Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Former NHL player Riley Cote says marijuana helped him deal with the pain and anxiety that came with being an enforcer with the Philadelphia Flyers.
"I used it as an ally," the Winnipeg native said Saturday at Grow Up Cannabis Conference and Expo at the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls.
"It helped me to manage my pain and inflammation. It helped me sleep and it helped with my anxiety. I was fighting guys way out of my weight class and cannabis was the ultimate tool for that."
While marijuana provided relief from aches and pains, it couldn't protect him from the sheer physical toll of being a professional hockey player.
"I retired at 28 because, physically, my body was shutting down, Cote said.
"I was averaging one surgery a year. As an athlete, your vehicle is your body and once that can't go any more it's time to make a decision."
It wasn't until he retired in 2010 that he began to examine the therapeutic benefits of cannabis.
"It made me feel pretty good that even during my meat head days when I was getting punched in the face for a living I was actually protecting my brain," he recalled.
He transitioned from a diet of whey and animal-based protein to plant-based proteins, specifically a hemp-based diet.
He became an active cannabis activist and created the Hemp Heals Foundation, a non-profit organization promotes hemp, a non-psychoactive version of cannabis, as a viable renewable resource.
He also co-founder and NHL league ambassador for Athletes for Care, a charity which provides support to former professional athletes.
While he credits marijuana with helping him survive his NHL days, it was a routine he kept to himself.
"I consumed cannabis quietly," he said. "It was something you didn't publicly talk about, for obvious reasons."
Today, attitudes towards marijuana use have changed dramatically.
The federal government has pledged to legalize recreational marijuana by July 1, 2018.
The new law would allow adults 18 and over to possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis or its equivalent in public, share up to 30 grams of dried marijuana with other adults and buy cannabis or cannabis oil from a provincially-regulated retailer.
"The Canadian cannabis industry is projected to be worth more than $21.6 billion," said Neill Dixon, co-organizer of the two-day conference.
"This is your chance to share critical information on everything from mildew and fungus to intellectual property."
More than 4,000 people attended the two-day conference which featured more than 90 speakers and dozens of exhibitors.
Among the exhibitors was Advanced Nutrients, the largest manufacturer of fertilizer for the medical marijuana industry.
"We were the first company to make fertilizer for medical marijuana and we're in 52 countries," said company spokesman Jeff Cuffley.
Advance Nutrients has been supplying Tweed, a subsidiary of Canopy Growth, with fertilizer for the past two and half years.
Based in Smith Falls, Tweed is the largest producer of medical cannabis in Canada. It operates a 350-square-foot production facility, Tweed Farms, in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
"We are in the midst of our biggest legal harvest ever," said Shega Youngson, Tweed's community engagement manager.
The company in September announced plans to expand the facility to one-million-square-feet, which will make it the largest marijuana facility in the world. The planned expansion will create more than 100 full time jobs in an emerging sector, on top of the construction jobs and other employment opportunities.
"If it's going to be legal, and there will be jobs on hand, why not in Niagara," said Mayor Jim Diodati.
"We might as well participate in the revenue stream."
The event offered panels on cultivation and processing and also examined regulations and innovations in the marijuana industry.
"Ten years ago, events like this didn't exist," Yongson said of the conference. "That's why every cannabis conference is so exciting because you get to see all the hard work people are putting in to legitimize our industry."
Event co-founder Randy Rowe said Niagara was an ideal location for the conference.
"Niagara is a destination for growers, it has the reputation for having the finest greenhouses," he said.
Niagara College announced last month it will offer Canada's first post-secondary program focusing on the production of marijuana.
The program will be located at the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus, which is home to the college's other agri-business programs, facilities and research projects.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: From hockey to hemp | Niagara Falls Review
Author: Alison Langley
Contact: Contact-us | Niagara Falls Review
Photo Credit: Alison Langley
Website: Niagara Falls News - Latest Daily Breaking News Stories | NiagaraFallsReview.ca
"I used it as an ally," the Winnipeg native said Saturday at Grow Up Cannabis Conference and Expo at the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls.
"It helped me to manage my pain and inflammation. It helped me sleep and it helped with my anxiety. I was fighting guys way out of my weight class and cannabis was the ultimate tool for that."
While marijuana provided relief from aches and pains, it couldn't protect him from the sheer physical toll of being a professional hockey player.
"I retired at 28 because, physically, my body was shutting down, Cote said.
"I was averaging one surgery a year. As an athlete, your vehicle is your body and once that can't go any more it's time to make a decision."
It wasn't until he retired in 2010 that he began to examine the therapeutic benefits of cannabis.
"It made me feel pretty good that even during my meat head days when I was getting punched in the face for a living I was actually protecting my brain," he recalled.
He transitioned from a diet of whey and animal-based protein to plant-based proteins, specifically a hemp-based diet.
He became an active cannabis activist and created the Hemp Heals Foundation, a non-profit organization promotes hemp, a non-psychoactive version of cannabis, as a viable renewable resource.
He also co-founder and NHL league ambassador for Athletes for Care, a charity which provides support to former professional athletes.
While he credits marijuana with helping him survive his NHL days, it was a routine he kept to himself.
"I consumed cannabis quietly," he said. "It was something you didn't publicly talk about, for obvious reasons."
Today, attitudes towards marijuana use have changed dramatically.
The federal government has pledged to legalize recreational marijuana by July 1, 2018.
The new law would allow adults 18 and over to possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis or its equivalent in public, share up to 30 grams of dried marijuana with other adults and buy cannabis or cannabis oil from a provincially-regulated retailer.
"The Canadian cannabis industry is projected to be worth more than $21.6 billion," said Neill Dixon, co-organizer of the two-day conference.
"This is your chance to share critical information on everything from mildew and fungus to intellectual property."
More than 4,000 people attended the two-day conference which featured more than 90 speakers and dozens of exhibitors.
Among the exhibitors was Advanced Nutrients, the largest manufacturer of fertilizer for the medical marijuana industry.
"We were the first company to make fertilizer for medical marijuana and we're in 52 countries," said company spokesman Jeff Cuffley.
Advance Nutrients has been supplying Tweed, a subsidiary of Canopy Growth, with fertilizer for the past two and half years.
Based in Smith Falls, Tweed is the largest producer of medical cannabis in Canada. It operates a 350-square-foot production facility, Tweed Farms, in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
"We are in the midst of our biggest legal harvest ever," said Shega Youngson, Tweed's community engagement manager.
The company in September announced plans to expand the facility to one-million-square-feet, which will make it the largest marijuana facility in the world. The planned expansion will create more than 100 full time jobs in an emerging sector, on top of the construction jobs and other employment opportunities.
"If it's going to be legal, and there will be jobs on hand, why not in Niagara," said Mayor Jim Diodati.
"We might as well participate in the revenue stream."
The event offered panels on cultivation and processing and also examined regulations and innovations in the marijuana industry.
"Ten years ago, events like this didn't exist," Yongson said of the conference. "That's why every cannabis conference is so exciting because you get to see all the hard work people are putting in to legitimize our industry."
Event co-founder Randy Rowe said Niagara was an ideal location for the conference.
"Niagara is a destination for growers, it has the reputation for having the finest greenhouses," he said.
Niagara College announced last month it will offer Canada's first post-secondary program focusing on the production of marijuana.
The program will be located at the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus, which is home to the college's other agri-business programs, facilities and research projects.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: From hockey to hemp | Niagara Falls Review
Author: Alison Langley
Contact: Contact-us | Niagara Falls Review
Photo Credit: Alison Langley
Website: Niagara Falls News - Latest Daily Breaking News Stories | NiagaraFallsReview.ca
