Cannabis robberies and the cost for store owners, at least one US presidential candidate says yes to cannabis legalization, a big company turns to autoflower research, Manitoban’s hope 2025 will be the year they can actually grow cannabis at home, not surprising that we hear little about cannabis in any of our current provincial election campaigns, a city councilor suggests the provinces need to step up to create positive change. On Cultivar Corner, we welcome Up in Smoke as a sponsor and start with an exclusive limited drop of Organic Sweetgrass Cannabis Sherbadelic – we’ve got the details on episode 176 of The Cannabis Potcast.
Cannabis robberies and the cost for store owners, at least one US presidential candidate says yes to cannabis legalization, a big company turns to autoflower research, Manitoban’s hope 2025 will be the year they can actually grow cannabis at home, not surprising that we hear little about cannabis in any of our current provincial election campaigns, a city councilor suggests the provinces need to step up to create positive change. On Cultivar Corner, we welcome Up in Smoke as a sponsor and start with an exclusive limited drop of Organic Sweetgrass Cannabis Sherbadelic – we’ve got the details on episode 176 of The Cannabis Potcast.
Kelowna store cleans up after break-in
Manitobans still waiting to grow weed
Harris says yes to legalization
Cannabis not on election agenda
Great ideas from city council member
Sweetgrass Limited Edition Sherbadelic
00;00;01;22 - 00;00;18;26
Ian
From the studio high above the clouds of the Okanagan Valley. This is the Cannabis Potcast exploring the world of Canadian cannabis culture. One toke at a time. Now here's your host and budtender, Gary Johnston.
00;00;19;18 - 00;00;39;15
Gary Johnston
That must mean it's my turn. I get to welcome you back to the Cannabis Potcast. If this is your return visit or maybe this is your very first visit. In either case, let me welcome you to the Cannabis Potcast. Ahead, we have 30 or 40 minutes of information about cannabis, a plant I am absolutely passionate about, and I suspect you may have some interest in it as well.
00;00;40;00 - 00;01;02;18
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 176. We're going to touch on a few areas of cannabis. Nasty evidence of a cannabis break in the colony.
00;01;02;18 - 00;01;21;14
Gary Johnston
Cannabis Store where they got to spend a whole bunch of money cleaning up after that. We touch on that. An Edmonton counselor has some great suggestions that the provinces need to get in to make changes to our cannabis industry. We can't be too sure that the provinces are going to do anything because we're not hearing much about cannabis in any of our provincial election campaigns.
00;01;21;15 - 00;01;46;05
Gary Johnston
Currently, we have a story on that. Oral Flowers. There's a major cannabis company looking at auto flower research right now, and I thought it was already in place, but apparently it's not. Manitobans will get to grow their cannabis hopefully in 2025. And this is some good news from the States with the election underway and one of the major candidates has come forward in saying that she thinks legalization should occur.
00;01;46;17 - 00;02;12;24
Gary Johnston
So that's cool. And on calls of our corner, we welcome up in smoke as a sponsor and we're going to start off with a direct delivery exclusive from sweetgrass cannabis it's their sherbet delic all of that and more on episode 176 of the Cannabis Potcast. Thanks for being here. I truly appreciate the fact that you come back to the Cannabis Potcast each and every time, and I truly appreciate the fact that you're listening.
00;02;13;10 - 00;02;30;00
Gary Johnston
I also want to thank my supporters, Jordanna at Buy Me a Coffee Dot com slash Cannabis Potcast. If you feel so inclined, you can do the same thing and go there and buy me a doobie just like Tony did. If you remember Tony and not you, Tony. I'm talking to you, Tony. That's the Tony I'm referring to today.
00;02;30;00 - 00;02;44;29
Gary Johnston
And Tony left me a note as well after you bought it. So thanks for the info, but CHC and the shout out. I'm excited to see what you have in store with us for changes to your programing and I am excited about that too. Tony, you're going to hear about that very soon and thank you so much, Tony.
00;02;45;00 - 00;03;07;21
Gary Johnston
I appreciate the fact that you bought me five doobies. I love it. I always enjoy when I get some support from you. Thank you so much for being here. And let's not forget my patrons at Patriot. Thanks to Tony. Rob Gage, Lloyd. Roger. I thank each and every one of you so much for your support as well. And if you ever have a comment on anything you hear sent a note to info at Cannabis Potcast dot com.
00;03;08;01 - 00;03;30;05
Gary Johnston
Well, let's get to our first story. It's never fun doing stories like these and it's especially aggravating when you see that the people involved just run. Their intent was just destroy stuff and that drives me nuts. This is a story from castanets Dot Net about a recent colonia cannabis store and how much damage was done in their break in.
