Cannabis activist coming to Kyla’s Quest event in Summerland
SUMMERLAND — Cannabis patient, activist and entrepreneur Jim Leslie will speak in Summerland on Saturday.
Leslie’s presentation, Curious About Cannabis for Your Health? is the latest in the on-going public information series on medical cannabis sponsored by Kyla’s Quest.
The event will be held Saturday, March 11, 1 p.m. at the Summerland Library, 9533 Main Street. Admission is by $5 donation to Kyla’s Quest.
To reserve a seat call (250) 488-2002 or email info@kylasquest.com.
Leslie is the executive director of The Kootenay’s Medicine Tree which opened in Grand Forks in 2014 and subsequently established a branch in Nelson.
“The TLMT has grown to be one of the most respected medical cannabis dispensaries in Canada,” said Elaine Nuessler, who with husband Chris Nuessler founded Kyla’s Quest.
It is also one of the few dispensaries to specifically reach out to children and senior citizens who suffer from chronic or terminal illnesses Nuessler explained.
Leslie holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and served for 10 years as a border service officer with the Canada Border Services Agency.
During his time as a federal law enforcement officer, Leslie was active in cannabis policy reform efforts on behalf of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and Stop the Violence B.C.
Leslie will be joined Saturday by business partner Marvin Wyers, who has extensive experience in growing cannabis plants and blending oils to achieve optimum concentrations of active ingredients for treatment of a wide spectrum of illnesses.
Kyla’s Quest is a non-profit organization with the goal of providing information, support and funds for those who may benefit from medical cannabis.
“We also advocate for medical and scientific research into medical cannabis for sick children,” Elaine said.
The group was named in honour of Kyla Williams, the little Summerland girl who was diagnosed with intractable epilepsy in 2013.
In March 2014, Kyla’s doctors said they had exhausted all treatment options.
Her family turned to medical cannabis to treat Kyla the day after they received the devastating news that she may seizure for the rest of her short life.
They located a source of cannabis oil and observed dramatic improvement in Kyla’s condition almost immediately after the first dose. The family’s observations have been corroborated by medical tests.
While experiencing the occasional seizure, Kyla continues to improve both physically and mentally.
“She is verbalizing more, is interacting more with people around her and is getting stronger,” Chris said.
Kyla celebrated her fifth birthday on Feb. 1.
“We continue to rejoice in every small improvement Kyla makes and to be thankful for every day we have with her,” Elaine said.