Bringing together industry leaders to create an educational and illuminating experience for attendees of upcoming conference

What new edible or extracted formats will cannabis take, and how do businesses need to adapt to deliver them?

Understanding how those changes may unfold is crucial, as the Canadian cannabis industry prepares for another wave of product legalizations. Popular podcasting analysts the Cannalysts are hoping those questions and more are answered at the second WE Cann 2019 Conference in Edmonton on May 8.

Who are the Cannalysts?

Andrew Udell, Craig Wiggins and Graham Jones developed a devoted following with their Cannalysts’ subReddit —which provides financial and scientific analysis of publicly traded cannabis companies—now counting more than 8,000 subscribers. The conference is one way for the partners to take advantage of that following and extend what has been a wild ride so far, something Udell likens to a rollercoaster that has “gone so fast it’s hard to keep up.”

But keep up they have, offering a conference for the second year running with a lineup that boasts 19 industry executives, scientists and experts—whose views Udell say are ahead of the curve—who will speak at the day-long event.

That lineup includes executives like Chuck Rifici, chairman and CEO of Auxly, best known for having co-founded Canopy Growth, and pioneering plant biologists like Dr. Jonathan Page, chief science officer at Aurora Cannabis Inc. “It’s not just who we like, but who is doing something that is going to be relevant very quickly,” says Udell.

One panel features Jeannette VanderMarel, co-CEO and director of 48 North Cannabis Corp., whose outdoor growing model “could be very disruptive,” Udell suggests. “We like the straws that stir the drink—the people that move the industry,” says Wiggins.

VanderMarel signed up partly because she is a big fan of the Cannalysts. “It is a very frothy market right now, and people don’t know what’s real and what isn’t. I think they bring a great value in helping people understand the cannabis industry—really getting down to what’s relevant and important,” she tells The GrowthOp.

Lessons can be transferrable, supportive

VanderMarel will speak about how companies can distinguish themselves and get people buying legal cannabis, so she is looking forward to sharing knowledge at WE Cann. “It’s important that we collaborate with each other,” she says. “We’re kind of an island industry, [and] we’re not a huge company, so sharing resources with other [licensed producers] really helps us to move forward in what we’re doing,” she adds.

That cooperation has already been helpful, VanderMarel suggests, because many in the industry are facing the same challenges, such as navigating regulations. She wants to see the industry embrace former black market operators who want to go down the legal path. “I don’t see it as competition—we’ll all find our own niche in the industry,” she says.

WE Cann™️ Science & Hemp Panel May 8 Edmonton



Focussing on cannabis & hemp products.



Dr. Jon Page CSO @aurora_mmj



Ryan Lee @chimeragenetics CEO Chemovar



Dr Igor Kovalchuk Founder Inplanta Biotechnology



Dr Shelly Hepworth Carleton Univ

Tix https://t.co/mMuhcecnwq pic.twitter.com/U4Fr4bAWSo — TheCannalysts (@thecannalysts) April 30, 2019

Now, there’s opportunity for “everybody and everything” in this industry, VanderMarel says, but it’s up to businesses to differentiate themselves and attract consumers with a superior product.

“We’re still in the first inning. I can see in the next 15 years, cannabinoids will be in so many packaged foods, from skin care to health and beauty—we have no idea how big this is going to get,” VanderMarel expects.

Health Canada has reported cannabis edibles, topicals and extracts will be permitted for sale no later than Oct. 17, 2019.

That raises challenges and opportunities for growers, cultivators and processors working to meet demand—all as the industry continues to struggle with growing pains like the supply deficit, something VanderMarel recognizes is a real difficulty.

“Especially with the value-added products coming online—it’s actually going to get worse before it gets better,” VanderMarel predicts.

For Lincoln Johnson, founder and CEO of cannabis oil extraction service provider EnCann Solutions Inc., some challenges require looking outside of the cannabis industry for solutions. “All of the problems that we are trying to solve as extractors have, for the most part, been solved by other people,” says Johnson, who will be presenting on the past, present and future of cannabis extraction.

Botanical extractions, for example, have been done for hundreds of years. So, Johnson spends a lot of time looking outward to analogous industries like botanicals. “That’s our crystal ball,” he says.

Panelists to consider the need for speed

A science panel will address perhaps the biggest challenge currently facing cannabis producers: breeding the plant varieties they need, faster. “Genetics are the biggest thing that is missing in this industry right now,” Wiggins contends.

“It’s like this giant big black box,” says Shelley Hepworth, an associate professor of biology at Carleton University who worked with Canopy Growth Corp. to increase genetic diversity in medical cannabis.

“There’s a lack of basic tools for studying this crop, and the genetics are a mess. So what researchers want to do is to sort through that mess and go forward making better strains,” says Hepworth, who will speak as part of a science panel moderated by Jones, the Cannalysts’ resident biotechnology expert.

Hepworth will talk about cannabis breeding, and its specific challenges compared to traditional medicinal plants or food crops.

Conference goes west to mark retail “ground zero”

The event is being held in Edmonton partly because there has been a lack of events like these in Western Canada, and partly because Alberta’s cannabis industry is red hot right now, Udell says. “It’s ground zero,” he says.

The industry in Alberta is among the best in the country, with 23 listed licensed producers and more than 100 approved retail outlets, including 18 sales outlets within the City of Edmonton, notes information on Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis’s website. Cannabis sales in Alberta account for 28 percent of nationwide sales—more than twice the province’s share of the population, states a recent study .

“Alberta was very wise in focusing on getting quality retail quickly—so more people are going to the legal market. There’s some good knowledge there that other provinces can learn from,” says VanderMarel.

But beyond that, Edmonton also has advanced manufacturers and suppliers that will be key with new cannabis product formats, Wiggins says. “We think that cultivation is the tip of the spear—especially when you look at all the advanced manufacturing that it requires,” he adds.

The aim, says VanderMarel, is to help businesses meet big challenges with aplomb.

“I think the most salient point is that there is a growing industry, and as insiders, we need to be ethical and show the world that Canada is doing this right,” she says.

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