Canadians are drinking less and consuming more cannabis, we look at the cannabis legacy built by Justin Trudeau, interprovincial cannabis, the cannabis industry support GDP and the Dutch experiment reaches a milestone. On Cultivar Corner, brought to you by Up In Smoke, we try something from the Wood Nelson Country Club – Mandarin Sunrise.
Canadians are drinking less and consuming more cannabis, we look at the cannabis legacy built by Justin Trudeau, interprovincial cannabis, the cannabis industry support GDP and the Dutch experiment reaches a milestone. On Cultivar Corner, brought to you by Up In Smoke, we try something from the Wood Nelson Country Club – Mandarin Sunrise.
Drinking less and smoking more
Woody Nelson Country Club Mandarin Sunrise
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;27
Ian
Exploring the Canadian cannabis culture. One toke at a time. Here is your host and but tender Gary Johnston.
00;00;19;29 - 00;00;40;20
Gary Johnston
And that is a perfect opportunity for me to say welcome to the Cannabis potcast. I'm glad to welcome you back. Or perhaps this is your very first visit. You. In either case, I'm so thankful that you're here. We're going to spend the next 30 or 40 minutes or so talking about a plant that I'm absolutely passionate about, and then I suspect you may have some affiliation as well.
00;00;40;21 - 00;01;16;29
Gary Johnston
And that is cannabis. 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 ahead. In episode 199, we as Canadians are drinking less and consuming more cannabis. We look at the cannabis legacy built by Justin Trudeau, inter-provincial cannabis, the cannabis industry, support for GDP and the Dutch experiment reaches a milestone to our corner.
00;01;16;29 - 00;01;33;23
Gary Johnston
Brought to you by Up in Smoke. We try something new from the Woodie Nelson, Country Club manager, sunrise. All of that and more on episode 199 of the Cannabis potcast.
00;01;33;26 - 00;01;52;04
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 to the Cannabis potcast, and I also want to thank my patrons at Patreon. I appreciate it each and every time. So thank you to Tony, Rob, Gage, Lloyd, Roger, and Justin. I truly do appreciate it.
00;01;52;06 - 00;02;28;18
Gary Johnston
And now let's get to our first story. And we are picking up this story from a stratcann.com This was written by Sarah Clarke. Cannabis sales increase from 2023 while alcohol sales declined somewhat. According to the newest figures shared by Stats Canada. Although cannabis sales have been somewhat cooling from the exponential growth seen in the first few years of legalization, sales of recreational cannabis by provincial cannabis authorities and other retail outlets increased 11.6%, or $500 million, from fiscal year 2022 to fiscal year 2023.
00;02;28;20 - 00;02;57;26
Gary Johnston
This is equivalent to $162 per person of legal age to consume cannabis. Meanwhile, alcohol sales, while still far higher overall than cannabis sales at 26.2 billion, saw historic declined in sales, down 0.1% in fiscal year 2023. The decrease in alcohol sales occurred despite a 2.5% increase in the price of alcohol beverages in stores from March 23rd to March 24th.
00;02;57;29 - 00;03;36;17
Gary Johnston
Conversely, the 11.6% year over year increase in cannabis sales came when cannabis prices declined 2.8%. Inhaled cannabis extracts continue to be the fastest growing product in 2324, up 31% year over year after growing 59% the previous fiscal year. This category, which includes not only extracts like hash, Chateau or live rosin, but also vape pens and infused pre-rolls, was the most significant contributor to the increase in cannabis sales in 2324, accounting for 67.5% of the $500 million overall increase.
00;03;36;20 - 00;04;01;04
Gary Johnston
Yukon had the highest sales per person of legal age to consume cannabis at $356 per person, while Quebec had the lowest at 96. Quebec does not allow sales of cannabis extracts unless they have less than 30% THC, and has significant restrictions on cannabis edibles. Quebec has also banned the sale of cannabis topicals, although this is a very small product category overall.
