No specific licence set for transporting pot
Licence holders to be responsible for logistics
TORONTO • Federal officials on Wednesday said there will not be a specific licence requirement for the transportation of cannabis.
Under new regulations unveiled by Health Canada Wednesday, all federal licence holders will be responsible and accountable for the safekeeping of cannabis, which includes the distribution and transportation process.
During a technical briefing with reporters, a government official said that any company or person who is retained by a licensed company to transport cannabis will be subject to the provisions of the Cannabis Act.
Cam Battley, chief corporate officer at Aurora Cannabis Inc., said the movement of product is going to be an even more important aspect of his firm’s operations once recreational marijuana is officially legalized on Oct. 17.
“Logistics now becomes a core competency of the larger company, because we don’t yet have all the details as to what the transportation requirements are going to be province by province,” Battley said.
“What we’re going to do is be incredibly agile and make sure we’ve got the manpower required to process and make sure we have secure deliveries to all of our customers across the country.”
Under the current medicinal marijuana regime, outlined through the Access to Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes Regulations, consumer shipping is done through Canada Post and other courier services. Now, companies will have to substantially scale up their shipping methods to meet the increased demand requirements from new retailers, including crown corporations — a move many companies are already working on.
For example, Canopy Growth Corp., Canada’s largest licensed producer, is working with 3-Sixty Secure Corp., a security services company that has recently shifted its focus to the booming cannabis sector.
Thomas Gerstenecker, founder and chief executive of 3-Sixty, sees major opportunities in the transportation of marijuana. “There are a couple of licensed producers at the moment that are taking care of that internally, but I’m confident that’s going to change just because of the amount of product that’s going to have to be moved,” Gerstenecker said.
Currently, Gerstenecker said that his company provides various security services with 40 licensed producers, as well as several provinces in a range of capacities. In some cases, it is providing security at licensed facilities, or moving product in armoured vehicles.
He expects the regulations surrounding the movement of cannabis to evolve and change over time.
“I think work still needs to be done on regulating or introducing regulations for moving product, particularly ones with a higher value,” he said. “The regulations are a bit lacking in that area. We are engaging with different entities in the government to help put that on the agenda.”
Allan Rewak, executivedirector of the Cannabis Canada Council, said decisions about how to ship large quantities of product from producers to retailers will likely be left up to the provinces.
“Each province will take a different approach, whether they use a private corporation specializing in secure delivery, or they’re doing it themselves through their own company,” Rewak said.
“That’s a provincial choice, as long as it is secure and regulated and ensures the product is free of diversion.”