The cannabis industry now employees 100,000 people, Alberta set to promote their local cannabis, a growing conservative moment against legal cannabis and cannabis keeps getting intercepted at the Calgary airport. On Cultivar Corner, brought to you by Up In Smoke, some more Salt Spring Magi direct delivery with Gummy Bunz.
The cannabis industry now employees 100,000 people, Alberta set to promote their local cannabis, a growing conservative moment against legal cannabis and cannabis keeps getting intercepted at the Calgary airport. On Cultivar Corner, brought to you by Up In Smoke, some more Salt Spring Magi direct delivery with Gummy Bunz.
Cannabis interpected at Calgary airport
The growing conservative push against legalization
Grown on Salt Spring by the Magi - Gummy Bunz direct delivery exclusive.
00;00;01;22 - 00;00;08;29
Ian
From a studio high above the clouds of the Okanagan Valley. This is the cannabis potcast.
00;00;09;01 - 00;00;19;04
Ian
Exploring the world of Canadian cannabis culture. One toke at a time. Here is your host and Bud tender Gary Johnston.
00;00;19;07 - 00;00;39;11
Gary Johnston
Episode 221 is here, and it's time to welcome you back to the Cannabis potcast. Or maybe I'm welcoming you for the first time. In either case, I am happy to have you here as a listener of the Cannabis potcast. I'm going to spend the next 30 minutes talking about a plant I'm absolutely passionate about, and have been for years, and that is cannabis.
00;00;39;14 - 00;01;07;08
Gary Johnston
Now, before we get too much further, let me remind you this podcast is intended for those of legal consumption age in your jurisdiction and is intended purely for entertainment and perhaps educational purposes. You should always consume your cannabis responsibly. In episode 221. The cannabis industry now employs almost 100,000 people in Canada. Alberta is said to promote their local cannabis, a growing conservative movement against legal cannabis, which is unheard of.
00;01;07;10 - 00;01;30;12
Gary Johnston
I'd rather not see upcoming strikes could have some impact on the industry and cannabis keeps getting intercepted at the Calgary airport. On Cultivar Corner, brought to you by Up in Smoke. It's more salt spraying magic direct delivery with gummy buns. All of that and more on episode 221 of the Cannabis potcast.
00;01;30;14 - 00;01;49;07
Gary Johnston
And as always, before we get too much further, I want to say thank you. Thank you for being here. I appreciate the fact that you are a listener, and I appreciate the fact that you're here all the time. I really enjoy that. If you want to call me, then any of you here on the Cannabis potcast, you can send a note to info at Cannabis potcast.com.
00;01;49;13 - 00;02;12;09
Gary Johnston
Love to hear your comments and if you would like to help out a little more, you can go to buy me a coffee.com/cannabis potcast. If you like what you hear and you feel so inclined, you can go there and buy me a doobie. Now let's get to these stories. This is from stratton.com. Canada's cannabis industry contributes more than $76 billion to Canada's GDP.
00;02;12;11 - 00;02;42;02
Gary Johnston
The cannabis industry contributed 76.5 billion to Canada's gross domestic product, and 23.1 billion to Ontario's GDP between legalization in 2018 and 2024, according to a new report from the Ontario Cannabis Store and Deloitte. Additionally, the legal cannabis sector sustained approximately 98,200 jobs annually across the country, with about one third 31,900 located in Ontario. The report six Years of Legalization.
00;02;42;09 - 00;03;12;14
Gary Johnston
The Economic and Social Impact of Canada's Cannabis Sector was released on August 13th, 2025. As it was prepared by OSHA's in collaboration with Deloitte Canada. It is a follow up on a similar report in 2021 that looked at the first three years of legal cannabis industry in Canada and Ontario over the first six years of legal cannabis. The industry also generated $29.6 billion in government tax revenue for Canada, with 5.3 billion specifically for Ontario.
00;03;12;17 - 00;03;38;27
Gary Johnston
The industry has contributed 76.5 billion in GDP gains for Canada since legalization. Over half $43 billion of this came from labor income, directly and indirectly supporting 98,200 jobs annually over six years. Total cannabis sales in Canada went from just under $1 billion in the first year of legalization to 5.8 billion in 2024, driven by growth in the adult use recreational market.
