IMPETUS: Documentary Displays the Force Behind Angelina Blessed, Tireless Cannabis Advocate, Fighter and Entrepreneur

Ryerson University Film Students Bring Challenging Story of Healing and Helping to Life

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO - JULY 6, 2022 - Angelina Blessed is sharing her story of healing and helping through partnership with independent Ryerson University film students. The Muay Thai fighter, cannabis advocate and entrepreneur has maintained a respectful but complicated relationship with pain for the past two decades, only successfully balanced with her use of cannabis as medicine for healing and treating her body.

The film, IMPETUS, is named after the force with which a body moves, or one that makes something happen, or happen more quickly. Angelina is embodied by this force that drives, and has driven her, to fight the stigma surrounding cannabis, and also to find a way to be respectful of her own body, mind and spirit, and those of other professional athletes and medical cannabis patients. Production of the film began in September, 2020.

“Like so many things in my life, the creation of this film has been an incredible journey, starting with an idea among friends that eventually turned into something that would surpass all our expectations and capture a spirit that only we’d been privileged to live,” said Angelina on the making of the film. “I fight and love and I share. Bringing this documentary to life has been humbling and one of my proudest moments, and I’m happy I can finally share it with everyone.”

“We’re all taught how to go harder, we just weren’t taught how to recover or take care of ourselves,” says Angelina in the film. She continues, “I never wanted to feel like a drug dealer. I love baking, I love helping my friends heal.”

Angelina is joined by other professional athletes, entrepreneurs and friends in the film, alongside Elias Theodorou, UFC veteran and cannabis trailblazer, and her long-time combat coach in Toronto, Evan Boris.

“If you’re getting paid off how your body performs, chances are people are going to do whatever they need to do,” said Evan Boris, Angelina’s former combat coach.

The film also follows Angelina’s development of cannabis edibles and products that she has used to complement her training and healing. As of May 2022, Blessed Edibles are available for legal adult-use purchase in Ontario and select markets, with her first a Mint Dark Chocolate bar with Cacao Nibs and Sea Salt.

Synopsis: Angelina Blessed, a Toronto-based Muay Thai martial artist has become a vocal advocate for the preventative and healing properties of cannabis for athletes. Her company, Blessed Edibles have recently launched innovative cannabis-infused products that embody Angelina’s mantra “Train, Treat, Repeat” into the legal market. A force within her communities, both in cannabis and Muay Thai, Blessed often has a profound impact on those she meets.  Having spent many winters training in Thailand, she has networked with many other martial artists and built a shared bond over cannabis. She is brash and unapologetic - a fresh female voice for cannabis advocacy.

About Angelina Blessed

Located in Toronto, Ontario, Angelina is the epitome of a pro athlete turned brand founder. As a Muay Thai fighter who spent 15 years training and competing in Thailand and Canada and one of the first Canadian females to compete in China, she understands firsthand the importance of proper recovery. She created Blessed for those who push their bodies to the max and crave a recovery process that isn’t processed. Find Angelina Blessed on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

About Athletes for CARE

Athletes for CARE (A4C) is a nonprofit organization launched in 2017 by passionate retired professional athletes who recognized the need to advocate for the health, safety and wellness of more than 2 billion people of all ages who compete annually in sanctioned sports globally. Through that advocacy, we are improving health and wellness options for the billions of people around the world living with mental and physical illnesses including chronic pain, depression, anxiety, PTSD, CTE, TBI, substance abuse and opioid dependency. For more information, please visit athletesforcare.org.