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MONTREAL – Exhibitors at a cannabis exhibition in Montreal expressed hope and caution this weekend over the legalization process underway in Canada, with their products providing insight into what a future, less regulated market might look like.
The two-day event, which gathered more than 120 exhibitors, was the first meeting of its kind in Quebec since the legalization of the recreational pot earlier this month.
The products presented provided potential investors and current stakeholders with information on the sector's situation, as well as an idea of what its future might be – from personal cannabis-infused lubricants to pet hemp sprays.
Soheil Samimi, advisor to the board of Isodiol's cannabis-based manufacturer, said that many companies were waiting for the opportunity to sell their products to a wider audience once the market for legalization would have expanded.
Samimi said the market for consumer products, including cosmetics, food and beverages, and health products, was huge.
"The current problem is supply, not demand," he said, noting that the consumer base is growing not only in North America, but also in Europe, South America, and elsewhere.
He stated that he was optimistic about the ongoing process and that he thought the door of legalization would open to more products in time.
"Today, I can buy a joint and smoke it on the street, but I can not use hemp pain cream because it's a hot topic, it's which is not yet available, "he told an interview near Isodiol's booth. empty packaging for the Company's products, which are not yet registered by Health Canada.
He added that he thought regulators would have no choice but to possibly allow more products as they want to reach their goal of eliminating the black market.
At the same time, he said that legalization has made it difficult for some companies to find the new regulated system less clear than the unofficial market that existed before.
"In a province like BC – and especially the city of Vancouver – before legalization, there was a local ecosystem in which everyone understood the accepted practices," he said.
"There was an understanding of what you could or could not do locally, and now it complicates things because there is a new regulated system" that does not always specify its criteria, he said.
The products on display at the cannabis exhibition ranged from smoke filters and odor sprays to edible products to health and wellness products – many of which were not yet sold or even authorized by Health Canada.
The smell of cannabis flowers or smoke was almost untraceable, sellers presenting as many business opportunities as products.
Catherine Lefebvre, who represents a company that sells hemp products, said legalization would open the door to new business opportunities, even for companies already operating legally.
The leaf she works for, Green Leaf, creates lines of products including hemp deodorants, skin creams and pet supplies. She recently launched a kombucha line infused with hemp.
She said that people did not always understand that the products did not contain THC – the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis – and she hoped that more public events would provide additional training opportunities now that the industry is in the limelight. .
"We are here to teach people what it is, but we are here to open people's minds and show them that, thanks to the cannabis plant, we can do a lot of things."
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