When Justin Trudeau was elected prime minister of Canada, he pledged to end marijuana prohibition and legalize it for adult use. It may not have actually sunk in for Canadians, but it is coming. And if Toronto resident Marc Wayne of medical marijuana company Bedrocan Inc. has anything to say about, it should happen quickly.
Why legalize?
Prohibition has not worked in keeping cannibis out of the hands of youth. Canada has the highest rate of youth use of cannabis in the world. And it has kept it in the hands of criminals. Plus it is doing social harm by leaving a large number of Canadians with criminal records for possession that stay with them their whole lives and disrupt their lives. And there is no taxation on existing large but underground markets. In Holland, for example, where it is legal, the rate of use amongst youth is much lower than in Canada.
Why put young people at risk?
Legalization will not put youth at risk because it won’t be available to youth. If youth want to get access to cannabis now, they can do so regardless. Legalizing for adult use is what we’re talking about and having industry be responsible for educating about harm to youth and so forth.
Is there a scenario you see where legalization won’t happen in the next four years?
No. I mean, the difficult questions haven’t really been raised yet in the media in terms of the risks associated with legalization. While I don’t believe there are a lot of risks, personally, there are in terms of youth and driving and so forth. Once those debates start occurring in the public domain, you’ll get your groups that may be opposed to legalization.
What is the first question you are usually asked when people find out your job?
“Oh, can I have a sample?” That’s probably the first question.
Will the medical marijuana producers step in to fill demand?
Well, I think so. You need capacity to produce, and that’s been built up over the last two years with the Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations and what happened in Washington [state], and somewhat in Colorado. Colorado started with the grandfathering of the medical licences, Washington didn’t have a medical program or didn’t go that route, and they were severely constrained on supply for the first while, which caused a spike in prices and so forth.
How quickly is the medical marijuana industry growing?
Currently, our patient base is growing at about six to eight per cent a month. We have over 32,000 registered patients in the first 18 months of the program.
One of the problems south of the border was with “edibles” that have varying potency and are made to look like sweets. How can we do it differently?
You have to decide on the potency. They had a problem to begin with. I think they started at 10 mg and then had to reduce the potency. We have to decide what products to offer, where it starts and where it ends, and then packaging, making sure it is clearly labelled and understood so there is no consumer confusion and there is maximum consumer protection. The onset of edible product on the body is a lot different than inhalation, and there needs to be some education on that so people are aware.
So what are you concerned about?
I’m mostly concerned about timing because what I’m seeing now is the proliferation of illegal activities in Toronto and Ottawa just after the election. I’ve had business associates call and say, “My son wants to get into the dispensary business,” and they don’t even know it’s illegal.
