Tim Wilson
Tim Wilson is an independent journalist, researcher, and author. He reports extensively from Canada and Mexico. Follow him on Twitter @TimothyEWilson

Cannabis emerges as promising treatment for women’s health
| Tim Wilson | Insight
Cannabis holds promise as an aid to women’s health, despite lack of long-term research data of the emerging market.

Alberta cannabis producers are having trouble selling locally
As the Canadian cannabis market slogs through 2023, producers in Alberta are facing headwinds, with some concerned that overly-thorough security clearance requirements and listing fees—among…

Illicit cannabis market continues to exploit Interac and Canada Post
| Tim Wilson | Insight
Canada’s regulated cannabis market operates under significant scrutiny. However, that’s not the case with the illicit market, where they aren’t subject to the same tax…

2023’s tough year in cannabis
So far, 2023 has been a difficult year for Canada’s regulated cannabis industry, with layoffs, declining revenues and lack of tax reforms.

Women in cannabis find strength in community
| Tim Wilson | Insight
It’s no secret that women face challenges in the workplace. As of 2021, a female worker in Canada makes 89 cents to every dollar earned…

Cannabis retailers continue to face security challenges
Retail cannabis store owners in Canada face ongoing challenges protecting their property from break-ins. Proprietors aren’t only having to deal with the stress and financial…

Are cannabis beverages less popular in Saskatchewan?
| Tim Wilson | Insight
Cannabis holds promise as an aid to women’s health. While there are challenges related to a lack of long-term research data and the fact that…

Vapes and extracts continue to eat into dried flower’s market share
Cannabis holds promise as an aid to women’s health. While there are challenges related to a lack of long-term research data and the fact that…

Cannabis nurseries and cultivators navigate PST confusion
When a nursery sells to a cultivator, the transaction is often understood to be B2B. However, some provincial ministries of finance have determined that, in…

Bending the rules in cannabis access and promotion
When it comes to enforcement of promotional marketing and age-gating, it is often the provincial regulators who take centre stage, operating under provincial legislation designed…

High insurance premiums a challenge for cannabis producers
| Tim Wilson | Insight
Insurance is a complex topic in the cannabis space. The industry is adjusting to the new landscape, and brokering still isn’t functioning with the rationale…

When is a farm in BC not a farm? When it grows cannabis
| Tim Wilson | Insight
Some outdoor grow operations in BC are feeling the stress of the ongoing stigma against cannabis. Though they have the same challenges as other farmers,…

Ontario retailers seek relief from OCS
| Tim Wilson | Insight
The cyberattack last August on the parent company of Ontario Cannabis Store’s (OCS’) third-party operated distribution centre, Domain Logistics, briefly crippled the cannabis distribution system…

Getting to know you: the business of cannabis consumer data
| Tim Wilson | Insight
Canada’s cut-throat retail market has many battlegrounds, with a lot of attention being paid to pricing, branding, and store appeal. But behind the scenes there’s…

Should Alberta move to a direct delivery model?
| Tim Wilson | Insight
British Columbia’s direct delivery program, which allows certain BC-grown cannabis products to bypass the Liquor Distribution Branch’s (LDB’s) Richmond warehouse, is under scrutiny from industry…

Examining the pros and cons of provincial cannabis distribution
| Tim Wilson | Insight
The provincially mandated, centralized distribution of cannabis in Canada is taking some heat and the industry is seeing a healthy debate on the pros and…

Is the price right? Retail cannabis feels the squeeze
| Tim Wilson | Insight
As some markets are saturated with bricks-and-mortar outlets and intense price competition, retail cannabis is feeling the squeeze.

Microbial testing’s double standard
| Tim Wilson | Insight
Microbial testing is necessary to ensure that cannabis products are safe to consume. However, the risks associated with microbial levels vary according to the product,…

How are cannabis retailers standing out in the crowd?
| Tim Wilson | Insight
Cannabis retail is facing some serious challenges, with many markets in Canada reaching saturation. Locally owned stores are often in direct competition with well-resourced chains….

