Canada is likely to be the first major countries to legalize cannabis for adult-use, but the nation is struggling with how to create a system that works for all. The country’s federally legal cannabis program, MMPR, has seen several court challenges that have led Health Canada to address changes, including the provision for extracts (previously prohibited) and the pending inclusion of home-grown cannabis. Still, there is tremendous divisiveness. Canopy Growth’s Mark Zekulin, President of Tweed, posted an editorial today that is quite remarkable, as it accepts some of the blame for the divisiveness:
As we mark 4/20, the nationwide counterculture day to celebrate the benefits of the whole plant marijuana, advocates on both the medical and recreational fronts still flounder in debate weighing risk versus opportunity of the bud.
Tweed, as the largest legal producer of cannabis in the country, has played its role in this division. We firmly believe that all cannabis production and sale for commercial purposes should be strictly controlled and highly regulated. But this has manifested itself into a far too adversarial relationship with the founding cannabis community, something we must reset if we are to ensure a smart, progressive and open dialogue on cannabis policy.
This division has overshadowed the respect we have for the early advocates for progressive cannabis policy and for this, we apologize.
He discusses how Tweed is already working with many different parties and ends on a promising note:
There may well be a role for all of us – pharmacists, early cannabis activists and companies like Tweed that have invested tens of millions of dollars in cannabis research, clinical trials and production and distribution facilities.
Read Mark Zekulin’s “Let’s clean up the patchwork of rules governing marijuana”: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-commentary/lets-clean-up-the-patchwork-of-rules-governing-marijuana/article29677006/
