Cannabis North of the Border
All eyes are on Canada right now as it prepares to legalize recreational marijuana in October, becoming only the second country to do so after Uruguay. The pending change has already touched off an investment boom and pushed up valuations of Canada’s cannabis producers. Canada’s cannabis producers are enjoying a first-mover advantage as medical and recreational pot gain traction from the U.S. to Germany. Canada’s industry will also be the litmus test for whether governments can stamp out illicit sales, transfer billions of dollars in revenue to an emerging industry, generate taxes and create jobs.
The Canadian cannabis industry is in the headlines nearly every day --- in fact, the four major cannabis companies I mentioned yesterday that are set to mint millionaires and are all producers in Canada. Mergers and acquisitions, imminent adult use regulations and storefront sales, product diversification on the horizon, investment and validation from the beverage industry, interest from big pharma and troubles at the US border are all regular features 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 now emerging – and they are being defined by participants.
Regulations and the role of intellectual property to protect and leverage technology and branding in this industry are major issues. The implications of regulating a product that is for sale both as a medicine and as a discretionary psychoactive product are far reaching, and while there are obvious opportunities, there are implications for society that are not immediately realized. I kid you not, these implications will affect all of us.
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 already a template for those in many other countries, particularly in quality control and process control, but also for upstream, midstream and downstream aspects of the industry. So make no mistake about it, October will be the starting point for major changes in the cannabis industry. If we think it is about to get exciting for UNVC/AGRiMED/SATIVEO, think about what is about to unfold for everyone in this industry. Legalization is closer than we think.
All eyes are on Canada right now as it prepares to legalize recreational marijuana in October, becoming only the second country to do so after Uruguay. The pending change has already touched off an investment boom and pushed up valuations of Canada’s cannabis producers. Canada’s cannabis producers are enjoying a first-mover advantage as medical and recreational pot gain traction from the U.S. to Germany. Canada’s industry will also be the litmus test for whether governments can stamp out illicit sales, transfer billions of dollars in revenue to an emerging industry, generate taxes and create jobs.
The Canadian cannabis industry is in the headlines nearly every day --- in fact, the four major cannabis companies I mentioned yesterday that are set to mint millionaires and are all producers in Canada. Mergers and acquisitions, imminent adult use regulations and storefront sales, product diversification on the horizon, investment and validation from the beverage industry, interest from big pharma and troubles at the US border are all regular features 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 now emerging – and they are being defined by participants.
Regulations and the role of intellectual property to protect and leverage technology and branding in this industry are major issues. The implications of regulating a product that is for sale both as a medicine and as a discretionary psychoactive product are far reaching, and while there are obvious opportunities, there are implications for society that are not immediately realized. I kid you not, these implications will affect all of us.
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 already a template for those in many other countries, particularly in quality control and process control, but also for upstream, midstream and downstream aspects of the industry. So make no mistake about it, October will be the starting point for major changes in the cannabis industry. If we think it is about to get exciting for UNVC/AGRiMED/SATIVEO, think about what is about to unfold for everyone in this industry. Legalization is closer than we think.
