Free for guests to enjoy, treats of brownies and cakes sat beside a brew of hemp coffee that had good reviews from visitors. A new curious customer walked in every 20 minutes or so, which was a joy for owner Stephen Barber who celebrated six months of hard work at the weekend opening of Capturing Eden.

“We recognize a need, not only in this community but throughout Canada, in especially under-serviced areas that are similar to Haliburton,” Barber said about the lack of medical marijuana access. “People are waiting long times to get medical assessments, travelling a distance to get them, and to find the right products to help their ailments. We thought this would be a good place to start.” 

Capturing Eden will be able to prescribe personalized treatment plans once a patient is assessed by their medical staff, which includes a registered nurse, doctor, and pharmacist. “We’ll be able to find out your ailment, the best remedy for you, and give good advice – not just saying ‘Oh here, try this, this will work,’” said Barber.

Barber and his staff say overprescription of heavy drugs in Canada leads to addiction. According to a study by the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network in 2016, Haliburton County has the second highest rate of opioid use among those using public drug plans within Ontario. Prevalence of abuse, misuse, and addiction related to opioids has caused worry for accidental overdoses.

“There are so many people that are on such addictive substances for pain, and so many things they don’t have to be on,” says associate worker Marianne Woolley. “They can be on all-natural products instead that can wean people off those substances.”

Woolley says despite the stigma against using marijuana products, business looks promising with a successful grand opening on Saturday, May 4. “A big percent of people who came yesterday were over 40,” said Woolley. “This is great because that’s exactly the type of people we’re trying to target. We’re not here to sell anything for partying, anything to teens. We’re here to be professional and to help.”

The store is located at 192 Highland St., and will be open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

According to Barber, this is the first location to open, with other stores opening soon in Owen Sound, Innisfil, and Port Dover.