By Jon Hiltz
A whole season of Big Brother Canada has passed since Sarah Hanlon claimed the $100,000 prize and became the first self-professed “stoner” to win the intense reality game show. She was and continues to be many things including a TV show host, pot-activist, ‘hemployee’ at Vapor Central in Toronto, and columnist for 24 Hours where she reports on all things cannabis.
“I’m the first cannabis enthusiast to be on Big Brother Canada and Big Brother U.S. It’s crazy, I’ve been in LA, I’ve been in New Orleans, and I’m still getting recognized for Big Brother Canada.”
Sarah went on to add that the show didn’t censor her open relationship with marijuana in any way. In fact, she was billed in season three as a “proud pothead,” a televised role that opened many real opportunities within the cannabis community and beyond.
One of those opportunities was being hired as a host of the Big Brother Canada Sideshow, a weekly talk show that discussed the details of each episode in season four after it aired. The Sideshow is similar to “Talking Dead” and other popular series ‘after shows.’
Sarah also works for Vapor Central in Toronto which is one of the prominent vapor cafes in the city, frequented by many in Toronto’s cannabis community. “[At Vapor Central] we run shows, events, rallies, information nights. I’m also constantly going to city council and protests.”
Sarah feels that anyone who loves marijuana needs to help their local city councillors understand its significance. These officials have the power to stand up for their citizens when it comes to crucial votes on local marijuana ordinates, such as the dispensary issues Toronto has been experiencing.
She is also clearly excited about the upcoming legalization across Canada but shares the same concerns as many in the cannabis community about the process that is taking place. “I think from the top down they could all be doing a lot more. A lot of the pushback is coming from local authorities, but the city is able to get away with it because of the vacuum that the federal government has left.”
Further to that, Sarah feels that Justin Trudeau is taking his sweet time to arrange the optimal situation for the federal government to make money off marijuana, as opposed to their self-righteous claim that they want to do it “properly.” “That’s transparent, but I still have hopes for the future.”
If you happen to live in the great city of Toronto, or you’re just vaping your way through, go see Sarah at Vapor Central where you can enjoy enlightening conversations alongside your favourite buds. Remember to bring your own weed to the discussion, as Vapor Central doesn’t sell cannabis.
You can also check out Sarah’s column on all things marijuana called Hanlon’s Joint.
