Welcome to the Grower’s Circle – Canada remains the world leader in regulated cannabis cultivation and we are proud to share the news of our homegrown expertise with the world. To keep cannabis cultivation on the edge of innovation, it’s important to generate an exchange of ideas and insight between growers. To that end, Grow Up is introducing The Grower’s Circle – a one day series of technical sessions that allow growers (both experienced and novice) to get more out their cultivation practices, courtesy of the shared insights of others.
Technical Workshop Description
Literally our most illuminating session. The phenomenon of photosynthesis is where it all begins, but researchers continue to parse how the process is utilized and optimized. What do we really know about what the plant “wants” from light? How effectively does artificial light mimic the benefits of solar rays? More importantly, what are the aspects of light that are most beneficial to cannabinoid and terpene production?
Advanced scientific techniques and technologies hold great promise for improving competitiveness and productivity for the cannabis industry, but how best to apply them? The fields of genomics and metabolomics are delivering a bonanza of useful information that can help cannabis breeders develop key traits, manage pests or disease, fine tune plant chemical profiles for specific use cases, and identify cannabis strains and providence within complex and regulated supply chains. Come and listen to pioneering scientists and industry figures on the state of the art, learn how the suite of tools they are building can be used to solve problems and drive efficiencies for cannabis producers, and get your questions answered on what “Omics” means for you.
The global wave of cannabis legalization for medical and/or recreational use has created – and is still creating – a rare, if not inimitable, opportunity. Entrepreneurs, investors, and executives in the cannabis industry need to realize the unique dynamics of this early stage industry and how the competitive landscape is unlike other industries – and in some forms non-existent – in the short-term. Different parts of the supply and service chain have not developed and grown at the same rate, which make the relationship between the players in the market more complicated. The collaboration and support between cannabis laboratories in California, Oregon, and Canada could be a good example of how this unusual market can work. Those who understand how to take advantage of collaboration and coopetition in the next few years, will be the long-term leaders of the market.
When Ontario finally allowed the opening of its first bricks-and-mortar cannabis retail stores, the public (and the media) flocked to the joints, temporarily at least. Others remained at home, waiting for delivery – a private transaction between the buyer and their mail carrier. In many ways, cannabis retail mirrors the convulsive evolution of retail in general. The mall-killer Amazon is not in the game yet, but the mere option of home-delivery (offset against the remaining stigma of being seen walking into a “weed shop”) hangs over any predictions of the future of cannabis stores. On the other hand, the stores offer personalized service, and a hand-to-hand transaction without shipping fees. We weigh the arguments for both, and consider how retail is most likely to evolve.
Terpenoids and flavonoids are fragrant (not necessarily aromatic) oils that give cannabis its flavour profile and are often the subtle yet defining characteristic of the strains of the plant. The relative ratios of these compounds along with the most canonical cannabis natural products, such as CBD and THC, contribute to a defining phenomenon called the “Entourage Effect” (first proposed by S. Ben-Shabat, and by Raphael Mechoulam), which suggests that the effects of these non-psychoactive compounds are more significant to the psychoactive experience than the sum of their parts. The novel concept has led to new areas of research in medicine (such as pain management) of how changing these ratios can customize the user’s experience. Here, the effects of terpenes, flavonoids and phytocannabinoids on the human body are explored, and that an inevitable business model that the cannabis industry will move towards will reflect an online consumer experience of creating your own cultivar.
From a consumer standpoint, the response to legalized marijuana was mixed. The product could be fresh, or sit in transit long enough to crumble into powder. THC levels in the product description had variances from 12% to 25% (well, which IS it?). The industry needed guidelines, and the government would be the first to enforce them when it came to new regs for edibles and oils (10 mg of THC per edibles package, 1000 mg per package for extracts). But there’s plenty left for the industry to self-regulate, and plenty of money on the line. Sales to Europe demands Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliance, which does not yet exist in Canada. It’s an all-encompassing, thoroughly documented record of all aspects of production, and its implementation could be a deal-breaker for Canadian cannabis. In this session, we talk standards.
With the advent of cannabis legalization and proliferation of cannabis growing facilities, there is uncertainty in jurisdictions across the country as to how these facilities should be valued and treated for municipal property taxation purposes. Are they farms, commercial or industrial operations? Inherent in this question is the tension between fair treatment for cannabis businesses and municipalities seeking to reap the benefits of having cannabis grow ops in their communities. This presentation will provide an overview of how cannabis facilities are currently treated for property tax purposes across the country, with commentary on prospects for the future. The goal is for participants to understand the impact of property taxes on a cannabis company’s bottom line.
As the projected $22 billion worldwide market becomes reality, proprietary concerns will affect cannabis entrepreneurs and researchers. It’s worth knowing that there’s pre-existing legislation called the Plant Breeders Rights Act that protects exclusivity for creators of new strains and varieties of commercial plants. If they meet the criteria, holders of PBRs can, “exclude others from selling, producing, exporting, importing, making repeated use of, conditioning, and stocking the propagating material of the protected plant variety for 20 or 25 years.” What does it mean to “own” a strain of cannabis? And what do you risk if you don’t protect your leafy intellectual property? This session looks at how you can protect yourself.
There probably wouldn’t even be a massive indoor grow-op industry without prohibition. Out of sight, a surreptitious science grew up around a controlled year-round environment, high in CO2, where strains could be managed around-the-clock. But now that growers are free to operate in the open, a segment of the industry and the consumer has expressed a preference for the “natural” product. An outdoor grower can get by with a few workers until harvest, whereas a grow-op needs a contingent of fulltime staff to prune, water and measure CO2 and nutrients. And yet, it’s hard to argue with indoor success. But argue we will, or at least heatedly debate both sides.
In a business where the female plant is queen, it’s ironic that gender bias would exist at all. But an industry that continues to write its own rules has an opportunity to reject the “boys club” mentality and reward the contribution of women, tangibly through pay-equity and other issues, and attitudinally. This networking session is a coffee-fueled think-tank on how to facilitate the full participation of women in our workplaces.
Join our trained facilitators through a “pro-active solution-based” workshop designed to gather the collective wisdom of the room and generate applicable solutions for change. Helping to create a workplace where women are encouraged to apply and when engaged can participate fully. This networking breakfast allows female cultivators and entrepreneurs to share their experiences, challenges and successes with others in the cannabis business. There are inspirational stories to be heard, and relationships to forge.
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