After serving in the military for seven years, Cody Lindsay was kicked out of the Canadian Armed Forces after he was caught using cannabis. Now, he’s using cannabis to launch a new career.
“I got caught using cannabis for my own medical needs and I got released for it,” he told CTV Ottawa. “On my way out I got (told) ‘you’re a loser, you’re going to be nothing.’”
Determined to prove them wrong, Lindsay worked in Ottawa-area kitchens, developing his culinary skills.
Then, he started a business called The Wellness Soldier which teaches people how to incorporate cannabis into baking, juices – even fine-dining meals.
Lindsay was one of dozens of business people selling their products at the Cannabis and Hemp Expo in Ottawa over the weekend.
He showed the audience how to make steak with chimichurri and horseradish cream sauce that incorporates cannabis, along with a tomato and bacon pasta with a herb vinaigrette salad.
Show director Kevin Blackburn said the two-day event in Ottawa was a good educational forum, meant not just for recreational users but also people who want to use it for medical reasons.
“People want to learn how they can use cannabis in different ways and not just to get high,” he said.
Deloitte has estimated that the growing cannabis industry could add 150,000 jobs in Canada.
The expo has already stopped in Winnipeg. It heads to Calgary and Edmonton in the new year.
With a report from CTV Ottawa’s Mike Arsalides