00;03;38;29 - 00;04;10;05
Gary Johnston
While the medical market has seen small but consistent annual declines, recreational sales leveled off and in 2024 remaining at about 5.4 billion, the same as 2023. Similarly, Ontario's cannabis market has grown considerably since legalization came into force in October 2018, from 300 million in the first year to 2.2 billion in 2023 and 24. Similar to the national market, sales of medical cannabis have declined in Ontario since 2018.
00;04;10;07 - 00;04;35;14
Gary Johnston
The cannabis industry has spent an estimated $42 billion across Canada in the first six years of legal cannabis market, with 11.6 billion of that spent in Ontario, Ontario. Cannabis industry has contributed $23.1 billion to provincial GDP of the six years of legalization, sustaining some 8600 jobs annually. Approximately 1 in 3 jobs directly sustained by Canada's cannabis industry are located in Ontario.
00;04;35;17 - 00;05;02;00
Gary Johnston
For every $1 of revenue generated. The cannabis industry adds around a dollars $0.08 to Canada's GDP, or a dollar one to Ontario's another, 76.5 billion. The cannabis industry has contributed to Canada's GDP 16.6 billion was a direct contribution, while 43.1 billion was indirect and another 16.8 million was induced. The cannabis industry also contributed significant tax revenue to provincial and federal governments.
00;05;02;04 - 00;05;30;18
Gary Johnston
Since 2018, the report estimates $29.6 billion in government tax revenues for Canada and 5.3 billion in tax revenue for Ontario. The federal government applies a $1 per gram excise tax on cannabis sold into provincial markets, with 75% of that revenue directed to the province where the cannabis is sold. Ontario's share of the federal cannabis excise duty from 2022 to 2024 totaled $656 million.
00;05;30;20 - 00;05;59;22
Gary Johnston
The province projects an additional 376 million for the 2024 2025 fiscal year. Expenditures from cannabis producers and retailers across Canada have generated 3.6 billion indirect taxes, 10.5 billion in indirect taxes and 6.6 billion in induced taxes. Consumers contributed an additional 8.9 billion in sales and excise taxes. In Ontario, cannabis producers and retailers generated around $400 million in direct taxes.
00;05;59;28 - 00;06;25;25
Gary Johnston
Another 1.4 billion in indirect taxes and 1.2 billion in induced taxes. Consumer purchases in the province, combined with cannabis producer spending in Ontario, contributed another $2.3 billion in excise tax revenue. And that's a lot of excise tax revenue. Nice to see numbers like that happening. But still the excise is a good portion of that.
00;06;25;28 - 00;06;30;29
Ian
From studio high above the clouds of the Okanagan Valley. This is the cannabis potcast.
00;06;31;01 - 00;06;55;04
Gary Johnston
And we're going to pick up another story from Strack, Entercom. This one is about Alberta giving themselves a break and promoting local. Alberta is going to promote local cannabis this summer, temporarily lowering provincial markup. The Alberta government is launching a program to promote Alberta grown and made cannabis products this summer, titled Proudly Alberta, officially launching the week of August 18th.
00;06;55;06 - 00;07;20;08
Gary Johnston
The program aims to support local cannabis producers by making consumers more aware of their products. The Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission The GLC will also be reducing the price of all Alberta cannabis products by 5% for four weeks, from August 20th 1st to September 16th. The cost reduction will not come from the producers bottom line, but from the fee the GLC charges for distribution.
00;07;20;11 - 00;07;47;11
Gary Johnston
As an aside, that's nice to hear. Retailers will be notified via the AG Lc's weekly retail newsletter about the price reduction during the campaign launch in the week of August 18th. The province's B2B order site will be updated to have the Proudly Alberta logo displayed on all Alberta products. The ag LC is also asking Alberta producers to provide the agency with a brief bio about the owners or company.
00;07;47;15 - 00;08;17;13
Gary Johnston
It can be shared with retailers to help them better promote local products. The provincial regulator clarifies that any product manufactured by a licensed producer and LP, with its head office and a production facility in Alberta, is eligible. What is probably Alberta, as the memo sent out to producers via email. It's a community of people growers, producers, entrepreneurs wanting to bring the best local products to the Alberta market while reducing the stigma of cannabis.
00;08;17;15 - 00;08;43;04
Gary Johnston
The story is one of passion, perseverance and dedication. They love what they do. They believe in their products and they want to bring the best cannabis to Alberta. They are proudly Alberta. The ag LCC also announced it will begin accepting applications for producers seeking a retail cannabis farm gate license. The cannabis supply retail store, the Farm Gate licensee, is not allowed to sell products from other cannabis suppliers.
