B.C. rescue team warns of guided weed hikes

Ahead of legalization, group says hiking on drugs is dangerous

VANCOUVER— One of British Columbia’s busiest rescue teams is warning backcountry hikers not to get high on their hike.

Curtis Jones with B.C.’s North Shore Search and Rescue said the statement issued on the agency’s website is a proactive attempt before marijuana le- galization this October to make sure hikers are aware of the dangers of experimenting with drugs in rough terrain.

Jones said a fellow search and rescue teammate sent him an article about a group that spoke about the benefits of outdoor activities pair with cannabis use.

He said in a blog posted on the North Shore Rescue website that they might expect socialmedia influencers and entrepreneurs to promote experiences that mesh with the psy- choactive effects of marijuana.

“Generally speaking, whenever people go on the mountains and they aren’t in their right frame of mind, it vastly increases their chances of having to utilize our services,” said Jones in a phone interview.

“It increases the risk for our members when we’re going out there and not dealing with someone in a clear state of mind.”

He said experienced hikers on the North Shore mountains regularly make mistakes and need search and rescue assistance, and that any substance that could alter the mental state raises the odds of a potentially deadly incident.

Bethany Rae is the CEO of Flower & Freedom, an organization that she said wants to create a safe space to help people learn about cannabis consumption, and how it can be part of an active lifestyle.

Rae said in an interview that her organization does not support experimentation with cannabis in dangerous settings, but does encourage potential users to educate themselves before engaging in any scenario for which they may not be prepared.

“We aren’t suggesting anyone go out in the backcountry and get high,” she said. “And especially for novice or brand-new consumers.”

Flower and Freedom doesn’t supply marijuana to partici- pants, Rae said.

She said the use of marijuana before their yoga classes is just like someone consuming cannabis for medicinal purposes. “There are many people around us every day consuming cannabis for therapeutic and medical reasons, perhaps we don’t know about it because of the stigma around it,” Rae said.

In a post on Flower & Freedom’s website titled “Outdoor Adventure Cannabis Tours Are Coming to Vancouver”, Tristan Slade of High Definition Tours spoke about his experience using cannabis as part of his fitness lifestyle.

He and Rae agreed that people need to educate themselves when consuming marijuana.