BUDS DONATES $1,400 TO VETERANS PROGRAMS; AS FIRST OF POT SHOPS CLOSES DOORS

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

GRAVENHURST — Joshua Both was a Canadian Armed Forces reserve who is considering a return to service.

Meanwhile he started Buds by Cannilux in Gravenhurst and has donated a portion of his business’ profit to Veterans house as an ongoing effort to support the 4-pillar program of rehabilitation and reintegration of wounded warriors.

This afternoon he presented a $1,400 virtual (eTransfer) cheque to Stephen Beardwood, the chair and director Veterans House, himself a former CAF veteran who was injured in the 1990s.

Beardwood says the purpose of Veteran House is to promote quality peer support for service men and women. They do this by providing guidance, ongoing support, and mentorship to veterans’ mental health non-profit organizations, and through providing information and resources to veterans and health care providers.

Many of whom treat PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) with cannabis treatment.

It also assists with financial advice.

Both has been in business in Gravenhurst since 2018 when he began renting space from Triple Sick Skin tattoos, which was pot paraphernalia.

Both says he was one of the town’s first half dozen licensed marijuana dispensers.

Meanwhile, Wake Cannabis, in Gravenhurst, was the town’s first pot shops to close last month after its grand opening Oct. 1, 2021. It was owned by siblings Taylor and Jaden Hollingshead, who ran for district council last week.

He said: “the closure had less to do with the competition in the market and more to do with the provincial government mismanaging the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).

“The market is certainly competitive here and some of the issues we experienced would have been less impactful with less competition, but the OCS completely shut off supply for all stores due to a cyber attack. The shut down disproportionately hurt independent retailers that cannot ship inventory from other stores.
“For a final bit of information, when we submitted our application, to the AGCO to open Wake Cannabis, we were one of two stores. Despite this, the larger corporation stores in our town were the last to apply and the first to open.”
Veterans House Charity chair Stephen Beardwood accepts virtual payment from Buds by Cannilux owner Joshua Both this afternoon in Gravenhurst.

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