With legalization of it coming in the near future, today will most likely mark the final “illegal” 4/20.
4/20, falling on the 20th day of the 4th month is the unofficial holiday for people to partake in smoking the currently illegal drug, marijuana.
The owner of Heads Held High Hemp and Accessory in Dauphin, Allison Beauchamp, doesn’t see much significance to the final year.
“I don’t think it will really change that much at all, except for the fact that you many see more groups maybe doing rallies on the day of 420.”
With the legalization movement, she says there’s changes in the industry and the stigma.
“Enormously, the industry has been changing for the last couple years, more rapidly over the last year of course but it’s been amazing to witness and be a part of. The stigma definitely has gone down; I’ve also noticed a change in more people not hiding what they’re using for medicine.”
As the drug moves into legalization, Beauchamp believes the stigma will now begin to die off.
“I think the stigma will totally go away in time, it’s already gone down an enormous percentage from the first day I opened six years ago. I have more people coming in the door curious of what’s in here and curious about questions of what’s going on in the industry, and its giving me the chance to meet more people.”
In January of 2018, Beauchamp became the first business owner in Manitoba to complete the Medicinal Cannabis Fundamental’s for Business Professionals course at Durham College in Oshawa, Ontario.
