The founder and publisher of the Saint John-based online cannabis publication Civilized believes New Brunswick can, and should, lead the way in Canada when it comes to the marijuana industry.
Derek Riedle told the provincial cannabis committee that New Brunswick is on track to become the Canadian leader in cannabis research, development and manufacturing and that this is an industry that will strengthen our workforce and help increase our population.
“Our size as a province makes us more nimble, more able to act fast and capitalize on this opportunity, our bilingual population mix is urban and rural, making us an ideal microcosm for the country. We have low operating costs and ready access to markets around the world,” says Riedle.
“We must adopt a post-prohibition mentality and start living it now. We can’t afford to miss this opportunity.”
According to stats from Riedle, by 2020 North Americans will be spending $130-billion on cannabis which is more than double what they spend on coffee. He says this year we’re expecting $8.2-billion and next year we’re looking at just under $34-billion.
He says Canada is becoming the new face of cannabis culture with uncertainty about the industry in the U.S. right now and we’re going to make a big impact on the world.