00;08;43;06 - 00;09;07;27
Gary Johnston
Sell cannabis online. Sell cannabis to a cannabis store licensee or another cannabis retailer, or deliver cannabis products for standalone cultivators who have their cannabis processed and packaged by another processor. An Anglesey representative tells track in that it's a product was produced at the facility the store is located on and remains that supplier's brand. Final completion of the product may be permitted.
00;09;08;00 - 00;09;39;28
Gary Johnston
Ontario recently announced a program to promote Ontario cannabis companies and products as well. In June, the OCS launched its own Ontario Grown Cannabis to highlight local cannabis producers. For a product to be eligible for the Ontario Grown badge, it must have 75% of its cannabis inputs grown in Ontario. BC's provincial cannabis stores with 30 locations in the province also have a program to highlight products from B.C. cannabis companies, including BC micro Cultivators and indigenous owned cannabis companies.
00;09;40;01 - 00;10;03;28
Gary Johnston
An industry organization in Manitoba, the Manitoba Cannabis Growers Association, has been calling for the province to do more to promote Manitoba cannabis companies. Many other provinces share information with consumers about local products as well. So there's a look at Alberta promoting Alberta cannabis proudly. Alberta Alberta Bud. I don't know if I'll catch on, but we'll see.
00;10;03;28 - 00;10;13;13
Ian
To see CBD be profiles. What's in me? Oh, please explain to me. Go to the.
00;10;13;15 - 00;10;19;25
Unknown
The go to local corner and go to the corner.
00;10;19;25 - 00;10;23;17
Ian
Please explain this stuff to me.
00;10;23;19 - 00;10;49;11
Gary Johnston
Welcome to Cultivar Corner. Brought to you by Up in Smoke at 258 West Broadway in Vancouver, and also online at It's Up in smoke.com where you are 19 years of age or older and you live in B.C. you can head to their online menu and have some sent to you. Or if you order by 2 p.m. that day, you can have something sent to you by e-scooter with Matt or Sarah or somebody else at the wheel bringing you your cannabis.
00;10;49;18 - 00;11;17;05
Gary Johnston
It's just great. Today we are going back to the Magi. We're going back to grown on Sol Spring Island by the Magi. Some legacy artisan cannabis. Now I only have the information on the Up in Smoke menu. So I'll tell you what it is. It is gummy buns. I'm pretty sure that's what it is. Yes, it is gummy buns picked up a quarter of it and a beautiful little flower.
00;11;17;05 - 00;11;50;09
Gary Johnston
And you can take a picture at what I've got linked in there. And let's get into what it says. Biscotti and grease, monkey top terrapins, limonene BD carry off clean and little. All this indica dominant hybrid has a classic tree shaped flower that's light green with hints of purple white trichomes. Coat this flower with light orange pistol's, and I've got a little jeweler's loop as I take a peek at the at the bud at the nice tree shaped bud and see what we have in store for us.
00;11;50;11 - 00;12;14;29
Gary Johnston
That is really nice and it's well cured. It's a really a nice hard noogie. I'm not sure what that means, but that's my my term for as I dive into it, I can see vast areas of trichomes residing just under the surface of the bud. Oh, this is really a nice flower. I think it's going to have a nice taste as well.
00;12;15;01 - 00;12;49;02
Gary Johnston
So it's light green. Hints of purple white trichomes hold the flower with light orange. Pistol's. This is an exotic genetics breed that has an aroma of sweet berries and spice, and with undertones of fuel. The flavor follow through with similar notes and peppery hints. Cannabis breeding out of Washington state, combined with the Magis experience, cultivation and curing create a smooth smoking experience and I hope to relay that smooth, smoky experience to you.
00;12;49;04 - 00;13;16;08
Gary Johnston
So that's the right up from Up in Smoke. What we have to deal with beta carry off awfully little and limonene in actually reverse order. It's a combination of biscotti and grease monkey. So I have the vaporizer. All set. Let's get that warmed up. And let's start with the joints of the gummy buns. It's an indica. We're looking for a nice, buzz to get me a nice, good, relaxing night.
00;13;16;10 - 00;13;20;14
Gary Johnston
And then we'll we'll talk about why I'm need some of that relaxing a little bit later.
