If you missed it, this morning we started off the week with an interview with Ken Weisbrod of Shoppers Drug Mart to talk about their entrance into medical cannabis and what he sees their role being in the future.
Well, some big stories captured last week’s cannabis news in Canada.
Story 1 | CannTrust Chips Begin to Fall
CannTrust CEO Peter Aceto and Chairman Eric Paul were shown the door (Aceto “with cause”). These were the first big steps CannTrust has taken publicly since the… ahem… challenges. We shall see which other chips are still yet to fall. More on this story: Aceto and Paul knew the rooms were growing cannabis, Aceto once stood in front of the unlicensed cultivation rooms for a promotional video and Aceto instructed staff to continue growing even though the rooms were unlicensed.
Story 2 | Tobacco Giant Investment in Auxly
Imperial Brands chose Auxly as their entry point for the cannabis industry. The $123 million investment could see Imperial Brands take a ~20 percent stake in Auxly. This big news story brought us back to our earliest days of Business of Cannabis when we interviewed Chuck Rifici and Hugo Alves – then of Cannabis Wheaton.
Story 3 | Ignite Lights Up WeedMD
WeedMD’s newly announced extraction company is bringing gun-loving, misogynist’s Dan Bilzerian’s Ignite brands to Canada. But not without some significant blow back from industry leaders… Now seems like a good time to bring out the Vice piece about Bilzerian’s colourful background.
Other news…
Quebec isn’t keen on Health Canada’s edible’s regulations and want their own.
Those wishing to enter the Ontario retail lottery are finding it hard (near impossible) to get the banking guarantees lined up.
Everybody’s favourite Vancouver cannabis store is going legit: Village Bloomery is going to open.
Aurora is partnering with UFC – foreshadowed by their work with BofC on Cannabis + Sport during Medical Cannabis Week.
Fire + Flower, looking to build their growing empire, is partnering with Couche-Tard.
And finally, a headshaking story… A CBD-infused tampon with a Holocaust-inspired twist. (Really.)