00;04;01;06 - 00;04;42;21
Gary Johnston
Cannabis vapes are said to be coming to Quebec later this year. Retailers that Stratham spoke with recently shared similar insight into current sales trends. While cannabis flower, including pre-rolls, continues to dominate sales infused pre-rolls and vapes, especially all in one or disposable vape, continue to be eaten their market share. British Columbia, one of the few provinces to release quarterly wholesale sales reports for cannabis products, noted that inhaled extract sales for the last three months of 2024 were 54.4 million, while cannabis flower and pre-rolls were 76.1 million 44.2 in dried flower and 31 in pre-rolls.
00;04;42;23 - 00;05;26;26
Gary Johnston
Disposable vape pens. Sales in that province increased by a whopping 193% year over year, and 92.6% in terms of units sold, continuing an ongoing trend. Sales of and use pre-rolls increased by 19.3%, Inhalable extract sales increased by 15.7 year over year, and dried flower sales increased by just 0.8%, while units sold decreased by 1.7. Ottawa and several provinces have made recent moves to make inter-provincial alcohol sales direct to consumers, but cannabis continues to be excluded from such conversations, despite being a greater contributor to Canada's DPJ than many aspects of the alcohol industry.
00;05;26;26 - 00;05;36;01
Gary Johnston
And there were the changes in cannabis sales for 2025.
00;05;36;03 - 00;06;03;11
Gary Johnston
And from Schreck Hanekom, this was written by staff. New polling data shows that Canadians rank cannabis legalization as Justin Trudeau's top accomplishment in these nearly ten years in office. The online poll, conducted and presented by the Angus Reid Institute, took place from March 4th to six, 2025, among a representative randomized sample of 1850 Canadian adults who are members of the Angus Reid Forum.
00;06;03;13 - 00;06;33;08
Gary Johnston
Just over half of Canadians, 52%, listed cannabis legalization as an example of a policy success by the Trudeau Liberal government, higher than the public's view of the Trudeau government handling of Covid 19 and the response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Younger Canadian men were more likely to consider cannabis legalization a successful policy, but support decreased with age. Men aged 55 and older were the least likely to say the same.
00;06;33;11 - 00;07;05;14
Gary Johnston
Women showed a similar spread of support, with more support among the 1835 crowd than the 55 plus crown for Canadians who listed cannabis legalization as a failure. A similar trend among groups emerged, with 30% of Canadian men aged 55 plus saying it was a policy failure. Well, 27% of women aged 55 and up said the same. Only 16% of men aged 18 to 34 said cannabis legalization was a failure and 17% for women in the same age group.
00;07;05;16 - 00;07;37;28
Gary Johnston
Unsurprisingly, those who supported the conservative Party were overwhelmingly not supportive of cannabis legalization, while Liberal and NDP voters, and to a lesser degree BC voters, were supportive. The Conservative Party of Canada opposed cannabis legalization on principle, as the legalization was being debated in Parliament in 2017 and 18, all party members voted against legalization, except for one conservative MP, Scott Reid of Ontario, who says the party punished him for breaking ranks on the bill.
00;07;38;00 - 00;08;12;15
Gary Johnston
Cannabis legalization had the highest net assessment among all potential party voters, followed by the expansion of the social safety net like the child care benefit, dental care coverage and more, as well as the response of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Canada's handling of Covid 19 and promoting equality among women at the provincial level. Support for cannabis legalization was highest in Atlantic Canada, Ontario and Quebec, and opposition to cannabis legalization was highest in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and rural Canada in general.
00;08;12;18 - 00;08;36;17
Gary Johnston
Trudeau recently announced he was stepping down as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Prime Minister following this election of a new party leader on March 9th, which turned out to be Mark Carney. Just over 1 in 20 adults, 5.7% reported daily or almost daily use of cannabis in 2024, down from 6.5% a year earlier. And there ya go.
00;08;36;20 - 00;08;43;19
Gary Johnston
This is the legalization legacy for Justin Trudeau.
00;08;43;21 - 00;08;48;04
Ian
At the cannabis infused studio In the Clouds. This is the cannabis potcast.
