Big Pot: When Marijuana Goes Corporate

What’s the Latest?

In accordance with tighter medical marijuana regulations in Canada, the business is shifting from small local growers to large factories. One such factory in Smith Falls, just 45 minutes from the Canadian capital of Ottawa, is currently cultivating 50,000 marijuana plants, representing ten percent of the business’ capacity. Medical marijuana has been legal in Canada for the past decade so its national government is well ahead of the curve when it comes to understanding effective regulation. As a result, some experts predict that the Canadian model for regulating the marijuana business could become a global model.

What’s the Big Idea?

Canada’s original regulatory system was lax, allowing those with medical marijuana prescriptions to cultivate their own plants at home. The result was a series of complaints from residents and law enforcement officers as the drug found its way to the streets. Canada’s new rules “allow users with prescriptions to buy only from one of the approved, large-scale, profit-seeking producers like Tweed, a move intended to shut down the thousands of informal growing operations scattered across the country.” Will the US create a large pot oligarchy?