Former B.C. Health Minister and Kamloops MLA is getting into the marijuana business

Image Credit: FILE PHOTO

August 31, 2017 - 11:39 AM

KAMLOOPS - Former Kamloops MLA Terry Lake says he has had a growing interest in the medical use and impending legalization of marijuana, so when he was offered a job with Quebec based Hydropothecary Corp. he jumped at the opportunity.

Lake has been hired as the vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility and he will be in charge of ensuring the company upholds social, environmental, and scientific standards to the highest level.

"I think that's really important for a company in this space," the former B.C. Minister of Health says. "Canadians need to be very confident in terms of the safety of the product, the way that it is produced, and the way that it is distributed. To date that has been a large part of this companies ethos."

As for why Lake is going to work in Quebec when the common belief is that B.C. has the highest quality marijuana in the country, he says the co-founder of the company, Adam Miron, is from Kamloops and Lake has worked with him in the past.

"Hydropothecary is the only licensed producer for medical marijuana in the province of Quebec," he says. "I've been to their operation where they produce the product and I was very impressed with their board, their leadership team, and the quality with which they carry out their production."

While Kamloops will still be Lake's official home and his wife will remain here, he does expect to be spending a lot of time in Quebec.

"I'll be in the Ottawa-Gatineau area," he says. "But I'll be travelling across Canada as the Provinces and Territories put together their regulatory regime around recreational cannabis where I'll have the opportunity to meet stakeholders and officials across the country."

Lake says while part of his job is preparing for when marijuana is legalized, he will continue working for Hypothecary after the laws have changed.

For more on medical marijuana, go here.

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