Pubdate: Tue, 06 Dec 2016
Source: Truro Daily News (CN NS)
Copyright: 2016 The Daily News
Contact:  http://www.trurodaily.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1159
Author: Harry Sullivan
Page: 3

BIBLE HILL HOME TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARY

Auntie's founder convinced of weed's medicinal abilities

A medical marijuana dispensary operating in Bible Hill is making
access easier for people who require it, clients say.

The dispensary, called Auntie's Health and Wellness Center, is also
beneficial because it offers medicinal cannabis in more forms and
wider variety than conventional methods.

"I believe people should have direct access to their medication. And
they don't," said Auntie's founder Shirley Martineau.

She said people who genuinely need marijuana are often forced to
acquire it illegally, "and they don't know what they are getting."

Specifically, illegal marijuana could be sprayed with chemicals to
enhance growth.

"At least I know how my stuff is made because I do it
personally."

The dispensary is one of four Auntie's locations that have opened in
Nova Scotia within the past couple of months, along with one each in
Halifax, Dartmouth and Windsor.

And Martineau said the clients - all of whom are medical marijuana
cardholders - have welcomed the retail operations with open arms.

Many of Auntie's clients are cancer patients who primarily use medical
marijuana to deal with pain, she said.

Martineau was approved to grow medical marijuana more than 15 years
ago, after she had been diagnosed with Hepatitis C.

Also around that time, after hearing claims Amherst resident Rick
Simpson had been making about curing his own cancer with hemp oil, she
took a friend who was suffering from cancer to meet him.

Her friend also had heart issues and was unable to take either
chemotherapy or radiation for his cancer. So, after learning how to
make the oil from Simpson, Martineau said she shared it with her
friend for the next four months.

"He went for his tests and he came back negative for cancer," she
said.

A month later, he was able to undergo heart surgery because his cancer
was no longer an issue.

She, too, began using the oil, Martineau said, and 10 years after
being diagnosed with Hep C., her symptoms also disappeared.

Liver damage is often caused by Hep C.

"They thought that pretty well I was probably on my way out but
instead, I was cured," she said.

After sharing oil with other cancer patients over the years, Martineau
decided she wanted to try to assist a wider audience.

"When you see someone crying in your arms and they don't have any
other hope, then they come to you and you try your best," she said. "I
was giving it away for free, so I decided I needed to have a
storefront so I could get to more people. But I can't give it away for
free any more."

Martineau receives testimonials from about two people per month who
tell her cannabis oil has cured their cancer.

"So that's pretty good odds for me."
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MAP posted-by: Matt