The State of Craft - Episode 8, featuring the BC LDB, LCRB, & the Cannabis Secretariat's Office

The State of Craft is a bi-weekly live conversation discussing the state of the legal craft cannabis industry.

We’re very excited to speak with governing ministries that directly impact cannabis distribution – straight from the horse’s mouth!

Today, many licensed craft cannabis producers are facing huge distribution challenges. Luckily, in BC, the government is working hard to implement new programs to address these supply chain issues: Direct Delivery and Farm-gate. These programs have the potential to eradicate most of the distribution barriers that are stopping licensed craft producers from thriving today.

For Episode 8, CertiCraft has brought together senior officials from the three BC Ministries involved with the creation of these programs: the BC Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB), the BC Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB), and the BC Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Secretariat. Our host and CertiCraft CEO, Sami Majadla, will seek to gain an understanding of how these ministries go about implementing such critically important programs.

They will share answers to important questions such as: How does a government body go about creating effective solutions that solve unanticipated issues in a new industry? What kind of process does the government go through in implementing new programs? How can members of the craft cannabis industry influence the emerging policy?

If these types of questions are important to you (spoiler – they are!), we certainly hope to see you on July 23rd.

We are honoured to welcome:

Dylan Sherlock, Director of Policy for the B.C. Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Secretariat within the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General

The Secretariat led the development of B.C.’s non-medical cannabis regulatory framework and is the central coordinating body for non-medical cannabis policy across the provincial government. Dylan’s previous experience rests at the intersection of economic development, regulatory reform and natural resource policy.

Fabian Contreras, Acting Director of Corporate Policy for the BC Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) within the Ministry of Finance

The LDB is the sole wholesaler and public retailer of non-medical cannabis in B.C. Fabian has over 10 years of public policy experience having worked for the provincial government in Saskatchewan and municipalities in both Saskatchewan and Alberta. Fabian is new to BC, having recently moved in January 2021.

Leanne Davies, Manager of Cannabis Policy at the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB)

The LCRB oversees the rules and laws that govern B.C.'s private retail sale of liquor and non-medical cannabis. Leanne has held various program and policy roles in the BC Public Service since 2008. She is a life-long Vancouver Islander and is grateful to live, work and play on the traditional territories of the W̱SÁNEĆ, Esquimalt and Songhees Nations.

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What is The State of Craft?

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.

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What is CertiCraft?

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.