Sacred healing, stolen history

I have spoken in depth about the surgery that I had last year. My body was screaming, and the doctors handed me painkillers, but my body rejected them; I was feeling more pain from the cure than from the actual incision. That’s when my friend Reena Rampersad (Infamous Cannabis Advocate) walked in with a cannabis care kit: salves, body oils, and edibles. That was the moment I realized that our healing comes from our roots.

Last week, I spoke to the founder of DiversityTalk, Ika Washington, and she helped me realize that my personal healing is tied to a much larger struggle. Our history with this plant has been deliberately fragmented. “I’ve sat in rooms where people trace cannabis from China to India to Europe,” Ika shared with me during our passionate discussion, “Completely skipping over the continent of Africa. I had to ask them, So, the wind doesn’t blow over Africa?”.

“The truth is, our ancestors were innovators,” Ika shares. “From the water pipes of Botswana (the precursors to the modern bong) to the spiritual rituals of the Rastafari community, we have always been the keepers of this medicine. During the transatlantic slave trade, hemp was a cash crop just like cotton or tobacco. We were exchanging knowledge about this plant long before the legal market decided it was refined enough for profit.”

Yet today, in Canada, only about 2% of the cannabis industry’s leadership and ownership is African. We see Women’s Month celebrated everywhere, but during Black History Month, there is a dead silence from the major cannabis companies. They ignore the fact that Black women and racialized communities are still systemically excluded and disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs. There is still no social equity built into the Cannabis Act, and no push for reparative justice from Health Canada.

“This is why I am launching Leaves of Legacy,” Ika continues. “This isn’t some clinical, sterile event where we just stare at posters of THC and CBD. This is a tactical intervention. We are using art, music, and culture to confront the unspoken costs our community has paid for a ritual the legal market is now profiting from.”

I see the stigma every day. I see it in my own mother, who suffers from arthritis, but refuses weed tea because she’s been indoctrinated to believe it’s a ” bad drug, even while the pharmaceuticals she takes make her sick. “We are hiding our use, and that shame is what’s hurting us,” Ika made clear when I shared the story about my mom. “When we hide, we don’t have anyone to talk to about proper consumption or harm reduction. We need doctors to stop pushing pills and start being receptive to medical cannabis.”

“I want you to walk into Stackt Market and feel a mix of emotions; discontent with a broken system, but pure joy that our story is finally being told. This is about reclaiming our dignity. We are stronger in numbers, and it’s time we moved as a united front to lobby for the equity we deserve.”

Stop hiding. Stop the shame. Come reclaim your legacy. See you there!

Event Details: Join the Movement

I am calling on our community to show up and stand for our history. This exhibition is free, but our presence is the ultimate statement.

• What: Leaves of Legacy — Black History Month Exhibition
• When: February 25^th–27^th, 2026
• Opening Night: February 25^th, 6:30–10:00 PM (Featuring a guided tour, panel discussion, and film clips from Rasta’s Journey)
• Public Hours: February 26^th–27^th, 11:00 AM–9:00 PM
• Where: Stackt Market, 28 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON
• Admission: Free (Registration is highly recommended due to limited capacity)
• Register Now: leavesoflegacy.eventbrite.com