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“This is a huge policy shift and we have to be concerned with protecting the health of young Canadians. We have to abide by the highest possible standards.”

Photo by Alain Lacharite / PNG

Asked about his own cannabis consumption habits, Lake said: “I wasn’t a big user in high school, I experimented a little. And since then, I can count on one hand the times I’ve tried it. We certainly know it is efficacious for a number of illnesses like epilepsy in children, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis and post traumatic stress disorder. There’s growing evidence that it might displace opioids or alcohol. There’s so much benefit that can come from regulating the market properly because there will be less stigma and that should spur more knowledge and research.

“But I agree that we all have to be careful not to oversell it.”

Lake, who has worked as a veterinarian, said there are indications that dogs benefit from a compound in marijuana called cannabinoids.

“There’s some evidence of benefit in neuromuscular disorders. My own dog has a prolapsed disc. I haven’t got him on it yet, but I may do so in the future.”

While he’ll be working near the national capital, Lake doubts it will make him yearn for political life again.

“I’m looking forward to not being in politics, at least at this point. I’ll be interacting with governments and public health people and I like that I will be using my skills and my background in science.”

Lake’s skills will undoubtedly come in handy to help prevent missteps like a recent one when the company had to halt sales temporarily after Health Canada tested its products and found trace amounts of a fungicide not approved for use by cannabis growers. In a story in the Ottawa Citizen, Miron conceded the matter was serious and the company was investigating the source of the chemical called myclobutanil which has been known to be used by producers to control mould on marijuana plants.

A few of the leaders at Hydropothecary are former federal government employees. Dr. Shane Morris, vice-president of quality assurance and scientific affairs, formerly worked for Natural Resources Canada. And Max Cyr, director of customer experience, was the former supervisor of a medical marijuana police and client services division within Health Canada.

pfayerman@postmedia.com

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