00;08;48;06 - 00;09;19;01
Gary Johnston
And for this story, we are going to stretch Incom and this was written by David Brown. A group of cannabis coffee shops in the Netherlands say the market needs more time to adjust before the next phase of the country's legal supply chain experiment. In a letter posted on March 7th, 2025, the group, which represents dozens of coffee shops around the country, says the planned switch to only legal products by April 7th, 2025, is not practical and that the risk of negative consequences is enormous.
00;09;19;03 - 00;09;40;08
Gary Johnston
As the quality and quantity of legal products is not yet up to par. In a memo in December 2024, the government said that as of April 7th, all coffee shops were participating in the Cannabis Supply Chain Experiment will only be allowed to sell regulated cannabis. This date was said to be final, providing certainty for municipalities, coffee shop owners and growers.
00;09;40;11 - 00;09;59;21
Gary Johnston
We are on the right track with all parties involved, from growers, coffee shops and transporters to civil servants and administrators of the track and trace system. But not quite ready yet, reads the letter in part. The risk of chaos in a failed experiment is therefore enormous. That would be disastrous for the energy that all parties involved to put into it.
00;09;59;21 - 00;10;26;06
Gary Johnston
So far as coffee shops that fully cooperate with the experiment. We note that the quantity, quality and diversity of illegal products is still insufficient. The Dutch government first announced its plan for the project in 2022, which included exploring the possibility of a closed cannabis chain for cannabis coffee shops in several cities across the country. The first sales began in the Dutch cities of Brita and Tilburg in 2023.
00;10;26;08 - 00;10;51;10
Gary Johnston
As of June 2024, all coffee shops in all ten participated in Dutch municipalities have been allowed to sell regulated products alongside tolerated products to consumers. By the end of 2024, 70 of the total 75 participating coffee shops have sold regulated cannabis flower and hash. The next experimental phase of the project, planned to begin on April 7th, is set to last around four years.
00;10;51;12 - 00;11;21;11
Gary Johnston
The government also says more approved growers are also expected to be ready to supply in April. Six growers are currently approved to supply the program, including one connected to a Canadian cannabis producer. The goal of the closed loop experiment is to explore the feasibility of a quality controlled cannabis production and distribution system in the country, as an alternative to the current tolerance policy that has not legal, but tolerated coffee shop style points of sale and unregulated illicit growers who supply them.
00;11;21;13 - 00;11;43;15
Gary Johnston
However, the group of retailers say this system needs at least another six months to be fully prepared for a full transition to selling products only from legal supply chain. In our view, the letter continues, a complete switch to legal products can only take place if every individual coffee shop participating in the cannabis experiment has access to a sufficient number of different types of goods.
00;11;43;15 - 00;12;09;04
Gary Johnston
Quality. At the moment, this is not yet the case. We have tried to make this clear to the mayors involved and to responsible ministries in all possible ways. The group also says there are not enough legal growers or suppliers, and that some suppliers are charging different prices to different stores. There's also a shortage of affordable products hash joints, edibles and bestsellers such as the weed varieties Amnesia and White Widow.
00;12;09;06 - 00;12;31;05
Gary Johnston
It takes time to get our customers to switch to legal products. We also need to be able to maintain a competitive position with the tolerated coffee shops in other cities and illegal market suppliers. We therefore ask you to initiate a so-called optimization phase in which we can make the necessary improvements together with all parties involved, so that the weed experiment can really succeed.
00;12;31;08 - 00;12;55;03
Gary Johnston
The mayor of Brita, one of the first municipalities to adopt a supply chain experiment, characterized the issue as a serious problem is supply cannot meet demand, driving consumers back to the illicit market and an update on March 13th. A press officer with the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security Communications Directorate told Strat Kan by email that various levels of government are looking into the issue.
00;12;55;05 - 00;13;20;22
Gary Johnston
Yesterday, there was a productive consultation between the Minister of Justice and Security, the State Secretary of Public Health, Welfare and Sport and the mayors of the relevant municipalities. The House will be informed of the outcomes of this consultation shortly, as was promised during yesterday's oral questions, wrote the representative. At the end of March, the ministries will facilitate a meeting between growers and coffee shop owners to discuss the current challenges.
