TY EXPO: A Family Affair

by Al Graham P.A.C.E.

I can remember a time when there was a song, a very popular song performed by a group known as Sly and the Family Stone.

The song back then was called “It’s a Family Affair” and to me and many others this would be the best way to describe the 3rd Annual Treating Yourself Expo.

The TY Expo, which is held each year at the handicap friendly Metro Toronto Convention Center gives the cannabis community a time and location for all of us to join together and make a statement. A statement, that says that we are part of a large community family that isn’t going away.

The Expo brought people together from all across Canada, the United States and many countries from Europe. It also allows many advocates to join together and discuss what the cannabis scene is achieving in their area of the world.

While there are many people that believe cannabis is a menace to society this could possibly all change if they visited the TY Expo as thousands of others did. They would quickly learn that this family is one that is built on love and one that is a community that isn’t going any- where. They would also quickly learn that everything about cannabis is legal and can be sold to the general public, except the plant itself.

Part of that old hit also says “One child grows up to be, somebody that just loves to learn, and another child grows up to be, somebody you’d just love to burn” per- fectly describes our cannabis community. We have many people that are seeking to learn the truth about cannabis and people that want to pass their knowledge onto oth- ers. But we also have those who love to just consume all day and allow others to do the leg work, which makes some advocates say that these people are part of the prob- lem. But no matter what, we are all family.