Delayed timeline for legal pot 'not all bad' for P.E.I. supplier
'Obviously we'd like it to happen in July as anticipated but we have lots to do in the meantime'
P.E.I.'s sole medical marijuana supplier says the recently announced delay on legal sales isn't all bad news.
In fact, the president of Canada's Island Garden said the delayed timeline is, in some ways, more of a blessing than a burden.
"We've got lots going on, we're in the middle of an aggressive growth strategy for expanding our company so the fact that we are pushed back a couple months is not all bad news," Edwin Jewell said.
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Federal Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor announced Thursday that the Senate now plans to vote on the cannabis bill on or before June 7, a month later than anticipated, and that provincial governments would need eight to 12 weeks after its approval to prepare for retail sales.
If the Senate votes and approves the bill on June 7 — without suggesting amendments, which could delay the process more — Canadians will likely have to wait until at least August for legal cannabis.
'We'll have no trouble filling in our time'
Jewell said forming this type of cannabis legislation isn't "as simple as falling off a rock" so he isn't surprised by the delay.
"Obviously we'd like it to happen in July as anticipated but we have lots to do in the meantime and we'll have no trouble filling in our time between now and then for sure," he said.
The new timeline gives the company more time to polish their product, he said, and focus on the $20M company expansion announced in January.
"When they push the timeline back a little bit it gives you a little more time to make sure your packaging is right [and] your branding is where you want it to be" he said.
"There's a whole array of things that have to be looked at when you're taking a product to adult recreation use in a reasonably short period of time."
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