This week in the world of weed…
The Business of Weed is a weekly series brought to you by Jay Rosenthal, the Co-founder and President of Business of Cannabis, to keep you up to date on all weed-related news. Here are this week’s biggest headlines.
Flight #420
As legalization approaches, it’s a pretty good idea to for everyone to review what you can, and cannot, bring on flights. After October 17th, you will be able to fly with cannabis domestically. But, DO NOT, under any circumstances, take cannabis on an international flight. It will end poorly for you and the folks you’re flying with. We are living in interesting times when the Transport Minister is giving out information about how to legally fly with your cannabis, saying: “As long as the flight is domestic, then people are allowed to bring up to a certain quantity for their personal use…”
Taking the Cool Out
In large part, cannabis regulations are implemented and enforced by Health Canada. This includes how, when and where cannabis companies can market their products and brands post-legalization. And it seems Health Canada’s default position is to do all things to take the cool out of cannabis. There will be plain packaging. There will only be a very limited number of product forms available (no edibles or vape pens). And, there will be no famous names, or any names for that matter, on any products. That means those cool names, like Leafs by Snoop or anything Marley related, will not be allowed.
Canna-Amnesty
Cannabis is about to be legal in Canada – which begs the question, what about the folks that have been prosecuted and convicted on cannabis-related crimes? Well, there is now a bill, tabled by an NDP MP, to expunge previous cannabis possession convictions. NDP MP Murray Rankin from Victoria, BC wants this bill to provide amnesty for minor, non-violent cannabis crimes.