Pubdate: Mon, 26 Dec 2016
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2016 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/wEtbT4yU
Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Author: Alexandra Posadzki
Page: FP1
Referenced: http://mapinc.org/url/spC7LQBu

PIVOTAL PHASE FOR MARIJUANA AHEAD

Legalizing recreational use could unleash $22.6B industry

TORONTO* It' s Sunday afternoon and Toronto's Centre for Social
Innovation is packed full of marijuana enthusiasts perusing tables of
goods.

Everything from marijuana-infused barbecue sauce to medicated body
rubs is available at Green Market, where artisans peddle their various
craft cannabis products.

Such events, which sell to patients and casual users alike, operate
within a foggy regulatory environment. Selling marijuana is illegal
unless you are a large-scale producer licensed under Health Canada's
medical marijuana regime.

However, licensed producers are only permitted to sell dried cannabis
flower and oils, in spite of a Supreme Court ruling last year that
said Canadians have a right to access medical marijuana in all of its
forms.

"We only carry products that are inaccessible in the current legal
medical program," says Lisa Campbell, Green Market co-founder and a
marijuana consultant at Mobile Revolutions.

"So for patients we are the only place they can find edibles - it's
not available from any licensed producer."

The year ahead is expected to be a pivotal one f or Canada's
burgeoning marijuana industry, as the federal government is planning
to table legislation in the spring that will lay out the ground rules
for a legal, recreational market.

"Canada will be the first G7 nation, in 2017, to legalize, regulate
and restrict access to recreational cannabis," says Brendan Kennedy,
president of B.C.- based marijuana producer Tilray.

"The eyes of the world are on Canada, and it's extremely important for
Canada to get this right."

There's also a lot of money to be made in marijuana.

A report published by consultancy firm Deloitte in October estimates
that legalizing recreational use of the drug could ignite a $22.6
billion industry in Canada. That figure includes sales of marijuana
products as well as ancillaries such as security, transportation and
testing labs.

"The real money is in recreational marijuana," says Jay Currie, author 
of the book, "Start & Run a Marijuana Dispensary or Pot Shop: Wherever 
it is Legal."

"So these guys who've got millions and millions of bucks invested in
candy factories that have been turned into grow-ops really want to
make sure that they have a big bite on the recreational side."

Currie is referring to Tweed, which is housed in a former Hershey
Chocolate factory in Smiths Falls, Ont., southwest of Ottawa. The
marijuana production company is a subsidiary of Canopy Growth, and
with a market value of roughly $1 billion, it is the largest publicly
traded marijuana company in the country.

While licensed producers ramp up facilities in preparation for an
anticipated surge in demand, boutique cannabis companies are also
eager for a slice of the pot pie.

"I personally would like to see something like what they've done in
California, where they have 17 different types of licences you can
get, including microprocessing, which is probably the category that
most small businesses would fall under," says Christa Schadt.

Schadt founded Bliss, a company that makes marijuana-infused
lubricants, while dealing with the symptoms of menopause.

Virginia Vidal, who sells teas that contain marijuana under the brand
Mary's Wellness, says the boutique industry provides consumers with
far greater choice in terms of available products.

Another matter that has yet to be settled is how cannabis would be
distributed for recreational use. Under the medical program, licensed
producers ship the product to patients via mail.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has mused about the possibility of
having the provincial Crown liquor corporation in charge of selling
recreational marijuana. But a federally appointed task force is
recommending storefront and mail-order sales.
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