Cannabis up North! Regulatory and IP Issues in Canada’s New Adult Use Marketplace

Hosted by Offit Kurman and featuring Cannabis Practice Group attorneys and experts from outside the firm this monthly, hour-long webinar series addresses operational and legal issues affecting those in legalized cannabis industry. The series is designed for applicants for, and operators of, legal cannabis businesses as well as business owners and service providers servicing the industry.

Cannabis up North! Regulatory and IP Issues in Canada’s New Adult Use Marketplace

Join Jason Klein of Offit Kurman and David Wood from Borden Ladner Gervais as they discuss Canadian cannabis regulatory and IP issues. The Canadian cannabis industry is in the headlines.  Mergers and acquisitions, imminent adult use regulations and storefront sales, product diversification on the horizon, investment and validation from the beverage industry, and troubles at the US border are all regular feature in the news.  As the first G7 country moves forward on a new approach to mitigating the social and economic harms of drug abuse by regulating rather than prohibiting cannabis, opportunities and challenges are emerging – and being defined by participants.  In this presentation, we will describe the industry and its regulations, and the role of intellectual property to protect and leverage technology and branding in this industry.  The implications of regulating a product for sale both as a medicine and as a discretionary psychoactive product are further reaching than is immediately apparent – as is the opportunity.  Responsible execution will be critical as the World watches Canada’s move forward from prohibition to regulation, and in many cases are following closely behind with spirited medical programs and talk of adult use regulations in other jurisdictions.  Canadian regulations are a template for those in many other jurisdictions, particularly in quality control and process, for upstream, midstream and downstream aspects of the industry.

Speaker:

David Wood is a lawyer and patent agent in the Calgary office of Borden Ladner and Gervais LLP.  David practices intellectual property and regulatory law. David is co-chair of the BLG’s Cannabis Industry Focus Group and his regulatory practice is specific to the Canadian cannabis industry.

David has advised licensed producers, pre-license entities, technology companies, and other domestic and foreign participants in the Canadian cannabis industry in relation to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and its regulations, including the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (the “ACMPR”) and the Narcotic Control Regulations (the “NCR”). David is also helping various industry participants position themselves for expected changes under Bill C-45: An Act respecting cannabis and to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Criminal Code and other Acts, Eliz. II: 64-65-66 (the “Cannabis Act“).

David’s intellectual property practice and experience includes:​​

• drafting and prosecuting patent applications;
• assessing patentability of technology, validity of patents, and infringement of patents, and other patent-related due diligence;
• multi-jurisdictional patent portfolio management; and
• patent litigation.

David has experience with chemical, biochemical, information, and mechanical technologies relating to cannabis, medical devices, imaging, oil and gas, and other industries.