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.
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.”