00;03;31;03 - 00;03;50;07
Gary Johnston
Thieves took a cab to an overnight break in at a colonia cannabis store in the early morning hours of Sunday before causing thousands of dollars in damage at the store. One of the three has since been arrested. Co-owner of High Cannabis Care Line last year was woken up at 155 Amber Store's alarm when she open up her camera feed on her phone.
00;03;50;08 - 00;04;12;29
Gary Johnston
She watched the burglary. Every Glenmore story taking place live. She called police who arrived within minutes, but the three thieves were out before police arrived, Lassner says, but not before they smashed her front door. All of her glass display cases and made off of cannabis and other paraphernalia all by displays, got shattered. They just got off of pretty much the display cannabis and bongs, but they shattered everything, Ladner said.
00;04;13;14 - 00;04;29;02
Gary Johnston
She estimated the thieves made off with a couple thousand dollars in product, but she believes the damage to her store will be in excess of $5,000. It looked like a jewelry heist almost. It was crazy, she said. Police have told last year that they've arrested one of the suspects, but she believes the other two are still out there.
00;04;29;10 - 00;04;50;28
Gary Johnston
After going through her security footage, she realized the three thieves were actually dropped off in front of the store in a colonia cab. But 50 minutes before the break in occurred. This is the first time last year store has been broken into since they opened in November of 2021. And she's now considering beefing up security. I know what's happened to other cannabis stores in town and I think the police believe it might be connected, she said.
00;04;51;09 - 00;05;06;05
Gary Johnston
The store will be closed for the time being as last year and her team works to clean up the mess. But she's hoping to reopen next week if she's able to replace the display cases. And there was some video posted on that with with the story as well. And I have posted that back in the show page and just nasty.
00;05;06;08 - 00;05;10;26
Gary Johnston
The amount of damage done to the store just to get a little bit of weed and a couple of bongs.
00;05;12;29 - 00;05;17;02
Ian
From the cannabis infused studio in the clouds. This is the Cannabis Potcast.
00;05;17;15 - 00;05;37;17
Gary Johnston
Into the Arms dossier for a story written by Pat Bulmer and I have kind of some interest in this since I've been growing a lot of flowers myself for the last couple of years. I think this kind of has some sense. Aurora is banking on auto flowering research. Edmonton based Aurora Cannabis says it is pioneering groundbreaking research in auto flowering technology.
00;05;37;29 - 00;06;02;14
Gary Johnston
Now, auto flowering is a genetic characteristic that automatically transitions the plant from the vegetative state to the flowering stage, rather than relying on changes in light cycles, the company explains in a September 17th news release. Or is the website THC University Morgue explains it an auto flower? Cannabis seed is a type of cannabis seed that has been bred to flower automatically based on age rather than changes in the light cycle.
00;06;02;23 - 00;06;30;06
Gary Johnston
This innovative work will support future breeding strategies and can be leveraged to revolutionize outdoor cannabis cultivation in high altitude regions such as Canada, the Aurora release says. Our recent work on auto flowering will be a game changer for cannabis and hemp production, says Josie Celadon, director of Breeding and genetics for Aurora in the release. Most of the commercially grown cannabis is photo period sensitive, meaning that plants require shifts in day length to trigger flowering.
00;06;30;06 - 00;06;54;04
Gary Johnston
Well, this can be controlled readily in indoor production. It is a limitation for outdoor cultivation, the release says. Aurora's new genetic patent enables it to identify and select for the auto flowering trait. The company adds. And the release concludes, Aurora's commitment to research and innovation has generated tangible results for the company significantly improving potency and yield, thereby driving down cost per gram and increasing overall efficiency.
00;06;54;12 - 00;07;17;19
Gary Johnston
And as a bit of a sidebar to that. Let's dove into a little bit of where the auto flowering comes from, a little bit of science. Surprisingly enough, I know some of this, and that is because they have bred both indica or sativa or some other cannabis plant with roots rallies. Now, Ruder Rouse is a type of cannabis plant that grows low to the ground and auto flowers.
00;07;17;24 - 00;07;49;14
Gary Johnston
So when they bring root or rallies into the other cannabis components, you get like I did Tropicana Cookies, Auto Flower. And it is really cool because just at a certain stage of vegetative state, they just start flowering. It's wonderful, but I know you can't get as deep and you can't probably grow as much with as much detail. But it's a pretty cool technology and I think it's going to be interesting to see what Aurora does with auto flowers.
00;07;49;14 - 00;08;15;28
Gary Johnston
And in a story from 420 until dot.com, presidential candidate Kamala Harris has said marijuana should be legalized. This is the first time Harris has publicly discussed her position on cannabis legalization since becoming Democratic presidential nominee. The Basketball Focused Podcast all The Smoke, which interviewed Kobe Bryant several weeks before his untimely 2020 death, has since exploded in popularity featuring celebs and sports icons.