Paying the price in the cannabis supply chain
| Tim Wilson | Insight
The supply chain for cannabis products in Canada appears to be fairly simple, however, there are many processes within this chain – such as lab…

Building cannabis brands with creativity and innovation
| Tim Wilson | Insight
Despite the popular narrative that government regulations make it almost impossible for licensed providers (LPs) to brand their products, many LPs are finding creative and…

Ontario’s “flow-through” program prepares for prime time
| Tim Wilson | Insight
Ontario’s flow-through program, which will allow retailers to order products not stocked in OCS warehouse, has been undergoing a complex platform development phase that involves…

The quest for the best pre-roll
| Tim Wilson | Insight
According to Headset Canadian Insights, last year pre-rolls were the second-largest product category in Canada, with a 17% market share. As of June 2021, pre-rolls…

Canadian Vets Push for Cannabis Regulation Changes
| Tim Wilson | Insight
Medical cannabis for humans is well-established. But when it comes to treating animals – and in particular companion pets – the regulatory system in Canada…

Meeting the challenge of vape recycling
| Tim Wilson | Insight
The cannabis industry has been criticized for poor environmental practices. One area where there’s been some buzz has been around vape recycling. However, this is…

Educating Canada’s Cannabis Industry
| Tim Wilson | Insight
There’s a burgeoning training industry to help people interested in participating in the sector, with courses offered by private businesses – and even by some…

Why cannabis has no expiry date
| Tim Wilson | Insight
In Canada, there are a variety of products to serve both the recreational and medical market, but determining the shelf life can be a guessing…

The Kids Are All Right: Unpacking Health Canada’s Regulations
| Tim Wilson | Insight
After Canada legalized cannabis, Health Canada rolled out packaging regulations with strict requirements for logos, colours, and branding. The industry has complied, and some think…

The Hop Latent Viroid’s warning shot to the Canadian cannabis industry
| Tim Wilson | Insight
The hop latent viroid (HLVd) is an infectious pathogen which causes disease in cannabis plants. It first came to the cannabis industry’s notice in California…

Industry pushes back against cannabis tax
| Tim Wilson | Insight
In Canada, cannabis is taxed at 10% of the dried flower selling price. Approximatelh 25% of this revenue goes to the federal government, and 75%…

Not all THC analysis is created equal
Cannabis holds promise as an aid to women’s health. While there are challenges related to a lack of long-term research data and the fact that…

The Wild West of Organic Cannabis
| Tim Wilson | Insight
Organic cannabis is at a crossroads in Canada. The lack of federal legislation is slowing market growth, with producers following different rules. This can cause…

When jurisdictions collide: Some First Nations on collision course with provincial, federal law
| Tim Wilson | Insight
When Canada legalized cannabis the federal government hoped that the regulated market would take the wind out of the sales of organized crime. Since then, there…

In Search of Better THC Reporting
Cannabis holds promise as an aid to women’s health. While there are challenges related to a lack of long-term research data and the fact that…

Comparing the business of craft brew and micro bud
| Tim Wilson | Insight
Cannabis holds promise as an aid to women’s health. While there are challenges related to a lack of long-term research data and the fact that…

First Nations make tough choices in cannabis market
| Tim Wilson | Insight
Cannabis holds promise as an aid to women’s health. While there are challenges related to a lack of long-term research data and the fact that…

Understanding the meaning of full spectrum extraction
| Tim Wilson | Insight
Cannabis holds promise as an aid to women’s health. While there are challenges related to a lack of long-term research data and the fact that…

THC Obsession Distorts the Cannabis Supply Chain
Cannabis holds promise as an aid to women’s health. While there are challenges related to a lack of long-term research data and the fact that…

What’s in a strain? The Wild West of Cannabis names
Cannabis consumers are often attracted to specific, so-called “strains” of cannabis flower, with the name becoming the brand. That’s great – except that there’s a…

Labs must adapt to deliver process and product improvement
The cannabis industry has many vital players, yet people are often unaware of how growers, processors, and labs work together to build strong brands. As…

In Ontario, Farmgate Brings Opportunity for Brand Engagement
| Tim Wilson | Insight
Across Canada, cannabis is being sold legally in retail outlets and online. However, there’s one model that, to date, has had limited uptake: farmgate, wherein…

Changing the face of Canada’s cannabis industry
| Tim Wilson | Insight
Women and people of colour have made significant contributions to the Canadian cannabis industry, both before and after legalization. However, the industry still has a…

The Cannabis Supply Chain’s THC Problem
The cannabis market in Canada is a dynamic place, with multiple companies jockeying for market share, including a host of smaller producers eager to get…

Manitoba and Saskatchewan expand retail footprint with store-in-store licences
As Saskatchewan and Manitoba open to more cannabis retail licence applications, companies large and small are assessing the opportunity. Manitoba greenlit applications for new cannabis…

Retailers concerned with palm oil in cannabis products
Cannabis holds promise as an aid to women’s health. While there are challenges related to a lack of long-term research data and the fact that…