A year ago Ian Campeau was on a high. A Tribe Called Red, the group he co-founded, was attracting more mainstream attention than ever for their acclaimed electric pow-wow beats, a powerful mix of First Nations rhythms and electronica. They’d come a long way from filling up the dance floor in Babylon to opening up the 2017 Juno Awards. The peak of that high was, perhaps, came this year when they netted Group of the Year.
With a widening fan base, awards and critical accolades on the rise, what would you do next? I’m willing to bet a shiny, new toonie that your first guess wasn’t walk away from it all to embrace advocacy work, become an ambassador for a cannabis company, and grow vegetables in Perth.
After the birth of his youngest, Nenookaase, the man known to many as DJ NDN opted to step out of that role and more firmly into the one of father and husband. Foreseeing more touring and time away in his future, an 11-acre farm, the loving embrace of his wife Justine and the laughter of his kids was something he needed to mix more into his life. Though sunny days on the farm would be a more relaxing then his former life, he also had other things in mind outside of chopping wood, raising chickens and walking the dog.
Though being part of A Tribe Called Red brought with it a platform for the band to speak up for Indigenous rights and other issues they felt strongly about, Campeau felt the extended time spent on the music was taking away from the advocacy work, something he wanted to pull more into focus.
“I didn’t have the time or the emotional capacity to take on projects I felt needed to be done,” says Campeau. “Like one year, there was a suicide crisis in a community that I felt I needed to get to but couldn’t because of a European tour we had planned. The makeup for not being able to go to that community was the first Rez Tour which was the pinnacle of my time with ATCR but I still feel guilty about that.”
He has since engaged in dialogues with corporate CEOs about wealth redistribution and Indigenizing their measurement of what they call “success”. He’s also spent some time on campuses discussing with youth the problems with patriarchy. Finding a little more free time for himself, he’s been learning Ojibwe from some Nipissing First Nation relatives and a few informative Skype classes.
As the cannabis debate rages on here in Canada, Campeau has stepped up to another platform in an effort to dispel myths still held by many Canadians leery of its impending legalization.
“I’ve been pretty open about my cannabis use since I’ve been legally consuming. I feel like creating an inclusive and generous culture surrounding this incredible commodity is extremely important on the brink of rec legalization,” says Campeau, now Ambassador for Leafly, the world's largest online cannabis information and lifestyle resource.
He may not be a doctor but he’s got a lot of evidence to back up his talks on the medicinal benefits of the drug. When asked why he is so passionate about this cause, he doesn’t hesitate in saying that marijuana saved his family’s life.
Eight years ago, Justine discovered a lump in her breast. Being only 25, cancer wasn’t the first thing that sprang to mind. Test results, however, would yield to their worst fears. She was diagnosed with Stage 3. Then came radiation treatments, chemo and a lot of painkillers.
For Campeau, it meant stressful, sleepless days taking care of Justine and the kids while still trying to manage his nightlife as a DJ. Cannabis, he says, helped him deal with the depression he was feeling as well as the often crippling anxiety he had when performing. The mask he wore on stage, was something to combat those fears. He’d also use the Leafly app as his go to resource while on tour to help shed light on what the local laws were and what may be available in the legal states the group was performing in.
“When you have such a hectic and demanding schedule, having a natural relaxing sleep aid after shows was a life saver.”
With the cancer leaving her with chronic pain and nerve damage, and seeing how it was helping her husband, Justine put aside the opioids and turned to cannabis herself.
“When Justine used cannabis for the first time, it was a miracle,” says a thankful Campeau. “She had been healing in a defensive position from her mastectomy. It was extremely painful to touch. Moments after she tried vaporized cannabis for the first time, she was moving her arm in ways I hadn’t seen since before her surgery. It was truly remarkable. That was the moment I was convinced cannabis was an important medicine.”
Justine would go on to apply for a Health Canada licence to grow marijuana on the farm and, though she was shy about admitting her usage at first, she now uses her YouTube channel The Lifted Sisters to talk about all things weed. Along with breaking the stigmas of pot being a harmful drug that only makes people lazy, Campeau says that he and Justine hope to also show that weed is more than just a stimulant.
“People only see cannabis as a stimulant without understanding what a community sustaining commodity this amazing plant is! You could grow a house from hempcrete. You can eat hemp sprouts. You can turn hemp into biodegradable plastic that can be used in 3D printers,” he says adding that the plant can be “an incredibly diverse commodity that could be housing, clothing, food, textiles, plastics.”
Now, away from the pulsing lights and pumping base, in a “higher calling” as brand ambassador for Leafly, Campeau is using his voice to normalize cannabis use in society while moulding a giving and inclusive culture. As the weed debate continues towards legalization, he only sees the country benefiting.
“I see violent crime going down dramatically. I see Canada becoming a global leader in an incredible commodity. I see a more empathetic and creative society.”
A version of this article first appeared
on Soundcheckentertainment.ca on May 31, 2018.