‘Science is the bridge’: Canada’s largest cannabis conference comes to campus

The Cannabis Hemp Conference and Expo is coming to UBC this weekend, two weeks before the federal legalization of the drug.

Now in its fourth year, the conference brings together scientists, patients, entrepreneurs and others in a series of panels, workshops and exhibitions. Programming includes the medicinal, therapeutic and spiritual uses of cannabis and two panels on the hot topic of this year — the future of legalization.

The conference is the brainchild of Salimeh Tabrizi, a clinical counsellor and UBC graduate. Since its inception in 2015, the conference has grown from 200 attendees to an estimated 700 this year.

Tabrizi credited the creation of the conference to an encounter with ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic brew traditionally used by Indigenous peoples in the Amazon as medicine or in religious ceremonies.

After that experience, “everything shifted,” she said.

Tabrizi, who refers to cannabis as a “she” because “she came through as a very strong feminine energy,” said she had a meditation with the drug that sparked her desire to educate others on the science, spirituality and benefits of cannabis.

“She’s tired of being abused and prostituted. She wants respect and reverence … For the past 100 years, she’s been pushed down into the basement,” said Tabrizi.

The conference website describes itself as being “rooted in spirituality and legitimized by science.”

“We have to back this up because we want our doctors to actually come on board and understand the benefits of this medicine,” she said. “Science is the bridge.”

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In particular, Tabrizi said a culture of fear impacts our view of cannabis.

“They’re really missing the point that this is a medicine,” she said.

This year’s conference comes about two weeks before the Cannabis Act takes effect on October 17.

At UBC, the university’s draft policy on cannabis — which will take effect on that date — would allow users to smoke cannabis anywhere they can smoke tobacco and to possess the drug in residences so long as it is clearly labelled. It will still prohibit use of cannabis in residence buildings and the campus health precinct.

On October 17, BC will also welcome its first licensed private cannabis store — something that is theoretically possible at UBC under the draft policy.

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“The cannabis community is so busy right now. It’s hard to make sure that these laws and the regulations are pushed forward in the best way and to make sure that businesses are upholding their ethics,” said Tabrizi.

For her, legalization offers the opportunity to increase access for medicinal users of cannabis. She added that it’s a key motivation for organizing this weekend’s event.

“When I hear a message like that, I know I’m doing the right thing,” Tabrizi said.

A two-day conference pass for students costs $229 at the door.

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