This episode we learn Manitobans can soon grow their own cannabis – indoors, we look at the last year of varied activity in the cannabis space, more talk of one excise stamp across the country, some confusion with delivery for an Ontario retailer and on Cultivar Corner, brought to you by Up In Smoke, back to Rocky Mountain Cannabis and their new direct delivery exclusive Banjo!
This episode we learn Manitobans can soon grow their own cannabis – indoors, we look at the last year of varied activity in the cannabis space, more talk of one excise stamp across the country, some confusion with delivery for an Ontario retailer and on Cultivar Corner, brought to you by Up In Smoke, back to Rocky Mountain Cannabis and their new direct delivery exclusive Banjo!
Manitoba can grow cannabis - indoors
00;00;00;00 - 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;14;29
Ian
Exploring the world of Canadian cannabis culture. One toke at a time.
00;00;15;02 - 00;00;18;01
Ian
Now here is your host and bud tender.
00;00;18;03 - 00;00;19;06
Ian
Gary Johnston.
00;00;19;09 - 00;00;38;10
Gary Johnston
And that must mean it's my opportunity to welcome you back to the Cannabis potcast. Thank you for coming back. I truly appreciate it. Or maybe I'm wrong. This is your first time. Could be. Well, if it is, here's an especially warm welcome for you ahead for the next 30 or 40 minutes. We are going to talk about a plant I'm absolutely passionate about and that is cannabis.
00;00;38;12 - 00;01;05;24
Gary Johnston
Perhaps you have some affiliation with it as well as that could be why you're here. 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. And in today's episode, episode 190, they are almost ready to allow Manitobans to grow their own cannabis.
00;01;05;27 - 00;01;36;00
Gary Johnston
But there's been an odd restriction added to that. We'll touch on that story. There has been some confusion in relation to delivery and whether you can do it through Canada Post or not. A story on that. There have been very few pardons issued since 2019. A year after cannabis legalization occurred. Was expecting to see perhaps one or more of those, and we have some stories on some things that happened in the cannabis world in 2024 and the course on Cultivar Corner, brought to you by Up in Smoke.
00;01;36;07 - 00;01;54;24
Gary Johnston
We're heading back to Rocky Mountain Cannabis, and we are doing one of their sativa dominant hybrids. This is Boost and Tangelo. Or perhaps you know it as banjo. All of that and more on episode 190 of the Cannabis potcast.
00;01;54;26 - 00;02;12;00
Gary Johnston
And before we get too much further, let me thank you for being here. I truly appreciate the fact that you are a listener of the Cannabis potcast. I appreciate it each and every time. And I also want to thank my supporters, folks like Jordan at Buy Me a coffee.com/cannabis potcast. If you feel so inclined and you like what you hear.
00;02;12;03 - 00;02;37;06
Gary Johnston
You can go there too and buy me a doobie. And I want to remember to thank my patrons at Patreon Tony, Rob, Gage, Lloyd, Roger and Justin. Thank you each so very much. So before we get too deep into the episode today, if you don't mind, let me take a moment and. Let a joint in honor of my brother Bill.
00;02;37;08 - 00;03;06;16
Gary Johnston
Today, the day we published this January 12th, would have been his 78th birthday. So if you could please join me in giving a thought to my brother Bill. This one's for you, Bill. Think about you every day. And now let's get to our first story. And for the next story, we are going to the out scar. And this is a real interesting twist, I find to the conclusion of we even talking about the fact that Manitoba could not grow their own cannabis.
00;03;06;19 - 00;03;29;20
Gary Johnston
Ever since we started the podcast, it's been an ongoing story. And then this last year, they finally came to a resolution on that, and they proceeded with the legislation, which I thought was already in place. But it clearly is not. And now here is an interesting twist to what they're actually going to be allowed to do. Manitobans who want to grow their own cannabis at home will have to do so indoors.
00;03;29;22 - 00;04;00;22
Gary Johnston
Under proposed regulations, the provincial government is asking for feedback on the regulations, which are set to take effect on April 1st. Those who grow at home will be required by regulation to keep their plants indoors and in a location not accessible by young persons under the age of 19. The government says in a summary aside march of this, I'm amazed at all of the legalization that has dealt with growing plants outdoors and keeping them away from from minors.
