Watch for "little guys" to backfill legal pot shortage

Cannabis users and curious first-timers are shaking their heads about the projected long-term shortage of legal cannabis in Canada.

But consumer frustration and production shortfalls might open doors for farmers and for alternative small-scale production that can fill the gap, says a major supplier.

Maor Shayit, chief marketing officer for Toronto-based Weed Me, says craft, micro and boutique growers could get licenses to help address the shortfall that is plaguing legal cannabis channels now and further, is predicted to last for years.

Shayit anticipates the government will use additional licensing as a way to try filling the vacuum, particularly for recreational cannabis.

It’s a lucrative market – recent sales figures show $54 million of cannabis was sold in Canada in November, the first full month of its legal availability.

An unaddressed shortage leaves much tax revenue on the table, let alone opening the door for more underground activity.

“Common sense dictates that it’s better to have the market demand filled by skilled professionals such as greenhouse producers or conventional farmers who already know how to grow horticultural plants,” says Shayit. “It’s one thing to talk about the agricultural angle of cannabis production when it’s not a legitimate business, but now it’s no longer just in the hands of home producers and the illegal market.”

The changing market includes a drive towards better genetics and growth facilities, which have likewise been an underground pursuit. Now, well-established researchers and labs at institutions such as the University of Guelph are engaged in improving cannabis production.

In fact, a $20-million fundraising effort is underway now for the Guelph Centre for Cannabis Research. The prospect of a new state-of-the-art facility licensed to address the full scope of issues related to medical and recreational cannabis, from policy to horticulture, is considered an exciting development at home and abroad.

In addition to breeding, the University of Guelph program proposes to address the fine tuning of controlled environment “recipes” for cannabis. The goal is to standardize the profile of medical compounds in specific strains.

One of the world’s most established cannabis companies – located in Amsterdam, one of the world’s