Canada Is the World Leader in Legal Pot. How Long Will It Last?
The nation is ready to go with regulation and investment, but maintaining the lead could be tricky.
Cam Battley, chief corporate officer for Aurora Cannabis, at a company greenhouse in Edmonton.
Photographer: Carlos Chavarria for Bloomberg Businessweek
On an early September morning, six weeks before Canada would become the first Group of Seven country to legalize recreational marijuana, construction workers in Edmonton, Alta., were rushing to convert a former Dairy Queen into an “experiential” cannabis store. Municipal rules dictate that the storefront can’t sell pot because it’s too close to another outlet, but Alcanna Inc., a liquor and cannabis retailer that’s 25 percent owned by Aurora Cannabis Inc., has gotten creative. They envisioned a “safe space” where people—high or sober—can learn about cannabis, do yoga, and maybe even join a knitting class.
Legalization is the result of an impromptu comment by Justin Trudeau at a 2013 rally. He pointed out a sign calling for decriminalization and took it a step further, catching some members of his own party off guard. “I’m actually not in favor of decriminalizing cannabis, I’m in favor of legalizing it. Tax and regulate,” Trudeau, then leader of the Liberal Party, told the cheering crowd in British Columbia.