The State of Craft - Episode 7, featuring Kirk Tousaw

The State of Craft is a webinar series focused on the legal craft cannabis industry.

The rollout of cannabis legalization in Canada has been full of ups and downs. The craft cannabis industry in particular has been immensely affected by a myriad of challenges and missteps in the years following the Cannabis Act and Cannabis Regulations.

In The State of Craft, Sami Majadla, CEO of CertiCraft, facilitates conversations with leaders in the legal craft cannabis industry to explore what is going well and what is going not-so-well. We'll discuss what can realistically be changed at different levels of government and industry alike to address major issues the craft cannabis sector is facing, and hopefully inspire stimulating ideas of all sorts. Every episode will end with a 15 min live Q&A with our audience.

In Episode 7, Sami will be joined by Kirk Tousaw.

Kirk Tousaw:

Not all heroes wear capes; some are retired cannabis lawyers.

Practicing law since 1998, Kirk Tousaw has been an essential part of the fight to legalize cannabis in Canada. He is a founding Board member of the Sensible BC Society and served on the Board of Directors of NORML Canada and the BC Civil Liberties Association.

In his legal career, Kirk worked tirelessly to defend those charged with cannabis offences and with people and organizations in the medical cannabis industry. He has contributed to some of the most pivotal legal challenges in Canadian cannabis history, including Allard v. Canada (2016), R. v. Smith (2015), and R. v. Beren and Swallow (2009).

After legalization in 2018, Kirk retired from law to create Great Gardener Farms with his friend and former client, Mat Beren. Great Gardener Farms is a licensed micro-cultivation and genetics development company dedicated to unlocking the potential of Canadian craft cannabis. Kirk currently serves as the company's CEO.

Academically, Kirk holds a Bachelor’s of Art in political philosophy (Michigan State University) a Juris Doctor, cum laude (Wayne State University School of Law), a Master’s in Law (University of British Columbia Faculty of Law), and is currently undertaking doctoral studies at the UBC Faculty of Law.

Kirk Tousaw is undoubtedly one of the most captivating and important voices in craft cannabis today. His commentary, open letters, and social media presence continue to speak truth to power and modernize our nation's cannabis policies.

In recognition of his work and advocacy on behalf of medical cannabis patients and providers, Kirk was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal on January 24, 2013 by the government of Canada.

@kirktousaw (twitter & IG)

@greatgardenerfarms (IG)

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CertiCraft is a compliance software system that helps small-to-medium licensed cannabis producers stay on top of their regulatory requirements. The platform has a focus on ease of use, minimal training time (<15 mins), and incredible time savings. Find out more at certicraft.com.