00;13;20;16 - 00;13;21;02
Ian
00;13;21;05 - 00;13;28;22
Gary Johnston
Let's light the joint.
00;13;28;24 - 00;13;42;10
Gary Johnston
And I'm going to be sure that in all of my consumption today, there is no coughing going on or whatsoever. That's something that I can't handle right now. And you'll understand that a little later.
00;13;42;12 - 00;14;07;07
Gary Johnston
So as I take some, smoke in from the joint, it is nice and smooth. Nice. Oh, yes. Okay. So, yeah, I'm getting a little bit of gas that's coming out of this. Some peppery hints as well. Aroma of sweet berries and spice with an undertone of fuel. So there's the gas in as it comes out. You.
00;14;07;10 - 00;14;23;29
Gary Johnston
And I now have my vaporizer up to temperature. And let's flip over to the vaporizer and see what the taste is. So do I get any sweet berries and spice with a little undertone of fuel?
00;14;24;01 - 00;14;25;13
Ian
00;14;25;15 - 00;14;37;26
Gary Johnston
In his nice it is a nice undertone of the gas. The fuel and gives me that lovely taste of the sweet berries.
00;14;37;29 - 00;14;56;06
Gary Johnston
Right upfront and didn't afford me any coughing. You'll perhaps understand a little bit when I get a little further in this episode. And I tell you why. Oh.
00;14;56;09 - 00;15;17;13
Gary Johnston
So on my joint, my ash is presenting very nicely. It's now sitting about a half an inch, maybe a three quarters of an inch. No blackness in there. Really nice and clean. Dropping off at the end.
00;15;17;16 - 00;15;19;05
Ian
Oh, yeah.
00;15;19;08 - 00;15;35;27
Gary Johnston
And this is one of those times when I'm smoking an indigo. And I really want some of that body numbing pain relief that we can get sometimes from an indica.
00;15;35;29 - 00;15;49;12
Gary Johnston
Oh, boy, that tastes good. Let's get a little bit more through the vaporizer.
00;15;49;15 - 00;16;08;19
Gary Johnston
Oh, my, my, my. So this is another direct delivery exclusive that you can pick up from up in smoke at. It's up and smoke a.com. If you're 19 years of age or older and you live in B.C., you can have it sent to you, or you can have it sent to you by e-scooter. If you get your order in by 2 p.m., they are.
00;16;08;19 - 00;16;34;28
Gary Johnston
They're building a reputation for local delivery in Vancouver and for mail order delivery. They get stuff to a so fast. I really, really love it. So just remember that. Always remember it's up in smoke, calm and you can get your ready. And when it is time my order is in. I picked up some of the gummy buns, picked up seven grams of it.
00;16;35;00 - 00;16;36;04
Ian
00;16;36;06 - 00;16;44;26
Gary Johnston
And I have been enjoying it. I am in real need of some help with pain.
00;16;44;28 - 00;16;45;20
Ian
From.
00;16;45;20 - 00;17;18;20
Gary Johnston
The indica as it gets into my body. Oh, I hate to share an experience with you. I. I had an accident on a bike last week, and in so doing, I smacked myself against the railing of a bridge crossing a creek. And I have three cracked ribs. That's why I'm unable to add much to my tender. Today I realized that my voice kind of sounds weak.
00;17;18;22 - 00;17;23;21
Gary Johnston
How it's going to get to a wall will take where it is.
00;17;23;23 - 00;17;24;25
Ian
00;17;24;27 - 00;17;27;19
Gary Johnston
It's been six, you know, five days.
00;17;27;22 - 00;17;28;15
Ian
00;17;28;18 - 00;17;52;11
Gary Johnston
Now, I hate to tell you what the bruise on the side of my body looks like. Absolutely disgusting. I had a accident. I had somebody who stopped and helped me get up, helped me get picked up and my son to come and pick me up. We then went to the hospital, had some X-rays and three cracked ribs. Was the latest.
00;17;52;13 - 00;18;18;07
Gary Johnston
And I got sent home with him. Drugs. The drugs they stopped using because they were causing me incredible amounts of nausea. So I just stuck with my Tylenol and I had been fighting it out. And I'm going to get over this. So there you go. That's the reason why I have to be especially really positive about not having any coughing in anything I'm doing today, but I can honestly say it has been a glory to do.
