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I think this is going to be the beginning of a new frontier David Hyde, security adviser

“Now that we’re getting our licence, I can say the journey was worth it,” Sutton, said in an interview after he told the news to a room full of marijuana enthusiasts — an interview that was often interrupted with well-wishers eager to congratulate the newest industry entrant.

Tantalus Labs, named for the mountain range outside Vancouver — an homage to both the company’s focus on environmental sustainability and the legendary B.C. bud grown in the area — was the final member of the licensed producer club to be approved under the old Health Canada rules.

Despite being the 45th company to get a licence, it was the 21st to apply for one in August 2013, and watched others leapfrog it in the queue. As the first companies started to go public, Sutton said there was also a shift in tone from the government.

“Health Canada went dark on us for almost 18 months and that was a real struggle, not just from a business perspective, but also just personally to figure out how we were going to do this,” he said.

Sutton and his team continued to construct their greenhouses even as they had to interpret the ever-changing requirements on their own by learning from others’ public mistakes and private musings.

“It’s tempting to say, ‘Oh man, the bureaucracy was so frustrating,’ but the truth is we were taking on a complex project,” he said. “Considering the complexity of what we’re doing, we probably should have anticipated it better at the outset.”

Health Canada’s changes will make it easier on everyone in the queue behind him. Still, Sutton said he is “stoked” that the backlog of applicants is beginning to lessen because the industry needs as many players as possible out of the gate to address a supply shortage he sees as inevitable.