00;04;00;25 - 00;04;30;01
Gary Johnston
When 85% of that plant growth. There's nothing intoxicating about it. It's just a plant until it flowers. And then, sure, things change, but I. I find it so frustrating. End of sidebar. The wording is clearer in the actual regulations. The growing room must be looked up to for plants per household will be permitted, which is the maximum allowed under federal law.
00;04;30;03 - 00;04;52;28
Gary Johnston
A person must not cultivate cannabis plants at different residence at the same time. The regulation says other provinces allow outdoor growing. In B.C., for example, you can grow plants on your balcony or in your yard as long as they are not visible from a public place. The government explains online, and Alberta has the same standard. Quebec will now be the only province that doesn't allow any home growing.
00;04;53;00 - 00;05;16;03
Gary Johnston
The Manitoba summary notes home growing was not a controversial issue in previous public consultations. It is anticipated that there will be minimal social, economic and environmental impacts from the regulation, the summary said. Cannabis retailers may see a decrease in sales as consumers switch to growing at home. However, this loss may be offset by the ability to sell a wider range of products, including seeds and plants.
00;05;16;11 - 00;05;44;14
Gary Johnston
Growing at home will improve access to cannabis for people in remote, rural and northern communities that may not have a cannabis store nearby. The government says as long, of course, they grow indoors and they're going to have to be under hydroponics, lights, LEDs, whatever the case is. I am just amazed at how this whole legalization thing has adapted and, and and morphed into so many different variations.
00;05;44;17 - 00;06;04;12
Gary Johnston
I never thought we would come to a situation where you can grow cannabis, but you have to grow it indoors and it can't be visible to anybody, and it has to be in a locked room in your home. Ha! I hope this will change someday. But you know what? It's probably not.
00;06;04;15 - 00;06;08;24
Ian
The cannabis infused studio in the clouds. This is the cannabis potcast.
00;06;08;27 - 00;06;36;20
Gary Johnston
To the ganjapreneur.com. We go for our next story written by TJ brand filed. Despite the federal government estimating some 10,000 citizens would be eligible for conviction relief when Canada legalize cannabis, just 845 pardons for cannabis crimes have been issued since 2019. Since August 2019, Canada has issued just 845 pardons for cannabis crimes, according to the Board of Pardons data outlined by the CBC.
00;06;36;22 - 00;06;59;00
Gary Johnston
The government says it also doesn't know how many possession records have been sequestered under a different program. Canada legalize cannabis federally in 2018, and the government estimated that 10,000 citizens would be eligible for conviction relief. The Parole Board of Canada told the CBC that more than 1300 citizens applied for pardons, but that hundreds of applications were either incomplete or ineligible.
00;06;59;03 - 00;07;25;09
Gary Johnston
Andrew Tannenbaum, director of the nonprofit organization Pardons Canada, told the CBC that the pardon process is tedious and that some Canadians with eligible records may be apathetic about applying. An alternative was launched in 2022 that should automatically sequester records for simple possession, which would prevent records from showing up on background checks. That program gave the government two years to sequester some records for cannabis possession and other drugs, the report says.
00;07;25;16 - 00;07;54;22
Gary Johnston
But NDP MP Randall Garrison, who backed the amendment to sequester records, told the CBC that it's clear the program doesn't work. John Sebastian Comeau, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, indicated that the government intends to meet the program's November deadline. The sequestration of criminal records for simple possession of cannabis is a significant undertaking that requires the cooperation of our provincial, territorial and municipal partners, Comeau said in an email to the CBC.
00;07;54;24 - 00;08;18;19
Gary Johnston
We will continue to work with them, as we have since the coming into force of this legislation to ensure we meet the deadline. And why do I suspect that there probably have not met the deadline and will be meeting at any time soon? There seems to be a common theme of the stories recovering after a day where they're expressing a lot of frustration, of things not quite moving along the way.
00;08;18;19 - 00;08;27;22
Gary Johnston
We had anticipated or hoped. Oh, it's going to get better.
00;08;27;25 - 00;09;00;11
Gary Johnston
And this is a story that has been bouncing around a little bit more of late, and this is talking about having one cannabis excise stamp to rule them all. This story written by Pat Vollmer at the RCA. One slice of interprovincial bureaucracy for cannabis producers may be removed next year. The cannabis excise stamp, Ottawa's fall economic statement released on Monday, included a promise to explore a transition from cannabis excise duty stamp specific to each province territory to a single national stamp.