00;18;18;14 - 00;18;59;16
Gary Johnston
Gummy buns, limonene better carry off clean and little. Also, those sweet berries are there. There's a bit of an undertone of some gas, and most of all, I'm happy to tell you that I've got some nice euphoria and it's diving into a bit of a body stone. I don't know how far it's going to get there. My capacity is somewhat limited right now, but we're going to make it work and I'm really happy I got a chance to try out the gummy buns, biscotti, and grease monkey from the folks at Salt Spring Island, grown by Salisbury on small Spring Island by the Magi.
00;18;59;19 - 00;19;25;29
Gary Johnston
Matt and Sarah and Up in Smoke have a great relationship with the folks that up at Shoal Spring Island and with their cannabis. They like a lot of their cannabis. That's why this is another featured product. I think I'm done. That's another good one. I've got a nice buzz. I think I'm going to need get some needed relief as well as had a little enjoyment as I get there.
00;19;26;02 - 00;19;33;00
Ian
Sharing stories about good weed while trying good weed. This is the cannabis potcast.
00;19;33;02 - 00;19;54;15
Gary Johnston
And this story we pick up from the Island Starts Here is just kind of an interesting little story. Not a whole lot about it, but I think it's kind of interesting. Border officers at the Calgary airport have seized more than 160kg of cannabis in the past year. The total amount seized has an estimated street value of over 1.2 million.
00;19;54;18 - 00;20;35;22
Gary Johnston
The Canadian Border Services Agency said in a news release. Border services officers seized 109kg in four separate smuggling attempts in each attempt. The cannabis was discovered in vacuum sealed packages within suitcases destined for the United Kingdom, until I12 officers intercepted 12.29kg of cannabis contained in an otherwise empty suitcase from a Canadian citizen. On May 13th, officers intercepted 17.5kg of cannabis from the suitcase of a traveler from Hong Kong and October 27th, officers intercepted 31kg of cannabis from a Canadian citizen on a stopover from Vancouver.
00;20;35;25 - 00;21;04;22
Gary Johnston
Officers also found a gram of fentanyl and 29g of cocaine in small bags hidden within the travelers suitcases. On August 31st, officers intercepted 48kg of cannabis concealed in bath towels within two suitcases of a Canadian citizen. A second Canadian was also arrested at Calgary commercial operations. Officers intercepted nine packages containing 1 to 10kg of cannabis bound for the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands.
00;21;04;24 - 00;21;21;25
Gary Johnston
Cannabis was contained in vacuum sealed bags and was falsely declared. I like that last night and it was falsely declared. I can't believe they're finding so much cannabis in the Calgary airport.
00;21;21;28 - 00;21;47;13
Gary Johnston
And we're going to Strack Incom for our next story. And this is one that I would rather not cover, but it's happening, so I have to be aware of that. When Canada legalize cannabis for adult use in 2018, it was a big step in what felt like an inevitable progression towards more sensible cannabis policies around the world. However, some seven years later, much of that momentum seems to have stalled.
00;21;47;16 - 00;22;27;25
Gary Johnston
While a growing number of pundits and politicians, primarily on the right side of the political spectrum, are pushing back what many had long hoped for, seemed to finally be coming to fruition. In 2013, Uruguay became the first nation to legalize recreational cannabis, followed by several more U.S. states in the coming years. In 2017, Catalonia also legalized. And while many countries followed with different approaches to legalizing and regulating cannabis for medical purposes, or even decriminalizing it for adult use, in many ways it seems Canada may have been a high watermark, not one step in a more sensible reconsideration of the world's approach to cannabis sativa.
00;22;27;27 - 00;22;55;00
Gary Johnston
In 2020, a referendum in New Zealand on whether or not to legalize cannabis failed by a slim margin, and in 2024, the Australian Senate voted to discontinue debating a cannabis legalization bill. What seemed like a big step forward in Germany in early 2024, when it legalized limited possession and cultivation, and later that year, adult only nonprofit cannabis social clubs stopped short of allowing adult use sales.
00;22;55;02 - 00;23;18;15
Gary Johnston
The law has now faced pushback from the recently elected conservative Christian Democratic Union government. Medical cannabis laws in many countries are now also facing pushback. Health authorities in New Zealand recently announced they are going after medical cannabis clinics that are violating the country's advertising restrictions. The health authority in Australia recently launched a public consultation on unapproved medicinal cannabis products.
