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My name is Paul Carr, I am 58 years old and been a Hamilton resident my whole life. Along the way I have worked as a factory worker, chef, cooking instructor and Personal Trainor / nutritionist. I have also been involved in many non profit programs such as The Living Rock Breakfast Program for street involved youth and as a consultant for the merger of Marty Karl Center / Mission Shelter to name a few. As a trainer I have worked with special populations such as heart attack survivors, youth with cerebral palsy and also trained amateur boxers at Mcgrorys Boxing Club. One of my proudest moments was training the 2017 Canadian Amateur Boxing Champion at 132 pounds. As a athlete since grade school I had participated in several contact sports and as I got older I became interested in extreme sports not really thinking of the consequences. At 27…

Wayne Phillips is a resident of Hamilton and an artist who has incorporated cannabis (the plant itself) into his artwork. These works were presented in the Ontario Court and exhibited to the public. He became aware of Medicinal My Way through his own research regarding the closing of dispensaries and the resultant undermining of patient access. As a sufferer of multiple health issues including degenerative disc and hip-joint condition, peripheral vascular disease, benign familial tremors, early stages of cataracts and early stages of retinal detachment and macular degeneration, cannabis has allowed him to stop taking most of his prescribed pharmaceuticals. Since the Allard ruling, Wayne’s access to medicinal cannabis has been covered under the Allard Injunction. However, due to changing rules and regulations in the ACMPR (which has since been repealed) and the merging of Canada’s medicinal cannabis program with the Cannabis Act meant that there was no longer fair…

I belong on a long list of people who have used cannabis to replace othermedications. My story is not unique in that cannabis saved me from theclutches of illness. I wish I were the only one who has had to suffer thestigmas and access issues that come with using cannabis as a medicine.However, as I’ve become more and more hands-on in the industry it is clear to me that I am not! As an active patient access advocate, I have taken some risk, but with myteam of amazing individuals at MMJ Canada, WE have taken even greatercare in supporting and serving Hamilton’s medical Cannabis patients. I’malive today in large part because of Cannabis. My two children still havetheir father because others before me had the courage to pursue, endure and stand strong for what is right, a trend that must continue!

My name is Andrew Pearson, I am 35 years old and have spent most of my life in Hamilton. I am married to my best friend and a proud cat/dog dad. I am a cannabis user, and advocate, and also was an employee with MMJ Canada, I can honestly say it was the best job I have ever had. Prior to working at MMJ Canada I was employed as a Janitor and was consistently unhappy in my employment. I was generally angry and anxious and did not enjoy my working environments let alone the work. With MMJ Canada, I sincerely enjoyed assisting patients on a regular basis, providing them with knowledge, and helping them to choose the best medication for their needs. Ensuring that patients were happy and felt taken care of was a huge and very pleasing part of every day. I had very painful dental issues for a…

As a medical cannabis advocate and employee of MMJ Canada, Marlena educated people on the endocannabinoid system and medicinal cannabis options for use. She also volunteers by teaching kickboxing at the LOST Organization- a charity for mental health that MMJ helped fund. With the closures of MMJ Medical Dispensaries, that funding is no longer possible. At an early age, she was diagnosed with TMJ disorder and more recently with psoriatic arthritis as well. With the support of her family, she found a doctor willing to discuss the options and then successfully replaced the intoxicating effects of pharmaceutical treatments with medical cannabis. It was the staff at MMJ however, that introduced her to the benefits of topicals and Marlena now uses a salve for psoriasis that works faster than her prescribed steroid creams with fewer side effects. As a patient, Marlena experienced first-hand how MMJ provided necessary products and services that…

Sherry Bennett is the Founder and Managing Director of Bayview Concierge and the Founder of Let’s Talk CannabisTM. She has lived through significant trauma and has met adversity with equanimity. Her logistics and care-giving expertise inspired Sherry to launch Bayview Concierge in 2012 to make life and living easier for those living with chronic pain and sleep disruption. Her company organizes nursing care, personal support care workers, accompaniment to medical appointments and unique requests as long as they are within the confines of the law. Sherry has volunteered at hospices, women’s shelters and funeral homes, assisting countless people during their recovery from a personal emergency or traumatic situation. She is a strong advocate for Cannabis as Medicine. Patients face a constellation of obstacles when trying to access their cannabis medicine. By drawing heavily on her own research, personal experience, and the anecdotal stories of her clients and trusted advisors, Sherry…

Karlie Starchuk is an actor with cerebral palsy and is a graduate from Sheridan College’s Preparation of the Performing Arts Program (2012) and St. Lawrence College’s Musical Theatre Program (2015). She discovered the benefits of cannabis 4 years ago and has been using it to treat complications of her condition including muscle spasms, anxiety and depression. The use of this medicine has enabled her not have to rely on opioids for pain and has reduced the amount of prescription anti-depressants by half. Unfortunately due to increased taxes on her medicine, she has been forced to under-dose in order to finance her medicine while being on disability. Cannabis is the only prescription medicine that is taxed in Canada. Eliminating this tax would allow Karlie to dose appropriately as prescribed. Karlie is now advocating with the #donttaxmedicine campaign so that others like her are in a financial position to obtain the medicine…

Jennifer Cameron is a BSc Neuroscience graduate from Brock University who possesses a unique set of skills. Motivated by her own mental health journey alongside a genuine need to help others, she has combined her education background in scientific knowledge, her passion for mental health advocation and over a decade in customer service, all together to make a difference in patients’ lives through alternative medicine. Being diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder and Depression herself, she became discouraged after taking many different types of antidepressants with a minimal therapeutic index. After being turned down for a prescription for medical cannabis by her family doctor, she was able to obtain a prescription through Hello Cannabis. Registered with two licensed producers, Jennifer still found herself seeking alternative cannabis products from black market shops. As a strong advocate for improved and equal access, she began as a Cannabis Consultant for MMJ Canada in 2018….

Pauline Garrard is an advocate of medical cannabis and a patient since 2014. After being diagnosed with arthritis, she became discouraged after taking many different types of pain medication, because of dangerous side effects. After being turned down for a prescription for medical cannabis by two doctors, she went on a journey to navigate the Health Canada system. She was finally able to obtain a prescription, and use this natural medicine. She began to assist others to navigate the system. That is when Canna Relief Consulting Canada Inc. was founded. The company started as a resource for patients to get assistance to access the Health Canada system by getting a prescription from a doctor. Their goal is to be experts in the options available to patients and to counsel patients in a compassionate and non-judgemental environment. In April 2017 the company opened their first Canna Relief storefront location in Mississauga,…

Murray Reid lives in a small coastal community in Cape Breton Island with his wife, and five children. He is one of five siblings, and has over 30 nieces/nephews, along with being a grandfather to two. On December 3rd 1990 Mr. Reid started his position as a pipe layer with the municipality of Cape Breton Island and began his day working in volatile conditions laying pipe as deep as 8 to 10′ feet in the ground. As the walls began to cave from heavy rain falls, Mr. Reids employer did not correct the situation and continued to have his employees work in unsafe conditions that evidently lead to in Mr. Reid being buried into a ditch resulting in severe spinal cord injuries. Following the incident Mr. Reid underwent surgery to relieve the symptoms of a bulged disc at just the age of 21. Mr. Reid went on to work for…