Displaying episodes by topic: first nations

Where can we find cannabis without stigma? Kirk cold-calls two very different budtenders whose stories share an atypical cannabis cultural approach to retail. He stops in to visit a First Nations cannabis shop on a southern British Columbia highway and then a community-focused dispensary in downtown Winnipeg. These two settings could not be more different, yet Kirk finds an unexpected thread connecting these dispensaries. At the Green Mountain High Road Dispensary and Smoke Shop, Sheena Dadson shares her relationship with cannabis during cancer treatment and takes Kirk inside a dramatically different retail experience where customers can see, smell, and handle cannabis flower before buying. Her story raises fascinating questions about First Nations cannabis retail, the consumer experience, product knowledge, and Canada’s regulated cannabis market. Then 21-year-old Fiddler’s Green budtender, Lyrin Morissette, offers a generational perspective Kirk wasn’t expecting. Besides explaining dry-herb vaping and his community approach to cannabis retail, Lyrin enlightens Kirk with how there is now an entire new adult generation starting a relationship with cannabis, as a legalized substance. These conversations ultimately lead Trevor and Kirk into a deeper discussion about mindful cannabis consumption, the recreational market’s focus on high THC products, and whether cannabis needs its own version of the responsible-drinking movement. Listen now for two memorable budtender stories and their individual thought provoking approaches to cannabis retail.

VanHoot is now traveling the roads of northern British Columbia. While Michelle is off filling their cupboards and cooler, Kirk and River explore the resale cannabis market in those small communities they visit. Kirk records some of the discussions collecting cannabis stories to better understand cannabis from the budtenders’ perspective.  In this episode, we learn: how cannabis is marketed day-to-day, is a part time job for busy people, and is also positively affecting smaller community.  At one point Kirk sniffs resale cannabis from Mason Jars envisioning the future farmgate access.  When you listen to a Road Story episode, you are transported into the continuing adventures of VanHoot and its occupants.

Once again, Kirk is on the road collecting stories, and never knowing where a story will take him. This road trip is in British Columbia where infused pre-rolls are the hottest summer blitz. Join Kirk and his dog River as they collect stories from cannabis stores, a vape shop, and while standing in a parking lot. We learn how bud tenders gain knowledge of cannabis: being an exit drug, assisting pregnant women, curing cancer, or just chilling at a town council meeting. You just never know what a Road Story will teach you about cannabis use.

 

While traveling the Saskatchewan highways, Kirk sees a sign in the ditch directing him to a unique recreational cannabis shop. He takes a hard left to visit a First Nations Reserve looking for a simple short Road Story. Instead, he finds Montana, a caring individual who manages his reserve's recreational cannabis store with a harm reductionists approach.  This simple short Road Story became an entire episode.  Listen to how one individual can help a community with cannabis.