00;23;18;18 - 00;23;40;09
Gary Johnston
In Canada, the health regulator has been making similar efforts to push back against a handful of physicians it has for years that are connected to a large number of high remedy authorization for cannabis, often connected to large personal or designated production licenses. And in the United States, the Sleeping giant that many are hoping to expect to be one of the next big markets to finally legalize cannabis.
00;23;40;16 - 00;24;05;25
Gary Johnston
Conservative political pundits continue to rail against cannabis in many forms. Mega podcaster and right wing personality Charlie Kirk recently expressed strong opposition to the recent rumors that President Donald Trump is considering reclassifying cannabis as a less dangerous drug, arguing that everything already smells like weed. I hope this doesn't happen, Kirk wrote in a social media post. We need to protect public spaces for kids.
00;24;05;27 - 00;24;33;29
Gary Johnston
Everything already smells like weed, which is ridiculous. Let's make it harder to ruin public spaces, not easier. The very conservative American Heritage Foundation also recently posted a piece about the supposed failure of cannabis legalization to eliminate the illicit market. The opinion piece perpetuates a common trope a straw man, in which the legalization of was supposedly promised to completely and immediately eradicate the black market.
00;24;34;02 - 00;25;03;15
Gary Johnston
Well, the Heritage Foundation is an American conservative think tank. It also focuses on Canada exclusively in the report. At one point, a convenient anonymous quote says the extinction of the black market is the chief diversity of arguments for legalizing marijuana. If anything, legalization has fought hordes of stoners, namely low income, to continue to rely on the streets. It's a great example of one of the many contradictions social conservatives make when attacking cannabis legalization.
00;25;03;18 - 00;25;28;25
Gary Johnston
On one hand, they oppose it outright because cannabis is bad. On the other hand, they pretend to have concerns about the poor and marginalized supposedly being negatively impacted by legalization. In reality, if we look at some of the key voices in the lead up to legalization in Canada and McClelland, who led the federal government's task force on legalization, tells reckon in 2020, she expected the process to take a decade.
00;25;29;01 - 00;26;01;11
Gary Johnston
She reached about an 80% share for the legal market. The notion that cannabis legalization was promoted as a safe way to end a deeply embedded black market instantly is simply not supported by the facts, just feelings. And six years in, based on polling that helps Statistics Canada create a baseline prior to legalization. The legal market has already captured about 75% of the market and prior to legalization in Canada in 2018, unless one was accessing Canada's medical cannabis program, 100% of the cannabis in the country was not legal.
00;26;01;13 - 00;26;26;03
Gary Johnston
To go from that to 75% in just 5 or 6 years is noteworthy. On top of that, 100% is never going to be likely for a highly controlled substance like cannabis. It's similar for other products in that category. The Lcbo estimates that illegal activities account for 19.7% of the Ontario Alcoholic drink market in tobacco. The rate is much higher, sometimes more than 50% of the market.
00;26;26;06 - 00;26;53;22
Gary Johnston
The coalition of cannabis legalization with other drug related issues like the opioid epidemic is also common. The conflation of cannabis legalization with other drug related issues, like the opioid epidemic, is also common in Canada. We can see one recent example in the House of Commons. When conservative MP in British Columbia, Michael, implied the low overdose rate in their community was related to the fact that the city had also banned cannabis stores in 2024.
00;26;53;24 - 00;27;23;20
Gary Johnston
Then conservative leader Pierre Poilievre tried to play fast and loose, with a similar argument connecting legalization with tens of thousands of deaths, while Polya tried to backpedal by saying he was referring to recent dehumanization efforts concerning personal possession of small amounts of a certain hard drugs in British Columbia. The argument is common enough to reveal a theme, rather than focusing on economic opportunities within the cannabis industry or on the bureaucracy friendly nature of legalization in Canada under the liberals.
00;27;23;22 - 00;27;52;03
Gary Johnston
The conservatives seem more interested in continuing to discuss cannabis in the same breath as drugs like fentanyl or heroin, acting as if we can revert to a century of failed prohibition policies. Similarly, we've seen misleading reports that exaggerate the impact that cannabis use in legalization have had on the road. Politicians who oppose cannabis legalization like to routinely conflate data that shows the presence of cannabis in someone's system with impairment or even with causing an accident.