00;13;20;24 - 00;13;30;06
Gary Johnston
The relevant mayors are also welcome to attend, and there is the experiment in moving Dutch coffee shops to legal weed. It's proceeding.
00;13;30;08 - 00;13;31;17
Ian
THC CBD Terpene profiles What’s in me
00;13;31;24 - 00;13;38;15
Speaker 3
Cultivar Corner
Cultivar Corner
Cultivar Corner
Please explain this stuff to me.
00;13;46;06 - 00;14;08;06
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 and smoke.com. Remember, if you are 19 years of age or older and you live in B.C., you can go to and up and smoke.com and you can pick up whatever lovely goods they have.
00;14;08;12 - 00;14;42;22
Gary Johnston
And it could be the good we're talking about today. So this is not an exclusive to direct delivery, but this is kind of kind of I wanted to highlight it. This is part of the Woody Milton Country Club. What's the Woody Nelson country club? You may require. Well, the Woody Nelson country Club is Woody Nelson out of the goodness, has come together and made some partnerships with a whole bunch of micros and allowing them to bring in some other weed into their realm.
00;14;42;24 - 00;15;24;04
Gary Johnston
And so this is Mandarin Sunrise is grown by Rocky Mountain cannabis and when I open this bag, my God, absolutely amazing. At least the sense that come out of this. Oh, I mean, talk about citrus and and oh, citrus in pine are just all over the place. And this one. So let me give you the rundown on Mandarin Sunrise, which is part of the Woody Nelson Country Club.
00;15;24;06 - 00;15;52;22
Gary Johnston
It's available for a limited time only. The Mandarin Sunrise Genetic was bred by ethos and grown by Rocky Mountain at their indoor facility in Golden, B.C. this city, the dominant cultivar, is rich in terpene, including terpenes, lean, also mean and limonene, with notes of citrus and pine. The plant's frosty, sticky buns are hand trimmed and cured for a minimum of three weeks and never irradiated.
00;15;52;29 - 00;16;27;19
Gary Johnston
And on my THC, I am sitting at 27.4% by total Terps at 4.1, and then my cannabinoids at 28.8. Top terpenes. Her pedaling also mean and limonene aromas citrus and pine. Boy, they got that right. It is just citrus right in front of your face. Makes you think okay, okay. Yeah. There's some definitely some citrus in here. So before we get to the Rocky Mountain cannabis description, let's take a look at the buds for the Mandarin.
00;16;27;19 - 00;16;54;23
Gary Johnston
Summarize. And when I look at that so what do we got. We got a a light green a flower got some dark red pistols throughout this flower. And then as I look into that are the and the aromas are just amazing coming out of this. I absolutely love it. And so when I look into the flower. Oh yeah, look at that.
00;16;54;25 - 00;17;23;05
Gary Johnston
Oh nice display a trichomes on there a nice it's very firm. Not not perhaps. Yeah. There's just some stick. So there's some stick as well. And this was actually packaged. And when this package on, this was packaged on and I know I'm going to find it, the package date is, December 6th. So a couple of months away, not too far.
00;17;23;08 - 00;17;51;14
Gary Johnston
And still still almost feel fresh. Okay, so citrus and pine are all over the place. The top pure pines, Turpin lean beta also mean a d limonene, beta machine and beta carry off a lean, grown in cocoa qua the hang dried hand trim. Three week Pobeda never irradiated. And why don't we taste it? Let's start with the joint.
00;17;51;16 - 00;18;16;02
Gary Johnston
Today. I do have the mighty. I've got two dosing capsules already and we're going to get that up to temperature. And well, that is getting up the temperature. We will light a joint and let's see what Mandarin sunrise from Rocky Mountain cannabis. So first of all, Rocky Mountain cannabis, a family owned business located in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, combines a passion for cannabis with a commitment to sustainability.
00;18;16;04 - 00;18;54;16
Gary Johnston
Nestled between the Columbia Kicking Horse and Blueberry rivers, their state of the art facility uses fresh mountain water and eco friendly practices, including efficient equipment, recycling and composting. Founder Hunter Tetro, with over 20 years of horticultural experience and a deep personal connection to cannabis curated strains that support active family lifestyle. And this is one of Tyler's favorites. Let's have a taste of Mandarin Sunrise from the Woody Nelson Country Club.
