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, they get none of the tax benefits of being deemed agricultural.
Insight
Ontario retailers seek relief from OCS
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 in Ontario.
Getting to know you: the business of cannabis consumer data
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 another battle, and that’s over high-quality data.
Should Alberta move to a direct delivery model?
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 observers.
The cannabis industry’s role in Canada’s waste crisis
Nearly 70 years after plastic was invented, 8.3 billion tonnes of it have been produced. Today, Canada produces over 3 million tonnes of plastic waste yearly, and less than 10% of this waste is recycled. During the first year of recreational cannabis legalization, thousands of tonnes of plastic garbage were generated, and over 6 million kilograms of cannabis packaging accumulated in landfills.
Examining the pros and cons of provincial cannabis distribution
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 cons of provincial centralized distribution, and particularly ‘monopsonies’, where there is only one buyer.
Cannabis retailers, producers in BC prepare for direct delivery
Cannabis producers and retailers in British Columbia are gearing up to participate in the province’s new direct delivery program.
Is the price right? Retail cannabis feels the squeeze
As some markets are saturated with bricks-and-mortar outlets and intense price competition, retail cannabis is feeling the squeeze.
The Good Weed Board, part one
Regulated cannabis is an entirely different beast. Instead of Growers and Dealers, we have Producers and Retailers. It’s not a person-to-person type of game anymore. Now it’s a CPG game, an analytics game, a marketing game.
Industry happy with “next steps” towards new sales channels for CBD, but long wait expected for any regulation changes
Many in and outside of the cannabis industry say recent recommendations from a government committee looking at new sales channels for some CBD products is a welcome next step in a long process.
Why is it so hard to scale cannabis production?
What happens when the elephant in the room is the room itself? That question for investors in Aurora Cannabis was finally answered with news this last quarter that its massive state-of-the-art Sky greenhouse outside Edmonton would be shuttered in the fall.
Microbial testing’s double standard
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, and how it is consumed. In Canada, this is complicated by a challenging regulatory environment.
