Tubes and Dubes: Saskatoon man celebrates Christmas charity by giving away socks and joints

There aren’t many charity events like what Sterling Wilde had planned on Saturday.

Stationed outside the Lighthouse Supported Living on 20th Street, Wilde and a small group of volunteers were offering hot cups of coffee, tube socks and free joints to people outside the building.

“We promote the goodness of cannabis and what it can do for opioid reduction and health, as well as we get out here and we bring out the socks and we give away some socks because socks are one of the most important pieces of clothing we wear every day,” Wilde said.

Aptly called  Tubez and Dubez, the second annual event strikes close to home for Sterling after he spent time living on the street.

Diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) at a young age, Wilde was quickly prescribed a variety of pharmaceutical drugs that took a toll on his youthful years.

“As life progressed, cannabis saved my life,” Wilde said, referring to his struggles with addiction. “There was a lot of other drugs I was doing back then and cannabis was what managed to pull me out and keep me away from those things and keep me comfortable in my own skin.”

The other added benefit of cannabis was the appetite it allowed Wilde.

“It allowed me to be hungry, which a lot of the drugs people do, it keeps them from eating.”

Wilde, a local cannabis advocate that has organized similar events and protests, sees the event as a positive

While it may be an odd event to plan, keeping people in need warm and happy for the holidays are two things he will always have time for.

“Anyone who gets cold, wet feet, it doesn’t matter how much warm clothes you’re wearing up top — if you’re feet are cold, you’re cold,” Wilde said. “A lot of people here require all the love they can get and there’s a lot of love in cannabis, let me tell you.”