00;09;00;13 - 00;09;22;03
Gary Johnston
This would make it easier for regulated cannabis producers to ignite new business opportunities in other provinces, the statement said. More details will roll out in budget of 2025. Chrystia Freeland was supposed to deliver the statement on Monday, but she resigned as finance minister earlier in the day, triggering hours of political intrigue and drama, and the document was released later in the day with little fanfare.
00;09;22;06 - 00;09;49;12
Gary Johnston
Cannabis producers must put a stamp on all products. The stamps come in different colors depending on the province in which the product is intended to be sold. In, explains a web page on the topic from Fuze Insurance. The purpose of the cannabis stamping regime is to show that the product was produced legally, and applicable duties are paid and allow law enforcement agencies, retailers and consumers to more easily identify counterfeit and contraband products, says Health Canada on its website.
00;09;49;14 - 00;10;10;00
Gary Johnston
Many cannabis companies complain about the amount of excise taxes they're paying and how the taxes are assessed. In a news release, the Cannabis Council of Canada said the economic saving failed to help the cannabis sector, although it acknowledged streamlining the stamping system would come at no cost to the government and would stimulate business growth, job creation and investment innovation.
00;10;10;03 - 00;10;39;08
Gary Johnston
The government's continued neglect of the cannabis sector is alarming, said Council President Paul McCarthy. They're unfair. Taxation policies are creating an unsustainable environment for legal businesses, forcing many to close their doors and driving consumers back to the illicit market. And I thought that was one of our original goals, was to move people away from the illicit market. There's a lot of challenges in this industry are there, and they don't seem to be ending anytime soon.
00;10;39;09 - 00;10;50;14
Ian
To see CBD to be profiled. What's in me? Oh, please explain to me. Go to the corner.
00;10;50;16 - 00;10;55;06
Unknown
Go to the corner. You go to the corner.
00;10;55;06 - 00;11;28;14
Gary Johnston
Please explain this stuff to me. Welcome to Cultivar Corner, brought to you by Oven Smoke at 258 West Broadway in Vancouver and online at It's Up in smoke.com. Check them out today for some direct delivery exclusives like we're sampling today. Once more from Tyler and the crew at Rocky Mountain Cannabis. This is exclusive to the Direct Delivery channel, and lucky for you, it's Benjo, a sativa dominant hybrid at 25.7%.
00;11;28;17 - 00;11;58;03
Gary Johnston
And as I open that bag. Oh my my my. And there's some interesting notes in that. Banjo is a potent sativa leaning hybrid developed by crossing the classic cultivars Boost and Tangelo Brennan Phenotypes by renowned cannabis breeder Parker Sullivan. Banjo has received considerable critical acclaim in recent years, including the ranking as one of these five cannabis strains to be excited about.
00;11;58;06 - 00;12;23;25
Gary Johnston
This variety is bursting with citrus fragrances and subtle blueberry notes, while producing a distinct incense like aroma when smoked or vaporized. After the strains euphoria has settled, the slow body melt begins. The moderate sedation is enjoyable and functional, and weighing just slightly on the eyelids and limbs. Enjoy banjo throughout the day to improve mood and mellow nagging aches and pains.
00;12;23;27 - 00;12;47;08
Gary Johnston
Hand trimmed in golden BC. Hang dried and cold. Cured for 30 days and we're going to get one more description out of it. And that is from Leafly, where I also discovered that they have the details on banjo. So we've already covered a savory hybrid cross, a boost, and ten jello. It's a perfect option for enhancing mood and improving outlook.
00;12;47;11 - 00;13;13;08
Gary Johnston
Now here's the interesting component. It emits an odd aroma of freshly grated cheese and tangerine zest, but the flavor is sweet and piney. And that was one of the first things I noticed when I opened the bag. There's definitely some cheesiness in there. And and I'm not I'm not really a big cheese fan, but there's some really interesting nuances in there.
00;13;13;08 - 00;13;36;17
Gary Johnston
So definitely, definitely some pining is some tangerine. Oh my goodness sakes, that is just delicious. THC is sitting at 25.7. We pulled one of those out and we take a look on the jeweler's loop to see what kind of bud we're looking at here. Mostly, I would say a medium green medium to to dark green. And lots of red hairs.
