How Did I Get Here?

About Me

Utilizing Cannabis As A Medicine Since 1978

My name is Kim Cooper, and I am the founder of NOCER, and has a long history in the Cannabis movement. My first experience advocating for Cannabis was in 1978 on Yonge St. in Toronto, getting signatures for a petition for a marijuana initiative.

I am a mother of 3 kids and a grandmother of 2. At a young age I was diagnosed with epilepsy and was put on several medications. Several years later, as a young teenager, I tried cannabis recreationally and noticed my seizures were reduced. I made the decision to stop taking my prescribed medication and committed to consuming cannabis daily to replace the prescribed medication. I have advocated for cannabis since 1978

I had a car accident and injured my back among other things in 2001. Released from hospital on 16 pills per day, life was never the same. After many years of that, I now use Cannabis almost exclusively, no longer ingesting the harmful Pharmaceuticals I once took.

I was diagnosed later in life with breast cancer, and I ingested cannabis oil capsules & cannabis oil patches topically as my treatment.

Even though I am now located in a small town in Northern Ontario, I have remain very vocal in my community. I love to share the daily cannabis news and presently operate several Social Media sites, a podcasting network as well as this Web Page.

"My only objective is to educate those around me, Patient & Physician alike, and to empower patients with the knowledge to treat themselves naturally & advocate for themselves with those consulting on treatment plans.

Be Well Naturally" ~Kim Cooper

My Journey Through Life With Cannabis: How Did I Get Here?

The 70’s

Where It All Began

I began consuming cannabis at a pretty young age; I was turning 14 soon and in Junior High. Of course, I started recreationally, it was 1977 and there wasn’t any information on medical cannabis anywhere. Back then in Toronto, I was considered a wild teen that came from a rocky family background. I was bounced around in the Children’s Aid Society for years and that instability left me rebellious during my youth. With little to no guidance and no permanent living situation, Yonge Street was my playground much of the time. I grew up fast, mostly because I had too. I developed a seizure condition when I was about 12 years old. Doctors diagnosed me as having Epilepsy after recurring episodes of grand-mal seizures became more frequent over the course of a year. To control it I was placed on some very heavy pharmaceuticals, Dilantin, and Phenobarbital. The pills left…

The 80’s

Disco, Big Hair and a Baby

When the 80’s arrived, so did NORML Canada. I remember feeling a sense of accomplishment when I heard we got enough signatures and they had launched in Canada. The 80’s also brought more insights for me about who I was and where I came from. I was able to meet my birth father, Lyle, for the first time. I was 18 and moved to West Virginia in 1981. By then I was consuming cannabis daily, all day long. I was a bong girl, never really cared too much for joints, they always made me cough. Still very rebellious and struggling with issues of abandonment, I never gave much thought from one moment to the next about what I was doing or if it was safe. I was partying, carefree as far as the world knew, not so much on the inside. Now I was headed to the States, thinking it…

The 90’s

Dot Com, Gen X and More Babies

The 90’s are here, and the Dot Com era arrived. Gen X becomes a thing, and I was ready for more babies. It was a relatively quiet year as far as cannabis goes, with a few exceptions. I always knew I wanted lots of kids. 5 was a good number I thought! It was 1990 and I was pregnant with my second child. My life was taking another twist, that started at the end of the 80’s, a custody battle was brewing over my daughter. Of course, my cannabis consumption was wielded against me once again. I would spend the next 5 years in court. More on that a bit later. During my second pregnancy I made the decision to not stop consuming this time. I had learned a lot in the last decade about cannabis and the medicinal values. Active participation in the movement was put on the backburner…

2000's The New Millenia

Y2k, Potter-Mania, and Reality TV

It was 2000, the new millennia. 1999 eclipsed into the history books as easily as every other year and Y2K panic subsided around the globe. At the end of the 90’s we left the city and moved to a rural farm community just outside Barrie Ontario. Clearview was nestled between Wasaga Beach & Angus. I was driving a transit bus in Newmarket and did the 1-hour commute daily from the farm, while hubby worked at the Honda plant in Aliston. Two good jobs, both with good income. We were growing our cannabis along a creek than ran through the back of the farm. Being in a rural area gave us the opportunity to increase the amount we grew. I was attending the GMM as well as the 420 Toronto rally’s annually. In 2000 we started planning for our future even further. We purchased some farmland in Northern Ontario to retire…

2015-2019

NOCER and PACE Radio

Hosting events in the north and entering radio broadcasting The start of 2015 my energy and drive are in fifth gear. I had launched my organisation for northern Ontario, and I was ready to get to work. Soon after I launched NOCER, I was contacted by a gentleman in Kirkland Lake. He told me the local headshop was raided by police a few weeks earlier and asked if I could help. Darren Delaney owned The Tripping Daisy which was raided by the OPP under section 462.2 of the criminal code. An outdated obscure law prohibiting cannabis paraphernalia including pipes, bongs, and magazines from being sold. Now this was something I could sink my teeth into, and it was regional! I had met Dana Larsen, a prominent Canadian activist in BC, a few months earlier and he became my guide to hands on activism and protesting, so I gave him a…

2019-2020

Psychedelics, C19, & moving into video podcasting

The end of 2019 & the start of 2020 brought a new reality for people across the globe. C19 was released and swooped across the globe. 2020 brought us our first of many new challenges, including restrictions against going out, closing of small business, and talk of “New World Order”. The world was about to enter a new reality, family as well as working relationships would be set on a rollercoaster ride of ups, downs & devastation. My working relationship with my long-time work partner would not escape that devastation. The entries I detail in this portion of my blog will outline some of that turmoil that affected me, and what we have all encountered. 2019-2020 Psychedelics, C19, & Moving Into Video Podcasting At the end of 2019, I had picked up a virus. “Unknown Respiratory Infection” they said at the hospital. I remember feeling like an elephant was sitting…