00;18;54;18 - 00;19;15;03
Gary Johnston
So, citrus and pine right up front. Right all over the studio today. Lots of citrus and pine notes. And the paneling seems to give me a pretty good buzz when we're in the diva's.
00;19;15;05 - 00;19;39;11
Gary Johnston
Oh. That's nice. That is very nice. So. Oh, yes. Now there is a whole bunch of edible under the Woody Nelson Country Club, so you can go and check it out for themselves. You'll find just a whole bunch of microbes that have been represented. And that's kind of cool that all of these different organizations are, are getting an opportunity to present themselves with in some other contexts.
00;19;39;12 - 00;20;08;10
Gary Johnston
And I like that. Okay. So the joint pretty heavy on the citrus and pine. Really sweet. So I'm not tasting anything of anything. Let's get a harsh me. I will not harsh myself. And now let's get to the, Let's do the mighty. This is the Mandarin sunrise, which is a cross of oak, orange gunk and heroin to.
00;20;08;12 - 00;20;21;09
Gary Johnston
Now, I've never heard of marijuana before, but that doesn't mean anything because there's a lot of strains I haven't heard of. Let's have a taste of the Mandarin sunrise.
00;20;21;11 - 00;20;44;11
Gary Johnston
Oh, and once again, as soon as you bring the mighty and the vaporizer into the picture, it just changes the experience. Because I got some citrus notes and I got some pine notes off of that joint, but I've a really want to taste it.
00;20;44;14 - 00;20;59;29
Gary Johnston
Oh, really nice patch. We had a really nice punch is Mandarin Sunrise as it hits into my endocannabinoid system.
00;21;00;03 - 00;21;31;15
Gary Johnston
Now, unfortunately, while I was in the middle of that, my furnace came on, so I had to stop recording. But I did not stop consuming and and let me tell you, I had been consuming and and the results had been astronomical. Back to the joint. And I have done now my first dosing capsule of the Mandarin sunrise in the mighty,
00;21;31;17 - 00;21;41;24
Gary Johnston
What can I say? This is this is pretty nice. Pretty nice buzz that I'm getting right now.
00;21;41;27 - 00;21;53;16
Gary Johnston
All the citrus and pine is just amazing. Everything that we consume is filled with citrus and buying elements.
00;21;53;18 - 00;22;12;05
Gary Johnston
And as usual, the stuff from Rocky Mountain Cannabis, whether it's from Woody Nelson Country Club or it's whether we're their own product, I've been really impressed. So this is a cross of, orange skunk and heroin. Tiger doing some really nice work.
00;22;12;08 - 00;22;42;19
Gary Johnston
Oh, and now my my endocannabinoid system is firing on all cylinders. Oh, I love this. And I also, I have I realized that when I do cultivar corners first thing in the morning, that's my best opportunity to truly experience what the weed will do for me on that particular day. Unfiltered from other from other things. I might have consumed.
00;22;42;21 - 00;23;08;16
Gary Johnston
And this is, again, a perfect example. This was the Tuesday morning, and I decided to get into the Mandarin sunrise early in the morning. And now I'm just having a blast, and I am going to enjoy the rest of this day. This is this is really a city to like. Oh, yeah. I am feeling really, in energized in my brain.
00;23;08;18 - 00;23;46;28
Gary Johnston
I've got lots of euphoria happening. Just sweet emotions. Sweet, sweet, sweet. What more can I tell you? Oh. Oh, my my my my endocannabinoid system is firing the Mandarin sunrise is, doing a really nice, So from the east, good news to your your pipe, your your joint or whatever the case is. Oh, my.
00;23;47;01 - 00;24;08;03
Gary Johnston
And the more I think about it, the more the more intoxicated I feel and the more sativa like. Oh, I really love a my sativa. No question. I like my indica is in the nighttime and I know we're not supposed to do that, but I really like my citrus. Am I a fan of the Woody Nelson Country Club?