00;13;36;20 - 00;14;00;03
Gary Johnston
So it's definitely a green product that I have in my hand. Lots of red here. And as I pull those open, I see some of those trichomes in there. They are bursting forth. Lots of, Oh, yeah, there's some there's some amber in there too. And just, just gorgeous smells again, that the cheesiness is really striking me as being one of the odd factors.
00;14;00;06 - 00;14;25;29
Gary Johnston
And and just delicious. Just delicious. The the growing this up in Golden BC, this was in fact packaged on December 11th, seventh of 2024. So just as not even a month old. Always impressed with that. Okay, I've got it ready. The My mighty is ready to go and I've got a joint of the banjo. So this is from the folks at Rocky Mountain Cannabis.
00;14;26;02 - 00;14;41;16
Gary Johnston
And this is a sativa dominant hybrid. And now I can't find my later. There's my later. And let's do the joint first. This is banjo.
00;14;41;18 - 00;14;45;25
Gary Johnston
Oh, that's a nice smooth smoke.
00;14;45;28 - 00;15;11;19
Gary Johnston
So the things that are prominent in this, my total terpenes, 3.33.13. I've got beta myrcene,d limonene and I got cedrene. Those are the three predominant terpenes. The rest of my details. This is, lineage is a gain boost and tangelo, the cultivator is Tyler Tetrault. It's grown in golden hand trimmed. Dry method is hang dried and packaged.
00;15;11;19 - 00;15;22;15
Gary Johnston
December 11th and and 25.72% THC is what this has sitting on top of it.
00;15;22;18 - 00;15;51;17
Gary Johnston
Oh, nice and smooth. So I haven't let you know. Really. I'm coming off the last ten days spent in incredible cold, cold, good. Cold may have even been Covid. We're not quite sure we picked it up when we went to visit the grandkids at Christmas. And it has been rolling through our family, ever since. So I'm pleased that I am able to smell.
00;15;51;20 - 00;16;11;18
Gary Johnston
And not have too much harshness going on today. So there's some some joints, some notes out of the joint. And as my ash gets to a point where it has some oh, look at that. Nice and gray. I don't see any black on that as well. We slept that off and now let's have a taste and see what the other aromas and flavors I'm going to get.
00;16;11;20 - 00;16;21;04
Gary Johnston
Perhaps I'm going to pick up some freshly grated cheese. This is the mighty.
00;16;21;06 - 00;16;31;22
Gary Johnston
Oh, interesting. Definitely. Some is when I pull that into the vaporizer from the mighty.
00;16;31;25 - 00;16;54;00
Gary Johnston
Nice and smooth on the throat. And definitely some piney notes. Little bit of sweetness. A I can't say I'm picking up any of the grated cheese, but that's usually just me. But it is a really nice aroma as it smells. In my studio today.
00;16;54;03 - 00;17;00;06
Gary Johnston
Oh, I'm definitely liking the notes on this one. Through the mighty.
00;17;00;08 - 00;17;21;20
Gary Johnston
In fact, so much. I'm going to take out my other, take out my other dosing capsule, and I put that inside to make sure we get a full value on the banjo, which again, is across a boost, and tangelo from the folks at Rocky Mountain Cannabis. And now let's tell you about the team at Rocky Mountain Cannabis.
00;17;21;20 - 00;17;50;25
Gary Johnston
Well, I continue to smoke for the strongest team in the Rockies. In fact, Tyler Tetro, the owner, operator and master grower diagnosed with ADHD at the age of six, he simply bounced off the walls and displayed an intensity that many people just could not handle. The solution was pharmaceuticals. The doped me up and made life blah until the age of 19, when he found a friend in cannabis he'd smoked before, but he was not ready for the real experience beyond the high.
00;17;50;28 - 00;18;17;20
Gary Johnston
Once you experience the peace of mind one of the same time, maintaining clarity and awareness, his life began to change for the last 27 years, cannabis has become an essential pillar in his life that has allowed Tyler to focus, set goals, raise a family, start and run businesses, and maintain peace of mind. After training in horticulture at Old College, his wife and Tyler moved to Golden, B.C. to start a garden center in 2007.
