At the age of 11, Emma Boniface watched her mother lose herself in the grasp of an opioid addiction.

Diagnosed with a debilitating spinal condition in 2013, Genevieve Gendron was prescribed fentanyl and oxycodone to deal with the chronic pain, and soon began to experience the side effects of opioid use. Before long, shesa国际传媒檇 lost more than half her teeth, her mobility sa国际传媒� and her job.

In 2015, her daughter recalls, Gendron began using medical marijuana sa国际传媒� and everything changed.

sa国际传媒淪he was much happier,sa国际传媒� said Boniface, who at the tender age of 14 is scheduled to take the stage Friday at Ottawasa国际传媒檚 annual 4-20 rally on Parliament Hill to speak about the power of pot.

sa国际传媒淪he was awake more often, she was talking with us, she was able to walk. She was able to do stuff, a lot more than before. We had our mom back.sa国际传媒�

Marijuana enthusiasts have long been circling April 20 on their calendars as the annual day to celebrate cannabis and the culture surrounding it. In the national capital, they gather by the thousands in the shadow of the Centre Block, defying the authorities amid thick billows of smoke.

But itsa国际传媒檚 2018, and things are a little different: the federal governmentsa国际传媒檚 Cannabis Act, a central component of the Liberal partysa国际传媒檚 successful election campaign three years ago, is working its way through Parliament and is expected to make the recreational use of marijuana legal later this summer.

Even so, 4-20 festivities this year will be as much an act of protest as a celebration, organizers say.

The public debate about legal pot that began in 2015 has used young people as a sa国际传媒減olitical footballsa国际传媒� in order to focus on the potential perils of marijuana, rather than its virtues, co-organizer Shawn MacAleese suggested during a news conference earlier this week.

Making it harder for young people to access and use marijuana has been a central theme of the federal governmentsa国际传媒檚 plan. Instead of the black market, legal cannabis will be available on a strictly regulated basis, with the rules being established by the provinces and territories sa国际传媒� from how it is produced to how it is advertised and sold to the minimum age for purpose.

Thatsa国际传媒檚 why the 14-year-old Boniface was chosen as keynote speaker sa国际传媒� the youngest ever for a 4-20 event in Ottawa, MacAleese said. The idea was intended to sa国际传媒減ut a focal point on the younger generation,sa国际传媒� especially teenagers and young dispensary employees.

The governmentsa国际传媒檚 message on keeping pot out of young hands has led to what MacAleese called the sa国际传媒渃orporate commandeeringsa国际传媒� of what was once an easygoing cannabis culture.

sa国际传媒淗ave any of us seen or heard teenssa国际传媒� opinions over these issues in the past two years?sa国际传媒� he said.

Boniface, for her part, said she plans to talk about her mothersa国际传媒檚 experiences using medicinal cannabis, as well as the importance of giving teenagers a voice in the debate about legalization.

sa国际传媒淚 want to be the voice for cannabis and show the government that we want our own word in whatsa国际传媒檚 going on,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淚f itsa国际传媒檚 going to affect us then we want to have our own input into this argument.sa国际传媒�

Patientssa国际传媒� Lives Matter, a group that advocates for medical marijuana users, is expecting to see one of the largest crowds in recent memory on Parliament Hill on Friday. Other speakers will include Toronto comic Martha Chaves and local dispensary employees, some of whom have been arrested on the job.

Bonifacesa国际传媒檚 speech will be timed to end just before the clock on the Peace Tower registers 4:20 p.m.

RCMP, Ottawa police and paramedics will be on hand to monitor crowd and motorist safety. Ottawa police are warning drivers to expect traffic delays on neighbouring streets; organizers say they will be working with RCMP to ensure participants safely exit the Hillsa国际传媒檚 grounds.

RCMP officials would only say they will work with parliamentary security to ensure the safety of everyone on the Hill. sa国际传媒淐ollectively, we respect and protect the right to peaceful protest,sa国际传媒� but officers will sa国际传媒渃onsider evidence and the public interestsa国际传媒� throughout the afternoon, a spokesperson said in an email.

On Wednesday, Statistics Canada released the first set of data from its new national cannabis survey, which showed 23 per cent of Canadians between the ages of 15 and 24 having used cannabis in February and March. Twenty-six per cent of Canadians aged 25 to 34 did the same.

The agency has also found that in 2015, 28 per cent of Canadians between the ages of 18 to 24 had used cannabis in the previous year, a significantly higher percentage than those aged 15 to 17 and 25 to 44, who were tied for second place at nearly 18 per cent.

Boniface said education needs to be a top priority. Her mother has been an integral part of the experience, she said, sharing her marijuana journey with her daughter and making sure Boniface understands every aspect of its use.

sa国际传媒淚f they educate us properly and show us the real benefits and maybe the downsides to cannabis, then we can make our own decisions knowing every possible outcome.sa国际传媒�

Raisa Patel, The Canadian Press

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