High prices, plain packaging and restrictive licensing conditions have deterred long-term users from switching to the legal market I had forgotten how much I disliked cannabis until I found myself under its influence, in the rain, trying and failing to find Toronto’s Union Train Station so I could get to the airport and go home. […]
Canada
Harrop: Why Canadians rule the cannabis business
President Donald Trump routinely waves his fist at alleged unfair trade practices, including at the hands of our good neighbor Canada. But what about playing fields that are uneven because the U.S. government makes them so? Witness the cannabis industry. It’s enjoying explosive growth worldwide, but Canadians are running away with the profits because Washington […]
Can Canadians in the Cannabis Industry Travel to the U.S.?
Last week, the United States clarified its position on whether Canadians involved in the legal cannabis industry will be allowed to enter the U.S. While the clarification is good news for some involved in the Canadian cannabis industry, users of legal cannabis and Canadians seeking to enter the U.S. for business purposes related to the legal […]
Cannabis and International Trade: Never the Twain Shall Meet?
By Adams Lee , Attorney at Harris Bricken Recently, we’ve been getting tons of questions from clients regarding the international import and export of cannabis around the globe. 2018 was a historic year for the cannabis industry not just in the United States, but also internationally. Canada legalized recreational marijuana for the entire country. Many countries (e.g., Thailand, […]
Challenges and Opportunities for Trade in Cannabis
By Andrew Shore and James Jochum Shocking to many is the fact that Canada is consistently one of America’s top trading partners and currently our second largest behind China. Moreover, Canada is the world’s largest purchaser of all U.S. exports and the largest purchaser of American agricultural products. As of April, 18.3 percent of U.S. […]
Ontario Engages Cannabis
Ontario has issued its plans for how to implement cannabis legalization once it becomes national law, and we believe there is much to champion in the province’s approach towards building a smart regulatory framework that benefits consumers, businesses and government. As owners of cannabis grow facilities in different provinces, we are eager to begin working […]
Canada’s Framework for the Legalization and Regulation of Cannabis and What It Means to Growers
By Leigh Coulter The Canadian government has released the November 2016 report that was filed in Ottawa by the Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation. This report contains the findings and official recommendations of the task force for establishing legal cannabis across Canada. In total, the document contains 112 pages and covers issues from […]
Canada’s Drug Stores Want In On Weed
Shopper’s Drug Mart, one of Canada’s most established retail brands, has formally applied to become licensed as a producer for Canada’s medical marijuana industry. The pharmacy chain, with over 1,200 locations, made its distribution ambitions very clear in a statement. “We have no intention of producing medical marijuana, but we do want the ability to dispense medical […]
Trudeau’s Honeymoon Is Over
It was just over a year ago that the young Millennial-favourite politician, Justin Trudeau, became Canada’s 23rd Prime Minister with a campaign full of big promises and ambition to take Canada in a radically different direct than its previous tenure under Stephen Harper. One of the largest, and quite popular, promises was the complete legalization of marijuana. […]
Cannabis Shops in Canada Remain Operational While Waiting to Legalize
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Cannabis Culture Lounge has everything a pothead might need to feel right at home: $3 marijuana buds, bongs for rent, bags of Skittles and Doritos for sale, and black leather couches where customers can recline in zoned-out contemplation in a pungent haze. Never mind that it is all technically prohibited […]
Canadian Medical Marijuana Patients Authorized to Grow Their Own By Health Canada
The new regulations announced today go into effect in two weeks. But with legalization of the drug looming, today’s rules could soon change again, leaving people in the booming marijuana business still wondering what the future holds. The former Conservative government scrapped home-grow permits in 2013, bringing in rules that meant the only legal way to […]
A Quick Argument For Legalization in Canada
Many arguments are made in favour of legalizing marijuana. But by far the most compelling is the potential impact on the criminal justice system. The sheer number of Canadians who are busted for possession, trafficking, production and distribution of the leafy green plant—more than 160 per every 100,000 people—dwarfs that for any other drug, including […]
Government announces marijuana legalization task force
The Task force will include experts in law enforcement, public health, cannabis research, mental health issues, and much more The Federal government announced their official Task Force on Marijuana Legalization and Regulation at a press conference this morning. The task force will be chaired by Anne McClellan. Mark Ware will be the Vice Chair. The […]
Could Canada Become a Leader of the World’s Cannabis Industry?
TORONTO — A conference on Canada’s economic future got a taste Wednesday of a possible new strategy for the country: Becoming a world leader in the burgeoning marijuana industry. Thanks to Canada’s medical marijuana program, the country’s licensed producers are already the most sophisticated manufacturers of cannabis in the world, said Alan Gertner, co-founder of […]
Canadian Marijuana Retailers Defiant Despite Government Crackdown
Operators of Toronto’s unlicensed marijuana stores said on Tuesday they would defy Canada’s drug laws and continue their sales despite a police crackdown two weeks ago that targeted nearly half of the city’s roughly 100 stores. Representatives from industry associations and at least 35 medical marijuana stores met to discuss how to keep selling as […]
A Cautionary Canadian Tale About the Perils of Launching a Cannabis Business
In the market for 350 marijuana grow lights, 50 air ventilators or two dozen giant fans? You’re in luck. More than $1 million worth of equipment inside a defunct medical cannabis producer’s former 6,100 square-meter facility in Richmond, British Columbia, will be auctioned off on Thursday. MediJean’s closure draws attention to the costly risks of […]
Toronto Medical Cannabis Dispensaries Reeling After Police Raids
Mitchell Cutler had just finished selling a THC-infused ointment to an arthritic woman — her “medicine” — when Toronto police showed up and charged him with possession for the purposes of trafficking. “If these charges do stick I guess my future is pretty much over,” said the marijuana dispensary worker, who says he has never […]
Protestors Push Back After Toronto Police Raid Marijuana Dispensaries
Medical marijuana is legal in Canada, but only licensed providers can sell it to people who have a doctor’s approval. Police raided 43 Toronto shops on Thursday and made 90 arrests. Raids come just as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Government is poised to make marijuana legal to recreational users. Protesters gathered outside police headquarters […]