00;24;08;03 - 00;24;29;07
Gary Johnston
Yes I am, I'm a fan of Mandarin Sunrise and Rocky Mountain Cannabis as well. And of course, Cultivar Corner, brought to you by Up in Smoke at 258 West Broadway in Vancouver and online it it's up in smoke.com if you are 19 years of age or older and you live in B.C., order something and have it sent to you.
00;24;29;10 - 00;24;56;05
Gary Johnston
You will not be disappointed. I'm just going to revel in the Mandarin sunrise. And as I continue to imbibe, I can't stop today. I don't know what it is, but, boy, this is getting much deeper. Yeah, the Stephanie Sims diva stuff. So I got some energy. I got some things I want to do, and I want to have fun doing it.
00;24;56;07 - 00;25;08;29
Gary Johnston
And I am just going to have a blast. Thank you, Willie Nelson country club. Thank you. Rocky Mountain Cannabis. Thank you. Tyler. Thank you.
Weed.
00;25;08;29 - 00;25;17;08
Ian
sharing stories about good weed while trying good weed. This is the Cannabis potcast.
00;25;17;10 - 00;25;48;28
Gary Johnston
And we pick up this story from Strtcaon.com and it was written by David Brown. As Canadians focus on ways to strengthen their economy in the wake of ongoing threats from the current U.S government, many in the Canadian cannabis industry say they think cannabis is being overlooked as an economic powerhouse, contributing hundreds of millions of dollars in excise tax to provinces since legalization began, and more than 8.3 billion to the country's GDP in 2024, including the creation of thousands of jobs across the country.
00;25;48;29 - 00;26;23;28
Gary Johnston
While not being at all reliant on U.S. trade. Canada's cannabis industry is in a unique position. Despite this, the cannabis industry continues to be overlooked in provincial and federal efforts to strengthen Canada's economy. While Ottawa and most provinces recently agreed on a deal to allow cross-border direct to consumer sales for alcohol, cannabis was ignored. Canada recently announced billions of dollars in aid and other forms of support to Canadian businesses and people who are expected to be directly affected by U.S tariffs, while finding new markets abroad.
00;26;24;00 - 00;26;50;06
Gary Johnston
The cannabis industry was not part of that announcement either, despite Canada dominating the global market for cannabis exports. According to the Canadian government, there were 67,000kg of dried cannabis exported to the international market in the first six months of 2024, and 79,000kg is exported in 2023, a trend expected to continue. As a world leader in federally regulated cannabis production.
00;26;50;13 - 00;27;20;05
Gary Johnston
Canada has a first mover advantage in a global market projected to surpass 145 billion by 2026, said Bina Goldberg, Organigram CEO, in a recent post. The industry has already contributed over $43 billion to GDP, support 80,000 jobs and generate significant tax revenue. With the right tax and regulatory reforms, it can drive even greater investment, innovation and trade, helping to build a more self-reliant domestic economy.
00;27;20;08 - 00;27;48;09
Gary Johnston
Companies like Organigram are ready to work with the Canadian government to bolster this market, she adds. This unprecedented challenge presents an opportunity to bolster Made in Canada industries, including the regulated cannabis sector, and create a strong, more resilient economy. Rick Seven, senior vice president of global government relations at Aurora cannabis, says there's a lot more the government can do to help make the best use of the economic benefits the cannabis industry brings.
00;27;48;11 - 00;28;17;09
Gary Johnston
If both the federal and provincial governments were to acknowledge and recognize medical cannabis as a key sector in Canada's life sciences and pharmaceutical industries, that would help the cannabis industry tremendously. As a leader in the global medical cannabis market, Aurora is committed to working with the government in Canada to prioritize and promote the economic benefits of medical cannabis and encourage them to include it in economic policy discussions and industry growth strategies.
00;28;17;12 - 00;28;53;02
Gary Johnston
The cannabis industry can benefit from Canada's goals of becoming more economically resilient by improving supply chains and increasing inter-provincial trade in Canada. To do so, the current cannabis excise stamp regime, which is insufficient and costly, needs to be improved by quickly moving to a national excise stamp for the cannabis industry. Zero notes that while there are some supports in place for the Canadian medical cannabis export market, much more can be done, including lowering regulatory fees and doing more to advocate for Canadian companies in the international market in regard to export support.