00;27;52;05 - 00;28;20;01
Gary Johnston
An opinion piece penned by a conservative MP and B.C. in 2024 claimed legalization has undermined road safety, even though the evidence shows that cannabis legalization is not associated with increases in traffic injuries in Canada. Similarly, a 2024 study in Ontario looking at the effects of edible cannabis on simulated driving and blood THC levels found that driving impairment was not correlated with blood THC.
00;28;20;04 - 00;28;43;09
Gary Johnston
One conservative MP in 2024 went so far as to say he would recreational cannabis if given a chance. Such sentiments from the conservatives around cannabis are not uncommon. Marilyn Gladue, conservative MP for Sarnia Lambton, Ontario, who has a storied anti cannabis history in the House as one of those who led the charge to oppose legalization in the first place.
00;28;43;11 - 00;29;07;29
Gary Johnston
As long said the party would push back on legalization in 2019, she told The Globe and Mail that the party wouldn't roll back cannabis legalization but would like to make major changes to it, including raising the age of access, banning home and including medical. Supporting large companies over smaller ones, while also wanting to pare back packaging restrictions for food and drugs.
00;29;08;01 - 00;29;31;09
Gary Johnston
Recently, another conservative MP in Ontario has called on the federal health minister to look at issues with medical cannabis home rules. Conservatives have also continued to call for an end to medical cannabis loophole. Now that much of the hype of legalization has faded and the stock market millionaires have all packed up and moved on to greener pastures, they seem to see little reason even to pretend to be pro cannabis.
00;29;31;12 - 00;29;54;16
Gary Johnston
They can once again point to the specter of a scary marijuana as a cause and symptom of society's ills. The political winds of the world currently seem to be moving to the right of the political spectrum, and if this continues, I suspect these kind of disingenuous arguments against cannabis legalization will only increase. While Republican voters often say they are supportive of cannabis legalization.
00;29;54;21 - 00;30;31;03
Gary Johnston
Republicans in several U.S. states have been responsible for pushing back against voter efforts to legalize. All of this highlights two fallacies in the cannabis community and those investing in the industry. The first is that legalization is inevitable. The second is a conservative support legalization because it's a revenue generator and prohibition is big government. What we see instead is it conservative politicians and pundits continue to revel in old, outdated Reefer Madness, prohibition era talking points about the danger of marijuana, not the benefits of legalization from a standpoint of personal freedom.
00;30;31;06 - 00;30;53;28
Gary Johnston
And as the U.S. continues to debate legalization in some speculated the current U.S. president will enacted, it will be wise to take into account that not only is this progress not inevitable, but there's a growing pushback against it, especially among the right wing politicians controlling not only the U.S. but many of the others around the world. Progress is not inevitable, at least not in the short term.
00;30;54;01 - 00;31;15;26
Gary Johnston
The sentiment that held back sensible cannabis policy for a century, led by the U.S., remains and appears to be gaining ground again. And I have to say, I am really disappointed that those are feelings that people have more. Oh, we can never go back in my line.
00;31;15;28 - 00;31;20;10
Ian
From the cannabis infused studio In the clouds. This is the cannabis potcast.
00;31;20;12 - 00;31;43;10
Gary Johnston
Well, have you been paying attention? You realize that we have probably come close to the end of another episode? Yes we have. It's true. Remember, if you want to comment on anything, you can send a note to info at Cannabis potcast.com. And also remember, if you feel so inclined, you can take on to buy me a coffee.com/cannabis potcast.
00;31;43;14 - 00;32;12;01
Gary Johnston
If you like what you hear and you feel so inclined, you can buy me a doobie. And now is the worst teasers, the worst dad jokes in the world. And these are up for domination. Where do you go to learn how to make desserts? Sunday school. Did you hear about the two antennas wedding? The reception was fantastic. Sometimes you just got to put the right emphasis.
00;32;12;03 - 00;32;24;29
Gary Johnston
What spreads like a wildfire? Wildfire? Of course. And what did one hot dog say to another? I, Frank?
00;32;25;01 - 00;32;27;14
Ian
You just gotta love them.
00;32;27;16 - 00;32;36;18
Gary Johnston
I've had fun. I hope you have, too. That's it. From the guy in clouds. For episode 221 of the Cannabis potcast.
00;32;36;20 - 00;32;45;00
Ian
From the cannabis infused studio high above the Okanagan Valley. This was the cannabis potcast.