Sara Fotheringham thought she won the lottery.
But she did not.
Last weekend, The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario announced the first 25 companies that could apply for cannabis retail licences in the province.
After receiving more than 17,000 “expressions of interest” for licences earlier in the week, the agency selected The Niagara Herbalist and 24 others through a lottery.
Not Niagara Medicinal Herbs.
The similarity in the two names has caused a great deal of confusion for Fotheringham, owner of the latter, an Allanburg establishment located at 1874 Hwy. 20 since May, 2018.
Fotheringham, a certified Canadian cannabis consultant and master herbalist, told ThoroldNews, “I have been making medicine since I was able to speak. My great-grandmother taught me about cultivating herbs and making medicine at a very young age. It’s part of my life. I’ve had a medicinal licence for cannabis for quite a number of years. I was in the second class in Canada to take the course at the Academy of Applied Pharmaceuticals,” in a quality control laboratory, she stated.
We sell CBD (Cannabidiol) products derived from hemp and, "We weren’t thinking about doing the recreational” (sales).
Eventually, she decided to apply for that as well.
Since the 25 companies were announced, “Emails are pouring in,” she said, “and congratulations that it was me, but I was informed that it’s not me. I’m trying to find out who it is. It’s a little confusing. I’m baffled.”
The announcement of the mystery business has created "quite an interesting situation,” she continued. “I have people contacting me from many large corporations and lawyers and it’s disheartening. I have no intention of hooking up with any of these corporations. I’m on the waiting list and I do hope we will have the opportunity to move forward on this. We take the holistic approach, and I’m not selling out to a large corporation.”
Fotheringham said she has had a “storefront” since 2016.
And marijuana, in her medicinal applications, is no different than any other herb.
“To me, it’s like rosemary or basil. It’s a herb, just the same. We welcome people to come see us, if they want to explore using cannabis as an alternative medicine. We get people coming in from Toronto, the U.S.; all over.”
A referral is not needed to visit her, she said, and a nurse practitioner sees patients at the Allanburg site every Friday.
In efforts to educate the public, “We have been doing herbal classes and herbal walks,” she continued. “I want to show people how to do things right and get more involved in how they medicate. Information is power.”
As people become more educated, the stigma of using marijuana as medicine decreases, she added, and it helps patients from the very young to the very old.
“These days, you don’t have to feel ashamed of it.”
After suffering through “not getting pointed in the right direction” when experiencing her own personal illness in the past, “My mission came to provide that access for people. I love what I do. I just want to make a difference.”
Most municipalities—including Thorold—have asked for public input on whether or not to allow cannabis retail stores, and Fotheringham said she plans on attending Thorold city council when they debate the issue tonight.
“I really hope they do (approve it)," she continued. “We have come a really long way and I’m glad to see that. We had a family come in with a very violent autistic child that was tearing their family apart. We had the mother coming in in tears, saying that the child is no longer violent” after receiving her 100 per cent natural herbal treatment.
“We don’t guarantee results, but we have seen tremendous changes in people’s lives. A lady coming in no longer uses her walker, and gives us a big hug. We have helped opiate users come off of Oxycontin and different medications. We see people who have been taking Ibuprofen and have stomach issues. With cannabis, we have so much more research.”
Currently, recreational cannabis can only be purchased legally in Ontario through a government-run website, with the first private stores set to open April 1.
The Progressive Conservative government had initially said it would not put a cap on the number of outlets, but later said it would begin with only 25 licences due to what it called serious cannabis supply issues that had to be addressed by the federal government.
The province said it will lift the cap on the number of stores once that issue is addressed.
More information is available at www.ccrxc.ca