00;08;16;09 - 00;08;44;01
Gary Johnston
On Monday, the podcast took it up a notch with its release of a sit down interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, podcast host and former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson talked with Ayres about policy issues, the economy, upcoming elections, social justice and more. Naturally, cannabis legalization also came up in the 47 minute conversation. The Washington Post called Nabbing Harris for an interview a coup for a podcast with popularity that has remained largely confined to sports and entertainment.
00;08;44;12 - 00;09;10;22
Gary Johnston
That said, All the smoke's YouTube channel has more than a million subscribers, so the feeling was likely mutual. Harris said the time has come to legalize marijuana, essentially making the first time the vice president has publicly discussed her position on cannabis legalization since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee in late July. I just feel strongly people should not be going to jail for smoking weed and we know historically what that has meant and who has gone to jail, Harris told Barnes and Jackson.
00;09;11;08 - 00;09;31;18
Gary Johnston
Harris was apparently referring to the racial disparity in cannabis possession arrests on average, black people are 3.6 times more likely to be arrested on marijuana charges, according to ACLU data. Second, I just think we've come to a point where we have to understand that we need to legalize it and start criminalizing this behavior, she said. And actually, this is not a new position for me.
00;09;31;26 - 00;09;54;17
Gary Johnston
I felt for a long time, we need to legalize. So that's where I am on that. The episode came out just one day before the first and probably only debate between the vice presidential nominees. Barnes mentioned Donald Trump's snide remarks on Harris's racial identity and asked how she felt about people questioning the fabric of who you are. Harris, whose mother is of Indian descent and whose father is Jamaican, seemed unfazed.
00;09;54;28 - 00;10;14;27
Gary Johnston
I'm really clear about who I am, and if anybody else is not. They need to go through their own level of therapy. That's not my issue, she said. Interesting story from that perspective. Nice to hear that. At least one of the presidential candidates is saying legalization of cannabis should occur. Nice to hear that. Kamala Harris has some good ideas for the future of cannabis.
00;10;15;12 - 00;10;19;09
Gary Johnston
Now we just have to see if she gets elected.
00;10;21;12 - 00;10;45;09
Gary Johnston
We teased about it last week and now we're going to stop teasing. And I want to welcome up in Smoke. And from 258 West Broadway in Vancouver as a sponsor of Cultivar Corner. Yeah, you can hear the applause in the background, but I'm thrilled by the fact I think we are going to work very well together. Now, of course, they are a legal cannabis store and we're just going to mention who they are and where they are.
00;10;45;09 - 00;11;05;25
Gary Johnston
They are on West Broadway in Vancouver. In fact, at 258 West Broadway in Vancouver. So often, Smoke is a family owned, independent dispensary that your stoner friends talk about. We specialize in hard to get delivery products combined with a curated selection of the finest products available via the Berkeley Bee, we strive to bring the best available and break as many new products and producers into the market as possible.
00;11;06;00 - 00;11;22;23
Gary Johnston
We're the source for the B.C. Craft Cannabis Fire. You've loved all your life and feel like you're missing. We constantly seek the best new products and have met obsessed with your favorite producers. Our orders are packed directly at our store with no warehouse or packers are up in smoke. Family is sending you what we think is the best in the market directly from our shop drawers.
00;11;23;00 - 00;11;46;02
Gary Johnston
And now that kind of wraps up why this is so appealing to me as I mentioned before, when I started calls in our corner, I envisioned an opportunity where I could tell you what I'm smoking and you would have an opportunity to get that through the legal cannabis world. So that became a little difficult in the way I was doing it before in that I was just kind of picking something and it was where I was able to buy it from which cannabis store.
00;11;46;02 - 00;12;07;28
Gary Johnston
And sometimes that wasn't available all across the country. Well, now as we look to up in smoke coming on as a sponsor, the direction is going to change a little bit because Up in smoke does a lot of good direct delivery purchasing and that means that there's access to some very select cannabis cultivars that you may not have access to elsewhere to.
00;12;08;10 - 00;12;30;11
Gary Johnston
So that means because you can go to it's up in smoke dot com and access their menu and have it shipped directly to you through mail order. We've reached Nirvana. I can tell you about a weed that I'm featuring on Cultivar Corner and you can purchase it. I'm not suggesting you do. I'm not promoting the purchase of cannabis.
00;12;30;11 - 00;12;50;00
Gary Johnston
I'm just making it available to you that this is possible. This is where I wanted to get this is what I had originally envisioned. And so once I tell you what the cultivar is for this week, you'll be able to pop on to it's up in smoke dot com check it out see if it's available for you and get it shipped.
00;12;50;05 - 00;13;08;24
Gary Johnston
And that's the beauty of what they're doing. I think it's fabulous. So it's a new world. Welcome to the new cultivar corner. We'll see how long this goes and we'll see how well it works. So let me welcome Matt and Sarah and Up in Smoke to the Cannabis Potcast family and I'm welcoming us monitors. It's great to have you on board.