00;18;17;22 - 00;18;37;06
Gary Johnston
It was not long after that he started growing weed for himself and friends and family and honing the craft, learning the plants and all the wonderful qualities it has to offer. His dream quickly became about sharing his plant and all of its attributes with the many people as possible. And that dream became Rocky Mountain Cannabis. And now he gets to live the dream.
00;18;37;09 - 00;19;04;14
Gary Johnston
And now we get to share in that dream as well. Caitlin Gallagher, the alternate person in charge, the assistant master grower. Keenan began working for Tyler in his garden center in 2016 with little to no garden experience, but with a genuine love for plants and the outdoors. Working in the greenhouse offered her the chance for both. Over the years, Tyler has mentored Caitlin in gaining not only understanding of the biology and physical requirements of plants.
00;19;04;14 - 00;19;23;11
Gary Johnston
Need, but also to the understanding of the production process, bringing plants from seed to the finished plant that is ready to sell. With the garden center being a seasonal business, it gave Caitlin the time needed to live in the Rocky Mountain lifestyle we all love here in Golden. These mountains are our playground and we love to play another.
00;19;23;11 - 00;19;45;06
Gary Johnston
Tyler has Rocky Mountain cannabis in full swing. I now have a year round job working with plants and learning all the fantastic variations in cannabis from the very, from the way different strains grow and how many different feelings and experiences people get from these strains, and how we can directly alter and enhance these feelings and experiences with our grow methods.
00;19;45;08 - 00;20;15;14
Gary Johnston
Rylie Koski, the junior Plant tech Rodney was always fascinated by the way plants grew living in the town of Golden, B.C. her whole life didn't have a nice yard to grow anything, let alone trying to keep all the street cats or the strawberries moved beside Tyler about two years ago, along with growing her first indoor garden over the winter, I got a job at Titus Greenhouse the following summer, and once 19, Tyler had the facility up and running and got to see the whole new side of plants and how they like to grow.
00;20;15;16 - 00;20;35;11
Gary Johnston
Not only does Reilly like to watch what they grow, but like to smoke and grow as well. Never knew everything that went into growing cannabis or the variety of feelings it can produce. And then the end of the team is the trimmers and all waiting to do some trimming for you. You're looking at the sharpest tools in the shed.
00;20;35;13 - 00;20;56;10
Gary Johnston
These trimmers are not only fast, but their attention to detail is a top shelf. This is not just a job to these ladies, it's passion, which is super hard to find for such a daunting task is trimming front pound after pound, but these ladies crush it every time the tunes are allowed. The laughter is plenty, and the trim gel is just about the most fun place you can be with these ladies.
00;20;56;17 - 00;21;24;18
Gary Johnston
Bringing our products to the finish line. You can't have quadruple a quality buds without a quadruple A team, and there is a little description of the team behind Rocky Mountain Cannabis. It's time for me to get back into smoking. Simple hierarchy on cannabis. And this, of course, is the banjo. And there we go. My vaporizer is back up to speed.
00;21;24;21 - 00;21;51;12
Gary Johnston
Okay. And I'm getting some really nice piney notes out of that. I'm not picking up any of the muted cheese tones that came out of the bag. But definitely some piney notes and a bit of the earthiness from that machine as well. And I guess, more importantly, is it starting to hit my endocannabinoid system? So 25.7% is the THC on this guy, and he will light up the joint again.
00;21;51;14 - 00;22;03;12
Gary Johnston
As I read all of those descriptions, everything kind of goes by the wayside and I can't quit smoking. And so it goes out. But that's pretty common as well. Now back into it.
00;22;03;14 - 00;22;28;13
Gary Johnston
Oh yeah, that's a really nice, really, really nice. It is a nice odor that is coming off of the joint. Not sure that it has much of those cheese notes in it, but it's a really enjoyable flavor in and of itself. And by the fact that I'm starting to now have trouble connecting my thoughts, I think this is also having an impact on my endocannabinoid system.
00;22;28;16 - 00;22;46;09
Gary Johnston
So the banjo is a sativa dominant hybrid. So something that you want to be looking at during the daytime. And that's definitely where I am. I'm in the daytime. Oh 25.72% is the THC.
