420 with CNW — Canadian Cannabis Executives Share Their Industry Policy Reform Wishlists for 2022

In the interim, industry leaders have a few policy changes in mind that they would like to see in 2022. George Smitherman, president and CEO of the Cannabis Council of Canada, would like stronger edible products allowed on the market. Currently, cannabis law limits potency to 10 mg of THC per packaged product. In comparison, California allows for 100 mg of THC per package. Smitherman also feels it would be beneficial if customers could buy more cannabis-infused beverages in a single package because as the 28-gram possession limit for THC prevents them from purchasing more than five beverages.

Cannabis News Wire

Cannabis Training Canada links with C3 for training partnership

“This partnership will help C3 to diversify and improve the membership experience, as well as provide value to existing partners in the form of education and customized product and brand training for our member companies,” C3 CEO George Smitherman said in a statement.

Mugglehead

Nova Scotia Scientist Discovers Cannabis Strains Being Mislabelled On Shelves

George Smitherman, President of the Cannabis Council of Canada, says mislabeled cannabis comes from the trickling effect of illegal cannabis products. “License holders were able to bring, on a one-time basis, plants over from the illicit world where perhaps the naming and such was more of a trend and less of a scientific matter”, said Smitherman.

Researcher says cannabis products often mislabelled

George Smitherman, president of the Cannabis Council of Canada, told Global News that’s the trickling effect from illegal cannabis products. “Licence holders were able to bring, on a one-time basis, plants over from the illicit world where perhaps the naming and such was more of a trend and less of a scientific matter,” said Smitherman. The Cannabis Council of Canada has stated that cannabis products are rigorously tested before hitting the market, however, inaccurate labelling of strains is still a problem. According to Health Canada, more information will be provided to the cannabis industry to make sure packaging and labelling give consumers the information they seek.

Toronto Sun

The pros, cons and unknowns of legal cannabis in Canada 3 years later

Now that the third anniversary of legalization has come, the statutory review of the Cannabis Act is set to begin. In a report card on legalization released this week, C3 gives governments a B grade on keeping cannabis out of the hands of youth and protecting public health — but that's as high as the grades go. C3 gives governments a failing grade in four areas — combating the illicit market, taxation policy, consumer education and awareness, and financial viability. "We can't get too excited in a circumstance where the illicit market remains with at least 50 per cent of the business," said George Smitherman, the president and CEO of C3 "If the illicit market is still selling billions of dollars of cannabis, that's a lot of tax revenue that governments aren't getting."

CBC News

Dreams of Pot Tourism in Canada Dashed by Tough Rules

Sensi Brands Inc., a C3 Member-Company, opened its farm store in a railway boxcar in St. Thomas, Ont., last week. The company fitted the car’s tiny windows with one-way glass to comply with the rules prohibiting exposure of the interior. “We’ve created a really cool experience because our brand is Station House,’’ says Tony Giorgi, Sensi’s chief executive officer and C3 Board Director.

Bloomberg

Marijuana seizures at the Michigan-Canada border are booming. Here’s why.

George Smitherman, President and CEO Cannabis Council of Canada, said there is so much production capacity among Canada’s legal marijuana market that producers have had to drop prices in order to compete with black-market sellers. The only way governments will ever compete with the black market is through legalization, he said. “One of the stronger rationales for legalization, especially if you’re coming from a conservative starting point, is that on day one, you begin restricting the business opportunities of the criminal element,” he said. “Legalization is regulation. That means bringing lawfulness to an area that was otherwise not experiencing that.”

M Live

She has to wait years to work in weed. Why, exactly?

The Cannabis Council of Canada and its membership of licensed cannabis companies are also pushing for more government initiatives designed to create a more equitable sector. The organization, headed by former Ontario Liberal MPP George Smitherman, included equity issues such as record expungement and investing in diversity programs. Prior to the recent federal election, the council created a Cannabis Voter Checklist to educate MPs and candidates.

Leafly

Cannabis retail experts say sales could one day hit $1 billion a month

"Over the next number of years, the overall scale of the cannabis industry and its contribution to the Canadian economy is going to become more noteworthy,” said George Smitherman of the Cannabis Council of Canada.