00;13;08;29 - 00;13;21;23
Speaker 3
THC CBD caffeine profiles. What's in me? Oh, please explain to me. Go to the club to cover.
00;13;22;17 - 00;13;24;25
Speaker 4
Yeah, go to the counter.
00;13;24;25 - 00;13;27;19
Speaker 3
Please explain this stuff to me.
00;13;28;25 - 00;14;01;21
Gary Johnston
Welcome to Cultivar Corner brought to you by up in smoke at 258 West Broadway in Vancouver and online at it's up in smoke dotcom check them out today for some direct delivery exclusives like we're sampling today sweetgrass sure bud Delic Yes, you heard me right. We've tried sweetgrass before. We've liked everything that we've tried from them before. This is an exclusive through direct delivery and this sherbert delic is 3.5 grams and thc is sitting at 26.9 and my total terms are sitting at 3.5.
00;14;02;08 - 00;14;13;25
Gary Johnston
It is easier to see the dominant, which is kind of good. That's kind of what we're looking for today. Let's open up the package and let's get a sniff of what we got from sure but Delic and then we'll get into the details for you.
00;14;16;16 - 00;14;17;15
Speaker 3
Of oh.
00;14;17;16 - 00;14;43;01
Gary Johnston
My, oh we've just opened up the package and oh that is just the little shows. Mm hmm. What do we got in terms of the smell that I'm picking up in here? Hmm? Really, really sweet. And what does that mean? I was feeling the package before I opened it. I thought that feels like some pretty good buds inside of that package.
00;14;43;01 - 00;15;03;00
Gary Johnston
And I was correct. They were some pretty good buds. All right. Absolutely delightful aromas coming out of that bag, as I open it up. And now let's pop it on my scale and let's make sure that we got what we think we got. And I was right. There was two buds in there and they at 3.5, eight grams.
00;15;03;18 - 00;15;34;28
Gary Johnston
Love that one. I'm definitely overweight. Okay, so there's three buds. The first big bud sitting all by itself is sitting at a whopping 2.4. And these look really nice. Oh, the aromas that are coming out. So let me give you a description of Sherpa delic. So this is sativa dominant from the folks at organic sweet grass cannabis. So my THC ranges from 29 to 32, my terp beans around 3.43.
00;15;35;11 - 00;16;02;23
Gary Johnston
The chirping two I have in this package are limonene carryover lean Selena, Diane's Mercy humor lean pining and otter mean sure metallic is a high in both THC intervenes gives off a pungent aroma and boy that is your true the scent is complex with sweet notes of boutique candy and ice cream shop. Okay that's a pick it up a little bit of that alongside herbal and vanilla undertones.
00;16;03;07 - 00;16;27;11
Gary Johnston
All built on a foundation of gas. Yeah, you can pick up some of those gassy notes. Definitely provides a stimulating and tasty smoke. Sure. But Delic is a gateway to an uplifting, mind expanding experience. Now that's what I'm looking for. This particular Fino is cracked from a pack of exotic genetic seeds and carefully selected by the Sweet Grass Grow team for its stand out characteristics.
00;16;27;27 - 00;16;52;11
Gary Johnston
The buds are dark green and purple with pink accents and while dense, have a somewhat delicate structure as a special limited edition release, we're stoked to feature this V.F. opus Certified Organic Run of Sherbert Daily Flower, exclusively on our direct delivery platform. And that's where the folks at Up in Smoke have picked it up. So it's available for you.
00;16;52;29 - 00;17;17;06
Gary Johnston
And we're taking out the Judas loop and we're taking a peek at this beautiful flower. Oh, there are lots of purple notes on that. Really deep purple in some spots. And everywhere I look, the dry combs are just glistening. So lots of purple notes. And I understand what they're saying now while dense, but still a delicate kind of flower.
00;17;17;06 - 00;17;38;19
Gary Johnston
And boy, the frostiness of the frosty notes on those guys, I just put it down on my table and I pass a light over top of it and it's like somebody has a mirror. And so shining back at me. I'm really, really loving that. So nice and fresh. So this was in fact packaged in a very, very short time ago.
00;17;38;19 - 00;18;08;00
Gary Johnston
This was packaged on September, yeah, September 16th. So less than two weeks ago. B to get into my hands. Oh, this is just, just wonderful. Just beautiful flower. Really an interesting bud structure on the sherbet. Delic it's kind of chunky. No, not just kind of chunky, though. That's the best way that I could describe it. So sweet candy, herbal vanilla and pungent.
