Canna Crawl: an opportunity to relax, enjoy yourself, and experience the positive aspects of cannabis culture

Simone Smith

As I walked towards the venue, I could hear the laughter, and smell the ganja! I had made my way to Hamilton to attend the annual Canna Crawl, co-hosted by Reena Rampersad. She had invited me in the past, but I had not found the time to visit. I had heard so much about the crawl and I wanted to experience it for myself in real time. Discreetly tucked away at 863 King Street East, the indoor/outdoor event was off the hook. People were talking, laughing, and of course partaking of the greatest herb on the planet; cannabis.

For decades, cannabis has attracted a negative stigma, not just in the Caribbean, but all over the world. Lawmakers have come down on cannabis producers and users with the same might and force as they have with deadly narcotics like cocaine and heroin. What is talked about less is all of the great aspects of this wonder herb, and no one advocates for cannabis more than Reena Rampersad.

Reena is a cultural foodie and cannabis connoisseur, originally born in Toronto but of Trinidadian descent. She spent the early part of her career as a social worker in the city of Detroit, Michigan, but her inter- est in food culture would eventually steer her into a permanent career as a Restauranteur.

As an open supporter of cannabis, Reena utilizes her culinary skills and reach to help positively influence the perceptions associated with cannabis use. For Toronto Caribbean Newspaper readers, Reena’s story is not new. As a young girl, Reena witnessed her grandmother using cannabis in the making of various salves and remedies while her father battled the law and society for his choice to partake.

Many of her family members were victims of the war on drugs and this has made her participation in the industry both personal and political. Reena has been featured on the CBC’s “The Current Episode,” “Cooking With Cannabis,” Zoomer Media’s ONE Network, alongside most major Canadian publications including: The Globe and Mail, The New York Times, The Canadian Press, Chatelaine, Now Magazine and other cannabis related projects.

What Reena has done with Canna Crawl is put together an event that offers opportunities for businesses, investors, and entrepreneurs to network and form partnerships. Canna Crawl facilitates interactions between companies, suppliers, retailers, and other stakeholders. Canna Crawl plays a crucial role in the Ontario cannabis industry, culture, and community. What I saw on Saturday July 29th, 2023, was a gathering of industry professionals, consumers, advocates, and enthusiasts, all there to commune and celebrate.

As I walked around the event, I recognized how ideal the Crawl was for companies to showcase new products and innovations. Whether it was a new strain, a cannabis-infused product, or a cuttingedge technology, the Crawl allowed businesses to generate buzz and gain exposure within the community.

As I spoke to vendors, they openly shared their experiences, stories, and knowledge. I heard stories about how cannabis had helped with healing, and restored people’s lives. It became evident that events like Canna Crawl provide a platform to educate attendees about various aspects of cannabis, including its medicinal properties, responsible consumption, cultivation techniques, and legal developments. By promoting accurate information, events like the Crawl help dispel myths and misconceptions surrounding cannabis use. As with many of our Caribbean herbs, we do not know the value of what we have. It was only when the Canadian government said, “Yes, now it is legal,” that many of us were able to accept the use of cannabis, and still many Caribbeans turn-up their nose at this herb. There were vendors from all parts of Ontario, and not all of them were focused on cannabis. I had the chance to have a sound healing session with Nadia Ishmail from Stone and Shadow Holistic Boutique, peruse sex toys with Jennifer Harrington from Love Winx, and enjoy a dab (you have to look that one up) with the Honey Badger Extracts team.

What Canna Crawl offers is an opportunity to relax, enjoy yourself, and experience the positive aspects of cannabis culture. I want to congratulate Reena Rampersad and the Canna Crawl team for curating this impactful event. I will definitely be back.

Does the Canadian Government use unconventional weapons against their citizens?

my ability to make my complaint.”

Kuffuor told me he is being introduced to death slowly, “I am covered in radiation burns, I’ve been in and out of hospitals so many times and each time it was for standardized care for radiation exposure.”

He explained that whenever he would tell the doctors who did this to him, he would be called crazy. You have to admit; up until this point, this sounds like a movie, completely unbelievable.

Police body of Professional Standards on February 6th, 2014, an officer by the name of Ruth Armstrong decided to retaliate against me by beginning this on-going assault and harassment to stop my initial complaint.

This is hard for me. I have lost nine years. I was 34 when this started and am now 43. I have no business, no wife, no children, I have nothing, and I cannot get anything done.”

How do you know when unconventional forces attack you? This can be very hard to prove, but one man believes that he and his entire family are under such attacks here in Canada.

Meet Nana Kow Kuffuor. Kuffour is a Ghanaian living in Canada. According to him, nine years ago he rented part of a house from a shady landlord only to find out that he had unwanted company at his rental space.

Mr. Kuffuor requested his money back from the landlord and somehow Ottawa Police were called in, and as the saying goes, the rest is history.

Kuffuor told me in a matter of days after his encounter with Ottawa police his ordeal started, “I began receiving assaults by Microwave radiation and electronic harassment. These tools are very common, but just unconventional.”

“What they were doing was to clear off my phone, clear off my computer, hack my Internet, and hack my Facebook. When I went to the Police Professional Standards and told them that my complaints were being interrupted, they understood, but could not see how that would hinder

“This idea of being slowly murdered with microwave radiation weapons is something that right now everyone understands.” The Premier’s office understands, the Solicitor’s General office understands, but the OIPRD said that they would not be moving ahead with any investigations.

To add insult to injury, Kuffuor said he could not find a lawyer that would touch his case, and this includes famed attorney Lawrence Greenspon as well. “He has refused to meet me, he has refused to speak with me. He does not even want to know about my information,” Kuffuor told me.

“Every time I call, and they hear my name, they would say he is too busy, and he has been too busy for the past nine years now. The Premier of Ontario and the Solicitor General have told me it is out of their jurisdiction, but they are going to look into it, but the policing bodies are supposed to manage themselves. I pointed out to them that the SIU and the OIRPD do not have a good track record of laying charges on people. They kill Black people all the time and no one gets charged.

Since I took my complaints to the

I wanted to be exceptionally fair with this article, so I reached out to Ottawa police three times. The first time I got Police Constable Cudrasov on the phone, and these were his words.

“Do you know of unconventional weapons being used on civilians?”

Police Constable Cudrasov replied, “By Ottawa police; no! This is the first time I am having this kind of inquiry. I can inquire about it, but I don’t have an answer for you.”

I went on to ask Police Constable Cudrasov if he can put me onto another officer, or someone from his department who can shed light on this subject. He told me to go through the email route and they will reply.

After a few days of no reply to my email, I called again, this time Police Constable Cudrasov said he could not locate my email. When I challenged him to produce the receipt of confirmation of my email, he suddenly found my email, and promised to get back to me. That was almost two weeks ago. I am still waiting and so is Mr. Kuffuor.