420 Expo brings cannabis culture to Falls convention centre
The buzz began early, and by Saturday afternoon the first Niagara Falls 420 Expo had Scotiabank Convention Centre lit.
Show manager James Ponce was expecting about 2,000 people to attend the first-ever event, which landed on the universal day of cannabis celebration. More importantly, it comes six months after recreational marijuana became legal in Canada, bringing pot culture and paraphernalia out of the shadows and into the convention centres.
“Cannabis has been such a taboo subject for so long,” says Ponce. “You couldn’t really speak about it, people would hide when they’d smoke it.
“But if you really think about it, cannabis has been in the annals of pop culture for a long time. Cheech and Chong, ‘That ’70s Show,’ old stoner comedies like ‘Dazed & Confused.’ Now that it’s legal, people can celebrate the culture and community behind it.”
While no actual cannabis could be sold at the event, everything from bongs to books to hemp oil was everywhere over the 20,000-square-foot floor space. There were cooking demos, discussions on cannabis law and investment tips on the cannabis industry.
Niagara Falls artist Evelyn Bailey provided a live ‘Puff Puff Paint’ demo, while “Super Troopers” star Erik Stolhanske did free signings and photos with fans.
Just seeing the culture celebrated in such an open way means a huge hurdle has been passed, says Natalie Liske of Welland’s Green Light District.
The Fitch Street store isn’t a dispensary — yet. But until stores like hers get the go-ahead, she’s thrilled to see the recreational and medicinal cannabis markets come together in the community.
“We specialize in a lot of things people don’t know about, so we just wanted a safe place that people could come talk cannabis at,” she says. “Once the government sort themselves out, we would love to potentially have a one-stop shop.”
Linske says the hemp market will be a “huge, flourishing business” over the next few years, as the stigma of cannabis continues to fade.
“It’s hard to say if it’s ever going to end, but we’re progressing to a better view of it,” she says, pointing to events like the 420 Expo as a tool of change.
“We’re all coming out of the woodwork now, we’re all seeing everybody. It’s nice just to see people that look like us! I don’t want to categorize us as ‘us,’ but it’s just great to see that everyone’s here for the same purpose.
“It’s legit now. You don’t have to be sketchy with your own friends.”