00;18;08;00 - 00;18;34;03
Gary Johnston
So I'm getting a bit of those candy notes and some of those herbal notes. I'm not too sure of the pungency. So we're going to AirMax warm it up. It's time for me to roll some two grinds weed and get it ready for a taste test. And really nice that we are having access to some of the product available through direct delivery because if you're not getting it through direct delivery, then it's not available on the Beatclub.
00;18;34;15 - 00;18;57;07
Gary Johnston
Now, I will tell you that the Pre-Rolls from Sherbet Delic are going to be available at most stores through the bcl to be central delivery bots if you're looking for sure, but delic you may need to check it out. It's up in smoke dot com and they have access to the direct delivery and so so do you. So sure but delic really looking forward to this high in THC and true beans.
00;18;57;19 - 00;19;26;15
Gary Johnston
And there was one line that I was really looking forward to providing a stimulating and tasty smoke sherbet. Delic is a gateway to an uplifting, mind expanding experience. That's what I'm after today. Let's do a little mind expansion, shall we? See what we can create for ourselves? Let's use our endocannabinoid system to expand on some creativity and just to some wild things.
00;19;26;25 - 00;19;58;27
Gary Johnston
I've got the AMAX ready. Why don't we take a taste of the air? Max, this is sherbert delic sativa dominant from the folks at Sweet Grass. Or I can see why they say it's on a foundation of gas that's really heavy when you put really in all of the vaporizer and some of those candy notes are coming through to.
00;19;58;27 - 00;20;33;20
Gary Johnston
Hmm, that's a really nice taste. So the flavors, sweet, creamy and gas, that would be a very adequate description of what I'm pulling off my vaporizer right now. Oh, very nice. I love the taste of that. So again, there's a bit of some some gassy ness, a bit of some bit of diesel, I guess, on the OTC, on the exhale, I suppose to be more accurate and the sweet notes are definitely coming in on the inhale.
00;20;33;20 - 00;21;08;11
Gary Johnston
Oh, that's a really nice taste from the air, Max. And even a little bit of a buzz happening. So let's try the joint hands, see what our smoke is like, see what our ash is doing. Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah. So I've had three or four hits off of the air. Max moved to the joint. Now and I can feel some happy highs coming on.
00;21;08;11 - 00;21;09;17
Speaker 3
Oh, yes.
00;21;11;04 - 00;21;44;05
Gary Johnston
A gateway to an uplifting, mind expanding experience. So let's do a little mind expansion. Joey, I really, really love the smoke that's coming out of this. The tasteless. Take a peek in my ash. All right, we'll let the joint roll for a little bit. We got a nice little ash on there now. And it is predominantly gray and she drops it very nicely.
00;21;45;17 - 00;22;12;09
Gary Johnston
It's a smooth smoke. I'm not finding anything, anything harsh that's happening in my throat today. And my endocannabinoid system is coming alive. I can feel the I can feel the happiness starting to starting to burst forth. And with that that euphoria that always comes from a really nice ativa. And here it comes. I can I can feel that euphoria coming on.
00;22;12;09 - 00;22;32;06
Gary Johnston
They grow some really nice weed over in the good knees and sweet grass just a little outside of Nelson and I've been doing some fine work. We had in fact nasco a Jimmy from Sweet Grass on episode 97 of the Cannabis Potcast. You can drop back in that and have a listen to the conversation that I had with them.
00;22;32;26 - 00;22;53;20
Gary Johnston
I was just after that. I think they had tried their first weed. I think I've done about four or five sweet grass now and every one I have tried, I have been incredibly impressed with not only the look of the flower, how it has been been dealt with, and as they say on the bag. So this is living soil, hand trimmed and slow cured.
00;22;54;28 - 00;23;14;25
Gary Johnston
And so let's talk a little bit about their method. So we know exactly what we're talking about. And the kidney region long been a favored locale for aficionados of fine B.C. But in a scene going back decades, the culture out here has gathered a vast reservoir of knowledge, covering almost every imaginable technique for producing our area's number one crop.
00;23;15;19 - 00;23;37;11
Gary Johnston
We've developed the sweet grass method of cultivation hand in hand with many people over the years, and we owe our gratitude to them. In that time, we've continued to do our own research and have come up with a system of growing that we feel sets a new benchmark for what exceptional craft cannabis can be. Our cannabis is organically grown and is certified by the Fraser Valley Organic Producers Association.
00;23;37;21 - 00;24;06;13
Gary Johnston
That's the LPA that you see on all the packaging. The certifying body is compliant with the Canadian organic standards. In accordance with the B.C. Certified Organic Program, we follow a stringent list of requirements to ensure that everything we use from soil components and compost to amendments and supplements is 100% in line with their guidelines. We've worked hard to meet and even exceed these requirements because we believe that growing organically is healthier for the consumer, our employees and the planet as a whole.
