Winnipeg opens cannabis education centre, hosts convention

WINNIPEG — It could be as early as this year that you could walk into a store and purchase marijuana legally.

“It would only involve Health Canada regulated products, and they would be on display,” Derek Ogdan, president of National Access Cannabis said.

The new cannabis education centre opened in Winnipeg on Friday with the purpose of answering questions and connecting clients with a doctor. Ogdan said despite popular belief, the average age of their clients across the country is 41-years-old, and they prefer to use oils rather than smoke the substance.

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“They take a dropper, use a dropper and take the exact amount that they want so there’s consistency. And then they’ll use that perhaps every evening,” Ogdan said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "They take a dropper, use a dropper and take the exact amount that they want so there's consistency. And then they'll use that perhaps every evening," Ogdan said.

Currently National Access Cannabis is focused on education, which was also the purpose of a convention hosted by the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce Friday.

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Around 450 people attended the cannabis conference which addressed concerns that come with legalization along with business opportunities. Legalized marijuana was a 1.3 billion dollar industry in Colorado last year, providing $200 million in tax revenue.

“We are covering off some of the economic opportunities, what does it mean in terms of industry, tax revenues for government here,” Loren Remillard with the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce said.

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Representatives from Colorado said there are many business opportunities, but challenges with legalization.