Week in Weed – September 7, 2024

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This past week at StratCann, we shared our monthly cannabis industry jobs update and looked at the BCLDB’s most recent annual report

Organigram closed its second round of BAT funding, Cronos was found to be trying to engage in “reverse hijacking” of a domain name, and Safari Flower exited creditor protection

Also, the SQDC released its most recent quarterly report. BC’s Surrey wants cannabis store applications sent in by September 17, and Victoria’s Rifflandia will be hosting a cannabis space along with local retailers Seed & Stone and Songhees Cannabis. 

In other cannabis news…

High Tide Inc. re-launched its Canna Cabana website for its flagship retail brand, providing an improved experience for its ELITE and Cabana Club members. The company also opened its 183rd Canna Cabana location, which is in Lucan, Ontario

In a story our readers will recognize from last week’s Week in Weed, Post Media looked into a recent Alberta court case involving a man who was found to be impaired by cannabis following a Standardized Field Sobriety Test. The court rejected his argument that the evidence did not establish his impairment.

Delta 9 Biotech says the company has decided to wind down the operations of its distribution wing, Delta 9 Logistics, effective September 30, 2024. Notices have been sent to clients.

Shakir Tayabali is departing his role as the CEO of the Independent Retail Cannabis Collective (IRCC). Mandesh Dosanjh, Executive Chair, is stepping into the role of interim CEO while IRCC seeks a more permanent replacement. 

Tamara Lovi has been appointed as new Chair of the Cannabis Council Of Canada (C3). Lovi has been a member of the Board for two years and has an extensive background in the pharmaceutical industry.

Deputy Minister Simon Kennedy is stepping down from his role at ISED on September 13. Mr. Kennedy oversaw Health Canada’s implementation of the government’s initiative to legalize and regulate cannabis, including passage of the Cannabis Act, and in his capacity at ISED, served as a valuable voice on the agency’s now-mostly-neglected cannabis file. Kennedy was named Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, effective September 3, 2019.

The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) is seeking a permanent full-time Reporting Analyst within our Regina Head Office, reporting to the Manager, Cannabis Policy and Analysis.

Avail Medical, a clinic that specializes in providing access to cannabis for medical purposes, announced Victoria’s first multidisciplinary clinic focused exclusively on veteran healthcare. The clinic will offer a  wide range of exclusive products and services for veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces, including an “exploration into psychedelic-assisted therapy.”

Mark Johnson, a lawyer who ran for the Conservatives in Toronto in the 2021 federal election, penned a piece claiming that Canadian society has basically collapsed since legalization. The highly inaccurate article serves to highlight how many on that side of the aisle continue to look at this file through the lens of reefer madness, not supposed Conservative issues like streamlining regulations or lowering taxes. Earlier this year, Johnson also said legalization itself was “misguided”. 

Kind Gardens held their sampling-focused event for budtenders in Edmonton on September 5. 

An opinion piece in the Toronto Star looked at the number of cannabis stores closing in Canada’s largest city, calling for measures to help existing stores stay open and what to do with all the empty storefronts

Humber College held a Become a Cannabis CEO event earlier this year at its Lakeshore Campus, aimed at empowering Black, Indigenous and other racialized communities to enter or advance their careers in the cannabis industry.  

A recent study said that THC’s effects were significantly increased by CBD, rather than moderated by the,m as has been previously accepted as fact. 

International cannabis news…

Politico took another look at the ongoing and slow evolution of Germany’s approach to cannabis legalization.

California Governor Gavin Newsom proposed emergency regulations aimed at reining in the manufacture and sale of illegal hemp products that contain intoxicating cannabinoids such as THC. 

And finally, Donald Trump offered muted support for cannabis legalization in Florida, contradicting the state’s Republic governor Ron DeSantis. Trump also said there would need to be rules in place to “prohibit the use of it in public spaces, so we do not smell marijuana everywhere we go, like we do in many of the Democrat-run cities”—a real champion of legalization, clearly. :/


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