00;22;46;12 - 00;23;18;15
Gary Johnston
Oh, and here's a little happy eyes zipping in the back door. And that euphoria is kind of hanging right out here. Oh, I like that as well. And then after the euphoria. So after this strange euphoria is settled, the slow body melt begins. This moderate sensation is enjoyable and functional, weighing just slightly on the eyelids and limbs. And there's a hint of those happy eyes that are just kind of sitting out there for a bit.
00;23;18;18 - 00;23;57;12
Gary Johnston
Oh yeah, that's feeling really, really nice. And I can see that this will move into a really nice body stone as I work with it and as I exist within it. Once more we have achieved Nirvana, and once more, let me thank the folks it up in smoke for being the sponsors of Cultivar Corner. And don't you forget, if you want to pick up some banjo for yourself and you live in BC and you're 19 or older, you can go to it's up in smoke.com, find the banjo on the menu and have it delivered to yourself.
00;23;57;15 - 00;24;23;02
Gary Johnston
You will not be disappointed and I'm pretty sure my day is going to be full of wonders, events and no disappointment. I might even learn to play the banjo. And as always, once I have an opportunity for my endocannabinoid system to absorb some of the THC that has been traveling around rolling around in my brain. Yeah, it gets deeper.
00;24;23;09 - 00;24;43;25
Gary Johnston
And then the happy eyes are coming on stronger now. Definitely lots of euphoria. A new euphoria is one of my favorite feelings, and one of my favorite reasons why I smoke cannabis is for that euphoria. I love that, and then I can feel that it could easily move into a nice little body stone with some ha on the happy eyes.
00;24;43;25 - 00;25;13;21
Gary Johnston
Little easy on the limbs. I'm liking what they're doing at Rocky Mountain Cannabis and Gold and Tyler and his crew. This is the second one of this month that is banjo. Definitely worth a try. And remember, you can pick it up for yourself if you're a 19 or older and you live in BC, just go to it's up and smoke.com or drop into the store at 258 West Broadway in Vancouver, sharing stories about good weed while trying good weed.
00;25;13;23 - 00;25;45;10
Gary Johnston
This is the cannabis potcast, and we're going to the ounce dot ca for this story. This one written by Pat Bulmer, an Ontario cannabis educator, has discovered Canada Post and an UberEats delivery guy are the same thing to industry regulators. Montrose Cannabis, a Pickering, Ontario, is facing a seven day suspension for using unlicensed third party delivery services and committing other violations of Ontario's Cannabis License Act, the CLA, according to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
00;25;45;13 - 00;26;08;17
Gary Johnston
I acknowledge every single thing, said owner operator Nick Baksh in a telephone interview. Under the act, cannabis can only be delivered by the license holder or an employee who has successfully completed the required education and training. A commission news release explain. Banks third party delivery services for his cannabis orders are Canada Post and sometimes other large courier companies.
00;26;08;20 - 00;26;29;28
Gary Johnston
Let me. The delivery guy on a bicycle in downtown Toronto is lumped in with large shipping companies that move tons of product. I think shipping is a different logistical method compared IT deliveries, box said. Barge had been shipping for some time without problems before a complaint, and then a second complaint was filed, he said. He followed all the rules and paperwork to ship with Canada Post.
00;26;30;01 - 00;26;59;02
Gary Johnston
We've been shipping for a while now and then one day I got a complaint, he said. I was spending a lot of money with Canada Post. Everything was legit. They shipped millions of dollars of cannabis every day. The Ontario Cannabis Store uses Canada Post to ship products to retailers. I'm buying the products for most. Yes, it back at a loss to explain the contradiction further, the commission found evidence was also discovered that the store had been unlawfully selling its products to customers in Alberta, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Quebec and Yukon.
00;26;59;05 - 00;27;20;08
Gary Johnston
Under the CLA, licensees are not permitted to sell cannabis outside of Ontario. And finally, Montrose cannabis was also determined to have been selling cannabis in quantities exceeding the legal maximum of 30g of dried cannabis, or its equivalent in a single transaction. Repeat violations were also discovered, the commission said. Once it has a stamp, it should be able to travel answered.