00;28;53;02 - 00;29;20;07
Gary Johnston
While support from Embassy and Trade Commissioner servers has improved for Canadian licensed producers, Global Affairs Canada sometimes refuses efficacy services for the cannabis sector, so we urge the Government of Canada to unleash the economic development potential of our medical cannabis industry, adds Vaughan. Also, Health Canada applies a 2.3% annual registry fee on export products, which poses significant challenges against foreign producers.
00;29;20;09 - 00;29;58;09
Gary Johnston
Health Canada should stop applying the RF to medical cannabis. Alanah Davis with the B.C. Cannabis Alliance, which represents cannabis producers in B.C., recently shared similar sentiments with Stratton about being excluded from these conversations on interprovincial trade, especially when it's already a strong part of the Canadian economy. As an industry that has proven itself to be durable through recessions with a supply chain that's almost entirely Canadian, it's disappointing to see cannabis being left out in conversations that would help Canadians employed while improving economic opportunities in BC's rural communities, said Alannah Davis.
00;29;58;11 - 00;30;05;23
Gary Johnston
And the Cannabis producers want to play their part in building the GDP.
00;30;05;26 - 00;30;30;07
Gary Johnston
Until this next story comes to us from Strack Hanekom and it written by David Brown. Most provinces, except for P.E.I. and Newfoundland and Labrador, have signed an agreement to allow inter-provincial alcohol sales directly to consumers. The cannabis industry has been asking for similar changes for years, but was not included in the conversation or subsequent announcement about lessening restrictions on cross provincial alcohol sales.
00;30;30;09 - 00;30;57;05
Gary Johnston
Most provinces tightly control cannabis sales through provincial boards that do not allow producers to ship directly to consumers. Although such sales are permitted through Canada's Cannabis Medical for purposes program, the Cross Province Alcohol Agreement, expected to be signed in the coming weeks, is part of several changes federal, provincial and territorial governments have been making in recent weeks, trying to buoy the effects of U.S. tariffs by boosting other trade avenues.
00;30;57;08 - 00;31;30;22
Gary Johnston
This work has been aided by the Federal Committee on Internal Trade, led by Federal Minister of Transport and Internal Trade Anita Anand, and several provincial and territory counterparts. Through the committee, the Canadian Free Trade Agreement, first signed in 2017, seeks to reduce and eliminate barriers to the free movement of workers, goods, services and investment in Canada. The 20 2427 Internal Trade Action Plan aims to guide the collective efforts of the federal, provincial and territorial government with a view to stimulate interprovincial trade and continue to advance internal trade.
00;31;30;29 - 00;31;57;24
Gary Johnston
While the threats of tariffs on goods entering the U.S. does not have a direct impact on the Canadian cannabis industry for obvious reasons, knocking down interprovincial trade barriers could be a fantastic and welcome opportunity for the sector, and this is not gone unnoticed. This is something I've been discussing for a long time, from my previous experience in beverage, alcohol and the Nova Scotia wine industry, Jonathan Wilson, CEO of former cannabis producer Crystal Kirsch, told Traffic in.
00;31;57;26 - 00;32;21;07
Gary Johnston
We're a giant country, but we forget that within that country there are a whole bunch of borders, he said. Wilson added that in his experience, there are various instances where it can be easier to get products from international sources, rather from a different problems, something that many sectors and companies have agreed with. Cannabis producers in Canada wishing to sell cannabis in a particular province and territories, in most cases, need to get approval from a provincial board.
00;32;21;09 - 00;32;45;21
Gary Johnston
Except in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Those boards control distribution hubs that send cannabis to provincially regulated retailers. Well, British Columbia introduced a direct delivery program in 2022. It only applies to small scale BC based cannabis producers, not producers located outside of B.C.. British Columbia launched its Direct delivery program with the goal of helping small scale producers establish a better foothold in the legal market.
