Marijuana Business Magazine July 2018

Q&A Bracing for Liftoff Five Questions with Anne McLellan, the Curator of Canada’s Cannabis Legislation A nne McLellan is the ultimate insider when it comes to legalizing recreational marijuana in Canada. By Matt Lamers market developing in Canada and overseas. Q Do you think there will be adequate cannabis supplies to meet both medical and recreational demand when the doors open on Day One of Canada’s adult-use market? A Out of the box, on Day One, the market is going to have to normalize, and you’re going to have to build a market with a heretofore illegal substance. There may be short- ages of certain strains. Maybe there’s demand for a particular LP's (licensed producer's)strain. There might be a shortage of that product. There may be a general shortage in the first few months. All the LPs are ramping up. More are being licensed by the federal government. If all the licensed producers actually produced what they say they’re going to produce, we would probably have too much product. The former deputy prime minister served as chair of the Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation, which completed a key report in late 2016 that advised the federal government on how to design a new legal framework for adult-use cannabis. The regulations adopted by the government will be the backbone of the marijuana industry as Canada becomes the first Group of Seven country to legalize adult-use cannabis. “This is a bold, new experiment for Canada. This is transformational,” McLellan told Marijuana Business Magazine. “None of us were alive the last time society moved a heretofore prohibited illegal substance, alco- hol, into a legal market and saw that legal market nor- malize and develop – with both good a nd bad aspects.” McLellan shared her insights on the 16 • Marijuana Business Magazine • July 2018