00;24;06;27 - 00;24;28;08
Gary Johnston
We invested in the system because it reflects our inherent values as humans and as an organization. So we've already touched on the fact that they grow in living soil. It's hand tended and I had to say with what I'm experiencing right now, with this indoor grown cannabis, this is really nice. I've got a really nice buzz happening right now.
00;24;28;28 - 00;24;51;07
Gary Johnston
Definitely a nice Ativa I love it. On the euphoria end, my happy eyes are there. That's the tip on the euphoria where you just you just kind of you kind of there and you want to get out and do some stuff. This is where I tend to start rambling because that seems to be my first indication that I got the buzz from city sativa.
00;24;51;07 - 00;25;08;27
Gary Johnston
I tend to talk a little faster and I've had it pointed out to me a couple of times and I guess people have been paying attention and that's one of the things that happens. You just get a little bit more excited, you get a little bit more enthused about what you're going to do today. And I'm kind of reaching that point.
00;25;09;21 - 00;25;35;29
Gary Johnston
So loved it in the air, Max. Delicious taste, lovely flavors on that sweet and creamy was definitely one of the pieces that I got there. Definitely some hints of gas, especially on the exhale on that really nice looking buds. I had four really nice structured buds. I'll just beautiful sticky to the fingers as well, which is also another test of mine that I just like to see.
00;25;35;29 - 00;25;59;23
Gary Johnston
Oh, look at that one on for a long time. It's some really nice weed. This is exclusively available through the direct delivery program. And lucky for you, if you're of legal age and live in Canada, you can go to it's up in smoked com and check it out for yourself. I am pretty pleased sweetgrass sherbert delic sativa dominant.
00;25;59;23 - 00;26;02;05
Gary Johnston
I'm like in the feel this is generating.
00;26;02;24 - 00;26;04;17
Ian
Sharing stories about good weed.
00;26;04;17 - 00;26;05;11
Gary Johnston
While trying.
00;26;05;11 - 00;26;09;07
Speaker 3
Good weed. This is the Cannabis Potcast.
00;26;09;27 - 00;26;31;26
Gary Johnston
Now I have to admit I was surprised when I saw this story. I thought this was already done. I thought I'd actually covered it off in a story some time ago where it actually happened. But apparently it is not. This story from Strike Encore written by David Brown. Manitobans may finally be able to grow cannabis at home beginning in 2025, according to a new announcement from the provincial government.
00;26;32;12 - 00;27;02;28
Gary Johnston
In an email to the Winnipeg Free Press on September 25, Manitoba Justice Minister Mente Wiebe said the provincial government is in the process of drafting the regulations for a bill passed in June. The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority is drafting regulations to ensure the framework for growing cannabis at home, prioritizes public safety with a focus on protecting youth and ensuring cannabis plants are not accessible to young people, the minister's email said the provincial government is expected to post the proposed regulations by the end of 2024 to allow time for public feedback.
00;27;03;11 - 00;27;20;16
Gary Johnston
This is a change in the plans announced in June, when a source with the Manitoba government told Strachan that such rules would be expected to be in place by November of 2024, when the bill is being debated in Manitoba Parliament. Earlier this year, the progressive conservative opposition brought up concerns that they were passing a bill that had not yet been written.
00;27;21;01 - 00;27;52;05
Gary Johnston
Only once the regulations are finalized will people in Manitoba be able to grow up to four plants at home, specifically such as where plants can be grown on a person's property, are still unknown. Who will monitor these growers and who will monitor the sale of the seeds to produce these cannabis products? As PC MLA for Brandon West's Wayne Belson, where the bill was debated earlier this year, the penalty in Manitoba for growing cannabis at home is currently a $2,542 fine, as well as up to one year in prison and forfeiture of personal property.
00;27;53;01 - 00;28;17;14
Gary Johnston
Oh, that just stuns me clearly that was homicide. Manitoba and Quebec are the only two provinces to ban growing cannabis at home. In April of this year, the Supreme Court of Canada upheld Quebec's ban on home grown cannabis ruling that the province has the authority to enforce such a ban, even in the face of federal rules. Allowing up to four plants per household will figure out the details of precisely where you may grow them.
00;28;17;24 - 00;28;22;17
Gary Johnston
But we hope you can grow your cannabis plant in Manitoba in 2025.
00;28;24;15 - 00;28;28;12
Ian
From the studio high above the clouds of the Okanagan Valley. This is the Cannabis.
00;28;28;12 - 00;28;49;05
Gary Johnston
Podcast and for this story we're going to distract Hanekom, this one written by David Brown in the lead up to legalization, cannabis policies were the darling of nearly every elected official seeking to attach their names, positive or negative, to the headline grabbing topic. From federal politicians to provincial and municipal. Everyone suddenly had a lot to say about cannabis.
