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As reported in the Vancouver Sun on June 13 (Prosecutable Product), the original public interest goals of Canada’s ground breaking Cannabis Act are not being achieved.

The Cannabis Act was supposed to reduce and gradually eliminate the illicit market. Instead, almost two years into the project, it has missed the mark by failing to offer a viable alternative. While the article identifies the problem, effective solutions are missing.

Why are the vast majority of B.C. cannabis consumers still looking outside the legal market for their supply?

Canada’s inability to transition B.C.’s world-renowned craft cannabis farmers to the legal market is at the core of the answer.

The Cannabis Act was supposed to facilitate the participation of small farmers in the legal market. This is not happening either.

Of the one million-plus square metres of legal cannabis cultivation space approved by Health Canada across the country as of Feb. 1, craft cannabis farmers account for a microscopic 0.17 per cent.