Marijuana Business Magazine November December 2018

the rug out from under many of the country’s biggest companies, which had planned to roll out expansive retail operations in the province. Allan Rewak, executive director of Cannabis Canada Council, said he’s “disappointed with the concentration limit for licenses.” There will not be a hard cap on the number of outlets the province will allow, and municipalities will be able to exercise a retail “opt-out” clause. The deadline to opt out is Jan. 22. Under the new proposal, Ontario’s retail framework for recreational cannabis will start with online-only sales, and privately owned retail stores will open by April 1. The Ontario Cannabis Retail Corp. will serve as exclusive wholesaler for the provincial market. UK to Rely on Imports to Meet Demand The United Kingdom likely will lean on imports to supply “unlicensed” cannabis-derived products after medical marijuana becomes available by prescription later this year. A new report by a council studying medical cannabis in the U.K. advises the government should encourage phar- maceutical companies to apply to the Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency for a license to market cannabis- derived medicinal products – thus bringing them into the “licensed” fold. This was one of 11 recommendations made by the coun- cil, which was convened at the request of Home Secre- tary Sajid Javid, who promised to make approved medical marijuana products available by prescription in the coming months. Deepak Anand, vice president of Toronto consultancy Cannabis Compliance, expects Canadian licensed produc- ers to largely fill the void of unlicensed MMJ in the U.K. He noted, however, that the advisory council agreed unli- censed medical cannabis should be considered “a product of last resort” and used only when no other drug with marketing authorization meets the clinical need. 5 Inspired by temperature USA Huber USA, Inc. 100 Centrewest Ct. Suite A Cary, NC 27513 Extraction at its finest Consistent and accurate temperature control solutions for easy integration in extraction labs and distillation plants for the best results and highest yields. For more information, please visit www.huber-usa.com/Unistat815 or call 800.726.4877 November/December 2018 • Marijuana Business Magazine • 21