00;32;45;24 - 00;33;12;12
Gary Johnston
However, some producers feel this is still a form of protectionism. A very good example is that multiple retailers in B.C. have been requesting my product and have been rejected by the board because they prefer to support BC cannabis, which is exactly what we're talking about. Interprovincial trade barriers. Gord Nicol of Saskatchewan cannabis producer North, 40 cannabis, told stack in B.C. is not the only protectionist province, though, notes Nicole.
00;33;12;14 - 00;33;34;13
Gary Johnston
Let me sell to my retailers. Let me sell to any retailer I want to anywhere in Canada. I've got two retailers in Ontario and would love to carry my product, but I can't jump through their hurdles to supply six retailers. But I could do it if they weren't in the way. Quebec has also become known as a province that makes efforts to support its own provincial cannabis industry, at times to the frustration of producers seeking to enter that market.
00;33;34;13 - 00;33;59;28
Gary Johnston
One of the largest in Canada due to increased security checks. Barriers to approval in Alberta have also been noted as a challenge by producers, including those located in the province. Paul McCarthy, president of the Canadian Cannabis Council, says he's disappointed cannabis isn't a part of this specific conversation, but notes that his members are pushing for a similar kind of harmonization with cannabis excise stamps, something the government has said they are considering.
00;34;00;02 - 00;34;20;14
Gary Johnston
In short, it's disappointing, said McCarthy. I can only hope that the government reengaging on the cannabis sector. It seems like they have used the social side of this policy as a success, but have forgotten that the economic side, we need this to be viable and no one seems to be given any thought. We are almost certainly going to be in an election in the very near future.
00;34;20;16 - 00;34;54;01
Gary Johnston
I think that presents an opportunity to get a fresh look at this sector, regardless of who comes into the office. Atlanta Davis with the B.C. Cannabis Alliance, which represents cannabis producers in B.C., echoes a similar sentiment about being excluded from these conversations on interprovincial trade, especially when it's already a strong part of the Canadian economy. As an industry that has proven itself to be durable through recessions with a supply chain that's almost entirely Canadian, it's disappointing to see cannabis being left out of conversations that would help keep Canadians employed while improving economic opportunities.
00;34;54;01 - 00;35;23;27
Gary Johnston
In B.C., rural communities, Davis tells Trad Camp. Justin Trudeau's office posted comments about the deal on March 5th, in the face of the United States unjustified decisions to impose tariffs on Canadian goods. Canada's first ministers recognize this as a pivotal moment for Canada. Take bold and united action. We must increase our economic resilience, reduce dependance on one market and strengthen our domestic economy for the benefit of Canadian workers and businesses now into the future.
00;35;23;29 - 00;35;46;22
Gary Johnston
One key step is to make it easier for Canadians to do business with each other, from coast to coast to coast. And let's hope that this has some some validity. We start talking about it because we need to fix this problem right now. And thank you for being a listener. I truly am appreciative of the fact that you were here listening to the Cannabis potcast.
00;35;46;24 - 00;36;06;01
Gary Johnston
I will tell you if you ever have a comment on anything you hear. Send a note to info at Cannabis potcast.com. And also you can go to buy me a coffee.com/cannabis potcast. If you like what you hear and you feel so inclined, you're more than welcome to buy me a doobie. And now let's get to the world's worst dad jokes.
00;36;06;03 - 00;36;39;20
Gary Johnston
We'll add cannabis and we'll see what. What difference that makes. Where do rabbits go after they get married? When they've been smoking cannabis on a bunny moon? These are pretty bad. Why was the picture sent to jail? It was framed. What did the big flower say to the little flower after it had been smoking cannabis? Hi, Bud. And why do bees have sticky hair?
00;36;39;22 - 00;37;00;12
Gary Johnston
Because they use a honeycomb. All grown, grown and grown. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but no, I'm not, because I'm having fun doing it. And that, my friends, is it from the guy in the clouds? That's it for episode 199 of the Cannabis potcast.
00;37;00;14 - 00;37;08;24
Ian
From the cannabis infused studio high above the Okanagan Valley. This was the cannabis potcast.