Hempster Loves Moms
On Thursday, May 3, more than 30 journalists, influencers and moms gathered at The Edible Story in downtown Toronto for Hempster’s inaugural Mother’s Day event.
Attendees were greeted upon arrival with terpene-inspired mocktails made with The Honest Leaf tea, and a trio of dips from Bar Reyna. Shortly afterward, the guests took their seats around an intimate and beautifully decorated U-shaped table for a seminar about cannabis’s therapeutic and wellness benefits.
Hempster content boss Devon Scoble emceed the event, and led off with a rousing speech about the importance of reframing the cannabis story from the played-out stoner tropes of years past to a narrative that more accurately reflects the variety of ways people use the plant.
“In terms of storytelling, prohibition has left us with Cheech and Chong and a bunch of other dudes getting stoned,” Scoble said. “There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s just such a limited way to look at such a versatile plant… that stoner dude narrative doesn’t speak to me. Maybe it did when I was younger, but mainly because that’s all there was.”
Tweed’s national community engagement manager Shega Youngson took the podium next to discuss cannabis’s wide-range of therapeutic applications. She also highlighted some of the strains and products that Tweed produces to help reduce pain and promote wellness.
Hempster’s culinary director and resident chef Ronnie Fishman then demonstrated her technique for infusing coconut oil with cannabis, showing how that mixture could be transformed into a multi-purpose topical rub by simply combining it with bath salts.
Leslie Best, founder of Sage Movement, closed out the speaker portion of the luncheon by explaining the crucial role that CBD has played in helping two of her children combat their autoimmune disorders. Best also spoke about integrating cannabis into exercise routines before leading the guests in a brief meditation.
An informative Q&A session followed, during which the panel of speakers addressed questions about cannabis and exercise, cannabis use during pregnancy and cannabis consumption in the workplace, as well as how cannabis is currently perceived by the medical community.
Afterward, guests were treated to lunch and cold-pressed juices courtesy of food and drink sponsors Bar Reyna and Revitasize. Guests also left with swag bags packed with cosmetics, cannabis education materials, healthy snacks and more.
Before leaving, several guests commented on how educational they found the seminar to be.
I thought it was really informative,” said Riley von Niesson, editor and research writer at Trend Hunter. “Our readership and clients are really open to the medical benefits of cannabis and I think an event like this helps to destigmatize it.”
Kim Shiffman, deputy editor at Today’s Parent, agreed with Niesson.
“When prohibition ends, women are going to see so many new products and services aimed at them, and it’s very different from stoner culture and recreational use,” said Shiffman. “These are topics I’m keeping my eye on in the interest of our readers, and this event was a great introduction.
Hempster co-founders Dustin Laren and Roey Fishman were particularly impressed with the range of discussion generated in the Q&A session.
“Our guests asked a lot of interesting questions after the speeches, and I think that shows how high the interest level is when it comes to learning more about cannabis’s relationship to wellness and a healthy lifestyle,” said Laren after the event.
Added Fishman: “Education is key when it comes to making healthy cannabis choices, and I think that more of these events need to happen so that more people can share their stories about how cannabis has helped them live a healthier and pain-free life.”
A huge Hempster thank you goes out to our event partner Tweed, as well as all our other sponsors: Sage, Bar Reyna, Revitasize, Pur, Evio, Famous Brandz, Dr Teal’s, The Honest Leaf, Cuisinart, N Fitness and Mouth Kote.