00;27;20;08 - 00;27;37;03
Gary Johnston
Best legal cannabis products are required to have an excise stamp for their province. Bash has 15 days to appeal. Otherwise the suspension will take place in January and it looks like this suspension will go ahead and bash just from working for it. Customers won't be able to make purchases during that time. Now I have to do some layoffs.
00;27;37;03 - 00;27;58;02
Gary Johnston
It's such a hit to the business. Munro ships a lot of products in northern Ontario, where cannabis stores are few and far between. He's pretty sure it's a large market for the black market retailers. That's the real competition, he said. He said online shopping is how many people like to browse and buy their cannabis. Now. I run one of Canada's ultra premium e-commerce web stores and I can't ship, he said.
00;27;58;04 - 00;28;16;08
Gary Johnston
Shipping rules are less strict for medical marijuana and in other provinces. If I was in B.C., I wouldn't be having this problem, Alberta two, he said. We're thinking of getting our medicinal sales license, which allows us to ship across the country, but that's going to take six months. The 30 gram limit also needs changing, Nash said. It's just so limiting.
00;28;16;10 - 00;28;32;09
Gary Johnston
It forces people to go back to the illicit market. I came from there. I had friends who used to buy quarter pound and I wouldn't see them for a month or two. Those ancient things like, oh, you can't ship or you can't do over 30g compared to alcohol. You can go in and buy the whole damn aisle, the whole store.
00;28;32;13 - 00;28;53;01
Gary Johnston
You can buy unlimited amounts of alcohol. So why the limit? This industry is so tired of waiting. We cannot be limited to our local area. It just doesn't make any sense. Bass said he's been told there will be no updates to Ontario cannabis laws before an election anticipated in 2025. Ironically, business has boomed since word got out about ag CEO's actions.
00;28;53;03 - 00;29;17;08
Gary Johnston
I'm pretty happy they didn't find me. I respect the Agco, their hands are tied, he said. When licensees fail to meet their obligations, the ag CEO will take decisive action to uphold the integrity of Ontario's cannabis retail system, said Doctor Karen Schneider, registrar and CEO of the Agco, in a statement. There are so many things we need to figure out how to do better.
00;29;17;10 - 00;29;22;29
Ian
Exploring the world of Canadian cannabis culture one toke at a time.
00;29;23;02 - 00;29;26;07
Ian
This is the cannabis potcast.
00;29;26;10 - 00;29;47;26
Gary Johnston
And we're going to stratcan dot com for the next story. And this was written by staff the past year was another busy one for cannabis news in Canada. And here are some of the more popular stories and topics from 2024. Canada's wholesale market continues to shift from a buyer's market to a seller's market. Well, the beginning of cannabis legalization in Canada was characterized by a surplus of product.
00;29;48;01 - 00;30;21;29
Gary Johnston
Many industry say that trend has been shifting to a shortage in recent months. Another of the more significant stories of 2024 was Health Canada's massive regulatory proposal in June. The proposed changes included regulatory amendments that align with the findings and recommendations from the federal government's expert panel's final report on the legislative review of the Cannabis Act. The final draft of these proposed changes is expected sometime in 2025, but an early election could impact them or even cause them to die on the vine in January 2024.
00;30;22;01 - 00;30;55;00
Gary Johnston
Israel opened an anti-dumping investigation into cannabis imports from Canada in July. The Israeli government released its preliminary decisions regarding accusations that Canadian cannabis companies are dumping low cost cannabis products into the Israeli medical cannabis market. With the Canadian cannabis industry and Global Affairs Canada expressing disappointment with Israel's report in November, a new report suggested adding up to 175% tax on Canadian cannabis imports, with the Canadian Cannabis Council and Global Affairs Canada raising several questions and concerns regarding the report.
00;30;55;02 - 00;31;17;16
Gary Johnston
Along with Israel's Ministry of Health, which argued the tariffs on Canadian cannabis would harm patients and benefit the illicit market not to be left out. Similar concerns have been raised more recently by some producers in Australia. Meanwhile, the export market into and through Germany is heating up, while Aurora and Tilray, Aphria operates two of the country's three production facilities.
00;31;17;18 - 00;31;45;17
Gary Johnston
Mother labs also announced a plan to bring branded cannabis generics to the German market. In addition, a new retail cannabis project in Germany could be good news for Canadian cannabis exporters, and a Danish medical cannabis company is looking to bring its unique cannabis oil to Canada. In July, the ox announced that it was planning to begin reducing the number of products it carries in its warehouse by several thousand in the coming year and a half as it moves to create a more efficient supply chain amid a glut of product.
