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any given time. Our clients tell us they find this to be a great value-add for them and often helps in structuring arrangements or negotiating against other parties with whom we have some familiarity. It goes without saying that you should always rely on first-hand reliable sources whenever possible. In the rare instances that something has not been confirmed, but that i feel the source is fairly reliable i will indicate as much.
OK ... now let's change gears ... how did you get involved in this industry and why?
After medical was legalized but long before recreational use was legalized i read an article and it dawned on me that this was going to be a brand new industry that never existed before and that it also would be one that was highly regulated. I saw it as possibly a once in a life time chance to get in on the ground floor of a new industry and a new area of law and decided to learn as much as i possibly could. I didn’t have any cannabis clients to get me started, so it was a matter of learning and networking in addition to maintaining my regular practice in order to build it out. I told myself i’d give it a year and re-evaluate at that time. Fortunately it worked far better than i could have imagined.
Matt, you are on the Durham College Program Advisory Committee for their Cannabis Industry Program. How important is it to be involved with our post secondary institutions as they design their programs for what very well be one of the largest new industries in generations -- an industry that touches all facets of our lives from healthcare and wellness to building materials to HVAC and building design to R&D to biofuel and the list goes on ...?
I think its very important that people with knowledge in the industry get involved in education and teaching in some shape or fashion. The only way we can continue to grow and evolve and build the reputation of the canadian cannabis industry is to pass on what we know to the next generation so they can continue to move us forward.