Health Canada Overrun by Medical Marijuana License Applications
Health Canada, the government agency tasked with regulating the country’s medical marijuana program, is being overrun with applications requesting new licensing for production under the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR).
The agency reported that 156 applications had been submitted through last September – that number tripled by February and then doubled again in another three months. This “greenrush” has seen a diverse range of those looking to grab a piece of the grow business – everyone from hopeful basement growers and well-backed, experienced ganjapreneurs to even a pivoting junior mining firm.
Health Canada Article Pic 1
By and large, bureaucracy, red-tape, and underfunding have been given the blame for the bottleneck. The MMPR opened up Health Canada to applications last year and they first started coming in at a slow drip. That trickle has now turned into a flood with the agency not able to keep up with the deluge.
Many newcomers trying to make it in the grow business are enduring long waiting periods. There is also the sticking point of newly introduced regulations from April 1, which threatens the country’s cottage industry of home growers. Changes to the review process for licensing are an issue to many – and meeting Health Canada’s extensive and exacting standards has proven a difficult task. According to Sara Lauer with Health Canada, of the 858 applications received as of May 20, 370 were returned as incomplete, 149 were refused, and 30 were withdrawn.
There are currently only 13 authorized licensed producers under the MMPR. Any producer that wants to join the list must go through checks and inspections for security personnel, security requirements, record-keeping equipment, and quality control requirement. Health Canada does not have a limit on of producers it can add to its list, however all must pass the onerous conditions.
While some applicants sit in limbo, their grow spaces sit vacant and unplanted and investors become tired. Umar Syed, president of CannaMart Inc., based in Toronto and waiting since October for licensing, says that, “They’re dealing with a situation they weren’t prepared for.”
Tapping into the estimated 500,000 Canadians currently using marihuana as medical treatment has enormous room for future growth. Health Canada estimates that by 2024, medical marijuana sales in the Canada will reach $1.3 billion.
Medical Marijuana Industry Revenue Could Reach $8.4 Billion
IBISWorld Research published a report that determined the medical marijuana industry revenue could reach $8.4 billion by 2019. That's a growth rate of 18.7% annually. Revenue is expected to grow 63.1% in 2014 alone. However, analyst David Yang points out there are many headwinds facing the industry, such as the regulatory environment and the restrictive barriers to entry. Surprisingly edible marijuana products command 54% of the marijuana market share. Because of the various state laws, medical marijuana is mostly a small business operation, but it expected to pay over $750 million in wages.