00;28;49;18 - 00;29;27;14
Gary Johnston
But fast forward some six years later, and most politicians act like they've never heard of cannabis or the cannabis industry is not much of an issue on the federal stage. B.C., New Brunswick and Saskatchewan all have provincial elections this fall, and cannabis is essentially not on the radar outside of the issue of impaired driving apparently being an election touchpoint in Saskatchewan, at least for the Saskatchewan NDP, cannabis hasn't arisen as an election issue at all in New Brunswick, the ruling Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick, which initially sought to dismantle the province run retail system first established by the New Brunswick Liberal Party, has since taken the lead in preserving the existing retail framework, including
00;29;27;14 - 00;29;53;00
Gary Johnston
adding new stores and allowing some private stores. The province also now boasts the more streamlined and affordable cannabis farm gate program in Canada. The New Brunswick Liberals apparently have not mentioned any provincial cannabis related issue, and the provincial progressive conservatives are not campaigning on the issue either. In B.C., despite an increasingly close election with the Conservative Party of B.C. surging in the polls in the past few months, neither party is touching the issue at all.
00;29;53;11 - 00;30;17;10
Gary Johnston
Question struck and sent to B.C. Conservatives were met with a polite declined to comment. This shouldn't be all that surprising. The concept of legalizing weed was a vote getter back in 2015, as was opposition to it. The legislative lead up to the historic policy shift in the years, months and days leading up to October 17, 2018 was ripe for politicians at all levels of government to get some easy publicity for their various bases.
00;30;17;21 - 00;30;40;03
Gary Johnston
But now that the fun and exciting stuff has been done, most voters and therefore politicians have moved on to newer and shinier or at least more pressing issues. Well, the industry might want to blame these politicians for its failures. I would argue this is also a failure of the industry to more effectively interest voters in the issues that are impacting the industry in B.C., the local industry has numerous complaints regarding various provincial rules.
00;30;40;14 - 00;31;03;06
Gary Johnston
Many small producers are frustrated by the overbuilt cannabis farm gate and direct delivery programs, both of which look great on paper but have had very little buy in because of high costs and regulatory burdens. However, the current government, the B.C. NDP, has little pressure on the issue from their opposition, the B.C. Conservatives, because the latter know these nuanced issues aren't going to resonate with voters.
00;31;03;19 - 00;31;30;20
Gary Johnston
Internal action that will come down to a few key provincial ridings. The risk of alienating specific voters over something like the high fee charged in the cannabis direct delivery program is a nonstarter. Saskatchewan and New Brunswick are no different beyond one Saskatchewan NDP opposition critic calling off the province's heavy handed crackdown on cannabis detention in drivers. The issues that might face the industry, their high taxes, market saturation are not going to be important to the vast majority of voters.
00;31;31;04 - 00;31;52;08
Gary Johnston
New Brunswick's elections are focused on issues like immigration, the opioid crisis and the cost of living, not the limits producers and retailers face with variable THC limits. In a way, this is a normal evolution of this subject from activism around the general concept of legalization, an issue broad enough to rally people around to the niche nuances of a boring old agriculture and consumer packaged goods sector.
00;31;53;03 - 00;32;16;06
Gary Johnston
But it's also an example of an industry that perhaps got used to enjoying all that easy attention from voters and politicians and didn't have a plan for how to stay a part of the conversation. As the next federal election approaches, likely sometime next fall, the industry would be wise to find ways to convey these issues to the general voting public that can grab their attention because without voters, politicians have little reason to listen either.
00;32;17;11 - 00;32;32;22
Gary Johnston
Excellent article, David. That kind of puts things into perspective of why you're not hearing a lot about it in the current elections that are undergoing in three provinces. I wish we were hearing more about it. Maybe I have to go to an all candidates forum and ask that question.
00;32;35;11 - 00;32;53;09
Gary Johnston
And for our next story, we're going to strike Hancock on this one, written by Dave Dormer. When Ontario Premier Doug Ford posted a video to social media of him smiling and clinking cans in front of a convenience store display to celebrate the start of beer, wine and mixed drink sales, it signaled the province's support of the liquor industry and desire to see it grow.
00;32;53;28 - 00;33;13;22
Gary Johnston
Posted to Ford's Instagram account on September 5th, the change to allow liquor sales at more than 4000 convenience stores gives consumers more choice and convenience, he said, and will be expanded to include grocery and big box stores in the near future. Delivering on our promise to treat people like adults while giving small businesses the chance to grow and create more local jobs.
00;33;13;22 - 00;33;39;19
Gary Johnston
Read the post. The cannabis industry doesn't have a provincial politician or policymaker championing it like this anywhere in Canada, which is part of the reason why nearly six years after legalization, small and mid-sized producers are still finding it difficult to stay solvent. The illicit market remains entrenched, and tourism has yet to take off. It's at the provincial level where changes needed to unlock the plant's potential, says an Edmonton City councilor.