Toronto Sun

Cannabis Retailer September/October 2021 Issue

Check out the most recent issue of Cannabis Retailer featuring articles for cannabis store owners on Benchmarking your Performance, Igniting your Brand,  Reviewing your Value Proposition and Making the Switch from Legacy to Legal.

Cannabis Retailer

Cannabis Council of Canada, licensed producers call for reworked beverage limits

In an interview with the Canadian Press, Cannabis Council of Canada (CCC) president and chief executive George Smitherman said the government “got the formula wrong.” “This is the most egregious and quirky aspect of that formula. It’s just off,” he said, with the CCC noting that the same restrictions allow shoppers to purchase 17 cannabis vape cartridges with a combined 5,950 mg of THC or 100 bottles of cannabis oil spray with 50,000 mg of THC in a single transaction.

Growth Op

Industry leaders want change to regulations limiting cannabis beverage sales

When cannabis beverages first hit the market in early 2020, industry players saw the products as a way to bolster flagging revenues and attract new consumers who otherwise might not purchase pot products. However, restrictive regulations prevent manufacturers from selling the beverages in a familiar way, producers say, and make it difficult to appeal to would-be consumers.

Grow Opportunity

Canadian Cannabis industry wants changes to pot beverage regulations

TORONTO — When cannabis beverages first hit the market in early 2020, industry players saw the products as a way to bolster flagging revenues and attract new consumers who otherwise might not purchase pot products. However, restrictive regulations prevent manufacturers from selling the beverages in a familiar way, producers say, and make it difficult to appeal to would-be consumers. For example, alcohol drinkers are shocked to hear that many cannabis beverages can’t be purchased in six packs, according to Cannabis Council of Canada president and chief executive George Smitherman. “They’re like, ‘What do you mean there’s a limit? Nobody limits how many bottles of tequila I buy. In fact, if I bought a lot, they might even offer to help me to the car,”’ he said. “Over here (with cannabis), we’re in a different world.”

City News

Cannabis industry urges Health Canada to water down beverage limits

Health Canada regulations currently prevent the sale of six-packs by limiting consumer purchases to five cans at a time. The Cannabis Council of Canada is urging Health Canada to make a change – especially given the crucial summer season – that would allow consumers of cannabis-infused beverages to buy more than five cans at a time.

Toronto Sun

No 6-pack for you: Cannabis beverage seller says regulations choking industry

Health Canada's calculations 'feel like a mistake,' says beverage producer. The Cannabis Council of Canada, which has launched a campaign against the regulations, claims the role weight plays in Health Canada's measurements has created a lopsided marketplace. It says that, based on those measurements, consumers could only buy five cannabis-infused drinks — but they could walk out of a store with 100 bottles of cannabis oil spray.

CBC News

Cannabis Retailer July/August 2021 Issue

Check out the current issue of Cannabis Retailer featuring articles on Turning Data into Insights, Staying Compliant, Building a Brand, and Talking about Terpenes, along with regular columns including Trends, Legal Corner, Regulator Spotlight, Featured Retailer and Budtender, and Did you Know?

Cannabis Retailer

What Buffalo Niagara can learn from Canada's cannabis industry experiment

As New York State gets ready to kick off the legal pot industry, cannabis industry professionals from Ontario have a few suggestions to bear in mind. Hear what President & CEO, George Smitherman, and one of our own Board Members, Karine Cousineau, Director of Government Relations and Sustainability at The Green Organic Dutchman (TGOD) had to say.

Buffalo News

After 20 years of medical cannabis, gaps in product testing leave some Canadians feeling like guinea pigs

Barriers hurt Canada's industry, research: Cannabis producers are "fully aligned" with researchers calling for more trials, said George Smitherman, president and CEO of the Cannabis Council of Canada (C3), a national industry association.

CBC News

Cannabis industry prepares for feedback on proposed vape pen flavour restrictions

Health Canada says they expect their consultation on the agency’s proposed restrictions on flavours in cannabis extracts for inhalation, including cannabis vaping products to be open soon.

StratCANN

Cannabis Retailer May/June 2021 Issue

Read Cannabis Retailer's May/June 2021 Issue on creating a destination, engaging the senses, taking your store public, and developing a corporate culture!

Cannabis Retailer