MJBizMag September 2020 - 8

FromtheEditor | Kate Lavin
Around the World in 120 Pages
M
arijuana Business Magazine's roster of international
writers has doubled since this time last year, allowing
us to offer readers even more industry insights in this
third issue dedicated to the global cannabis space.
As the second anniversary of Canadian recreational
marijuana legalization approaches, we look at how closely
today's market resembles the one analysts predicted at the
outset. Despite the bottom falling out of cannabis stocks
and a capital crunch forcing many businesses to cut costs,
International Editor Matt Lamers says provincial governments
have largely delivered on the promises they made
leading up to legalization.
Lamers is based in Toronto, which is home to some of
North America's largest cannabis companies as well as
the largest stock exchange for plant-touching marijuana
businesses. In this issue, he offers an overview of Canada's
provincial landscape for the cannabis industry, including
fast facts on sales figures, retailers per capita and how
the medical marijuana market has held up since adult-use
sales began. (Surprise: One western province has seen
MMJ patient counts rise nearly 20% since rec sales began.)
Overflowing Warehouses and Scaling Back
Reporter Solomon Israel is based in Manitoba, Canada,
where regulators are accepting applications for new retail
outlets and plan to allow cannabis sales in mainstream
stores-a trend U.S. businesses would no doubt love to
emulate at home. Israel breaks down 18 other trends
of interest to prospective investors in Canada's market,
exploring how the country ended up with a cannabis glut of
nearly 1.5 million pounds and which infused products are
catching on with consumers.
He also consulted historical records for " Global Retreat "
(see page 58), detailing the list of Canadian license
holders that made large investments overseas-and likely
regretted it.
Alfredo Pascual, an international analyst for Marijuana
Business Magazine based in Germany, identified 10 nations
with regulated cannabis in various stages of development.
His feature " Top International MMJ Markets " (see page 60)
gives a rundown of five countries with functional medical
marijuana programs and revenue-generating opportunities.
" Five Countries to Watch " (see page 68) offers a look at
overseas markets where the next 12 months could mean
the difference between promising and profitable-but only
if luck is on the side of businesses, capital markets and
countries fighting the current public health crisis.
Monica Raymunt, a reporter covering hemp from Germany,
spoke with the director of the International Hemp
Building Association in Europe (see page 10) about the
business realities of cultivating hemp for construction
rather than cannabinoids. As she learned, distribution of
such dense materials is a major issue, even as the public
looks for sustainable building alternatives.
Hemp reporter Ivan Moreno's research for this issue
spanned three continents as he uncovered how countries
are overcoming bans that effectively stopped low-THC
cannabis production for much of the past century. China,
once a global force for hemp cultivation and processing,
has proved to be a powerhouse once again. However, the
country's lack of publicly available agriculture data means
other hemp-producing markets can only speculate about
how much of the crop farmers are growing and selling.
(See " Global Hemp Potential " on page 72.)
As North America enters its third season battling
unforeseen challenges, we hope this issue brings some
clarity about where other nations are headed and highlights
potential business opportunities at home and abroad.
Sincerely,
Kate Lavin
Marijuana Business
Magazine Editor
8 Marijuana Business Magazine | September 2020
MJBizMag September 2020

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