00;31;45;19 - 00;32;12;24
Gary Johnston
The move is expected to begin in September. It comes as several other provincial distributors have made similar efforts to handle a growing number of products in limited storage space at central distribution warehouses. This is due to slowing market growth, as demand seems to be reaching a saturation point, and to address is provincial distributors like the Ox, Lvb, Anglesey and PLL have been paring down their offerings and shortening the time they give products to grab consumer interest.
00;32;12;27 - 00;32;48;21
Gary Johnston
In May, some businesses in Manitoba said they were caught off guard by the province's recent pause on controlled access retail cannabis licenses. In October, the province announced it was extending that pause for another 18 months. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario fined in Ontario cannabis retailer $100,000 for illegal data deals. The decision, posted by the Agco on November 19th, followed an initial issuance of an administrative penalty to Cannabis Express in April of 2020 for the topic struck a nerve among many in the industry who are frustrated by such data deals.
00;32;48;24 - 00;33;26;14
Gary Johnston
In October, a B.C. pot shop was fined for selling cannabis at two lower price. In December, the Agco issued a notice of proposal to suspend the cannabis retail store authorization for Montrose Cannabis in Pickering, Ontario, following inspections that revealed significant breaches of the Cannabis License Act and its regulations. The Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club, an unlicensed medical cannabis dispensary operating in Victoria since the 1990s, was issued a $3.2 million fine from the province, and a cannabis store in Colonia, B.C. received a one week suspension for failure to ID a minor and another was fined $7,000 for failing to check ID.
00;33;26;17 - 00;33;49;28
Gary Johnston
While there were two enforcement actions against B.C. cannabis stores. In federal politics, the industry has concluded to fruitlessly wonder if Trudeau even remembers that he legalize cannabis. In April, Trudeau said the concerns mostly for conservatives over cannabis legalization violating international treaties, were unfounded. In June, a conservative MP said he would vote to decriminalize cannabis, be given a chance.
00;33;50;01 - 00;34;20;07
Gary Johnston
Can we get that guy's name? In November, Trudeau and Polya have traded barbs over the latter's attempt to conflate cannabis legalization with the opioid epidemic. Unfortunately, cannabis appears to no longer be an election issue. And meanwhile, we look at the illicit and unregulated cannabis market, which, despite significant decline since legalization, continues to have a foothold, especially online. Retailers in Ontario say they are frustrated by the recent increase in unlicensed stores returning to local neighborhoods.
00;34;20;09 - 00;34;38;11
Gary Johnston
And in addition, the CBSA has seized thousands of kilograms of cannabis in the first half of 2020 for 2025. And there you go. Some stories that occurred over the last 12 months in cannabis, and it has been a rollercoaster.
00;34;38;13 - 00;34;58;26
Gary Johnston
Thank you so much for being here. I truly appreciate the fact that you are a listener each and every time. And I also want to advise you if you have a comment on anything you hear, please send a note to info at Cannabis potcast.com. And now we're going back to Let's Learn language.com funny quotes about marijuana. And we're going to throw a few of those to bring you a chuckle at the end of the show.
00;34;58;29 - 00;35;22;22
Gary Johnston
Getting stoned on marijuana is like riding a roller coaster. It's a thrilling experience that can leave you feeling dizzy and disoriented. Marijuana is like a Pandora's box that can reveal hidden treasures or unleash unexpected horrors. Smoking weed is like a high wire act. It requires balance and focus, and one misstep can lead to disaster. Marijuana is like a wild animal.
00;35;22;25 - 00;35;43;00
Gary Johnston
It can be tamed and trained, but it always retains its primal nature and unpredictability. And I would apply that one specifically to anything dealing with edibles that are going through the liver. And of course, my inability to use edibles and have some experience with them. And on that note, we shall leave it there. From the guy in the clouds.
00;35;43;03 - 00;35;48;00
Gary Johnston
That's the conclusion of episode 190 of the Cannabis potcast.
00;35;48;03 - 00;36;04;11
Ian
From the cannabis infused studio high above the Okanagan Valley. This was the cannabis potcast.