00;33;40;03 - 00;34;01;11
Gary Johnston
In October 2022, Councilor Michael Janz put forward a plan to make Edmonton the cannabis industry capital of the world. But doing so would require policy changes by the province to allow places like cannabis cafes and lounges to operate. Two years later, those changes still haven't been made and they're not being considered. The logjam is the provincial government, said Janz.
00;34;01;19 - 00;34;21;18
Gary Johnston
We need the provincial ministers who are giving the rhetoric about cutting red tape, and Alberta is open for business and all of this. We need them to look at it. It's been six years, virtually without incident. Legalization has gone very well, far, far better than even the toughest critics would have imagined. And now we need them to get out of the way and start letting the entrepreneurs and creative spirit do their thing.
00;34;21;28 - 00;34;50;18
Gary Johnston
Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis Anglesea is in charge of sales and Minister of Service, Alberta and red tape reduction deal. Notley was tasked with overseeing the sector's growth in 2023. Municipalities can create their own rules around consumption. Cafes and lounges are current, not being considered, said Press Secretary Brandon. I believe in an emailed statement. In the last year, we simplified employment requirements for new employees so cannabis retailers can hire staff more quickly while still ensuring necessary training safeguards.
00;34;50;19 - 00;35;12;22
Gary Johnston
It read We reduced listing fees for licensed producers by 83% and shipping fees for retailers by 11%. And we also now allow licensed cannabis retailers to operate temporary sales locations, adult only events like trade shows and festivals. Not only was not available for an interview as he was away on vacation, but he spoke of the grow Up conference on September 29th in Edmonton, Alberta.
00;35;13;00 - 00;35;35;17
Gary Johnston
Also pointed to changes like allowing retailers to open at nine M, removing signage restrictions and simplifying the steps for age verification for online purchases. We look forward to continuing to work with industry to identify opportunities to ease regulatory burden and strengthen our cannabis industry, he said. B.C. now allows cannabis consumption spaces on patios where tobacco and vaping are permitted.
00;35;35;27 - 00;35;57;23
Gary Johnston
The slow pace of change around policy has prevented the industry from growing in Alberta, says Fernando De Capua, a consultant and founder of the Ten One group. The statistics coming out right now that show the industry kind of flatlining, which shouldn't be the case, he said. We should be growing month after month. Even with hundreds of thousands of newcomers to Alberta and across Canada, the industry is still flat.
00;35;57;24 - 00;36;13;27
Gary Johnston
It should be growing. Rules should be streamlined across the country, says De Capua. You're allowed to have a rise in prices in Ontario, in the stores. But no retailer in Alberta has ever had a rise in press. Inside their story, says. I feel like Alberta really got out of the gate with the legal industry having the most stores right away.
00;36;13;28 - 00;36;33;16
Gary Johnston
We had 200 stores before most provinces. We jumped the gun at the start of legalization, and I feel like other provinces have caught up and passed the GLC in terms of deregulating and allowing for smoother performance of the industry along with cafes and lounges. DiCaprio says allowing farm gate sales and direct delivery from producers to retailers will make a big difference.
00;36;33;26 - 00;36;54;13
Gary Johnston
We legalized the plant, but we still have all these precautionary business tactics in place. It kind of feels like the industry has handcuffs on or training wheels. Interesting perspective from an Edmonton City councilor. And it's true, the provinces have to come to the table. That's where we're going to see some true change. And let's hope we start seeing it soon.
00;36;55;23 - 00;37;12;20
Gary Johnston
We've done it. We've reached the end of another episode. Thank you so much for being here. I truly appreciate it. Hope you enjoyed the information presented today. And let's finish with a couple of chuckles to our face. I always like to have a smile on her face when we finish off. I asked. My daughter of marijuana was a gateway drug.
00;37;12;27 - 00;37;32;23
Gary Johnston
He replied, I no, it's more like a revolving door. I went to a marijuana dispensary and asked if they had anything for a headache. They said, Yeah, it's called a vaporizer. Why was the marijuana plant a terrible employee? We'd always talk to many smoke breaks. I tried smoking marijuana once, but I couldn't find the remote control for the TV for 3 hours.
00;37;33;17 - 00;37;51;05
Gary Johnston
I like that. But marijuana is like a support group for plants. They all just want to grow together and chill out. And how do you get a stoner to take out the trash? Roll it up and tell them it's a joint. Now, that implies that we are really dumb. We're not that dumb. And I know that you understand that.
00;37;51;05 - 00;38;02;25
Gary Johnston
And I'm just putting that out there just to bring a chuckle to your face. And that pretty much wraps it up. That's it from the guy in the Clouds for episode 176 of the Cannabis Potcast.
00;38;03;11 - 00;38;13;11
Ian
From the cannabis infused studio high above the Okanagan Valley. This was the Cannabis Potcast.